[A/N: Well guys, we made it through Season 6, and while it didn't go as Upstead-well as a lot of us hoped- it was pretty EPIC! I think they're setup romantically for Season 7 quite nicely, provided the writers don't kibosh it again =p Anywho, without further ado, this chapter is for "Vanchi" who requested every major Upstead moment from the finale, and here it is- 6x22 Hailey & Jay time. Thanks so much for following along this story's journey with me, I am humbled and appreciative. You fellow Upstead peeps are AWESOME, never change! Can't wait to bring you more for next season, & hopefully some Summer stories along the way too. Thanks again and enjoy!]
Hailey had such an adrenaline rush after pulling off a fake heist on a bunch of drug dealers. She was still feeding off the high and grateful that she could take a minute to joke around with Jay. There certainly haven't been a lot of lighthearted moments between them, any of them, in a while. It was a nice reprieve for once.
"That was a $500,000 rip… that we, can't tell anyone about…" she says as she smiles at him. He chuckles with her slightly.
"And if this whole thing doesn't work we're gonna go back to writing traffic tickets."
"Would your sergeant at Organized Crime take you back?"
"Ha no, he holds grudges, he was so pissed when I left… Besides, I'm going where you go!"
That certainly stops her in her movements for a second. Did he really just say that to her so nonchalantly? She's a little taken aback, that's a pretty monumental comment for Jay Halstead to make. She knows she's meant a lot to him over the past couple years as a partner, friend… and maybe even a little something more when she's in the right state of mind to acknowledge it; but never has he uttered it aloud. Maybe she's over thinking it, but it reminds her of when she told him she'd follow him blind, and she's well aware of the double-meaning it had coming from her mouth. Interesting…
"Yea?" she tries to say to him casually, a hint of shocked awe coming out.
"Yea, it's hard to find a good partner." He responds carefully.
She smirks, recognizing the well-calculated response all too well. "That sounds good to me!.. but we both know Kelton won't let any of us stay together…"
They glance at each other sadly while she says it. The moment is over before it even started though because it's then they hear the rest of their crew barreling in.
"Hell of a load, Sarge." They hear Kevin say as they turn away from each other.
Hailey swears she saw disappointment come across Jay's face once he realized they were interrupted, officially ending this conversation for now. She doesn't have a whole lot of time to analyze it though because once they unload the product, she and Jay are supposed to meet Kim to listen in on Wilson's wire. It's probably just as well, they really don't have a lot of time to dwell on personal things at the moment. It seems it's never the right time these days. Maybe next year things will settle down for all of them.
Jay and Hailey are staked out in the surveillance van, all of them hopeful they're finally gonna get their man, and destroy Kelton's reputation along with it. Jay's glad Voight paired them in the van today, if things somehow don't work out and Kelton rips the team apart, he intends to soak up every work (& non-work) moment with Hailey that he can get. He meant it when he told her he was going where she was going if allowed. He doesn't care if they get shipped to the border of Missouri surrounded by farmland and their only police action is finding a cow-tipper. He has no intent to lose Hailey, professionally or personally, and he knows he has to fess up to it soon before it's too late. As cliché as it is, he recognizes that time is flying and he needs to make it valuable before it runs out completely.
They hear Kim and Adam announce that they're holding down their positions, so Jay responds as well. "Copy. Solid eye on the front."
Jay senses Hailey glance at him and can tell she's going to say something. "About before Jay, if we really don't get to be partners anymore, I…"
She gets cut off as they start hearing a machine gun going off really close to where their van is. They're just about to get up, Hailey grabbing her gun as they hear Voight yell, "Move, Go!" Before they can get any further though, the machine gun starts firing at them, the bullets easily piercing through the van.
Jay reacts instantly and jumps on top of Hailey, grabbing her down with him to the floor. Somewhere in the distance he can recognize his own voice telling her to "Get down," but it sounds so far away because his thoughts right now are literally only about Hailey's safety and protecting her any way he can.
He remembers the hanging Kevlar vests and as he does his best to shield Hailey with his arms, he reaches up quickly to grab one without letting her go, and swiftly wrapping it around her. Once he's sure the majority of her back is covered, he wraps her head tight into his, praying he's blocking all of her vital parts in some form. He doesn't care what happens to him, as long as she's okay. He feels the van shake as the bullets continue to pierce through, and the noise is so loud it almost brings him back to his army days. Back then there was no one as valuable as Hailey to him to protect however. Finally, thankfully, as quickly as it started, the shooting ended. He leans back a little to look into Hailey's face. As shaken up as she looks, it seems like she's alright otherwise fortunately.
"You okay?" he quietly asks while still holding onto her.
"Yea, you?" she says, visibly shook as she stares back into his eyes.
"Yea…" he leans his forehead onto hers and pulls her in tighter if only just to relish in the moment that they both survived. Reflecting on it later, it will probably mean more than just that to both of them, but for now this is enough. Voight's voice breaks them through their momentary haze.
"Jay, Hailey, you good!?"
"We're good, we're good!" he yells back to his boss as he eases his hold on Hailey slightly, not ready to let her go fully just yet. He hears Voight tell them not to exit until it's all clear and figures that gives them some time for their nerves to settle. His heart is beating out of his chest solely for the thought that he could have lost her, here, right now, thanks to some asshole banger. Thanks to Kelton, whose threatening him losing her figuratively even more. Jay's jaw clenches in anger and Hailey notices the change in his mood instantly. She frees her arm from his embrace to grab his hand comfortingly.
"Hey, it's ok. We're ok… I'm ok!... thanks to you, Jay! I don't know what I'd do without you…" she says softly but quickly continues, "…always protecting me!"
He grips her hand harder as she says it and stares into her eyes seeing the emotion behind them. "Let's just hope it never comes to that!" It's the only response he manages to get in as Voight rips open the door just then to check on his detectives. They both haven't seen him looked so relieved in a long time. Jay begrudgingly pulls away from Hailey to help them both sit up. Kevin and Kim come running over to check on them as well and Jay does his best to put all his emotions aside. He turns to give Hailey one last glance and small smile before he exits the van to assist Antonio and Adam.
Hailey is sitting on top of her desk while some of them depressingly listen to the campaign news. It's been a hell of a day already and she's nervous to see what can possibly happen next. She's already gone through so many emotions and the sun hasn't even set yet. The one ray of light today had been Jay nonetheless, like it usually is. She still can't believe how he tried to save her without even a thought to his own safety. She expects nothing less from Jay Halstead, but the thought of potentially losing him again (especially if it was while protecting her) still sends shivers down her spine. If it wasn't for his quick thinking and reaction, they'd both probably be dead, and she's eternally grateful it didn't come to that. Speak of the devil, she sees him walking up the steps towards them and right past, looking visibly stunned and not even glancing her way. She can only imagine what's happened now as she hops down and follows him to the break room.
She finds him leaning over the sink clearly upset and her heart breaks a little seeing him like that. "Hey. What's going on?" she says, cutting right to the point.
"I have NO idea… Voight just left and he said something about … about me running the unit…" his voice drips with emotion as he responds. "We lost…" he looks completely deflated as he says that last part and her heart breaks even more.
"If Kelton is who he is, his time for a reckoning is coming."
Jay scoffs, "Not in time for this unit… for us…"
There's only been a few instances he's looked at her this vulnerably while saying something, usually after a really bad case, or the time she confessed to him about Adam. She can't help but feel his 'for us' is the most loaded comment he's ever made to her. It's in his eyes that he means more than partners, but she's too self conscious, and there's soo much going on right now, so she does the one thing she does best, she tries to deflect…
"We've only been partners a couple years, you'll forget about me just fine…" she hears herself say out loud, while her heart screams please don't, and she's sure her eyes are revealing just that.
"Hailey…" she watches him choke out her name and shake his head, and realizes she was wrong before, this is now the most loaded thing he's ever said to her and she thinks she's going to break. He looks like he's about to say something more, but hesitates. She knows though, she can see it in his eyes. Maybe she's always known. She's just run from it like a bat out of hell and she still doesn't know how to stop. He deserves more than she can give him right now. He deserves more than her. So she tries to deflect again. She kicks lightly into his foot, leaning in like a friend would when they're trying to playfully calm someone.
"We'll be alright…" she manages to stifle out, revealing that she's neither reassured herself, no matter how strong she's attempting to look. The sadness in both of their eyes is evident and it's the first time they're unsure of where things go from here for them. Jay swallows, looking like he wants to say something again, but even if he worked up the nerve; they're interrupted again before he can. They hear Platt talking and instantly know something else is up and make their way to the bullpen. Little did they know it was all about to become even worse…
It's a little after dawn when Jay is finally about to make his way to his bedroom to catch some semblance of sleep. It was a day from complete hell and once they all left the precinct they decided to part ways and just sulk in it on their own. And by 'they,' just Hailey, Kim, Kevin, and himself… With Ruzek in jail, Antonio's cryptic departure once Adam got arrested, and Voight off God knows where, they were literally all who was left. Even Hailey and him decided to just go their separate ways once word came out that Kelton had in fact been elected after all they did in spite of it. Then the call came over the radio a little after 10… Kelton was dead and their whole world changed yet again. They all had their suspicions, but no one dared utter them. It wasn't until 5:30 in the morning that Jay finally left the crime scene. The few of Intelligence left all went their separate ways again in hopes of some shut eye.
When Jay finally got back home, he chugged two beers instantly. He hadn't had much time to reflect at all that in this one day alone he almost lost Hailey, almost died himself, had a scary heart-to-heart with Voight that just brought him more turmoil, watched his coworker and friend go to jail, nearly vomited at the thought of that smug asshole becoming mayor, nearly vomited again after seeing his lifeless body- leaving more answers in its wake, and almost told Hailey how he really felt about her. He guesses now that he has time to think about it, he kind of did, even if not vocally. If jumping on top of her during a hail of bullets wasn't enough of a giveaway, he could tell she knew in the break room. He just couldn't get the words out though. Now he can't help but wonder if she would have reacted differently if he could. What he wanted to do was grab her and tell her that even in a million lifetimes he could never forget her. That she is and always was more than just a partner to him despite his best efforts to fight it. That she's his best friend and that he can't picture his life without her. That he's so hopelessly in love with her he doesn't even know how to speak anymore. That's what he should have done, but it was neither the time nor the place. He knows she must have got it though, she always gets him. It's then he hears a soft knock on his door and while a normal person would wonder who it could be at this hour, after this day, he knows it's going to be her before he even looks.
He pulls his front door back and takes a moment to just stare at her, so sad and beautiful. She gives him one of her cheerless frowns.
"I just didn't want to be alone…" is all she says, so simply and nonchalantly.
"Come in." he tells her as he nods back, he gets it. He always has. They get each other. He's never had that with anyone else in his life and it delights and scares the life out of him. He closes the door softly behind him and watches her back as she makes her way to his couch. Both have no idea where things will go from here, but it doesn't take a detective to figure out their relationship already has and will change drastically with the upcoming months. They'll just have to be patient and wait and see…
To Be Continued... Season 7, baby
