A/N-- This is just a rather short, exposition heavy chapter. Nothing wholly significant happens here, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. It will start moving forward again with chapter four. Many, many thanks to M for the beta and encouragement. Big wave to Maple Street.

Continued from chapter two.

Chapter Three

The position in Washington didn't come exactly as advertised; Samantha was no longer part of a team. She, in essence, was the unit; there were no active cases on her desk, no missing people to find. She conceived models for field offices throughout the country and oversaw their departmentalization. Special Agent in Charge of Federal Planning and Development. A heady title for a job that any green agent with a working knowledge of Bureau structure could do.

It did have its merits; her workday began at nine and ended at five. With no immediate supervisor she could come and go as she pleased. A large office, an expense account--all benefits that every agent in their right mind worked toward.

She never had.

She had joined the FBI for all the cliche reasons most agents recited: justice, the intensity, wanting to make a difference. Some people lost that, but she had never wavered from why she had pursued the career in the first place. It had lived up to her expectations in that she felt she had helped others, but the job had brought with it an opportunity to assert herself in a way she couldn't with the NYPD. She had found respect -- something that been missing up until she arrived at Quantico.

Her assignment to the New York office had also placed her in a unit of people that had become as close to her as she allowed. Vivian, Danny, and Martin had become friends. Jack was the closest personal relationship she had had since the early part of her decidedly brief marriage. For all the reservations she had about the job, about DC, about the real reasons she was here, what she missed most was the people with whom she had shared the better part of the last four years.

Which is why when Danny called three weeks after her arrival she nearly dropped the phone in relief.

"How's it going?" He sounded upbeat and she contemplated lying before deciding on honesty.

"It's been the longest three weeks of my life."

"Oh." A horn beeped in the background.

"Are you in the car?"

"I'm actually right outside work. Martin and I are supposed to go interview this secretary about her boss. He disappeared three days ago-- no luggage or ID, but a two million dollar transfer out of the company account was made six hours before he went missing."

She cleared her throat. "Sounds like a no-brainer."

"Yeah, he's in the Caymans."

"Do the others share your opinion?"

"Martin and Vivian do. I think Jack's just sending us out on this to give Melissa the experience while we're slow."

"Melissa?" she asked tentatively.

There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line and she could tell Danny was formulating a response. "The new agent they brought in to fill in for your absence."

She shook her head. "You make it sound like I'm coming back and not sentenced to a life of paperwork and conference calls." Silence. "So, what's she like?"

"Arrogant. Incompetent. Really poor personal hygiene."

Moving the headset from one ear to the other, she sighed. "Now give me the non-Samantha answer."

"She's okay. A bit inexperienced, but she's catching on pretty quickly. Vivian's helping her out a little. I think Martin's just happy not to be the newest member of the team now."

"What about you?"

"She's married and has two kids. Must be close to 40; I don't think she'll go to strip clubs with me."

Her mood was already improving. "I never went to strip clubs with you."

"True."

She could hear Martin's voice in the background now. "So, how is everyone?"

"Pretty much the same, actually. Viv took a few vacation days about a week ago. We just wrapped up a case with two missing brothers from upstate. Police found them both dead in a boathouse."

That was always rough. "I'm sorry."

"Jack's been a real asshole since you left."

She choked. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah. Snapping at everyone, always in a bad mood. He's been really hard to work with. Melissa almost asked for a transfer the first week until Vivian talked her down."

Swallowing hard, she tried to keep her voice nonchalant. "Why do you think that has anything to do with me?"

There was the sound of an engine starting. "I don't know, but if it doesn't the timing is pretty coincidental."

"I doubt that's it."

The connection went bad for a moment, muffling his response. A moment later, he spoke again. "How's Washington?"

"It's...clean." Her response sounded flippant, but it was the first positive that came to mind.

"Samantha says Washington's clean." Danny said to his passenger and she could practically hear Martin's blank stare. He spoke back into the phone. "What's your day like?"

"I sit at my desk for eight hours before going home and watching television."

"No friends?"

"The only people who speak to me willingly either want approval for funding or a date." She had close to a dozen offers in her three-week residency in DC, and she had turned down each of them.

"Not interested?" Danny was surprised, too.

No, but for all the wrong reasons. "I'm not interested in seeing anyone right now."

"Have you heard from Jack?"

She was going to try to ignore the potential significance of that segue. What was he trying to say? "Jack? Not really. He's sent me a few emails. A couple articles related to what I'm doing--nothing outside that."

It was the truth, and it hurt. No calls, no letters, no correspondence at all outside of a few forwards. Occasionally he'd add a 'Hope you're doing well' to the header, but to an observer it would seem to be the epitome of professionalism.

Maybe that was the point. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. Maybe his mood would improve if you'd give him a call."

"Why would a call from me have any bearing on his mood? And a phone works both ways; he has my number." She cringed at her tone; she sounded like a jilted high school girlfriend.

"Whatever you say." His voice was light and Samantha wanted to hit him. "Listen, I better go. I'll try to call you this weekend." There was another voice on the other end. "Martin will too."

"Okay." Now that the call was at an end she wanted nothing more desperately than for it to continue. "I'll be looking forward to it."

"Me too."

Setting the phone back in the receiver, she contemplated calling Jack before deciding against it. He was likely finishing up his work before heading home to his wife and his kids and the life he was trying so hard to reconstruct. Turning out the light in her office, she shut the door behind her before heading back to her apartment for another night alone.

TBC