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As usual, all mistakes are my own so I will apologize for them now!

Chapter 14

Luke handed her the envelope with her name on it. In the top left corner there was the letter D. "Son of a bitch," she said as she looked to Jimmy. "What do you wanna bet this was dropped off by a petite Hispanic woman?"

Daisy nodded, "I'll pull the security footage and see for sure."

Annie watched her leave and then quickly set the envelope down when a thought crossed her mind, "Jimmy, we need to check this for prints…if the woman is the one who dropped this off her prints could help us identify her."

Jimmy went to his desk and grabbed a letter opener and some latex gloves. When he returned, he held the envelope by the corner with his gloved hands and carefully opened it. He slid the paper out and carefully unfolded it. He then sat down by Annie and held the letter so that they could both read it. The rest of the team watched and waited to hear what it said.

Dearest Annie,

I am sure by now you have figured out that I know about your condition. I can't believe you have let this happen. You must be devastated. I seen you leave the doctor's office the other night. I noticed how upset you were. With your family history, I can't say that I blame you. You are probably scared to death to bring a child into this world in fear that it may give in to the darker side that it's grandfather turned to. The side that you fight every day. Not to mention that you never had a great mother figure either. It must pain you to think that this could be the one thing that could push you over the edge. For me on the other hand, it's a dream come true. I have always wanted a child to carry on my tradition, just as I have carried on my father's. The thought of me raising you and your partner's baby must really be unsettling for you, but don't worry. I will give him or her a life full of excitement, the life that you were destined for. The life that your father wanted for you. On the upside, this means you at least get to live until this child is born. The last thing you will see before you leave this world is your child in my arms. My father sends his regards. Take care of yourself. I'll see you soon.

Sincerely, Diablo

Annie looked to Jimmy, tears filling her eyes. "Sshh, he's just trying to get in your head Boots. He will never touch you, I will never let that happen," Jimmy said pulling her into his arms and not caring who seen. He kissed the top of her head as he held her.

"Luke, hand me a plastic bag out of that cabinet," Jimmy said pointing to the cabinet across the room.

Jimmy took the bag Luke provided and picked the envelope up by the corner carefully placing it in the bag. "Luke, take this to the lab and have them dust it for prints. I will call and let them know to be ready when you get there. When you drop it off, get back here right away, we will be in the conference room."

Luke nodded, taking the bag and hurrying out the door. "Jimmy, what the hell is going on?" Marco asked concerned.

Jimmy shook his head, "He's turned the tables, Annie is not the only thing he want's anymore." Marco shook his head in confusion. "We will explain everything as soon as Luke and Daisy get back," Jimmy said.

Jimmy picked up his phone and dialed the number to Charlie up stairs. "Hey Charlie, Luke is headed up there with an envelope that I need you to check for prints. This is top priority so I would appreciate it if you could do it right away," he told Charlie when he answered.

"Sure thing, I will call you with results as soon as I get any," Charlie said.

"Thanks man," Jimmy said as he disconnected.

Within minutes Daisy was back, footage in hand. "You ready?" she asked Annie who was still sitting at the table with Jimmy.

Jimmy took a few minutes and told Daisy about the letter, leaving out the part about Annie's family. That's something else the team needed to be told about, but he didn't know that Annie could handle everything at the moment. The problem was, all of it fit together. Somehow Diablo knew a lot about Annie's past. He couldn't have found this information out by just researching her. This had to come from someone that knew her family personally.

Annie rolled her head around and then let it rest on the table again. Maya wasn't lying when she said stress would exacerbate the pain. Ever since they had decided the rest of the team must be told about this unexpected pregnancy, and then the new letter from Diablo had arrived, the pain had constantly worsened. She also felt a tinge of nausea and she knew that would probably worsen as well. Her condition didn't go unnoticed by Jimmy or Daisy. However, they understood how Annie felt about the need to be present when they gave the team this news. Annie finally spoke quietly, trying her best to keep her voice from cracking, "Jimmy, we need to go back in my father's past…find out how Diablo knows so much. There has to be a connection. Maybe his father and mine knew each other somehow. There's just…there's gotta be something…"

"I agree," Jimmy said, noticing the confused look on Daisy's face. "It's a long story," he told her. "One that probably needs told to everyone else on the team as well."

Annie gave a subtle nod and slowly stood, testing her weak legs before she started slowly towards the door. Jimmy kept a hand on her arm, "Take it easy Boots."

They made their way into the conference room. Luke had just gotten back from upstairs and he and Marco were waiting patiently. They immediately noticed Annie's condition. Luke rushed to get her a chair pulled out and ready, "Annie, you okay?"

She gave him a faint smile, opting not to talk. Jimmy stayed right beside her as she eased down in the chair Luke had provided. She tried to take slow deep breaths to keep the pain and nausea under control as much as she could. Daisy quickly pulled up the footage on the big screen. Sure enough, around forty five minutes ago a petite Hispanic woman walked by the front doors and taped the envelope up, constantly glancing around to make sure the coast was clear. And then, right before she walked away, she looked directly into the security camera that was right above the double doors. She had an unmistakable look of sorrow on her face. After a few seconds, she turned and hurried away.

"Same woman as before, but is it just me or did she look like that was the last thing she wanted to be doing?" Daisy asked.

"We need to find out who she is, but we have absolutely nothing to go on besides a picture unless Charlie finds some prints. She could be illegal for all we know…but one thing I am pretty certain of, by the look on her face she is not doing this by her own free will," Jimmy said.

Marco and Luke both looked confused. "Okay, when did you guys learn about this woman?" Marco asked. He wanted to ask about the letter as well but the reaction it had caused Annie to have kept him from doing so.

"We seen her on some security footage we checked this morning after we left the crime scene…she followed Annie and I into the doctors office a couple of nights ago," Jimmy said.

"What about the new victim this morning? Was there anything new at the scene?" Luke asked.

Jimmy pulled up the latest victims DMV picture on the big screen. "You could say that," he said, watching both Luke and Marco as they looked at the picture.

"He's breaking his pattern. Are we sure this is one of Diablo's?" Marco asked shaking his head.

"Yea, he left a note to make sure we knew it was him," Daisy said.

Jimmy took a deep breath and went around the table to take a seat beside Annie. He knew how bad she was hurting, so he decided the quicker they got through this, the better it would be. "Look guys, there is something we need to let you in on. We were trying to keep it quiet, at least until Diablo was caught because the last thing we needed was for him to find out. Unfortunately, it looks like he somehow already knows. However, it's still something we want kept quiet until this case is wrapped up, or at least for a few weeks so we can get our heads wrapped around it better…" Jimmy took a few seconds to let it sink in.

"What's wrong Jimmy?" Marco asked.

"Can you guys give me your word that this will stay within our team until we say otherwise?" Jimmy asked, looking more at Luke. He knew Marco would be on board, but he worried about Luke.

Marco instantly nodded, looking to Luke for his reaction to Jimmy's question.

Annie finally spoke up, keeping her voice slow and steady in order to be able to speak through the pain, "Luke, you said you wanted to be a member of this team….to really be a member. In order to do that…we have to be able to trust you…with everything. When something goes down, we all stick together. That's what a team is. Now, we need you to know this information to be able to work this case. All we are asking from you is for you to keep quiet and let us break the news to the chief when we feel the time is right. Can you do that?" She closed her eyes and inhaled as a sharper pain hit.

Jimmy watched her for a second before looking back to Luke, "You in or out?" he asked with a little bit of urgency. He was ready to get Annie to the bunks and in the bed where she should have been an hour ago.

Luke finally nodded, "I'm in…I may not like it, but I'm in."

Jimmy nodded, "Okay…" He pulled up the victims information on the big screen. "Everything about this victim is different from Annie. Her hair, her eyes, her job…everything that Diablo has looked for in a victim since he jumped back on our radar. Even the manner in which he killed this woman is different."

"He's trying to tell us something," Luke suggested.

Jimmy nodded, glancing at Annie before he looked back to the big screen and pulled up the last bit of information. "The only constant between Annie and this victim is that Emma Finley was pregnant."

Jimmy paused, waiting for the information to sink in. "Wait a minute…you're telling us that Annie is…pregnant?" Marco asked shocked, looking back and forth between Annie and Jimmy.

Annie nodded, unable to find any words. Luke shook his head, "How long have you known?"

"Found out night before last," she said quietly.

"And Diablo already knows?" Marco filled in.

"The same woman that taped that envelope on the door followed us into the hospital. She followed us all the way into the women's clinic where my friend who is also an OB works. Diablo, or this mystery woman, apparently seen Emma Finley at the same clinic with the same doctor the next day. And to top it all off, he probably seen the doctor enter this building last night when I called her to come check on Annie, which would have confirmed his suspicion," Jimmy told them.

"Okay, let me get this straight. He found out that Annie was pregnant because she went to see this doctor friend of yours and then your doctor friend came here last night? How does Diablo know for certain that his assumption is correct? I mean…is it not true that an OB doctor is also a…woman doctor for other things?" Luke asked a little uncomfortably.

Jimmy nodded, "Yes but anyone with a computer can Google Maya and find out that she specializes in obstetrics. Her main job as a doctor is seeing women through their pregnancies, from conception to birth. She is the doctor that other doctor's refer patients to, especially patients that are having problems during pregnancy."

Luke nodded, "Okay…and Annie is having problems? I mean, she is obviously hurting and I'm not an expert but I am pretty sure that is not a good thing."

Jimmy nodded, "She has another underlying condition. As of right now it's not affecting the baby that we know of, but it is causing Annie a lot of pain. It's still too early in the pregnancy to hear the baby's heart beat, so before we tell the chief and everyone else finds out, we want to wait for the doctor to say there is a strong healthy heartbeat."

Marco looked stunned, "Isn't there anything they can do so she doesn't hurt so bad?"

Jimmy shook his head, "Not without doing harm to the baby."

"And Annie hurting…that's not harming the baby?" Luke asked concerned.

"Right now Maya seems not to think so, but if the pain gets bad enough it could cause a miscarriage. That's why we don't really want this out right now. If something does happen, which we hope it doesn't, but if it does, Annie doesn't want to have to explain it to everyone. It would just be easier if no one knows to begin with, at least until the doc says everything looks good," Jimmy explained.

"So what is the doctor saying right now?" Marco asked.

"Everything looks normal, but she also said that until we hear a strong steady heartbeat that we shouldn't get our hopes up, just to hang in there and hope everything works out," Jimmy said.

Annie leaned back in her chair and sighed loudly. The pain had died down some but the nausea was getting stronger. "Jimmy…I'm gonna be sick…" she whispered. She closed her eyes, trying to suppress it so that she could make it to the bathroom. After a few seconds she knew that wasn't possible. Daisy quickly grabbed the small trash can from the corner and handed it to Jimmy. He held it in front of Annie as she got sick, the only thing coming up was the little bit of water she had drank a few minutes ago.

When she was finished she held her head in her hands. She hated being like this in front of her team. The team that was suppose to trust her to do the right thing. She was suppose to lead by example, and what a great one she had set. Not only was she unable to do her job at the moment, but she had went and started a relationship with her partner and was now pregnant with his child. How were they all suppose to trust her after this. She finally looked up to see that all eyes were on her, "I'm sorry guys…I…we…never meant for this to happen." There were tears in her eyes as she looked at Jimmy and then to the rest of the team.

Marco walked around the table and leaned over to hug her, "Don't worry chica, you're not letting anyone down here. I just can't believe it took you two this long. Everything is going to work out. And we are going to be here every step of the way."

Annie felt the tears fall as Marco continued to hug her. She didn't realize how much she had been holding back. Marco hugged her even tighter when he felt her body shake with the pent up emotion. "Thank you," she whispered to him, not trying to hold back the tears of relief.

Luke, on the other hand, stayed quiet across the room. He had been on the H.E.A.T. team for several months now and had never even once seen Annie show this kind of emotion. He wanted to be mad at her, mad that she had let her and Jimmy's relationship progress to this. It would definitely affect the whole team when the chief found out. Sure, he and Daisy had let things get out of hand once. But that was different. Him and Daisy didn't lead the team, and they weren't partners like Annie and Jimmy. They all should be upset with the two of them. But as he watched her break down in Marco's arms his heart broke. It was in that moment that he seen how much she really cared for this team. He knew that she understood the consequences this could have on the team, and he knew that's what was tearing her apart. He finally walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Annie, it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay…and so are we. You're right, this is a team. And when one of us messes up, the others should always be here to support them. We're here…and we aren't going anywhere." He waited on her to look up to him, a few tears still rolling down her cheek. "Stop crying, you shouldn't cry about this. Everything's going to work out," he said softly.

"Thanks Luke," she said nodding.

"Okay, I think it's time you went to lay down for a bit," Jimmy said to Annie.

Annie nodded, "I need to get something to eat first, not that I'm all that hungry but it would probably be a good idea to try and get something down while the nausea isn't too bad."

Jimmy smiled, "Good girl," he said taking her hand. "I will be back in a few minutes. Daisy, make sure they are completely up to speed on the new victim."

Annie and Jimmy went to the lounge. Jimmy made her sit while he fixed a turkey sandwich. He put a few carrot sticks on the plate with it and brought her a glass of milk to drink.

She looked at the glass and made a face, "I'm not drinking that," she said.

Jimmy looked at her, "Annie, it's good for you, for the baby…" he said.

"I understand that, but I'm not even sure I can keep a turkey sandwich and a few carrot sticks down, much less milk which you know I hate," she said.

He nodded getting back up and pouring the milk out. He brought back a bottle of water. After she had ate most of the sandwich and a couple carrot sticks, Jimmy followed her to the bunks. She got into one of the beds as Jimmy sat down beside her. "You going to be okay for a little while?"

She nodded, "I think so…"

"You still hurting? And don't lie to me," he said.

"Yea, but it's not as bad as it was," she admitted.

He sat quietly for a minute, but she could tell there was something still on his mind. Finally, he looked back to her, "Annie, about your father…" he trailed off.

"I know…" she nodded again.

"I don't know any way around it," he said shaking his head.

"I know…" she repeated.

"I will research it…maybe there's no need to get into it with the whole team," he said trying to give her a break from the stress. He knew she didn't want the rest of the team to know about her past and he didn't blame her. She was a US Marshal with a fugitive for a father. The last thing she needed right now was to be compared to him. "You just rest for a while, and maybe by the time you feel better I will know something."

She gave him a small smile, "Thanks."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "If you need anything, or start hurting worse, just call me. I'll be at my desk."

She rolled to her side and closed her eyes as Jimmy walked out of the room. She was sleeping within minutes.

Back at his desk Jimmy pulled up William Frost's old files. He went through all of the records trying to find some connection with the Vasquez family. William Frost had been a busy man before his wife had died. He had fell off the radar for a little while right after her death, presumably to take care of his daughter. But then, about a year later, he was up to his old tricks again. He had many warrants still attached to his name which included charges such as racketeering, extortion, armed robbery, and drug trafficking charges, but he had fell off the map a long time ago.

Jimmy pulled up the records for Frost from 1994, which was two years before Juan Vasquez was incarcerated. He looked for any sign of the Vasquez family in the records. He never found one, but he did find where Frost had an unknown accomplice. It was believed to be a woman by the name of Mary Hendrix. Jimmy quickly checked the date in the file. June of 96'. He pulled up the photo of the woman that had been taken when the police questioned her and then set her free because of lack of evidence. His heart skipped a beat as he went to Annie's desk and took Juan Vasquez's files from her drawer. He flipped through until he came to the pictures of the horrible crime that had landed Vasquez in prison. Juan Vasquez's pregnant mistress that he had murdered, and the woman that had been suspected of being William Frost's partner, were one in the same.

Jimmy sat back down at his desk. He looked through the Vasquez file carefully. Mary Hendrix was murdered in October of 96', just four months after she was suspected of being Frost's partner. It was too big of a coincidence. There was now no doubt in Jimmy's mind that William Frost and Juan Vasquez knew each other. Jimmy sat dead still for another minute, his stomach flipping as a very unsettling thought entered his mind. Juan Vasquez's son was named Willy. Jimmy wondered if that could be a coincidence, or if Vasquez's son could indeed be named after William Frost.

Daisy noticed Jimmy's change in demeanor from across the room. She got up from her desk and made her way over to him, "You find something?" she asked as she watched him startle out of his trance.

"Maybe…and if I'm right it's not going to be good." He shook his head, still trying to tell himself that it wasn't possible. Annie would have been fifteen years old when all of this happened, the same age she was when her father disappeared for good. By that point in her life she was pretty much on her own anyways. She took care of herself, only seeing her father when he popped in between his drug running and running from the law. She wouldn't have known anything about what her father was involved in. She had made it a point by that time that she would no longer be his alibi and she did not want involved in any kind of illegal activity. Come to think of it, the last time she had seen her father was in late September, 1996.

Jimmy lowered his head in his hands, "This can't be possible," he said to himself.

"What is it Jimmy? What did you find?" Daisy asked.

He looked back up at her, "This case just got a lot more complicated," he told her. "I need to talk to Angela Vasquez Daisy. How soon can you make that happen?"

"Give me two hours…" she said still looking at him. She narrowed her eyes, "You're not going to tell me what you found are you?"

He shook his head, "Not yet. I can't. I need to talk to Annie first. But you should be ready to do damage control, because this is going to rattle her to the core if I'm right about it."

Daisy turned and made her way back to her desk, immediately picking up her phone. A few minutes later she hung up and looked back at Jimmy, "She'll be here in an hour."

Jimmy nodded, "Thanks Daisy."

Jimmy continued going through the Vasquez and Frost files. He went all the way back to their high school years. Jimmy still couldn't find anything other than Mary Hendrix that connected the two men. Maybe his son's name was a coincidence. That would be a relief.

As promised, HPD delivered Angela Vasquez to their office within an hour. Jimmy looked to Daisy, "Take her to the interview room." Jimmy gathered the files from the two men, including a picture of William Frost and Mary Hendrix. When Daisy returned he looked at her seriously and said, "Daisy, don't let anyone listen in on our conversation. And do not under any circumstance let Annie anywhere near that interview room, do you understand? If she wakes up before I am finished with Angela, come and knock on the door to let me know. This is very important. I need you to trust me on this, and I need to be able to trust you. I promise to explain everything as soon as I figure a few things out for myself."

Daisy nodded, "I hope you know what you're doing."

He nodded back as he turned toward the interview room, "Me too."

When he walked in the room he met Angela's eyes with his own. He didn't say a word until he had sat down and arranged the files in front of him. Finally he looked back up at her. "Mrs. Vasquez, I need your help. There are some people from your husbands past that I need to know about."

She nodded, looking back at him. "Okay, I will do my best."

Jimmy pulled out a picture of William Frost along with a picture of Mary Hendrix. He laid them down side by side in front of Angela, "Do you know these people?"

My apologies for yet another cliffhanger. I promise I am trying to update more quickly now so you shouldn't be hanging for long…Please review though, that seems to make writing easier. It helps so much to know that there are plenty of people still reading! I look forward to hearing from you all!