Title: The Good Son
Chapter 13 – Back to Normal?

A/N: Thanks everyone for the vote to continue this story instead of a sequel (it was the vast majority's request) so here we go! :D

"Eddie why are you in today?" Greg asks as he watches his team lead slowly enter the SRU headquarters early Monday morning.

"What was I gonna do at home? Knit?" Ed retorts as he slowly eases himself down into a chair opposite his boss and friend.

"Knitting can be very therapeutic."

"Right well when you finish my scarf then you can give me some pointers," Ed smirks.

"How are you?"

"A bit stiff and sore but…"

"A bit? I want the truth," Greg gently pries.

"I'd go stir crazy staying at home and you know that."

"Next hot call at the Lane household?"

"Crazy man waving knitting needles in the air," Ed chuckles.

"Eddie you have cracked ribs, you know I can't put you into…"

"Fine I'll take the truck, but I'm not stayin' home."

"You always this stubborn?" Greg smirks.

"Hey you taught me," Ed counters before his expression turns serious. "What else did Detective Ross say?"

"Said Jeremy's father was pissed as you can rightly imagine but he told Mr. Ryder they had confirmed evidence and that was it. Jeremy killed Dean and…"

"What a waste," Ed winces.

"How's Clark with all this?"

"Kid bounces back amazingly. I think he was more broken up over his phone than anything else," Ed muses.

"Trust me he was worried sick about you."

"I'm sorry he had to go through all that. But he'll be glad…and I hate to stay this because it is a waste of life, but he'll be glad to go to school today and not have to worry about looking over his shoulder," Ed explains. "As will I."

"You got a good kid there Ed."

"I know…" Ed nods in agreement as the rest of the team starts to enter the building. Ed pushes back from the table, getting a small feeling inside that Greg wasn't telling him all the facts that Detective Ross told him. Did Jeremy's father threaten him in some way? Or worse Clark? Or was it just a residual feeling of agitation after he dropped Clark at school this morning that was still gnawing at his insides? Surely Greg would have told him if a direct threat would have been made. It wasn't uncommon or even unheard of for family members of the deceased victim's to rant to and about the police invovled, but if Mr. Ryder hadn't made an outright 'verbal' threat in front of the officers then it would be assumed settled. However, what Greg didn't even know was Detective Ross made light of the harsh words spoken against Ed, chalking them up to petty words spouted off in the heat of the moment but nothing to give really serious attention to.

"Hey buddy…so I have a few emails that I need you to answer when you're in the truck today," Wordy teases Ed, gently slapping him on the back.

"Funny."

"How'd it go?"

"Fine. I expected that today but I wasn't about to stay home and do nothing."

"Right yeah because resting after being kidnapped and nearly beaten to death is just something to shrug off," Wordy offers as he rolls his eyes.

"I'm still alive right?" Ed retorts.

"Did Greg hear anything from Jeremy's father?"

"No, why should he?" Ed asks as Wordy shrugs. "I'm sure he probably cursed all law enforcement over his son's death but it was a clean shot that Sam took and nothing that can be argued."

"Unless he comes back to sue as that other kid did for his father."

"And we won and will this time," Ed brushes it off. "It's over now and that's all that matters."

"Well am glad you're here to make light of it," Wordy lightly smiles.

"Should I sit here and stress out over it?"

"Have you ever? Come on…lets go."

XXXXXXXX

"We are so getting an A on this," Amber smiles as her and Clark sit outside at lunch at one of the tables.

"You sure that last paragraph was good?"

"What did you want to change?" Amber asks as Clark looks away. "What?"

"Just um…" he pauses as he turns back. "It's so odd to look around and not see…well them."

"Everyone's talking about it," Amber sighs. "That's all Sarah would talk about in science."

"Well it'll die down. Thankfully the officer my dad got on Friday is gone," Clark answers with a small frown. "He actually went into work today."

"Why?"

"Stubborn," Clark smirks. "Mom said he shoulda stayed home but he never listens. I think he'd go mental or something just sitting around at home all day."

"What happened to Jeremy's dad?"

"I guess he was told the news and…that's it," Clark shrugs. "It sucks but um…well that's it."

"Hey Clark!" A kid waves as he walks past, breaking their conversation.

"I won't miss this new attention."

"I like it," Amber teases. "It's like I'm with a celebrity or something."

"Am-ber," Clark moans as the bell rings. "Okay ready?"

"Lets go get our A."

Clark and Amber head inside, unaware of the danger now watching them through a pair of binoculars from across the street.

'An eye for an eye.'

XXXXXXXX

Wordy looks over at Ed as their day finally comes to a close and both of them are left changing in the quiet locker room. He notices Ed really wince as he bends to the right and then slowly walks over to see what's up.

"Okay that's like the tenth time you've winced like that. Talk to me Ed."

"This side hurts more than the other," Ed answers with a small frown. "I know they aren't broken so it's no big deal."

"Yeah you're fine right?" Wordy counters with a small shake of his head.

"What? I am fine," Ed argues back. "Just won't be playing rugby anytime soon. Or even basketball with Clark in the driveway. But he's okay with that."

"Yeah why?" Wordy asks, garnering a small look from his best friend. "Oh right…the girl. She seems pretty descent."

"She checks out."

"Oh you didn't," Wordy groans as he zips up his jacket and waits for Ed to get his and close his locker door. "You really checked to see if she had a record?" Wordy asks in a low tone as they exit the locker room. "Thought you were kidding on that before."

"Her name came up when Jeremy's was looked at. Nothing serious, just a known acquaintance from a few years back," Ed replies in truth. "It's all good."

"You my friend…need professional help," Wordy teases Ed as his hand rests on his shoulder. "I still think you should get that side checked out."

"Its just stress from sitting in that damn truck all day."

"All day? Spike had to relieve you for most of it," Wordy chuckles.

"Hey its not my fault I'm not a geek with combat skills."

"Right you just have the combat skills?"

"Exactly," Ed nods in his defense as he reaches his rental car.

"When you trading up?" Wordy smirks at the Green Ford Fiesta.

"Clark likes this," Ed groans. "Hey it was this or a white one."

"See you tomorrow."

Ed and Wordy part ways, allowing Ed to slowly climb into the small rental car and turn it on, he starts to adjust the mirrors the car warms up but as soon as he angles the right side mirror down a bit, his eyes pick up the edge of a small white note card stuffed into the passenger door handle.

"What the hell?" Ed asks softly as he pushes himself back out of the car and then heads around to the other side, swiftly snatching the paper in his fingers and then getting back inside the car and locking the doors. Ed flips on the small inner light and then unfolds the card, looking down at one word.

'Dìoghaltas'

"Whatever," Ed shrugs as he folds the card, shoves it into his inner jacket pocket and then heads for home, not realizing at the moment that the word would hold the very fate of him and his son's future in its meaning.

"Hey dad," Clark greets his father as Ed enters the kitchen from the backdoor and heads over to his wife to give her a hug before walking up to his son.

"Get an A?"

"Yeah," Clark nods as he holds up the remarks from the teacher.

"It says I have recommended Clark Lane for the Nobel peace prize in…"

"Funny dad," Clark deadpans as he grabs the paper and puts it back into his notebook.

"Clark was the talk of the school today," Sophie mentions.

"Mom," Clark moans.

"Yeah? What happened?" Ed queries with a small frown.

"Nothing bad…just about the weekend and how Jeremy killed Dean and you killed Jeremy."

"Clark I didn't take that shot."

"No one cares what I say," Clark shrugs. "Sorry. I told my friends it was Sam. At least the other cop wasn't there."

"Yeah he was pulled right after Detective Ross talked to Jeremy's father. Have you um…ever seen him?"

"No, why?"

"Ed?" Sophie looks up in haste. "What is it?"

"Nothing…no need for alarm. I'm sure if he has a beef with the way things are handled he'll come to the SRU. Just if you ever see him hanging around school…you tell me okay?"

"Sure," Clark replies.

"And if you have to…use this," Ed pulls out a new phone in a box for his son.

"Thanks dad!" Clark grins as he grabs the box and starts to rush from the room. "It's awesome!"

"Clark give your father a better thank you than that," Sophie warns.

"He doesn't have…" Ed pauses as he utters a small gasp when his son's arms wrap around his still tender chest and give it a good squeeze. "To," he smirks as he looks down at the happy teen. "You're welcome."

"What aren't you telling us?" Sophie asks once Clark was out of ear shot, forcing her husband's gaze to turn in her direction.

"Nothin'…" Ed partially lies. He wasn't even sure the note card was intended for him, nor what the word meant so to cause alarm when it could have been a mistaken identity wasn't going to help anything.

"He said there was a lot of talk."

"Well that's to be expected," Ed answers as he settles in a nearby chair with a small wince. "Two kids everyone knows killed within twenty four hours? Dean is killed my Jeremy and then Jeremy by the police? The same police team that I work on and had arrested him a few months back? Was Clark okay?"

"Said it was no big deal. I wonder who he gets that from?" Sophie sighs as she turns back to making dinner.

"He's gonna be fine," Ed tries to assure her. "Nothing was put on him right?"

"Except it was his dad who…"

"I didn't take the shot," Ed argues back.

"Who made the initial arrest that might have started this all."

"Is that what they are saying?" Ed asks incredulously.

"Kids talk," she replies with a small shrug. "No big deal right?"

"Right," Ed groans as he leans back in the chair, his right side throbbing a bit more now.

"How was your day?"

"Boring," Ed slightly smirks. "But I expected it. How was your day?"

They talk a bit longer, before Clark is called back down, having already spent the last twenty minutes on the phone with Amber telling her all about his new phone and comparing features. Clark tells them both a bit more about what happened at school, and Ed tries not to bore them with his non eventful day in the truck.

"Okay so you know if Sophie's dong nagging it's my turn right?"

"Wordy I'm fine…sitting all day isn't good either," Ed tells is friend later that same night. "But if it'll make you feel better, I'll make an appointment with the doctor in a few days if it doesn't go away."

"Yeah, it'll make me feel better," Wordy smirks. "How's Clark?"

"He's fine. I think he's secretly either loving all the attention or wishing I got a transfer out west," Ed sighs.

"Ah attention from the girls right?"

"He normally hates attention. Guess he's growing up after all," Ed sighs as he looks upstairs to where he hears Clark on the phone with Amber.

"Is he um…"

"What?"

"You know…wanting to date?"

"No. He's too young," Ed groans. "Don't even get me started on that."

"Hey I got three girls to worry about…you have it easy my friend."

"Hey at least yours can talk to Shelly about…"

"Oh yeah the ever fun sex talk."

"Already had that."

"Really? Brave man…what did you tell him?"

"Talk to your mom," Ed retorts with a small chuckle.

"You are a real coward you know that?"

"That's what mom's do," Ed replies in his defense.

"And what does she tell him?"

"Talk to your father," Ed huffs and Wordy laughs. "Yeah funny."

"Okay well I just wanted to check up on you…but if you're still hiding those winces tomorrow you know where I'm taking you."

"Don't start Wordy," Ed smiles just before he says goodnight to his best friend and then hangs up. He remains in place a bit longer before slowly standing up and then heading for the stairs to go up. But just as he glances back to the kitchen he sees the light on and heads there to turn it off. His eyes rest on his jacket before lowering to the pocket, his mind remembering that he had that note card stuffed inside.

He puts on a rubber glove and then carefully retrieves the note by the corner and puts it into a baggie before taking the now protected card and heading into the small den and firing up the computer. His blue eyes narrow at the word as his mind tries to guess as to it's meaning.

"Okay lets see what you mean…" Ed mumbles to himself as he types 'Dìoghaltas' into an online translation site. A few seconds later the words comes up, having been translated from Irish (Gaelic) into English. There were two words that stuck out in his mind but with the same ominous meaning.

"Revenge," Ed whispers into the stillness of the room, his heart rate instantly elevating. Who sent this? Who wants revenge? And for what?

A/N: Okay so some nice down time for father and son before the tension and danger start back up once again. Will Ed tell his family or team about the note? Will he get it checked for prints? If so what does he find? And when will Jeremy's father finally strike? And at who first? Father or son? Lots more to come and hope you are all still with me so please review before you go and thanks again.