A couple of days later, Noelle was driving down the road, carefully navigating her SUV in the heavy city traffic as she drove toward her apartment with Spencer sitting beside her. She lightly tapped the brakes, coming to a stop behind a taxi cab, and nervously chewed on her bottom lip as her mind began to wander.

While the car idled for several minutes, Spencer glanced out the passenger window at the cars surrounding them, then turned his head to look out the windshield, spying several more cars.

He let out a low whistle. "Damn, I thought I-275 was bad."

"Mm-hm," she hummed, not listening to him.

Realizing his comment had been ignored, he turned his head to look at her, seeing that something was weighing heavily on her mind. "You know, if I had my car, we could just use the siren." He would never use his lights or siren to get through traffic, he just wanted a reaction out of her.

When that didn't work, he joked, "Or I could just hit that special button under the dash and make the wings come out on the car and fly over everyone."

As she remained silent, he let out a sigh. "Okay, Elle, out with it."

"What?" She blinked and came out of a daze, then turned to look at him. "Wait, did you just say something about a flying car?"

"So you were listening." He chuckled and saw her nod her head, a small smile appeared on her face, but he could tell it wasn't a genuine one.

"Seriously, Elle, what's going on?" he questioned. "I don't want to be that guy, the one who thinks you're all tore up over me, so tell me what's going on. Don't make me turn into that conceited and cocky guy-"

"What are you talking about?" she cut him off with a laugh.

Seeing the car in front of her begin to move, she moved her foot to the gas pedal and lightly pressed down, causing the car to roll down the road. Glancing over at him for a moment before looking back in front of her, she added, "You love being conceited and cocky."

"True, but still, talk to me. Tell me what is going through that beautiful head of yours." He laid his head back against the headrest and turned it slightly to look at her.

She slowly shook her head, a small puff of air escaped her lips. "The better question is, what's not going through my head."

She glanced at him for a moment before looking back at the traffic, hitting the brakes when the taxi in front of her came to a quick stop.

"You're here and you're hurt...by God knows who. Maybe someone who's working with Jimmie, who knows-"

"Or it was random," he interrupted her. He knew she was right, there was a chance this was tied to Jimmie and frankly- he didn't believe in coincidences, but he didn't want to give her something else to freak out about.

She shot him a quick look, letting him know she didn't believe that and knew he didn't either.

"Okay, fine, you want to go that route...maybe it was random, but the fact remains, you were stabbed, Spence."

"So? You think this is the first time I ended up in a hospital?" He shrugged. "Growing up, the local hospital knew me by first name because I was in it so much. If I was on anything with wheels; skateboard, dirt bike, four-wheelers..." As he named each one he held up a finger, counting off each one. "You name it, I crashed it. I was constantly covered in bruises and cuts."

He motioned toward his injured side. "This is just another scar."

"Don't do that." Noelle shook her head, then looked over at him, a concerned look on her face. "Don't try to brush this off like it's no big deal."

"It's not."

"But it is!" she argued. "Spence, you came here for me...to help me and it almost got you killed. This is my fault!"

"Hey..." He sat up and turned slightly in the seat to look at her. "What is it that you always tell me? Huh?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "How many times have you told me that everything that happened to you is not my fault? Now I'm saying the same to you."

He paused for a moment, waiting for her to look at him, but when she didn't, he lightly grabbed her chin to turn her head toward him. "This is not your fault, Elle. I choose to come here, I'm choosing to keep my promise to you, and I will protect you with my life...that is all my choice and I'll choose it over and over again."

"Did you ever think it's just not worth it? That I'm not worth it?" she quietly questioned, her voice barely above a whisper. In her opinion, he had a good life before she came into it and ruined everything.

"Not for a minute," he said, his tone matching hers as he slowly shook his head, his hazel eyes staring into her dark brown ones.

Her breath caught in her throat at the look he was giving her. Misunderstanding the look, her eyebrows lowered in concern. "You still blame yourself," she softly said.

"What?" he asked in confusion as he leaned back against the passenger door.

"That's why this case- why I'm so important to you...you still feel bad about everything that happened," she explained. "You're obsessed with fixing things."

"Yeah, yeah, that's it," he lied as he nodded his head. He would rather her believe that then the real reason he was consumed with the need to protect her. He never wanted her to know his real feelings.

Deciding to downplay what he felt, he added, "Well, that, and you're my friend, Elle. And in my line of work, I don't have many I can call friend; so once someone becomes that important to me, there's nothing I wouldn't do for them."

"I feel the same way about my friends too." As the traffic began to move again, so did she. "Although growing up, I didn't have many friends. Basically just Jamie...well his siblings too, but mostly just him, which was okay because he was all I needed."

A genuine smile appeared on her face as her past with Jamie flooded her mind. She never had to worry about handling anything on her own because he always had her back, just like she always had his. He was always loyal to her, putting her above everyone else. She could always trust him because he had always been honest with her.

As that thought crossed her mind, her smile faded. She felt like she was deceiving him by not telling him about Spencer staying at her place.

It's not that she was trying to keep it from him. She wanted to tell him, she had every intention of telling him the day of the dedication, but then the shooter showed up and it honestly slipped her mind to bring it up. Then between their work schedules the past few days, she never had a chance to run the idea past him, and it wasn't something she wanted to bring up over the phone.

Next thing she knew, Spencer was being released from the hospital and she was now driving him to her apartment.

"Okay, now, what is that look for?" he questioned when he saw her face fall.

She opened her mouth to say nothing, until he shot her a look, causing her to sigh. "I just feel a little bad."

"About?" Spencer asked confused, wondering what she could be feeling bad about since none of this was her fault.

"I haven't told Jamie," Noelle breathed out as she nervously tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. She glanced over at him for a moment, seeing he was still confused. "I haven't told him you're staying with me."

"Oh," he said with a surprised look. She had told him countless of stories in Florida about their friendship and how close they were, then recently she told him about how the two were finally together- something he honestly wasn't surprised to hear.

It was clear to see how much she loved her childhood best friend, which was why he wasn't dumb enough to make a pass at her, he knew he never stood a chance. He could almost be heartbroken at hearing they were a couple now, if it wasn't for seeing how happy it made her, which was all he wanted.

He turned his head for a moment to look at her as she turned on the turn signal, then turned down a less crowded road that would take them to her apartment building.

As a new song began to softly play, he saw her slightly move side to side in her seat as she mouthed the words to the song, something he had seen her do a few times before when they hung out during her time in Florida. He breathed out a chuckle with a short shake of the head before he turned to look out the windshield.

He reached up to run a hand over his hair, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he silently admitted to himself that maybe he was a little heartbroken.

It might be a little cliché to say, but she was honestly his dream girl- the one he made up in his head when he was younger and assumed no one would come close to it, that's what protected him growing up. He could never fall or get hurt if his dream girl didn't exist, but then he met Noelle.

"You know, I can always go to a hotel if there's gonna be a problem," Spencer pointed out, pushing out any thoughts of her that were more than friendly.

"No, absolutely not." Noelle glanced over at him for a moment, then looked back at the road. "Besides, there's not gonna be a problem. I mean, why would there be? We're friends and Jamie knows that..." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "I just hate keeping things from him- even if it is unintentional- it still feels dishonest, you know?"

"See, this is why I just have one night stands," he joked, playing the role of the happy playboy bachelor, causing her to playfully roll her eyes. Growing serious, he added, "As long as you think it's okay, but honestly, I don't mind staying at a hotel."

"It is okay." She flashed him a smile and hoped her words were true.

•••

Minutes later, she parked the vehicle near her building and offered to help Spencer out of the car- which he shrugged off with a chuckle, telling her he wasn't a child and he could walk on his own.

"Oh, I forgot Superman can heal fast and needs no help at all," Noelle said sarcastically while two entered the building and walked toward the door to her apartment.

"That's right, sweetheart, and don't you forget it," Spencer joked back as he watched her playfully roll her eyes and unlocked the door, then ushered him inside.

He glanced around as he walked further inside, feeling a sense of déjà vu. The place was basically set up like her place in Florida, the only difference was the scenery outside. There were no salty breezes or sounds of seagulls, and instead of palm trees outside the windows, there were tall buildings.

That's not to say there was nothing good about New York; he just hasn't had a chance to explore it much while being in the hospital with a stab wound.

He could already think of one great thing about the city as he glanced over his shoulder to his brunette friend and saw her shut the door, then click all the locks in place. She turned to face him as he turned his head back and walked over toward the windows to check the locks out of habit.

"Well, this is it." She placed her hands on her hips.

She saw him look around the small living room again, taking in the soft neutral colors. The walls were an off-white color, except the one he was standing in front of- that one was made of brick and had the three windows he just checked. The room was small, but she had decorated it in a way where you didn't feel cramped- it felt spacious and it felt homey.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a spare room. So you'll have to sleep on the couch." She motioned toward the dark grey couch which looked more comfortable than his bed back home.

"It's fine." He dropped his duffel bag on the floor near his new bed for the next few weeks until he saw Jimmie in handcuffs personally. He pointed toward the bag. "Is it cool to leave that there?"

"Yeah, it's okay." She nodded. "Now, I know it's not much and you can't see the beach like at your place, but I have a solution to that," she said, getting back on the subject of her apartment.

When he shot her confused look, wondering what she meant, she held up a finger to tell him to hold on. She walked across the room and disappeared behind a door, going into what he would guess was the kitchen, then reappeared a couple of minutes later holding a big potted palm tree.

He laughed out loud and placed a hand on his side when he felt pain from the stab wound. He knew he shouldn't be laughing as hard as he was, but it was hard not to as he watched her struggle to carry the plant across the room since it was almost as big as she was.

She finally dropped it with a grunt after a few steps inside the room, then pushed it across the hardwood floor with her foot toward the nearest corner.

"There!" She clapped her hands once while slightly out of breath. "Good, right?"

"Very, good. Thanks." He chuckled. "Almost like home."

"Right, almost, which is why I also got this." She walked over to the couch to grab a small shopping bag he hadn't noticed from under the coffee table. She reached inside and pulled out a small portable sound machine.

She switched it on and set it down on the coffee table, causing him to smile when he heard the sound of waves crashing on the beach- a sound he heard nightly from his room back home.

He gave her a nod in thanks, then open his mouth to comment, but before he could say a word, he heard a scratching noise coming from the hall. He jumped to attention and reached for his gun until he realized he didn't have it anymore after laying it on his sergeant's desk days ago.

"What is that?" Spencer moved closer to her. He was about to push her behind him just in case until she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's Daisy."

"Daisy?"

"My dog. I lock her in the bathroom when I leave," she explained as she began to walk toward the hallway.

It only took one time after arriving home from work and finding a trail of trash from the kitchen to the living room, as well as a few chewed up shoes to realize it was probably better to lock the puppy up while she was gone.

"I didn't know you had a dog." He knew she didn't have one in Florida, even though she had mentioned more than once that she wanted one.

He remembered one time borrowing a dog from one of his fellow officers and invited Noelle to go to a dog park with them not long after she was released from the hospital. He was hoping the activity would take her mind off of what happened with Jimmie.

He'll never forget the smile on her face or the sound of her laughter as she played fetch with the dog. He would like to think that day was a glimpse of the old Noelle- the one before Jimmie's obsession started and she began to fear for her life.

"I didn't until recently," she called out as she made her way down the short hall to the bathroom, Daisy's whine getting louder as she heard her owner getting closer. "Jamie gave her to me. He wanted me to be protected."

"Ah! Good boyfriend." He nodded his head. It pleased him to know that her boyfriend was taking extra steps to protect her and make her happy.

She nodded her head in agreement even though he couldn't see her, then reached out to open the bathroom door and laughed out loud when the dog came running toward her with her tail wagging excitedly and her tongue hanging out.

Noelle spoke to the dog and bent over to pet her, then wrinkled her nose and began to laugh again when Daisy started licking her face. She raised her head and saw Spencer at the end of the hall watching them with a smile on his face- just like that day at the dog park, he was getting a glimpse of the old Noelle.

Noticing someone new, Daisy turned her head toward Spencer, then looked back at her owner as if needing confirmation that the new person was safe. Noelle nodded her head, giving the dog a quick scratch behind her ear. "It's okay, girl. He's okay."

After her comment, Daisy let out a soft bark, then charged down the hall toward Spencer and ignoring Noelle who called out for her to slow down. The dog skid to a stop in front of Spencer and stood up on her hind legs to place her front paws on his stomach, wanting to shower him with licks and get all the pets she can get from him. He gave her a scratch behind the ears, then let out of a groan when one of her paws accidentally hit the wound on his side.

"Daisy, no, get down." Noelle approached them and grabbed the collar around her neck to pull her back. "Are you okay?" she questioned Spencer with a concerned look.

"I'm fine. She didn't mean to."

She gave him a soft smile, hoping that he was being honest about feeling okay, then gave the dog a pet. "Well, I think it's safe to say that Daisy likes you."

"What can I say, bitches love me." He winked. When she shot him a look and playfully rolled her eyes, he chuckled. "Sorry, lame joke."

"Maybe I should take you back to the hospital."

"Why?" Spencer asked confused. "I told you I'm fine, she didn't hurt me."

"No, I know, but after that corny joke, you definitely need professional help," she teased.

"You know, I don't know if I like this version of you," he said, trying to hold back a smirk. "The one who makes fun of an injured man. Very cold, Elle."

"Oh please. You just hate knowing someone is funnier than you." She stuck her tongue out at him while walking past him to go into the living room.

He shook his head and chuckled at her antics. His comment earlier couldn't be further from the truth. In all honesty, he loved this version of her- apparently being back in her home state and surrounded by loved ones was good for her.

He turned to walk into the living room behind her and saw her glance at the time, then start to walk to the front door. She pointed toward the door across the room she had gone into earlier, confirming his earlier thought when she told him that was where the kitchen was.

"If you're thirsty or whatever, just help yourself to anything. I need to take Daisy out, then meet Jamie for lunch." Since the two were so busy the last couple of days they made plans to meet during his short break before his second tour began, which was also when she planned to tell him about Spencer. "I can bring you something back if you want."

"Nah, I'm good." A concerned look appeared on his face. "Are you sure it's a good idea to take the dog out on your own though?"

"Yeah, there's a small fenced in area out back," she explained. "There are a few other people in the building with dogs so there is usually someone out there."

"Good to know, but still be careful. Be aware of your surroundings and-"

"I know," she interrupted with a nod, having heard all of that before from him, as well as Jamie and the other Reagan family members. She slipped a jacket on and zipped it up, then reached into one of the pockets to pull out a can of mace.

She held it up for him to see. "I'm always protected."

"That's my girl." He winked.

He hated that she had to take the precautions, but glad to see that she was. His wish was that one day she would be able to walk around without having to constantly look over her shoulders and he was gonna do whatever he could to make that wish come true. He wouldn't rest until Jimmie was out of her life for good.

When he heard the front door close after she walked out, he shook his head, pushing the anger and guilt he felt aside. If she knew he was still beating himself up when it came to her and Jimmie, she would just tell him he wasn't at fault, and he knew the anger would get him nowhere- to catch Jimmie he had to be calm and levelheaded. He knew what Jimmie's end game was, but he would be damned if he ever let that happen.

He would find him, he would capture him and he would stop him no matter what.

•••

While Noelle was out with the dog, Spencer decided to take a quick shower after being stuck in a hospital for the last few days. Afterward, he wrapped a towel around his waist, feeling a little more like himself, then silently cursed himself when he realized he left his bag in the living room.

He poked his head out of the door and called for Noelle to ask her to bring him the duffel bag, but when he didn't hear anything back, he figured that meant she was still outside with Daisy. He blew out a breath, realizing that meant he had to go grab the bag himself.

He walked out of the bathroom and began to walk down the hall until he heard the front door open. He paused for a moment and wondered if he could make it back to the bathroom before she caught him in her hallway in only a towel. It's not that he minded being caught in the buff, he was actually proud of his body, but he had a feeling it would make her uncomfortable, which was the last thing he wanted.

Before he could turn to walk back into the room, he heard footsteps coming toward the hall. Knowing it was too late and she was about to catch him in the hall, he figured the best thing he could do was try to downplay the situation with a joke, hoping to make it less awkward.

A smirk appeared on his face as the person stepped in front of him, but it wasn't Noelle like he thought- it was a man a couple of inches shorter than him, with hair color similar to his. He had seen a picture or two of this man before and knew exactly who he was...it was Jamie.

Upon entering the apartment and hearing footsteps in the hall, Jamie headed over in that area, planning to surprise her, but he was the one in for a surprise when he saw a half-naked man in his girlfriend's hallway. He didn't even hesitate to grab his gun and point it at the man.

"Police! Don't move!" he shouted.

Spencer kept one hand on the towel to keep it from falling and raised his other hand. "It's okay, man." Anyone else might have freaked out having a gun pointed at them, but honestly, this wasn't the first time he was held at gunpoint in his line of work.

"Who are you? Where's Noelle?" Jamie questioned with his heart beating in his chest. Before the man could answer, his eyes dropped down, noticing a wound on his side and began to put the pieces together. "Wait, are you Spencer? From Florida?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "I would show you proof, but my wallet got jacked the other day." He left out the fact that he couldn't show him his badge either since he left that behind with his gun.

Giving Jamie a shrug and click of his tongue, he added, "I guess you'll just have to trust me."

Jamie kept the gun on him and felt his jaw twitch. He lowered his eyebrows wondering why Noelle didn't tell him about her house guest. With everything going on lately, it would have been nice to have a heads up before coming face to face with a strange man coming out of her bathroom. How was he supposed to know it was her friend Spencer and not her worst nightmare Jimmie?

That was why he was annoyed at the moment, the fact that she didn't tell him, not a jealousy issue. At least that is what he told himself over and over again.

"So, are you gonna let me get dressed or are we gonna keep this standoff going?" Spencer asked, grabbing his attention.

"Sorry," Jamie mumbled as he finally lowered the gun and slipped it back in his holster. He opened his mouth, a million of questions running through his head; like why was he there? Where were his clothes? And where the hell was his girlfriend?

But before he could utter a word, they heard the front door open, followed by the sound of Daisy rushing into the apartment and Noelle's footsteps running after her.

"Okay, Spence, here comes a certain dirty girl who can't wait to pounce on you," Noelle called out, then lowered her eyebrows when she noticed he wasn't in the living room. She walked over to the kitchen door and peeked inside, seeing that it was empty as well.

Hearing a floorboard creak in the hallway, she turned to walk toward it, then felt her eyes widen when she saw Spencer standing there in only a towel, but the worst part was seeing her boyfriend standing there as well with an unreadable expression on his face.

Noelle looked between the two men a few times before setting her sights on Jamie. Remembering her comment before and how it could be taken, she stuttered out a few words. "No, no, I don't mean me...I don't- I'm not pouncing on anyone, I meant, Daisy... That's not, I mean, this isn't what it looks like, Jamie."

"It looks like a half-naked man coming out of your bathroom, Nol," he said back matter of fact.

She was silent for a moment, trying to read the look on his face and judge by his tone if he was pissed at her or not. She blew out a breath, then mumbled, "Okay, it's exactly how it looks then, but it's not what it sounds like."

"I think I'll go get dressed now," Spencer spoke up and wasn't surprised when neither one reacted- they were too busy staring each other down in silence. He excused himself and walked past the couple to go into the living room to grab his bag, then excused himself again as he walked back down the hall and went into the bathroom.

The couple was quiet for a few more minutes while Jamie waited for her to say something. He opened his mouth, thinking he was going to have to break the silence first until she finally spoke.

"I thought we were meeting at the restaurant for lunch."

"Seriously, Nol? Where we meet for lunch is the least of the problem here," Jamie said. "But, if you really want to know, my break started a few minutes early, so I thought I would come by here and surprise you. I never thought I would be the one in for a surprise."

She nodded her head, knowing he was right. Her comment didn't matter- she was just in shock and didn't know what else to say. This was not how she wanted the two men to meet.

She went to apologize, but before she could, they heard the bathroom door open before Spencer walked back out in the hall dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a dark-colored t-shirt.

When the couple turned to look at him, he threw up his hands. "Don't mind me. I'm just gonna go into the living room...where things are less awkward." He made his way past them again, telling Jamie it was nice to meet him, causing him to nod his head and mumble the same words back.

Noelle lowered her head in silence and heard Spencer turn on the television, then heard him call for Daisy to come sit with him. She knew Jamie deserved an explanation, but she couldn't get her voice to work, and instead heard the television flip through different channels as Spencer grumbled about there was nothing good to watch and this was why he hated television to Daisy.

"Nol..." Jamie softly said, waiting for her to look at him.

Raising her head, she saw the hurt on his face and felt her heart break. She felt like she got caught doing something bad, and in a way, she guessed she did- she had lied to him. She could argue that technically she didn't lie, she just didn't tell him, but that was just as bad in her opinion.

"I'm sorry," Noelle breathed out. "I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry."

"I'm gonna need you to say a little more than that, Noelle," he said, causing her heart to drop at him using her name instead of the nickname. She knew he usually only did that when he was angry at her. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I was going to tell you. I swear I was!" She took a step toward him. "But there wasn't time-"

"It's been days," he cut her off. "You've had days to tell me."

"I know, but this is the first I have seen you, Jamie. I didn't want to tell you over the phone."

"Over the phone would have been better than finding a half-naked man in your apartment," he pointed out, his voice low so the man in question didn't overhear.

"I know," her tone matching his. Laying a hand on his arm, she added, "This is not how I wanted you to find out."

"I don't know what to do with this. We don't lie to each other, Nol," he softly said as he turned his head to look down at her standing beside him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, then lightly squeezed his arm. "Can we still go to lunch and talk about this?"

He opened his mouth to answer, although he had no idea what to say, thankfully he was saved when his phone beep with a new text message. He shrugged her hand from his arm to slip the phone out, seeing it was from Renzulli.

He raised his head to look at her. "I can't. I have to get back to the station."

"What about your break?"

"Renzulli needs my help with something," he explained, feeling thankful for the interruption. He needed time to wrap his head around this. "After that my second tour starts."

"What are we going to do?" she quietly asked. "When are we gonna talk about this?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "I'll call you when I can."

Without another word, he turned to leave the hall until she reached out to grab his arm to stop him. She softly said his name, the helpless tone hurt his heart. He turned his head to look at her and saw the pained look on her face. He hated seeing her hurt, but he was too upset and mad to deal with this right now- still he didn't want to leave on too bad of a note.

With that thought in mind, he leaned forward to lightly kiss the side of her head. "I got to go," he whispered.

"Okay," she mouthed with a short nod as she released his arm. She wrapped her arms around herself, watching him turn and leave the hall. She heard his and Spencer's muffled voices as they quietly spoke to each other before Jamie walked out the door.

She stood in the same spot for a moment and drew in a breath to get her emotions under control before she joined Spencer in the living room.

Without a word, she sank down on the couch beside him and kept her gaze straight ahead, not wanting him to read the expression on her face or see how upset she was- he wasn't dumb though. He knew she wasn't okay.

"You know, I can still get a hotel-"

"It's fine," Noelle cut him off with a shake of the head, knowing what he was gonna offer.

Spencer turned his head for a moment to look at her, then turned back to look at the television. "If you need to talk-"

"It's okay," she interrupted him again.

She leaned back against the couch with a sigh and kept her eyes on the screen in front of her like it was the most interesting thing in the world, while she absentmindedly petted Daisy, who was lying between her and Spencer on the couch.

He nodded his head, accepting her answer, even though he could tell nothing was okay. He cleared his throat, then leaned forward to grab something from the coffee table.

"Well, not to make an awkward situation more awkward, but can you bandage me up?"

She pulled her attention away from the television to look at him and saw a tube of ointment and large bandage in his hands. She shot him a grateful smile as she took it from his hands while he lifted his shirt, knowing this was his way of dropping the subject and distracting her.

He had learned months ago it was pointless to push her to open up and talk about something. He remembered the countless times he tried to get her to talk about what happened at the house with Jimmie, but she remained tight-lipped- which was why he tried to find ways to distract her by taking her to the beach, the dog park and the gym to box.

For now, all he could do was be there for her, be her friend and wait for the moment that she needed him.

•••

Later that night, after making sure Spencer was okay alone- which he assured her he was, Noelle went into work for a couple of hours. She planned to get caught up on paperwork until she was called to the scene to look over a body.

After tracking down her co-worker, Will, the two arrived minutes later at one of the more ritzy hotels in the city- a place the well-to-do used for meetings and parties, and now apparently a murderer used for a drop-off. She didn't know what surprised her the most when she arrived; that someone dumped a body in this part of the city or that Nicky was at the scene.

She told Will to hold on as she walked over to the teenager and softly said her name to get her attention. Nicky turned toward the familiar voice, her eyes red with unshed tears as she rushed over to Noelle.

"Hey, what's going on? What happened?" Noelle questioned in concern, which only increased when Nicky threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. "Nicky, what happened? Are you okay?"

The young girl shook her head. "I screwed up, Noelle. I-I don't know why I did it. He told me to stay in the car, but I didn't-"

"He who? Nicky, what's going on?" Noelle asked as her heart pounded in her chest. All she could think was worst case scenarios that Nicky was involved somehow and was in danger.

"Uncle Danny... I was with him and I begged him to bring me to the scene. He told me to stay in the car, but I didn't listen and I saw it! I saw the body," she explained, causing Noelle to breathe a sigh of relief. Although she knew Danny couldn't do the same, Erin was going to kill him.

"It's okay, shh, it's okay," Noelle said, seeing the teenager getting upset. She laid her hands on either side of her face, catching her eyes. "As long as you're okay, that is all that matters. Are you okay?"

Nicky nodded her head to answer, not being able to find her voice. In all honesty, she wasn't sure if she was okay, but she knew she had already messed up enough, she didn't want to make things worse by worrying everyone.

"Okay, good. For now, we just need to get you home. I can take you," Noelle offered, already planning ahead in her mind of what she needed to do. She could tell Will to just take the body in and she'll do the autopsy as soon as she got back, instead of giving first impressions on the scene.

"It's okay." She shook her head. "Uncle Jamie is on his way to get me."

"Jamie's coming here?" she questioned, her heart racing at hearing her boyfriend's name. She had not spoken to him since he left her apartment earlier that day. She liked to believe it was because he was just busy with work, but deep down she knew better, she knew he was still upset with her.

"Yeah, he should be here soon-" Nicky began to say as the man in question arrived at the scene and began to walk through the crowd toward them. "Wait, there he is!" She pointed over toward him, then called out to him.

"Hey, sorry, I'm late..." Jamie began to say to his niece, his voice trailed off when he saw Noelle standing there. He knew there was a chance she would be there, but had hoped she wouldn't be. He wasn't sure how to feel about everything earlier and now seeing her so soon afterward brought all of that up again.

"Hey," Noelle quietly said as she clasped her hands together to keep from reaching out to him.

"Hey." Jamie nodded, then looked over at his niece to ask if she was ready to go.

"Is everything okay?" Nicky asked, ignoring his question and looked between the couple.

"Everything's fine." Jamie laid a hand on the top of her head and began to lead her toward his parked car. "Come on, let's get you home."

"Wait, Jamie," Noelle said, scrambling to follow behind him. She waited until he turned around, then added, "Can we, uh, can we talk?"

"I need to get her home." Jamie nodded toward Nicky.

"I don't mind," the teenager spoke up. "I'll wait in the car...for real this time, I promise." This was a promise she would keep. She didn't know what was going on with the couple, but she wanted them to talk and be okay again.

Jamie didn't say anything, just rested his hands on his hips and looked away from Noelle while Nicky walked away from them and sat in the car. He didn't want to come right out and tell Noelle he didn't want to talk to her, that was something he had never said to her and he never planned to. He didn't think he could go through his life not having her there to talk to even if he tried- he just couldn't deal with this right now.

"Jamie, I'm sorry," she softly said.

"I know." He sighed and turned to finally look at her. "And I get you didn't want to tell me over the phone, but I wish you still would have found a way to tell me, Nol."

He paused for a moment to get his emotions under control. "And it's not because I think you need my permission or anything, but do you have any idea the thoughts that went through my head when I saw a strange man in your apartment and you were nowhere to be seen? It scared the hell out of me."

"I know, okay? I know I screwed up." She took a step toward him. "And you're right, maybe I should have tried harder to tell you. I feel bad, okay? I really do. Like I said before, this is not how I planned for you two to meet."

He nodded his head at her words and knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Why is he here, Nol?"

"What?" She lowered her eyebrows. "I've told you before, he wants to help find Jimmie."

"Is that it?" he questioned.

"What do you mean is that it?" she asked, feeling even more confused by the line of questioning.

"Is there anything going on between you two?" He turned his head to look at her, wanting to read the expression on her face. The question was one that had been running through his head since he heard the other man's name.

"What?" she breathed out. The question shocking her to her core. "Jamie, no! We're just friends, I've told you that. This is ridiculous-"

"Is it?" he cut her off. When she nodded her head, he added, "Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I just explained why." She threw out her arms to get her point across. She felt frustrated- like he wasn't even listening to what she was saying.

"No, I mean, why didn't you tell me about him in general?" he asked.

"Nol, you never said a word about him until recently. You made me believe all you did was work in Florida, that you didn't have a life outside of that, but that's not true is it? Somehow along the way, this guy becomes so important that he risk coming all the way here just to save you," he said, speaking out loud some of the thoughts that have gone through his head.

"No, he came this way to help. To be a friend..." She paused when she read the look on his face- a look she hadn't seen from him much growing up; it was jealousy. She shook her head and grabbed his hands, wanting to tell him there was no reason to be because he's all she had ever wanted.

"Jamie, you don't have to be jealous-"

"I'm not," he cut her off and pulled his hands away. "I just, I..."

"You what?" she questioned when he paused and looked away.

He turned to look at her, a pained look on his face as he quietly admitted, "I remember a time when you use to look to me to save you, a time when you needed me, and I was your everything."

Noelle opened her mouth to quickly remind him that she still did, but before she could say a word, she heard her co-worker call out to her. She turned her head and saw him standing with Danny as they waited for her to come look at the body.

"You should get back to work," Jamie softly said, getting her attention.

"Can we finish talking about this later?"

"I don't know if there's anything else to say-"

"Jamie, please," she pleaded with him. "Please, just come over later tonight and we can-"

He shook his head to stop her. "I'm gonna stay at my place." He swallowed the lump in his throat, hating to see the hurt look on her face.

"For how long?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I mean, just for tonight or-"

"I don't know," he answered her honestly.

"Jamie-"

"I got to go," he mouthed, knowing his voice would betray him if he tried to speak any louder.

She gave him a slow nod, her vision blurred with tears as she watched him walk away. For now, she would just give him space, even though every part of her screamed to run after him. She felt like it would do no good, she knew how he was when he was upset and angry. She would find a way to fix this though, she was not going to lose him.

Hearing the sounds of footsteps coming toward her, she quickly wiped at her eyes, then turned her head to see Danny coming to a stop beside her. Between the look on her face and witnessing the talk with her and his brother, he could tell something was going on with them.

"You okay?" He shot her a concerned look.

"Mm-hm," she lied with a nod. Needing to change the subject, she joked, "Better than you. Erin is gonna kill you."

"Yeah, I know." Danny sighed, remembering the moment of panic when he realized Nicky was out of the car and had seen the dead body. "But that kid is too much like her mom. She hit me with the puppy dog eyes."

"She is good about that," Noelle agreed with a nod.

The two began to walk toward the body of the young girl whose life was cut too short. Before they could reach the crowd, Danny reached out to grab her arm to bring her to a stop. She turned her head to look at him, a confused look on her face as she wondered why he had stopped her.

"Are you sure you're okay, Little Bit? Something going on with you and the kid?" he questioned.

From the looks of things earlier, things were not okay- something he knew would be bad for them both. They were good for each other, always had each other's back from an early age, and he had no doubt they needed each other. As dramatic as it sounded, he wasn't sure if they could survive without each other.

"Everything's fine, Danny Boy," she lied again. She flashed him a smile, one he could tell was not genuine. "Let's get to work. You have a killer to find."

•••

A/N; I know there was a lot of Spencer, but I love his friendship with Nol. Plus, you know, drama! lol.

Big thanks to everyone reading!

Happy reading!
xx