Moving On

Assistant Director Thomas Kemyss sat at his desk squeezing a stress ball early that March. He never imagined he would have to consider what he was considering. They had been such good agents, but now, if something didn't change soon, Agents Scott and Massey would no longer qualify to work in the D.C. Missing Persons' Unit.

This is their last chance, he thought. He put the ball in his drawer and left to give them the assignment, whose outcome would make his decision for him.

xxxxx

"Did you see him?" Jess was anxious to hear whether or not Nicole had been able to sell the evidence she and Jess had found on Teresa's killer to the investigating officers.

"Yes. But they've put the case on the back burner, Jess. I don't think he will ever be arrested for this."

"Good morning," Kemyss said. "Molly Sorrells. She works in the Maryland office as a secretary. This is a federal employee, Agents. It is vital to your continuation in this office that you find her alive within seventy-two hours."

Nicole and Jess were not surprised to hear that. They knew their careers, at least in this office, were in jeopardy. Thomas had been doing them a favor keeping them as long as he had. Since Teresa's death in January, the pair's solve rate had plummeted. They constantly were on the phone with the daycare checking on their children or doing something else unrelated to work. However, maybe only because of Jess's visions, they did keep their solve rate well above average, but no longer as high as it needed to be to work in D.C.

"Understood." Nicole took the file and Kemyss walked off. "She left the office yesterday at six forty-five," she read to Jess and Devin, who had just joined them. "She never made it home. Her car was found in the parking garage with the door open and the keys on the seat."

xxxxx

They had just left the Maryland office and were headed to Molly's apartment to speak to her husband.

Jess's cell went off. "It's the center," she sighed, knowing it was the Director of Little Angels Daycare calling to tell her that her son was having another fit. "Hello, Mrs. Wright."

"Hello, I'm sorry to bother you at work again, but-"

"I understand. What happened?"

"Nathan has been sitting by himself in the corner all morning. He refused to come out to the playground, and when I tried to force him, he threw a fit."

"Can't an aid watch him in the classroom, while you're out?"

"All the aids are accompanying teachers on a field trip today. I tried to call your husband, but I got no answer."

"All right. I'm on my way."

"Are we going to the center?" Although Zachary hadn't had any problems since his nanny's death, Nicole still worried about him and dropped by the center to check on him regularly, so she was happy to have an excuse to go today.

"Yep."

"Did you ever get a chance to speak with that child psychologist?"

"Yeah. She told me it was normal after a loss and that he will get over it."

Nicole pulled into the Little Angels parking lot and both of them left their cells in the car.

xxxxx

"Say that again?" Kemyss was having a bad connection with the officer he was on the line with.

"Molly Sorrells is in a silver Civic Hybrid going east on Woodland. She is in the company of a man."

Kemyss typed in his agents G.P.S. to see about where they were, so he could tell them to be on the lookout. "Any idea if this guy is her husband?"

"We don't know. The car is now going west down Pierson."

"My agents are on that road," Kemyss dialed Nicole's cell. Answering machine. He kicked his desk. "Scott! Molly is in a car headed straight for you!..."

xxxxx

Nicole put the car in park in the D.C. office parking garage. They had heard Kemyss's message after they'd left the center, but no other messages or calls. They didn't know how it turned out, but they did know if Molly wasn't still missing, they were both fired.

It was a long walk to Thomas's office, and when they got there, he just told them to sit down and sighed. He was angry at their carelessness, but also sad to see them go. His mixed emotions caused him to appear indifferent, and, therefore, they had no idea what was coming.

"Molly Sorrells' body was found in a river about twenty minutes ago."

Silence.

"Where were you?"

"Sir, it was my fault. I had to check on my son."

"And neither one of you could pick up a phone?"

"We left them in the car. With all those children, you can't hear anyone in that center anyway, and we only expected to be there for a few minutes-"

"Stop, Scott!" He calmed himself down. There was no use in screaming. He needed only to say what had to be said and be done with it, with them. "This case was your last chance to continue in this unit. Since you both were very aware of that, and this happened anyway, it is very obvious to me now that your priorities lie elsewhere. I'm sorry, but I am going to have to terminate you. I recommend that you get help for your families, so that this pattern of deterioration that you have exhibited for the past two months doesn't continue. If it does, you will eventually lose your badges."

xxxxx

"Hi."

"Hey, guess what?" Nathan said. "You're officially married to a doctor."

"You finished your rotations early?"

"I told you those late hours would pay off. I got my license today."

"Congratulations, honey. You earned it."

"I still have a lot to decide though. I haven't decided what area I want to practice or if I want to work in the hospital or have a private practice…" She wasn't really listening. "What's wrong?"

"I got fired today."

"What? What the hell happened?"

"I saw it coming. I've just…you know what, I don't even want to talk about it. It's not even my biggest problem right now."

xxxxx

"What are you going to do?" Antonio asked Nicole.

"Find a position somewhere else or stay home."

"Will you be happy staying home?"

"I doubt it."

"Then find another position."

"It's not that easy. In the first place, my record isn't exactly perfect. I have disciplinary notes from front to back, and secondly, what about Zachary? I have to do what's best for him."

"It's hardly best for him to have a stressed out mother who feels trapped, which is exactly what you will be if you stay home just because you think it's in his best interest. You have to want it, Nicole. You don't."

xxxxx

Nicole and Jess had choices that had to made, and soon, so that evening they decided to go to Charlie's to discuss the consequences of those decisions.

"We both saw this coming," Jess said. "It's interesting we didn't do anything to stop it."

"I guess we just didn't care anymore. With what our kids have been though…Kemyss was right, our priorities lie elsewhere."

"So do we resign or find other positions?"

"That's the million dollar question. I never saw myself as a stay-at-home mom, but then again, I never saw myself as a mom."

"Toby's not getting any better, and I wonder if things would be easier on him, if I were home."

"At least you have other income, from the restaurants. If I stay home, Antonio will be our only source."

"He does fine."

"I just hate the idea of him…of me not contributing to my family. I've been working since I was sixteen. How can I ever get used to just staying home? Don't you think that will be boring?"

"Zachary and Heather will keep you plenty busy. You can chaperone her field trips and go to school functions."

"Her grandmother's been doing all that since she retired. Antonio and I almost never see her anymore."

An hour into their debating the pros and cons of each choice, Jess's phone rang. She didn't look to see who was calling, assuming it was Nathan wanting her to come home and help him wrestle Toby into bed, she just picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Agent Massey?"

"This is she."

"Hello, Jess, this is Brooke Haslett. How are you?"

"Fine. How are you?"

"Good. I hear you are no longer working in the D.C. office."

"It just happened. How did you hear it?"

"News travels fast. The reason I'm calling is because I have been searching for several replacements in my office. Are you interested in moving to San Francisco?"

"What positions do you have available?"

"Homicide, missing persons, drugs, trafficking. Take your pick."

"Thanks, but I haven't even decided if I'm going to continue being an agent."

"I've seen your records in D.C. We could use you here. Think about it. Call me in a few days."

"I'll think about it."

"Who was that?" Nicole asked.

"Brooke Haslett. She is the S.A.C. in San Francisco. She offered me a job."

"You worked with her in Indianapolis, right?"

"Yeah."

"Are you going to take it?"

"I don't know. I guess Nathan can find work there just as easily as he can here, so that shouldn't be a problem. What do you think?"

"If you want to move out there, go for it."

"No, I mean, what do you think of it?"

"Me? Oh, no, Jess, I'm not moving. When I said I'd have to choose between finding another position or staying home, I meant another position with in driving distance of Maryland."

"We could both use a change. All of us actually, especially the kids."

"I can't move."

"Why not?"

Nicole needed a while to come up with an answer. "…Heather. I can move away from her."

"You just said you never see her, and you can visit. You'd end up seeing her just as much as you do now."

"Brooke offered this job to you."

"She said she had several positions that needed filling."

"I'm sure once she sees my record, she won't be interested."

"I'll call her."

"No, Jess, don't call her." Before Nicole finished that sentence Jess had dialed the number and left the table.

"So what did she say?" Nicole asked when Jess got back.

"She said it looks like we work well together and that if you wanted to she could pair us up out there."

Nicole was hoping Brooke wouldn't be interested, that would be one less huge choice to make. "What about my house?"

"Rent it."

"Where will we live? I don't want to raise my kid in San Francisco."

"I'm sure there are plenty of surrounding towns that are just as good as where we are now. Look, let's just try it for a few months and if we don't like it, we quit."

"Maybe."