A/N: And here's where things get interesting, as I'll be writing the past that Garrett and Hailey had from "Ghosts" (you know, where they were under with Booth's crew), all from my own mind. So I'll be making it up as I go along...just replace Garrett with Jay, as Hailey is going under as Jay's girlfriend, in this case. Get it? Hope so! Oh, and if you recognize some of the dialogue, I took some from Hailey's monologue from 6x06 – the one where she gets that suspect to open up by using her abusive home environment. Anyhow, hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks so much for all the nice feedback :) Can't wait to see what happens for Jay on Wednesday!
"You ready for this?" Jay asked Hailey. They had been unpacking their UC apartment when Garrett's intel came through. Booth wanted to do the introduction tonight, midnight, at Humboldt Park.
"Yeah, just let me grab my jacket. I don't care what people say about it being the Windy City...it's December, and it's freezing now! So, Chicago should be called the Winter City, if you really think about it."
Jay chuckled. "Okay." He hadn't ever thought about it, but it was funny hearing her ramble. Entertaining, if you will.
Once she had slipped on her leather jacket, she saw that Jay was looking at her. "What?"
He pointed up and down his frame, before pointing to hers. She looked down, and smiled. They were essentially wearing the same thing: blue jeans, white t-shirts, and black jackets.
"Nice," she quipped, zipping up her jacket. She grabbed her ear piece, as did Jay. Their phones were loaded with recorders, so as soon as they were with Booth, they'd switch on.
Jay followed suit as she left the apartment to head to the meeting place. After months of not being under, Jay felt a little rusty. He could sense that Hailey was the exact opposite: cool, calm, and collected. He even let her drive his truck, as he was too wired to do so. Besides, he reasoned, he wanted to go over their cover stories one more time.
"And where'd we meet?"
"Out at CCU. Senior year. You were dealing out of your dorm room; I was the quintessential goody two shoes who didn't get into much until I met you. We parted ways, but ran back into each other a year ago after running in the same crowds."
She paused, lifting her brows slightly, as if to ask: 'that's right, right?'
Jay gave her a thumbs up. "And what's our business model look like?"
"You finally graduated from selling those dime bags to moving major weight. You're now considered the go to guy in the West Loop. We only book serious deals, no BS, no runaround. Plus, you and I make it look oh so effortless," she added that last part with a little bit of sarcasm.
When she looked at Jay, she rolled her eyes to get the point across. He chuckled at that. Hm, he thought. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
"Oh," she started to say as she made another turn. "Even though you're the big bad dope dealer; Garrett's still Booth's second in command. So, if we do run into trouble, he should be able to help us out of it."
"Garrett Reynolds," Jay repeated the name slowly. It felt unfamiliar on his tongue. "How well do you know him?"
"Not too long. He's worked in Robbery-Homicide for...5 or 6 years I think. I'm just coming up on my fourth. Decent guy, definitely not afraid to bend the rules. Although he has been known to bend them until they break at times..." she cautioned.
Jay smirked. Hailey looked at him quizzically as she parked the truck.
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that...he and Voight would probably get along just fine."
"So, Voight's really as crazy as they say?"
Jay just shrugged. "Sometimes."
Hailey chuckled, turning off the truck. "We set?" She asked.
Jay began to utter a semblance of "Yes..." like she should know better; but Hailey pointed to her earpiece.
Jay was glad the night sky hid his sheepish face. Nice going, Halstead.
He finally heard the same chatter Hailey was getting, from both Voight and Anderson.
"He should be there in 2 minutes. Garrett's riding shotgun and will probably emerge from the vehicle first."
"Copy," Jay and Hailey said simultaneously. They caught each other's eye, a small smile crossed their mouths.
Ready or not, they were doing this. They just hoped they made a good first impression.
Good thing Booth and Reynolds arrived on schedule, as Jay didn't want to think anymore. He just wanted to play the part and get the case closed.
He nodded at Hailey, who looked to where his eyes were. They saw a man get out of the car.
"That's Garrett," Hailey said.
The brown-haired man was followed suit by a gray haired one, though both were sporting facial hair. Garrett had a full beard, whereas Booth had a god-awful mustache.
"Alright, let's move." Jay instructed, climbing out of the truck first.
They calmly walked towards the two men, who were leaning casually against their vehicle.
"You Ryan and Kelly?" Booth asked.
"Yeah man, these are the people I was telling you about..." Garrett started in, but Booth held up his hand to shut him up.
"I wasn't talking to you, Reynolds." Booth's tenor jolted Hailey a little bit. She flitted her eyes to Jay, who seemed a bit off put by the man's need to command the conversation.
"Yes, I'm Ryan," Jay began, desperate to end the tension that had begun to brew. "And this is my girl, Kelly." He tilted his head in Hailey's direction, and she smiled politely.
"So, you're really the best pusher out of the West Loop?" Booth asked, not even trying to hide the surprise in his voice.
Jay didn't falter on his feet though, for which Hailey was grateful, as the more time she spent near Booth, the creepier the vibe got. "Sure am. Hooked up the whole area. Hell, I even landed this one that way," he said, slipping his arm around Hailey's waist.
She was thankful there were limited lights illuminating the place in the park, as her expression would've been one of slight surprise, as she wasn't expecting Jay to do that. Pull it together, Hailey! Play your part, she reminded herself.
"Yep, I'm hooked," she joked, earning a slight chuckle from all 3 men.
"So, gents, why don't we talk business?" Jay asked, looking between Ron and Garrett.
Booth nodded, and Garrett followed him towards a picnic bench in the center of the field they were once on the edge of.
"So, how much can you move?" Booth asked as he sat down.
"Depends on how much you need. The most I've done is 40; lowest has been 5 keys. What kinda product are you interested in?"
"Pure powder. Finest cut there is." Booth announced proudly, like it had always been his life's dream to be a drug dealer.
Jay purses his lips, appearing to be in thought. "Alright, how much weight?"
"I need 30,"
"By when?"
"Friday."
"Consider it done."
Booth opened his mouth to say something, but closed it for a second. He smirked. "It can't be that easy..."
Jay raised his hands up. "Hey man, I'm a straight shooter. That's why I am #1 in the West, alright? I don't do BS."
"Uh huh. So, then why's she here?" Booth asked, referring to Hailey.
"I could ask you the same thing," Jay countered, eyeing Garrett.
Hailey looked to Garrett for a split second. He almost looked mad at Jay's comment. But she couldn't tell if he was just acting, or if it was real.
She brushed it off, as she felt the heat of someone's stare on her. And it wasn't the blushing kind of heat; but the stiff, hot, uncomfortable kind.
She didn't have to look up to know where it was coming from. She kept looking down at the ground until she felt Jay grab her hand.
"Eh, well, you know how it is. She keeps me in line," he quipped. He smiled in her direction, and she played it up, beaming right back.
"Mhmm. Alright, well you've got two days to deliver the product to me. And Ryan?" Booth said as he got up.
Jay took a second to look at him. "Yeah?"
"I don't like surprises. You or your girl fuck this up, you won't live to regret it. We clear?"
"Crystal," Hailey said, shocking herself with a confident tone. She grimaced at Booth, it bordering on a twisted smirk of her own.
He seemed satisfied with her answer, motioning for Garrett to follow him back to their vehicle. Hailey made a move to get up when Jay grabbed her arm. She turned to look at him, but he just held up his finger. One minute.
Hailey slumped back onto the bench, trying to ignore their legs touching as they shifted.
Jay still wasn't looking at her. He was watching Booth and Garrett get into their car and take off.
"Okay," he whispered, finally turning to face her. "Now we can talk."
She nodded, wishing there was more light so she could actually see his face clearly. All she could do was make out the lines and planes.
"Okay, so talk."
She smirked as she thought she saw his brow quirk. Score 1: Hailey. Jay: 0.
"I think it went smoothly, all things considered. Now, all we have to do, is deliver our end of the bargain."
"Yeah," Hailey agreed, albeit hesitant.
Jay must have picked up on it, because he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Hailey said, shrugging him off. This felt too awkward, too intimate, too real.
"Hailey," he tried once more. "The only way this is gonna work is if you trust me."
"Trust you? I don't even know you!" She exclaimed, a little bit of shock jumping out of nowhere.
Instead of firing back though, Jay simply stood up. Hailey was confused until she could make out his hand he was offering her to take.
It was her turn to arch her eyebrow in his direction, as she was genuinely confused by his gesture. "Okayyyyy," she dragged out the last syllable. "And where are we going now?"
"To get some warm drinks. We've got a whole lot of trusting to do, Kelly" he joked. She rolled her eyes, which made him grin slightly.
"Yeah, okay, Ryan" she retorted. "But if anything, you're buying me a hot chocolate, because one: this was your idea, and two: I am not drinking coffee at..." she checked her phone. "12:45 in the morning."
Jay looked down at her. "Fair enough."
Hailey shook her head as they finally made it to his truck. She climbed in to the passenger seat, figuring he'd want his wheels back. This was going to be an interesting night.
"Okay, your turn." Jay said.
"This is stupid." Hailey replied.
"Hey, it was either this, or we just have to make shit up on the spot. I mean, our UC file only gives us so much. And from the way Booth was sounding, I'm not quite sure he trusts us 100% yet," he responded.
"I don't think he trusts anyone 100%," Hailey offered, looking from Jay back down to her cup of hot cocoa. He had, true to his word, driven by a Starbucks and gotten them drinks. He ordered Hailey's hot chocolate, and got himself a coffee.
"Hence why he may just randomly dig around for details," Jay said, taking another sip of his coffee.
Hailey sighed, but figured he may be right. And besides, what could it hurt? She should probably know more about the guy she was going to have be her boyfriend, right? Pretend boyfriend, she scolded herself.
"Okay fine. But can we please, for the sake of my sanity, make it ten questions instead of 20? You don't need to know everything about me all in one night, Halstead," She sassed.
"Touché, Upton." He motioned for her to go. It was her turn to ask him a question. They had each answered two already.
Favorite movie?
For Jay, that was easy. Braveheart. For Hailey, it was Mamma Mia!
Describe yourself in 3 words?
For Jay: tough, kind, goofy. For Hailey: caring, loyal, empathetic.
"Any siblings?" Hailey asked.
"Yeah," Jay began, pausing to take another drink. "I have an older brother named Will. He's actually a doctor at Chicago Med."
"Oh, cool." Hailey said. "Are you guys close?"
"Hey, it's my turn to ask you!" Jay teased, to which Hailey swatted his arm. He laughed. This was surprisingly easy, just sitting here and hanging out with her.
"I kid, I kid," he admitted. "And yeah, I mean, we're better now than we were a long time ago. When he left for New York City, I was so pissed at him. Because I was finishing my deployment, and came back to take care of my, our mom."
He stopped for a second, not really sure why he was admitting all of this right now. But one look up into her eyes was enough to persuade him to keep going.
"So, after she passed it was difficult. I was mad, he was mad; we didn't talk. Maybe about 5 years ago we slowly began to rebuild things. But a few years ago, he showed up in Chicago randomly, and I thought all hell was gonna break loose. And for a little bit, it did. But he got it under control, took his surgical position at Med, and here we are."
Hailey gave him a soft smile. "I'm glad you guys are better than what you were. And I'm sorry you lost your mom. That had to be really tough on you, and Will."
She put her hand on his shoulder, a tiny way of conveying that she was there. He looked at her, and he could see the sincerity in her eyes. Caring and empathetic were accurate descriptors, he thought to himself.
He coughed, solidly breaking up the minuscule moment. "How about you?"
"How about me, what?"
"Any siblings?"
She smiled. "Yep, I too have an older brother...er, well, two actually. They live on the West Coast though, but I still see them on holidays or special occasions. At least I try to. I'm closest with them and my mom anyhow, who lives in Springfield."
"And your dad?" Jay asked casually.
Hailey avoided his gaze, playing with the hem of her T-shirt. "Um, he's around. Just not around us. He was...he was a real son of a bitch when we were younger. He would start drinking early, even on the weekends, like before noon. And my brothers and I...we were just kids, you know? We wanted to have fun. But he'd get mad, and then he'd pick a fight with my mom."
"Hailey," Jay said softly. "You don't have to—"
"No, no, it's okay. I uh, I should really just get it all out. Clear the air."
He nodded, understanding where she was coming from. That's what he learned in therapy. Sometimes you had to lay everything out on the table to feel better, even if it hurt some or was uncomfortable at times.
"And sometimes he'd come after us. With, whatever he could get his hands on. Belt, extension cord...didn't matter. It all hurt just the same. But I took it. And it passed. And as we got older, he simmered down. It wasn't like he'd whip us within an inch of our lives or anything. My childhood wasn't some great tragedy," she tried to minimize it.
That was what she was best at: hiding her pain. Stuffing it away into a little box in her heart.
Jay brought her out of her own head for a second by placing his hand over hers, which was draped along the back of the couch as they sat sideways. "You know you don't have to justify it. You're entitled to your pain too. It's not a...it's not a competition of who's hurting more."
"I know," she insisted. "But it's just not something I talk about much. So then when I do, it feels kind of silly...or just not...not as big of a deal. I mean, I still have both of my parents," she added, her voice barely above a whisper by the end.
"Sorry," She backtracked. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, I don't feel like I deserve the pity. Like I hate opening up like this because of that."
"No, I get it. I'm the same way," Jay noted.
"Wow, aren't we two peas in a very sad pod," Hailey noticed.
"Apparently so," Jay agreed, finishing off his coffee.
Hailey had just about finished her hot chocolate when she noticed Jay snickering.
"What?"
"You've got whipped cream on your cheek."
Hailey felt around her face for the culprit. "Did I get it?"
"Almost," he said. Before his brain could catch up with his body, he was reaching toward her face and getting the rest of it off. Hailey didn't dare move, let alone exhale as she felt the light touch of his fingertips on her cheek, right above her dimple. The trace of whipped cream was gone just as fast as his hand was from her face.
"Thanks," she thought she heard herself say. She wasn't completely sure, as her heartbeat hadn't stopped overtaking her ears yet.
"Yeah," she knows she heard him reply. Before she could even open her mouth to utter another word, he was up off the couch.
So much for this whole convincing couple charade, Hailey surmised. She sighed, leaning her head back against the couch cushion. This was gonna be a long night.