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A/N: Okay, I'm still working on my other fics but this one came to me after "Live or Let Die" and I wanted to go with it. I'm not really exactly sure where I want to take this but I'm actually having thoughts of perhaps turning this into a full-blown story filled with everything you can imagine. And when I mean everything, I mean everything.

She waved them over with a simple flick of her wrist as her two former colleagues, Danny Messer and Don Flack, entered the bar. It had seemed like another night of causal drinking for the three but it was Danny's monotone voice on Aiden's other line that made her suspect that something was up.

The two men moved into the bar, weaving their way in and out of the crowd before making their way to the two chairs besides Aiden. They sat down silently but when Aiden had met their eyes, they were telling one hell of a story.

"What's up?" She asked casually as she held her glass in her hand, gently swinging it in a soft and steady rhythm.

The two ordered their drinks and Aiden eyed them curiously.

Yes, something was up and she didn't like it at all.

"Hello? Ya two awake in there?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side, brown hair falling down besides her face.

Danny blinked before setting his beer down on the table. "Aid," he said, leaning forward onto the table as Flack absently licked his lips, "remember that uh, God, that rapist case you were workin' on?"

She stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, the one that got me fired. Yeah, I remember that."

Danny winced at her slightly harsh comment before continuing. "He, eh, he's back."

Flack glanced over at her quickly just to make sure that things were, well, going a little all right with that news.

Aiden's eyes narrowed at Danny and she slowly rested her glass back down on the table with a small clink. "He what?"
Danny swallowed hard and stole a quick glance at Flack for help.

"He was on the case that Stella and Lindsay was workin'." Flack said, taking over Danny's position as Aiden's eyes quickly darted to the tall detective. "Woman that called for phone sex was killed by Pratt but yet again, have no evidence to nail the fucker. Guy keeps runnin' around and killin' people and for the love of God, we can't get him."

Aiden was sure that all the color in her face had drained. She had believed that Mac had caught him a long time ago after she was fired because it was her words, her promise, and her wish that Pratt was caught. And to hear from Flack and Danny that the rapist was still out and about raping and killing more women. It made Aiden angry.

"What the fuck." She swore as she leaned her head back and swallowed the rest of her drink. "I fuckin' told Mac that this guy needed to be caught. He needed to!" She slammed the glass back down on the table and the two men nearly jumped in their seats.

"Aiden-" Danny began but Aiden shot him a glare of death and the man quickly closed his mouth.

"Ya listen to me Danny," Aiden threatened as she pointed a finger at him, "I got a new job, basically got myself a new life believin' that Mac here would have kept to his promise. Would have taken his little ass and gone out to catch that son of a bitch but whaddya know? Our guy attacks again and he kills. God damnit! What the fuck is so hard with just listenin' to me?" She asked, as she looked away from them, biting down hard on her lower lip. She didn't mean to yell at them, really she didn't, but this whole rapist was just frustrating her and she wanted him caught.

She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and she turned her head slightly to see that it was Danny. "Aiden, they're tryin'."

"We're tryin'." Flack added as he leaned forward onto the table. "But Aiden, ya gotta listen to us. We know that this guy means a lot to you and that you want this fucker's ass in hell but we can't do it when there's so little evidence. Trust me, we wouldn't be workin' our asses off if we knew the guy didn't mean so much to ya."

She swallowed hard and felt the squeeze of Danny's hand again. She hated feeling so pathetic in front of them. It didn't feel right to her at all.

But there was something else that was making her fret in the night. There was something else that made her have restless sleeps. There was something else and it was making her sick to her stomach.

"He wants to come after me." She finally said, her voice so low that Danny and Flack barely heard it. "I know he does. He's watchin' me because he knows that he can get away with this shit."

Flack's cop senses quickly kicked in and he leaned more onto the table, eyes focusing hard on Aiden's. "Wait, let me get this straight. Ya think that Pratt is coming after you?"

She nodded slowly as if she was a little intimidated whether or not to respond.

"You've had suspicious calls?"

"No, I just have this feelin' Don. I mean, I think he sees me as a challenge and somehow or another, I believe that he wants to see if he can reach it."
It was silent except for the sound of ice cubes in their glasses clinking against one another. Perhaps it was because of the fact that Aiden could be right. For all they know, Pratt could be following and watching her right this second.

"You should tell Mac." Flack finally said as Danny gave him a semi-strange glance. "He'd want to know about it and get ya protection."

"Ya sure Mac can give her that?" Danny asked as Flack nodded.

"She was on the case, Danny. This guy has come back and at this very moment, we should be concentrating on Aiden's safety."

"No, I don't wanna tell Mac." She said as Danny and Flack quickly turned their attention to her. "I mean, I just don't want them to get mixed up in what got me fired. I was just tellin' ya guys somethin' that had been on my mind for a while and that was that. Nothin' else."
Flack shook his head in response to Aiden's comment. "I don't know Aid. For all we know, he could be watchin' ya right now."

She smiled, even though it didn't reach her eyes, and looked at the both of them. "I'm with you two. There's nothin' to worry about."

Flack didn't seem convinced at all and refrained himself from saying anything. He knew that what ever he had to say would not be enough to convince Aiden (she had a tendency to do that) and instead, just shook his head again at her and took a long sip of his alcohol.

Danny looked at Flack briefly before turning his attention to Aiden. "We can stay with ya for a bit." He suggested as he slowly removed his hand from her shoulder. "It may not be a whole lot but it's somethin'."

Flack took yet another sip and added hastily, "Still think Mac should know."

Aiden sighed and looked over at Flack, her brows slightly narrow and her lips formed in a tight line. "Listen, I came here to get drunk tonight and I'm not gonna let anyone ruin that for me. Either ya drop the whole fuckin' issue, or ya leave."

Danny shifted uncomfortably in his seat as his eyes darted between his two closest friends. He wasn't really quite sure how to say something and not get snapped at for trying so instead, he shifted again and licked his lips nervously. He glanced up again towards Flack and felt his heart drop when the dark-haired detective raised from his seat, blue eyes a darker shade than Danny had ever seen before. It was a shade that made Danny feel cold inside and he shivered slightly. He knew that this whole thing with Aiden and Pratt was taking an emotional toll on Flack and Danny soon found himself growing slightly more and more angry inside for what Flack was doing. Danny personally believed that Flack should stay, work things out, but it seemed that the detective had another idea in mind.

"Don't leave, Don." Danny said in between closed teeth. "You're makin' a mistake."

Flack laughed, his voice filled with sarcasm as he grabbed his jacket and threw it around his shoulders. "The only mistake I'm makin' here, Danny, is that of not forcin' Aiden to go to Mac. We all know that if Pratt is seriously watchin' her, she needs protection. She needs something to keep her safe otherwise it's our fault. So don't tell me I'm makin' a mistake, Messer, because I'm not." He angrily reached into his wallet and tossed down a couple bills. He then took a step back and thrust his hands into his jacket pocket. "I'm leavin'. Thanks for the talk." And with that, he turned on his hell and walked off, disappearing into the darkness that waited for them outside the bar door.

Aiden watched him leave, her heart dropping when reality had taken him out from the door. Her whole body seemed to collapse on the table once he left, her elbow knocking her drink over as the liquid seeped it's way onto the table and then onto the floor. "What am I gonna do, Danny? I mean, look how messed up this is."

And Danny wanted to answer her question, really he did, but when he went to open his mouth, nothing seemed to come out. The only thing that he could think of at that very precise moment, was grabbing the napkins from across the table and cleaning up Aiden's mess.

TBC.