Fall was in full swing and Hailey and Jay's breath puffed out in little white clouds from their mouths as they ran their morning route. Hailey smiles to herself, thankful that she had taken the leap all those weeks ago. Things changed and settled into a new normal quickly which was a nice change considering what it took for them to get to this point. She spends nearly all her free time with Jay. She stays over at least 3 nights a week and it's nice because his flat is closer to the district which means more time to sleep in among other things. She found out very quickly that Jay was a fan of morning sex, and she would often find herself being woken up by Jay slipping into her from behind. Her personal favorite though, was when he chose to wake her with his mouth, and she'd be on the brink of an orgasm before waking, to find his head between her legs with a devilish grin on his face. He'd return to the task at hand, sending her flying and she could think of no better way to start her days.

"Earth to Hailey?" Jay's voice brings her back to the present and she nearly stumbles in her stride. She apologizes for spacing out and he's just staring at her and she knows she has this goofy smile on her face...she's happy, she doesn't care.

"I was seeing if you wanted to come to the movies with me and Clara. She texted me last night, asking if I could take her to see to one." He drops into a stretch while they grab a quick drink.

"I'm supposed to meet Kim and Vanessa for drinks tonight. I would go, but I already cancelled once." She looks a little sad. She loves hanging out with both of them, and she feels bad when she can't join.

"No problem, I'll tell her you're just too busy to hang out us..." He's about to close up the water bottle but stops, quickly spraying Hailey with it before taking off in a full sprint back towards his flat. He's laughing and can hear her swearing and telling him that he 'had better run' and then he can hear her feet pounding after him. Jay's legs are longer and he easily strides out and away shouting that the loser has to buy breakfast. He makes it up to her in the shower, and ends up paying for breakfast anyway.

They pull into the district together. Before things had gotten strained between them, they had often took turns driving the other into work. It was a natural thing for them to slip back into. They both agreed that they wouldn't actively hide their relationship, but they also wouldn't publicly display it either. They didn't touch each other inside the district. That was basically the number one and the only rule they had.

Jay tells Hailey he will be up in a second and stops to talk to Trudy.

"Chuckles?" She says it like she is annoyed, but she's anything but. She has and even greater respect for the detective since Clara had entered their lives.

"Just wanted to remind you about the pumpkin patch this weekend. You still good to join us?" He had overheard Hailey and Clara a while ago discussing plans for Halloween and when Hailey had said she hadn't ever carved a pumpkin, his heart broke a little more for her. He had texted Trudy right then asking if she knew of any good pumpkin patches.

"Yeah, I'm all set. I got us early admission to the best patch in Chicago."

He thanks her and reminds her to keep it a secret and then he's hurrying up the stairs. He is equally happy and heartbroken when Hailey casually mentions things from her past. Sometimes they are innocent memories, like the first Cubs game she went to when she was in her first group home, or how she tried out for her schools soccer team on a whim because she had enrolled the same day tryouts were. She told him how much it meant to belong to something, even if it was just an athletic team. He likes those light little insights to her life much more than the heavy ones. He remembers they had been lying on the couch after a very energetic round of sex and he was tracing patterns on her back. His hand had skimmed a long silvery scar on the right side of her back that curved around to her lower chest. She had stiffened a bit and offhandedly mentioned that the knife wound from her 10th birthday had needed nearly 70 stitches. 54 on the long scar on her back and side, and then another 11 on the underside and back of her arm. She said it like it was no big deal and he was honestly in a little bit of a shock that he hadn't said anything. Just pulled her tighter against him and held her for a while. He can't do anything about a lot things she had been through, but he can give her the chance to make new memories...happy ones, and the pumpkin patch is a good start.

He stops at Vanessa's desk once he's upstairs to give her the pastry and coffee he had picked up for her when he got breakfast. He's laughing at a joke she made when Voight calls him and Hailey into his office. He glances at Hailey as if to ask 'what did you do?' And follows her into the office.

"So...". Voight sits down and leans back in his chair. He stairs expectantly at the both of them.

Jay glances at Hailey, but she's staring stoically ahead and he honestly has no clue what is going on.

"Funny thing..." Voight sits forward now, arms folding on his desk. "I was taking a call in my truck this morning, saw you pull in Halstead. I saw you kiss the person in your passenger seat..." He holds his gaze on Jay, but doesn't miss the way Hailey's throat works to swallow. "Imagine my surprise when I see none other than Upton here, leave your truck."

Jay visibly pales and he can hear Hailey's shocked gasp next to him. They had both hoped for a little more time...they obviously had to tell their boss for HR purposes, but they were hoping to wait until after the holidays at least.

"Sarge" Hailey starts, but shuts her mouth quickly at his glare.

"I got two things to say to the pair of you." He ticks his fingers off as he speaks. "One, I had planned on partnering you back up, but now I'm not so sure. You know how I feel about interdepartmental relationships...You got one chance. You mess up out there or have a lovers quarrel...that's it. One of you will be back on the beat so fast you'll forget your name. Am I clear?" His eyes shift between both of them. At their nods, he continues. "The second thing is that I need the paper work for HR declaring your relationship on my desk by the end of the work day today. Now go." He pulls a file on his desk to look through but stops Jay just as he's about to open the door.

"On a lighter note, it's about damn time." Hailey blushes, completely embarrassed and Jay manages a nervous laugh as they thank him and quickly make their exit. They sit at their desks, not looking at each other, and try to get to work.

It was a light day, which meant it was a slow day. The team spent the majority of the day playing pranks on each other and watching ridiculous videos on the internet. When it was finally time to go, Hailey pulled Jay into the back stairwell and without a second for him to question her actions, she pulls him in and kisses him hard. She's pulling back almost as quickly as she started.

"Sorry, sorry...I just needed that." She steps completely away from him and quirks her lips to the side in a smile.

"Will I see you tonight?" He hopes so, and he hopes she a little drunk. Drunk Hailey is adorable and funny, and extremely sexy...and while they drink together all the time, they rarely drink enough to even get a slight buzz.

"Do you want to?" She wants to be with him as much as she can, but she doesn't ever want to just assume she's welcome.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you there." He reaches out and tucks her hair behind her ear. If he thought she wouldn't run scared, he'd ask her to move in with him right now, but he's happy to enjoy this time with her so he waits.

"Okay, I'll see you later then." She smiles at him and then heads back into the main room to join Kim and Vanessa to get ready for drinks. He's not disappointed when she shows up later that night.

"Will you please just tell us where we are going?" Clara begs from the back seat of the truck. It's Saturday, and they are heading to the pumpkin patch and Jay hopes Hailey likes it. It's a bit of a drive, nearly an hour outside the city, but this place isn't just a bunch of pumpkins on a stand. It's got everything you could possibly want and some things Jay had never even heard of. There were 5 different types of pumpkins you could choose from, including the fancy white ones Jay's mom liked to have on the table for Thanksgiving. There was tire rolls, where you could run inside them across a track like a hamster, and a corn maze, and a shooting range designed for dried corn kernels. Jay actually wondered if there would be time to do everything.

He doesn't answer Clara, just reaches over and squeezes Hailey's knee. When they finally get to the farm, Clara can't contain her excitement. Jay watches in the rear view mirror as she tells Trudy everything she wants to do when they get inside. He glances at Hailey, and she's smiling, but it's not a smile he's seen from her before. Her eyes are happy and sad at the same time, and there's a childlike look of wonder on her face too. He watches as she tucks her hands under her legs to hide the shaking.

Jay parks the truck and Clara practically drags Trudy after her, hurrying to get started. Jay shouts after them that they will catch up and to go have fun before turning back towards the truck. Hailey is still inside, just staring ahead at one of the fields of pumpkins. Jay has a moment of doubt about this whole trip, and he sets himself to coax her into joining even though it seems like she doesn't want to.

He opens her door and holds his hand out to her and lets out a relieved sigh when she takes his hand, squeezing it firmly. He sees her lower lip tremble and the slight quiver to her chin seconds before her eyes fill and go shiny.

"Hey, what's this?" His hands move to cup her face and and he's wiping the tears that fall with his thumbs.

She can't seem to get any words out. She thinks she might just start to full out sob if she tries.

"I'm sorry Hailey, I thought it would be nice to make a new memory to replace the ones you didn't get to have growing up." He feels terrible, obviously his plan backfired. "I can tell Trudy I'm not feeling well and we can go."

"No...no...I love it. I love it so much Jay, thank you." She wraps her arms around him in a hug and presses her face into his neck. She works to control herself, a little embarrassed she's crying. She tilts her head back and lifts her hand to the back of his head, tilting it down so he's looking into her eyes.

"You are a good man Jay Halstead." She stands on her tip toes and kisses him, needing that connection. "I love you." She whispers it against his lips and feels Jay's hands tighten on her hips. She hadn't meant to say it out loud, but now that she did, she leans back and locks her blue eyes on his.

"I love you. I am so completely in love with you. And I know it's soon, but I just..."

Jay cuts her off with another quick kiss and then is looking at her like he's seeing straight to her soul.

"I love you too, Hailey." He presses his forehead to hers and just breaths her in. There was a time not so long ago that he thought they'd never be here. He's so unbelievably happy right now he can hardly stand it. He closes his eyes against the overwhelming emotion passing through him and then speaks again.

"I'd give you a lifetime of memories if you let me Hailey." He wraps her in another hug and then pulls back to look at her. "I want to make you happy, that's all I've ever wanted for you." When she just stared back at him, he takes her hand and starts to walk to the entrance.

"You make me happy Jay. You're all I ever wanted. Sometimes I think I dreamed you into existence, and I hate to tell you this but..." She smiles over at him as he pulls her into his side, his arm wrapping around her waist, his hand slipping into her back pocket. "You're stuck with me now."

Thank you all for coming along on this ride with me. I am blown away at the response to this story and want you all to know I truly appreciate every single one of the reviews, likes, and follows.

I have a sequel already planned for this story so be on the lookout for that soon! ~Nan