Disclaimer: I do not own Without a Trace or any of the characters.

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2 Hours Missing-

Samantha Spade walked into the room and looked around. She had just gotten a '911' page from her boss, Jack Malone, and had hurried straight in. It was almost 3 am and she had been sound asleep when her pager went off. She sighed heavily and took a sip of the nasty instant coffee that had been the only thing she had time for before she hurried in to the office.

Jack Malone was standing next to a large whiteboard. He was looking through some papers, his brow furrowed with thought. He looked as tired as Sam felt. Jack glanced up, saw Sam and gave her a little half smile before turning back to the papers.

Martin Fitzgerald was already seated, an open notebook in front of him. He was tapping a pen against the table and staring into space. He looked over and gave Sam a warm smile which she returned.

She slid into a chair next to him and brushed her long blonde hair out of her eyes. "Where are Danny and Viv?" she whispered.

Martin shrugged. "I haven't seen them," he replied.

"Not like them to be late," Sam commented. Martin opened his mouth to reply when Vivian and Danny walked in.

Danny Taylor looked tired and rumpled, his black hair poking up and he needed a shave. He trudged in and took a seat. Vivian Johnson managed a smile as she took her seat. She looked as tired as the rest of them. They were used it, though. The crazy hours were all part of the job. They were on call 24/7 and middle of the night calls were nothing new.

Jack looked up. He shut the folder he was holding with a snap.

"We're all here," he said. "Let's start." Jack opened up the folder again and pulled out a glossy 8x10 photo of a little blonde girl and stuck it to the whiteboard next to where he had already written Natalie Amelia Roenstein, age 4. Case# 684312.

"This is the case," Jack said, like he began every investigation. "Natalie Roenstein was visiting Disneyland with her parents. They were just about to watch the fireworks display when they looked down and she was gone. The park was searched, there's no sign of the girl."

Martin and Sam exchanged a look. Disneyland? That was Southern California.

"She's been missing just two hours, we need to get on this one fast," Jack said.

"Um, Jack, Disneyland is in Southern California," Martin pointed out, looking confused.

"Yes, I know. Apparently you don't recognize the name. Natalie Roenstein is the daughter of Amelia and Jacob Roenstein," Jack said.

Sam raised her eyebrows. "The Judge?" she asked.

"She's the one that really cracks down on drug dealers," Vivian stated thoughtfully.

"Yes," Jack replied. "That's the one."

"But if she's missing in California why aren't the California Agents on the case?" Danny asked, the first thing he had said since arriving. He wasn't sure what they were doing there.

"Judge Roenstein called in to the higher-ups. Seems she's convinced that the girl was kidnapped and that it has something to do with one of her cases. The California agents have started the investigation, but she wants us on it."

There was a silence in which the agents exchanged another look.

"Is there any indication that it's something to do with her job?" Vivian asked.

"Not yet, but she's only been missing two hours. Martin, Sam, you're going to California with me," Jack said.

"What about Danny and Viv?" Sam asked.

"They're staying and heading the case here," Jack replied.

"Okay," Sam said and closed the little notebook that she had been scribbling notes in. She stood up.

"We leave in a forty-five minutes. Can you be ready?" asked Jack.

Sam and Martin nodded. Due to the nature of their job they never knew when they would have to leave on a moment's notice, or have to pull an all-nighter at the office, so all of the agents kept extra clothes and necessities in lockers at the office.

"Be back here as soon as you can and we'll get to the airport," Jack said. He dismissed them and they all went their separate directions.

Xxx

Sam went directly to her locker. She spun the combination and the door swung open. She pulled out a duffel bag which contained spare clothes, a toothbrush, hairbrush. Her own mini-vacation kit, she thought with a wry smile. But these kinds of trips were anything but fun.

"Going to California, huh?"

Sam turned around and saw Vivian standing there, smiling.

"Yeah, seems that way," Sam replied with a tiny smile.

"Well, have a good flight," Vivian said.

"Thanks," Sam replied, smiling weakly. None of her co-workers knew it, but Sam was deathly afraid of flying. The thought of an almost five hour long flight was nauseating.

Part of the job, she told herself firmly. All part of the job.

Within a half an hour Sam and Martin were standing outside Jack's office and ready to go. They both carried duffel bags and looked as alert as could be expected at three-thirty in the morning.

"At least we can get some sleep on the plane," Martin said as they waited for Jack.

"Right," Sam replied, thinking that she would be more than happy if she could fall asleep and wake up when the whole thing was over.

Martin touched Sam's arm. "We probably won't be back before the Fourth," he said, "But I was going to ask you to go to the concert and fireworks in the Park. I thought we could go out to dinner before."

Sam smiled up at Martin. She was still getting used to this, the "relationship" that she had with Martin. It was all so new and, in her mind, so shaky that she barely dared call it a relationship. She did not have luck when it came to relationships. She dove in head first with out looking to see if there were rocks right under the surface. But things were different with Martin. He was different.

Sam had messed up, big time, when she'd had an affair with Jack. It had ultimately cost Jack his family, though Sam knew better than to blame herself completely. Jack's marriage had been shaky far before Sam came into the picture. But that was over and done with and Sam tried not to look back, tried to move on and look to the future as much as possible.

"That would have been nice," Sam said. "Can I get a rain check?"

"Of course," Martin replied, smiling warmly.

Jack stepped out of the office and Sam and Martin immediately took a step away from each other. They had decided not to let on about their relationship to their co-workers. They weren't embarrassed or ashamed, but they both knew how fast word traveled around the office and they wanted to keep it quiet for as long as possible.

Sam looked at Jack out of the corner of her eye. Ever since his wife had taken their two kids with her to Chicago Jack had been subdued. They had never spoken, not once, about the possibility of a relationship now that he was getting a divorce and they could be together. Sam knew that Jack knew as well as she did that their affair had been a mistake. They had both been lonely and things had gone too far. And everyone had ended up knowing about it, much to Sam's dismay. But, by silent agreement, Sam and Jack had moved on.

Not to mention, Sam thought, now there was Martin…

Sam shook her head slightly to clear her head as Jack led them downstairs to where an agent was waiting to take them to the airport and the chartered plane that would take them to California.

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