Bonus Scene

Eleven Years Ago

Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck.

They were already at theG's for fuck's sake.

She had minutes, fucking minutes until they called his name and God and Allah and the whole fucking universe as her witness she was not going to miss it.

Even if that meant she was going to be covered in bruises by the time she got there.

And as she rushed out of the cab and then fell back into it, twisting her ankle on the heels she still wasn't used to wearing, she knew that was a very likely outcome. She had to wave off Tahir's comment of concern, and his offer of help, giving the cabby one last flustered smile before she hurried to join the ceremony.

Jay was graduating from the police academy today and Tess was pretty sure she was more nervous than he was. Of course a large part of that was her fear that she wouldn't make it in time- she'd only gotten off the plane thirty minutes ago. She hadn't even gone to Langley for their post-op debrief but her superiors were just going to have to suck it because she wasn't going to miss watching him walk across that stage.

Not for the world.

And it may not have come too close to that, but it hadn't been easy to get here either.

But that didn't matter. None of it did because she was here, she was finally fucking here and she had to stop running before she tripped again, or called too much attention to herself. She paused to suck down a couple somewhat calming breaths before she slipped into the amphitheatre, coming to a sudden halt when she looked to her left and got caught in a familiar green gaze. Not quite the same stormy, forest eyes of her boyfriend, but similar.

Those of his father, Pat Halstead.

She was surprised to see him given how unsupportive he'd been of his son's desire to join the police force, apparently even more unsupportive than he'd been of Jay joining the military which she'd been told was saying something. Actually the last time Tess had seen the man had been just a few months ago when she'd reamed him out for that lack of support, after one too many of his mumbled not entirely/at all under his breath comments had pushed her over the edge. And as he held back a wince she knew he was remembering that moment too, and probably wondering if there was about to be a rematch. Part of her was tempted, thanks to Jay and Mouse and Carol she hadn't been able to say anywhere near everything she'd wanted to but she also knew that now wasn't the time. Plus… he was here.

He'd come.

He didn't come with her when she tilted her head towards the audience, but did she really expect him to?

She knew how rocky his and Jay's relationship was, his presence here was practically a miracle and it was going to have to be enough because she wasn't about to risk missing Jay's moment just because his father didn't know how to apologize. So with as understanding of a look as she could give him she started hurrying down the aisles, waiting for the next round of applause to slip into the row Mouse had indicated in his text. He and Lydia greeted her with bright smiles as she squeezed into the empty seat between them, her aunt giving her a tight side-hug while Mouse just knocked his fist against hers, a smirk growing on his lips as he looked her over.

"What?" She whispered, straining to try and spot Jay on the stage. They'd started on the H's- his name was bound to be called any moment.

"You look good in white. But I think you'd look even better if your dress wasn't on backwards."

Fucking hell.

Her next curse wasn't quite so quiet and she had to shoot an apologetic smile at the elderly women sitting in front of them, elbowing Mouse in the side when he kept snickering. "Shut up. You try getting changed in an airplane bathroom."

"You look wonderful regardless." Lydia said softly, also shooting Mouse a disapproving but still amused look. "And you can swing it around after the ceremony, it's not like-"

"Jay Halstead!"

With a loud cheer the trio surged to their feet, Tess and Lydia clapping wildly while Mouse let out a couple ear piercing whistles. They weren't that close to the stage but Jay didn't seem to have any trouble spotting them in the crowd, his already proud smile turning absolutely stunning when he saw her. She hadn't told him she was coming, she hadn't wanted to jinx it, but seeing the joy on his face made all the effort worth it.

"You made it!"

She didn't have time to respond before Jay was sweeping her off her feet, spinning them in not one, not two, not even three but four circles before he finally set her back on her feet, giving her such a quick but hard kiss that her cheeks turned bright pink.

"I can't believe you made it." He whispered again and even though she was already pressed tight against his chest Tess pushed in even closer, ignoring the strain in her neck as she tilted her head back to look at him.

"Wild dragons couldn't have kept me away."

He snorted, a sound that was echoed by Mouse who was standing right next to them and after one more squeeze Jay let her step back, accepting a big hug and kiss from Lydia before he finally turned to his friend.

Best friend.

Brother really.

Maybe not in the traditional sense but they'd spilled enough blood together that coming from different wombs didn't matter, especially when neither of them were all that close to the siblings they did have. Greg had four sisters, two older and two younger, all married or about to be and all living back in Michigan where they were originally from and Will… Well he had sent Jay a graduation present, a card and apparently a pretty nice bottle of whiskey, but he also hadn't made the trip down and considering he was only a few hours away in New York Tess was pretty sure she was going to have some choices words for him too the next time they saw each other.

What was it with the Halstead men and their intimacy issues?

She was glad to see they didn't apply to Mouse, at least not beyond the normal male awkwardness. After a long, heartfelt look the two men went in for an even longer hug, complete with the obligatory shoulder squeezes followed by the mandatory shoulder slaps when they finally pulled apart; as much as Tess made fun of them, and as much as they made fun of each other, there were few people who had a bond as strong as they did. Whatever happened, she knew the two would always be there for each other, even if their paths did seem to be diverging, at least when it came to their careers. But she didn't have time to dwell on Mouse's lack of direction, or his desire to find one, because someone else had arrived to give their congratulations.

"Jay!"

They all turned to see a young boy booking it through the crowd and though all of them smiled at the sight no ones was as bright as Jay's, who immediately knelt to envelope the boy in a tight hug.

"Hey buddy! Thanks for coming."

"You're a cop now! A real, live cop! Do you have your gun already? Can I see it?"

"Benjamin Corson you aren't getting within fifty feet of a gun, do you hear me?"

"But-"

"Hey, listen to your mom." Jay said as he stood, though he shot Ben a wink before he accepted another giant hug from Gail, and then another of those manly hugs from her husband Danny while Tess, Mouse and Lydia all stepped back to give them room.

She hadn't been expecting to see the Corson family here, it had been years since Jay dated their daughter Ali in high school but he didn't seem surprised to see them, though he did look extremely uncomfortable with all the attention.

"I told you, you didn't have to come. It's really not-"

"It is too a big deal!" Gail cut him off with a firm slap to his arm that had her, Lydia and Mouse all holding back smirks. "You should be so proud of yourself."

"Yes he should." Lydia said brightly, reaching out to shake their hands. "I'm Lydia, Tess's aunt. We're going out to lunch in a little bit to celebrate- would you like to join us?"

"Can we mom? Pleeease!"

Everyone chuckled at Ben's eagerness but his father shook his head, clearly not wanting to intrude. "Not tonight. We'll see Jay the next time he comes by the house."

"But don't forget you had something you wanted to give him." Gail added, sending the boy's face from crestfallen back to excited as he quickly pulled a folded-up piece of paper from his pocket.

"I made you a card!"

"You did?" Jay knelt back down so he could look it over, her and Mouse peering over his shoulder to do the same.

It was pretty clear that the big blue stick-figure was meant to be Jay, and that all the others on the ground were meant to be the criminals he'd bested, just like it was clear how much the drawing meant to him.

"This is awesome Ben. I'm going to put it on my fridge as soon as I get home."

"Really? You think it's that good?"

"Pfft, this dude wishes he could draw like you."

Ben blushed at Mouse's comment, the rest of them smothering smiles at the deadpan look Jay gave him before quickly turning his attention back to the boy. "I love it. Thanks for making it for me."

Ben grinned and gave Jay another hug, the way his little arms wrapped around his neck making Tess's heart give its own tight squeeze. She wasn't anywhere near ready to have a baby, neither of them were but maybe one day, when he was more settled in the force and she was ready to leave the agency, maybe then they could think about it.

It was clear he was going to be an incredible father, despite not having the best example.

That reminded her that there was someone else who ought to be here but when she scanned the crowd she couldn't spot Pat anywhere, not that she really expected to. Still she kept looking, all through the parking lot until they reached Lydia's car and Jay tugged her into him while she & Mouse hopped in the front seats, tucking some hair behind her ear as he wrapped his other arm around her.

"I don't need him here."

Of course he knew what she was looking for.

Who.

How could he read her so well and not the man who'd raised him?

Tess wanted to tell him that he had been, that his father was just too damn stubborn to show himself but the memory of the look in his eyes when he'd first spotted her stopped her. Not just pride, but shame too. Pat knew he should be here, should be giving more support to his son, he just didn't know how. And forcing him to do something he wasn't ready for, forcing both of them to have a conversation they didn't know how to… It wasn't her place.

But that didn't mean there wasn't anything she could say.

"Just because you don't see someone doesn't mean they aren't there."

"I'll always know you're here. That's enough."

That wasn't what she'd meant but Jay gave her such a sweet smile that it was going to have to do. For now.