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torreshalstead · 3 months

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Pride and Joy

Summary - ‘Congratulations Class of 2042,’ Sergeant Jay Halstead announced loudly and proudly from his position on the small stage to the rows of fresh faced rookies staring up at him, a pair of familiar green eyes sparkling back at him in the middle of the crowd. His speech was for all the recruits and he was truly proud of each and every one of them, but his eyes were centred on one in particular. ‘Welcome to the Chicago Police Department.’ AO3 Link

‘Congratulations Class of 2042,’ Sergeant Jay Halstead announced loudly and proudly from his position on the small stage to the rows of fresh faced rookies staring up at him, a pair of familiar green eyes sparkling back at him in the middle of the crowd. His speech was for all the recruits and he was truly proud of each and every one of them, but his eyes were centred on one in particular. ‘Welcome to the Chicago Police Department.’

Jay had taken up a position teaching at the academy years ago when Hailey had returned to work after her maternity leave had ended. They had decided together that one of them should work a 9-5 whilst their daughter was young and then in school so they could be around and he had volunteered. He had already been half way out the door in Intelligence, itching to get his hands on his own command and knew if he spoke to Trudy, a position at the academy could be his. The Desk Sergeant had hinted at it a couple of times already, she knew he was eager to move on probably before he had even fully come to terms with it himself, she had that sixth sense. Teaching at the academy, shaping the lives and careers of the people who would follow in his footsteps, it had a certain appeal.

Hailey had wanted to stay in Intelligence a little longer, although she had thought that after a couple of years she would transfer elsewhere having learnt everything the department could offer her. But Voight’s shock retirement had opened up the Sergeant position for her and she had accepted it with open arms. Intelligence was no longer the same place it had been when they had both worked there and had fallen in love as partners in that very same bullpen.

Hailey had shaped it into one of the most respected units within the CPD. There was no more cloak and dagger, no more hiding evidence or fudging reports, everything was done by the book. Hailey was a trusted and valued Sergeant and people were desperate to prove themselves to get a chance to work underneath her - she had her pick of officers from across the city. The unit was even more of an eclectic mix under Hailey, with years of experience ranging from a couple of months out of the academy to 20+ years on the force. But somehow they all worked seamlessly together and not only handled some of the toughest cases the city had to offer but were pulled into assisting on cases further afield in the state and elsewhere.

Jay was so proud of his wife, he knew returning to work after the birth of their daughter hadn’t been easy but Hailey had taken everything in her stride and become the leader he knew she was born to be.

Their daughter, Ivy Halstead, was a gift and one they never took for granted. She was the light of their life, even when she sometimes made Jay’s nerves fraught with worry.

Being the daughter of two police officers came with its own challenges and ones that Hailey and Jay were not blind to but they did their best and she had grown into the most wonderful young woman. She was now 22 years old, living in a small apartment she shared with her college roommate Anya just a couple streets over from where Hailey and Jay’s first apartment sat. It was a full circle moment, and Ivy rolled her eyes whenever Jay would mention it.

Ivy Halstead had followed in her parents footsteps and was currently sitting in the crowd in her dress blues as her father announced her graduating class from the Chicago Police Academy. Although if you meticulously checked the paperwork, there would be no other Halstead listed as attending the graduation, student or staff.

‘Are you sure you don’t mind Dad?’ Ivy had asked as she had sat filling in her intake paperwork for the academy, the paperwork spilling across their family table in the kitchen.

‘Of course not pumpkin,’ Jay said honestly, trying to calm the stress he could see was bubbling up in his daughter, she took after her mother that way. But he’d had years of experience of calming them both down.

‘It’s not that I don’t want to be a Halstead,’ she muttered, tapping the pen frustratingly against the table, avoiding meeting his eyeline.

‘But it would be easier for you if you didn’t have the same last name as one of the instructors,’ Jay finished for her.

‘If you were just one of the instructors Dad it wouldn’t be so bad, but you’re the instructor, in charge of everything and-’

‘And you want people to know you got everything on your own merit,’ Jay smiled. He understood his daughter's concern. He had seen plenty of people get treated differently due to their parentage or links within the department and he didn’t want that for his own child. Ivy was going to be an excellent cop and she didn’t deserve to have any of her experience tainted because of some supposed notion of nepotism.

‘It’ll be weird going by Upton,’ Ivy hummed.

‘You know people will still know who your Mom is right? Firstly, you’re her twin,’ Jay chuckled as Ivy shook her head dismissively but a smile tugged on her dimpled cheeks and Jay’s comment was proven right, ‘and secondly, she’s one of the most respected sergeants in the CPD.’

‘But she’s not the one people might bump into walking the hallways,’ Ivy said exasperatedly. ‘This is why I should have become a firefighter.’

Jay chuckled.

It had looked like a serious possibility for a while and although the idea of his daughter having to wear a bulletproof vest everyday scared him, the thought of her running into fires terrified him even more.

Ivy had joined Girls on Fire, Stella Kidd’s female led firefighter in training program, as soon as she was old enough to do so and loved it. She had grown up alongside first responders; her parents and godmother were cops, her uncle was a doctor and a large number of the Halstead’s family friends were residents of Firehouse 51. She’d rubbed shoulders with both firefighters and the children of said firefighters since she could walk and talk.

For the longest time it had looked as though that would be the career avenue she would pursue and Jay and Hailey were as supportive as anybody could be. Jay turned up to sessions to cheer on his daughter as often as he could, would go on runs with her to build up her stamina and would take her to the district gym whenever she asked.

As much as the thought of having to wait for news of her coming home safe after big calls terrified him, if it made his daughter happy, he would always support her. He would never stand in her way. He wasn’t that kind of father and had sworn to himself when he had first held that tiny baby in his arms and felt his heart burst with love that he never would be.

‘Ivy’s doing a ride along on 51 tomorrow,’ Hailey said one evening whilst the pair were sitting on the couch, a bottle of whiskey and two glasses sitting on the coffee table between them. ‘Stella called earlier to let me know.’

‘Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a dull day for them,’ Jay murmured. He’d been at some of the calls Stella’s crew had taken in the past few months and he didn’t want Ivy anywhere near them. Although the crew worked seamlessly together, the idea of Ivy being within breathing distance of a fire was not one he wanted to entertain.

‘And when she decides to apply for the academy?’ Hailey asked, nudging her husband with her toes.

‘Then I’ll be the loudest person in the audience when she graduates top of her class,’ Jay sighed. ‘Doesn’t mean I won’t be worried for her.’

‘You’re a good father Jay,’ Hailey smiled.

‘Just wish we had a kid who wanted to be an accountant or something equally dull and safe behind a desk.’

‘Because both you and I do so well behind a desk,’ Hailey chuckled whilst Jay frowned.

‘Maybe she could be the exception to the Halstead rule,’ Jay shrugged.

‘A kid with your genes was never going to be able to sit behind a desk babe, time to face facts.’

Jay had been fully anticipating Ivy to come home one day and announce she was going to be applying for the CFD academy, he had prepared himself mentally for such an occurrence, but she had shocked them all and announced her intention to go to college instead.

She didn’t know her major yet but told her parents she was leaning towards Criminal Justice. They were proud beyond measure when she got accepted into UChicago. She’d be close to home and it was an exceptional school. She’d excel there, like she did with everything else that she put her mind to.

They were much more surprised when during her Christmas break Junior year, she told them her intention of applying to the Police Academy when she graduated.

It shouldn’t have been a shock for them when both her parents were in the force but Ivy had never expressed much interest in their jobs since she was old enough to truly understand what they did. Sure, as a kid, she had loved walking proudly into the district hand in hand with her mother and knew her Mom held a position of power within the building with all the nodding and yes Sarge’s she received, but the ins and outs of it had never been a topic of conversation that she ever initiated.

‘I know the risks Dad, I spent years watching you and Mom walk out the door with a badge and a gun on your hip not knowing if you were coming home,’ Ivy said with a huff. The family sat around the dining room table, their dinner starting to cool on their plates having been untouched since Ivy’s big announcement. ‘I thought you’d be proud of me,’ she said quietly, the hurt edging its way into her voice.

‘Of course we are proud of you,’ Hailey said without hesitation, reaching across to place a warm hand over her daughters.

‘We are the proudest parents in the world pumpkin, we just want you to be certain before you decide,’ Jay nodded.

‘I’m certain,’ Ivy said firmly. ‘I’ve been speaking to Trudy about it.’

‘Of course you have,’ Hailey chuckled.

‘And she didn’t sugarcoat it,’ Ivy implored, her eyes darting between her parents as if trying to telepathically communicate that she knew what she was getting herself into.

‘Well that I believe,’ Jay said, knowing that Trudy would have given her the truth, the good, the bad and the ugly.

‘Is it so bad that I want to follow in your footsteps?’

‘No darling, of course not,’ Hailey said.

‘I guess it’s better than you being a firefighter,’ Jay scoffed.

‘Well, now you mention it…’ Ivy chuckled as her parents shook their heads, the lighthearted air returning to the Halstead household as the family’s attention turned back to their dinner.

Ivy had entered the Academy with the weight of her parents' names firmly on her shoulders, even if she was only going by one of them and not the other. It didn’t matter, her classmates found out who her father was soon enough and although no rumours of any inappropriate comments reached Jay’s ears, he knew what people would be saying behind his back.

But Ivy just brushed it off and took it in her stride, she worked harder than any other recruit and proved to anyone who thought she had gotten in on nepotism alone that she deserved to be there. Jay’s heart nearly burst with pride when reports fell on his desk with nothing but glowing words on his daughter's antics.

‘Detective Aert came to speak to me today,’ Hailey said, spearing a piece of chicken onto her fork and popping it into her mouth.

‘To what did you owe the pleasure?’ Jay asked. Detective Aert was part of the Narcotics Unit. She was hard headed and even quicker tongued but she was exceptional at what she did. She’d be leading the unit before long and Jay knew her promotion would be supported widely.

‘Turns out she had heard about Ivy and wanted to know if she’d be interested in Narcotics when she graduated,’ Hailey said nonchalantly even though both Halstead’s knew how big of a deal getting noticed by a specialist unit was when you weren’t out of leading strings yet.

‘Damn,’ Jay mused. ‘I assume you told her to talk to Ivy.’

‘Of course,’ Hailey smiled. ‘I said I’m her mother at home but she’s not under my command on the force and to speak to her training officer at the academy. She just smiled and said that was exactly the answer she was hoping for.’

Jay chuckled, Aert was a hard nut to crack but Ivy could learn a lot from her.

‘Did you tell Ivy?’ He asked, already knowing the answer.

‘Nope,’ Hailey shook her head, taking a sip of her wine. ‘She wouldn’t thank us for getting involved in her career, even if that’s exactly what I didn’t do. She’s too independent for that.’

‘Just like her mother,’ Jay winked.

As it turned out Detective Aert had put in a formal request to have Ivy assigned to Narcotics when she graduated and Ivy had bounced up and down with excitement when she had told her parents. She was the only person in her graduating class to get a nod from one of the units and the fact that it was a unit where neither parents had a direct influence meant her classmates were more supportive than she had anticipated.

Nothing could have provided Jay with more pride than saluting his daughter as she stood in front of him in the same dress blues that he had worn for years and handing her the certificate to confirm she had graduated from the academy. Hailey would give him crap later for crying as he shook her hand but Jay didn’t care. His pride needed an outlet and it had chosen tears.

His daughter was officially a police officer in the Chicago Police Department, and as much as he was concerned for her and her safety, he knew she would do her city proud. And that made his heart want to burst.

‘Gene and Georgetti’s?’ He said as he walked over to where Ivy was standing with Hailey, proudly showing her certificate off.

‘Are you footing the bill Sarge?’ Ivy sassed, nudging her shoulder into her father.

‘Such cheek from a Cadet,’ Jay responded.

‘Not a Cadet anymore Dad,’ Ivy smiled. ‘It’s Officer Halstead now.’

‘What happened to Upton?’ Jay asked curiously but was unable to stop the smile forming on his lips.

‘I’m a Halstead through and through, guess it was time people started to know it,’ Ivy shrugged.

‘I’m staying Upton though,’ Hailey said, cocking an eyebrow at her husband.

‘Upton on the streets, Halstead in the sheets,’ Jay winked, ignoring the vomiting noises Ivy made from beside him. ‘Alright then, deep dish is on me. First, this is for you,’ he said, tugging out a small black velvet box from his pocket. The box was about the size of a normal ring box and Jay handed it over to his daughter with a smile.

‘I thought we said no presents,’ Ivy said exasperatingly.

‘Well you said that but I never agreed,’ he grinned. ‘Call it a fathers prerogative’

Ivy rolled her eyes but accepted the box anyway, looking up at her father before opening it. Her eyes widened when she saw what was lying nestled in the purple silk lining.

‘Dad,’ she said, her voice hitching in her throat.

‘It’s the bullet they took out of my shoulder,’ Jay said, reaching into the box to tug the necklace out. The bullet was hanging from a delicate gold chain. He gestured for Ivy to turn around so he could latch it for her around her neck.

‘The bullet from when Angela…’ Hailey asked, tailing off slightly, her voice soft and gentle as her eyes zeroed in on the necklace Jay was securing behind their daughters neck.

‘The very same,’ Jay nodded as Ivy turned around, her fingers tracing the cool metal now resting against her uniform. ‘The bullet they removed after it nearly killed me. And then your mother almost told me she loved me. And it was the time I realised that I had something to lose. It told me that I had to stay safe, not just for myself, but for her. She wouldn’t love me anymore if I put myself in danger again.’

Jay felt his wife link her fingers through his and he gave her a gentle squeeze.

‘That thought kept me safe and this bullet will do the same for you. It’s got both of our love in it,’ Jay smiled.

‘Who knew you were such a softie Dad,’ Ivy whispered but she wrapped her arms around her father in a tight hug nevertheless. ‘Thank you.’

‘Love you kiddo.’

Jay had known for longer than he cared to admit that he wanted to share a life with Hailey and wanted to have children with her, but he had never let himself imagine the life that was waiting for him when he finally plucked up the courage and kissed her that night another lifetime ago.

Their path together hadn’t always been smooth and heaven knows their path to parenthood was even rockier than most but no matter the road they had taken, he wouldn’t have changed a moment of it as he walked out of that graduation, his wife’s hand in his and his arm flung over his daughter’s shoulders. His family was perfect, and his pride knew no limits.

And he was ever so grateful Ivy hadn’t decided to become a firefighter.

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torreshalstead · 6 months

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holy ground

Summary - Her fingers twitched, brushing against soft warm skin. But it wasn’t her own.

Hailey’s eyes fluttered open, taking in the sleeping figure beside her. He was still here.

It hadn’t been a figment of her imagination. It hadn’t been a dream that she had conjured up in her subconscious. It had been real.

And he had stayed.

Notes - because the deleted 2 second clip deserved an extension. Happy Reading ❤️ AO3 Link

Her fingers twitched, brushing against warm soft skin. But it wasn’t her own.

Hailey’s eyes fluttered open, taking in the sleeping figure beside her. He was still here.

It hadn’t been a figment of her imagination. It hadn’t been a dream that she had conjured up in her subconscious. It had been real.

And he had stayed.

Turning her attention to the rest of her body, she could feel the weight of a foreign object against her hip. Raising her head just slightly off the pillow not wanting to disturb her bedmate, she glanced down and smiled.

It was Jay’s arm. His hand holding her thigh as if he also needed a continued reminder that the occurrence of the previous night had not been fictitious.

The pleasant throb between Hailey’s legs told her it had been anything but fictitious. She let her eyes fall closed again as she remembered a few hours previous.

She had wanted to tell him for a long time how she felt, that she thought of him as more than just her partner, but she had never let herself imagine he would react like he had. To take her into his arms and kiss her in the middle of the bar, pulling her up onto her tiptoes so they were the same height and it was easier for him to trace the seam of her lips lightly with his tongue. When they had finally broken apart, not wanting to cause a scene in a public place, she couldn’t help the grin that was plastered to her face. Jay mirrored it as he linked their fingers together and tugged her towards the door.

She felt like a giddy school girl, finally getting to hold hands with the boy she was crushing on. That analogy blurred away when Jay pressed her up against his truck, his hips flush against hers and tugged her hair loose from its ponytail, letting his hands get buried in it as his mouth melted into hers again. It had been a long time since she had wanted to make out with someone on a street corner. But now she couldn’t tell where her body ended and Jay’s began.

Her cheeks were flush the whole drive back to hers, and although she thought her palms might be sweaty with the nerves of the lines they had already crossed and those they were about to, they were dry and steady. This was what she wanted. He was who she wanted.

And as it turned out. He wanted her too.

When they tumbled in through her apartment door, a mess of limbs and clothes that remained on their bodies for little longer than they had to. It struck Hailey how normal it felt. Yes, it felt incredible to finally get to kiss Jay and feel the plains of his muscles under her fingers. But it felt right. Like they had been destined to cross this bridge since the beginning. She didn’t believe in destiny of course, but at that exact moment in time, it seemed like the only explanation for how she was feeling.

Hailey had tugged him towards her bedroom by his belt and divulged him of the remainder of his clothes, her own boots and jeans ended up scattered at the foot of her bed along with them. She had always imagined Jay to be the sort of man who folded his clothes neatly when he took them off before bed. However, folding his clothes seemed to be the last thing on his mind as he kissed every inch of Hailey he could.

They had laughed as they took their relationship to the next level, not at each other or at the situation, but at how easy it was to be together. There was no bumping of heads or teeth knocking together or limbs in the wrong places, they fit together perfectly like two pieces of the same puzzle. And the look that Hailey saw reflected in Jay’s eyes as they tumbled over the precipice together solidified a single thought in her brain.

He was it for her.

He had ruined her for anybody else, the way he held her, touched her, loved her. It was on another level and one she never wanted to leave.

A small part of her, a tiny part that she tried to keep buried was what had pulled her from her sleep. It was the singular part of herself she hated more than anything else.

The part that told her she was unlovable.

The part that told her no one would ever think her worthy of love or look at her like she was.

It was that part that had told her that Jay wouldn’t be there when she woke up. That he would have come to his senses and snuck out the door, pretended it had never happened and gone back to just being her partner.

But he had stayed.

He was warm and smooth under her hand and he had kept a hold of her the entire night too.

She wondered silently if he had perhaps worried she may have left him in the middle of the night as well. Though with them both in her apartment, where else would she go? But she knew herself that the voices in your head were never logical, no matter how much they yelled at you, they were often based on flawed information.

She had tried for years to get rid of those voices, the ones who lied to her and told her she was unworthy of love and affection, that she was a burden to those around her. But it wasn’t as simple as plucking them out of her brain and throwing them in the trash. They had dug their way in deep, their roots burrowing into all corners of her subconscious so much so that they would show themselves at the most unlikely of moments when she least expected it.

So instead of throwing them out, Hailey had tried another method. She had tried to push them back to a single space, a single corner and once they were all together to lock them behind the thickest door she could imagine and keep the key completely separate - lessening the power that they held over her. She was better at it now than she had been when she was younger back when she had assumed that every man in her life was lying to her to get something out of her. Or when she listened to them that she hadn’t deserved her promotion to detective. But she was better now. She wouldn’t let them win.

And the sleeping man next to her was proof of that.

Proof that she wasn’t unlovable. That she wasn’t undeserving. That when she opened up to someone they wouldn’t stamp on her heart and laugh in her face.

She had told Jay how she felt and he had reciprocated. He had held her tightly and touched her softly. He had worshipped her body and told her she was beautiful. He had treated her like she was the only person in the world to him.

And then, he had stayed.

Hailey flexed her fingers, making certain one final time that he really was sleeping beside her, that it wasn’t some facet of those hideous voices playing a cruel trick on her. But he was really there.

She pulled herself a little closer to him, letting the hand that had been clutching his shoulder slide across his chest as she slid her body against his side. He hummed in response to her movements, bringing her even closer still by the hand on her hip that fell back onto the curve of her arse.

That had been a new discovery about him last night. Jay Halstead was an arse man. Who knew?

She smiled at the memory and dropped a soft kiss onto his bare shoulder where her head had found its place. His shoulder was far more comfortable than her pillow had ever been.

She didn’t know how long it was until her alarm was due to go off and she refused to lessen her hold on Jay to check it. She simply let her eyes fall close again, breathing in the smell of Jay - like the smell on a spring day when the leaves are finally green again and the air is crisp but not too cold. She knew the alarm would wake them soon, she wasn’t fool enough to believe they could live in this little bubble for the rest of the day, undisturbed by the world outside. But by the way Jay stirred underneath her, bringing the hand not already holding her up to tangle their fingers together, she thought that the little bubble might not completely burst.

And when he dropped a soft kiss to her forehead, she knew that she had been right. He was it for her.

And when he whispered ‘good morning’, his voice thick with sleep, his smile obvious even in his words, she knew it would be worth it. Whatever they had to face. They’d get through it. Together.

#upstead #hailey upton #jay halstead #chicago pd #upstead fic #one Chicago #hailey x jay #chicago pd fic #upstead fanfiction #chicago pd fanfic #upstead fanfic #chicago pd fanfiction

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