Well, here's the next installment. If you only knew how much trouble this and the next chapter caused me you will laugh. I lost this chapter 3 times and in a fit of pouting, refused to work on it for a couple weeks out of sheer frustration at loosing half of it only to have a Windows update occur during the re-write and crash my work again. I now save literally every two seconds!

I hope you're interest is still peeked… and I am moving quickly to get the next few chapters up in a more timely fashion as well as working some other additions.

And for the well wishers, thank you! My surgery went extremely well. Test results came back and it's not cancer, so I am extremely grateful! Just under periodic observation for the next few months or so!

Nikka

O

Letting her go back into Brennan's home when the man was no doubt unstable after the loss of his wife and daughter was one of the hardest things Sam Swarek had ever had to do in his life. She stood listening to Boyd talk her through the plan with her back straight, posture seemingly at ease, her full attention on the task at hand, but her eyes gave her away. There was fear there and as much as Sam hated her being afraid, he couldn't help but feel grateful that she had the sense to be afraid of going back into a risky situation.

She had told him firmly that she had to go back in, that she couldn't just leave, because if she did and Brennan was guilty, and if he faltered fro, 'cleaned up' life, her not going back in would jeopardize any future operations that could get him for the murders that the Toronto PD was angling for in her own op. A part of Sam didn't want to tell her that no matter the outcome, Boyd had already talked him in going under after Brennan, the entire situation just seemed a cluster fu-.

Sam had shaken those thoughts from his head as listened to Boyd and Andy discussing how she would explain her absence the night of Maggie and Gracie Brennan's deaths. They had even begun to plan out her exit strategy which Sam was more grateful for then anyone could have surmised.

The one blight on the exit strategy was Diaz's constant need to check in with him on Andy. Sam gritted his teeth and tried to remain calm. It was getting harder not to acknowledge that there was something going on between Diaz and his – between Diaz and McNally. Right now, he couldn't afford to focus on that, he needed, desperately needed to focus to help Andy get out of this situation without Brennan getting suspicious.

All of these events led to this moment. Sam hunched in the back of a surveillance van with David and another of the GnG team while Boyd played the consoling boyfriend to Andy at the double funeral. Andy had held up remarkably well, and even insisted on staying to help Jamie Brennan through the situation. While he hadn't been able to make contact with her since the morning after the accident, Boyd had given away little beyond that she was okay and that Brennan hadn't been acting erratically.

Sam had been watching the monitors diligently trying to make sure that there wouldn't be any trouble at the graveside service. None of the GnG members had missed the various mob bosses and their associates who had made an appearance at the church service and now the cemetery. The team had been busy trying to make a note of where everyone was, who they arrived with, who they sat with. Sam's focus was somewhat split as he made a concerted effort to keep his eye on Boyd and Andy sitting front row next to Jamie Brennan.

As the service ended and the guests began to leave, Andy remained looking over to Boyd with a sympathetic look and felt him squeeze her hand. Boyd wasn't sure that he wanted her to stay, but he knew that arguing with Andy McNally would get him nowhere, especially if she decided to get stubborn and dig her heels in. He almost had to hand it to her, McNally knew that they couldn't afford a scene in front of the mourners at the Brennan funeral, so here he was, Donovan Boyd, taking his ques from a rookie.

He nodded at her and gave her a bit of space but decided not to let it be too much. Reaching for his cell phone, he called Swarek wanting to be sure that the team was focused on documenting all of the different parties present at the funeral in the hopes of getting new leads on several cases. He dialed the number and studiously tried to avoid looking back at McNally on the hillside gravesite with Brennan.

"Yea," Swarek's gruff voice answered the phone.

"It was very well attended," Brennan spoke to Swarek in code in case anyone happened to over him. "Lots of faces to take in."

"Yup," came the crude reply. "We're on it. No one goes unaccounted for today."

Boyd cold tell from Swarek's crisp tone that he was none too impressed with Boyd having left his partner at the hillside gravesite with Brennan. He was almost about to tease Swarek about his constant need to be overprotective of this rookie, but he decided that a moody Swarek wasn't very much fun to deal with and Sammy had the best eyes and ears for situations like these.

"Something going on with our girl," Sam asked Boyd as Sam watched her on the monitors as she talked to Brennan.

"You know her," Boyd huffed. "She wants to make everything easier for everyone and feel better." He was doing his utmost not to stare her down, but when turned to look at her, Boyd nearly started at the sight of Jimmy O'Rourke and two other men flank him as they approached McNally and Brennan. Boyd turned quickly away speaking anxiously into the phone.

"Sammy are you seeing what I'm seeing," Boyd exclaimed.

"Yeah, I am," Sam replied leaning closer to the monitor. He could feel his heart beat start to race as he saw the scene at the grave. "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know," Boyd deadpanned. "Make sure we get this. I don't want this getting out of hand."

Boyd tried to remain casual and not look at her, but at the same time wishing that this little tete-tete was over quickly.

OoOoOoOoO

"It's almost all over Candace," Brennan's deadened voice broke the silence. He felt her eyes shift over to him in confusion. "Tomorrow, everyone is going to expect normality. The time to freely mourn what's been lost is over."

Andy felt herself try to swallow as she tried to make herself sound more reassuring than she felt. The entire situation was awkward at best, but this part of her that saw the good in Jamie Brennan couldn't let herself leave without trying to make it better. "No expects you to just move on, to forget. No expects you to be normal tomorrow. It's going to take time."

Jamie let out a strangled laugh at her words and almost wanted to thank her for making him laugh at this moment, but he was interrupted by a menacing voice that had no business being this close to the resting place of his wife and daughter.

"Isn't that sweet," Jimmy O'Rourke's voice broke the somber moment increasing the tension in the air tenfold. "I bet your dearly departed wife would find it so reassuring that you have the nanny by your side to comfort you while you grieve."

Andy sucked in an involuntary breath as she felt indignation rise in her chest. The man had some serious audacity to approach Brennan with accusations at the funeral of his wife and daughter. Andy had to fight to keep her eyes on the men in front of her employer rather than looking for Boyd or worse towards the surveillance team. She inwardly cursed herself for needed Sam's reassurance when the situation became difficult.

Brennan's thinly controlled anger was beginning to surge through the air causing chills to race up her spin. Since the accident, Jamie Brennan had been withdrawn and difficult to engage. He was angry, but he had always been in check so far.

Andy watched as he stepped in front on her blocking her view of Jimmy O'Rourke who was wearing a smug grin and clearly not at all perturbed by the situation brewing. There was a few moments of silence and from Andy could surmise, a stare down was going down between the two men. In a move that surprised her, O'Rourke moved to look her in the eye over Brennan's shoulder.

"Does your boyfriend know your screwing your boss sweetheart?"

Andy felt the heat of an angry blush explode over her skin and knew that the look on her face clearly betrayed all of her anger at the moment. This man had added insult to injury by showing up at the funeral of Maggie and Gracie Brennan, and now he was throwing around baseless accusations to try and get a rise out of Brennan. She watched feeling the anger bubble in her chest, but she somehow kept her composure and her mouth shut. Mouthing off or showing a reaction wouldn't be helpful to the situation at all.

"Do you have any respect at all O'Rourke," Brennan asked, his voice dangerously low. "You couldn't stay away on this day of all days? Then you harass the woman who my wife and I employ simply for being here?"

"Touchy Jamie," O'Rourke grinned at him meeting Brennan's eyes. "Wouldn't Maggie be proud of your chivalry?"

Brennan's only reaction was rolling his head about his neck before staring down O'Rourke and his two henchmen that flanked him. Andy felt the tension in the air as a dangerous mood enveloped them. She didn't dare breathe for fear of unknowingly starting a confrontation that was sure to spark violence.

"You go too far Jimmy," Brennan's eerily clam voice broke the uncomfortable silence. "You disrespect my family and the pact I have with your employer."

Andy watched with disdain as Jimmy O'Rourke's eyes flicked over to the freshly covered graves beside this little group. The man clearly didn't care that just a few feet away, a woman and a little girl were just laid to rest. Her eyes flicked back to the men in front of her and Brennan.

"Your family is dead," O'Rourke said crassly. "The pact is void. You have debts Jamie and I'm here to remind you of those."

"I'm done. This changes nothing Jimmy. Remind your boss of that," Brennan spat at him.

O'Rourke's smirked at Brennan and allowed his hand to push his suit jacket aside to reveal a gun at his waist. Andy felt herself go instantly into high alert and before she could stop it, her eyes darted down the hill searching for Boyd and the surveillance van behind him in the lessening line of cars. Boyd was on his phone and facing the van, clearly having a conversation with the team. From this distance, he looked tense, almost like he was trying not to turn around and see what was happening behind him.

"You really aren't that smart are you," Brennan countered, narrowing his eyes at O'Rourke and his men. "Look around you. The wife and daughter of a notorious mob enforcer die and you think this funeral goes unwatched?"

Andy couldn't control the gasp that escaped her mouth as every fiber of her body came alive alerting her to be ready for eminent danger. She prayed that her reaction wouldn't draw any suspicion. Before she could stop herself, her eyes were darting around to the leaving crowd trying to discern if anyone blatantly screamed police officer. When her eyes settled on O'Rourke and his men, she saw that they had done the same thing.

"Perhaps you're right Jamie," he responds acidly before his cold eyes bore into Brennan. "We can discuss this at a more opportune time."

The man had the audacity to look over Brennan's shoulder at Andy and shirk at her as he allowed his eyes to wander over her body before looking her in the eye with a leering glint and then back at Brennan again.

"Maybe you'll even bring your girl along with you when we talk," he smirked at Brennan's rising ire. "She sure is something to look at."

"Leave us be," came the retort that left no room for argument.

Brennan remained watching O'Rourke and his men leave, and when he was satisfied there would be no further incident, he turned towards Andy. The anger at the intrusion hadn't left him yet as he looked at her and then when a hand on her arm he turned her towards the remaining cars down the small hill.

"Don't be afraid Candace," Brennan said calmly. "Maybe it's time I explained my entire past."

Andy could barely contain her disbelief at his words as she tried her best to remain calm as they walked towards Boyd. "I know enough."

Brennan looked at her and sent her a small smile. "Maybe, but know you need to know enough to protect yourself."

Andy didn't get a chance to ask him anything else as they had reached Boyd who had turned to look at them. He offered her a small smile of his own that looked more like a grimace.

"I'll see you both at the restaurant," Brennan said as they stopped in front of Boyd. "Thank you for coming today Don. Maggie would have liked that you were here with Candace today."

Andy stood with Boyd and allowed him to pull her into him as they watched Brennan leave. When he was out of earshot, the pair turned towards their own car, Andy tucked under Boyd's arm.

"Tell me you saw that up by the grave," Andy hissed at him.

"Yup," Boyd's gruff voice deadpanned. "We got it."

Andy felt herself involuntarily suck in a breath. "He warned me. Wants me to be on guard," she rushed to get out. "He wants to tell me why I should be afraid of O'Rourke and his presence."

Boyd stopped abruptly and then looked down at her cradled against his side. The shock was clearly betrayed on his face. "Are you serious McNally? Because if you're playing with me right now -"

"His words. Not mine," she countered looking at him earnestly.

He began walking towards the car again with a slight smile on his face despite himself. "I could kiss you right now McNally."

"Try it," she threatened with a dangerous smile on her face, "and I'll make you doubt you can have children someday!"

OoOoOoOoO

It had been nearly two weeks since Maggie and Gracie Brennan's funeral and Andy felt her time running out. The game plan was that Candace would fly back home to Minnesota to try and reconnect with her dad after a few weeks. She and Brennan had fallen into routine that while comfortable, wasn't entirely easy.

She had escaped the house to pick up a few groceries and items that would last him for a few weeks if he bothered to try and take care of himself after she left in a few days. They had vaguely discussed her leaving sometime next week, but Boyd hadn't been firm on an exit date yet.

Andy was consumed in her thoughts as she went to the trunk of her car to get some of the grocery bags out and didn't pay attention to the car that pulled up behind hers. She vaguely thought that Brennan had returned home and so her attention wasn't necessarily crucial. When a voice she recognized as being entirely unwelcome spoke behind her, Andy inwardly thanked her lucky stars that Sam wasn't present to see her inattention. He might never stop chewing her out.

"Fancy meeting you here and alone Candace," Jimmy O'Rourke drawled. He seemed amused at her startled expression and the manner in which she spun to meet him.

"You're not supposed to be here," Andy countered, hoping her voice sounded calm and unaffected.

"You're feisty aren't you," O'Rourke laughed at her. "We could have so much together Candace."

Andy felt her heart race as the man crowded into her personal space. The stench of his musky cologne hit her nostrils nearly causing her to vomit between the smell and her nerves. Still, she was determined not to show any ounce of fear and met his physical intimidation with defiance and an upturned chin. She wasn't going to back down, even if her mind raced with all the ways that this could go badly.

"Not a shot."

O'Rourke's face became menacing at her displeasure. "We'll see about that Candace," he snarled at her. "Let's see how much Brennan wants you once I'm tainted you."

Andy couldn't control her reaction and shrunk back from him hating the amusement she saw in his face as she did. The man in front of her was disgusting, he loved to dominate, and he would do it to her by force if he could.

"You go too far O'Rourke," Brennan's voice boomed from behind her.

Andy nearly collapsed from relief hearing Brennan's voice behind her. She wasn't alone to deal with this man anymore and the relief was tremendous. Brennan's anger on the other hand was nearly as unsettling and for the first time, Andy realized that she had never truly seen how dangerous of a man that Jamie Brennan could be. The man she saw now was a lethal predator and Jimmy O'Rourke was his target. She briefly felt sorry for the man in front of her, but that passed.

"Get in the house Candace," he ordered leaving no room for an argument.

Andy didn't hesitate she left stepped away from O'Rourke and quickly made her way to the house. Once she was inside, she darted up the stairs towards her room where her window overlooked the drive way. Dialing Boyd on the way up the stairs, she horridly told him of the situation.

Units would be dispatched to the house all she had to do was get somewhere safe in the meantime. From her window, she saw O'Rourke and his men get into their car and leave and Brennan stalk his way back into the house. She hurriedly caught Boyd up on what was happening and barely managed to slide her phone in her back pocket before Brennan barged into her room.

"Pack a bag Candace," he said bluntly. "I'm putting you on a plan today. It's not safe with O'Rourke dropping by all the time."

"But Mr. Brennan," she stammered. "My ticket is for next week."

"Don't argue Candace, you've got to go today," he countered. "I'm sorry. It has to be today. Meet me down stairs in fifteen minutes."

Andy waited until she heard Brennan get down the hallway and called Boyd. Catching him up on what was happening, he told her to follow Brennan's orders and pack her bag. It looked like Andy would be getting extracted today and it was certainly sudden. She didn't miss the tiny tremor of nervousness in Boyd's voice as he told her follow Brennan's plans.

As she went down stairs with her one suitcase and a carryon bag, Andy prayed that she had everything important in her bag. Brennan met her on the stairs and took her bag ushering her out to the car.

"If you left something Candace," Brennan told her rushing her out the door towards the car, "I can always send it on to you."

"I think I got everything important," Andy replied numbly. Everything was happening so quickly. She prayed that Brennan really was talking her to the airport and that he hadn't somehow figured out that she was a cop. Her second prayer was that Boyd took this seriously and had some kind of plan. Andy really had no intention of going to Wisconsin, fake passport in her bag or not!

OoOoOoOoO

Brennan rushed her into the terminal and while she waited for him to purchase her ticket at God only knows what cost for same day travel, Andy couldn't resist checking her phone. Boyd still hadn't messaged her and she was getting nervous. It looked like she really was going to have to go to Wisconsin after all.

Heading towards the international terminal, Brennan surprised her by speaking again.

"I'm sorry you didn't get time to tell Don you were leaving," his face showed his pity in that, but also his worry. "There wasn't time. O'Rourke is dangerous and Don, while you care about him, well" he stammered a bit, "It might be good to get some distance."

Andy didn't even have time to protest Brennan's musings about Boyd before they hit the security check point. She was shaking a bit and knew that from his firm grip on her arm that Brennan could tell as well.

"I'm sorry you had to leave like this," Brennan said turning towards her apologetically. "Make amends with your father. Time is precious."

In that moment all Andy could do was nod at the man in front of her. He was a mass of contradictions and confused her, but she wanted to hug him. Her confusion only settled about her forcing her through the motions as the line for the security counter began moving.

"If you need anything Candace," he said meeting her eye. "You call me. If you see O'Rourke or you feel unsafe, you call me."

He forced her to accept his terms took his wishes for a safe trip with a nod. As she turned to go, his voice stopped her.

"Thank you Candace," he said in parting. "Maggie and Gracie loved you. You're a part of the family now."

Andy smiled and said her goodbyes one more time and turned to go. She knew that Brennan was watching her and she proceeded through security and down the terminal hoping that one of the GnG team members would intercept her.

When she reached her gate, Andy began to momentarily panic. She thought about not boarding her flight, but Boyd's words rang in her ears. Follow Brennan's plan in case he's got someone watching you. It was possible. She had waited nearly two hours when her flight was called to board. Just her luck, Brennan had gone all out and bought the a First Class ticket. Giving one last look around, Andy, boarded after the other passengers in her group and tried to mentally prepare herself for this trip and debated about whether or not to call Boyd.

She was lost in her thoughts and nearly missed the man standing at the end of the gate passageway until she collided into him. Apologies already spilling out of her mouth when two strong hands gripped her arms as they both stumbled a bit. Andy looked up flustered at the man and jerked with surprise.

"Sam!"

"I'm beginning to think you just like knocking me off my feet McNally," he teased looking her over for any signs of injury.

"What are you doing here," she asked incredulously as she simultaneously heaved a sigh of relief that this might actually all be over soon.

"Making sure you don't get on a plane," he rolled his eyes at her. "Unless you want to go to Wisconsin to visit your fake father?"

"Shut up," she grumped at him trying to resist a smirk.

He motioned for her to follow him out the small door on the side of the little hallway that she had seen airport employees use and down a small flight of stairs. They flanked the terminal and went through a small door and met Boyd and David with a few other team members there. For once, Boyd look relieved to see her and not pissed off at her. She shook her head at him.

He stepped up to her and with an honest to God smile on his face, he extended his hand to her. "Nice work Officer McNally."

She raised an eyebrow at him before Sam nudged her shoulder and she accepted his handshake.

"Time to debrief and go home," Boyd told her as he turned to go.

Andy looked over to Sam not really believing that the op was over. She felt his hand on her back encouraging her to follow Boyd all the while grateful that he was here with her. The idea of returning to her own life seemed terrifying to her right about now, and she knew that she'd need Sam's guidance to get back to normal.

"Let's go home," she whispered.