Hello, another story from me and back (after a very long break) to come back to this wonderful fandom with a new story.

I wanted to write this because I recently rewatched the entire series and It didn't sit right with me that episode in Season 5 Burning Bridges then I watched more of the series and realised how few episodes and characters are LGTBQIA+ I understand that not every show has these characters but I always thought with the introduction of Joe Hill there was a great opportunity for the Catholic Commissioner to have a LGTBQIA+ grandson and instead Joe is hardly used and in odd little plot devices. He is such a good character and he needs his own storyline pronto and so this is my little remedy.

I hope I have done this justice and that I have gotten things correct. If not then please let me know and I will take steps to rectify. Please be respectful in reviews as well if you choose to leave one. I plan for this little story to be six chapters and just to take us between the end of Season 10 and the start of Season 11.

I don't know when I will be able to update, it used to be weekly but that was before I got a job so...I will try and update when I can. I predict this little story will be seventeen (ish) chapters.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine just the characters of Sebastian and Lacey.

Please Read and Review and let me know what you think when you get a chance!

Spelling and Grammar are never my strongest points and so please keep that in mind as you read.

So I hope you enjoy this.

A Man Walks Into A Bar

Chapter 4-What You See Is What You Get

The Reagan's digress. It's a family thing.

"Well that was dreadfully exciting wasn't It?"

"Pop"

"What? I said it was exciting didn't I? We got to meet Joe properly, got to me his husband…" he trailed off and then. "You know I think I see a bit of my Betty in that girl"

Eddie who had been sat Jame resting her head in her lap stopped running a hand through his son's hair to stare at him. Jamie his eyes closed made a soft noise of protest but she ignored him.

"Didn't they say Lacey was adopted?"

"Ah but somethings are simply there"

Eddie shot Frank a look as if to ask just what on God's green decaying planet his father was on about but he just shrugged. To be fair he couldn't help her. He was still light years behind everyone else when it came to processing the bombshells that had been thrown at him left right and centre in the past two weeks.

Eddie stared at him a second longer and then went back to stroking Jamie's hair. Frank looked at them and then looked away. It felt oddly like intruding even though it was hardly a private moment.

"So…How you taking it Dad?"

That was Danny and he was staring at Frank in what Frank perceived to be a highly critical way. For a second he stared at his son who stared evenly back and then.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it's a lot for you to take in"

"What does that mean a lot for me to take in?"

Danny stared at him and even Jamie cracked one eye open to stare at him and Frank realised with a swooping sensation of horror just what the hell both of his sons were on about.

"You think that I would have a problem if he was gay? You think that I would have a problem if he was gay?"

"No" Jamie said slowly. "Not a problem just…I can see why he would"

"What does that mean?"

"Just that…you're the catholic PC commissioner. The last time this issue crossed your desk you said that you missed the Latin Mass. Then it became an open secret that the Archbishop or the Cardinal or whoever it was made you apologise. You don't really want to mingle with any of the alliance unions and that's fine Dad but you can't pretend that there are cops on the payroll who think that you might have an issue with it. Ten years ago maybe not but the world has become so scary now. And as we all saw the Supreme Court isn't all it's cracked up to be when it comes to protecting rights that should be basic."

For a second he was stunned into complete and utter silence and then his eyes switched to Eddie. If he wanted an unbiased, unvarnished opinion he was better talking to either Sid or Eddie he had learnt that on two occasions. Sid told him how it was for cops and Eddie didn't bullshit him with any Dad stuff. She simply said how it was and this time the young woman shrugged.

"Look it's not like people are scared your going to sack them or anything" she said shaking her head. "It's not like woman are worried your going to throw holy water at them if they tell you that after shift they had an abortion. But you can't deny that politics have made religion difficult. Joe…you're his grandfather and you remember a time where men like him had to hide, both of you" she said nodding to Henry and Frank had almost forgotten for a second that his Pops was there watching silently. "And you're his boss. I don't blame him one iota for thinking that maybe he might have to take his daughter and husband out of here. He didn't know what kind of reaction he'd get. From his perspective all of this is strange and scary. Hell I was terrified coming in here and that was as Jamie's fiancé. If you ask Maria I bet she will tell you the same thing. Your all larger than life. Factor in the fact that he has no idea how his Dad would react—"

"Please" Danny said with an eyeroll excepting the beer from Erin. "Joe would be thrilled. Christ could you see him? He'd be that Dad who'd go to all the Pride meetings and host the sessions with other parents to help them come to terms with it. He'd be giddy. To be honest I think it's refreshing. We've needed something new for a while now. And I gotta admit least it's not Jack knocking up his girlfriend"

"I am surrounded by insanity" Sean muttered. "Look Grandpa…Joe…I don't know but Sebastian I think had a bad experience coming out. Certainly he was the one who seemed to be sceptical of coming round here. I think that was why Joe came round the first week. And so what? He's protective of his family nothing all of you aren't is it? Look you can't talk about what it was like for them both with their families. Now I don't think Joe ever had a problem but I think Sebastian did. But that doesn't matter because we love them no matter what right? And we want them to come back right? So screw it who cares. Besides…the more they come over the more of those pastries we might get"

Frank blinked, suddenly the urge to hug Sean was so strong that he felt like he might choke. Danny on the couch was looking at his son with so much love and pride in his eyes that Frank felt almost bowled over by it.

Sean was right. It didn't matter. It didn't. He loved Joe, loved Sebastian because he loved Joe and Joe loved him and loved Lacey as the product of them both.

"Very well said" his Pops said turning back to his scotch. "And we do want them to come back. I want that recipe for that cheesy bread—"

"Oh me too" Eddie said beaming "And that cherry inspired tart thing that wasn't what I thought it was. I want to be eating them when I die. And you know Quake has one of the best reputations in the city and in this city that is saying something"

Frank sighed. He too knew of Quake only because the other day Sid had been bemoaning mortgaging his second house to buy a meal there and Baker her eyes lit with an enthusiasm she only reserved for smacking down perps had asked him what it was like.

"I think they were very nice" Erin said finally. "I don't know what more there to say about it to be honest. We want them to come again yes?"

"I think that might take time" Danny said in that way that Danny did only when he was right about something. "What you see with us is what you get and I think that maybe sometimes it's intimidating. Give it time…you were the ones who said we can't rush this"

Frank nodded but in truth he was barely hearing his son.

Perhaps it must have shown how utterly out of place within this conversation he felt because his father with a gently nod to his children suggested that now they call it a night and when he next looked around it was the two of them.

"Well that was thoroughly exciting wasn't it Francis?"

"He thinks I would have a problem with him being gay?"

"Well…I think Sean said it right, you don't know what kind of trauma they have been through or reaction they get…the world is a scary place. Happened ever since we let that lunatic into power"

"You're a republican Pops"

"Not his kind of republican" he said shaking his head. "And I never got my kicks out of telling people to go through the courts before they could do what they wanted to with their body…And besides…you've never worked around that god awful tower. I did…Christ—"

"Pops"

His father was gearing up for a full rant which normally Frank would listen too (he agreed with most of it) but now was not the time. He didn't even have the heart to tell his Pops that the men and woman of his department would often have to patrol around the tower and that most of the time he felt like telling them to let the protesters throw a brick at the thing just so it could look less ugly.

That being said he was a tad preoccupied with more important matters at the moment.

"Paula didn't seem the type"

Henry sighed.

"Nobody's the type Francis. And there is no type. You have men and woman in your department who are gay just like I did. Now you have a gay grandson, tell me what's wrong with that—"

"Nothing! Other than the fact that he thought I would have a problem with it. I mean you heard Jamie and Eddie and Danny when this gets out and you and I both know it will everyone is gonna look and point and stare—"

"Everyone was going to do that weather or not he was married to a man or Meghan Markle. That's the reality of being a public official in this city. And especially with everything the department and policing in general has gone through the past few years that's the reality times ten."

Frank conceded the point. His Dad sighed stretching out in his chair.

"I don't want him hurt. I don't want him and his family to be halfway in the door and then to run away. I just…we've lost so much time with him and it's unfair that he looks at us as if were strangers and I know it's because he is but…but at the same time…I know I shouldn't hate his mother but…I mean what did she think that we were gonna do?"

"I don't know" his Pops said quietly. "I don't know what she thought was going to happen. I don't know if she was worried…you said she didn't want anymore more from Joe other than…well…what they were doing at the time and Joe would have wanted to do the right thing…maybe she just didn't want him. I don't know…I don't know if she knows really but—"

"If she didn't want him off the job she'd have never told me about him" was all he could say to that. In truth it had been waying on his mind a lot more than he wanted it to be and his Pops knew that as well. He had hidden the depths of his hurt over this, the velocity of his anger and kept it at a bare minimum. He was angry at himself for not realising, angry at Joe for thinking that they would care that he was gay, angry at Paula for all that she had stolen from them and more…he was angry for his son, for the years that he had lost being a Dad. Danny was right Joe would have thrown a party the second that his son had come to him and told him this. Joe would have been an amazing father. Frank didn't know how to work through the fury that he felt that his son was denied the chance because of what?

And it wasn't just Joe. It was all of them. Right down to little Lacey.

He couldn't help it.

He felt robbed.

"No" he said quietly. "I don't know…maybe she would have done…I don't know"

Frank didn't say anything to that.

"It's all going to be alright you know"

Frank didn't say anything.

He didn't know how his father could be that naïve. Because for him, things were a lot less than alright.

And he didn't know it yet, but things were only going to get a little bit worse.

So yeah, next two chapters coming after this.

And I don't buy Paula's bull. Whatsoever.

Next Chapter-The penultimate chapter-Frank goes to meet the source head on and meets Sebastian when Joe ends up in hospital. Meanwhile the secret is out-bit of a time jump with this one.