"Holy. Freaking. Sh..." Angie pressed her palm against Joe's mouth before he could swear on. "Behave yourself, Officer Reagan!"
Danny laughed. "We've tried to make him behave for the past twenty-nine years. Give it up, Angie." He patted the young woman's shoulder in sympathy. "You've gotta get through this now."
Angie smiled. "Gladly. That's what I've planned for the rest of my life."
She was still looking at Joe, her eyes shining. Danny couldn't help but smile, too. Joe and Angie had found it. He had been a ladies' man long enough to differ flirt from falling in love from true love, and this just was it. This was what he had found in Linda, and what he ever since had prayed for his younger siblings to find also.
With Erin and Jack... he had had his doubts. Joe still had, but well - Joe wasn't a father now. He had found the woman to spend his life with, but he knew nothing about the love for the mother of your child (which indeed was something different, in a weird way), or of the love for said child, which turned out to be greater than anything he'd ever felt.
They had time, though, as Angie had just said - their entire life. One day Joe would find the courage to fall down on his knees, and then Angie would cry with happiness and say yes, and some months later Jack would stop being the youngest Reagan. That was, if Danny and Linda didn't get to make another baby before.
"Talking about rest of my life" Joe laughed, holding Angie close to him, "it seems we've got another year to plan it all."
Angie frowned. "What do you mean?"
„What I was going to tell you when you stopped me", Joe grinned, waving a letter around. "Jamie asked Syd! And apparently" he handed it to Danny who took it without looking at it, dumbfounded, "she said yes."
"They're gonna marry?"
"Seems so!" Joe grinned even wider before he turned serious. "Please don't get angry at me for being the last ones, my angel."
Angie shook her head, beaming. "You're such an idiot, Reagan." She kissed him. "Just promise me you'll ask before I'm fifty."
"I promise." Then he turned to Danny, all solemnity gone. "And now we've got a stag party to plan!"
Danny laughed obediently, but couldn't shake a sudden piece of ice off his heart. Sydney?
Well, it was Jamie's life, of course, and he definitively knew her, and loved her – he wasn't the guy who would ask a girl to marry him just like that – none of them were – but still… it was one thing to wish for a marriage and kids for his baby brother.
It was, as Danny had to admit later that night, a totally different thing to see these wishes coming true. He was happy for Jamie, he was really, really happy.
He just would have liked to be included in… everything. Which was stupid, of course. Just because Jamie had been there when he had asked Linda to marry him didn't mean he had any rights to be there when Sydney was asked, of course, but… it still hurt. And knowing that his feelings were absolutely stupid didn't make them go away.
Danny opened his eyes. It was almost midnight, Jack would wake up soon. He was a nice child, didn't cry much… but he woke up three times at night and wouldn't fall asleep again if there was nobody to hold him and talk to him.
Linda was curled up next to Danny, sleeping. No need to wake her. That was another thing he had learnt – being married you are never alone. No matter how hard a day had been, when he came home to a light, to his wife's arms and his son's laughter he knew that there was still something goo in this world. His own little piece of heaven, and it was worth every bad day. Every fight.
Of course he wanted Jamie to have the same. And maybe Sydney was right for him, but… they all had seen her only twice, and her family was living in Boston. What if Jamie decided to stay there?
"Hey, Jack." Gently Danny took his son out of the cradle, carried him into the living room and started walking around. "What do you think, huh? Your uncle Jamie's still up?" He grabbed for the phone as Jack started babbling happily. "You're right. Let's just get him up."
"Danny, what's wrong?" The voice on the phone was tense and loud.
Danny frowned. "Yeah, kid, everything's alright. Why?"
"You're sure?"
"What? Yes, I am sure, damnit, what's wrong with you? You're getting paranoid down there?"
"No, no, it's…" Jamie swallowed. "I'm sorry, Danny. It's just… the last time you called me at night…. Actually, the last time you called me at all was when… when Dad got shot in summer."
"Oh, right." Danny immediately felt guilty. "Are you sure I didn't call you since then?"
"Pretty so." A short pause. Danny winced. How could he complain about Jamie not including him in his plans to ask Syd if Danny didn't even try to stay in contact? And when the hell had he stopped calling his little brother?
"I'm sorry, kid. I should…"
"No need to be sorry, Danny. How are you guys?"
"Oh, we're good. And we just… received your letter."
A laughter from the other side. "Yeah, Joe called me in the evening, and stopped only ten minutes ago. For a guy who hasn't asked yet he thinks he's got a lot to say."
Danny laughed. "Well, Joe has a lot to say to everything."
"True. So… what are you gonna tell me?"
Danny sighed. There was a lot to say, of course, but in the end… there was only one thing that mattered.
"Jamie, I know you wouldn't ask her if you didn't love her. I just wanna know… now that she said yes, can you see the two of you together on your wedding? Can you see you and her in ten years?" He closed his eyes. "Jamie, are you happy? And please don't – don't get angry with me now, I…"
"I'm not." Jamie's voice was soft. "Angry, I mean. And yes, I am happy. I am… I've never been happier in my whole life, Danny, and you know we've got a lot to be happy about. I know we've been not yet through all that can come, I know there'll be a lot of fighting and problems ahead, but… I know we can make it. I can see us, Danny. Every time I look at Sydney I wonder how I could get her, and on the other hand… I know I have her. It's a miracle, and I'm ready to fight for it. For her, for us. The strongest, smartest, wittiest, most beautiful and most passionate person I've ever met has said yes to me. I can see our life together, and I can't wait to finally have it started. Do you know that feeling?"
Danny found he had tears in his eyes. Blinking them away rapidly he murmured, "of course I do, I'm married myself, remember?"
Jack yawned.
"And I've got a son who needs to sleep."
"Alright. Then…"
"You know, having kids is harder than it looks like", Danny quipped, "and I know you're both smartasses but you will need help. And if you… Jamie, I just want you to know I'm always here for you, okay? Whatever it is. And Joe, and Erin…we're all are. But especially me."
Jamie laughed. "That's exactly what Joe said. Thank you guys. Thanks for everything."
"Anytime. Good night, kid."
"Good night, Da…
"Oh, wait, wait!"
"What?" This time, Jack and Jamie yawned in unison.
"You won't stay in Boston, will you? You'll come home with Sydney?"
"Of course I will! Good night, Danny."
"Good night, Mr. Davenport-to-be. I'm proud of you."