Maggie's fingers drum impatiently against the wheel of her unmarked cruiser as she waited in the growing line of other parents readying to pick up their children from school.

As she'd expected her captain had called her into a meeting nearly as soon as Maggie had stepped back into the bullpen following the disaster that was the not so unwelcomed kiss with the woman Maggie was hopelessly crushing on.

"Officially." Her boss and former mentor starts off saying as she slowly rounds her desk the same time Maggie sinks unasked into one of the chairs facing it. "it seems I currently have our best IT boys hunting the cyber version of 'wild geese' because of you Detective Sawyer."

Maggie blinks a few times puzzled by this. So, her captain elaborates a little. "I did see what caused this current topic of 'bullpen gossip" her boss goes on "I have to say that new leading lady of yours sure does seem to know how to kiss if it has my best detective acting like- well this." Maggie feels a blushing coloring her cheeks at the implication. Despite it being completely true as her mentor waves a hand in the seated woman's direction with a knowing smile. "but when some of my superiors came down to have a look themselves the file had been scrubbed by someone we can only seem to know as 'Computer Lad' whoever they are."

Maggie doesn't know whether she should be over the moon or petrified by this.

Whoever this 'Computer Lad' was they definitely saved her job, but they also needed a far better code name, and if anything, she was even more puzzled by what was going on.

"So, erm…" she started off in some vain attempt to articulate her own tangled thoughts only to stop when she noticed her former mentor was busy glaring daggers over Maggie's shoulder more than a few times as they'd talked. Maggie expected nearly the full bullpen was attempting to listen in on what was being said.

"Give me a moment, Sawyer." Her boss sighs rubbing her thumb and forefinger against the bridge of her nose before crossing quickly to bark a hard "Cities not paying you all to stand around, back to work" call that didn't even need to be said past the separating barrier of the closed office door for it to send more than a few milling cops scrying off as fast as they were able.

"Take the next week off, heck take the next two just to be safe." Her captain decides pivoting back toward her with a much more relaxed expression. "sure, it will have to be half pay but it's the best I can do while we work out whatever this is."

"I get it." Maggie nodded finally letting out the breath she'd been holding since walking back into the building. "can't show favoritism." she shrugged "but at least you're not asking for my badge."

Grace clapped her hand to Maggie's shoulder giving it a not-so-light squeeze when Maggie didn't immediately look up to meet the other woman's eyes. "You earned that shield, and I'm going to fight like hell to make sure you can keep it no matter what or at this point what isn't brought against you to try to take it away."

"Thanks Cap." Maggie sighed fighting back honest grateful tears at the show of support.

"Just before you leave mind handing over your current caseload?" Grace asked returning to her more intimidating place of sitting in her desk chair shifting through a file on her desk. "I'll see them properly handed out so that something gets done on them till you get back."

"Sure thing, Captain." Maggie agrees already seeing this for the dismissal it was given to be.

A car horn blared from behind her jarring the distracted cop from her musings as the afternoon sun tried once more to blind her as she moved forwards in the line.

That was until she noticed Cole's teacher waving for her attention with a not-so-unreadable expression. Cold dread tightened in Maggie's stomach as she maneuvered out of the 'pick up' line.

"Cole's alright," Kelly promised as Maggie quickly got out of the car at a speed that would have given the Flash a run for his lightning bolts.

"But." Maggie prompted as she followed the other woman up towards the school. Her pace speeds up when her question goes unanswered beyond a nervous intake of breath as Kelly searched for the right words to start off with.

"Maggie…"

The hurrying mother ignores the call of her name bursting through the office doors then take the sharp right turn into the nurse's office. The fact the startled young man sitting behind the desk was in the middle of disposing of obviously bloodied bandages did little to slow Maggie's already racing heart rate. "Where is she?"

"Maggie, please." Kelly again tries to calm down as she jogs into the office behind the shorter woman's more frantic steps. "I've already told you, Cole is fine, remember?"

Maggie's jaw ticks in annoyance at the attempted soothing the question brought.

"Were. Is. My. Daughter?" Maggie asked attempting a calm she clearly wasn't feeling before the door to what she already knew to be the principal office opened.

"Won't you come in please, Detective Sawyer?"

Maggie hesitates until she catches sight of Clyde sitting in his more attentive state beside the one visible chair the semi-opened door offered into the more official room.

Cole only just caught her eye before her child shrank back against her chair now staring pointedly at the carpeted floor yet it was the bruised state of her daughter's hands that draws a majority of the cop's gaze as she steps into the office only sparing a passing glance at the occupant of the office's other chair. Not that the boy seemed to be truly hurt other than a hard-looking hit to his nose that if Maggie was seeing it right had already broken the child's nose as he glared blurrily in Maggie's direction.

Maggie sighed already guessing the cause of her daughter's current trip to the principal's office when she spies the smashed remains of what had once been a cell phone sitting on the desk ahead of them.