Present Day...

Monica stayed in Anna's room until she fell asleep. It was as much for her own benefit as her daughter's insistence. She didn't want to let Anna out of her sight, but the relatives waiting for her down stairs made her realise that this was an unrealistic ideal. So as long as Anna was safely tucked up in bed, it was safe for her to go down to her in laws.

"How is she Monica?"

"She's sleeping. The painkillers the doctor prescribed have knocked her out for the count."

Kate Doggett was a friendly woman who was career centred but loved her family. She lived in Florida and rarely saw her family; she was flying back in just a few hours but had wanted to check her niece was ok before leaving.

"What time does your flight leave?"

"Eleven. My dad's gonna drive me to the airport."

"Where are Frank and Rosey?"

"Outside. Dad wanted some air and I think mom went to talk to him about how he's acting around you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Come on Monica; don't tell me you haven't noticed. He's acting all weird, he's not like that usually."

"Well his son's just died."

"Yeah, but it wasn't your fault."

"You think he blames me?"

"I know that you must."

Monica looked at Kate and sighed as she sat down.

"I honestly don't know who I blame the most. Myself. The bureau."

"Or that Dukes girl."

"Yeah."

"Well you didn't pull the trigger Monica. And just because the bullet was intended for you it doesn't mean it was meant for you."

"How can you be so rational about this?"

"I'm a therapist. It's my job to make people see the reasons behind the powers that be."

"But John was your brother. How can you see a reason for all of this happening?"

"It's not always easy, sometimes we have to look hard for a reason, but there'll be one

somewhere. Trust me."

Monica smiled at Kate just as Rosey and Frank walked back into the house.

"Monica how is she?"

"She's sleeping, she'll be fine Rosey."

"I'm so glad. Look, we're going to get a taxi to the airport in the morning. We'll stop by to

see Anna, but don't you worry about taking us."

Monica simply agreed. She wasn't about to offer again and had hoped that they would decline her offer after the day's events. And if she was honest the less time she had to spend with Frank Doggett the better.

June 26th, Silver Spring Maryland, local police station...

John had driven to the police station and Monica hadn't said a word since they had left the office. He had been just as surprised as she was at Skinner's request, but he agreed that they would make sure at least one of them got home for Anna.

When they walked inside Monica already had her I.D. ready, she was obviously going to be running this show.

"I'm Agent Reyes this is my partner Agent Doggett, we're here to see Mia Dukes."

"Yeah, we were told you were coming. You're welcome to her. She may be just a kid but she's a little bitch."

Monica winced at the way the detective was talking and tried to brush it off. Mia was fourteen years old, and probably terrified.

"Where is she?"

"I'll take you to her, but she only wants to see you, she didn't say anything about your

partner."

Monica looked at John and he walked with them so far as the two-way mirror so he

could watch as Monica spoke with Mia. When Monica walked inside Mia looked almost relieved before taking it upon herself to be the sharp-tongued teenager they now knew her as.

"Wow, they actually pulled it off and got you here. I never thought they would. Did you get in trouble for yesterday?"

"No. Although you might say that I did and that my punishment was having to come back."

"So now you don't want to see me and I requested you. The irony isn't lost on me."

"Mia you're just a kid, so lets cut the crap and how about you tell me what's going on and how your fingerprints appeared on a murder weapon."

"They said they didn't have the murder weapon."

"I'm talking about the syringes. The ones that Casey Gooding used for her diabetes treatment."

"I used to fetch them for her sometimes."

"Why?"

"Because we were friends, and she wasn't all that good at remembering to take her medication."

"What do you mean?"

"Well sometimes I'd have to remind her to take her medication, she didn't like to take it

'cause she wanted to be like everyone else. The day her parents died I went into her room to check if she'd taken her insulin and she said no, so I fetched a syringe and she fought against me as I tried to help her. She doesn't like needles, so I was going to do it for her.

She reached for the nearest thing and cut me with the scissors to get me to leave her alone. When she saw what she'd done she apologised, she took the medicine and we threw her syringes in the bathroom bin and I threw the towel I used to wipe my arm in the trash out back so that no one would see it."

Monica looked at Mia and wanted so badly to believe her.

"May I see where she cut you?"

Mia pulled up the sleeve of her shirt and showed a long cut that went across the top of her arm.

"You know we're going to check out your story with Casey Gooding."

"Go ahead. I'm not lying. I don't do that. I bet your not checking out the other prints on

those syringes are you?"

"How do you know about other prints?"

"The cops don't exactly talk quietly when they talk about cases. I bet you found Adam Davies prints on them, I'd check him out he was sleeping with Casey and her father was furious."

Monica looked at Mia and wasn't sure how much she could trust her. She stood up and walked out of the room. Mia watched her go and didn't show any kind of expression as to whether she was guilty or not.

John followed Monica out of the police station and got into the car with her as she got

into the drivers side.

"Where are we going?"

"I think it's time we talked to Casey Gooding."