Besides her sergeant, Hank Voight, Erin Lindsay was the only one who remained in the bullpen at the end of the day. It was too late to be at the district - almost ten at night, but there she was, sitting at her desk, trying to get herself as prepared as much possible for tomorrow .

She would be going to New York, another case popped up with the Special Victim's Unit, and she would be traveling with her partner, Jay Halstead.

Erin was scared shitless. The last time she had gone to New York on police business she had landed in the hospital with a concussion and had to leave the city early, per Voight's direct orders.

She had gone to New York with Jay before, no problem, but this time it was different. This time they had history.

The same night she had begun her first case with the federal task force, they had slept together. It had been a long time coming with the tension between them building for the past year. And after a frustrating case dealing with the life of a fellow detective's sister and a crazy pyrotechnic, Erin and Jay had done it again. They had been together behind Voight's back for close to six weeks up until Voight found out recently. Ever since then, things hadn't been the same between them.

Erin missed it. She missed him. She missed the possibility of what they could be and found herself thinking about him all the time - more than she would ever admit out loud. So much so that she just happened to find herself outside his apartment after calling it a night and finally leaving the district.

Erin only needed to knock twice before Jay opened the door. He looked at her with genuine shock seeing her standing in front of him, but he wore a warm smile on his face.

"Hey you."

Erin smiled back. "Hi."

Jay pulled his door open a bit wider. "You wanna come in?"

Erin nodded and stepped through the threshold, and then Jay closed the door behind her.

A sense of déjà vu came over Erin as she stood in the same spot from six weeks prior - when she had first kissed her partner. When things had really changed.

Jay stood in front of her, his hands on his hips. "So, what's going on?"

Erin didn't want to play games. She just wanted him.

She moved with quick intent and planted her lips on his. The familiar feel of her body pressed up against his and her soft delicate hands grasping at his neck sent a current through Jay's veins. He couldn't help the almost shudder that danced over his skin at her touch. They weren't supposed to be doing this, but Jay Halstead lost all self control when it came to Erin Lindsay.

He was almost gasping for breath when she pulled away from him.

"I don't wanna cool it, Jay," she blurted out before he could say a word.

"Erin-"

"Shut up," Erin rasped and kissed him again. It was desperate. A necessity to her being and only he could breathe the life into her that she needed so badly.

"Jay, please."

Without another word he picked her up and carried her to his bed.

The next morning, Erin Lindsay found herself waking up once again in Jay Halstead's bed with his arms wrapped tight around her small frame. It may have only been an occurrence of times she could count on one hand, but waking up in his embrace was something Erin was beginning to look forward to. It was something she was starting to crave on a more routine basis and it was something she didn't want to ever give up - not for anything or anyone.

Erin felt Jay's body shift behind hers, coming out of sleep. She felt his arm tighten around her waist just the slightest bit more and then his nose was in her hair.

"So..." Jay mumbled into her neck before he kissed below her ear.

Erin smiled at the shiver his lips delivered to her skin and turned her body to face him. Jay kept an arm draped over her, keeping her close, and they laid face to face.

Erin lifted her own arm, running a finger along his shoulder. "So..."

"I guess we're right back to square one," he observed with a slight smile.

She shook her head with a smirk, "No, this is for real. I meant it last night when I said I don't wanna cool it."

Erin leaned forward and kissed him before she whispered, "I'm in too deep with you."

Jay kissed her back and when they pulled away he held her gaze with his.

"I am too, but that doesn't mean Voight still isn't an issue. He'll never be okay with this."

Erin shrugged her shoulders. "I just don't care anymore. We'll keep doing our thing and we'll deal with the rest later. We'll deal with it together."

"Really?" Jay asked, almost giddy, with a wide smile.

Erin answered him with a nod of her head, followed by another quick kiss. She got out of bed then, leaving Jay laying there with a stupid grin still taking up his face.

"Let's go, Halstead. We've got a plane to catch."

•

"That's the right black suitcase, isn't it?" Jay Halstead asked as he and Erin walked away from the baggage claim at LaGuardia airport.

She smiled, glancing at her feet to the black case in question. "It is."

He grinned back and the two hopped on an escalator to exit the airport.

In the middle of their ride downstairs, Erin felt Jay's hand over hers. She looked down between them to see their hands clasped and their fingers laced together tightly.

Erin didn't say anything, just squeezed his hand in hers. She felt a grin of her own fill her cheeks when he tugged back. It felt right.

Once they reached the bottom they cut a left for the exit. The two detectives were about to reach the doors when they heard the familiar voices of Nick Amaro and Amanda Rollins calling out their names.

Erin and Jay turned with their hands still clenched in one another's and then they heard the loud "I knew it!" fall from the lips of the SVU detectives.

Eyes rolled as the two Chicagoans smiled and made their way over to the people who would be their coworkers for the remaining duration of the case.

•

"So you guys caught this guy in Chicago for money laundering? " Sergeant Olivia Benson of Manhattan SVU called out in the bullpen. Surrounding her, listening intently, were Erin and Jay, as well as detectives Carisi, Tutuola, Rollins and Amaro.

"Yeah," Halstead answered, snapping out of his tired, trance like state. He and Erin had left for the O'Hare at five that morning. "This guy, Mikael Karlsson showed up for money laundering, stupid amounts. We ran him through a bunch of databases, and it showed that he had an association with baby laundering here in New York."

"That's when they called us. This guy here, Mikael," Fin Tutuola interjected stepping up to the board and pointing to a mugshot, "is running an illegal adoption ring. How these work is they pose as a legitimate adoption agency and pretty much sell the children to desperate couples who can't get approved by other agencies, for whatever reason. They make the birth mother have the baby in their facility, an ill-equipped place with quack doctors, usually. We had one of these a few years back. It's probably the same sorta deal."

"So, if he's got this ring here, that illegal money he's got, is probably from another ring in Chicago?" Erin asked, putting the pieces together. They had one hell of a case here.

"That could very well be the case, there's probably undiscovered money laundering happening here and an adoption ring in Chicago." Sergeant Benson, speculated cynically, though likely correct.

Olivia had barely finished her last word when an overzealous and adamant Sonny Carisi, the newest detective to Special Victims, looked over at Halstead and Lindsay. "While you guys were on your way here, we caught a lead! We found a couple who is in the process of adopting out of the ring. They're waiting in interrogation right now."

"How did Karlsson get on SVU's radar?"

"Jake and Lindy Campbell," Amanda Rollins chimed in, "came to us a while ago about it. They were looking into adoption and came across this ring. Jake had a funny feeling meeting with these guys. Apparently he has a sister who's a social worker and when he told her about the adoption, she sort of tipped him off that it didn't sound legitimate. Anyways, the case went cold until you guys called us, so we brought them back in."

"We're gonna need the two of you to pose as this couple and arrange the...uh, transaction."

Erin and Jay shared a look of slight concern before Erin spoke. "Us?"

The entire SVU squad nodded and Olivia stepped closer to them. "Luckily, the Campbells haven't met face to face with the ring yet, they've just corresponded via email so far. Karlsson is going to get an email saying the Campbells would like to meet to be reviewed for adoption and start the process. A sting op is our best bet to catch these creeps red-handed and nail their asses to the wall."

Erin and Jay both nod, fully understanding what was at risk if they don't pull this off. Children.

Rollins and Amaro stepped forward handing Erin and Jay, respectively, a file folder with several documents.

While Erin and Jay browsed through the paperwork in their hands, Olivia gave a short overview. "Upper east side, born and raised. Early thirties. Been married since your early twenties. You've been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant, both naturally and with medical help for the last eight years. When you began looking into adoption two years ago. An IRS audit came over Jake's company and he was arrested for tax evasion and money laundering. He was later acquitted of all charges, but the collar put a red flag on his record and no credible adoption agency or foster care agency will process the adoption application. You've got money and you're willing to spend it to get a child."

Erin and Jay nodded again, both too tired to say much and Olivia took notice. "It's pretty late and you guys look beat. Everyone get out of here, get some rest and meet back here in the morning at nine sharp. We'll hash out the rest of the details then."

The group split and head off in different directions while Jay and Erin said goodnight to everyone.

"So, do you want to try getting pregnant naturally one more time?" Jay joked about their undercover aliases as they waited for the elevator to take them to the first floor of the 16th Precinct.

Erin gasped and smiled, "Jay!" She said as she stepped into the elevator car.

"In-vitro just doesn't get me as hot as the real stuff." he admitted in a quieter and almost huskier voice, taking his place by her side as they descended.

"You're sick!" was the response he got along with a smack on the shoulder and his ultimate goal; a laugh. Jay just smiled back, taking Erin's hand.

"It was worth a try!"

"Wow, the CPD didn't skimp us on this one." Erin Lindsay observed as the cab pulled up outside their hotel that night. It was a tall, narrow building, with lots of floors. She had stopped counting after twenty. The front entrance was formed from beautiful stone and as her and Jay made their way through the shining revolving door their eyes took in the beauty of the inside. Giant chandeliers hung from the ceiling of the lobby, a black grand piano sat in the very center and large columns stood throughout from floor to ceiling. There were chaise lounges and loveseat sofas scattered for leisure; soft chatter reverberated over the room from guests and employees.

While Erin fawned over the pristine lobby for a few moments with an impressed gaze, Jay chuckled at her and made his way to the front desk to check them in. Erin noticed she was alone seconds later and scanned the room for her partner. She spotted him several feet away from her at the front desk. Suddenly, an idea struck her as she walked over to him, placing a hand on his arm to excuse herself before interrupting.

"Which room is under the name Halstead?"

"Um," the concierge, a girl with strawberry blonde hair looking to be in her early twenties, looked at the records of the room she had just given keys out for. "1710."

"Go ahead and cancel that room," Erin told her confidently and slipped the key card from Jay's fingers back into her hands. The concierge turned her gaze to Jay, who, in turn, looked at Erin, confused. She just patted Jay's hand who, still a bit baffled, nodded at the concierge.

"Alright, looks like we're all set, thanks so much!" Erin gave the girl a friendly smile and grabbed Jay's hand, the one not pulling luggage behind them, and began to walk toward the elevator.

"Erin, where am I going to-" he began as they waited for the elevator.

"With me." She finished simply as the doors slid open and they stepped on.

The room was gorgeous. It was obviously expensively furnished. The walls were painted a light gray and trimmed with intricate, white crown molding. In the middle of the room was a queen bed that looked as soft as a cloud. Warm tans, caramels, and taupes mixed with the soft lighting gave the room a cozy effect. Behind the floor-to-ceiling drapes were stunning views of the city. Erin and Jay took all of it in. The Chicago Police Department paid for this? It seemed like a presidential suite.

"This is going to be nice," Jay stated, sitting on the foot of the bed.

"I agree," Erin said, not looking at him, but around the room, with her arms crossed, standing within arms length of Jay. He reached out and gently grabbed her forearm. Pulling his arm back, his hand slid down her arm, connecting with her hand and unfolding her arms in the process. The rest of her soon followed until she was standing in front of him, looking down into his blue eyes. He gave her a grin before pulling her so she was on his lap, straddling him with her knees bent on the bed on either side of his thighs. Erin leaned in and their lips connected. Being touched by her still ran shivers down his spine the same way Jay's touch made her weak in the knees. Erin's hands snaked up his neck to his hair as Jay's large, roaming hands held her so close, so lovingly. She had never felt anything even comparable to how being held by Jay made her feel and she never wanted anything else to come close.

Minutes later, despite all her efforts not to, Erin broke their kiss for a yawn. This elicited a hearty laugh from Jay. "Am I that bad?" He joked, faking offense. Stopping a make out to yawn? It was actually probably the cutest thing he had ever witnessed from her.

Erin laughed as she finished her yawn and kissed his lips. "Not too bad."

Jay smiled, "I'm pretty tired too, let's call it a night." He wrapped his large fingers around Erin's waist and lifted her off of his lap and set her on the ground before he stood up. A kiss was planted on her head before he walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Erin changed into her pajamas, which consisted of a cami and short shorts, turned on the TV and sat on the bed, confirming that yes, it was as soft as a cloud. From a corner of the room she heard a beep, a beep she recognized as the sound her phone made on low battery. After about five minutes of digging around in her suitcase, Erin came to the conclusion that her phone charger was plugged into the outlet next to her bed at home in Chicago. Wonderful. When it beeped again, she remembered that Jay had the same phone as her.

"Halstead!" Erin called and knocked on the bathroom door. She almost expected him to not hear her from the shower. What she didn't expect was for the door to swing open and reveal her boyfriend, almost a foot taller than her, soaking wet, with ripped muscles, in nothing but a towel. Erin jumped; she hadn't even heard the water shut off. Startled, she gasped and looked up at him. "I uh…can I-"

Jay laughed, "Can you…?"

"My phone is-" Erin began but was cut off by Jay picking her up and throwing him over her shoulder. "Jay, put me down!" she pleaded, but stopped when an idea popped into her head. She almost wasn't over his shoulder enough for it to work. Reaching down his back, she hooked her finger under his towel and gave a quick yank, pulling it up into her hands, but not before getting a quick glance at his bare ass.

And quick it was. "Lindsay!" As soon as he realized what happened, he practically threw her onto the bed and grabbed his boxers from where they were sitting on the T.V. stand. He had them on before Erin, in stitches from laughing, gained her composure and looked up.

"That was so good!"

"No cuddling tonight." Jay threatened as they got under the covers.

"Fine then," Erin said with a grin and got comfortable. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Oh, wait, Jay?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I please use your phone charger? I forgot to pack mine."

"Here," he said, unplugging his fully charged phone from the outlet by the nightstand and rolling over so he could hand the cord to her.

"Thanks." Once Erin had her phone plugged in, she laid back down under the cozy duvet. Before she knew it, Jay's large hands were pulling her towards him.

"I guess you did say please," Jay surrendered. Erin grinned victoriously and snuggled into his warm chest as his strong arms encompassed her. Within minutes, they were asleep.