Chapter 33: More alike than we think.

Jay/Hailey. Set after series 7. At 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.

In case any of you do not like the character of Avery, she will not be in much of the story, but her presence in Jay's life is strengthening Jay and Hailey's relationship. If you're enjoying this story, please review and suggestions for future chapters are welcome :)

True to Hailey's word, when she returned to her house, Jay was there, waiting for her, ready to listen or comfort her. Hailey enjoyed dinner with her mum. They were together for hours, talking, and it had felt so natural. Like it should for mother and daughter. The one subject neither of them brought up was Hailey's father, but that was the agreement they had made. Hailey could tell how much her mum loved her grandchildren, her brothers' children and she made a mental note that she and Jay should go and see them one day.

A couple of weeks passed and Avery texted Jay to say that she was coming to Chicago from Friday night until Sunday evening. She was staying at Gail and Danny's, who had invited Jay and Hailey for dinner that day. Jay and Avery were going to spend Saturday and Sunday together, they had decided, and both father and daughter were excited about this; they wanted to get to know each other. Meanwhile, Hailey had arranged to spend Saturday with Kim, something the two women had been saying they wanted to do for ages. All that Hailey said when Kim asked was that her 'mystery guy' was busy over the weekend with his family.

Jay and Hailey's shift ended at 7, but Jay stayed at in his office because he had meetings with a Sergeant from another district, so Hailey went home. She needed to decide what to wear to this dinner. She had heard stories about Danny and Gail for years, but, in truth, she was more nervous about meeting Avery. Jay's daughter. Jay's 19-year-old daughter. She wanted Avery to like her; she was a part of Jay's life. Therefore, this first meeting was crucial.

Hailey had a shower and put her hair up, trying to decide which dress to wear. She didn't wear them every often, but she wanted to make a real effort tonight. It was for Jay. It was for his daughter.

There was a knock on the door. Hailey frowned, because Jay had a key and he didn't knock anymore, so she went downstairs to see who it was. It was Avery, dressed in a white top, with a grey skirt, with tiny hints of pink. Looking startled, Avery exclaimed, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I must have the wrong house, you see, I was looking for Jay Halstead, I was told this is where he lived, or where his girlfriend lives. He's my dad. It's a long story, I'm sorry to have disturbed your evening."

With a smile, in a soft voice, Hailey just said, "Avery, I'm Jay's girlfriend, Hailey Upton." She paused, then asked, "Would you like to come in? Your dad's still at work, but, if you'd like, you could help me decide what I'm going to wear? Your outfit is amazing."

A smile spread across Avery's face. "Thanks, Hailey, and yes, I will. Thankyou." There was no doubt that she was Jay's daughter, in how she looked, how she acted. She seemed confident, but Hailey could see that she was rubbing her nails together and she didn't blame her, under the circumstances. As Hailey led her into her house, Avery admired it, before she inquired, carefully, "So, Hailey, does my dad live here with you?"

"No, he has his own apartment, but he stays here most of the time." Hailey titled her head and she asked, in a soft voice, "Avery, are you alright?"

Avery pushed her brown curls behind her ears and folded her arms in an uncomfortable way, rubbing her fingers together. "It's just- A great deal's changed; I've lost my mum, found out that she was lying to me for years and found my dad. We agreed our situation is messed up. And, to be honest, I was really nervous about meeting you; if I made a bad impression, well- it would affect getting to know Dad and I really want to get to know him. He's my dad and I didn't want to ruin it with you, because, from what Gail and Danny have told me, you're the most important person in his life." Avery's eyes met with Hailey's, embarrassed, and she blushed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have babbled like that. I'm sure that didn't make a good impression."

Hailey walked over to Avery, before she told her, "If it makes you feel any better, I was nervous about meeting you. I mean, you're my boyfriend's daughter. So, we're both nervous and, for the record, you're also the most important part of his life, too, now."

Avery nodded and asked, "You don't hate me, then? For changing your life, for appearing out of the blue, for changing your life with… my dad? I'm sure, finding out, after all of these years, must have been a shock for you, too."

Nodding, Hailey said, "I'll admit it was, Avery, but I could never hate you. Your dad's been through a lot in his life and, after he came back from meeting you, he was so happy, because you're his daughter. It's been a long time since I've seen him that happy."

There was a long silence, then Avery smiled. "That's good. Do you want my help to choose a dress for tonight?"

"I would love that."

When Jay returned to Hailey's house, he was surprised to find Avery there, but also glad, because he could see that the two most important people in his life had made a connection. Hailey and his daughter. Hailey and Avery and they were getting on really well; in fact, in a far less awkward way than Jay and Avery the last time they had met. It was a surprise when Avery walked over to him and gave him a quick hug, smiling. Hailey had told her stories about her dad and had even showed her some of Jay's medals from Afghanistan. Avery needed to know who Jay was, even if Jay didn't tell her himself. As far as Hailey was concerned, their relationship needed time, but it was a good start and she was going to do all in her power to support Jay with this.

The dinner at Gail and Danny's was very relaxed and the older couple were happy to finally be meeting Hailey. They were also glad to see that Jay and Avery had some form of communication between them. It was a working progress, but it was clear they both wanted to be close to the other, as fathers and daughters should be.

The next day, Jay and Avery went into the centre of Chicago and Jay showed her all of the tourist sights and, as they were going around the city, Avery opened up to Jay about college, about her friends and, eventually, about her conflicting feelings about her mum. Ally. She also told him she was so glad that Hailey was so welcoming; besides meeting Jay himself, meeting Hailey had made her the most nervous. Avery was a history student, so she found the city itself fascinating.

As the evening fell in, Jay smiled and told Avery, "There's no way you can be in Chicago and not try a Chicago deep dish pizza." When Avery looked at him wearily, he smiled and assured her, "It's so great. I'll get one for Hailey, too."

Smiling, Avery remarked, "You were right. This pizza is amazing!" Avery wiped her fingers on a napkin and watched as Jay silently observed everyone in the room. He was sitting where he could see the door. A good visual vantage point, like where snipers position themselves. "Can I ask you something?"

Jay nodded and replied, "Avery, I'm your dad. You can ask me anything."

"Why did you enlist in the Army after high school?"

"I wanted to serve my country. I felt like it was my duty to my country." Jay smiled slightly, before he added, "I was a sniper in the Rangers."

There was a silence and Avery rubbed her hands on the napkin slowly, before she asked, carefully, "Why were you discharged from the Army?"

That question caught Jay by surprise and he wasn't sure how to answer it. He had never had a daughter before. How could he tell his child that, as far as he was concerned, he was damaged, that he had PTSD? Jay placed his hands together in front of his face and bashed them together nervously, before he replied, in the gentlest voice Avery had ever heard, "I did two tours and, first of all, I loved it. There was an explosion with a Humvee, but I-I got through that. But with my second tour, I was-" Jay paused and looked down, before looking back at his daughter. She deserved this. "I was captured and held for months. I was given a medical discharge. All of it, the firefights, all of the death, the suicide bombs, the torture. The fact that my friends died. They didn't make it back and I survived… it all became too much." His eyes focused on a spot on the wall and his eyes started to glaze over. The PTSD episode he had experienced recently had been one of the worst ever.

"PTSD?" Avery whispered. "Nightmares, flashbacks, panic attacks?"

The sound of her voice brought Jay back and he inhaled a couple of deep breaths, before he asked, in a shaky voice, "How do you know that?"

Tears formed in Avery's green eyes and she hung her head and bit her lip, trying not to cry, but Jay crossed the table and sat by her. Out of their most basic instincts, Jay put his arm around Avery and she hugged him as she cried. It wouldn't be until afterwards that two of them would consider how, at that time, their instincts as father and daughter had taken over. After a while, Avery told Jay that, when she had been 13, one of her friends had died in a shop. Since then, whenever she had gone near a shop under that brand, she had started to have panic attacks. Jay's heart broke with this information; the fact that his child was experiencing what he was heart-breaking.

Hours later, Jay and Avery returned to Hailey's house and, instantly, Hailey could see the difference. There was a bond between father and daughter and Hailey could also see that they were both emotionally drained, so she invited Avery to spend the night in Vanessa's room. The teenager initially declined out of politeness, but then accepted, happy to be somewhere where she felt safe. Avery knew that, with her dad's history, he would not sleep somewhere if she didn't feel safe, just like her. Jay and Avery were more alike that Avery would ever have thought and Hailey could see that.