Setbacks
Episode 43
**
"Susan, you've got to calm down or we can't help you." Nash was trying to make sense of the frantic pleas coming across the phone line, he was certain the call was coming from Hidden Lake.

"IT HAPPENED AGAIN!" She couldn't calm down. She had gone it give Mrs. Harris her meds and the woman was dead.

"Susan, calm down and tell me what happened." Nash couldn't believe the murderer struck again, he thought they were getting close.

"We need you here, Captain, get here as soon as you can." She was almost done with her shift but she wanted to speak with Nash before she left. "I went into give Mrs. Harris her medicine, but when I got there she was already dead."

"Has anyone else been in there with her?" It was still early, and Nash knew the late shift hadn't gotten off yet.

"No one else that I know of, unless another resident who's an early riser went into see her before I did." Susan had been at the desk all night, leaving only to administer meds once. She hadn't seen anyone else.

"What about Nurse Parker, is he anywhere around?" Nash still felt he wasn't their guy, but Nurse Parker's unwillingness to cooperate made Nash nervous.

"No, he hasn't been in yet today."  Susan knew all the fingers were pointing to Nurse Parker, but he wasn't to blame. It was someone else.

"Dammit." If Parker hadn't been in yet, Nash was almost positive that he had nothing to do with the murders. If only he knew where Parker was.

**
The judge looked at Louis, unsure of why the case was even brought to court. This wasn't the typical custody case, both parties seemed to know what they wanted.
"Your client is willing to accept full custody of the child?"

Louis glanced quickly towards Rachel and checked for any sign of approval she might give, she nodded, "yes, your honor."

"Mrs. Leek is the birth mother, am I correct?" Being a woman herself, Judge Harper couldn't understand how Connie could give up the child she had accepted as her own. Judge Harper was relieved that there was someone else who wanted the boy.

"Constance Mazza delivered  the child, but Rachel Leek is the biological mother." Louis wanted to make sure he stated everything exactly as it was, he didn't want any problems further down the road. Connie looked over to Rachel and shook her head,she couldn't wait to be free of the memories.

"Since this is an informal setting, I've just got a few quesons for Mrs. Leek, unless there are any objections from Mrs. Mazza or her lawyer?" When no one objected, Judge Harper took that as her cue to begin."What is your current marital status, Rachel?"

"Married." Rachel wished Harvey had come with her, she hated being there alone.

"Do you have other children?" As far as Judge Harper could tell, Rachel and her husband already sounded like they'd offer a better home for little Ryan. She couldn't believe Connie was so anxious to get rid of him.

"I've got a daughter who's five and a half, and my stepson is four." Rachel thought the court would act in their favor, after all, Connie didn't have many options outside of Rachel and Ryan's family.

"And you and your husband are both employees of the San Francisco Police Department?" Judge Harper knew that Rachel and her husband might not have a lot of time to give to Ryan, but they'd certainly offer a more stable home than he had with Connie.

"Yes, my husband has been with the department since the mid-seventies and I've been at the SIU for just about a year." Rachel didn't know how much the judge knew about her past, her time at Bayside or her previous career.

Judge Harper looked towards both lawyers and back at Connie, "well, unless someone hasn't spoken their piece, I see know reason why Ryan should not be immediately placed with the Leeks."

Rachel turned towards Louis with a concerned gaze, Louis knew he had to say something on her behalf. "Mrs. Leek would like to request a transition period for Ryan, he doesn't know her or her husband well and she'd like to give him the chance to adjust."

"Okay, I will take that into consideration." Judge Harper paused for a minute, to gather her thoughts. "What I propose is that we have Mrs. Leek meet with her son as soon as possible, after a few meetings I will send a social worker by to make sure everything's in check, and then I'll call you back to sign the final papers."

**
"Right, I'll get three people inside tomarrow. I want to get this guy before anyone else ends up dead." Nash sighed heavily into the phone, another murder certainly didn't help the case any. "I'll go in there myself before I let this guy kill again."

Cassidy walked up to Nash's desk, and sat down while waiting for Nash to finish his call. He hardly had time to talk these days, she questioned the opportunity. Nash looked up at her as he set down the phone, "to what do I owe this visit?"

Cassidy cringed, he didn't even remember that it was he who wanted to see her. He was far to busy, he had too much on his mind. "Mom said you wanted to see me."

Nash thought for a moment, he vaguely remembered his brief conversation with Lisa from the day before. "I talked to Deputy Chief Martin yesterday afternoon..."

Cassidy already knew what he was going to say, she wanted to stop him before he took any further action. "I don't want my job back." Cassidy didn't want to even be a cop, let alone return to the SIU after what had happened with Lucas.

Nash tried to be understanding, he tried to sympathize with his daughter. He didn't want her to give in and throw her life away. Nash had to try. "Cassidy, you need to do something."

"But, I'm pregnant." Right now, that was Cassidy's best defense. Being a cop would not be in the best interest of her child. There was too much risk involved for a rookie.

Nash shook his head, he still wasn't used to the idea that he would soon be a grandfather. "I know that, but given your situation, I'd like to help you find a job."

Cassidy rolled her eyes, their conversation had quickly become pointless. There was no way she'd come back to the SIU. "What's the point? I can't work the streets, I can't do patrol."

"And I don't want you to, there's a few desk jobs the department keeps around for cases like this." Nash wasn't sure if he wanted her back at the SIU, but he felt she'd be fine working elsewhere with the department. He held her best interests at heart .

"I'm not going to do a desk job." Taking a desk job would be one step down from returning to the SIU. What had happened with Lucas was bad enough, she didn't need salt thrown into her wounds.

Nash tried to mask his frustration, she wasn't willing to give in. "Cassidy, you've got to make some decisions here. You're mother and I are willing to help you out, but you have to do your part as well."

Cassidy took that as an insult, cutting right to the heart, even her parents weren't going to support her now. "You don't want me to have this kid, do you?"

Nash looked back at Cassidy, she certainly had a wild sense of interpretation. He thought for a moment, he didn't mean to imply that he didn't want his grandchild, just that he wanted Cassidy to live up to the responsibility she was taking on. "I didn't say that."

Cassidy tried to fight back her emotions, she didn't want to break down in front of her father at the SIU. "I thought you'd be more supportive."

Nash didn't know what to say, he was doing the best he could to deal with the situation. "I'm trying to, Cassidy, but you have to work with me on this one."

**
"I can't believe that you let Rachel take our son to meet her parents." Anna was appalled by the idea of her son being alone with Rachel and her family. He was getting too close to Rachel, she was worried she'd lose her son. Anna sat on the corner of his desk, slowly moving closer towards him.

"I don't have time to talk about this now with you, can't you see that I'm trying to work here?" Harvey couldn't believe the nerve Anna had to bring this up yet again, especially while he was at work. He was glad Rachel was in court and wasn't around to see Anna.

"You don't ever have time anymore. If your not all over your wife, you're at the SIU. Jerry doesn't even see you anymore, all the time he's supposed to be with you, he spends with Rachel." Anna hated the fact that everytime she sent Jerry to be with his father, he ended up staying with Rachel. Rachel was not his mother, and if Anna had her way, she wouldn't be Harvey's wife either.

Harvey stood up, trying not to scream and release his frustrations. "That's not true." Harvey knew he didn't have as much time as he used to for Jerry, but  Jerry was anything but neglected when he was in their care. "What do you have against Rachel anyways?"

"This isn't about Rachel right now, it's about you and the bad choices that you are making that affect our son." Anna didn't want to watch her son slip away from her, she had to get Harvey to see through Rachel as she did. Steve wasn't helping the situation any either, his demands were getting worse as time went on.

"Why do you insist on starting this now?" Harvey knew Anna couldn't have picked a better time for an argument. She was taking her dislike for Rachel way too far.

"I'm not starting this now, Harvey, I am trying to end this before it gets any worse. Can't you see that your little wife is trying to take my son away from me?" Anna had to make her point known, Harvey had to decide. It was going to be Jerry or his wife.

"Anna, she's not trying to take Jerry away from you. She's a good mother." Harvey didn't realize what he said until after the words hit Anna's ears, he referred to Rachel as a mother.

"Yeah, well she's a little to late for that, don't you think?  I mean, she may have her kids back but if she wasn't such a failure to begin with, she'd never had them taken away." For Anna, it was that simple. Rachel didn't give her kids up, she had them taken away because she was a bad mother. She was using her time with Jerry to get to Harvey.

**
"You two are going in.'' Nash didn't want to send Kat and Rachel in undercover unless he had to. This was his last resort. He wanted to close the Parker case before another woman ended up dead.

"We already are in.'' Kat didn't understand what Nash meant to imply. They had been to Hidden Lake on more than one occasion and had gotten all the information they could without going undercover.

''I mean undercover.'' Nash rolled his eyes, usually Kat was a little smarter. Nash went over to his desk and waited for them to follow. The gig wasn't going to be easy.

''So what are we doing?" Rachel was curious, she didn't know how Nash intended to put them inside. They certainly weren't residents, and acting as staff might be a bit too obvious.

''Last time, you two were merely checking the place out for an older relative, the information that you got from talking to the residents was good --- but it wasn't enough.'' Nash needed more to go on, they either had to catch Parker in the act or find out who was really behind the murders. They needed evidence or they had nothing against him. ''This time, you two are going in as Dr. Leek and Katherine Bauer, employee of Family and Child Services for the city of San Francisco."

Kat turned to Rachel and smiled, "you think he could be any more original?"

Rachel laughed, "maybe I should take the job as a sign.''

Nash sighed, ''don't get any ideas, McCabe. I need you two to start in there tomarrow, no matter what.''

''That's not a lot of time, Nash." Kat hated to be rushed, she felt rushing jeopardized the quality of her work.

"I should've put you two inside earlier, but after Joe took Ulla in last week --- it's evident that we have to get this ball rolling before it's too late.'' Nash knew it was only a matter of time before the killer struck again. If they were lucky, they could get there in time. ''Anton will be there as well, working in maintenance."

''Is Leek on the job too?" Kat wondered what role Harvey would play, sure he wouldn't want to miss out on such a large case.

"He'll be managing all our communications, he's got a temporary office just outside of the Hidden Lake complex. That way, we'll be onto them before they're onto us." Nash could only hope that his plan would work, he didn't want another bad ending. Between his personal life and his professional life at the SIU, he had a lot going on. 

**
"Hey, little guy!"  Harvey swept Jerry up into his arms as soon as he walked through the door. After his talk with Anna, Harvey wanted to get Jerry's take on the situation.

"Why are you home again?" Jerry hadn't expected to see his father until later, when he'd come home from work with Rachel.

"I came home to eat lunch with you." Harvey assumed that Jerry hadn't eaten yet. He himself decided to forgo lunch with Rachel and come home to Jerry, he and Rachel would have plenty to discuss later on. Harvey released Jerry from his arms and started walking towards the kitchen, where Mrs. Wilson was already preparing Jerry's sandwich.

"I'll take it from here, Mrs. Wilson." Harvey knew the woman wouldn't mind a few minutes reprieve from Jerry's rambunctious behavior.

"I didn't even hear you come in, Mr. Leek." Mrs.Wilson smiled and tapped Jerry on the shoulder, "mind your father now and eat your sandwich, maybe we can go for ice cream a little later."

Jerry shook his head in delight as he scurried over towards the table. Harvey walked to the counter to finish Jerry's half-made sandwich. "I've got about a half hour, I'll let you know when I'm going to leave." Mrs. Wilson smiled again and left the room.

Jerry looked up to Harvey, "can we go to Rachie's, Dad?" Jerry couldn't understand why he hadn't seen her but once since they got back from Boston. He hoped he didn't somehow make her angry. Harvey set the sandwich before Jerry, not quite sure what he should say.

"I don't think that would be such a good idea, Jerry." Harvey didn't want to let Jerry down, but he was afraid of Anna's next move. She hadn't been this angry before, but then again, there hadn't been another woman like Rachel before either.

"Is Rachie mad?" Jerry didn't think there'd be any other reason for them not going over there. He missed seeing Rachel, she had quickly become an important factor in his life.

Harvey sat down next to Jerry and gently brushed his hand against Jerry's sticky cheek, "she's not mad, especially not at you." Rachel largely remained the innocent party in the disaster Anna had caused, and Harvey knew she and Jerry were the one's getting the bad end of the deal. "Your mom and I are trying to work through some problems."

"NO!" Jerry adamently shook his head, "I want you and Rachie."

That was what Harvey wanted to hear, but he had to know why. "Your mom loves you a lot, Jerry."

"You love me too." Jerry was certain he had a place in his father and Rachel's life, despite what Anna said about them.

**
Nash checked his watch as he waited outside the barge, Cassidy was running late for their lunch. He watched the parking lot, searching for her car. Nash turned around and looked at the water, giving himself a moment to think about the future that was looming ahead.

"Harvey, have you seen my dad?" Cassidy quickly scanned the upstairs, Nash was no where in sight. She knew she was a little late, but she didn't think he'd have left without her.

Harvey looked up from his desk, he hadn't heard from Cassidy in quite a while. The relationship between them wasn't quite the same. "I believe he stepped outside to wait for you." Harvey smiled warmly, not wanting to display any animosity towards her.

"Thanks, Harve." Cassidy smiled back and headed towards the doors. She could see Nash standing against the railing as she stepped outside.

Nash turned around as he heard the approaching footsteps, "You're late."

Cassidy rolled her eyes, disliking her father's instant criticism. "I had somethings to take care of. Are you ready?"

Nash shook his head and started walking towards the parking lot, with Cassidy not too far behind. "Before you make any decisions, I think that there's someone you should talk to."

"Who?" Cassidy assumed he was referring to a department psychologist or a social worker.

"Rachel." Nash knew  that Cassidy would dismiss his idea, but it was worth a try. He stopped outside the 'Cuda, waiting for her response.

Cassidy was appalled by his suggestion, Rachel was the last person she'd go to for advice. "What does she know? She gave her kids up."

"Rachel was in a similar situation." Nash didn't want to give all the details, he assumed Rachel would tell her what she felt Cassidy needed to hear.

"Is that what she told you?" Cassidy couldn't see Rachel accidentally getting herself into a situaion like this. The infallible McCabe didn't screw up.

"Cassidy..."  Nash tried to be fair and not jump to Rachel's defense, but Cassidy was being difficult. "Whatever your thinking, it wasn't like that."

Cassidy couldn't believe how quick Nash was to judge her, and how he just ignored the fact that Rachel had given both of her children up. "She screwed up and didn't take responsibility for her actions, I'm taking responsibility."

"So that means you've decided to keep the baby?" Up till this point, Nash was unsure of what Cassidy planned to do.

"I didn't say that." Cassidy wasn't sure if she was ready to raise a child on her own, she was still growing up herself.

"Think about it." Nash didn't want Cassidy to make any decision that she might later regret. He knew well that life was too short to be burdened with guilt and regrets.

"I'm not going to see her, she probably can't wait to throw this back in my face." Cassidy was certain that Rachel would relish in the moment that Cassidy screwed up and tarnished her perfect image as the boss' daughter.

Nash couldn't believe what she said, unless they were talking about two different people, the Rachel he knew wasn't like that at all. "She's not like that, Cassidy."

"You weren't her partner." Cassidy hated the fact that somehow Rachel always had the answers. No matter what it was, Rachel always knew what to do.

**
"You hear about Cassidy?" Kat wasn't sure if Rachel and Cassidy had kept in contact after her departure from the SIU. She assumed if Rachel hadn't heard the news from Cassidy herself, she definitely would've heard it circulating around the SIU.

"Hear what?" Rachel tried not to pay much attention to the rumor mill, especially since she was often the subject. She didn't recall Nash saying anything about her former partner recently.

"Your former bed buddy is going to be a grandpa." Kat couldn't help but smile as she shared the gossip, she couldn't possibly imagine Nash as a grandfather.

"Cassidy's pregnant?'' Rachel couldn't believe it, even the infallible Cassidy Bridges had been caught off guard. "Really?"

"Yep. Rumor has it that the guy who was helping Armstrong out is the father." Kat knew that by the end of the day, Cassidy's child would have had more than a dozen potential fathers with each employee adding his or her input through the rumor mill.

"Funny how that worked out." Rachel didn't intend to sound mean, but the irony was definitely there. For all the comments Cassidy made, it was odd how she ended up in a situation similar to the one that Rachel had been in.

"Is that another way of saying better her than me?" Kat wasn't sure if she had followed Rachel's comment. From what Kat could tell, Harvey and Rachel were reasonably happy in their marriage but she knew there had to be a difference of opinion somewhere along the way.

That wasn't at all what Rachel had meant to imply, and she didn't want Kat to get the wrong idea. "No, more a reference to a now hypocritical statement she had made about my own life."

"Ouch." Kat shook her head, unaware there had been so much tension between Cassidy and  Rachel. She assumed it had a lot to do with Rachel dating Cassidy's father. "Did it have anything to do with your relationship with Nash?"

"Not specifically, but giving her a sibling and sleeping with her father would've been further additions to her list of reasons to hate me." Rachel saw no reason why she couldn't express her feelings to Kat, she didn't see her as the type who'd run and tell Nash. Rachel believed she could trust Kat, and that Kat might understand how she felt.

"You two weren't the best of friends I take it?" Kat couldn't help but smile, that wasn't the reply she intended to hear from Rachel. Cassidy had never been overly social with people outside of her family, Kat knew that much from personal experience.

"Not before Nash or after." Rachel didn't want to get into a long, detailed history with Kat about her relationship with Cassidy. It had been a bad partnership from the beginning.

"So there was a mutual dislike?" Kat didn't think that Rachel's dislike for Cassidy was one-sided, but Rachel certainly had strong feelings about her.

"Let's just say we had our moments...and I'll leave it at that." Even if Kat was her partner, Rachel knew she shouldn't be talking about her feelings towards Cassidy with her. It wasn't so much that she might say something, but Rachel didn't want to put Kat in an uncomfortable position.

**
"Twon, you seen Rachel anywhere?" Harvey hadn't seen her all afternoon, he wondered if she headed home yet for the day. She hadn't answered her phone either, he was worried. Harvey anxiously tapped on his desk, waiting for Antwon's reply. Antwon stood pensively before him, trying to think of some cleaver response.

"She's your wife, not mine." Antwon grinned as Harvey approached him, he could see something was obviously wrong between the two when Harvey feigned a small smile.

"I skipped lunch with her today to go see Jerry, I was wondering how her court appearance went." Harvey felt bad about not being there for lunch, but he wanted to spend some time with Jerry after his talk with Anna. He had to be sure about what he was doing. "Did she say anything about it to you?"

"To me?" Antwon didn't know why Rachel would've mentioned it to him, they hadn't spoken much since Kat entered the scene. "Something going on with you two?" Now that he thought of it, he hadn't see the two together much after Rachel's trip to Boston with Jerry.

"Anna's not making this easy." Harvey didn't want to get into the details, he figured Antwon knew enough. "For one reason or another, she won't let me see Jerry if I'm with Rachel."

"That can't be good." Antwon questioned her reasoning, maybe she knew something they didn't. He couldn't come right out and ask. "What does she have against Rachel anyways?"

"Only heaven knows." Harvey rolled his eyes, Anna was definitely trying to get the better of him. He wouldn't let her win, not this time.

"I take it her showing up at the airport has a lot to do with this?" Antwon suddenly realized that this was who he had spoken with on the phone.

**
"Care to tell me what's going on, Nashman?" Joe knew something was up, their lack of communication was uncommon. There had to be more to the story.

"What?" Nash didn't know what Joe was talking about, it was his responsibility to know what was going on this case.

"Hey, Mr. Cranky, lay off. I wanted to know what we're doing with Bauer and McCabe so I can tell Ronnie and the boys." Joe had to know the full details, not just the bits and pieces he'd gotten through the SIU grapevine.

"I'm putting McCabe, Bauer and Antwon in and Leek will be outside working surveillance in a near by office. Have the boys stationed throughout the factory across the street and about 4 blocks down." Nash struggled to pinpoint the exact location, he had so much on his mind. He wasn't up for logistics at this point during the day, all he wanted to do was go home and get to bed.

"Maybe you should go home and get some sleep?" Joe couldn't help but notice that Nash was ready to doze off on his desk.

"Can't, Lisa and I are going to dinner with Cassidy later this evening and I've got to get everything set up for tomarrow's gig." Nash knew he couldn't skip out on dinner, Lisa would kill him. He had to get the gig set up, they had to be ready to go first thing the next morning.

"How about I set up and you go home and take a nap before dinner?'' Joe didn't think Inger would mind if her was home a little later than usual, especially if he was sticking around to help out Nash.

"Thanks for the offer, Bubba, but I better finish what I've started." Nash would've loved to accept Joe's offer and go home, but he wanted the operation to run as smoothly as possible the next day. They couldn't afford mistakes.

**
"What are you still doing here?" Kat was certain that Harvey would've left already, he probably wanted to get home to Jerry. She stood behind him as he sorted through the file cabinet. He retrieved the folder he needed and headed back towards his desk.

"I could ask you the same, don't you still have a kid at home?" Harvey chuckled, he hadn't seen Kat's kids in quite a while. They were probably nothing like how he remembered them.

"My youngest is eleven, and with his father." Kat knew Harvey wouldn't have known what's been going on with her and her ex. They didn't talk like they used to.

"David?" Harvey wasn't sure if he remembered correctly, after the accident no one really saw Kat and by the time he was ready to marry Bonnie, Kat and David were going through a divorce.

"Yeah, the old two-timing, heartless jerk himself" Kat grinned, her memories of her ex-husband weren't the best. Harvey had to at least remember something about him.

"Is he still over in Oakland?" Harvey hadn't heard anything about him lately, but then again, he usually didn't intermingle with the authority from another department.

"Too close for my comfort, but it makes it convenient for Josh." Kat would've preferred to stay as far away from her ex as possible, but having Josh made the distance difficult.

"What about Jason?" Harvey remembered that she had another son as well, considerably older. He knew better than to ask about Jessica, that wasn't a topic to bring up any time soon.

"Let's say, I've taught the boy well and he's taking his father's offer to pay for his education as far as he can, he's in med school." Kat grinned, the kids were the only good thing that came from her eighteen year marriage.

"Like mother, like son." Harvey had grown to miss the friendly banter between Kat and himself when they'd meet with Nash and the gang. He was glad to have Kat back around the SIU.

**
Cassidy waited for someone to answer the door, not sure if Rachel would speak to her or not. She knew her odds would be better if Harvey was home, but she wanted to have a personal conversation with Rachel.

"Cassidy?" Rachel immediately wondered what Cassidy was doing there, surely she had come to see Harvey. "Harvey's not here, he's at his place."

"Actually, I'm here to see you." Cassidy couldn't believe she was going to Rachel for advice, but she was certainly someone who knew what she was going through.
"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Rachel knew something was up, Cassidy never came over just to talk during the time they worked together. She had to have some hidden motive behind her visit. Rachel opened the door and allowed Cassidy to step in, "have a seat.''

Cassidy sat down on the couch and Rachel sat down in the chair across from her, not wanting to get too close. She couldn't imagine what Cassidy would want to talk to her about, besides Harvey. Cassidy didn't know where to begin, but for the time being, Rachel was her best source of information. ''I actually came here to ask you a few personal questions.''

Given her situation, Rachel guessed that Nash had sent Cassidy over to talk with her. There was no way that Cassidy would've come by on her own.  Rachel couldn't help but ask, "did your Dad tell you to talk to me?"

"He mentioned it, and I was pretty sure no one else could give better advice in the area." Cassidy knew her father was right, despite the comments she had made earlier about Rachel, she'd definitely know what to do about the situation she was in.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or insult." Rachel forced herself to smile, still wondering what made Cassidy decide to seek her help. "What do you want to know?"

"How you made your decision." Cassidy knew it wouldn't be an easy decision to make, deciding to keep the baby or not. Her circumstances weren't the best, but she didn't feel totally incapable of raising a child.

"I assume you've already heard all the options, I mean, the ones available to you at this stage." Rachel didn't know if she had to run through all of Cassidy's options or not, she could remember the day she herself found out she was pregnant and did all the research she could before making her decision.

"Yeah." Cassidy didn't need or want to hear her options again. She knew her choices, and though they were limited, she was certain she wasn't going to chose to terminate the pregnancy. ''Abortion is definitely out, I couldn't do that.''

It was clear to Rachel that Cassidy had made up her mind that far, but she still wondered if Cassidy had considered adoption. "Have you thought about placing the baby up for adoption?"

"I've thought about it, but I don't know for sure." Cassidy still couldn't understand how Rachel could walk away from her children, she didn't think she could do it herself. Adoption didnt seem as easy as Rachel made it look. "Don't you regret giving her up?"

Rachel looked at her, she knew Cassidy wanted honesty. "No, I don't." Rachel didn't intend to sound mean or like she didn't care, but she truthfully didn't regret her decsion. "There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about her or wish that I could see her, especially later on, but I knew it was for the best."

Cassidy could tell Rachel would be supporting that choice based on her personal experience, but there had to be other reasons why she gave her baby up. "What about her father? I know you said he wasn't part of..."

Rachel smiled, trying to lighten the mood a little, "he was there to get me pregnant and that's about it."

Cassidy didn't think Lucas would be like that, if she told him what was going on. She knew he'd want to play a role in the child's life, if he was indeed the father.  "Did he ever ask about her?"

"After I left, I never tried to contact him... at least not until recently." Rachel knew better than to expect anything after her call to Scottt,  she did it largely to ease some of the guilt she felt about not telling him.

"Why?" Cassidy couldn't figure out why she hadn't told Scott right away, it was his child too.

Rachel wasn't going to hold back, she knew how Scott felt. "Had I told him, I probably would've gotten an abortion just to keep him around and not fall behind in school."

If their relationship had been that miserable, Cassidy wondered why Rachel even tried to tell him later on. It didn't make sense. "So why did you try and contact him?"

"Someone with experience on the other side of the situation convinced me that it was the right thing to do." Rachel paused for a moment, her discussion with Harvey still fresh in her mind. "And for the record, he never called, just as I had expected."

**

                                                                         

                                                                          Part 2

**
"Anna, what are you doing here?" Harvey was surprised to see her on the other side of the door. She knew it was his night with Jerry.

"I came to see my son, is that okay?" Anna didn't like Harvey questioning her, she wasn't the one with the hidden motive. "Are you going to let me in or what?"

He could tell Anna was looking for their son, quite possibly suspicious of who else might be there. Maybe there was a reason why he didn't let her in right away. She was wrong. Harvey moved aside, allowing her to enter. Anna was definitely in a mood. "He's upstairs in his room."

"I'll go upstairs then." Anna wanted some time alone with Jerry, so he could tell her how things were going. She knew Jerry wouldn't be honest if Harvey was standing around. Anna looked around the room and moved to peer down the hall, she was certain that Rachel was probably around there somewhere. That's why Harvey didn't want her there. "She's not here, is she?"

"If you're referring to Rachel, no she isn't here." Harvey still couldn't understand what Anna's problem was with Rachel. It wasn't as if Rachel mistreated Jerry or anything like that. "As far as I know, she's probably at home by now."

"That's some type of marriage you've got, Harvey. She's got her house and you've got yours, you only see eachother at work or for sex." Anna sneered, one day Harvey would figure it out. Rachel just wasn't his type of woman. "Who's idea was that, yours or hers?" Anna could tell Harvey was fighting off making a comment she'd make him live to regret. 

"It's your idea, actually, since you've forbidden me from seeing Jerry in her presence." Harvey knew she wouldn't like it when he turned the tables on her, she always had to be right.

"Your marital problems aren't because of me, Harvey." Anna didn't want him placing the blame for his marital disfunction on her. It wasn't her fault he had married Rachel, he did that all on his own. "You had your chance with me, Harvey, but you chose someone else."

Harvey rolled his eyes as she went up the stairs, sure that she couldn't hear him, "I wonder why I would do something like that."

**
"Nash, it's me." Lisa knew he wouldn't be happy about her breaking their plans, but she truthfully didn't know where Cassidy was. She hadn't been home all afternoon.

"Where the hell are you?" Nash looked at his watch, she and Cassidy were both more than an hour late.  "I've been here waiting."

"I have no idea where she is, that's why I am not there." Lisa hadn't seen her since she left earlier that morning. Cassidy could be anywhere. "Any ideas?"

"She left here earlier and, well, she wasn't exactly pleased with my suggestions.'' Nash knew he might not be to blame, but he felt he should tell Lisa about what was going on between him and Cassidy.

"That's just great, Nash, I guess we'll just have to reschedule." Lisa didn't think there talk could wait much longer, but apparently it would. Knowing Cassidy, she probably went off to think.

"Have you looked for her?" Nash didn't like how his daughter was dealing with her problems, by leaving. Nothing would be solved.

"She hasn't called and knowing her, she probably just needed some time on her own." Lisa wasn't particularly worried, since Nash mentioned she had left before.

"What we need to do is talk about what she's going to do." The future was quickly approaching and they didn't have a plan. Nash wanted to have a plan.

"Right now I don't think either one of us is going to get through to her." Lisa didn't want to admit it, but she didn't know how to help Cassidy this time. She just wasn't willing to listen to reason.

**
"What about your son?" Cassidy could tell she had caught Rachel off guard by bringing up her son. She knew a lot more about her partner than Rachel and Nash gave her credit for.

"What about him?" Rachel wasn't sure exactly what Cassidy wanted to know about Ryan. She glanced at the clock, unable to believe she'd held a conversation with Cassidy for that long.

"Didn't you give him up too?" Cassidy didn't know the full story behind Ryan, only the bits and pieces she had overheard between Rachel and Nash.

"I did, but not in the same way and not at all for the same reasons." Rachel knew the two situations couldn't be anymore different. They weren't even comprable.

"Oh?" This information didn't sound familiar, maybe Nash had been right about Rachel after all.

"Ryan's father was my first partner at Bayside and his wife was unable to conceive. After Ben died, I made an offer to help them out." Rachel didn't want to get into the details with Cassidy. The last thing Cassidy needed was more ammunition against her.

"So you were a surrogate mother?" This definitely changed the situation, so maybe Rachel hadn't been the terrible mother that Cassidy imagined her to be.

"I was a donor, it wasn't as bad as giving up my daughter, but painful all the same." Rachel knew the feeling distinctly, it was something she never wanted to go through again.

"But aren't you getting them both back?" Cassidy couldn't imagine why she seemed so distant about her kids, even though she'd have them both back soon enough.

"Yeah, but my situation is anything but common." Rachel wanted Cassidy to know that what happened with her wasn't the norm when it came to adoption, she had gotten lucky.

"Is it weird, I mean, getting your kids back after someone else has raised them?" Cassidy wondered if she'd ever get that option, if she chose to place her baby up for adoption.

"It's ironic at best, you long for the day you'll see your children again, but then you dread the moment they ask questions that you don't have answers for." Rachel knew that day would come sooner than she'd be ready for it.

"What would you do, I mean, if you were me?" Cassidy couldn't believe what she was asking Rachel, but she had to know.

"Right now or when I was your age?" Rachel knew her situation at twenty-three couldn't have been any more different from Cassidy's, but she wasn't going to turn her away now.

"Either." It really didn't matter, Cassidy was just looking for advice.

"At your age, I'd probably decided to have the baby but give it up for adoption." Rachel knew there was no way at twenty-three years old she could've raised a child, but even though she had her own ideas about Cassidy, she could prove her wrong. 

"And now?" Cassidy assumed she'd have a new perspective, especially since she was married to Harvey.

"Five and a half years later, I'm married and in a completely different situation both careerwise and financially." Rachel knew had her life been different back then, there was no way she would've given her daughter up.

"Do you think that you and Harvey will have kids?" Cassidy wanted to know out of complete curiousity, she knew Harvey loved kids. She was certain that Nash and Rachel wouldn't have had children, her dad was done in that area.

"There's a good possibility, but for right now I think that we've got our hands full with work and the three kids we've got between us." Rachel definitely considered having another child as an option, but nothing was certain. For the time being, they were both more than occupied between the SIU and the kids.

"Do you want to have more kids?" Cassidy knew how Harvey felt about kids, but she wasn't sure if Rachel felt the same way. Rachel just didn't come off as being kid friendly.

"I've always loved kids, but I'm at a point where I could go either way." At that moment, having another child wasn't a priority for Rachel. If it happened, great; if not, she'd live.

"Would you consider giving up work to be a full-time mom?" Cassidy had to remember who she was talking to, the woman who had nearly as much overtime as Nash.

"If I had to, I'd do it for my kids." Rachel wanted to work, but if she thought the kids might benefit from having her home all day, she'd be willing to try.

**
"So what's the story with you and Nash?" Kat smiled, she always knew when Lisa was up to something. Kat looked at Lisa, seated on the barstool next to her.  "Thinking about getting back together?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Lisa lightly shook her glass, to indicate to the bartender that she was ready for another. "I've been gone for years, the only reason I'm back is because of Cassidy."

"And Nick, you came back for him too." Even though Kat hadn't been there herself, she knew that Lisa had come back for the funeral. But she stayed because of Cassidy.

"Nash and I are good friends now, nothing more." Lisa rolled her eyes, the thought of getting back together with Nash had crossed her mind more than once. It was a different time now, a lot had happened and a lot of years had gone by. "What about you, any new romance prospectives?"

"Hah. You're about as funny as your ex-husband." Kat honestly hadn't been looking for romance, her son and her job change have been her biggest concerns. Other than Louis, her love life had been a lost cause.

"Now there's an insult."  Lisa laughed, "no one at the SIU catching your eye?"

"Well, let's see, Joe and Harvey are both married and Antwon's a little too young for me. And Nash, please, I'd rather remain celibate for the rest of my life. " Kat chuckled, Nash was definitely not the object of her affections.

"Have you apologized yet for telling Harvey that he was making a mistake by marrying Bonnie?" Lisa remembered their conversation distinctly, recalling how hurt  Harvey must've been by his friend's comment. Kat was hurting at the time, but she still shouldn't have said what she did.

"I was supposed to apologize for my honesty?" Kat didn't recall saying anything offensive that night, but she now realized that maybe what she said wasn't the best way to show her feelings to Harvey. Lisa looked at her, maybe she should have apologized for what she had said. "Maybe you're right, but he does seem a lot happier now that he's married to McCabe."

"That has to be odd, the man you once made a play for is married to your partner." Lisa couldn't imagine what it was like, working with someone who is married to the man she wanted to be with.

"It wasn't my intent, believe me. It was completely coincidental." Kat hadn't intended to work with Rachel, especially not after having done the investigation on her for Louis.

"That almost sounds suspicious, do you know something that I don't?" Lisa was definitely curtious. Maybe Cassidy had been right about Inspector McCabe after all.

"Let's just say, I know a lot." Kat still wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to be completely honest with Rachel, there was something weird about knowing so much about your partner.

**
"Daddy, someone's here." Jerry looked at Harvey as he sat busily typing away infront of the computer screen. He anxiously yanked on Harvey's arm as he waited for his father to get up and see who it was.

"Oh yeah?" Harvey wasn't expecting anyone and it was a little late for Anna to change her mind about letting him keep Jerry for the evening. His only guess was Nash. "Let's go see who it is." Harvey lifted Jerry onto his shoulders as they walked towards the door, he could see Rachel's car from the window. He bent down so Jerry could get off, "why don't you go check the ice cream situation and I'll see who is here."

"Okay." Jerry was disappointed he couldn't see who was there, but he was anxious to get his ice cream. He quickly scampered off into the kitchen as Harvey answered the door.

"Rache," Harvey smiled. Even though she technically wasn't supposed to be there, he was happy to see her. Their time alone together at the SIU was limited and he needed a fix.

"I know I shouldn't be here but I had to drop these off for you and I wanted to bring you these for Jerry." Rachel handed him the bag as he stood in the doorway, she assumed Jerry was over due to the noise in the background. Harvey looked in the bag, a carton of assorted berries and a picture envelope. "How is he?"

"Other than asking about you constantly, he's fine."  Harvey grinned, his son was nearly as crazy about Rachel as he was. Harvey knew what Anna had said about Rachel, but he was certain that Jerry didn't feel the same way. "Why don't you come in, he'd love to see you?" Harvey guessed that since Anna had already been there once that day, she wouldn't be coming back. With any luck, Rachel would be safe to come in for a while.

"I probably shouldn't." Rachel didn't want to cause any further problems with Anna, the trip had been bad enough. For any excuse, she knew Harvey would have a response. "I need to get home and eat dinner, maybe get some work done."

"I've got plenty of food." Harvey leaned forward to kiss her, gently leading her in from the porch. Once inside, he didn't care if Jerry saw them or not and gave her another thorough kiss.

Jerry peered out from the kitchen to see who was there, upon hearing Rachel's voice he set down the ice cream and ran towards the front door, halting at her feet. "Rachie!"

"Too late now." Harvey chuckled as he looked at Jerry clinging to Rachel, sure that she wasn't going anywhere soon.

**
"Where's Jerry this evening?" Steve was hoping to spend sometime with his boy before things started getting messy between Harvey and Anna.

"He's with Harvey." Anna wanted to talk to Steve alone, that's the only reason she lete Harvey have him again. She didn't want Jerry around Rachel.

"I thought we talked about that?" Steve didn't want Jerry to spend so much time with Harvey anymore, he had to know who his real father was. Harvey was only a substitute.

"Well, I don't see you doing anything to spark a change." Anna didn't want to do all the work, it was up to him. She had waited long enough for him to come back.

"What are you saying, you want me to marry you or something?" Steve knew that this was what Anna was hinting at. He wasn't completely against the idea, he just wasn't sure he wanted that type of commitment just yet. His son was one thing, but marrying Anna would be a bit of a stretch.

"There's an idea." Anna wanted a ring before she'd go any further, she wasn't going to break Harvey's heart for nothing. She wanted to know this was the real deal before she went and changed Jerry's life.

"So we'll go to the Justice of the Peace next week?" Steve wanted things as simple as possible, he didn't want to make a big deal out of this wedding. If anything, the marriage would only make Harvey's life worse.

"Excuse me?" Anna didn't want to get married at the Justice of the Peace, she wanted a real wedding. She wanted something special.

"Let's be sensible here, okay?" Steve didn't like the attitude she was taking, it wasn't as if this was true love . "It's not like you would've gotten much better had you married Harvey Leek."

"They at least were married in Vegas." For Anna, even a chapel in Vegas was a better option than the Justice of the Peace. 

"You want Vegas, we'll get hitched there." Steve didn't want to argue, but he knew he had to appease Anna to get a better chance of keeping Jerry.

"You're only doing this to fight fire with fire aren't you?" Anna knew how badly Steve wanted to be a part of Jerry's life, but Harvey's marriage to Rachel might give him a one-up in the custody battle. She wouldn't settle for it. Not now, not ever.

**
"I went to see Rachel today." Cassidy had to give her father that much, talking to Rachel had done her good. Cassidy say her jacket down on the counter and sat down on the stool next to Nash.

"You did?'' Nash was honestly surprised. He didn't think she'd go, she was like him, far too stubborn. "What did she have to say?"

"We talked about her kids, and what she'd do if she was me." Cassidy hated to admit it, but for once Rachel might have been right. Rachel certainly had life experience in that area.

"And?" Nash wondered what words of wisdom Rachel had for Cassidy. He was certain he'd hear from Rachel for sending Cassidy to her for advice.

"She says she'd probably give the baby up for adoption." Cassidy knew this was still an option for her, it might be the best chance for the baby. It all depended on the father.

"Which is what she did." Nash knew giving her daughter up had been difficult for Rachel, but it seemed to benefit them both later on.

"But the child's father wasn't involved, he didn't want anything to do with Rachel or their baby." Cassidy knew her child's father would have to factor in somehow, she just didn't know how or when. She'd have to tell him sometime.

"So I take it you're going to tell Lucas about the baby?" Nash didn't know what Cassidy planned to do about Lucas, he certainly wasn't in favor of having an accomplice to a murder as a son-in-law but his grandchild had a right to know his or her father.

"Lucas might not be the father." Cassidy had to come clean, Lucas wasn't the only option. She'd have to find out who it was sooner or later, one day her child would want answers.

"What?" Nash raised his eyes, he hadn't expected that type of announcement. Now they had problems.

**
"I should probably get going." Rachel had noticed it was getting closer and closer to Jerry's bedtime. Anna would be furious if she knew Rachel was at Harvey's again with Jerry.

"Rache, you and I both know that I have just as many parental rights as she does. She can't tell me who I can and can't be with." Harvey didn't like how Anna was insinuating herself as a third party who had the deciding vote on his relationship with Rachel. His time with Jerry meant everything to him, but Rachel was also an important factor in his life. He didn't want to lose Rachel because of Anna's mind games.

"She's the custodial parent." Rachel knew what Anna was capable of, if she didn't like how Harvey was handling a situation all she had to do was take Jerry away. Rachel picked up her jacket from the chair and retrieved her keys from a pile of action figures on the coffee table.

"I know, and I am trying to change that." Harvey could see that the longer Anna tried to come between them, the worse things were going to get.  He didn't want that to happen. "Things are going to get better, I promise, as to when, I really don't know. It certainly can't get any worse. "

"I don't want Jerry getting caught in the middle." Rachel didn't want to see Jerry getting hurt as Harvey and Anna fought for custody, but she knew it was liable to happen.

"He's better off with us." From Jerry's most recent behavior and his attitude towards his mother, Harvey was certain that he and Rachel should have custody of Jerry. He just hoped the judge saw it the same way.

"Even if he is better off with us, what makes you think that Anna's just going to go away?" Rachel didn't think that if the judge assigned them full custody of Jerry that Anna would just disappear into thin air. Anna wouldn't let them win that easily.

"We'll deal with her, just like we've been doing." Harvey knew this argument was coming. The longer Anna stayed, the more she tormented Rachel. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't afford to play sides.

"As long as you're with me, she's not going to let you have him." Rachel couldn't understand why Anna disliked her as much as she did. Rachel didn't recall doing anything to provoke Anna's hate.

"You don't know that, besides, it's not up to her... it's up to the judge." Harvey was hoping they'd get a fair judge who could see that it was in Jerry's best interest to stay with them.

"What do you think she'll tell the judge? I know she'll make sure  I come off as the worst mother in the world." Rachel had no doubt in her mind that Anna would make the custody case as difficult as it could be. She'd do whatever she could to prevent Harvey and Rachel from getting Jerry.

"So, we'll fight fire with fire." Harvey knew that Anna was going to use everything she could against him and Rachel. He hoped the law would be on their side, despite their circumstances. Harvey waited a few seconds for Rachel's temper to simmer down, he had completely forgotten to ask about her meeting with the judge. "enough about that, how was court this morning?"

"I've got visitation tomarrow." Rachel wasn't sure if she was ready to make that step, but she knew she had to. "They contacted Ryan's family and apparently they agree with Connie, that Ryan would be better off with us."

"That's good news, though, right?" Harvey figured that having Rachel's children around could also work to their advantage in getting Jerry. They could offer Jerry the family life he deserved.

"It's good news, but, we have to have an appointment with a social worker so she can interview us and check out the house before we're assigned custody." Rachel didn't know how they could fit the appointment in, and keep Anna out of the situation.

"What time are you going to see Ryan?" Harvey wanted to know so he could go with her, he was nearly as anxious as she was.

"About six, but you don't have to go... if you don't want to." Rachel didn't want to make Harvey feel that he had to go. She knew he wouldn't want to miss out on any more time with Jerry.

"I thought I should get to know the little guy sooner or later, now seems like a pretty good time to start." Harvey wasn't sure if she didn't want him there or she didn't think he wanted to be there. "Am I right?"

"I know you've got a lot of other things to worry about." Rachel didn't want to make Harvey feel as if he had to go with her, he had enough to deal with between Jerry and Anna.

"I want to go with you." Harvey knew Rachel needed all the support she could get. It wasn't that Rachel was going to be a bad parent, it was that she lacked knowledge of little kids. He had experience with Jerry. "I was thinking that we could spend the evening with the boys at your place."

"I don't want you to get in trouble with Anna." Rachel knew that she wasn't supposed to be around Jerry, but staying away from him and Harvey was anything but easy. "I shouldn't even be here now."

"Can you not worry about Anna for five seconds?" Harvey wished there was a way to put Rachel's fears to rest. Anna's presence was definitely causing a rift between them.

"That's a little hard to do since she is interrupting our lives." Rachel didn't blame Jerry at all for what was going on, Anna was the problem. She couldn't find a way to seperate Jerry from Anna in order to better explain herself to Harvey. "I don't know what the woman has against me, but whatever it is, my being around isn't going to help the situation any." 

**
"So is everyone setting up at Hidden Lake?" The barge looked empty to Joe without Rachel, Kat, Harvey and Antwon. Joe wanted to do the gig himself, but he knew he was needed at the SIU that morning.

"Yeah. Kat, Rachel and 'Twon are inside and I've got Harvey running the show from the offices across the street." Nash wanted the operation to be flawless, he didn't want another innocent life to be lost.

"How was dinner with Cassidy last night?" Nash's face didn't look so reassuring, Joe assumed things hadn't gone well.

"She was out so we didn't go." Nash knew he could trust Joe with the intimate details of his life, "I think she's still mad at me for what I said."

Joe rolled his eyes, praying that he'd never know these problems with Lucia. "What did you say to her?"

"I told her that  I went to talk to Martin about getting her a job, and I also recommended she talk to Rachel." At the time, he didn't think she'd be offended by either topic. He was wrong.

"Nash, come on, the job she hates and the partner she loathes?" Joe smiled, knowing Nash had only been trying to help. "What were you thinking?"

"Well, it wasn't all bad. She talked to Rachel, but I don't think she'll take the job."  Nash knew Cassidy wouldn't be back at the SIU any time soon, but he felt she should be doing something. 

"What does Lisa have to say about all this?" Joe wondered what her opinion was about what happened with  Cassidy, he hadn't heard Nash talk about her lately.

"She thinks we should let Cassidy decide what she wants to do herself, and support her no matter what." Nash agreed with Lisa, but he felt they should be allowed some insight with their daughter.

**
"Harvey Leek, what can I do for you?" Louis was expecting a call from Rachel later on, he wondered what Harvey was doing there so early.

"Do you have a few minutes?" Harvey waited before stepping in, he didn't want to waste his time or Louis'.

"Of course, come on in." Louis assumed that Harvey might have a few questions about Lili or RJ, only some of which he'd be allowed to answer. Even though Rachel was his wife, he had to respect the confidentiality agreement. Harvey stepped inside the office and sat down in the large leather chair that faced Louis' desk. "What brings you here today, Mr. Leek?"

"I don't know what Rachel has told you, but we're also seeking custody of my son." Harvey didn't know where to begin, his other lawyer wasn't doing enough and he was desperate.

"Rachel had mentioned that." Louis vaguely remembered their last discussion when they had met to discuss the custody of Ryan the day before. "How's that going?"

"That's why I'm here." Harvey hoped Louis would be willing to take the case, despite him already having two that Rachel was involved with. "My son's mother hasn't been fair at all with the custody agreement and I would like to motion for full custody, the only problem is that my lawyer isn't ready to take the necessary action."

"So?" Louis guessed where Harvey was headed with this, he wanted him to take the case.

"So I was hoping that I could talk to you and see if you could recommend another lawyer or take the case yourself." Harvey didn't want to wait any longer, something had to be done about Anna before she tried to take Jerry away permanently.

"I'm a pretty busy man, but you and Rachel have proven to be good customers." Louis smiled, hoping Harvey would appreciate his joke. "What's been her latest move?" Louis had to know where the case stood, if they could put up a fight.

"Anna?" Harvey wanted to make sure he was on the right track. Custody of his son was too important to make a mistake.

"Yes, Anna." Louis already guessed that the case wouldn't be easy. From what Rachel had told him, he knew there were problems.

"She called me this morning, to tell me I've got Jerry for the weekend." Harvey found the call a little more than suspicious, Anna said earlier he wouldn't get him for the weekend.

"You normally don't get your son for the weekend?" Louis didn't see what was wrong with Anna offering him more time, unless there was a catch.

"She's seeing someone and he's in town, she wanted to keep Jerry. Apparently, she's going away for the weekend now." Harvey was a little confused with how Anna changed her mind.

Louis could foresee a crisis, something was definitely wrong. "Rachel mentioned that she and Anna don't get along?"

"No, they never did. I think in some way, Anna feels threatened by Rachel spending time with Jerry."  Harvey knew that was the case, Anna felt like he was taking her son away from her.

"Well, as long as everything goes well with the social worker, you two should be getting custody of Ryan soon enough. But, that was a pretty much open and shut case, there was no opposition on either end." Louis sighed, from what little Rachel had told him, he knew this was going to be a fight. "Depending on the fight that Anna puts up, we might be able to get you full custody by Thanksgiving, Christmas at the latest."

Harvey looked up and smiled, "are you serious?" This was the best news he had heard yet. No other lawyer had seemed so optimistic.

"It's a longshot, but I think that you two might have a case. Based on what Rachel has told me about Anna and what I know of you and Rachel, I think a judge might take realize what you two have to offer as parents." Louis knew he'd have a difficult time proving that Anna was an unfit mother and that Rachel had changed since giving her own kids up. If anything, he could use her custody of Lili and Ryan to their advantage in an effort to sway the judge.

**
"I told Harvey that he could keep Jerry this weekend." Anna looked at Steve as he laid, still half asleep, across the couch.

"Why did you do that?" Steve thought Jerry had been spending more than enough time with Harvey and Rachel recently. He needed some time at home.

"So we can go to Vegas." Anna was adament about getting a ring on her finger before she devastated Harvey.

"I told you, once I get the blood test I'll marry you." Steve wasn't about to marry Anna before he knew for sure about Jerry. Unless Jerry was his, it wasn't worth marrying Anna.

"That's not how it works, you marry me and I'll get the test." Anna didn't want to play games, Jerry was her son. As far as she was concerned, Harvey still had the upper hand even if he was married to Rachel.

Steve sat up, unable to believe they were having that conversation so early. "And if  I don't?"

"If you don't, you might as well leave now. I am not going to lose my son because you won't be a man and marry me." Anna found no one else to blame besides Steve for her misfortune, she told him she would wait.

"No one forced you to wait for me, Anna, you decided that all on your own." Steve didn't want to take responsibility for any of Anna's mistakes. Being with Jerry and getting revenge on Harvey were his only concerns. 

"You said you'd help me." Anna was beginning to see a crack, his story had changed.

"If Jerry was my kid." Steve had his own reasons to be against Harvey, he didn't need Jerry to help fuel the fire between them.

"So you lied?" Anna looked at him angrily, not sure if she wanted to marry him at all... even if it would give her a better chance at keeping Jerry.

"What do you want from me, Anna? I've got my own problems with Leek, if you want to ruin his marriage and take his son --- that's your own debacle." Steve didn't see any point in ruining Harvey's marriage, let him have fun while it lasts. It wouldn't be long before Rachel knew the truth anyways.

"You won't help me?" Anna suddenly wondered if she had gone to all this trouble for Steve for nothing.

"I never said that, but I am asking you to wait before you do anything you might regret." Steve knew Anna was ready to take offense and bombard Harvey with whatever she could dig up on his wife. He had enough to end their marriage then and there, but he wanted to wait.

**
                                                                         Part 3

**
"Aren't you cute, all decked out in a lab coat and stethoscope." Kat rolled her eyes as she saw Rachel approaching from the parking lot. "Oh, to be young and beautiful once again."

"I know I'm cute," Rachel grinned mischeviously, "but that's not the point. What's on the agenda for today?"

"You get the records and I'll get the interviews." Kat had it all strategically planned out with Nash. They had to get the job done right.

"What about 'Twon?" Rachel wondered how he would fit into their scenario.

"He's checking for anything suspicious while he's making his rounds." Nash had given 'Twon explicit directions for what to do, he had to be on the look-out at all times. They couldn't afford to miss another opportunity.

"Lunchtime briefing?" Rachel assumed they'd have to meet up sooner or later, to give eachother updates on what they had found.

"We'll meet up with Harvey at 12:30. I'll leave at about 12:13 and you at 12:21, 'Twon goes on break at 12:15... we don't want to raise any suspicions around here." Kat didn't any curious minds to wander, they didn't want to let the residents know they were undercover. It would be obvious and if they knew anything, they wouldn't talk.

"And after?" Rachel guessed there was more to it, though the plan already seemed elaborate enough.

"After lunch, I'll be calling the families of the deceased and some other contacts while you run a few consults." Kat hoped that Rachel was up to date enough with her medical knowledge to sound competent. "You up for that?"

"Sure, why not?" As far as Rachel could remember, geriatrics hadn't been her strong point but she knew enough to get by.

"With any luck, we'll be out by five-thirty, six at the latest." Kat didn't want to spend the entire day there, that might raise suspicion.

"Let's try for five-thirty." Rachel didn't want to miss Louis by being late, not for her first official visit.

Kat smiled, "hot date? He'll be working too."

"Actually, I've got to pick up my son for the weekend." Rachel knew Kat could sympathize to some extent. She didn't know the full story with Kat's family life, but she knew that she had kids.

"Oh...what about tomarrow morning? You and I are supposed to be here for a few hours." Kat was wondering if she had forgotten or already made other arrangements. Having a small child around wasn't really condusive to going undercover.

"I'll be here." Kat's question served as a reminder for Rachel to call Mrs. Wilson and make sure she could be there. She didn't want to drop responsibility immediately on Harvey.

"Did you talk to Nash? I'm sure he could work something out?" Kat knew Nash would go out of his way to help Rachel, especially where her kids were involved.

"I said I'll be here." Even though her kids were her number one priority, she still had an obligation to her job.

**
"You wanted to see me, Nash?" Lisa sat down in the chair in front of his desk, something told her that his call was urgent. She knew they had a lot to discuss with Cassidy, but luckily they were still amicable after their divorce.

"Has Cassidy told you that Lucas might not be the father?" Nash was completely baffled. It was bad enough Lucas had been an accomplice to a serious crime, but now he wasn't the only possibility. He wondered who else it could be, hopefully the situation wouldn't get any worse.

Lisa shook her head, "you're kidding?" If Lisa had thought Evan brought problems into her daughter's life, she suddenly had to think again.

"She told me last night, after she stopped by Rachel's." Nash had wanted an explanation for where she had been, he didn't want the news he had gotten.

"So that's where she was?" Lisa hadn't expected her to go. Although Rachel might be able to provide some good advice, Lisa didn't think Cassidy would be willing to listen. She was far too stubborn

"Apparently." Nash honestly didn't know what to do about Cassidy or the baby, it was completely up to her. He, they, had to be supportive. "Any ideas for what to do next?"

"Did she mention who her other options were?" It didn't make sense to Lisa, she didn't know when her daughter had become so wreckless. She definitely wasn't going to go back to France now. "Our grandchild is going to need a father sooner or late."

Nash rolled his eyes, "I guess it will  be a process of elimination." Nash thought for a moment, where did he go wrong. Nash knew he wasn't completely responsible, but the idea of being a more involved parent passed his mind as a reason why she might have rebelled.

**
"Harvey, wait...." Anna ran after him as he quickly walked from his porch back to his car. She had to talk to him before she left, give their relationship one last try before she committed to someone else.

"Anna, I really don't have time for this." Harvey turned to look at her, she appeared to be more upset and disheveled than usual. He decided to give her a chance, he had to stop and listen. "I've got to get back to work."

"Morning quickie with your wife and than you run?" Anna was upset, which freed her sarcastic comments. She leaned seductively against the Cruiser, trying to catch his eye.

"Not hardly." Harvey waited to unlock the door, considering that she might have something important to say. He hoped she wasn't going to take back her offer for him to keep Jerry for the weekend. "What do you want?"

"Oh, now you have time to listen." Anna watched as he rolled his eyes in disgust, he was already in a bad mood. She'd have to try again later. "I'd like to talk to you about our son."

"What about our son?" Harvey wondered what more she could possibly throw his way. With Anna, he had learned to expect the unexpected.

"You can have him this weekend, but I don't want her around him." Anna didn't want Rachel to have any more time with Jerry. The damage she had already done was bad enough.

"You're referring to Rachel?" Harvey was sure that was who Anna meant. He still didn't understand Anna's dislike for her, it wasn't as if Rachel had replaced Anna in Jerry's life.

"Who else?'' Unless there was another woman in Harvey's life that she didn't know about, Rachel was the only other target for Anna's agression. "Just keep her away from him, Harvey."

"That's a little difficult, she is my wife." Harvey couldn't see why she was making him choose between his wife and his son. He hated giving up one to be with the other.

"So seperate, you two do live in seperate houses a few blocks apart." Anna still didn't know why they still lived in two different houses. There were definitely a few problems.

**
"Anything yet?" Kat walked into the staff room where Rachel had been waiting for her. It wasn't quite time for their lunch break, but she felt they might be in need for a briefing.

"Nothing we can work with."  Rachel knew she had to dig deeper, they couldn't leave empty handed. "I went over all of the deceaseds' medical reports and they all had debilitating illnesses. All of the women were in reasonably good health at the time of their deaths, but their illnesses would've been their demise sooner or later."

"So were looking for an angel of death, more or less?" Kat imagined that a nurse or doctor could be behind the deaths just as easily as another patient.

"Whoever it was wanted to put these women out of their misery before they got too sick." It was clear that none of these women would've lived long after their diagnosis, but they would've had at least a little more life left in them.

"Have you seen Parker around?'' Kat hadn't seen him lurking around anywhere, but she didn't know if Rachel had met up with him while consulting a patient.

"No, he's pretty much steered clear of this place outside of his shifts. He doesn't come on today until four." Rachel wasn't sure exactly what role Nurse Parker was playing, but he definitely knew something.

"Did any of the people you interviewed mention anything suspicious?" Kat was hoping someone could've seen or heard something, "the families I talked to said that these women were all friends."

"That's what I heard, there's a few from their group  still around, I know of a Molly and an Adele, there might be another one or two." That was all Rachel could get out of them, most of the people in Hidden Lake had questionable memories at best.

"The question is, was it a death pact with these women or was somebody else involved?" The evidence still didn't provide any leads, they were now hypothesizing and grabbing at straws.

**
Harvey looked towards Antwon, waiting for him to finish his sandwich. "You haven't said much, how are things going with you and Jessie?"

Antwon swallowed hard, "you don't even want to know." He wasn't proud of what had happened, and he knew he really hurt Jessie when she found out.

Harvey chuckled, "that good?"

Antwon set his pop down, "I guess I'm not ready for a solid commitment. I admire you for taking the plunge."

"No one is ever really ready, so what happened?" Harvey hadn't been sure if he or Rachel were ready for that type of commitment, but time had proved him wrong.

"Honestly, I slept with someone else." Antwon knew he could trust Harvey with the truth. He knew Harvey wouldn't criticize.

"Ouch." Harvey didn't think their relationship had come to that point. He had to ask Antwon, "did she catch you in the act?"

"Nah, she knew something was up and I told her." Antwon felt good about coming clean, but he knew it would cost him their relationship.

"Ah, nothing like a little guilt to make you come clean." Harvey knew the feeling all too well, he hated keeping things from Rachel.

"What about you, I mean, how did you decide on Rachel?" Antwon wondered if he'd ever find the one, his personal life was a disaster area.

"I nearly screwed that up, especially where Anna's concerned." Harvey knew that Anna nearly ruined his chances with Rachel, and he almost let her. "Later on things had gotten a little out of hand with someone and luckily Rachel decided to overlook the incident since she was away in Boston."

"You slept with someone else?" Antwon thought it was impossible. Harvey didn't seem the type to go out and have an affair. Maybe his marriage to Rachel wasn't as good as Antwon thought it was. 

"It never got that far, I'd probably be divorced and out of a job if it did." As soon as Harvey said that, he wondered if he had said too much. He didn't want anyone else to know about the mishap with Cassidy. He hoped Antwon wouldn't look into it.

**
"I'm going to go, Jerry." Anna had never been more angry after stopping in to see her son. She couldn't believe how Harvey was letting Rachel take over. Anna didn't have time for her son to go on and on about his stepmother, she had places to be.

Jerry led her by the hand, back towards his room. Once inside, he ran to his closet and yanked out a shirt. " Look, Mom.'' Jerry proudly displayed his Red Sox jersey for his mother. "I got these too!" Jerry ran over to his toy shelves and happily emptied a box and animals at her feet. "I got a farm."

Anna looked everything over, she knew exactly who the culprit was. "Who bought these for you?"

"Gramma Claire did." Jerry busily searched through his other toys to show his mom what else he had received.

"Gramma Claire?" It wasn't the answer she had been expected, but she knew Rachel was connected to it. Rachel's mother was as bad as her daughter.

"Rachie's mom." Jerry hadn't known grandparents before, so finally having a grandma was something special for him.

"Did she buy you a lot of things?" Anna had to know how much damage had been done, her son was being ruined.

"Me and Lili." Jerry had gotten presents too, as well as Rachel's daughter. "Rachie bought pictures." Jerry held up a picture from his nightstand for his mother to see, not knowing it would infuriate her.

"I can see that." Anna cringed as she looked at the picture of Rachel with her son and silently mumbled, "over my dead body, McCabe."

**
"Anything up yet?" Antwon watched the video over Harvey's shoulder. The cameras had been strategically placed in an effort to catch whoever was responsible for the elderly women's deaths.

"Nada." Harvey hadn't seen anything that grabbed his attention, not even something remotely suspicious.

Antwon sat down next to him, "I didn't see a thing. The place seemed to be running without a flaw."

"Did you circulate?" Harvey knew that Antwon was in as cleaning crew, but he wasn't sure how much leverage he had with getting around the building to the different areas.

"I got around." Antwon wasn't sure what else they could do, there had to be a way to catch this guy. "Maybe we should bug some rooms?"

"Can't." Harvey knew that would be an invasion of the resident's privacy, and they'd know something was going on. "We need something a little more discrete." They say together quietly for a few moments, watching the screens.

"Hey, check that out." Antwon pointed to the screen as they watched an elderly man walk into a woman's room and shut the door.

"That might mean something." Harvey was intrigued by the man, maybe he had a role in what's been happening.

"I'm going to go  back in and find out." Antwon didn't want this guy to get away, even if he wasn't the one responsible, he might know who was.

"Find out who that is, I don't like the looks of things." Harvey looked back at the screen, the door to the woman's room was still closed. "Let Kat know what's up."

**
"Tell me what I want to hear." Nash waited for Kat to respond, he had been waiting for one of them to call all afternoon. He hoped they came up with some evidence against Parker.

"Parker's not our guy."  Kat was positive that Parker wasn't the one responsible for the deaths, it was someone else inside.

"Okay, so who is?" Nash didn't want to make assumptions, but he felt the staff was as much of a risk as the residents themselves.

"Antwon and Harvey saw someone, on the tape, something wasn't right." Kat didn't want to think that a innoncent-looking old man was responsible, but she wasn't ready to rule him out as a suspect.

"Name?" Nash needed a name to work with, he could check out any past records and have Joe do a search through City Hall.

"Martin Hayes, Rache is looking over his medical file now. " Kat wanted to get all the information they could on him before they started with their accusations.

"This means tomarrow I want you and McCabe to interview him seperately, ask the families if these women had any interaction with him." Nash was relieved, they were finally getting somewhere. But the murders haven't been solved yet.

"What about Parker?" Kat had a feeling he was still involved somehow, he wasn't completely off the hook.

"Keep an eye on him, don't let him get out of your sight." Nash knew that even if Parker hadn't killed the women himself, he was probably protecting whoever was responsible or helping them.

**
"There's a few things that you should know, Rachel, before you take Ryan." Louis wasn't sure of how much she knew, if anything, about her young son. He had gotten to the foster home early so he could talk to her before she got him.

"Like what?" Rachel didn't know what else could've possibly come up. She wondered if Connie had changed her mind after all. Rachel put her cell phone back into her pocket, her call to Harvey would have to wait until later.

"Let's talk a minute, before you go in." Louis didn't know how to tell her or what to say.  She had to know that what went on with Ryan wasn't her fault.  Rachel deserved to know what she was getting herself into. Louis waited for Rachel to sit down on the step next to him. "Has Connie or anyone else mentioned anything to you about Ryan's behavior? "

"No, why?" Rachel wasn't sure what Louis was referring to, the last time she had seen Ryan he seemed perfectly okay, about as normal as any other child his age.

"I probably should've mentioned this to you earlier, but the foster family said they noticed signs of abuse when Ryan came in. Nothing physical, but emotional." Louis was at a loss for the right words to describe what was going on, he tried to be subtle.

"Emotional abuse?" Rachel tried to remember the exact medical definition of emotional abuse, it didn't seem right. Connie didn't seem like a negligent mother."How so?"

"Honestly? Neglect is the most common form with children." Louis couldn't understand how a mother could just ignore her child being there and not pay any attention to what was going on. "The foster mother could probably tell you a bit more, but I wanted to let you know beforehand." Louis glanced at his watch, he should let Rachel go in. "Do you want me to come in?"

"You could." Rachel suddenly wasn't so sure she was capable of taking her son on. Even though this was her own child, she wasn't positive she could be the type of parent he needed to have. Rachel knocked on the door, waiting for someone to come answer.

"Come on in, don't mind the clutter." A voice called from the back, from what Rachel could see, the house was very well lived in. There were toys strewn across the floor and two children running up and down the stair cases. "Have a seat in the living room, I'll be there in a second."

Rachel followed Louis back into the house, obviously, he knew the place well. He moved a few toys aside to clear a place for them to sit upon the couch. "RJ was staying here with seven other foster children, it did him good to be with some other kids for a  change."

"I guess it would." Rachel had looked past some of the jelly-smeared faces as they passed by in the hall, but recognized none of them as her son. She saw a blonde woman approach from the kitchen, with a child in her arms and another trailing not far behind.

"Louis, what can I do for you today?" Marla couldn't keep all the children's cases or the children's lawyers straight. Louis could be there for anyone of them.

"Ryan's mother is here to see him." Louis was sure that he had called to remind Marla that they were coming for Ryan that evening. Marla looked at him, baffled.

Marla had no idea what his mother was doing there, supposedly they were trying to get a court order against her. Marla pulled Louis to the side by his arm, "I thought she wasn't supposed to see him no more?"

"Rachel is Ryan's real mother, she's the one who'll be taking custody of him." Louis would have to make a note to have his secretary call Marla again before his next visit. He could see how uncomfortable Rachel felt there.

"She the one who gave up to that wench?" Marla didn't think she'd be much better if she was the one who entrusted that sweet boy to Connie.

"She's the egg donor, if you will." For lack of a better explanation, Louis just assumed tell her the truth. It wasn't Rachel's fault that Ryan was neglected, it wasn't as if Connie allowed Rachel to play a role in the boy's life.

"I see, well, Ryan's upstairs. Why don't you come up with me and get him?" Marla could tell that Rachel hadn't had much experience with little kids, just from her initial reaction as she walked into the house. At least she was an improvement from Connie.

"Okay." Rachel wasn't sure what to do, she couldn't refuse or ask Marla just to bring him down. Rachel got up from the couch and followed Marla back towards the stairs.

"Ryan's a cute little boy, he's real quiet." Ryan wasn't at all like the other little kids his age. "His mom must've done something to him to make him stay so quiet all the time, he hardly makes a sound, no crying, no talking...he's real shy too, barely lets me or my husband pick him up."   

"Really?" Rachel wasn't ready to see Ryan alone, she wished Harvey was there with her. He'd know what to do and what to say. Kids loved him, he was great with Jerry.

"You should have no problem getting him to sleep later, he goes down around eight and he's out for the rest of the night." Marla could tell Rachel was just as puzzled about her son as she had been when Ryan first came. "He's in the room to your right, bottom bunk."

"He's in a bed?" Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing, nothing that Marla mentioned seemed like the average behavior for a boy who wasn't yet two. Rachel hesitated in entering the room.

"She made him grow up real fast, he drinks from a cup, sleeps in a bed and is almost potty trained." Marla couldn't believe how well he acted, she would be sad to see him go. "Why don't we go on in, I'm sure he's up?" Marla walked over towards the bed and sat down at the end, "Ryan, there's someone here for you."

"He won't remember me." Their last meeting had been brief, there's no way that Ryan would know who she was. The last time she had seen him was in Carmel, when he was with Connie and she explained the situation to Harvey for the first time.

The sleepy little boy sat up and looked around, remaining completely silent. He did a quick visual search for his blanket and grabbed it, unsure of what was going on or who was there. He set his eyes upon Rachel. "He does this all the time, I'll give you two a minute." Marla got up from the bed and handed Rachel his cup.  Before Rachel could object, Marla had left the room.

**
"So, tell me everything that you saw today." Nash wanted to close this case as soon as possible, it had dragged on too long.

"Harve and I were watching the camera planted in the air vent in the central hallway, we saw him go into Molly Scott's room and close the door." That was exactly what they saw, there wasn't any more too it.

"And?" Now wasn't the time for Antwon to hold back, he had to help Nash if they wanted to wrap this case.

"That's it, he shut the door and came out about a half hour later, her roommate came out too." Antwon wasn't sure what Nash would make of the situation, it was a little odd since Molly's roommate was there as well.

"Then what?" Nash had to know everything that happened, like putting together pieces of a puzzle to get the big picture. "What about Molly?"

"She was still in her room, Adele went down the hall to the dining room and Martin went back to his room. It seems innocent enough." Antwon still thought things didn't seem right, "a little while later he went into Catherine Thomas' room and shut the door."

"Interesting enough." Nash was certain Martin Hayes wasn't the gentleman he appeared to be.

**
"He should be ready for  bed in an hour or two, I'll pick him up around eight tomarrow morning." Harvey smiled as he watched Jerry running down the hall towards his room. He looked back at Anna, she wasn't happy, "is that okay?"

"I stopped by the house to see Jerry this afternoon." The visit had been like a knife in her heart. One more reason for her to hate Rachel McCabe.

"Mrs. Wilson mentioned that you had made a visit." Harvey would prefer if she didn't stop by the house while he was gone, but he knew there was no use in complaining.

"She's trying to buy him Harvey, to buy him so she can get to you." Whether he liked it or not, she had Rachel McCabe figured out. She knew the game Rachel was playing.

"Anna, please, I am sure that's not what she's doing." He was quick to Rachel's defense. He knew Rachel wasn't like that, she didn't have to do anything to get to him.

"Oh no?" Anna backed up away from Harvey, completely tense. It was time for her to turn on the theatrics. "It's bad enough that  I have to hear about how wonderful she is, and how much Jerry liked Boston, but the whole time I was there he showed me pictures and everything Rachel and her mother bought him."

Harvey knew better than to argue, but he didn't see why she was so upset. "So he had a good time and they bought him a few things?" He didn't think they had gone over the top, but they had bought Jerry a few things he wouldn't have picked out for his son himself.

"I thought you were different, how can you let her buy you like that? I thought money didn't matter to you?" Anna had spent her life depending on other people's money, she didn't want her son to be spoiled.

"It doesn't, but you're sure making it matter to you." Harvey knew from experience that Anna's emotions could be easily bought and sold. He thought this might be jsut another overreaction.

"So tell me this, Harvey, why did you marry her?" Anna wanted answers, before Rachel came along she could've had a chance with Harvey again. "Was it about sex, or money, getting back at Nash, a midlife crisis, or just getting someone to have a baby for you?" That had to be it, it seemed like the only reason Harvey would marry someone like Rachel.

"I'm not getting into this with you." Harvey never even discussed the topic with Rachel, he certainly wasn't going to give Anna any more ammunition against her.

"That's it, isn't it? You wanted another kid, and she's good at that, having a kid and walking away. But, you being the wonderful and honorable Harvey Leek, you married her to legitimize the deal." Anna could tell that Harvey was upset by her analysis of his marriage, but she honestly didn't care.

Harvey was shocked by what she said, only Anna would stoop to that level. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

"If you wanted another kid, Harvey, all you had to do was ask. You didn't have to marry the SIU horror." That's what Rachel was, plain and simple. She used the men in her life to her every advantage.

Harvey was furious, she had gone too far. "That's the proverbial pot calling the kettle black."

Anna shook her head, "I'll forgive you that just because I know you'll be crawling back to me in no time."

**



                                                                        Part 4

**
"Go home, Kat." Nask looked down from upstairs, he wasn't surprised she was still there.

"I'm just typing up these reports from today, I told McCabe I'd handle the dirty work." Kat didn't want Rachel to miss out on time with her son. Kat really didn't have any other plans for the evening.

"Since I can't get rid of you and I'm almost finished, interested in going for dinner?" Nash wasn't sure where their friendship was headed, if anywhere. It was Harvey that Kat had liked, but now it was a moot point.

"You buying?" Kat looked up at Nash, he smiled.

"You're really pushing it, you know." Nash didn't mind buying, it wasn't that Kat didn't have the money, she was just being as flirtatious as ever. Nash turned off the lights on his desk and headed down the stairs, "come on, you can finish those tomarrow."

"Tomarrow's Saturday, it's bad enough you've got us at Hidden Lake for a few hours." Kat shook her head, "you're a slave driver, you know?"

"Did I ask you to take this job?" Nash grinned, "no, I think you demanded that I give it to you."

Kat shut down her computer and pushed her chair in, "was that how it happened?"

"I believe you may have threatened me somewhere along the line, too." Nash laughed, it was good to have Kat back. Things would never be like they were before, but it was good to have her around.

**
"How's your first evening with Ryan?" Harvey stopped at the light, knowing exactly how much time it would take him to get home. He couldn't wait to see her and get to officially meet Ryan.

"Luckily, it's been uneventful." After hearing Marla and Louis, Rachel didn't know what to expect from Ryan. He had been just as quiet and shy as he was at Marla's. Ryan had kept a pretty good distance from her. "How's Jerry?"

Harvey could tell Rachel was uncomfortable, the tone of her voice was his clue. He parked the car in front of the house, she needed him to be there with her. "He's fine, we are just coming back from dinner at La Casa."

"Do you think you could come by la..." Rachel stopped herself, she had to get through this on her own. Harvey more than deserved to have some time alone with Jerry. She had to try. "Do you think you could come by tomarrow?"

Harvey smiled as he walked up the steps to the porch, carryout bag in hand. "I don't know, tomarrow's looking pretty busy. It is a Saturday, which means it's park day for Jerry, I've got to take in my dry cleaning, and..."

"Okay, that's fine." Rachel was definitely stuck alone, Harvey wasn't going to bail her out again like he had done with Lili. Rachel got up from the couch and walked towards Ryan, "I'm really at a loss for what to do here, Harvey."

"I'm sure you're doing fine." Harvey turned his key and unlocked the door, trying not to make a sound,"but I better come by just to make sure everything is okay."

"No, you really don't have to." Rachel wanted him there, but she didn't want to tear him away from Jerry. Ryan was her responsibility, not his. Rachel didn't want to make Harvey feel as if he had to be there with her, because he didn't have to be there at all unless he wanted to.

Harvey opened the door and stepped in, "but I want to, so deal with it." Harvey grinned as Rachel looked up at him and smiled. He turned off his phone and sat down on the floor next to her, he leaned in to kiss her. "I told you I'd be here.'' Harvey smiled as he saw Ryan scurry across the floor.  ''It's a little late, but I'm here."

**
"You look unusually pleased." Steve hadn't seen Anna looking so content in a while, almost as if she had won the lottery.  He sat down next to her on the couch, almost afraid of what she might say.

"I had a wonderful talk with Harvey about Rachel this evening." Anna was pleased that she had finally gotten the opportunity to tell Harvey how she really feels about his wife. If that woman was going to be near her son, she had every right to give her honest opinion.

"You did?" Steve wondered what she had said, and hoped her little tangent wouldn't ruin his plans for Harvey. If she ruined his chance for revenge, that was it and they were done.

"I think he's finally beginning to realize that she's trying to buy him, and our son." Anna was confident that Harvey was finally starting to come around. Maybe he wasn't so naive after all.

"How does she have all that money anyways?" Steve knew the answer, but he wanted to see how much digging Anna had done on her. Rachel's money was legit, there was no question to it.

"Who cares, we both know she has slept her way to the top with the SFPD." Anna couldn't believe Harvey didn't think she was using him.  Her motives were clear, Rachel was using him to get back at Nash.

"Is that it?" Steve's problem was with Harvey, not Rachel. He knew Anna's hate for her ran deep. It was going to be hard keeping Anna out of his plans.

"Harvey  believed her sob story, such a fool." Anna thought Rachel's story was completely superficial, crafted to win over the hearts of unknowing men everywhere.

"Sob story?" Steve knew a lot about her, but he wasn't sure if he had missed a small detail along the way.

"She gave her daughter up for adoption, her parents basically disowned her, her fiance died, her son was taken away from her, her partner from Bayside died...you know, something to really pull at the heartstrings." Anna was nauseated by the story, only Rachel would use that to get men.

"Her partner from Bayside died? Interesting." Steve couldn't afford to say much more than that. The last thing he needed was Anna finding out about what happened between he, Harvey and Rachel's partner. He wanted that pleasure himself.

**
"I'm worried about him, Harvey." Rachel looked towards her son as he played quietly across the room.

"Give him a while, he'll be fine." Harvey knew Ryan would be fine, all he needed was attention and love. He was quiet, but Jerry would have him going in no time. "Maybe you should take a little time off, so you can be at home with him?"

"I wish I could, but being in the middle of a case isn't condusive with personal time off." Rachel knew that she should've asked Nash for some time off, but she couldn't let him down. She still had a job to do.

"I'm sure you can work something out." Harvey smiled, he knew Rachel would've preferred to be at home, at least for a little while. Her distant expression said a lot.
"Well, the good news is that we've got Jerry all weekend." Harvey was pleased that Anna was going out of town, that meant he'd have some peace and quiet with Rachel for a while. Harvey stretched out on the floor by Ryan, Jerry had never been that quiet at his age. 

"Really?" Rachel wondered to what they owed such an opportunity, there had to be a catch. Anna was up to something.

"She's got a trip out of town or something." Harvey wasn't sure what it was, but he was going to take advantage of the chance to get in some family time with Rachel and the boys. Harvey had an idea, it was the perfect timing. "Did you want to go to Carmel for the weekend?"

Rachel sighed heavily, Carmel would be the perfect escape but she knew it would be better if they stayed semilocal with Ryan. Not knowing what Anna had planned made leaving town with Jerry risky as well. She also had to work. "I'd love to but I think it's best if we wait before we take the boys up there."

"Okay, we can wait." Harvey was a little disappointed, but he assumed she had her reasons. "Do you two have plans for tomarrow already?"

"I've got to work." Rachel was sure he wouldn't like the sound of that, she knew she could've talked to Nash about it.

"Rache, on a Saturday?" Harvey knew it wasn't totally unheard of, he had worked several Saturdays himself over the years at the SIU. "What about Ryan?"

"I know, but I've still got an obligation to my job." Rachel didn't want to ignore her son or her job. Right now, it would be difficult to find balance between the two. "Mrs. Wilson will be here for a while tomarrow morning."

"Just you and Kat tomarrow?" Harvey wasn't sure why Nash didn't want him at Hidden Lake too.

"Yeah, just to do some digging." Rachel knew Antwon could be justas efficient, but Nash probably had a reason behind needing her there.

"Why don't you leave Ryan with me than?" Harvey didn't see much point in having a babysitter if he was free, he didn't mind watching Ryan for a few hours and getting to spend time with him.

"I figured you'd want time with Jerry." Rachel didn't want to impose upon their time together. "You haven't gotten too much of that in the past week."

"I'd prefer to spend time with you and the boys, Mrs. Leek." Harvey chuckled, Rachel always worried about what he wanted. He leaned in to kiss her, "think we can work something out?"

**
"So, how are things working out with you and Rachel?...I mean aside from what you know and the Harvey factor." Nash was curious as to how things were coming for them, their work certainly didn't seem to suffer. He refilled Kat's glass with wine, she leaned across the counter to block him from putting in any more.

"I should really be getting home, not staying for another glass." Kat knew she'd only crawl in bed when she got home, she had no other reason not to stay.

Nash took a small sip from his own wine, "answer my question."

"Things are fine." Kat knew she'd have to get specific, Nash would want details.

"So, why did you come back anyways? Was it because of Harvey?" Nash wasn't exactly sure what sparked Kat's return, he knew she wasn't back because of her ex-husband. "Sacramento wasn't you?"

"My return had nothing to do with any unrequited love for Harvey, I just wanted to get back to the city I loved." Kat knew that was only half true, she couldn't have been more pleased when she found out that Harvey had divorced Bonnie.

"Have you spoken with David recently?" Nash remembered her ex-husband well, he was the captain of one of Oakland's better police departments.

"Ugh, no." Kat tried to restrict any conversation with her ex-husband to a minimum. The only thing they still had in common was their children and their last name.

Nash looked at her, he knew she was still hurting. "Is it because of what happened?"

"It's because of everything, Nash. What happened with Jess was only part of the deal, Josh was the only reason we tried to stay together."  Kat didn't remember how much Nash knew about her marriage. They used to be so close but drifted apart over time.

"He didn't want you to become a cop." Nash remembered the day she made her decision well, David had been furious.

"He didn't want me to work at all, he said after what happened that I owed it to my boys to stay home." There was no way Kat could've stayed at home, she needed something to keep her busy. She would've been miserable if she didn't go back to work.

"He blames you?" Nash knew the two had their differences over what had happened with Jess. Neither one of them could get past losing her and on with their lives. 

"And I blame him, so I guess that makes us even." Kat knew that neither her or David was responsible for Jess' death. At the time it seemed easier for them to blame  eachother than to look for a more feasible answer.

"It's been over ten years?" Nash couldn't see why they hadn't reached some type of understanding after all this time, if only for the good of their other kids.

Kat shook her head, in a effort to keep herself from crying. Nash could be sympathetic, but he didn't know what it was like."It still feels like it was yesterday, Nash, you wouldn't understand." Nash had been there for her, he recommended the job. She'd never been happier about taking his advice. "Social work left me depressed, Josh was so young, Jason was rebellious and David was sleeping with the secretary... Jess was perfect but she was dead, I guess I needed an out, Nash, that's why I went to Sacremento."

**
Louis looked at the clock, he knew it was late. He dialed the number, they should know what was going on. He waited for someone to answer.

Harvey turned towards the nightstand, wondering who would call so late. It had to be Nash. "Leek."

Perfect. Exactly who he needed to talk to. Louis began,"Harvey, I've figured it out, she's going to marry this guy."

"What?" Harvey sat up in the bed, struggling to stay awake. He didn't want to turn on the lights and wake Rachel. 

"Anna is going to marry this boyfiend of hers, so she can wage war in a custody battle. It makes sense." Louis spent the afternoon pondering her reasoning for this trip and studying her past actions, this was definitely her plan. "I did a little digging."

"You're kidding?" Harvey couldn't believe what he was hearing, and wished Rachel was awake so they could talk about their next course of action.

"I wish I was, she's trying to get ahead." It seemed like the perfect plan, not only was she his mother but with a husband she could present the facade of a perfect home for Jerry. 

"Will it work?" Harvey suddenly had reason for concern, the custody battle didn't look like it would be such an easy win.

"We'll fight back, we can serve her with the papers as soon as she gets back." Louis didn't want to waste any more time or give Anna another chance to get ahead of the game. He didn't want to see her take Jerry.

Rachel turned towards Harvey, barely awake. "Who is that?" The look on Harvey's face told her it was serious. She knew it had to be something with Anna.

"Do you think that's moving a little quick?" Harvey wasn't so sure he wanted to do that, he didn't want Anna to take Jerry and run.

"Do you want to keep your son?" Louis saw it as their only option, they had no choice but to make the next move if they wanted to keep a fighting chance for getting custody.

**
Sarah
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