Chapter 1 - The Tango

Diane was exhausted.

She had decided to try and look matter-of-fact about last week's successful raid and concentrate on her current case. Everyone in the squad had put it on the line for Jill and her kids and, as she sat quietly at her desk, Diane recalled trying to look each of them in the eye with an unspoken "Thank you."

It hadn't worked very well.

They were all pretty wrapped up in their own thoughts about Andy's sick son and didn't seem to be dwelling on Jill's absence. She felt tired all over. Knowing she had done her best to save Jill should have made her happy, but it didn't. It was all behind her and there was nothing but an empty space to show for it.

Denby's words kept haunting her. "How much do you care about your partner, Diane?"

She HAD cared. She had endured that jerk and all his clever crap. She risked her whole career and Jill had kept so much from her... looked her straight in the eye and lied. Sure, Jill was trying to keep things covered for her son's sake, but why did she put her own kids in danger again with Don and his cartel connections anyway? Had she ever really known Jill, her own partner? Why didn't she see it coming?

Diane rubbed her temples and thought to herself, I never see it coming. She didn't see Bobby's death coming either. She thought she was pretty good at reading people, but now she questioned everything, even her own intuition, and that was dangerous for a cop.

"Detective Russell?" She sat staring at her pen for a few moments before it registered that someone was calling her name. "Diane?"

She shook her head slightly and looked up to see Fancy leaning over her desk. Diane tried that "Thank you" look again but only managed to look pained.

The Lieutenant was a very patient and quietly observant man. He never talked down to any member of his squad and overlooked any minor procedural hiccups they might commit in the course of their investigations. The raid on Denby and Don was no minor event, however, and he had still trusted them enough to allow them all to take this chance for one of their own, even if she was very near to being irretrievably lost. Jill had been saved and allowed to move on, but her partner was what was worrying Fancy now. Diane had more grief coming.

He paused and drew in a long breath, "Would you come with me to the break room for a minute?" Looking as if he'd really rather be somewhere else, he added, "I've got something I need to explain to you."