Exiting their father's house, Jamie and Danny climbed into Jamie's mustang to head into the City. Linda would drive the boys home. The plan was to park Jamie's car at his apartment in the Flatiron District, then take the subway uptown to the world famous Waldorf Astoria. Danny anticipated taking the subway home. He knew from past experience with this party that he'd be too drunk to drive later. He intended to take full advantage of the open bar at the union party. Linda already suggested that if he was a complete mess, he should consider staying with Jamie until he sobered up. Danny wasn't planning on getting that drunk but he knew better then to drive to back to Staten Island after this particular shindig.
"I'm glad Dad didn't pull the plug on this thing," Danny began.
"You don't think he really would have cancelled it, do you?" Jamie asked. This annual bash was legendary. Guys looked forward to it all year.
Danny shrugged. "Gramps told me some stories from back in the day. This was kinda outta control. Girls. Stag films. There were even rumors that certain people would dip into the evidence from narcotics."
"The bad old days," Jamie responded. "You can have a good time and blow off steam without breaking the law."
"You're such a boy scout," Danny shot back.
"There's no way you got high or cheated on Linda, so I don't know what you're bitching about. A couple good Scotches and maybe an illegal Cuban cigar is about as far you go."
Danny knew he was busted. As much of a badass he was in certain respects, at ground, Danny was loyal family man who towed the line. Changing the subject he asked, "So what's your game plan for tonight?"
"I'm hoping to catch up with some of the old gang from the Academy and win some money in one of the poker rooms upstairs," Jamie revealed. "What about you?"
"Jackie said she'd try to stop by. I haven't really seen her in a while," Danny explained.
"I thought she hated this thing?" Jamie remembered.
"It's not really her thing. She gets hit on a lot and that annoys her," Danny concurred.
"Janko gets it too, whenever we go out after work. I think she actually decked a guy at this last year," Jamie offered.
"We should definitely introduce them then. I pity the guy who tries to go there if those two don't want him," Danny suggested.
Chuckling Jamie agreed. "She is a force to be reckoned with."
Danny studied his brother for a moment. "In all seriousness, how come you don't just go for it already?"
Jamie was annoyed. "Don't start. She's my partner."
"So get a new partner," Danny advocated. "Women like Janko don't come along every day. It's been what, 5 years since Sydney? If you wait much longer, your kids are gonna be too young to ever play with my kids."
"Jack is already in high school, interested in girls and apparently experimenting with alcohol," Jamie reminded him. "I think he's already too old to be interested in babies."
"Still," Danny countered. "You can't stay a bachelor forever, especially if you aren't even taking advantage of it."
By now they had arrived in Jamie's neighborhood. Parking the car, he defended himself. "I date."
Nodding sarcastically as he walked toward the subway, Danny teased. "Sure you do. Getting drinks with Janko after shift; running with Janko; hanging out with Nicky and Janko; going to the movies with Janko. You're dating your partner, kid. Just make it official already."
Jamie was indignant. "I'm not dating Edie. It's just hard to find anybody else to hang out with on our schedules.'
"Convenience. That's your excuse?" Danny retorted. "If it was me and I had a partner like that . . . well let's just stay I would have been in the lou's office getting things switched around."
"It doesn't matter," Jamie admitted. "Even if I wanted to, she doesn't."
"Are you kidding me? I've seen the way she looks at you," Danny assured his brother that the younger Reagan was misreading his partner. "Just like you look at her."
As they stepped onto the subway train, Jamie grabbed on to one of the bars near the door while Danny stood next to the pole in the center of the car. "You don't know what you're talking about. She point blank told me that I'm not the kind of guy she'd pick." Jamie didn't tell his brother that this is what he'd heard the morning after he'd crossed the line and kissed his beautiful partner. He'd always had a bit of a crush on her. That next morning, he was trying to give her an out when he'd said they were spending a lot of time together and it was inevitable. He wanted her to say that it wasn't just curiosity on her part and that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Instead she agreed that he was just another in a long line of bad choices in men Edie had made in her lifetime.
"You're wrong, kid." Danny wasn't backing down. Anybody who spent any time with the pair knew they belonged together. Edie was good for Jamie. "You know what? This party is all about letting your hair down. There's no brass. Everybody's equal and almost anything goes. Spend time with her tonight and see how things go."
"Not gonna happen," Jamie dismissed his brother's cockamamie idea out of hand.
Shaking his head, Danny pressed his point. "I'm just saying if I had a partner that looked like that, some stupid regulation wouldn't keep me away."
"You have always had attractive partners but I doubt you crossed the line with any of them," Jamie countered.
"What are you talking about? All my partners have been good cops. But in case you hadn't notice I'm a happily married man," Danny asserted. "Linda is the only one for me."
"She's the only one who can put up with you," Jamie taunted. "So it's OK for you to just be partners with a beautiful woman but me, I'm supposed to jump anything in a skirt? Is that it?"
Smirking Danny pounced, "You admit Janko's a beautiful woman."
"I admit nothing," Jamie averred. "Unless you admit that you at least thought about it with Jackie, Kate and Baez."
"I told you," Danny asserted. "I'm married. Breaking a vow is far cry from breaking a stupid rule. Besides I love Linda."
"Forget you're married for a minute and pick one: Baez, Kate, Jackie or Janko?" Jamie wanted to see how far his brother would go.
Danny scrutinized Jamie for a few seconds. Deciding he could trust his little brother he finally confessed, "Jackie. There is just something about her. It's probably the hair but every time she went under, especially if she was dressed like an escort. . ." Danny drew in an audible breath to express admiration for his former partner's physical attributes.
Jamie remained quiet. He was surprised Danny had answered the question. He'd never tell Linda of course, but it was nice to know that his brother wasn't quite the saint he claimed to be. Working alongside a beautiful woman every day wasn't easy; sometimes it was hard to keep those desires in check. Jamie wasn't naïve. He knew plenty of cops who had something going on the down low. Heck, even their father managed to have a few clandestine relationships since their mother died.
"So," Danny continued, "if all that is standing in your way are the regs, just ask for a new partner. Wham bam, you get a new girlfriend."
Jamie rolled his eyes. "This is our stop."
The Reagan brothers arrived at the classic hotel early. The union officials were still setting up in the ballroom so the pair headed up to one of the suites in the towers that the Detectives had reserved for their private event. Even though it was supposed to be detectives only, Danny's buddies welcomed Jamie with open arms. Everybody knew that but for their dad being the PC, Jamie would be a detective in his own right by now. All the detectives liked working with him because he was a good cop and helluva lot smarter than most guys on the Job, including his older brother.
"Jamie, good to see you man," one of the detectives offered extending a hand in greeting. "Where's that gorgeous partner of yours?"
"Yeah, where is Janko?" another asked.
"Detectives only . . . and family," Danny tried to get his brother off the hook.
"Detectives, family and beautiful women. Beautiful women are always welcome," another detective pronounced.
Jamie rolled his eyes but bit his tongue. It always bugged him when men objectified Edie or openly lusted after her. She was supposed to be a New York City Cop first and foremost, not a sex object. Times like this made him wish the rules didn't exist. If she was his girlfriend, he could tell that Neanderthal where to get off. Instead he just offered a tight, fake smile and moved further into the suite, snagging a bottle of beer out of the ice tub that had been set up.
Danny poured himself about four fingers of Scotch into a crystal rocks glass and offered one to Jamie. "I'm good with beer for now," Jamie declined the whiskey.
"You know it's open bar, right kid?" Danny joked.
Smirking Jamie replied, "Some of us gotta work in the morning."
"When are you gonna learn? You always take a vacation day for the day after this party," Danny instructed. "Or at least make sure you're not on 'til three."
Just then Baez came over. "Hey Partner," she offered clinking her beer bottle to Danny's glass. "Hittin' 'em hard I see."
"It's a party!" Danny rejoined.
"Hi, Jamie," Maria turned her attention to the other Reagan. "How are you?"
"Not bad. You?"
Maria shrugged and nodded toward Danny. "I ride with this one every day."
Danny threw an arm around Maria's shoulders. "And I'm the best partner you ever had!"
Jamie laughed at their antics and easy camaraderie. Leaving them to goof off with each other, Jamie wandered through the palatial hotel suite. The place was bigger than his entire apartment. He made small talk with a number of the other detectives. Many were Danny's friends. Some were guys he remembered from the Academy who had managed to climb the ranks. He'd worked with a fair number on various cases. It still stung that he was being held back because of his last name but Jamie liked it out on the street and Renzulli had been right, sometime the uniform did half the work.
After about an hour Danny found his bother. "Let's head downstairs. The main event ought to be in full swing by now." Truth be told Jamie was anxious to get downstairs to find Janko. She'd texted him moments earlier to say she was downstairs and trying to find him. Maybe Danny was right. Maybe a night like this when there were no lines, and everybody was just enjoying the fellowship of other cops, he could finally determine if there was something worth pursuing. Could it really be as easy as Danny claimed? Ask for a new partner in order to get a girlfriend?
Maria joined the two brothers for the elevator ride down. When they arrived on the mezzanine floor there was a line to get checked into the ballroom. It was more a formality to keep outsiders from crashing the party and causing trouble.
The trio entered the lavish ballroom and greeted a few friends and colleagues as they moved toward the bar in the back. Danny was in high spirits having consumed all of that Scotch upstairs. Down here he settled for a beer knowing he couldn't get too sloppy because the night was still young.
As he turned to face the crowd and take a sip of his beer, a familiar voice called out "There you are Reagan!"
"Jah-kay!" Danny called before pulling his former partner in for a fierce hug.
She returned the embrace but wrinkled her nose at his smell. Pulling back she snorted, "Started early I see." Just then she noticed the others. "Jamie. Good to see you." She reached in to lightly hug her former partner's brother. Jamie dutifully kissed her cheek.
That gesture did not go unnoticed by a certain blonde a few yards away. She had been headed over to say hello but stopped when she saw Jamie embracing the gorgeous, unknown woman. Because she was at this party, Edie knew the stranger must be a cop. She hadn't seen Jackie hug Danny and she was too far away to hear the conversation, so she assumed the woman must be an old friend, at least Edie hoped she wasn't a new friend. It was hard enough for Edie to keep her jealousy in check when Jamie went out with old law school classmates, ER doctors and exotic tourists. Those women had qualities and backgrounds she could never achieve. She was never going to be able to bear the idea that Jamie would date another cop but not date her.
Jackie's long hair cascaded luxuriously down her back and the dress she wore accentuated every curve in an elegant way. Edie felt underdressed in skinny black pants even though she was wearing a sexy, silky top with shoulder cut outs and high heels.
At her side, Kara Walsh asked, "Who is that? She's stunning."
Edie didn't need her friend to voice what she already knew. She had to calm down. Jamie was her partner, not her boyfriend no matter how much she wished they were dating. That meant he was free to socialize with anybody he wanted and Edie didn't get a say. As far as Edie was concerned, Jamie had already made it clear that he didn't want to date her. She was trying so hard not to let that eat away at her soul. Blowing out a breath and kicking up her resolved, Edie decided. "I don't know. Let's go find out."
Jamie spotted Edie as she was approaching. "There you are! I was wondering how I was gonna find you in this crowd."
Edie took the teasing in stride. "Are you calling me short, Reagan?"
"You said it. I didn't," Jamie rejoined. The smile on his face had him positively beaming. It was like the whole world lit up because Janko was around. Her smile was equally electric at having commanded Jamie's attention.
"Hey, Edie," Baez interjected.
"Janko," was Danny's only greeting.
Finding her manners, Edie introduced her friend, "This is Kira Walsh from the 12th. Jamie's brother, Danny, and his partner, Detective Maria Baez."
"Just call me Maria," Baez instructed. "There are no ranks in here tonight."
Walsh shook hands with the Detectives which reminded Danny of his own manners. "This is my former partner, Jackie Karatola."
"So you're Jamie's partner?" Jackie asked extending her own hand. "He's gotta be easier then working with this one."
"I don't know about that," Edie replied. She felt better about the situation having learned that this gorgeous woman had a connection to Danny and wasn't Jamie's latest fling. "Have you ever seen him eat? Salads. All this healthy stuff. " She shuddered in an exaggerated manner for comic effect.
"We don't all have the metabolism of a linebacker," Jamie retorted, defending his eating habits.
"I'll trade you," Baez offered Janko. "Reagan here always wants Mexican."
Shaking his head Danny explained, "Makes no sense. The white guy wants Mexican and the Latin girl, all she ever wants is burgers. I can't eat burgers every day."
"Mexican?" Jackie repeated. "All he ever wanted was Chinese when I was riding with him."
"You do tend to get fixated on food," Jamie pointed out.
"Variety would be nice," Baez postulated. "Maybe burgers one day, then Mexican, then Chinese, then something else. Instead of the same thing all the time."
"You could even get a salad once in a while," Jamie suggested.
Simultaneously, the five other cops responded with some version of "no!" to the idea of healthy eating.
Edie was getting antsy. "All this food talk is making me hungry," she announced. "I heard there is supposed to be an awesome buffet around here somewhere."
Jamie teased his partner, "When aren't you hungry?"
"Shut up, Reagan, and get me fed," the blonde demanded.
Danny gestured at his brother, "She ain't talkin' to me."
Jamie knew when he was beat. "C'mon. I know how you get when you're hungry. I think I saw a carving station over there." With Jamie's hand at the small of her back Edie headed across the expanse of the crowded ballroom in search of dinner.
"I'm gonna go get a refill," Kira announced holding up her glass to demonstrate she was empty before taking her leave of the detectives.
As soon as they were out of earshot Jackie looked at Danny and whispered, "They knockin' boots?"
Maria was taken aback by Jackie's bluntness but it didn't faze Danny. "Nah. You know there are rules against fraternization and the Kid's a stickler for following the rules."
"Unlike someone else we know," Baez needled her partner.
Jackie smiled in solidarity at Baez. "Still chasing every wild hair?"
Baez chuckled and nodded but defended Danny. "It's part of what makes him a great detective."
"True but . . .:" Jackie wasn't convinced. "I think there's something there. Rules or no rules."
"The kid needs to get back in the saddle," Danny preached.
Baez cut him off. "Stay outta your brother's love life."
Danny pushed. "See you said 'love life'. Even you think there is something between him and Janko, or at least there should be."
"I didn't say that," Maria protested.
Danny wasn't having it. "You said 'love life'. You were there when he pulled her outta that car. And you were there when he was climbing over SWAT to get to her after that human trafficking raid we did with the Feds."
Marie couldn't deny what she had seen. Jamie had been beside himself when he though Edie was in trouble. Although all cops worry about fellow officers and partners grow close, there was something more brewing between Jamie and Edie. "Your brother is a smart guy. He knows the rules. Don't you think that if wanted to date his partner, he knows how to go to his Sarge and get a new partner? It's not like he can't stand up for himself. I've seen him tell you where to get off before."
"Yeah, I seem to remember you two going at it in the locker room at our house and that was only over who got credit for a collar," Jackie reminded Danny of Jamie's early years on the force, before the brothers bridged the gap between them that had been left by Joe's death. "May he just needs a little push," Jackie suggested.
Baez was wary. "I don't know what you two are cooking up, but leave me out of it." With that she walked away.
Danny and Jackie began to walk through the crowd stopping occasionally to say hello to someone. Between the two of them they probably knew about a quarter of the people present. This was a party where the boroughs mixed so they didn't know everybody but it was still good to see old friends.
Danny spotted Jamie and Edie. Edie had gotten herself some food and the two of them were tucked into a corner table, all alone. They were seated very close together especially considering they were the only ones occupying a table for 10. Edie was eating and Jamie had his arm across the back of her chair. They looked like they were on date. As Edie took a bite of something, she closed her eyes in enjoyment. Jamie watched her intently, his eye fixated on her mouth. When she opened her eyes and noticed Jamie staring, she smiled, then cut another bite with the side of her fork and fed it to her partner. This was clearly not the first time she'd fed him. Jamie never broke eye contact with Edie as he ate what had been offered to him. Nudging Jackie to watch the spectacle unfolding in the corner, he mumbled "Nothing goin' on my ass."
"I think it's sweet," Jackie purred, heavy on the sarcasm. "You never fed me like that."
Danny chuckled good-naturedly, "And I never will. Linda would break my arms."
Although Linda had always been gracious when then met, Jackie knew full well that her partner's wife kept a close eye on them. Danny was a great guy, but it wasn't Jackie's style to go after another woman's husband. Besides, she preferred wealthy stockbrokers to cops. As much as she loved Danny, it was never romantic or sexual between them. "Should we go over there?" Jackie asked.
"Nah," Danny shook his head. "Kid looks like he's got it under control."
Edie and Jamie were lost in their own little world. This seemed to happen whenever they were together. They could block out a whole room full of people to simply concentrate on each other.
Finishing his beer, Jamie asked, "You want another drink?"
"Nah," Edie replied. "Three is my limit, especially since somebody signed us up to work days tomorrow. Six a.m. is gonna come real early."
"I'm gonna get a coke," Jamie advised.
"Get me a water," Edie directed as she stood to clear her plate from the table. Full from the buffet, she was much more content.
Jamie moved off to get in the long line for the complimentary bar leaving Janko all alone. As she was standing there a drunk cop she didn't know came up to her. His gait was unsteady so she knew before she even smelled him that he'd already had a few. "S'hello beautiful! Hot thing like you 's too pretty ta be a cop. You one of the girls I heard they bring in for this thing?"
"Yeah, maybe you've had enough there buddy," Edie responded to the insulting overture. Pulling out a nearby chair she offered, "Why don't you sit down and take a load off before you fall down."
"Name's Richard, but everybody calls me Dick," the drunken intruder supplied.
Edie couldn't help but think how apt this guy's name was. "Have a seat there, Dick."
"Don't mind if I do," he stated. Unfortunately for Edie, Dick wasn't quite as uncoordinated as she initially believed based on his state of inebriation. As he sat, Dick snaked an arm around Edie and pulled her down onto his lap.
She struggled to stand. "I don't think so buddy." Dick was holding her tightly around the waist so she didn't have the leverage to get off his lap. If she escalated things should could have gotten away but she didn't want to dump the guy on his ass in the middle of the party, even if he deserved it. She had decked a guy a few years earlier and didn't want a reputation as always throwing punches. When Dick tightened his grip, Edie pushed at his chest and sternly ordered. "I said let me go!" Even over the blasting music she was loud enough to draw the attention of serval nearby officers including Danny but Jamie got there first.
"Let her up," Jamie demanded holding out his hand for Edie.
By now Danny and Jackie had reached the scene. "Is there a problem here?" Danny asked.
With Danny's arrival Dick loosened his grip allowing Edie to scramble off his lap. "What is your problem?" she spat at him as she arose.
Dick ignored her. "Oh look. If it isn't the great Danny Reagan. Toughest cop in the NYPD. Thinks he better then all of us."
"He is," Jamie immediately had his brother's back.
"Dick Douglas," Danny sneered. "Maybe you need to learn to hold your liquor and keep your hands off fellow officers."
By now several of Dick's friends had come over in an effort to calm down their buddy and avoid a confrontation.
"There it is," Dick sneered. "A commandment from on high. The great Danny Reagan speaks. We should all do his bidding."
"Just shut up," Jamie ordered.
"Who the hell are you?" Dick demanded.
"His brother," Jamie answered, glaring at the guy.
Dick laughed in derision. "Dear old dad here too? I heard he was gonna shit can this whole thing. Stick in the mud doesn't want anybody to have any fun."
"Why don't you just move along," Jackie suggested to Dick. She knew the look in Danny's eye too well. After all the scotch she'd seen him consume already it was unlikely that he was going to be able to restrain himself from punching this jerk any time soon.
"Only if the little lady comes with me," Dick said reaching for Edie.
"Back off!" Edie shouted sidestepping his attempted grab. This time she was wise to Dick and ready for anything he might try.
"She's a fellow officer not some play thing of yours. Stay away from her," Jamie growled.
"I got this, Reagan," Edie asserted.
Sizing Jamie up, Dick concluded, "Oh, she's your squeeze. I didn't know man. Sorry. No harm, no foul."
"She's not my 'squeeze.' She's my partner," Jamie corrected Dick barely keeping the venom out of his voice. When she noticed the muscles in Jamie's jaw tightening, Edie grabbed his arm to restrain him from doing something stupid in an effort to champion her. She didn't need a Knight in Shining Armor but part of her enjoyed the fact that Jamie tried; another part resented him for thinking she couldn't take care of herself.
"Never stopped big brother over here," Dick jerked his thumb in Danny's direction.
"What are you talkin' about?" Jackie demand.
Turning to look at the other woman flush in the face Dick elaborated, "You think you're the only skirt whose panties the great Danny Reagan got into? He'll screw anything that walks especially if she's his partner. You. Baez. That blonde from IA. Probably this one," Dick pointed to Edie.
Everybody had been so worried about the Reagans getting violent that nobody thought about their partners. Before anybody had a chance to react, Jackie decked the guy and bloodied his nose with one punch. As Dick rocked back and knocked over the table, Danny moved to restrain his former partner. She wasn't really struggling to get out of Danny's grasp and go through him to her intended target. Dick's buddies moved to pick him off the floor. "Nobody accuses me of sleeping my way to the top and for the record, Detective Reagan is twice the cop and ten times the man you will ever be. Somebody get this piece of garbage outta here."
Two waiters and hotel security also moved in a belated attempt to deescalate the situation.
When he was confident that Jackie was sufficiently calm, Danny released his grip on her upper arms while he continued to walk her backwards away from Dick. "Thanks for defending my honor there, slugger."
Shaking out her hand from the pain from the punch, Jackie joked, "Nothing you wouldn't have done for me."
"Got that right," Danny beamed.
"Now get me drink," Jackie demanded.
"Yes, ma'am," Danny saluted stepping off to do her bidding.
Edie whispered, "I can't believe she decked him."
"I'm guessing there's history," Jamie supplied.
"You OK?" Jackie asked Edie.
"I'm fine. I was gonna deck him myself if he hadn't let go," Edie offered.
"Sometimes you gotta just put these creeps in their place," Jackie assured the younger woman. "Dick was always a bit of an ass. Thinks he's a lady's man. He's just a jerk. Thinks it's the whole world's fault he's stuck at patrolman. Truth is he's just a lousy cop, sloppy, arrogant, going nowhere fast."
Danny came back with Jackie's drink plus beers for Jamie and Edie. Although they had planned to stop, both took the proffered beverages. The adrenaline rush from the last few minutes served to counter the effects of their earlier alcohol consumption.
The gawkers around them has dissipated. This wasn't the first time punches were thrown at this party and it probably wouldn't be the last.
The DJ had been pumping some serious tunes to keep the crowd energized. High on adrenaline, Jackie was starting to grove to the music. Grabbing Jamie she pulled him toward the dance floor, "I know Danny won't dance with me."
Ever the gentleman, Jamie wasn't going to be rude. He did throw a pleading look for help towards his brother who mouthed, "Have fun." Even as he enjoyed the torture his brother was enduring, Danny didn't miss the greened eyed monster that flickered across Janko's face when Jackie dragged Jamie onto the dance floor. Her denial was so well rehearsed that she had her jealousy back under control and hidden in seconds. Anybody but a First Grade detective like Danny would have missed it.
Plopping himself down in one of the chairs, he gestured for Edie to have a seat too. If he could be heard over the din of the music this was his chance.
"Dick's an ass. Don't let him bother you," Danny soothed.
Edie looked at him quizzically but didn't respond.
"What? I got something in my teeth?" Danny joked.
"No. It's just. You didn't ask me if I was OK, like some delicate flower," Edie admitted reluctantly.
"You're a cop. And my brother's partner. You can take care of yourself. If you can't, you got no business out there on the streets. I gotta know you got Jamie's back and I do," Danny assured her. "Some jerk like Dick isn't gonna hurt you but I don't want you to dwell on. Guys like Dick. . . I got good lookin' partners too and I know there are guys out there that don't always see you as cops."
"Thanks. I do have Jamie's back, just like he has mine," Edie promised. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the revelation that Danny Reagan thought she was good looking. Now if only she could get Jamie to think that.
"You're good for him, you know," Danny began. "Make him smile. Get him outta his head."
Edie snickered. Danny knew his brother. Jamie was a deep thinker. Sometimes he'd get lost in his own head.
"Dija ever think about being more than just his work partner? I think you two would be good together." Danny wasn't beating around the bush. He was a straightforward guy on the best of days but with a few shots under his belt, he didn't have the patience for stealth.
"It's not like that," Edie replied with her well-rehearsed line.
"Don't give me that. I know my little brother and I think I know something about you too. I've seen the way you look at each other," Danny shared.
Edie seemed to grow sad. "No. I'm not gonna tell you I never thought about it. Jamie is a great guy. But . . . to him I'm just another cop."
Danny could tell Edie was sincere. What he didn't understand was how these two kids could be reading each other all wrong. "Lemme tell ya. . . the way he looks at you. . . he does not look at other cops like that."
Edie couldn't bear to meet Danny's gaze. She allowed her eyes to travel around the room. Jamie was out on the dance floor with Jackie. It was a fast song and they were both getting into the music. Edie watched him for a moment, mesmerized by his grace and power.
"Look, Danny. I know you mean well. But me and Jamie. . . It's complicated. He wants to stay partners. And I . . . well I'd rather have him as my partner then nothing," Edie confessed. Edie was shocked at what was coming out of her own mouth. She had never talked about this with anybody. She was afraid other cops would see her as weak. A silly school girl with a crush on her T.O. It was almost a cliché. Also the department forbid fraternization between partners; it could be dangerous on the job to be worried about your lover rather than what was best in the situation.
"You're wrong," Danny stated matter-of-factly. "For all his book smarts my brother missed the boat on this one. Somehow he got it into his big Harvard brain that you only want to be partners. He's too honorable then to force himself on you if he thinks you don't want that."
Edie shook her head. She spent upwards of 50 hours per week with Jamie. She'd know if he wanted more. They were best friends and she trusted him completely. She probably knew him better than anybody at this point, including Danny.
The song changed to a slow one so Danny suggested, "Go dance with him. Talk to him."
Edie hesitated.
He ordered but not unkindly, "Go!"
Somewhat reluctantly Edie walked onto the dance floor and up to Jamie and Jackie. "Can I cut in?'
Before Jackie had a chance to say anything Jamie enthusiastically replied, "Sure," as he immediately swept Edie into his arms, completely forgetting about Jackie. The two smiled at each other as both tried to maintain but avoid eye contact.
Amused Jackie ambled over to where Danny was still sitting at the corner table Edie and Jamie vacated earlier. "If they weren't together before, they will be after tonight. It's been a long time since I danced with a man who kept looking over my shoulder at another woman."
"Don't take it personal, Jack," Danny soothed. "Kid thinks of you like a sister."
Jackie chuckled. "Does that make you my brother?"
Danny shared her laughter. "Summthin' like that."
On the dance floor Jamie and Edie were moving millimeters closer. Jamie had bent their clasped hands inward between their bodies. It was about all that was separating them. The pair swayed to the music oblivious to everyone around them, focused solely on one another. They were enjoying the closeness because lately they tended to avoid touching each other. Jamie was becoming intoxicated by Edie's perfume. Edie relished the heat emanated from their bodies and the idea that she could feel and hear Jamie's heart beating, yet she was the first to break the magical spell. "What are we doing?" she whispered hoping that Danny was right and that Jamie wanted to take their relationship in a different direction as much as she did.
The question was like cold water to Jamie. He didn't want to talk about it. Here on the dance floor a magic spell hand been woven but that fragile idea was now shattered. Jamie didn't know how to recapture the moment and he was afraid to move forward. What if a relationship between them didn't work? What if something happened on the job? What if Edie eventually decided that she couldn't be married to a cop like Sydney and left him? Swallowing he looked up and to the left for a moment before looking over Edie's shoulder and stepping back imperceptibly. "Dancing," he answered even though that wasn't the question Edie had meant.
"I know that," she confirmed. "But what are we really doing?"
"I can't have this conversation," Jamie begged her to understand. Edie froze in his arms so he added, "Not here." His concession neutralized Edie's fight or flight response.
"So let's get out of here," Edie suggested. When Jamie didn't move or respond Edie reminded him of a very practical consideration. "It's getting late and we have the early shift."
"Alright. Lemme just go say g'night to Danny."
Heading over to his brother and Jackie who were still engrossed in conversation about the Yankees versus the Mets, Jamie took his leave. "Hey, ah, we're outta here."
Jackie grinned at Danny as if to say "I told you so."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Danny added.
Jamie was frustrated. "It's not like that," he insisted.
"It outta be," Danny assured him.
"You wouldn't be the first partners to fall in love, Jamie. She's a great girl. Don't pass up on something that could be the most amazing thing in your life because of some stupid regulation. It's not that hard to rearrange the partnerships," Jackie encouraged. She had been saying similar things while they had been dancing. Jamie was getting sick of the number of people who seemed to have an interest in his love life. "It is hard to find somebody who gets you who also gets the Job."
"You ready?" Edie had made her own goodbyes and was now back at Jamie's side. She only heard Jackie's last statement about somebody who gets you and the Job. "Night guys," she said to Danny and Jackie.
Before Jamie turned to go, Danny pointed to the middle of his chest and mouthed, "Think with your heart not your brain for once."
Jamie didn't respond to his brother. Instead he directed Edie. "Let's go."
The pair stepped out into the cool night air on Park Avenue. The tulips in the median were beginning to bloom, one of the first signs of Spring. Heading south, Jamie started to turn east toward 3rd Avenue and the 6 train station. "Can we walk a while?" Edie asked.
Jamie looked at her doubtfully. "We walk all the time."
"Not down Park Avenue," Edie reminded her partner. Their beat was the Lower Westside. As she slipped her hand through his arm, Jamie felt Edie shiver. The gossamer silk top she was wearing with bare shoulders did not offer any protection again the cool night air. He stopped and removed his blazer, draping it over Janko's shoulders. She was immediately surrounded by his warmth and that scent she loved so much that was unmistakably Jamie. The combo felt more intoxicating then all the alcohol she'd consumed earlier.
Although he didn't understand exactly what Edie was getting at, Jamie continued walking south toward the MetLife building. He and his partner remained arm in arm. They looked like a chic young couple in love.
"You know how lucky we are, Reagan?" Edie asked in that dreamy voice Jamie knew so well. He didn't interrupt and she continued. "We live in the greatest city in the world. The lights. The sounds. The City."
"The traffic. The overcrowding. The crime," Jamie reminded her.
Playfully slapping his chest with her free hand, Edie rebuked him. "Don't be such a cynic. Look at how beautiful the lights are."
As Edie was waxing poetic about the magic of New York City in the spring, a spry, well heeled, elderly couple walked past her and Jamie. The other couple was in relatively the same position – strolling side by side with the wife's arm tucked through her husband's arm. The pair smiled beneficently at the partners, thinking they shared the not-so-secret bond of being in love. Jamie longed to be that other couple with a life time of love binding them together. He still wasn't ready to let go. "We're not gonna walk all the way to your place, are we?"
"No," Edie concede begrudgingly, as she steered them east toward 3rd Avenue and the next subway stop that would take them downtown to her apartment. She didn't know what Jamie was complaining about. She was the one in high heels.
A train ride later, the partners found themselves walking down Edie's block. The scene was reminiscent of their first kiss and that night was weighing heavily on both their minds.
This time Jamie broke the silence. "Déjà vu," he opening gamily as he stopped walking just outside her building.
"I don't think you've walked me home since then," Edie reminded him.
Jamie didn't say anything. His silence was enough of an admission. He had been avoiding Edie. Although they still hung out and he'd been back to her apartment, even inside, he made it a point not to be alone with Edie in the moonlight, especially if he'd been drinking. Tonight she looked especially beautiful. He always loved it when her hair was down. He longed to run his fingers through those golden tresses. Since she was still wearing his blazer, the scene felt particularly intimate.
"Let's go inside," Edie suggested. "I'm not doing this out on the sidewalk . . . again."
Jamie did not want to have the conversation he knew was coming. This was the beginning of the end. "Maybe I better just go."
"Get inside, Reagan," Edie ordered with more force then she knew she could muster under the circumstances. "Please?"
Looking into those huge blue eyes, Jamie could refuse her nothing. "Only for a little while."
Upstairs in her apartment, Edie draped Jamie's blazer over a stool at the breakfast bar, then walked around it into the kitchen. "You want a beer or something?"
Jamie didn't know what to do. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. "Bottled water'll be fine."
Edie handed an unopened plastic bottle to Jamie then walked around to sit on the couch. She beckoned Jamie over with her eyes and he obeyed, sitting down next to her. Playing for time, he unscrewed the cap and took a drink.
When he didn't say anything Edie realized that it was going to be up to her to start this conversation. "So . . ."
"So, . ." Jamie mimicked back to reduce the tension in the room. "I don't want to stop being partners."
"Oh," Edie sighed. Maybe Danny had been wrong all along. The heartbreak she felt was evident all over her face. "Then I guess there is nothing left to say."
"Whaddya mean by that?" Jamie didn't understand her response.
"I can't keep doing this. It's not fair," Edie cried. "I'm . . . you're," Edie began again, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "To you I'm a cop."
"And a damn good one," Jamie tried to assure her.
"But just a cop, not a woman," Edie hypothesized.
"Well of course you're a woman," Jamie affirmed. "Did you think I thought you were a guy? Or that I didn't notice you are a beautiful woman?"
Tilting her head and squinting at Jamie in puzzlement, Edie didn't know what to make of that.
"I've told you that you are beautiful before," Jamie insisted.
"But apparently not beautiful enough," Edie lamented.
"What? Beautiful enough? What's that supposed to mean?" Jamie asked.
"For you," Edie admitted.
"You're not making any sense. You're gorgeous inside and out and you know it!" Jamie insisted.
"But you just want to be my work partner even though that means we can't . . . you know," she gestured in between then and silently beseeched him to understand.
Jamie stared at Edie. He certainly wanted to 'you know' but she'd made it clear that she didn't. Suddenly the room felt very small, like the walls were closing in on him. He stood and walked behind the couch, adopting his father's attitude that a moving target was harder to hit as he paced. Collecting his thoughts, he . . . reminded her, "That night when . . . you know when we . . ah . . kissed, . . . that next morning you said it was a mistake and I was just another in a long line of bad men you pick."
"I said 'bad' or 'unavailable'. And as my partner you are certainly unavailable. I never said I didn't want to try. You're the one who said it was inevitable and something we just had to get out of our systems." By now Edie was on her feet and had walked behind the couch to glare directly at Jamie, defying him to make the next move.
"You're not making any sense," Jamie accused. "I was giving you an out. I wasn't about to force you and if this wasn't something you wanted I tried to respect that."
"You never gave me a chance to tell you what I wanted. You just assumed you knew what was best," Edie retorted.
"You kept throwing me at other women – that doctor, that tourist. It felt like you were trying to get rid of me, so I took the hint," Jamie explained his confusion.
"It seemed easier. If you were truly unavailable, it wouldn't hurt so much that you just didn't want me," Edie confessed.
"I always wanted you," Jamie whispered.
Edie brightened at that confession but she knew there was something more. So she waited.
"But," Jamie revealed, "As partners I could keep you safe."
"I'm a cop, not a shrinking violet. I don't need you to keep me safe!" Edie protested. She hated being taken care of.
"It's not that you couldn't. It's just that I wanted to be the one to have your back," Jamie elucidated. "If anything ever happened to you. . ."
Edie understood a little of Jamie's angst. He was a caring guy, especially toward people he cared about. When he lost Joe, it almost killed him. She'd heard a little about his redemption through the stories about his take down of the Blue Templar. She also knew his other partner, Vinny Cruz, bled out in his arms. Although Jamie had only been on the job 6 years, he'd seen and done more than many cops with twice as much time under their belts. Edie knew that it wasn't that Jamie didn't think she could take care of herself, it's just that he was protective.
"We have a dangerous profession. It's part of the job. But more cops go home every day then don't," Edie reminded him.
"True, but if we start this, you're just going to decide you can't handle it and well, I couldn't handle that," Jamie insisted.
"Can't handle what? You being a cop?" Edie was incredulous. "Newsflash I'm one too. I think I can handle it."
"It's more than that. It's the name. It's everything," Jamie clarified.
"I've been your partner for almost three years now. I get the blow back too, ya know," Edie assured him. "The target on my back might not be as big as the one on yours but it's still there. I'm the PC's son's partner. Blah Blah Blah."
Jamie didn't know what to say to that so Edie continued.
"That asshole Ray said as much. Being partnered with the PC's son was holding me back according to him," Edie revealed the conversation she'd had with the lothario detective when he offered to train her. "But I don't see it like that. Granted the PC probably wouldn't know my name if I wasn't your partner but I have learned so much from you. You always have a way of putting somebody in their place but you do it in such a classy way."
"It's more than just who my father is. Think about it. If being my partner makes me a target, now much worse will it get if you're more than just my work partner."
"Half the department thinks I already am," Edie countered. "If I'm gonna get the grief, at least I should get the benefits." The mischievous twinkle was back in her eyes because Edie sensed she was winning Jamie over to her side of things.
Jamie smiled at that. But then his fears and insecurities tool over. "I'm . . . you're . . . you're gonna leave," Jamie sputtered. "Story of my life."
At first Edie was perplexed. Then she remembered a conversation she'd had with Dana, Jamie's bicoastal friend with benefits. The last time Dana had been in New York for work, the three of them hung out. Edie always liked the brunette lawyer because she was never stuck up about the fact that she was a Harvard graduate while Edie only went to City College. While Jamie was in the bathroom, Dana asked if Edie needed her to back off and assured Edie that she only had to say the word and she would go back to just being friends, without benefits, with Jamie. That night Dana also shared with Edie how shattered Jamie had been when Sydney broke off their engagement.
"I'm not Sydney," Edie reminded him.
"I know that," Jamie responded as he was trying to figure out how Edie even knew his former finance's name.
"No," Edie corrected. "I know I'm getting involved with a cop and all that entails."
"But . . ." Jamie began.
"But what?" Edie cut him off. "It seems simple to me. I like you. You like me. What's the problem? It shouldn't be this difficult."
"I like riding with you. I don't want to break in a new partner," Jamie explained.
"You've had other partners," Edie reminded him.
"Yeah, and Vinny died. In. My. Arms." Jamie choked out the words. The horror of watching Vinny bleed to death while they were pinned down outside the Bitterman Houses brought bile back to his stomach. In his mind's eye Vinny's face was replaced with Edie's and that horror was more then he could bare. He had to keep her safe. She was too important to lose.
"Jamie look at me. I'm fine. I'm right here. I'm not going on anywhere. But even though you were right there, you couldn't save Vinny. It was just his time. None of us have control over that," Edie soothed. "We just have to make the most of the time we have."
"But. . ." Jamie wanted to argue.
Edie cut him off. "No. Remember that time you were ridin' with Walsh after she first came back. You guys were taking fire in that drug store. When I heard your 10-13 my heart dropped. Even though I was on the other side of the sector, I flew to you," Edie recalled.
"You saved our lives that day," Jamie praised.
"I shouldn't have had too. There were other cars much closer but still we were there for each other," Edie swore.
"But this is different," Jamie continued to protest.
"Why are you making everything so complicated, Reagan? Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy. It's simple."
"There's so much more to it than that. The politics. The logistics. I don't want people to think that we've been sneaking around. When you get your promotion, there will be people who say you slept your way to the top," Jamie countered.
Frowning Edie commanded, "Look at me Jamie. Take a good long look. I am a petite blonde in uniform. There will always be people who think I should be barefoot and pregnant and nothing I ever achieved was on my own. That's just how life is. But anybody that matters, they'll know the truth and all the rest, well, they can just go to hell."
Jamie was somewhat taken aback by the ferocity of Edie's tirade. He admitted to himself when he first met Edie and later when he first saw her fancy sports car, he'd had his own reservations about her commitment to the job, but Edie proved him wrong every day.
Softening her approach, Edie stepped into Jamie's space, "What if we find something we both like doing with each other more than riding together in an RMP?" Edie suggested.
Jamie reached out to rest his hands on Edie's hips. He stared down at her longingly, "Any ideas about what we might like better?"
Edie licked her lips and smiled. "One or two." Tilting her head forward, she paused to let Jamie close the gap. The kiss was gentle but poignant. They both parted their lips to allow their tongues to meet. Jamie's hand slid up Edie's back to press her body more firmly against his. She wasn't resisting.
When the kiss ended, Jamie rested his forehead against Edie's. "Yeah. I think I like that."
"I know I do!" Edie agreed, reaching up to initiate another kiss.
"So now what?" Jamie asked.
Edie's eyes flicked toward her bedroom then back to Jamie's. She was trying to figure out exactly what he was asking. Tonight didn't seem like the night to go there, just yet.
Jamie could read her mind. "I'm not just talking about sex. But I am looking forward to making love to you when the time is right but not tonight."
"Don't you mean this morning?" Edie chided him, looking at the clock. It was after midnight already.
"Ugh. Tomorrow is gonna suck. Let's just hope we have an easy tour," Jamie offered.
"We gotta tell 'em," Edie reminder her partner. "I don't wanna sneak around and we both know what'll happen if we get caught."
"So we go tell Sarge right before roll call," Jamie instructed.
"Not, we, you," Edie demurred. "He can't kill you. PC's son murdered by desk sergeant would not make a good headline."
"Ha ha," Jamie chortled.
"Do you think they'll send us to different houses?" Edie postulated as if this was the first time the idea of what not being partners and being in a relationship really could mean. Different precincts. A possible transfer to the Bronx or Staten Island. Different shifts that would make it impossible to see each other. "I mean I'll go but . . ."
"They're not gonna transfer us," Jamie assured her. "Renzulli told me as long as we came to him first, he would keep us together."
Edie took a step back and looked aghast at Jamie. "You talked about this with Sarge?"
"Not like that," Jamie promised. "A while back he asked me if anything was going on. I told him the truth. There wasn't. He said to let him know first if anything changed. That's all. So I think we're good."
"We better be," Edie stated. Pushing Jamie slightly with both her hands on his well-defined chest, Edie instructed, "You better get outta here. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."
Jamie bent to steal a quick peck, which ignited into something more. "You're right," he agreed reluctantly.
Grabbing his jacket off the stool in the kitchen, Jamie smiled at Edie. "See you tomorrow, partner."
"Not for long," she responded with a touch of sadness. This was the end of an era but hopefully the beginning of something wonderful.
As he stepped into the hallway and the door to Edie's apartment clicked softly behind him, Jamie wondered if next Sunday would be too soon to bring Edie to the Reagan family dinner.