Pillow Talk

In the Box

Jamie popped the tops off of two bottles of stout and dropped onto the couch next to Eddie. This week they were holed up at his place after tour trying to mix up to locations they frequented so they wouldn't be found out before they were ready to go public with their relationship.

Given Eddie's insecurities that were coming to the forefront more and more as they spent time together it would be a while before she felt secure enough to make it known they had changed their relationship.

Jamie tilted his bottle towards Eddie's bottle and clinked the glass, "To my girlfriend and partner, fundraiser of the year!" They each took a long sip of their beers. "I am so proud of what you did today, Eddie," Jamie declared. "You worked so hard to raise that money and make sure that Reginald Jackson had a proper burial...I love you for that Eddie, but I worry about you a little bit for that stuff too."

"You worry about me? Why? I just wanted to do the right thing."

"I know that, babe, I do," Jamie replied softly. "But sometimes, you remind me a little bit of me when I was first on the beat. That idealism got me burned a couple of times, I don't want you to feel like I felt when it backfired on me that's all."

Eddie smiled up at Jamie, "I know that, but it's part of who I am and if I get burned, I have you there right. I have to try to help people Jamie. I have to try to do good things for people."

Jamie nodded, he would be there for her no matter what. He put his arm around her and held her as they watched TV and drank their beers. "Are you going to go?" Jamie asked breaking the silence. "To the funeral?"

Eddie shrugged, "I don't know if it is really my place, besides I haven't been to many funerals. I haven't been to any since my Mom died."

Jamie turned to look into Eddie's eyes, "I didn't know your Mom was gone. You never really mentioned her but..."

"She died of heart disease when I was fourteen. After that it was just me and my father until he got himself arrested so it's not something I really advertise. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me."

Jamie kissed Eddie's forehead, "I don't feel sorry for you, sweetheart. I feel even more admiration for you now than I did before."

"You lost your mom young too, it shapes who you are. I know you treat women a little more gently and orphans with that much more understanding than someone else would. I guess that is something else we have in common."

Jamie agreed, "A sad thing but one more thing is right. Eddie, let me ask you a question...Your father had a lot of money that he earned fair and square. I find it hard to take that you didn't have access to three thousand dollars someplace."

"I do," Eddie replied. "I have access to a lot more money than that in stocks, bonds, trust accounts, but to me...it's all dirty money. It belonged to him at one point and even though I am answering a few of his letters, I can't bring myself to utilize anything that belongs to him. It's tainted and if I touch it, my hands are just a filthy as his were."

Eddie visibly shook herself as she spoke and rubbed her arms trying to cleanse herself of how she felt thinking of her father's crimes. Jamie held her closer and rubbed her arms for her, "It might have done good in this case, Eddie. That would be a nice way to maybe make up for some of it, if you used the money to do something good."

"If we didn't raise the money, I would have," Eddie replied. "That woman deserved it, they did nothing wrong, kind of like how I did nothing wrong but paid for his crimes anyway. Thankfully though our fellow officers had bigger hearts than we thought they did."

"This just in," the news caster began. "A hostage standoff at the NYPD 54th Detective Squad has been broke this hour when Senior Major Crimes Detective Maria Baez was freed from a five hour imprisonment by an as yet unnamed suspect..."

"Isn't that Danny's partner?" Eddie asked as both she and Jamie sat up and listened to the news report.

"Yeah, boy, I'm going to get an earful on that at Sunday dinner," Jamie sighed. "Danny had to be out of his mind. He is very protective of his partners."

"Like you are of your partners?" Eddie asked moving a little bit closer to Jamie's side.

"Not as protective as I am of my partners," Jamie replied softening his voice.

"No?" Eddie asked sliding even closer, their lips now a hair apart.

"No..." Jamie replied before tilting his head and claiming her lips in a soft yet urgent kiss.

They had not made that step in their relationship just yet, both wishing to take it slow, but with each searing kiss they grew closer and closer to taking that irrevocable step.

When they broke apart, with their foreheads pressed together, Jamie whispered softly, "If that had been you...I'd probably have gotten you killed, all I'd be able to think of was getting you back in my arms...that's a problem Danny doesn't have even as close as he is with Baez."

Eddie sighed, "I'd be beside myself too...but Jamie I'm..."

"Oh I know...I know," Jamie soothed quickly. "I know you aren't ready yet, but let's just make a pact now that if one of us ends up in that kind of hot water we just come clean with whoever is in charge so someone with a clear head can take over. That's the best way to make sure we get back to each other."

Eddie bit her lip, "Okay...that's fair. I can live with that...especially because, even after just a couple of weeks, I need you so much Jamie. I really do."

Jamie sighed and pulled Eddie onto his lap, "I need you too, Janko. I don't know if I'd be able to go on if something happened to you like it did to Vinny."

Eddie reached up and caressed Jamie's cheek, "You won't ever have to find out. I promise you that...I'm not going to leave you...not ever..."

Jamie's lips once again met Eddie's as he sighed and echoed her sentiment with his kiss.