Ok, here we go Chapter thirty-one is up, once again it's long but I didn't really want to split it into two so you get to have it all at once! Thanks so much for all the reviews of the last couple of chapters they're all awesome and very much appreciated, there are a few review responses at the bottom.

I also just need to clarify a couple of things because in the effort to get this done now there are a couple of discontinuities… (sorry!)

Ok, 1 – Lauren is home from the hospital, she's getting better and has been discharged, this afternoon lets say for conveniences sake, I was going to go into the whole slow recovery, hospital stay rigmarole but I think that this might turn out to be about as long as war and peace if I do that so I'm not going to.

And 2- When Lauren got sick which is now about two weeks ago in the scheme of things, just over, I said it was November, it's not going to be any more, now it can be, say May. So there we go sorry about that!!!

I still own nothing.

Ch 31

"She's asleep." Abby said waking past him at the kitchen table, pausing for his response as he nodded clasping the beer in his hands looking from it to her.

"Thank you." He nodded one decisive nod at her. She looked back at him as he returned his gaze to the table stretching his legs out underneath him shifting in his seat, still not looking back at her. With that, without either of them uttering another word she left.

~~~~~~

Abby woke with a start; she was disorientated for a second and shut her eyes again before the incessant knocking on her door recommenced, combined now with a familiar voice shouting her name. She pulled a sweater over her head as she made her way to the door. "What?" She asked wearily, squinting at the light beaming from the hallway as she pulled it open.

"Is Imogen here?" Nick asked breathing heavily standing in front of her, bare chested, his blue checked pajama bottoms hanging from his muscled hips, Abby scanned him, sleep still devouring her, a disoriented expression crossing her face as she scratched the back of her head, her hand moving to rub her face briefly before finally settling with crossed arms looking back up at him with a frown. "What?" She asked again shaking her head.

"I woke up and she's not in our apartment, the door was open and I thought she might be here." He explained almost hopefully, at least if she was here he could be pissed off at Abby for not telling him she'd let her stay but she wasn't missing.

"She's not here." Abby shook her head, the situation settling like a lead balloon in her stomach, jolting her unceremoniously out of her previously sleepy state. "Have you checked your apartment?" She questioned shaking off the remnants of sleep.

"Everywhere I know she knows in this entire block I've checked." He told her, rubbing his face the reality obviously settling with him as well.

"Ok, where else is near here that she might go?" Abby asked opening her door wider allowing him to enter. "Was the front door open?" She asked regretfully.

 "Mine was." He said.

"No the building door." She explained fractiously.

"Yeah." He sighed, "Shit yes it was." He shook his head. "But it always is." He said scared.

"Ok, where would she go from here?" Abby asked looking at his face, this was serious and she was refusing to let herself scan his toned torso.

"I don't know, the school's five, six blocks away, She maybe knows the route to Jasper and Amelia's house, umm…" He trailed off still trying to come up with places she might have run off to.

"Go get dressed." She instructed, "Call the school. I'll call the cops and Amelia." She said still looking dead straight at him, here eyes never faltering.

"Why the cops?" he frowned, all common sense exiting his body as he headed to get dressed.        

"Nick, she's four years old, it's one o'clock in the morning, the police need to be notified." She told him as if she was explaining it to a child, incredulous to his question.

At least this was less violent than her last neighbor drama.

"Ok." He nodded his face still confused with fear as he headed back to his apartment. She busied herself calling Amelia as she pulled on a pair of jeans, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear, when she'd explained the current situation to Jasper who'd picked up the phone at her sister's house she dialled 911, and waited as the ring tone hummed periodically in her ear. Finally she got her response and explained the situation calmly, not neglecting to tell them she was a Doctor at county. They assured her they'd have someone with them as soon as they could and she hung up as Nick retuned wearing a decidedly haphazard array of clothes, but understandably so as he related the subsequent places he'd checked, none of which she'd been hiding in and relayed the story of his call with the school. She felt almost as though she hadn't achieved much compared with all he'd done but as they sat in abject silence she realised that finding this kid, his kid was her first priority, above all else, they needed to find his four year old who was, at present, to both their knowledge roaming the streets because of their earlier argument, which she felt, to a point she was to blame for. That in itself was something of a breakthrough, even if she didn't or hadn't or wouldn't acknowledge it.

Nick paced her living room relentlessly as they waited for the police appearance, the doors to both their apartments open wide, Abby pulled one knee up to her chest as she sat on the couch, pulling another cigarette from the packet, lighting it shakily.

"I am sorry about this morning, and… and earlier." He said quietly, forcefully as his pace slowed, looking over at her, his adrenaline pumping more through fear than frustration.

"Me too." She whispered back staring out into the dim array of her apartment.

"One of you make the call about a missing kid?" A serious, Middle-America accent asked from between the two apartments as a tall forty-ish year old in a suit appeared.

"Yeah." Abby nodded standing drawing a somewhat distracted Nick with her as they made their way towards him. They'd related their story, the disagreement they'd had, how Imogen had heard, everything they could think of to the middle-aged detective as they sat on her couch, Nick had come up with some other far-flung places that she might just be as they remained in her apartment and the police searched his.

"Mate" Jaspers relievingly un-American voice penetrated the wall of questions being directed at them as he appeared in Abby's doorway. Jasper having conducted a brief question and answer session with one of the police officers made his way towards Nick and Abby, who were talking to the senior police officer, he was now satisfied that Imogen wasn't in Nick's apartment or the building and he was telling them what their next moves would be.

"I want to help with the search." Nick said in a tone that conveyed the fact he wouldn't be swayed, his hands on his hips. The police officer surveyed him momentarily assessing his state.

"Okay." He nodded.

"Ma'm." A young female detective started as Abby looked distractedly from Jasper and Nick's ongoing arrangements toward her. "We're going to need you stay here in the event of her showing back up here, she knows you right?" She asked trying to catch Abby's distracted eyes.

"Yeah, but can't I…" Abby trailed of, as her eyes darted around.

"It'd be best if you were here." The detective assured her, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. After a series of negotiations with the exceptionally accommodating police officers involved Nick and Jasper had found themselves posted in the search for Imogen, leaving Abby behind, not alone but behind.

It had been almost three hours since Nick had woken her initially, hundreds of cups of coffee, thousands of cigarettes and a phone call with Amelia later, the female detective who had remained with her throughout approached her with a smile on her face as she sat down next to Abby on the couch.

"They've found her." The woman smiled genuinely as she told Abby the news. A visible wave of relief swept through Abby's body as she hung her head slightly and let out a small laugh, breathing out as if she'd been holding her breath for the last three hours.

"You're sure it's her?" Abby asked lifting her head back up, looking over at the woman next to her.

"Yes, there aren't that many Imogen's around and she matches the description and the photo." The detective nodded, smiling reassuringly.

"Is she ok?" Abby asked as she stubbed out the cigarette in her hand and rose from the couch.

"She's cold and tired apparently, they found her asleep under a bush in the park, they have her down at the station." She informed her, still nodding, smiling a little as she rubbed Abby's arm lightly, standing in front of her.

"Is Nick on his way there?" She asked assuming he would be.

"Um yeah, Mr. Johnson's been informed but he's going to be a while." The detective said, an apologetic expression crossing her face.

"Why? where is he?" Abby frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Um, well they got information about a sighting of a little girl getting on a bus to Wisconsin and apparently he and Mr. Carmichael decided that it was the best option if they tried to get to Wisconsin bus depot before the bus." She said apologetically.

"So they're in Wisconsin?" Abby asked frowning slightly.

"They're on their way back as we speak, can I give you a lift to the station?" The detective asked her eyebrows raised slightly. Abby nodded her agreement, grabbing her purse and keys as she followed the detective.

~~~~~~

 "Hi." Abby smiled as she took a seat in the police waiting room next to Imogen who was bundled up in a blanket.

"Hi." Imogen replied quietly, her voice sheepish as her eyes didn't move and Abby smiled a quick 'thanks' to the police officer who'd been sitting with her as he left.

"Where'd you go?" Abby asked kindly looking down on the top of Imogen's dark head as she shrugged noncommittally.

"I lost Daisy." She said, her eyes full of sad innocence as she looked up at Abby finally.

"Oh yeah?" Abby said looking down at her as she nodded, biting her lip, swinging her legs under the chair. "Your Dad and me thought we'd lost you, you know." Her eyes resting back on the top of Imogen's head as she nodded again, looking away.

"You should say your Dad and I not your Dad and me." She said quietly, looking seriously back up at Abby.

"Oh that's right" Abby replied nodding, biting back a smile. "So where'd you go?" She asked, her tone still light, shrugging a pretend shrug as she looked back down towards Imogen who was still looking up at her.

"I wanted to go to Lauren's house but I got lost." Imogen told her, her eyes not quite meeting Abby's as her voice stayed quiet and she shuffled on her seat.

"You about ready to go home?" Abby asked in a quiet, kind tone. Imogen nodded her response as she hopped off the chair, still clutching the blanked snugly around her. "You don't even have any shoes hunh?" Abby looked down noticing Imogen's pink toes poking out as she started to walk.

"I know." Imogen squinted back up at her through long lashes reaching for Abby's hand as a decidedly loud drunk was hauled past them.

"Ok, let's go." Abby decided picking her up as her eyes followed the noise and Abby carried her back out into the night.

~~~~~~

Abby glanced at her watch as she sat in the armchair in the corner of Imogen's room. She'd been sat there for almost an hour as Imogen slept safely in her own bed once again. She heard a rustle of noise and a door closing quietly announcing Nick's arrival, his body followed the noise as he appeared in the doorway. He looked down at Imogen quickly before tipping his head back and letting out a huge sigh of relief, as he sunk down the wall by the door, across from Abby, his knees were bent up as he rested his elbows on them, cupping his head in his hands momentarily, rubbing at the back of his head, before focusing his eyes on the bed again.

"Where'd they find her?" He asked quietly.

"In the park." Abby replied her voice quiet as well as he nodded.

"She ok?" He asked looking over at Abby for the first time, wordlessly she nodded her ascent, raising her eyebrows slightly, biting her lip. He breathed out heavily again as he nodded along. They fell silent for a while before Nick caught one of his wrists with his hand and laid his arms horizontally across his open knees. "Well today's been a day of firsts." He sighed, following it with a slight laugh as he looked back over at Abby, his eyes twinkling a little again. Again she remained silent and raised her eyebrows in unvoiced agreement and they lapsed back into silence.

"Do busses not have radios now?" She asked a clear, slightly comedic edge to her voice.

"I wasn't thinking all that laterally." He admitted with a slight smile and eye roll, as he looked over at her.

"Well I hear that Wisconsin's great this time of year." She said smiling a little at him.

"Yeah, the dells were looking good." He nodded with a smile, running his hand through his hair again. "We were thinking about doing a little fishing, maybe take a hike." He shrugged.

"Time just got away from you hunh?" She mocked, wrinkling her nose slightly in an 'oh well what can you do' kind of way.

 "Yeah, well y'know, I've got this kid and she was causing a bit of a stir back here so I figured that I should probably come back, sort her out." He shrugged tipping his head back to lean against the wall. "Thank you for picking her up." He said, his tone suddenly serious and grateful as he brought his head back up.

"Anyone would have done it." She shrugged his words off.

"But thank you anyway." He nodded at her, his voice still genuine, as she bit her lip and acknowledged his thanks. "You working tomorrow, today?" He corrected himself as she checked the time

."Nope." She shook her head.

"So you're an alcoholic." Nick said after a brief pause, she shot her head round, slightly sideswiped by his comment, she stared at him hard for the briefest of seconds before looking away rubbing her eyes. "Sorry, that was… I was just trying to fill the awkward silence" He mumbled looking down at his hands.

"And that was the best you could come up with?" She said mockingly, he shrugged his response. She moved her hand from her eyes to the back of her neck, kneading it slightly as she tipped her head forward and sighed slowly before looking back at him as he fidgeted with his hands. She'd told him, she was the one who'd let him know about it and now she had to decide if she was going to stick or twist, if she was going to stick to what her head was telling her, that this was all too much, that it was all something she didn't need in her life, or whether she was going to listen to the part of herself that was aching to be involved in this, that ached for him to want her involved, it was all about courage, did she have the courage to jump into the abyss of the unknown.

"It's not something that I want to define me." She said quietly, looking over at him as his head moved slowly up, slightly surprised she was choosing to talk.

"Does it?" He asked his tone soft and quiet, as she tipped her head noncommittally, rolling her eyes slightly.

"It's the one thing that I've always come back to." She shrugged. "Every time life's not gone my way it's been the first thing I think about, the first thing I need. The last thing I want to do but the first thing I do." She told him quietly, pouting slightly, resigned to her fate.

"I've seen you drink though." He said his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yeah but not in the way I want to when things get rough." She said raising he eyebrows.

"Where's the line between things being rough and things being ok?" He asked; his face contorted questioningly.

 "It's pretty clearly defined." She almost laughed.

"So when was the last time you got really, truly, properly, rough time wasted?" He questioned actually interested in the dynamics of her alcoholism, as she narrowed her eyes at him slightly.

"A while ago, eighteen months maybe, give or take." She said trying to remember when it was Carter had gone scuba diving.

"See, I always thought that one drink led to the next and then it just all spiraled, I've never seen you do that." He frowned slightly.

"It's not beyond the realms of possibility, I didn't drink for five years straight, and then it took one beer, three years ago and I started to figure that one wouldn't hurt, which is where it gets dangerous." She admitted to him.

"Five years straight, god, I can't remember the last time I didn't have a drink for five days straight." He said impressed by the feat. "So why does it get dangerous?" He frowned.

"You're incredibly ill informed about drunks for a thirty six year old." She said her forehead creasing as her eyes smiled at him and she crossed her arms leaning back.

"I'm incredibly ill informed about a lot of things for a thirty six year old." He smiled resignedly, "Toy Story I can tell you a hell of a lot about though, I can name every single toy in that movie." He said, raising one eyebrow, nodding in ironic 'check me out' kind of a way. She watched him as he did it. She'd never had a conversation this laid back about this before, his bizarre curiosity was in some way comforting, it didn't seem like he was taking this at all judgmentally which she found somehow reassuring. "So what made you go back to it if you hadn't had a drink for that long?" He asked, his face changing as his questioning continued.

"Shit happens." She said, it was the best explanation she could come up with.

"I guess it does." He nodded turning the corners of his mouth down slightly, followed by his head as looked down to his hands thinking, and they fell briefly into silence. "I've never known an alcoholic before." He said shaking his head smiling up at her. She studied him slowly as she assessed his decidedly relaxed reaction and bizarre curiosity about all this again.

"Well here I am in the flesh, twelve stepped and everything." She smiled holding her hands out. 

"So if I offered you a beer now, would you take it?" He asked frowning, a glint in his eye.

"No." She shook her head.

"Is that because it's almost six o'clock in the morning or because you don't want to have a drink with me?" He questioned skeptically.

"Partly because it's six am and partly because I need a cup of coffee." She said smiling at him as she pushed herself out of her chair and he heaved himself off the floor, taking Abby's offered hand as he did.

Abby and Nick were both leaning against the counter in his kitchen with mugs in their hands, six had turned into half past as they continued to banter with each other inconsequentially.

"D'you mind if I just try something." Nick asked as they stood side by side, she shrugged at him indicating that it didn't bother her either way, "It involves you." He explained still keeping his intention under wraps.

"Ok." She nodded, moving, getting ready to help him with whatever it was he wanted to try. He slid his hand around her waist, turning her towards him, setting his mug down on the side as he did, and then moving his hand to take her mug away from her; she figured where he was going with this and smiled slightly at him as she gave up the treasured caffeine. She smiled at him as he bent his head towards her, slowly a smile creeping onto his lips as he did; she brought her hands around to the back of his head, reaching up pulling his lips to meet hers.

"I didn't think that you were going to be here any more." Imogen's voice interrupted them as she looked inquisitively between her father and Abby who was trying to hide her laughter behind Nick's shoulder, as he looked down at Imogen, one of his hands remaining on Abby's waist as the other dropped to his side.

"Imogen Camilla Johnson, you and I need to have a chat." Nick said in his best 'I'm your Dad and I'm in charge' voice as he pointed her towards the couch.

"Why?" Imogen frowned, craning her neck to look up at him.

"Because when people disappear and don't tell anyone where they're going it means that they have to have a chat with their Dad about it." He said stern but light-hearted, as he pointed for Imogen to go and sit on the couch again. He turned back to Abby ready to apologize for, and excuse Imogen but changed his mind when he met a smile and she reached up to meet his lips quickly before pushing him towards the couch and the waiting Imogen. Jumping into the unknown abyss wasn't initially as hard as she thought it would be.   

Massively cheesy ending I know, but once again the fact that I'm a sucker for them took over…. As ever what do you think.

Tracey – Again thank you, and the romantic fuzz will keep rolling on.

Teertornado – thanks for letting me know that you think it's going ok still and the one storyline isn't too much of a stretch from the other, I'm sure I told you that he wasn't going to break her heart! (in response to you other question I'm not entirely sure where they are coming from, they are just jumbled bits and pieces that you see in people all put together, all I really know about Nick and Jasper is that they are hot!!)

ShatteredDreamz1 – It was never going to be carby I'm sorry, but hopefully this will surfice.

Carby6 – I like that you like them together, hopefully this won't put you off!