The Soldier and The Spy: Jay Halstead- Episode 2

Chapter 9

Present Day

"I'm just getting the rest of my clothes; I'll figure out what I'm doing with everything else later."

"You could keep it."

"For the I don't know-eth time I don't want to."

"And for the I don't know-eth and one time I don't get why. It's yours."

"I don't need something that's just mine."

"Oh cause that's not codependent."

Jay looked over his shoulder and caught Tess shaking her head as she leant against the railing. They were at his apartment to pick up the rest of his clothes, he'd come briefly after work that first day to get enough to get him through the week but he was eager to get the rest. Because unlike she kept suggesting he didn't want to keep this place any longer than he had to.

"First off," he replied as he slipped his key in the lock and ushered her in, "as if you don't have your own dependence issues. Second, I'm not saying I don't need a space that isn't mine. I'm saying I don't need this one. You already have, however many properties, I'd rather my paycheck go into one of those."

Granted he hadn't seen them yet but if the boat was any indication they were going to be nice.

She'd always had good taste.

Expensive taste.

"Awe. You really think you're gonna pay rent?"

He shut the door and turned to see Tess staring at him, an impish half smirk on her lips, and suddenly felt a decade worth of payback land at his feet.

"I am going to pay rent." She just cocked her head, the way a parent would to a small child then wandered into the living room and out of his line of sight. "I'm paying!"

Silence.

No he wasn't. Even if he tried, the money would never make it into her account and any cash would undoubtedly end up right back in his wallet. But... she couldn't stop him from buying her presents. And if he had more to spend then he could get more. Maybe even some fancier ones. Deciding he could live with that trade, for now, Jay looked after her for a moment and then made his way upstairs; he could use a minute alone.

The first thing he did when he walked in his room was head for his closet, tossing the duffel bag on the bottom towards the dresser before he reached up and carefully took down the one on the top shelf, gently taking out the small black shoebox from the side pocket before he took a seat on the bed. By the time Tess had gone there hadn't been too many of her things left at his place, just her favourite fuzzy pillow, her favourite fuzzy blanket, two of her favourite mugs, a few changes of clothes, several of which had been his, and these. After a while he'd given the rest to Mouse, where they were now stored with his things but the items in this box... they were all Jay had allowed himself to keep. Even when keeping them could have meant the end of him and Erin if she'd found them. A scrunchie and a Chapstick, the vanilla kind she liked, neither necessarily important items but both things she used so frequently that he just liked having them on hand, a pair of earrings, her favourite hat, her toque, and her copy of Ella Enchanted, which had come to him barely more worn and torn than it was now. Every few months, sometimes every few weeks if things were rough he would gently flip through it, sometimes taking out the notes and photos he'd slipped between the pages for safekeeping and sometimes not, always checking to see how much of her scent still clung to the paper. Not as much as the toque but enough that it helped to keep him sane.

It wasn't the same as what she'd done for him, wasn't as obvious or as lifesaving but it was something.

Hopefully it was enough.