Closing a folder, Noelle dropped it onto the finished pile and grabbed another folder from the bigger to-do pile. Since coming into work that morning, she had been busy- almost too busy to take a breath it felt like.

After every autopsy she finished, there was another one waiting to be done, and her to-do pile didn't seem to be getting any smaller no matter how much paperwork she filled out. She was starting to think her work day would never end.

She was so lost in her work, she barely heard her cell phone when it began to vibrate beside her on the desk. Glancing at the time, she set the pen down she was using and reached for the phone, assuming it was Jamie calling her like he promised.

He had sleepily told her that morning as she was heading out the door that he would call her as soon as he could. He had just finished a late tour and had another one that afternoon. She shook her head and walked back over to the bed, telling him he didn't have to call, she tried to tell him she would just see him later that night but he insisted.

She shouldn't have been all that surprised about it. He usually called her several times a day while they were at work or shot her a quick text or two. She knew he liked to make sure no new surprises from Jimmie showed up and he wanted to know she was okay- he needed that reassurance to get through his day.

After realizing she wasn't going to win the argument that morning, she gave him a soft smile and a quick kiss, then watched him close his eyes and let out a content sigh before she rushed out the door for work- secretly wishing she could crawl back into the warm bed with him and sleep the morning away.

Shaking away the morning memories, she answered the ringing device and called out a greeting, expecting to hear Jamie's voice in return, but was surprised when it was Frank's voice answering back.

"Hello, commissioner," Noelle said, assuming he was calling for a work reason- although she wasn't sure what he could need her for. She figured he had his own medical examiner.

"You can drop the formality, Noelle," Frank said with a soft chuckle.

"Oh okay," she said, confused on why he was calling her then. This was starting to feel like a personal call. "Is there something I can help you with, Frank?"

"You remember that small café, the one with the peppermint hot chocolate that you always had to have on snow days?" he questioned.

"Oh yeah, Sugar Bean café," she said. "Actually it's right down the street." She still frequented the café sometimes on her lunch break. Not only did they have great coffee and desserts, but also amazing sandwiches and salads as well.

"Right," Frank said back. "Can you meet me there? Say, in about forty-five minutes?"

"Yeah, yeah, I can," she said, lowering her eyebrows in concern at the request.

"Great, I will see you then," he said, getting ready to end the call until she called out his name.

"What's going on? Is it- Is Jamie okay?" she questioned, her heart beginning to pound in her chest as every worst case scenario crossed her mind.

What if Jimmie went after him again? What if there was a setback with his lungs and he needed to go back to the hospital? She knew it was too soon for him to return to work-

"Jamie is fine," he assured her, pulling her from her rambling thoughts and causing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Is something wrong then? I mean, everyone is okay, right?" she asked, trying to think what could be going on that Frank would want to meet her. If history was any indication, it was never for a good reason.

"I'll see you soon, Noelle," he said, ignoring her question, causing her concern to skyrocket.

"Frank..." she breathed out.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I know you're worried and you want answers, but I would feel more comfortable talking about this in person."

"O-Okay," she muttered. "I guess, uh, I guess I'll see you in a few then."

Noelle didn't know how she made it during the next few minutes until it was time to meet Frank, but somehow she did. She spent the time staring off into space and switching between chewing on her thumbnail and her bottom lip.

When it was time, she grabbed her bag and fled from her office, barely noticing any of her co-workers as she made her way out of the building and into the crowded sidewalk.

She turned toward the direction the restaurant was located and went to take a step until she heard a familiar voice call out her name. She turned around and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jamie walking between a group of people on the sidewalk to get to her. She knew Frank said he was okay, but it made her breathe easier to see him with her own eyes.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, he pulled her toward him for a tight hug. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she buried her face in his shirt uniform and took a deep breath; the crisp clean scent of his detergent mixed with the faint spicy scent of his cologne instantly calmed her.

"Did your dad call you?" Noelle pulled back to look at him.

"Yeah." Jamie nodded. "He was acting weird, a little mysterious- like he does sometimes, and the first thing I thought-"

"Me too," she interrupted, knowing that his first thoughts went to her- just like hers went to him. "What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know." He shook his head.

"Do you- Do you think it could be about Jimmie?" she questioned. Maybe he had hurt someone else or maybe he sent something to threaten Jamie again.

"I don't know," he repeated. "But if so, why wouldn't he just tell us over the phone?"

She shrugged. "Who knows. Like you said, your dad is mysterious sometimes."

"Yeah." He agreed with a nod.

Wrapping an arm around her, he began to lead her down the sidewalk. He figured it would be quicker for them to walk to the café than driving through the bumper to bumper traffic.

The two had only been walking a few minutes and he could swear she was even more nervous than when he first arrived at her work. They still had a good bit of walking left to do and if she stayed lost in her own thoughts, he hated to see what kind of shape she would be in once they made it to the restaurant.

He needed to distract her, get her mind to think of something else- maybe an old memory he knew would make her laugh.

"You know, one of the last time he called us like this was to confront us about drinking a bottle of his favorite liquor," he said, getting her attention.

"Oh, god, yes, I remember that." She chuckled and leaned into his side. "It was senior skip day and we stole a bottle-"

"Whoa, wait, we?" He turned his head to look at her. "What is this talk of we? You stole the bottle."

"You told me where it was hidden!" she pointed out. "And you helped drank it, so you are just as guilty, Jams."

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled as he playfully rolled his eyes. He would never forget sitting on the couch beside her as his father stood in front of them and waited for one of them to break first.

"We thought we were being so sneaky by pouring some in our fountain drink cups." She laughed as the memory hit her. "We had tossed some snacks in my oversized bag and was going to go see a discounted movie-"

"But then Joe surprised us with tickets to a game," he finished for her. "He said it was the only way to do ditch day right. What's better than sun, baseball, and hot dogs?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded. "And usually that would be the recipe for a perfect day...if I didn't have too much to drink."

"I told you, you added too much to your cup," he pointed out, just like he did that day many years ago, earning an eye roll from her just like that day.

"Whatever." She scoffed. "At least I learned my lesson that day. I couldn't even enjoy the game or the food because I was too busy trying to keep down everything I had eaten that day."

"Joe learned a lesson that day too." Jamie laughed as she shot him a look- not happy about that part of the story being brought up. She honestly wanted to forget that part.

After watching the game leaned against Jamie with sunglasses covering her eyes and a hat pulled down as low as it could go, Joe had asked his brother what was wrong with her later on while they walked to the car. Not wanting to tattle on his friend, all Jamie said was she wasn't feeling good.

Hating to see her down, Joe tried to cheer her up with a box of Cracker Jack. When that didn't work, he playfully poked her stomach, trying to make her laugh, but instead resulted in her throwing up on his shoes.

"Ugh," Noelle groaned and laid a hand over her face for a moment. "That will forever be one of my most embarrassing days ever."

"Yeah, I'm sure Joe wasn't a fan of the day either." He chuckled. "I know I wasn't."

"Why? You weren't violently sick or thrown up on that day."

"I was a little," he said, causing her to turn her head to look at him. "I didn't get it as bad as Joe, but I got hit too."

"Ew, gross!" A chuckle escaped her lips as she gave his middle a small squeeze. "I'm sorry, honey. Trust me, I didn't mean to do that on either of you that day. It's not like I woke up planning to do that."

Laughing at her comment, he shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay. Sadly, it's not the first time I witnessed you throwing up all over the place."

"I remember that too." She nodded, knowing he was referring to the time she caught a bad stomach virus. He had come over to check on her since she was out of school that day and once he found out she was sick, he wanted to help take care of her, even though she warned him he might catch it.

He said he didn't care, she was his best friend and this is what best friends do. She remembered he spent the day laying in bed watching movies with her. He even rubbed a hand up and down her back to comfort her as she slept on his chest until she had to run to the bathroom several times to vomit.

Wrinkling her nose in thought, she turned her head to look at him again. "You know, now that I think about it, you were there for a lot of my embarrassing and gross moments."

"I think I was." He nodded his head in agreement, then added sarcastically, "Lucky me."

"How do you put up with me?" she joked as their steps slowed down once the café came into view.

"I ask myself the same question," he playfully said while dropping a kiss on top of her head, then reaching out and opening the door to the restaurant.

Jamie laid a hand on the small of her back to usher her inside, then removed the cap from his head after he walked in behind her. Spying his father toward the back of the room, Jamie began to lead her toward him.

Once her eyes landed on Frank, he heard her pull in a deep breath and knew her mind was racing again. Reaching out he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, hoping to give her some comfort.

He was also curious about why his father wanted to meet with them, but unlike her- his mind didn't go straight to worst case scenarios- he was trying to stay positive and strong for her.

"Hey, Dad. What's going on?" Jamie asked as they approached the table the older man was sitting at.

Frank raised his head at the question, giving them a small nod. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course," Noelle mumbled as she sat down in the chair beside him while Jamie sat down across from her on Frank's other side.

Frank could feel their eyes on him as they waited for him to announce why they were there, but he was still waiting on one more person.

With that thought in mind, he turned his head to look at Noelle for a moment, then turned to look over at his son. "Erin's going to join us."

"Oh," Jamie mouthed, feeling even more confused. Why would his dad need to meet with him, Noelle and Erin?

He hated to admit it, but his nerves were starting to get to him. He wanted to have hope that everything was okay, but he was starting to get a bad feeling, and one quick look over at Noelle made him see that she was feeling the same way.

"Want something to eat?" Frank questioned his son, hoping to break the tense silence.

"No. I'm good. I got to get back," Jamie answered. After getting the call from Frank, he asked Renzulli if he could leave the desk long enough to meet his dad.

"What about you?" Frank turned his head to look at Noelle.

"I'm not hungry." Noelle shook her head, causing both men to look at her with a shocked look on their faces. It was rare that she would turn down food, but her stomach was in too many knots to even try to force something down.

As Jamie continued to look at her, the shocked look switching over to concern, Erin arrived and began to walk over to them. She smiled at the group until she noticed the looks on their faces, causing her to slowly sit down in the chair beside Noelle.

"Something's happened?" Erin guessed, her heart racing in her chest as she wondered who was in trouble.

"They have Linda," Frank quietly said, getting straight to the point now that everyone was there.

"Oh, my god," Noelle breathed out as tears filled her eyes. She didn't have to ask him who 'they' were. After hearing all about Raymundo Salazar from her father, she assumed Salazar and his crew were the 'they' he spoke of and from the looks on Jamie and Erin's face, she could tell that was exactly what they were thinking as well.

"What about the boys?" Jamie questioned, hoping like hell that they weren't taken too. From what he had heard about Salazar, the man was ruthless and would do anything to remain free.

"They're safe. They're with Pop," Frank answered, causing them all to blow out a sigh of relief at the news- at least the kids were safe.

"What are we going to do?" Erin asked, her mind racing as she tried to think of legal ways she could help, maybe some contacts she could turn to.

"Well, it is, um...my considered opinion that if this gets out, if the media gets ahold of it, she won't have much of a chance," Frank stated, letting them know they needed to stay quiet about this- if the wrong person overheard anything it could be disastrous for Linda.

"She has- She has to be okay. She has to be found. The longer she's out there alone, the longer she..." Noelle began to say until her voice cracked with emotion. She knew how it felt to be taken and locked up somewhere; all the thoughts and fears that raced through your mind the longer you were gone. She didn't want that for Linda- she wouldn't want that for anyone.

As her vision blurred from unshed tears, she felt Erin slip an arm around her shoulder while Jamie reached across the table to lay his hand on top of hers.

When she heard Frank speak, his voice confident as he promised they would find Linda, she turned her head to look at him. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling several tears roll down her face before she opened them and saw Frank looking back at her.

"This family is not losing anyone else," Frank stated, referring to Linda and anyone else who might be in danger in the future- including her. He had already lost a wife and a son, he wasn't going to bury anyone else anytime soon. "No one will ever be lost, because we will never stop looking."

•••

After leaving the restaurant, Noelle went back to work in a daze. She tried to jump back into autopsies and paperwork but was having a hard time concentrating. Every time Linda crossed her mind, she would flashback to when Jimmie had her locked in that house. She would remember how hopeless she felt the longer he had her and no help was coming.

Being locked away messed with your perception of time- the cops guessed Jimmie had her for about eight to nine days since she couldn't really remember the date he grabbed her, but it felt more like eight to nine months as she sat in that basement and watched the sun rise and sun set over and over again.

Hearing a few co-workers outside her office chatting as they began to leave work, she glanced at the time and noticed several hours had passed. She turned her head toward the window and noticed for the first time that it was dark out- she was so out of it, she never noticed the sun going down and darkening the room.

Standing up from her desk, she reached out to turn the monitor off, then grabbed a folder that held the autopsy report of the guy that was shot and had died in Danny's arms. She slipped the folder into her bag, then left the building with only one destination in mind.

By the time she arrived at the 54th Precinct, most of the detectives had already gone home for the evening or was out on a case, but she assumed that Danny would still be there. She had a feeling he probably hadn't left much unless it involved the case and she figured he didn't want to go home until Linda was there. Finding his wife was his top priority, nothing else mattered right now.

Turning a corner, she paused for a moment and watched Danny typing on the keyboard before glancing up to read the brightly lit monitor in front of him. She saw him blow out a breath, then lean back against the chair in frustration when he didn't find what he was looking for.

As she began to walk over toward him, he raised his head when he heard the click of high heels against the floor. He gave her a nod in greeting but didn't say anything as she came to a stop beside his desk.

"Where's Jackie?" Noelle questioned, wondering where his partner was.

"Uhh..." Danny's voice trailed off as he glanced around the empty room for a moment, realizing she was gone. He vaguely remembered her saying something to him earlier before she left. He tried to remember exactly what she said.

"I think she went to grab some food," he guessed.

"Oh." Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the folder to hand to him. "I have the autopsy report for David Taylor. I dunno if there will be anything in here that helps you find Linda, but I thought maybe you wanted to see it."

"Thanks," he mumbled as he took it from her hands. He wasn't hopeful about finding a clue in the report, but he was desperate enough to look anywhere.

After glancing over the report and not seeing anything he didn't already know, he closed it and set it down on the desk as she softly spoke up.

"Have you heard anything? From Linda? The men who took her?"

"No," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not since yesterday. I called her phone when the officers I sent to grab her said she wasn't there and one of Salazar's men answered. I called her number again this morning and left a message demanding they show me proof of..." He paused for a moment as his voice went out.

He swallowed hard, trying to get control of his emotions. "I told them I want proof of life, but I never heard anything back."

"And I'm assuming you've already put a trace on her phone?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "First call pinged off a tower near the Third Avenue Bridge. The second one, the FDR tower in Harlem, then we lost the ping. It was probably because her phone went dead."

"That phone is always going dead," she said, a small chuckle escaped her lips. "She scared the crap out of me one day. She had called and as soon as I answered it, the call was dropped because the phone had shut off. I kept trying to call her back, but it went straight to voicemail. I was about to call you to see what the hell was going on, but she finally called me back once she got home."

"Yeah, if I don't remind her to charge it every night, the phone is basically worthless." He couldn't count the times their conversations were cut off because of her cell phone.

"She's going to be okay, Danny. You will find her," she said confidently as she laid a hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him. If there was one thing she knew, it was that Danny wouldn't give up- he would bring his wife home.

Danny nodded his head at her words, appreciating the gesture, but didn't say anything back in return. He was silent for a moment as his mind began to wander, he couldn't help but wonder what was going through his wife's mind at this very moment.

He knew she was brave and would never show weakness to her captures, but what was she thinking when she was alone- when she could let her fears run and worry about her situation. Unfortunately, he knew no one could answer that, no one could tell him exactly what she was thinking.

Sensing Noelle standing beside him, he couldn't help but think that maybe there was someone who could give him an idea of what Linda could be going through. There was someone who could tell him how it felt to be jerked away from everyone you love and held captured for a certain number of days. Someone who could answer one of the millions of fears running through his head.

"What were you thinking?" Danny questioned as he stared straight ahead in thought. For a moment she wasn't even sure if he was speaking to her until his eyes cut over to where she was standing.

"What?" Noelle asked confused.

"Listen, I don't mean to be insensitive or bring up a traumatic time in your life, but..." he began to say, before leaning forward.

He rested his elbows on his knees; the look on his face breaking her heart- she hadn't seen him this low ever. Even when Joe died, he put on a brave face during the funeral for the family, he had wanted to be strong for them, but this was harder to get a handle on.

Raising his head to look at her, he continued, "When you were taken... What were you thinking? What was going through your mind?"

"I kept hoping someone would save me. I wanted to see my parents, your family... Jamie," she said, her voice getting lower the longer she spoke.

Leaning against the desk, she glanced down to look at her hands as she nervously began to play with them as all the memories hit her at once; like the sounds of nature outside the window, letting her know she was in the middle of nowhere alone with a madman. The feel of cold metal of the cuff around her ankle or the hard mattress she sat on as she cried daily until she ran out of tears.

All of those memories and many more were stuck in her head- and one of her many fears was that they would never leave her. She feared that certain sounds or smells would always send her back to that house. There was a certain floral scent- the detergent she guessed Jimmie used, that always sent her into a panic whenever she smelt it while out in public.

Remembering that she was talking to Danny, she turned her head to look at him, tears filled her eyes as she whispered out, "I just wanted to go home."

"It was days before you were rescued, right?" When she nodded her head to answer, he added, "Were you still thinking that then? Did you believe help was coming?"

She was quiet for a moment, making him think she wasn't going to answer. It's not that she wanted to ignore his question, she just didn't want to go back to those dark thoughts, but she knew it was healthy to talk about it- it was the only way to heal.

Blowing out a breath, she shook her head and began to speak, her voice cracking with emotion, "Toward the end, on the days when I got really down...I couldn't- I couldn't see it anymore. I couldn't see my home, I couldn't see those moments that got me through the first few days. I couldn't see Mom or Dad or-or your family; like the Sunday family dinners, the birthdays, the game nights...all of it. It was just gone."

Feeling tears roll down her face, she quietly added, "I couldn't see Jamie...I couldn't see him pleading with me to keep going...to hang on a little longer. I had-I had nothing."

Getting emotional, she lowered her head, allowing her hair to shield her face until she got herself under control. She wiped away the tears from her face, then brushed her hair back and lifted her head- her voice small as she admitted the thought she had never spoken out loud.

"On the really bad days, the only hope I had was hoping I would just die...'cause only then would it all be over. The nightmare would finally stop and I could be free."

Hearing Danny pulled in a quick breath from her confession, she turned her head to look at him and saw how badly her words had affected him. She knew he was thinking of his wife, causing her to quickly shake her head.

"But, Linda knows you're coming for her. She won't- She won't think that, Danny, she knows. She knows you'll save her and she won't give up on that hope."

Danny didn't say anything back as he stood up with such force it rolled the chair backward. She lowered her eyebrows in confusion, wondering what he was doing when he took a step toward her until she felt him fold his arms around her and pull her against his chest to hold her.

Her vision blurred as she wrapped her arms around his middle, gripping onto her arms to hold on to him tighter as she tried to push away all the bad memories to be in the right mindset to comfort him during this emotional time. She needed to be strong for him and for Linda.

Her words earlier hurt him- they shattered his heart and bruised his soul. Just knowing those thoughts had crossed her mind, knowing she had gotten that low to the point where she didn't even want to live because that would have been easier than feeling like she would never be saved- that confession had destroyed him.

Growing up, she had become just as important to him as his other siblings, and he had always promised to protect them all. If anyone messed with one of them, he was there to back them up or if one of them were injured, he would rush to their side to help any way he could, but the one time she needed protecting the most- he couldn't help her; none of them could and for a moment that left her thinking that no one cared enough to save her.

"I'm sorry, Little Bit," he whispered as he laid a hand on the back of her head like he was cradling her.

"For what?" she asked confused as she pulled back to look at him. She thought this was for him- she thought she was comforting him; so why was he apologizing?

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." He wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry none of us were there."

"It's okay," she quietly said as she gave him a small shake of the head. She had never blamed any of them for that, but he quickly stopped her from brushing it all aside.

"It's not okay," he stated. "Noelle, you're family... You have always been family to all of us, and family is supposed to be there, they're supposed to protect each other, but we couldn't protect you from this."

"You didn't know," she pointed out. "None of you knew how bad it got and I didn't say anything because I just kept hoping...hoping he would stop and it would all end."

When she saw him about to argue and throw out more of his guilt, she cut him off, "And you all just lost Joe. The last thing I wanted to do was add more grief to your lives."

Hoping to get through to him, she grabbed on to his arms to give him a small shake. "So whatever guilt you are feeling, Danny, let it go. What happened to me is not your fault and what is happening to Linda now is not your fault either."

Getting to what was bothering him the most, she added, "You know she wouldn't want you sitting around and wallowing in guilt. She wants you out there kicking ass and doing your job...in a safe way of course, so she doesn't have to slap you in the head later for being reckless."

Hearing him letting out a small chuckle, she smiled and squeezed his arm. "You're going to bring her home, Danny. I know it, the family knows it... Even Linda knows it."

After he nodded his head at her comment, she added, "Now push all the negativity aside and get the job done, Detective Reagan. If anyone can save the damsel and slay the dragon, it's you."

"Thanks, Little Bit." He smiled before kissing the side of her head. Her little pep talk was the kick in the ass he needed- she was right, he couldn't sit around and dwell on the past or present; he just needed to find his wife and lock those criminals up for life.

"You're welcome." She flashed him a smile, then took a few steps and turned back to look at him. "I'm going to head home, but if you need anything you know how to reach me."

He nodded his head to let her know he would, then told her bye as she began to walk away. Before she left the main room, he called out her name, then waited for her to turn around.

"I won't let you down a second time, Little Bit."

"You never have, Danny Boy," she said with a shake of the head. "You've always had my back and I know you always will."

"You damn right. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried." He reached out to grab the phone on his desk, planning to jump back into the case- trying to find any little piece of information or clue that would give him the answers he needs. Someone out there knew something, and he was going to find that person and force them to talk.

"Good to know." She laughed as she continued to walk away and threw a hand up to wave bye to him.

If there was one thing she knew- she knew that Danny would not stop until Raymundo Salazar and his men were behind bars and his wife was back at home where she belongs.

•••

Noelle was halfway home when she heard her phone go off and pull her away from her thoughts. She reached into her bag in the passenger seat to dig out the phone.

Pulling her eyes away from the road for a moment, she glanced at the phone and softly smiled when she saw it was Jamie calling her.

"Hey," Noelle greeted when she answered the called.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Jamie asked.

"Okay." Blowing out a breath, she added, "Just a long day, you know?"

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Any word on Linda?"

"No." She sighed. "But Danny is on the case." She smiled, remembering the pep talk she gave him and the determined look on his face as she left the precinct.

"Nol..." he softly said, before she cut him off.

"Jamie, don't." He knew all of this brought up bad memories for her, but she couldn't get into that at the moment- which is what she told him as she asked him to drop it for now.

"Where are you?" he asked instead, changing the subject at her request.

"Headed home," she answered. "What about you?"

"On the way to Dad's to pick up the boys," he said. "I offered to watch them tonight, give Grandpa a break."

"I'm sure they'll love hanging out with their Uncle Jamie." She smiled. "What do you have planned?"

"Movies, lots of junk food and pizza."

"Sounds like a typical night in for me," she joked, causing him to laugh.

"Do you want to crash our slumber party?" he questioned, hoping she would.

Between his nightmares lately, Linda being taken and knowing Jimmie was still out there sulking in the shadows, he would feel a lot better having her by his side as much as possible. Plus he knew she could use the distraction.

"Only if I can do your nails again," she joked.

"Hell no! I let you do that once in 6th grade and I never lived it down," he exclaimed, causing her to crack up laughing at the memory.

Her mother had given her a small nail polish kit for her birthday, but being the little tomboy that she was back then, she didn't want to paint her own nails, so she begged Jamie to let her paint his instead.

"But you were so cute with the pink sparkly polish, Jams." She chuckled.

"You're horrible," he groaned. "Remind me why I keep you around?"

"'Cause I'm awesome?"

"Not that awesome," he joked.

"'Cause I'm funny?"

"You are definitely not funny."

"Is it because you're the J-Boy to my Kid Kelley?" she questioned, then added, "Can't be a superhero duo, when I'm an uno."

Laughing at her comment, he said, "Maybe it's because you're a dork. Maybe that's why I keep you around."

"Could be, could be..." Her voice trailed off as if she was in deep thought, then she let out a gasp. "Oh no wait, I got it! Is it because you love me?"

"Yes, there it is. That's the reason." Jamie smiled. "I fell in love with a big dork, and she has been a big part of my life for so long, I can't imagine living without her."

"Aw," Noelle cooed. "Cute, Jams, really cute."

"Yeah? So how did I do?" he joked referring to his comment before.

"The beginning was a little shaky, but you stuck the landing."

"Another win for J-Boy," he said, hearing her laugh.

Getting back to his original question, he asked, "So you coming over tonight?" When he heard her let out a hum as she pretended to think it over, he added, "I'll grab an order of cupcakes on the way home."

"You always did know the way to my heart, Jameson Reagan."

"That's 'cause I got your heart, Noelle Kelley."

"Wow, you are on a roll tonight, honey."

He laughed at her comment. "So I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, I'm still going to stop by my place first," she said, wanting to check on her dog and Spencer. She also wanted to take a hot shower and change out of her work clothes, which she explained to him.

"Okay, but if you make it there before me, just let yourself in." He had recently given her a key to his place since she had been staying there so much after he was released from the hospital. He never wanted her to have to sit around in her car to wait for him.

"Okay, I will." She nodded out of habit, knowing he couldn't see her over the phone.

Seeing her apartment building coming into view, she added, "I probably will make it there before you. I'm about to pull into my place and it shouldn't take me that long..."

Her voice trailed off when her phone beep, letting her know she had another call coming in.

She told Jamie to hold on for a minute as she parked the car, then glanced at the phone to see who was calling. Seeing it was her co-worker, she placed the phone back against her ear and sighed.

"Actually it's gonna be longer than I thought."

"Why? What's going on?" he questioned.

"Will's calling. Which can only mean one thing-"

"A body call," he finished for her.

"Right," she breathed. "So, I'll get there when I get there."

"Okay, I'll save a cupcake for you," he promised.

"There better be more than one, Jams, or there will be hell to pay," she playfully warned.

"I'll save them all for you just to be safe."

"Wise man." She laughed.

As the laughter died down, she thought about how lucky she was- how Jamie was always there for her. Rather she was happy, mad, scared or sad, it didn't matter...he always knew the right thing to do.

Earlier that day, she knew he was distracting her with a funny memory as they walked to the café because he didn't want her to worry herself sick. Even now, he knew when to not push her and to just be there, be the constant she needed in her life, be the one person she always knew she can count on.

Growing serious, she softly said, "I love you, Jamie."

Smiling at her words, he said back, "I love you too, Nol."

Without another word, she ended the call and switched over to answer her co-worker, calling out a friendly greeting.

"Hey, I know you already left for the day, but we got a body and I was told you were on call tonight-"

"It's fine," she said, cutting him off. "Where and what?"

"59th Street Bridge," he answered. "An unidentified female."

"What?" she breathed out, feeling like she had been punched in the stomach. That was around the area that Linda's cell phone had last bounced off a tower.

"Yeah, from the sounds of it, it's pretty horrible," he said, not realizing how badly this was affecting her. "A Hummer was set on fire with a woman inside."

"Oh, my god," she muttered as she raked a hand through her hair and felt it shake. It couldn't be Linda, it can not be her. She was coming home, Danny was going to find her and bring her home.

"Hey, you okay?" Will questioned, hearing her breathing pick up as she tried to control her emotions. "If you need me to call someone else-"

"No!" Noelle cut him off. "I'm coming. I'll-I'll be there. I'll meet you there."

"Okay, see you there," he said back, before ending the call.

Noelle stared straight ahead, as if in a daze and slowly lowered the phone from her ear. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had always feared the day that she would get the call to come pick up a body of someone she knew and loved- she had always dreaded it would be her brother's body, but now she could possibly be arriving on the scene and finding Linda brutally murdered.

She didn't know if she could do this. She knew this was her job, she had arrived at several crime scenes to look over a body through the years, then later had to do the autopsy, but it was easier to do it for someone you didn't know.

It was a bit easier to learn about the person as you did the job and found answers for the cops and the family, but this was something completely different- this was someone she already knew, someone who had been in her life for years.

Reaching out, she put the car in reverse and began to back out of the parking space. As hard as it was going to be, she knew it was something she needed to do.

If it was Linda, she would rather be the one to find her and find the answers that would lock the monsters that hurt her up for life. She would help the family grieve as they lost another member; keeping some of the more violent details away from certain ones, but above all- if it was Linda, she would tell her final story.

She would make sure Linda Reagan was not remembered for how she died, but for the loving woman she was.

•••

A/N; Thank you to everyone reading!

Happy reading!
xx