This is the start of Season 1
At the 21st district station, Jay Halstead sat at his desk in the Intelligence unit's office. Working on a report, he couldn't help but think back to his past. He remembered how Voight had found him - a young, troubled teenager struggling with drug addiction and homelessness. Voight had taken him under his wing, not only giving him a purpose but also a new life. Thanks to Voight's connections, Jay had gotten a job on the force, bypassing the traditional application process.
Just then, Voight walked into the office, the rest of the team not far behind him.
"Halstead," Voight said with a nod. "You got a minute?"
Jay looked up and nodded. "Sure, Sarge." He followed Voight into his office, closing the door behind him.
Once inside, Voight gestured for Jay to take a seat. "I've been thinking," Voight began. "You've come a long way since I found you all those years ago."
Jay gave a small smile. "Yeah, I have. Thanks to you."
Voight chuckled. "You were a pain in the ass back then, you know that?"
Jay laughed. "I know. I was a mess. But you helped turn my life around."
Voight nodded. "I saw potential in you, even when you didn't see it in yourself. I'm glad I didn't give up on you."
Jay looked down at the ground, feeling a mix of gratitude and shame. "I still can't believe how lucky I got, that you took me in. I was a total screw-up."
Voight leaned back in his chair and studied Jay for a moment. "You were a screw-up, but you were also just a kid who got dealt a shitty hand. And you've more than made up for it since then."
Jay left Voight's office and closed the door behind him. Erin, who had been waiting outside, immediately walked in. Voight looked up at her with a stern expression.
"Sit down,"
Erin hesitated for a moment before taking a seat across from Voight. She could tell by his tone that he was not pleased.
Voight leaned forward, fixing Erin with a glare.
"I've got a rule, when it comes to Halstead," he said, his voice low and serious. "He's off limits. No dating, no sleeping together, nothing."
Erin's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Voight to address the subject so bluntly. She opened her mouth to speak, but Voight cut her off.
"I mean it, Lindsay. You're a good cop, but I won't have you messing around with one of my detectives. He's been through enough already, he doesn't need that kind of distraction."
"With all due respect, Sarge, Jay's a grown man. He can make his own decisions."
Voight's face hardened. "I'm not worried about Halstead's decisions. I'm worried about yours. You've had enough failed relationships as it is, and I won't have Halstead get caught up in your drama."
"You're out of line, Voight. This is none of your business. Jay and I are friends, that's all." She stood up, clearly irritated.
Voight rose to his feet as well, towering over Erin. "I've been around a lot longer than you, Lindsay. I know how these things go. You may think you're just friends now, but I've seen it happen time and again. You start spending more time together, getting closer, and before you know it, one of you ends up hurt."
"You're treating Jay like a child. He's capable of making his own decisions, and so am I. We're adults, we can handle ourselves."
"You think I haven't thought about that? You think I don't know Halstead's history? I've seen the scars on his arms, I've seen the look in his eyes when he's struggling. I don't want him to go back to that dark place. And I sure as hell don't want you to be the one to push him back there."
Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Adam poked his head inside. "Hey, Sarge," he said, "we got a lead on that gang banger we've been tracking."
"Good," Voight said, his voice gruff. "Lindsay, go with Ruzek. And make yourselves scarce for the rest of the day. I need to talk to Halstead."
Erin shot Voight a glare, but she knew better than to argue. She and Adam left Voight's office, shutting the door behind them.
The Intelligence unit was gathered at the warehouse, preparing for a raid. Voight stood in front of them, giving orders. "Ruzek, Atwater, you take the back entrance. Halstead and Lindsay, you take the left side. Burgess, you're with me."
The unit nodded and dispersed to their respective positions. Jay and Erin headed to their side of the warehouse, ready to breach at Voight's signal.
Erin and Jay made their way into the warehouse, checking each corner as they went. They moved silently and deliberately, their training kicking in. Just as they turned a corner, Jay was suddenly blindsided by a suspect who came out of nowhere and knocked him down with a long pole. Jay hit the ground hard, groaning in pain. He quickly fumbled for his radio and radioed to the team.
"Guys, I've got one coming from the east," he said urgently, struggling to get up. "He's armed with a pipe or something, he's heading south."
Erin was already springing into action, moving quickly to cover him. "I've got your back, Halstead," she said, drawing her weapon.
The team was gathered at the pier, the suspect subdued and handcuffed. Voight stood nearby, watching as the scene was brought under control. As Jay approached, rubbing his arm where he'd been hit, Voight noticed his discomfort.
"Hey, Halstead," Voight said, eyeing the bruise forming on Jay's arm. "You okay there?"
Jay nodded, wincing.
"Yeah, I'm an idiot, but I'm fine!"
Voight chuckled, giving Jay a sympathetic smile. "You're not an idiot, kid. But you did take a pretty good hit there."
"Yeah, it's gonna hurt like hell tomorrow," Jay admitted, rubbing his arm again. "That guy sure packs a punch."
The team was gathered in the surveillance van, watching as Erin and Jay prepared to go undercover for a dangerous drug buy. They were dressed in plainclothes, blending in with the environment. Voight was glued to the monitor, watching the scene play out.
As they watched, Erin approached the door of a run-down building and began banging on it, shouting for entrance. Jay, meanwhile, was doing a convincing job of acting like a drug addict, pacing back and forth and fidgeting with his hands.
"Damn, Halstead's really selling the jittery drug addict thing," Atwater muttered, watching the monitor.
"Yeah, he's got the look down pat," Burgess added with a grimace. "It's almost disturbing how convincing he is."
The door creaked open, revealing a sketchy-looking dealer. He studied Erin and Jay for a moment before she spoke.
"Look, my man's going into rehab tomorrow. This is the last time we'll be doing this. He just needs one last fix to get through the night. Can you help us out?"
The dealer glanced at Jay, who was continuing to act the part, shifting his weight and looking around anxiously. He seemed to buy their act and nodded.
"Yeah, I can help you out. C'mon in."
Jay quickly flicked his tongue out, licking his front teeth - a common tick of drug addicts. As he did so, the team in the van couldn't help but notice.
Jay kept a hand on Erin's wrist.
"He might sell us stepped on crack, we'll come back later,"
"That's a good point," Erin agreed, looking back at him with a hint of surprised approval.
"Damn, Halstead's got some serious method acting skills," Atwater said, still watching the monitor. "He's thinking like a hardcore addict."
"He was addicted to drugs when I found him," Voight said gruffly. "I'm not sure if he's pretending or if it's just muscle memory kicking in."
The team was silent for a moment, processing this new information. They knew Jay had a difficult past, but they hadn't fully grasped just how dark it had been. Watching his act now, they realized just how much he must have gone through.
"Damn, I never knew it got that bad for him," Atwater said quietly, looking at Voight. "He's really been through hell, huh?"
Voight nodded grimly. "He was a mess when I found him. Living on the streets, doing God knows what to feed his addiction. It took a lot of time and effort to get him clean."
They were outside the surveillance van, the bust successfully carried out. Erin stood off to the side, watching as Jay explained his reasoning for pulling her back earlier.
"I just didn't want to risk it," Jay said, his voice quieter than usual. "I saw blood on that dealer's pants. It might have been nothing, but I didn't want us to get into a situation we couldn't handle."
"It's alright, Jay," Voight said, his voice firm. "You did the right thing. Trust your instincts, they're usually spot on."
Jay and Erin were walking through the bullpen, still dressed in their undercover outfits. Erin suddenly stopped him, grabbing his arm.
"Jay, can we talk for a second?"
Jay turned to face her, annoyance flickering across his face. He wasn't in the mood for a heart-to-heart.
"What is it, Erin?"
Erin took a deep breath, her face filled with remorse. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have questioned your instincts during the bust. You were looking out for us, and it's my job to have your back."
Jay softened slightly, but he didn't let his guard down. "That's why partners have backup," he said gruffly. "So they can pull each other's asses out of the fire."
He reached out and punched her lightly in the chest, making contact with her bulletproof vest. It was a friendly, almost playful gesture, but the message was clear. They were still partners, and he didn't need her apologies.
She knew he wasn't mad at her, not really, but she also knew he was still struggling with his past.
Just then, Voight called her from his office. "Lindsay, in here. Now."
Erin sighed and headed towards Voight's office, steeling herself for another round of Voight's tough-love talk.
Voight was pacing back and forth in his office, anger radiating off of him in waves.
"What the hell were you thinking, Lindsay?" he exclaimed, staring her down. "You should have trusted Halstead's instincts and backed him up. That's your job as a partner!"
"I know I messed up, Sarge. Trust me, I feel terrible about it. But Jay can be a little too impulsive sometimes. He needs someone to rein him in occasionally."
Voight snorted, his anger barely contained. "Halstead's instincts are damn good, and you know it. You don't need to rein him in, you need to trust him. Trust that he's got your back, just like you should have his."
Erin couldn't help but feel defensive. "I do trust him, Sarge. But I'm not going to just blindly follow his lead, either. It's my job to keep him in check, just like it's his job to keep me in check."
Voight stepped closer to her, his face just inches from hers.
"If you two had gone in there," he said, his voice low and intense, "you could've gotten both of you killed. I don't care if it was a gut feeling or some random blood stain, if Jay felt it was unsafe, you should've listened to him. He might have saved your life today."
Erin swallowed, the reality of Voight's words hitting her full force. She hadn't thought of it that way, and hearing it from Voight made it hit that much harder.
"Let me remind you that we're undercover for major drug busts. If that dealer offered Jay drugs, do you think he'd even second guess taking them? You've seen his history, you know how he struggles."
Erin flinched at the mention of Jay's past. She knew Voight was right, that Jay's history made things more complicated. But it stung to have it thrown in her face like that.
"I-I know about his past," she said, her voice a little shakier than she'd like. "I've been partners with him for a while now, I know how he struggles. But that doesn't mean I should just blindly follow every hunch he has."
"You should when those hunches could save your lives!" Voight exploded, throwing his hands up in frustration. "You're a good cop, Lindsay, but you need to learn to trust your partners. And right now, that means trusting Halstead's gut."
Voight had stormed out of his office, clearly still simmering with anger. He spotted Jay at his desk and gave his desk a hard tap, signalling for him to follow.
"Halstead, let's go," he barked.
Jay looked up from his paperwork, sensing the anger in Voight's voice. He knew Voight was pissed about something, and he had a feeling it had something to do with the bust that had just gone down.
He got up from his desk and followed Voight out to his truck, bracing himself for whatever scolding was coming his way.
As Voight drove, he spoke up, his tone much softer than expected.
"You did good on that bust today, Halstead," he said gruffly. "You read the situation well and made the call that kept you and Lindsay out of danger."
Jay was surprised to hear the praise coming from Voight's mouth. He'd expected a lecture, maybe even a dressing down, but not this.
"Thanks, Hank," he said quietly, still a bit taken aback. "I just did what I thought was necessary."
Voight nodded, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"That's what makes you a good cop," he said. "But don't think that means you can start going off on your own every time. You're part of a unit for a reason."
Jay chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I know. I promise I won't go rogue just because you gave me a pat on the back."
Voight chuckled at Jay's response, a rare sound coming from his usually stoic sergeant. "You've got that right," he said, reaching out and ruffling Jay's hair affectionately.
"You're going places, kid. Just don't get yourself killed along the way."
Jay couldn't help but roll his eyes and bat Voight's hand away. "Ahh, come on, Hank," he groaned, trying to sound annoyed. "I'm not a kid anymore."
Voight chuckled again, enjoying teasing the young officer. "You'll always be a kid to me, Halstead," he said, his voice taking on a more paternal tone. "I've seen you grow up and become a hell of a cop. Can't help but still see you as a kid at times."
Jay was sitting at his kitchen table, nursing a beer and mulling over the events of the day. The knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts, and he got up to answer it, wondering who could be visiting him at this time of night.
He pulled open the door, revealing Erin on the other side. She was still dressed in her work clothes, a tired look in her eyes.
"Lindsay," he greeted her, sounding surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Erin didn't answer. Instead, she leaned up and kissed him, her lips meeting his in a desperate, needy kiss.
Jay was taken by surprise at first, but he quickly melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.
Erin kicked the door shut behind her, not wanting to waste any time. She pressed Jay up against the wall, her hands moving over his chest, his shoulders, his neck, hungry for the feel of him.
Jay returned her kisses with fervor, his hands slipping under her shirt and tracing up her spine.
Erin's hands were impatient, unbuckling his belt and pulling it free. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her up, his strong hands under her thighs.
The kiss deepened, both of them hungry for more. Jay backed up until he felt the edge of the bed hit the back of his legs, and he tumbled them both onto it, his body covering hers as they continued to kiss.