When Valentin arrived at the Devane residence, he was shocked to see that there wasn't a hole in the living room. Anna paced back and forth furiously, a hand on her hip and a knuckle on her bottom lip. He maintained his concerned expression as Felicia Scorpio walked up next to him, both of them stepping closer, prompting Anna to stop.

"You got my message," she greeted them.

"We did," Felicia sighed sadly, "It's unfortunate that Frisco isn't with the WSB anymore."

"Has he talked to you about it?"

"A little bit. Not much beyond how sudden it was."

"When did he leave the Bureau?" Valentin raised an eyebrow.

"It had to have occurred a day or two before today in order to find a new director."

"Why did he leave?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Felicia replied, taking a seat on the sofa. Anna and Valentin join her, "Frisco called yesterday and left me a message about the WSB. I called him back and that's when he told me that he wasn't the director anymore. I tried asking him about why and how it happened-"

"And?"

"It was an eleventh-hour removal. He was contacted by the board and told that he was removed from his position. They were tight-lipped about why and hung up."

"Does he have an idea of why?"

"He thought he broke a code or that the Bureau was going in a different direction from him."

"But that makes no sense," Anna cut in, "Things were fine under him. Why change things up?"

"That's what I thought too. I know you had no qualms with his leadership, so for the board to cut him loose…it makes no sense."

"It could also have to do with the new director," Valentin remarked, "I doubt the WSB is above corruption scandals."

"That could be. The new director is Jack Brennan."

"...No."

"Yes."

"No," the man shook his head in disbelief, "that can't be right. Who told you this?"

"...Emma did."

"Emma?" Felicia's eyes widened, "How would she have known that?"

"The Academy had their orientation today, and he gave the opening speech. She called me after that happened and asked about Frisco."

"What did you tell her about Brennan?"

"Just that her education was in good hands, which is technically true."

"Brennan was very skilled, but he was a loose cannon. Who's to say that won't influence how he dictates the Academy's curriculum?"

"He'd have to get the board to approve those changes, right?" Felicia questioned.

"Yes, but considering how they let him become the director, they could also approve any of his suggestions."

"I think we might be catastrophizing a bit too soon," Anna stated, "I don't disagree that in his heyday, Brennan wasn't one for conformity, but I doubt he'd be reckless enough to upend an established institution-"

"You know as well as I do that Brennan stuck to his own principles, no matter the circumstance."

"You know that; you were closer to him than I was."

"What principles did he have?" Felicia asked.

"Let's just say he was a fan of loopholes," Valentin began, "If he found a way to skirt WSB's policies, he'd exploit it until he couldn't. It got him into trouble quite a bit."

"And he kept his position with the WSB?"

"He did for a while. At some point, he was booted out. No one except the board knows why…" Anna gently bit her bottom lip, "which makes his grand return even more perplexing."

"Were you two partners?" Felicia raised an eyebrow at Valentin.

"We worked together on a lot of missions, so we got to know each other fairly well."

"Has his behavior ever affected you?"

"It's certainly gotten me in trouble with the Bureau, yes. I was lucky enough to possess plausible deniability."

"Wow," the woman's eyes widened, "What was he doing?"

"If I were to get into detail, we'd be here all day."

"Let's just say his circle of comrades was…not the best," Anna gritted her teeth.

"I see, and I'm willing to bet that those associations were why he was finally kicked out."

"That's been the running theory for those of us who worked with him."

"And you're concerned about his position solely because of his history?" Felicia looked back at Valentin, who doesn't respond, "...I see. Someone deeply cares about his nephew, doesn't he?"

"Of course I care about my family," the man responded, "and I'm sure Anna filled you in on everything that's occurred with my nephew."

"She has. Dex has been through quite a bit."

"I just want to make sure nothing happens to him."

"What would Brennan want with Dex?"

"Hopefully nothing more than making sure he can graduate without a visit to the nurse's."

"You think something could happen to his heart?" Anna questioned.

"It's certainly possible; he doesn't need any excessive stress," he shot Anna a look, his face muted, "And I doubt you want Emma to endure the kind of chaos Brennan could bring about."

"I won't argue with that."

"Neither will I," Felicia nodded, "but I know that Emma will triumph over anything Brennan will throw at her. I'm sure Dex will too."

"He's a tough kid, even after what Victor did to him. I just hope he has the wherewithal to take care of himself. He is his father's son, after all."

"I thought you and Wallace were close," Anna crossed her fingers, donning a smirk.

"Oh, we are, but I'll still call a spade a spade."

"I heard Wallace is quite the gentleman," Felicia laughed.

"A gentleman with a mouth, yes. Dexter definitely inherited his snark."

"How is he, by the way?"

"Fine, I assume. I haven't spoken to him in a while."

"What about Irina?"

"Booze up, schmooze up: that's the game plan."

Irina watched curiously as Wallace paced the floor in front of her, his phone pressed against his ear. She sat in a ball on the sofa, curled up in blankets. Part of her looked on in wonder, another part in fear, and a small part like a stranger. Months passed between her trip with Dex and the present moment, and while she was just as much a resident in the house as Wallace was, she still felt like a guest staying for her very first night.

"Senator Reynolds is a bonafide alcoholic," he continued speaking into the device, "You saw it firsthand when he whipped out his flask in the corner. That's our in, because when his inhibition's down, his affability's up. You could weasel any information you wanted out of him with some whiskey and ego stroking."

Irina tried to avert her gaze, her cheeks a bright pink as she wrestled feelings of frustration and intrigue as the man worked. She snuggled into the fabric around her, taking in the fresh fleece scent.

"What do I want you to do?" Wallace scoffed in disbelief, "I want you to get intel on his party's platform. Get me dirt on how and why they're pivoting into this random, unknown energy company. It'll either be a shell or something we can put our own stake in. Remember: booze up, schmooze up. Got it?" he froze to hear the caller's response, "Good. Call me when you get something."

"This is your job," she remarked as he looked her way. He shook his head, donning a smile before sitting down on the opposite end of the couch, pulling her and the fabric she's wrapped in against his chest.

"It is my job," he spoke softly, kissing her forehead, "and this is the umpteenth time you made that observation. You know you don't have to keep saying that, right?"

"I know, but…it's still a bit unbelievable."

"You'll get used to it."

"Will I?" she looked up at him as he ran a hand through her blonde hair, "You have so many skills and talents and you're choosing the world of politics?"

"I'm not in the world of politics…not legitimately anyway," he replied, "What I do, my love, is deal in secrets."

"And that makes a difference?"

"I'd like to think so. Corruption, affairs, disease, my organization snuffs it all out, or, if we feel a bit frisky, we start it."

"Frisky?" a smile immediately formed on her face as she giggled.

"Yeah," he sighed bashfully, "I may or may not have said that on purpose, and it looks like I got what I wanted."

"Oh, you're evil," Irina turned to face him directly, planted on her hands and knees.

"Is that so?" Wallace smirked before he felt her lips touch his. They moved in perfect sync, his hands cupping her cheeks, swallowing her giggles and moans.

She pulled back first, "I missed you."

"I missed you too. I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," she got to her feet, meandering around the living room. She ran her fingers across a nearby bookshelf, stopping when she felt plastic against her skin.

"The scrapbook," she murmured. Wallace stood by and approached her, pulling the book out. It existed as a laminated rectangle, blues and greens in stripes and polka dots cover the exterior.

"You've been avoiding this thing since you moved in," he stated, "I mean, I probably shouldn't have tried to make you look through it when you were trying to get comfortable with everything but-"

"Let me see it."

He handed her the item, watching as she retook her seat on the sofa. He joined her, wrapping an arm around her, his hand cupping her waist. She took a deep breath before turning the front cover over, her heart skipping a beat at the very first photo. A young boy, no older than five, laid on his stomach as he slept on a felt black surface, his face round and clean and his eyelids free of any creases.

"This is the oldest picture I have of him," Wallace said softly, "I took it the night we moved in. The cross-country car ride tuckered him out."

"He's sleeping on…?"

"An air mattress. We ended up sharing that thing for a little bit before the upstairs was done."

"This house wasn't even built yet?"

"It was; it was just abandoned."

"Oh," Irina huffed as she continued to turn the pages. Each image she saw of Dex tugged harder and harder at her heartstrings: school photos, family portraits, candids. A small lump began to form in her throat, "God…"

"We can stop if you want," Wallace reached for the book.

"No, no, I'm glad I'm looking through it. It's nice to see that Dexter's childhood was preserved in these photos."

"I did keep them for basic sentimental reasons, but, uh, I'd be lying if I said I didn't also keep them for you to see."

"You're always thinking of me," she smiled sweetly.

"Not a day goes by that I don't," he pulled her closer, holding her against him, "and I'll keep doing it. Because I love you."

"I love you too," she kissed him, turning back to the photos, "and I love our boy. These all seem like an entire lifetime ago."

"Yeah," Wallace leaned in towards the album, "even I can't believe he's in his mid-twenties. The years just flew by."

"That they did," Irina frowned as she caught teenaged photos, especially a few in the hospital, "What was this about?"

"That…" Wallace gulped, "was back when Dex was working for me. He got in a fight with a rival's son."

"...Did he win?"

"He did."

"I still can't believe you had our child working for your 'business.'"

"It was a good idea at the time, and he was an excellent spy, but…it did do some damage to our relationship."

"Maybe one day that damage can be repaired."

"Maybe, but the ball's in his court, so he'd be the one to make it happen," his voice then dropped to a mutter, "if he even wants it to happen."

Irina raised an eyebrow at him when the sound of his under-the-breath babble caught her attention. His phone then buzzed in his pocket, and he got to his feet to answer.

"What do you have for me?" he asked, pacing the floor, "...He what?"

"What is it?"

He lowered the device, gritting his teeth as he spoke, "Senator Reynolds caught my spy."

"Oh…"

"Clarke, where are you?" Wallace continued, "You're still at his office? Okay, how did he react? Does he know about the business?" the man relaxed his shoulders, "Okay, good…what? He's what?"

"Let me see," Irina approached the man, reaching for the phone, "Hello? Yes, put the senator on the phone."

"Irina-" Wallace stopped himself when she held up a finger to silence him.

"Hi, yes, Senator Reynolds. I'm so sorry for all this trouble. My son is a big fan of yours, a very zealous one considering your position on energy, and he got in over his head by approaching you and trying to commiserate. Rest assured that it won't happen again, and I'll straighten him out once he comes home," she donned a wide smile, "Thank you, I appreciate your kindness and grace. I wish you the best, sir. Goodbye," she ended the call, handing the device back to Wallace, "Your employee will have a lot to answer for once he comes here, I'm sure."

"...I love you," he pulled her into him, planting a heavy kiss on her lips. She giggled as she pulled back, her hands on his shoulders.

"I think I see why you got Dexter involved," she half-heartedly admitted.

"Yeah, my men need some work," he laughed in response, "but thank you. You really saved my ass."

"Whatever you need," she grinned.

"Even if it means helping out with the business?"

"...Yes," she nodded, a defeated smile on her face, "I'll help with that too."

"Thank you, liebling," Wallace pulled her into a tight hug, "I appreciate it more than you know," he stepped back enough, holding her hands in his as he wore a wide, excited smirk on his face, "and I think the first order of business will be a crash course on the in and outs of the business."

"Lay it on me," she replied before she followed him to his office, her education beginning the moment she shut the door behind her.