A/N: Hi! Thank you all so so much for all your kind comments. I'm so excited to share these mini fics with you this week. I hope you keep enjoying them!
Also, special shoutout to Abby for helping me write this one. I was feeling totally lost and you helped pull this whole fic together – so thank you!
Getting calls from the FBI could be intimidating, but when she realized the calls were to entice one of her own detectives, Trudy thought they were annoying.
She didn't have time for the FBI, and she certainly didn't have time for delivering packages.
She did have time for Hailey, though. They talked through the job offer one night, and she walked away convinced Hailey would turn it down, but 24 hours later, she got a package in the mail addressed to Hailey and she about lost her mind. She's not just bothered by the mail anymore, she's bothered that Hailey can't make up her mind.
She truly cared for the detective and wanted her happy; she was just upset that Hailey felt so conflicted by the entire situation. Hailey was a strong, determined detective with a good head on her shoulders, but she also knew where her heart sat and needed to follow it.
It was a week later when the day's mail came and Trudy realized she hadn't gotten any mail or calls from the FBI since the previous package. It was a relief to know that chaos had seen its final days. Plus, Hailey was still working upstairs in Intelligence, so that meant just one thing: she was staying.
Trudy was walking past the locker room that night when she decided it was time to officially ask Hailey about her decision. She stepped in just in time to hear Jay say, "Want to grab dinner?"
"I don't know, I'm not super hungry. Did you want something fancy?" Hailey replied.
"No, I was just thinking I could pick us up a pizza," Jay suggested.
"Okay, now that I like," Hailey replied, "My place?"
Before Jay could reply, Trudy cleared her throat and stepped around the lockers to say, "Upton?"
Hailey turned away from pulling a jacket on to say, "Yeah?"
"Was just wondering why the Feds stopped calling," Trudy said.
Hailey smiled slightly and said, "I turned them down. I'm staying."
Trudy smiled back and noted Jay trying to hide his own happiness by faking a cough.
She wasn't surprised to see it, but she also didn't want to deal with it at the moment, so she nodded and said, "That's great. We're lucky to have you here."
Hailey's face lit up as she replied, "Thank you."
Trudy nodded again and said, "See you tomorrow."
She had just stepped in the hallway when Jay said, "Your place is fine, but I'm gonna need some clean clothes."
She sighed and closed her eyes. She knew it'd happen - knew it was happening - but…she just smiled to herself and shook her head. She didn't need to disrupt whatever they were going to do. She could wait.
The two weeks Trudy spent knowing without officially knowing went by fast. So fast, in fact, that when Hailey stopped at her desk after a long day and took a deep breath that she had absolutely no idea why she was there.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Can we talk?" Hailey countered.
Trudy raised an eyebrow, but nodded and led the way around the corner. Once she was sure they were alone, she said, "Everything okay?"
"Uh, yeah, I just wanted to tell you something now that Adam probably knows and I don't want you finding out through gossip or whatever," Hailey said, scratching her arm and constantly looking over Trudy's shoulder for anyone near them.
That was news to her, so she crossed her arms and asked, "What's Adam know?"
Hailey took a deep breath then said, "Jay and I are together. It hasn't been long, but it's been nice and fun and…and I've been really happy. I wanted you to hear it from me because, well, it's us, and I care what you think. I hope you know that."
Trudy softened and smiled at her. "I do," she said, "Thank you. I appreciate you saying that and telling me. Voight know?"
"No," Hailey quickly answered, "No, this is just for us right now. It's new, and we're figuring it out. I don't want to bring work into it."
Trudy slowly nodded and said, "He'll need to know eventually. We've had this talk before."
"I remember," Hailey said. She waited a beat then added softly, "But Jay is different. Jay is…Jay will work out. Maybe we'll need to split eventually, but I feel in my gut that this is right. It's meant to be. He's got my back and I have his. It's always how it's been."
"And you're good together," Trudy said. Tilting her head to the side, she shot Hailey a small smile before saying, "Jay is different. You're different now too. You both have your morals, and I have no doubt that you'll be able to get through the tough moments, and there will be tough moments, but know that I'll be there for you too. You two don't have to do this alone. I want you happy, and I know that Jay makes you happy - I've known that for a while."
Hailey weakly laughed and looked down at her feet, nodding. "Thank you," she said softly, "I'll keep that in mind."
Trudy watched her for a moment then said, "Anything else?"
"No," Hailey said and ran a hand through her hair, "I'm good. Thanks." She smiled before turning and walking away - most likely to tell Jay what they'd talked about.
Trudy let out a breath as she leaned against the wall. She had no doubt that Hailey's relationship with Jay was different than her relationship with Adam. She also knew Hailey and Jay were going to make it; she knew they loved each other even if they hadn't exactly said the words yet. She just hoped the world would be kind to them as they figured this new part of life out.
A/N: Let me know what you think! See you tomorrow :)
