All the usual disclaimers!

Cassandra sat, stunned, as Mark Watson passed by her car. Thoughts whirled around in her head. What had he been discussing with her father? What had her father given him? What the hell was going on? She was in two minds. Should she speak to her father as requested, or should she leap out and arrest Watson? As she was attempting to decide, her cell rang.

"Hello?" she said distractedly.

"Hey Cassie, it's Fin."

"Fin?"

"Yeah, you left your purse in the coffee shop."

"I…" she watched in her rear view mirror as Watson walked further and further away, "I mean I…"

"Cassie?" Concern filled Fin's voice, "Cassie, you ok?"

"I can't talk right now, Fin." She hung up, jumped out of the car and started to hurry towards Mark, "Stop, police!"

Mark turned in surprise, but instead of running, he merely stopped and smiled at her knowingly. Cassandra ran up towards him and pushed him up against the wall of the nearest building.

"Easy there baby," he said, "You don't have to get rough with me."

"What the hell is going on?" she demanded.

Mark smiled, "Don't know what you're talking about Detective."

"I saw you," she said, "talking to my father. I saw him give you something, now what was it?" He said nothing, "Don't make me search you."

Lazily, Mark reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the envelope the Senator had given him. He handed it to Cassandra who ripped it open and found, to her shock, a stack of hundred dollar bills.

"What is this?" she asked.

"You're a smart girl," Mark replied, "What does it look like?"

"Why is my father giving you money?"

"You'll have to ask him."

Cassandra thumped Mark against the wall again, "I'm asking you!"

Mark paused, "What was your father doing sixteen years ago, Cassandra?"

Cassandra looked at him, "What?"

"Sixteen years ago, Cassandra. What was Daddy doing?"

"Working as a lawyer in his firm, why?"

"Maybe I should rephrase the question. Who was Daddy doing sixteen years ago?"

"Son of a bitch!" Cassandra slapped Mark who grabbed her by the arms, swung her around and pushed her up against the wall.

He leaned in close to her face, "It's no coincidence that little Felicity ended up dead," he hissed, "Daddy's dirty little secret." He pulled back from her and grinned knowingly at her, "You going to arrest me? Take me in? You know you can't. You can't, because Daddy won't let you."

Cassandra couldn't believe what she was hearing, "What about Felicity? What are you saying?"

Mark pushed her away from him. "Ask him." He pulled up his coat, "I've got somewhere to be." With that, he strode off down the street, leaving Cassandra stunned. She turned and looked back towards the building where her father was currently schmoozing the local big wigs. Determined to discover what the hell was happening, she strode back down the street and ran up the steps to the door. Upon pulling the bell, the door was opened to her and she pushed past into the house.

Cassandra scanned the room, looking for her father, her blood pumping, her heart racing. She moved from room to room, trying desperately to find him, finally spotting him speaking to none other than Roger Charles.

"Good evening Dad, Mr Charles," she strode over to them.

"Cassandra," her father checked his watch, "You're late."

"I got held up." She turned to Roger Charles, "I didn't expect you to be here, Mr Charles."

"Yes, well…" he replied, "How is the case developing? Are you any closer to catching Felicity's killer?"

"Oh I believe we've made a significant breakthrough," she smiled falsely at him, "Dad, can we talk?"

"Of course," Senator Whelan replied, "Excuse me Roger." He guided his daughter out of the room into the lobby, "I assume there's a good reason why you've been calling me every spare moment for the past few days."

"Mark Watson," she cut right to the chase, "We believe he killed Felicity Charles and Samantha Baxter and you are stonewalling us."

"I can't discuss committee business with you, Cassandra, you know that."

"Why were you insistent that I was put on this case?" she asked.

"You're a good officer and it's good for your career."

"Bullshit," she replied viciously, "there's something going on between you and Mark Watson and I want to know what. Why are you protecting him?"

The Senator looked suitably horrified, "I'm doing no such thing, and I resent that implication!"

"Then why were you giving him money?"

The Senator looked at her, "I beg you pardon?"

"I saw you!" She glared at him, "Right outside here, you gave him money."

"I have never…"

"I spoke to Watson," she barrelled on, "I saw what you gave him. Why, Daddy? What does he have on you? What's this little secret he was going on about?"

"I don't know what you mean?"

"He was eluding to the fact that you were sleeping around sixteen years ago, that you had a dirty little secret, that it's related to Felicity's murder…" she trailed off as realisation hit her, "Oh my God."

"Cassandra…"

"Oh my God," she backed away from him, "Oh my God, Daddy. You're not…tell me you're not…"

"Cassandra, listen to me."

"You're Felicity's father?"

"Keep your voice down!" he said angrily.

"Oh my God," Cassandra thought she was going to be sick.

"It was a long time ago," he said, "I got to know Georgina Charles after she came to the firm, she…"

"You had an affair with her? You…cheated on Mom…"

"It only happened a few times…"

"A few times?" Cassandra declared, "You got her pregnant! She had a child!"

"Cassandra!" Senator Whelan grabbed her arms, "There was never any proof that Felicity was my daughter."

"Then why are you paying off Mark Watson!"

"I don't expect you to understand," the Senator said.

"You're damn right, I don't!"

"Do you have any idea what it would have done to my candidacy for the Senate if it had come out?" he asked her, "What it would have done to any further political ambitions that I have?"

"Oh, God forbid!" Cassandra spat.

"I would have been destroyed!" The Senator said, "I had to do whatever I could to keep it quiet."

A thought suddenly entered Cassandra's head, a though so terrible that she almost didn't want to voice it. She took a deep breath, "Did you have anything to do with Felicity Charles' death?" She expected an immediate denial, even to be slapped, something to indicate how outraged her father was. She got nothing.

Senator Whelan looked at her without saying anything.

"I…" Cassandra backed away from her father, "I…" she started to feel around for the door.

"Cassandra, wait…"

Cassandra didn't bother. She wrenched the door open and ran down the steps back towards her car. Throwing open the door, she jumped in, jammed her key in the ignition and pulled away from the kerb. She drove erratically down the street, hyperventilating, unsure as to what to do. Her father was Felicity's father…he might have had something to do with…the thought was too horrible to contemplate. Not her father, he couldn't have…" She needed to be with someone, needed to erase the terrible images from her mind. Felicity's dead body, Samantha's dead body, the sound of their screams of fear…Before she knew where she was, she was pulling up outside Fin's apartment.

She banged on the door until he answered it, confusion and concern clouding his face, "Cassie?"

Cassandra didn't give him the chance to say anything else, instead launching herself into his arms, kissing him full on the mouth. She kicked the door closed behind her and Fin pressed her against it. For a brief second, they were both lost in the moment, until Fin pulled back from her.

"What the hell's going on?" he demanded breathlessly.

Cassandra looked at him wide-eyed, "Don't ask me. Please don't ask me."

"I don't understand."

"I don't want to think about it. Please, I can't think about it." She kissed him again, hard, wanting to lose herself in something that would take the images, the horror, the truth away.

Fin was in two minds. One half of him was screaming that something was definitely wrong, something had happened and that the best course of action would be to shake her off, sit her down and demand to hear it. The other half, the half screaming the loudest, was saying, 'screw it,' or rather, 'screw her.' Things could be sorted out later.

Cassandra certainly wasn't letting up. She was already pulling his sweater over his head and starting to unbutton her own, pressing her body against his. Stumbling and tripping, they made their way to the bedroom, shedding clothes in the process. They fell on the bed and for a while, Cassandra forgot what had happened.

SSSS

It was early hours of the morning before Fin got a chance to ask Cassandra about the events that had led her to his door. When he had tried, after their first bout of passion, she had avoided the question, kissed him, ran her hand down under the covers until he forgot what it was he had asked her. Now however, exhausted and spent, Cassandra couldn't find the strength to distract him sexually.

"So what happened?" he asked softly.

Cassandra didn't reply. She was lying with her back to him, his arm across her body. He didn't have to see the look in her eyes. The wheels turning in her mind, reliving everything that had transpired, everything she had discovered.

"Cassie…" he said, "talk to me."

"Why?" she replied, not turning, "Why do you want to know?"

"Cause something's bothering you and I want to know what it is."

"Why?" she repeated.

"Why what?"

"Why do you care?"

Fin didn't respond at first. He wasn't even altogether sure himself. He barely knew this woman, barely knew anything about her and yet, have committed the most intimate of acts, felt some sense of concern for her well being.

"Cause I do," he replied vaguely, "and you wouldn't have come here if you didn't want me to know."

Cassandra turned over to look at him, "You believe that?"

"Well why did you come?"

"To your door or a few minutes ago?" she joked lamely.

Fin wasn't fooled, "You know what I mean."

She paused, "If I tell you something, do you promise you won't tell anyone else."

"Depends what it is."

"No, Fin, you have to promise," she looked at him seriously, "You can't tell anyone."

Fin weighed this up, "Ok, I promise."

Cassandra sighed heavily, "I went to see my father tonight, and he told me something. Something, I can hardly get my head around."

"What?"

"He said…sixteen years ago, he was having an affair with…Georgina Charles."

"Felicity's mother?" Cassandra nodded, "But what does…?"

"He's her father," she said quietly, "Felicity was my half-sister."

Fin sat up, "You're kidding."

"I wish I was," she wailed, putting her head in her hands, "Not only did he cheat on my mother, but he had another child and never told either of us! For the past sixteen years, he's been living a lie, keeping it a secret, just to protect his precious image!" She pushed her hair back from her face, "I knew he could be underhand, but…"

"If he was Felicity's father, surely he'd want whoever killed her to be caught. So why is he trying to stop us talking to Watson?"

Cassandra decided not to mention the money her father had given Watson, "I don't know." She looked at him, "You can't tell the others."

"Cassie…"

"You promised! Plus, it doesn't have any bearing on the case."

"It's an answer as to why the committee won't let us move on Watson," Fin insisted.

"You really think my father confessed to the committee that Felicity was his daughter?" Cassandra snorted, "Don't be ridiculous. He's probably fed them some other cock and bull story. I'll just say that I tried to find out the reason, but he wouldn't tell me."

Fin regarded her for a long moment, "Why did you tell me this?"

"Because I needed to tell someone, and…you're the only one I trust right now." She stroked his face gently, "You said you cared about me."

"Ok," he acquiesced, "I won't say nothing."

"Thank you," she replied, kissing him again, "Do you…mind if I stay?"

"No," he replied, "Don't mind at all."

SSSS

Early the next morning, after a hurried cup of coffee and a final burst of passion, Fin showed Cassandra to the door. He walked her all the way out to the street, pausing to pull her into his arms for a last kiss before she left. Neither of them really knew what they were doing, but sharing in some form of mutual understanding appeared to comfort them both.

As Cassandra got into her car, she never noticed the silver sedan sitting further down the street. The occupant was watching both of them, studying them as if imprinting their images onto his memory. Cassandra pulled away from the kerb and Fin went back inside. The man in the car pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number.

"Yeah it's me. 118 96th Street. Sure, I'll hold," he worked a hangnail as he waited, "Yeah, I'm still here. Oda-what? Ok, got it, thanks." He hung up and dialled another number, "It's me. Yeah, I got a name for you. Detective Odafin Tutuola. Tutuola. Yeah," he watched two girls staggering up the street, wearing the requisite short skirts and heels, "What do you want me to do? Ok, ok no problem." He laughed, "Sure, I know where you're coming from. Any father would want to protect his daughter. Ok, call me when you need the job done."

TBC

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