EPILOGUE

Thank you all for hanging in there with me throughout this one. Hope you enjoyed it. There's a bit more to come, then I need to turn my attention back to farm duties. Be safe and take care y'alls.

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"Why do I feel like I won't like what I am about to hear?"

Opening the door wider to let an anxious Lenny in; Mike sighed inwardly, unable to hide the sentiment of dread when it came to their latest case and everything in its wake.

For once, he saw the same emotions mirrored in the psychiatrist's eyes as he entered the confines of his house, a thick manila folder held against his chest, partially tucked beneath his heavy coat to protect it from the weather.

"You wanted answers, Lieutenant. I never made any promise that they would be pleasant."

Oh, how he hated that matter-of-fact voice today.

Too many concerning facts had already been uncovered as they worked on processing the case to provide answers to their superiors, the press, the next-of-kin and sadly enough…themselves.

Familiar words had begun to mix with lab talk, chemical names, psychology phrases and back to MO's and hard, physical evidence.

As if the house Steve had been kept hostage in wasn't a haunting enough sight, the aftermath which included putting all the agonizing puzzle pieces together had created a scene in his mind Mike neither cared nor wished to ever experience in person.

But his partner had, which made it even more crucial to check in on Steve and ensure he was alright, both physically and psychologically.

The latter had been a challenge to say the least, mostly because the young inspector couldn't remember much of his time in captivity, the experience quite possibly either buried deeply in his subconscious or…and this much Mike was praying for…deleted from his memory altogether thanks to the strong drugs that had been pumped into his system.

And here they were, a couple of days after the harrowing experience, ready to work through the final puzzle piece; that being the ledger Charles had kept throughout the kidnapping, taking meticulous notes of the intense questioning that lasted more than eight hours at one point.

The thick notepad chilled Mike to the bone, part of him having thirsted for the answers inside, the other regretting he did. But he knew that he had to dig into the matter for the sake of his partner and best friend.

Gesturing toward his large couch, Mike followed Lenny into his living room, reaching across the small side table for his set of glasses as he waited for the psychiatrist to get settled.

"You obviously have your view on this already…", Lenny began, his voice unusually somber, "And I feel that my take might help you understand a couple of those gaps we still have in our theories."

Cut to the chase, Mike wanted to say, but bit the inside of his cheek instead, knowing how much he owed the other man when it came to this case and clearing his name.

"I got a pretty good picture off the regular notes. It's the red ones that worry me."

The red ones.

At first, they were just random words written in red ink, upper case font.

But it appeared that as the hostage situation continued, Charlie had amended some of his plans, if not out and out changed them.

Soon the words were half-sentences, dangerous thoughts written out on paper. Then they were full sentences, paragraphs, hasty ideas set into motion to accommodate the original reason for Charlie's actions.

That's when he'd become frightened.

"And for good reason…", Lenny countered and leaned back against the couch, before crossing one leg over the other, "I have seen countless cases of dissociative identity disorder over the years but never to this extend."

Knowing that a long explanation was about to ensue, Mike interwove his hands, trying to ignore the clammy feeling that came with his overwhelming worry, his deeply-rooted dismay about having to dig so deep into a dysfunctional mind.

Lenny must have sensed it and hesitated for a beat before drawing in a deep breath.

"Dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorder often times entails the patient creating new personalities. These can vary from similar versions of the actual personality to downright opposing traits. Kind people will become mean, peaceful people become combative. Most of the time, this disorder has its origin in childhood trauma, often times abuse. Looking back at our suspect's upbringing, it is conceivable to assume that his parent's divorce had a lot to do with it. Did you see the note about the commonality of his character to that of Steve when it comes to strained inter-familiar relationships?"

"I did.", Mike said, struggling with the words as Lenny came closer to the truth he didn't want to hear.

"From his notes we were able to tell that he'd become very intrigued by Steve once he saw him go after the doll, developing an almost pathological interest in him which is where all those personal questions came from."

"About Jeannie and I…"

"Correct.", Lenny said and nodded, "And as you can see, that…that obsession only grew stronger during Steve's captivity, until it became so strong that it fueled our friend's multiple personality disorder in ways I have never seen before. Instead of creating a new alter, a ehm…a new persona, Charlie tried to actually become Steve."

Mike felt a slight shudder at those troubling words, his blue eyes drifting over to the loathed notepad hidden inside the thick manila envelope.

"I guess what I don't understand is…why would he think he can get away with it? It's not like he can just…I don't know…turn into my partner."

"In his mind he could.", Lenny said and paused for many long moments, the psychiatrist's brown eyes scanning him intently, seeing the raw terror hidden beneath his seemingly calm facade.

"You see, Lieutenant, in his mind, he could become anybody he wanted to be. His incredible intelligence paired with the DID made him the perfect candidate for this, a true jack of all trades. Despite his real-life troubles, Charlie built a false world he was living in, becoming the controlling mastermind he always wanted to be, conquering life despite his setbacks as a child. And when he couldn't find love, couldn't find a new family, he looked for the next best thing…belonging."

"It would have never happened…"

"Yeah, but you see, that didn't matter to him. All he wanted was to fill that void and become a person who was fortunate enough to have somebody else care for him, a primal need that Charlie was incapable of fulfilling no matter how many personalities he created or lived out. In his mind, becoming Steve and living his life was the final tier to his path of ultimate satisfaction and happiness."

Letting out a shuddered breath, Mike shook his head, trying not to let the absurdity of the situation cloud his judgment. So often, Lenny had reminded him that mental illness was just that, an illness, a condition deserving of empathy.

But unlike his latest head case, patients suffering from cancer or broken limbs didn't necessarily commit heinous crimes in the name of some higher greatness they hoped to achieve.

Yes, forgiving was deeply rooted in his nature and there were plenty of scriptures supporting the psychiatrist's notion but this was still his partner they were talking about here.

"And he would have killed Steve in order to fill in that role."

The harsh words escaped his lips before he could think twice; causing Lenny to hesitate, then nod.

"That's probable."

The dryness in the psychiatrist's words made him jerk his head up, his fierce gaze resting on the other man for several moments as the stillness filled the four walls of his living room.

Eventually it was Lenny who straightened out his legs and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as though he was trying to create more privacy between them.

"How do you want to handle this with Steve? He's going to have questions."

Nodding begrudgingly, Mike tightened his jaws, summoning his wisdom when he needed it the most. Then, with the calmest voice he could muster, he decided to follow his gut.

"We have to make sure he never finds out about that aspect of the case."

As expected, his words caused Lenny to frown, then point at the notepad.

"How are we going to do that?"

"I don't care if I have to individually rip out and burn every single page that references this…this ulterior motive, but we have to make sure he doesn't find out. I'd rather have him move on from this, living with a lie than wake up in a cold sweat every night hashing out what-if's."

Even though his tone had been harsh, it caused the other man to lean back again and cock his head in respect, before scratching his dark curls nervously.

"You really care about that long-haired guy, don't you?"

With a faint smile, Mike pointed at his front door and stood up.

"I do and right now you are keeping me from seeing him and sharing a cold beer so why don't you go back to your…your straightjacket fan club back at the clinic and I will check on my patient?"