Chapter 1

Special Agent Jack Malone strolled leisurely through the aisles of his local market. It was a Friday evening and, for a change, he had managed to get away from the office at an acceptable hour. Knowing that his cupboards at home were practically bare, he decided to stop at the supermarket to re-stock some of the basics. Predictably, his cart so far contained frozen pizza, bread, a couple of meat patties, canned goods and a six pack of beer. He was staring mindlessly at the shelf of cereal boxes when a female voice broke his concentration.

"Special Agent Malone?"

Jack turned and saw a well-groomed, middle-aged woman at his side. She looked familiar to him but he struggled to recall from where he knew her. He smiled an uncomfortable smile and she could see that he didn't remember her, so she put him out of his misery.

"Janet Danson," she said with a kind smile. "We met a few months back."

"Of course! I'm sorry. I didn't recognise you," Jack said apologetically, her name jogging his memory.

She had been the victim in one of their missing persons cases. He recalled how she had been reported missing after she had failed to turn up for work a few days in a row. She was a dedicated nurse and it had been very out of character for her to miss work, especially without calling. Her colleagues were rightly worried and reported her missing. As he recalled, she had developed an unhealthy obsession with one of the hospital's consultants. She had invented a relationship in her mind with this man, but unfortunately, he had been oblivious to her attentions.

She had gone missing the same day that he announced to his friends at work that he had become engaged to a New York socialite. Essentially, Janet Danson had a psychotic break and it had been Jack himself who had eventually found her shivering and confused in a jogging park across from where the consultant, her imaginary beau, lived. He remembered putting his jacket around her and keeping her talking until the paramedics had arrived. During that time she rambled endlessly, talking gibberish most of the time. When the paramedics tried to get her into the ambulance, she refused to go with them. Once Jack offered to escort her, she calmed down and co-operated. How could he have forgotten her? Then again, the person standing in front of him looked like a completely different person than she did back then.

When he accompanied her to the hospital, she looked like a vagrant, having spent over three days living rough. Now she stood there, smartly dressed, impeccably made up and sporting a shorter, trendier hairstyle. You would never think she was the same person, let alone mentally ill.

"That's okay," she said maintaining her smile. "I was a bit of a mess the last time we met," she reminded him. Jack smiled in acknowledgement.

"How are you?" he asked, wondering when she had been released from hospital. The last he heard she was in the Psyche Ward at Belleview.

"I'm good, doing much better," she told him.

Jack nodded, feeling the awkwardness of the situation.

"I never thanked you ….for….you know," Janet said blushing, slightly embarrassed.

"There's no need. I was just doing my job," Jack replied, downplaying his role in finding her and probably saving her life.

"No, what you did was far beyond the line of duty. You were so kind to me. It meant a lot," Janet insisted. "Maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee?"

Jack looked at his watch uneasily. He didn't much feel like reminiscing. It had been a long week and he just wanted to go home, kick his shoes off and crack open a couple of beers.

"I'm beat," Jack told her honestly. "Thanks, but maybe another time?"

Janet's smile never faltered. She nodded in comprehension.

"Sure, another time."

"I've really got to go. Nice seeing you again," Jack said, putting his hands back onto the shopping cart and moving on.

"Good night, Agent Malone," Janet said, walking away in the opposite direction.

Jack turned back and watched her walk to the cashier. How odd, he thought, as he chose a box of cereal; he was sure Janet lived way uptown.

Why would she be shopping down here?

He finished his shopping and checked out at the cashier. He then carried his two bags of groceries the one block to his building. Taking the elevator, he was soon turning the key in his second floor apartment.

Glad to be home, he threw his keys on the kitchen countertop and dropped the grocery bags on the table. He took off his jacket and tie and removed his weapon holster before unpacking the bags of groceries. He cracked open a warm beer and put the rest into the refrigerator. Then he popped a frozen pizza in the oven. Once all the groceries were put away, he turned on his TV and settled in for a quiet night in front of the box.

The next morning Jack slept in for the first time in weeks. It was Saturday and he hoped more than anything that his team wouldn't be called in to work today. They were the team on call this weekend, so if something did come up, he knew his weekend would be over before it even started. It was 11am before Jack finally decided to crawl out of bed. He showered and was only out of the shower with the towel around his waist when his cell phone rang.

Ah, seriously?

"Yeah, Malone," he answered sounding grouchy.

"Good morning, Jack. Have you had breakfast yet?" Samantha asked, sounding chipper. Jack was relieved to hear her sultry tones as he had presumed that the call was from the office.

"Oh, good morning, Sam," Jack said, cheering up. "Nope, haven't had breakfast yet."

"Good. I'm in the neighbourhood and have a hankering for Gino's waffles," she said with gusto.

"Sounds great. Meet you there in twenty minutes," Jack said just as enthusiastically.

He towelled his hair dry and dressed casually in a pair of jeans, white t-shirt and leather jacket. He was delighted that Sam had called. Weekends tended to be lonely when he wasn't working. At least Maria had the girls to keep her company. He really missed them, especially on days like these. Before the divorce, such free days were always spent with his two little princesses. He hated that he was deprived of such precious moments. Samantha often called on their days off and they'd meet up for a drink or dinner, but he sensed that she was just taking pity on him. They were no longer lovers, just work colleagues. He often wondered 'what if'. What if he hadn't screwed it up with her? What if he had been brave enough to give it a chance and see where it led? Too many regrets - he hated regrets.

Jack grabbed his wallet, cell phone, keys and his jacket and hurried down the stairs and out onto the street. Gino's was only four blocks away and he didn't like to keep Sam waiting. It was a mild spring morning and he felt rested and full of energy. He didn't often get time to relax but appreciated the freedom when he could. When he reached Gino's, Sam was already there. He gave her a friendly peck on the cheek before sitting down. Gino's was a small, diner style restaurant that had been on that same corner for over thirty years. They served everything you could possibly imagine for breakfast, but their waffles were renowned citywide.

"Thank goodness. I'm starving," Sam said, as Jack took the seat opposite her.

"Me too," Jack replied, picking up the menu.

The waitress was over quickly and they both ordered coffee, Jack ordered the French toast while Sam ordered the waffles she wanted so badly. They chatted and joked until their food arrived. As usual, they were very relaxed in each other's company.

Unknown to them, however, they were being observed. She stood across the street, staring at the pair and the cheerful scenes taking place. How could he do this to her? They had a connection, he cared for her. He had been so kind to her. What was he doing having breakfast with that blonde bimbo? Her mind raced and twisted with thoughts of betrayal. She rationalised what Jack was doing, blamed herself for not being there for him and vowed to ensure that didn't happen again.

Meanwhile, Jack and Samantha finished breakfast oblivious to their audience. As they discussed their plans for the rest of the day, Jack's cell phone rang. He looked at the caller display and cursed. As he answered, Samantha's phone rang also.

"I guess that's the end of our weekend," Jack quipped, his disappointment evident. "I'll see you back at the office."

Jack stood up, left the money to cover the bill on the table and answered the phone as he did so. He hurried back to his apartment to get changed. It wasn't long before he was suitably attired and on his way to F.B.I. Plaza. The whole team gathered in the bullpen for a case briefing. Their missing person was Ahmed Hassan, a taxi driver from Queens. His cab had been found on waste ground beneath the overpass by NYPD. His wife and son hadn't seen him in 36 hours. Jack and Martin planned to talk to the family while Danny and Sam headed to the scene around the cab and waste ground and then over to the cab company. Vivian would run down personal history, telephone calls, incident reports, etc.

As Jack and Martin drove out of the parking structure, Jack unexpectedly twisted in his seat and turned around to look behind him.

"What is it?" Martin asked, surprised by his actions.

"I thought I saw someone I ….. never mind," Jack said, turning back around and shaking his head.

I must be imagining it.

Martin glanced at him curiously, raising his eyebrows slightly, before returning his attention to the road. They continued on to the victim's home. They interviewed his wife about their marriage, debts and life prior to coming to the U.S. from Yemen. From what they could tell, there was nothing pointing to a motive or reason for his disappearance.

They returned to the office and spent the evening working on the case. By 11.30pm Jack told the team to go home and get some rest, knowing that they would get further if his team were fresh. As Jack walked to his apartment, he had an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling. There were very few people out walking at that hour of the night. He stopped and looked around a few times, sensing that he was being watched. He tried to convince himself that he was being paranoid. He reached his building without incident and entered his apartment. He made sure to lock and bolt his door that night as his unease remained.

A/N - thats it for Chapter 1. Reviews always appreciated.