Chapter 7: High school reunion.
Jay/Hailey. Set after series 7. After Kim and Adam's wedding, Jay and Hailey finally confessed their feelings and spent the night together and now they are back in Chicago and hiding their relationship from their friends.
I do not own Chicago PD or any of the characters.
Please, read, review and enjoy.
"Hailey, I can't believe you're making me go to this thing!" Jay called from his room, adjusting the tie in the mirror, whilst Hailey was changing in the bathroom. "Neither of us like this kind of thing, so why are we going?"
Mockingly, Hailey rolled her eyes as she slipped into her green dress as she called back, "Because, Jay, it'll be fun. You can hear stories from my high school friends and hear what I was like at that age." Jay joined her in the bathroom, and she added, with a playful kiss, "Plus, we won't be around anyone we work with, so we can act like a couple."
Jay smiled and murmured, "Well, that does make it sound better." He paused, then added, "You look great in that dress, by the way." He playfully kissed her and she kissed him back. "We can be more than partners in public."
Smiling, Hailey nodded. "Yes, we can. You've scrubbed up well, too. Let's go." Hailey grabbed her coat before they left and Jay did the same. They had an evening shift, so Hailey had brought some of her clothes back to Jay's apartment so that she could change after the reunion. She did not want to go back to her house instantly and have to face Vanessa's questions.
When they were in the car on the way to school, Jay inquired, "So, where have you told Vanessa you are today? I'm sure she's asked you a billion questions and she'll drill you later."
Hailey ran her hands through her blonde curls before she replied, "I've told her I'm going to my high school reunion. She hasn't asked if my mystery guy is coming with me, but I know she's thinking it." Hailey laughed, then paused as her laughter faded. Driving towards the school was making her think about her teenage years. They were not happy memories. She had not enjoyed school. She had always lied to her friends about why they could not come to her house, so she had lost most of her friends. Except her best friend. Hailey had never spoken those words out load, but she had known.
Glancing at Hailey, Jay noticed her silence and his green eyes took in her body language. How it had changed and how her eyes had changed. They were fixed on the road in front of them. He left her alone with her thoughts, not wanting to intrude, but, as soon as they were parked, he asked, in a soft voice, "Hailey, you ok?"
Hailey was silent for a while, as she stared out of the window, before she pulled herself back to reality and turned her head to face Jay. She gave him a small smile and replied, "I'm okay. Being back here is- strange. It brings back a lot of memories. I didn't- I didn't have the best time at school. I couldn't, because I couldn't risk anyone finding out the truth. My friends would be talking about how great their weekends were and, for me, they were the worst. My dad would start to drink early and – they were the worst days of the week."
Slowly, Jay rested his hand against hers and whispered, "I get it brings that back. But you're not there anymore. You survived. You made it out."
"But my mum didn't. She's still with him. Jay, she'll never leave him." Hailey exclaimed, suddenly becoming angry so that she shouted the final words and she shut her eyes tight, to control the anger. When she opened them, all she could see was Jay's patient, loving eyes staring back at her and she shook her head. "I'm sorry."
Jay put his arms around her and pulled her close to him as he told, "You know you never have to apologise for that, not to me." He paused, then suggested, "Maybe one day, we could go to see your mum, together?"
Hailey closed her eyes and left her head where it was, before she nodded. "Maybe someday." She smiled, then added, "I don't know how I got so lucky, being with you."
"Well, that's easy: We were partners for years, best friend. But we denied our feelings, until finally, there was no more denying it." Jay joked, grinning, and it made Hailey laugh, too. Her lips found Jay's with a soft kiss, before she thanked him again and they left the car and made their way into the school. Silently, Jay took hold of Hailey's hand. Whatever memories this reunion brought back for her, he would be there for her, no matter what.
Hailey and Jay made their way to the school hall, where there was a massive sign, in bright letters saying 'reunion' and Hailey wasn't sure if she should laugh or roll her eyes, so she did both and Jay laughed at her reaction, chuckling quietly. In her ear, he whispered, "If it makes you feel any better, I hated high school too. Most people probably wouldn't remember my name now."
Grinning and looking into his eyes in a joking way, Hailey replied, "Somehow, I doubt that."
Jay shrugged and chuckled nervously before he said, "Well, you shouldn't. Ask Will. I was quiet. I didn't have any friends, really." There were periods of his life Jay never really discussed, even with Hailey: High school and Afghanistan and, as they were standing there, Hailey guessed that something had happened to Jay during those high school years that made him so reluctant to talk about it.
"Hailey? Hailey Upton? No way it's you! It's been far too long!" Both Hailey and Jay turned to see a blonde woman walking towards them and Jay smirked as the other woman pulled Hailey into a hug. "No way it's you!" Her eyes turned to Jay and she asked, "And who is this hottie?"
Jay blushed and cleared his throat, but Hailey just laughed and put her arm around Jay. "This is Jay Halstead, my boyfriend." It was the first time she had ever said those words aloud before. "You're married, I see?"
The other woman smiled and replied, "Yeah, married and we have 2 kids, both under 5 so that's a challenge. Hailey, we should catch up some time. I know you didn't go out much when we were at school, but you should come out. There's a whole group of us. Tell me, how did you two meet?"
Smiling, Hailey glanced at Jay and indicated her head, before he forced a smile and simply replied, "We work together. We're detectives with the Chicago PD."
"That is amazing!" The woman caught the eye of someone else, so she gave Hailey her number and walked off, giving Hailey another hug before she left.
When she was far enough away, through chuckles, Jay stated, "You have no idea who she was, do you?"
Smirking, Hailey shook her head and replied, "No, I don't."
Jay smiled and murmured, "I liked being called your boyfriend. It sounded strange initially. I've always just been your partner before."
"And, how do you feel about this?" Grinning, Hailey's lips captured Jay's in a sweet kiss for a couple of seconds. "Come on, boyfriend, let's get mingle for a while."
That evening, Hailey arrived at the District first and Jay was due to arrive a couple of minutes later and Hailey was glad of her plan of keeping clothes for their shift at Jay's apartment. Hailey had some files to go over, so she sat at her desk and she was not surprised when Vanessa walked straight over to her, sitting on the edge of Hailey's desk. "So, how was your reunion?"
Hailey gave Vanessa a small smile, but kept her eyes on the computer screen. "It was good, thanks. It was very busy."
Vanessa grinned and, asked, titling her head, "So, did you take him? Your mystery guy? The one who's stolen your heart?" Hailey's answer was just a nod, before Vanessa asked, "Hailey, are you going to reconsider the FBI's offer, in New York?"
Finally looking away from her computer, Hailey laughed lightly and shook her head. "No. I meant what I said at Molly's. I'm not taking it and I've already turned them down." She could see the concern on Vanessa's face and in her eyes, so she asked, "Vanessa, what's wrong?"
Vanessa moved slightly uncomfortably before she finally shrugged. "I just- I know I've never seen this happy, but I hope your mystery guy wasn't the only reason you didn't take it."
Hailey smiled slightly, touched at her friend's concern. "You're right. He was a big part of why I didn't want to go. But I didn't want it for a second, even when it was offered to me. This place is my home. All of you."
"Good to know. I really want to meet this guy, you know that, right?" Vanessa laughed and Hailey chuckled along with her, just as Jay walked into the bullpen, sitting down at his side of the desk. Vanessa slipped off the desk and remarked, "Imagine how much Halsted would've missed you if you'd gone to New York."
Hailey and Jay shared a secret smile, before Hailey joked, "I'm sure he would've got over it, Vanessa."
The next morning, in Jay's apartment, when Jay and Hailey were lying in bed together, Jay asked, out of the blue, "Would we have been together, in high school?"
Hailey was silent as she thought about it, before she replied, "Maybe. We were both outcasts, in a way, weren't we? But we might not have become friends, because of both being so shy."
Smiling, Jay sat up and rested his head against hers, running his hands through her hair as he murmured, "You had to think about that, Hailey. I think I need some convincing."
With an identical smile on Hailey's face, she looked into Hailey's eyes and joked, "Oh really, Halstead?" They both laughed before they kissed, holding each other close. This was their time together, their reckoning and they were enjoying every moment of being together, in this new kind of partnership.
