Title: Growing Legacy

Summary: Maria knows something isn't right with her partner but wasn't expecting what he confessed. Danny/Maria set after season 10 finale 10.19 Family Secrets

Disclaimer: Everything from Blue Bloods belongs to CBS and well not me lol I only own my muse (Alice love her!) and the ideas and any OCs that might pop up (which in name are only coincidence if they match anyone reading and not intentional!)

A/N: And of course I love my Danny/Maria pairing and just wanted to write about what Danny might have been thinking in the aftermath of meeting his new nephew – Joe Hill.

"Danny…of course I've heard about you…"

"Danny!"

His mind quickly snapped back to reality as a bullet whizzed overhead and his eyes instantly shot to where his partner was on the other side of the cement bulkhead.

"Is your head in the game or somewhere else!" Detective Maria Baez growled as Danny gave himself a small shake and then dared to pop his head back up and fire off a few rounds at their hidden suspect. "Can't see him!"

"And?"

"And what!" Danny retorted with impatience as her dark brows arched in surprise.

"Normally this where I tell you not to do something stupid, just before you do something stupid!"

"And you're getting after me for not doing something stupid!" Danny shot back as she looked at him in shock for a few dumbfounded seconds before his usual Reagan instincts finally kicked in and he gave her a firm nod. "Okay I'm going to draw his fire to the left and you take him down."

"Hate to say that's more like it! GO!"

She stood up and started to fire just as Danny started to race toward the far side of the small parking lot; which of course, is what he wanted. The perp spotted him, tried to fire at Danny but that exposed him to Baez and she offered a shot that took him out of the game. She watched as Danny pivoted on his heel to the right and raced toward their fallen suspect.

"NYPD! Don't move!" Danny shouted as he kicked the gun away, while the perp clutched his bleeding leg.

"Bitch shot me!" He snarled as Danny kicked him in the side, out of view. "Hey! That's police brutality!"

"Yeah? And who's gonna believe you?"

With that he shoved his gun back into his holster and headed back toward his partner, who waited for him with a wondering glance. "What? We got him."

"I didn't say anything."

"You have that look," he chided in a lower tone as they slowly headed back to their car. But after a few moments of growing silence, he looked over at her and offered her a small frown.

"I know you want to tell me," she lightly goaded as his face finally cracked a soft smile. It was a bit unnerving but at the same time comforting that she knew him that well; and he knew opening up to her would help unburden his muddled mind.

"So apparently Sean was doing this project for school…that he didn't tell me about first, he told dad and anyways…that didn't bother me, okay it did a bit but…not so much as what came of the results."

"So what was the project?"

"Family ancestry."

"And he found a new family member?" She asked, almost half joking. But when he looked at her with a serious expression and nodded, her expression instantly changed. "What? He did?"

"Yup," he replied firmly as he headed toward the back of the car and just leaned against the back; letting the cool morning air help to cool his rapidly heating interior. "Apparently Joe…my brother had a kid he never knew about. Sean…" his voice trailed off as he recalled the rather tense discussion he had with his son after their initial family meeting.

'What the hell Sean? You told dad about some family project and that you found a hit but you waited until he broke the news to tell me?'

'I didn't think you'd care.'

'Sean…'

'Okay so you were busy. I guess I just thought…'

'Oh…' Danny's voice instantly stopped as he realized what his son had at first been thinking. 'You thought that maybe me…or your mother…'

'No, I mean…well…' Sean stammered as his brow furrowed. 'Thought maybe you didn't want to tell us. Are you mad?'

'I want to be but I can't really fault you for this. But let me put your mind at ease. No…before your mother…maybe something…I don't know but after. No and I give you my word that's the truth. So…what else did you find?'

"Danny?"

"Yeah sorry. Detective Joe Hill from Firearms."

"He's a cop with the NYPD?"

"Yeah. Hit us like a ton of bricks too," Danny huffed as his brow furrowed and he cast a faraway glance into the distant horizon. "Joe never talked much about his personal life. We knew Cindy but…but she never told him so can't fault him for not telling us. I think he woulda made a great dad," Danny stated with soft pride. "Just wish he could be here to meet him."

"So what's he like?"

"He…he's like Joe. Same dry sense of humor. Tosses wisecracks back like he grew up in the fold. Said he heard about me."

"Uh oh…" Maria lightly teased as his lips cracked a partial smile. "Did he expand?"

"No and I was afraid to ask."

"So is that why you hesitated today? Think he'll read more of the crazy ass antics of Danny Reagan and follow in his footsteps?"

"Crazy ass?" Danny chortled as she lightly chuckled.

"Well?" She pushed.

"Yeah that might have been part of it. You know…is he reading the report and going…yeah that's cool. I wanna do that or…what that was stupid…who the hell does this guy think he is?"

"Probably both."

"And for a moment…I was wishing it was Sean."

"Did you tell Sean that?"

"No. Linda and I agreed…we'd let the boys do what they wanted as a profession. Just like Nicki. But…"

"But you wished that you had someone after you to carry on the Reagan name in the field?"

"Stupid right?"

"Not really," Maria replied with a small shrug as she looked at him in concern.

"Sean's a great kid. Jack too. Proud of both of them, but…but hey not sure what Sean will do yet. He's still…waffling. That's his word," Danny softly chirped. "I don't want to push but sometimes…"

"You hope the heroic stories will make him want to…be like you?"

"Damn, you know me well," Danny said with a warm smile as he looked up and held her gaze for a few tender moments.

"Is that a bad thing?" She asked as her hand dared to reach out and rest on his for a few seconds before resting beside it as they remembered there were in public and there were fellow officers milling around and it wasn't the place for public displays of affection – no matter how small.

"No. It's uh…comforting," he confessed in truth. "Just wonder if I'm once again getting distracted by work too much that…that I'm pushing Sean away. You know? Keep asking myself why didn't he come and tell me about the project first and ask me. Even if I woulda been mad I just…I can't help but wonder."

"So what are you doing tonight?"

"Why? You wanna…"

"Wanna what?" She teased as his face gently flushed. "Come over for dinner? Maybe tomorrow. No what I was going to say was…why don't you finish a bit early…or on time for once and just get Sean and go for pizza or have it at home and just…talk."

He mulled the idea in his brain for a few seconds before he started to nod firmly. "You know…maybe I will do that," Danny stated firmly as he pulled his phone and sent a quick text message to his son. His smile instantly brightened when he got an instant reply in the affirmative.

"So now that he said yes, no more moping for the rest of the day."

"Yes dear," Danny teased as her lips pursed. "You know about dinner…"

"I'd love to. I'll be over at 7…tomorrow."

"Right," he offered her a firm nod and smile as he stood up and then looked back at her with a serious expression. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Just…being here to listen and just…just being here."

"I'm not going anywhere."

He took comfort in that and while he was excited to have Joe Hill a new part of the Reagan legacy he was more interested in growing his own – with his son and possibly…his partner.

THE END.

A/N: So hope you all liked this little piece a little and please do review before you go and thanks so much!