Author's Note: Before we begin I would like to take a moment to apologize for my exceedingly long absence. The past two years have been nothing short of crazy. During this time my life has changed a great deal. Perhaps the most significant change is that I accepted a new job and as a result I ended up moving to Germany this past August. Throughout all of this time, and moving chaos I have not forgotten about this story. I've been jotting down ideas and I have numerous half written chapters that will (hopefully) be ready soon. I would like to be able to come up with some sort of consistent schedule, but I'm afraid with everything going on at the school, and the current musical production that might be a bit difficult. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I am looking forward to bringing you more soon!

Disclaimer: Obviously none of these characters belong to me. If they did this would be canon.

It wasn't like her to walk out of a meeting, or briefing, or whatever that was like that. It also wasn't like her to snap at the Chief, but she just needed some time to think. She wasn't even certain where she was going to go, instead she just found herself wandering the halls of ACME. Wandering up and down corridors without even paying attention to her surroundings. Of course she could have gone back to her rooms, but then what would she do there? She needed to vent her frustrations.

Her stomach was churning, her head was spinning. The thought of this impending disaster was making her ill. These past few weeks it was as if someone had pulled a rug out from under her and she was still struggling to regain her balance. Every time she thought that she was beginning to put things back together everything came undone again. Now this. It was not only her world that had been turned upside down, it would be everyone else's as well.

When she finally stopped she found herself in front of the door to one of the courtyards. What she needed right now was air. Fresh air and sunlight would do her some good. Since arriving at ACME she had barely managed to get any of that at all. Despite her best efforts she was still trepidatious about going outside. It was irrational she knew, but the attack had broken her in more ways than she would willingly admit. She paused with her hands on the door, then pushed it open allowing a cool breeze to wash over her.

She checked to see that her security card would allow her to regain access to the building, always have an escape plan, before stepping out into the courtyard and allowing the door to swing shut behind her. The cool breeze felt nice and she could feel her frayed nerves and upset stomach beginning to settle. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and the sweet smell of of the akizakura flowers reached her as well as the citrusy kinmokusei trees.

After a few moments she opened her eyes and slowly began to walk around the Japanese gardens. This had always been one of her favorite places back in her detective days. The gardens held some of her fondest memories. She had spent many an afternoon here with Suhara working to crack a case and focusing on her zen training. The peaceful atmosphere had always helped to put her mind at ease and allow her to concentrate more fully. What she wouldn't give now to sit down with Suhara and share a kettle of tea and some pleasant conversation.

As she neared her favorite spot in the gardens she could feel tears in her eyes. It had been months, maybe a year since the last time she had seen Suhara and they had really had a good conversation. Of course she had been watching him from afar, keeping an eye out for him, but it wasn't the same. He had always been like a father to her, and to keep such a distance from him was unnatural. If ever there was a time that she felt the need to be near him it was now.

Carmen wandered around the gardens until she came to a small copse of trees. She brushed back the branches of a weeping cherry and walked into the copse until she came to some stone benches facing a koi pond. The trees helped to keep this area well hidden from the rest of the courtyard. Unless you were consciously looking for this area, or you knew it was there you wouldn't see it. This feeling of privacy had been by design. Several strategically placed rocks, flowers, and trees allowed this space to become its own.

In the years since she had last been here the trees had grown quite a lot. They were not quite overgrown now but they did have something of a feral quality about them. Even the sweet perfume of the flowers seemed to be stronger now. Checking to make sure that she was alone Carmen looked around before reaching up and freeing her hair from its braid. Right now in this space she needed a break from being Francesca. Here she needed to be Carmen.

It was risky, she knew, every little bit of her disguise was important, but right now there were worse things that could happen than the ACME detectives finding out that she was here. It felt good to let her hair down and allow the breeze to flow through. After a moment she sat down on one of the benches beneath a Momiji tree watching the Koi swimming around in the pond.

The fish were so calm, so quiet and peaceful. A stark contrast to her own life. They did not have a care or worry in the world right now. The Koi had always fascinated her. They were such majestic creatures. As a young girl she would often come here to watch them with Suhara. As she grew they still watched and fed the fish together. Being here had always brought her a sense of calm. A sense that she was safe and everything would be alright.

As a result this place had become something of a refuge for her when things weren't going quite right. In the past she had always felt comfort here. Now she needed that comfort more than she ever had before. She desperately needed to know that everything was going to be fine. That the world was not spinning out of control. That she was going to be able to pull herself together and get through this awful mess.

Her eyes began to tear up again as she started considering everything that was going on and soon she was crying once again. For so many years she had prided herself on her ability to stay in control. Control of her emotions, control of her actions, and control of her body. Yet now, over the course of a few weeks all of that seemed to be unraveling. Everything was wrong and she couldn't imagine it being right again.

"The Nadeshiko flowers used to be some of the most popular in Japan." a familiar voice said from behind her. Carmen sat up and slowly turned around. Her ears, and her mind, must have been playing tricks on her, yet as she turned around there he was. He was facing away from her, and he was kneeling down gently holding a flower in his hand. "They are different from other flowers; their beauty is more ethereal and unique. They may look dainty and delicate but they are strong and resilient." He stood up with the flower in his hand and walked over to where she was sitting, joining her on the bench. "Much like you, my dear girl." He took the flower and placed it behind her ear.

"How did you know?" Carmen asked her mentor at last, dropping the accent she had been donning for so long.

"You have always been like a daughter to me." Suhara said wrapping an arm around her and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "I would recognize you anywhere. No matter how good of a disguise you are able to pull off."

"How long have you known?" she asked quietly, taking comfort in his presence.

"Since Dr. Francesca Romano made her first appearance at ACME Florence several years ago. I still have friends in many of the different offices. That my interest was piqued when a brilliant new criminologist with a rather sporadic work schedule joined the team and cracked a record number of cold cases should not come as a surprise." Suhara said after a moment. "Call it intuition, but I had a feeling from the first that this had something to do with you. An investigation of my own confirmed the matter."

"I should have known you would be the one to figure it out." Carmen said with a wry smile. "You always were one step ahead of the game, unless I have completely lost my touch."

"Oh I think your secret is still safe, if that is what you are referring to." Suhara replied. "You are quite a puzzle indeed though. Committing crimes publicly yet solving them privately? Most people's vanity would take the opposite turn."

"Well, as you must know by now, I am not most people." Carmen said.

"As you have proven time and time again my dear child." He said with a chuckle. "You never fail to astound me. Now though perhaps you can tell me what it is that brings you here this evening?"

Carmen looked down at the ground for a moment. "That, I am afraid is not so easy to explain. It is quite a long story."

"I have all of the time in the world and I am all ears my child. You can tell me your story, take all of the time that you need." Suhara said with a slight bow of his head. So Carmen proceeded to tell him everything, starting with the assault and continuing on to the meeting she had just come from. He listened intently the whole time without interruption, holding her as she cried and providing comfort.

"Dr. Evanston is right, you should report what happened to you." Suhara said once Carmen had finished her story. His voice was steady, almost calm, but Carmen could hear the anger beneath it. "That would not be a sign of weakness, and I hope you do not believe it would be such. The fiend who perpetrated this act, and who likely instigated these other crimes needs to be back behind bars."

"We're working on it." Carmen said after a moment. "I just, I never thought I would see him again after we put him behind bars all of those years ago, yet he is back now. I never thought I would feel so helpless ever again. His ability to blend in and completely change his appearance makes him nearly an impossible target."

"You are safe here, within these walls he will never get to you again." Suhara said giving her a comforting squeeze.

"Physically, perhaps not, but mentally and emotionally? I'm afraid he has already accomplished a great deal. If he is behind this latest string of escapes and thefts, then he is also doing much to tarnish my pristine reputation. He said that he would destroy all that I hold dear, that nobody I love would be safe." The tears came back now, faster and stronger than before.

Suhara pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at her eyes. "I cannot tell you that everything is going to be alright, but I can tell you that we will get to the bottom of this, and he will be stopped. ACME protects its own. I am certain that the moment Director Devineaux returns and is appraised of the situation with Toscano that he will work tirelessly to see him imprisoned once again."

Carmen started to say something, but she stopped herself. Suhara wanted to comfort her. It would not be right to contradict him, to tell him of her other troubles right now. Specifically the ones regarding the Director. It would also do her no good to tell him that she would be leaving these walls again soon, even for a short time, because she did not need to cause him any further worry. Instead she decided to turn her thoughts away from everything else that was going on and accept the comfort that he was offering her. While he could not solve all of her problems, Suhara was a rock for her, and she was immensely grateful for him.