Hello and welcome to yet another multi-chapter fic I've started, despite the fact that I haven't finished my other two yet. I like to have options, mmkay? This is an AU fic that, for the most part, will follow along with the story lines set in the show, just tweaked a little to add one small detail….

This first chapter is set in episode 5x18 and sets up this fic for future chapters. Most of this chapter is basically a recap of that episode but there are details added in to set my stage. It is definitely the longest chapter I've written for any of my fics so get some snacks!

The day started like any other, the team got word from Antonio's CI that there was a large shipment of liquid meth changing hands today and Antonio was able to arrange his undercover ego to be there. They had scrambled into their vehicles, ready to surround the area and bring this guy down. Hailey found herself grateful once again for what an amazing partner Jay was, as she sipped the coffee he had brought her, the only thing keeping her warm on this cold and rainy Chicago day. Everything seemed to be going to plan, until of course, it wasn't. The sound of gunshots echoed through the abandoned lot, causing the team to jump into action. Jay rounded the truck around the corner, coming to a stop beside Kevin and Adam as they knelt over one body. Hailey immediately jumped out and began searching the area, drawing their attention to blood scattered across the floor and following it's trail. Hailey entered the building, calling out "Chicago PD!" when she noticed the body. She made her way over, Jay close on her heels and knelt before the injured man. She could hear Jay behind her, calling for medical but his words blurred as recognition settled into her.

"Kelly?" The man recognized her too. Of course he did, they had only spent over a year together on her undercover gig. "You're a cop?" She tried to give him a small smile but it faltered.

"Yea." She quickly pieced two and two together and, realizing he didn't have much time, pushed him for answers. "Are you working with Booth?"

He wasn't able to answer her, instead spitting up blood before his body slumped over in front of her. Jay's voice behind her made Hailey stand, eyes still locked on the man before her.

"Kelly?" He asked, having overheard what he called her. "How do you know this guy?" She couldn't bring herself to answer him as memories flooded through her. Hailey followed her team back outside, thankful for the cold air to help clear her head. Voight was making his way over to them and she knew she wouldn't get out of an explanation with him. She listened as Jay filled him in on what had happened, sighing when Voight turned to face her.

"You knew one of the victims?"

"Yea, Scott Jansen. Part of a distribution crew run by Ronald Booth." Hailey fought back a shiver at the mention of Booth, pushing the horrible memories out of her mind as she continued. "I was undercover with him three years ago, busted him for distro." Her words came out clipped, trying to leave any emotion from entering her voice. She noticed the look Jay was giving her, one filled with concern, but she chose to brush it off. When Hailey revealed that she kept tabs on Booth and that she knew he had been released from prison, she caught another look from Jay. She knew he wouldn't push her for answers, not now in front of Voight, but she knew the questions would come at some point. At least she could be prepared. Hailey walked away from them then, effectively ending their conversation.

Back at the precinct, they huddled over Adams desk, reviewing the traffic camera's. Voight asked her if she recognized anyone else but she told them it must be a new crew. He gave them a break down of what to do next and headed to his office. Hailey hated the idea she was beginning to form in her head, not yet ready to voice it.

A while later, she found herself in the surveillance van with Jay and Kim, snapping pictures of the man she hated most in this world. It was taking everything in her to retain her composure and keep it cool, she wasn't ready for Jay to know her story just yet. They noted a security camera above the door, but Hailey knew Booth was to smart for that. He was calculated and didn't take risks that could get him caught. As they headed back to the station, Hailey knew what had to be done. She pulled out her phone to send a text, typing out a long message and explaining that she couldn't call just yet. The response she received threatened to bring tears to her eyes, a detail that didn't go unnoticed by Jay, but he returned his focus back on the road and they made their way to the precinct. Once inside, she bolted up to the bull pen, immediately filling Voight in on her plan. Jay never left her side as Voight walked down the hallway, reviewing her old case file. She could tell he didn't like the idea, but he remained silent. Hailey herself hated the idea but she couldn't pass up the chance to finish this monster once and for all, after all, it wasn't just her life that had been affected. Her own self pep talk was interrupted by Voight mentioning Garrett and she faltered for a minute, her walls threatening to crumble. Another detail that did not go unnoticed by Jay.

"What about him?" She feigned ignorance.

"Says here you were under as his girlfriend." That was the understatement of the year, but she couldn't let Voight see her true hand so she played it down.

"Correct." She curtly replied, adding a small nod. "He got killed during that operation." Hailey added, swallowing hard at the words. She blocked out the flash backs quickly before they could tear all her walls down.

"There's a note in here that says Garrett might have flipped and moved to Mexico?" For a brief second, Hailey hated Jay for his words. He didn't know Garrett. Didn't know the whole story. Garrett never would have flipped, never would have left her, certainly never would have left their son. She steeled herself, walls going up impossibly higher and turning her attention to Voight before she responded.

"He was good police. Booth murdered him." Her voice broke ever so slightly as she repeated the words. Hailey decided it would be best to turn the focus off of Garrett and back on Booth. She pitched her idea, straight shooting the facts once again to Voight who thankfully agreed. Just when she thought she was in the clear though, he spoke again.

"I want you going undercover to bust Booth for his drugs, not avenge this Garrett's death, understand?" His eyes drilled into her, causing her to falter slightly.

"Understood." She replied bluntly.

A few hours later, Hailey was walking around a run down apartment, strewing Kelly's belongings about in an attempt to settle in and make this look real. Out of the box of belongings she pulled out a piece of paper that was crumpled up. Unfolding it, she swallowed back tears when she saw her smiling face next to Garrett's. She remembered this picture, had her own copy in a box tucked away in a closet at home. She remembered the night they snapped this picture, it was moments after she had told him she was pregnant. Garrett had been so excited at the thought of having a child together that Hailey had wanted to capture the warm look in his eyes. She remembered the fight that had after that, Garrett wanted to pull her from the operation, knowing it would be too dangerous for her with a man like Booth. But Hailey had stood her ground and remained under. If only she had listened to him, maybe he would still be alive. She was pulled from her thoughts as Jay's voice filled the room, she had forgotten he was here with her. He made a joke about her dirty water and that she should only get take out and Hailey was thankful for the distraction. She made her way to the fridge, securing the picture with a magnet as a reminder of why she was here.

"Is that Garrett? You guys look like a real couple." Hailey smiled as she replied, not much got past Jay.

"All for show, you know the drill." Something in her voice told him not to push the subject further. Instead, he decided to brief her on how this was going to start with Booth. They talked it out, agreeing it would be best to approach during the funeral in hopes to not cause a scene. Jay remained with her well into the evening, even ordering them pizza and cracking another joke about her questionable water source. Hailey continued to move around the apartment, setting it up with as much detail as possible to make it convincing should Booth end up here. She shuttered at the thought but knew there was a good possibility of it happening.

As happy as she was to have Jay's company, there was something she needed to do that she couldn't until he left. Someone she needed to talk to that he didn't know about. Hailey had kept her three year old son, Lucas, a secret from everyone in her unit, with the exception of Voight. And honestly, she wouldn't have even told him but on the chance something ever happened to her, she wanted to know that someone would watch over him in her absence and explain things to him when he was older. Voight, as much as they butted heads, was the perfect man for that job. Plus, as her Sargent, she figured he had a right to know. No one else in her unit knew though, in fact, only a handful of people did period. She had seen first hand how family's of law enforcement could become targets should things go bad and she didn't want that for her son. While Voight knew she was a mother, he didn't know any of the specifics. He certainly didn't know that her son's father was Garrett and avenging his death was exactly what Hailey had planned for this operation. If he had known, he would have never allowed it.

Eventually, Jay left her alone in the apartment. Hailey wanted nothing more than to go home and hold her son in her arms, rocking him before bedtime. But she knew he was in safe hands with Stephanie, her neighbor that had a son around Lucas's age. She had been a godsend for Hailey, the two women instantly clicking and becoming good friends. Stephanie had told Hailey that she could take Lucas whenever she needed to be away for work and the arrangement had worked out wonderfully so far. As much as Hailey hated to be away from her son, she knew he was safe and having fun with his caregiver. She settled for calling him, hoping he wasn't already in bed. Stephanie's cheerful voice happily called for Lucas on the other end of the phone and Hailey blinked away tears when his small voice met her ears. They talked for a while, Lucas told her all about the day he had with Stephanie and her son Ian. Finally, it was time for bed and they ended the call. Hailey made her way to the bathroom, cleaning herself up as best she could before climbing into the bed that was incredibly uncomfortable compared to her warm and cozy bed at home.

Hailey's appearance at the funeral had done the trick and sparked Booth's interest in her again. He had come to her apartment and they talked enough that Hailey felt she had got her in. Hailey cringed when Booth brought up Garrett, he was toying with her and she knew it. She played it cool and brushed him off as just a guy who had left her without so much as a good bye. Memories flashed through her of the night she was attacked when Booth grabbed her arm, placing a silent threat not to cross him.

Hailey spent the next few days getting closer to Booth, laying the path to pitch Jay as a potential buyer. It was tough but eventually she got Booth to agree to a meeting, not without Jay forcing his hand a little. It had been almost a week that she had been under, a week that she hadn't talked to Jay face to face, a week that she hadn't really seen her son. She knew that Jay had burning questions to ask her, things he would demand to know when he got the chance, things he probably had every right to know. Hailey wasn't sure she was ready to answer those questions. But when Jay called her that night, telling her it was an emergency, she flew to the precinct as fast as she could. She met him down in the tech room, already not liking the look in his eyes as he opened a folder on the desk. Hailey shuddered as pictures of her face, beaten beyond recognition, laid out before her. Her lip quivered as she quickly went from shock, to hurt, and finally anger. She stormed away from him, struggling to control her emotions. Jay followed behind her, of course he did, Jay wasn't one to back down. Hailey decided to give him the cliff notes version, telling him the run down of the night Booth had attacked her, almost raped her and Garrett had saved her. Jay let her off the hook, for the time being, and agreed to let her continue against his better judgement.

The next day, Hailey was able to get a camera into Booth's office, resulting in a confrontation that shook her to the core, though she wouldn't let Booth know it. Jay saved her then, his fast thinking to call her phone drew Booth's attention away from her long enough to not finish through with his threat. Booth agreed to a meeting and Hailey gave Jay the rundown. It went south when Booth panicked after hauling Jay away from Hailey. Voight called off the operation and Hailey was reeling. She was so close to finally getting Booth, to avenging Garrett and maybe bringing some peace to herself and her son. She simply couldn't not act and went against direct orders to not continue. Luckily, Jay knew her well enough to know something was up when she didn't show to the apartment and she wasn't answering his calls. He saved her ass once again when he showed up at Booth's building and got the deal back on track. Hailey knew as soon as they left Booth that she was going to have to face Jay now, have to clue him in on the rest of the story. Or at least more than he already knew. Not surprisingly, he followed her back to her undercover apartment, already yelling before they even made it inside.

"What the hell was that?" He asked, storming into the apartment as she shut the door behind them. Her temper flaring to meet his.

"That was getting a deal back on track! Getting a murderer sent back to prison! She argued back, emotions boiling.

"Voight told you to shut this down!" Jay countered, anger growing.

"I'm doing my job, Voight shouldn't have a problem with that." Even as Hailey said it, she knew it wasn't true. Voight was going to be pissed when he found out about this, that much was for sure.

Jay's next statement, one questioning whether he could trust her as a partner, sent her over the edge. He accused her of being way to emotional and he wasn't wrong. She couldn't deny to herself that she was in this too deep, that her personal ties to Booth were clouding her judgement. He accused her of not thinking straight and she tried to counter his argument.

"This isn't about me!" She yelled, all hopes of keeping her secret to herself going out the window.

"Then what is it?" Jay exasperated, trying to make sense of this situation. His words were met with silence as Hailey's eyes bore into him. He could see the emotion behind them and he wondered if he had pushed to far. He had known Hailey for almost a year, they had been partners for most of that time, yet he felt as if he knew nothing about her. She didn't let people in, pushed them away when they tried. She was friendly with everyone in the unit, had earned everyone's trust and respect, including his, yet she kept herself distanced from them, her walls never coming down. He watched as she focused on controlling her breaths.

Hailey struggled to keep her emotions in check. She debated if now was the right time to tell him. Would it make him agree with her, help her to avenge her sons father? Or would it only spur him to have Voight shut this down faster, knowing she was in way too deep with this. She weighed her options as Jay loomed in front of her, neither saying a word as they waited for her to say something.

"This isn't about me Jay." She repeated her earlier statement, but this time it was a whisper. Her head dropped, eyes glued to the floor. She wasn't sure she could do this, she wasn't sure she should do this. Hailey had kept Lucas a secret for a long time and for many reasons and she didn't know if she was ready to let that out. But as she looked at Jay, his eyes dripping with care and concern, even though he had every right to be livid with her, she felt a certain comfort in deciding to tell him. He was a safe place she realized. Her safe place.

"Sit." She motioned towards the couch and Jay didn't hesitate to follow her command. She made her way over to the box of Kelly's belongings, pulling out the picture Jay had packed away for her. Hailey walked back towards the couch, holding her breath as she sat on the opposite end from Jay. She set the picture between them, watched as some realization flickered across Jay's face.

"It wasn't all for show." It wasn't a question, he had put two and two together the first time he saw the picture, but had chose not to push her at that point.

"No." She whispered. "Garrett and I…" Hailey trailed off, voice trembling.

"You loved him." Jay said it so softly, so free of the judgement she feared that it brought tears to her eyes.

"Yea." She gave him a sad smile, tears running down her face.

"And Booth murdered him. So you want revenge." Jay stated the partial truth he had figured out.

"Yes, but.." Hailey swallowed hard. Admitting she loved Garrett was one thing. Telling Jay they had a son together was a whole other deal. "That's not all. I'm a big girl Jay, I can handle heartbreak. I can handle the fact that Garrett is gone from my life, from my future..but…" Hailey's voice was thick with the emotion she was holding back.

"But?" Jay gently pushed after giving her a moment to get control.

"But, there's someone who can't. Someone who doesn't understand and probably never will." Jay watched her intently as she pulled out her phone, unlocking it and scrolling through her camera roll. Whatever she was looking at brought a genuine smile to her tear streaked face and Jay was eager to see what it was. She turned her phone to face him and he was met with a picture of Hailey, a huge smile splayed across her face. In her lap was a little boy, his arms wrapped tightly around her neck, pressing a sloppy kiss into her cheek. His curly hair, her shade of dirty blonde, hung around his face framing blue eyes that were an exact replica of Hailey's. "This is Lucas. My son. Our son." Hailey's words were so quiet, Jay almost missed what she had said. He wasn't sure how to respond as he processed this new information. So many things made sense now. Not just about this case and Hailey's reaction to it, but just Hailey in general. She was only trying to protect her son and suddenly it was all clear to him.

Hailey sat, watching Jay's face as he took in what she had said. She didn't know what to expect from him. She would be lying if she said there wasn't a huge weight off her shoulders. Finally, someone knew her secret. And Jay being that someone brought her a feeling of comfort she hadn't expected. They sat in silence, both of them reveling this new milestone between them.

"I get it…I guess." Jay spoke first. "I would do the same thing."

"I know this isn't a smart idea Jay, but now that you know my reasoning, will you please let me do this. I have to go through with this." Hailey pleaded with him. She would need Jay's help if she was going to pull this off and she would need him to back her up when they were finished if she didn't want to be completely destroyed by Voight when he found out.

"Yea Hails, I got your back." Jay gave her a reassuring look and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Thank you Jay."