Title:What if

Author: Mariedex

Spoilers:After FO, a year in the future.

Disclaimer: The characters in the story are the sole property of Hank Steinberg, Jerry Bruckheimer, and CBS. No copyright infringement is intended.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Samantha had to make the hardest decision of her life... to leave.

Chapter 4:

The interview had gone well, the parents knew nothing. But Sam felt that the dad was holding something back. When they got back in the car, Sam sighed.

Jack asked as he started up the car. He could tell that something was rattling around in her brain.

Perfect family. Sam said, a bit sarcastic.

And there is no such thing. Jack knew that would be her comment, how could it not be. He could feel the same tension from the parents. So what do you think of the dad?

Not much.... Sam wished at that moment that Danny had been sitting in the car with them. Actually she just wished that anybody else was, somebody who could keep their conversation professional and not allow it to switch.



Meaning that he was hiding something, being a bit too loving, a bit too touchy. If my daughter just went missing the last thing I would want would be my husband trying to grope me.

That's a bit extreme.

Okay grope not the right word, but he was awfully touchy right?

Yeah, he was.

He also gave me this creeped out look.

Saw that one too. Happily married men, don't usually give you that look. As soon as Jack said that he wanted to take it back. He knew the look because he had given the same one to Sam. That look that wondered what her skin would feel like, taste like.

So what? He's having an affair or wanting too and then his daughter goes missing. He's feeling guilty or possibly wondering if he had anything to do with him.

Possibly. We should probably do a background check on him. Call Danny.

Sam picked up her phone and dialed Danny's number. It took him a few rings to answer. Hey, it's Samantha. I need you to run a background check on Michael Barns.

We are all good here, thanks for asking. My goddaughter has gotten big, what have you been feeding her?



We are both just sitting practicing lifting our heads, you know I think that she is better at it than I am. So you need a background check.

Yeah, something is sketchy about him. Our guess is he is having an affair.

Jack there. That must be one comfortable drive. You know what Samantha, I think that I am in love. Granted she may be a bit young, but we can always work around that.

We will be back in an hour.

Hey, the teacher here said that she stay late tonight if you need her to. Do you want me to ask?

Yeah that would be great. Sam thought it was funny, whenever Danny got around Ryan he gets in complete Dad mode. Maybe she should have taken him on his suggestion and said that he was the father.

So I will see you when I get back. Just don't laugh at the Ryan spit stain. By the way she is doing good. The teacher said that she has only cried a little bit today. Maybe the medicine finally is working.

Thanks Danny.

Thanks yourself, I will see you when you get back. Sam hung up the phone and smiled to herself.

Danny is getting right on it. Jack nodded. So why are you so interesting in this case?

The first case, Jamie Michaels, was close. We got to her just a few hours after she died. All of the cases had been like that. Like this guy knows exactly what we are going to do and is always one step ahead. And what he does to those little girls... Jack didn't finish his thought. He didn't want to say it out loud. Every time he did he saw his girl's faces, their innocence.

So we will catch him this time. And put him in a nice friendly jail where he can be treated with the respect that all child molesters get. She smiled at him and stared at her for a moment. He missed her. He missed that comfort, that solace that she always gave him.

Sorry, not to warn you that we were coming. Danny tried to call but your line was off the hook.

Yeah, they have been doing some work in my development.

Have you been sick?

No, why?

You said that you were out for a couple of days.

Oh, I took some personal time.

You okay?

Fine. How are Hanna and Katie?

They are good. Jack smiled, he always smiled when he talked about his girls. Perhaps that was the most endearing thing about him, it is definitely what Sam remembers most about, the light he would get in his eye when he talked about them. You should have seen them when that new Harry Potter book came out. They dragged me to the Barnes and Noble on Union Square at midnight just to get it. You would have gotten a kick out of them, three hours in line. They proceeded to tell me the entire story and all of the background story, along with the authors life. Then when they got the book, they read it on the entire drive home. It was fairly amazing. Here I am standing with thousands of other parents waiting in line for a book.

Yeah, I can see them doing that. Sam replied, that was Jack, that was the type of father that he was, he would do anything for his girls. So did you have to buy two or did they share?

I had to buy two. They are in this not sharing mode thing. Now all they can talk about is getting separate rooms. Katie thinks that she is too old to live with her baby sister.

And you, what do you think?

I think that there aren't two rooms for them to have.

I remember at that age Zoe and I could hardly stand to be near each other. I thought she was way too immature. And we are only two years apart.

How is Zoe? The conversation started to get a lot lighter. She could tell that Jack was definitely feeling more comfortable talking to her.

She's good. Still in the middle east. She's now in Iran, following some big story which she swears will get her a pulitzer.

Good and . .. Kevin? Jack stumbled over the name. The last time he had seen Zoe she was completely in love with this guy, although Jack still has no idea why.

Now it's Micah and she is swearing up and down about him. Who knows? I just try to live through her adventures. So how is the New York office? Danny said you got someone new?

Yeah, Aaron. He's good. Viv misses your estrogen I think. By the way she says hi. And Martin has been completely depressed since you left. I think he had a slight crush on you.

You think, do you. Sam smiled, she knew that there were certain things that Jack never noticed. Martin's crush was one of them. Not like she didn't like his cluelessness ... she knew that if he had known then there would have been no end to the torture.

What he did? Jack turned to look at Sam, with a wink. And Danny, well, he is at a loss. Martin just doesn't fill your void.

So good.

And I miss you. Jack half mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Sam to hear and smile but not loud enough that either had to acknowledge it.

The rest of the ride was silent. Danny called and wanted him to check out a lead that he had found. An Angela Davis, that works for the father.

When did you start working for Mr. Barns? Sam started her questioning, while Jack surveyed the room.

For a year and half, I think. I started last June. The woman was a little agitated.

You work in the accounting office? The woman nodded. How well do you know his family?

Not that well. His wife and daughter would come in sometimes. But they would never stay long.

And your relationship with Mr. Barns? Sam hated this line of questioning, ever since she had been at the other end of it.

He was boss. A good one.

So he was just your boss?

Look. I know that his kid is missing and I know that you probably are here because some busy body at work talks too much. If you are asking me if Mr. Barns and I had an affair. We didn't. But....'

But what? Jack spoke up from the back.

But we both talked about it. He just couldn't do it. You know, he didn't love his wife and wanted a divorce. But that little girl was the reason he stayed. He told me once that she threatened that if he ever did anything to mess up the marriage that he would never see her again. The woman was obviously annoyed that they were there and questioning. Sam knew that this was a dead end.

As they headed to the car Jack asked, So you believe her?

She was fairly honest, besides you don't even think the kidnapping is about the father.

Got to look at all the angles. Jack looked away he was thinking about something Sam knew that.

What are you thinking





It's just ... the wife threatened him about having an affair before it was even an issue.

She must have had some reason for it. I mean Ms. Davis said that something could have gone on.

But it didn't though. That is the problem. Why would the wife threaten him like that? And it's odd that he would even tell the possible mistress.

It is a good excuse though. The odd thing is that a mother would threaten him like that, with her child. You leave me and you'll never see your child again.

It's the most effective threat to a father who loves his kids. Jack was thinking out loud on this one. What if we are looking at their relationship in the wrong way? What if we are so used to the father having some issues that we both looked for it. The mother did seem a little distant.'

Jack she was probably on some type of drug. Her daughter was abducted, I think that I would be a little distant if that happened to me.

The husband said that she didn't take anything, remember.

So now we think that there is something up with the mother?

Think about it for a moment. A marriage is in trouble, the husband is looking at other women. The wife gets scared that something will happen, she threatens him with losing his child all together. It scares the guy off, but the wife doesn't know it, so she decides to take things a little farther. Or he decides to take things under his control a little. Make sure that she can't take his daughter away.

That's a stretch. First of all there is nothing in the case to suggest that the mother did anything wrong. Besides the threat was mute because no infidelity happened. Even if it did, it doesn't mean that he couldn't get custody of the girl if they got divorced.

Infidelity is pretty serious in divorce court. It might just get the wife full custody.
Sam looked at Jack for a moment. She was very curious where his head was at. Trust me on this one Sam, divorce courts don't look to favorably on cheating husbands.

Suddenly the alarm went of in Sam's mind. Jack, Marie didn't try to take the girls away because of us did she?