It took me a bit longer to write this story, somewhere in between writers' block hit me, and I didn't know where to take it. Now I'm back on track, and ready to publish. I still don't quite know where this ends, but publishing always gives me the extra pressure I need to finish it.

I hope you enjoy this story.

It's set right after the end of season 7, with Hailey still being in New York City with the FBI.

Chapter 1

Jay Halstead wasn't exactly looking forward to the weekend. There was no actual case he had to work on, and he had no plans. His partner was in New York City, and he wasn't in the mood to meet with anyone else, or do anything. He didn't want to go to the gym, even though he probably would, he didn't want to see his colleagues, didn't want to take his bike for a ride. He didn't even want to go to the golf course. He wanted to sit at home and feel miserable, for as long as his partner wasn't back in Chicago.

When his phone rang, he expected it to be Kevin or Adam, urging him to join them at Molly's. So he checked his phone only very reluctantly He wouldn't go anyway. But when he saw the name on the screen, he answered the call without hesitation. It was Hailey Upton.

A lot had happened over the last few weeks, months. Things Jay hadn't quite processed.

Last year Jay was being Jay again – trusted someone he shouldn't have trusted, wanted to help, and was abducted and almost killed. Hailey found him, yet nobody could be sure he would survive. He knew that Hailey had worked frantically to find him, to rescue him, and he knew that she had been in the hospital until it was sure that he would survive. It must have been a horrible time for her.

When he woke up in hospital, Hailey was there, smiling at him like never before. That was exactly what he wanted and needed, to see her smiling face. She was happy because of him, because he was alive.

Hailey picked him up to take him home from the hospital, and there was this one moment, in which Jay had butterflies in his stomach from the way Hailey looked at him and from what she said. She said she wanted to tell him something, and it sounded very important. But his stupid phone ruined the moment, or better – he had ruined the moment, because he was about to answer the phone. He never found out what it was she wanted to tell him, even though he had a faint idea what it might be. Yet, he didn't allow his mind to wander in that direction, because not hearing what she wanted to tell him hurt. And perhaps he was wrong, and she wanted to tell him something completely different. To him that sounded more likely anyway.

It was Hailey, who had made sure they were partnered up together once again. When the doctor cleared him for work, she told him so. And he couldn't have been more grateful. It was perfect timing that they could work together for the case that followed. A case involving a robbery-homicide and domestic abuse.

When Jay was interrogating a suspect in a flower shop, he found himself buying red roses, claiming they were for his girlfriend. He gave the flowers to Hailey. He didn't even plan that, but when Sullivan asked for whom he wanted the flowers, it just came out of his mouth: For my girlfriend. Giving the flowers to his partner was the next thing he did following an impulse. Jay loved the big smile he received from Hailey in return. Yes, they were good together, more than good.

The case was especially difficult for Hailey, and he did his best to support her. In the course of action he blew the robbery-homicide case, because he wanted to save their witness Michelle Sullivan from her husband, but Hailey understood, and she appreciated it. She even told him that she would have wanted someone do to her own father what Jay had done to Sullivan – pull him away from his wife, stop the beating. That night they sat together in a bar for a long time, Hailey told him more about her life than ever before, and Jay couldn't appreciate it more. He wanted to protect her, wanted to do something to ease her pain, which he couldn't, but he loved it that she trusted him with this and that he could be there for her. He suspected that usually it was the other way around.

They spent more and more time together, became even closer, now that they were partners again, and then suddenly she was gone.

Jay remembered the night when she called him, how she told him with an angry, frustrated voice that Voight had ordered her to go to New York City and to work with the FBI for a while. To get back on track.

For a minute Jay thought his worst nightmare became reality. Hailey was leaving for New York City, to work with the FBI. Just like Erin. But then he realized that this was anything but "just like Erin". Hailey called him, Hailey told him that she had to go, that she didn't want to go, and she promised him that she would come back.

After the phone call Jay immediately grabbed his jacket and drove to Hailey's place. He couldn't just let her go without seeing her again.

He was a bit disappointed that Vanessa was there too, that he didn't have Hailey all to himself that night. There was so much he wanted to tell her before she left.

In a way he understood Voight, because he had been worried about Hailey too. She had done a few things that were not like her, not like the Hailey that had joined Intelligence. She had become tougher, more reckless. Of course people change, and Hailey matured in her new job in Intelligence, but there was a part in her that had lost her innocence, so it seemed to him, that went darker. Still he was on her side, was sure she would be okay again. He would always be on her side. And he certainly didn't want her to go away. He was sure that he should have been the one to support Hailey on her way, not the FBI.

He wanted to tell her so much that night, wanted to make sure Hailey came back to Chicago, to Intelligence, and to him. Yet with Vanessa there it was more of a friendly get-together, a relatively superficial chat, that lasted the whole night.

He couldn't take Hailey to the airport, as yet another case popped up. So she took a cab and was gone.

It was so strange to be in the office without her, to see her empty desk. Jay couldn't even look at her desk, fearing she might be gone for good. Even though Hailey had promised she would be back, even though he knew it was different, it still felt too much like when Erin had left without a word.

He confronted Voight about sending Hailey away, at least he tried, even though Hailey asked him not to. But Jay being Jay, he couldn't help himself. The day after she was gone, he stormed into Voight's office, asked him why he sent Hailey away. Voight didn't answer right away, just gave him one of his doubtful, slightly annoyed looks. And the final answer was that it was not Jay's call, that Voight would not discuss the subject with Jay. Voight didn't even react to Jay's outburst of anger, just looked down at his desk and ignored his detective.

And when Trudy teased him that Hailey might not come back, he got scared, more than he would ever have imagined. He understood that Trudy was only teasing him, though, and he eventually realized that Trudy understood how he felt. As it was Trudy, however, she wouldn't give him sweet words of comfort, but just a knowing look. It was probably for the better, because otherwise he might have started whining about Hailey being gone, and he wouldn't have that. But still, he hated to hear Trudy saying that Hailey might stay in New York City. This was not something to joke about.

It helped him to stay slightly positive, though, that Hailey called him regularly, whenever she was coming back to her hotel room in the evening. Hearing her voice, talking cases, joking with her, the soft teasing - these calls were the highlights of his days. When he was working, he managed to not think about Hailey too much, he needed to concentrate on the cases, needed to watch out for the team. The evenings were a different story, however. He missed meeting Hailey for a drink, for their thing, talking about the cases, the day, or just sitting together quietly. And he noticed how Hailey enjoyed working with the FBI – he was happy for her, but worried she would change her mind and stay in New York.

When Jay saw Hailey's name pop up on his phone, he smiled immediately. Their last brief phone call had been fun, even flirty. He was now waiting for her to let him know when exactly she would be back and he could pick her up at the airport. Perhaps this was the call already?

"Hey," he answered the call, his voice having the soft tone it only had with her.

"Halstead?"

Who was that? Definitely not Hailey's voice, but a guy's.

"Is this Detective Halstead?" the voice asked again, with a clear urgency. "This is Agent Zidan with the FBI."

"Agent Zidan? Why do you call me from Hailey's phone?" Jay knew something was wrong, it felt like someone kicking him in the guts.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

"Agent Zidan, what's going on?" Jay said, louder now. "Is Hailey okay?"

"Detective Halstead," Zidan said slowly, clearly trying to be very calm. "Detective Upton is in trouble."

"What do you mean, she's in trouble?" Jay almost yelled now. They had just talked last night, she told him she missed him, they agreed to go out for a pizza when she'd be back. And everything was fine.

"An offender accuses her of police brutality during an arrest and an interrogation." Zidan explained. "We've managed to keep it out of the press so far, and she's currently confined to her hotel room with no contact to anyone. For her own safety. Before we haven't figured out what happened, she will be under house arrest, no phones, no internet access."

"What does the offender say exactly?"

"He was brought to a hospital with severe injuries, said Upton did this to him. He can't say more, he's in a coma."

"I'm coming," Jay decided. He ended the call without waiting for a reply. He grabbed a bag, threw in a few clothes, his tablet, his gun, and ran to his truck. He would call Voight when he was close to New York City, not before. Not before his sergeant could order him to come back. Jay wouldn't have that. He would go to New York City, to Hailey.