Last chapter... sorry guys. Enjoy!

Based on Danny's gut feeling he and Baez were headed to the address of the gym, where the 'Beasts of Brooklyn' had trained, with back up on the way as well. Danny had updated Frank while Baez had called Renzulli to get an update on the place, which had only fortified Danny's suspicions. The gym had been out of business for three years, but the father and both of the sons grew up there. They were only five minutes out and Danny was driving like crazy. He couldn't lose Jamie, if that happened, he didn't know what to do with himself. He and Jamie weren't as close as Jamie and Joe had been. But Jamie was still his kid brother, and he was proud of him. No one should take him away.

"What if they are not there?" Baez asked steadying herself against the car. She didn't doubt Danny's hunch, it was logic, but 'what if' has a great insecurity about it. Danny barely looked at his partner.

"I know it's the place," he said edgy. He was sure. He had to be. For Jamie and Eddie. He twisted the steering wheel and came to a halt, half way up on the curb, just as a flash of light flicked inside the gym. It was accompanied by the thumping sound of a gunshot and more of them. Tap-tap-tap, break, silence, a loud cry, tap, short break, tap, silence. Baez radioed for back up and ambulances, Danny ran for the entrance.

Time stood still. Taylor charged at Jamie. Eddie raised the gun, pulled the trigger three times and then an excruciating, yet angry howl caught her attention by the door. Before she could react, Peter raised his gun at her. Jamie moved. A shot was fired. Jamie was hanging in the air between them. Eddie fired a single round at Peter. Jamie was on the ground. Tom was on the ground. Taylor was dead on the ground.

"Jamie!" Eddie whispered and fell on her knees next to him. A bullet had caught him above his right hip. His eyes found hers. Sirens came closer. Red and blue flickered on the walls and lit up the room. A door was busted open. Everything was a haze. Eddie pressed her hand on the wound in Jamie's side. The blood was pebbling out under her hand. "Jamie!" she didn't realize she was crying, with actual tears. Danny slid to the ground on Jamie's other side, feeling for a pulse in the neck, pressing the wound like Eddie. Jamie's eyes shifted to Danny's.

"Stay with me, kid," he said, his voice was trembling. "Jamie, come on!" Jamie was pale and quiet. His eyes were unfocused and filled with pain. He looked at Eddie again and closed his eyes.

Machines were beeping when Jamie opened his eyes again. A struck of pain in his chest made him not wanting to breathe, just yet. Movement in the corner of his eyes caught his attention and he turned to look. Danny was sleeping in a chair. Outside the sun was up high already. Jamie breathed in carefully, but he coughed and Danny woke up instantaneously. His jacket and tie were curled and his smile was relieved and thankful when he stood up detoured to the door to get a nurse and then walked closer.

"How are you, kid brother?" he asked and leaned over him, just looking at him.

"I feel like someone used me as a punching bag," his hoarse voice said. A group of nurses and doctors came in and ushered Danny away and giving him time to call the family with updates.

The next couple of days were filled with visits from family, friends and cops. On the fourth day he opened his eyes when the door opened and saw Eddie walk in. He knew she had been hospitalized as well as him, for minor bumps and bruises and dehydration.

"Hey, Reagan, are you doing all right?" she asked quietly when he sat up in the bed. She didn't quite know what to do with herself, so Jamie decided for her, inching sideways in the bed, making room for her.

"I'm better," he said and swallowed. "I wouldn't be here today, if you hadn't been there," he confessed when she sat down next to him. She looked at him, eyes wide and sad.

"I thought you died," she told him, recalling the nightmare it had been, seeing his eyes close.

"I didn't," he said quickly, leaning back, like her. "How are you feeling?" he asked because he knew she wouldn't be the one to start the conversation about her. She would contain her feelings, until she exploded with them.

"I feel like my world is standing still, but everything around me is moving at the speed of light. Like, I'm a passerby. A spectator to my own life," she admitted, looking at the ceiling deep in thoughts. "Do you realize how close that call was?" she asked him. "I should pinch your arm for that, but I won't, because you don't really deserve it, you know," she commented and tilted her head, looking at Jamie's profile. He tilted his head to look at her, without saying anything.

"Not many cops get to say, they took a bullet for their partner," he said with a teasing smile. Eddie pinched his arm and smiled when he shrieked. They didn't really want to talk about what had been said in the ring. They both avoided it, because they didn't want to realize the changes it would cause. They had a good thing going, as friends and partners, Jamie thought.

"Just as I thought you had been through enough," she stated dramatically and made Jamie giggle. He would have laughed more openly, if it hadn't been for the weak pain in his side. He would be discharged in a few days, just in time for the Sunday dinner. A couple of weeks more rest, then he would be back on the streets. Everything back to normal. "That thing you said…" she started but hesitated. Jamie's eyes found hers again. No more needed to be said, they both knew what she referred to. He nodded, carefully.

"I do appreciate the time I spend with you, Eddie, really, the best part of the day is with you next to me. On the clock and off the clock," he admitted. "But I meant what I said, and it will never change. I care about you, in more ways than just as a partner and a friend. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize what we have," he said, almost throwing the ball in to Eddie's side of the court yard. She swallowed. That was a lot to take in and to process. She looked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath and sighed cautiously.

"Our friendship is so strong, and it takes a hell of a lot to even make a scratch in the surface," Eddie had folded her arms across and was speculating out loud. She and Jamie as more that friends. They could pull it off, she thought, at not look bad. "I won't deny any of that, it's kind of… mutual," she looked at Jamie again feeling the heat under her skin. "I really thought I'd lose you, Jamie. I've never been so… scared before, I felt helpless, just looking at you," she told him, and felt a sob on its way. She breathed in hard, restraining herself. Jamie reached across and caught a warm tear running down her cheek. He lifted his other arm, carefully because of the pain, just like he had done before, and put it around her shoulder. Jamie didn't speak, and neither did Eddie when she rested her head on his shoulder.

A lot had changed since he and Eddie had talked in the hospital. First of all, their friendship had changed a little bit, not obvious to the outsider, but it had made a whole lot of difference for Jamie. They were more aware of the big elephant in the room, as it was out there, right between them. There had been some small and careful hugs together with quick and subtle no-one-saw-that-kisses on the cheeks and discrete cheer-up-hand-squeezes. Both Jamie and Eddie had agreed on it wasn't necessary to speak of it to others, because that could change everything.

Now, all of the Reagan family was sitting in the living room before dinner was served. No one talked about what had happened, not even Jack or Sean had asked any questions about the last week of Jamie's life, which was probably under strict orders from Danny and Linda. Jamie had been placed on the couch, with his feet up, although he kept insisting it wasn't really necessary. But his objections had been swept aside swiftly by Erin and Linda. A careful knock on the door made them all quiet for a moment until Frank stood up from his chair and walked out to the hallway. Seconds later Eddie stood in the doorway next to Frank, everybody went quiet again, looking at her. She almost looked embarrassed to intrude on them, with her insecure smile.

"Eddie? What are you doing here?" Jamie asked, slightly confused, and almost jumped to his feet, startled by the sudden voices of Danny, Erin, Linda, Nicky and Henry demanding him to take it easy, all at once.

"Nice to see you too, Reagan," Eddie smiled, containing her laughter.

"I invited her," Frank said and surprised all of them. Not many people had been invited to the Reagan Sunday Dinner, in fact no one had, unless they were family. Jamie got up, looking suspiciously at everybody, and walked over to Eddie with a hand on his sore ribs, clearly still in pain but happy to see his partner. In a way he wasn't surprised at all, that Frank had noticed something between them. Eddie had stopped by the hospital, almost just as many times a day as the others.

"You sure, we have enough food for a Janko at the table?" Jamie asked with a grin, grabbed Eddie's hand and kissed her faintly on the lips. If Frank knew, then Danny and Henry knew too, and Erin, Linda, and Nicky would soon catch on. Eddie was a little baffled herself when Jamie turned to the room again. "Danny, Erin and Nicky you have met," Jamie started and the three of them smiled to Eddie. "Henry, Linda, Jack and Sean," he introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Eddie said, still a little bit shy.

"Come sit down," Jamie said, leading her to the couch he had just vacated, into the middle of the Reagan family. The day just got a lot better with Eddie next to him.

Working on new material. Concepts, ideas and inputs are welcome, as always. :)