A/N: Hello my beautiful Creampuffs! A little bit shorter of a chapter than usual but if I'd of continued on it would have been a monster sized chapter and I might not have included all I wanted to just to keep the word count down. Welcome to the roller coaster, it's gonna be one hell of ride!

Laura and Carmilla spent the morning recreating Laura's crime boards from the office at Carmilla's apartment. They'd ordered all the furniture for their new home while they were traveling and had it delivered to their new house, Dark and Brody having accepted and set it up for them. The boys had also brought a list of their things from the apartment including all of Laura's research, most of their clothes and of course, their two kittens and Laura's Chihuahua, Lucy. It had been a nice surprise when they'd gotten home, both kittens immediately greeting them at the door along with a squealing little black dog. The girls had ushered the boys out shortly after, although Brody had wanted to spend some time with Danny, Laura and Carmilla were exhausted from the emotional toll of the day.

"I don't know," Laura sighed. "Do you really think… damn…"

"What?"

"I wish I knew if we're right," she shook her head. "Are they transgendered or is it just a disguise?"

"Does it matter?"

"No," Laura shrugged. "Laf's just got me aware of using the right pronouns."

"Are you seriously worried about that? Offending her? Him? Whatever?"

They both turned to the door at a light knock followed by Danny pushing the door the rest of the way open and sticking her head in. "Hey guys…" she greeted as she entered and looked at the pictures they were staring at; Deanna, Douglas Adams and a second picture of the mysterious Mr. Adams minus the beard and glasses and the addition of hair like Deanna's. "Why do you have two pictures of Deanna up?"

"Have you met this man?" Carmilla questioned as she pointed to his picture.

"Mr. Foster?" Danny replied to their bemused looks. "He brought me the second cheque from the Karnstein Foundation." She shook her head. "Didn't say much, very quiet." She looked at them. "You didn't answer my question."

"Because we're pretty sure he's the missing twin," Laura supplied.

"Shit, really?" Danny commented as she got a closer look.

"Not to sound rude, but did you need something?" Carmilla questioned.

"Oh, right," Danny shook her head. "Rick called the landline, said he's been trying to reach Laura's cell all morning."

"Damn," Laura sighed as she took her phone from her pocket, "I didn't turn it back on yesterday." She frowned as her phone signaled an incoming call from Rick. She looked at Carmilla and Danny; "You're not here, got it?" Danny and Carmilla shared a glance and then nodded. She answered the call and put Rick on the speaker; "Hey Rick, what's up?"

"When was the last time you talked to your dad?"

"In person?" she questioned.

"How about, at all?" he pressed.

"Not since before I left for Vegas," Laura frowned. "Rick, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Our lip readers were only able to identify two words; Mark Hollis," he informed her.

"Shit," Laura hissed as she went to her laptop and opened it. "Has anyone talked to him recently?"

"The last anyone saw him was Monday and he's not answering his phone."

"Give me a second," she instructed as she opened the security logs for her condo in Burnaby. "Well, that's weird…"

"What's weird?" Rick questioned.

"I'm looking at the security logs for my condo, the last entry was Wednesday and it looks like the records since have been deleted," she explained as she brought up a second window with the GPS program LaFontaine had downloaded for her and located her father's car. "And what's weirder is," she frowned, "it looks like his car is in the middle of nowhere."

"How do you know that?"

"I put a GPS tracker on his car," she informed him. "Send a unit to my condo, I'll take Steven and go check out his car."

"Laura…"

"What?" she cut him off; she recognized his warning tone.

"C'mon, it's a trap."

"Is it still a trap if I bypass the bait?" she countered.

"Laura…"

"No," she interrupted again. "Only me, Laf and now you, know about the tracker. Send a unit to my condo, chances are there's some sort of clue directing us to where his car is." She studied the map. "It'll take us about an hour to get there."

"I'm not talking you out of this, am I?" he asked, his exasperation clear.

"Not likely," she affirmed. "Look, there's only one reason they'd go after my dad now: they think he knew about them being twins…"

"He doesn't?"

"I don't know, I never got around to asking him, but that isn't my point," Laura said as she left the office, Danny and Carmilla following behind as she made her way to the bedroom. "The point is someone tipped them off that we know, or at least, suspect." She let that sink in. "Somehow they know we were thinking of submitting Deanna to a physical exam."

"We still have a leak," Rick stated.

"We still have a leak," she agreed. "Tell no one where Steven and I are going. It would make sense for us to send a unit by the condo to check on him but they won't expect us to go straight to his car."

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll send a unit out to his place in Abbotsford too, just in case, and I'll let you know if we find anything."

"Same."

"Laura?"

"What?"

"Be careful."

"Always," she sighed, ended the call and texted Steven. She looked up from her phone to find Danny gone and Carmilla staring at her with her arms crossed over her chest. "What?"

"What part of, 'it's a trap', are you missing?" she questioned tersely.

She walked over and took Carmilla's arms in her hands.

"We weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow," she pointed out. "And even if they're watching us, even if they know we're home, they won't expect me to go straight to his car." She raised an eyebrow. "They can't detonate a bomb if they don't know we're going there."

"What if it's set up?"

"I'll be careful," Laura interjected and then kissed her. "Carm, please, this is my job, I know what I'm doing, okay?"

"But you're not thinking clearly," Carmilla pleaded. "This is your dad we're talking about."

"I know," she sighed and leaned her forehead against Carmilla's. "But I can't think about that right now." She shook her head. "Right now," she stepped away to gather the clothes she wanted to change into, "he's just another witness who needs protecting." She took one of her looser pair of cargo pants from the closet so she could wear her brace without anyone noticing. "I can't think about…" she sighed. "The last time we talked I told him I never wanted to see him again," she sniffed.

"Hey," Carmilla cooed as she walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her, "you were angry, you needed your space."

"You make it sound like I had no reason to be angry," Laura replied as she forcefully removed Carmilla's arms from around her.

"I didn't say that, but…" Carmilla hesitated.

"What?" Laura prodded with a glare.

"How's what he did any different than what you did to me?"

"It's completely different!" she fumed. "I was protecting you!"

"And I'm sure he'd say the same thing," Carmilla replied calmly.

"His lies, his secrets, he put me, us, in danger," she countered evenly. "He should have told me!" She walked away to grab a shirt from her dresser. "Never mind the fact that he put my life, and my mom's, in danger. He should have told me everything he knew when I told him I was going to get close to you," she shook her head. "He should have told me as soon as he knew I was going to talk to Danny."

"Laura," Carmilla sighed as she sat on the bed and waited for her to turn her way, "what were you most afraid of when I left for the show?"

"That you'd leave me when you found out the truth," Laura admitted and then went to sit next to her.

"You think, maybe, that your dad was worried what you'd think of him when you found out he had a kid with another woman?" she asked gently. "Forget who it was with, do you really think he wanted to admit to that he cheated on your mom?"

"You think he was embarrassed?

"More like ashamed," Carmilla suggested. "It's just," she looked down, "as angry as I am at my dad, I'm still happy he's alive." She looked back at her. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive him but I'm, not glad exactly, but at least I still have that chance, to forgive him." She regarded her a moment. "I'm not saying you shouldn't be angry with him, or that you should forgive him," she took her hand. "But I know you still want that chance, right?" Laura sighed and nodded. She kissed her temple. "'I'm not going to try to stop you," she chuckled, "I doubt I could if I tried." She smiled and met her eyes. "Just come home to me safe, okay?"

"I'll be as careful as I can be," Laura offered. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't suppose I can go with you?"

"There is no good reason I can come up with for you to go to a potential crime scene with me," Laura rationalized.

"True," Carmilla sighed. "If I stay here I'm just going to worry." She shook her head. "I'm going to worry until I hear from you either way," she admitted as she went to grab her running shoes. "I think I'll go to the gym. Blow off some steam." She shrugged. "Maybe go for a swim." She smiled as Danny returned. "Feel like checking out the gym with me Xena?"

"Sure," Danny smiled. "Steven's here."

"Tell him I'll be right out," Laura requested. "And ask him to text Betty to give you guys a ride?"

Danny nodded and left.

Laura took her gun and shoulder holster from her drawer, put on the holster, checked her gun and then secured it under her left arm.

"You always do that?" Carmilla questioned from where she sat on the bed doing up her shoes. "Check your gun?"

"Mostly habit," Laura confided and sat next to her. "Better to check it than risk it failing."

"It's more than that," Carmilla prodded.

"It is," Laura affirmed with a shake of her head. "When I check it, it's like reminding myself that I might need to use it. I have to resign myself to the fact that I might have to hurt someone." Carmilla put her arm around Laura's waist and gave her a squeeze. "It's not a good feeling."

"I can't imagine it would be," Carmilla offered. "But you know what I think?" She smiled. "I think it's a good thing that it bothers you." She kissed her cheek. "So long as it doesn't cost you."

"Hence the ritual," Laura commented and stood. "I have to go." She kissed the top of her head. "I'll call as soon as I know something." Carmilla stood and kissed her softly. "I promise."

"I appreciate the thought, but…"

"I know," Laura sighed. "It doesn't mean much." She shook her head. "We knew this was going to happen, right?"

"What, that they'd go after your dad?"

"No, that things would start escalating," she supplied. "We need to stop waiting for things to happen. For once we have an advantage and we need to use it."

"Fine," Carmilla sighed and pulled her into her arms. "I'll never forgive you if you don't come home safe."

"Noted," Laura smiled, kissed her forehead and made her way out to where Steven was waiting. "I just need to grab my laptop," she informed him and went to grab it from their office. "Alright, let's go," she said as she grabbed her backpack on the way out the door.

"Care to tell me where we're going?"

"Head towards Abbotsford," she informed him as they both got in the car.

Laura did up her seat belt and had her laptop open before they pulled out of the gates. She put the location of her father's car into the GPS as she took her phone from her pocket.

"What's going on?" Steven questioned.

"I'm not sure yet," Laura replied as she dialed LaFontaine's number.

"Hey, frosh, what's up?" LaFontaine greeted.

"I need your computer skills," Laura informed them. "Bring up my dad's GPS and see if you can't get eyes on it."

"Alright," LaFontaine answered. "Give me a few minutes."

"So, how's Toronto?" Laura asked to fill the time.

"Wouldn't know," they replied. "Perry got a job in Vancouver."

"Wait, so you're in Vancouver?"

"We got back a few days ago… well, that's interesting."

"Define 'interesting'," Laura prodded.

"Your dad's car is in the middle of nowhere…"

"Tell me something I don't know," Laura interrupted.

"Well if you'd let me," LaFontaine retorted tersely. "There are six cameras set up around it."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"'Cause I'm that good," they joked. "But seriously, if it's got an internet connection, I can find it."

"So what are you seeing?"

"Nothing," they answered, their frustration clear. "They must be motion activated."

"Can you figure out who else is watching?"

"I'll work on it," they sighed. "I'll call if I find anything."

"Laura, what the fuck is going on?" Steven hissed.

"I'm really not sure," she confided. "Something feels…" she shook her head. "Look," she turned to him, "what I'm about to tell you is even more confidential than Carm's parents." He glanced at her. "Deanna is two people, identical twins, or at least, they used to be."

"So there's still one out there?" Laura nodded when he glanced her way. "And we're going to check out your dad's car in the middle of nowhere? Alone?"

"What's your point?"

"Jesus Christ, Laura, how many times does that woman, women, whatever, have to try to kill you before your luck runs out?" he spat.

"What if it's more than luck?" Laura countered, his shock enough that he had no reply. "What if the only reason I'm alive, that Carm's alive, is because one twin isn't quite as evil as the other?"

"You think one of them has been protecting you?"

"More like, not actively trying to kill me," she clarified. "This," she pointed at her leg, "was, more than likely, an accident."

"What about the guy that followed us to the cabin?"

"Oh, I never said they weren't above trying to scare me," Laura joked. "But I suspect that's all it was. Or," she shook her head and looked out the window, "I'm right and it was her way of attempting to tip us off."

"Excuse me?"

"Deanna was under twenty-four-hour surveillance by then, how do you think she's pulled off the things she has without getting caught?" she challenged. "Not to mention, since she's been in prison?"

"I assumed she had someone working on the outside," he offered. "So why go after your dad?"

"Because we still have a leak," she supplied. "They think my dad knows, or suspects, who they really are."

"And he doesn't?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Not a phrase I'm comfortable saying these days," she commented wryly and looked out the window.

Steven let the silence stretch for a while before asking; "So, what's up with you and Carmilla?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied, hoping he would let it drop.

"Betty's not buying it, by the way," he stated and waited for her to look at him, "this whole 'breaking up' thing."

"Oh no?"

"Nope," he smiled as he glanced at her. "Not sure she isn't wrong."

"And why's that?"

"I know you, Laura," he looked at her, "I know how you feel about her because I've never seen you as happy as you've been since you met her." He looked back at the road. "If you two were really having problems?" He shook his head. "You'd be devastated." He shrugged. "I just want to understand why felt it necessary to try to fool us?"

Steven's tone had gone from joking to somber and Laura couldn't help but feel bad for trying to deceive them. She should have known better than to think they wouldn't figure it out.

"Why did you go along with it, if you thought it was an act?" She asked and then added quickly; "Not that I'm saying it was."

"Because we figured you were doing it for a reason," he replied. "I just think we deserve to know the reason."

"You think we were testing you?"

"Were you?"

"No," she sighed. "If anything, we were testing ourselves. If we managed to fool you, maybe we'd fool everyone else."

"To what end?"

"Throw off Deanna," she shrugged. "Get the bosses off my back."

"Have an excuse to bring Danny home?" he teased.

"Give her a chance to come home if she wanted," she differed. "Do you think, I mean, if you didn't know me…"

"Would you convince others?" he finished for her. "Betty told me that slap was pretty convincing."

"Don't remind me," she sighed. "Not one the highlights of our trip." She sighed again and looked out the window.

"Was it worth it?"

"Was what worth it?" she asked as she looked back at him.

"Ruining your trip?"

"Time will tell, I guess," she answered. "Can we…" she sighed and looked out the window. "Can we just not talk anymore until we get there?"

"Sure, kid, whatever you need."

"Whatever I need," Laura thought. "Is it worth it?" she asked herself.

As the miles passed Laura found herself reminiscing about their trip. No, their public fights hadn't been fun. In fact, it felt outright horrible saying some of the things they had to each other. They did, however, have some moments of fun. She smiled and blushed. Like one particularly memorable roller coaster ride that Carmilla had managed to get her off before the end.

"We're here," Steven said, pulling her from her reverie as they came to a stop a safe distance from her father's car.

The both exited and took in their surroundings before focusing on the car in the distance.

"Suicide?" Steven questioned as Laura took a pair of binoculars from the glove compartment.

"It was made to look that way," she commented as she handed him the binoculars. "Look at the rear window on the other side."

"It's open," he stated. "Why bother with the hose?"

"Because if it gets blown sky high we might miss that?" she speculated and steeled herself for what came next. "Stay here, I'm going to check it out…" Her phone rang. "Laf? What's up?"

"Thought you'd want to know the cameras just activated and yes, someone is watching," they supplied. "Before you ask, yes, I'm trying to figure out who but their firewall isn't something I've ever seen."

"Okay," Laura replied. "I'm giving Steven my phone; let him know if anything changes."

She hung before LaFontaine questioned what was going on and handed the phone to Steven.

"There's someone in the driver's seat," Steven commented as he took her phone.

"That's why I'm going to check it out," she replied and looked at him. "This was meant for me to find."

"Yeah?" he scoffed. "And what if this is the time she succeeds?"

"Then tell Carm I love her and I'm sorry," she answered and walked away.

Laura took her gun from its holster as she approached the car, every nerve on end as she got closer. Steven was right; why bother making it look like a suicide only to leave a window open? It didn't make sense. She forced herself to take a deep breath with every step, whether she was preparing herself for what she might find or what came next, she wasn't sure.

She couldn't tell if the figure in the driver's seat was her father as the window was covered in grime. As Laura looked at the handle every movie where a car blows up ran through her mind. She took the butt of her gun and smashed the window instead.

For a moment, she couldn't understand what she was seeing. The man was bloated and slumped forward. She reached in with her right hand and as carefully as she could, pushed him back so she could see his face and noticed a cell phone hanging on a string around his neck.

She took a few steps back and gagged; most of the man's face was missing, likely the result of a gunshot. She took several deep breaths and approached the car again, this time with the goal of grabbing the cell phone.

She yanked it from his and broke the string, a chime sounding almost immediately indicating a new text message.

"Run!"

She looked back inside the car just long enough to note an LCD display counting down on the passenger seat, much like the one that had been on Nancy's vest, pivoted and sprinted back the way she'd come.

Two-thirds of the way there Carmilla's warning came to mind as a sharp pain shot through her left leg and it gave out from under her. She covered her head with her hands as she waited for the explosion to come but looked up in relief at the sound of approaching footsteps instead.

"It's broken," she gasped as she turned to her back. However, it was the last thing she said as she blacked out from the pain when Steven picked her up.

"Hey, hey, hey, Laura, c'mon…"

Laura came to, sitting against their car, the sound of an intense fire roaring behind them.

"What happened?" she managed.

"You passed out when I picked you up," Steven supplied from where he knelt beside her.

"I realize that," she spat at him. "My dad's car?"

"Blew up seconds after we got past the car," he provided.

Laura's attention was drawn by the vibrating cell phone in her hand.

"Can you grab my bag?"

She waited until Steven nodded and left to get it before looking at the phone.

"This phone will self-destruct."

No sooner had she read the words the phone began smoking in her hand. She tossed it away, the phone catching fire and then exploding into a small shower of sparks before it hit the ground.

"What the…?"

"Call Rick," Laura cut him off and she took her bag from him. "Tell him to grab a chopper and get out here ASAP." She sighed and shook her head as she took out her black pouch of medications. "It can take us back to Vancouver." She shook out two pain pills. "Then call Carm," she met his eyes. "Tell her to meet us at St. Paul's and call the doc." She showed him the pills. "These are probably going to knock me out until we get to the hospital."

"It's that bad?"

"When it went," she downed the pills, "the pain went from the break to my toes and all the way up my spine." She laid her head back on the car. "There goes my fight in January."