The majority of the characters in this story (you know which ones) are not
mine.  

The others are. This is a 'the third season never happened' story. It's
got  

Thatcher and a hint of romance, I suppose, so if you don't like that, skip
this  

story. Many thanks to Tenille for her support, encouragement and beta
reading.  

Comments welcomed (strongly desired, in fact) at: donnasuedm@kltymail.com 

Hope you enjoy! 

  

One Witness, Extra Small 

By Donna 

  

Murder was always bad, but this one was worse than usual. Detective Ray
Vecchio  

was no longer shocked by the casual brutality that human beings could
inflict on  

one another, but he still found it a little depressing. In this case, he
was  

also more than a little angry. The body lying in a pool of blood and
formerly  

internal organs had been a witness who was going to help Ray put away a
drug  

dealer for a very long time. He stood in the alleyway watching the
forensics  

team do its job and cursed inwardly. It looked like it was back to the
drawing  

board building a case against Shane Waters...and the drawing board had
been  

pretty bare to start with. As he turned around, he had an urge to kick the
 

large metal dumpster sitting nearby. In his head, he could hear his best  

friend, Benton Fraser, telling him that such an action would serve no
purpose  

and would likely injure his foot.  

"Maybe so, but it would sure feel good for a moment," he thought,
following  

thought with action. "Make that a half a moment," he amended, as the pain 


coursed through his foot and up his leg. As he bit back a curse, he heard
a  

small sound, like a sob, quickly muffled. He tapped on the dumpster again,
 

softer this time.  

Nothing. 

Maybe he was imagining things... 

Limping only slightly, he walked around to look in the small space between
the  

dumpster and the wall of the alley. Crouched in the corner, Ray could
barely	

make out a small figure, brown hair above dark brown eyes, staring back at
him,  

small arms wrapped around equally small legs to form a tight ball. 

"Oh, God. What had she seen? And had the killer seen her?" 

He quickly realized the answer to his second question. If the killer had
seen  

her, she would be dead, too. And the look on her face answered the first  

question...she had seen far too much.  

He called for help to move the dumpster out enough that he could reach the
 

little girl, but when he started towards her, her eyes widened in fear and
she  

tried to scoot further away.  

He stopped. The poor kid was already terrified; he didn't want to make it
any  

worse. He told one of the other officers to call for help and sat down
about  

six feet away from her.  

Ray suddenly wished Benton was here. He seemed to strike a chord with kids
and  

they instinctively trusted him. But Fraser was on some important Canadian
task  

today and Ray was on his own. Well, first things first. 

"My name's Ray Vecchio and I'm a policeman." He showed her his badge. When
she  

looked interested, he carefully laid it down on the pavement about halfway
 

between them. "I know you saw something pretty bad, but everything's going
to  

be okay. I'm going to take you someplace where it's warm and safe." She
seemed	

to draw back again and Ray sighed, searching for the right words to
reassure  

her. He didn't know what to say, so he just started talking about whatever
 

entered his head...his car and how particular he was about taking care of
it  

(hey, nobody else will listen to me talk about it)... his ma and what a
fabulous  

cook she was... Frannie and what an airhead she was sometimes... his
nieces and  

nephews. Finally, she took a deep breath and got up. She picked up her
small  

bag and Ray's badge and walked over to him. She held out his badge and
when he  

reached for it, she placed her small hand in his. 

"You ready to blow this joint?" 

Her brow wrinkled in confusion and she looked at him questioningly. 

"Are you ready to go now?" he corrected. 

She chewed her bottom lip and hesitated, then nodded slowly. 

Ray realized that she was remembering the scene on the other side of the  

dumpster.  

"Hey, I've got an idea here, kid." He took off his coat and wrapped it
around	

her, stood up, and gently lifted her into his arms. She secured her bag
between  

them and then wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes tightly
and lay  

her head on his shoulder. He pulled the top of the coat over her head and
then  

walked past the grisly scene to the shiny green Riv parked illegally on
the  

street.  

As he carefully strapped her in, other eyes were watching, narrowed in
thought. 

Ray drove toward the precinct, watching the child in the passenger seat
more  

closely than the traffic around him. She was probably about five or six
years  

old and about as cute as a kid could be. Though her face was now
tearstained  

and somewhat pale, he would bet anything that it normally reflected a
quick  

intelligence and an intense curiosity. She was neatly dressed in blue
jeans and  

a character T-shirt and obviously well cared for, so there was probably
someone  

somewhere very worried about her. 

"So, kid, ya' got a name?" 

She nodded. 

"You gonna' tell me what it is?" 

She bit her lip and then turned to look out the car window. 

"You want me to guess?" 

Silence. 

"Anna? Katherine? Laura?" 

Nothing. 

"Cinderella?...Snow White?...Rumplestiltskin?" 

He looked at the T-shirt she was wearing. 

"Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, too?" 

A soft giggle. 

"I'll bet you're a Tigger, aren't you?" 

Another giggle, and a nod. 

"Okay, Tigger it is." 

She smiled and snuggled down in his coat for the rest of the ride. 

When they arrived at the station, he carried her inside and over to his
desk.  

"Elaine!" he hollered. "I need you to check for a report on a missing
kid." 

He set her on his desk chair and turned to give Elaine the details. She
took  

down the relevant information and looked properly concerned.  

"I'll check, but I don't think I'll find anything. A missing kid is
usually  

pretty big news around here. You say she hasn't spoken since you found
her.  

Have you contacted children's services about getting someone in here to
talk to  

her?" 

Ray shook his head. "She still seems pretty scared and I don't want to
force  

any more new people on her than necessary." 

"So are you planning on taking her home with you, Ray? You know that goes 


against policy." 

"Actually, I was thinking along the lines of protective custody. She is a 


witness to a murder after all." 

"Poor baby. Maybe there's something in her bag to tell us where she
belongs." 

As Elaine smiled and started toward the little girl, the child scrambled
off of	

the chair and down into the kneehole of Ray's desk. She hugged her bag
close  

and looked out with wide eyes.	

"I am so sorry. I had no idea that she would react like that. Usually I'm 


pretty good with kids." 

Ray kneeled down in front of the desk. "I'm sure Tigger here would
normally  

take right to you, Elaine, but she's had a really rough day and is
probably a  

little spooked by all the activity going on in here." He held his hand out
to  

her. "How about if we take you into Lt. Welsh's office. He has a nice big 


couch that you can lie down on and it's a whole lot quieter in there. I
can  

probably get Elaine here to bring you some milk and a doughnut or
something." 

"Sure," Elaine said. "I think there were still some chocolate doughnuts in
the  

lounge. I'll sneak them out and meet you in Welsh's office." She looked at
Ray  

and then at the girl. 

The girl hesitated a moment, nodded at Elaine and crawled into the safety
of  

Ray's arms. 

He gave her a quick squeeze before heading into the privacy of the
enclosed  

office.  

Welsh looked up as Det. Vecchio walked into his office carrying what
looked like  

a little girl. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. It didn't help...it 


still looked like a little girl.  

"Sorry, lieutenant, I figured you'd be gone by now. Tigger, this is my
boss,  

Lt. Welsh. He's a policeman, too. Lieutenant, this is Tigger." 

"Pleased to meet you, kid. Why don't you have a seat over there while I
talk to  

the detective here?" 

Ray set her down on the couch and covered her with his coat. "I'm sure
Elaine	

will be right back with your snack. You need anything else?" 

She shook her head and pulled the coat around her. Ray patted the top of
her  

head and walked back over to his boss. 

"I heard you lost your witness against Waters today," Welsh said. 

"Yeah, got his guts blown out in an alley downtown. That's where I found
the  

kid. She hasn't said anything, but I think she probably saw who did it." 

"You know that children's services should be brought in on this." 

At that moment, Elaine came into the office with a plate of doughnuts and 


cookies and a pint of milk. "That's what I tried to tell him, sir, but the
 

truth is, she seems frightened around anyone but Ray. Also, he can
probably  

protect her better than child services can and if Waters finds out that
there's  

a witness, she's going to need all the protection we can give her." 

"You're not giving the kid doughnuts and cookies for dinner!" Welsh
protested.  

"I thought that would be better than the fuzzy green stuff in the back of
the  

refrigerator or the furry black stuff in the drawer," Elaine responded. 

Sighing, Welsh reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a brown paper
bag.  

From it, he extracted a huge submarine sandwich, which he handed over to
Ray.  

"From what you say, the kid's already had a pretty rough day. Let's not
make  

her sick, too." 

"She would get sick if she ate all of that." Ray unwrapped the sandwich
and  

broke off a small piece. He pulled a chair over in front of the child and 


arranged a napkin, the sandwich and milk where she could easily reach
them. He  

looked her in the eyes. "The boss says you have to eat something healthy
first,	

but then you can have all the sweet stuff you want, sweetie." 

She smiled at him and then threw a smaller, shy smile at Elaine and Welsh
before	

beginning to delicately eat her meal.  

The detective returned his attention to his commanding officer and filled
him in	

on the details of the case. Elaine added the information from her missing 


persons check, which was nothing. As the trio bounced around ideas, they
pretty	

much forgot about the child until a soft knock sounded followed by the
click of  

the door opening. Four sets of eyes met Constable Benton Fraser and his
wolf,  

Diefenbaker, as they entered the room.	

"Good evening, Elaine. Leftenant. Ray. I hope I'm not interrupting
anything." 

The little girl gave a soft cry. Ray started towards her, fearing that she
was  

frightened by another new face, but she slid from the sofa and threw
herself at  

Fraser, wrapping her arms tightly around his leg. 

"I know the feeling, kid," Elaine murmured softly. 

Fraser gently dislodged her arms and squatted down to look her in the
eyes. "I  

don't believe we've met. I'm Constable Benton Fraser of the Royal Canadian
 

Mounted Police." 

She bit her lip and turned to look beseechingly at Ray. 

"Benny, this is Tigger." At Fraser's questioning glance, Ray shrugged. "I
had  

to call her something and she seemed to like that." 

Fraser looked back at the girl. She nodded.  

"Very well. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Tigger. The wolf over there
 

devouring your dinner is Diefenbaker. I wish I could say that he normally
has  

better manners, but the truth is, he doesn't." 

Tigger smiled at Fraser and then wrapped her arms around his neck. He
stood up,  

holding her as she laid her head on his shoulder.  

"Geez," thought Ray, "Once again, the Mountie shows up and I'm old news.
If he  

weren't my best friend, I could really hate this guy." 

As he begin to explain the situation, Fraser sat down on the couch so that
the  

child could reach the remainder of her meal...at least what Dief hadn't
eaten.	

Ray felt a little better when she pulled his coat around her again and
smiled up  

at him before snuggling back in Fraser's arms.	

"She's a little spooked. She hasn't said a word since I found her and she 


hasn't let anyone but me get close to her...at least, until you came
along.	

Women of every age seem to have this irresistible urge to throw themselves
at  

you, Benny. What's your secret?" 

Fraser blushed slightly. "Really, Ray, very few women have actually
'thrown'  

themselves at me, although I guess what Tigger did could be considered	

'throwing'. Often, it's actually more a case of them falling and me being
in  

the position to catch them...although that really doesn't happen as often
as  

your comment would seem to imply." He looked down to where the girl was  

contentedly drinking her milk and polishing the already sparkling buttons
on his	

uniform. "I think, though, there may be a very simple explanation in this
case.  

I believe she may simply have been drawn to something familiar...perhaps
the  

uniform."  

Ray walked over and stooped down in front of Fraser and the child in his
lap.  

"Is that it, Tigger? You recognize his uniform?" 

She looked at him and then up at Fraser before nodding. 

"Great...another Canadian!" 

She nodded again.  

"How the heck did she end up here?" 

"Perhaps her family is visiting and she became separated from them." 

"Wouldn't they have still filed a report with us or do you Canadians not
do  

that? Do you expect your kids to find their way home by the stars?" Ray
asked.	

"Don't be silly, Ray, of course they would file a report. But perhaps they
 

weren't sure how to best proceed and called upon the consulate for
assistance in  

locating her. I think the best thing to do would be to take her over there
and  

see if anyone has spoken with the Inspector." 

"Of course," said Ray. "My day hasn't been quite enough of a disaster so I
have  

to go see the Dragon Lady!" At the disapproving look from Fraser, he
amended,  

"the Inspector!" 

"Okay, let's go." 

"If you will excuse us?" Fraser asked Welsh and Elaine. 

"Go," said Welsh. "And good luck." 

"Bye, guys. Bye, Tigger. It was nice meeting you." Elaine echoed.  

They left the office, Ray in the lead, followed by Fraser with the girl in
his  

arms, and Dief bringing up the rear because he had to finish up the last  

doughnut.  

As they got settled in the Riv, all remained unaware of the watcher
standing in  

the shadows. Someone was not going to like this one little bit. 

The drive to the consulate was brief and when they arrived, Fraser carried
the  

child into the building and down the hall towards the Inspector's office.
Her  

door was slightly ajar and they could hear her yelling at someone over the
 

telephone.  

"I would never do something so foolish or irresponsible, even if I had the
time  

to! I've been tied up in meetings all day!" 

As they approached the door, Ray slowed slightly. "It sounds like she's
busy at  

moment. Maybe we should come back another time." 

At the sound of the Inspector's voice, the girl had straightened up and
seemed	

to concentrate intently. She suddenly gave one of those odd wiggles that
only a	

child of a certain age is capable of, slid out of Fraser's arms and ran to
the  

door. Before Ray could reach her, she pushed open the door and entered the
 

room. Meg Thatcher turned, the phone still in her hand and her face a mask
of  

worry.	

What happened next was the last thing that Ray or Fraser expected. If Dief
was  

surprised, he didn't show it. Or, maybe, being deaf, he just didn't hear. 


Regardless, both men froze with shock when Tigger looked over at the
Inspector  

and cried out "Mommy!" 

"Emily!" she answered, dropping the phone as she kneeled down to gather
the  

child in her arms. As the child wrapped her arms around Meg's neck, she
finally  

broke and began sobbing. Meg just held her close and whispered softly in
her  

ear, waiting for the sobs to pass. Both seemed unaware of the two shocked
men  

witnessing their reunion.  

After a moment, Fraser became aware of a voice coming from the phone, now 


dangling off the Inspector's desk. He walked over and picked it up. 

"Constable Benton Fraser, Royal Canadian Mounted Police. How may I assist
you?" 

He listened for a moment. 

"I'm sorry, but Inspector Thatcher is rather busy at the moment." 

He looked over at her dark head bent so tenderly over the smaller one. 

"Does this concern Emily?" 

He paused again. 

"Her grandfather. I see. I'm not clear on the details, but she is here in 


Chicago. She is safe, but a little upset at the moment. The Inspector is  

taking care of her right now, but I will have her call you as soon as she 


can...Thank you kindly." 

With that, he replaced the receiver and looked over to find Ray still
rooted to  

the spot. 

"Mommy?" he mouthed. 

Fraser shrugged and picked up a box of tissues from the desk. 

He squatted down next to his boss and her now quiet daughter and offered
the  

box. 

Meg smiled at him slightly and took a tissue. She shifted the little girl
so  

that she could look at her face. She kissed her tenderly on the forehead
and  

proceeded to wipe the tears from her face.  

"I'm really happy to see you, sweetheart, but how did you get here? Your  

grandparents are worried sick."  

Suddenly remembering the telephone, she glanced over at her desk.  

"I informed the gentleman on the phone that Emily was safe and that you
would  

return his call as soon as you were able," Fraser informed her. 

"Thank you, Constable. Where did you find her?" 

She rose to her feet. With Emily still in her arms, she was a little off  

balance, and Fraser had to reach out to steady her. She flashed him a
grateful  

look and walked over to a chair where she could sit and hold her daughter.
 

"Actually, Detective Vecchio is the one who found her. He had taken her to
the  

station to try to ascertain where she belonged. Her strong reaction to
me...to  

my uniform...indicated that there was a strong possibility that she was  

Canadian, so we brought her here to see if perhaps her family had
contacted the  

consulate to help locate her. We had no idea that she was your daughter." 

"We had no idea that you even had a daughter," Ray added. 

Meg looked at the girl in her lap. "What are you even doing in Chicago?
How  

did you get here?" 

Emily straightened. "I told grandma and grandpa that I wanted to come see
you,  

but they kept saying that they were too busy to bring me, so I decided to
come  

by myself. I know where the bus station is and I went down there and found
a  

bus to Chicago. I 'membered that was where you lived now, so I got on it."


"Surely they wouldn't sell a ticket to a little kid all alone?" Ray
questioned. 

The girl looked down at her shoes. "I guess maybe they didn't see me get
on. I  

am kinda' little, you know."  

"Okay," Meg answered, "you took the bus to Chicago. Then what?" 

"Well, I knew you worked at the consulate, but there weren't any signs
showing  

where it was. I asked some people, but everyone didn't know or didn't even
 

answer me. Didn't their mommies teach them that's rude?" 

Ray commented "Welcome to Chicago, Tigger." 

Meg looked at him curiously and encouraged Emily, "and then what?" 

"Well, I went outside and asked some more people. I figured somebody had
to  

know where the consulate was. One man said he would take me, but he didn't
look  

very nice, so I told him 'no thank you'. He started to grab me, but then  

another man came over and said that he had been looking all over for me
and told  

the first man thank you for watching me. I think he just said that to make
the  

other man go away. Then he said that he was going to the police station
and  

that I could go with him and someone there would take me home to my mommy
and  

daddy. I told him that I wasn't supposed to go with strangers and he said
that  

I could just follow him. I thought that would be okay so I walked behind
him  

for a long ways. Then he stopped. I think maybe he saw someone he knew and
he  

turned into an alley. Then he told me to hide, because a really bad man
was  

after him but he had something and everything would be all right. He
helped me  

hide behind the big trashcan and told me to stay really quiet until he
told me  

to come out. 

I peeked out a little bit and another man came up to him and started
talking to  

him. I think they were fighting, 'cause they were yelling. Then..." 

She paused and seemed to shrink in on herself. She looked up at Ray and
then  

buried her face on Meg's chest again. "...There was a loud noise and the
man  

fell down," she continued softly. "I think he shot him. I'm sorry, mommy.
I  

wasn't very brave. I didn't go help him. I stayed hid." 

Ray kneeled in front of the chair. "You did exactly the right thing,
Tigger.  

There was nothing you could do to help and if you tried, you would have
been  

hurt too. You were a very brave young lady." 

She smiled at him and continued. "That's where the 'tective found me. I
was  

really scared and wouldn't talk to him, but that was okay. He told me
about his  

car and about his nieces and nephews and said that maybe I could come over
and  

eat some time 'cause his mommy is a really good cook. Then he took me to
the  

police station and him and some other police people gave me something to
eat."  

She turned her smile toward Constable Benton Fraser. "Then the Constable
and  

Diefenbaker came in and I knew everything would be okay and they brought
me here  

to you." 

She looked back at her mother and her smile faded. "I really missed you,
mommy,	

but I wish I didn't have to see that." 

Meg hugged her close, a look of worry on her face. "Me too, sweetie. Right
 

now, we need to call your grandparents and let them know that you're all
right.	

They were very worried that someone took you away to hurt you."  

Fraser brought the phone to her, which earned him another smile of thanks.
As  

she made the phone call, he walked over to the window where Ray stood
watching.  

"The Dragon Lady has a kid? I can't believe that she never told you that
she has  

a kid!" 

"Well, there has never been any reason for her to tell me that, Ray. It's
not  

like we're involved or anything. Besides, the inspector is a very private 


person and I'm sure the separation has been very painful for her." 

"That's another thing," Ray added, "why hasn't the kid been living with
her? I	

know that if I had a kid I would move heaven and earth to be with her.
What's	

her problem?" 

Fraser responded sternly, "Ray, we really don't know enough about her
situation  

to make that sort of judgement. I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable  

explanation." 

In the silence that followed, they could overhear Meg's conversation.  

"Yes, Christopher, I know you've been very worried about her, but she's
here and  

she's safe. Apparently she decided that she was big enough to come visit
me by  

herself." 

She paused. 

"You know full well I would never encourage her to do such a thing! I'm a 


police officer, I've seen far too much of what people do to each other to
want  

my child to be out there alone. I've been worried sick, too." 

She listened again. 

"Actually, she did run in to a bit of trouble. It seems she witnessed a  

murder." 

There was an interruption from the other end of the line. 

"No, at the present time, we don't think anyone knows. She was found at
the  

scene by a Chicago police officer. He happens to be good friends with my
second	

in command and when she recognized his uniform, they brought her here." 

Another pause. 

"I really think that it would be best for her to remain here until the
case is  

closed. Detective Vecchio will need to find out just exactly what she saw 


tonight. He is a very fine police officer, and I have complete confidence
in  

his ability to solve the case and to provide protection for Emily. In
addition,  

he will have the full cooperation of Constable Fraser and myself. We will
take  

every precaution to look out for Emily's physical and emotional well
being."  

She listened again. 

"All right. I'll put her on now." 

She rose from the chair and settled Emily in, handing her the phone. "Your
need  

to talk to your grandfather. He and your grandma have been very worried.
He  

wants to know that you're all right." 

As the child spoke to her grandfather, Meg walked over to where the two
men  

stood. 

"'A very fine police officer' Inspector? I had no idea you thought of me
as  

anything other than a nuisance." 

"You are a nuisance, Detective, but you also happen to be a fine officer.
I've  

looked over your record." At his surprised look, she added, "Surely you
don't  

think I would have allowed the Constable to continue working with you if I
 

thought you incompetent? Even though I have great confidence in his
judgement,  

I still thought it best to check you out. You tend to have a bit of a
problem  

with authority, but you get results." 

Ray found himself speechless.  

He was really knocked for a loop a moment later, when she stretched up and
gave  

him a small kiss on the cheek. "And thank you kindly for taking care of
Emily.	

She is the most important person in my life and I would die if anything
happened  

to her." 

Before the embarrassment could overtake her completely, she repeated the  

treatment on Constable Benton Fraser. 

As all three stood awkwardly, turning various shades of red, Emily called
to her	

mother.  

"Mommy, grandpa wants to talk to you again." 

Meg shook herself and walked over to take the phone. 

The time spent finalizing plans allowed the three police officers to
regain	

their composure so that by the time she hung up, the awkward moment had
passed. 

"Okay," said Vecchio, "now we need to talk about a safe house for her." 

"She has a safe house, Detective..my house," Meg responded.  

"I mean a police safe house, where she will have round the clock police  

protection and no one will be able to find her." 

"At the moment, no one is looking for her." 

" Not that we know about..." Vecchio interrupted. 

"Furthermore, as you seem to often forget, I am a police officer, so she
will  

have round the clock police protection...unless you're insinuating that
I'm not  

capable of protecting my child." 

The peace of a few moments earlier shattered as Meg and Ray argued about
the  

best place for the girl. Fraser and Diefenbaker shared a look of
resignation.  

Fraser cared deeply for both of them, but he was beginning to realize that
it  

was futile to hope that they could get along for any length of time. He
shook  

his head and looked over at Emily. 

She had fallen asleep in her mother's office chair and was completely
oblivious  

to the conflict she was causing.  

He skirted the bickering duo and walked over to her, picking her up
gently. She  

sighed softly in her sleep and snuggled close. Fraser smiled. He had never
 

realized how good it could feel to hold someone so small and helpless. As
he  

sat down on the sofa, he silently promised her that he would protect her
with  

his very life should the need arise. 

"Okay, so here's the deal. I'll follow you over to your place, check it
out,  

and wait there until the surveillance team arrives. There will be two
officers  

in an unmarked car on the street outside. You will have a radio so that
you can  

contact them immediately should any problem arise. I don't suppose you
have a	

gun?" 

Meg shook her head, "No, I don't, and I won't have one now. Not with Emily
 

there." 

Benton cleared his throat. "If it would help, I would be willing to spend
the  

night with the Inspector." Meg and Ray both looked over at him, startled
looks  

on their faces. 

He blushed and clarified, "At her house, I mean..." he stumbled on, "to
watch  

her...to watch them, I mean...as additional protection..." 

Ray nodded, "Yeah, I think I would feel a little more comfortable with you
and  

Dief there. You don't have a gun either, but you seem to have this
incredible  

luck." 

Meg considered. "It really would not be proper, but I will admit that I
would  

feel more comfortable with someone else close by...someone that I know I
can  

trust." She turned to look at Ray. "Nothing against your officers, but
this is  

my daughter, and there are very few people that I trust when it comes to
her  

life." 

Ray recognized the protective maternal look on her face and nodded in
agreement.  

"So it's agreed. Give me your address and I'll have a car meet us over
there." 

While he made the call, Meg collected her things and Fraser gathered Emily
up.  

She looked at them and couldn't help thinking how right they looked
together.  

She banished the thought and started turning out lights and locking doors.
 

The group walked out to the parking lot where Meg's car was, Ray's being  

illegally parked on the street out front. As the men watched, she unlocked
the  

doors and put her belongings inside. Then she took Emily from Fraser and  

carefully buckled her into the back seat. When they were all in, she
pulled	

onto the street and waited for Ray to fall in behind her. No one noticed
the  

third car following from a distance.  

The drive was painfully silent and mercifully brief. When they arrived at
Meg's  

house, a car waited at the curb of the small, neat house. While Benton and
Meg  

waited, Ray went over and talked to the occupants. Two men got out and
walked	

with Ray over to the waiting vehicle. Ray made the introductions and asked
Meg  

for her key.  

"I'd like for you to wait out here while I check things over inside. Maybe
I'm  

being over cautious, but I'd rather do that than have something happen to
the  

kid," he explained. 

She nodded in agreement, handed him her keys and told him the code to
disarm the  

burglar alarm. As lights went on in the house, she got out and gathered
Emily  

from the back seat. Standing waiting for the all clear from Ray, Fraser
asked  

her, "Would you like me to carry her? I'm sure she's starting to get a
little	

heavy." 

Meg smiled. "No, we're just fine." 

Benton couldn't help silently agreeing. They certainly made a beautiful
picture  

standing there in the moonlight. He wished...no, best not to even wish.  

When Ray motioned them inside, he followed her up the porch steps and into
the  

house. Like the outside, the inside of the house was small and neat,
reflecting  

its owner's careful tidiness and excellent taste.  

Ray handed Benton the keys and a two-way radio. "Every thing in here is
clear,	

doors and windows locked. This radio goes directly to the two guys
outside. If  

there is any noise, any movement, anything at all that goes on, I want you
to  

let them know. I'll probably be at the station for a while, then home. You
 

know how to get in touch with me. I want to know if anything happens. I'll
be  

by in the morning. Maybe then she'll be ready to talk about what she saw.
Be  

sure and lock this door and reset the alarm." He walked over to Meg and
touched  

Emily softly on the cheek. "You sleep well, Tigger. I'll see you in the  

morning." As he left, he couldn't resist adding, "And you two, behave  

yourselves. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." 

Ben locked the door and set the alarm before turning to Meg. "What does he
 

think we would do?" 

She looked at him for a moment before turning and walking down a short
hallway  

to her bedroom. As she laid Emily down on the bed, she told Fraser, "I
think he  

was just trying to be funny. I often wonder what you see in that man." She
 

dismissed the matter from her mind. "I think I've got a T-shirt that she
can  

wear to sleep in. Would you look in the bottom drawer of the dresser
there?	

Just pick out any one." 

Fraser did, and was surprised to discover a Rolling Stones concert shirt.
There  

was much about his boss that he didn't know...like the fact that she had a
 

daughter. He watched as his stern and proper boss tenderly undressed her  

daughter, moving slowly and carefully so as not to awaken her. When she
held  

out her hand to him, he handed her the shirt and watched her slide it over
the  

girl's head. She then lifted her and attempted to pull down the bed
covers.  

Fraser quickly stepped over to assist, and the two of them managed to get
her  

tucked in without disturbing her slumber. Fraser picked up Emily's
discarded  

clothes as Meg sat on the edge of the bed, just watching her sleep. As she
 

leaned over to kiss the child, Fraser felt a pang of longing. He had
always	

been content with what he had, but now he was wishing for something he
might  

never have. He turned to put the clothes in the hamper, trying to shake
off the  

feeling.  

As Meg rose, Diefenbaker came into the room and gracefully leaped onto the
bed,  

making himself quite at home. "I'm not sure..." she started to say. When
Emily  

rolled over and draped her arm over the wolf, she stopped. She looked over
to  

Fraser. 

"You needn't worry, sir," Fraser assured her. "He's quite clean and
completely  

housebroken." The wolf completely ignored the adults and curled up with
the  

child on the bed. 

Meg surrendered. "Okay, but if he eats her during the night, you'll be
standing  

sentry duty for the next century, Constable." She smiled at him and turned
on  

the bedside lamp. She waited by the doorway as Fraser knelt by the bed.
"You  

take good care of her, Dief," he told his companion. Then he gently
brushed a  

lock of hair from Emily's face, kissed her forehead and rose to join his
boss.  

There was a strange look on her face as she turned off the light and
pulled the  

door almost closed.  

He followed her back into the living room where she turned on some lights
and  

motioned him to sit. After a long silence, she spoke.  

"I imagine you're wondering why I've never mentioned my daughter before." 

"No, sir, it's really not any of my business...well, that's not exactly
true. I  

mean, I know it's not any of my business, but I am a little curious...not
that  

you owe me any sort of explanation or anything..." 

"Shut up, Fraser," she interrupted. 

"Yes, sir." 

She sat on the sofa and picked up a framed photo from the end table. It
showed	

a smiling Meg, dressed in jeans and a heavy sweater, her hair windblown
and her  

arm around a tall dark-haired man. He was also dressed casually, equally  

windblown and equally happy. His right arm was around Meg's shoulders and
his  

left hand rested on her belly, swollen with child. Meg remembered how the
baby  

had kicked right as the camera snapped, making them both laugh out loud.  

"I met Greg when I was at university. He taught a class on pathology and
most  

of the women in the class were in there simply because they thought he was
good  

looking. While I didn't disagree, my purpose in being there was to learn.
I  

found the subject fascinating and thought it would be helpful knowledge to
have.  

Some time later, when my partner and I were investigating a case, I wasn't
very  

confident of the way certain pathological evidence was being interpreted.
I was  

new, so I didn't want to make a fool of myself by questioning my partner
or the	

pathologist, so I went back to the university. I was somewhat surprised to
find  

Dr. Thatcher still there and even more surprised to find out that he
remembered  

me. We went out for coffee and he looked over the case file and answered
my  

questions. When I went to my partner the next day, I had a solid case to  

present and it ended up helping us find the real killer. I went back to
Greg to  

let him know how it all worked out. He said if I really wanted to thank
him, I	

would let him take me to dinner. I did and we had a wonderful time. We
started  

dating, and before long I was hopelessly in love. The first real problem
was  

when he took me home to meet his family. They were very upper class and
thought  

he could do much better. After all, I was a police officer with no
"important"  

family, not raised in their social strata, no money, and no blue blood in
my  

veins. Surely, he could find someone more...appropriate. Fortunately, he  

ignored them and asked me to marry him. About a year later, we decided to
start  

a family. I wasn't real sure; after all, I had no experience with
families,  

with children. To be honest, I was terrified, but he assured me that I
would do  

fine. I figured that as long as he was there with me, I couldn't mess up
too  

badly. When we found out we were pregnant, he was ecstatic. We had so much
 

fun, decorating the nursery, picking out names, buying little clothes and
toys  

and baby things. Everything was perfect." 

Benton sat across the room from her, the emotions playing across her face
as she	

told the story. She hugged the photo to her chest, seeming to be lost in
her  

memories and almost unaware of his presence. She continued. 

"It was about six weeks before my due date. We had gone to some function
at the	

university and were on our way home through a mountainous area. It was
late and  

there was a bad storm going on. Visibility was poor and he was
concentrating  

completely on his driving. I was exhausted and was dozing off in the
passenger  

seat. Neither of us heard the car come up behind us until it was too late.
It  

was going much too fast and sideswiped us when it tried to pass. The roads
were  

very narrow and Greg couldn't regain control. I remember the car rolling  

several times and then nothing. I woke up in the hospital almost three
months	

later. The doctors told me that Greg had been killed instantly. They had  

performed an emergency c-section to deliver the baby because they weren't
sure  

whether I was going to make it or not. She had a rough first few days, but
she  

was fine. Greg's parents had taken her home. I still had several weeks in
the  

hospital. They brought her to see me and told me that I could stay with
them  

when I was released, since I could barely take care of myself, much less
an  

infant. I did stay with them for a week or so, but it was pretty clear
that  

they still didn't think much of me, so I left. I knew that I still wasn't
able  

to take care of Emily, so when they offered to keep her until I was ready,
I  

agreed. I was extremely depressed and wasn't thinking very clearly. When
they  

asked me to sign some papers, I did so without even reading them.
Eventually, I  

got back on my feet and back into the swing of things at work. I had been
going  

over to the Thatcher's house and spending time with Emily, so I felt
fairly	

comfortable with her. When I told them that I was ready to take her, they
told  

me I couldn't, that I had signed over custody to them. I know that I could
have  

fought them, but at that time, I just didn't have the strength, or the
money. I  

knew the kinds of lawyers they could afford and I didn't think I had much
of a  

chance. They let me spend time with her and occasionally have her for a
few  

days at a time. I sometimes thought about just taking off with her, but I
knew  

that would be wrong, that they would find me and I would probably never
see her  

again. I figured I would fight them on their ground. I've almost saved up 


enough to hire a good lawyer. Part of the reason I accepted the position
here  

in Chicago is because of the extra pay. Maybe I'm being selfish to want
her  

with me. Her grandparents can give her so much more than I ever could." 

She looked at Benton who had crossed the room to sit by her side. Without 


thinking, he took her hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "No, Meg,
that's	

not selfish. I've been where Emily is now. After my mother died, my father
 

left me with my grandparents most of the time. While I had everything I
needed	

there and I knew they loved me, what I wanted most in the world was to be
with  

my father. She obviously wants to be with you, she ran away from them to
come  

here. There is a bond between a parent and child and from what I've seen  

tonight, that bond is very strong between you and Emily. You are a very
good  

mother." 

Silence fell, as they continued to look into each other's eyes, still
holding  

hands. After a moment, or perhaps an eternity, Meg smiled and squeezed his
 

hand. "Thank you, kindly, Benton. You always know just the right thing to 


say."  

He blushed (he seemed to be doing a lot of that tonight) and looked away. 


"I could really use a hot shower," she said, pulling her hand away and
standing.  

"The kitchen is through there, if you need anything." She walked to the
linen  

closet and pulled out a spare pillow and blanket, placing them on the sofa
near  

him. "Please, make yourself comfortable." With a quick smile, she went
into  

the bathroom, closing the door behind her.  

  

"I cannot believe I did that!" she told her reflection in the mirror. "I
just  

spilled my personal life in the lap of a subordinate!" She wondered what
it was	

about Benton Fraser that made her willing to lower her defenses, defenses
she  

had thought strong and solid.  

*It's about time you talked to someone* a voice behind her said. She
turned to  

see Greg, standing with his arms folded across his chest, leaning against
the  

wall. *You haven't really opened up to anyone since I had to leave. It's
not  

good for you to keep that all bottled up inside, Sweetheart.* 

"We've discussed this before, Greg. I worked hard to get where I am and I 


cannot allow anyone to see anything that could be construed as a
weakness." She	

tested the water and began to undress. 

*You consider Emily and I to be a weakness?* 

"No, of course not. But I have to keep my personal life and my work
separate.  

Your death devastated me..." 

*I know...I'm sorry...* 

"I'm not blaming you; I know that you didn't have a choice any more than I
did.  

I'm just saying that the depression I went through in those next few
months made  

a definite impression on my superior officers. They think of me as
'fragile'  

and I have to be even tougher than before to fight that label. Breaking
down  

like that in front of one of my officers does nothing to foster the image
of a  

strong, in control commander." 

*First of all, I don't think that you 'broke down'. You simply told your
story.	

Secondly, I get the feeling that very little you could say or do would
change	

your Constable's opinion of you.* 

She froze in the act of getting in the shower. "What's that supposed to
mean?  

And he's not MY Constable." 

*It means,* he smiled at her, *that you are still the very beautiful,
exciting  

woman that I fell in love with and someone has finally been perceptive
enough to  

see it behind the stone facade that you have so carefully cultivated.* 

"I don't know what you're talking about," she responded coldly. "Now,
would you  

please leave me in peace to take my shower." 

*I'll leave, but I don't know how much peace your thoughts about Constable
 

Fraser will give you, Meg.* He smiled and slowly faded away. 

In the other room, Fraser leaned his head back and glared up at the
ceiling.  

*I'm sorry, son. I had no idea you were so miserable with your
grandparents.* 

Fraser sighed and looked at the ghost of his father, standing contritely
in the	

center of the room. "I didn't say I was miserable, Dad, I simply said that
I  

would have rather been with you. You did what you thought was right at
that  

time." 

*It's not like I had a whole lot of choices, son. I couldn't very well
take you  

with me.* 

"I know. I'm not blaming you for anything and nothing can change the
past." 

The senior Fraser looked at his son, contemplating. *Perhaps if I should
have  

given it all up...settled somewhere and been a proper father to you. Maybe
then  

you wouldn't be so alone*  

Benton shook his head. "You were doing a very important job. I have always
 

been proud of what you did, proud to be your son. If you had made
different  

decisions, things would have been different, that's all...not necessarily 


better. Besides, I'm not lonely. I have Dief and Ray...I'm actually quite 


content with my life." 

The ghost snorted. *Don't give me that...I've seen the way you've been
acting	

around that pretty boss of yours and her little girl. It's written all
over  

your face how much you want to be a part of that.* 

Fraser smiled sadly. "What I want doesn't matter much...the Inspector is
my  

boss and I can't see her ever forgetting that little detail." 

*Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?* Fraser senior added,
fading	

away. 

Meg stepped out of the shower, relieved to discover that her dear departed
 

husband had once again departed. She quickly toweled herself dry, slipped
into  

a comfortable sweatsuit and ran a comb through her hair. She caught
herself  

starting to check her reflection in the mirror. "He's only here for
Emily's  

sake. He could care less how I look." Shaking her head with disgust, she  

opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the hallway. Meg knew that a
 

proper hostess should check on the well being of her guest before turning
in,  

but she couldn't bring herself to face Fraser again so soon after baring
her  

heart to him. Instead, she walked into her bedroom, only to find her guest
 

awaiting her there. Fraser was stretched out on her bed, eyes closed,
humming  

softly. Emily was on his chest, her head under his chin. She was smiling  

contentedly in her sleep as Fraser ran his fingers through her dark hair.
Meg  

felt herself smiling too as she watched from the doorway.  

Fraser watched her from underneath not quite closed eyelids. He knew that
he  

should let her know that he was awake, but he was enjoying observing her
without  

her knowledge. She looked so relaxed and beautiful. It was a side of her
he  

had rarely seen, and he found himself savoring the moment. He was slightly
 

disappointed when she turned away, but she returned moments later with the
 

blanket that she had laid out for him. He almost stopped breathing when
she  

spread it over him and the little girl on his chest, leaning across him to
 

straighten the other side. He inhaled her soft scent as she bent to kiss
Emily  

gently on the top of the head. It took a major effort on his part to keep
his  

hand from reaching out to stroke her hair.  

"This is all for Emily," he reminded himself. "The gentle smile, the glow
in  

her eyes, even the blanket...it's all because of Emily."  

As she kissed Emily, Meg couldn't help looking at Fraser's hand, still
stroking  

the girl's head, even in his sleep. She momentarily wondered how it would
feel  

to have that same gentle hand stroking her own hair. "Get a grip, Meg!
What  

kind of mother is jealous of her own daughter? He is here to help protect
her.  

Be grateful and let it go at that."  

She headed towards the door, prepared to spend the night on the couch,
only to  

discover that Diefenbaker had pushed the door shut and planted himself
firmly in  

front of it. She tried everything to get him to move, cajoling, ordering, 


threatening, even bribery. Momentarily, she considered physically lifting
him  

back onto the bed, but quickly changed her mind when he growled softly in
his  

sleep...at least she thought he was asleep.  

"Oh, well," she thought, "I've slept places worse than the floor." She
pulled a  

pillow from the bed and tried to get comfortable on the carpet. Sleep,
though,  

refused to come. Lying on the hard floor, the little aches and pains of
daily  

life refused to be ignored. Meg tried first one position then another, but
only  

found herself growing more and more irritated by the whole situation.  

Furthermore, she was getting cold since she usually kept the thermostat
set  

fairly low.  

"This is utterly ridiculous," she told a sleeping Diefenbaker. "There's a 


perfectly good bed with a perfectly good quilt on it and I'm sleeping in
the  

floor because there is someone else already sleeping on my perfectly good
bed.  

It's a very large bed and Emily and Fraser take up less than half of it,
so  

there is plenty of room for me to join them." She got up on her knees by
the  

side of the bed and looked at its occupants. "It's not like I have to
worry  

about him trying anything. This is the original Dudley Doright we're
talking  

about here."  

With that reassurance, she put the pillow back on the bed and climbed
under the  

quilt next to Fraser and Emily. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" she
asked  

herself as she reached across the bed to gently stroke the child one last
time  

before closing her eyes.  

On the other side of the bed, Fraser relaxed a little. He had been feeling
 

guilty about Meg sleeping on the floor and was just about to get up and
insist	

she take the bed. He knew that he should move to the floor anyway. After
all,  

it was highly improper for him to be sharing a bed with his commanding
officer,  

but every time he moved he feared waking the girl asleep on his chest. She
had  

awakened with a nightmare while Meg was in the shower and she still seemed
to be  

clinging to him in her sleep. Hopefully, she would soon slip into a deeper
 

sleep so he could move her without disturbance. In the meantime, he would
just  

relax and listen for unusual noises. After all, someone should remain
alert,	

just in case someone was going to try something. That was his last thought
as  

his eyes drifted closed again and the long day caught up with him. 

The first thing Benton was aware of was the sunlight streaming across his
face  

at an odd angle. Next, he realized that the bed beneath him was far to
soft to  

be his normal cot. Close behind those two thoughts came the awareness of a
 

soft, warm body curled up to his side. He quickly opened his eyes and
looked	

down to where a sleeping Meg snuggled in the curve of his arm. He stared
at  

her, enraptured by the peaceful innocence on her sleeping face. She
breathed  

softly through slightly parted lips, lips that he could taste in his  

memory...warm and soft, full of promise and possibility.  

He was pulled from his wonderful memories by a sharp poke in his back. He 


looked over to see Emily standing by the side of the bed.  

 "Me and Diefenbaker are ready for some breakfast." 

He nodded to them. "Go on into the kitchen. I'll be right with you." 

Reluctantly, he pulled his arm from under Meg's head and eased out from
under  

the quilt. He pulled it back up around her sleeping form and softly
caressed  

her cheek before heading into the kitchen to see what could be found to
feed a	

hungry wolf and a six year old girl. 

Meg awakened slowly, luxuriating in the sunlight across her face. As she  

stretched long and hard, the events of the previous day came back to her
with a	

rush. She sat up and quickly scanned the room, finding herself alone.
There  

was still a warm place on the mattress and pillow next to her, so she knew
that  

the others had not left long ago. She threw back the quilt and opened the 


bedroom door, following the sound of voices to her kitchen. In the
doorway, Meg  

stopped, smiling at the scene in front of her. Emily sat on the counter,
brow  

furrowed in concentration as she stirred something in a bowl in front of
her.  

Fraser stood in front of the stove with a frying pan, carefully watching
it's  

contents and Emily, all the while relating one of his numerous Inuit
stories.  

The little girl listened and made comments in the appropriate places and
asked  

questions where she should. She made a most appreciative audience, and
Fraser	

seemed to revel in her attentiveness.  

This time, Meg couldn't stop the thoughts that popped into her brain.
"This  

feels so right. He would be such a wonderful father." She was a little	

surprised at herself. In the years since Greg's death, she had been very  

careful to keep all personal relationships light and easy. If anything
seemed	

to be getting serious, she simply compared the gentleman in question to
her late  

husband and every one had come up very short...until now. Here was a man
who  

interested her, was intelligent, kind, and gentle, had an extraordinarily
strong	

sense of right and wrong and understood her job and the demands it placed
on  

her. Furthermore, not only did he seem to return her interest, he had
quickly  

developed a rapport with the most important person in her life. She hadn't
 

thought of her family ever consisting of more than herself and Emily, but
she  

suddenly realized that she could easily add Fraser to that picture. It was
a  

picture that widened the smile on her face. 

Fraser caught sight of her as he reached over to take the bowl from Emily.
He  

answered her smile with one of his own. "Good morning. I hope we didn't
wake  

you." 

He helped Emily down from the countertop and watched as she ran across the
room  

to be scooped up by her mother. "How could I possibly mind waking up to
this?"	

she replied. She hugged her daughter and planted a kiss on her cheek. "How
are  

you doing this morning, Angel?" 

"I'm okay except that I'm hungry." 

"Well, then, we'd better see what we can do to get you fed," Meg laughed, 


lowering the girl to the floor. "It looks like Benton has the bacon and
eggs  

just about ready, so how about if you set the table while I fix some toast
and  

drinks," she said, pulling down plates and silverware and setting them on
the  

table. "Detective Vecchio said that he would be coming over this morning
so  

we'll go ahead and set a place for him, too." 

While Emily set the table, Meg set about her tasks. The kitchen was rather
 

small and she found herself often brushing against Fraser as she collected
what  

she needed: bread from the countertop, butter, jelly, orange juice and
milk from  

the refrigerator, glasses from the cabinet, butter knife from the drawer. 


"Hey," said Emily from the small dining area, "You didn't finish your
story." 

"Oh, um...well..." Fraser stuttered, looking towards his superior officer.


Meg realized that his hesitance was probably due to the fact that she
often cut  

his stories off at the office. She poked him gently in the side as the
passed	

him once again. "Yeah, Benton, finish your story." She smiled at him in  

encouragement.	

He wasn't sure what pleased him more, her smile or her use of his first
name.  

"If you're sure..." he took a deep breath and decided to take a chance,  

"...Meg." 

She almost laughed at him, standing there holding his breath and looking
as  

though he expected her to explode at any moment. "Yes, Benton, I wouldn't
have  

told you to if I wasn't sure, now, would I?" 

He blew out the air he had been holding and smiled broadly at her. "No, I 


suppose you wouldn't have." 

As he picked up his narrative, the three continued breakfast preparations 


completely unaware of the two ghostly figures observing them.  

*They really look good together, don't they?* asked the ghost in red
serge. 

*Yes, they do. They look like a family.* his companion replied. 

When the doorbell rang, Emily started for the door. "I'll get it!" 

"NO!" both adults yelled, causing the girl to freeze in her tracks.  

Using only their eyes to communicate, Fraser moved to the door while Meg
picked	

up a large kitchen knife and pulled Emily into the kitchen and out of the
line  

of sight from the doorway. Diefenbaker padded over to stand next to them. 


Fraser nodded to Meg and she called out, "Who's there?" 

"It's Vecchio! Would you please hurry up and let me in? It's freezing out 


here!" 

Everyone relaxed as Fraser opened the door to admit the Detective. He
turned	

and waved to the unmarked car sitting in front of the house before firmly 


closing and locking the door behind him. "The guys out front said
everything  

was quiet here last night." Emily skipped over to him and he squatted down
to  

hug her. "Good morning, Tigger. Did you sleep okay?" 

"Uh huh. Me and Mommy and Benton and Diefenbaker all slept in Mommy's
bed." 

She hugged him and then wiggled out of his grasp. 

"Oh, really?" he asked, looking up with a leer at the two red faced
Mounties. 

"Uh huh. We almost have breakfast ready. Can you help me finish setting
the  

table? You can do the napkins." 

Ray shrugged off his coat and started towards the table. As he walked past
his  

best friend, he couldn't resist a soft rabbit punch to the ribs. "Hey,
Benny.	

Way to go! I didn't think ya' had it in ya, pal." 

Fraser turned even redder as Meg pressed a stack of napkins into Ray's
hand and  

told him, "That will be quite enough, Detective. Now make yourself useful
and  

help Emmy with the table." 

Eventually, breakfast was ready and the foursome sat down to eat. Emily
and Ray  

chatted while Meg and Benton sat in uncomfortable silence. When they
finally  

finished, Fraser jumped up and started clearing the table while Meg began 


cleaning up in the kitchen. In the close space, they again brushed one
another,  

causing them both to blush, Benton to stammer, and Ray to laugh.  

Meg looked at the Detective with fury in her eyes. "That's enough of your
wise  

cracks!" 

"I didn't say a word!" he protested. 

"No, but it's written all over your face." She threw the dishtowel at him.
 

"Get in here and get this kitchen cleaned up. I have to get dressed." She 


stalked down the hall, gesturing for Emily to follow her.  

He saluted her closed door and rose from the chair. "Yes, Ma'am!" 

"My, she's awfully touchy today, isn't she Benny?" Ray commented as he
moved  

into the kitchen to pick up where she had left off. 

"She's under a great deal of stress, Ray. Remember, her daughter was
missing  

yesterday afternoon and has now witnessed a murder. There's a lot for her
to  

deal with right now." 

Fraser continued cleaning as he spoke, not meeting Ray's eyes. 

"Come to think of it, you're acting a little odd yourself this morning.
What's	

up? Did the Dragon Lady bite you last night?" Ray asked laughing. 

"Ray..." 

"Or...oh, no...she got fresh with you, didn't she?" 

"Ray..." 

"Whose idea was it to share a bed last night?" 

"RAY..." 

"You'd think having her kid here would put a damper on things..." 

"Enough, Ray." 

Vecchio could tell that his friend was serious. "Hey, Benny, I'm only
teasing." 

Fraser continued with his work, not answering Ray. 

"Look, Benny, I know nothing happened between you two last night. I just
think  

it's funny to watch the two of you tiptoeing around each other. She's a
hot  

looking lady, you're attracted to her, she's attracted to you. I really
don't  

understand what the problem is." 

Fraser finally answered. "The problem is that she is my boss and I am her 


subordinate. There can be no hint of improper behavior. It would reflect
badly  

on her and I will not be responsible for tainting her reputation." 

"Come on, Benny! Improper behavior? Who says it's improper? You are both  

consenting adults. All I'm saying is don't dismiss what you feel for each
other  

simply because you think it might not look right. Just keep that in mind, 


okay?" 

Fraser saw the seriousness in Ray's expression. "Alright, Ray. I'll
remember." 

In Meg's bedroom, Emily sat on the bed, getting clean clothes out of her
bag  

while her mother furiously pulled clothes from her closet.  

"Mommy, why are you mad? Did I do something wrong?" 

Meg sat down beside her and began dressing. "No, Emmy, I'm not mad at you.
 

It's that annoying Detective." 

"You mean Ray? I thought he was your friend." 

"No, Ray is not my friend. He's a friend of Fraser and I'm very grateful
to him	

for taking care of you, but I do not appreciate his comments about the
Constable  

and myself." 

"What comments?" 

"About us...being together last night. You need to get dressed, Emmy." 

"But you were together last night." 

"Yes, but not like he means. Hurry up, sweetheart." 

"What did he mean?" 

Meg looked up from her makeup bag to meet her daughter's eyes in the
mirror.  

How could she explain this? "Like we were...boyfriend and girlfriend." 

Emily pulled her shirt over her head. "Well, aren't you?" 

"No," Meg answered quickly. "He works for me." 

The little girl thought about that as she tied her shoes. "But why can't
he be  

your boyfriend, too?" 

"He just can't," her mother replied. 

"But why?" 

Meg was frustrated. How could she explain something she wasn't really sure
 

about herself? 

"Because I said so, that's why." 

"That's not a very good reason," Emily said softly under her breath. 

Meg turned to run the brush through the girl's soft dark curls. "Why is it
so  

important to you, sweetheart?" 

Emily looked up at her mother, a serious look on her small face. 

"Because I really like him and because you smile a lot when he's around.
Also,  

he's really nice and I think he really likes you." 

Meg laughed. "Really?" she asked. 

"Yeah, really!" Emily replied, throwing her arms around her mother's neck.


Meg held the child close as she tentatively changed the subject. "You know
why  

Ray came over this morning, don't you?" 

Emily became very still in her arms. "He wants to talk about what I saw  

yesterday, doesn't he?" 

Her mother nodded. "I know it's not very nice to remember, but I really
think  

it will help you feel better if you talk about it."  

The two sat in the middle of the bed arms wrapped around each other while
Emily  

thought and Meg waited. After a few moments, the girl spoke. "That man did
a  

bad thing, right, Mommy?" 

"Yes, he did," Meg replied. 

The girl thought a little longer. "And if I tell Ray about what I saw,
he'll go  

to jail for a very long time, won't he?" 

"When we find him, yes, he will go to jail for a long time." Even though
the  

justice system sometimes failed, Meg sincerely hoped this would be the
case. 

"And if he's in jail, he won't be able to hurt anybody else, right?" 

Again, Meg hoped she was telling her daughter the truth. "No, he won't
hurt  

anybody again when he's in jail." 

"And you and Ray and Benton and Diefenbaker will stay with me all the
time?" 

Meg was on much firmer ground with this question. "Absolutely. One of us
will  

be with you as long as you want, Emmy." 

There was silence again while Meg wished desperately that she could ease
her  

child's pain and fears. Finally, the girl looked up at her mother and
smiled	

tremulously. "Okay. Let's go." 

Mother and daughter walked hand in hand into the living room where the two
men  

waited. Ray and Benton looked at Emily and then at Meg. Meg nodded
slightly  

and Ray nodded back before slipping back into wise guy mode. He snapped to
 

attention and executed a smart salute. "Kitchen cleaned and ready for  

inspection, sir!" 

Meg couldn't help smiling back before responding in kind. "Ready for  

inspection, are you? Let's just see about that, shall we? Miss Thatcher,
would  

you care to assist me in the inspection?" 

Emily giggled before matching Meg's stern expression. "Yes, I would,  

Inspector." 

Meg made a "lead the way" gesture and Emily marched into the kitchen, Meg,
Ray,  

and Fraser close behind. The room was neat and tidy, all evidence of the  

morning meal carefully cleaned and put away. Meg made a show of closely  

examining cupboards and countertops, her small shadow imitating every
motion,  

every expression. Ray stood at attention, awaiting their verdict, but he
did  

glance out of the corner of his eye to observe Benny's reaction. The goofy
grin  

on his face almost brought a laugh from the Detective. He knew that Benny
had  

been on the verge of falling in love with his boss, but it seemed that
meeting  

her daughter and seeing the two of them together had pushed him right over
the  

edge. To be honest, Ray could almost understand his feelings. In the last 


several hours, he had seen a side of the Dragon Lady that he didn't think 


existed, despite Fraser's insistence to the contrary. His thoughts were  

interrupted by a loudly cleared throat, and he looked back into the
twinkling  

eyes of said Dragon Lady.  

"I thought you told me this kitchen was spotless, mister." 

He followed her eyes to where Emily was standing next to a chair,
dishtowel  

carelessly draped over its back. 

"Oops." 

"Miss Assistant Inspector, what do you think his punishment should be?" 

As the assistant inspector thought about that, Ray saw a grin creep across
her  

face as she advanced towards him. 

"I think...that he should be...TICKLED!" she yelled, running towards him. 

He turned to run. "Oh, no! Not that! Anything but that!" 

She caught him in the living room as he attempted to run around the coffee
 

table. They ended up in a heap on the floor, Emily on top tickling as best
she  

could while laughing herself, while Ray pretended to struggle.	

"Hey," he protested. "Benny helped with the kitchen. Shouldn't he be
punished  

too?" 

Emily thought about that for a moment, looking to her mother for help. 

"Well..."  

"Now wait just a minute," Fraser countered. "I washed, he dried.
Therefore,  

the dishtowel was his responsibility." 

"Now Constable," Meg responded, a mischievous look on her face, "What
about  

teamwork and looking out for your partner? Doesn't a team win or lose as a
 

whole?" 

Before he could think of a reply, he found himself pulled down by Ray and
Emily  

to join their play.  

As the three lay on the carpet, winded from the ticklefest, Ray looked up
at Meg	

still standing against the wall smiling. He poked Emily lightly. "I think 


there's something wrong here. Look who didn't get in on the fun." 

Meg shook her head sadly. "Inspectors don't get to have fun."  

Ray had a feeling that she was talking about much more than just rolling
around	

on the carpet laughing your head off. 

Emily sat up and looked at her mother. "I guess I need to tell him now,
right?" 

"Whenever you're ready, sweetheart," Meg answered. She sat down on the
floor  

and Emily crawled over to sit in her lap. Ray and Fraser both sat
cross-legged  

in front of them. Diefenbaker joined them, his head resting in the little 


girl's lap. She stroked his silky fur and asked softly, "What do you need
to  

know?" 

Fraser noticed that Ray had pulled out a small tape recorder to record
Emily's  

statement. 

Ray thought for a moment. "Okay. You said that you met the man at the bus 


station and her told you he was going to the police station." She nodded.
"You  

followed him to an alley. When he went into the alley, you were still with
him,  

right?"  

She nodded again, her eyes never leaving the wolf lying in her lap. 

"What did he do when you got into the alley?" 

She glanced up at her mother and then back down to Dief. 

"He helped me hide." 

"Did he say anything to you?" 

She nodded. "He said that there was a really bad man coming but to not be 


scared because he had something and everything would be okay, but he
didn't want  

the bad man to hurt me so I needed to hide and stay really quiet until he
told  

me to come out." 

"How did he sound? Was he nervous or angry?" 

Emily thought a moment. "He talked really fast. It was kind of hard to	

understand him." 

"Okay. He helped you hide. When the other man came, could you hear what he
 

said?" 

"At first, they were using their inside voices, so I couldn't tell what
they  

were saying, but then the other man started yelling and I could hear some
of  

that." 

"What did he say?" 

"He said something about the first man being a rat and being really
stupid."  

She paused and looked up at Ray. "My Grandma says it's not nice to call
someone  

stupid." 

Ray nodded his head. "Your grandma's right about that one."  

The girl continued. "The first man said that he was getting out, that he
was  

sick and tired of it all. Then the bad man told him that it was too late
and  

there was only one way out." 

She stopped and leaned down to nuzzle Diefenbaker. 

Ray knew what happened next, so he just waited until she was ready to say
it. 

With her arms wrapped around the wolf and her eyes closed, she continued
in a  

low voice. "That's when I heard the loud noise. At first I thought it was
a  

firecracker, but then I saw the all the blood and stuff. He fell down and 


didn't move anymore. The bad man looked around but I made myself as little
as I  

could so that he couldn't see me. He looked in the first man's pockets and
 

stuff and then he said a bad word and shot the other man again and then he
 

left." 

Silence fell as the three adults contemplated what they would like to do
to the	

man who had put the little girl through this experience. Meg leaned over
and  

wrapped her arms around Emily and the wolf she was embracing. 

Ray cleared his throat. "Thank you for telling me that, Tigger. That's
going  

to be a big help." He hated to prolong the incident, but there was
something  

else he needed to know. 

"Can you tell me what the bad man looked like?" 

She sat up and looked at him. 

"Well, he was tall...a little taller than the first man, but not as
fat...but  

not as skinny as you are. I guess he was about Benton's size." 

"What color was his hair?" 

"Um...I couldn't tell, 'cause he didn't have much. It was really short,
kind of  

like yours. He did have a mustache and a funny little beard. They were
brown,	

but not as dark as mine and Mommy's hair is."  

"Could you see his eyes?" 

She closed her eyes, concentrating, before slowly shaking her head. "I'm
sorry.	

He was just too far away." 

"That's okay, kiddo. Do you remember what he was wearing?" 

"He had on blue jeans, but they were all ripped up at the knees and black
boots  

with shiny things on the toes." 

"What about a jacket? It's pretty cold."  

Her brow wrinkled in thought as she shook her head. "No, and his shirt
didn't	

have any sleeves in it either. I think he was cold though, because his arm
was  

all different colors." 

She straightened suddenly. "Hey, Ray. What's a dragon lady?" 

"Huh?" he asked in confusion. 

"Last night at the police station, you said something about seeing the
dragon	

lady," she reminded him. 

Meg threw Ray a chilly look. "That's just a name he like to call me when
he  

thinks he's being funny," she told her daughter. 

Emily looked at her mother. "You don't have a dragon on your arm, do you?"


"No, I don't. Why do you ask?" 

"Because that's what was on the bad man's arm. Only it was all different  

colors." 

Ray felt a tingle run down his spine. 

"This guy had a dragon tattoo on his arm? On his right arm?" 

Emily looked at him. "It was a picture of a dragon, like from the
stories." 

Meg looked a question to the Detective. 

"Waters is something of a tattoo aficionado. He has several, but he's most
 

proud of the big dragon that covers his right arm. I'd like to take her
down to  

the station to look at some pictures, see if she can pick him out." 

Fraser interrupted. "Emily, you said that the first man told you that he
'had  

something and everything would be alright.' What did that mean?" 

Emily looked at him. "He said he had...it was a big word that I can't  

remember." 

Fraser probed gently. "Was it maybe 'insurance'?" 

She brightened. "Yeah! That's it! He said he had insurance!" She frowned  

again. "What does that mean?" 

Ray answered. "It means that somewhere out there is proof of what Waters
has  

been up to. The only problem is..." 

"We don't know where it is." Meg inserted. 

"Or even what form it's in." Fraser added. 

"He didn't say anything else about the insurance?" Ray asked Emily. 

She shook her head. "No, just that he had some. I'm sorry."  

"That's okay, Tigger. At least we know that there's something out there." 

Meg looked down at her daughter. "Ray has some pictures at the police
station.  

Do you think that you can recognize the bad man if there's a picture of
him?" 

She nodded solemnly. "I think so." 

Meg gave the girl a quick hug. "Let's go brush our teeth and go look at
some  

pictures, okay?" 

"Okay." 

Elsewhere, a man of medium build with a brightly colored dragon tattoo on
his  

right arm was pacing the floor in the main room of a nondescript house.
"What  

do you mean they have a witness? The alley was deserted except for the two
of  

us. I have enough sense to check something like that." He was angry and
the  

object of his anger cowered against the wall while other observers thanked
their  

lucky stars that they hadn't been the bearers of this particular bit of
bad  

news. 

"I'm just telling you what I saw, boss. I guess some kid was hiding behind
a  

dumpster in the alley and saw the whole thing. They took her to the police
 

station, then to the Canadian consulate, then to a house over on Oak
Street.  

They had unmarked cars watching the place all night. Look, she's just a
little	

kid, maybe six or seven or so. Even if she told the cops anything, why
would  

they believe her?" 

Waters stopped his pacing. "Why would they believe her? Because they're
out to	

get me, you moron. We've got to get ahold of that kid and find out what
she  

told the cops and if she knows where the disk is." 

"Then what do we do with her?" the other man asked. 

"What do you think we do with her?" Waters replied.  

"You'd kill a little kid?" 

"Hey, man, it's her or us." 

At the police station, Emily had picked out Waters' picture with no
hesitation.  

Five different times, she selected his mug shot from groups of a dozen
photos of  

men with similar characteristics. The last time, she took the picture and 


handed it to her mother.  

"Don't give it back to him. He might mix it up with those others again and
I'm  

getting tired of having to find it for him." 

"Don't you worry, Tigger. I'm not about to lose this guy," Ray assured her
with  

a quick kiss to the top of her head. "I need to go run this by Welsh. I
want  

to make sure we do everything by the book on this one. This is one scumbag
 

who's not walking on a technicality some lawyer pulls off." 

Emily turned to her mother. "Can we go with him to see Lt. Welsh? He gave
me a  

sandwich last night and I forgot to say thank-you." 

"We can't have that, can we?" Meg answered. "As a matter of fact, I should
 

speak with the Lieutenant as well, since we have become involved in a
matter	

that is under his jurisdiction." 

"Oh, don't worry about that, Inspector. The Lieutenant pretty much expects
 

Fraser to be involved in any case that I'm involved in," Ray responded.
"But  

you're more than welcome to join us." 

The foursome walked through the squad room towards the Lieutenant's
office.  

Emily held her mother's hand and stayed very close to her, but looked
around the  

busy room with curious eyes. As Ray detoured by his desk to check for
messages,  

Emily tugged on his pants leg. "What's that lady's name? The one who got
me  

the cookies and milk last night? I should thank her, too and say that I'm
sorry  

for running away from her." 

"That's Elaine. Hey, Elaine!" he called. He beckoned her over. "There's  

someone over here that wants to talk to you!"  

"Hey, Ray! Any luck with Tigger?" 

"Get over here and see for yourself!" 

"Tigger?" Meg asked Ray. 

"Yeah. When I first found her, she wasn't very talkative so I had to come
up  

with something to call her. Her shirt had Tigger on it, so I figured she
was a  

fan. I ran it past her and she seemed okay with it, so that's what we
called	

her." 

"What's up, Vecchio?" Elaine asked as she arrived at his desk. She saw
Emily  

standing next to Meg and kneeled down to look her in the eye, careful not
to get	

too close. "Good morning, Tigger. I hope you're feeling better today." 

Emily held out her hand and Elaine reached out and shook it. "Yes, I am.
Thank  

you for asking. And thank you for helping me last night. I'm sorry that I
ran  

away from you." 

"That's quite alright. I know that you were scared. I'm glad I could
help."	

She looked up at Meg and Benton. "I guess the consulate is taking care of
her  

until her family arrives." 

"Actually," Meg replied, "I am her family. Emily is my daughter. She's
been  

living in Ottawa with her grandparents and decided to come down for an	

unauthorized visit." 

Emily looked over at Elaine. "I think I'm in big trouble for that one,"
she  

whispered. 

"Probably so," Elaine agreed with a smile. 

"We need to see the Lieutenant. Turns out Waters pulled this hit himself.
The  

kid pulled his picture out of the lineup, so I want to get the warrant and
get  

this guy put away pronto," Ray informed her. 

Elaine stood and faced him. "Lucky for you he just happens to be free at
the  

moment." She joined the group as they made their way into Welsh's office.
When  

they entered, Emily walked around the desk to look up at him.  

"Good morning, Lieutenant." 

"Good morning, Tigger. How ya' doing today?" 

"Very well, sir. By the way, my name is Emily Anne Thatcher and I wanted
to  

thank you for sharing your sandwich with me last night." 

"You're very welcome, Emily." He looked up at Meg. "Thatcher?" 

She nodded. "Yes, Emily is my daughter. I want to let you know how much I 


appreciate the care you and your officers have shown her." 

"Think nothing of it." 

"I also wanted make sure that it would be alright with you for the
Constable and  

myself to assist in this investigation. It's in your jurisdiction, but it
does  

involve a Canadian citizen, so I hope we can work together on it." 

"Absolutely," Welsh assured her. 

"Thank you." 

"Thank you for the help." He turned his attention to his detective. "Okay,
 

Vecchio, bring me up to date on this thing." 

While Ray told him about the latest developments on the case, Meg and
Benton	

listened, breaking in occasionally to add further detail. Welsh and Elaine
 

asked questions from time to time until The Lieutenant was satisfied that
he had	

the full picture. During their discussion, Emily sat on the floor playing
with  

Diefenbaker. When she realized that she needed to go to the bathroom, she 


decided that the adults were much too busy to be bothered and that she
could  

probably find it herself. She looked the wolf in the eyes. "I know I'm not
 

supposed to go anywhere by myself, but if you're with me I'm not really
alone,	

right?" When he didn't disagree with her, she opened the office door just 


enough for the two of them to squeeze through and then quietly closed it
behind	

her.  

"Excuse me, Officer," she asked a detective seated at a nearby desk,
"Where is  

the bathroom at?" 

"Go through the door over there, past the staircase, third door on the
left," he  

told her. 

"Thank you kindly," she told him and started across the room, Dief close
on her	

heels. 

When they arrived at their destination, she looked at Dief again. "You
can't  

come in here. This is a girls bathroom and you're a boy, so you'll have to
wait  

out here for me." He didn't seem to like that idea very much, but she
slipped  

inside and closed the door before he had the chance to tell her so. 

Back in the Lieutenant's office, Welsh picked up the phone to call the DA
and  

Meg looked around to check on her daughter. She wasn't there. "Emily!" she
 

called, walking over to check behind the couch. Surely she wouldn't be
hiding	

at a time like this. She turned back to Ray and Benton. "Has anyone seen  

Emily?" 

"She was right there with Diefenbaker just a minute ago," Ray answered
her. 

"Well, she's not here now, and neither is the animal," Meg responded
testily. 

Benton hurried to reassure her. "I'm sure she's fine. Diefenbaker is with
her.  

I know he gets a bit...sloppy...at times, but he is a member of the RCMP
and he	

takes his duties as seriously as I do." 

"Nobody takes their duties as seriously as you do, Benny," Ray said. "She
can't  

have gotten very far." 

Meg reminded him, "She got to Chicago all the way from Ottawa." 

As one, the three officers headed for the office door. Benton opened it,  

allowing Meg and Vecchio to proceed him into the squadroom. 

"Hey!" Vecchio hollered. "Did anybody see a kid go through here?" 

"What'd it look like?" someone asked. 

"A kid. You know, just like a real person only smaller. How many kids have
you  

seen in here today?" 

"Just one," an officer answered. "Little girl, brown hair, red jacket,
white  

wolf...that the one you're looking for?" 

"Where is she?" Meg asked, concern evident on her face. 

"She asked where the bathroom was so I told her. She even thanked me. You 


don't hear that from kids much anymore." 

"Canadian," Ray responded, as if that explained everything. 

"Oh," the officer nodded. Apparently it did.  

The three headed across the room, Meg in the lead. Everyone froze at the
sound  

of a gunshot. An instant later, everyone in the room started into action, 


pulling a weapon or taking cover or both. Fraser pushed past Meg and broke
into  

a run, Ray close behind him. As they rounded the corner into the hallway,
they  

caught sight of a man running away from them, a squirming bundle of red
jacket	

and brown curls in his arms. He turned and fired towards the two officers.
 

Coming up behind them, Meg managed to push both men to the ground. In an  

instant, all three were on their feet again in pursuit of the kidnapper.
They  

reached the precinct door just in time to see him jump car waiting at the 


curbside, engine idling. The driver threw the car in gear and sped off
into  

traffic.  

Meg stood staring after it, fear settling like a stone in her gut. She
shut out  

the voices around her, others curious about what had just happened. The
only  

voice she heard was the one in her head, her own voice, asking Detective
Vecchio  

if he thought her incapable of protecting her child. It seemed she was.  

Ray was on his cell phone, calling the car's information in. "Get me
everything  

you can on that car and get it now!" 

Fraser took note of the expression on her face and said nothing. He simply
put  

his arm around her and led her back into the building. Finally, another
voice  

did cut through the fog that surrounded her.  

"Hey! Is someone gonna' do something about this dog? It's bleeding all
over  

the place." 

She looked up and caught Fraser's distraught expression. They hurried over
to  

where a small crowd had gathered around the wounded animal. His thick
white fur  

stained with blood from a gunshot to his shoulder, Diefenbaker valiantly  

struggled to rise. Fraser gently pushed him down.  

"It's okay, boy. Just relax." 

Meg kneeled beside him. She removed the silk scarf from her neck and
pressed it  

to the wound. He looked up at her and whined softly. "It's okay. I know
you  

did your best to protect her. Thank you." She stroked his head and looked
up  

to where Ray stood, his cell phone again pressed to his ear.  

"Great. Let them know we're coming." He closed the instrument up and
slipped  

it back into his coat pocket as he squatted next to Fraser. "I just spoke
to  

the head of the canine division. He's calling the vet who handles their
dogs  

and telling him to be ready for us. He says this guy's the best there is,"
he  

reassured the Mounty. 

Lt. Welsh broke in. "They also sent one of their vans to give you a ride.
It's  

waiting at the front door." 

"Thank you kindly," Fraser said, gently lifting Dief and heading towards
the  

door. Meg walked beside them, carefully keeping pressure on the wound
while Ray  

ran ahead to open the doors.  

"Let us know how he is," Welsh called as the group climbed into the
waiting van.  

At the vet's office, Diefenbaker had been immediately rushed into surgery 


leaving Fraser to restlessly pace the floor. Meg sat on a sofa, staring
off  

into space while Ray stood to one side, making phone calls and wishing
there was  

some way that he could magically erase the last hour.  

Making yet another turn in the cramped waiting area, Fraser caught sight
of Meg	

still holding her bloodstained scarf. He cleared his throat. "I'm terribly
 

sorry about your scarf, sir. Naturally, I will replace it." 

She looked up at him in confusion and then down at the scarf in her hands.
 

"Don't worry about it, Fraser. It's only a scarf. I didn't even like it
very  

much. Right now, you should be thinking about Diefenbaker." 

"And Emily," he added. He walked over and kneeled in front of her. "You
don't  

have to stay here, Meg. Ray can take you back to the station so that you
can be	

kept up to date on what's happening." 

She reached out and took his hand. "In case you haven't noticed, Ray has
been  

on the phone constantly since we arrived. He knows as much about what's
going  

on at the station as he would if he were there. I'm sure he will keep us  

informed." They both looked over at Ray who nodded quickly before
returning his  

attention to the phone. 

"Besides, as you reminded me back at the station, Diefenbaker is a member
of the	

RCMP. As his commanding officer, I have a responsibility to him as well,  

especially since he was injured in the line of duty." 

"I'm sure he would understand." 

"Fraser, I can worry here as well as I could anywhere else. At least here,
I  

have some company." She squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes. "I
really	

don't want to be alone right now." 

"You would hardly be alone at the station." 

She sighed deeply. Why was he being so difficult about this? Why was this
so  

hard for her to admit? "I really want to be with you right now, Benton." 

"I appreciate your concern for me, Sir." 

"No, Benton, you don't understand. It's not just for your sake." She took
a  

deep breath. "I need to be with you for my sake as well. You make me
feel..."  

she broke off, unable to continue, tears beginning to form in her eyes. 

He looked down to where their hands were joined. Only then did he realize
how  

hard she was gripping his hand, how tightly she was clinging to him. With
his  

other hand, he reached up to stroke her cheek. "I'm here, Meg. Whatever  

happens, I'm here." 

When the veterinarian entered the waiting room a few minutes later, he
found Ray  

pacing the floor, the other two sitting holding hands on the sofa. They
rose to  

meet him. 

"Constable, Detective, Ma'am. The wolf is going to be just fine. We were
able  

to remove the bullet without any problem. He lost some blood, but with you
 

getting him here so quickly he should make a full recovery." 

"Yes!" Vecchio shouted. 

Fraser let out the breath he had been holding and smiled slightly. Meg
squeezed  

his hand and looked at the doctor. "That's wonderful. Thank you for  

everything. Would it be alright for the Constable to see him?" 

"Just for a moment," the doctor told them. "He's still a little groggy
from the  

anesthesia."  

Fraser gave her hand one last squeeze before following the doctor to the  

recovery room. 

Ray watched his partner walk away and then turned back to the Inspector.
She  

had her back against the wall and slowly slid down it to a crouch. She
wrapped  

her arms around her knees and buried her face. Ray thought that he had
never  

seen anyone look so fragile and alone...at least, not since yesterday when
he  

had found her daughter in almost the exact same position. He sat down next
to  

her. Again, he found himself not knowing what to say or do. This time, he
kept  

silent simply laying his hand on her back to let her know that he was
there.	

She didn't say anything, but she didn't pull away either. Fraser found
them in  

that position when he returned a few minutes later. He sat down on her
other  

side and gently put his arms around her.  

Ray cleared his throat. "Hey, Benny. How's Dief?" 

"As the doctor said, he's a little groggy, but he did respond to me. I
told him  

that you were both out here. I think he appreciated that." 

"He told you that?" 

"Well, not exactly. He did seem to perk us somewhat when I told him." 

"You didn't happen to be holding a jelly doughnut at the time, did you?" 

"No, though I believe that was also the same moment that the nurse walked
in  

with the doctor's lunch." 

"I knew there had to be food in there somewhere." 

"He just got out of surgery, Ray. I'm sure he wasn't thinking about food."


"Benny, this is Dief we're talking about here." 

Fraser frowned a moment before nodding. "True." 

"I guess the doc was right after all. He's going to be fine." 

The two men continued their banter for a few minutes while Meg sat between
them,  

gathering strength. Finally she lifted her head and looked at them.  

"Gentlemen, let's go find my daughter."  

Ray and Benton both suddenly felt sorry for Waters. 

They returned to the carefully controlled chaos that was the 27th
division.  

After reassuring everyone about Dief's condition, they gathered all the  

information they had and headed for Lt. Welsh's office. There they combed 


through every address and every phone number for every known associate
Walter's  

had ever been connected with in any way, form or fashion. They had
narrowed the  

list somewhat when Vecchio's phone rang. 

"Talk to me." 

"As usual, Detective. All talk, no action." 

"Waters." The room suddenly grew silent and all eyes focused on him.
Fraser	

had the presence of mind to reach over and activate the tracing equipment.
 

"I'm touched that you remember me, Vecchio." 

"What do you want, Scumbag?" 

"Now Detective, that's no way to talk to someone who has something that
you  

want." 

"What could I possibly want from you, Waters, except your head on a
plate?" 

Waters laughed. "Do you really want my head? Worse than you want this
kid?" 

Ray was silent. Watching him closely, Meg moved over to stand by Fraser.
When  

he reached for her hand, she let him take it. 

"I thought not." Waters laughed again. "She's a cutie, but I don't think
she  

likes me very much. If looks could kill, I'd be dead a dozen times over.
I'll  

trade her though. Your stoolie had a computer disk that belongs to me. I
get  

that disk, you get the kid." 

"Disk? What disk? I don't have any disk." 

"Well, you'd better get ahold of it real quick, if you value this kid's
life.  

By the way, don't try to look at it. It's specially coded to wipe clean if
 

anyone tries to tamper with it or open it without the proper codes. The
same  

thing if you try to copy it. I know it wasn't on him or at his place, so
that  

should narrow down your search somewhat." 

"What if we can't find it?" 

"Then I won't be very happy, and you won't be either. I'll call you back
in two	

hours to make arrangement for the swap." 

"Waters, if you hurt that kid, I swear..." 

"Come on, Detective, you've been trying to stop me for years. I'll do what
I  

want and you won't be able to do squat! Two hours..." 

With that, he hung up.	

All eyes turned to the technician operating the tracing equipment. He
shook his  

head quickly. "Cell phone." 

Ray muttered a curse word while Meg pounded the desk with her fist.  

"Okay, we've gotta find that disk that he was talking about. We can assume
he  

put it somewhere where it could be found. Insurance doesn't do much good
if no  

one can find it," Ray said. 

"It didn't do him much good, did it?" Meg muttered. 

Ray turned on her. "We can't afford to think like that. He had to put it  

somewhere accessible; someplace it could be found, but not easily. It's
not at	

his place and it wasn't on the body. Maybe he hid it someplace in the
alley?"  

He turned to Welsh's desk where the Lieutenant was quickly looking through
the  

case file.  

"Nope. The crime scene people made a through search of the alley. There's
no  

mention of finding a computer disk." 

"Emily." 

Ray turned back to where Meg was standing, eyes wide as the thought struck
her.  

"Emily said that he helped her hide in the alley." 

Elaine jumped in. "You think he might have given it to her?" 

Ray shook his head. "She said that she didn't know anything about his  

insurance." 

Meg insisted. "Maybe he didn't tell her. He could have slipped something
in  

her pocket or into her bag without her even realizing it." 

Ray considered and reached a decision. "Well, it's as likely as anything.
You  

guys keep going over this stuff, see if you can figure out where he's
holed up.  

We'll go check through Tigger's stuff."  

"You and Meg go ahead," Fraser told him. "I'd like to listen to the tape
again.	

Perhaps there's something there to help us locate Waters." 

"Fine. Get on it. Inspector, you're with me." Ray grabbed Meg's hand and  

pulled her out the door, barely allowing time for her to grab her purse.  

In the car, Meg stared stonily ahead as though clearing a path through the
 

traffic with sheer willpower. Ray glanced over at her.	

"Don't worry, Inspector, we're going to get her back." 

"What if we don't?" 

He barely heard her whisper over the noise of the siren.  

"We will," he replied forcefully. "We will because we have to, because
it's  

time for the good guys to win one...because she's a good kid who got
caught in a  

bad situation. And because she's somebody's little girl, and no one should
ever  

have to bury their child." 

Meg heard the pain in his voice. Being a police officer herself, she
didn't	

have to imagine what was going through his mind. She, too, had seen the  

devastation on parents' faces when she told them that their child was
dead. As  

he pulled to a stop in front of her house, she reached across the car and
laid  

her hand on his arm for a moment. 

"Thank you, Detective." 

He patted her hand and nodded. 

Once inside the house, it only took a few moments to locate the computer
disk  

tucked away in a zippered pocket of Emily's knapsack. Less than a minute
later,	

they were back in the car heading back to the police station. 

Their good news was matched by Fraser's. "We're pretty sure we know where 


Waters made the call from. By listening very carefully to the tape, we
were  

able to distinguish the sounds of a train and of a large boat. By cross- 

referencing possible locations with lake and railroad traffic at the
specific  

time the call was made, we deduced that he was using an abandoned
warehouse in  

one of the old shipyards. An unmarked car cruised the area and confirmed  

activity there." 

"Benny, you are a genius!" Ray declared. "Now, for the plan." 

Everyone gathered around the map on Welsh's desk as Ray explained how they
were  

going to go about shutting down Waters and bringing a little girl home,
safe and  

sound.	

By the time Waters called, the plan was in motion. Ray pulled up in front
of  

the warehouse and parked his car. As instructed, he proceeded to walk
across	

the empty lot towards the door. He imagined that he could feel eyes on him
from  

every direction. He knew that Waters' men were watching; he hoped that him
team  

was as well. Ray looked around surreptitiously but could see no one. He
chose  

to interpret this as a sign that everyone was in place and doing his job. 


 Suddenly the door in front of him swung open. A bright overhead light	

illuminated the scene in the middle of the warehouse floor. Emily was
seated in  

a chair, glaring defiantly at the teen-aged boy pointing a gun at her.
Waters	

sat nearby, feet propped up on a table studiously ignoring everything but
the  

muscle car magazine in his hands.  

Ray stopped about 10 feet away and waited. After a few moments, he spoke. 


"Alright, Scumbag, I'm here." 

 Waters looked up and feigned surprise to see him. He looked at his watch
and  

then back up at Ray.  

"Right on time, Detective. I wouldn't have thought punctuality to be one
of  

your strong points." 

"Yeah, well I want to get this over and done with as soon as possible." 

"Don't like being outsmarted, do you? I'd think you'd be used to it by
now.  

But I must admit I do like a man who knows when he's beaten. I've been
told  

that you came all by yourself, just like you were told to. Now, if you've 


brought me the package that you were supposed to, we'll be in business." 

Ray pulled the disc out of his coat pocket and held it up. "This is what I
 

found. I can't promise you it's the right one, since I couldn't look at
it." 

"For her sake, you'd better hope it's the right one." 

He signaled to one of his men to bring the disc over to him.  

"If that's all, Emily and I will just be leaving now," Ray said as he
started  

towards her.  

"Not so fast, Detective." Waters looked towards the boy who immediately
stepped  

closer to the little girl and put the gun at the back of her head.  

Ray froze and Waters laughed. "I have to make sure that I'm getting what
I'm  

paying for here." He slid the disc into the appropriate slot on the
computer  

and started typing.  

Ray looked at Emily who was staring back at him, eyes wide with fear. He
smiled	

to reassure her and then quickly tried to assess the boy at the other end
of the	

gun.  

The kid caught Ray's glance, straightened his back and threw his chest out
 

slightly. "What are you looking at, cop?" 

Ray matched his glare. "Hopefully, not someone who's stupid enough to pull
the  

trigger on a six year old kid. Do you know what guys in prison do to
people who  

kill kids?" 

"They don't do nothin' to guys who don't get caught!" 

Ray went on. "Of course, that's assuming you make it to prison. You know,
cops  

don't like guys who kill kids either, especially when it's a cops kid." 

Overhead, two figures in black silently moved through the rafters into a  

position directly above the small group. 

"A cop's kid?" 

The teen looked shaken and called to Waters. 

"You didn't tell me this was a cop's kid!" 

Waters threw him an annoyed glance. "That's because she isn't. He's
feeding  

you a line of bull. How many times have I told you that you can't trust
anyone	

but me?" 

"She ain't no cop's kid," the kid told Ray, not quite sure. 

Emily turned and looked up at him. "Yes, I am. My mommy is an Inspector
with  

the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. She works at the Canadian consulate
here in  

Chicago." 

"That sounds like cops to me," the kid told Waters. 

"Canadian cops aren't the same," Waters reassured him. "They don't really 


count." 

The kid looked back at Ray.  

Outside, a wino moved closer to the building, pulling his cap down tighter
and  

muttering softly into his jacket. 

"For us, any law enforcement officer in any country is a brother...or
sister.  

We all look out for each other. I would venture to say that killing a
cop's kid  

is one of the top things to get you on the shit list of any law
enforcement  

agency. Add in the fact that the mother is a widow and the kid is all she
has  

in the world...I'd say the best thing for you to do if you kill her is to
turn  

the gun on yourself next, 'cause that's the only way out." 

"Is that true?" he asked Waters. 

Waters was too involved in the data on his computer screen to calm the
troubled  

gunman. 

"Yeah, whatever. Just go ahead and kill them both. I've got what I need
here." 

"Kill them? You didn't say nothing about killing anyone...especially a cop
and  

a little kid!" 

"What's the matter, kid? Ain't got the guts?" Waters rose and started
towards  

the group. "Fine, I'll do it myself."  

"NOW!" Ray shouted. 

As the lights went out, two ropes dropped from the rafters and the two
figures  

above quickly descended. Ray stepped forward and snatched Emily from her
chair,	

reassuring her as he sprinted towards the door. He was met at the door by
the  

wino who seemed to have suddenly sobered up. He handed Ray a gun and
reached  

for the little girl.  

Ray kissed her forehead. "This is Officer Reade. You stay with him while
we  

get this bad guy wrapped up." 

He returned to the warehouse floor where the lights had been restored. He
saw  

Fraser in hot pursuit of the kid while Meg battled it out with Waters. As
Ray  

started towards them, he saw another of Waters' men heading for the door.
A  

flying tackle brought the man down and after a brief scuffle he was
cuffed. The  

sound of a muffled gunshot caused Ray to raise his head. Not seeing anyone
 

down, he started again for his main target. When Waters had realized that
his  

opponent was a woman, he grinned and lay his gun aside. "Come on, sweet
thing.	

Show me what you've got." 

He quickly realized his mistake when Meg landed her first blow. He found  

himself so busy defending himself from the rain of kicks and blows that he
had  

no time to mount his own attack. In desperation, he lunged for the gun he
had  

just put aside. He managed to grasp it as Meg grabbed his wrist and
twisted him  

around painfully. He thought he heard the gun go off, but her assault
continued  

as the gun dropped to the ground with a clang.	

Ray arrived at the battle site as Waters once again hit the ground. Before
he  

could find the strength to rise, the Detective put a foot in the middle of
his  

back and pinned him to the ground.  

As he snapped the cuffs on Waters' wrists (maybe just a little bit tight),
he  

informed him, "By the way, that was a Canadian cop who just beat the
stuffing  

out of you. Still think they don't really count?" 

He looked up at Meg. The grin on his face faded as he noticed her ashen  

complexion.  

He stood up and reached for her just as Fraser arrived at her side, the
young  

gunman close behind him. Both officers were able to catch her as she
collapsed  

between them. As they lowered her to the ground, Ray's hand touched a wet,
 

sticky place on her shoulder. Even without seeing the blood on his hand,
he  

knew that she had been hit. He spoke into the microphone on his chest.
"We've	

got an officer down! Repeat, we have an officer down! Request medical  

assistance!"  

In the dozen police cars that were now pulling up around the building,
every  

officer uttered a quick prayer to whatever deity he or she believed in and
 

headed for the warehouse. In the car they were in, Welsh and Elaine
exchanged a  

quick glance before joining the rest of the officers.  

Elaine headed straight for the officer who was holding Emily and took her
from  

him. "Hey, Tigger, it's good to see you again. Are you alright?" 

The girl buried her face in Elaine's shoulder and nodded. "I want my
mommy." 

"I know. Why don't you and I go sit in the car where it's warm to wait for
her?  

The Lieutenant will find her and tell her where we're at." She looked at
Welsh  

who nodded in agreement.  

"That would probably be best...at least until we know who..." 

Elaine nodded and returned to the car. 

In the warehouse, the scene was carefully controlled pandemonium. Several 


officers were going through the file cabinets in the office while others  

exclaimed with delight over the information still scrolling across the
computer  

screen. Others collected various people from different areas of the
warehouse  

and read them their rights and listened to their protestations of
innocence. In  

the center of the room, Benton was oblivious to the goings on. His
attention  

was totally focused on the paramedics and the woman they were working on.
His  

jaw was clenched tightly as he took note of her pale skin and the large
pool of  

blood spreading around her. He tried to detachedly judge the severity and 


location of the wound but found his emotions interfering.  

After a few minutes of feverish activity, they slid a backboard under her
and  

transferred her to a wheeled gurney. 

Fraser barely noticed when Ray and Welsh came up to stand beside him. Ray
laid  

a hand on his arm. "Between the computer records and all the people here
just  

itching to tell everything they know about Waters, he's going to be going
away  

for a very long time." He noted where Fraser's attention was riveted and
sought	

to reassure him.  

"Relax, Benny. She's tough. She'll pull through. She has to." 

As if on cue, one of the paramedics turned to them and nodded, smiling
slightly.  

"One of you gentlemen answer to the name 'Fraser'?" he asked. 

Benton nodded. 

"The lady would like to speak to you." 

As the trio stepped over to her, the paramedic warned them. "Make it
quick.	

She's not in any immediate danger, but the quicker we get her to the
hospital  

and get this taken care of the happier she'll be." 

"Of course. Thank you kindly." 

He took her hand and her eyes fluttered open. She looked at the three men
with  

a small smile before focusing on Ray. 

"Emily?" 

"She's safe," he assured her. 

"She's out in the car with Elaine," Welsh added. He looked over at Ray.
"We  

got your 'officer down' call just as we pulled in and figured it would be
better	

for her to wait out there until we knew what was going on." 

Meg closed her eyes for a moment, gathering strength.  

"Thank you all," she whispered. She opened her eyes again and smiled
weakly at  

Fraser. 

"Take care of her for me, please." 

He looked at her solemnly and nodded. 

Her eyes drifted closed again. 

"Okay, people, time to get moving," the paramedic informed them. 

Ray and Welsh stepped back. Fraser gently kissed her hand and returned it
to  

her side. 

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." 

He wasn't sure if she heard him, but there was a look of contentment on
her face  

as the EMT crew loaded her into the waiting ambulance. 

The next day, a man stood looking in the doorway of Meg Thatcher's
hospital  

room. The scene inside was an odd one. The dark-haired young woman sat in
the  

bed, one arm in a sling, the other lovingly wrapped around the little girl
 

sitting next to her. A white wolf, his shoulder also heavily bandaged lay
on  

the bed with them, stretching across both sets of legs. In the chair next
to  

the bed sat a young man in red serge, so perfect he might have been a
recruiting  

poster for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Perfect, except for the
silly  

look on his face as he looked at the two on the bed. Leaning up against
the  

wall was another young man, this one in a neatly tailored gray suit. He,
too,  

was grinning as he listened to Emily tell her mother about the experience
of  

spending the night at the Vecchio house. 

"...and everybody talks all the time, and nobody uses inside voices, and
there  

were so many other kids there to play with, mommy, and then Ray told us
all a  

story that was so funny that I laughed until my stomach hurt, but then his
mama  

said that it was time to settle down and go to sleep. There wasn't enough
beds  

for everyone, so I slept on the floor in his sister's room." She paused
and  

looked over at Ray. "She really is funny." She looked back at her mother. 


"Benton slept on the couch in the living room, but him and Ray helped me
say my	

prayers and then tucked me in first. They're pretty good at that...not as
good  

as you...then Ray's mama...she said for me to call her grandma...is that
okay?"	

She paused and looked up at her mother. 

Meg smiled down at her. "That's just fine, sweetheart." 

"Anyway, grandma fixed us all a really big breakfast before we came here
to see	

you. Maybe when you're better you can come and stay there too?" 

Before Meg could respond, a horrified Ray spoke up. "I'm sure your mother
would  

much rather stay at her house where she wouldn't have to sleep on the
floor." 

"Besides," Meg added, "We wouldn't want Ray's mother to have to go to all
that  

work." 

Emily thought about that for a moment. "Well, can we at least go over
there for  

dinner sometimes? She cooks even better than grandma and grandpa's cook." 

"She does, does she?" the man at the doorway asked, entering the room. "I
just  

might have to look into hiring her then." 

Emily looked at him and smiled. 

"Grandpa!" she cried before suddenly freezing, realizing he was probably
there  

to take her home. 

Meg swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. 

"Christopher. It's good to see you." 

He stopped at the foot of the bed. Fraser rose to stand close beside her
on one	

side while Ray stepped over to stand on the other side. On the bed, Dief
raised	

up slightly to fix the man with a cold stare.  

Meg proceeded with introductions. "Gentlemen, this is Emily's grandfather,
 

Christopher Thatcher. Christopher, this is my second in command, Constable
 

Benton Fraser, his aide, Diefenbaker, and Detective Ray Vecchio of the
Chicago  

Police Department." 

There were nods all around. 

"Detective. Constable." He looked at Fraser, noting the way he had reached
 

down, clasping Emily's hand...the same hand that Meg was holding, leaving
her  

small one sandwiched protectively between theirs.  

"I believe we spoke on the phone. Thank you...both of you...for looking
after  

my granddaughter." He turned his attention to Meg.  

"And Margaret, it's good to see you looking so well. I spoke with the
Constable  

at the consulate...Turnbaum?" 

"Turnbull." 

"Yes, Constable Turnbull. From the way he spoke I was prepared to find you
at  

death's door, but you seem to be recovering nicely." 

"Thank you, Christopher. I'm being very well cared for here and these two 


gentlemen have been kind enough to take care of Emily with a little
assistance  

from the Detective's family." 

"Thank you," Christopher said, "and my apologies for putting you to the  

trouble." 

"No trouble at all," Ray hastened to assure him. "Ma has always felt the
more  

the merrier, especially when it comes to kids. My sister's kids love
having	

someone new around. Besides, Tigger here's no problem at all." 

"Nevertheless, I appreciate your assistance." He turned his attention to
the  

little girl.  

"No hug for your old grandpa?" he asked her with a slight smile. 

She smiled back and reached for him. 

He closed his eyes as he held her close. "You had us so frightened, Emmy."


She pulled back to look at him. "I know. Mommy told me about how there are
bad  

people out there who like to hurt kids and that you thought one of them
might  

have taken me. I'm sorry that you were scared. I just really wanted to see
my  

Mommy." 

"I know...I should have brought you here myself. I'm sorry about that.
Just  

promise me that you won't be making any more trips by yourself." 

"No, Mommy already said I can't watch television for two weeks!" 

"Well, good for Mommy!" 

Christopher squeezed her once more. 

"Tell you what...since the Detective and the Constable here have taken
such good  

care of you, why don't you take them down to the cafeteria and buy them
some ice  

cream?" 

She turned to look at her mother. 

"Can I?" 

"May I?" her mother corrected. 

"May I?" she asked. 

"I'd like to speak to you alone for a moment," Meg's father in law
informed her. 

She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced a smile.  

"Of course." 

He set the girl down and handed her some money. 

"Be sure you stay with Ray and Benton," her mother reminded her. 

"I know." 

Fraser looked down at Meg. "Are you sure about this?" 

She smiled at him. "It'll be fine, Fraser. Thank you." 

He turned to follow the others out. 

Ray commented, "Did you notice how Dief seems to suddenly be able to move
better	

when someone mentions food?" 

Fraser responded. "It's you imagination, Ray. He knows better than to
expect	

junk food from me." 

"Come on, Benny, he's a hero! Doesn't he deserve some kind of reward too?"


Christopher and Meg heard Emily lend her support as the quartet moved out
of  

hearing range. 

They smiled at each other as a heavy silence descended in the room.  

Christopher walked over to the small window. 

Meg cleared her throat. 

"You're looking well, Christopher. How's Laura doing?" 

"Not well." He continued staring out the window. "You seem...content
here." 

She thought about that. "I suppose I am. I really hated it when I first
came  

here, but there's something about this city that just kind of grows on
you." 

"And Constable Fraser?" 

She fought down a blush. "He is a fine officer and I'm lucky to have him
as my  

deputy." 

"Emily seems quite taken with him. And with Detective Vecchio. She told me
on  

the phone last night that either one of them would make a good daddy." 

Meg was speechless for a moment. "Detective Vecchio? He's a fine police  

officer and I have a great deal of respect for him, but there is no
possible way  

whatsoever that we would ever be together like that. We are far too good
at  

getting on each other's nerves. 

He only became involved in this matter because of the drug case he was
working  

on...and because of Emily and Constable Fraser." 

"I see...and what about Constable Fraser?" 

"We work together. That's all." 

"Margaret, I'm not blind. I saw the way the two of you were looking at
each  

other. If there's nothing going on between you, it's only a matter of
time. I  

took the liberty of checking up on him. He seems to be a fine young man." 

He took a deep breath and changed the subject. "You asked about Laura. The
 

truth is, her health is not good, and mine isn't much better." 

"I'm sorry to hear that." 

"Actually, this situation has forced us to think about some things we've
done  

and our motives for doing them. I know that we were not the most
supportive of  

parents when you and Greg were married. It wasn't you...Greg was our only 


child, our pride and joy, and no woman would have been good enough for
him.  

When he died, we felt that we had lost a part of ourselves as well. In
Emily,	

it was as if we could keep a part of him with us. We didn't think about
you or	

really about her either. We convinced ourselves that we were doing it for 


her...that we could provide for her much better than you could, but the
truth  

is, we wanted her for selfish reasons." 

"You've done well with her. She's a beautiful little girl." 

"Yes, she comes from good stock...on both sides of the family. The truth
is,  

she's been very unhappy of late. We thought she would snap out of it, but
it's  

only gotten worse with time. She misses her mother." 

"What can I do to help?" 

"Forgive us. We had no right to keep you separated. We've were concerned
about  

her being raised by a single parent, about you not being able to spend
enough	

time with her. 

We really haven't done any better, and it takes a great deal of energy to
keep  

up with her. Laura and I are no longer able to do so. We haven't the
energy or  

the patience to do things with her anymore." 

Meg's heart skipped a beat. She fought to keep her hopes from soaring. 

"We feel that it's time for us to step back, to allow you the chance that
we  

took away from you...the chance to raise your daughter as you see fit." 

Meg sat in stunned silence as he continued.  

"Of course, that's supposing that you are interested." 

"Absolutely...that is, if she wants to." 

"I have no doubt that she will. I'm also certain that the Constable will
be  

more than willing to provide assistance." 

He lifted a hand to silence her as she started to protest.  

"I know, he works for you, there's no personal relationship, you couldn't 


possibly ask for personal help from him...give it up, Margaret. Just in
the  

short time I've seen the man, it's obvious that the two of you are
interested in  

each other. There is no doubt in my mind that you loved my son with all
your  

heart, but he's gone now and it's time you started living again. Greg
wouldn't  

want you to be alone. Nor would he want Emily growing up without a father.
 

Please, just think about what I've said." 

At that moment there was a knock on the door. Benton stuck his head in. 

"Sorry to disturb you, ma'am." 

"That's alright, we're finished," Christopher assured him. 

He pulled the door open to allow the others to enter. 

"Emily thought that the two of you might want some ice cream too." 

The little girl was carefully balancing one bowl while Ray carried
another. 

Benton noticed the tears in Meg's eyes as she reached over to take the
treat  

from her daughter. He was concerned and wondered just how to subtly find
out  

what had happened. Ray also noticed the tears but had no intention of
being  

subtle. He sat the other bowl on the bedside table and turned to confront 


Christopher. 

"So...you're going to drag the kid back to someplace that she ran away
from.  

You don't care that she wants to be here with her mother, that she belongs
with  

her mother." 

Fraser knew that he should step in and stop his friend, but he agreed with
 

everything that he was saying. Instead, he stepped over to Meg's bedside
and  

lifted Emily up to sit on the bed with her mother.  

Meg tried to interrupt, but Ray wasn't going to stop until he had said his
 

piece. 

"Look, the woman is laying in a hospital bed because she risked her life
for her  

kid. Yeah, she may be a little uptight sometimes, but part of that's her
job.  

I mean, Benny here is my best friend, but even I get annoyed with him
sometimes.  

The point is, she's a really good mother and she deserves the chance to be
with  

her kid. I can't think of anything lower than someone coming in and
dragging a  

kid out of her poor hospitalized mother's arms..." 

"Are you quite finished, Detective?" Christopher asked him with an amused
smile. 

"No, I've got plenty more..." 

"Then could you possibly hold it for a moment? I need to ask my
granddaughter  

about something." 

"Um...sure." 

Mr. Thatcher looked at Emily. This was the hardest thing he had ever had
to do,	

but deep down, he knew it was the right thing. 

"Emily, would you like to stay with your Mother?" 

Confused, she looked up at Meg, then back to him. 

"You mean here?" 

"Yes. Here. In Chicago." 

"Forever?" 

"Well, for as long as she wants to live in Chicago." 

A light was breaking across the girl's face. 

"You mean I can really stay with my Mommy?" 

She looked back and forth between the two. They both nodded and smiled. 

Ray's jaw dropped. 

"I can live with her and go to school here and play with Ray's nieces and 


nephews?" 

Christopher walked over to the bed. "Yes, sweetheart. Your grandma and I
know  

how much you've missed your mommy and we think it would be better for you
to  

live with her. Of course, we still want you to come and visit us." 

Emily threw her arms around him. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you."  

Benton took Meg's hand and she smiled up at him.  

Christopher noticed and smiled, too. "You and your mommy will be just fine
here  

and I'm certain that the Constable and the Detective will be more than
willing  

to help out." 

"Of course," Fraser assured him. "We'll start by helping her find a new
place  

to live." 

He looked down at her. "Your place is much too small for a growing child."


"And I'll need to buy her some things..." 

"We'll have all of her clothes and things shipped down here for you, so
you  

won't need to worry about that. Nor will you ever need to worry about
finances.  

You never asked so we never mentioned it, but Greg had a pretty sizable
trust  

from his grandfather which now belongs to you." 

Emily ran over to where Ray was still standing in the middle of the room. 

"Hey, Ray! Did you hear? I'm going to stay here with my Mommy!" 

She hugged him and then raced back to Benton to be lifted to her mother's
side  

again. 

Christopher, Meg and Benton started making plans while Ray stood frozen,
trying	

to figure out what had just happened. 

Diefenbaker finished off the second bowl of soupy ice cream, because good
food  

shouldn't be allowed to go to waste just because people got caught up in
less  

important matters.