Title: Memories
Summary: It was a day that none of them would soon forget; one to bring back old memories but also to create new ones, good and bad. Frank/Danny, Danny/Linda Post-Ep 1.05 'What You See'
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Blue Bloods.
A/N: Okay so I with all the great angst and emotion in this one I was kinda undecided between a Frank/Danny and Danny/Linda 9/11 premise so decided to add both and hope that's okay. But again it was a great eppy by a great cast! Seriously loving this show!
Words in italics and double quotes from the eppy
"It's not going to happen again…not today…not here."
As Frank sat in the back of the task force van, his mind now racing with terrible scenarios of areas that could be a potential terrorist target and the countless innocent lives that he would be helpless to save.
Today, today was his grandson's birthday; a precious life that now could be heading toward any one of those ill-fated targets that his whole squad was desperate to find before they had a repeat of a disaster that changed the world forever.
Not today…
He leans back in the van, briefly closes his eyes, his mind instantly flashing back almost ten years ago to a time when other extremists had brought the city to its knees with a diabolical plot that also included vehicles and bombs. Time for this case seemed to go faster than normal, every one of them knowing that time wasn't on their side.
They had gathered in the police task force room, live surveillance waiting to capture the moment they would all soon be dreading. But even a trip to the mayor's office did little to stem the anxiety that Frank was dealing with. It was his city and he was responsible. He had already been challenged by other officials on a few decisions but through them all he stood by his decisions, never questioning his attention to protocol; except once.
That was the moment his son, Danny, came onto the screen, standing face to face with the bomber, his life and very fate in the life of the hands of a woman seemingly without soul.
All he could do was stand there and watch, a captive spectator like the rest of the upper blue brass. In that moment he was proud; proud but also scared that at any second the woman could just detonate the bomb and his son and another innocent son would be lost; lost to the name of a mis-guided ideal.
"What is your son doing?"
Frank had watched Danny calmly talking to the woman, his plan to get her either out of the car or away from the detonator. The son was the wild card; a card that played into the wrong hands. The father appeared and then all hell broke loose.
"She sets that off…"
"ESU is ready to move in and blow them up Frank."
"Sargent, tell ESU to follow Detective Reagan's lead. First officer on the scene always has the most information. And he's a senior Detective."
He knew there wasn't one person in that room that wasn't aware of who the senior detective was on the screen and what his relationship was to the Police Commissioner. But it was Frank's own words that could seemingly send this son to his death leaving behind a widow and two children; another life destroyed in the line of duty as so many were nearly ten years ago.
In that instant his mind flashed memories of the days that followed, men and women in uniform losing their lives to a cowardly enemy. He could only hope and pray now that today wouldn't be a repeat of that ill-fated day.
When he watched Danny and then Ava rush the SUV and subdue the scene it was chaos at first, shouting, screaming, crying, silent curses and whispered prayers. But blue would prevail over red.
It was over. They had won.
Thankfully, this time he can look back and smile, thanking the 'luck of the Irish' that today was swayed in their favor and no one was hurt; not even the one that wanted to so callously take a life.
"Bomb squad defused the device and the mayor is inviting you to join him at his press conference."
His mind had already prepared the correct comeback, but his mind, still flashing images of a tormented day, prompted his brain to ask only one, simple question.
"Where were you on 9/11?"
"Um…I was with you…clearing out the north tower."
"Sorry, I was thinking out loud. I know where we were Jim. Everybody knows where they were when the towers went down."
"That was your son out there…"
It wasn't really a question, it was more of a statement, a remorseful reminder from one father to another. Nothing else needed to be said after that, it was clear. Today was a day that if things had gone even for a split second the other way, he would have new memories to haunt him.
All he could do, was stand fixed in place and thank God one more time that fortune did indeed favor the foolish today.
Although he knew it was his political and civic duty, all Frank wanted to do was get him to escape all the madness that his bureaucratic home and get back to his real one; where a loving family and two adoring grandsons were waiting, one of which was celebrating a special day.
"Frank you wanna stay and have dinner on the mayor?"
"No I have a special dinner engagement I have to get to," Frank quickly declines as he heads for the door, unable to get home fast enough.
"The conquering hero arrives."
"You did good son, if you got your ass chewed, you deserved it."
"Thanks dad."
Frank had offered his speech, careful not to bring up too many tense discussions during dinner, especially in light of the fact that Linda always liked to hear Danny's events from him.
"Hey uh…you were quieter than normal," Danny mentions as he draws his father's gaze to him. He had wondered where his father had gotten to after dinner and went in search of him, finally locating him in a small quiet sitting room off the main dining room area.
"Tough day," Frank sighs as he walks up to his son, resting his hand on his shoulder and giving it small squeeze. His wife had taught him the value of emotion and affection, but in her absence, five years later, he sometimes finds it tough to express everything he wants to to his son.
"Thanks for not telling Linda. She'll chew my ass out when we get home and the boys are in bed."
"Ah it won't last long."
"Makes for some great make up…yeah I won't," Danny's voice trails off in a sheepish grin.
"Please don't," Frank offers with a slight smile before his expression turns serious once again. "You know today…I was very proud of you…"
"Thanks dad."
"But speaking as a father you scared the hell out of me," Frank admits with a heavy sigh. "What was your real motivation behind doing what you did?"
"Adam. He uh…he asked what I would do if it were my son," Danny admits. "In that moment I knew…I just couldn't let things escalate any further. I thought about Linda and the boys. Figured what if she got away and managed to detonate it. Plus she uh...she was going to blow up her son and…"
"And she nearly took mine.
Danny looks at his dad and offers a heavy frown. When he had returned from Iraq and had learned they would be working together, they had made a pact that they would try very hard to put aside personal feelings if they were working on a case together; not allowing swayed emotions to make professional judgment calls.
"Brought back 9/11 memories?" Danny gently inquires.
"Pardon?"
"Come on dad, you're not that hard to figure," Danny smiles.
"Just a few," Frank admits gravely. "I watched a lot of sons die on that day, needlessly taken because of someone's infantile revenge plan. I uh…I feared I would have to do the same today, only with my son and once again I couldn't do anything to stop it."
"I didn't really have a lot of op…"
"Danny, I'm not mad. Well maybe I was a little angry when I saw you holding back the father and SWAT, knowing she had the detonator in her hand; but I also was proud. Just don't do it again," Frank concludes with a smirk.
"Promise," Danny smirks as he wraps his arms around his father and both hold onto each other for a few seconds. He knew inside that Danny wasn't going to stop taking risks, that he wouldn't start to do anything safer than he had before and wasn't about to change his tough Irish persona over a few lame terrorist threats. He was blue, through and through; he was raised that way and that would be his legacy much like his father before him.
But today, for a few more hours, Frank told himself he was going to pretend that things would change and Danny wouldn't put himself in harm's way anymore. It was a dream, but one that he needed to hold onto to keep sad memories at bay so that he could at least enjoy the rest of the evening's festivities.
"You comin' for some cake?" Danny asks just before he exits the room.
"Yeah I'll be right there," Frank assures his son just as he pulls out his buzzing blackberry.
'Enjoy the party. Save a piece of cake for me. Kelly.'
With a smile now dawning on his face, Frank quickly types a promising reply back and heads into the lively dining room, pulling one boy onto his lap, kissing the back of his head and again thanking God that right now, at least in their home, was some semblance of peace. He looks at his sons and smiles; he would now do everything he could in his power to keep them around for a very long time.
XXXXXXXX
~Later that same night~
Linda rounds the corner into the hallway, fully charged cell phone in hand and stops; watching Danny just hovering in the doorway of their youngest son's bedroom. She notices the small smile on his face but also the slight frown that now dusts his brow. Always sensing her presence, he turns to her and offers a loving smile before he finally removes himself from his place and heads toward her.
"Phone working again?"
"Finally listened to all my frantic messages," Linda relates as they slowly enter their bedroom and Danny closes the door behind them.
"I tried everything to get a hold of you," he mentions, her tense back still to him.
"When I was on the subway coming home," she starts in a soft tone. "Heard the traffic tie-ups and then someone whispering to another about a vehcile search at the entrance to every bridge and tunnel and...and I knew something bad was going on."
"Linda, honey I swear..." Danny starts only to have her turn around and face him with a soft, almost teary expression.
"When I married you I knew the risks. I had told myself that you had survived things that most men would have surrendered to. I thought I was strong enough to..."
"You are strong, that is one of the things I love about you," Danny assures her in haste.
"Then I saw the news," she allows her body to offer a heavy sigh. "I am glad you told me about today, but still...until I saw those pictures, you by that SUV, trying to talk that woman out of...damn it Danny, she could have just pushed the damn button and that would have been it," Linda finishes with a small groan. "Taken away my rock just like that."
"I just couldn't let her use her son like that. He was innocent. I kept thinking to myself, what if she gets away. She could head to the zoo, where you are and that would be it. I had to stop it."
"I know your reasons," Linda states as her hand rests on his cheek. "I do know a few things about you," she teases, her voice finally easing in it's morose tone. "But right now just allow me my mometary weakness."
Danny wraps his strong arms around her and holds her close. "Sorry," he whispers as he kisses her on the cheek. "Terrible images of...well of whatever flashed before my eyes when I heard that there was a chance that you could be in a potential hot zone."
"Guess we learned just how valuable it is to keep our phones charged," Linda smiles as she pulls her gaze in front of his once more. "And also how valuable it is to say I love you every morning before we go our separate ways. I see how just how relevant your father's speech was before we said grace."
"We all had a lot to lose today," Danny huffs. "Could have just as easily been Jamie running into that woman and her son. With his lack of training things might have gone really badly."
"I do feel sorry for your father," she quips.
"I won't take that personally."
"So I guess this means we have made up and I have forgiven you for not telling me until just before I had to watch on the late night news?" Linda queries.
"Well you know what the best part of making up is right?"
"Your turn to make breakfast?"
"Nice try babe," Danny smirks before his arms scoop her frame up close, before he heads for the bed and gently tosses her on, quickly following. "I love you Linda, never forget that."
"I love you too Danny. Trust me, I never will."
And as their evening started to unfold in a fury of loving passion, the memories of that ill-fated day nearly a decade ago or the hours earlier in the present day, would always be there, forever etched into their minds and hearts, but as happier moments continued to surface; loving moments racing to the fore, they would ensure that the bad memories would remain where they belonged; as memories, not legacies.
THE END!
A/N: Okay so I hope this wasn't lame as we are still learning so much about this great family of characters and that you all liked it a little and thanks again!