A/N: Back with another chapter (sorry for the bit of delay). If you recognize some of the dialogue, it's because I took it from 5x06/5x07...you'll know it when you see it, I think. This part gives you a little bit of background on Jay and Hailey; they open up more to each other. The next part will definitely feature more couple-y stuff, as they'll meet up with Garrett (you'll see it mentioned in the last section of this chapter – about possibly hearing from him). Anyway, hope ya'll like this chapter. Thank you for reading!

Hailey woke up in the middle of the night because she thought she heard a noise. She realized she must have fallen asleep on the couch that she and Jay were just talking on mere hours ago. She picked up her phone really quickly to check the time. 4:45AM. That's great. She was about to lie back down when she definitely heard a sound. She couldn't precisely tell what it was, but it sounded like a rustling of some kind. She decided to go see what was up, because she was alone, and while she figured it was just Jay moving about, she wanted to be safe rather than sorry.

She got up from the sofa, and quietly crept down the short hallway that led to the bedroom. The door was closed, so she knocked softly. "Jay?" Nothing. "Hey, are you okay?" She rapped on the door once more, before it opened just shy of halfway. She peered in to the dark room, and could make out his figure on the bed. It took her a second to realize that he was the one thrashing about. She panicked a little, not knowing exactly what the best thing to do for him was. Was he having a nightmare? A seizure? She honestly didn't know.

"Jay?" She called to him a little louder. She moved closer to where he was, finding her footing in the dark. She felt around for a light switch, but couldn't find the one for the lamp that was at the bedside table. "Jay," she tried again, getting worried. How was she supposed to wake him up? She had made it to the edge of the bed, and tried to make out what side of his body was facing her. His arms were moving about, clutching at the covers; his head going back and forth some. Hailey didn't hear him say "Oh no," the first time, but the second time she could hear his voice break.

He had finally moved from his side onto his back, so Hailey went to grip his forearm. The tips of her fingers had barely grazed his skin when she was met with a fist to her face. "Ow," she said through gritted teeth, "Son of a bitch!" She couldn't bite back her exclamation when she tasted blood.

She must have said it loud enough because seconds later, she saw him finally stop moving around, only to perk his head up, and flip on the light. "Hailey?" She could tell his voice was strained. He sat up in bed, and she could also see the panic in his eyes when he saw her palming the side of her lip.

"Jesus, Hailey, what-" he stopped short and she took a few steps closer, sitting on the edge of the bed where there was space. She didn't say anything for a second, as she could practically see the gears turning in his brain. "Oh my God. I- Hailey, you have to know I'd never- I mean, I wasn't trying to-" he didn't finish any of his sentences, shamefully burying his head in his hands.

She cautiously touched his arm, like she meant to do before this happened. "Hey, I'm okay."

He looked up at her incredulously. "You're bleeding; you're not okay! I-" he stopped, fumbling around to look for something. "Here," he offered, handing her a tissue.

"Thanks." She dabbed at the minor cut that had formed at the very corner of her lips.

"I'm so sorry, Hailey. I...you can't even begin to understand how sorry I am. That's never happened before...well, not since I had stayed with my brother; but he stopped me before I got out of hand."

She raised her eyebrows, expecting a longer explanation to his anecdote. "Jay, just tell me what's going on...I'll listen."

She felt sad for him when he avoided her eyes, almost like he was scared to tell her. She could sense that this was a heavy topic...like he was carrying that weight all on his own.

"It started when I came home," he paused when he saw her brow quirk. "From deployment, I mean."

She nodded her head, motioning for him to continue. "I started seeing this little girl, I think she was 7 or 8. Beautiful face, dark skin. The shot, it uh, it went through a combatant, then through a doorway, and hit her. I have nightmares about it...it completely ripped open her neck, and I can still see her face. It haunts me, and it kills me that I let that happen to somebody. So, when I accidentally shot a little girl in the same way, that's when I started to lose it...to see that little girl from before, I mean. That's when everything came creeping back up, and I couldn't stop it. I went undercover with another former soldier, and we bonded. Then he got shot on the job; and I fucked up by getting with his sister, because I wanted to forget. I used the drinking and the late nights as an excuse to forget my feelings. And it didn't work. Because even if I was out of my body, my mind was still able to ground me. I couldn't escape it."

Hailey didn't make a move to say anything, as she didn't want to say the wrong thing. "I– Jay, I'm so sorry you've had to go through all of that. I can't imagine what that must have been like. I know it's not the same, but I've been where you were with the accidental shooting. I mean, different circumstances, but yeah. I also had an old boss, a sergeant of mine, who I worked with when I was detailed to his task force. And every time, and I mean every time, that I was up for a promotion, the son of a bitch tried his best to jam me up. Even when I first got the Robbery-Homicide gig, I was up against it. You know that undercover gig from all those months ago? I had just been meritoriously promoted; it was my first big dealing out...and I messed it all up."

He was listening rather intently, as far as Hailey could tell. She could see a wave of calm wash over him, as he relaxed his shoulders. He sighed, looking at her. "I'm sorry if I made things worse for you..." he ran a hand over his face.

"Oh no," she tried to reassure him, instinctively reaching for his arm again. "You didn't. I just meant, that...even though I know it's not the same, I can kind of see where you're coming from with stressors and dealing with this job; sometimes those lines get blurry."

"Yeah. I mixed personal with professional once too. Let's just say, nothing good comes out of a workplace romance."

"You loved her?"

His eyes met hers, and for a moment, Hailey felt her breath hitch. It was like he was staring through her. "I thought I did, yeah. But uh, it wasn't exactly an equal partnership, on the job or off, if you get what I mean."

She grimaced, nodding that she could understand. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I know you backtracked on your 'I screwed up my entire investigation' comment; but you had a right to be mad. I made a wrong move that night. I shouldn't have taken that drink; I should've–"

"Hailey," he whispered, his voice sounding softer, less hoarse. "That's not on you. It's not really on me, either. We both made our choices, and honestly, I don't regret mine."

She squinted slightly, processing his words. So, I guess I wasn't a burden after all; or a liability. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

He lazily smiled at her. "Hey, if anyone should say thank you, it's me to you. Thanks for talking this out with me. I appreciate that."

She shook her head, smiling internally as she noted his repeat of her words. "Sure thing."

She made a move to get up, when his voice stopped her in her tracks. "You know, you don't have to leave."

She stood still, right where she was, not facing him just yet. She let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. "What?" She genuinely asked, as she thought she heard him wrong.

"I just meant – you can stay in here, if you want. We've only got the one bed, and that couch is decent at best. Come on," he patted the empty space next to his, on the right-hand side, a grin spreading across his face.

She scoffed, shaking her head at him again. "I promise, I'll keep my hands to myself," he teased, his smile getting even broader. Hailey rolled her eyes at him. Yeah, okay. She noticed he was wearing a light grey t-shirt. He must've changed while I fell asleep out there, she thought to herself. She decided she should probably change out of her jeans and jacket. She realized she hadn't responded to his remark with actual words yet. Oops.

"Whatever you say, Halstead. I'm gonna go throw on some different clothes and then I'll be back."

"Goodnight, Hailey." She could hear the slight lyrical tone in his voice.

"Goodnight, Jay."

When she came back a few minutes later, he had already fallen back to asleep, out like a light. She glanced at him for a moment, wanting to remember that he looked kind of peaceful now, which was way better than how he was when she first found him. She smiled to herself, glad she was able to help him get through something. Maybe this whole couple's thing will be easier than I thought. That was the last thought she had when her head hit the pillow, as a deep slumber overtook her for the rest of the night.

Jay woke up at 6AM, like he did every morning thanks to his internal clock. He wiped the sleep from his eyes, before he remembered that he wasn't the only one in bed. He heard a faint sigh come from her lips, and she turned over on her other side, which meant she was facing him now. He looked at her for a second, trying not to notice how her pale blue shorts rose when he saw her leg move up from under the duvet. She had moved onto her stomach, slipping her hands under the pillow. As she did so, her hand harmlessly brushing his own, which sat at his side.

Okay, time to get up now, Jay reasoned. He snuck out to the kitchen, where he immediately put on some coffee. As that was brewing, he figured he should probably see what they could finagle for breakfast. They had done a quick grocery run yesterday, before they started unpacking. Essentials, Jay had said, which of course Hailey rebutted with must-haves. Which is why when he peered into the fridge, he couldn't help but chuckle.

A few vegetables and fruits lined the left side, along with some lean meat, eggs, and grains; while the right side held juice, beer, water, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and he knew if he opened the freezer compartment he'd find the two different kinds of ice cream Hailey insisted on buying. Chocolate, and double chocolate, she insisted on, to which Jay naively replied: What's the difference? Hailey tsk-tsked, saying she'd have to make him one of her famous sundaes so he could really get the idea.

He swore the only healthful thing in her basket was the water. And only because she liked bottled water over tap. A dozen or so Sierra Springs lined the right-hand side. He reached for the eggs, grabbing a couple of the peppers he had bought too. He was whipping up the eggs for a Western scramble when he swore he heard her get up. Or groan, rather, as he figured the earlier hour wasn't ideal. He was almost finished with the dish when she emerged from the hallway.

"Morning," he said over his shoulder as he flipped the burner off and plated the eggs.

"Hey," she replied, her voice groggy from sleep. She yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Jay had just turned around when he noticed the silver of her stomach that showed when her arms were up. He never realized she was tanned – her skin was radiant. She must've noticed him looking at her, because she immediately tugged her top down, releasing her arms back to her sides.

"What'd you make?" She asked casually, taking a seat at the buffet.

"Western omelets."

"Oh, you mean with peppers and cheese and all that?"

He was worried. Shit, maybe he should've just done plain eggs. "What, no good?"

She smirked. "No, very good. Just wanted to get you back for staring at me."

He knew he was caught red-handed, though his hands were the only part of his upper body that didn't feel like it was on fire with slight embarrassment.

"Very funny, Hailey."

"I try," she quipped, grabbing a fork from their silverware dispenser and taking a bite of the breakfast. "It is really good, by the way."

Jay pursed his lips, but thanked her genuinely. He grabbed a fork for his own plate, sitting down next to her.

"So," he began as they were about halfway through with breakfast. "What's our plan for today?"

"Mmm," Hailey murmured, holding up her finger to say 'one minute.' She hopped down from the higher top chair and ran to get coffee. "Ah, much better." She said after taking a satisfying sip. "Um, I'm not 100% sure. I know we have today to get things prepped for tomorrow. I guess I can call my sergeant––" she paused, realizing her error. "I mean, your sergeant, and see how the product's coming."

When Jay didn't answer right away, she took back her earlier statement. "Or, I mean, you can call, he is your boss after all. Sorry, I didn't mean to overstep." She had finished her food, so she quickly rinsed off her plate in the sink to give her foot a chance to meet her mouth. Shut up, Hailey.

Jay chuckled as he too finished his food. "No, sorry, it wasn't that. I was just chewing," he swore, swiping a napkin across his mouth.

"Oh." Now it was Hailey who felt the heat creep up onto her cheeks. Nice one, Upton. "So, you're good with that idea?"

"Yeah. I'll see what else I can dig up on this Booth character, and we'll wait to hear from Garrett."

"Okay, cool."

He nodded in agreement. There was an awkward beat of silence before he hopped up himself and rinsed off his own dishes. He went to dry all of their items off, when Hailey stopped him. "No, I got this. It's the least I can do. You cooked, I can clean up."

Jay's brow furrowed, but Hailey gave him a look that reassured him that she's got this under control. "Okay...thanks." He said, turning on his heels. "I'm gonna grab a shower."

He had taken a brief glance behind him, as he was expecting her to say something in response. Instead, he saw her stretch up onto her toes to put the plate on the top shelf. Wow, she had legs for days, he thought to himself. Could you be any more obvious? He chided himself, not wanting to get caught again. A split-second later, he heard an "Okay," escape her lips.

He waved her off, heading down the hallway to the bathroom. Maybe a cold shower, he so juvenilely thought. Maybe this whole couple's thing wouldn't be so bad…