Renard strolled back through the precinct, having locked Mr. O'Connell back in his cell. He headed over to where Kayla O'Connell sat, flipping through a Vanity Fair magazine. Tommy sat on the floor, slowly rolling a toy car back and forth, not making a sound.

"Ms. Moran? May I have a word in private?"

"Of course Officer." He was treated to yet another inviting smile as she stood and followed him without a backwards glance at her son. The resemblance to Nicole was uncanny.

"Your ex-husband has a message for you. I wasn't even going to tell you about it, but I decided it was not my place to say one way or the other." Renard deliberately shifted his weight to give the appearance of discomfort.

"Go on." Though Ms. Moran was managed to keep her face solemn, Renard could detect the undercurrent of excitement in her voice.

"He says he'll talk, but only if he gets to speak to you in private first. Should I tell him to go to hell?" The woman reached out a place a hand on his arm.

"That's very thoughtful of you Officer Renard and I appreciate it, but I think I would like to speak to him face. I want him to know that he doesn't scare me anymore. Where is he?" She'd taken the bait, just as he'd expected she would.

"He's in the holding cells. I'll show you. Nick?" Renard waved Nick over from where he'd been filing papers,"Would you watch over Tommy for a few minutes?" If Renard had harbored any lingering doubts about Nick's acting abilities, they were immediately dissolved by Nick's untroubled countenance.

"Absolutely." Nick sat down on the bench next to Tommy. "Hey dude. That's an awesome car you've got there." Renard ushered Ms. Moran down the hall and towards the lock-up.

"What kind of security measures do you have down here?" Renard had to admit that she was good. He could almost believe she was genuinely frightened of the man he was bringing her to see.

"We have video surveillance monitoring this whole area."

"No audio surveillance?" Now it was Renard's turn to keep himself from smiling.

"Afraid not. Look Ms. Moran, if you'd rather not do this-" He stopped at the door leading to the detention hall. Conveniently enough O'Connell was their only resident guest.

"No. I want to confront him. But thank you all the same for your support. I can take it from here." The second the door closed Renard reached into his pocket and pulled out the receiver for the wire he had fitted Martin O'Connell with under an hour ago. It was show time.

"You wanted to see me?"

"What do you want, Kayla?"

"What do I want? I want justice, Martin. I want what is fair compensation for all my pain and suffering."

"Pain and suffering? You mean that self-inflicted black eye and cut on your forehead?"

"I mean having to put up with you for three years, pretending to be the loving, doting wife. I mean being unceremoniously shoved out the door with nothing but a few hundred dollar bills, like I was some whore you were finished with."

"You hurt our son!"

"My son! Not yours. And that just kills you doesn't it? It's pathetic, you know, the way you dote on him, how weak he make you, Mr. High-powered CEO."

"How much? How much is it going to take?"

"For what exactly?"

"For you to drop these ridiculous charges, sign the divorce papers, and give me full custody of Tommy."

"Ten million, all upfront, transferred to the Cayman account of my choosing."

"That's insane. I don't have that…"

"That's too bad. I guess you'll be staying in here, then, and Tommy will be coming home with me."

"You won't dare touch him. Not now, not when you have no one to blame it on."

"You'd be amazed at the kind of damage I can do without leaving a mark."

Renard pulled the device out of his ear and yanked open the door. Kayla smiled as she saw him walking towards her, but the grin faltered when she took in his black expression.

"I'm sure he would be, but I wouldn't." Her eyebrows shot up when she realized he was responding to her comment.

"What...What's going on here?" Ms. Moran's eyes darted back and forth between Renard and her soon to be ex-husband.

"Tell me you got it." Renard smiled grimly at O'Connell and nodded.

"We got it all. Full confession." Renard pulled out his handcuffs and grabbed Moran's wrists, "Mrs. O'Connell, you are under arrest for child abuse. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you. Do you understand the rights I have read to you?"

"Go to hell." That was certainly a possible future for him, but not due to anything he had done today.

"I take that as a yes." Renard turned to Mr. Connell's, who'd sunk down onto the bench in relief."Mr. O'Connell, thank you for your help. I'll see about having you released as soon as possible." The business man nodded.

"Thank you, Officer Renard. And thank Nick for me, would you?"

"Of course." Renard delivered Kayla O'Connell to processing then returned to the bullpen. Nick was on the floor with Tommy. The boy seemed to be showing Nick his car, and Nick was giving his undivided attention. Renard supposed he should have been surprised Nick had gotten the withdrawn boy to interact with him, but he wasn't. The more time he spent with Nick, the more he realized Nick possessed some undefinable quality that inspired trust. Kelly had had it too. Nick suddenly looked up, as if he'd sensed Renard thinking about him. Renard made his way over to Nick, watching the hope and anxiety flit across the teenager's face.

"Well?"

"We got her dead to rights." Nick's triumphant smile spread ear to ear.

"You did it. You saved him." Renard shook his head.

"No, WE did it." Renard extended his hand and Nick took it without hesitation.

"I guess we make a good team." It sounded so strange to hear Nick say it aloud. This was exactly what Renard had been planning and working toward for the past four years. He was finally on his way to getting what he wanted. It felt different then he thought it would. He expected to feel victorious and satisfied. He hadn't expected to feel warm. He hadn't expected to feel content. He hadn't expected to feel…happy. Happiness could be a dangerous thing.

Happy people rarely accomplished great things. They need drive and hunger and a hole inside them that would never quite be filled. Renard's upbringing had molded him into precisely kind of the man who could re-write the laws of the world, and that was just what he planned to do. Nick was an essential part of that plan, and yet he was also its potential undoing. He couldn't afford to let Nick become his weakness.

"I'll put the call into child service. They can take care of Tommy until his step-father is official release." Nick nodded and returned to playing with the boy whose life he had altered forever. It was a fine line he'd have to walk, keeping Nick close, but not too close. Fortunately summer was almost over and Nick would be back in school soon. The distance would be good for Renard; it would give him time to remember who he was. He would be Nick's Prince, but for both their sakes, he could never be his brother.