Chapter 114: Laying The Ground Work

Having cleaned up for the night downstairs, Eddie walks up to her closed bedroom door and sighs. She hated it when she and Jamie fought but it was a part of marriage - a part of life – and like she told Rosa, she had no doubt they would get through this just like they had every other time because they had laid the ground work to be sure that happened. Ground work that goes all the way back to when she and Jamie had their first fight as a couple – when she agreed to go undercover for Detective Davis back at the 2-9 and Jamie had come to her 'rescue' in the park.

FLASHBACK 2018

Still standing at the back of the bus in the park with their hands intertwined, Jamie and Eddie both look off into the night before Jamie turns his attention back to his fiancée and tentatively inquires "So… just curious where you might be sleeping tonight?"

Eddie turns to look at her fiancé and smiles a small smile "With you?" she hopefully replies.

Jamie smiles and slightly nods his head in relief "Okay good just checking."

…..

Jamie lingers close outside the door to the women's locker room of the 2-9 trying not to make it too obvious he is waiting for Eddie.

A few moments later the door opens and Eddie exits.

She looks up, meets his eye and raises a curious eyebrow before quickly glancing around. Seeing they are alone Eddie moves towards him "What are you doing?" She quietly inquires.

"Waiting for you." Jamie simply replies.

Eddie tries not to smile "Jamie, this isn't the 12th and we aren't partners anymore. I thought we agreed to… you know... keep on the down low for now?"

"We are." Jamie agrees as they start to walk "But I'm your Sergeant and you were injured on the job tonight. It's perfectly acceptable for me to want to make sure you are okay."

"I'm fine." Eddie promises "But…" She adds as she again quickly glances around to make sure no one can hear them before getting a twinkle in her eye "I can't wait to get home. Hopefully my fiancé will be there because I'd love a shoulder massage."

Jamie tries to hide his grin "I'll be sure he gets that message." He promises.

Eddie bites her lower lip as she again looks around "I really hated not having you next to me last night." She lowly admits to him.

"That makes two of us." Jamie agrees as they turn the corner into a busy hall so they both clam up as they walk down it.

Suddenly they almost collide with Captain Espinoza "Nice work tonight Janko." He commends when he sees who he almost ran into.

"Thank you Sir." Eddie accepts.

"Go home and rest up that shoulder." The Captain instructs.

Eddie nods "That is the plan thank you."

"Good. See you both tomorrow." Espinoza adds before walking away and Jamie and Eddie continue to the front doors.

Jamie opens the door and holds it open for Eddie to walk out first. She does and he follows and the second they get outside the doors and are alone, Jamie reaches out a hand to stop Eddie from walking "Look Eddie I'm not saying we won't ever argue or fight…" Jamie begins as he picks up their conversation from earlier "…but we're getting married. To me that means that even when we do fight we still go home together - to a shared home – not a my home or a your home, an OUR home. I'd really like it if we picked a place and started calling it our place."

Eddie narrows her eyes pondering something as she looks at Jamie. The next second she turns to keep walking down the steps but glances back at Jamie as she does "Can I still make you sleep on the couch?"

Jamie looks at Eddie a bit floored at her question as he moves to follow her "I thought you just said you hated not sleeping next to me?" he challenges.

"Oh I did." Eddie confirms as they walk to their cars "But I was also royally pissed at you too."

"Are you still royally pissed at me?" Jamie tries to clarify.

"No." Eddie replies as they walk up to her Porsche.

"Then how about we cross that couch bridge when we get to it?" Jamie hopefully inquires as Eddie pulls out her keys.

Eddie ponders that then slowly turns to look at her fiancé "Fine." She finally accepts.

"Great!" Jamie quip as his eyes start to dance "Now moving on to the next and most important part of our first real fight as a couple!"

Eddie looks at her fiancé in a bit of confusion "Which is?"

"The make up sex!" Jamie giddily announces.

Eddie's eyes go wide and her mouth drops open in shock "JAMIE!" She admonishes as she again looks around to make sure no one heard him.

No one did.

Jamie flashes his future wife an arrogant smile "Well?" He prompts.

"Oh my god, fine!" Eddie laughs.

Jamie leans slightly into Eddie "So I'll ask again…" He huskily begins "Where is home because my home is wherever you are."

Eddie smiles adoringly up at her fiancé "Follow me?" She hopefully prompts.

"To the ends of the earth Babe." Jamie promises "To the ends of the earth."

"Okay!" Eddie laughs as she turns to face her car and open the door "I already agreed to the sex, you can stop laying it on so thick."

But Jamie takes a step towards his fiancée and leans towards her ear from behind her very much invading her space "But I very much like laying it on thick." He hotly whispers in a low sultry voice dripping with innuendo "And I know you do to."

Eddie's hands grip at her car for support as the mere sound of his voice saying those words makes her go a bit weak in the knees.

Knowing his words and actions had the desired effect, Jamie smiles a bit arrogantly for a second then steps back "Don't speed now." He sweetly reminds his fiancée before heading off to his own car.

Eddie sucks in a breath as she turns her head to watch her future husband walk to his own car and she again bites her lower lip in anticipation. She'd always known Jamie Reagan had a wild side buried somewhere deep down but it wasn't until they officially got together that she discovered just HOW wild and deliciously satisfying that side of him can be.

"Damn I love that man." Eddie mutters to herself in awe as she finishes opening her car door and slides into her seat.

…

The second Jamie sees Eddie turn her Porsche in front of him in the direction of his apartment he can't stop a grin from forming on his face. She was choosing his apartment as their home.

….

Eddie parks her car in the apartment lot and watches as Jamie pulls up to park next to her.

They both get out at the same time and Jamie grins as he looks across the roofs of the cars at his fiancée "So my place huh?"

"Our place." Eddie corrects.

Jamie's grin widens.

"It's just more practical." Eddie flippantly adds as she reaches back into her car to be sure her new parking pass that Jamie got her is displayed on the dash "You have 2 parking spots."

"Of course, of course." Jamie easily agrees as he silently pats himself on the back for contacting building management and securing Eddie a spot "And better cable."

But as Eddie goes to stand back up she lets out an involuntary hiss of pain.

Jamie immediately turns serious "What's wrong?"

Eddie winces and rolls her shoulder that hit the pavement hard "I think I'm starting to feel it now." She admits.

Jamie sighs "Come on." He prompts "Let's get you upstairs."

….

Eddie sits on the floor in front of the couch with Jamie sitting on the edge of the couch behind her focused intently on deeply massaging her shoulders "Oh yeah right there." Eddie groans out in relief so Jamie keeps working his magic but a moment later when he moves his hands to a slightly different spot, Eddie winces and pulls away slightly "Ow." She breathes out as Jamie immediately pulls his hands back a bit.

"Eddie?" he prompts in concern.

"Okay that hurt." Eddie admits.

"Open your shirt." Jamie seriously instructs.

"Geez not even any foreplay." Eddie counters trying to laugh it off.

"Eddie, I'm not kidding." Jamie warns "I want to see your back."

"It's probably just a little bruise." Eddie dismisses.

"Open your shirt..." Jamie insistently prompts "…or I'll do it for you."

"Now we're talking." Eddie playfully quips.

Rolling his eyes, Jamie begins to slide himself off the couch and onto the floor behind Eddie "Scoot forward." He instructs so Eddie shimmies herself forward a bit to make room for Jamie behind her.

He settles himself in then as he reaches his arms around Eddie's body and in front of her, Eddie settles her back against her fiancé, closes her eyes and sighs in contentment "Okay yeah so much better."

Jamie freezes mid undoing of a button "Wait did you just play me?"

Eddie sighs "Jamie you're in the middle of unbuttoning my shirt, you really want to question my motives now or did you want to get me naked and get on with that make up sex you were so eager for back in the parking lot?"

A slow grin breaks out on Jamie's face as his hands continue to unbutton and he leans down to whisper in Eddie's ear "Definitely option 2." But then he once again turns serious "But only if you are okay, now let me see."

"Well I'm not stopping you from continuing your task." Eddie points out so Jamie continues on unbuttoning all her buttons and when he's done he peels the shirt off her shoulders and down her back.

"Eddie…" He breathes out in defeat – this is exactly what he was worried about – her getting hurt "That is not a little bruise."

"Ugh. Really?" Eddie whines "Crap." She adds "Well don't just sit there – kiss it and make it better."

"Can you stop joking about this please." Jamie scolds.

"And can you stop making such a big deal out of it?" Eddie counters back frustrated "Because if you don't stop we will be revisiting that couch debate a hell of a lot sooner then either of us wants."

Jamie takes in a deep, deep breath of air "I will not apologize for wanting to keep you safe."

Knowing this was his big hang up to them getting together in the first place, Eddie turns in his arms to face him "I know." She sighs "But Jamie…"

"I know." Jamie interjects "I know we aren't partners anymore. I know you are a good cop and can take care of yourself it's just… just this is new for me okay? Me not being there all the time to have your back now and well, it's just going to take some time to get used to."

Eddie smiles at him "I know."

With an overwhelming need to take care of her Jamie decides "I should get you some ice." So he starts to stand but Eddie stops him.

"I don't need ice." She rejects.

"But…" Jamie begins.

"What I need..." Eddie interrupts "…is for my fiancé to kiss it and make it better." She reiterates as she gives him a look then turns herself forward again so her back is now to Jamie. She looks back over her shoulder at him "Come on let's go." She bossily prompts as she looks at his mouth then down at her shoulder then back up again "Get to it."

A slow smile creeps up onto Jamie's face before he leans forward and places a super soft kiss on her bruised shoulder "Like that?" he questions.

Eddie tilts her head to the side out of the way for him "Uh hmmm, that's good." She murmurs "Just keep doing that." She encourages so Jamie kisses her shoulder again, and again and again and slowly makes his way from her shoulder up to her neck and his arms snake around Eddie's waist pulling her closer to him as things quickly heat up between the two of them and soon Eddie is turning in his arms and crawling into his lap to kiss him.

A moment later, Eddie pulls back slightly "Bed." She instructs as she starts to get up and attempts to pull Jamie with her but Jamie instead has other ideas and pulls her back down to him.

"You mean we aren't having make up sex on the floor?" Jamie asks with a little hint of a pout in his voice.

A tiny smirk plays on Eddie's face at another glimpse of her fiancé's wild side but she shakes her head no.

"Not today." Eddie rejects "My shoulder hurts Reagan so..." She adds as she leans towards his ear seductively whispering "Did you want me screaming out in pleasure or pain?"

Jamie deliciously groans at her words "Definitely pleasure." He admits as he starts to remove Eddie from on top of him.

"Good choice." Eddie accepts as they both get up and make their way to the bedroom.

END OF FLASHBACK

Breaking herself from her thoughts, Eddie takes in a deep breath of air as she places her hands on the door knob and readies herself to face her husband. Fighting or arguing, they still go home together…

So she turns the knob, swings the door open and steps inside to see Jamie - freshly showered - pulling a tshirt on over his head.

Jamie pauses for a split second at the sound of the door and he lifts his eyes to meet his wife's but when he sees her open her mouth to speak he breaks eye contact and simply continues on with getting ready for bed ignoring her.

Taking in a frustrated breath of air at his actions, Eddie fully steps inside and shuts the door but clams up.

What's the point? Eddie tells herself He's not ready to talk. So she simply walks towards the bathroom and Jamie heads for his side of the bed.

Eddie enters the bathroom and closes the door leaning her head against it once it's closed in a moment of support.

Back in the bedroom, it is only once Jamie hears the door shut that he turns his head to look in the direction his wife went. He stares at the closed door a moment then just shakes his head in frustration and annoyance as he lifts his legs and slides them under the covers. He settles himself down into the bed really hoping he can manage to fall asleep before his wife comes back out because even though he got a hell of a workout on the bag his brain was still wound up tighter then a ball of yarn.

Having taken more then her usual amount of time in the bathroom, Eddie knows she needs to suck it up and finally face her husband so she readies herself and again reaches for the doorknob. She opens it and steps back into the bedroom but she sees Jamie laying in bed on his side facing away from her. She pauses a moment watching him trying to determine if he is truly asleep or just avoiding her but when she hears the sounds he makes when he truly is asleep she finds herself growing annoyed.

He's asleep. How is he asleep with everything they still have to sort through? Sure she took her sweet time in the bathroom… Eddie notes as she makes her way over to the bed …but that's no excuse! Great. She then thinks in annoyance as she crawls in under the covers and settles in Now this is just going to fester until morning. She notes as she forcefully fluffs her pillow trying to take out some of her growing frustration.

Her movement and actions cause Jamie to shift and mumble something incoherent so Eddie turns slightly to look back at him "Are you awake?" She asks – her voice laced with annoyance.

Well I am now. Jamie unhappily but silently replies in his head. He WAS asleep until his wife crawled in next to him pounding at her pillow and woke him up but he wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of knowing that so instead he says nothing stewing in his own frustration knowing sleep would be hard to find again.

Taking his silence as a no, Eddie turns her back to her husband again.

So there Jamie and Eddie were – both awake.

Both frustrated.

…And both too stubborn to be the one to make the first move to sort this out.

...