#hailey's existence honestly makes some things confusing

[oh-meow-swirls]

weird how in 1 it's like. kind of implied you have to pay to enter the museum. but after that they just. don't bother-

[fighterkimburgess]

Lover Chapter 18 - Daylight

Chapter 17 went up earlier today. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it here.

Summary: Chapter 18/18 - Hailey knows who she wants to be as a romantic partner, work partner, and cop. And she's ready to do the right things to keep it all going. Series masterlist here.

Words: 1k

Warnings: None

A/N: This fic never would have existed without @morganupstead who encouraged and convinced me that writing an Upstead Taylor Swift album fic was a good idea. I was...not convinced and then quickly realised it needed to happen. And the amazing @kim-ruzek, because every single time I was confused or lost or worried things were going off the rails, Ree was there to bounce ideas off and give advice on. I honestly don’t know if I’d have finished it without her.

It’s time for a lil break from multi chapters for a while. I’ve some ideas floating around, but I need some time away from long stories. It’s oneshots for a while!

Wanna join my taglist?

Hailey Halstead stared out the condo window, watching the Chicago streets come alive with the sunrise. If you’d told her exactly two years ago, when she was in a car with Erin Lindsay being driven to the airport because a pandemic was about to happen, that at this moment she’d be married to Jay, have taken his name and be completely in love with him, she would have told you that you were a bare faced liar. Instead she looked at her wedding ring and grinned.

For most of her life, love was the scariest thing in the world. It was fear and it was hardship and it was mumbled apologies that weren’t really meant. She had the scars, physical and mental, to prove it. She’d built her walls up so high she thought nobody could climb them, determined to be cruel to the world that had taught her cruelty.

But instead she’d fallen in love with Jay, and he loved her back. She could tell him the truth and he’d never say goodbye, never leave her. Instead of her thoughts of love being cruel and punishing, it was of Jay. Holding her in the night, kissing her on the couch on a lazy afternoon, making love to her and being so clear that she was his and he was hers.

She’d made mistakes. She’d wounded him, she’d tried to hide from him. She’d tried to fight him, tried to save him from her because she thought she knew that he deserved better than her. She didn’t think she deserved his love. But he’d held her and he’d loved her, and he’d helped heal her battered heart until it became whole again. And now she was going to see him take on the job he was made for, the job that he’d found out about in the days before their wedding, the job that she knew Hank wanted him to have.

They’d raised their glasses to Hank the night before, a celebration of his thirty five years as a cop. But he’d handed control of the unit to her husband, and she had so much faith in him.

His army ranger training shocked her, his arms swooping around her waist to hold her close to him.

“You ok, Mrs. Halstead?” He whispered in her ear, Hailey leaning against his chest. It sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine whenever he called her his wife. She’d always been independent, always so sure of what she wanted to do ever since she was twelve years old and Trudy Platt had sat with her when her dad was in hospital. But she was a wife now. She was Jay’s wife. And even though she thought him being possessive would be a deal breaker, she loved every time he whispered that phrase into her ear for the two of them.

“I’m perfect. How are you feeling about today?” She turned in his arms, her thin sleep tee twisting against him.

“Nervous? Worried? Excited? It’s a big jump. But Voight wouldn’t have given me this unit if he didn’t think I could do it. And I know everyone has faith in me. It’s just a change.” She stood on her tiptoes to give her husband a kiss, her fingers sliding through his hair.

“You are going to be phenomenal. You are going to make this an even better unit. Hank Voight is a man who knew what needed to happen but would do it through any means possible. You are a good man who knows the rules and knows how it needs to be done to work effectively. I love you, Jay Halstead. And I can’t wait to sit at my desk and look into your office and see you there.” Hailey kissed him again, feeling him pull her tighter to him, their bodies as close as possible.

“Plus, if I’m stuck late doing paperwork and you’re doing whatever Sergeants do, you now have an office with a couch and blinds. I’m just saying.” She pulled away from him to get dressed, skipping away from his grabby hands as she did.

By the time Hailey had her clothes on Jay was nearly finished making breakfast. She’d put on the shirt she wore the first time she told him she loved him, the jeans he always said made her ass look fantastic and some boots. As soon as he saw her outfit he smiled, pulling her close and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“I am so lucky to have you in my life, you know that, right? I still can’t believe you married me.” Hailey held his left hand, pulling it to her lips and placing a kiss right on his wedding ring.

“That makes two of us. We might have fumbled and fell for a few years, but we made it work at the right time.” They ate their breakfast and drank coffee, Jay taking the dishes to put in the dishwasher. Finally they were ready to leave, and Hailey held onto Jay’s hand as they opened the condo door.

He’d taught her love, and how to be defined by the love she had for him and for others. He’d helped stop her be defined by her hatred, her nightmares, the things that terrified her. Instead she took the love he gave her unconditionally and without judgment and used it to better herself. And holding her husband’s hand and stepping out into the weak March daylight, Hailey Halstead left all the worries and fears she’d held onto since she was a child behind. Because she wanted to be the person Jay loved. And he loved her without preconceptions or an agenda, but loved her for her.

Taglist: @abbyscameron @amazingbutterflyes @chicagoames @blonde-freckles @morganupstead @brookerz122493 @mnt2live4more @redpoodlern @alkadri-layal @stephanie708 @tuxieboy101-blog @thelittlepterophyllum @planecrazylex @bluecrush129 @rawgiel @milahs @onechicago18 @sophiatellerrhodes @eternal-olicity @gsophie43 @angelsjedi @multicouple-lover @upstead7

[justmypartner]

Make it Work: Chapter 4

Summary: When offered a permanent position with the FBI, Hailey agrees to take it under one condition: Jay comes too. As their personal lives and work lives begin to change, the two partners find it increasingly difficult to navigate their complex relationship and manage their feelings for one another. 

Writer’s Note: This is a monster of a chapter. I honestly could have split it into two separate chapters, but I felt like the flow of the story went better having it all be in one. If you watch FBI or have at least seen Hailey’s episode, there’s a familiar character in this chapter ;) as well as some newbies. Reach out if you would like to be added to the taglist for future chapters! As always, thank you for following my stories and for all of the kind words!

Tagging: @angelsjedi , @brookerz122493 , @cpdfan2014 , @the–carousel , @maya-asturias​ 

Read on AO3 or below

Jay’s first night in the city wasn’t pleasant. Both he and Hailey hired moving services to ship their things from Chicago to New York prior to their move. Because of this, they spent their last few days in Chicago living out of duffle bags and travel toiletries in hotel rooms. The hope was that by the time they arrived in New York, unpacking was the only thing they’d have to worry about. However, when Jay walked into his apartment for the first time, only half of his things were waiting for him. He tried contacting the moving company, but being that it was so late, all he got was an automated message. Wherever the rest of his things were, his mattress, couch, and any sort of seating he had were all with it. This left him sleeping on the floor, using whatever he could find in the mess of boxes filling the apartment to build a makeshift bed. It was something he had done plenty of times before, especially while he was stationed overseas. However, as proven the next morning, his body just wasn’t cut out for it like it used to be. He was sore all over, making the rest of the day miserable.

The first thing he did was reach out to the moving company. He found out that of the two trucks that were carrying his things, one of them had gotten delayed somewhere in Pennsylvania. That particular truck just so happened to be the one carrying his mattress, bed frame, and couch. He figured in the meantime, he would unpack the things he had. However, he found it increasingly difficult to maneuver around due to the ache mainly centered around his back.

After a few hours of progress, he decided to take a break, leaning his back against the wall and sliding his body down until he was in a sitting position on the floor. He hadn’t had a chance to get groceries of any sort, so he was hungry and in desperate need for painkillers, but he couldn’t find it in himself to leave that spot on the floor, let alone his apartment. He threw his head back against the wall and closed his eyes as his face scrunched up from pain. He was about to pick up his phone and text Hailey when there was a knock at the door. He stood with a groan, holding at the lower part of his back as the motion sent a sting of pain up his body.

When he opened the door, Hailey was standing there with a 6 pack of beer and a cheerful smile on her face. The smile faded as she realized he was clenching his back in pain.

“What happened to you?” She asked, her brows furrowing as she looked him up and down.

“Nice to see you too,” he said, moving out of the way to let her in. She stepped inside, making her way to his kitchen counter to place the beers down.

“Yeah, hi or whatever… What happened to you?” She asked again, looking at him with a puzzled look.

“Stupid moving truck carrying the other half of my stuff got delayed, so I was left sleeping on the floor. I do not recommend that by the way,” he said, grabbing one of the beers and making his way to sit back on the floor.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You could’ve just spent the night with me,” she said. Her eyes immediately widened and Jay sent her a raised brow, a confused smile on his face as she said it. He noticed her turn red and he rubbed at his mouth and chin to conceal a smile escaping across his face.

“Ah I mean, you know you could have slept at my place on the couch,” she stammered over her words as she turned to look around his apartment, avoiding eye contact with him completely.

“It was like 3am. I didn’t want to bother you and I was too tired to even consider that. Thanks though,” he told her taking a swig of the beer. “Thanks for these too by the way,” he said, raising the beer in the air.

“Yeah of course. So when’s your stuff supposed to be here?” She questioned, playing with a small Chicago Bears figurine he had rested on a shelf.

“They said sometime this afternoon. Really hoping they’re right because I don’t think my body can take another night on the floor,” he told her, his eyes following her as she moved about the room.

“Yeah, you better watch it. Might not be able to get back up next time, old man,” she told him with a smirk, grabbing a beer from the counter and coming to sit crossed legged across from him on the floor. He wiped the condensation from his bottle and flung the water droplets at her, causing her to flinch.

“Hey!” She called out, guarding her face with her hands.

“Call me old again,” he challenged with a grin. She held her hands up in surrender and he retreated.

“So I like your place. How are you liking New York so far?” She asked him, placing one hand behind her and leaning back on it as she brought the bottle to her lips.

“Well considering I’ve only seen the inside of this apartment, I feel like I can’t answer that. How about you? How’s your apartment coming along?”

“Really good actually. Most of the major stuff has been arranged, now I just have to unpack all of the tedious things - dishes, silverware, knick knacks, all that,” she told him. He nodded as he adjusted his position against the wall. She sent him a concerned look when she saw him flinch and grasp at his back.

“Can I get you anything? We could stop by the store and get you some medicine then we could go back to my place. You could check it out, we could order some food, you could actually have a comfortable place to sit too,” she offered him.

“You had me at get you some medicine,” he beamed. She chuckled and stood, extending a hand towards him to help him up. Being that he was much heavier than her, she really had to pull to help him up. When he was finally on his feet, he was only inches away from her, their hands remaining together for longer than they should’ve. He could feel his heart picking up rhythm in his chest by her touch, so he quickly released his hand, bringing it to the back of his neck before chugging the rest of his beer and tossing it in the trash bin by the counter.

After picking up painkillers and dinner, the two made their way to Hailey’s apartment. Following Hailey into the apartment, Jay’s eyes studied the space, noting how accurately it represented her personality. It wasn’t completely put together yet. There were still boxes lying around sporadically across the floor, but for the most part it was simple and organized much like her. Hailey made her way to the living room where she set the food down on the coffee table before planting herself on the couch. Jay followed suit, falling onto the couch and letting himself sink into the cushions. Hailey popped open the bottle of aspirin they picked up at the store, offering him a bottle of water and 3 pills. As he took them, he realized how instinctively she was caring for him and how natural it felt to be in such a domestic setting with her. She pulled out his food, sitting it in front of him and snapping him out of his roaming thoughts.

“So, are you nervous about tomorrow?” She asked him, settling back into the couch as she took her fork out of the plastic wrapper. She was referring to it being their first day. Jay hadn’t confronted his feelings about it until that moment.

“I would tell you no, but we both know that would be a lie,” he admitted. She flashed him a knowing smile before continuing.

“What are you most worried about?”

“Nothing in particular, I just know it’s going to be a lot different than what I’m used to. Every fed I’ve ever worked with has been a pompous jackass, in it for the optics more than the actual people they’re trying to help. I know what we’ll be doing will be important, I guess my reservations come from a combination of not wanting to deal with that and not wanting to turn into that,” he told her, a solemn look overcoming his face. Her face formed into a frown and her stare fell to her plate as she seemed to silently think through her response.

“You know my first day, I walked into that building already carrying this sort of forced regard for the place. I had those same reservations you carry for the feds, but I respected what they did so I forced myself to walk into it all with a sort of blind respect. My first interaction with OA wasn’t so great. He made some backhanded comment and you know me, I don’t take stuff like that, so I threw it back at him. Made him realize I saw through what he was really trying to say. The more time I was there, I realized that even though they don’t all go about it the best way, everyone is there to do their part and take the bad guys off the street. While that type of mentality you described certainly exists among many of the people we’ll work with, I think the perspective we can bring will have a similar impact as what went down with OA that day. We put ‘em in check and they sort the rest out themselves. You’re a good cop, and that’s just what these units need. So whatever fears you have, I wouldn’t spend too much time dwelling on them because you’re going to be great,” she told him, smiling briefly before immediately diving back into her food.

Her words reassured him. He still felt some apprehension about the next day, but she leveled him enough to instill a bout of confidence he hadn’t previously carried. After finishing their dinner, Jay relished in the comfort of the couch and the relief brought on by the painkillers. Hailey had put a tv show on in the background, but Jay was watching it absentmindedly. He noticed his eyes get heavier and heavier, and when exhaustion eventually caught up to him, he fell asleep. He was woken up with a light shake from Hailey. His eyes blinked open and he took in the sight of her slightly hovered over him.

“Hi,” she said as he fully opened his eyes and pushed himself into a straighter sitting position.

“How long have I been out?” He asked her, rubbing at his eyes and stirring about in a blanket he didn’t remember having before. He realized Hailey must have put it on him while he was sleeping and he stifled a smile as he awaited her answer.

“About an hour. Your phone was ringing and I picked it up. I hope you don’t mind,” she told him, holding the phone out to him. He took it from her, squinting his eyes at the brightness of the screen.

“No, it’s fine. Who was it?” He asked, looking at a number he didn’t recognize and looking back at her for her response.

“It was the movers, they said they’re coming in about an hour,” she told him, standing to clear their empty take out containers from the table. He looked down at the time and threw the blanket off his body gently before folding it into a more manageable size. He then picked up what was left on the table and brought it into the kitchen to help her clean up.

“I guess I better get going,” he told her, looking for his coat.

“Okay, yeah. Here’s the painkillers. You may need them again later,” she told him, handing him the bottle from before.

“Thanks for taking care of me today,” he told her, tilting his head slightly as he sent her a warm smile.

“Don’t worry about it,” she shook her head with a grin. “See you tomorrow?”

“You know it,” he told her, opening the door to leave. Just as she went to close it behind him, he pushed it back open slightly. “Also, thank you for what you said earlier. It helped a lot.”

She returned his words with a slight nod before he turned to make his way to the elevator. The rest of the night he felt like there was an oddly natural shift in their relationship. The way she cared for him and reassured him seemed so much more than their usual platonic dynamic. It was like they crossed some sort of line without making a thing of it, and it made his heart rush just thinking about it. Though, he decided to not think about it. Instead, he tried to focus on the change they were set to endure that next day.

- - - -

Jay woke the next morning in the comfort and familiarity of his bed. The night before, the movers brought the last of his things into his place, and he felt relieved to not have to sleep on the floor once again. After taking a shower, he stood in his bedroom in nothing but a t-shirt and boxers, staring down at the suit he had laid out for the day. It was a tangible symbol of his new life, and it made him nervous. He only ever had to wear a suit for two things: funerals and court, and those never came with good memories. He finally psyched himself up enough to put it on, looking in the mirror as he adjusted the tie around his neck. He took a breath, briefly staring back at his own reflection in the mirror before moving to his bedroom and pulling his gun from a safe in the closet. He secured it in the holster on his belt before pulling on his jacket, buttoning the top two buttons to conceal it from view.

He met Hailey outside of the building. They first had to get their photos taken for their identification and badges before making their way up to the new unit. He immediately recognized how nice everything was, even just the equipment they used to make their IDs was far more advanced than anything he’d ever seen. As soon as they handed the badge to him and he placed it on his hip, everything settled in. This was his new life. His new job. The nerves kicked in as they made their way up to their floor. He fidgeted in the elevator, pulling at the sleeves of his coat and adjusting his tie every few seconds. Hailey clocked his jumpiness from the corner of her eye.

“Dude, you need to relax,” she told him with a chuckle, placing a hand briefly on his shoulder.

“I know, I know,” he all but whispered.

He was feeling very out of his element. First days can be nerve wrecking in general, but this seemed new and unfamiliar to him. His transition from Organized Crime to Intelligence felt natural. There was a comfort about the ruggedness of Intelligence that put him at ease on his first day; it made him feel like he fit in. This though? Suits, million dollar tech, fancy buildings, it all seemed so far out of his league and he was having trouble calming his nerves.

There was a brief silence before he blurted out, “I just really hate suits,” he admitted, putting his energy into the discomfort he was feeling about the attire.

“Eh, I do too, but you get used to it. Just, relax though. You’re going to be great, they’re going to be great. It’ll be fine… You look great by the way,” she reassured him with her dimpled grin. He flashed an unconvincing smile at her and took a deep breath just as the elevator doors opened.

Organized chaos is how he would have described the room before him. Everyone in the room was busily distracted by something. It seemed to be a meticulous operation, but it was a much larger scale than what he was used to in Intelligence.

“Hailey Upton!” An excited voice called out as they exited the elevator.

“OA? The hell are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be a few floors down?” She asked as Jay watched a stranger grab her in a hug. He was tall, so tall in fact that he made Hailey look miniature.

“Yeah, I heard you started today so I thought I’d come say hello,” he said as his eyes met Jay’s over Hailey’s shoulder. As they pulled away from the embrace, Hailey turned to gesture towards an awkward smiling Jay.

“OA, I’d like to introduce you to my partner, Jay.”

“So you’re the illustrious Jay. Hailey told me a lot about you, specifically that you were a Ranger. I was a Captain, two tours in Iraq,” OA said, reaching a hand out to shake Jay’s.

“No way, I did two in Afghanistan. 75th Regiment, 3rd Battalion,” he said, shaking his hand back firmly. “Hailey told me a lot about you as well by the way. Thanks for looking out for her all those weeks,” he continued.

“Yeah, well I think you got it backwards, it was her who was looking out for me,” he said sending a smile Hailey’s way.

“Yeah, he’s alright… for a fed,” she said with a shrug and a mischievous grin.

“What do you mean? You know you’re a fed now too, right?” he laughed back.

“Shhh don’t tell anyone,” she replied jokingly.

“Secret’s safe with me, but I have a feeling they’ll find out eventually,” he said waving a finger at the busy room around them. “Anyway, it was good seeing you Chicago, but I gotta head back to JOC. Catch ya later?” OA said backing away towards the elevator.

“Yeah, for sure,” she responded.

“Hey man, nice meeting you!” Jay called out.

“Yeah, you too!” OA replied as he climbed into the elevator.

Jay felt more at ease by the interaction. Seeing how comfortable Hailey was in this environment and how well she got on with OA lowered his nerves a bit. He figured if everyone with the bureau was like him, adjusting may be easier than he thought. He followed Hailey as she made her way over to a group of people gathered by a large screen. When they were close enough, Hailey cleared her throat catching the attention of them all, heads spinning around to look at the two of them.

“Detective… or should I say Special Agent Upton, great to see you again. Welcome,” one of them said, extending a hand out to shake hers.

“Agent Reynolds, likewise. This is Jay Halstead,” she said with a nod towards Jay.

“Jay Halstead, it’s nice to officially meet you, I’m Drake Reynolds, Assistant Special Agent in Charge. Welcome to the FBI,” he said, reaching his hand out to meet Jay’s. “Everyone on the team just calls me Drake by the way,” he said, darting his eyes back to Hailey to correct her.

“Nice to meet you as well, sir,” Jay replied.  

“Right. Now, normally we’d do a more official welcome, you know get to meet everyone and everything, but we just had a really urgent case come in so I’m going to have you two jump right in if that’s okay,” Drake told them. They nodded as he made his way to the front of the room to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay, everyone we caught a live one this morning. Subject is Eli Sarkova, Latvian national who has been on many federal agencies’ radars for a while now. Sarkova is said to run one of the major trafficking rings out of Eastern Europe with strong ties right here in New York. NYPD picked up one of his connections, Andris Ozola, last night. They called us and now he is sitting in our interrogation room where one of our agents was able to pull out intel that Sarkova is right here in Manhattan for the first time in months. Ozola didn’t have a direct location, but we do know where his driver is expected to be at 11 am today, so we’re sending a team to go pick him up. Driver’s name is Edgars Berlina, white male, 6’2”, 185 pounds, bald, with ironically, a tattoo of angel wings on his neck. Berlina and any crew he’s with are most definitely going to be armed and dangerous. Memorize his picture, he’s going to be in a public area so we need to play this one right,” Drake said as he addressed the whole room.

“Bennett and Burrows, I want you two riding with Halstead and Upton today. Show them the ropes and answer any questions they may have about the field,” he told two agents to his right. They nodded in agreement, flashing warm smiles to the partners before Drake left the four of them standing there.

“Agent Daisy Bennett,” the female agent said extending her hand out to each of them. “And this is Walker Burrows,” she said, gesturing to the male agent by her side. Jay picked up on a lingering look Agent Burrows gave Hailey as he shook her hand. He frowned at this slightly as Hailey introduced herself.

“Hailey Upton, good to meet you both.”

“Jay Halstead,” he said shortly, continuing a stern stare at the man in front of him whose gaze continued to remain on Hailey.

“Follow us to the garage. The gear is already in the car, so we can get suited up out there,” Daisy said, turning to walk down the hall to the elevators.

“So you’re both from Chicago. Detectives, right?” Walker questioned, pressing the button for the garage.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Jay replied, carrying his gaze straight ahead of him. “I gotta say, it’s already a culture shock. I’m not used to having intel handed to us like this. Usually we’re digging for this stuff ourselves,” Jay admitted, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah, I’m sure as hell glad we don’t have to worry about that. We get to do the actual important stuff like actually taking down the targets,” Walker replied. Jay shot Hailey a cross look, one that she returned, but he decided to keep his mouth shut, not wanting to challenge the man already in the first 5 minutes of meeting him. Maybe it was because he was used to doing the intel work himself, but Jay saw the value in all of it. Hearing the man so easily disregard other positions in the unit already didn’t sit right with him, but he shook it off for the sake of starting off on the right foot.

When they arrived at the car, Daisy opened the tailgate, pulling out 2 containers of gear.

“I’m not sure how you guys rolled in Chicago, but we have these in-ear coms. They’re fully open channels so you can communicate with any and all of us at all times. Mic button falls near your collar, so keep that in mind,” she said, handing them each ear pieces to put in their ears. “Bureau issued vests. Level IIIA body armor. It’s supposed to protect you even up to point blank range, but will leave a pretty nasty bruise,” she told them as she handed them each a vest. As they took their jackets off to put them on, Hailey looked over at Jay with a cheeky grin.

“Just because it’s good armor, doesn’t mean you need to go testing it out, okay?” She joked as she pulled it over her head, securing the velcro straps on the sides.

“Ha Ha,” he mocked back at her.

“Get shot a lot do you?” Daisy asked as she pulled her hair up in a ponytail.

“Bullet magnet, this man,” Hailey joked, eliciting a laugh from each of them.

Walker drove them to the target location, Daisy riding in the front and Hailey and Jay in the back. Jay didn’t like not being in the front, in control of the car, but he went with it, recognizing it as a temporary thing until they got settled in. When they rolled up, they exited the car, concealing their badges, vests, and weapons as to not be identified as law enforcement before they could get eyes on the target.

“Looks like there’s two entrances to the park. I say you guys take the north end and we’ll take the south. If he’s anywhere-“ Jay began, taking point on tactics as he was so used to doing in Intelligence, but Daisy cut him off.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but you guys are supposed to be following our lead today. I think each of us need to be partnered with you both. So, Walker you go with Hailey to the south end. Jay, you and I will take the north,” she instructed. It made Jay slightly uneasy to be split from Hailey, but he went along with it, acknowledging his unfamiliar role that came from being the new guy. Hailey sent him a reassuring look, silently communicating that everything would be fine. He nodded before they all departed ways.

“Dean, Fisher, your teams in place?” Daisy asked the other team leaders through the coms.

They each confirmed as Jay walked side by side with her down the path in the park. They settled on a bench, giving them a view of the center and north entrance of the park.

“We’re in place, all clear on the north end,” Jay said into the coms, his eyes surveying his surroundings as he put an arm on the back of the bench.

They sat in the park for a while. Eventually, one of the other agents saw the target pull up. They were able to bring him in without any problems. He was alone when they brought him in, which they all found odd. He was also very silent throughout every interaction, something they took as years of keeping his mouth shut with his boss. When they got him in the interrogation room, Drake sent Jay and Hailey in together to get a read on their capabilities. While Hailey pulled the “we’re here to help you, but only if you talk” method, Jay took a more silent approach. He remained in the seat staring at the man as Hailey paced the floor of the interrogation room trying to convince him to talk. After 20 minutes of silence, Hailey sat down next to Jay, looking down at the table, her arms crossed as the man kept a cold stare at her.

“Tell me Berlina, why’d Sarkova send you into that park alone this morning?” Jay finally asked, leaning forward and clasping his hands together on the table. The man said nothing, shifting his stare from Hailey to Jay.

“I mean, you’re just his driver after all. Anybody can drive a car, you’re pretty replaceable. But still, you’d think years of working for the man would earn you something, right? Some sort of protection,” Still the man remained silent. Jay shrugged before continuing on. “I don’t know. He’s probably already got you replaced anyway. We found out some pretty interesting things about you from Interpol. A couple of outstanding warrants in Latvia… even a few in Estonia. You get around, don’t you? Anyway, your plane leaves this afternoon. Hopefully that gives you enough time to get out of here before Sarkova has a chance to tie up loose ends,” Jay finished, rising in his chair to exit the room. Hailey followed, and just as they were about to exit, the man called them back.

He ended up giving them the location of a brownstone in a wealthier neighborhood. They set out with the FBI tactical team, expecting heavy arms and numerous bodyguards according to what Berlina gave them. They had planned to infiltrate late in the night to provide themselves with an extra element of surprise. This was the one part of the job that Jay felt sure about. As he geared up, he felt pumped up for the first time that day. Knowing that his interrogation gave them the location added a little motivation as well. Still partnered with Daisy, she and Jay followed after the two tact team guys upon breaching the front door. Walker and Hailey were behind them, making their way to the other side of the house upon entry. One of the tact team guys came in contact with an offender first, convincing him to stand down and taking his weapon before cuffing him. Jay and Daisy continued into the house, sweeping each room one by one. They came into contact with a second offender, and they were able to convince him to stand down as well. Next thing they knew, there was a ruckus on the other side of the house, so they swiftly picked up their pace, making their way in that direction. There was a gunshot and panic overcame Jay as he realized it was in the part of the house Hailey was clearing.

“Hailey!” He called out. No response. He called her name once more before entering a large room. He caught sight of her blonde hair on the ground. His heart dropped, but she turned over as he got closer, clutching at her jaw. Walker was behind her, standing over Sarkova who was face down on the ground.

“Hailey! What the hell happened, are you okay?” Jay questioned, making his way over to her and instinctively grabbing at her chin to get a better look at the red mark on her jaw.

“Guy was hiding behind the door when I walked in. He tried to grab at my gun and forced me to fire a round into the wall. He also got me nice in the jaw before I could react,” she told him, stretching her jaw. Jay offered her a hand and she grabbed it to come to a standing position.

“She took the hell out of him though. Girl’s a badass,” Walker said, bringing Sarkova to his feet and guiding him to a tact guy by the door.

“Yeah, where the hell were you? Huh?” Jay asked, a slight snarky tone in his voice.

“Hey man, I was right behind her. I had her back,” Walker said back, closing the distance between him and Jay. Jay didn’t take well to people getting in his face. Hailey noticed this and stood between them, lightly pushing them apart.

“Woah, okay boys. We’re all good here,” she said, her eyes looking between the two of them.

Jay backed off, looking down at her with a worried look.

“Are you okay?” he asked her quietly, dropping his voice to a sincere tone.

“I’m good,” she nodded, patting him slightly on the chest.

“I should’ve had your back,” he said, his jaw clenched tightly.

“Jay, I’m fine. Relax, would you?” she told him, a slight frustration in her voice.

Jay didn’t like that she had gotten hurt and he wasn’t there to protect her. It wasn’t that she was hurt badly, but he didn’t like the idea of someone else, basically a stranger, being the one to watch her back in such a high risk situation. His opinion of Walker wasn’t all that great after his comment that morning, and it certainly wasn’t improving now that she had gotten hurt under his watch. One thing he was sure of was that he was glad their separation was only a temporary thing.

[makaylajadewrites]

Almost Heaven

Summary: “You’re a very fascinating man, Spencer,” Hotch said simply in response, a suggestive message going unsaid. Reid frowned a bit, looking down to see that his wine was already more than halfway gone. When did that happen?…

This wasn’t mindless sex. This was love, existing between the two of them at degrees unquantifiable by mere human tools. It was perfect, and Spencer tried to imagine the rest of his life without experiencing this moment.

Pairing: Hotch/Reid

Potential tws: Smut, unrequited love, cheating/infidelity, angst

Word count: 3727

Read on AO3 here

--

Hotch had been staring at him all day. He could feel those dark, dangerous eyes tracing the shape of his figure while his nimble fingers worked over the map, pushing in color-coordinated thumb tacks. Red for dumpsites, blue for locations of interest, and black for local hotspots. That was only relevant because their four victims all happened to be teens and young adults, so by determining where they spent most of their time, they might be able to determine the common denominator between each victim.

But he couldn’t concentrate with Hotch’s constant and unwavering gaze. It was enough to make Reid somewhat uncomfortable, and the squeak of weight lifting off of a chair was enough to send a shiver up his spine. He didn’t look back, trying to keep his attention on the map in front of him when Hotch came to stand directly beside him. The lack of space between them was anxiety fueling for Reid, and he slowly turned his head to acknowledge his superior with a quirked brow, though the way his bottom lip caught between his teeth didn’t go unnoticed.

Hotch eyed him with an intense, yet oddly expressive look, and it sent a shiver directly down his spine. “Sir?…” he questioned, his voice cracking from his nerves. They had both been making predictions and voicing theories, and the sudden change from Hotch was a little disconcerting for Reid. He didn’t let it show though, save for the apparent confusion on his face which Hotch barely even paid attention to.

“I have a proposition for you, Spencer,” he said out of the blue, and Reid jerked his head upwards in surprise towards his unit chief, the mere two inch height difference now seeming bigger than ever. He felt small, insignificant beside his superior, but the eye contact between them never wavered.

“A proposition?” he parroted, feeling his heart racing in his chest now, faster than ever before.

“Yes,” Hotch confirmed, his voice low, enough to make Reid aware that he was being quiet on purpose. “After this case… We should blow off some steam together. Maybe some drinks at my place,” he suggested, and Reid swore his eyes had bulged out of his head from the shock of the statement, and a familiar tingling built up in his stomach.

“Wh-Wha-Sir, th-that’s… we can’t—“ Reid’s incessant rambling was cut off by a finger pressing to his lips, and Hotch acknowledged him with a strangely humored quirk of his lips and rise of his brows. Spencer felt his cheeks burn, and the blush on his face and neck was prominent. “Reid, if we aren’t at work, we can be friends. You’re friends with Morgan and JJ right?”

“And Penelope and Emily…” he hummed in embarrassment, and the chuckle that rumbled above him was uncharacteristic enough for Spencer’s eyes to fly upwards again.

“Exactly my point. Relax, it’s not worth stressing over. You can always say no, of course,” Hotch reminded gently, his hand gently coming up to cup the curve of Reid’s elbow, and Spencer couldn’t help the instinctive flinch at the unexpected contact, but Hotch’s hand didn’t move and he felt an odd sense of calm from its stabilizing hold. He nodded and swallowed nervously, forcing a smile on his lips since it was very difficult to tell a man like Hotch no.

That lingered on his mind all day, and Reid found himself both nervous and excited at the prospect of spending time with a man like Hotch.

~

Spencer had known he was abnormal for a long time. Ever since he was a kid, really, since he had never been able to fit in with the others. But that probably had something to do with the age gap between him and his peers, because while Spencer was barely on the cusp of puberty, the teens in his graduating class were nearly full grown adults. They had explored their sexuality, grown into themselves and expanded on their ability to network with others. But Spencer? Spencer was still just a child; he had no idea who he was yet, despite the fact that he could solve the most complicated of equations within a matter of seconds. He was inexperienced even now at the age of twenty-four. He had never kissed anyone before, not a man or a woman.

Aaron was definitely handsome to Spencer, even if he was ten years his senior and, most importantly, married with a baby. But growing up the way he had, he was more accustomed to spending time with people who were older than him, which probably explained why he found older people more attractive. They were mature, grown up, and much more responsible than young adults like himself. Even he was an old soul, preferring a good book and a cup of coffee over blinding club lights and sickly sweet alcohol.

Spencer, despite his participation in sexual activities, liked to identify himself as bisexual. The older he got though, he realized he had a lean towards men over women. Women were pretty, men were handsome, but something about being with a man seemed more appealing to him. A lot of women were attracted to the typical alpha male, and Spencer was honestly no different. He found Derek attractive for one, but they were better off as brothers than lovers. Besides, Derek was as straight as they came, and he couldn’t possibly hold any interest in men, least of all Spencer Reid. But Aaron? Aaron Hotchner was on a whole other level. Even if he was married.

That was probably why Spencer had been able to convince himself that spending time with Aaron might not be so bad. He sat in his car, parked across the street from the Hotchner house while scrubbing his sweaty palms over his dress pants. He still had on his clothes from work that day, although his sweater vest and tie were absent and currently on his bedroom floor. His coat was wrapped around himself, his thick glasses perched on his nose. He was biting his lip, gnawing the sensitive flesh between his teeth while staring at the lighted porch, noticing that only one car was in the driveway - Hotch’s car. This was beginning to look more and more like a suggestive escapade, and he was growing anxious.

He needed to get himself together.

This was just two friends hanging out after work, having a few drinks, doing guy things.

That was all it could be. Hotch wouldn’t cheat on his wife and Reid would never let it get that far.

With a deep breath, Reid got out of his car and stepped foot on the porch, his trembling hand wrapping against the mahogany. God, he was nervous, more nervous than he should have been, and he was afraid of embarrassing himself in front of Hotch, a man he found both attractive and admired deeply. This was a terrible idea, but he didn’t have the chance to back out, because soon, the door opened and there stood Aaron, as casual as could be, wearing a pair of jeans and a dark, v neck tee shirt.

Spencer felt like a fool, more than he ever had in his entire life. He was so insignificant compared to Hotch, even now, outside of work hours. Hotch was a handsome man, married with a kid, he owned a house all his own, a nice car, and still, he could look at Spencer and make him feel things he had never felt before. It frightened him a bit, and it made him somewhat worried about what was to come. He paled in comparison to Hotch, and Reid was definitely feeling that now, dressed like he was while Hotch was as comfortable as could be in normal out-of-the-office attire. He should have just left when he had the chance, just drove away and gone back home where he felt safe in his little bubble with a book and—

“Come inside,” Hotch said as friendly as could be, the ghost of a smile touching his lips. Reid’s lashes fluttered in slight apprehension, but he entered the house and stood awkwardly in the foyer while Hotch closed the door behind him. “I have bourbon and wine. The wine is Hailey’s, but she won’t mind,” he said dismissively, and Reid watched incredulously as Hotch strode across his living room in the direction of the kitchen as if this were the slightest bit normal.

“I-I can do a glass of wine…” he settled eventually, Hotch’s inquisitive stare meeting him from the kitchen.

“Good. Make yourself comfortable,” Aaron said calmly, and even though his nerves were on high alert, Spencer did just that. He slipped his coat off before sitting on the couch, holding it awkwardly in his lap while he waited tensely for Aaron to return. Alcohol was definitely sounding better and better. He needed something to help him relax anyway. Aaron eventually came back, carrying two glasses; wine and bourbon. Spencer took the wine glass hesitantly, and the second their fingers brushed together he felt a spark shoot up his arm, but he knew it had to only be him since Aaron didn’t react at all.

“I’m surprised you came,” Hotch said, sitting beside him on the couch, angled towards him with one of his legs crossed over the other. He regarded Spencer with an expression that was not unkind. In fact, it lingered somewhere near fondness and warmth. Spencer took a sip of the wine, hoping that one drink alone would settle his nerves some.

“Me too, actually,” he murmured rather embarrassedly, and Hotch let another rare smile form on his lips. Spencer smiled back shyly, reaching a hand up to push his bangs back, even though they seemed quite fixed, over his forehead.

“I’m glad you did though,” Hotch countered, and Spencer gulped down another drink before even bothering to think of a response.

“Why?” he questioned then, turning his upper body to face Aaron, his brows raised a bit since he genuinely was curious as to why Hotch would want to spend time with him of all people. It seemed to him like Hotch would have a much more enjoyable time with someone like Gideon, but for some reason, he was interested in Spencer. He didn’t quite understand it, and regardless of Hotch’s response, he doubted he ever really would.

“Do I have to explain my every motive to you?” Hotch said almost teasingly, and Spencer was realizing how much he liked to see him smile. He looked down and shrugged a bit, a smile lingering on his own face.

“I guess not. I just never would have imagined you would willingly want to spend time with me. Not many people do,” Spencer explained briefly, as deprecating as it was. But it was the truth, and Hotch must realize how odd it was for him to spend time with the young doctor outside of work.

“You’re a very fascinating man, Spencer,” Hotch said simply in response, a suggestive message going unsaid. Reid frowned a bit, looking down to see that his wine was already more than halfway gone. When did that happen?…

“Am I?” He asked, his voice a bit quieter. He looked up towards Hotch again through his dark lashes, and Hotch’s hand slowly came over to rest on his thigh. And the worst part was that it wasn’t unwelcome either.

“You are,” Hotch clarified, his own voice dropping as that hand slowly slid up and up and up to the juncture of his hip and thigh, and then back down to his knee where it squeezed just slightly. Reid’s eyes followed the movement very closely, his tongue flicking out over his lips. He downed the rest of his wine, and Hotch’s hand gently took the glass from him, setting it aside in favor of touching Reid again.

“We shouldn’t, Hotch,” he said, finding his voice eventually even if it was nearly a whisper. His hand came over top of Hotch’s on his leg, but Hotch didn’t waver at all. “What about Hailey?”

“What about her?” Hotch murmured, and the young doctor gasped in surprise as Aaron’s lips attached to his neck, suckling gently and trailing kisses up to the curve of his jaw, nearing his chin.

“She’s your wife,” Spencer reminded through quiet hums, and Hotch’s hot breath exhaled over his collarbones as he sighed.

“Forget about her,” Aaron murmured, rising his head up and cupping Spencer’s cheek with a warm palm. “Only think about me.”

The second their lips connected, Spencer felt all previous apprehension and hesitance leave his body. He was caught up in a whirlwind of desire and Aaron Hotchner, and although it scared him, he couldn’t back out now. This was happening, and Spencer was enjoying it far too much to even think of pulling away now. Hotch’s lips were warm against his own, and despite his own inexperience, he was guided through his first kiss very carefully and slowly, and he never knew that it could be that nice. “Come here,” he heard in a whisper, and Spencer instantly slid closer, Aaron’s hands leading him gently on top of him. Spencer’s legs straddled Aaron’s lap, and he looked down from his newly elevated position at Aaron’s face. Aaron looked more pleased than ever, his dark eyes locked onto his face while his hands found purchase over his bony hips.

A hand rose to his chin, gripping it gently and bringing him down so that their lips could meet once more. It was brief at first, just a gentle pressure, but soon it turned into something much more. Reid shuffled above Hotch as they kissed, and he moaned into the other man’s mouth as their hips slotted together, their arousals evident to one another. Hotch pulled back slowly, not saying a word as a hand danced down the column of buttons on his shirt, and one by one, they were undone and his chest was bared. Spencer shivered at the warm hands that touched his cool skin, and he felt more alive than he had in a long, long time. A muted moan burned in his throat as fingers flicked over his nipples and pinched the sensitive buds, and Aaron rumbled in laughter beneath him. “Sensitive, hm?” He murmured teasingly, and the younger man bit his lip, nodding his head frantically.

“A-A little…” Spencer confessed embarrassedly, his hands gripping onto Hotch’s shoulders. Hotch didn’t respond immediately, running his fingers over every inch of his torso before stopping suddenly. A hand came to his neck, the thumb brushing over his jaw.

“Bedroom?” He suggested, and despite the moral contradiction raging on inside of Spencer’s head, he nodded his head.

It felt wrong, to be laying half naked in Hotch’s bed where he slept with his wife. But his mind was taken elsewhere as a hand swiftly undid his pants and slipped inside to pay attention to the heat built up in his groin. Spencer moaned as that hand cupped his arousal, and he gazed up at Hotch, pupils blown wide with lust and kiss-swollen lips parted erotically. Hotch must have liked what he saw, because he loomed over him and bowed his head for their lips to meet once more, his hand fondling his cock through the wet fabric of his boxers.

“Oh god,” Spencer heard himself breathe, the friction of his boxers over the head of his erection enough to send him over the edge. He whimpered, evidence of his climax now coating the inside of his boxers. His face glowed red in embarrassment, but Hotch didn’t view him with any negative judgement. Instead, he smiled and slipped his hand out of his pants, stroking down his side and letting his fingers dip into every indent of his ribcage. Spencer panted quietly, looking away to hide his shame.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“Don’t apologize,” Hotch said without missing a beat, licking his lips, “You are gorgeous, Spencer.”

Spencer’s eyes widened a bit, and he grasped onto the front of Hotch’s shirt to drag him upwards, craving his attention once more. He had yet to initiate a kiss on his own, but he did this time, and while it was a bit sloppy, it was still passionate. Hotch didn’t seem to mind either, moving to take off Reid’s pants and soiled underwear. He pushed them over the edge of the bed before returning his focus to Spencer’s now bare body. They both moved back from the kiss, and the young doctor pouted a bit beneath Aaron, his lanky legs spreading almost on instinct while his arms dropped to rest over his head. “I don’t like being the only one naked,” he hummed, and Aaron chuckled, leaning in to kiss his cheek almost affectionately.

“I guess we’ll have to change that then,” he mumbled, sitting up on his knees between Spencer’s thighs and slipped his shirt off over his head, his toned abdomen making Spencer feel so small yet again. Hotch’s pants and underwear soon followed, and Spencer bashfully looked over Aaron’s body, his own insignificance shining through to him, although he didn’t bother to voice it. It was too humiliating, and he was just glad that Aaron didn’t seem to think of him that way.

“It’s never too late to say no, Reid,” Hotch reminded him gently but sternly, running a hand up his leg, from his calf to his thigh, and letting it rest there steadily.

“I don’t want to say no,” Spencer admitted, and that was enough for Hotch. He reached over into the bedside table, withdrawing a gold-packaged condom and a bottle of lube. Hotch wasted no time in squirting the lube over his fingers, smirking slightly at Reid as they slipped between his legs. A digit circled his puckered entrance and Spencer gasped at the sensation, looking up at Hotch nervously. Hotch didn’t say anything, but he made sure to maintain eye contact between the two of them. Spencer realized then that this was so much more than a measly one-night stand. This was genuine affection, and Hotch’s gentleness and concern for his wellbeing made him aware of that. That didn’t mean this was any less wrong.

A finger slipped in slowly, twirling against his tight walls in hopes of helping him relax. Spencer took a deep, shaky breath, exhaling slowly to aid that process, and soon, one finger turned into two. Aaron’s other hand had raised to his cock by then, pumping him slowly while his fingers scissored open his hole. Spencer was not a quiet man in bed, he had learned. He was very vocal, very responsive, and that seemed to egg Hotch on more.

A third finger breached his entrance soon thereafter, a breathless moan passing Reid’s lips. Hotch brought one of his legs over his shoulder, pressing kisses to the side of his kneecap while his fingers slid in and out of his ass with audible wet noises. Before Reid could slip over the edge again, Hotch’s hand stilled and he withdrew his fingers, his tight body barely letting them go. Hotch leaned down to press their lips together once more, their foreheads knocking together gently. “Are you ready?” Aaron asked in a whisper, and Spencer quickly bobbed his head yes without even considering the consequences. Aaron made him feel real, and he never wanted that to go away.

It was more painful than Spencer had remembered. His body fell apart in Aaron’s hands, his walls stretching around the other man’s cock as he bottomed out within him. Spencer was already a panting mess, their eyes never straying from one another.

“God, you’re beautiful,” Hotch breathed against his lips, giving Spencer all the time in the world to adjust the intrusion. Spencer had no idea sex could be this good, but Aaron’s constant praises probably had something to do with his new realization. They lazily kissed each other while giving the pain time to subside, and when it did, Spencer’s hand came up to Hotch’s face. The older man instantly moved to press his face further into his palm.

“Move,” Spencer breathed, and Hotch’s hips instantly began to rock back and forth at a slow, steady rhythm, his cock slipping in and out of his body with little resistance. This wasn’t mindless sex. This was love, existing between the two of them at degrees unquantifiable by mere human tools. It was perfect, and Spencer tried to imagine the rest of his life without experiencing this moment. His lips parted, moans slipping from him effortlessly as Aaron picked up the pace, moving much quicker than before and essentially turning Spencer’s brain to mush. This was almost heaven, and even though he was being fucked by a married man, he wouldn’t have it any other way, because this was close as he could get to heaven.

“Aaron… Touch me Aaron,” he begged in between his cries of pleasure, his voice reaching octaves unheard before. Aaron’s hand wrapped around his weeping cock once more, and that was pretty much the breaking point. Less than two minutes later, he was coming hard, sobbing out loud as his release spurted over Aaron’s fingers and onto his own belly. Hotch continued his own movements, gradually growing sporadic while his own grunts and groans grew in volume. Soon, he reached his own climax, milking himself in Spencer’s tightened passage for several thrusts. He pressed kisses across Spencer’s face, their lips meeting on several occasions until he rode out his orgasm, slipping out unceremoniously. He rolled the condom off of his softening cock, reaching over for a few tissues to clean up his younger partner.

He laid down after and gathered the younger man in his arms, a hand rubbing up and down his back. “Good… That was really good,” the older man murmured lowly into his hair, now damp with sweat. Spencer was faced with the realization of his actions, his eyes wide and watery, the emotions coming in shockwaves. Despite this, he huddled further into Hotch’s chest, the older man falling asleep shortly after. The overwhelming feelings of guilt and despair manifested in his very being, tightening his throat and collapsing his lungs until he was caught in a silent fit of sobs besides his temporary lover’s sleeping form.

This wouldn’t last.

It wouldn’t be forever, but perhaps it was never meant to be.

[detectiveinchicago]

Booth is back

Fandom: Chicago P.D

Pairing: UPSTEAD (Jay Halstead x Hailey Upton)

Requested by: @pagingmontgomery “could you write a hailey and jay drabble where hailey gets attacked, maybe by booth? your writing is amazing!”

Hey girl! I know you asked for a drabble but I had enough inspiration por a one shot. Tell me what you think.

Warnings: Violence, physical abuse. Bad language. Booth warning. Medical stuff might not be accurate.

Word Count: 1.819

Hailey and Jay had been hanging around each other for some time now. They were still partners and had tried to remain friends until they couldn’t do it anymore. They had been dating for almost three months, keeping him low-key in the District until they could see if they could really maintain the relationship to fill out the Human Resources forms and open up with Voight.

Honestly, Jay could say that he had been in a state of absolute happiness, knowing that at Molly’s he could smile at him, and then a few hours later he could make love to her in the bed. He had to admit that he had already been fantasizing about a relationship with Hailey, but those three months had been better than he had expected. The way they moved around each other was natural, everything just seemed to fit. They still had “their thing” where they comforted each other after a rough case.

His relationship with Hailey had nothing to do with the previous ones, Ally had been his first girlfriend, she was pure of heart but it was a teenage love, then there was Abby who had been his wife and a connection. Erin had been the complete opposite of Hailey, Hailey waited for him to tell her what was happening and although she pushed him, she did not push him to the limit like Erin. She understood that each one had their secrets. Then he had thought he had been in love with Camila, but after some time he had realized that no, that he had never been in love with her, he simply felt guilty for Luis’s death.

That night Jay had returned home after watching the game at Hailey’s place. The next day he had a medical check-up at Chicago Med first thing in the morning and his house was halfway to the hospital. However, when he was halfway home, he realized that Hailey had left her phone on the passenger seat, so he turned around to return it to him.

When he approached the entrance of Hailey’s house he saw that the door was half-open, something was wrong, Jay took out his gun and entered the house. He could hear noises of things exploding on the ground, they came from the floor above so he ran up the stairs without lowering his weapon. Once he was upstairs, he could identify that the sound was coming from Hailey’s room. The door was open and when he leaned out; he wished he hadn’t.

Ronald Booth was behind Hailey, trying to choke her while his girlfriend was trying to break free of his grip. They were fighting, so Jay had to risk it and take the shot; he raised his gun and shot the intruder in the head. Booth fell back and released his hold on Hailey, Jay reached over and took his pulse. He was dead.

Jay turned to see his girlfriend “Are you okay?” he asked approaching her, taking her face in his hands and checking her black eye.

“I’m fine” Hailey replied with a raspy voice.

She wasn’t okay, Jay could tell because her pajamas that consisted on an old Black hawks T-shirt and shorts were ripped. When he looked at his girlfriend’s leg he was horrified.

“Hailey, I’ve stabbed you” Jay said with horror in his voice “I need to call this in”

“My radio is on the kitchen table” She replied, shifting on the floor. Jay trotted down the stairs and grabbed Hailey’s radio to call an ambulance and patrol. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Voight too.

“What? Halstead it’s 3AM so I hope it’s important” Voight heard once he picked up the phone.

“Come to Hailey’s house, Sergeant, now” Jay informed him before cutting off the communication.

Voight would surely be mad at him for getting him out of bed at that hour but once he got to Hailey’s house he would understand; he went back upstairs. Hailey had moved to support her back on the bed.

“How are you?” Jay asked, taking a towel from the bathroom and walking over to her. The knife was still on Hailey’s leg, so she wrapped the towel around it.

“I thought it was your Jay, that you had changed your mind and decided to stay here” Hailey explained hoarsely “I should have asked to confirm, when I realized it was he was already in here”

“It’s okay, baby” Jay said, sitting down next to him and putting an arm around her shoulders.

“No one told me he was released from prison” Hailey added as Jay kept pressing on the wound “He kicked my ass”

“It’s not your fault Hailey” Jay replied giving her a kiss on the top “I love you” he added while listening to the sirens nearby.

Hailey was half awake, half asleep because of blood loss, so he looked at the damage that Booth had done to his girlfriend. Surely he was lucky to be dead because Jay wanted to kill him with his own hands. Hailey not only had a black eye but her arm and mouth were bleeding and he was sure that her wrist was not in a normal position, besides that he had swelled from hell. He’d blurted it out once and the son of a bitch hadn’t been lucky the second.

She yelled at the paramedics when they arrived and once she laid Hailey in their hands; she went down the stairs two at a time, only to find Voight getting out of his truck.

“What’s all this, Halstead?” Voight asked with a frown.

“Booth got out of prison, they released him or escaped I don’t know but I left Hailey and came back because she had left her cell phone in my car but when I came back I saw the front door open so I went in and Booth was trying to drown Hailey so I shot him “Jay explained quickly” He kicked her ass sergeant “he added.

“Well, I can’t say that son of a bitch didn’t deserve it” Voight muttered, “How’s Hailey doing?”

“She has a knife in her leg and several injuries,” Jay briefly reported as the ambulancemen pulled out with the stretcher carrying Hailey.

“I’ll call the team to help me here, you go with her to the hospital and we’ll see you there” Voight ordered him walking into the house.

“Before you get mad, let me say that Hailey and I have been dating for three months, everything is very recent and we wanted to see if it worked before we told someone” Jay confessed to his sergeant that he just turned around and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Halstead, I know” his Sergeant replied “I have been a police officer for over 40 years and a detective for over 30, you can’t cheat me, but I want your Human Resources forms on my desk as soon as possible”

“Yes, Sergeant” Jay replied, getting into the back of the ambulance.

The road to Chicago Med was slow and painful, Jay was sure that time had stopped as he watched the paramedic put oxygen on Hailey as she slipped in and out of unconsciousness. Upon arriving at Chicago Med, he saw his brother hurry to the ambulance.

“Jay?” he asked confused

“Long story, it’s Hailey” he informed her, getting out of the ambulance and out of the way of the stretcher.

The doctors started screaming, and Hailey quickly disappeared from sight. Jay couldn’t do anything but sit in the waiting room and see if his brother would show up soon with news. Half an hour later his brother appeared, only to inform him that Hailey was rushed to surgery with Dr. Marcel to see how the injury in the leg could come out having no long-term consequences and to see that the ribs that had been broken did not penetrate any organ. His brother sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder for comfort. Jay briefly told him the story before his brother went back inside.

I was impatient. He had to admit it, it would be weird if he wasn’t and he was furious maybe if Booth had stayed he wouldn’t have assaulted Hailey and then realized that it was useless, Booth would have found some way to get into the house anyway of Hailey or to approach her. That son of a bitch deserved to be dead.

The team sent him messages asking if he had any news of Hailey. They were still at the crime scene finishing the paperwork. Surprisingly for Jay, the surgery was short because an hour and a half later Dr. Marcel came to inform him that Hailey had come out of surgery and that they had repaired the wound, it would take around two months, she would have to do a strong rehabilitation for the pain and mobility but that she would be fine. His Hailey was going to be fine.

“Can I see her?” asked Jay

“Yes, she’s sedated, but she’s awake” Dr. Marcel replied guiding him to Hailey’s room, Jay sat in the chair next to her bed while Hailey gave him a small smile.

“Hey”

“Hey” Jay replied, “How do you feel?”

“As I got hit by a truck” Hailey answered taking Jay’s hand

“Yes” Jay replied with a little laugh “I know how it feels”

“I’m sorry” he added with a little sigh

“What for?” Jay asked.

“Because of all this, I didn’t know that Booth was out of prison, I should have been more cautious” Hailey excused herself “I’m sorry”

“Babe, babe” Jay stopped her “Nothing that happened is your fault, Booth is a son of a bitch who wanted to ruin your existence, he will never touch you again, he’s dead” he added caressing her face. Hailey hated being vulnerable, she hated hospitals (not as much as Jay) and she hated Ronald Booth, hoping he was rotting away.

“Dr. Marcel told me I have a long recovery ahead of me before even talking about desk work” Hailey commented “You are going to have to find yourself a new partner”

“I’m sure Rojas will be more than happy to ride with me until you get back in action” Jay replied “I’m an excellent companion”

Hailey rolled her eyes “I must warn Rojas about how sensitive you are”.

“Me? Sensitive?” Jay asked pointing to himself “Babe hurt me”

Hailey gave a little laugh, her ribs throbbing giving her a twinge of pain but it didn’t matter. Ronald Booth was dead. She was alive and she had Jay. Everything was going to be okay.

[despressolattes]

AFTERMATH | CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR | LEGACIES

I'm switching up the point of view. I find it easier now to write this in third person, now that a lot of the plot can center and progress without it being Lilah narrating. I also prefer third person, now, as I grow as a writer. I hope that's okay with you guys.

book masterlist » book one masterlist

< previous chapter

———

Previously on Aftermath...

"I still want to backtrack to the bed things, too," Landon said, raising his hand while he spoke."

"No," Rafael and Lilah said in unison.

-

"Europe was amazing," Josie said, the twins walking into Alaric's office.

"It was chaos around here."

-

"Yesterday I came into possession of another Malivore artifact. Now monsters that shouldn't exist have been coming after it."

-

"I'm not gonna be afraid of losing you anymore, Hope," Landon told her, sitting by the fire with her. "'Cause I'm gonna be the guy who always fights to find you again."

-

"What's all that?" Lizzie asked.

"I was thinking we could spell a barrier around the urn. So the next monster shows up,, we can trap it," Hope said.

 ———————

The Maxwell Bell could be heard ringing in Mystic Falls from where the Salvatore School stood. Lilah, never the girl to sleep, was shifting through grimoires while on the phone with Josh, who was also up late.

"Davina says your mom is loving Fiji," Josh said. "It's taking her a while to get accustomed to the Modern age, but she's learning."

Lilah sighed in relief. She had been avoiding the texts and calls from that side of the family, wanting to deal with Malivore before she dealt with Mommy dearest.

"I'm glad," she said honestly. She wished she could care a little more about her mother being back, but she grew accustomed to not having Lorelle in her life.

The Salvatore school, the twins, Alaric, and everyone else, they became the people she worried about the most, besides herself and Hope. She knew she would have to deal with Lorelle eventually, but the monsters that were holding their school in what felt like a constant seige was more important. That didn't mean it didn't stress her out at night, and it certainly didn't mean she didn't think about it all the time.

Maybe it was her falling back onto hold habits, like when she pushed aside the truth of who she was from the Mikaelsons for so long. She was always too scared at the concept of family that she kept it at arms length apart, even if all she had to do to touch it was step forward.

She also felt selfish. She knew Hope would kill to have Hailey back, but instead, it was Lilah who got her mother back, and parts of her wished she hadn't. It was a constant inner battle for her, knowing her own mother was out there, but all she cared about was everyone else.

Let's just say, she blames it on her savior complex.

"Okay, I gotta go," Josh said.

"Goodnight, Joshy."

—

Lilah was awake when Hope got up. She sat right up, smiling. Lilah shot her cousin a questionable look. Hope never looked that happy in the morning.

"You good?" Lilah asked.

"Did you not sleep?" Hope asked, staring at her, then she chuckled. "My cousin, always the night owl. Come on, let's get something to eat before classes."

Lilah's eyelashes fluttered as she blinked rapidly, unsure why Hope seemed to happy-go-lucky so early in the morning. She decided to embrace it, a moment of peace sounded great in their times of constant stress. She put the grimoire down, sliding out of bed.

—

"Morning, handsome," Hope said to Landon as she and Lilah approached them. She sat down next to Landon, letting her hands fall to his curls.

They were sitting in the student lounge, Landon sitting on a couch with a pastry in his hand while Rafael was on a one-seater with a cup of coffee sitting on the round coffee table in front of them.

Hope managed to curl her hair, putting it up into a half-up pony tail, leaving the front strands to fall nicely with the shape of her face.

Lilah fake gagged, and went to sit down on the arm of the one-seater Rafael was sitting on.

"Hey," Landon said, taking another bite of his breakfast.

Hope looked at Rafael, correcting herself as she said, "Handsomes."

Rafael sent her an awkward smile before looking up at Lilah. The older Mikaelson cousin just shrugged.

"Mmm, sweet, sweet cards," Hope smiled at Landon's breakfast, taking a bite of it herself.

"Somebody's in a really good mood," Rafael commented, squinting his eyes at her.

She shrugged, and said, "Hmm, just woke up on the right side of the bed, I guess."

"For the first time ever?" Landon half-joked.

Hope giggled, which caused Lilah's face to contort with even more confusion, her eyes widening.

"You're so funny. I love that about you," Hope told Landon, knocking her side into his with the giddiest smile on her face.

The twins walked in, and Lilah couldn't help but let her vampire hearing turn on just so she could distract herself from her odd-ball cousin.

"Remember what Mom said," Lizzie told Josie. "We are airy clouds flying high above a turbulent sea of drama."

"Two clouds who are not triggered by seeing ex-boyfriends," Josie added, their gaze turning to Rafael.

Wait, how long have I been stuck in my own world? When did Lizzie and Raf get together? wondered Lilah, not looking up so it didn't seem obvious she was eavesdropping.

"Who also do not make-out with ex-girlfriends," Lizzie added. She looked down at her bracelet and said, "Thanks to mom, I have a silver lining."

"Saltzman twins 2.0," Jo smiled, linking her arm with her twin's.

They walked inside, approaching the group of four,.

"Good morning, Rafael," Lizzie said, her best fake smile on her face.

"Hi," Rafael said awkwardly. "Uh, how was your-your trip?"

"Excellent," Josie answered for the both of them. "Thank you."

Rafael nodded, his eyes shifting around the room.

"And welcome back, Landon," Josie told the curly haired boy.

"Didn't you vote me out?" asked Landon.

Lilah and Rafael both cringed at his question, an audible wince.

That's all in the past," Lizzie told Landon. "Now, is everyone as excited as I am about tonight?"

"What's happening tonight?" Landon asked Hope.

She chuckled and said, "The school's annual talent show. All the factions compete."

"You know, the witch performance wouldn't be the same without you two," Lilah told the twins, wondering if the talent show was all they wanted to talk about, and if they would leave once she complimented Lizzie.

"Thank you," Josie said.

There was some musical chime, and Alaric's voice sounding through the campus via the intercom system.

"If I could have your attention. Last night we were able to capture a monster here on the grounds. We have everything under control, but given this potential danger, it is with a heavy heart that I must postpone the talent show."

Students could be heard groaning through the student lounge, and the twins looked at each other in distress.

"Hopefully, we will be able to reschedule this unique event... at a later date. A much, much later date."

"Kind of overkill, if you ask me," Hope said. "I told your dad that a unicorn barely counts as a monster."

"The monster is a magical pony?" laughed Lilah. "And Alaric is scared of it? Jesus Christ."

She linked her arm through Rafael's, pulling him up as she stood up, ignoring the look she was getting from the blonde twin. Lizzie was still one of Lilah's best friends, but at that moment, she wanted to extract herself and the wolf in Lizzie's sights out of the situation.

"Come on, I want to get breakfast before first period starts. Come with?" Lilah asked, leaving her arm linked with Rafael's.

He looked at her, then back to Lizzie, the excuse clicking in his head. He knew Lilah never ate breakfast. He grabbed his backpack from the floor, leaving Lilah.

"So, answer all my questions," Lilah said when they left the lounge. "And I got several."

"Ask away, Miss Invincible," Rafael said.

They entered the, thankfully vacant, kitchen, and she let go of his arm to go make herself a cup of coffee.

"Do you like your coffee with cream or sugar?"

"Cream."

She made him coffee and handed him a mug.

She drank it black, so she propped herself up onto the counter, sitting on it while Rafael stood in front of her, leaning against the kitchen island with his arms crossed.

His arms looked good in the school's longsleeve unform shirt when they were crossed like that.

"Rafael chuckled. "So, you said you had many questions. That was just one."

"Oh, yes," she said calming, folding her hands in her lap before the smile fell from her face and she exlaimed, "When the heck did something happened with you and Young Caroline?!"

"Me and who?" Rafael asked.

"Elizabeth Saltzman."

Rafael coughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not... I'm not proud of it."

"...Well?" she asked, waiting for him to explain.

"It was right after the Honor Council voted Landon out, and I was mad, and Lizzie was just... like I said, I'm not proud of it."

"You're talking to a vampire who used to be a ripper. There's a lot I'm not proud of. Now just say it with your whole chest. What the heck happened?"

"We slept together, in the gym."

"You have slutty gym sex?"

"...Lan's been calling it sweaty gym sex but... sure?"

"Is that why I heard you were her escort for her and Josie's sweet sixteen?"

"I didn't want to disappoint her, but I told her how I felt... or uh, didn't feel."

"I totally knew she had feelings for you, but wow," Lilah said, blinking as she nodded in understanding. "Well, it's great to be in the loop. Let's get to class."

She pushed off of the counter, gulping down what was left of her drink. She linked her arm with Rafael's again, tugging him away from the kitchen.

The chime went off on the intercom again as Landon met up with Rafael and Lilah. Lilah let go of Rafael's arm, the three of them walking side-by-side towards class.

"Good news, friends. The talent show is going on as previously scheduled," Lizzie's voice called.

Rafael winced and Landon patted his back. Rafael threw his hand off, the foster brothers laughing.

"So... Lizzie's acting weird," Landon brought up.

"She's not the only one," Rafael pointed at Hope as they approached her, who was standing with her back was facing them.

"Babe!" Hope said, turning around to face them, the dazed smile still on her face. "we should do a talent."

"What?" Landon asked. Landon turned to his best friend and Lilah for back up, and Landon just laughed, patting his back.

"Uh, you and me?" Landon asked her, panicked.

"I never wanted to before 'cause Lilah refuses to do them with me, and I would have had to do it alone, but now I have you. And we make up our own faction! The tribrid, and you."

Her and Landon got closer to one another, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"No, no, I'm sure Lilah will do it with you now," Landon said desperately, staring at Lilah who shook her head no rapidly.

"Yeah, all right, yeah. Team Other," Landon said, and Hope giggled, both of them kissing.

"Ew," whispered Lilah to Rafael, the both of them just watching the lovebirds in front of them awkwardly.

They both started backing up, walking in the other direction as they started to make out.

"So gross," Lilah whispered.

"You're telling me," laughed Rafael. "Now you know how the whole school felt when-" He stopped himself short, realizing what he was about to say.

"When Roman and I were together?" she asked, finishing his sentence for him.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Don't be sorry, it's fine. It's the truth, too."

"Here's, let's change the subject. Why didn't you ever want to do the talent show with your cousin?" Rafael asked.

"Mm, subject still the same," laughed Lilah. "I always did them with Roman. He'd play guitar while I'd sing. It didn't really count much for the whole faction battle since he was a vampire and I'm... well... probably someone who got my own place on this Honor Council, but it was always fun. We enjoyed doing them together."

"I suck at this conversation thing, don't I?" Rafael chuckled.

"Not at all," Lilah said. "I enjoy talking to you."

She stopped in front of a classroom.

"Well, this is me," she said, smiling. "I'll see you after class?"

"Yeah, I'll swing by and we can walk to second together."

Lilah went to sit down at her seat, smiling as she could still see Rafael walking down the corridor.

"He's cute," the girl next to her said.

Evelyn Mathews, the only other girl at the Salvatore school who was a siphoner like the Saltzman twins, was sitting next to her. She had long brown hair with blonde highlights and a medium complexion. She said things that were a bit out of pocket at times, but always found a way to make Lilah laugh in class.

"Who? Rafael?" snorted Lilah.

"Uh, duh," responded Evelyn. "You always get the hot ones."

"Raf's just a friend," Lilah told her.

Evelyn raised her eyebrows in agreement, though the facial expression she was making showed her disbelief for the statement. Lilah shook her head at her, opening her notebook to a clean page and getting ready to learn—not that she needed to.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

[fluffyllamas-23]

Attempt two at uploading this (tumblr please don’t eat it again)

Never in a million years does Sophie think that she’s going to see her high school crush after high school.  Never in a million years does she think that he’s going to be hired at her place of work.

But, here she is, hiding in the back room and peeking out from behind a stack of boxes at none other than the Parker Maddens.

It’s been four years since she’s seen him, and he’s just as beautiful, if not more than she remembers.

His dirty blond hair, which used to fall an inch or two above his shoulders, has been cut.  She isn’t usually a fan of that hairstyle - it seems like every guy to exist has the same haircut: short on the sides and spiked in the middle - but he pulls it off so well.

His eyes are very strikingly blue.  She had never gotten close enough to see them in high school, but one look from him earlier that morning, and she swears she forgot how to breathe.  

She was a complete idiot.  He introduced himself (as if she didn’t already know who he was), and she stumbled over her name for the better part of two minutes before spitting it out and escaping to the back room.  

It wasn’t exactly her smoothest moment.

But then again, when did she have smooth moments?

Sophie doesn’t know what to say to him. She’s never been good with initiating conversations, especially with the guy she’s had a crush on for literal years.  She had forgotten just how much she liked him until she saw him again.  

After a few minutes of staring at him, she figures she should get back to work.  She still has a good six hours left, and she can’t spend the entire time hiding. Hailey would have her head, and she doesn’t feel like dealing with an angry supervisor this early in the morning.  

She shuffles behind him nervously, palms sweating and heart racing.

Shit, how was she going to work here if she could barely handle being by him?

Parker turns around, and once he looks down at her, his eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles widely at her.  

“Sophie, right?”

She stands there, blinking rapidly for a few moments, “um, y-yeah, uh…that’s-yeah…uh…me…mmhmm.”

He nods and looks at her, almost as if he’s expecting her to say something, but she doesn’t.  Instead, she fiddles with the bill of her visor momentarily before gripping the end of her ponytail nervously.  

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid’ she thinks as she abruptly turns on her heel and hurries away from him, to the back again.  The back, it seems, is her safe haven right now.

*

The next few months aren’t much better.  He tries to talk to her, he tries to start conversations, but she’s hopeless and only talks to him when absolutely necessary.  

Sophie, though quiet, is very observant, and she’s spent the better part of their time working together, watching him.

She knows that he throws open the doors and announces his presence loudly, without fail every shift.  

She also knows that’s if he’s not talking to customers, he’s singing under his breath.  She honestly isn’t sure how someone can be as chipper as he is at four thirty every morning, which is the only shift he ever works.

Less obvious is that he always, always has a black coffee at the beginning, middle and end of his shift.

So, when he walks into work without making an entrance, she’s confused.  

When he hardly says anything for the majority of his shift, she’s worried.

When he has tea instead of coffee, she knows something is up.  

“Um…P-Parker?” She says cautiously, coming up behind him.  Parker, who was on his knees with his head in a cabinet as he puts stuff away, jumps and smacks the back of his head on a shelf.  

He yelps, and rubs the back of his head, “Ouch!”

“Sorry! I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay,” he croaks, congestion seeping into his voice, “don’t worry about it.“

She frowns, “…are you okay?”

He sniffles and peers up at her, squinting, “yeah, why?”

“You…uh…just seem…off.”

He rubs his nose and twists to his side, letting out a single congested and scratchy sounding sneeze. He’s immediately thrown into a coughing fit and groans once it subsides.

She grimaces, “that doesn’t sound good.”

“I’m fine.”

The thing was, though, he isn’t fine, and Sophie watches as he visibly deteriorates over the remainder of his shift.

She’s pretty sure he has a fever - his cheeks are flushed, and he’s about three shades paler than he was earlier.  

He’s been sniffling, sneezing and coughing more and more frequently, and his voice sounds wrecked beyond belief.  

They always get off at the same time, and Sophie finds him in the back, staring blankly at his locker.  Sophie feels a pang of sympathy for him, because he looks so sick, and before she knows what she’s doing, she’s leading him to her car.  

He’s trailing after her like a lost puppy.  She’s just glad he didn’t pass out, because she’s only five foot four and there’s no way she can support a six foot three giant.

“Sophiiiiiiie,” he whines, sounding stuffy and out of it, “what’re you doing? Where’re you taking me?”

“You’re sick,” she says, refusing to look at him.  She feels her cheeks heating up, and the gravity of this situation is starting to hit her.  She’s about to take her (very hot) crush back to her dorm.  

Her crush who she can’t have a normal conversation with because he flusters her too much.

“…Oh.”

“I’m taking you back to my dorm.”

“We’ve never had an actual conversation before-Ht’kshht! Nng’kssht! *snff*” He teeters slightly, and Sophie steadies him.

“You good?” She asks, finally making eye contact with him.  

He nods, looking dazed. He shakes his head, as if to clear it, and then coughs lightly, “Mhmm…why…uh…what changed?”

She averts her gaze, “you’re sick.”

He nods, too exhausted to continue the conversation.  He climbs into the car, movements clumsy and slow, his body feeling too heavy

She’s not sure what possessed her to do this, she’s never done something like this before, but here he is, asleep on her couch.  She drapes a blanket over him and then hesitantly reaches her hand out, hovering over his face.  

Parker opens his eyes, and stares at her blearily, blue eyes glassy from fever.  

“Do you, um…mind if I…uh, I think you have a fever.”

He nods once, eyelids sliding shut.  

~

When Parker wakes, his eyes rake across the unfamiliar room. He isn’t sure where he is, and if he didn’t feel so awful, he would be more panicked.  He tries wracking his brain to remember what the hell happened, but the headache and apparent haziness is making it hard to think straight.

“You’re awake,” he hears someone say.  

He blinks slowly, and then frowns when he sees Sophie, “um…where am I?”

“I, uh, I took you back to my dorm.  I hope that’s okay, you just seemed really out of it…um, I can drive you back to your car if you want,” she says, fiddling with the ring on her right index finger.

“No…no…s’fine,” he slurs, his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth as he fights to stay awake.

“You should get some sleep.”

~

When he wakes next, he’s not entirely sure what time it is.  

All he knows is that he’s exhausted, and feels like shit, but his head feels much clearer than earlier.  He looks to his left to see Sophie sitting next to the couch in an armchair, typing on her laptop.

“You know,” he starts, wincing at the hoarse congestion evident in his voice, “we’ve never had an actual conversation.”

“Ah…yeah…sorry for that,” she says, scratching the back of her neck.

He sniffles and squints at her, “you look really familiar.”

She chews on her bottom lip, “we went to high school together.”

“Wait, what? We did?” He cries, going into a coughing fit.  

She hops up and gets him a bottle of water, “here, drink this.”

Parker pushes himself into a sitting position, still coughing. Once the fit subsides, and he drinks the water, he looks at her in surprise.

“Thanks. We went to high school together?”

“Um…a little.”

“I don’t…” he squints, “did we know each other?”

She wishes.

“No…uh, I think you graduated before I did.”

“What year?”

“2015.”

“Okay, yeah, I graduated in 2013.”

She nods, playing with the hem of her shirt.  

“So, um, how are you feeling?”

He shrugs tiredly, laying back down, “not great…I can go hihh..hhhome though…Htt’kshht! *snff* I know you don’t…really like me all that much.  I’ll get out of your hair.”

“What? No! Why would you think I didn’t like you?”

He shot her a flat look, “really? This is the most you’ve spoken to me in three months.”

She squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, “I’m sorry, I just-“

Parker isn’t sure if it’s his fever or what, but frustrated tears prick at his eyes, “-you just what? Are you mad at me? Did I offend you somehow?”

She sighs, “no…you didn’t offend me.”

“Then why?”

She chews on the inside of her cheek, “I…I-um…I like you, Parker.”

His jaw drops, “…what?”

She groans and buries her face in her hands, “this is so embarrassing…I had the biggest crush on you in high school…and I forgot how much I still like you until you showed up.”

“So that’s-“

“-Yep! Now do you need anything before I let the floor swallow me up?”

“I’m okay, but-“

“-great!” She chirps, standing up and hurrying out of the room and into the bathroom.  

Good going, she thinks, why are you such an idiot?

She’s not expecting him to say anything.  What would he say? He could have any girl he wants,   there’s no way in hell he would pick her.  

She sitting in the bathroom, spiraling, when she hears a knock on the door.  

“Sophie?”

Shit.  Great, now he was up when he should be resting.

“G-go back to the couch.”

“Come on, open up,” he says knocking on the door.

She stands up and opens the door, not making eye contact, “you need to go lie down.”

“Sophie, look at me,”

She brings her eyes to his, “you don’t have to say anything. Just…go lie down before you pass out. Please.”

Once he’s back on the couch, she disappears again to make him tea, chewing on her thumb nail anxiously.  She never planned on confessing to him; she was perfectly content with swallowing her feelings and never talking about them, ever.

But now he knows, and he probably thinks she’s stupid…he would probably be laughing at her if he wasn’t so sick.

~

Sophie is glad that Parker didn’t go back to his place, because about an hour after he’s back lying down, his fever spikes and every symptom he has seems to worsen.  

She’s not sure what happened, because he seemed okay, if not a bit sniffly and sneezy, but not nearly this bad.  Each sneezing fit is getting longer and longer, and he sounds stuffier and more miserable with each sneeze. All the sneezing scrapes at his throat, which is giving him an awful sore throat.

She set up the humidifier for him, because he’s miserably congested and can no longer breathe through his nose.  

It doesn’t seem to be doing much aside from letting him finally fall asleep.  Part of her is relieved, because maybe he won’t remember what happened, and if he did, she doesn’t have to talk about it.

*

“So…*snff* you like me,” Parker says slowly, eyelids drooping.

“Yes, and I’m willing to forget this ever happened.  I know you don’t feel the same way, it’s fine,” she says, placing a hot cup of tea down on the coffee table.

“I just…can we be friends right now,” he mumbles, “I don’t know anything about you…and you just recently started talking to me.

Her face falls, and she can feel disappointment rushing through her.  Even though she knows he doesn’t like her that way, a tiny part of her wishes life was a movie and he would give her some huge, romantic confession.  

“Sophie, I’m not saying it’ll never happen…Ehhh…hehh-k’tshIEW!! *snff* I’mb j-just s-suggesti’gg…Hehh’kSHEW!! Hehh…hehh’kshHEWW! *snff* we get to kndow each other first.”

She nods, “okay…yeah.”

“And Sophie?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for taki’gg care of mbe.”

She tucks a lock of black hair behind her ear, “yeah, of course.”

[tribulaticns-blog]

the trash is finally here ?? who would’ve thought ? not me that’s for damn sure. but anyway hello i’m gav ( she/her ) and this is my second time around in the rp and well let’s hope “the third time is a charm” doesn’t reign true in my case. anyway let me get on with telling you about these trash characters.

trigger warnings: attempted murder & kidnapping mention.

CINDY KIMBERLY, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER — have you met antonia marie fonseca yet ? the eighteen year old is known for being both forthright and urbane, but also very disorganized and amoral. born in california, nia now lives in soho, being an instagram model. 

born and raised in los angeles, california to a lower-middle class family.

their life was pretty normal, parents working paycheck to paycheck, money problems weighing heavily on her parent's minds but they never let their children know.

she's the middle child of three, with a younger brother and older sister. they were all very close, only being a year apart from each other.

things changed when she was fifteen and her sister had gotten into acting. it was a pilot for a new abc show and truthfully, nia didn't see it going anywhere. ( lmao she HOPED it wouldn't go anywhere ) but rip it was renewed for another season ( and three more after that ).

with her growing fame, came the jealously. jealously over the fact her sister was getting so much attention from her parents, fans, literally anyone you can think of. and because she couldn't control said jealously, she began to push her sister away and inherently because it was easier to deal with everything from a distance.

when she was seventeen, she took up "modeling" on instagram. ( because she's the self-proclaimed "hotter sister" ) and for the first time, she was the one getting the attention and she loved it.

she’s very impetuous. never really thinks twice about the things she says or does.

lowkey very insecure. tries to make up for it with copious amounts of sex. ( it never works )

decided to move to la when her sister had to move there as well for a movie role and just never left.

frequents her sister’s instagram .. any time she gets lower than 100k likes, nia posts another picture of herself as a “fuck you”.

HAILEY BALDWIN, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER — have you met aspen clarice demerson yet ? the twenty-one year old is known for being both polished and gregarious, but also very vindictive and pugnacious. born in cheshire, aspen now lives in chelsea, tending to her modelling career.

she’s loosely based off once upon a time’s interpretation of cruella de vil ?? what a Mess already. like … THIS GIF is aspen demerson ??

is originally from cheshire ( shoutout to my main mans horton steels for the inspo ) so that makes her v british. if you hear someone with a heavy accent yelling about their louboutins getting scuffed then it’s probs her.

her mother and father were both from old money and made even more together with their business endeavors so she lived a very lush lifestyle—had parents, maids, etc that doted on her. she never had to worry about ONE thing.

some would think her lash lifestyle would have lead to her absolutely brattiness towards everyone growing up but nope, aspen just came out of the womb that way.

fr she treats her parents—who are ANGELS™—like trash and doesn’t think twice about it. actually she wonders why people try to scold her for it ??

can probably find her listening to greek tragedy by the wombats bc she’s that Bitch.

a v calculated person; knows what she wants and how to get it. if she wants something from you, she can play you and have it gone before you notice you’re playing into her scheme. if she doesn’t ?? you dont even exist to her tbh.

part of her sometimes wants to pull a lucrezia borgia and have a hallow ring she can use to poison the drinks of the ppl she hates the most .. maybe One Day.

v gray-romantic like she’ll fuq you but you never have to worry about her suddenly having feelings, her having feelings ( lol what are emotions, she asks ) is a rare occasion tbh.

basically she’s a soulless bitch who, if given the chance, would poison your drink and not think about it twice ( only to reminisce but to feel bad ?? nah )

LILY COLLINS, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER — have you met samantha josefine gale ? the twenty-five year old is known for being both idiosyncratic and stoic, but also very stringent and distant. born in seattle, sam now lives in chelsea, working as a publicist.

currently twenty-five and working as a publicist to her twin sister, simini.

literally couldn’t care less about anything, if you were to tell her a joke she would just stare at you like |:

but that’s only because she’s spent so long forgoing any feelings about anything after her mother attempted to m*rder her sister.

it fucked with her brain a lot, especially the aftermath when simini went off the rails because of the altercation.

she kept her own emotions bottled up solely for simini’s sake, she didn’t want her sister to see her being Weak when she was already in a fragile state herself ( has to go to therapy weekly bc of this lmao and she’s also on antidepressants ).

she loves simini so much tho, would probs die for her but instead decided to take on the job of being her manager ( which really entails her cleaning up the messy things simini does so the public doesn’t find out ).

her sexuality is very up in the air atm. it’s something she thinks about rarely but when she does it’s a very confusing topic to her.

is probably silently judging you always with a straight face, waiting for an inevitable fuck up before telling you “i knew that would happen”.

has been a vegan since she was twenty. every time someone makes a backhanded comment she’s just giving them the |:< face.

honestly she’s just here to make sure her sister doesn’t make an entire mess of herself.

NINA DOBREV, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER — have you met noelle isabella yates yet ? the twenty-five year old is known for being both audacious and jubilant, but also very reticent and turbulent. born in copenhagen, elle now lives in harrow, working as a waitress. 

a twenty-five year old that was born and raised in copenhagen, denmark

life was “normal”, noelle being very close with all her siblings ( even if her two sisters were always butting heads ).

always the mom friend in every situation ever. could be drunk off her ass and she’s still offering you water, crackers and tylenol to make sure YOU’RE okay.

was attending university ( majoring in psychology ) when her sister, imogen, was kidnapped. the experience was very harrowing for her. she went from having a best friend and a sister to someone who had no idea who she was.

it’s what forced her to pack up, ask her parent’s for money and start backpacking through south american and then back through europe. meeting new people and seeing new places helped elevate the stress that came with the entire ordeal.

but when she was in ireland and after a night of partying, she woke up in a hotel room with a ring on her finger. she had no recollection of getting married or the person she had been married to. needless to say, she left the ring on the bedside table and fled. ( she’s technically still married, just chooses not to talk about them )

unfortunately has a vlog channel where she documented the entire time she was backpacking ( except the whole marriage thing )

after phoning her parents and finding out imogen had moved to london and opened her own business, she decided to visit her. it was only after spending a day with her she realized how much she had missed her and made london the last place she visited.

tried being vegan once ... it was terrible. which is ironic because she’s a waitress at her sister’s vegan restaurant. she tries not to think about that.

ANYWAY that’s it for now i think. i’m setting up a muse + plots page for all of them but if you would like to brainstorm pls free to hmu <3

[justmypartner]

Make it Work: Chapter 3

Summary: When offered a permanent position with the FBI, Hailey agrees to take it under one condition: Jay comes too. As their personal lives and work lives begin to change, the two partners find it increasingly difficult to navigate their complex relationship and manage their feelings for one another. 

Writer’s Note: This is just a fluffy transitional chapter. Next chapter we’ll dive deeper into the meat of the story, but I think this chapter still has some pretty important conversations that touch a lot on their relationship/dynamic. Thank you to everyone who has been following this story so far! I really appreciate the feedback and kind words! :)

Tagging: @angelsjedi , @brookerz122493 , @cpdfan2014 , @the--carousel , @maya-asturias​ 

Read on AO3 or below

“You’ve been to New York before, right?” Hailey asked as Jay peered out the window of the plane, looking at the illuminated streets and buildings down below. It was a late flight into New York, so their plan was to crash as soon as they arrived and take the next day to get settled in.

“Uh, yeah a few times. The last few times it was for work. We flew out to work with Manhattan SVU on a few cases,” he said. The thought brought back a flood of memories, most of them ones he had tried to forget.  

“I think I’ve heard Voight talk about that before. He’s close with the Sergeant there right? Her name is something Benson?” she questioned.

“Yeah, Olivia Benson. Last I heard she’s a Captain now. She’s a great cop though, reminds me a lot of you actually,” he said

“Oh yeah?” She questioned, sounding shocked by the compliment.

“For sure. She’s got this real solid exterior like nothing can touch her, but somehow she’s still able to have this bleeding heart underneath it all. It makes her great at what she does, and it also just makes her a total badass. We had lost one of our own through one of the cases we were working with her. Erin took it hard, but Olivia was really good to her through it all,” he said, shocking himself with the way Erin’s name thoughtlessly fell out of his mouth.

“We’ve never really talked about Erin before,” Hailey muttered, almost like she was saying it to herself. Jay took a deep breath, brows raising as he realized the truth behind the statement.

“Yeah, I mean- there’s not much to say,” he said unconvincingly. Hailey had come into his life at the burning end of his relationship with Erin. It was at a point when they weren’t close enough to talk about it, but she was present enough to figure out what was going on. After Erin left, the relationship was something he and Hailey never discussed, despite her being left with the carnage of it all. As his partnership with her developed, he noticed her picking up the pieces of him that Erin had left behind. He didn’t know it at the time, but in a way she was saving him. When his feelings for Hailey began to shift, he started to think back on that onset period of their partnership. Part of this reflection made his feelings grow even stronger because he realized nobody in his life had ever pushed him the way Hailey did, and she did it before she ever really knew him. Instead of giving up on him or even just abandoning him altogether, she stayed and she made him fight to work on himself.

“Do you ever talk to her?” Hailey asked timorously, interrupting Jay’s wandering thoughts.

“I haven’t talked to her since she left, no. She’s reached out to Voight a few times. Last he told me she’s working at some FBI office in London,” he told her. She responded only through a nod and a hum.

“As much as her leaving messed me up, I know now that we never would’ve lasted even if she had stayed,”  he admitted, looking over at Hailey who had a hopeful look on her face. “I can’t blame it all on her because I was messed up back then too, but we just weren’t good for each other. Instead of pushing each other to be better, we made it a pattern to just push each other away when things got tough. I now realize that if a partnership is going to work, you’ve gotta fight for it even when things get tough. You taught me that,” he said, looking down at Hailey with a sentimental look.

She looked back at him silently, her eyes peering into Jay’s affectionately. After a moment, her lips parted slightly as if she were going to say something, but instead she just pursed her lips into a light smile.

“Yeah, I only did it because I didn’t want to search for another partner. Too much work,” she teased, causing Jay to bump her elbow playfully.

“Seriously though. I’ve never thanked you for it, but I’m really grateful you stuck around. I know it wasn’t easy, but I’m definitely a better person because of you,” he confessed sincerely. The amusement fell from her face as she tilted her head to the side, taking in his words wholeheartedly.

“You know I could say the same for you? You’ve stuck around me more times than I can count, especially when I’ve done some pretty questionable things. It’s why we work. We’re better together,” she said, bumping her shoulder up against his. She smiled warmly at him, leaving him utterly smitten. That one look from her confirmed to him that he made the right decision taking the job. She was meant to be in his life, and he was meant to be in hers. He was just grateful she gave him the opportunity to make that possible. She eventually broke their gaze, sighing shakily before changing the subject.

“So when you were in the city, did you get to do any sightseeing?” she asked.

“Not at all. It was straight from the airport to the precinct. We were so busy with the cases I never really got to even take it in. Even though this isn’t going to be my first time there, it’s going to be my first time really getting to know it. Did you get the chance to poke around when you were there?”

“Yeah, a bit. OA took me around to different bars after shift a few nights. During the day, he would show me the best little hole in the wall lunch spots. Mainly my experience was chasing cases and food,” she chuckled. “There was this one spot he pointed me towards. A must see, he called it. I ended up going there my last night and honestly that spot alone would be enough to make you want to move. It’s a big field of grass at the edge of the city right by the river. To me it was a refreshing reminder that nature can still exist in the city, and it was just so quiet and peaceful. I sat there and watched the sunset, just absolutely amazed by the view, but also surprised by the way I was falling in love with the city. Actually, I think I took some pictures. Let me see,” she said, pulling out her phone.

As she pulled out her phone to show him, he leaned over to get a better look. His face was close to hers and their shoulders squished tightly together as he got a better look of the photos. She swiped through pictures of the sun peeking through buildings and others of purplish pink skies above the Williamsburg Bridge. The last swipe revealed a photo of her smiling in front of the sunset. The light gave her face a glowing tone and her hair was down, her light waves framing her face perfectly.

“That’s a great picture,” he said softly, struck by her beauty. He turned his head to look at her the same time she did, their faces so close together he could feel her breath on his face. She inhaled sharply before turning back to her phone, her face turning a bright red.

“Thanks,” she said bashfully. “Anyway, you’ll definitely have to go there yourself. Pictures don’t do it justice,” she said, putting her phone away.

Jay didn’t realize it, but he was still staring at her, his position not moving from when they were face to face a few minutes prior. When she shifted to look over at him again, he quickly adjusted, moving backward in his seat and distancing himself from her. He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself.

“Um yeah, totally. It looks really nice,” he stammered out, embarrassed she had caught him in the gaze.

After the conversation, they sat in silence until they ended up dozing off for the rest of the flight. They both woke just before landing and debarked the plane in silence with all of the other sluggish passengers. By the time they landed, it was 2am and the airport was eerily quiet as they walked through the terminal to get to the cab stand. Their places were just a few blocks away from one another, so they decided to share a cab into the city. Being that it was so late, they didn’t have to wait long to find a ride. Jay opened the door as it pulled up, letting Hailey slide in first and climbing in right after.

“Despite how exhausted I am, this is already a better experience from last time,” she uttered, leaning her head back into the seat. He sent her a questioning look, urging her to elaborate. “I was so angry and confused that day, I’m pretty sure I spent the entire flight with a permanent frown on my face. I was so pissed off.. at myself, at Voight, at the situation. It took me until I was walking in the doors of the FBI for me to actually process what was happening,” she admitted, her eyes looking into the ceiling.

“Yeah, that first day at work without you was pretty weird. Voight told me immediately that you had taken an assignment in New York. He wouldn’t give me anything more. Said if I wanted details I needed to ask you,” he responded, his head leaned against the glass.

Hailey frowned at his words, quietly staring into the floor as if she were deep in thought.

Jay would never admit it, but he was pretty messed up that day thinking she had just gone off for good without saying goodbye. He called her after shift to make sure she was okay. She was brief, but she cleared up what Voight didn’t: the assignment was temporary and it wasn’t her decision. The next few weeks, they kept in touch more through FaceTime and text. It soon became a natural thing for them to call each other in the evenings as they unwound from their days. As nice as those moments were, he was glad that it was a temporary thing.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye,” she finally mumbled, barely loud enough for Jay to hear. He turned to look at her, tilting his head slightly as he questioned her words.

“I thought about going over to your place that night to tell you, but I was so embarrassed by the reason he was shipping me off, I didn’t think I could face you. I should’ve told you though,“ she admitted, a furtive look on her face.

“You don’t owe me anything,” he told her, shaking his head lightly.

“No, but I did then. You’ve had enough people in your life leave without saying goodbye. I should’ve been there to explain it myself. You’re my partner and you deserved an explanation,” she said bluntly, eyes holding steady ahead of her to avoid his.

“Hailey, we’re good. And for what it’s worth, you never have to be embarrassed with me,” he noted, flashing her a sincere smile. She nodded meekly, smiling back before sighing and leaning back into her seat.

He meant what he said. She didn’t owe him an explanation, but he did appreciate the sentiment. It gave him hope about the permanence of her in his life. Every conversation they shared that night comforted him in a way. Even though talking about Erin wasn’t his favorite, it was relieving to get some of what he said off his chest.

As they drove towards the city, he recognized the irony of it all. New York was the thing that kept him and Erin apart, but it became the thing keeping him and Hailey together. Whatever New York was before, it was now his home. He wasn’t sure how long it would take to actually feel like home, but part of him knew that Hailey’s presence already made it feel that way. He looked over at her, knowing that whatever uncertainties he encountered from then on out, she would be his constant. A smile crept across his face in the dark, and he leaned his head back into the window, taking in the new city with a newfound anticipation.