Chapter 45: A big step.
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.
Next chapter! Enjoy and please review :)
I do not own Chicago PD or any of the characters.
The next day, after their shift, Hailey and Jay moved all of Jay's belongings into Hailey's house and Jay called his landlord and gave up the lease on his apartment. He had hardly been living there, anyway. Hailey and Jay ordered pizza as they moved Jay's things into the house. Hailey cleared some of the wardrobe for Jay and most of Jay's belongings went into Vanessa's old room, whilst they worked out what to do with it. It was now going to be Jay and Hailey's home, their home, together. That night, after it was all done, Hailey gave Jay the spare key. It was now his key to the house and they settled onto the sofa and sat together, in the house that was now their home.
True to their characters, Jay and Hailey didn't tell any of the unit they had moved in together. As far as they were concerned, it was no-one's business. Hailey told Jay she was so happy that Jay had asked her. She had wanted to ask if he would move in, but she hadn't found the courage to do it. He had thought about it when they had been away together and it had seemed perfect. He had practically lived there before, anyway.
Two weeks passed and it was a slow day. Hailey was so glad that Adam had not asked her any more questions. Kim had asked how her week away had been and Hailey told her just that it had been good. She and Jay had had a really, relaxing fun time together and she was glad they had talked about Erin and Garret. Erin and Garret wouldn't know them now, because of the people they had become during their partnership. Hailey and Jay were partners and they were moving forward with their relationship, even more than anyone else knew. The only people they had told about Jay moving into Hailey's house was Will and Avery and Avery had started to come round for dinner once a week. She was a part of their lives and it felt more natural than it had done, initially. The biggest change in the house now was that it was far tidier than it had been before, because Jay was very tidy. It was an old Army habit and Hailey thought it was a very attractive quality and she told Jay so often since they had moved in together.
Jay spent the whole day in meetings with other Sergeants in his uniform and he made his way back to the 21st District. For the past 2 weeks, he and Hailey had been waking up together and, even though they had done that before, it felt different now. Better. They had taken a big step and they had never been happier.
"Chuckles, come over here for a second!" Came Platt's dry voice as he walked up the steps of the 21st District.
With a slight head tilt, Jay walked over to her and asked, with a smile, "What can I help you with, Serg? Also, it's Detective Chuckles, if you don't mind."
The older woman looked at him over her glasses and remarked, "Huh. I thought it would be Sargent Chuckles. Anyway, Chuckles, you know how H.R always sends me these pesky forms? They're a real pain in my ass, to be quite frank." Jay raised his eyebrows and smiled, already having an idea about where this conversation was going. "But, anyway, they sent it to me and, according to H.R, your address has changed in past few weeks." There was a silence as Platt added, in a very deliberate voice, "It seems, Chuckles, that you and Goldilocks now have the same address."
Jay knocked the knuckles against the desk and smiled, "Wow, you have a keen eye for detail, don't you, Sergeant?"
"Huh." There was a silence and Platt smiled, before she just said, "Be on your way, Chuckles." Jay turned to walk away, before Platt called him back and said, in a sincere voice, "Jay, good for you. You and Hailey are great partners and you clearly make each other really happy. I told Hailey you were her gold dust."
Slightly taken aback, Jay was silent for a couple of seconds, before he nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Serg."
Jay made his way up to Intelligence and went into the locker room, to change out of his uniform. The bullpen was quiet, because it was a paperwork day and Jay gave Hailey, Kevin and Adam a coffee and Kim a tea. She was now 7 months pregnant and she and Adam were more excited with each day that passed. Both Jay and Hailey were glad that not much had changed since they had revealed their relationship, besides Adam occasional stupid questions. They wouldn't want it any other way. Platt clearly knew that Jay had moved into Hailey's house, but Kim, Kevin and Adam didn't know and they wanted it to stay that way, at least whilst they were settling into their new life together.
The slow day suddenly changed when there was a robbery. Kim was on desk duty, so Kevin was partnered with Jay and Hailey with Adam and they left the district, with Adam giving Kim and the baby bump a kiss before they left. Luckily, the robbery was one with no bloodshed and Hailey watched as Jay took charge of the scene and of all of the officers. He was a great Sergeant, a good leader and she knew that even Adam respected that now. There was no way of denying it.
The case itself lasted for a couple of days. Hailey coordinated with the Robbery-Homicide department. She had enjoyed working there, years ago, and she even had some friends still in the unit. She wondered what they would think if they knew about her and Jay's relationship.
Finally, the weekend arrived, and, whilst the unit was working on Saturday, they had Sunday off and Hailey and Kim made their way to the locker room. "Do you have any plans for our Sunday off, Hailey?" Kim asked, putting things into her bag.
Hailey put on her coat and zipped it up, moving her hair out of the way. "No, I don't think so. Jay and I will probably just relax at home." She smiled and added, "See you tomorrow, Kim." She went straight to Jay's office, where he was absorbed in paperwork. There was a huge pile of it.
Jay looked up and her and smiled, before he stood up and rested his head against hers, smiling. He smiled and whispered, "I'll see you at home later?"
With her blue eyes locked onto his green ones, Hailey just nodded and titled her head slightly as she replied, "You'd better, Sergeant."
Over the next couple of days, Jay and Hailey stopped staggering when they went into work and they just went in together. It wasn't a big deal. They were together. They didn't need to make an announcement about their relationship like Kim and Adam did, but they were happy together and, so far, they enjoyed living together. Jay's sleeping habits were no stranger to Hailey. When Jay and Erin had moved in together, Erin had made a big deal about getting enough sleep, so Jay often slept on the coach, but it was different with Hailey. They were partners and in love.
In the breakroom, Kim asked Kevin, "Have you noticed Jay and Hailey are coming into work together now?"
Kevin shrugged. "Well, they are together, aren't they? Didn't you say Hailey said Jay stays at her place most of the time? It's how they're organised it."
Kim agreed with him, but there was something telling her there was something different. Something had changed, but she knew that Hailey and Jay were both very private when it came to their relationship. Kim remembered that they had been together for a year now, for how long she and Adam had been married.
After their shift, the unit went to Molly's, besides Jay, who was in another meeting. Everyone was relaxed and having drinks, besides Kim, of course, who was drinking water. She and Adam still didn't know the gender of the unborn child. Platt came along, with a letter. With a smile, she told Hailey, "Upton, this is for Chuckles. H.R just need a clarification about something." Hailey just nodded and smiled her thanks.
It wasn't missed by Kim, Kevin or Adam, so Kim asked, with a smile, "Hailey, what does H.R need to check about Jay?"
Hailey smiled and shook her head, but said nothing. Just then, Jay turned up and sat next to Kim. He looked at the group and looked at Hailey and smiled, as he asked, "What's going on?"
Kevin shrugged and, with a smile replied, "Dunno. Is there something you guys wanna tell us? Something that H.R need you to clarify."
Jay and Hailey looked at each other and shared one of their secret smiles, before Hailey titled her head and smiled. With a wide grin on her face, she said, in a matter-of-fact way, "Jay and I are living together. He's moved into my house."
The hugs and handshakes ensued and Hailey and Jay accepted it. They didn't think it was a big deal, but their friends were very happy. "This is huge, guys! This is such a big step!" Adam declared, smiling, giving Hailey a hug. "Such a big step. Good luck to Hailey and Jay!"
Hailey pressed her lips together and glanced at Jay, who said, with a smile on his face, "It's really not a big deal. I've been staying at Hailey's for months."
Shaking her head, Kim smiled, "No, this is great! When did this happen?"
"A couple of weeks ago." Hailey replied, quickly, with a smile. She finished her drink and stood up, putting on her coat. "I'm going to call it a night and catch the bus home. Kim, I'll see you for lunch tomorrow?" She looked at Jay and smiled, telling him with her eyes that she would see him at home. Their shared home.
As soon as Hailey was gone, Adam turned to Jay. "Jay, this is insane! You guys are living together. I'm assuming Hailey asked you to move in, right?"
Jay made no reply, but he smiled and nodded. "Have a good night, guys. Kim, would you like a lift?" Kim did, because she was so tired with her pregnancy and Jay gave her a lift home.
In the car, there was silence, until Kim finally asked, "Jay, can I ask you something? We've known each other for years, haven't we, so we trust each other?" She paused, then asked, "If you and Hailey get married, how will we know who is who in Intelligence?"
"We manage it with you and Ruzek, Burgess." Jay quipped, smiling at Kim. He looked at her seriously, before saying, "Burgess, when you have the baby, if you want to remain in desk duty, I have no problem with that. Really."
Nodding, Kim smiled and whispered, "Thanks, Jay. I'm so happy for you and Hailey."
Hailey was changed into her PJs and in bed when Jay returned home, because he had gone for a run after dropping Kim home. Jay locked up everything in the house and changed into his PJs without really disturbing Hailey and he slipped himself into bed next to her, resting his head against the pillow. Taking hold of one of her hands, he asked, in a soft voice, "You ok?"
Sighing and tilting her head against his, Hailey whispered back, "Yes, I am, but I do wish they wouldn't make such a big deal out of these things." Hailey suddenly smiled and remarked, "You've always made this place so tidy, Jay. Some Army habits have their perks!"
Jay smiled and replied, "Yeah, they do." Hailey's blue eyes sparkled and he kissed her temple, running an affectionate hand against her cheek. "How about we try and get some sleep?"
Hailey nodded and kissed Jay on the lips as she whispered, "I love you and I'm so glad you're here. It's the best thing you've ever asked me." They looked into each other's eyes and kissed again, before they rested into each other's arms and fell asleep, happy in their new home, together.
