I haven't gotten a lot of reviews lately and that makes me sad…but I would like to thank Phantom Creedy Lover, my beta. Hmm, I'll get over it. I'm gonna making brownies. Yay brownies.

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8 hours missing

((Bullpen))

As soon as Danny and Martin got back, Jack gathered them around the meeting table

"What've got."

"Well, her phone and financial records gave us nothing," Sam said. "No strange withdrawal and no unusual amount of phone calls to or from a certain person. Actually, she hardly uses the phone at all which makes it harder to find the best friend." Danny noticeably stiffened at her words.

"Her friends gave us absolutely nothing," Martin said, throwing a file on the table. "Everyone keeps saying that she can defend herself and no one in their right mind would try to harm her.

"What we need to do is to find Chrys's best friend," Viv said solemnly.

"True, but no one seems to know who that is," Jack said frustrated.

"What if – what if there is no best friend?" Danny asked carefully.

"There's the necklace," Sam pointed out.

"Well no one seems to know the person, so maybe they are no longer best friends."

"Begs the question, why keep the necklace?" Jack said.

"Ok…what if it's a revenge kidnapping. She broke off her friendship with whomever it was and pisted them off." Martin leaned in so he was closer to the team. "The person bottles up their anger until finally, this happen."

"That could happen. Wouldn't be the first time." Viv nodded in agreement.

"But what is it didn't happen that way?" Danny asked. "What if it was the best friend that betrayed Chrys? What if he was the one that broke the promises? Then that would mean that their friendship would have nothing to do with this."

"Not true," Sam put in, "What if that person tried to apologize and she refused to take the apology. Their angry, so they set out for revenge."

"But what if he has nothing to do with this?" Danny asked, visibly agitated.

Watching Danny, Jack asked, "Why do you keep calling the best friend 'he' or 'him'? Chrys is a girl so we would naturally think that her best friend is a girl. How do you know that person is a guy?"

"I…um…I might have known him," Danny said after a slight hesitation.

"Who is he?" Jack demanded to know.

"Erm…I can't tell you?" The inflection in Danny's voice made the statement sound like a question

"You need to tell us," Viv said gently as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I can't," he said helplessly, avoiding their eyes. Martin sat there and watched Danny, something nagging him in the back of his mind. Then realization hit him like a freight train.

"You're her best friend," Martin exclaimed, sitting up. Everyone snapped their attention to Martin. "You're her best friend," he repeated excitedly. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together. "That's why you kept defending her best friend and that explains how you knew it was a guy. It's you!"

"No way," Viv said in disbelief.

"Yes, yes, yes," Martin insisted, now very excited. "Now it all makes sense. The tension between the two of you when Chrys first came yesterday and the reaction to the necklace. Hell, even Mimi's story makes sense now!"

"Who's Mimi?" they all asked.

"One of her friends," Martin waved off. "She was talking about the whole Madrid incident. It totally makes sense now!"

"Madrid?" Sam asked, wrinkling up her nose.

"Of course. You don't go skinny dipping with just anyone." There was silence.

"Skinny dipping?" Jack asked in a choked voice. Martin was about to answered when Danny shot him a glare.

"Never mind," he said quickly.

"Wait! Danny went skinny dipping with Chrys? You mean Danny as in the Danny sitting in front of me and Chrys as in the missing person went skinny dipping…together?" Sam asked incredulously.

Danny cleared his throat. "Maybe."

Shaking his head, Jack returned to the main subject. "So you're her best friend?"

After a moment, he nodded uneasily. "Well more like ex-best friend."

"How do we know that's true?" Jack asked suspiciously. Glaring at him, Danny loosened his tie. Then he stuck his hand into his collar and pulled out a chain and unclasped it.

"Here," he said, placing it on the table. The necklace was similar to Chrys's. Sam picked it up.

"Why are you still wearing it?" she asked.

"The same reason Chrys still has hers. We promised each other we would never take it off and after all these years, is still doesn't feel right." Sam nodded and gave the necklace back to him.

"Well this certainly is a twist," Viv remarked as Danny put the necklace back on.

"I am inclined to agree," Jack said. "Do you know anyone who would try to hurt Chrys?" he directed at Danny.

Danny answered him. "No I don't. Like all her friends say, no one would mess with Chrys. She knows how to defend herself very and she has a temper…an explosive temper."

"Everyone keeps saying that no one would hurt her. How are you guys so sure?" Sam asked.

"Ah…family relations," he said nervously. They all glared at him. "Her brother is one of the most powerful man in politics and also one of the most powerful men in the dark side of the world, shall we say. No one messes with her because if they do, her brother would send his dogs after them. Chrys is his favorite sister and if anyone tries to hurt her, let's just say there would be dire consequences."

"Bring him in."

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10 hours missing

((Interrogation room))

"Where's your sister?"

"My sister? How should I know, Agent Malone?" Henry Smith replied in a bored tone.

"I don't like your attitude Mr. Smith. Your sister's missing and you don't seem to care." Henry glared at him.

"I do care." His cold blue eyes flashed in way that wasn't unlike Chrys's. "I just work a bit…differently than you do." They glared at each other, daring the other to blink first.

"And how do you operate Mr. Smith?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

Before he could answer though, Danny stuck his head into the room. "Jack, we got something."

"Danny Taylor," Henry greeted in a booming voice. "How nice to see you."

"Same here," Danny greeted back, sarcastically.

"You do realize this is all your fault," he said conversationally.

"And so is global warming."

"She changed her name because of you."

"I know, I know. It's because I gave her the idea. Jack, we really need you." Danny slipped back out the door.

His curiosity peaked, he turned to Henry. "Make yourself comfortable. We're not finished." Jack got up and gathered up his files. Then he left the room, another agent coming in to take his place in the interrogation room. As soon as he saw Danny, waiting outside the door, he shot him a questioning look.

"He blames me for everything," Danny said with a shrug.

"Why?"

"Henry doesn't believe that his beloved sister could do anything wrong, so in denial, he blames me."

"So who'd he blame before you?"

"Anyone he could." Jack grunted and pushed the glass door to the tech room open.

"Anything new?" The team and Stan the tech guy turned their heads to regard Jack.

"About an hour ago, someone dropped off a letter," Stan informed him, turning back to the computer.

"And?" Jack pressed.

"Well, Forensics is done with it. No usable prints or DNA samples. The font is Times New Roman, size 12. They used a laser printer which can be bought anywhere."

"Have you read the letter yet?"

"That's why we were waiting for you boss." Stan clicked on something on the computer. "There was a picture that came along with the letter, too." Instantly, a picture was enlarged on the screen.

Chrys was sitting with her back against the wall. A newspaper with the current date was propped up against her. Her hands were tied behind her and her legs were also tied together. She was wearing a white tank top, stained with blood and purple pajama pants. On her left temple, there was a nasty gash, but it looked stitched up. There was nothing telltale about her surroundings. The wall was beige and had no distinctive traits. Chrys had a pist off expression on her face.

"I told you she had a temper," Danny said softly, trying to reassure himself.

Jack glanced at him. Danny was a tad bit too pale at the moment. "The letter." Stan nodded and clicked on something else.

Dear Whomever This Letter Concerns,

First off, I would like to tell all of you that Chrys is perfectly safe. But really this letter is truly addressed to Danny Taylor. This is not a ransom note in case you were wondering. Now on with the real reason.

You see Danny boy, I have your princess. And a very pretty princess she is. Wouldn't it just break your heart if she died? Of course, it'd take more than a head wound, a few bruises, some scratches, and extreme blood loss to stop Chrys. But then again, head wounds do bleed a lot. Ah well. Unfortunately for you though, this is not the point of the letter. Let me put it this way. You know me and I know you. I despise you and have been despising you for quite a time now. Currently, my only objective is to cause you pain, and what better way than to take your princess. You may be asking why I chose this time to take her, but I have my reasons. The thing is Danny, she came back to you. Even after all this time, somehow, inadvertently, she came back to you. Even after all the pain you caused her. Of course it was suppose to hurt you more than her, but still; where it all began.

((Flashback))

He had had enough. It just wasn't worth it anymore. What was the point? Every night, he would go to a club or party and get wasted. Every morning, he would wake up next to some girl whose name he didn't even know and certainly didn't remember meeting. Everyday, he would hide behind his mask, pretending everything was fine and that he wasn't hungover. He would smile and charm the teachers while ignoring the pounding in his head. Life seemed to be treating him nicely on the outside, but it wasn't.

Danny slowly twirled a penknife between his fingers. With a flash, he slit his left wrist. It wasn't very deep, just deep enough to make it bleed. He watched as the blood steamed across his wrist and onto the table. After a few moments, the bleeding stopped. Danny raised the knife again and once again cut himself, making the wound slightly deeper. Again and again, he repeated in this fashion, each time, waiting for the wound to close and slicing deeper and deeper. After a while, he switched hands, and started the ritual on his right wrist. Then someone knocked on his dorm room door.

"Danny come on! We're gonna be late! We don't want to miss the party and you promised we would watch the fireworks together," Chrys said, banging forcefully on the door. It was New Year's Eve. Danny's first in college. It had been Chrys's last year in high school and even though they hardly got a chance to see each other during the week, they always hung out at least once during the weekend, thus maintaining their friendship. Danny cursed to himself silently. He had forgotten that he had promised her they would hang out on New Year's Eve. His wrists were still bleeding as he tried to get up. Instantly, he was hit with a wave of dizziness from his blood loss causing him to sit back down. Danny could hear the jingling of her keys as she unlocked the door. Once again, he cursed at himself. He just had to give her a key. Frantically, he started to clean up the blood. Unfortunately, he wasn't very successful. The pain was making it hard for him to move his hands.

Chrys burst through the door, with a bright smile. Her cheeks, nose, and ears were bright red from the winter winds. When she saw the blood, her smile faltered.

"What are you doing?" she asked weakly her eyes wide open, taking in the scene in front of her.

"There's no point anymore Chrys. There's just no point anymore," Danny said tiredly. "There's no point," he repeated softly. Chrys stared at him, wordlessly. He knew he looked pathetic. Danny glanced up at her and saw something he never saw before. She was scared. Actually scared for him. He hated himself for making her feel that way. Fear was nothing Chrys ever expressed. Making her express it meant that the situation absolutely terrified her.

Chrys watched quietly as a flood of emotions ran through Danny's face. She was afraid of what was going to happen to Danny. Of all the years she had known him, he never struck her as suicidal.

Danny started swaying in his chair. Chrys knew she had to do something. She gently wrapped her arms around his chest and helped him to the sofa. Laying him down, she told him to keep his arms up. Scanning the room, she found the first aid kit. Quickly, she took out the anesthetic and the gauze. Swiftly, she started cleaning his wounds, ignoring Danny's whimpers of pain.

"I'm sorry Chrys," Danny said in a small voice. "I just couldn't take it anymore." Chrys was silent. As she started bandaging his left wrist, she scraped her nails against his wound, purposely causing him to wince.

"Do you remember our promise?" she asked quietly. Danny cringed at the tone of her voice. He would really rather if she yelled at him. The calm tone was sort of painful to hear. "We promised to be there for each other and tell each other everything. We promised that if one of us needed help, we would go to the other. Friends forever. Now how is that suppose to go on if you're dead?" Danny could tell that she was furious.

"I'm sorry," he said miserably.

"Don't talk. You need to get your rest," she said in a clipped tone, as she finished up. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow." She got up and closed the first aid box. Then she placed the box on the table and headed to the door. With her hand on the door knob, she paused and turned around. "One more thing. Save your apologies until you really mean them." She opened the door and stepped out, slamming the door shut after her.

((End of Flashback))

Don't you remember? I bet you do. Didn't really expect it to come out, did ya? You hid it deep in your mind, forcing yourself to forget, but things like that don't go away easily, Danny boy. Unfortunately, I must go…hm maybe fortunately for you, but don't think this is the last letter. I have a goal in these letters and it will be fulfilled.

Guess Who

"And that's all there is to it," Stan said as soon as the letter ended. The room was quiet; everyone trying to absorb the information they had just read. Danny was as white as a sheet and wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.

"Was his story true?" Jack finally asked. Danny just looked at the floor, refusing to say anything. "So you did try to kill yourself."

Danny snapped his head up to look at Jack, his eyes blazing. "That was a long time ago." He turned around and walked out of the room.

Danny quickly walked into the men's room, hoping for some privacy. When he was sure nobody was there, he turned on the faucet and leaned against the sink. His eyes darted from side to side as he tried to figure out how he found out about his suicide attempt in college. He never tried again, of course; knowing he would hurt Chrys even more if he did. He never told anyone though, so how did that person know? He was pretty sure Chrys never told anyone either. Even though, their friendship was never truly restored after that incident, it was a secret that would die with the two of them and only the two of them. Danny dipped his hand into the water and splashed some on his face. Chrys would never tell, would she? Of course not. She would never break her promise. She had a strong sense of duty and she wouldn't betray him…at least he hoped not. Did he really know Chrys anymore? It had been a long time since they've seen each other, much less talk. He tightened his grip on the sink. Damn Chrys for going missing, damn Jack for asking him those questions, damn whoever took Chrys for bringing up the memories.

"Are you Ok?" Danny turned his head to find Martin leaning against the wall, watching him with concern.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, turning back to the mirror above the sink.

"You sure don't look fine to me."

"Thank you, Einstein." He ran his hand over his face and turned to Martin. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit…off right now."

"It's alright. I don't think I would have handled it the way you did if Jack started asking me those questions. I do something along the line of telling him to fuck off and it was none of his business." Danny snorted and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Yea right Fitzy. I always got the impression that if Jack did ask you those questions, you'd run to daddy dearest," he joked

Martin thought for a moment. "Hmm, probably." Danny shook his head and cracked a smile. "Come on. Everyone's waiting and Jack probably wants to talk to you alone." The smile disappeared.

Danny sighed. "Well, might as well get this over with." He dried his face and followed Martin out of the bathroom. "I'll see you later," he said half-heartedly to Martin as they stopped at the door to Jack's office. Martin nodded and headed to the bullpen. He pushed open the door.

Jack looked up and took off his glasses. "Sit," he commanded, pointing to the chair. Danny sat down, but instead of trying to explain the situation like he usually does, he sat waited for Jack's questions. "Was the letter true?"

"Yes," he answered some-what meekly. Jack pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Danny, I don't think you should stay on this case." Instead of the explosive response he had expected from Danny, he got a quiet answer.

"I need to stay," he said quietly. He didn't push. He didn't have to.

"Um well..ah," Jack wasn't really sure how to answer that. Explosive tempers, he could have handled, but a quiet response wasn't something he dealt with often.

"Please Jack, this is something I need to do." Jack started tapping his pen.

"Ok, but you have to promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"I promise," Danny said with a small smile on his lips, "but you're going to have to define stupid."

Jack broke into a grin. "Get outta here."

"If you insist." Danny stood up. "Thanks Jack, for letting me stay." He pushed the glass door open and headed toward the bullpen. They still had a case to solve.

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I think the last part was a bit OoC for Danny, but that's Ok. I hope you like this chapter. It's a bit depressing isn't it? And that's sort of ironic since I'm 4ever Optimistic. Oh well. A note to Phantom Creedy Lover: You've notice the flashback is a bit familiar? Yes I did get the inspiration from a certain hyperactive blonde that we both know. To all: Remember to review.