I'm back with a new story for the holidays. My apologies for long delays in chapters. I will try to publish as soon as I can.

Chapter One

Without her family around, Eddie was used to Thanksgiving without relatives. She was a sophisticated New Yorker with lots of stylish friends to surround herself with at all times. To be honest, she disliked being alone. She was too social. Thanksgiving was no exception. Each year, she had a friends Thanksgiving. The day mostly centered around day-drinking and football on the TV. Friends cooked a dish at home and then awkwardly tried to carry hot dishes in big bags down the streets of Manhattan, or on their laps in the subway, to their host's apartment. It was a miracle some food made it in one piece. No one had the table space or enough chairs for the crowd, so lawn chairs were set up; coffee tables were pulled together. It was messy and hodge-podge and wonderful. But over the years, friends left the city for more affordable homes, they got married and had kids, they could afford flights out of town, they had parents to help back home. It wasn't the same Thanksgiving anymore. Instead of loving the idea of having Thanksgiving with friends, she was having a hard time piecing together enough people to make it happen. And to be honest, she started to envy the big family dinners. She knew it was fraught with drama and family dysfunction, but there was something more there. She now was able to see the traditions, the closeness, and the memories it made. She secretly longed for it, even if her cool exterior said otherwise.

This Thanksgiving, she planned to work the early morning shift with Jamie along the parade route. Afterwards, she would get home in time to pull her already-made chocolatey dessert from the fridge and quickly make her way across town to her friends just in time for dinner. The Thanksgiving Day parade in New York was a national event. Full of families and spectators; it is a big day for the city. It also meant a big police presence. While security was a much bigger part of the event than it used to be, most of the crowd was in a festive and happy mood. And unlike New Year's Eve, most of the people they encountered were not completely drunk. That helps.

Jamie and Eddie walked along the streets of Manhattan surveying the crowds, backpacks, and bags of those around – watching the people who watched the parade. It was hard not to get caught up in the electricity in the air. Every once in a while they peeked up into the sky to see a cartoon balloon fly overhead. Their shift was almost over, and it had been a fairly uneventful tour.

"I think it will take me all weekend to warm up after this shift," Jamie said, blowing warm air into his gloves.

"Just imagine that nice, golden turkey coming out of the oven, steaming biscuits with melted butter…" Eddie said, her eyes dreamy.

"I should have known you'd pick food as your motivation," Jamie said smiling.

Eddie rolled her eyes, but the moment was cut short by a scream coming from a side street off the parade route. Jamie and Eddie headed straight toward the commotion. As they came upon the scene, a young woman was on the ground, holding the side of her face, blood smeared across her temple. She was frightened. The sight of two police officers in front of her so quickly gave her immediate comfort.

"What happened?" Eddie asked as she crouched down to the woman on the ground.

"My ex," she said, her voice shaking, "he took off down the street."

"Can you describe him?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, uh, tall…like six-three. Red sweatshirt, jeans, red sneakers," she replied.

"Stay put," Jamie said to Eddie and the woman, and he started walking briskly down the street, peering inside shop windows and around alley corners. Eddie called for a bus, and asked the woman questions – her name, her ex's name. Suddenly, the woman interrupted.

"There he is," she whispered, frightened, pointing in the opposite direction of where Jamie headed. The guy must have back-tracked or come back around to check the damage. Eddie spun around and saw the man that had just been described. On instinct, the guy started running away once he spied a cop. And on instinct, Eddie started running after him. He was headed right toward the parade route and Eddie had a bad feeling about this situation escalating quickly. She decided to pursue him anyway. The guy smartly submerged himself in the crowd and all but disappeared. Eddie walked briskly, eyes darting to the tops of heads, but she was careful not to cause concern to the other bystanders. After a few blocks, she was ready to give up. She hopped up on a stoop and surveyed the scene. Nothing. She started back toward the scene of the crime when something told her to check a small alley. It was either woman's intuition or her police training – she had to check it out, even if walking down an alley alone would normally seem like a bad idea. As quiet as she could, she walked down the alley. She reached for her holster, ever ready. Suddenly, a flash of movement from her left. Before she could react, she was on the ground, her head hitting the cold pavement, her arm in pain so much so that it carried throughout her body. Hit hard with a metal pipe, even the five layers of clothes couldn't protect her from the intensity of the hit. She heard footsteps running away as she lay in pain. And even though it hurt, she was more upset that the guy got the drop on her.

Minutes passed, Eddie tried slowly to pick herself up off the ground. She was worried her arm was broken. As she got her bearings and leaned against a dumpster, she heard her partner calling for her.

"Eddie!" he shouted, running down the alleyway. He slid down to her on the ground. "Are you hit?" he asked, breathless.

"No, no, the guy hit me with a pipe or something," she said, wincing.

"Do you need me to call a bus?" he asked.

"No, but I should probably get checked out," Eddie replied. "How's the girl?"

"Fine," Jamie said, "being checked out. Let's square things away and get you over to the hospital."

Eddie nodded in agreement. She walked back toward the squad car a little shaky. She held her hurt with her good arm and focused on not falling down. She leaned close to her partner. She knew he wouldn't let her go.