Alison walked into Erin's apartment and froze at the sight of most of the family. Danny gave her a nod, and Jamie handed over a cup of coffee.
"How's she doing." Alison asked, keeping her voice down.
"A friend was shot in front of her. How do you think." Jamie hissed at her.
"What's your problem. I came as soon as I could. Greg is at the lab."
"Sorry." Jamie shook his head.
"Bad collar."
"I got one of the parkland six's younger brother today." Alison let out a slow breath.
"All go away for 9 years and then are found innocent. That couldn't be an easy conversation."
"Tell me about it."
"JUST STOP!" Erin called out at Danny cutting Alison and Jamie's conversation off.
"Uncle Danny," Nicky said. "Maybe in the morning." Danny shook his head.
"Alright, I'm sorry, it's my job, can't help it."
"Maybe do your other job, Danny," Jamie said, nodding his head toward Erin. Danny walked over, sitting next to Erin, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I know it's hard, but the longer she waits, the less reliable her information is going to be." Alison whispered to Jamie. She was growing uncomfortable as the heightened emotions permeated the room.
"That may be so, but we're not doing this not tonight."
Greg pulled into Frank's driveway.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He looked over at Alison.
"Gramps called. We really don't have much of a choice." Greg glanced back at Ethen, who was sleeping in his car seat.
"We could say Ethen was asleep, and we didn't want to wake him." Alison smiled.
"Yeah, like that has stopped us before."
"Are you sure Henry didn't say what this was about?" Alison pulled out her phone.
"No, like I said, he called me while I was in court. All the message said was for you and me to come over after shift. He has the bed set up for Ethen if we end up staying late." Greg ran his hands over his face.
"I don't think I've been this nervous sitting in this driveway since I first asked you out." Alison smiled, grabbing his hand.
"Never fear this time I'm going in with you." Alison eyed the house. "Maybe we could wait a few more minutes." A light flashed in the mirrors.
"Too late, Frank's here. They'll know." Alison turned around in her seat, looking.
"If he asks why we were just sitting in the driveway, tell him…tell him we were on the phone with your Editor or something." Greg unbuckled his seat.
"Yeah, cause bringing that book up with the family is going to put them in a great mood." Alison opened her door.
"Like I said, I told them I was okay with it. The chances of this meeting having to do with your book is maybe 75%." She said before waving at Frank while Greg got the sleeping Ethen out of the car. Frank gave a curt nod and head in. "Okay, maybe 87%" Greg rolled his eyes.
"Thanks for the support." He mouthed as they headed into the house. "I'll go put Ethen down." He eyed the dining room where the Reagan siblings were sitting.
"I'll wait here." She said, kissing the top of Ethen's head.
"Coward." It only took Greg a few minutes to get Ethen situated. He returned to the entryway where Alison was still waiting for him. She grabbed his hand as they walked over to the dining room.
"Thanks for coming. Sorry to call you out so late. I know you both had long shifts." Frank said. They all turned and looked at them. Greg squeezed Alison's hand both to reassure her and keep him from running. He should have dropped the book the minute Alison mentioned her problems. Now the whole Reagan family was going to lay in on him.
"What's going on, Dad." Alison asked, forcing a smile. Frank looked over at Henry.
"Did you tell them?"
"No, they were at work. I had to leave a message." Frank took a deep breath nodding his head.
"Right, have a seat, you two." They both took a seat, and Jamie handed them both a fresh cup of coffee. "One of the parkland six Duwann Wilson, lost his mom to cancer while he was in prison." Greg glanced over at Alison, and they both breathed a silent sigh of relief. This meeting wasn't about them. "But he insisted that she died of a broken heart. And then they wouldn't let him go to the funeral."
"Okay, well, that's harsh stuff, but it doesn't exactly add up to this guy going on a killing spree." Danny said.
"And five million heals a lot of hurt feelings," Henry added.
"Yeah, but after that, he started acting up, getting violent promising payback to everyone that had a hand in putting him away." Frank further explained what was bugging him. Greg's mind was running over the evidence trying to find a connection.
"Well, I'd go ballistic too," Erin said.
"If I were him." Frank waved his hand.
"Yeah, but stay with me 'cause this is the leap. What if you had eight more years for this to fester? What if you got it in your head to seek revenge of any kind. Might you instead go after someone of nearest and dearest to the person who wronged you so that they would be left to suffer that loss for the rest of their days?"
"To suffer a fate worse than death." The Reagan's started pulling apart his idea.
"That's a lot of what-ifs." Erin said.
"Maybe just the mind games of a rusty old detective with a guilty conscience. I know that too."
"But maybe you're not." Greg said, the hair on the back of his head standing up.
"And if you're in the ballpark, one of us would be on that list too," Henry said, the air in the room suddenly getting sucked out as the realization set in.
"If I'm in the ballpark." Frank agreed.
"Maybe the bullet for Monica was meant for me," Erin said, but Alison was already shaking her head.
"No, I helped Mac with his report. The angel was off, and with the lighting, there was no way they could mistake her for you." All their phones started going off. Greg pulled out his own and let out a breath.
"Officer shot off duty out walking her dog," Frank explained to Henry. Greg took another sip of his coffee.
"Mac wants me to process the scene." He got up, heading to the door.
"Stay safe," Frank called out. Alison walked with him. He grabbed his coat, putting it on.
"Hey." Greg glanced over at the dining room. "I want you and Ethen to spend the night here." Alison nodded.
"Call me when you get back to the lab."
"I will." He kissed her. "I love you."
"Love you too."
Alison sat in her office when Danny and Jamie walked in.
"See, I told you she would be here," Danny said. Alison glanced up from her computer.
"This better be good." Jamie held up a card.
"I was able to get the number of Duwann Wilson, and we were hoping you could pull up the record for us." Alison held out her hand, and Jamie quickly handing it over to her.
"Thank Al." Danny walked over, standing over her shoulder. Alison tensed slightly, and Jamie quickly backed Danny up a bit, so he wasn't so close to her.
"Alright, looking at the cell records, far as I can tell, the phone hasn't left Miami since March 9th."
"Are you positive?" Danny asked. Alison dragged the report onto her second monitor so her brothers could read it for themselves.
"It's active for over 16 hours a day, mostly in a 12-block radius in south beach." Danny ran his forehead.
"Maybe he had a second phone." Alison turned in her chair.
"It seems unlikely."
"I'm with Al on this." Jamie said as Danny answered his phone, stepping away. "How long are you staying at home," Jamie asked her. Alison shrugged her shoulders.
"Until we get a clear answer on this. Both Greg and I aren't conferrable with me being at home alone with Ethen." She rubbed her side where her scars were. "I mean, we have high security the odds of someone being able to get in are next to nothing."
"But that's how it was the last time." Alison jumped as Danny hug his phone up, slamming his hand on Greg's desk.
"Confirmed that Duwann Wilson is at that location he's living at the hotel the staff knows him."
"So there goes that lead." Alison said, closing the report.
"So who's going to tell Dad," Jamie asked.
"You two could flip a coin." Alison said, turning back to her computer.
"I think Al should do it." Danny said.
"Yeah, that's only fair since she looked up the information." Alison opened her mouth to argue but closed it at the look her older brothers were giving her.
"Fine."
Greg handed Alison a fresh cup of coffee. They were all at the house looking over the evidence.
"We have to be missing something," Henry said, taking a bite of his food.
"We didn't. Alison pulled phone records, and we got a hotel full of witnesses that show Duwann was in Miami before the shooting spree even started." Danny said around a mouth full of his own food.
"You always say you have to walk in the other man's shoes first," Erin said. Greg was leaning back in his chair, fighting to keep his eyes open.
"I did. Guy gets some serious money suddenly, and he does exactly what I'd expect him to do: throw some around a nice hotel in Miami beach." Frank shrugged his shoulders. "My hunch was wrong." Alison pored the rest of her cup into Greg's.
"You need this more than I do," she said, but it was a lie neither of them had slept well over the past week, as was evident in the dark circles under their eyes.
"Well, wait a minute." Jamie said. "Just hold on a minute.
"What's up," Alison asked.
"We could be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There are too many good pieces in place." Danny pointed his finger at him.
"You know, maybe Harvard's right. I mean at a hotel, what are you doing? You're ordering room service. You're eating out. You're getting your clothes cleaned, put back in your room. Bed made, etcetera. But what are you really doing."
"Trading Up," Jamie answered.
"Exactly. You're having somebody else do for you what you typically do for yourself, but now you can afford to have them do it for you instead." Greg set his mug down, leaning forward so he could look at Danny.
"You think he hired a hitman."
"I think that he be stupid not to."
Alison sat on the cement floor, her heart pounding to the rhythm of the beeps. He was coming for her. She was in danger. She tried to run, but the chains were too short. She screamed for help. Someone anyone had to hear her. How had he found her again? She pulled on the chains, but her arms were getting heavier. So she couldn't scream. Her mind shouting at her to say something anything, but her mouth refused to open.
The door to the room opened, and He entered. His blue eyes locked on her. She looked at the chain, praying that it would detach from the poll. Looking back at him. He was smiling a crazed smiled, his green eyes wide in excitement. He got down next to her, pulling his knife.
"Why, hello Alison, it's been a while."
Alison shot up in bed, her hand covering her mouth to stifle the scream. It was only a dream. She took in a shaky breath. Her eye locked on the door in front of her. She wanted to look to make sure that Greg was in bed, but she couldn't pull her eyes from the door. She reached her hand up to brush the sweaty hair out of her face. She noticed her hands were shaking.
"You're safe." She jumped at the sound of Greg's voice. She turned, not finding him in the bed next to her but in the chair by the window. He was lit only by the light from the window. "He's dead." He said, his voice even.
"What are you doing over there." She asked; her voice was horse making her wonder if she had screamed. The fact Ethen was still asleep made her think she hadn't been.
"Some of my own nightmares." Alison whipped her eyes.
"Can you sit with me?" She asked. Greg waited a moment, looking over at her.
"You sure." Alison nodded her head, the lump in her throat preventing her from saying anything. He got up, getting into the bed next to her. He propped his pillow up, leaning against it. Alison waited a moment before scooting over so he could wrap his arm around her. "Did Jamie tell you about Eddie's crack shot when he talked to you?" She shook her head, focusing on the sound of his heartbeat and deep, sleepy voice. He laughed, pulling her a little closer. "Apparently, Eddie was in the coffee shop when the hitman pulled up to his car. As he was about to shoot Jamie, Eddie came charging out of the shop, yelling at him to get down. Jamie, who hadn't seen the gun yet, did what Eddie told him to do and ducked. The hitman seeing that he missed his target, sped away. This is the crazy part. Eddie ran into the mild of the street. Pointed her gun at the hitman car and took him out before he got a chance to hit a busy street. I didn't clear the scene, but according to Mac, it was a crazy good shot." Alison smiled.
"Dad should give her a medal." Greg gently rubbed his thumb up and down her arm.
"Are the nightmares gone?" Alison sniffled.
"A little. What about yours." He let out a deep breath.
"Not quite yet."
Greg and Alison walked into the dining room. It has taken longer to put Ethen down for a nap, so they were a little late coming downstairs. They had slipped in through the front door while everyone was in the kitchen getting the food ready.
"Sorry, we're late," Alison mumbled as they got into their seats. Jamie's chair, however, was also empty, so they weren't the last people to the table.
"You two look like death," Henry said. Greg couldn't help from yawning.
"Did you guy have a lot of long shifts," Nicky asked.
"Not. It was probably Ethen. You always had a hard time swapping between two beds." Alison yawned, shaking her head at Erin's comment.
"No, Ethen is really good about sleeping at night which is part of the reason he had a hard time today going down for his nap."
"Then why do the two of you look so tired," Jack asked. Greg glanced over at Frank, who gave a slight nod.
"I think we should talk about something else." The rest of the family stared at Frank for a second before doing their best to change the subject.
"Uncle Jamie's late again," Nicky said.
"He's kind of making a habit of this," Erin added, smiling at Alison and Greg.
"I'm gonna change the statute of limitation on how long we have to wait till Jamie gets home to eat." Danny proposed resting his hand on his chin.
"No, you're not. Because if you, did you would miss half the meals." Henry said, laughing.
"And We would miss the other half," Greg said, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Hey, sorry I'm late," Jamie called out from the front door.
"It's on the table," Frank yelled out as Jamie walked into the dining room. Jamie stopped looking at the table.
"Uh, Jack, could you get me one more place setting." He asked.
"Yeah, sure," Jack said, getting out of his seat. Jamie walked over to the corner, grabbing an extra chair. The rest of them stiffened, glancing at the others trying to figure out what he was doing.
"What's going on?" Frank finally asked.
"We have company or something, kid," Danny asked as Jack placed the extra plate down. Greg felt Alison tense, and he reached over, taking her hand. Jamie walked back out of the dining room and came back with Eddie.
"Oh," Erin said what they all were thinking.
"Hi, everyone," Eddie said, smiling. They all said their hello's, but they came out stiff.
"Officer Janko," Frank said.
"Just Eddie today, Dad." Jamie corrected him. Greg watched as Erin and Alison's mouths dropped open.
"Actually, not just Eddie today," Eddie said, smiling. Greg glanced over at Danny, who gave him a nod.
"Well, since this morning, the future Mrs. Jameson Reagan." At Jamie's words, the rest of the family's mouths dropped open.
"'Bout time," Danny said as they all added their own congratulations. Jamie and Eddie walked, overtaking their seats.
"Well, at least I know one wedding present you're getting." Frank said. Greg stiffened at his voice. It was his work voice, not his family voice. Alison squeezed his hand, indicating she had noticed it too. "Your choice of precincts to transfer to."
"Oh gee, Dad. Every bride's dream." Erin said, letting the irritation show in her voice at him.
"I'm just saying."
"Actually, uh, we both really like the house that we're already in," Jamie explained.
"But you know that you can't work together anymore." Henry asked.
"Well, that's what we thought too, Pop."
"Thought?" Eddie leaned forward.
"Well, assumed." Jamie smiled at her.
"But I looked it up. And there's nothing in the Patrol Guide or any of the books, for that matter, says married cops can't be partners on the job."
"Nowhere," Henry said in disbelief. Greg picked up his mug, taking a sip.
"Someone's getting fired." Alison snorted at his comment doing her best to hide it behind a couch.
"Nowhere." Jamie continued. "But I knew that you and Dad would be for that rule, even if it wasn't actually a rule." Frank nodded.
"But the rule does make enormous sense."
"Why? Aunt Al and Uncle Greg work together," Nicky asked.
"But they aren't partners. A couple partnered together on the job can create conflicts." Eddie agreed with his explanations.
"But we talked about that." Jamie sat forward in his chair.
"Consider if two people willing to swear the following to each other could still be good partners on the job."
"Swear the following what?" Danny asked Jamie.
"Vows that we wrote to each other," Eddie explained.
"Wow, I didn't write mine until the day of the wedding." Alison said.
"You two didn't write your own vows," Nicky said. Alison looked over at Greg.
"And that was the best decision we ever made." She kissed him then looked over at Eddie. "Anyways, you were saying."
"Turns out she's been working on 'em for a while, so I just." Eddie cut Jamie off.
"Turns out so has he." Eddie took Jamie's offered hand. "Uh, I will always have your back."
"If you fall behind, I'll wait up."
"I'll earn your respect and pay you respect every day we have."
"I'll be your scout, your night watchman, your cavalry."
"Your medic, your chaplain in our army of two."
"No retreat, no surrender. You can count on me."
"And you can count on me." When they finished, the family all turned to look at Frank.
"Welcome to our family, Eddie."