Thank you for all of your support and reviews on my last one-shot! I started this one as soon as the other was finished because my mind was on a roll, so I hope you enjoy as much as the last! It's just a little AU with the length of time Hailey spends in New York.
It's been a month since Voight sent her to New York City after the incident with Darius. She hates to admit it, but during that time, she's learned a lot. She's been on the job for years, but a different city with different coworkers has shown her another side of police work. Despite the fact that she has enjoyed learning new procedures and techniques, she misses her city. She misses her apartment. She misses her team. She misses her partner.
It's been a month since Voight made the decision to send his partner to New York City after whatever happened between her and the gang the night of Darius's death. When he had questioned Voight about what he was doing, all Voight would say was that he was acting in Hailey's best interest. Jay was frustrated with the outcome, but he had sensed something was off with his partner, which was exactly why he had followed her that night. He just wished that Voight would have let him try to help before making the decision to leave him partnerless.
He had to make sure she was okay. She hadn't been answering his texts very often, and he's worried that she's drifting away, finding replacements for her team during this new experience of hers.
So, he waits until late at night to track her phone, hoping that means she's asleep in her bed wherever that is. He knows it's a little weird and probably makes him a borderline stalker, but he didn't want anyone to know what he was planning. After noting that her location doesn't change over the course of a couple hours, he books a flight to New York and a room at the nearest hotel.
He's been to the city a couple times before. The trips were pretty brief, usually for a quick vacation when his employers required him to take some time off. He still didn't know his way around the city very well, which resulted in putting all of his trust in a cabbie to get him to where he wanted and needed to go.
As he makes his way up to the apartment building, he isn't quite sure where to go. The tracker obviously didn't give him her room number, so he is really just hoping for the best.
Entering the building, he sees that it has been renovated recently, looking more modern on the inside than the exterior would have you think.
He notices a couple making their way down the hallway toward him, probably heading out for a mid-afternoon lunch based on how nicely they were dressed.
"Hi, I was wondering if either of you have seen this woman?" He asks as they take a look at a picture of Hailey he has on his phone.
Disappointment settles in as the couple looks at him in apology. "Sorry, but she doesn't look familiar."
"That's okay. Thank you anyway," he nods his head gratefully at the couple as they continue past him.
He goes for broke and tries to call her. She doesn't answer, so he settles for making his way into the coffee shop next to her building, ordering himself a drink, and sitting down next to the front window that faces the crowded street.
He hadn't realized how late it had gotten until he noticed more and more people walking into the apartment buildings around him. They must be getting off work and heading home. When he glances down at his phone, he sees it's about six in the evening. He gets up from his seat and makes his way back to her building, hoping to be able to figure out some way of finding his partner.
He doesn't really know where to begin, so he does what he does best: detective work.
She opens the door to her apartment building, looking at her phone to see a missed call from Jay. She hasn't been answering him much because she is still trying to figure out how to use all the new information she has been learning about her job and herself. She considers calling him back when she hears a familiar voice down the hallway.
"Hey, sorry to bother you, but I am a detective looking for this woman. Have you seen her?" He asks politely when someone answers the door he just knocked on. They must not be very helpful because he is quickly thanking them as they close their door. He looks down at his phone with a look of... defeat? from what she can tell by his body language from this far away.
He starts to make his way toward the next door down the hallway, but before he can lift his fist to knock, she yells his name as softly as she can to get his attention without bothering the residents of her apartment building, making her way toward him.
He must not have heard her, so she picks up her pace, and yells again, "Jay!"
He spins around so fast that she questions how he doesn't waver in his balance. When he sees that it's her, his face lights up in that Halstead smile, and she instantly regrets not replying as much as she could have in the last month because god. She's missed him.
He starts walking toward her as she continues her path to him. When they reach their destinations, they stand there frozen, taking each other in. Finally, he whispers her name in that soft, breathy tone and wraps his arms around her waist while she brings her own arms up to his shoulders, wrapping them around his neck.
They embrace for about a minute before pulling away.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She asks as she looks questioningly at him.
He looks down at his shoes and rubs his hand across the back of his neck before making eye contact with her again.
"I missed you, Hails," Jay answers simply. "Plus, you weren't answering very often, and I wanted to make sure you didn't forget about the best partner you've ever had," he adds with a sly smirk on his face.
Hailey rolls her eyes at his comment and raises her eyebrows, saying, "You wish you were that important."
Jay feigns offense before retorting, "Oh, come on. Admit you've missed me."
"Of course I have," she agrees before adding, "And I'm sorry about not answering. I was... trying to figure some things out."
He nods understandingly. "And what conclusions did you come to?"
"Come on. First, let's get out of this hallway," Hailey replies, leading the way to the elevator.
Her apartment isn't highly furnished because she wasn't sure how long this assignment would last. She has a nice-sized TV, loveseat, coffee table, and two stools for the peninsula of her small kitchen.
He notices that other than basic furniture, there aren't many signs of occupancy in her apartment. Her walls are blank, and the only signs that it's her place and not a staged apartment for realtor showings are the two picture frames on her television stand. One frame is of the Intelligence unit gathered at Molly's after they had successfully taken down an entire drug ring. The other is of Jay and her on a night they all had to stay late filing paperwork. They were taking a break between case files and both were seated on the edge of his desk, upper arms brushing as she tossed her head back in laughter at something he had just whispered in her ear. It was probably some sarcastic comment making fun of Ruzek, and he was watching her reaction with a wide smile of his own on his face. Rojas must have snuck the shot when neither of them were paying attention.
"I'll order some take-out. Want something to drink?" She asks, making her way into her kitchen and opening the fridge. She grabs out two beers without waiting for his answer, handing him one and removing the cap from her own. While he takes the cap off of his drink, she quickly pulls up her ordering app, pushing a couple buttons and submitting the order.
They both take a couple drinks in silence before he breaks the silence. "So, how have you been?"
She finishes swallowing a mouthful of alcohol before replying, "I've been good. Busy. It's been different."
"What do you mean 'different?'" He asks, following her to the couch.
She picks at the label on the bottle in her hand and says, "I made a mistake back in Chicago with the Darius case. Yes, Intelligence pushes boundaries, and the lines between right and wrong often blur, but I was wrong. I got caught up in the idea that justice can be simple and black and white when the reality is that it's really messy and gray. We can never have a perfect ending, and I lost sight of why I wanted to be a cop in the first place: to save as many people's lives as possible. Letting Darius live would have put a lot of lives in danger, but I risked my job in the process. I risked losing the ability to continue saving lives, and I risked the family I found in Intelligence. I'm not sorry he's dead, but I regret the role I played in it." Hailey pauses, looking at Jay.
He can tell she has more to say, so he waits silently for her to be ready to finish. "I risked our partnership, and that's what I'm most sorry about. Since day one, I have put all of my trust in you, which isn't something that happens easily for me. That's why I wasn't reaching out to you as much as I should have. I needed to figure out where my head is at with us."
She was nervous about admitting her regrets and concerns to Jay. She knew he would never judge her; he proved that when he followed her to her meeting with the gang. He was protective and cared that she was safe at all times, but she really hated admitting defeat, which is exactly what this felt like.
Jay let what she said sink in, taking another drink of his beer before setting the bottle down on the coaster she had on her coffee table. "Hailey, you know I would never judge a decision that you make in the field, butttttt," he lets the last word drag out as he considers his next words, and she glances down at her hands in shame. "I'm glad that you have reconsidered the situation. When I followed you that night, all I could think about was whether or not you would be okay. When Voight told me he sent you here, I was angry that he had just gone and arranged everything, but I had hoped it would help you clear your head. No matter what happens today, tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year, you aren't losing me. I will always be your partner, and you can always trust me with anything."
At those words, Hailey smiles. "I appreciate that, Jay. I know I have to be more careful from now on, and I promise I will do better. How have you been doing?" She asks, tucking her legs up under her on the couch, so she could face him fully.
Jay shrugs his shoulders. "Honestly, not much has gone on since you've been gone, but maybe that's just what I think because I've been too distracted with worry. You know, since my partner hasn't been letting me know that she's still alive," he answers, giving her a teasing smile.
"Let me guess," Hailey sighs, tilting her head back. "You're never letting that go even though I did it for my own well-being?"
"You could have at least sent a 'hi' every once in awhile," Jay points out, shrugging his shoulders.
In response, Hailey picks up her phone, typing briefly before setting it down in her lap.
Seconds later, Jay's phone vibrates with a text from none other than the woman sitting next to him. He glances up to see her smiling at him as he unlocks his phone and opens the message, reading the simple "Hi:)." He smiles down at his phone as he types, "Hi. I'm glad you're okay."
Hailey opens the message but doesn't reply because they're sitting right next to each other, and she misses hearing his voice after all this time. Right then, there's a knock on the door, signaling that their dinner is finally here.
"So, I'm guessing you didn't really plan this trip out much ahead of time. Do you have a place to stay?" She asks as she hands him a container of Chinese food.
Jay smiles at what she ordered for him because, of course, she got every part of it correct. He chuckles in response to her observation before saying, "The most planning I did was tracing your phone, buying a ticket, and booking a hotel room approximately... well, I'm not really sure where honestly."
"Wait," Hailey says, sitting up a little straighter, swallowing the bite of food she had been chewing. "You traced my phone?! I just assumed you asked Voight where I was staying because he arranged everything. Halstead, I don't know if that classifies as you being a good detective or just plain creepy..."
"Unless you want to make a decision between those two, don't ask how I traced your phone," Jay admits, scratching his head before putting more food in his mouth.
Hailey looks at him skeptically but decides not to pry further because she knows he was tracking her in order to be here tonight, and the gesture isn't lost on her. "Since you don't know where your hotel is, do you want to just crash here?" She offers up.
"Oh, no, Hails. I don't want to intrude, and it won't take long to find the address. Plus, if I have as good of a cab driver as I did earlier today, all I'll have to do is say the name, and he or she will know exactly where I'm going," Jay answers.
Hailey waves him off and reassures him by saying, "There's no point in you checking into a hotel room this late, especially if your flight home is right away tomorrow morning. And this way, I can take you to the airport."
"My flight leaves at 10 A.M." Jay replies, considering her points. "I'll end up getting charged for the hotel room either way, but I guess if you want me to stay here that badly, I'll take you up on that offer," he adds jokingly.
"If I want you to stay? When did I ever imply that?!" Hailey asks incredulously. "I was just trying to make your life as easy as possible, considering you came all this way for me. I can certainly take my offer back if you're going to be sassy about it."
"No, no, no," Jay says quickly. "I'm happy to spend as much time with my partner as I can."
Hailey smiles at Jay when he says this, shaking her head at his attempt to win her back on his side.
"Just know that if you snore, you're getting booted to the couch."
As they say their goodbyes the next morning, they both realize how easy it has been to be around the other even after a month apart with hardly any communication. Hailey called in late to work in order to drive Jay to the airport, and when it is time for him to board, they reach for each other and embrace for as long as they can.
Finally, Hailey pulls back and looks Jay in the eyes, reassuring him that she will be home soon.
He nods, tells her that he hopes so, and asks her to keep in touch until that day comes.
She promises that she will as he reaches out to kiss her on her forehead before turning to enter the terminal, sending one last wave and a dashing Halstead smile her way.
It is about another month after his impromptu visit to New York that she is finally on a flight back to Chicago.
They had stayed in contact over the last thirty days, talking almost every night on the phone unless one of them was on a case. They talked about their cases, good and bad, and Jay updated her on their Intelligence team members, reminding her of how much they missed her and how much she missed them.
She had wrapped up her final case with the FBI and jumped on the first flight home, eager to get back to the Chicago air. No one knew she was coming, and the furthest she had gotten when planning her return was scheduling a lunch with Voight to discuss her spot in Intelligence.
Surprisingly, she was less nervous to talk to Voight about the experience than she had been when telling Jay everything during his visit to New York. Even though she had more to lose based on the discussion with Voight, all she really had to tell him was that he was right: she had lost herself in the job and knew that she couldn't push as hard as she thought she could.
When she finally got off the plane and reached their agreed meeting location, Voight greets Hailey with a tight hug and a "Welcome home, kid." She knew she belonged in his unit, and she made that very clear during their dinner. By the end of the discussion, Hailey still had her job and would be going back to work the following week after she used the weekend to get re-settled.
Before she could work on getting settled back into her normal life, she had an important stop to make.
She knocks on his door and waits for him to answer.
When he does, she's surprised to find him shirtless and in black sweatpants.
"Hailey?!" Jay says in a tone equally as excited as it was surprised.
"Hey, partner," she greets as he opens the door wider for her her enter.
"Partner? As in, you're back?" He asks, closing the door behind them.
Hailey nods her head with a smile on her face. "I just got done having dinner with Voight. I can come in starting next week."
"I think that calls for a celebratory drink," Jay announces, squeezing her upper arm as he passes her on his way to his refrigerator.
He grabs two beers, opening them both and handing her one before heading to his room to put a shirt on.
When he walks back into the living room, she has her back to him, but he can see she's still holding her beer in one hand but has added one of his picture frames to the other. Inside the frame is the picture that matches the one he had seen in her apartment in New York.
She's so lost in thought that she doesn't hear him walk up behind her until she feels him standing against her shoulder.
"I had Rojas make me a copy after I got back from seeing you," Jay says softly as he reaches to hold the other half of the frame, effectively positioning his chest against her arm.
"It captures us perfectly," he adds as they both stare at the photo behind the glass.
Hailey nods and turns her head up to look at her partner. "Yeah, I keep telling you we're good together," she says equally as softly with a small smile on her face.
"We are," Jay replies simply, nodding in return.
He continues to stand so close with his chest still against her while holding a picture they agree describes their partnership, friendship, and relationship so accurately. She can feel her heart start to speed up as her eyes dart between his eyes and lips while the tension in the room builds.
Jay pulls on the frame lightly, and Hailey releases her hold on it as he moves to set it back on the shelf she found it on. He turns back toward her, staring into her eyes, and it takes all of her strength not to break eye contact under the emotional pressure.
"Are you sure you're okay to come back?" Jay asks quietly.
Hailey smiles softly and nods her head. "As long as I have you on my side," she says, willing him to understand how large this tiny sentence really is.
His lips curl up in a smile as he continues to look down at her. "Hailey, I am always on your side. Whatever affects you, affects me, too."
She can feel her eyes start to tear up as she finally breaks eye contact and looks down at the drink in her hand.
He takes the bottle from her hand and sets it on the shelf next to the picture before placing his fingers under her chin to bring her eyes back up to his.
"Hailey," Jay says softly, looking at her like nobody else's existence matters but hers.
She nods her head slightly, and that's all he needs to see before he moves his fingers from her chin to her cheek, bringing his other hand up to mirror the first. These small actions push her hair away from her face, giving him the perfect window to lower his face toward hers. Her hands move to rest on his waist as she tilts her head up slightly, gently meeting her lips with his.
"I've always got you," he whispers against her lips. "Always."