A/N: So...muse is thinking there's going to be one last chapter after this, then an epilogue, and then it's moving onto the next fic, which is going to pick up where this one leaves off...and that's about it for now.

"Have you ever noticed how whenever things get turned upside down, we always seem to end up at the playground?"

The question came from the general direction of the swings, where Elizabeth was, one of her shoes flying through the air as she kicked it off. She leaned forward and looked down, without letting go of the chains on either side of her and continued. "I mean, don't you think that's a little weird?"

"How is it weird? Mom and Dad do the same thing; where d'you think we got it from?" Kathleen asked in reply. "Better here than somewhere else."

"Where else are we going to go?" Maureen said dryly. "I don't know about you, but I've noticed quite a few squad cars in this neighborhood lately. I'm sure someone would notice if we disappeared."

"I'm starting to wish that we could. Maybe then people would quit staring like we're some kind of circus freaks," said Dickie. He dodged Elizabeth's other shoe and sat down, leaning against one of the metal beams that made up the swing set. "It's hard enough dealing with all this crap behind the scenes; what exactly do we need them watching us for?"

"They're trying to make sure we don't go off the deep end," said Kathleen. "Though it might actually be too late for some of us."

"Yeah…you." Dickie trailed off and scowled. "I hate this. We're living in a freaking fishbowl, and all Dad can do is run off into Manhattan every chance he gets."

"Hey, that's not really fair to say," Maureen told him. "Dad still has a job, whether we're home or not."
"I hadn't noticed," Dickie replied, sarcastically. "What the hell does the job have to do with anything? Running off to the precinct isn't going to make this go away."

Maureen frowned slightly and threw a small rock in his general direction. "What's with the attitude?"

Dickie glared at her. "What's with the excuses?" he retorted. "We all know you're Dad's favorite, Maureen, but that doesn't mean you have to keep covering his ass when he screws up."

"Okay…" Kathleen looked up from what she was doing, trying to walk along the see-saw without falling over as it went up and down. "I might have no room to talk, but that's just a little bit out of line. What's up with that, anyway?"

"Do you or do you not notice that whenever one of us wants to talk to him, something magically comes up, or is it just me?" Dickie asked in reply. A loud scraping noise made him jump; Elizabeth dragged her feet along the asphalt and came to a stop.

"It's not just you," she said. "But what are we supposed to do, tell him not to go to the precinct? That's hardly gonna work."

"Actually, it might, if one of us said something," Kathleen remarked. "None of us have really bothered."

"Maybe because we already know what the answer's gonna be," Dickie told her. "Whatever this might have been before, now it isn't anything more than proving he can handle this."

"No, it isn't," Maureen countered, "You know damn well he's still in this to find Mom."

"Yeah, and what makes you so sure about that, anyway? Don't you think if he wanted to find her, he'd have done it by now?"

"That's an awful thing to say. I can't believe that thought would even cross your mind."

"I'm not six years old anymore, Maureen, and I don't believe in fairy tales. Not every story has a happy ending. Take off those damn rose-colored glasses, and maybe you'd see it."

"Forgive me for wanting to keep a positive outlook, since it seems no one else around here is willing to do it!"

"How the hell do you expect us to keep a positive outlook when our own father can barely look us in the eye?"

They were both on their feet now, their faces mere inches apart as they glared at each other. Neither Kathleen nor Elizabeth moved from where they were, having been stunned into silence, but it soon became obvious that neither Dickie nor Maureen had finished.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Maureen demanded. "I might be wearing rose-colored glasses, but the last time I looked, Dad was perfectly capable of looking at us!"

"Yeah, and what does he see? The same kids he saw two months ago, at seven-thirty in the morning before he left to go to work?" Dickie shot back. "I don't think so! We're nothing but another fucking case file!"

"I don't know what happened to you, and right now, I don't particularly care, but don't you dare stand there, look me in the eye, and tell me that our father only thinks of us another case file!" Maureen yelled at him, her face slowly going red with sudden anger. "Don't you dare. Just because he still has a job to go to doesn't mean he doesn't give a damn!"

"Could have fooled me," Dickie yelled back. "He leaves before we're even awake, comes back when we're trying to sleep…if that's giving a damn, then I have yet to see what actually caring is!"

There was a brief moment of dead silence, and then a loud smacking sound echoed through the playground. He stumbled backwards, not having expected Maureen's hand to come flying out of nowhere, and fell over, straight into Elizabeth. She fell back against the metal beam of the swing set, staring at her eldest sibling in shock. Once again, there was silence, until Kathleen, wearing the same shocked expression that Elizabeth was, found her voice.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded, finally crossing to the area where her siblings were. "Seriously, Maureen, what was that?"

No answer came, not that she'd really expected one. Maureen was staring at her hands, the color having completely drained from her face. Kathleen grabbed her by the shoulders, and shook her, hard.

"I know I'm not exactly the voice of reason here, but you are freaking nuts," she said. "Both of you are. I mean, seriously, what the hell? We stick together for the past two months so these people can't break us, and all of a sudden, Dad goes to work and we're screaming in each other's faces?"

"You stay out of this," Dickie said furiously, glaring at Maureen over Kathleen's shoulder. "It's none of your business."

"The hell it isn't," Kathleen snapped, without turning to look at him. "It is my business, and it is Elizabeth's, because we all had to put up with it. We all got taken, we all got hurt, and we all made it through, so what exactly do you call this?"

"Facing reality," Dickie told her flatly, pulling himself out of Elizabeth's grasp and starting to walk slowly backwards. "Facing the fact that this family is so fucked up that we don't even know we're fucked up. That's what this is."

He turned, then, and took off at a run, not bothering to look back. None of his sisters went after him, all of them wanting to, but none of them having the nerve. What felt like an eternity of silence fell over the three remaining siblings, broken only by the sound of Elizabeth slowly sliding down along the metal beam to sit on the ground, burying her face in her hands as she did. Kathleen let go of Maureen's shoulders and went to sit as well, pulling her younger sister into a one-armed hug before looking back in her older sister's direction.

"He's right, y'know," she said, as Maureen, too, came to sit. "We really are too screwed up to know that we're screwed up."

Maureen buried her face against Kathleen's shoulder; a few seconds later, a muffled sob escaped her, and Kathleen pulled both her and Elizabeth closer.

The chains that held the swings together clinked faintly in the wind that came mere seconds later, but none of them moved.

It was going to end soon. She could tell that much just by the way the apartment seemed to be filled with noise. It was usually quiet unless Sam was doing something, and over the past couple of hours, she'd heard nothing but him moving about the place, obviously taking care of things and tying up loose ends. Whatever he had planned, it was going to go down before the day was over.

"You know, I really hate having to do this," Sam remarked, as he came walking into the room where Kathy still was, finally dressed, but still holding the covers close to her. "If you'd just cooperated the first time and come along with me, I wouldn't have had to go to all this trouble."

"I'm sure you'll forget all about it when this is finally over. There won't be any more skeletons in your closet," Kathy retorted. "At least, not ones that'll be able to come back and bite you."

"All skeletons in a closet can come back to bite the person to whom they belong, if the right opportunity presents itself," Sam told her. "Say, by chance, if Baltimore were to ever prove that I was behind the fire in 1976."

"I'm sure they'll be able to prove that and much more when they finally come to nail you."

"As I've said before, you put such faith in the police. It's no wonder that people say the heart behind the badge is a cop's greatest asset. Your detective likely wouldn't be where he is now without you." Sam trailed off and smirked. "He might have actually been able to follow his real dreams."

"What do you know about my husband's dreams?" Kathy shot back, annoyed. "You know nothing. Leave him out of this."

"He's been in this since the beginning. As I told him, if I can't have you, then no one will, and he's certainly made no move to prove me otherwise."

"So you keep saying. I'm sure you'll forgive me if I don't believe you."

"You never were the trusting sort. Always with the questions about everything. Why couldn't you have ever taken me at my word?"

"Because you're a damned liar and I have no reason to believe anything you tell me."

"Seeing as I happen to be your only connection to the outside world, I should think you would take me more seriously."

"I'm supposed to take a raving lunatic seriously? I think not. I've got better things to do than listen to you."

"Enlighten me, then. You've been stuck here in this room for days, Katie; I'm starting to think it's getting to you."

"It'd get to any normal person, being left with no one but the likes of you to talk to."

"You wound me. I was starting to think that you and I were finally getting along again."

"Your optimism will never fail to amaze me. There is nothing in this world that could ever make me want anything to do with you by my own volition."

Sam gave her an exasperated look. "Why do you think I had to resort to force?" he asked. "If I knew that you would cooperate with me, I would have made this so much easier. But you make it very difficult, Katie. It isn't easy for me to deal with someone like you."

"So why did you bother?" Kathy asked. "If you knew it was going to be difficult, why did you even bother?"

"Because some people enjoy a challenge, and I happen to be that type of person. That's why I bothered. And you've proven quite the challenge. So have your children." Sam replied.

"Their father and I didn't raise them to take this sort of thing lying down," Kathy told him, "Every bit of hell you got from them, you deserved."

"I thought you might say that. And I have to say that I do agree with you. I wouldn't expect any child of mine to handle something like this in any other way."

"Any child of yours would have run away a long time ago. I can't imagine them ever wanting to stay."

Sam ignored this and came to sit at the foot of the bed. "The world has certainly made you a cynical person."

"People like you make it awfully hard to ever trust anyone," said Kathy, "Maybe I have you to thank for that."

"Anything I can do to help," said Sam, amused by this. "In any case, after today, you'll never have to worry about seeing me again."

"I don't suppose you've finally given up on the idea that no one is going to come for me."

"Hardly. But should they actually come for you, as you so stubbornly believe they will, they're not going to find much. They'll be lucky if they find the building."

Sam got to his feet and walked towards the door. "I suggest," he said, motioning to the desk that Kathy hadn't noticed before, "That you write something. It wouldn't do to leave people without something to remember you by."

Halfway across Baltimore from where this conversation had taken place, Jennifer Whitmore flipped her cell phone closed and kicked at Mike Kellerman's feet beneath their desks.

"That was Williams," she said, as she got up, "She's sending McFadden down to the Homicide squad room with the warrant."

Mike looked up from the paperwork he was finishing at once. "We got the warrant?"

"Yeah, we got the warrant. Leave the paperwork and let's go. We've got a building to get to." She grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair and started out of the Arson squad room; Mike got up and followed after her.

"How long ago did she send McFadden over to the murder police?" he asked, pulling his jacket on as they walked.

"She told me that McFadden went down about two minutes before she called me," Jen replied. "You left the vests in the car, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I left 'em in the car." Mike flipped his cell phone open and hit one of the numbers on speed dial, throwing the keys to Jen as someone answered. "Mel, it's me. We've got the warrant, we're going in. Grab your partner, meet us there."

He hung up after a brief pause and got in on the passenger's side. "Melanie's on her way down there now," he said. "Homicide's meeting us with the warrant in hand?"

"Can't go in without 'em," said Jen. "Lights and siren, will you? Last thing we need is to get stuck behind traffic."

Mike glanced at the clock on the dashboard; the time read 5:00. Rush hour was just beginning.

"Fine time for Williams to get that warrant," he remarked, grabbing at the dashboard as Jen made a sudden turn. "Was she headed up to New York yet?"

"I don't know, she didn't say," said Jen, "Does it even matter? We've got more important things to worry about."

Mike's cell phone rang before he could answer; he glanced briefly at the caller ID and flipped it open. "We're already on our way. Did you talk to the Feds?"

On the other side of the line, Kay bit back the desire to swear loudly at Meldrick as he narrowly avoided hitting someone. "Yeah, we talked to the Feds. They're sending four of theirs to go in with us. You and Whitmore make sure you've got Kevlar."

"Already did," said Mike. "Narcotics is on their way down; they're sending two. Anyone bother to call up to New York?"

"Told Bayliss to do it; I don't know if he actually did. He might have had Michelle do it, she's riding with him."

"You're letting her come along?"

"She's got the warrant. She ran into Bayliss at the courthouse right after it was signed; they should be there waiting for us by now." Kay trailed off and bit back another curse before continuing. "Turn your lights and siren off when you get to the neighborhood. Last thing we need is Garret or any of his lackeys getting wind that we're coming."

"You need us to go around the back, then?" Mike asked. She shook her head and then remembered that he couldn't see her.

"No, come around the front. Tell Whitmore that we need her outside, but you're coming in with us," she said.

"Who's going in?"

"You, me, Bayliss, Lewis, Scott and one of the Feds. Everyone else is going to surround the building."

"All right, I'll let Jen know. Call me back if you hear anything from Munch." Mike flipped his phone shut and glanced at Jen. "They need you outside helping surround the building."

She nodded. "They need us around the back, then?"

"No, Kay says go around the front. Guess she's already got people going around the back. The Feds are sending four of their own."

Jen smirked. "Now they decide to get off their asses," she said. "I tell you, Mikey, sometimes I really wonder about them."

"Yeah, so do I. Watch where you're going."

The light went red, but Jen went through anyway, narrowly avoiding an accident, which was somewhat of a miracle in itself. Mike gave her a look.

"You know what, next time I'm driving," he told her flatly. "Let's just get where we're going in one piece, shall we?"

Getting there in one piece, however, was the last thing on Kay's mind. Leaving there in one piece was of more importance, but before she could really start thinking about it, her phone rang again, and she flipped it open.

"Bayliss told me you have a warrant," John told her, by way of greeting. "Are you going in?"

"No, we thought we'd wait for you to come home again," Kay replied. "Of course we're going in. What else did Bayliss tell you?"

"That you're going to surround the building and only six of you are going in," said John. "Who are you taking in?"

"Well, myself, obviously," said Kay, and then, "Meldrick, I swear on every shield in the department, this is the last time you drive anywhere."

"You let him drive?" John asked, and then, "Never mind. Who else is going in?"

"Mike, Meldrick, Tim, Melanie Scott and one of the Feds," Kay told him. "We can't have everyone going in or it'll go wrong."

There was no answer. Kay knew without really knowing that her comment had brought back memories of a time none of the old first shift liked to think about and she sighed.

"John, listen to me," she said. "It's not going to go wrong. We've covered every possible base. Garret's not getting out the front of the building, he's not getting out the back. Only way out is the roof, but I doubt he's going to jump."

"You need to have someone go up there anyway and block his access to the rooftop. Don't give him the opportunity, or he'll take it. He's not the kind of guy that's going to go out without a bang."

"He's not going to have a choice," said Kay. "It's either our way or no way at all."

"So you'll take him out if you have to."

"If he gives us a reason to take him out, we're going to take him out. I won't have anyone put in that same kind of situation again."

"You be careful in there, you hear me? I don't care how many times you have to look up or down or over your shoulder, just do it, all right?"

"We've got all our bases covered."

"Yeah, that's what we said before." John trailed off and sighed. "I knew I should have stayed in Baltimore."

"You're more useful in New York," Kay told him. "We'll let you know how it goes."

"You'll call me back yourself, then."

"Yeah, I'll call you myself. I've got to go; we're almost there. Keep your phone on."

She flipped her phone shut before John could say anything else and glanced over at Meldrick, who'd finally come to a stop.

"Eyes forward, shoulders back," she told him, getting out of the car, and he nodded, following suit."

"Eyes forward, shoulders back."