It had started to rain when they pulled up in front of the building. It wasn't pouring down or anything but they still took some quicker steps towards the entrance trying to avoid getting too wet. If Amita remembered correctly they had mentioned a thunderstorm on the weather channel this morning but it wasn't supposed to reach LA until later this night. Guess they were wrong…again. She made a mental note to make a quick stop at the supermarket before she gets home. She was practically out of food and if this weather was going to get worse she needed to shop now since she hated to drive when it rained.

Charlie, who reached the building first, opened the door for her and she had to smile at the considerate gesture. It was these little things that made her love him. These things like holding doors for her, buying her breakfast when she hadn't had time to eat or just trying to comfort her when she was particularly upset. She still remembered the case with the organ-harvesting a couple of months ago. That's how she met Santi and found out that the two of them had one thing in common. India. But Amita didn't know how to talk to her about it. Even though her parents were from India Amita was born and raised in California. She knew nothing or very little about India. Growing up she tried her best fitting in by never talking about it. She was quite simply ashamed.

Even though she found it hard she confessed this to Charlie. She told him, not everything but a little, and it actually turned out not to be the end of the world. He gave her the advice to talk to her grandmother and that's exactly what she did. It was the best thing she could've ever done. That day was the first day in over five years she really opened up to someone. She didn't tell him everything about her past but it was a big step for her. God knows there was still something she definitely wasn't ready to talk about.

Charlie smiled shyly back at her but was still trying to avoid her gaze by looking down on his shoes when she walked past him into the building. It was obvious he was still a bit uncomfortable being around her considering what happened yesterday. She was aware of that. And she was also aware of the fact that she wasn't making it easy on him. Especially not since she tried to avoid the topic in the car. It was just too damn hard to talk about.

Don was standing by his desk talking on the phone when they exited the elevator. He waved at them to join him and ended the phonecall to greet them. He looked stressed. He had obviously hit a dead end and needed to pick up the trace again as soon as possible. Amita and Charlie were just the right people to help them do that.

Don took them to a room on the other side of the office. With some help from Charlie, Amita explained to Don and Colby how the program worked and by the end of the following hour she had already managed to pinpoint four possible locations where the kidnapper could be. Happy with the result and the thought that she might have helped saving the girl's life she left the room with Charlie and Don close behind her. Don was on the phone again giving orders to other agents to check out the different areas.

"Thanks for coming by." Don said when he hung up and put the phone back into his pocket. "Charlie told me it was your day off so..." She knew how much Don appreciated their help but he really didn't need to thank her. The thought of helping and possible saving someone's life was truly enough.

"No, it was no problem. I just hope you find the guy."

"Yeah, you and me both."

She turned around to head for the elevator but froze the minute she saw the doors open. Across the room Megan and David lead a handcuffed man inside an interrogation room. Sure, it was five years ago but there was NO way she would ever forget that face. It still haunted her dreams. The short black hair matched his dark eyes. She remembered the last time she looked into them. Those eyes belonged to a man without a soul. His stupid grin was still there and the visible scar on his left cheek was in the same place her friend scratched him when she fought for her life. They found skin cells under her fingernails during her autopsy. That and Amita's description of him were evidence enough to make an arrest. Why was he out? And what if anyone finds out about her involvement? Amita knew it was somewhere in a file and if he was here it meant that that particular file was here too.

The memories came rushing back to her. She remembered the day after the attack. Even though it happened half a decade ago she remembered it like yesterday. A lot of people visited her that day in the hospital. Policeofficers and FBI agents mostly. As soon as she woke up after surgery they were waiting for her. Waiting to hear her story. She had to give a statement of what had happened and her injuries were photographed. If Don or anyone else she knew would see them…

She was still staring at the closed door. The same door the man she hated more than anything entered only a few seconds ago. That's when she heard someone saying her name. Someone was calling her name but she couldn't quite focus on the voice. It was too far away.

"Amita? Are you okay?" She felt dizzy and closed her eyes. She wanted to throw up the minute she saw him. Charlie and Don each grabbed an arm when they thought she was going to fall. They tried to make her sit down but she resisted. She just wanted to get out of there.

"Amita?" She heard her being said once again and forced herself to concentrate on Charlie's voice. Slowly she opened her eyes and met the worried looks Don and Charlie gave her.

"What? I'm fine." She said touching her forehead with her hand and at the same time trying to ignore the looks she got from the other people in the room. She backed away. Away from the concern in her friends eyes. "I just…I got a little dizzy, that's all." She said trying to hide the fear in her voice. She was still a bit unsteady and grabbed the nearest desk but continued to move away from them. "I just need some fresh air so I'll be waiting outside." She explained to Charlie and she was gone before he got a chance to say anything back.

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She ran out as soon as the elevator hit the floor she requested. She didn't care how many people she had to push aside on the way to the bathroom. With no time to apologize she just kept on running. She felt the angry looks they gave her and heard an occasional "What a hell!" when she bumped into them one by one. She got to the bathroom just in time and emptied her stomach into the first available toilet. It made her feel a little better. For a short while anyway. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her? Maybe it really wasn't him, just some random guy they picked up on the streets for selling drugs to kids or something. She breathed heavily and closed her eyes as she leaned against the white wall. Who was she kidding? Unless he has a twin brother, which she was positive he didn't have, it was definitely him.

When her breathing went back to normal and she knew she couldn't throw up anymore she searched her purse for some breathmints. The box was empty but luckily she found some gum instead. She went to the sink and washed her mouth with water several times to get rid of the taste and smell before she put the gum into her mouth. The last thing she needed was Charlie finding out she'd just thrown up. She looked and sighed at the reflection in the mirror before she left.

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Charlie had left Don soon after her and was now waiting for her by the car just like she suspected. Luckily the rain had stopped but considering the dark sky it would probably start again any minute. She took a deep breath and exited the building. She didn't have to say anything since Charlie saw her as soon as she came out.

He was obviously worried about her and went to meet her halfway. "Sorry." She said when he was close enough to hear her. "I just needed to go to the bathroom." Technically that wasn't a lie.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I ate some bad food or something." Charlie nodded and opened the car door for her. Amita thanked him and climbed in. His hand slid across the hood of the car as he rounded it to get to the drivers seat. She wasn't sure if he believed her but would soon find out. When he was seated behind the wheel he closed the door and put the key in the ignition hole but never started the car. He simply leaned back, put his hands in his lap and stared out through the window. Amita didn't know what to do. It was too quiet and she didn't like it.

"You know him, don't you?" He turned his head to look at her. "The guy we saw up there…the guy in handcuffs." He explained.

Amita didn't answer him. Her head was turned away from him and her eyes were focused on a tree outside the side window. "I'm right, aren't I?" He asked again. This time she took her eyes off the tree and looked down on her hands that were resting in her lap.

"I don't know him." She said quietly. It was almost a whisper and she wasn't sure if Charlie even heard it.

"But you recognized him from somewhere." It wasn't really a question and she fought the urge to run out of the car.

"Charlie, I told you I don't know him. I've never seen the guy in my entire life." She said a little loader still avoiding his questioning gaze. "Look, I'm really tired and I just want to go home. Will you drive me there?" He looked at her for a moment before he finally gave in.

"Yeah…sure." He sighed. Amita didn't need to say anything. He knew something wasn't right. Charlie never mentioned anything to Don but he noticed how Amita reacted upon seeing the guy. She went pale like…like she had just seen a ghost.

The drive home was very quiet. Neither one of them spoke and never once did she have the courage to look at him. Afraid he would ask what she was hiding she thanked him for the ride, said goodbye and jumped out of the car before he could ask any more questions.

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Never in a million years had it ever felt this good to come home. She took the stairs instead of the elevator. This way she wouldn't meet Mrs Hendrick, the nosiest person in the building. The doors to the elevator opened up right in front of her apartment and Amita could sometimes swear she was sitting in there looking out through the peephole just waiting for someone to get home.

Mrs Hendrick wasn't mean or anything like that. She was actually a very nice old lady and Amita knew she only had good intentions. Since her husband died three years ago she had pretty much lived alone, with the exception of her three cats. Her only child, a son, was all grown up and Amita vaguely remembered Mrs Hendrick telling her that he lived in New York working in a law firm. Apparently he would also be the perfect man for Amita. It was after telling her that that Amita started to avoid her. She didn't need a man in her life right now and even if she did there was only one man she wanted.

She threw herself on the couch in her living room. The doubt was still there. Was it him? And if it was, why wasn't he in prison? The thoughts made her tired. She didn't want to think about this now. She just wanted to forget. Forget and live on with her life. The little of a life she had anyway.

Charlie only tried to understand. Understand what troubled her by being her friend. That's all he wanted. But she pushed him away…again. There was one thing she was more afraid of right now than having to tell her story. She was afraid of someday waking up only to find out he wasn't in her life anymore. It would happen if she continued to live like this. She knew that.

Don would find out. That is if he hadn't already. He knew everything that was going on in his office. No doubt about it. That was his job after all. She felt the tears threatening to fall and didn't have the energy to stop them this time. That night she cried herself to sleep.

TBC