A/N This starts at the end of episode 3.1 and the second half is after episode 3.4

*bzz*

*bzz*

*bzz*

*bzz*

Abbey sighed and pushed her phone aside.

Every cop she had known since the academy always seemed to come out of the woodwork whenever there was a day like today. Since the Commissioner had apologized for the Greer shooting, people she hadn't spoken to in years suddenly felt privileged to ask for the inside scoop or share their opinions.

It's not that she didn't empathize, she too didn't quite understand why the PC felt it was necessary to broadcast that Officer Blake had screwed up. But she wasn't about to support the union's call for a vote of no-confidence; the Commissioner was right more often than he was wrong and she had seen firsthand how much personal responsibility he felt for everyone in the department.

Still, this was one of those times she really wondered what he was thinking, surely it wasn't a surprise that Blake had taken the public admission as a personal rebuke. If the young officer went through with taking his own life she could only imagine how the department would react.

*bzz*

With a huff she flipped her phone over and glanced at the top message.

~Is it true?

She frowned at the message from JoAnne, the chair of the PBA's women's group. Was what true?

She flicked open the notifications menu and scrolled down the messages that had come in the last half hour.

~U on the PC's detail duty? U guys must have freaked!

~Okay, that was badass - at least he cleans up after his mistakes

~Srry 4 the angry rant earlier 2day; PC showed his tru colors

~OOW

Jim's short hand for "On Our Way" was the only one that made any sense to her.

She glanced at the clock, at least they'd be back soon and she'd be able to get some answers as to what had gone down to reignite the NYPD gossip chain.

*bzz*

A new text came in as the phone rang, she glanced at it while she picked up the desk phone.

~Martin's cousin in ESU says PC wrestled the gun out of Blake's hands...verify?

"What...?" She murmured in confusion.

"Uh, hello?" A hesitant Brooklyn accent came through the ear piece of the phone.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Commissioner's office" She grimaced at her flub.

"Yeah, um, it's Sergeant Gormley, I wanted to give the PC an update?"

She took in a deep breath and spared a quick prayer for what she was about to hear from Danny's CO.

She forced her voice even and business-like, "I'm sorry Sergeant but the Commissioner is currently out of the office. I can take a message?"

"Yeah, yeah." The Sergeant sounded relieved at not having to speak to the PC and the tension tightened in Abbey's stomach, "Um just letting him know that the situation is resolved. The perpetrator is DOA and Detective Reagan is fine."

Abbey exhaled, "That is the first good news of the day Sergeant, I'll be happy to pass that along."

"Um hold on..." His voice became distant as she heard him speak to someone else, "No, he's not there, I think it's that Detective who works for him. Yeah, okay. What?...what are you talkin' about Reagan? Alright, fine, go ahead."

"Hey, Baker?" Danny's voice came over the line and Abbey smiled.

"Detective. Glad to hear your voice."

"Yeah, glad to be heard." He replied with an exhale. "Listen, I don't have my phone so tell my old man that I'm fine and he doesn't need to call me or anything but when he ignores you and calls me anyway he can call Jackie."

"Okay." Abbey nodded, "Does he have Curatola's cell number?"

"Yeah." Danny confirmed, "But really, tell him everything is okay. Tell him," There was a pause and Danny's voice went low, "Tell him Jack had Linda give me the rabbit's foot when this whole mess started."

"A rabbit's foot?" Abbey couldn't help but smirk.

"Yeah, don't spread it around, 'kay? Just...it'll give him a smile."

"I think hearing you're okay will be plenty reason to smile." She replied sagely.

"Yeah, yeah." Danny dismissed, "Just, tell him not to worry and I'll see him Sunday."

"Ooookay." Abbey rolled her eyes as Danny hung up the phone; telling the Commissioner not to worry about a member of his family was like trying to tell the sun not to rise.

It was only a few minutes later that the Commissioner returned to the office, stalking past her desk.

She stood and followed him into the office, waiting for him to sit and turn his attention to her.

He exhaled heavily and dropped his hand to the desk, "Yes?"

She smiled gently, "Sergeant Gormley called right before you got back."

His eyes rapidly scanned her face and he sighed in relief, relaxing into his chair as he correctly interpreted her body language. "It's over?" He surmised.

She nodded, "I spoke with Detective Reagan myself. He wanted to let you know not to worry, he's fine and that you don't need to check in on him. He doesn't have his phone for now anyway."

The Commissioner nodded repeatedly, looking down at his desk, "And Walker?"

"DOA." She confirmed evenly.

The Commissioner frowned and tapped on the desk with a closed fist, "Alright."

"He also wanted to let you know something about Linda gave him Jack's rabbit foot earlier today." She recalled.

True to the detective's prediction, the Commissioner smiled, "Did he now?" He shook his head and looked down, a look of fond reflection on his face.

"Sir?" She hesitated to interrupt.

He looked up, eyebrows raised.

She clenched her molars for a beat, "What happened with Officer Blake?"

The Commissioner tilted his head, "He was upset and wasn't thinking right. He'll be fine."

She gestured to her phone, "The rumor mill is pretty fired up about it."

"Of course it is." He rolled his eyes. "The Union getting ready to lecture me about blowing off Jack Gibson?"

She rose her eyebrows, "No sir..." She glanced back at the most recent texts to come in, "It's more along the lines that you pulled some sort of Super Cop move to get Blake out."

He leaned back with an amused grin, "Super Cop?"

"Ummmm..." She scrolled through the messages of people loooking to validate the rumors, "Everything from some psychological trickery to actually wrestling the gun out of his hands."

The Commissioner shook his head, "That's not fair to Officer Blake. Nothing of the sort happened. He was the one who decided to put down the gun and walk out."

"After you ignored the negotiator and went in to talk to him yourself?" Abbey pushed.

He sighed and looked over to her, "Better than doing nothing."

"Right…" She trailed off, recalling the tense moments of helplessness regarding Danny's kidnapping which filled the office prior to the PC responding to the Blake situation.

"What's got your gears turning, Detective?"

She blinked to focus on him, his face plainly calling out her momentary distraction.

She opened her mouth, then paused, bit her lip, then tried again to articulate what was fomenting, "Last week I was carrying Michael while doing laundry and accidentally hit the side of his head on the doorframe."

He tilted his head as she self-consciously wrapped her arms around herself, "It wasn't really that bad but it left a red mark and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I practically slept in the rocking chair that night petrified that I gave my 3 month old a concussion."

A small empathetic smile lifted Frank's mustache, "He was fine, I assume?"

She nodded, "Yes. But…now I'm just wondering how you do it." She glanced away, thinking about standing in the same spot and informing him that his son was being held hostage at gun point. "I have always hated having to pass on bad news about your family, but I just…" She looked back to him, "Don't know how you can keep on with business as normal."

His eyes tightened and after a long quiet moment he shrugged, "The truth of it is that I don't."

He looked at her, "I'd have figured out of anyone, you'd have picked up on that."

Blinking, she thought back to the times of curt silence, sudden absences, unusual initiatives, coarse words, sleeplessness and even the occasional defeatist attitude. She smirked remembering his intense refusal to meet with Reverend Potter after Jamie and Renzulli were assaulted.

"You got it." He picked up on her analysis, "I'm not such a master of discipline as I pretend." He commented ruefully. "It doesn't get easier; if anything, as they get older, and you have less control, it only gets harder."

"Well that's not an encouraging thought." She frowned.

"Isn't parenthood grand?" He smiled.

Abbey was still thinking about the Commissioner's comments a few weeks later as she leaned against the bar at the Police Sports League reception.

It was the first time that she and Brian were leaving Michael for a whole evening. Her parents were babysitting and she trusted them completely but she couldn't dismiss the worry coiled in the back of her mind and the restlessness that came with it. Brian had been unable to contain his own anxiety so she had encouraged him to go ahead and call them to check in.

in the meantime, she glanced around the crowded bar, looking for a friendly face.

The PSL was one of Henry Reagan's pet projects and their fundraising receptions were usually one of the few gatherings that the Commissioner would allow himself to attend and enjoy.

However, tonight he had finally found a loophole to shove ValVerde out of the country and had wasted no time in heading down to the hospital to give the dictator his walking papers.

Jim was with the PC, Garrett was back at 1 PP waiting on word as to how to handle the media, and the 1PP folks she usually socialized with were not much interested in the PSL. She would have grabbed a moment with Henry but he was busy glad-handing big donors in the other room and she wasn't about to insert herself there.

"Man, I don't know…cushy mid-town gig or not, I don't think I could last long partnered with a Reagan."

The familiar name caught her attention and she glanced over to a group of young men a few stools down at the bar.

"First of all," the dark haired guy in the middle put down his beer, "It's not like I had a choice. Secondly, the guy's actually alright."

Abbey turned her attention ahead, but she kept them in the corner of her eye as she shamelessly eavesdropped.

"You're just saying that 'cause now you got the Commish as a hook!" Teased the 3rd officer.

"Not really." Retorted the man Abbey assumed to be Vinny Cruz, "I haven't even met the guy yet."

"Well that's lame." Said his buddy on the left, "You get saddled with golden boy you should at least get something out of it."

"I'm telling you, Reagan is alright…" He smirked, "Honestly, the worst part of him is his damn law degree. Most the time the guy is true blue but having a lawyer in the squad car can sometimes put a real cramp on my style."

The guy on the right chuckled, "Maybe that's why you got paired with him; after what happened at the 3-5 the brass decided you need a chaperone!"

"Hey!" Vinny elbowed his friend, "I will have you know that I am a model cop."

The three snickered into their drinks. After a pause the guy on the left shook his head, "You seriously haven't met the PC yet?"

"Nope." Vinny shrugged, "I was at the same scene as him once but it's not like we interacted."

"Wait, when was this? Was your new partner with you?" The guy on the right asked.

"Yeah," Vinny nodded, "But they didn't even look at each other. It was kind of crazy."

Left frowned, "Maybe they don't like one another?"

Vinny shook his head, "Nah man. I found out quick, rule number one with Jamie Reagan; don't talk trash about his old man." He took a long drink, "He's a real cool character most the time but I talked some smack about the PC once and Jamie was ready to throw down. Freaking loyal when it comes to family."

"I can respect that." Right nodded, "As long as the same thing goes for his partner."

"I think it does." Vinny nodded, "Our house sarge was his TO and it's the same thing; if I have a complaint about Renzulli it better be legit."

"Wait a minute…" Left held up a hand, "The kid had the Sergeant as his training officer? That's cushy."

Vinny took a sip of his beer, "I think that's kinda the thing; the Reagans claim to never call in or give any favors to one another but that doesn't stop others from going the extra mile without being asked."

He shrugged, "No one ever wants the kid to have anything negative to say about them so things like...the car is always cleaned out, no matter who had it last shift, and there's always a volunteer if he's looking to swap shifts." He grinned into his drink, "I'm pretty certain he's not even aware of how different he has it."

Left chuckled, "That's awesome."

"I don't know." Vinny frowned, "It's a mixed bag. Some guys in the house will shut up when Reagan walks into the room just like they would if IA walked in. They dude is cut out of the mix without even knowing it.

"Would be worth it for a clean RMP every shift." Right leaned in.

"Yeah. But he has to feel when people change what they're talking about when he walks into a room." Left shot back, "Your brothers in blue are a big part of the job; I wouldn't want to feel like I'm missing out on that just because someone in my family is a big shot."

Vinny nodded, "And that is what I see as my calling in this partnership; no chaperone bull…I'm there to raise the guy's coolness quotient. Anyone who rides with Vinny is going to learn the finer, funner aspects of wearing the uniform…if you know what I mean."

The three officers chuckled and clinked glasses as Abbey restrained the urge to roll her eyes.

"If it isn't my favorite detective…"

She sighed and closed her eyes a beat as she heard the unfortunately familiar voice.

She plastered a fake grin on her face and turned to greet the Suffolk County Deputy Chief, "Chief DeLuca."

"Please, how many times do I have to say, call me Sal…" He smiled sweetly at her, reaching out a hand.

She picked up her pint instead.

He ignored the brush off and looked around, "So who was foolish enough to leave you alone at the bar?"

"You mean my husband?" She took a sip of her beer and glanced to the door, "Not that it's at all relevant; as a trained NYPD detective I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt that…" Sal leered.

"Don't you have anyone who is missing you right now?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure." He smirked, "But I'd blow them all off for one night with you."

Her jaw slacked open.

He stepped closer, "I'm staying in the city tonight; will show you just how hard I'm willing to work for you."

"Ohh that's a big 90x." She shook her head, "And you'd best take a step back; I don't feel like getting arrested tonight."

"Arrested?" He tilted his head.

"For assaulting a police officer." She clarified, putting down her drink, freeing her hands.

He puckered his lips, "That's cold."

He stepped back, "But I get it, I get it. You can't be seen stepping out….gotta behave in front of all these coworkers." He fired a couple finger gun moves in her direction as he began to move back to his table, "But I'm going to keep working, I'll earn your affection yet; Sal and Abbey; it's destiny. You'll see."

"Mhrm." She rolled her eyes and turned back to the bar.

"Hey, props."

She swiveled to see Vinny raising a glass in her direction.

She furrowed her brow, "Thanks…?"

Vinny shrugged, "I'm just saying, that guy was a real clown."

"Unfortunately I'm used to him." She sighed picking up her drink.

"No doubt." Vinny nodded, "But just so you know, we would have had your back had something gone down." He gestured to his pals, "That kind of crap ain't right."

She smiled, "Well, thank you for that."

"No problem." He grinned, extending a hand, "Vinny Cruz."

She accepted it, "Abbey Baker."

He nodded, "You involved with the PSL, Baker?"

She shrugged, "I played softball and basketball in the league a while back."

"Not now?" He pressed.

She smiled, "Husband, new baby, crazy hours."

"I hear ya, I hear ya." He gestured to his pals. "We play on one of the soccer teams in Central Park. It's a blast."

She nodded, "I do miss it." She shrugged, "May be when the baby is a little older."

The door opened, sending in a gust of wind and she turned to see if it was Brian returning.

It was but he was followed closely by the PC, Chief Hines and Jim.

"Oh crap…" Someone behind Abbey muttered as someone else across the bar called out a tense "'TEN HUT!"

Abbey sighed and slowly pushed away from the bar, waiting for the inevitable response from the Commissioner.

"At ease, at ease, please." He dismissed with an uncomfortable wave, "We're all off duty here."

Abbey grinned and relaxed back against the bar, having not quite made it to the attention position.

The Commissioner approached with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't come to attention Detective." he deadpanned but the corner of his lip twitched.

She raised her eyebrows, given the situation the last few days his apparent good mood was refreshing. She maintained a straight face, "I utilized the deductive reasoning skills honed by my NYPD Detective Training to anticipate your dismissal…Sir."

Hines chuckled as he stepped around them to catch the bartender's eye.

"Very well." Frank relaxed into a genuine smile and Abbey rolled her eyes at the teasing.

"Look who I found loitering outside." Frank gestured to Brian who had managed to squeeze around some others and settle in at Abbey's side.

"Yes," She acknowledged, "He went out to call and check-in on Michael, but he was gone so long I was starting to worry he actually went home without me." She glanced at Brian, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "I just talked to your mom and then she put Mikey on the phone."

Frank glanced at her and then back to Brian, "Isn't your son only 4 months old?"

Brian shrugged sheepishly, "It's our first time away this long."

"I get it." Frank grinned.

"I assume everything went okay?" Abbey redirected the conversation.

"Yep." Frank nodded, gratefully accepting a glass of amber liquid from the chief and pausing, "Feels good to take out the trash."

"Here, here." Hines nodded, raising his own glass before tipping it back.

"Congratulations." She smiled.

"Thanks." He grinned, looking around the room, "We miss anything exciting?"

She shook her head, "Not really."

Her eyes widened a fraction as she suddenly remembered with whom she had previously been speaking and she smirked, "It's been a quiet evening, I was just speaking with Officer Cruz here about the PSL teams."

She gestured to the young man who had been next to her and Frank's attention followed.

"Officer Cruz!" He clearly recognized his son's partner immediately, "You prefer, Vinny, right?"

Abbey contained her grin as the young man's previous bravado escaped him and he instinctively straightened, half standing before awkwardly sitting back down. His two friends subtly and quickly shifted away.

"Uh, yes, Sir. Vinny is fine sir." He answered stiltedly with a noticeable crack as he said his own name.

Frank held out a hand and Vinny accepted it in a brief shake.

"Glad to meet; it's been too long." Frank smiled.

"Yes, Sir." Vinny nodded, "I mean, it's all good…I mean...good to meet you too Sir."

Frank raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Abbey for a beat.

He tilted his head back to the young officer, "So you're on one of the PSL teams?"

"Uh, yes, Sir. Midtown Soccer." Vinny nodded.

Frank shook his head, "My grandson plays soccer, pretty good at it too. I just can't seem to get into watching the professional yet."

Vinny finally gave a small smile, "That's what Jamie says too, Sir."

Frank smiled, "I'm sure. Everything working out besides your disagreement in sports? You keeping him on his toes?"

"You bet, Sir." Vinny nodded rapidly, "We've got one another's backs."

"Good to hear." Frank acknowledged even as he glanced away, giving a wave to an older Lieutenant who walked past.

He looked back to Vinny, "Well, I should probably make the rounds but we'll have to have you to the house sometime; you can try and make the case for soccer before we draft you into one of the infamous Reagan football games."

Vinny swallowed, "Yes, Sir."

Frank glanced back to Abbey, "Have you seen our former Commissioner?"

She grinned and gestured to the door leading to the back room, "Yes, Sir. He's in the other room."

Frank grimaced, "Don't suppose I could just pretend I was never here…"

"I don't think you'll be able to get away with it." She shook her head.

"Alright." He took a deep drink and looked back to Vinny, "Did you have a chance to meet Jamie's grandfather yet?"

"Oh…uh…no Sir…." Vinny stammered, "I…uh…he's been real busy."

Frank sighed, "I'm sure he has been." He shook his head, "Alright, well, it was good to meet you officer. And I'm serious about coming by the house sometime; remind that partner of yours how these things work."

"Yes, Sir." Vinny nodded.

"Alright." Frank repeated again shaking Vinny's hand. He then gestured to the bartender as he walked away, "Stanley, Officer Cruz's next drink; on me."

The bartender saluted with a pint glass and Vinny blinked, opening his mouth but the PC was already gone before he could offer his thanks.

He glanced around for his missing friends, "You're cowards." He accused.

They stepped closer again, grinning, "Sir, yes, Sir…" they mimicked.

Vinny shook his head and looked back to Baker, "And that was mean, after I said I'd have your back against that guy."

"What guy?" Brian asked.

She sighed and pet her husband's arm, "DeLuca; that guy from Hauppauge who I told you about last year?"

Brian nodded, eyes scanning the crowd. She shook her head and looked back to Vinny innocently, "What? I thought it was a nice thing to introduce you to the PC."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Sure it was…" He deflated "What's your deal anyway? You know Danny or something?"

"I work on the 14th floor." She explained.

Vinny nodded slowly, understanding, "I see. So, what? You make it your business to know everyone Jamie works with?"

She shrugged and smiled broadly, "It's the Commissioner's office; we know everything."