Author's Note: Hello again, everyone! This story was inspired by Jake Scott's song Favorite T-Shirt, but doesn't contain any lyrics. If you listen to the song before or after reading, you may be able to find the connection. For some reason, country songs tend to remind me of these two and I get lots of inspiration for them. I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with the way this turned out, but I needed to have it out of my head. Haha. I hope you enjoy.
I'm setting this in either Season 5, some amount of time after Eddie's first fatal shooting, or somewhere in Season 6. They've skirted around the idea of having feelings for each other without outright saying it, but they are definitely very close friends who sometimes get jealous of other people in each other's lives. Another FF writer once called it 'the ambiguous haze of seasons 5-7' which I feel is the perfect description.
Also, Isaac McKenna is the McKenna that Eddie chose to ride with after Jamie went out with Dr. Lambchop in 05x04, saying he needed a female to pose as a hooker for a decoy unit. We never saw him, and he's never mentioned again, so I gave him a first name and something else to do. Lol.
Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own the rights to the show, the characters, the song, any of it. If I was that good of a writer, I wouldn't be posting fan fiction. I'm just a fan, not making any money or profit of any kind, having some fun with some of my favorite characters.
"Reagan! Janko! My office, please!" Sergeant Anthony Renzulli's voice rang out in the hall of the 12th precinct, causing the officers in question to spin around to face the sound, identical looks of confusion on their faces.
"Can you think of anything we did to get in trouble?" Eddie asked in a hurried whisper, smacking Jamie lightly on the upper arm as they walked back in the direction of the boss's office.
"Uh," Jamie stuttered to buy some time. "No, nothing comes to mind. You?"
"No, that's why I asked you," Eddie answered sarcastically.
Before either of them could say anything else, they reached the door of Renzulli's office. Without even realizing he was doing it, Jamie slowed his pace to let Eddie enter first. Most of the time, he wasn't even aware of this chivalrous habit, but Eddie's heart always fluttered a little at the gesture.
"Close the door, Harvard." He still had a foot in the hallway when he heard the command from his old T.O.
"What's up, Sarge?" Jamie couldn't help the flashback of a fairly recent occasion he had been in Renzulli's office with the door closed. Sarge was practically interrogating him about his feelings for Eddie, which seemed like a completely ridiculous idea at the time. He tried to roll his eyes at the memory, but instead they drifted to Eddie herself briefly. His stomach did a little jumping jack when he looked at her, but he told himself it was just anticipation for whatever it was on Renzulli's mind.
As the partners sat in the two chairs in front of Renzulli's desk, they shared a quick side-eye glance, something they did often. It was their own personal way of reassuring their partner, a silent reminder that they had each other's back. This didn't go unnoticed by Renzulli, of course, who had seen it many times in the halls of the precinct as well as in the street.
"Got an op I think you two might be good for," Renzulli started. "You want in?"
Jamie and Eddie looked at each other for a split second, unspoken agreement drifting between them, then turned back to the sarge. Jamie shrugged his shoulders and nodded for the both of them.
"Whatcha got, boss?"
… … … … …
A couple days later, Jamie and Eddie were sitting in a small conference room at the 12th precinct, waiting for the final briefing before the start of their sting operation. Jamie was reminded slightly of the first time he ever went undercover, receiving a similar briefing in a similar room, only this time there were just four officers involved. The only other people in the room were Renzulli and the two detectives in charge of the investigation that required the operation.
The other two officers were Kara Walsh and Isaac McKenna, both of whom Jamie and Eddie had worked with in recent months. Several young women had reported being assaulted at the same bar in the last month, so each officer had a post inside the bar. The senior detective began their final briefing.
"As you all know, all of these women gave the same description of their attacker. Early to mid-30's. Thick, dirty blond hair in waves. Green eyes and a small scar above his right eyebrow." Detective Blake handed Jamie a small stack of police sketches to pass out to the others.
"We don't have a name because he gives each woman a different alias," Blake continued, "but we do know he usually approaches the women when they are momentarily separated from their group, most often after they walk away from the bar to go back to their table, but sometimes on their way to the restroom or dance floor. So ladies, you will sit together at a table and act as natural as possible. This means you will split your time between the bar, the restroom, and the dance floor. And you don't always have to be together." Eddie nodded her understanding, as did Kara, though she seemed more stoic about it.
Jamie spoke up next. "Are McKenna and I supposed to sit near them?"
"Good question, Reagan," Blake replied. "No. He never approaches a woman when she's with other men. They're always alone or with other women, so you two will sit together at a table some distance away, but still in their line of sight. Preferably somewhere you can both see Janko and Walsh, as well as most of the rest of the bar."
This made Jamie feel slightly better. If he wasn't going to be near his partner, at least he could keep an eye on her at all times. He wasn't completely comfortable with Eddie acting as bait for sexual assault, given his knowledge of her history, but he knew she was tough and she was a good cop. He could have her back from the other side of the bar, hopefully just this once.
Blake continued explaining how things would work for the op.
"Ladies, you need to look nice. Not overly flashy, but enough to get his attention. Reagan and McKenna, you two should look nice, but casual. You need to blend in so you can keep an eye on what's happening around you without raising too many suspicions. Any questions?"
The four officers shared some looks among themselves, then turned back to Blake and all shook their heads.
"Right," Blake concluded. "We will have a van across the street from the bar from 9 PM tomorrow until the bar's last call at 3 AM. If nothing happens in that time frame, we'll call it a night and try again later. If you see the guy, we'll be outside waiting. All of you should be ready and at the bar between 9:00 and 9:30 tomorrow night. The four of you will be our only eyes and ears in there, so be vigilant at all times! Let's go get this guy!" With that, Blake closed the case folder containing all the files and walked out of the conference room, followed by his partner, who seemed more than happy to let Blake take the lead on this case.
Sergeant Renzulli moved to the front of the room to face his officers. "You've all got approval for three nights leave from patrol for this op, if needed. If he still hasn't been caught after that, assignments will be reassessed. I expect you all to do the 12th proud. Good luck."
The officers all nodded at their sergeant and stood to leave the conference room.
In the hall, Eddie chattered along animatedly. "Kara, wanna come by mine to figure out what we should wear? Tonight work for you?"
Kara nodded at the suggestion. "Sounds great, Janko. Let me go home and find my best options. I'll see you around 8 tonight."
"Perfect," Eddie smiled back. Once Eddie decided Kara wasn't so bad, the two had become kind of friends. Not as close as she was with Jamie, but closer than most other female friends she had.
"Got any ideas what you might wear, Janko?" Jamie's voice was right over her shoulder and she jumped just the slightest at the sound.
"I've got a couple ideas, Reagan. I may not even have to buy anything new," Eddie answered with a pleased smirk.
"Is that right?" Jamie offered a smirk of his own in reply.
"Don't sound so surprised! I have some club clothes," Eddie retorted, smacking Jamie's upper arm in indignation.
"So, you and Kara hanging out tonight. Guess I'll see you tomorrow then. At the bar." Jamie managed to keep the hurt out of his voice, but his eyes looked a little like a sad puppy, which tugged at Eddie's heart strings more than she wanted to admit.
"I mean, you could come by tomorrow evening before the meet. You know, offer your opinion. As a guy," she tacked on at the end. There was obvious hesitation in her voice, but it was rare that they went a whole 24 hours without seeing each other, even on their days off.
"Right. As a guy. I could do that," Jamie agreed with a shrug, also slightly hesitant. "Call me tomorrow and we'll work out the details," he finished, then headed to grab his bag from the locker room. Eddie went to retrieve her bag from the ladies' locker room and made her way home to collect some clothes for the fashion show with Kara.
… … … … …
The following evening, Eddie buzzed Jamie up to her apartment around 8 o'clock. They had agreed to travel part of the way to the bar together from her apartment before separating so they didn't appear to be there together. This also gave Jamie the opportunity to offer his opinion on her outfit, as they discussed the night before.
Jamie reached out to turn the knob on Eddie's door, as she usually left it unlocked after buzzing him up. To his surprise and confusion, it was locked. Furrowing his brow, he knocked instead, shouting, "Open up, Janko! It's me!"
"Sorry! I'm coming," Eddie yelled back, having 'forgotten' to unlock the door for him. She wanted to see the look on his face the moment he saw her, and the only way to be certain she did was to leave him waiting for her to open the door.
While waiting for her to come to the door, Jamie turned to glance around the hall, listening to the growing sound of her heels across her apartment floor. When the door opened behind him, he spun back around and nearly choked on his breath at the sight of the woman standing before him. Jamie Reagan was completely speechless.
Eddie was wearing an outfit she hadn't worn in quite some time, and definitely never in front of Jamie. The silver sequined tank top paired perfectly with the straight black leather skirt that stopped about mid-thigh. She hadn't put on her black leather jacket yet, but he recognized the silver strappy heels that Kara said made her calves look amazing as the source of the clacking sound every time she took a step.
"Eddie, you—you look…" He literally couldn't find the words.
"That bad?" Eddie asked, turning back into her apartment to hide her subtle blush.
"No! No, you look great," he corrected. With difficulty, he stopped himself from watching her backside as she walked away from him, then he stepped inside and closed the door.
"That's what Kara thought you'd say," Eddie muttered with a smirk on her face, walking to the kitchen.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. You want a glass of water?"
"Sure. That'd be great." Admittedly, his mouth was a little dry.
Jamie gulped down the glass of water she handed him, then placed the empty glass on the counter between them.
"You think this'll be enough to catch the guy?" Eddie glanced down at herself as she asked, then back up at her partner.
"Well, I haven't seen what Kara is wearing tonight, but I think you'll definitely catch someone's attention. Just maybe more than the guy we're after." A smile played at Jamie's lips, but his stomach was twisting in knots as his eyes roamed her figure one last time. Then he reminded himself that she was his partner so he needed to act professionally, and cleared his throat.
"So, you and Kara ready to be bait tonight?"
"Oh, yeah. She's gonna look hot too! We stayed up past midnight, taking turns modeling outfits before we decided on something for both of us." Jamie's imagination went wild for a second, imagining Eddie modeling various outfits, but he snapped out of it quickly as she continued talking. "She's got some really tight, hunter green pants and a super cute, loose black camisole top that look amazing with a pair of black booties."
"Right," Jamie nodded. "I only understood about half of that. But all that matters is this guy thinks one or the other of you is attractive enough to set his sights on."
"Oh, he better! I haven't felt less like myself in this kind of outfit in a long time," Eddie replied with a derisive chuckle.
"Well, trust me, you look fantastic, even if you don't feel much like yourself." Jamie smiled softly at Eddie across the counter. He was trying not to think about how attracted to her he was in that moment, and failing miserably.
On the other side of the counter, Eddie smiled back at her partner then lowered her gaze sheepishly. Hearing him tell her how good she looked made her heart beat faster than it had in months. It was getting more difficult to deny her feelings for him, but the thought of having feelings that he didn't reciprocate scared her.
After a few other final preparations and another glass of water for Jamie, Eddie grabbed her leather jacket as Jamie made his way to the door. He waited behind her in the hall while she locked her apartment, then together they headed for the stairs. Jamie hailed a cab in front of her building then opened the door for Eddie to climb in.
As Jamie closed the car door behind himself, Eddie finished explaining their drop-off plan to the driver.
"So you'll drop him off a couple blocks away from the bar, but then stop right out front to drop me off, if that's not too much trouble."
"Lady, as long as I get paid, I don't care what secret you two are hiding," the driver replied drily.
Eddie opened her mouth to correct him, but Jamie put a hand on her knee in the darkness. When she turned to look at him, he gave her a look that clearly said, 'don't waste your breath,' so she closed her mouth and swallowed her words. Jamie's hand lingered on her knee a moment longer, then his fingertips twitched and all that was left was the residual warmth.
The two partners chatted casually but quietly, until the cab slowed down a couple blocks away from their office for the night, just after 9 o'clock.
Jamie leaned over the front seat to hand the driver some cash before opening the door.
"This should be enough to cover her too, plus a little extra. Thanks, man." Before closing the door, he winked at Eddie. "See you, shorty." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he began walking the last two blocks to the bar, saying a silent prayer that nothing bad happened during this operation.
Just before he reached the door of the bar, he glanced around the block and spotted what he could only assume was the command van across the street. All four officers had a hidden earpiece comm in case there was any news to share with them, but they were one-way comms for this particular op.
Reaching for the door, Jamie heard Detective Blake in his ear. "Reagan, you're the last to arrive. Good luck, team." At this, he nodded his head twice, hoping someone in the van could see his response.
Upon entering the bar, he glanced around the room as though he was looking for someone. He made eye contact with Eddie for just a moment, but didn't allow his gaze to linger because she was already seated with Kara, then he looked around to find McKenna. Approaching the table where McKenna was waiting for him, he extended a hand to shake the one offered to him, then sat down to join his fellow officer.
… … … … …
As midnight approached, there still hadn't been anything exciting to report to Detective Blake. Jamie and McKenna had been taking turns getting drinks at the bar, though they had an arrangement with the bartender so they got nonalcoholic drinks since they were technically on duty.
From their table, the men could see that Eddie and Kara were doing a great job acting natural. Eddie had already been twice to get refills on their drinks (also nonalcoholic), while Kara had gone once, and they had each been to the restroom once already. They had also spent some time on the dance floor, since the table they had selected was somewhat secluded.
While the ladies were dancing to an upbeat pop song, Jamie told McKenna that he was going to the restroom, which actually meant 'I'm going to take a lap around the room to look for anything or anyone suspicious'. Crossing the dance floor, he made a point of cutting through the crowd directly behind Eddie.
"Excuse me, ma'am," he said just loud enough for her to hear as he placed a hand on her bare shoulder. When she turned to look at him, he smiled at her mischievously then continued on his way to the restroom. Eddie couldn't help the smile that broke across her face as she watched him depart. She reluctantly turned back to Kara, who was giving her a knowing look with a bit of a smirk.
A few minutes later, Jamie casually exited the restroom and began walking down the long hallway back to his post with McKenna. Eddie was walking toward him on her way to the restroom while Kara went back to their table. He allowed himself to watch her figure for just a second, then looked up like he was looking around the space once again.
Glancing past Eddie's shoulder to the bar, Jamie caught a glimpse of someone he thought he recognized. Her hair was darker and longer than it was when he had known her. Tonight she wore it in loose waves past her shoulders, similar to the way Eddie often wore hers after tour. But seeing her didn't stop him in his tracks like it once did. Instead, it sent a wave of panic through him.
"Bianca?"
Eddie couldn't hear his whispered question over the music, but she saw his lips move and gave him a brief, puzzled look. At that exact moment, Bianca looked up. Before she could lock eyes with him and recognize the face she was looking into, Jamie sprung into action, trying to hide his face and preserve his cover for the sake of the night's operation.
Acting quickly, Jamie took a step closer to Eddie in the hallway and placed a hand on her waist to press her against the wall. She let out a surprised yelp, but he ignored it. Instead, he buried his head in her neck and the palm of his free hand rested on the wall next to her shoulder. Then he whispered in her ear.
"Just play along for a minute." A second later, his breath caught in his throat when Eddie's thumb twitched across his bare stomach. His hand on her waist tightened, his fingertips digging in to the soft part of her hip.
When Jamie suddenly pushed her toward the wall and Eddie's hand instinctively flew to his waistline to catch her balance, neither of them realized her hand had slid under his untucked t-shirt. That is, until her fingers began moving of their own volition, exploring the warmth of his skin ever so slightly. He choked on his own breath again and Eddie breathed out a chuckle when she realized she was causing his reaction.
"What seems to be the problem, officer?" A smile played at her lips as she teased her partner. To passerby, it appeared she was simply enjoying his lips on her neck.
"God, Eddie, I—" he started to reply, but cut himself short before he told her what he was really thinking, how she was making him feel.
"You…what?" She seemed hesitant to ask, but her fingertips were still grazing his skin delicately under his t-shirt, as though she had no control over their actions.
"Uh. N-nothing," Jamie stuttered out. "Just saw someone from my UC days and didn't want her to blow our cover." He lifted his head from her shoulder and looked at her face for a moment, dropping his hand from her waist as he did so.
"Her?" Eddie asked. She finally retrieved her hand from under his shirt, and tried to hide her growing suspicion of this mystery woman that Jamie felt compelled to hide from. "Secret love affair, Reagan?" She raised an eyebrow at him and Jamie glanced back at the bar to see if Bianca was still watching him. From what he could tell, she was no longer standing in eyesight of the hallway, so he deemed himself safe for the moment.
"Umm. Not exactly," he answered with a shrug, looking back at Eddie again. "She was a pretty good kisser, but not really my type, as it turns out." Leaving her with a wink and a smirk, Jamie sauntered back to the corner table he had been posted at for the night, hoping the shadows would be enough to hide him in case Bianca went looking for him.
… … … … …
A few hours later, when they were given the signal to shut it down for the night, Jamie got up from his table and started to make his way to the door. From behind, he heard a voice he hadn't heard in years.
"Jimmy?" Bianca placed a hand softly on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
Without turning around, Jamie tried to let her down gently.
"Sorry, ma'am. My name's not Jimmy."
He felt her hand slide from his shoulder to his wrist and tug him around to face her.
"Jimmy," she said again, this time not a question. When he looked at her, he could see pleading in her eyes. "It's been years." He thought he detected a hint of hurt in her voice.
"Bianca," Jamie said softly, leaning in close to her ear so no one else could hear. "I'm not your guy. Ok? I'm not Jimmy." Straightening up, he gave her what he hoped was an apologetic look. "Take care, ma'am." He tugged his hand away gently and turned back toward the door. That's when he saw Eddie staring back at him.
Eddie quickly turned away and began making her way toward the door as well, exiting ahead of Jamie. When he reached the sidewalk outside the bar, Eddie was standing next to a cab as Kara climbed in first for their ride back to the precinct. She turned and gave him a hard look, then climbed into the cab behind Kara.
Something in her eyes made his stomach turn, but he couldn't exactly put a finger on it. He hoped he could figure it out soon though, because he didn't particularly like the look he had just received. Just then, McKenna placed a hand on his shoulder and the two officers turned in the direction of the subway so they could join the ladies at the precinct to debrief for the night.
… … … … …
After the team finished their discussion of the night, the four officers agreed to be at the bar around the same time the next night for another try, then went their separate ways. Out on the street, Eddie was several paces ahead of Jamie and showing no signs of waiting for him. He had to jog a little to catch up to her.
"Mind if I walk with you?" he asked carefully.
"You don't need to escort me. I can take care of myself." She slowed her pace just the slightest.
"I know that, but my car is at your place," he reminded her. She just glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and kept walking.
"What's wrong, Janko?" She rarely acted this cold with him. He was certain there was something bothering her.
"Nothing is wrong, Reagan," she answered, eyes not wavering from the path ahead of her.
"Eddie," he tried to put a hand on her arm, but she slipped through his grasp.
"I said, it's nothing." He knew her well enough to know there was something she wasn't telling him, but she obviously didn't want to talk about it, so he dropped it.
The partners walked on in silence for most of the trek back to Eddie's apartment building. Jamie trailed a few feet behind her, in an attempt to give her some space and let her temper cool off, but he never let her get too far ahead.
Once they reached her block, she came to an abrupt stop. Jamie nearly crashed into her, as he was watching his feet, rather than her. Just as he was regaining his composure from the near collision, she spun on him.
"What was that all about?"
"What was what all about?" The look of utter confusion on his face told her he wasn't just acting.
"Back at the bar. As we were leaving." Eddie hoped she didn't sound jealous, but she hadn't convinced herself that she wasn't, so she knew he wouldn't be fooled either.
"Nothing. A case of mistaken identity." A lame excuse and he knew it. There was no way she was going to buy that.
"Mistaken identity? It definitely looked like you knew each other." Dropping all pretense of not being jealous, Eddie crossed her arms and leveled him with a disbelieving look.
"I told you," Jamie began, then lowered his voice slightly. "She knows me as Jimmy Riordan. But that was a long time ago. Jimmy isn't around anymore, so whatever was between her and Jimmy is history now," he finished with a shrug.
Eddie's gaze softened a little, but not entirely. "Is that all?"
"Of course, Janko." He ducked his head slightly so he could look her in the eyes, and then he gasped quietly. "Wait a second. Were you jealous?" His face broke into a teasing grin.
"Absolutely not," Eddie protested. She tried to keep walking, but he grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. Knowing he wouldn't let it go, she lowered her gaze before continuing. "I'm not calling it jealousy."
"Oh-ho, is that right? I seem to recall hearing those exact words from you once before."
She tried to hide her embarrassment behind her hand, but he reached up and pulled it away from her face.
"Like I said, turns out she wasn't my type." He gave her one of his signature grins that melted her every time. "Maybe she was Jimmy's type, but not mine." She rolled her eyes, then spun around and started walking again.
"So what exactly is your type, Reagan?" As he opened his mouth to respond, she shot a hand up to stop him. "Wait. I don't think I want to know, actually." Glancing over at him out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smile and shake his head at her.
Much sooner than either of them would have liked, they reached Eddie's building. Jamie wondered for a moment if he should offer to walk her upstairs, or ask to use the restroom for an excuse to go up, but decided it was better if they said goodnight outside. The pair paused on the sidewalk near his car.
"So," Jamie started. "I'll see you tomorrow night."
"Actually," Eddie corrected him, "since it's nearly 5 o'clock in the morning, you'll see me tonight." She chucked him on the shoulder playfully, then took a step backward toward her building. "Go home, Reagan. Get some sleep."
"Yeah. Sleep. Sweet dreams, Janko."
Catching a glimpse of her eyes in the city lights just before she turned away, Jamie felt a lump form in his throat. This one was difficult to swallow. Rooted to the spot, he waited until she was inside before turning back to his car for the drive to his apartment.
Their conversation had brought back many old memories, making it easy to remember the way he used to feel around Bianca, and how hard it had been to try to keep his distance from her once upon a time. This time, pushing her away had been easy, effortless, despite feeling somewhat guilty about hurting her feelings. Deep down, he knew he'd never be able to push Eddie away so easily.
Unlocking his apartment door 20 minutes later, he sent a quick text to Eddie, despite the time.
J: Home, safe and sound. Zzz.
As he was stepping out of his jeans, he heard a short jingle from his phone.
E: Good. Sleep tight. :)
Smiling at his phone, he quickly typed out a reply.
J: Don't let the bed bugs bite. ;)
The moment he hit send, his stomach twisted up in knots. They frequently sent each other 'made it home safe' messages following after-tour drinks, but he couldn't recall a time when those messages crossed over into 'good night' endearments and flirty emoticons. Maybe that was too far, he worried.
As if Eddie was reading his mind all the way from her apartment, she sent one last reply for the night.
E: :)
Knowing there would be little sleep on his end, Jamie pulled the blinds closed and climbed into bed for a few hours rest before he was back at the bar with Eddie and the others. Closing his eyes, with a smile on his face, all he could think about was the feeling of Eddie's fingers under his t-shirt.
Author's Note: If you've gotten this far, thank you so much for reading! I really hope you've enjoyed it because it's been on my mind for several weeks and it feels good to have it out for others to read.
Now is where I need something from you, and this is something I almost never do. I have part of another chapter written for this, detailing the rest of the op to catch the bad guy. Should I continue?! It would likely only be one more chapter, but I'm having trouble finishing it. If you think I should go on until they catch this guy, let me know in a PM or review! If you think I should just leave it here, also let me know! Haha. If you just wanna tell me what you thought of this chapter, that's fine too! Either way, I can't wait to hear from you! :)