A/N: I don't own them. Also, there are probably only 2-3 chapters left after this so the end is, in fact, near. Reviews/constructive criticism welcome.
Eames followed quickly behind Crystal Janssen. The woman was blonder than she was and quite a bit taller. If Eames were inclined to be brutally honest she would say that the woman looked like she belong in a strip club. The excess cleavage, overdone make-up, extra-tight jeans… either a strip club or on a corner in Times-Square before Giuliani had come in and cleaned the place up.
The contrasts between Crystal and what Eames knew of Blair were sharp and etched for the world to see. It was abundantly clear that Janssen did not have a "type" and that if he did he clearly had broken out of that mold at some point. Blair was seen as reserved in her clothing choice and in her mannerisms as was clear from talking with her friends and looking through a plethora of her life's photographs over the course of the last few days.
As Eames followed along the path that Crystal blazed before her she had to wonder what it was that made people like Janssen seek such sharp differences in their lives, such black and white with no shades of gray in between. She also wondered at how Janssen ended up with Crystal rather than with Blair. It seemed that his history with Blair spanned the man's whole life and from the conversation she had born witness to, and based on his appearance at that time, it appeared to Eames as though Blair would have been a better fit for Nick.
This should have been the point where, had she been with one of her closest friends or sisters, she would have been reminded that opposites did attract. What it was was the point wherein her subconscious reminded her that maybe this was the case with her and her partner.
Speeding up, Eames pushed those thoughts from her mind. You have a job to do and it is inappropriate to be thinking about your partner in that way. And, thinking about your partner in that way while on the job is exactly the reason why you shouldn't be getting involved with your partner. It will just cause you to think about him on the job in inappropriate ways even more often and that is definitely what you are trying to avoid.
While she warred with herself on the inside her gaze remained fixed on the woman who continued to walk with purpose ahead of her. As Crystal made a right off of Court Street and onto Third Street Eames followed suit.
The woman ahead must have begun to sense someone behind her as she briefly glanced over her shoulder. Eames averted her eyes so as to avoid looking like she was following her. It was a trick that never work but Crystal's defenses must have been low as she went back to her charge ahead with purpose.
She strode up the stoop of a pre-war brownstone and let herself in. In her carelessly distracted state she did not completely close the outer door behind her, leaving Eames free to enter with ease.
Eames stood in the vestibule for a moment, listening as Crystal let herself into the apartment a floor above. When the apartment's door was ajar the cries of a child could be heard from within. Remaining on the landing a floor below Eames pulled out her cell phone and sent Goren and the current Major Case liaison at the DA's office and requested an arrest warrant for Crystal Janssen. When the DA's office came back and asked for some sort of probable cause Goren would be able to provide them with the details.
She sent second text to Goren saying that yes, the child was being kept at Anne's apartment but that she had yet to enter and ascertain her condition.
Eames hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. She knew Goren would have called for back-up for her upon receipt of her first text. Still, she was hesitant to enter the apartment alone.
Her phone vibrated with a response from Goren saying an arrest warrant was being drawn up and that back-up would be arriving in 2-3 minutes. The fact that she wouldn't have to wait long made her mind up for her. A lot could happen in 2-3 minutes, especially to a defenseless child. While she knew that a lot could also happen to her, she couldn't live with herself if something happened to a child.
She took the stairs slowly, trying not to let the creaks of their age announce her presence before she could do it herself. She wanted to present herself to Crystal and Anne on her own terms.
Stopping outside of Anne's apartment door she held her breath, careful not to make a sound, so that she could attempt to hear what was going on within the apartment walls. However, Eames didn't get what she was looking for. All she could hear were the sobs of a baby. Nothing to give her any indication of what was going on inside.
So she knocked.
"Who- who is it?" Anne's voice responded from the other side of the door sounding strained, nervous.
"Anne, it's Detective Eames. I just had a few follow up questions and was in the neighborhood interviewing another of Blair's friends…" She knew it was a long shot of an excuse to get the woman to open the door. Still, it was the only likely reason Eames would have for being in the neighborhood.
There was the sound of movement from within, the sound of the baby's cries getting farther away, a door closing inside of the apartment.
"Uh… um, now isn't really a good time for me." Anne responded but still the apartment door opened a crack, the safety chain staying in place so that Eames couldn't force her way in.
"Anne, please. I just have a few questions. It will only take a few minutes."
The cries of the baby could be heard more clearly now that the apartment door was cracked open.
"Anne. I didn't realize you had a baby…"
"I... I'm watching my sister Leah's kid."
"No. You're not. You have Isabella. You have your dead friend's child locked in your bedroom. My partner and back-up should be here in a matter of seconds. This isn't going to end the way you want it to."
"You don't understand. Crystal. She's nuts. If I let you in here she'll hurt Isabella."
"She's not that nuts. She's pretty crazy, I'll admit. But not that nuts. She doesn't want to go away for killing a child. Jury's look far less favorably on that then they do on killing your peers. So do the Judge's responsible for sentencing people. So she's not going to add to her sentence like this. And I would think a smart woman like you would ant to limit your roll in this and be as cooperative as possible. Let me in Anne, maybe we can try to make this as right as we can under the circumstances before –"
A commotion could be heard from within the apartment while at the same time some uniformed officers came bounding up the stairs.. The door from the back of the apartment opened and Crystal could be heard running out.
"Quick, Anne, unchain the door, there are cops on the fire escape. The big cop that interviewed Nick, he's here. They're going to take her away. They're going to take Bella from me."
"You didn't think you running out of the room and not doing the polite thing and opening the window was going to stop me from getting in, did you?"
Eames heard her partner's voice and began to exhale until she heard the following:
"She's got a knife against the baby's back!"