Chapter Text
Detective Jay Halstead had been put through the ringer the past two years. First his ex-girlfriend and partner, Erin, left to join the FBI in New York without so much as a goodbye. Then one of his stray bullets ended up killing a little girl. Soon after that his PTSD nightmares returned and he started silently spiraling, which lead to him sleeping with the sister of a criminal veteran he was trying to stop; and then she turned out to be a drug-dealer (and a suspect in a murder of an undercover DEA agent) herself. Luckily, somehow Voight made Jay's involvement with her all go away; Jay didn't ask how and Voight didn't tell, but his boss did demand Jay go to therapy. He was hesitant at first, but he did it so Voight didn't kick him out of Intelligence, only completing the mandatory sessions though. Things slowed down a little after that until Al, his coworker and everyone's secret mentor got thrown in jail and killed there. Maybe Jay could have handled that had his father not been killed in an arson fire a mere few weeks after Al. Jay lost it then and got himself shot and almost killed trying to catch the guy who planned the fire. That was Voight and the rest of the unit's last straw, Jay was to see a therapist at least once a week now to try to get his recklessness under control. This time he actually agreed because he realized that ever since Erin left and his friend, Mouse went back to war, he really didn't have anyone to confide in anymore. Antonio was having his own clandestine issues it seemed, and his brother, Will, was also dealing with his own drama. Not that Jay confided in any of the above all that much anyway, but now it really felt as if he had no one. So therapy it was.
Fast forward almost a year and things for him had normalized a bit. He couldn't say the same for the rest of his unit, however. Antonio had vanished to check himself into rehab for an opioid addiction he developed from a busted shoulder. Adam had been thrown in jail on misconduct and obstruction, due to him and Voight trying to protect Antonio after he accidentally killed the man who kidnapped his daughter. And Brian Kelton, the Superintendent and newly-elected mayor who had been after Voight and the whole unit was murdered. Voight had looked like the prime suspect, but luckily they discovered Kate Brennan, one of the commanders had done it. This would have been great considering this also helped free Adam, but Voight was going to let Brennan commit suicide to avoid jail and dishonorableness, and Jay just couldn't stand by and let that happen. With Antonio gone now, someone had to keep some semblance of the moral code still going. Voight didn't like it, saw it as another way Jay was going off on his own again. But since he loved the detective so, he knew what had to be done.
Jay was nervous as he grabbed the handle of his boss's office. It had been a week since the whole Brennan ordeal went down and he knew Voight was still a little peeved at him. He took a deep breath and walked in anyway, now or never.
"Jay, sit down, this won't take too long, but I want you to grasp it." Voight said to him in his gruff voice.
"Everything okay, Sarge?"
"Everything's fine. I just wanted to make you aware of some of the changes coming to the unit."
"Okay."
"Well as you know with Antonio gone, we're a man down. Add into the fact that none of us were emotionally ready to replace Al, we're at least two short now. I'm bringing in a new officer who's been doing Undercover for Gangs. She comes highly recommended, but she's fresh, so I'll want you to show her the ropes."
"Of course Sarge!"
"With that said, you're now our most senior member and rank and I'd like at least one more on your experience level. Kevin, Kim, and Adam are all great, but they each only have a few years on the job. That's why I'm bringing in another Detective, and I'm actually making them you're new partner."
Here it is, Jay thinks to himself. "Why? So you can have someone keep an eye on me? I'll work fine with one of the other three; we've been together for years now. I've been doing the therapy, I should have earned your trust back by now."
"It's not that at all, Jay. I just think this unit will be stronger with two intelligent, experienced detectives leading the charge. And if she keeps you in line along the way, well, even better!" Voight gives him one of his rare smirks.
"She?" Jay questions, not because he cares about the two new members being women, but because he's not sure how to feel about having another female partner.
"Yes, she. I've had my eye on her for a while, but I wanted it to be the right time. She has an exemplary reputation working undercover and for Robbery-Homicide. Actually, I've been told you two were in the same army battalion, so you should be used to working together."
Jay closes his eyes briefly as he realizes the only person Voight can be talking about. He's about to respond when he notices his boss look up towards the door. The hair on the back of his neck stands up when he hears a voice he hasn't heard in nearly thirteen years.
"Halstead, it's been a long time!" she says with the same amount of sass he remembers.
The word slips out of his mouth before he can even turn to look up at her. "Hailey…"
Detective Hailey Upton likes her life. She goes to work, she does her job, well, and she comes home. It's basic, it's simple, and it's all she needs. She'd been with Robbery-Homicide for a good amount of years now and as much as she sometimes yearned to continue advancing her career, she was content. It beat the hell out of going on year-long undercover assignments. And since she never quite got over her last one, she was hesitant to look for much else in fear that's what they'd want her for again. So when she got the call and offer from Sergeant Voight, she was intrigued to say the least. She knew her former best friend was on his unit. It's not like she stalked Jay, but Chicago wasn't that big, especially the police force, to not know where he had ended up. Plus, the Intelligence Unit was the cream of the crop for their little city; she'd by lying if she said a small part of her wasn't proud of him when she heard he made it in with Voight's team, even if they hadn't seen each other in over a decade. Still, she wasn't sure if she wanted to resurrect that part of her past yet. She had done her best to bury it and leave it there. Regardless, there was a part of her that still felt drawn to him, and the way Voight explained the situation, she almost felt obligated to be there for him. So with a heavy sigh, and a few huge glasses of wine, she called him back the next day and accepted the offer.
Now here she stands, staring at the back of Jay Halstead's short-cropped brown-haired head, the same exact cut as when they were younger. All of the memories want to rise at once, but she squelches them all down. Instead, she uses the tactic she's been so accustomed to since the army, firmness and sass.
"Halstead, it's been a long time!"
"Hailey!"
She swears she feels him say her name before she even hears it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. How is she supposed to look after him if she's not even sure she can trust herself around him?
"Actually, it's Detective Upton now." She responds a little too coolly, the smirk on her new boss's face along with the shock on Jay's makes her aware it held no hint of humor. So she decides to backtrack.
"I'm just kidding, Jay, how've you been?"
Not knowing what to do with her hands as she stands above him while he's still seated, she folds her arms. She gives him a small smile and tilts her head at him, hoping to reassure him of no bad blood, as she waits for his reply.
"I've been good. Wow, it has been a really long time. How have you been?"
Jay says as he finally stands up and leans in to give her a quick hug. It's awkward, no doubt, but probably just to the two of them. She's certain no one would notice, at least she's hoping not. If Voight does, he doesn't seem to acknowledge it.
"I've been good too. Excited for this new journey I guess. It certainly will be different from Robbery-Homicide."
"I'll let you two catch up. I got some paperwork to do. Jay, be sure to introduce her to everyone when they come in." Voight says to them.
"Sure, Sarge." Jay replies and nearly places his hand on her back, but hesitates, to lead her out of the office. She takes it that's their cue to scatter.
Jay closes Voight's office and it's now just the two of them in the empty bullpen. The silence envelops them both, neither sure which one of them should speak first. Finally it's Jay who bites the bullet.
"You want any coffee? I just made a fresh pot not too long ago." As Hailey raises her brow at him he continues on quickly, "…And before you say anything, I've upped my coffee making skills immensely since the barracks days."
"Oh, good, I was gonna say- Because your coffee tasted like crap, Jay! We swore you sometimes put actual mud instead of grinds in it. But I'd love some as comparison."
They smile at each other and head into the break room. He pours her a cup, grabbing the milk and adding just a small drop in just the way she likes it. They both try to ignore the muscle-memory of it all. Jay leans with his back against the sink and his arms folded as he waits for her to try. She takes a sip and he instantly gives her his "well?" look.
She purses her lips. "Not bad! Definite improvement I must say."
"I'm glad to meet your approval after all these years…" he replies, drifting off.
"Yeah… it has been a lot of years…" she agrees. It gets silent again for a bit.
"Hailey—"
She instantly cuts him off. "Let's not, Jay, okay? Not now. I'm not here to rehash the past. Let's just think of this as a new beginning, the start of a great partnership."
He swallows and clicks his lips. "Alright, fair enough." He reaches out his hand to hers to shake. "To new beginnings…"
As she grabs his hand they both feel the pull and had never in their life been gladder than to hear joking and movement coming up the steps and into the bullpen. They instantly drop the other's hand.
"Guess the cavalry has arrived!" Jay whispers and signals with his head for her to follow him.
As they reenter the bullpen, Kim Burgess, Kevin Atwater, and Adam Ruzek are all draping their jackets over their chairs and getting settled in. Jay makes a dramatic ahem to get their attention and all six pairs of eyes turn to look at the two of them.
"Guys, this is Detective Hailey Upton. She's going to be my new partner. Hailey, this is Kim, Kevin, and Adam."
Hailey goes to shake all of their hands and give a proper introduction. She can feel Jay's eyes on her as she gives them a quick background on herself and she tries to push down the butterflies she hasn't felt since what feels like another lifetime ago.
"So I met Jay in basic training, and we did our advanced together and even got in the same battalion until he became Mr. Army Ranger..."
They smile at each other when she briefly fills in the team how they originally knew each other. Their smiles are laced with sadness, but no one is none the wiser. She pretends not to hear Adam when he turns and whispers to Kevin while she and Jay talk to Kim.
"Damn, she's hot!"
"Mhmm, Jay's in trouble!" Kevin replies.
If they only knew the half of it Hailey thinks to herself...
[A/N: While I was thinking of another one-shot to write before attempting two other extensive story ideas I had, this idea popped into my head, so I'm running with it. Obviously, it's slightly AU, but the core of their characters is staying. Also, in our world this takes place in Season 7's timeline, but it won't follow it extensively (if at all) Especially since we apparently won't be getting an appropriate ending to this season now. On that note, I hope you're all staying healthy and safe! The world is a crazy place right now, so I hope this and any remaining Upstead we get this season helps you through! Enjoy!]