Title: Too Tough To Die
Chapter 50 – Rebuilding the Future (Epilogue) ?

WOW 50 CHAPS‼ Once again a special thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review – seriously my love for this storyline and your reviews kept me going this far/long. And to all those that I can't reply to personally – Maria, Crys, Rosie, Crystal, lili, Cindy, Jackie (I love Anthony as much as you-your love for him also kept me including him), Ruby, Angela, Tess, Rachel, Kika, Bre, Cody, Newbie, Lea and various guests. Everyone (account or not) ROCKS! Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this update!

"Sure you don't want to come work for us?" Lewis commented as Danny was once again cleared and the shooting was ruled 'justified' for the final time.

"Kidding right?" Danny shot back as he turned and headed for the entranceway to the room and then paused as he turned to see a few of the grand jury members talking to each other in hushed tones about what an ordeal this whole process has been and how horrible it must have been for him but especially for those women.

It's over now, Danny's mind correctly reminded himself as he stepped outside and took in a deep breath of fresh air and then pulled his phone and texted Dr. Day who wanted to be there but since he had set appointments before the Grand Jury date, he wasn't able to change them. But he knew as soon as he had finished – the one person who helped him win was the first he had to tell.

'It's over. We won. Big thanks to you doc. –Danny.'

'How many of these damn smiley faces can I send. Proud of you Danny. THANK YOU. Stop by any time. We'll crack that bottle open to celebrate. Forever grateful.-Michael'

Danny smiled as he put the phone away and then headed for his car, wanting to stop by his sisters and his father's and let them know the good news before he headed home to just relax the rest of the day and report for work the next day – ready to go.

Danny sat in his car for a few seconds before he finally put it in gear and slowly pulled away from the courthouse and headed for sister's office, just down the street. He had been so agitated the night before that he hardly slept; seeing himself bound to the chair while Wilder told the people looking on that Danny Reagan was responsible for everything.

'You'll always be at my mercy Danny,' Wilder taunted as he tapped the muzzle over his mouth. 'Always!' Then he'd see Wilder pull out a knife while his bound frame struggled against his tight bonds in vain. Just as Wilder plunged the knife into his heart, he'd wake up cursing and clutching his stomach.

He now hoped that with this hearing over and everything being cleared for him that the nightmares would dissipate and his life would return to normal. Just a few more days…the hearing is over…you won and it's over…it'll get better…Danny's mind kept telling himself as he pulled into the underground parking lot and then checked his phone.

"Hey dad…yeah just finished. Heading up to see Erin now."

"So you told an effective story then?"

"Pretty sure I heard Robert Lewis curse when I went and sat back down."

"I'll call over there in an hour if he doesn't call me first. Give him a bit of time to stew in it."

Danny could only offer his dad a chuckle as he hung up and then headed toward the elevator and up to his sister's office.

"Heard it went well," Erin greeted Danny as he entered her office.

"Already? Was hoping he'd stew a bit longer," Danny smirked as Erin's lips pursed and her expression was one of 'I'm not amused'.

"Said you were like a different person in there. So how did you do it?"

"Told them a story."

"Pardon?"

"Got some good advice…from a friend," Danny told her in truth.

"Well whatever helped you calm down I'm glad it worked. So did you come to gloat?"

"No, came to see if Anthony's around?"

"He's out with his new best friend. Jamie," Erin deadpanned.

"Seriously?"

"They get along…like two peas and…"

"Yeah I heard he's got a date with his cousin. How many cousins does he have?"

"Have you ever known an Italian family with only one cousin?" Erin retorted with a grin.

"Point taken. Chasing down Wilder leads?"

"Trying to find where the package came from."

"Okay."

Danny left his sister's office and headed for his own precinct, eager to get back to his partner and work on a case and distract himself from anything that was related to Thomas Wilder. But at the same time, he couldn't wait to hear back from Jamie.

XXXXXXXX

"Come on Mario. It's me. The place is empty. Why would anyone use an empty warehouse address if they didn't want someone to know who they are?" Anthony pressed as he and Jamie stood in the backroom of some seedy courier company.

"Tony I can't…"

"Jamie…you might wanna check the front of the store to see if there are any customers."

"Course," Jamie agreed as he turned to pull away.

"Hey now…okay find…but if someone finds out…"

"What happened Mario?" Jamie jumped in and questioned. "You don't have any cameras so we need you to tell us. Someone used your company to send a courier to the Attorney General's office with an empty address as the return. You know who sent the package right?"

The middle aged Italian man looked from Anthony to Jamie and then back at Anthony and cursed under his breath. "Okay fine. Some guy."

"Guy?" Jamie asked in shock as the man nodded and Anthony leaned in closer.

"Did he bear any resemblance to this guy?" Anthony asked as he held up a picture of Thomas Wilder.

"That guy's white."

"So?" Anthony shrugged.

"The guy that sent the package was black. Oh pardon…African American."

"But…" Anthony started as he looked at Jamie in wonder.

"This can't be," Jamie concluded as they both looked back at Mario. "Thought he had a sister?"

"Hey you asked," the portly man shrugged in response.

"This makes no sense," Jamie mused as he and Anthony headed for the back door and then exited into the alleyway, both pausing before they got back into the dark police issue sedan.

"What do you know about the Wilder family?"

"Nothing. That cabin was more a graveyard than a summer home," Jamie reminded them sourly.

"We have to find someone who knows the family. Any of them."

"You have family in places that low?" Jamie retorted lightly.

"Not that hung out with the likes of Wilder."

"Great…back at square one," Jamie huffed as they got into the car.

He made a mental note to stop by the precinct and check for any kind of street surveillance to see if he could see anything on who their elusive courier might be. But unless they have a positive ID on who their Wilder family lackey might be – it could be a dead end and that was something he didn't want to tell Danny.

XXXXXXXX

"You walkin' in here smiling like that means you won," Baez deadpanned as Danny neared their shared desk at the precinct. "Nice suit. You shouldn't have."

"Nice to see you too," Danny retorted as he tugged his tie free and tossed onto his desk. "Yes it went well."

"If it didn't you'd have yelled at somebody by now," Baez retorted as Danny hovered over her shoulder and looked at the case notes she was working on. "You feel like doing some actual police work?"

"Yeah…gimme a second. I wanna pay someone a visit."

"You're on a roll…why waste it on Blueridge?" Baez asked with arched brows as Danny's lips pursed.

Danny pulled away from his partner and headed toward the stairs that went down to the holding area where Cedric Blueridge was being held for arraignment. He stopped at the desk for a few seconds, whispered something in the ear of the officer in charge and then slowly shuffled down the narrow hallway toward the first cell.

He came into Cedric Blueridge's view and then watched with a smug expression as the seething officer looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"Just wanted to give you the good news. I'll be personally working on your case."

"Case? What case. I copied your old man's signature that freed a dead man. So what. The who hell cares now?"

"I do you son of a bitch! And I'm gonna nail you to the wail."

"Yeah?" Blueridge asked as he slowly stood up and neared Danny. "You're so way out of your league Danny boy. You can't even nail your wife when she's asleep!"

Danny gestured with his fingers for Blueridge to move in a bit closer which he did. It only took a few seconds for Danny to grab Blueridge by the neck and slam his face – nose first into the bars. "At least I won't be rotting in jail for the rest of my life!" Danny hissed as he let go and Blueridge pulled back with a curse as he spat some bloody saliva onto Danny's white dress shirt. "You'll get the bill in the mail."

"Bastard!" Blueridge shouted as Danny turned and headed toward the stairs to go back up. "This isn't over. You hear me! IT'S NOT OVER!"

"Yeah it is you jerk," Danny whispered as he gave a fist pump to the desk officer and then disappeared upstairs.

"Ready to go?" Baez asked in wonder.

"Never more so," Danny grinned as he grabbed his coat and followed his partner toward the door, eager to get out into the field and get his mind on what mattered most to him – doing his job.

XXXXXXXX

By the time Danny finished his call he was more than ready to head back to the precinct, write his notes and then head to his father's to share a drink with his grandfather and head home to rest.

"You weren't that rusty today."

"Oh ha ha," Danny deadpanned as he finished his notes and then looked up at his partner with a small frown.

"I was just kidding."

"Working on something other than the Wilder case was…refreshing," Danny retorted with a mock smile. "See you tomorrow partner."

"I agree," Baez whispered as she watched Danny head for the stairs to go down and outside. Just one more stop to go before he made it home.

XXXXXXXX

As Danny approached his brother's gravestone, his heart started to beat a bit faster. The air was crisp and the sun still shone a bit before the late afternoon hour officially threatened. "We did it…it's over," Danny whispered as he stood before the name Joseph Connor Reagan with a heavy frown. "Was a uh…hard fight but worth it in the end. It's over now. Finally over."

He stopped and looked down a before his head shook a few seconds and he looked back up. "I remember telling you this was the best job in the world. Today…" he stopped as he heard soft footsteps behind him and turned to see his father approaching.

"Don't let me interrupt," Frank offered in haste as he gave his oldest son a warm smile. "Figured you might be here."

"Just had to tell him I won. It's over. Wilder can rot in hell now."

Frank offered his son a small smirk before Danny's gaze turned serious and then turned back to gaze at the New York City landscape in the near horizon.

"Ever regret being a cop?" Danny asked his father directly.

"I've regretted decisions I've made, but never my decision to be a cop," Frank answered his son pointedly. Danny was never one to really second guess himself or a decision once he made it, but after all that Thomas Wilder had put him through and with the situation with Robert Lewis now concluded he couldn't fault him for having doubts.

"Job's not the same as when I started," Danny admitted somberly.

"You're not the same cop as when you started," Frank reminded his son firmly.

"Yeah but it's not just me who's on trial now dad," Danny confessed with a heavy sigh. "It's the whole department."

'Robert Lewis likes to go after NYPD officers and make examples of them,' Erin's words resounded in his head.

"At least the Grand Jury did the right thing," Frank reminded his son once more.

"This time," Danny interjected in haste as he looked up at his father with a distressed expression; Frank sighing heavily as his lips pursed. "What about next time?"

"If you're asking, can you take it anymore…you can. Real question. Do we have any more to give back?" Frank countered and then looked at Danny with a proud smile.

"When I was on that hot seat…I mighta said no to your real question," Danny fired back softly as Frank gently smirked.

"It was a tough moment. You've faced many and you'll face many more as long as you stay in this profession. But no matter what moment you face," Frank paused as his hand rested on his son's shoulder. "Know you'll never have to face it alone."

XXXXXXXX

"Danny is that you?"

"It's…me," Danny called out as he entered his modest home; a smile instantly playing upon his lips as he smells something familiar cooking in the oven. He entered he kitchen and then stood and stared at his wife a few seconds before she turned around with a smile and a slight dusting of flour on her nose. "For me?"

"No…for my other husband that was fully cleared today," she deadpanned as he neared with a small grin and nod.

"Can I bury him out back?"

"Feeling lucky today?"

"Actually…yeah," he whispered as his arms enveloped her and held her close.

"Thank God this is all over," Linda whispered as her lips brushed his and she looked up with a tender smile.

"All over. Just a few little formalities left that Jamie can take care of but…but otherwise I don't have to have any more dealings with anything related to Thomas Wilder."

"And the guy that helped spring Wilder?"

"Blueridge? He'll get a few years in the slammer and when he comes out he'll be lucky if he can get a job washing windows at stop lights. It's over," Danny confirmed as he kissed her once more. But even as the words left his mouth, something in the back of his mind still clung to doubt. It'll take a few days for that to pass…it's over!

"Best news of the day."

"You know…we have a few hours until the boys get home," Danny suggested as he tucked some stray blond strands behind her ear. "Wanna have some fun?"

"Sure. You wanna help me with these dishes?" Linda giggled as Danny rolled his eyes.

"Can we do them naked?" He shot back as he wagged his brows. But before she could answer, his lips started to devour hers and they made good use of the time they had together before the boys came home.

XXXXXXXX

"So nice to have the family all back together," Frank started their Sunday night dinner with a broad smile and toast of his wine glass.

"Here…here," Danny's voice resounded last after a brief round of 'tinkling'.

"So glad about that," Nicki agreed with a heavy sigh as Frank cast his granddaughter a tender glance.

"Think we're all glad we no longer have to look over our shoulders," Erin added as everyone at the table nodded in agreement.

"And not wanting to make his head swell even further but couldn't have gotten it all done without Jamie's help."

"Can I get that in writing?" Jamie tossed back with a cheeky grin.

"No way."

"Anthony said you even got a date out of it," Erin smiled a Jamie whose face instantly flushed.

"Ohhh Uncle Jamie. What's she like?" Nicki instantly chimed in.

"Thanks," Jamie groaned at Danny.

"You're turn to be in the hot seat now kid," Danny chuckled.

"She's…his…cousin," Jamie answered with a flushed face.

"Yeah, which one? He has an army of them," Erin retorted in sarcasm as Frank and Henry traded amused expressions.

"10th sibling twice removed," Jamie laughed in sarcasm.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Erin added as their enjoyable family dinner continued.

"Danny?" Linda asked softly after Danny had gone silent a few seconds; Frank looked at his son in wonder. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah…" Danny started and then paused.

Danny looked at his brother and then slowly at the other members of his family and felt his inner agitation starting to ease. The past few weeks had been hell for him – literally but he had proven he was too tough to die and had battled back with everything he had left and lived to tell about it. Not only that, but had emerged stronger for it and with a new profession ally and personal friend to boot – Dr. Michael Day. Jamie had proved his mettle more that he would have ever expected and his family had come to his aide in more ways than he ever thought possible, even his beloved wife and sons escaped a bit more unscathed than he had originally feared. Linda was his lifeline and without her continued love and patience, he knew he'd be doomed long ago. His sister…his father…his partner…Detective Abetemarco, FBI Agent Adam Parker…all of them had pushed themselves to their professional limit to make sure he had come home safe and ended up on top – again.

"Everything's just as it should be," he answered with a smile and then joined in the family conversation. With that he settled back into his seat, took a sip of his wine and told himself that it really was over and he wouldn't have to worry about the Wilder family again; this thing with the so-called family would probably die down now that Wilder was dead and he was exonerated twice-the case against him and Thomas Wilder wouldn't be reopened. That was it. He wouldn't worry about it again. At least that was the plan he made for himself.

It was a good plan.

One he thought was solid.

He'd…be wrong.

XXXXXXXX

But as Danny enjoyed the rest of his Sunday dinner with his family he was unaware of the danger that slowly simmered outside or the set of dark eyes that watched their house intently; watching with gritted teeth and a heated countenance.

It's not over yet Detective Reagan. You might have won this round but in the end you'll lose the war! I'll let you enjoy your life for a bit and then…get ready for round two – which I will win. And you will lose – EVERYTHING!

THE END?

A/N: Yup the end – don't hate me! *runs and hides* WOW! So can't believe we got to 50 chapters‼ I had originally made it a 10 chappy outline but b/c you all supported and reviewed and loved it so much you kept me writing. 20, 30, 40 and now 50‼ and…yup I left it open. Hehe SO…Thomas Wilder is gone but there a lots of balls still in the air hehe….but its up to you. It can all end here with someone just having a bad dream or….you can let me know in your FINAL REVIEW if you'd like a sequel with lots more Danny! (whump, angst, tension and danger‼) and yes you'll see lots more Anthony, Dr. Day and maybe that cousin Jamie likes *wink* AND the new baddie! (plus Blueridge) so please do review before you all go and thanks so much everyone‼ (and yes added in the Danny/Frank/cemetery scene from the same eppy 7.01 b/c it was soo good!)

PS: in between this story and the sequel (if you want) I have another little (yup shorter ficlet) Danny-centric angst/whump/danger piece in mind if you'd like to see that also let me know. Thanks everyone!