Smiling, Steve got to his feet and turned to the older man, gently taking his elbow and helping him up. Mike tried his best not to wince, attempting a smile through trembling lips when he caught his balance and Steve let go of his arm.

His smile growing wider, Steve crossed the cell towards the door, stopping briefly to gently throw an arm around Jeannie's shoulders and pull her into a quick hug, kissing her hair, before he joined Hogan and they moved to the wooden door. Hogan pulled it open and exited; Steve grabbed the door and held it as he looked back into the cell.

Biting her lips, trying to hold back tears, Jeannie crossed to her father, who was beaming at her, waiting with his arms out as far as he was capable. "Easy, easy," he chuckled softly as she wrapped her arms around him, knowing the bulky bandages she could see under his shirt were worrying her.

Her hands clutching the back of his shirt, she let the sobs surface as the tears started to flow. "It's okay, it's okay," he soothed over and over as he stroked her hair, closing his eyes as he held her head to his chest.

Swallowing heavily, his vision blurring, Steve stepped through the door, letting it close silently behind him, allowing father and daughter their much needed and long overdue privacy. Sighing heavily, he moved deeper into the bullpen, running his hands over his face. He looked at his watch. It was just after 10; it had been a long and exhausting day already, and it had literally just begun.

He looked up, taking in the room. Hogan was standing with Dottie at his office door, deep in quiet conversation. Chisholm was sitting, his hands now cuffed in front of him, in a large wooden armchair near the back wall, the deputy doing paperwork, and keeping a close eye on their newest detainee, at a nearby desk. Colin Anderson was slumped in a chair at a desk near the door, staring at his hands clasped in his lap.

As Steve watched, Dottie nodded quickly and moved to her own desk, sitting and picked up the phone. Hogan glanced in the San Francisco cop's direction and nodded, in effect summoning him over. Steve, still not quite sure how he should feel about the local chief but not disputing the anger that was boiling just beneath the surface, crossed the floor.

Hogan looked contrite, which the young detective found surprisingly refreshing; but, then again, his department had almost allowed his partner to be assassinated by a disgruntled family member of the victim, the latest in a long string of abuses. "Ah, listen, ah… Steve, is it?" the chief began with an almost embarrassed smile.

The SF cop nodded, his expression unreadable. He wanted to see which way this was going to go before he tipped his hand as to how he was reacting to the events that had just transpired.

Hogan nodded quickly. "Thanks. Ah, Steve, there's obviously a lot we have to… discuss in the next couple of hours… and a lot of things to set right…" He paused as if waiting for a confirmation that didn't come. His fluster growing, he continued, "So, ah, well, you know your partner better than anybody… obviously…" He shrugged slightly with a snort. "Anyway, ah, you let me know when you think he's ready and, ah, and we'll find a comfortable place… for him… and we'll… we'll do what needs to be done. How does that sound?"

Steve started to nod slowly, keeping his expression unreadable. "I agree," he began slowly, "but he needs some time with his daughter right now -"

"Of course," Hogan interjected quickly, "of course…"

"- and Jeannie should be included in the meeting as well. She's as much a part of all this as her father is, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes… yes, of course she is. She deserves to know the truth… and she deserves justice. I wouldn't have it any other way…. Believe me."

Hogan sounded sincere. And after a few seconds of tense silence, Steve nodded. "I do," he said quietly.

The chief smiled grimly. "Thank you." He swallowed almost nervously. "Listen, ah, what I can I do for you right now?"

Knowing he finally had the upper hand, Steve nodded at the desk they were standing beside. "I would like a desk, some privacy and a phone."

Hogan stared at him evenly for a long moment then nodded curtly. "Of course." He shot a glance over his shoulder. "There's an empty office right there. It's all yours."

With a crisp and dismissive, "Thank you," Steve brushed past still reeling police chief.

# # # # #

He waited for her sobs to subside then pushed her away slightly so he could look down at her face. His own cheeks wet with relieved tears, he tenderly ran the tips of his right fingers over the stitches in her forehead. "Did you get that in the accident?"

She nodded, not sure she could trust the strength of her voice just yet. She opened her mouth and sucked in a ragged breath, raising both hands to place them lightly on his chest, feeling the tensor bandages through his shirt. "Are you all right?"

Smiling reassuringly, his face lit up as he nodded. "Oh sure. I just cracked a couple of ribs, that's all. Hurts like hell but I'm okay."

"What about where they shot you?"

"That?" he chuckled, raising his left shoulder in a half shrug. "It's almost completely healed already."

"They took the bullet out?"

"Umh-humh. They did a pretty good job too." He nodded behind himself. "Come on, let's sit down.

Arm in arm, they crossed the short distance to the cot. She sat first, on his right, and he lowered himself carefully, trying not to show too much discomfort. She snuggled close to him, and he wrapped his arm around her, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "Did they treat you all right?" he asked softly and felt her nod. "Tell me about it."

# # # # #

"Captain Devitt," came the familiar, and most welcome, voice on the other end of the line and Steve exhaled loudly.

"Roy, it's Steve -"

"Steve! Thank god! Where the hell are you? Did you find Mike and Jeannie? Have you met up with Norm and -?"

"Whoa, whoa, Roy, whoa… one question at a time. Yes, I did find Mike and Jeannie, and we're still down here in Eldred -"

"Eldred?! Dammit, I sent them to Edward first -"

"Sent who?"

"Norm and Dan. You haven't hooked up with them yet?"

"No, not yet. When did they leave?"

"Middle of the night. They should've figured out Edward was a dead end by now and should be heading your way soon."

"Good, 'cause I can use their help."

The captain seemed to take a breath and slow down. "So what the hell's going on down there? Are Mike and Jeannie okay?"

"Ah, well, ah, relatively speaking, I guess…"

"What the hell do you mean by that?" The concern had definitely returned to the voice on the other end of the line.

"Ah, listen, Roy, this is gonna take awhile, but I want you to know what we're up against and what help I'm gonna need from you, okay?"

"Ah, yeah… sure…. What do you need?"

# # # # #

"So, what's happening?" Jeannie asked, sounding honestly confused. "Why are they letting us finally be together? Do you know?"

"Well," Mike began with his own slightly confused smile, "I don't have any of the details yet but, if what Steve told me just a little while ago is true, then all this… this nightmare is over and we can go home soon."

Jeannie's brow furrowed. "It is?" She didn't sound convinced.

Her father nodded. "Umh-humh. At least, if you want to believe Steve… and I do," he chuckled with a warm smile.

She smiled too. "So do I."

"Good," he laughed, pulling her closer, ignoring the discomfort in his chest, knowing it was worth it.

She melted into him in silence for several long seconds, both of them revelling in the calm and the closeness then she raised her head again. "Um, Mike, how are we going to get home?"

"What do you mean?"

"Our car is probably a write-off, isn't it? And we can't all fit in the Porsche, which Steve said isn't running anyway… right?"

She heard her father's soft harrumph and she knew without looking he was staring into nothing and frowning. "Good point. What do you think, we hitchhike?"

"What?!" she blurted out, pushing away from him slightly to look into his face, freezing and scowling when she saw his amused and anticipatory expression. "Oh you…" she growled good-naturedly as she started to tickle him, an almost reflexive action for her under normal circumstances. He laughed, trying playfully to push her away then gasped in pain, grimacing and reaching for his injured ribs and she froze. "Oh, god, Daddy, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" She threw her arms around him and held him gently as they waited for the pain to subside.

His breaths evened out and he opened his eyes, managing a smile. "I'm okay," he assured her. "Come here," he said softly, putting his right arm around her and pulling her close again. Contrite, she leaned carefully into him. He rubbed her upper arm affectionately. "You know what I regret the most? That we didn't get to bring those big fish home with us."

# # # # #

The wooden door opened slowly and Steve stepped quietly into the room. He let the door close softly as he moved closer to the bars. He could see father and daughter sitting side by side on the cot, arms around each other, her head on his shoulder and their eyes closed. He smiled warmly to himself.

As if sensing his presence, Mike opened his eyes and they slid in his partner's direction. Steve took that as an invitation and slipped quietly through the door.

"How are you feeling?" he asked the older man as he approached the pair. Jeannie opened her eyes and smiled at him, still leaning against her father as if not wanting to break the bond.

Mike looked down at his daughter's head on his shoulder and smiled. "Great." He squeezed her gently then looked up again. "So, what's going on?"

"Well, when you two feel up to it, Chief Hogan wants to have a… a meeting with all of us," he included Jeannie in a glance, "to explain himself… and the town, I guess." Steve's jaw clenched, unable to disguise his anger at what they had all been put through.

Mike was nodding slowly. "So, ah, so when does he want to do that?"

Steve smiled ironically. "At your convenience," he chuckled dryly and Mike snorted.

"That's a switch," the older man growled, shaking his head. He took a deep breath, briefly closing his eyes in discomfort, glanced down at Jeannie, who was looking up at him, then met Steve's eyes again. "Tell him we're not ready yet. Tell him I'll let him know when we are."

Steve smiled. "My pleasure. Oh, ah, I finally found a phone to use. One that was right here in the office, surprise surprise," he chuckled mirthlessly and Mike snorted, shaking his head in derision, "and I finally got through to Roy."

"Good. I bet he was happy to hear from you."

"And then some," Steve chuckled. "I told him what was going on down here - broad strokes, of course, or I would've been on the phone with him till tomorrow - and he said Norm and Dan are on their way -"

"Great," Mike interrupted in relief.

"- and I told him what I wanted him to do for us from up there."

The older man's brow furrowed. "And what would that be?"

Steve looked from Mike to Jeannie and back again. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm not about to let anybody off the hook for what they did to you these last few days. So I've asked Roy to make a few calls." He smiled warmly. "We won't be doing this alone… not anymore."