one last try, part 9

Washington, D.C.
January 5

They shouldn't be having this conversation. Janet knows that she should tell Luke it's her father and her problem, so he has no right to be more angry than she is, let alone demanding answers from her. But he's always had a ferocious temper and the truth is Jack really isn't just her problem. He's been Luke's problem and Michael's problem and Holden's problem because they and other people have had to deal with the effects he's had on her life. So she takes his outburst in stride and is willing to talk about it. Maybe to see if he can talk her out of it.

"It seems like the responsible thing to do," she tells him, sinking into the chair next to his desk. "If his life might be at risk—and the key to this case is knowing the ins and outs of the old one before our suspect figures them out. Who's going to know better than the criminal himself?"

"We can notify the U.S. Marshals without you having to talk to him." Luke loosens his tie and shrugs out of his jacket again, sure that it's going to take more than a few minutes for him to get this so he may as well make himself comfortable. "As for the rest of it, are you sure you can't get this information any other way?"

"We are tearing those old files apart piece by piece." Janet exhales. "But it's ten boxes of material from almost twenty years ago. I've got to narrow it down faster than that. One of our victims stupidly suggested there's still money hidden away from the previous disposition, and I need to know whose names he would have given up. I can't just dispatch agents in six different states."

"What the fuck did he do that for?"

"I don't know, but figuring out why should tell me the who, which can help me catch this guy before he kills anybody else. He's already got access to firepower because his day job is running guns from New Jersey to New York." She leans forward in the chair, not so much talking to him now as thinking out loud. "Our victim had an old grudge, and there's nobody everyone hated more than my father."

Luke doesn't have to ask why. Jack Ford turning state's evidence had automatically put a target on his back. If Jack hadn't re-dedicated his life to working as a case consultant for law enforcement, he would have had few other options. But his concern is the same one Janet voiced earlier. Jack closes his cases by his own way and often with collateral damage. "You're banking on him being a problem," he points out. "There has to be another way, Janet. It's not worth the risk. He almost got you killed."

The last part is said in that emphatic tone and staring right at her because he's warned her about that before. That's why he insisted on the restraining order. The last time it was four bullets in her body and another that almost hit her in the head save Holden's quick trigger finger. Janet may risk her life on occasion but that's her choice. Her life being put at risk because of her father's reckless behavior is not. Yet he knows the response she's going to come back with: "What if someone else gets killed?"

"Your life is not less important than anyone else's." He shakes his head. "Unless you definitively need him, you could traumatize yourself for nothing." There's just a moment's hesitation before he adds, "Don't let this turn into Mercy Plaza all over again."

Janet wishes he hadn't brought that up but she doesn't snap at him because she knows she can't say that won't happen. Her public breakdown was still a source of embarrassment, and the only reason she hadn't gotten in trouble for it was that Adam had covered for her. She doesn't know that if her father does something else reckless, she won't tear into him another time. And Luke is right to point out that even if there aren't physical consequences, there may be mental ones. Her mental health is something she's prioritized over the past few years so that's no small concern either.

"What do you want me to do?" she asks simply. "If you don't want me to play this card, tell me what the better answer is. Because I don't know and I've got a double homicide and a gun trafficking investigation both hanging in the balance. I can't let these people down."

"It's not letting people down to avoid a worse outcome, and this could be a hell of a worse outcome," Luke shoots back. "What do you think he's going to do? Other than narrow down your suspect pool? He'll probably use himself as bait to drag this guy out." And he's already imagining Janet standing too close when that happens.

"Maybe. But at least that would be a controlled environment, on our terms, rather than extending resources we don't have or waiting for this guy to make a move. We already waited a few days to try and get ahead of him but we just don't have enough evidence to make a real play. The one reason we got this far is Leonpacher gambled on a search warrant and found our witness hiding in a closet." Janet smiles just a little at Luke's perplexed expression before asking the question she has to. "What would it mean for my restraining order?"

"You're the one violating it, so I doubt he can be charged. It's not going to invalidate it. And considering he didn't show up in court to contest it," Luke adds, looking off for a moment, "I don't think he'd want it to."

"That's all I care about." Janet exhales. "You know I wouldn't do this if I didn't absolutely have to. But this concerns him, and he's my best weapon. If we get this conviction, we can put the Stephenson Clark case and my father aside for good."

"Or we fuck it up and you and your father's past history gets dragged out into the open just like we barely avoided with Whitehouse."

"It's a New Jersey and New York case. Talk to their offices. At most, they can call Michael as a witness." She sees something change in his eyes at the mention of her partner's name and that's when Janet clicks another level to what's going on. It's not just the fact that Luke would keep her father away from her with a whip and a chair. She'd forgotten that Luke just spent time last year helping Michael deal with his own past case and how much stress that put them both under. He doesn't want to see her experience that too. That realization makes her reach out and take his hand in hers. "I'm glad you care," she says softly. "And I can't say I'm going to be okay, but I can't avoid the right thing just because it's hard."

"We never do. That's what makes us who we are." Luke squeezes Janet's hand and finally relents. Everything in him is screaming against this but he agrees that if they could have done something and the situation gets worse, they'll never forgive themselves. "I'll talk to our people," he says. "Put a message out. But I'm like four people removed from this, so it might take a few days."

"No, it won't. As soon as he hears it's me asking, he'll answer." Janet is sure of that. Her father is a lot of things but he still loves her.

There's a long look that passes between her and Luke full of 13 years of history. They may no longer be romantically involved, but Luke has always cared for Janet and understands how hard this will be for her to face. Janet knows he cares and that he's probably more right than she wants to admit. She can face all kinds of challenges—but this is different because it's breaking down that dividing wall between her past and present that's served her so well. First she takes after her father by crossing a moral line (albeit one of her own making), now she's doing this. He doesn't want to just leave or let her leave knowing the ramifications of this decision. "Do you want to come out with me?" he offers awkwardly. "So you're not alone right now."

"That's really nice of you to offer." Janet says sincerely. "But Holden will be at home, and I probably should put together a strategy now that we know exactly what's going on here."

Luke nods and leans in to kiss her on the cheek; a reminder that he's there for her if she ever decides she does need him. But he still waits to make the call until she's left his office and the entire fourth floor, not wanting her to hear what he had hoped never to do.

Janet walks out of the U.S. Attorney's Office to find Michael waiting outside by her car. His expression tells her everything she needs to know. "You didn't tell me you were calling him," he states it as a fact. He was smart enough to deduce where she'd been going, from which the why was obvious, and ballsy enough to call her out on it.

"I wasn't sure what I was going to do until I got here. Or if it was even possible."

"Is it?"

"Luke's going to find out."

"And how badly did he blow up?" Michael replies knowingly. Luke having Janet on a pedestal was only matched by how much the other man loathed her father—a sentiment Michael completely understands, even if he's not quite as livid. But he's only met Jack Ford once briefly and Jack's actions didn't take something from him.

"There was an argument, but mostly it was disappointment." Janet shakes her head. It's not like she doesn't understand that, too. "It makes me wonder where this is going to stop," she admits, looking past Michael for a moment. "I went too far just like my dad and now I'm bringing my dad back into my life. What happens next?"

"Hey, stop that thought right there." Now Michael's tone is as sharp as Luke's was a half-hour ago. "You did what had to be done in Miami and this is only about a case. You are not turning into your father." He's not going to let her fear get the better of her. "I told you this is the time to be angry, not afraid. You're focused on how this all affects you when you should be looking at what effect you can have on it. What kind of statement do you want to make?"