Will's partner, Primrose, knew him like the back of her hand. This was a good thing because they saw a lot of things together in their line of work. A lot.

When Will showed up to work in something of a daze the next morning, Primrose immediately went to Captain Walsh in concern. They worked together to get everything out of Will. He told them, all too aware of how bizarre it sounded. But that was just his life now.

His colleagues were both bowled over by the time he was finished.

"Amaya Rainer is your mother, and the Ginny Lynn is your sister?" sputtered Primrose.

Will's answer came simply. "That sums it up."

Walsh was almost amused. "Your life is never quiet. First the case with your wife's family and then this?"

"My life hasn't been quiet since the day I met my wife, m'am. Seriously. I've enjoyed every moment of it—even the rollercoasters."

"Perfect answer. Does JJ know that you were going to share these things with us?"

Will nodded. "We agreed that we would share all of... whatever this is with our colleagues if or when it became necessary. He were are."

"Quite right. And I take it that the BAU is in the know?"

"Just about from the get. Hiding things from them is really not possible."

"Sounds about right. They are neat people." Walsh reflected. "LaMontagne, do you think you'll be able stay objective at work here? Even if we somehow end up working with your wife and her people again?"

"Yes, m'am."

"Then that's what matters." Walsh stood and opened her office door for her sergeants. "Please go back to your desks now."

Will and Primrose did ad they were told.

Time itself wiled away slowly. All of their paperwork about their most recently completed case had already been turned in during the previous workday. Now they were in the frame of time where they could only wait for something new to come.

Boy, did it.

Today's call from the medical examiner brought them to an alleyway astride a bodega in D.C. proper. While the local law enforcement officers worked to break up the crowd at the edge of the caution tape, Will and Primrose made their way over to the dead body. Death waited for no one.

"Alright," Will said after Primrose greeted the medical examiner and spread out to take photographs of the crime scene for their investigation. "Who do we have today?"

The medical examiner reported the facts. "Caucasian male, in his late thirties. The liver temperature indicates that this man expired some time between five and six-thirty this morning. It was discovered just before nine."

Will checked his watch. "Esmé, it's only just now fifteen after. How are you already here?"

Esmé's office wasn't far, but this was a record for her. "No traffic. I called you because I know that you and Primrose like the weird ones. Besides—look who's back."

Will saw where she was pointing, and found himself doing everything possible to not recoil. Protruding from the John Doe's chest was a hunting arrow, and affixed to its end was a scrap of cloth and an overlarge eagle feather. The sergeant had seen this MO once before. But not for a long time.

"Excuse me a second, would you?" Will said to Esmé.

She went back to working on the body.

Will quickly closed the gap between himself and his partner to where she had stopped. "Prim, you'll never beli—what's wrong?"

For Sergeant Primrose King was perplexed.

She pointed to a sight just in front of her on the ground. "A smashed laptop and cell phone. Why go to all the trouble to do that, but leave them here?"

"That is interesting. Have you noticed anything like a briefcase?" Will wanted to know. "Our John Doe's outfit suggests he belongs in an office building."

Primrose shook her head, but became soft when she saw that her partner had something to say. "What did you want to tell me?"

Will pointed over his shoulder with one thumb. "I just saw a hunting arrow, adorned with a scrap of cloth and an eagle feather sticking out of our dead man's chest."

Primrose's eyes widened—she knew exactly why Will was turned around. They known about this case after it ran cold, but all evidence had been turned over to them. It stood in their 'keep an eye on' pile. Now... Now, it was active.

She looked from where Esmé was working fastidiously on the body so she could see the anomaly for herself and then back to Will. "This is insane. Has... he ever been identified?"

Will shook his head. "No. He's never even been caught. There's just his goddamn calling card. All of this would be enough to get on the FBI's radar, anyway."

Primrose tried not to lose her cool. "We'll have to put a pin in that. I haven't seen anything about the John Doe's identity. What about you?"

"N—"

Will was cut off when Esmé called for them.

Both sergeants hurried over.

Esmé showed them a wallet in one hand. "I found the man's ID. This is Chase McCann..."

Will heard the rest of her words, but they seemed far-off.

Chase McCann.

They had found Chase McCann. Son of June.

And he was dead.

Primrose pulled Will aside. "I'll call Captain Walsh in a minute. Are you going to take the course that we both know is required?"

"I am." Will said seriously.

"Outstanding. Then I will just leave you to it."

Penelope was rather surprised to get a call from Will. When he filled her in on the situation, she immediately promised to present the case as quickly as possible. All Will could do after that was wait for the FBI to show up.

Emily led the way into Will's precinct building, her merry band of travelers trailing behind her—each of them using umbrellas to protect themselves against the downpour. It had yet to let up.

Captain Walsh greeted her guests. "I'm so pleased you all made it here so fast, and in this weather. Thank you."

"Oh, thank you, m'am." Emily returned as she and the others closed their umbrellas and shook off any excess water. "I'm sorry that we have to work together in circumstances like these again. All of us appreciate this being brought to our attention so fast."

"Will and Primrose are to thank for that."

JJ looked around. "Where are they?"

"In the conference room." Walsh beckoned for the BAU team to follow her. "I tasked them with getting them ready for your arrival."

Where any regular person saw a clean conference desk with a tidy display of blank notepads, canisters full pens, new file folders of updated information about the case, a glass board and markers, and even an array of hot drinks, JJ saw her husband's obsessive cleaning and organizing at work. But she kept a neutral expression.

"How's it going?" JJ asked her husband when they entered the conference room and gathered at the table.

Will sounded a tad dejected. "It's going. Dora and Primrose are up to date... unless there's been a new update."

JJ looked around at her comrades. "Who wants to tell them?"

Rossi did. He was their best storyteller.

Will, Primrose, and Walsh were each equally surprised, but took it in stride. Even the angles about the yakuza and possible animal endangerment. Ir was bizarrely fascinating.

"Has the labor been divvied up yet?" Will asked the visitors at length.

Luke shook his head. "No."

Emily took the lead as she said to Walsh, "Is Chase McCann's body with at the coroner's office now?"

"Yes. We were able to get through an investigation of the of the crime scene and get the body removed before the rain started."

"Perfect." Emily turned next to Rossi, Spencer, and Luke, who were sitting together in a cluster. "Please go see what there is to learn. Report back when you're done."

They conveyed understanding and left.

"Where are McCann's destroyed materials?" Emily asked next.

Primrose gave the answer as she got to her feet. "In the evidence bay, Agent Prentiss. Would you like me to go retrieve everything?"

"Yes, please. That would be really great."

Primrose bowed herself out of the room. Penelope followed her.

Tara turned to Emily. "What about me, boss?"

"I would like for you to stay put, but please be ready to work with Penelope about jogging your memory where the yakuza faction is concerned."

"Okay. I understand." Tara pulled the nearest yellow legal pad towards her, selected a pencil at random from one of the canisters and began write things down to help the memory-jogging process.

Emily turned her sights next on Will. "I need you to stay here to help us develop a timeline."

Will understood why he wasn't going into the field and swallowed his pride. "Anything you need."

Matt stood when he realized his name hadn't been said. "I'll go get Amaya Rainer, then."

"Fantastic." Emily praised.

Walsh furrowed her brow in confusion. "But we haven't even discussed where she works!"

Matt tapped a pocket in his jacket. "Penelope sent me the particulars before we left Quantico."

"Will wonders never cease? Take care driving out there. We'll be here waiting when you get back."

Matt bid farewell and made sure to grab an umbrella before going back out into the downpour.

To say that Amaya Elle Jo Rainer had led an interesting life was an understatement.

Orphaned as a child, married at a young age to a man who had pitied her and then made her a mother, and then ultimately a divorcée all before the age of twenty were just some highlights on her list of lifetime achievements. How she had even gotten into chocolate as a career was another story altogether.

What Amaya felt mattered most was that she was free of old demons—minus a single whopping secret—and that was happy with her life. That was all.

Amaya couldn't really ask for more.

Her career was better than ever.

All of her daughters were happy. Healthy. Successful.

Everything Amaya wanted, she had.

Including a tight lid on the one secret she prayed none of her children would ever learn of. Especially Virginia. She was very sweet... but almost as unforgiving.

"M'am?"

Amaya turned away from where she'd been staring out of her office window at the rain, and over to the door. Her secretary stood on the threshold.

"Yes, Gwen?" Amaya asked kindly.

"There's a visitor here to see you."

"Is that right? My next appointment isn't for another hour."

Gwen smiled as she stepped to the side. "A surprise visitor."

She was replaced with Virginia, who was dressed for the wet weather outside and sitting in her wheelchair. Amaya lit up at the sight of her daughter. It had been some time since they'd been in the same country for more than three days. They still had yet to have a proper catch-up.

"Duckling! How are you?"

"Why do you have to call me that?" Virginia griped as the door was closed behind her.

"Because I can? Because I made you?" Amaya said playfully as she sat on a sofa near her desk. "Because you were obsessed with ducklings?"

"When I was little bitty…"

Virginia made her way over to the sofa and set the brakes on her chair, but made no move to join Amaya. Her legs were so tired today. Damn rain.

"Are you okay?" Amaya asked gently. "I thought you'd been using your new crutches lately, not the chair."

"It's just a bad leg day. Things always get bad when it storms like this." Virginia shrugged. "I have been sticking to the crutches and the walker, but for the record, I used the chair some time recently."

"Oh?"

"You and Jubes were out of the country. I took my chair along when Zion and I met Emily at the Botanical Garden."

Amaya smiled at this. "How is Emily? It's been awhile since you sent me a text update about her."

At the thought of her girlfriend, Virginia perked up. But any thought of Emily brought her joy. They had even woken up in bed together that morning and laid together for awhile. It had been their own piece of heaven.

"She's great. Very happy."

"That's good." Amaya said in approval. "And she loves dear Zion?"

Virginia nodded vigorously. "She really does. Emily stayed over last night, and before we left to the train station so I could drop her off on time for her commute, she held Zion for a long while. Just to cuddle. He was half-asleep, but we both heard him call her 'mama.' I thought Emily was going to cry."

"That's incredibly sweet." Amaya then scrutinized her daughter's appearance. "You're sitting on something."

"My chair."

Amaya scoffed. "Don't be smart, duckling."

Virginia removed her rain poncho and draped it over the back of her chair. "I'm just telling the truth."

"Sass me like you're twelve and not in your forties all you want, but I will figure out what's got you squirrelly."

Virginia promptly closed her mouth.

While Emily's parents knew that Emily was pregnant, Amaya had yet to be informed. It would happen soon. But in person.

"I read your silence loud and clear. Listen—as much as I do enjoy a visit from one of my children during the work day, I really do have an appointment in an hour. What brings you here?"

Virginia just went for it. "How could you not tell Phoenix, Lilith, Jubilation, or myself that we have a brother?"

Amaya felt a bucket of ice go through her veins, but she deflected the question. "What are you talking about? You know perfectly well that the sex of the baby I lost to Asher was undeterminable because I wasn't far enough along yet."

Virginia bristled when she realized what Amaya was doing. "I wonder about precious Halo all the time, but right now I'm talking about William. Junior."

Heavy buzzing filled Amaya's whole brain. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to scream, cry, or throw up.

Her voice was just above a whisper when she spoke again. "You have no right…"

Virginia crossed her arms and sat back. "To know that I have a big brother? Why would you never tell me? He's perfect, by the way!"

The ice in Amaya's veins redoubled. "He's alive?"

"You thought he was dead?!"

Amaya held her hands in a 'time-out' position. "How did you even learn about him?"

And things devolved into an argument from there.

The Hightower Chocolates building was positioned in a unique area. It sat just outside of D.C., near the stretch of highway that led in Quantico's direction. One couldn't not see it.

According to the receptionist in the main lobby, Matt learned that Amaya's office was one floor up. He was greeted by the secretary.

"May I help you?" she politely.

"Special Agent Matt Simmons, FBI." he showed her his credentials. "I'm looking to speak with Amaya Rainer. Is she in?"

"Yes. One moment."

The secretary rose and knocked on the closed office door. Matt heard two angry voices on the other side halt at once.

"Gwen," one voiced called. "This is really not a good time. I also need you to please cancel the rest of my day."

"Consider it done, m'am, but you have another visitor—a rather important one."

Pause. "Fine. Please let them in."

Virginia jumped when she saw who it was that had been admitted into her mother's office. She remembered him from a picture Emily had shown her.

"You're Matt Simmons!" she blurted.

The agent nodded as he stored his credentials. "I'm sorry—have we met before?"

Virginia shook her head. "I'm Ginny Lynn, the author."

Matt wonder at once what Emily was going to say about this new... complication.

"It's really good to meet you." he said as they shook hands. "Did Emily show you a picture of the team?"

Virginia nodded. "Yes. I also remembered everyone's names. But… I'm sure you came here to talk to my mother."

"I did." Matt cleared his throat and approached the other person in the room. "Amaya Rainer?"

She stood and shook his hand. "That's me, sir. Is there trouble?"

"In a manner of speaking, m'am. I'm here to talk to you about Asher Silas."

Amaya sat back down again and her tone grew a little cold. "What about that man? He's dead."

Matt continued to be polite. "We are aware, m'am, and we express our sympathies. It's come to our attention that your former husband was killed in an identical manner to a man we found today."

"Oh." Amaya deflated. "Are you coming to me because that was declared 'cold' and 'inactive,' or because Asher was my husband?"

"Both. Please pardon me for saying so, but I can't help noticing that you don't seem all that invested here."

Amaya stared Matt straight in the eyes as she pointed to his wedding ring. "How many years have you been married?"

"Twelve."

"I was married twice. The time was for less than five years, and the second was for twenty-three. Both of my marriages failed miserably. The second one—where I was Missus Asher Silas—ended with bad blood, even before he was murdered." Amaya huffed. "I'm sure you can see why I'm not as torn up as you would expect."

"Yes, m'am. I do have some questions I need to ask you."

Amaya was curious against her will. "Such as what, please?"

"What was the reason for your divorce? Why did it end in 'bad blood,' as you put it?"

"That, agent, is going to take a lot of unpacking. What else do you want to know?"

Matt continued on in his calm tone. "M'am, does the name Chase McCann mean anything to you?"

"I can't say that it does." Amaya turned to her offspring. "Ring any bells with you?"

"No." Even as Virginia said this, she already knew that Chase McCann was undoubtedly linked to June.

Matt delivered the last piece of information, with no filter. "Unfortunately, McCann is the one dead… and his mother was June."

It was as if something had been ignited in Amaya. An actual raging fire. Even if it was for a few moments.

"Tell me right now—is that miserable harlot still alive?"

"Yes. She is, m'am."

Amaya was already glad that the rest of her work day was cancelled. "Fine."

Virginia undid the brakes on her chair and got ready to put her poncho back on. "Special Agent Simmons, when do we go?"

Amaya snapped at her. "You are not coming!"

"I am so!"

The Rainers both stared each other down in a battle of wills.

Matt swore he saw sparks flying between them.

He cleared his throat again. "Miss Lynn, if you feel that coming along to the station where my team is working is an appropriate move, you are more than welcome."

Virginia broke her gaze and put her poncho on so she could adjust it around her wheels. "Thank you very much."

"We can go whenever you and your mother have gathered what you need." Matt glanced towards the rain-streaked window. "I'll bring the car as close as I can to the main door downstairs."

Amaya and Virginia thanked him, gathered the rest of their belongings and followed Matt back down to the lobby. It didn't take long.

When Matt pulled the car up as promised, helped the Rainers in, and secured Virginia's wheelchair in the trunk, he wore an expression that said he was thinking hard about something. Such a supposition actually wasn't that far off-base.

Matt finally spoke when he turned on to the main road from the parking lot. "There's been a change in plans."

"What is it?" Amaya asked him.

"Thanks to the rain, the station has been flooded, so the entire investigation has been relocated back to the FBI building in Quantico. We're heading there now. Is that an imposition?"

Amaya shook her head. "Not at all."

Virginia voiced her agreement. "That's quite alright. We appreciate the notice."

Matt gave a nod of acknowledgement and then put all his energy into focusing on the rainy road. They hadn't seen this much rain in a long time.

Amaya wasn't sure what Virginia did after that.

As for herself, she sent word to the babysitter about the possibility of things taking awhile. But she didn't wait for a response. It was all she could do not to drop her phone because of how bad her nerves had become. Was it possible for time to stop? It felt like the answer was yes.

And so Amaya turned to look out at the rain as she became lost in thought once more.