Nothing could have prepared Mac for what was taking place. He took one step and immediately felt dizzy. Danny, Lindsay and Flack were there with him, keeping a cautious eye on their boss. They were confused as to why he had come down, but they knew he was trying to keep a brave front. After all, he was a former Marine. Courage flowed in his veins.

The body of Katie Blench lay before them, limbs splayed out at crazy angles. Around them, the still-powerful stench loomed in the air, threatening to suffocate them. Though the surrounding buildings had been long patched, the feeling of where they stood sunk in quickly.

They were in the heart of Ground Zero.

---

Mac squatted down to inspect the body. His heart raced wildly but he forced himself to swallow his fear. This was no time to be caught up in the past.

"Taped across the mouth and wrists. Bruises are consistent with those we found on the first vic."

The team stood in silence. No one was particularly comfortable with being in the area, but unfortunately it was part of their job, so they took it with chins up, processing the scene as they would on any normal day.

Mac's mind strayed back to his small argument with Reed. No doubt the latter knew it was Katie, but the former was more concerned on the location. Reed was still at a fragile age; he had taken his mother's death extremely hard, as Mac had expected. Now he had another casualty on his shoulders.

Flack interviewed a worker as Danny and Lindsay examined the scene. She was shaking slightly, and Danny walked over and grasped her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Don't be scared, Montana. I'm here."

---

"You think I'm a kid?!"

Reed's irritation rose with each passing second. He had been informed on the finding, and was annoyed at the whole situation. His face became red as he glared daggers at Mac, anger taking full control.

The elder tried to calm his step-son. "Reed, listen to you. Don't you understand? I couldn't let you come with me. You lost your mother down there, and now you've lost Katie."

But there was no reasoning with the youth. He was so infuriated that he could barely sputter out coherent words. "I loved her!"

"You are letting your anger rule your heart. If you want, I can let you see her. I was only trying to protect you. I'll call a hotel and book you a room."

He reached out, but Reed took a step back, his eyes reflecting the pain they both felt. "Leave me alone."

---

Something was terribly wrong, and everyone knew it. The paint chips found in the victim's apartment, the very location of both bodies, descriptions from witnesses…a single name was standing out above the others. Though no one wanted it to be true, the past was creeping up on them from behind.

The suspect wasn't the only thing bothering them. Mac had become distant, with a faraway look in his eyes. News of his scuffle with Reed spread quickly in the lab, and no one dared question the NYPD officer what had taken place. They knew all too well what was going through his mind.

Mac slammed his fist down on his desk in frustration, memories swirling around his mind like a dark maelstrom. From the moment they were notified of the body in the river, he knew things were not well. He was always one to follow the evidence, but sometimes his gut told him otherwise.

All the signs were pointing to one person, and Mac felt raw fury boil his blood.

---

D.J. Pratt perched on a window in an old Brooklyn factory. Through certain connections and bribery, he had managed to be freed from prison, spending only four years behind bars. It was clear, however, that his mind had snapped sometime during his captivity. He was still an intelligent man, but his eye twitched manically and he constantly talked to himself, muttering things about revenge and how he wasn't going to just disappear from the scene. His inmates had kept their distance; though they were brutes themselves, none were willing to get in the path of a madman. Who knew what thoughts lurked in their minds?

Pratt was pleased with himself. He had successfully stalked and murdered two young girls, dumping their bodies in strategic places. He knew Mac Taylor would be involved in the case, both physically and emotionally. He had done some research on the well-respected NYPD officer, finding useful information on his history that he could use to his advantage.

He had already won the first battle by killing Aiden Burn, a former member of the department. He snarled at the image of her impressive sway and confident tone. She had ruined his life; he had taken hers. But that wasn't enough for the power-hungry Pratt. No, he wanted more. Taylor had locked him away, and Pratt wasn't about to forget his face. By leaving the bodies near and at Ground Zero, he knew he was striking close to home.

His insatiable appetite had swiftly returned, and it left him with another plan.

---

"I can't believe he's back."

Danny rested on his apartment couch, Lindsay sitting beside him and rubbing his back. She knew the sensitive case was starting to take a toll on him.

"We'll catch him, Danny. I know we will."

He looked up at her, eyes moist with tears of rage. "That bastard murdered Aiden, and now he's gone out an' killed two other innocent girls, one of which happened to be Reed's girlfriend. Son of a bitch!"

His tone has risen, causing Lindsay to shift back cautiously. Realizing his threatening demeanour, Danny cursed inwardly and touched her leg soothingly.

"Montana, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. It's just that I'm so infuriated about all this. Pratt should still be in jail."

Lindsay sighed heavily. "Listen, I know how much Aiden meant to you. She was your friend," she lifted his chin with a gentle hand so they were eye-to-eye. "You know how you can honor her memory? By catching Pratt and locking him away for good."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Montana. Pratt is messin' with our brains. What if he comes after us next? What if…"

"I'm a big girl, Danny. I can take care of myself." She could tell he was worried for her safety.

"Montana, Pratt is targeting us. We were all responsible for locking him away. Now he's out an' lookin' for revenge."

Lindsay's temper increased slightly. She admired Danny for showing concern, but she was an adult and knew how to hold her own. Everyone seemed to think of her as a skittish country girl, and she was tired of it.

"Danny," she kept her voice low. "Please don't worry about me. Thank you, but there's no need to. I'm very capable of watching my own back."

Danny, however, would not budge. His emotions were starting to run high. "I already lost Aiden, an' I nearly lost my brother. I cannot let anyone else go; I won't stand for it."

"You think I haven't seen death before?!" Lindsay surprised even herself at her annoyed tone. "I lost friends too, Danny, but I'm still here. I know you're upset, and I'm proud that you want to protect me, but I ask that you not worry."

"How can I not worry? You don't get it, Montana. Pratt is on the loose. He's an evil murderer. More so, he's after Mac. He's after us!"

Lindsay rose from her seat, nostrils flared. "You can't always protect me, Danny. Sooner or later you're going to have to let me walk on my own two feet."

Without another word she stormed off to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

A/N: He's back! Okay so maybe his jail time was a bit unrealistic, but for the sake of fiction it's four years (give or take). I also tried to make DL's argument as real as possible, so hopefully I accomplished that. But don't worry, they make up :) However, there is still more angst to come. Stay tuned! (thanks Phyx hehe)