AN: This chapter and the next will be setting the stage. The chapters are slightly longer than what I've done in the past, but I want to be sure that everything is covered. Enjoy! SBF

Chapter 4

Silence surrounded her as it had all her life. She held her breath, knowing, even though she couldn't hear it, that she was breathing a little too fast. Pressing her hand to the floor, she felt for the vibrations of the footsteps that had paced heavy and quick past her hiding spot. Fear kept her eyes open, just as her mother had drilled into her - fear that if she closed them then they would find her.

She didn't dare to breathe or move. She stayed in that position for what seemed like hours. It had been dark when her mother had come for her, shoving her into the hiding spot, and told her not to move until she came back. But as daylight began to filter across the floor, she realized that she was indeed not coming back.

Creeping out from her hiding place that was the crawlspace of the closet, she slipped from the room and cautiously looked in each room as she made her way toward the living area. There, she found her. Her mother's eyes were open, but unseeing. The dark pool under her body spoke of how she had died, but not why.

Covering her face with her hands, Jennifer slid to the floor and cried her silent tears. She was still in that same position when the police finally arrived.

It was the end of June, and it was already proving to be a hot summer. With the Fourth of July coming up, the new couple had asked for time off to be with their family for a real vacation. They had decided to not go anywhere specific, just stay at home and to settle into their new home and lives. Lives that were about to be abruptly turned upside down.

A dark brown sedan slowly made its way down the street and turn up the long driveway toward the modest home in Arlington. Billy Melrose turned off the engine to the car, and sat for a few minutes collecting his thoughts. There were certain aspects of his job that he hated, and this was one of them.

Walking up the long sidewalk to the house, he noted that while the house sat back a ways from the road, it did not isolate them from the rest of the neighborhood. That would have killed Amanda, he thought. Knocking on the door, Billy suppressed the smile that was slowly creeping up on his face. He heard Amanda's two boys hollering to whoever was closest to answer the door. Before long a young man with light brown hair, braces, and glasses answered the door. A quizzical look appeared on his young face. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you may. Is your mom or step father around? I'm Mr. Melrose, their supervisor," Billy replied.

Jamie blinked and then held the door open further. "Oh, sure. They're out back. I'll get them." He then turned and headed off for the patio. Billy stepped in further to the home and then gently shut the door behind him. He took a moment to look over the home the agents had bought just a few weeks earlier. While it still had the moving in look it was definitely a blended touch of his and hers, although Billy felt that Amanda definitely had a say so as to what was allowed in her home….

At that moment Lee and Amanda Stetson walked into the house and crossed the room to where Billy stood. "Billy?" Lee asked, reaching out and clasping his boss's hand in form of a greeting. "What brings you by?"

"Lee," he began softly. "Is there somewhere we can talk, privately?"

Lee nodded. "Uhm, sure. The study is over here. It's the one place in the house Amanda and I have told everyone is off limits."

Leading the way into the study, Lee opened the door and ushered his boss and his wife into the room then closed the door. "Ok, what's up? You know, we're on vacation and not due back into the office until next week…"

Billy shoved his hands into his pockets. Sighing, he looked the young agent in the face. "There is no easy way to tell you except to just jump in. Do you remember Samantha Wilson?"

Lee again nodded. "Sure, I knew her, but that was a long time ago. What does this have to do with me? The last time I talked to Sam, it was over eleven years ago when she accepted that transfer to the Philadelphia office. I haven't seen or spoken to her since then."

"Sam's dead, Lee. As of last night."

"Dead? How, why?"

Billy shook his head. "We're not sure yet. We don't even know what cases she was involved in. Initially, local police was covering the case, but as soon as they realized she was one of ours, they turned it over. She was attacked for some reason and, from the looks of it, she was tortured in the end. But that's not all." The smaller man paused, as if gathering up his resolve before breaking the rest of the news. "Lee, she was survived by a child, a daughter. She's eleven."

Lee quickly turned away and looked out the window, not really seeing the activities ongoing. He remembered the red headed agent, who was also hurting all those years ago as he was. Losing a partner was never easy, something they both understood, how they had turned to each other, and how they had helped each other heal….

"Is she mine?"

Billy glanced over at Amanda, waiting for her cue. Amanda, sensing the tension in her husband, crossed the room and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, according to her birth certificate."

Lee shoulders slumped down, closed his eyes, and then raised them to meet his wife's. "She never told me." Amanda nodded, giving her silent support. Lee turned again toward his supervisor. "Where is she?"

"Social Services has her right now. Because the home is now listed as a crime scene…."

"Whoa," Lee interrupted. "She was there?"

Billy held up his hand. "She didn't see anything. Apparently, as soon as Sam realized what was going on, she hid Jennifer and then confronted the intruders."

"Was she able to tell the police anything she might have heard?" Amanda queried.

Billy sighed, then shook his head. "There's something else you need to know about Jennifer."

"She's deaf." The social worker informed the couple in front of her. "But she can speak and she can read lips. Her mother apparently wanted her to be able to communicate with not only the deaf community but be able to function in the hearing world as well." Ms. Gleason bent over her file again to make sure she had covered everything. "The file mentions that you are the biological father, is that correct?"

Lee nodded. "That's what they tell me." He was beginning to feel the surrealness of it all. He could usually think fast when he was in the field, being shot at, interrogating suspects, but this? He had just gotten used to Amanda's sons – what was he going to do with a daughter he knew nothing about?

Amanda squeezed his hand, then turned back to the social worker. "Ms. Gleason, when can we take Jennifer home with us? I know that she has already had one traumatic experience today, and shuffling her off to a foster home until we get the paperwork settled doesn't seem to be in the best interest of the child."

"I'm glad you and I are thinking the same thing, Mrs. Stetson. I feel I should tell you that Jennifer may have some rough days, if not nights, ahead for her. Not only did she loose her mother in such a tragic manner, she was also the person to find her this morning." Ms. Gleason closed the file and clasped her hands on top. "It won't be easy on any of you, not only dealing with a traumatic event such as this but also her handicap. Because of this, we will release Jennifer into your custody but we will also make home visits for the next several weeks, just to make sure everyone is settling in okay." She pulled some paperwork out and began to fill in the blanks. "I'll need you and your husband to sign these custody forms and then we'll get her checked out. I will also like to refer you all to a family therapist…."

Lee finally pulled himself out of his stupor. "Therapist? Why?"

Ms. Gleason sighed and replied, "Because of the facts I just stated, Mr. Stetson. And to see how you, your wife, your daughter, and your wife's sons, adjust to this change. We want what will be best for Jennifer in the long run." She sat back in her seat. "And, we want to make sure that Jennifer doesn't suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome from all these changes."

Feeling his wife squeeze his arm, he looked first into her confidant eyes, then back to the social worker. "So, tell us about this therapist."

Ms. Gleason smiled and slid the business card across the desk.

TBC.....