Mia
I just couldn't tell Kay about Marc, not yet. He could get mad at me all he wanted when I did tell him, but I couldn't do it right away. He had come a long way, but still had a lot of healing to do. Maybe knowing Marc was there looking for him would help, but I didn't want to risk it until he was solidly in a better frame of mind. The worst decisions are always made when you are either extremely tired or emotionally frayed, and Kay was both.

Over the next few days things became automatic. Get up, get breakfast ready, integrate Kay's things back into the house, make sure Kay was up and not letting himself fall deeper into his mind. Do lunch, run errands and play with Dietrich, do dinner, watch a movie, go to bed. Repeating day after day. That was something Kay really needed to begin to feel normal again. I encouraged him to talk with some of our old friends, get out some, and he did once or twice, never for long.

A few weeks after returning, Kay got a phone call from his new station asking when he would be coming back from leave to get settled in. What I was not expecting was getting a phone call myself a few weeks after returning home.

'You did what? So what did your supervisor say? …. Alright, let me know when you have more information.' I didn't want to say too much with Kay sitting in the room with Dietrich and I as we folded laundry.

I hadn't talked to Kay yet, but was planning on doing so in the next couple of days. He had calmed visibly, settled into his new reality and was- in my expert opinion- in as good of a state of mind as he could be at that point. As I hung up, he gave me a side glance. All of the people who would call me for something so seemingly serious were people that he knew. We knew all of the same people our whole lives until he left for Stuttgart.

Taking a deep breath, I dived in. 'Kay, how are you feeling, really? Not some bull answer that everyone gives, but really.'

He grinned. 'I'm doing fine, in much better spirits. You know me well enough to call me on it if I wasn't. How long have we been together now?'

'All but the first few years of your life,' I nudged him with my shoulder. As I prepared to continue, I looked down at my little boy, who would hopefully have a better life than either of us had. 'I know you hold tight to things because you've lost so much. And when those things are taken from you, you don't handle it well.' He opened his mouth to contradict me, but I gave him "the look" and he stopped, shaking his head. 'I just received a call that I think will have a serious impact on you- whether positive or negative I will leave up to you.'

Kay sat back on the couch, folding his arms across his chest. Immediately, I knew he was getting into protection mode- guarding himself from what I might say. 'The officer that hurt you- that you transferred to get away from.' Thinking back, I realized that there were two officers that he could think I was talking about. 'Correction- the one that beat you up. He's gotten his own handed to him. He is suspended for the time being and will be under review for assaulting multiple coworkers.'

'Multiple?' Kay sat up, confused and intrigued.

'You, obviously, and… Marc.' He looked to the ground, clasping his hands. I could only imagine what was going through his head at that point, and I knew he wouldn't tell me, not right then. 'Apparently, he and Marc were in the locker rooms alone after shift and he was talking badly about you. Marc stood up to him, and Limpinsky started to beat him… with his night stick.' Kay's head fell into his hands and his shoulders shook. 'This happened a couple of weeks ago, Marc is fine now. He has taken a leave before transferring. What happens to Limpinsky is in the air- apparently your supervisor walked in and threw Limpinsky out.'

'What… Where…' Kay could only get a few words out, and none of them were audible through his hands.

'That is what I really needed to talk to you about, because your response will have a big impact on the answer to those questions.' I placed my hand on his shoulder gently as he breathed deeply and sat straight up.

'Does this have anything to do with my door?'

I laughed loudly, startling Dietrich from his sleep. He blinked twice, yawned, and fell back asleep. A second of pause, Kay and I made eye contact, then burst out laughing again- quietly. 'Of course you would know there was more to the story than that. Alright, here goes.'

Kay
I couldn't believe it. Marc had come looking for me? I didn't know why, of course- and neither did Mia. What I loved about Mia was that she was straight forward with the facts. As she spoke I could tell she was in work mode, speaking quietly, calmly, softly, and empathetically. She would give her opinion at the end, but leave me to make my own decision. It was something that made her one of the best investigative psychologists in the region.

It had never occurred to me that he might come looking for me. He had gone so far as to break into my apartment. Why had he done it? What did it all mean? I wasn't upset with Mia for not telling me- she knew when to talk and when to hold back. Despite everything in my life, I had thought Marc was the one thing that would make it all worth it, the one thing that would stick forever- aside from Mia of course.

Mia had stuck by my side through everything. No matter how stupid I got or how much life threw at us, Mia was always there. And when she needed me the most, I decided to run off. We both entered the social services system at a young age- she was 8 and I was 5. We were always orbiting each other, sometimes in the same home and sometimes on the streets together. We started hanging close together, getting each others' backs and watching for the best opportunities or hiding from the bad ones.

By the time I was 12 I had already gotten into quite a few bad scrapes and involved with some bad people. Mia was there, always bringing me back from the edge. She was a genius- graduated high school at 16 and finished her psychology degree at 19. I was 16 then and coming out of the worst place I had ever been in. There was Mia, willing to house me for the next two years until I could be free of the system and (hopefully) change the trajectory for my life. Mia was actually the one who directed me toward the polezei. Joining the Bereitschaftspolizei was one of the best decisions I ever made for multiple reasons.

The ball had fallen in my court- Was I angry with Marc for breaking into my apartment and for breaking my heart in the first place, or was I willing to listen and give him another chance? Was there some road in between? The idea that my response would ultimately decide where Marc ended up was one that weighed heavily on my shoulders. I couldn't wait to get started with my new squad.