Starting A/N: This is the only chapter that's on the risqué side of things - I'd say it veers off towards M, but nowhere near graphic or in physical terminology... I focused more on nuanced descriptions, I guess, if you had to label it. Also, it is officially the longest chapter ever - 6K words, so without further ado, dive in!

"You know, after all these times of sleeping together, people may actually start to think we're sleeping together." Jay said, eyebrows rising up.

Hailey gave him her signature eye roll from her place beside him on his couch. They had in fact, fallen asleep together on his couch after having pizza and beer. Well, she thought, wouldn't be the first time.

Even though a lot had happened between them (okay, that was an understatement) - she wasn't sure if she was actually ready to take that step in their relationship. Look at what happened last time, her mind scolded. Hailey fought back with: but I love him, and he'd never hurt me. Besides, she daydreamed, as she watched him get up to make coffee. Have you seen him?! You'd be crazier not to.

She giggled, which of course made Jay look over at her. She didn't even realize she'd been staring at him until he asked her, "What? Is my hair like, sticking up in all different directions or something?"

Hailey quickly shook her head no, subconsciously touching her cheeks to check if she was blushing. She really needed to get it together. They were finally getting back to normal, she didn't want an impulsive decision to mess it up.

"Is it okay if I grab a shower real quick?" she asked as she folded the blanket.

"Yeah, sure. Down the hall's the bathroom." He said, pouring the coffee grounds into a filter.

"Save some for me!" She warned, peaking around the corner at him, before disappearing into the bathroom.

She heard him reply with an "okay" as she closed the door, turning on the shower.

Jay groaned in frustration as he waited for the coffee to brew. He leaned against the counter, allowing his mind to process things from last few days. They handled that robbery situation rather well, he thought to himself. And they've really grown closer than he could have ever thought. Emotionally, he reminded himself.

Not that he didn't want that physical connection with her too, but he didn't want to rush it. He wanted her to be ready just as much as he was. Course, hearing the shower turn on wasn't helping things. He was trying so hard not to picture his partner in that very scenario, but then again, he'd seen her in practically every other way over the last couple months. Okay that's not helping either, he chided as his mind proceeded to conjure up the steamier moments between the two of them. Yeah, okay, maybe a cold shower, he decided as he heard the water turn off. He couldn't deny she was drop dead gorgeous, but he also knew she was more than that. She was so much more than that. Always has been.

So, despite all the things he took with him as he headed down the hall to trade her places, that last thought was the one constant running through his mind.

Hailey had come back out from the shower, slipped into her jeans and bra before she realized that if she wore the exact same clothes into work as yesterday, and was with Jay, then people would definitely talk. Shit.

"Hey Jay?" She called to him from the hallway. "Can I, um, borrow a shirt? I didn't bring anything."

His voice sounded closer than she would've guessed. She assumed he had come down the hall, ready to shower himself when she made the awkward request.

"Yeah sure, lemme grab one from my room. Be back in a second." He said from the other side of the door. She heard the clear sounds of drawers opening and closing, meaning he was searching for something.

She was about to just slip on her gray shirt from last night when a white one was held out in his hand. Hailey was so glad the door was only opened a tiny bit. No way he could get a glimpse of anything. Not that she wouldn't have completely objected. Nevertheless, she reasoned, they needed to get to work.

She realized it had been a few seconds, and he was still dangling the shirt over the threshold of his bathroom. Oops. Hailey grabbed it, thanking him. She slipped it on, noticing that it didn't look that much different from one that she would wear. Course how many styles of white crew neck tee shirts are there? She rolled her eyes at her ridiculous thought. No one would notice, so quit worrying, she told herself.

She slid the door the rest of the way open, letting him slip past her. She was weaving her damp hair into a braid when she heard him start on his shower. Her mind was instantly transported to the very place she didn't want it, but she couldn't help it. It was still on her mind. She tried to distract herself with caffeine, noticing that Jay had set aside a cup for her. How nice of him. She poured herself a cup, wondering if he had any half and half. She opened his fridge, noticing a small thing of creamer. Close enough. She added a little bit, letting the white swirl around the black, making a caramel color.

She sipped on the hot liquid, letting the slight burn as it went down her throat shock her system out of her in-the-gutter thoughts about her partner. She was fine until she realized that in her rush to get out of the bathroom, she had left her gray shirt folded up on the floor, which wasn't as important as her phone that sat on top of it.

She smacked a hand over her face in aggravation at her own stupidity. Could she do anything right today? She still heard the water going, so she figured she could slip in and slip out before he even got out. Here goes nothing.

He had left the door cracked open, probably to let out the steam. She peeked in and could see her phone and tee shirt sitting in the same place she left it. Okay, one, two, three. She ran in, grabbed her phone and balled up her tee in her other hand. She was so focused on not getting caught that the shower shutting off didn't register in her brain.

She only turned her head at the sound of the curtain opening. There she stood, frozen in place, as she watched Jay's hand reach around for his towel. He grabbed it, and seconds before Hailey made her move to leave, was already out of the shower. His towel was loosely wrapped around his waist, but that didn't help Hailey's predicament, as all she could do was stare. She caught his eyes for a moment before she, embarrassed as ever, told him that she just needed her phone.

Hailey couldn't help but notice he too looked a little bewildered by the situation. Course, if the situation had been reversed, she would be too. She realized she was still standing in place, gawking. Jay smirked when he noticed this.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." He said, walking slowly towards her, and Hailey looked at him quizzically.

"What're you-" she stopped speaking when she felt him come behind her. She quickly glanced in the mirror, noticing he was just trying to go around her, but she also knew he wasn't above messing with her in a flirty way.

His hair was still wet from the shower, and when a couple drops of water fell onto Hailey's shoulder, she felt her breath catch in her throat. She skirted her eyes over to him as he finished passing her, slower than she'd ever seen someone do that seemingly normal, everyday maneuver. Course most people naked under a towel, or already skating on thin ice when it came to practically jumping each other at any moment.

She had fisted her shirt in her hands, creating wrinkles in the fabric. She couldn't have cared less, because the only thing going through her mind right now was how she should stop herself from losing all her inhibitions. She sighed, her mind being taken back to the real world by the sound of her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hailey, it's Kim. Voight's wondering where you and Jay are. Have you spoken to him this morning?"

She heard his bedroom door open, and he came out dressed in his usual jeans and dark shirt that made his green eyes look extraordinary. Quit it, Hailey! She chastised herself.

"Hellooooo, Hailey?"

"Hm? Oh, right sorry Kim. Yeah, I'm actually picking him up right now. We'll be in in 10."

"Okay, cool. See you soon."

Hailey hung up the phone to find Jay grinning at her. "You suck at lying," he said, the mischievous looking smile still on his lips.

Hailey tossed his jacket to him. "Psh, whatever. Can I please just drive you so Burgess won't be suspicious?" She pouted, knowing if she did that he'd always give in.

"Fine," he replied, taking the chance to toss her car keys in her direction. Hailey caught them, slipped her shoes on, and the two of them were out the door, ready to face the day...as if nothing happened. Yeah, sure.

"Upton, Halstead, my office." Voight grumbled as the two detectives arrived at Intelligence.

Hailey and Jay exchanged glances, hoping they weren't going to get reprimanded for being a few minutes late. It was all Jay's fault anyways, Hailey rationalized. He and his stupid abs. Not to mention the other part of him she felt this morning when he snuck past her. Damn him.

They took their seats, waiting for Voight to fill them in on why they were summoned. "I just saw Dr. Barnes," he stated.

Both Jay and Hailey relaxed a little in their seats. Phew, okay. "And she gave me an update. Looks like you two are back on regular duty as of today. Glad to have you guys 100% again." He nodded, meaning 'okay I'm done now, leave' to which Jay and Hailey obliged.

Voight didn't miss the high five they gave each other as they walked out of his office. The sergeant shook his head. Sometimes he felt like he was wrangling teenagers rather than cops. Family's family though, he reminded himself. And this unit was the best one there was.

Hailey and Jay had just gotten settled back into their desks when Kevin jumped up from his desk. "Knife wielder on the L, we gotta go."

Intelligence headed out to the train station, quickly finding the source of the chaos. A fight had broken out between two passengers, one of which had a hunting knife on him. You can guess what happened to the other subway goer.

Jay and Hailey tended to the wounded man while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Kevin and Adam ran point, engaging with the suspect. Voight had them come in from either side, as to intimidate the knifer. The guy did get nervous, but instead of heading for either of them, he made a dead sprint toward Hailey and Jay, who were still focused on the injured person in their care.

"Hailey! Jay!" Kevin called.
"Guys!" Adam yelled.

Both phrases made them look up, only seconds away from being attacked. They immediately got in front of the suspect, giving each other a nod at what they had to do. Jay held a taser in his hand; Hailey's held her gun.

The guy lunged at them, but Jay ducked underneath him and got him in the stomach with the taser. He tried again, which left Hailey with the only option both could live with. A non-fatal shot was fired, giving the guy a bullet in his arm, effectively bringing him down in pain.

Voight came charging in, as did Adam and Kevin. Kim and Antonio followed. Once they were sure the suspect was down, he was handcuffed and taken away. The ambulance arrived at the same time to take their injured passenger to Chicago Med. Foster said not to worry, that he'd make it, since the knife didn't hit major organs or arteries.

Everyone took a breather after that one, given that the suspect seemed more deranged than anyone would've guessed. Voight said for everyone to reconvene at the house, so they split up and drove back.

Hailey sat in the police car next to Jay, who hadn't put the key in yet. She tapped his shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

Jay shook his head. "Yeah, you know, I actually think I am. Thanks for having my back out there today." He replied.

"Of course. I mean, I'm not glad a knife wielding maniac came at us today, but I'm glad we're back in sync...communicating and everything we need for the job, you know? I felt like everything worked just how it was supposed to." She looked over at him, her brows knitting together. "Does that make any sense?"

Jay glanced at her before finally starting up the car. "Yeah." He took her hand in his. "Yeah it does."

They caught each other's eyes again, meeting with a knowing look that the two of them were used to. They were on the right track. They were actually getting to the other side of things.

Back at the district, Intelligence became buried under paperwork from not just that knife incident, but also the robbery, and the copper wire debacle.

It was at the point where everyone was going a little stir crazy. I mean, there were a plethora of things they all could be doing on a late Saturday afternoon. Catching the Cubs' last inning; taking a walk around Humboldt Park; seeing their friends or family...anything really. But no. No, instead here they all were, knee deep in memos, forensic reports, and signatures.

Kevin and Adam had made paper airplanes out of their drafts and were tossing them across each other's desks, much to Kim and Antonio's amusement.

Meanwhile, Jay kept tapping on the corner of Hailey's desk, trying to stop her from falling asleep on top of her stack of memos. She'd always mumble a "Hm? Yeah, yeah, I'm up, I'm up" which only made Jay laugh.

Once they reached their third hour, Kim and Antonio offered to spring for Chicago's Crimson Coffee, which was just a few blocks down from the district.

Kevin and Adam put in their orders right away: straight black coffee, no frills, no fuss (Adam's words, Kevin insisted). Antonio and Kim made sure to add their orders onto the list (Kim, a mocha latte, Antonio, an Americano). Antonio was even brave enough to knock on Voight's door and ask if he wanted anything. He got a grunt in reply, which he took as a hard pass.

Trudy had just come up the stairs to talk to Voight, at which time Kim snapped up her order too.

Their millisecond conversation went like this:

"Burgess, what the hell do you think I am, a pop tart? Don't put me down for any of that Frappuccino crap; I want a cold brew. Got it?" Kim nodded, scribbling like the wind, adding in exclamation marks to remind her not to ask Platt anything ever again.

Kim and Antonio had made it around to Jay and Hailey last, but certainly not least. Jay put in a black coffee for himself, and Antonio looked to Hailey for her answer. He quickly turned to Kim, who turned to Jay, as if to say, 'look over here, and help.'

Jay looked across from him to find that Hailey was indeed, asleep on her paperwork. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek to keep from busting out laughing.

He motioned for Kim to come over to his desk. He whispered Hailey's order, not wanting to wake her by talking too loud. Unbeknownst to him though, Hailey may not have had her eyes open, but she was able to hear everything he said.

"Kim, get her a black coffee, but make sure they put half and half in it. Like the real stuff, not the fake Stevia stuff. The white one- or whatever the plain cream is." He added.

"Got it, thanks." Kim softly said, as she and Antonio jetted off to CCC to pick up everyone's drinks.

Before Jay turned back around to face her desk, Hailey smiled at his words. She'd only made coffee that one time at his house. No way he'd know that, unless he'd been paying that much attention to her. It wasn't something major, but it was something important. Important in the fact that he cared enough to remember the little things. He didn't take her for granted, not one bit.

And that's when she knew: whatever happened between them, she wanted it. All of it, with him. Whatever that looked like, be it a lake house like her parents owned, or a busy little apartment like he already had. Whether they didn't have any kids, or 2 running around their house. Same job, of course, no question of that, but that wasn't the point. The point was that for the first time, Hailey allowed herself to want that. To want a happy future for herself. And for once, she actually thought it would happen, because she found the one person that cared about her that much. Someone that loved her just as much as she loved him.

Jay must have finally turned around to face her, because she heard him tap his pen against her desk. She pretended to still be asleep, just to see what else he'd come up with. She felt him stretch out, his foot tapping hers.

She couldn't help but smile again, and when she opened her eyes, Jay gave her that look of 'nice try.' She just beamed at him, and when she saw him smile brightly back at her, she felt her heart beat faster in her chest. The butterflies came back in her stomach, and she felt much like she had earlier in the day. But she also had a newfound determination to do something about it. Regardless of how or what happened, she was going to make tonight a night he'd never forget.

Jay stood in front of Hailey's apartment, still very confused by her text message. All it said was: Dress nice, and bring beer, but also bring ice cream. The only idiotic thing that popped into his mind was that she meant root beer, and that she wanted to make floats or something; but that still didn't make sense to him. He knocked on her door, fiddling with his tie. He had decided on a classic suit, black jacket and pants, with a white button down, but at the last second added the forest green tie into the mix.

"Come in!" He heard Hailey call from inside. He thought it was odd for her not to come greet him at the door, but he brushed it off. She probably got caught up and usually wouldn't mind if he came in and sat. So, when he opened the door to her apartment, that's what he fully expected to do.

But upon entering, he found himself in dim lighting, and as he walked down the hall, stepped up the half step to where her living room and kitchen sat, Hailey wasn't there.

"Hailey?" Jay called out into the space. "Where are you?"

"Coming," she said. "Just give me one second."

"Okay," he drew out the word, as he took in the candles she had lit in her living room, and the vase of roses on her kitchen counter. He still didn't quite understand what she was up to, but when he heard her heels click against the floor and turned around, he had a better idea.

Hailey let out a light laugh at his priceless expression. She watched as his eyes were about ready to bulge out of his head, course she knew that by the time she was done with her little experiment, that wouldn't be the only thing.

"Hey babe," she said, hoping her test drive of that word sounded sultry and not silly.

"Oh, so we're doing that now. Okay then babe." Jay retorted, emphasizing the new term. He still really only saw her figure illuminated in some kind of ridiculously hot outfit, but he didn't get to take in the color until she came around the corner to where he stood by her bar top.

"Yeah, well..." Hailey began, practically purring as she said each word. "We're gonna try a lot of new things tonight."

She sauntered over to him, ravishing in the fact that his eyes scoured over every inch of her body in the fiery red bandage dress she wore. She told herself to thank Kim for reminding her of its existence as she got ready for tonight, metallic heels and all. She had also done up her hair and makeup a little more tonight, going for a hazy effect around her eyes with some coppers and black liner; her hair was tousled in messy waves- the ones that you could only get by actually using a curling iron, ironically. She debated earlier about going for a red lip or not, but then she remembered how much Jay seemed to like her Strawberry Chapstick, so she applied the lip balm generously.

On her walk over to him, Hailey took in Jay's appearance too. She loved that he never looked overdone. He made anything look like he was supposed to be wearing it. Something about this specific suit though was really captivating tonight. She couldn't quite put her finger on it until she got closer to him. Ah ha, she thought to herself, the tie.

"Woah, Hailey, you look, God you look incredible. And did I mention sexy as hell? Because if not, let me say again: Sexy," he paused, pulling her to him, his lips immediately latching onto hers. "As," his tongue already tracing her bottom lip. "Hell." He smiled victoriously as she let out a little gasp, which allowed him to battle her for dominance.

"Mmm, mhmm," she hummed against his lips, making him let out a surprised sound when she grabbed his tie, pulling on it lightly before turning around. She may have been facing away from him now, but she knew what was doing.

While he may have taken advantage of her neck and collarbones being exposed, she won the round when she worked her hips against his, leaning back as he continued to explore.

She knew she felt his reaction to all of her being on him now, but she heard it when he groaned, murmuring "fuck" under his breath.

"You know I always think you look hot," her voice getting breathier by the moment. "But there's something about this tie," she said pulling on it a little more, bringing him down to meet her lips again. She spun back around, never breaking the kiss, but as his eyes locked onto hers, she realized why she liked it so much. Because it brought out his eyes. She never knew green eyes could be so mesmerizing until she met him.

She had gotten a little caught up in the moment, still lingering in his gaze. He spoke up instead, making her ears perk up at the softer volume of his voice. "God you're beautiful."

He had one hand on her jaw, the other wrapped around her back. Hers were still stuck on his tie. She softly smiled at him, putting the tie down. "And you're sweet." She glanced down quickly as she realized this was the perfect Segway into part 2 of her plan.

"Speaking of which, come with me," she said, pulling him along, at first playfully by his tie, but then seriously the rest of the way with his hand.

She picked up the ice cream with her other hand, glad he bought vanilla. She saw out of her peripherals that Jay was a little perplexed as to why she was taking the ice cream with her. Oh man was he in for a treat - pun totally intended.

"Dessert before dinner tonight. Trust me, you'll love it." She promised, a daring smirk taking over her expression. He looked intrigued, but still not totally caught up, so Hailey went ahead and opened the door to her bedroom, where everything was laid out in a way that hopefully solved the puzzle for him.

She had just set down the ice cream when Jay pushed her against her wall, adrenaline and hormones taking the driver's seat for him.

"Jay," Hailey breathed in between his heated kisses. "The stuff-" she tried, but he shut her right up with another kiss.

"Oh, don't worry, we'll use it." He said, hastily running his hands over her. She automatically leaned into his touch, biting her lip as he made his way down her neck and collarbone.

"Mmm, okay, maybe," she tried to keep from moaning, but she couldn't resist when he pressed up against her. "Fuck!" She hissed, already feeling overwhelmed with her own mix of emotions. "Maybe that can wait..." she offered, praying he didn't stop what he was doing to her. Who knew you could do all that with just your lips?

Jay snuck his hand around her back, searching for the zipper to Hailey's dress.

"Uh uh, no fair. If I'm stripping down, so are you." She said, her voice low and breathy again.

She pawed at his tie, to which he used his free hand to help her unwind it. She then went to work on his shirt, practically ripping it off his body. Jay couldn't have cared less about a piece of clothing in his life.

"Better," she breathed, reaching for his belt. "But not good enough." She cocked her brow at him as she dragged his zipper down.

"Oh, you asked for it Upton," he said, finally getting her dress off. She slinked out of it, letting it fall to the floor before pushing Jay over to the empty chair in the corner of her room.

"No," she challenged him as he landed in the chair. "But you will be, Halstead." She winked, before grabbing a few of the items she had planned to use tonight. As she walked over to the little table where everything was, Jay finally let his eyes fall on her lingerie, which was a rich burgundy with black lace trim. Oh lord, this woman was going to kill him. And when she walked back over to him with the ice cream, he thought for sure he'd lose his mind.

"Do I even want to know?" He asked suggestively.
"Yeah, ya do." Hailey teased, as she grabbed a little bit of ice cream.
"But first," she paused, eyeing his still clothed lower half.
Jay raised his eyebrow at her. "You just don't quit, do you?"
"Oh, trust me babe, you'll be glad I'm not the type to give up."

Jay shook his head, but still did as her eyes requested. Even though it was the second time Hailey had seen him like this, it somehow felt different this time. Maybe because they were actually doing this, for real.

He expected her to come closer to him, but instead she took a little bit of the ice cream for herself, making sure she slid her finger out of her mouth with an audible 'pop.' Oh, so she was teasing him, okay. He could work with that.

Jay took a risk and got up from the chair, getting a bit of the whipped cream. Before Hailey could stop him, he landed some on her nose, her lips and neck. He gladly got it off of her though, and she did little if object at all.

"God Jay," her legs felt like jello, like she would collapse any minute. He must have sensed this, because he carried her back over to her bed, making sure to bring a few items with him.

"I'm more of a chocolate guy myself," he quipped, before making the rest of Hailey his own personal sundae.

"Oh my gosh!" She laughed at his wit, but came undone at his skills.

He seemed to always know what buttons to push...or kiss, or lick, for that matter.

She thought she was in trouble when he made it to her navel, almost out of chocolate. It was only when she was writhing underneath him - as he dipped lower, improvising with whipped cream - that she knew she was a goner. Hailey had never been more satisfied with a plan in her life.

Course, it was even more fun when she made Jay unravel, seeing as he was so tightly wound before. Let's just say, that last thing he could remember involved Hailey dropping low, and a bit of the ice cream going with her. Yeah, if climax was a crime, she murdered him for sure.

And as for the beer? They rehydrated between rounds. Dessert was served at least 3 times that night. Maybe 4, but Hailey lost count. And Jay was too wrapped up in her to care. Talk about a sweet night.

"Jay," Hailey said, running her hand along his chest. "Jayyyy," she whined slightly. Her stomach was growling, but she didn't wanna just leave him for food. He was too cute when he was asleep. She traced each one of his abs, wondering if the dancing motions her fingers made against his skin would jar him. At least this time he wasn't faking it. She could tell by the way his chest rose and fell with each breath.

A bold move at best, she slid closer to him, letting her hands travel further, whispering all sorts of things in his ear. Yeah, of course that woke him up. He's such a guy sometimes.

Hailey laughed out loud as Jay grabbed her hands from under the covers. "Are you trying to kill me?" He dryly accused.

She pouted. "Fine. But, since this is my house, I'm going to grab a shower. So, I'll just leave you to it..." she sighed, walking ever so slowly towards her bathroom.

Jay was up in a second, taking that time to admire how hot Hailey looked in his dress shirt. "So I changed my mind," he shrugged before grabbing at her waist.

Hailey threw her head back in more laughter as he raced her to the shower. Safe to say they were fashionably late to work that morning.

The subsequent days went much like this: the two of them tangled in the sheets at night while they fought crime on the streets during the day.

Everyone's knowledge of something going on between them was obviously confirmed, but the first person to catch that they were actually sleeping together? Adam, of all the people in Hailey's world.

"Uh, Hailey?" He had asked her yesterday in the locker room.

"Yeah?" She replied, looking at him through her small mirror that hung on her door. They were changing out of their undercover clothes and back into their regular garb when he posed the question.

"Isn't that Jay's flannel?"

Oh for fucks sake, Hailey thought, smacking her hand over her face as the incriminating item hung in her locker. She glanced at Adam through her mirror, not even bothering to turn around. She just nodded.

"Ohhhhh!" He rallied, throwing his hands up in some odd kind of excitement. Weird, course Ruzek was a complete fool sometimes, so Hailey dismissed it.

She only laughed when he took off running down the hallway back to the bullpen, yelling: "Ay, Kev! You owe me $50 bucks!"

Over the past week, Jay and Hailey had put away 4 hardened criminals; but they'd also been out on four dates. One to the movies, two at different restaurants, and of course, because Jay was a 12-year-old at heart, a mini golf course.

Hailey thought he couldn't get much cuter, but seeing him get so excited at landing a hole in one proved her wrong.

Course, Jay about fell out of his chair when Hailey ran her hand over him under their dinner table at Gibson's Steakhouse. He never knew how flexible she could be until the only option they had for a release was his truck. Oh well, desperate times, right?

But ultimately, the two of them were most content sitting at home with food or drinks, simply being together. Whether they watched a movie, or laid in each other's arms and talked for hours, they both discovered minuscule things that made them fall in love with each other even more. Like the way Jay couldn't actually watch golf on TV, because it only made him want to run to the nearest green and tee off. Or how Hailey hated tomatoes in salad, on a burger, or anywhere, but would load her French fries up with ketchup at any time.

Jay had memorized her address, as she did his. Hailey knew which side of the bed he slept on (always the left), and he knew which one of his old tee shirts was her favorite. She remembered his favorite food (hello, pasta!), and he knew not to ever mention the word moist or she'd smack him upside the head (she despised it for whatever reason).

Hailey picked up on what color Jay liked best on her, but she also made mental notes of his best looks too. Jay always told Hailey how lovely, or pretty, or drop dead gorgeous she looked, but what she really loved about it was that he never used the same word twice. Well, except for sexy- but what girl would tire of hearing that?

She knew exactly what to do to make him crazy for her whenever the mood struck, but he also knew just how to get under her skin. It's like they were at a different level of in sync with each other. There were all these layers that the other wanted to expose, or know more about. Besides being a hell of a lot of fun, doing all these things actually brought them closer.

So after they had gotten back from a long day at work, and both mercilessly teased out the other's desires, Jay's mind actually went to something way tamer by contrast. Because as Hailey slipped into his old academy t-shirt and went over to kiss his cheek, he realized that this part was the only thing he didn't like about their current arrangement: the after, when she'd leave his house after an evening, or when he'd have to sneak out of her place as the dawn broke.

The words came tumbling out before he could stop them. "Move in with me," he said, more like a fact and less like a question.

Hailey paused, her lips parting slightly. She took his hand and jumped onto his side of the bed, sitting up to face him.

"Seriously?" For once when she looked at him, she knew her eyes weren't projecting that self-assured attitude he liked so much. Because even though it was only a few weeks ago that she allowed herself to admit her dreams; the fact that it was actually a possibility scared the hell out of her. All the what-ifs bombarded her mind as she struggled to find the right response.

"Jay, I'd love to, but I mean... you're sure? It's a big step," she immediately bit her tongue, regretting her fear.

He looked at her, and pulled her closer to him so that they were mere centimeters apart. He took that same hand and placed it over his heart, much like he did that day in the hospital. He knew she knew what that meant.

Hailey felt tears spring into her vision, but she knew they were happy ones. She knew he'd always be there for her if there was ever a time that they weren't. He'd proven that, and so much more to her over this past few months.

She knew it might've been moving fast, but she also knew that she never felt safer than she was with him. She may have started out rescuing him, but he certainly helped save her. He brought her the one thing she wanted most: a sense of peace, a sense of brightness, a sense of home.

And when she accepted his offer, Jay's smile never left his lips. He knew why though: because she was the only person that accepted all of it - the good and the bad, and god knows they'd survived the ugly. If they could save themselves, they could certainly make a life for themselves here and now.

"So," she whispered, peering up at him through her lashes. "That was such a nice move, don't get me wrong, but a little anticlimactic, don't ya think?"

"Oh, you want climactic?" Jay smirked. Her laugh as he pulled her close and gave her the perfect ending to a great night was music to his ears. And as he kissed Hailey, softly at first, but more passionately as time went on, she knew she'd made the right choice in saying yes to him. She'd always say yes to him, because he always chose her. Again and again; always and forever, no matter what. It was just what worked between them.

Ending A/N: And that's it. We've come to the end of this lovely story. I'm not sure if I'll do a sequel, or start a different Upstead one. We'll see - but for now, this one story has come to a close. Thank you for all the feedback and nice comments! I really enjoyed writing this & I'm glad ya'll had just as much fun reading it! Here's to hopefully a lot of #Upstead moments in s7! Can't wait for September!