01; Memories Of Home

Noelle Kelley stood surrounded by the crowd, cheering along with the others, as a sea of blue filled into the room, marching toward their seats. She began to cheer louder when her eyes landed on a smiling Jamie Reagan in his uniform. He hadn't seen her yet, but she saw his family earlier outside. She made them promise they wouldn't tell him she was there yet. She wanted her arrival to be a surprise.

She couldn't help but flashback to their childhood, all the times he wanted to play 'cops and robbers'. She couldn't count the times he put his father's cap on his head and grabbed a pair of handcuffs and tried to 'arrest' her. Sometimes they would team up as partners and beg his older brother, Joe, or her older brother, Baylor, to be the robbers.

It was fun, but being a cop wasn't in her blood like it was his. She wasn't surprised at all when she heard he changed his mind and went to the academy. She was more surprised when he went to Harvard Law before.

Hearing his father, Frank, the current police commissioner, speak pulled her out of her thoughts, causing her to sit back down in her chair.

The older Reagan had always been like a second father to her. He treated her the way he would his other kids. If she did something wrong; like the time he caught her sneaking into Jamie's bedroom window one night after a night of her parents and older brother fighting. He had set her down, telling her she was always welcomed there, but she couldn't climb in the window.

Or if she did something good; like graduating at the top of her class and was accepted to Harvard University with Jamie. He was as proud of her as her own parents were. She still remembered the beaming smile on his face as he gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"It is with profound praise and gratitude that I welcome you new police officers, proud that you have answered the call to service and today join the ranks of New York's finest," Frank said into the microphone, starting his speech. "You have earned the distinction of being the best trained, best prepared police officers in the world, ready to serve and protect the most vibrant city in the world, where every day brings a responsibility to keep all New Yorkers safe- safe from crime...and safe from terrorism.

"And though the city is on the very cutting edge of technology, nothing...replaces your unwavering sense of right and wrong and your eyes and ears on the street. And we remain safe because of the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the New York City Police Department.

"Now, we all wear the same blue uniform, carry the same shield. Now you are a part of the finest police force in the world. Congratulations to your families, your friends, and congratulations to you, our new...New York City police officers."

Noelle jumped to her feet with the rest of the crowd, cheering wildly as the new officers stood up and threw their white gloves into the air and began to congratulate their fellow graduates.

She couldn't stop smiling as her eyes landed on Jamie in the crowd of blue. She had no doubt he would be a great cop and he could make a great difference, it was the first thought that popped in her head when she heard of his career change.

Knowing he would be out there, making the city a better place, made her glad she decided to move back home and it made her feel safe; which was a feeling she hadn't felt in a few months.

•••

Once the ceremony was over, she made her way outside with the rest of the crowd. Her small, 5′ 2″ frame, tried to cut through the large group of people as she tried to locate any member of the Reagan family.

A wide smile appeared on her face when she saw Jamie- along with his family- several feet ahead. She excused herself and apologized numerous times as she began to push her way through the crowd again, getting closer to them.

"Jimmy Jam!" Jamie heard a familiar voice call out. There had only been one person who called him that; one person he hasn't seen in over a year- the person he had missed so much it hurt, the one person who had known him more than he even knew himself sometimes.

He spun around, seeing her bright smile as she made her way past a group of people, creating a clear shot to him and was finally able to rush over toward him.

"Nol!" he called out her childhood nickname, meeting her halfway and wrapping his arms around her, spinning her around and grinning when he heard her let out a squeal of laughter.

"What are you- I didn't know you were coming!" he exclaimed with a surprised look on his face as he placed her feet back on the ground.

"That's why it's called a surprise, goof." Noelle laughed. She laid a hand on his shoulder, feeling her heart flip-flop as old feelings came rushing back. "Did you really think I would miss this?"

"No, but I-I wasn't sure. I had hoped though," Jamie said. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her toward him again for a hug and let out a groan. "God, I missed you, Nol."

"I missed you too, Jams." She squeezed him tight. This was the first time she had seen him in about fifteen months, since that day at the cemetery when they buried his older brother, Joe.

Understandably so, the two childhood friends didn't get to talk much that day before she had to head for the airport to fly back home, which at the time was Florida. She had tried to call him a few times, but between her work and his grieving, they mostly played phone tag for the last year.

"Come on," Jamie said as he pulled back to break the hug. Grabbing her hand, he began to pull her back toward his family. "Everyone's here and I know they'll be happy to see you."

"They are," Noelle stated. When he glanced over his shoulder to shoot her a confused look, she added, "I saw them earlier before the ceremony started."

"Why didn't they tell me?" he questioned. She opened her mouth to answer him, but before she could, they came to a stop in front of the whole Reagan clan.

"None of you could have told me Noelle was here?" he accused them as he looked at each one.

"Hey, Little Bit threatened us not to say anything," Danny explained, while his wife, Linda, and his sister, Erin, gave the girl in question a hug. The brunette hugged the remaining Reagan family, then mumbled out a hello to Sydney.

"You're a big, strong, detective, yet you're scared of one little female," Linda teased her husband.

"That's because he knows she can beat him," Jamie added.

"I think he's been scared of her since she hit him in the head with a frying pan." Erin laughed.

"You hit Dad with a frying pan?" Sean, Danny's youngest son, asked.

"It wasn't a frying pan," Danny corrected. "It was a cast iron skillet. There's a difference. It's heavier and it hurts."

"And it was an accident," Noelle stated, then pointed a finger at Danny. "You shouldn't have scared us."

"I wasn't trying to!" he explained.

"What happened?" his other son, Jack, asked with a laugh.

"I was trying to sneak in," Danny answered, then turned his attention to his brother, Jamie, and Noelle. "How was I to know you two were watching a horror movie?"

"That was his fault." Noelle pointed at Jamie, who was standing beside her.

"Always blaming me," Jamie muttered, before shooting her a playful smile.

"That's because you are usually to blame, Jams," Noelle joked as she poked him in the side, then quickly dropped her hand when she saw Sydney shoot her a look.

The two girls never got along. Even though Noelle never admitted it out loud, Sydney knew she was in love with her fiancé- but she was always quick to remind Noelle of her place in Jamie's life.

"Is it true that Grandpa didn't punish you for sneaking in after your curfew?" Nicky asked her Uncle Danny, having heard the story numerous times over the years.

"That is correct," Frank said with a nod. "I figured the bump on his head was punishment enough."

"This explains so much," Linda joked as she teased her husband.

Once the laughter died down, Jamie turned to his friend. "So are you just here for a visit or..."

"Yeah, when do you fly back home?" Sydney questioned, hoping the brunette wasn't hanging around for long. She could only tolerate her in small doses.

"I'm not. I'm here to stay." Noelle smiled. "I'm moving back home."

"That's great, Nol." He threw an arm around her and pulled her toward him in a sideways hug. Having his best friend back in town was the best news he had heard all day. The two had been inseparable growing up, They even went to the same college, until she hightailed it to Florida with no explanation, which surprised them all.

"That is great news," Frank said, smiling at the younger girl.

"It is," Henry agreed. "It wasn't the same around here without you."

"Thank you." She smiled at the oldest Reagan. "I can honestly say Florida was boring without the Reagans."

"Well, we're glad to have you back," Erin said happily to the younger girl.

"Yeah, and now that you're back, you'll have to come to Sunday dinner," Nicky suggested.

"Uh, I don't know," Noelle hesitated, not wanting to intrude on a Reagan tradition. She had gone to plenty of dinners when she was younger, but that was years ago.

"You have to come!" Jack said, as his younger brother called out, "Yeah!"

"Seriously, you have to come," Jamie quietly said in her ear. Turning his head to look at her, he grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze, causing her skin to tingle.

"I'll try," Noelle said. "I have a lot of unpacking to do before I start work next week, but I'll try."

"Good," Jamie said as he continued to smile at her, missing the look on his fiancée's face.

Before anyone else could say anything, he heard someone called out his name and looked over Noelle's head to see one of his fellow graduates making her way toward him.

"Hey, Reagan, we made it," said Maria Romano, the officer.

"Yeah!" Jamie said, turning toward her.

The woman turned toward the commissioner and said, "Congratulations, boss."

"Dad, this is Officer Romano," Jamie said, introducing the woman.

"First woman recruit to win the sharpshooter medal," Frank said impressed as he shook her hand. "Well done."

"Thank you, sir," she said back, before turning her attention to the rest of the family. "I just wanted to say hello."

Seeing how close Jamie was standing to a pretty brunette, she nodded toward her as she guessed, "You must be...Sydney, right?"

"Oh, no, this is an old friend of mine," Jamie corrected her as he laid his hands on Noelle's shoulders, bringing her into the conversation.

"I'm Sydney," his fiancée introduced herself as she poked her head out from behind Jamie. She offered the officer a congratulation, then stepped back behind her fiancé with her arms folded across her chest.

"I'm sorry. I just assumed-"

"It's okay," Jamie said, cutting off Maria as she tried to apologize.

"I'm Noelle."

"Oh, Noelle! Reagan had a lot of stories about you." Maria chuckled, causing Sydney to turn her head and roll her eyes.

"All lies I'm sure." Noelle shot Jamie a look, before playfully punching him in the stomach.

"No, see, she's as horrible as I told you," Jamie joked as he lightly tickled her side, causing her to wiggle away from him before letting out a laugh.

Maria- as well as all the Reagans'- laughed at the old friends' antics before the officer turned toward Jamie, telling him she'll see him around. He nodded bye at her, then turned his attention to Noelle when she hit him again for tickling her earlier, causing him to tickle her again.

The two were laughing along with each other as if they were in their own world until they noticed his family watching them with an amused look on their faces, causing them to fall silent.

Watching the two clowning around was nothing unusual, it was the way the two friends had acted all their lives. The only one who didn't seem to like it was Sydney. It had always annoyed her to see the two play fighting or being all touchy with each other.

With his family's eyes on him, Jamie knew he had to say something. He gave them a shrug. "I told her stories of our childhood."

"We got that." Sydney flashed him a tight smile.

"Well, the gang's all here," Frank began to say, changing the subject. "I guess we should be getting over to the Breslin."

"Oh, sorry, but first-year associates don't get lunch," Sydney apologized. Even if she could go, after seeing her fiancé and Noelle going back and forth, she had lost her appetite. "I'm lucky they let me out for this."

Deciding to put Noelle in her place, she turned to Jamie and gave him a bright smile. "It was amazing." After Jamie smiled down at her, she raised up to press her lips against his, giving him a gentle kiss.

Seeing the couple kissing, Noelle kept a fake smile on her face, then glanced down at the ground. With her eyes lowered, she didn't notice the way Frank was watching her with a knowing look on his face. In his opinion, it wasn't hard to see how Noelle felt for his son. He had always had his suspicions, but seeing the pain and discomfort on her face now it was obvious.

After calling out bye to everyone, Sydney began to walk away from the small group. As Danny's cell phone began to ring, Linda spoke to Jamie, "She seems to be handling this well, you being a cop."

"We're working on it," Jamie said with a tense smile. It hadn't been easy since he switched careers, but they were still trying; which had to mean something, right?

"It can't be easy after watching you bury your brother," Linda sadly added, causing everyone to think of the fallen Reagan that was always missed.

"Joe died doing what he loved to do," Henry said. Like everyone else, it destroyed him to lose one of his grandson's, but he had to believe that. He had to believe that Joe died doing what he loved most, being a cop.

Ending the phone call, Danny walked back over to the small group, patting his brother's shoulder. "Little brother, I'm gonna have to buy you a beer another time." After Jamie nodded his head in understanding, he added, "I got a missing kid. Got to go."

"You up to catch a case?" Frank asked his son.

"Yeah, Dad," Danny answered. "Demarcus is on his way. I'll see you guys later." He gave his wife a quick kiss and told his sons bye, then walked away from the group.

"Well, I guess it's just us for lunch," Frank said to his remaining family.

"Won't you have to do a press conference?" Jamie questioned his dad.

"I will, but there's not a lot of information at the moment," he answered. He laid a hand on his shoulder with a proud smile on his face. "Plus, I always have time to take my son out for a celebration."

"Okay." Jamie flashed his father a smile. "Let's go then."

Glancing over at Noelle, Frank said, "You're more than welcomed to join us. We can celebrate your homecoming as well."

"Thanks for the invite, but I should head home," Noelle said, remembering the looks Sydney flashed her earlier. The last thing she wanted to do was start some unnecessary drama or step on any toes.

Turning to her friend, she gave him a big hug, then raised up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "I am so proud of you, Jams."

She hugged the others, making promises to see them all again soon. Jamie was silent for a moment as he watched her walk away.

For so long, she was a big part of his life, then he barely saw her or talked to her in the past few years. Now she was back, and he wasn't quite ready to watch her leave him again so soon. Looking over at his family, he asked them to give him a minute, then he began to follow along behind her.

"Hey, Noelle, wait." He reached out to lightly grab her arm to stop her. When she turned around to face him, he added, "Come to lunch with us."

"I shouldn't," she said as she flashed him an apologetic smile.

"Why not? You're like family; actually, you are family, you should be there," he said, assuming maybe she just didn't want to interrupt a family moment. It never crossed his mind that it had anything to do with Sydney.

"I know, it's not that...it's-"

"It's what?"

"It's just...I just got back. I need to get settled in, you know?"

"What about tonight? We can grab dinner or a beer?"

"I don't know-"

"Come on, Nol, just one beer," he pleaded as he flashed her that smile that always made her weak in the knees- the one that was always hard to say no to- but she knew she had to stick to her guns.

"Jamie, I can't," she softly said, wishing she didn't have to turn him down. She had missed him just as much as he had missed her, if not more. "I got all of that unpacking to do, remember?"

"Okay." He gave her a small nod, trying not to feel disappointed.

"We'll get together soon though," she promised, feeling bad for upsetting him.

When he nodded his head at her comment, she rushed forward to give his cheek a quick peck, then turned and walked away from him before she changed her mind.

Jamie stood in place as he watched her get further and further away from him. He wished he could have made her stay, he didn't understand why she was so adamant against going to lunch. The Noelle he knew wouldn't turn down food, a chance to be around his family or spend time with him. Did the years and the distance ruin them? Was there a way to get back what they had?

"It's good to have her back, isn't it?" he heard his dad say as he came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, it is," Jamie said honestly with a nod. "I just don't know if it's the same Noelle that left years ago."

"It is," Frank said. When his son turned his head to look at him, he continued, "It's in the eyes; she's the same. It's just, like us, she has seen her share of pain and heartache too, but that heart is still the same. You'll just have to see her as she is now."

"How's that?" Jamie asked.

"Grown up," Frank answered. "She's all grown up now, son."

"Yeah, she is," Jamie mumbled as he glanced back over at her, watching her retreating form. His father was right, she wasn't a little kid anymore. He had always thought she was cute; she was his best friend, but he had eyes- he had always noticed her looks, but the older she got, the more beautiful she became inside and out.

He swallowed hard and felt a fluttering in his stomach, then quickly brushed those thoughts aside. He couldn't look at her as a kid anymore, but he couldn't look at her in that way either, he was engaged for crying out loud.

Frank glanced over at his son, a slight chuckle escaped his lips as he recognized the look on his face. He had a feeling things were gonna get very complicated between the two friends. He just hoped they found a way to figure it all out before they ruined a lifelong friendship.

"Come on, son, let's go celebrate," he added as he turned the younger boy around and began to lead him back over toward his family. "Just don't give up. She's too important to give up."

"I know, Dad, I know." Jamie nodded as the girl in question crossed his mind, only this time, he didn't force himself to stop thinking of her.

•••

Later that evening, Noelle gathered her long brown hair and pulled it into a messy ponytail, before reaching out to grab another box.

After attending Jamie's graduation, she arrived home, peeled out the dress she had worn and jumped into the shower. As the warm water rained over her body, she was hit with memory after memory. She had a lot of great memories tied to this city and 90% of those memories were tied to Jamie.

She was glad to be back, she didn't regret coming home, but she knew it was going to be hard to keep her feelings in check. She thought it would be easier, but after only being around him once, all the old feelings came rushing back, as well as the heartache.

She would never say anything though- he was still with Sydney, and she wasn't the type to steal another girl's man. Plus the last thing she needed was any drama in her life. She had enough of that in Florida, coming back was supposed to be a fresh start.

Now with her most comfortable pajamas on, she was working as if in a daze as she unpacked box after box, trying to get her bedroom set up exactly how she wanted.

She figured she would start in there first; a bedroom had always been her safe place growing up, her own personal oasis when her parents and brother were having one of their regular screaming matches. She hoped some of those feelings would be in her new bedroom, she just wanted to feel safe again.

She placed the box on top of her dresser, then opened it, a smile tugged at her lips when she saw the box was filled with pictures of her youth.

She picked up several pictures, then took a few steps back to sit down on her queen-sized bed. She flipped through each picture, there was some of her family; her parents and her brother. There were also tons of pictures of every Reagan family member, but most of the pictures were of her and Jamie.

She paused at a certain picture, a chuckle escaped her lips when she recognized the picture from her eleventh birthday. She had wanted a superhero theme, but her mother forced her to have a princess theme.

Her mother had always pushed her to dress like a normal little girl; wear puffy dresses and cute skirts instead of cut off jean shorts and t-shirts. In her mother's mind, she already had one son, she didn't need another one.

After having to sit miserably through the birthday party her mother threw, Jamie had pulled her aside to tell her he had a surprise for her. He took her to their treehouse, where he had the inside decorated with superhero type decorations. He had even saved up money to buy her a small cake with superhero figurines on top. The only thing he forgot...utensils, meaning they had to eat the cake with their hands, which turned into a food fight.

In the picture, the two were wearing most of the cake, the majority of it on their faces. Jamie was holding the camera, while her forehead was pressed against the side of his face and she laughed out loud. She remembered he had his other arm wrapped around her and was tickling her side, which caused the burst of laughter as he snapped the picture.

She also remembered right after the picture she had attacked him to get back at him. The two ended up on the floor rolling around as they began to play fight until she ended up on her back with him above her. The two stared at each other for a moment until he leaned down and gave her another present- her first kiss.

Hearing a knock at the door, she shot up from the bed, her eyebrows lowered in concern as she wondered who could be at her door. She wasn't expecting any company, she hadn't called for any take-out and only her parents knew her address.

Tossing the pictures down on the bed, she reached out to grab a ball bat that she placed near the bed. She raised it above her head and took a shaky breath, before exiting the room and slowly making her way down the small hallway.

She tiptoed across the living room without a sound, something she got good at recently. When she got to the door, she peeked out the hole in the middle of the door, then blew out a sigh of relief when she recognized the person standing on the other side.

Propping the bat by the door, she reached out to unlock the two chain locks and three deadbolts before opening the door and flashing Jamie a smile.

"Hey, Jams."

"Hey, Nol." Holding up a single bottle of beer, he asked, "You have time for that beer now?" He was taking his father's words to heart, he was not going to give up on her.

"You just can't take no for an answer, can you?" she joked as she laid her head against the door.

"Have I ever?" he questioned with a laugh. "Look, you said you needed to unpack and we need to catch up, so I figured win-win."

"Come in." She stepped back and opened the door wider, causing him to smile.

He reached down to grab the other beers and a bag of food, before walking in behind her. While she shut the door behind him, he glanced over the living room and saw all the boxes sitting around.

"You weren't kidding. You do have a lot of unpacking to do."

"I told you." She laughed as she took a beer from the six-pack he was holding.

"It looks like you haven't unpacked anything," he stated. "At least not in here, but let me guess- you started in the bedroom?"

"You know me too well." She took a sip from the bottle, then shoved some things aside to make room on the coffee table.

Jamie placed the things in his hands on the table, then grabbed a couple of boxes from the couch to make room for them. He placed the boxes on the floor beside the couch, then plopped down on the couch beside her.

"You've always been picky about your room." He laughed as the memory hit him. "The color and patterns had to be just right, things had to be placed in a certain spot. If anything was out of order it would drive you crazy."

"It was my safe haven. The only place that was really mine and I could do anything with it," Noelle explained. "Plus, Baylor always had a bad habit of borrowing something and not putting it back in the right spot and I could never find it again, that is what used to drive me crazy."

"He probably pawned it, not lost it," Jamie pointed out.

Taking a sip of his beer, he noticed her out of the corner of his eye messing with the label on her bottle. He sat up to lay a hand on top of hers to stop her.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Nol. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean to upset you-"

"You didn't," she cut him off with a sad smile. "Besides, you're probably right. He probably did."

"Have you talked to Baylor lately?"

She shook her head. "No. It's been months since I heard from him."

With his attention fully on her, she blew out a breath. "One day, he just called me out of the blue, giving me this sob story about how he was clean and found a job, but his boss was a dick and wouldn't give him his full pay and his rent was past due. He said he needed $1800 by the end of the week or he was going to be kicked out."

"So you sent him the money," Jamie said as a statement instead of a question. He knew she could never say no to her brother; no matter what bad thing he did. She always wanted to believe he could change and be better, but time and time again he let her down and took advantage of her kind heart.

"Wired it to him the very next day." She sighed.

She paused for a moment to take a sip of her beer. "A few days later, I called him back to make sure he got it and he was high out of his mind. He barely knew who I was in that moment, much less that he had spoken to me recently. I haven't talked to him since and according to Dad he's holed up somewhere- which we all know means he'll be on a bender until he runs out of money or gets into some kind of trouble again."

"I can try to find him for you," he suggested, he can tell from the look on her face she was worried about her big brother.

"You don't have to do that, Jams." She flashed him a smile to let him know she appreciated the offer. "Dad keeps tabs on him, at least the best he can. When he comes out of hiding, we'll know."

Her father had worked with one of the precincts until he retired to take care of her mother when her health took a turn for the worst.

"I bet your parents are glad you're home."

"Yeah, Dad is and Mom..." She paused a moment to get control of her emotions. "Well, I don't think she knows what's going on half the time."

"I would go visit your parents sometimes. I mean, while you were gone," he said.

Nodding her head, she gave him a soft smile. "I know, Dad told me. Thank you for that."

"It's not a problem...really, I love your parents like they are my own," he said. "Sometimes when I visited, your mom and I would sit for hours and tell stories after stories and other times she's calling me Baylor."

"Don't take it personally. Sometimes she calls me Baylor too." A sad smile appeared on her face. "That's the Alzheimer's talking though. That's what I always tell myself, but it's so hard seeing her like that."

"I know," he softly said, hating the pained look on her face and there was nothing he could do to fix it. He reached out to take her hand, hoping to give her some comfort. "I hate it too."

She closed her eyes and blew out a breath when he ran his thumb across the back of her hand, feeling goosebumps pop up on her skin. As much as she hated to do it, she pulled her hand away, then ran it through her hair.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"It's okay," he said back. "You know I'm always here to listen."

"I know, but today is a suppose to be a happy day," she pointed out. "I mean, look at you! You graduated from the academy, Jams."

"And you came home finally," he added.

"Yeah, but yours is a lot more exciting. Being a cop is like a dream come true for you."

"So is having you back," he softly said as he caught her eyes. "I missed you, Nol. It's good to have you home."

"It's good to be home," she said, flashing him a smile.

Jamie was silent for a moment as he debated on if he should ask the question that plagued him since the day she left. He took a big swallow from the bottle, then leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knee. He avoided looking at her as he rolled the bottle between his hands.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why did you leave?" he questioned, raising his eyes to look at her.

"Good job opportunity," she simply answered.

"It's more than that," he argued. He never had any proof that there was another reason she left, just a feeling he always had.

"It's not," she lied. "I had to do my training-"

"And there are ME's here," he interrupted. "You didn't have to go all the way to Florida."

"Dr. Wentworth is one of the best medical examiners out there," she said honestly. "I learned more from him in a year than I ever would from anyone else my whole career."

"Then why didn't you come back after a year?" he asked. "You didn't have to stay away all those other years."

"I had more to learn," she lamely said. When she saw him open his mouth to say more, she cut him off. "Look, Jamie, the why isn't that important. Bottom line, I left and now I'm back."

"Okay," he mumbled with a nod. He decided not to push her anymore now, he had time to get to the bottom of it. He gestured toward the table as he asked her if she wanted anything.

"I'll take another beer."

"I was actually referring to the food." He dug into the bag. "I got your favorite."

"Alfredo from Cathalina's?" she asked, suddenly feeling very hungry.

He nodded his head. "I told her it was for you, so she gave you extra."

"Awesome!" she exclaimed. "And a salad?"

"And a salad," he repeated, placing both containers in front of her.

"You do know me too well." She smiled at him.

"I do." He nodded. "Time doesn't take away facts, Nol. I still remember everything."

"Me too," she said as the two locked eyes. She bit her bottom lip, feeling a fluttering in her stomach as the memory from earlier hit her- her first kiss. That was definitely something she never wanted to forget.

With those pictures on her mind, she stood up and told him she had to show him something.

Jamie took a bite of his food, his eyes watched her leave the room, wondering what she needed to show him. Minutes later, she was back and handed him a stack of photos. He began to flip through them, laughing and making comments at each one as the two ate.

"I found these when I was unpacking the bedroom," she explained. "I remember each one."

Like she did earlier, he paused at the picture from her eleventh birthday, and like her- he also remembered what happened not long after they took the picture.

With a smile, he glanced over at her for a moment, his tone soft as he said, "I remember too."

The two looked at each other, lost in a memory, until he dragged his eyes away, reminding himself that he's an engaged man and she was his best friend. He began to flip through a few more pictures until he came across one of him and Joe that she had taken.

"You can have that one," she quietly said, looking over his shoulder and saw what picture he was looking at.

"This was the first ball game he took us too," Jamie said, his voice low with emotion.

With a nod, she set her food down, a small smile on her face as she remembered that day. "And you almost got sick eating too many hot dogs."

"And you almost punched the big guy in front of us when he made you drop your popcorn," he added with a chuckle.

"I waited for hours for that popcorn and I only got one handful before he threw his large arm up to cheer and knocked it out of my hand."

"Joe had to bribe you with a box of Cracker Jack and a new bag of popcorn to keep your violent temper in check," Jamie continued. "Of course that temper reappeared minutes later aimed at me."

"You ate the rest of my Cracker Jack and stole my prize out of the box!" she stated. "I had a little left when I went to the bathroom, but when I got back it was gone. You took it!"

"You can't prove it," Jamie joked. "No box, no crime."

"Oh did you learn that at Harvard?" Noelle teased.

"Mm-hm." He nodded, a chuckle escaped his lips.

"I'll find proof one day, Jams," she playfully warned. "You owe me a box and a prize."

"Maybe I'll pay you back one day," he said. "If I was guilty, which I'm not saying I am."

"You are so full of crap, Jamie Reagan." She laughed as she leaned back and playfully kicked him in the stomach.

He laughed along with her and grabbed her leg to stop her. His laughter died down when he caught a glimpse of something on her ankle. He pushed the leg of her pajamas up and held her ankle in his hand, he ran his thumb over a mark on her skin- a scar from a deep cut that looked like it didn't properly heal.

"Where did that come from?" he questioned as a concerned look appeared on his face.

"What- oh that," she mumbled as she pulled her leg back and subconsciously push the pant leg back down, trying to cover the mark up. "It's always been there."

"No it hasn't," he argued, raising his head to look at her. "Where did it come from?"

"I don't remember." She shrugged, hoping he would accept the answer and just drop it. Wrapping her arms around herself- as if to protect herself- she said, "You know, it's getting late."

"It's not that late," he argued.

"It feels late and I'm tired."

"Nol-"

"And you start your first tour tomorrow," she interrupted. "You need to rest."

"Okay." He nodded, taking another sip from the bottle and finishing the beer. He could tell she was shutting down and wasn't going to tell him anything. "But I'll be back again soon."

"I'd be surprised if you didn't." She stood up from the couch after he did. "How did you track me down anyway? Did you abuse your powers already?"

"Maybe." He shrugged, then laughed when she shot him a look. "Or maybe I spoke to your dad and he gave me the address."

She clicked her tongue. "I'll have to talk to him about speaking to strangers."

Jamie chuckled at her comment, then turned to the door and saw all the locks for the first time. Lowering his eyebrows in concern again, he turned toward her and asked what all the locks were for.

"They were here when I moved in," she said, telling him half the truth. She didn't explain that she specifically requested the extra locks before she would move in.

He turned back toward the door, dropping his eyes and seeing the bat. "And the bat?"

"Protection," she simply said.

"From what?" he questioned. "Or who?"

She shrugged in response, then smiled at him before she laid her hands on his shoulders and raised up to peck his cheek. "Good night, Jams."

"Nol..." He lightly grabbed her arm. "If you're in trouble or some kind of danger and you need my help-"

"I'm not." She flashed him a smile, hoping to ease his mind. "Don't worry, Jamie, I'm home, everything is okay."

"Okay." He nodded. Pressing his lips against the side of her head, he softly said, "Good night, Noelle."

After walking out the door, he stood still for a moment, hearing her turn all the locks right away. Turning his head to look at the door, he had no doubt that something happened to her in Florida, he just didn't know what yet.

With a shake of the head, he began to walk down the hall with his oldest friend weighing heavily on his mind and he had a feeling those thoughts wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

•••

A/N; Hello readers! I've recently started watching this show and am now obsessed. Why can't I find my own Jamie Reagan?! Lol.

If you've never read one of my stories before, I usually list my stories as 'slightly AU'. I kinda follow along with the show and try to keep everyone in character, but there will be changes at times to fit my storyline.

Thank you to everyone who gave this story a chance.

Also, I wanna give a special shoutout to Sage Londyn for getting me hooked on this show and reading the chapter for me.

Happy reading!
xx