VI

For a room that saw a whole lot of action on a regular basis, the Intelligence unit's bullpen was eerily quiet. The unit was currently not working on any active cases since closing their latest last week. Now mountains of paperwork awaited them, and they weren't going anywhere on their own. Surveillance logs and interview transcripts had to be approved and signed. Expense reports had to be written for the last month, as did the reports from the latest case. Then there were the leads and tips from Cis regarding their other investigations where they were trying to build a case that needed to be followed up upon. It was mundane and never ending.

Rhythmic, robotic sounds as fingers travelled over keyboards in a rapid pace, flicking of papers, wheels rolling across the hardwood floor along with the opening and closing of filing cabinets rang throughout the room. Occasionally someone let out a frustrated groan or tried to muffle a yawn. It was all Jay had heard for the last two hours as the unit worked their way through their stacks of papers. The gate was never opened and followed by the sound of footsteps before Sergeant Platt emerged at the top of the stairs. No phone calls had come in either, alerting them to a new case.

The amount of paperwork was the one things Jay truly disliked about the job as a cop. He would postpone it to the very last minute until he could no longer get out doing it. If he was lucky, his amazing partner would have completed their share of it by then. But for once, Jay didn't mind the downtime. Not one bit.

Jay glanced up from the report that he was currently writing up on his display. His partner sat at the desk that faced his own, deeply emerged in her work. Hailey's long blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail at the back of her head to keep it out of her face and her lower lip was caught between her teeth as she stared at her monitor with intense eyes. It was a sight that never failed to make Jay feel better. Like it always did, sense of warmth spread through his body at the sight of his partner. Hailey had this incredible ability to make things seem so much easier and not quite so horrifying by simply being present. Whenever she walked up and stood next to him, Jay would feel how his shoulders dropped into a more relaxed posture as soon as he felt her presence. That was all it took for him to feel like he could take on the world. When she smiled so wide her lips almost split her cheeks and showcased her glimmering teeth, he was filled with joy and immediately became calm because it meant that she was happy. Her just as wide but closed lipped smile made him feel loved and proud, whether her opened eyes sparkled with tears or with something else.

All in all, Jay felt incredibly lucky to have her as his partner and have her be a part of his life on a daily basis. To think that there had been a time where he had been reluctant to her presence was unfathomable to him today. Their relationship had evolved over the years and now the word friends didn't even begin to describe it. Without Hailey around, Jay did not function properly as a human being. If she was absent or if they were partnered up with another teammate for a case, he felt almost hollow. If she wasn't there to push back when he was stubborn or force him to face shit, he would simply shut himself down bit by bit until inly the shell was left.

Over the last few months however their relationship had developed even more, something he had thought to be impossible. Many things had happened in quick succession over a short period of time. Jay had taken a bullet after his dad had been killed, scaring Hailey so much that she ran to the closest arms she could for comfort to avoid the feelings the event had triggered. Then the unit had been threatened to be split up and Jay had to deal with the thought of losing his partner. Both of them had been forced to admit their feelings for the other that they had ignored for so long. Pretending that he only cared for Hailey as a friend was no longer an option and when Hailey eventually broke things off with Adam things really started to change.

Flirting and flirtatious banter was now a more occurring thing between them and considerably less subtle. Jay no longer held back and restrained himself when an urge to reach out and touch Hailey occurred. Hailey had always been the one who was more touchy-feely and would squeeze his upper arm or rest her hand on his wrist, but Jay never did even if he wanted to. Now he would reach out and grab her hand in the car after they had had a heavy conversation, either to comfort her or show his appreciation. At times he even reached out for the strand of hair that always fell into her eyes and put it behind her ear, taking the opportunity to stroke his knuckled over her cheek. After a couple of beers at Molly his arms would find its place around her shoulders and during late nights on eithers' couch, he craved to have her near him, and they would end up entangled in one way or another.

They had yet to voice their feelings out loud. Despite the new revelation and the prospects for the future being slightly scary, the anticipation and the flirting were also rather thrilling. There was no real need for them to push things and rush through the motions. They were finally on the same page, with no distracting complications of sorrow, guilt, or secrets, and it was finally happening. Jay saw no harm in enjoying everything about it, even the buildup and the teasing, after all that time.

Feeling his eyes on her, Hailey looked up from her computer screen and raised one of her eyebrows. Jay simply grinned back at her and held his laughter when she let out a huff of air in frustration, but he could tell that she was holding back a smile of her own. This is what he liked. This is what he longed for when things were bad.

"What?!" she whispered almost silently so that no one else would overhear their conversation or be disturbed.

"Nothing." Jay whispered back.

Hailey threw him a suspicious eye before she turned her eyes away and looked back at her screen to resume with her work. But Jay didn't avert his attention. She felt how his eyes remained fixated on her, unwavering in their exploration of her. Eventually it became impossible for her to ignore his piercing gaze. She sighed and looked up from her work once more to meet his gaze with an inquiring look of her own.

"What do you want?!" her whispered tone of voice revealed her exasperation of his behavior.

"I'm thinking that a couple of beers on my couch while watching the hawks game tonight sounds like a pretty good idea." He grinned. "I also happen to think that you should join me."

"You do, huh?"

Her face transformed into what Jay liked to call her signature look. It was a look that never failed to entice him. The secretive look was teasing, alluring, and held promises of adventures that Jay was unable to resist. Her lips were pulled into a slight, restrained smirk and her right eyebrow was raised halfway up to her hairline.

"That's right."

"And what if I say that I already have plans?"

"Firstly, I know that is a lie and that you are only trying to wind me up. Secondly, you would never miss a game or an offer of beer. Thirdly, who could resist spending a night with this?!" Jay spread out his arms, as if to indicate to himself, and fired off a smile that showed off his entire set of teeth.

The thick silence that lay over the bullpen was broken by the melodious laughter that belonged to his partner. Her laughter caught the attention of their co-workers who all looked up curiously from their own work.

"Bartolli's and it's on." The smile she threw his way had him feeling like the greatest man to walk earth. Her eyes were so open and genuine it took him completely off guard, her every thought was available to him.

"What's on?" called Ruzek, ever the curious and nosy one, from behind Hailey.

Both of them stayed silent, pondering their response. It was a silent agreement of sorts that their lazy nights on the couch were just for the two of them. If they wanted to make it a group thing, they would plan to meet up at Molly's where the rest of the unit hung out on a regular basis. It was their time and something that Jay valued very highly. He could interact freely with Hailey, in the way he wanted to. Since no one else was around they didn't need to pretend, it allowed them to not hold anything back. It was also something they weren't really willing to share with the rest of their unit.

Jay glanced at Ruzek who had swiveled around his chair, then at Hailey who made no indication of answering Ruzek's question, then back to Ruzek again. The young officer looked curiously over at them, but neither of them gave anything away. Ruzek sighed and turned back around in his chair, all while shaking his head.

"I don't understand you people… you might as well be speaking a different language."

His response amused Jay. It was not the first time one of their teammates had commented on the dynamic between himself and Hailey. The way they would communicate through eyes and raised eyebrows over the heads of the rest of them before voicing their opinion or answer out loud, would always receive a low snigger from behind even though they had come to expect it. They would make a game out of figuring out what was the cause for the latest reward gifting after one of them came in and dropped something edible on the other person's desk. While he didn't like to have other people in his business, snooping, he did quite enjoy seeing everyone tripping over themselves to find the answer that was the mystery of Jay and Hailey.

"Consider it done!" Jay spoke as he had turned back towards Hailey.

Suddenly the work that lay in front of him on the desk didn't seem so daunting. Getting together with Hailey tonight gave him something to look forward to. It gave him the energy and motivation he needed to engross himself into his work. The faster he got things done, the sooner they could leave and carry on with their plans.

At midday they all broke away for lunch outside of the station at a local dive that Adam had gotten wind of while meeting up with one of his CI's. After finishing the rather tasty food, despite the questionable exterior of the establishment, they returned to the station. Voight holed himself up in his office while the rest of them retook their seats to continue their work of diminishing the piles of paperwork. The hammering of keys and the rolling of chairs commenced for a solid hour before everyone stopped at the sound of the downstair-gate opening, followed by footsteps climbing up the stairs.

The footsteps grew louder and louder, then a head of hair started to appear at the top of the stairs. Following the hair was a familiar face that he had not seen in a little over two years. The person who stood in front of them all and looked around the room was no one other than Jay's former partner Erin Lindsay who disappeared in the cover of darkness without a single word.

Jay froze in his seat and could do nothing but stare at Erin. What were the odds that she would turn up here now after all this time when he had begun to move on and had let the door close behind her? Her blonde hair came to an end by her collarbone, just as he remembered it, but there is where the similarities ended. She looked different. Which maybe was to be expected after two years. Gone were the boots and jeans. In its stead were high heels and tailored pants. Jay never thought he would live to see the day when Erin would look comfortable wearing anything other than her go to leather jacket. But here she stood wearing a coat that looked to cost more than one month's rent without a care in the world.

"Well, well… Look who's here!" Antonio stood to greet her with a hug. One by one the rest of the unit got up to give their friend a hug, but Jay remained in his seat.

"Kid, you're early!" the signature, graveled voice of their boss broke through the excited chatter. Voight rarely smiled if it wasn't out of amusement and even then, it was more of a smirk than a smile. But at the sight of his pseudo daughter who lived out of state, the hardened sergeant couldn't contain his joy.

"Hank!"

As Voight and Erin reunited in an embrace, Jay looked over at his current partner. Hailey stood over by the others as she had gotten up to greet Erin with the rest of them. Everyone was watching the reunion happening in front of them, but upon feeling Jay's eyes one her, Hailey turned her eyes on him. Her guard was up. Nothing in her body language or eyes gave Jay any useful indications of how she was feeling. The fact that her walls were up though, told him that she was affected by the return of his old girlfriend and partner. The only question was how much it affected her and in what way.

"Are you okay?" Hailey mouthed to him from across the bullpen.

Jay gave a sharp jerk of the head in affirmation. There was no need to alert her to how he really felt and how the surprise of Erin's presence left him feeling unsettled. In fact, it unnerved him to no end.

"So," their sergeant announced to catch all of their attention. "The reason for Erin's return is unfortunately not social this time. She's got a case for us."

For some godforsaken reason, Jay was the one who ended up trapped in a car with Erin all afternoon. If he wasn't a firm non-believer, he could have sworn that someone up there had it out for him. No one should be forced into a car with your ex that you had not seen in over two years after she split without a word, or any confined space for that matter.

Jay could feel Erin's eyes on the side of his head, but he pointedly stared out the car window at their mark's house and ignored her inquiring looks. He knew that she wanted to talk. That much became obvious from the second they got in the car together. But Jay did not know what to say. Or what needed to be said.

When Erin first left, Jay had been devastated. It hurt that after everything they had gone through that she left without saying goodbye. After a while all that hurt turned into anger and indignation. What gave her the right to treat him like that? It felt as if she treated what they shared as if it was nothing, when to Jay it had at one point been everything. The anger eventually mellowed out and he slowly came to the conclusion that their relationship wasn't as good as he might have thought when caught up in the middle of it. Neither of them had ever been completely honest with the other and they refused to let the other one in. When things got hard, they clammed up and withdrew immediately. Jay with his PTSD and Erin with her loyalty to Voight and her mother. In the end, despite claiming otherwise, they didn't trust each other. They could follow each other blindly in a gunfight and professionally, but not entrust each other with their hearts.

Erin sighed loudly next to him, and Jay had to force himself to not turn around and look at her.

"Are we really not going to address the giant elephant in the room?"

She might have new hair and new clothes, but the old Erin still remained. The one who didn't beat around the bush. The one who was stubborn and refused to back down once she got something in her head. Her tone of voice clearly indicated to Jay that there was no getting out of this conversation.

"Leave it alone, Erin."

"I know that I hurt you when I left." Erin pressed on like she hadn't heard him. "To leave Chicago is one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. But I had to leave, Bunny…"

"Bunny?" Jay sneered, but Erin pretended again to not hear him.

"To see you and say goodbye was too hard and I couldn't risk the chance of you talking me out of it. I just couldn't."

"Right…"

Her confession didn't clear things up at all in Jay's opinion. He still didn't know what to say. It didn't change anything. She still left and made an active decision not to tell him. At least it wasn't because she didn't care, but because he mattered enough to affect her. But the fact was that she left, he stayed and what they now had was a past and nothing more. Jay didn't see how this conversation would get them past this awkward stage they found themselves in.

It wasn't that what happened didn't still affect him in certain ways. Erin leaving still messed with his confidence. It made him gun-shy to trust other people, even more than he was before. He questioned whether he would be enough for someone to stay one day. But apart from a few insecurities he was at peace with his life. He had faced some of his issues. He had people he cared about in his life and relationships he valued and prioritized. There wasn't really anything about it that he wanted to change.

"Don't you have anything to say?!" Jay could hear the frustration in her voice.

"Not really." he shrugged. "I appreciate the apology, but it doesn't really change anything, Erin."

Silence filled the car, but not for long. After a few minutes Erin spoke again.

"Are you seeing someone?" Another curveball thrown his way.

"Wh-What…" he spluttered. "How is that any of your business?"

"It's not." Erin conceded. "So… Are you?"

Was he? He could deny it, but that would be a lie. In every regard he considered himself to be in a relationship with Hailey. They weren't, but if he was going to take the jump and commit himself to someone again it would be to Hailey. They had something that they were slowly exploring, but it already meant more to him than he could have ever imagined. It was probably not something that you should share with your ex-girlfriend.

Jay squirmed around in his seat and tried to avoid Erin's eyes. If he didn't want to talk about the two of them with her, then he definitely didn't want to talk about him and Hailey with her. There were things you just didn't talk about with your ex. He turned back to look out the window in wait for their suspect to make an appearance and Erin did the same. He was really looking forward for this day to come to an end.

The day did eventually come to an end, but then it was decided that everyone was to head over to Molly's for drinks, a chance to catch up after all this time. That is how he found himself in an awkward position for the third time that day, squished into one of the booths at Molly's with Adam pressed up against one side of him and Erin on the other. Hailey sat across the table and looked at anyone but him.

No one else would be able to tell that something was wrong. She was an active participant in the conversations around the table and she wore a smile on her face the entire time. But she wouldn't look at him. Her pretty blues were turned away from him all the time. He knew because he had not taken his eyes off of her all night. She clearly didn't have a problem with anyone else at the table, so it was obviously him that was the issue.

Jay frowned as his latest attempt to catch Hailey's eyes failed. This wasn't the same Hailey as when he left to go and stakeout their suspect. He had not spoken with her since and couldn't for the life of him figure out what he could have possibly done to warrant her ignoring him. The ignoring part was so unlike her as well. She was someone who faced problems head on. If someone wronged her, she let them know immediately.

Adam tried to engage him in the conversation, but he only hummed in reply. Jay didn't even hear what was being said. He simply focused on the frayed label of his beer. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to sit on his couch with Hailey and watch a game on the tv with pizza like they had planned. Maybe she would fall asleep on his shoulder again and all he had to do to hold her was to move his arm from the back of the couch. Instead he was squished into a booth with his friend and ex-girlfriend while Hailey acted like he did not exist.

An elbow made contact with his side. He looked towards Erin who was the culprit. Erin nodded her head towards the other side of the table and gave him a questioning look.

"What?" Jay asked.

"You should talk to her."

"Who?" Jay asked again and tried to act normally. Erin rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't give me that, I have eyes you know!"

"I would, if she would look in my direction." he sighed.

"Maybe this is your opportunity."

Jay's eyes immediately looked over to where Hailey had been moments earlier and noticed that she had left the table and was making her way through the crowd towards the bar. Erin slid out from her seat without saying a word and let him out. Jay gave her a thankful smile and headed towards the bar as well.

He walked up behind Hailey and leaned on the bar right next to her. They were so close he only had to breathe, and they would be touching. Hailey startled when he appeared at her side, another tell that something was bothering her. She was always aware of her surroundings. She would look so smug every time when she would say his name before he came into her line of sight. He never managed to sneak up on her.

"You good?" he questioned and finally she looked up at him. But oddly enough, not a trace of anger or irritation appeared on her face. In fact, she almost looked nervous to Jay.

"Yeah. You?"

"Not really." Jay watched as the nervousness disappeared form Hailey's face and was replaced by concern.

"Why, what's happened?"

"My partner has been ignoring me all night." he gave her a pointed look and she looked down in shame.

"I haven't been ignoring you." she denied.

"Then what do you call not looking in my direction or not talking to me all night?" Jay shifted slightly against the bar. "What's going on Hailey?"

"I didn't want to intrude." Hailey began. "I figured you and Erin wanted to talk."

Things slowly came together in Jay's head, and he couldn't help but feel a hint of satisfaction inside. The other part of him was sympathetic to her position. She was insecure, and Hailey hated to not feel like she was in control of her own fate. They were starting something that was still very undefined, and then his ex-girlfriend shows up after all this time. That was enough to unsettle anyone. But why she thought she had to worry about Erin in the first place, Jay couldn't understand for the life of him. Him and Erin were long over, and nothing would change that. He didn't want to change that.

"We already talked earlier in the car." Hailey nodded and looked down at her feet. "But there really wasn't that much to say. She apologized for not saying anything before she left. I accepted. That was it. Why would you ever think you would be intruding?"

"I don't know okay?!" she exclaimed. "I just- I just thought that maybe you were happy to see her in a way. She was the one who left you, and I saw what that did to you. I figured she was the one who got away, and now she was back. I didn't want to ruin anything."

Her eyes had been on him the entire time she had been talking, but as soon as she was done and realised what she said, Hailey looked back down on her feet. Jay took a chance and let his hand grab on to hers, shielded from sight for everyone by their bodies.

"First off, you could never ruin anything. Secondly, Erin leaving is not an opportunity lost. Our relationship came to its natural end. Her being back in Chicago doesn't change that." Jay paused to let his words really sink in. "And thirdly, I would much rather be home alone with you right now like we planned."

Hailey looked up at him again in surprise. This time Jay could detect a slight smile on her face.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Jay confirmed and squeezed her hand that he realised he had never let go off. This is what he wanted. Of that he was completely sure. She was his partner, and unlike with Erin, they did not go their separate ways to deal with things. If the one of them was going through something, the other person intervened and would not leave them alone even if the other person tried to go off on their own. They moved together instead of separately.