A/N: I am back! Thanks for reading and reviewing. Like I said, I am hoping to keep to a more regular schedule until this story is complete.

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Patrick peered his head around the corner, wearing a grin on his face. "You have a visitor, Teresa. Stephanie is here to see you. Are you up for that?"

She looked at the clock. It was 11:45am on Wednesday, and whatever tv show Patrick had them watching was boring her out of her mind. It fascinated her how he could just get so lost in tv like this. She wasn't sure if she had the bandwidth to deal with visitors right now, but she had nothing else going on right now and was tired of mid-day tv.

"Yeah, send her in."

She smiled slightly at Patrick as he ushered Stephanie into the living room where she was seated. "What can I get you ladies to drink? We've got wine, sparkling water, water...anything you'd like!"

With a polite smile, but curious look, Stephanie answered. "Sparkling water is fine. Thank you."

"And for my lovely wife?"

The smile on his face made hers widen. He was very good at playing the polite host. "Sparkling water please."

"Great. I'll be right back!"

Stephanie smiled at her as she settled in. Truly, it was slightly unnerving, but surely she wasn't here to raise any issues. According to Annie, she and Riley were getting along fantastically.

"Boy, he's handy!"

Pride infiltrated her smile. Her husband was certainly handy...and that didn't even highlight the full nature of his heart that he used to care for this family. He'd given so much these last few weeks in taking care of her even when she resisted.

"He is. What brings you by, Stephanie?"

"I heard that you were injured."

She blinked. She didn't remember talking to anyone from Annie's school. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it, especially for people who had no real understanding of police life. She certainly didn't want to lay out anything that could be picked up by reporters. The CBI had a rather strict comms policy, and in any case, she wasn't ready to share yet.

"You heard that I was injured?"

"Yes, Annie told Riley, and I'm guessing all of the children in the class, how brave her mommy was when she faced a bad man who hurt her. Now, she's trying to get better. I saw the news reports, and I put two and two together."

"Ah. Of course." She settled back into her seat a bit as Stephanie smoothed down her dress. Stephanie was probably here for the story. She would have to think of a polite way to tell her that she wouldn't be talking about it. She had already talked to the mandatory people, and she would not be talking about it any more.

"I just thought you might like some company since you're cooped up in the house. Do you guys have any summer plans?"

She blinked at the pivot. She assumed she was here to talk about what happened, but she wanted to talk about summer plans?

"Nothing really. I suppose Charlotte will be here soon." She was just a few months out now and more than ready for her baby girl to be here.

"Oh, of course! You've settled on Charlotte?"

"Charlotte Teresa."

She raised her eyebrows a bit. "Oh, naming the little one after you?"

She nodded, again smiling with pride. Surely, it seemed odd because women didn't usually name their daughters after themselves. But if men could name sons for themselves-and she would have happily named a son Patrick Thomas-her daughter could carry her now. Besides, they had their reasons. Reasons that she was much more sure about now than she had been when Patrick suggested it.

"It was Patrick's idea. What about you? What are your summer plans like?"

"We're going to Greece the day after graduation. We have a lot of extended family there, and we like to visit at least once a year. Just for a month! Make sure you invite me to the shower! I'd love to be there."

Shower? Right, the baby shower. Her mind had been moving at a million miles a minute about nearly everything else, including whether Charlotte was going to make it. She hadn't put much thought at all into having a baby shower. When did someone usually throw a shower? How was she supposed to do that? She should probably bring that up with Patrick later on.

She simply nodded. "Of course, I'll make sure you have an invite!" She made a mental note to get on planning a baby shower.

Stephanie stayed and talked to her for a while about different things including the kids, her experiences with birthing Riley, talking about wanting another baby, and her upcoming vacation. The conversation kept flowing, and she never once asked about anything to do with the CBI or her attack. That was actually pretty nice.

Later, after Stephanie left, she started googling things about baby showers. Unsatisfied with the articles she found with outlandish party ideas, she decided to text Madeleine.

"Thinking of throwing a baby shower. How should Patrick and I plan for it? These online ideas seem tacky. When is a good time to do that?"

Almost immediately, she received a response. "It's on June 15, and under no circumstances are you to do anything to plan it. I've got you registered in three locations. If you have anyone who I need to add to the invite list, just send me their contact info. More details to come."

"Registered?"

"For the items you will need to welcome little Charlotte." She blinked. She didn't remember telling Madeleine that she needed anything.

"I think Patrick and I can handle that."

"It's a tradition to let people bring you gifts to welcome the baby. Just accept them."

"Okay. Is this a CBI thing? Are you throwing one for me and Grace?"

"No, Van Pelt is having one the week before. I told her to reach out to you with an invitation. She tried to hand me an invitation for you, but I told her that she needed to reach out and talk to you."

"She can always talk to me."

She made a mental note to maybe check in with Grace in the next few days. She was young in both her life and career. She'd not been brought up on disciplinary action, but still, she blamed herself. She understood where that gray area lay more than most people.

"I know that. Deep down, she knows that too."

"Thanks for planning this, Madeleine."

"I wouldn't have it any other way! I already sent an invite to Evan, and we can add anyone you want."

She smiled for a moment at Madeleine's forward thinking skills and kindness, before the mention of her Uncle Evan made her remember what that day was originally: Evan and Jason's wedding. When they learned of her attack and her resulting injuries, Uncle Evan and Jason decided to postpone their wedding til the fall. At the time, that phone call was yet another brutal reality in a world that was forced to change because of her.

"Uncle Evan, don't…"

"No, darling, don't feel bad! For this wedding to happen, your attendance is required. I need you there. Right now, you need to rest and heal. We will wait until after little Charlotte is here. She can help Annie be our ring bearer!"

She huffed in frustration as her Uncle moved his wedding to mid-September to accommodate her. Though, perhaps that was for the best considering she was only starting to get her bearings in public again. Still, she hated how that man had taken control and changed things in her life beyond her control.

At least it could still be a day of celebration: to celebrate Charlotte's arrival.

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Annie sat with a frown on her face at breakfast, pushing her Lucky Charms around the bowl. She grinned slightly at her daughter as she sipped on her tea. Today was the last day of school and tomorrow was the first day of summer vacation. Annie had to be one of the few children to actually be upset about that.

"Do you want to swim after breakfast? We have time before we have to get ready for the ceremony."

Annie's green eyes met her own with a frown. "No."

Riley's family was leaving tomorrow morning for their trip to Greece. Even though she had tried to explain to Annie how Riley was going to see his family like they had in Chicago a few months ago, Annie was less than pleased.

"You will see Riley today, and his family will be back next month!"

"A whole month of being bored! Summer vacation is dumb!"

"Hey! We don't use that kind of language."

"Well, it is! I can't see my friends from school."

"Daddy is at the airport picking up Uncle Jimmy right now. I don't know if he will like it if you call his visit 'boring' or 'dumb.'"

Annie's smile brightened at the mention of Jimmy's impending visit. When she discovered he would be there in time for her kindergarten graduation, she was all smiles. "I'm glad Uncle Jimmy is coming!"

"Me too."

She was also excited for her baby brother to visit, but she was less excited about all of the preparations that Patrick took on almost single handedly. In celebration of Jimmy's arrival and Annie's graduation, they planned a cookout for this evening.

"And Mimi gets out of school next week. Miss Hightower is going to bring her by a couple days so you guys can play. Wouldn't you like to play soccer in the backyard for a little bit?"

"Yes."

"So, see you won't be totally bored because Riley is gone!"

She shrugged. "I guess not. Mommy, can we go to Europe? For just a bit after Uncle Jimmy leaves?"

She rubbed Charlotte. She wasn't sure how her bump continued to grow, but it did so at a frightening pace. "Well, Europe is made of a bunch of different countries, and we can't go right now because we are waiting for Charlotte. Maybe you can ask daddy about going next summer."

Of course, if she asked, he would probably agree.

"With Riley's family?"

She sighed a bit as she smiled. "We don't want to disturb their family time. Sometimes, a bit of separation from our friends is a good thing. But I'm sure there are a lot of places we can visit once Charlotte arrives."

A little while later, Patrick and Jimmy arrived.

Annie jumped from her seat and ran towards Jimmy. "Uncle Jimmy!"

"Annie Banannie! My best girl!" He embraced her, picking her up into the air. "Wow. You're becoming a big girl so fast! Can't believe we are going to have a kindergarten graduate on our hands after day!"

"Yeah, but then I have to go to first grade."

"I know. That's how they get you! First, it's first grade, but then, it's second, and third, and…"

Annie started laughing, as her uncle sat her down and made a show of counting the school years on his fingers before turning to her with open arms. "Reese, how are you?"

"I'm good. I've been better, but I'm doing good now." She couldn't remember the last time they had hugged like this for so long. This type of affection was not really a Lisbon thing.

"And how's my newest niece?"

"She's also doing fine."

"Good. You guys are all outpacing me. I'm going to have to find a nice girl..."

"What do you need a girl for, Uncle Jimmy? I thought I was your best girl!"

His eyes went wide as she started to cackle. As much as she wanted to see her little brother talk himself out of this one, she decided to intervene.

"Annie, Uncle Jimmy just means he wants to get more serious about finding a wife so that you will have more cousins."

"Oh yeah. I don't want to be Uncle Jimmy's wife. That's gross!"

That only made her laugh more, but it also brought up a memory of when her mother was pregnant with Jimmy. Like many summer days back home, she and Tommy were out playing with neighborhood kids until supper while mom chased after Stan. Somehow, and probably because she was the only girl in the group, she ended up playing Tommy's wife in some game. Of course, it was all innocent. They were very young with no concept of what it meant to be husband and wife or to include notions of kissing in their games. When they got home and mom asked what they'd done that day, Tommy told her about their game-to her mortification. That night, when mom came to read her bedtime story, she did not actually read to her.

"My sweet girl," she said as she braided her hair back. "You are growing up so fast."

"Yeah, I'm growing up fast so I can be like you mama."

"Oh, I know. It's okay to take your time though, Little Teresa. I want you to promise me something."

"What mama?"

"Never play those kinds of games with your brother again."

"Why not?"

"Because being a wife is something special. It's a special kind of relationship that you will have with a very special man one day-a man who loves you with all of his heart."

"Like the princess movie?"

Mama smiled at her. Over the years, she realized that perhaps they shared a smile. "Just like the princess movie, but I hope you never lose your shoes anywhere, especially not in this city!"

They both giggled as mama grabbed her chin and tilted it toward her. "You promise you won't play that game with your brother again?"

"I promise, mama!"

"Good. You will always be my Little Teresa, but you're their big sister. You have a special responsibility. Do you know what that is?"

"A responsibility is something that I have to do because it's the right thing. Big girls have responsibilities."

"They do. And your special responsibility is to take care of your brothers and make sure they never do anything too stupid."

"Mama, but you said stupid is a bad word!"

"It isn't nice to call people stupid, but sometimes people do stupid things. Try to make sure your brothers don't do that. Well, as much as you can. Sometimes, boys are silly." She smiled at her as she kissed her on the forehead.

For years, she had taken that responsibility very seriously. Watching Tommy's sweet face as he shoveled that night's casserole into his mouth and told mom about their day fade to the adult he was now in a presumably orange DOC jumpsuit refusing an olive branch, she was lost in the moment for a second. Maybe she had fulfilled that responsibility.

She felt the brush of fingers on her own. "Are you still with us?"

Patrick had leaned into her side, grinning. She returned his smile. "Yeah."

He probably thought she was having a flashback to the attack and wanted to cover for her. Truthfully, she still had moments here and there, but they were coming fewer and further between. Being able to finally open up to Patrick was itself a kind of therapy.

"Can I show Uncle Jimmy the house?"

She looked at her husband before nodding at Annie. "Just remember we have to get ready to go in a little bit. We don't want to be late for your special day."

With that, Annie and Jimmy were off. Patrick laced their fingers all the way together now. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking of an old memory is all."

"An old memory?" A look of concern briefly swept across his face before he tried to hide it.

"It's nothing about the attack. Just thinking of my brother."

"Oh, I see."

He kept holding her hand, but he didn't pursue it after that. Deep down, she wished that Patrick had met Tommy under different circumstances. Maybe they would have even been friends. She knew that part of his disdain for Tommy was in how he dealt with Annie-even if he didn't want to talk about how much it reminded him of his past. Sometimes, the past we try to walk away from never lets us leave it.

Later, they made their way to Annie's school. Thankfully, she was able to do things without too much fuss, but she still caught some other parents gawking at her. Apparently, Annie's story had spread far.

"Oh! You must be Mrs. Jane! Stephanie told us what happened!"

A redhead she didn't know suddenly appeared in her line of sight, causing her to freeze.

"Uh, hi. I'm Teresa. And you are?"

"I'm Maggie Sims. I'm Angelique's mom, and I'm President of the PTA! I wondered if I'd ever meet you. I saw everything on the news, but I didn't realize it was so...close to home."

She felt Patrick shift next to her, but she grabbed his arm to stop him. She could handle a PTA mom.

"Yes, but I don't really talk about those things. I'm here for my daughter."

"Of course, but you are a hero! I am actually in charge of the church's women's group. Do you think you might be able to come talk to us some time? We just have to host you! We'd love if you became a member!"

She made eye contact with Patrick before looking down at her bump. "I don't think that would be appropriate, and I'm a bit busy right now."

"Oh, yes. The little one. Well, when Stephanie told us about it in the women's group, I just knew we had to host you some time!"

Her eyes widened a bit as she looked to Patrick. From his facial expression, she knew he was moments away from interjecting himself.

Maggie was not going to let this go. She did not want to go talk about her experience tussling with her would-be rapist and killer in her office floor before the church's women's group, surrounded by the mothers of her daughter's classmates. She didn't know how to get that across politely.

"Um, Maggie, this is just something that I'm not going to really talk about. Not now and probably not ever. It wouldn't be appropriate. Thanks for the invite, but…"

The woman's hazel eyes went wide. "Oh no! I'm so sorry. I wasn't clear. I was wondering if you might come talk to us about self-defense, after you have the baby."

A wave of relief washed over her. That was a rather simple request. "Oh, I see. I can probably stop by sometime this fall."

The other woman grinned widely as she reached into her purse. "Here's my card! Please feel free to reach out...and please bring the baby with you!"

As she looked back at her husband, he was grinning. "Of course they want to hear from their local hero."

She wanted to elbow him, but he was on her bad side. Instead, she got Jimmy right in the ribs when he started to snicker.

"Hey!"

"Don't laugh at me!"

"I was just laughing because of course my sister is a celebrity. I better get your autograph while I can still afford it!"

"Shut up!"

Patrick leaned over her. "Hey now! Am I going to have to separate you two?"

Jimmy laughed as she reached across her body and pushed her husband back in his seat. These two together!

Soon, the program started. The kids sang a song, followed by a speech, and a blessing from Father McHugh. When they started calling the names, she sat up a bit straighter in her seat to see Annie. She grinned when she saw Annie in her little floral print sundress on the stage-but she also felt a strange sensation in her belly, causing her to look down. It was odd, almost scary, at first to feel that fluttering coming from inside.

Patrick leaned in. "Are you okay, honey? Annie is almost up."

She took his hand and placed it over the fluttering so that he could feel Charlotte's first kicks.

"Can you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"She's kicking." He inhaled sharply when he realized what was going on.

"Annabeth Jane!"

She'd never been one to give into sentimentality too much, but she could swear the fluttering quickened at the mention of Annie's name-until she heard Patrick whisper: "That's right. That's your big sister, baby girl."

Her eyes grew wet as she held her husband's hand over her bump and watched Annie getting her little diploma on stage. Truly, it had been a year of change for all three of them.

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That evening, they had people over for a cookout in what Patrick dubbed "Annie's Graduation Party."

With the crown of irises Patrick laid atop her head after the ceremony, Annie was running around the yard with Mimi. This part of the day was a surprise for her, and she could only smile as she thought of the mopey little girl at breakfast this morning.

Uncle Evan and Jason arrived a little later bearing gifts for Annie. Without a doubt, her girls would be spoiled as all hell.

"Hey, Teresa. How are you holding up?" Uncle Evan leaned in from the left side to hug her. She wished the questions would stop, but she knew the questions came from people who cared. It was a double-edged sword of sorts.

"I'm getting better each day, Uncle Evan. I still don't have full use of my right arm, but I'm taking it one day at a time."

"That's good. I hope Patrick is helping you out."

She snorted a bit as she laughed. Patrick didn't help her out. He led the show. "Of course. He does all of the heavy lifting around here. Jimmy!"

In a somewhat strange turn of events, she realized earlier that Jimmy had never been out to see her in California before. As such, he'd never met Uncle Evan. Of course, the boys knew about him from her, but they'd never really built any type of connection before.

Jimmy appeared almost out of thin air. "Reese?"

"This is our Uncle Evan. Uncle Evan, this is Jimmy."

"Jimmy. Annabeth's youngest. The baby that Annabeth said could take first prize for his screeching." She grinned at that. Jimmy had been a very loud baby. No doubt mom had written him a letter about that, but Jimmy looked a bit taken aback.

"It's nice to meet you. I can't say that I remember that."

She could help him remember. "Please. You never shut up, and it continued through adulthood."

He nudged her good shoulder. "Hey!"

Uncle Evan grinned at them both. "It's good to meet you, Jimmy. Reese has told me a lot about you over the years. I hope we can have you over for dinner one night while you're here. By the way, this is my fiancee, Jason."

Jason reached out his hand for Jimmy to shake, and she noticed Jimmy's eyes widened a bit to her deep embarrassment. She had hoped her brothers had left behind that type of indoctrination, but to her relief, Jimmy took Jason's hand seconds later. "It's nice to meet you, Jason. I didn't realize you guys were getting married!"

She let out a brief sigh of relief. She didn't know what she thought was happening, but she realized that she hadn't told Jimmy about the wedding. That's what shocked him.

Jason replied. "Yes, we are set for a September date now."

She was still a bit guilty that they moved their wedding date back because of her. "And I meant to tell you guys that you should probably connect with Madeleine. Apparently, she has taken on planning my baby shower."

Uncle Evan waved his hand at her. "Oh, we've already been in touch! We will be there!"

Jimmy turned to Jason. "So, what exactly do you do?"

As the guys started talking, and Jimmy got to knowing their uncles a bit better, she wandered off. Not only was Madeleine there, but the rest of the team also joined on their night off from work. They hadn't had any real time together since she came home from the hospital, and she kind of missed them.

"Hey, guys!"

"Boss!" Everyone but Madeleine responded in unison as she rolled her eyes. Some habits were just hard to break.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Just talking about some news from work." She raised her eyebrows as Cho closed his eyes. Clearly, he spoke too quickly and said something she wasn't supposed to hear.

"Yeah. What news?"

Suddenly, there were crickets as Madeleine glared at Cho. "Well, you may as well tell her now."

"Minnelli is retiring." Her heart fell into her stomach.

"What? He's retiring?"

Grace shyly made eye contact with her. "Today, he announced that he will be retiring in October. But he asked that we let him tell you."

"Of course. Have they announced his replacement yet?"

Madeleine spoke up. "No, they haven't announced the replacement yet."

She wasn't entirely sure why the news startled her so. He'd alluded to as much at the hospital because he was having his own doubts in the wake of the attack. She wasn't self-involved enough to believe that what happened that night had a reverberating effect through the CBI. Even now, Grace wasn't keen on making eye contact.

Even as the nightmares started to fade a bit, she still had her own doubts. She was still quite ambivalent about returning to work after Charlotte's birth. On one hand, being a cop was hardwired into her DNA. On the other hand, she still had a lot to think about in terms of herself and her family. They needed her now.

"I see. Well, I won't tell him that anyone said anything to me."

Everyone nodded in unison, as Rigsby shifted the conversation to baseball. Of course, she had a lot to say on that topic. Instead, she used it as a moment to break Grace away from the group.

"Hey, Grace. Can you help me inside for a bit?"

She looked at her in confusion for a moment. "Um, yeah."

She saw Madeleine watch them as they walked away. Usually, she would invite Madeleine in with them, but this was a conversation that she and Grace needed to have.

"What do you need help with, boss?"

"It's Teresa, and I don't need help with anything. I wanted to talk to you, Grace."

She averted her eyes. "About what?"

"You know that I consider you a friend, right?"

"I do."

"So, I think it's customary for one friend to reach out to another when they are having a hard time-especially if that hard time comes from that person assuming the blame for something she had no control over."

"If this is about…"

"It is. You're avoiding me. I know we are not fighting and no bad blood has passed between us, so I can only read that as fear that you are at fault for what happened."

There was a very heavy pause between them. Somewhere in there, she definitely shifted into what she considered her "boss voice." She wasn't here to chastise Grace; she was here to lay this all to rest.

"But I am at fault. He used my key card to get in."

"And you know if that's true-if this were your fault-you would have faced disciplinary action. No one blames you for that. I do not blame you for that. We were in a place that we thought was a secure location and never assumed our badges might get swiped-or that we were working shoulder to shoulder with a serial killer. So much of what happened was beyond anyone's control. Believe me: it's something I have been working through. But I don't want you to blame yourself for anything. It's not your fault."

Grace nodded. "I know, but it feels that way."

"He would have found another way in. What he did...he was hardwired to do. There was no stopping him. If he had the inclination to do it, he would have sought me out at home. Getting me alone at the CBI, when he knew I might question why he was there, was an opportunity for him. You don't shoulder the blame for that."

"When I think about what happened, and how I could have prevented it…"

"That's just it. You couldn't have prevented that. He wanted to hurt me. He would have-and did-hurt anyone who got in the way of his objective. More than most people, I know how hard it is to practice this, but I don't want you to carry the burden for someone else's crimes. You're a good agent who did nothing wrong. I'm telling you that as both your boss and as your friend."

She saw a tear escape Grace's eye, making her own eyes water. She and Madeleine had each other for the most part-which didn't always mean anything when shit storms happened in what was mostly a man's world. Indeed, she hand picked Grace for her team because she saw promise in this young female agent. At the helm of her own team, she assumed responsibility for helping to shape her as a CBI Agent. If there was anything Grace should take from their time together, it was that she was a damn fine agent.

"Okay, boss."

She held her left arm open for Grace to come in for a hug. Grace was a hugger, even if she wasn't on most days. Right now, hugs hurt no one.

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As promised, Evan and Jason had the three of them out to their house for dinner the very next week. Jason made an amazing pasta that she simply could not get enough of-to her husband's amazement.

"Stop staring! It's good food!"

"I'm not staring. It's just quite the appetite you have this evening."

"Well, I'm eating for your daughter as well."

Patrick grinned, as he took her hand. "Of course you are."

Evan cleared his throat. "Well, aren't you two sweet?"

That earned a laugh from everyone at the table.

"You know, they're an awful lovey dovey couple, Uncle Evan." Jimmy winked at her.

"Shut up, Jimmy!"

"Well, Jimmy, I don't think there's anything wrong with that." His eyes widened. "You should have seen some of the other guys she brought around here!"

"Hey!"

Patrick laughed. "I would love to know more about this."

Trying to shift the conversation, she decided it was time to get Jason's recipe. "So, what's the secret ingredient?"

"No, I want to know. What kind of guys did she bring around before me?"

"You brought other guys around before daddy?"

"I did, but none of them are anything like him." She squeezed his hand, hoping he would leave it there. She hated trips down memory lane.

Uncle Evan sipped from his wine glass before putting it down and clapping her husband on the shoulder. "She's right. None of them were like Patrick. None of them good enough for our girl. I'm glad to have you in the family, son. You and Teresa are so good for each other. I'm happy that you are building such a strong, healthy family."

Patrick's devilish grin widened into a genuine smile. "Well, I'm glad you've welcomed me in-and that my wife loves me and wants to keep me around."

Uncle Evan had never been as reserved as she was about her feelings and saying what he thought about someone. She appreciated how he was able to share what he felt about any situation, and here, she knew that Patrick welcomed his words. While they were building their own family together, it was good for him to know that he was wanted. He definitely had a place in a family that maybe looked different but was strong.

Though, she could only sit on that for so long. She needed to lighten the mood a bit. She scrunched her nose, to tease him. "You are good for some things."

"Only some things?"

"The important things."

"I guess so. After all, I got the girl." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

Jimmy grunted in disgust while the others laughed.

Later, they played a few rounds of poker. Of course, Patrick won every game. Cheeky bastard.

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"Reese!" She heard Jimmy shouting for her with a hint of anger in his voice like when she used to have to settle some dispute between him and Stan.

"What is it, Jimmy?"

He came speeding into the kitchen, with Patrick hot on his heels. Obviously, there had been some disagreement between the two of them.

"This fucker is cheating on you!"

She blinked rapidly a few times. "He's cheating on me?"

"I am not cheating on you. Jimmy, I wished you would hear me out. This is a simple misunderstanding."

Jimmy balled his fist up. "Simple misunderstanding my ass! How could you do this to my sister?"

"Jimmy! Hear him out. I'm sure this is a misunderstanding."

She half wanted to laugh. There was no way Patrick, of all people, would cheat on her. But Jimmy was rather worked up, so they'd need to sift through this rather quickly. She didn't have it in her to break up a fight.

"Okay, well, who was that woman you were on the phone with? Is she the one who filed a paternity suit against you? Why don't you clear that up!"

That winded her. "Paternity suit? Patrick, what is going on? Has someone filed a paternity suit against you?"

Her husband, usually calm and collected, was a bit panicked as he rubbed his forehead. "Yes, but it's certainly not what Jimmy thinks, and I was not on the phone with her."

"So, you're screwing two women behind my sister's back?"

"There is no other woman! If you would have just heard me out, we could have avoided this all together!"

"Yeah, so that you could play my sister for a fool? Fuck you, pal. Because that's never gonna happen!"

"Okay! That's enough, Jimmy! Let him speak. Patrick, what is going on?"

She had complete faith in her husband. Of course, he was always faithful to her-but this situation tugged at the nagging doubt in her mind that never fully went away that perhaps she wasn't good enough for him. Maybe she was now, but what about before? Maybe he'd fallen into bed with a woman early in their relationship while she was out on a case. How would she handle that? She'd have to move towards forgiveness, but would she ever be able to actually forgive him if that were the case? She would absolutely never forget. Could she trust him again?

"Teresa, I did not cheat on you. This is a misunderstanding."

She nodded. "You've said that, but now, can you explain what the misunderstanding is please?"

He sighed deeply, almost like he was exhausted. Something was going on that he had been sitting on-which was strange because she'd been none the wiser until now. What did that say about his ability to hide and her ability to read her husband's needs?

"A few weeks ago, my attorney got papers. Angela filed a paternity suit against me and is moving for child support."

She blinked. "Angela? Your ex-wife?"

"Yes. Obviously, I am not the biological father, but my attorney said she's pursuing a theory that could carry weight. Because we were married when she conceived him, she's claiming that I have a parental obligation to him. He's been working with her attorney to see if there's a way we can come up with a settlement. With everything that has been going on, I didn't want to burden you with this. I was hoping we could reach an agreement and keep things out of court. It's obvious that she just wants a little extra each month in alimony payments."

As her husband told her the story, she felt rage building inside of her. She could absolutely see why he had been trying to handle this without alerting her.

"And for you to assume responsibility for her kid."

Jimmy sputtered. "Are you buying this crock of shit, Reese?"

"Jimmy, you don't know the situation. This isn't the first time she's pulled a stunt."

Her brother turned to look at her in shock, mixed with the look of something else. "Reese, did you...were you involved in the break up of their marriage? With his pregnant wife?"

Before she could respond to that absolutely absurd accusation, especially coming from lover boy Jimmy Lisbon who had no care in the world where he laid down, Patrick started yelling. She'd never known him to get so angry so quickly.

"Absolutely not! How dare you even ask her that? I met Teresa after my ex-wife and I were separated. She cheated on me, okay? Not the other way around! I am not a philanderer. I would never engage in that behavior ever. Ever. So get that out of your fucking head!"

She placed her hand on his arm, rubbing circles and trying to soothe him. "Patrick, it's okay. I believe you. Jimmy, like I said, you don't know the full story."

"I'm sorry, but I just heard him laughing and talking to some woman on the phone. Who was that? This ex-wife or someone else?"

"That was Erica Flynn. She's the wife of a recently deceased business associate. We are closing on a deal to liquidate a joint asset that we held. She was calling from an island that she's visiting, and she was describing the place to me. She even told me I should consider bringing my wife there some time. I can promise you there is nothing going on there."

That last part made her raise her eyebrow a bit. Of course, the woman told him to bring his wife. She was testing the waters so to speak, flirting with him in a roundabout way. She wanted to see what he said about his wife. Depending on what he said, maybe she would take that as her sign. She tried to shrug that off. She'd never met this Erica woman, and she had no reason to read into anything with her-when she was seeing red for an entirely different reason.

She gathered herself before speaking. Patrick and Jimmy were already angry with each other, and she didn't want to make that worse. But she also had her own fish to fry.

"Call her. Now."

"What? You want me to call Erica?"

"Angela. Call her. Now."

Patrick stood gawking at her. "I don't think that's a good idea, Teresa. Let the attorneys handle it."

"She wants you to assume responsibility for her son, and you're okay with letting the attorneys handle it?"

Jimmy chuckled. "See, I told you he's full of shit. Your jig is up, pal. Do you want me to throw him out?"

She shook her head. Patrick was telling the truth about this, but the story was too complicated for Jimmy. And her brother had come in way too hot about this. "No, I don't want you to throw my husband out! He's telling the truth. Jimmy, you should calm down. Patrick wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I mean, obviously that Erica woman is into you, but I don't see you reciprocating."

"What? She's just a business…"

"Yeah, to you. But that whole thing about bringing your wife along was her testing the waters. I'm not worried about other people testing the waters when I know you wouldn't bite. I trust you. I wouldn't have married you if I didn't. I'm more worried about you getting taken by Angela once again!"

Jimmy stared at him in disbelief. "You trust him? You're seriously buying this?"

"Jimmy, there's a lot more to this story that you don't know. The baby isn't his. This isn't the first time she's tried to use her kid to get him back. If you don't believe him, please believe that I know what I am talking about. This is a matter for me to discuss with my husband. Alone."

"Okay. I will trust that you know what you're doing." He turned on his toes quickly to face Patrick. "But you also believe this: if you ever do anything to hurt my sister or my nieces, you will be dealing with me. Do you understand that?"

Patrick stared at him, mouth agape for a moment. "Yeah, you stand in my house and accuse me of being a lowlife piece of shit. I hear you loud and clear."

Without a doubt, Patrick wasn't afraid of Jimmy but he was very pissed at him right now. Clearly, this was a conversation he didn't want to have with her. She understood his reasons, but she also wished that he would have confided in her. To Jimmy, this looked terrible.

Jimmy stormed off, leaving them both in the kitchen alone. "I'm sorry about Jimmy."

"You don't need to apologize for him, but maybe he should learn manners-or to at least navigate difficult conversations a bit better."

"What is she asking for?"

"An additional $3000 a month."

"So, just money?" Both interesting and unsurprising that Angela was making this about money.

"Yeah. My attorney thinks we could probably satisfy her by increasing the alimony payments by $1000 a month. He's trying to negotiate that, but she wants an in-person negotiation."

"I don't think you should negotiate with her."

He shrugged. "Well, my attorney…"

"You don't negotiate with terrorists." She laughed a bit, earning a reciprocal smile from him and lightening the mood as she wrapped her arm around him.

"Well, you do when you want to avoid more court costs. Bad enough that I'm having to pay for an attorney yet again."

"I know. You should have told me when you were served."

He shook his head. "I didn't want to bother you with this."

"Bother me? I thought we did things together? I mean, you've talked about how I should trust you to help me heal, and I do. I thought that was all because we are a team. Doesn't feel that way when you wander off alone to try to handle things."

"I just wanted to make it go away. Jimmy just got the wrong idea about things. Let the attorneys handle it. We are trying to schedule a negotiation for the next few weeks to get this resolved."

"Okay. Well, let me know when it is because I'd like to be there for you." And to give Angela a piece of her mind.

"You don't have to be there."

"No, but I am your wife. Isn't it my job to support you?"

She captured his lips. Under no circumstances was he going to that negotiation alone. She would handle this.

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A/N 2: The next chapter is drafted, and let me tell you, it is a doozy!