When he saw Eddie approaching with the baby, Jamie stood up straight from his position leaning against their SUV. He opened the rear passenger door and after his wife put the baby into her seat, he buckled her in. Tucking a blanket around her afterwards, he knew there was little chance she would wake up before they got home. A full day of excitement and playing with her cousins wore her out.

After closing the door, he handed the keys to Eddie.

"I think it would be a good idea to let you be my driver again tonight."

"I figured, since you had a couple of nightcaps with Pop." she smiled, accepting the keys.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It's just…"

"No sorry needed. I wanted you to be relaxed and enjoy seeing how happy Joe was tonight."

"He was happy, wasn't he…" After a long moment, he continued, "I'm not ready to go home yet, how about we just take a drive?"

Nothing he could have said would have touched Eddie more. Instead of putting on his sneakers and going for a run, he included her. He could have dropped them off at home and headed to his 24 hour gym to punch out his frustrations on a heavy bag, but he didn't. He was creating a scenario to let her in before any problems started.

"That sounds perfect."

Eddie drove them off into the night with no destination in mind. She hit up a drive thru for coffees and stayed in the parts of Brooklyn that were less likely to be active this time of night. Jamie had his head back against the seat, staring at the ceiling. Finally he spoke, once the darkness and silence provided him with the perfect opportunity.

"Damn, I miss him so much."

Eddie rubbed her hand on his knee in support, silently urging him to continue.

"I wish he was still alive... In a weird way I wish it was him, not his son we were spending all this time with. But that makes me feel guilty. What kind of an uncle am I for feeling that way?"

"It makes you human... Remember, it's going to take some time to love Joe for who he is, not just because he's your brother's son. Right now he's a walking, talking reminder of his dad. You don't feel that way about anyone else in the family because they mean as much to you as Joe does."

Jamie was silently crying. It was a release of everything pent up since the party planning started. For the first time, there was nothing mixed in with it. He wasn't feeling guilty about snapping at Eddie or avoiding helping out with the plans. It was just him grieving the brother he lost.

It broke Eddie's heart to see him upset, but she knew he needed to let go of his emotions no matter how messy. It was oddly cathartic to let it out in the open and not pretend to be strong and unaffected by everything that had happened lately.

She realized they were close to a place that could help him, so she headed that way and pulled in. Jamie hadn't paid attention to where they were until the car stopped inside the cemetery where his family was laid to rest.

"Do you mind if I go spend a few minutes with them?", he asked her.

"It's why we're here. I'll stay with the baby, you go on ahead."

Jamie unhooked his seatbelt and leaned over to kiss her warmly on the lips.

"I won't be long. I remember a certain promise you made me this afternoon."

"I thought you promised me."

He chuckled and got out of the car. Inside his pocket was one of the spent candles from the cake. He had slipped it in when helping clean up after dinner. He thought he'd be doing this later in the week, but thank God for Eddie. He wouldn't need to wait and find a time to fit it in between work and family responsibilities. As he approached Joe's grave he put the candle on top, laying it next to a few small treasures the family had deposited in past visits. He noticed there was a piece of table glitter in the shape of a 25 already there. Perhaps that last minute "phone call" his father took wasn't what it appeared to be.

Jamie took a few minutes to tell his brother how he felt and let him know how much he had been missed. Knowing Joe had seen it all from his heavenly perspective, he felt relieved. Once he was ready, he kissed his first two fingers and tapped them on the carving of Joe's name on the headstone before returning to the car.

When Eddie saw him approaching, she swore he seemed lighter and more relaxed. It was still a difficult time for him, but he wasn't bottling it all up and waiting to explode. She thought to herself that Frank might want to bring that idea up when he had his next round table about police mental health - how their training provides a way to deal with crisis and trauma that works well in the moment, but doesn't provide for the aftermath. Pushing it down and putting emotions to the side helped for a short time to diffuse a situation, but it leaves the officers who experienced it vulnerable. They can transfer those feelings from one scene to the next. Then they tend to use that same technique in their personal lives. The accrued trauma can build up without some opportunity to let it go.

It was a more relaxed but not totally unburdened man who climbed back into the car beside her. He was used to being the strong protector in their partnership, but he knew that she would rise to the challenge each and every time he needed her support. Crying it out then coming to the cemetery had helped him immeasurably. She could handle the rest of what he needed to heal him herself at home, providing physical comfort and love. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly as they pulled away. Jamie had to laugh when the trip home included another drive thru for a snack. Through it all, she was still his Eddie.

Across town, Danny and Linda were waiting in the car with a sleeping Lorelei outside the train station. Sean and Jack had escorted their cousin down to the platform to wait for her train. Before they returned, Danny wanted to make sure he told Linda how grateful he was.

"You did great tonight. I could feel my mom breathing a sigh of relief." he laughed.

"Erin and Eddie were there too," she reminded him.

"But you're the one who makes everything possible. You've taken over for my mom and you know it. My dad and Pops count on you - we all do."

"Well, I'm happy to do it. We're a family, it's what you do for your family."

He pulled her in and kissed her, and as if on cue the boys climbed into the back.

"Okay, that's just gross," Sean announced.

"Not to mention totally inappropriate in public."

Jack thoroughly enjoyed the chance to roast their parents a bit with their own words.

"Well then one of you can carry your sister inside and the other can unpack the food and put it away when we get home. Otherwise you might be scarred for life if you stay in the car with us." Danny teased.

"Daniel!" Linda admonished him, but she laughed nonetheless.

While the rest of the family was putting the remains of the day aside in their own way, Jack and Erin were no exception. As soon as they got home, Erin realized what Jack had noticed back at her father's house. She was absolutely exhausted. Her mind was going a million miles an hour however, so she wasn't sure sleep would come easily either. Not wanting to use sex to tire herself out or as a way to avoid coming to terms with things that had nothing to do with her and Jack's relationship, she sighed. Sitting back on the couch she leaned against him for support. As if reading her mind, he asked if there was anything she needed.

"A long, hot bath and a good night's sleep to start with. Then maybe tomorrow we can talk about it. I mean it went well enough, that there's nothing bothering me that won't keep."

"That can be arranged. Maybe even a glass of port wine while you're soaking. It's only 10 o'clock."

"That would be heavenly, then maybe let's watch the last part of that documentary we started the other night. I've been thinking about it all week."

As she started to get up, he put his hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down.

"I'll take care of it. I'll call you when it's ready."

Fifteen minutes later, Jack called her into the bathroom which they had remodeled when he moved back in. After living alone for 10 years, neither was used to sharing a space and the bathroom was too small already in its previous state. They borrowed a little square footage from Nicki's bedroom, which was now the guest room, and put in a soaking tub and second vanity. The toilet was moved into a closet within the bathroom for privacy, and the stand up shower had been redone to better serve Jack's over 6 foot frame. The result was spa-like. Erin absolutely loved it.

Jack knew something about creating a romantic scene and truth be told, he had anticipated Erin's state when they got home. Regardless of whether the night went well or not, he had known it would be emotionally draining for her. He prepared ahead of time. The bathroom was dimly lit and he had added a couple of candles to create a soft glow. The water in the tub was hot and scented with lavender to help her sleep afterwards. He guided her into the water gently and handed her a glass of port. The sweet liquid warmed her from within.

"Join me?" she asked and he was only too happy to oblige.

Joe Hill carried the box of presents he had been given into his apartment and placed it on the table. As he went back outside to get the birthday posters and his leftovers from the car, his mind was racing. Putting the food containers into the refrigerator, he realized he had almost no food. A quick walk to the bodega on the corner would at least provide him with some milk, cereal and bread. It would also give him time to think about things, now that he didn't need to be hyper aware of what was happening around him between his mother and the Reagan family. He had felt obligated to all of them to "chaperone" and ensure that they left with some sense of goodwill towards one another. He'd done a good job and his mom had been gracious towards his new family. They had been equally welcoming towards her as part of his life and an important part of who he was.

Joe walked into the market and grabbed a plastic basket. He gathered up a few things he could use to supplement his diet of takeout on the nights he was too tired to pick something up on the way home, or didn't have plans. As he added milk, a few yogurts, bread and cereal to his basket, he felt like the eyes of everyone in the store were on him. It was past 9 o'clock, so he didn't expect to draw attention from the other single people or weekend workers, everyone just grabbing a few things to make it through the next few days. Unable to locate the last important item, and not willing to let an opportunity pass him by, he stopped the young red headed woman who he had caught watching him a few times as he shopped.

"Any idea where they keep the peanut butter?" he asked her.

"I'll only tell you if you tell me where you got your necklace. It makes quite a statement."

Looking down at his cousin's handiwork, which he had completely forgotten he was wearing, he lifted it off his chest examining it and responded. "It's one of a kind. I got it from this unknown designer in Brooklyn...she's three."

That made the pretty young woman laugh. "Sara," she said, introducing herself.

"Joe," he returned. "My cousin made it for my birthday."

"Happy Birthday, Joe."

Peanut butter was soon added to his basket and he left the store with all he needed plus the phone number of the pretty girl. He might have to keep that necklace on hand for the right opportunity when it presented itself. His thoughts soon returned to family matters, but his mood was lightened considerably.

His mother had been her usual complicated self on the way home. She barely acknowledged the magnitude of what had just taken place and its effect on their lives from now on. Instead she had moved on to what the rest of the week held, making sure he was coming for dinner on Thursday. She kissed his cheek warmly goodbye and grabbed her empty bowl off of the back seat before heading into her house. Joe however could not ignore it. Thankfully, the night had gone better than he expected. He knew that a lot of people had put a lot of complicated emotions and opinions aside for his sake. He was grateful to ALL of his family for that.

He felt the weight of his father's class ring on his finger and he twisted it around, staring at it. The honeymoon phase of his relationship with the Reagans would someday come to an end and his mother's actions would have to be dealt with. Thankfully that day was not today, since he wasn't sure himself what to do about it.

Before heading up to bed, Frank stopped in the dining room to shut off the lights. He noticed something on the floor under one of the chairs and he walked over to see what it was. Suddenly he remembered Paula Hill's parting words to him. There was something else in the box. Having no idea what he was about to find, he picked up the small shoebox. He noticed that his hands were shaking as he lifted the lid. Inside was a cardboard photo folder. He recognized the navy color and logo in the bottom corner. The NYPD gifted each family with an official photograph as a thank you for the sacrifice they were about to make. Opening the folio, he found a 5x7 copy of Joe's academy portrait. It showed a younger version of the man who he'd just recently come to know. In the photograph, he bore a serious expression that mirrored the one his father wore in the academy photo Frank looked at every day. When he placed Joe's picture on the shelf among the other NYPD portraits from their family, Frank felt like his grandson had truly come home.