Undercover Reagan

by DianneRose2016

Full Summary and Warnings Inside: Jamie goes back undercover, but this time it's for the F.B.I. Now Jamie has to fight to not only stay alive, but keep his sanity and who he truly is. The Reagan family is kept in the dark until Jamie almost loses his life. Now they have to work together using all of their contacts and knowledge to finish what Jamie started before they lose him.

1. Chapter 1

A/N: So this was going to be a one-shot, but it would have been over 80,000 words and I know a lot of people don't like to read that much in one go. So I decided to make this a three-shot, still going to be really long, but it will be in three parts.

Summary: Takes place in season 6 everything before it still applies. Jamie is back undercover, but this time for the F.B.I. and he has to go in deep without anyone knowing the truth. He's after a major human trafficking ring and it won't be easy on his body, mind or soul. It's up to the Reagan family and their connections to help Jamie shut the organization down and save hundreds of thousands of lives. In order to save innocent lives Jamie has to experience things worse than any nightmare he's ever had. When the dust settles Jamie might never be the same again.

Warnings: Mentions of torture, human trafficking, sex scenes and swear words.

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So It Begins

Jamie sat in the driver seat of his car. It was a black mustang and it wasn't as good as his own car, but this one had some power to it and that had come in handy in the past six months. Jamie couldn't believe it had been six months already. It felt so much less and so much more than that at the same time. Some days seemed to fly by and others seemed to be going in reverse. He was currently parked down the street from Danny's house. He had his eyes on the door waiting for when Danny would leave with the kids to take them to school. Linda would still be inside getting ready for work. She had to work later and Danny usually takes the kids to school on his way into work. Jamie was forcing his eyes to stay open. He had been up for three days now and his body was ready to crash. Jamie knew the blood loss was adding to his exhausted body. It had been six months since he had seen his family. Six months since he had lied to all of them. All for the good of the world. Jamie knew they would forgive him when this was over, but he also knew there would still be hurt feelings and anger over it, especially coming from Danny. There was nothing he could do about it right now. He didn't have much of a choice and if he was honest he had made the choice for this six months ago when it first started. Jamie closed his eyes for a second trying to get his mind to focus. Six months ago still felt like it was yesterday.

Flashback

It was the end of shift and Jamie had just said goodbye to his partner Eddie. They had been getting to become best friends and Jamie found himself happy about it. He hadn't had a best friend since Joe died and it felt good to have someone he could hang out with and be honest with. Jamie really appreciated having Eddie as his partner and he was happy to have her in his life outside of work. His family had all questioned what he felt for Eddie and he wasn't going to lie he did have feelings for her, but that would mean they wouldn't be partners anymore. Jamie didn't even want to think about Eddie being with a different partner. What if they got into a situation and Eddie was hurt because her partner wasn't good enough? Jamie cared about Eddie, but he wasn't going to put her at risk. If they were partners then she was safer with him. They were friends and partners and right now that was going to be good enough for him. Maybe when she had more experience on the job and if things between them could still go the romantic route then Jamie could entertain her having a new partner. For now though he wanted to be her partner and keep her safe.

Jamie headed outside and went over to his car. There standing beside his car were two men in suits that he had never seen before. Jamie was on guard as he approached his car and the two unknown men.

"Can I help you gentlemen with something?" Jamie asked.

Both men pulled out their badges to show Jamie, but kept them low so others couldn't see.

"We need to speak to you about an important matter. If you would please follow us Officer Reagan we would appreciate it." The one man said.

Jamie saw both of their badges and he knew they were F.B.I. from them. He didn't know what this was about, but he also couldn't just deny them a conversation. So instead of talking he just gave a nod and both Agents went to their black car as Jamie got into his. Jamie waited for the Agents to pull out first before he pulled out and followed behind them. Jamie thought about calling his father on the way, but he didn't know what was going on so there was no point just yet in calling his father. He would only worry. He could call Danny, but Danny would just drive himself crazy wondering what was going on. So for now he was just going to follow the two Agents and see what was going to happen. They drove around for a long time around the city and Jamie knew they were making sure that neither of them were being followed. Finally after thirty minutes they pulled into the F.B.I. Field Office here in New York City. Jamie parked his car in the first free visitor spot and waited for when the two Agents parked their car before he got out.

Jamie slowly walked over to the Agents as they walked towards him once they were close enough the one Agent spoke.

"Right this way Officer Reagan."

Jamie followed them into the building and onto the elevator and up to the tenth floor. Once there he followed them down the hallways and into a conference room where another man was standing waiting. Once inside the door was closed and then Jamie spoke.

"What's going on? Do I need a lawyer or something?" Jamie said clearly not happy about what was going on.

"Not at all Officer Reagan. Please have a seat and all will be explained to you." The man at the front said.

Jamie went over to the table and sat down as well as the other three Agents. Once everyone was sitting the lead Agent spoke.

"My name is Derek Richards, I am the Unit Chief of the Undercover Unit. These are two of my unit's handlers, Agent Spencer and Agent Pierce. They handle undercover Agents and make sure they are safe and have everything they need to ensure an arrest of the target."

"Alright, but what does any of this have to do with me?" Jamie asked confused and still slightly on guard.

"Before we can start I need you to read and sign this agreement." Agent Richards said as he put a piece of paper and a pen in front of Jamie before he continued to speak. "What I am about to tell you is the highest level of classification there is. Not even your father has clearance this high. The only ones in this building besides the Director that has this clearance is myself and both Agents that are present. This is an agreement that you swear to not mention this outside of this room to anyone. If so you will be charged to the full extent of the law." Agent Richards said with a deadly serious voice.

Jamie was clearly shocked and it showed on his face.

"What the hell is this all about?" Jamie asked not even looking at the paper.

"All will be explained, but I need you to sign that first." Agent Richards said with patents.

Jamie looked down at the paper and he read it before he signed it. He figured it couldn't hurt to hear them out at least. Once it was signed Agent Richards passed Jamie a file as he spoke.

"This is Ivan Khovac. He is a Russian business man only he deals in human trafficking. The reason this is so highly classified is because his boss has an extremely long arm with his connections. The F.B.I. C.I.A Interpol, Homeland Security and a handful of other Agencies worldwide have tried to take him and his boss down and shut down this operation. A total of a hundred undercover Agents have been placed undercover for Khovac and his boss from a variety of different agencies and all have been killed within two months of the operations."

"Killed how?" Jamie asked, but dreading the answer as well as where this conversation was going.

"They were tortured and mutilated for three days before being placed on the doorstep of the headquarters for the agency they were working for." Agent Richards answered.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like where this is going." Jamie said as he sat back and looked at Agent Richards.

"In the past ten years the level of classification has increased and now it's at Presidential level. Only a handful of people in this world have clearance to access the information and even then the information can be coded to keep people out. Now before the last year Khovac has been staying in Europe. He hasn't brought any business here to the States. Last year he started to work with some cartels down in Mexico and along the border to kidnap and drug under aged girls to use in his trafficking ring. The girls are then sold to private buyers as sex slaves, domestic slaves or pregnancy farms."

"Wait what is a pregnancy farm?" Jamie asked confused.

"In my opinion one of the worst things in the world. Women are kept in shacks chained up. Wealthy men then pay the owner of the farm to have sex with the woman in hopes that she gets pregnant. Sometimes the men how wives that can't carry children and they want one of their own. The men will then lie about where the baby came from making their wife feel like they are saving an innocent baby from the foster system. Instantly falling in love with the baby. Some men just like having sex with the woman and if they do fall pregnant the baby is solid on the black market to the highest bidder that could be a pedophile, murderer or just a desperate woman." Agent Pierce answered.

"And these places exist in the States?" Jamie asked appalled at the very existence of a place like this.

"They exist in New York and all over the States and the world." Agent Pierce answered back.

"Why the hell don't the police know about these places?" Jamie asked pissed off now that this had been happening in New York and no one had been informed of it. He knew his father didn't know or he would have done something about it.

"There are a great deal of things that the police are kept oblivious to due to the level of danger and corruption. Agencies also can't risk the police busting down one of these places if we have them under investigation. It works the same as a drug bust, the smaller fish will eventually lead you to the head of the operation. These pregnancy farms are the smaller fish believe it or not and they will lead us to the head of the operation. Ivan Khovac is a smaller fish that through him we can get higher and higher to who he answers to. We believe that Khovac is a part of a branch that leads off of the Russian Mob. We are not going after the Russian Mob, because they are actually not as bad as people assume. They kill people and do shady dealings, but they don't reach into the human trafficking part. There is a special branch that is vaguely connected to the Russian Mob and that is who we are after." Agent Spencer said.

"Alright. So you said there is one of two ways where these girls are going, where is the other way?" Jamie asked.

"The other way is through basic human trafficking. They are sold to strip clubs that are a front for prostitution, brothels and even high paying pimps if they need to add any new girls to their lineup. It's a basic and simple human trafficking transaction. They have a huge scope of employees from drivers to kidnapers to doctors to enforcers and accountants and lawyers. They have judges on their payroll as well as politicians and both police and Agents. Ivan Khovac is the smaller fish that we are trying to get in with and he will eventually lead us up the food chain." Agent Richards said.

"And he's here in the States?" Jamie asked.

"He's here in New York on the outskirts of the city working on setting up more pregnancy farms and a variety of brothels throughout the States. His boss will be stopping in from time to time to ensure his money is being well spent and the shipments are secure. We also suspect they are dealing in drugs as well to help supplement their costs until it catches fire." Agent Richards answered.

"You're obviously not telling everyone this. So why the hell am I here?" Jamie asked calmly.

"You've been on the job for five years and during those five years you have accomplished more than officers that have been on the job for twenty years. In your rookie years you shut down the Blue Templar, you solved your brother's murder when no one even suspected it was anything more than an arrest gone wrong. You saved a baby from a burning building, you infiltrated a notorious crime family. All within the first two years of your service. That doesn't even account for the past three years you've been in service. You are what the F.B.I. considers to be a rare breed. You have street smarts, but you are highly intelligent. Graduated high school and University early. Graduated Harvard Law School and you were the one expected to be in D.C within two years of graduation. You had plenty of job offers. You have great natural born instincts that have kept you alive and others. You are an incredible officer. We don't have an Agent like yourself. I'm asking you if you are willing to work with us and go undercover to infiltrate Khovac's operation and help us bring them down." Agent Richards said.

"You want me to go undercover for you? I'm not an Agent and you just said a hundred Agents had been killed by this guy. What makes you think I'm going to be any different?" Jamie asked surprised by this.

"For the reasons I just said. You're smart and you have a good gut on you. You'll know when to push and when not to. You've only been undercover once I know and it wasn't a solid time. This time would be different you would go in with a new alias, you would have to change how you look and talk, you would have to become a completely different person for six months at least, to a year the whole time. You can't let it drop. You can't let your family know, your partner no one. You can't have contact with them either." Agent Richards said.

"You know my family, you know I can't just drop off the face of the Earth for six months to a year without them assuming I've been kidnapped." Jamie argued back.

"We would be your Handlers and it would be our job to monitor your personal emails to email back and forth with your family and when safe you could make phone calls with an untraceable phone." Agent Spencer said.

"We would also come up with a cover story as to why you are not around anymore. Something that could be a work opportunity for you in a different state that is only on a contract basis. We do this a lot." Agent Pierce added.

"This is insane. I've been undercover once and it was an on and off type of thing. I don't even know if I can do it." Jamie said.

"Obviously this isn't a decision you can make right now. I understand you need time to think about it. Unfortunately I can only give you twelve hours to think about it, because there is a lot that would need to be done before we can send you in. You have the file you can take that with you tonight to go over it. Are there any questions you have right now about how this would even work?" Agent Richards asked.

"I don't… ok let's just say that I said yes. What would happen?" Jamie asked trying to get his head around this.

"You would spend your time here after shift for a few hours every day so we could go over everything and cover everything. You would be very informed when you go in. What we know you would know. Khovac speaks Russian and the other undercovers that went in did as well. This time around you don't know Russian, but we would get you started on learning to understand Russian so you can understand them, but not communicate back. You not being Russian could actually keep you alive compared to the others. They won't suspect someone that can't even speak Russian to be undercover. We would set up an alias for you with a complete backstop done. You would get a driver's license, social security card, passport everything you would need. We would supply you with a safe house and a new vehicle that will be registered in your alias' name. You will also be paid for the months that you are undercover for us and any expense will be covered." Agent Richards started.

"We will come up with a cover story for your family and your work. We will also have cameras and mics that are undetectable in the safe house so we can monitor what is going on within the house for when you have one of them over. We also work as the middle men for when you need to relay information back to Agent Richards or to your family. Like we said we would handle your family with contact through emails and when safe to do so we can allow you to call briefly." Agent Spencer said.

"And what happens if I need to get out. If it's too dangerous or they have made me?" Jamie asked.

"Then get the hell out. We're not looking to get anyone killed. If you believe that they have made you or are going to kill you, you get out and you get safe. I don't care where you go as long as you are safe. You are to gather information so we can bring them down. You are not there to make any arrests that will be up to us once you get us the proof that we need to shut them down. We want the head of the snake that's why it could take up to a year to complete." Agent Richards answered.

"Look this is a lot to take in. I need to think about it and I'll let you know in the morning before my shift starts. I'll look everything over and decide for you. It's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I need to know just what I'm walking into and I need to be confident that I can handle it. I've never done something like this and the last time I went undercover I had a hit out on me. So I need time to think." Jamie said honestly.

"I never expected you to agree to do this tonight. Take the file and go through it. You can let me know in the morning. I appreciate you coming down here and speaking with us." Agent Richards said as he reached a hand out.

Jamie shook it as he spoke. "I appreciate the invitation. I'm flattered honestly for the interest. I'll swing by in the morning and let you know."

"I'll be here. Have a good night Officer Reagan." Agent Richards said.

"Have a good night Agent Richards, Agent Spencer and Agent Pierce." Jamie said.

"Drive safe." Agent Spencer said with a smile.

With a nod Jamie headed out of the room and back down in the elevator and out of the building to his car. Jamie put the file on the passenger seat before he turned on his car and took out of the parking lot. His mind was going a mile a minute with all of the information he had just been given. He truly wanted to help, but he was smart and he wasn't going to jump into something if he didn't have all of the information or think he couldn't handle it. He wanted to read the file and look at it objectively before he made the decision. What bothered him the most was having to lie to his family and his partner. He didn't want to lie to Eddie and he really didn't want to have to lie to his father. He knew doing this would mean that he wouldn't see any of them for at least six months and he would have to lie to them. Jamie hated lying to his family and he had never gone six months before without seeing them. This was something that Jamie had never thought he would ever have the opportunity to do. It was a great opportunity for his career and to do something amazing for the innocent people in the world. He could help shut down a human trafficking ring. Save innocent girls' lives and return them to their parents. Jamie knew it would be a huge risk to himself, but part of him had already made up his mind. He needed to read the file and then decide and he had to make the decision that would be best for the innocent lives and not for his. That wasn't the man that he was raised to be and that wasn't the man that he wanted to be. Jamie drove the rest of the way to his apartment where he could focus on the file and then decide.

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The next morning Jamie got up early so he could get to the F.B.I. Field Office before his tour started. He had read the file until four in the morning, only giving him three hours of sleep before he got up. He had read it so many times that he knew it off by heart and he had made his decision on the operation. It was eight o'clock and he had to be on tour for nine so he drove to the Field Office and once again he parked his car in the visitor spot before heading inside and up to the tenth floor. He asked for Agent Richards' office at the desk clerk and once he was told where to go he headed down the hallways and down to the office. He knocked on the door and once he was told to come in he opened the door and saw that Agent Richards was alone.

"Officer Reagan, please come in." Agent Richards said with a smile.

Jamie closed the door and he went over to the chair and he sat down.

"I've given this a lot of thought all night and I've decided that I am going to do this. I don't know how well at it I'll be, but I can give you my word that I will do everything I can to ensure that all of these girls and women are saved."

"I would expect nothing less from you. As I said last night I'm not looking to get anyone killed. If you think it's too dangerous then get out. No hard feelings at all. Enough Agents' lives have been lost to this operation and I'm not about to add to the tally."

"So um… what happens now?" Jamie asked slightly unsure.

"After your tour is done come back here and we will start by getting you fully informed. We have a business tree to show you so you know who all of the key players are and who to look out for. We will also go over your alias and how you are going to even get in."

"Ok so I'll just come in after my tour ends, it won't be until six."

"That's fine come right after and we'll order some food and go over everything. Everyone will be gone come five so we will be alone and won't have to worry about anyone walking by. Agent Pierce and Spencer will be there as well. I will get them working on your alias today and your backstop."

"Backstop?"

"Your alias' history, identification and such. We'll go over everything we can tonight so you have enough time to prepare. They will also come up with your cover story for the time you'll be away."

"Ok so I'll see you tonight then."

"Yes and Officer Reagan thank-you for doing this." Agent Richards said sincerely.

"It's what is right. I just hope I can help." Jamie said as he got up and headed for the door. He opened it, but before he left he turned and spoke. "You can call me Jamie. I have a feeling we're going to get to know each other pretty well soon." Jamie said with a smile.

"I have a feeling you are right about that. Be safe out there Jamie." Agent Richards said with a friendly smile.

"Always." Jamie said before he turned and left the office and headed back to his car. He had to get to the station to start his shift at work. He didn't like that he would have to lie to everyone, but he knew he couldn't avoid it so he just had to suck I up and hope that when all of this was over they wouldn't be too mad at him.

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It was six thirty by the time Jamie arrived to the Field Office. He parked and headed inside. Once on the right floor he headed down to where the conference room was the night before and he saw that Agent Richards, Spencer and Pierce were there setting up.

"I'm sorry I'm late we made a caller just before the end of shift." Jamie said as he walked in.

"That's alright we've been setting up and getting some things put together." Agent Spencer said as he went and closed the door behind Jamie and the blinds so no one would be able to look in.

"Alright before we get started let's get some food ordered, we're gonna be here for a while." Agent Richards said.

Jamie sat down and once they had placed an order for food Agent Richards started. He turned on the protector so Jamie could see what they had so far.

"Let's start with the business tree. This is what we have been able to discover so far. As you can see there are three question marks so we have no idea who they are, we just know someone exists in that position. The head of the operation is a man named Issac Sidorov. He used to be third in line to take over for the Russian Mob when the current leader is killed or arrested. However, there was a falling out and he started his own branch collecting his own men. Some were men that were exiled from the mob because they weren't good for I'm sure you can imagine what type of men they are if the mob didn't want them." Agent Richards said.

"A lovely bunch I'm sure." Jamie said sarcastically.

"As you can see Khovac is down on the lower level. He does all of the footwork and planning. Sidorov pays the bills and tells Khovac what needs to be done and he expects Khovac to be able to do it. Khovac then hires out to the lowest level and sometimes he reaches out to an above level if there is a specific trade craft that he needs. Enforcers are on all levels and the higher the level the more dangerous they are. The lowest level enforcers are used for the girls. They scare them to keep quiet and do as they are told. They do some harm, but nothing past hitting and shoving. They don't want to damage the merchandise. The next level up they get more unstable. They enjoy fighting and they will always go looking for it. The second level is used to test the group's loyalty. They go wherever the new guy goes to ensure nothing happens and they aren't afraid to get into fights and fight dirty. You'll always find that they have guns, knives, any type of weapon could be on them and anything could be a weapon. The third level is the ones that dab into the lighter torture stuff. They are the ones that will do light torture to the ones below in the organization that haven't lived up to the standards. They will torture the old man whose land has been in his family for a century to sign over his land to them. It's basic small time torture, but it's effective and still dangerous. The highest level is Sidorov's enforcers they are the ones that killed the other Agents. They have no soul, they are the Devil himself. Pure evil they torture for the fun of it and they know how to cause unbearable pain and still leave you alive. You do not want to be alone with these men. You do not want to cause any red flags to go up with them. Avoid them as much as possible." Agent Richards said in a deadly serious tone.

"Who are the others?" Jamie asked.

"Various players. You'll be around them, but they won't help you get to the top." Agent Richards said.

"But they will be great for information. A lot of the time in organizations like this the head guys forget about the smaller fish and the fish have ears and eyes. They see and hear a lot more than people ever expect so don't ignore them they could be what keeps you alive." Agent Spencer added.

"Now these other players; one is an accountant, another is a relator, a couple are drivers, one is known as the connector. His job is to be able to get what the organization needs for help. If they need a specific cartel to get girls that type of thing. He is the one that found the accountant and relator. They are all shady workers that just want the money. Which plays out in our favor. He's going to be your in." Agent Richards said.

"What am I going in as?" Jamie asked.

"A shady lawyer. You have your license, but you haven't been practicing at least on paper for a few years. We have your alias set up for you to be the lawyer to the underworld. They need a new lawyer after the last one went under and they can't find him. They need a lawyer to help with any land purchases and to coordinate with the handful of judges that Sidorov has on his payroll. Your job will be to work with them and get as much information as you can." Agent Richards answered.

"Where do I find the proof? Paper trail?" Jamie asked.

"Sidorov has a laptop that is completely secured. He keeps his records there on it. And I mean everything, client list, associates, finances, everything is all on his laptop. He keeps it like that because he feels that he is invincible. You need to copy the hard drive. That will give us all the information that we need to make an arrest and make it stick. With that information we can shut the whole organization down." Agent Richards said.

"So I just have to play nice and do as I'm told to work my way closer to Sidorov so I can gain access to his laptop." Jamie stated.

"That's right. For the first couple of months I would highly recommend you just get used to being there and how it all works. The other Agents went in and tried to take over as quickly as they could and it got them killed. You need to blend in and keep your head down, but show them you are useful to them. It'll take you longer, but it'll keep you alive." Agent Spencer said.

"You don't want to be flashy and act like you know everything. Sidorov likes to be the man, he likes to be the one in charge of everything. Khovac likes to be like that too, unless Sidorov is around then he knows his place. Treat them with respect and do what they say." Agent Pierce added.

"Ok. So how do I get in?" Jamie asked.

"The connector will reach out to you. We've gotten you backstopped and you've already been flagged by them as someone of interest. The connector will email you to setup a meeting and you'll go and meet with him and based on how you do is how you'll get in. They'll give you something simple to get you into it and see how you handle yourself before they start to give you some more serious cases. You need to know your alias like you know yourself. Any hesitation could get you killed." Agent Richards said.

"We have you're alias for you complete and you can take it with you to study and memorize. You will also need to change your look before you go and we can take your picture for your new I.D." Agent Spencer said.

"You need to look completely different so change hair color, eye color everything that you can. We have some artists that can put on fake tattoos that look like real ones and last for six months before they need to be touched up." Agent Pierce added.

"Maybe not shave for the next few days so you get some scruff on you. It'll age you and help change your appearance." Agent Spencer added as well.

"I can do that. What do I tell people?" Jamie asked.

"We have found you a safe house that we are working on to ensure that it will be secure for you. It will be located in New City, it's only an hour or so from here. You'll be close enough that if you run into trouble we won't be far or you won't be far from the city. We are just going to check the house, get it set up in your alias' name and get the cameras and mics in there. Now for what you tell your family, because they are who they are we knew that they would check up on what you tell them most likely, or check into it. So we had to make it appear completely real. We have you on documents of being in D.C. there is a contract they have for local police to get the opportunity to work around political figures and helping with security. It's a great opportunity for local police. We made it appear that you were selected at random for this great opportunity and you are taking it. It's contract base and the program does exist. We have you down in paper only of being accepted. If they called they could find out otherwise, but having your name down should be enough to suffice your family if they look into it. And like I said it's contract base so it can start for six months and if you need more time we can always add on another three months or more easily enough." Agent Spencer said.

"You guys work quick." Jamie said impressed that they had already figured this out in just nine hours.

"It's our job to." Agent Pierce said.

"Now let's go over everything all over again from the start so if you have any questions get them out." Agent Richards said.

They had spent the next four hours going over everything. By the time it was time to call it a night Jamie was feeling slightly overwhelmed. He had the file for his alias and they had given him a Russian learning book and CD so he could start to learn the basics so when Russian was being spoken around him he would be able to understand them for the most part. Jamie figured he would learn what kill him or shoot him was in Russian first before anything else. Jamie knew that this was going to be a lot to handle and a lot to take in, but he had to do this. If he could put an end to this organization then it would all be worth it. He just hoped that his family would agree with him when it was over.

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It was two days ago when he had first agreed to going on this undercover operation. Now it was Sunday and Jamie was heading to his father and grandfather's house for their weekly Sunday dinner. He had been spending the last two days perfecting his story so when questions were asked about his leaving he would be prepared for them. Jamie hated lying to his family especially his father, but he knew he needed to do this. He couldn't put them in danger and them knowing the truth would only make them worry and want to help. Jamie wasn't going to risk their safety unless it was the last thing he could do. He wasn't about to get himself killed if they could help him, but he wasn't going to reach out to them unless he had no other choice. Jamie had to make sure they believed him so he had to make sure he believed it himself. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was something he needed to do.

Jamie arrived at his father's and grandfather's house. He parked in the driveway like he always did and before he got out he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He had to act excited and happy, not nervous and terrified. Once Jamie had his emotions under control he got out of his car and headed inside. Jamie put on a smile as he walked into the house and saw his grandpa in the kitchen cooking with his father sitting at the island cutting up some vegetables.

"Jamie it's about time you got here. Dinner is almost ready." Henry said with a smile.

"Ya sorry I'm late I had a few things to do." Jamie said with a smile.

"Everything ok?" Frank asked.

"Ya no everything is great. I'll um… I'll explain at dinner." Jamie said with a smile still.

"Nothing bad I hope." Henry said slightly concerned.

"No nothing bad. Something really great actually."

"Well you can tell us all at dinner. Now come help me get this food on the table." Frank said with a smile as he got up from the stool

They got all of the food onto the table and everyone said their hellos to Jamie as they sat down. Once grace was done and everyone had food on their plate Henry spoke.

"Alright Jamie, what is this great news you were gonna tell us?"

"Oh little brother's got great news? What happened did they let you leave the station house alone?" Danny teased with a smile.

"Real nice." Erin said with a roll of her eyes.

"They're actually letting me do a lot more than leave the station house alone Danny." Jamie said back. He didn't like lying to his family, but part of him couldn't wait to see Danny's face when he found out the truth assuming he could come out of this alive.

"So what is it?" Frank asked calmly.

"I've been selected for this great opportunity to work on a protection detail on a contract for six months. I would be working to protect a series of political figures." Jamie started.

"What like secret service?" Jack asked.

"That's exactly what it would essentially be. I would be assigned a political figure that would be my responsibility to protect. I would also be able to be involved in special training, working as crowd control and any investigations that come up that put the political figure at risk." Jamie said.

"That sounds like that program that is offered in D.C. They pick uniforms from all across the country to give them this opportunity to further their training and work security detail for top political figures in the country. They only pick the best in the country to offer them this opportunity. But you can't be talking about that program right? That would mean you would be going to D.C to live." Henry said.

"It would only be for six months maybe a little longer. It's a great opportunity." Jamie said hoping to get everyone to understand. He really didn't want to leave with everyone mad at him.

"Wait, you got picked to go to D.C and work with political figures to protect them?" Erin asked slightly surprised.

"I just got the call two days ago and I spoke to the coordinator yesterday. They have a place for me that is fully furnished plus an increase in pay. It's a great opportunity." Jamie said.

"That sounds amazing Jamie. You get to go and protect powerful and important people. I think it's great that you have been given this opportunity." Linda said with a smile.

"Ya Uncle Jamie it sounds really cool. Plus you'll be in D.C. that's awesome." Nikki said with a smile.

"Please say something." Jamie said softly as he looked at his father. He needed his father to back him on this, even though he didn't know the truth. He needed his father's love and trust before he left.

"I'm shocked that this has come up out of nowhere, but I'm proud of you. You've been picked to protect important people, political figures. You can increase your training and this could open a lot of doors for you. I'm proud of you and I am going to miss you while you are gone, but you can't pass this up." Frank said honestly.

"Thank-you that means a lot Dad." Jamie said.

"Well we're gonna miss ya kid, but I guess Dad is right you can't let this opportunity pass you by, even if you are going to be bored as hell doing it." Danny said with a smirk.

"It might not be that boring. He gets to see a whole new world down in D.C. is there a chance that the contract lasts longer than six months?" Erin asked.

"Maybe, it depends on if they like my work or not. I don't know how many they have kept on or not from before." Jamie answered.

"But it is possible that you could be out there for a long time, longer than six months." Linda said.

"Ya it's possible." Jamie answered.

"And you're taking the job? What about your apartment and your job?" Henry asked clearly not happy about Jamie leaving for six months. Jamie couldn't help, but think about how pissed he would be if he knew the truth behind what he was doing.

"I spoke to my landlord and I'm still going to be paying rent there. He's going to go into my place once a month to make sure there aren't any problems with the pipes. I called the utilities companies and they are going to suspend my account until I return. As for my job I'm still a Police Officer and I will be working as one just in a different city. I'll speak to my Station Chief tomorrow and letting him know the situation." Jamie answered.

"I can clear it anyways. This is a great opportunity for you and I am very proud of you." Frank said.

"Looks like you'll be getting to Washington after all Harvard." Danny said with a smirk.

"You'll still be coming for Sunday dinners though right?" Sean asked.

"I don't know buddy it will depend on my schedule. But I promise I will try and I can still email and call you." Jamie answered.

"When would you be leaving?" Erin asked.

"Friday."

"As in this Friday?" Danny asked shocked that it would be so soon.

"Yup. Paperwork is already signed yesterday when I met with the coordinator. I know it's soon, but they need to get everyone there and briefed and assigned a figure. Things move quick in D.C." Jamie said with a smirk.

"Well we will have to throw you a going away and congratulations party before you go." Erin said.

"Sounds good to me." Jamie said with a smile.

The rest of the meal they spoke about Jamie leaving and if there was anything they needed to help him with. They also spoke about work and what everyone else had been up to. It was ten at night and Jamie decided he had to get going back home as he had to work early tomorrow. Everyone had already left and Frank walked outside on the porch with Jamie as Jamie headed for his car.

"Are you sure about taking this contract? Is this something you truly want son?" Frank asked with all seriousness to his voice.

Jamie let out a sigh as he leaned back against the porch railing. "I don't know if it's what I want honestly. But it's something I need to experience so I know if it is or not. It's going to be different and I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared about it." Jamie said honestly.

"It's natural to be scared of a new experience. You've lived outside of the city before so you'll be fine that way. You're going to be amazing Jamie I know you will be. You've always been amazing at everything you try. Danny might bust your chops from time to time, but he believes in you just as much as I do. If you don't like it then you'll know for the future. How dangerous is this going to be for you?" Frank asked with concern and worry for his son.

"There might be times when things get hairy. Times when I'm not able to call or come down for Sunny dinners. There will be things I won't be able to tell you about because of security reasons. I can tell you though that I will do everything I can to be safe and come back at the end of this alive. Back home to the family." Jamie said with a small smile.

Frank looked at his son. He knew Jamie very well. Jamie never had much of a poker face, it had gotten better since being on the force, but Jamie was no Danny. He could see it in Jamie's eyes that there was something he wasn't telling him. Frank didn't know just how dangerous this contract would be, but he could tell there was something that Jamie was keeping from him.

"You know you can tell me anything son. I would hope that after everything we have been through that you would know that." Frank said seriously.

"I don't want you to worry Dad. I'm going to be just fine. There are going to be things that I'm not allowed to tell you that happens. Just like there are things that happen that you can't tell me about. It's the price sometimes you have to pay for the job. I can give you my word that if I'm in trouble I'll tell you." Jamie said seriously.

"Is this going to be more dangerous then you have told us?" Frank asked.

"I don't want you to worry." Jamie started, but Frank cut him off.

"I'm going to worry about you. I always worry about you that's not going to change no matter where you go or what you do. You are my son and I love you so I am going to worry, but I would feel better knowing the whole truth. Please Jamie is there something I should know?" Frank asked trying to get Jamie to open up to him.

Jamie rubbed his face. He knew he wasn't supposed to tell anyone. He knew that he had to keep quiet, but he also knew that he could tell his father anything. He also knew that after he investigated the Blue Templar and his brother's murder that he promised his father that if he was ever in that type of situation again he wouldn't keep him in the dark. Jamie knew he couldn't lie to his father this long. It wasn't fair for him to worry after knowing, but it also wasn't fair to leave him worrying even more by not knowing the truth. Jamie gave a nod before he went down the steps and over to his car. He opened the driver side door and reached in to grab the file and headed back up the steps.

"What's in this file only four people know about it. The security clearance for this information is Presidential level, only a handful of people even have the clearance to have this information and even then some of it is coded. This isn't a conversation that we can have around someone." Jamie said as he held the folder.

"In my office." Frank said trying not to jump to conclusions as to what Jamie was doing.

They both headed back inside and into Frank's office. Henry was upstairs already gone to bed. Frank closed the door and he sat down in the chair while Jamie sat down on the couch.

"What is going on?" Frank asked.

"I'm not allowed to tell anyone, not a single person. I gave you my word though that if something came up I wouldn't keep you in the dark. But if I tell you this you can't tell anyone, not even Danny. And you can't poke around even though you'll want to, you can't because if the wrong person catches wind of it I could be dead. This can't leave this room until I say otherwise. I know I can trust you, but is that something you can handle no matter what is in this file?" Jamie asked calmly with a seriousness in his voice that Frank had never heard before.

"It won't be easy, but I give you my word I'll stay silent and keep out of it until you say otherwise. What is this about? Is there something going on in D.C. that you are needed for?" Frank asked now even more worried than he had been.

"This has nothing to do with D.C. I'm not going to D.C. it's just a cover." Jamie started.

"You're going undercover again, but it's not with the NYPD I would know about it. So who is it with?" Frank asked now all business.

"I can't release his name, but he's with the F.B.I."

"The F.B.I. are sending you undercover? That is an even better opportunity then this thing in D.C. Jamie."

"It is and it was unexpected. Two nights ago after shift two Agents were waiting for me at my car and they said they needed to speak to me. We went to the Field Office and I met the lead Agent in this. They all explained to me what the situation is and I went home thought about it and decided yesterday that I was going to do it."

"And what is it?" Frank asked hoping that it wasn't anything insane.

Jamie handed the file over to his father as he spoke and Frank took it.

"The short version is; a Russian named Issac Sidorov he was with the Russian Mob, but they made him an exile because of his eccentric ways. He started his own organization dealing with drugs trafficking, but his rise to fame is his global business of human trafficking. He has cartels and gangs going around and taking under aged girls, drugging them and kidnapping them. He then places them in with brothels, local pimps, strip clubs or they are placed in pregnancy farms."

"What is that?" Frank asked.

"The very definition of evil in my opinion. Women are kept in shacks and chained up while men pay money to rape them and impregnate them. The child then goes to the men who have wives that can't get pregnant and they think that if they come up with a lie about some poor baby that was left in a dumpster their wife will love it like it was her own. If the man doesn't want it then they sell it on the black market to the highest bidder regardless of who the person is. So pedophiles, murderers, child abusers or if they are lucky a desperate rich woman looking for a child."

"These places exist over in Europe?" Frank asked disgusted.

"These places exist here in the States. Within the past year Sidorov has had his man Ivan Khovac working on building his empire over here not too far from the city. They don't know how many other cities they have invaded, their intel is limited to what previous undercovers have been able to gather."

"And what happened to them?"

"A hundred other undercover Agents from a variety of Agencies all over the world have tried to shut them down. The longest lasted two months. All were tortured, mutilated and left on the steps of their Agency to be found." Jamie said sadly.

"Jamie." Frank said with complete fear to his voice now that he knew that part.

"I know, but they were different than me. They all spoke Russian and tried to get in and get out. They have experience that I don't, but I think in this situation it works in my favor that I don't have the experience."

"Jamie you are telling me that you are going undercover to try and stop a branch of the Russian Mob where a hundred other Agents have tried and failed only to be tortured and mutilated before death."

"I know it's a lot to take in. I'm still taking it all in and I leave Friday. There's still a lot that I need to learn and figure out. Should I have not told you?"

"I don't want to know this, but at the same time I need to know this. I'm glad you told me, but this is not something I ever would have imagined you being a part of."

"I never imagined it either. They had been keeping track of me I guess, they must have because the lead Agent knew everything that I had done. He was impressed and brought me in for this. It terrifies the hell out of me just thinking about doing this, but at the same time I feel honored to be the one they picked for this."

"It is a huge honor. A Federal Agency has been watching you and is impressed by you. That is a huge honor and you should be proud. I'm proud of you even though this scares me to death. What are you supposed to be doing? What is your cover?"

"My law school debt is going to be paying off. They have me going in as a shady lawyer. Sidorov has judges on his payroll so I will be the one that communicates what needs to get done. I leave Friday to get to the cover house and I should be meeting with the man that will bring me into the organization this weekend. They already made me an alias and a backstop for it. The man has already flagged my file down, they are down a lawyer and they will need one fast to finish what they have started. I have to change my look; hair, eye color and stop shaving. There is a laptop that Sidorov has. I am to get close enough into the organization so that when Sidorov comes down to check on the progress I can get into his home that is still unknown and copy the hard drive. He apparently keeps everything on it, his whole empire. He's that cocky and arrogant that he thinks he's untouchable. Once I get that then I get out and they start to round up everyone, but it could take at least six months, maybe more. I can't come down while I'm undercover and I'll be in deep cover until this is over. I have two handlers and they will keep track of emails and when it's safe to do so every now and then I can call, but that's it." Jamie finished explaining.

Frank let out a deep sigh before he spoke. "I don't suppose if I told you not to do this it would change your mind?"

"I've thought about this for hours. I know it's dangerous, I know it could very well be classified as stupid. I know I could die. I know the risks, but I also know that there are thousands of young women and children being kidnapped and forced into a human trafficking ring. I might be able to shut that down, to save these women and children, to reunite them with their families. As terrified as I am right now, they are even more terrified because they live the life every single day. I have to try and I hope that you and everyone else will understand." Jamie said honestly.

"I do understand and the others will as well. I won't try and change your mind, but promise me that if something happens and you need to get out that you'll come to me."

"I give you my word if I need a safe place to be I'll come right here. I'm not about to get myself killed. If I can't do it I'll get out I promise you Dad."

"I don't like this Jamie, but I will support you and be there for if the time comes that you need help. I'll help come up with reasons why you don't show up for six months. They won't be happy about you not being around and I can't make any guarantees that they won't try and surprise you in D.C. I'll do my best to try and keep them here and off of you."

"I have check ins every day with one of my handlers. They will know if something is wrong so they can act faster. I'm on the bottom of the totem pole though so if I just keep my head down for a little while then they won't suspect me. I'm also going to learn Russian so I can understand them. I just won't speak it. I know this wasn't what you wanted to hear or were expecting."

"It's not, but I'm glad you told me the truth. I would have been furious at you otherwise. When do you need this file back?"

"I can come and pick it up tomorrow after my tour. I have to be at the Field Office once I'm free to go over everything all over again. They are making sure I have everything they have on this organization so I'm more than prepared to go in."

"I'll have it at my office you can pick it up on the way there. I want to go over it myself."

"I figured you would want it."

"And you are one hundred percent sure this is something you want to do?"

"I am. It's crazy but I can't just ignore what is happening. I have to try and save those women and children."

"Well you wouldn't be you if you didn't try to help. It's who you are and what makes you a great cop and a great person. I'm proud of you whether you are able to succeed in this operation or not. I'm proud of you son."

"Thanks Dad that means a lot to me." Jamie said sincerely with a small smile on his face.

Frank stood up and Jamie did as well out of habit. Frank pulled Jamie into a hug and Jamie was more than willing to hug him back.

"I love you son."

"I love you too Dad."

After a moment Frank pulled back and he just looked at his son. He couldn't believe this was going to happen. He never expected for Jamie to be in this life and he knew that Mary would be rolling around in her grave right now. She never wanted Jamie to be a cop. She never wanted him to have to deal with the pain and stress that the job brings. Frank knew that Mary would be proud of Jamie just as much as he is and she would be proud of him now. Frank hated this, but he knew that this was something Jamie was going to do no matter what he told him. All Frank could do was support his son and be there for him when this whole thing was over. He just hoped that Jamie would come back to them alive.

"I should get going. I got an early tour tomorrow and I still want to go over my alias once more before I turn in."

"Ok you drive safe and I will see you tomorrow after your tour." Frank said with a smile.

"Don't stay up too late eh?" Jamie said with love.

"I won't I promise." Frank said as they headed out of his office and over to the kitchen door,

"Goodnight Dad." Jamie said as he opened the door.

"Goodnight son." Frank replied before Jamie headed out of the house and over to his car.

The next day after that Jamie had grabbed the file from Frank and headed into the Field Office only to find out that he had to go in sooner than they ever expected. He had to go in that next night. Jamie had to call his Station Chief and his family to let them know what was going on. He then spent the next twenty hours in the conference room going over everything they could think of to prepare him. He only had a few hours before he had to leave and he had yet to tell his partner. He spent the next three hours before he had to leave that night to be with Eddie and tell her the same lie he had to tell his family. With everything done Jamie had packed his bags and headed out to New City to get ready for the meeting that had changed his life forever.

End of Flashback

Now here Jamie was six months later. He hadn't seen his family in six months, he had only ever been able to speak to his dad once a month if it was safe and even then for only a few minutes. Just long enough for him to tell him that he was alright and to make sure everyone else was doing alright. His father had clearly been worried, but he was being Jamie's rock and Jamie couldn't even put into words how much he appreciated it, how much he needed it. Over the course of the last six months Jamie had taken a few hits and had seen a lot of horrible things that he knew he would never be able to forget. Currently right now he was waiting for Danny and the boys to leave so he could go in and see Linda. It wasn't the best situation, but he needed someone he could trust with this and he couldn't go to a hospital in fear of being made, getting the police involved or Khovac finding out about it. He had taken a bullet to his left shoulder through his back and he didn't have an exit wound so he knew the bullet was still in. He got it when he was trying to get out of a bad situation. Now here he was waiting for his own brother to leave so he could sneak in and hopefully not scare the living hell out of his sister-in-law.

Jamie opened his eyes and he was finally able to see that Danny was leaving the house with the kids. He watched as he got them into the car and drove off. Jamie waited another ten minutes just in case Danny or one of the kids had forgotten something before he got out of the car. He was so exhausted that he didn't even want to make the walk, but he knew he had to. He had to get his shoulder looked at and Linda was the best person for this job. He just hoped the whole family didn't freak out about this. He knew that he wouldn't be able to get Linda to keep this quiet from Danny or from his father, but he was hoping it would be controlled with just that. He didn't want everyone knowing, because they couldn't know the truth. His father would and it would worry him even more, but it couldn't be helped right now. Jamie approached the door and he knew that it would be unlocked as Linda would be getting ready. Jamie opened the door and he closed it behind him. He heard Linda calling out from the kitchen and he knew she would be walking towards him as she spoke.

"Did you forget something babe?" Linda said as she walked out of the kitchen.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Jamie. Jamie knew she wouldn't recognize him, his hair was longer after not being cut in the past six months, he had also died it jet black, he also had blue eyes and a scruffy beard.

"Linda, it's okay it's me." Jamie said with pain and exhaustion all throughout his voice.

"Jamie?" Linda asked shocked and still uncertain.

"Ya. I uh… I need your help." Jamie said as he swayed slightly.

"Jamie what's wrong?" Linda asked with concern as she moved over to Jamie.

"I got shot in my shoulder. I need you to get the bullet out for me please."

"You got shot? Why the hell aren't you in a hospital?" Linda asked as she turned Jamie slightly so she could see his shoulders.

"I can't go to one and you need to keep this quiet."

"Sit down in one of the chairs in the dining room. I'll get my kit and then you are telling me why the hell I can't tell Danny or Frank about you being shot." Linda said in a voice Jamie always associated with being a mother.

Jamie went into the dining room and sat down on a chair with the back of the chair against his front so Linda could get to the back of his shoulders. After a moment Linda came back down the stairs with her kit. Nurses usually didn't have this much in their kit, but she was married to a Detective so she kept everything she could ever need in her kit just in case. It had actually came in handy on a few occasions. Linda put the kit down on the dining room table as she spoke.

"I need your jacket and shirt off so I can see the wound here Jamie."

Jamie slowly went to remove his black leather jacket and Linda helped him to pull it off. With the jacket gone Linda could see all of the blood on Jamie's left shoulder blade.

"You've lost a lot of blood Jamie." Linda said uncertain about him not being in a hospital.

"It's been bleeding for a couple of hours now. I tried to get it patched, but not easy when you can't really reach it."

"Okay let's get this shirt off and I can see what the damage is."

Linda grabbed the hem of Jamie's shirt and she slowly brought it up and over Jamie's head. They finally got the shirt off and Linda couldn't believe what she was seeing. It wasn't the bullet wound that caught her attention it was Jamie's back that caught her attention that broke her heart. There were easily twenty whip lashes on his back that had healed and turned into deep scars. They crossed all over his back and most of them went the length of his back. Tears were brought to her eyes as she saw them.

"Oh Jamie." Linda said with pure sadness to her voice.

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Jamie said with exhaustion in his voice.

"This isn't fine Jamie. They must still be painful and there could be damage from their depth. You really should be at a hospital getting checked out."

"It's not safe to be in a hospital right now. Linda please, I'm tired I haven't slept in three days I just need you to get this bullet out of me so I can go back to my place and sleep please."

"Ya sure Jamie. Just hang on I don't have any strong pain medication to give you and it's going to hurt when I take the bullet out. I can numb your skin around the area so the stitches won't hurt, but you'll feel it still."

"It's fine just do what you gotta do." Jamie said as he put his head down on his arms that were resting on top of the chair.

"Ok"

Linda opened her kit and put on a pair of gloves. She then grabbed everything she would need for what she had to do. The bullet wound was simple, the bullet was still in his shoulder, but she was worried about the bone being cracked or fractured. Jamie would have to get a scan done, but she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen just yet. She grabbed a needle and filled it with her numbing agent and she injected all around the area before she would remove the bullet.

"Are you gonna tell me why you don't want me to tell anyone?" Linda asked trying to keep Jamie's mind off of what was going to happen.

"I can't tell you, it's top secret, but the family can't know they will just worry."

"They have been worried for six months. We haven't seen you in six months, they haven't spoken to you. All they have gotten was an email every now and then. Your dad is the only one that has spoken to you and even then it's not often. Now you have previous injuries and have been shot. They deserve to know Jamie."

"Look I know I can't stop you from telling Danny or dad, but I need you to keep quiet about this with everyone else. I need you to trust me when I say it's better for them not to know."

"Fine I'm trusting you. Now hold still this is still going to hurt while I take this bullet out of you." Linda said calmly, but Jamie knew she would feel bad about causing him pain.

Jamie just gave a nod and Linda picked up a set of long tweezers and she inserted them into the bullet wound to try and take the bullet out. She didn't have any scans so she didn't know the exact location of it. She was just going with her gut and hoping that the bullet didn't go anywhere it wasn't supposed to. She was taking a risk here by not having Jamie going to a hospital, but she also couldn't make him go. Jamie clenched his teeth as he felt the pain, but after the past six months he had learnt not to make a sound or the pain is always worse. Linda didn't know if she should be worried or impressed that Jamie wasn't even making a groan at what she was doing, because she knew it hurt like hell. She had done this before when people had requested no pain medication and it had men three times Jamie's size screaming in pain. She was relieved that she could feel the bullet. It took her a few tries, but she was able to pull the bullet out of the wound. She placed it down on the table as she spoke.

"I got it. You could have fractured your shoulder blade or cracked it though. You'll need to get a scan to make sure it's fine."

"I'll set something up." Jamie said, but Linda didn't really believe him.

"I need to stitch you up. Is there anything else that is injured?" Linda asked trying to get more information out of Jamie.

"No I'm fine."

"Why haven't you slept in three days?" Linda asked as she prepared what she needed to stitch up Jamie's wound.

"Wasn't safe to sleep."

"At your house?" Linda asked trying to keep the worry from her voice.

"No on the job."

"Well you can crash here if you want, beats driving back to D.C. without sleep."

"Thanks, but I need to get back."

"Ok, but you'll sleep when you get back to your place right?"

"Ya I'll head straight to bed."

"Good you need rest. Your shoulder is going to be very sore for a good few weeks. You really should have it in a sling, but I have a feeling you won't be doing that."

"I'll be fine. I won't move it around too much. How is everyone?" Jamie asked looking to change the topic off from himself.

"I'm going to start to stitch this up. You shouldn't feel anything, but some pressure and pulling. Everyone is doing good you know. We've all been worried about you. The kids really miss you they said that playing basketball isn't the same without you there. Everybody really just misses you a lot. Danny has gotten some tough cases, but nothing he hasn't been able to handle. No one has gotten hurt or anything either. We're all doing good, we'd be better with you back. It's been six months though so you should be coming back soon right?"

"Ya I don't know about that. It's looking like my contract is going to be extended for at least three more months. So I'll still be there. I'm glad everyone is doing good though, that's good. Have you ah… have you heard anything about Eddie?"

"Your father has been keeping tabs on her I think. Danny checks in with her too when he sees her at the bar after shift or during shift. She's doing good. She misses you. Danny said one time she was complaining about who she was being stuck with. I guess she's gotten some lazy partners since you've been gone. She lucked out getting you first Danny said."

"I'm glad she's doing ok. I haven't been able to really talk to her. I miss her too and you guys. Once everything calms down and they don't need me anymore then I'll be back home."

"Well I hope that is soon, because I don't know how much more of Danny's shop talk I can take. He doesn't have you here to listen to him anymore so he's been talking my ear off. It would be nice to have you back and I know he misses you like crazy."

"Misses someone to tease."

"You know he loves you, he's just sometimes not very good at showing it, but he loves you. You two have gotten closer in the last few years. It's not instant even when we want it to be, but you've both have been working hard on it and it shows. He loves you and he's been worried about you. He used to worry about you being on the job and now I think he's more worried about you when you aren't on the job. Before he could check in and he would know that you're okay or if something is wrong. This way around he doesn't have that insider information. It's harder on him not having you around. We'd all just really would like you back home where you belong."

"Well hopefully that will be soon."

"Ok I'm almost done here."

"Ok"

Jamie had his eyes closed this whole time as he let Linda work. Linda decided to take the chance and pull out her cell phone and took a quick picture of Jamie's back with the flash and sound off so he wouldn't notice anything. She then quickly put it back into her pocket as she finished up the stitches. They didn't say anything else as Linda worked on getting the stitches finished. With them done she put a patch over them to protect them from rubbing against Jamie's shirt and being infected.

"Ok be careful getting these wet. The stitches need to stay in for at least six weeks and then they can come out."

"I can do that myself?" Jamie asked.

"Ya you can use tweezers if you can reach and just pull them out. Your shirt is too dirty for you to put back on. Let me go and grab one of Danny's shirts for you."

"Thanks."

Linda grabbed her kit and she brought it upstairs and put it away before she went into Danny's shirt drawer and picked out a solid black one. Linda didn't know what was going on, but she knew enough from being married to Danny that something wasn't right. With the shirt in hand she went back downstairs and saw that Jamie was standing up and had put the chair away. Linda handed Jamie the shirt.

"Thanks." Jamie said with a small smile as he took the shirt.

Jamie went and put the shirt on and Linda helped him get it over his back as she knew it would be painful. With the shirt on Jamie spoke.

"I need one more favor. I need you to take the bullet and give it to Dad. Tell him this man will answer his questions." Jamie said as he pulled out a business card from his pocket and gave it to Linda.

Linda took it and looked down to see it was an F.B.I. Agent card.

"What does the F.B.I. have to do with this?" Linda asked confused.

"I can't tell you that. I just need you to do this for me please."

"Alright I'll make sure your Dad gets it. When was the last time you ate something?"

"I ate the other day. I'll be fine."

Linda went into the kitchen and pulled out a cold water bottle from the fridge. She opened it for Jamie, but put the lid back on so when he wanted it he wouldn't have to use any strength that could hurt his shoulder to open it. She handed it to him as she spoke.

"You lost a lot of blood, you need to drink a lot of water to get your body in a good place so you won't get dizzy or sick from the blood loss."

"I'll drink lots of water and get some sleep once I get back. When I wake up I'll eat something I promise. I'm alright Linda. I appreciate what you did for me."

"You're family Jamie it's what we do."

Jamie gave Linda a hug and Linda hugged him back being careful not to hurt his injured shoulder.

"I love you and I'll be back as soon as I can." Jamie said once he pulled back.

"I love you too."

Jamie gave a small smile before he picked up his jacket and he headed out of the house. Linda went to the door and watched as Jamie walked down the street to where she is assuming his car is. Once Linda couldn't see Jamie anymore she went back inside her house and got her coat, keys and purse. She grabbed the bullet and put it into a sandwich bag before she headed out of the house after locking up. She went and got into her car and took off for Danny's precinct. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew Danny needed to know about this and to see the picture of Jamie's back. Linda didn't know just what Jamie had gotten into, but she wasn't going to keep this quiet. Danny needed to know and he could take the card and bullet to their father and he could do what he needed with it. She just hoped that they wouldn't be burying another member of their family. Linda knew that Danny wouldn't be able to handle it if Jamie was killed.

Linda pulled into the station and she parked her car in a visitor spot. She got out and headed inside. The officer at the desk knew her so he just buzzed her in and she gave a wave of thanks as she headed inside and over to Danny's desk. He was sitting there doing some paperwork and she was relieved to see him here and not out on a call somewhere.

"Danny I need to talk to you." Linda said as she came over to Danny.

Danny looked up shocked to see Linda here. He had just left the house roughly an hour ago.

"Hey babe. What's wrong?" Danny asked with concern.

"Is there some place we can talk alone?" Linda asked as she looked around.

"Sure we can go into the box. What's going on?" Danny asked as he got up from his desk.

"I have no idea. It's Jamie though." Linda said knowing that that piece of information would make Danny not only worry even more, but get him into game mode and she needed him in game mode.

"Jamie?"

"Danny we can't talk about it out here." Linda said in a serious voice.

Danny gave a nod and headed over to one of the interrogation rooms that were empty. Linda followed behind him and once inside he locked the door and closed the blinds.

"What the hell is going on with Jamie?" Danny asked with worry to his voice.

"I don't know. He showed up to the house just ten minutes after you left this morning. He just walked right in I was in the kitchen, I thought it was you. When I saw that it wasn't you I didn't know who it was. His hair was longer and jet black, his eyes were blue and he had this scruffy beard. I was about to run when he spoke and I knew by his voice that it was him."

"What the hell is he doing in D.C looking like that? Why would he be in disguise?" Danny asked, but not towards Linda more to himself.

"I don't think he's in D.C. Danny. He came to me, because he was shot, took a bullet to the back of his left shoulder and it was still in him."

"What? Is he okay? Where is he?" Danny asked with alarm.

"He's fine now and he already left. I tried to get him to stay but he wouldn't . He wouldn't even go to a hospital he said it wasn't safe. He lost a lot of blood the back of his shirt was covered in it. I gave him one of yours to wear. But Danny he said he had been bleeding for two hours when he got there less than an hour ago. He couldn't have been shot in D.C, but in New York or New Jersey somewhere."

"Oh shit." Danny said as he put his hand over his mouth and squeezed slightly to try and get his anger to settle down. "He's undercover again. It all makes sense why he had to change his look, why he can't go to a hospital and why he hasn't been around. Whoever the target is has placed him in deep cover he couldn't come around even if he wanted to. He probably waited until I left this morning before he came in knowing that I would make him tell me. Did you get him to tell you anything?" Danny asked now all business.

"He was exhausted, said he hadn't slept in three days. When I asked why he said it wasn't safe and I asked him if he meant at his place, but he said on the job. I asked when he had eaten last and he said a day or so ago. I gave him a water bottle and told him to drink lots of water because of the level of blood loss. I was able to remove the bullet and I cleaned and stitched up the wound, but he needs scans done Danny. He could have a broken bone, he could have cracked or fractured his shoulder blade I have no way of knowing. He said that no one could know about it. He knew I would be telling you and your father, but he said no one else can know. He also said that his contract would be renewed for at least another three months so if he is undercover he's not close to being done." Linda said now more upset than she was, knowing that Jamie was working undercover.

"You took the bullet out right? Do you have it still?"

"Ya he told me to give the bullet to your father plus he gave me this business card." Linda said as she pulled out the sandwich bag with the bullet in it and the business card for Agent Richards and handed it over to Danny.

He took it and looked at the bullet.

"It looks like a forty-five. There's no way it didn't cause damage to his bone when it hit." Danny said before he looked at the business card and noticed it was an F.B.I. Agent's name written on it. "Who the hell is Agent Richards and why does Jamie have his card?" Danny asked angry at the situation.

"Maybe he is the one that shot him?" Linda suggested.

"I'll get these to Dad and see what he says. I don't like this Linda. There's being undercover every now and then and there's being in deep cover where one small mistake could get him killed. I've never even done deep undercover work nor did Joe. What the hell is Jamie thinking?"

"I don't know, but I have to believe that he's doing this for some big reason. Danny there's something I need to show you and you're not going to like it. You're going to want to run out of here and go and find him to bring him back home yourself, but you can't. Not until you speak to your father first, because Jamie doesn't want you to or he would have said so."

"Linda I just found out my baby brother has been shot and has been working in deep undercover for the past six months and he won't be coming home like we all had hoped he would be. What could you possibly show me to make me even more angry?" Danny said keeping his tone calm.

"This." Linda said as she pulled up the photo of Jamie's back before she handed it over to Danny as she spoke. "I just took it. He doesn't know that I took a picture of his back."

Danny took the phone with a confused look on his face before he looked down at the screen and that look morphed into one of shock and pain. Danny put his hand over his mouth once again and Linda hated seeing the look of pure pain on his face at seeing the picture. Danny would know what made those marks as he had seen photos before from war and case files.

"These aren't real. Linda these can't be real. It could just be fake for his cover." Danny said denying the obvious.

"Danny I've felt them when I was stitching his shoulder. They're real and deep. A lot deeper than they look in that photo. There's about twenty of them and they are just barely healed so not even a month old." Linda said sadly.

"So you're telling me that Jamie, my baby brother, my sweet, innocent, wouldn't hurt a fly on the wall baby brother. Was whipped twenty times within the last month?" Danny said with pure anger and pain in his voice.

"I wish that is what I was saying. I really do Danny." Linda said with complete sadness to her voice.

"What do you mean? I don't understand?" Danny said confused just trying to understand what the hell had been going on in these past six months.

"Danny those scars are very deep, too deep for it to have come from happening just one incident. The last time wasn't even a month ago and that would have opened up the old scars before them. He would have been whipped close to a hundred times in the past six months in different sets of twenty. Once that set had healed up to start scaring more would be added to it to deepen the scaring and the wounds. Even now they would be very painful to touch and move around. He could have permanent damage to his back from it. That's what I'm saying." Linda said with tears going down her face slowly.

Danny looked down at the photo and he could feel his own tears behind his eyes. To know that his own brother had gone through that in the past six months and hadn't told any of them broke his heart. Jamie was a good man, the best out of the whole family and Danny knew the others would all agree. He didn't deserve this type of treatment. Danny just wanted to go and find him and drag him back home no matter what he thought or what he was doing. Nothing was worth this.

"When ah" Danny cleared his voice trying to talk around the lump in his throat. "When was the first time it happened do you think?"

"It's hard to say. I couldn't really look at them to see if there were other scars from previous times that the whip missed. You can't hit someone in the exact same spot every time. He would have fainter scars from previous times that the whip missed the next time. It depends on the whip as well, whatever was used on him. Best guess would be five months ago roughly." Linda said sadly.

"God Jamie what the hell have you gotten mixed up in." Danny said frustrated and hurt that his brother was in pain and he couldn't do anything about it right now.

"If he is undercover, why wouldn't he have left after the first time? Why stay and put up with it? Danny, when I removed the bullet I didn't give him any pain medication I didn't have any. I numbed the area around the hole and that was the best that I could do. He didn't make a sound, not even a groan while I worked on getting the bullet out. Not a single sound. It was like he's been trained not to." Linda said sadly.

"Maybe that's the reason behind the lashes. Oh man none of this is a good sign."

"What are you going to do?"

"What I want to do and what I am going to do are two different things. I want to find him and drag him back home and lock him up until we catch this son of a bitch that did this to him."

"You can't do that though, you don't even know where he is or who he's after. He didn't want anyone else to know that he was here. He was adamant about it."

"I know and only because he said not to, that is the only reason why I am not storming into this bastard's office and beating the hell out of him until he tells me what I need. I'll go speak to Dad and see what he knows, because you better believe that he knows more than he's been letting on." Danny said with anger.

Danny sent the picture from Linda's phone to his own so he could show his father.

"Do you really think that your father put Jamie undercover like this?" Linda asked slightly surprised that Frank would do something like that.

"I don't know, but he knows something and as the Police Commissioner he knows about all investigations that go on within the department. There's no way he doesn't know something about this."

"I know it's hard, but you need to try and stay calm. Your father wouldn't put Jamie into a situation that would hurt him like this. We don't know what your father knows about the situation." Linda said trying to reason with Danny.

"Ya I know. How are you? Are you ok?" Danny asked with concern as he pulled his wife into his arms to hug her as she still had tears on her cheeks.

Linda hugged back as she spoke. "I just hate seeing him hurt or any of you. I've missed him in the past six months and the boys keep asking about him. It's been really hard with him gone. Now he's hurt and scarred for life and he has to still be out there for God knows how long. I don't want to have to bury another member of this family."

"I know I don't either. It'll be okay I'll talk to Dad and find out what the hell is going on. We're not going to leave him in a bad place like that. We'll work it out I promise." Danny said as he kissed the top of Linda's head.

"I know you will. I just want him back home as does the rest of the family. So bring him back home safe Danny."

"I will I promise. I'll go speak to Dad and see what the hell is going on." Danny said as he pulled back.

He gave Linda a kiss before she spoke.

"I need to get to work. Let me know what you find out if you can."

"I'll tell you what I can. Be safe at work babe."

"I will. You too."

"Always. I love you."

"I love you too."

"We'll figure this out I promise."

"I know you will. I just hope he's okay."

"Me too."

"I gotta go, I'm already late. I'll see you tonight."

"See you tonight babe."

They both headed out of the room and Linda headed outside while Danny grabbed his coat and told his Sargent that he had to go out for a bit, but he would have a radio with him. He headed out of the office and down to his car. He wasn't happy about the situation that his brother was in and he was hoping that his father had no idea what had been going on. Danny couldn't get the image out of his mind of Jamie's back. He wanted it to be fake, some special effects that were professionally done, but Linda said otherwise and he knew to trust her. If she said they were real then they were real and that was heartbreaking. Danny didn't know what was going on, but he was going to find out by the end of the day for that he was certain of.

Danny arrived at 1PP and he parked his car and headed up to the fourteenth floor where his father's office was located. He got off the elevator and saw Baker sitting at her desk. He didn't even say anything he just went right into his father's office not even caring if he was in the middle of something or not. He wasn't in there and Baker came around the corner and into the office clearly not impressed.

"Detective Reagan, the Commissioner is not here. He is in a meeting on a lower floor. Perhaps I can take a message for you." Baker said politely.

"Ya you can give him a message for me. Tell him to get up here right now." Danny said with anger that Baker knew wasn't directed towards her personally.

"Detective." Baker started, but Danny cut her off.

"I don't care if he has the President of the United States in there. Tell him I'm not leaving so either he comes here or I go in there. He can decide."

"Very well Detective." Baker said giving up any reasoning to be had with Danny and turning and heading out of the room.

She made her way down to the tenth floor and went over to the door where the meeting was. Garret was going to be in the room as well as other officials and the mayor. This was not going to go over well, but she knew that Danny would in fact barge into the meeting and that would not go over well for anyone. Baker knocked on the door before she entered. No one looked too pleased to see her interrupting them.

"Detective Baker, we are in the middle of an important meeting." Mayor Poole said with annoyance clear in his voice.

"My apologies Sir. Commissioner, Detective Reagan is in your office and needs to speak to you. He says it's urgent." Baker said clearly uncomfortable with being here.

"Tell Detective Reagan that I am in a meeting and I will call him once I am available." Frank said clearly not happy at the interruption either.

"I did Sir and with all your respect he said that either you come up or he's coming down. I have a feeling that would be a very bad idea Sir." Baker said sympathetically.

"Excuse me Gentlemen." Frank said clearly not happy about it, but standing up anyways.

He walked out of the room with Baker behind him. They both went up to the fourteenth floor and Baker went back over to her desk while Frank walked into his office. He slammed his door shut and turned to Danny. Frank was angry, but he could see that Danny was as well.

"You seem to have forgotten Detective that I out rank you. I am your boss. You don't get to threaten to barge into any meeting that I have. Is that clear Detective." Frank said with complete authority and anger.

Danny just put his hands on his hips ready for the fight and knowing that he is going to win.

"Jamie was shot. That meeting still more important than your own son Commissioner?" Danny said with even more anger right back at his father.

Instantly Danny could see the anger leave his father's face and it was replaced with fear and worry.

"What?" Frank asked softly.

"He's alive. Showed up at my house ten minutes after I left this morning. Scared the hell out of Linda, because he now has longer hair that is jet black, blue eyes and a beard. She only knew it was him when he spoke to her. Took a bullet to his back left shoulder blade. Linda took the bullet out and stitched him up. She tried to get him to stay, but he refused. He's not okay he's far from okay. He had been bleeding heavily for two hours. Two hours, not five the amount of time it takes to drive down from D.C. So why don't we quit the bullshit and you tell me what my baby brother is doing working in deep undercover for six months." Danny said with anger still in his voice.

"How do you know he's been undercover?" Frank asked.

"Because I'm not an idiot. He wouldn't need to change his looks if he was just working in D.C on some special privileged contract. He hasn't slept in three days because it wasn't safe, he hasn't eaten in a day or so and now he is injured. The bullet hit his bone and it is either cracked, fractured or broken and he refuses to go to a hospital." Danny pulled out his phone and sent the picture to his father's phone as he spoke. "Check your phone. Linda took a picture without Jamie knowing. It's his back. Then you can tell me that I was wrong to interrupt your important meeting."

Frank pulled out his phone and opened the text message that Danny sent him with the picture. He looked at it and he felt his rage boil over and his heart break all at the same time. Danny hated seeing the pain in his father's eyes and it erased the anger he had towards his father for obviously keeping him in the dark. It was also obvious that his father was being kept in the dark as well.

"Linda said they are real and also very deep. She told me that in order for the scars to be that bad that he would have been whipped close to a hundred times in different sets of twenty. She thinks that the first set of twenty was given to him five months ago. When that set was just freshly healed he was given another set of twenty over top of the previous lashes. That reopened the scars and when those healed the scars became deeper and the process happened all over again. She thinks the last time was not even a month ago. She is also worried that there could be damage done to his back and I guess the nerves from being whipped like that. She said it would be very painful even though they are scarred over. Jamie doesn't want anyone knowing. He told Linda to give you the bullet and this card from an F.B.I. Agent Richards. What the hell is going on and don't tell me you don't know, because we both know that is a lie." Danny said with anger and frustration.

Frank went over to the phone and picked it up.

"Detective Baker."

"Baker, go back down to the meeting and tell them an emergency has come up and I will not be able to further attend. Tell Garret to get up here right now." Frank said with all business to his voice.

"Yes Sir."

Frank hung up the phone and then turned to Danny.

"Give me the bullet and the card."

Danny pulled out the bullet and the business card and handed it over to Frank.

"He is not undercover for the NYPD. He is undercover for the F.B.I. He wasn't supposed to tell me anything. He signed a contract saying he wouldn't tell anyone, but he made me a promise after he investigated the Blue Templar that he wouldn't keep anything important from me. I don't know where he is or what his name is right now. All I know is who he is after and the basics." Frank started.

"I'll take whatever you know then." Danny said.

"The clearance for this operation is Presidential level. I don't even have the clearance for the information." Frank said back.

"But you do have it. You know I'm not going to just go around talking about it Dad. This is Jamie we're talking about here. He's been shot and he has scars all over his back that he will have for the rest of his life. Scars that could be worse. He told Linda that his contract is being renewed for another three months and we both know it could be longer if he doesn't get what he needs. What is he doing working for the F.B.I?" Danny said frustrated that he had been kept in the dark about something like this. He thought the trust between him and Jamie had improved in the past five years, now he wasn't so sure.

The door to Frank's office opened and in walked Garret he did not look happy.

"What is going on? The Mayor is furious that you left like that and now you aren't coming back. This is a huge meeting that we have been trying to set up for months now."

Frank didn't answer he just picked up his phone and called Baker.

"Detective Baker."

"Baker, get in here." Frank said before he hung up.

Once Baker walked inside the office Frank spoke.

"Jamie was shot." Frank stated.

"Shot? When? Where? Is he alright?" Garret asked now concerned and no longer upset about what had happened.

"He'll be fine. He took one to the back of his left shoulder. Baker, I want you to personally take this bullet to the lab and have Roberts work on it and only him. This is classified to the highest level only his eyes see the information. The report is to not be imputed into the computer, but typed up. You will stay the whole time and make sure he does not get interrupted or anyone else sees the file. Once the report is typed up you will personally bring it back here to me. Is that clear?" Frank said as he looked at Baker.

"Yes Sir." Baker said knowing that something else was at play for the level of security.

"Garret, this is Agent Richards' card. He works for the F.B.I. find him and everything you can on him without raising any red flags. I want him in my office before the day is over. He won't come in voluntarily then he will be picked up and escorted here." Frank said.

"I'm on it, but what does the F.B.I. have to do with this? Did the bullet come from one of them?" Garret asked.

"Jamie has been working in deep undercover for six months for the F.B.I. and that does not leave this office." Frank said and they knew better than to question him further.

"I'll get Agent Richards here within the hour." Garret said with confidence to his voice.

Frank held out the card and Garret took it. Baker also took the sandwich bag that held the bullet in it. Both then walked out of the office to take care of their given jobs.

"What is going on?" Danny asked once again when they were alone.

"It's not that easy Danny. Jamie only told me for a reason. He didn't want to put anyone at risk or get anyone involved. If it wasn't for what happened with the Blue Templar and the promise he made me, I don't think he would have even told me. I can tell you that he is doing something incredible. So incredible that he is willing to stay in even after everything he has bene through."

"Where is he? What's his name? Just how much torture has he gone through? Linda said when she was fixing his wound he didn't even make a sound and she didn't use any pain medication on it. That's programmed into him Dad and you know what that means. Is it really that important that you won't pull him out? That his life and whatever torture he's endured and will endure before the end is worth it?" Danny asked trying to get his father to see that they needed to pull Jamie out. Danny didn't even know what the hell he was doing, but to him nothing was worth Jamie's life or mental health.

What Danny said made perfect sense to Frank. The problem was Jamie didn't want to be taken out or he would have left by now.

"It's not me that doesn't agree with you Danny. I would pull him out in a second, but Jamie doesn't want to be out or he would have left by now. I want to pull him, but I can't make that choice for him. He's a grown man and he can make his own decisions. We don't know what has happened or what his position is right now. I don't even know. He calls once a month and we can only speak for five minutes before he has to leave. He doesn't tell me what is going on. He just tells me that he is fine and asks how everyone else is. Trust me knowing that he is undercover has not been easier than knowing he was in D.C. I'm scared every day for him and I fear that one day the phone will ring and I will have to bury another son. I don't like this anymore than you do." Frank said honestly.

The door to his office opened and Garret walked back in.

"Agent Richards will be here within the next fifteen minutes. He seemed to be expecting your call."

"He must know that Jamie got shot." Danny said.

"He does have two handlers he told me." Frank said.

"Two? How big is this operation he's on for him to get two handlers?" Garret asked.

"Big enough." Frank said and they knew he wasn't about to tell them much more.

The next fifteen minutes were spent in an awkward silence. Garret didn't know if he should leave or not, but Frank hadn't told him to leave either. He figured he would wait and see what would happen when Agent Richards arrived. They had no rank over the F.B.I. the NYPD and Federal Agencies have done their best to work together on cases when they crossed over into each other's territories, but they had never been in this position before. Only very rare occasions would an NYPD officer be going undercover for the F.B.I or any other Federal Agencies for that matter. They always used their own men and the NYPD has used their own men as well. This was a different situation and one that Garret didn't know would end well. He hoped that Jamie would be okay. He liked Jamie and he didn't want to see Frank loosing another son.

Agent Richards walked into the office and he wasn't surprised to see Danny there as well, but the other man he didn't know.

"Commissioner Reagan. Detective. I'm sorry I don't know who you are." Agent Richards said politely to Garret.

"Garret Moore Deputy Commissioner of public information." Garret said as he held his hand out to shake Agent Richards'.

"Agent Richards a pleasure to meet." Agent Richards said as he shook Garret's hand.

"Ya real great. Can we get on with it now that we all know each other? Like why my baby brother handed my wife your card after he was shot." Danny said clearly not happy at all.

Agent Richards moved into the room and was able to stand in front of Frank's desk, but a little back so he could still see Danny who was off to his right and Garret moved closer so he was off of his left.

"I can only tell you the bare minimum, but I suspect the Commissioner knows more than he is allowed to know." Agent Richards stated as he looked at Frank.

"You knew before you even brought him in on this that he would tell me the basics of the operation. You knew that before you told him anything and you accept that as part of who Jamie is. He gave me his word and he was not about to back down from it. He never does on his word or a promise to anyone. I only know the basics, the target, what the target is about and what the goal for the end result is. I don't know his location or his name. I don't know what has been happening during the six months he has been under. We talk once a month when it is safe to do so and even then he just tells me he is fine and asks about his family. You took him telling me into consideration and accepted it. You don't get to try and use that against him now, especially in this room." Frank said in a serious voice.

"I would never use it against him. If I had a problem with him telling you everything I would never have allowed him in the building. It's no secret that you are the most ethical Police Commissioner this city has seen, no offense to your father he was just from a different time." Agent Richards said.

"That he was." Frank agreed.

"I think the answer we would all like to know is if Officer Reagan is okay." Garret asked.

"He was shot to the back of his left shoulder. Given the situation that he is in he wasn't able to go to a hospital and the only doctors they have are ones that were Vets that failed out of school or their license was revoked. Jamie was concerned that if the bullet was in a bad spot that they could cause more damage to his shoulder blade or even push the bullet in a different direction. He told the people that he was with at the time that he would take care of it himself and they had no problem agreeing to that. We still couldn't let him go to a hospital in fear of someone finding out. Jamie said he knew a nurse and it was a secured location. We knew that Detective Reagan's wife was a nurse and we assumed he was going there. Turns out we were correct." Agent Richards said.

"He needs scans done of his shoulder to ensure that it is not broken or fractured." Frank said.

"I agree, but the target we are after has his hands in all cookie jars. Going to a hospital would also be considered weak and that is not allowed in this organization at his level. It would be too much of a risk for him to go to a hospital and have the target find out about it through a doctor or nurse on the payroll. We will keep an eye on it, but for now there is nothing we can do about getting him into a hospital for tests." Agent Richards said.

"Why haven't you pulled him out yet?" Danny asked.

"He hasn't stated his wish to and there is no danger to his life." Agent Richards said.

"He was shot at and he has deep severe scarring on his back from being whipped over the course of five months. That doesn't say friendly to me." Danny said with anger.

"He was whipped?" Garret asked shocked and horrified at the same time.

"He was shot in the back of his shoulder when he was running to his car when a situation turned bad for him and the people he was with. He was the only one that took a bullet because he was protecting one of the targets. As for the whip markings, injuries happen when you go undercover for the type of people that Jamie is undercover for. There are many different levels of loyalty testing, pain tolerance and conditioning that the ones that get to move up in the organization go through. Jamie knew when he went into this that it wasn't going to be a cake walk. It wasn't going to be anything like the last operation he went in for. These people are more dangerous and the risks were sky high." Agent Richards said.

"Just how high are we talking here, because last time he went undercover for a notorious crime family in New York that put a hit out on him." Danny said.

"He did and that is what made me look at him. I've been keeping my eyes on him since his rookie year when he solved your brother's murder and helped to shut down the Blue Templar organization. These people are different. A hundred Agents had gone in before him and all turned up tortured, mutilated and left on the Agency's doorstep. All within the first two months. Jamie knew that before going in. He had all of the information that I have before he even agreed to going in. There was no pressure for him to go in and he knew that. He could have walked away and I would hold no hard feelings. I have told him from the start that if he needed out to get out no questions asked. I told him to go someplace where he felt the safest and to call me. Only three people know of his true identity, myself and his two handlers. That is it. We had him change his appearance so when this was over with he could still look like himself and no one would be of the wiser." Agent Richards said.

"And he is handling himself okay?" Frank asked.

"Despite only being on one official undercover operation part-time; in my opinion your son is a genius. He knows when to talk and when not to talk. He knows how to be that alias completely without hesitation. He was born to do this. And at the same time he wasn't. He has the mind for it. He had the instincts for it. But the heart and the soul won't be able to handle the career. He's seen a lot of horrific things and has been through some horrific things. He won't bounce back instantly like the last time. He's had some hard days and I'm sure more days than not he considers walking away, but he won't because innocent people are counting on him. I know you're instincts are to pull him. I would be thinking the same thing if it was my son. I don't have to have this conversation with you, but I am because you are not only his father you're the Commissioner. So for Jamie's sake, for your son and brother's sake you need to let him finish this, because he can't handle it if it's all for nothing. That would destroy him. I am asking you to trust me. I'm sure you have someone right now looking into my record and that is fine by me. Trust me to do my job and trust in your son's ability to know when he needs to stay or walk away." Agent Richards said calmly as he looked at Frank knowing that Danny would do as he was told by his father.

Frank let out a sigh before he spoke.

"I want him on the phone by the end of the day. I don't care if it's for only a few minutes I want to speak to him and make sure he is okay myself." Frank said.

"That I can do. He's asleep right now so it won't be for a few hours. I don't want to wake him up. He hasn't slept much in the past six months. It'll probably be more around nine o'clock tonight before he can sneak away to make the call."

"I don't care what time it is. I just want him on the phone."

"Done."

"It's been six months, just when is this going to be over?" Danny asked.

"I would like to say within the next three months we could have this wrapped up. The problem is Jamie just got invited into the target's house for the first time the other night. Realistically we're looking at another six months at least." Agent Richards said.

"He can't go another six months." Garret said.

"We don't have a choice. The information he needs for the arrests are on the laptop of the target and he keeps it on him at all times. Getting it while in his house is the best chances that we have. We do have cameras and mics in Jamie's safe house so we can make sure he is safe once he is in his house."

"I'm not going another six months without seeing my brother. I don't care if I have to go over there as a pizza delivery guy. I want to see him." Danny said sternly.

"I think Jamie would benefit from someone in his family seeing him. I would say for the Commissioner to go, but I fear that he is too recognizable to go even outside of the city. Having Detective Reagan seeing Officer Reagan could help give him some strength to continue on and give his family a little peace of mind." Garret said.

"Could we do it where Detective Reagan goes and sees Officer Reagan without it causing any red flags?" Frank asked.

"Jamie orders food from a pizza place at least once a week. Always the same place. After the incident early this morning they have all been told to lay low for the next two days. If something was going to be done it would have to be tonight otherwise we put Jamie at risk of someone showing up unannounced. Tonight they won't because he was injured and they always leave him alone the next day." Agent Richards said.

"So I go in as a delivery guy from that pizza shop." Danny said.

"Except the delivery guy never stays longer than to collect his money at the door. You want in the best way to do that is to bring pizza with you and some beer, dress casual and act like a friend. Jamie does have friends that he has mentioned you could be one of them just stopping by. His place is no longer being staked out by the organization, but be cautious anyways and you can't stay all night or that will look suspicious in case someone is watching the place." Agent Richards said.

"What could the danger be in Detective Reagan going in?" Frank asked.

"His one handler has been by the house a few times a month and he's considered to be a friend from work. Jamie's alias is a lawyer so his handler shows up dressed in a suit after working hours to complain about his work. They had issues in the start about it, but he has earned their trust by now, especially after today when he took a bullet for one of the targets. I think tonight would be the best night for him to have someone there and for them to allow it."

"How many targets does he have?" Garret asked.

"Technically two, one target to get him closer to the main target. Would you be prepared to go in tonight Detective?"

"Absolutely. Where am I going?"

"This address can obviously not leave this room. I don't think I need to tell you whose life you are gambling with."

"Any information stays in this room. These are two of the people that I trust the most in this world." Frank said.

"He's located in New City, 18 Jackson Street, it's a house on the left. There will be cameras and mics there in every room except for the bathroom and bedroom. Whatever you say will be recorded and do not pressure him into telling you what he is doing, because he won't tell you. I'm not agreeing to this so you can badger him with questions. I'm agreeing to this because I think he needs this more than you will ever know."

"I just want to see my brother. Is there anything he needs?" Danny asked.

"They don't allow pain medication in the organization. They have no doctors that can prescribe it and they can't see outside doctors, unless you are in the highest level. If any of you know a doctor that you trust greatly to give him pain medication he would greatly appreciate it that I can tell you. Aside from that, pizza and beer would be good for him. He gets it at Bubba's Pizza on Hickson."

"I have a family doctor that will be able to get pain medication for Jamie." Frank said.

"I'll bring it with the pizza and beer. Can he call Dad from my phone without it being a problem?" Danny asked.

"He could. It's his phone that we are concerned about being tapped. We gave him a new burner phone and we have his along with his identification. We know there are no bugs in his house, we search regularly and we have a device in place to alarm us if something was placed there. He could use your phone this one time."

"So I'll go for around seven then and I can stay for a few hours without it looking weird. I'll get him to call you on my phone so you can talk longer." Danny said to Frank.

"Is there anything we can do with the investigation to push it along?" Garret asked.

"Unfortunately not at this time. It's up to Jamie to get the data off the computer. Once we have that he can leave and never look back." Agent Richards said.

"So all we can do is hope at this point." Garret said not liking not being able to help out.

"Yes it is." Agent Richards said.

"What is Jamie's alias' name?" Danny asked.

"Andrew." Agent Richards answered.

"Danny tonight you will go out there and see him. It's something at least. I appreciate you coming down here Agent Richards." Frank said.

"It was no trouble at all. I think Jamie seeing Detective Reagan will be good for him and give him some much needed strength. If you have any further questions feel free to call me Commissioner and I will do my best to answer them."

"I appreciate that." Frank said.

"If everything is resolved I need to get back to my office." Agent Richards said.

"I'll show you out." Garret said with a small smile.

Garret led Agent Richards out of the office and down to the elevator leaving Frank and Danny alone in the room.

"I don't like this Dad. I don't like knowing this is on Jamie and only him." Danny said with worry.

"I agree, but there isn't anything we can do about it right now. At least tonight you will get to see him. Don't pressure him Danny. He doesn't need another cop, he needs a big brother. Let him know that you are there for him and not for the case. Be what Joe was, be his brother and his best friend. He needs that from you now more than ever he needs that from you." Frank said desperately hoping that Danny won't push Jamie.

"I promise you Dad no cop stuff tonight. Just two brothers hanging out. I just want to see him and give him a hug. I need to see him Dad." Danny said honestly.

"Get him to call me. I wish I could be there, but I will have to settle for a phone call. I'll get you those pain meds and you can give them to him. Hopefully they will help."

"I'll see if he'll let me see his back. I don't think he will, but maybe I'll get lucky."

"Let's hope. For now you better get back to the precinct and make sure you let Linda know that you'll be going tonight. "

"I'll let her know. Hopefully I won't get a case before then."

"I'll make sure you don't. Jamie comes first."

"Thanks Dad. I'll get back out there and I'll call Linda on the way. I'll see you later Dad."

"Be safe out there. I have one son that I need to worry about constantly I don't need another."

"I'll be safe. I have a lot of paperwork anyways so I'll be in the precinct most of the day anyways."

"Good. Come by the house at the end of your shift and I'll have the pain medication for you."

"Sounds good. I'll see you tonight then Dad."

"See you tonight son."

Danny headed out of the office and back down to his car so he could go back to the station. He wasn't happy about Jamie being undercover and alone, but at least tonight he would be able to see Jamie and make sure he was alright with his own eyes. Satisfied that tonight he would get to see his brother he headed back to his precinct to get back to work.

Frank sat in his office alone and enjoying the time alone. He pulled out his phone and brought up the picture of Jamie's back. It broke his heart to see the injuries there that had been done by a whip. His son, his youngest child had been whipped close to a hundred times. Frank knew that was just the tip of the iceberg of the things that Jamie had been through and seen. Frank couldn't help, but wonder if the first night he was whipped five months ago was the night that he got to speak to Jamie.

Flashback

It had been a month and a half since Jamie had left for his undercover operation. A month since he had been able to speak to him. Frank knew that Jamie would call in the middle of the month to let him know that he was safe and alright. Frank hated that he had been counting down the days until his son would call and check in. They would never talk about the case, just that he was alright and Frank would tell him about what had been going on with the family. They could only talk for a few minutes before Jamie always had to go. Jamie's handler would bring over a satellite phone for him to use, but he could only be on it for five minutes before he was at risk of someone being at to track it. It was three in the morning when Frank's phone rang. He was in bed asleep and he didn't expect to be getting a call from anyone. Calls this late at night were never a good thing and Frank instantly felt fear that something had happened to someone in the family. When Frank looked at the number and saw that it was Jamie his fear instantly sky rocketed at what could be happening for his son to call so late. Frank answered the phone as he sat up in bed.

"Hello"

Frank could hear sniffing on the other end and he instantly knew that Jamie was crying. It had been a very long time since Jamie had cried, not since his brother Joe had died. Frank instantly knew that something horrible had happened to make Jamie cry and call him this late.

"It's okay son. Tell me what's wrong." Frank said calmly even though he felt anything but.

Jamie sniffed and Frank knew he was trying to get himself under control.

"I'm fine, it's just been a really bad day." Jamie said with a shaky voice and Frank knew he was still crying as he could hear it in his voice.

"What happened?" Frank asked gently.

"I can't. God Dad, tell me I made the right choice. This is nothing like last time. Did I make the wrong choice?" Jamie asked with a broken voice and Frank knew that something horrible had happened tonight. Something that would scar Jamie for the rest of his life.

"Son, listen to me. I believe in you and I know you can do this. You are going to save the lives of a lot of innocent people, but your life matters more to me. All you have to do is say the word and I will get you out. I love you and I will support whatever decision you make. Only you know if this was the right choice or not son." Frank said lovingly.

This wasn't the time for the Commissioner to speak to his Officer. This was a time where the father in Frank had to take precedence in this moment and be there for his son that was obviously going through a horrible situation. He didn't need him telling him what to do. Jamie needed him to be his father and support him no matter what decision he made.

"I know there are so many lives at risk, but what if I can't do it? What if I'm not good enough for this?" Jamie asked with fear in his voice.

"You are good enough for this. Son they picked you out of millions of people they could have picked, they picked you and that had nothing to do with who I am. They believe in you and so do I. You can do this, but only if you want to. No one is forcing you to stay. I believe you can do this son and you have to believe in yourself." Frank said with strength to his voice.

Jamie took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down. After a moment he spoke.

"Thanks Dad. I love you."

"I love you too son. Remember that I believe in you and if you ever want out all you have to do is say the word and I will make sure you get out. You're not alone."

"I know. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Don't ever apologies for wanting to talk to me. I don't care what time of the day or night it is. If you need me you call me."

"Thanks Dad. I need to get going. I'll talk to you soon."

"I love you and be safe my son."

"As safe as I can be. I love you too. Tell everyone I said hi and that I love them."

"I will."

"Bye Dad."

"Goodbye son."

End of Flashback

Frank was worried that, that night was the first night that Jamie had been whipped. If Frank knew that was the cause of Jamie's tears he would have gone there himself and brought his son home. He never would have allowed Jamie to stay in if he knew that he was being hurt like that. Frank had assumed that Jamie had seen something horrible and it was affecting him. He never expected that he was being tortured. He would never have allowed Jamie to continue on or put others before his own safety. He would have told him that it wasn't worth it. Now it was five months later and Jamie had permeant scars all over his back and he was being forced to staying in at least another three months if not another six months. Frank didn't even want to think about other things that could have happened to Jamie while he was passing their tests. Frank was glad that Danny would be over there tonight with pain medication for Jamie. If nothing else at least Danny can see Jamie and make sure he is alright and give him some much needed strength.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was just after seven that night when Danny parked just a little bit down the street from where Jamie's cover house was. He could see that the living room light was on so he knew that Jamie was at least awake. He didn't know how Jamie was feeling, but he had to imagine he wasn't feeling too great after being shot in the shoulder and his back had to be hurting. Even if it was scarred, Danny knew that scars could still hurt someone. Danny was furious that Jamie was being hurt that badly, but he had to go in there being his big brother and not a detective. He had to be what Joe used to be to Jamie, his brother and his friend. Danny and Jamie had been working on their relationship in the past five years and they had gotten closer. Danny didn't want to screw this up. He knew that this was critical; this would tell them if they could actually be more than brothers. Danny had to just be there for Jamie like he would a fellow officer and friend. Danny took a deep breath and grabbed the pizza and beer before he got out of his car. He was just in plain clothes so he could appear casual for anyone that was watching the house. It had been six months though so Danny doubted anyone would especially with Jamie taking a bullet for the one target. Tonight truly was the best night as they would leave Jamie alone to rest up and heal from what he did.

Danny headed across the street and over to the house. He knocked on the door and waited for Jamie to open the door. Jamie had just woken up not too long ago. He was only wearing black sweat pants as he was alone. He had just gotten up an hour ago and he was feeling hungry and in pain. His back always hurt him anymore and he knew he would need to get a scan done once this was over to check to see just what damage was done. There was nothing he could do about it right now. All he could do was hope that it would be the last time he had to endure that. He was in the living room lying down on the couch with the t.v. on. He was watching a hockey game when there was a knock on his door. Jamie instantly closed his eyes. He had been hoping he could just be left alone tonight. He had been up for the past three days straight dealing with everyone from the organization. There were more shipments coming in and that always made them busier. Jamie hated that he wasn't able to shut this organization down sooner, but he had just got invited into Sidorov's place so he had to still wait it out. Jamie knew that whoever was at the door wasn't about to go away so he pushed himself up off the couch and headed to the door. He didn't care that he didn't have a shirt on as others in the organization had already seen the scars or had their own. He opened the door and was shocked to see Danny standing there with pizza and beer.

"Hey Andrew, how are ya man?" Danny said as he walked into the house and Jamie closed the door behind him.

"Danny what the hell?" Jamie asked clearly shocked, but Danny could tell he was happy with the surprise.

"Hey little brother. I brought pizza and beer." Danny said with a smile as he headed into the kitchen to put the beer in the fridge and the pizza on the counter.

"Ok don't take this the wrong way, but what the hell are you doing here?"

"A little birdy told me where you were staying. Look I'll explain everything I promise. Right now I need a hug from my little brother." Danny said with a smile.

Jamie smiled back and went and allowed Danny to pull him into a big hug. Jamie hugged him back and he couldn't begin to explain how amazing it felt to be hugging Danny right now. Danny could feel the scars on Jamie's back and was doing his best not to act like they bothered him. Danny knew that scars could always make someone self-conscious and with this amount Jamie was bound to have problems with it. Jamie pulled away as his mind clearly kicked in to the fact that he didn't have a shirt on.

"I'm just gonna get a shirt on." Jamie said embarrassed.

"Linda already told me about em. Look you can get a shirt on, but at least let me check on your bullet wound first. Linda would kill me if I don't." Danny said with a small smile.

"Um ya sure." Jamie said slightly unsure, but he knew that Danny wouldn't let this one go.

Jamie turned around so Danny could get to the bullet wound. Danny did his best not to hesitate as he saw the full view of Jamie's back. It was worse in person than in a picture. As gently as he could Danny removed the gauze from the bullet wound, he noticed that it had blood all over the bandage it would need to be changed.

"Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Ya it's under the sink."

"You'll need to change this gauze your wound has some blood on it." Danny said as he opened the cupboard underneath the kitchen sink and pulled out the kit.

"How's it look?" Jamie asked as he hadn't been able to see it.

"It's red, but Linda said it would be for a few days." Danny gently touched around the stitches and felt the heat in it. "You have heat in it though and that could be the start of an infection. Linda said it was bleeding for two hours pretty good so you could have gotten it infected. Dad called his doctor though and he gave you a prescription for pain medication and anti-biotic just in case. Linda keeps all of her things clean and sterile, but she doesn't use them often so there's no guarantee that you won't get a small infection from it. You have some dry blood on it. I'm gonna just clean it up then patch ya back up."

"Ok"

Danny grabbed some paper towels and he wet them under warm water. He then went and gently removed the dry blood, dried the wound off and placed some gauze back over it to keep it protected. With that done he noticed that some of the scars were red and he gently touched the red spots.

"Some of these scars have heat in them too. You got to be careful of an infection. You should take all of the anti-biotic whether you think you need it or not just to be safe. Linda also said that you shouldn't take them or the pain medication on an empty stomach."

"Ok. I'll make sure I eat something first. Let me just go and get a shirt on and we can eat." Jamie said as he headed down the hallway to where Danny assumed was his room.

Danny grabbed the pizza and some paper towels and headed over to the couch and placed the pizza down on the coffee table. Jamie came out a few minutes later in a simple black t-shirt and sat down beside Danny. Both grabbed a slice of pizza and Jamie spoke.

"How did you know where to get the pizza?"

"Birdy told me that too. It's no Brooklyn pizza, but this is pretty good."

"No pizza is like Brooklyn pizza, but so far they are the best in this town. There's also a great Chinese restaurant just a few blocks away that I eat at way too much, but it's simple and easy. So how pissed are you at me?" Jamie asked not really wanting to spend their time together pretending like nothing was going on.

"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad, but not at you. I'm scared to death for you and I'm worried about you, but I'm not mad. I know you Jamie. I know you wouldn't be doing this unless you had a really good reason to. You wouldn't put yourself through these things unless you had a really good reason to. So I'm not mad, because I would probably do the exact same thing as you. I'm not gonna lie, I feel a little hurt that you didn't tell me anything. I thought we had a stronger bond than that. I thought we were working on trusting each other." Danny said honestly.

"It had nothing to do with trust. Danny I'm sorry I didn't tell you I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. The only reason I told Dad was because I gave him my word and even then I didn't until the last minute before I left from Sunday dinner. I didn't want to tell you guys and then you spend every day worrying about me and I know you guys still did, but it's a different kind of worry. You would have been scared and thinking the worst all the time and that could have gotten you hurt or killed on shift. I couldn't do that to you no matter how many times I wanted to call you up and tell you over the past six months."

"I know you would have wanted to tell me. I just hate knowing you've been going through this on your own. I hate that I can't help you get these guys." Danny said with a slight frustrated tone to his voice.

"Do you know?"

"No the birdy wouldn't tell us and I'm not going to badger you with questions or try and get you to tell me. I get that there are things that you can't tell us. Just like there are things that Dad can't tell us. I'm not here for that. I'm here to check in and make sure you're ok."

"Is Dad ok?" Jamie asked with worry.

"He's worried, but he always worries about us you know that. He feels better knowing that I'm here tonight for a little bit and can see you with my own eyes. Oh and you can call him from my cell Richards said it was fine."

"Really?" Jamie asked hopeful.

"Ya here, go for it." Danny said as he pulled out his phone from his pocket and handed it over to Jamie.

Jamie took it with a smile before he spoke. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time." Danny said with a small smile on his face.

Jamie headed into his bedroom and closed his door. He sat down on the edge of the bed and he dialed his father's number. After a couple of rings he answered.

"Jamie?"

"Hey Dad." Jamie said feeling relieved at hearing his father's voice.

"How are you son?" Frank asked and Jamie knew that his father had heard about him being shot and about his back.

"I'm ok. Thanks for the pills they'll help."

"How is the wound?"

"Danny says it's red and there's some heat in it. I'm gonna take all of the anti-biotic just in case. It can't hurt so."

"Good it's better to be safe than sorry. You don't want that getting infected or getting worse. Jamie I'm going to ask you this only once and I need you to give me an honest answer. Whatever you decide I will support you, but I have to ask. Do you want out?"

"Every day I tell myself that I want out, but I'm still here, because then they do something that reminds me why I can't just leave. This is their chance at shutting them down and I can't screw that up. So do I want out? God yes I want out. I want out so badly, but I can't. I need to finish this and save as many lives as I can doing it. If it was just me I would have left a long time ago Dad."

"I know son and I'm proud of you for staying and trying to shut them down. I love you and no matter how much I wish it was me there tonight and not Danny or that you would come back home. I know this is important to you and I support you completely. When you come back home we are going to have a very long conversation and you know about what."

"I know. So much has happened I don't even know where to start. I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep peacefully again in my life. What I'm doing is for a lot of good, but it's costing a lot more than I thought it would. I think I'm gonna need some time off from work after this. Maybe you could put in a good word into the Commissioner." Jamie lightly joked.

"Oh trust me you will not be going back to work for a couple of months after this and that will be an order. Richards says it could be another six months before this is closed up."

"God I hope not, but it's looking that way. I'm hoping that now that I've been to his place that he'll bring me there more often and start trusting me more."

"Please tell me the loyalty tests are over with."

"I wish. His men still go through them. I think he does it when he's bored. I'll be fine Dad."

"You need a scan done for your shoulder."

"Ya I know, but realistically that is not going to happen any time soon. Not unless one of the once upon a time vets have an X-Ray machine still. I'll be careful with it and make sure that I rest it like I'm supposed to. There's nothing more I can do until this is done."

"I understand. I don't like it, but I understand. Aside from what happened this morning, is everything ok?"

"Ya it's fine. How is everyone there?"

"We're all good. Linda was worried about you, but she felt better knowing that Danny would be out there tonight to see you. Erin and Pop can tell that something is going on, but they know better than to ask. We all just want you home where you are safe and loved."

"I want that too believe me. It's going to take me a while to be okay after this Dad." Jamie said sadly.

"And that is perfectly okay son. No one expects you to be one hundred percent when you come home. It's natural for you to have problems after this and I will be there to help you get passed all of this. I promise you we will get through this as a family just like we always have."

"Thanks Dad. It really means a lot to me that you're supportive of me and are there for me. It helps a lot more than you think."

"I know it does. Now I love you and go back out there to your brother. He's been worried sick about you for the past six months. He needs this just as much as you do."

"Ok I love you and hopefully I can be home soon."

"I hope so too, but just be safe I don't want you to do anything that could get you killed because you are trying to rush things. Be smart and be safe."

"I promise I'll be smart and as safe as I can be."

"That's all I can ask of you. Now go and spend some much needed time with your brother and if he gives you a hard time you have my permission to punch him in the nose." Frank joked lightly, but Jamie also knew he was being serious.

"I'm sure it will be fine. He did bring pizza and beer after all. Can't punch a guy for that. I'll talk to you again when I can."

"Anytime you know that."

"Bye Dad."

"Goodbye my son."

Jamie hung up the phone and he felt better after speaking with his father. Jamie got up off the bed and headed back out into the living room where Danny was sitting watching the hockey game and eating some pizza with a cold beer. Jamie headed over to the couch and sat down.

"Thanks." Jamie said as he handed Danny his cell phone back.

"No problem kid." Danny said with a smile as he took the phone back and put it back into his pocket.

Jamie and Danny ate the pizza and talked about things that were going on back home. Danny wanted to keep the conversation light for now before he got into the harder things. So for the next two hours they just relaxed and hung out with each other. Talking about the family or the hockey game. Once the game was over Danny reached for the remote and he turned the television off and Jamie knew it was time to get down to business.

"Danny you know I can't tell you anything." Jamie said calmly.

"No you can't tell me anything about the targets or what the hell you're even doing. But you can tell me things without telling me the things you can't tell me. And yes I just heard what I said and I know you understood that." Danny said before Jamie could say anything back. Jamie just smiled and bowed his head slightly. "Look Jamie, you've seen things and have been through things and those things you can tell me about without compromising your ethics. I don't need to know who just the what." Danny said calmly.

Jamie turned slightly so he was facing Danny and he sat back against the side arm of the couch with a beer in his hands that were in his lap. Danny could instantly see the pain in his eyes and Danny knew that Jamie had seen some horrific things.

"When you were overseas you saw some horrible things." Jamie started.

"I did. Not a lot first hand, but the aftermath of it. It's hard to get passed and even today I have nightmares on the rare occasion from something that I saw over there." Danny said gently. This wasn't something he normally talked about, but he could tell that Jamie needed someone to talk to him that might be able to understand on a certain level.

"You know working the beat and seeing homicide victims, dealing with assaults and then your cases. Some of your cases are just horrible especially when children are involved. I used to think they were monsters, but the men I am after here they make those men look like Santa Claus."

"Jeez Jamie. What the hell has been going on?" Danny asked hurt that Jamie had been seeing some horrible things if the men he had arrested where nothing compared to who Jamie was going after.

"They didn't trust me right away so they had me doing things and being around for things just so they could see if I was trustworthy. I expected it and I knew that they had tortured people before, but they were Agents. I didn't expect them to torture innocent people just for the fun of it. Three months ago to see if I could be trusted with more important cases that would help get the organization setup here in the States they brought me with them. I knew something bad was going to happen, but I didn't expect what I saw." Jamie said sadly.

"What did you see Jamie?" Danny asked in a voice that he only saved for his sons.

"We ah…"

"They. Not we Jamie its' they. They did the things that they did, not you. It doesn't matter if you were there. You weren't a part of it." Danny said in a serious voice trying to get his brother to understand the difference.

"They brought me to this house. It was broad daylight I didn't think anything too bad would happen. I mean it was daylight just after lunch hour. Who does anything criminal in broad daylight? So they go in with me and there sitting at the dining room table is a married couple no older than forty and their eight year old daughter. Just finished eating lunch and listening to their daughter talking about her morning at school. She came home for lunch like she does every day and then the mother walks her back to school. The husband works in the area so he comes home for lunch every day so he can spend just a little more time with his family in the day. I mean how many times can we say that there are parents out there that still walk their kid to school and the father comes home for lunch each and every day just to spend another hour with his family." Jamie said sadly.

"Not enough. I mean Dad always tried to be home when he could, but he was a cop we all knew that he couldn't always be there for us. I try with the boys, but cases come up and you miss your son's hockey game or family dinner. It's not easy any man that can do it, he's a good man." Danny said calmly.

"They didn't care. They shot both the parents right there at the table, still in their seats. They didn't even get to ask what was going on. They grabbed the girl and got her outside and in the van. No one even noticed anything. The mailman actually waived as they drove by with the girl already in the back tied up. We ended up at one of their fun houses as they like to call it. Anything goes in the house and it stays in the house. For twenty hours straight they tortured, raped and mutilated her all before death. For twenty hours I had to sit there and watch and laugh and drink along with the rest of them while this sweet eight year old girl, just coming home for lunch was painfully killed. After twenty hours they finally got bored because she was too weak to even make a sound or move. They just sat around drinking while she laid there and slowly died. For four hours she laid in a pool of her own blood and slowly died. She was unrecognizable, you wouldn't have even been able to tell she was human by the time they were done with her and she was still alive for four hours. Then I got to take her and bury her out in the woods and then clean up the mess. After that they started to take me more seriously and believed in my loyalty more to give me more important cases to help with their organization. They did it for fun. That's the type of monsters I am around almost every single day." Jamie said with pure pain and sadness in his voice that Danny had never even heard, not even when Joe was dead.

A couple of tears rolled down Jamie's cheeks and he angrily wiped them away. "Sorry" Jamie said embarrassed that he was showing weakness in front of Danny.

"Jamie, look at me." Danny said in a deadly serious tone.

Jamie brought his eyes up from the beer in his hands and looked at Danny with red watery eyes.

"You don't get to apologise for showing emotions. I know I tease you at times about being a bleeding heart, about caring too much. But you have every right to be upset over what those bastards did to that little girl. What you had witness and what you had to do with her afterwards. You get to be upset and you get to be hurt. They are trying to condition you into thinking that showing pain makes you weak. That crying makes you weak and let me tell. I have been to war, I've seen people die. I've killed people. I have seen them after being tortured and completely destroyed. I am strong, I am not weak and no one would say that I am and even I cry sometimes. Sometimes the nightmare is just too much. Sometimes it's too close of a call. You don't get to apologise for being human. You don't get to apologise for being traumatised. That doesn't make you weak. They have been torturing you for the past six months one way or another they have been. They want to break you. They want to brainwash you and condition you so they don't have to worry about you. Even through all of that you are still here, you are still standing strong. The last thing you are is weak and nothing will change that." Danny said with complete honesty and seriousness to his voice.

A few more tears came down Jamie's face as he spoke.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this. I feel like I'm becoming them because I haven't stopped them. Every time I see an innocent girl being taken, hear their screams and begging for help. I feel like I'm worse than them because I don't try and stop it. I don't know how much longer I can go feeling like this."

Jamie was now in full out tears and he put his beer bottle down on the table and put his head into his hands. It broke Danny's heart to see his baby brother like this. Danny knew that Jamie wasn't going to be able to handle this much longer and he couldn't blame him. Danny knew he wouldn't have been able to handle seeing the things that Jamie has and continue on. Jamie was stronger than people always gave him credit for, but even this was too much for him to handle. Danny pulled Jamie into his arms and held onto him while Jamie cried into his brother's chest. Something that hasn't happened since they were little kids. Danny could remember the last time this happened. It was when Jamie was only ten years old and Joe had been out that afternoon when Jamie got home from school. He had been bullied for months and that day it all just came out. He had started to cry and Danny just wrapped his arms around him and let him cry it out.

Now here they were, twenty-two years later and they were in the same position. Danny just held Jamie close and rubbed a soothing hand along Jamie's back being careful not to hurt him.

"Its' okay little brother we'll get through this together I promise." Danny said comfortingly.

After ten minutes Jamie pulled away and he wiped at his cheeks to get rid of the tears.

"I'm sorry." Jamie said again embarrassed that he had broken down.

"What did I tell you about apologising? Jamie you have every right to be hurt and upset. The fact that you are is proof that you are not like those bastards. You couldn't stop them and I know you wanted to. But if you do then you'll get killed and the organization will just continue on doing whatever the hell it is that they are doing. You can get justice for all of the lives lost and all of the pain by shutting these bastards down. You can do this I believe in you, Dad believes in you and that Agent believes in you. Your family is behind you one hundred percent Jamie. You can do this." Danny said with strength to his voice.

"I don't feel like I can. I feel like one day I'm going to snap and I'll screw up. Even if I can do this what's going to be left of me when it's over? Just how much of myself do I have to give to shut them down?" Jamie asked with a broken voice.

"You can only give what you are willing to give. You need to learn to separate yourself from the alias. You are not Andrew you are Jamie. What happens when Andrew is around is Andrew's problem not Jamie's. You need to be two different people and you need to learn how to handle what happens when you are Andrew and what happens when you are Jamie. I know it's not easy, but you need to try and keep the two separate, because you are separate."

"Compartmentalize."

"Exactly while you are undercover you block it all out and you become that alias."

"And when it's over what then?"

"Then you're around family and we can help you get back to who you truly are. Your job is to survive and to get justice for these girls. Our job as your family is to show you how to get back to being you and we will, because we love you and we're not about to lose you in any way."

Jamie let out a shaky breath before he spoke.

"I'll do my best. I don't want to let anyone down. So much is riding on this organization being shut down. So many lives depend on it."

"You won't let anyone down. You gotta have confidence in yourself and your abilities, because those abilities got you where you are. You can do this we all believe in you."

"Thanks that means a lot Danny."

"You'll be okay trust me on that." Danny said with a smile.

Jamie gave a small nod with a small smile.

"Are you going to be okay alone tonight?" Danny asked with concern.

"Ya I'll be fine. I'm just gonna go to bed in a little bit. I slept most of the day away."

"Good you need sleep. I want to stay, but I don't want you to get in trouble for me being here in the morning."

"Ya sometimes they like to pop over unannounced. If someone is here then I have to try and explain it."

"Right so I am going to start heading back and you can get some sleep." Danny said as he stood up.

Jamie stood up with Danny and Danny pulled him into a hug once more.

"Thanks for coming I really appreciate it." Jamie said with a small smile.

"I'll always be there for you kid no matter what. You need help just call me and I'll come and get your ass out of there."

"Dad said the same thing. I'm not looking to die Danny, if I need to get out I'll call. I love you."

"I love you too kid. Be safe and be smart no heroic stuff and remember you are not Andrew. What happens when Andrew is around is Andrew's problems not Jamie's." Danny stated in a serious voice.

"I'll try." Jamie reassured his brother.

"Alright. Hopefully I'll see ya soon." Danny said as they made their way over to the door.

"I hope so."

"I love ya." Danny said as he opened the door.

"Love you too Danny." Jamie said with a smile.

Danny headed out of the house and once he was gone Jamie closed and locked the door. He headed back over to the living room and sat down on the couch and turned the television on. He wanted to sleep, but he was afraid of the nightmares from the talk with Danny. So for now until he felt like he could sleep without seeing any blood or pain he was going to watch another hockey game.

Danny headed to his car and took off for the city. He didn't see anyone following him so he had high hopes that they were able to pull that off without a problem. Once he was on the road he called his father and put him on speaker phone so he could continue to drive. It was past ten at night, but he knew his father would be up waiting to hear from him. After two rings his father answered.

"Danny, how was it?"

"It was alright I think. We didn't talk for the first couple of hours. Just hung out eating pizza, drinking beer and watching the hockey game."

"Did you get him to open up at all?"

"Ya I did at the end. He didn't tell me what was going on, he didn't want to compromise his ethics and I expected that. He did tell me about an incident that happened three months ago, a loyalty test they called it." Danny said with disgust.

"What happened?" Frank asked with concern.

"Ya know he told me that all of the men that I have arrested, how we always thought they were monsters. He said they were Santa Claus compared to the bastards he's after and Dad he's right. They brought him to this house in broad daylight. Went in shot the mother and father sitting there at the dining room table having lunch with their eight year old daughter. The daughter and father came home every day for lunch just so they can spend more time together. And both parents were executed before they could even say anything. They took the daughter and put her into the van and no one noticed anything. I don't even know if it's been reported yet or not, I don't even know where it happened Jamie didn't say." Danny said frustrated that he couldn't find out if the case was solved or not.

"I can have Baker do a search, but it probably won't help much if we don't have an area to look in. What happened to the daughter?" Frank asked already regretting the question.

"She was brought to a house that they refer to as the Fun House. They tortured, raped and mutilated her for twenty hours while they all sat around drinking and having fun. Jamie was there for the whole thing and he had to act like he was enjoying the show. When they were bored they left her lying on the floor to slowly die. Jamie said it took her four hours to die. He said she was so mutilated that you couldn't even tell she was human. Afterwards they made him bury her body in the woods and clean up the mess." Danny said with anger.

"I knew these were horrible people I just didn't think he would have to see something like that. How was he?" Frank asked with sadness in his voice at what his son had to endure.

"He broke down, not at first. At first a few tears escaped and he apologised for it. I told him that he couldn't let the bastards win that they had been conditioning him to be what they want him to be. I told him he wasn't weak and crying doesn't make him weak. He finally broke down for a good fifteen minutes. I did the only thing I could do, just held him and told him it would be okay. Dad I haven't done that with Jamie in over twenty years. Not since the bullying had become too much for him at school. I know he's thirty-two and a grown ass man, but there's just something that breaks inside of me when I see him crying. It was like he was ten all over again coming home with bruises because the school bully beat him up." Danny said sadly.

"I know son. Jamie still has this innocence about him that he's still has managed to keep all of these years. Something none of us have been able to. He can still look on the bright side of life despite what we have seen on the job. He still believes in people and in the good in the world. I want to protect that innocence in him just as much as you do son."

"That's what makes Jamie, Jamie. He's having a hard time keeping himself and the alias a part. I told him that he needs to remember that what happens when he is Andrew is Andrew's problem not Jamie's. I told him that when it was over that we would all be there for him and get him through it. It's not easy though keeping what happens undercover to stay undercover. Undercover cops they do small operations to slowly build up to the tolerance and get their mind wrapped around how it works. Jamie just got thrown into the deep end and they are hoping his mind can handle it. It can, but he's never gotten the chance to learn how to create those walls around who he is so he doesn't change or feel guilty for what happened."

"And that guilt will kill him if he doesn't separate himself from his alias." Frank said in understanding.

"Exactly. Dad he has to finish this, if he doesn't it will destroy him. I don't know what the hell this organization is doing, but Jamie needs them to be shut down. He'll never recover if not."

"I know son. I'm hoping that he can do it, if not then we will need to start working something out to try and shut them down ourselves. We can use what intel Jamie has and go from there. For now we need to let him try and close this one himself, but we will be ready if we have to join in."

"Hopefully he can do this and come out of it alive. Anything after that can always be fixed. I'm heading back now so I'll talk to you more about it tomorrow. Maybe we can start working on some intel of our own just in case."

"We have to do it carefully because we don't know who we can trust. I'll get Baker to do some very light searches and see if she can find anything."

"Alright. I'll come by and see you tomorrow. I love ya."

"I love you too son. Drive safe."

"Always. Goodnight."

"Goodnight son."

Danny ended the call and then just focused on driving. He didn't know what organization Jamie was after, but he did know that when the time came, if the time came, he would be ready to help him out. This wasn't going to be the case that destroys his little brother and Danny wasn't going to let it. He wasn't going to lose another brother no matter what.