She launched herself at Eve, who managed not to fumble the pass. "Yeah, hey, happy birthday."

Wiggling with glee, Bella launched into one of her incomprehensible monologues, then stopped. Her eyes filled with concern, sympathy, sorrow.

"What?" Instantly, sweat pooled at the base of Eve's spine. "What did I do?"

"Boo." It was heartfelt, as Bella touched her fingers to the fading bruise under Eve's eye.

"Yeah, that's what I said."

Very carefully, Bella leaned in to touch her lips to the same spot, smiled, babbled.

"She says it'll be all better."

Eve glanced at Crack. "How the hell do you know what she's saying?"

"I be bilingual."

"You be full of... it." Eve remembered to leave off the sh in front of the kid. And when she noted Bella had shifted her attention to Roarke with her dipped chin, angled head, flirty smile, Eve saw her chance.

"She wants you. You hold her."

"Well, I -" But Roarke found his arms full of a flirtatious toddler, who latched on, kissed his cheeks, then batted her big blue eyes.

"You're a charmer, aren't you now?" Eve heard him say as she made her escape.

The floor was full of crawlers, toddlers, other little-type people with sticky fingers or drool.

She spotted Peabody and, relieved even though her partner wore a pink dress with a line of silver frills down the right side headed toward her.

But was intercepted by the call of her name.

Mavis, in pink (Jesus, so much pink!) skin pants or paint? covered with white stars and a crotch-skimming dress or was it a top? floating over it in summer sky blue with pink stars, dashed toward her on blue-and-pink-striped booties with dizzying heels. Her hair, fountaining on top and tumbling down the back, blended all the colors of the spectrum and bounced, just as she did.

She caught Eve in a fierce hug. "You came!"

"Sure."

"I wasn't sure not with everything juggling and whacked. Two minutes," she added, then dragged Eve through the crowd.

Good God, Summerset! He appeared to be having a conversation with some kid who barely came to his bony knees.

And the Miras. She really wanted to get a good look at Dennis Mira, just to make sure he was all right. But Mavis kept dragging her until they stood in the symphonic rainbow that was Mavis and Leonardo's bedroom.

"We didn't get a chance to huddle much after the Nightmare at the Garden. I knew you'd come that time. I knew you'd come, and we'd all get through. I finally fell asleep, and when..." With a shake of her head that sent the fairies dangling from her ears whirling, Mavis grabbed onto Eve again. "I was scared, so scared. I knew Bella was okay, home with the sitter. But I was scared if something happened to me and Leonardo... She wouldn't have us."

"She's got you. She always will."

"When I saw you, I stopped being scared. Today's for happy. For really happy. My baby's first birthday party."

"Looks like, and sounds like, a hell of a party."

"Wait until you see the cake. Ariel made it. It's a fairy castle. With unicorns."

"Naturally. Did you invite everyone you know?"

"Only the ones who count. Let's get drinks. Lots of drinks."

Eve got a drink, and managed to pretty much avoid Trina especially when she noticed the hairdresser giving her hair that look. She saw Dennis Mira's dreamy smile as he sat right on the floor to play some game with a gaggle of kids.

She watched McNab gallop around in his airboots with some other kid plastered to his back, who shrieked as if being stabbed a sound everyone else appeared to assume meant pleasure. Garnet DeWinter was smiling down at some visually stunning midsized kid who talked earnestly to Mira.

Leonardo, a shiny, dome-shaped party hat on his long copper hair, beamed at his girls, manning the bar in a tunic the color of sapphires.

Louise and Charles late to the party. Doctors and cops, Eve thought, and saw Roarke talking to Feeney. Doctors, cops, and criminals reformed. Bouncers and ex-LCs. E-geeks and fashion designers.

And a serious boatload of kids.

She didn't know everyone, but she knew a good chunk. Her people as much as Mavis's. Like it or not.

Chaos got real when the time came for Bella to rip into the gifts.

"Where the hell are they going to put them all?"

Roarke slid an arm around Eve's waist. "They'll find a way."

Maybe, Eve thought, but certainly at the moment the kid was ridiculously thrilled with everything.

"Looks like we're up," Roarke said as Leonardo signaled. He slipped away with Leonardo into another part of the apartment.

Together they carried out an enormous box of glittery pink and silver.

"I'm told this is a magic box," Roarke said to Bella, who stared at it with huge eyes. "And you've only to pull that ribbon there to see what's inside."

With Mavis's help, Bella pulled the long pink ribbon. The box collapsed outward to reveal the contents.

She'd wanted a dollhouse, according to Peabody and Mavis had confirmed. And since Roarke had been in charge...

Like the home he'd built for himself, it was more castle than house. And in this case, all girl. Pink and white and pretty with its turrets and drawbridges, its arched windows and fussy balconies.

Eve didn't get it, just didn't get the concept of giving dolls a place where they could gather to plot. But she got Bella's reaction, and couldn't deny the little squeeze of her own heart.

Bella gasped, put her fingers to her lips, her eyes saucer wide with shock. Mavis murmured to her, and those eyes went shiny as she looked up at Roarke, over at Eve.

Then another girl squealed and rushed forward.

Bella's shiny eyes went hot and fierce, her teeth showed. Eve was prepared to see a long, forked tongue shoot out between them.

Obviously imagining the same, the squealer stopped dead, and backed up.

Shiny eyes returned, and Bella toddled to Eve. When Bella started to lift her arms, Eve took the safer course and crouched down.

"Das," Bella said with a world of meaning in the single syllable. Her arms went around Eve, and she swayed in the hug as her mother often did. "Das," she said again, and held out a hand for Roarke. "Ork. Das. Ta. Ta. Ta."

Whatever she said after was beyond Eve's scope, but the emotion was crystal. Pure joy, deep gratitude.

"Glad you like it."

"Ove. Ove ou."

Bella let out a long sigh, then sparkled as she danced in place. Whirling, she charged the dollhouse, applauded, poked at it, pulled out a throne-like chair, and hooted with laughter.

"I'd say it's a hit," Eve said.

Then was struck when Bella looked over, smiled, and held out a hand to the squealer. An invitation to play.

A lot going on in that head, Eve realized, and everywhere else, too. A gift deeply wished for let me take a minute here, sister. The thanks to the people who'd granted the wish, done with charm and sweetness. Another moment to celebrate, to have it for herself. Then a willingness to share it, to have someone enjoy it with her.

Nature, nurture, what the hell. The nature part was a lot of risk, a gamble, often the luck of the draw. Nurture could be kind or cruel, smart or insane and still.

But here was a kid, with just one year under her belt. Sweet, innocent but not stupid. Iron willed but compassionate. Already with her own sense of... style, Eve supposed. Her own little agenda.

How did all that get in there?

"You guys hit that one out of the park." Peabody, sipping some frothy pink concoction, stepped up beside Eve to watch Bella and some of her friends with the dollhouse. "It's abso-mag, and when the place clears out some, I'm getting a turn with it."

She took another sip. "It's a good day."

"It's holding its own," Eve began. And her communicator sounded. "Shit. Shit."

She switched to text too many people and read the message. "Shit again. I've got to go."

"We catch one? We're not on the roll."

"No, it's Willow Mackie. Some issues."

"Let me tell McNab."

"No, you stay. It's just cleanup. If it turns into more, I'll tag you. Crap. Tell Mavis I'm sorry." She glanced around, saw Roarke had already fetched their coats. "Tell her tell her I'll tag her later."

She grabbed her coat from Roarke, got out before any questions could delay her.

"What have you got?"

"A uniform in the hospital, a CS rep in hysterics, and people who'd better have a damn good explanation. We're going in hot," she added. "Because I am pissed."

EPILOGUE.

A.

s the communication had come from Officer Shelby, Eve ordered her to go to the garage and wait. When they pulled in, Shelby stood beside Eve's designated slot as if guarding it from invaders.

"Lieutenant, I apologize for contacting you on your free day."

"Forget it. Status."

"The prisoner is contained. She had some minor injuries, has been treated."

"I want her transferred to Rikers today, put in maximum security." And for now, Eve intended to go to the confinement area of Central herself. "The injured officer?"

"He should have arrived at the hospital by now, sir. The MTs indicated while his injuries were serious, they weren't life threatening."

"The ones I give him may be. How the hell did she get her hands on a weapon? And what the hell are you doing here, Shelby? You're not in uniform."

"No, sir, I'm not on the roll. I came in to meet Mary Kate that is Franco, the nurse practitioner. She had morning duty at the infirmary. We're friends, sir, and we were going to see a vid later. I was going down when I heard the altercation."

In the elevator, Eve ordered containment level, swiped her code to allow it.

"Spell it out."

"Sir. Upon hearing the sounds of an altercation, I withdrew my service weapon from my bag and entered the infirmary. Officer Minx was down, bleeding from wounds on the face and the body. The adult female identified subsequently as Jessica Gromer, the CS rep assigned to the prisoner, was also on the floor, screaming. NP Franco was attempting to defend herself as the prisoner advanced on her with a scalpel. She Franco had grabbed a pressure syringe and, ah, a bedpan, sir. I called out to the prisoner to drop her weapon, at which time she attempted to grab Franco, I assume as cover or for a hostage, but Franco held her off. The prisoner then attempted to charge me, at which time I deployed my weapon, stunning her."

Shelby cleared her throat. "I secured the prisoner while Franco immediately moved to Officer Minx to assess and treat his injuries. I did demand, in harsh terms, for CS rep Gromer to stop screaming. Gromer made it very clear once we had the situation under control she would report me for same."

"What were the harsh terms, Officer?"

"Ah, sir, I believe I may have, in the heat of the moment, told her to shut the fuck up or I'd stun her, too."

"Good. Your lieutenant advises you not to give another thought to any bullshit report filed by obvious moron Gromer."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

"What was Willow Mackie doing in the infirmary?"

"Sir, I questioned both Gromer who was not initially cooperative and Franco, as Officer Minx needed to be transported. I haven't yet written up my report."