"I want a full investigation," Kate fumed. She was pacing the living room like a caged tiger.

Eric got up from the couch and turned off the television set.

"That was Larry's photo," Kate said, pointing to the now black screen. "Someone in our department, that we work with every day, took that photo and sold it to that, that," Kate searched for a word that wasn't a curse word. "Reporter," she finally said, her tone making the word sound repulsive.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Kate said. "Who else could it have been?"

"Someone in the lab that processed the photo," Eric said. "Janitorial staff that saw it sitting on Larry's desk. Did he show it to anyone else? Was there more than one copy made?" Eric listed several other options.

"That's why we need a full investigation. Why are you not on the phone ordering that to be done?"

Eric moved over and took Kate's hands. "Because it's after 10:00 PM. Nothing is going to change between now and tomorrow morning. I will call a meeting first thing in the morning. I want to look at the people in the office when I talk about this. I want to see reactions."

Kate took a deep breath. "I can only imagine what Johnny and Ainsley are feeling right now."

"That can't be your focus, Kate. It's a shame that picture made it to a news source; but Larry was doing his job when he took it. You did your job when you contacted Rampart. You and Larry were following protocol when you prepared a report. I hate that their privacy was violated, but I stand by everything you and Larry did in the situation."

"You know that story accused Ainsley of being the person behind these attacks?"

"I know. But, we both know that Ainsley was not behind any of the attacks that Tim was doing. We both know she isn't behind any of the actions that have hurt the men this time. We know she isn't a suspect; but our only comment to the press is we do not discuss on-going investigations."

"We should come out and say she isn't a suspect," Kate said.

"We don't discuss ongoing investigations," Eric reiterated.

Kate sighed and moved away from Eric.

"We'll go by first thing in the morning. I'll apologize for the breach of privacy and the picture making its way to the press. We can assure them that Ainsley is not a suspect in our investigation, and we can assure them we will be taking extra precautions to prevent any further leaks in our department."

Kate nodded.

"Now, c'mon, let's get to bed. It's late and tomorrow is going to be a very long day."

"There is no way I'm gonna be able to sleep. I'm too angry."

Eric took her hand and led her toward the bedroom. "Get ready for bed. I'll rub you down and help you fall asleep."

"It won't help," Kate insisted, shaking her head. "I'm too revved up."

Eric just smiled at her as he moved to the closet, unbuttoning his shirt. He slipped off his shirt and dropped it into the hamper, pulling his t-shirt over his head. "Go, brush your teeth, brush out your hair, get in your jammies," Eric instructed.

Kate sighed, but moved toward the bathroom. Eric took his wallet out of his back pocket and laid it on the dresser, pulling his loose change out of his front pocket and moving over to drop it into the glass teddy bear jar on the closet shelf. He finished taking off his clothes, he typically slept in just his boxers. Kate came out of the bathroom and moved to take off her clothes, slipping into a short silky nightgown.

Eric walked over and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. He dropped a soft kiss on her lips. She returned the kiss, but Eric could instantly tell she was distracted. He took her hand and led her to the bed. "Lay down and get comfortable."

Kate laid down on her stomach, slipping her arms under her pillow and resting her cheek against the pillow. She seriously doubted she was going to be able to fall asleep.

A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips and Eric picked up her left foot and began firmly massaging her heel. He slowly worked his way from her foot, up her leg and to her back and then arm, moving to ease the tension in her neck and shoulders. Then he slowly moved back down her body, ending with her right foot.

"How are you feeling?" He asked quietly, given Kate hadn't made a sound in several minutes.

"Mmmm," was all Kate said.

Eric pulled the covers over her, turned off the bedside light and moved to his side of the bed. Before his head hit the pillow he heard Kate's breathing shift to the soft rhythmic breathing that she had when she was sound asleep. He smiled, and shifted to watch her for a moment. She was beautiful when she slept. When the tension she often carried in her face slipped away to what he hoped were sweet dreams. Eric watched her for a few more minutes before rolling over and letting sleep take him.

E

Beth Stanley heard the phone ringing, but instinctively knew the call was for Hank. She continued washing the breakfast dishes. She heard Hank's hello, and knew he was also confident the call was Fire Department leadership; his "hello" already held the deep authoritarian tone.

"As a matter of fact, I was at the Gage home last night. The story was completely false."

There was a pause on Hank's end of the conversation.

"Okay, not completely false, Ainsley was injured in an accident; but she was quite emphatic that it was an accident."

Another pause.

"I am absolutely positive John Gage did not assault his wife. The incident between Ainsley and the security guard was self-defense. And as far as the other accusation against Ainsley Gage, that she had anything to do with Captain Hammer's death; I'd stake my salary that they are false."

Another pause.

"No way!"

Beth turned at Hank's rising voice.

"I will not suspend John Gage! Contact the police and get their report on the incident. I am telling you, John Gage did not hit his wife!"

Beth moved toward Hank.

"I don't give a…darn, about public opinion. I will not damage John Gage's career because of some irresponsible reporter that's selling lies to the public, and I can't believe you'd even ask me too! Get the police report."

Beth flinched when Hank slammed down the phone. "I should've set his hat on fire when he was still wearing it," Hank grumbled.

Beth put a hand on his arm. "How bad is it?"

"They want to suspend Johnny, so the public knows the LA County Fire Department takes accusations of domestic abuse seriously."

"But, Johnny didn't hit Ainsley."

Hank shook his head. "It doesn't appear that the truth matters much."

Hank moved to sit down on the couch. "When Tim was attacking the station, it was tough. Never knowing where the next attack was going to come from, worrying about everyone's safety beyond the fire, but from some trap set to hurt or kill them. Keeping up morale. When the attack was against Mike, making sure Mike felt supported, making sure the guys didn't allow what was going on to create distance between Mike and them; making sure Mike didn't put distance between himself and all of us. But this, I can't fight the press. Not even the press, some phantom reporter."

Beth ran a hand through her husband's hair. "Sure you can. You're Captain Hank Stanley, with the LA County Fire Department. You care about your men, their families, their safety, their happiness. This may not be as straight-forward as the other instances, but it's the same in principle. Someone is trying to hurt your guys, one with threats to their physical safety and one with threats to their reputation. You do what you've always done to keep them physically safe and then we work together to protect their reputation and help them in their daily lives."

Hank reached up and took her hand, pressing it to his lips. "What would I do without you?"

"We'll never know," Beth said, kissing him. "Cause I'm not going anywhere."

Hank pulled her closer and kissed her, one arm tightening around her waist, while his other hand weaved into her hair, pressing her closer as he deepened their kiss.

"Eww, gross," Jessica said, coming down the stairs. "Don't you guys have a room for that stuff."

Beth laughed, as Hank laid her back on the couch and started making loud kissing noises as he kissed her neck, cheeks and then moved back to her lips.

"I'm going over to Connie's," Jessica said, heading out the door.

Hank stood up and pulled Beth to her feet. "C'mon, we need to go to the police station. I need a copy of their report about Ainsley's injuries. I also want to find out what they are doing about this Simon Salyer character."

E

Johnny carefully slid the towel down Ainsley's side, careful not to press against her ribs. He helped her dress, listening for when she sucked in her breath, so he knew to move slower or differently to cause her the least amount of pain.

"Sit down for a second," Johnny checked to make sure the lid was closed on the toilet before helping her sit on it.

Ainsley closed her eyes and took in a careful breath.

Johnny knelt down next to her. "Let me find a replacement for tomorrow. I should be here taking care of you."

Ainsley opened her eyes to look into the concerned brown eyes of her husband. She lifted her hand to touch his cheek. "I'll be okay with Meg."

"You should have someone trained in case there's a medical emergency."

Ainsley touched his wet hair. "I promise, I'll still let you help me shower."

Johnny grinned. "Trust me, showering with you injured is more torture than fun for me," Johnny whispered, carefully leaning closer to her to kiss her lips.

"Momma!" Hunter called.

"Uh-oh, Daddy duty calls," Ainsley whispered, her lips still touching his.

Johnny stole one more quick kiss. He gently put his hand on her side to support her as he helped her stand up. Johnny moved into the hallway to get Hunter, while Ainsley slowly made her way to the kitchen.

Johnny quickly changed Hunter's diaper and got him dressed. He went and got Grace and got her changed and dressed, before brining both kids into the kitchen. Ainsley had managed to get out ingredients to make pancakes and bacon. Johnny strapped the kids into their seats, and then moved over to Ainsley, slipping his arm around her waist and guiding her away from the oven. "Sit," he ordered, setting her down at the table.

Johnny started cooking and was just serving Hunter and Grace cut up pieces of pancakes when there was a knock at the door. Chief scrambled to his feet, his bark filling the house. Johnny moved to answer the door, while Ainsley helped pour syrup on the kid's pancakes.

"Kate and Eric are here."

Eric and Kate entered the kitchen behind Johnny. "Can I interest you guys in some pancakes and bacon?"

"Some coffee would be great," Kate said.

"Eric?"

"Yeah, coffee would be nice."

"Have a seat," Johnny said, reaching for mugs in the cupboard.

Eric and Kate sat down at two extra chairs. Eric looked closely at Ainsley's injuries. He could see why Larry'd been concerned. If he hadn't heard the explanation and Kate hadn't been sure it was true, he'd guess domestic abuse too.

"How are you feeling?" Kate asked.

"That depends," Ainsley said, looking at her. "Are you here to tell me I'm a suspect?"

"Ainsley," Johnny said, surprised by her bitter tone.

"No, we're not," Eric said, ignoring her tone and looking at Ainsley. "We're here to apologize about the picture being leaked to the press."

"And to assure you that you are not a suspect in this case," Kate added.

"You can understand my reluctance to accept your word. I still vividly remember being grilled by you after the bombing," Ainsley said, looking at Eric.

"At the time, the evidence made you a likely suspect, Ainsley. That is not the situation in this case; and neither Kate nor I think we missed anything in the last case."

"Can't you stop this Simon Salyer guy?" Johnny asked.

"Freedom of the press prevents us from stopping him," Kate said. "But, we can question him as to the source of the picture."

"And we will," Eric added. "But we wanted to stop by and apologize in person for the leak, and Kate wanted to assure you both that Ainsley is not a suspect in our current investigation. Although, our public statement will be that we do not discuss ongoing investigations."

"You mean you're not gonna tell people you know I'm innocent?" Ainsley asked, appearing pretty upset by that news.

"We will maintain the policy we always hold. We do not discuss ongoing investigations. If we break that protocol, believe me, it will just put more attention on you than if we keep our status quo," Eric explained.

"What about the accusation that Johnny abused me? He's gonna need something said to fire department leadership that there isn't any truth behind that," Ainsley said.

"We can release a copy of our report to you, and Johnny can provide that to his supervisors," Kate said.

"This really stinks, Kate," Johnny said.

Kate looked at Eric, because personally she completely agreed with Johnny.

"I know this isn't an ideal situation, John. I am happy to have a conversation with the Battalion Chief, if they have any concerns about the report and I am happy to apologize to them in person for the leak of that photo; but you're gonna have to trust me when I tell you that breaking our protocol will only draw more attention to this situation, not improve it," Eric emphasized his point again.

"What steps are being taken to avoid any more leaks from the police department?" Johnny asked.

"I am going to meet with my staff today and make sure everyone is clear that this information is confidential police documents and getting caught sharing this information with anyone without a need to know is grounds for immediate termination. We will put pre-cautions in place to limit access to sensitive documents and we will be watching for anyone accessing files they have no need to access," Eric assured them.

"What about threatening criminal charges?" Ainsley asked.

"There are only a few instances where releasing confidential information to the press is actually considered a crime and in most of those it is about releasing information that threatens national or public safety; which none of these do. This person could argue that the photo was released because he or she felt we were violating the rule of law by not prosecuting John for domestic abuse. Whether or not that is true, the belief that they are trying to protect the public is probably enough to keep them from being prosecuted."

"This really does stink," Ainsley said, echoing Johnny's earlier comment.

"We will do everything we can to protect your privacy," Eric tried to assure her.

"I'm sorry for all of this," Kate said. "I'll make sure Larry and I are the only two officers doing any direct work on this case as much as possible. We will start securing our documents in one of my file drawers and we will select just one secretary to help with the administrative paperwork. That will help limit access," Kate assured them.

"We appreciate it, Kate," Johnny said, standing up to show them out, knowing there was nothing else they could provide.

E

"I need to track down Dean Shatlon today," Kate told Eric, as he parked the car in the police department headquarters parking lot. "But once I'm done I intend to track down Simon Salyer and have a conversation with him."

"You focus on Dean," Eric said. "I'll track down Simon Salyer and schedule a time for us to speak with him. I don't want you confronting this guy on your own."

"I can handle Simon Salyer," Kate said, feeling a little insulted that Eric was stepping in.

Eric turned to face her. "He was there, filming when Captain Hammer was murdered. I find it highly unlikely that was a fluke. That means, at the very least, he was tipped off that something was going to happen; which means at the very least he has been in contact with a murderer. I do not want you talking to this guy alone."

"I'm a cop," Kate argued.

"You're also my wife and I'm not letting you put yourself in harm's way needlessly."

Kate stopped walking and looked at him. "This is my job."

"And I'm not stopping you from doing it. You'll be involved in the conversation; but I take my responsibilities as your husband very seriously, and I'm not letting you go alone," Eric's tone made it very clear the topic was not open for discussion.

Kate's eyes narrowed and Eric knew they were about to have a big fight.

"Kate!"

Both Kate and Eric turned to see Captain Stanley getting out of his vehicle. "I need to talk to you about the news report last night and John Gage."

"Saved by the Captain," Eric said to Kate.

"This isn't over," Kate called out to his back as he walked away.

"You're not winning this one, Kate. You can be as mad at me as you want. I love you and I'm going to protect you; whether you like it or not," Eric kept moving toward the building. He wanted to get a staff meeting on his schedule and he wanted to track down Simon Salyer before Kate went off on her own.

Kate looked briefly at Eric's back, but then turned her attention to Captain Stanley.

"Captain Stanley, I just came from the Gage home. I cannot apologize enough for the leak of that picture," Kate pushed her feelings about her conversation with Eric to the back of her mind and concentrated on the matter at hand.

"Thank you, I appreciate that; but as you can imagine the Fire Department brass are not too happy about having one of their firemen accused of domestic abuse on television."

"We let Johnny know that we can provide a copy of our report to him for the fire department."

"I actually came to see if I can get a copy now. I had a call from Chief McConnike this morning and they want to suspend Johnny to protect their image."

Kate shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on inside; I'll get you a copy of the report."

Captain Stanley followed Kate inside.

"Sue, can you pull the final report on Ainsley Gage's case?" Kate asked, as they walked into the police department.

"Yes, Detective," Sue got up from her desk and walked over to the filing cabinet. She pulled out a file folder and walked it over to Kate. "Do you want me to make a copy?"

"Yes, please and sign it out to Captain Hank Stanley," Kate requested.

Kate turned back to Captain Stanley. "Larry had a couple of photos he wanted to show you yesterday, but I understand you were at the lake."

Beth nodded. "We had a nice time away, just relaxing."

"Do you have a minute?"

"Sure," Captain Stanley responded.

Kate walked over to her desk and pulled her copies of the photos out of the file. She walked over to Captain Stanley and Beth. "Do either of you recognize either of these two men?"

Captain Stanley and Beth both looked at the photos. "I've seen him before," Beth said, pointing out Dean Shatlon.

"Where?" Kate asked.

"At a gas station. He stopped and asked me directions. He said he was in the area for a job interview. I unfortunately didn't recognize the company, but was able to point him toward the right intersection."

"Who is he?" Captain Stanley asked.

"Dean Shatlon, Cara Lynn's brother."

"Why did he talk to Beth? Was it a coincidence?" Captain Stanley asked.

Kate shook her head. "He also talked to Joanne DeSoto and Ainsley Gage."

"What about Meg?" Beth asked.

"She didn't recognize him."

"Why would he talk to three of us, and not her?"

"It's possible he just hasn't gotten to her yet? Do you remember how long it's been since you saw him?"

Beth thought about it for a bit. "About two and a half weeks."

"Hmmm, Joanne saw him about a week ago, Ainsley two weeks and you two and a half weeks; why hasn't he approached Megan?" Kate asked, more to herself then the Stanley's.

"I don't know." Captain Stanley said.

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking out loud. I intend to track him down today and ask that very question."

Sue walked over, "Here is a copy of the report, Detective."

Kate looked over the document briefly to make sure it was the complete report and what Captain Stanley would need for his conversation with departmental brass about Johnny.

"Looks complete," Kate said, handing the document to Captain Stanley. "That should help."

"Thank you," Captain Stanley said, taking the file.

E

Eric let his eyes roam across the group of individual sitting in front of him. Detectives, police officers, secretarial staff, janitorial staff, even lab technicians.

Eric moved over to the portable television set he'd had brought into the room and flipped it on. A black screen with white writing, Secrets of Station 51, filled the screen. Eric watched for reactions from the group.

"Last night, a local news show aired a story claiming Firefighter/Paramedic John Gage physically assaulted his wife," Eric started the recording provided by the television station. He paused it when the picture of Ainsley filled the screen.

"This photo was taken by Officer Larry Biggs. It was in the police station, in a confidential police report. The photo is now missing, but a reporter had it and used it in an unverified and misrepresentative story." Eric watched for reactions from the group.

"I want to reiterate to all of you, that releasing confidential police documents to anyone, but especially the media, is grounds for immediate dismissal. We will be investigating this incident and taking immediate action if we find any proof of breach of duty."

The group murmured among themselves, but no one struck Eric as looking particularly uncomfortable. The secretarial staff did appear to look around more than others, but Eric wasn't surprised by that. A police officer would have definite practice not relaying their thoughts in their outer movements.

"Has anyone thought about asking this Simon Salyer where he got the picture?" An officer in the back of the room asked.

"That is definitely at the top of my to do list," Eric said, his eyes meeting Kate's across the room.

Kate's eyes narrowed at the tone in Eric's voice. As the meeting ended and people moved to their respective stations, Kate headed toward Eric's office.

"Okay, what gives?" Kate asked.

"Simon Salyer."

"What about him?"

"He doesn't exist," Eric said, picking up a stack of papers and dropping them on his desk. "At least not that I can find. I've searched voter registrations, driver's licenses, police records, even media organizations, nothing."

"Nothing?"

"There is no Simon Salyer residing in Los Angeles, or California from what I can tell. I've got calls in to a friend at the IRS to see if we can find anyone by that name that has filed a tax return. I've also reached out to a FBI contact of mine."

"Well, one of them should be able to find something," Kate said.

"You'd think," Eric said. "But I didn't think it'd be this hard to find one lousy reporter."

"Larry and I are heading out to meet with Dean Shatlon. Let's plan to meet for lunch and I'm sure you'll have an address by then."

"12:00 PM at Tomato Brothers?"

"It's a date," Kate smiled at him, before turning to head out of the office. She wanted a conversation with Dean Shatlon, as much as she wanted an address for Simon Salyer.