Thank you all for your kind words. The past few weeks have been stressful, but the news was good in the end, so now we wait to rule out other things. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's funny how writer's block just suddenly backs off. Cheers!

"I'm sorry," Bobby said. Tara was sitting in the SUV beside him looking despondent. "I really thought she'd be there."

"It's fine," she replied. Bobby knew she was not fine, but he dropped it. When they arrived at her apartment, he put the car in park and turned to her.

"She's the one missing out," he told her. "I wish I had listened to you and left it alone."

"Bobby, you were just trying to help. It's okay. It's probably for the best I didn't see her," Tara informed him. "Let's just go inside and have a nice dinner and forget about it."

"Okay," he nodded. He liked the sound of that.

Jack & Sue

"Do you realize that in less than two months we will be married?" Jack asked. Sue smiled at him.

"It seems so far away and yet not really," she answered.

"Exactly! You're not having doubts are you?" he fretted.

"Of course not, silly," she laughed. "If there's one thing I never doubt, it's our love."

"That's reassuring," he smiled, hugging her. Sue felt like her life couldn't get any happier. She had tried the dress on with Lucy earlier, and her friend had cried seeing her in it. She couldn't wait to see Jack's reaction after seeing her in it.

"Are you regretting a small wedding?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "I like that we'll be able to talk to everyone instead of just waving to them."

"My mom keeps trying to get me to invite more people," Sue sighed. Jack understood that his future mother in law could be meddle a little with certain things.

"Stay strong," he advised her. "She'll get the message."

"I hope you're right," she replied. Levi rested his head on her knee. She petted him absently.

"The past few days have been rough," Jack said. "Are you okay?"

"I just keep thinking about what makes someone become so evil," Sue admitted. "Especially at so young of an age. He was only 17."

"18," Jack corrected. "He turned 18 a little while ago. But yes, I do know what you mean. I try not to think about it too much. It only makes my brain hurt." Sue smiled and rubbed his head affectionately.

"We wouldn't want that," she teased.

"It takes all kinds to make this world," Jack went on. "I'm just grateful I have you and our friends. Makes getting through the hard cases easier."

"Do you ever think about leaving the FBI?" Sue asked.

"Sometimes, but then I think who else will catch the bad guys?" he asked, eyes twinkling.

"Hmmm you're right," she smiled. "I guess you should just stay."

"One day," he said, pulling her into his lap, "we are gonna see the world. You and me. We'll leave the life of crime behind us."

"I like the sound of that," she nodded, resting her head onto his chest. The vibration of his heartbeat was always soothing to her. She wanted the next few weeks to go by quickly. She couldn't wait to fall asleep to his heartbeat.

John

He was flying down the streets. Andy Hunter's "Go" playing in his ears. It seemed lately that nothing cleared his mind better than a good run. It also made him feel closer to his dead brother, as crazy as that sounded. He imagined Billy not too far behind him, complaining that John was somehow cheating. Running made him feel like something was in control. He tried not to think about Maddy. She was still struggling with the whole incident the other day despite their talk. He knew it would take some time, but he worried that she'd forever be scarred by it. Jane convinced him to give her some space. He didn't think that was the best solution, but she made the argument that Maddy couldn't fully process everything if John was always there trying to get her mind off it.

"Hey, watch it!" a guy shouted as John narrowly missed him. His back complained at the sudden twist he'd done to avoid collision. How he didn't sprain his ankle, he'd never know. Shaking his head, he carried on. He focused his thoughts on happier things, like Sue's upcoming wedding. His little sister was finally tying the knot, and with a great guy too. He'd always worried about her, but now he realized she was quite capable of taking care of herself. She always had been. She'd been dealt a lousy card when she lost her hearing. He sometimes asked God why He chose her and not one of the boys instead. When he reached his turn around point he slowed down and stopped to take a swig of water. The SUV guy flashed into his head again. Who was he? And why did he help them? It was a mystery, and one that John wanted to solve. He had been digging everywhere to get the license plate, but somehow, all the angles just couldn't catch the entire thing. He wasn't giving up, though. He would find this person even if he spent his whole life on it. He put his water away and started running back. Sometimes he felt like he was running in order to escape the mistakes he made in his past. Sometimes he felt he succeeded.

Charlie

"He totally took my runners," Charlie said, tossing the other shoes out of the closet.

"Who did?" Tess asked, looking around the corner at him.

"John," Charlie replied.

"Why would he take your shoes?"

"Because he has to always be faster than me," Charlie muttered.

"And shoes are what's helping him do that?" Tess teased.

"Who's side are you on?" Charlie asked, affronted. She laughed.

"Yours obviously," she smiled. "Now, if you had just asked me, I would have told you that your shoes are right here." She pulled them out to show him.

"Where did you find them?" he questioned, surprised.

"They were under the table from...you know," she said, tilting her head at him.

"Ohhh right," Charlie nodded. He remembered. Things had been going well for him and Tess since he'd started therapy. He'd managed to work through the majority of his anger, but his grief still slammed him sometimes. His therapist said that was normal, that grief would wax and wane even after all this time. The biggest thing was letting Tess in. Once he had succeeded at that, things had slowly returned to normal, as normal as it could be. They even had a different discussion that had been a long time coming, but they both agreed it was time.

"I'll see you later," she said, giving him a kiss. He donned his shoes and went out into the fresh air. It was another day.

Myles

He was sipping his coffee alone at the diner they sometimes visited. He was still doing some thinking about the whole Lucy thing. He knew she needed to trust him fully before trying again, and he didn't know how to help her with that. Then he kept thinking about what she said, that he only professed his love because he'd almost died. He didn't know if that was the case, but it was something he needed to search further in himself. He had had a few near misses in his career, so why was this one so much more profound? He stared out the window, seeing John go whipping by at lightning speed. He admired the man's ability and endurance. He certainly couldn't run like that, nor did he want to. He turned his attention back to inside the diner. His waitress came back with the bill, and she was smiling. He had noticed that she seemed to always be his waitress whenever he came here, and it was curious.

"Have a great day," she beamed. He thanked her and smiled in return. He stood and donned his coat before picking up the receipt. That's when he saw it.

Jeanine 202 7345

Call me :)

He looked up, but she was already gone. He paid and tucked the receipt into his breast pocket. He didn't really know what he'd do with it.

Amy

She had driven all night to get to her destination. She tried to keep the image of Tara out of her mind. She had looked so grown up! Amy gripped the steering wheel hard. She had made her decision. There was no going back. Once she became a ghost that was it. It was the new life she'd always wanted, away from all the haunts of her past. Why then, did she feel like she was making the wrong decision? She thought about Jonah and what had happened to him. He had no family left, but she did. She looked at the directions again. She was getting closer to where Sal was waiting for her. She wondered what new name she'd take. Bobby's conversation rattled through her mind again. He had wanted her to meet Tara so badly. She assumed he was possibly her boyfriend. If so, her daughter had good taste. This made Amy smile and chuckle. Then she felt sad. Her inner turmoil was beginning to drive her crazy. She turned her radio up louder, trying to drown out all her thoughts. It just wasn't working.

Elsewhere

"Paul, you broke protocol," Sal said in his ear.

"I know," Paul replied.

"What did we discuss when we first met?" Sal asked.

"To not return to your past life," Paul recited.

"Exactly, so why did you?"

"I just needed to clear one thing up," Paul told him. Sal sighed on the other end of the phone.

"Are you certain you won't be traced?"

"I won't. I was very careful. Even if they found the SUV, it's beyond recognition," Paul promised. He had torched it himself.

"All right. So long as that's the last time," Sal warned.

"It is. Definitely," Paul reassured him. He hung up the phone and twirled it in his hand. It had been a close call, but it had been worth it. Now he had closure.

The Next Day

Sue, John, Charlie, and Jane were at the office doing paperwork when Tess showed up.

"Hey darlin'," John said.

"Hi guys," she waved. "Charlie? Can I talk to you?"

"Yea, sure," he said. He hopped up from his chair and followed her out the door.

"She sure is glowing," Jane commented. John shot her a raised eye brow in response. Jane just shrugged. Sue missed the comment, but she also noticed that Tess looked different.

"What's up?" Charlie asked her once they were in the hall.

"I went to the doctor today," she said, smiling.

"And?" he asked, nervous.

"Charlie, I'm pregnant," she told him. It took two seconds before it hit him. He gasped.

"I'm gonna be a dad?"

"Yes!" she laughed. He picked her up and spun her around.

"Can we tell them?" Charlie asked, gesturing.

"I don't see why not," Tess agreed. They walked back in hand in hand, almost hitting John with the door.

"Ahem, sorry 'bout that," John coughed.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Charlie demanded.

"Noooo," John denied.

"What's up?" Jane asked, changing the topic. Charlie and Tess looked at each other.

"You say it," he told her.

"Okay," she giggled. "I'm pregnant!"

"Ahhhhhh!" Jane squealed. She ran around her desk and grabbed her sister in law into a bear hug. Sue joined in.

"Congrats man," John said, punching Charlie in the shoulder. "About time."

"Yea well, we decided it was the right time," Charlie replied.

"This is so exciting!" Jane cried. "We have to celebrate. Tonight. Our place."

"You got it," Tess nodded. She peeked at Charlie, who was looking at her with pride. They were going to be parents. It was the best news they'd gotten in a long time.

The Bull Pen-FBI

"How are things with your family?" Lucy asked D. He looked up from his paperwork.

"They're getting better. The kids are still having nightmares. I don't expect that to go away any time soon," D sighed.

"It was quite the ordeal for them," Lucy empathized.

"Onward and upward," D nodded. "It'll get better."

"Hey," Jack said. "Sue just texted me. Charlie and Tess are having a baby. Party at John's tonight."

"Oh my gosh!" Lucy gushed. "That's so exciting!"

"I can see Charlie as a dad," Myles mused. "Drumsticks in one hand and rocking the baby's crib in the other." Charlie was known to be a drummer, not that they'd heard him play anything yet.

"I hope the baby doesn't get his hair," Bobby joked. Tara laughed. Charlie did have very unruly hair that went in every direction no matter what he tried to do with it.

"It's an open invite," Jack went on. "So whoever wants to go they're welcome." The others chattered about it. They definitely couldn't miss out on razzing Charlie.

Evening

"Hope y'all like pizza!" John called, carrying the big stack of boxes in.

"Aww you're not cooking?" Jack teased. He remembered his cooking abilities from the lake.

"Not tonight. Pizza is Charlie's favorite food anyway," John told him.

"You just can't go wrong with it," Charlie shrugged, taking a slice. The house was a hum of conversation. The women were all gathered around Tess and talking animatedly about baby names and other plans.

"Any leads on that SUV?" Bobby asked in a hushed voice. John shook his head.

"I'm still working on it," he answered.

"Let's not ruin tonight with work," Jack suggested.

"Hear, hear," Myles said, clinking his glass with Charlie's. Bobby caught Tara's eyes across the room. She smiled a secret smile just for him. He winked in return. Jack signed something to Sue, who signed back. D hadn't come as his children were afraid to have him gone longer than he needed to be outside of work.

"So, boy or girl? What's your gut tell you?" John asked Charlie when they went to refill their drinks together.

"I dunno. I'm fine with either," Charlie replied.

"Hope it's a boy. It's very stressful keeping teenage boys off a girl," John advised. Charlie snorted into his drink. "I'm serious! Teenage girls are like a huge magnet. Not sure if you could handle it."

"Oh, I think I could handle it," Charlie argued.

"Nuh uh."

"Tie breaker!" Charlie laughed. Then he remembered. John gave him a sad look. Billy was always their tie breaker in these types of arguments.

"He'd side with you," John reassured him. "Cos you were his favorite."

"You're just saying that," Charlie said.

"No, it's true," John nodded. It was getting easier to talk about Billy at least. After the initial moment of pain was over. The evening went on without any further incidents. When it grew later, Bobby signaled to Tara that he was ready to split. She was also ready. A chorus of good nights and congratulations were called out as everyone eventually went home. It had been a happy night, and goodness knows they all needed one.

Bobby & Tara

It had been a long time since they'd had such a make out fest, and Bobby remembered how much he had missed being that close with her. They were back at Tara's apartment after Tess and Charlie's party. It had been a long night of not being close to one another. The knocking at the door was a huge annoyance, but he got up to answer it.

"I'll be back," he winked, making Tara grin in return.

"Hurry," she called. He went down to the door and opened it. He couldn't believe who he saw.

"Hi," Amy said.

"Why are you here?" he asked, trying to stay calm. He shut the door behind him so Tara wouldn't hear.

"I thought about what you said," she explained. "I want to see her, talk to her."

"What happened to running away?" Bobby asked.

"That is something a coward would do, and I'm not a coward. I face my demons, my problems, and I work through them. I need to apologize for what I did," she finished.

"Very brave of you," Bobby said.

"Who is it?" Tara called in the background, her voice muffled by the door.

"Is she with you?" Amy asked.

"Yea," Bobby answered. "This is her apartment after all."

"Can I see her?" she asked.

"Just...hang on," he said, going back inside. He stood there staring at the door feeling very nervous suddenly.

"Hey," Tara said, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around him. "What's going on?" Bobby turned until they were face to face.

"Tara, your mother is outside," Bobby said. She froze, mouth open in shock.

"But...how?" she asked.

"I gave her your address in case she changed her mind," he answered. "She changed her mind."

"I...wow. She's...out there. We're really doing this," Tara said. She needed to catch her breath.

"We're doing it together," he promised. "I will not leave your side."

"Okay," she nodded. He pulled her into a tight hug. Her heart was hammering. She was going to meet her mother. All she had to do was open the door.

I await all your lovely reviews! Also, don't forget to check out Booth & Bobby: FBI (Friends, Bros, & Inspirations) if you haven't already! There will be romance for Bobby in it ;)