diff --git a/tests/unit/tabs/tabs.js b/tests/unit/tabs/tabs.js
index 90c52a246..916db903b 100644
--- a/tests/unit/tabs/tabs.js
+++ b/tests/unit/tabs/tabs.js
@@ -123,22 +123,41 @@ module('tabs');
 
 	});
 
-
+	test('selected property', function() {
+		expect(5);
+		
+		$('#tabs1').tabs();
+		equals($('#tabs1').data('selected.tabs'), 0, 'selected should be 0 by default');
+		
+		reset();
+		$('#tabs1').tabs({ selected: null });
+		equals($('#tabs1').data('selected.tabs'), -1, 'selected should be -1 for all tabs unselected');
+		
+		reset();
+		$('#tabs1').tabs({ selected: -1 });
+		equals($('#tabs1').data('selected.tabs'), -1, 'selected should be -1 for all tabs unselected');
+		
+		reset();
+		$('#tabs1').tabs({ selected: 1 });
+		equals($('#tabs1').data('selected.tabs'), 1, 'selected should be specified tab');
+		
+		reset();
+		$('#tabs1').tabs({ selected: 8 });
+		equals($('#tabs1').data('selected.tabs'), 0, 'selected should default to zero if given value is out of index');
+		
+	});
+	
 module('tabs: Options');
 
-	test('select: null', function() {
-		expect(3);
+	test('selected: null', function() {
+		expect(2);
 
-		var el = $('#tabs1 > ul');
+		var el = $('#tabs1');
 
 		el.tabs({ selected: null });
-		equals( el.data('selected.tabs'), null, 'option set' );
-		equals( $('li.ui-tabs-selected', el).length, 0, 'all tabs should be deselected' );
+		equals( $('li.ui-tabs-selected', el).length, 0, 'no tab should be selected' );
 		equals( $('div.ui-tabs-hide', '#tabs1').length, 3, 'all panels should be hidden' );
 
-		// TODO select == null with cookie
-		// TODO select == null with select method
-
 	});
 
 	test('deselectable: true', function() {
@@ -164,7 +183,7 @@ module('tabs: Options');
 	});
 
 	test('cookie', function() {
-		expect(5);
+		expect(6);
 
 		var el = $('#tabs1 > ul');
 		var cookieName = 'ui-tabs-' + $.data(el[0]);
@@ -188,6 +207,11 @@ module('tabs: Options');
 		el.tabs({ cookie: {} });
 		equals(cookie(), 1, 'initial cookie value, from existing cookie');
 
+		el.tabs('destroy');
+		el.tabs({ cookie: {}, deselectable: true });
+		el.tabs('select', 0);
+		equals(cookie(), -1, 'cookie value for all unselected tabs');
+		
 		el.tabs('destroy');
 		ok($.cookie(cookieName) === null, 'erase cookie after destroy');
 
diff --git a/ui/ui.tabs.js b/ui/ui.tabs.js
index 484dd5bab..8fe816483 100644
--- a/ui/ui.tabs.js
+++ b/ui/ui.tabs.js
@@ -153,14 +153,21 @@ $.widget("ui.tabs", {
 						}
 					});
 				}
-				else if (o.cookie) {
-					var index = parseInt(self._cookie(), 10);
-					if (index && self.$tabs[index]) o.selected = index;
-				}
-				else if (self.$lis.filter('.ui-tabs-selected').length)
-					o.selected = self.$lis.index( self.$lis.filter('.ui-tabs-selected')[0] );
+				else if (o.cookie)
+					o.selected = parseInt(self._cookie(), 10);
+
+				else if (this.$lis.filter('.ui-tabs-selected').length)
+					o.selected = this.$lis.index(this.$lis.filter('.ui-tabs-selected'));
+
+				else
+				 	o.selected = 0;
+
 			}
-			o.selected = o.selected === null || o.selected !== undefined ? o.selected : 0; // first tab selected by default
+			else if (o.selected === null)
+				o.selected = -1;
+
+			// sanity check
+			o.selected = ((o.selected >= 0 && this.$tabs[o.selected]) || o.selected < 0) ? o.selected : 0; // default to first tab
 
 			// Take disabling tabs via class attribute from HTML
 			// into account and update option properly.
@@ -175,7 +182,7 @@ $.widget("ui.tabs", {
 			// highlight selected tab
 			this.$panels.addClass('ui-tabs-hide');
 			this.$lis.removeClass('ui-tabs-selected ui-state-active');
-			if (o.selected !== null && this.$tabs.length) { // check for length avoids error when initializing empty list
+			if (o.selected >= 0 && this.$tabs.length) { // check for length avoids error when initializing empty list
 				this.$panels.eq(o.selected).removeClass('ui-tabs-hide');
 				var classes = ['ui-tabs-selected ui-state-active'];
 				if (o.deselectable) classes.push('ui-tabs-deselectable');
@@ -217,7 +224,7 @@ $.widget("ui.tabs", {
 		}
 		// update selected after add/remove
 		else
-			o.selected = this.$lis.index( this.$lis.filter('.ui-tabs-selected')[0] );
+			o.selected = this.$lis.index(this.$lis.filter('.ui-tabs-selected')); // TODO check adding with all unselected
 
 		// set or update cookie after init and add/remove respectively
 		if (o.cookie) this._cookie(o.selected, o.cookie);
@@ -305,10 +312,11 @@ $.widget("ui.tabs", {
 
 			o.selected = self.$tabs.index(this);
 
-			// if tab may be closed
+			// if tab may be closed TODO avoid redundant code in this block
 			if (o.deselectable) {
 				if ($li.hasClass('ui-state-active')) {
-					self.options.selected = null;
+					o.selected = -1;
+					if (o.cookie) self._cookie(o.selected, o.cookie);
 					$li.removeClass('ui-tabs-selected ui-state-active ui-tabs-deselectable')
 						.addClass('ui-state-default');
 					self.$panels.stop();
@@ -316,6 +324,7 @@ $.widget("ui.tabs", {
 					this.blur();
 					return false;
 				} else if (!$hide.length) {
+					if (o.cookie) self._cookie(o.selected, o.cookie);
 					self.$panels.stop();
 					var a = this;
 					self.load(self.$tabs.index(this), function() {
@@ -459,7 +468,7 @@ $.widget("ui.tabs", {
 
 	select: function(index) {
 		if (typeof index == 'string')
-			index = this.$tabs.index( this.$tabs.filter('[href$=' + index + ']')[0] );
+			index = this.$tabs.index(this.$tabs.filter('[href$=' + index + ']'));
 		this.$tabs.eq(index).trigger(this.options.event + '.tabs');
 	},
 
@@ -587,7 +596,7 @@ $.extend($.ui.tabs.prototype, {
 			this.element.bind('tabsshow', rotate); // will not be attached twice
 			this.$tabs.bind(this.options.event + '.tabs', !continuing ?
 				function(e) {
-					if (e.clientX) { // in case of a true click	
+					if (e.clientX) { // in case of a true click
 						clearTimeout(self.rotation);
 						self.element.unbind('tabsshow', rotate);
 					}