"I hate these things," Maria Baez groans. "You know why I became a cop? Because cops don't have have to go to any - damn - galas!"

Eddie glances over as Maria struggles to contort her arms in a way that'll work the zipper up the last few inches at the back of her gown. "Here," Eddie says, swatting her hands away to easily tug the zipper closed. "You go to lots of these things? As a Reagan partner, I mean."

"This is the second one. Thanks."

"What? That's lame, Jamie's never invited me before."

"You want to go?" Maria scoffs. "You know it's just gonna be a bunch of fancy people talking about all their big donations - blah, blah, blah, boring."

"Then why are you even coming?" Eddie asks as she holds up two tubes of lipstick to decide which shade she prefers.

"You should've seen Danny ask me. He's like a sad puppy, I swear - 'Look, partner, you know this is the kinda thing I'd be taking Linda to…'"

Eddie would laugh at Maria's deep, exaggerated Danny Reagan impersonation if they were talking about anything else. "Yeah," she coughs. "Right."

"The red one," Maria says, nodding at the lipstick.

"You think? It's not too dramatic?"

"Too dramatic? We're about to be the only people in that room that make less than half a million a year. Might as well go all out."

"You're right." Eddie pops the cap off and sidesteps into her bathroom to lean closer to the mirror.

"I swear, strapless bras are the devil," Maria complains when Eddie emerges again. "Those Reagan boys, they owe us."

"Well you look great," Eddie assures her. "What about me - you sure the lips aren't too much?"

"Girl, Baby Reagan's gonna be drooling over you all night."

Eddie raises an eyebrow, cutting a sideways warning look in Maria's direction. "Um…"

"Oh don't even start, I'm not stupid."

"Neither am I, which is why nothing will happen between me and my partner." Eddie emphasizes the word Jamie has hidden his feelings behind for who knows how long - she uses it too, sometimes, usually to remind other people that it's not exactly her fault that really nothing has ever happened between them.

"Partnerships don't last forever," Maria smirks just as the buzzer goes off to alert them that their dates are here.

"Yeah, alright."

"Five bucks says his jaw drops and he can't even talk when he sees you," Maria calls behind her, earning a head shake from Eddie as she lets Jamie and Danny into the building.

They reach Eddie's door a minute later, announcing their arrival with a loud knock that Eddie knows is Danny - Jamie, when he doesn't just let himself in with his key, doesn't try to break down her door when he comes over.

Eddie opens the door and she's glad Maria is still back in the bedroom where she can't see that she was right. Jamie's eyebrows inch up and one side of his jaw twitches as he tries not to react.

"Hey Janko," Danny says. "Where's Baez? You ladies ready?"

"Yeah, come in, I just need my shoes." Eddie stands aside to let Danny march inside before Jamie brushes past her more closely than he needs to.

"You look great, Eddie," he tells her softly, pausing there in her entryway to catch her gaze in a way that makes her stomach somersault.

She feels the sparkle in her eye that gives away the smile she manages to rein in. "Thanks, sport. You too." But she refuses to allow herself more than a quick glance at the way he fills out his tux as she shuts her front door.

"Baez! Let's go!" Danny barks.

"Relax, Reagan," Maria replies as she emerges from Eddie's room. "We got plenty of time."

"And I still need my shoes. One second." Eddie's floor-length gown swishes around her feet as she ducks past Maria into her bedroom, where she quickly fastens the strappy heels that she'll probably regret within the first hour of this thing. Grabbing the silver clutch that complements her tastefully simple jewelry, she heads back to the living room.

"That was a lot longer than one second-"

"Shut up, Danny," Eddie says.

"Everyone ready?" Maria asks, looking around to make a final assessment of the group. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

Danny offers her his arm, which she accepts as they move into the hallway. Jamie pauses just past the front door while Eddie locks it, and they fall into step side by side as they trail Danny and Maria down to the waiting car.

This event, a charity ball benefiting research for congenital heart defects, has been on Eddie's radar since Jamie brought it up back before Christmas. She balked at his invitation at first - Frank was invited to fill one of several tables purchased by a state politician he's known for ages, and Eddie didn't love the idea of being Jamie's… anything other than work partner in front of his family.

"Won't it be weird?" she'd asked, a skeptical furrow in her brow as she looked at him across the console. "Me… tagging along to a fancy gala with you and your family?"

"It'll only be weird if you make it weird," he replied. And after reminding her every day for a week that his siblings were also bringing their work partners, he finally wore her down into an eye-rolling fine - though now that she's had time to mostly get over her lingering apprehension, she's pretty excited for the whole thing.

It's not far from Eddie's East Village apartment to the luxury Midtown hotel hosting the gala. Eddie and Maria spend the whole trip shaking their heads at each other across the captain seats in the center row of the black Suburban while Jamie and Danny trash-talk each other's ballroom dancing proficiency behind them. It always entertains Eddie to see those two together because there aren't many people who can get under her calm and composed partner's skin. She's pretty good at it herself but she's always open to new material and Jamie's siblings, the real professionals, are her best source.

They meet up with the other half of their group - Frank, Henry, Erin, and Anthony Abetemarco - in the hotel lobby and Eddie can't deny the jittery nervousness that suddenly fills her at the sight of the older Reagan men standing from the slim, modern couch where they've been waiting. Right - this isn't just a fun formal evening with Jamie. His whole family is here. She has to watch herself.

"There they are!" Henry says.

"Sorry - have you been waiting long?" Jamie asks, returning his grandfather's back-slapping hug.

"It's all the girls' fault, holding us up," Danny announces.

"Oh, just a couple minutes, no worries," Frank says. "Maria. Eddie. Good to see you."

"You too, Frank," Maria replies, and Eddie smiles and nods.

Anthony's swinging hands meet with a small clap in front of his body and he rubs his palms together. "Well then. Shall we?"

"He's only here for the food," Erin says, rolling her eyes.

"Well yeah. I ain't gonna put on a monkey suit unless I got a good reason."

Danny huffs an irritated sigh. "They aren't serving the food 'til eight."

"But there are hors d'oeuvres," Eddie points out at the same time as Anthony just looks at Danny, unamused, and says, "Appetizers."

"Here we go," Erin mutters. Maria meets her gaze with a sympathetic sigh - if Danny and Anthony can't get along they're going to have a very long night.

Danny crosses his arms, a poorly disguised scowl on his face as Frank and Henry meander towards the wide hallway that leads to the hotel's ballrooms. Erin is tall, elegant, graceful in a simple baby pink gown next to the shorter Maria, her lean muscular frame on display in a black satin dress with a lace neckline - visually they create a stark contrast but they move together to grumble about their partners on the way to the ballroom. Anthony trails them and Jamie and Eddie, sharing a wordless amused smirk, round out the group.

The ballroom doors haven't opened yet but the foyer outside is full of well-dressed people who mill around and chat over drinks and small plates. Frank and Henry are immediately recognized and pulled away, and Danny makes a beeline for the bar. Eddie doesn't have the chance to notice where the others end up before she feels the weight of Jamie's presence behind her shoulder, his hand on her low back and she realizes that for the first time this evening they have a moment to themselves.

"Didn't you tell me you had nothing to wear?"

"Hmm?"

"That was one of your excuses - that you'd have nothing to wear to a black tie event," he reminds her.

"Was it?" Eddie murmurs as she scans the room to assess the appetizer situation.

"It was."

"Well. I found something after all," she says.

"Something is right. Damn."

Eddie can't help the curvy smirk that stretches across her cheek as she turns around to face Jamie. He doesn't even try to hide the way his gaze trails down her body before he finds her face, a narrow smile on his own below those green eyes glinting with a dark shine Eddie isn't used to.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Reagan."

"Yeah, thanks."

"But-" she announces, one hand coming up to adjust his bowtie before patting his chest, "I need some food. Come on."

Eddie hears the weary groan he lets out behind her as she starts towards one of several small tables identically set with four platters of tiny appetizers. She takes a couple of each while Jamie helps himself to a more conservative selection and they float off to the side to let others get to the food.

"You are dancing with me tonight, I hope you know," she informs him.

"What? No way."

"Right place, right time - this is a charity ball. Ball. Where people dance."

"Wrong place, wrong time," he argues. "Everyone's here, Eddie, and I'm not feeling all that family friendly with you in that dress."

"Jamie!" Eddie gasps, mock scandalized with a dainty hand pressed to her chest.

He shrugs like he's not sorry and inhales deeply, letting the air catch in his chest a moment before he tells her with a twitch of his lips, "Maybe you were right that this was a bad idea."

"You just have to behave yourself. And you're such a boy scout I know that won't be a problem."

The glittering look she offers makes him deflate with a helpless sigh. "So do you," he warns.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Eddie purrs.

Jamie's only response is the flare of his jaw above a hard swallow because Maria and a mopey Danny find them. Eddie tries not to giggle at how quickly Jamie turns his attention to them, a distraction from the sweetheart neckline of her deep red dress that keeps trying to draw his eye.

"What's wrong with you?" Jamie asks his brother.

"He thinks Erin shoulda brought Nicky," Maria says.

"She should've!" Danny exclaims. "How'm I supposed to enjoy a nice dinner with you guys if Anthony's just sitting there waiting to drop in and take anything I don't chew up right away-"

"Ah, still bitter about that case you worked with him, I see," Jamie says.

"No, he's actually gonna take my food. Those little - these things," Danny says, grabbing a piece of puff pastry from Eddie's plate. "He's over there shoveling a whole tray of 'em in his mouth. At least Nicky knows how to behave at fancy shindigs like this."

"Shindigs?" Eddie chuckles.

"They are good," Maria soothes.

"And if he fills up on those, he won't have room to steal anyone's food during dinner," Jamie smirks.

"I don't think the man's ever been full in his life."

"Well hey, Danny, you know what? I'll sit between you and Anthony and if he even looks at your plate, I'll take him down," Eddie promises.

Danny scowls as Jamie nods at Eddie and adds, "But then you've got to watch out for her, because when it comes to stealing food she's the biggest threat at the table."

"Why do I got the only partner with civilized manners?" Danny groans. "The only person that gets to eat my food is me."

"Nobody's gonna take your food, Danny, relax," Maria says. "It was a joke."

"I know it was a joke…"

"I need a drink," Jamie announces, stacking Eddie's empty appetizer plate on top of his own. "Eddie, I'll bring you something - but don't tease him about his food anymore, he might bite you."

"Usually he says that about me, not to me," Eddie says as Jamie walks away.

"Yeah well, we're working on our self control," Maria says, patting Danny's back like he's a young child. "And being kind to others, even when we don't like them. Right, Reagan?"

"Yeah, yeah. You're not funny. Either of you."

The elaborate five-course meal passes quickly, mostly because Eddie is so entertained by the dynamic at the table. Despite Erin and Maria's best efforts, their partners jab at each other at every opportunity. Henry joins in, taking Danny's side about leaving investigative work to the "real cops," and Frank mostly sits back and watches, an entertained look on his face that shows Eddie where Jamie's ridiculous lopsided smirk comes from. Every so often he tries to redirect the conversation but it always devolves into a version of the same lively two-sided discussion.

They only shut up when dessert comes and the speakers take the stage. The first two - the parents of a young boy who share their son's journey with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and their son's physician, who discusses the research advancements she's made thanks to the foundation's funding - are interesting and emotional. But the rest of the presentation is boring and Eddie is antsy to get up by the time it's over.

"I need to run to the restroom," she tells Jamie, "but when I get back you have to dance with me. Okay?"

"One song," he mumbles.

"We'll see." She lays a couple of friendly pats on his shoulder as she passes behind him to leave the ballroom.

Her long dress proves to be a bit of an obstacle and she pauses in the nice lounge adjacent to the women's restroom to put herself back together before she goes back out to drag Jamie onto the dance floor.

"You don't look like his type."

"I'm sorry?"

"Jamie. I saw you with him, right? He usually goes for brunettes."

Eddie directs a confused look at the stranger who has stopped touching up her makeup to discuss Jamie Reagan's preferred hair color.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm Sydney."

Eddie presses her lips together and nods, certain that it's obvious she's still trying to figure out whether that name is supposed to mean anything. Judging by the expectant look on her face, Sydney thinks it should.

"Davenport," Sydney clarifies as she extends her hand.

"Oh!" Eddie exclaims - it's not the last name that helps her make the connection, just the extra second her brain needed to catch up.

That Sydney.