When she got the news that her FBI team was headed to Chicago she was happy to go by and see Voight, and if she was being honest she wanted to see Jay too. It was going to be a huge surprise to everyone. Erin had often wondered how the team was after she left. Had Adam and Kevin made detective yet? Did Kim ever get into Intelligence? She knew Kim had turned it down after she got shot, but had Kim changed her mind. As Erin's flight landed she picked up her rental car and headed to the 21st. It was only about 8:30pm Chicago time but she knew Voight would still be there. This would be a good time to catch up with him about the team and how he had been. Erin really wanted to see Jay, she was just worried about how he would react. She knew she'd hurt him when she left, she was just hoping that while she was in Chicago the two of them could try to work fixing their relationship, even if it was just friendship.
As Erin arrived at the district she parked her car and saw Jay walk out with a blonde. If she wasn't mistaken she was pretty sure it was the detective from robbery homicide that they worked with right before she left. She sat in her car and just watched them, he seemed happy, happier than she'd ever seen him. That just gave her hope that maybe her talking to him would still go smoothly. Little did Erin know that after she looked away Jay had opened up the passenger side of his truck to help Hailey get in, and when he did he snuck a kiss before getting into the driver's seat and driving them to his place for the night.
Erin walked in and made a beeline for the front desk. Thankfully Platt wasn't on duty anymore so her being there would be kept a secret for a while longer. As she walked up the steps she saw Voight sitting at his desk. She walked up to his door and leaned against the door frame. "Well hey there stranger." Erin greeted the only father figured she'd ever had with a smile.
'Well look what the cat dragged in! Come here kid!" Hank stood and met her half way for a hug. "What are you doing here Erin?" Hank sat down and turned to grab two glasses and his bourbon to pour them both a drink.
"Well my team has some work to do here, and I came a few days early to catch up and to see everyone." She let the last part hang off and waited to gauge Voights reaction. "I missed you guys." Hank just looked at her and decided to ask the question that had been on his mind since he saw her in his door.
"Are you planning on telling Jay you're here or do I need to keep it a secret?" Honestly he was hoping Erin would just leave Jay be. Did he love Erin? Of Course he did, she was the daughter he never had, but Jay had become like a son to him and he knew Jay was finally in a good place. He was brought out of his thoughts by Erin's answer.
"Yeah. I was planning on going by his place when I was done talking to you. I was going to see if we could try to fix things. There's a spot open at the field office here. I thought that maybe if I stayed that him and I could fix things, even if it's just as friends." She heard him sigh, and she noticed he was pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Erin I don't think that that's a good idea. I love you I really do but I also have to come to think of Jay as a son, and Erin he's happy, I mean truly happy. They don't know that I know but Jay and Hailey are seeing each other. He was headed down a really dark path after you left, she helped him more than even Will did. Don't come back here and derail him. I won't allow it Erin." He was using his sergeant voice, so she knew that he meant what he was saying.
"So what?! I can't even try to apologize to him after everything that happened? That's not fair!" She thought that at least he would be on her side.
"No that's not what I'm saying Erin. What I'm saying is that you can come in here and try to make amends but don't expect him to welcome you back with open arms. It won't happen that way. He was always so focused on you and helping you that he didn't think about himself. That's not the case anymore." Erin just sat there thinking about what to do next. She still thought going over there and talking to him would be the best option. But at least she had been mentally prepared.
"Alright, I get what you're saying but I still want to talk to him before I see anyone else." She was stubborn but she still couldn't imagine Jay reacting the way Hank implied he would. "I'm gonna head out and go talk to him before it gets too late. I'll talk to you soon." She got up and gave him a hug and left the 21st.
Back at Jay's place him and Hailey had just finished up a pizza and were lounging on the couch watching netflix. They were watching a movie that Jay really had no interest in watching. So his mischievous side kicked in, he leaned over and started to kiss Hailey's cheek and neck trying to distract her from the movie.
"Jaayy. Stop! You're making it very difficult to concentrate." Hailey was trying to not get lost in the feeling of his lips on her neck. She also noticed his wondering hand, as it was running up and down her thigh. It didn't take long for Hailey to become completely uninterested in the movie. Jay had pulled her over to where she was now straddling his lap. She had just taken off his shirt when they heard a knock on the door. Jay groaned as Hailey laughed and rolled off of him. Jay stood and headed for the door when he heard Hailey call out to him.
"Jay! You might want to put on a shirt." She laughed as she threw his shirt to him. He opened the door as he finished putting on his shirt and stopped in his tracks.
"Erin what are you doing here?" Jay was completely shocked to see her turn up on his doorstep. He heard Hailey come up behind him.
"Jay who is it?" She stopped short when she saw who it was. Erin looked between the two of them, noticing that as soon as Hailey came to stand beside Jay he immediately relaxed. She finally looked at Jay and asked, " Hey Jay. I was uh.. Well I was uh wondering if we could talk?" She looked at Hailey, not really wanting her around for this, "Alone. Please." She saw Hailey visibly tensed at that. Hailey didn't want to leave, because she knew Jay would want, no need to talk to her after all this was over. But she was willing to give them the living room just in case. " Uh, yeah I'll just be.." Jay cut her off and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his side. "No Hails. You're not going anywhere." He then turned and looked Erin dead in the eye when he said the next words. "I will give you the benefit of the doubt and hear what you have to say, but I want to make one thing clear. Nothing you say will change the way I feel about you." Hailey knew that the last part was also directed at her. He was letting her know that even tho Erin was here it wouldn't change how he felt about her.
When Erin looked at Jay she saw a hardness she'd never seen before, but as soon as he leaned over and kissed the top of Hailey's head she also saw a tenderness that was something different all together. She finally asked if she could come in. When Jay let Erin in Hailey excused herself to go get them all some water. While Hailey was gone Jay sat on the couch and Erin in the chair on the other side of the coffee table.
"Well it didn't take you long." She had a bid of resentment in her voice when she said it.
"Oh come off it Erin! It's been 3 years! And you left me I might add. You don't get to come in here and be mad that I'm happy and have moved on." Jay already had a good idea of how this night was going to go. Just then Hailey came into the room with three bottles of water. Once Hailey sat down Jay grabbed ahold of Hailey's hand and nodded for Erin to start talking.
"Look that's not quite how I meant it. It's just we were partners for 4 years and you look more comfortable around her than you ever did with me. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to apologize for the way I left thing's between us. I realize I didn't handle it the best." Jay just scoffed about that. That was the understatement of the year. Erin just continued. " I know I hurt you Jay, but I needed a clean break from Chicago in order to get my priorities straight. I've done that now, and I've even gotten a promotion at work." She paused to see if he reacted in any way. Finally he said, "You being a good cop was never part of the question. The whole reason you had to leave was because you took it too far too many times," ERin took a deep breath and just decided to tell him why she was really in Chicago.
"Look Jay I'm not here to fish for compliments. My team is here to do some work at the FBI field office here, and I wanted to see everyone but I didn't want to not tell you first. I came early to see if we could try to fix things between us." Hailey immediately tensed, Jay felt this and gave her hand a squeeze. "I was offered a job at the field office here and I want to take it, but only if you and I can go back to how we were, even if it's just as friends." She paused, "at first." she finished, and then she saw a side of Jay she only ever saw when he was interrogating a suspect. Jay had suddenly lost his temper at that last part. He stood up and started pacing behind the couch. Then he finally stopped and looked at Erin.
"How dare you?! You don't have even the slightest idea what I went through when you left! Erin I was going to purpose you!" It was Erin's turned to gasp. She looked to see if Hailey reacted, but she didn't meaning Jay had already told her. Jay continued, " I spiraled after you left! I was involved in a shootout where I accidentally shot and killed a 10 year old girl! Do you know how hard that was for me? And then Voight paired me with Hailey and I thought he was trying to hurt me, but honestly it was the best thing that's ever happened to me. When you and I were together, I was always trying to fix your shit! I never focused on me or my problems because of you! I was having issues with my PTSD that were so bad it was affecting my job and putting the team at risk. Do you know what it took for me to seek help with it?!" She nodded her head no. " It took Hailey threatening me, that if I didn't get help then she would get a new partner! Even back then I knew that she was the best partner I'd ever have." Jay paused to let his words soak in with Erin. " You would have never done that. Hailey helped me through my own issues even while she was dealing with her own stuff, like a good partner should. Even when I was the biggest asshole to her after my dad died, and used her as my verbal punching bag, all she did was call me out on my shit and put me back in my place. When we have a particularly hard case we talk it out so we don't bottle it up. That's something I could never get you to do! And I know it's small but oh my god Erin, Hailey let's me drive!" They all chuckled at that.
"And even better," Hailey spoke up, " He lets me drive his truck." She added that part in, just to piss off Erin. And shocked Erin was. Jay never let anyone drive his truck! She finally decided to say something.
" So what are you getting at Jay? I already know she walks on water to you, but what does that have to do with us?!" Jay just sighed
"What I'm saying Erin is that there won't be any fixing us. If you want to take the job here then fine. You want to reconnect with the team and hangout then fine, but I will only ever be civil with you. Nothing more. I have made so much progress with myself and my mental health that I won't jeopardize that. Hailey has spent 3 years fixing what you broke, and I won't throw away all the hard work that she's done, just because you realized that you fucked up." He looked over to Hailey to see that she had tears in her eyes at his words. Jay decided to continue with the words he hadn't even said to Hailey yet. " I love her and respect her way too much to allow you back into my life like that. I'm sorry but that's just how it is now." When he looked at Hailey again she had the biggest smile on her face, and tears running down her cheeks.
"Well then I guess there's nothing left for us to talk about. I'll leave you two be and show myself out." With that Erin got up and left the two of them on the couch.
"I'm so sorry Hailey. That was totally not the way I wanted to tell you I love you for the first time. I just started letting it all out and out it came." Jay was a little worried that she'd be mad at him.
"That's ok Jay, cause I love you to. And I'm glad that you got the closure that you needed with her." She leaned over and kissed him. They spend the rest of the night telling each other how much they loved each other while also showing the other how much they did. After a long night they both finally fell into a blissful sleep in each other's arms.