The bus door opening woke Kateri sometime later. It seemed like only a few minutes had passed since she had laid down, but when she tilted her watch under the wee little emergency light above her head, she saw that nearly three hours had passed.

A moment later there were soft voices outside the curtain. As she had guessed instinctively, the boss and Barnes were back. Even Kateri could not sit up all the way while in the top bunk, but she stretched the best she could and then wiggled down to the foot of the bed, so she could climb down. Kenny, who was usually a heavy sleeper (except when his PTSS was a special problem), was still asleep, eyes closed, face peaceful, sawing logs … loudly, as was also usual.

His snoring took a bit of getting used to and a whole lot of patience.

Now, I'm kinda used to it.

I even miss it occasionally.

Kateri stuffed her feet into her boots, not even bothering to untie them and then leaned down to wake Kenny as she tried to smooth down her hair with her other hand.

She tried just touching his shoulder, not totally sure how deeply he was asleep and not wanting to startle him. That didn't work.

Next, she tried shaking his shoulder gently. That didn't work either. She tried shaking his shoulder more forcefully once. Still no joy.

Oh, for heaven's sake.

"Kenny," she called his name softly and shook his shoulder more forcefully still. "Kenny. Wakey, wakey. Don't make me get a bucket of water to dump on you."

What did the trick, Kateri wasn't sure, but finally Kenny woke with a start, eyes snapping open suddenly, startling them both.

"What's wrong?" he asked, voice rough with sleep. He reached up to rub his eyes with two large paws.

"Nothing. All's good," Kateri was quick to reassure him. "The boss and Barnes are back. It's about 2:30."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

Kateri moved back to give him room to get out of bed, grabbed her jacket off the floor from where it had fallen from where she had hooked it over one of the bed poles, and stepped outside the curtain. Clinton, Barnes, and the boss were up and at 'em, gathering around the conference table. Hana was awake but hadn't bestirred herself from the floor yet.

From the look on the boss' face, I can't tell whether things went well or not.

Another face-cracking yawn split Kateri's face, and she half-muffled it behind one hand. Bloody h**l, I need coffee … and more than three hours of sleep.

At least you got three hours of sleep.

The team had pulled lots of all-nighters before and, more rarely, multiple all-nighters in a row.

Those are the really bad days.

Once Kenny and Hana were up and reasonably at 'em, there was an impromptu briefing about what Rickman had said. It had taken so long to talk to him because of lawyers, lawyers, and more lawyers.

Lawyers can be so bloody annoying. Her partner was really the only lawyer she knew of that she actually liked.

The questioning of Rickman, it seemed, reading between the lines from what Barnes and Jess were explicitly not saying, had not gone that well. Rickman had revealed that Brock's wife had wanted a divorce—before Brock had had her killed—and that she had known about the pill-mill business. Mrs. Brock had threatened to cough up what she knew about said shady side-business if she didn't get a cut. Brock had refused to "split his empire with her" and then had had her offed. What was worse was that, despite all of Mrs. Brock's outwardly good deeds, she had not even been bothered by her husband's work, as long as he and Rickman did stuff to benefit the vets.

Talk about hypocrisy! The drug crisis is affecting vets, too, for pity's sake!

That had been about the extent of Rickman's help. He had refused to help with finding Brock or to cough up any information about the doc's next move. Not surprising. Brock could try to cut himself a deal by turning Queen's … no, no, no state's evidence. Kateri had been born in Quebec and lived there early in her life and had spent some time there periodically after she turned 18, and she still sometimes thought of things in Commonwealth, not American, terminology.

Nothing more could be done until morning, so everyone was going to get some more rest for a few more hours.[1] There were now two beds and the floor for six people, and Kateri, who had already gotten a few hours' sleep, gave up her bed to Barnes who had had no sleep. Kenny did the same for Jess.

The aisles were wide enough that two could lie down abreast, so Kateri and Hana settled down on the side of the main door in the kitchen area nearest the beds and Clinton and Kenny on the other side.

Kateri curled up on her left side, her back to Hana. The aisle was not that wide, and Hana was known to flop like a fish. And I have no wish to get smacked in the face if she does. Kateri had folded up her leather jacket to use as a pillow and was using her fleece jacket as a blanket. She had left on her boots this time but had removed her gun and left it next to her head, just out of hand-bump range. Kateri rarely, if ever, flopped and almost always slept with one hand tucked under her head and the other under her chin.

Kateri stared at the fridge door a few inches in front of her for a while, before Hana hissed at her to "stop thinking so loudly," and finally with a smile on her face, Kateri fell asleep again.

Someone trying to walk extremely, extremely quietly roused Kateri from sleep some indeterminate amount of time later. The bus was still dark and mostly quiet, except for Kenny snoring, and the others still seemed to be asleep. She half-rolled over, blearily looking around.

Oh … only you, boss.

Jess squatted between Hana and Kateri, patted Kateri's shoulder with a soft "It's okay. Go back to sleep," and then readjusted Hana's jacket, which she had been using for a blanket but had half-slipped onto the floor as she flopped in her sleep.

Kateri let her eyes slip shut again and rolled back over and was quickly asleep again. It seemed like her eyes had just closed, when a hand gently shook her shoulder. It was her partner this time, not Jess.

"Up you go, kid," Clinton said, once she had rolled onto her back and he saw that she was actually awake, not half-awake and prime to go straight back to sleep as soon as he stepped away.

Granted, that's not usually a problem with me.

Hana was rousing—kinda—apparently having been woken first. Jess was sitting at the conference table working and apparently had been up for some time. Probably since I woke last, whenever that was. Clinton's computer was set up, too, and from the look of him, he had been up for some time, too. Kenny had just pushed himself to his feet. Only Barnes was missing, maybe still asleep in the back.

Whoever decided to let us young'uns sleep, thank you!

Kateri sat up and slipped her fleece jacket back on, zipping it to her chin. After another minute, Hana pushed herself upright with a groan and a sigh, rubbing her eyes and muttering something in a half-begging tone that was probably to be interpreted as a plea for coffee. Hana was not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. Application of coffee, usually copious amounts thereof, was usually necessary to help get her moving in the morning with a limited amount of grumbling.

"Barnes is off getting coffee," her partner inserted from back at the table. "She should be back soon."

The bus had its own coffeemaker, but sometimes real coffee was especially appreciated.

Like after short nights and early mornings.

Oh, that's where she is.

How on earth did I sleep through that?

What time is it anyway?

Kateri glanced down at her watch. It was almost 6:30. Time to get moving. Kenny was eying her somewhat surreptitiously anyway. She had made her make-shift bed in front of the kitchen area, which meant she was blocking his access to the fridge, the microwave, and the food cabinets. Do not stand between Kenny Crosby and food. He was hungry and wanted breakfast, but he was too polite to roust her … yet.

Up you go. Kateri got her legs underneath herself and pushed herself to her feet, rubbing her eyes. She leaned down and grabbed her other jacket that she had been using for a pillow and then stepped out of Kenny's way.

"Thanks," he said. "Want some oatmeal?" It was a general, all-encompassing question to, apparently, the whole bus. There were bowls and packets of instant oatmeal in one of the cabinets and a huge bottle of water on the counter. It wasn't all that more complicated to make multiple bowls of oatmeal than one. It just took longer to run everything through the microwave.

"Sure. Thanks." Kateri was the only one who wanted some.

Less than ten minutes later, Barnes returned with coffee for everyone but Jess, and there was fresh hot water for tea for him. Kateri noticed with astonishment as the door opened to admit her that there was now a different parking lot outside than she remembered from the previous night.

Apparently, I slept through a lot of things.

Are we even still in Windsor?

It doesn't really matter for the moment, I guess.

Coffee was passed around to all and most gratefully received, especially by Hana who was back at her computer working but still looking somewhat bleary eyed.

Kenny got sidetracked, so it was not until Barnes had gotten back that he finished making the oatmeal and handed Kateri her oatmeal. He didn't give me the horrid apple kind. Yay. Now that everyone was awake and in the process of being fed and caffeinated, Clinton had started checking over his rifle scope, so Kateri sank down beside him on the floor to eat. Simultaneously, the discussion returned to Brock, his dastardly deeds, and his future plans.

"Lost his accomplices," said Jess, as he began to fix his tea. "On his own. He'll run out of moves."

"He served in Bosnia," countered Kenny, leaning against the wall, oatmeal still in hand, "Probably not the first tight spot he's been in."

"That was a long time ago," Jess noted, putting away the honey and pulling out his phone, "He's grown used to his comforts. … Hey."

Kenny returned to his seat at the conference table, propping his feet up on the table, his computer balanced in his lap. If Kateri had actually been sitting at the table and IF he hadn't had his computer balanced in his lap, she would have been tempted to kick his chair. Boys, seriously! Feet go on the floor!

Both Clinton and Kateri looked up at the boss' "hey," but after a second, Kateri realized that he wasn't speaking to her, so she went back to eating, studiously studying her oatmeal in case a semi-private conversation was forthcoming. When you lived for days on end in each other's personal space, you had to get good about developing selective hearing.

"Want to see Tali out in the back field?" Jess asked, extending his phone. "Your father took it yesterday afternoon."

Discussions of pictures of Tali were always safe things to listen in on, and Kateri shoved another bite of oatmeal into her mouth and then twisted to get a quick glance at the phone. Awwwwwww.

"Every day after school she's out there looking for this bird we released. She's a funny one," Jess continued.

Clinton tilted the phone so his partner could get a better look. It was a really good picture of Tali the way the sun silhouetted her and lit up her features and brown hair.

Barnes, like any doting mother, was happy to get on the picture train. "Are we doing photos?" She asked, pulling out her own phone. "Here is Anais at the park the other Sunday. She loved the ducks. She wanted to go swimming with 'em."

Jess took the phone and studied the picture. "I remember when Tali was that age. It's … well, special, right?"

Then, in a display of what Kateri would have called ironically terrible timing, Hana asked, turning from her computer, "I've got a live-feed of my clownfish. Wanna see?"

Kateri would have face-palmed if her hands hadn't been full of breakfast.

Really, Hana?

You need more coffee.

What is a clownfish anyway?

Kenny, of course, could not let the opportunity to tease Hana pass by. "I wanna see him," he called from the other end of the bus, "covered in beer-batter and deep fried."

That put the kibosh on the joking. "Shut-up," Hana replied, her good mood squashed.

I think you went a little bit overboard, Kenny!

Clinton was still staring at the picture on Jess' phone, and he had gotten that look on his face that Kateri usually associated with him thinking about his little sister.

May she find peace! If her hands had not been full of food, Kateri would have crossed herself quickly.

"I don't think it's about the bird, bro," he replied quietly, handing back Jess' phone and then going to put his scope away.

Before more could be said, Hana made the breakthrough, and the clues started pouring in, all pointing toward Richmond, VA, and a potential mistress of Brock's.

I guess we're off to Virginia then.

At least it's not DC.

We'll still probably have to fly.

Ugh.

As luck would have it, only Barnes and the boss went to VA to pay a visit to Brock's probable mistress, leaving the rest of the team in New York to keep things running there. The two had driven, and it was a 6-hour drive one-way, so they wouldn't be back before the next day.

After Barnes and the boss had left, the others wrapped up their work in the Windsor-area and then drove back to New York City in their cars, letting one of the other support staff bring the bus back. It was lunch time when they arrived in the city, so they all scattered to their own places long enough to take showers and get a fresh change of clothes and some food, and then they all reformed at HQ to work.

Late that evening, an update came about the trip to VA:

The possible mistress was actually Brock's college-age daughter by his first wife.

The daughter—Megan Curtis—was quite critical of Lilian Brock, was convinced of her father's innocence, and was vocal about how lucky she was to have such a humble hero for a father.

A clue from the conversation with Curtis had led them to Norfolk where Brock's parents were living, his father being a Vietnam vet.

The mother knew zilch about her son being in the service, getting deployed to Bosnia, or even winning a Bronze Star.

Barnes and the boss were going to drive back up in the morning, and in the meantime, the boss wanted Hana to start hunting down Brock's service record to see what was going on with that.

To be in the service or not in the service, that is the question.

[1] The exact timing of events in this episode and the sequence of days is sometimes hard to follow and does not always make sense the way the series has laid it out. The days and nights do not always match up the clock inside the bus either. Considering the way things often work with cops and lawyers, I have made a reasonable guess at the amount of time that it took for the raid where Rickman was captured and the questioning of Rickman by Barnes and Jess. The death of Brock's faithful patient happens at some point the same night, and the next scene in the bus where the photos of the kids are shown off, I am moving that to the morning after the raid, instead of the next evening. The fact that Kenny is also eating oatmeal—a usual breakfast food—also makes this time choice work reasonably well.

Redoing the timeline would also necessitate rewriting the end of Day 3 and most of Day 4, and I'd rather not do that.