A/N: I will admit my first and favorite ship is Jamko so writing for those two from a simple idea comes the easiest and most naturally to me. I will try to incorporate more Erin/Jack and I know there has been lots of requests / ideas for Joe but unfortunately it seems he does NOT come as naturally to me - I'm trying but I've had to scrap a few started chapters because it just wasn't working. I'm trying! I promise, I'm trying and as for AO3, I've heard of it but don't really have the time to figure out a new platform so for now at least, I'll stick with posting here. Also I like the TV show idea for the '300th' episode but again I just have to get past a bit of writer's on that one apparently so we'll see what that arc actually ends up being...
Chapter 19: Henry's Prerogative
Henry and Frank stand off to the side watching all the younger Reagans be good sports and do their part to help clean up while Maria stands off to the side trying to clean up Elena.
"I'm so sorry." Maria states feeling the need to apologize to everyone but Henry dismissively waves her off "Nonsense." He counters "I haven't been so thoroughly entertained in… well... I can't even remember."
Maria shifts her eyes to Frank "Commissioner..." She apologetically begins.
"Hey." Frank soothingly interrupts with a comforting smile on his face "Today I'm just Frank, and I have to agree with my Father – that was entertaining."
"Especially because we don't have to clean up!" Henry happily quips.
"Exactly." Frank adds as he gives Maria a little wink of encouragement.
Maria let's out a sigh in relief "Thank you." She offers.
"And…" Frank thoughtfully adds in gratitude "…thank you for having my back out there."
Maria smiles at her Commissioner "You're welcome." She sincerely returns.
For a moment Frank and Maria just smile at each other but then Maria clears her throat and shifts her attention out to everyone else in the room "And thank you everyone for being such good sports!" She announces "Now we just have to hope it works."
Sean and Jack look over to Elena to see her nodding off fast "It will." They promise.
"Worked for us." Jack adds.
"Until today." Sean a bit arrogantly corrects as he tosses his brother a look.
"You want to go again?" Jack challenges as he makes a slight jerk move of his body as it to pick up more food causing Sean to do the same.
"NO!" Danny commands "Go back to being good sons, not the kind I have to put in the corner in a time out - and yes I know how old you are!" he sneers in defiance.
"Well this was…" Joe chimes in in awe before letting his voice trail off "Something." He finally adds with a huff of a laugh "To bad Nicky couldn't be here."
"Be thankful." Jack tells his cousin "She would have creamed us all."
"Like mother like daughter?" Joe queries.
"Yes!" Jack confirms of his wife and daughter.
"Does it ever get confusing having two Jacks in the family?" Joe curiously inquires "I mean are you…" he adds as he looks directly at his cousin "named after… Uncle Jack?" he a bit hesitantly asks figuring adding Uncle is the best way to differentiate.
Danny let's out a big huff of a laugh "Um no."
"Then?" Joe slowly prompts
"It's a long story and I blame your Mother." Danny deflects as he looks at his oldest son before focusing on Joe "And let's not forget you aren't the first Joe in this family either."
"Yeah but…" Joe begins before letting his voice trail off as they all remember why Joe being called Joe in a room is now never confusing.
Sending the tension, Jamie turns to his wife and changes the subject "I can't believe you smashed food into my face."
Eddie scoffs "I told you! It was payback for you smashing our wedding cake into my face!"
"It's tradition!" Jamie profusely defends.
Jack turns his head towards Erin to give his wife a knowing look "Probably also so he could enjoy licking it off her later." He quietly deduces "I know I did." He adds with a snicker.
In response, Erin locks eyes with her husband where they go a bit wide and she silently tells him to shut up.
"Oh we're all adults here." Jack defends.
Having heard his brother in law, a super unhappy Danny rejects "Um no." as he first tries to shake the image of his sister and Jack from his mind before secondly looking over at his partner to see a now slightly uncomfortable Maria shift Elena on her hip "We aren't."
"Oh. Right." Jack notes with a cringe as he looks over at Maria and Elena "Sorry." He apologizes.
Maria plasters a smile on her face "It's fine."
Henry leans over to Maria "Now you know why we aren't that fond of him." He explains.
"POP!" Frank chides – he may agree with his father but they did have a guest…
But Henry ignores his son and instead plasters a pleasant smile on his face as he continues to talk to Maria "But you my dear, we like. You and your precious little one. Yes we do!" Henry sings as he makes faces at and waves a little at Elena "You'll need to bring her around more so little Jamko has someone to play with."
Jamie and Eddie's heads immediately snap up to look over to Henry "Little Jamko?" Jamie challenges.
"Did I get that wrong?" Henry questions now a bit unsure.
"Oh no!" Erin laughs "You got it right!"
"Little Jamko." Danny muses in thought "That's a good one. I'll have to remember that."
"Please don't." Jamie requests.
"Jamko?" Joe questions confused.
"Yeah." Erin's Jack chimes in "I don't get it either."
"It's a mash up of Jamie and Janko." Danny's son Jack explains.
"Oh." Joe slowly accepts – still not quite getting it.
"Nicky coined it." Cousin Jack again explains "You'd have to ask her."
"O… K." Joe again slowly accepts.
"Anyhoo!" Henry jumps in as he again turns his attention to Maria and Elena "As I was saying it would be nice for Little Jamko…"
Jamie heavily sighs at grandfather still using that word…
"…to have someone around her or his age to play with around here."
Now knowing EXACTLY what his grandfather is trying to do Danny warns "Gramps..." But Henry waves his eldest grandson off "Hush. I'm trying to talk to this lovely lady and her beautiful daughter over here - stop interrupting!"
Danny throws his hands up in the air in defeat.
"Well, we'll see." Maria tries to deflect in a very noncommittal way.
"Oh we'll see alright." Henry knowingly chuckles.
"GRAMPS!" Danny forcefully chides.
"It's okay Dad." Sean pipes up "I've always wanted a sister."
"Will you be our new step mommy?" Jack humorously asks of Maria.
Danny glares at his sons "You think I was kidding about those time outs." He seriously warns at their ribbing.
Laughing, both Jack and Sean hold up their hands in surrender before Danny turns his attention to Maria "I am so sorry." He sincerely apologizes when suddenly Eddie leans over and pops herself into the conversation "Just so you know the ribbing means they really do like you – Hey wait…" She then brightly realizes "I get to be in on the code blue this time!"
Then realizing what she just said, Eddie's eyes go a bit wide in regret "Sorry did I say that out loud?"
But at hearing her words, Erin's Jack immediately snaps his attention to Eddie "Wait - did they do that to you too?"
Eddie turns to look at Jack "Yeah." She confirms.
"Wasn't that the worst?" Erin's Jack asks of Eddie.
"Meh." Eddie shrugs off in reply "I got them back."
"You did?" Jack questions in surprise.
"Oh yeah." Eddie confirms with a little laugh at the memory "It's a funny story actually. See…"
"NOT NOW PLEASE!" Danny loudly interrupts.
Immediately Eddie and Jack stop talking realizing that with Maria there, they were on the edge of breaking 'the golden rule'.
Watching Eddie and Jack suddenly clam up, Maria starts to get a little suspicious so she turns to look at her partner "What are they talking about?"
"Um…." Danny stalls. He didn't want to lie to her but he couldn't exactly tell her either.
"Never mind." Eddie quickly jumps in trying to save her brother in law.
"Yeah, it doesn't matter." Erin's Jack rushes to agree.
Maria continues to eye the new 'in laws' duo "Why do I not believe you?"
"Trust us." Eddie dismissively adds before plastering a smile on her face "It's just, well, it's a Reagan thing."
"Is it ever." Jack mumbles.
Eddie makes the smile on her face grow in an attempt to cover the words she is about to say "Shut up." She lowly hisses to her brother in law "Don't scare her away. We want her to join us."
Danny covers his face in true embarrassment.
"True." Jack realizes before plastering a smile on his face while leaning down to whisper to Eddie "Strength in numbers."
"Okay am I the only one that finds this weird?" Jamie interrupts as he watches the interaction between his wife and brother in law.
"No." Erin agrees unimpressed as she eyes her husband and sister in law herself.
Not getting what the big deal seems to be, Eddie and Jack both look at their respective spouses "What?" they each simply question.
"Well if it's any consolation…" Joe pipes up "I don't know what everyone is talking about either."
"How about we ALL just STOP. TALKING!" Danny begs.
Frank snickers "Hey, you started all this."
Danny rolls his eyes in regret "Don't remind me."
Not wanting to ruffle feathers further, Maria jumps in with "Really everyone it's fine and I truly appreciate you having me and Elena over but she's starting to fade so I really should be getting her home."
"Nonsense." Henry pipes up "If she needs a nap we can easily accommodate her – in fact you would be doing me a huge favor if you stayed and let me use Elena as a bit of a guinea pig."
"Gramps!" Danny again admonishes.
"See…" Henry continues as he dismissively waves Danny off before he begins to gently guide Maria and Elena with him and out of the room "I've been doing some renovations in preparation of little Jamko..."
Again Jamie and Eddie's heads snap up.
"Say what now?" Jamie prompts as he drops what he's doing and moves to follow his grandfather.
"…and now have a good chunk of Jamie's old room turned into a nursery for the little one." Henry adds now causing Eddie to do the same.
"YOU DO?" Eddie states in complete shock "WE…" She emphasizes as she rapidly gestures between herself and her husband "…don't even have anything set up yet and you already have a nursery?!"
Now feeling like maybe he's dropping the ball in the preparation department Jamie a bit awkwardly chimes in with "Yeah a little early yet Pop, don't you think?"
Henry stops walking and turns to face his youngest grandson and his wife causing them to abruptly stop walking too "Do I look like I'm getting any younger here?" he challenges before giving both Jamie and Eddie a look that says he is not to be questioned.
Not having much choice, Jamie and Eddie both immediately back off "Sorry." Jamie very respectfully apologizes.
Satisfied, Henry turns his attention back to Maria "So if you would be okay…" He sweetly continues "… with Elena… testing things out so to speak – you know just to let me know from a child's perspective how I did, I would greatly appreciate it and consider it a personal favor to me." He gushes.
Not wanting to disrespect the great Henry Reagan, Maria feels has no choice but to give in "Um. Sure."
"Excellent. Excellent." Henry happily accepts.
Watching his grandfather disappear up the stairs with his partner and Jamie and Eddie following all Danny can do is close his eyes and shake his head at the insanity of it all – that is until he feels someone move to his side and his sister chuckle "Boy Grandpa sure isn't exactly being subtle is he?"
Slowly Danny opens his eyes "No, he's not." He confirms before turning to his father "Did you know about this?"
"I knew he was setting up the nursery." Frank admits as he moves to sit in an arm chair and pick up a newspaper "I did not know he would invite Elena up to 'test it out' – especially before showing Jamie and Eddie."
Danny sighs muttering "He's trying to kill two birds with one stone."
Having not quite heard his son, Frank questions "What?" but Danny shakes his head and heavily sighs in defeat "Never mind." He mumbles so Frank taking the cue just fans his paper out and begins to read.
"Okay I honestly have no idea what I just watched." Joe begins to admit.
"Good." Danny tosses at him.
"But seeing as I rarely get a chance to hang out with my two cousins together…" Joe continues.
"Don't let Nicky hear you say that." Sean warns.
"Two guy cousins." Joe corrects.
"Better." Sean's brother Jack accepts.
Joe hooks his thumb towards the door "So you wanna?" he asks.
"Heck yeah!" Sean eagerly replies.
"Sure!" Jack chimes in.
"Later everyone!" Sean states.
"Nice to see everyone." Jack tacks on "Great as always! Bye!"
And with that Frank's grandchildren were gone so now it's just Frank, Erin and Danny so Erin, taking the opportunity turns to her brother "So Maria." She a bit more seriously begins.
Danny tries not to show any outward reaction to his sister's words "What about her?" he tries to flippantly deflect.
"Danny." Erin carefully navigates "There are partners… and then there are 'partners'…" She suggestively insinuates "You know like the Jamie/Eddie kind." She explains "Now which one are you and Maria?"
Danny glances at his father.
"You want me to leave?" Frank offers.
"Maybe." Danny reluctantly admits.
Nodding, Frank silently gets up and walks away leaving Erin and Danny alone…
…..