A/N Just a little follow-on to Back in the Day. That episode was directed by Bryan Goluboff, who also directed the S6 opener, which was rather dark and dreary. His touch was pretty evident in BITD, with those painful Jamie/Eddie scenes. But I think the writers are intentionally tinkering with the Jamko dynamic, rearranging the pieces, to let them rediscover each other as partners in a personal way. We can only hope. :-) Enjoy...

Frank sat in his overstuffed chair in the family room crunching the New York Times in his hands as he read the sports page. His attention was diverted at the sound of feet which turned out to be Jamie, who walked in and tossed his jacket on a chair. "You must be reading about the Giants. The paper looks like it's about to be shredded."

Frank snapped the paper down and folded it in his lap and smiled. "Good guess. I could use a diversion. You want a drink?"

"No, thanks. I'm good." Jamie sat down on the automan, facing his father. "I had an incident come up the other night that I'd like your take on."

"Sure. I'll try to help if I can."

"Eddie and I had a detective assignment and were sitting on the house of a perp's mother, who was also a known accessory. While we were waiting to track the mother, a 10-13 came over the radio. The distress call was only two blocks away so I said we had to hit it and started the car. But Eddie argued that the Lead Detective ordered us to stay in position no matter what, and then she pulled the keys out of the ignition."

Frank raised a brow. He could hear the anger in Jamie's voice and could see it in his eyes. "So let me guess. You ditched your partner."

He held his hands out in defense. "It was a 10-13, Dad. I had no other choice."

"You always have a choice."

"She took the keys! What was I supposed to do?" Jamie still felt angry about it and pressed his lips together trying to select his words carefully. "So I went on foot to the distress call location, and there were about twenty units there, but it turned out to be unfounded."

"And Officer Janko? What happened with the op?"

"They caught the mother and the perp at a diner a few blocks over, so I caught up with them. And when I did, I set her straight about sitting out the 10-13."

Frank eyed the scotch in his glass. "You mean the same way you set Sgt. Mulvey straight?"

Jamie tightened his jaw and his resolve, irritated at the reminder of the angry exchange he'd instigated with the sergeant. "In so many words, I let her know that what she did was wrong."

"What about Detective Rivera and the officers working the op? Did they respond to the 10-13?"

Jamie looked nonplused and shook his head. "Well, no, but…"

Frank looked at him trying to read his son and the facts at hand. "Well, did you set all of them straight, too?"

Jamie's eyes reflected his defensiveness at the question. "Rivera was running an op. But Eddie is my partner and she had a duty to respond to that call, which she didn't because she's chasing a promotion. I need a partner I can trust!"

"So does Eddie Janko." Frank said as he leaned forward resting his arms on his knees, closing the gap between him and Jamie. "And she also had a duty to make a judgment call, which every officer has to do from time to time, including her."

Jamie felt put off and the tone in his voice showed it. He stood up in frustration and paced. "So you think I'm wrong?"

"I didn't say that. But let me ask you this. Is the burr under your saddle the fact that Eddie wanted to stay at the stakeout? Or because she's got one foot, and a rabbi, in the D's office?"

Jamie squared his shoulders, convinced he had been right. "She blew off a ten thirteen to chase a shield, Dad!"

"I wouldn't exactly say she blew it off, Jamie. She was on an undercover assignment trying to catch a perp. You make it sound like she was waiting in line at Starbucks." Frank sighed in exasperation. "There's not a detective in the NYPD that didn't have to run after a shield. Just ask your brother. But that tenacity also has a lot to do with who gets the promotion."

"So you think I'm wrong?"

"No. But how often does your partner drive the RMP or make decisions about calls? Because from where I sit it sounds you like you've gotten used to calling the shots and now you're pissed because she tried to exercise some personal initiative."

Jamie felt nonplussed but he thought for a moment. He shrugged as he slid his hands in to the pockets of his jeans. "Okay, yeah, I guess I usually drive. So what?"

Frank took a pull from his scotch. "Well, maybe it's time you give Eddie the keys once in a while. And instead of calling her on the carpet for a decision she's made, how about just having a conversation with her? You're usually pretty good at that. Being partners isn't about being right; it's about being together and sticking it out."

Jamie sat back down and chewed on his father's advice. "So what would you have done?"

Frank sat back and thought about it and shrugged. "I wouldn't have left my partner. But it sounds like you both acted impulsively and I think the real question is to find out why that is, for both of you." Frank decided to probe, his investigator hunches coming back to him. "I always thought you and Eddie were close."

Jamie looked at the floor. "I thought so, too."

He pressed a little further. "At one time, I thought you had some personal feelings for her, which would be understandable. Aside from being smart, and a good cop, Eddie's a pretty girl." He watched for a reaction from his son, but none came. "But maybe I was mistaken."

Jamie looked up at him. "I don't know. Maybe. It just seems like this year we've been moving in different directions. I didn't even know she was pals with Rivera until he gave us the op the other day."

"She's not your subordinate, Jamie. And she's not a rookie anymore."

"I know that."

"So stop taking it so personally. You can work together to move in different directions, you know. And that opens the door to new possibilities, personally and professionally." Frank swirled the scotch in his glass. He decided to roll the dice. "Did you tell Eddie about what happened with the sergeants exam?"

Jamie looked up at him with regret in his eyes and slowly shook his head. "No. I haven't mentioned that to anybody."

"Well, I think looking toward the future starts with a little trust. And trust is a two way street."

~~00~~00~~00~~

McMahon's Pub was standing room only at lunch time. The winter weather drove every unit to the well known cop hangout. Eddie drizzled more olive oil on her salad and pushed the leaves around with her fork.

Jamie sat across from her chewing a bite of an avocado sandwich. "Since when did you get so chummy with leafy greens? That's the fourth salad you've had for lunch this week. What gives?"

Eddie looked up at him. Another thing she obviously couldn't do right, she thought to herself, but she decided to keep things light. "Part of my new year resolution. I just wanted to drop a few pounds and eat a little healthier. See, Reagan, you've rubbed off on me."

Her genuine smile chased away the winter chill from his disposition. Ever since the night of the stakeout they had been cordial and friendly and the work continued as it always had. But something was different. Their camaraderie had taken a hit. He took a sip of water and decided he should tell her the truth. "Eddie…"

But just as he opened his mouth, Eddie looked up and cut him off. "Jamie. I might as well tell you that I asked Renzulli to reassign me to a different partner."

He was confused. He wrinkled his brows in question. "What? What do you mean?"

"I just thought that after all the remarks about if I don't like the way you do things I can ride with some else, or that you need a partner you can trust, it seemed like the right thing to do." Her voice was calm and filled with sincerity and a little sadness. "But don't worry," she hastened to add, "I didn't go in to any detail with the boss—I just said we wanted to change things up for a while. No harm, no foul."

He fidgeted with his sandwich. it hadn't been what he wanted, but now his words were where her mouth was. "I said that because I don't want you to think you have to stay if you don't want to."

"Yeah?" She asked half in question and half in resignation. "Well you've shouted it four times, so it seemed like it was more than a passing thought."

Jamie shifted in his seat. Had he yelled it at her four times? He'd lost count. And when had he started yelling at her? He couldn't remember and now he just felt hollow and empty. And none of that seemed to matter anymore. "No, it wasn't more than a passing argument, Eddie. And mostly because I've been frustrated by something that I haven't been entirely honest about."

Great, she thought. More honesty issues. She took another bite of crunchy greens and politely murmured around her food. "What do you mean?"

"When you asked me about the sergeant's exam, I told you I didn't want to take any more tests after law school."

She waited, perched on anticipation. "And?"

He let out a long breath and wadded his paper napkin in a ball and tossed it on his lunch plate. "The truth is, I studied for the test and took it six weeks ago. But I didn't pass. I failed by one point."

Eddie blinked back at him in astonishment and suddenly the pieces of the puzzle magically fell in to place. She sat back and stared at him, surprised by the admission. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I've never failed anything in my life, Eddie. I never had anything less than an 'A' in school except for a 'C' in science in eighth grade. I graduated at the top of my class at the academy, and Harvard Law." His eyes looked around trying to pin down his emotions. "And so now, to bomb this exam left me wondering about what it all means for me? What's next if I can't pass that?"

"Jamie, I wouldn't exactly say missing it by one point is bombing it."

"One point, it might as well be fifty points, because it's all a failure."

She smiled empathetically. "No one passes the sergeant's exam the first time out."

"Some people do," he quickly added. "Six percent, to be exact."

"Okay," she nodded and smiled again, "six percent. But most officers don't. I've even heard Renzulli mention it took him a couple of times."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, it's never happened to me."

She took a sip of her Coke, and leaned forward. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He leaned forward, meeting her halfway, answering her question in a quiet voice. "I was embarrassed. And I felt like if I didn't talk about it, then I could forget about it."

She knew what that felt like. Jake Singer had seen to that. "I know a little something about that."

His eyes registered hers and he knew what she alluded to. "Well, so, there you have it."

Eddie studied his expression. She wanted to reach a hand out and place it on his, but decided against it. She saw a new door opening in front of them, and decided to take it in hopes he would follow. "So when is the next test window?"

He knew where she was going with this but felt reluctant to go there. "Five months from now, but I'm not sure I want to go down a rabbit hole, Eddie."

She smiled at him. "Seems to me it makes sense to take it again while all the information is still fresh in your head. And I'm a good study buddy, Reagan. I could help you, I mean if you want to try?"

He tapped his debit card against the table top as he considered her proposal. "You'd help me study?" He looked at her incredulously. "That's a lot of togetherness, Eddie. Riding around in the car all day and then studying at night. You're gonna want to shoot me."

"I already want to shoot you now, so it can't get any worse." She chuckled playfully. "Quid pro quo, Jamie. If I help you prep for the exam, you can give me your pointers about detective case work since you've done more of it than I have. What do you say?"

He found his smile again as he looked in to her eyes. Their blue depths were full of trust and excitement, just like the first day he met her. But now he saw something new in them, the look of a woman he hadn't really gotten to know yet, but wanted to. "Okay, Eddie. It's a deal. Does this mean we're gonna still ride together?"

She looked at him and saw he meant it, a look she hadn't seen in a while. Trust looked good on him, too. "Yeah, I'll square it away with the boss."

Jamie paid their check and led the way out of the restaurant, toward the car. As they stepped back outside, the cold air and bright sunshine were an assault to their senses. Eddie stood by the passenger door, her arms wrapped around her. "What are you waiting for? It's freezing!" The sound of her voice was light hearted and teasing. Jamie reached in to his pocket and pulled out the car keys and tossed them over to her.

As they sailed through the air, the keys bounced against her jacket and Eddie fumbled to catch them. "Hey, what's going on?" She looked at him in question. "Wait, is this about the key thing the other night?"

Jamie stood next to her by the passenger door. "No. I was just thinking it might be time to change a few things up. I mean, if you make detective you're gonna be on the mean streets without me. So I want to make sure you've got the drive moves down." He smiled and nudged her with his arm.

"I like it when you drive." She looked up at him as she toyed with the keys and lowered her voice. "So not all the time, right?"

He spoke softly, the cold afternoon air creating puffs of frozen breath from his mouth. "We're partners. It's not about being right. It's about being together and sticking it out."

Fin!