Eddie sighed as she looked herself up and down in the mirror, tugging at her dress she took one last look at herself and grabbed her bag. Closing her locker, she looked around quickly and made her way out, getting to the male locker room she tapped on the door and pushed it in "Reagan?" she called.
"Wow, you knocked," he chuckled "come in!"
Eddie walked to his row and stepped out "how do I look?" she asked nervously.
Jamie glanced at her and doubled back "wow," he said after a minute "Eddie you look amazing."
"Really?" she asked and tugged at her dress again "you don't think it's too short or gives the wrong impression?"
"Not at all, you look beautiful," he said and turned back to his locker, if he stared at her legs any longer he was going to get himself into trouble.
"Thanks Jamie," she smiled "um, here's my bag, thanks for taking it for me, I knew I was drinking so I didn't bring my car…wasn't thinking of my stuff."
"No problem…are you okay?" he asked as she stared off in a daze.
"What? yeah, I'm fine," she said and sat down.
Jamie sat beside her "you should know by now you can't lie to me," he said and nudged her "what's up?"
"I don't know," she sighed "I'm getting this feeling in my gut…maybe it's just nerves."
"This is your third date, right?" he asked, "so it's not nerves…what's your gut saying?"
"I don't know," she sighed "like maybe I shouldn't go."
"What? come on, you've been talking about this for days now, you were looking forward to it."
"I know, but as I was getting ready it changed, I was thinking going home and lying on the sofa was a better idea," she said and looked at him "am I crazy?" she asked. "I've been complaining about not dating for ages. This nice sweet cute guy comes along, I had a great time both dates, he wasn't pushy, never tried it on never expected anything."
"He seems like a nice guy, maybe you're just overthinking things, tell you what," he said and stood up "push back a half hour, say you got held up here and I'll bring you for a drink then drop you off at the restaurant."
"I can't ask you to do that, you've plans with your brother."
"Danny won't mind if I slip off for ten minutes, come on, you'll feel better," he said and held out his hand.
Letting him pull her to her feet she squeezed his hand "thanks Jamie, you're always taking care of me."
"What partners do, I got your back, any time…come on then," he said and led her out.
A while later they finished their drink "you feel any better now?" he asked.
"Yeah, thanks," she smiled "I can get a cab from here."
"I said I'm dropping you so I'm dropping you, Danny!" he called "I'll be back in a few!" he called and led her outside.
…
Pulling up at the restaurant Jamie looked over at her when she failed to move "you okay there Janko?" he chuckled.
"I don't know, that feeling is back," she sighed.
"Want me to turn around?" he asked.
Looking in through the glass she watched her date at the bar "no," she said and pulled off her belt "he's a nice guy, I'm just being silly, thanks for the ride."
"Call me if you need me, I'll be home early," he said.
"Thanks partner," she said and climbed out "I'll see you in the morning," she added and closed the door.
Watching her walk inside he sighed and pulled away, he hated her going on dates, hated that she'd found a guy while he was too busy pinning after her to even look at another woman.
Inside Eddie walked to the bar "Nick, hey, I'm sorry I'm late," she said and sat beside him.
"No worries, perks of the job, you look great by the way," he said admiring her dress.
"Thank you," she smiled "you look very handsome," she added and smoothed out his shirt "I'm glad we get to this again."
"Me too," he smiled and slid his hand into hers and squeezed it "drink?" he asked and pulled away.
"Please," she nodded "did we miss our booking for dinner?"
"No," he chuckled and waved the barman down "I figured one of us would be held up so I booked it for nine instead."
"Smooth thinking," she chuckled and took her drink "how was your day?" she asked.
"Not too bad," he replied, "I think I finally got that couple to buy the house they made me bring them to six times."
"The couple that called you all the time? That's great, hopefully there'll be no more hiccups."
"Yeah, me too, anyway, how was your day?" he asked.
"Pretty quiet, the way I like it," she chuckled.
"What held you up?" he frowned.
"Oh," she said while she thought of something "we arrested this kid and booked him, he got a bit handsy with another officer so we had to fill out more paperwork."
"Ah," he nodded "the joys of protecting the city," he chuckled "anyway, less about work," he said and moved closer to her "it's great to see you again Eddie," he said and kissed her sweetly.
"You too," she smiled "I mean a third date must mean something, right?"
"Exactly, so, I was wondering…would you be up for a weekend away in a couple of weeks?"
"A weekend away? Just the two of us?" she asked surprised.
"Well yeah," he said, "I was hoping we could have a few more dates and talk about it again next week or something."
"Okay," she nodded "we'll squeeze in a few more dates then we'll talk…don't take this the wrong way, but I haven't had much luck with guys and I really don't want to ruin this."
"No worries," he chuckled "no pressure."
Over at the bar Jamie was listening to a story Danny was telling when his phone beeped, seeing Eddie's name he grabbed it quickly. Opening the message, he sighed in relief when she said she was having a good time. Replying he put his phone back on the table and looked over at Danny "what?" he asked when he stared at him with raised eyebrows.
"You haven't listened to a word I said."
"I was," he replied, "you cuffed him and patted him down."
"That was ages ago, what's with you tonight? You're on edge, it looks like you're waiting on something to happen."
"Nothing," he sighed "I was worried about Janko but she's fine now."
Danny shook his head "Janko, should have known, what mess has she gotten herself into now?"
"She was just unsure about going on a date, but she just text me there, she's having a good time."
Danny shook his head again "kid, what's wrong with you?"
"What?" he asked, "you worry about Biaz, Eddie is my partner, I'm gonna worry."
"Sure, I worry about Biaz," he agreed "but then I remember she's a grown woman and she can look after herself."
"What is that supposed to mean?" he frowned.
"It means you have feelings for her and you're hoping something goes wrong so you can play the night in shining armour."
"I am not," he scoffed "Eddie is my partner and friend."
Now it was Danny's turn to scoff "you guys act like a married couple, you bicker nonstop-she always win by the way, she gives you these puppy dog eyes and you give in every time."
"I do not," Jamie laughed "it's easier to let her have her way than deal with her sulking for the rest of the day, I do it for my own sanity Danny."
Danny laughed "you have a thing for her, she has a thing for you, would you just stopping being the nice sweet boy a woman can bring home to momma and ask her out already."
"I do not have feeling for Eddie," he said annoyed "she's my partner I care about her and she's my friend, that's all."
"Yeah, and I wanna be police commissioner," Danny scoffed and stood up "I'm gonna hit the head then we'll get a few and head back to mine, Linda is at her sisters with boys."
"Actually," Jamie said cursing himself "I told Eddie I'd be around if she needed me."
Danny slapped him on the back of the head "why am I not surprised…your place then," he said and walked off before Jamie could say anything else.
Jamie sighed and looked into his glass, was he that easy to read? Was it that obvious he had feelings for her? He thought he'd hid his feelings pretty well. Seeing Danny on his way back he sat up a bit, she was on a date with another guy, why shouldn't he enjoy himself? She wasn't going to call him anyway.
…
Over at the restaurant Eddie groaned as she dropped into a seat "I'm so full, that was amazing."
"It was nice," Nick agreed "I'm glad I didn't get desert."
"Hey," she said and swatted his arm "you can never say no to brownies, that's just a no no, god, I'm fit for bed after that."
"Me too," he smirked as he looked her up and down.
Failing to notice his wandering eye she sat up quickly "I didn't mean I wanted to go home, we can stay and have a drink."
"We'll finish these and see how we feel," he said nodding to their drinks.
"Sounds good," she smiled and picked up her drink "if you're in the mood for dancing I know this really cool club not far from here."
"I'm not the club kinda guy but if you want to go I'm sure I could make the sacrifice."
"Aww that's so sweet, but I'm okay, it was just an idea."
Nick kissed her quickly "how about we get a bottle of wine and head back to my place? I live across town we'd need to ride the sub."
"As tempting as a sub ride sounds, these shoes are not made for walking around a lot," she chuckled.
"Your place then?" he asked running his hand up her thigh.
"Um, I think I'll pass," she said uncomfortably.
"Sorry," he said and pulled his hand away "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I thought we were getting on great."
"We are, you're a great guy Nick, I just think it's too early, I'm not ready," she replied.
"I'm sorry, I read the signals wrong."
"It's okay," she smiled "but I think we should call it a night," she said and stood up.
"Eddie, I'm sorry if I offended you," he said and stood up.
"No, you didn't, I'm just a little uncomfortable and it's gonna get awkward," she chuckled "how about we meet up again for lunch Sunday?"
"Sounds great, I'll walk you home," he offered and led her outside.
"You can walk me to the subway, I'm just on the corner."
Halfway down the street Nick stopped at an alleyway, swinging her back to him he slid his hands onto her waist "what are you doing?" she giggled.
"Just wanna kiss you," he smiled and kissed her slowly.
"Maybe we should stop…what are you doing? Let go of me," she asked when he wouldn't let go "Nick, let go of me," she said slightly panicked.
Nick stepped back, without warning he slapped her across the mouth with the back of his hand sending her stumbling into the alley knees first.
Ready to fight back she jumped up and swung to face him, gasping as he ran at her she shot out her hands and grabbed his face digging her nails in hard "give it up Nick!" she yelled when she shoved her into the wall. "You can't do this to me! You don't want to do this!" she yelled as her heart beat out of her chest
"Think you can lead me on and not follow through!" he hissed as he held her throat while his other hand ripped up her dress. "You made me do this! you've been leading me on for weeks when you'd no interest!"
"I am interested! What happened to you? How can you change so quickly? Nick, I'm a cop, you haven't done anything yet, please don't do this," she whimpered "oh god!" she cried as his hands slid around her leg and shut her eyes tight.
"Some cop," he laughed and ripped her underwear off, "I'm gonna enjoy this," he snarled as he undid his belt. He backed away slightly as two girls walked by laughing.
Using this as her escape she waited for him to look back at her and head butted him as hard as she could before kicking off her shoes and running as fast as she could. "Help!" she yelled as she ran after the girls "please help me!" she cried.
"Oh my god! Are you okay?" One of them yelled and ran back to her.
"He tried to attack me! Can you please get me out of here?" she sobbed.
"My car is right here? Will I call the cops?" one asked as the other ushered her into the car.
"No, he's coming out of the alley now, let's just take her there ourselves," the other replied and climbed in.
"We're gonna take you to the police station okay?" she said softly.
"No, no," Eddie said shaking her head "I am a cop, I can't go in there like this...can you take me to my partners place?" she sniffed.
"Where is that?" the driver asked.
"Brooklyn Heights," she replied and sat back in the seat thank you for helping me," she added.
Over at Jamie's he and Danny sat watching a movie sipping on beers, they both decided to take it easy as they both had work the next morning. "Is that your phone again?" Danny asked as it vibrated.
"Yeah," he said and looked to where it was on the counter "if it was the family they know I'm with you, it's not important."
"I love this bit," Danny chuckled and looked back to the tv.
A few minutes later Jamie frowned at knocking at his door "did you order food I don't know about?"
"Not me kid…go see who it is," he said and nudged him off the sofa.
Jamie groaned and dragged himself to the door, pulling it open he looked up and his face drained of colour "Eddie," he gasped and grabbed her arms as she stumbled into him, "what happened? Who did this to you? Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry," she sniffed "I didn't know where else to go."
Jamie looked her up and down, she'd no shoes on, her knees were cut, her dress was ripped. She had marks on her throat, her lip and head were bleeding, her hair was standing up everywhere, her mascara had run down her face "what happened?" he asked again pulling her closer.
Throwing her hands over her face she started to cry and fell back into his arms. "Whoa, I got you, I got you," he said and gripped her "Danny!" he yelled "get my hoddie by the sofa!"
"What's going on?" he called out.
"Now!" Jamie yelled causing Eddie to jump "you're freezing, let's get you inside," he said and led her in.
Danny arrived in the hallway "Janko?" he frowned as Jamie walked by with her "what happened kid? is she alright?" he asked following them back to the sofa.
"I don't know," he replied and took the hoodie from him, throwing it around her he sat beside her and rubbed her arms "Eddie, you're gonna have to tell me what happened," he said softly.
When she didn't reply and just gripped him tighter he looked at Danny for help. Sitting on the coffee table he leaned over "Eddie we can't help you if you don't tell us what happened," he said softly. He'd seen this hundreds of times before, she was in shock, she needed to process what happened herself before she talked to anyone.
When she still didn't answer Jamie looked down on her "do you want Danny to go out of the room?"
With her nod Danny stood up "I'll make her tea," he said and walked to the kitchen.
Once he was gone Jamie wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on her head "you know you can tell me no matter what it is…you're kinda scaring me here."
…
After a few minutes she pulled away from him and stood up "he was walking me home," she started and walked to the window, she was so ashamed of herself she couldn't even look at him. "The night went so well, he did make a move and shut him down. He took it well and we continued on-he even apologised, I got a bit uncomfortable and awkward so I called it a night. He offered to walk me home, I said he could walk me as far as the subway and I'd walk the rest myself."
Wiping her eyes, she turned back to him "he stopped at an alley and kissed me, when he started to heat it up I pulled away. He wouldn't let go of me," she whimpered "I asked him to let go again, he stared at me for a minute. Out of nowhere he smacked me in the mouth and I stumbled into the alley."
"Eddie," Jamie sighed and stood up.
"I was ready for him," she said and moved away from him "but he was too strong, I dug my nails into his face. He grabbed me by the throat and flung me into the wall, he said something about leading him on and not following through…then he…" she trailed off as her voice broke "then he…"
Jamie hurried to her and hugged her tight, closing his eyes tight he held her closer "did he…did he assault you?" he asked in barely a whisper.
Shaking her head against him she pulled back "he ripped my dress and snapped my underwear, two girls walked by and he jumped back a little. When he turned back to me I head butted him and ran after them…I asked them to bring me here, here was the first place I thought of."
"I'm glad you came here…I have to report this, and get you looked at," he added and pulled away from her "are you up for talking now?"
"No," she whimpered and walked back to the sofa "I just want this to go away."
"How about I patch you up here? Then Danny takes a statement and we can go to the precinct for an official one tomorrow?"
Eddie nodded and pulled the hoodie around her "will you stay with me?"
Jamie sat down and slid his hand into hers "I'm not going anywhere, I'll be with you every step of the way."
"I'm sorry," she sniffed "I should have been able to handle myself, I should have been able to fight back."
"It's not your fault," he said quickly "don't for one second think it is, he's to blame this is all on him. You were caught off guard, not to mention you'd had a few and you had heels on you did fight back Eddie, you're here with me, it made all the difference."
"I should have gone with my gut," she sighed "I'm such an idiot, you always tell me to follow my gut feeling."
"You met the guy a few times, you trusted him, you're not an idiot Eddie, you made a decision and went with it."
"Look where it got me," she muttered. "He was so normal, so nice, he never even kissed me on the first date...how can he change so quickly?"
"Hey, you're okay, you're safe, that's all that matters…I'll get Danny," he said and stood up, he had to walk away before he lost it altogether.
An hour later Danny stuck his head into the bedroom to see Jamie sitting on the side of his bed watching her sleep "Kid," he whispered and nodded for him to come out.
Jamie sighed and watched her for a few more seconds before he stood up and slipped out of the room "what did Biaz say?" he asked once the door was closed.
"I sent her all the pictures I took, I have Janko's clothes in a bag, I sent her the guys name, his number and the email he's been using, hopefully we'll get something from that."
Jamie nodded "do we still need her to draw a description? I don't think she's able for it right now."
Danny sighed "Jamie, we need to look at everything, any bit of evidence will help. I know she said he didn't get that far but in cases like this-with her being a cop, she's ashamed and weak and vulnerable. She wants this to go away and forget about it, I'm not saying she's lying and I hope to god she's not but you need to talk to her again."
Jamie sighed "she's not lying Danny I know, I can read her, I'd know, if she says he didn't rape her then he didn't."
Danny scrubbed his hands over his face "I'm not so sure I believe her, just talk to her again when she wakes up and let me know what she says, if she still has the same answer and you believe her then I will too."
"I believe her," he sighed and looked back to the room "I don't want to leave her for too long."
Danny nodded "I'm gonna drop all her stuff off at the precinct, I'll start fresh on it tomorrow…how is she now?"
"She's still in shock, she just keeps saying it's her fault that she should have been prepared."
Danny shook his head "it's not her fault, she's just all over the place now…how are you doing?"
"A guy attacked my partner and tried to rape her, I want blood Danny," he growled.
"Keep your cool kid, last thing we want is this scumbag getting away because you got your hands on him."
"I want him," Jamie growled again.
"We'll get him," Danny said and slapped his shoulder "you just worry about her now and leave the rest to me and Biaz."
Jamie nodded and stepped back to his door "will you ask dad not to call me, I'm gonna bang in sick for the both of us tomorrow, I know he'll hear about this first thing."
"It's only because he cares but I'll pass it on, take it easy," Danny said and slipped out of the apartment.
"Thanks Danny!" he called and let himself back into his room. Walking to the bed he watched as she started to toss and turn, sighing he sat on the side and took her hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand he watched her relax.
…
The next morning Jamie walked into the precinct and straight to Renzulli's office "Serge, can I have a word?"
"Sure Harvard, come on in," he chuckled.
Jamie closed the door and walked to the desk "I can't stay long…Janko was attacked late last night."
"What?" he asked and stood up "is she okay?"
"She's pretty freaked and scared, she turned up at my door in a right state, her clothes were ripped her face was bleeding. I need to take the day off and be with her, she has no one else."
Renzulli nodded "sure thing Jamie, you just look after her and make sure she's okay…has it been reported?"
"Just to Danny, not officially," he replied, "she's still asleep, if she's up for it later I'll bring her to the five-four."
"Poor kid," Renzulli sighed shaking his head "whatever she needs I'm here."
"Thanks Serge and sorry about today but I can't leave her."
"Don't worry about it, you came early enough, plenty of guys looking for overtime."
Jamie nodded "I'll call you later and let you know how she is."
"Do and Reagan…you get yourself some sleep."
"I will, can you keep this to yourself?"
"Sure," he nodded "my lips are sealed, go on, get out of here."
Arriving back at his apartment he went straight to his room and found her where he'd left her. Closing the door quietly he walked to the bed and settled back into it
"Please tell me this is all a dream," she groaned.
Jamie sighed and placed his hand on her hip "I wish I could, I really do."
Eddie nodded and rolled to face him "any word from Danny?"
"He called a while ago, your clothes and the DNA collected from under your nails are gone down for testing."
Nodding she sat up and leaned into him "thank you for looking after me."
"Wouldn't have it any other way…do you think you could eat?"
"No," she mumbled and held onto his arm "just stay here with me."
"Anything you want," he said and pulled her onto his chest "Eddie? I have to ask again…did he rape you?"
"No," she said quickly "I told you he ripped my dress and snapped my underwear that's all."
"I believe you, Danny just wants to be sure too before the window passes."
"Jamie, you know me, you know when I lie," she replied.
"I know, I told him that, don't worry about it," he said wrapping his arms around her "I called in sick for us both so I'll be here all day."
"You didn't have to do that…what did you tell him?"
"I told him you were attacked and I was staying with you, I didn't go into detail, I just told him I'd call later and let him know how you are."
Eddie nodded against him "thank you, I really don't know what I did to deserve you."
"You got the best of the bunch," he chuckled. "No," he groaned as his phone rang "it's my dad," he said looking down on her.
"You better answer then," she said nervously.
The next evening Jamie sat on the coffee table resting his chin on his hands watching Eddie sleep. She'd begged him to stay with her causing him to call Renzulli again, he was very understanding but reminded him he wasn't doing her or himself any favours by hiding away.
Looking to his door as someone knocked he glanced at Eddie again and stood up "who is it?" he asked tiredly.
"It's your dad!" Frank called in.
"Great," he mumbled and pulled the door open "hey dad."
"Son," he greeted and brushed by him.
"Can we go in to the kitchen?" he asked quickly.
Frank had already spotted Eddie and stopped across from her "how's she doing?"
"She's scared, she's not sleeping, she's not eating, she terrified to go outside or be left by herself," Jamie answered.
"So, you're just gonna put your own life on hold for her?" he asked and walked to the kitchen.
Jamie followed him "she's my partner dad, she has no family, what am I supposed to do?"
"Encourage her to get back out there," Frank said, "the longer she stays hidden away the harder for her it's gonna be."
"It's been two days dad, you can't ask her to get over it just like that."
"That's not what I'm saying Jamie, she's had a traumatic experience, she'll need time to heal. Your job is to get her back out there, start small, take her on a walk in the park across the street. Another day take her to the precinct to see everyone. She'll see it's not so bad and that there are people that care about her."
"I care about her," Jamie replied, "I want her to be okay, I want her to get her life back."
"I know you do son, but giving into her every request is not helping her, sure it makes her feel a little better and you knowing you're helping her but that's not the case at all," Frank said. She's a tough girl Jamie, top of her class, good solid arrests, you'd be surprised at how going back to normal helps."
"She won't even eat dad, how am I supposed to get her to leave the house?"
"Try a walk, be persistent, let her know you're with her every step of the way. Having the right support can go a long way."
"I'll try," Jamie replied scrubbing his hands over his face.
"When was the last time you slept?" Frank asked concerned "you've lost your colour and you've bags under your eyes."
"I don't even remember," he yawned.
"Danny has someone in for questioning, he'll call you when he's done."
Frank put his hand on his shoulder "I'm going to take off…I know she's your partner and you care about her. I know you're worried and looking for justice but look after yourself too, you're expected back on tour tomorrow-no excuses," he said and walked out.
…
A while later Eddie walked into the kitchen and found him lost in thought "hey," she yawned.
"Hey," he replied, "how do you feel now?"
"More alive," she said and leaned on the counter beside him "Jamie, I didn't get a chance to say thank you properly."
"You don't have to, it goes without saying, I'm always gonna be here and have your back."
"You're a really sweet guy you know that?" she smiled.
"There it is," he smiled back "haven't seen those pearly whites in a few days."
Eddie chuckled "you know what? That makes me feel even better."
"Good," he nodded "hey, uh, listen, I was thinking we'd go for a walk, we've been cooped up here for a few days, it'll do both of us some good."
Eddie chewed on her lip "outside?"
"Yeah," he nodded and stepped closer "you'll be fine, I promise, I'll be with you every step, we don't have to go far."
Sighing heavily, she nodded "okay, but just a short walk."
"Whatever you want…I'll get coats," he said and walked off into his room.
Getting to the main entrance of his building Eddie stopped "are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded and looked ahead of her "I just need a minute."
"Take your time," he said softly "I'm right here."
Blowing out a few deep breaths she slid her hand into his "okay, I'm ready."
Halfway down the street she stopped to have a look around "this isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."
"Good," he nodded "we can go further if you want."
Eddie looked ahead of her "um, can I stay at yours tonight?"
Jamie nodded "I assumed you were anyway."
"Can we walk to my place so I can get a few things?" she asked.
"You not liking my clothes anymore Janko?" he teased.
"Shut up," she laughed "I'm keeping this hoodie by the way," she said nodding to his Harvard one.
"No you're not," he scoffed "that's my favourite."
"Mine too," she chuckled "I'm so keeping it."
"I'm going to have to hide it, aren't I?"
"Maybe," she chuckled and linked her arm into his "thank you for making me do this, I feel so much better."
"Great," he smiled and looked down at her "no pressure Eddie, we'll take baby steps."
Arriving at her apartment she grabbed a few things and walked back to him "why have you your work bag?" he frowned.
"Because we have a seven am tour," she replied as she packed stuff into it.
"Are you sure you're ready for that?" he asked walking to her.
"If I sit around hiding away feeling sorry for myself he's won, I'm not a victim Jamie. I needed a few days to rebuild my courage, I'm back now," she said and grabbed her bag "I just don't want to be alone yet."
"Okay," he nodded and took her bag from her "I'm real proud of you, you know that?" he smiled.
"It's all thanks to you," she smiled back and led him out of her apartment.
A/N hope you all enjoyed this one, JJ