Thank you for all your valuable feedback/reviews. As a writer, it is always nice to know what the readers have to say. I hope you enjoy this new chapter of Crossroads. :) As always, I do not own the characters.

XXX

It was just after five in the morning. The woman next to Jamie stirred and unconsciously moved herself closer to him. She nestled her head right up to his bare chest and wrapped her arm around his torso. There, she came to rest.

Jamie felt movement beside him. A familiar scent surrounded him as he drew in a deep breath. Then, he felt soft hair brush against his chest and slowly, his eyelids opened. He marveled at what he saw. Eddie had, in her sleep, cuddled up against him and had wrapped one arm around him. Even at rest, she trusted him implicitly. Feeling protective of her, Jamie turned himself onto his back and with both his arms, brought Eddie along with him. He held onto her, needing her as much as she needed him. With one hand, he pulled the covers higher over Eddie's back, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable because of the loss of heat. The worn and thin oversized t-shirt she threw on before they fell asleep the night before probably would not do much to keep her warm. Jamie smiled to himself as he recalled their night together - their very first passion-filled evening. He hoped it would be the first of many, many more. He remembered how heated things got and how sweet it felt to be caught up in that exquisite intensity with Eddie. He was convinced they were made for each other. They were the perfect fit. At work, at play, in good times and in bad. In sickness and in health... Jamie's thoughts went that far. It was no surprise to him that he felt that way with Eddie. He wanted forever with her. A lifetime. Their lifetime. He admitted to himself that for a long while, he had held on to the hope that they would eventually reach this point. But he never imagined that it would come about from something as harrowing as an assassination attempt. Nonetheless, it happened and there they were. Jamie's head started to fill with questions of how, when and what if. The last five years had flown by. They stood by each other through thick and thin. Weathered the storms. Cheered each other on, confronted each other, listened, argued, comforted... The list went on. Along the way, respect for each other grew to become something so much more. Jamie knew what he wanted to do, what he needed to do. He wondered if Eddie would be onboard.

XXX

The heavenly aroma of bacon sizzling wafted into the bedroom. Eddie, a self-professed bacon connoisseur, could tell the quality of the bacon by the aroma it gave off while being cooked. She sleepily concluded that the stuff currently cooking was top notch. She stretched her body taut and thought of Jamie. He certainly knew how to make her feel cherished. Truth be told, she had always felt that way around him. At last, she finally understood why women spoke of that warm fuzzy feeling when they were head-over-heels in love. She finally understood when previously she had been skeptical. Only with Jamie. Figures, she thought. The man who had the ability to infuriate her to no end was the same one who could bring her so much happiness. He held the key to her heart. There was no turning back for them. Eddie thought back to what transpired between them during the night and felt her cheeks grow warm as a slight blush appeared. Jamie had been attentive and passionate. Tender, yet amorous. She had teased him some time back about him being spoiled for life if they ever had had the guts to cross that proverbial line. In reality, it was Eddie who was now spoiled for life. What irony.

Eddie knew that her feelings for Jamie ran far deeper than she had ever experienced before. The years they had spent as partners and friends had strengthened their relationship. No one could question their commitment to each other. Jamie had proven time and time again that he had her best interests at heart. He always put her first. She could not see it any other way. Somewhere in the years they spent together as partners, he stole her heart. Eddie did not think she would ever get it back again. It could remain with Jamie forever. It was better off in his possession anyway. She did not want it anywhere else.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Jamie pushed the door to his bedroom open. "Breakfast is served." He walked towards the bed holding a tray. Immediately, Eddie grinned at him. Oh yeah. He certainly knew how to treat her right.

"Aww, Jamie. You're such a sweetheart. Thank you," she said. She reached up to him as he approached her and planted a kiss on his cheek. Jamie set the tray of food down on the bedside table and turned to look at Eddie. Even with her blond locks close to being a complete disheveled mess, she was his world. He could not imagine himself with another. She was it.

"I'm on a mission," Jamie confessed.

"Oh?" Eddie replied as she picked up a piece of mouth-watering bacon and started munching on it.

"Yeah," was all he said as he smiled at her. He allowed his fingers to gently stroke the side of her face. Eddie's eyelids fluttered shut as his fingers made contact with her skin.

"Before you render me hopeless again like you did last night, I should ask you what your mission is," Eddie whispered as she reopened her eyes and looked sheepishly at Jamie. Memories of their union the night before sent both Jamie and Eddie into an uncharacteristically shy state. Their cheeks were tainted pink as they recalled how torrid and tender their night had been. Needing to recover his composure, Jamie could not help but retort, "Well, if you must know, once you've tapped this, there's no going back," he said with a playful glint in his eyes.

Eddie decided to play along. "I'd be spoiled for life."

"Now you're getting it."

The pair leaned towards each other and allowed their foreheads to touch gently. They seemed to have a gravitational pull towards the other. It had almost always been there, and the force of the pull was only getting stronger as time went by. Jamie did not think he could wait much longer before he blurted out what he needed to ask Eddie. He wanted this more than anything else he could think of. His chest felt as if it would burst with love for her. Don't ruin it, he reminded himself.

"C'mon. Finish your breakfast. There's somewhere I want to take you to," he said to her lovingly. He was looking at her in the same manner he did when he took her dancing at that swanky place more than a year ago, sans the black eye. Eddie could not help the smile that crept onto her face.

XXX

By the time Eddie was done with her breakfast, Jamie had showered and was dressed. Eddie wondered what Jamie was up to but decided to simply go along with it. She made a mental note to keep her curiosity in check. Jamie obviously had something brewing up his sleeves. She would go along as she was positive he was not going to break her heart.

While Eddie showered, Jamie started clearing the kitchen and tidying up the bedroom. The gears in his mind and heart were working overtime. He was most definitely nervous. He moved about his apartment arranging and rearranging things, straightening and cleaning. Unbeknownst to him, Eddie had been watching him from the mirror in his bedroom. Something was up with Jamie.

"Hey Reagan," she called out. "You look like you're about to wear out your shoes and your floor."

"Are you finally done? I wouldn't be in this state if you didn't take so long to get ready," he replied. Redirect, he told himself. You can do this.

As they walked out of the building, Jamie took Eddie's hand in his. It was a crisp and cool spring morning. Perfect, Jamie thought. He loved New York City, especially in the spring. And he knew Eddie did too. He took them on a walk around his neighbourhood, chatting about this and that and the other thing along the way. Before long, Eddie could see the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance. He was leading her to the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Eddie had been to the Brooklyn Bridge Park on several occasions. She knew Jamie had a soft spot for it. She had heard him talk about it while riding in their squad car. As they crossed the road and made their way into the park, Jamie grew quiet. He had a small smile on his face, but was now less inclined to talk. Eddie could feel the change in Jamie. His mind was working hard. Concerned, she stopped walking and asked gently, "Jamie, is everything all right? Are you ok?"

Jamie tried to assure her that he was all right as he pulled her into his arms and gave her a warm hug. They found an empty bench and sat themselves down on it. Jamie was more than happy to have Eddie tuck herself close next to him. His arm went around her shoulders, keeping her close. Both partners sat in companionable silence for a little while, content just to be alive, together and in love.

Then, Eddie noticed that Jamie was staring at her. The look he had on his face told Eddie that he was feeling happy, nervous and hopeful. She got all that without either of them uttering a word.

"Jamie?" Eddie's voice came out in an almost whisper - soft and unsure. Somehow her heart knew he was about to do something colossally life-altering.

"Eddie," Jamie started softly, his eyes never leaving hers. "You know how much I love this city, this park. Our work, our partnership. But I hope you also know I love you more than all that combined. You have become so much a part of me that I can't tell where you end and I begin. It's been nagging at me for years. Up until the Sorrento incident, I was afraid of what we might have to let go of, to give up. But then you got shot and Barry reappeared. It tore me up, Eddie. To see you with him. To know you were choosing to be with him."

Eddie eyes filled with tears. Her heart was beating at a rate so fast, she thought she might never recover from the impending cardiac arrest. She opened her mouth to say something, but Jamie stopped her. He placed his fingers tenderly over her lips. "Shhh. Please let me finish. Let me get this off my chest." He repeated the same words she said to him that night after the Tara fiasco, when she arrived at his place to tell him exactly how she felt about him. "This is not about Barry or Josh or anybody else. It's about us, Eddie. You and me. I've known for while now that you, Edit Janko, are the only one I see myself with for the rest of my life. You're my soulmate. It's you, Eddie."

Tears started to flow. Down Eddie's cheeks and down Jamie's. For the second time in only a few days, Eddie could not stop herself from openly weeping in public. Damn it, Eddie inwardly scolded herself. Only Jamie could do this to her. She loved him with every fiber of her being. This man was her everything. The tears refused to stop. Jamie, ever the gentleman, fished out his handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped Eddie's cheeks and then his own. When he was thinking of how he was going to do this, how he was going to let Eddie know precisely how much he loved her and where his hopes and dreams for them lay, he had not planned on anybody shedding tears, much less both of them. Funny how things worked out and how they did not.

Just when Eddie thought things could not get any more emotional, Jamie removed himself from the bench and got down on one knee before her. He clasped his hands around hers, never wanting to let go. In that moment, Eddie knew what was coming next. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt her muscles tense. This was really happening.

"Will you please marry me? You'd make me the happiest man in New York," Jamie asked, his voice low and husky from his earlier poignant declaration of his love and from Eddie's response. In his emotional state, he hoped she heard him pop the question.

"Only in New York? I won't make you the happiest man in the world?" Eddie asked. She was smiling and sobbing at the same time.

Her reply was not what Jamie was expecting, but he had to laugh. His Eddie. She would keep him on his toes. If she said yes, he would have his work cut out for him. Jamie never wanted anything so badly. He wanted this. He wanted Eddie. As his wife.

"Let me rephrase that," Jamie countered. Clearing his throat and smiling, he continued. "Eddie, will you marry me? You'd make me the happiest man in the galaxy."

Eddie could no longer hold back. Still fighting the sobs that had a life of its own, she nodded her head profusely. "Yes! I'll marry you!"

Jamie stood and pulled Eddie up with him. His hands found her sides of her face and he leaned in close. Before his lips meet hers, he whispered, "I love you, Eddie." And then, he sealed that with a kiss. It spoke of promises of today and all their tomorrows.

It was a little while before Jamie and Eddie came to realize that they could hear cheering and applause. They pulled away from each other to discover that they had attracted an audience. Senior citizens out for their morning walk, young families with their kids in strollers, people from all walks of life had stopped to witness Jamie proposing to Eddie. Now, Jamie had definitely not planned on this. The applause started to die down as the crowd congratulated the newly engaged couple and started to disperse.

Jamie and Eddie looked around bashfully and back at each other. Their expressions mirrored that of the other – of complete and unreserved joy.

They were going to be married. They were going to be husband and wife. With their arms around each other, Jamie and Eddie leaned in close and their foreheads touched. Both needed no words. Their love alone spoke volumes.