My team went back to our offices and minutes after I sat down, I got a text from Tracy saying that she'd love to look after the kids longer. "To be honest", she said, "I am being a bit selfish. I don't think Eli has spent much time playing in his past, or much time with other children. He needs to learn how to be with kids, how to interact and play, and your kids and Nick's kids are teaching him a lot. He already looks more comfortable with the other children than he did when he first arrived. He is now laughing and participating in games. Alix has taken him under her wing and is helping him immensely, and he is trying to take care of her in little ways, whether it is holding a chair steady so that she can get up on it more easily, or getting her a tissue when she sneezes. It is the cutest thing to see. The other person that he has clicked with is Ethan. They are both gentle children and are thoughtful of others. Ethan was starting to teach Eli how to read this afternoon while the younger children had a nap. They had a very good time and laughed a lot, were a little silly, and it was awesome to see. I couldn't be happier for him and, I know it is selfish because I already think of Eli as ours and am being a bit of a mama bear, but I am thrilled to look after all the children, partly because I am having fun but mainly because I think it is the best thing that we can do for Eli."

I smiled. "I'll let Nick know. I'm glad that everyone is settling in and having fun with each other. I think that will be good for all the kids. I don't know what time we'll be up tonight. I know my team wants to power through as much as possible. The sooner we can get this done, the sooner we can get a lot of really bad people off the streets."

"Then get to it", Tracy said with a smiley face.

I was halfway through Teagan Taylor's review when Ranger came into my office and shut the door. "I just talked to Hal", he said. He sat on the guest chair on the other side of my desk and leaned back.

"First things first – how did it go?"

"Good. Pretty smooth sailing. Chris thought that Brett would be in the hospital for a few days, but that he'll be okay. He has a broken leg and a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder and a concussion, and a lot of cuts and bruises. However, he is alive."

"Thank God."

"Joe has already told Eli, and Eli was so happy that he started to cry. Apparently Grace saw him crying and ran over and gave him a hug, then Alix ran over and grabbed hold, and then Tia and Edie didn't want to be left out. Eli looked at Joe with a 'what do I do now' look, and Joe laughed and told him to get used to it. He said everybody cared about him and wanted to make him feel better. He said the whole concept shocked the hell out of Eli."

I laughed. "Our kids do like to hug, don't they?"

Ranger smiled. "I talked to Hal about the possibility of giving time in lieu to your staff. Please get everyone to record how much overtime they are working and we'll give time-and-a-half for every hour overtime they have worked. We won't do it every time, but for big assignments that require this much overtime? It's only fair."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'll let them know. They have volunteered to work hard, to be away from their families to work around the clock, and they do it because they care but they shouldn't be penalized because they care so much. That's not right. No one else in the department has volunteered their overtime to work as hard as Dirk and Miguel and Nick have."

"I agree. Hal said your staff were upset?"

I went over with Ranger how frustrated we were all feeling. I told him about how much we were charging to do the case reports and how much Brett had charged over the four years, and how much the TPD would have saved to have us working the case from the beginning. I told him how we were doing all the in-depths and how thankful we were to be able to do them, as we knew that we could make a big difference and could shut down the gang completely. "It's just frustrating. There is a little boy who has been raped repeatedly and a police officer in the hospital with multiple broken bones and other injuries, and neither of those things had to happen. There is a gang that has been taking over and terrorizing the city, and that hasn't had to happen either. Brett knew there was a problem. The TPD knew there was a problem. We could have solved that problem expediently and we weren't called in. We are all dealing with the sadness and feelings of helplessness and anger that the situation is causing. It's hard."

"What do you think about having the psychologist work with everybody for a session?"

"It might be an idea. I don't know. I personally don't need it since I am meeting Livy next Monday anyway. I'm sure that Nick is covered with his own sessions. I don't know how often Dirk goes anymore, but it might be a good idea for both him and Miguel."

"I'll talk to them personally and potentially set up something tomorrow. We can use the ERT psychologist for Dirk and Miguel."

"That would be good."

"I also think that it would be a good idea for me to write a report saying a bit of what you have said. You're right in that the cost-benefit analysis has shown that it would have been a good idea to call us in sooner, and maybe they should make it a policy to bring us in for times that people are required to go undercover. While it may not stop the need for the covert work, it would at least give the officer more information to use and that could only be good. It would reduce the danger to the officer and could reduce the length of time that the officer would have to be undercover. I know that your reports have been incredibly helpful to the Investigative department, and Cal has said that you are an honorary member of the team. He says that, without your input, his team wouldn't be nearly as successful as they have been, and with your help they have a great case-close time. The cost-benefit report I will not make official and will hand over when I meet with the Chief personally. Neil is a good guy, and this will leave a bad taste in his mouth as well."

I swiped away a tear, and Ranger crossed over to my chair, lifted me up, sat in my chair and placed me on his lap. "It shouldn't have happened, Ranger."

"Shh, babe. I know. And we will do something about it. We aren't helpless."

"People got hurt. Why didn't they use us? Have we not been helpful?"

"You have been incredibly helpful, and you know it. However, you and I both know that the TPD has been trying to keep their costs down. It is short-sighted of them to reduce their costs by not using us and therefore increasing their costs overall, but they are doing what they think is right."

"The cost-benefit analysis proves that you are right."

"I know, and that will be my job to show them that."

"Are you going to try?"

Ranger snorted. "Damn straight I will. There is a little boy upstairs who has been sexually assaulted five times a night for the last ten months, and he shouldn't have been. To have let that continue out of lack of evidence, especially since we could have provided some of that evidence, is criminal. That's all not accounting for the fact that there is a police officer in the hospital in pain, and it didn't have to happen. That is criminal as well. I can understand why these things happened, but they didn't have to. That will be my job to get that thought across and understood. And babe? I am very good at my job. Don't worry."

I buried my face in Ranger's neck and sniffed his calming scent, and let my heart rate slowly decrease as I relaxed.

"I talked to the kids to say goodnight to them while I was on the way home. Did you get a chance to say goodnight to them as well?" said Ranger.

I smiled. "I did a Facetime call with them to wish them goodnight, and I told them that I was working to put a number of people in jail. Tia asked if the bad guys could try to take them away, and I told them that our house had been sprayed with 'bad guy repellent' so that no one could get in that we didn't want there. And I told them that they know some awesome self-defense moves to protect themselves, and no bad guy would suspect that they do. Eli looked interested in that, so Alix told him that she would teach him some tomorrow. He seemed quite pleased with that – and so did Alix."

"She'd be a good teacher", said Ranger. "She seems to have a good way of explaining things. She has already done a good job on extending Ethan's and Evan's and Edie's lessons, and the last time that Julie was down she was shocked at how much they had learned. I thought Alix was going to burst in pride when Julie said that she'll have to start taking Alix to her lessons that she gives the high school girls, and that Alix is an incredible teacher."

"I can imagine. Julie is her idol, and for Julie to say that she was impressed would make Alix feel good for a long time. That will be a compliment that she will carry with her. I am so grateful that Julie is as supportive of the little ones as she is. Her comments mean a lot to them."

Ranger gave me another kiss. "Are you okay now?" he said.

I smiled. "You always know what I need, even when I don't."

Ranger smiled. "And may that winning streak continue indefinitely."

I laughed.