Jamie sat next to Clementine on the sofa. She decided that the best approach to the tension in the air was to tackle it head on with patience and understanding.

"So, I'm a stranger to you," she started gently. "Mitch is only slightly more familiar. You're feeling dumped. And you're worried about your mom. Does that about cover it?"

"Almost. I also miss Henry."

"Your dog, right? Is he still in quarantine?"

"They've had him for months! We went to get him out yesterday and they said no, they still haven't been cleared to release the quarantined pets."

"That sucks," Jamie agreed. "I'm sorry. Hopefully it won't be much longer."

"I hope not."

"So…you like the cooking shows?"

"Yeah," Clem replied, "especially the competition ones. Top Chef, Cutthroat Kitchen, Iron Chef…"

"Check the TiVo. There should be a few Cutthroat Kitchens on there."

"Oh, it's the Superstar Sabotage tournament!"

Jamie felt relief wash over her. They had found common ground. Maybe this was going to be all right.

"You sure you don't want anything?" She asked the girl. "While you're here, our house is your house."

"No, thanks," Clem said.

They watched the show together for a while and discovered it was a good icebreaker.

"Do you cook?" Clementine asked her as she fast-forwarded past the commercial break.

"Not really," Jamie answered. "I don't mind it, I'm just not very good at it."

"I am. Justin lets me cook, but my mom won't. Not very much anyway. She's afraid I'm going to burn down the house or something." She rolled her eyes.

Jamie smiled kindly. "Don't be too hard on your mom. It's a real concern. But as long as we follow a few basic safety rules, it's pretty unlikely. You're ten, right?"

"Eleven. My birthday was last month."

"That's right," Jamie blushed. Fail. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I found an awesome spaghetti carbonara recipe yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to try it."

"So let's do it," Jamie offered. "I'll be your sous chef."

"Really?"

"Why not? Gonna need to see if we have all the ingredients we need, though."

Clementine reached into her bag and produced her iPad. She checked the settings. "Your wi-fi is locked."

"Oh, " Jamie said with a grin, "the password is 'leopard.' Because I saw him through the window when I was setting the password."

"Do you still have him?" Clem asked hopefully.

"No, the government needed him to take him to make the cure," Jamie told her. "Sorry. You still like animals? Even after everything?"

"I have nightmares about the birds sometimes," Clementine admitted, "but if they're gonna be nice again, I'll still like animals. I'd love to pet a leopard."

"I have nightmares too sometimes. But it's only going to get better from here. I promise," Jamie said. "And I'm sure when Mitch is back working with zoos, he'll hook you up with that leopard petting thing."

"That would be so cool. Here's the recipe." She handed the iPad to Jamie.

Jamie skimmed over the list of ingredients. "I think you're in luck. Pretty sure we have all of this."

"Even the secret ingredient?"

"Allez cuisine!"

Jamie was elated as they began to prepare dinner. This could not have been going better. She was both amused and amazed to see so much of Mitch in the girl, especially considering that he hadn't been around to have much influence on her. Hmm, she thought, nature vs nurture right? Clementine was witty, intelligent and insightful, and unafraid to just say what was on her mind.

"So who's your favorite Iron Chef?" Clem asked her.

"Old school or new school?"

"Both."

"New school, Alex. Old school…Michael Symon."

"He's always funny," Clem added.

"He is."

"Can I ask you something?" Clementine asked. Jamie could sense a turn in the tone of the conversation.

"Ok."

"When you were in Boston, were you dating Mitch?"

"No. At that point we were just good friends. We had way too much going on trying to figure out how to fix the animal problem to really think about it."

"Ok. I was just wondering, 'cause I asked him then if he was married and he said no. He didn't even say he had a girlfriend."

"He didn't," Jamie confirmed.

"Did you guys really make the cure for the animals?"

"We did. All of us contributed in different ways, but the actual cure, that was Mitch's idea. We did it in an abandoned hospital in Africa that was overrun with leopards and crocodiles. How's that pasta coming?"

Clem stirred the pot. "It's almost done."

"Look, this probably isn't my place, but you should know that your dad knows he's made a lot of mistakes in the past, but he loves you. Never doubt that, ok? He's trying really hard to do the right things now."

Clem nodded and bit her lower lip. "Are you guys gonna have any kids?"

"I don't know," Jamie answered. "I don't think so, but never say never, right? Let's just say we have no immediate plans to do so."

"You should. You seem like you'd be a good mom."

"Thank you." Jamie was flattered. "That's very sweet."

"I think your phone is ringing."

"Oh, geez, I didn't even hear it. Be right back."

She went to the living room and picked up her phone. Mitch.

"Hey," she answered.

"Hey. I'm on my way. I just talked to Justin and he told me what's going on. I'm so sorry. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"No, it's fine. We're fine. Take your time." She was actually getting a little frustrated. Why did everyone seem to think she couldn't handle it?

"All right, I'll pick up some dinner at—"

"No, no, don't you dare! Dinner's almost ready." That would be just what they needed—to have Mitch show up with takeout when the girl was so proud of what she'd cooked.

"You're cooking? This should be interesting…"

"Just drive, pal. See you when you get here."

Mitch arrived home a short time later. He didn't know what he was expecting when he opened the door, but certainly not this. Jamie and Clem were in the kitchen putting the final touches on what smelled like a heavenly meal. They were chatting as if they'd known each other for years.

"Hi," he greeted them, unable to keep the tone of amusement out of his voice.

"Hi," said Clementine.

"Hey," Jamie gave him a quick peck. "How did it go at the Capitol?"

"It was…unexpected. I'll fill you in later. Something smells good."

"Spaghetti carbonara. It's ready," Clem announced.

Dinner went smoothly, and Jamie's spirits were high. Maybe, just maybe, she could pull this off. A slight wrinkle came up after dinner when Clementine suggested they play a board game; the adults were forced to realize that they actually had no board games, but a deck of cards was soon located and a game of Crazy Eights solved the problem.

Mitch made up the guest room for Clem. Before putting her to bed, he allowed her to use his phone to call Justin to check on her mom. Pleased to hear that Audra was doing somewhat better, Clementine nodded off quickly.

With the child safely asleep, Jamie popped open a wine cooler and relaxed on the sofa.

"So what happened in your hearing today?" She asked as Mitch returned.

"Well," he sighed, sitting next to her, "the hearing was more of the same. It was Amelia's office afterward that floored me. It seems your buddy Anik was on Reiden's payroll after all."

"Seriously? They can prove that?"

"Yes. You gotta admit, it does explain some things." He knew she had a soft spot for the old man, but he'd always creeped Mitch out. "Why did he never notify the authorities? Or get medical help for you? And who the hell keeps a live leopard on their property in the midst of the animal apocalypse, anyway?"

"But then why did he let me make that call?"

"I don't know. Maybe…maybe you won him over. You have that effect on people."

"Oh my God! That means that all those months, while people were dying, Reiden was intentionally withholding the cure!"

Mitch nodded. "And so was Anik. I suppose it's possible, though, that they just told him to keep the leopard healthy and never told him the significance of it. In any case, your extended stay in the Great White North is now being viewed as an abduction. You'll be hearing from the special prosecutor tomorrow. Clear your agenda, I think you'll be there a while giving your statement."

"Wow. But wait, this is Canada's case, right?"

"That's what they're debating," Mitch replied. "Everyone wants a piece of this. They're planning to arrest Anik, but more as a pawn than anything else. They just want him to give up Burke. Then they can arrest and extradite that bastard and his minions. She mentioned the possibility of an international tribunal since the homicides that occurred in those three plus months were all over the world."

Jamie was overwhelmed. She had so many thoughts and feelings about this news that she scarcely knew where to begin to process it all. Didn't Reiden's deal with the government limit the prosecutorial possibilities? If there were a trial, would she be testifying? What about that tribunal? Was she finally going to see Reiden Global held accountable for something?