Dedicated to @DarrenDean1 for his support. Check out the first book in his series Fall in May.

Natasha sat up abruptly, gasping for air and sticky with sweat as her eyes searched wildly around. Kelsey's concerned looking face swam into view along with the subtle hues of sunset coming in through the bedroom window.

"You okay?" Kelsey asked her.

Natasha nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "Bad dream."

"Mac?"

"How did you know?" Natasha asked surprised.

"You were talking in your sleep," Kelsey replied.

Natasha blinked, startled by the revelation. "What did I say?"

Kelsey bit her lip. "Not a lot," she said with a cautious tone. "Most of it wasn't clear but you called your mum and Mac and Nathan's names a couple of times. Just like when you took a nap in the car on the way back."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Kelsey paused. "Wanna talk about the dream?"

Natasha looked at her best friend hesitantly.

"Before you say no I would like to remind you that I am an almost-licensed psychologist and I'm highly qualified to help you," Kelsey smiled at her making Natasha smile too.

"Do you have any experience with this particular condition?" Natasha asked.

"Failure to sleep peacefully due to dreams of dead bodies and hot cops?" Kelsey asked, pretending to search her memory. "Nope but I'd be happy to try."

"What do you propose exactly?"

Kelsey sat down next to her on the bed. "At school we once did an exercise on suggestive hypnotherapy. That's the time I got paired to that idiot who told himself he's my soulmate and calls me with a different number every other day. Anyway, suggestive hypnotherapy helps us get to the root of the problem and change the way you perceive certain traumatic events to make them a little less traumatizing."

"I don't know..."

"It's not guaranteed that it will work but I can't watch you crying in your sleep again. It's heart wrenching," Kelsey said.

"I'll be fine," Natasha said shaking her head.

"Don't want me digging around in your head?" Kelsey teased. "What are you afraid I'll find?"

"Nothing," Natasha said rolling her eyes and brushing down her t-shirt. "Is it time to start making dinner?"

Kelsey gave her a look but didn't call her out on the change of subject. "I let Keisha loose and she went and woke mum so now she's grumpy as hell and from the banging of pots coming from the kitchen, I assume she's already cooking."

"Shouldn't we go help her then?"

"You've clearly never met my mum when her beauty sleep has been interrupted," Kelsey scoffed. "Best to steer clear of her and watch telly or something."

They went downstairs and Kelsey slept on the couch while Natasha joined Keisha on the floor who was glued to the cartoons on the screen.

"Keisha honey. Can we change the channel and watch something else?" Kelsey asked sweetly as she tried to sneak the remote away from where it was placed next to Keisha's teddy bear. Keisha immediately pounced on it before Kelsey could get it.

"No!" she pouted, sitting on the remote and turning her attention back to the screen. Natasha suppressed a laugh and sat back to watch the war brewing between the two siblings.

"I'll buy you candy," Kelsey coaxed. "That's gotta be better than what you're watching."

"But it's Sofia the first," Natasha laughed, "Best. Cartoon. Ever."

Kelsey narrowed her eyes at her and went back to pleading with Keisha but the girl was adamant. After a few more minutes, Natasha felt sorry for Kelsey and intervened.

"Do you want to watch Tangled with me on my laptop instead Princess?" Natasha asked the little girl. Keisha's eyes lit up with excitement. Tangled was her favorite animation so she didn't hesitate to say yes.

"And there it is ladies and gentlemen. Irrefutable proof that my own sister loves my best friend more than me," Kelsey complained making a grab for the remote as soon as Keisha stood up to follow Natasha upstairs.

Natasha covered Keisha's ears as they walked. "Don't provoke her or you'll be watching cartoons for the rest of your life." Kelsey stuck her tongue out at her before she turned and started searching through the channels for something to watch.

Natasha and Keisha were halfway through Tangled when Mrs Harris called them down for dinner. Keisha insisted that Natasha carry her downstairs because there were so many stairs and she was tired from lugging around her teddy bear. Natasha obliged, unable to resist the adorable girl.

"Tell me a story Tasha," Keisha asked as they went downstairs.

"You're going to have to start paying me for all the stuff you make me do," Natasha joked.

Keisha looked at her, deep in thought. "But I don't have any money," she said sadly.

"That's okay Princess. I was only joking," Natasha assured her.

Keisha was quiet the rest of the way down the stairs until Natasha moved to put her down then she threw her arms around Natasha's neck and hugged her tightly for a few seconds.

"Can I pay with hugs Tasha?"

Natasha smiled into Keisha's unruly, curly hair. "That's perfect."

Keisha drew back and beamed up at her as Natasha set her down on the floor then she ran off to the kitchen. Natasha almost followed her but an image on the television caught her attention.

Macmillan's face was on the screen and she moved closer to hear what the reporter was saying.

"The Police have released the body to the Bandieer family and he is set to be buried this Saturday. Meanwhile there are no new leads on the identity of the killer."

Natasha took a deep breath, startling Kelsey who hadn't heard her approach. She rushed to switch channels even though the reporter had moved on to another headline.

"How much of that did you catch?" she asked.

"Just the part about his funeral. What else did they say?" Natasha asked.

"Nothing about you," Kelsey assured her.

Natasha nodded and headed for the kitchen with Kelsey right behind her. They helped Mrs Harris set up the table for dinner then ate mostly in silence. After dinner, Mrs Harris hurried off to take a quick shower and get ready for yet another night shift.

"Why is your mum always on the night shift?" Natasha asked Kelsey after Mrs Harris left while they were doing dishes.

"She takes the shifts no-one wants so that way she can snag all the public holidays free. It's genius," Kelsey replied.

Natasha laughed then there was silence for a little while.

"So," Kelsey cleared her throat. "Will you go to Mac's funeral?"

"I'm not sure that's an option. Especially if Max is going to be there too," Natasha replied.

"You think they'll let him out for the funeral?"

"Compassionate furlough," Natasha shrugged. "It's a temporary release from prison but he probably won't stay for very long after the funeral and he'll be in handcuffs the whole time with a police escort."

"Wow," Kelsey shook her head as she rinsed the last plate and handed it to Natasha to dry and put away. "I almost feel sorry for Max."

"Yeah well, the little bastard brought this on himself," Natasha said wiping the table.

"Savage."

"Mum's words not mine," Natasha countered.

"Your mum never swears. She must have been really mad if she called him that," Kelsey said.

Natasha nodded. "It was after I told her what Max did to me and she declared war on him." She stopped wiping, deep in thought. "That was way before I found out Max isn't a Bandieer."

"In other words, it was way before you found out he's literally a bastard," Kelsey said catching on.

"Coincidence?" Natasha asked. "Or did Mum already know that Max isn't Henry's son."

***

"You know how we report insubordinate officers of the law to the Chief of Police?" Michael said when he and Nathan were back in their office.

"Yeah," Nathan replied.

"Well how do you suggest we report the Chief of Police's insubordination to the Chief of Police?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated. He really didn't need this case to be any more complicated than it already was.

"Let's get our facts straight first then we'll figure that out," Nathan suggested scrolling through the page displayed on his computer screen.

"Do you still have his phone records?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, why?" Nathan said as he found the file on his computer.

"Maybe we can check if Mrs Bandieer's number is in his records as well."

"I'll call Kimberly and get the number from her," Nathan said, already scrolling through his call log for Kimberly's number.

Michael narrowed his eyes at him. "Is this going to be another Natasha situation?"

"It's a lot easier to get the number from Kimberly who is Mrs Bandieer's employee than to start explaining myself to the phone company why I need the personal number of an elite without a warrant," Nathan explained as he made the call. 

Kimberly willingly gave up the number, hoping that her willingness to assist Nathan however she could would count in her favor when it came to sentencing.

Nathan didn't have to scroll very far to find Margaret Bandieer's number in the Chief's records. "The Chief and Mrs Bandieer call each other on multiple occasions, every single day. What the hell do you make of that?"

"He's doing a lot of jobs for her?" Michael suggested.

"This still doesn't prove much though." Nathan leaned back on his chair, hands behind his head and eyes closed.

"In other news," Michael said after he'd stared blankly at the screen for a few minutes and came up with nothing, "Luke said the state prosecutor came to him with doctor's reports of two incidents when Max assaulted Natasha and they drew up the warrant and took it to Judge Hall to sign with Luke listed as the arresting officer."

"State prosecutor?" Nathan frowned. "I thought this was a civil case?"

Michael shrugged in response. Nathan stood and went to their board. He picked up a marker and scribbled on a sticky note. "This is just a power play. The Bandieers got Max released by waving the threat of exposing Natasha's secret about the gun in her face using the Chief and now Judge Evans is bringing in the big guns; making this a criminal case so that the state will prosecute Max rather than settle for the monetary compensation that would result from this being treated as a civil case. Any concrete evidence of meddling from Judge Evans?"

"No," Michael replied. "Luke said he only spoke to the state prosecutor and Judge Hall."

"She covered her tracks well," Nathan mumbled. "It's almost time for our appointment with Margaret Bandieer a visit. I'd like to hear what she has to say."

***

They found Margaret Bandieer in the Bandieer mansion, dressed elegantly in a black knee length dress and nude heels. Her blonde hair was styled in a tousled pixie cut that made her look a lot younger than her fifty something years.

"How may I help you Detectives?" she asked joining them in the lounge after exchanging formalities. She sat with her legs crossed, leaning into the plush cushions scattered on the couch, not showing any signs of nervousness or trepidation over their presence.

"Thank you for seeing us," Nathan stated politely. "We're sorry for your loss."

"Not sorry enough apparently," she said raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon?" Nathan said.

"You had my son's killer and you let her go. Rather odd behavior for officers of the law," she replied.

"You're living in the house where your husband was murdered a month ago. Rather odd behavior for a widow," Michael countered, earning a glare from Nathan.

"This mansion has fifty rooms. He died in one. I'm not about to waste the other forty-nine," Margaret said nonchalantly.

"That one room is still a crime scene so technically no one should be going near it," Nathan said once he'd gotten over his surprise at her care-free attitude.

"Your crime scene is still intact Detective. No one's been within a foot of it since I found Henry lying there in a pool of his blood. Now can we get back to the issue of my sons."

"We're just going to ask you and the rest of the family some standard questions as part of our investigation," Nathan said getting out a notebook and pen.

Margaret sighed. "Why are you still investigating? Natasha was caught red-handed at the scene of the crime."

"Some evidence came to light proving her innocence. All due respect ma'am, we'll ask the questions," Michael said, slowly losing patience with her. Nathan fought the smile that almost broke out on his face. Michael's quick temper was often more trouble than it was worth but in times like these it sure came in handy.

"As you wish Detective," Margaret said looking bored.

Nathan asked the first question. "Do you know anyone who would want to hurt your son and possibly your husband as well?"

"If we're going to talk about my husband then I need a drink," she huffed, standing and heading for a nearby table holding a collection of wines and glasses. "Or five."

Nathan and Michael exchanged looks as she poured herself a glass of red wine and then sat back down.

"My husband had several mistresses. Maybe one of them grew tired of him and killed him," Margaret shrugged as she swirled her wine around in her glass. "My son was a good man. Whoever killed him..." Her voice broke and she hastily sipped her wine before she continued. "I don't know why anyone would kill him."

For the first time since they saw her, she looked sad to the point that even Michael sympathized with her. She gulped down the rest of her wine and stood up to refill it. "I don't know much about Macmillan's acquaintances to figure out if any of them would have wanted to hurt him. You can talk to his wife about that. I never took time to be a mother to him or Max, always worrying about Henry and his stupid affairs and now Mac is gone and Max is stuck in prison. I just sat back and watched my family fall apart"

Michael hesitated before asking his next question. "I'm sorry to have to ask you these questions at such a difficult time Mrs Bandieer but this could really help our investigation."

Margaret nodded, sitting down with a freshly filled glass of wine.

"Did you know any of the women that your husband was seeing?"

She snorted before replying. "Women? More like girls. He liked them young." She paused, staring off into space. "Always did."

"If you know any of their names or description..." Michael began but Margaret was already shaking her head.

"He knew how to cover his tracks. Except with one of his flings from long ago. That one he flaunted right in my face."

Nathan sat up straighter only barely restraining himself from shaking the name out of her.

"He was actually going to leave me for her," she laughed and tossed another glass of wine back. At the rate she was going, it was a wonder she could still walk straight.

"What happened?" Nathan asked.

"She left him." Margaret let out another laugh as she poured more wine.

"Who was she?"

Margaret drank the entire contents of her glass and slammed it back onto the table before answering them. "Lilian Evans."

The news that she had an affair with Henry was hardly new to the two men but they were surprised that the affair was serious enough that Henry planned to leave his wife for Lily and that she was the one who ended it and not the other way round.

"Any idea why she left him?"

"She was pregnant by some other man or she'd had her fill of his money. I don't know," Margaret said getting irritated. "Is there a point to these questions?"

"Yes ma'am. We have all we need with regards to that but..." Nathan trailed off trying to figure out how to phrase his next question.

"You're in charge of H.B media now?" Michael stepped in.

"Yes. Why?" Margaret said hesitantly.

"So every news report that's aired or printed is approved by you?"

Margaret nodded and Michael went on.

"Earlier today, a news report aired about the death of your son and there was information in that news report that hadn't been released to the public. We spoke to one of your employees and she said she got her information from you. Is that true?"

"Do I need to have my lawyer present?" Margaret asked.

"This isn't an interrogation but if you feel you need a lawyer to answer that then maybe you should call one and schedule an appointment to meet with us down at the station," Michael said.

"I think I'll do that," she said in a dismissive tone.

Figuring that they wouldn't get anything else out of her now that she'd considered getting legal advice, the two men bid her goodbye and left the Bandieer mansion.

"Are we one hundred percent sure that Natasha is Henry's daughter?" Michael asked as they drove back to the station.

Nathan thought about this. "Lilian didn't actually say it but she didn't deny it when Natasha asked."

"Maybe Margaret was a little tipsy at the end there when she said Lily was pregnant by someone else," Michael said scribbling away in his notepad.

"Max and Natasha are around the same age so Margaret and Henry were having affairs at the same time," Nathan added.

"The plot thickens," Max whistled. "Should we call Macmillan's wife and see if she's ready to talk yet?" 

Nathan shook his head. "Too soon. Let's give her tonight. There's something I need to do right now."

Michael eyed him curiously but didn't ask further. Nathan left Michael at the station then drove off, deep in thought, only focused on his destination. He stopped outside a medium sized house set in a neighborhood close to the apartment where he lived. He walked up to the door, taking a deep breath before he knocked. The door opened a few seconds later and his mother stood there, surprised to see him.

"Nathan! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I just needed to come here," he replied in a low voice.

"You didn't call ahead as usual. Give me a few minutes and I'll take down all the pictures," she said already turning to head back into the house but Nathan caught her arm, stopping her.

"I came to see them," he said quietly and he walked in, shutting the door behind him. Catherine Henderson stared wide eyed at her son as he took slow deliberate steps further into the house. She finally followed him, still not believing what she was seeing.

Nathan looked around the room and spotted the first picture up on the mantle. He walked up to it, taking deep breaths and willing himself not to turn away as his body was screaming at him to do. He picked up one of the frames. It held a close up of a young brunette with her head thrown back in laughter and blue eyes shining brightly. Another picture caught his eye and he put the first one down and picked up the other.

This one was of his younger self with the brunette. They were both laughing, facing each other and holding up placards turned in the direction of the camera so that neither of them could see what was written on the other's board. 

Nathan's was written "Sister for sale" while the brunette's read "I love my dorky brother." He remembered this one. Stephanie and her family had been over at their house visiting and she'd asked them to write something about each other on the cards and not show each other while she took the picture. He could hear Carey's enraged shrieks when she finally saw his board and the chase that had ensued as she tried to hit him over the head with her board.

It was one of the last pictures they'd taken together before she died. His hands shook violently as he continued to stare at the picture until his mum came up to him and took it from him then wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He didn't stop looking at the picture though, even through the tears that fell from his eyes as he whispered over and over again, "I'm sorry."

***

So...do you believe in coincidences?

And omg I cried so much at the end!

I really wanted to post this yesterday but my internet's been down. And today it's still iffy so if there are errors, I'm so sorry.