It has been several months, but I am back with a new chapter! So...for those still reading or having an interest, I hope you enjoy!

Breaking the Rules: Chapter Seven:

Jamie entered through the doors of the bar, the noise was deafening, but choosing to ignore the sounds around him while weaving through the crowd, directly toward the nearest bartender in the back where he knew he could at least try and drown out the day.

He quickly ordered a beer, took a seat and let out a deep sigh.

The day had been long, heck the week felt longer than most.

It felt like for the first time since becoming a cop, he'd let emotions interfere on an undercover assignment, and now his superiors were questioning his actions and wanting answers that he wasn't comfortable providing. They wanted to know what happened – why didn't they have a plan in place, a safe word to communicate back to the department? Or, why didn't one of them use their instincts to defuse the situation before it got out of hand?

For Jamie - why did he lose sight of Eddie?

Why didn't he react the way he was trained?

These were questions he just could not answer – not truthfully.

It wasn't about being in over his head or failing to trust his partner when needed. That was never a question – Jamie trusted Eddie with his life out on the beat – they were in sync in that way.

Lately, though, the line separating their professional and working relationship was beginning to intertwine and there was no longer a clear and defining line, one that told him that his partner on the job was just that, his partner, and the woman he felt an emotional pull toward didn't cross over into the other line.

What next?

Drop their partnership?

Drop this personal development between each other?

Jamie had tried to keep all the feelings he had toward her as platonic and close to the vest – to avoid breaking the rules and disappointing his family, and to somehow find a way to keep their work partnership in-tact for as long as that is what they were.

Unfortunately, those feelings weren't as easy to keep bottled up as he had thought.

Not when she had them, too.

Luckily, he didn't have another moment to dive into those thoughts and question whether he was making the right choice, just as a familiar voice pulled him back to reality when sitting down in the bar stool next to him. "What are you doing here, Danny?" Jamie asked, glancing over at his brother. "How did you even find me?"

"A draft," Danny spoke and signaled to the bartender, before finally acknowledging his brother's clear annoyance of his presence. The question was why – as far as he was aware, there hadn't been any updates on the case for Jamie to be in such a foul mood. Aside from that, however, it was clear that he was going through some sort of emotional struggle.

He wouldn't be sitting in a bar alone.

"I thought I would check in—"

Jamie interrupted, knowing exactly why he was there. "This isn't your assignment, Danny." His words were sharp. "I shouldn't have brought you in on it…Eddie and I got it." Silence occurred between them, neither really understanding the tone coming from Jamie.

Danny nodded a few times.

"What?" Jamie questioned, "I…" he quickly stopped before saying another word. Maybe calling Danny into the case was an overreaction on his part, which was mostly because Eddie had just disappeared with the man that was calling the shots in their operation, and he felt helpless, not knowing what kind of danger was about to surround them.

In that moment – his feelings for Eddie took control.

To Danny, the warning signs were there; however, until Jamie was ready to vocalize what was going on, there was no use for him to be the one to point out the obvious. All that would come out of it would be continuous denial – any excuse, really.

More than likely, the reason behind Jamie wanting to remain on the beat.

Danny knew his brother had good instincts – the making of a great detective.

"Look Danny, I just lost sight of her…" Jamie's words trailed amidst getting lost in thought and focusing solely on the beer bottle. "…I panicked for a moment…that's it. I guess it's on me - I was fooled by Mrs. Jacobs for a split second, tuned into her questions. It was clearly a diversion, and I should have known better – her husband was losing patience with Eddie that night, and I still can't put my finger on what exactly he wants from her – money, or if he had his eye on her for something else. All I know – all I can remember is, I looked up and she was gone." Not realizing how the tone in his voice changed from beginning to end, Jamie turned to Danny and tried to shake off the thoughts turning in his head. "I know, I should have trusted that Eddie was trained for these situations – that's what you're here to tell me, isn't it?"

Danny pushed the beer bottle to the side and said, "No kid, I'm not here to bust your chops about that."

Eddie had been pacing around the center of the living room of the apartment for the past hour, nervous about the fact that Jamie was not answering her call, whether that was intentional or not. Either way, he was turning out to be impossible to reach.

The two of them knew evenings were set aside of their undercover assignment - period.

It was clear that Jamie was less than pleased on Danny's suggestion with their next move.

Maybe Jamie was avoiding her for that reason?

Tonight, though, she needed his attention after receiving a lead on Mark Jacobs. The problem was, if she waited for Jamie to finally answer one of her calls, there was a strong possibility that the window of opportunity would close before sunrise. On the flip side, Eddie also knew that if she forged ahead alone and it didn't go right, there was risk there as well.

There were rules undercover – if she went ahead on her own without backup, they'd be broken.

Maybe even risking suspension.

Getting this couple off the streets meant putting an end to their ability on swindling money from innocent couples and destroy marriages as a bonus. They were good – they had you dialed in before you even knew what was going on.

Eddie tried Jamie's cell again – voicemail.

A part of her knew what he'd do if the lead came his way.

Mark Jacobs wasn't about to extend the invitation long – she had to act fast.

"Forget it—"

"…it's not about your instincts, Jamie. You're a Reagan. But, what is this—" he points directly at him, who clearly was distracted and acting out of character. "Your head is elsewhere. So, if you want to close this case, put whatever is going on aside until you handle your business."

Maybe Danny was right – this wasn't the time to get involved with Eddie.

Their relationship – if you want to call it that – was turning out to be a distraction for him.

Jamie then noticed the vibration of the cell phone, and even though Eddie's number flashed across the screen more than once, there was little movement on his part to pick it up and possibly have Danny dissect any type of exchange between the two of them.

Somehow, he would have to divert Danny's attention.

"You going to take that?" Danny finally asked out of confusion. After all, it was a string of continuous vibrations coming from the ringer on the phone being on silent. "Might be important – what if it's about the case?"

In an exasperated sigh, Jamie reluctantly reached for the phone and pressed the button to take the call. "Hello?" There was a moment of silence on the other end, although he could hear a muffled background noise of voices and cars, which caused him to repeat those same words. "Hello? Eddie?"

Danny witnessed the way Jamie's body language changed – he was alert, trying to listen intently.

"Eddie—" Jamie called out as he stood up, finding it difficult to hear what was being said through the constant chatter moving across the space in the bar. He quickly dug into the back pocket in search of his wallet, but Danny waived him off, letting him know that he'd handle it.

"Eddie, can you hear me? Eddie!"

It didn't take long before Danny placed a few bills on the counter and told the bartender to keep the change, following his brother from behind, knowing that that it was possible that Jamie's partner had gotten herself into some sort of jam.

Jamie's tone was still loud as Danny exited the bar. "We'll put a trace on her phone."

And then suddenly, Jamie stopped in the middle of the sidewalk while Danny was halfway toward his vehicle, it was her voice on the other end of the line that made the panic in his voice disappear.

It wasn't just hers, though.

"It was a trap."

"Eddie, who is with you?" Jamie breathed, praying that she hadn't gone and risked her own life since he'd spent the last half hour ignoring her call. "I can't hear you. Where are you?"

Danny joined Jamie in that moment, seeing the sense of relief in his brother's facial expressions.

The conversation between the two carried on for the next several seconds, and then Jamie turned to and nodded slightly with a small smile on his face. Once the two hung up, Danny knew that this close call appeared to be just that – a close call.

The door to Eddie's apartment opened slowly as Jamie waited impatiently – however, she wasn't alone when it finally opened, so he needed to control any emotion was feeling when he saw that she was safe.

The fellow officer extended his hand. "Jamie – good to see you, man."

Jamie shook his hand.

Through the exchange, Eddie's eyes were locked on Jamie's movement, and then the officer walked into the hallway next to Jamie. "I have to get back out on tour, but she's all right." He then turned back to Eddie. "Stay away from that guy – from what I've heard, he's trouble. "

A fake smiled appeared, and then Eddie walked into her apartment, knowing Jamie would soon follow.

That is, if she knew him the way she thought.

"Where were you tonight?" she finally asked, once the door closed and they were in the center of the living room, directly facing one another. It wasn't just a question either, she was accusing him of not being where he should have been when she got the call.

"Obviously not where I was supposed to be."

Shrugging, Eddie couldn't argue with what he said. "I got the call from Mark Jacobs a few hours ago, he wanted to meet me - alone." She was hesitant to continue once he began to move closer; however, she knew he'd want the details. "I thought he wanted to discuss one of us handing money over in this scheme of theirs."

Jamie had shortened the distance between them.

"He didn't?"

Eddie shook her head, upset. "He didn't want money, Jamie."

To calm her, there was an attempt on Jamie's part to reach for her hand. However, before their fingers even grazed, Eddie pulled away and moved over to the kitchen. He felt the tension coming from across the room. "What did he want with you?"

He wasn't even sure if he had to ask?

"What do you think?" Eddie snapped back, and then grabbed a wine glass from the rack on the counter and popped the cork on the bottle. Jamie's eyes were on her as she poured the wine into the glass, and she was clued in as she tried to focus on placing the cork back in the bottle. Jamie was silent, and then she finally looked up. "He wanted sex, Jamie."

These words were difficult for her to say as they were for him to hear.

It caused tension in his body language almost immediately.

Jamie shoved both hands in the front pockets, and while he took a sharp, inward breath, their eyes locked for a split second. The act made his skin crawl – especially now that they were about as involved as much as they could be right now.

"What about his wife?" he asked, even though that wasn't really what was on his mind.

All he really wanted her to say was, nothing happened between them.

That she wasn't hurt.

"I don't know," Eddie answered softly while shaking her head. "He made it clear that he thought you were into his wife, so in return, I guess he thought I'd be into him the same way – in and out of the bedroom."

It was the most ridiculous statement he'd heard since they started the operation.

He didn't even know how to react.

Eddie was a little disappointed Jamie didn't have more to say. Instead of challenging him on it, she poured the remaining wine in the glass down the sink and headed toward the door of the apartment. "It's been a long night, and I'm sure you'd rather get back to whatever it was you were doing tonight."

A small smile appeared on his face – if only she'd known.

"I was with Danny tonight, trying to avoid a lecture on why my focus wasn't where it should have been the other night. You were doing what you needed to do – I guess I forgot to act like a cop who trusts his partner out on the beat or in an operation."

Eddie let the door close shut.

"Danny told me to get my head on straight – get out of my own head and finish the job."

There was this waive of emotion inside her that couldn't be explained - they kept saying their personal feelings could only be felt within the walls of her apartment, but working on this operation as a couple was displaying all the emotions that could be felt when you truly cared for someone – having it both ways wasn't easy.

"I picked up your call and all I heard was muffled voices and screeching cars," he continued, recalling the panic that had set in when he didn't hear her voice on the other end of the line for several minutes. "I was kicking myself for not picking up that call earlier."

They stood on the opposite ends of the room – lost in their own thoughts.

"What did you tell Danny?"

Jamie could tell she hadn't quite forgiven him for ignoring her call – luckily, she didn't exactly walk into it alone, she had another officer on watch, just in case back-up was needed. However, this should have been him and not another officer.

"I didn't tell him anything," Jamie spoke in a low whisper, watching her lean against the wall and drop both eyes from his stare until he moved near her. "I don't want you to do that again, to put yourself on the line without proper backup – you walk away if it comes down to that."

...