"Alright, Hailey, Jay, you go canvas the neighborhood. See if you can get anything useful from the neighbors. Let's go!" Voight says in his strong, gruffy voice.
Hailey nods at Voight as she grabs her jacket off of the back of her chair, turning towards the stairwell and falling into step with her partner, Jay.
As they start to descend the steps, Sgt. Platt appears. "Detective Goldilocks, just who I was looking for. This just arrived for you. Feds are sending packages…"
Hailey quickly grabs the package and looks down at the ground as she mumbles a thanks to Trudy for making the trip upstairs to hand deliver the package. She avoids Jay's eyes as they walk down the stairs and out to his truck.
The ride in the truck is silent, and not the comfortable silence that Jay and Hailey normally have together. Hailey is deep in thought, wondering exactly what the Feds sent; though she had an idea based on the last conversation she had before leaving the FBI Office in New York.
"Hailey, it's been a great experience having you here these last few weeks. To be honest, I wasn't sure what we'd get when we requested a loan-out officer from the Chicago PD, but I was pleasantly surprised with your street smarts, how quickly you think on your feet, and how well you fit in with my team. If you're ever looking for a new opportunity, or you get sick of the deep dish, we'd be lucky to have you on our team."
"Thank you ma'am I appreciate that. It's been an interesting experience for me as well, and I enjoyed working with OA. Thank you for the opportunity to learn from you and your team for the past few weeks."
"You're very welcome, Detective Upton. Safe travels home, and think about what I said."
"Will do. Thank you again."
They arrive at their destination, and Hailey is in her own world, gazing out the window.
"Hailey, you good?" Jay asks.
"Yeah...yeah, sorry. Let's go."
They spend the next two hours talking to everyone in the neighborhood who is actually willing to speak to them instead of muttering profanities and closing the door in their faces.
The ride back to the district is equally as silent, but this time it's Jay who is deep in thought. Ever since Sgt. Platt handed Hailey that package, he hasn't been able to stop thinking about what it is in it - what could the Feds possibly want from Hailey? Is he going to lose another partner to them before finding the courage to tell her that she's way more than a partner to him? That she's his whole world, and he wouldn't survive it if she left him? That he loves her more than he ever thought it was possible to love another person?
Walking back into the district, Sgt. Platt eyes them up and calls Hailey over. "Upton - a word, please?"
"Sure, Trudy. Jay, I'll meet you upstairs."
Jay looks from Hailey to Trudy and back to Hailey again, before nodding and heading upstairs.
"Sgt.? What's up?"
"Let's go chat where there aren't nosey ears listening to our every word, huh?"
Trudy walks around her desk and leads Hailey across the room to the empty office.
"Everything okay, Trudy?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course. Listen, I wasn't born yesterday, and I know very well what's in that package. Sure, I don't know exactly what they're offering you, but I'm sure it's a pretty sweet offer, even if Halstead says you don't like nice suits."
"Okay, well, I haven't opened the package yet, so I really have no more information than you do at this point."
"I get that," Trudy says, "but, Hailey, listen to me when I say this. I know when you and Ruzek were a thing, I told you, you were threading a very fine needle. If you wanted to make it work, someone would need to be willing to make a sacrifice, including leaving Intelligence. I respect you for realizing it wasn't going to work, and breaking it off before anyone got hurt. But, Hailey, I need to say something. And, if you tell anyone I'm this caring and invested, I will deny it for as long as I live, but, you and Halstead? You're different. You're not like any two partners I've ever seen before. You brought him back from a darkness we all thought we'd lose him to. You support each other. You understand each other in ways that no one else ever will. What you have is special and if you leave him, it will break him. He will never be the same, personally or professionally. I'm not telling you this to change your mind about whatever offer is waiting for you upstairs, but I think it's important someone tells you these facts. Damnit, I care about you both way more than I should, but all of you upstairs are like my kids, and someone had to say it."
"Thank you, Trudy. I really appreciate all of this. You've supported me, and I've looked up to you since I was a little girl. I definitely have a lot to think about, regardless of what's in that package."
"You're welcome. I'm proud of you, kiddo. I know you'll do great things and make us proud no matter what you decide. But, I also know you and Halstead could do even greater things together."
Hailey blushed at that last comment, giving Trudy a nod and small smile before heading upstairs.
When she walked into the bullpen, Jay glanced up at her, immediately sensing her presence. He raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking what that was all about. Hailey quickly shook her head back at him, letting him know that now was neither the time nor the place to talk about it.
Before he could say anything else, Voight walked out of his office, with a short, "alright, tell me what we've found."
Jay started, "Well, we knocked on every door within a two block radius. Most wanted nothing to do with us, but we did find one witness who saw our Jane Doe head into an abandoned apartment on O Block. Hailey and I walked by and didn't see any activity. The front is boarded up and so are most of the windows. We found another witness across the street who was willing to give us some info after I slipped him a Benjamin. He said she's a regular in the area, and that building is a known drug den."
"Alright, so we know our Jane Doe frequents the building and it's a known hotspot for drugs. We got any idea what they're pushing there?" Voight asks.
"Yeah, boss, I got a CI who says they're dealing designer product there. Party drugs; premium pricing; and mostly to wealthy kids looking to make bad decisions," Adam adds.
"Alright, let's run with that. Call your CIs. Hit the clubs in the area. Someone's got to know who she is and who she rolls with," Voight orders.
"On it, boss" is heard throughout the bullpen.
It's closing in on 10 pm, and all they've got is a first name, a college football player who's "hung out with her a couple of times", and one pissed off Voight.
"We got nowhere today!" Voight practically yells. Go home, and come back tomorrow ready to solve this thing!
Hailey turns to Jay, "You up for a drink?" she asks.
"Sure thing, Molly's?" he replies.
"Nah, I was thinking of trying a new place a couple blocks away from my house. Follow me there?" she asks.
"Sure thing," Jay replies.
It's not like her to pass up on Molly's. She usually only asks to go somewhere away from the team after a tough case, when she wants to do their thing. His thoughts go back to the morning, and the package. Thankfully it's a quick drive, because his anxiety is getting the best of him by the time he pulls into the parking lot.
Somehow, she beat him there. He walks into the dimly lit room and easily spots her wavy blonde ponytail at a small table against the window. She already has two large pours of whiskey in front of her, which does very little to ease the pit in his stomach.
"Hey…" she nervously greets.
"Thanks for the drink. What's the occasion?" he asks.
She looks down at the table before replying, "Well, umm...I wanted to talk to you. About...about what was in the package that Platt handed me this morning."
His face immediately falls. He knows where this is heading, and it's nowhere good. He takes a large drink of his whiskey and braces himself for what's about to come.
"Okay, Hails. I didn't know whether you'd opened it yet. What'd the FBI offer you?"
"Joint level task force. Leading my own team out of the NYC field office," she replies.
"Wow...that's uh...that's pretty amazing. You deserve it, Hails. You deserve everything good. You must've made one hell of an impression while you were there," he tells her.
"Thanks, Jay, I appreciate that."
"So, what are you thinking?" he asks.
"I...I don't really know. It's an amazing opportunity. They hinted at keeping me while I was there, but I never could have imagined this," she replies, honestly.
"It's definitely an amazing opportunity. You're the best partner I've ever had, and they can obviously see how well you'd do there," he tells her, before taking a large swig and finishing off his drink.
"Listen, Hails, I'm pretty beat. I think I'm gonna call it a night. Pick you up in the morning?" he asks.
"You know, you could just tell me you don't want me to take it," she challenges.
He eyes her carefully and takes a moment before responding. "Hailey...I...I can't tell you that. You're amazing, and I could never hold you back if this is what you wanted. Yeah, we have our thing, and I would definitely miss it, but I can't ask you to stay just because you're the best partner I've ever had" he tells her, honestly.
Although he looked her in the eye while telling her this, as soon as he's done speaking, he can't bear to continue their eye contact. He has to walk away or he will say something he can't take back, and he's not sure either of them are ready, or would ever be ready, for that.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Hails. Goodnight," and with that, he walks out of the bar.
It takes all of her strength to not scream at him. To not break down and ask him why?! Why can't he just be honest with her? She knows their connection and their feelings run way deeper than either of them has ever admitted out loud. She's certain of this, she's just not sure what to do with it. If he's not willing to tell her how he feels now, when there's an opportunity halfway across the country for her, would he ever be ready to admit it?
She throws some money down on the table and heads home - more disappointed in both Jay and herself than she's ever been.
Hailey barely sleeps that night, tossing and turning while her mind runs through all of the "what ifs" that it can possibly think of. When he texts her in the morning letting her know that he's leaving his apartment, she replies and lets him know that she's already on her way out the door. She wants to get in early to finish up some paperwork.
When she walks into the district, Platt immediately knows something is up. The bags under her eyes, her messy hair, and her refusal to look at anyone are a dead giveaway.
Platt wonders what in the world could have happened between their conversation yesterday and now.
When she sees Jay walk in fifteen minutes later, looking equally as exhausted and lost, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
"JAY! A word, please?" she all but demands.
"Uhh, yeah sure," is his reply.
She points across the way to the empty office that she was in with Hailey less than 24 hours ago.
Jay meets her there and waits for whatever it is she wants to discuss.
"Chuckles, what's wrong with you?" she asks.
"I'm not sure what you're asking, exactly" he replies.
"You know exactly what I'm asking, Jay. Goldilocks walked in her 15 minutes before you looking like someone hurt her puppy, and she doesn't even have a puppy! Did you two talk last night, because I know you're not stupid enough to ignore the fact that the Feds are clearly courting her!" she yells at him.
A bit shocked, he replies, "yeah, we uhh, we talked last night."
"AND?" she asks.
"And...obviously the Feds see what we see every day. An amazingly smart and capable Detective who they would be lucky to have on their team. Joint level task force, Trudy! An opportunity of a lifetime!" he tells her.
"Yeah, Jay. An opportunity of a lifetime. You know what's missing from that particular lifetime?" she asks.
"Deep dish?" he asks.
"No, stupid. YOU! You're what's missing from that particular lifetime. Look, I get that you've had a rough go of it. You served our country, came back here, got your head on semi-straight only to have it torn back off by Erin. But do you know who got it back on straight? Who made you do the work to become the person you are today? She asks.
"Yes. I'm quite aware of who threatened me to do therapy and get myself together or else she would find a new partner."
"Good! I'm glad. But Jay, it's so much more than that! You two are the best partners I've ever seen. Look at how much you've grown in the last few years. I know you're tough and all but I also know how much you've opened up to her and how much you've healed as a result."
Jay isn't sure how to respond to that, so he lets her continue.
"Jay, I know you've still got some work to do, and you haven't got it all figured out quite yet...but I also know that you can't let her go. You two have something that I have never seen before, and I've seen quite a lot in my years. I'm also not blind...maybe you're not ready to admit it, but you are in love with that girl! So, do something. Don't stay quiet and let her leave. You will regret it for the rest of your life."
It's a lot to take in, and he knows he'll need at least the rest of the day to unpack everything she's said. He also knows she's right about most, if not all of it.
When he gets upstairs, he finds Hailey at her desk, typing up a report he knows she's been procrastinating on for at least a week. He shoots her a shy smile before sitting down at his desk.
"Hey, I wasn't sure if you grabbed coffee on your way in. I stopped at the place by my apartment. Here you go."
"Thanks, Jay," she quickly replies, before going back to her report.
That's not at all like her, he thinks. This is going to be a long day.
They've made some progress on their case, but not enough to pull an all-nighter. Jay's packing up his things when he looks up and notices that Hailey's on her way down the stairs already, without so much as a "goodnight".
He quickly follows her down the stairs, but he's already lost sight of her by the time he gets to the front door of the District. Sighing, he heads to his truck, throws in his stuff, and starts it up. He starts for his apartment, but changes his mind when Hailey's face and silence creeps into his mind. He quickly changes course and heads for her place instead.
Walking up to her door, he stops himself. What exactly is he doing here, and what is he planning to say? He's not entirely certain, but with Trudy's words in his mind, he knocks on the door. When there's no response, he knocks a little harder. A few minutes go by with on response, and he's now all out banging on the door.
Hailey suddenly throws open the door. "Jay? What are you doing here? Sorry, I hopped in the shower as soon as I got home."
"Hailey...can I come in...please?"
"Yeah, of course," she opens the door and steps aside to let him in.
"Do you want a drink?" she asks.
"No, I'm good...thanks," he tells her.
"Okay, what are you doing here, Jay?"
"Hailey…what are you doing about this job offer?" he asks.
"I am still thinking about it, Jay, there's a lot to consider."
"Like what, Hails?"
"Like...Chicago is my home. Intelligence is my family. FBI isn't something I ever aspired to. I just...I'm still trying to work it out and decide if I want to move halfway across the country for an opportunity I'm sure I'll never get again." she tells him.
"Is that all you're considering?" he asks.
"I'm not sure what you're asking, Jay."
"What about me and you, Hails? Our partnership? Our thing!"
"Jay, I asked you yesterday to tell me if you didn't want me to take it. It seemed pretty clear that it wasn't something you wanted to tell me."
"You're right," he says, "telling you to not take an amazing opportunity is not what I want to tell you. But, I also want to tell you, I'm not prepared to lose you. I don't want to let you leave me, without ever knowing what this is."
"What what is, Jay?" she quietly asks.
Jay takes a deep breath, gathering the courage he knows he needs to have before losing his opportunity of a lifetime. He walks across the kitchen, walking Hailey against her counter. He puts an arm on either side of her, and notices that her eyes have gone a bit wide and her breathing is a bit faster than normal.
Looking her in the eyes, he tells her, "this, Hailey. This. Me and you. You're my partner. And my best friend. You've pushed me to become the man I am today, and I know, I know with everything that I am, that you're my future. You're...you're my everything, and I don't want you to go to New York. I don't want you to go anywhere that takes you away from me. Because what me and you have, it doesn't come around every day. It's also once in a lifetime. And I can't let you go without knowing that's how I feel."
Hailey takes a deep breath in before responding. "I know, Jay. Believe me, I know. That's what I wanted to tell you a year ago, when you were shot. I realized...I realized that I was in love with you. But, it didn't feel like the right time, and so much has happened since then, and I pushed it down and didn't allow myself to think that you might feel the same way."
"Hailey, I have loved you for a long time, and if you let me, I will love you every day for the rest of my life. You are my other half. You are my forever."
"I love you too, Jay", she barely gets out before he finally, finally presses his lips to hers. It's both the most amazing feeling, and the most normal feeling in the world. They've finally admitted how they feel, and they're both finally ready to take that next step, together. New York doesn't matter. What matters is the feeling of Jay's lips and his body as they meld against hers, and the feeling within her that this is exactly where she's meant to be. A job is a job. Jay? He's her home. He's her once in a lifetime.