Files and Fistcuffs {TAGGED}

[Deleted]

It was morning, about 10am, James had arrived at the FBI HQ to deliver files on a case he'd recently worked jointly with the FBI, the morning at home had gone well and he was in an unusually chipper mood, his work was going well and his family were coming home - what could go wrong?

After the usual security checks James headed to reception and grinned at the woman staring up at him as he showed his ID and badge "Files for Agent Daniels" James said as he leaned on the desk in front of him, beside him was his pile of boxes - or rather, boxes to annoy Daniels with, he'd asked for the file AND evidence, but hadn't specified what, so James had brought everything. Besides, he was nice - he was actually sharing.

The woman regarded him "PD?"

"Yeah, Daniels requested the files on the case we're both working on" James replied simply and the woman hmmed as she glanced at her computer "Call him" James suggested and the woman rolled her eyes, she knew what he was talking about - she was just being mean "He's downstairs" she replied "Basement level, conference room three, they've set up there"

"Thank you" James replied sweetly as he took the ID badge she handed him "Have a nice day"

The woman snorted shaking her head, James grinned - clipping the badge to his jacket he picked up the pile and carried it through the now open side gate and walked to the elevator.

Once inside he managed to press the button for the basement, once down he headed for the conference room and met the Agent there "You got a nice receptionist up there mate" James commented strolling in, Daniels looked up from where he was pouring over files and rose a brow "You mean Sharon? She's had a rough morning" he replied and James shook his head dumping the boxes on the desk "Here you are"

Daniels looked at them incredulously "Serious?"

"You asked for everything we have" James replied smugly shrugging and Daniels shook his head "Get outta here" he jabbed at the doorway with his thumb.

James smirked and strolled out, as he walked he heard thumping of fists against leather and curiously strolled over to have a look, he found himself staring through the doors of what looked like a training room and in the far corner he could see Josh.

He'd seen him the other day, just briefly - not long enough to speak to each other but - it had become clear Josh was avoiding him, after getting him to the hospital after their meal James had not seen Josh since.

Not that he was impressed, he pushed open the doors and stepped inside, as they closed behind him James pushed his hands inside his trouser pockets and regarded Josh for a moment. It had been a while since he'd seen Josh train, after working for so long together he had hoped to reconnect with his friend, but their reunion hadn't gone great. 

"You're doing a good job on that bag" James commented, casually - finally speaking.

Josh Cameron

[Josh Cameron]

Josh was working off his frustrations, he had been for a run but that hadn’t settled him enough and the last thing anyone needed was him being twitchy. Ironic that the sight of a friend had unsettled him, well he thought he was a friend until a fight landed him in hospital and since then Josh was debating another job and a city just to get away from that person. Every punch he landed on the bag felt good but it did nothing to stop his mind from going through every possibility.

It started with his parents, then James, then his wife and now at the first sign of instability he needed a change. Take a test, move around run away from it all and hope that trouble didnt follow him. He knew he couldnt afford another mistake like meeting James for a dinner to talk. Then for the guy to show up at scene he was at, it just got better and better which was why he was landing punches on a leather bag rather than the person he felt abandoned him just like everyone else did.

People moved on, he understood that he had just never been great with the whole dealing with it side. He moved if others did, it was how he ended up at the FBI in the first place. James left and he needed a change of scenery a new job and no reminder of the past. It was how he worked and managed to stay one step ahead in life, if he didnt let people in then they didnt hurt. He had never been good with the first part of that either so getting hurt was something that happened with far more frequency that he was willing to admit.

He was still mad about what had happened, James had left and instead of shutting his mouth about it he had too much and ended up fighting. The negotiator that couldnt even negotiate himself, that was ironic he thought as he punched the bag a little harder. It was then he heard that voice, the all too familiar voice that caused him to pause for a moment. Josh looked toward the floor before he picked his head up and looked straight back at the punching bag again.

Josh went back to punching it without taking a look at James, he would know that voice anywhere though he simply chose to ignore it. “It’s what I do remember.” He snarked, usually Josh had time for people and yes he was a little rigid in his way of doing things but at the end of the day he was there for people who needed him. James however had left and now if he thought that he could just walk into his training and be friendly, yeah not going to happen at all. They had fought for a reason and saying sorry, yeah he was far too stubborn to admit he was in the wrong. Not when his friend had abandoned him just like everyone else did.

[Deleted]

James Reagan

tag

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“It’s what I do remember.”

James knew better than to close the distance, right now he was still a reasonable distance away that both could react if the other went for him - not that James wanted to go for Josh, but judging by the way Josh continued to pound the bag James knew it wouldn't take long before Josh either stopped pounding the bag or started pounding him.

James knew Josh's history, knew he had issues - mostly about abandonment, Josh knew full well why James had left but seemed to have forgotten - but James couldn't blame Josh regardless, they were supposed to be tight.

"We gotta talk Josh" James said quietly "What happened at the restaurant, it doesn't matter" it never mattered, James had gotten over it quickly but when he never heard back from Josh James realised that his friend was still beat up about it.

"Look at me man" James said moving forward a little - the room was big but not huge - James and Josh had trained in bigger.

He didn't want to antagonise Josh, but he wanted the issue resolved - he wanted his friend back, he needed his friend. Josh had been the one to take him home after his wife died, in fact Josh had been with him through a lot, so now he was going to throw that down the drain?

No he couldn't allow that.

notes

♡

[Josh Cameron]

Josh knew the reasons why James had left, he wasn’t entirely sure that he wouldnt have done the exact same thing if all that had happened to him but it didnt make it any easier. Josh had considered James to be family and now well all of that was gone because of what happened. Just like before Josh had trusted someone and they had gone and left, the key to the story was not to trust anyone and never let anyone that close ever again. It was an easy fix but it was something he had struggled with.

Perhaps he was the fairytale type, the one that believed against all odds that things would change but life so far had only shown him it didnt. When James spoke about talking he simply rolled his eyes and kept punching the bag, talking got them where the hospital and this time he was stone cold sober and working so a hospital visit was out of the question. Josh just kept pounding the bag harder as James brought up the restaurant. No that was a distant memory or rather he hadn’t much of a memory of it just what he had found out.

Suddenly the room was starting to feel smaller and smaller as James spoke again about looking at him. Josh stop punching the bag and turned on his heels to glare at James as he held out his glove covered fist at arms length. “Don’t come any closer. Better yet just walk the other way.” Josh warned the man wanting him to be at least at arms distance away just in case.

He wasn’t intoxicated however he didnt want to take the risk of what might happen if his emotions got the better of him. A knocked out CPD officer in the training room was going to be a tough one to explain, the usual ‘my hand slipped’ wasn’t exactly going to cover it. “If you want to talk, then talk, because it doesn’t matter to me anymore.” Josh stated knowing it did but who was he kidding, yes he had taken James home after his wife died and things after that but when he had left the face of the earth. That hurt.

[Deleted]

James Reagan

tag

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James regarded Josh silently, carefully, when Josh pointed at him with a gloved hand James rose a brow 

“Don’t come any closer. Better yet just walk the other way.” 

Really? Is that what their friendship now came down to? Threatening? Sure he knew his friend was angry but he wanted him to say it rather than push him away, he wanted to get Josh to let it out of his system. The things he had said in the restaurant had hurt but James hadn't borne a grudge, and he still wouldn't. 

It mattered to James that Josh was ready to throw their entire friendship away, just because James had ran.

James now cautiously stepped forward, he wasn't afraid of Josh - he was his friend, he wasn't going to play the fear card "You know me better than that-" James replied, he hesitated cutting off - realising what he was about to say then continued "You want to make me feel bad for running? Walking away? Sure go ahead, I already feel bad enough, I left so many people behind Josh and they're all hurting - not just you" he knew by continuing to talk he could incur Josh's wrath, he'd probably get a reaction eventually but he was ready  "You know when my wife died, I'd just come back from Bulgaria, I was a mess Josh, I drank away weeks before I realised I needed a fresh start. But I hurt people Josh, hurt so many people, but I was hurting too - you think making me feel bad will take it all back? It won't change what happened Josh, but you want to throw everything we went through together AWAY?!" James was cautiously edging closer but he still wasn't close enough.

"You know I left because of me, not cause of you - You remember what we tell people when they're standing on the edge of the worst moments of their lives? When they're ready to give it all up? When they're so far down the pit that they think it's over?" James' voice was soft as he finally closed the distance and was now standing within arms reach - he was about the same height, size and frame as Josh, they weren't exactly opposite - having gone through the same training "Look at me" If drawing blood was the only way to snap Josh back to reality then so be it - but he still wanted his friend back, James was stubborn, Josh had to remember that.

notes

♡

[Josh Cameron]

Josh was angry and in his eyes it was James who had thrown away their friendship when he had disappeared. There was no just letting out a grudge he had held since the day James disappeared. Josh had let James get close to him and just like everyone else had he just up and left, the worst part was that James was close enough to him to know what had happened in his life. To know things that he hadn’t told another person and now he was stood there wanting to talk to him after all that time.

Josh watched surprised when James took a step forward, “I thought you were smarter than that.” Josh said taking a step back as he knocked into the punching bag as he took a swing at it. “What do you want me to say James, congratulations on making a lot of people miserable when you left? Gold star for that one. Top of your class.” He stated knowing it was harsh but he was angry and upset over what had happened and it didnt just go away with a ‘lets talk’. It was like being on the opposite end of a negotiation and not being able to do a damn thing about it.

He kept himself still in a fear that if he moved it was going to be in James’ direction and after that it was anyone’s guess who was going to win that fight. “No nothing takes it back, thought you were a negotiator you cant take it back just rewrite the ending a little better than the worst case. It wasn’t me who threw it all away James, you did that the minute you chose to run and not say a word. I thought I was your friend, I could have helped but no you ran.” He snapped still annoyed at that fact, it wasn’t the running just the lack of ‘I’m running over here’.

“Dont you school me on what we say. This isn’t my worst day by far, getting dropped by someone you trust. That was a bad day.” He snapped glaring at James as he was now a little too close for his liking. His anger was all he had left to hold onto when it came to James, the rest of it well he hadn’t a clue if it was still there because it had been a while. He had to get on with his life and much like that he had swapped out to join the FBI because it was what he did best. Something bad happens, he makes a move in whatever way possible for a fresh start.

Josh stared at James when he said look at him, his stare was filled with the hurt and anger over what had happened. “See there you go, find what you were looking for? Happy now? Or are you just back to leave again and see what happens this time?” He asked harshly though he was too riled up not to ask the stupid questions he had answers to.

[Deleted]

James Reagan

tag

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“I thought you were smarter than that.” 

James remained silent, watchful.

“What do you want me to say James, congratulations on making a lot of people miserable when you left? Gold star for that one. Top of your class.”

Josh’s words stung but James remained silent, waiting.

“No nothing takes it back, thought you were a negotiator you cant take it back just rewrite the ending a little better than the worst case. It wasn’t me who threw it all away James, you did that the minute you chose to run and not say a word. I thought I was your friend, I could have helped but no you ran.”

James waited, he wanted Josh to speak first, get it out of his system and if James had to push harder he would, but he hoped he wouldn’t have to.

“Dont you school me on what we say. This isn’t my worst day by far, getting dropped by someone you trust. That was a bad day.”

Yeah, James knew that already.

“See there you go, find what you were looking for? Happy now? Or are you just back to leave again and see what happens this time?”

When Josh finally looked at him James was silent, evidently Josh wanted the hard way “You know when you got me out of that room after I saw that video, it was the worst day for me. I wasn’t thinking straight - about anything or anyone, I’d just come back from Bulgaria, straight into a case, barely saw my wife, you want to talk about leaving suddenly?" James' breath caught for a moment as he dove straight for the part that hurt him the most "Think how it might have felt having your wife snatched away from you before you barely get a chance to say ‘I love you’ and ‘goodbye’ you think I was thinking about anyone else when my wife died? You wanted me to say what? Sorry Mya, sorry kids, Josh is far more important?” James’ emotions were touching the edge, Josh was the only one who had seen James emotional and he was only comfortable doing it in front of Josh “You think I had the energy to think over what I was doing? I ran cause I was afraid, I didn’t run to you because believe it or not I didn’t want to drag ANYONE down with me, I really believed that - believed that I needed to keep everyone far from me. You think it was easy admitting I became an alcoholic? The idea of returning to work and facing everyone after you’d spent eight weeks drinking everything away?  it scared me Josh! More than anything I couldn't handle the fact that people would see the negotiator who talked down alcoholics became one HIMSELF!" A beat "I saw a chance to make a start, a clean slate - I took it cause at the time I believed that it was the best thing to do, at the time"

Now James' voice got a more emotional edge "So you want to hold it against me? Hold it against me - But I'm not leaving Chicago again, I decided to come home Josh, believe it or not I stopped running. You want to sacrifice everything cause you're holding a grudge? You want me to feel bad for grieving? Sure go for it" he snapped. Yes he was switching between angry and emotional - Josh had touched a nerve.

notes: I get the feeling James is going to push harder ... xD

♡

[Josh Cameron]

Josh listened to James he was still mad about how things had happened but then it was a while ago now. Then again he was good at holding a grudge. “Yeah, so you know what it is like then. Leaving suddenly without any warning.” He stated deciding that yes it wasn’t about to be over until he had managed to get it out of his system entirely. Josh knew that it was James’ wife that had died, worse than that murdered but it was bad enough knowing that had happened to his friend to then have him just leave like he did.

“No and you have every right to think of just yourself at that time and you know I dont want you to put me before your kids and Mya, I’ve never wanted that.” Josh snapped deciding that was out of line even if he knew his friends emotions were on the edge. “I just wanted my friend to be there, that’s all. You had every right to do what you did but you didnt come back from it. No call, no post card nothing, just nothing.” The leaving it was what everyone did, hell he had lost his wife the minute he set foot out of the country to serve his country.

The divorce papers proved that ten times over. “You talk about dragging people down but you know I’d have followed you anywhere no matter where that was. It’s what friends do but then you wouldnt know that would you. Afraid and alcoholic it didnt matter and doesn’t matter to me because I’d have been there for you if you’d given me half a chance to do so. Instead you ran and hid and didnt say a damn word to me.” Josh still felt hurt over the fact that this was the first time the two had more than two words to say to each other for a long time.

“Yeah well you got your clean slate. The rest of us just got life to get on with in the mean time.” He added as he threw a half hearted punch at the bag for a moment as he turned away. Josh was a fine one to talk as he wrote the book on running, anything happened and he’d do something different. A new job, country or state and that was his rule of life. If people got too close then the running and moving wasn’t too far behind. Josh threw a few more meaningful punches at the bag before he turned to face James again.

He could hear the emotional edge to James’ voice. “Hold it against you, no I dont hold that against you James. You lost your wife, its more than most people get in a life time. You know what I do hold against you?” He asked as if he was going to give James a choice in the answer. “I hold against you the fact that you up and left, you ran and you didnt call your friend. The guy who would have done anything to make sure you were alright. Yeah that I hold against your because that was your choice.” He added knowing that James was snapping but then there were years of hurt feelings involved.

Josh punched the bag a few more times before he whirled around on his heels. “You say your back but for how long? Does anyone from the old team know you’re here? Are you just here because we saw each other today? What makes this time any different James or do I just get the ‘sorry you’re leaving’ card now and just store it for a few weeks?” Josh knew he was being harsh but it had lost his best friend that day, it wasn’t simply just a colleague or another officer it was his best friend and the one person he trusted in life to actually be there. Yeah, he had been wrong on both counts.

“You know what hurts the most, it’s that you think I hold Mya’s death against you. That you think I want you to feel bad for grieving. If you really think that then don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” He stated as coldly as he possibly could which was difficult given the fact his voice was laced with emotion was he turned his back on James and went back to punching the bag as he listened for any sign of what James would do.

Notes: Good luck with the pushing

[Deleted]

James Reagan

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“Yeah, so you know what it is like then. Leaving suddenly without any warning.” “No and you have every right to think of just yourself at that time and you know I dont want you to put me before your kids and Mya, I’ve never wanted that.” “I just wanted my friend to be there, that’s all. You had every right to do what you did but you didnt come back from it. No call, no post card nothing, just nothing.” “You talk about dragging people down but you know I’d have followed you anywhere no matter where that was. It’s what friends do but then you wouldnt know that would you. Afraid and alcoholic it didnt matter and doesn’t matter to me because I’d have been there for you if you’d given me half a chance to do so. Instead you ran and hid and didnt say a damn word to me.” “Yeah well you got your clean slate. The rest of us just got life to get on with in the mean time.” “Hold it against you, no I dont hold that against you James. You lost your wife, its more than most people get in a life time. You know what I do hold against you?” “I hold against you the fact that you up and left, you ran and you didnt call your friend. The guy who would have done anything to make sure you were alright. Yeah that I hold against your because that was your choice.”

James had decided to let him speak, it was only fair as James usually did all the talking, he regarded him quietly.

“You say your back but for how long? Does anyone from the old team know you’re here? Are you just here because we saw each other today? What makes this time any different James or do I just get the ‘sorry you’re leaving’ card now and just store it for a few weeks?”

James glowered slightly, harsh - that was a low blow even for Josh.

“You know what hurts the most, it’s that you think I hold Mya’s death against you. That you think I want you to feel bad for grieving. If you really think that then don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Now James snapped, the emotion had hit him like an ice cold bucket, it wasn't the angry kind of snap - more the emotional overload kind of snap “You’re wrong” he stepped in front of Josh - between the bag and the man - risky move but he now didn’t care “Look at me Josh, I’m sorry I left the way I did. You think I didn’t regret the decision I made? For one whole year I hated myself, hated that I’d ran, hated that I hadn’t told anyone. But after a while I realised I couldn’t keep hating myself, but the idea of coming back home was painful, the idea of reaching out again hurt, everyone and everything would remind me of Mya. I was afraid that if I came back I’d see her everywhere, I was afraid that if I came back you’d all stay away from me. Yeah I know I it was wrong, wrong to leave, wrong not to trust you all to support me, but I was hurting. When someone hurts they don’t think about anyone or anything else. Look Josh, I know I should have thought of you, my team, my friends as well - but sometimes - things make us do stupid things without thinking. When my friend died a few weeks ago, I came back, It hurt but I realised I needed to come home, my kids and I - we healed, and Chicago is home. So you wanna know if they know I’m back? Most of them saw me at HQ, I’ve seen Steph. You wanna know why I’m standing here? Cause I know I hurt you Josh, I know I didn’t do you any favours, I know also that somewhere in that head of yours you know that I didn’t actually mean to hurt you. And you wanna know how long I’m here for? However long I’m allowed to be here for” He regarded Josh, calmly - but his eyes still held that emotion "But I still remember I owe you, I owe you for trying to watch out for me when she died, and I'm sorry I never said thank you. I'm sorry that I walked out on our friendship."

notes: lol it looks like it's James crashing instead - whoopsie

♡

[Josh Cameron]

Wrong? Since when was he wrong. He couldnt ever afford to be wrong as he glared at James deciding the man was either crazy or wanted to be hit as now James was an object between him and the bag he could at least take his frustrations out on. Josh decided that when asked to look at James a glare worked twice as well for him. “Regret, it’s easy to say now when you’ve not been near for how long now?”He asked wanting to be sure of his time scale, it felt like a hell of a long time to him a long time in which he didnt know where his friend was.

“Stay away from you? You’re my friend, my best friend I am right here and you just left. No call, no nothing just gone.” He stated surprised he was using present tense as really he was still mad with James for leaving. “Stupid is a good work, I can live with that.” He added knowing he had a lot more words to describe it but then if James was getting there all on his own he didnt want to bring out the dictionary and hit him with it. Maybe just the definition of it at some point.

“I’m sorry to hear about your friend.” He said genuinely sorry for that, “But it took that for you to come anywhere near? I thought you knew that whatever you needed or wanted I was there but no I heard nothing. It takes a death for you to come back and now you’re telling me you’ve seen everyone from the past and I’m last on your list?” He said deciding to take offence to that too, not that he had much right to as he had disappeared off as fast as he could once he knew that James was at the scene earlier that day.

Hanging around for a friendly reunion hadn’t been on his to do list, not that it was now but then James was pushing his luck stood between him and the one thing he had been beating on ever since he had known that James was back in Chicago. Josh could see the emotion on James’ eyes and he was still trying to mad at James for just about anything he could possibly be because he had beem hurt and letting someone back in after that. Well he had always been rubbish with keeping people out in the first place though he wasn’t going to make it easy on the guy.

No that wasn’t him at all. “I don’t want a thank you James, a ‘hey yeah I’m alive, just kicking back here in who knows where’ would have been all I wanted. Just a smoke signal to say you’re alive and okay, that would been good too but no, all I get is silence and yeah a friend that walked out on a friendship.” He grumbled, Josh took to glaring again feeling himself at war with about every choice he was considering. It was like knowing he wanted to keep the friendship but at the same time he wanted to throw it all away to prove a point.

Josh raised his fist as he slammed it into the punching bag about an inch away from James’ head. Well if that didnt prove his point he thought before he went to hug James. It was more a bear hug, hug the life out of him thing because for the last however long James hadn’t been there and he had a lot of time to make up for not that the man was entirely forgiven but given the emotion in James’ eyes, he was still his friend or at least he hoped so and making his friend cry or emotional wasn’t exactly the best thing to do. Last time in his head James was emotional he made some pretty stupid choices, something that the man had already said himself.

[Deleted]

James Reagan

tag; Josh Cameron,

words

“Regret, it’s easy to say now when you’ve not been near for how long now?” James regarded him quietly, two years - a long time “Stay away from you? You’re my friend, my best friend I am right here and you just left. No call, no nothing just gone.” Now using present tense, James knew what that meant “Stupid is a good work, I can live with that.” James watched Josh’ body language, watching what Josh wasn’t ‘telling him’ James could read Josh easily, after years of doing it on the job, it came naturally “I’m sorry to hear about your friend.” James’ gaze held firm, but there was a slight flicker in his eyes “But it took that for you to come anywhere near? I thought you knew that whatever you needed or wanted I was there but no I heard nothing. It takes a death for you to come back and now you’re telling me you’ve seen everyone from the past and I’m last on your list?” James shook his head, he had to have known Josh would pick at that too “You were the first Josh” James replied gently “The resteraunt, where we met up, I never got a chance to talk cause you were doing most of the talking” yeah Josh had been one of the first James had looked up upon his return, but it hadn’t gone well and then Josh just dropped off the radar, so of course Josh would think he was the last, that or he didn’t remember the night they met up - much. “I don’t want a thank you James, a ‘hey yeah I’m alive, just kicking back here in who knows where’ would have been all I wanted. Just a smoke signal to say you’re alive and okay, that would been good too but no, all I get is silence and yeah a friend that walked out on a friendship.” James regarded him, sure he could have reached out, the SRU had been a whole league of it's own, so once his 6 months training and prep was done James was slammed day in and out - and eventually he'd just eased into work and just focused on that, running from what was trying to bite him at every turn, but once Chris died James was forced to stop, turn and confront what he was running from. As Josh slammed his fist into the punch bag just inches from his head James neither flinched nor reacted, he’d been watching Josh so had been expecting the punch, however he found himself hugging Josh back before stepping back and regarding him “FBI?” he asked with vague amusement.

notes: As this thread is before James transfers to the FBI neither of them know James is going to the FBI - quite some time had passed between this thread and the day he starts at FBI so we'll discuss that xD Maybe Josh could suggest James join the FBI rather than be a cop Just an idea hah

♡

[Josh Cameron]

First, since when was last now first. Josh shook his head until James informed him of the restaurant meeting, he had thought that was just a bad dream until he had woken the next morning. He still wasn’t entirely sure that it had happened but since he brought it up, then maybe he wasn’t last on James’ list. “Yeah until you stopped listening.” He said back knowing he had too much to drink but since when had that bothered him? It wasn’t as if he had a family to go home to, no that option left years ago with his divorce and now he had work.

All that mattered was he was fit for work, strong coffee fixed that right up but then the other yeah best leave that lot alone. Josh had practically done what he did best and taken off, better to leave his issues somewhere he couldnt see then or hear from them. Running was what he did best and after that night, leaving and not looking back seemed as good an idea as any given what he had done to his so called friend. Then again really could anyone blame him? It had been a long time since they had been in the same room.

Josh couldnt decide if he was annoyed at James’ lack of reaction but then the man had been able to read him better than anyone. After a drink maybe not but sober and annoyed yes, that ticked at him but then he hadn’t been the sort to go and throw punches at his friend when he was sober. It wasn’t until he felt James hug him back that he felt surprised. No punch, no yelling, no screaming at him until that three letter word was spoken with amusement. Much like everything in his life, Josh had a skill set so becoming the history teacher wasn’t on his cards.

No he had left CID and gone straight into a new line of work with the FBI and worked his way up to team leader. It wasn’t the army but it was a great team and different to what it had been before, new faces to work with and the past just became a distant memory in a new city. It was everything he could have wanted at that point in his life. “Yeah FBI, better benefits working for those guys, besides it was FBI or the Navy, not exactly a choice.” He said having known he would have joined anything that got him out from where he had been all that time ago.

“What about you, super cop for Chicago? Why not make a clean break?” He asked not sure what his friend had been up to the past two years but a city cop. Well he wondered just why James had chosen that then again he couldnt really judge, he would have taken anything that came him way job wise just for a change in life.

[Deleted]

James Reagan

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“Yeah until you stopped listening.” James remained silent, choosing not to go down that route, “Yeah FBI, better benefits working for those guys, besides it was FBI or the Navy, not exactly a choice.” James snorted, well, it did make sense. “What about you, super cop for Chicago? Why not make a clean break?” James shrugged pushing hands into his pocket, his neutral and calm stance “Trying to figure it out, still moving around trying to find a dept that I fit into” he looked around “Least here they have a better training room” he commented, studying Josh he gave a pensive nod “Maybe a clean break is what I need” he responded "At least better than what I'm doing right now" Arson was not his forte, really not.

notes: That thing we talked about? Lets do it lets cause a boom!

♡

[Josh Cameron]

The guy hadn’t figured it out yet? Well that was bad he thought giving him a look at that said exactly that. “They do and yes a break just not in another country like last time preferably but that’s just me.” He said half trying to make a point but then the last thing he wanted was to push things too far to go back to where they had been at the beginning of the day. Then again that did depend on what James did exactly, “Why don’t you join the federal team? Great benefits and bad coffee.” He said with a grin.

It was then he heard his phone as he stepped away to the bench at the far side of the room, he pulled his gloves off as he answered. “Cameron.” He said sharply, he hadn’t really adopted a great telephone manor, no he was sharp as usual until he looked up to the ceiling as if he was looking to the room. “You got to be kidding me man.” He said as he started to pull on his FBI jacket and attach his gun to his shorts. Not exactly standard issue but time was a factor as he looked at James.

“Oi, mate. You’re with me.” He said pointing to James as he threw down his other glove and make a move for the door putting the phone on speaker phone as he did. “Josh, he’s lost it. The Dale case went to hell at trial today and Maxwell said that was it... no idea what the hell’s in his head. He’s not like this.” The voice on the end of the phone said as Josh gave James a look that said the fan was about to be hit. “He’s on the roof Josh, we’ve got it cordoned off but he’s saying he will jump.” The voice started to sound panicked as Josh hit the button for the elevator several times.

“Just keep him talking, coming up now.” He said before he pocketed the phone and took a breath, it wasn’t exactly the way he had pictured his day and the team was out for lunch so calling them all back was going to take time they didnt have. Josh was nervous to think he was going to have to ask or rather tell James to work this with him, not that he didnt know how to work with the guy it had just been a long time ago and now the roles were different.

[Deleted]

James Reagan

tag

words

“They do and yes a break just not in another country like last time preferably but that’s just me.” Seeing the look Josh gave him he gave him one back that said ‘yeah I know’ in so many ways “Why don’t you join the federal team? Great benefits and bad coffee.” snorting James shook his head smirking, his reply was cut off when he heard Josh’ phone ring and he fell silent, automatically watchful “Cameron.” Yep, still hadn’t improved on his manners over the telephone, James watched his body language curiously “You got to be kidding me man.” When Josh reached for his jacket and gun James’ body language switched gears, especially when Josh pointed at him “Oi, mate. You’re with me.” James followed Josh to the door, listening to the now open phonecall “Josh, he’s lost it. The Dale case went to hell at trial today and Maxwell said that was it... no idea what the hell’s in his head. He’s not like this.” catching Josh’s look James understood, oh this wasn’t just some guy at the bar drunk off his head and getting into a fist fight “He’s on the roof Josh, we’ve got it cordoned off but he’s saying he will jump.” James shook his head, his thoughts confirmed “Just keep him talking, coming up now.” James studied Josh as he pocketed his phone “Josh, you can do this” he said softly, really he knew Josh had a team and he knew the team were clearly out if he hadn’t called them in - time was of essence in these calls and they didn’t have the time to gather their team together “I’m right behind you” he said simply, with those words he was promising his support, and his backing - regardless. True, he was not a a Hostage Negotiator with the Army-CID anymore, true he was not even a Federal Agent - but he was right here right in the moment and there was NO WAY he was going to walk away and leave someone hanging on to the edge of the building - unless someone else took over James would do what he felt and knew was right - help.

notes: He's not a Fed yet in this thread still a lowly cop

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