Righting Wrongs

Summary: Because I can't wait until next summer to find out what's next (please CBS, renew this show), I decided to let my imagination run wild. I haven't written a fanfic for a long time, but the Mitch/Jamie dynamic moved me to jump back in to the ff world. This chapter is very short, more of an intro. The next will be from Jamie's POV.

Spoilers: None.

Disclaimer: Don't own a thing.

Snow. Yes, finally snow. The light flakes wafted down on Mitch as he stood looking over the railing at the land in the distance. He noted that there was no snow gathering on the ground yet; the temperatures had up to now been unseasonably warm. The northeastern Canadian coastline was something he would normally have thought beautiful, but today it seemed far too endless. The pod of orcas they'd encountered had created sufficient difficulty that they were now on day five of an eighteen hour journey.

His mood was a mixed bag of impatience, melancholy, anxiety, and although he didn't want to admit it, hope. For so long, he had suppressed emotion, and was doing a fine job of it until she came along. Jamie. With her unending curiosity and dogged determination, she had captured his mind and heart, forcing him to reevaluate his goals and motivations in life. She forced him to confront feelings he had long denied. He was in love with her; of that he was certain. Just three months ago he'd been on the verge of telling her but he had stopped short seeing her reaction to his admission that she had saved him. She had looked as if she'd wanted to flee the room. In fact, when the alarm sounded indicating that the electroporator was finished, she'd done just that. What did it mean? Had he crossed a line? She grasped his hand while cornered by the leopards. Don't be an idiot, he told himself. It's human nature to band together in extreme situations. Yet, then, on the plane, she had completely caught him off guard with that kiss. He was so confused by it that it took him a moment to respond with his own tentative kisses. Did it mean anything? Was it because she was so elated to have the cure and the downfall of Reiden Global in the palm of her hand? Maybe it was just the alcohol talking. Or she was just flirting in playful celebration. After all, they weren't children; they'd both done far more than kissing outside the context of love. Somehow, he suspected that wasn't the case here.

And in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Soul crushing grief and defeat enveloped him. Regret for moments lost, opportunities not taken. Seething rage that Reiden was getting away with everything and no one would ever know. They were still here and Jamie was not. Completely vindicated, yet unable to savor it. And just when he was on the brink, drinking himself into oblivion nightly, the phone rang.

He looked at it. No Caller ID, it informed him. He wasn't even sure why he answered it. Determined to take out his frustration on the caller, he amped up the smug, "Mitch Morgan, totally awesome scientist."

"Mitch….Mitch, can you hear me?" The voice was like a lightning bolt running through him, jarring him to full attention. "It's me. It's Jamie."

Once he'd allowed himself to accept that it was really Jamie and not some kind of cruel prank, he'd been overcome with emotion, unable to really say much to her before the battery had run low and she'd been forced to end the call. But it was ok. There wasn't much that needed to said at that moment anyway. There would be a time for that later. Right now, it was enough to just feel. To absorb. To take deep breaths and thank whomever was in charge up there. The deep emotion he heard in her voice as well revealed to him that their connection was undeniable. This was it. He'd gotten his miracle. Once again, life had offered him a second chance, and this time he wasn't going to blow it.

He was still choked up when he'd called Chloe to see if the satellite phone could be tracked. The following afternoon, he stepped up into the Hummer on the highest of highs, as a kid going to Disney World. After Abe's quick evasive maneuvering avoided a confrontation with what looked to be the entire animal kingdom, they'd made it to Delaware without further incidents. The delays had come on the water, and Mitch's mood had quickly dampened.

He'd seen the map location that the sat phone revealed, but knew little about it or what Jamie could be dealing with on daily basis. Was she really ok? Was she safe? Who was she with? Why had it taken three months for her to reach out? How on Earth could she still have the leopard cub?

If all went according the most recently revised plan, midday tomorrow they would be there, and she would be in his arms. It would all feel more real when he could reach out and touch her.

To be continued...