35. Chapter 35

Erin briefly opened her eyes, only to quickly slam them shut as bright light streamed in through the gauze curtains that covered her bedroom window. She quickly rolled to her side and reached for a pillow to cover her face to hopefully block the offending light even more. Her stomach rolled at the sudden movement of her body, joining the hammer that was currently pounding on her skull.

Ugh. New Year's Eve. She definitely remembered dancing and kissing Jay at midnight. She had vague memories of going shot to shot with Kim at one point in the evening. It got a little fuzzy after that.

Erin hoped Jay was feeling at least some of the pain she was, although she recalled he had refused any celebratory shots, choosing to nurse a beer or two throughout the night. Stretching her arm out, she blindly searched for comfort from his warm body. Her arm met nothing but cool sheets. Erin burrowed deeper into her pillow, sighing in disappointment. She guessed she'd have to search out her man. Either he had crashed on the couch, or was already up making breakfast.

Lifting the pillow gingerly off her head, she could hear the faint sound of breakfast preparations. Erin gave the air a quick sniff. Bacon and coffee, she could definitely smell. Once again Erin's stomach tumbled in an unfriendly way. Erin swallowed carefully and she tasted the whiskey in her mouth. She tried to fight the wave, but within seconds, she was racing across the room to the bathroom, as her stomach tried to purge the excessive alcohol from the night before.

A few minutes later, after washing her face and brushing her teeth, she emerged from the bathroom feeling only partially alive. Deciding she wanted to find Jay, despite the desire to crawl back into bed, she made her way toward the kitchen. Stumbling a bit as her foot hit something soft. Looking down, she saw the mess that was her bedroom floor. Most of Jay's clothes were strewn across her floor. It looked like he had dumped the contents of all his drawers onto her floor.

"Hmmm…" Erin thought to herself. Maybe Jay had been a little tipsy after all. He usually was such a neat freak, especially about his clothes. Erin managed a small smile. At least she could harass him a little about that, since she knew he was going to have a ton of jokes about her hangover.

As she made her way out of the bedroom, she smiled at Jay who, as she had predicted, was bustling around the kitchen. Focusing on his tasks, he didn't notice her until she slipped into one of the bar stools across the kitchen counter. "Morning." She whispered huskily.

A wide grin broke out on his face, "Morning," he replied. He leaned across the kitchen counter and placed a quick kiss on her forehead and then placed his hand lightly on her forehead. "You look a little rough. Sure you are ready to get up?" His eyes were full of concern for her.

Erin's brow furrowed at the comment. She knew she was hungover, but hoped she didn't look that bad. "I'll be fine," she muttered and lightly brushed off his hand. She surveyed the assortment of food out on the counters. "What'd you make me?"

Reaching behind him, he grabbed a plate and placed it in front of her. "For you, just toast and bacon. If you want anything more, just ask, but I wasn't sure how you'd be feeling. I'm made some eggs and French toast for me."

Erin wrinkled her nose at the thought of eggs or sweet syrup. Slightly embarrassed, Erin decided not to mention she'd already been sick that morning. Instead she lifted a piece of the dry toast to her lips and gave a small nibble. It felt like sawdust in her mouth, but she managed to chew it and swallow. She decided to return the slice to her plate rather than try another bite. She still wasn't sure if she was going to be able to keep it down.

Glancing up she noticed Jay observing her with a slightly amused look on his face. She narrowed her eyes a bit at him, "What?" She questioned sharply.

His face turned innocent immediately, "Nothing. I was just watching you eat."

Erin rolled her eyes, although the pain of her action had her head pounding, "Okay, fine." She dropped her head in her hands, her voice was muffled, "I am hungover as hell and just puked my brains out."

"Ahhh, my poor baby." Erin heard Jay walk towards her, and he soon gathered her up against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her back softly a few times before his hands made their way to her neck where he gently massaged her shoulders and neck.

Erin moaned in appreciation at the massage. He really did know exactly what she needed. After a few minutes, he urged her off the stool and propelled her back toward the bedroom. "Why don't you get back in bed for a while? I will get you some aspirin and maybe some tea, toast or some fruit?" Erin nodded gratefully as she slipped into the cool sheets. On his way out, Jay pulled the darker curtains to cover the windows.

Erin felt her eyes relax and headache steady as she relaxed onto the bed in the now darkened room. She really had the best boyfriend ever. She might be regretting a few of the shots last night, but really it had been a fabulous evening. Spending a carefree night with friends and the man she loved was the only thing she could ask for in the new year. After what could only be described as a painful and tumultuous year, she felt like last night was the start of what the next year might hold. Her and Jay were living together, things were steady at work, she was optimistic that Daniel was going to be in a good place with Olive and Hank. Everything seemed like it was headed in the right direction.

"Okay, Er. Here you go-oops!" Erin's eyes flashed open as she watched Jay enter the room with a wooden tray. He bobbled it a bit, but managed to save it before anything rolled off. She saw him glance down at the floor and she remembered that she had seen all his socks, underwear, and t-shirts were littered all over the floor. She saw him smirk a bit at the sight before moving onto the bed with his tray. He eased sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Erin to scooch up a bit, so he could place the tray on her lap.

"Yeah, it's a mess in here." Erin allowed a small grin, "Mr. Neatfreak get a little tipsy last night and couldn't find something?" She teased.

Jay's mouth opened in surprise at her comment, "Are you serious?" He questioned.

Erin picked up the tea he had made her and took a small sip. It actually tasted great, "What do you mean?" She asked, noticing his shocked look.

"I didn't do this, Erin. You did!"

Erin raised her brow in disbelief. "Why would I trash all your stuff-"

Suddenly the memory of her searching frantically for the hidden engagement ring flooded her. The tea cup clattered to the tray as covered her face in humiliation. "Oh. My. God." She covered her face with both hands and pushed back into the pillow. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod." It all came back to her as she recalled searching through his drawers desperate to see if he still had the engagement ring while he had looked on in disbelief and confusion. She turned her head away as Jay tried to peel her hands off her face. She felt him lift the tray and place it on the end table, which just enabled her to roll away from him and bury her face in a pillow in embarrassment.

Erin heard Jay's deep chuckle by her ear and felt him as he moved to lay behind her, wrapping his arms around her, once again trying to pull the pillow off her face. "Come on, Erin. Stop."

Erin shook her hidden head. "No. I am so humiliated. I don't do that. I don't get emotional and sappy. I don't beg someone to marry me."

She heard the rumbling of Jay's chest against her back, and she knew he was laughing at her. She moaned again in embarrassment.

Jay pulled again at the pillow, this time succeeding and pulling it out of her grasp. He rolled her towards him, but Erin kept her eyes tightly shut. She just couldn't face him. Her memory was spotty, but she had vivid flashes of tearing apart her bedroom searching for the ring before collapsing on the floor and crying about why didn't Jay want to marry her anymore. She didn't remember much more after that, and prayed that she had passed out before embarrassing herself any further.

"Erin, stop. Stop." Jay stroked at her cheek, trying to persuade her to open her eyes as he held her in his arms. "You didn't beg me to marry you. You just were looking for the ring, you little snoop!"

Erin's eyes popped open in indignation. "I am not a snoop." She saw the humor and amusement in Jay's eyes, and wanted to push him away, but he held on tight.

"Then how did you know I used to keep the ring in my sock drawer?" He looked at her with playful suspicion. "Detective Lindsay playing detective."

"No, no." Erin insisted shaking her head. "I stumbled upon it accidently." She recalled the day she had been alone with Daniel in his old apartment and had accidentally found the ring.

Jay shook his head skeptically, "You stumbled upon a ring box buried in the back of my sock drawer?"

"I was looking for snowballs!" Erin countered, trying to defend herself.

Jay flopped onto his back laughing, "Yeah, that's what you drunkenly tried to tell me last night. 'I was looking for snowballs. It was with the snowballs.'" He mocked her voice before falling into deep laughter that shook the bed.

Erin pushed herself up so she could lean on her side and look down at him in frustration. "I was looking for snowballs. Socks to make balls to throw at Daniel." She glared at him. "Remember, when we stayed here at Thanksgiving."

Jay stopped laughing and looked back up at Erin with soft eyes, "Yeah, I remember. That's the week I realized I hadn't lost you like I had thought I had." He reached up and brushed her hair off her cheek and caressed her face. His thumbing brushing against her lips. Slipping his hand around her neck, he pulled her down to him, so he could kiss her.

Erin responded for a few kisses, before breaking off the kiss and burying her head in his chest. "I'm still embarrassed."

Jay laughed again, "Don't be. It was cute." He dropped another kiss on her head, "You were cute."

Erin rolled her head to look at him from her place on his chest. "No, I was drunk."

Jay acknowledged that with a tilt of his head. "Well, at least we got it all settled." He gave her a reassuring smile before leaning back and closing his eyes in what appeared to be a relaxed state.

Erin's mind raced. They got it all settled? What was that supposed to mean? Erin searched her befuddled brain trying to recall what they had talked about after her search for the ring. Had he shown it to her? Had they talked about marriage? Had he proposed? Erin instinctively felt her ring finger for the engagement ring, but it was conspicuously absent. How had things been settled?

Erin lay on Jay's chest for several minutes, listening to the steady rise and fall of Jay's breathing. He seemed so relaxed and content. Erin on the other hand felt tense and uneasy. She rested head, but felt stiff. Her hand lay still on his chest, but it was awkward and she felt uncomfortable.

"Errrinnn." Jay softly whispered, Erin glanced up and noted Jay's eyes were still closed and his face relaxed as if he was asleep.

"Yeah," she responded quietly, wondering if he had nodded off. She felt him shift a little and rustle around a bit. "What's wrong?" She softly asked when he stopped moving.

"Hmmm, just wanted…. to know…." He trailed off a bit and she felt his chest rise and fall steadily again, and Erin though he had fallen asleep. She lay her head back on his chest her hand tracing a quiet pattern on his chest, wondering what he had wanted to know before he fell asleep. Suddenly a glint of light caught her attention as something bright dropped into her eye line. The fingers holding the sparkling object dangled it for just a few seconds before laying the diamond ring gently at the tip of her finger. Jay propped it up against her fingernail before leaving it there to trail his finger lightly down her ring finger until it traced the area where the ring would rest. Erin froze and sucked in a breath at the sight. Her heart was hammering out of her chest.

"May I?" He whispered quietly from above her.

Erin swallowed thickly, her eyes intently focused on the ring resting at the tip of her finger. She took a steadying breath before nodding. Jay still didn't make a move, his finger poised above the ring, and Erin realized that with her head on his chest, he might not have known if the nod was an affirmation or a shake of the head. She swallowed again before whispering a deep, "Yes."

Slowly, Jay's hand slid the ring over her slightly trembling finger, down past her knuckle, until it rested at its destination. Erin let out a shaky breath as she looked at her ring. It was her ring. It was beautiful. Exactly as she had remembered it. Exquisite, beautiful, and exactly the ring she would have ever wanted. Not that it mattered, because what really mattered was that it came from Jay.

"You like it?" She heard Jay's deep voice from above her.

Pulling herself up, she sat up next to him on her knees, while he lay next her. She could see the uncertainty in his face, and she knew that this hadn't been easy for him no matter what they had discussed. The last time he had tried to place this ring on her finger, she had broken his heart. She glanced back at the ring before looking into his eyes. "It's beautiful. It's perfect."

Reassured slightly, Jay shifted a bit to sit, with his back propped up against the headboard. He reached for her hand, which now sparkled with the ring. He brought it his lips and brushed a brief kiss along it.

"Erin Lindsay. I have loved you since… since almost as soon as I met you. I can't imagine ever living a day without you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Even knowing the words were coming, didn't stop the tears from filling Erin's eyes and spilling over her lashes. "Yes. Yes, I will." She leaned forward and met his lips for an intense, soulful kiss that left her breathless. "I love you," she responded, even as Jay kissed her again. Their kisses continued, until Jay flipped her, pressing her down into the bed and leaning over her.

Erin's head pounded and her stomach rolled at the sudden motion. "Ugh," she let out an involuntary moan.

Jay pulled back quickly, "Well, that didn't sound very romantic." His eyes peered down at her.

Erin pressed a hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry. I just….my head." She let out a huge breath and wrinkled her brow in pain as the hammer in her head resumed its steady pounding.

Jay kissed her lips again briefly before laying back down next to her. He pulled her gently towards him, so they were cuddled up. "I can't believe you are hungover for our engagement."

Erin let out an exasperated gasp, "I can't believe you proposed to me while I am hungover!"

He chuckled, "Good point." He wrapped his arms around her tighter. His chin rested on top of her head, and he watched as Erin fiddled with the ring that now rested on her finger. "I can't believe you said yes." He quietly spoke.

Erin looked up at him with surprised, soft eyes. "Why not? You know I love you."

Jay gave her a slightly sad look, "I knew you loved me before, too." At the regretful look that crossed over Erin's face, Jay corrected, "I know it wasn't the right time before. I'm just glad it's the right time now."

Erin nodded. "Time doesn't matter anymore. We have a lifetime to be together. To be us. To be a family."

Jay looked down at her cautiously. "We do. There really is all the time in the world. If you aren't ready to actually go out there and get married right away, we can wait." He started rambling a bit. "It doesn't haven't to be soon at all. You can take your time. See how you feel. Get used to the idea. Then we can decide when you want it to happen. If you still do want to-"

"Jay!" Erin interrupted. "Stop!" He looked at her startled. Erin shook her head at him with a smile on her face. "I already said yes because I want to marry you. I can't wait to marry you. I'd marry you today if that's what you want." Jay got a huge grin on his face and started to nod but Erin cut him off. "I mean, I'd rather wait a few months. Invite some friends, but I don't need time."

Erin pulled herself so she could look deep into his eyes, "I love you and want to marry you. Period."

Jay looked at the seriousness of her face and the adamant words she had said. "Okay." He replied.

"Okay?" She repeated with a smile.

"Yes. Okay. We will do it. Soon. Sooner rather than later." He smiled and pulled her back into his arms. She moaned a little again and the movement. He laughed lightly. "And as soon as you are not hungover I am going to show you just how much I love you." He ran his hands down her back, skimming her bottom suggestively.

Erin let out a slight giggle before swatting his hands away. "Well, you could show me you love me right now by passing that tea and toast back over. "

Jay smiled and reluctantly released her to go and retrieve her breakfast. Erin watched with pleased, sleepy eyes as he brought her the breakfast and sat on the bed next to her watching as she sipped and nibbled.

Erin couldn't take her eyes off of him. She really didn't know what she had ever done to deserve this man. Someone who knew her faults and loved her despite of them. Someone who had already seen her through some of the darkest times in her life. A man who understood her commitment to her family and job.

"I love you, Jay." She blurted out with a smile.

He grinned back at her, "because I feed you when you are sick or because I buy you diamonds?"

She laughed, "Neither." Grabbing another bite with her diamond decorated hand. "Well, maybe both!"

It had been a long year. Full of sadness and difficult times, yet somehow, despite all the complications, it had passed, and now they stood at the beginning of a new year together. Erin knew that no matter what the future threw at them, they would find a way to get through it. Together. Forever.

The End.

Author's Note: I apologize for not finishing this ages ago. I lost all motivation when our couple fell apart on screen. I kept hoping something on the show would motivate me to move this onto a new story arc, but nothing ever did. The whole "Jay married" thing just killed this ship for me. With how the season cliff hanger ended and what I have read about Erin's doubtful future, I am pretty sure the ship has officially sunk. But still, so many of you stuck through this story and were always so kind with your reviews and comments on fanfiction and twitter. It was very inspiring and while I don't love the ending of this story that much, I still feel this was my best writing ever. I am actively looking for a new ship to write about, but haven't found the inspiration that I am looking for yet. Thank you again for all the support, and enjoy!