Mikayla hesitantly approached Kay. "Sgt. Howard, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot, Fitzgerald," Kay replied, not looking up from the file she was working on.

"I've been watching y'all and I've been wondering, what's the deal with the football the guys toss around? I've never seen 'em throw it to you or Penny," she remarked.

"And you never will," Kay snapped back. "It's a childish game those immature boys play to relieve stress. They think that we mere females wouldn't understand." She paused, then snickered, "They also think it helps them solve cases."

"Then, you don't need to catch it. You have the highest clearance rate of any detective and Pen's not far behind."

"I think it gives them a false sense of satisfaction. You know, excluding us from some imaginary club because of our gender. Boys will be boys," Howard said, shaking her head as she watched the male detectives tossing the football around.

"I've been thinking about it, and I think I have a way to beat them at their own game." Mik smiled mysteriously as she leaned down and revealed the plan to the sergeant.

"Count me in, Fitzgerald," Howard replied. She always enjoyed beating her male counterparts. She leaned back in her chair and watched as Mikayla put her plan into motion.

Mikayla swished over to her desk and pulled a rubber dart gun out of a drawer. She waited for just the right moment, then she struck. Just as Tim released the ball and it flew towards Pembleton; she shot the dart gun. At the same time that Frank reached out for the ball, the dart knocked it out of the air and the ball fell to the floor. Frank and the other detectives turned to see where the dart had come from and they spotted Mik blowing calmly on the gun barrel. "Now that I have your undivided attention, I have a proposition for you, gentlemen." She crossed in front of her desk and leaned against the file cabinets. "I've been observing this stupid male ritual you boys have and I'd like to propose a challenge: a baseball game with the males against the females."

Lewis, the former football player, snickered. "You wanna play us in a ball game?" He knew these poor, athletically challenged women had no chance of winning, but playing them would give the guys an opportunity to show off their athletic prowess. Besides, he reasoned, what better way to get a look at the females' legs?

"That's correct, Lewis. Y'all against us."

"What's in it for the winners?" Bayliss piped up; thinking this could get interesting if the stakes were right.

"The losers have to wait on the winners hand and foot. Is it a deal?" Mikayla asked, knowing full well these guys with inflated egos would agree to it.

"Le me gather my esteemed colleagues together for a quick confab," Munch answered smugly. The guys gathered around Munch's desk.

"We can't pass this up," Lewis said. "This will be the easiest bet we've ever won."

Logan added, "I'm game. Haven't had chances to play since I hit .301 in the PAL a few years ago. These gals don't have a chance."

Bayliss, however, was a little leery. "I don't know, fellas. This seems too easy. Why would they challenge us if they didn't think they could win?"

"Tim," Munch barked, "give the voice in your head a break and listen to reason. There is absolutely, positively no way they can beat us. We're men, they're girls--enough said. Are we in?" They all nodded in agreement. Munch turned around and faced Mik, who was now joined by Kay, Pen and Tara. "We accept." Mik and Munch shook hands. It was decided that the game would be played two weeks from the following Saturday. Knowing neither side would have enough players, several additions were brought in: Felicia from the ME's office, Frank's wife Mary, and the secretaries from the other shifts for the women's side, and Lennie and Profaci from NYC, along with District Attorney Ed Danvers for the men's team.

Finally, game day arrived. When the women's team, nicknamed the "Charm City Champs" pulled up to the field, the guys were already on the field practicing. The men, who called themselves the "Baltimore Bombers", had drawn straws to see who would play what position. Logan was entrenched at first base, Tim at second, Lewis at shortstop and Kellerman at third. Danvers, Brodie and Profaci patrolled the outfield, with Frank pitching and Gee catching. Lennie and Munch were the appointed coaches--Munch for the men and Briscoe for the women. G rose from his crouched position and threw the ball to Tim. "Ladies, nice of you to show up. Would you like to take the field for a little practice?" He offered, glad they'd arrived in time to see the men demonstrating their abilities.

"Sure thing, Gee. Thanks," Kay yelled as she took the ball from Tim. "Okay, positions everyone," she ordered. She glanced around and was satisfied with the assignments. Tara was at first, Judy from second shift was the shortstop, and Miriam from nights was positioned on third base. Felicia, Frank's wife Mary, and Sherry from the ME's office were the outfield crew. Kay threw the ball to Penny, who was handling the catching duties, who then threw it to the pitcher, Mikayla. "What say once around the horn?" Mik suggested. "That should get us warmed up enough." She threw the ball to Penny, who threw it to Tara, and so on until the ball got back to Mikayla.

Since the girls were already on the field, the guys batted first. Kellerman stepped up to the plate and tapped his feet with the bat. Mikayla looked over at the umpire and asked, "We did say baseball, right?" He nodded his head.

"Listen to her, tryin' to intimidate us. Ain't happenin'!" Lewis shouted. Mikayla ignored him and looked in at Penny for the sign. Mik nodded and threw a fastball past Mike, who never even took the bat off his shoulder. As Penny stood up and threw the ball back to Mik, Danvers leaned over to Tim. "I think we're in trouble. Did you know she could pitch like that?" Bayliss was dumbfounded. She hadn't bothered to mention she was an athlete. He wondered what other surprises were in store for him. Before he knew it, Mike was sitting back on the bench after Mikayla struck him out with three pitches and it was Tim's turn to bat. He took the bat from Kellerman, who muttered under his breath, "She should pitch for the Orioles," then shook his head. Tim stood in the batter's box and faced Mikayla. "No flirting allowed," Penny whispered to Tim. "It won't work, anyway. Once she's focused, nothing, and I mean nothing distracts her, so give it up before you even start, Timmy boy." That made him even more determined, but it was no use. He came back to the dugout and plopped down on the bench. "She's good. She's really good." The team watched as Tony Profaci stepped into the batter's box. He got a couple of pitches to hit, fouled them off, then hit a slow grounder to Tara, who scooped the ball up and tagged Tony out.

It was now the girls' turn to bat. After Frank took his warm-up pitches, Kay stepped up to the plate. "Ball one!" The umpire yelled as the ball went sailing over Howard's head. She just laughed as she stared back at Pembleton. On the next pitch, she swung and lifted it into right field. Brodie ran for it and made a sliding catch. "Nice play, Brodie!" Lewis yelled. "Way to go!"

Shelley from the ME's office stepped up next. She fouled off the first pitch. then hit a hard grounder between Kellerman's legs and into left field. "I shoulda had that one," Mike muttered to himself. "That's okay! Double play hitter on her way up!" Felicia, however, had other ideas. As the ball came to the plate, she squared around to bunt. She missed the ball, but in the process Shelley had stolen second base. On the next pitch, Felicia hit a fly ball that dropped in front of Profaci. There were now 2 people on base and only one out. Tim decided to get in some heckling. "Easy out! Easy out! Everyone knows pitchers can't hit!"

Tara and Penny looked at each other. Tara yelled out to the field, "Tim, you've done it now! You have no idea what you're in for!" Mikayla looked out at him and shouted, "You think I can't hit! Well, just stand back and eat my dust!" Frank threw a fast ball to Mikayla. She swung and knocked a three run homer. All the guys could do was watch it fly out of the park. As Mikayla rounded second, she said to Tim, "Can't hit, huh?" She high-fived everyone as she went into the dugout. "These guys are toast!" She exclaimed as she grabbed a cup of water. Penny was the next batter up and she hit a liner straight to Logan, who smirked at her when he caught the ball. He was nice enough to keep her secret and not tell anyone she'd been on the team with him back at the 2-7. He knew she was an athlete, but he didn't know about the rest of the team. However, after seeing Mikayla hit and pitch he decided she had some athletic talent, too. When Judy came up, she struck out on three pitches.

The girls headed back out onto the field. Logan came up and was determined to get a hit. It was no use, however, as he wasn't even close swinging at Mikayla's pitches, and that's the way most of the game went. The guys did manage to score three runs and tie the game up, though.

"Okay, bottom of the ninth, 3-3 tie! One run's all we need!" Mikayla said as she watched Felicia step up to the plate. She took the first couple of pitches, then swatted the third one into left field. Mikayla came up to bat with a determined look on her face. Tim hadn't seen this side of her before. He wondered what she was planning to do and he didn't have to wait long. A ball came flying between he and Lewis. They both dove for it and missed. There were now runners at first and second with no outs and Penny was at the plate. She glanced at Mikayla and tapped the bat on the ground. Mikayla nodded, then ran her hand along the brim of her cap to give the signal to Felicia, who nodded. Frank let the ball go and Penny swung. The second the ball was out of Frank's hand, Felicia and Mikayla took off running. "Double steal!" Lewis yelled. Felicia slid into third as Gee threw the ball to Kellerman. Her foot hit the bag a split second before Kellerman's tag. Mike whirled and threw the ball to Tim, who was waiting for the throw. As he spun to put the tag on Mikayla, her right foot hit the bag and got caught on the bag as she slid by. Tim, Mik and Lewis heard a horrendous crack as her foot stayed in place and her body went on by the base. "Damn it!" She shouted as she grabbed her ankle and tried to untie her sneaker.

"Mikayla!" Tim screamed as he realized what happened. "Don't move, honey.

"Oh, God, it hurts!" She shrieked.

"Somebody get an ice pack!" Lewis yelled. Tara came out with some ice wrapped in a towel. "Call an ambulance!"

"You don't have to call an ambulance, just take me to the hospital," Mikayla groaned. "I'm sure they can reset it," she said through gritted teeth, trying not to writhe around in pain. Gee easily picked her up and carried her to her Honda. Tim jumped into the driver's seat and Penny got into the passenger's seat. "Here, Mik, hold my hand. It's gonna be a little rough until we get out of the park." Mikayla squeezed Penny's hand whenever they hit a bump. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Penny's hand was numb and Mikayla's lip was bleeding from having bitten it to avoid screaming out in pain. Tim dashed in and grabbed a wheelchair and he and Penny put Mikayla in the chair and rolled her into the emergency room. A nurse took the wheelchair from Tim and wheeled Mikayla into the first available room. Tim told her what had happened, then a doctor appeared on the scene. He evaluated the situation and informed Mikayla he was going to put a splint on her ankle as soon as he gave her something for the pain. The nurse started an IV and then the doctor ordered some pain medicine for her. As soon as the medicine took effect, he reset her ankle then put it in a splint. "She'll need to come back in a week. By then, the swelling will have ceased and we can put a walking cast on her." He gave Penny the number to his office and she agreed to call on Monday for an appointment.

Mikayla was still woozy from the sedatives when she was wheeled out of the hospital and placed into her car. She fell asleep on the trip home, so Tim and Penny carried her into the house and placed her on the couch where she slept the rest of the afternoon.

"Well, I guess she can stay on the couch till her ankle heals," Tara said as she handed Tim and Penny each a glass of tea. "There's no way she can climb the stairs to her room. We can just bring some books and CD's down from her room and make her as comfortable as possible down here."

"That's a good idea," Penny replied. "She'll probably sleep most of the day and into tomorrow, which will be good for her." She looked at Tim. "Tim, you look like you're lost in space. What's wrong?"

Tim thought a bit before speaking. "Well, I have an idea, though I don't know how she'll like it." He looked at Mikayla's roommates. "Why don't I just take Mikayla home with me? She can stay at my place while she recovers. Since I live on the ground floor, she won't have any stairs to climb. My couch may not be as comfortable as yours, but it'll do in a pinch."

"That's nice of you to offer, Tim, but--"

He interrupted Penny. "I won't take no for an answer. If it will ease your mind, the two of you can stop by anytime and check on her."

Penny thought about Tim's suggestion. On a practical level, it made sense. Mikayla wouldn't have any steps to climb, and Penny and Tara could drop it and keep tabs on her. It made sense on an emotional level, as well. Penny had noticed a change in Mikayla since her return from Atlanta. Penny and Tara had talked to both Tim and Mik, but neither one had been forthcoming with any details. However, Mikayla seemed more at ease and comfortable with herself and, as an added bonus, her drinking had been severely curtailed. "Okay, but let's wait until she wakes up and make sure she's agreeable to the idea.

"Planning my future?" Mikayla mumbled.

"Just your immediate future, sweetie," Tara said, rushing over to Mikayla's side. "How do you feel?"

Mikayla struggled to sit up, eventually making it to a half-sitting, half-prostrate position on the couch. "Like I had a fight with a Mack truck and lost. What's the verdict on my foot?"

Penny repeated to her what the doctor had said. "Tim's offered to let you stay at his place until you can put more weight on your ankle."

"And, as I informed your two roommates, I won't take no for an answer," Tim firmly interjected.

"That's fine, I'm too tired to argue. Now that it's settled, can I go back to sleep?" The trio left the room, allowing Mikayla to drift off to a restless sleep while they gathered things to take over to Tim's for her stay.

Nightfall arrived and Mikayla was still asleep, so Penny and Tara thought it would be best for Mik to remain on the couch. Tim agreed. "That's a good idea. If you don't mind, I think I'll just spend the night on the love seat, in case Mik needs anything."

"Tim," Tara responded, "we're perfectly capable of handling the situation ourselves."

"I know that, Tara. I just want to be here to support my girlfriend, okay?"

Tara sighed in resignation. She could see that Tim was just as stubborn as Mikayla, so she and Penny gave in to him. They hunted down some blankets and pillows, then retired for the evening. Tim made himself comfortable on the love seat and picked up the remote. He searched through the channels and found a replay of the Wizards-Knicks game on a local station, then leaned back on the pillows and slowly drifted off to sleep.

When Tim woke up the next morning, Mikayla was still asleep, so he went up to her room to get her suitcases. After climbing the stairs, he stood in the middle of the room. He realized that, although he'd been to the house on numerous occasions, he hadn't been up to Mik's room since helping the girls move. He slowly turned around and surveyed the room, taking in the surroundings. All along the north wall was a walk-in closet. He chuckled as he realized how much it resembled his own closet, though Mik's was much larger. There was no apparent order to her clothing; slacks were hung with shirts, skirts were next to jeans, and shoes were everywhere. Mikayla always looked so put together when she got to work, it was hard to believe that she could find anything in the closet. Of course, his closet looked the same way, but he didn't look as neat as Mik did during the day, either. On the east wall was a computer desk, with a monitor, keyboard and printer on it. Scattered along the shelves were books of all genres. He walked over and glanced at some of the authors and noticed they had similar tastes: John Grisham, Michael Crichton, John Lescroat, and James Patterson were some of the writers in her collection. He sat down in the computer chair and noticed a small clipping taped to the monitor:

Scarlett's Rules for living in the 90's:

1. On finding the Perfect Dress--Be creative. Sometimes that perfect dress is just hanging around the house.

2. On Downsizing--When excess fat needs to be trimmed, pull your corset tighter.

3. On Eating--With God as your witness, promise never to be hungry again.

4. On Phone Etiquette--Always let him finish the conversation first, unless he says he doesn't give a damn.

5. On Last Ditch Efforts--When all else fails...cry.

Scarlett O'Hara--She's headstrong, seductive, independent, strong-willed and by nature, an irrepressible flirt. In short, her character traits translate easily into today's society.

He grinned and said to himself, "That's my Mik to a T."

On the other side of the doorway was an oak four-drawer chest with a matching jewelry box on top. On both sides of the box were pictures taken at various points throughout her life; high school and college graduation, parties, and the infamous 'panda pic.' Hanging on the wall next to the dresser was a collage with photographs of her friends. He spotted photos of Tara and Penny, together and alone, some of Felicia, and others of people he didn't recognize.

Mikayla's bed was against the third wall. The four-poster bed was decorated in hunter green plaid bedding. Propped up against the pillows were several stuffed animals, mainly bears. However, in the middle of the bears sat an old, worn out blue rabbit, missing one eye and an ear hanging on by a thread. On the nightstand sat a reading lamp and a princess style phone, along with more photos. On picture, in particular, stood out. It was a photograph of Mikayla with her parents, standing on their front porch. At least, Tim assumed the couple pictured with Mik was her parents. He picked up the picture frame and noticed a newspaper clipping tucked behind the photo. Curiosity got the best of him and Tim pulled out the paper and looked at it. The headline read, "Prominent Family Involved in Crash." As he read the story, he got quite a glimpse into Mikayla's psyche. After reading it the first time, he slowed down and read it aloud, to confirm what he'd read. "Robert Benjamin Fitzgerald, 65, and his wife, Katherine Devereaux Fitzgerald, 62, were killed in a plane crash on Thursday. They were on a trip with their daughter Mikayla O'Hara Fitzgerald, 34. The Fitzgeralds were on their way to their ancestral home in Ireland as a graduation present to Mikayla, who is scheduled to graduate from New York University in June. The plane developed engine trouble just prior to arrival at Dublin. The pilot attempted an emergency landing at a small, private airstrip just outside the city. However, something forced him to veer off course and the plane went down in a nearby field. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald, along with the pilot, were killed upon impact. Miss Fitzgerald was severely injured, suffering numerous broken bones and massive internal injuries. She is currently recuperating in a Dublin hospital and is expected to make a complete recovery."

"Poor Mik," Tim muttered, "no wonder she's still grieving." He heard noises downstairs and returned to find Tara in the kitchen. "Morning, Tara."

"Morning, Timmy. How'd Mik sleep?" She asked, spreading cream cheese on a bagel.

"Soundly, I guess. I never heard a peep out of her. I woke up a little while ago and thought I'd bring down her bags." Tara offered him a bagel, which he declined. "Where's Penny?"

"She drove Mik's car to work. I switched with Brodie today. I'm working for him tonight, that way I can be with Mik. Since you switched with Higby, and are working tonight as well, want to ride in with me?"

"Sure, fine, whatever," Tim mumbled and sat down at the kitchen table.

Tara picked up her breakfast and sat down across from him. "All right, Timmy, what's bothering you?"

Tim glanced at her. "What makes you think something's bothering me?"

"Hmm, I don't know, let's see. Could it be because you look like you're lost in space?"

Tim sighed. "Okay, you got me. I was looking around Mik's room and I found a newspaper clipping about her parents."

Tara shook her head and bit her lip. "Let me guess, the crash, right?" Tim nodded. "We've tried to get her to put it away, but she keeps it right on her nightstand. Has she ever told you the whole story of that trip?"

"No, this was the first I knew that she was even on the plane. No wonder she was so traumatized by it all."

"That's not the only reason." Tara paused and took a deep breath. "Her parents had invited me to go along, even offered to pay for me, but I couldn't let them do that, so I stayed behind. That's part of why I feel responsible for Mik. You know, because I wasn't there when she needed me. And, before you say anything, I know that if I would've been on the plane I might've died, too, but that didn't make it any easier. Penny was the only stable one of us back then. I was a nervous wreck, would cry at the drop of a hat. And poor Mik, that's the only time I've ever seen her unable to talk. She was in a sort of catatonic state for a while after that. Finally, Penny talked her into seeing a psychologist. Dr. Olivet eventually broke through the fog and Mik got back on the road to recovery. She's not completely over it yet. I don't know if she ever will be. She's always worried about losing everyone around her, and she hasn't been on a plane since then. I can't say as I blame her, though." Tara got up and took her cup and saucer into the kitchen while Tim sat at the table in silence.

After a while, a moan came from the living room. "Mik, is that you?"

"Of course. Who'd you expect, Brady Anderson after that crash he made into the wall at Turner Field?"

"So, the sleepyhead's finally awake, huh?" Tara said, scampering in from the kitchen.

"Yes, Auntie Tara. Your patient's up, just not around yet. I am hungry, though."

"I've got your bagel toasting, sweetie. If you're up to it, after that we'll take you over to Timmy's, okay?"

"Okay," Mik replied, then looked up at Tim, who was standing behind the couch. "You're here early this morning, Timmy."

"Mik, honey," Tara said, "he's been here all night. He slept on the love seat. As the saying goes, wild horses couldn't drag him away from here."

"Oh, how sweet, you got up early just for me."

Tim finally spoke. "I can't think of a lovelier sight to see first thing in the morning."

"And this is without makeup, even. That's what I love about you, Tim. You always see the good in people." She grabbed his shirttail to bring him down to her level. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear, then kissed him on the cheek. "That really means a lot to me."

"I'm glad I can help," he said. "I don't get up early for just anyone, you know."

She shook her head. "I know, that's why it means so much."

"Am I going to have to start announcing myself before entering a room?" Tara joked as she brought in a tray. "I can't leave you two alone for five minutes," she said, setting the tray down on the coffee table.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Tara. I'm choosing to ignore that last comment. I could say the same thing about you and Mikey, but I won't."

"Mik!"

"Just kidding, Tara," Mikayla grinned. "Thanks again for the bagel. Aren't you two supposed to be at work now?"

"We switched so we could keep an eye on you. Now, don't start in with 'I'm big enough to take care of myself.' We're doing this and it's settled," Tara stated. She didn't, however, tell Mik that she'd worked out a schedule for the next week. Tim and Tara had switched with Higby and Brodie to work nights so one or both of them would be with Mik during the day. Munch was going to stay at Tim's at night. Penny would've been there, but she and Kay were bogged down helping out Lewis and Kellerman on the Shelley case. Meldrick and Mike had tracked down a story the reporter was developing regarding the drug trade in Baltimore. During the investigation, the pair repeatedly kept coming across the same name, Philip Wilson. The four detectives were tied up with that case, so Penny was unable to break away for extended lengths of time, but was going to stop in at every available opportunity.

After moving Mikayla to Tim's apartment, then giving her some pain medicine so she could rest, Tim gave Tara a tour of his apartment. "It's not much, nothing like your house, of course, but it's enough for me." Tara followed Tim into the kitchen. "Okay, upstairs is where you'll be sleeping and I'll be making myself comfortable down here."

"You'll do no such thing, Timothy Bayliss!" Tara exclaimed. "You slept on our couch while you stayed with us. I can sleep on the floor while I'm here. That way I can greet Uncle J when he gets here this evening."

"Munch...is coming...here?" Tim was shocked. He didn't even know Munch knew where he lived. "Thanks so much for clearing it with me first."

"Timmy, I did it for Mik. I figured someone should be with her at night while we're at work. I was going to ask Gee, but Munch stepped in and demanded to stay with her. 'Who better than the man that's known her the longest?' he argued, so I decided to give in while I was behind. He'll be here before we leave for work."

"Okay, since it's for Mik," Tim agreed. He went upstairs and brought down some pillows and blankets and helped Tara make a palette on the floor, then went up to his room to get some sleep before the night shift.

A few hours later, someone knocked on the door. "Second shift's here," a gruff voice announced.

"Come on in," Tara replied.

"How's my patient?"

"On the road to recovery, Uncle J," Mikayla said as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Okay, sweetie, we're off to work now," Tara said. "You be a good girl now."

"Yes, ma'am," Mik replied, disdainfully rolling her eyes.

"See you in the morning, cutie pie," Tim said, kissing Mikayla.

"Okay, Timmy bear."

"Enough mushiness! Get outta here already!" Munch shooed them out the door, then plopped into a green recliner, which appeared to have seen better days.

"So, Uncle J, regale me with some of your stories about the precinct," Mikayla said. She knew how Munch loved to talk, so she figured since he had a captive audience, he might as well entertain her.

"Who do you wanna know about first?" He asked.

"Tell me about your partners."

"Best one I ever had was Stanley Bolander; we called him 'The Big Man'. He knew everything about detective work there was to know. No greater detective in the world, even after he got shot."

"Shot? What happened?"

"Kay, Stan, myself, and another detective, Beau Felton, went to arrest some jerk, but were sent to the wrong address. Shots were fired. Kay was hit in the chest and almost died, Felton took one in the shoulder, and Stan was shot in the head. I dodged the bullets, and they all eventually recovered. Stan left later on and I just floated around, I'm sure due to the fact that I'm too good for anyone."

"I'm sure that's the reason, Uncle J," she giggled. "Did they ever get the guy who did it?'

"Now, that's an interesting story. I'm surprised your young Timothy hasn't shared that with you. Just lean back and let me 'spin you a yarn.' We arrested a suspect, but couldn't break him, so, unfortunately we had to release him. Fortunately for us, however, he was--how do I phrase this delicately--disposed of shortly thereafter. Bayliss was the lucky guy or unlucky guy, depending on how you see it, who took the call. Ended up having to investigate all of us. Never did find out who shot the idiot. Oh, well, it's not like he was an asset to the community to begin with."

"Uncle J, I'm sensing some bitterness there. Wasn't Tim just doing his job?"

"Are you sure he hasn't told you this story before? That was the same thing he spouted off to me then. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, the shooting went unsolved. I think that was right after Tim's coffin incident."

"Excuse me?" Mikayla shot a look Munch's direction. "Was that c-o-f-f-i-n or c-o-u-g-h-i-n-g incident?"

"You mean he hasn't told you about Emma?"

"No, he hasn't mentioned anyone in his past," Mik replied, not sure she wanted to hear this story, at least Munch's version of it.

"Oh, where to begin? At the beginning, I presume. Mikayla, I present to you, the dating history of our fair hero, Detective Timothy Bayliss, as told by John Munch, storyteller extraordinaire. Emma was some sort of crime reenactment specialist who showed up to talk about a case with Crosetti, who no longer worked in Homicide; we'll cover the reason why at another time." Munch didn't think it was the time to mention that Steve Crosetti, Meldrick's former partner, had committed suicide. "Anyway, back to our story. Meldrick saw her first and fell hard, and I mean hard, for her. Her 'aura' didn't like his 'aura', so she rebuffed his attentions. However, her 'aura' apparently went haywire for Tim's 'aura', and whose wouldn't, I'm sure you're thinking. Tim and Meldrick almost came to blows over Emma Zoole, but it was over as soon as it started, eerily similar to Tim and Emma's relationship, though I don't know if you could call it a relationship."

"Okay, you've got me curious. Where does the coffin come into all this?"

"Oh, yes, the coffin. Bayliss and Emma ended every date by, how shall I say this, co-mingling in a coffin."

"That's disgusting!" Mikayla exclaimed. "This is what I have to live up to? I've been known to be wild, but nothing like that," she thought to herself.

"Well, that's about as weird as Tim ever got, except for the fling with Howard."

"Tim and Sgt. Kay?"

"No, no, her sister Carrie. I think that only lasted a weekend though, then she went back to Italy, probably to corrupt the monks."

"Gee, Uncle J, anybody else I should know about?"

"Let me think." He paused for effect. "Well, I'm sure you've already heard about Julianna."

"The M.E.? I knew they went out for a short time."

"Three weeks, to be exact. Seems she didn't want to be alone for the holidays."

"Gee, Uncle J, did you cover them all?"

"All except for the little flirtation with Claire Kincaid from the NYC DA's office. Ask Penny about that. She can probably tell you if it went beyond that. I don't think it did. She seemed to already be involved with someone else."

"I'll be sure and check with her."

"Mik, you don't have anything to worry about. You are the classiest lady Tim's ever dated, and yours is certainly the longest relationship he's ever had. He didn't stay with those others; he's stayed with you. Remember when you showed up here the day of your first date with Tim and I told you I'd never seen him react that way to any female before?" She nodded her head. "I meant it, every word I said. Have you ever known me to lie to you before? Well, I'm sure as hell not going to start now." Munch leaned over and wiped a tear off Mikayla's cheek. "Mikayla, you are the best thing that ever happened to Timothy Bayliss and don't you forget it, do you hear me?" She shook her head and sniffed. "Now, I've talked enough. Why don't you tell me how you're doing?"

"Well," Mikayla responded, biting her quivering lower lip, "I was doing okay until those stories. I thought Tim and I were moving along swimmingly; now I'm not so sure."

"Why, Mik?"

"I'm not like any of those other women. I can't compete with them."

"Mikayla Fitzgerald!" Munch sternly exclaimed. "I will not have any of that asinine talk from you! Now, listen to me right now. I did not tell you any of that to make you feel as though you were in a competition. Besides, no offense, my beloved niece, but it's not like you're a shrinking violet yourself." Mikayla opened her mouth, but John interrupted her. "Does he know about any of the guys you've dated?" She shook her head. "Then you two are just going to have a talk when he gets home, aren't you?"

"I guess so, thanks to you," Mikayla said, rather perturbed at this turn of events. "If you don't mind, I think I'll go to sleep now." She abruptly turned her back on him and stared at the back of the couch, eventually willing herself to go to sleep.

Later that evening/morning, Munch silently shuffled over to the couch and placed a blanket over Mikayla, then uncharacteristically tenderly whispered, "I only want the best for you, my belle."

Tim walked in right before Munch left for work. "Hey, John," he said, "how's Mikayla?"

"Sleeping like a baby, Timmy," Munch replied. "What did you do with Tara?"

"She's having breakfast with Logan before his shift starts," Tim answered as he went up the stairs to change clothes.

"Okay, Timmy boy, I leave my charge in your care," John said, closing the door behind him.

Tim came back down a short time later, glancing over at Mikayla on his way to the kitchen. He returned with a bowl of corn flakes and a glass of orange juice, sat down in the recliner and turned on the TV. He went over the previous night's cases in his head. He and Frank had grabbed a dunker. Marlon Weathers, a cabbie, had called Homicide to let them know he'd shot his wife and would they please come and arrest him so he could tell his story. Once the partners had him in the box, the sordid story came out. Marlon's wife Jaylynn spent most of her time soaking up his salary in alcohol. After ten years, he'd finally had enough, so, ironically, this being their tenth anniversary, he went to the garage, got a shotgun, then returned to the house and shot her point blank in the chest. Even after all these years in Homicide, Tim still continued to wonder what drove people to the point of making the decision to end another person's time on earth. Gee had given him a lecture on that subject shortly after he joined the unit. "Bayliss, here we don't care about why. It is not the why, but the who, that changes the names from red to black. And that is our ultimate goal: to change colors from red to black. If you want to know why, you're in the wrong department; the psychologist's office is up on the third floor. Keep focused on the who and you will do just fine in Homicide." So, Tim did his job and, for the most part, changing the colors under his name from red to black. Unfortunately, one name would, he thought, forever remain in red. He tried not to think of her, but she always appeared just when he thought he'd banished those demons from his memory. "Adena", he softly whispered to himself. "I've failed you, and I'm sorry."

"What?" Mikayla sleepily mumbled.

Tim shook himself back to reality. "Oh--uh, nothing, just shop talk. How was your night?"

Mikayla suddenly remembered what she'd heard from Munch. "Fine," she sharply snapped.

Tim looked strangely at Mikayla. He wondered what caused that reaction, figuring maybe her ankle was hurting. "How's your ankle, sweetie?"

"Just fine," she answered in the same tone as before.

"What's wrong?" Tim asked.

Mikayla bit her lip and angrily sighed. "You really wanna know what's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong…Emma Zoole, name ring a bell?" Tim's eyes flew open. "So, it does. How about Julianna Cox, Claire Kincaid, and Carrie Howard? Recognize those names? You should. Uncle J told me all about them, about how you had a thing with Cox, until she decided to throw you out with the used wrapping paper, then something about Kay's sister from Italy, but the one that confuses me the most is Emma. You did it in a coffin?"

Tim slammed down his glass, trying to remain calm. "It's not something I'm proud of, Mik. Haven't you ever done anything that you've regretted? Oh, no, I forgot, you're the woman with the perfect life."

"Perfect life? Let me tell you something, Timothy Michael Bayliss! Yes, my parents loved me, but that does not mean everything's gone swimmingly! Let's recap, shall we? I was adopted, but wasn't told about it for 35 years! Being an only child, I got whatever I wanted, never had to earn anything, never had to stand on my own two feet! So, what do I do? The minute I turn 21, I move to New York City and ignore my parents for the next 10 years, then, just when we're getting to know each other again, they decide to take me to Ireland for graduation. But, I screw that up, too, and they end up dying, leaving me behind, wishing I was with them! Then, once I learn to cope with that and get my life back on track, my roommate's life falls apart and she wants to move to Baltimore. I figure, why not, since my live in NYC's pretty much over? So, we move to Maryland, where I meet a great guy, fall in love with someone I can see spending the rest of my life with, then I find out about…Emma!"

Tim spoke up before processing all Mikayla had said. "Let me ask you a question, then, Mik. Is there anyone in the New York City police department you haven't dated?"

"Fine, let's lay it all out on the table! Yes, I went out with Tony Profaci. We dated a few months, but it didn't go anywhere. Yes, I dated Mike Logan several years ago. I had just moved to New York and we hooked up in a bar, and I forgot about him until we met again right after we moved down here. Other than that, I've been out with a few athletes and actors, but nothing serious, and no one with any strange quirks. I can't live up to that, Tim. That's not me, I'm sorry if I've disappointed you." Her bottom lip began to quiver.

"Mik, listen to me," Tim said, kneeling down next to the couch, "that was the only time in my life I've ever done anything like that. And, believe me, I never want to do that again. You suit me just fine. I wouldn't change a thing about you, all right?

She nodded and sniffed, then wiped the tears from her eyes. "I have a question about another person. Who's Adena?"

Tim rose stiffly. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard you mentioning her name when I woke up. Who is she?"

Fatigue washed over Tim as he settled back into a chair. He got a faraway look in his eyes. "Adena Watson was my first case. A little girl, brutally murdered and dumped in a lot. Never did find the killer." His voice became soft, barely above a whisper. "I can still picture her, lying there, the blood staining her red coat. That scene will haunt me for the rest of my life. I'll never be able to get her out of my system. Every time I go out on a case dealing with a child, I think of her, believing that I can atone for her death by solving the next crime." Tim got up and made his way into the kitchen.

Mikayla got up and attempted to follow him into the other room. As she gingerly took a step, the front door opened and Tara came in. "Miss Fitzgerald, what in the world do you think you're doing? Get back on that couch now, missy!" Tara exclaimed, dashing over to help her roommate back to the couch.

"I'm trying to check on Tim, if that's all right with you," Mik groaned through tightly gritted teeth.

"Why do you need to check on him?" Tara asked, placing Mikayla back on the couch.

Mikayla, sitting up and propping her foot on the coffee table, replied, "We got in a fight. Our precious Uncle Munch took it upon himself to inform me of Tim's colorful dating history. I retaliated by practically jumping down Tim's throat about the whole thing. We argued, but patched things up, then I had to open my big mouth and ask about Adena Watson. Tim told me, now he's in the kitchen and I just want to make sure he's okay."

"I'm fine, Mik. I've learned to deal with it as best I can," Tim said, coming back into the living room with some toast and eggs for Mikayla. "It--she--gets a little easier to talk about each time and it's something I know I'll never get over, but I've learned to live with it. I don't have a choice, I guess, so I learn from it and try to move on."

Tara was satisfied that the couple was okay, so she went upstairs. As she did, she noticed the television program. "Timmy, what are you watching?"

He looked at his watch. "Mighty Mouse, my favorite show." Tara shook her head and silently giggled. "Tim and Mik are two of a kind. They're both children at heart," she thought.

"Mighty Mouse?" Mikayla asked.

Tim nodded. "Every Saturday morning, my dad and I would sit in front of the TV and watch this show. It was our bonding time, I guess. I used to look so forward to the weekends, just because of this show." He thought back to those days. Those mornings were the happiest time of his childhood, the only time he felt like his dad really accepted him. His dad never yelled at him or berated him during the show. Tim always thought that maybe that was the one time his father felt like he could truly escape from life and lose himself in something. Tim stifled a yawn as he realized what time it was. "Well, now that Tara's here, I'm gonna go on up to bed. Night, cutie pie."

"Night, Timmy bear," Mikayla replied as Tim kissed her. "I'll be here."

"I'll make sure of that," Tara said as she came back downstairs.

That's the way the rest of the week went. Tim and Tara would go off to work, Munch would show up, he and Mik would talk for a while, then drift off to sleep. Morning would appear, then Tara and Tim would come back home, and so on. The rest of the squad dropped by periodically throughout the week to check on her. On Friday, Tim drove her to the doctor to get the walking cast put on. The doctor released her to go back to work on Monday. Tim and her roommates loaded her stuff into his Blazer and took her back to the house.