Your reviews literally made me cry. They really did. It makes me so happy that people do enjoy the story! I was just really worried because I didn't think chapter 11 received a positive response as most of the other chapters do, so I thought maybe the story had lost its appeal. But obviously, you guys do love it, and that's what especially makes me love writing it! It's because of you guys that this story became so close to my heart, and you guys are close to my heart too! I was having a tough start to the week also, especially with my spring break being almost over (I'm still off the rest of this week) and just little issues with life in general. Anyway, I understand now that reviews aren't everything! Thanks for making me realize that! So please don't feel like you need to review for me to update (you're always welcome to though)! I will definitely always update (unless of course, something really bad happens to me, which I hope not!). Thank you so much for your support!

As a result, I'll be working super hard on not just getting the next chapter done, but getting the story done too! It's getting closer and closer to the end. Anyway, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!

Note: This story is rated T because it is involving darker subject matter and references alcohol. However, please do know that I do not endorse nor recommend nor support the consumption of alcohol. I am 100% against it; however, for the purpose of this story, it will be mentioned, but please do remember this note. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!

Chapter 12

"I need to have a drink right now," Darien mumbled to himself as he entered his penthouse. He dropped his stuff off on the couch as he went to the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, he searched for his drinks. "Darn. I must've ran out." He sighed and just stood in front of the open fridge. "Wait. Maybe there's something towards the back of the fridge." He leaned forward to look inside the cold compartment.

"Drinking isn't going to solve your problems."

"Ahhhhhh! Ow!" Darien yelled, banging his head on one of the racks in the fridge. He silently cursed. Rubbing his head, he turned around and shut the fridge door, leaning back against it. His eyes scanned the room, but couldn't see anyone. "Who said that?!"

"Me." He saw someone come out of the shadows. The person was a little shorter than himself and had hair that went to their shoulders.

"No way." He saw another person come out also. This person was just a little taller than Darien and had short, brownish-black hair. "Are you kidding me?! How did you get in here?!"

"Well, thanks for the warm welcome. We're doing well too," a deep voice spoke sarcastically.

'I know that voice all to well…'

Darien groaned. "How exactly did you guys get in here?! I always keep this place locked!"

"Well, if you have a key, you can get in." The woman replied, waving a key ring in front of her.

"Who gave you a key?"

"You did, remember? When you first bought this place?" His mother shook her head, her black, shoulder-length locks swishing from side to side. "See what all that drinking has been doing to your wonderful brain?"

"Why are you guys here? In my house? Now?!"

"Your mother tried calling you so many times, but you didn't respond even once! We even told Andrew about it!"

"That's right. He did tell me that."

"So why are you ignoring us?" His father had his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"I'm not ignoring you. Ugh. I've just been busy with work, that's all."

"You do realize that the time you waste getting drunk, you could use that time to give us a call," His mother scolded, her light blue eyes condescending.

"I'm sorry I forgot, Mom. Like I said, I've just been consumed by my work."

"But would it really kill you to just call us? You could even email, if that's more convenient for you," Mrs. Shields added.

"Given everything that's been happening, it might just have," Darien muttered.

"We were really worried about you. We thought something may have happened to you, especially since you're investigating a murder."

Mr. Shields then asked, "How's the case going?"

"Could be going much better."

"Did you go to see her?" Darien didn't respond, but then he nodded his head. "Do you have any idea who may have tried to..." His father stopped when Darien shook his head. "I see."

His mom walked up to him. "You have bags under your eyes, Darien." She lifted her hands to touch his face, but he moved away. He turned to face the counter and began pull out some cups.

"You guys want some coffee?"

"Um...sure," Mr. Shields replied uncertainly.

The three stood silently as the coffee machine was brewing the coffee. Once it was done, they continued to stand in the kitchen and sip the hot drink.

"We missed you Darien."

Darien sighed. "Mom. Are you really going to start making me feel guilty?"

"Darien. Your mother has a point. It's been months since we've see you! You could pay us a quick visit you know."

"I'm sorry, okay? What do you want me to do? Go back in time and fix it?!"

His dad's face got red. "Don't you smart talk with us, Darien! As your parents, we have the right to be able to see you!"

"Why are you guys trying to get involved in my life?!"

"Because you're obviously hurt, Darien. It's so obvious."

"No, I'm not, Mom. I'm fine. I'm not a baby anymore. You don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself," he grumbled, putting his cup in the sink and turning his back to them.

"Which is why you were about to get yourself wasted, right?" His father's voice was raised.

He finally faced them once more and yelled aloud, "Why can't you guys just leave me alone! You don't understand what I'm going through!" He slammed his hand on the counter, causing his mom to jump a little.

Silence lingered in the room as did the smell of coffee. His father was the first to speak, and he spoke rather quietly. "We don't understand Darien. You're right. We're entrepreneurs, and you're a lawyer. Your job must be very hard." He paused.

"But we can try to understand, if you'll help us to," his mom finished.

He glared at them for a long time, but they soon saw the glare disappear into a blank, almost lost expression.

Next thing they knew, he was sinking to the floor, his whole body shaking. They ran over to him and wrapped their arms around him.

"Oh honey. It's okay. Sh, sh..." His mother spoke tenderly, brushing her fingers soothingly through his hair.

"You go ahead and let it all out," his father said.

They were shocked, needless to say. Yes, their son had cried before, but the crying typical of him was just silent tears rolling down his eyes.

Right now, it was the first time that they, his own parents, had witnessed him crying with such emotional pain.

"I don't know if I can take this anymore," he sobbed. "I always want to give up and hand over the case, but then I think of that man and his family. They're innocent." He paused momentarily. "But worst of all, when I consider giving up the case, all that I can see in my mind is her in that hospital bed. Totally immune to everything that happens around her. Not being able to do anything but just lie there." His shoulders shook with sobs. "And now…now the doctor's saying that she's dying!" He cried harder.

"Sweety. It's alright. We've got you. Let everything out."

The family was huddled together for a good five minutes. Darien had finally calmed down. His mom wiped his tears and held him to her chest.

"Darien. You don't need to go on with this case if it's hurting you this much. Obviously, it's had a profound impact on you," his father reasoned.

Wiping his eyes, Darien stood up. "No. I can't."

They followed suite. "Darien. I don't think she'd want you to do this to yourself. She would understand," his mother added.

He shook his head. "I can't give up. I can't give up on this case. Not now." He looked away, his eyes full of regret. "That'd be as though I was giving up on her, and I already did that to her once," he said softly. He looked at them, his eyes now full of fierce determination. "I know I have to go through this for her sake. And I will. For her, and for my client too. He's innocent. I just know it."

His parents stood up and smiled at him. "Then we're sure you'll do it Darien," his Dad encouraged.

"I'm...I'm sorry I totally lashed out on you and pushed you away. And I'm sorry I never called you and that I continuously ignored you too. I've been such a horrible son." Darien held his head down in shame.

"No you haven't dear," his Mom responded, lifting his chin up with her fingers. "You just reacted, that's all." She caressed his cheek with her thumb. "But you need to remember that we're here for you. Even if the whole world turns against you, you'll always have us." His Dad nodded.

"I know. Thanks Mom, Dad. I love you guys."

"We love you too, Darien." The trio hugged each other.

Once they separated, Darien asked, "Do you guys want to stay the night?"

"No, no. We have to get going. We've got to get home and get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow morning."

His Mom elaborated. "One of our fellow partners' child is getting married, so we're going to attend the ceremony."

"Oh, alright then. Maybe another time. Or I'll try to come visit you."

He led them to the door. His Mom turned around and gave him another hug and a kiss on his cheek. "Take care of yourself, alright honey?"

"I will Mom."

"No more drinking. You know how bad that is for you!"

"Yes Mom," he said, rolling his eyes, but grinning nonetheless.

"Darien." His father began, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "If you need anything, just let us know. We're only a phone call away."

"I know Dad. Thanks."

"And make sure you kick butt at that trial. I know you'll prove your client not guilty."

"I sure will. Thank you. Bye."

Darien shut the door behind them. He sighed. "Those two. They've always been there for me. I wish I'd been nicer. Oh well. I'll make it up to them one day. But right now, I should get some sleep."

He stopped by his fridge once more, contemplating whether to continue his search for a drink. His mother's words echoed in his mind, and he grabbed a bottle of water instead and made his way to his bed.

"You know, you coming here the first two times was okay, but now you're really starting to get on my nerves! So do us all a big favor and get out of here!"

Darien was shocked. He was expecting a warm welcome, but was instead rudely confronted by the young nurse. 'Well, given the way I greeted my own parents when they came to my home, I guess I can say I probably deserved that.' He watched as she marched off down the hall. He turned his attention to her cousin, who was sighing.

"You'll have to excuse my cousin, Darien. If you were a patient, she would've been a lot nicer to you. She's been distraught these past few days." Fiona's eyes were downcast. "She's been like this since she heard about…Serena," she explained.

"Oh…I see…" Darien could understand how the young nurse must have felt. "Anyway, there's something that I must have overlooked when I first came here and talked to you two. I was wondering…if Ms. Stanford had any enemies."

"Enemies? Hm…I think you actually did ask us that question when you first came here, and I think Tina and I said no."

"Right…I saw that in my case notes. But you're absolutely positive that there was no one who could have possibly had a grudge against her?" Darien pressed.

"Gosh…I really don't think so, Darien. Everyone got along so well with her. It's hard to even think of a reason why someone could get mad at her."

"Ah, Mr. Shields. What a pleasure it is to see you again!" Yolanda walked up to him. "Back to further investigate?"

"Yes. I was just asking Fiona here if there was anyone who may have had a grudge against Ms. Stanford."

"You can't think of anyone, can you, Yolanda? I mean, who could possibly have something against Serena?! She's probably one of the sweetest people I've ever known!"

Darien was only half-listening to what Fiona was saying; instead, his attention was on the elderly nurse. He had seen her eyes darken immensely when he'd posed the question.

"I'm afraid I must disagree with you, Fiona," she began. The younger nurse's eyes bugged out of her head. "I forgot you and your cousin only just came into this department half a year ago. You weren't here...at that time."

"At what time, Yolanda?"

Yolanda sighed heavily. "It was about a month before you and Tina came from the Cardiac department. Serena had been working here for...I believe it had been three years. After her first year here, another doctor joined us. He was a nice fellow, and a decent doctor. He certainly didn't have Serena's 'special ability,' though."

"'Special ability?'" Darien questioned.

"What I'm referring to is Serena's way of talking to and treating patients. She was always very kind and understanding, very patient, and as I'm sure the girls already told you, she could even get a smile out of the grumpiest patient." Darien nodded, allowing the nurse to continue. "The two of them immediately clicked. Most of us here referred to them as the dream team; when they were working in the ER, things went relatively smoothly. That was a good second year for Serena. And then, the trouble began. Serena was the first one to notice."

"Notice what?"

"This new doctor...he tended to be a show off, but that was tolerable. He was also quite fond of making money. He would tell stories about his many money-making schemes from his childhood, and he told us how he'd go out every weekend, when he usually took his days off, gambling at the casinos, although Serena had informed him of how bad a habit that was, and he worked long hours too. Not as long as Serena, of course."

"Oh, I remember that! When we first got here, Tina and I were convinced that she actually lived here, in the ER!"

Yolanda chuckled. "Yes, that's our Serena for you. Such a hard worker, and so very passionate about her profession. She was always so pleasant with everyone, but when push comes to shove, she can be a tough cookie."

"Does this have to do with the other doctor?"

"Yes. Serena began to realize that he was...he was losing respect for his patients. His ultimate goal of making money was truly beginning to blind him. She scolded him many a time for not being very respectful to patients. One time, she had even yelled at him for downright refusing to care for a patient in dire need of medical attention due to some financial issue. I don't exactly recall why he wouldn't treat the patient. But Serena was fuming, though she was still always very professional. But finally, she couldn't handle something he did. Serena never forgave him for this."

"What...what was it?" Darien asked, temporarily forgetting about his investigation.

"He tried hard to keep it a secret, but Serena found out. He...he sold a patient's information to someone."

"He what?!" Fiona exclaimed.

"He sold a patient's information to someone for a large sum of money. Serena was searching for some documents in the room where the doctor's sit, and while she was shuffling through papers, she had stumbled upon these papers confirming this. She immediately brought it to the attention of the administration, and she directly called him out on it. I still remember that day so well." Yolanda's eyes had a faraway look in them. "I had never, ever, seen her so infuriated. Serena explicitly told him that the one thing she least tolerant of was breaching patient's confidentiality. She is very strict about confidentiality, and she was revolted by what he had done. I can still remember her then and hear her voice echo in my head. 'You sold information about a patient. They provide us with that information with complete confidence that we won't exploit it, and what did you do?! You sold it to someone! That's disgusting! How can you call yourself a doctor?!' She told him to his face what a disgrace he was as a doctor and how she felt so ashamed to think that he was motivated to work because he was helping people. She told him how she realized all he cared about was making money and enjoying his own life, calling him selfish and greedy. Mind you, this was when there weren't any patients here."

"What happened to this doctor?" Darien wondered aloud.

"He was immediately dismissed. From what I know, he also lost his license too."

"Wow. I never knew that happened. Yolanda, why did you not tell me and Tina about this?"

"Because after the whole ordeal, Serena wanted to keep the whole thing quiet. We were already being hounded by local journalists about the scandal. It was quite stressful for her in particular, because she went to court to testify against him." Yolanda gave the younger nurse a sad smile. "She wanted to tell the two of you at one point. She really did. But..." She stopped.

"I see. So what happened to this doctor after he lost his license?" Darien tried to connect this new piece of information to his case.

"I don't really know. I think he left the area."

"Would you happen to have something about him here at the hospital?"

"It just so happens that we have his profile which we received when he first came here. You'll need to talk to one of the medical records personnel for that. However, I myself have something. I'd be glad to get rid of. I'll be right back."

"You think that doctor has some relation to this case, Darien?" Fiona asked curiously.

"It's...a possibility. I need to get more facts though."

"Right. Well, I need to get to work, but I hope you win your case Darien, and I especially hope, Tina and I hope that is, you'll expose the real culprit."

"Thanks for the help Fiona, and please tell your cousin I'm sorry to have upset her."

Not a moment too soon, Yolanda came back with something in hand.

"Here's a picture of him," she said, handing the photo to him.

Darien examined the picture carefully. "What's his name?"

"Mr. Nolan! I'm so glad to see you're doing well!"

"Ah, yes. I am doing much better now. How's the case going Darien? Any luck?"

"It's...going Mr. Nolan. I'm pretty sure that I'll be completely ready by the time the trial resumes. But...there's a specific reason I came to here to visit you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"That is...actually, before I forget, did your wife come to visit you?"

"Yes, she came every day when I was at the hospital, and she came every day I've been here at the detention center." He sighed, shaking his head. "I wish I wasn't hurting her like this. I just hate seeing her so worried. She's already got her job and the girls to worry about, and on top of all that, now she's got me to worry about."

"Mr. Nolan, don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault, remember?"

"I know. It's just that...she's been doing so much by herself. I've always admired that about her. She never changed."

"How long have you known Mrs. Nolan?"

"Wanda and I knew each other since we were five years old."

"F-Five years old?!"

Mr. Nolan nodded. "We were neighbors back then, and our parents were really good friends. We soon became friends and grew up together. Finally, when I was sixteen and she was fifteen, I asked her out on a date. We dated each other ever since then, and when she was 20, I proposed to her and we got married. We've been married for 25 years now."

"Wow. That's such a long time!"

"It's probably not that long, but yeah." Mr. Nolan let out a happy sigh. "Every time I look at her, I feel like I'm falling in love with her all over again."

'Officer Bentley and whoever else said those awful things are nuts if they think this man is even capable of considering to cheat on his wife, and that with some like Serena. Serena would never do that to anyone, especially since she knew about what happened to me...'

"What are you thinking about, Darien? You spaced out for a second there."

"Hm? Oh, I was just thinking back to when I was in grade school. I had a girlfriend who I started dating in sixth grade, but I found that she cheated on me with someone else in sophomore year of high school."

'And that's when she scolded me for slamming the lunch table, and then immediately offered to comfort me, and I cruelly pushed her away.' (AN: Remember that flashback when Darien was being a complete jerk to Serena?!)

"I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine. I had a… really good friend of mine help me get over it. But going back to what I came here for, I have something I need to show you."

Mr. Nolan nodded his head. Darien pulled out an object from his pocket and showed it to him.

Mr. Nolan's eyes filled with recognition. "What...How…?"

"Mr. Nolan...Can you please explain your reaction, if you don't mind?"

"So Officer Bentley isn't here? Again?"

'What does that guy do?!'

"Afraid not, Darien. But is there anything I can do for you before I go?"

"Where are you going?" Darien asked desperately, clearly worried.

Don laughed. "Oh, nowhere! I've just got the next couple of weeks off, but rest assured, I'll definitely be coming to see you in action at court, Darien."

"Cool. That's good to hear. Say Don. Do you know much about the victim herself?"

"You mean Serena? No, not really. I know from Officer Bentley that she's an ER doctor, and I heard she's one of the best. There isn't much more I know about her. Sorry! I wish I could be of more help to you. Sometimes I feel so useless here!"

"Hey now! You've been very helpful to me. I appreciate that! And you aren't useless! So don't say that, okay?"

"Okay."

"So Don. You know that video footage found from the camera near the victim's house? Do you think I could see that tape?"

"Oh Darien. If only I could. Officer Bentley has access to that stuff, and he won't..."

"…Let anyone but the prosecution see it. Right. I should've known. That's okay, Don." Darien heaved a sigh.

"I do know a little about the drug that was used to poison Serena."

"You do? I don't think Officer Bentley knew much about it when I asked him, and the drug test didn't say much."

"Yeah. It's a newly developed drug, a sedative. It's made by the drug company in the area. You know, the one with the major plant right here in town?"

"Ah yes, I do. Someone must've stolen the drug from there then."

"Actually, I asked them, and they said no one stole anything from there. They've got major security there, so if a person had stolen it, they'd have to be pretty clever. Even a genius, I'd say."

"Yeah, a crazy genius," Darien muttered. "Anything else?"

"Well, the chemical composition of it was quite fascinating, in my humble opinion. It's unlike any drug I've ever seen!"

"I see. So you're into chemistry, are you? That could be pretty useful for a police officer."

"Yeah, I guess it is. Would you like me to explain the drug more?"

"No, no. That won't be necessary. I was never all that great in chemistry. The last time I studied it was my senior year of high school. Not going down that road again. But I appreciate your enthusiasm! That about does it for me here for the time being."

"Alright. Hey! I'll make sure to let you know when Officer Bentley is back in his office so that if you want to come talk to him yourself, you can."

"That would be nice. Thanks for the assistance. See you. Enjoy your break!"

"Bye Darien."

"Before I go Don, can I have you number, so I can call you?"

"Oh sure! I actually have this nice business card I made for myself. Here you go! Call me whenever you need me!" Don grabbed it from his pocket and handed it to Darien.

"Thanks Don."

"It's so nice to talk to you, face-to-face, Dare."

"Yeah. I haven't really gone out much since I took on the case. How are you, Drew?"

"Oh, I've been doing well, thanks."

"And Rita?"

"Oh, she's doing just fine. Actually…" Andrew's face turned a little red.

"What? What is it? Are you hiding something from me?" Darien asked. He then gasped dramatically. "You aren't going to tell your best friend in the whole world something? I am offended."

Andrew's face registered with shock. "Best friend? You still consider me to be your best friend?"

"Of course I do Andrew. Why would you…oh." Darien knew why he felt that way. "Look Drew. I know I've been a real jerk for not trying to keep in touch with you and everything. Trust me, I feel like an awful friend. I'm lucky that you're still even talking to me now. I just…got so consumed by my work that I pretty much made that the only thing I cared about for a long time. But I didn't see how I was pushing away the people I care about…and hurting them too. I hope you can forgive me."

"Dare. Of course I forgive you. You're my best friend. You were my first best friend. We've known each other for so long, we practically grew up together. Heck, we're like brothers! I know you well, Dare. I know why you pushed everyone away."

Darien's eyebrows went up. "You…do?" Andrew nodded. "Then, would you mind telling me, because quite frankly, even I don't know why I did that."

"I noticed that you started pushing everyone away after…after you and…" Andrew waved his hand. "Broke up."

"I…guess that makes sense."

"I'll explain further. It seemed like when you guys separated, you…you separated from a part of yourself, Darien. You weren't completely there."

"Yeah, now that I think about it, that is true."

"Darien. I know I've asked before, but I can't help but ask again. Why did you guys break up? Rita and I thought about it, but we just couldn't figure it out. You guys didn't seem to have any problems with one another. The only thing we came up with was that maybe the others somehow discovered you two got back together. Rita and I never told them, Dare. Just like we promised that we wouldn't."

"I know it wasn't you guys. You two were always so supportive of us, and I truly appreciate that. Andrew…the break up…It's really complicated. I mean really complicated. I want to tell you, I really do, but…I just can't. Please don't take any offense though. I didn't tell my mom and dad the real reason why."

"I understand Darien. And I respect that. Anyway, I heard you had a little run-in with our…friends."

"They may be your friends Andrew, but they certainly aren't mine."

"They told me you yelled at them for no reason."

"No reason? Of course they'd say that. Andrew, they were at this restaurant talking up a storm and laughing like nothing was wrong in the world. I couldn't help but blow up on them. It was partly due to the stress I've been dealing with, but…they're also at fault."

"I figured that you wouldn't yell at them without any basis. But…I have to say that I hate seeing you guys apart. We used to all be great friends. I wish things could go back to how they were then."

"Well, they're the cause of all of that Andrew, but I don't really want to say much more about them. And we totally digressed. What was the reason for you blushing?"

"Oh…that…well…Rita…."

"Get on with it Andrew! The anticipation is killing me!"

"She's…we're going to have a baby."

"Whoa! What?! Congratulations! You're going to be taking the next big step! I'm really happy for you Andrew!" Darien patted him on the back. "I'm going to be the godfather, right?" He asked jokingly.

"Of course. Rita and I, we already discussed that."

"Wait….you're serious? I was just joking. You don't need to."

"No. We want to."

"Wow. I'm…honored. Thank you."

"No problem."

Just then, Darien's cellphone rang. "Hello? Hey Don! Yeah? He's at his office? Great! I'll head right over. Thanks a bunch!" Darien hung up. "I'm glad we ran into each other here at the café, Drew. It was nice to catch up with you. I wish we could talk more, but I need to go visit someone."

"Right. That's fine. We can talk later, once you've proven your client innocent. Good luck Darien."

"Thanks!" Darien grabbed his things and began rushing to the door when Andrew called out to him. "What is it Drew?"

Andrew walked up to him. "You…heard about Serena, haven't you?"

Darien looked away. "Yes…I did. I…actually went to see her not too long ago."

"You alright?"

"I'm as good as I can be."

"Yeah right. I can see the pain in your eyes. You don't need to hide it from me, you know. I can sympathize with how you feel." Andrew patted his shoulder. "Take it easy, Dare. I know things must be hard on you right now, but you've got to keep fighting to the end."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Drew. I'll see you soon."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Lawyer."

"Hello Officer Bentley. Long time, no see."

"Right. What do you want?"

"I wanted to ask you about an order Ms. Stanford filed with Ms. Sanders."

"The restraining order? What about it?"

"Restraining order?!" Darien exclaimed. "She filed a restraining order?!"

'How did I not see that coming?!'

"Is that not what I just said, or are you deaf? Yes, a restraining order!" The officer barked.

"Okay. Who was it filed against?"

"I don't need to tell you that, Shields. That's for the prosecution to know."

"You seriously can't tell me?"

"Nope."

"And you can't show me the documents either, right? The same goes for the video footage from the camera near the victim's house?"

"Exactly. Finally, you seem to be starting to get it. Wait. Have you been harassing Don?"

"Who me? No, no, I haven't."

"Good. I'd hate to find out that you're pestering my assistant. He's such a good guy. He's so obedient, does everything I tell him to."

'You make your assistant sound more like your dog.'

"Great at investigations too! I left him to do most of the investigation for this case. Once he's done that, he reports right back to me. I don't have to depend on any of the other kids here."

Darien sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Well, I guess that brings my investigation to a complete standstill."

"Aw, sorry to hear that. Too bad."

'Somehow, I find that quite hard to believe, given your sarcastic tone of voice,' Darien thought to himself.

"I think it's about time you leave, Shields."

"I guess you're right. But actually, I have something I need to ask you, officer. Or rather…show you."

"What is it?! It better be good! I don't like having people waste my time."

Darien pulled out his secret weapon. He was pleased with the reaction from the officer. The grumpy officer was now gaping at what Darien showed him.

"Where…where did you get that?!"

"I obtained it from a good friend of mine. Is there something wrong, officer?"

"I…" He was speechless.

'Nice! I've never seen him rendered speechless before! Touchdown for Shields!'

" Now would you be willing to show me that restraining order?"

The officer looked up at Darien, regarding him carefully before opening his desk cabinet and pulling out a file. "Have a look."

Darien looked through, his suspicions reconfirmed. "Hm…well…I figured that much."

"I know what you're thinking Shields, but there's no possible way." Darien looked up at the officer. "I thought it was him, too. But this guy…" The officer shook his head. "The guy isn't in the area anymore. He moved, and…my assistant, Don. He said that the guy happened to move into the district where he worked before he came here."

'Why do I get the ominous feeling that I really am going to reach a stand still?'

"And Don said that they found this guy's body in his house. He apparently committed suicide."

'And I'm back to square one.'

Thanks again for the support my dear readers! If you'd like, you're more than welcome to leave a review! I'm hard at work on the next chapter right now!