Chapter 2

"Eddie, have you seen the charger for my laptop?" Jamie yelled up the steps. It was five-thirty in the morning and he had meant to have all of his things packed the night before, but had been a little distracted by another round of Jamie and me time late in the evening. Eddie's libido had been on overdrive the last week or so, one of the happy side effects of her pregnancy, and her husband wasn't complaining one bit. His father was due to pick him up in fifteen minutes for the drive to the airport though, so he was rushing around hastily packing a few forgotten items.

"It's in the den on your desk," she replied back as she made her way down the steps carrying Kaylin with her soft blanket and ducky yellow footie pajamas. Normally she would have been annoyed with the fact that Jamie's rooting around had woken their daughter before her regular time, but she knew he would want to say goodbye to both of them since he wasn't due to return from D.C. until late Friday night. The two had all day to nap and make up for it anyway.

"Kaylin, sweetheart, why don't you go watch by the window and let us know when Grandpa is here, okay? I need to help your daddy get ready," Eddie said as she set the toddler down. "Jamie, wait!" she snagged him as he dashed into the kitchen. "Your tie is crooked. Let me fix it, please," she smiled as her hands caressed his chest, causing an immediate blush to rise on his cheeks, before she quickly pulled and rearranged the silk fabric. "There, I can't have you getting on a plane with your father and the mayor and his staff looking frumpy, can I? You'll need your heavy coat too, I heard there's a chance of bad weather coming up the coast at the end of the week."

"Jesus, Eddie," he whispered as he put his hands on both sides of her head and pulled her in for a deep kiss, their lips crashing together. "You're making it really hard for me to leave right now," he moaned as he leaned his forehead into hers. "Promise me you'll still be like this when I get home. I swear I'll walk back from Washington if I have to."

"Go," she laughed. "Be a hotshot liaison with the FBI for a few days. I'll be waiting. I promise. Now grab your coat before you forget."

"Okay," he sighed as he walked to the front closet to pull out his warm overcoat, nearly tripping over Bear, the cat who was making a beeline through the living room, "but I'm going to hold you to that, Janko."

"Daddy, Daddy!" Kaylin cried out excitedly as she ran to the door, "Grandpa's here with the batmobile!"

"Jamison Reagan!" Eddie scolded from the kitchen where she was pouring coffee into a travel mug. "You can't have your little girl running around telling all her friends at 1PP's daycare that her Grandpa rides around the city in the batmobile."

"But he does, isn't that right, Kaylin?" he said as he scooped the little girl up while he unlocked the front door for his father, making her giggle as he touched all of her ticklish spots. "Daddy's going to miss you for the next couple of days. You be good for your momma, okay? And I promise I will call you every night and tell you a good night story if I can. I love you sweetness."

"Love you more, Daddy," she replied back with a kiss.

"Hey, there's my girl," Frank smiled as he came through the door. "How about a kiss and a hug for your old Grandpa too?" he asked as he reached over to take the little one from Jamie. "You about ready, son? Our flight leaves at seven-thirty." He paused to observe his youngest and smirked, "You look a little tired this morning."

Jamie almost choked as the bright red blush returned, there was never getting anything past his father. "Yeah, all set, Dad," he grinned as he threw his coat over his arm and grabbed his bags. "I'm fine. Thanks, Ed," he said as he took the mug and gave her a final kiss goodbye. "Love you. I'll see you Friday night. Don't be afraid to call Pop or Danny if you need anything while I'm gone."

"Bye Eddie," Frank called as he set Kaylin down and watched her scoot over to her mother. "I'll have him back to you as soon as I can."

"Have a good trip, Frank," she smiled as she called after them while they were making their way down the sidewalk. She waved as the SUV drove off, then turned around and picked up her daughter, shooing Bear back away from the door with her foot. "C'mon baby, let's go make some breakfast... just us girls."

"But Mommy," a tiny voice was heard, "isn't Bear a boy cat?"

Eddie just sighed. There was never getting anything past that little girl.

###

United Commutair flight 119 had been completely reserved to ferry personnel from the NYPD and the mayor's office directly from Newark to Washington for multiple conferences taking place within the city. Frank and his staff were slated to attend two events designated for the commissioners of major metropolitan areas while the mayor had been called to testify before Congress on matters of Homeland Security. Jamie, on the other hand, had agreed to meet with his counterparts at the FBI regarding an upcoming operation targeting an illegal arms dealer that the bureau was planning within the New York City limits. It was his responsibility to coordinate the NYPD resources required to provide cover for the FBI officers, and to make sure his officers were well-versed in the legal requirements needed to make the intended charges stick. Frank had asked to sit in on the last day of his meetings on Friday so he could keep tabs on the mission from his office. A return flight had been booked for late Friday evening.

The small prop plane taxied down the runway on schedule for a brief ninety-minute flight to the Capitol. Space was a bit tight in the cabin, and Jamie found himself sitting next to one of the secretaries from the mayor's office, who had enthusiastically introduced herself as Anne Wheeler before she noticed his wedding band. At that point, she sat back and occupied herself by sniffling and coughing throughout much of the time, leaving Jamie wishing he had remembered to pack some sanitizing wipes, especially after a particularly ill-timed sneeze sprayed his laptop keyboard. She assured him it was just allergies, the only time she acted this way was around cats. He smiled politely at her apology, but rolled his eyes when he reached down to close the computer and slip it back into his bag. He spent the rest of the flight contemplating how to disinfect it while his father and his assistant, Detective Abigail Baker, carried on with their normal business in the seats directly in front of his row.

The entire contingent was chauffeured to the same hotel after landing and Jamie gratefully checked in, finding himself in a room just a few doors down from his father. He immediately jumped into the shower, hoping to rid himself of Anne Wheeler's supposed allergy germs. The last thing he needed was to come home from this trip with a cold as he was very much looking forward to round three with Eddie upon his return. Afterwards, he called his FBI contact and confirmed their afternoon meeting schedule. With a few hours to spare before it was necessary to leave, he made his way down to the hotel restaurant to get an early lunch.

"Jamie, come join us," his father called from the table where he was sitting with Baker and DCPI Garrett Moore, who had arrived the day before to take care of some other business before rejoining the Commissioner's team.

"Good to see you, Garrett," Jamie said as he slid into the seat next to him. He eyed what Baker was having, also ordering a Caesar salad and an iced tea when the waitress came by.

Moore's phone buzzed with a text message, and his brow wrinkled in concern when he read it. "Have you been following the forecast, Frank?" he asked. "The weather models now have that storm coming up the coast turning into a major nor'easter with impact on Long Island Saturday afternoon. Predictions are calling for up to twenty inches of snow and freezing rain. It'll be a disaster."

"It's early in the season and that's still three days away, Garrett," Frank commented. "But call Emergency Resources and make sure storm preparations are started. Have all the precincts go on code white alert so the RMPs and the patrol officers are outfitted in advance. Confirm our return flight stays on schedule. You know how the airports get when this kind of thing happens. I don't want to be stuck down here while we go into a state of emergency back at home."

"Got it, boss," Garrett said as he made notes in his schedule. "I'll go make those calls now," he said as he excused himself from the table.

Frank turned to Jamie, "You should try to bump up that Friday meeting time, son. We might have to bug out of here earlier than expected."

"Agent Reeves offered to meet over a late dinner tomorrow night, if that's okay for you, Dad," Jamie stated as his food arrived and he started eating.

"Yes, let's plan on doing that," Frank agreed. "Work out the details with Baker. I have some calls to make before we leave for the conference. I'll be back in my room. Stay here and finish your lunch, Abigail," he added as he took his leave. He hated the unpredictable nature of these early season storms.

"So how is Eddie doing with her transition to desk duty?" Baker asked Jamie, as they were the only two left at the table now. "I saw that she's transferring into personnel on Monday."

"Oh, she thinks it's a little early for her to come off the street, but she knew I would be busy the next few weeks and we wanted to keep Kaylin on a good schedule, so it was easier if she made the move now," Jamie offered. Abigail Baker was always easy to talk to when she wasn't charged with keeping his father's schedule in line. Without fail, she was controlled and ordered no matter the situation. Even now, Jamie could see she was hurrying to finish her lunch so she could rejoin the Commissioner's team.

"I admire the two of you for being able to keep everything together so smoothly," she laughed. "What with the new job, house and now another baby coming. Your father thinks Kaylin is a little whirlwind. He truly lights up when he speaks of her. I'm really happy for you all," she said as she pushed her plate back and gathered her things. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get up there before Garrett completely revamps our itinerary." Jamie smiled as she hurried off. He wondered what his father would ever do without her.


Things really get rolling with tomorrow's chapter! Who comes back to threaten Jamie and what do they want this time?