This posted all kinds of weird the first time I did it, hopefully this comes out readable.

Chapter 2:

Eddie wasn't really angry with Jamie. She even had to agree he had a point. But she was completely exasperated with how overprotective he was being. On the job, she'd be one of the people responsible for catching the creep who had been assaulting women joggers from all over Brooklyn for the past two months. Now that she was off duty, he was suggesting she wait until he was available to go for a run with her.

"I don't need you to protect me, Jamie. I can take care of myself!"

"But I want to protect you. You're my wife. If someone hurts you, it hurts me too."

"Nobody is hurting me. I just want to go for a run in broad daylight."

It was still early. She had woken up with him at 5:00 am. to be sure they had a little time for breakfast together before he headed into work. Her shift started later and she wouldn't see him again until she got home later that night, when he would already be sleeping.

After promising to adhere to every safety precaution he listed and text him once she arrived back at home, Jamie relented. She could see it in his eyes that he was not happy, but they reached a compromise.

Once Jamie headed out to work, Eddie filled her water bottle, put on running shoes and headed downstairs. She had agreed to skip headphones to be sure she was aware of her surroundings. She spent a few minutes in front of their building stretching. It surprised her how empty the streets were. A few delivery trucks passing by, and the early wave of commuters in cars and buses but nowhere near the level of activity she normally saw. She started running up the street and her mind began to focus on the plans she had for Sunday dinner. It was her and Jamie's turn to handle the main dish and one or two of the sides. Linda had offered to make a salad and pick up fresh bread. Erin was taking care of a side dish and Frank and Henry were providing dessert. She still had to find time to let them know what she was making so they could choose accordingly. Eddie had found a chicken dish online that looked promising and would go great with mashed potatoes and some asparagus. As she mentally went through the grocery list, when she'd need to carve out time to get there, not to mention when she could squeeze in prep time on Saturday, Eddie was feeling invigorated. Living in Brooklyn had been a pleasant surprise for her. She loved her neighborhood.

As she ran, she made sure she followed every safety precaution that she promised Jamie she'd follow. She ran close to the curb, kept aware of alleys or doors and made sure her safety alarm was on her wrist. There were just a few other runners she passed as she heard her Fitbit tell her she hit the mile mark. Not surprisingly, most were men and the other women were in groups or running with dogs. After a few more minutes, her thoughts about Sunday dinner and upcoming birthdays for Jack and Henry were interrupted. She could hear a faint cry coming from the alley on her left. As she slowed down and approached the opening that the noise was coming from, the crying changed to a faint but clear, "help."

All personal thoughts were immediately pushed aside and Eddie was in cop mode. Her training kicked in as she carefully approached the source of the sound. Immediately, she produced her cellphone and used voice mode to call 911. She approached the alley with caution until she was able to make out a woman's hand on the ground, peeking out from behind a large blue dumpster.

The operator on the other end of the phone began trying to ask her questions, but Eddie was already at work. She launched into the standard information she would normally provide to a dispatcher and approached the rear of the dumpster. She gave the dispatcher everything she noticed about the situation as she proceeded closer. The woman on the ground was dressed in workout gear like herself. Her yoga mat was behind her about 50 feet as if it had been thrown clear of her body. She was bloody, bruised and badly injured but thankfully alive. Eddie performed the normal basic medical assessment she would do as a cop to be sure there was nothing she could do before the paramedics arrived. Eddie carefully stayed in the same general area to avoid contaminating the scene, and left the woman's yoga mat and purse where they were on the ground. She covered the woman with her thin jacket.

"Don't move, help is on the way. What's your name?"

"Ashley," the young woman replied through tears.

"Relax, Ashley. I'm a police officer and I've called for help already. They are on their way."

Before she could do much more to comfort the young woman, a police car pulled into the opening of the alley. The officers jumped from their car and were followed by two paramedics rounding the corner and staying right behind them. Once they got close to Eddie and Ashley, the paramedics moved in and Eddie was pushed to the side. After securing the scene and communicating with their dispatcher, the officers called Eddie over to ask her some questions.

At his desk at the 2-9, Sergeant Reagan had just finished role call. He had some paperwork to finish so he was not out on the street. Instead he was in the perfect place to hear the NYPD live feed of officer responses come crackling over the scanner.

"Female jogger was located injured in the alley off 75th Street in the 63rd precinct. Officers and paramedics responding."

Jamie immediately recognized the 63rd as one of the precincts near his apartment. His blood ran cold and he was frozen in place. His trance was broken by the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. Picking it up apprehensively, he saw Eddie's face appear on the screen. He answered, deeply worried that it wouldn't be her voice on the other end.

"Jamie…" was all she managed to get out before he gasped a sigh of relief.

"Are you OK?" The anxiety in his voice was evident both to Eddie and to the officers around him. He had been so shaken when he heard the scanner and his phone rang almost immediately afterwards, that he didn't even take the time to step away for privacy.

Though the officers under his command knew about him and Eddie, he went to great lengths to keep any personal interaction between them to a minimum. Jamie was pretty sure he'd overheard a couple of the young officers joking once about how little passion he and Eddie had with each other, calling them "vanilla". Far from being insulted and not sticking around long enough to hear them go into how much better they would be with Eddie - it always went there in a locker room - Jamie decided he would take that as a win. Jamie actually walked away laughing to himself and wondering if they had any idea what could build up in two people when you had to repress your feelings all day. By the time he and Eddie were clear of the precinct together, they usually had trouble keeping their PDA to a socially appropriate level. They would spend their time doing errands or grabbing after work drinks and dinner becoming experts at hidden touches and teasing. By the time they got home, they were unable to wait any longer. Jamie was pretty sure they'd be shaking his hand and asking for advice if they had any idea how wrong they were.

Jamie tried to keep the panic in his voice down when he asked, "Where are you?" If she wasn't involved in this latest incident, the last thing he wanted was to seem even more over protective. He knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. She was strong, well trained in self-defense and wasn't over confident. But it was the unpredictable dangers that worried Jamie. The kind of things you couldn't prepare for that resulted in tragedy. It had been almost two years since they were partners at the 12th and he still wished every day that he could be her partner again.

"I'm fine, Jamie. I wasn't the one hurt. I found another victim of the guy going after joggers when I was out for my run. I've got to go now and make my statement. I'm not sure how long this is going to take so you might need to get someone in to ride with Rachel. I'll see you at home later - I love you."

"Love you too," he responded. Another workplace slip of the tongue that revealed just how shaken he really was, despite his calm exterior. Jamie pushed down the gnawing fear for Eddie which never led to anything good happening. He mentally wandered to whether he had spare workout clothes in his locker. He had a feeling he would need to work some things out with a heavy bag at Donovan's Gym first before he went home to talk about it with Eddie.

For her part, Eddie was shaken too. If her morning negotiations with Jamie had taken less time, she would have been passing by when it happened. Hell, she might have been who it happened to! Jamie was right...but really was he? Women can't be expected to just change their lives because some sicko has decided to go after them. She was all in favor of smart self preservation. You don't take an Uber alone, you walk home with someone at night - the normal things people do who don't want to put themselves in danger. But jogging in broad daylight? Millions of people start their morning that way. If she and Jamie really do want to start a family soon, her morning run might be the only time she had to herself all day. How could she let some creep take that away? And yet it terrified her. Once the adrenaline rush passed, Eddie could tell how much the attack had scared her. Made her want to go buy a treadmill and never go out without Jamie again - so much for being a strong independent woman. That guy was still out there. She was pretty sure Jamie was already totally worked up about her brush with the attacker and well aware he had moved his hunting ground to their part of Brooklyn.

"Hey, I know that this isn't my precinct and all but I've got some undercover decoy experience with this kind of thing. Let me know if you need anyone to help you get this guy." Eddie heard herself say to the detective who had reported to the scene. She knew Jamie would absolutely flip if he had heard her and even worse if the detective took her up on the offer.

"Give me a call tomorrow." The detective nonchalantly said, but she could tell in his eyes he was already planning something and just wanted to get the details down before he read anyone in. For his part, Detective Andrews was already planning on calling this officer's precinct to let them know what a great job she had done and to put out some feelers about borrowing her to try and catch this guy. He wrote "Edit Janko" in his notebook and planned to contact the 2-9 as soon as he returned to his desk.

After she finished giving her statement to the detectives at the 63rd, Eddie decided that she needed to de stress a little before she went home and rehashed this whole incident with Jamie. She couldn't blame him. In fact, the fear in his voice during their brief conversation had made her feel guilty for not taking his advice in the first place. But now she was involved and as a female cop she could do something about it. She headed to Happy Paws, the rescue center where she volunteered to socialize dogs that were up for adoption. Free therapy was how she classified it. An hour of unconditional support from a furry friend would be perfect right about now.

As soon as she began playing with a sweet four year old bulldog, she began to create some order in her mind. Yes, she would call the detective tomorrow to follow through but only after she and Jamie talked. And she would listen, really listen, to him. Then they would proceed together, even if it meant she had to back out. If she got herself into another op like the last time, poorly planned and without safety measures in place, even she wouldn't trust herself. Her furry therapist nodded at her, apparently in complete agreement with her plan.

When Eddie arrived back home, the apartment was still dark. She had received a text from Jamie letting her know he needed to stop at Donovan's for a workout on his way home. He checked again if she was OK and needed anything. Eddie assured him that she just needed a hot shower and change of clothes but was otherwise fine. She was happy to take some time for herself until he got home. Eddie was pretty sure the reason he texted rather than called was to hide the agitation in his voice. When Jamie got riled up with fear, anger and frustration he could explode without much provocation. The blood and dirt all over her running gear most likely would have done the trick. Eddie quickly applied spot treatment and threw them in the small stackable washer dryer in the hall closet. It didn't cover all their laundry needs but it let them deal with a few necessities between trips to the laundromat. Regardless of how clean they got, she was pretty sure they were headed for donation. Eddie knew she had plenty of time before Jamie returned and drew herself a hot bath.

For his part, Jamie was slowly releasing the mountain of frustration that today had brought. Each time he connected with the heavy bag, he could tell it was working. He quickly allowed the idea of setting something up for his squad at a boxing club near the 2-9 to percolate. His officers could use this type of stress relief before heading home to their families after a rough shift. But not at Donovan's - that was his place. He realized that if thoughts like this were penetrating his consciousness, then the workout was helping. The white hot anger he had about Eddie nearly being some creep's next victim was giving way to clear headed logic. The detective who responded to the scene had called Jamie personally that afternoon. He had commended her for her calm and efficient work before any officers responded. She kept the onlookers back, remembered a description of several people she passed as she approached the alley and gave him a few different delivery trucks whose drivers might have seen something as well, all while keeping the victim relaxed.

After Jamie acknowledged that she was his wife, the whole "Reagan" connection to this witness became clear to the detective and gave him just a moment's pause. He was impressed that she had not revealed her connection to the Commisioner as well as a host of other colleagues. Yet, he couldn't deny that using the police commissioner's daughter-in-law in a decoy sting was looking a bit less promising than it had just a few minutes ago. Not to mention he had a few interactions with Danny Reagan over the years and while he respected the hell out of him, he did not want to get on his bad side by endangering his sister. Will Andrews decided if he was going to run with his idea, he'd better get some help from the new transfer from narcotics who had undoubtedly been down this road before.

Detective Andrews let Jamie know Eddie had offered to help anyway she could and he's like to take her up on her offer. Jamie wasn't surprised. If he had to be honest, Andrews seemed like a great detective. But, he would still give Danny a call just to learn a little more about him before he got home. If Eddie wanted to act as decoy again he wouldn't be surprised. This time he wouldn't be so overbearing about it. As much as it terrified him, it was her neighborhood too. They both wanted to live in a place where it was safe to have a family. He would listen to her and give her advice. As long as she wasn't being reckless or getting herself into something poorly set up, he would have to support her both professionally and personally. That might take another 15 minutes of working out to accept and he should probably look for a sparring partner.

45 minutes later, Jamie was on his way home and Eddie was dozing on the couch. Her phone rang this time - a good sign.

"Hey beautiful, can I pick something up for dinner or do you want to go out?"

"Takeout would be great. What did you have in mind?"

"Why don't I grab some of that Mac and cheese with bbq brisket you love from Fletcher's?"

"Sounds perfect - just don't forget coleslaw and extra cornbread." she excitedly replied.

"You got it." He chuckled. "If I grab a couple slices of key lime pie, what's in it for me?"

"I could think of a whole lot of things." she teased. "See you soon!"

When Jamie returned home with their food, Eddie was asleep on the couch. Curled up under a knit blanket in her comfiest pajamas, she looked so young and vulnerable. He resolved to be better at listening when they got to talking about today. The beautiful woman sleeping softly was a formidable cop. He loved her because she was both of those things.

"Wake up sleepy head. I've got Mac and cheese and bbq."

That was all the motivation she needed to get up and follow Jamie over to the table. She had set the table before laying down so there was little time wasted. Both of them were enjoying dinner before the topic came up.

"How is the girl doing?" Jamie asked as a way of breaking the ice.

"Her name is Ashley. I stopped by the hospital and she was already released, but I had given her my card before the ambulance left the scene. Her boyfriend called a little while ago to tell me she was sore but resting. I'm going to meet them for coffee next weekend - want to come?"

"Sounds great... It looks like the case is in good hands. Anderson sounds like a straight up guy."

Of course, Eddie realized, he'd called her precinct afterwards. "Yeah, I got a good feeling about him. He really cared about the victim." After a short pause she told him what he already knew, "I told him that if he needed help getting this guy, I'd like to help." She watched Jamie's reaction.

"What kind of help?" Jamie asked her quietly.

"That depends," she paused. "What do you think? I'd like to be all in to do whatever they need, but only if my sergeant ...and my husband thinks it makes sense."

Jamie smiled at her. "Well how did you leave things with him?"

Eddie told him she was due to call Detective Andrews in the morning.

"You're on swing shift tomorrow, right? I'll take the morning and let's go see Andrews together. If he's got a good op planned then you can decide how to get involved."

"And if it doesn't sound right to both of us, then I offer my testimony about today and nothing more." She continued with conviction. …"Didn't you mention Key Lime pie on the phone."

"As long as you can remember how you were going to thank me."