„Hey, Ed!" Jamie's voice and moves were casual as he walked towards the bulky officer. Dangerously casual.
"Hey, Reagan. Got a problem?"
Jamie shrugged. "Not that I knew of yet. How about you?"

Eddie's stomach tautened painfully. She knew what was going to happen – Jamie rarely accused people but rather made them admitting their crimes themselves. It wasn't a method they were taught at but Jamie was a master of that kind of questioning, which had at once made Eddie suspecting that it came from Harvard – and was a lawyer's way of work, but not the police's.

"No. Just you stopping me from doing my job."
Jamie smiled innocently. "I won't hold you too long. I'm just waiting for my new rookie. I heard you got my old one? How is she?"

He would have Ed boast about his plans within thirty seconds. Eddie felt her eyes fill with tears of both rage and helplessness. She had told Jamie she was fine and capable of taking care of herself, and he hadn't believed one word. He didn't trust her, he didn't even like her – or he would have asked her out earlier – it was just that stupid knight instinct kicking in and making him stepping into her life again.

"Jamie?" A young man walked towards them, already wearing his uniform and looking more than just a little nervous.
"Just a moment, Taylor." Jamie never took his eyes off Ed.

Taylor, the new rookie. Reluctantly, Eddie looked away from the two officers. Seven months ago she had been just like Taylor was – curious, overly cautious, hanging on every word the TO said, depending wholly on his opinion (even if she hated to admit it).
The adoring she saw in Taylor's eyes – adoring that perfect, caring, obviously sexless, innocent, intelligent idiot Jamie Reagan - made Eddie want to scream.

"Well" Ed leered, "she's a clever girl. Just a little bit rigid but that'll come with time."
Finally, Jamie let his nonchalant façade drop. "You should take care of your words, Ed. And more even of your actions. One word and you've been training new officers for the last time. I will not have any of my colleagues suffering from you."
Ed wasn't impressed. "Especially when they're pretty, huh? Eddie, come on, I'm tired of this grind."

Eddie nodded blindly and fled to the lockers. She had been biting her tongue so hard that it was bleeding now, and the tears had come nevertheless. She wiped them off impatiently as she put on the jacket. The heavy, robust fabric on her skin calmed her down a bit but couldn't lessen her tormented state of mind. She had thought she knew Jamie, but now… what was the point in going out with him if he didn't trust her? Because in the end, that was what it was coming down to.
She had asked him not to see her as a victim, but he did. Simple as that.

New tears shivered in her eyes but this time she fought them away. Failure analysis: She had thought the problem was that Jamie was her TO, and she his rookie, and because of that they could not be together. That was wrong.

"Eddie? You're okay?"
The mixture of joy and fury consuming her almost made her sick. Eddie took a deep breath. "That's the women's room you're in, Jamie."
"I'm not."
She slammed the door of her locker shut and looked at him. Indeed Jamie's feet were on the corridor while his upper body was bent into the room, his arm reaching out for her but just not touching her skin. Eddie made a step backwards. "You should take care of your rookie. He needs you."
"You need me too."
"I needed you, Jamie" Eddie hissed, "when I was your rookie, just like Taylor is now. Then I needed you, and then you were there for me. But now I'm a cop. I'm grown up, I can take care of myself."

Jamie frowned at her tone. "Did I do something wrong?"
"You don't even notice it!" Eddie laughed. "You really don't get it, do you?" A thought came up to her mind, a memory… something Jamie had told her in one of the nights they had had to observe the mayor's house. Eddie bit her lips. She didn't want to hurt him that much.

"No, obviously not." Jamie sounded irritated now. "But I do get that you lied to me when you said that…"
"And what do you care if lie to you?" Eddie closed her eyes. She was losing it, again. "What do you care?" she repeated calmly.
"Did you really drink that much last night? I care for you, Eddie, I care a lot for you, I…" Jamie broke off and looked down. "Doesn't matter, I guess" he whispered, "I just wanted to help."
"I didn't ask for it." And even now, seeing him miserable like that broke Eddie's heart. They had been such a great team once!
"You trusted me once, remember?"
Jamie shrugged. "Back then I knew the worst thing happening to you was me." He looked up and tried to grin. "I know I'm an idiot sometimes, Eddie, but I never wanted to hurt you. It's just…" he shook his head in frustration, "don't you see what's happening to you? You were great, and now you're… you…"
"What?" Every sympathy died away at once. Eddie moved forward, edging Jamie out of the room totally.
Jamie shrugged. "Eddie, you're not up for it. Not like that, not with Rickers molesting you like that. You gotta stand up for yourself." He noticed the change in her face. "What?"

"Thanks, Danny." Eddie's voice was ice cold.
Jamie backed away till his back touched the wall. Of course he understood. "That's not the same."
"Really? You whined about your brother, whom you adored and loved so much, would not accept you as a cop. And that it killed you to know he doesn't trust you." Her eyes were dry now but her heart leapt as Eddie realized she had just – indirectly – told Jamie that she loved him. But sadly that was not the point anymore.
"You're just like your brother, Jamie. Forget about Friday, okay?"