When they reached the nest, it was nearly 4pm. Cody's Jeep was in the parking lot along with a black Lincoln Town Car. "Dierdre's here," Frank commented as they walked by the vehicle.
When the four entered the room Dierdre Burkholtz, Director of the Special Operations Unit greeted them. "So nice of you to join us."
A laugh from behind her drew Shay's attention. "Bryce?"
Stepping around Dierdre he hurried to Shay and grabbed her up in a crushing embrace. "Hey, kiddo! It's been way too long."
Shay pulled back within his embrace to look him over. "Sweet Jesus! Look at all that gray you've developed." She laughed as he ran a hand through his brown hair, now littered with gray.
"Yeah...it was from breaking in the new profiler. I begged you not to leave me."
Profiler? Frankie leaned over to whisper into Jake's ear "Where's Monica and Alex?"
"Monica's married and gone, Frankie. Shay's our profiler. Alex is over the Atlantic on her way to Scotland. That's why I suggested we ask you to help with this."
Shay slapped Bryce softly. "Liar."
Dierdre cleared her throat. "If we could get this meeting underway? I have an elsewhere to be," she stated impatiently.
Shay turned to look into the darkly intense eyes of her boss and husband. He looked none too pleased with the affection between his wife and her former boss. "Frank, this is Bryce Davencourt...the head of the VCTF. Bryce, Frank Donovan."
Bryce extended a hand. "Nice to meet you," he said, shaking Donovan's hand. "Congratulations...not only on the marriage, but the children. I hope I get to see them while I'm in town."
Frank shrugged. "You'll see them soon enough, I'm sure. Can we get on with this?"
Bryce nodded. "We've put at your disposal the resources of the VCTF; however, we are currently working a serial arsonist case and cannot spare our team to do the legwork and profiling."
"That's where your team comes in, Frank," Dierdre interjected.
"In what context?" he asked. He was not looking forward to working for Shay's ex-boss.
"You have my best profiler," Bryce said, smiling at Shay, "and one of the best teams on record. You handle this case using the resources of the VCTF. It's that simple."
"And who is this?" Dierdre asked, motioning to Frankie.
"Francesca Battles, I asked her to sit in on this. Darinda was a friend of hers."
At the mention of the name Francesca Battles, Dierdre's eyebrows raised slightly and she looked at Frank as if to ask 'THAT Francesca Battles'? She remembered Frank recommending a Francesca Battles for the FBI Academy a few years ago.
Frank nodded his head almost imperceptibly to say yes.
"Well, then, Ms. Battles. Welcome to the team."
************
Dierdre had left shortly after the meeting had started. Bryce was working with Cody setting up all the necessary password protocols within the VCTF's mainframe for their access. Frank was going over the files with Frankie, bringing her up-to-date on what information they had while Jake had pulled Shay into the break room to talk to her quietly.
"Hon, what's going on with you and Frank? He really hasn't been acting like...well...Frank."
Her spine stiffened in response to the question. "That noticeable, huh?"
"To me, the others, I don't know. What's going on?" he asked again.
"I wish I could tell you, Jake. The long and short of it is, something's bothering Frank but he's shut me out." She bit her lip trying to hold back the tears that welled in the corner of her eyes. "He's changing, Jake...I think I'm losing him."
Jake's anger grew the longer she tried to hold back her heartache. He had sworn once to Frank that if he ever hurt her he would kill him, and seeing her now...body and lower lip trembling as she fought to hold back the tears, the thought of decking his boss appealed to him greatly.
Instead, he reached out and pulled Shay into his embrace, comforting her as she rested her head on his shoulder and wept silently. He whispered quietly, "There has to be a way to reach him and you'll find it. You'll never lose him, Shay; he is so in love with you it's untouchable." He paused momentarily as her tears subsided, "But promise me, as your friend and the godfather of your children, you will not let him hurt you. You tell me...tell me, Shay...because it will be the last thing he ever does."
Out in the main room, Frank and Frankie were looking through the files. "Jesus darlin'. This... defies description."
Frank didn't say a word to Frankie.
"That's what I love about you. Strong, Silent, Excellent Kisser, and you look good half-naked. So," Frankie dropped the file and turned to look into the break room to where Jake and Shay were consoling one another. "What's with the chick? I seemingly missed my invite to the wedding. I mean, we've had our share of discussions and all, but you'd think somehow I'd at least merit an announcement."
"Francesca..."
"Yeah darlin'?"
"Cool it."
"What's eating at you darlin'? You're snapping at your wife, barking at Jake and Cody... Cody, that's nothing new from what Jake tells me... and you look like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
Frank had been about to say something when his father-in-law came in with a stroller and a little boy.
Shay pulled away from Jake, about to admonish him for saying such a thing when they heard Thomas Renquist yell his greetings as he entered the nest. They hurried into the outer room to see Little Jake run unsteadily to his father.
"Daddddy," LJ called, holding his arms outstretched for his father to pick him up.
Frankie backed up a bit. Kids? She'd heard the one named Bryce say something about kids earlier, but it didn't register until now. Looking closely at the boy she could tell easily that wasn't Frank's.
"Hey, there, Little Man," Frank responded, laughing as he swung LJ up into his arms. "Where's your sister?"
LJ giggled and pointed to his grandfather. "Aiwy wight dare," he stated.
Frankie chuckled. The boy was definitely cute, even if his mother was Shay Donovan. "Aiwy?"
Frank chuckled. "Ariel. Little Jake has a bit of a problem with that name."
"Do not," LJ insisted with a frown. When he saw Mommy and Uncle Jake across the room he squirmed to get down. Once on the floor, he took off at a dead run toward them. "Mommy! Uncew Jayyyyke!" He launched himself forward and was caught in the firm grasp of his uncle.
Shay ruffled his hair and smiled at Jake. "Thanks," she said, knowing he would realize it wasn't meant just for catching her acrobatic son. "Hey, Dad," she called, walking across the room toward her father. She bent over the stroller and scooped up Ariel who gurgled happily within her mother's arms.
"Hello, Thomas!" Bryce called from his position at Cody's workstation.
"Bryce! It's so wonderful to see you!" He left his daughter to speak with her ex-boss.
Shay breathed in the refreshing "baby scent" of her daughter. She would never get over how wonderful babies smelled; of course, that did not include baby messes.
Shay both heard and felt the approach of Frankie and icy sky-blue eyes met frigid steel gray as Frankie walked past her into the break room.
Frank went to his wife's side and leaned down to kiss the top of his daughter's head. Looking up, he could see that Shay had been crying. He placed a gentle hand to her cheek and shook his head softly. He just could not bring himself to share his tormented thoughts.
Shay managed a slight smile before taking Ariel over to meet Bryce and called to Jake to bring LJ over to see him also.
"Sorry about arriving unannounced, but your son insisted that he would not go to bed without seeing Mommy and Daddy...and Uncew Jake, too." Thomas chuckled as he spoke to Frank.
Frank nodded and remained patient during the short visit.
************
