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Part 3

A Knock at Riley's new apartment door surprised it more than it should have. The shock of another young girl sent a heavy stone to the bottom of her stomach.

Harriet Warbler.

She was only thirteen.

"I'll take this one," Mac said, squeezing her shoulder as he passed her to go open the door. Instantly grateful, Riley leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen and watched Mac march through the modest living room to their front door. For such a small apartment, it had may attractive features. The large balcony window in the living room faced east, so Riley is expecting some beautiful sun rises. As soon as you walk through the door, your eyes are glued to the sweet fire place, which is surrounded by a short two-person couch and an armchair smothered by an oversized pillow. The island in the kitchen causes it to appear too crowded, but the yellow walls and simple grey cabinets are endearing. The only bedroom in the house had a walk-in wardrobe and a large bay window also facing the park.

Mac had barely opened the door when a voice boomed through. Riley couldn't see the person from this angle, but the voice was loud and piercing.

"Hello, I heard you just moved in. My name is Regina Halliway, I just wanted to pop over to welcome you to the building," Regina said, as she stuck out her hand with force.

Halliway… Teresa's mother?

Riley had to shift her view slightly to get a better angle of Regina's face. The woman had a blunt bob that ran symmetrically along her jaw bone. Her top lip protruded slightly more than the bottom and her cheeks was soft and slightly puffy.

She seemed like a perfectly put together woman, but when examined more; the maroon lipstick only highlighted the cracks in her lips more. She was dangerously thin, her arms lacking any fat or muscle, Riley wondered how she had the energy to lift her arm up and knock. When she blinked, you can see the mascara smudged along her eyelid, and there's no hiding the rawness of her waterline.

The whole scenario struck Riley as odd.

Her child was still missing, and she was out welcoming people to the neighborhood.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Marshall Williams and my lovely wife..." Mac began introducing himself, turning slightly as if to look for Riley. She strolled over to them, pushing a sweet smile on her face as she greeted Regina.

"Riley Williams," she greeted, shaking Regina's outstretched hand softly then slipping her arm Mac's waist. The woman at the door didn't hide the fact that she looked them both from top to bottom, taking in Riley's sweat pants, baggy jumper and cartoon socks.

"Sorry I wasn't expecting anyone, we're just in the middle of unpacking," Riley laughed, gesturing to her clothes. She was surprisingly good at fake laughter.

Mac smiled dotingly down at her, his arm wrapped around her shoulder as he rubbed her arm calmingly.

We have this gig perfect, Riley thought as she smiled once more at Regina.

"Well you picked a good day to move in, tomorrow night is my turn to host a bit of a gathering, it's a remembrance of sorts," Regina spoke, her voice stuttered along the word remembrance.

"You're more than welcome to come, we have a resident's room near the lobby on the first floor. I believe it used to be two apartments, but the owner hollowed it out and turned it in to a lovely ballroom. Everyone will be arriving at 8. Black tie. Lovely to meet you both," she rushed her last words as her phone binged in her pocket. Swiftly turning, she marched down the hallway and left Mac and Riley gaping.

"That was..." Mac started.

"Weird." Riley supplied, leaning more heavily against Mac.

She really didn't want to put on a dress tomorrow night.

"Her child is missing, and she's throwing a party. If that doesn't scream guilty; I don't know what does," she added, neither of them moving from their position at the door.

"Yup, but we need evidence."

Mac looked down at Riley, never realizing exactly how short she was.

"I'll cook, if you unpack?" he suggested, hoping she'd take the deal.

Riley laughed, "nice try."

So, they compromised. Riley went and got pizza and Mac started unpacking.

She arrived back to the apartment building with a pizza balanced precariously on one hand as she dug around her pockets for her key with the other.

"I'll give you a hand, don't want you to drop precious cargo," a voice said behind her, reached around her, he unlocked the apartment door and waved her through.

Small, slender and a thick set of blonde curls laying haphazardly on the top of his head, this was Laura Simmon's cousin, Riley recognized him from the photos.

He started living with Laura and her parents two years ago, as he started going to a close by college. There wasn't much detail in his file, just one warning about a drunk and disorderly a few months back, the arresting officers letting him go as it was so close to his cousin going missing.

Thanking him as she tilted the box slightly going through the door, she could feel the pizza slip a centimeter and she hoped the cheese wasn't oily enough to move with it.

"Riley Williams. My husband and I just moved in upstairs, fourth floor," Riley introduced herself, sticking out one of her arms as the other held the pizza box once more.

Surprised and slightly awkward, he shook Riley's hand meekly, "Harry," he offered, not supplying any last name or indication of what floor he lived on.

The began walking upstairs, sneaking a quick glance down the corridor, Riley saw no indication of a large room to hold everyone in the building for an event.

"So, are you going to that thing tomorrow? Regina Halliway came 'round-" Riley began, hoping to get something out of this conversation.

"Ah Regina," Harry sarcastically reminisced, "she never takes a break does she?"

Riley waited for him to explain, but he simply let the statement dangle, watching her confusion.

"A break from…" Riley asked him, waiting for him to fill in the break.

"Living the dream I guess. Enjoy your pizza." Harry took the door the leaded him to the second floor, but Riley knew he lived on the third with his aunt and uncle.

Walking through the front door, Mac had some pillows haphazardly thrown on the couch, photos lining the mantle-piece of the fire and from the noise in the kitchen, she presumed he was starting on the cutlery.

"Honey I'm home," Riley called quietly, she had the intention of shouting it out, but a voice in the kitchen caught her attention.

Completely unaware she'd strolled into the house, Mac was sorting the knives from the forks into compartments... while singing.

And not very well at that.

His voice was low and slightly gruff, but the music behind him seemed to be in a completely different key to what he was singing.

Mac hummed the words he didn't know, and somehow managed to miss every single note.

It was almost a relief to finally find something he wasn't good at.

"You're just full of hidden talents aren't you Mac?" Riley said, holding in her laughter as she placed the pizza on the counter top.

From an outsider, it was as if Mac hadn't moved a muscle, completely unfazed by her sudden appearance. But Riley knew better. She picked up on the rigidness of his back, the tick of his jaw and the miniscule inhale.

"I'll never live that down will I?" Mac asked her, a serious expression on his face.

Riley simply shook her head, still trying to stamp down on her giddiness.

"Don't tell Jack?" He inquired hopefully, walking towards the pizza and opening the box to sllow the steam to escape.

"I'm not promising anything, but another performance might sway my decision," she smirked, stealing the first slice and began eating, watching as Mac finally cracked a smile.

The warm air from the fire coated Riley like a fuzzy blanket, pulling her into a dozy mode as she watched it crack and spit along the wooden logs Mac continued to throw in.

A full stomach and an almost empty glass of wine wasn't helping her energy levels, as Riley was very close to succumbing to her exhaustion. Stretched on the couch, Riley fit along the length of the couch with her feet perched on the arm rest. Mac has his sock clad feet on the low table in front of the fire, as he sat very comfily in the armchair.

Riley hadn't felt this relaxed in weeks.

"If all missions were like this, I'd happily go to work every day," Mac spoke softly, a sleepy tone working its way into his voice. Riley huffed a laugh into her glass of wine as she had it prepared to take another sip, her breath causing the glass to fog up.

"You practically skip into work as it is," she joked, watching as Mac opened his mouth to retort but could only smile and wave her off.

The familiar bing of Mac's phone sucked the gentle atmosphere out of the room, replacing it with a slightly suspenseful tone.

Mac; waiting for Riley to question the message.

And Riley; waiting to see if her would look at the message.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Riley asked him, preferring to be honest instead of beating around the bush.

Exhaling, Mac swirled the rest if the wine in his glass, watching the marron liquid lick the glass as it moved.

"It was out of the blue, she asked how I was and I didn't respond at first," Mac started, his eyes meeting Riley's as he explained. He seemed worried, and with a twinge of sadness, as if he'd prefer if this situation wasn't happening.

"Then she explained what happened, how it was her job and she never expected to fall in love with me. She said it was real. And I guess… it was comforting to know it wasn't always fake. So, I responded said I was fine and glad to know she was okay. Since then… she's been messaging me random things, memories of when we were together or wishing things were different," Mac gulped. "And it's been… I don't know. I know I don't want to be with her. I know… I don't want to be the person I was when I was with her."

Mac scrubbed his hands over his face, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. Riley waited for him to continue, she sat forward on the edge of her seat reaching over and squeezing his knee.

God, she wanted to knock Nicki out so bad.

"You don't deserve this. Digging up the past… it's not good for anyone," Riley sighed, wanting to erase any sad emotion in his mind.

"It's not a big thing, just an annoying one," he said trying to lessen the impact.

"There you go again," Riley commented, Mac stared at her in confusion, waiting for her to explain, "trying to make me feel better about something you're going through. Mac, this is a horrible situation that you're in right now. Not many people have an ex-girlfriend who's a double agent… triple agent," Riley comforted him, sitting so far forward on her seat she was about to fall off.

"Did anyone ever tell you, you're a really good person Riles," Mac told her, his eyes shining from the light of the fire. Riley could feel a blush wrapping itself around her chest.

"I just hope Bozer realizes that sooner rather than later," Mac continued, watching Riley exhale loudly and flop back against the couch once more.

"Such a smooth transition of conversations there," Riley laughed, throwing her hands up as an exaggerated gesture.

Mac simply shrugged, waiting for her to explain the last few days in her own words instead of his own observations.

"Bozer is… Bozer had a hard time. I had a hard time. Okay I'll just start from the beginning," Riley fumbled her words for a moment, but then decided to fill him in on all the gory details. Explaining the pain she felt when she discovered Mama Colton's powerful influence on her relationship. She told him about drinking with Bozer and him making a move.

"Hold on, he tried to kiss you?" Mac asked her, his eyes wide with an emotion Riley couldn't quite put her finger on.

"What? Is that so hard to believe?" Riley asked, for a moment she was insulted, but the way Mac tried to correct himself was too hilarious to not make fun.

"You know, I was once told I was the prettiest girl in kindergarten," she informed him jokingly, watching as he rolled his eyes but apologized all the same.

"I'm sorry, I don't doubt that for a moment. I was just caught off guard," Mac explained.

"So anyway, after all that when Bozer broke up with Leanne, and then that whole weird scenario with Bozer and Billy…. And then Bozer," Riley stopped, a lump catching in her throat.

She lost her words for a moment.

And when she found them… she didn't want to say them.

With a watery gaze she finally made eye contact with Mac. Exhaling softly he moved from his arm chair to sit next to her.

"He said he couldn't be my friend. That it was on him, and he needed time but… why do I feel like I've messed everything up again?" she whispered, not expecting Mac to answer but feeling a relief that it was no longer stuck to her chest and it was released out to the world.

Following his instinct, Mac wrapped his arm around Riley's slender shoulders, "I can promise you, this is not your fault. Give Boze time, he can be… dramatic with these things," Mac smirked towards the end of his speech, watching Riley's mouth quirk upwards.

"That' an understatement," she snorted. "Who knew I could cause all this drama?" Riley asked Mac, her voice started to shake with laughter.

And for some reason, they both found that to be hilarious.

Mac had thrown his head back in laughter, and the tears that were previously held back from sadness, sprinted down the sides of Riley's cheeks with unfiltered joy.

Exhausted, Riley brought her feet under her, curling slightly into a small ball and refusing to move beneath the warmth of Mac's arm.

The heat of the fire smoothing over her, and the comfortable position she was in, caused her to close her eyes and start to dose. She could vaguely hear the television being turned down low, so everyone on Brooklyn Nine Nine sounded as if they were whispering.

And then… peaceful darkness.

Riley's feet pounded against the paved gravel, her heart rate slightly increased; but not racing. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck as she jogged past a tree with a scuffed black plaque and miniscule gold writing.

She didn't mind jogging as a form of exercise, she quite enjoyed it at times.

As a kid, her mother used to say she had too much energy and would make her do laps of whatever hallway or bungalow they lived in at that time. She would run until her legs collapsed beneath her, just to fill the time of her silent house.

As a teenager, her school councilor said she had anxiety. The woman was young, with blonde hair tipping her shoulders and a large mole under her left eye cozied next to her nose. 'Too much adrenaline', she explained, and prescribed her to go running in the morning or evening to work it off.

To Riley's surprise, the feeling improved.

Waking up this morning in a bed she didn't recognized and a house she was only beginning to get to know brought back that familiar anxious stab in the pit of her stomach, wrapping itself around the bones of her arms and tightening her throat. She knew she needed to get out of the apartment, she found Mac as she passed through the living room.

Stretched awkwardly on the two-person couch, he had needed to push the arm chair to the end of the couch so his long legs could rest there while his torso was twisted to suit this position. The pillow underneath his head was slipping from behind his head to the floor and the short blanket was mostly jumbled around his feet.

Instantly guilty for the luxurious sleep in a bed that Mac actually put her in, she kneeled in front of him and slowly shook him awake.

Groggily his eye's cracked open, bloodshot from a bad sleep and cloudy from the unexpected awakening. Realizing who was kneeling in front of him, he cracked a smirk and a gruff, mornin'.

"I'm up now, please go take a nap in an actually bed while I'm gone," Riley instructed while untying her laces so she could shove her foot inside the shoe. Mac yawned widely, slowly rising, knocking the pillow to the floor and shuffled to the bedroom.

Sitting on the edge of the couch, Riley bent down to retie her laces. The sound of the bed cracking under a sudden weight, indicated Mac flinging himself onto the bed.

Getting up to leave the apartment, she just about heard a, "be careful Riles," and a snore.

That brought her to this moment, jogging until she reached a destination she had no intention of aiming for.

Harriet's grave. A double grave.

Pictures of the young girl remained, with bouquets of flowers and letters in plastic folders to be protected from the rain. Some of Harriet and some of Laura.

Riley stood and waited. Allowing the situation to sink in.

Harriet was taken as soon as Laura was killed, now she was dead. Killed in the same spot as Laura.

They couldn't let another young girl die.

And Teresa Halliway was still missing.

Was she a part of this at all?

She had the letters, so that automatically connected her to the kidnappers.

Something didn't sit right. And Riley couldn't even comprehend was state the mother was in. Either she was distancing herself do much from the situation she had forgotten, or she was extremely talented at hiding her feelings.

Lost in thought, Riley barely noticed Amir Hassen walking towards her.

"Excuse me, this might seem odd, but I think you may have just moved into my building?" Amir timidly asked her, her brown eyes scanning Riley's face to make sure she hadn't mistaken her for someone else.

Riley plastered on a smile before responding, "yes of course, you passed us in the corridor when we were with the landlord."

"He's a…," Amir started, describing the man but trailing off.

"A dick," Riley supplied, her tone light enough to play off as joking but also quite serious. Amir let out a surprised laugh.

"I'm Riley by the way," she said to her, sticking out her hand in a formal introduction.

"Amir," the woman said politely.

They chatted for a few minutes about aimless subjects; the weather, Riley's new apartment compared to her old one and her job.

"How long have you and Marshall been together?" Amir asked her while pushing the pram with her sleeping baby who hadn't stirred the entire time Riley had been talking.

"I met Mac three years ago now, and are just married for four months now," Riley supplied. A grey cloud loomed above them, and both women decided they should start walking home. Before leaving the grave yard, Riley spotted a familiar girl.

Hood pulled up, with her eyes trained on the ground, she walked towards Laura's memorial spot. Riley remembered her from the day they viewed the apartment for the first time. Whipping the same canister out of her backpack, Riley watched as she poured a liquid into one cup and reached into her bag to retrieve another.

Completely oblivious to everyone around her, the girl took out a book and began reading. Riley couldn't hear the words, but she watched as her lips moved.

Concluding a close relationship with Laura, Riley made a mental note to look into it later, and see if there was a way to make contact and find out if the girl knew anything.

Amir and Riley continued to chat, and the more Riley got to know Amir, the more she liked her. In the middle of telling Riley a story about her husband attempting to make sushi when she was interrupted by her phone ringing.

"It's my mother," she said with a sign, "this could take a while, she's coming to visit next week and her standards on our guest room are… not very achievable. It was so nice meeting you Riley, say hello to Mar… Mac for me," Amir finished, stumbling over Mac's name. Riley had told her he prefers the nickname and was glad to find Amir actually using it.

"Oh, speak of the devil!" Amir exclaimed, pointing at a figure behind Riley before finally answering the phone. Swaggering out of the building with a trash bag, Mac had one of his earphones in and let the other one hang loosely.

Amir sent Riley a wave while she began chatting to her mother. Riley turned and strolled towards Mac, knowing Amir was still watching them she knew she would have to put on a bit of a show.

Casually tossing the bag into the open bin as the muscles in his back moved to compensate for the action. Wolf whistling to get his attention, she watched as he turned with a raised eyebrow.

A smile grew on his face as he realized how had caught his attention, the dimples his cheeks on full display. Riley's steps sped up slightly as she could feel bubbles of energy in her stomach, when she had eye contact with Mac.

"Amir's watching," she murmured while loosely throwing her arms around his shoulders, and without missing a beat his large hands held her waist.

"Not the most romantic of scenes," Mac replied, dipping his head to meet her forehead. Riley could feel affection bubbling in her stomach as she felt herself draw closer to Mac.

This close, she could see flakes of green in his blue eyes that she never noticed before. The freckles that were so prominent in his photo as a child were faint along the bridge of his nose.

"Does it help that I'm really sweaty after my run? What if I say romantic things, like sunsets, dim lighting, cheap sushi and… Richard Gere?" she supplied sarcastically as she brushed her nose against his. She could smell his freshly washed skin, and felt the heat radiated off his skin.

"Richard Gere and cheap sushi?" Mac asked her, a deep husk within his voice while a slight laugh at her suggestions escaped him.

Drawing her heard back in shock so she could look him in the eye, "pretty woman!" she exclaimed, realizing that's all she could say as the circles Mac was drawing on her lower back were becoming increasingly distracting.

"I didn't take you for romantic comedy girl," Mac said while straightening to his full height, but keeping Riley within his grip.

"Say's the man that's a sucker for trashy reality TV."

Over her head, Mac scanned the background quickly, "how about we settle this with 'who can make the best omelet'?" Sending her a miniscule nod, Riley knew Amir had left.

"More like who can make an edible omelet."

With intense concentration, Riley drew an elegant black line along her eyelid. She was practically an eyeliner expert at this stage and would often reminisce about her teen days when the thicker the line the better.

Sitting back in her chair for a moment, Riley blinked and assessed her work, ensuring both eyes were matching.

"Now are you done?" Mac asked from his position on the edge of the bed. With his suit on and his hair tidy, Mac had been ready to go for the past half hour, overestimating how quickly Riley could do her makeup.

Smirking in the mirror, Riley met his gaze, "nearly," she supplied for the fourth time.

"You already look great, what more needs to be done?," Mac offered, not understanding what else she needed to do. But Riley simply laughed and began searching for her red lipstick.

She didn't believe Mac, not feeling comfortable in her own skin. Maddy had a dress sent over for her, as Riley hadn't packed for a black tie event. She wasn't sure who picked out the dress but it was definitely expensive, she wasn't used to wearing such costly clothes. A simple black dress that clung her hips and a modest slit along her thigh, and Maddy had sent dangly diamond earrings but they were hidden from Riley's big curls she manufactured with the curling iron.

Smoothing the marron lipstick over her lips, she could feel Mac's gaze. Smacking her lips together, she caught his stare, "want some?" she asked him while smirking. He laughed hanging his head low, but Riley didn't miss the blush that worked his way to his cheeks.

Spraying on some perfume and smoothing down her hair, Riley was finally ready. Nervous butterflies took flight in her stomach at the thought of the party.

They had no idea what they were walking into.

Teresa Halliway had caught Mac in the hallway earlier asking him again if he was attending.

"You have your tracker?" Mac asked her. Riley nodded indicating to her earring, attached the tiny device to the back of her earring.

Swivelling around on the low stool to face Mac, Riley crossed her arms and exhaled, hoping the anxiety would die away.

"This isn't a trap is it? They haven't figured us out already, right? I swept the house for bugs and-" Riley began to spiral, her fears fallen out of her mouth like an unstoppable tsunami, and Mac interrupted it before it took over the rest of her thoughts.

"Riles," Mac softly said, leaning forward slightly, but not reaching out to her, "I get it. This is… a situation that the only people we'll be able to trust is each other. Yes, this could be a trap. But you checked up on this. You found photos from last months' event on Teresa's Facebook page," Mac reassured her.

Riley let the information sink in and took comfort in his words. Exhaling once more, before standing to her feet.

"Ready?" she asked Mac, placed out her hand as an invitation.

Mac smiled and took her small hand in his and squeezed, "Ready."