OLD FLAME

BY QUASI9



Disclaimer: I don't own Frank Donovan or the team; the rest of the characters are mine.

Rating: R

Summary: Chris returns (sequel to Frank's Match)

Feedback: yes Quasi9@msn.com

They rode back in silence to the warehouse; Alex figured she would find out sooner or later what Frank meant. Once back at the warehouse, Frank immediately went upstairs to his office and started making phone calls. Within an hour, he had the team removed from the case of Tony Demarco's murder; all he had to do now is inform his team.

Frank walked down the stairs and said, "We are officially off the Demarco case."

Alex now knew part of what the comment meant in the elevator, she could guess the other part of the bargain was getting Chris out of Chicago.

Jake said, "Why are we off the case?"

"Because we aren't any closer to solving the case then when we were assign to it. My team is too valuable to be wasting our time on this case. We're an undercover unit and this case is not anywhere near being that. Let Chicago PD handle it." Frank answered and walked back to his office.

Immediately Jake started in on Alex, "Okay, time for you to come clean and tell us what is going on?"

Alex did not want to be in this position, caught in the middle between her coworkers and boss. She said, "I don't know anymore than you do."

"Wrong answer! You the only one that's been with him every time he's talk to Chris or her uncle." Jake pushed.

"I was not privy to the conversation with her uncle, I wasn't in the office with them."

"You really expect us to believe that, well we know who's kissing his ass now." Jake said.

"Enough! Alex doesn't know anymore then the rest of you except for one thing." Frank said.

Once again, he had snuck up behind them and probably heard the whole conversation.

Frank took a chair turned it around and sat down continued, "I have a son and Chris is the mother. When she was placed into my care, we crossed the line before she was kidnapped. I didn't think anything of it, until she was getting sick quite a bit. Then she went back to Miami, I had a friend follow her for a couple of days. When she found out she was pregnant, I found out but she didn't tell me. I was there when he was born, but she still didn't tell me. Then I met Michelle, I moved on with my life and then this case brought her and our son here. Even when I saw him, she still didn't tell me and I haven't told Michelle yet. Since we were not getting anywhere, I removed us off the case; Chris should be back in Miami within forty-eight hours. Now all of you are on the same page and no one is kissing my ass."

"I'm sorry, is there anything we can do?" Jake said.

"You should be apologizing to Alex, I plan to tell Michelle when I know Chris is in Miami, and I will wait until my son shows up on my doorstep just like his mother did."

Sal thought he had just made a deal with the devil. Now he had to get Chris back to Miami without her knowing he made the deal.

Sal walked into the house looking for Chris, the sooner he got it over with the better for everyone involved.

"Hey Uncle Sal." Chris said.

"Hey, kiddo what are you up to?"

"Nothing much, what have you been dong?" he asked.

"Well, I've been doing some snooping and thinking."

"Oh, do I need to sit down for this?"

"Yeah, you probably should. It's time for you, Frankie, and Max to return to Miami."

"What! Oh no, not until I know you not in danger plus you can't go up against Donovan and win."

Sal already knew that but continued, "Chris, you never were involved in the family business and now with Frankie it's not the time to start."

"So, why did you bring me here?"

"Because I wanted to see my niece's son, two I thought maybe if Frank saw his son things would change between the two of you. You know that the family has it's own way of doing things. We will get our own justice, as far as Frank goes he will keep hitting dead-ends that sooner or later the case will be reassigned. Honey, I know this is going to hurt you but he has moved on and is involved with someone."

Chris' expression did change one bit with the last piece of information her uncle gave her, but inside it was tearing her apart. Then she heard the voice of reason, "What did you expect? You walked out on him and still today you haven't told him about his son. He's great looking do you think he would be without a woman for long?" Chris didn't really want to listen but the voice made a whole lot of sense.

She said, "If you can guarantee me that I won't be coming back here for your funeral, I'll leave."

Sal said, "You know no one can guarantee the future. The longer you're here, the more pain you're going to feel."

"He's got a point, especially that Frank has a girlfriend. Sooner we get away from here, the sooner you can once again start to heal." The voice of reason said.

Chris was tired said, "Okay, I get on it, Frankie, Max, and I will be returning to Miami in the next forty-eight hours."

Sal kissed her forehead and said, "I'm sorry. I hoped it would turn out differently." Walking away he thought that went well, now he would let Donovan know that he had kept his part of the bargain in the morning.