Children's Services

Murdock woke when the alarm went off, turned it off immediately and rolled over, looking at Nancy thoughtfully. Even after she'd come to bed, he knew she hadn't slept well. She had another nightmare last night – they seemed to be getting more frequent, and intense. It was starting to really worry him. But at least for now, she seemed to be resting quietly, and the alarm hadn't awakened her.

He slipped out of bed, grabbed his pile of clean clothes, and headed out into the hall. He poked his head into Callie's room, and saw that she, too, seemed to be sleeping peacefully now. Then he went downstairs and got into the shower.

Once he was showered and dressed, he walked through the dining room, the blinking light on the answering machine catching his eye. He walked over and punched the button, "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Murdock, this is Sherry Evanston, with Children's Services. I'd like to set up an appointment with you, preferably this afternoon, to discuss the situation with Callie and Jack Temple. Dr. Lyons indicated that Callie is staying with you at the moment, and while I appreciate your initiative, we really do need to get back to the books and make sure that everything is done according to procedure. Please give me a call as soon as possible. I am in the office until 5pm." Ms. Evanston then left her phone number.

A second message, also from Ms. Evanston, followed, "Mr. and Mrs. Murdock, this is Sherry Evanston again, from Children's Services, it's almost 6 and I still haven't heard from you. I really must insist on a meeting as soon as possible. I have your address from Dr. Lyons - I will stop by at 8am sharp in the morning so that we can discuss the children's situation, unless I hear otherwise from you. Again, if you need to contact me, please call my office and leave a message," and she left the number, again.

Murdock was sitting at the dining room table, and had dutifully marked down the phone number. He deleted both messages, then picked up the phone and dialed Ms. Evanston's office number, "Hello, Ms. Evanston, this is HM Murdock. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner, I must have missed your call yesterday afternoon, and we didn't get in until late last night, and I didn't check messages until this morning. We will be at the hospital at 8am with Callie to visit Jack. If you'd like to meet us there, please feel free. Jack was in room 223, though it would probably be a good idea to check at the front desk to make sure he hasn't been moved out of ICU. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me on my cell phone," and Murdock left his number, "We look forward to seeing you."

He hung up the phone and sat looking out the window, lost in thought for several minutes. He shook his head and glanced at his watch, jumping up he went to the kitchen and went to grab a pack of pop tarts out of the cupboard. He looked curiously in the cupboard – thinking he must have been eating more of the pop tarts than usual. He could have sworn he had a box of s'mores poptarts left, they were his favorites. He sighed and grabbed a pack of strawberry poptarts and hurried out the door - he was going to be late.

He arrived at the Compound at 4:45am, walking in through the sliding door, surprised that the recruits weren't waiting for him outside. He found Hannibal sitting at the dining room table.

"Running a little late, Captain?" Hannibal asked, his tone amused.

"A little," Murdock said, "where are the recruits?"

Hannibal pointed outside, "I sent them out on their own this morning," he noticed Murdock looking longingly towards the kitchen, where the smell of coffee originated, "Why don't you grab a cup of coffee."

Murdock returned a minute later with a steaming cup of coffee, and took a seat at the table with Hannibal, "Sorry I was late . . . We got in late, and then I checked messages this morning and Children's Services had called, and I had to call them back, and I just didn't get out of the house like I usually do . . ."

Hannibal was holding up a hand, "It's OK, Murdock - it really wasn't a big deal, I was here anyways," he said, "Callie seemed to have a good time last night - she's starting to look and behave less like a street urchin and more like a little girl."

"Yea," Murdock agreed, "But I think the full transformation is going to take some time . . . And some stability," he was quiet for a minute, then said, "Hannibal, do you know anything about what Children's Services does? I mean, what are we gonna have to do to keep the kids?"

Hannibal shrugged, "That's probably something you should talk to BA and Char about - Char probably your best bet. She deals with kids from all walks, and I know she's had to make referrals to Children's Services before. She'd be able to give you an idea about what's gonna happen."

Murdock nodded, "That's a good idea . . ." he said thoughtfully, "Maybe I can catch them after visiting hours. 'Course, we may be seeing Ms. Evanston at the hospital this morning . . . You don't think they'll take Callie, do you?" his brow was creased in a worried frown.

"I don't know, Murdock," Hannibal said slowly, "but I don't think there's any point in worrying about it now. See what happens this morning."

Murdock nodded, but he still looked worried.

Hannibal sent Murdock home early, and then called BA at home, "BA, Murdock just left, apparently they have a meeting with a lady from Children's Services this morning . . . A Ms. Evanston, and he's worried about them taking Callie. Do you think there's anything we can do to make sure that doesn't happen? You and Charlotte know more about this kind of stuff than I do."

"I'll talk to Char - she's worked wi' Childen's Services quite a bit. Maybe she can help," BA said, "We'll do what we can to help, Hannibal. Nan and the crazy man are already pretty attached to them kids, huh?"

"Yea - and I don't think the rest of us will be too far behind," Hannibal said, "Do what you can, BA."

"I'm on it, Colonel."

Murdock got back to the house a little before 6am, and went upstairs to see if Nancy was awake yet. She rolled over and smiled sleepily at him when he entered the bedroom.

Glancing at the clock, she said, "It's not even 6 yet, you're back early," she yawned, "Why don't you crawl back into bed for a little bit, we don't need to get moving for another half hour or so."

"Now there's an offer I can't refuse," he said quietly, slipping off his shirt and pants. He glanced thoughtfully at the hallway door and pushed it closed and went to the dresser, pulled out a pair of shorts and put them on. Finally, he crawled into bed with Nancy.

He put his arms around her and kissed her forehead, "You should try to get a little more sleep, you came to bed awful late last ni . . . uh, actually that would be early this morning."

Nancy smiled, running a hand absently over his chest, "I feel pretty rested," she said quietly, "I slept good once I got to bed."

Murdock shook his head, "'Good' wouldn't be the word I'd choose," he said, "You had another nightmare," he added, almost accusingly.

Nancy's jaw tensed, "OK, so maybe I didn't sleep all that great, but I still feel pretty good," she said defensively, "I'm really not in the mood for a lengthy discussion about my sleeping habits . . ."

"Or lack thereof," Murdock interrupted.

Nancy closed her eyes, she knew her husband meant well, but she really didn't want to talk about the nightmares. It was her problem, and she'd work it out, she just needed some time.

Opening her eyes she said hopefully, "Can we just enjoy the quiet time we have?"

Murdock willed himself to relax, and looked at her ruefully, "Yea, I'm sorry I brought it up."

She sat up a little and looked at him, "Why are you home so early, anyway?"

"I was running late, and Hannibal went ahead and started the recruits off this morning," Murdock said, "Which reminds me, a Sherry Evanston from Children's Services called yesterday," he filled Nancy in on the messages and his call back, "So, we may be seeing her at the hospital this morning."

Nancy could feel herself tensing as Murdock related the messages, "They wouldn't just take Callie away would they?" she asked nervously.

"I don't know," Murdock said uncertainly, disturbed to hear his own fears echoed in his wife's words, "I talked to Hannibal about it this morning, he suggested talking to BA and Char. He didn't seem to think there was any reason to worry right now."

"I don't suppose there's a whole lot to do about it at this point, anyways," she said miserably, "I wish we'd thought of that last night, we could have at least talked to BA and Char and have some idea what to expect from Children's Services."

Murdock squeezed her shoulders, "Like Hannibal said, there's no point in worrying about it now – we'll just have to wait and see what happens this morning."

"I just wish I was sure they weren't going to take Callie away," she said, "We've got to tell her that Children's Services is coming, and I'd like to at least be able to tell her what's gonna happen."

"We can't always have all the answers, Nan," Murdock said soothingly, "Just like us, Strawberry will have to wait and see, at least after we meet with Children's Services, we should have a better idea of what's gonna come next."

Nancy and Murdock lay in bed talking quietly for the next several minutes about nothing in particular, until a tentative knock on the door interrupted them, "C'mon in Callie," Murdock said.

The door opened and Callie came in hesitantly, "I'm not bothering you, am I?"

Murdock swung his legs out from under the covers and sat up, "Nope, in fact we were just talkin' about gettin' up and starting breakfast."

Callie moved into the room, as Nancy sat up, leaning on Murdock's shoulders and looking at Callie in concern, "Did you sleep OK the rest of the night, Cal?"

Callie nodded, and sat down on the bed, where Murdock had patted the mattress invitingly.

"Strawberry," he started tentatively, "It sounds like Children's Services will probably be meeting us at the Hospital this morning . . ."

A slight look of panic crossed Callie's face, "Who from Children's Services?" she asked sharply.

Nancy's eyes narrowed, obviously Callie spoke from experience, "Sherry Evanston," she said, "Why, do you know her?"

Nancy sat back, looking at Callie directly. At first Callie avoided looking at her, but she finally turned, "Yea, she's our case worker."

Murdock raised an eyebrow, "How many times have you been in State care, Cal?" he asked curiously.

Callie shrugged noncommittally, and Nancy asked another question, "Callie, perhaps you could tell us what to expect this morning."

Callie shrugged again, "Never been stayin' with nobody before when we've ended up in custody," she said quietly, "Usually, they just grab us, take us to a state home, an' look for our mother," the last word had a definitely derisive tone to it.

Nancy put a hand under Callie's chin, and forced her to look directly at her, "Callie, I want you to tell me the truth, did you and Jack run away?"

Callie jerked her chin out of Nancy's grip and spat defiantly, "Yea, we ran away, so what? It ain't the first time, and it won' be the last. My mother can't take care of us nohow, so why should we stay?"

Nancy sat back, "Callie, when Jack got so sick, why didn't you take him home?"

Callie was breathing heavily, and tears began spilling down her cheeks, "I tried," she said, standing and pacing agitatedly, "Mom was gone, the whole 'partment was empty. She even emptied our closets. She just up and left us!"

"Did you stop and talk to any of the neighbors, try to find out where your Mom was?" Murdock asked.

Callie nodded, "The super came up, said he kicked our Mom out, and we wasn' welcome either. He didn' know where she went, and didn' care," her voice was mocking, "Tol' us to get the hell out and not come back."

Callie was breathing heavily, her arms crossed, her stance defiant as she stood in front of Nancy and Murdock.

Nancy's mind was whirling with questions. Finally she asked, "Callie, how long ago did you go back to the apartment?"

Callie shrugged, "Few days ago, maybe Monday or Tuesday," she sniffled again, dropping dejectedly on the bed, "I don' know, the days were kinda runnin' together."

"How long had it been since you ran away?"

"We'd been on the street for awhile, two or three weeks," Callie said, her gaze hardening, "And Mom sure didn' look too hard for us, we wasn't even that far from the apartment."

Murdock and Nancy looked at each other worriedly. Murdock stood and stretched, trying to sort through what all of this meant, walking to the window, he looked out on the dirt road running in front of the house thoughtfully.

Callie looked from one to the other, "This don' change nothin', though. Mom left, so me and Jack need a new place to stay – you'll still let us stay here, won' you Nan? HM?" she asked desperately.

Nancy looked at Callie sympathetically, "Honey, I haven't got a clue what's gonna happen today. This changes a lot of things, and I'm sure Children's Services will want to try and find your Mom. We're just gonna have to wait and see what happens this morning."

Murdock turned from the window, "Callie you should have told us all this at the beginning," he said seriously, "We might have been able to do something to find your Mom, and avoided getting Children's Services involved at all."

Callie stood up, "Don't you get it?" she asked angrily, "I don't want to go back to my Mother. We're better off without her!"

Murdock rubbed a weary hand over his face, "It's OK Strawberry, don't s'pose there's any point in going over the 'what ifs' at this point," he looked back at her, "like Nan said, we'll have to wait and see what the morning has in store. We'll do what we can for you, but the final decisions aren't up to us."

Callie's shoulders slumped, "I know," she said despairingly, "Ms. Evanston'll probably take us to the children's home until she can find our Mom. I know you can't do nothin' about it."

Murdock smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, "We'll see if we can convince her to let you stay with us until they find your Mom," he glanced over at the clock, "I better get downstairs and get breakfast started, see you ladies in a few minutes."

He picked his clothes up from the floor and started out the door.

Callie's eyes were locked on his back, "What happened?" she asked, quietly.

Murdock turned back and looked at her curiously, "What happened where?"

Callie motioned vaguely, "Your back, it's . . . it's got scars on it, like you were in some kinda accident . . ."

Murdock stiffened, a dark look crossing his usually cheerful face, "Nothing that concerns you," he said softly, his tone stony. He turned and walked out the door without another word.

Callie looked down, then glanced back at Nancy as Murdock's footsteps faded down the stairs, "Is he OK?" she asked worriedly.

Nancy stood and smiled wanly at the girl, "He is now, Cal," she said quietly, "But it's not something he really likes to talk about. He was a prisoner of war during Vietnam."

Callie looked at Nancy, "Vietnam? Like the Memorial?"

Nancy nodded, "Yes, just like the Memorial," she said, "He and Hannibal and Face and BA served together in Vietnam. Their unit was captured and they spent several months in a prisoner of war camp towards the end of the war, and they weren't treated very well."

Callie sat down on the edge of the bed, watching Nancy curiously as she moved around the room, gathering clothes to change into, "What did they do to them?"

Nancy carefully folded the shirt she was holding and laid it on top of the pile of clothes she had gathered. Murdock had never really talked about what had happened, though she could guess some of it. Hannibal had told her a few things, but none of the guys really wanted to discuss the war, let alone the POW camp. She turned to Callie, "It was really bad stuff, Cal."

She picked up her clothes, and turned towards the door, "Have you picked out some clothes to wear today? Terra had quite a pile for you, hopefully something fits. Why don't you go get dressed?"

Callie stood up uncertainly, "I'm sorry, Nan, I didn't mean to make HM mad . . ."

Nancy smiled, "You didn't make him mad, Cal," she said reassuringly, "You just reminded him of things he'd rather forget. He's probably over it already! Now go get dressed so we can eat breakfast and go see Jack."

By the time they got downstairs, Murdock did seem to be pretty much back to normal. He had scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast ready for breakfast. They ate in the dining room this morning. An overcast night had turned into a drizzly morning, and it was looking like the rain might last all day.

Missing Links

They took two vehicles into the hospital again, after breakfast, and this time Callie rode with Murdock.

As they pulled out of the drive, Murdock broached a subject that had been nagging at him, "Callie, why did you and Jack run away?"

Callie's lips formed a thin line, "Why wouldn't you tell me where you got those scars on your back?" she countered.

Murdock stiffened, but considered the question seriously. The POW camp had been a long time ago, and he had learned to cope with what had happened there, but that didn't mean it was something he wanted to talk about.

"I don't know, Strawberry," he said slowly, "Guess I just don't like to talk about it."

Callie turned and looked at him, her gaze steady, "And I don't like to talk about why Jack and I run away," she said flatly.

Murdock glanced at her, and nodded his head, "Fair enough," he said, "but if you ever decide that you wanna talk about it, I'd really like to know. And I'd like to try and help if I can."

Callie considered the offer, "OK," she said thoughtfully, "Same goes for you."

Murdock grinned, "Deal."

They road in silence for a few minutes, then Murdock smiled broadly, "Hey, Strawberry, do you know why elephants paint their toenails red?"

Callie looked at him with a curious expression, "Huh?"

"Why do elephants paint their toenails red?"

Callie shrugged, "Don't know . . ."

"To hide in strawberry patches."

"That's stupid," Callie said.

"Yea," Murdock said challengingly, "Have you ever seen an elephant in a strawberry patch?"

"No . . ."

"See how well it works?" Murdock said triumphantly.

Callie looked at him, trying to suppress a smile, then she suddenly started laughing, and Murdock joined her. He told silly jokes the rest of the way to the hospital, and had Callie laughing until she cried by the time they arrived. Nancy was a few minutes behind them, but they waited for her in the parking lot, and they all went up to Jack's room together.

Visiting hours passed quickly. Jack was obviously feeling much better. Dr. Lyons stopped by around 9, and told them that Jack would be moving to a regular room the next day. At 10, with visiting hours coming to a close, Jack begged them not to go, but Callie told him that the Doc had said he had to get his rest.

Nancy glanced around as they left, "Ms. Evanston didn't show up, wonder if we should call her office and set another appointment?"

"I'll call as soon as we're out of the hospital," Murdock said.

Once in the parking lot, Nancy settled Callie in the front seat of the bug, listening to music while Murdock pulled out his cell phone to call Ms. Evanston's office. She answered on the first ring, "Sherry Evanston, Children's Services, how can I help you?"

"Hello, Ms. Evanston, this is HM Murdock, I was calling . . ."

Ms. Evanston interrupted him, "Mr. Murdock, where were you this morning – I stopped by your house but there was no one home."

"I'm sorry, I left you a message early this morning," Murdock said apologetically, "we brought Callie to the hospital at 8 for visiting hours. I wondered if you'd gotten the message when you didn't come to the hospital."

"Oh," Ms. Evanston said flatly, "Well, I checked my voice mail first thing this morning, but there weren't any messages, so I assumed that the meeting would occur at your home at 8."

Murdock allowed the unspoken accusation to lie, trying not to come to any premature opinions about the woman on the other end of the line, "Message must be in the voice mail twilight zone," he said, trying to laugh it off, "We're just leaving the hospital now, would it be better for you if we stopped by your office?"

"That would probably be for the best. I assume that both you and your wife can come, and please bring Callie. We really need to get things moving in the official channels, if you understand what I mean. This is all very irregular."

"Well, if you'll give me some directions, we can leave directly from here," Murdock offered.

"Very well," Ms. Evanston said, and provided succinct instructions on getting from the hospital to her office building, "If you tell the receptionist that you're in to see me, she'll ring me and I'll come and get you in the lobby. It should only take you about 20 minutes from the hospital. You can park in the garage next door.

"Thanks," Murdock said, "We'll see you in about 25 minutes then."

Murdock pushed the end button and shoved the phone in his pocket, "Well, she didn't get my message this morning," he said, turning to Nancy who was leaning against the front of her bug, in the parking space adjacent to his truck, "She wants us to come to the office right away . . . we need to 'get things moving in the official channels, if you understand what I mean. This is all very irregular.'"

Nancy raised an eyebrow at her husband's imitation of the woman's voice, "She sounds like a peach, can't wait to meet her," she said, glancing in the window at Callie, who was singing along to a Bonnie Raitt song on the tape player, "Think she's going to cause us problems?"

Murdock sighed, pulling the door to the truck open, "Oh, you can probably bet on it . . . I guess you can just follow me, she said the office was about 20 minutes from here."

Nancy gave him a kiss, "Alright, just take it easy and try not to lose me," she said with a smile.

Nee opened the bedroom door promptly at 10:30 and nudged Cuttey awake without a word. He rolled over and smiled lewdly at her, grabbing her arm when she turned to leave and pulling her roughly down onto the bed. She didn't resist and she didn't struggle, lying there limply, which just aggravated him. He smacked her across the face, trying to get some reaction, but she still just laid there. Finally, he rolled off of her in disgust, "You're just fucking useless," he said irritably, walking out of the bedroom.

Nee rolled over on her side, listening to Cuttey move around the apartment. When she heard the door open and close, she reached under the bed and pulled out the cigar box, sitting up on the edge of the bed. But when she opened the box it was empty. Cuttey had found a new hiding place for his money stash. She flung the box across the small bedroom in frustration, then dropped her head in her hands and cried.

First Encounter

With traffic, it took them a little longer than 20 minutes to reach Children's Services offices. Callie became quieter as they approached the building, and seemed to withdraw the closer they got to the lobby. They checked in with the receptionist, who told them to take a seat, Ms. Evanston would be down to collect them in a few minutes.

Murdock sat down next to Callie, who hadn't said a word since they'd entered the building, and was now sitting like a statue, staring blankly into space.

He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, trying to catch Callie's gaze, "You OK Strawberry?"

Callie nodded mutely, as Nancy sat down next to Murdock. Nancy rubbed Murdock's back, and he leaned back, putting a hand on her knee, "Yea, I'm feelin' real good about this," he hissed.

Ms. Evanston came down about 5 minutes later. She was a tall, thin woman, with long blond hair pulled back into a pony tail, wearing a black business suit. She smiled stiffly at them as she came into the lobby, "Mr. and Mrs. Murdock?"

Nancy and Murdock stood, and shook the proffered hand. Ms. Evanston then turned to Callie, "Hello, Callie, it's nice to see you again, though I do wish the circumstances were different." Callie barely acknowledged the greeting, seeming to hide behind Murdock.

Ms. Evanston seemed unperturbed by the lack of response, "Well, if you'll just follow me," she said, turning to hold the door open for them, "We'll get started."

Ms. Evanston led them through a labyrinth of cubicles, stopping briefly in her own cubicle to pick up a case file, then leading them to a conference room at the edge of the offices.

She closed the door, and motioned them to seats, opening the case file that was marked 'Temple, Juanita.'

She looked up at Callie, "So Callie, how long have you been on the street this time?" she asked, her voice cool.

Callie refused to meet her eyes, and sat looking sullenly out the window. Ms. Evanston allowed the question to hang in the air for several minutes, then repeated, "Callie, how long ago did you and Jack run away?"

"Few weeks," Callie mumbled, still not making eye contact with Ms. Evanston.

Ms. Evanston consulted the file, "I tried the last phone number I had on file for your mother, but it was disconnected. Where were you staying?"

"Don' 'member."

Ms. Evanston's mouth formed a thin line as she looked at Callie severely, "Young lady, I expect you to cooperate. Now we need to find your mother. Where were you living?"

Callie's jaw was clenched, and she steadfastly refused to look at Ms. Evanston. Nancy sat forward and looked at Callie, "Callie, tell Ms. Evanston what happened," she said encouragingly.

Callie looked at Nancy hesitantly, and Nancy smiled and nodded, and Callie told Ms. Evanston haltingly an abbreviated form of what she had told Nancy and Murdock that morning.

Ms. Evanston nodded, "And where was this apartment?"

Callie shrugged, "I can't remember the address . . . but I tol' you, Mom isn't there."

Ms. Evanston raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow and said, "I will need to confirm that, of course. What was nearby?"

Callie was quiet for a moment, her expression thoughtful, "It was near where Nan found us – few blocks away. There was a bar on the corner, and the apartment building was just a couple buildings away."

Ms. Evanston sighed heavily, "Honestly, Callie, you are not being very helpful."

Nancy leaned forward, "Callie, do you think, if we went back to the alley, you could take me to the apartment building?"

For the first time, a ghost of a smile touched her face, and she nodded, "Yea, I'm sure I could take you there – I jus' don' remember the names of the streets an' stuff."

Murdock nodded, and smiled at Callie, "That's good, Strawberry," turning to Ms. Evanston, he said brusquely, "We can get you the address shortly."

"Mr. Murdock, I'm afraid that I can't allow . . . you to just . . ." there was an insistent knocking at the door, that Ms. Evanston could no longer ignore, "Excuse me for a moment."

Murdock looked at his wife, as Ms. Evanston exited the room, "I feel like I'm in interrogation . . . next she'll be gettin' out the cigarettes," he said, his gaze distant.

Nancy grimaced at the reference, but decided to try and make light of it, "I doubt that Ms. Evanston smokes, dear, she seems too much the school marm type – you probably need to worry more about a ruler," his expression cleared, and he smiled at her.

Callie looked at Murdock and Nancy pitifully, "Can we go now?"

Murdock shook his head, looking longingly at the door, "I wish," he said under his breath, then he turned and smiled encouragingly at Callie, saying out loud, "Have faith, Strawberry, everything'll work out."

Nancy reached over and squeezed her hand, "HM's right, Cal," she said soothingly, "Everything will be OK."

Callie didn't look convinced.

Out in the hall, Ms. Evanston closed the door. Her supervisor, Carol Landry, was standing there with a curious look on her face, "Is that the Murdock's and the Temple girl?" she asked, looking in the window on the door.

"Yes . . ."

"Good, well, here are the forms for them to become foster parents," Ms. Landry handed her a stack of papers about a quarter inch thick, "Just explain what they need to fill out, and set an appointment with them to pick up the completed application."

Several expressions crossed Ms. Evanston's face, and she finally settled on shock, "These people are not approved, and they haven't been checked out for fostering, we can't allow them to just walk out of here with a child who is a ward of the state! Besides, they belong with their mother . . ."

Ms. Landry looked thoughtful, "Have you located the mother?"

"No."

"Was there a missing persons report filed with the police for the children?"

"No."

"Does Callie know where her mother is?"

"She says not . . ."

Ms. Landry interrupted, "Then by all appearances, these children have been abandoned?"

Ms. Evanston's mouth formed a thin lined, "Yes, but . . ."

"Then we will need to make arrangements for the care of these children. You know how crowded the state home is, and since Captain and Mrs. Murdock have been kind enough to take them in for the past two days, I see no reason at the current time to remove them from their care."

"But, Ms. Landry, there have been no background checks or any other in-home review of the environment that the children will be exposed to. This is highly irregular!"

Ms. Landry looked at Ms. Evanston sternly, "I have had several telephone calls from prominent local citizens over the last hour and a half, strongly encouraging me to allow the Temple children to remain with Captain and Mrs. Murdock, and I am inclined to allow that to happen based on those references," she said evenly, "The girl has had enough trauma over the last few weeks, and I feel strongly that it would be in her best interest to allow the children to stay with the Murdocks until we can find their mother."

"We can expedite their review and approval as foster parents, certainly," Ms. Evanston argued, "But Callie should not be released into their care without at least ensuring that they are competent to handle the responsibility, and will not cause more trauma to the child."

"I feel better about releasing her into the Murdock's care than some of the people that we have approved as foster parents," Ms. Landry held up a hand, as Ms. Evanston began to protest again, "That is the end of this discussion, Ms. Evanston. Callie and Jack Temple are to be placed into the Murdock's custody until such time as you locate their mother. That's final."

The door opened a few minutes later, and a pleasant, middle-aged woman with graying hair, dressed in slacks and a dress shirt walked in, followed by a sullen-looking Ms. Evanston.

The newcomer smiled warmly at Nancy and Murdock and held out her hand, "Captain and Mrs. Murdock, I'm Carol Landry. I really appreciate you coming all the way down here today," she turned to Callie, "Hello, Callie, how are you doing today?"

Callie shrugged, and gave Ms. Landry a half-hearted 'hello' before lapsing into silence again.

Ms. Landry turned back to Nancy and Murdock, "As I was just telling Ms. Evanston, since we do not currently know where Callie and Jack's mother is, until we locate her, we would be most appreciative if we could leave the children in your care. We will be trying to locate their mother, but until such time as we do, I see no reason why the children shouldn't remain in your custody, if that's agreeable to you."

"We'd be more than happy to take care of the kids until you can make permanent arrangements," Nancy said in relief.

Murdock agreed, "We were wondering what we would need to do in order to make that possible."

Ms. Landry smiled, "Ms. Evanston has some paperwork we'll need to have you complete for our files, to officially add you to our foster parent roll, but it shouldn't be a problem," she shook their hands once again, "And I'll leave you to it. Ms. Evanston, if you'll explain the paperwork needed to the Murdock's, I don't see any reason to take up any more of their time than necessary. Thanks, again," and with that she backed out of the door, closing it behind her.

Ms. Evanston looked after her supervisor with a disgruntled expression that wasn't lost on either Nancy or Murdock, who looked at each other, silently communicating their mutual concern over Ms. Evanston's frame of mind.

Ms. Evanston moved to the table and sat down, as the door closed behind Ms. Landry, "Well, I suppose we might as well get this over with," she slapped the papers on the table, "I've been instructed to show you what needs to be filled out, but the forms really are quite self-explanatory. I will need to know when I can come by your home, for an in-home review, and to pick up the completed paperwork," she pushed the pile of papers over to Nancy and Murdock and looked at them shrewdly, "I will need these forms back as soon as possible – In fact, I'd really like to make arrangements to come to your home to pick up the paperwork tomorrow."

Murdock was flipping through the many sheets of instructions and forms, "It's going to take some time to fill this out . . ."

Nancy was beginning to feel more than a little uneasy about Ms. Evanston's definite antagonism towards them, and decided to try a conciliatory tack, "Certainly, Ms. Evanston, we'll complete the application right away, and you can stop by the house tomorrow, perhaps late afternoon, and pick it up. If that's OK with you?"

Ms. Evanston opened her appointment book, "My only free time is at 2pm tomorrow afternoon," she said haughtily, "I'll be at your home promptly at that time, please make sure you're both there, with Callie, and be sure that the application is filled out accurately and completely," she was making a notation in her calendar as she spoke, then stood, looking at Nancy and Murdock severely, "Understand that this is against my better judgment . . ."

Murdock bristled, "You know, I'm beginning to get the impression that you don't like us, Ms. Evanston," he said scathingly, "If your judgment is so superior, then perhaps you can explain why these children ended up on the streets again, after your previous intervention?"

"Our policy is always to keep the family unit intact where possible," Ms. Evanston said primly, "Which is difficult when the children are uncooperative," she looked at Callie severely.

Murdock's temper rose, "Maybe if you bothered to find out what the root of the problem in the home was instead of worrying so much about your precious policies and procedures, these children wouldn't have been on the street to begin with."

"You have no idea what I have done to help these children . . ." Ms. Evanston began to sputter.

Nancy stood, looking at both her husband and Ms. Evanston, "That's about enough," she said firmly, her hands clenched at her side, "This is neither the time nor place for this discussion, especially not with Callie in the room. Ms. Evanston, I have told you that we will complete the application forms, as you requested. We will see you tomorrow afternoon, at 2pm at our home. If there is nothing further constructive to be said, then I think it's time we were going."

Ms. Evanston took a deep breath, "Very well, I will see you tomorrow, promptly at 2pm. Please make sure that everything is in order and ready for submission."

She stood, her cheeks still red with anger, "I trust you can show yourselves out. Good day, Captain and Mrs. Murdock," and with that she turned and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"That went just swimmingly," Nancy said wearily.

Murdock stood and glared at the closed door. He took a deep calming breath, and looked at Callie, whose eyes were wide, "Sorry about that Strawberry," he said repentantly, "Guess I kinda lost my cool."

Callie nodded, "S'OK, HM, she makes me feel the same way!"

Nancy sighed, "That may be, but it isn't helping anyone to become antagonistic about it. She's just trying to do her job, and I think she does have the children's best interests at heart."

"You really think she's got a heart?" Murdock snorted, making Callie's face break out in the first real smile since she'd arrived at Children's Services.

But Nancy gave him a stern look, and he immediately looked repentant, "Sorry, Short Cake, guess she brings out the worst in me," he looked over at Callie who was still grinning, and smiled back conspiratorially, trying to lighten the mood, "At least we can go now, eh Strawberry!"

Callie agreed enthusiastically, "Yeah!"

Nancy sighed, "Let's get out of here before you two cause any more trouble."

As they were leaving, Ms. Landry caught them in the hallway, "Captain and Mrs. Murdock, I trust everything was satisfactory after I left?"

Nancy grimaced, but put on a smile as she turned towards the woman, "Yes, just fine, Ms. Landry. We really do appreciate that you're going to allow Callie to stay with us, even though we aren't officially foster parents."

Ms. Landry nodded, "Well, you both came highly recommended, so I'm sure there should be no problem with the application – it's just a technicality. I hope Ms. Evanston adequately answered any questions that you had about the process."

Nancy gave Murdock a warning glance. Ms. Landry caught the look and sighed, "Really, Sherry is very good at her job, but she can sometime get a bee in her bonnet when things aren't going strictly according to procedure," she said, almost to herself, "Is there anything that I can answer for you?"

Murdock held out the pile of instructions and forms, "Ms. Evanston said the paperwork was self-explanatory – I'm sure we can figure it out. She said she'd be by tomorrow at 2 to conduct a, ah, an in-home review and to pick up the application. I'm sure she'll answer any questions we have then."

"Well, that's a very quick turn-around," Ms. Landry said in surprise, "But I suppose it is best to get the process complete, so that everything is official. Sherry will make sure everything is by the books. I hope the timing won't be a problem for you . . . the forms are quite extensive. If it is, I can speak with Ms. Evanston about giving you a couple more days . . ."

"We'll do our best to get everything ready by tomorrow," Murdock said, then continued tongue in cheek, "We wouldn't want you to find anything irregular in our application."

Nancy glanced sharply at her husband, she felt like they were treading thin ice here as it was. Ms. Landry at least seemed at be an ally, and they didn't need to be alienating her.

"Yes, we'll make every effort to make sure that the forms are complete and accurate, and we'll have them ready for Ms. Evanston tomorrow afternoon, as promised," she glanced at her watch, "We really should be going, those forms aren't going to complete themselves!"

Ms. Landry smiled, "Thanks again, and if you have any questions, please feel free to call Ms. Evanston or myself, we'll be glad to answer them."

She waved casually as Nancy, Murdock and Callie moved off down the hall.

You Go This Way

The trio remained silent until they got out to the car. Callie settled into the bug, with the music on, while Nancy said to Murdock, "I think I'll take Callie by the alley, and see if we can locate the apartment they were staying at. I'd like to have a peace offering for Ms. Evanston when she comes tomorrow afternoon."

"She's a self-righteous, holier-than-thou biddy," he mumbled irritably, "what do you want to make peace with her for?"

"HM, she could make or break us as far as fostering Callie and Jack goes – we need to find a way to get back in her good graces, whether you like her or not."

"I know . . . you're right . . .," he leaned over and gave her a kiss, "I promise to behave from now on."

Nancy smiled, squeezing his hand affectionately, "You'll try . . . I know it's hard, but we've got to do what we can to make sure that Callie and Jack are taken care of . . . and alienating their case worker is going to make that difficult."

He nodded, "Well, while you're trying to sort out where they were staying, I'll see if I can get hold of BA and Char – maybe they can help us wade through all this," he held up the stack of papers, "See you at the Compound, around lunch time?"

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed, reaching up for another kiss, "We'll be there in time for lunch . . . I may see if we can get any leads on their Mom's where-abouts while we're at the apartment," she added, almost to herself as she turned to walk around the bug to the driver's side.

Murdock smiled after his wife affectionately, "You just can't resist a puzzle to solve, can you?"

Nancy looked up over the bug, and said seriously, "Aren't you curious why she just took off, apparently without even trying to find the kids?"

Murdock nodded ruefully, "Yea, I'm curious," he said, "but I hope the reason isn't something that's gonna hurt them more than they're already hurt."

Nancy looked in the window at Callie, who was singing along with Bonnie Raitt again and looked for all intents and purposes like any other pre-teenage girl. She sighed, her expression thoughtful, "Yea, they've been through enough," she agreed, "but unfortunately nothing can be resolved until we find their Mom."

Nancy pulled out of the parking garage and beeped the horn, waving at Murdock out the back window, as he headed in the opposite direction. Callie looked at Nancy curiously, "Where're we goin'?"

"We're going to the alley – we promised Ms. Evanston we'd get her that address. Maybe we can get a line on where your Mom is in the process."

Callie slumped in her seat, "I don' wanna find my Mom . . . I want to stay with you 'n HM."

Nancy sighed, glancing at Callie briefly, before replying, "Callie, you have to understand that you can't just decide that you don't want to live with your Mom. She's your legal guardian, whether you like it or not."

"But she left us!"

"I know, but you don't know why she left like she did. Maybe she had a good reason. Until we find her, we can't figure that out."

Callie pouted, "I don't care why she left, she did – and without even looking for us. I hate her – I wish she were dead, then it wouldn't matter."

"Callie, don't say things like that – you know you don't mean it," Nancy said sharply.

Callie looked at Nancy narrowly, then turned pointedly, and looked out the window, effectively cutting off any additional discussion.

Murdock parked in front of the Langley Community Center, and went into the office, where Charlotte was busy with administrative matters. She looked up and smiled warmly at Murdock, motioning for him to come in and sit down, "Hi, HM, how did things go this morning?"

Murdock pursed his lips thoughtfully, "OK, I guess," he said uncertainly, "We didn't exactly hit it off with the case worker . . ."

Char's smile faded, "Did Callie have to stay there?"

"No, but the case worker wasn't wild about letting her go with us."

"Was it Sherry Evanston?" she asked curiously.

"Yea, how did you know?" Murdock asked in surprise.

Char chuckled, "Well, Hannibal called early this morning, and filled us in on your phone calls from Children's Services . . . and your concerns. I called and talked to Carol Landry this morning to get the scoop – she said she'd take care of it. They're always short on foster families, especially for multiple children. So I figured if you got a couple unsolicited references, it would be easy for her to justify leaving Callie with you."

Murdock nodded, now understanding what had happened that morning, "Well, Ms. Landry was more than helpful. But I'm afraid Ms. Evanston didn't take real well to stepping outside standard procedure."

Char nodded, "Now that I could see . . . Sherry's always been very cordial and helpful when I've worked with her, but then I do usually do things by the book. I have to in my position."

Murdock sighed, "Well, I'm afraid I didn't exactly handle the whole thing real well," he said honestly, "I should know that it's always better in those situations to let Nan do the talking. She controls her temper better than I do," he briefly related the events of the morning. During his recitation, BA came in, so he started at the beginning, so they could both hear the whole thing.

"Fool never do know when to keep his mouth shut," BA said, shaking his head.

Char looked at BA knowingly, "I don't know, BA, I think if you'd been in HM's position you would have lost your temper, too," she smiled consolingly at Murdock, "Anyways, what's done is done. Nan's right, at this point we're going to have to work on damage control. Do you have the foster parent application forms?"

Murdock nodded, "Out in the truck," he said, "Actually that's why I stopped, I was hoping maybe you could help us fill them out. We don't have a whole lot of time to get everything pulled together. Nan was gonna see if she could track down any leads on the mother, then meet me at the Compound around lunch . . ."

There was a knock at the door, and a powerfully built young man with black hair and surprisingly light golden eyes stuck his head in, "'Scuse me . . . I hate to interrupt, but I'm runnin' late . . ."

Murdock turned and raised a hand in greeting, "Hey, Ethan – come on in. I gotta get goin' anyway," he stood and turned the seat to the young man, "How's the Chevy comin'?"

"Pretty much done, huh BA?" he said uncertainly,

Charlotte stood as well, "I'll walk you out, HM."

"Just 'bout, little brother," BA agreed, "I'll be over later with Char, Murdock - I kin keep Callie busy while ya work on filling the forms out."

BA motioned Ethan to a chair, turning as the door closed behind Murdock and Char, "What's wrong, Ethan? You ain't been yourself lately . . ."

Murdock glanced back, then looked at Char in concern, "Is something wrong? Usually Ethan's really stoked about that old car he and BA have been working on . . ."

Char shook her head sadly, "Ever since Ethan's Gram died, he just hasn't been the same."

"Been there," Murdock said, almost to himself, then looked at Char ruefully, "It'll just take him some time to adjust."

Char looked at Murdock with interest, "I remember BA sayin' somethin' about your grandparents – they died when you were, what, 18?"

"Yea, somethin' like that," he said noncommittally.

"Guess you probably understand better then anybody what Ethan's goin' through. I just hope we don't lose him. Happens too often. His Gram insisted that those kids keep their noses clean. Now that that influence is gone, I hope he doesn't lose his way. He tends to have a bit of a wild streak in him."

"Yea, but his Gram did her job," Murdock said certainly, "He may make mistakes, but he knows right from wrong. He'll be alright."

"Listen, HM, I have a few things to finish up here, but I'll be at the Compound as soon as I'm finished," Char said, "I'll do what I can to help you sort through the red tape."

"Thanks, Char," Murdock said, smiling gratefully, "It means an awful lot to me and Nan . . . and the kids."

Inside the office, BA felt like he was losing Ethan Johnson, "Listen, E, we'll git your family some help – you can't leave the program when you this close. This apprenticeship is your future."

"Listen, BA, I know you mean well. But I found a good job," Ethan said, adding conciliatorily, "It's just 'til Lu is graduated from high school. She's got good grades, but workin' the diner is too much. I want her to be able to concentrate on school, or she'll never get a scholarship. And you and I both know that's the only way she's ever gonna get to go to college."

"But it doesn't have to be at the expense of your education, Ethan," BA said sharply, "We can find a way so that it can all happen, just give me a little time. We'll find you a job that won't force you to quit your schooling."

Ethan stood, "I got a job, BA," he said firmly, glancing at his watch, "And I gotta get to it."

"C'mon, E, let's try to find another way . . ."

"I'll see ya 'round, BA."

Nancy pulled up three blocks down from the juice bar where everything had started less than two days ago. She turned off the ignition, and turned to Callie, "Why don't we walk from here, and you can show me where you were living with your Mom."

Callie nodded mutely, her face still stoney, and got out of the car. She led Nancy silently down the street another block, turned east, walked another four blocks, where a bar, called Moonlight Inn was located on the southeast corner.

"There's the bar," Callie stated flatly, she crossed the road, turned south and crossed the road again. Nancy noted the name of the street as they went by – Maple Avenue, amusing considering there wasn't a tree in sight. Callie continued on, walking past the bar, and the next building, to an old brownstone, with bars on the windows, and graffiti on the door, "This is it."

Nancy looked up, noting the number, 1535. She looked at Callie, "Which floor did you live on?"

"Fourth," Callie said, "In 402. Super lives on the first floor."

Nancy nodded, and put a hand at the small of Callie's back, guiding her towards the steps, "I'd like to have a word with him," she said quietly.

At the airfield, Murdock walked into the hangar, to find Steve with a line of 3 people waiting for some help. He jumped in and in about 20 minutes they had everyone taken care of.

"Been busy like that all morning," Steve said, as the last person headed out the door, "I'm kinda glad to see you, actually. Do you think I could take off a little early today?"

Murdock felt his heart drop, "Well, I was actually hopin' you might stay late . . . but if you gotta go . . ."

"Sorry, man, but I gotta get to the store, we have two clerks off sick today, and Dad's about ready to have a cow. I really need to get over there ASAP," Steve was already headed towards the door, "I'll be in tomorrow, as far as I know, but I may be a little late. See ya, Murdock."

"Yea, uh, bye," Murdock said absently, looking at the stack of papers on the desk, and glancing in at the growing stack of bills and invoicing to be done in the office. He was beginning to think he needed to get some full-time help around here, but his more immediate problem was finding someone to handle things today so he could get to the Compound.

He picked up the phone and dialed, "Facey, man, I need some help," he said urgently, "I'm s'posed to be at the Compound by noon, and my help at the airfield just took off. Any ideas?"

Face sat back, looking reflectively into space, "I don't know, Murdock," he said thoughtfully, "Do they need to know anything about flying?"

"Not really flying, per se," Murdock said uncertainly, "I need somebody that can handle filing flight plans, field incoming customer stuff, answer the phone, man the radio, that sort of thing . . . hang on a minute," Murdock turned and answered a call on the radio, then turned back to the phone, "So I guess, yea, I kinda do need somebody with some airfield experience."

Amy had come downstairs with Jonny in tow, "Who's on the phone?" she asked.

"It's Murdock, he needs somebody to fill in at the airfield," Face said to Amy, then spoke into the phone, "I can't think of anybody right off . . ."

"What about one of the other pilots that fly out of the airfield, could they help?" Amy suggested.

Murdock heard the suggestion over the phone, "Most of the folks that fly outta here got full time jobs . . ." he said, mentally going over the regular customers, and trying to think who might be available on short notice – unfortunately no one came to mind.

Face laughed, "Yea, well so did you when you bought into the place," he said, "Tell you what, I'll make a few phone calls and see if I can scare anybody up, but I'm not promising anything."

"Thanks, Face, I really appreciate it," Murdock said and rang off.

He tapped his fingers on the desk top, then called the Martins, Trixie and Joe knew more people in the Langley area, maybe they could recommend someone that could help out.

At the building superintendent's door, Nancy rang the bell, and smiled down at Callie who was shuffling her feet nervously, "Would you rather wait outside for me, Cal?"

Callie shook her head, "No, I wanna stay here with you . . . it's just that he wasn't very nice the last time I saw him . . ."

Nancy nodded in understanding, and said, "Tell you what, why don't you stand over by the door and wait for me . . . he probably won't see you there, and you won't have to see him."

Callie moved off gratefully down the hall, sitting on an upside-down bucket by the door.

The superintendent's door opened a couple inches just as Callie moved out of sight, catching on the chain, "Yea?"

All Nancy could see of the guy was half an unshaven face, but she smiled winningly, "Are you the building superintendent here?"

"Yea, that's me, do you need a room pretty lady?" he smiled widely at her, and Nancy grimaced inwardly at the gold teeth displayed.

Nancy held out her card, which the man took, but didn't really look at, "I'm Nancy Murdock, and I had a few questions I wanted to ask about one of your tenants. Do you have a few moments? I promise this won't take long," Her smile still in place, Nancy took a step back, hoping that the entire conversation wouldn't have to take place through the crack in the door.

The man looked at her curiously, then shrugged, "Yea, guess it couldn't hurt to answer a few questions, just a minute."

He closed the door, and Nancy heard the chain sliding, then the door opened wide, and a man, about Nancy's age, held out a hand, "I'm Larry Young," he was smiling at her warmly, then his eyes moved down and took in her swollen belly, and the smile cooled a few degrees, "Who is it you wanna know about?"

"A woman who lived in room 402 with her two kids," Nancy said, she pulled a blank notebook out and pretended to check some nonexistent notes, "last name Temple, I believe the first name was Juanita. This is the last known address I have for her."

"Sure, I knew her," he said, "She was evicted a couple weeks ago, her and that deadbeat boyfriend of hers."

Nancy nodded, "Did she leave a forwarding address?"

"Naw, man, she was a drifter," he said, "Shoulda known better than to rent to her in the first place. Her and those two kids o' hers didn't have no references, but I kinda felt sorry for 'em when they showed up so I let 'em have the place."

"How long had they lived here?"

"Mmm, 'bout 8, 10 months, less than a year," he said thoughtfully, "Not bad tenants at first, quiet, paid the rent, usually on time. Then this guy started hangin' around. After that things went down hill."

"Who was the guy?" Nancy asked curiously.

"Don't believe we was ever introduced, she an' I weren't that close," Young said, "he was a squirrelly kinda guy, I wouldn't of trusted him as far as I could spit."

"What did he look like?"

"Like I said, squirrelly, short dude, maybe a little taller than you, with brown hair all slicked back into a pony tail. Had a pencil mustache, nothin' real memorable, know what I mean? Guy had a chip on his shoulder, though – little but kinda scary."

"Did he have any distinguishing features, tattoos, earrings, scars, anything like that?" Nancy asked hopefully.

"Yea, yea," Young said, "He had a tattoo on his upper arm – some kinda weird skull and cross bones thing."

Nancy made a note, "So what happened after this guy showed up that was so bad?"

"He wasn't so quiet, and he had some pretty scary customers come visiting. Told me the place was a dump, not worth the rent I charged," he said irritably, "Didn't have a clue what it takes to keep a place like this up – our rates are real reasonable. Last straw was when he refused to pay the rent because their toilet was plugged up. I ain't no damn plumber – if the tenant is gonna let the kids throw shit down the toilet they can damn well fix it themselves, and I tol' him so. Told him if he wasn't happy, he could leave. So they did."

"You said you evicted her about two weeks ago . . ."

"Evicted, kicked out, whatever – they left and I say good riddance!" Young said defensively.

Nancy nodded and continued, "So Juanita and the kids left with the guy about two weeks ago?"

"You know, the kids wasn't there," he said uneasily, "But, yea it was about two weeks ago - I 'member them loading all her stuff into his car."

"Have you seen any of them since then?"

Young shifted uneasily, "Naw, I ain't seen any of 'em."

Nancy paused for a moment, watching Young's face with interest. Even if she hadn't known for a fact that he was lying she would have been able to tell – every expression screamed it.

"Ok, well, what did the car look like?"

"Blue Nova, I'd say late 70's, but I ain't that good with cars," Young said.

"Did Juanita have a job?"

Young shrugged, "Don't know, she didn't keep no regular hours that I ever noticed . . ."

Nancy looked at him curiously, "You mean she didn't list a place of employment on her rental application?"

He shrugged, his eyes shifting away from her face, "Naw, like I said I felt sorry for her and them kids, so I, uh, I cut 'em some slack."

"Generous of you," Nancy said slowly, somehow she had a feeling that Mr. Young took rental payments in many different forms, "How about other friends or family that visited her regularly?"

"Listen lady . . . uh, Nancy, I tol' ya, I didn't know her that well. She kept to herself, paid her rent regularly, at first. She lived here until she and that boyfriend of hers became a problem, then I kicked her out."

"You don't play poker, do you Mr. Young?" Nancy asked dryly.

"Huh?"

She smiled and flipped her notebook shut, "Never mind - have you rented the apartment yet?"

"No, but I got somebody movin' in next week," he said, "Still gotta clean the place up . . . they left in a hurry, and they left one hell of a mess."

"Mind if I have a look around?"

"No skin off my nose," he said, "let me get my keys."

While Young went to get the keys, Nancy stepped around and caught Callie's attention, "We're going up to the apartment – follow us," Callie nodded in comprehension.

Young came back out a minute later, "They was on the 4th floor, sorry, the elevator don't work, so we'll have to take the stairs," he said leading the way.

On the fourth floor he stopped outside room 402 and opened the door, allowing it to swing in and made a face at the smell, "Like I said they left one hell of a mess . . ." he said, backing away from the door with a hand up at his nose, "It's all yours – you can open a window to air the place out if ya want."

He moved past her towards the stairs and stopped short, "Hey, you, I thought I told you not to come back here," he started moving threateningly toward Callie, who was cowering on the stairs.

Nancy reached out and grabbed his arm, "She's with me," she said quietly, then turned to Callie, "Come on up, Cal, it's alright."

Young's eyes flashed, "What kinda game you playin', lady?" he asked accusingly, jerking his arm out of her grasp, "I should kick you outta here right now," he moved to close the apartment door.

Nancy stepped in front of him and smiled coolly, "You're the one playing games, Mr. Young," she said, adding warningly, her tone stopping him in his tracks, "I also know that you turned these kids away when they came looking for their mom – the police could be convinced to look at that as child endangerment," she held his eye with a steady gaze.

Young stepped back, "How'd I know they weren't sent back by their ma to rip me off . . ." he said, his tone still cocky.

Nancy glanced in the door, "There's nothing here worth stealing," she said caustically, then looked back at him, saying in a more conciliatory tone, "Look, I just want to take a quick look around – I won't make any trouble for you about the kids."

Young's eyes narrowed, "Fine, look around all you want," he turned and started down the stairs, "Make sure you lock up before you leave . . . and if anything's missin', I'll send the bill to the address on your card."

Nancy turned a deaf ear on the last comment, turning and walking into the apartment with Callie trailing behind. First she went to the window and opened it wide, allowing a cold breeze to move through the apartment and making the smell tolerable. The main living area was in a bit of disarray, with empty boxes lying about haphazardly. It didn't even appear that Juanita had taken the time to pack up all of her belongings. There were a couple of the boxes that she had obviously started to pack, but never finished, and had left where they were sitting. Nancy picked through one such box on the kitchen table, but found only some chipped dishes, a pan with a broken handle, and a bunch of the cheap plastic cups. The trash in the kitchen had been emptied, and the cupboards were bare.

She looked up and saw Callie wandering into a room just off the living room, and turned to follow her. The room Callie walked into had obviously been hers and Jack's – there was a twin bed on either wall, with a narrow walkway between. The walls were decorated with pictures that the kids had made. Callie glanced around, then brushed past Nancy, moving back into the main living area. Nancy reached up and took down one of the pictures nearby. Jack had apparently drawn it, and it showed three stick figures with big smiles in an odd-looking airplane. Nancy took it off the wall, Jack's 'chanted' airplane – and it looked like he was taking his Mom with him. Nancy folded it and stuck it in her purse. She took a quick look around the basically empty room, before following Callie back into the living room.

There was really nothing of interest in either the living room or kitchen, so Nancy moved into the next bedroom, which was obviously where Juanita had slept. There was a full bed in the room, with mismatched, scarred tables on either side, holding old lamps with no shades. Callie followed her into the room, and wandered around, while Nancy stooped and picked up a small trash can beside the bed. She dumped the contents of the trash can on the bed, picking through crumpled Kleenex and scraps of paper looking for a clue to Juanita's whereabouts.

Near the bottom of the pile, she found a sheet of paper with a phone number on it, with no other identifying information, and shoved it into her purse with the picture. Finding nothing else of interest, she turned and moved around the room. She pulled out a pen light and looked under the bed, hoping to find something more enlightening, but was disappointed.

As she stood, she saw Callie come out of the closet, "Anything interesting in there?" she asked.

Callie shrugged, "Jus' some old stuff Ma didn't even bother to pack up and take," she said, then screwed up her face, "It reeks in here – I'm goin' back out in the living room."

Nancy watched her leave, then walked over and stuck her head in the closet, to see what Callie had found. She found a bunch of old school papers of the kids in a shoebox, along with some pictures of Juanita and the kids. She could definitely see the resemblance between mother and daughter. Juanita was a beautiful woman, with dark wavy hair and warm brown eyes. Nancy picked up the box and shoved the lid on, sticking it under her arm.

Next she stopped in the bathroom, and glanced around. The toilet was still plugged, which explained the ammonia odor that permeated the apartment. Since Nancy knew the kids had been gone for at least 3 weeks, they certainly weren't the ones who had thrown something down the toilet. Nancy sighed, her curiosity wasn't going to allow her to ignore it. She set the box down on the sink and leaned over the toilet, which was clogged mostly with toilet paper. Picking up the plunger sitting next to it, she turned it so that she was holding it by the plunger end and started pulling toilet paper out of the bowl and dumping it in the trash can. Soon there was mostly liquid in the bowl and she could see down into the drain where something appeared to be lodged in another wad of toilet paper. She poked at it with the plunger, but couldn't dislodge it and finally gave up and reached in with a grimace, pulling it out with her hand.

She held it up in the dim light – it was a pregnancy test, not unlike the one she had used to find out she was pregnant with the twins and that HM had carried around for a week, despite her protests. She looked at the indicator window, which showed a positive result. Well, Juanita must be pregnant, and apparently afraid that someone else was going to find out. She dropped the test into the trash can and washed her hands thoroughly in the sink, before heading back out to the living room to join Callie.

Callie was standing by the door when Nancy came out, "Can we go now?" she asked impatiently.

Nancy looked at Callie piercingly, "Callie, who was your Mom's boyfriend?"

Callie studiously avoided her gaze. Nancy crossed her arms, "Callie look at me, I need you to help me out. What was his name?"

"Cuttey," Callie said, voice barely above a whisper.

"Is he why you and Jack ran away?"

Callie looked up, and nodded mutely. Nancy could see the fear reflected in her wide brown eyes – her mother's eyes.

"Did Cuttey hurt you and Jack?"

Callie shrugged, licked her lips uncertainly, and said, "He usually ignored us, if we was quiet and stayed out of the way – tol' Mom we was nothin' but a pain in the ass and that she should give us up for 'doption."

"Callie, why are you so afraid of him?" Nancy asked directly.

Callie seemed to consider the question for a few minutes, "Whenever we'd get in the way, he and Mom would fight, and he'd . . ." Callie paused, her eyes becoming unfocused, "He would . . . get mean."

Nancy could see the fear in Callie's eyes, and decided not to push the issue any further, "Callie, you know you're safe, now. You don't have to be afraid of him any more," she said comfortingly.

Callie looked at Nancy, her eyes reflecting doubt, "Can we please, just get out of here – it smells awful."

Nancy nodded, "Yea, it does," she started towards the door, "let's go."

Callie glanced back, "Shouldn't we close the window . . ."

"I think we'd be doing Mr. Young a favor leaving it open," Nancy said with a grimace.

To the Rescue

Joe Martin came walking into the airfield with a tall, thin man with a hawkish nose, big watery blue eyes, and a generous mouth that was grinning widely. He walked up to the counter, where Murdock was just finishing up with another customer, and waited patiently, while his companion fidgeted nervously beside him.

Murdock looked over as the customer walked away, "Joe, boy am I glad to see you!"

Joe grinned, "Glad to be able to help, HM," turning to the man beside him, he started the introduction, "This is Neil McHarty . . ."

Neil practically leapt forward, "Captain HM Murdock, it's a great pleasure to meet you, sir," he said enthusiastically, pumping Murdock's hand.

Murdock raised an eyebrow, glancing at Joe who was trying very hard not to burst into laughter, "Uh, it's nice to meet you, too, Mr. McHarty . . ."

"Oh, please, call me Neil," Neil said, still smiling broadly, "It's such an honor to get to help out a fellow veteran, especially someone such as yourself. Youngest member ever in the Flying Tigers, distinguished career with Air Command, Special Forces, Medal of Honor, Purple Heart . . . oh, I know your career well."

Murdock looked more than a little shocked, and Joe smiled, "Yea, guess you could say Neil, here, is a big fan of yours, HM," he said, "He works at Dulles as an air traffic controller, but he called in sick today when he heard that you needed a hand."

"Certainly, anything that I can do to help," Neil said, moving around the desk and checking out the radio and shuffling through the stack of flight plans, "Of course this is a lot different than working at Dulles, but I'm sure I can get the hang of it. If you'll just tell me what needs to be handled while you're out . . ."

Callie was silent for sometime after they left the apartment, but she finally started shaking it off when Nancy put in one of her Barenaked Ladies tapes. They were both singing loudly to Life in a Nutshell when they arrived at the Compound right around noon, and walked in to find just about everyone there, except Murdock.

BA came over as soon as they came in, "Hey little sister, wanna head out back and shoot some hoops?"

Callie nodded, "Sure, but I gotta, you know, go, first," she looked at Nancy askently.

Nancy pointed down the hall, saying "Last door on the left, Cal," as she hurried away Nancy looked up a BA gratefully, "Thanks for occupying her this afternoon, BA. She's had a pretty lousy morning, and could definitely use some distraction."

BA smiled at Nancy encouragingly, "Kids can bounce back from jus' about anythin', Nan. Don't you worry about her or the little man – they'll be jus' fine."

Nancy sighed, "I hope you're right, because I'm afraid the worst isn't over yet."

BA squeezed Nancy's shoulder affectionately with one of his big hands without a word, conveying comfort and support in the simple gesture. Nancy smiled at him, "Thanks, BA, really."

"Hang tough, little mama," he said quietly, turning to lead Callie outside as she came bouncing back out to the living room. Nancy followed them out on the back deck, watching as they headed out to the basketball court, marveling at how protective she felt towards two children that she'd only known for two days.

As she turned to head back inside she caught sight of the recruits finishing up on the obstacle course and heading into the gym. They waved and called 'hello' as they jogged by, and Nancy returned the greetings. They were a great group, and she was proud of how well the new team program was coming along. It had been a real group effort to get the program going, and they were beginning to see the fruits of the labor.

Inside, she noticed that her husband was still absent, "So, anybody know where HM is?"

"Steve had to get to the store, so Murdock's been scrambling to find someone to cover the airfield this afternoon," Face explained, "I stopped by and picked up the papers. He said he'd be here as soon as Joe showed up, apparently he knew someone who could help."

Nancy sighed, "Doc couldn't have chosen a worse time to go on an extended vacation," she said as she walked to the dining room and dropped into a chair next to Charlotte at the table.

Char looked up, "Where did Doc go?"

"Cruise to Alaska . . . for six weeks," Nancy said shaking her head. She sat forward and looked numbly at the papers spread out across the table, "So, how bad is this going to be?"

Char smiled, "Where is that eternal optimist?" she asked teasingly.

Nancy dropped her chin into her hand, "You must be mistaking me for Murdock."

"It's not so bad, Nan," Char said, "I have the application separated into sections, so we can expedite completing the forms. I think we'll be able to make fairly short work of it."

"Think we'll have it done in time for our meeting tomorrow at 2?"

"Without a doubt," Char said confidently.

"That's good, because I didn't make any progress with finding the mother," adding almost to herself, "and part of me doesn't want to." She continued more loudly, "There weren't a whole lot of leads at the apartment. I need some kind of peace offering for Sherry Evanston."

"Yea, HM said he didn't make a very good first impression with her," Char said. Looking around the table, she chose a stack of papers and handed them to Nancy along with a pen, "Here's the detail information on you that will be needed – I filled out the top with your name, but you'll need to complete the rest. I have a similar stack for HM. I'll complete the general information, and I was going to have Hannibal and your Dad work on the references section. I really don't think it will take long."

Nancy took the stack and picked up a pen, "Thanks a load, Char," she said sincerely, "I think I was beginning to really psych myself out over this whole application thing."

It took Murdock about 20 minutes to go over everything with Neil. Then he spent another 10 minutes repeating things, until Neil finally declared, "I'm certain I can take care of it, Captain," he snapped a smart salute, "Just leave it in my capable hands."

Murdock smiled, "I really appreciate this, Neil," he said sincerely, "Especially on such short notice."

"Anything for Howlin' Mad Murdock," Neil said, the broad smile still in place.

"Ohhh Kay," Murdock said, becoming a little uncomfortable with Neil's overt admiration, "You have my cell phone number, if you have any questions, please feel free to call. I'll only be about 15 minutes away if you need me."

"Okey dokey, Captain," Neil saluted him again, as he and Joe waved goodbye and headed towards the door.

Once out in the parking lot, Murdock looked at Joe in wonder, "Where did you find that guy?"

"Oh, I've known Neil a long time," Joe said, "He and I went to high school together, and enlisted at the same time. When he found out who the airfield belonged to, he couldn't wait to come – apparently you crossed his path in 'Nam and he became a groupie."

Murdock grimaced, "Obviously didn't know me too well," he said ruefully, "If he knew the truth, I'm afraid he'd be sorely disappointed." Joe knew the stories, he and Murdock had become good friends since Murdock had married Joe's wife's best friend.

Joe shrugged, "Nobody's perfect, HM," he said, "Seems to me you were always pretty impressive in the air – it was just on the ground you had issues."

Murdock chuckled, "You got that right," he agreed, "anyway, I'm just glad he could come on such short notice," glancing at his watch, he wrenched open the truck door, "And, I'll only be a little late getting to the Compound. Thanks a million, Joe."

"Any time, HM," Joe said waving as Murdock took off.

Face had been working in the office, balancing the books for Stockwell Enterprises for the month. It was one of the few administrative duties Hannibal had been able to convince Nancy to delegate. He was just about finished when the phone rang. He picked it up, "Stockwell Enterprises."

"Well hello, Lieutenant," Carla said, "Seems every time I call the Compound, I get you – are you running things there or is Nancy?"

"No, I'm just the handsome male secretary that all women dream of having," Face said smoothly, "I assume you want to talk to Nancy."

"If she's there," Carla said critically, "Her uncle would like to speak to her."

"Just a moment," Face said calmly, "I'll get her."

He put the call on hold and walked leisurely out to the dining room. It was no wonder Nancy got so testy every time Carla called, Face thought to himself. Wouldn't hurt her to be taken down a few notches. He couldn't believe that the General would let her talk about or to his own niece that way. But then there were a lot of things about Stockwell that Face just couldn't figure out.

"Hey, Nan, it's Carla on line two. She said you're Uncle wants to talk to you."

Nancy put the pen down on the partially completed paperwork in front of her, "Thanks, Face," she said, walking down the hall, "I'll take it back in the office."

Face looked over at Hannibal as Nancy disappeared down the hall, "Boy, that's a call that's going to put Nancy in a grand mood," he said, then looked at his watch, "And she's taking it on an empty stomach, too. You know, it's way past time for lunch, Colonel."

Carl sat back from the table, "Definitely getting to be time for a break," he said in agreement, "This application asks for as much information on the references as the applicants. Lawyer must have developed them."

"Takes one to know one," Hannibal said with a chuckle. He stood from the table, "I'll give Maggie a call and see if she can bring us some pizzas."

As Hannibal was hanging up from talking to Maggie, Murdock came running in the door, "Sorry I'm late," he said breathlessly, to no one in particular.

Char stood and handed him a stack of paper, "No problem, here's the personal forms you need to fill out. I'm going to take a walk out back and see how BA and Callie are getting along."

Hannibal looked at Carl, "If you've got things covered here for a few minutes, I'm going to the gym to check on the recruits," Carl nodded and Hannibal headed out.

Murdock took the stack, picked up a pen from the table, and went into the living room. He sat on the floor and stretched his legs under the coffee table, flipping through the application. He sighed and turned back to the first page to get started. He worked for a few minutes before looking up curiously, "Where's Nan?"

"She went back to the office to take a call from Hunt," Carl said, walking back in from the kitchen with a cup of coffee, "Hope everything's alright. I don't think she needs anymore problems to deal with right now."

"Well, I'm kinda glad he called," Murdock said, "She's been stewing about not making the trip to Houston to see him today."

Carl sat down at the table, "Even from Houston, Hunt can wield an awful lot of control," he said irritably. He had tried on numerous occasions to talk to his daughter about what was going on, but she kept shutting him out. The whole situation frustrated him.

"Tell me about it," Murdock agreed, his tone mirroring Carl's aggravation, "Just wish there was something I could do about it."

Carl looked at his son-in-law sympathetically, he knew the feeling all too well.

Sound Advice Not Taken . . . Yet

Nancy put down the phone and turned to stare out the window, looking out on the new obstacle course, and across the back of the training room addition. Her uncle had sounded so tired, she was beginning to think it had been a mistake not to make the trip to Houston today. Each time she saw him, she worried that it would be the last time.

Ironic that she had such a drive to spend time with him now, when for most of her life he had been an intermittent presence at best. It wasn't until death was at the door that he had become a daily presence, demanding attention. Loathe as she was to admit it, she loved her uncle, and was having trouble dealing with the whole issue of his mortality. He'd always seemed larger-than-life, so invincible.

She looked down, as her belly began doing its own little dance. At a time when she felt compelled to give her all, not only for her uncle at Stockwell Enterprises, but also at Adam's Investigations, she had a constant reminder that there were other pending priorities in her life besides her career. And now Callie and Jack were adding a new dimension to the family arena. Nancy wondered if they were some kind of sign.

She was getting more and more nervous about the birth of the twins. Murdock seemed so calm about the whole thing, with no doubts about being a good parent. Nancy had nothing but doubts about her parenting capabilities. And given all the other demands on her at the moment, she really wasn't sure she could handle even one more, let alone two – two little people who would be totally dependent on her for everything. It terrified her.

Maggie arrived at the Compound with several pizzas and two large tubs of antipasto salad. She walked up to the front door, her hands full, considering whether to put something down, or just kick the door with her foot and hope someone heard.

But Hannibal must have been waiting, because the door opened without a knock, "Hi, babe, thanks for the delivery services. You're just in time, the natives are getting restless."

They kissed briefly, Hannibal relieving her of the pizzas, so she had a free hand.

She could hear the low rumble of conversation in the house, "So, what's the occasion?"

"I guess it's a rally of sorts – Murdock and Nancy are trying to get the application for foster parenting done in short order. Basically, everybody just gravitated and ended up here."

Maggie chuckled, "This group always does seem to end up in a pack when things get hairy for one of them."

By now they were in the kitchen, Hannibal spread the pizzas out on the counter, and Maggie found a spot for the antipasto salad. Someone had already set out paper plates and plastic silverware. Maggie whistled, and announced, "Lunch is served."

She smiled, watching as the oddball family she had married into began descending on the food. She glanced about curiously when she realized that Murdock wasn't in line, and walked out to find him in the living room.

Maggie touched his shoulder, "HM, you should go eat."

He started, then smiled at her, "Hey, Mags, when did you get here?"

She smiled, "Just a couple minutes ago, and I brought lunch – now go eat," glancing around she asked, "Where's Nancy?"

"Carl said her uncle called," Murdock said, motioning down the hall, "She went back to the office to get some quiet to talk to him," He stood up, "I'll go get her and tell her lunch is here."

Maggie put a hand on his arm, "You go ahead and eat, I'll get Nancy."

Maggie walked down the hall, and listened at the office door, but all seemed to be quiet within. She knocked softly, and heard a muffled, "Come in."

She opened the door, as Nancy turned from the window, the younger woman smiled wanly, "Hi, Maggie, when did you get here?"

Maggie felt a rush of concern looking at Nancy. Her face was gaunt, and there were shadows under her eyes. The smile on her lips didn't quite reach her eyes, which lacked their usual spark. She stepped into the office and closed the door behind her.

"I just got here a couple minutes ago," she said moving into the room, and taking a seat across from Nancy, "I brought lunch, if you're hungry."

Nancy shrugged, "Not really all that hungry yet," she said, fiddling absently with a pen on the desk, "I should go out and help finish those forms though."

"Everyone is eating right now, so I don't think there's any rush," Maggie said, "How's your uncle? HM said he called."

Nancy looked up at Maggie, her expression carefully neutral, "He's doing as well as can be expected given the intensive chemo treatments, I guess. He had a pretty good week overall, according to Carla."

Maggie nodded, "And how are you?"

Nancy seemed surprised by the question, and momentarily dropped her guard. In that moment, Maggie could see the uncertainty and unhappiness reflected in the younger woman's eyes. Maggie sat forward, "Nancy, you know, you can talk to me about it."

The concern in Maggie's voice touched her, and Nancy hugged herself, standing and turning to look out the window again, afraid to look at Maggie for fear of totally breaking down. How was she? It was a simple enough questions, but it didn't have a simple answer. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, when she felt Maggie's hands on her shoulders. Nancy felt the tears she'd been holding back begin to spill down her cheeks. She turned into Maggie's embrace – and Maggie didn't say a word, just let her cry until the tears were spent.

When Nancy finally stepped back, she snatched angrily at the tissue box on the desk, blowing her nose, "I don't know what's wrong with me," she said disgustedly, "I'm OK, really," she dropped into the chair, grabbing more tissue and blowing her nose again.

Maggie sighed heavily, "Nancy, it's OK to let go sometimes," she said in exasperation, "Christ, sometimes you act so much like your uncle, it's frightening. I've known Hunt Stockwell for 30 years and the man never changed. He's so emotionally constipated, it's not funny."

Nancy let out a bark of laughter, sitting back in the chair and allowing herself to relax, "Guess I never thought of Uncle like that, but it sure does put into words his main problem," she said, adding almost to herself, "Guess I come by it naturally."

Maggie leaned on the desk and looked down at Nancy thoughtfully, "You've been pushing yourself awful hard lately, Nancy," she said, crossing her arms, "Something is going to have to give . . . I just hope it's not you."

Nancy's smile faded, "Now you're starting to sound like HM," she said, her tone disgruntled, "I'm fine, it's just taking a little time to adjust to . . . everything."

Maggie looked at the floor, weighing what she would say next, it was always best to be direct with Nancy, she had an uncanny way of telling when someone wasn't being upfront with her.

"Nancy, you are an incredibly intelligent young woman, but when it comes to knowing your own limits, you're an idiot," Maggie said, looking her directly in the eye, "Hannibal says you won't let go of control here at Stockwell Enterprises, you're still trying to keep up with all of your responsibilities at Adam's Investigations, which was a more than full time job to begin with, you have twins coming in December, your only uncle is critically ill and in Houston, and now you're going to take custody of two abandoned children that are going to require a good deal of attention. Now just when do you intend to take care of yourself? You need to let go of some of the responsibilities that you've taken on and accept help."

Nancy looked studiously at the desk blotter avoiding the direct gaze. She knew Maggie was right, something had to give, but what? What was she going to walk away from? None of the choices was easy, and letting go of any one of her responsibilities meant letting down the people she cared about. "It's not that easy, Mags," she said sullenly, still avoiding her gaze.

"Nancy, if you're going to be a leader, you need to learn to delegate responsibility – you can't do it all yourself. That's why you want to work with good people, and trust me – you have some of the best in your life, both personal and professional. You need to learn to take advantage of that."

"Oh, and just for the record," Maggie added, catching and holding Nancy's eyes, "Accepting help doesn't mean you're a failure."

Nancy shook her head, "How is it that you always seem to know what's going through my head, Mags?" she asked.

Maggie smiled, "Don't worry, it's not a parlor trick. You're a lot like I was at your age - different stressors but a similar response."

The two women sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, Maggie stood and stepped around the desk, holding out a hand, "C'mon, let's go eat. Good decisions are never made on an empty stomach."

Nancy looked up uncertainly, and Maggie smiled, "Come on, I promise, I won't badger you anymore," she said, "I've said my piece; nobody can make your decisions for you. But if you ever need to talk about it, you know where I am."

Nancy pushed off the desk and stood up, "You know, I am kind of hungry," she said, walking around the desk. She stopped next to Maggie, and smiled, "Thanks, Maggie, really, I know you're right . . . I'll work on it."

Maggie put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed, "Seems to me 'work' is the problem," she said with a smile.

Jimmie Harrington ran a hand over the finish of the yellow cab and smiled, "Good job, guys, especially considering the short time frame," he said admiringly, "You even found a fare clock."

Ethan and Lumpy Clark stood aside and smiled at each other – they had worked all through the previous night to finish the job.

Harrington clapped Ethan on the shoulder, "I'll be keepin' an eye on you, kid – you're goin' places. There'll be a bonus in your pay this week for this job!"

Harrington looked up and his look hardened, "Looks like you got it done just in time . . ." he said, as he headed towards the entrance.

As Harrington moved away, Lumpy turned to Ethan, "Didn't I tell ya, man? This is a sweet deal. Who needs that damn certification, anyway? Baracus is full of shit."

"BA's alright," Ethan said defensively.

"Yea, whatever," Lumpy said dismissively, "You'll make good dough here, man. Like fuckin' Robin Hood, man."

Ethan looked around uneasily as Harrington came walking back, leading another man with him. His grandmother would disapprove of what they were doing here. But he was making enough money that Lu could quit her job and spend her time on her school work – and that, he knew, his grandmother would approve of.

Cuttey admired his new 'cab' from every side before turning to his old army buddy, Jimmy Harrington, "Thanks, Jim – this will do nicely. I'll tell Mr. Smith what a help you were. And here," he handed him a wad of bills, "I know it was short notice, here's a little extra from me for your trouble."

Harrington took the cash and turned to Ethan and Lumpy, who were still standing off to the side, "You two deserve the bonus, minus a cut for the house, of course," he handed part of the bills to each young man, "Now get your asses back to work."

He turned back to Cuttey, "Anything else you need, man?"

"This'll do me for now, Jimmie," Cuttey said, getting into the cab and turning it over, "I'll see ya later."

Cuttey smiled as he pulled out of the chop shop, all he needed was a cabbie license to hang from the mirror to complete the illusion. About 15 minutes later he pulled up outside one of the cab companies in town and leaned casually against the outside of another cab, until he saw his opportunity and reached in and snatched the license. He ran back to his cab and took off, heading straight for Jester's.

All there was to do now was sit and wait.

It took the rest of the afternoon to get the forms completed. About 5:00, Charlotte was going through the completed application one more time to make sure that everything was filled in, "Everyone double-checked the information on the forms – everything is accurate?" she asked in general.

Hannibal glanced around at Face, BA, and Murdock, who were generally nodding in the right direction, but didn't look so sure about the question, "Well, Char, I think the forms accurately reflect what they'll find in official records," he said with a chuckle, "that's probably about the best you're gonna get from this crew."

Murdock put his hands on Nancy's shoulders and squeezed, "We really appreciate everybody's help – we couldn't have done this without your help," he said, and Nancy nodded in agreement. Then he looked at his watch and patted her shoulders, "We're gonna have to get going if we're gonna get supper before we head to the hospital. C'mon Strawberry, let's get a move on."

Building Chanted Airplanes

They left Murdock's truck at the Compound and rode together to the hospital in the bug.

Murdock was relaxed, "That took way less time than I thought it would," he said happily, "Char was a big help."

Nancy nodded in agreement, as her glance fell on her notebook in her purse. She reached in and pulled it out, glancing briefly through her notes on Juanita Temple.

Murdock smiled at her tolerantly, then looked in the rearview mirror. Callie was sitting quietly with her arms crossed, staring out the window, "So, Strawberry, did you have fun with BA and Face this afternoon?"

Callie looked up at him and a smile played around her lips, "Yea, they're cool," her gaze turned quizzical, "Why do you call him Face, anyway? I thought his name was Templeton."

"Face is just a nickname – he's got a face to charm anyone, so we call him Faceman," he looked in the mirror and grinned conspiratorially, "Fits him, doesn't it?"

"Yea, he is cute," her cheeks colored, and she glanced away in embarrassment.

"Don't worry, kiddo," Murdock said, "You're by far not the first young woman to be taken in by Face. I'd say it's a natural reaction, huh Nan?"

Nancy looked up, "Um, yea," she turned in her seat and looked back at Callie, "Cal, where was your Mom working?"

Callie looked at Nancy, disconcerted by the sudden change of subject, "Well, she was working at that bar on the corner," a smile touched her features, "I liked it when she worked there – Will, the bartender, he was nice, used to give me and Jack fries and burgers," the smile faded, "Mom said that was just 'cause he was tryin' to get in her pants – that we shouldn't trust him."

Callie crossed her arms again, her expression becoming dark, "Then, when Cuttey came around, she quit. He said no woman of his was gonna work. Stupid," she added, "I mean, we're not s'posed to trust Will, who was nice. But Cuttey, she treated him like a king. I just don't get it."

"So your Mom was working at the Moonlight Inn?" Nancy asked, making a notation in her notebook at Callie's affirmative nod, "How long ago did she quit?"

"Few months ago," Callie said with a shrug.

"Did Cuttey work?" Nancy asked.

Callie shrugged again, "Not that I ever saw. He'd leave some mornings and not come back 'til late," a smile crossed her face, but quickly disappeared, "Jack and me used to hope he was gone for good, but he always came back. Then there were times when it seemed like he never left the apartment – those were the worst."

Nancy looked at Callie thoughtfully, "Did Cuttey have any friends you remember coming by the apartment?"

Callie shrugged, and looked out the window. Nancy sighed, again, Callie wasn't telling her everything but she was hesitant to push the subject. She flipped the notebook closed and shoved it back in her purse, "Alright, Cal, we'll drop it for now," she said quietly.

Murdock hated the silence that stretched after that, and reached down to turn on the radio, "How about some tunage?"

Callie sat forward, "How about Bonnie Raitt?" she asked hopefully.

"We need to expand your horizons," Murdock said, smiling, "How's about some Jimi?"

Nancy shook her head, sometimes Murdock's eclectic taste in music ran a little extreme for her, "How about some Moody Blues or Santana?"

"Ah, the Moody Blues," Murdock said thoughtfully, and began singing:

Isn't life strange

A turn of the page

A book without light

Unless with love we write;

To throw it away

To lose just a day

The quicksand of time

You know it makes me want to cry, cry, cry

Callie was listening raptly, "That sounds so cool – is that the Moody Blues?"

"Sure is – think you might like it?"

Callie nodded, and Nancy reached down and changed the cassette. She loved to listen to Murdock sing.

Nee opened her purse and checked her wallet. She'd managed to save just enough for bus fair to and from the old neighborhood out of the $50, after buying groceries and cigs. Now the question was, did she have the guts to go. She sat in the chair, with her purse clutched in her lap, weighing the consequences. If Cuttey found out, he'd beat her for sure, but she wasn't really sure she believed he had anyone watching the apartment. The question was, was she willing to chance it?

She opened her purse and fumbled with the cigarette pack and the lighter, taking a long drag on the cig once she had it lit. She looked at the clock – it was getting late. Probably too late to go now. She'd have to wait until tomorrow. Yes, that was decided, she'd wait and go tomorrow.

She dropped her purse in the chair, stubbed her half-smoked cigarette out in the ashtray, and dropped onto the couch, playing absently with the razor blade, splitting the coke remaining on the little mirror into various line patterns. Finally, she picked up the straw – might as well enjoy the evening.

Jack had been moved that morning into the children's ward of the hospital. When they arrived, he was sitting up at a lego table playing, and jumped up and ran to Callie when they walked in. Callie picked him up and hugged him in greeting and carried him back to the lego table with Nancy and Murdock trailing along.

Murdock sat cross-legged on the floor next to the table, and Jack broke away from a hovering Callie, grabbed something off the table and dropped into Murdock's lap, holding his creation up triumphantly.

Murdock took the jumble of lego blocks and admired it from every angle, noting the six wheels, and two extensions that looked like arms, "That's pretty cool, buddy," he said, "What is it?"

Jack smiled conspiratorially, "It's a chanted airplane," he whispered, "you said you never saw one so I builded it."

Murdock looked at the magic vehicle, then at the boy, "You know I think you got it just right, buddy – 99 imagination and 100 faith," he smiled as Jack took the toy back and flew it through the air, humming the tune that his mother had taught him.

Callie had walked over and caught Murdock's eye, "I hope it can take us somewhere where Sherry Evanston will leave us alone," she said caustically.

Jack stopped, and looked at Callie fearfully, "The Child Services lady? I don' like her. She isn't gonna take us back to the orphanage is she? I thought I got to come home with you guys?" he looked at Murdock desperately.

Murdock patted his shoulder, "Shh, buddy, it's OK. Nobody's taking you to any orphanage. As things stand right now, when you're ready to leave, you'll be comin' home with me and Nan. There's nothing to worry about."

Jack looked to his sister for confirmation. She shrugged, "Sherry didn't seem so happy 'bout it, but Ms. Landry said we could stay with HM and Nan . . . for now."

The two children looked at each other for several seconds, then Jack looked at Murdock, "But you're not going to keep us forever, are you?" he asked sadly.

Murdock glanced at his wife, who took a deep breath, put an arm around Callie's shoulders, "We need to take this process one step at a time. Let's make it so Ms. Evanston will let you stay with us as foster parents. Then we'll tackle the longer-term issues. For one thing, we have to find your mom – she's still your legal guardian."

Callie shrugged out of Nancy's arm, "I hope you don't find her, then we can stay with you."

Murdock looked at Callie sympathetically, "We've been over this, Strawberry. You know it doesn't work that way."

"Then how does it work," Callie asked angrily, "I don't want to go back with Mom. I want to stay with you. But I'll tell you what I have learned. I've learned that what I want doesn't really matter. Grownups that don't give a damn about me or Jack, they're the ones that make the decisions. I'm sick of it, do you hear me, sick of it!"

She turned and ran out of the room. Nancy looked at Murdock miserably, then hurried out after her.

Jack watched Nancy follow his sister, then looked up at Murdock and saw the worry in his face. Jack smiled at him and patted his cheek, "Don't worry, HM. Callie'll be OK. We both will. I know you're doin' the best you can for us," he stood up and walked back over to the lego table, setting his chanted airplane down and starting work on some modifications. It would need to be bigger if there was going to be room for all of them.

Murdock looked after the boy, tears pricking at his eyes. Callie was right, it wasn't fair, but then he'd learned early on, probably at about Callie's age, that that was just the way life was. But it didn't mean that you didn't fight for what was right. He crawled over to Jack and ruffled the boys head. Jack grinned at him, and Murdock sat down at the lego table with him and started building his own chanted airplane. Couldn't hurt to have a backup.

Nancy found Callie sitting on the steps outside the nearest exit and sat down next to her, folding her hands in her lap. They sat silently for several minutes.

Finally Callie started speaking, her expression angry, "You seem in an awful big hurry to find Mom . . . can't wait to get rid of us, can you?" she turned and looked at Nancy through narrowed eyes.

Nancy looked at her directly, "You know that's not true, Callie," she said firmly.

Callie looked down from the direct gaze, wringing her hands nervously. When she spoke again, her voice was uncertain, "If you could, would you keep us? Forever?"

Nancy smiled tenderly at the wide brown eyes that regarded her with a mixture of fear and longing. She was surprised that she could truthfully answer the question without the least bit of hesitation, "In a heartbeat, Cal."

Callie looked at Nancy piercingly, trying to decide if she could believe her or not. Finally, she threw her arms around Nancy's neck. Nancy pulled her onto her lap, giving her a warm hug and smoothing her hair comfortingly.

After a few minutes, she took Callie's arms and held her back so she could look her in the eye, "But remember, we have to take this one step at a time, right?" Callie nodded.

"Alright, then," Nancy said, setting Callie on her feet, and standing up, "Let's head back upstairs and see what the boys are up to, shall we?" She held an inviting hand out to Callie, who took it after a moment's hesitation.

They played at the lego table for the rest of visiting hours, all four of them. Building wild machines and houses with secret rooms. By 8, they were all starting to yawn. Murdock picked Jack up and carried him to his bed. He tucked him in and handed him the 'chanted' airplane, "You know, buddy, this chanted airplane looks like it could take you anywhere you want to go, especially in your dreams."

Nancy nodded in agreement, and leaned down to kiss Jack on the forehead, "Sweet dreams of happy places, honey," she said quietly.

Nancy and Murdock stepped back while Callie said goodnight, "See ya tomorrow Jackie," she said, giving him a hug, "Love you," she whispered in his ear.

"Love you, too," he said with a smile, "see ya tomorrow."

Cuttey parked the cab down the adjacent alley and locked it. He scoped out the next alley down the street. It was empty and would work perfectly. He went into the bar at Jester's and took an inconspicuous seat at the end, ordering and eating supper, and watching the door for Ledley. About 8, Ledley walked in, waved to the bartender and headed to the back room, where the poker game would be. Cuttey took a long drag on his cigarette and made himself comfortable. The game would go until about midnight, he'd get into position at 11:30. Until then he could knock back a couple beers and relax.

Lady and Tramp

When they got home, Murdock checked the home answering machine. The only message was from Sherry Evanston, who left a curt reminder about their 2 o'clock appointment the next day. Callie's face clouded over as the message played, and Murdock hit the delete button before it even finished. He turned and looked at Callie, "What do ya think, Strawberry, wanna watch a movie?"

Callie's face cleared and she smiled and nodded, "Can we have some popcorn, too?"

"Sure thing! Facey got me one of those hot air poppers for Christmas last year," he said, as he led her into the kitchen, "let's see if I remember how to use it."

Meanwhile, Nancy listened to her business answering machine in the front office. The first message was from Stephanie. She had the final round of interviews set up for Monday afternoon. Nancy pulled out her planner and marked the times down. Riley had called to see if Stephanie had called, and Nancy had to smile. Riley still wasn't used to having a secretary, and Steph had been with them for several years, though admittedly, she'd only been full time for the last year.

Nancy and Riley had just made the final decision regarding which four candidates to invite back this afternoon, so Steph had made short work of getting the interviews set up. She was taking night classes at a local community college in accounting and bookkeeping, which was a part of the administrative work that Nancy really hated, and she sometimes even helped out with case research. She was quickly making herself indispensable.

The last message was from Les Jenkins. They had just hired Les away from LA Homicide a little less than two months ago, but she was already a valued part of Adam's Investigation. Nancy had called Les on the way to the Compound this morning and given her the telephone number that she'd found at Juanita Temple's apartment to run down.

Les hadn't let any grass grow under her feet, "Hey, Nan. It's me, Les. I tried that number you gave me . . . want any Italian take out? I'm afraid that's probably all it's for, though one interesting tidbit, the restaurant, Mi Mama's Casa, is owned by Constantino Smith. If you need anything else, let me know."

Nancy had heard of the guy, Con Smith was a small-time hood running books and drugs on the outskirts of DC. Vice probably had a file on him, maybe she'd talk to Brett and see what he could tell her about him, just for kicks. Unfortunately, it probably wasn't going to help her find Juanita Temple.

She picked up the phone and dialed Les' home phone. She answered on the first ring, "'Lo?"

"Hey, Les, how's it goin'?" Nancy asked

"Hi, Nan. Goin' OK, I guess . . . did you get my message about that phone number?"

"Yea," Nancy said, "I know it's probably a dead end, but why don't you take a quick run over there tomorrow and feel the place out. Maybe Juanita's a regular there or something. Also, there's a bar, Moonlight Inn, near where they lived on Maple – Callie said her Mom used to work there, said the bartender, guy named Will, was sweet on her. Check it out, see if it goes anywhere."

Les finished taking notes, "Anything else?"

Nancy thought for a moment, "I'm going to put in a missing persons report on Juanita with the police tomorrow – can't help to enlist more sets of eyes. It's not much, but hopefully it'll lead somewhere. Let me know what you find out."

"Will do," Les said, "I had thought about checking out the restaurant, but wasn't sure how much time you wanted me to spend on this one."

"I need to find Juanita Temple," Nancy said certainly.

Les smiled to herself, "I'll let you know what I find out."

By the time Nancy got into the kitchen, Murdock and Callie had checked in every cupboard looking for his hot air popcorn popper and still hadn't had any luck. She watched for a minute as they opened three more cupboards each, Murdock looking high and Callie looking low, then cleared her throat, "Is there something I can help you find?"

Murdock turned, "Can't find that popcorn popper – you know the one Face got me for Christmas last year . . ."

As Murdock was talking Nancy walked to the next to the last cupboard that Murdock had just opened, opened it again, and pulled the popcorn popper in question out.

Murdock looked at the popcorn popper in consternation, then tried to recover, "I knew it was there, all along – I was just trying to teach Strawberry, you know, where everything was . . . in the kitchen . . ."

Callie started giggling, "No you weren't. You looked in that cupboard at least twice already," she accused.

"Shhh . . ." Murdock said exaggeratedly, placing himself between Callie and Nancy, "Don't listen to her – she just doesn't understand my methods . . ."

Nancy chuckled, "Sweetheart – there always has been a crazy method to your madness, and I think Callie understands it far too well. Now, since you've made an extensive survey of the cupboards, do you think you could find the popcorn?" and she looked around him to Callie, "And Cal, why don't you get the butter out of the fridge. I'll get the bowls and the salt."

Soon they had a big batch of popcorn ready and were lounging on the couch in front of the TV watching Disney's Lady and the Tramp on tape. About half way through the movie, Murdock declared that it was time for intermission, so they paused the tape and made chocolate milkshakes. By the time the movie was over it was almost 10 and Callie was having trouble keeping her eyes open.

Murdock grinned as Callie yawned widely, "Time to head up to bed, Strawberry."

Callie stood and turned around, then put a finger to her lips, "Shh, Nan's asleep."

Murdock looked down at Nancy and smiled, "OK – on up to bed, kiddo. I'll take care of Nan."