Lanie walks away from Kate's apartment feeling a little bit troubled. She knows that once Kate Beckett set her mind to a specific goal, there is no standing in her way. She knows that their friendship will be put to the test. She only hopes that she can make her see. Kate needs to have an open mind.

What she needed now is to get her to forget about her man issues. So she would let a little time pass before asking her out for drinks. In the meantime she pulled out her cell phone and searched through her contact list. It would probably piss of Kate to no end, but Lanie was a romantic at heart. She would not let her friend suffer if there was something she could do about it. Unorthodox as it was, it was still a long shot. She finds the contact she was looking for. It had been a long time since she called. She just hoped that her call would be answered.

The sounds of the unanswered ringing phone started to discourage Lanie. Six rings had sounded and she was just about to pull the phone away from her ear when she heard a very sleep filled "Здравствуйте!" (Hello!)

"Natalia, English baby please, my Russian is so rusty. I have not spoke it since we were together last."

And Lanie heard in broken English "Lanes? Is that you?"

"Well as I live and breath, Natalia Sokolova. OMG, It is you. How are you, girl?"

"I'm fine Lanes. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Listen I know that it's been a long time but do you have some free time to get together? I hope that you are in New York City."

"Well, I'll be wrapping up a shoot day after tomorrow, So yes I am in the city. I have a place on Central Park West but if it's important I can blow off this afternoon's meeting and meet with you. Why what's up? Natalia hoped everything was alright with her friend.

"That would be great if can you skip your meeting and meet me at the Anyway Cafe."
Natalia knew of this place. She wondered why Lanes would go to such lengths to make her feel at home with comfort food from her homeland. This was serious. So she asks "What time Lanes?"

"Natalia, can you meet me by 5:30 tonight?"

There is rustling through what sounded like a day planner. "Lanes I can be there by six, will that work?"

"That would be great thanks, Natalia. I'll see you then."

They both hang up each thinking that this call was just that, out of the blue. Natalia heads back to her bed so she can catch up on just a little more sleep before meeting with Lanie. Lanie heads to her place to wash the days grime from her body and find something great to wear. Lanie has been buried in her closet for the last hour. She had one dress that would work. It was a short red number that really gave credit to her boobs. After finding nothing else close to being wearable, this was what she was going to wear to meet with Natalia. She went to her bathroom and applied her make-up, put on the little red number, and dabbed her favorite scent to her wrists, her pulse points and behind her ears.

Natalia woke to her alarm clock buzzing. She quickly slammed her hand onto it and as she came to some kind of conscious thought. What did she want and why now after 5 years? She had hoped Lanie appreciated her meeting her and it better be worth her while. As she dressed she noticed that she only had time to get dressed and make it to the lobby of her building in time to catch a cab and be on time. Damn that girl.

Lanie sat at the bar. She was nursing a double vodka and tonic with a twist. She heard cameras clicking, people calling her name and as she looked towards the door she knew her friend was here. She noticed that the bouncers had stopped the paparazzi that tried to follow Natalia through the front door. Getting into the eatery she came over to Lanie and gave her two quick kisses to each of her cheeks.

"Hey Lanes, how are you, baby!"

"Nat, I'm livin large! Thanks for meeting me tonight."

"Hey, anything for a friend."

"Nat I am going to get straight to the point."

Yeah, I thought you would, what's up?"

"Listen do you remember Kate Beckett?"

"Yeah K-Becks, how could I ever forget her."

"Okay, do you remember junior year?" Lanie looks at Nat who is trying to recall that specific memory.

"Lanie, can you be just a little more specific junior year was so long ago."

"Nat, you and Kate in my room right after the party for Gamma Delta Pi?"

Then it hits her like a ton of bricks... "Lanes what are you asking of me?"

Listen, Nat, I know that you swing both ways and you recently have broken up with Pam."

"Ohhhh No! No, No No NO! I don't like where this conversation is heading!"

"Nat, listen it's going to be fine. Listen I know that you and Kate had a thing for about 3 months. You were attracted to each other, don't try to deny it."

"Lanes, times change and so do people. Are you serious? And furthermore, what happened between the both of us is private. Not for public knowledge. How do you know this about us?"

Never mind how I know. Just know that I do know. Our girl is hurting. She needs someone to re-connect with. The opposite sex has "fucked" her so to speak!"

"Let me guess, bad breakup?"

"Bad is not the word that I'd use. I'd go with unacceptable. He was caught cheating on her by her."

"WOW. Well, that sucks. What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to take her out on a date, and if it goes past that which I hope it will, release some of that tension that she has been building up over the last six months. She is a wreck."

"Lanes, what if she likes what I do to her once more, you do remember junior year right?"

"Nat, at first she will resist you knowing that she won't want to be with another woman again. But after a few choice words from you and your previous encounter floating around in her head she will see things just a little bit differently. So when you bury your face between her legs, I am sure that she will come around. No pun intended! Just get her off and then see where she wants to go after that. She knows you."

"Lanes one day you are going to owe me...Big time!"

Yeah but if I do owe you, I know it will not be sexual in any way."

"Are you sure? Give me 15 minutes with you and those luscious breasts of yours and I'll bet you I can change your mind!"

Lanie's face went so red she needed to drop her face away from Nat.

"Nat, listen I love the vertical stick! I am not that type of lover, while I don't mind how you satisfy your needs, I'll never become a woman who pleases or needs to be pleased by another woman."

"I'm just sayn..."

"I know. So are you in?"
Lanes, You know that I'd never let Kate suffer. Set it up and let me know where to meet her."

"Thanks, Nat! I love you!"

"Yeah, yeah...promises, promises!" Nat smiles back at her friend. She walked towards the back door of the eatery to try and escape the photo hounds.

Lanie left the restaurant feeling a little bit lighter. She thought that she would need to really pull out the big guns with Natalia. But she agreed without question. She really was a person who could see the bigger picture. Lanie returned home ready to give Kate a call and set up the chance meeting. She just needed a way to make it sound not so needy. So as she walked home she dialed Kate's number. Her first attempt went to voice mail. She waited 5 minutes and tried again just as she reached her place. She heard Kate's greeting and now she was getting worried. Never did Kate not answer a second call from her. She changed direction and stepped off her front steps and hailed a cab to get her to Kate's place. 17 minutes later Lanie was getting out of the cab and heading up to Kate's apartment. She knocked furiously but her knocking went unanswered. So she started to pound on the door. After about a minute Lanie remembered that Kate had given her a new key to the new lock. So she slipped the key into the lock and opened the door. If this wasn't an emergency, then nothing was. She walked into her empty place and she was hearing singing. It was a Mezzo Soprano voice that she heard. As she walked closer to the bathroom she watched as Kate was singing to an older opera that Lanie recognized. Lanie just stood there and leaned against the door jamb to the bathroom. Kate's voice was like being in heaven. It was so soft but to her it was so powerful in the same way. Lanie's eyes closed as she listened to Kate sing to her I-pod. She was startled when after about five minutes later she was roused by Kate letting out a blood curdling scream.

"Lanie, what the hell?" Kate screamed.

"Kate I'm so sorry. I tried to call you and my mind went into overdrive. I thought that you were in trouble. You never answered your phone."

"Apparently! Because I was in the tub!"

"No sweetie, I was really worried about you. I thought something bad had happened."

"Lanie, what did you need?"

"Listen, Kate, I need you to set aside some time next Friday to meet with an old friend."

"Alright, who is this friend and are you going to be there?"

"Uh-uh, no names and yeah I'll be there. Don't worry you'll like it...I promise."

Kate thought otherwise. "Okay, Lanie, where and what time?"

Lanie gave her the location and time and just hoped that Kate would be that pissed off when Lanie was not there and Nat was the only one in attendance...