I received an anonymous review on The Cop asking how "our favorite couple deal[s] with their fears," and in that moment I knew I had to write a sequel. I think it would sound very poetic if I told you I searched my music library for hours and hours until I found the perfect song, when actually quite the opposite happened. I opened up my Imagine Dragons playlist and listened to less than half of I Bet My Life and Walking The Wire before going to my Bastille playlist, clicked on Warmth, and knew right away it was the perfect song. This fic takes place almost right after The Cop, Jamie and Eddie go over to Eddie's house after tour.
If you've read any of my other songfics, you know the drill: I can't legally put song lyrics in my stories, so here is where I got the lyrics, copy and paste it into the URL bar, and in the story, where lyrics would be, it tells you how many lines of the song go there, as well as the first and last word of the section in case you get lost. If you're too lazy to do that, just listen to the song while reading this or something. I honestly don't care. music/preview/T4u7rwb3hjzwav7fyuzmfcuoqxm?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics
Jamie sat next to Eddie on her couch, still feeling the dull pain of worry about Eddie's well-being. The building could catch on fire, he thought. He could be very good at thinking of every possible thing that could go wrong if he put his mind to it. Now he just wished he could stop. But he had seen the streets, the danger. He knew what was out there. He had seen Vinnie die, and he knew the same could happen to Eddie, except he wouldn't be there to stop it.
[Three lines/Never-know]
When they reached her house, Eddie had handed Jamie the TV remote, and he had flipped on the news, just to see what the media thought was important. It seemed all they were really concerned about was that criminals were being taken off the street, and not the vast amount of cops that risked their lives day after day to get these criminals off the streets. Truth be told, it made him a little sick how the anchors faked sadness for the lives taken. None of them knew what it was really like out there. Eddie knew that, and so did everyone else who had ever donned a blue uniform and patrolled the streets.
[Two lines/Feeling-door]
Jamie guessed that's why he spent so much time with Eddie; to be sure she was okay. Because every time they were apart, his mind thought of all the terrible things that could have happened to her. He could recall a few late nights where he got in his car on a whim and drove to her house. She didn't mind, but he knew she worried about what dark thoughts were taking flight in his mind, even if she never said anything about it.
[Three lines/I-tonight]
Suddenly, Eddie turned toward him and stared him straight in the face. "What's going on?"
"I―" Jamie started, but didn't trust he could continue without breaking down.
Eddie's demeanor softened. Her eyes dropped their contact with Jamie's. "I know what you're thinking. I worry about it all the time."
Jamie felt a small tear starting to form, and he blinked it back, trying to hold onto his "strong" facade. He swallowed hard, trying to formulate an adequate response. Finally, he decided that the less he had to say, the greater his chances of holding it together. "You do?"
"Yeah..." she sighed.
"I just want to make it stop," Jamie said, his transparency scaring even himself.
A single tear leaked from Eddie's eye. "Me too." There was a short pause before Eddie started crying in earnest.
[Three lines/Hold-get]
Jamie wasn't quite sure how it happened; one moment Eddie had started crying, and the next, he was holding her tight, crying just as hard.
"Cops shouldn't cry," he choked out, meaning it as more of a bitter self-discipline than a reprimand to Eddie.
"We're off duty," she replied, her voice just as broken as his.
"Okay." And after a long pause, Jamie said, "I wish you never had to let go. It's so much easier this way."
Eddie ran her hands through his hair, which now had quite a few of her tears in it. "We can just forget for a minute..."
[Four lines/Hold-close]
It seemed like an eternity they stayed like that, holding each other together, until finally Jamie broke away. "We can't live like this forever."
Eddie sighed. "No, we can't."
Jamie smiled a bit. "Then let's enjoy the life we have."
Eddie's eyes were still bloodshot, but she smiled sweetly. "Here, here."
"Go get cleaned up, and I'll get a few things ready."
Eddie nodded and headed toward her bathroom to rid her face of all the smeared makeup. Jamie rushed around the kitchen and living room to set up a few things. He grabbed two wineglasses and filled them, setting them on the coffee table. He connected a speaker to his phone. When Eddie returned, music from when they were in high school was playing, which brought back a lot of memories, but the part that made her smile most was Jamie standing there, smiling, a filled wineglass in each hand, his left outstretched, holding it out to her. She returned his smile and took the glass.
"To this short, beautiful life," she toasted.
"To this life," Jamie echoed. The pair each took a sip.
[Three lines/So-music]
The song changed to something kind of slow, and Eddie sat down her glass on the table. "Do you want to dance?" she asked, which seemed to catch Jamie off guard.
"Um, sure," he replied, not sure what exactly he had just gotten himself into. But if Eddie is involved, it can't be too bad, he reasoned.
So he grabbed her hand, and settled the other on the small of her back. She placed her free hand on his shoulder, and they danced. Song after song went by, but they kept dancing. It felt good; natural the way they danced. Neither of them were trying too hard to impress the other, which they both thought was just the way it should be.
Suddenly, Jamie leaned down and pressed his lips to Eddie's. She let out a small breath of shock before returning the gesture.
When they parted, Eddie gave Jamie a slightly confused smile. "What was that for?"
He smiled in return. "Life is short, remember?"
"In that case..." Eddie drifted off, before leaning in to kiss Jamie herself. She tangled her fingers in his hair, savoring every second, but still wasn't quite sure just how much time had passed.
[Three lines/'Til-seconds]
When they broke apart, Jamie sighed in a way that sounded almost regretful to Eddie. "What?" she asked, unsure of what exactly to think, and a little concerned.
Jamie pursed his lips. "Oh, nothing. I guess I was just thinking that this is just a distraction from the fear. For both of us."
Eddie looked down, thinking about his statement, then tilted her head back up, wearing a half-smile. "It worked, though, didn't it?"
"We never really figured out how to deal with this though."
Eddie looked at him intently. "If I'm being completely honest with myself, Jamie, we both know this will never really go away. We can talk it to death, but we're never going to change it. It's a scary world out there, and even the watered-down version on the news shows you that much."
[Three lines/I-night]
There was a pause, in which Jamie took Eddie's hand and led her back to the couch where they had been sitting earlier, a time that seemed to be very long ago.
If they had been asked, neither would have been able to say who made the first move. They held each other, but in a more complete way than before. It was a kiss of wholeness, not an embrace of brokenness.
[Four lines/Hold-world]
When they finally broke apart, Eddie gave Jamie a rueful smile. "It's so much easier to just forget, instead of having to deal with the fear."
Jamie heaved a sigh. "It is."
"Then maybe we should do that for tonight; just forget about it all."
"Okay, then. Want to dance again?"
"That would be great, Jamie. But please, turn off that crap we had to listen to during high school prom."
The couple laughed. "Of course." Jamie changed the music, and they danced around Eddie's living room for what could have been forever.
[Four lines/'Cause-world]
When the pair finally tired of dancing, they collapsed on the couch. They were both laughing from just how much fun it had been. "We should really do this more often," Jamie said, a smile lighting up his features.
"We really should." Eddie's small smile brought worlds of comfort to Jamie's troubled thoughts.
[Three lines/Hold-get]
They stayed up even longer than that, talking about anything and everything. They both eventually fell asleep on the couch, smiles on their faces.
[Five lines/Hold-close]
Hope you enjoyed! Please remember to review and tell me what you think! I'm going to be starting a multi-chapter Jamko fanfic, so follow me if you want to see that when I put it up!