Drowning In Secrets

I know you

*two days later*

Taylor had taken yesterday off since she was still feeling a little nauseous from the drugs or whatever but today she was fresh and back on the job. She was relieved when hank didn't put her on desk duty since she would end up dead from boredom if he did. "You feeling okay?" Her boss pointed to her before she sat down at her desk, she smiled and nodded, "all good Sarge" she smiled. Hank nodded, "alright let's get on with the case then" he smiled and pointed over to the board where the info was already plastered onto it. She flashed jay a smile and he smiled back, finally some normality around here, before they stood up and joined the team.

"So you fixed things huh?" Adam walked into the break room and pushed the door shut ever so slightly so he could talk to jay. Jay turned around while pouring coffee into his mug carefully, "yeah, we're good. But that doesn't mean what I did to her was right, I know I messed up, what I made you guys do was messed up..." he sighed and placed the coffee holder down. Adam sighed, "what's done is done jay but at least you're on good terms with her. Baby steps from here, got it?" He nudged his arm slightly. Jay smiled and chuckled at his wise words which was weird coming from adams mouth, "copy that" he nodded and walked out with his mug. He felt guilty, for telling the team about her file behind her back, for making them turn on her, but he was just grateful that she had a kind and forgiving heart.

"Halstead, Watson. There's an active location, this is our guy. Go check it out, if he's there then snatch him" hank signalled for the partners to leave. The pair smiled weakly and nodded before grabbing their jackets and phones along with their radios and running down the stairs to get into jays truck. They made conversation as they drove which was good, it's progress, and the car journeys were no longer uncomfortable. "That's our guy, let's go" jay pointed to a chubby bald guy stood with a coffee in his hand near a gmc tractor. Taylor nodded and got out of the car with him, "Erik brown, Chicago PD. You're under arrest for the murder of Thomas mils" Taylor called out to him as they approached.

The man dropped his coffee but didn't even attempt to flee since he wouldn't have made it far before jay would've tackled him down, "watch it will you" he scoffed but only this made Taylor roll her eyes and tighten the handcuffs even more. The man huffed and unwillingly walked over to the car as jay threw him in the backseat. The partners got back into the car, "we got him Sarge" Taylor spoke into her phone as jay started the car. There was a static buzz before hank eventually replied, "copy that Watson, get back to the district" hank spoke back. Taylor nodded and set her phone down, jay flashed her a small smile before they drove off the building site.

"I know you" the man spoke intuitively. Taylor furrowed her brows together, "who?" She scoffed. The man sighed, "you, I know you" he spoke just as curiously as the first time. Taylor heart froze, she looked at jay who was just as confused as she was. She huffed, "how'd do you know me then?" She spoke sarcastically. The man sighed in annoyance, "you're called Watson right?" He raised his eyebrows as Taylor looked into the backseat. Jay was looking at him occasionally through the rear view mirror, "that's my last name..." she huffed and looked back out to the road. The man laughed to himself, "yeah it's you. Rose Watson or something isn't it..." he began to speak but Taylor cut him off, "there's a lot of people with my name, you've got the wrong person" she shook her head.

Of course Rose was her middle name but when she was a kid people used to always call her it, "maybe, but not many people have your name and look like you. I remember seeing you on..." he started again but Taylor jumped to cut him off, "shut your mouth" she snapped. Jay raised his eyebrows, he'd never heard her snap before, the man went to talk again as he started to mumble so jay stepped in, "just shut up man" he added. Taylor flashed him a thankful smile so he nodded with a small smile and kept driving, now he was just curious, not angry, not mad, not weary of her, just curious. The pair pulled up at the station and Taylor could sense jays eagerness as he dragged the man over to trudy, "thanks chuckles" platt laughed and snatched the chubby man from his hands abruptly like always.

Jay smiled and turned to Taylor who was stood waiting for him by the gate, "just so you know, that was actually about me but I'll tell you about it when I'm ready. It's just really personal..." she spoke quietly and softly as jay buzzed them both up. Jay frowned, "take your time, we've got all the time in the world" he smiled sadly. If only he knew that time was limited and it should never be taken for granted. Taylor smiled back thankfully since he understood, they got to the top of the bullpen and the unit were working away, she just wasn't ready to reveal that much of her past to them yet, her walls were stacked up high and she didn't plan on letting them down that easily.

"Take a break" hank waved them off as he wandered over to the interrogation room to handle Erik himself. They all nodded and jay followed taylor into the break room since he still had an itching question to bother her with, "I do have one more thing to ask..." he begged like a little kid. Taylor laughed and filled her mug up, "ask away" she smiled. Jay sighed in relief, "what happened to your boyfriend? I noticed he wasn't there at the hospital and he wasn't at your house either" he tilted his head. Taylor smiled, "ahhh yeah, Damon, we broke up..." she shrugged. Jay raised his eyebrows, "I'm sorry..." he started but Taylor cut him off, "it's fine, he was a prick. I broke things off between us like two week ago, he only wanted one thing and I was tired of being his muse..." she laughed nervously a little. Jay smiled, "as long as your happy" he nodded as she smiled back at him.

Later that day she got an email on her computer, she opened it up and a surge of relief rushed over her. Finally, the news she had been waiting for, she printed off the sheets that were attached and signed the parts she needed to before getting up without taking her eyes off the papers and wandering over to Hanks office now that he was done practically beating their suspect up. "Come in" hank spoke hoarsely without lifting his eye-line up to see who it was. He smiled when he saw Taylor sit down in front of him, "what can I do for you?" He interlocked his fingers. Taylor smiled and slide the papers over to him, "you've been cleared? That's great, I'll sign them and send them off. You can tell the team now" he smiled. Taylor laughed a little since he knew how much she was dying to tell her team about this.

"I know it's been difficult for you guys to accept a new member after losing such a good one, I knew Erin a little bit and she was a great person as well as an amazing detective. I also get that me being so closed off about my past has made it even harder for you guys to trust me but I promise I have my reasons..." she laughed nervously as she began to gain the unit's attention. Hank was stood behind her in his office doorway agreeing with what she said, he was a little touched by her kind words about Erin too. Jay was looking at her the most curiously which made her smile, "I was in the USSS before transferring to intelligence, I couldn't tell you guys earlier because I was still waiting to be dropped from a few active cases but I just got the all clear so..." she interlocked her fingers. The units faces dropped, the United States secret service? What? Woah...

"A secret agent?" Jay looked at her in shock as the pair got beers at mollys. Taylor laughed, "yeah, my name was still out in the field so I had to keep it on the down low until the cases were closed" she smiled. Jay nodded understandingly, "that's why it was disclosed?" He smiled in realisation. Taylor laughed and took a sip from her beer, "yeah, it'll be released now though so that's all good" she nodded. Jay smiled, "but your priors are still disclosed..." he was just making sure. Taylor smiled sweetly, "yeah, that's the thing from earlier actually...I'll tell you when I feel ready, I promise, but you'll definitely be the first to know" she nodded. Jay smiled but noticed her sadness, "like I said earlier, we have all the time in the world so don't fret" he placed a caring hand on hers. Taylor smiled thankfully, now they were strong again and back on track. The pair talked all night, jay was a little saddened by the fact that if her priors were separated from her past unit that meant that something happened to her, something bad and she must've asked hank to keep them disclosed for a reason...