Danny's pov
(A/N: I know Joe has said he didn't have much relatives from the Hill side, but bear with me)
My twin, my wife and I had been called on a special case, on our way to 1PP. This had to be a Fort Knox level thing, because we were hardly ever called to the 14th floor to receive an assignment. My twin broke the silence as we entered the building
"What do you think it is?"
I shrugged
"No idea. Hopefully nothing involving diplomatic immunity or sitting on some sleaze's house for protection during a trial."
They quickly agreed, and I had no doubt they shared my negative thoughts regarding diplomatic immunity and protecting bad people for information. We said our hello's to our former Sergeant, then our fellow Detective, Abigail Baker, Dad's right hand, let us into his office. Speaking of Detectives, the three of us were surprised to see our nephew Joe there, along with his mother, Mayor Paula Hill. We quickly found our voices, hugging the Detective and shaking his mother's hand
"Hey, Joe. Madam Mayor, what can we do for you?"
Although it did not take a trio of detectives, my partners and I quickly took notice of how anger cloaked the youngest Reagan in the room, while the most powerful woman in the Big Apple sniffled into a handkerchief. Joe spoke, anger laced in his voice, along with frustration
"My other Grandfather, George Hill. Harvard business graduate and a very famous businessman in Warwick. Came here to surprise us, and is mugged. He's in the hospital. We need to find whoever did this. I'd gladly do it, but according to my Mom, that's the problem. Thinks I'm too close, that I might lose control. So I'm asking you three to find whoever did this."
We nodded and I put a comforting hand on his arm, locking my eyes to his
"Like dogs with a bone. We'll get this person."
He nodded
"Thank you."
We nodded back
"Of course. Did anyone see anything definitive on the mugger, do we have any CCTV footage, witnesses... Is Mr. Hill coherent?"
Paula shook her head
"He's unconscious right now, we were just on our way to St. Vic's. His wallet and briefcase are missing, and he had been very private about who he's been in business with lately."
Jess spoke next
"Was his phone still with him? We could try to find his latest contacts."
Paula spoke up
"I tried getting into it, it is no use."
Joe spoke up
"Try your birthday, Ma."
She spoke again
"Ok, I just did, and I got in. But everything on here is either in Spanish, which my Spaniard Spanish is very, very rusty; or in complete and utter gibberish."
A light seemed to come over Joe's face
"Wait, give me that, please. I spent that semester in Spain, remember? I'm still relatively fluent."
Paula nodded, handing her son the device
"Ok, but what about the gibberish?"
He grinned again
"Remember how during my first summer alone with Grandpa he and I came up with our own secret language? We're both still fluent and always use it with each other, used to drive you nuts. So this could be it, especially if he's doing something secretive for a secret business client."
Like clockwork, Joe had us into the phone. I smiled
"Nice work, Detective."
Joe smiled
"Thanks, Detective. He seemed to be in contact with a Troy Cassidy. Contractor, unlawful evictions, murder..."
I groaned, and Jess spoke
"I remember that piece of work. He's out already?"
Rolling my eyes, I checked the Department of Correction database, and spoke, voice oozing with sarcasm
"Good behavior. Yeah, ok."
Dad spoke up
"Danny, Maria, Jess... You three go over all the files on Cassidy again. My detail will escort Joe and Mayor Hill to the hospital to see their family member."
The three of us nodded
"Yes, sir."
Joe spoke up
"You don't need my help with the investigation, the take down or decoding the messages, at the very least?"
It was pretty obvious he inherited the Reagan gene of being incapable of sitting around instead of working to solve a problem or offense against a loved one. And the universal unease at seeing a loved one in such a vulnerable state. He did have a point about if we needed further decodings, however. Joe looked at me, knowing I understood more than most
"Keep me updated? And reach out if you need any help with codes?"
Giving my nephew a small smile, I assured
"First number I dial."
And with that, we went our separate ways. Maria got herself up to speed with the Cassidy files and Jess and I caught up to speed on his life after his release. It was astonishing how he was not back in prison yet. I guess his petty larceny went overlooked. But not for long, as the DNA under Mr. Hill's fingernails matched Cassidy's. Now we just needed to find him. Jess spoke
"What's a solid guy like Hill doing being in business with Cassidy?"
Maria looked up from her computer
"A few years ago, before Troy was the owner of the construction company, his dad invested in the stocks for George Hill's business company. That's a way to be forever in debt. Mr. Cassidy was a good guy who helped Mr. Hill, now Troy is taking advantage of this."
Jess and I nodded
"That makes sense."
We updated Joe and Paula, and once again had to deny Joe the opportunity to chase down Cassidy. Around the same time, we hit a snag on the journal-like entries my nephew's grandfather kept on his phone. I called Joe
"Hey, Kid. I could use your help with this last entry. Elhe estis coth prirry parto irgo parto lasthe playches Surthern. What on Earth does that mean?"
He was not kidding when he said he was still fluent in this made up language, because no sooner had I asked the question, he replied
"He's in a hurry to go to the Southern beaches. He being Cassidy. Find him."
And with a quick reaching out to friends in southern-state precincts with beaches nearby, we found Cassidy trying to flee Destin, Florida. He was quickly extradited back to us, and convicted.
In the meantime- Joe's pov
As soon as Mom and I entered my Grandpa's hospital room, I felt that rage boiling inside me again. The person responsible would pay. But in the meantime, I ran to his side, gently grabbing his hand, Mom grabbing the other. The new warmth to his hands caused him to wake up, blinking at the harsh lights. He smiled when he saw us
"I guess my plan to surprise visit went up in flames?"
Sniffling, more out of relief by this point, I smiled back
"A little bit. You're gonna be ok, though, and the person responsible is going to be in custody very soon. I missed you."
He hugged me, both of us careful of his current injuries. He smiled
"I missed you too, Joey. So much."
He then turned to my Mom
"And you, Sweetheart. How is the new Mayor of New York City?"
She hugged him
"Better now that you're awake. Can I get you anything?"
He smiled
"Just hugs like that. When can we bust me out of here?"
One of his doctors was coming by, and hearing him, looked him over and spoke
"Day after tomorrow, if all goes well."
Thankfully, he was released on schedule, and was even able to attend a Reagan family dinner, regaling the crowd with stories from the Hill side of the family. Sean spoke, eyeing me
"Oh, so YOU'RE the one to call when I need help with Spanish, Joe."
I nodded
"Yeah, I can help you out, no problem, Sean."
Timeskip- a week later 3rd person pov
Lara Jean had left for UVA the day prior, and now came the time for another goodbye, a harder one for sure. It was time for Peter to report for Marines boot camp. The Reagan clan, even those in college or working far away flocked around the Bay Ridge house to say their goodbyes and good luck to their beloved son, cousin, nephew, grandson and great-grandson. Peter himself was trying to keep his tears at bay, a fight his mother and father decided to not fight at all, hugging their youngest. Peter smiled softly
"I'm gonna be fine, I promise."
Nodding, they let him go, and he boarded the bus to base, where after boot camp, he'd be shipped off to aid in the war with Russia. Boot camp came and went in a blur for the boy, with his superiors impressed daily with his skills he joined the ranks with, rather than acquiring them at the boot camp. He also made some friends, namely Jamey and Brooks, boys the same age as him, but who had admitted they wanted to learn from him, already noticing he had knowledge that came from places other than the boot camp training everyone was receiving. All in all, the native New Yorker was fairing well.
Jamie's pov
I had asked Dad to go fishing on the pier with me, which he knew meant I needed to talk with him. As we cast our rods, he asked
"Family or job?"
Sighing, the Sergeant relented
"Job. My Captain at the 2-9, the one that already hates my guts, thinks I'm always gunning for his job, or trying to act superior to him?"
My Dad went on
"Captain Espinoza, I'm familiar. What about him?"
I sighed again, hating what I was going to have to say
"I checked four times, he's dirty, Dad. Gambling and money laundering, distributing some guns from random batches... Here's the proof."
I handed him a briefcase full of the evidence I had stealthily collected, only to have him hand it back to me
"This belongs to IAB."
I was hoping he could've told them instead, to not infuriate my boss further, but only nodded." Dad sighed, mustache moving when he pursed his lips
"I know you aren't lying, so I have a replacement at the ready. But I feel like you should know. As the Sargeant, and because this will knock some wind out of you. Your first partner, Officer Vincent Cruz? I mean, Detective Cruz"
Vinny had died in my arms during a tour in a rough neighborhood he had grown up in, no less. We had both been beat cops back then, him a first year, and my second year. He was posthumously promoted to Detective First Grade. I blinked, feeling that familiar sting when someone brought him up
"What about him?"
My Dad went on
"His brother Charlie is the best Captain we have at the moment, unless you want to take the exam. But his brother looks almost like his twin, just giving you a heads' up."
I nodded, taking in what this would all mean
"Thank you. For the heads' up.
As it would turn out a few days later, Espinoza was in fact guilty of being dirty and let go. The moment I saw Captain Cruz, I felt tears prick my eyes. He seemed to recognize me
"Reagan!"
I turned to him
"Yes, Captain Cruz?"
He smiled
"At ease. I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for Vinny."
I smiled
"You're welcome. I'm sorry I couldn't do more."
He shook his head
"Not on you. Let that go."
I nodded
"Yes, Captain."
LJ's pov
I had been here at UVA long enough to unpack and befriend my roommate Lana, who was a Interior Design major, and was very interested in my plans to own and operate a bakery in the near future, clearly angling to help design it, not that I had any issues with getting the extra set of hands and eyes. I had already sent Peter a letter and a care package with some of his favorite sweets, but I know it would take a while to hear back from him, now that he already was in Russian territory, in the thick of the fight. My English Literature classes were a welcome escape, into a fantasy world where Peter was back at my side and we were living out all our dreams in a world that was just ours to own. I checked the current events online about the war more than the college app to check my grades or assignments. Hey, the heart wants what it wants... Thankfully, so far all seemed to be well with Peter.
Eddie's pov
My partner, Officer Badillo, was going to be sick all week. So I had volunteered to be temporarily paired up with our newest recruits to the 29th precinct. I'd be her second partner, as every rookie has the Sarge or Training Officer as a first partner. Officer Kayla Bell was fresh out of the Academy, and was on fire to go out and do the work put out in front of her. I admired her tenacity and disposition, realizing she could teach me just as much as the other way around. She also had a history of a parent with a checkered past, so we related to each other very well. All in all, it was a great shift.
3rd person pov
Peter, Jamey,Brooks and the rest of their platoon, along with the others in battle had been in the thick of it all day, sustaining minor scrapes and bruises almost every passing minute. A few days prior, Peter had sustained an injury that was a bit more on the serious side, a bullet with fragments that the hospital had said was better off left in than removed, due to the proximity to major vessels. By the time he was allowed back on the battlefield,the Marines had the advantage. But everything was subject to change at the drop of a dime, and the recruits knew not to get too comfortable. They rested when and where they could, trying their best to maintain a somewhat frequent contact with loved ones in the midst of all the fights.
3rd person pov - a few weeks later
The majority of the family was once gathered around the Reagan dining table, even Lara Jean, having an open invitation despite her boyfriend being in another continent. The group was in the middle of their meal when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Erin went to open it, but everyone could see the two uniformed Marines with a flag and a somber look. Everyone's hands flew to their mouths, tears welling up. Erin fell against her husbands' arms unable to breathe, Pop allowing Lara Jean to curl up in his arms. The family barely registering the words offered to them, the visitors at the door spoke
"We regret to inform you of the loss of Peter."