Many thanks to DM and KM for getting me through this!
Apologies to TPTB for taking their characters out for a ride in my car. I promise to get them home on time and all in one piece!
Shelter Chapter 1/10 By: Mariel
Six-year-old Emma Matthews pumped her thin legs harder and harder, making the swing arc higher and higher into the sky. Back and forth, back and forth, she swooped, loving the feel of the air rushing against her cheeks, loving the way it lifted her long, tangled blonde hair off the back of her neck. Oblivious to the grey, dirty buildings that towered over her on three sides, she didn't care that the area she played in was not really the 'park' the locals called it, but, in reality, just a small, desolate patch of dirt with a broken swing set in the middle of it. Exhilarated, she smiled, forgetting for a moment she was hungry, her coat too thin for the cold December air, and her mommy gone again.
Back and forth, back and forth...the rhythm lulled her, let her chase away the last few days worth of memories. She'd be going to school tomorrow. It'd be better there. Mommy was sure to let her go, now that those people had come to say she had to.
She pumped her legs harder. The word 'mommy' filled her with longing. She wanted a mommy like the ones she saw on television and like the ones in the foster homes she visited. Her own was nothing like those. She didn't like her mother's absences, or her yelling when she was there. She didn't like the dirty apartment, the late nights, the irregular food and her mommy's friends. She didn't like not knowing if she would be going to school and if mommy would be home when she said she would be. She didn't like being with her mother, period, and wished her mother would forget she had a daughter and let her stay at a foster home. A determined look set upon her face and she swung her legs still harder, chasing her thoughts away.
Her hands beginning to sting from the bite of the fall air rushing against them and the cold of the rusty swing chain, she slowed down slightly. Mommy might be home in a while. She'd better get back inside. Feeling brave, she decided to jump off while still in motion, the way she'd seen the older kids do. The world rushed beneath her, too fast for her to focus on the garbage and dirt and stones beneath her feet. Back and forth, back and forth... holding her breath, she tried to time it right, and as the swing arced forward, she let go, giving herself up to the forward movement that propelled her off the swing seat and into the cold air. A moment of heavenly flight, and she was tumbling towards the ground. She fell onto her knees, sharp shards of rock and dirt biting into them. Rolling over, she curled into a ball, clutching her knee and scrunching her face up in pain.
MISSING: 8 HOURS
Samantha Spade put down the phone. Standing up, she walked quickly towards Jack Malone's office, her blonde head bent over her hastily scribbled notes. When she reached his door, she slowed, looked through the glass, and then frowned.
There was no one there.
Opening the door and walking in anyways, she stood in front of his desk, wondering if she should leave her notes on one of the piles of papers there, or go look for him.
A warm voice behind her made her jump.
"If you're looking for something in that mess, give up while you're ahead."
Samantha looked around quickly. "No. I was just trying to figure out if it was safe to leave something there, or if I should go in search for you."
Jack Malone walked into his office. "Double jeopardy: I'd never have found the note, and you'd never have found me. I was in the little boy's room."
Samantha looked at her boss with one eyebrow raised. "What makes you think that wouldn't have been the first place I'd have looked?"
Jack smiled slightly. She had him there. Sitting down in his chair, he looked up at her and asked, "What've you got?"
"Only a phone call so far, but NYPD thinks we're going to be looking into a missing girl's case soon. They're faxing over the information now."
Jack frowned. They had a case on the go already and Danny was finishing up the paperwork on another that had not ended happily. He'd hoped for a lull in things, but... "How old is she, and how long has she been missing?" he asked.
"She's six. Her name's Emma Matthews, and as far as they can determine, she's been missing a little more than eight hours. She was last seen by a neighbour as she was walking towards a swingset in a little park outside the building she lives in." Checking her notes, she said, "Which would be 1245 Cuthrow Ave." Looking back at Jack, she continued, "Her mother says she'd left the girl at home while she stepped out to run a few errands. When she got back, there was no daughter. She looked around for a bit, figured the girl might have gone to a neighbour's apartment with some other kid, waited a couple hours, and when Emma didn't come home decided it was time to call the police. They've been out asking questions around the neighbouring apartments, but haven't turned up anything. The mother, apparently, can't tell them much."
Jack could tell by her tone she wasn't happy with the mother. "What was a six-year-old doing out alone in that part of the city?" he asked.
"What's a six-year-old doing being left alone, period?" Samantha retorted, her tone critical. Yup, Jack thought, definitely not happy with her. "What do we know about the family?"
"That should all be coming via fax as we speak," Samantha replied. "The guy I was talking to from NYPD was in a hurry. Apparently this isn't their only problem today."
Jack grunted. "No kidding. Does Van Doren know about this?"
Samantha's expression changed slightly. "Not yet. They called us directly."
Jack's dark eyes glinted with a sudden touch of humour. "You mean Detective Keller called you directly," he said.
The young woman smiled sweetly, showing neat, even white teeth to their full advantage. "How did you guess? He figured we'd end up with it, so decided to call to let us know."
Jack's lips turned upward in amusement. "He just wanted an excuse to talk to his girlfriend. He knows better than to ignore protocol, though," he said, his expression sobering. "Tell him if we're going to look into it, he needs to get the paperwork sent to Van Doren so she can give it her seal of approval. We need it all filled out, so we're nice and legal. The last thing we need is to look as though we're stepping on someone's toes."
Samantha nodded and headed for the phone. Leave it to Jack to remember the sometimes difficult balancing game the FBI played with the NYPD in matters of jurisdiction.
She smiled ruefully. Leave it to Keller to forget.
* * * * * * * * *
Ten minutes later, she was back in Jack's office. "Here it all is, or at least what they have so far," she said, holding out a file.
Jack looked up and lifted a hand to take it. "I checked with Danny," he told her. "He's still got a couple hours of work before he's finished with the Donovan case. Vivian and Pete are still out interviewing the Stervel family. For now, this is all ours."
Samantha smiled. "How's Pete doing, anyways?"
Pete was their latest rookie. He was so wet behind the ears it made Jack cringe sometimes, but Jack was also a good enough judge of character to know that whatever growing pains the young man put the FBI through, it would be worth it in the end. The kid had the potential to make a damned fine agent. It remained to be seen, however, if Missing Persons was the place for him to become one.
Jack grunted. "Ask Danny."
Samantha burst out with a trill of laughter. Covering her mouth, her eyes glistened. "Sorry."
Jack's expression mirrored her amusement. "I had to give him to Vivian for a while. He's a good kid, but if there are two people who could be profiled as complete opposites, it's Pete and Danny." He shook his head. "They'll come around eventually, but something tells me Pete's ego and Danny's patience are both going to take serious beatings."
"It'll do them both good," Samantha commented. Thinking of how new Pete was, she added, "The adjustment period is always hard." Not that she'd had any difficulties when she'd arrived. She held Jack's gaze for an extra heartbeat, glad for his making her introduction to the team so effortless. She was a lucky woman. Smiling, she exhaled softly and got back to business.
"That's all they had to send us, so far," she said, gesturing towards the file. "Van Doren should receive her official request soon."
She watched as Jack perused the papers she'd passed him, his face grown solemn. She enjoyed their moments of lighthearted camaraderie. They didn't occur often, but in the months since she'd joined the team, she'd come to appreciate the unexpected humour that sometimes sprang up between them. It, and the talks they occasionally had about life in general, had helped her keep her perspective during the more difficult cases.
She'd never worked in this type of environment before, wasn't even certain it was typical of every Missing Persons department, but she liked it. A lot. For the first time in her life, work was where she'd rather be. It meant that her personal life was taking a beating, but then, she and Keller didn't seem to be going anywhere, anyways. Jack might joke about him, but she was certain even he knew there was nothing there, not really. She sighed happily. She was working a job she loved in a great environment with people she liked. Romance could wait.
* * * * * * * * * * *
With the team finally all back together and sitting at the conference table expectantly, Jack stood in front of the white board and spoke.
"Emma Matthews. Six years old. In and out of foster homes as her mother's fluctuating ability and desire to care for her dictates, but presently living with her at 1245 Cuthrow."
"Her mother," he continued, "is Stephanie Matthews, 24, unmarried, unemployed..."
Jack saw Samantha frown as he recapped the circumstances of Emma's existence. She'd shown unaccustomed emotion when they'd reviewed the case together earlier...
(Flashback) ...Jack had been leaning against her desk as he read from the latest report the NYPD had forwarded to them. "The police report notes that Emma was supposed to be attending St. Mary's Elementary, but hasn't been there for almost two weeks," Jack told her. Shaking his head, he continued, "The mother said she found it difficult to get up that early in order to get her ready. Children's Services was sent out to have a talk with the mother the first of this week. Emma was expected at school tomorrow."
Samantha made a grunt of disapproval. "I don't understand why parents who can't or won't care for their children insist on keeping them," she declared, putting her pen down on her desk with a clatter. "It doesn't make sense." Pushing her chair back from her desk so that she could look up at him more directly, she rested her elbows on the arms of her chair. Spreading her hands apart expressively, she asked, "Why not let people who could love and care for them have them? Why make their little lives miserable?"
He shrugged. "Blood is thicker than water. Or brains, sometimes. You can't understand the ties you feel to your own offspring, I guess, until you have one of your own." He watched as something flashed in her eyes but it was gone too quickly for him to read. Feeling something was amiss, however, he asked, "Are you all right with this case? Would you rather concentrate on something else? I could trade you with Danny."
She shook her head no. "I'm okay. I was just commenting, that's all."
Glad without consciously knowing why, Jack nodded...
(Present) ...Now, looking across at her, he again felt relief that she'd chosen to stay on the case. They'd been working together a lot since she'd arrived: first because she was the new kid who needed to be trained, and then because as the cases came up, that's how the manpower had fallen. Now, after more than a year, they went out together because it felt right. He'd pretty much reached the point where he couldn't imagine working closely with anyone else. Their rapport seemed instinctive, and in his line of work, when that happened you appreciated it.
"Does her mother have a habit?"
Pete Fergusson's question broke into Jack's thoughts. Ignoring the frown Danny aimed at the young agent, Jack answered patiently, "That's just one of the things we're going to find out. Samantha and I are on our way to talk to the mother and ask some questions at their apartment building. Just so you know: a Kleenex was found on the ground near the swings with blood on it. It may be nothing, it may be something. CSI's analyzing it now. Whatever, it may be another piece in the puzzle." Turning towards Danny, Jack said, "Danny, if you've got the paperwork finished on the Donovan case, we need you over at the school. Check out her teachers and the parents of her friends, in case they've noticed anything out of the ordinary. You know the drill."
Danny nodded. Looking at his wristwatch, he rose. "I'd better get a move on, if I want to find anyone still there. The paperwork, by the way, is on your desk." Looking at those still seated, he smiled a farewell and left.
Turning to Pete and Vivian, Jack said, "I need you two to fill me in on what you've got on the Stervel case." He turned his gaze towards Samantha, and was not surprised when she spoke before he could.
"I'll phone children's services to give them a heads up we'll be coming their way," she said quickly. "We'll need to talk to Emma's case worker and her most recent foster parents." She smiled at the subtle look of approval he gave her. "Come get me when you're ready to go talk with the mother." With that, she stood and made her way over to her desk.
Waving a hand at the two remaining agents, Jack indicated his office. "Let's get this over with."
End Chapter 1 Shelter
Apologies to TPTB for taking their characters out for a ride in my car. I promise to get them home on time and all in one piece!
Shelter Chapter 1/10 By: Mariel
Six-year-old Emma Matthews pumped her thin legs harder and harder, making the swing arc higher and higher into the sky. Back and forth, back and forth, she swooped, loving the feel of the air rushing against her cheeks, loving the way it lifted her long, tangled blonde hair off the back of her neck. Oblivious to the grey, dirty buildings that towered over her on three sides, she didn't care that the area she played in was not really the 'park' the locals called it, but, in reality, just a small, desolate patch of dirt with a broken swing set in the middle of it. Exhilarated, she smiled, forgetting for a moment she was hungry, her coat too thin for the cold December air, and her mommy gone again.
Back and forth, back and forth...the rhythm lulled her, let her chase away the last few days worth of memories. She'd be going to school tomorrow. It'd be better there. Mommy was sure to let her go, now that those people had come to say she had to.
She pumped her legs harder. The word 'mommy' filled her with longing. She wanted a mommy like the ones she saw on television and like the ones in the foster homes she visited. Her own was nothing like those. She didn't like her mother's absences, or her yelling when she was there. She didn't like the dirty apartment, the late nights, the irregular food and her mommy's friends. She didn't like not knowing if she would be going to school and if mommy would be home when she said she would be. She didn't like being with her mother, period, and wished her mother would forget she had a daughter and let her stay at a foster home. A determined look set upon her face and she swung her legs still harder, chasing her thoughts away.
Her hands beginning to sting from the bite of the fall air rushing against them and the cold of the rusty swing chain, she slowed down slightly. Mommy might be home in a while. She'd better get back inside. Feeling brave, she decided to jump off while still in motion, the way she'd seen the older kids do. The world rushed beneath her, too fast for her to focus on the garbage and dirt and stones beneath her feet. Back and forth, back and forth... holding her breath, she tried to time it right, and as the swing arced forward, she let go, giving herself up to the forward movement that propelled her off the swing seat and into the cold air. A moment of heavenly flight, and she was tumbling towards the ground. She fell onto her knees, sharp shards of rock and dirt biting into them. Rolling over, she curled into a ball, clutching her knee and scrunching her face up in pain.
MISSING: 8 HOURS
Samantha Spade put down the phone. Standing up, she walked quickly towards Jack Malone's office, her blonde head bent over her hastily scribbled notes. When she reached his door, she slowed, looked through the glass, and then frowned.
There was no one there.
Opening the door and walking in anyways, she stood in front of his desk, wondering if she should leave her notes on one of the piles of papers there, or go look for him.
A warm voice behind her made her jump.
"If you're looking for something in that mess, give up while you're ahead."
Samantha looked around quickly. "No. I was just trying to figure out if it was safe to leave something there, or if I should go in search for you."
Jack Malone walked into his office. "Double jeopardy: I'd never have found the note, and you'd never have found me. I was in the little boy's room."
Samantha looked at her boss with one eyebrow raised. "What makes you think that wouldn't have been the first place I'd have looked?"
Jack smiled slightly. She had him there. Sitting down in his chair, he looked up at her and asked, "What've you got?"
"Only a phone call so far, but NYPD thinks we're going to be looking into a missing girl's case soon. They're faxing over the information now."
Jack frowned. They had a case on the go already and Danny was finishing up the paperwork on another that had not ended happily. He'd hoped for a lull in things, but... "How old is she, and how long has she been missing?" he asked.
"She's six. Her name's Emma Matthews, and as far as they can determine, she's been missing a little more than eight hours. She was last seen by a neighbour as she was walking towards a swingset in a little park outside the building she lives in." Checking her notes, she said, "Which would be 1245 Cuthrow Ave." Looking back at Jack, she continued, "Her mother says she'd left the girl at home while she stepped out to run a few errands. When she got back, there was no daughter. She looked around for a bit, figured the girl might have gone to a neighbour's apartment with some other kid, waited a couple hours, and when Emma didn't come home decided it was time to call the police. They've been out asking questions around the neighbouring apartments, but haven't turned up anything. The mother, apparently, can't tell them much."
Jack could tell by her tone she wasn't happy with the mother. "What was a six-year-old doing out alone in that part of the city?" he asked.
"What's a six-year-old doing being left alone, period?" Samantha retorted, her tone critical. Yup, Jack thought, definitely not happy with her. "What do we know about the family?"
"That should all be coming via fax as we speak," Samantha replied. "The guy I was talking to from NYPD was in a hurry. Apparently this isn't their only problem today."
Jack grunted. "No kidding. Does Van Doren know about this?"
Samantha's expression changed slightly. "Not yet. They called us directly."
Jack's dark eyes glinted with a sudden touch of humour. "You mean Detective Keller called you directly," he said.
The young woman smiled sweetly, showing neat, even white teeth to their full advantage. "How did you guess? He figured we'd end up with it, so decided to call to let us know."
Jack's lips turned upward in amusement. "He just wanted an excuse to talk to his girlfriend. He knows better than to ignore protocol, though," he said, his expression sobering. "Tell him if we're going to look into it, he needs to get the paperwork sent to Van Doren so she can give it her seal of approval. We need it all filled out, so we're nice and legal. The last thing we need is to look as though we're stepping on someone's toes."
Samantha nodded and headed for the phone. Leave it to Jack to remember the sometimes difficult balancing game the FBI played with the NYPD in matters of jurisdiction.
She smiled ruefully. Leave it to Keller to forget.
* * * * * * * * *
Ten minutes later, she was back in Jack's office. "Here it all is, or at least what they have so far," she said, holding out a file.
Jack looked up and lifted a hand to take it. "I checked with Danny," he told her. "He's still got a couple hours of work before he's finished with the Donovan case. Vivian and Pete are still out interviewing the Stervel family. For now, this is all ours."
Samantha smiled. "How's Pete doing, anyways?"
Pete was their latest rookie. He was so wet behind the ears it made Jack cringe sometimes, but Jack was also a good enough judge of character to know that whatever growing pains the young man put the FBI through, it would be worth it in the end. The kid had the potential to make a damned fine agent. It remained to be seen, however, if Missing Persons was the place for him to become one.
Jack grunted. "Ask Danny."
Samantha burst out with a trill of laughter. Covering her mouth, her eyes glistened. "Sorry."
Jack's expression mirrored her amusement. "I had to give him to Vivian for a while. He's a good kid, but if there are two people who could be profiled as complete opposites, it's Pete and Danny." He shook his head. "They'll come around eventually, but something tells me Pete's ego and Danny's patience are both going to take serious beatings."
"It'll do them both good," Samantha commented. Thinking of how new Pete was, she added, "The adjustment period is always hard." Not that she'd had any difficulties when she'd arrived. She held Jack's gaze for an extra heartbeat, glad for his making her introduction to the team so effortless. She was a lucky woman. Smiling, she exhaled softly and got back to business.
"That's all they had to send us, so far," she said, gesturing towards the file. "Van Doren should receive her official request soon."
She watched as Jack perused the papers she'd passed him, his face grown solemn. She enjoyed their moments of lighthearted camaraderie. They didn't occur often, but in the months since she'd joined the team, she'd come to appreciate the unexpected humour that sometimes sprang up between them. It, and the talks they occasionally had about life in general, had helped her keep her perspective during the more difficult cases.
She'd never worked in this type of environment before, wasn't even certain it was typical of every Missing Persons department, but she liked it. A lot. For the first time in her life, work was where she'd rather be. It meant that her personal life was taking a beating, but then, she and Keller didn't seem to be going anywhere, anyways. Jack might joke about him, but she was certain even he knew there was nothing there, not really. She sighed happily. She was working a job she loved in a great environment with people she liked. Romance could wait.
* * * * * * * * * * *
With the team finally all back together and sitting at the conference table expectantly, Jack stood in front of the white board and spoke.
"Emma Matthews. Six years old. In and out of foster homes as her mother's fluctuating ability and desire to care for her dictates, but presently living with her at 1245 Cuthrow."
"Her mother," he continued, "is Stephanie Matthews, 24, unmarried, unemployed..."
Jack saw Samantha frown as he recapped the circumstances of Emma's existence. She'd shown unaccustomed emotion when they'd reviewed the case together earlier...
(Flashback) ...Jack had been leaning against her desk as he read from the latest report the NYPD had forwarded to them. "The police report notes that Emma was supposed to be attending St. Mary's Elementary, but hasn't been there for almost two weeks," Jack told her. Shaking his head, he continued, "The mother said she found it difficult to get up that early in order to get her ready. Children's Services was sent out to have a talk with the mother the first of this week. Emma was expected at school tomorrow."
Samantha made a grunt of disapproval. "I don't understand why parents who can't or won't care for their children insist on keeping them," she declared, putting her pen down on her desk with a clatter. "It doesn't make sense." Pushing her chair back from her desk so that she could look up at him more directly, she rested her elbows on the arms of her chair. Spreading her hands apart expressively, she asked, "Why not let people who could love and care for them have them? Why make their little lives miserable?"
He shrugged. "Blood is thicker than water. Or brains, sometimes. You can't understand the ties you feel to your own offspring, I guess, until you have one of your own." He watched as something flashed in her eyes but it was gone too quickly for him to read. Feeling something was amiss, however, he asked, "Are you all right with this case? Would you rather concentrate on something else? I could trade you with Danny."
She shook her head no. "I'm okay. I was just commenting, that's all."
Glad without consciously knowing why, Jack nodded...
(Present) ...Now, looking across at her, he again felt relief that she'd chosen to stay on the case. They'd been working together a lot since she'd arrived: first because she was the new kid who needed to be trained, and then because as the cases came up, that's how the manpower had fallen. Now, after more than a year, they went out together because it felt right. He'd pretty much reached the point where he couldn't imagine working closely with anyone else. Their rapport seemed instinctive, and in his line of work, when that happened you appreciated it.
"Does her mother have a habit?"
Pete Fergusson's question broke into Jack's thoughts. Ignoring the frown Danny aimed at the young agent, Jack answered patiently, "That's just one of the things we're going to find out. Samantha and I are on our way to talk to the mother and ask some questions at their apartment building. Just so you know: a Kleenex was found on the ground near the swings with blood on it. It may be nothing, it may be something. CSI's analyzing it now. Whatever, it may be another piece in the puzzle." Turning towards Danny, Jack said, "Danny, if you've got the paperwork finished on the Donovan case, we need you over at the school. Check out her teachers and the parents of her friends, in case they've noticed anything out of the ordinary. You know the drill."
Danny nodded. Looking at his wristwatch, he rose. "I'd better get a move on, if I want to find anyone still there. The paperwork, by the way, is on your desk." Looking at those still seated, he smiled a farewell and left.
Turning to Pete and Vivian, Jack said, "I need you two to fill me in on what you've got on the Stervel case." He turned his gaze towards Samantha, and was not surprised when she spoke before he could.
"I'll phone children's services to give them a heads up we'll be coming their way," she said quickly. "We'll need to talk to Emma's case worker and her most recent foster parents." She smiled at the subtle look of approval he gave her. "Come get me when you're ready to go talk with the mother." With that, she stood and made her way over to her desk.
Waving a hand at the two remaining agents, Jack indicated his office. "Let's get this over with."
End Chapter 1 Shelter