Not really sure what to make of this story. Not sure if I like it. I started writing it before He's a Keeper and there are some elements of it that are in the same ballpark, so it might seem redundant or not. Not sure. See! But, maybe we like those elements so it doesn't matter?
AAAAAnnnyway, it's kind of-ish A/U with timeline/characters. Jay and Hailey are still pretty new in their partnership, but on their way from just partners to friends. There is no Al or Antonio. Also, PRETEND KEYE'S NEVER HAPPENED because it fucks up my story!
When I first started this story, it was going to be the Voight story for the Intelligence One shots, mostly funny with some Jay whump…but everyone else made too big of an appearance so it gets its own space out in the universe.
It also wasn't suppose to be as dark as it ended up, but Barbara is a devil, so it's all on her.
So, that said, I feel like this story took a right turn, hit a cul-de-sac, circled around, got on the freeway, went through a tunnel, came out the other side and ended up in the ditch with a broken axel. Then I left it there because I don't have the time or energy to get it pulled out of a ditch when it was kind of a junker anyway.
Plus, Barbara was driving, doesn't have a license and now is "too traumatized" to get her ass out of the trunk and fix it. drama queen
I may or may not be to hard on myself but that doesn't matter. The car's in the ditch and I guess that's where it is going to stay.
If this A/N makes no sense, welcome to the club. Let's all be confused together.
'Also, did you know I write long ass A/N's to avoid the story I am writing to avoid my other stories?
Learned that in Procrastination 101. Aced it.
X
And one more, most important thing, I am an ally so some of the nuances in this story are not how I roll.
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They knew it had to be Voight because it was a May-December romance. The question was, would it be Adam or Jay. They both fit the profile.
Adam sat at his desk in silent prayer, 'Dear God please don't pick me don't pick me pleasepleaseplease don't pick me.'
Jay wasn't really paying attention. He just wanted to get the report he was working on done so he could take it to Platt's desk while she was at her meeting. He had been sick almost a month ago and was absolutely fine now but she was still mother henning the hell out of him.
"Hailey, Kim, eyes on the inside by eight. Kevin pull the blueprints. Adam hack their system, you and Kevin will be in the van monitoring the club, cams and sound, use long range. Get stills and run facial rec when you can. Halstead you're with me. We'll roll in at nine."
Adam cleared his throat. He didn't hear anything after Hailey and Kim's assignment. The thought of Kim and Hailey posing as a couple short circuited his brain. He didn't even hear Voight choose Jay for his 'boyfriend.'
Not until Voight squeezed the back of Jay's neck and said, "Get ready kid. Bet ya $5 someone tries to woo you away from me," did Adam come back to reality and realize he wouldn't be the May in the May-December romance…but his relief turned into something else, he's not sure what, when it dawned on him that he'd be in the van watching and listening to everything. He cringed at the thought of Jay and Voight whispering sweet nothings to each other.
Jay was distracted by his paperwork so what Voight said didn't register with him either until his boss squeezed his neck.
He didn't care one way or another, van or the bar, but since he was going in, he needed to make something crystal clear to Voight. He's had to do some pretty wild things on UC's in the past but needed his boss to understand one thing, "I can't dance Hank."
That was not where any of them thought Jay might go, given the other things that might need to go down in a UC…in this UC.
"Not a problem kid. We'll just sit at the bar and I'll get you 'drunk'…last resort, slow songs."
"Okay…sounds like a plan. I'll have to go home and change, so you can meet me at my apartment and we can walk to the L from there."
To Jay it was just another undercover, but the rest of the unit looked at each other in confusion. They all knew that if anyone could pull off this undercover it would be Jay and Voight, nothing threw them, but the two of them were so casual about it, they couldn't all help but think they were being fucked with and that suspicion was confirmed when Voight winked at Jay before going in his office and Jay leaned back in his chair looking smug.
"You…" Adam pointed at Jay with his pen, "are an asshole."
"Only occasionally…and since it's coming from you, I'm gunna take it as a compliment."
"Not nice man, you could have told me you guys already had it sorted, saved me some freaking out."
He smiled at the group then smirked at Adam, "Now what would be the fun in that?"
Adam mumbled to the enjoyment of everyone, "I am so creeped out right now…I really don't want to be in the van and listen to this go down."
Knowing he wasn't, but unable to resist giving his best friend crap, Kev poked, "You a homophobe there bro?"
Adam scoffed, "Hell no…I could have done this op with you or Jay no problem…I'm…I'm a…a Voightophobe."
X
The motive looked like straight up gay bashing. Four couples had been jumped after leaving Akbar, a popular gay bar in the city. It was casual and laid back with a dance floor rather than an all out night club.
The victims were all jumped by two men between the bar and the L train. There was no taunting beforehand. The attack would start with the 'Decembers' of the couple being incapacitated while the perps went after the 'May.'
The May was beaten more severely and before the last punch was thrown, the perps would say variations of, 'knocked the gay right out of you,' and when they were done with him, they went back to the December and beat him 'for corrupting the younger generation.'
Three of the couples thought there was something off about the attack beside the attack itself, but none of them could pin down why they had that feeling. They just thought it was weird no other slurs were used in the course of the attack and only at the end.
X
Everyone was in place, Hailey and Kim in the bar and Adam and Kevin in the van, when Voight and Jay, aka Henry and Ryan, arrived a little after 9 o'clock, mic'd up, ear buds in and wearing button cams.
And, mimicking the other target couples, hand in hand.
Adam still couldn't get over what they were wearing. Jay was wearing a dark blue three button henley and dark jeans, Voight was wearing a dark blue button down and dark jeans.
"Dear Lord I hope they talked before hand and planned those outfits."
Kevin had to chuckle at that because they had the exact colors on right down to Jay's black boots and Voight's black sneakers.
Hell, Jay's sleeves were pushed up half way to his elbow and Voight had his sleeves rolled up to the same location.
Whether it was planned or not, after the case was wrapped up he was going to give Jay shit about it. It was primo fodder for ball busting.
They took a seat at the bar, ordered their drinks and commenced with their couplehood, hoping to end the op on the first go.
Turning on his mic, Adam checked in with the status of the electronics, "Clear picture and sound."
Kevin looked at the dots on the iPad beside him, one green, one yellow, and did the same, "Trackers are online."
Both turned off their mics and would leave them off unless they needed to say something of import, which was good because Adam was probably going to have a lot to say based on his first statement.
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Sitting at the corner of the bar top, Jay and Voight each had a view of the room behind the other. Their heads were together frequently and to anyone else, looked to be having an intimate conversation.
But their whispered 'sweet nothings' were really their hopes for the upcoming football season, the White Sox management or the Bulls.
When they would lean away from each other to take a sip of their bottled beers or order an appetizer they would barely touch, they would casually scan the room and talk about their friend Adam and his crush on Randy Rainbow or how they wanted to 'redecorate the second bedroom.'
"Don't know why they needed to bring me into this."
"Really bro?"
"Okay okay …good choice though, Randy Rainbow…attractive, funny and rips on Trump and the GOP, what's not to like."
X
Kim and Hailey had ventured to the dance floor to catch more faces to run through the system while the happy couple stayed at the bar.
"Kim, darlin, ya gotta stop twirling girl, you're making me dizzy."
Putting an end to her twirling with a sheepish grin, Kim led them back to their table while Hailey laughed and wondered if it was the twirling or them dancing together that was making Adam dizzy.
Henry and Ryan were sitting with their heads together, Voight resting a possessive hand on Jay's back while he ripped on the White Sox.
Leaning closer to his boss, Jay whispered, "There's always the Cubbies Henry."
"Pretty sure Jay enjoyed that."
It was evident how good at undercover the two of them were. No one would ever guess they weren'ta couple.
Kevin and Adam chuckled in the van. Normally if Jay told Sarge to switch sides and cheer for the Cubs he would have gotten a death glare but in this case Voight was forced to chuckle at the statement.
Taking a 'sip' of his beer, Hank squeezed Jay's knee, then headed to the restroom. Not even a minute later Jay was approached.
Adam unmuted his mic, "Here we go guys. Jay your four o'clock."
Jay's only acknowledgment that he heard was a slight shift in his body, turning more to his right.
Hailey and Kim watched as a tall, athletic twenty something approached Jay and leaned against the bar next to him, too close to him.
A whispered, 'Wanna dance?' came through the comms loud and clear.
"Tall, athletic pretty boy doesn't fit the build of either of the perps, still running facial rec a though…" Adam chuckles, "…Looks like Jay's just getting wooed."
Jay casually takes a sip of his drink, "No thanks. I don't dance…"
The guy pouts, "Come on."
"…and I'm here with my boyfriend."
"I saw that old fogy…" He leaned forward, put his hand on Jay's leg and whispered in Jay's ear, "You can do better than that honey, I can give you better than that."
"Oh Lord God almighty."
Jay got a strong grip on the guy's wrist when his hand started to travel further up his thigh and seeing Hank approaching, smiled sweetly while he issued his warning.
"You know, my boyfriend wouldn't like you touching me so I would suggest you back off."
"Damn, how is Jay not freaking out right now?"
"Nothing on facial rec."
Jealous boyfriend Henry sounded an awful lot like Sergeant Voight of Intelligence when he grabbed the back of the guy's neck and growled, "I don't think you know what this old fogy has to offer."
"Oh dear God…"
He squeezed a little harder on the guy's neck causing him to yelp.
"Okay…ow…okay okay."
Jay gave the guy a smirk, "Told you." then followed it up with a shit kicking for his 'boyfriend.'
Voight snarled at the asshole, then returned Jay's grin.
The guy slinked away without a backward glance while Voight sat down and took a sip of his drink. Scooting his bar stool closer to Voight, Jay put a hand on his boss's knee, leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Ditka blew it when he ran that play for the Fridge. He should have run a play for Sweetness."
Adam turned to Kevin shaking his head, "My dad still complains about that…dumbest successful play in the history of football."
X
Almost two hours of sports themed 'sweet nothings' later, Voight grabbed Jay's hand and lead him out of the bar and on to part two of the op. The dangerous part.
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Kevin and Adam kept an eye on their trackers while Hailey and Kim had left ahead of the happy couple in separate cars.
There were many, too many, locations where someone with nefarious intentions could get the drop on someone, so officers in unmarked cars went in early and found low-profile street parking in the area.
To cover, hopefully, all their bases, Hailey and Kim would hopscotch along the route with officer's in unmarked cars to cover any blindspots and two sets of plainclothes officers, male-female, and female-female, would walk from the L to the club crossing paths with Jay and Voight.
Talking quietly but keeping their heads on a subtle swivel, Jay and Voight made it to the L with no sign of trouble. No one had followed them from the bar and the undercover officers stationed on the platform gave five minute check ins throughout the night and none of the riders, coming, going or waiting for trains fit the descriptions of the perps.
They would all be back at it the next night…or so they thought.
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It started with a 'whhua' of exhaled air they all heard, but with eyes still on the monitors, only Kevin and Adam saw Voight's then Jay's camera feeds becoming blurs of movement.
Immediately Kevin got in the drivers seat and peeled out like a bat out of hell. They had stayed a few minutes extra to monitor the club for followers and were furtherest away from Jay and Voight. He prayed Hailey or Kim or one of the units would get there in time. They were all closer but he feared not close enough.
iPad propped against the radio, Kevin raced to the trackers, yelling into the comms their stationary location.
X
Adam continued watching the feed and wanted to scream for everyone to hurry the fuck up, but he couldn't let his anger and desperation to be a distraction. He would feed the team only what was needed. They could all hear what the hell was going on. They didn't need a play by play from him.
He doubted with the melee that either of them would hear, but if their ear buds were still functional he wanted Voight and Jay to know they had their location and were on the way.
"On our way…eta five to seven, five to seven…hold on guys, hold on!"
X
Jay's camera caught a blur of Voight being hit from behind and dropping like a rock. The camera angle didn't pick up all of his fall, but they heard it clearly. The camera did, however give them a clear view of the perp. He fit one of the descriptions perfectly.
Adam's tone was tight and rushed, as if speaking faster would propel them to the location sooner, "Confirmation on offender number one…"
While Jay's camera was nothing but a blur of movement, Voight's camera, now stationary, caught a scuffle from the hips down of Jay fighting back. They could all hear the grunts of expelled air and the smack of fists on skin through Jay's button mic but only Adam could see it.
One of the perps, the second asshole they were looking for, hit the ground hard, pain clearly showing on his face before his expression morphed into a creepy smile. He was down for only a moment before he shook it off, jumped up and got back into the fight.
"Confirmation on asshole number two."
Only blurs of movement from Jay's camera were caught until there was a brief, but clear flash of Voight, 10-12 feet away given the angle, laying on his side.
"Got a visual on Voight. Conscious but incapacitated."
The moment of clarity from Jay's camera ended when he took a hard hit from behind that had him stumbling forward and landing on his stomach with a grunt. He was down but didn't lose consciousness.
X
Head spinning and blood dripping from a split lip, Jay tried to get to his hands and knees, fell, tried again and was clocked in the temple by the perp standing above him, sending him back to his belly.
He took a kick to the ribs, then the same foot rolled him onto his back and held him there.
Jay was barely conscious but reached for the leg attached to the boot on his chest, only to have his left hand grabbed and bent to the side, dislocating his wrist.
The surge of pain elicited a scream that was smothered by the hand of the second perp who dropped to his knees by Jay's head.
Jay tried to sit up, tried to roll as he cradled his hand against his body but the boot on his chest and hand covering his mouth assured he wouldn't be going anywhere.
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Thank you for being patient with me for my epic tardiness in the multi chapter stories that are dangling out there in the universe. I have been working a bit on Muzzled and He's a Keeper, while rereading Team Bonding to spur Barbara on.
I know it has been months, even over a year for a couple of them, but I wanted you to know that I write everyday. Except when my back is really bad then I pout.
Next chapter will be up in a couple of days.
So thanks for reading and for your awesome support. I appreciate you all sooooo much!
Stay safe my peeps! Big smooch!