Mac couldn't judge which he felt more, relief that Flack had found her, or anger at what she had done. No he knew, anger. He was clenching and unclenching his jaw, as he watched as Flack made his way down the bus followed by Kenzie. He could feel Stella rubbing his arm, her attempt to keep him calm, but every fibre of him wanted to scream and shout blue murder at her. He didn't know that he could feel this angry at one person, why did she think she could just walk in and out of his life. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, she knew she was in trouble and he was glad, he secretly hoped she felt terrible at what she'd done.

"Mac'' Flack gave an acknowledging nod but the look on Mac's face meant that he didn't say more. Mac's eyes were focused on Kenzie; she was uncomfortably shifting her feet, head bowed eyes remaining on the floor. Mac could only see red; he could feel everything inside of him building up, he grabbed Kenzie by the upper arm and semi guided/dragged her over to the empty waiting room behind them. He heard Flack begin to move forward towards them, only to be stopped by Stella, telling him in hushed tones to leave it and they needed to sort it out themselves. He roughly pushed the door open and let Kenzie walk inside, watching as she stood silently between the plastic chairs.

"Just what were you thinking?'' He asked, he could hear just how harsh he sounded. "You can't just take off whenever you feel like it, I demand an explanation now!'' His voice level rising until he was almost shouting at her. She shifted her feet again, but didn't speak. "Do you think it's funny? I've had half the team searching for you, Danny and Lindsay are on their day off searching Grand Central, do I even get a reason?''

"I heard you and Julia talking…'' Kenzie mumbled, her eyes were now fixed on him.

"And?'' Mac snapped, sometimes he really felt like punching the wall when he was frustrated.

"She called me a psycho… and you didn't disagree…'' Her voice seemed to rise slightly in confidence.

"Didn't disagree? Just because I didn't scream at her didn't mean I agreed with her.''

"You're screaming now,'' Kenzie said, she'd planted her feet looking more sturdy and confident.

"So what? Every time I get angry I'm meant to scream, cause that's not how I am.'' Mac snapped back, his voice level dropped. "Seems that I only shout when I'm around you.''

"Sorry that I annoy you so much.'' Her voice seemed to harden.

"Annoy me? Walking out of the apartment with no word, how that could possibly annoy me?'' He sarcastically asked, maybe Flack was rubbing off on him too much.

"I dunno, face it this isn't working,'' she threw her hands up in the air, "You know nothing about me, may as well walk away before we get hurt.''

"Know nothing about you? I know more than you think.'' She was glaring at him, challenging him to prove her wrong. "I know that you've been taking food when you think I'm not looking, so I'm guessing you've gone hungry a few times in your life. You flinch when you think someone's angry at you, and you freeze up, so that beating you got was not your first. And you think that I'm going to be like that too, so I know you had a bag packed and ready to go under your bed somewhere, I'm surprised that you don't have that with you.'' He made a gesture to the small shoulder bag that she has with her.

"So, big deal you've worked a few things out detective, I would have thought you would have got more than that.'' She was spitting the words out, for a girl who froze when she was scared, she still had a temper underneath it all.

"What more do you want? I even know about you're police cautions, just how many cars did you steal?'' He could see something turn in her eyes that had struck something inside her.

"You know nothing about that!'' She shouted back she had balled her hands into fists. "You think you know everything, but you don't. You don't know what I went through, it was survival it's not like I'm proud of it, what else was I meant to do?''

"You could have walked into any police station and told someone, god knows you were in them enough.''

"And then what? Been chucked to child services, put in some foster home? No-one's gonna want a kid with police cautions, hell knows even my own father isn't on my side.''

"What's that meant to mean?''

"You lied, you said that we'd be fair but you sided with her. I'm not taking that again.'' Her voice went high that the final comment.

"Taking what again?''

"I'm not going to be some street kid you can kick about when you get bored, of people not caring about me, why can't someone give a damn about me? I just want someone to fight for me for once, I'm sick of having to fight for myself.'' He could see tears beginning to spring to her eyes, although she fighting to not let them fall.

"Not giving a damn? How do you think I know all that stuff? How do you think I figured out you'd be on a bus to Chicago?''

"I thought Flack…'' She started quietly.

"I've just spent the last two hours searching the city for you, had half the team out as well, would you consider that not caring?'' He asked, his tone had softened even more.

"No…'' She was giving him a disbelieving look.

"Do you know how worried I've been?''

"You were worried?'' She asked.

"What else would I be?''

"I thought you were just angry at me'' she said, once again she began to shift her feet uncomfortably.

"Oh trust me, I'm angry too.'' He ran his fingers through his hair. "Did you think I didn't care?''

"Well…yeah…sort of…'' Her head had bowed again. "It's kinda hard when… you know…''

"She might not have cared, but does that mean that no-one cares?'' He felt himself becoming calmer.

"No…''

"Good, cause I care. And see those people out there,'' He pointed to Flack and Stella who were in deep discussion outside the waiting room, "they care too.''

"I'm sorry.'' She said, "It's just…I promised myself not to be pushed around again.''

"Maybe we should have a promise to talk, rather than just running at the first sign of trouble.'' He suggested, she gave an agreeing nod. "You're grounded by the way.'' She gave him a disbelieving look. "It's a sign I care.'' He felt himself smile, he had absolutely no idea why, maybe now that the anger had subsided, that relief he had first felt had come to the surface.

"I've never been grounded before;'' She gave a small smile back at Mac.

"Trust me, I've never grounded anyone before. You're also going to apologise to everyone who's been out looking for you.'' She nodded in response. "And I know that you don't want too, but I want you to make a proper statement about the robbery, and anything else you know, so that we get them behind bars. You know it's the right thing to do.''

"Ok…But you gotta promise that whatever I say, you won't hold it against me, I've done some things that I'm not proud of.'' She asked quietly, he nodded and smiled in return, although he wasn't too sure what she could have done that would be that bad.