Don't Dwell in the Past

I walked with my kids the next morning through the doors of the FBI building. We went up to the fifth floor, to the Day Care Center. I dropped them off, saying I'd be by later to play Old Maid again.

As I was walking to my office, my cell phone started vibrating. I flipped it open. "Mastriani," I said into it.

"Jessica, I would like you in the conference room in ten minutes. There is some very important news," Krantz said and hung up.

Don't I ever get a hello?

The conference room was on the ninth floor, so I had to go on the elevator. Luckily, there were coffee machine office thingies on every floor.

I went to the elevator and got in.

Great, Reynolds was in there.

"Mastriani," he said.

"Reynolds," I said back and nodded my head.

"So," he said, trying to start a conversation, "you and that new guy used to be together?"

Ugh. Great. I knew I shouldn't've said that to Rob in the locker room.

"Um, yeah," I said.

"Oh." He scratched his head - that was balding, might I add. "The whole time you've been here, you've never gone out with anyone, am I correct?"

"Yes, you are," I said.

Arg. He was aggravating me.

"Okay. So, you must've gone out with him in...high school?" he inquired.

"Yes, Dean," I said impatiently.

"Alright." Then a smirk grew on his annoying features. "He wouldn't happen to be the father of your twins, would he?"

I sputtered. If I had coffee with me at the time, I'm sure it would be all over me.

"That is none of your business," I said angrily.

"So, I am right," he said knowingly. His smirk turned wry.

When I didn't respond, he said, "I'm sure he would just love if someone happened to slip it to him, don't ya think?"

"What're you getting at, Dean?" I asked. I knew he was trying to get something out of me.

"Well, if you go out with me tonight, I won't spill the beans," he said. Then he put his hand out. "Deal?"

I smiled with bitterness. "No. No deal."

"Fine. Then I'll tell him," he said.

You know, you would've thought this elevator would frigging take a lot quicker. Its only four damn floors.

Then I realized that Dean had jammed it and it wasn't even going anywhere. Why hadn't I noticed that before?

God, I'm an idiot.

"You know, Dean, he already knows. In fact, I told him last night. You can even go ask him," I said confidently. "And, if you think black-mailing me to go out with you - and jamming the elevator - are good techniques to get in a woman's pants, then you will never get any, Reynolds," I retorted angrily.

Someone finally fixed the elevator and we got out. On the way out, Dean had the nerve to go and squeeze my ass.

I turned around and said, "Don't you EVER do that again. You hear me? I'll beat your ass into the ground so far, that you'll have to look up to look down." Wow, that made no sense.

Then I walked away quickly and into the conference room. "Jessica, you're late," Krantz said, as I entered.

I looked around the room and noticed Kara, Steph, Krantz, Emily, ROB, and a bunch of other people were there. What the hell is going on.

Then Reynolds walked in behind me. "Sorry I'm late, boss." And he took a seat next to Steph, who looked repulsed.

"Sorry, Dr. K," I muttered, and sat in the only available seat, right next to Rob. And right across from Dean. Lovely.

"It's all right, Jessica," he said. Then he began with some speech. I only started listening when he said, "The rapist, which we recently put in jail, has escaped."

"WHAT?" I exploded.

"He's escaped, Jessica," Krantz repeated.

"But...how?"

"We don't know yet," he said. "But that's what we're going to find out - and his whereabouts."

Then I kind of tuned out again. Well, that is, until I felt something brush up against my leg. I ignored it at first, because I figured it was accidental, but then it happened again. And again. Then I realized: Oh, shit; Dean is trying to play footsie with me.

I looked down - seeing that Dean smirked as I did so - and found the location of his other foot. Hoping that he didn't move it when I looked back up at him, I stomped as hard as I could on it with the leg that he wasn't currently molesting.

That stopped him pretty quickly. He let out a yelp and everyone looked at him.

While Krantz was all, "Are you all right, Reynolds?" Rob whispered in my ear, "What did you do?"

It hurt that he immediately suspected it was me. But, nonetheless, I whispered back, "He was rubbing his foot against my leg, so I stomped on his other foot."

"Oh," he replied.

Reynolds claimed he was all right. And that he accidentally rolled over his own foot with his chair.

Yeah, right.

"Jessica?"

I shook my head and looked up. I guess I was lost in my thoughts. "Hmm?"

He looked at me weirdly, then he said, "You and Mr. Wilkins will be the head of this project, seeing as you have the certain ability to, erm, find people. And, of course, Robert—" I laughed to myself at that. Robert. Haha. "—will be with you, because he is your partner."

"Of course," I replied.

"Good," he said. "Now, I expect, if you should find anything, that you will come to me." He was doing the same thing he did when I sixteen. He knew that I would probably run off and try to figure the case out myself.

"Of course," I said again.

"Excellent," he said. Then he stood up. "You are all dismissed," he said with a wave of his hand.

People started filing out the door. Reynolds, Rob, and I were the last people in there.

Then Rob looked at me, smiled, and left. Great, he left me alone with the asshole.

Little did I know, he was waiting outside the conference room. He would hear everything.

I gathered up my stuff to leave, so I wouldn't have to put up with Dean's shit.

As I was shoving everything into my briefcase, Reynolds came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

I immediately got pissed off. "Get off me," I seethed.

"Woah, Mastriani," he said. But he left his grimy hand there.

So, me being me, I took his hand and sharply spun him around, bending his arm the wrong way in the process. He groaned. "FINE!" He tried squirming but I held him firmly, "Let me go!"

I did so and said, "If you EVER touch me again, I will break that arm off. Then I turned around and, grabbed my briefcase, and punched his ugly ass face in. And left him there.

Imagine my surprise when Rob was standing right outside. Pretending to have not heard anything.

"Heard everything, didn't you?" I accused.

"No," he replied nonchalantly, but I saw through the facade.

"Right," I said.

"Okay, fine," he said, "I did hear everything. But its good to know you can take care of yourself."

"Hmm," I agreed.

I was heading to the elevator to go see my kids. Rob was heading that way, too. The elevator, I mean, not to see my kids; at least, I think not to see my kids.

Then I, you know, had an epiphany. "Hey," I said, "you wanna come with me? To see my kids, I mean." Then I added, "and yours too, I guess."

He shrugged and said, "Sure."

"Awesome," I said.

So, we both got in the elevator, and went to see my kids. My kids had fun meeting him. Rob was taking it well - playing with his children who didn't know he was their father. They asked him all sorts of questions. Among them were, "Are you and Mommy dating?" Which Rob thought was hilarious.

We went our separate ways after that. I went back to my office to get working on this case. I checked my e-mail when I got on my laptop. Imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail from the rapist.

Dear Lightning Girl,

You probably know now that I have escaped.

I have your little babysitter here, too. If you want to see her again, unharmed and still a virgin, I expect to see you here tonight, without any of your little Fed friends.

You know where I am.

Signed,

Your Special Friend.

Oh, shit.

Chandler.

Chandler's in trouble and all 'cause of ME. She could get raped. And killed.

You know where I am.

What is that supposed to mean? How would I know where he is?

Oh, right. The psychic powers. Lovely.

I have to tell Rob. He might freak, but he should know.

So, I called him on my cell, because I wasn't sure if he was in his office or not.

I told him to get his ass in my office as quick as possible, which, it turns out, was only, like, two minutes.

"Wow, that was fast," I commented.

"Hmm," he said. "What did you find?"

I showed him the e-mail and he said, "So, you're going then?"

I gave him a strange look. "Uh, yeah. He has an innocent sixteen year old girl. What the hell else am I supposed to do?"

He shrugged. "I'm going with you."

Okay, I totally didn't expect that. "No, you aren't, Rob. Didn't you read it? I have to go alone."

"I don't care," he said, "he'll never know I was there." When I didn't respond, he said, "Speaking of there, where is there?"

"I have no clue. And he didn't even say what time, either. This is just awesome," I said. I put my head in my hands and groaned. "My life is just a bowl of cherries, ain't it?" I asked sarcastically.

"Hmm," he agreed. "Well, Jess, you do what you do best. Find his location." Then he started rubbing my back. I guess to soothe me a bit. Boy did it work.

Disclaimer: All of the characters you recognize belong to Meg Cabot, the ultimate writer of our time. All of the other characters you don't recognize - and the plot - belong to me.