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Chapter 13:

Mama you're the queen of my heart

After picking up Mia from the station and got a good night's rest, he woke up to his phone receiving a text from Juliet that read: Chief Vick wants us to take the weekend off. Dobson and Miller are covering for us.

For once in his life, Lassiter was glad not to be going into work. He had enough to worry about with his new condition and having to take care of a small child.

As he got up from his bed, Lassiter went to check on Mia. Surprisingly, she was already up and quietly watching The Looney Tunes Show on tv.

"Good morning." Lassiter said but he only got a smile in return. This didn't bother the seasoned detective though. He's gotten used to her quiet presence.

"I'm going to us breakfast."

As the tall detective made his way into the kitchen and inspected his fridge for breakfast, he rolled his eyes as he saw something that was not there the previous night. A Pineapple with a pink bow sitting front and center.

After the fight yesterday, Juliet and the psych agency had made sure that both he and Mia got home safe. He must've been really out of to not notice Spencer putting his signature Get Well present in his fridge.

Lassiter grabbed it and inspected the fruit unsure of what to do with it. As he was lost in thought, he didn't hear Mia pad her way into the room. And for the first since he met her she finally spoke! "No!"

Startling the man out of his skin, Lassiter wide eyed starred at the child. Finally he responded by asking, "What did you just say?"

"No pi'apple."

"Not that I blame you but why?"

"'llergic."

"You're allergic to pineapple?"

Mia's wavy hair bounced as she nodded her head.

This left Lassiter in a bit of a predicament. He was torn between cheering because the little girl finally spoke or to bust out laughing because the same child was allergic to Shawn's food idol. Lassiter decided to go in the middle and play it cool. "Good to know. Are there any other foods your allergic to?"

Mia thought about it before shaking her head 'no'. She started to leave but Lassiter's voice stopped her.

"Wait just a second young lady. Now that I know you can talk we need to have a conversation." He said leading her to the table.

Once the two were sitting at the table Lassiter started asking questions, "Alright Mia. Why are you just now talking?"

"Cause I didn't really know you. Mama said to never talk to strangers."

"Then why did you single me out?"

"Huh?" Mia asked in confusion as she tilted her head slightly to one side.

"Since I was a stranger to you. Why wouldn't you go with anyone else the first day we met?"

"Cause I saw you on TV a buncha times. And mama said you were a good policeman. And you try to keep everyone safe."

"That explains a lot," mumbled Lassiter. Not wanting the little girl to feel interrogated, Lassiter got up and asked looking at Mia, "So what do you want for breakfast?"

"Eggs!" Mia said grinning from ear-to-ear. But Lassiter looked at her with an amused but stern look and said, "Eggs what?"

Now really confused Mia said innocently and in an uncertain tone, "On a plate?"

This caused Lassiter to do something he hadn't done in a long time. He started to laugh. Once he was done Lassiter responded, "It's eggs 'please'."

Mia gave an 'Oooh' sound and nodded.

As Lassiter started cooking he realized that although Mia was just naturally a quiet child. Even at her tender age, she didn't feel the need to constantly talk. However that got Lassiter to think and then ask the quiet little girl, "Mia, how old are you?"

"I'm six years old!" Mia said proudly. Lassiter hummed and said with a friendly lopsided grin, "That's pretty neat." By this point the eggs were done. As Lassiter put her plate in front of her, Mia replied with a grateful, "Thank you Mr. Car." Lassiter now sitting next to her, at the head of the table, with his own plate of food looked at the child strangely. Resting his chin in his hand Lassiter asked, "Mia. What...what did you just call me?"

"Mr. Car. Mama called you that too."

Ah. Eliza must've called me 'Carl' but Mia hear 'Car'. Huh, I'll take Car over Carl any day. Lassiter thought on the inside while he responded outwardly, "That's what I thought. I just wanted to make sure I heard you right."

But then Mia asked Lassiter a dreaded question. "Mr. Car, is my mama dead?"

Lassiter choked on his water and when he regained himself he looked at the child next to him. As a veteran detective who had a reputation for being tough as nails, Lassiter was not prepared for the sight he took in at his breakfast table. The sight was of the little girl next to him with tears threatening to spill out of her big brown eyes simply hoping that he'd tell her that her mama wasn't dead.

"Mia, who told you that? A big boy at school said mama was dead and a bad guy hurt her."

"Mia...boys are jerks. You remember that."

"But Mr. Car you're a boy." Mia said, the tears still threatening to come out.

"Yes but..." Lassiter cut himself off saying, "Never mind." Lassiter was now completely out of his depth. I wasn't trained for this! What am I going to do?

Lassiter then the only thing that would come to mind. He picked the child up from her chair and placed her in his lap. "Mia...I'm sorry. You're mama went to heaven."

"Can't we go there and have her come home?"

"No sweetie. She has to stay. But I promise you...you're going to be okay and that I'm going to find the bad men who hurt her."

Halfway through his promise, Mia broke down and was clinging to his old t-shirt. She wept for over half an hour before her tears started dry and there was only a string of dry hiccups left. What Mia didn't see was that Lassiter above her allowed a few tears to flow from his blue eyes. He wiped them away before she could see them and cleared his throat saying, "Hey I got an idea. I'm off today. So why don't you and me do something fun."

Mia nodded while rubbing her eyes with her small fist. "Like what?"

"Well, do you like horses?"

Mia smiled and nodded.

"Well let's get you dressed and go ride some horses."

Monday…

As the weekend ended and Monday began, Lassiter was already at work after dropping Mia off to school with McNab guarding her today. The Head Detective made a promise to Mia and he planned to keep it.

As the day progressed, Lassiter had become a whirlwind of furry and progress. He had interrogated Doris Skirth again, placed her under witness protection, and made several breakthroughs on the case.

Because of the zone he was in, Vick told her head detective that she needed him to continue and she'd send McKinley and his partner to relieve the officer watching Mia and to bring her back to the station.

However, things didn't go as planned.

As McKinley's car pulled up and McNab put Mia in the back, the gentle giant said, "Have a safe drive Mia. Detectives McKinley and Gilroy are going to take you back to the precinct."

"Thanks Mr. McNab. Oh and Cuddles says thanks too!" Mia said about her beloved teddy bear in her arms.

"Your welcome Cudd-"

"Look McNab we've got better things to do than talking about some dumb bear." Mia shrank back into her car seat and pulled Cuddles closer in her arms. Which caused McNab to frown and said harshly, "Regardless make sure she's safe sir." And left while flashing a friendly smile at Mia and went to his patrol car.

This made McKinley boil with rage.

"Uh Larry...this isn't the way to..." Gilroy started but was cut off by an irate McKinley. "I know that! Look I'm going to Bobo's donuts. I need a quick pick me up because I've got every-freakin'-body up my ass!"

"Language Larry..."

"I don't care Tom! Alright. If it's not Vick, it's the DA. If it's not my mother, it's you. If it's not you, it's Henry. If it's not Henry it's that damn Lassiter. And NOW IT'S FREAKING BUZZ MCNAB! All because of this stupid case and this brat!"

All of this hostile yelling in such a confined space caused Mia to start crying into Cuddles fur. Which only pissed off McKinley more. He swerved into a parking space at BoBo's donuts and turned in his seat and yelled at the child, "Shut Up! You go home with Lassiter every night. You're used to an angry man that doesn't give two-" Tommy had enough and forcibly turned the older man around in his seat and growled, "That's enough! Whatever your problem it's not with her problem. She's the victim Larry."

"Look I don't care anymore! You know what...I'm done. For the day I'm done! I'm going to get my pick me up and you can drive us back! Then when we get to the department I'm going to get in my car and I'm going home!"

"Whatever man. Just go."

With that, Larry snatched off of his seatbelt and got out of the car, slamming the car door with much more force than was needed. As the two car occupants watched Larry go in, Gilroy turned to the little girl, who was now crying silently. "Hey Mia's it's okay. Detective Lassiter…" Before Gilroy could finish though the parked car was T-boned by another car on purpose. From the power of the hit, Gilroy was knocked unconscious immediately and although little Mia was hurt she miraculously wasn't gravely injured. She tried to unbuckle herself but wasn't able to. Then suddenly, the car door was ripped open. And on the other end of was two men dressed in black. The two black clad figures cut Mia out of the seatbelt and grabbed the screaming child just as Gilroy was coming out of it.

All Gilroy could see through his blurred eyes was little Mia reaching for him and crying for help.

But Gilroy couldn't help…because he passed out again.

TBC

A/N: Yep another cliffhanger. But I promise the next chapter will have a major showdown! XD

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