Prolly just a short one, but I love criminal intent (although I could never be able to do justice to the complexity of the characters or the show in general... amazing how such an interesting and enthralling show revolves around 4 regular characters. LOL.. Writing them is like trying to write a story with Irina and Jack as the only characters ) -- Don't live in America, so I'm making up names of stuff

It's Future. Prolly AU, although, if I were writing this, it certainly wouldn't be

***

Saturday night's always proved busy for New York City General Hospital. Teens in car accidents, drunks dragging themselves in, usually after they had been in a brawl a the local pub, Drug overdoses and pranks gone wrong usually filled the Casualty department by 8 pm. This night was no different.

Doctors jumped from patient to patient, attempting to give a quick diagnosis and moving them off to the applicable place. For most, that was the either the OR, or sent off to various wards for stomach pumping, with many people being simply excessively drunk. "He's stable, move him up to a ward, if it's possible. We need more space in here" Dr Mitchell ordered, moving onto his next patient.

"30-year-old female, lacerations and bruising to her upper body, concussion and serious head trauma, and a bullet wound to her lower abdomen. she's been slipping in and out of conscious since we picked her up" The ambulance officer informed the doctor, before continuing informally, "Someone wanted her dead. It's amazing she isn't there already"

***


"Your Jane Doe was rushed into the Operating Room, the surgeons spent hours on her. She's still critical, but stable for the time being" Dr Mitchell informed to the NYPD Detectives in front of him, "She was pretty beat up. Most of her upper body was simply a mass of bruises, abrasions and broken bones" he stated, putting a number of X-rays up for the detectives to see, "However, if you see her left arm, and a number of ribs, they were broken about 2 weeks ago, they have begun healing in irregular positions. Also, a number of other injuries, which I would say, she received in the last couple of weeks. And the bullet wound to her stomach. It was enough to kill her, however not the fastest."

"So either someone couldn't aim. Or someone wanted her to suffer" Detective Robert Goren thought out loud. You could see the wheels of his mind working, "What about injuries before the 2 week margin?"

"While there do seem to be constant beatings of the Jane, recent ones happened in the last 2 weeks. Before that, I could pick up a few, obviously pretty serious injuries, but they were at least 5 years old." Mitchell informed the 2 detectives. "I'm really sorry to bail, but I have rounds. If you need anything else, I finish at 10am, I could talk to you then?"

Goren simply nodded as Mitchell turned to return to his patients.

"A boyfriend?" questioned Detective Alexandra Eames, his partner, "Back for revenge?"

"5 Years is a long time. Why wait so long?" Goren asked, as the possibilities worked through his mind.

"He was in Prison, perhaps?"

"Either that, or he couldn't find her. See if we can get into Witness Protection and match her to someone in there"

"They are classified, Witness Protection files, you know Bobby?"

"Of cause Alex" He smiled, both knowing he had his ways of getting into those files.

***

Meetings like had become to norm. A lovely little boatshed in the middle on nowhere. He found it rather strange the people who now placed trust in him. Although he knew that this trust was hardly of their free will. It was a necessity. Everyone in the room had a common interest. One was the bouncing little girl who sat on his lap, her golden locks streaming down her face, while the tiny three-year-old clutched Jemima, a purple teddy that she had been given the night she was born, to her chest. Laura, her name was. Just the name 'Laura' represented everything her mothers life had been before she found her world upside down. Even if 'Laura' was nothing more than an cover to many people; it was more real to her mother than the air she breathed.

And, as much he knew it was the source for much resentment, he was still Laura's father and Sydney's wife.

"So what's happening. Where is Sydney now?" venom evident in Jack's voice.

Little Laura lent against her father's chest, and turned her innocent head towards Jack, her piercing blue eyes had more of an effect on Jack than anything he'd experienced in his life, with the exception of Sydney.

"I haven't heard anything from my contacts. Nothing reliable anyway"

"So you've been told something them?" Vaughn jumped up. Even if he and Sydney hadn't worked out, he still cared for her.

"It's not from the most reliable of.."

"..Sark, if you know something, you need to let us know." Irina said rather pointedly.

"I have a contact in New York City, fairly low down on the ranks. Your typical low level Crim. Born and Bred in Hell's Kitchen, he would say anything for the right price" Sark warned.

"Pádraig! Just tell us!" It was rare for Irina to revert back to Sark's original name.

"He said he'd heard that a Russian Mob Boss that controls most of New York was 'tying up loose ends'" Sark explained.

"Why would he have taken Sydney in?" Will asked, breaking his silence. Sark was amazed at Will's courage, and loyalty to Sydney. Even after he had ordered him to be tortured within an inch of his life; and he knew of his feelings towards Sydney prior to the current relationship, he still stood by Sydney, and expected nothing more than her friendship in return. He was even somewhat happy for Sydney. Happy that she was happy. Even with Sark.

"He also told me that the woman pretending to be Francie at the fall of the Alliance is now working with him. Sydney worked to get her put away. She'd want revenge"

"Who exactly was that? You've never actually told us?" Will continued his questioning.

"I was never privy to that information, Mr Tippin"

"Is this information even reliable?" Vaughn jumped in before Will could ask another question.

"I already told you I do not believe this man to be very credible. But it's the only lead I have." Sark answered, a little annoyed at Vaughn's attitude. Although it was no secret to two had a long running, war. Ever since Sydney had fallen pregnant to Sark. Although she and Vaughn had broken up months before she and Sark even contemplated a relationship, Vaughn still felt betrayal. Irina and Jack exchanged glances, thinking much the same.

"So are we going to follow it? Waste our time?" Vaughn spat back.

"Have you any better ideas Mister Vaughn? Any leads you would like us to follow? Contacts with any scraps of information?"

"That's not the point!"

"How mature. Listen to me Mister Vaughn. My wife's life is at stake here" Sark hit Vaughn where it hurt, and he knew it. Remained Vaughn that Sydney was in love with him, and not Vaughn..

"Ok, if both you boys have finished arguing over who is bigger, we have a problem here. This man in New York is our only lead so far, and I am willing to explore it. I will explore ever lead we get to save my daughter's life. I watched her grow up without a mother." Irina felt a pang of guilt as Jack spoke, but refused to show her weakness, "I am not bringing the same fate upon my granddaughter as well. We get a lead, we follow it. Understood? Leave your petty fights for after school" Jack spoke with a slight disgust in his voice, as he got up and moved towards Sark, taking his granddaughter in his arms, and walking over to the dock, followed by Irina.

"This is all my fault" he whispered just loud enough for Irina to hear.

"Jack, don't blame yourself here.."

"...why not, Irina? It was my mistakes that forced her to run" he spoke, as Laura lay her head on his shoulder, Jemima still firmly in her tiny little hands.

"Jack, It's as much my fault as it's it yours. Probably more. But in the end, it was Sydney's choice to move away, with Pádraig and Laura. There was nothing we could do to stop this.."

"It's more than that. Yuri Ivanisivich is the Russian kingpin in New York. I double-crossed him last year. Broke down a quarter of the Network in the New York. The Lower Eastside crumbled because of what I did. It may have been my job, but because of it, I believe Sark's contact may be right"

***

Captain James Deakins hung up the phone, and walked out into the floor of the Major Case Squad section of NYPD.

"Goren, Eames. Your Jane Doe just woke up.."

***