Author's Notes: Okay, okay, okay. I know this is suppose to be the rescuing of Bobby, but I had to stop somewhere. I'm trying to work as fast as I can to get the next chapter up. As always, thank you to everyone who takes the time to read and/or review my stuff. I'm very grateful. The usual disclaimer: LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a little while. Read, review and enjoy.


Gage: (laughs) "Well, that's one working theory." Eames: "But, why would I do that now? Wouldn't I need, what did you tell the captain, some terrible trauma?"

"If you think I'm going to allow you to come with me and Detective Eames, you are sadly mistaken," Captain Ross said to Angel as he closed his office door. She didn't say anything. She just stood there, holding onto one of the office chairs, and staring straight ahead at the wall. Ross walked around the chair to stand in front of her. "I'm going with you," she said quietly as teardrops rolled down her face. She continued looking at the wall over his shoulder.

Ross shook his head and sighed heavily. "Angelica, you are in no condition to be flying anywhere. Besides that, I cannot allow a civilian to become involved in police business," he said. Angel looked at the captain. "'You can't help me, querida. I'm not worth it. You can't save me.' That's what Bobby said to me this morning," she said as she tried to control her emotions. "My husband is drunk and out of his mind because he's listening to some voice inside of his head telling him to kill himself. That phone call was probably the only moment of clarity he's had to ask for help. He called me, his wife. Not Lewis. Not Alex. Not you. Me."

Angel bit her quivering bottom lip, pointing her index finger at Ross. She said, "If you think I'm going to turn my back on Bobby's cry for help, then you're the one who's mistaken, Captain Ross. You want me to stay out of your way? Then you'd better lock me up in a jail cell because that's the ONLY way you'll keep me from helping him and out of your way." Ross folded his arms across his chest and stared at Angel as she looked down to rub her stomach when she felt the baby start to move around. "Ssshh, mi hijo. It's alright. Be still," she said softly. Putting Angel in a jail cell was a seriously tempting idea, but Ross thought better of it as he saw a vision of his career and reputation going down the drain flash before his eyes.


Ross sighed heavily again. "Are you able to fly?" he asked. Angel nodded. "I have a doctor's note in my purse," she replied. He pointed a finger at her and said, "If there's any sign, and I mean ANY SIGN, of trouble, I'm sending you back here and have you placed under house arrest. Do I make myself absolutely clear?" She nodded. "Understood." Ross shook his head and mumbled under his breath, "I must be out of my damn mind," as he grabbed his overcoat, then opened the door and walked out of the office with Angel following him.

"Are you afraid of flying?" Captain Ross asked Officer Gibbs when he reached where she and Alex were standing. "No, sir. I'm not," she replied, shaking her head. "Good! Get your jacket. You're coming with Detective Eames and me." A quizzical look crossed the young officer's face. "Sir?" He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb at Angel, saying, "She's your responsibility on this trip. If she gets in the way, you are to put her back on the helicopter, take her home and place her under house arrest. You understand?" Officer Gibbs nodded quickly, then walked a couple feet away to get her jacket. Angel remained quiet as she picked up her purse and slung it onto her shoulder, a very faint smile of victory on her face.

Alex looked at Captain Ross, her eyes wide with surprise. He paused long enough to give her a glaring look. "Not a word, Detective. Not a single word," he said. "Get your stuff and let's go." He continued walking towards the elevators. Alex gathered her things and fell in step behind the captain along with Angel. Officer Gibbs brought up the rear. "What did you say to him?" Alex whispered to Angel. She shrugged slightly. "Not much really," she replied. "But I think having the pregnant wife of a missing Major Case detective locked up behind bars without any probable cause wouldn't look too good for him or NYPD." A small smile graced Alex's lips as she began to understand the predicament Angel had caused for Captain Ross.


Goren: "You did this, didn't you? You killed my brother." Gage: "No, no. It was Nicole."

"It doesn't matter who killed Frankie," Bobby mumbled drunkenly and softly to his haggard reflection in the mirror above the dresser. "They should have killed me, too. I don't deserve to live." He managed to get on his feet and stumbled to where he was standing now. He leaned on the dresser with one hand while clutching the last bottle of Glenlivet in the other hand, which was two-thirds full. The Voice let out a sinister chuckle. "You satisfied now? Glad that my miserable life will be over?!" Bobby winced in pain at the loudness of his voice. "I will be when you finish that bottle," The Voice replied. "You think I won't do it?! You think I'm a coward afraid of death?!" "Stop your yapping, you pathetic piece of shit! Either you drink or I'll make you eat your gun! Take your fucking pick, Bobby Brady!" "I'll show you who's a coward," Bobby snarled. He took a deep breath, then threw his head back as he placed the bottle to his lips, drinking its contents as quickly as he could.

["you have no right to take his life,"] Hope said. The Voice let out a hardy laugh. He said, "I have every right to take his life. I own him, Hope. You seem to forget that he came looking for ME, not the other way around. He always looks for me when things get bad. I could have taken him when he was in Tates, but I didn't because it wasn't time yet. So, I suggest you go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of because there is no hope here! Not for Bobby."

Hope scoffed. ["bobby has done nothingto warrant your hurting him like this! he needs help!] "Bobby Brady needs help?!" The Voice said. "That's quite a joke you've made. Who in their right mind would come and help this pathetic excuse for a human being?" ["angel will come. she will help bobby.] "You think she'll come and save him? She doesn't give a damn about Bobby. Angel doesn't love him." ["you are very wrong about her. she loves bobby and she'll help him. please, show him some mercy. spare his life!"] Hope pleaded. Once again, The Voice let out a sinister laugh. "There is no room for mercy, Hope. Look at that. Bobby Brady's life as you know it is just about over."

Hope watched with fear as she watched Bobby gulp down the last few drops of alcohol. When he finished off the bottle, he threw it across the room, smashing it against the bathroom's doorframe. Bobby held onto to the dresser as he turned around, spying his gun on the floor. He made a move to walk towards it, but he began to stumble erratically. His stumbling caused him to fall backwards, his head hitting the sharp corner of the dresser before he hit the floor.

As Bobby drifted off into unconsciousness, he heard The Voice laughing and saying, "My work here is done." He could have sworn he heard The Voice's footsteps grow fainter and fainter. Then Bobby thought he felt someone put their arms around him. The last thing he heard before the darkness came was ["hold on, bobby. help is coming. your angel is coming to save you."]


Gage: "Well, you've had those, haven't you? In spades! PTSD, pent up anger. (laughs) It's all there."

When Captain Ross and company arrived in Delmar, they were greeted at the heliport by a man dressed in a gray pinstripe suit. He had a portly medium build, dull brown eyes, and black hair with flecks of gray in it. "Good Lord, Danny," the man said with a chuckle as he extended his hand. "What kind of strings did you pull to get a helicopter?" Ross just smiled and shook his hand. "Don't worry about it, Leo," he said. The man named Leo shook his head. "Whatever you say," he answered.

"Leo, I want you to meet Detective Eames and Officer Gibbs," Ross said. "Detective, Officer, this is Captain Leo Hardeman." They each shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Captain Hardeman looked behind Officer Gibbs at Angel. "You must Detective Goren's wife," he said, holding out his hand out to her. She nodded and shook his hand. He patted her hand and gave her his best reassuring smile. "We'll find him. Don't you worry." Angel gave him a small smile.

"Follow me," Captain Hardeman said. "I've got a couple of cars waiting for us." As they walked out of the building, Ross said, "I take it you haven't had any luck locating Goren's car or Goren himself." Hardeman shook his head. "Not yet. But we've caught a break with the alcohol he bought. There's only 5 stores in the area that carry Glenlivet. We checked out 2 of those stores before heading over here." When they exited the building, Hardeman led them to where 2 black Explorers were parked. 3 plainclothes officers were standing next to the SUVs. He pulled a set of car keys out of his overcoat pocket, handed them to Ross and said, "You and your people can follow us. We'll swing by the station to drop off Mrs. Goren, then hit the other 3 liquor stores."


"Mrs. Goren can come with us," Ross said, handing the keys to Alex. "Officer Gibbs is here to keep her out of our way." Hardeman looked at Angel, then at Ross. He just shrugged and sighed heavily. "As you wish, Danny," he said as he headed towards the other Explorer, shaking his head.

By the time they reached the 3rd liquor store, Angel was starting to believe that they would find Bobby laying dead in the street somewhere. "It's too late to find Bobby. He's gone," she thought to herself as she stared out of the window. She and Officer Gibbs were sitting in the back of the SUV, waiting for Alex and Captain Ross to come out of the store. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front doors being opened. "Buckle up," Alex said as she slid into the driver's seat, Ross got into the passenger seat. She quickly belted herself in, started the ignition and switched on the sirens.

"What's going on, Alex?" Angel shouted over the noise while she fastened her seatbelt. "The store manager remembered selling his last 15 bottles of Glenlivet to some man 2 days ago" Alex replied. "He said the guy was looking for some place to stay, so he gave him directions to a hotel 20 miles away. Captain Hardeman is going to have an ambulance meet us there."

Angel sat back in her seat as she tightly gripped the fingers of one hand with the other hand. She looked out of the window as tears started to form in her eyes. "Hold on, Bobby," she thought. "I'm almost there."