This wasn't happening, he thought. It was all he could think as they drove back to the district. Erin had gone off about Hailey and it took everything in him not to lose it at her. But there was no way he could do that without admitting that he was married and had been for close to four years, something very few people knew.

Jay was pretty sure he was dreaming when she walked into that bank because there was no way that his wife barged into a crime scene and told off his boss. But then again, it was possible, because he knew how she could be.

"Beautiful and stubborn," he murmured as he waited for the call to connect. He was hoping his C.I. could give him something on this cell jammer, something on this case. They needed to do something before Hailey showed up again.

Jay wouldn't lie, it turned him on to see her so commanding, especially while acting like they had no clue who they were. He'd never seen her on the job before, well since their patrol days, but damn.

Finally his C.I. answered, successfully getting his mind off of Hailey. He quickly wrote the information down, searching the name he got before hanging up, printing off the information he needed for Voight.

As he headed back upstairs, he could hear his sergeant explaining the case to the rest of the team. He walked over to the board as Voight finished his sentence.

"All right, I talked to an ex-burglar C.I. buddy of mine," he said, handing the cell jammer to Olinsky.

"He said the cell jammer came from Bucktown," he continued. "This is Jimmy Rickert, old school tech guy. He illegally imports cell jammers from China into the US and sells them through his electronics business to burglars."

"I was able to track the serial number from the supplier in Beijing. It was delivered, along with other jammers, to his storefront a month ago."

"Is there any sort of pattern to the types of banks that they're hitting?" Adam asked. He started to shrug, not knowing, until her voice once again startled him where he least expected it.

"Credit unions," Hailey said, causing his attention to snap towards the staircase. He watched everyone else's heads turn, finding Hailey walking up with Chief Lugo and Platt with her.

"They're targeting them downtown," she explained. "Lots of daily on-hand cash, but less security than the corporate branches. In the last few weeks, this crew's hit five banks and done over half a million in cash."

"Sorry for the interruption, Sergeant," Platt said, coming to stand beside Hailey.

"You get lost on your way back to Area Central?" Voight asked. Add this to the list of reasons why he's wanted to punch his boss. He felt himself stiffen as Chief Lugo stood beside him, also turning to look at Hailey. Jay watched as the fire in Hailey's eyes grew, a small laugh leaving her lips.

"You got balls trying to steal my case," she said, and in that moment, Jay was sure he was had never been prouder of her. However, the pride quickly turned to horror as he watched her step towards his boss and in the process, knocked into Platt, the coffee in her mug going all over her.

"Detective, that's enough," Chief Lugo said sharply, somehow reigning Hailey in. The regret on Hailey's face was visible to him, but he suspected to everyone else is was annoyance. He focused on Erin trying to help Platt, hoping to avoid anything else happening. He bit his lip once again, not wanting to say anything.

"Your office," Lugo said, summoning Voight and Hailey with him. He saw the look Voight shot at Hailey, but he knew she could handle it. She was fearless, more so than him sometimes.

He couldn't help himself from shooting her a sympathetic smile as she passed him. She quickly returned it, and he knew if anyone caught him, they would just assume he was being nice. Jay knew he would hear about this later, definitely from Hailey, likely from the rest of his team. For now, he just had to focus on this case, because the sooner it was over, the sooner he could pretend like he didn't know everything about the blonde detective from Robbery-Homicide.


In less than two hours, she managed to do a lot of damage to her reputation. That much Hailey knew, and now she stood inside Hank Voight's office, her brain trying to refocus on why she was really her, and not the fact that her husband was standing right outside the door.

It wasn't her intention to take over Intelligence's case when she woke up this morning. The only thing she had on her mind this morning was being able to give her husband an early birthday surprise, the kind that was still sitting in the bag in the back of their closet. Now, she was going toe to toe with Jay's boss, having already ruffled feathers with him, and now the front desk sergeant at the district.

She turned around as the door began to close, facing Voight and Chief Lugo, ready for whatever was about to happen.

"Chief," Voight said as the door closed behind them. She tried not to look out into the bullpen, where she could tell she had a good line of sight to Jay's desk.

"What's your pitch? I've heard hers," Chief Lugo began.

"This crew is hot, they're getting more brazen," Voight explained, and she couldn't argue with him there. "They're not just shooting cameras, they're killing people now. They need to be put down ASAP."

"And where are you at with this again?" Lugo asked, and Hailey knew she was about to lose this battle.

"I've been with this crew since day one. I feel like I'm getting close to identifying –" she began before getting cut off, her body going rigid as she heard Voight's voice.

"Close? You're five banks and two bodies behind them," he said before turning to Lugo. "Look, the solve rate in Intelligence is 90%. What's Robbery-Homicide? Maybe 20?"

Now she was pissed. There was no way she was going to stand her and let him belittle her unit and her capabilities with statistics, especially knowing one of the reasons their solve rate was so high was because of Voight's questionable methods.

"You're gonna throw stats at me?" she said, turning towards him as her blood raged. She couldn't get another word in before Lugo jumped back in.

"All right, Intelligence is taking the case," he said and without another word, Voight opened the door as the chief moved that way.

"Because he flexes his stripes?" she asked, not caring that Jay and his unit could probably hear her.

"You want me to flex mine?" Lugo asked, turning back to her. "I said what I said. Get your files to Voight."

Without another word, he walked away, leaving her in Voight's office feeling pissed and defeated. So not how she planned today to be.

"You know, I always heard you were a son of a bitch," she told him, her mind recalling rants from Jay before turning towards him. "Now I know it's true."

"Yeah, getting me those files would be great," he told her while not telling her to get the hell out of his office. She left, hearing the door shut behind her and feeling Jay's eyes following her down the stairs.


"So how was your day?" she heard him say as the front door opened. Hailey just chuckled to herself, getting up off the couch to go meet him halfway.

"Rough," she said honestly, stepping towards Jay to wrap him in a hug. She felt the tension from the day leave her the second his arms wrapped around her as he kissed her forehead.

"I feel that," he told her, pulling away to walk to the fridge. "This crazy detective from Robbery-Homicide showed up at my crime scene today, started throwing out orders. She was pretty hot, though."

"Yeah, yeah," she replied, taking a seat on one of the barstools by the island. "How bad was it? Be honest."

She watched as Jay turned around to face her, the concern and love he had for her clear as day on his face. Just looking at him had her close to tears, something that was rare for her. He knew that as much as she did, she rarely cried over her job.

He didn't say anything, abandoning the food he was setting out as he walked towards her, sitting down beside her. Jay took her hand in his, his thumb resting on her wrist, rubbing soft circles on her skin.

"Hails, you were as badass as ever," he told her. "And I'm not going to lie, I was really turned on today, watching you do something I've never had the balls to do."

"Shut up," she said, her smile betraying her words.

"Voight's rough when you meet him. You came in, guns blazing as I would expect. He's never really had someone question him as much as you did today. But I'm proud of you still."

"You're just saying that cause you're married to me," she told him, regretting asking him because the events of today replayed over and over in her mind.

"Well yes, I'm fairly biased," Jay said. "But me being proud of you is never going to change."

Hailey looked up at him then, smiling as his words settled in. She learned over, kissing him softly, needing this after the day they've had.

"I just want to forget about it all for a while," she said. "Not think about what's going to happen tomorrow."

"I feel that," Jay repeated, pulling away to go fix them dinner. "Your files were a huge help."

"Yeah?" she asked, finally feeling some pride in herself. She smiled gratefully at Jay as he slid a glass of wine towards her, and she took a sip quickly.

"We got another credit union," he told her. "Lindsey and I were there when they hit it. We got one kid, another got killed. They were 15."

"What?" she asked, hating that her suspicions were right. "I had my suspicions, but I didn't want to believe it."

"One of the boys, the one in custody, his name was in your file, along with Lavar Spann?"

"He's got a history with robberies, Spann does. But he got shot in the back, leaving him partially paralyzed," she explained.

"So, he's using these kids to do robberies for him?" Jay asked. Hailey laughed, it was crazy how in sync they are at times.

"That's my theory," she told him. "Are you reading my mind?"

It was Jay's turn to laugh as he kept stirring the pasta boiling on the stove.

"Babe, you're just as smart as me," he told her, and he was glad the only thing in her hands right now was her wine glass, which he knew she wouldn't throw at him. His woman loved her wine as much as she loved him.

"I'm kidding. You're obviously smarter than me," he said, looking her dead in the eye.

"And don't you forget it."

They spent the next few minutes just enjoying each other's company. Hailey took over cooking so Jay could change clothes and when he returned, she was draining the pasta and pulling out dishes.

"This is kind of fun," she said as they settled in to eat. "Being able to work on a case together."

"Yeah it is," Jay replied. "Never thought I would see the day."

"Right? I'm still a little in shock it's taken so long for our paths to cross," she told him before mind drifted away. "Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"Does anyone know?"

It was the question that had been bugging her from the start, did any of Jay's coworkers know he was married, or now, that they were married.

"No, babe," he told her, turning to look at her. "You know it's not something I'm trying to hide…"

"I know," she interrupted. "I just didn't know if you said anything."

"No, I haven't. Maybe once this is over, I'll invite you to Molly's and properly introduce you as my wife, Hailey Halstead, not as Detective Hailey Upton."

"You make it sound like I have an alter ego," she joked, happy to be moving on from the conversation.

"Maybe more like a superhero. A cop in the streets, but you're my wife in the sheets."

Hailey smacked him for that comment as he just laughed. The man was a child, she swore.

"And for that, you can sleep alone tonight," she said, standing up to take her dishes to the sink.

"Wait, no!" he whined. "It's my birthday!"

"Your birthday is tomorrow," she told him, rolling her eyes for effect. She busied herself with cleaning up as he walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"I can't convince you?" he asked as began kissing her neck, finding the spot that brought her to her knees in no time.

"You better make it up to me," she told him, turning around to kiss him, the dishes forgotten.


The alarm came too early in the morning for either of their liking, but one Hailey remembered what day it was, she was suddenly wide awake. Rolling over, she found Jay turning his own alarm off and she took the time to slide over, her arm going around his torso.

"Happy birthday," she whispered to him, kissing his bare shoulder as he turned over to face him. Before he could say anything, he turned onto his back, making her move away and she took to opportunity to climb on top of him, her hands bracing herself on his chest as she straddled him.

"This is a happy birthday," he said, smirking up at her as his hands fell to her bare thighs. She could feel his hands inching up and as much as she wanted to give him whatever he wanted this morning, they would both be late to work.

"Feels like a birthday to me," she said, her voice dropping as his fingers slipped under her shirt before hooking into the waistband of her underwear. "And as much as I would love this, we can't be late."

She did lean down to kiss him, letting him deepen it as his hands stayed put, her own moving to cup his face. Seconds felt like hours as they moved in sync and Hailey knew she had to pull back as Jay's fingers dipped lower.

"Jay," she said, her hands falling to his chest once again as she pushed back. "I love you but I gotta go, and so do you."

Jay sighed, knowing she was right. He moved his hands back to her thighs, needing the temptation to be gone.

"We'll just have to celebrate later," he told her. "Maybe you can put on whatever is in the bag in the closet."

"Jay Halstead! You weren't supposed to see that!" she yelled at him.

"Well, Hailey Halstead, I am a detective," he shot back. "And yes, I know you are too, so quit interrogating me."

"I was not," she said, climbing off of him. "And because of that comment, you aren't getting one of your presents."

"Yeah? And what was that?"

"Free invitation to shower with me," she told him, stripping the shirt of his she had on before turning around. "Now, it may be wise of you to go make coffee, if you want to see what's in the bag later."

As she turned and closed the door, she heard Jay's feet hit the floor before quickly retreating from their room, causing her to laugh at him. There was never a dull moment with him.


This was shaping out to be the weirdest morning ever, Hailey decided. She left for work on a high from two rather intense make out sessions with her husband and arrived to find a message from Hank Voight asking her to come to the 21st.

She texted Jay, wanting to know what was up but by the time she arrived at the 21st, he hadn't answered, leaving her to face whatever was in store by herself. But she knew the first obstacle would be the desk sergeant.

Just as expected, the woman was at the desk, eating what looked to be breakfast and mumbled something as Hailey walked in. She looked down to hide her embarrassment as the sergeant moved the coffee mug and takeout cup out of the way.

"If it isn't Detective Goldilocks," she said. "Hmm, there haven't been any robberies or homicides this morning, so let me guess why you're here."

"Sergeant," she began, wanting to apologize before being cut off.

"Uh-uh, wait. I'm good at this," she said. "You're here because you can't let it go."

The idea of apologizing went out the window, knowing it was useless. So, she went for the straight up approach as she looked at the sergeant.

"Voight called me down here," she stated, looking up at the woman who was beginning to scare her a little.

"Huh," she said. "Well then, let me just buzz you up."

"Sure, great," Hailey replied, turning to get the hell out of there before stopping to look at the woman's badge, wanting to thank her properly. "Thank you, Sergeant Platt."

She stopped herself as she said the words, not really believing what was coming out of her mouth.

"Trudy Platt?" she asked, causing the woman in question to look up at her, suddenly confused as to why Hailey had said her full name. "Worked Robbery-Homicide like 15 years ago?"

"That's right," Platt answered. "Why?"

Hailey continued to stare at her, not really believing what was going on. The puzzle pieces clicked in her head, and before she could say anything, she heard the gate open and a man's voice coming from the stairs.

"Uh, hey, Sergeant Voight's waiting for you," she heard, turning to find who she thought was Kevin from hearing Jay's stories. He held the gate open as she looked back at Platt, knowing this discussion was tabled for later. For now, she had a job to do, and she had to prove it to Jay's boss and his team, and now, Trudy Platt. She turned to walk towards the stairs, ready to face the unknown.

As she walked upstairs, part of her was relieved and upset that Jay wasn't there. Instead, there was just who she knew to be Adam Ruzek sitting at his desk, giving her a nod as she passed by towards Voight's office.

Hailey found him at his desk, and before either of them could say anything, he slid a photo towards her, the one she recognized to be Corey.

"Yeah, we got him in custody," Voight said without preamble.

"I knew it," she told him, glad that her work was paying off. She handed him back the photo before continuing. "This kid is robbing for Spann."

"Yeah, how does he fit into it?" Voight asked, handing her Spann's photo.

"Ex-bank robber from the Westside, did time in federal lockups," she explained, feeling more in her element. "Last time he pulled a heist, he was shot in the back by an FBI agent, left partially paralyzed. Did a dime in the infirmary wing in Leavenworth and was paroled a year ago."

"Obviously you've got a theory linking him to this kid," he said. She paused, suddenly worried about how he would respond to her theory.

"Spann can't physically rob banks anymore," she began. "So, I think he recruited teenagers from his old neighborhood to do it for him, like Fagin."

"Huh," was all she got in response, making her wonder what that was about.

"From the Charles Dickens novel," she explained before seeing what she thought was the closest thing to a smile she would ever see from Voight.

"Spann won a lawsuit against the feds because he was shot. After he got out of prison, he used his settlement to buy a used car lot."

Voight gave her what felt like a reassuring gesture before saying what she was sure she never would hear from him.

"Let's hit that lot."


When Olinsky told him that they would be staking out Spann, he could have thought of a million better things to do than go on a stakeout with Al. But the second he saw Hailey following behind him, he knew he was in for an interesting afternoon.

They had been sitting here for close to an hour when he finally was over the shock and knew he could do what he did best with Hailey, rile her up. And he figured Al would get a kick out of it, his no bullshit attitude would help in getting under Hailey's skin.

"Got to admit, there's something inspiring about this guy not letting his bum leg ruin his American dream," he said, glancing back towards his wife.

"Sense of humor?" she asked. "Don't get that much in my current unit."

She was game, he could tell. And he knew just what would get to her.

"Rumor has it, you were meritoriously promoted to detective, is that right?"

Jay didn't have to see her to know she was smirking while her left eyebrow went up the way it was when she was annoyed with him. He was going to get it later.

"Yeah, that's right," she replied, her voice losing some of the bite it always has.

"What, you shake your feathers in front of the right commander, or is your uncle an alderman?" Al asked. Jay knew it wasn't true, and that Al didn't care, so the comments didn't bother him. He just made a note that he would apologize to Hailey profusely later.

"I was undercover for a year," she said, rolling back to the window. "So, put that in your pipe and smoke it."

His girl had sass, as always. Jay had to admit, it was kind of fun having her around, being able to share another part of their life together.

They never meant to keep their marriage a secret, one thing after another caused it to get buried and it became almost normal. But they didn't see it as a bad thing. Circumstances got them to that point and all that mattered to them was their marriage and each other, plain and simple.

"Would you like to elaborate on this UC case for us?" he asked her, looking back at her. That was a mistake, because he had decided that seeing her on the job was easily one of the hottest things about her ever, and that list was very long in his mind.

"I would love to!" Hailey said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "But I'm under a gag order from the AUSA's office. It's still being adjudicated."

Jay saw the look Al gave him, suddenly intrigued about this young, brash detective. But Jay knew that look, Al was impressed, and it took him a lot to be impressed with younger cops. Even Jay was still unsure some days as to where he stood with Al.

"The US Attorney's Office made it very clear," she continued. "If I talk, I get fired."

He thought he saw a smile cross Al's face, and he had to try and keep a straight face himself. But then he made a fatal mistake. He took another look back at her and this time, she met his eyes.

"And no offense," she told him. "But this is the first time in the back of your van."

The head tilt nearly killed him, their silent communication telling her everything he needed to know. He was in trouble and he would not hear the end of it later. He watched as she returned to take photos and Jay knew that was the end of that conversation when he heard her speak.

"Hey, check it out." She rolled back to them, craning her head to look out the windshield. They all took another look before Al looked at the file.

"That's Sammy Ray, 17. He was one of the kids at the car lot."

"Kawasaki," Hailey added. "That's the same motorcycle the other kids used to rob the banks. We gotta go after him."

Jay started to stop her, but Al beat him to the punch.

"We're not following a dirt bike in an Econoline van," he told her. "First thing that kid's gonna do is lose us down an alleyway. But I admire your enthusiasm."

Despite the disappointment he could tell she had, she resumed taking photos. The kid eventually rode away, silence falling in the van once again. As Al was flipping back through the file, Jay looked back at Hailey once again, only to find her already looking at him. She smiled, knowing that Al couldn't see. He took a risk then, smiling back at her, letting her know he was proud of her once more, as he always was.


"Here's the rest of the paperwork for the surveillance op," Jay said, handing Voight the file.

"Thanks," he said, taking it and setting it next to the open that was currently open on his desk. "Oh, and have you seen Upton?"

Jay froze, trying not to make it known to his boss that he was caught off guard. There was no way that Voight knew, the paperwork was too deep in their files. He had gone his entire career in Intelligence, hell in the CPD, with people thinking he was single.

"No, why?" he asked, trying to hide the nerves in his voice.

"Just wanted to talk to her," his voice about as nonchalant as Voight had ever heard it. "Thought about bringing her in while Burgess is on furlough."

He tried to hide his excitement, because having Hailey here would be a dream. They would likely have to keep the nature of their relationship quiet, but he knew he would do anything to help her.

"I'll pass it along if I see her," Jay replied, walking out of the office before he could be questioned more.

He fired off a text to Hailey, asking where she was. She quickly replied, Jay heading off to find her. Her text told him she was in one of the extra offices they had.

"Hey," he said as he entered, closing the door behind him.

"We're alone," she told him, reading his mind immediately.

"Thank god," he replied, walking over to her, his hands going to her waist as he picked her up, settling her onto the desk. His lips immediately found hers, silencing the small giggle that escaped her.

"Jay," she mumbled, trying to push him away but not having much luck. "Babe."

"No," Jay whined, causing her to laugh even more. This time, she pulled back, shooting him a smirk.

"Did I marry a 5-year-old? Cause it feels like that sometimes?"

"It's my birthday though," he replied, adding a pout for effect.

"Nice try buddy," she told him, pushing him away so she could get off the desk. "Anyways, what did you need? Or was it just a work place quickie, because remember, you aren't good at those."

"Says who?" he asked, trying to be offended.

"Say every single time you've ever tried to initiate one, and the fact that the last time caused us to be late and miss our flight to Miami."

Hailey knew she got him there, because he was so pissed that day. They had that trip planned for months for their anniversary and it all went away when they were late, causing them to spend their anniversary at home for a week.

"Fine," he told her finally, probably kicking himself at the memory. "Voight wanted to see you in his office."

"Any idea why?"

"No," he lied before leaning in closely, his mouth inches away from her ear. "But be quick, because I'll be waiting at home. And you better put your rings on, Mrs. Halstead, and whatever is in that bag."

Without another word, he left, leaving her flustered, which Hailey knew was intentional. That man was sending her in to talk with Voight after he got her riled up in more ways than one. Jay was so going to get it later.

Hailey tried to gather her wits as she headed towards Voight's office, not really sure what was in store for her. The last two times she had been here were polar opposites. She knocked on the cracked door and hearing Voight respond, she went in.

"Halstead said you wanted to see me?" she asked.

"Well, I got three bank robbers dead, one going to juvie and only $50,000 of the bank's cash recovered," he told her. "I'd love to give you your case back to run through your typewriter, but mi not sure there's much of a case left."

Hailey assumed this was Voight's way of joking, but she would take this as a good job and move on.

"I'll be happy to type it up either way," she told him. He took her response as a yes, handing her the file. But there was one thing on her mind, one thing she wanted to tell him.

"What you did for Corey Jenkins, protecting him by denying his confession. I don't know many, if any cops that would do that."

He didn't say anything, just gave her a look that she took as a thank you, before turning and walking away. But as she crossed the threshold, she heard him speak again.

"You know, I got an officer on furlough," he said. "Could use another hand around here."

While on the inside, she was screaming, she tried to keep her cool, knowing what a huge opportunity this was. And of course, a small part of her was thrilled with the idea of seeing Jay every day, even if that meant they would have to tell people about them.

"I'm saying I got a spot open in Intelligence if you want it."

Voight must have taken her silence for confusion but hearing him say that confirmed what she knew. It was almost sweeter, hearing him say it outright.

All Hailey could do we nod before turning to walk away, stopping herself shortly after, knowing she needed to give him some kind of response.

"Open or closed?" she asked, her words holding a different meaning she hoped he would understand.

"Open," he told her, and that right there was when she knew that tomorrow morning, she would be going to work with Jay.


"Jay!" she yelled as she walked in the door. His truck outside told her he was home, but she didn't find him sitting in the living room like normal. Hailey could see his jacket hanging up and his keys on the entry table but didn't hear anything.

"Babe are you…" she began, stopping as she walked further into the kitchen. Standing in front of her was Jay, smiling at her like he'd been waiting for her all day.

"What's this?" she asked, motioning to the set up in their kitchen. A bottle of champagne had been opened, two glasses filled beside it. Jay was dressed up, hands in his pockets as he just smiled at her.

"I'm pretty sure congratulations are in order," he told her as she walked closer.

"And why is that?" she asked, having an idea of where this was going.

"Because I'm pretty sure I'm looking at the newest member of Intelligence."

"And for once, you would be right," she told him, unable to hide the excitement she felt at hearing those words.

"I'm going to ignore that because I'm so happy for you," he said, leaning in to kiss her, continuing where they left off this morning until Hailey pulled back, clearly out of breath.

"Well then, guess I better go change" she started, moving to pick up the glasses before stopping as her gaze fell to the counter. "Jay?"

He didn't say anything, just picked up what she was staring at.

"So, I thought I would take my wife out on a proper date," he told her. "A celebration for both your new job and my birthday."

"It's only temporary," she reminded him, trying to remember that herself.

"But we still have forever," he said, picking up both her wedding band and engagement ring before sliding them on her finger. Every time he did that, she was transported back to their wedding day, a detail he knew, but she would never get tired of it.

"Can't argue there," she said, looking down at the solitaire diamond, her fingers running across the diamonds that encircled both bands. Without another word, she picked the darker ring on the counter up, sliding it back onto Jay's finger.

"Now," he told her, picking up both champagne glasses. "To us, the most badass couple there ever was."

"To us," she replied, tapping her glass to his before taking a sip. "I'll go get changed, and maybe I'll put on what's in the bag."

"You better," he told her. "Because your dress is coming off when we get home."


Thank you for all the sweet reviews! This story is only just getting started. It's an idea I've had for a while and more free time coming up, I thought I would finally start this! This will follow the storylines of the end of season 4 and the beginning of season 5.

Quick disclaimer - chapters likely won't be posted so quickly back to back. These first two are just an exception since I wrote them surrounding the events of 4x21 and chose to have the first chapter serve as a prologue of sorts. But I've already started on the next chapter, so hopefully it won't be too long!