Here's the chapter you're waiting for. Thanks to my lone reviewer for the last chapter LoveMeSomeFrankR. I'm glad you liked it.
Contains scenes and references to episode 1X15.
The Wednesday after her grandfather's shooting, Anna couldn't wait any longer to see him so after school she hopped a taxi to Brooklyn. The car stopped a block away from the commissioner's house and Anna paid the driver before making her way down the street. She had texted her mom to let her know where she was the minute they had crossed the bridge into Brooklyn and though her mom hadn't been happy to find out Anna was disobeying her, Anna knew she had to make sure the commissioner was okay. She stopped at the corner across from the home and saw the yard was full of S.W.A.T. team members and there were two men in suits by the doors. Suddenly she was thinking it had been a very bad idea to come up here alone. She surveyed the yard noticing there were men with guns on either side of the walkway leading to front door, a few more in the driveway, and she could see one pacing the side of the house. She knew that there were probably more guys in the backyard and that the two suits by the door probably had guns holstered at their waists.
Anna swallowed and crossed the street and then walked up the sidewalk, making her way slowly towards the house. As she reached the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the house she recognized the man to the left of the door as one of the men from her grandfather's detail. She was pretty sure his name was Jim but she couldn't remember completely. Just as she had that thought and started making her way up the stairs that cut through the front yard, every rifle on that front lawn was aimed at her. She paused as she reached the top of the first set of stairs halfway up the lawn and raised her hands slowly to about shoulder height. "Go ahead, end your career, I dare you," Anna said to man closest to her.
"Identify yourself," the man answered.
"I think I just did," Anna smarted off.
"Kid, do you really want to go downtown?"
"Downtown Brooklyn? It won't go that far. You'll probably radio inside that there's a situation, the commissioner will probably insist on know what it is and he'll probably look outside, and you'll probably be fired for harassing his granddaughter." Anna smirked.
"Granddaughter?" The man's gun lowered a few inches.
"Yeah, I'm mysterious one that everyone forgets about. I'm Danny's oldest." Anna looked up at the men by the door and rolled her eyes. She looked back at the men in front of her and slowly, with two fingers, pulled out the school ID and commissioner curtesy card from the cell phone pocket on her backpack strap. She displayed both of them and looked up at the guy who had been doing all the talking. "Can I go inside now or would you prefer to radio inside to make sure I really am who I say I am?"
The man stepped up and examined the two cards for their authenticity, his rifle now hanging by his side as the other man kept his weapon trained on her. "Wow, the last time I saw your picture, you were three years old, time sure flies," the man said, returning her cards.
"The fifteenth with my dad, right?" Anna asked, taking the cards as the rest of the men lowered their weapons and she lowered her other hand. She looked back up at him and he smiled.
"The 2-7 with your Uncle Joe, we came up through the ranks together. Go on," he said.
"Thanks." Anna continued up the walk and the rest of the stairs as the men went back to their positions. When she reached the screen door the man to the right pulled it open for her. "Jim," she said softly. The man on the left nodded back to her. Anna pushed open the interior door and hung up her backpack and coat on the hook by the door before walking into the dining room where suddenly all eyes were on her. "Hi," Anna said slowly.
"Hello, Anna, please come here," Frank said. Anna walked over to her grandfather and he pushed out the chair to his right with his foot. He was sitting at the end of the table where Henry usually sat during family dinners.
"Did they tell you what happened outside?" Anna asked nervously, sitting down.
"What have I always told you?" Frank asked.
"Respect the cops and can the attitude. I'm sorry Grampa, but—" Anna started breathing heavy, getting worked up. "Come on, how hard is it to remember that Danny Reagan's oldest kid and Frank Reagan's oldest grandchild is a blonde girl named Anna? I mean seriously, everyone thinks I'm Nicky when I mention I'm a Reagan. Or seems confused that Danny has a girl."
"Maryanna, you are not too old to be turned over my knee," Frank said.
Anna swallowed hard. It was very rare that her grandfather threatened her with a spanking and even rarer that he followed through but when he used that threat, she knew she had crossed the line. It instantly became time to cool off and show respect where it was due and right now that was to her grandfather and the staff sitting at the table. "I'm sorry," she said, slightly bowing her head. Her voice took on a soft tone and she kept her eyes on the table. "I shouldn't expect everyone to know I'm a Reagan and I'm always saying that I don't like being known for being your granddaughter or your son's daughter. Not being the most well-known of the grandkids should be a good thing."
"Anna," Frank said. When she didn't look up he lifted her chin with a hand. "My entire staff knows you and that's why you have the commissioner's courtesy card. You remember Detective Baker?" Frank said, motioning to the blonde seated next to Henry.
"Detective Abby as I've always called her from your time in the Chief's office. She always said I was her favorite Reagan grandchild, I just couldn't tell the others that," Anna answered. She grinned, laughing a little bit. "The boys wouldn't be very happy and Nicky wouldn't think it was fair." The detective nodded. "Can I ask why this place harder to get into than Fort Knox?" Anna asked. "I was almost shot, you know?"
Frank smiled indulgently. She had been in no danger and both of them knew it. "Those officers know better than to shoot before questioning people. They were ordered by the Mayor's Office. I wouldn't have them here, but they won't go home. I just have an overprotective staff. Speaking of overprotective, do your parents know—"
"I'm here? Yes," she interrupted, then flinched when he gave her a stern look. "Well, Mom does. I texted her once we crossed the bridge into Brooklyn. Took a taxi. She's not very happy about it but I'll deal with that later." Anna took a deep breath and blew it out quickly. The next part of it was going to sound callous and like she was being a know-it-all and speaking to an equal instead of her grandfather but she felt like it had to be said. "I know that you're a tough old dog and the last thing you want is for your grandkids to see you as anything less than the superman you really are, but even Superman takes—no, he doesn't because Superman is not only bulletproof but also faster than a speeding bullet. Anyway, nothing that happens to you will make any of us think any less of you. It's kinda insulting when you think we can't handle seeing you like this."
Thankfully, Frank didn't chide her like a little girl. He instead explained it as though he were talking to an adult. "Anna, it was one o'clock in the morning on a school night; the last place you needed to be was at the hospital. Your education is important to all of us."
"Okay, but—" she tried to protest.
"No buts. And as for why your parents wanted you to wait until tomorrow," Frank took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "That was your parents' decision not mine. My door will always be open to you, Anna, but you are only 14." Frank said.
"I'll be 15 in a couple months," she tried.
"And until you're 18, we're still going to try to protect you."
Anna frowned. At least he was okay. She just had to remind herself of that. "I know you have a lot of work to do, but can I stay? Please?" Anna begged.
"Go watch some TV," Frank said, waving to the sunroom.
"Maybe I can help," Anna said.
"Anna," Henry warned.
"I grew up in a family of cops, Pops, I notice things." That's when she noticed the looks on their faces. "Fine, I'll just sit here and be quiet." Anna said softly, seeing the look on her grandfather and great grandfather's faces. If she kept pushing it they'd send her home and she knew it.
"Okay," Henry agreed. So for the next two hours Anna sat quietly watching and listening to the cops around her work. When Jamie came in to take her home, most of the rest of the cops had already left as well. On the way to Staten Island, Jamie told her about Lydia's suicide and how he thought that the Blue Templar had gotten to her.
"It does seem a little odd. Have you found out any more?" Anna asked when he finished.
"No, but that just means I've been busy."
"I know, and as long as you're being careful, I can deal with you looking into this. How high do you think this goes?"
"Do you really think your grandfather would be involved in something like this?" Jamie asked.
"No. If there's one thing our family hates, it's dirty cops. I think if Grampa was involved in this he would have made sure Uncle Joe stayed very far away from the Templar. He wouldn't have the heart or stomach for it. Dad on the other hand, he's a good cop but he likes to toe the very edge of the line. Grampa could have pushed him over the edge. I think he might suspect something, but I don't think he knows exactly what it is. If Grampa was involved, he would have shut it down after Uncle Joe got killed." Anna stared out the front window of the Chevy. "Does Grampa know you're looking into this?"
"No, I want to figure this out before telling any of them."
"That's what Uncle Joe said too. Can't bring it up without proof. Grampa will believe your gut as a cop but as Commissioner he'll want proof and to involve IA, but they might be involved too and that could be bad."
"Joe's dedication is tomorrow, let's not worry about it okay?" Jamie suggested.
Anna nodded and before she knew they were outside her house in Staten Island. "I don't want to go inside. Can we just go back to your place?" Anna asked.
"No. Bite the bullet and apologize. It's usually for the best," Jamie told her.
"Fine." Anna sighed but got out of the car and went inside to find her mom in the kitchen and the boys playing video games. She walked over to her mom and was glad she didn't see her dad anywhere. That meant he had either caught a case or pushed his way into the shooting case. "Mom?"
"I don't like that you think you can just go off and text me halfway there and assume I'm going to be okay with it. I'm not always going to be okay with it."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry." Anna said, looking as contrite as possible. She had really messed up and Jamie was right, apologizing would make things easier. It would also show that Anna respected her mother, which she did, greatly. "I just wanted to make sure he was okay. I didn't mean to upset anyone."
"Next time ask first, there's a better chance we'll let you do what you want if you ask."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And not a word to your father. I'll handle him."
"Thank you."
"You're growing up, Anna, and we need to realize that. At the same time you need to understand respect will get you more than asking for forgiveness a lot of the time."
"Yes, ma'am."
The dedication ceremony was upon them not long after that. Anna had found out that the man her grandfather had been protecting was Walter Donahue, one of his old friends and a priest from a local church. His name had just been released to the press early Thursday, though the press was still speculating about who the intended target was. At the ceremony, Anna sat on the very end of the front row looking for all intents and purposes like she wanted to be there and like she was supporting her family but deep down she knew this was all just pomp and circumstance for the college and though Joe never would have said anything to anyone, he would have hated the big ceremony. He would have appreciated a small one with family and friends but no press and definitely no one calling him a hero. Part of the way through one of Joe's favorite poems, Frank, who was reading it, repeated a line as his eyes shot to the upper right of the room causing Anna to instantly go on high alert. She casually looked over her shoulder to not draw attention to herself or whatever problem was occurring and spotted her dad and uncle wrestling with some man before they were approached by a few uniforms who in turn escorted the man out of the building. Anna studied the two Reagan men for a moment, and then her grandfather finished his speech, so she turned back around and applauded with the rest of the crowd.
Too soon it was time for Anna's least favorite part of these events: picture time. The entire family was invited up on stage and gathered around the plaque and the minute they were in place, flash bulbs went off all around the room. Danny, his family, and Henry were to the left of the plaque, if you were looking at the stage from the audience, and the rest of the Reagans to the right. Anna could feel Henry's warm hand on her left shoulder, a warm, comforting weight but then felt another hand on her right shoulder. She glanced at it out of the corner of her eye but there was nothing there. "Smile," a voice said in her left ear. It couldn't have been Frank as he was too far away and Henry and Danny were to her right. The voice sounded a lot like her uncle Joe. She figured her brain was just playing tricks on her and imagining what he would say if he were there. "It's my day, you should enjoy it for me," the voice added. Anna blinked a few times, still certain she was imagining the voice and the cold chill running down her spine but gave a gentle smile. If there was some version of it where Joe was looking down on his family, she didn't want to disappoint him. "That's my girl." Then the voice was quiet.
The moment they were released, Anna rushed through the building to find the photographer who was down front and center taking photos. It didn't take long for her to find him or for her to bat her pretty brown eyes and get him to let her take a look at his photos. Flipping through them, she saw a lot of good ones then spotted an odd one. There was a glare right in the middle of the photo. She could tell it wasn't a glare off the plaque as the glare was higher up on the photo. "What happened here?" Anna asked, showing the photo to the man.
"Glare from the overhead lights, from another camera flash, or the supernatural if you believe in that," he told her.
"Can you email me a couple of these photos?"
"Sure, why?"
"Not often we have a professional photog taking pictures of the entire family. This one, this one, and this one. Please." Anna said, showing him the one with the glare and two other really good ones. He accepted her email address, one she usually reserved for surveys or junk mail and he promised to have them to her in the next few days. She returned to the family and the inquisition from her father.
"Where have you been?" Danny asked.
"Surrounded by a wall of blue?" Anna suggested.
"We're going out for dinner," Jamie said, stopping anything else Danny had to say to his kid or Anna from getting an attitude. He really didn't want them to get into it in public. Especially not on that day.
"Can I ride with you?" Anna asked, looking up at her uncle.
"Sure, if it's okay with ..." he trailed off looking up at Danny.
"It's fine," Danny sighed.
"Sweet." Anna followed Jamie to his car and as he started the engine, she looked at him. "Can we make a pit stop before dinner?"
"Where to?" Jamie asked. Deep down he knew exactly where she wanted to go but didn't want to mention it just in case he was wrong.
"The graveyard. I know it's out of the way and all but ... after today ..."
"Sure. Not a problem," Jamie said, smiling.
They stopped at the graveyard and stood staring at the three Reagan headstones. Anna stepped towards Joe's and talked to him softly for a few moments. Then she turned back towards Jamie. "Thank you. I can't explain it but I felt like I needed to stop here and no, I don't think it had anything to do with the dedication today," Anna said.
"Okay, you ready to go?" he asked. Anna nodded and they joined the family for dinner.
Since Februarys in New York were freezing, everyone Anna knew ate in the cafeteria during lunch. The same could be said of the Friday following the dedication. That's why Jim found that time the perfect time to pull Anna outside to have a little conversation. "Do you know the gossip you cause when you pull me aside like this?" Anna asked. "Especially outside in the middle of snowy Staten Island? You're a handsome sophomore and you're pulling a lowly freshman like me aside where no one can hear what you're saying."
"Well if you'd quit ducking me after school and replying with one word texts, I wouldn't have to draw this kind of attention and risk my girlfriend's ire just to get you to talk to me. How's your granddad?" Jim asked.
"He's fine. Tough old goat. Can't keep a Reagan down for long."
"Yeah?" Jim sounded like he didn't believe her.
"Yeah, he's fine."
"That's good to hear. Sometimes though, I wonder about you and how our friends never put it together that your dad is a cop when things like this end up in the paper." Jim pulled a copy of the New York Times from his bag and opened it to page 19. He tapped the photo over the headline that read 'Dedication to Top Cop's Son'.
"Well, because namely it lists my full name and most kids here only know me as Anna and be honest, if you hadn't seen me at NYC's Finest Heroes dinner with curly hair, would you recognize me in that photo?" Anna asked. She usually kept her medium length blonde hair straight as it was easier not to worry about curling it every morning but sometimes it felt nice to put a little extra effort in, especially when it came to fancy dinners or big ceremonies even if she hated going to the functions in the first place. Since Jim was the son of an FDNY firefighter he had attended the heroes' dinner as well.
"I'd like to say I would, but you're right," Jim sighed. "I'm glad your grandfather is okay."
"Thanks, Jim," Anna said. "Now, go smooth things over with your girlfriend. Tell her I'm sorry."
"Won't do anything of the sort. I wanted to talk to you and if she has any problems with that she can stuff it. I'm allowed to have friends, and that includes you."
"Jim, prioritize."
"I am." Jim smirked and walked back inside. Anna sighed. The last thing she wanted to be was a thorn in his relationship. It wasn't fair to him and she knew what usually happened to relationships where there was another woman in the mix and Anna didn't want to be that girl.
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and all the other holidays, or no holidays, you believe in. I hope this chapter was better for you.