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Author's note: Although I first introduced Kaidlyn in "Endgame," she subsequently appeared in person in "That Night" and in name in "Running." The timeline here basically follows after "That Night" and before "Endgame" though there will be some overlap and inconsistencies with "Endgame" and "That Night" (author's perogative) ~ but since that one's so far from show canon now, we can just pretend, for the sake of this story, that it doesn't exist. But I love it too much to kill that story. :0) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Jordan? You busy?" Garret Macy popped his head into Jordan's office. "Nah. Just finishing up some paperwork. Don't give me that look," she said as Garret choked back a chuckle. "I do finish it. . .eventually." "I know." Garret moved into the doorframe. "What's up?" "There's a body down by the harbor. They need someone down there right away. I know you're not scheduled for field trips this week, but since we're a little backed up. . ." "No problem. Anything to get out of paperwork!" Jordan winked at Garret who rolled his eyes in reply. "I'm on my way." "Thanks, Jordan." Jordan got up and gathered what she'd need, then drove to the pier number she'd been given. As she was walking towards the mass of police, she spotted a dark head talking with one of the uniforms. Eddie. She was almost relieved to see him. She knew Woody was out of town on some kind of family emergency or something, but still. . . She wasn't ready to deal with him yet. Things had been weird between them since that night with Malden and the methylhexital. It was better that she not have to work with him while her head ~ and heart ~ were still trying to figure things out. It was awkward enough trying to deal with Max after all that had come out. Woody just added pressure to an already stressed-out situation. Eddie looked up and saw Jordan ducking under the police tape. He began to move towards her, then turned to the young woman Jordan hadn't noticed standing beside him and motioned her to come along. This could be interesting. Jordan hadn't heard anything about a new detective coming on the force. The baseball cap the girl wore prevented Jordan from telling much about her, at least until she got closer. Eddie began to make the introductions. "Jordan Cavanaugh, I'd like you to meet our forensic criminology intern, Kaidlyn Reilly." "Kaidlyn?" Jordan's voice registered disbelief as she reached out and tipped the bill of the cap up so she was looking in the girl's face. "Hey Jordan! Great to see you!" A bright smile lit up the girl's face and her blue-green eyes twinkled. "What the hell. . .?" Jordan was floored. Kaidlyn was in Boston briefly the semester before while she was on a layover coming back from a tour in the Peace Corps in Kenya. But she'd heard nothing about her coming back to Boston. "You two know each other, I take it?" "We're cousins," they said in unison. "Great," Eddie said aloud. To himself, he thought that explained a lot. He shook his head as he remembered how Kaidlyn had bounced into his office after she was officially introduced at the morning check-in, all set and ready to go to work. He knew there was something familiar about the fire he detected just below the surface in her eyes, the sarcasm she could cut in her voice. The bounce in her movement wasn't as evident in her cousin now, but he remembered a time when he first started working with Max and Jordan would come into the precinct. . . Back before things turned bad. The name hadn't given him a clue. "Yeah, I'm Max's niece. He's my mom's big brother. Even though 'things' kept us away from here way too much!" So that explained the different last name. But yeah ~ her eyes were definitely Cavanaugh. He knew they looked familiar. And he could already tell the mouth was definitely Cavanaugh too. "So Kaid, what the hell. . .?" "Oh. Forensic criminology internship for my grad program. Finally figured out what I wanted to do with my life." Eddie harrumphed to himself, "What the hell is it in the Cavanaugh genes? Couldn't the. . ." he cut off the male chauvinist pig thought he was about to have. He realized Kaid was still chattering. "I was supposed to be in Chicago, but something fell through at the last minute. But everything slid right into place for me to come to Boston! Cool, huh? I'm staying with Uncle Max ~ he put me in your old room, I hope that's ok." The words rattled off her tongue with a life all their own. Jordan laughed and hugged her cousin. "Of course. I'm not there anymore." Eddie took a deep breath knowing that if Kaidlyn turned out to be anything like her cousin it was going to be an interesting semester to say the least. "Alright, well, you wanna know what we've got?" "Yeah. Spill it." Back to business. There would be plenty of time to socialize later. Jordan figured that was what her dad's phone message she'd been avoiding all morning was about. "Body's over here. A couple of Tufts students found it while rollerblading in the area." "Any indication of anything?" "None that we can find. But that's not completely our department." Eddie looked at Kaidlyn. She'd been as eager as a bloodhound when they got there. Couldn't wait to start examining the body, the scene, the whole thing. It was all he could do to keep her from inadvertently contaminating the evidence in her enthusiasm to actually do something. Though he had to admit, it was refreshing to be around someone so eager to bring good and closure to a bad situation. And she seemed to know what she was doing around the body. Maybe they could work it so she could spend some time at the morgue, perhaps working with Nigel a little. Jordan moved towards the body and made her initial assessment. "Male. Probably around 28. Based on rigor, I'd say he's probably been dead about 12 hours." She looked at Eddie, who nodded, then signaled for the guys to come and pack the body for transport. "You got an ID yet?" "Nope. Didn't find anything on him." Eddie helped Jordan to her feet. "Looks like he was probably out for a run. Maybe he didn't carry anything with him. I know I don't always take ID with me." "Hey Jordan?" Jordan turned at the sound of her cousin's voice. Kaidlyn had gloved up and was kneeling at the body's side. "Maybe he didn't carry any ID, but look at this." "Holy crap." Kaidlyn was holding up an epinephrine pen ~ the kind people with acute allergies to food and/or bee stings carry with them. Jordan looked at the body again. His lips and fingers were swollen. How the hell had her cousin seen that when she'd missed it? "How. . .?" "My roommate freshman year was allergic to shellfish only she didn't know it until we went to Red Lobster one night. I remember what her lips looked like when we got her to the ER. His look the same." "Oh." Jordan suspected there was something Kaidlyn wasn't saying, but she decided to let it rest. She had to admit, though, the girl obviously had talent when it came to forensics. Even Jordan hadn't immediately noticed the swelling on the lips and fingers. She would have eventually, but there on scene? The guys packed up the body and moved it to the van. "I'm gonna head back to the morgue and get started on him. You gonna work on any missing persons reports?" Jordan looked at Eddie questioningly. "Yeah. I'll stop by in a few hours." He looked from Kaidlyn to Jordan. "Do you think she could maybe. . ." "Sure. Come on kiddo. I think you earned yourself the right to watch an autopsy." Jordan put her arm around her cousin and walked her towards the SUV. She was eager for a chance to talk with her cousin, and the drive back would provide the perfect opportunity. They had a lot to catch up on. In the car on the way back to the morgue, Jordan and Kaidlyn talked about life, school, the family, all kinds of things. At one point, Kaidlyn looked at Jordan and asked a question that almost made her crash the car. "Jordan? Are there things that Uncle Max kept hidden from you while you were growing up?" "What do you mean, hidden?" Surely her cousin didn't know about James! "Just. . .family secrets or something. Never mind. I'm probably just being weird. Seriously. Never mind." And Kaidlyn turned and looked out the window, avoiding any new questions from Jordan by asking about various buildings and so forth. When they got to the morgue, Jordan and Kaidlyn got off the elevator and started towards the locker room for Jordan to change into scrubs and find some for Kaidlyn. Garret turned from the front desk and stopped them. "Everything ok, Jordan? Who's. . .wait a minute. I know you from somewhere." "Garret, this is my cousin, Kaidlyn. I think you met her before briefly. She's doing an internship with the police and Eddie agreed to let her come and watch the autopsy." "Oh. Ok. It's nice to meet you again." He shook Kaidlyn's hand, then looked at Jordan. "So what's up with the body?" "I'm not sure. It looks like an allergic reaction to something." "Pretty straightforward." "Well, yeah. Except for something Kaidlyn found." "What's that?" Kaidlyn reached into her bag and produced the item the cops had missed in their search for identification. "An epi pen. So whatever it was that brought on the attack, it was fast." "Your internship is in what?" Garret blinked at this girl. To look at her. . .but he knew that wasn't fair. Just because she was bubbly and looked young as hell didn't mean she wasn't intelligent. "Forensic criminology." "Wow! Impressive." "It's not too bad. Course after a few years in Kenya it's weird being in the big city again. Kenya was amazing." "Garret, do you know if we have any extra scrubs? I was gonna let her watch the autopsy." "Yeah, I think we do. Go check in the closet at the end of the hall closest to the locker rooms." "Thanks." Jordan took off and promptly ran into Nigel, who had come into the hallway upon hearing a semi-familiar voice. "Nige, sorry. I. . . What the. . .?" "Kaidlyn? What are you doing here?" "Hey Nige!" Kaidlyn ran and threw her arms around him. "Oh yeah. I forgot you two met before," Jordan muttered to herself as she went towards the closet. "What the. . .I thought you were going to Chicago for an internship." Nigel and Kaidlyn had been in touch by e-mail and a few phone calls ever since meeting when she was on a layover in Boston on her way back from Kenya. "I was. I guess my last email didn't go through." "Then what are you doing here?" "Last minute change of plans. Something fell through in Chicago, but one of my profs had connections here and got me into the PD in Boston." "Well, that's very cool. It's so good to see you. Maybe we can. . ." "Slow down cowboy. She's staying with Dad. You think a rottweiller's protective? You ain't seen nothing yet." Jordan tossed a pair of scrubs at Kaidlyn. "Here kiddo. They might be a little big, but they'll do. Come on, the locker room's this way." Jordan guided her cousin to the locker room where they changed into scrubs for the autopsy. She considered lecturing Kaid on the dangers of fraternizing with Nigel, but decided to let it slide for a while. After all, for all she knew they talked about computers and science and stuff. When they were both ready, Jordan led the way into Autopsy One. "Now, when I open him up. . ." "Jordan? It's ok. I'm not like gonna get sick or pass out or anything." "Oh. Ok." Jordan did the preliminary examination before opening him up. She had to admit, Kaid did remarkably well. You'd almost have thought she was pre-med or had taken an anatomy class. Hell, maybe she had. Nothing unusual seemed to be indicated in his death. She found the puncture wound from an insect sting, but that was it. Kaid was so quiet, Jordan almost thought she was alone. She jumped as Garret came into the room, followed by Eddie Winslow. "Find anything unusual?" "Nope. Looks like he got stung here," she pointed to the place on the back of his neck, "and things went from there. I can't find evidence that it was anything more than a massive allergic response to an insect sting. We're running a tox screen just to be on the safe side, but unless that turns anything up, I think we're looking at a tragic accidental death." "That's good," Eddie said. "We made the identification. John Mitchell, sophomore at BC. His parents are on their way up from Raleigh, NC. It won't take their loss away, but at least we can tell them it wasn't anything crime-related." "Alright. Everything under control?" "Yeah Garret. I've got it." "Good. I've got a meeting with. . . Never mind. I've got a lunch meeting. I'll try to be back around 2. Until then, you're in charge, Jordan." Garret left before Jordan could make any comments. Her look had been enough. As the door shut, he heard her laughing, and decided to ignore her. "Alright, kiddo. It looks like I'm stuck here ordering in. Want me to get you something, or. . ." "I could take her to get some lunch," Eddie volunteered, just as Nigel was coming in the room. "Lunch time already is it? Kaidlyn, luv, you're still hungry after watching an autopsy?" "Oh yeah. That kind of stuff doesn't bother me. Well, not much anyway." Kaidlyn moved towards the door to go and change into street clothes. "Meet you at the elevator bay, Eddie?" "Sure." Eddie turned back towards Jordan, who had been joined by Nigel, who was standing there with his mouth open. "What?" "You're taking her out to lunch?" Nigel felt his heart sinking. "She's my intern, Townsend. That's it." "Oh. Ok. So I can still. . ." "Watch what you say there buddy. That's my cousin you're talking about." "Yes, I know. But Jordan, she is of age to make her own decisions." "I know, I know. I just. . . We'll talk about it later. You're gonna run the tox screen now?" "Yeah. I'll bring the results to your office." "Thanks." Jordan and Eddie walked out into the hallway, where Kaidlyn was waiting. "Have fun." "Want me to bring you something, Jordan?" "Sure ~ whatever is fine." "Ok." She gave Jordan a hug. "Oh! I almost forgot. Has Uncle Max called you?" "Um, I got a message from him this morning, but I haven't had a chance to return the call yet. Why?" "He wants you to come to dinner tonight. His house for dinner. Then we're going to the Pogue." "Alright. I can be there. What time?" "Ummmm. . .I think he said around 6:30? You'd better call just to make sure." "Will do. See you later. Bye Eddie." After the doors shut, Jordan turned to see Nigel standing behind them. "What?" "I have to say, luv. Looks definitely run in your family." "So does a sharp tongue and impeccable accuracy in kicks, Nigel." Jordan watched him, amused. "Seriously, Nige. She is a great girl. I just don't want to see anyone get hurt. Just take it slow." "Alright, luv. I will." Jordan walked down the hall, thinking about the events of the morning, and specifically the ride she and Kaidlyn had on their way back to the morgue. Those questions Kaid started asking were really eating away at Jordan's mind. Was it possible that there are even more skeletons in the Cavanaugh family closet? Maybe they'd get into that tonight. Eddie and Kaidlyn went to a simple Mexican restaurant to talk over her first day so far and plans for the rest of the internship. "I hope this place is ok with you." He hadn't thought to ask, he just knew he was hungry and this was one of his favorites. "Sure. I love Mexican." "Good. I was really hungry and, well. . ." "The tortilla chips and salsa that automatically come with the meal? Yeah. I know. It's great." The server took their order and brought the chips and their drinks, then they got down to business. Well, sort of. "So, you're Jordan's cousin." "Yeah. I don't really know her that well, though. Mom and I always lived away." "Just you and your mom?" "Yeah, well. . . She was married for a while, but. . . I don't see him anymore." "Oh. Ok." Eddie sensed that there was something else lurking below the surface, but decided to wait and let her talk when she was ready. After all, he'd just met her this morning. "So, Jordan said something about Kenya?" "Yeah. Peace Corps." "Wow! That sounds amazing." "Yeah. It was." "And you met Nigel before?" "Yeah. When I had a killer lay over at Logan, I called Jordan and she came and got me and the three of us went to Uncle Max's bar for lunch. We've chatted online since. But. . . I'm not up here for romance. I'm up here to learn." "I wasn't asking, but thanks for the heads-up." Eddie remembered all too well how protective Max had been about Jordan with the guys on the force. He could only imagine that Max would be as protective of his niece. "No problem. So. . . Can I ask you something?" "Sure. What do you want to know?" "Jordan seemed a bit cool towards you ~ not much, but a little. And she seemed a bit nervous that I'm working with you." "You noticed that, huh?" "Yeah. What's up with that?" "Max was my first partner when I made detective." "Oh. Ok. . . But. . .?" "You don't know what happened with Max?" "My mom said that he took early retirement. Or something like that." "Yeah. Something like that. Kaidlyn, I don't mean to put you off, but maybe you should talk with your uncle about that." "Huh? Oh. . . Ok. . ." Kaidlyn's mind was whirling, but the server arrived with their food, and she let it drop for the time being. There would be plenty of time to talk with Max later. The rest of their lunch conversation centered around plans for the internship and things Kaidlyn was thinking about doing after graduation. She'd had some interviews, but not having any real experience made things a little hard. She was hoping that something would come out of this internship, even if it wasn't Boston. Though she had to admit, after her entire life with it being pretty much her mother and her, she was loving being around family and would have jumped at the chance to stay in Boston. After lunch, they went back to the precinct so that Kaid could finish filling out the paperwork. Jordan called to say that the tox screen came back negative, John Mitchell was the victim of a massive allergic reaction to a bee sting. Jordan also reported that she had talked with Max and not only was she coming over for dinner, but he had ok'd Nigel coming as well. Paperwork done, Eddie drove Kaidlyn back to Max's house and dropped her off. When Kaidlyn got to the door, Max opened it to greet her. "Was that Eddie Winslow?" "Yeah. He's my supervisor." "Oh." "What? What's the matter with him? Jordan's chilly around him and seemed a bit bothered by me working with him. And now you. . .?" Max tried not to laugh out loud at her spunk. She definitely had some Cavanaugh blood in her. "I just want you to be careful. Eddie can be a great guy, but. . ." "But what? He's my supervisor. That's it!" "That's good. But. . ." "But what? You and Jordan don't seem too sure about me working with him. Why is that? I think I deserve some answers. After all, I've got to work with him for the next three months." Max looked at Kaidlyn, remembered that she was a Cavanaugh after all and would stop at nothing to learn the truth, and sighed, "You're right Kaid, you do deserve some answers. Why don't you come out to the kitchen and help me with dinner. We'll talk there." "Ok. . ." More puzzled than she was even two minutes before, Kaidlyn followed him out to the kitchen and sat at the table as Max worked at fixing dinner and started to talk with her about what had happened when he was on the force. "So what exactly did Eddie tell you?" Max looked up from the carrots he was slicing, not quite sure he wanted to know the answer. "Not much. Just that you'd been partners when he first started as a detective. Before you retired," Kaid shrugged. "That's it?" "Yeah. Why? Is there more?" "Yeah, sweetheart. And I guess I'd better tell you before you ask your cousin and she gives you her spin on it." Setting down the knife, Max walked over and sat down across from his niece at the table. "Wow. Looks serious." Kaidlyn was only trying to cover her nerves. She hadn't meant to open a can of worms. Max took a deep breath and started. "It is, sweetie. Do you remember much about when your aunt was killed?" "Um. . .not really." Kaid's forehead wrinkled as she struggled to think of something, anything to help make it easier. "I remember we came up for the service, and I remember hanging out with Jordan a little. But that's about it." "Well, you were only about 5 when it happened. Anyway, she was killed here in the house, the living room to be exact. I came in early for lunch and found her, just lying there, blood everywhere. I called the station and they sent people out right away. One of the uniforms went to St. Cecilia's to pick Jordan up and bring her home. By the time the cops got to the house, they had to take me in for questioning because her blood was all over me. I remember Jordan running in, and all I wanted to do was go to her and hold her, but they wouldn't let me. Finally they decided that there wasn't enough evidence to hold me and let me go back to get Jordan ~ she'd been staying at her friend's house. It was. . .a really bad time for all of us." "Yeah." Kaidlyn remembered trying to play with Jordan, who only sat and looked out the window. "They never found anyone. There was only one print that didn't belong to anyone who should have been in the house. And it. . ." Max paused, trying to decide if he should tell her everything. He was on dangerous ground not telling her, since she could go and ask Jordan. But. . . "It turned out to be a phantom print. One that didn't belong to anyone." "Oh wow. But every print belongs to someone." "Not this one." Damn, the girl was good. Maybe keeping things from her wasn't the best idea. "So have they ever solved Aunt Emily's murder?" "No. And it about. . .no, it did destroy my career." "Really?" "Yeah. When I went back to work, I was sort of in a kind of 'double jeopardy.' I asked immediately for a new team. The partners I'd worked with, well, one of them disappeared. And the other, he was the one who took my baby girl to Children's Services after Emily was killed. He wouldn't even let me sign the paperwork to let her stay with her friend for a couple of days." "That's horrible!" "Yeah. Malden could be a jerk if he wanted to be." "Malden? The former chief who was killed last spring?" "Yeah." Max flinched, hoping that Kaidlyn wouldn't catch it. Those memories were way too fresh. "Oh. Wait, you said 'double jeopardy.' What else was going on?" "On the job, things weren't great. I wanted so badly to solve everything, sometimes I. . .well, I went over the line more than once. Granted, we caught the bad guys, but putting them in the hospital wasn't the way to go." "You did that?" "I didn't mean to. But we'd been after a serial rapist. We finally caught the guy and he resisted. So I used force. Probably a little too much ~ the guy was in the hospital for a week." Max flinched at the memory. Why a rapist set him off that much, he would never tell, and no one on the force at that time could guess. It's not like Emily had been raped. . . "Oh." Kaidlyn's small voice brought him back to reality. Max looked over at the girl, who looked like she wished she'd never brought the subject up in the first place. "It's ok, Kaid. I. . .you deserve to know why there's some tension between Eddie and Jordan." "Ok." "After that, IA did an investigation. Eddie was my partner at the time, brand new as a detective, and he helped them in it. My retirement wasn't exactly my choice. Jordan. . .well, she always thought he was brought in specifically to be a rat." "You don't think so?" "I did for a while. But not now. Eddie had been working his way up the ranks, and I was next in line for a new partner. And he was right turning me in. I could have gotten him, or myself, or anyone who worked with us killed in my stubborn pig-headed ways." "Oh. Ok." Kaid looked tentatively at Max, then jumped up to give him a hug. "I still love you." "Thanks sweetheart. I love you too." Max returned the hug, laughing at Kaid's spontaneous enthusiasm and affection. Maybe some of it would rub off on Jordan. He hoped things would rub that way and not the other ~ Kaidlyn was too. . .innocent wasn't the word. . . She didn't deserve to be brought down. "You need any help with anything else?" "You set the table, right?" "Yeah." "I've got the rest of it. Why don't you go relax, sweetie. I guess Jordan will be here soon." "Ok." Kaid bounced out of the room. Max heard her run up the stairs, and then it wasn't long until he heard her light, soprano voice and guitar floating down the stairs. Music hadn't been in the house in a long time. It sounded good, made it feel more like home. . . 28 years earlier. . . Emily and Jordan had been sitting in front of the fire, singing a song ~ some Irish ballad ~ to keep Jordan calm during a thunderstorm. Suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of banging on the door. "Max? Max, let me in! Please!!" Instantly, Max was up and at the door. He knew the sound of his baby sister's voice. He ripped the door open. "Laura? Baby, what is it?" He ushered her in, shivering and soaking wet. Emily immediately jumped up to get a towel as Jordan cowered on the couch, upset by all the commotion. "I told him no. I told him. . ." Laura crumpled into the big chair that sat by the fireplace. "What? What are you. . .? Did Michael hurt you?" Max was furious. Laura was only 16. "We went to the Winter Formal. But he didn't want to stay long. He'd gotten a hotel room. I told him no. That I didn't want to. But. . ." "Mary, mother of God." Max pulled his trembling sister into his arms. "I'll kill him for this." "No! Max, please don't." Laura was hysterical. "I don't want you to hurt him. I mean, if I hadn't. . ." "Laura, he raped you. That wasn't your fault. He. . ." "Please? I just want to stay here tonight. I can't go home. Mom and Dad will kill me. Please?" Her eyes pleaded with him. "Alright, sweetheart. You can stay here tonight." They got the bed in the guest room ready and after a bath, Laura cried herself to sleep. Max knew he should have taken her to the hospital, but no one really knew what date rape was then, and no one would have dreamed of calling sex between a couple "rape." The next day, Laura went home and no one spoke of what had happened. Max tried to convince Laura to dump Michael ~ she didn't need a jerk like him. But she wouldn't. Claimed she loved him. And then a couple of months later. . . Present day. . . "Dad? You here?" Jordan's voice cut into Max's memories. "Yeah, sweetheart. In the kitchen. Kaidlyn's upstairs playing guitar. Why don't you and Nigel go up and hang out with her?" "Ok. But it's just me. Nigel went home to check on his pig, and she's sick. So they're at the emergency vet's office." "Alright." He heard Jordan's footsteps on the stairs followed by Kaid's excited chatter. The child ~ young woman, at 26 she wasn't a child anymore ~ was so happy and bubbly. Who would ever have guessed that something that beautiful could come from such horrible beginnings. He knew Laura loved Kaidlyn more than life itself. And he wondered if his niece knew the truth. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he decided it wasn't his place to tell her. the nest day. . . "Ok. Got it. We'll be there in a few minutes. Thanks Johnson." Eddie hung up the phone. "Alright, we've got another case. Come on," he said as he spun his chair to face the second desk they'd put in his office for Kaidlyn. Not ideal, but the whole thing was last minute. She seemed not to have heard him. "Kaidlyn!" "What?" She jumped at the sharp sound of Eddie's voice which broke into her thoughts. "You with me?" "Yeah. What's going on?" "We've got a case. Body in an old apartment building." "Oh. Ok." She grabbed her stuff and jumped up to follow him. "You ok?" Eddie looked concerned as she passed him and he pulled the door shut. She'd seemed a little off all morning. Perhaps it was just adjusting to her new schedule and the work. But he was concerned. . . "Yeah. I'm fine. Let's go." They got into his car and as Eddie pulled out of the lot, Kaidlyn stared out the passenger window, lost in thought. the night before. . . "Hey sweetie! You've really gotten better at that," Jordan motioned to the guitar in her cousin's hands. "Thanks. Want to sit down?" Kaid smiled up at Jordan. "Sure." Jordan flopped onto the floor beside her. "How was the rest of your day?" "Pretty ordinary. We finished filling out all the paperwork and Eddie dropped me off here," Kaidlyn shrugged. "How'd you end up with him?" Jordan tried to keep her feelings out of her voice. After all, she was working at forgiving Eddie. "I don't know. I guess he was the one they felt would be best to mentor an intern or something." "Oh. Ok." Jordan flipped through the notebook holding chords and lyrics Kaid had in front of her. "Uncle Max told me about what happened." "What happened when?" Oh God, there were so many ways that sentence could be finished. "What happened when he had to retire. The stuff with that serial rapist, and then the investigation IA led, and Eddie's part in that." "Oh." Jordan felt her stomach tense at the memory. She knew now that it really was the best thing for Max, but it still hurt her to think of it. "You ok?" Kaid looked at her cousin. "Yeah." Jordan sighed, unsure of how to broach the subject she wanted to. "Kaid?" "Yeah?" "When we were driving earlier and you asked me about family secrets. . ." "Yeah?" "What did you mean?" "Nothing really. I just. . ." Kaid was interrupted by Max calling them down to dinner. They talked about all kinds of things work and school related at dinner. In the middle of dessert, Jordan got paged to a scene, so they never got to finish their conversation. Kaidlyn wondered why that question threw Jordan off so much and wanted to talk with her about it in more detail if they could ever find the time. present day. . . "Kaidlyn!" Eddie couldn't figure out where her mind was today. The day before she'd seemed so together. "What? Oh, we're here?" "Yes. We're here. Now come on." He led the way into the building. When they got to the crime scene, he set about doing the normal canvas of the area. The uniforms explained the situation to him. Tragic really, a child playing with a gun shot his younger brother and killed him. While it seemed like an accident, there were plenty of questions to ask. Where were the parents? Was it really an accident? Why the hell hadn't they kept the gun and ammunition locked away in separate places like they should have? A few minutes later as they were leaving the apartment, Kaidlyn looked at Eddie. "Oh, by the way. Uncle Max told me what happened." "Really? All of it?" "I guess so. About IA and the investigation. And his having to retire or be fired." "And you still want to work with me?" "What?" "Your cousin has only recently begun to treat me civilly again. I just figured. . ." "Oh come on. I am SO not like that!" "What is it with that word?" "What word?" "SO ~ saying it like that. Is that some sort of genetic Cavanaugh vocal tic?" "I don't think so. Why?" "Because Jordan says it all the time." "Really?" "Yeah. Come on. We need to get back to the precinct. Paperwork is a never ending pain in my ass." As Eddie steered Kaidlyn down the hall, neither of them noticed that a door behind them opened and a head peeked out. "Another one? I had no idea. . ." James Horton made a mental note to somehow contact this girl to talk with her. He wasn't sure who she was, but if she was a Cavanaugh, he wanted to talk with her. Eddie and Kaidlyn stepped out of the building, blinking in the bright sunshine of an autumn Boston day. They were almost to his car when they heard someone running towards them from the building. "Wait! I can tell you something about what happened!" They turned to see a dark-haired man with a scruffy face running towards them. He stopped directly in front of Kaidlyn and looked into her eyes. Something about him made her uneasy, but she was frozen in place. Eddie's instincts were going nuts, but he didn't want to make any sudden moves, just in case. He wasn't going to endanger Kaidlyn for anything in the world. Finally he found his voice. "What did you say?" "I said I can tell you more about the case." "So spill it." "Not here. Back in my apartment." "Fine. Let's go then." James stepped between Kaidlyn and Eddie and started to lead her to the building. Eddie grabbed his shoulder. "Uh uh. She doesn't go anywhere alone. If you're talking to her, you're talking to me." Eddie glared at this stranger. Finally James relented. He hadn't wanted anyone else there, but not because he wanted to hurt the girl. He only wanted to talk with her. But maybe this wouldn't be so bad. . . James thought he remembered having seen the officer with Max at some point in the past. "Fine. Let's go." James led them into his apartment. As Kaidlyn walked in, feeling only slightly better that at least she wasn't alone, she glanced around the apartment, her eyes taking in every detail and burning them into her memory. She slowly turned and spotted a bulletin board on the wall next to the door. What the hell was that. . .? She moved closer to it until. . . "Why do you have a picture of my cousin?" She whirled on James. "Your cou-. . .?" Eddie moved over to Kaidlyn's side and looked in disbelief at the picture of Jordan pinned to James' board. James hadn't said anything yet, and Kaidlyn ran towards him. "Tell me! Why do you have a picture of my cousin? Are you planning to. . .?" "It's ok. I'm not going to hurt her." James tried to keep his voice calm. He hadn't expected this reaction. "But. . ." Kaidlyn was thoroughly confused. "Why don't we sit down. Here. You can sit in this chair if you'd like. It's a clear path to the door. You want to leave, you can leave. I'm not holding either of you here." He looked at Eddie, who showed no signs of moving other than his hand, which hovered over the holster attached to his side. Kaidlyn tentatively sat onto his chair, looking at this man, not knowing what to expect. James swallowed, then began. "My name is James Horton. Your cousin, Jordan, is my half-sister." "Your WHAT?????" Eddie spoke the words that Kaidlyn was unable to utter. "Her mother was my mother. But Max was not my father." "Then who. . .?" Kaid's voice returned, though it was much smaller than Eddie had ever heard it. "I'm not sure. I think it might have been Malden. But there's no way to be sure." Eddie nodded slowly. That could explain the tension that had always existed between Max and Malden. But. . . "I wasn't raised by either of them. When I was a baby, I was given to the Hortons to raise. Max now says that he found my mother holding me under the water in the bathtub, but I don't know if I should believe him. . ." Kaidlyn nodded. "I remember after the Yates case, my mother got really upset and she said something about Aunt Emily having had problems. But she never really elaborated on it." James looked at Kaidlyn. "So you're Jordan's cousin?" "Yeah." Kaidlyn looked towards Eddie, unsure how much to say. "Ok. I. . ." "I'm assuming that you don't know anything about the case we were called over here on?" Eddie felt Kaidlyn's unease. While he didn't think this man was dangerous, he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable on something that didn't even have anything to do with the cases they were assigned. "No. I'm sorry about that. I just overheard you refer to her as having a Cavanaugh mouth and. . . It was wrong to use false pretenses. But I had to talk with her, and I didn't know how else to do it. I'm sorry if I scared you." "It's ok. I. . .I think we need to go now, though." She looked towards Eddie, who nodded and held out his hand. It wasn't what he'd normally do for a partner or an intern, but she needed the reassurance. This stuff had clearly unnerved Kaidlyn. After requesting James to please leave her alone in the future, Eddie walked Kaidlyn out the door and to his car. Once they were buckled in and on the road, he looked over at her. "You ok?" "I guess. . . I just. . ." "It's a lot to take in. Do you believe him?" "I think this family's got a lot of secrets, so yeah, it's possible." "You want to go by Max's and talk with him?" "No. Not right now. There'll be time for that later. Honestly, given what I've found out at home, I'm not one bit surprised." "Ok." He turned his eyes back to the road. He sensed that Kaidlyn had a lot more to say than she was letting on, but he was her supervisor during her internship and certain things just wouldn't be appropriate. "Hey Eddie?" "Yeah?" "Um. . .Uncle Max is having an open mic night at the Pogue tonight. I was gonna do a couple of things, and I think Jordan is too. Do you. . . Not like a date or anything, but do you want to come? I think some of the other guys from the precinct and the gang from the morgue is coming." "Sure. The Pogue's a cool place. And it'll be nice to hang out with friends." The rest of the day passed without incident, and before long, the whole gang was gathered at the Pogue and the first open mic night was in full swing. Kaidlyn started with a song, then Jordan sang something, then a few other people sang and Lily read some poetry. Jordan and Kaid got up and did a cover of "Closer to Fine" that would have made the Indigo Girls jealous. Finally Max announced that the last song would be performed by Kaidlyn, having already promised her that she could close the evening. Kaidlyn picked up her guitar and hopped up onto the stool, strummed a couple of chords, and began to sing: "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus" by: Chris Lindsey, Hillary Lindsey, Aimee Mayo and Troy Verges She wore a dress with cherries on it, Going somewhere where she'd be wanted, A town this small, all they do is talk, No wedding ring; chipped fingernail polish, She always wished that she could go to college, But some dreams fade, they just slip away, She started to show A few months ago and she had to go, That's how she wound up, On the backseat of a Greyhound bus, Head hung down with the windows up, Staring at the rest of her life, She never thought this would be the place, Where she would find her saving grace, But she fell in love, she fell in love, On the backseat of a Greyhound bus, Moon was full stars were smiling, God has a funny sense of timing, The baby came on the interstate, Somewhere between Jackson and Memphis, She finally found what she had missing, She cried and laughed while the red lights flashed, Sweet baby girl She looked into the face of a new, The face of a brand new world, On the backseat of a Greyhound bus, Heart so full that it could bust, Staring at the rest of her life, She never thought this would be the place, Where she would find her saving grace, But she fell in love, she fell in love, On the backseat of a Greyhound bus, Sweet baby girl She found a brand new world, On the backseat of a Greyhound bus, Heart so full that it could bust, Staring at the rest of her life, She never thought this would be the place, Where she would find her saving grace, But she fell in love she fell in love, On the backseat of a Greyhound bus, She wore a dress with cherries on it, Going somewhere where she'd be wanted. . . As the words hit his ears, Max almost dropped the glass he was drying. Kaidlyn knew. . . There was no other explanation. Well, sure, she could have heard the song and decided she loved it. But when he dared to look up and saw the tears shimmering behind her lashes, he knew. Laura had told her ~ how much he wasn't sure, but Kaidlyn knew something of how she entered the world. As Kaidlyn finished to awed applause, she looked at Jordan, then Max. And they all knew it was going to be a long night of conversation for them all. Max asked Kaidlyn and Jordan to hang out for a little while as he closed up, told them he wanted to talk about some things.  They looked at each other and shrugged.  There were worse ways to spend the night than hanging out together.    Eddie came over to say good-night on his way out, and just as he was turning to leave, his pager went off.   "Damn it!  Can I use the phone?"   "Sure."  Jordan pulled the phone over the bar.  Eddie dialed dispatch and listened intently.   "Uh huh.  Where?  How bad?  Are the paramedics on the way?  Alright.  Should I bring Kaidlyn along?  Yeah, you're right.  She's gotta get used to these things."  Eddie hung up the phone and looked at Kaidlyn.  "You think you can get out of the family conversation tonight?  We've got. . ."   "I heard.  Let me check."  She went into the back and returned a minute later.  "He said it's ok.  After all, I'm here to learn."   "Ok.  Let's go.  Jordan, I'll get her back as soon as I can."   "Ok.  Have fun.  And be careful." Jordan waved as they went to the door.   When they got to the car, Eddie filled Kaidlyn in on what was happening.  "Ok.  We've got a DV ~ domestic violence ~ case.  We're on it because they're not sure the woman's going to make it ~ and then it becomes a murder case rather than just attempted murder.  And since you're riding shotgun with me for the next nine months, you get to come along as well.  Don't worry.  You'll be fine."   "Yeah.  I heard that back at the Pogue," Kaidlyn muttered as she looked out the window.   Hoping she'd understand that he was being reassuring, Eddie reached over and squeezed Kaidlyn's hand.  "They just caught me off guard.  Kaid, look at me.  I know you can do this.  You'll be fine.  I won't lie to you.  These are never easy cases.  But I know you'll be ok."   "Ok."   Too soon for Kaidlyn, they were at the non-descript house.  She had a knot in her gut that came from more than just the fact that this was her first time taking a statement.  But she couldn't tell Eddie what else was going on.  She just couldn't.   Eddie spoke to the officer at the door and then held the police tape up for Kaidlyn to step under.  The paramedics were just pulling up.  Thankfully the neighbors were listening and called the cops.  They had no way of knowing that things had gotten violent, so no paramedics were called until the first unit arrived and saw what was going on.    The woman ~ young, probably around Kaidlyn's age ~ was lying on the floor, blood pooling around her.  It wasn't the worst case he'd seen, but it was close.  Eddie turned towards Kaidlyn ~ or where she'd been.  She was nowhere to be seen.  He looked at the uniform in the doorway.   "Where'd she go?"   "Outside.  She. . .  I've never seen anyone react like that."   Eddie jumped up and ran past him into the yard.  Kaidlyn had gotten about 15 yards before collapsing in a shaking blob.     Eddie immediately went to Kaidlyn's side.  He had no clue what was happening.  Her information form hadn't listed anything like epilepsy.  "Kaidlyn?  Kaid?  What's wrong?  Talk to me kiddo."   But Kaidlyn could only look at him.  She couldn't say a word.   Reacting on instinct, he grabbed his cell phone with the hand Kaid hadn't managed to grab yet and frantically dialed Jordan's cell phone.  "Come on Cavanaugh.  Pick up.  For the love of..."   "Cavanaugh."   "Jordan, it's Eddie."   "What's up?"   "Do you know where Maple Street is?"   "Um, yeah.  I'm pretty sure I do.  Why?"   "I need you over here now.  Number 243.  I don't know what's happened, but Kaidlyn' freaking out.  We walked in to the scene and as I was surveying it, she freaked and ran outside.  I can't calm her down.  She can't talk, and she's bordering on hyperventilation."   "I'll be there in three minutes."  Jordan's voice was calm on the surface, but Eddie detected that she was much more nervous than she was letting on.   "Jordan..."   "I'm in the area.  But if I get pulled..."   "Tell them you're on business with me."   "Ok.  See you in a couple."   In less than three minutes, Jordan was in the yard.  She ran over to Eddie and somehow managed to extract Eddie's sweater from Kaidlyn's hands, sliding into his place.   "Kaidlyn?  Baby?  What's wrong?  Come on, sweetie.  Deep, slow breaths."  She relaxed a bit herself as she saw Kaid look at her and begin to relax.  "That's right.  Good girl."   As Kaidlyn's breath eased to a more normal pattern, her shaking slowed.  Sitting up, she fell into Jordan's arms in tears.  Jordan looked up at Eddie.   "Can you help me get her to my car?  I'm gonna take her to Dad's.  Maybe he'll have a clue what's going on."   "How are you going to drive?"   "Oh.  I didn't think about that.  Um..."   "It's ok.  I'll drive.  I'll see if one of the uniforms can follow us ~ we've got enough people here.  Many more and we risk missing something."  Eddie leaned down and helped Jordan pull Kaidlyn to her feet.  He told the remaining uniforms that he'd be back shortly, then they walked to Jordan's Explorer.  Jordan settled into the backseat with a still sobbing Kaidlyn and tossed the keys to Eddie.   It seemed to take forever to get to Max' house, but eventually they got there.  Eddie again helped Jordan walk Kaidlyn up the walk and onto the front porch.  Jordan tried the door and was surprised to find it open.  The trio walked inside.   "Dad?"  Jordan called out.  They heard footsteps and Max came into the hall from the kitchen.  Taking one look at Kaidlyn, he rushed to them.   "Sweet Jesus, what happened?"  He scooped Kaidlyn up and went into the living room, setting her down on the sofa.  Jordan sat next to her, and Kaid immediately curled into her arms again.   Eddie explained what he knew of what had happened.  Max nodded slowly.  "I think I know what set her off.  Thanks for taking care of her, Eddie."   "Not a problem, Max.  Call me if there's anything I can do." He knelt down in front of Kaidlyn.  "You ok now, kiddo?"  He was surprised to see Kaidlyn nod slightly.  "Ok.  You're gonna be fine.  If you need to take a couple of days off, do it.   I just want you to be ok."  He ruffled her hair as he stood up.  Again thanking Jordan and Max, he went out to the uniform's car and they returned to the crime scene.   Max turned to Jordan and Kaidlyn.  "Kaid?  You ok?"   "I. . .I think so."  Kaidlyn's voice was absolutely tiny, but it was returning.   "Do you. . .?"   "I think I know why it happened."  She looked dead in his eyes.   "I think we need to have a talk."  Max sat down in the chair and readied himself for a long night ~ even longer than he'd initially thought it would be after her song.   Max sat down on the ottoman across from Jordan and Kaidlyn on the couch.  He contemplated sitting between them, but he decided the cousins might need each other before the night was over.  He had no idea. . .   "Alright, I'm not quite sure where to start.  But. . .  Jordan, do you remember the night Laura came to the house, all upset?"   "Not really," she said.   "Alright.  Well, she came here because she was afraid to go home.  She'd been to the winter formal at school with her boyfriend.  And he'd raped her.  She begged me not to do anything, and for some reason, I listened. I didn't say anything until a couple of months later."  He paused.   "She showed up at our door again.  In tears again.  She was pregnant."   Kaid looked up at Max, her face unreadable.   "From the rape?"  Jordan asked the question Kaid already knew the answer to.  Max seemed unable to continue, so Kaid picked up the story her mother had told her three and a half years earlier.   "She didn't know what to do.  Abortion was barely legal, but she didn't think she could do it.  And no one would adopt a rape baby ~ even if it was an acquaintance rape.  But she couldn't let her mother and father know.  They would have kicked her out of the house.  So she came to Uncle Max and Aunt Emily for help.  They let her stay here for a while."   "I remember that," Jordan said.  "I liked having her here."   "Anyway, as she got bigger, she felt she had to go away.  She didn't think it was fair to ask you for any help.  She cleaned out her savings account and bought a ticket as far as it would take her ~ to Wilmington, North Carolina.  It was. . .kind of close to her due date.  And. . ."  Kaid paused, and Jordan figured out why her father had been so absorbed by the song Kaid sung.   "You really were born on a bus?"   "Yeah.  When we got to Wilmington, she met some guy who took us in.  But it wasn't a good situation."  Kaid's voice trailed off.   Max picked up the story.  "He abused her.  Never Kaid, only Laura.  She'd write to us saying she wanted to come home.  But there was no way she could go back to my parents' house.  They just couldn't accept that their youngest daughter was raped.  She didn't want to disrupt us any more than she already had, so we rented an apartment for her and the baby ~ Kaidlyn.  You know, your name was supposed to by Kaitlyn, but the nurse at the hospital misunderstood your mother's accent and typed a "d" instead of a "t."  Laura thought it was cute ~ and unique ~ so she never bothered to correct it.   "After Emily. . .  Well, before that, Laura had been in touch with the guy from Wilmington again.  He swore he'd changed.  He said he wanted to marry her.  But she wouldn't leave.  She helped me out so much with you when your mother was sick, Jordan.  She felt guilty leaving.  After Emily was murdered, Laura felt like she needed to get away.  I didn't feel that I could stop her.  So she packed up and moved back to North Carolina.  Eventually I guess she married him. . ."   Kaid nodded.  "But it didn't last long.  Just long enough that she got money from him in the divorce.  That's when we moved to Ocean Isle.  But she kept on dating guys who were abusive.  That's why I applied for School of Science and Math.  I wanted to get away.  None of them ever touched me. . .she made sure of that.  But I couldn't do anything about it where she was concerned.  At least I didn't think I could.  Finally I told one of our friends, and she got Mama into counseling and away from the idiot she'd been with.  But not before he landed her in the hospital and almost killed her."  The guilt Kaid felt was evident in her voice.   "Kaidlyn, it's not your fault."  Max reached over and patted her knee while Jordan hugged her closer.   Kaid looked from Jordan to Max.  "I guess you're thinking that's why I freaked out tonight."   They both nodded.   "It's not.  There's something you don't know.  I made Mama promise not to say anything.  I needed to be ready to tell the story myself.  It was after college graduation. . .in that year and a half between college graduation and going to Kenya.  I was only supposed to be home a year.  They. . .they wanted to make sure I was ok."  She was dancing around things, she knew.  She took a deep breath and grabbed Jordan's hand as she simultaneously pulled her knees to her chest.  To afraid to look at Max, she looked only at Jordan and willed her voice to work as she continued.   "I was out doing turtle patrol.  It was nesting season and I was watching the beach, making sure that none of the female turtles got stranded. . .or poached. . .on their way to or from the water and marking their egg sites so we could watch them over the summer.  That's an overnight job."    A breath.  "I felt weird all night, but really didn't think anything of it.  Nothing ever happened. It was the beach ~ a safe place for me.  My refuge. . ."    Another breath.  "When my shift ended as the sun was beginning to come up.  I decided to go for a walk on the beach ~ I'd been seeing dolphins for a few weeks, and they helped calm me if my mind was whirling.  I guess I wasn't paying attention to what was going on around me cause someone came up behind me.  It was a guy from high school ~ we'd gone out a couple of times, but nothing serious...and not since sophomore year.  He. . ."  God, this wasn't much easier than it was in therapy or at the trial.  "He pushed me down in the sand.  It was so early no one else was around.  The other turtle patrol members had gone home already.  I told him no.  I kicked, scratched, screamed. . .everything I could to get away.  It was early so there weren't tourists and most of the homes were deserted.  And then he pulled a knife on me and said if I didn't shut up, he'd kill me.  I didn't know what else to do.  He. . ."  She fought with herself, willing herself to just say it.  "He raped me."   There.  She'd said it.  Now to see if her cousin and uncle would understand. . .   "Oh my God, Kaid!"  Jordan pulled her closer and held the younger woman.  "Sweetie, why did you keep this a secret?"   "I wasn't ready to talk about it yet."  Kaid tried to explain.  She knew that some people might find it weird that she didn't really cry anymore when she talked about it.  But she'd been through that.  Many, many times.  Now it was just fact. . .part of who she was.   Max was clenching and unclenching his fists.  All he wanted to do was find the guy who'd done that to Kaidlyn.  Find him and make him pay.  "Does. . .?"   Kaid looked over at Max and reached her hand out to him.  When he took it, she looked at him.  "I asked Mama not to tell anyone.  I wanted. . .I needed to be able to do it on my terms.  Please understand."   "Of course I do, baby!  Of course I do!"  Max leaned over and kissed her forehead.  "How about I make us some hot chocolate?"   "Sounds great Uncle Max," Kaid smiled at him.   "Yeah.  Thanks, Dad."  Jordan was still in shock.  If the same thing had happened to her, she wasn't sure she could be as strong.  She sat there, rubbing Kaid's back and soon noticed that her breathing had slowed and she was asleep.  It had been a rough night for her, after all.   When Max came back into the room, he looked at Jordan holding her sleeping cousin's head in her lap.  "Poor kid.  She's had a rough day," he said as he knelt and stroked her hair.   He was trying to figure out how to get her upstairs when the doorbell rang.  He went to the door and found Eddie standing there.   "We finished up with all we can do tonight, and I wanted to come back and see how she's doing. . ."  He stepped in as Max stepped back to allow him into the house.  He looked in the living room and saw Jordan rubbing Kaid's back as she slept.   "She's ok.  Or she will be," Jordan answered the unspoken question on his face.  "She just fell asleep."   "And I don't trust myself to carry her upstairs," Max added.   Eddie turned and looked at him.  "If you'd like, I can take her."   Max nodded, so Eddie went over and gently picked up Kaid's sleeping form.  Jordan led the way up to her old room and pulled down the sheets on the bed.  Eddie lay Kaid down on the bed and gently took her shoes off to tuck her in.    Jordan felt awkward being there, obviously there was a deep connection that had been established between Kaid and Eddie.  But at the same time, she didn't want to just leave them there.  Jordan got to the door and turned back in time to see Eddie tuck Kaid into bed and gently kiss her forehead.    As they left the room, Eddie looked at Jordan to explain, but she raised her hand.  "It's ok.  You don't owe me an explanation."  She put a hand on his arm.  "Just don't hurt her?"   "Jordan, I'm not even. . ."  He stopped.  He realized that he was feeling things for her he shouldn't be.  And after tonight, he wasn't sure that she should be working with a male anyway.  He didn't know details, but obviously some man had hurt this girl badly ~ her or someone close to her.  He made a decision.  "You know, I think she might do better working with Lois.  I'll talk with the commander about a switch tomorrow."   Jordan nodded.  "Yeah.  A woman might be better."   They got to the base of the steps, and Eddie looked at Max.  "She's all set.  I'll drop by in the morning to see how she is ~ she doesn't have to come in tomorrow.  I. . .I feel responsible for all this, dragging her there and everything."   "Eddie, it's not your fault.  What happened would have happened eventually."  Max stopped.  "But that's not for me to tell you.  I'll let Kaid. . .when and if she feels ready."   "Fair enough.  Good night, Max.  Jordan."  And Eddie walked into the night to drive home for a fitful night's sleep.    Max looked questioningly at Jordan.  "I don't know, Dad.  But he really does care what happens to her."  Jordan shrugged.  "You know?  If it's ok, I'll sleep on the floor in my old room.  I really don't think Kaid should be alone tonight."   "Alright, sweetheart.  I'll see you in the morning."   The next morning, at the precinct. . .   Detective Lois Carver looked up as she heard a knock on her door. When she saw Eddie Winslow standing in the doorframe, she motioned him in.  "Morning, Eddie.  What can I do for you today?"   Eddie smiled and motioned to a chair, asking if he could take a seat.  When Lois nodded, he sat and took a deep breath.  "Lois, you've met my intern, right?  Kaidlyn Reilly?"   "Yeah.  She seems like a real sweet girl.  And I've heard she's smart as a whip."   "From what I've seen, you're right on both counts."  He paused.  "But. . .I've run into a bit of a dilemma."   "What's that?"  Lois tried not to raise an eyebrow, but she felt it arching anyway.  She'd seen the girl around the precinct, and hoped this wasn't going where she thought it was.   "Some things have come up lately that make it seem like she'd probably be better off with a female supervisor," Eddie stated it as bluntly as he could.   "Really?"  Lois sounded surprised.  "How's that?"   "I don't know for sure, but. . .  Did you see the info on the DV case we were called to last night?"   "Um, yeah.  I think I remember seeing something about it on the news.  It looked brutal."   "It was.  And something happened with Kaid.  I don't know what.  She freaked out on me.  I had to call Jordan to come and help me with her ~ she and Kaidlyn are cousins," he added for clarification.   "I remember my first few DV cases.  I 'freaked out' on a couple of them myself."   "Yeah.  I think we all have.  But this was different. . ."  Eddie's voice trailed off.  He'd really hoped that would be enough to convince her to take Kaid on.  He looked down at his hands in his lap, not knowing where to go from here.   Lois looked at Eddie as she got up and closed the door.  When she sat back down, she gently said, "Eddie?"   "Yeah?"   "This has to do with more than just last night, doesn't it?" Lois' voice was gentle as she spoke.   Eddie sighed.  "Yeah.  It does."  He looked at Lois, who simply nodded her encouragement.  "I. . .God, Lois, I never expected this to happen, but I think I'm falling for her.  And that's not good on so many levels."   "Eddie. . ."   "I mean, not only is there the age difference, she's my subordinate.  And. . .and even though it hasn't come up yet, I don't think I could work an unsecured scene with her.  I'd be too worried that she was alright to focus on anything else around me.  That would put everyone on the scene at potential risk."  He paused, taking a deep breath.  "And. . ."   "And she's Max Cavanaugh's niece?"  Lois finished for him.  When Eddie nodded, sheepishly, she laughed gently.  "Man. . ."   "I didn't mean for this to happen!"  Eddie said.  "It just. . ."   "It just did.  Eddie?  It's ok.  Well, not. . .  Have you done anything about what you're feeling?"   "Not really.  I did go by Max's house last night to check on her once we'd finished up at the scene."  He thought about his second visit to Max's house.  "And I carried her upstairs to put her in bed cause she was already asleep."  He decided to leave out the kiss on the forehead.  "And Jordan was with me the whole time, so nothing improper happened," he added quickly.   Lois looked at Eddie and slowly nodded.  "Eddie, I'd be happy to take her on as an intern.  But you're going to have to clear it with the commander.  Any clue on doing that?"   "You don't think the female angle will work?"   "Actually that's probably your best bet.  How bout I come with you?"   "That would be great, Lois," Eddie said.  They stood and went to the commander's office.    Once Lois explained about women in law enforcement needing more female role models and mentors, he agreed and signed the forms transferring Kaidlyn's supervision to Detective Lois Carver. On their way back to their offices, Lois turned and looked at Eddie.  "Ok, who's gonna tell her?"   Eddie nodded, understanding what she was thinking.  "I will.  It'll probably be better for her to hear it from me.  And I was gonna stop by and check on her later ~ I gave her today off after last night."   "Yeah.  Alright, bring her down to my office when you've told her."  Lois shook Eddie's hand.  "And Winslow?"   "Yeah?"   "I really admire you for seeing this and doing something about it before. . ."   "Thanks, Lois."  Eddie went into his office and waited for Kaid to come in.   ****************************** Simultaneously at Max's house. . .   Jordan woke up, momentarily disoriented as to where she was.  She looked around and saw Kaidlyn still sleeping in the bed next to her.  She rubbed her eyes as she remembered what had happened the night before.   After Eddie left, Jordan had pulled out an old air mattress and set up camp on the floor of her old room, not wanting Kaid to be alone after everything that had happened.  She'd been sleeping and then woke up for reasons she couldn't explain.  She rolled over and saw that her bed was empty, then sat straight up, looking around.  She relaxed slightly as she saw Kaidlyn curled up in the window seat.  She'd changed into a t-shirt and some pajama pants and was sitting with her back against the wall and her knees pulled up to her chest.  She was resting her chin on them and looking out the window.   Jordan didn't want to startle her, so she slowly got up and moved over towards the window.  As she got closer, Kaid turned her face towards Jordan.  "Hey," she whispered.  "Sorry to wake you."   "No problem, Kaidie," Jordan said, ruffling Kaid's hair and sitting down beside her.   Kaid laughed quietly as Jordan spoke.  "You haven't called me that for ages."   "I know," Jordan laughed.  "But for some reason it just feels right."  She paused.  "You ok?"   Kaid looked at her, eyes wide.  "Yeah.  I just. . ."  Tears sprung to her eyes involuntarily.  "I dreamed about it again.  I haven't done that for months now."   Jordan pulled her cousin close and rocked back and forth with her.  "I'm so sorry all that shit happened to you, baby.  I wish I could snap my fingers and make it all go away.  I wish. . .I wish there was something I could have done."   "Hey, you were a kid yourself when most of it was happening.  It's not your fault."  Kaid drew in a ragged breath through her tears.  "You don't know the number of times I wanted to run away. . .come up here and stay with you and Uncle Max.  Maybe if I had. . ."  Her voice broke off as she buried her face in Jordan's shoulder.   "Shh.  You're safe now."  Jordan rubbed her back, cooing gently to her.  As Kaid's sobs began to subside, Jordan added, "Trust me.  If anyone tries to hurt you now they'll have to get through  me and Dad," a pause and then, "And Eddie."   Kaid pulled back and looked at Jordan, a bit surprised.   "Hey, he might not be my favorite person in the world," Jordan explained, "but after tonight there's no denying that he cares about you."  She realized that Kaid had been asleep when he came back by.  "He came back after things were wrapped up from the scene.  He wanted to make sure that you were ok.  And he carried you up here cause you were asleep."   "Oh."  Kaid was touched.  But still. . .   "You wanna get back to bed?"  Jordan tried to hide a yawn.   "Yeah."  Kaid uncurled herself and stood from the seat.  "Jordan?"   "Uh huh?"   "It's a big bed.  You don't have to sleep on the floor."  Kaid smiled at her cousin.   "It's ok, kiddo. . ."  Jordan looked at Kaid's eyes and changed her mind.  "Thanks, that'll be fine."   They'd climbed into opposite sides of the bed and Kaid immediately curled into a ball, her back to the middle of the bed.  Jordan could hear her still crying softly and instinctively reached over and rubbed her back until her breathing steadied and she was asleep.   The sun was streaming in the window, so as Jordan got up, she pulled the shade the rest of the way down.  Kaid needed sleep after last night.  Making sure to pull the covers up so Kaid wouldn't get cold, Jordan tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs.   Max was up and in the kitchen.  "Morning, sweetheart," he smiled as Jordan padded in.   "Morning, Dad.  What. . ."  Jordan looked at the clock on the microwave.  "Crap!  I'm supposed to be at work in fift-. . ."   "It's ok," Max shook his head.  "I took the liberty of calling Garret.  I didn't go into details, but I said we'd had a rough night as a family last night, and he said you could take the day off."   Jordan tried to look indignant, but ended up sinking down on one of the kitchen chairs and laying her head on her arms on the table.  "Thanks Dad.  I guess I don't always know how much I'm pushing myself."   Max walked over and kissed the top of Jordan's head.  "It's alright, sweetheart."  He went to the counter and poured some coffee into a mug then set it down in front of Jordan.  "Kaid still sleeping?"   "Yeah."  Jordan took a sip of coffee.  "She woke up about 3 and we talked for a while, then we went back to bed."  Jordan shook her head, "Dad, it makes me so mad what she went through.  I..."   "I know, Jordan.  I know."  Max nodded.  "But you're doing exactly what she needs right now ~ being there for her, letting her talk or cry when she needs to."  At Jordan's raised eyebrow, he confessed, "I heard some noise from your room last night and went to the door.  I watched you talking with her for a few minutes."  He smiled at her, "You did fine."   "Thanks," Jordan said.  "It doesn't feel like much, but. . .  Yeah."  She was glad that so far Max had said nothing about Winslow ~ she wasn't even sure what she'd tell him if he did.  For all she knew, Eddie was just overly protective of his intern. . .well, his for now, unless he'd talked with Lois already.   They heard footsteps and looked over at the doorway where Kaid had just appeared.  She'd pulled her wavy hair up into a loose ponytail and was rubbing her eyes.  "Hi," she said sleepily.   "Morning baby," Jordan pushed a chair back with her foot so Kaid could sit down.  As she did, Jordan playfully tugged her ponytail.  "You sleep ok?"   "Yeah," Kaid smiled at her.   "Alright.  What do you girls want for breakfast?"  Max had the options laid out and was getting ready to pour some coffee for Kaid when she got up and went to the refrigerator, coming back with a can of diet Coke.  "Kaidlyn, I. . ."   "What?  It's caffeine.  Just cause it's cold. . ."   "Ok, ok."  Max laughed.  She had a point.  Kaid and Jordan settled on toasted bagel halves with peanut butter spread on them while Max ate his "twigs and straw" as Jordan had started referring to his cereal when she came back from L.A.   Kaid looked around the table and smiled, thinking how lucky she was to have family like this, especially after everything.  She loved her mom, but this was different.  Jordan had been right with her words the night before.  For the first time in a long while, Kaidlyn felt completely safe.   Eddie was lost in thought his whole way to Max's house.  The past couple of weeks with Kaidlyn as his intern had been a whirlwind.  Her first case with him took a dangerous turn, and his inaction in his concern for her safety had almost turned tragic.  At the time he chalked it up to stupidity and the first intern and trying to make sure she didn't get killed on the first case.   But then came the training room yesterday morning. . .   Eddie jogged into the training room hoping to get in some strength training after a morning run.  He was distracted by the sight of Kaidlyn working out with the “robot” that recorded the strength and severity of punches and kicks.  He could tell from the lights that she had power more than some of the guys he’d seen use it.  But she was totally graceful, almost like a dancer, as she worked.  The chance to work with her close up, and maybe learn something from her was too tempting.   "Hey, Kaidlyn!" he called.   "Hey!"  She waved back as he walked over towards her.   "You studied kick-boxing?  You move beautifully."  He wasn't lying.  He’d never seen anyone work like she was.   "Yeah ~ it was always sort of my stress-releiver," she shrugged.   "Ever spar?"  He knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but...   "I have," she said, fixing her ponytail.  "Why?  You want to?"   "Sure."  He led her to the sparring ring and found some protective gear small enough for her, then put his own on.  "You ready?"   "Yeah."  And they started, first circling around each other and eventually moving closer until. . .   In a split second, he found himself on his back on the mat, Kaidlyn pinning him down.  Her eyes sparkled as she said, "Pinned ya!"   He rolled over and got up.  "Two out of three?"   "Sure."  They prepared to start again.  Neither of them noticed that several of the uniformed officers and other detectives had stopped what they were doing and begun watching the pair.  They didn't hear the gasp around the room as Kaid took Eddie down that quickly.    The second round was even quicker.  Eddie tried to concentrate, but the thought of the possibility of accidentally hurting her popped into his mind, and before he knew it, he was back on the mat, not unlike his position of no more than five minutes earlier.  "Pinned ya again!" Kaid said breathlessly, their faces mere inches apart.   They stayed in that position for a minute, neither one daring to move.  Finally, realizing that something he had no control over was happening, Eddie rolled Kaidlyn off of him and got up to head for the locker room.  "Good match.  I'll see you in a few."   What Eddie didn't know was that after he took off, leaving Kaid sitting in the middle of the ring, totally confused, one of the detectives came over to see if she was ok.  Woody had never seen anyone take Winslow down like that ~ none of them had.  He knew that she was an intern ~ and that something about her seemed way too familiar.  But mostly he wanted to make sure she was ok ~ that Winslow hadn't said anything to hurt her.  That Midwestern upbringing that made him not hit girls made him fiercely protective of anyone who looked to be hurt.  But someone asked him a question and when he turned back to the mat, the girl was gone.  He made a mental note to find out who she was later.   Later that afternoon, Eddie had called the department psychiatrist to talk with him about what was going on.  His dreams of his childhood were back.  He always swore that he wouldn't be like his father was.  But those dreams. . .  The shrink reminded him that he was NOT his father and that his conscious desire to not repeat the pattern was a big step in the right direction.  While the shrink advised against running from this, he didn't say anything about not assigning her to someone else in the department.  Eddie rationalized his decision by reminding himself that he'd still see her around the precinct.  He wasn't running away from his demons. . .  Really he wasn't.   And then after last night. . .  Kaidlyn obviously had her demons as well.  Was he crazy for even trying this.  Demons on both sides were the reason nothing ever worked between him and Jordan oh so many years ago.  Very few people knew that they'd tried to build a relationship, but nothing ever came of it.  They danced around things for a few weeks and then decided that things would never work between them.  And then he was made Max's partner. . .   And now here he was, in the same pattern with Max's niece.  He didn't even know who she was when she waltzed into his office, but something about her rocked him to the very core of his being, even then.  And nothing changed after he found out she was Jordan's cousin.  Why did he think things were going to be any different with Kaid?  Why was he willing to try and work through those demons with her when it didn't work with Jordan?  He didn't know the answers, or if things would work.  Hell, he didn't even know if Kaidlyn thought about him remotely the same way.  He thought he'd seen something in her eyes when she pinned him for the second time, but...   Eddie pulled the car up in front of Max's house and parked, trying to steady his breathing.  He was here to check on Kaid and make sure she was alright.  And to tell her that she was going to have a new mentor/supervisor.  And, if he kept his courage up, to ask her to dinner...   Simultaneously at Max's house. . . Kaidlyn jumped up from the table, ready to bolt upstairs. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" Max was concerned. "I just looked at the time. I'm gonna be late! I..." She stopped as she saw Max shaking his head. "Don't worry about today. When Eddie came by last night to check on you, he told me he was giving you the day off." "Great." Kaid sounded less than enthusiastic as she flopped back down on the chair. "I'm here for less than a week and I've already screwed up." "Kaid, baby, why do you think you've screwed up?" Jordan reached over and took her hand. "There's nothing wrong with taking a little time off to deal with stuff... What?" she added as Max raised an eyebrow at her. "Ok, so maybe I'm better at giving that particular advice than following it," she laughed. "Ok, well, I guess I'm gonna go and watch TV," Kaid decided as she got up. She went in the den and flipped around on the TV, finally settling on some prime time drama in syndication. When Jordan walked by thirty minutes later, she was sound asleep on the couch. A couple of hours later, Jordan and Max were sitting at the kitchen table talking and Kaid was still napping on the couch. The doorbell rang, and Max opened the door to find Eddie standing on the porch. "Hey, Eddie," Max smiled. "Come on in." "Morning, Max," Eddie nodded. "I, um, I just wanted to come by and see how Kaidlyn's doing this morning." "I think she's sleeping in the den, but I'll show you where it is," Jordan said, coming out of the kitchen. She led him to the den where they found Kaid sitting up and stretching. "Hey, kiddo," she smiled. "Good nap?" "Yeah," Kaid said as she rubbed her eyes. She couldn't believe how wiped she was. "Ok. Hey, someone's here to see you," Jordan smiled as Eddie came around her back and nodded at Kaidlyn. "Hey, Kaid," Eddie said as he came into the room and sat on the opposite end of the couch from Kaid. "Hey, Eddie," Kaid said, pulling her feet up under her on the couch and pulling at the pillow next to her. "Ok, well, I'm gonna leave you two alone," Jordan said as she turned to return to the kitchen. "Let us know if you need anything." She left and walked back to the kitchen, convincing Max to stay put and give them some time to talk. She wasn't sure what was up, but she sensed that things needed to be said between the two people in the den, unheard by others. As Jordan walked down the hall, Eddie looked at Kaidlyn and smiled. "So, how are you doing this morning?" "I'm ok," she smiled back. "I'm sorry about freaking out like that last night. I just..." "You don't need to explain," Eddie shook his head. "It eventually happens to most of us at one time or another." "Ok," Kaid shrugged. They sat there for a minute, Eddie trying to figure out how to say what he needed to and Kaid trying to figure out what was going on. Finally Eddie spoke. "Kaid, there's another reason I came over here. I. . .I needed to talk with you about the internship." At the look on her face, he knew he needed to say things clearly and quickly. "Kiddo, I can't supervise you anymore. But you're still going to be at the department. Lois Carver is going to take over. You'll like her ~ and you'll learn a lot from her." "It's because of last night, isn't it?" Kaid was looking at him, eyes wide but tearless ~ it seemed she'd cried all her tears out the night before. Eddie slid a little closer to her on the couch and reached over to take one of her small hands in his own. "The fact that you're assigned to a female does result from last night ~ I don't know details and I don't need to know details, but it just feels like working with a woman would be better for you. But...even before last night I was planning to have you reassigned." Kaid's stunned face and lack of ability to say anything told him he needed to say this. Sort of like ripping a bandage off, he felt that once the words were out, they'd both feel better. "Remember the scene a couple of days ago? When I was so busy checking on you the guy almost got to his gun because I didn't cuff him when he was unconscious?" She nodded. "I wasn't able to do my job because I was too worried about you. About making sure nothing happened to you. Yes, you're always concerned about your partner's back, but not at the expense of everyone else on a scene. And yesterday morning in the training room only reemphasized that. I'm not discounting your skill in any way ~ you are amazing and probably would have taken me down anyway. But I was so worried about hurting you I wasn't as aggressive as I would normally be." He paused and tried to read her face. Finally he said, "Kaid? Look at me." When her eyes met his, he said, "You are an incredibly gifted person and can do whatever you choose to do in law enforcement with the right training. And that's why I'm turning you over to Lois. I can't provide what you need, the detachment that's necessary for so many aspects. I care about you too much." Kaid just looked at him for a minute. Then, "Are you saying you like me?" Eddie nodded, somewhat shyly. "Yeah. From the minute I saw you, I wished you were gonna be anybody's intern but mine." He couldn't read her face at all. "But it's ok if you don't feel the same way. I mean, I am 12 years older than you. And there's all the stuff with Max. And..." He might as well get it over with. "But if you want to, I'd like to take you to dinner tonight." Kaid studied his face, trying to absorb everything he was saying. She had to admit, she'd felt something for him too. And that morning when she pinned him. . . The question of what Max would think crossed her mind briefly, but she decided she could deflect that. Maybe nothing would come of it, but she knew that if she didn't at least go to dinner, she'd never find out. Still, there was everything that had happened to her... "If you knew the whole story behind last night, I doubt you'd feel the same way..." She put it out as a test, and Eddie knew that. He had no idea what horrors this girl had been through, but for some reason he wasn't afraid of finding out. "Whatever it is, I'm not afraid of it. And I won't push you. You can tell me about it when you're ready. . .if you ever do." His voice was gentle and his eyes radiated sincerity. "Ok," Kaid said quietly. "I'd love to go to dinner." She looked up at him and smiled. "Great!" Eddie leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I'll pick you up about 6:30?" As Kaid nodded, he got up to leave. Kaid walked him to the door and as he was about to leave, she spontaneously threw her arms loosely around his shoulders. As he turned to face her, surprised, she said "Thanks for...everything, Eddie." He looked her in the eyes and gently brushed her lips with his. "My pleasure. So I'll see you tonight, ok?" "Yeah." Kaid shut the door and stood there for a minute. This was not happening, was it? She bounced down the hall to the kitchen where Max and Jordan were talking about some case Jordan had been working on. She flew to the refrigerator and grabbed a can of diet Coke. Max and Jordan eyed her, wondering what brought this level of bounciness on. Finally Max spoke. "Everything ok?" "Yeah," Kaid said as she popped the can open and leaned on the island in the middle of the kitchen. "Things are fine. Oh, do you know a Lois Carver?" Jordan spoke up, "I do. She's good. We work together pretty regularly. Why?" "She's my new supervisor," Kaid said. Then, "Hey, I'm gonna hop in the shower. Ok?" And bounced to the stairs. Jordan and Max sat stunned, looking at each other for a minute after Kaid left. Max finally got out, "What the hell?" Jordan shook her head. "I have no idea, but I'm going to go and find out."  She got up and was on her way up the stairs before Max could stop her. Kaid was getting her stuff together to head to the bathroom, but as she turned around to go, she found Jordan blocking the door to her room. "What?" "You want to tell me what's going on?" Geez, she didn't mean to sound like some parent of a kid busted for something. "Um. . .like I said, I've got a new supervisor. Eddie said after last night he felt like a female would be better for me." Kaid really did not want to have this discussion yet. "Uh huh." Jordan came in and led Kaid back over to the bed where they both sat down. "And you're a little too happy about it. Was Eddie that bad to work with?" "What? No! I loved working with Eddie," Kaid scrunched up her face in confusion. "So why the bounciness? Did he ask you out or something?" "Um. . ." Kaid wasn't sure what to say. She knew Jordan would find out sooner or later, she'd just hoped it would be later. "Oh my God," Jordan's mouth hung open. "He did, didn't he?" Kaid nodded mutely. "And you're happy about it?" "Yeah, I am. Jordan, I know you've had your differences with him, but he's a great guy, at least from what I've seen." Off Jordan's skeptical look, she added, "Besides, right now it's one date for dinner. Nobody's saying it's going any further than that. And if I don't go, I'll always wonder. Sometimes it's worth taking a chance. Now, can I get a shower?" Jordan nodded and let her stand up. "You're going to tell Dad, right?" "I'll have to. Eddie's picking me up here." Kaid smiled. "But don't worry, I think I can handle Uncle Max." And she was off to take a shower. Jordan sat on the bed, shaking her head. She couldn't deny that Kaidlyn did seem a lot happier than she had the whole time she'd been in Boston. Maybe Eddie wasn't so bad. Of course, she'd keep an eye on things and promised herself that Eddie would rue the day he asked Kaid out if he even remotely hurt her. And man, her cousin had more nerve than she'd ever dreamed. Not only going out with him. But having him pick her up at the house? And Kaid had another point. . .if she didn't take the chance, she'd never know. Jordan thought for a minute and reached for the phone, dialing a familiar number.   . . .to be continued. . .