1996

Catherine ran a stressed hand through her hair as she stalked down the hallway, avoiding eye contact with everyone who passed her. The grapevine had been working overtime in the last couple of weeks and it didn't take a genius to know what the hot topic was.

Since Eddie left Catherine had barely slept, barely eaten and probably looked a wreck. And to add insult to injury the bastard had cleaned her out.

She drifted into the break room, retrieving a bottle of water from the fridge and taking a long, cooling mouthful. She had a feeling it was going to be another long night.

"Hey." A smooth, deep voice resonated through her headache. She turned, offering a tired smile to Warrick Brown. He returned the gesture, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah, getting there." She tried and failed to sound convincing. He squeezed her arm before releasing her.

"How's Lindsey doing?" He continued, reaching around her to pour himself a cup of coffee. Cath sighed, shaking her head.

"She's ... upset. Hasn't slept in her own bed since he left." She chewed on her lip nervously. "Oh Warrick I don't know ... how do you tell a five year old that her daddy's a cheating scumbag?" The dark skinned man chuckled dryly.

"She'll be fine. She's got you." He nudged her gently. She laughed softly.

"I hope you're right."

"You'll get back on your feet. You know we're all here for you if you need us." She nodded gratefully. "You're a great mom. Any kid would be lucky to have you." He added before patting her arm and sauntering back out.

She paused thoughtfully, the water bottle halfway to her mouth.

X x x

She started off simple. Birth certificates. However that was not as easy as she thought it would be. Apparently you needed a surname to do that.

Sticking with a theme, she tried marriage records. It hadn't crossed her mind until now that her daughter could be married, but there was always a chance. Although she would have had to marry young, but why not. Catherine had.

Again she drew a blank, but not before an idea struck her.

She was a criminalist. She had access to criminal records.

She didn't even want to try searching for her daughter, but she was not adverse to searching for her old flame. After all, find Jack and she would find Bella.

X x x

Having locked herself in a quiet lab with a computer, she logged on to the database. She was fully aware of how much of an abuse of power this was and of what Brass would do to her if he found out, but right now she was too excited to care. She was possibly just a few clicks away from finding her girl.

However, when she system finally booted up, she realised that it might not be as easy as that. She had the name Jack, born in 1957 or 1958. And, presuming he still loved in California; that left her with rather a lot of records to sift though: everything from bar brawls to murderers.

Yes, it was definitely going to be a long night.

X x x

"Yes I am aware of that, that's why I am phoning." She clenched her teeth, trying not to snap. When the monotone voice on the other end of the line repeated the scripted words her patience snapped. "Forget it! Useless bunch of jackasses!" She slammed the phone down, running a hand over her face and submerging it in her short strawberry blonde hair. When she opened her eyes and saw Lindsey's anxious little face frowning up at her she dropped her hand and plastered a comforting smile on her face. "Everything's going to be alright baby." She picked the little blonde up, holding her in a tight hug, inhaling the sweet scent of her baby girl.

"When's daddy coming home?" Lindsey asked, her arms locking around Catherine's neck. Cath sighed, sitting on the couch with the child on her lap.

"He's not honey." She kissed her sad little face gently. "Daddy's not coming home."

X x x

"Hello? Cath?" She didn't answer Nancy's call; her sister would find her eventually. And sure enough the nurse poked her head outside and spotted Catherine sat on the back garden steps, cigarette in hand. "You're supposed to be quitting." The younger sibling chastised, dropping down next to her.

"So shoot me." Cath retorted dryly. "I needed it."

"What kind of example is that setting Linds?" Cath didn't answer. "How is she?"

"Not good." Catherine exhaled. "I had to tell her Nance."

"She would have found out eventually."

"Yeah."

"Mom said she might drop by today."

"Yeah she did." Cath confirmed. "Another chance for her to gloat that she was right and I was wrong." Nancy wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting Cath rest her head against her and they sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Finally, Catherine dropped her cigarette and ground it out beneath her slippered foot. She took a deep breath, staring straight ahead. "I'm going to find Bella."