A/N: I own nothing. That's all CBS.
At first, Jamie was bitter about the Reagan name holding him back from promotion, but then he genuinely fell in love with the job he had. He was out on the streets, interacting with the people of New York City, which depending on the day, could be a good or a bad thing, really making a difference in the everyday lives of the city's residents. He had found his calling as a training officer, mentoring the incoming officers as they enter the force. He had no desire to be stuck behind a desk filling out paperwork or being responsible for all the patrol officers and detectives in a district? No thank you. Jamie shuddered about the thought of trying to be in charge of a detective like his brother, Danny. Definitely not for him.
His fiancé though had the perfect combination of authority, and autonomy for the job. Officers respected her. And not just because her soon to be father in law was the sitting police commissioner. They had both been worried about that and kept their relationship quiet in the beginning for that reason. Only their immediate family and a handful of close friends knew that the rumors were in fact true and that Eddie had been joining the Reagans for family dinner on Sundays.
They had finally started dating soon after Eddie had been promoted. It served as the catalyst they both needed. Barry had broken up with Eddie shortly before she took the sergeants exam. Stating, once again, that she talked about and spent entirely too much time with Jamie. He had just been helping her study. Looking back on it now, maybe Barry had been right. Eddie told herself at the time that she couldn't be with a man that couldn't get over the jealousy and just believed her when she said Jamie was just helping her study.
Eddie had done really well on the exam. When all the officers who took the exam were ranked, she was in the top five. A spot opened up and she was promoted to sergeant at the 16th Precinct only 8 months later. Jamie remembers the day they got the news very well. Renzulli called her into his office one day after shift. They both started making their way to his office when he stopped them.
"Just Janko," he said. Jamie and Eddie shared a look of confusion. "Wait here Reagan. It won't take long." He added with a smile. Jamie watched from just outside the office as Renzulli handed Eddie an envelope. She opened it up, took out a single piece of paper, unfolded it and slowly looked up at her sergeant. Jamie couldn't read her emotions. He always knew what she was thinking. Except for right now. It was killing him waiting out here. All he wanted to do was go in there and be there for her but she would kill him if he just barged in there right now. A smile slowly spread across Eddie's face as Renzulli said something else to her. Her hand came up to cover her open mouth as she looked up and made eye contact with Jamie through the office window. She quickly looked back over to Sgt. Renzulli but just as quickly looked back over towards Jamie practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. Their sergeant then released her, gesturing to the door and to Jamie. She took a second to thank him and then spun around and all but ran out of the office and over to Jamie.
"Jamie, Jamie, Jamie! I got a placement! I got the promotion!" Jamie immediately pulled her into a hug. "I'm so proud of you Ed."
She pulled back so she could look at him. "I couldn't have done it without you." She said sincerely. Jamie smiled and pulled her back into a tight hug.
He was leaning up against the wall outside the women's locker room waiting for Eddie to go out and celebrate. She slowly came through the door and walked up to him with an almost apologetic look on her face.
"What happened? What is it? Did they rescind your promotion already?"
"Jamie, I read the letter again. They want me to start Tuesday. Today was our last ride together." She said it looking into his eyes with emotion in her voice and holding back tears. "I wasn't prepared for that to be our last shift! We didn't even go Felicia's Cafe for meal like we planned to today!"
A small smile spread across his face as he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "We are no longer partners, Eddie. I'll take you to Felicia's for their french toast BLT whenever you want. We can do, whatever, we, want." He took a step back and the true meaning of his last sentence was clear. "What's stopping us?"
"You ready to be spoiled for life?" Eddie asked him with a twinkle in her eye.
"Oh, I'm ready." He chuckled. He laced his fingers with hers as they walked out of the 12th precinct together for the last time. He stopped her in his tracks suddenly. "You outrank me now. That means I have to salute you?" He asked teasing her.
She leaned into him, "All night long I hope."
That was the last day they were career partners and the first day they became lifelong partners.
—- some years later—
Frank stood in the office he once spent entirely too much time in. Some things hadn't changed a bit, others had clearly been updated since he had held the office.
"You miss it?" Jamie asked, watching him from the couch. Frank turned from the photos on the shelf behind the large oak desk, that once again held the faces of his family.
"Nope, not for a second." He walks towards the child sitting sideways in an armchair, glued to the game on his cell phone. "Sit properly in that chair please, Josif. It's older than your father. Besides, it's a full time job spoiling these three." He says turning his attention back to Jamie. The little girl laying across Jamie's lap, the youngest of the three, sat up, "Daddy I'm hungry! Where is Mommy?" She whined. The 8 year old was her mother's daughter. Always thinking about her next meal.
"She should be here soon Ana."
"Do you ever regret not climbing the ranks?" Frank asked him. They'd had similar conversations on multiple occasions throughout his career with basically the same answer. Jamie had stayed a training officer while Eddie had quickly climbed the ranks up the NYPD ladder after being promoted to sergeant. Of course there were moments she hit some road blocks. Whether it be questioning her fathers record, the fact that she was now a Reagan or that she was simply a woman. Nothing stopped her though. Jamie also received some slack for letting her be the breadwinner in their family while he stayed towards the bottom of the PD totem pole. He didn't care what people said though. When were they ever a traditional couple.
"Not for a second." He said hugging the girls on either side of him.
"Dad, you're messing up my score!" The nearly 11 year old complained. Jamie looked at the screen of her tablet ready to scold the girl then noticed she was playing a timed trivia game with questions that were at least two grades ahead of where she was in school. Eddie often scolded him for being to soft on her. Mira was their little academic. He had a soft spot for her, they were too much alike.
Detective Evans opened the door to the office, "Just wanted to let you know the commissioner shouldn't be long now. The meeting with the mayor just finished."
"Thank you Julia." Jamie smiled as she retreated back to her desk. "You hear that Ana? Just a few more minutes."
"Finally!" She said and dramatically threw her body back across his lap.
"I think you'll make it." He laughed, affectionately patting her knees.
"You don't know that. I haven't eaten anything in... FOUR hours!" She said looking at her Wonder Woman wrist watch. Definitely Eddie's daughter, Jamie thought.
As if right on cue Eddie came rushing through the door.
"Commissioner, I was able to push back your meeting at 1400 to 1500 to take a longer lunch." Julia Evans voice could be heard as she rushed past.
"Thank you so much Julia!" Commissioner Eddie Janko-Reagan said over her shoulder.
A chorus of Mommy and Mom sounded from all three of the children as they set their tablets down to greet their mother. Ana reached her mother's outstretched arms first, "I thought you weren't going to have time for lunch today Mommy! I'm starving!"
"Uvek ću napraviti vremena za tebe, Anastazija." (I will always have time for you, Anastasia.) She stood up and gave Jamie a firm kiss on the lips. "Happy Birthday, Baby. Have you decided where you want to go for lunch?" He asked.
"Can we go to Felicia's Cafe for their BLT?" Josif asked quietly.
"It's your mother's birthday. She gets to pick." Frank says reaching over the children to peck a kiss on Eddie's cheek.
"Felicia's sounds perfect." She agreed with her son. Another year and she was going to have to look up at Joe. He definitely had inherited his grandfather's height.
"Sounds good. Let's go!" Ana said grabbing both her brother's and mother's hands and dragging them back out the door. Bossy and opinionated like her mother too.
"My treat. And you aren't saying otherwise." Frank stated.
"Dad, you don't have to do that." Eddie said over her shoulder.
"But I want to. Besides, it's your birthday. You really think I'm going to let you lay for your lunch? Think of it as a thank you for these three."
"That's what you say every time you pay for something, Dad." Jamie stated.
"And it's still the truth." Frank responded with his classic smirk as he made his way onto the elevator with his family.
I apologize if you speak Serbian and the translation isn't perfect. I just used Google. I also had way to much fun researching Serbian and Irish names for the kiddos.
Josif Henry - after Jamie's brother and grandfather
Mira Grace - a Serbian version of Mary, Jamie's mother
Anastajia Maeve - meaning causes great joy
