[EDIT: I accidentally uploaded the wrong doc file, so that's why there was a little mistake. Thank you to everyone who let me know, you guys rock!]

Thank you everyone who left a review/favourited! Sorry this took a while, I've been rewriting this for a while. (Still not happy with it, but I'm hoping I'll get better as I go on.)

This great prompt goes to EmilyMay93, thanks for sending it in! I like the idea of doing these prompts because I think it's great to experiments with different interpretations, which I hope you'll see here. I didn't want to necessarily go for the obvious, so I hope you still enjoy this!

In terms of a timeline, I'll just say it's sometimes after 1x06, but before Kelly and Erin start dating.

"Do you ever think we should just stop doing this?"

Jay sat at the table, twiddling his thumbs as his date picked at the vegetables on her plate. She was blonde and perfect. -Well, on paper she was.

Her hair was light on her shoulders and feathered round her pixie face, features so soft she looked almost doll-like. Jay couldn't deny he'd observed her figure when they walked in the restaurant together, and that was far from a bad sight, too. So in the looks department, Laura was a great catch.

Except the fact there was zero chemistry between them. A mild sexual attraction faded away instantly at the lack of substance in their conversation, leaving Halstead simply bored as he stared down aimlessly at the empty plate of lobster.

Finally, after a long, dull silence, Jay's saving grace pulled him out of the depths of boredom. He muttered a polite "sorry" as he retrieved the ringing device from his pocket.

"Yeah." He answered bluntly, his gaze looking down slightly.

"Okay, it's ten. You didn't text me so I'm guessing you're still looking for an out?" Erin's voice was comforting in his ear.

"Oh my god," He started, playing out his part well. It was something he'd been practising a lot recently, and believed he was getting fairly good at it. It wasn't exactly ethical, but he guessed it was a lot nicer than flat out leaving his date in the middle of dinner. "Okay, I'm coming right now. Yeah, I'll be right there."

Jay hit the 'end call' button on his phone and shoved it back into his pocket quickly. "I'm really sorry." He said, a little genuine. "There's been a flood at my apartment..."

"No, it's fine. You should go!" Laura exclaimed quickly, dropping her fork as Jay stood up.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you should go."

After muttering another apology, Jay left the table with his jacket in hand. As he passed the maitre d he paid the bill, not before looking back at his date with the hint of a grimace as he thought of his actions. Laura appeared to be pleasantly finishing her meal, so Jay was out the door without another second to waste.

His foot hit the concrete and a rush of cool air hit his face, waking him up slightly. He slid on his leather jacket over his dress shirt and sunk his hands into his jeans pocket as he strode down the street.

He felt bad about lying to his date - Not as bad as the first time he'd ditched out early, but still there was something in the pit of his stomach that told him what he was doing wasn't right. But then he saw Erin paying for the two hotdogs she was holding at the stand on the corner of the street, and nothing else seemed to matter.

"Woah, that was like thirty minutes." She commented, walking towards him and handing him one of the hotdogs slathered in ketchup and mustard, just how he always had it. "All time record."

"Thirty minutes? Felt like hours." Jay said. They walked side by sound down the street, the smell of hotdogs masking the air around them. Jay could still smell his partner's perfume though.

"Come on, she was cute. It couldn't have been that bad."

"Trust me." He said, taking another bite. "The silence was torture."

"Well," Erin started, knocking her shoulder against Jay's. "At least it's picking up now, right?"

"Yeah, a little." Maybe he'd never tell her how much better a Chicago hot dog with her in darkness was than an intricate dinner in an expensive restaurant. Maybe he'd never tell her how he always waited for her call either.

"A little? I know I'm the best part of your night, Halstead."

"In your dreams, Lindsay."

They walked in comfortable silence for a little while. The breeze picked up and Jay noticed how Erin had moved a little closer to him in their wandering. He wasn't complaining.

Erin finished her hot dog first and tossed the napkin in a passing trashcan, soon followed by Jay's. They didn't always eat hot dogs after his failed dates, but it had been a recent favourite. They ate their fast food, made a slow walk back to Erin's car and spent a couple of hours at her place.

"How was the food?" Erin asked after a few minutes, tucking her hands into her pockets seeking warmth.

"Amazing." Jay noted, a small smile taking the side of his mouth. "The pasta was incredible." He waited a few seconds before speaking again, collecting his words and relaying them with caution. "We should go there one night."

Erin stopped walking, seemingly frozen. It's what Jay was afraid of. "You mean... You mean like a date?"

He exhaled and looked at the ground, feeling everything going crumbly for a moment. "No. No, I meant-" He didn't know what he meant. He just knew that every time he was sat opposite some woman eating dinner, he wanted more than anything for it to be Erin.

The wind seemed to have picked up in their silent tension, filled with angst and sorrow. Jay grinded his teeth and Erin steadied her jaw.

"Do you ever think we should just stop doing this?" She asked quietly with pain filled eyes.

"What?"

"This." She gestured between them. "Me... Finishing your dates. Don't you think it'd maybe be easier if we just stopped?" She sounded almost exasperated. Jay knew she was thinking of Voight. Of his no-dating-rule that always seemed to pull them back from anything going too far.

They stood under a bright streetlight with nothing but the whirling of a harsh wind encapsulating them. Jay felt his lungs empty with each passing second as he tried to find something to say.

"Smarter? Yeah. But easier? Hell no." He let out a sad smile and relinquished his hands from the comfort of his pockets. "I don't know what this is between us. But I do know that seeing you... It's... I don't know, it's the best part of my day. You're the best part of my day. Always."

The next few seconds lasted forever. Jay wasn't one to let emotions pour out of him, but sometimes he couldn't help it. And after a second, Erin's hardened face seemed to relax, a free smile spreading across her face.

"You're the best part of my day too." Her voice was soft. "Just, don't go asking me on a date anytime soon. Okay?"

He snorted as they carried on walking. "Deal."

Jay was pretty sure the next person he was going on a date with wasn't a tall blond, or some curvy lawyer with a great smile. He was more than sure that she was the detective stood by his side, the very same woman whose no-date-deal he was crazily prepared to break. And for the first time in a while, Jay was excited for his next date.