Finally, after three uninterrupted hours, Mai had successfully cleaned the house from top to bottom. Ever since Naru's parents and Madoka came over, Naru and Mai have been able to be alone with each other as a typical couple. Although, Mai couldn't help but think that the way they were perusing their relationship was all kinds of backward. Couples usually spend time together, get married and then have a baby, but she and Naru flipped the script.

There were still so many conversations that they needed to have, and Mai knew that Naru could see it was bothering her, but she kept procrastinating and sidestepping the subject.

She sighed and stood back, wiping her brow with her hand, and began winding up the vacuum cord. Ren had gone with his grandparents to the store to gather some ingredients for their dinner tonight, and Madoka and Naru went to the office. Mai assumed Naru was going to work, but Madoka was likely interesting in seeing Lin. Naru had briefly mentioned that they were looking into a new case proposal and he felt that it was promising.

An ache in her heart caught her off guard. She was sure that when Naru did go off on another case and left her for a while, she would suffer some sort of emotional attachment. It had taken them almost six years to come together and become a couple, and the thought of him leaving her again made her want to close herself off again. It was a pain that she was familiar with but she didn't want to relive it.

Grabbing the clothes basket in Ren's room, she went about collecting his dirty clothes, plopping in a few other items of clothing, and placed them all in the wash. A sharp quick noise drew her attention over to her cell phone sitting on her counter. Walking over, she looked at the screen and noticed a text from Maki stating that she was going to stop by before her yoga class. A strange request considering Mai was sure that Maki had yoga yesterday, not tonight, but she shook off her twisted face. Not thinking much of it, she replied with a quick response of approval and then placed the small device back onto the counter.

So far, Ren was jubilant to have his grandparents over for their stay. He thoroughly enjoyed Luella's spoiling and unending love and attention and was interested in the ghost stories that Martin told him and the small science experiments that Ren got to help him with. Martin had gotten the child a microscope and prepared some slides, even going as far as getting him his own small lab coat, and Ren practically ran with it. Mai had never seen him so excited about a subject even though the lab experiments they were doing were small and harmless.

It was a good thing, Mai supposed, that she and Naru had Ren so young because Martin and Luella were exceedingly young to already have a grandchild. Which in turn, allowed them to be more active with Ren and to be around him for longer period amounts of time. She was worried that Naru would be touchy with his parents around, but he had been surprisingly pleasant though Mai could chalk that up to the fact that they could have a date in private.

The doorbell rang and Mai quickly moved back into the laundry room started up the washer, placing a load of wet clothes into a wicker basket to be hung on the clothesline. She would usually just put them in the dryer, but the day had been rather nice and she was happy for the change of scenery.

A sigh passed her lips as she tried to prepare her slightly antisocial personality for Maki's social-butterfly persona. Without looking through the peephole, she wrapped her fingers around the handle and pulled the door open.

"If you came here to gossip, I'm not in the - " She stared in the face of Jett Stone on her porch holding a brightly colored cellphone that Mai immediately identified as Maki's. A shuddering breath entered her lungs and she was thankful that no one was home to get injured. She went to open her mouth and he held up a gun in his hand, pointed directly at her heart.

"You scream, and I'll kill you," He growled out with a sick smile. "Now invite me inside and lock the door."

Mai stepped back from the door and allowed the killer into her house and shut her eyes in fear when he came up behind her and pressed the barrel into her back.

"Shut. The. Door."

Tears worked their way into her eyes and she rolled her eyes around to disperse the saline. Biting her lip with a harshness, she slowly pressed her body into the door and shut it with an audible click. He reached around her and locked the deadbolt and chain.

"Good, now contact Oliver and tell him that something came up and you need to be alone." When she looked at him with a small level of shock, he smirked. "I've been watching you for quite some time, Mai. I know all about Dr. Davis and his parents visiting their youngest addition to the family." Stone looked around slightly. "Speaking of, where is the lovable sprite?"

Mai chuckled a bit. "I thought you were watching us, don't you know where he is."

He frowned and lifted the gun placing it to Mai's forehead. "Call him."

She carefully moved over to her counter and quickly navigated to Naru's contact before putting the phone up to her ear, trying to ignore the cold steel pressing on her temple. It rang for a moment until she heard Naru's voice.

"Mai?"

She curled her lips into her mouth to muffle a sob and a tear raced down her cheek. "Naru," It was said in a quick gasp but she managed to cover it with a clearing of her throat. "I-I've to consult on a case, and I need you and Ren to stay away for a bit – I don't want him seeing any pictures."

In the background, she heard his office chair creak back a bit as he leaned into it.

"Okay," Naru felt that something was amiss with her tone. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Mai rubbed a tear away and Stone remained unimpressed in her peripheral vision. "I need you to take care of Ren."

"Of course I will," She heard a small smile in his voice. "He's with my parents right now. We'll be home soon, but try to relax, you sound tired."

"Yeah, good idea." A terrifying thought that this could be the last time she ever heard his voice had her gripping the phone harder. "Naru?" She heard him hum in response. "I love you." Her throat closed off a bit. "I love you so much."

Naru frowned and glanced sideways at his phone. She was suddenly emotional and expressive, which didn't fit her now like it did when she was younger. Something was wrong, but he figured he'd humor her.

"I love you too." When he heard her sniff, he stood from his desk almost immediately. "Mai, are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course I am," She said quickly. "Naru, tell Ren I love him too," This time, she felt herself breaking on the inside. She didn't want to think about the possibility that she may never see her son again. To miss his future birthdays or anything in his school. To miss out on a life with him and Naru. "I love you both, so much."

"Mai, tell me if you will be home for dinner."

Her eyebrows creased in confusion before she realized what he was truly asking. Was she in immediate danger?

"I'm sorry, I won't be able to make it to dinner." She shook her head as she said it.

The phone was yanked out of her hand and Stone tapped the red button, ending the call, and threw it to the ground, cracking the screen. Mai stood unmoving but noticed that her phone was now rendered useless as the screen display showing a digital mess of images. Stone waved the gun over to the couch.

"Let's sit, shall we?"

She slowly moved over to the plush furniture knowing full well that her gun was just under the coffee table in front of it, strapped under in case she needed it. But she couldn't risk it. If Stone has been watching them, he likely knew it was there. They both sat, Mai on the couch and Stone across from her in the recliner.

"Ah," Stone sighed dreamily. "That's better, yeah?"

"What do you want?" Mai said plainly. Her tears had dried by then and she felt somewhat contented and serene. She had been able to say her goodbyes to Naru and their child.

"Ha!" A laugh escaped his lips and he pointed his gun more towards Mai. "I already have what I want."

"Care to enlighten me to what that is?"

He tutted towards her. "Watch that tone, Detective, I think we both know how hot-tempered I can get." Mai narrowed her eyes at his comments. "I simply wanted to make sure you knew how easy I could get to you."

She gritted her teeth. While she wasn't going to tell him he was right, she was pissed that he had the nerve to act like Mai hadn't taken any precautions after his threatening appearance years ago.

"So, you stole my colleague's phone and messaged me to get my guard down and then show up to my house when everyone but me has left."

Stone smiled at her condescendingly. "Yes, but I stole the phone long ago. I've just been watching you and your family for quite a while." He looked over to a picture of Ren standing in front of Mai and Naru. It was the first family picture they had taken and Hina forced the picture into their house with pride. Mai loved the photo. "After all this time, we finally get to meet the father of your son."

"Why do you care who my son's father is?" She shifted not wanting to hear his answer.

"Well, I need to know everyone you love and care for." He tapped his gun against his head. "That way I know just who to threaten to get you exactly where I need you."

Mai rolled her eyes. "What is your endgame in all of this? Why do you feel the need to torture me?"

"You know what, Mai," Stone said looking serious. "When you find the answer to why serial killers do what they do, please let me know as soon as possible. Until then, I'll see you next time."

Mai's head shot up at the same time a sharp bang exploded in her house. A small concentrated dull pain struck Mai in the stomach and she coughed a bit at the strange feeling. Nothing felt out of place at the moment, but she had known that he had shot her, the crooked smile on his face was proof enough. She had never been shot, but Mai supposed that it was going to be immediate pain. This took time.

"Well, I should go, I don't want to overstay my welcome." Stone stood from his spot and Mai stood with him to try to follow him as he made his way to the back door, but she felt weak and ended up falling to the floor. "You should probably wait here. I'm sure the ambulance will be here soon to take you away."

From her kneeled position next to the coffee table, she reached for her gun, but when she looked up, Stone was gone and the door was wide open. She dropped the heavy piece of metal and pressed a hand to her stomach, which was slowly growing in pain. Blood seeped through her clothes and over her hands in a matter of seconds and she found it was hard to maintain any pressure as her grip weakened.

The cry of the approaching ambulance made her send a prayer to the heavens for their timing and forced herself up off the ground, bracing herself against the walls of her living room. A trail of blood was smeared across the walls that she crept by. Her foot caught on the rug and, in her gradually weakening strength, she hit the ground again, her head cracking against the wooden floors. Her breaths were coming out in labored pains as an intense burning pain ripped through her torso.

She let out a painful cry and some tears worked their way out from under her eyelids, she hadn't even realized she shut them. Her vision was becoming somewhat tunneled and the growing noise of thundering feet coming up her porch was drawing her focus away.

Bright light hit her eyes but she found she couldn't focus on it.

"Ma'am?" The EMT started moving the small light from one eye to her other. "Ma'am, what is your name?"

"Her name is Mai Taniyama! She's a detective and I figured something happened when I heard the shot." Mai heard her neighbor say. She was grateful that she didn't need to speak. "I'll give her team a call, where are you going to take her?"

"Tokyo Metro," The person over the top of Mai said. They were placing her on a high flow of oxygen and securing her head in a cervical collar. Mai could vaguely feel someone applying pressure to her stomach. "Mai, we're going to need to move you to a backboard and load you in, okay?"

They got her loaded in quicker than Mai thought possible and fatigue began to rip away at her will to stay awake. An IV was attached to her inner elbow along a few cold patches were sticking to her skin, and the car started moving, lulling her slightly. She felt her heartbeat flutter up and down and her eyelids drooped shut ever so slowly.

"She has some bradycardia," One of them said as Mai let herself drift in and out of consciousness. "BP and oxygen levels are dropping."

Her eyes drifted to the back of her head and she felt shut down.

Hey guys! Good to be back again with another update! I was so excited to write this chapter, I finished it earlier than normal because I was so wrapped up in it! I'm curious to know what you all thought! Leave a comment and let me know!

See you in the next update!

Cheers!