Author Note: Second chapter for tonight... Don't miss the first one!


CHAPTER 8 – PROTECTIVE CUSTODY

OCTOBER 10, 2012 – WEDNESDAY EVENING

"Well, that's another eight hours down," Vinnie remarked as he steered their patrol car toward the garage at the 12th at the end of tour.

"Nine hours, Vin. Nine. That last purse snatch call put us an hour late." Jamie corrected.

"That's right. But at least the vic was easy on the eyes."

"Yeah, I noticed you spent a lot of time getting every little detail of her statement," Jamie teased his partner.

"Just trying to do my job the best I can," Vinnie teased back. "Hey, what's your brother doing here?" he asked as he spotted Detective Reagan leaning against Jamie's car beside their station house.

Jamie groaned and sank down in his seat. "Probably waiting for me. Either he thinks I forgot where his house is, or I just lost my driving privileges."

"Hey, you know all we're trying to do is keep you safe. You grow on a guy. Getting used to having you as a partner, y'know?" Vinnie told him.

"I know. Kind of suffocating, though."

"J, you know my door is open if you want to stay with me," Vinnie repeated the offer he'd made earlier in the day, when they had stopped by Jamie's apartment so he could gather the clothes and toiletries he'd need for the next few days.

"Nah, I don't want to interfere with your social life," Jamie teased. "But thanks."

A few minutes later, Jamie had changed into his street clothes and exited the station house to meet his brother at his car. "Hello, Danny."

Danny looked at his watch. "You're late."

"You're here."

"Yeah, Dad and I had a conversation earlier. It's possible that crazy lady knows what your car looks like. We decided it would be safer for everyone if you leave it here for a few days and carpool with me," Danny informed his brother. "Move it into the garage. I'll meet you there," he ordered.

Jamie dropped his travel bag at his brother's feet in a small act of defiance before he walked to the driver's door and lowered himself into his car. For a moment, he thought about revving the engine and driving off, leaving Danny standing alone on the sidewalk in a cloud of exhaust. As amusing as that image was, he knew it wouldn't work out well in the end. Danny would probably send a patrol car after him, lights flashing and sirens blaring. With a sigh, he moved his car to the precinct's garage, pulling into the parking place Danny was pointing to.

"Kid, hurry up. We're going to be late for dinner," Danny called. He opened the passenger door to his well-worn SUV for Jamie. "Stay down, out of sight, while we're leaving, in case she's watching," he instructed.

"Danny, this is stupid," Jamie protested as he climbed into the vehicle, kneeling on the floor in front of the passenger side seat.

"My car, my family, my rules," Danny informed him. He got into the driver seat, started the car and tore out of the garage.

"Danny!" Jamie protested. "Watch how you drive, at least until I get buckled in!"

"Wimp," Danny teased. But he did slow down slightly. A few blocks later, he allowed Jamie to sit up in the passenger seat. After an uneventful drive, he turned his car into his driveway on Staten Island. "Here we are, Jamie. You home sweet home for the next few days."

"Danny, I'm sorry about this. I don't want to inconvenience you and Linda."

"Stuff it, kid. Keeping you safe here isn't inconvenient. It's the opposite of inconvenient. If you weren't here, I'd be standing guard at your place, away from my family. Or going through the extra work and worry of trying to track you down after she snatches you. Besides, the boys will enjoy having their uncle around. "

"Okay. But at least let me order in pizza. Linda shouldn't have to cook for me in addition to the other work a houseguest makes."

"I won't turn down free dinner tonight, if Linda approves. And you do realize she's going to put you to work. You're not getting a free ride. How are your early-elementary school math skills?"

"One plus one equals two?"

"Good boy. You'll do fine as a homework helper." Danny replied, squeezing Jamie's shoulder. "Now get yourself inside and order that pizza. I'm hungry."

"Yes, my lordship." Jamie grumbled good-naturedly.

"And here come the lady of the house and the little princes now." Danny got out of the car and scooped his sons into a hug.

"Greetings, m'Lady," Jamie greeted Linda with an elaborate bow.

Linda looked at him in confusion, until she notice Danny's smirk. Some silly brothers thing, obviously. "Jamie, welcome home."

Danny sent his boys Jamie's way and pulled his wife into a hug and a quick kiss. "Jamie's offered to buy pizza for dinner tonight, unless you have other plans…"

"That's sweet of him." Linda told her husband. "But he doesn't have to do that."

Danny shrugged. "Let him. He's feeling guilty about causing extra work for you. It'll make him feel better."

"Okay, Danny, but just tonight." Linda turned to her sons. "Boys, did you hear that? Uncle Jamie's buying pizza for you."

Jack and Sean both yelled in excitement. Sean hugged Jamie again. "You're my best uncle, Uncle Jamie," he told Jamie. "Buy cheese pizza."

"No, buy pepperoni," Jack insisted from his other side. "Cheese is boring."

"Is not. Pepperoni stinks," Sean argued back.

"Hey, guys, guys. We'll get one of each, okay?" Jamie tried to settle the argument before it went too much further. "Let's go inside and find the number for your favorite place." He followed the two energetic boys up the front steps

As soon as the pizzas were ordered, Jamie pulled Danny aside. He removed his off-duty weapon and handed it to his brother. "I'm sure you have some place you want to put this. Probably shouldn't let me know where," Jamie said.

Danny nodded. "I'll keep it secure for you." He was relieved that Jamie had taken the initiative. He hadn't wanted to disarm his brother against his will, but he couldn't let his sleepwalking brother have access to weapons. He had to keep his family safe. All of them. Including Jamie.

"Seriously, don't let me know where you put it or your gun either. I'm afraid I'll try to get to it, and I don't want to put your family in danger. Sleepwalking is bad enough without a loaded gun." Jamie glanced toward the front door and sighed. "I hate this. I can't trust myself to not do something stupid."

"Jamie, you'll be okay," Danny tried to reassure his brother. "And don't worry, I'll be listening for any late-night promenading. You can't get downstairs without walking by our bedroom door." Internally, he was worried. Maybe he should take a few additional precautions to watch out for his baby brother instead of depending on creaky floorboards. He turned Jamie back toward the kitchen. "Go help my kids with their homework while we wait for those pizzas. I've got some weapons concealing to do."

Several hours and four pizzas later, Jamie found himself lying in Sean's twin-size bed, staring at the ceiling, hoping he'd be able to sleep through the night. He tried to focus his thoughts on reality. He was safe, in his brother's house, with his brother watching over him. She didn't know where he was, so she couldn't hurt him. He could go to sleep and wake up safe in this bed tomorrow morning. He was safe…

He was in a small room in an attic furnished only with a small metal bed placed in front of a dormer window. The dormer let in a small amount of light, not that there was much light to filter in with the raging snowstorm outside. He ran across the room, crawled over the bed to the window and tried to open it, but it was locked, and also blocked by heavy iron bars running from top to bottom. He yanked at the bars, feeling panic starting to grow, choking him, closing off his vision.

He turned and ran to the door, turning the knob and yanking on the doorknob, but it wouldn't open. He was trapped. "Let me out. Please, let me out," he yelled, banging on the door as hard as he could. He hurried back to the window and pounded on the glass. "Danny! Joe! Dad! Help me!" Why were they just standing down there on the lawn? Why wouldn't they help him? The panic was a physical thing now, a spinning vortex of darkness whipping his hair into his face, making it hard to see, sucking the breath from his lungs, threatening to pull him in.

"Jamie!" A familiar voice called his name from outside of the room. He tried to latch onto it and the safety it represented, but it whirled away into the vortex.

"Stupid boy, you can't get out," a different voice – female, threatening – mocked from behind him. "Stupid, stupid boy."

He turned around to see her standing there, aiming a Taser shaped like an old Colt revolver at him. He wanted to run, but something was pinning him to the wall and his legs were trapped in several feet of snow. "Please, don't; please, let me go," he begged. But she ignored him and fired the weapon and he was falling, falling, falling into the swirling darkness. "No!"

"No! No!" Jamie moaned as he thrashed about on the bed.

"Jamie! Come on, kid, wake up. You're okay."

Danny's quiet, insistent voice cut into Jamie's nightmare, finally breaking its grip on his subconscious. He awoke gasping for breath, his heart racing. Danny sat on the edge of the bed, holding him down by his shoulders, a concerned look on his face.

"You awake now?" Danny asked.

Jamie nodded. He worked at getting his breathing back to normal as the images from the nightmare faded. "I'm okay. Sorry if I woke up everyone."

"Don't worry about that. Same old nightmare?"

"Yeah. One of the many variations on the theme." He draped one arm over his eyes. "Don't think I'll be getting any more sleep tonight."

"Yes, you will." Danny turned around so he was sitting with his back against the headboard.

"Hey! This bed's not big enough for two people," Jamie protested as he slid over to make room for Danny.

"Sure it is. Sean and Jack share it all the time," Danny teased. He laid one hand on Jamie's forehead, lightly rubbing the bridge of his brother's nose. "Relax. Think about breathing slowly."

"Danny," Jamie almost whined. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Jamie," Danny mimicked Jamie's tone. "I know that. But you're still my baby brother, so you have to do what I tell you to. Breathe in slow, breathe out slow."

"Do not," Jamie argued back, but he found himself following Danny's instructions.

"Breathe in," Danny repeated, "breathe out. You know the fun thing about being the eldest sibling? I always get to be the big brother, and you're stuck being the baby of the family forever. Sixty years from now, when I'll be a hundred-year old geezer in a wheelchair and you'll be a ninety year old whippersnapper with a cane, you'll still be the baby brother."

"If you call me that, I'll push your wheelchair into traffic." Jamie retorted.

"But that still won't make you the big brother. You might be the eldest son, and a geriatric homicidal maniac, but you'll still be the baby of the family."

"What if Dad has another child? Then I won't be the baby."

Danny turned Jamie's head to face him. "Kid, you trying to give me bad dreams now? That's just wrong."

Jamie smirked. "You're secretly a prude. You don't even want to think about Dad being with a woman."

"You. Shut. Up." Danny laid his hand over Jamie's mouth.

Jamie pushed Danny's hand away. "Prude," he stated again, right before his smirk morphed into a yawn.

"Getting sleepy, baby brother?" Danny teased.

"Nope," Jamie argued. It might have been more convincing if he hadn't yawned again.

"Hey, on the subject of little kids, I haven't told you about Sean's latest soccer game. He's turning out to be a better player than you were." Danny launched into a detailed retelling of every play of his son's latest sports game. As he hoped, by the end of the story, Jamie had almost fallen asleep. "Good night, kid," Danny whispered.

"G'nigh," Jamie mumbled as he rolled onto his side.

Danny rested one hand to his brother's shoulder, not willing to leave until he was sure Jamie was sound asleep. He leaned back against the headboard, wondering how long the nightmares would last for this time and plagued by worry over what could be causing them. Danny's mind took him back fifteen years to that attic in Marjorie Thornsberg's Long Island mansion...


AN: Two chapter AND a tiny bit of a cliffhanger!