A/N: I've finally returned. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed while I was away. On with the story!

Phoenix felt like his stomach had dropped to his feet.

He glanced over at Mia, surprised to find her with closed eyes and brow furrowed in a meditative stance, as if she were about to channel someone. Could a channeller channel someone while being channeled?

He sighed. His head hurt just thinking about it.

Opening his mouth to speak again, Phoenix was surprised when Mia's voice interrupted him.

"Please, you've got to help us. It's important. For Misty's daughter." Mia pleaded.

"Misty... has a daughter?" the voice asked cautiously. "I... I never knew that."

"Two, actually." Mia elaborated. "I'm one of them. My name is Mia Fey. Right now though, we need your help to save my sister Maya's life."

"I..." the woman paused.

Phoenix swallowed heavily, trying to calm his nerves. She didn't want to help. This was their last chance.

"I don't know what I can do to help." the woman finished quickly, lacking conviction.

Mia nodded encouragingly to Phoenix, picking up the change in the woman's voice. Divulging information about Misty's children had softened the stance of the woman on the line, whoever she was. They had to go for it, now.

"We need Alexandra." Mia stated firmly. "Please tell us how to find her."

Phoenix frowned, but remained quiet. This woman had just told them that Alexandra was dead. What was Mia doing?

After a lengthy pause, the woman on the phone exhaled heavily.

"Go to the diner on Spring Street tomorrow morning at 11 am. Order the eggs benedict and an earl grey tea."

Abruptly, the call went dead. The woman hung up.

Mia let out the breath she had been holding, her eyes wide.

"I know that diner. 11 am, eggs benedict, earl grey." she squinted, making mental notes.

"Hold on a minute," Phoenix frowned, confused. "Do you want to explain to me what just happened? She told us Alexandra was dead. And why were you meditating just now?"

"I was..." Mia began, choosing her words carefully. "I was testing a theory."

"You were checking to see if Alexandra was dead." Phoenix guessed flatly, raising an eyebrow.

"Not exactly..." Mia said sheepishly.

"Your mother said she couldn't do that." Phoenix said.

"Well my mother has always been a stickler for the rules, hasn't she? And I've been known to bend them slightly on occasion." Mia said, exhaling with a huff.

Phoenix sighed inwardly. Misty's unwavering penchant for following the rules had made a big impact on her daughters lives, to say the very least. It was no surprise that Mia was a bit of a rule breaker.

"Besides. It's not like I was just bringing back random information from the other side." Mia explained. "I was merely seeing if she could be channeled. That's all. That's not breaking any rules. At least not any that I know about."

"Can you really channel someone else when you're being channeled? Because that seems excessive." Phoenix asked.

"Yes, I can. Pearl is strong enough to handle it. Just not for long. And I couldn't channel Alexandra. That's how I knew she was alive and that the woman on the phone was lying." Mia explained.

"I thought you needed a name and a face. That's what Maya told me about channeling. How can you be sure if you don't have a photograph?" Phoenix asked further.

"If it's family, you don't. The connection is already strong enough." Mia replied, waving her hands dismissively before standing abruptly. "Look, explaining the inner workings of spirit channeling is fun and all, Phoenix, but it's really not important right now. We need to try and get some sleep so we can prepare for what's ahead tomorrow."

"You don't need to go back to Kurain so Pearl can have a break?" Phoenix asked. "I can handle tomorrow on my own, you know."

Mia shook her head.

"Pearl can channel a spirit for over a week now without needing rest." she said, smiling appreciatively as she considered Pearl's ever growing talent.

Phoenix's eyes widened with surprised.

"You're kidding? ...That's incredible!"

"She's quite the prodigy. She's very, very powerful. Definitely not a little kid anymore." Mia said, trailing off with a small, wistful smile.

Phoenix smiled glumly in reply. He missed Pearls terribly. Watching his own daughter grow up had often reminded him of the tiny spirit medium that was absent from his life. During those dark times, it was the little things that seemed to bother him the most. Losing his badge was beyond awful but it was the small details like simply having the freedom to jump on a train and visit Kurain, or the freedom to take the girls to Gatewater Land. Trucy and Pearl would get along so well, and that just wasn't a possibility right now. The thought made him sad. Half of his family was consistently missing.

Kristoph had already cost him so much. There was no way he was getting his hands on Maya or their baby.

"Can I... Should we... call Maya?" Phoenix asked, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, nervously. "I just want to tell her that I'm sorry."

Mia glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It's late." Mia sighed. "She'd be asleep, Phoenix. The pregnancy is making her so tired."

She watched as his shoulders slumped with disappointment. Frowning compassionately at the mess of a man in front of her, she wondered how she ever could have suspected he didn't love Maya.

"We should try in the morning." Mia suggested gently, patting him on the shoulder. "Trust me, she'll be in a much better mood if you let her get some rest rather than waking her up right now."

"I guess..." Phoenix sighed. "I just want to tell her I love her. And how happy I am that she's having our baby."

Mia smiled. That was what she wanted to hear, and no doubt Maya would too.

"You will." Mia said reassuringly. "But in the morning. Don't worry. She's safe and well looked after. I left instructions for the acolytes at the manor to take care of her while I'm away."

Phoenix nodded. Apart from maybe Hazakurain under Iris and Bikini's care, Kurain probably was the safest place for her right now. He stood, cracking his tense shoulder joints. Mia was right. A little sleep really did seem like a good idea right now. After everything that had happened in the last couple of days, he was exhausted.

"I can take the couch, Chief," Phoenix offered. "You're more than welcome to have your old bed if you want."

Mia chuckled as she flopped back on the office couch.

"Sleeping in the bed where you've been making babies with my sister? Uh, no. That's a hard pass," she laughed.

Phoenix chuckled softly under his breath.

"Whatever happened to 'virtue is overrated, don't wait for love' et cetera et cetera," Phoenix smirked, reminding Mia their late night conversation at Hazakurain many years ago, when she had given her blessing to his blossoming relationship with her sister.

"Being okay with it is one thing." Mia stated. "Sleeping where you guys do it? No thanks."

Phoenix laughed. It felt good. He couldn't remember when he had laughed last. He smirked to himself. He really couldn't turn down an opportunity to torment the chief some more.

"You know," he began, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "If you want to get technical, we probably conceived the baby when we went away to that resort a few months back, so it didn't even happen here-"

"I don't want to know," Mia said, cutting him off mid sentence and raising her hands in front of her. "That's enough details for me. Now off to bed with you."

Phoenix chuckled again and headed towards the stairs.

"Hey Phoenix, you can bring me a pillow and a blanket, though." Mia suggested.

"Sure thing, boss." he said with a smile.

The evening sure had started out rough, but Phoenix was definitely glad Mia was here now.

"Mia, you didn't..." Maya pleaded, cradling her phone between her ear and shoulder as she knotted her robes. This thing was already getting way too tight around the chest.

"I did." Mia confirmed. "As if I wasn't going to."

Maya scowled audibly. She really hadn't wanted Mia to go and see Phoenix. The last thing she needed was more information about his new girlfriend and his wonderful new life without her.

"Did you kill him? Because if you did, clean up your prints. The cops will be so confused." Maya said flatly.

"No, he's alive." Mia chuckled. "Barely. I did punch him in the face."

Maya gasped, sitting back down on her bed.

"You did not!" she cried in disbelief.

"I did." Mia repeated.

Maya felt a complicated mix of joy and sadness well up within here. She chided herself for feeling sorry for Phoenix. He had broken her heart after all, but old habits were hard to break.

"And then what?" Maya urged her sister to continue.

Mia sighed.

"He's an idiot." Mia stated.

"I knew that," Maya interjected quickly.

"Hear me out," Mia continued. "He's an idiot. But he's an idiot that loves you."

Maya was silent for a moment.

"It didn't seem that way last night." she huffed.

"He wants to talk to you." Mia said. "Please, for me. Give him a chance to explain himself."

Maya was silent again.

"Maya.. are you still there?" Mia asked after the silence stretched out considerably.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm here." Maya grumbled. "Put him on the phone."

Maya took deep breaths as she heard the telltale rustling sound of the phone being handed from one person to another. It felt like an eternity before his voice met her ears.

"Maya..." he said simply, his voice overflowing with regret.

His voice gave her goosebumps. God, how she loved him still.

"Phoenix." she replied bluntly, not willing to cut him any slack.

She heard him exhale on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry..." he started.

"You should be!" she said, cutting him off.

"I... I know. I was so stupid, Maya. I thought I could keep you safe if I pushed you away. And I was wrong. I'm so sorry. I'm stronger with you. Better. Always better with you." Phoenix elaborated.

"Safe from what?" Maya cried. "Honestly, Nick. I'm tired of hearing the same thing from you. I'm tired of you keeping me in the dark. I'm not some little kid that you have to shelter from the cruel world! I'm living it. And your bullshit is making it even more cruel!"

Phoenix squeezed his eyes shut at her harsh words. He opened them again, glancing over at Mia who was frowning and chewing on her lip. She couldn't hear what Maya was saying, but she could definitely hear that her sister was mad.

"I promise you Maya, I'm coming back to Kurain tonight with Mia and I will explain absolutely everything. I promise I won't leave you out of the loop ever again. I love you. I need you. I meant it when I said there could never be anyone else. No one could possibly even come close to my love for you." Phoenix rambled, pouring his heart out.

"Well... except for maybe one little person." he added.

"She told you." Maya murmured.

"She did." Phoenix replied tentatively.

"And?" Maya questioned.

She heard him chuckle softly.

"Maya Fey, there is no one on this earth I would rather share my child with. What you're going through to give me this wonderful gift... I can't put into words how much it means to me. I didn't think I could love you any more than I did, but you've proved me wrong."

Maya's eyes welled up with tears as she choked back a sob.

"But Nick... the timing is all wrong. I don't... I don't want to make everything more complicated," she sniffed.

"Don't..." Phoenix soothed. "Don't worry about it. This baby is nothing but a blessing for both of us and please don't ever think anything otherwise."

She was right, though, he considered. The timing was horrible, but they had always flourished in adversity and this time would be no different, he would make sure of it.

"I'll be back with Mia tonight and I'll tell you everything that's going on, I promise." he reiterated. "I'm never letting you go, Maya. I love you."

"I love you too, Nick." Maya sobbed. "Hurry back."

"I will," he promised before handing the phone back to Mia.

Slumping back on the couch as Mia said her goodbyes to her sister, Phoenix felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. There was still so much to do and they weren't out of the woods yet, but Maya didn't hate him and he felt invigorated by that. A new energy to get through what was ahead coursed through him.

Mia approached, stopping in front of the couch, placing a hand on her hip.

"Feel better now?" she asked with a lopsided smile. The question was unnecessary.

"Absolutely." Phoenix grinned.

"Great." she said, tossing Phoenix the office keys. "Then lets lock up and get the hell out of here."

Stepping out of the cab, Phoenix flipped the hood of his jacket over his head, to shield him against the rain. Mia had no such protection and sprinted ahead of him, taking cover under the awning of the small diner.

"This is the place?" Phoenix questioned, brushing water droplets off his sleeve. He'd been past this place a few times, but he'd never been inside.

"It's the only diner on the street." Mia answered. "This has got to be it."

"After you," Phoenix offered with a slight bow, allowing Mia to enter as he opened the door in a gentlemanly manner.

Taking a seat in a side booth, the pair silently surveyed the surroundings while they waited for a waitress to come and take their order. Nothing about the place seemed out of the ordinary. Phoenix prayed they were in the right place.

"What can I get you?"

A nondescript waitress appeared in a pink uniform, her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Eggs Benedict and an earl grey tea please," Mia said confidently.

They'd looked at the menu. Those items weren't on there.

The waitress raised her eyebrows slightly, before writing something on her notepad.

"Sure thing. Be right back," she said, turning and heading back into the kitchen.

Phoenix watched her disappear before turning his attention back to Mia.

"Maybe we're in the right place after all." he said, his voice hopeful.

Minutes ticked by like hours as the pair waited for the waitress to return. Phoenix found himself growing more and more impatient as the seconds progressed. Sensing his discomfort, Mia shot him a pointed look, instructing him to calm himself. He was just about to open his mouth to complain, when their waitress emerged from the kitchen, carrying a covered plate.

"Here you go," she said, placing the plate on the table between the pair. "Let me know if I can get you anything else."

With that, she turned and headed back into the kitchen.

Mia and Phoenix stared at each other over the table, each daring the other to lift the metal cover and see what was underneath. With a deep breath, Phoenix tensed himself and unveiled the plate underneath revealing...

...a plate of eggs benedict.

He slumped.

"I knew this was too good to be true," Phoenix huffed.

Mia sat back in her chair, wondering if they had missed something. This couldn't end here, it just couldn't.

"Oh well," Phoenix shrugged. "I'm hungry. I'm going to eat this. Man, she even forgot the tea as well."

As Phoenix picked up the plate to shift it towards himself, Mia caught a flash of pink underneath.

"Phoenix, wait a minute." she instructed.

"What?" Phoenix answered, his voice muffled by a mouthful of food. "You punched me. I'm not sharing this with you."

He lifted the fork to his mouth again as Mia frowned, snatching the plate back.

"Hey!" he cried.

"You idiot," Mia berated. "There's something stuck to the bottom." she added quietly.

Sliding her hand underneath the plate, she came back with a pink sticky note covered in numbers. She waved it briefly at Phoenix before slipping it into her pocket.

"What does it say?" Phoenix demanded.

"Shh." Mia frowned. "Finish your food. We'll talk when we get out of here."

Looking over Phoenix's shoulder, she peered into the booth behind them. The man sitting there swiftly covered his face with his newspaper when he realised she was looking at him.

Standing up abruptly, Mia dropped a twenty dollar note on the table.

"We've gotta get out of here." Mia said to Phoenix, her voice low.

"What? Why?" Phoenix said, attempting to shovel another mouthful of food as Mia grabbed him by the sleeve.

"Don't argue. Let's go, now."

The man in the booth behind them folded his newspaper and set it down on the table as he watched the pair exit the diner in a hurry. He swore under his breath. The woman had noticed him.

They'd been so involved in their own actions earlier that they hadn't noticed him slip into the diner after them, the rain outside made him opt to cover his usual patterned shirts with a dark jacket. He'd also left his camera at the office. He wasn't here to take photos today.

The waitress that had served Wright and his lady friend earlier approached his table.

"What can I get you?" she asked.

"Eggs benedict and an earl grey tea, please." he replied.

"I'm sorry sir," the waitress responded, her voice lacking any real trace of apology. "We don't have either of those things."

"Shit."

Jason Holt swore softly, turning to crane his neck in the direction that Wright and his companion had headed off in.

He'd have to tail them.