AN: Guys, I have some really, really sad news. I just about cried when I realized this, and I'm slowly getting over it. But it's still really sad and I just can't believe it.

I lost my fake handcuffs. D:

Gasping for breath, Natara sagged as if boneless against the hospital bed, covered in sweat and thoroughly exhausted. The doctors were rushing around the small room, a blur of hands and arms and words. She tried to gather up enough strength to raise herself up on her elbows, and then she heard it: the tiny wail of her baby.

That tiny cry triggered some instinct buried deep in her brain, and she suddenly needed to hold her baby, her child. She raised her head and felt her arms reaching out, and a second later the infant was placed on her chest. The little girl squirmed on her chest, wailing loudly as she tested her limbs for the first time. Natara's arms circled around her, cradling her there.

The doctors cleaned her without even removing her from Natara's grasp, which was a good thing since she was pretty sure she wouldn't have been able to let her go. They quickly swaddled her tightly in a soft blanket and put a small, pink hat on her head.

How strange it was to finally meet the little person who had lived and grown inside of her for all those months. Natara found she couldn't peel her eyes away as she stroked the tiny hands and feet that she'd once grabbed at as they pushed against her stomach from inside. She was so small, tinier than Natara thought anything could ever be. She drew the infant closer, pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head and smiled.

"Hi there, Malia. I'm your mommy."

Malia eagerly leapt from the bus as soon as the doors were opened. She loved being a detective, and she enjoyed working with Jared. But if she was being honest with herself, with the exception of Jared, Captain Fallon and Lauren, she didn't really like anyone at the station. Sure, she respected them and was polite, but they weren't people she'd choose to willingly spend a long weekend with. Unpaid.

She and Jared stuck by each other's sides as they grabbed their bags and were herded into the lodge. The only thing Malia was looking forward to was working on the case. Mal had granted them permission to continue to work on it during the retreat, but only in the free time that they had and only if they participated in whatever activities were planned.

A man greeted them in the lobby and introduced himself as Ryan, their instructor for the weekend. They were ushered down a corridor and through a set of double doors, and Malia froze.

Bunk beds. Lots of them. She heard Ryan happily tell them that in order to enhance their comradeship and trust in each other, they would be cohabiting as much as possible. Taking a look at her mostly male companions, Malia groaned inwardly.

In that moment, she would have given anything to be back on the bus.

Meanwhile:

Mal growled under his breath as he slammed the phone back down into its cradle, biting back a scream. Never again would he allow Seth Holland to coerce him into sending his detectives to the woods for four days. With all of them gone, the most experienced officer he had was Harry Lannan.

What made it worse was the knowledge that his son was out there with them. Sure he was a detective and sure, he could take care of himself. Mal couldn't help it; it was his automatic instinct to worry about his son.

He stared down the mountain of paperwork piled on his desk. With all the detectives gone, he was also left with an ungodly amount of paperwork to fill out, one of his least favorite chores.

This was an absolute nightmare.

Later:

"Malia? Malia Blackwell?" The detective twisted as she heard her name, and her stomach dropped to her toes as she realized who had called her out.

"Lindsey Hart."

"What are you doing here?" the other woman smiled. "Are you with the department?"

"I am, actually," she replied stiffly. "What about you?"

"Well, I work here," she smiled. "I helped coordinate the whole trip for you guys."

"Ah, good," Malia laughed insincerely. "Now I know who to blame if I hate it here. What about your old sidekick, what was her name? Rachel?"

Lindsey's smile faltered slightly. "She ah... she died, actually." Malia felt shock and disbelief cross her face. Of the two of them, Rachel had been the more tolerable of the two and hadn't made Malia miserable... much.

"Oh, um wow," was all Malia found she could say. "I'm sorry." Lindsey smiled sadly and walked away. Malia felt someone walk up behind her and place their hands on her shoulders.

"Who was that?" Jared asked. He'd seen and heard the entire conversation and was curious as to how the two women knew each other. "She was kind of hot." Malia made a disgusted noise and turned to face him.

"Don't say that," she gagged. "She made my life miserable all throughout middle school and high school. My mom just about went on a murderous rampage when she found out."

Jared chuckled. "Sounds like mommy dearest has quite the temper."

"I suppose she does." Malia allowed a small smile. "Then again it could just be that she's over-protective of me. I am her only child, after all."

"Ha. Lucky. I have a sister who's five years younger than I am, Kailynn. She's a pain in the ass, but she's my pain in the ass."

"Sounds like you were close."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. We never really saw eye-to-eye, but that's probably because I'm a eight inches taller than her." Malia laughed and shook her head.

"Yes, I guess that's it."

"Can I see all of the detectives over here, please?" Malia groaned and planted her feet.

"There is no way I'm doing this," she protested. Jared laughed and nudged her forward a few steps.

"You're going to have to if you want to work on the case," he reminded her. "Come on, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can get back to work."