2

Still working out where this is going in the grand scheme of things. Thanks to those that dropped a note. Went back and edited chapter 1 after my error with the age and timeframe was brought to my attention. Hopefully, I got it right now.

It wasn't often that Jamie Reagan was rendered speechless, but today was certainly one of those days. Jamie first suspected this was a joke. He had already been the target of practical jokes at the Two Nine. If Tuna or anyone else was starting them up again, heads were definitely going to roll. And to involve a kid in it crossed the line. But the one thing about this that tied his stomach in knots was the Davenport name. Why would anyone go that far for a joke?

Regardless, he needed to get to the bottom of it. He was dealing with a child so he calmly had another sergeant take over the desk for him and escorted the boy to an interview room at the back of the precinct where they could speak alone.

"Take a seat so we can talk," he instructed him while closing the door. Jamie waited until the boy was seated before making his way over to the desk, taking the spot across from him. He leaned forward against the table so they were closer to eye level, making him less imposing.

James stared at Jamie while he got situated, almost studying him. His eyes roamed across his uniform and duty belt, widened at the gun at his hip as he slid into the chair before moving back up to take in his dad's face.

"Alright, James. Is this some sort of a joke?" he asked gently.

"Huh? No," he said with an exaggerated shake of his head.

The sincerity in his big worried eyes struck Jamie and caused a strange feeling to gurgle in his gut. "Are you really here alone?" he asked next.

"Yes," he answered honestly.

"So who's your mom?" he asked, dreading the answer the boy might give him.

"Her first name is Sydney, her last name's like mine," he responded without hesitation.

Jamie frowned, then his mouth opened and closed a few times before he could get any more words out. He was still having trouble understanding what was happening.

"Does your mom know you're here?" he continued the questioning when it occurred to him that this was a kid that wandered into the precinct on his own.

"No."

There was no hesitation on his part and the unease in Jamie's stomach grew. "Oh, boy," he sighed. "Where does she think you are?"

"At a friend's house," he admitted.

"And you're not because," he trailed off and waited for James to explain.

James grimaced, it was the first time he hesitated to respond but only because he knew it was the wrong thing to do. "I told Jacob and his mom that my mom canceled and I was staying at after-school care like usual," he confessed and hung his head low remorsefully. He knew he was in trouble for doing that but it was his best chance to come here.

Despite passing for his younger doppelganger, Jamie's senses were telling him the kid wasn't lying. He still had to ask the next question. "James, why do you say I'm your dad?"

James' head shot up to answer. "Because I saw it."

"What do you mean you saw it?"

"On my birth certificate. I saw it while mom was filling out some papers for school. She left it on her desk."

What the hell? he asked himself wondering how this kid knew this and he didn't.

"And your mom confirmed this?"

"Not exactly," he said.

"What do you mean?"

James sighed, frustration evident on his little face. "Everytime I asked about you, she'd always say it was complicated and she'd tell me when I was older. I don't want to wait until I'm older. That will take forever. So I looked for you," he shrugged.

Jamie's eyes widened and he sat back, lost for words again. "That's, uh…wow. Uh, I don't know what to say."

When it looked like Jameson Reagan still didn't believe him, James brought his backpack up onto the table, zipped it open to search inside. "I found this in a box she had in her office," he said while pulling out a small rectangular piece of paper.

He turned it over and Jamie looked down to see an old wallet-sized black and white photo of him and Sydney. He picked it up and stared at it. It was one she used for an engagement announcement, taken at her parent's request.

God, they were so young back then. He stood behind her, hugging her to him. Her hands gripped his forearms, prominently displaying his mother's engagement ring. The expressions on their faces gave no indication of what was to come.

Jamie brought a hand across his face. He had a million more questions to ask, most he didn't think James could or should answer. So he stuck to those he could. "How'd you know where to find me?"

"Google."

A laugh burst across Jamie's lips at both the 'duh' expression on his face and the simplistic response.

"I put your name and searched. I found pictures, you were in your uniform in most of them. Then I figured out your precinct," he explained.

Thank you, New York Post, he thought. Still, Jamie couldn't help smiling as he stared back at the boy. "That's some detective work."

He handed the photo back to James. It wasn't his to keep, not anymore. "I'm sorry, James. I'm just having trouble believing all of this."

"I'm not lying," he said earnestly and looked him straight in the eyes, bringing his fist down on the tabletop in frustration.

"No, I'm not saying you are. This is just a surprise," he replied.

"So you didn't know about me?" James asked. He didn't know whether to be sad or relieved. He wondered if his dad didn't want him. He had a friend whose dad and mom got a divorce and he was never around.

"No, James, I didn't," Jamie answered honestly but left it at that. The rest was to be discussed with his mother.

"Oh. Maybe that's what mom meant," he commented.

"Maybe. But, James, if your mom doesn't know where you are, I think the first thing we need to do is call her," Jamie said. This was still a kid out about town with no parental knowledge of his whereabouts…well, except for him now apparently.

Holy crap, this is crazy, he thought.

"No, I'll get in trouble for coming to find you!" James panicked. He hadn't thought this through or what his plan was going to be after he found his dad. His mom was going to kill him.

Jamie felt for him, but he needed to let Sydney know where he was. It would also allow him to talk to her, because what the hell?

"Yeah, bud, but I think we'll both get in bigger trouble if we don't tell her. Where do you live?"

James sighed, resigned to the fact that he was about to get into big trouble and gave him his address.

Jamie mapped out the address in his mind as he pulled out his phone. "Alright, now I just need her number."

James groaned but recited the number from memory, then dropped against the back of his chair dramatically.

"Okay. Don't worry, I'll call her, okay? And we'll get you home and figure all of this out. I promise," Jamie replied and gave him a reassuring smile, one he wasn't feeling at all.

"She's going to be mad," he warned.

"I think she'll be more happy to know you're okay," Jamie assured him while mentally preparing himself to speak to his ex-fiance for the first time in ten years.

Sydney returns next. Doh!