"Knock knock."
The interruption of the silence in the dimly lit room made Frank jump. He turned to see his daughter standing in the doorway.
"Erin, what are you doing here?"
"I thought you could use some company. And dinner." She held up a large bag. "How you doing, Dad?"
"I've been better."
"I'm sure. Mind if I turn on another lamp or two?"
"Go ahead."
After adding more light to the room, Erin set the bag down on the coffee table in the lounge area of Frank's office, then removed her heavy coat.
Noticing the partially eaten sandwich from lunch, she said, "Looks like you've already had dinner. Sort of."
"That's lunch."
"Doesn't look like you ate much of it."
"I had a few bites."
"I'm assuming that's all you've eaten today. You need to eat, Dad."
"I thought you were with Pop."
"I was. Who do you think packed this dinner and insisted I bring it to you?" she said, holding up a disposable container of warm lasagne from the bag.
"How is Pop?"
"Worried. About Nicole and you."
"Nicole's the one who needs the worries, not me."
"Well, we're worried about you, too, Dad. The stress of all this can't be good for you. Have you checked your blood pressure since all this started?"
"By all this you mean since I found out some lunatics grabbed my wife and videotaped her standing on a stool with a rope around her neck making demands I can't meet? Garrett's had the doctor checking my blood pressure all day, it's under control."
"Good for Garrett. I can't even imagine what you are going through right now, and certainly not Nicole. It must be horribly frightening for her."
"You've had your own scare, Erin."
"Yes, and I was terrified. But Danny saved me, and he will save Nicole as well. You just have to put your faith in that."
"That's the only thing keeping me going."
Noticing the bottle of scotch on the coffee table, Erin said, "I see you still keep a bottle stashed away in here. Does Nicole know you still have it?"
"No. And don't you be telling her either," Frank said, offering a smile.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Something tells me Nicole would be okay with it if she knew. "
"Well, she hasn't cleaned out the liquor cabinet at home, so I think she'd allow this. Besides, the doctor said moderation. And I needed it tonight."
"I understand that. I could use some myself. Got another glass?"
"I do."
About an hour later, Henry showed up at Frank's door.
"Pop, what are you doing here? You should be home. It's late."
"It's too quiet there, Francis, too lonely without her. I've kinda gotten used to having her around."
"Me, too. She does brighten the place up, doesn't she."
"That she does."
Eyeing the bottle of scotch of the table, Henry asked, "Got another glass?"
Frank retrieved a third glass from the cabinet, poured a drink for Henry, then more for Erin and himself. Then he sat on the sofa next to Erin.
"So, now we sit, and wait, and pray. For Nicole. And Danny."
"If anyone can find her, it's Danny," Pop said.
Frank had no doubt his son would find his wife. He just prayed it wasn't too late when he did.
XXXXX
Around two am Frank sat, as Erin and Pop slept, Erin stretched out on the leather sofa, Pop in the matching chair across from Frank, his legs stretched out on the coffee table between them. Frank had tried to sleep himself, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw the vision of Nicole in the video.
"Frank, Danny found them! They're setting up right now, getting ready to go in," Lt. Gormley exclaimed as he came running into the office. "You coming?"
"Try to stop me," Frank said as he stood, grabbed his coat from the corner coat rack.
Erin and Pop both stirred at the first sound of Gormley's voice.
"Dad, good luck. Tell Danny to be careful."
"I will. You and Pop go home, and stay. We'll have someone escort you." Frank hugged her.
As he headed out the door with the Lieutenant, Henry stopped him.
"Francis, just remember, however this turns out, Danny did his best."
"I know that, Pop."
XXXXX
When they arrived at the scene, the old, wood house was dark. Lt. Gormley had been instructed to arrive with lights and sirens off. There were only a few squad cars, and a small SWAT team. Frank found Danny in front of a black SUV, dressed in bullet-proof vest, dark NYPD jacket, and cap.
"What have we got, Danny?"
"We think they're in the basement. We're pretty sure it's just the two brothers, and Nicole. We hope to go in quietly, catch them sleeping."
"How sure are you that they're in there? How sure are you Nicole is in there?"
"Pretty sure, Dad, from what neighbors across the street told us earlier. And this. Recognize it?"
Danny reached over for something laying on the hood of the SUV. It was black; Frank hadn't noticed it.
"One of Nicole's heels she was wearing this morning."
Danny then pointed to the laptop sitting on the hood. "I'm wired, you can watch from here." Then he turned to the SWAT team leader. "Ready?"
"Danny," Frank said. "Be careful. I want both of you coming out of there alive."
"That's my plan, Dad."
One of the SWAT team members had managed to pry open and climb through a window, then unlocked the front door for Danny and the other two to enter. They quietly made their way through the house until they located the closed door leading to the basement. Standing on one side of the door with his gun drawn, Danny gave the signal to the SWAT team leader, who jerked the door open.
"NYPD!" Danny yelled as he and two of the SWAT members headed down the stairs as the basement lights flipped on.
The two brothers jumped up from cots where they were sleeping. When one reached for what appeared to be a weapon under the cot, the lead SWAT member shot him. The other brother managed to get to Nicole, who lay on the cold concrete floor near them, her hand and feet still bound. He jerked her up off the floor, then pulled a knife from his pants pocket.
"Come any closer, and I swear, I'll slit her throat!" he screamed, his voice trembling with fear as he held the knife at Nicole's throat, his other hand grasping the rope that bound her hands together behind her back.
His brother lay dead, his body sprawled on the cot where he had slept.
"You don't want to do that," Danny said, still holding his gun, pointing it at the man holding Nicole. The man was crouched low behind Nicole, his breath on her neck.
"You sure about that, Detective Reagan?"
"Just put the knife down, let her go."
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Because, Ray...it is Ray, right? You don't want to end up like your brother Rick there. Just put the knife down, let Nicole go, we can all walk out of here alive. No reason for anyone else to die."
"Oh, she's going to die!" Ray yelled, pulling Nicole's roped hands tighter.
"Come on, Ray, she didn't do anything to you, she's just an innocent victim caught in the middle of this. This is between you and me. Let her go. You kill her and I will have no choice but to kill you. She dies, you die, Ray."
"You think I care! You think I give a shit! What do I have to live for? My mother's dead, now my brother is dead, my dad's going to rot in prison thanks to you and that bitch sister of yours! I have nothing left to live for! You go ahead and blow me away, but you still have to go back and tell Daddy how you stood and watched his wife die! You'll live with that forever, won't you super Detective Danny Reagan."
"Danny," Nicole said, fear in her eyes, but her voice steady, "he wants to die. I don't. Please, just do it!"
Outside, as he watched on the small screen, Frank repeated her words, "Come on, Danny, do it! Enough talk."
"Shut up, bitch!" Ray screamed, pulling Nicole closer and cutting her with the knife, drawing blood.
"Come on, Danny. What are you waiting for? Say it," Frank pleaded under his breath.
"Say it!" Nicole screamed with all the energy she had left in her, as blood ran down her neck.
"Alright, alright. Let's all calm down. Let's all take a deep breath. Nicole, look at me," Danny said, and then he made a very slight nod of his head. "Ray, everything is going to be okay. Just...please don't hurt my family."
And with those words, Nicole jerked her head back, hitting Ray hard in the face. When he jerked up and back in reaction to the sudden blow, Danny took the shot. Ray went down, the knife in his hand dropping to the floor. Nicole cried out.
Danny rushed to her, putting his gun in its holster. "Nicole! Are you okay?"
"Untie me! Get me away from him!"
"Calm down. It's okay. Everything's okay," Danny said, as he untied her hands, then pulled a handkerchief from his pants pocket, put it against her neck. "Hold this tight, while I untie your feet."
Nicole held the handkerchief with one hand, put the other to her mouth, in an effort to calm herself, to silence her own whimpers. "Where's Frank? Is he okay?"
"He's fine now, Nicole. He's just outside, waiting for you."
"I want to see him."
"I'm pretty sure he wants to see you, too. Can you walk?"
"I think so."
"Put your arm me. Let's get you out of here."
The SWAT members moved to the side to allow Danny and Nicole to pass. As they made their way up the basement stairs, Danny looked up.
"Actually, Nicole, Dad's right there."
Nicole looked up. Frank was standing at the top of the stairs looking down at them, his hands in his coat pockets.
When they reached him, Frank took her in his arms. "Are you okay, Nicole, did they hurt you?"
She reached up for his face with one hand, still holding the handkerchief on her neck with the other.
"No," she whispered. "They didn't hurt me."
"Thank God," Frank replied, his hands now cupping her face, his lips touching her forehead, his breathing heavy, but steady. "Thank God." He kissed her forehead, and then her lips, as she dropped the handkerchief, her arms slipping around his neck.
"I want to go home, Frank, please take me home."
Frank scooped her up in his arms, carried her through the house and outside, her arms tight around his neck, her head buried deep in his chest.
XXXXX
Four days later the entire Reagan family joined together at the dining room table for Sunday dinner, including Nicky, home for Christmas break.
Frank led Grace, ending it with "Thank you Lord, for all we are about to receive and all you have done. And most of all, thank you for all ten of us here today, in one piece, at this table. For that we are most truly grateful."
"Amen to that, Francis. Having both Nicole's at the table is a blessing."
"That it is, Pop," Frank said, squeezing Nicole's hand that he held in his own.
"Well, I'm glad to be home with my family for Christmas," Nicky said, "and I'm even more glad that Nicole is safe, thanks to Uncle Danny. What would we do without him? First he saves Mom, and now Nicole."
"Unlike Erin who suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder in her ordeal, I came out of mine with only a few cuts and bruises," Nicole said, touching the long bandage on her neck. "I agree, what would we do without Danny? Thank you, Danny."
"And he saved both of them the same way, I understand," Jamie said. "I just have one question, Danny. How did you know for sure that Dad had shared the family "please don't hurt my family, hit the ground" code with Nicole?"
"I didn't," Danny replied, "and I didn't see any way it was going to work if he had. No way was she going to be able to hit the ground with that knife at her throat. But she seemed to be telling me to do it, I just had to go on faith she knew what to do. Thank God she did."
"She was telling you, Danny, and I thought you were never going to take her lead," Frank said. "Certainly I'd share the family code with my new bride. It's the first thing I did on our honeymoon."
Frank turned to Nicole, still squeezing her hand, the first night of their honeymoon vivid in his mind. His smile was wide.
"Well, it wasn't the first thing."
A/N — Any regular Blue Bloods viewers NOT see that line coming in Nicole's rescue? Thanks to all of you for taking the time to read, and to review.