A/N: Next little bit is going to be super busy for me so wanted to get this posted before that.
Chapter 5: What Are The Odds
It's the next morning and Jamie and Eddie are again out for their run.
"There has got to be another way to do this." Eddie decides to her husband next to her "Running daily is your thing not mine."
"Now it's our thing." Jamie simply counters.
"But I don't want it to be our thing." Eddie huffs out trying to talk and run at the same time "I am perfectly happy to let you have this one thing yourself."
"You knew the terms when you agreed to this." Jamie points out but Eddie is now barely paying attention for her eyes have zeroing in on a surprising sight waiting for them on the park bench.
"Jamie look." She prompts with a super small knock of her head forward.
Following her eyes, Jamie almost has to do a double take at the sight of Sid Gormley sitting there reading a newspaper…
Jamie and Eddie then exchange a quick worried look but head over.
"Rest Jamie." Eddie again pleads to her husband as they ignore Sid and Sid ignores them.
Again Jamie and Eddie sit down.
Again Eddie keeps watch and Jamie reties his shoe.
"You're supposed to have a specialty coffee." Jamie finally states.
"I don't drink that crap." Sid tosses back "And I was pretty sure I wouldn't need it."
"What happened?" Jamie then inquires in concern "Because you wouldn't be sitting here unless something bad happened."
"Everybody is fine if that's what you're worried about." Sid promises "But yes there has been a slight glitch."
Eddie brings her water bottle up close to her mouth to cover her words "Define slight and define glitch."
Sid takes a deep breath "Someone ran your names through the database from here in Albany and the glitch was your actual photos appeared."
Jamie and Eddie both try not to show any reaction to hearing that but they absolutely understand the ramifications that could have for them…
"Do you have a location?" Jamie queries.
"3rd precinct." Sid replies "Might be nothing but I'm not taking any chances. You two need to not only be extra careful but discreetly figure out who is checking up on you."
"Does the Commissioner know you are here?" Jamie then curiously inquires.
Sid scoffs "Fat chance. As far as he knows I took a sick day."
"Wow." Jamie notes "We rate a sick day."
"Hey!" Sid warns "I'm serious. The less people that know about this the better so yes, I personally came okay."
"Okay." Jamie accepts "Thank you. We'll look into it."
"Great. Now I gotta go." Sid decides "All this fresh air is bad for my health." He adds before just lowering his paper, standing and walking away.
Now left alone, Jamie finishes with his shoe then leans his back on the park bench as he and Eddie both stare straight ahead, each pondering their next moves.
…..
Jamie and Eddie both sit at their table in their apartment. Eddie with her head down resting on her crossed arms on the table – Jamie with his elbow on the table and his head resting in his hand as he continues to absently scroll through the profiles of the employees of the 3rd police precinct of Albany New York using an FBI secure laptop.
"Jamie." Eddie pleads in defeat as she lifts her head "This is crazy. We aren't getting anywhere and we've been at it all night. I want to figure this out as much as you do but we need a break."
"I'm the one scrolling here." Jamie half heartedly tosses back in his own exhaustion as the profile of a police Lieutenant - Lieutenant Walker appears on the screen next.
"Only because my eyes started to go cross eyed 10 minutes ago." Eddie defends as she reaches over and slowly pushes the back of the laptop screen down so the computer closes "Half hour break." She proposes "Let's go get some air and come back with a fresh set of eyes."
"Fine." Jamie sighs out.
…..
"Ooooh it's a coffee shop!" Eddie sighs out in relief from the passenger's seat of The Chevelle "Please stop." She begs "I need a caffeine fix – bad!"
Jamie pulls over while deadpanning "You remember what happened the last time you asked me to pull over to a coffee shop right?"
"Bite your tongue!" Eddie tosses back as she opens her car door but looks back at her husband "Besides as far as I know, there is no hit man after the family now!"
"No, just someone running our names through the database." Jamie counters right back as he watches his wife get out of the car and step towards the café but then he opens his own door, gets out and calls to his wife over the roof off the car "HEY! Get me a tea!"
Eddie waves her hand in the air in recognition of his request as she continues on her path "I know!"
Coincidentally, behind them down the street, Caitlin sits in the passenger's seat of her cruiser watching as she waits for her partner who is already inside the coffee shop and she recognizes Jamie and Eddie.
"Well what are the odds." Caitlin mutters impressed to herself as she watches Jamie slide back into his driver's seat and shut the door.
Being alone in the RMP Caitlin's face crinkles as she looks from the RMP's computer to the license plate on the Chevelle wondering if she should or not. A second later she decides to take the opportunity to run the plates on the Chevelle. It comes back as registered to one Jameson Conners – not Reagan.
Confused because that is not what she was expecting to come up, she runs it again only to get the same result.
Now determined to get some answers, Caitlin opens her RMP door, gets out and heads over to the driver's side of The Chevelle "License and Registration please."
Already slightly on edge from the conversation he and his wife just had, a startled Jamie jumps a bit but then a surprised look appears on his face at recognizing the woman "You're a police officer?" he questions as his eyes immediately scan her uniform. He sees a regular shield with no service bars or stripes anywhere and indeed the name 'Reagan' on the name plate.
"I'm the one asking the questions here." Caitlin professionally corrects "License and registration please."
"Did I do something wrong officer?" Jamie tries to deflect.
"That depends." Caitlin admits "Will the registration you provide me say this car belongs to Jameson Conners or NYPD Sergeant Jameson Reagan?"
Immediately in realization, Jamie's eyes dart to her collar brass where he sees a '3' so he quickly begins to get out of the car while looking around to make sure no one else is within earshot.
"Hey!" Caitlin protests as she has no choice but to back up a step "I did not tell you to get out of the car!"
"And as a Police Sergeant I outrank you." Jamie seriously warns as he finds himself admitting to this virtual stranger who he really is "It was you wasn't it?" he demands.
"Um..." Cailtin hesitates slightly taken aback by his forcefulness "What was?"
"You ran our names through the database."
Cailtin internally cringes at being caught on that but she tries to cover "No." she rejects but Jamie can tell she's lying so he gives her a stern look Caitlin has only ever seen on her Father's face before "Maybe." She then finds herself reluctantly admitting before getting defensive "But you didn't leave me much choice when you just up and walked away from me!"
"Unbelievable." Jamie mutters out as his body relaxes a little deducing this all stems from their chance meeting in the cemetery and has nothing to do with their case "You could get written up for what you did." He warns in frustration.
"And who is going to tell anyone?" Caitlin challenges "You? Doubt it because unless I'm reading this wrong I'm going to guess you are here on assignment."
Jamie takes in a deep breath of air "Why are you so interested in what we are doing?" he tries to deflect causing a giddy happy look to appear on Caitlin's face "I'm right aren't I?" She excitedly prompts "You're undercover because back at the cemetery I heard you say the operation would be a bust if you backed out now!"
Again Jamie quickly looks around "Would you shut up!" he lowly hisses out.
"Right. Right. Of course." Caitlin quickly accepts before grinning again "What's your case?"
Jamie gives Caitlin a super unimpressed look "You did not just ask me that."
Cailtin shrugs "Maybe I can help."
"Doubt it." Jamie rejects.
"Oh come on!" Cailtin begs.
"Look I don't even know you!" Jamie tosses back in frustration.
"Hey we are both Reagans." Cailtin simply points out.
"Please don't call me that." Jamie emphatically requests before again quickly looking around.
"Sure." Cailtin accepts with a knowing wink "Whatever you say."
Jamie rubs his temples "You're annoying."
Like nothing, Cailtin shrugs off that label "So I've been told." She easily admits.
And just like that Jamie looks up and stares at the woman before him at her repeating a phrase he himself has used many times in the past.
"What?" Cailtin prompts at seeing his look.
"Nothing." Jamie grumbles but he can't shake that feeling in his gut again.
"Reagan what are you doing?" A male voice suddenly sounds.
Looking over, Jamie and Cailtin see her partner walking up with a coffee in his hand.
"Oh just giving this guy some directions." Cailtin nonchalantly fibs before looking at Jamie "You got everything straight now?"
"Yup." Jamie confirms "Couldn't be more clear." He adds as he looks at Caitlin and Caitlin looks at him both knowing his words were the exact opposite of the truth for both of them.
Cailtin's partner looks between the two "Great. Let's go then – break is over." He instructs before heading in the direction of their RMP with his coffee.
Caitlin flashes Jamie a smile "Later!" She quips before moving to quickly catch up to her partner "Where's mine?" She lightly inquires in joke as she gestures at his coffee.
"Back at the café waiting for you to order and pay for it." Her partner tosses back "And what was that?" he then prompts.
"What was what?"
"You flirting with that guy."
"Okay I was NOT flirting." Cailtin immediately rejects "He's like twice my age! Besides he kinda reminded me of my D…" she begins to say but then catches herself and slammed her mouth shut only finishes the word in her head "..ad." A second later she plasters a fake smile on her face "You know what nevermind. Want me to drive so you can enjoy your coffee?"
"No." Cailtin's partner just rejects so the smile drops from Caitlin's face and as the partners break apart and head to separate sides of the car, Caitlin can't help but glance back at Jamie to see him intently watching her with the same look of wonder… confusion – curiosity? that she herself has…
….
Watching Caitlin and her partner walk away, the wheels in Jamie's brain are turning when Eddie walks back up with two take out cups in her hands "Uh oh." She notes as she walks up to her husband and hands him a cup "Your tea." She explains before continuing on "What's with that look?"
"It was her." Jamie reveals to his wife "And thank you." He accepts in reference to the tea "She was the one that ran our names through the system."
"Her who?" Eddie prompts in slight confusion.
In response, Jamie gestures to the RMP that is now pulling away and as it passes them, Eddie watches and recognizes the woman from the cemetery smile and wave at them from the passenger's seat.
The couple watch the RMP drive off then Jamie turns to look at his wife.
"Reagan." Jamie simply explains with a forced 'you aren't going to believe this' smile "She's a cop - rookie from what I can tell, and she knows we are both Reagans too."
Trying to process everything, Eddie eventually and quite simply just let's out an "Oh."
"Yeah." Jamie deadpans out as he moves to open his car door "There is something about her Eddie." He admits to his wife as Eddie moves to get in the passenger's side "I can't put my finger on it but…"
"A something bad?" Eddie begins to try to clarify as she opens her own door.
"No." Jamie slowly rejects in thought as they both slide into their seats "It's just…"
"That Reagan gut feeling?" Eddie prompts as they shut their doors.
Jamie nods.
Eddie shrugs "Maybe you ARE related to her. I mean you Reagans just have this radar…"
Jamie's face scrunches up in rejection "We do not."
"Oh you totally do." Eddie laughs "Maybe we should ask on our next call home. – oooooo maybe your Dad has like this secret second family here in Albany!" Eddie jokes.
"Yes..." Jamie deadpans in a challenge "…and then he approved to send us here undercover so we could all meet in some dramatic soap opera saga – besides…" he then dismissively adds "…she's like half my age and pretty sure by the time I came along Dad was just…" he hesitates as he tries to find the right word "Done."
Eddie snickers a bit at the way her husband worded that "Oh because you were so perfect?" she challenges.
Jamie flashes his wife his best smile "You said it, not me." He tosses back.
Eddie rolls her eyes but isn't about to let this go "Danny?" She wonders.
Jamie laughs at his wife's persistence "This isn't like Joe." He reminds her "Her last name is Reagan – we saw her family's headstones – so stop trying to make more out of this then there is."
"I don't know." Eddie muses "That gut feeling of yours is usually never wrong." She reminds him "That's all I'm saying."
Jamie's cell phone starts to ring so he pulls it out to see Meretti calling "Oh saved by the reason we are even here." Jamie tosses at his wife before answering "Hey!" he greets as he and Eddie shelve the conversation so they can get back down to business "We were just talking about you!"
"You were?" Meretti curiously inquires.
"Yes." Jamie confirms "Eddie was hounding me to call and…"
"I WAS NOT HOUNDING!" Eddie hollers out so Meretti can hear her "I was merely reiterating to him what a great time I had the other night but to you men it sounds like hounding!"
Meretti snickers over the phone "Good god she sounds just like my wife."
"So you understand." Jamie notes in camaraderie.
"Oh I do, I do." Meretti amusingly agrees "Because that's why I'm calling. Larissa keeps nattering at me to invite you both over again."
"Nattering." Jamie repeats as he looks directly at his wife and rolls his eyes slightly "Normally I might feel put off by that choice of words but in light of our mutual understanding, I feel honored." He laughs.
Now Eddie rolls her eyes and in response to her, Jamie just shrugs.
"As so you should." Meretti confirms with a chuckle "How's tonight at 8pm?"
"We'll be there." Jamie confirms with a look of arrogance at his wife.
"Perfect, I'll let the wife know."
"As will I." Jamie notes "See you tonight. Bye."
"Bye."
For a moment Jamie and Eddie just sit in silence.
"Good call on the hounding." Eddie approves.
"Good call on picking up and running with it." Jamie returns.
"Guess we both noticed the dynamic of their relationship last time." Eddie notes.
"Yup." Jamie agrees.
"Better stop at a clothing store on the way home." Eddie notes "I need a new outfit."
"Oh Meretti and I will bond over that one for sure." Jamie impressively notes.
"Yup." Eddie concurs "Larrisa and I as well while providing you an opening…"
"…to show frustration on how you are spending money we no longer have?" Jamie queries. "I'll plant the seed." Jamie decides "Meretti doesn't strike me as the type of guy who would appreciate someone begging for work."
Eddie ponders that "Okay." She accepts "How about this then, I lament to Larissa how I was forced to go with a cheaper outfit and just wish there was a way to go back to the way things were before we lost all our money."
Jamie thinks about that "So let her plead our case to Meretti." He deduces before lifting the palm of his hand towards his wife "Sounds like a plan."
"Yup." Eddie agrees as she gives him a high 5 slap in confirmation of their plan of action for the evening.
"And then we need to nap." Eddie tacks on.
"Yup." Jamie whole heartedly agrees as he starts the car and pulls away from the curb.
...
