#did hailey transfer or something? if so then where from???

[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-

[themultifandomgal]

A mini headcannon please for Severide and Caaey dating a British girl?

Kelly/Matt- Polyamorous Relationship Headcannon

YN was the newest detective at PD, Jay's newest partner since he and Hailey started dating. YN moved from the UK to New York originally, but once Voight got word that New York had one of the best detectives he knew he needed her on his team. So he put a transfer offer in and she agreed.

After a tuff case Jay invited YN to join him and the others to go to the bar Mollys or pub as YN would call it. That's where she met Kelly Severide trying to chat up a woman while nursing a beer. When the woman walks away from Kelly that's when YN and Kelly start talking.

It started off as just friendly, YN met everyone at the firehouse and quickly became friends with everybody,but the one probably that YN had was she had gained feelings for not only Kelly but Matt Casey as well. Little did she know at the time both of them also gained feelings for her.

It took a while for them to all reveal their feelings, but when they did YN never felt more confused. She didn't know what to do at first thinking she had to choose, but Matt and Kelly reassured her that she didn't need to choose between either of them, they just wanted to be with her.

It was new for all of them, being in a 3 way relationship so while they were getting used to this they kept their romance a secret. That is until YN let it slip to Jay that she was stressed about what people would think. Jay at first was shocked, but supported his partner and friend.

6 months into their relationship they decided to tell their friends which they all were worried about, but they really didn't need to be. Their friends were supportive of them, although it may get some used to for everyone but YN, Matt and Kelly weren’t treated any differently.

They’re often seen at Mollys having a couple beers, YN sat in the middle of Matt and Kelly. Kelly’s arm is usually round her shoulder while Matts hand is often on her thigh. This is one of the ways that Matt and Kelly let everyone know that she’s taken.

Matt and Kelly are both very protective of YN, but she can be just as protective. Like when a woman was hitting on Kelly at Mollys, YN walked over and sat on Kelly’s lap giving the woman a overly sweet smile. Or when YN had been called on to a job helping the fire department during an active shooting in a burning building. YN would keep Matt behind her at all times with her gun raised.

After they decided it was the right time to move I together they fell into a pattern and certain roles. Kelly is often the one the cook for the three of them while Matt often washes up after dinner and YN will clean down the surfaces. When YN is off she will usually strip the bed and do all of the washing, while when Kelly and Matt are off they will clean the house. This doesn’t mean that every now and then they will creep on to each other’s roles or just help one another.

Being in a relationship with someone who’s British Kelly and Matt had to get used to her sayings. Like the time YN was writing something down in pencil and she makes a mistake. She asks Kelly “can you pass me a rubber”. Of course Kelly was super confused to why YN wanted a condom, but went and found her one anyway. When he gave her the condom YN frowns looking at him “why have you given me a condom? We’re not having sex right now”. “But you asked for a rubber?” he replied also frowning. “Yeah to rub out what I wrote”. “Ohhh an eraser” he would come to the realisation.

Or when YN and Matt has gone shopping and YN asked Matt to pick up an aubergine “a what now?” Matt would ask confused. “Oh god is this another thing with a different name”. “Must be. What’s it look like?”. “It’s the errm, the dick emoji” YN would whisper. “Ahhh eggplant”.

A few years into their relationship they decided to have a baby. Well the plan was shed have a baby with Kelly first then in a years time she would have a baby with Matt. That way they would both have a biological baby, not that they were overly bothered, but since they could they thought why not.

When YN fell pregnant she had certain cravings that neither Matt or Kelly could find since they were specifically British snacks. Crumpets and quavers. Kelly learnt how to make crumpets from scratch while Matt would phone YNs family to ask them to send quavers to them.

YN, Matt and Kelly work well together. It may have not been what any of them thought their lives would look like, but you can’t help who you fall for.

Crumpets are a type of bread with holes that a toasted and often served with butter. I actually like them with no butter and soft cheese.

Quavers are a type of crisp/chip that are cheese flavoured. They are my absolute favourite crisp.

[study-coffee-chicago]

Witches AU (A Halstead Brothers + Halstead Sister Imagine)

A/N: I'm back! Sorry, it took so long for an update. I moved out of state for grad school a few months ago and I'm working 30-35 hours/wk on top of a full graduate-level course load. Because of this, this imagine is not proofread because I wanted to get this out to you guys. (I also wanted to post this before Halloween, but I had a ton of exams, so I'm just getting it up now.)

Anyway, enjoy!

Math has always sucked. It's confusing and why do you even have to know all of this stuff?

Wasn't this stuff just made up thousands of years ago? So why do I even need to know it? Isn't it all fake anyway. Like, maybe it's not even real and we're just learning stupid shit to learn stupid shit, you thought to yourself as you stared at your math test in front of you.

You looked around the room. You knew you weren't supposed to do this, but you muttered a transference spell under your breath to transfer the information from deep inside your brain where you couldn't find it onto the paper.

Hailey Upton was watching from her teacher's desk out of the corner of her eye, obscured by a book so her students wouldn't know that she was watching.

She knew a witch when she saw one.

***

Will might call his little brother, Jay, overprotective, but at the moment, Jay didn't care. His witch's mark burned, alerting him that either you or Will had just used magic.

Typically, this didn't happen, but there was a potion one could make so that one knew when another person used magic. Jay knew his mom used this on him and Will when they were younger even though she had never told them.

The most important ingredient in this potion was blood from the person who you wanted to know was using magic. This had been easy enough for Jay to come by. All he did was break open your razor, take out a blade, then quickly dip it in the mixture.

Jay had shuddered to think about where the razor had been when he took the potion like a shot a few minutes later. Then, he quickly brushed his teeth to rid himself of the taste of the potion.

Jay glanced at the clock.

You were in math class right now. He knew this because whenever he needed to text you, he made sure to do so during your lunch period, and a lot of times you'd text him back and say something along the lines of gotta go. Math class with a crying emoji.

And, you had been telling him for the past few days how you had a math test.

The man was both a witch and a police detective.

He easily put the pieces together: you used magic to cheat on a math test.

You broke the rules.

Do not use magic in your profession unless it is for the greater good.

Since your profession was currently a student and there was nothing at school that would really be for the greater good, Jay and Will had discussed it and had deemed that you weren't allowed to use magic at school.

Jay made a mental note to prepare a truth serum for you to drink when you got home from school.

***

"Jay, she's a kid," Will said when Jay called him later that day when he was on his way home from work.

"Yeah, and? Mom and Dad took our magic from us when we tried to throw a basketball game in our favor."

"Yeah because we were basically trying to injure the other team."

"Fair point. But, if we let her get away with it now, she'll think she can get away with it all the time and next thing you know, she's cheating on her SATs."

"Fine. Just give it back to her by the end of Halloween."

"Will, I'm not that stupid. I'll make sure she gets them back by then. Don't want her losing her powers forever."

The rule was, and always has been, if a witch loses their powers and still doesn't have them on the night of Sanheim, the night when the spirit world and mortal worlds collide--which is now called Halloween--they would lose their powers forever.

Will and Jay lived in fear whenever they did something wrong during the month of October that their parents would take their powers from them, but luckily, they never did anything that stupid...at least, not during the month of October. November and December, now those months were different stories.

"Might make her wait until the last minute until she gets them back, though," Jay said.

"Just, make it at least an hour before midnight. We don't need any issues."

"Yeah, yeah. And, before you mention it, yes, I'm giving her truth serum when she gets home in case I'm wrong."

"Good. I'll be expecting a phone call from her."

"Why?"

"We both know she calls me when she's pissed at you," Will said. "And then she'll want me to call you and tell you to give her her powers back. Or, she'll beg me to override your spell."

"Please don't give in, Will. I know how you get."

Will rolled his eyes. "I won't. Unless you start cutting it close, then I might have to. But, we both know how hard eye of newt is to get these days, so please save me the money."

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. But, I gotta go. I have a truth serum to make."

"She's gonna know what you're making the minute she walks into the house. That one smells terrible."

"Oh, trust me, I know.

***

When you saw Jay's truck in the parking lot of your apartment building, you thought nothing of it; you just thought he and his team had finished with a case early.

But, when you walked in, you gagged and dry-heaved.

"Oh my god," you groaned and plugged your nose. "Jay, what are you cooking? It smells like burnt, day-old, rotten fish."

Jay walked out of his room with a clothespin pinching his nose closed.

"I'm giving you one chance to come clean or else you get to taste it."

"Come clean about what?" you asked while you set down your backpack so that you'd have something to do with your hands.

"Cut the crap, Y/N. You have one chance to tell me why my witch's mark burned when you were in math class today or else you get to taste the truth serum. And, just a heads up, the taste is worse than the smell and the aftertaste is even worse. And it's slimy."

"You charmed my magic?" you asked.

"Was that a confession?"

"No!"

Jay walked further into the kitchen and opened a drawer that contained silverware. He pulled out a spoon and then made his way to the pot that was bubbling on the stove. "Last chance, kid."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me." He stuck the spoon in the potion and dished some out.

You unplugged your nose and smelled. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. And then, you dry-heaved and started to feel the snack you ate in your second to last class churn in your stomach.

"Fine! I used magic to help me with one problem on my math test, happy?"

"Very." Then, he snapped his fingers and the pot disappeared, taking the smell with it. Then, he snapped again, but this time, he did so with both hands and made a gesture with his arms from you to him.

You hoped he was taking the nausea from your body.

You swore you could still it, though, so you walked over and opened the pumpkin spice candle that sat on the kitchen counter. Maybe he just wanted you to admit that you were guilty and all of this would blow over...it wasn't like Jay, but, he had gotten out of work earlier than usual, so maybe he was in a good mood.

You pointed your pointer finger at the candle and muttered the spell.

Nothing happened.

"Yeah, you're gonna need this," Jay said and then made a lighter appear on the counter with a snap of his fingers. "Your finger's gonna be out of commission for a while."

"What do you..." Then, your eyes widened and your jaw dropped. Will always told you stories of when Mom and Dad took his and Jay's magic away when they used it when they weren't supposed to. "You didn't!"

"Don't cheat on your math test."

"Jay! It was one question! And, I just couldn't remember the formula! I didn't even use it for the problem! Just the formula! You gotta believe me! I promise!"

Jay muttered something under his breath and then stared right at you, just above your head.

Unbeknownst to you, he had made a puff of smoke pop up above you, which said truth or lie...and you were telling the truth. Despite this, Jay wasn't going back now. He had to teach you a lesson. And, he'd make sure to give you your powers back by Halloween.

"Thank you for telling me the truth," he told you. "But, you have to understand, that magic is a slippery slope. You can't just use it for your own gain all the time. Mom always said that magic is for the greater good, and what you did today was selfish--"

"But--"

"No buts. You'll get your magic back when I say you can have it back."

"But Sanheim's in two weeks! If I don't get my powers back by then, I'll be mortal! Please, Jay! Give them back!"

"No can do, kid. You made your bed, now you have to lie in it."

"I'm calling Will!"

"We already talked about this, so good luck."

You huffed and marched off towards your room.

"I hate you!"

"If you want your powers back by Sanheim, I'd shut up if I were you! And, make sure you wake up earlier tomorrow to pack your lunch for school because your powers can't do it for you!"

You threw your head back and groaned. If you had your powers, you'd seriously hex your brother right now.

***

"Y/N, can I talk to you for a minute?" Miss Upton asked at the end of your math class the next day.

Oh no. Jay called her. Now you were in trouble at home and at school.

"Sure," you answered.

Once all the students left, she closed the door and then gestured for you to sit in the chair across from her desk.

You were in deep shit now.

"Did you cheat on the test yesterday?"

"I--" You were about to tell her that you didn't, but you knew lying would just make it worse. It was better for you to just come clean. You hung your head. "Yes," you admitted reluctantly. "But, it was only the volume formula for a cylinder! I didn't use it for any number or anything! I just couldn't remember the formula."

Miss Upton nodded. "I see." She'd dealt with kids cheating before, so she knew that if a kid admitted to it, they were usually telling the truth about the cheating. They either doubled down on their lie or told the truth; there was no in-between. "Tell you what, since this is the first time this has happened and you only used it in the formula, I won't tell the principal, and I'll just adjust your grade and take off the points for that problem as if it were incorrect."

You didn't know what to say; you thought for sure that this was going to go on your record the second you admitted to cheating. So, all you could feel was gratitude. "Thank you. It won't happen again, I swear!"

"I wouldn't get too far ahead of yourself," Miss Upton warned. "I do need to have a conversation with your parents about this."

"My um, my guardian," you told her. "It's my brother who's in charge of me. My, um, my parents both passed."

"Y/N, I'm so sorry."

You nodded. "Thank you."

There was a lull in the conversation as Hailey processed what you had just said. She knew that your brother signed permission slips and all that for you, but she thought that was just because your parents were busy working. But, she knew she needed to continue this conversation.

"I'll need to have a conversation with your brother, then. I'll make the phone call during lunch. I'd like you to be present for the meeting."

"Okay. He already knows."

Hailey furrowed her eyebrows. Typically kids wouldn't come clean about this to their parents. But, she thought you were a witch; she just wanted to see what you'd say next.

"You told him?"

You shrugged. "Guilty conscience, I guess."

"I see." She paused. "Well, that was everything about the test. One more thing."

"Yeah?" You knew geometry wasn't your best class, but you didn't think there was anything else in this class that warranted your attention, much less would be brought to Miss Upton's attention.

"Agam ense?"

Your eyes widened, but you quickly recovered. She did not just ask you that.

Agam ense.

When flipped from its backward state, was Esne maga.

Are you a witch? in Latin.

No way Jay's giving you your powers back now.

***

What Jay did not expect to be getting was a frantic phone call from you at 10:06 in the morning.

"I gotta take this. It's Y/N." He told his team. Then, he walked into the break room, which was soundproof.

"Why are you calling me? Aren't you supposed to be in class?" He had already taken your powers, he really didn't know how normal adults disciplined their kids. Maybe take her phone? No, that would be a safety issue. So, what was he supposed to—"

"Miss Upton knows," you said.

"Knows what? That you cheated?" Jay asked. He hadn't even thought about telling your teacher due to the fact that he had been absolutely livid with you yesterday. Maybe he should've done that.

"Yes, but she knows that I'm..." you trailed off. Then, you whispered. "She knows I'm a witch."

Jay took a deep breath to avoid losing his shit. They were gonna take you from him and put you in a mental hospital. He'd have to get a lawyer ASAP. So, all he could manage was, "How?"

"She's one two. She even spoke bruja to me. That's how she asked."

"Did she show you her mark?" Jay asked.

"No. But she erased the board by pointing her finger at the board and making the eraser erase. I didn't believe her, so I told her my water bottle was empty, because it was, and with a snap of her fingers, it was full again."

"Holy shit," Jay muttered.

"I'm telling you in case she brings it up tonight when you have to meet her about me cheating. She's gonna give you a call in an hour during lunch."

"Okay. Wow, okay. I expected something bad, but not something like this."

You stayed quiet, waiting for Jay to lose his shit for being so careless. But, instead, you just got silence. "So, you're not mad?"

"If it was a mortal who caught you, then I'd be mad. But, a witch can find their own kind. So, in this case, I'm not mad. Plus, I already took your magic. I don't know if there's anything else I could really do."

"So, I'll get my magic back by Sanheim?" You asked hopefully.

"We'll see. Now, get to class, kid."

Once he hung up, he sighed. He was about to leave the break room and get back to working on his current case, but then he remembered that he needed to call Will to tell him about the latest development in your cheating and powers saga. Sometimes, he wished he were mortal. But then, he remembered he didn't have to wait for the coffee to brew in the morning because it was done with a snap of his fingers...literally.

***

"What did Will say?" Jay asked when he walked into school that afternoon, half an hour after school had been let out for the day. He had told his team he had to talk to your teacher, and, since the case was close to being closed, they let him leave early.

"Left me a voice memo. Almost made me go deaf because I had my headphones in when I played it," you answered.

Jay winced. "That bad, huh?"

"I'll let you listen to it when we get home."

"Nah. Don't think I need to. I called him after you called me and he basically told me what he was going to say to you...thought he would've cooled off between then and talking to you, though."

"Definitely not. He even mentioned experimentation, the pyres, hangings—"

"Yup. He told me that's what hew was going to tell you. Definitely didn't cool off. Maybe he needs to take a walk before recording those."

You agreed, then took a deep breath. "Let's get this over with." Then, you led the way to Miss Upton's classroom.

"Mr. Halstead, Y/N, please, take a seat," Miss Upton said and gestured to the two chairs that she had placed in front of her desk.

"Please, call me, Jay," Jay said when he took a seat. "I'm too young to be addressed as Mr. Halstead."

"In that case, call me Hailey," Miss Upton said. 

"Alright, Hailey, where would you like to start?"

Hailey opened a drawer of her desk and pulled out a few pieces of paper, which were stapled together. She laid it out in front of her and you could see that it was the test that you had taken yesterday. "So, Y/N told me that she had a guilty conscience so she came clean to you yesterday that she cheated." She flipped to a page of the test. She only cheated to get the formula for this problem. And, since this is her first time being in any sort of trouble, I've explained to her that I'm only going to take off the points for the problems where this formula was used and I'm going to refrain from telling the principal."

"Yes, she told me," Jay confirmed. "And, I can promise you, that it will not happen again."

"I'd hope not. I just want to go over next steps with you if this were to occur again..."

You zoned out at this part because you knew this wasn't going to happen again, not after Jay took your powers away. Now, if you had gotten away with it, then this might be a different story. But man, that consequence really made you rethink your actions. 

"Just remember, Sanheim," Miss Upton said. 

The mention of the ancient festival that Halloween is based off of made you refocus. 

What about Sanheim?

"I know. I won't be too hard on her."

You assumed the two had quickly discussed that Jay had taken your powers...or, Jay hadn't mentioned a single thing and Hailey had just mentioned that as a reminder. Maybe she had been rebellious during her teen years and had a scare just like you had.

Jay's phone buzzed. "That's probably work," he said. "Is this all? If not, we can continue this conversation later. Maybe, over coffee?"

Your jaw almost dropped, but you refrained from doing that. You knew Jay was a flirt, but this was a whole new level. 

"That was all. And, coffee would be nice. But, let's continue this later. I have other tests to grade."

She shot you a wink, and you were grateful she understood that you were weirded out by this whole interaction. 

Then, the two of you began to walk out of the classroom, but not before Jay snapped his fingers. 

He paused a second and you continued to walk out of the classroom. Obviously that was something for Miss Upton. 

"I'll see you then," she said. 

And then Jay came out in the hallway. 

"What did you do?" you asked. 

"Just had a sticky note pop up with a time and a coffee shop. We're meeting on Friday before school."

Then, once you were safely out of the building and into the parking lot where no one would hear you, you said, "Please don't date my teacher...at least wait until I get my powers back. Or, wait, maybe date her. It might get my grades up."

Jay rolled his eyes. "I'll do what I want, thank you very much. Plus, she's a witch, so if anything happens, I don't have to have that conversation."

"Always easier dating a witch than explaining things to someone. How do you think the Salem witch trials started?"

"Exactly. Now, I gotta get back to work. See you later." 

"See you. Can I have my--" 

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to say!"

"You were going to ask for your powers back. It hasn't even been 24 hours. No."

You walked away, but not without muttering, "I hoped because you're going on a date you might be in a good mood. Guess not."

"I heard that!"

***

10 days later, October 28

It was 4 days until November 1. You had 3 days, 6 hours, and 37 minutes to get your powers back before they were gone for good. Jay was in a good mood after his not one, but two dates with Miss Upton, and hadn't worked any crazy cases at work. At least, he hadn't worked any that you knew of anyway. 

Also, for the past two days, you had followed Will's advice: Maybe stop asking and Jay will give them back. 

You were skeptical about this advice, but you figured it was worth a shot. But, your patience was wearing thin. 

He still hasn't given them back! you texted Will. 

And he's still at work and you still have 3 days! he answered.

You sighed and flopped down on the couch. He'd give them back...right?

***

October 31

It was currently Halloween on a Saturday night. While all of your friends were out (underage) drinking, you were sitting at home, trying to focus on watching Hocus Pocus (even though it was definitely not an accurate portrayal of witches), and every five minutes you were trying to move something or get another glass of apple cider from the kitchen by using a spell. But, nothing worked. 

You looked at the clock on your phone as the credits to the movie began to roll. It had just hit 11pm. 

"How's it feel?" Jay asked. 

"What?" you asked. You were too focused on how the hell you were going to live as a mortal. Because, if Jay hadn't given you your powers back yet, you'd never get them back. 

"Your powers. I just transferred them back to you."

"No, you didn't. I didn't feel anything."

Jay furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes, I did."

You tried to fold the blanket by using a spell. 

Nothing. 

"Maybe I have to say it out loud instead of whispering." 

He recited the spell which translated to: Now that she has learned to use her powers for good and not for selfish deeds, give her back her powers that she needs.

"Try something now."

You tried the simplest spell, a spell to levitate anything in front of you.

Nothing. 

All your rage came flying out at once. 

"I. Hate. You!" you screamed at the top of your lungs. "I won't get my powers back because you just had to prove a point and wait until the last fucking minute! Fuck!"

"Y/N, I'm sorry! They should be back, it's not midnight yet!"

"Well, they aren't back! I hate you!"

Then, you grabbed your keys and slipped on your tennis shoes, not caring that you were just in sweatpants and a hoodie despite it beginning to snow. 

Normally, Jay would yell at you to come back, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. 

He quickly pulled out his phone and walked into his room. After dialing Will's number and putting the phone on speaker, he opened his safe and then took out the false bottom where he kept the family's spellbook that had been passed down for generations. 

"Hello?"

"Will I fucked up!"

Will looked at the time on his phone and his heart dropped. "You didn't read the fine print, did you?"

"What fine print? There's no fine print!" He flipped to the page where the spell was. "All the letters are normal sized!" He began to read the spell over the spell over the phone. "If not given back by the person who took these powers when Sanheim turns to the first of November under the dark of Boston's sky, then this witch will remain powerless forever."

"Boston, Jay! What time is it in Boston?"

"What are you talking about? It's--" And then it dawned on him: Boston was one hour ahead of Chicago; It was already November first there. "Shit."

"Keep looking through the spellbook," Will urged. "I'm on my way over. There is no way Y/N's losing her powers over a technicality."

***

You sat in the dark of the night, using your phone as the only light to look at your mom's gravestone. If she were here, this never would have happened. She would have given you your powers back earlier. And now, you were mortal. You could die of anything. And, without powers and your parents, was life even worth living at all? 

***

"There has to be something in here," Jay muttered as he flipped through the spellbook from front to back once more. 

Then, a knock sounded. "It's me!" Will yelled. 

"Come in!" Jay yelled back.

The minute he heard the door open and close, he grabbed the spellbook and brought it out to the kitchen table. 

"Last page. Everyone's notes," Will ordered. 

"I already looked there!"

"Well look again!" Will ordered. He had half a mind to rip the book off the table and throw it at Jay's head, but he decided not to...but only because he didn't want to rip any pages and ruin the spellbook. 

The two poured over the book for ten minutes and were about to flip the page when Will stopped them. 

"Remember, blood is stronger than any spell," he read. 

"Yeah, so? Family's stronger than magic."

"What if Mom meant blood, like actual blood."

Jay's eyes widened. "You're a fucking genius!" 

Then, he flipped back to the page where the original spell was while Will grabbed a knife from the kitchen. 

"You cast the spell, so it's all you," Will said. 

Jay took the knife from Will and then cut his finger just enough that blood started to pool. Then, he held his finger over the page. 

One drop...Two drops...Three drops. 

The page turned black and white lettering began to materialize on the page. 

"If ye be in dire need of thy powers," Jay began to read, "like this spell, thou shalt need three witches, one must be a descendent of those who were imprisoned for their crimes and could have perished in the pyres, by hanging, or drowning."

"Great," Will said. "So we need three witches and one has to be a direct descendent from either England or Salem."

"Hailey," Jay muttered. 

"What?"

"Hailey Upton, Y/N's teacher. We went on a few dates, she's a witch, she mentioned she grew up out east!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're dating Y/N's teacher? Since when?" Will asked while Jay ran to his room and grabbed his phone. 

"I wouldn't call it dating. We've only gone on two dates. I told Y/N not to tell you or else she wouldn't get her powers back."

"And now she might not even get them back! I'm calling Y/N to tell her to come home, you call Hailey. You sure as hell better hope that you're right about where she's from."

***

"A technicality!" you yelled when you walked inside your and Jay's apartment after getting that phone call from Will. "I lost my powers because of a fucking technicality?"

"Take a deep breath." You recognized that voice. But, why...

"Miss Upton?" you asked. 

"We need three witches to break the spell and one has to be from Salem," Jay said. 

"Or, a descendent of those who came from Salem. Technically, I lived in Boston. Then I moved here when I was twelve," Hailey said. 

"Okay, so you guys can reverse it?" you asked. You really didn't care about the semantics right now. 

"We think so," Will said. 

Then, he grabbed one of Jay's hands and Jay took his other hand to grab Hailey's.

"Ready?" Jay asked. 

"Yes," Hailey answered and Will nodded. 

The three of them closed their eyes and recited the spell. 

The second they were finished, you could feel the blood moving in your veins, almost like there were bubbles. Your fingertips glowed for five seconds after that. And then, you felt normal again. 

"Did it work?" Jay asked.

"I don't know, it felt weird, but I don't know." 

At this point, you were scared to try any magic because what if you just imagined those feelings? what if it was just your eyes playing tricks on you?

"Try a spell," Will urged. 

You pointed your finger at the table and focused on thinking about an Oreo milkshake. And then, one appeared!

"They're back! They're back!" you yelled and grabbed the milkshake. Then you took one sip. But then, you remembered something. "Thank you, Miss Upton! You're the best teacher ever! I'm sorry I cheated and I'll never do it again! I promise!"

Miss Upton smiled. "I know you won't."

"I think," Will began, "this calls for celebratory IHOP."

"Yes!"

"I'm down," Jay said. 

"Not for you, Jay. This is only for me, Y/N, and Hailey if she wants to come. You're the one who got us into this mess in the first place."

Jay rolled his eyes, but deep down, he knew he deserved it. 

"I can make some really good pancakes," Hailey offered. 

You might have just been in high school, but you knew where this was going. 

"C'mon, Will, let's go," you said and pulled him out the door while drinking your milkshake. 

"I don't have a tail or anything, do I?" Jay asked when you and Will had left. 

Hailey laughed. "No, you don't."

"Good, because I'm sure those two are going to hex me one way or another. That's probably what they're talking about right now."

Hailey laughed. "I'm not saying you deserved it..."

Jay cocked his head to the side. "Yes, you are." He took a step closer. "Did I ever tell you how pretty you are?"

Hailey shook her head. "Is this your way of flirting?"

"Depends. Is it working?"

"Maybe," Hailey smiled. Then, the two began leaning in. Hailey could almost feel Jay's lips on hers when she noticed something and pulled back. "Why does your breath smell like toad?"

Jay threw his head back and groaned. "Will! Y/N!"

"I'm sure we can find a spell to fix that, c'mon," Hailey said. 

Then, she grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to the kitchen table and their two spellbooks, which would eventually turn into one big one as the years passed and they fell deeper and deeper in love. 

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to reblog and comment! Even though I don't respond to a lot of the comments, I do see them and I love seeing them! Thanks again for reading! Also, if you want to be added to my taglist, just let me know and I can add you!

taglist: @theambracer88 @virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl @dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @911ls-tarlos @iamasimpingh0e @i-like-sparkly-things @herecomesthewriterwitch @liampayne88 @glitterquadricorn @luvreading67 @smoothdogsgirl @afriendlyneighborhoodhufflepuff @actlikesummerr@lcothr523 @star-wars-lover

[gregorygerwitz]

also i just saw this beauty in your WIP list (Shattered (Mouse-centric angst, past Mouse/OC, eventual cozy trio) and now I need it!!!!

Hello hello hello!

Shattered is such an old WIP now, and I really do love it and I want to finish it one day, but I haven't touched it in a while! I don't even think it made the transfer from Google Docs to Microsoft 365 when I switched last year. So it's just a 7k+ document I haven't touched in 9+ months. But! Like I said! It's a concept I really love!

It definitely is going to be very, very angsty. Which, I know most people aren't surprised by, when it comes to me, but this one will require more trigger warnings than even I usually put on my fics? Simply because there's two different timelines that I'm following - the first timeline is where the fic starts, with a 3am call made to Jay because Mouse got into a fight with his boyfriend and needs somewhere to stay for a night or two while things get fixed; the second timeline is told through flashbacks, and that relationship Mouse has had with his boyfriend over the last year, and how it started, and how it really fell apart and turned into something toxic and abusive. I get to play with Mouse's mommy issues and how they affect other parts of his life, and I'm really excited to explore that when I have time again!

This fic did start with me saying "for Mouse to initiate touch and/or allow physical comfort, I would have to completely shatter him." Hence the name of the document/in my WIP list. I just want him to be broken down so completely that he will let people hug him and actually comfort him in ways that he wouldn't normally allow. I'm giving him a happy ending, I promise. He gets to live with Jay and Hailey and recover and heal from a whole year of some really shitty treatment, and then yes, eventually, Mouse/Jay/Hailey my beloved polycule.

As a little treat, I'll include a little snippet of what I have so far! 💜

Hailey walked ahead of him to open the door to the back seat, and he tried to move quickly while not being rough. The head that had come to rest against his shoulder made him want to run, to use every ounce of his energy to get them to the hospital faster, as if that would be any better than using the truck. At least the truck had warm air and blankets, and it was safer with the potential for ice with the weather the way it was. But he still wanted to hurry, especially when a hand weaseled past the edge of the blanket to weakly grip the edge of his jacket.

Bad sign.

Worst sign.

Catastrophic sign.

"I'm sorry. I have to put you down so I can drive. The truck is warm, I promise."

The hand only held onto his jacket that much tighter, still weak but no less than absolutely determined. It wasn't going to be easy, getting him to let go so that they could get somewhere safe, and gentleness was the only tactic that Jay knew how to employ. Forcing the fingers clinging to him to let go would only cause more problems that they could easily avoid dealing with. He had to be gentle, or they risked being fought back against, and while his first desire when they arrived was to cause the biggest scene possible, he was more aware of the situation.

[wafflesetc]

I’m extremely worried about what Gwen will do to Upstead later this season. I lost so much of my trust in her these last episodes. I want Jay to come back even if it’s only offscreen and them together, but she seems to go for dramatics now instead of in character. I don’t know what to think. Anything you can say to help ease my thoughts?

I apologize if this is a little longer than you thought you were going to get. I've also been sitting on this for a few days because I wanted the initial high/anger/confusion/just general wave of intake to be over.

This is slightly multi-layered and I think that it's important to take that into account when answering something like this. I can totally understand why you say you lost your trust in Gwen over these last few episodes. I'm inclined to agree to a portion of losing some distrust in Gwen. I particularly didn't love the airport goodbye scene with Voight. Of all the three of is final episodes, him saying he wanted to be like Voight to me was one of the most out of character things we've ever heard from Jay. @spiridakosstyle had a really great post about there here.

Now, I don't know what happened and I don't know how three episodes was decided, but they had 10 years worth of a character and 5 years of a partnership/relationship to wrap up. Gwen had to do that all while still maintaining the regular timeline for a regular season for the show. I'm not defending her, I'm just saying that there are a lot of factors into timing and pacing. Do I think they did it right? No, I don't think that it was paced right. The first two episodes were strangely paced to me with how the third episode went down. I still enjoyed the episodes, but I question some of the timeline choices that were made and why they were made.

I think the biggest factor in all of this to be honest is the fact that he's not dead- he is just, temporarily relocating. I made a long post on my mostly coherent thoughts on the episode. I am not going to rehash it in this answer, but I do suggest reading it. In short, aside from the fact I didn't love the pacing, I think Jay is on a journey of self-healing.

I put this in a tweet a few days ago, "Growth is hard, it always is—and in order for a relationship to grow, each person has to grow. Sometimes healing is a solo journey, having your person support you. It doesn’t mean they love each other any less. In the end, he’ll be stronger & they’ll be stronger."

I'm believing that's where they were going with the exit choice they made for him. I don't love the military exit... I would have preferred some sort of promotion or transfer. (I'm also still wondering why we didn't get the dress blues scene that were in the promo pics?) But... at the end of the day, Jay Halstead was a beloved and valuable asset for a decade. They spent half of his character arc involving Hailey into his work life and personal life on the show. I firmly don't believe they are going to do anything too drastic to the relationship.

With the show up for renewal next year and contracts of the cast in question, there are no doubt a lot of avenues that they can go down. While I am leaning towards the side Tracy is probably not going to renew, just given the scenario we've seen played out before our eyes and nothing actually factual from her or NBC/Wolf, she could chose to stay. Maintaining the marriage isn't necessarily that hard- a mention of a text here, ending her on a Skype/FaceTime with him, a mention of him to Kev or Ruz, etc. There are ways to keep him and them alive, without him being there. It's just a matter of continuance, and I'm ehh on that because the show doesn't have the greatest track record. But I will say, we've sing the ring on her hand in BTS. We've got no real reason to panic.

10 years of a character, 5 years of a partnership/relationship that was undoubtedly a HUGE draw for the audience- I don't see them being too dumb with something like that, that draws in the $$$$.

So as far as their relationship I hold on to this:

“Besides, I’m going where you go.”

“We’re good and we’re always gonna be good.”

“I’m not going anywhere Hailey, really I’m not.”

“Where you go, I go.”

These statements they have said to each other over the years are so powerful- Jay Halstead is a man of his word, he promised to love her in sorry & in joy... They are just more in an 'in sorrow' type of moment. I firmly believe they are going to be okay.

And as far as Gwen, I'm not gong to comment too much because all I know is I wouldn't want to be in her shoes. One character's integrity was more important than another one's on his exit and still having to please fans every week... It's got to be hard. So, time will tell.

[hithelleth]

WTF have I just seen? Did CHF pull a Vicley? They sure did!

I'm so glad I didn't watch that shit happen.

The only thing that might make me watch an ep again is if Brett guest stars again..

On a related note, CPD wasn't even that bad.

Of course they could've done better, but I gave up on this show ever not giving Voight a pass for anything he does long ago.

So Jay leaving because he's turning into Voight makes sense. And at least he's alive and might come back (or at least be mentioned off screen).

And Jesse's acting in that scene where Voight and Hailey started coming up with a cover-up and he just dissociated hard was 12/10, a+.

It was heart-breaking to watch him as well as Hailey being broken-hearted in the end, but they didn't break up.

(Obviously they could have had him transfer to another unit instead of going to Bolivia, but then again the whole CPD has the same problem and he really needed to completely remove himself from that.)

So, I hope they don't throw Hailey into another relationship and just have them work through it (off-screen) and maybe have him returned and then they live happily ever after. Or maybe they can write Hailey off as well, maybe following him or something. Anyway, HEA is what I'll imagine for them.

[h-pelessly]

February Reads

Billionaire Darling by Amelia Lark (7/10) Another ARC read from an indie author. I haven't read a billionaire romance in a while so I was quite excited to get back into it. It was a classic trope of grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers. However, I wasn't too fond of the characters being childish. It made sense that the billionaire, Leo, was scared of being used for his money while the sunshine, Aurora, will do anything to restore her father's hotel, but I wasn't a fan of the instalove attraction. And after their night together, one person will always retract and it continues as a circle which is the infamous miscommunication trope being used, but that irritated tf out of me. When they finally get together, the old problem arises and I genuinely did not care if they got together at that point. Starting off, I was so excited since it was a small town backing the FMC up because it reminded me of Final Offer, but the scene and FMC reminded me of The Fine Print, and I wasn't really into it.

Unsteady by Peyton Corinne (7.9/10) I picked up this book not being 100% into it so that would explain the lower rating. But also, this is about a golden retriever hockey captain x black cat figure skater so it makes sense as that is not directly up my alley. However, in comparison to Icebreaker, I understood the FMC, Sadie's problem. Also, the golden retriever boyfriend was so precious that I just wanted to love and hug him. He, Rhys, went through a devestating injury on the ice that makes him struggle mentally, and she's his clutch. However, she's dealing with so much more than just on the ice. She is unlikable at times because she's honestly so rude to others for no reason, but then I remember what she's going through, and I'm like ehhhh, okay, I guess. Overall, I loved the MMC, but the FMC was eh. Solid story though, esp. since it's Corinne's debut.

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Salomon (9/10) I truly liked this one. I might be late for the trend, but this one had me so invested. This book follows Shay, a millennial, and Dominic, a fresh out of grad school Gen-Z'er. They are enemies at the radio station they work at and get casted to host a show where they are exes. Oh, my god, not only is Dominic Asian, but the man can literally exist, not say a single thing, and he will have my complete heart. And there's also a slight grumpy/sunshine trope which really isn't because Dominic isn't grumpy-- he's just shy, and Shay is nice, but she's not that annoying to the point where she acts like a child. Another thought about it is Shay's friend, Ameena, was fucking annoying for what she did to Shay. Like she didn't do anything per se, but she made Shay feel so shitty about living her life the way she wants to, comfortable.

Devious by Jess Savage (7.8/10) This was a let down from how excited I was. I feel like I should've left it where the last book stopped with a belief of happy ever after, because it ended with another cliffhanger. In this book, we got to know Ella more, which is what I hoped for in the first book, but Ella was such an unlikable character. Like it was clear she had some issues that needed to be resolved on her end. The book was just Ella being a brat and being vague about her not wanting Hailey to fuck Jack, while Jack was being adorable. I had to remind myself multiple times that these are 18 year olds.

First Down by Grace Reilly (6/10) Not really for me. Yeah, it's a sports romance, and it's a college romance, but the insta-attraction threw me the fuck off. The characters James and Bex (stupid name tbfh) got together by like 40% even though they're fake dating like.... now what... Maybe I'm just a trend girlie because I was into the football scene in college, but I am now in my hockey era and don't think football's all that. BUT something didn't sit right with me regarding James, the MMC. First off, he transferred from another school and stayed QB, which I don't know much about but that seemed odd as fuck. Then he goes and calls it HIS TEAM to his teammates as if most of them haven't made their home at the team and school 3 years before he even stepped foot over. Also, his appearance wasn't really described other than he has dark hair and is tall (also implied that he is clean shaven and is skinny) but that's all. How is that attractive tbh, and the ego on the man is insane. Though rightfully bc of his status, but his looks??? Idk man, and bro hasn't gotten pussy in a while. Another case of poor girl meets rich boy. Boo fucking hoo.

Daddies’ Girl by Calista Jane (6/10) The spice was there, and it was a good filler chapter to the BDSM, but other than that, nothing really happened. Beside that, it's like a "what if I". It does leave your mind wondering what else is to happen, but I was bored reading it. Another case of damsel in distress.

A Healing Touch by Melissa A. Hanson (7/10) This is another ARC read. I want to dock points because I was led to believe this was a romance when it is more of a mystery/thriller, but that isn't really fair. The story is really emotional because Natasha is dr*gged and r*ped. She doesn't know who it is, and the book is a journey of her finding herself again, finding love in the cold world, and finding out who did it. Troy, the MMC's story is kind of weird, but he's her person because he, or his sister, has gone through the same thing. The grammar was an issue that I caught in the book and was mildly annoying, but it didn't take away my understanding of the book. The long chapters was also very unlikable, but overall, it was a good read.

Unravel Me by Becka Mack (8/10) I had so much fun with this book. I usually hate the instalove/attraction trope, but this one was acceptable. Adam is such a lovable and acceptable MC. Rosie, our FMC, just wanted to fully be loved, and they found each other at the perfect time. They are made for each other. The thing that pissed me off honestly was the "hidden identity" aspect because Adam was lying when he said he worked with athletes but he did let it go too long. Rosie was mad which made me mad, but also, I get that she gets the feeling she's being cheated on so like I can't really be mad. This book wasn't perfect, but it's not far from it. Somehow, Adam went from being lonely to being in a family of 5 within a year. Love that for them.

Bleeding Hearts by Jess Taylor (6.8/10) Like it wasn't horrible nor did I HATE it, but also, I was so freaking bored. This was another book I picked up blindly from Tiktok because I am so down bad with the brother's best friend trope. Not only was Demi a freaking child whose story was basically just her going through emotional trauma at home and acts out, going to live on her own. Like all of this, I'm like you go girl, but on the other side, what she does/how she lives makes no sense. It's like a child wrote this as everything I want. The MMC, Asher, is a fuckboy so Demi befriends him knowing nothing can come of it. There was nothing wrong with Asher, but it was just Demi that bothered me sm. Anyway, the whole book and everything is aesthetic looking, but sadly, the content is not up to par.

[deanstead]

Hard For Me

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Request by anon: hi, can i request a jay halstead x reader where they're already in a relationship and it's just a whole bunch of angst and at the end, everything gets cleared up and they are both happy and in love? please and thank you!

Word Count: 928

Warnings: angst, fluff

A/N: Request wasn’t really specific so I hope that you like what I did with this! There’s a lotttt of requests sitting and waiting for me to work on them and I promise to do so but it’ll take some time! Thanks for all the love~! I love seeing your comments, even just reblog tags so hit me up!!!

---

“You promise?”

You stared at Jay who stared wordlessly back at you.

“I can’t promise you that.” The words slipped out of his mouth, tasting sour even to him. “You knew it from the moment you met me. This job is a part of me, I can’t stay out of the way while my team puts themselves in danger. You know that!” Jay internally groaned. He hated fighting with you.

But that had been the last thing Jay had said to you before he had stormed out of the apartment, leaving the argument hanging. All you had wanted was for him to tell you he’d take care of himself but somehow with both your emotions in the way, it had twisted out of control.

You hated violence, every part of it, even the part that meant Jay was saving lives. You understood why he loved his job but you couldn’t understand why he would put himself in harm’s way. But you hadn’t meant to fight with Jay, you hadn’t meant to say some of the things you had said.

Yet now, not even 12 hours later, you were wringing your hands in the waiting room at Med, the biggest ‘i knew it’ blaring in your head. You could almost hear your heartbeat pounding in your ears and you glanced around, half expecting everyone else there to be looking around for the source of the sound.

Kim had called you to let you know that Jay had been shot. Shot.

Crockett entered the waiting room and you shot up. He smiled at you. “He’s going to be okay.”

The breath of relief you exhaled came out louder than you had meant it to but Crockett smiled and patted your shoulder reassuringly.

“They’re transferring him now. Once he’s set up in a room, I’ll have a nurse come and get you.”

---

You didn’t broach the topic for the next few days. You came faithfully to the hospital everyday after work to look in on Jay before returning home to an empty apartment that only reminded you of why you were alone – Jay had been shot.

Jay glanced at you as you opened the door to the apartment, leading him inside. His injuries hadn’t been that serious but it had opened up the real possibility of losing him. And that really scared you.

“Y/N? You’ve been quiet.” He said, glancing at you.

You shook your head. “You’ll be off work for a while? I can take some leave.”

“Hopefully I’ll be cleared for duty by next week.” Jay answered absentmindedly.

Something in you snapped.

“Are you out of your mind?” You asked, spinning back around to face Jay.

“Y/N, listen…”

You shook your head more violently this time. “No, you listen. You told me you’d be careful. You promised me you’d be more careful! And the first thing you do is jump in front of a damn bullet? You were just shot and you want to go back to work next week?”

“We’re not going to have this conversation again!” Jay raised his voice slightly.

“Like hell we’re not.” You snapped. “I’m not asking you to quit your damn job, I’m asking you to, for once, take care of yourself.”

Jay gave a sigh, which only infuriated you more. “Y/N! We can’t keep having the same fight! I’m a police officer, a detective! What do you want me to do? Put Adam or Kevin in harm’s way, while I keep myself safe? Put Hailey in front of a bullet instead? You know how important this job is to me!”

“More important than anything right? Even me?” You were raising your voice now but you didn’t care, the anger and anxiety from the past few days bubbling over.

“Y/N…” Jay tried, but you didn’t let him speak.

“No, Jay. I know. But you have no idea. Do you know hard it was for me? To get a call in the middle of the day telling me that you had been shot? Then I drove like a crazy person to Med only to wait helplessly in the waiting room. I didn’t know if you were alive, how badly you were injured…” Your voice caught in your throat midsentence as an angry tear slid down your cheek.

“You jump right in there to save people, you’re worried about your teammates but what about me! What am I going to do if I lose you?” Your voice broke as you turned away.

Jay’s expression softened. “Baby…” He stepped towards you, taking you by the shoulders and turning you around so that you were facing him.

Looking at the tears rolling down your cheeks, you suddenly seemed frailer than he had remembered and the anger Jay had had from the fight just a few seconds earlier seemed to dissipate into thin air.

“Come here.” Jay whispered, gently tugging you into his arms.

You sobbed into him, all the emotions you had kept bottled up inside you spilling over. 

“I’m sorry.” Jay whispered, holding you a little tighter as you cried. “I’m sorry.” He repeated.

“Look, I promise okay? I’ll be more careful. I’m sorry.”

You couldn’t bring yourself to be mad with him anymore either. As the both of you stood in the middle of the apartment, you were just thankful that Jay was here, right here with you.

“Just... try okay? If not for yourself, then for me.” You whispered. 

Jay nodded, pressing his lips to your forehead. “I’m sorry babe.” He whispered and you merely nuzzled your face deeper into his chest.

[girlinlotsoffandoms]

one hell of an amen - chapter 5

Summary: His mom always taught him that doing what’s right isn’t always easy, but Jay never imagined how hard it’d be. Or how it could cost him everything.

Notes: Hi friends! We're back with a new chapter! This one kicked my butt but hopefully you guys enjoy it as much as I do!

Read on AO3 or below

Three days.

It had been three days since Hailey got the news that rocked her world.

Three days since Hailey and Trudy had their talk on a bench outside the district in the early hours of the morning.

Three days since there had been some semblance of normality in Hailey’s life.

Just three days and Hailey was already at her wit’s end.

She’d gotten a call from CAO Ringer the morning of that first day, hours after returning from her talk with Trudy; he updated her on Jay’s condition and Hailey had to stop herself from asking questions about what she learned from Mouse. He might’ve felt she needed to know as much of the truth as possible but that didn’t mean the rest of the United States military felt the same way, especially with the investigation still ongoing.

Mark also gave information on Jay’s eventual transfer and the plans for Hailey (and Will) to eventually join him in Germany, but everything was still very fresh and very up in the air—too many unknowns to nail anything down at this point. Mark’s check-ins over the next few days were kept to emails since there were no major updates or pressing matters.

Natalie and Will returned to work on day two. They needed to keep their routine as normal as possible for Owen and patient traffic in the ED had picked up, overwhelming the short-staffed Med team, so they needed to go back. Natalie was going to go back alone, but now that they’d gotten an update on Jay, their fears had been calmed slightly and, with added encouragement from Hailey, Will decided to join her. He couldn’t help Jay from Chicago, but he could help others.

Hailey returned to her own home that same day and the memories that hit her were overwhelming. Jay’s stuff was everywhere, entwined seamlessly with hers in the same way he fit flawlessly into her life. It didn’t matter where she looked, there were little reminders of Jay all over. From the pictures on the walls and PGA tournaments sitting unwatched on the DVR to his favorite blanket draped over the couch and his clothes still hanging in the closet, Jay’s presence was felt. Hailey thought she’d be sad, overcome with grief, but to her surprise, she wasn’t. She just felt empty.

Walking straight through to the bedroom, Hailey dumped her bag at the foot of the bed. Now that she was alone, she took some much-needed time to herself. Hailey drew a hot bath, turned on her music, and soaked until the water was cold, letting some of the tension melt from her body. Bath over, Hailey took her time getting ready, putting more effort into the things she’d let go to the wayside the past few days. She washed her face and brushed all the tangles out of her hair before putting it up into another ponytail and slipping on some lounge clothes.

Opening the dresser, Hailey pulled out one of Jay’s sweatshirts and slipped it on. It was oversized, the sleeves ending past her fingertips, and well-worn from Jay’s Ranger school days but it smelled like him and it was exactly what Hailey needed.

Hailey slept on Jay’s side of the bed that night, something she never did even during Jay’s longest deployments.

Like every day since she’d gotten the news, Hailey was awake before sunrise.

                                                … … …

It was still early when Hailey entered the bullpen, hours before even the most punctual members of Intelligence would show up. She sat at her desk and turned her computer on.

As Hailey waited for her computer to boot up, she picked up one of the framed pictures on her desk. It was a picture of her and Jay at their wedding—happy, healthy, and in love. The picture was Hailey’s favorite and had been a staple on her desk from the moment she came back to work after the wedding. She rotated the other pictures, cycling through the multitude of pictures she had with her and Jay, but this one stayed the same.

Hailey ran her fingers over the glass, tracing along the image of Jay’s smiling face. She missed his smile; it had always been one of her favorite things about Jay, one of the things she missed the most when he was away.

She put the picture back in its spot on her desk as her computer came to life. With a sigh, Hailey dug in, starting the seemingly impossible task of clearing her inbox of emails that had piled up over the past 3 days. Most were from her former coworkers in Robbery and Homicide and some of the other officers stationed out of the 21st, expressing their condolences and extending their thoughts and well-wishes, and once she got past those there weren’t many left.

She checked the SharePoint, trying to catch up and familiarize herself with what her team had been working on, and was so invested in reading through their notes that she didn’t realize how much time had passed or hear the person coming up the stairs.

“Hailey?”

The blonde’s head snapped up at the sound of her name. Her eyes met those of her Sergeant, who was staring at her from the top of the stairs

“What are you doing here?” he gruffed out. “You need to be at home.”

"I need to be with Jay, but since I can’t right now, being here is the next best thing,” Hailey argued.

Voight stared her down for a moment before he tipped his head towards his office before going inside.

Hailey sighed but stood up and followed. She knew her boss and what might’ve seemed like an invitation to others was an order. She closed the door behind her as she entered and sat in one of the chairs in front of Voight’s desk.

“Talk to me,” Voight said, leaning back in his chair.

“I know you told me to take some time off, and that might work for other people and that might be what they need, but that’s not what I need.” Hailey started. “I need to stay busy. I can’t sit at home all day, surrounded by all of Jay’s things, and wait for an update or another set of notification officers to show up at my door.”

“Is that a possibility?”

“Isn’t it always?” Hailey shrugged.

Voight had to give her that. Current situation aside, Jay was in the middle of a war, risking his life every day.

Hailey continued. “Mark emailed me yesterday and said that Jay had turned a corner but still wasn’t stable enough to make the trip to Germany. They’re keeping him sedated and the doctors are considering one more surgery to try and stabilize him. No word on when I’ll be able to be with him.”

Hailey’s voice tapered off towards the end. The sadness and exhaustion of the last few days took over once again.

Voight observed the detective in front of him. Hailey was solid, unflappable, and had been since she joined Intelligence. She was a good cop and an even better person. Looking at her now though, he could see right through her. He could see the emotions bubbling just below the surface.

Trudy told him about her and Hailey’s late-night chat and Voight’s heart went out to his detective. Hailey hadn’t lost Jay yet, but the possibility was there and that was a loss Hank Voight knew well. He watched his wife die, then lost his son and his best friend just a few years apart. That kind of pain was indescribable—something Hank wouldn’t even wish on his worst enemy.

And now, his detective, a member of his family, was possibly facing that same pain.

“What am I supposed to do Sarge?” Hailey asked quietly.

“I don’t know Hailey,” Voight answered, and he didn’t. As hard as it was, he was there when Camille, Justin, and Al died—he got to be by their side and say goodbye. Hailey might not get that. Voight recognized that fact, and he knew Hailey did as well. “Nothing I say is going to make this better. Jay is strong and stubborn, and I might not know him well, but I know he’s going to fight like hell to come back to you.”

That got a small smile out of Hailey because, in all the uncertainty that had come from Jay getting attacked, she never questioned how hard Jay was fighting. It was fear that his fight wouldn’t be enough that caused her doubt.

“How did you deal with it? When your wife and son died and even leading up to their deaths—how did you not let everything crush you?” Her voice was quiet, and Voight could hear the hesitation.

Voight sighed. Hailey had been around for Al, but she hadn’t been there for Justin (or Camille). He didn’t like talking about that day and he didn’t like talking about his feelings, but Hailey deserved the truth—a real answer to her question. “I threw myself into work, made some bad decisions, went down a dark path…”

“That kind of grief, that pain, it stays with you for a long time. But you don’t have to shoulder it alone Hailey.” Voight paused, making sure he had Hailey’s attention. “This team is your family—let them be there for you. Lean on them.”

‘That’s easier said than done,’ Hailey thought. Yes, she had more of a family in her team than she did with her own biological family, but Hailey had never really been one to open up about her feelings. Childhood trauma made her reserved and she kept things close to her chest. Hailey trusted her team to have her back, as she had from the very beginning of her time in Intelligence, and they were some of her closest friends but being vulnerable with them was still something she struggled with.

Hailey nodded slowly at Voight’s words, chewing on her lip. She supposed Voight would know how she was feeling and the thoughts running through her mind without her having to voice them—a mix of him knowing his team and personal experience.

Silence filled the office and lingered for a few minutes and Voight looked at Hailey again. He studied her, weighing the pros and cons of letting her stay at work. Finally, he spoke. “You can stay and work but you’re riding the desk.”

“What? Sarge!” Hailey started to argue but stopped when Voight raised a hand.

“You put up a good front but you’re not in the right headspace to be in the field.” Voight rasped gently. “I’m not putting you or anyone else at risk by allowing you in the field when you’re not at the top of your game. So, it’s desk duty or nothing.”

Hailey sighed but she couldn’t argue, despite how much she wanted to. Voight was right.

She nodded but before she could say anything voices came from outside the door, signaling the others had arrived for the day. Hailey heard Kim and Vanessa laugh at something Adam said and it brought a smile to her face. She’d missed that.

Voight stood and walked around his desk, stopping before he got to the door to look at Hailey. “You ready?”

Nodding, Hailey stood up and joined him and the two walked back into the bullpen. She was met with surprise (and excited) shouts and strong hugs from her friends. Voight watched the scene in front of him for a moment before giving out orders for the day.

Everyone slipped into their roles effortlessly and, for the first time in three days, Hailey felt like her life wasn't on the verge of imploding before her eyes.

                                                  … … …

Hailey was back at work for two days before everything changed again. She was updating the whiteboard with the information the others had gotten when her cell started vibrating on her desk. Mark was still sending her updates via email so she assumed it was Will, who had been checking in a little too frequently since she returned to work.

That was until Kevin caught the name displayed on her caller ID. “It’s Mark.”

Capping the marker, Hailey hurried back to her desk and managed to answer the call before it went to voicemail. “Hello?”

The others watched anxiously as Hailey listened to whatever Mark was telling her. Adam had called down to Trudy, letting her know what happened while Vanessa alerted Voight.

By the time the two Sergeants joined the group, Hailey was hanging up. She looked at the group in front of her as a smile grew on her face. “Jay woke up. He’s good to transfer to Germany.”

[bookishofalder]

The Bet

Hotch x Fem!Reader

Request: @honeyshelley - ‘Hiii, I just discovered you and I hope to read soon your work ! And i hope you are safe and healthly ❤ i wondered if you could write something for Hotchner, the reader can be a police officer who call the bau for help to catch a serial killer or something, a bit of angst maybe and write only of you are inspired ! Don't force yourself, 🤗’

Warnings: Panic attack description, mild CM content. 

A/N: Man, I love Hotch. They did him DIRTY on CM because he stood up for his cast mates and I’ll never forgive CBS for it. 

Hotch was annoyed.

Though a regularly occurring emotion for him, it was rarely so focused upon himself. Today he stood in the conference room of the D.C. FBI Field Office, where they were assisting on a local case. And he was irritated with only himself.

Because of you.

He didn’t blame you in the least, of course. He wasn’t irrational, wasn’t one to deflect or project his emotions onto others-least of all someone entirely innocent and unaware. It was just exhausting, though, working this case. You were a new addition to the field office, having just transferred from Seattle in hopes of further advancing your already impressive career within the FBI. Hotch had heard of you before, details of your more prolific cases and intense work ethic were often relayed by Spencer Reid, who was one to stay up on fellow agents that might one day suit the BAU team.

And while Hotch had been impressed, mildly interested, happy to get a chance to work with you, he had not expected the woman who walked through the front lobby and extended her hand to him three days prior. No, you had caught him entirely off guard, and he was still reeling. He hadn’t felt this way about a woman in...probably ever if he was honest with himself. Hailey and he were high school sweethearts-that kind of love was different, steady and safe and expected. Beth had caught his attention, her kindness and overall different lifestyle an alluring escape from the realities of his day to day. But things never really took off with her, despite their mutual respect.

But you, well you had him captivated the moment he met your friendly gaze, your eyes wide in clear excitement for getting a chance to work with the BAU. Your hand grasped his and he’d felt like time had slowed, just enough that he could take in every single detail as he introduced himself. The way your hair fell, the curve of your hips, the small pout of your lips. Your posture, head held high to convey the message that you were a leader, not one to be overlooked. It all struck him at the moment, and when you repeated his name in your breathy voice, he knew he was done for.

Three days later the case was going well, though there was an uphill battle, progress was progress. Hotch was happy with how his team was performing. They’d worked plenty of cases with the staff of the D.C. field office. With different sections, and even interacted with many of the agents in social settings and workplace functions, given the proximity to Quantico. But Hotch felt he wasn’t working at his best, behaving entirely unlike himself as he was completely distracted by you every time you stepped into the room.

It had been three days of variable torture, his mind continually informing him of the why not’s-the age gap, that you probably already had a partner, that Hotch was damaged and cursed and certainly didn’t deserve a woman like you. And then you’d bring him a coffee, or stand closely next to him as you both surveyed a map provided by Reid, or tuck your hair behind your ear with a little smile when the conversation turned away from work, and Hotch would feel hot and bothered and not at all like himself.

“Agent Hotchner?” Your voice pulled him from his thoughts, his gaze lifting from the tablet he’d been pretending to read, and meeting yours. You smiled down at Hotch, leaning against the table where he sat. The scent of fresh linens and honeysuckle wafted toward him, delighting his senses further.

Hotch returned your smile automatically, something he was aware was rare for him. He hadn’t needed Derek mentioning it last night as they made their way out the doors, calling attention to his sudden eagerness to smile around the beautiful, strong new agent. But Derek had always enjoyed teasing him when he could get away with it.

“I’m sorry, Agent (Y/L/N), did you say something?” Could you hear his heart right now, as it beat against his chest? The thrum, thrum, thrum signalling just how you affected every cell within his body-could you sense it?

You smirked, extending a coffee you’d been clutching toward him with a small shrug, “I think you need this more than I do, sir.” You giggled, and Hotch’s cheeks flushed in response. His fingers brushed yours when he gratefully took the proffered beverage and he felt a shiver of electricity across his skin.

Hotch nodded in thanks, “Cases like this always seem to require extra coffee.” He admitted, taking a sip and noting how you enjoyed your coffee much sweeter than he did, but at that moment he didn’t mind. It was quality coffee, hot and given by you.

Sighing, you crossed your arms and Hotch kept his gaze level with yours despite the captivating way your breasts pushed out. Inwardly, he chastised himself for his train of thought. You were his colleague. His colleague. His very beautiful, disarmingly charming colleague.

“I agree, though they come along often enough that it’s starting to become a poor excuse for overindulging.”

Hotch glanced down at his mug as he laughed, then back up. When he met your eyes, he noticed they widened slightly, a faint flush dusting your cheeks. This captured his attention fully, but before he could begin to consider how to move forward, how to find out what your blushing meant, Derek and Emily walked into the conference room, heads low.

Another victim had been found.

+

“I really hate alleyways. I think society needs to eliminate them entirely,” You said, your hand clapped over your nose and mouth to ease the intensity of the scent of rotting flesh from the victim that you, Hotch and Reid were staring down upon. “After this case, I’m petitioning for it here-at least within my jurisdiction.”

Hotch laughed aloud. Reid glanced up from the victim, brows furrowed and opened his mouth to no doubt educate you on everything and anything he knew about alleyways. Which you assumed was a lot, because you’d known the genius a few days now and already understood there was little he didn’t know. But you shook your head, resting a hand on his arm as you laughed.

“She’s joking,” Hotch supplied, giving you a warm smile as Reid nodded in understanding. Your knees trembled every time this man looked at you, and you were surprised you didn’t just collapse the moment he flashed you that gorgeous grin. Fuck, you had it bad.

You’d always had a thing for older men, though you hadn’t dated any. You had had a few previous relationships with men your age, either fellow students in college or agents at the academy, but they were all short-lived. You counted some of those men amongst your closest friends. But you focused instead on your career and hoped one day a suitable partner would appear.

You hadn’t expected Agent Aaron Hotchner to tick every single box on your list the moment he introduced himself and those dark, warm eyes searched your face, as though he was seeing something unexpected. You’d spent the last few days finding any excuse to work with or near him, even going so far as to join him and Reid at this most recent crime scene despite how much you really, truly hated alleys.

Nothing good ever happened in an alley, as far as you were concerned, and though you tried to hide your discomfort behind humour, you were eager to assess the scene and get the hell out of the narrow, stifling gap carved between two old buildings.

It was a short while later, when the crime scene photographer was following your instructions, you and the two men on either side of you discussing the case from the vantage of the latest victim, that the discomfort began to fester. It evolved, so slowly you hadn’t realized until suddenly your spine felt tight and your level-headedness seemed to disintegrate. You swallowed, setting your jaw and working to disassociate yourself from your surroundings, hopeful the renowned BAU agents were too focused on their work to recognize your sudden internal struggle for composure.

Though, it seemed that Agent Hotchner had been paying attention, and you couldn’t fathom why. At first, you saw his eyes sweep over you from the corner of his own, taking in your stiff posture, the way your hands clenched at your sides. You thought he would leave it alone, be embarrassed for you when suddenly his large hand was slowly pressing into your lower back. Your shirt pressed to your skin and it was then that you realized the layer of sweat that had broken out over your body as your panic attack raged within.

You closed your eyes briefly, focusing on that hand, but it wasn’t enough. The alley was too narrow, too damp and hot, the odour in the air foul and suffocating. “Come with me.” He suddenly murmured in your ear, and you didn’t hesitate to comply, moving with Hotch as his hand remained on your back, guiding you to the mouth of the alley. Once you were on the street, he moved toward the SUV that you’d all driven over in.

Using the keys, he opened the trunk and gestured for you to take a seat. Again, you followed his instructions, lifting yourself, legs dangling slightly. You still couldn’t breathe, even though the air out here in the open was moving, fresh, a soft breeze dancing across your skin.

You felt like the air wasn’t meant for you anymore, your lungs incapable of pulling it in.

Hotch leaned in front of you, his warm eyes full of concern, “Can I touch you?” He asked you, voice low. You nodded, and his hands found your shoulders, grasping gently. After a moment, during which he gauged your reaction to his touch, his grip tightened and his hands slide up and down your upper arms, grounding you somewhat. “Close your eyes, breath with me, sweet girl.”

His words sent a shiver down your spine, but you followed his suggestion and began to take deep breaths as your eyes closed. Your hands lay flat on your thighs, applying your own slight pressure. He took exaggerated breaths to ensure you could hear him and match your own.

You weren’t sure how long you and Hotch stayed like this, but his movements never ceased, and you could feel his eyes watching you. When your breathing evened out, you focused instead on the cool air, the strength behind his hands on you. Slowly, you opened your eyes and met his. “I’m sorry, I-“

Hotch shook his head, “You have nothing to apologize for. We’ve all been there.”

You smiled shyly at his words, nodding. “Well, thank you. This...it really helped.” You watched as he returned your smile, his right hand releasing your arm to brush falling strands of your hair over your shoulder. The gesture alone was enough to make you shiver again, your mind and body reconnecting as your panic attack diminished.

He seemed to notice your reaction this time, and pulled his hands back, appearing surprised. He didn’t move away, though, for which you were grateful. You weren’t ready for the moment to end.

“I hope I didn’t overstep, Agent.” He muttered, his serious frown returning. You shook your head quickly, eager for him to understand just how much you appreciated what he’d just done for you.

“You can call me (Y/N),” You replied quietly, considering your next words carefully. “Although...I didn’t mind sweet girl if I’m being honest.”

You had held his gaze as you spoke, which allowed you to bear witness to the emotions that played across the usually stoic man's face. Shock morphed into a small smile that met his butterscotch eyes, a blush creeping across his skin and his right hand moved to rub the back of his neck nervously. After a few moments, which you could see he was using to come up with a reply, he sat down next to you, your sides touching. He sighed with a smile.

“Could I take you to dinner once this case wraps up, (Y/N)?”

A grin spread across your face at his words, and, feeling bold, you took his hand into yours as you looked up at the handsome man. “I’d love that, Aaron.” You squeezed.

His eyes lit up at your reply and he returned your pressure as he smiled down at you. You stayed like that for a long while, grinning at one another like lovesick kids, so enamoured that you both missed Reid pulling out his phone to snap a picture.

He sent the photo to the team, conceding defeat to Derek and Emily, who had both bet it would take only three days for Hotch to ask you out. Spencer had bet on four days, JJ on a week, and Garcia on a week after the case would wrap up.

Now he was out forty bucks, but it was worth it to see the smiles lighting you both up as you gazed at one another. The rest of the world was background noise.  

Did you enjoy this story? Please consider reblogging or commenting to ease my inner turmoil as a writer. Likes are basically just a bookmark!

[julieloveupstead]

"They're Soulmates" - part 2 - Upstead

Description: In the first part we had a men's outing to the bar and while the men are having fun the ladies are also having fun in each other's company. So welcome to Hailey's girls' night out with Stella, Kim and the long-lost Vanessa. I hope there will be at least one such scene in the series.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Prov Hailey*

A few minutes after Jay left for the bar to meet Will, Adam, Kevin and Kelly, Stella, Kim and the long absent Vanessa arrived at their house. It was all three of them's first time at Jay and Hailey's new place, and so the first thing they did was explore all the rooms.

- But you guys have it beautiful here - Kim said when they finally sat down in the living room, each woman holding a glass of red wine in her hand.

- Thank you - Hailey replied with a smile.

- This is a big step for both of you. - Vanessa said more than asked looking at her friend smiling and happy like never before.

The last time Vanessa saw Hailey, the detective was on her way to the airport when she was about to fly to New York. At that time, the blonde was afraid to admit and denied as much as she could that she had feelings for her longtime partner and friend. Although Vanessa knew otherwise and waited for her friend to finally dare to say she loved Jay. In the meantime when Hailey was in NY, Van got transferred to the narcotics unit and immediately got her own undercover case, where she spent over a year. And now that she's back, Hailey quite turned down the offer to work for the FBI (which she was completely unsurprised to be offered. Van felt that Hailey deserved it like no one else in the Chicago Police Department) and finally Hailey and Jay had professed their love for each other and were now living together in their own home. How happy the young police officer was with her friends could not even be described. However, she regrets that she wasn't there for all those moments and couldn't joke or tease her friends about it like she did before.

- Yeah - Hailey felt her cheeks flush, she was not used to confiding in her friends about such things - But we used to live together in our apartments. Nothing has changed, the only difference is that this is ours, shared. It is not mine or his, it is ours. - She said with a little shrug. She still hadn't gotten used to the idea that she and Jay were really starting to create a future together in their own new place.

Hailey, because of what she went through as a child and what she witnessed in her own home, never imagined that she would be able to take such a step, but she didn't know then that Jay Halstead would stand in her way. Now that they're together and that they've overcome their biggest crisis and promised each other eternity together, she couldn't be more excited about this new better chapter with Jay.

- Are you happy? - asked Stella, looking intently at her friend.

- Yes - answered Hailey without hesitation and noticed that it was the first time someone had asked her this question and the first time she had answered honestly and without thinking. And realizing this caused more tears to appear in her eyes.

- You don't even know how happy I am - said Van with a shrug, and got up from her seat and walked over to Hailey and hugged her tightly again.

- Let's drink to that - said the girls all at once, and Hailey laughed happily at her friend's reaction and took a sip of wine from her glass.

- Hailey, don't you have something stronger? - asked Vanessa in an innocent voice, and when she saw the surprised looks of the women, she shrugged her shoulders and added. - What? I think that dousing the happiness of one of the most stubborn people I know deserves better than wine. - She replied to the surprised looks of her friends, and after a moment all four of them burst out laughing. Hailey only now realizing how much she missed her friend and how much she missed Van's energetic attitude, still laughing at the women's cheers, but she got up and walked towards the kitchen.

She pulled out all the necessary ingredients to make a Margarita, which luckily she had already prepared beforehand, and started making the drinks. Just as she finished and was about to leave, her phone started ringing. When she saw the picture of Jay sleeping on the display she had taken a few days ago when they had a Day Off, and she had managed to wake up before him which she considered a great success, so she took the picture, besides she loves to see him sleeping, then he is so relaxed, he doesn't have to think of plans how to help her, how to protect her from Voight, from the FBI. At bedtime, he's just being Jay, her Jay. And at that memory, a smile instantly appeared on her face.

- "Jay, I'm ok, you don't have to call me every five minutes." - she answered with a big smile and even though Jay had been gone for only an hour she already missed him, his closeness, his voice, everything. She knew she was acting like a teenager in love, and that was the truth because she was in love with Jay like a teenager, and she wasn't ashamed of it.

- "I know, Babe, but it's good to know that you're having a great time without me." - She laughed again, hearing her fiancé's playful tone cutting through the noise that must have been in the bar.

- "Well you know sexy hot body, green eyes, that hoarse sexy voice isn't everything Dude. That's where you need good Whiskey and the best company." - replied Hailey, laughing provocatively. Admittedly, she had no intention now of drinking the Whiskey Jay had recently bought and didn't know where that idea had come from in her head, but she decided to tease Jay a little. She was in a good mood, and she could finally feel her life, her and Jay's life getting back on track after many months. She knew they still had a lot of work ahead of them, but she decided now to make the most of this good atmosphere.

- "I guess." - she heard Jay laugh and could swear she heard in his voice that there was something else he wanted to say, so she waited patiently for him to continue on. - "Angel, I'm calling because Kelly just suggested that we go to the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Millennium Park on Friday. What do you say, Angel?" - the nickname Jay had invented for her was her favorite, it always made her feel special, as it always did when she was around Jay.

- "Mmm well why not, if no case will pop up and nothing comes up on the way I don't see why not go there" - she replied, returning to the question he had asked her. They always had a case at that time and didn't have a chance to come to Millennium Park to watch magic happen, but now she didn't see any objections, and if they are with their friends it's even better. And besides, this could be a good introduction to creating new traditions in their life.

- "Well that's great, I'll answer Severide right away" - she heard Jay's excited voice at which she laughed again. She couldn't remember when they had both been in such good moods, it was good to be back in the social life. Hailey felt more and more that everything was finally going to work out somehow.

- "Great!" - she exclaimed with the same enthusiasm as her spouse.

- Hailey, where are the drinks! - exclaimed Kim, interrupting the conversation, at which Hailey laughed and rolled her eyes at her friend, who always had fantastic timing.

- "Okay, I'm not interrupting you girls anymore, have fun!" - Jay said upon hearing the brunette on the phone.

- "You guys have fun too." - she replied, not stopping smiling, and before he could turn off Hailey decided to say something else, so she called out his name to get his attention. - "I love you." - now saying those three words was something normal for her, something she could say day and night, and never get bored of it

- "I love you, too." - and hearing the same words from his mouth were her favorite sound, and she never got tired of them. With a smile, she ended the call and picked up her tray.

- What took you so long to make us drinks? - asked Vanessa curiously when Hailey finally returned to them with a tray full of drinks that she set on the table.

- Sorry, but Jay called with a proposal to go to Millennium Park on Friday and see the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting - Hailey explained, handing each one a glass and then returned to her seat with a drink in her hand.

- Oh, and this is the reason why you ignore your friends? - added Stella jokingly.

- Mhmm yes - replied Hailey with a giggle and the rest of the girls joined in laughing.

- Here we go again - Kim raised her glass in the air and the other girls followed her - To happiness, love, family and friendship. - She called out, and the others did the same.

- I had watched the two of you walking around in heels for so long, and sometimes I felt like doing something about it, because it was very annoying. I have never seen such love as yours in my life - said Van. - I would love to meet someone who looks at me the way Jay looks at you and loves me the way Jay loves you. - She added looking at Hailey.

- You came to us at the latest, and I had to watch them play for years and years, and they finally saw through it, but you had to - Kim pointed her finger at Hailey - go all the way to New York. - said Kim, causing laughter on the part of her friends and embarrassment on the part of Hailey, whose face was still smiling.

Even though she flew there as a punishment, in the end it turned out not to be such a bad experience. Not only did it remind her how good a cop she is, but most of all it reminds her that she never wants to be without Jay again, and thanks to that she really dared to tell him about her feelings.

- Some things take time - said Hailey.

- Maybe next time they won't wait so long, and maybe Jay will propose soon - said Stella, and Hailey choked on her drink, and Van, who was closest to Hailey, got up to pat her, and the other girls looked worried and surprised, waiting to see if more serious help was needed.

Hailey and Jay haven't told anyone about getting engaged yet except Will, and they haven't talked about whether or not they want anyone to talk about it. It's not that they didn't want to talk about it, there just wasn't time to talk about it especially with how Kim was fighting for her life and the whole circus that Voight had gotten us into and besides, Hailey and Jay weren't the kind of people to talk about their lives in detail even when it came to Kim, Adam and Kevin or even Van. They loved them, they were their family, but there are some things that they want to keep to themselves, moments that are so special and unrepeatable and just theirs that they don't feel like bragging about it, but on the other hand they are such happy moments, and they make them happy that they want to scream and jump.

- Hailey, are you okay? - her attention was brought back to the worried voice of Stella, who was now crouched beside the blonde.

- Yes, I just can't drink, and I choked - she laughed a little embarrassed and confused.

- Are you sure? - asked Kim, standing next to Stella.

- Yes, I just choked. It's not a big deal - she laughed, finding the situation more and more comical.

- Okay, so back to the topic at hand - Stella said after a moment of silence, which Hailey managed to calm down and Vanessa brought another round of drinks, which they all happily accepted. - Would you like Jay to kneel down and ask you to marry him?

- Stella, that's a silly question - the young policewoman said this time - She's been dreaming about it for years. The question is when Jay will finally decide to do it. - She said, looking carefully at Hailey, who was trying her best to hide a smile.

- That's right - Kim eagerly added. - Because guys can be very reluctant about these things.

- Jay won't be like that - interjected Van.

Hailey didn't know what to do or whether to laugh because they didn't expect Jay and Hailey to be engaged and those comments were so ridiculous that they were laughable.

- I'm sure he'll book a table at a fancy restaurant, and you'll be dressed up and there'll be delicious food and the atmosphere will be incredibly romantic, and suddenly he'll kneel down and take out the ring and say how much he loves you and say those words. -Hailey Anne Upton - Stella took Hailey's hand in hers and, trying to be serious and faking Jay's voice, she continued on. - Hailey Anne Upton, will you make me the happiest man in the Chicago Police Department and marry me?

- Jay Halstead yes I will marry you - said Hailey with all her might trying to hide her laughter, but the whole situation was so comical and absurd that she couldn't stand it any longer, and she burst out laughing loudly, and her friends followed suit.

- But seriously - started the topic again this time Kim - Wouldn't you like it? - asked the blonde seriously, and there was a silence in which Hailey chose the right words.

- I don't need a chic restaurant for Jay to propose to me, and Jay knows that, and maybe that's why our engagement was so special, because it was timely, and it was during our thing that works. They were just the way we were, and I don't need more than that. - She replied, and there was complete silence in the room.

- They were?! - Van was the first to wake up from her numbness.

- When? How? What? - asked a surprised Kim

- Are you engaged! - this time Stella cried out surprised.

And Hailey, seeing the surprise and shock of her friends, could not stop laughing. None of the women had expected to hear that.

- Hailey, why didn't you tell us before? - said Van and before Hailey could answer she continued - Tell us everything.

- There's nothing to tell, because I just told you. - Hailey stood up and poured wine into an empty glass, which she then took in her hand and in her other hand she took a mini sandwich, because she was either hungry from the excitement, from the alcohol, or from the conversation ahead of her. Whatever it was made her stomach clamor for food.

- You haven't told us anything - Kim said with a giggle.

- Come on, when? - asked Stella excitedly.

- A couple of months ago. The whole thing with kidnapping you - she looked at Kim - it made everything I went through when he disappeared come back to me - she decided to tell a partial truth, because she still couldn't summon up the courage to tell Kim the truth. And besides, Van and Stella shouldn't know about what happened. It's safer for them. - and I realized the only thing that matters in my life is him and what we have and how much we love each other. And it was like I proposed to him first. - She said with a big smile and not holding back tears. Because although the reason for the proposal was actually different, the main impulse was how much she loved him and that she could not live without him, without his love.

- And then what? - asked Van excitedly.

- Nothing, Will called, and we had to go to the hospital because there was a person who needed our support - replied Hailey, sending Kim a smile that was reciprocated.

- I'm sorry that I was the reason for interrupting such an important event - Kim said, and tears came to her eyes, which was exactly what Hailey wanted to avoid. She didn't want her friend to feel guilty because it wasn't her fault.

- Kim, no no no. It's not your fault, sometimes there are more important things - she said quickly - And I'll even tell you that it was a good thing.

- What? - Kim asked, surprised, wiping her tears with her hand.

- Well, because when I came back from the hospital after you woke up, I went back to the apartment and Jay was waiting for me and this time he proposed to me. - she said, smiling.

- What do you mean? - Kim asked, still surprised.

- Double engagements are only talked about in movies and books, see. - said Vanessa excitedly.

- Hahaha - laughed Hailey at her younger friend's reaction, and the rest joined her.

- Love like yours doesn't come along very often - commented Stella. - I am glad for your happiness.

- No one deserves to be happy more than you and Jay - Kim added.

- You don't even know how happy I am, Hailey - said Van.

- Thank you girls - Hailey was touched by the words of her friends. - You don't know how much that means to me. - For years, Hailey hid behind a wall and rarely let other people see her. It was easier. She didn't have to explain her past, and it hurt less when someone left. But when she met Jay everything changed and now that she had friends and that feeling of not being alone was amazing, her only regret was that she had only met such great friends so late.

- But while we're on the subject of engagements - Stella spoke up after a while, getting the attention of her laughing and still emotional friends. - About 6 months ago, Kelly decided to propose to me during a campaign we were called to do - she said with a big smile.

- That's amazing! - exclaimed the three friends simultaneously, who now moved to hug the gray-haired girl.

- But I'm happy for you guys - said Kim, who was happy and joyful, Hailey could see a shadow of sadness in her eyes, but knowing that Kim wouldn't want to talk about it now, she decided to talk about it the first chance she got.

- Me too - added Van, taking the last series of drinks from the tray and handed to each of the women. - Since you got engaged at the same time, why don't we have a double wedding - suggested the young woman enthusiastically, at which the others giggled.

- Why not - Kim picked up the idea and Stella nodded eagerly and if Hailey was to be honest this idea did not seem so stupid to her.

Admittedly, she preferred not to go into the planning of such a distant future yet, especially since she didn't know how the whole situation with North, Roy and Voight would develop.

But she couldn't help the fact that her thoughts since their engagement had been running more and more on their own to imagining herself in her dream wedding dress and gorgeous cake and that she and Jay would officially be one.

- And you and Adam? - asked Stella, sitting next to a visibly surprised Kim. - What about you two? Maybe you guys will be next?

- I don't think anything like that is going to happen anytime soon - replied Kim fiddling with the wine glass in her hand. - You know, we both made a lot of mistakes in the past, we were going to have a baby - she paused, feeling tears welling up in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away - Anyway, many bad things happened between us in the past and now that we have Makayla we are trying to put things back together. I want to believe that we have finally grown up to be a family. Do I want to be his wife in the future? Of course, but I don't want to rush things. What we have now is enough for me, for us.

- You make a beautiful family, Kim - Hailey said with a smile, and a touched Kim nodded her head in return.

When Hailey watched the smiling Kim and Adam engrossed in Makayla, she was filled with pride and happiness, and more and more she caught herself thinking if this was what her and Jay's lives would be like in the future. And she had to admit that for the first time in her life the thought of motherhood didn't scare her, in fact she was quietly looking forward to it.

- What about you, Van? - This time Kim shifted the question to the hitherto quiet woman.

- What me? - She asked surprised - Am I planning to get married? - She was surprised that her friend asked her - Of course not. I am planning to go crazy - she laughed happily, which made the other girls laugh.

- Well, what else could you expect? - exclaimed Hailey with a giggle.

The girls talked for a long time about more or less important topics. They laughed and cried. Hailey realized once again how great her friends were and how much she missed these moments.

The girls didn't leave Hailey alone until midnight and the amount of alcohol she had consumed and the long hours of talking with her friends proved to be more tiring than she would have expected and since the girls had decided to help her clean up she could now take a shower and get ready for bed.

When she came out of the bathroom dressed in Jay's blouse and sweatpants, she decided not to go to bed yet, but to wait for Jay on the couch in the living room.

It didn't take her long to fall asleep, tiredly letting sleep take her to a future with Jay.

[anotheronechicagobog]

Rangers, Lead The Way - Chapter 3 - Kenny with Maggie

written by @anotheronechicagobog

warnings: swearing, nudity, profanity, mention of school shooting, guns, weapons, I’m pro gun control (even though I’m Canadian) and this kinda reflects that, mention of PTSD, child neglect, also I fucking hate nazis

When someone called before seven in the morning it was work, a death notification, or one of his fellow trio of lovestruck fools. So when the annoying ringtone Hana installed as a prank and he couldn’t figure out how to remove started blasting on his nightstand at 2:17 in the morning, he was more annoyed than apprehensive. “Crosby.”

“Hey man, sorry to call you so late, but it’s about Maggie.”

“What’s going on?”

“One of her first arrests as an FBI agent just broke out of prison, and she’s been temporarily assigned to the unit being tasked with finding him. Yours. I expect you’ll be getting a call in the next five minutes or so. Maggie can take care of herself, I know that, but...”

“It’s hard when you’re not there to watch her back. Don’t worry, I’ve got her.” 

“Thank you. So much. I appreciate this, so, so much.”

“Hey, a couple of months ago I was you. I feel you man, don’t worry. She’ll be fine. Listen, I’d love to keep talking but I’ve got another call coming in and it looks like that work call you were warning about. Talk to you later.”

“See you on the flip side, man.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jess stood in front of everyone with that look on his face that vaguely reminded Kenny of his stern ex-navy fourth-grade teacher. “Everyone, this is special agent Maggie Bell, you may remember her from when we worked with her unit on a couple of cases, but this time it’s just her joining us. Is there anything you’d like to add, Bell?”

“I’m excited to work with you all, but please, call me Maggie.”

“Alright, let’s get to work, then. Maggie, Jason Anderson was one of your first arrests with the bureau, can you brief us on that case and highlight any details you think may be pertinent?”

“Definitely. Well for starters, Anderson is a cheating scumbag and it only gets worse from there.” Maggie’s bluntness broke through the formality that was stifling the bus, smirks and chuckles abound, and it seemed that only he didn’t have the sense to at least try and hid his amusement. An understanding but disapproving look had Kenny composing himself to speak up. “Well then, let’s jump down this rabbit hole.”

Maggie was sitting next to Hana, giving details about the fugitive they were currently after. He was one of Maggie’s first arrests as an FBI agent, so the bureau thought it would be beneficial to have her work with the team. So here she was, dressed in jeans and a sweater as opposed to her usual suits, combining her razor-sharp intelligence with Hana’s. They’d commandeered the top floor of a police station in Boston and were relying on Maggie and Hana’s wit to find out where he was. Jason Anderson, 42, was an illegal weapons dealer. He’d previously been put in prison for distribution and possession of prohibited firearms, and for giving an AK-47 to a school shooter. He was being transferred to a higher security prison because it came to light that he was continuing his business from behind bars, but the security team had been too small and unprepared for the escape plan pulled off by a team of eight. Those eight men were their biggest clue oddly enough, as they’d been dropping like flies since the escape. Michael Howard, 40, was Anderson’s ex-brother-in-law. And the connection between all the, now dead, prison breakers. Unfortunately, Howard’s sister, and Anderson’s ex-wife, had cut contact with both of them along with the rest of their families after Howard introduced Anderson to his mistress and encouraged an affair that created two children. The mistress, Bethany Karnstein, had gone AWOL hours ago when she left her job in the middle of her shift and didn’t pick her kids up from school. 

The kids were safe with Anderson’s parents, but they couldn’t answer their questions when they asked where their mother was. The kids did identify Michael Howard as one of their mom’s friends though, he’d come to watch them while their mother was in the hospital about six months prior. They didn’t look shocked that FBI agents were asking about their parents, but they still didn’t know anything. 

At the moment, they were splitting up. Jess and Barnes were headed to follow up with Bethany’s clueless boss, he and Clinton were about to go follow up on a possible sighting, and Hana and Maggie were staying on the bus. Thankfully, since Kenny was stressed out enough at the prospect of having to watch out for Maggie on top of worrying about Hana, them being assigned together eased his mind. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was around midnight when he and Clinton were finally able to rendezvous with the rest of the team. There was no sighting, Bethany had one of her affair partners call in a false tip, and when he and Clinton had quickly sussed that out it lead to a shootout and car chase. Jason, the dumbass stupid enough to commit six different felonies for a woman who has two kids with a violent arms dealer, was lying in a heavily guarded ICU bed. They’d managed to get his cell phone but he was beyond unconscious when they’d finally managed to get him to stop shooting at them. “Hey Hana, I brought you something.”

“Jason’s cell?”

“That too, but I was actually talking about this.” He held out a large coffee that she desperately needed if the way her eyes lit up was any indication. “Thank you.” Hana let out an over-dramatic groan as she downed the first sip. “Hey Crosby, thanks for my coffee too.” He looked at Maggie sheepishly, realizing that he’d only gotten two, one for himself and the other for Hana. “I was the one who drove to and then parked in front of the coffee shop while he went and got those, how do you think I feel?” Clinton’s playful jab caused a round of giggles but the knowing look from the older man made Crosby a little nervous. He was sure his feelings towards Hana weren’t super well-hidden, but he really didn’t need anyone on the team tipping Hana off. “Anyway, here’s Jason’s cell. Do you think you can crack it?”

“Normally with this many characters I’d say no... But, his password is seven characters long and his lock screen is Bethany, so... There we go, unlocked.”

“... That was a really poor choice of password.”

“And girlfriend.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After working for fourteen hours straight they were all spent and headed to the hotel that the FBI had secured rooms at for them. Jess, Barnes and Clinton were all in one car that was headed straight to the hotel to get everyone checked in. Kenny, Hana, and Maggie were in the other car that was making a detour on the way to pick up Thai food. Hana and Maggie were chatting amongst themselves, but Kenny was still kicking himself for the slip-up he’d made while placing the order over the phone. 

“Hi, can I place an order for pickup? Great. The name’s Kenny and the phone number is 123-456-7890. Okay, I’ll get two orders of shrimp rolls, one vegetable pad Thai, one pork Mee Khob, one chicken pad Keeng, and two orders of chicken Kao pad puk, hold on one second- Maggie you want green curry, right?”

“... Yeah, how did you know?” I’ve heard your partner talk about you almost non-stop since he met you because he’s head over heels in love with you, but I can’t say that, can? Especially because you, Hana, and Hailey don’t know that OA, Jya, and I know each other... For some reason, so sorry Maggie, Hana but I’m going to have to lie my ass off here. “Uh, sorry, I thought I heard you mention it earlier, plus you look like a green curry kind of person.”

“Ha, alright, yes I’d like some, thanks.”

“- Sorry about keeping you on hold, I’ll add one green curry to that order. Do you want me to pay over the phone or is it okay if I pay when I get there?”

“Kenny!”

“Sorry, what’s up?”

“Our exit is coming up in... 150 metres, you need to turn right.”

“Shit, thanks, Hana.”

“Are you okay? You seemed like you were in your own world there.”

“I’m fine, I was just thinking. Where do I go next?”

“Go straight for another 700 metres, it’ll be on the right.”

“Got it.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright everyone, the food’s here!” They’d all decided to gather in one of the meeting rooms the hotel had to the left of the lobby, Kenny had admittedly bellowed a little loud, but it brought all of his straggling coworkers into the room from their various spots in and around the lobby.

“Finally, what took you guys so long?” He knew that Jess was just hangry, and frustrated that they hadn’t caught the fugitive yet, so he let the snappy comment slide.

“Crosby almost missed the turn.”

“You let Crosby drive? Rookie mistake” He gave Hana a teasing look of betrayal before turning to Clinton. “I’ll have you know I am an excellent driver.”

“You’ve driven into a lake.”

“That was one time three years ago! And we were in a high-speed chase with a guy on a BMX bike who made a sharp turn near a kid’s birthday party, I didn’t exactly have many options.” He sounded more upset than he actually was. Moments like these were nice, where they got to hang around each other and just be friends, and Maggie was fitting in wonderfully with everyone but especially Hana, who sat in between him and Maggie as she started telling a story about OA with her face absolutely glowing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason’s cell proved to be far more useful than he was. Bethany had been texting him from a rural address that turned out to be a cottage rental that was supposed to be vacant. The owners had a basic security system that had alerted them that someone was in their cottage, when the local LEOs investigated they immediately recognized the suspect but were able to play it off as having gotten a noise complaint, before going back to their vehicle and calling the FBI, while hiding their vehicle so that they could keep watch over the cottage. There was always a tense atmosphere when people were getting greedy for a raid, Kenny supposed the fresh air and appealing scent of pine trees eases tensions slightly, but not by much. Everyone knew that the worst could happen. That their loved ones could get an overly formal call at an unholy hour, telling them that the worst would happen. Everyone always did their best to try and prevent that, but there was only so much that they could keep out of fate’s unforgiving hands. His heartstrings pulled slightly as he flicked his eyes over to Hana. She was his special someone, even if she didn’t know it, and for a brief moment, he wondered what it would be like for her if he- No. Nope. You can’t think like that, especially not before a raid, and especially not about a woman who was only supposed to be your friend. The final preparations were complete and they were getting in position to breach. Hana still hadn’t been cleared for the field yet, so in the back of his mind, he was appreciative that there was one less person to worry about, with her wirelessly monitoring their body cams and coms. Although that was kind of moot point honestly, because Maggie was with them, in fact, Maggie had taken Hana’s position behind him. “You ready Maggie?” She put her hand on the back of his vest as the SWAT leader started counting down. “Always.”

The door was busted down and all the FBI and SWAT agents funnelled into the house through the three entrances. The sliding glass back door was where Jess was entering, the side door was for Clinton and Barnes, and He and Maggie were going through the front door. The front door went straight into the family room to the right, the eat-in kitchen was on the left, and directly across from the sliding glass door. Flashbangs went off as everyone started shouting, announcing themselves. There were screams and cries of panic, something not unusual in their line of work, what was also not unusual was finding Bethany naked on her knees with Michael Howard standing in front of her dressed in the same manner. Michael’s eyes went wide, and his thought process played out like an open book.

Shit. Feds.

Get gun.

... Gun is not in my holster because I’m not wearing clothes.

Run.

... Can’t run cause Bethany is clinging to my legs.

Kenny had to give the guy props for trying to tackle him linebacker style naked as the day he was born as he stood firm and checked him, sending him flying onto the ground. “Turn onto your stomach, now!”

He writhed around, trying to resist arrest, shouting “SUCK MY DICK YOU PIGS!” And trying to thrust his bare nether regions at everyone, Kenny in particular. “Howard Michael, you are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you acknowledge that your rights have been read to you?”

“FUCK YOU!”

“I’m gonna take that as a yes.” One of the SWAT officers approached them with an itchy-looking wool blanket and took their suspect into custody. Maggie and Kenny shared a look before making their way to the two bedrooms that were to the left of the kitchen, they hadn’t been cleared yet and now they were trying to move fast to make sure that no other accomplices got away. Kenny took the right door, Maggie, to the left. “FBI! Freeze!” Kenny was met with the disturbing sight of a dead body on the bed. His throat and wrists had been slit and he was surrounded by lumped together blood-soaked sheets. He immediately recognized the dead body as the last remaining accomplice in the breakout. “Hey, Crosby? I need your help in here.”

“What’s up Maggie?” When he entered her room he stopped in his tracks. There wasn’t a bed, instead, there were two cribs for two babies, both of whom were in an equally freaked-out Maggie’s arms. “Here, let me help you.” Kenny helped lighten her load by taking a baby in his arms. “Hi sweetheart, what’s your name?”

“Kenny, these babies can’t be older than six months, you know she can’t respond to you, right?”

“I know, but they’re so little and scared, I want to at least try to comfort them.” The little girl hard curled up into his chest and nestled her face into his neck. “It looks like you’re doing a great job to me.”

“Who’s kids even are these?”

“I’m really trying not to think about it.”

“I’m praying to every deity there is that they’re not Bethany and Howard’s kids.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There had to be thousands of deities, gods, godlings, divine beings, and not one of them could come through for those poor kids? The six-month-old twins Baxter and Hazel were the children of Bethany Karnstein and Michael Howard, who had murdered a man in the room next to their children’s room. The social services department where they were was basically non-existent, so while they waited for a social worker to drive from four and a half hours away they were watching the babies at the local police station while Jess and Clinton were questioning Michael. Baxter was much more social, jumping between the FBI agents, SWAT, and local LEOs, but he was now babbling quite happily on Maggie’s lap, whereas Hazel had immediately taken to Hana and refused to be held by anyone but her and Kenny. He looked at her fondly, Hana was holding the baby close to her chest and humming the tune to a melodic song he couldn’t remember the name of. Hazel looked up at Hana with wide, enchanted, trusting eyes, and all Kenny could do was feel his heart melt. A stray thought placed itself at the forefront of his mind and before he could stop it, he was picturing Hana as a mom, and as captivating as that thought was Kenny had to shake his head to stop it from going too far, they were just friends, it wasn’t Hana’s fault that he’s in love with her. I need to look somewhere else, anywhere else. 

His eye-line shifted to Maggie and watching as she bounced an absolutely delighted Baxter on her lap. He knew that OA wanted a family, wanted a wife and a couple of kids, and looking at the tender way Maggie was holding and entertaining Baxter, he could see her being a mom too. Man, if OA saw this he’d have a heart attack, it’s his dream come true.

Kenny saw Hana shift positions out of his peripheral vision and turned to look at her and was immediately concerned. She had a look of discomfort on her face. “Hana? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her tone was tense and Hazel immediately picked up on it and made a scared noise. “Are your arms tired? Do you want me to take her?”

“No. We’re fine. Maybe you should hold Baxter instead.” She snapped and finally looked him in the eyes, she was clearly angry and upset, but she seemed betrayed as well. Kenny leaned back into his chair his shoulders sinking in tandem. He was silently thankful that since everyone was milling about and talking it didn’t seem that anyone heard the exchange, though Maggie did look at him with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged his shoulders in response, completely bewildered. Maggie shook her head sharply, rolled her eyes, and scoffed. ‘Men.’ She mouthed. Kenny was completely clueless, had either of them noticed him watching them at they were offended at that? He watches Hana work away on her computer all the time and it’s never been an issue, but then again that was always subject to change. His inner ramblings were cut off when Jess and Clinton came back from the interrogation room. “Michael didn’t talk much, but Hana decrypted his cell and he has incoming and outgoing calls to a recluse retiree Evan DeLuca who lives forty minutes from here. Crosby, Bell go check it out, Clinton and I are going to take a break from interrogating Michael for an hour or so, Gibson and Barnes, you two can interrogate Karnstein, see how much she knows and just how involved is she in all of this. We can watch the babies while you’re in there...”

“Admit it, boss, you want a break just cause you two want to hold the babies.”

“Get moving Crosby, Barnes is already out the door.”

“You got it.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were twenty minutes into the tense car ride when Maggie finally spoke up. “Just so you know, you’re an idiot.” Flabbergasted Kenny let his mouth fall open and close a couple of times before tightening his grip on the steering wheel only to release it after taking a breath. “You’re probably right, but can you please tell me why I’m an idiot? What did I do wrong?”

“Can’t tell you that.”

“Why not? You were the one who brought it up.”

“Just... Focus more on Hana, okay?”

“Are you sure? I mean, I thought about it, and maybe that’s the issue?”

“Trust me, it’s not. Just focus on her, got it?”

“Okay... I’m confused as hell, but okay.”

“Isn’t that your usual state of mind?” He didn’t have to look over to see the teasing grin, he could feel it. “Woah, low blow, Maggie, low blow.”

“If you want to hear about a low blow, you should hear about how OA and I had to chase a clown fairy princess twelve blocks at two in the morning.”

“Please, go on.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well. That went terribly wrong. As much as Kenny could appreciate the peace and aesthetic of small towns and cottage areas, he hated working in them because there was never any backup! Forty minutes may not seem like a lot of time, but when you’re in a firefight against a man who has access to a seemly endless supply of weapons of war, that was an eternity. He’d literally fired a bazooka at them, how in the fuck did he get a bazooka?! So, the good news about this situation? They’d found Jason Anderson. Bad news? They’d found Jason Anderson with an arsenal large enough and powerful enough to take down a small army. They’d managed to take cover, but Anderson clearly had night-vision goggles because, despite the fact that it was past eleven and pitch black, he always knew where they were. Oh, and Evan DeLuca was probably a dead retiree, not a recluse. That’s just great, another body to add to Anderson’s growing total. Now, all that he and Maggie had to do was not become part of that number. If only it were that easy. They’d managed to get around the side of the house where there were only two medium-sized windows on side of the house facing them instead of a large doorway like at the front and, presumably, the back.

When Kenny got Jess on the phone it was nothing but panicked observations, and the notification that they’d found Anderson, as he and Maggie ran for cover. His phone wasn’t even near his face when he made the call, so he’s not quite sure what all made it through, only that they were still thirty minutes away from the address.

“We need a plan.”

“He can see our movements so we’re going to have to be sneaky about it.”

“I’ll fire on him, cause a diversion, do you think you can try to sneak around back?” 

“Are you crazy?! We didn’t have time to grab our vests, that’s suicide. Besides, how many rounds do you even have left?”

“I’ve got a mag and a half.”

“Really? I thought you fired a bunch of shots at him earlier.”

“I did, but I’ve been carrying extra ammo for this case, I figured I’d need it at some point considering we’re going up against a weapons dealer.”

“Smart-” She was cut off by another several hundred rounds being fired at the, thankfully incredibly thick, tree they were hiding behind. “We don’t have much of a choice Maggie. Head around back, I’ll try to distract him and not get shot.” He knew she’d argue with him, so he didn’t give her the chance to. He ran out from behind the tree and fired through the only window of the two that was open. There wasn’t any light on in the house, so Kenny really wasn’t sure what he was aiming for. After the sixth shot he heard “fuck! Fucking fuck!” And felt a wave of relief; he’d hit Anderson. Hopefully enough to keep him subdued. He ran around to the front of the house only to be met with the sight of Anderson pulling the pin out of a grenade. He ran back out faster than he entered and hugged the outside of the entrance just outside of the doorframe. “GRENADE!” The explosion went off where he’d been standing when he burst through the front door, shrapnel from the grenade exploded through the doorway seconds after he’d gotten out and he could hear some of it embed itself in the interior of the wall behind him.

When Kenny entered through the doorway, they were face to face. Kenny's gun was raised aimed at his forehead, and Anderson stood there weaponless. Pulling the trigger, Kenny made the mistake of thinking that it was over, that Anderson was done for. Click. Horror and vindication simultaneously coursed through Crosby and Anderson. The gun was empty. He'd spent all the rounds. Before he could lower his useless gun Anderson was on him like a feral animal. Despite the gunshot wound to Anderson’s right shoulder, he was just as lethal without a weapon as was when he had one. Anderson had him by the throat up against the wall and was pressing his thumbs into Kenny’s throat. Kenny threw two quick punches to Anderson’s jaw, releasing him and making them stumble away from each other. It quickly turned into a fight on the floor. They were biting, kicking, hitting each other, trying to get the upper hand. Kenny managed to land a solid elbow to Anderson’s head but that seemed to be the tipping point that only enraged him. The next thing Kenny knew Anderon had pushed him up and smacked him on the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs, and started to choke him again. Kenny tried to lay in a punch like the first time, but Anderson saw that coming, just dodged away from the fist and started pushing his thumbs into the centre of Kenny’s neck harder. 

“FBI! Put up your hands!” Anderson growled but did as he was told. Kenny lay there gasping for breath knowing that it was too easy, Anderson had another trick up his sleeve, and Maggie was too smart not to know it too. She stepped closer, her gun pointed to the back of Anderson’s head, one hand reaching to her waist to grab her cuffs... That’s when Anderson made his move, spinning around and grabbing her by the waist, Anderson pulled her to the ground, the force caused her to let go of her gun. She tried to reach for it but Anderson pulled her towards him by her hair and put her in a chokeholdJaytill hazy from the lack of air Kenny grappled at him from behind. Trying to do something, anything, to save Maggie. Whatever he did worked because Anderson turned back to face him only now he had a bruise on the side of his face that was already swollen. Anderson tried grabbing Kenny by the neck again, but it was clear he was low on energy and just trying to fight until his last breath. Too bad for Anderson that Maggie wasn’t going to let that happen. 

Crack.

And then Anderson was unconscious, lying on top of him, and Kenny barely had the strength to move the gun dealing scumbag off of him. “You good?”

“Yeah, thanks.” He looked at the gun in Maggie’s hand and Anderson on the ground. She was holding her gun by the barrel and there was some blood on the handle. “You cold-cocked him?”

“Yeah, I tried shooting him, but I mistook my gun for yours. I told you that you wouldn’t have enough ammo.”

“That you did. Thanks again, for saving my ass.”

“Any time.”

“I’m gonna call the team and let them know they don’t have to come in guns blazing... Especially because we are surrounded by improperly stored weapons and ammo. I’ll probably call for an ambulance too, to come to check you out.”

“What? Me?”

“Yeah, he had you in that chokehold pretty hard.”

“He strangled you, twice!”

“Three times actually, you weren’t here for the first one.”

“Even if you have to be dragged over by the ear, you will be getting checked out by the ambulance too.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m going to preface this by saying Maggie’s fine, she doesn’t even have a concussion.”

“... That was the absolute worst way to start this call. Are you aware of that? Oh the heart attack you’re giving me? What the fuck happened?”

“Long story short, we found Jason Anderson and he tried to kill us.”

“And the long version? Actually, wait do I even want to know?”

“Probably not, but you want to know anyway because you think it will make you worry less, even though we both know it won’t, don’t you?”

“... Yes.”

“We got shot at a lot, got pinned down behind one of the massive trees they have out here, split up with me providing the distraction, I almost got blown up, my magazine was empty from providing cover so we went hand-to-hand, the door at the back was blocked by crates of uzis so it took her a while to get back, I got strangled three separate times, managed to land good hits, so did he, he threw Maggie on the ground when she showed up and she hit her head, he put her in a chokehold, I got her out of it by pinching his armpits really hard after punching wasn’t working, he tried to strangle me for the third time and Maggie cold-cocked him with my empty gun cause she couldn’t find hers. The paramedics cleared her, she’ll be fine. I think that Hana’s gonna try to drag us to the local clinic when we get back to town.”

“She’s okay?”

“Completely, she doesn’t even have a headache or sore throat, and she really saved my ass back there. She’s good. She’s with Hana right now actually. Hana was really off when everyone showed up, she’s been pretty worried and she won’t believe me when I say I’m okay but she’ll believe Maggie. You know you could probably call her, check up on her yourself? We were talking with the paramedics and she kept talking about this halal burger place you brought her to and she’d do anything for one of those right now... But from the look on her face when she brought you up, I’d wager she was actually talking about you. She misses you, even spent an hour talking about you when we all got Thai food in Boston.”

“Alright, thanks, man. I don’t know what I’d do if she wasn’t okay.”

“Gee, thanks for showing your concern for me. You know, your brother in arms-”

“Alright-”

“Fellow ex-ranger-”

“Okay-”

“Favourite blonde-”

“I’m glad you’re alright Kenny. I just can’t believe you two went up against Jason Anderson and walked away unscathed.”

“Actually my throat is pretty sore and the paramedics found some shrapnel in my right leg, all of it was shallow but some of it got pushed in deeper during the fight.”

“... Just go to a hospital, man. Seriously. Also, Hailey is my favourite blonde now. Sorry.”

“What?!”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We have a problem.”

“What kind of problem, Hana?” Jess may have sounded cool, calm, and collected, but anyone who knew him was able to tell it was the opposite. Jess LaCroix likes for things to get done and stay done, according to Tali that’s why he hates doing the dishes, and this threw a serious wrench in everyone’s plans to escort the culprits, and children because children’s aid still hasn’t shown up, back to Boston and then go home to New York.  

“Anderson’s set up a buy, a big one. Everything in that house except for two AK-47’s, ten grenades, and eight rounds of ammo for the AK-47, is for a single buyer, they’re meeting at the base of a hiking trail in two days.”

“Fuck. There were uzis and bazookas, who the hell are these guys.” Anderson was just a weapons dealer, and he was dangerous enough, Kenny really wasn’t looking forward to meeting whoever the buyer was. “I don’t know, I couldn’t find out, but there is some, I guess, good news. They think that he blew up an FBI agent and that that’s who’s in the hospital under armed guard. They think he got away, want to do the exchange earlier than planned, they want to meet in two hours, the same location.”

“Hana, we have the opportunity to also take down some pretty dangerous buyers too, that’s great news, why don’t you think so?”

“Kenny, they don’t know his exact face but they have a description. Six feet tall, blonde, blue eyes, muscular-”

“You think I have muscles?” Kenny realized his attempt at lightening the mood wasn’t welcome when no one chuckled along with him, muttering a quick apology before looking back at Hana, whose face displaced what he could only describe as contained distress. “Kenny, you’re pretty banged up, you shouldn’t be going out there.”

“Hana, I’ll be fine. Everything’s mostly superficial, SWAT hasn’t gone back to Boston yet, and we may not get another chance to get these guys. It has to be done, and quickly. I’ll be okay.” She took a deep breath and looked down at the papers on the table in front of her. She did not like it, that much was very obvious, but she looked frustrated that his logic was right, and that they’d have to go through with his, admittedly not very well thought out, plan. “Alright, I guess I’ll go and get the tech set up.” Jess coughed to draw attention to himself, along with everyone else in the room they’d been ignoring, and Kenny felt his cheeks heat up. “Sorry, is this the plan we’re going through with and should I get the tech together?”

“While I get the local LEO’s to give us some info on the terrain?” Jess looked them both over before nodding. “Sounds like that’s what we’re doing, thanks for doing all the planning guys, everyone, go get prepared.”

“Kenny, can you come and find me after you’re done talking to the LEO’s? I’d like to talk for a sec.”

“Sure thing Maggie.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His talk with Maggie ended up just being a quick, and confusing, talk.

“I know that it’s been a rough couple of days, but I’m still you really need to be careful.”

“I know, it won’t be like back at the house, there’ll be back up this time, and I’ll have ammo in my gun this time.”

“This isn’t the time to joke but... Okay. And one more thing, be nice to Hana.”

“Aren’t I always nice to Hana? I feel like she’s upset with me but I don’t know what I’ve done wrong.” Maggie sighed before giving him a long look and was clearly debating whether or not to say something. “It’s not that you’ve done anything wrong, it’s just that... current circumstances have been stressing her out. Like me being your partner right now, it’s thrown her off a bit. And she said you’ve been acting strange so she’s worried about you for that on top of your physical safety, and Zadie has been calling and texting her quite a bit asking for updates about you, and it’s just been a lot for her.”

“Why didn’t she tell me any of this?”

“Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone who isn’t directly involved in the issue. Look, all I’m saying is that you need to be careful, and maybe tell Zadie to not ask about you while you and Hana are working.”

“I didn’t even know she’s been doing that, it doesn’t matter that Hana isn’t in the field, her work is still crucial and she can’t afford to be distracted. Are we good?”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

“Good.”

Maggie was still pretty vague, but when Hana was wiring him up, he promised her he would be careful and cautious, that he was sorry if he worried her, the relief on her face made his heart twinge. He hadn’t meant to make her so concerned.

Two sets of headlights drove up the gravel road that leads to town, bring Kenny back to the present. Two men stepped out of each car and he immediately had to stifle a groan. He was now standing alone in a hiking trail parking lot alone, but with back up hiding in the trees, with four nazis. They were all in their fifties wearing blatant white supremacist clothes. He counted a trump shirt, a confederate flag, an all lives matter shirt, and a swastika shirt. “You Jason Anderson?” Confederate spoke first, and his voice was so loud and boisterous it shook his beer belly. “I am.”

“Is that FBI agent you blew up dead yet?”

“I really didn’t come here, when the feds are really pissed and packing heat, to make small talk. Are you buying or not? I’ve got them all loaded up in the back.”

“Can we see them first?”

“After I see the cash.” Trump shirt looked at confederate for confirmation before walking to the second pick-up truck, because of course, and returned with two stuffed duffle bags. Kenny unzipped them the second they were in front of him, and sure enough, stacks of $100 bills shoved inside in a disorderly fashion. Kenny pretended to count but he was really biding his time, trying to find ways to get them to spill their guts. “What do you guys want with this much firepower, anyway? It’s a bit much for hunting.”

“There’s an abortion clinic a couple of hours away in Boston, we’re going to teach those whores to respect life.” And here I was thinking that these scumbags couldn’t get any worse. Kenny sighed and popped the trunk, revealing the crates of guns, that all had the firing pins removed making them useless, but assholes one through four didn’t need to know that. “Alright, take a look. What do you think?”

“I think... That we just got an arsenal for FREE!” All four aimed their newly attained weapons and... Didn’t fire. “Really? Did you honestly think I’d put ammo in there? Whatever, FBI YOU’RE UNDER ARREST!” They didn’t even have time to start running before the most wanted unit, Maggie, SWAT, and LEO’s had burst out of the trees, guns raised.

Fucking morons.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey man, how’d the bust go?”

“Great, we arrested the head of the local faction of the KKK and his minions, apparently. You know, the second the guns were in their hands they tried to blow me to pieces. They thought we, or Anderson rather, would have them all loaded up for them so they could make away with the guns and the cash. You should’ve seen them when they were arrested, they were genuinely surprised that their plan didn’t work, and that no one wanted to hear their bigoted crap. And Anderson’s ex-wife decided to take in all four of Karnstein’s kids, those he had with her husband and brother, which is great because we were worried about what was going to happen to them, but she said she just wants to keep all the siblings together and that’s an example of sainthood if I ever saw one. And before you ask, yes, Maggie’s fine.”

“I’m getting a little predictable when it comes to her, aren’t I?”

“A bit, yeah- hold on one second... I’m back.”  

“What was that?”

“I got another call.”

“From who?”

“Zadie.”

“The girl you’re dating who happens to be the roommate of your best friend and the girl you’re in love with?”

“... Shut up.”

“Hahaha no. Look, we’re both idiots, all three of us were until Halstead figured out how to get off. I can’t talk to Maggie about how I feel, not yet and maybe not ever. Losing her husband left horrendous scars and she needs me to be her partner and her friend, she doesn’t need to deal with how I feel. But you and Hana? You could happen, you could talk to her, I know that you spoke with her about your PTSD and she’s told you about serious things in her life and herself. Both of you have a trust and bond that doesn’t need to be tested. It’s tried and true. You don’t deserve to be miserable, drowning yourself in distractions and being a distraction. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

“Okay, I will. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think you and Maggie are as far away from each other as you think. She talks about you all the time, she told me so many stories about you two in the field. She trusts you implicitly, and the face she makes when she talks about you... There’s nothing platonic about that. So you need to think about talking to your girl and moving forward too, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Am I really not your favourite blonde anymore?”

“Haha, no you’re not, sorry.”

“You knew her for like three days!”

“Eh, still.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

“... No, I don’t. But... Maggie told me about the clown fairy princess and I’m gonna tell Halstead about it the next time I call him, which we’ll be in an hour cause I want to catch him before he goes to work. So, HA!”

“Crosby!”

[upsteadhq]

attempts

*same warnings as the last part apply. this fic is whump so it contains angst, swearing and blood. lots and lots of blood*

masterlist series masterlist

Part Two

This was a game to them.

This was a fucking game.

Jay threw the paper down on the floor, the angelic way it slipped through the air only annoyed him further and he slid his way back up the wall.

He had to get out.

In the corner of his eye he watched the door as he bent down, stepping through his arms and began smashing his hands into the back of his thighs, something he had been taught in the academy to get out of zip-ties and after the third time of doing it the ties snapped, freeing his hands.

He dropped the broken tie on the floor and went over to the closed-off window again, starting to shimmy the bars in the hopes of one of them coming loose. When that doesn't work he takes the side of his fist, throwing it into the metal. The pain that shoots through his arm is enough to make him light-headed if he wasn't already.

There's an audible recognition of the pain that leaves him as he hits his hand against the metal bars and he sucks in a quick breath before doing it again, the discomfort only getting worse with every hit.

The damn thing just wasn't moving.

He looked around the room frantically, praying he had been given another different object to use to try and break the bars, but it was so dark he could barely see anything, put that together with the fact his head was spinning and was blurring his vision and he could barely see shit.

The next best object was the chair he had been left alone with so he took it. He'd take a plunger if there was some use for it, he had to get out of this enclosed concrete hell, he had to get to Hailey.

As fast as he could he went over to the chair, wincing slightly when he picked the object into his grasp at the pain shooting through his arm, taking it back over to the shallow hole in the wall.

He lifted the chair into the air, taking it back to give it the most about of speed as possible, the loud ear-piercing clash coming from the chair as the metal leg hit the metal bar covering the window. That sounded good, it sounded as though it had done something. Momentarily he put the chair down, trying the bar to see if it moved.

It wasn't huge, but there was something. It was more of a shift, a wiggle, than a move, but it budged. he picked the chair up again, choosing to ignore the grunt of pain that unconsciously escaped his lips, and smashed it against the same bar, hearing the same noise echo through the room. He doesn't put the chair down this time and just transfers it over to the hand that didn't hurt as much, using the pained one to check the window. Even in the minimal light could he see the fact that the one bar had snapped and bent, leaving behind a jagged point behind at the bottom.

He slowly puts the chair down and goes to rip the remains of the bar from the window frame but catches movement in the corner of his eye, and the extra light pouring in through the now open door. Without turning to face them so they didn't know they had been spotted, Jay puts his hand out, managing to grab the offender before they could grab him.

This offender was the same as before, mask still slid over their face.

Jay pushed the guy across his side and into the window, into the frame and from the sudden loud growl coming from the man Jay gathers he had impaled the guy on the point sticking out of the metal in the sill, and he can't help the smirk come across his face.

"You're gonna need a tetanus for that one." He mutters smugly, lifting his knee and ramming it into the offender's side.

He seems to have the upper hand this time around, getting the offender to the floor and keeping him down there until he catches a second figure appearing in the doorway. He quickly turns to look at them and goes to pounce forward to them, being met halfway across the room and greeted with an uppercut to his chin, knocking him backwards a few steps.

In the second it takes him to regain his footing the first offender had clambered back onto his feet and was now also standing in front of him. Before he could blink he had both offenders on him, them dishing out punches one after the other, taking turns to do it until he hit the floor again.

For good measure the second offender brings his fist up and lands it on his face for the dozenth time, Jay now being able to feel the blood dribbling out of the sides of his mouth and dripping from the split lip.

He could feel the bruises already beginning to set in, littered around his torso, neck and face from the kicks, punches, and the multiple times one of them picked him up and slammed him back down. On multiple attempts did Jay try to stand, try to fight back, but every time just ended in another beat down, another painful hit to his cheek or heel to his ribs, bringing more blood to run down beside his ear and down his neck or leave his coughing for air.

Eventually the two offenders seemed to fade away, out of breath from their newest wave of blows and Jay closed his eyes, praying they would think they knocked him out again and that they would leave him alone, and for a moment Jay thinks his trick works but the illusion doesn't last long when another painful kick hits his ribs and there's a groan and then a cough as he tries to get his wind back.

Another beat goes by before Jay can just about hear a whisper from beside his ear, the voice of one of the offenders. "That's attempt two," the man spits, the slight grimace on his face clear in his voice telling Jay this was the first offender talking to him. "I'd hurry up if I were you, you're running out of time." he adds with a chuckle and then everything goes quiet again, the sound of the heavy-weighted door slamming shut on their exit banging through the room, and then silence again.

The lack of noise lulls Jay into unconsciousness again, everything shutting down for a much needed moment of relief of the pain throbbing and stinging and aching throughout his entire body.

xxx

When he finally opened his eyes again he found himself still lying in the same place it had been when he slipped out of it. He tried moving but was only met with pain shooting through every aspect, each bruise hurting more and more as you travelled down his torso, his ribs having taken the brunt of the damage.

All Jay wanted to do was curl up on to his side and hope the unit miraculously found where he was before the offenders killed him, or worse Hailey, he just didn't have it in him to stand for more than a few seconds, to breathe normally for two breaths in a row, but he had to get up, he had to find a way out of this game the offenders had started.

He slowly but surely got up to his knees, his feet unsteady underneath him and that causes him to lose his balance before he could straighten out, making him fall backwards and into the wall, his back colliding with the concrete, a scream erupting from his lungs as he feels the bruised, most likely broken, ribs thwack against the solid wall.

His breath become staggered as he tries to get through the initial peak of pain, the noises coming out as wheezes by now.

Despite the shooting pain he felt in his chest as he did it, Jay used the wall as support as he stood himself up, and that's when he got a good look around the room, finding that the chair was gone.

Fuck.

He'd have to do without it.

Slowly he stepped away from the wall, finding it hard to keep up straight without that backboard for a second but the uneasiness and dizziness doesn't stop him, so he stumbles back to the window and starts pulling at the bar that was still half hanging off.

Each movement of his arm sent a grunt into the room, some pained and some frustrated when the second hold of the bar wouldn't snap.

This was all he needed. He needed the pole, he needed the jagged edges. He needed Hailey. They had only gone to get coffee before shift and then it all went to shit. He needed to make sure she wasn't hurt.

Chances were they were bluffing on the end consequence of this game, that they were bluffing about killing a cop, but at the same time he had seen it happen, it wouldn't have been the first time, which is why he has to try and win this dumb thing before it was too late - if this really was the path to winning.

He gives another fierce tug to the metal and it bends toward him, weakening the overall hold and a weak smile appears on his face. Weak was all he could manage. That worked. He started pulling the metal to-and-fro, loosening the metal and he could feel it get easier with every tug, it eventually snapping and coming into his hand.

Now he had the pole the next part of his plan could begin to start - not that he even had one. He had to draw them back in, ambush them. So he stumbled over to the door, finding himself slightly hobbled to one side after most of his torso hits had been directed at one side of him.

He stops in front of the door, deciding it was best not to drop the metal pole and to risk it hitting the door than risk not being able to grab it back in time for when the offender's come back into the room. He then sucks in the pain he felt shooting up and down his arms as he started  banging on the door, trying to shout and grab their attention but the words come out as not more than a whisper.

It only takes a second before he can just about hear footsteps on the other side of the door so he steps out of the way, hiding behind the blind spot beside the frame and waited there. Sure enough the door swung open and one offender, the second one, came rushing in, looking around the dark room for him.

Jay comes out from the side, swinging the pole through the air and striking the offender with it, knocking the side of his head with enough force to render him unsteady for a beat, but in turn Jay can't keep up with the sudden intensity of the offender's retaliation, quickly falling under the fists again.

It doesn't last nearly as long, taking a few strong blows to the side of his head and ribs again and then it stills for a beat. Jay doesn't dare to move as he hears the offender lean over his figure lying on the concrete and grabbing the pole he had previously been holding.

Then he feels a stab in his abdomen, a stab of one of the jagged points from one end of the pole digging in and cutting through his shirt, cutting through the skin. The pain exceeds the maximum tolerance and he can't even manage a noise to show the offender how much pain they had inflicted on him. The pole then gets pulled out of his skin and he can feel the blood already leaving the wound, soaking a large stain across the front of his shirt.

He's stunned still from the pain, a quiet groan is all he can manage and he barely notices the hot breath of the offender leaning on top of him again.

The words leave his mouth through tightly gritted teeth. "You pushed it, little man. New game, you're out of tries, too bad," he says and Jay can hear the grin on his face. There's a second of silence and then the same voice comes back again, this time a lot closer and the offender is basically hovering over his ear. "Bang." He whispers but it still makes Jay jump.

And then as if on cue, as if it had been waiting for that word to be muttered, there's the sound of a gunshot that rings throughout the building, coming from the opposite side, stilling everything in his body once again.

--

taglist @5021ida @agnesgranberg97 @angelsjedi @anna-justice @benharmonsupremacy @fandomlife7 @natszyd @thedanishprince @who-am-i-58-13 

[wellimaginethat]

Close Call

Pairing: Matt Casey x (female) Reader

Requested?: Yes

Word Count: 3355

Author’s Note: So I know this isn’t exactly what the request asked for, I did include how they met and started dating, but I did so in the form of flashbacks and I hope that’s okay.

Trigger Warning(s): Reader got shot, near death experience

Disclaimer: I don’t owe nor am I affiliated with any of the Chicago shows, I just like to play with the characters

Summary: Reader is a cop and gets shot while on the job, causing her longterm boyfriend, Matt, to worry about her and think back on when they first met.

Y/N = Your Name

This wasn’t how you expected your Tuesday to go, but did anything ever go as you planned?

What had seemed like it would be a simple arrest of a suspect turned out into a full blown shootout, resulting in you taking a bullet to the lower left abdomen. You were doing okay for a while, Jay managed to pull you out of the line of fire and get you behind a car, but you were bleeding a lot.

Jay was shooting at the shooters before leaning down to check on you, the look on his face said it all, he was panicking. “You’re gonna be okay, we’re gonna get you out of here, just stay awake.”

“Don’t lie to me.” You barely managed to get out, you were feeling dizzy from the blood loss and your vision was starting to blur.

The last thing you heard before slumping over was a string of curses coming from your partner.

When the call came in for ambo, something in Matt’s gut told him something wasn’t right, and he immediately began to worry about you. Usually he didn’t, but something just didn’t seem right today.

As soon as he got word of what happened to you, he raced over to the hospital.

The two of you met just after you had transferred to Intelligence, barely a year after you had moved to Chicago. You got roped into going out for drinks with your new teammates and that’s how you ended up in Molly’s on that fateful night.

It was nearing two years ago now that you had gone up to the bar, trying to find an empty spot to order another drink, but that was hard considering it was a pretty busy night.

So you decided to try to squeeze in between two complete strangers, one of which bumped into you and practically knocked you into Matt’s lap. He had been taken by surprise but had wrapped his arms around you to keep you from toppling to the floor.

“I’m so sorry!” You quickly told him as you stood up, you could see your teammates out of the corner of your eye, snickering at you. You shook your head some, cheeks heating up.

“It’s all good.” Matt assured you with a slight chuckle.

“I’m really sorry, I was just trying to get a drink and um, yeah.” You glanced away, rubbing the back of your neck. “Sorry.” You mumbled again as you began to walk away.

“You didn’t order your drink.” Matt had reminded you.

You stopped and looked at him, pausing for a bit longer than you should have before responding. “Oh, um, yeah.”

Matt raised a brow at you, trying not to let on how amused he was but you could see it in his eyes. He beckoned you over.

You walked over to resume your spot standing next to him.

“Matt Casey.” He offered out his hand.

You smiled a bit and shook his hand. “Y/N Y/LN.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.” Matt smiled at you.

“Likewise.” You told him and ordered your drink when the bartender came over.

“I got that, Herrmann.” Matt told him.

“Oh no, no, you don’t-” You were stopped when Matt looked at you, so you smiled. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, I wanted to.” Matt told you with a smile, taking a drink of his beer.

The two of you ended up talking until the bar closed, at which point you bid him goodbye, but not before giving him your number.

Had you not had liquid courage running through your veins, you probably wouldn’t have given him your number, and the next day you were kicking yourself because you thought you made a fool of yourself. You honestly didn’t think he’d get ahold of you, but he ended up calling you later that day and asked you out on a date.

After that, dates became a regular thing for the two of you, and next thing you knew, you were spending almost all your free time together.

It didn’t take long for the two of you to become exclusive, not that either of you had been seeing anyone else, but the two of you made it official.

Matt and you had one of those easy relationships, it was just so easy to be yourselves with the other, not having to act a certain way or worry about the other judging you. You guys didn’t fight often, but when you did it was usually a small fight over something stupid and you would make up within a day, in the two years the two of you had been together you had only ever had two major fights, but you guys worked them out.

Matt paced back and forth in the waiting room, waiting for any word on your condition. As soon as they got you to the hospital, you were taken straight to the OR for surgery. It had already been an hour and he was insanely worried about you, and it just got worse and worse as time paced.

Jay was sitting in a chair in the same waiting room, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together, and head hung down. He blamed himself for what happened. You were his partner and he was supposed to have your back.

Hailey took a seat next to him. “Hey, what happened isn’t your fault.” She tried to assure him in a soft voice.

Jay shook his head to her, looking at her but not exactly focusing on her because his mind was replaying what happened. “I should’ve seen the shooter.”

“Neither of you had any idea that was gonna happen.” Hailey told him gently.

Jay shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, I should’ve been more aware of our surroundings, if I had then she’d be fine.”

“Stop.” Matt told him, stopping in his tracks to look at Jay. “You and I both know damn well that Y/N wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.” There was pain in his eyes, but his voice was firm.

Jay paused for a moment before nodding to him, although it didn’t really change anything and everyone knew that.

Everyone in that room was worried about losing you. They all loved you, both CPD and CFD alike. And everyone knew that if something were to happen to you, while it would hurt everyone, the two that would hurt the worst would be Matt and Jay.

Your relationship escalated quickly when Matt asked you to move in with him after only six months, but you were convinced this was the real deal, so you had said yes.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” You had asked him for probably the millionth time.

Matt chuckled and nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“But are you really sure?” You asked him.

“If you don’t wanna-” You were quick to cut him off.

“I want to. I just want to make sure you want me to.” You answered him.

Matt nodded. “I want you to.”

“But are you sure?” You asked again.

Matt huffed a laugh and pulled you into his arms. “I’m sure.” He said softly before pressing a tender kiss to the side of your head. “Now shut up before I change my mind.”

You scoffed in mock offense. “Rude.” You told him, causing him to laugh.

Slowly you began moving your stuff there, which ended up taking three months because of your schedules and the fact that you were still unsure.

“Alright. This is the final box.” You said, standing just outside the apartment door holding a cardboard box that had the last of your clothes in it.

“Should I do a drumroll?” Matt asked with a grin, turning to face you.

You smirked. “Well it would be nice.” You answer him, causing him to shrug and walk over to the wall and give you a makeshift drumroll as you stepped over the threshold. “There. I’m officially moved in completely.” You informed him.

Matt grinned as he walked over to you, taking the box and setting it to the side before turning to you again. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close before kissing you. “You’re not moved in until we unpack the boxes.” He spoke lowly after pulling back.

You groaned. “Well that’ll probably take another three months.” You joked.

Matt chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t count on it.”

You hummed and shrugged. “Maybe sooner.”

“Definitely sooner.” Matt replied, his arms still around you.

It ended up taking only two weeks to unpack, and settling in ended up going a lot smoother than you thought it would.

By the time Dr. Marcel walked into the waiting room, everyone was on edge and fearing the worst even if they weren’t saying it.

Matt had practically worn out the floor from where he was pacing, unable to remain calm as he waited for any news. He immediately stopped when he saw Dr. Marcel in the entryway.

Jay was out of his seat and standing beside Matt, waiting for the news.

Everyone’s eyes were on Dr. Marcel, everyone waiting for an update on your condition.

“She’s stable, the bullet hit an artery and she lost a lot of blood, but we were able to repair the damage and give her a transfusion.” Dr. Marcel informed them. “She’s in recovery right now, then she’ll be moved to ICU. She’s stable but not completely out of the woods, though I am optimistic.”

Matt nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Marcel.”

“You’ll be able to visit her after they get her settled.” Dr. Marcel added before leaving the waiting room.

Everyone was immensely relieved after hearing that you had made it out of surgery and that you were in a stable condition, but they were still worried that something could go wrong and that they would lose you.

After you were moved to ICU, your friends were informed that two people could visit you at a time.

Matt headed out of the waiting room before looking at Jay. “Are you coming?”

Jay hesitated before shaking his head. “Nah, you go.”

“They said two people could be in the room at a time.” Matt said, nodding towards the door. “And you know she’ll be crushed if you aren’t there when she wakes up.”

Jay again hesitated, but only for a second before nodding and following Matt. He hated hospitals, but he’d do anything for you, which included spending all damned day in that awful place.

When they walked into your room, the breath was knocked out of both of them.

Sure, they both were expecting you to look rougher than usual, but neither of them had quite prepared themselves to see you in the hospital bed, complexion paler than usual, and a bunch of tubes and monitors hooked up to you to provide you with meds and to monitor your heart and blood pressure.

The sight of you completely broke Matt’s heart, but he stepped in and took a seat in one of the two chairs in the room.

For Jay it nearly sent him running from the room, he hated seeing the people he cared about in the hospital, especially when they were in bad shape, and you were no different. He would’ve given anything to switch places with you. He was still blaming himself for your situation, he kept thinking about how he should have been more aware of what was going on and that he should have been able to prevent this. He slowly took a seat in the other chair.

“It’ll probably be hours before she wakes up.” Jay commented after a while of sitting in almost complete silence, if it hadn’t been for the beeping of the monitors.

Matt nodded some, his eyes fixated on you. “Probably.”

Neither of them talked for a long time after that. Jay had resumed his sitting position from the waiting room, back arched and looking down at the floor, elbows resting on his knees and hands clasped together.

“She’s going to kick your ass.” Matt told him suddenly.

This caused Jay to sit up some and looked over at Matt, his back and neck were starting to grow sore from how he was sitting. “What?”

“When Y/N finds out that you’re blaming yourself, she’s going to kick your ass.” Matt told him, tearing his eyes away from you to look at your partner. “You know damn well she will.”

Jay shrugged. “Or maybe she’ll agree with me.”

Matt frowned at him and shook his head. “Now you’re just being childish.”

Jay frowned now. “I am not being childish, I’m being realistic. If I had seen the gunman, I could’ve gotten us out of the line of fire and she wouldn’t be fighting for her life right now.” He was starting to get upset, and no matter how much he tried to remain calm, it was tough, especially given the situation.

Matt shook his head. “You know she’s not going to see it that way.”

“You don’t know that.” Jay practically spat at him, standing up out of the chair.

Matt remained calm as he looked at Jay. “Calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down when you’re the one that’s angering me.” Jay said pointedly, his voice raising a little and he pointed a finger at Matt.

“Guys please stop fighting.” You rasped out, your eyes shutting even tighter before you opened them. “My head hurts.”

The two of them immediately stopped and looked to you before they were both at your side, looking down at you.

“You’re awake.” Jay commented quietly.

“Mhm.” You tried clearing your throat which just sent a dull jolt of pain through your chest, causing you to wince.

“Are you okay?” Matt was quick to ask you. “I’ll get the doctor.”

“No, I’m fine.” You reached out to grab him but your movements were slowed due to your injury and the pain meds running through your system. “What the hell were you two fighting about?”

“Doesn’t matter right now.” Matt told you, Jay nodded in agreement. “What matters is that you’re alive and awake.”

You smiled weakly at the two of them. “And that my two favorite men are here with me, that matters too.” You told them.

They both smiled softly at you and nodded.

Jay took your hand in his and squeezed it gently. “I’m sorry.” He told you softly.

You shook your head some. “Don’t.” You told him, voice still hoarse. “It isn’t your fault.”

Matt glanced at him briefly in an ‘I told you so’ manner, before looking back at you. “I’m going to go get the doctor, I’ll be back in a second.” He told you softly, kissing your forehead before stepping out of the room.

“I should’ve seen him.” Jay said quietly, looking down at your hand in his. “It’s my fault you got shot.”

“Did you shoot me? No. So therefore, it’s not your fault.” You replied to him. “And if you say otherwise, I’m gonna kick your ass...as soon as I can, that is.”

That caused him to smile and nod. “Yeah, okay. You couldn’t kick my ass before, what makes you think you’ll be able to kick it now?”

“Well I figured you’d let me, given the fact that I got shot and all.” You replied, smirking.

“Nah, that’s not how it works.” Jay told you.

“No?” You asked.

Jay shook his head. “Nope, we don’t take it easy on rookies who get themselves shot.”

You stifled a laugh and huffed. “I am not a rookie anymore, Halstead.” You told him pointedly.

He smirked at you. “Oh you’re not a rookie anymore?”

“Nope.” You shook your head some. “I’m not.”

“Yeah okay, rookie.” Jay replied, still smirking.

“Shut up.” You rolled your eyes.

He moved back when the doctor came in to check you over.

Over the next few days, you were completely fussed over by practically everyone, especially Matt.

When you were finally able to leave the hospital a week later, he didn’t let you do anything.

“Matt, I’m fine.” You tried to tell him after he had scolded you for attempting to make lunch, you would have successfully made the frozen pizza if he hadn’t caught you taking it out of the freezer and forced you to sit down on the couch.

“The doctor said it would be a while before you were back to normal.” Matt reminded you, not that you needed reminding.

“Yeah, and he meant normal as in doing what I was doing instead of being stuck at a desk.” You huffed. “He didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be able to take care of myself.”

“I’m not taking any chances.” Matt replied simply, causing you to narrow your eyes at him. “Glare at me all you want, Y/N, but I’m not risking you hurting yourself worse than what you are.”

You huffed and crossed your arms.

He ended up being right though, about you needing to take it easy, because later that same day you were trying to do for yourself when you moved wrong and pulled at your stitches, causing you to yelp in pain and fall to your knees.

Matt was by your side in a flash, kneeling next to you with a worried look as his hands ghosted over you, not wanting to touch you in fear of causing you more pain but also wanting to help in any way he could. “What happened?” He asked, fear and panic in his voice.

You couldn’t even talk yet the pain was that bad, you just pointed over at the laundry basket while still clutching at your side.

Matt sighed in disappointment before looking back at you, his expression still worried. “Do I need to take you to the hospital?”

You shook your head quickly. “No…” You managed to get out. “No hospital…’m fine.” You mumbled.

“You don’t exactly seem fine.” Matt remarked but carefully helped you stand when you were ready.

You got over to the couch, still holding your side in pain but it wasn’t as bad.

Matt sighed softly and took a seat next to you, placing his hand on your knee. “Please stop pushing yourself.”

You didn’t respond to him, just stared at his hand on your knee.

“Please.” He repeated.

You sighed softly, still staring at his hand. “I just don’t wanna be a burden.” You admitted quietly.

Matt moved his hand before shifting so that he could look at you, gently cupping your face to get you to look at him. “You aren’t a burden, Y/N.”

“Yeah I am, if I can’t take care of myself and help out around here, that means you have to do it, so therefore I’m a burden.” You said sadly, your eyes not meeting his.

Matt shook his head. “Look at me.” He said softly and waited until you finally met his eyes. “You aren’t a burden. This is what people in loving, happy relationships do. They take care of each other, especially when one is hurt or sick. You’ve taken care of me plenty of times, remember when I got the flu and could barely get out of bed?”

“That was different.” You said, even though you weren’t exactly sure how.

Matt shook his head again. “No, it wasn’t. We take care of each other because we love each other. You’re not being a burden, you could never be a burden.”

You felt tears sting your eyes and had to look away, sniffling.

Matt carefully wrapped his arms around you while being mindful of your side.

You leaned into him and wrapped your arms around him. “I’m sorry.” You whispered.

“For what?”

“For all this. Getting shot, being a baby about it, not listening.”

Matt snorted a laugh. “Do you ever listen?”

You couldn’t help but smile. “No, but you know what I mean.”

Matt kissed the top of your head. “You don’t have to apologize for any of that.”

“Then what do I have to apologize for?” You asked softly.

“Nothing.” Matt replied softly.

[keanureevesisbae]

The alluring charm of Henry Cavill - Chapter 3

Summary: During a trivia game, Adelaide impresses people with her knowledge.

Henry Cavill x Adelaide Park (ofc)

Wordcount: 3.5k

Warnings: None

A/N: For the people who have send in character asks and I haven’t answered it yet: I’m working on it 🤗 Because of school, I haven’t gotten to it yet. But somewhere this week I’ll answer them. Also: I love the responses to this fic. I want to let you know that these comments make my day 💕 Also, did I use the twitter accounts from the characters of my other fics for the tweets at the end? Yes, I did.

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

Why am I in bed?

I look around and see that I’m in the middle of the bed that Henry and I share back on the show, but the improvised wall between us is gone.

Back when I was growing up, we had one bedroom and one bed, where we had to squeeze in if we happened to be all home. That rarely happened. It was usually just me, or later on my dad joined, when he got back from work. On mom’s days off, she’d be in bed all day, resting from all those hard days at work. Sharing beds isn’t something that I really mind, even if the person I’m sharing with, is Henry Cavill.

‘You’re awake,’ I hear Henry’s deep voice and I look to my left, to see him standing up from a chair. He sits on the edge of the mattress, sinking into the soft material. ‘How are you?’

‘I don’t know,’ I mumble, pushing myself up straight. I’m not in the muddy clothes anymore and I look at Henry again, slightly worried and ashamed. Did he undress me?

‘Don’t worry,’ he calmly says, ‘Jennifer went with us. She changed you.’

I clear my throat, as I start fidgeting my hands, one of the many nervous ticks I have. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Why?’ Henry asks.

‘We were leading and then…’ I sigh deeply, trying not to think about what happened to me. I never learned how to swim, but I always avoided waters like the plague. During my acting career, I only had to swim once, but I was with David Castañeda, who played my love interest. I let him know that I was scared of water. He promised me he wouldn’t let go and the director actually loved the twist we gave to that swimming pool scene.

However, David knew I was scared of water, but didn’t know I couldn’t swim. Now I told Henry and in a matter of days, the rest of the world will know too, when this episode will air.

Henry doesn’t say anything. I bet he is mad, I think to myself. Fuck, I really let him down, didn’t I?

‘I’m sorry,’ I say, ‘that I let you down.’

His gaze softens. ‘You didn’t,’ he tells me. ‘I shouldn’t have pushed. I should’ve calmed you down. It was obvious that it really scared you.’ Henry sighs deeply. ‘But Adelaide… Why can’t you swim?’ he asks.

I could tell him. The whole world will know I can’t swim in the near future, why not tell them the entire story? ‘We didn’t have the money back when I was younger to go for swimming lessons,’ I say. ‘And I haven’t had the chance to do it now.’

Henry nods. ‘There is a pool in the backyard,’ he says, a telling smile toying on his face. ‘How about, over the course of these two weeks, you and I try it. It’s not deep and I’m there with you every second.’

‘Why?’

He shrugs, as if he is a little embarrassed that he offered, but he shouldn’t be. It’s just that I’m surprised, because the last time someone offered something like that to me… That was so long ago. I think it was when I still lived at home. I always do everything myself and people on set know that I tend to be very independent, so they don’t try. But Henry doesn’t ask or offer, he just does it. In the days that I’ve come to know him, he has been nothing but a gentleman. He made me breakfast and when we were cooking dinner, the oil was splashing over the pan. Before I could step aside, Henry grabbed another pan to shield me from the hot oil. The way he lifted me up during the obstacle course when I couldn’t reach the bars and how he caught me when I fell.

‘Well,’ he says, ‘because I think everyone should know how to swim.’

I smile and say: ‘Well, let’s consider it,’ I say. ‘We finished last, didn’t we?’

‘Yeah, we did,’ he says. ‘But don’t apologize for it, please. I don’t want you to feel bad about it. We were really great during this first challenge, so we’ll climb our way back to the top.’ Henry sends me a dashing smile and I can’t help but blush a little bit. ‘How about you get ready for tonight, then I’ll go and make you something to eat.’

‘Ready for tonight?’

‘Trivia night,’ he says.

I nod. I can’t seem to tear my eyes from him, as I look into his soft eyes. When I first met him, I thought he had that stern look in his face and I still did think that from time to time, but in those days that we spend together, it never looked like this. ‘Right, I’ll get myself ready.’

After a fifteen minute shower, I get dressed in a jeans skirt, with a simple black shirt that I tugged in. I paired it with the same white sneakers I wore the first day. I keep my hair and make-up pretty simple.

Henry made some sandwiches. I never knew that I thought it was attractive that a man could cook, but I sure do know now. Come to think of this, I never really thought about what I wanted for traits in a man.

My parents were happy with one another, but I feared that one day, I ended up like them. Poor, overworked, with two kids and a husband, who maybe felt—just like my dad—that he had to take care of us. Besides, I never experienced love. I never fallen in love, I only had on stage kisses and sex scenes. It was never real.

Maybe I’m way ahead of myself, but I feel something. I feel cared for. I feel noticed. I feel appreciated. Like I’m worth it. And that’s all thanks to Henry Cavill.

◎ ◎ ◎

Everyone seems concerned about me, but after I reassure everyone I am okay, we take place at three different tables, one for each duo. I take a seat on the chair. It’s a little colder than I imagined and I curse myself for not bring a jacket with me. I rub my upper arms as the crew is setting everything up, checking if our mics are working well enough, making sure the screen works.

Henry stands up as he wiggles out of his cosy vest, before placing it without a word on my shoulders.

‘Oh, that’s not necess— uh… needed,’ I say to him.

‘I’m not cold,’ he tells me, as he sits down next to me again. I want to stop my smile, but I can’t help it.

‘Thank you, Henry,’ I say in a soft tone, as if I don’t want him to hear me, but seeing how the corners of his mouth curl up, I know that he heard me.

The game is pretty simple: there is a host who asks a question and you have to answer it. It’s fairly easy and I almost feel like they are taking it easier because of me.

Every team has a button in front of them and ours meows like a cat.

‘What country won the first FIFA World Cup in 1930?’ the hosts asks.

Meow. ‘Uruguay,’ I answer, as I retract my hand from the button. .

Even the host seems impressed. ‘That is correct.’ On the screen behind him, I see that we are actually first now, with only one point, but it feels nice to be ahead of someone else, because of what I did. ‘Okay, next question. Which boxer was known as “the Great—’

Meow. That is not because of me, but because Henry slammed the button a little harder. Guess he doesn’t know how strong he is. ‘Muhammed Ali,’ he answers.

‘Correct.’ Why does the host not seem impressed now? Okay, this is nothing to be surprised about, so I should stop letting the subtle differences in reaction get to my head. It’s true, I’m pretty stupid according to the public.

And besides, we only had two questions and I had one right.

‘What animals have the longest gestation period?’

No one presses the button and I tap Henry on his leg. He looks at me and I usher him closer. ‘What is a gestation period?’

‘Pregnancy,’ he whispers, his hot breath against my lips, that start to tingle as a response. I shouldn’t get distracted because of that.

Meow. ‘An African Elephant,’ I answer.

We are ahead now with three points. I can’t help but beam with pride. Maybe the public will think a little more highly of me now.

‘What does HTTP stand for?’

Meow. ‘HyperText Transfer Protocol,’ Henry says with a smile.

‘What year was the first model of the iPhone released?’

Meow. ‘2007,’ Henry answers with ease.

He knows a lot, I think to myself. I look to the side for a second and I wonder what goes on in his head, right now and basically every single time we’re just alone. He can look at me in a way that I can’t explain and I don’t even understand why he looks at me like that.

We continue to answer multiple questions correctly and the meow is one of the only sounds that we hear. By the time we reached ten points, I discovered that Charlie and Jennifer’s sound is a bark and when we reached fifteen points, I found out that the Biebers’ sound was a chicken.

Who were the founders of Adidas? (Rudolf and Adolf Dassler—I knew this one.) Some Greek mythology questions that I knew nothing about, but Henry did and he seemed so giddy to explain it all to us, though no one seemed cared, besides me probably, because I could listen to this man for days on end. Together we knew the seven world wonders, who the Danish author was who wrote many fairy tales and they even asked us what Superman’s birth name was…

While Superman is in the room.

We are way ahead of everyone with twenty points, Charlie and Jennifer have ten (who knew that babies weren’t born with kneecaps—for knowing that alone I feel like they should win) and Justin and Hailey have nine. But the next question we can think about for a few seconds and it’s worth fifteen points. So we either become second or first, depends on how well we do.

‘Name these chemical elements of the periodic table. Ge, Sn, Rf, K and Ba.’

Henry places his arm on the back of my chair and leans over. Gosh, he is really close. Not that I’m complaining, but feeling his body heat so close to mine and it’s not even acting… Why does that make me feel all sorts of things?

‘Ge is Geranium,’ he whispers, ‘and Ba and Barium.’

‘K is Potassium,’ I say in a soft tone. ‘So we only have Sn and Rf left. Sn is Tin.’

‘You know a lot,’ he says with a smile.

Does he mean that? Did he just say I know a lot? Me, the Hollywood ditz? ‘Rf is Rutherfordium,’ I whisper.

Meow. Henry presses the button and he looks at me, non verbally asking me if I want to answer this, but I simply shake my head. He names them in order and everyone seems impressed, but before they can give him a compliment (I know the host is desperate to call him ‘Handsome Henry with a Brain’ again. He did it seven times already and it was annoying the first time, let alone the seventh time), Henry says: ‘I only knew Geranium and Barium. Adelaide is the real genius here.’

◎ ◎ ◎

It’s twelve ‘o clock when Henry and I are in bed, both staring at the ceiling. Normally I’m in bed long before he is, but today we’re awake in the bed together. The only reason why I get into bed early, is that I hope I can fall asleep before he gets in.

But not today.

‘I have something I want to ask you,’ Henry says. ‘I’ve been thinking about this for awhile.’

‘Okay?’

‘Are you dyslexic?’

He could’ve given me a slap across my face and that wouldn’t have shocked me as much as this question. I push myself up, so I’m sitting. ‘Why?’

‘Just wondering.’

I simply shrug. ‘I don’t know. I never got tested back in school.’

‘Why not?’ Henry sits up straight as well and from the corners of my eyes, I see him placing his pillow on the headboard. That one curl covers part of his forehead and it’s almost a signature look when we are in the cottage.

‘The teachers didn’t care and we didn’t have a lot of money,’ I explain. It feels weird and uncomfortable to open up to him, however on the other hand, it feels right to have this out in the open. ‘And I don’t want to get tested now,’ I whisper. ‘I’m an adult, I can manage.’ I finally force myself to look over my shoulders, only to see that same soft look in his eyes, that I almost grown accustomed to. ‘What?’

‘Nothing,’ he whispers. ‘I just want to say to you that I underestimated you and—’

I can’t help but chuckle. ‘You are not the only one,’ I interrupt him. ‘It’s okay.’

‘No, Adelaide, it’s not okay.’

The sternness in his voice, make me turn around on the mattress completely, so I can look at him. ‘I did it myself, Henry. Really, it’s okay, don’t worry about it.’

Henry moistens his lips, before he clears his throat. ‘Then I won’t worry about it. Just know that I—now—think very highly of you.’

‘You don’t need to,’ I say as a frown appears between my brows. ‘Henry, what is really the case?’

He rubs his face, resists even and he actually looks really frustrated. ‘It’s just that I’m trying to figure you out, but I can’t seem to actually get to know you.’

‘There is not much to know,’ I say, but he shakes his head and says: ‘There is. You are so intriguing, Adelaide, you don’t even know it.’

I don’t really know what to say. He thinks there is much to know about me and that I’m intriguing? ‘Oh.’

‘And I get that it can be hard to open up, truly, I know, but… We have to work together. Wouldn’t it be better if we knew something about each other?’

Okay, that’s a fair point. ‘You tell me something first,’ I say to him.

‘Like what?’ he says, genuinely looking relieved that I’m going along with it.

I tilt my head as I look in his eyes as I take in the brown spot on his left eye, that is surrounded by a beautiful blue. ‘You want to win?’

Henry frowns, probably confused by my question, but when he sees I’m dead serious, he nods. ‘Of course,’ he says, ‘I’m competitive. Why was that your question?’

‘Because now I know that I have to work extra hard not to let you down. It doesn’t really matter to me if I win or not.’

‘You won’t let me down, Adelaide.’

‘I did already,’ I say, ‘and don’t try to convince me otherwise. Now, what do you want to know about me?’

He tilts his head and says: ‘You have a nickname?’

And he thought my question was a bit weird? I snort. ‘My parents called me Dasom. That’s my Korean name.’

‘Really?’ he asks. ‘I didn’t know that.’

No one knows that. ‘But other than that I don’t really have a nickname. People call me Park every now and then, but that’s it.’

‘What does Dasom mean?’

‘Love,’ I whisper. ‘Because, as my parents always say: I was born out of pure love.’ I roll my eyes, because I hate the cliché, but thankfully I was born out of love. It meant that I was welcomed in their lives, though they were poor and barely had anything.

‘That’s sweet,’ he says. ‘So, no one called you Addy for example?’

‘Come to think of it, Keanu Reeves called me Addy every now and then. Especially when we were doing stunts for the movie and he had to encourage me.’

‘Can I call you Addy?’

The fact that he asks me if he can call me Addy, shows me that he is so much more than the news outlets let him to be. Of course, he is handsome, but there is more than just looks. He is intelligent, caring and a real gentleman. Though he can look slightly intimidating, he is a big softie. ‘I would like that, Henry.’

As much as I want to sleep, I can’t. I’m too awake for that, maybe because of the thrill that we are actually ahead of the others now. Who knows how long that will last…

‘You want to do something?’ Henry suggests. ‘I’m not as tired as I figured I would be.’

‘Like what?’

‘You want to swim?’

◎ ◎ ◎

Henry is already swimming laps in the pool, as I try to build up the courage to actually walk out of the door to the pool. I have a large towel wrapped around me, to hide my red and white striped bathing suit.

I can do this, I think to myself. I wore a skimpy bikini for a movie, I’ve been naked on sets with the crew around me. This isn’t too hard.

I walk out of the cottage and see that Henry leans with his under arms on the edge of the pool, placing his chin on one of them. ‘There you are,’ he says with a smile.

I dip my toe in the water and start to shiver, goosebumps appearing on my entire body. ‘It’s cold,’ I mumble. ‘And it looks too deep.’

‘It’s not. It’s only one meter sixty.’

‘I’m one fifty,’ I retort. ‘What if I drown?’

‘I’m not letting that happen,’ he says. ‘I promise you, Addy.’

The use of that nickname, makes my feel all sorts of things. Normally I’m not too keen on nicknames, but I could get used to this.

I fold the towel, before I place it on the floor and I sit on the edge of the pool, as my legs dangle in the cold water. Henry bumps his elbow against the side of my thigh and he asks: ‘Ready?’

Maybe it’s because of the dim lighting of the lanterns outside, or the reflection of the water, but he looks even more ethereal than other times. My eyes fall on his beautifully formed lips, that curl up in a smile.

‘I am,’ I say.

He stands in front of me and I place my hands on his broad and tight shoulders. I shimmy myself off the edge, into the cold water. Despite the fact that his large hands in the dips of my waist, makes me all warm from the inside, the water is really cold. Henry starts to laugh, probably because I scrunch up my entire face like I’m a Sharpei dog. ‘Maybe you should keep breathing, because I can’t have it that you pass out on me twice within one week.’

‘Shut up,’ I shiver, as I hold on tightly to his shoulders. ‘You’re not going to let me go, right?’ I ask, just in case.

‘Of course not,’ he whispers.

For a second I envision we’re having a moment together, but then I realize that’s not the case, because he takes a step backwards and we are further away from the edge. I can still reach over to my left, so I’m directly at the other edge, but it does terrify me a bit.

‘Henry,’ I say.

‘Yes?’

‘I’m scared.’

‘I know,’ he tells me, squeezing my waist to let me know that he is there. ‘But there is no need for you to be scared. You just have to grow comfortable in the water and that takes time.’ Henry’s voice is soft and I have to take a deep breath. ‘You’re doing great.’ He slowly takes more steps backwards and smiles at me, as if he knows that that comforts me.

After two laps of him walking backwards and me moving my legs (I don’t know why I do that, but it just happens), I feel more and more accustomed to the water. Still, I don’t want to let go of Henry for one single second, because the fear that I might drown is still there. For the other two laps, he wraps his arm around my waist, as I hold onto the edge and my other arm around his shoulder.

Henry lifts me on the edge, before he hoists himself next to me. He reaches behind him to grab my towel and wrap it securely around my shoulders. ‘How was it?’ he asks.

‘It was good,’ I admit. ‘I mean, I still don’t want to swim myself, but it’s not that scary anymore.’ I look to the side, only to discover that he was already looking at me. From the looks of it, he is looking at my lips, but I must’ve hallucinated that. ‘Thank you,’ I say, to break the silence between us.

‘You’re welcome,’ he says, his voice low.

I smile, before I stand up and hurry back inside. I was making that up, wasn’t I? He wasn’t totally staring at my lips?

Or was he?

◎ ◎ ◎

After the first episode was aired, showing the first few days of the duos together, these were the favorite tweets of the producers of ‘the Celebrity Project’

Taglist: @thelastsock​ // @jolly-polly​ // @henrythickcavill​ // @maan24​ // @diegos-butt​ / @agniavateira​ // @onlyhenrys​ // @turkish276​ //

[girlsfromoz]

Reform, New Beginnings

S8.16 Maybe we should get married....I’m serious let’s get married.....

S9.1-2 Jay gazed back at her, his eyes dancing across her face, from her eyes to her lips. She took his breath away. His hand moved to the side of her face and slipped into her hair.

‘Hailey’ he said roughly and his lips touched hers. In that moment, he wanted it all, when his phone rang and broke the moment. Crashing him back to reality and he reluctantly pulled back from their lingering kiss.

‘You should get that’ she whispered softly, ‘it could be about Kim’ she pressed her hands to his chest. His heartbeat steadying her.

Jay didn’t move, he held her eyes, his free hand held her hand on his chest.

‘Right, thanks Will, see you in Recovery’.

Hailey briefly closed her eyes, feeling like she could breathe easy, knowing Kim was being moved to recovery. She nodded and they left the apartment for the Hospital.

Later that night the ghosts of the day before, stayed with Hailey. But it wasn’t the suspect that stayed with her, it was Voight’s words, his gun pointed at her, the total and excusable act of abusive power. In that moment, he was a stranger to her. Her words to Jay, for refusing the FBI offer playing over and over. I’m better here with you, you, the 21, Voight. She slipped out from under Jays arm and moved quietly into the living room and curled up on the sofa. She didn’t want to be Voight, she wasn’t him! That moment proved it. But what now...

‘Hey’ Jay said quietly, slipping in beside her.’Everything ok, you ok?’ He added taking in the way she moved, bringing her knees to her chest, like a protective shell.

She nodded, then shook her head, then turned towards him and kissed him and she prayed it wasn’t their last. It was like a life line. She once said she was safe, being so focused on her job, most especially the past 4 years, but seeing Jay, it dawned on her, he played a part in that too. She closed her eyes! it was like drinking in the courage to press on...His eyes sparked as she pulled back and she distanced herself.

‘I...I have to tell you something...I wasn’t completely honest with you about us finding a lead on Roy’.

Jay felt the pit of his stomach shift. He had been here before. But Hailey wasn’t her. He knew that. And she also knew how much it had affected him. He nodded and waited.

Hailey explained everything that happened.

‘Jay, I chose you. You make me better. And if that means transferring but still having this, us, then I’m okay with it’

Jay sat quietly. Voights justice, left Hailey without a Partner. Ruzek was where he needed to be, had to be. She followed leads. The few crumbs Voight left ultimately lead to finding their suspect. And then, not for the first time, he lost it. Only this time, he pointed his loaded gun at Hailey. Then flipped on her saying she wanted his kind of justice. The last time he accused her of becoming him, he sent her away. And she was right, he dragged her over that line. He remembers Voight asking Olinksy his breaking point. Erin was Voights. And Hailey is his. She did this the right way, not Voights, but his way and still she suffered.

‘Yes’ he said looking at her.

‘Yes?’ She repeated confused.

‘Yes, lets get married, but first Kim has to be well enough and before that we need to find a place we can call our own’

They held each other’s gaze and she found her voice. He wasn’t serious.

‘It’s okay Jay’ she started, she was a little embarrassed, but didn’t want to pressure him into anything he wasn’t ready for.

‘I’m going wherever you go, remember?’ He added, pulling her into his arms.

She smiled, she remembered.