Chapter 1- the beginning of the story – October 2008

Cyrus Lupo had just clocked off and was meeting up with a girl for a drink at a local bar. Her name was Lisa Addison. He had known her and her sister, who he had dated, a few years ago and they had split on bad terms. But she had contacted him so he didn't mind meeting up for a drink and a chat.

The ended up having several drinks and talking way into the next morning. She told him her kids were growing up, that their dad had left her for his new woman and didn't want to see them anymore. She talked about her sister, Kate, who Lupo had dated for four years and had been engaged to before he had called the whole thing off. She told him she had a little girl, Alannah who was almost five. "Almost five?" asked Lupo "Are you sure?"

"Definite. She was born in December 2003, six months after you left Kate" she nodded "Why… you called off your engagement just over five and half years ago."

"Yeah well she was doing that other bloke behind my back" sneered Lupo, remembering her unfaithfulness to him. He hadn't taken it well when he had found out, he had walked in on them in the act without them noticing. He had left and got incredibly drunk. He had decided not to speak to her for a week before confronting her over it. Mainly because he had spent a lot of time going over it in his head, getting angrier and angrier about with each day that had passed. When he did confront her, it was when she came round to his apartment demanding to know why he hadn't returned any of her calls, texts or emails in over a week which had resulted in them having a blazing row which had lasted for hours. And had ended up with the cops (from 4th precinct) detaining them both, as the neighbours had heard a lot clashing (making them think one of them-most likely him- was hurting the other or that they were hurting each other) and had heard them threatening each other with violence. "I wasn't staying with her after that."

"Cyrus she loved you" said Lisa, smiling

"If she had, she wouldn't have been sleeping with someone else behind my back" he replied placing his glass down on the table "I was furious. I loved her. I wanted to marry her and she went and shagged someone else"

"I know" sighed Lisa "She regretted it"

"She could've said that to me" said Lupo "I might've found it in my heart to forgive her."

"Well she was stupid. I told her that loads of times after I found out. Which was just after you found out" said Lisa "You were a good guy, you were good to her. Not like some of the dicks she dated before you and much better than the prick she married"

"She got married?" he asked, a little shocked. Also a little angry, he had been about to marry her when he had found out she had been cheating on him. He had wanted to marry her, he had loved her a lot and she had just thrown it back in his face. That had really stung. Of course now he was over her by far. He had moved on and seen other girls. Though none he'd want to marry or could consider a serious relationship with.

"Yeah. To Justin, the bloke she was seeing behind your back. I don't know why. They barely see eye to eye on anything" replied Lisa "He's just useless. He sits around all day getting high or getting pissed, he works but it's minimal. He could get a better a job but no he'd rather sit around on his arse all day and let her support them. He barely wants to know with Alannah these days. He's useless, I've told her a hundred times, leave him you can do much better than that useless good for nothing layabout. But she won't listen. She says she staying for Alannah's sake, but he doesn't care about her. About either of them. She's a stubborn piece of work my little sister."

"Tell me about it" he laughed "But I liked that about her. She knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it."

"She wanted children with you" said Lisa

"She could've if she hadn't done Justin behind my back for six months!" replied Lupo "I would've had children with her if she hadn't slept with him!"

"I know" said Lisa

"Do you know why she did it?" he asked her

"She was lonely. You were working loads, away a bit. She loved you but she was lonely. You worked all the hours god could send, she hardly ever saw you. She wanted you to notice her, to pay her a bit more attention. But she went about it the wrong way" explained Lisa "She regrets it. She said if she could go back time and change things she would never have started sleeping with Justin, she would've stayed with you, married you."

"I was working the hours so we could set up a good home and not be living off benefits. But the past is exactly what it is. The past" sighed Cyrus

"So" she said placing her glass on table "What did you do after you left her?"

"I changed jobs I went to work in Intel and worked all over the place. Hardly in one place for too long" he replied

"What about your big brother, tommy?" she asked "Did he beat his cancer? Last time we spoke he was still undergoing rigorous chemotherapy"

"He died" sighed Lupo, remembering back to that call he had received for his sister-in-law telling him tommy was dead. "He did go into remission but it returned and it was too late. He was in pain. He took his own life, with assistance."

"Oh, I'm so sorry" she replied sympathetically

"We weren't close. But I do miss him, his kids do. I just wish I'd returned his call instead of choosing to ignore it for work. His kids, I see them a lot to make up for it." He said. There was an awkward silence which lasted quite a while before he decided to swap to topics and thought he might have a go a chatting her up "So you're single"

"Yeah, Leo fucked off. He was seeing this hoar and decided to leave me with two kids, who he never sees and a broken heart. So yeah I'm single" she replied "Why?"

"I wouldn't mind fixing your heart for you" he grinned. "You busy this Saturday?"

"Yeah sorry booked up there, its tommy's birthday. He's having a sleepover" said Lisa "What about the Wednesday after that?"

"I'm working then. Work is pretty hectic at the moment. We're on a massive murder case, we want to nail our guy to the wall with evidence" He replied "What about that Friday?"

"I think I'm free then" she smiled searching in her back for her diary. "Yep. I'm free and I should be able to get a babysitter. Who knew it would be so hard to book a date!"

"Who knew" he smiled, something crept onto his mind. Why exactly had she gotten in touch with him? "Why did you get in touch with me?"

"You were nearly my brother-in-law Cyrus! I wanted to catch up with you. It's been over five years since we spoke." She smiled "Anyway I was always pretty fond of you. I was quite attracted to you. I heard a rumour you were single, I thought, he's single, I'm single, why not?"

"Why not" he nodded. Lisa was still the kind hearted, fun girl he remembered. When he and Kate had been together, they had always gotten on very well. Kate had once stated she was jealous of their closeness for a reason she never specified (though he was certain it was because of something she had been told by her mistaken friend) but she had allowed them to be friends. He remembered one occasion very fondly, they had gone out for a drink and had ended up getting wrecked but they hadn't stopped laughing all night. He had never tried it on with her and she had never tried it on with him. They had respected each other's relationships with their respective partners, which nether Kate nor Lisa's ex Leo the cheat, believed. It had been subject of two separate rows. One between him and Kate, during which she had claimed he had slept with Lisa after they had gotten drunk because he hadn't come home. He had told her he had crashed at a friend's house, which had been true and Lisa had gone off with one of her friends. She had told him a friend of her and sister Lisa had seen them getting a bit frisky, which had mistakenly led her to believe they had gone home together and had sex. The second had been between him, Kate, Lisa and Leo the cheat in Lisa and Leo's apartment. Kate and Leo had sparked it together. Leo had even gone for him with his fists and broken his nose. He was jealous about something which hadn't happened. Though during this argument Leo and Kate had both said that the friend who had mistakenly told Kate and Leo that he and Lisa had, had sex had said they had been very close the whole night and looked like they were together or if they weren't together they should be; that looked like they were made for each other. This had been why Leo had gone for him. Lisa had called him in secret, telling him Leo had whacked her one with a ladle so he had arrested him but she had refused to press charges. Which had caused friction between him and Kate at the time, she was mad that he had arrested her sister's boyfriend and mad that her friend believed he and her sister them to be made for each other. He had insisted he loved her and no one else, especially Lisa. She had come round eventually and they had gotten engaged a few months later. "You know it's been nice to see you. I'm glad you got in contact. I was thinking about getting in contact with you or with Kate at some point."

"I don't think she would be that happy about it if you did. And if she finds out about this she really won't be happy"

"Oh that's right she hates me" he shook his head

"Never mind I don't" smiled Lisa "I need to be getting home. That babysitter will be wanting all my money at this rate. She likes to charge high rates, but she is fantastic with tommy and Nina. They love her so I use her. It's been great to talk to you again Cyrus. I look forward to next Friday"

"Me too" he smiled. She kissed him on the cheek then dashed out of the bar to hail a taxi to take her home. He smiled to himself, he had a date with her. That had never been his intention but maybe it would work out. He had always gotten on really well with her, he had once, when he and Kate had been on a break, considered her if he and Kate didn't get back together. But they had and it had worked out until she had cheated on him ending things for good. But he'd thrown himself into his job and lost contact with them. After finishing his drink he left the bar and headed home, still grinning.

The next day his partner, Kevin Bernard, wanted to know all the gory details of his 'date' with Lisa. "How was your date?"

"It wasn't a date. It was just a catch up with an old friend" replied Lupo "It went fine. She was hotter than I remember though"

"So have you made another date?" asked Bernard

"Yes." He replied "Next Friday."

"So she's an old friend?" Bernard pried

"I was engaged to her sister but I called things off." Said Lupo

"Why what she do?" asked Bernard, smirking

"She cheated on me. So I ended it" replied Lupo

"And now you're eyeing up sister" grinned Bernard "That is gonna be one hell of an awkward reunion. I would pay good bucks to see that"

"Oi!" said Lieutenant Van Buren coming out of her office "Focus. I don't want EADA cutter moaning about lack of evidence or the defence to rip this apart. The DA wants it to stick to Benton without any reasonable doubt."

"Sorry Lou" said Bernard returning his focus to the papers on the desk in front of him. "Jesus Christ will we ever get these things sorted! Every time we get one done ten more seem to appear. The arraignment is tomorrow afternoon"

"But this won't be required till the case goes to court" said Lupo "If it goes to court"

"It better. After all this work!" replied Bernard picking up another piece of paper.

The following Friday soon arrived and Lupo got ready for his dinner date with Lisa. "Have a good time!" grinned Bernard. Lupo rolled his eyes and shut his locker before heading off to his date with Lisa.

The date went well and the arranged another for the following week. Soon they'd been on four dates and he wondered if she was ready to take it to the next level. "Would you like to come back to my place tonight?" he asked

"Yes I would" she grinned "Mum's got Nina and tommy over hers tonight. I'm all yours till tomorrow morning"

"That sounds interesting" he raised his eyebrows suggestively

Soon they left the restaurant and took the subway back to his apartment. They started snogging on the train, everyone was watching but they didn't care. When they reached their destination they jumped off and headed up to Lupo's apartment. He pushed the door closed behind them and they threw themselves at each other. They wrapped their arms around each other's bodies as they kissed passionately their tongues massaging the others. She pushed his jacket off and ripped of his shirt. He took off cardigan and unzipped the back of her dress and pushed it down till it fell onto the floor. She undid his belt and unzipped his trousers and pushed them down. She leaned on him and he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. In their underwear he carried her in his arms, still kissing her into his bedroom. He took off her bra and dropped it on the floor then pushed her underwear off so she was totally naked in his arms. She pushed his pants down and pulled him onto the bed. He kissed her their bodies massaging each other as he entered her body. They both stiffened up and as they rocked back and forth together. After they had made love they fell asleep in his bed, both still naked.

A few weeks later she introduced him to her two children, Nina, nine and tommy, eleven. Tommy remembered him from before but only very vaguely, Nina didn't really remember him but the last time he had seen her she had been four and tommy had been six. Then a few weeks later she invited him to go to Alannah's fifth birthday with her as her boyfriend. They had just officially become an item. "Please!" she gave him puppy eyes "I've told her I'm bringing someone"

"Ok" he gave in "But if she gets mad at me or you I'm leaving. She tried to take my eyes out when in confronted her over her cheating"

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" she chirped before kissing him on the lips.

"Errrrggggggh!" said Nina and tommy in unison together. They both laughed.

Three days later it was Alannah's party. They headed there together with Nina and tommy, who had become quite fond of him. When Kate saw him her expression was both surprised and angry. She had a knife in her hand which almost made him turn around and leave. "Cyrus" she said begrudgingly "What the hell are you doing here?"

"He's-" Lisa began but Kate cut her off.

"Here to arrest Justin for doing dope knowing him" sneered Kate "After all I did sleep with him behind his back. He would want revenge. He didn't get it last time did he?"

"I'm not here to arrest Justin." Said Cyrus "I'm here as Lisa's boyfriend"

"What!" exclaimed Kate "You've got to be kidding me!"

"No" said Lisa "I got in contact with him a few weeks ago and we were both single. It's not like you're an item any more. You screwed around behind his back with that useless prick"

"Justin isn't useless" retorted Kate before walking away.

He soon met little Alannah when she walked over him with Nina. She had a round face, big brown eyes, a small nose and lots of long dark curls. Lisa picked her up and held her so her face was near Lupo's without noticing and Nina said "Cyrus she looks like you"

"No she doesn't don't be silly" laughed Lisa

"Tommy said you and Auntie Kate used to be together" said Nina innocently "Is she your daughter?"

"No of course not" replied Lupo

"But she looks like you" Nina insisted.

"Go on Nina, go and get some food" said Lisa "Go on!" Nina huffed and walked away. "Sorry about her. She's got this obsession with asking people very personal questions"

"She's nine" shrugged Lupo "It's what they do". He looked at Alannah but he started to see that Nina was right, she did look a lot like him. She had his shaped face, his nose and his eyes but Kate's mouth. The resemblance was spookily uncanny, it was undeniable. He thought back, there was no reason that Alannah couldn't be his. She was five, he had split with Kate about six months before she would've been born. She would've been at least three months then. She must've known before he'd ended things, when he'd called off their engagement. Had she kept it from him deliberately?

Just before Kate did the cake Justin returned home with some candles, one in the shape of a number five. Kate put them on top of the cake then carried it through to the main room where Alannah blew them out. Lupo noticed Justin watching him intently from the other side of the room instead of watching his daughter blow out her candles on her birthday cake. After Kate went into the kitchen with the cake, Justin made his way over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Lisa invited me" replied Lupo "She's my girlfriend"

"You're seeing Lisa?" he asked, seeming somewhat relieved of something that had been troubling him.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Oh right" said Justin before walking off again.

Lupo frowned, why had been so interested to know why he was there? It was strange, it almost made Lupo think he had something to hide. Like maybe a guilty conscience, probably not though.

And that's how it all began. It began with a question and a little curiosity. Curiosity never killed anyone right?