The sterile white light of a hospital greeted Sheldon when he woke up. A friendly-looking nurse and a worried Henry stood beside his bed.

"Welcome back," the detective greeted him. "You gave me quite a scare. But the bullet went right through your shoulder and missed any vital sports. You'll be as good as new in a few weeks."

Sheldon didn't feel any pain. In fact, he felt pretty much nothing in his limbs. "Cerise and Fyn?" he asked hoarsely.

"They're both alright and in the next room. Concerning the bad guys, we arrested Malrone, all of his men who were still alive and of course Sylair Holden. They'll all face charges for kidnapping and attempted murder."

Sheldon nodded, glad to hear all this.

Henry smiled. "You can relax for now. Thanks to your actions everything went well. You're really one of the bravest and dumbest men I've every met."

"All part of the job," Sheldon murmured before he went back to sleep.

The next morning, the haziness of the painkillers had worn off, and Sheldon was able to think clearly again. His first visitor after breakfast was Henry, of course, and he wanted to hear the whole story, taping everything with his voice recorder for the police files. When Sheldon was finished, his friend switched off the little device and leaned back into his chair.

"My chief chewed me out this morning for letting you go in there alone," Henry said. "But since we caught Malrone, I guess I'm off the hook. He seems to be one of the big players in organised crime, and catching a crime boss red-handed like this is every police officer's dream. But I'm still blaming myself for sending you in there on your own."

"Haven't you listened? Even with the two of us we would have been outmatched, and Malrone might have killed Cerise and Fyn as well just to be save there'd be no witnesses to killing a cop," Sheldon retorted. "I had the advantage of buying time by getting Sylair to talk."

"Well, he's called his lawyers, of course, and keeps quiet, but there's enough evidence to lock him up for a very long time. The press got wind of it, too, and together with Aravin's scandal story they already had, the Holden family will get a lot of unwanted attention. I guess old Othric is going to stay in charge of the enterprise for a very long time to come." Henry paused. "But there's something else, right?"

"Yes, it's the thing about family Fyn said back there. I'm sure the little guy saved us all by unsettling Sylair like this. "

"What do you mean?" Henry asked curiously. "It stays off the record, if you want to."

Sheldon sat up a bit straighter in bed, ignoring the dull throbbing in his shoulder. "There were some things I just couldn't understand. Why would Sylair care for the kid at all? He's ruthless enough to think nothing of murder; he almost got me killed. And all that talk about family from him betrays a deep love and equal hate for his kin. Then there are the time correlations of Sylair's father leaving Othric, Sylair turning from quiet model student to party boy and Fyn being conceived."

"That again. Do you still think those things are linked?" Henry's eyebrows rose sceptically.

Sheldon nodded. "Yes. There is only one possibility that makes sense: Fyn IS a Holden after all."

"What?" The detective looked at his friend with utter disbelief.

"You have to promise me not to breathe a word to anyone. I'm betraying my client's confidentiality here," Sheldon warned. When Henry nodded, he continued, "Here's my theory: Five years Aravin was a regular at Malrone's brothel where he met Cerise. Then Othric was left my his mate, and his little brother tried to cheer him up by referring him to Malrone's establishment. Cerise told me he doesn't know who Fyn's sire is, but I bet you money it is Othric. Malrone knew of this, of course, and when he and Sylair made a deal, he told him about it."

Henry nodded slowly. "So Fyn is Sylair's half-brother? That's why that lunatic lifebearer couldn't harm the kid?"

Sheldon grinned. "It gets even better. My guess is that Sylair's father left Othric because Othric found out that his mate had cheated on him. Sylair isn't Othric's child and therefore no true Holden. When he learned the truth, all his dreams of taking over the business one day were shattered, and he tried to distract himself with parties and society glamour. Why looking out for his reputation if he wasn't really part of the family? But as time went by, he started to make plans to claim his place as the perfect heir. When he met Malrone, the gangster told him about Fyn's true sire." Sheldon paused. "Sylair would have done anything to be in the kid's place, to be a true member of this crazy family where appearances matter more than the lives of their members. And now, ironically, all Sylair managed to do is ruining their reputation for good. Othric has no other choice than to re-bond and get himself another heir. Or maybe he'll forgive Aravin after some decades for causing such an uproar."

Henry was quiet for a few minutes, thinking about what he had just heard. "Nice theory, Sheldon. Everything makes sense, I admit that. But it doesn't change anything."

"No, it doesn't," the investigator agreed. "Sylair, Othric and Malrone would never come out with the truth."

"Will you tell Cerise?" Henry asked.

"I don't know. As you said, it's just a theory. But I think it's best for Fyn if he never knows about all this. I hope he'll never be involved in all these family's secrets again."

Henry nodded. "I hope you're right."

After the detective was gone, Sheldon got a visit from Cerise and Fyn. Both had stayed the night in the hospital for medical observation, but now they looked well. Even Cerise's face had gained a healthy color again, and Fyn greeted Sheldon with a huge smile. Cerise carried him again, but the little lifebearer insisted on being set down.

He crossed the room toward Sheldon's bed with slow, uneven steps due to his injured leg. Sheldon felt sorry for the kid, but Fyn's smile told him of a very strong little person who would not be hindered by a physical handicap.

"Hello! Do you still hurt?" Fyn asked.

"Not really," the investigator answered. "Are you and your dad okay?"

Fyn nodded eagerly.

"We are." Cerise joined his son next to Sheldon's bed. "Thanks to you."

"You are a real hero," Fyn whispered, awe in his pastel green eyes. " When I grow up, I want to be like you."

"Your dad's a hero, too," Sheldon reminded the child, but his gaze wandered to Cerise's face. "He rescued me."

The lifebearer smiled a bit sadly. "People have been walking over me for too long. I guess this was the last straw."

Sheldon nodded. "What are you going to do now?" It was clear he didn't mean tomorrow or next week.

Cerise shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. Aravin showed up this morning, but I didn't want to see him. Fyn and I won't return to the Holden estate. I called Howard to pack a few things and bring Fyn's dog." He hesitated. "You were right. I should have done so years ago."

"Good decision." Sheldon hesitated. "If you like, you could… well, you two could stay with me for a while – at least until you have found something else. I have a big apartment with a spare room."

Cerise's eyes widened in surprise. " I couldn't possibly… I mean, I already owe you so much, not to mention your fee."

Sheldon smiled and finally took the courage to say what he had wanted to ask Cerise for some time now. "You can repay me by going out to dinner with me. That is, if you'd like to."

Cerise blinked.

"Say yes, daddy!" Fyn urgently pulled at his father's sleeve. "Let's live with him, please? I want to stay with him forever!"

A charming blush spread over Cerise's cheeks at his son's frank words. "Hush! You can't decide something like this so easily!"

Sheldon raised his uninjured arm and gently touched Cerise's hand. "Maybe it's worth a try?" he asked quietly, feeling his heart beating faster.

The lifebearer hesitated for a moment, then he took Sheldon's hand and laced his own fingers with his. His smile was the most beautiful thing Sheldon had ever seen.

"But if we are to live with you, I guess I need to know your first name."

Sheldon returned the smile a bit crookedly. "It's Anastasius. But I'll take everything back if you two ever call me that."

Fyn giggled.

To be concluded...

Hm, no comments yet... I know this is a bit different from my usual stuff, but I hope you like it nevertheless.