Disclaimer: I don't own Danny, Flack or any of those other people, but I do own the nutcases, murderers and maniacs, including Stephanie, Josh, Alyssa and Jennifer :D jk, they're harmless.

A/N: josie hardy rule #1: never leave a story unfinished.

k? won't happen. I might leave it for awhile, but I'll always be back. Especially if it's popular :D

Thanx for all the reviews! I love them!

'You're not really going to let her do that, are you?' Stella asked.

She had arrived at the office in time to catch Lindsay pitching her idea to her boss. She had pretended to accept his arguments as common sense, but they all knew she was going to go through with it anyway.

'It could work. We just don't need to let it go that far.'

'You want us to follow her?' Danny asked.

Mac nodded. 'Discreetly. She's decided she wants to do it, and she'll just get upset if she finds out you're around.'

'Uh – wont she still get upset when we butt in?' Flack frowned.

'Oh yeah, but I'd rather have her upset than hurt. I care about her too, you know. She's part of this team, and it's our responsibility to look out for her. What are you waiting for?' he demanded as they stayed where they were.

'So, what did the super say?' he asked as the duo left.

'Just that there's been a couple of guys coming round the apartment looking for Paul. They've been coming nearly every day for the last month.'

'But he still doesn't know what they look like,' Mac muttered. 'Friends?'

Stella shrugged. 'They never agreed to leave a message, or to tell him what they wanted. They just came, banged on the apartment door, asked the super where he was and left.'

'So no help.'

'Unless he was in trouble. Maybe he had to kill Marcy.'

'Go back, check the door for-' he stopped as she held up a hand.

'Already done, the prints are in the lab.' she grinned. 'Now what say we go find that teammate you're so worried about?'

The dean frowned as she considered the proposal.

'Well, if it'll help you catch the man who murdered Marcy, you have my full support,' she smiled. 'What do you need from me?'

'We need you to put these fake records into the system, in case he hacks into a computer instead of speaking to me directly,' Lindsay explained, 'and if you could just tell the professors that I'm a new student, so that he doesn't think anything's amiss?'

'I'll see what I can do.'

An hour later she was back on campus, talking to the other girls from Marcy's classes while at the same time trying to keep to places where Paul would most likely be able to see her, if he was nearby searching for his next victim. Unless he's aleady chosen her. Josh was worried about Jennifer and Alyssa.

'Hi there,'

She whirled around to see a middle aged man standing behind her whose appearance could be described in one word...dark. From his black hair to his tanned complexion and his brown, almost black, fathomless eyes, only his perfect white teeth stood out in stark comparison.

'Uh...hi.' she greeted, flicking her hair back and smiling, 'can I help you?'

'I sure hope so. The name's Paul, by the way.'

'Lindsay.'

'A pretty name for a pretty girl,' he complimented in a deep, soft voice. 'Well, Lindsay, how about you and me go and find someplace quiet to talk?'

'I've got a class...'

'Come on,' he wheedled, 'would you really rather go and sit in a boring lecture? Get the notes from a friend. You look like the kind of girl who knows how to have fun. I didn't make a mistake, did I?'

She looked at him, smacking the piece of gum in her mouth a couple of times as she pretended to think about it.

'Let's go.' Part one, complete.

She didn't know that part two was about to be changed.

'I know she'd take offense at this, but she looks like she could be a college kid,' Stella remarked as they watched her from a car across the road.

Her hair pulled back, a piece of gum in her mouth which was actually a personal nervous habit and casual jeans and a blouse made the young woman look even younger, to the point that she fit in pefectly with the other students.

'There's a reason it's her out there and not you,' Mac told her.

'What, the toughened orpahn versus the innocent country girl?'

'I don't think of you as tough. I just don't picture you as a victim.'

'That's contradictory, Taylor.'

'I've never been known for my way with words. A pretty name for a pretty girl?' he scoffed.

'I've heard better,' she sighed, looking back over the campus grounds.

'Yeah? Like what?' Mac enquired, amused by the unexpected claim.

'A rose by any other name would be Stella.' she smiled. 'Or Lindsay, in this case.'

'Shakespeare. Romantic. And you wonder why marriage never works out? Romeo and Juliet, Athony and Cleopatra, etc.'

'You're such a pessimist.' Stella teased. Her comment was only half hearted, as his references to ill-fated lovers made her wonder if Claire's death reminded him of them. The way his attitude and his personality changed, he did act as is he wished he were dead as well.

'Flack,' Josh greeted as the detective came over to join him, 'you look worried.'

Flack smiled as he sat down. 'I was just thinking about the kids – Stephanie and Marcy's, if – it's - still alive.'

'Oh yeah, that reminds me. I asked Steph about that. She's not sure, but she told me it was a boy, about three or four, name's Max. She's trying to find out where he is now.' Catching his colleague's dubious look, he added, 'she's in a better position than me. If the kid was born on purpose – ie, Paul raped Marcy to get a kid to sell to Mason, she's the one that stands a better chance of finding out what happened to it and, if it was auctioned, who bought it.'

'Auctioned? Kid auctions?'

Josh nodded ruefully. 'Exactly what it sounds like; an auction buying and selling kids to work for Mason or the rest of his gang. Works internationally now. Only problem is, they keep it so secret and private that even Stephanie can't give me a lead as to where they hold them. Trust me, if she could, I would have moved in on them years ago.'

'Child slavery. That's sick.'

'Mmmm.'

'How's she doing, anyway?' he asked, deciding to change the subject, 'That wound healing up?'

Josh nodded. 'She's a quick healer. Doesn't let anything slow her down, either. You saw her the other day – likes to pretend nothing's wrong. You wanted to ask me something?'

'Just what's going to happen to them, if we arrest Mason. Paul wont be able to get-'

'Wont want,' Josh corrected.

'Won't want custody of Max, and Stephanie...where is her mother?'

'Dead, as far as we know. Stephanie I'll probably take care of, I am her sub and everything. Max, I don't know. We have to find him first, he could be dead. What?' he asked, seeing Flack's blank face.

'Sub?'

'It's a 'Stephanie world' thing. Sub, short for substitute. If I use her as an example, it's a contract made up by Mason that's signed by him and me agreeing that if anything happens to him – like getting arrested – I have to look after her. All the parents do it.'

'Does he know you signed it?' the younger man asked, an amused smile flickering across his face.

'I don't even know if there is one yet. I hope so,' he added thoughtfully, looking back down at his plate. 'Otherwise, legally they'd have to go into foster care. But kids have a habit of disappearing.'

He glanced up in time to catch the detective's disturbed look and shrugged. Even New York's finest couldn't protect everyone. That was why CSIs existed.

A/N: I told you I was going to explain what a sub was. Now to work 'Tective' into a conversation...give me another couple of weeks :D

Word of the day: (yeah word, not thought. I've given up thinking.) Gringlisch. Greek/English. When someone who's used to speaking Greek speaks English and drops in a couple of Greek words every now and then. I wonder if Stella/Melina ever use it. It might sound stupid, but I've actually heard quite a few people use that word :p

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I'm gonna go shut up now...