It wasn't exactly breaking and entering she mused pocketing her spare key as the last of the overhead lights flickered into life after her searching hand had found the switch with even more practiced ease despite not having set foot in the place since she'd turned thirteen.

Not that Maggie had chosen the location herself considering if she had she'd still have picked somewhere other than her old hockey rink despite the pain in her chest Maggie takes in another deep breath of chilly albeit stale air of the place.

Her breath already coming in curled vapers as instead of heading directly over to what passed for the rink snacks bar the tired cop forced her legs to carry her over towards the poorly stocked vending machine in the corner for something to munch on as she waited.

How the aged machine hadn't been completely vandalized yet was a mystery considering the spike in other petty crimes in the small ice rinks neighborhood. Not that the out-of-date thing would fetch any thief anything in the way of profit. Not even what some would consider pocket change money.

Honestly, it was a wonder the managers kept the thing plugged in with a selection this meager.

Various off-brand potato chip flavors

A few cady bars

None of it anything anyone would consider healthy. Let alone vegan but at least it would appease the growling of her stomach for a little while. After she'd checked the expiration date that is as Maggie's fingers drummed lightly against the edge of the groaning machine.

"Not even a lousy granola bar." She huffed "or animal crackers." She sighs in disappointment until she spied what would be her saving grace in that light blue colored chip bag a few rings back from anyone who wasn't truly looking would miss. "Thank you, detective skills." She chuckles to herself as she digs hopefully into the pocket of her jeans for some change as she punched in the number combination, she needed.

4a

At the same time, the little rings keeping her from her prize stopped rolling making the loan chip bag wedge itself against the glass the door opened behind her.

She didn't bother turning around to see who it was. They'd already worked out all the details this afternoon on Maggie's lunch break.

"Language, conejita." Her aunt scolds at Maggie's grumpy curse as she smacks the side of the stalled machine with her brace free hand. Her right hand had been sprained a few days before as she'd chased down a running suspect. Not that she'd let even the pain of the fall slow her from putting the cuffs on the man when she'd cornered him.

"Sorry. Tia." Maggie mumbles still glaring at the now mocking chips bag hanging by the last ring of its row.

The silver-haired woman only giving a warmed smile at the tired shame of the reply as she first sets down the takeout bag she'd brought along knowing full well her niece's odd meal schedule these last few weeks before she moves to wrap her arms around her niece for a greeting hug. "Good to see you, Margaret."

Maggie tries her best not to wince at the use of her full name as she leans into the embrace. "Did you bring her?" she asks when her aunt had finally decided to drop her arms.

"Yes, little one I brought it." Her aunt sighed her fingers twisting lightly into few loose strands of the other woman's hair tucking the stubborn locks behind Maggie's ear for her as her free hand shifted the strap of the duffle bag at her side as the two moved to the table her aunt had already claimed as their dispute the two being the only once in the place. "but I'd also like to spend a little more time with you before you run off again." She adds nudging the takeout bag closer to her niece much to Maggie's quiet thanks. "I've missed you, my conejita."

Maggie's eyes flicker towards the empty rink unable to keep from seeing the phantom-like figure of her younger self already out in the middle of the froze expanse of ice grinning in childlike pride whenever the two would lock eyes. Or that could be a trick from her sleep-deprived brain considering the long hours she'd been pulling to wrap up her open cases ever since she'd been told her application to transfer to the newly created science division of National City had been approved.

"You used to love skating." Her aunt reminds following Maggie's unfocused eyes as she watches her niece taking another appreciative bite of the vegan burger, she'd brought for her.

"That was a long time ago, Tia." Maggie says shaking herself from her nostalgic stopper when another phantom figure joined her own out on the ice.

The one who'd broken her far worse than even her outing to her parents had been when she was fourteen. It will only be later as she lay on the pull-out sofa bed in the den of her aunt's house late at night when not even crying herself to egestion would allow her sleep Maggie had realized the only reason, she'd fallen for Elisa Wilkey in the first place was her striking resemblance to the true first love of Maggie's life.

Someone she'd only met face to face that single day when she'd unknowingly faced off in a match with her first love's younger sister. Someone whose picture she still kept tucked inside her wallet since the day she'd been sent her own copy even during her days at the academy thought the hard-fought time of her rookie years in Gotham.

"What was that dear?" Maggie hears her auntie asks. Apparently, her whispered, "She didn't even read it." Hadn't been as whispered as she'd thought as she stared hypnotized by that phantom face grinning happily at her from the side of the ice rink.

"Come on Mags, come skate with me."

Maggie shakes her head in an attempt to wave off her aunt's question as she blinks back the moisture pooling in her eyes when she remembers all over again the pain of seeing those glaring red letters 'returned to sender' on the envelope of what would become her last letter to her childhood pen pal.

"I'm still surprised you're going through with this." Her aunt says instead making Maggie's breath a little easier when she'd chosen to drop the subject as she drops the duffle bag onto the table between them.

The fact said bag turned out to be Maggie's old hockey gear duffle wasn't lost on the former player as she unzips it with only a small shake of her hands. "Gertrude." She whispers pulling the pup from the bag. The fact her aunt had also thought to wrap the stuffed toy in her old hockey jersey did being a teasing smile to the young cop's lips as she rubs her fingers gingerly over the dog's soft ears.

"With how hard you fought just to get that bullhead brother of mine to let you back into the house for it." Her aunt goes on watching her niece with a fond smile.

"Her." Maggie corrects hugging the plushy puppy gingerly against her chest. "and I had to go back for her, Tia. I wasn't just going to leave her with them." Maggie growled letting her fingers card therapeutically through the plushy dog's fur to ease the flare of anger at the reminder.

"See your still so protective of her." The elder woman chuckles her hands raised in a show of apology. "Honestly Maggie sometimes I think you forget that pup isn't a real dog." She teases remembering it was only her niece's fears of being mocked by her fellow applicants that kept Maggie from taking the toy dog with her when she'd been accepted to the academy thus entrusting Gertrude's safety to her instead.

Up intel a few days ago the plushy pup having sat in a place of honor on the elder woman's wall shelves along with a picture of a young Maggie grinning toothily at the camera one of her first winning games after she'd first decided to try playing hockey.

"You didn't read this little boy's message, Tia." Maggie reasons her eyes returning to the ghosted pair skating side by side on the ice. "He wants to surprise his mother for her birthday and apparently, he found a picture of her in her younger days and Gertie here looks a lot like the dog she had." The cop explains still rubbing softly against one of the dog's ears. "How can I say no to him just because I'm holding on to someone who changed her phone number just to avoid talking with me then sent back my letters unopened when I tried to ask what I did to upset her?"

The soft curse her aunt gives at her questions surprises her niece considering she hardly ever heard her dear aunt curse. Let alone a string of them, most aimed at her father.

"Tia?" Maggie questions completely confused

"Come skate with your old auntie, dear, and I will tell you." The elder woman bargains. "and you can tell me more about this young man."

Maggie only nodes once knowing from experience when her retired ice dancer of an auntie was as upset as she seemed at the moment only the chilly calm of the ice could cool her fiery temper.

"So, your young man." Her aunt started once the two had finished lacing up and had started their first slow lap around the frozen stretch of water. Maggie's a little more unsteadily considering it had been many years since she'd even put on a pair of skates since she was twelve years old.

Skating just reminded her of Alex despite only being in the same state let alone the same room for that single afternoon. It hurt her more than at the time young Maggie had been able to handle hence giving up a sport she loved to throw herself fully into her studies both in high school and then on to her time in the academy.

"From his message I can guess he's a young boy. Recently adopted from what I've pieced together from what little he told of his background, but I can see just by how he writes about her that this boy absolutely adores his new mother, how he adores his true family." Maggie starts off feeling far more confident in her footing now she had something other than the cause of her aunt's upset to think about. "His words." She adds at her aunt's curious look at her wording.

"They at least try to understand him in a way it seems his blood didn't." Her aunt guesses with a fond smile when Maggie nodes once in agreement as they glide into a turn. "Remind you of anyone?" the elder woman asks

"and when he found the listing I posted for Gertie well….: Maggie pauses her throat tight as she struggles to find the right words.

"I thought you took that posting down after the bank approved our loan?" her aunt questions her tone more on the lighter side of scolding

"I was meaning to but then everything started snowballing and I guess. I guess I just forgot." Maggie tries poorly to defend herself despite the honest truth behind her words. "but I can't back out now. This boy whoever he is is counting on Gertie and me to make his mother's birthday special."

The pure pride of her aunt's gaze warmed Maggie's heart far more than any warmed cocoa ever had after a turn on the ice as the pair finally completed their first lap around the larger than they'd thought ice rink. "But what was it about Papa that made you all…" Maggie pauses already seeing the prideful look quickly being replaced by her aunt's earlier fury.

Fury but also shame.

"He's lied to you for years now. As have I my dear little conejita." The older woman sighs guiltily

Maggie skates to a full stop now in the middle of the rink. "What are you talking about, Tia? Lied about what?" she questions.

"I can only apologies for my own however small part I played in keeping this from you all this time my love."

"Keeping what from me?" Maggie growls through her teeth the hardened anger now burning in her own eyes hot enough to burn the very rink the two were standing on if such a thing were possible.

"Not what love." her aunt corrects already pulling out an aged envelope from the pocket of her jacket "I think you mean who have we kept from you." Even after all this time, Maggie can still recognize the handwriting scrawled across the front. "There were more of them. A whole box full but I could only manage to save this one before Oscar found me snooping." Her aunt admits holding out the long-kept message from her niece's past.