"He keeps doing things he knows will get our background checked," Meghan said, kicking a pebble from the Central Park path as she walked with Mozzie.

"Because working at a law firm will and, even if it was an accident, setting your school on fire won't?" Mozzie quipped. He motioned to her recently bandaged arm.

"Can only deny that if there's no record."

"Is there a record?"

Meghan sucked in some air before responding. "A shit load. Security cameras, eyewitnesses, and a burn on my arm..."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that."

"You're the only one."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, for an office full of associates just looking for a case that might make them partner, not one of them has noticed the injuries from previous science classes." They came across a park bench and sat down. "Even Dad's been so busy he failed to see the bandage."

Her cell phone beeped... a text was just received.

"Speak of the Devil. He needs me to get something from Rachel's office."

"I thought he liked her."

"He does."

"Then why doesn't he get the file himself?"

"Because of me... and Harvey... Jessica knows. And maybe Daniel Hardman's return."

"Couldn't begin a relationship based on a lie?"

"He did learn something from Neal. Right? Too bad he couldn't have learned to read people sooner."

She hated having to talk about her brother as if he were dead when their little circle knew the truth.

Another message came in.

Tell me you're on your way to the office. I really don't want to tell Donna or Harvey that I have to pick you up from school when we both know you skipped and went to Mozzie's.

"Guess I'd better go... Hey, Moz?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you do something for me?"

"As long as it's not illegal. I'm not doing too much of that these days."

Just be on your way. I'll ask Donna to get the case summary. Harvey doesn't have time to wait for you.

"About that. I need you to resurrect the lawyer... Prescott's nurses are going on strike to get paid for the work they did even while off the clock because they're understaffed. I'm not asking you to represent them."

"But it would kill Mike if your grandmother lost the care she's been receiving."

"Yeah, it would. Her favorite nurse is on the list of fires if Pearson Hardman finds out. The man really wants this to work. He never shuts up about it while he's doling out her meds."

"So, he's committed to his patients."

"He has a family, Mozz. Yes, he's committed to his patients. And with the hospital being understaffed, he doesn't have much of a choice but to stay longer, with no overtime pay. It's not just the nurses who have earned that money."

"It's the people who are sacrificing time with their families. Who will I be speaking with?"

"Grammy's nurse said the head of the organization is a Nell Sawyer. She's been setting up outside one of the facilities. She's not a lawyer either, but she's burned through at least four of the firm's best... I told you... the man never shut up about the woman."

Mozzie promised to see what he could do for her and to keep her in the loop. Mike, Jessica, and Harvey weren't going to know a thing about her involvement. Unless she had a tell.

"Still having nightmares?"

"I don't think so. If I am, I don't remember now that I'm on sleeping pills... Jessica and Harvey's recommendation. Dad went along with it so I don't say something about Witsec in my sleep."

"You were sleep talking?"

"Said something about James Bennett and how I wish I had come forward."

"That's not-"

"I said it in Harvey's office... in front of Harvey."

It was Mozzie's turn to suck in. "That... could be a problem."

A text was received filled with coffee orders. It was followed by the money to pay for the orders.

Trevor may have been out of Mike's life, but he kept trying to get Meghan to work for him. As fun as she found that at one time, she didn't want to be that much like her siblings. She wasn't wanting to wear a tracking monitor.

She read through the orders after accidentally ordering a cup with weed once. The daily special wasn't on the list. It wasn't from Trevor who had taken to using fake numbers.

Meghan brought the orders to the breakrooms. Then she went to Donna's desk.

There was a lot of information regarding a Meghan Ross as Donna had quickly discovered. To begin with, the number of people in the city with her name combination was astonishingly low, yet high enough for the one working in their office to remain hidden. The frustrating part of her research for this Mike Ross betting pool was the inability to connect the teen to any of the theories listed.

The closest she had come was a report from seventeen, almost eighteen years prior. It didn't make sense. And she couldn't go to Harvey, nor did she want to broach the subject with him, until she had answers that would satisfy both of them.

Meghan Skylar Ross, as she had heard Mike say on occasion, was dead. Donna had a hard time believing such a thing when the girl was currently standing five feet away from her.

What she had gleaned from the article was that Mike did in fact have a sister. But it also said this sister, still in the womb, perished in the same accident that killed his parents.

Donna and Harvey knew about Mike and his history, his emotions. They knew how to handle one Mike, but if Meghan was related to him, why was he keeping her a secret? And how much alike are they? They seemed to have a lot in common, though there was always an answer to that as if scripted. She was so distracted with her unassigned research task that she failed to see the very subject sit on her desk.

"I wouldn't dig too deep into my life," Meghan said, holding back a laugh at Donna's knee-jerk reaction. The woman's pen not only snapped in half, leaving the part that was between her teeth where it was, but sent the part in her fingers flying across the hall. "You might understand what you see."

"As if there's anything to find. I've been looking for weeks."

"Exactly. People tend to go insane when their research doesn't line up with what they believe or know. Usually, the articles are pretty accurate. Until they're not... All I'm saying is that if you're trying to find answers about me online, the only ones you'll find are school related. Like when I started my chemistry lab on fire last week." She waved her bandaged hand as a visual.

The time of day didn't feel right for Meghan to be there even on a half-day. Donna knew the kid spent an hour every day.

"Don't you-"

"Not allowed back on school grounds. You know, because I started the school on fire. And Dad doesn't trust me to be alone," Meghan answered.

There it was again. A reference to the ever-evasive father. Mike had given one of Mozzie's burn numbers to save face when filling out Meghan's personnel file. Donna kept getting promises to meet the man, only to be stood-up. Her thoughts on the matter were interrupted by Meghan's ringing cellphone.

"Hello," the teen answered.

She could hear the faint 'where are you' on the other end. The voice sounded familiar. Placing it was going to be a problem with the volume as low as Meghan had it.

"I'm at Donna's... But I'm in the building... Do I have to?... What if I went to visit the nursing home?... Who told you I did that?"

"Who do you think?"

"I need to stop confiding in Mozzie. Don't I?"

Another name to add to the search.

"Are you insane?! I can't tell Harvey what I did! How suicidal do you think I am?! I wasn't brought onto the case until today... Well, how was I supposed to know who was representing the hospital? You don't tell me things I should know so that doesn't happen."

Meghan did her best to keep her voice low. The problem was that her side of the conversation was a thousand times easier to hear while a parabolic microphone was needed to hear Mike's side.

"What about tomorrow?"

"I don't want you anywhere near the home until the strike is over. Am I clear?... Meghan?... Meghan Skylar Ross, do I make myself clear?"

"I really hate you right now. Fine, I'll stay away."

"And don't go to Mozzie. I talked him out of it."

Donna watched the exchange go down. Meghan had left her desk from the beginning, though she stayed nearby. Her back was against a wall as if on the lookout for prying ears.

Once the call came to an end, Meghan returned to Donna's desk.

"Could I wait for Harvey in his office?"

"What did you do?" Donna asked.

"Noth..." Her shoulders slumped. Donna was way too intuitive for her liking. "Why am even trying?... There might be a conflict of interest ruling in the Prescott case... that I may have caused."

"Oh, my God... Meghan... you have to tell him." It was as if Meghan just shared something that could end a relationship. "Bring this summary in there with you. And tell him."

"If I don't?"

"You know I listen. Now, get in there. Harvey's in a meeting right now, but he'll be back in a few minutes."

Meghan sighed as she closed the door behind her. She leaned back against it, resting her head on the glass. If Mike didn't kill her for this, Harvey would.

She would have found what happened next to be funny if it wasn't for her current situation. Her heart jumped to her throat. It was as if she had awakened from the falling dream. Only it wasn't a dream. Someone had opened the door behind her, deliberately standing off to the side, taking great pleasure in watching her fall to the floor.

The shriek that left her mouth added to the man's entertainment. Harvey didn't laugh out loud, but his eyes did the talking.

"If I could punch you without getting sent home, I would," Meghan commented as Harvey helped her back to her feet.

"Have you gone over the files for the Prescott case?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"I am a very busy man today, Meghan so if you have something to say, save it and get to work on my case." Aside from hearing her voice and acknowledging her presence, Harvey acted as though she were never there.

She followed him into his office. "I can't work the case."

"Can't? Or won't?" He still didn't look at her.

"You act like they're the same thing! I can't work the case."

"You offered to work their side?"

"How did you know?" This told him everything. His first thought was that maybe Jessica had made a mistake in allowing an actual kid to be mentored by an associate everyone called a kid.

He didn't know, but her question answered his. He had pulled the same trick on Mike not too long ago.

"Obviously your mentor hasn't taught you all of my tricks."

Harvey wasn't pleased that Meghan had unwittingly created a problem. He did have to give her a little bit of credit, however. Instead of trying to fix it herself like Mike had always done, she came to him.

"You offered to help the nurses' union fight against us."

Meghan sighed as she slumped into the chair across from Harvey.

"I didn't know until I asked to look at their strike plan. They asked what firm I worked for and shut me out."

She had already removed herself from the case. Or so she thought.

"Did they show you anything?"

This confused her. "It wouldn't ma-"

"Did they show you their case?"

"Harvey!"

"Answer the question."

"I told you, already. They shut me out."

"Then you can work the case. Go on to Mike's desk and study the files."

It was a late night for Mike. With not trusting Meghan to be by herself as of late, it felt like ten years ago all over again. Meghan had a way with guilt trips. Most fell for it, like Mozzie. But Mozzie was also the only person who knew their history. And a home is supposed to be where a person, even one hiding in plain sight, can be themselves and talk about things that normally can't be mentioned.

"You didn't have to come, you know," Meghan said looking at Mozzie who seemed a touch bored.

"It's not babysitting, Little Caffrey. I'm just going to teach you a few things Neal wouldn't."

There was dinner on the table. Meghan was the cook in the family, and when Mozzie came over to eat, or in this case babysit, one did not order takeout.

"Like what? I already know how to steal under the FBI's nose. I can pick pockets. I talked you of all people into helping the other side... What else is there to learn?"

They sat down to eat.

"You've certainly got the confidence down."

"May I ask you a couple questions?"

"Fire away, Mini Ross... Sorry," he added from her pointed glare.

"Why is everyone assuming the school fire was my fault? It's not like I wanted to start it. I wasn't even moving. The kid behind me lost their balance. Suddenly there was a domino effect resulting in a second degree burn on my arm."

"You do have a history."

"I realize that, but no one else ever figured out the pattern. Not even Dad or Neal saw it. Just you and Grammy. It's good Dad has a job he loves, now. I just miss him."

"You get to see him every day."

"Not the same thing. He doesn't even have five seconds of non-work-related time for me, let alone himself. The moment he walks through the door, he's a zombie... I wish the Firm would let me do more so he can come home earlier."

Mozzie considered what she meant. "I can let you stay at one of my places for a couple nights if you need to. It won't solve the you time, but it will give him time to himself... Just... don't bring anything that can start a fire."

She didn't find that remotely funny.

"You and Mike will need to be more careful where you show your faces," Mozzie warned as he placed a dish in the sink to wash.

"Normally I find your paranoia entertaining, Mozz... but it was one fire this year. I highly doubt the Marshall's are going to come after me for that." Meghan patronized. She followed suit, grabbed a brillo sponge and plunged it into the hot, soapy water.

She scrubbed their dinner plates, listening for Mozzie to continue.

"I checked their network after meeting with you this morning. Like every other agency, they're using an aging program."

"Mozz, unless we're talking about Dad's picture, mine is just a guess. There's no guarantee either of us matches their notices. A lot of people have blonde or brunette hair. Even facial recognition software can make mistakes."

"Only if there's a twin or triplet. The distance between your eyes don't change... I've done what I can to erase your digital footprints, but I can't go into every federal office in the country to shred the hard copies."

They spent the next few hours together, Mozzie teaching Meghan how to pick locks when she wasn't doing homework. Aside from not being allowed to set foot on school property, she was actually passing for once. The only reason she kept receiving failing grades before was because her assignments were so late.

Toward the end of the evening, Mike had finally come home. He didn't expect to find Meghan and Mozzie forging and aging an FBI file. It barely seemed to phase him. He seemed more interested in looking up the names of medications. Specifically, the ones Edith was using.

They both knew their grandmother had a heart condition, but it didn't really hit home until doing their own research.

Mozzie had left about an hour later after giving Mike the same warning he'd given Meghan concerning the Marshalls and telling him he needs to take a day off.

"So..." Meghan began.

"We're not talking about the case, Megs. I want you as far away from this as possible."

"I can't even ask how the meeting with Nell went? You realize Harvey wants me working this with you, right? How are you going to explain my ignorance on the case when he asks us about it tomorrow?"

"I told you to tell him you can't."

"I did. As long as they didn't show me anything, he doesn't seem to care that I almost blew it."

"You're not as ignorant as you think." This earned a confused stare from her. "You've been there more than I have. I'm more than sure you've looked at her charts."

"The names," she answered under her breath. "Dad, no... You can't give that information up. They'll lose everything. Grammy, the other patients? The only winners here are the ones who get paid the legal fees. Prescott will lose employees; patients won't get the care they need."

"Enough, Meghan... I feel the same way you do, but this is the law we're talking about, here. We don't get a say in this."

Meghan folded her arms. "You mean like I won't have a say if the Marshalls catch up with us?" It was a low blow, she was willing to admit. But both were crimes carrying a similar legal weight.

Mike had promised to use the information gathered in a light that showed why the nurses were holding the strike, highlighting the need for more employees. And that was just what he did.

Harvey was thrilled with the turn of events considering Hardman was worming his way onto the case, even going so far as to trick Mike into working for both of them. Harvey was just glad the man hadn't made any attempts with Meghan yet.

"You and Daniel are going to be so proud of me," Mike was practically patting himself on the back as he entered Harvey's office. Meghan followed, though hung behind. She wanted to be as far away as possible if her chart knowledge was mentioned.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

"Judge all you want. Judge away because I saw Nell on my own, even used my grandmother... not used. She was onboard with it... that's weird." He could almost feel daggers in the glare coming from his sister.

"Maintaining your integrity, I like it... Did you involve Meghan?"

Mike paused. "What?"

"I'll take that as a no. Continue."

"So, it turns out that the nurses are consistently staying late to give the patients the right meds even though they're not being paid for it."

"And you bought that?"

"Yeah, I bought that. Because I checked my grandmother's chart. Ask Meghan. She spends an hour or two of her community service requirements there. If it's true for my grandmother, it's true for others... Turns out, that all they want is enough staff so that nobody ever has to work more than a 15-hour shift again."

Those daggers became guillotines. As far as she was concerned, he had lied to her. Harvey's gaze had shifted from Mike to Meghan.

"Seems there's a little detail you forgot to mention, yesterday."

It was rhetorical now. The only real question he had was 'why?'

Mike continued with his good news while Meghan slipped away. She needed to get out of there. And that was exactly what she was going to do. She didn't care that Mike wanted her as far away from this as possible now. He had been used and failed to see it. Harvey probably still refused to take her off the case

She decided on going to the home. The nurses were nice, but they wouldn't let her through the door. Meghan quickly learned that Mike had banned her access for the duration of negotiations.

Go home, Megs. The hospital just called me regarding your access pass. I told you I didn't want you anywhere near this, and I meant it. Mozzie will be picking you up from home. I'm going to be in the office for a while so you'll be staying the night with him.

He didn't really know it was going to be a long night, but he figured it would be if he worked the funding by himself.

By morning, Meghan was back at the firm. She had cooled down some, but not as much as she would have liked.

Mike had kept her close ever since Mozzie dropped her off. If she wasn't in the bathroom or doing her rounds, she had to be by his side. The two of them were walking the halls until Hardman came across them.

"Excellent work last night, Mike."

"Thanks..." They were heading to a conference room, but neither sibling expected to see a familiar face. "Whoa, you didn't tell me you were bringing her in."

"Who did you think the proposal was for?" Mike asked. There was panic in his voice.

"Does Harvey even know about this meeting?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Harvey joined them in the hall. He gave a nod to a chair for Meghan to sit in in front of Mike. Hardman had placed himself between Mike and the closest door, and Harvey had placed himself across from Nell. There was no way out for brother and sister.

"What's this?" Nell asked in confused expectation.

"It's a pink slip. 50 pink slips, in fact. For 50 nurses."

"Excuse me?"

"It's come to my attention these nurses have been working past their 15-hour shift. And they don't put it on their timecard, but they still sign charts, which happens to release them from the protection of federal labor law... I found these 50 in one night. How many do you think I'll find in a week? There's a way out of this. Sign the contract."

Meghan wasn't the only one sending a disappointed look toward her brother. Nell Sawyer was, too.

"Your grandmother would be proud."

Once again, Meghan didn't care what impression she was making or the theories developing for the pool. She didn't care that someone was at the door making a fast escape difficult, but not impossible.

She wanted to scream at Harvey, at Hardman, but more importantly, she wanted to scream at her brother. Had he listened to her, this probably never would have been brought to light.

No one told the hospital to raise funds for equipment they didn't need, whereas staffing had always been an issue.

Meghan stormed out of them room, wishing the doors in this building allowed for slamming. As tiring as it was going to be, the only way she was going to blow off steam and still follow Mike's rule was if she walked down to the lobby. The hope was to tire herself out enough she wouldn't have the energy to be angry.

"Harvey!" He hadn't expected things to go that way.

"Let me guess. You're upset."

"I got you that information through my grandmother and my-" He was glad Harvey interrupted him at this point.

"Your idea, not mine."

"Look, I know you might have been hatched in a pod, but family actually means something to me. And I gave you that information to help the nurses, not strong-arm them."

"Were you okay with the first deal we presented to Nell?"

"That is not the point."

"That's exactly the point. Because this is a contract that our client can actually afford. Did you think I was joking when I asked if you were ready to stick it to the nurses? I wasn't. I know you don't like this part of the job, but it's part of the job. If Prescott gives in to their demands, they go out of business, the nurses get nothing, it's a win-win... Now, find the kid and tell her the same thing."

But Mike had had enough for the time being and did not hesitate to let Harvey know. "That's bullshit. It's a win because you beat Daniel. I work with him, I work with you, I work with him... it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're playing each other, and you're using us to do it. But you know what, I don't care what's going on between the two of you, but I don't want to be caught in the middle of it ever again."

That all happened in the morning. He wasn't concerned about Meghan's location so long as she kept her phone on her. There wasn't a case needing his immediate attention, and he was told to find her.

Up and down the elevator, checking every floor only to turn up nothing. Checking the stairwell hadn't even crossed his mind until he saw the sign on one of the doors.

He pushed his way through the door, first looking up, then down. He found her sitting on a landing two flights down.

"I have been all over the building looking for you."

"Guess I'm Claude Rains or you would have found me sooner... What the hell happened in there, Dad?"

"I thought Harvey was going to help the strike, not fire fifty nurses... Guess I still have a lot to learn... I'm sorry I had your access to Grammy suspended. I just know how stubborn you are. To keep you as far away from this case as possible, and still let you work on it, I did the next best thing."

"You could have just grounded me."

"We both know that doesn't work on you anymore or you would have been grounded the moment you said hell." There was a hint of a smile on his face as he tried to relieve the tension. "Tell you what... if you can wait until I'm done with work, we'll visit on the way home. I want to talk to her about the case and the meds she's taking."

One of Edith's prescriptions was for heart failure. A preventative measure, but it still scared him.

"Okay... but I'm not making any promises... I'm still mad that you didn't listen to me again. I mean, how many times do I have to be right about something for you to finally hear me?"

"I listened with the bank."

"That was a month ago, and you didn't listen until I fell asleep and you read my journal."

Mike finished by repeating Harvey's lecture and how it's part of the job. Even Harvey didn't like how the case ended, but he had to represent.