A/N: Thank you to the guest reviewer who pointed out the continuity error on Simm's reinstatement - that actually greatly helped spark an idea that should (as the title of this chapter states) kill two birds with one stone to not only 'explain' that error but also move the story forward because I will admit I did have writer's block after chapter 14 of how I wanted to get from point A to point B so again, your comments really DO help.
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Chapter 15: Two Birds, One Stone
Erin is sitting at her desk in her office working when Jamie walks right in.
Seeing movement, Erin glances up to watch her younger brother head straight for her desk and just plop himself down in the chair across from her. "Well…" She begins as she looks back down at the file in front of her "…what's eating you?"
"YOU!" Jamie simply explains in exasperation.
Not expecting that answer, Erin immediately looks back up "Me? What did I do?"
"You had to go and NOT announce your remarriage!" Jamie accuses.
For a moment Erin simply stares at her brother until finally "Okay please start at the beginning." She requests as she takes her glasses off and places them on her desk "Because I'm not currently speaking whatever language you are speaking."
"Oh you don't recognize the frustrated husband gives in and agrees to do what his wife wants just to keep the peace look?" Jamie righteously challenges before adding "Maybe I should be talking to Jack."
Unhappy with his tone, Erin goes to pick her glasses back up "Okay." She immediately rejects as she puts her glasses back on "I don't know what kind of disagreement you and Eddie are currently having but I promise you..." She unhappily snarks "...it's got nothing to do with me."
"It's got EVERYTHING to do with you!" Jamie counters "Eddie feels bad that you and Jack didn't announce your remarriage while Nicki was in town because we announced we were having a baby so now to make it up to you..." he explains in over dramatic exasperation "She wants us to take you and Jack out to dinner!"
Again Erin takes off her glasses but this time tosses them on the desk in a little frustration "And based on all your exaggerated huffing and puffing…" She challenges "What exactly is so bad about that idea?"
"NOTHING!" Jamie counters frustrated "That's the problem!"
For a moment Erin squeezes her eyes closed as she looks to the heavens asking for patience but it doesn't work so she opens her eyes and looks back at her brother "Jamie, get to the point here…" she warns "…because I have work to do."
"In the moment…" Jamie sighs before quickly prefacing "And don't take this the wrong way…"
"How could I with such a lead in…" Erin snarkily interrupts.
Jamie frowns at his sister then continues on "I made such a big deal out of not wanting to do this - for no real reason at all…" he admits "…that just walking in here now and asking 'hey do you and Jack want to go to diner with us'…" He explains before finishing his next words in a muttered defeat "…just seemed so… anticlimactic."
Hearing this, Erin leans back in her chair and crosses her arms as she studies her brother "You sure you aren't the pregnant one?" She deadpans.
Jamie shoots his sister a look.
"Then is this your way of trying to get me to say thanks but no thanks?" Erin suspiciously prompts.
"Of course not!" Jamie immediately rejects.
"Uh huh, yeah." Erin immediately counters right back as she again picks up her glasses and puts them back on "Regardless, you can tell Eddie my answer is yes, we'd love too."
Jamie tries to hide his frown "Don't you need to check with Jack?"
"As the wife…" Erin smugly begins as she looks back down at her file but throws her brother's own words back at him "I'm sure my frustrated husband will do whatever I want just to keep the peace."
Jamie glowers at his sister.
"I see that look Jameson Reagan." Erin lightly warns without even having to lift her eyes.
"You and Eddie both." Jamie grumbles causing Erin to outright laugh.
"Yeah well..." Erin muses as she looks back up "...wives and older sisters are funny that way."
Jamie points a finger at his sister as he starts to get up "You said that, not me." He tosses back at her before starting for the door "We'll be in touch with the time and the place."
"Looking forward to it." Erin returns but right as Jamie rounds her door out into the hall she quickly calls "AND IT BETTER BE SOMEWHERE EXPENSIVE!"
Having heard her, Jamie takes a quick step backward to poke his head into her open doorway "Burgers and fries." he cheekily tosses at her with an amused raise of his eyebrows before disappearing back into the safety of the hall.
"I'M TELLING EDDIE YOU SAID THAT!" Erin humorously calls after him and in response through the window, she watches Jamie raise a dismissive hand of acknowledge before completely disappearing from view.
"Burgers and fries." she amusingly repeats but as she does, she can't stop the smile that appears on her face because even if it was just burgers and fries, she would be okay with that for she was actually looking forward to the four of them going out together...
…..
With tea for four set out in front of them including honey and lemon wedges, Frank sits in his seat at his dining room table with Danny to his left and Henry to his right and Frank has his face all scrunched up in revolt as he watches Danny pick up his cup and tentatively sniff the tea.
Immediately Danny's face scrunches up in rejection of the smell "Couldn't we just pretend it's tea and still drink whiskey instead?" Danny suggests as he puts the cup back down in disgust "It's about the same color."
Frank's face immediately brightens at his son's suggestion "Yes!" He wholeheartedly agrees before turning his attention to his father with a hopeful expression on his face "Let's do that!"
"No." Henry flatly rejects as suddenly they all hear the front door open and close "Now pretend you like it!" he commands so all three men plaster smiles on their faces right as Eddie walks into view into the dining room.
"Hi…" she slowly but a bit suspiciously greets the second she sees the looks on all their faces.
"Sit!" Henry pleasantly requests as he gestures to the seat next to Danny "I made tea!"
"O…oh." Eddie hesitantly notes in surprise as she moves to sit down "Tea." She drawls out as she looks at the cup in front of her and then around at the cups in front of everyone else.
With his smile still plastered on smile Frank reiterates "Yup tea!"
"Yum." Danny simply but a bit sarcastically tacks on.
Eddie picks up her cup and sniffs "What is this? Ginger?" She questions.
Henry nods "Pregnancy safe!" He proudly declares.
Eddie smiles in appreciation at Henry "Thank you." She sincerely accepts "But really you all don't need to drink ginger tea. I know it's not exactly your drink of choice."
"Nonsense." Frank easily dismisses.
"It's fine." Danny smoothly insists.
Eddie looks at all three men of her extended family and she tries to contain her laughter "You know…" She begins as she gets up from the table "With the lemon wedges and honey on the table…" She notes as she heads for the liquor cart on the buffet "All you need is whiskey." She adds as she picks up a bottle "And you have all the ingredients you need…" She continues as she turns and heads back to the table "…for a great hot totty." She finishes as she places the bottle on the table right next to the lemon and honey with a resounding 'thud' "And I will be offended if you don't drink up." She warns the men.
"Oh thank god." Danny immediately relents in true appreciation as he swipes the bottle up to open it while Frank and yes, Henry both hold their cups out to him.
Snickering, Eddie retakes her seat "Just none for me, please and thank you."
"Oh we know." Danny insists as he pours "And no…" he corrects "Thank you!"
Eddie full on laughs "So why am I here and Jamie isn't?"
"It's about Terrence Simms." Frank reveals as he looks between his son and daughter in law.
"Simms?" Eddie states in surprise.
"Okay." Danny honestly admits as he caps the bottle and puts it back down "Wasn't expecting that. What's up?"
"I'm thinking of reinstating him."
"Wait thinking?" Danny counters "I thought you did that already."
"Like over a year ago." Eddie adds in confusion.
"Not to throw anyone from you sister's office under the bus…" Frank explains as he looks at Danny "…but there was a hold up with the DA's office determining if they would charge him."
"That sounds a lot like a bus Dad." Danny points out as Eddie challenges "For a whole year?"
Frank holds up his hands in surrender "Hey I don't make the rules…"
"We just uphold them." Both Danny and Eddie finish.
"Ah music to my ears." Henry proudly muses with a snicker.
"So we're here because…" Eddie prompts as she picks up her tea to take a sip.
"You two were the last ones to interact with him." Frank explains "I just want your honest opinion of the guy."
"I gave my honest opinion at the time when I contacted Gormley." Danny replies "I would not have done that if I didn't think reinstating him was the right move."
And the entire time Frank and Danny are talking Eddie is studying her father in law "Is this about Rachel?" She suddenly questions to Frank "The fact that you reinstated her and she ended up quitting the force anyway."
Frank looks at his daughter in law and a smile graces his face "Now that..." He impressively notes as he repeatedly points a finger at Eddie a couple of times "…sounds like someone who would make a great detective one day."
"And you're trying to deflect." Eddie points out causing both Danny and Henry to turn and look at her in surprise.
"That was impressive." Henry notes.
"Very." Danny agrees.
"I guess with Jamie's DNA running through me now…" Eddie adds with a lighthearted and fun narrowing of her eyes as she wiggles one finger back and forth between all of them "It's not just him I can decipher anymore but all of you Reagans."
"Uh oh." Danny huffs out as everyone laughs "We're in trouble now! Quick! Somebody change the code!"
"And if you were Jamie I'd quack you on the arm for that comment." Eddie cheekily tosses back "But you're not so instead I'll bring the conversation back around to where it should be." Eddie seriously states as she again looks at her father in law "Witten. Are you hesitating with Simms because of what happened with her?"
Frank sighs "Maybe a little." He admits.
"Situations aren't the same though." Eddie reasons "Unless something has changed in the last year, Simms still wants to be a cop. Rachel wasn't looking to come back on the job. She wasn't seeking you out – you found her."
"Eddie's right Dad." Danny agrees.
"Yeah that's what my team said too." Frank admits.
"Then what's really eating at you here Francis?" Henry pointedly questions.
"The fact that it has indeed been over a year." Frank points out "Does he really still feel the same? Or has the time lapse bittered him to the whole idea? And I mean sure I could of course ask him up to the 14th floor or meet him in a coffee shop like I did with Rachel but I would have nothing to gauge and compare his reaction to now. I didn't meet with him when this was all first brought up – Gormley did."
"So have Gormley meet with him now." Eddie suggests.
"No…" Danny slowly rejects as he sees where his Dad is going with this "Dad wants US…" he emphasizes as he glances at his sister in law next to him "…to met with him."
Eddie's face scrunches up as she thinks "Why us?"
"Because we would not be superior officers like Lieutenant Gormley." Danny begins to explain.
"Oh." Eddie now notes in understanding "So Simms would be more likely to be more real with us."
Frank again points an impressed finger at his daughter in law "Exactly."
A curious and hopeful look suddenly appears on Eddie's face and she leans slightly forward over the table towards her father in law "Does this mean I can get off desk duty for like what? A day? A week?" She eagerly and hopefully prompts before turning her attention to her brother in law next to her "How long do you think we can drag this out?"
"Well first we have to find him…" Danny easily reasons as he plays along with his sister in law "That could take a while…"
"Just go." Frank instructs.
"Not before we finish our tea." Danny a bit pompously notes as he picks up his cup and holds it out towards Eddie "Cheers."
Smiling brightly now, Eddie picks up her cup and clinks it with Danny's "Cheers!"
….
Danny sits at his desk typing at his computer with Eddie in his guest chair - a frown etched on her face.
"We didn't really think this through." Eddie mutters more to herself then Danny.
"What?" Danny absently questions as he continues clicking the mouse searching the database.
"You got any spicy chips here?" Eddie questions.
"Um maybe?" Danny replies "Try the vending machine."
Eddie heavily sighs "You don't." She rejects "If the 2-9 doesn't have them in theirs, your machine here at the 5-4 won't have them so that's what I mean when I said we really didn't think this through. We should have gone to the 2-9 and used my computer to search because then at least I'd have my stash."
"Stash?" Danny again absently questions as he yet again clicks the mouse "Stash of what?"
"Spicy chips!" Eddie states in exasperation.
"Oh is that like a craving thing?" Danny questions.
"Yes." Eddie pouts "Jamie even keeps a back up stash for me in his desk."
At hearing this, Danny stops working on the computer and turns to his sister in law "In case you haven't noticed, this isn't the 2-9, I ain't Jamie and I don't got spicy chips for you BUT, there is orange soda in the drink machine if you want that."
Eddie's mouth drops open that he knows that.
Danny tries to contain the smile on his face "Yeah we talk." He smugly tosses at his sister in law as he turns his attention back to his computer screen "Okay so it seems Simms no longer works as security supervisor in the warehouse district but instead at Kudoba."
"The high end outdoor restaurant?" Eddie questions in surprise.
"Looks like." Danny confirms before opening his draw to pull out his gun "Okay let's go." He instructs as he starts to stand.
"Wait!" Eddie protests as an idea hits her "I have a better idea." she announces so slowly Danny sits back down.
"Okay…" he apprehensively prompts.
"If we just walk in there to talk to him, Simms is smart – he'll figure out why we're there and that might skew his responses which is what your Dad is trying to guard against by having us talk to him right?"
"Right…" Danny slowly agrees.
"So what if we just happen to 'bump' into him…" Eddie air quotes "…when we arrive for our reservation."
Danny scrunches his face up "You and me?" he questions "I highly doubt the department will approve reimbursement for THAT receipt as a work expense."
Immediately Eddie waves around a dismissive hand "No, not us." She corrects as she gestures between herself and Danny "Us." She reiterates as she then takes her hand and circles it around to include Maria's desk.
But still not understanding, Danny just questions "What?"
"Jamie and I want to take Jack and Erin out to dinner as a way to say thank you to them for not stepping on our baby announcement and instead waiting until the next week to announce their remarriage so if you and Maria also come to dinner then we can go to Kudoba and kill two birds with one stone! We have the thank you diner and you and I can 'accidentally' run into Simms!"
Danny ponders Eddie's suggestion and when he finally speaks out comes "They announced it the next week. They seemed fine with that so why do you need to thank them?"
For a moment Eddie simply stares at her brother in law a bit speechless that his response was almost exactly the same as her husband's but then her eyes suspiciously narrow "Jamie told you didn't he?"
Danny dismissively shrugs "I told you we talk."
Eddie shakes her head and rolls her eyes.
...