Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter One

Slamming through the door into his office, Bill Connor tried to shut it behind him to lock out his pursuer, but he hadn't had enough of a head start. A black loafer slid in between the door and the jamb just in time to prevent the door from closing. With a shove of his shoulder, the other man pushed the door all the way open again, forcing Bill to stumble backwards and into one of the client chairs in front of his desk.

"Listen, let's just talk about this," Bill practically shouted. He held up his hands as both a calming sign and in defense. He didn't have time to say anything else; after two loud pops of a gun, Bill fell to his knees, clutching his chest as bright crimson spread across the white of his dress shirt.

Jamie watched the city pass outside his squad car window. Tapping his fingers lightly against the steering wheel, he shifted in his seat and glanced over at Eddie, who was currently enjoying her second slice of pizza. Jamie had finished his lunch – a salad – long before, and he had to once again shake his head at his partner's eating habits. She made a face at him, knowing him well enough by now to know exactly what he was thinking.

"We can't all be rabbits, Reagan."

Jamie chuckled and turned his attention back to the street. His phone beeped, and he glanced at the text quickly before putting the cell back down.

"Oooooh. Was that a girl?"

Jamie smiled. He started to shake his head, but stopped. "Well, yes. If you count my sister as a girl."

Eddie sighed dramatically and threw her head back against the headrest. "Reagan! It's been weeks since you stopped seeing that doctor. It's time to get back into the game!"

Jamie purposely avoided looking at her. At her words, his mind flitted to the memory of their kiss. Despite what he said to her the day after the kiss – and despite what he told Renzulli about his intentions – Jamie was having a difficult time forgetting the feel of her lips. Her frequent comments about his love life certainly didn't help. He needed to stop thinking about her this way, now that he had made his choice.

"I'm just taking a break," he said, inwardly cringing at the unnaturally strangled sound of his voice. Not for the first time, he wished he was able to better hide his emotions. Fortunately…and unsurprisingly…, Eddie was more concerned about what she wanted to say next than she was about how he sounded.

"You're taking a break more often than you're dating! How are you supposed to meet someone when you only hang out with me and your family?"

Jamie refrained from answering, knowing that any response from him would sound even odder. Eddie was used to carrying on three-fourths of all their conversations, though, so she didn't seem to think much of it.

"Speaking of hanging out with me, you'll have to find a different drinking partner for Friday after shift. I have a date." The sing-song quality of her voice pierced him, and he couldn't help but wonder why it was that she kept bringing up her active social life. Did she really not think of him in that way at all, and therefore it meant nothing to her to talk about dating other men? If so, why the kiss? Because she was definitely the one who initiated it… If she did think about him in that way, was she just trying to make him jealous? Or was she trying to find someone who could help her not feel that way about him? Did she just assume that he didn't feel anything for her and would therefore not be affected by her constant string of dates?

Jamie internally kicked himself. He had to stop having these thoughts. He didn't have to question what Eddie felt because he knew beyond a doubt how she felt. She had made it quite obvious when she said that kissing him was a mistake.

They were partners. They were going to stay partners. It was time to accept the decision he had made and move on.

But he couldn't suppress the sliver of fear that maybe it was already too late – maybe there was no going back now.