Author's notes – Sorry this chapter has been waaaaay too long in the making (my friend Michelle's been reminding me! ). I was determined to get out a long overdue chapter of Chained to You (adultffnet / mediaminer only) and I had the Christmas one-shot to get done. Anyway, enough grovelling excuses! Time to address some thanks as 14 reviews for the last chapter really made me happy!

Jexia: you know I always love hearing from you. I'm glad you like my merciless streak and it's not set to take a break just yet.

Kaira: it's always great to hear from a new reviewer. Thanks for taking the trouble to leave your comments!

DeeRyoFan: phew! What a long review! Thanks for emailing it to me too. Sometimes they don't show up here so it's good of you to send it to me as well.

And everyone else: thanks, please review again and stay tuned. I know you all hate Laura and it just might be worth sticking around to see what happens… - Swordy

Somewhere in Between

Chapter 17 – Taking Sides

They'd agreed to meet Kelly Capland in a diner across the street from where she worked. Even though Cal had convinced her they weren't crazy, she had still insisted that they meet somewhere public, eventually agreeing on the diner as a place that met her requirements. At five past seven Bicky and Cal saw her enter, look around and walk through the crowded eating establishment when Cal stood and waved to indicate where they were sitting.

"Hey," she said, giving them a forced smile. "I can't stay long. I told my boyfriend I'd meet him at eight."

"That's okay," Cal replied quickly, scooting nearer to Bicky to give the girl room in the semi-circular booth. "We really appreciate you talking to us, don't we, Bicky?"

"Yeah, and I'm sorry if I seemed a little crazy before."

Kelly smiled, the expression slightly more relaxed this time. "That's okay."

They ordered drinks and engaged in the briefest of small talk before they moved onto the subject of Tyler. When Bicky mentioned her name, Kelly looked confused, prompting Cal to step in and clarify. "This is why we wanted to talk to you. You called her something else… and that she was a work buddy of yours."

The blond receptionist tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she thought about what Cal had said.

"We, uh, kind of got the feeling that she wasn't your favourite person," Bicky added.

This seemed to strike a chord with the girl. "Laura…" she said quietly, not bothering to disguise the dislike in her voice. Suddenly she recalled the day when she had seen Laura walking past Henderson's and had called out to her, wanting to question her about the libellous memo that had been anonymously left on the boss's desk after she had quit.

Cal looked across at Bicky. "I think that was it. Laura."

The boy nodded, relieved that at last they seemed to be getting somewhere. "Why'd you call her Laura?"

Kelly looked at him as if it was the most stupid question she'd ever heard. "Uh, because that's her name?"

"You sure?" Bicky persisted.

"Well… yeah. I think so. She's never given me any reason to think otherwise. I mean, she's weird, but I can't see what she'd gain from pretending to be someone else."

"You said you worked with her? When was that?" Cal asked, feeling Bicky's triumphant gaze that they had uncovered something, confirming their suspicions that Tyler was not all that she claimed she was.

"She quit a couple of months back. It was a surprise but I was glad to see the back of her. She was, well…" She faltered, having not fully determined whether the teenagers were friend or foe.

"You can say it," Cal said with a wry smile, her expression hinting that Tyler wasn't their favourite person either.

Kelly looked mildly relieved that she hadn't walked into some kind of trap. "I was going to say that she was a complete bitch. When I first started at Henderson's I was warned about Laura Burns. No one seemed to like her and I quickly came to see why, even though I tried to be nice to her at first. She made it obvious that she hated me almost as soon as I started. From what I could gather, she'd been there a while but had never been promoted. She blamed everyone else for her lack of career progression and anyone new was instantly a threat. I don't think I was the only one that was happy she left. The miserable bitch left a memo on the boss's desk informing him that me and a couple of the other girls that she hated were sleeping around with several of the male employees. Fortunately our boss believed us, but we could have been in big trouble – relationships between employees are seriously frowned on, and she knew that."

"She only quit a couple of months back?" Bicky muttered, more so to himself. "She'd already moved in with us by then."

His out loud musings caught Kelly's attention. "No offence, but do you want to explain what this is all about? I mean, you show up, ask loads of questions about someone I hate and haven't seen for ages, thank God, but don't tell me why you want to know."

"Yeah, sorry. I guess it does seem a bit weird." Cal smiled apologetically as she turned from the girl to Bicky. "It's only fair we tell Kelly what's going on."

"Okay, you do it. I'll jump in if you miss anything."

So Cal told her first about Dee and Ryo and then how they had come to know Tyler – how she'd unexpectedly come back into Dee's life after disappearing ten years previously and quickly ingratiated herself into his family. Then with Bicky contributing, she told her how their happy family had disintegrated and how they had come to the conclusion that she had somehow had a hand in its demise.

"So let me get this straight. Dee is certain that Laura, I mean Tyler, is his long-lost friend?" Kelly asked at the end of their tale, checking she had the facts right.

"Yeah, apparently she just vanished one day about ten years ago. He always presumed something bad had happened to her because she left without warning, but then she just turned up, out of the blue. It just doesn't make sense. Why would Tyler work so close by for so long and not try to find Dee or at least visit Sister Maria? And why would she lie to Dee and say she'd been out of state when she'd really been here all the time?"

"Ten years is a long time," Kelly mused, "For people to change, I mean." She took a long drink of coffee, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Is Dee really certain she is who she says she is?"

Cal and Bicky exchanged puzzled glances. "Well, yeah. She knew loads of stuff about him from when they were kids. Sister Maria wasn't suspicious about her either."

"Sister Maria?"

"The nun that runs the orphanage where Dee and Tyler were raised," Bicky explained. "Why, what are you getting at?"

"I'm just thinking… what if we've got it wrong. What if it isn't Tyler pretending to be Laura, but Laura pretending to be Tyler?"

Her question hung ominously in the air for several seconds. The two teens realised they had not considered this as an option and the mere thought of an impostor within their family was disturbing to say the least.

"Look, I really have to go," Kelly announced, glancing at her watch, wishing she could help them more. "You know," she said as she pulled her jacket on, "I thought she might have got a little more human when she got herself a boyfriend. Guess Randy couldn't perform miracles, huh?"

Bicky froze. "Excuse me?"

Kelly freed her long blond hair from the back of her jacket before she spoke. "Just before Laura quit, she started dropping hints that she'd met someone. That's when she dyed her hair and stopped dressing like an old woman." She rolled her eyes, oblivious to the fact that this was yet more new information to the two teens in the booth. "Anyway, when she was away from her desk, I went over to borrow her stapler and saw some doodles she'd done on her pad. She'd written the name 'Randy' with hearts and stuff. When she knew that we knew, she confirmed it." Finally the shock on the teens' faces registered with her. "What's up? What did I say?"

"Ryo is half Japanese," Bicky clarified. "Ryo is his Japanese name, but his American name is Randy." Worried eyes turned to Cal. "Coincidence?"

"I… I don't know."

"Look," Kelly interjected, realising that she had potentially opened a can of very messy worms. "I'll try to find out more from the other girls who have worked there longer. Give me your number and if I find anything out I'll give you a call."

The teens nodded, grateful that she wasn't about to abandon them to their confusion completely, before Bicky replied. "Okay, but I'll give you my cell number. Tyler might answer the phone at home."

Cal hastily scribbled Bicky's number down on a paper napkin and handed it to the girl. "We really appreciate this."

"Yeah well, Laura or Tyler or whatever the hell she's called is a miserable bitch. If she's up to no good then she deserves to get found out."

Once she'd gone silence prevailed for several long moments as they both tried to make sense of what they'd just learned. "I just don't get it," Bicky growled eventually, pulling on his hair in frustration. "None of it makes any sense. I thought we'd understand better when we found out more but if anything, I feel like I understand even less!"

Cal nodded, having reached a similar conclusion herself. "Either way, Tyler has lied about her identity to someone, we just need to find out who she really is."

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Dee awoke to a great weight lying across his chest. "Ryo, come on, you're squashing me," he complained, eyes still closed as he clung to sleep. His hands reached down to shift the burden, but instead of skin he found fur and his eyes flew open in surprise. "Oh hey, boy," he muttered as Bright looked back at him happily. Not Ryo. He stroked the dog lazily as the fog of sleep began to dispel. His mind turned to the decision he had made while waiting for Drake to pick him up from the hospital. Even with the benefit of several hours to dwell on it, he still felt he was doing the right thing. Now it was time to put it into action.

"You're up early," Drake commented as Dee came into the kitchen carrying his diabetes kit with Bright at his heels.

"Yeah. Listen, could I get a ride to the station with you this morning?" He sat down opposite his friend and began to unpack his blood glucose monitor.

Drake looked up from the newspaper in surprise. "You're going into work?"

"Not to work. I've got an appointment with the chief. So is it okay?"

"Uh sure thing, buddy."

The silence that descended was quickly broken as Dee's monitor beeped, giving him his reading. Drake had wanted him to elaborate on why he was going to see the chief, but he quickly became aware that he should offer his houseguest some breakfast and he didn't feel he could dwell on the previous conversation without appearing nosy.

After breakfast they set off to the precinct together, leaving Bright settled in Drake's kitchen with a large bone. The timing of Dee's meeting was crucial – the chief insisted that Ryo wasn't on shift until that evening so there would be no chance of them running into each other.

Other colleagues said hello as Dee passed but none appeared too curious about his wellbeing, prompting him to reason that very few people had been told about his circumstances, for which he was extremely grateful. He managed to avoid engaging in any prolonged conversation as he navigated the stairs up to the fourth floor, leaving Drake to enter their office alone before he carried on down the corridor to the chief's office.

"Come in. You're right on time." The older man smiled as Dee entered, his dark eyes twinkling from his age-weathered features. "Sit down, son."

Dee did as he was told, settling into the seat across from the man he had an enormous amount of respect for. They had clashed so many times over the years, but it was obvious there was no real animosity between them – indeed, the chief had been responsible for saving Dee's ass from the commissioner on almost as many occasions.

"How are things, Dee?"

The dark-haired detective nodded. "Fine. I should be cleared to come back to work in a few weeks. The shrink at the hospital doesn't think I'm crazy, which is always nice to know."

The chief smiled at Dee's attempt at a joke as he rolled his shirt sleeves up, the warmth of the office already affecting his heavy frame. "That's good news, but I'm sure you haven't come to tell me that, have you?"

There was a pause before Dee spoke. He should have known that the chief would suspect something was wrong. If he hadn't already been suspicious, he certainly would have been once Dee had confirmed that he wanted to come into the precinct only when Ryo wasn't there.

"Okay, you got me, but before say it, I want to let you know that I've thought hard about this so you don't need to try and change my mind." Green eyes left the spot he had been staring at in his lap to meet with the chief's. "I want a transfer to another precinct."

Chief Smith nodded thoughtfully, having had a feeling that Dee's wanting to see him had been something like this. "Can I ask why?"

"My relationship with Ryo is over," Dee replied, realising that this was the first time he had said it out loud. "It'll be impossible for us to work together so I want to arrange my transfer to another precinct before I'm cleared to come back to work."

"Are you certain things are over between you?"

Dee hesitated, then nodded.

"You can tell me to mind my own goddamned business, son, but does this have anything to do with what happened last year?"

"Yes… and no. I guess it stemmed from there because Ryo found out by accident about what I went through. Since then, things have gone from bad to worse and he's all but confirmed that he doesn't want us to stay together." He saw his superior's frown and added. "Please don't be mad with him. It's my fault. I should have just been straight with him from the start."

Chief Smith sighed as he reached for one of the cigars that he was rarely seen without. "Well, I hope you believe me, Dee, when I say that I'm genuinely saddened by this turn of events. Office romances can really complicate things, but I always thought you and Ryo were good together; you brought out qualities in each other that weren't as obvious when you were apart."

"Thanks for saying so, Chief," Dee replied, glad that the other man seemed to understand that he had no other option. "So will you agree to my transfer request?"

Another sigh, wearier this time. The older man stood and walked over to a set of filing cabinets, where he opened the top drawer and pulled out some papers. He deposited them in front of Dee before sitting back down, his chair protesting noisily.

"This is the paperwork you need to fill out, but I don't think it'll be a problem. Some of the other precincts are pretty low on staff at the moment." His pause caused Dee to look up from the documents he was scanning. "I'll be sorry to lose you, Detective."

Dee nodded gratefully before he stood from his seat and let himself out.

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Ryo could feel the anger swelling within him. He had come home the previous evening to find Bright gone, and only by that event learning that Dee had been released from the hospital. He had been unable to contain his disappointment with Bicky and so man and boy had barely spoken since the teenager had explained where the dog had gone. Despite his anger, he'd been desperately worried about where Dee was and he wasn't sure whether he was relieved or upset to find out that he was back with Drake. He had arrived at the precinct, glad to have work to occupy himself with, only to find out from the gossipy women in the admin office that Dee had been in that very morning. Apparently he was long gone, but Drake was still around.

Although Drake knew Ryo was unlikely to be happy when he found out that Dee was staying with him, he had no idea that the blond was gunning for him right at that moment. Since he'd left Dee heading off to the chief's office, he'd spent the morning in the basement pulling out the missing persons' files for a two year period that coincided with when Waylan Anderson had been on the loose in New York. This had become increasingly important since the discovery of remains at three of the sites the cold-blooded killer had described. He'd been surprised to find Tyler Brown's file as one of those within the box of missing persons for that period, and he left it with the others, so it would remind him to tell Dee. He had hurried up from the basement only to realise that Dee had left as soon as he had finished with the chief, no doubt wanting to minimise the possibility of running into Ryo. For a second he thought Dee had stayed after all when he heard the door open, but when he leaned around the musty cardboard box blocking his view he came face to face with a clearly angry Ryo.

"Drake," the dark blond detective said by way of greeting, his tone matching his expression in terms of ferocity. "How could you?"

"Uh hey, Ryo." Drake pushed the box aside, suddenly feeling foolish with his head poking out from behind it. He wasn't used to seeing such extreme emotions on his friend – Ryo forever being the more temperate one. "What's the matter?"

"You know what the matter is, Drake. I thought you were supposed to be my friend."

Drake's fears were confirmed and he suddenly found it difficult to meet Ryo's penetrating stare. "I'm sorry, Ryo. He asked and well, I couldn't exactly say no. He didn't have anywhere else to go."

"He had his home, goddamnit! He could have come back to me!" His anger seemed to seep away, leaving behind only hurt. "He could have come back to me."

"I'm really sorry, Ryo, truly I am. My intention was never to hurt you or stand in the way of you guys getting back together."

Ryo's face reddened with renewed ire. "Oh, so Dee says we've split? Talk about always the last to know…"

"Whoah, wait… he never… I…" Drake said quickly, holding up his hands in protest.

"Forget it. At least I know where I stand. Thanks a lot." The devastated detective turned and left, slamming the office door behind him so hard that it flew back open, revealing the stunned looking lab technician who had come to collect the files.

"Uh, Detective Parker? Is this a bad time?"

Drake lifted his head from his hands and shook it wearily. "No, it's okay. Come in."

"These the files?" the man asked, eyeing the musty box on the desk.

"Yeah."

"We'll let you know if we find anything."

"Appreciate it," Drake replied, his mind only on what had just taken place with Ryo. Once the lab guy had gone Drake dropped his head into his hands again and muttered a long string of curses. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted – to be caught in the middle of his two closest friends. He understood why Ryo was hurt, but he hoped the other man, once his anger had faded, would realise what an impossible situation he was in. He'd no sooner have turned Dee away than he would if it had been Ryo himself looking for solace.

"Shit." He tried to turn his attention back to the report he was writing but found he was failing miserably and decided that he most definitely deserved a coffee break.

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Ryo surprised himself as he slammed the front door shut and threw his briefcase down. The day seemed to have gone from bad to worse. After he had seen Drake, he had gone straight to Commissioner Rose, having grown more convinced of the decision he had been toying with for the past few days. As he flopped onto the sofa, he replayed the encounter with Rose in his mind.

'Sir, I wish to request a transfer.'

'Detective McLain, you…'

'Sir, if you won't grant it then I'll be forced to hand in my resignation.'

'If you'll let me finish, I was going to say that you might be interested to know that I've already received one transfer request from your department this morning.'

'… Dee?'

'Yes.'

Ryo covered his face with his hand and sighed heavily. So Dee wanted to transfer too? Even though he wanted the same thing himself it still stung like hell to know that Dee obviously desired to get away from him so much. He found himself absent-mindedly toying with his wedding ring and the thought suddenly occurred to him that he might no longer have the need for it. Maybe Dee had taken his off. The thought made his heart ache. Why didn't Dee want to try and make things right between them?

When the door opened behind him he immediately jumped to try and present a less outwardly troubled front as he turned to see Tyler coming in. He'd long since given up hoping it would be Dee, but he had hoped it would be Bicky so he could apologise for their falling out the day before. He knew the boy had only tried to do what he thought was right and he wanted to make peace with him.

"Hey," Laura said, giving him a warm smile.

"Hey."

"You okay?"

"No." His returning smile was humourless. "Day from hell to cut a long story short."

The girl's expression was now sympathetic as she sat down next to him, her body turned towards him to show he had her undivided attention. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not much to talk about, other than Dee thinks it's over between us."

"Really?"

Ryo nodded, his gaze now on a bird that had landed outside on the balcony. "I'd figured as much anyway, but it was confirmed this afternoon when I found out Dee had requested a transfer to another precinct."

"So how'd you feel about that?"

"I dunno. You see, I'd kinda been thinking the same thing. I know I sound like a complete hypocrite but it hurts to find out Dee wants to get away from me."

He expected Tyler to tell him he was a hypocrite but instead she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Dee's an idiot. If you were mine, I'd never let you go."

Ryo was smiling until he looked up and met her deadly serious expression. Suddenly he felt uncomfortable beneath her penetrating gaze. "Uh, thanks, Tyler. That's sweet of you to say so," he replied, not knowing what else to say. He was filled with relief when the door opened again and Bicky stepped into the apartment. Laura also attempted a smile of greeting, but it was impossible to completely hide the bitterness in her eyes at their interrupted moment.

For his part, Bicky's returning smile wasn't exactly genuine. It wasn't surprising – coming in to find Tyler sitting so close, her hand laid on Ryo's shoulder. What was she playing at? All he could think about was Kelly Capland's comment; that the girl she had despised had hinted at a relationship with someone called Randy. Could Ryo be cheating on Dee?

"Everything okay, Bicky?" Ryo asked, noticing the boy's less than pleased expression. "Bad day at school?"

"Something like that."

The boy didn't hang around, confirming that their dialogue was at an end. Ryo sighed heavily when he had gone, concerned by how sullen Bicky had gotten lately. He decided to go and speak to him but, just as he was about to get up, Laura laid a halting hand on his knee.

"Leave him. I'll try and talk to him later." She had absolutely no intention of doing so, but she didn't want Ryo building any bridges with his adopted son.

"I really should…"

"Honestly, it's okay. He'll talk to me."

Ryo's posture relaxed, indicating his agreement. He wasn't certain Bicky would talk to anyone but he was desperate. "Okay, well thanks. I just get the feeling I'm not Bicky's favourite person right now."

Laura smiled and rolled her eyes, playing along. "You know teenagers. If he's fallen out with you, he'll have forgotten about it by next week."

"You think?"

"Sure. Look, Randy, if you don't mind me saying, you're looking pretty tired lately. I know you've got a good reason an' all, but you really should start looking after yourself better." She waited with bated breath to see if she'd offended him. On the contrary, the detective's expression grew thoughtful.

"You know, Tyler, you're right."

She smiled, genuinely pleased that he agreed and she had been so accurate in reading him. They were so in tune with each other. "Maybe you need a break from work, a weekend away or something like that." She was getting bolder with her suggestions, but all day since she'd first had the daydream - the wonderful image of her and Ryo taking a trip together and leaving the brat, his girl and most importantly Dee behind - she'd wanted to mention it. Then she could show him exactly why they were destined to be together.

"Okay," Ryo announced with a smile, his voice drawing Laura from her very pleasant reverie. He stood and disappeared into his bedroom before the sound of a muffled conversation began, leaving Laura excitedly anticipating what he was planning. The handsome detective was still smiling when he emerged from his room and came to sit back down beside her.

"Well, I've taken your advice. I've called the chief and okayed a few days off and I'm going to stay with my Aunt Elena. She's the aunt I lived with after my parents died," he explained.

"Oh… right."

"Look, I know it's a big favour, but can you keep an eye on things while I'm gone?"

She was stunned momentarily when she realised his plans did not involve her – but she soon found herself nodding and smiling as he waited for her response. She would never disappoint her beloved.

"Yeah, sure. You make sure you have a good time, okay?"

Ryo's own smile broadened. "Once again, Tyler, you've proven yourself to be more than a wonderful friend." He got up to make a drink, not seeing the stony look on the girl's face that spoke of both disappointment and anger.

I don't want to be just your friend, Randy. I'll make you see it – I promise you that!

TBC…