"I thought if I came up here you might find it harder to lie to my face than you did lying to me over the phone."
Rebecca McCoy could feel her jaw grow slack, as her future stepmother sailed passed her and into the small kitchenette. Rebecca closed the door and watched as Brooke Malinowski set her belongings beside the refrigerator before pulling a mug from the drain board.
Normally the descendant of two of the most formidable prosecutors on the east coast would have had no problem expressing her outrage at the unannounced intrusion into her apartment, at sixty thirty on weekday morning. But since learning Malinowski had been kidnapped because she had been mistaken for Rebecca, the young woman had been overwhelmed with a since of responsibility for Malinowski's fate.
"I didn't lie. I just didn't want to upset you," she said as she shook her head at Malinowski's silent offer to pour a second cup of coffee."I know how you feel about Jack and I..."
"Who," Malinowski said with sternness that reminded Rebecca of her mother.
"Listen Brooke, I know you want to help," Rebecca began; suddenly pausing when she noticed Malinowski wore no ring on her left hand."Oh my God. Did …did you and Ja- did you and my mother's ex husband break up?"
Malinowski chuckled at the young woman's stubbornness, stubbornness that left no shadow of a doubt as to her paremtage.
"It's still sitting in some evidence locker in Canada," she explained as she took the mug of coffee and sat down on the sofa at the center of the studio apartment."With any luck, we'll get it back in time for our silver wedding anniversary."
"Oh right. Evidence. I forgot," she said as she tightened the belt of her bathrobe, joining Malinowski on the sofa.
"Besides what do you care," Malinowski pressed. "You sound awfully concerned for a young woman that disowned her own father. What do you care whether he's happy or not?"
"All right Brooke," she said feeling her cheeks grow hot."You've made your point. I care. I just don't care to have my life disrupted again because of what my father does and before you try to tell me how Da- how he should get a Nobel prize for sending this Rostov guy back to Moscow, let me inform you Detective Green not only went there when we went to the safe house, he showed me the crime scene photos. It still doesn't justify the jeopardy he puts the people that are close to him in."
Malinowski nodded.
"Those pictures were pretty awful, weren't they?"
Rebecca looked down ward, much like her father did in times of stress or strong emotion. She still couldn't believe the number of women…not even women…girls that had been taken because of the Rostov brothers.
"Awful doesn't even begin to say it. Brooke, I respect what he did. I really do. But my God, how are any of us supposed to live normal lives when he gets on the bad side of someone like that? How can you not understand? You're the one they took…if it wasn't for you…"
"It would have been you," Malinowski said softly, when the young woman faltered," and believe me Rebecca, I thank God it wasn't you or Lindsay. I won't say I'm glad I opened that door, but when I think about the alternatives…"
Rebecca continued to look down at the Pergo flooring as she felt as wave of shame wash over her.
"You thank God it wasn't you too, don't you Becky," Malinowski said as she lifted the other woman's chin."That's why you feel so awful, isn't it? I'll let you in on a little secret, Becky: It's okay to be happy you weren't the one they took."
"How can you say that," the younger woman asked incredulously."After everything that happened to you…how can you even look at Dad… much less come all the way up here to talk to me? It's because of us you were…you could have died."
Malinowski pursed her lips together silently noting the young woman's verbal slip, as she squeezed Rebecca's shoulders.
"I'm sorry Becky…that was a very 'Mom' thing for me to do and I do know I'm not your Mom," she said self consciously removing her arm.
Rebecca grimaced, assuming McCoy had at some point, filled Malinowski in how disastrous it was when a member of what Rebecca had referred to when she was a teenager as 'Jack's Flavor of the Month Club' made the fatal mistake of feigning closeness to her in order to gain points with the old man.
When Rebecca finally looked up from the floor she wiped her eyes before embracing Malinowski.
"God Brooke, I'm not fourteen anymore," she said in a voice that contradicted her words."Asking you to marry him is one of the few things I think he's done right. I see how good you are for him."
"He's good for me too, Becky," she said as she scanned the younger woman's face."Things happen in life. Those men that came for you could have just as easily been sent for me by someone I sent to prison who was holding a grudge. You've met my ex husband. You know the lengths he went to to try and keep me safe and look what happened. I got hurt anyway. You just don't know what's going to happen in life…but I do know... I couldn't have gotten through this without your Dad. He's hurting over you Becky. When Jack hurts, I hurt as well."
"You've been around him too long," Rebecca said with a smirk."He's taught you to play dirty."
"I'll have you know I can sink lower than any man, Jack McCoy included, to get what I want young lady,"the older woman retorted, with a grin. "Seriously Becky. you two have spent almost a third of your life not speaking to each other. Jack doesn't have another decade to wait around for you to swallow your pride and decide to be his daughter again. You need to talk to the man and you need to do it soon."
"Are you saying he's sick, Brooke?"
Malinowski shook her head swiftly.
"I'm saying you never know when something is going to happen. Jack may live another forty years or this new job of his could give him a heart attack tomorrow," she said as she glanced at her watch and started to get up."You know he loves you Becky. If you have to change your name and move across the country or across the globe, he'll understand. But there's no reason you have to cut him off entirely. It won't make you safer; it will just make you a whole lot lonelier and him a whole lot more miserable."
"Maybe the three of us can get together on Saturday," she grudgingly began while she watched Malinowski gather her suitcase and purse.
"I have to pass. I'm on my way to Moscow."
"Moscow?!? I thought you just went back to work? What about the trial and your job…"
"Your dad can explain when you see him. I should be back in a couple of weeks," she said as she gave Rebecca another hug, before opening the front door. "I have to go. I took the morning train out of Grand Central to see you before you went to work. My plane leaves in a couple hours and you know how they are about early check in these days."
"You're flying from here not out of Kennedy or La Guardia," Rebecca gasped."Brooke, that's going to cost you a fortune. Why would you … why not just call …?"
"I told you, I thought you'd find it harder to lie to me this way," she said with a grin. "Besides, the expression on you face when you opened the door was worth a few extra dollars. Now that you know how much trouble I've gone to after my near death experience, do I have your word you'll see you Dad this weekend?"
Becky rolled her eyes at the older woman's melodramatic tone and nodded.
"If only to tell him he's found his match in the stubbornness department," the young woman shot back with amusement.
"Ah yeah. About that…I won't tell you to lie to your father…but if you mention my visit be sure to remind Jack that I'm still not thinking clearly."
Rebecca gave her a puzzled expressed and Malinowski shifted uncomfortably as she recalled McCoy response when she offered to intervene between father and daughter. His simple four word response left no room for doubt of her fiancées position on the matter.
"Don't do it, Brooke"