The weeks passed without a word from Dan. Everyone thought for sure that there would at least be a statement in the papers about The Phil Foundation if not a phone call or letter. There wasn't a trace of him at his apartment, his car still parked and unmoved. Everyone was concerned, starting to deliberate whether or not they should get the police involved. Harry was particularly worried, though it was clear by the way he went about it that a lot of this was by choice. The more he worried about Dan, the less he would have to focus on his relationship with Christine.

Christine was at the end of her rope. Dealing with Harry's ambivalence just as she'd finally settled things with Tony was infuriating. She missed him, too. The absence was noticeable after spending so much of the last few months together. Even Charlie seemed to notice Uncle Harry's absence even if he couldn't quite verbalize it yet.

So, she did all there was to do. She threw herself into her work. She let Harry play his games, though she suddenly missed the days of whoopee cushions and rubber snakes. Margaret had put an end to most of those tricks. She made him more serious. Though her heart broke for Harry and the situation, she couldn't help but hold on to the resentment she'd felt toward the woman right from the start. She'd changed Harry, and not always in the best way.

. . .

"Any luck with Harry?" Roz asked during the dinner break.

Christine shook her head. "I've given up. If he's this intimidated by me over one kiss, I don't think I want to risk further damage to our relationship. It's always been a tap dance. I should have known better. If something were going to happen between us, it would have happened years ago."

Roz shrugged. "Not necessarily."

"Why do you say that?"

"You're different people now. You've gone through different relationships. You have a kid. Your biggest worry used to be about your jobs. That seems to have decreased over time."

"In a way, I guess. Things are a bit different now than they were then. Or maybe I've been at this job long enough where I'm less afraid of losing it."

"I've always thought you two were a good match."

Christine sighed. "I used to think so as well. He annoys me as much as he endears me."

"Isn't that worth fighting for?"

"What more am I supposed to do? I've been on his case for weeks. He can hardly get through session if there is any sort of conference."

"He can't ignore you forever. Try giving him a little more time. Otherwise, we'll stage an intervention."

"I wish I knew you were kidding."

Roz smirked. "It's fun to watch him squirm."

"I just wish I wasn't the reason."

"And for that, we'll make him pay," she winked.

. . .

"What's this on the docket, Mac?" Harry asked back in his office.

"What's that, sir?"

"This file that says, 'Harold T. Stone vs. Christine Sullivan'."

With a fake gasp, Mac came over and looked at the paper. "Now how did that get in there?!"

Harry rolled his eyes, stuffing it in the trash. "I wish you'd give it a rest and let me and Christine work this out for ourselves."

"We've tried that. You avoid her more each week."

"I don't have to tell you that it's a delicate situation."

"Yeah, well, if you keep it up you won't have anything to work out."

"What do you mean?" Harry questioned.

"How long do you think she's going to wait for you?"

"She… knows that there's a lot at stake."

"And you owe it to her to figure it out."

Standing, Harry said, "I don't have time to deal with both Christine and Dan. Where the hell is he? We all thought he'd be back by now."

"There's a detective coming by tomorrow night. We're working on it. In the meantime, why don't you swallow your pride and deal with things with Christine so you only have one problem to deal with?" Upon Harry's look, he added, "… sir."

"Because it's… I can…"

"Dan's disappearance doesn't completely fall on you?" Mac offered.

"Maybe."

"And you don't want to be responsible for damaging your relationship with Christine?"

After a pause, Harry said, "Since you know so much about it, why don't you talk to her?"

"Oh I have. Roz has. Lisette has. Bull has."

"Bull?"

Mac nodded. "Everyone except you."

Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at his feet. "I will talk to her… eventually."

"You really think she's going to wait around?"

"You make it sound like she's a jilted lover."

"A jilted friend is worse."

"Thanks for the guilt trip."

"Any time. Are you going to talk to her or should I pencil you in for another tomorrow?"

"It's not going to work, Mac."

Conceding, Mac finished by saying, "I just hope you know what you're putting on the line here. Frankly, it's a lot for nothing."

"It's not nothing," Harry defended. "We kissed. I kissed her."

"So do kids. Then they get over it."

Grabbing his robe, Harry said, "Isn't it time to resume the session?"

"Whatever you say, sir."