Disclaimer: only the story is mine. Wish Danny was as well.

Well, here it is, the final chapter. And my last chance to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed. They were very much appreciated. As will all the reviews for this chapter. Hint, hint!

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Before Martin had a chance to say anything else, he heard Samantha scream.

"Samantha? Samantha?"

Danny turned to Martin.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know. We were talking and she screamed," Martin said as he slammed the phone down and the two agents ran towards the elevator.

After a moment spent furiously banging on the call button, he gave up and headed for the stairs, with Danny following.

They arrived in reception just in time to see Samantha overpowering Maria.

"Danny, handcuffs," said Samantha. "Maria Malone, I'm arresting you for assaulting a federal officer."

Samantha led her to the elevator as she reeled off the rest of the Miranda Rights, Danny and Martin behind her.

When they were back on their floor, Martin whispered something to Danny, who quickly walked away. Martin looked at Samantha and she nodded in understanding.

Danny ran into the interrogation room.

"Jack, follow me," he said.

Jack stood up and followed.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

Danny opened the door to one of the side rooms.

"Wait here."

Jack walked in and Danny left, shutting the door. Jack shouted after him, but got no reply.

Danny signalled to Martin that the room was free and Samantha led Maria down the corridor.

Danny went over to Viv's desk.

"Where have you been?" asked Viv. "And where are Martin and Sam?"

"They're in the interrogation room. With Maria."

"Maria Malone?"

"Yep. She just showed up."

"Where's she been?"
Danny shrugged. "I guess we'll find out soon."

……………………

Jack was, yet again, alone in a room and pacing. It seemed like he had done a lot of that today.

He just wanted to go home and look after his girls. If something had happened to his wife, then he needed to be there for them. He needed to take care of them, help them understand what had happened. He knew what it was like to loose a parent. His own mother had died when he was 16 and he knew how hard it was to accept that she was gone. Hannah and Kate were even younger. They were going to need him more than they ever had before.

He couldn't stop wondering what had happened to Maria.

Where was she? How was she? Had she been murdered? And, if so, by who? And why were they trying to frame him?

These were just a few of the questions that kept popping into his mind and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't find the answers. He wanted to know where she was so desperately.

She might have left him but he still loved her. He always would. She had given him two children that he loved more than anything. She would always be an important part of his life.

He couldn't stand the thought that something might have happened to her.

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Samantha sat down with Viv and Danny at the conference table, sighing with frustration as she flopped into the chair.

"I thought you were interviewing Maria," said Danny.

"She refused to answer any questions with me in the room," she said.

"Did she say anything before you left?" asked Viv.

"Just that she wanted me out. And a few words that I don't really want to repeat. What did you tell Jack, anyway?"

"Nothing yet. I figured we should wait until we knew what was going on."

"So he still believes we think he murdered her?"

"Yes. But at least he's out of our way."

"I guess."

The three of them sat, barely speaking, for nearly three quarters of an hour, until Martin joined them.

"What did she say?" asked Sam.

……………………

Viv walked into the room where Jack was waiting.

"Maria just showed up," she said.

"What?" asked Jack. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

"Can I see her?"

"Jack, she was the one that was trying to set you up."

"What?"

"Apparently she wanted to get back at you for having an affair. So she and one of her clients cooked up this plan to frame you for her murder. She's been arrested and we're about to charge her."

"What are the charges?"

"Wasting police time, attempting to pervert the course of justice, impeding a federal investigation, child endangerment and assaulting a federal officer."

"Assaulting a federal officer?"

"She got Samantha called down to reception and attacked her."

"Is Sam okay?"

"Yeah. She hit her elbow on the ground when she fell, but she's fine."

"I guess that means I'm free to go, then."

"Yes."

Jack stood up and went to the door.

"Jack."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

Jack gave her a half-hearted smile and left.

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Jack walked into the office. It was the first time he had been in since Maria's arrest three days previously. He was just coming out of a meeting with Van Doren and was on his way to see the team to tell them what was happening.

The team waited nervously at the conference table. This was the first time they had seen Jack since they had wrongfully arrested him for murdering his wife.

Samantha had also had a meeting with Van Doren that morning to discuss her penalty for having a relationship with Jack. She had been put on probation for 3 months and she silently prayed that Jack was treated as leniently.

Jack joined them at the table.

"How did it go?" asked Martin.

"She said that I knew the risks of the relationship and that normally it would at least get me demoted. But, considering what Maria did and the fact that I was arrested for something I didn't do, she offered me 6 months probation."

"That's great," said Viv.

"I turned it down."

"What?" asked Sam, shocked. "Why?"

"I'm taking a three month suspension instead and then a demotion. The girls need me. They don't really understand what's happened. They're having trouble getting their heads round Maria going to prison. So I'm going to use the suspension to be there for them 24/7 and then I'm standing down as a supervising agent. The hours are too long and I need to be home as much as possible."

"What about Maria?" asked Danny. "Do you know what's gonna happen to her?"

"She's in jail at the moment, awaiting a bail hearing."

"Do you think they'll grant bail?" asked Sam.

"I don't know. And, to be honest, I hope they don't. She'll only want to see the girls and I don't want her to."

"Can you do that?" asked Viv. "Stop her seeing them? She is their mother."

"I have a court appointment tomorrow, which my lawyer assures me is just a formality, and then I will have sole custody of them. If I don't want her to see them, she doesn't see them."

It was clear to the team that Jack wasn't angry with Maria for what she had done to him, but for what she had done to Hannah and Kate. He would do anything to protect his children and if that meant stopping them from seeing their mother, then so be it.

"Anyway," he said. "My suspension is effective immediately. Van Doren wants to talk to you, Viv, about taking over in my absence."

Viv nodded silently.

"Well, that's everything. See you in three months, I guess."

"See you in three months," said Viv, smiling.

Danny, Martin and Samantha all said their goodbyes and Jack went home.

He could tell that they had all felt uneasy around him over what had happened. But he didn't feel there was any need for that.

Vivian had stepped up and taken charge at a moments notice and she had treated him as both a friend and a suspect.

Danny had trusted the evidence that he had in front of him and interviewed Jack in the way he would interview any suspect.

Martin and Samantha had never stopped believing in him and had been determined to help prove his innocence.

They had been presented with an extremely difficult case and they handled it with the same professionalism with which they would handle any case.

The truth was, he was proud of them.

Of course, he wasn't going to tell them that.

Not just yet.

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