I hope everyone is enjoying their winter holidays. Thank you to all for your continued support. Thanks to YaleAceBella12, decadenceofmysoul, Tot2006, seleneplaysgames, Daisyangel, and the guest Somebody for your reviews of the last chapter. To the guest Somebody, I really appreciate you reading this straight through. I have no plans to stop writing, I'm just getting stuck occasionally. I don't think some of you are going to like this chapter. Anna does something really stupid though really brave.

Scene from and reference to 5x13.

A few days after her return to Miami, Anna lined up a few job interviews eventually lining up a job with a diner just north of the school inside the Southern District of the Miami Police. Her boss was a lot like her previous boss: kind, older, and friendly to most people but not in a way that worried Anna or would have her dad's detective senses on high alert. She relayed all of this when Jamie called a few days after her first day at work.

"Anna, you would tell me if it wasn't going well, wouldn't you?" he asked.

"Of course, I would, but it seems for once things are looking up. Are things alright with you, Uncle Jamie?"

"They're good."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Ok, but remember we've got a big family and there's always someone to talk to. That's something I've always taken for granted. One of my friends here, it's just her, her brother, and her dad. They're really busy all the time so sometimes it feels like she's got no one. She reminded me of that and that having family is great and that I should try to remember that," Anna said

"Family is great and it's good to remember to be grateful for them."

"Of course."

"When are you coming home next?" Jamie asked.

"Spring break maybe. If I can get the time off. I'll let you know."

"Good."

Anna had just sat down for her break on the Sunday before Martin Luthor King Jr. Day when she got a video chat request from Nicky. "Now is not a good time, Nick, unless you can make it quick," Anna said.

"Don't speak, just listen and watch," Nicky answered.

Anna sighed but popped her headphones in and listened to whatever her cousin was about to say. Instead of saying something though, the picture on Nicky's end of the line changed from her face to the Commissioner standing at the podium in the media room at One PP.

"On September 26, Detective Maria Baez and Detective Daniel Reagan confronted approximately eight armed gang members in an auto body shop located in the confines of the 2-7 precinct. Among other crimes the perpetrators were responsible for the murders of a DEA tech and a valued confidential informant. Detectives Baez and Reagan, at great personal risk, engaged the gang members in a gun fight which resulted in the capture and arrest of all eight. For their selflessness and heroism, Maria Baez and Daniel Reagan receive the medal for valor," Frank explained. There was applause during which both medals were awarded.

Soon after, Nicky whispered, "I'll call you back soon," and the screen went black. When Anna didn't answer later, Nicky filmed the presentation Henry did at the table then sent it to her. Anna watched it when she got back to her room and sent an email to her grandfather telling him what Nicky had sent her and how she was proud that he had done it and that she hoped she could be like him, doing the right thing even if no one was watching or if he got credit for it. Then she filled him on what all was going on in her life.

By President's Day a few weeks later, Anna had settled into a groove at the diner and was enjoying it. She had also been growing closer to Riley and as such the girl was becoming one of her good friends and she often dropped by the diner to hang out on her free nights. It was on one such night that Anna's closely guarded family secret came out, so did Riley's.

It seemed like any other regular night, a half-full dinning room, everyone enjoying their dinners, and Anna talking to Riley, her hip leaning against the table as Riley dug into her homestyle mashed potatoes and meatloaf.

"Perhaps but accounting isn't that bad of a class. If you're going to graduate with a business degree, you're definitely going to need it," Riley was saying.

"Well, that is true," Anna answered. She smirked until she felt something round and cold press into her side. Riley's eyes fell to Anna's waist and they widened in shock. Anna's smirk dropped and she watched Riley carefully, trying not to move too quickly and anger whoever was on the other end of the object. Riley put down her silverware and pressed her hands flat against the table. Though Anna knew it was best to keep her temper under control and keep calm for all things holy but she also knew that she was a Reagan and those traits would come out eventually. "Ok, let's just take this one step at a time," Anna said calmly.

"Shut up," he told her. "Listen up, everybody," he called to the room. "Phones, wallets, keys on the table. Right now. And you, missy, clean out your pockets, right now." He dug the object into her side again and Anna could tell it was the barrel of a gun.

She swallowed. "Armed robbery, going for the big score. I think that's a felony in Florida, right? I know it is in New York but I haven't been here long," Anna said softly.

"Which part of shut up didn't you get?" he snapped. "Do it now."

"I understand, money's tight and you gotta do what you gotta do but you don't have to do this," Anna told him making no move to pull the items out of her pockets.

"I told you to shut up. You are seriously asking to get shot."

"If you were going to shoot me, you'd have shot me already." Anna quipped but shut up and put her order pad, tips, and cell phone on the table.

"Finally, now walk," he snapped.

"Forced movement and restricting people from leaving, I believe that qualities for kidnapping statutes in some states, possibly even federal."

"Move it!" he snapped. Anna looked down at Riley who sent her a pleading look and knew she was asking Anna not to irritate the man. Anna sighed then glanced from Riley to her phone and back a few times before walking to the register with the man. Anna took a deep breath before reaching to open the register. Seconds later she thought better of it. Instead, she moved her right hand down to the guy's wrist and pressed hard on the pressure point there with her thumb. She threw her head back and heard the sickening crack of his nose breaking then a groan of pain. She pressed her thumb harder into the man's wrist and without letting up pressure, she slid her hand up his arm causing his muscle to contract and his arm to twist away from her side. As a result, his gun also twisted away. She grabbed the muzzle of the gun with her free hand then as she spun around, she pushed the gun towards his hand until he was forced to let it go. She let him go as she turned the gun on him.

"Now, how about you move? On your knees," Anna said.

"You stupid—" he stopped as his nose started bleeding.

"I'm not afraid of you." Anna glared at him as he stared at her. The man backed up and held up his hands. Chad, one of the bus boys, grabbed some rope from the kitchen and tied the man's hands behind his back. Once that was done, Anna looked down at the gun and saw it was a semi-automatic handgun. She racked the slide and was surprised that no bullet popped out. So, she dislodged the magazine which again surprised her because it was empty. "An empty gun? I could kick your butt for that." Anna put the magazine on the counter, then put the gun two feet from it with the chamber cleared and open. Then she put her hands on the counter as the door opened.

The cops entered the diner and trained their guns on Anna. "Hands up, Miami PD," the first one said.

Anna slowly raised her hands to shoulder height. "Gun's on the counter, so is the magazine. Both are unloaded. This is the guy you want here. Security tape will tell you everything you need to know," Anna answered calmly.

"Officer," Anna's boss started, drawing their attention.

"Please, don't move. It's a good way to get shot," Anna said as if predicting his next move. Her boss froze.

"Okay, everybody, just stay calm," the first officer said.

"Anna? Anna Reagan? What is going on?" Officer Johansen said as he stepped around his partner and looked around.

"The guy here," Anna pointed to him without moving much of her hand, "tried to rob the place. I disarmed him. The gun he was using is on the counter and apparently never loaded. Though I didn't check him for another gun, he didn't pull another one so I pretty sure we're all unarmed."

The two officers in the building looked around and lowered their weapons. The first officer walked over to the robber and handcuffed him. Officer Johansen on the other hand motioned Anna and her boss over. "You, sit," he told Anna and pointed to an empty table. Then he spoke with Anna's boss. Anna dropped into the chair and laced her fingers together, rubbing one thumb over the other. Two detectives sat down across from her.

"Tell us what happened," the one on the left said. Anna took a deep breath and told them what happened. Once they finished talking and she wrote it all up for them, the detectives went to find her boss and spoke with him before getting the security tapes and then they took the perp to the station. Anna walked over to Riley's table to see the girl was nervous and looking a little freaked out. Anna put her order pad, tips, and cell phone back in her apron pockets before she sat down. She reached across the table and gently touched Riley's hand.

"You okay?" Anna asked.

"Think so," Riley admitted. "You know, next time you want to play hero to an idiot with a gun, let me give you one of my dad's bullet resistant tank tops. What were you thinking?" Riley asked desperately.

"Riley, it's okay. As dangerous as he seems, you can't fear people in your life. Most people can be talked down," Anna answered. Officer Johansen walked over and sat down next to Anna. "Wait, your dad makes bullet resistant tank tops? Is that even a thing?"

"They're not available in the US but they're a thing. Big hit in Mexico where his business is. He makes a full line of bullet resistant wear. He's working on bringing it to the US. T-shirts, tank tops, long sleeve, pants, coats, and even backpacks and purses. That doesn't explain what you were thinking though."

"I'd like to hear that too," Officer Johansen said. "What you did, I saw the video, was stupid. Brave, but very stupid."

"Hey, I barely know you. Despite the fact that you're in here at least once a week, maybe about six times total in the last month that I've been working here, I don't know you that well, and it's kinda weird."

"You're right, I apologize. I do have one question though. You said your uncle was a cop, what would he say about this? Certainly, he would have drilled it into what to do when you're in a situation like this," Johansen said.

"He died when I was 13, but he had a saying "heroes run into danger, not away from it". Sure, maybe he wouldn't approve but it's what he would have done."

"Wait. You're from New York, your uncle was a cop who was killed five years ago ... Anna Reagan ..." Riley trailed off. "You're ... you're that Reagan."

"Over 1000 miles and I can't outrun that. Look, I get it. I haven't truly been trained to take on an armed perp and it could have gone wrong in 100 different ways but it didn't. I've been shooting both semi-automatic and revolver handguns since I was 10 years old. One of the first things they taught me besides never point a gun at something unless you're willing to do fatal harm to that person was how to disassemble, clean, reassemble, load, and fire six different kinds of handguns. I've been trained in self-defense since my baby brother was born in 2004. It may not be academy training but it was done by a Marine and a cop. Besides, it's not just that my uncle was a cop, my dad is a cop, my other uncle is a cop, my grandfather is a cop, and my great-grandfather was a cop. Three of those four also served in the military. I know how to take care of myself and it's not the first time I've taken down someone who thinks they hold all the power in the confrontation. I look around this diner and I see innocent people. People I'm not going to let get hurt if I can do something about it."

"You still could have been shot," Johansen protested.

"Better me than an innocent civilian."

"Better no one at all. Sometimes the best course of action is just to give him what he wants and let the ones trained to handle it catch him."

"So, he can do it again? Do you know how many people have been killed in robberies waiting for police to show up and do their job? It's over now. He's going to jail and you have all the proof you need on the tapes. I won't have to testify and my name doesn't need to be in the report."

"Not getting out of it that easy. I have to get back to work, try to stay out of trouble," Johansen suggested. "I like this diner and the friendly waitstaff, last thing I need is for you to get fired because you can't stay out of something."

"Take care of yourself, Mike," Anna said. He left and Anna looked at Riley.

"You're awfully friendly with that officer," Riley said.

"It's not like that. Mike's a good guy. He's got kids around my age and says I remind him of his daughter. He's easy to talk to and since my dad isn't talking to me, it's nice to have someone looking out for me. I've been working here for a month and a half and like I said, I see him once a week." Anna shook her head and changed the subject. "How did you know I was that Reagan?"

"I go to Fashion Week every year in New York. Some of the officers are nice to talk to and you hear a lot about the PC. Couple years back, I came across this model at an afterparty of sorts. She told me about her cousin, the granddaughter of the PC. How he was a great man and he never let his family down."

"My cousin Sofie. Four years ago, something bad happened to her at her first big show. It was terrible. She was in coma for a few days but she got better and pulled back from modeling for a few months until she could convince her mom that she was okay to continue."

"That video I showed you a few weeks back ..." Riley said.

"Yes, that's my great-grandfather and it was taken out of context. Really it was. Look, Riley, none of this changes who I am. I'm still the girl you knew."

"I know. People change and I get that." Riley smiled as Anna's boss came over.

"Mr. Phillips," Anna said softly.

"Ms. Maddox, if you don't mind," Mr. Phillips said, looking at Riley.

Riley nodded. "Good luck," she whispered.

Mr. Phillips sat down in Riley's vacated seat and looked at Anna carefully. "Ms. Reagan, when I hired you, I knew that you came from a big city and that you know how to protect yourself. I never thought it would come into play here but here we are. I appreciate your desire to protect this diner and the money, but it's just money. You should have let him have it and let him be on his way. It's not worth losing your life or getting injured for something the insurance will pay for. That register isn't worth it."

"I know and you know my dad is a cop; he'd be telling me the same thing. That I should never put myself in that kind of danger for something replaceable."

"Exactly. When you were hired, I didn't have a policy about interfering in a robbery which is why I'm not firing you. I'd be out of my mind to. It's not just that you're a great waitress, those are a dime a dozen, my sales have increased at least 35 percent because you've been here. Probably because you're blonde and beautiful but mostly because you are a people person. You have a way with people, making them feel at home and comfortable which makes them spend more money."

"Comes from my mom being a nurse. She's always taking care of everyone. Especially after we lost my great-grandma and my grandma three years apart. She stepped into that role and I'm proud to be like her."

"Take the rest of the week off. Come back on Saturday and we'll talk more then. We both have things to think over between now and then."

Anna reluctantly nodded. "I apologize if I put anyone in any unnecessary danger. It was not my intention," Anna said.

"Thank you. That doesn't fix things but I appreciate you saying it."

Anna finished out her shift for the day and then went back to the dorm to think things through. When she returned to the diner on Saturday, Mr. Phillips sat her down in the office and went over his new intervention policy. Essentially, it said that if being held up while working, they were required to hand over almost anything that was asked for and let the robber go while getting as much information on the suspect as possible to report to the police. Interfering in almost any event would be grounds for termination. Anna didn't like it but she signed it to keep her job.

After a few more days, Officer Johansen dropped back in. Anna made sure to avoid him for a bit as he wasn't in her section, but she could feel him watching her so when she took her break, she sat down across from him. "Officer Johansen," Anna said softly.

"I didn't mean to butt in where I wasn't wanted. I have two daughters and they are constantly reminding me that they are adults first, my daughters second, despite me seeing them the opposite way. When I watched you on that tape, I saw my own kid and my heart leapt into my throat. It's no excuse—"

"But it's your reasoning and I understand it. Despite the frostiness between me and my own father, I know he would have had the same reaction. 'She's my little girl; she could have been killed even though I did everything possible to make sure she knew how to stand on her own two feet,'" Anna answered.

"Sometimes the mannerisms and resemblances between you and my middle child are so striking I have to stop for a minute and remind myself that you are not her. I'm sure your dad called to check on you and you talked about what happened?" Mike asked.

"We didn't and he didn't." Anna stared down at her hands. "You remind me so much of him too. You're older than him but you remind me of him. I've talked to my mom and I was not going to mention this to her, no chance at all," Anna stressed, "but like I said, there is a frostiness between me and my dad."

"If you want to talk, I can listen. I try to be good at that."

Anna sighed. "We're from New York and if you don't count my dad's time in the service, he hasn't really left the state. He was a Marine; still is if you believe as they do. When I decided to come to Miami for college, he thought I was making the biggest mistake of my life. He didn't like that I made that decision without him or without taking his point of view into consideration. Since then, it's been difficult and tense between me and my dad."

"I bet he loves you."

"He does and I know he's worried about me being over 1000 miles from home with no family to look after me, but that doesn't give him the right to make me feel like I did the wrong thing. Since he still hasn't apologized, or attempted to make things better, I don't have him to talk things over with. I know what he'd say but I missing having a dad a little bit."

Mike smiled softly. "From what I've seen, you're doing great here. I haven't seen your name in any police reports, not that I've seriously checked, and I don't see you buckling under any stress but that's just what I see from what I know about reading people. You could be falling apart and just good at hiding it."

"I am really good at poker. Probably the best in my family."

"If you need anything ... Like I said, I can listen. I'll try not to fix things, especially if all you want me to do is listen."

"That is very kind of you. Thank you. I mean, I still don't know you all that well but I appreciate the offer."

"What else would you like to know?"

"I don't know, but I have to get back to work." Anna shrugged. Mike only nodded.

So what do you think?