Hi everyone! I'm very excited to be back with the sequel to Search and You Will Find. I had the idea worked out in my head almost as soon as that story was done but it took a long time to get it done just right. There are still a few parts to finish, but I have enough to begin posting.

When we last left off, everyone was adjusting to having Jamie back again, but that initial honeymoon stage comes to an end as they all settle back into real life. But it can't all be gum drops and lollipops - as Danny likes to say - when Jamie comes face to face with some of the more difficult changes to his life and realizes how they'll actually affect his future. And how about the butting-of-heads we saw between the brothers in seasons 1 and 2? We all know Danny wanted to make his rookie brother bullet-proof, so it would be safe to assume that he'd want to do the same for his newly-discovered little brother. Danny becomes even more determined to keep him safe and make him a tougher cop...just like him.

There are a lot of people and scenarios from seasons 1, 2 and 3 mixed into this story, all molded to fit the way I want them to. And I am realizing now how far off I was on the Reagan kids' ages, especially Joe and Jamie, based off of the dedication at John Jay college...oops! But hey, this story can't be considered canon anyway, can it? So I've gone ahead and also tweaked a few dates here and there for the sake of this story. :)

Very special thanks to werks, LLL and BlueBlood82 for all of the advice and support! It means the world to me!

Read, enjoy (hopefully) and review!

Chapter 1

Dedicated to the

Memory of

NYPD Detective

Joseph Conor Reagan

Class of 2002

The City University

of New York

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Jamie stood in front of the large polished granite slant marker and stared at the bronze plaque mounted to its face, remembering exactly when this atrium at John Jay College was dedicated to his older brother Joe - before he even knew of his own true identity. That event wouldn't have been a blip on his radar as a rookie beat cop just trying to get through a tour with a tough and gruff training officer but for the fact that his ultimate boss, the Police Commissioner of the New York City Police Department had been shot in an assassination attempt days before the scheduled dedication ceremony...it was crazy to think of how much more he could have lost that day without even knowing it.

Jamie remembered working some long tours over the course of the week that followed the attempt on the commissioner's life. At the time, Jamie had simply admired Frank Reagan for the leader he was and it had given him a strong urge to help catch the bastard or bastards that had tried taking his boss' life. Ever the practical one though, Renzulli had quickly reminded him that he'd been on the job a lot longer than Jamie had, yet there he was rolling with him on the same beat and the same tour...how do you think I feel? he'd asked. He'd then gone on to advise him that the unit protecting the commissioner had been fully deployed, comprised of the best of the best with no need for a rookie beat cop and his seasoned TO. Renzulli taught him a lesson that day: being out on the street, it's a chance to be at the right place at the right time. There's a lot of work for them to do out there even if it wasn't protecting the top brass or working the high-profile cases and their job was just as important.

And now Jamie found himself here, gazing at a bronze cast of his brother's face which made him smirk...in his opinion, it only slightly resembled the photos he'd seen of Joe, but it was something special to see his face and his name forever memorialized somewhere other than a cemetery. John Jay College was full of life, energy and hope for a bright future. There was a chance here for someone else to learn Joe's name and wonder at the great things he must have done to deserve such an honor.

Jamie stepped to the left of the stone marker, his hand grazing the cool granite as he leaned against the glass and metal railing separating the escalators on either side of him. He looked out over the atrium below and to the dimmed stage at the end of the large hall. It was abuzz with students, faculty and visitors cutting through the large open space, moving from one building to another on their way to classes, meetings and study dates. Glancing at the empty podium, Jamie recalled a photo Linda had on display at her house, one she took of his father up on that very stage with a small square of gauze peeking out over his collar and matching the crisp white of his uniform shirt, a small reminder of the ordeal he'd experienced earlier that week. He wondered what the ceremony must have been like that day, what emotions filled the room and what words his father must have spoken to honor his middle son.

So much had changed since then. He was now a full-blown member of the Reagan family and the plaque gracing the atrium was another reminder of his family's prominence in law enforcement and the community in general. As it was, there was a lot of responsibility placed on his shoulders as a police officer alone, but one with the Reagan name? Well, no one understood it more than he did now. He would be held to a higher standard than most, although he didn't mind that so much yet. Jamie loved his job, loved his department and the people it served and always treated both with the utmost respect. Unfortunately for Jamie, there were many more eyes on him than Danny, Erin and Joe ever had on them combined...you're the jackpot winner, his dad had once told him, because he'd been unexpectedly discovered right under his father's own nose after having been kidnapped just a few feet from his mother and siblings 25 years before. Nothing about the extra attention he'd received after he went from being James Riordan to Jameson Reagan was good in his opinion. He would have preferred to deal with it privately but that wasn't possible; all he could do was grin and bear it. He had a whole new life he was still trying to adjust to now, but it was the adjustments he was having trouble with.

Jamie had been weary of the Reagans in the beginning, but he couldn't deny the fact that they'd welcomed him with open arms. He'd suddenly found himself a member of a large family when all he had ever known was an absent 'mother' with more important things to consider than her supposed son. If asked, he could admit that he'd basked in the attention from the family a little bit at first, even while sometimes finding it overwhelming. But that had changed in the past few months, especially after the warm and fuzzies of their first holiday season together had passed and everyone had returned to the hustle and bustle of the new year. If Jamie had to pinpoint it, he would venture to guess that it all started after another recent minor tussle between the Reverend Darnell Potter and his father...

After the day's events and another public disagreement between the NYPD and the troublesome Reverend Potter, Frank was settled in his favorite easy chair with a glass a scotch surrounded by those he loved most in this world. He'd come home to find Jamie visiting with Henry in the kitchen and they were soon joined by Erin and Danny. The elder Reagan children, very familiar with the tumultuous relationship between the white police commissioner and the rebel-rousing reverend, had stopped by to check in on their old man.

"I wish someone would just put Potter in his place once and for all," Henry grumbled with a sympathetic glance at his weary son.

"Don't look at me, pop. I don't want the job," Frank proclaimed, yet somehow it always seemed to land at his feet. The reverend was always gunning for him and even though Frank stood his ground, it was getting to be more exhausting with each new round.

Erin smiled sympathetically at her father. "It shouldn't have to be your job. The mayor needs to step up and speak up for what's right."

"You know he won't do that," Danny said as he sat back on the couch and placed his feet on the coffee table while nursing his own drink. "He's got his phoney political persona to protect. If I had worked that case at his church, I would have made sure to give him a piece of my mind back then...nip this thing in the bud!" The case had been assigned to another set of detectives from major crimes while he and Jackie had been working a sting on subway fare-beaters. He'd been fuming the whole time the incident played-out and itching to get his hands around Potter's neck as he tried painting the NYPD as a bunch of racists looking to infringe on his church's civil liberties. Unfortunately for Danny, his father had forbidden him from going near the investigation while Frank also did his best to remain at arm's length, although the mayor had reeled him in several times for face-to-face peace talks which went nowhere fast.

"Sure you can spare any?" Erin snickered.

"Hardy, har har," Danny mocked.

"What are we talking about?" Jamie asked as he made his way in from the kitchen with a fresh beer.

"The mayor and Reverend Potter," Frank advised.

"Oh, him," Jamie replied with a look of distaste. "Still got headaches from that guy."

Erin turned in her seat to face her younger brother with a look of confusion on her face. "What do you mean you got headaches?"

Jamie took a quick swig from his bottle before checking that they were all on the same page. "You're talking about the reverend from the Disciples of Isaiah Church, right?"

"That's the one," Danny said curiously.

It hit Frank before Jamie could explain any further...how did he not put it all together before today? "You were with Renzulli that day, when my officers were pushed down the stairs," he stated with a look of shock.

"Yeah, I was one of 'em," Jamie nodded with a subconscious rub of his forehead, "I'll never forget it."

"Wait a minute," Danny ordered as he caught on to the connection between Jamie and Reverend Potter. "You got tossed down the stairs with Renzulli?!"

"Yeah, but the sarge took the brunt of it," Jamie assured them. Although looking back, he'd still been in a world of hurt after the trip down the stairs, in addition to the small gash on his forehead, he'd amassed a series of wicked bruises up and down his body. Jamie still wondered how he got away so easy.

"How did I not make that connection until now?" Frank asked himself aloud. There had been no mention of the job-related injury in Jamie's file when he had Garrett pull it for him; obviously his HR department was slacking in their duties. But what shocked him the most was how close he'd been to Jamie that day, he was right under his nose as he recalled that his other officer involved in the altercation, who had reportedly only sustained minor injuries, had remained on the scene to identify the perpetrators as the church members who had barricaded themselves inside the old theater were marched out all the while Frank sat across the street, behind the dark tinted windows of his SUV.

"'Cause the name James Riordan didn't mean a thing to you at that time. And I was fine, got out of it with some bumps and bruises," Jamie said after seeing the shock on all four of their faces. "Renzulli was the one that ended up in the hospital while I got sent home after the perp walk."

And as Jamie was quickly learning, Danny was always the first one to over-react. "Jesus, Jamie! You could have really gotten hurt!"

"No kidding, detective," Jamie snorted with an eye roll.

"It's not funny!" Erin argued at Jamie's flippant remark. He'd already been shot and thrown down a flight of stairs on the job. At this rate, she feared that they were going to lose him again for good, just like they lost Joe.

"Didn't say it was," Jamie retorted and pointed at the faint mark on his forehead. "And I have this scar to prove it."

After that day, Danny seemed to be on some kind of mission to teach him everything he knew about being a cop...his way, which meant trips to the gym for hand to hand combat that often times got a little rougher than necessary and pop quizzes on how to handle situations he might experience on the job. And wouldn't you know it that Jamie was usually wrong when he answered his questions. He was starting to get a complex from the fact that his own brother seemed to think he needed to be toughened up. Even Erin had resorted to checking up on him more often and he sometimes found himself on the receiving end of her sad doe-eyes when they parted ways. Jamie was at a loss on what to do with them as he debated if he should even bother to complain, they'd just do what they wanted anyway...that seemed to be their way.

And that was just the family drama that was weighing on him as Jamie thought about how his plans for the future were beginning to circle the drain. His dream had always been to make detective some day, but as his father had warned him, with the Reagan name there would be many too afraid to put him up for promotion for fear of how it would look to the PC. He wasn't even thinking about anyone throwing his name into the ring for promotion at this point, but it had been clear to Jamie after the news of his true parentage broke that no one was interested in touching him while many other officers from his own academy class began to align themselves with their own rabbis who would mentor them towards a gold shield, most notably that slime bag Mike Hoffman who'd taken note of his predicament, probably from his uncle who now bore the title of deputy commissioner...nothing was worse than hearing that bastard brag that he'd probably make detective within a year or two. That was really starting to become bitter pill for Jamie to swallow.

Which is why Jamie looked down at the booklet that had brought him to John Jay College in the first place. Jamie had no desire to leave the police department, but his disappointment had turned into a restlessness he was all too familiar with. It meant he needed to figure something else out, a back-up plan of sorts, as he searched for something else to challenge him. Growing up, he would immerse himself in school and sports, it was a distraction from the unpleasantries of his everyday life and with what he was dealing with now, he sought a familiar distraction. "Masters in Forensic Health Counseling," Jamie read to himself. It was a degree he hoped that he could apply to his own job, but it also delved deep into the world of social services. If he hadn't become a police officer, he could see himself as some sort of counselor or social worker...it wasn't glamorous and didn't pay a whole lot but considering how he grew up and what he saw in the agencies Sherry dragged him to when she needed assistance, he wondered what it really took to do those jobs well. Maybe if someone with the proper training and who really gave a damn could have seen through her BS, then maybe he would have found his way home a lot sooner than last year...or maybe not. The 'what ifs' often invaded his thoughts no matter how many times he reminded himself that no one could change the past.

But more than anything, Jamie hoped that he could use the knowledge on the job and despite what Danny said, it was important to have some understanding of human behavior considering some of the people they come in contact with. Jamie scanned the course outline knowing it would be an undertaking with a full-time job, but lots of people did it everyday, most with lots more to juggle than him. Jamie quickly made a decision before any doubts could creep into his brain, stepping back around Joe's memorial plaque, he ran his fingers across his brother's name as he walked over to the escalator which would take him to the ground floor and the admissions office.

It might be a slow process with his work schedule and he'd have to budget himself again to cover the expense, but he knew it was right for him. Jamie needed to do something for himself right now, in a time when so much seemed out of his control. And who knows, it might really come in handy someday.