Disclaimer: I do not own any characters including: Bobby Manning, Jack Hudson, Myles Leland the third, Lucy Dotson, Tara Williams, Ted Garrett, Sue Thomas, Howie, Levi the Dog, or any other characters that were created by anyone other than me. I only own Makenzee Fields, Aiden Fields, and Marcus Luther. If any character is similar to others it is a mere coincidence and not intentional.

Chapter 3

Bobby watched Tara and the little girl talk softly. They sat there eating the ice cream that Bobby had bought them. It was defiantly worth the ten bucks when Tara gave him a faint smile. Sue was reading their lips and dictating the conversation back to the rest of the team. So far they knew that she was Chloe McGee, her mother – who was murdered in the washroom – was Connie, and Chloe's father was Mathew McGee. The little girl was told that her father died in a car accident but they knew that the truth was that he was murdered when she was just 5 months old. Chloe's was definitely a sad story, never knew her father, her mother never paid any attention to Chloe, she was really, truly alone, and always had been.

Tara patted the little girls hand and stood up, walking towards her co-workers, all the while keeping eye contact with Bobby, nearly walking into a chair. "So, do we have a plan?" She asked.

"We're working on it. Ted wants us back in D.C. pronto, Chloe's coming, too." Jack said.

"What about her mother?" Tara asked.

"We'll have our forensics team over here by tomorrow." Myles answered. "Everyone needs to go get their stuff."

Back in D.C. Tara lightly knocked on the door to Ted Garrets office. "Come in." He said in his low voice.

"Hi," she sat down, "um, I know you assigned Jack and Sue to go undercover with Chloe, but, uh, I really think it would be best that I went instead."

"And why would you say that?"

"Well, Chloe trusts me, and she's becoming attached to me already."

"Or are you becoming attached to her?"

"Please, Mr. Garrett, I just think we would make a more convincing a family," Tara pleaded.

"Well, you're not going alone." He stood up and stuck his head out of the door, into the hall. When he spotted the man he was looking for, he called, "Bobby! We need you in here for a minute!"

Tara spun her head around, "What?"

Bobby came into the room, "Yeah, mate?"

"Say hello to your new wife." He sat down.

"Did I miss something?" Bobby asked, confused.

Tara sat there stunned, "Huh?"

Tara peered out the window, the clouds looked dark, mystical. She stroked the little girls blonde, curly hair. 3,000 feet in the air, on their way to California, she should feel like nothing could touch her, but instead, she felt more vulnerable than ever before. She sighed, she was no longer Tara Williams, she was Mrs. Tara Manning, wife and mother.

Bobby whispered, "Hey, sheila," he rubbed took her hand in his and rubbed it with his thumb as he spoke, "how're you holding up?"

"I'm not sure I am," Tara admitted, "everything all happened so fast I didn't have time to process everything, but now, I can't stop thinking."

He looked at her longingly, "I think I understand."

"Really?"

"Yeah, your life has just drastically been altered, human minds aren't built for that kind of instability."

"It's good to know I'm not going crazy," she rested her head on his broad shoulder. "Thanks Bobby."

"Hey, if you ever need me, or just want to talk, you wake me up." He insisted.

"Okay," Tara agreed, knowing that he really meant anything, anytime.

Bobby wrapped his arms around Tara's slender shoulders, his hand resting on Chloe's petite head. He tried to stay awake, but after another hour had passed his eyes closed.

3 hours later Bobby woke when the pilots voice over the intercom informed them to fasten their seatbelts. He looked at the two beautiful ladies next to him. Tara and Chloe were both asleep, Tara on Bobby's shoulder, Chloe on hers. Bobby lightly shook Tara. She sat up suddenly but then relaxed when she looked at Bobby. "We're landing," he explained.

"Oh, good, I guess." She reached around Chloe and fastened her seatbelt, then did the same to hers. She gave Bobby one last glance before the descent began.