So, the plot bunny bit again...

Chapter One

The steady beep of his cell phone pulled Captain Danny Ross out of one of the deepest sleeps he'd had in some time. "Sorry," he said huskily to his bed partner.

"Ok," she said in a sleep thickened voice. "Could've been mine…"

Ross checked the number and a dull ache immediately began behind his eyes. He flipped open the phone. "Chief…"

"Danny." The Chief's voice was thick with worry, and Ross thought he sounded as if he had also been wakened from a good sleep. "I'm sorry…But there's an emergency…"

Ross sat up. It had been some time since the Chief had addressed him by his first name or spoken to him in such a civil tone.

"What is it?" The Captain knew the news couldn't be good. His companion, now fully awake, also sat up.

"Deputy Mayor Torelli…His granddaughter is missing…"

Ross began to get out of bed. "When…"

"Couple of hours ago. She's thirteen. She was across the street at a neighbor's house…Left about eleven…The mother of the girl having the party saw her start across the street. Torelli's daughter was waiting for her, but away from their front door. The neighbor looked away for a minute…And the girl was gone…Never reached her house."

Ross thought of his two sons and a quick, cold, sharp blade of fear tickled his spine.

"Danny…I want your best detectives on this…"

"Chief," Ross said deliberately. "You know who I think my best detectives are."

"I know…I know," the Chief said. "Get them…Vic Torelli is a good guy…A great supporter of the Department…I was at this girl's baptism…Just get your best out there, Danny…Please…" The Chief sounded less like a political animal than a desperate one.

"Yes, Chief…I'll get them and I'll be at the scene as soon as I can."

"Something they need me for?" Ross' companion asked as he shut his phone.

"Not yet," Ross said grimly. "And I hope not at all. I'm sorry…"

"No problem…The evening was great…All of it…"

He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her. He ran his hand through her short hair. "The blonde look is ok," he said. "But I prefer it darker…"

She smiled at him. "I'll bring doughnuts to Major Case later."

As he headed for the bathroom, Ross checked the clock. "One," he thought. "I'll wake Eames up and she'll be furious. Goren will probably be up. He may even still be at Major Case…"

Alex Eames groaned and buried her head in her pillow. "If I ignore it, maybe it'll go away," she thought, but the cell phone's beeping stubbornly continued. "All right…All right…" she muttered. She found the phone, saw her Captain's number displayed, and felt a heavy weight in her stomach. A call at this hour meant only bad news.

"Yes, Captain…"

Ross was apologetic as he described the purpose of his call. As he neared the end of his story, he hesitantly asked if he should call her partner.

"Yes," Alex answered. "Goren may still be at the squad room."

It was a good excuse for her not to call Bobby. Things were better between them, but there were still awkward moments, and cases like this seemed to produce a lot of those. At this moment, Alex wanted to avoid one.

"Besides," Alex thought as she slipped on her clothes. "I told Ross the truth. Bobby will probably be up, and he'll probably be at Major Case…But I wish we could talk to each other without walking on eggshells."

Ross and Eames were half right. Bobby Goren was at One Police Plaza, but he wasn't up. His long legs dangling out of the bunk, he lay on his back and slept a light, disconcerted sleep. Some two hours earlier his body and mind began to suggest that he give them a few hours of rest. As part of his efforts to cooperate with the department and, more importantly, his partner, Bobby was trying to listen to his mind and body's requests that he take better care of them. He'd stumbled down to the crib, surveyed its grey atmosphere, and asked his body and mind if they really wanted to rest down there. The answer was in the affirmative, and he tumbled into the bunk. He slept, but not so deeply that he didn't hear his cell phone. He skipped checking the number. The only people who would call him at this hour would be involved with his work, and they could only bear bad news.

"Goren," he answered. He felt a twinge of disappointment when he heard Ross' voice instead of Alex's in response, but he was up and moving towards the stairs as Ross explained the situation. As the Captain revealed the few details he had on the case, Bobby's stomach tightened. He knew very little about the case, but already Bobby knew this was one of those cases that would consume him.

Ross sensed this as well. "I'm sorry, Detective," he apologized. "This has all the signs of being a bad case. Eames said she'd meet you at the scene. Are you at Major Case?"

"Yes, Sir…I'll try to catch a ride with some of the techs…"

"Goren…I want you to know that when the Chief of D's asked for my best detectives, I knew who I wanted," Ross said deliberately. "You and Eames are my best."

"Thank you, Sir," Bobby said quietly.

Bobby managed to catch one of the CSU vans as it left One PP. The CSU Techs were in two camps regarding Bobby Goren. Some hated his invasion of crime scenes, the way he stormed in their way, and how he told them to do their jobs. Others, delighted to find a detective who knew and appreciated their work, were fascinated by Goren and his methods and welcomed him at their crime scenes. The tech Bobby sat next to in the van was in the latter camp.

"Great," the tech muttered as they turned on the street where the girl disappeared. A swarm of police and vehicles greeted them. "We didn't have much of a scene to start, and now they're trampling anything we might have."

"Yea," Bobby said as they pulled up to the scene. "And we have to tread carefully."

The tension in his body eased slightly when Bobby saw Alex. Dressed in a crisp navy blue suit and holding two large coffees, Alex had already taken charge of the scene. Bobby flashed his badge at several uniforms and moved steadily towards his partner.

Alex sensed Bobby's presence before she saw him. It wasn't an unusual experience for her, and she never knew if it resulted from the reactions of others to Bobby, his considerable aura, or some psychic link they possessed. Whatever it was, Alex was grateful that the connection was finally returning after its disappearance during and after Bobby's suspension. She turned to study her partner, and was pleased to see he had shaved, his hair was neatly combed, and his suit pressed. He radiated professionalism and competence.

"Hey," she said and handed him one of the coffees.

"Thank you," he said and took a long drink.

"Ross told me you were at the squad room, and I figured there wasn't any good stuff there at this time of the night…or morning," Alex said. She looked around the scene. "I don't think this is going to be easy…."

"I'm afraid that may be an understatement," Bobby said. He took another drink. "Well…let's do our jobs."

END CHAPTER ONE