Author's Note: Thanks for continuing to follow along and for all of your sweet reviews! Typically this chapter would post tomorrow, but with a very busy work schedule tomorrow, instead of pushing this chapter back a day, I bumped it up! Big things happening for our happy couple!

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Chapter 9-I Can't Believe You Beat Me to Saying It

The next several weeks were incredibly intense and busy for Hank and the unit. They were working harder than they had in months, early mornings and late nights. Hank and Jenna hadn't had more than a few minutes together, only a few evenings where Jenna dropped food off to Hank at the district, a few stolen kisses out of view of his unit.

They missed each other terribly, and Erin started to notice a change in Hank. He was quieter, and she could tell the constant work was wearing him down. Before Jenna, Hank wouldn't have thought twice about the long hours. But now, several months into their relationship, he had developed more of a work-life balance, and Erin could tell the time away from Jenna was hard on him. It also significantly affected his mood, and the whole unit was walking on eggshells.

When their cases were winding down, Erin decided to try to help make all of their lives a little easier.

"Hey," she said, knocking softly on the doorframe of Hank's office.

"Hey kid."

"Cases are wrapped, and the paperwork will be pretty well finished up this evening. Why don't you take off early, and go spend the evening with Jenna? We'll hold it down here."

"Trying to get rid of me?" he asked, a small smirk on his face.

"No, but I think it would do us all a favor if you got an evening alone with your girlfriend," she said, smirking back at him with an attitude only his daughter could get away with.

"Erin."

"Come on Hank , you miss her, and I know she misses you. Go spend some time with her."

Hank sighed. "I'll think about it."

"Think hard, please. For all our sake," she said, giggling as he threw a pen at her.

When Erin was gone, Hank thought about what she said. She was right. He really missed Jenna, and he hated that he'd barely spent time with her the last few weeks. He made the decision right then that he would take Erin's advice and go spend the evening with his girl.

He pulled up a text to Jenna on his phone.

'Hey beautiful. Any plans tonight?'

Jenna smiled when she saw Hank's text. Could this mean he was actually getting an early evening off?

'Just sitting on my couch all alone, desperately missing my man. What about you?'

Hank chuckled under his breath as he read her message. He could almost hear the words coming out of her mouth.

'Things are wrapping up, so I should be able to leave at least by regular time. I was hoping I could come over and help you not feel so lonely tonight.'

Jenna giggled at his text. 'That sounds like a pretty good offer, Sergeant. I guess I'll be seeing you this evening.'

'I'll text when I leave'

'Perfect. See you soon babe'

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"Hey," Jenna said, meeting Hank at the door as he opened it.

"Hey beautiful," he said, kissing her deeply as he stepped into the apartment.

"I'm so glad you're here, Hank."

"Me too, Jen. I've missed you so much lately."

"Oh, I've missed you too," Jenna said, putting her arms around his waist as he pulled her close. She laid her head on his chest for a few moments, closing her eyes, enjoying being in his arms and hearing the sound of his heartbeat.

Hank softly kissed the top of her head. "You ok?" he asked.

"I'm good. I've just missed being close to you like this."

He cupped her face in his hands. "I've missed it too, babe." He kissed her until they were interrupted by the sound of the oven timer.

"Sorry," Jenna said, pulling away and rushing into the kitchen. Hank followed behind her, watching as she took care of their dinner. Cooking was one of her favorite things to do, and he loved watching her work. Jenna could feel Hank's eyes on her, so she looked at him over her shoulder. "What?" she asked.

"I'm just enjoying the view," he said, grinning at her.

Jenna rolled her eyes as she giggled. "Ok, I think everything is ready."

"It looks incredible." As Jenna handed Hank a plate, his cell phone went off.

Hank sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, pulling out the phone. "Voight," he said as he answered the phone, walking into the living room to take the call.

Jenna fixed a plate for both of them, hoping it was just a check-in and not a new case.

Unfortunately, when Hank walked back in, it was written all over his face.

"No," Jenna said, setting the plates down on the counter to keep from throwing them across the room out of frustration.

"Babe."

"No," she said again.

"We caught a crime scene."

"No Hank! You've been working constantly for the last few weeks! You need a break!"

"I know, but they need us."

Jenna looked away, gathering all the strength she had in her to not break down in tears. She'd been longing for time with him for several weeks, and it hurt to have to let him go so quickly. She understood his work, but it didn't make it easier to go so long without seeing him.

"Ok," she said softly. "At least eat something before you go."

"I have to be there in fifteen minutes. I'm so sorry Jen."

Jenna sighed. "It's ok." It wasn't, but she wouldn't dare to say that to him.

"It's not ok," Hank said, walking over and putting his hands on her waist. "I'm sorry to up and leave you like this. I'm sorry I've had to work so much lately. But I promise it will slow down." He pulled her into his arms. "Can we plan for my house tomorrow night?"

"Sure."

"Good. I'll cook. You just bring that pretty face, maybe an overnight bag," he said as he smiled at her.

Jenna gave him a tiny smile. "I could probably do that." She kissed him. "Will you let me know where you are and what's going on? At least text me when you're home so I know you're home?"

"Yeah, I'll check in." Hank pulled her closer, kissing her deeply. "I'm so sorry about this," he said softly between kisses.

"I know," Jenna said, looking up at him. "It's your job, and you have to do what you have to do. It doesn't mean it's easy, but I understand."

She leaned farther into him, and he held her close for a few more moments, wishing desperately that he could stay with her and feeling so guilty for unexpectedly leaving her like this.

Jenna reluctantly pulled away. "Go catch the bad guys."

"I'll do my best." He gave her another quick kiss. "Goodnight Jen."

"Goodnight Hank."

When Hank was gone, Jenna plopped down on the couch. She had plans for tonight, things she wanted to say to him. She wanted to sleep next to him and wake up with him in the morning. Instead, she would go to sleep alone and hope that she would see him tomorrow.

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Jenna ended up falling asleep on her couch. She woke up just after midnight and sleepily made her way to her bed. Just before she turned off her bedroom light, she heard the ding of her text tone.

'Hey beautiful. Any chance you're awake?'

Jenna smiled at Hank's text. 'I was just getting into bed. Fell asleep on my couch. How's the case?'

'Ugly. But we've done everything we can do tonight. I know it's late, but I would really like to sleep next to you.'

'Come on over babe'

'Be there soon'

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Jenna met Hank at the door, and she could immediately tell that something bad had happened. "You ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Hank said, giving her a hug. He held on longer than normal, so she knew he was in pain.

"No you're not. I know you better than that," she said as he walked on into the apartment. Jenna followed him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No Jenna, it's...I just want to try to get some sleep, and I'd prefer doing that next to you. I don't want to be alone tonight."

"Ok. Let's go to bed." She took his hand and led him to her room.

Hank climbed into bed next to Jenna, and he let her pull him into her arms, laying his head on her chest as she softly stroked his back. "Thank you," he said softly.

"For what, babe?"

"For being you. For letting me be here. For…everything."

"Hank."

"Normally coming off cases like this, I would go home and drink until I passed out on the couch. But tonight, when we were there in the middle of it, and it was...awful, instead of thinking about a drink, all I could think about was how much I wanted to be next to you."

Jenna pulled him closer, kissing the top of his head as she held him. "I'm here for you, whatever you need. I'm glad I can be some sort of...comfort for you. If you need to talk, I can listen, or if you just need to be here, you can be here." She bit her lip, wanting to say more, wanting to tell him how she felt, but she didn't want it to be in this kind of moment. "Let's try to get some sleep."

"Ok. Goodnight Jen."

"Goodnight Hank."

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The next morning, Jenna woke up shivering, missing the warmth of Hank in bed beside her. She knew he had a busy day ahead of him, but she wished he had woken her before he left. She walked out of her bedroom and was surprised to see Hank in her kitchen filling two plates with breakfast.

"Coffee?" Hank asked. Jenna nodded. He filled a coffee mug and brought it to her.

"Good morning babe," he said, kissing her head as he handed her the mug, his other hand gently resting on her hip.

"Good morning," she said softly, leaning into him. "I'm glad you're still here."

"I won't be here long, but I have time for a quick breakfast. Let's eat." She followed him to the table where they shared a quiet breakfast.

When they were finished, Hank cleared the table.

"I can do that," Jenna said.

"I got it," he said.

When he was finished, he took her face in his hands, pulling her close as he kissed her. "Thank you for last night."

A small smile spread across her face. "I didn't do anything."

"But you did. Being with you...I slept better than I have in weeks, and I know that was because of you. We're still on for tonight, right?"

"Of course. But you don't need to cook. You're going to have a rough day. Let me take care of dinner."

"Not a chance." He kissed her again. "I'll check in later. See you tonight."

"See you tonight."

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Jenna was surprised that Hank beat her to his house. "Hey beautiful," he said, opening the door for her.

"Hey," she said, kissing him deeply. "You're home early."

"We got everything wrapped up early."

"Of course you did. That's why you're the sergeant," she said teasingly.

Hank laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close for a kiss. Jenna could tell that even through his laughter, he was still in pain from whatever happened with his case.

She pulled back a little, looking into his eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hank shook his head. "No. The case is wrapped up. I just want to move on and put it behind me."

Jenna stroked his face. "Ok. But I'm here if you want to talk."

"I know, and I appreciate it more than you know. Let's go out back and get food on the grill," he said, taking her hand.

As Hank tended to their dinner, Jenna walked to the edge of the patio, watching the sunset. "It's so pretty tonight," she said softly.

"I think so too," said Hank.

The sound of his voice told Jenna that he was smiling, so she turned around to see him staring at her. She shook her head as she laughed. He closed the grill and joined her, putting his arm around her as she leaned into him. "You're right. It is a beautiful night. Kinda perfect, don't you think?"

"I do."

"I'm glad you're here," he said softly in her ear as he kissed the side of her head.

"Me too."

"I've really missed you, Jen."

"I've missed you too. So much, babe."

They stood together for a little while longer. Jenna could tell Hank was thinking about something serious. "What are you thinking about?"

Hank smiled into her hair. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have met you, and that my life is better than I ever thought it could be again."

Jenna smiled, putting her arms around his waist and pulling him closer. She knew it was hard for him to express his feelings, and it meant a lot to her to hear how he felt. "I feel the same way about you," she said softly.

Jenna was in love with Hank. She'd known it for awhile, but she hadn't let herself say it yet. She tried to guard her heart and not rush things, but she knew there was no doubt she was in love, and she knew she didn't want to wait any longer to tell him how she felt. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off when Hank spoke first.

"I love you, Jenna."

Jenna's eyes widened in surprise. She looked up at him. "What did you just say?"

"When Camille died, I thought…I thought my life was over. I just threw myself into my job and never thought about having something serious again. I thought the job and an occasional random night would be enough. I convinced myself that it was better that way, being alone."

He turned toward her and took one of her hands, his other going to her cheek. "Jen, I was wrong. I didn't know how wrong I was until you walked into my life. You are an incredible woman, and I'm lucky to be here with you. I love you."

Jenna smiled at him, happy tears in her eyes as she put her hand on top of his. "I love you too Hank. I can't believe you beat me to saying it."

"You mean that?" he asked. "You aren't just saying it back because I said it?"

Jenna leaned in and kissed him deeply. "I love you Hank Voight. I have for a long time." She kissed him again.

Hank pulled her close as they kissed. "I love you Jenna. So much."

They ate dinner outside, and when everything was put away, Jenna took Hank's hands, pulling him up to his room. She kissed him hard, and he could feel the difference in her kiss, a desire that she'd been fighting their whole relationship breaking through. When the kiss broke, he pulled back to look at her, a questioning look in his eyes.

"I want to be with you," Jenna whispered as she kissed him again.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Hank asked, brushing her hair away from her face as they kissed.

"I'm ready. I love you, and you love me, and I want this. I've wanted it for a long time."

Hank nodded, pulling her close and kissing her deeply as her fingers slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

They'd had such a perfect evening, finally getting to say the words they'd been feeling for a long time. They spent the rest of the night into the early hours of the morning talking, connecting, and celebrating their love and this new step in their relationship.