Author's note: I don't own 'em, I just take them out to play a little ;) Murphy's Law (known as "Sod's Law" in the UK) states "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" and this does seem to be the case for the Reagan family quite often ;)

OK, this is deffo gonna get into a bit of Jamie whumping lol Thank you to everyone who is reviewing, you guys are keeping me writing :)

4. Protection

Jamie Reagan closed the door of Eleanor's apartment behind one of the world's most connected crime bosses and walked back to the couch. Eoin Moran knelt down by his niece and gently hugged her, his actions speaking far louder than words ever could about how he felt for her. He glanced over his shoulder and motioned Jamie to retake his seat on the couch. The young cop sat gingerly, wondering what exactly was going to happen now that Eoin had satisfied himself that his 'little girl' was going to be ok.

"Thank you, Jackson," the older man said quietly, still knelt on the floor. "But may I ask why you helped her?"

"I couldn't let them hurt her," he confessed, lowering his gaze.

"Why?" Eoin wanted to know.

"I..." Jamie began, trying to find the words to explain that he had feelings for the woman sat beside him, even though he knew nothing could ever happen between them.

"I see," the older man murmured, nodding slightly with a half-smile on his face.

"I-I would never dishonour her..." he stuttered, wanting to be sure that Eoin understood he would never hurt Eleanor.

"I know that. If you had been that kind of man, you would have taken advantage of her weakened state," Eoin pointed out. "Therefore, I am appointing you her bodyguard until further notice."

"I don't know what to say," Jamie replied, stunned by the turn of events.

"Uncle, I do not need a bodyguard," Eleanor piped up angrily.

"Eli, you will do as I say," the older man told her, his voice steely. "Jackson, I expect you to go everywhere she does. Do not let her out of your sight, do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Jamie responded, ignoring the venomous look that Eleanor shot him. "I'll look after her, I promise."

"Very well, then I expect you to move in here, in the spare room, so that you can be around 24-7," Eoin told him in no uncertain terms, stressing the spare room comment.

"Uncle, I need a babysitter even less than I need a bodyguard!" she snapped, pushing herself to her feet.

"You will do exactly as I say Eleanor! This is not up for negotiation!" the older man told her pointedly, grasping her arm in a vice like grip as he stared into her eyes. Jamie stood behind him, fists clenched, and forced himself to remain in a relaxed posture as if the encounter wasn't making him want to shoot the older man. A few tense moments passed before Eleanor's posture changed, her shoulders slumping as she acquiesced to his demands. Jamie silently released the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, unclenching his hands before Eoin turned to him.

"Do you need to get anything from your own place?" he queried the young Reagan politely.

"A few things is all," Jamie confirmed calmly. "I'll take Eleanor with me, just to be safe."

"Good, you can leave as soon as Eli gets changed," Eoin instructed, both men ignoring the indignant sniff from Eleanor. Jamie looked over at the injured woman, his eyes pleading with her to accept the restrictions, at least until they were alone and could discuss them with the minimum of risk. She nodded once, disliking the situation she was being forced into but accepting it, for the moment. She turned on her heel and headed towards her bedroom, leaving Jamie to know he was in for a whole lot of trouble as soon as they were alone.

)()()()()()()()()(

Jamie sat on the couch in Eleanor's apartment on the evening of Valentine's Day, watching the snow fall outside the window. A cheesy romantic movie was showing on the large flat screen TV beneath the window but he paid no attention to it, watching the lights of the city instead. His planned quiet day had not materialised; instead he had collected some personal items from the safe house that had been designated as Jackson Raven's residence for the duration of his undercover assignment. He'd learned from the mistakes made during the Sanfino assignment; Jackson had a full history including a rap sheet, residence and a dead end job that the Moran family had gotten him 'out' of. He had two mobile phones again, one to contact his family and handler, the other for the Moran family to contact him on.

Nestled against his left side was the woman he had saved hours before, cleaned up and stitch strips applied. Thankfully the beating she had received had not resulted in any broken bones and none of the cuts had been life threatening. The conversation he and Eleanor had had on the walk to his apartment had been enlightening, to say the least, but they had agreed a few ground rules for the duration of their enforced association. The fact that they were expected to spend their time together meant they could combine their handler visits to help minimise suspicion. They could also compare notes on the business operations and now that Jamie was her bodyguard, he would also be able to get an inside look into the areas only Eleanor had access to. He knew that the situation would be more dangerous for both of them, but he also knew he had to try and bring down the Moran family without getting himself or Eli killed.

The gentle murmur next to him pulled him from his musing and he glanced at Eli, smiling when he saw she had fallen asleep. He clicked off the TV and placed the remote carefully on the arm of the couch, then slid himself out from under Eli and gently picked her up. She didn't even stir as he carried her into her room and lay her carefully onto the bed, drawing a blanket up over her to ward off the cold.

"Sleep well, Eli," he whispered softly, turning on his heel and padding silently out of the room. Once in his own room, he slipped out of his clothes and folded them neatly onto the chair opposite his bed before sliding beneath the covers. As he settled down for sleep, duvet pulled up to his chin, he tried to keep his mind on the job he had to do, and not the woman sleeping soundly in the next room but as soon as he closed his eyes, the dreams began...