Disclaimer: I own Pi. I loaned him to the show. So there.

The entire second episode of 'Princess Life' was given over to Yulia meeting Roman. The producers were quite obviously aware of the coup they had on their hands. Two beautiful people, well educated and smart, with obvious chemistry and a tendency to flirt. It made for watchable TV, even before you threw in the fact that both were children of Russian oligarchs. Russian oligarchs that seemed determined to kill each other.

Roman was both Yulia's match and her antithesis. He was the black bull to her white crane. But in speech and style, they were a match. They didn't cover it in the show, but I already knew that Roman's biography was a match for Yulia's, if you swapped the Swiss boarding school with Eton, and the Sorbonne with Harvard.

"I'd offer to shake your hand, but that seems too coarse for a woman such as yourself. I should kiss your hand instead," Roman said, from the screen.

"I think you give your hand too little credit, and your lips far too much," Yulia responded, but there was an edge to her speech. The hint of a smile in her words.

"True at that, but I have committed an offense that needs to be remedied."

"I think the offense was mine," she said, circling around him.

"And what offense was that? I bumped into you"

"For not being aware that you and your ego would need so much room."

"It is a wild thing, untamed, but I feed it every so often, just to make sure it thinks it is still in charge. Still, I should have left it at home."

"And we would have been so much poorer for the choice."

"It did, after all, bring me to you…" Roman said, but was cut off by Espo muting the screen.

"Look at this guy," he said.

"Which guy?" Ryan asked.

"Dude in the background there, staring at Yulia."

"That's Yulia's cousin, Timur."

"Bro. You a fan?"

"What? Jenny likes to watch it."

"He's not watching Yulia," I said. "He's watching Roman."

"What the hell is behind this feud, anyway," Espo mumbled to himself.

Ryan shook his head. "Only people that know are Chapayev and Morozov themselves. When I was in gangs, we'd be pulling one or other group's guys off the street every week. Not one of them could ever say why they wanted to kill, just that they did."

"There are rumors," I said, and stopped. "Nevermind. Nothing useful."

"Maybe we should talk to this Tibor guy."

"Timur," Ryan and I said, together.

"Whatever," Espo said, turning the sound back on. Roman and Yulia had separated. Yulia was now talking to her personal assistant, and learning that she'd met a Morozov. Her pale face lost the last of its color. I jumped up as a uniformed officer knocked on the door, dropping off the food I'd ordered. I'd made sure to get enough for the entire precinct.

As I dug into the Mu Shu Pork, Yulia continued to make rounds at the party, but it was clear she's now distracted. We watched the rest of the episode and the next, but nothing much happensedthat is interesting from a cop point of view, save for Timur's continued protestations. Espo maked a note to talk to the guy as soon as possible. I switch to the Beijing Beef. The pork tasted of boiled shoe. I hoped that everyone else got something tastier.

It's late after we've finished all three episodes, what with Espo's continual stops and restarts, and the only thing we've learned is that Roman and Yulia at least met before dying. It's progress, but not a lot. We needed more.

And, for better or worse, Kate had never once stopped by. I've had two years to get used to her not being around, but not being around while less than two hundred feet away had its own flavor of ache. I tortured myself with thoughts that some boyfriend might show up now that it's quitting time, to whisk her away on a motorcycle. It happened before.

I stood up as Ryan did. He stretched, I didn't. I was still too tense, wondering what would happen next. Espo left with little more than a nod, but Kevin turned back to me.

"Be back here at 8am," he half commanded, half-asked. I nodded and smiled. He smiled back, and for a second, I felt okay, but then the mask was back on his face and he left.

I wandered out into the bullpen, which was largely empty, save for a few guys late on paperwork. The Captain's office was closed and dark. I looked around for a second. When I was last on the floor, homicide didn't have a Lieutenant. I couldn't even guess where Kate's office might be. Not that it mattered, as she stood in the middle of the bullpen, apparently waiting for me.

I stopped, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. Her hair was shorter - not quite back to the mullet she'd once had, nor the jaw length she wore when I first met her, but shorter than she'd let it get that day when she kicked me out of her apartment and her life. We'd been planning to watch John Woo movies together. Instead, I watched them alone and wondered when I'd see her again. I guess I finally had my answer.

"Its good to see you again, Kate," I said, breaking the staring contest between us.

"You look different," she said in response. That's when I realized the other change in her - the fight was gone. As long as I'd known her, she'd had that same quality that a jungle cat had, of languid grace hiding explosive power. She always seemed a half second from purring or pouncing. But now she seemed defeated. Or even less than that. Disinterested.

"20% more rugged in my handsomeness, most likely," I said, weakly. She didn't smile or roll her eyes in the way I hoped for.

"How far did you guys get?"

"Three episodes. Not much. Roman and Yulia had met."

"We'd pretty much expected that. No signs of forced entry at her apartment."

"They'd been flirting with each other."

"Never know what that really means," she said and I wondered if the hint of reproach in her voice was real or my imagination.

"We're starting at 8am tomorrow," I responded.

"Would you?" she asked.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, with a shake of her head. "Early day, for you. Get some sleep."

I nodded, and sensing that the conversation was over, walked towards the elevator. She stayed in place. I stopped near the doors.

"Congratulations on the Lieutenant's bars, by the way," I said. She turned to face me, and there was something else about her that was different, but I couldn't place what.

"Goodnight Castle," she said, half-angry. I wondered if she'd thought I was being sarcastic, but couldn't think of a way to fix things, so I stepped into the open elevator and let it take me away from her once again.