Notes: Thanks for the reviews. They really encourage me to continue this.

Mariel - Thanks for you're help.

Disclaimer - I don't own Without a Trace or its wonderful characters.

Danny spent a sleepless night alone in his apartment. He ached to call Anna or to go to her, but he didn't want to push her further away. Trying to fall asleep without her was agony. He couldn't remember the last time that they hadn't spent at least part of a night together. And he knew it wasn't about missing the sex. It was missing the feeling of her body curled next to his. It was missing her scent that lingered when she left the room—limes and coconut. It was listening to her breathing and watching her sleep. It was all those little things that had become part of his day-to-day life like when she left a voicemail at work so that he could hear her voice to start his day. He knew she wouldn't leave him a message after the fight they'd had. And yet, he wasn't sure how he could fix it. He'd reassured her time and time again, but nothing could erase her memories of his deceit.

After spending a lonely, sleepless night, he got to work early on Monday morning. Vivian was the second to get to work after him.

"Good morning, Danny," she said cheerily.

"Hey…morning, Viv," he responded quietly without looking up from his desk.

Vivian stopped in her tracks before reaching her desk. "Well, by the look of your tan, I'd say you had a good weekend, but the sound of your voice tells a different story."

He finally looked up at her and smiled slightly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah…I'm sure," he replied nodding his head.

"Okay. Well did you have a good weekend? Did you go somewhere?"

"Anna and I went to her family's vacation home in the Hampton's."

"Wow…very impressive. I bet it was beautiful out there this weekend."

"It was…" he replied pensively as he thought about the good times they'd had before they'd argued. Then he quickly changed the subject. "How was your weekend? How was Reggie's soccer game?"

"Three goals…and they won. He was over the moon," she answered as she made her way over to her desk.

"That's great. That's really great," he responded still distracted by thoughts of Anna.

Vivian noticed his distracted manner, so she stopped talking to him and let him be alone with his thoughts. Danny was rarely ever like that…so she gave him his space.

An hour later, the whole team assembled at the table. Vivian watched as Danny was able to transform himself. He seemed to be able to put his mask on for the day after she caught him in a weak moment. By the time Samantha and Martin arrived, he was his usual playful, charismatic self—acting as though he didn't have a care in the world. He told them that he and Anna had a great weekend, but Viv knew he was putting up a front.

After the team took a few minutes to catch up on each other's weekends, Jack gave out assignments for the day since there was no active case. He tasked Vivian and Martin with following up on a couple of cold cases. And then he directed Samantha to work with him doing some follow-up on solved cases. Danny looked up when he realized he still didn't have an assignment.

"What about me?" Danny asked.

"Ah Danny…I almost forgot…I got a call from Karen Washington on Friday. She wants an update on her daughter's case."

"And let me guess," Samantha interrupted as she smiled knowingly. "She asked to talk to Danny, specifically."

"As a matter of fact…yes…she did," Jack answered as Danny gave Samantha an annoyed glance.

"What time will she be here?" he asked Jack.

"10 AM. Grab her daughter's case file and see if we can give her something. I know there's no new information…"

"…but just give her some peace of mind," Danny finished. "I got it, Jack. Sometimes, I think I should just tell her that her daughter most likely ran away, but Mrs. Washington is so sure her daughter wasn't capable of doing that. I feel bad for her."

Karen Washington had come to Missing Person's Unit to check on her daughter's open case every few months. Her daughter, Sarah, had disappeared when she was 16. The team had virtually agreed that her daughter was a runaway. They'd never found signs of foul play. But Danny had still met with Mrs. Washington whenever she came in for an update. He'd usually tell her the same thing each time. Sam had teased Danny about being Mrs. Washington's favorite because she's always asked to speak to him.

Danny met Karen Washington in a conference room at 10 AM. He extended his hand to hers. "Mrs. Washington, how are you?" he asked as he sat down after shaking her hand.

"Oh…hanging in there, I guess," she replied. Karen Washington was an attractive, 40 year old divorcee. She always looked well put-together even when she was desperate to find her daughter. "How are you, Danny?"

Danny smiled. "I can't complain. What can I do for you today, Mrs. Washington?"

"How many times time do I have to tell you to call me Karen. We've been doing this for almost two years, and it makes me feel like an old woman."

"Sorry. Its FBI protocol and force of habit," he smiled apologetically while trying to encourage a professional tone to their meeting.

Karen pulled out a newspaper article from her purse. "I was on business last week in LA, and I saw this article. It's about young women who are recruited in bus stations to go to LA. They end up involved in prostitution and x-rated movies. What if Sarah got involved in something like this? She'd always wanted to go to Hollywood and become an actress."

"I guess it's possible, but we never traced Sarah to any bus stations," he said as he checked her file. And then he addressed Karen with a concerned gaze. "Did you ever consider getting a private investigator? A PI could put more focused attention on this. Unfortunately, we don't have the manpower…"

She interrupted. "I know. I know and I'm sorry to keep bothering you. It's just…I trust you. I hate the thought of getting used to a new investigator. I just…I miss her so much. She turns 18 this month."

He smiled reassuringly and patted her hand. "It's okay, Mrs. Washington. I understand you want to find your girl, and if we could…if I could…I would spend the time to track her down, but unfortunately, we can't continue to focus on a case in the long-term unless there are signs of foul play."

Karen looked down at his hand on hers and then put her other hand on his. "You are always so nice to me…so patient, Danny. I don't know how to thank you…"

He smiled uneasily and gave her hand a final squeeze before standing up. "You don't have to thank me. I'm just doing my job. I wish I could do more. But we just don't know anything new about your daughter's case. I would highly recommend hiring a PI. I could find some references for you…"

"That would be nice. Um…maybe…maybe we could go over the list if you met me for a drink."

Danny tried to maintain a polite expression despite feeling uncomfortable. This wasn't the first time that Karen Washington had propositioned him to meet her outside the office. "I don't think so, Mrs. Washington. I can call you or just fax the list to your office."

Karen looked down at her hands. "Oh my…I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry. But like I said the last time…it wouldn't be appropriate."

Karen nodded. "It's just hard going out with people…even just friends…when my daughter is always on my mind. I just think it would be nice to spend time with someone who knows the whole history," she responded uneasily. Then she suddenly asked, "Is it because I'm older?"

Danny hesitated not sure how to handle the situation. "No…no. It just wouldn't be right for me to see you outside of this building, Mrs. Washington. I know this is a hard time for you. I know your miss you daughter, but maybe it's time for you to move on. Get a PI working for you, and then try to move on. If your daughter comes back, then great…but if she doesn't…"

Karen smiled as she interrupted him again. "It's not just because of my daughter, Danny. I like talking to you. I'm very…I'm very attracted to you."

Danny raked a hand over his face and sighed. "Mrs. Washington…I'm sorry if I've misled you, but I've just been doing my job here. I hope I didn't give you the wrong idea."

Karen rose from her seat. "You haven't misled me. I just thought I should be honest and let you know how I feel," she replied confidently. "I should get going. Please call me if there are any new developments,".

Danny walked her to the elevator, and then returned to the bullpen. Samantha was sitting at the conference table doing paperwork. He sat down across from her and let out a deep sigh.

"How'd it go with Karen Washington? Was she swooning?" Samantha asked jokingly.

Danny looked up at her with a hurt, annoyed expression. "Don't say that, Sam. I've been nothing but professional with Mrs. Washington."

Samantha stopped smiling. "I know that. I was only kidding. I just think it's funny that she always asks for you. Clearly, she enjoys talking to you more than the rest of us."

"It's not funny. I thought it wasn't a big deal, but…"

"But what?" Sam asked.

Danny looked at her and then shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm overreacting…I'm sure. She's just a lonely woman who misses her little girl."

"Did something happen between the two of you?"

Danny looked up quickly. "No…god…no, Sam. She asked me about an article she read about trafficking girls from bus stations to LA for porn and prostitution. I encouraged her to get a PI again. I told her that a PI could focus on that kind of angle. And then I told her that I could recommend some names to her."

When Danny hesitated, Samantha asked, " And?"

"She suggested that I meet her for a drink to discuss the list."

Samantha smiled and shook her head. "I knew it. I knew she had a thing for you."

"I told her it wouldn't be appropriate…just like the last time."

"She's asked you before?"

"Yeah…a couple of times. I always tell her no, but she's kind of persistent. This time…this time…"

"What?" she asked curiously.

"This time she flat out told me she was attracted to me," Danny replied in an embarrassed, but slightly amused tone.

"You have to tell Jack…you have to put this in your report."

"She's just a lonely woman, Sam. It's no big deal. The only reason she still comes in here is because she misses her daughter."

Samantha gave Danny a perplexed smirk. "Danny…the only reason she still comes here is for you. Her daughter's case has been cold for two years. We've all but filed this case as a runaway, and yet every two or three months she shows up and asks to talk to you. And you didn't even interview her originally…Viv did. She sought you out. She comes here to talk to you. And now she is asking you out? You need to document it, Danny."

"You're overreacting," Danny responded shaking his head.

"Am I? Okay…what if the situation was reversed? What if the father of a missing girl kept coming in and asking to talk to me. And then what if he propositioned me? You would be the first person to tell me to tell Jack. Not only that, but you would probably go after him yourself."

Danny sat back in his chair. "That's completely different. That's harassment."

"Oh please…don't go all double standard on me. So if a man does it to me…it's sexual harassment…but if it happens to you…it's….what?"

"It's a lonely woman who can't get a date. And maybe I was too friendly to her. Maybe I did do or say something that encouraged her," Danny replied remembering Anna's accusations about his boundary issues. "I told her I wasn't interested, and now it's over. I'm sorry I mentioned it,"

"So what are you saying? You asked for this because you were friendly to her? You're like that with everyone, Danny. You didn't encourage her…you're just doing your job. And regardless…whether it is harassment or just a misunderstanding…my advice? Document it. Put it in your report, and then let someone else handle Mrs. Washington when she shows up next time," Samantha said as she rose from the table and walked back to her desk.

Danny returned to his desk to file his report to Jack about his follow-up with Mrs. Washington. He was so preoccupied with the issue with Mrs. Washington that he didn't have time to lament about what happened with Anna. As he walked home that night, he thought through his behavior with Mrs. Washington. He honestly didn't think he'd done anything to encourage her, but he couldn't help but second-guess himself.

He reached his apartment building and went up the stairs. As he approached the landing to his floor, he was surprised to see Anna sitting on the top step. "Hey…" he said as she looked up at him.

Her eyes were slightly puffy, but she wasn't crying. "Hi," she responded quietly not making a move to get up. "I…um…someone let me in the building. I wasn't sure when you would get home."

"You could have called. I would have met you sooner," he replied quietly.

She shrugged. "It's okay. I wouldn't have known what to say if I'd called"

He stood on the step where he'd stopped when he first saw her. He wasn't sure what he should do. He decided to wait for her cue.

She just sat in front him biting her bottom lip. "I've been doing a lot of thinking. I didn't even go to work today. I never miss work, but I thought how can I counsel anyone when I am such a complete mess."

"I'm sorry…"

She interrupted quickly. "Don't…don't say it. You really aren't sorry. I know you don't think you've done anything wrong…you said that yourself…and really…you haven't. You are just being you…and that is the person who I can't seem to live without."

He took a step toward her. "But I've been thinking…I mean…maybe…maybe I should be more careful," he said almost desperately as he thought about Karen Washington.

She shook her head. "Don't be silly. I shouldn't have made you doubt yourself. I love the way that you are. I don't want you to change," she said as she stood up. "I felt guilty about keeping us a secret. It was easier to lash out than to let you be mad at me."

"I'm not mad. I just didn't understand…" he said as he took another step toward her.

Tears formed in her eyes and her voice cracked with emotion. "Sometimes I wish that we could just erase the past. I wish that I didn't remember…"

"I know…I know, baby," he said as he closed the distance between them and put his arms around her. He held her for several minutes and then he got his key out, opened his door and guided her into his apartment. He continued to hold her on the couch as she cried softly in his arms. Eventually, they both fell asleep knowing that they hadn't solved anything, but also knowing that they didn't want to be anywhere else.