After the press conference, Boo and Harry follow Ashton's cruiser back to Harrisford. Once they reach the station, he leads them into a private office; Boo remembers this room from when he gave back Martha's journal. They take a seat in the chairs in front of his desk, exchanging skeptical glances as they do so. Ashton meets her gaze and suddenly Boo feels a bit awkward to be face-to-face with him once more.

After everything from the last seventy-two hours, she feels as though she doesn't even recognize the man sitting across from her.

He flashes her an apologetic smile. "I know that lately things have been very intense for you, and I have no intention of adding on to any of the stress you're under. But I did want you to fully understand what's happened, and what's going to happen from here on."

Boo nods quietly, reaching over for Harry's hand under the table. His skin is warm and familiar against hers; he also watches Ashton carefully, awaiting his next words.

Ashton licks his lips and folds his hands together on the table. "My name is Ashton Kent, not Reynolds. I've been an agent with the FBI for the past three years, working for the Bureau's Cold Case Initiative. Our specialty is racially-motivated crimes from decades ago, and Damien's case has been of interest to us for a long time."

"I thought the FBI needed an invitation from local police to look into local crimes," Boo says warily.

"Not with this initiative," he replies. "Anyone is welcome to give us information regarding a crime, or what they think may be a crime, and we partner with the NAACP and a few other departments to decide if intervention is needed. In Damien's case, it was actually his sister who initially reached out to us a few years ago."

"Hazel?" Harry echoes.

Ashton nods. "It was originally an anonymous submission, but over time we were able to make contact with her. We've been working on Damien's case from the sidelines for a while now, but there hasn't been much progress. Taking the lack of evidence out of the equation, Jack Creek P.D. didn't even really want to acknowledge that there was a case at all. He's been pegged as a runaway for decades now."

Boo nods, remembering what Hazel told her about the night her parents reported her brother missing.

Ashton interrupts her gentle reverie. "There's never been much in terms of anything credible. Until you two came along."

From her peripherals, Boo can see Harry turn to look at her. "Really?" she asks softly.

"You were the catalyst we were missing. Every lead you uncovered, every witness you spoke to, everything you pieced together. You dropping that box of evidence off to me was a literal God-send, before that we had nothing concrete. I'm sorry we couldn't intervene sooner, but we've had eyes on you for a while to make sure nothing derailed. You're the only reason that things turned out the way they did."

His words strike a chord, one strung tight by a familiar sense of disbelief. "I don't understand."

He leans forward, holding her gaze. "You were the only ones who gave Damien a chance. Without that, he would still be in the ground, and Nathaniel would still be puppeting an entire department. Your grandmother wouldn't have any answers, and neither would Hazel. You should be proud of what you've done here."

"Mostly Boo," Harry interjects, chuckling despite the seriousness of the conversation. He flashes Boo a light smile. "She really pushed for answers. She did all the heavy lifting, I was just a pretty face."

Boo smiles shyly, not quite sure how to handle what she's feeling inside. "I . . . I don't really have words right now," she confesses. "Did you already know who I was when you showed up after the break-in?"

Ashton nods sheepishly. "I wanted you to know someone was on your side, but I couldn't do much else in case it compromised our investigation." He gives Boo and Harry a few moments to mull all this over before he continues on. "As far as next steps, Officer Hosk has been terminated and is scheduled for an arraignment in Harrisford for his role in the break-in at your house. We're also going to be reviewing Detective Loughton, so he's been suspended until further notice."

"Wow," Harry murmurs. He has a look on his face that Boo can't quite decipher, lingering somewhere between satisfaction and guilt at the mention of his former friend. Now it's her turn to offer him a reassuring squeeze of his hand under the table.

"I truly am sorry to have been untruthful to you both, but I hope you can understand my intentions and why all of this was necessary," Ashton says somberly. "But I'm still me, and I hope you can recognize that as well."

Boo nods, not trusting her voice.

He clears his throat. "I'm also hoping that I will be able to make up for my indiscretions. Have either of you considered what your future looks like?"

Harry tosses her a look that mirrors the skepticism on her face. "Not particularly," she answers. "For a long time, I was focused on just making it through each day. Then Damien came along and he's been our priority up until now."

"Why do you ask?" Harry asks, turning back to Ashton.

Ashton flashes them an encouraging smile. "The Bureau is always accepting new faces. If you're interested in employment, I'm sure I could pull a few strings and find good placements for both of you."

Boo can't help but scoff in disbelief. The last thing she ever considered for herself was a future in law enforcement. "No offense, Ashton, but a cop is probably the last thing I'd want to be."

He laughs genially. "You wouldn't be a cop. You'd be a special agent, but law enforcement isn't the only option for you. We've got over two-hundred departments under our umbrella."

"No way," Harry laughs, sounding much more open to the idea than Boo is.

Ashton senses her hesitation. He leans forward on the table, watching her carefully. "Boo, what you've done for Damien is an incredible thing. Most people wouldn't think twice about a case older than they are, but you've fought as hard as his family did. You fought hard for Martha and Hazel too. Your determination and your bravery precedes you; I believe you have a gift for finding out the truth, and I would be honored to have you as a coworker."

She purses her lips, stewing this over. Harry gives her an encouraging nudge.

"Have a think about it," Ashton finishes with a small smile. She nods and he says a few more parting words to Harry before showing them to the door. "You know where to reach me," he says as they pass him on their way out.

Boo only gets a few paces down the hallway before she stops and turns back. Ashton is still standing in the doorway, checking his phone.

"You said you had eyes on us for a while," she begins, and Ashton looks up in interest. She can feel Harry standing behind her, waiting curiously to see where this goes. "So the day I was arrested . . . who was that standing on the other side of the street watching us?"

Ashton has a look on his face that Boo can't quite grasp. "When I said eyes, Boo, I meant figuratively. No one under my command was following you."

A cold shock floods her veins. She looks back at Harry, her heart skipping a few beats. "O-Oh," she breathes out, her voice shaky. She turns away from Ashton and grabs Harry's hand, pulling him further away from the conference room, ignoring Ashton's calls for her to return. Harry protests gently as they leave but Boo is suddenly suffocating inside and she needs some fresh air.

Boo barely makes it outside the Harrisford building before her vision blurs and her chest tightens. Her skin is suddenly crawling and her legs are shaking; without warning, her knees buckle and she hits the concrete hard, barely noticing Harry struggling to keep her upright.

"Boo," he warbles, frightened. "Are you alright?"

It feels as though someone is sitting on her chest. "W-Who . . . who was watching . . . watching us?" Her words are strangled by fear. Harry crouches in front of her, his beautiful features wrought with concern.

"Look at me, Lita, it's alright," he croons, his voice level. "Just breathe, darling. You'll make yourself sick."

Boo fights against the panic pinching her chest and the nausea rising in her throat. He's right, she knows he is, but the knowledge that the nightmare isn't over, that someone else is involved and she may not be truly free after everything she's gone through is overwhelming.

"It feels like I'm dying," she croaks, unable to get off her hands and knees. "What if this isn't over after all?"

"You're okay, love," he insists gently. "It's over, Lita, it has to be. Let's just sit here for a while, alright? Catch your breath."

She nods wordlessly, staring at the concrete beneath her hands. Ants crawl on the ground below her, dancing around the space in between her fingers before meandering off into the grass. Boo counts to ten slowly, taking one breath for each number, until the clenching in her chest begins to subside. In the wake of her panic, she can feel a small sense of clarity developing, backed by a newfound fire.

"I'm so tired of being scared," she says, her voice small but resolute.

"I know, Lita," Harry murmurs. His fingers thread through her hair, brushing it away from her face as she continues to look down. She can feel him watching her to make sure she's breathing normally again. "I am too."

"I don't want to be afraid anymore. I don't want to be Boo anymore."

Pensive eyes meet hers. Her heart feels as though it's about to beat out of her chest, but no longer from distress; every time he looks at her feels as magnetic as the first time. "Okay, Melita."

thank you for reading!!