April 24, 1940

Nick was in Wolfie's office most of the afternoon doing paperwork and discussing as much as he could about the FBI operations. All he could really say was that he received a lot of great undercover training and assisted in classified operations against organized crime. But the Captain knew not to press, and he wasn't that kinda guy anyway.

When the paperwork was done, Nick went out to where Jennifer and Matt were working on their reports, typing away. Another desk had been moved in the meantime so there was an empty space perpendicular to where Jennifer sat and in front of Matt. Nick had brought his box of desk things that he'd packed up and taken home thirteen months ago, and he began putting his things away.

Matt glanced up and smiled. "Nice to have you back, Nick."

"Nice to be back," Nick answered. And it was. It was nice to be back to being Nick Buchanan. In his own clothes and in a place where he trusted everyone and knew what he was doing.

Well, almost. He spared a quick look over at Jennifer. She was busy typing away, either concentrating intently on what she was doing or else purposefully ignoring him. He didn't know what he was doing with her. He didn't know she was here. He had no way of knowing she'd be at his old desk when he got back. And it threw him for a complete loop to see her. A shock, really. What the hell was he supposed to do now? His real life as Nick Buchanan was colliding with his fantasy life as happy husband Wesley Claybourne. Except now he wasn't pretending Jen was his wife. The opposite, in fact. They had to pretend like they didn't know each other at all. Jen had set the tone for that, and it was for the best, but it was yet another thing he wasn't prepared for. God dammit.

"You almost done, Matt?" Jen asked once her flurry of typing had dissipated.

"Just about," he answered.

Jen turned towards Nick. "We're going out for a drink. Wanna come?" she offered.

He did a good job schooling his features and not being too surprised or too delighted at her invitation. "Yeah, okay," he replied casually.

A gentle smile crossed her face and she gave a satisfied nod. There was a little twinkle in her eye that Nick knew very well. It reminded her that at one time, not too long ago, he knew her very well. He wondered if he still did. How had she changed in their time apart? Had she been here at Homicide the whole time? Did she hate him for not coming to find her like he promised he would when she left the FBI? Did she know where he'd been these last months? Suddenly, Nick found himself overwhelmed by all those questions and not knowing when or if he'd get the answers. After all, Nick and Jen had just met a couple hours ago, so far as anyone else knew. And that was the new undercover lie they'd have to keep up.

But Nick was not an anxious, worrying sort of person. He knew there was nothing he could do about any of that now, so he put it out of his head. He'd be going out for drinks with his old squad: Matt, Simon, and Duncan. And if Jennifer was going to be there too, that was just fine. He could pretend like he didn't know her. He could enjoy the opportunity to get to know her properly.

The evening went just as it always used to when the squad went out. Duncan and Simon cracked jokes and baited each other on which women they could try and flirt with. Nick and Matt played the referees and responsible adults, as usual. There were a lot of drinks and a lot of laughter.

And then there was Jen. Nick tried not to stare at her, but after two drinks, it was hard to resist. She was so beautiful. And more than that, she was his dream come true. He'd missed her, being Wesley without his Trish. Going to bed at night without her beside him. Waking up in the morning to the empty quiet. Having coffee and breakfast all alone. Nick had never been the kind of person who needed attention or company. He'd always enjoyed being by himself. After Jen left, he suddenly found himself lonely all the time. And now she was here, standing next to him at the bar. So close he could reach out and touch her. Only he couldn't. Not here. Not now.

April 25, 1940

Jen didn't sleep a wink. How could she? She'd had a horrific case yesterday. A case that would haunt her for a long time, she knew. And if that weren't enough, she came face to face with Nick, of all people.

She could kick herself for not knowing. She knew he'd lived in Midtown. She knew he was a Homicide detective. So when she got a job as a Homicide detective at a precinct in midtown, you'd think she'd have connected the dots.

Of course, she'd been more focused on forgetting Nick and trying to get the hang of the job than anything else. That was the excuse she told herself for why she hadn't figured out that Nick had been at that precinct. Jesus, how had she never even asked Matt who his old partner was? It was all just so stupid. She should have known better!

But even if she had, even if she'd known that Nick used to by Matt Ryan's partner on Homicide, what could she have done? It wasn't like she could call up Supomo at the FBI and throw this job he'd wrangled for her back in his face. She wasn't going to give up Homicide for anything. And now that Nick had shown up so unexpectedly to be on the same squad she was just starting to get used to, she'd just have to deal with it.

It had been quick thinking, she thought, to ensure that they didn't arouse suspicion by revealing that they knew each other. Jen had been given the false credentials to become a detective thanks to the FBI, and Nick would be the only one who knew, and if anyone on the squad knew that they'd known each other, there would be even more questions. No, better this way.

Even if it killed her. She was going to have to see him every day and work alongside him and pretend like she didn't know him. And she'd do it, of course, because she had to. But that didn't make it easier.

She arrived early that morning, not bothering to keep tossing and turning when she knew sleep was going to continue to elude her. Jerry was pleased to get his breakfast early, and Jen took the subway down to the precinct far earlier than she'd ever made it in before.

Much to her surprise, the bullpen wasn't empty. Nick was already at his desk, looking over a file in front of him. The sound of her shoes on the floor caused him to look up. He smiled, perhaps in spite of himself. She smiled, too. She hadn't meant to.

"You're here early," she said, putting her purse down at her own desk.

He shrugged. "I'm an early riser. And I only live a couple blocks away."

"I know," she told him softly. She glanced around to make sure there wasn't anyone around to overhear them. They were mercifully alone.

Nick's brow subtly raised. "Do you?"

Jen nodded. "I found your address and stopped by a couple times. No answer."

His face was stoic, but Jen could see the hurt in his eyes. "Supomo didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"I went back under. As Claybourne. I flipped Abe Reles."

Jen's eyes went wide. "You did? Nick, that's amazing. Really. Did it help? After the Shapiro Brothers, I mean?"

"Weirdly, yeah. Abe and I got close. I'm gonna help him out while he's in custody. When the trial gets closer, help him prep his testimony."

"Don't the lawyers usually do that?"

"Those guys don't know people like us."

"Boys from the old neighborhood?" Jen said knowingly.

"Something like that," he chuckled.

A beat of silence passed between them as they looked at each other. Just looked. For the first time in so long. Jen still couldn't believe it was real.

"It's good to see you, Jen." Nick's voice was soft and warm in the way she remembered it when they'd talk quietly in bed to avoid the recording equipment at the Bushwick apartment. It made Jen shiver at the memory.

"I coulda used a heads up that you were coming here," she said pointedly. "But even so. It's good to see you, Nick."

"So I guess this means we go from here? Working together like before?"

"Well, not like before," she amended.

Nick's hazel green eyes sparkled almost teasingly. "We'll see," he said cryptically.

Jen opened her mouth to tell him what a bad idea that was, but she was prevented for saying anything by the bell of the elevator indicating that someone was getting off on this floor. And sure enough, Captain Wolfe walked in.

"Good morning, you two. Glad you're getting right back into things, Nick. And Jennifer, I'm glad you're getting to know Nick. He's a good cop. You both are."

After the captain went into his office, Nick smiled at Jen. "You a good cop, Jen?"

She smirked proudly. "I learned from the best." And it was true, she had. He was sitting right next to her desk.