Here we go! Thanks for reading and reveiwing!


"Sit down."

Hailey turns from locking the front door of the cafe with a sigh, finding Trudy pointing at a booth. The same booth she sat in the first day she met her. It's the same booth they always sit in for the important conversations they have. Hailey thinks of it as her 'talking to' booth. She'd been expecting this. It's a little surprising it took this long.

"Well?" Trudy asks the moment she sits across from her.

"Well, what?" Playing dumb doesn't work the way she hoped because Trudy just continues to stare at her, her gaze hard…unflinching…unimpressed.

"It's just an off day." Rubbing at her temple, she lets out a heavy sigh. "I'll be better tomorrow."

"Off day? You've been having an off day for a week now. I haven't said anything because I know you like to handle things your own way, but I'm starting to get worried. When you aren't standing, moping around, you're mixing up orders, and don't think I haven't noticed that a certain someone and his mini-me haven't been in all week. What's going on?" For as much as Trudy knows and finds out about people in this town, whatever happened with her and the Halstead boys must be big because aside from hearing about the road rage incident, there hasn't been any talk about what else happened.

"I um, guess you're right. I haven't been myself these last couple of days. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it all." She spends the next several minutes explaining what happened after getting back from Levi's soccer game and about the fear she had felt when Jay thought it could be Booth.

"I wasn't scared for me. I know I should be but I was so afraid that Levi was going to get hurt because of me. That's why Jay asked me to stay away. He thinks I'm a danger to his kid."

"I gotta be honest with you here, Hailey, cause I could tell you that you aren't a danger to any of us but you and I both know that isn't true. We all knew what we were getting ourselves into when we agreed to help you." She doesn't mean to be harsh, but she wants Hailey to understand that they were all aware of the risks. "Have you spoken to Jay at all since then?"

Hailey picks at her nail for a moment, replaying the past week in her head. She'd seen him three times. Each time, she had caught a glimpse of him first and ducked down a side street before he could see her. She hasn't allowed them to talk.

"No. I'm not sure there's anything else that needs to be said. He's just doing what he needs to do in order to keep his son safe." As much as it hurts, she can't fault him for that.

"You keep avoiding him and this might become permanent. I know Jay, and I know that in that moment, he probably meant what he said but he's had a couple of days to think about it. He's probably realized he overreacted. Or he will very soon." When Trudy rises, Hailey does as well. "Now I could be wrong, but again…I've known him a long time and he wouldn't have made the decision to allow you into his life, his son's life if he didn't want you there. Just talk to him, okay?" With a pat on the shoulder, Trudy dismisses Hailey.

The coffee shop isn't usually busy this time of day so she heads there, hoping that hanging out with Vanessa will keep her mind off things. The door to the shop chimes as it closes behind her, alerting Vanessa that she's here. She only gets two steps in before she sees him. Levi and Vanessa both turn at the same time to look at her.

She's sure they can hear the pained breath she sucks in at the sight of him. Unlike his father, Hailey hasn't seen Levi since that night. The ache in her chest that's been there since she hugged him goodbye flares up, like a barely healed scab that's broken open again.

She wants to talk to him, tell him she's sorry for everything that's happening. She wants to just sit next to him and let the joy and brightness he exudes fill her up but she can't.

The hurt she sees in his eyes nearly sends her to her knees and then she really is gripping the wall for support. He turned his back on her…pretended like she wasn't there. He's been dealing with this all week, like her, but she was the one doing the staying away. Being on the receiving end was awful. She barely makes it inside the apartment before she starts to cry. That's all she seems to do these days.


"Sheriff? There's someone here to see you." Jay acknowledges the officer with a curious nod before making his way to his office. He doesn't get too many formal meetings, considering he knows everyone here. They usually just stop him on the street or grab a seat next to him at the diner. The diner…Nope…not thinking about the diner.

When he gets back to his office, he sees that it's another officer waiting for him. Not from his unit, but he recognizes him still. It's the responding officer from last week that helped with Hailey and Levi. Altman…Atler…Atwater…

"Officer Atwater, what can I do for you?" Jay shakes his hand then slides into his chair.

"Well, Sheriff, I've got a couple of things to run by you if you have the time." Shifting in his seat, Officer Kevin Atwater holds his gaze, happy when Jay nods for him to continue. "After I left the scene last week, I kept thinking that something didn't feel right. I couldn't pinpoint what, but something was just…off. You know?"

Was it hot in here? Jay can feel sweat beading on his back. This isn't a 'get to know you' meeting. He knows…

"So I get back to the District and start typing up my report…"

"Officer Atwater, I think I know where you're going with this…" Jay basically gets shushed by the officer when he holds his hand up.

"Nah…I think you're gonna wanna hear me out." Kevin pulls the toothpick from his mouth, leaning towards the desk to make sure he has the Sheriff's full attention.

"So like I was saying, I was typing up my report and I happen to look up, and suddenly that nagging feeling made sense." He takes a piece of paper from the file on his lap, sliding it to Jay, not surprised at all that the Sheriff doesn't even blink at what's on it. "Now…my first thought was that maybe you just didn't know, but then this is like…the third one we got so far and I knew you knew. So I started to wonder why you would put your career at risk for a murderer…"

"She's not a murderer!" Jay's palms sting as he stands, slamming them on his desk.

"I know." Kevin waits for him to sit back down. "Remember I told you that you'd want to hear what I had to say?" There are a few more papers in the file that he hands to Jay now, letting him look through. "I uh, figured pretty quickly that there had to be more to this so I did a little digging into the report that night. Turns out the person she supposedly murdered or has information on the murder, isn't even dead."

That gets Jay's attention. Were there two people out there looking for her? When the first report came in, he just tossed it, worried that by looking further into it, it would draw attention, but according to this file, Casey Booth wasn't dead.

"He's in a long-term assisted living center. Apparently, the dude had a major head injury, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. He's learning how to do the basics all over again, probably won't ever be back to his old self."

"If he's not dead then how did this report get filed?"

"Right? Guy's dad got friends in higher places. He had one of them falsify the report and then file it. There aren't any murder charges against her. The detectives do want to talk to her, get her statement from that night, but she's not in any trouble. Some neighbors spoke with the cops about what they heard and they all said that a woman was screaming stop and then they heard a lot more shouting and what sounded like someone getting the shit kicked out of them. Last thing they said they heard was the dad, Ronald Booth, crying, saying he was sorry over and over again." Kevin sits back, letting Jay read over the remaining papers. It's a lot to take in.

"I appreciate you coming to me with this and…I want you to know that I'm not that kind of cop. The kind that breaks the rules just because I can. When I got that paper and confronted her…"

"I get it. You were just trying to protect her. She still here?" Kevin watches the way Jay shifts in his seat. He's still not 100% convinced that he isn't here for the girl. "I'm only asking cause when I looked into her, I got a call asking why I was interested in Casey Booth. Guy's dad is a lunatic. He's obsessed with her. You might want to keep an eye on her." Kevin sighs, rubbing his hand on his chin. "Like you said, digging into this would draw his attention." Kevin unlocks his phone, turning it so Jay could see. "He showed up at the precinct last night."

Jay stares into the coldest blue eyes he's ever seen, burning the image into his head. If it comes down to it, he needs to be ready if this guy comes here.

"Can I keep this?" Jay shoves all the papers back into the file, quickly checking his watch. It's after 2, which means Hailey should be home. The urge to see her, to tell her about this is overwhelming. With a quick shake of his hand, Jay thanks Officer Atwater, telling him he'll be in touch, and then rushes out. He needs to talk to Hailey.


Less than twenty minutes later he's parking in the cafe lot, jogging across the street to the coffee shop. He tried to call Hailey on the way here, but he knew she wasn't going to answer.

"Hailey upstairs?" It's the first thing he says after bursting through the doors. As it's been all week, Levi doesn't acknowledge him. He's been getting the silent treatment, something that he hasn't been on the receiving end of since he was a kid.

"Woah, Jay. What's going on?" Something happened, Vanessa can tell by the slightly frantic look in Jay's eyes.

"Is she upstairs, Vanessa? I just need to talk to her." When Vanessa nods, Jay starts for the steps, then turns back again. "Can I use your key? I'm not her favorite person right now."

Vanessa hesitates. She trusts Jay, that isn't the issue, it's just that Hailey is so fragile right now. She seems to be getting through things on sheer determination at this point. She's worried about her.

"It's…" He starts to tell her the reason but remembers Levi is sitting right there and stops. "Please, it's important. You know I wouldn't ask otherwise." He whispers out a thank you, holding her hand tightly for a moment before he darts up the stairs to Hailey.

He doesn't even bother knocking. She hadn't answered his calls on the drive over and he didn't expect her to open the door for him.

"Hailey?" There's no response. "I know you're here. Vanessa said…"

"Oh my God, Jay. I didn't talk to him okay?" Hailey emerges from her bedroom. She can't believe he would come and make sure.

Jay doesn't speak for a minute. He's too busy taking her in. She's just as beautiful as ever but she looks tired. The dark circles under her eyes weigh on him because they're probably his fault.

"Did you hear me? I didn't, okay? If that's why you're here…" She's cut off when Jay steps towards her, arm extending, handing her the manila folder.

"You need to see this."

Over the next several minutes, after Hailey collapses onto the couch, Jay carefully answers the questions she has as best he can. He tells her that the officer who was first on scene last week was the one who brought it to her.

"I thought he was here for you. Thought about grabbing you and Levi and just…I don't know…running, but he gave me this file and told me to keep an eye on you." Not that he ever stopped. He's been in contact with Trudy and Vanessa all week.

"You don't have to do that, Jay. I know you said that wouldn't change but I won't hold you to it." Everything is swirling around inside her head right now. He isn't dead. Casey was alive. The sense of relief she felt after reading the file surprised her. She doesn't care what happens to him but in the back of her mind, she always wondered if his death was partly on her hands. He's alive though…none of it matters.

"I meant it, Hailey." He reaches out to her, palm up, just like he did that day on the beach when he told her they would figure it all out. "I still do." He lets out a breath of relief when she links her fingers with his.

"So what do we do now?" She knows things haven't changed, he'll still expect her to keep her distance from Levi, but maybe he has an idea of how to handle this situation.

"I'm uh…I'm not telling you this to scare you. Honestly, I'm not but you need to know so you are prepared. Booth is close. Officer Atwater said he came into the station last night, asking all kinds of questions. His district is only half an hour from here." Jay can feel her hand start to shake just before she pulls free and paces to the kitchen but he won't keep this from her. Not if telling her will make her even more aware of her surroundings.

"I'll go…before he gets here. Before he has the chance to find me. I can…"

He doesn't let her finish, just stops her with a gentle hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. A tremble passes through her body and just like the very first time he held her, they both sort of just lean into the other. He probably shouldn't be touching her like this, not after asking her to stay away from Levi but it's too late. He can feel her hands pressed against his back holding him just as tight and he can't let her go, doesn't even want to.

"It's gonna be okay, Hailey." He presses a kiss to the top of her head. "I promise."


It's finally cooling off for the night, which is a blessing. He's been sitting in this car for almost four hours now, waiting for that cop to come back. He almost had him, kept up with his cruiser for a good fifteen minutes before the lying piece of shit cop lost him. He wasn't made though, just got stuck behind a big rig and by the time he finally got around him, the cop car was long gone.

It's okay though. Four hours sitting in a car was nothing. If there was one thing that Ronnie Booth was good at, it was being patient. Sooner or later, Officer Kevin Atwater was going to slip up. And he'd be there when he did.

"Can you feel me, little dove?" Ronnie stares at the picture of Hailey that's taped to his dash. "I'll be seeing you real soon." He's going to make her pay for every single day she's been gone.