Reaching out a hand in the dark room, Jamie gripped the doorknob and turned it. He heard the door creak as he pulled it open and looked down at the basement stairs. He clicked on a flashlight, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he shined the light into the room- the thin beam of light barely broke through the darkness.

He cautiously stepped onto the top step and heard it groan under his weight. He swallowed hard, feeling his heart pounding in his chest as he took several steps down. He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready to go back into a basement- not after what happened before, but he knew he had no choice. Someone was in danger and he had to save them.

"Hello? Anyone down here?" Jamie called out as he stepped off the last step. He pulled in a deep breath of dry air, his head feeling faint as he remembered saying something similar that day he was trapped in a burning basement.

He took a few steps back until his back connected with a wall, then he bent forward to rest his hands on his knees as it became hard to breathe. No matter how many times he tried to take a breath, he remembered how it felt last time and began to panic all over again.

Pushing away from the wall, he headed for the stairs, he couldn't do this now. He couldn't search the place when he felt like this- it was too soon. He was about to step onto the bottom step, when he heard a noise toward the back of the room, the sound of a whimper- like someone was hurt, but too scared to make a sound.

"Is someone back there? It's the police, I'm here to help," Jamie said, his voice sounding calmer than he felt. He wanted the person to know they were safe and he was going to save them.

With a goal in mind, he was distracted enough to feel his heart rate slow down. He knew what he had to do now. He carefully walked further into the dark room, shining the light in front of him to guide the way.

Hearing a noise to his left, he jerked to the side, his other hand going for his gun until he noticed a dark-haired girl kneeled down on the floor with her head down. He moved the flashlight toward her, casting her in the bright light, and saw a chain around her ankle which was attached to a wall.

Clearing his throat to get her attention, he planned to tell her everything was okay now and help was here, but nothing prepared him for when she raised her head and he looked into the wide, scared eyes of his girlfriend.

"Nol?" Jamie questioned, his voice cracking with emotion. How the hell did she get down here?

"Jamie," Noelle breathed out as she stood up from the floor. Her wide eyes jerked from side to side as she quietly asked, "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. He-He'll be back soon."

"I don't care." He shook his head and took a step toward her. He assumed the 'he' she was referring to was Jimmie. He couldn't understand how Jimmie grabbed her; where was he when it happened? Why the hell didn't he protect her enough?

"Jamie, wait, no!" She held out her hands to stop him, then madly shook her head, wanting to get him out of there before it was too late. "You gotta go. He's coming back and he'll hurt you-"

"I don't care," he repeated, cutting off her frantic plea. All he wanted was to get her out of there. He wasn't going to fail her again.

"Jamie-"

"Nol, I'm not leaving you! Okay? I will never leave you. No matter what," he said, his tone desperate.

As she stood silently, he took a few more steps toward her. He glanced down to look at her foot and swallowed hard when he saw the heavy chain and the cuff on her ankle. He came to a stop and felt like he had just been punched in the stomach.

He couldn't believe this was happening to her again- the last time he couldn't do anything to save her, but he would be damned if he just walked away and left her here this time. Somehow he had to save her and get her the hell out of there.

"Jamie..." she quietly said, getting his attention.

He raised his head to look at her and wiped at his eyes when he realized his vision was blurry from tears. He shook his head, feeling angry- mostly at himself- but also at Jimmie and the situation they were in.

"How did this happen? How-How did he... Why didn't I protect you more?" he demanded to know. He had to know how he screwed this up so badly, he couldn't believe he let this happen.

"'Cause you can't," her voice pained as a tear rolled down her face. "You can't save me, Jamie."

"Yes, I can," he argued, feeling confident. Coming to a stop in front of her, he took her face in his hands. "I will save you. I swear I will, I'm gonna get you out of here, okay?"

"Okay." She flashed him a soft smile, wanting to believe his words, but she knew deep down there was no way he could save her.

He looked back down at her ankle. "But first we got to get this off of you." He raised his head to look at her. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna see if there are any tools down here...maybe some bolt cutters or something to cut it off, then we're getting the hell out of here, okay? Both of us."

As she gave him a nod, he leaned forward to press a tender kiss to her forehead, before pulling back to look at her. He hated to leave her, even for a minute, but he knew he had to briefly- it was the only way to save her.

He took a step away from her and turned, then shined the flashlight on either side of them, hoping to see a tool chest, tools hanging on the wall or something useful, but all he saw was empty space around them.

He turned his head to look at her, telling her again he would be back, then began to walk over to the other side of the room, where he saw floor to ceiling shelving and felt a sense of hope for the first time since he walked into the basement.

He searched each shelf from bottom to top but mostly found junk and random objects that someone discarded. The only tools he did come across were broken or just wouldn't work for them. The hope he had before was quickly going away after he cleared each shelf. His actions became frantic as he began to throw things over his shoulders and using his hand to clear shelves with one sweeping motion.

He only stopped when he heard Noelle's frightened voice scream out his name. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, he didn't have to turn around to know what had her so scared as a familiar scent filled his nose- it was smoke.

"Jamie... Jamie, fire!" Noelle yelled out as she instinctively tried to move toward him, but was stopped by the chain attached to her foot. She turned to grab the heavy chain and tried to pull at it as hard as she could, letting out a frustrated groan, which turned into a helpless scream when the chain stayed attached to the wall.

As more smoke filled the room, she looked over in the direction Jamie had gone in, the bright flame giving her enough light to see that he was pressed back against the metal shelves with a terrified look on his face. He felt paralyzed- like he couldn't move as the fire moved closer to him.

"Jamie, please, you gotta- you gotta move. Jamie!" she screamed, trying to get his attention. She hated that she couldn't just go to him and help him through this. She could understand his reaction, but she feared if she couldn't at least get through to him that she will watch him die right in front of her eyes.

The pleading in her voice finally reached him, causing him to take a step toward her- he desperately wanted to save her, but the hot flame caused him to jump back. His eyes landed on her, the helpless look on her face matching his own, he realized they were not getting out- there was no way to escape this fiery blaze.

He opened his mouth, ignoring the smoke that filled his lungs as he screamed out her name. He heard her sobs from across the room and felt his heart break at the noise. She was so close, yet too far to touch, and there was nothing he could do to console her and make things better.

Once again, he could not save her- his worst nightmare was happening right in front of his eyes.

"Nol!" Jamie yelled out as he sat up in bed with his heart beating wildly in his chest.

He glanced around the sunlight filled room; the first thing he noticed was he wasn't in a basement but in his apartment. The open layout also gave him a glimpse of most of the rooms which revealed no fire, making him quickly realize it was all just a dream- a very bad, very real feeling dream.

Hearing a crash coming from the kitchen, followed by the door banging open across the room, he turned his head and saw Noelle running out of the room with wide eyes as she looked at him. After hearing him yell out in a desperate tone, everything else was forgotten as she raced to him expecting the worst.

She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but before she could utter a word, he was out of the bed and across the room in front of her. She felt him pull her toward him, causing her to wrap her arms around his middle as he held her tight against his bare chest.

Pulling back, he took her face in his hands- even with knowing it was a dream, he couldn't stop himself from looking her over. "Are you okay?"

She gave him a nod, a concerned look on her face. "Are you though? What happened? I heard you yelling for me and I came running-"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It's just, it was just..."

"A nightmare," she finished when he paused. A pained look appeared on her face, she hated when he had a nightmare and there was nothing she could do to help him.

After being released from the hospital a week ago, he had bad dreams for the first few nights. She had woke up throughout the night to hear him whimper in his sleep and tried her best to comfort him until he fell back into a peaceful sleep.

His sergeant wanted him to speak to someone before being cleared to come back to work. After a couple of sessions, his nightmares had gotten better, but by his helpless tone when he called out for her, this dream sounded worse than the others before.

"Yeah," he mouthed as he brushed some hair from her face, then leaned forward to press his lips against hers for a soft kiss- after the dream he had he needed this. He needed to feel his lips against hers, he needed to constantly touch her. He just needed her to be okay and to be close to him, that was the only thing that would ease his mind and calm his nerves.

"Are you okay?" she whispered with her lips inches from his.

He pecked her lips again, then rubbed his nose against hers. "I am now."

"Jamie..." her tone soft as she pulled back to look at him, a concerned look on her face.

He wasn't all that surprised when she grabbed his hands and took a few steps back until she reached the small step that led up to the bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed and waited until he sat down beside her.

"Are you sure you're okay? I mean, I know how it is to have horrible nightmares that feel so real and for a moment you wake up you're so sure they are real and it's hard to tell the difference."

"I know, but I know what's real." He laid a hand on the side of her face and caressed her cheek. "This is real. You're here and you're okay, that's all that matters."

With the way he was acting and the words he was saying, she had a pretty good idea what his dream was about now- it involved her and Jimmie.

"What happened?" she asked, her tone low and soft.

"It doesn't matter." He shook his head.

"Jamie-"

"It doesn't. 'Cause it's never gonna happen," he said, cutting her off. When she shot him a look, he gave her another kiss. "Nol, I promise, I'm okay."

"Okay." She nodded. She wished he would talk about it, she hated the thought of something bothering him, but she also knew how hard it was to talk about some things and she didn't want to push him. She knew that never worked.

The two were quiet for a moment, just enjoying the silence with each other until he noticed the time and stood up from the bed.

"I should get ready for work."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Noelle stood up to stand beside him.

"Nol, it's been a week. The doctor has cleared me." He turned to face her.

"But, if you play hooky today, you can go with me to my parents." She shot him a hopeful look. She knew she shouldn't be trying to influence him to call out of work, but she was just so terrified to leave his side. "We could bake cookies, play phase 10 or watch movies...it'll be like the old days."

"That sounds great, it does, but I need to get back to work." He grabbed her arms to wrap around his neck before laying his hands on her hips.

When she let her arms fall with a pout, he chuckled and playfully rolled his eyes, then grabbed her arms again to wrap around his neck. "Don't be like that. You know I can't afford to be out any longer."

"I know." She sighed. "I just-"

"I know you're worried about me," he interrupted her. "But, it's going to be okay. Plus, they're going to keep me at a desk a few extra days just in case before I'm back on patrol."

"You'll take your inhaler, right?"

"I haven't needed it since the other day."

Even after being released from the hospital, his lungs were still sensitive. A few times he had to stop what he was doing to use an inhaler- like one night when a heated make-out session between them had him fighting for breath. It was worth it to him though; being able to touch her, kiss her and be with her in the way he had thought about since being in the hospital. He just wanted to show her how much he loves her without wheezing for breath.

"Jamie..." she warned him as she shot him a look.

"Okay, I'll take the inhaler." He held up his hands in surrender, then laid them on either side of her face. "Better?"

"I'll be better after you come back home to me." She laid a hand on his chest over his heart.

Leaning forward to kiss her, he couldn't stop himself from smiling in the middle of it at the choice of her words. He didn't even think of a place as home anymore- she was home to him. He didn't need walls or a roof, just her arms around him and her body pressed against his. Her smile brightened his day more than any lights could and her kisses brought him more comfort than anything else could.

"I got an idea," Jamie mumbled against her lips.

"Hmm?" Noelle pulled back to look at him.

"What if after work I swing by Cathalina's for take-out?" he suggested, naming one of their favorite restaurants.

"It has been a while since we ate there." After thinking about the food there, she made a small moan. "Mm, yeah, I'm definitely craving some alfredo now."

"Okay." He laughed. "So, I'll grab that and then we can watch a movie here or...play strip phase 10."

"Hm, didn't realize it could be played that way, but I guess anything could involve stripping," she said in thought. She cut her eyes to look at him, a grin on her face. "Okay, you're on! Get ready to lose, Jams."

"I think playing it this way, there will be no losers. We'll both win," he teased with a wink.

"Cute." She chuckled before feeling his lips brush against hers.

What started as a gentle kiss began to heat up quickly between them. He knew he should take it easy, but he couldn't stop kissing her no matter how hard he tried, she was like a drug to him- only instead of having a negative effect on him, every touch of her lips healed him a little more inside.

She felt him lay a hand on the back of her head, before nibbling her bottom lip, causing her to moan, which only encouraged him more. He intertwined his fingers in her hair and laid his other hand on the small of her back, his fist balling around the soft material of the t-shirt she had on as he pulled her closer against him.

"Have I ever told you how much I love it when you wear my shirts to bed?" Jamie mumbled against her lips before slipping a hand under the shirt and running his fingers across her bare back, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin. He didn't think anything could turn him on more than her in a pair of panties and his shirts.

"Have I ever told you how much I love sleeping in your shirts?" Noelle quietly said back with a smile on her lips.

"Mm," he moaned as he pecked her lips once more before pulling back to look at her. The dark blue shirt of his came to her knees, her tan legs bare- he had always loved her legs.

He raised his eyes to look at her. "Well, you are welcomed to wear my shirts to sleep anytime you want."

"Good." She laid her hands on the back of his neck and pulled his face closer to hers. "Plus the more I wear, the less you have to wear."

He chuckled at her words and antics when she bit her bottom lip and raised her eyebrows at him. He ran his hand down her back, laying it on her butt- another part of her he loved- before he began to kiss her while walking her backward toward the bed until she pulled back to break the kiss.

"What's wrong?" he questioned with a concerned look when she came to a stop.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking as much as I want to do this...and oh, my god, do I want to do this. But now is probably not the best time," she explained as she fought the urge to pull him toward her for another mind-blowing kiss. "You got work, I got to visit my parents. Plus, if we keep this up you might need the inhaler. You remember what happened last time we tried this."

"That's because you always take my breath away," he stated before capturing her lips for another passionate kiss.

"Mm," she moaned, then pulled back and shook her head. "Uh-uh, no. No, that was too far, Jams, just too corny. You're cut off."

"Fine." He laughed and held up his hands, then took a step back from her. "I need to make coffee anyway."

"Actually, first, you have a mess to clean up." She flashed him an apologetic smile, hoping he would forgive her. When he shot her a confused look, she explained, "I was in the middle of making coffee when you called out for me, so I just dropped everything and ran. I'm sorry."

"Okay." He sighed with a nod. He couldn't be that mad at her, it was his fault she made the mess. "So, I guess I'm cleaning your mess, then making coffee."

"That sounds great, honey, remember I like lots of sugar and milk in mine," she reminded him as she flashed him a smile, causing him to laugh at her request.

She pointed behind her toward the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a shower and then go grab Daisy. I figured she can go with me to my parents since you won't play hooky." She paused a moment in thought. "And I should probably check on Spence too. It's been a couple of days since I was last home."

Once Jamie was released from the hospital, she didn't want to leave his side much; so Spencer offered to look after Daisy while she stayed with Jamie at his place. She tried to drop in on them every other day to make sure everything was okay, but between work and restless night, she was too tired to stop by the last few days.

"I'm sure he knows how to feed himself and go on walks," he joked. As a thought hit him, he added, "Oh, hey, why don't you take Spencer to your parents?"

"What? Seriously?" She sank down to sit on the edge of the bed. "Are you seriously suggesting I hang out with my friend who you were insanely jealous of weeks ago?"

"Yeah, but I'm not insanely jealous of him anymore. Just the regular, 'he better not touch my girl or else' jealousy." When she shot a look, he laughed and threw up his hands. "I'm kidding! I'm not jealous about your friendship with him. I trust you, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled. That was all she ever wanted. She wanted to be able to have both of them in her life with no drama involved.

"I think it's a good idea to take him with you," he said. "He's a cop, he knows what to look for, he'll protect you and I don't have to worry about you going by yourself. It's a win-win."

"Okay, I'll take Spencer and Daisy. Double protection."

"Even better." He took a step toward her, then bent down to give her a quick kiss.

Sitting on the bed, she watched him walk across the room to head for the kitchen. When an idea crossed her mind, she stood up from the bed and called out his name. She waited until he turned to face her before she reached down to grab the bottom of the t-shirt and pulled it over her head. She felt a fluttering in her stomach when she saw his eyes darken with lust as they roam over her naked body.

She fought hard not to wrap her arms around herself and lay a hand on the scar on her side. She was still sensitive about the mark, but she knew Jamie didn't judge her for it- he saw it as beautiful and another reason to love her.

Pushing any bad thoughts the scar brought, she flashed him a smile. "How about we get started on the whole stripping thing now? You know, for practice?"

"Coffee can wait." He nodded before rushing across the room to wrap an arm around her waist. She let out a squeal which turned into laughter when she felt him pick her up and carry her toward the bathroom.

•••

"So this is where you grew up?" Spencer questioned close to an hour later when she pulled into her parents' driveway and parked beside the brick two-story house.

After a little bathroom fun with Jamie, she sent him off to work, then headed for her apartment to check on Daisy and Spencer. She was surprised when she walked in and found the latter standing in front of one of her living room walls- a wall he now had covered with pictures and notes he had taped to it to start a timeline of everything Jimmie has done since being released.

Some of the stuff on the wall were facts; things they knew Jimmie had done, but most were just his notes and assumptions- either way, it was clear to see what he had been up to since she was last there days ago. He had been stuck in her apartment obsessing about the case.

She had joked earlier with Jamie that she needed to check on him, only now she was realizing it was a more serious matter and she should have checked in on him earlier. She was glad Jamie had suggested she take him to her parents, she wouldn't be surprised to learn he hasn't left the building much lately and from the looks of things he desperately needed to get out.

"Yeah, we moved here when I was four," Noelle said, answering his earlier question. She turned the car off after parking it, then exited the car and left the door open for Daisy to jump out after her.

The curious dog ran toward the front yard, then sniffed at the grass before falling down and rolling around happily. After a few more rolls, she stood up and trotted back over to her owner, sitting down at her feet as she looked around as if looking for danger.

Noelle gave the dog a scratch behind the ears, then pointed toward the back of the house. "Next street over is where Jamie lived. His dad and grandfather still live there."

"You and Jamie been friends since then, huh?" he questioned as the two began to walk toward the house with Daisy following along behind them.

"Mm-hm." She nodded. "The first day we moved in, his parents came over to welcome us to the neighborhood. My dad and his worked in the same precinct... It was actually Frank who told my dad about the house; so when we moved in, he wanted his wife to meet my mom, and when Jamie found out there was a kid his age, he wanted to tag along too."

A smile appeared on her face as the memory hit her. "I still remember it like it was yesterday. While all the boxes and furniture were being moved inside, I was outside with my little red wagon. Since everyone was busy, I was just sitting in it and eating a bag of cotton candy- the blue kind, of course- because it reminded me of the sky."

"Of course, 'cause that makes sense," he joked.

"Shut up." She laughed and playfully shoved him away from her. "Anyway, I was sitting in my wagon and this young boy comes up and asked if I wanted him to pull me in the wagon. So he pulled me around for a while, then I let him sit while I pulled him around. We talked and realized we had a lot in common; we liked the same cartoons and superheroes. He told me about this plush toy bunny he sleeps with, I shared my cotton candy and it was the start of a lifelong friendship."

"Wow, it must have been serious if you shared your cotton candy," Spencer said with a surprised look on his face. He still remembered the time she slapped a spoon out of his hand when he tried to taste test her ice cream while they were hanging out at the beach one afternoon.

"Hey! I share my food sometimes."

"Not with me."

"We haven't reached that part of our friendship yet." She shrugged as she reached out to open the back door.

He laughed at her joke, then lowered his eyebrows in concern. "Wait, your parents don't keep their doors lock?"

"No." A sigh escaped her lips. "I try to tell Dad all the time he needs to keep the doors locked, but my father- the retired cop- says if anyone breaks in they're in for a surprise, not him."

"Ah," he said with a nod, like it made complete sense to him.

After entering the house, she shut the door, then called out to her dad to let him know she was there. It didn't take long before she heard his footsteps coming toward the kitchen. She walked across the floor, meeting him halfway to give him a hug.

He dropped a kiss on top of her head, then turned his attention to the man standing by the back door. Noelle quickly introduced them, then stepped back as her dad walked toward Spencer to shake his hand.

Byron stepped back to stand beside his daughter and threw an arm around her shoulders as he spoke to Spencer. "Thank you for saving our little bitty bug."

"It's a childhood nickname," Noelle explained to her friend as she leaned against her father.

"I figured." Spencer laughed, then turned his attention to Byron. "No thanks necessary though, Mr. Kelley."

"Please, call me Byron," the older man said. "My daughter told me you were the one who tracked her down and saved her from that maniac."

"Yeah, but it was the least I could do after not helping her sooner," Spencer pointed out, a fact that would always haunt him.

Recognizing the look on his face, the same one he saw on his own whenever he blamed himself for the way a case turned out, he gave him a friendly smile. "You need to let yourself off the hook for not helping sooner. No one blames you, Spencer. Besides you were there when it counted."

"That's what I told him too," Noelle said, smiling at her friend. She turned to look at her dad and made a face as she loudly whispered, "He's not very good with the listening."

"I heard that." Spencer laughed.

"Is that my beautiful daughter I hear?" Evie questioned, grabbing their attention as she walked into the kitchen while Noelle let Daisy out in the fenced-in backyard to roam.

"Mom!" Noelle greeted as she rushed across the room to hug the older woman.

"Mm, my baby girl," Evie cooed as she hugged her daughter tight. She pulled back to lay a hand on the side of her face. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. How are you?" Noelle asked back.

"I'm marvelous!" Evie stated happily, then kissed her daughter's cheek. "And now I'm even better since you're here."

Noelle smiled before wrapping her arm around her mother again. With her health, she never knew how her mother was going to feel day-to-day, but it always warmed her heart to see her this way- the loving mother she grew up with.

"Who's this?" Evie nodded toward Spencer across the room. A worried look appeared on her face as she began to wonder if her memory was slipping. She looked from her husband to her daughter. "Do I already know him?"

"No, no, Mom. You've never met him," Noelle quickly said, not wanting to upset her. "This is my friend from Florida, Spencer Hayes."

"It's nice to meet you, Spencer." Evie took a step toward him and held out her hand for him to shake.

"No way. Not possible," Spencer said as he grabbed her hand with an amazed look on his face. Noelle and her parents were confused until he added, "There is no way you're a mother. I would have guessed older sister."

"Oh, I like him." Evie laughed as she tugged on his hand to pull him toward her for a quick hug. "You are officially my favorite." She patted his back before stepping out of his arms.

"Smooth, Spence. Trying to steal my mom away, I see," Noelle joked.

As his wife spoke to their daughter and her friend, Byron stood back with a smile at seeing how happy this visit made her. In moments like this, he could swear she was still the young woman he fell in love with so many years ago. These small moments of happiness made up for any of the hard days they had and the ones he feared were right around the corner.

"Why don't I go throw some food on the grill," he suggested, grabbing their attention. He looked at his daughter and her friend. "Are you two hungry for some burgers?"

"Burgers sound great," Spencer spoke up.

"Yeah, I could eat a burger or two," Noelle said.

"Just two?" Spencer teased her.

"Don't make me send you to the car to wait." Noelle playfully glared at him.

"Don't you dare, Noelle Elise," her mother warned, not realizing the two were joking around. She stepped forward to stand beside Spencer. "Now, why don't you help your father cook and I'll give Spencer a tour of the house."

"I would love a tour." Spencer shot Noelle a smug smile, causing her to mouth the words- 'suck up'.

"Then after lunch, we can play a game of Uno," Evie suggested with an excited gasp when the idea hit her.

"I love Uno," Spencer said, smiling over at the older woman.

"Me too!" Evie exclaimed. "It was always my favorite. Noelle's favorite was always...um..."

"Phase 10," Noelle finished for her mom when she saw her having a hard time remembering. "And Jamie always liked spades."

"Yes, that's right." Evie snapped her fingers, then pointed at her daughter- the memory hitting her. "You two would always partner up and beat me and your dad every time."

"That's right." Noelle smiled, happy to see her remembering something from their past, while still being present.

"Now, let's get on with that tour," Evie said, turning her head to look at Spencer.

"Lead the way, Mrs. Kelley," he said politely as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, no, handsome, call me Evie," she said while the two began to walk out of the room happily chatting to each other.

"Wow, looks like Spence has charmed Mom and she is clearly smitten now." Noelle looked over at her dad and joked, "I think you got some competition, Dad."

"Nah, I'm not worried. I can take him," Byron said, his tone playful as he held up his fists.

She laughed at his antics, then felt him wrap his arms around her, giving her one of his world-famous bear hugs. Growing up, she could swear that his hugs were magical, they always somehow made her feel better and healed whatever problem she was having at the moment.

Keeping an arm around his daughter, he pulled back to look at her closely, his face growing serious. "You look tired, bitty bug. Are you sleeping?"

"Some."

"Not enough," he lectured her. "How's Jamie?"

"He's doing better," she said. "He went back to work today."

"I know you're worried about him, but he's a good man and an even better cop. He'll be okay," he said, trying to put her mind at ease.

"I know, but I just..." Taking a step back, she began to pace back and forth in front of him. "Jimmie got to him before and I almost lost him, Dad. What if that happens again and next time we're not so lucky?"

"You can't think that way. You can't let that negativity in." Byron laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her as she walked past him.

"That's easier said than done, Dad."

"I know, but what did I always tell you..." He turned her to face him. "Even when the cup is half empty, it's still full. You remember why?"

"'Cause its half water and half air," she answered, like she had done so many times growing up.

"As long as there is something in that glass, it can never be empty. Never forget that, bitty bug, there is always hope."

"I'm trying to remember that," she said honestly.

"As long as you try, you never fail," he pointed out with a smile. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head, then nodded toward the door. "Now come on, let's get the grill going. The burgers are not going to cook themselves."

•••

After a filling lunch and several hands of Uno, Byron made sure Evie took her medicine, then checked in on her while she rested. Noelle walked out of the kitchen with a beer for Spencer and water for herself since she was driving.

She found her friend in the living room by the fireplace. He was staring intently at one of the pictures sitting on the mantel when she joined him.

"Who's this?" Spencer pointed toward an old picture of herself and Baylor.

She was only a few months old in the picture while four-year-old Baylor held her in his lap with a huge grin on his face. There weren't many happy pictures with the siblings and the ones they did have the pair were young since Baylor problems started when he hit his teens.

"That's my older brother Baylor."

"Huh," he muttered as he continued to look at the picture. He couldn't explain it, but there was something familiar about the boy- he just couldn't figure out what it was at the moment.

"What?" she questioned, seeing the look on his face and wondered what was wrong.

"Nothing, I just never knew you had a brother," he said, not wanting to tell her the thoughts running through his mind yet. He turned his head to look at her. "You never mentioned him. I've heard all about Jamie and his siblings, but never yours."

"That's because I was always closer to the Reagans than my own brother," she admitted as she looked at the picture.

The smile on her brother's face was one she hasn't seen in many years. At times it felt like that little boy had died because the person he was now is nothing like that young boy. The light was gone from his eyes, he was darker now, and there was a sadness in his smile.

"I vaguely remember a time when we were close, but it was like a flip switched in him one day and he was completely different," she explained. "Suddenly, he was hanging out with the wrong crowd, he got into drugs. He was hardly home and when he was all he did was fight with our parents. I can't count the times he stole stuff from my room to pawn and when I got older, I only heard from him when he needed money. The rest of the time he was basically in hiding."

"So he'll do anything for a fix?" Spencer questioned, his mind began to wander.

"Yeah." Her tone softened as she added, "He'll lie, steal and who knows what else."

He nodded his head at her words and couldn't help but wonder if he would team up with a certain someone, maybe do some of his dirty work in exchange for drugs. He didn't want to run the idea by her yet- he didn't want to upset her just in case he was wrong, but he made a note to himself to run the theory past Danny.

The two were quiet for a moment, Spencer thinking about the case and Noelle thinking of the past. It still surprised her how quickly things changed with her brother. One day he was someone she could count on and trust, then the next he was a stranger.

Shaking her head to push the thoughts from her mind, she turned to look at her friend- he was someone else she felt like she could trust, but there was just one thing she was curious about.

"Hey, can I talk to you about something?"

"Shoot."

"Danny mentioned something to me recently and I've been wanting to ask you about it." She paused for a beat. "Is it true that you left your badge behind when you came here?"

Spencer blew out a breath and dropped his head, then ran a hand over his hair. He should have known that would come out eventually. He was surprised it hadn't come up sooner.

"Spence?" she questioned when he didn't answer.

"Yeah, it's true," he finally admitted with a nod, then raised his head to look at her. "And before you start to blame yourself, it's not your fault. I choose this."

"Because of me," she pointed out. "So how is that not my fault?"

"'Cause I'm saying it's not." He turned toward her. "Look, as soon as I heard Jimmie was out, nothing could have kept me away. There was no way in hell I was just going to sit back as he came after you again. I saw how bad it got at the end, Elle, I had your blood on my hands and I'm never gonna let that happen again."

"But, Spence, this is your career. You've told me stories of how much you love your job and how hard you worked to get there," she argued. "I'm not letting you just throw that away for me."

"I would walk away from everything if it meant keeping you alive, Elle," he said confidently as his eyes locked with hers.

"Spencer-"

"It's already done," he cut her off. "And as long as Jimmie is here, I'll be here."

"And what if I told you I didn't want you here? And that you need to go home and fix your life before it's too late? What if I said I don't want to see your face again until you have your badge back?" she asked stubbornly as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Then I'll protect you from the shadows. You'll never see me, you'll never know I'm there." He flashed her a cocky grin, then grew serious, "Bottom line, Elle, I'm not going anywhere. I'll protect you with my last breath if I have to; I'm not walking away from this."

"Why is this so important to you, Spence? Why me? Why this case?" she quietly asked when she thought she saw something more flicker in his eyes when he looked at her.

"I've told you before...I consider you a good friend, and I don't have many-"

"Is that all?" she interrupted as her heart began to pound in her chest. She honestly didn't know what she would do if he said there was more. He was her good friend Spence- that was all he could be to her, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. "Spencer, we're-we're just friends, right? I mean, that's it, right?"

Spencer's eyes glanced over her, seeing the nervous look on her face. He hated lying to her, but he didn't want to ruin things between them or cause any problems. He knew where her heart belonged and he knew what his role was in her life. He knew what answer she wanted to hear and that was the one he gave her.

"That's it." He nodded. "We're just friends, Elle, and when someone becomes that important to me, I'll do anything to protect them."

"Okay, good," she said accepting his answer. She scrunched up her face for a moment and shook her head. "I'm sorry for even asking that, I mean, it's ridiculous, right? The thought of their being more...I mean, of course, we are just friends. I guess- I guess I just needed to know we're on the same page, because I never want to give you the wrong idea or hurt you, Spence."

"I know. It's fine, we're on the same page," he said as he thought the truth to himself. They weren't on the same page, they weren't even in the same library, but he knew this was how it had to be and he could live with that.

She looked at him closely, thinking she saw something in his eyes again but told herself she was just imagining things. They were just friends, even he admitted it; so there were no problems. She had enough going on in her life, she didn't need to invent more.

Hearing a set of footsteps heading toward them, she turned her head and saw her father walk into the room. He didn't look in their direction as he walked toward the television and switched it on. He grabbed the remote from the coffee table to turn it to one of the local stations.

When Noelle saw Frank standing at a podium, she lowered her eyebrows in concern and walked over to her dad. "What's going on?"

"I got a call from one of my buddies at the station," Byron began to say. Even though he was retired, he still had contacts and knew what was going on in his city. "Raymundo Salazar was arrested."

"Raymundo Salazar," Noelle quietly repeated to herself, then lowered her eyebrows in thought. "Wait, I've heard that name before...why does he sound so familiar?"

"You probably read it in a paper or heard it on tv numerous times. He's got ties to South American drug cartel. Big time drug lord," Byron explained. "But no one could ever tie him to anything. Every witness backs out since he has a history of torturing and killing them if they dare to speak against him."

"They must have a strong witness now if they made an arrest," Spencer stated.

The trio listened in as Frank asked if there were any questioned and a reporter spoke up, "Commissioner, rumors are that the arresting officer was your son Daniel Reagan; That he was involved in a gun battle with the suspect, and is your eyewitness. Will you confirm?"

"Wait, Danny is the witness?" Noelle looked at her father with wide eyes.

"Sounds like it," Byron mumbled. He was glad to hear someone like Raymundo Salazar was off of the streets, but after hearing about what he has done to other people who tried to flip on him it made him incredibly worried for Danny.

When another reporter began to ask about an indictment, another man- who introduced himself as Special Narcotics prosecutor Lyle Greene- stepped over to the microphone when Frank stepped aside for him to answer.

"First of all, I want to thank the New York City Police Department for their excellent work in apprehending Mr. Salazar," Lyle began to say. His next words shocked them to their core. "As to the indictment, we expect that after Detective Reagan testifies before the grand jury Friday afternoon, they will vote to indict swiftly and surely."

"Did he just- He just confirmed that it was Danny," Noelle said, shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe this was happening, this prosecutor just basically threw Danny to the wolves- a pack of animals that wouldn't hesitate to murder to keep themselves from going to jail.

"Something's not right." Spencer motioned toward the television as Lyle and Frank began to walk away. "Even a newbie straight from law school knows not to announce to the whole world who your star witness is. So either he's the dumbest idiot in the world or-"

"Him outing Danny was no accident," Byron finished for him as he turned his head to look at his daughter and former detective.

All three had a feeling it was the latter, meaning Danny was in grave danger.

•••

A/N; Thank you to everyone reading! 

Happy reading!
xx