A/N sorry for the long break between writing but I have had essays, reports, critical commentaries and a group presentation (which was terrifying!) so I haven't had much chance to write any stories, sorry about that. But I've survived my first 12 week term of university and so to celebrate that and my four week holiday I'm writing this one shot. I hope you enjoy it! Sorry if it doesn't make much sense but my brain is still pretty much mush after the rush to get my work done. And I know I've set this during Easter when we're close to Christmas but I had this planned back in September and didn't want to write an angsty Christmas story : ) .
It was Easter break and Jamie had been home for three days and was glad to have a break from all his assignments and was glad to be home, with all the work he had to do he hadn't been able to come home since the end of the Christmas break. The Reagans had a lot to celebrate this holiday. The grandchildren (or in Henry's case, the great-grandchildren) were all getting good grades, Jamie was doing well at Harvard being the top of his class, Erin had successfully prosecuted her biggest case yet, Danny had managed to go a full six months without a complaint or suspension and Joe had just been made Detective First Grade.
Jamie was in the backyard playing basketball with the boys and Nikki. Nikki was on his team as despite both boys wanting Jamie on their team, neither of them wanted Nikki as she was a girl. So Jamie said he'd be on Nikki's team, the bright smile Nikki gave him made him grin in response. He had missed all three of the kids, but he and Nikki were closer as there wasn't a huge age gap between them, and Jamie had dearly missed watching Nikki grow up. She was ten now and told anyone who would listen that she was a big girl now as she was a decade old and her age was a double digit. Soon the kids were tried so Jamie took them back inside and watched TV with them, he was enjoying himself but he distinctly felt the absences of his grandpa, dad and to brothers, who were all in his dad's office drinking to celebrate Joe's promotion.
"Jamie" he turned to see his mom standing in the doorway, "can you go ask your dad, grandpa and brothers if they want any dessert"
"Sure mom" smiled Jamie, he smirked as when he walked passed his mom she had to crane her head backwards to be able to look up at his face.
Mary swatted his arm as he passed knowing what he was thinking, "you may be taller than me young man but I'm still your mother!"
"Yes mom" drawled Jamie jokingly.
Mary sighed in mock despair, "I never thought I'd see the day when I wished you were still a small child who respected his mother"
"I wasn't that bad!" protested Jamie, as he turned to walk backwards to still be able to see his mom.
"Oh right" replied Mary dryly her arms crossed in front of her, "All those trips to the E.R were my imagination were they? After all the times you smacked your head and face against doors and walls, tripped over your own feet and-"
"Alright mom! You don't need to continue!" interrupted Jamie holding his hands up in surrender. He then turned and headed towards his dad's office.
Mary shook her head smiling fondly, she wondered what happened to her little boy. The one who wouldn't chat back to her because he found her scary, Jamie hadn't even been at Harvard for a whole year and already he had the confidence to back chat his mother. Mary thought maybe Jamie living in Boston wasn't such a good idea after all, because if he was like this now, what would he be like when he graduated? She shuddered at the thought.
Jamie reached the office door and hesitated hearing the laughter on the other side of the door, if it hadn't been his mom who had asked him to do this he would have turned around and told Linda or Erin to do it themselves. Sighing he opened the door (Frank never made his children knock saying they were always welcome into the office), four heads turned to look at him, pausing in their laughter. Jamie opened his mouth to repeat his mom's question when Danny interrupted.
"What you doing in here kid? I thought you were with the kids"
"Yeah I was" mumbled Jamie from his position of his head and half his body sticking out from behind the door.
"So why are you here?" demanded Danny as he sipped his beer.
"Because mom wanted to-" began Jamie,
"Because right now this office is only cops allowed and last time I checked you weren't a cop" added Danny. Jamie stiffened, as did Frank and Henry (Joe was a little out of it as he leaned on Danny's shoulder). "Maybe you should go hang out with Erin, you becoming a lawyer and all" snarked Danny.
Frank opened his mouth to try and defuse the tense atmosphere but Jamie just narrowed his eyes and snapped, "I only came because mom wanted to know if you wanted dessert"
"Guess we'll let you in to bring it in for us" commented Danny, he was a bit drunk and didn't see the effect his words were having on his youngest brother.
Jamie's eyes narrowed further, if that was possible, and his eyes flashed with anger, "you can get it yourself Danny" Jamie turned to leave the room.
Danny rose sharply dislodging Joe, causing Joe to flop sideways onto the chair. "Don't talk to me like that kid!"
Jamie paused and spun around to face Danny. "Just because you're a cop doesn't mean your royalty and are above the rest of us non-NYPD blue" Jamie spat, he then slammed the door behind him.
The slam jolted Joe out of his stupor and realizing what had been said he charged after Jamie, Danny suddenly became aware of what he had said was a second behind Joe.
Henry shook his head and asked, "Why is it that every Sunday dinner or family celebration always go to hell?"
"I don't know pop, I don't know" sighed Frank as he set aside his glass not in the mood for celebrating now.
Jamie stormed out of the house not hearing his mom's calls asking if he was alright. He was halfway down the street when his arm was grabbed and he was spun around to face Danny.
"Let go of me Danny!" demanded Jamie,
"No kid! Please you have to listen!" said Danny, Joe skidded to a halt beside Danny and also reached out to grabbed Jamie's other arm.
"To what? To you saying I don't fit in because I'm going to be a lawyer?!" snapped Jamie.
"No Jamie that isn't it! Please listen!" pleaded Joe as he grasped Jamie's arm a little tighter as Jamie attempted to shake his brother's off.
"Why should I?!" yelled Jamie, "You'll say you're sorry but soon enough you'll prove yet again that I don't belong in the family because I'm not a cop!"
"Oh stop with the dramatics!" shouted Danny as he shook Jamie's arm, "You sure you're not taking Drama?! Because to me it sounds like you're crying over your old insecurities about being left out!"
"No it's not!" retorted Jamie as he began to shake in his anger.
"Aw! Is little Jamie crying that's he's feeling left out?" mocked Danny,
"Danny" warned Joe as he saw the look on Jamie's face.
"No. It's. Not!" yelled Jamie as he yanked his arms out of his brother's grasps.
"Is it because you're a little stressed out from school? Aw, is it took hard? Well guess what kid? Life is hard! And while you're safe in your dorm stressing over tests me and Joe are out on the streets risking our lives, so who do you think has the most stress huh?" growled Danny.
Jamie had now reached his boiling point, "You know what Danny? Just shut up!"
"Hey!" argued Danny,
"No" growled Jamie, "No you've said your piece, now it's my turn to speak"
Joe and Danny gaped slightly in shock, they had never heard Jamie talk like this to anyone, no matter how angry he got. They knew Jamie had a temper, but this was something they had never seen before.
"You can't say anything about me being stressed over my tests and exams because you don't know what I'm going through! If I was at the Academy instead of Harvard I know you would be taking a damn sight more interest in what I was doing!" Jamie snapped, he then turned and walked away leaving his older brothers despairing over what they had done. Which was push their younger brother away from them.
Over the rest of the holiday Jamie would do everything he could to avoid talking to his brothers, he also avoided being stuck in a room alone with Frank and Henry. On the last Sunday he was home (he was going home the following Saturday) Danny and Joe made the effort to try and patch things up. To say this didn't go as planned was an understatement. It ended with Jamie and Danny getting into another argument and Danny then pushed Jamie up against a wall, hard. So hard Joe and Danny could hear the 'crack' as Jamie's head connected with the wall. Danny had rushed to apologize but Jamie just turned around and went to his room, only coming out to say goodbye to the boys and Nikki, before he barricaded himself in the room again.
Danny then came to the house every day to try and say sorry but he never got to try as he didn't even get to see Jamie. Saturday rolled around and Danny, with Joe, came to the house to try and apologize one last time, but Jamie had already left. They rushed to JFK only for them to see Jamie's retreating back going through security.
Joe felt terrible about what happened and so on his next weekend off he flew to Boston and spent the weekend making up with Jamie. While Jamie and Joe continued as they had always been, Jamie and Danny became a completely different story. Joe was the only thing keeping them talking civilly to each other, and even then their conversations mostly ended with them yelling at each other. This remained the same after their mother died, much to Joe's (and everyone else's) despair. And when the family's second tragedy befell them, Frank knew it was either going to make or break the relationship between his eldest and youngest.
A/N this will be continued in an upcoming one-shot I'm calling Flying to Belong.