A/N: Back again! I understand how bad last chapter was. I'm so sorry. I understand how bad it sucked, and I understand and forgive all you dearies for not reviewing. I didn't even get a flame. (by the way, that darling little review button needs some love—and so do I. I haven't gotten a review in two chapters! Wa!runs off in tears Or not. ) So I decided to write a really really really good, long chapter to thank you for not flaming me very cooked and serving me at a barbecue. Maybe it's not too good—I'm sort of writing it off the top of my head---but it's the longest chapter yet. If you don't like it, please tell me. If you do like it, please tell me. So pretty much, if you even read this, please tell me. I seriously want to know how many people actually read it. And I'm so sorry for not updating faster. I've been procrastinating (slaps self on hand). But it's awesome that you're reading this. Thankies!

NOTE: I have no idea if The Roof Of The World and Carthak are far or close, I just assumed they were far because one is really, really hot and the other is really, really cold. I don't think they're on the same map in any of the books. Correct me if I'm wrong.

(I just realized I haven't been doing this.) Disclaimer: Don't own anything except for Joren and Kel's kids and the plot. Some dreams don't come true, (pout)

When Joren finished the room was in complete silence. No one moved. Raoul's discreet cough broke through the tension.

"Err…" he began. "Thank you for telling us that."

Everyone could tell he was awkward, because before he had desperately wanted to yell at Joren, and now he wanted to express pity. But no one would do that, though they all wanted to. It was perhaps the one worst thing you could do to Joren.

Joren glared. "You're welcome. May I leave now?"

Raoul started. He hadn't expected that even Joren could go back to being his same old jerky self so quickly.

Well, there goes Joren to prove everyone wrong. Again.

When the Chief nodded, Joren walked out. Everyone felt the tension lessen as the blonde man left.

Neal sighed. "What are we going to do? If he knows someone who might be connected, I don't want to be the one to ask. But he might

Everyone turned to stare at Kel, who had her eyes on her shoes. She yawned. "I'm going to go put my kids to bed. If this needs to continue, you can come with me, but I'm going home. Neal?"

She grabbed his arm, pulled him to her car, and shoved him in. She grabbed his keys and started the car. Usually, since Neal only had one car and Yuki needed it to drive her children around, he drove to work with Kel and sometimes Joren. Today Neal had gotten a ride with someone else because it was Kel's day off.

Raoul, who had followed them, sighed. "Tomorrow, then."

Kel nodded crisply and drove away.

As they drove, she and Neal were silent. Both tired and lost in their own thoughts, talk was scarce. When they finally got home, Kel murmured a goodbye and trudged to bed, just glancing in to make sure her children were asleep. Then she collapsed on her bed, falling asleep the second her head hit the pillow.

When Joren came into his bedroom after a night of pacing the station and running all over the city, he was tired. It was morning—just not the time of morning when people were normally awake. The clock told him it was around three.

As tired as he was, Joren was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep. Nonetheless, after taking off his shoes he climbed into bed, putting his arm around Kel. She sighed in her sleep.

Laying back, Joren wished he hadn't told Raoul everything. He could've just told him the parts including his father—he wouldn't have had to go into detail about his mother and his sister. It plagued him, still—that she would still be in an orphange or with an adopted family at age 18—maybe starting community college or working some bad job with minimum wage, as he had a happy life with a wife, two kids, and a job he liked. He had been wanting to find her since the day his father died, but the hospital wouldn't give him any information and the day he went back she had been moved to a different hospital. Before around a year ago he had been searching more diligently, but after he realized that she could be anywhere from the Roof Of The World to Carthak, his motivation had significantly sagged. He had given up the search entirely.

It had annoyed him then, but it burdened him now. He never wanted to think about it, but sometimes he still wondered if she was looking for him—if she even remembered him.

He doubted that she did. She had been only two when the accident had happened. She probably wouldn't remember. She might not even know that the family she was living with wasn't really hers. It might be better if she never knew. Some people thought ignorance was bliss—and with knowledge of her father burdening her, she might lose her happiness. Joren couldn't do that to his only sister.

He never even considered the possibility that she had been thrown out to the streets, and had an illegal job, or begged for food. Whenever he imagined her she was in school with her friends, laughing and talking----having the perfect life that he had never had. It was what she deserved. It was even what he had deserved—or he had at least deserved the opportunity. But their father had made that impossible.

By now it was later—almost five. Joren finally closed his eyes and let his mind go blank. He fell asleep shortly after.

Kel hadn't bothered to set an alarm. She always woke up on time. Dragging herself out of bed, she had to untangle Joren's arm from around her shoulders. She smiled idly. It was nice that he was home for once.

Once out of the shower, she went about her normal routine. She made lunch for Neal and Natalie, got them to the bus, and got ready to go to work. By the time she was going back into her room to get her badge, Joren was up.

She smiled softly at him as she rummaged through a pile of things she had thrown onto her table last night as she searched for it. As she was about to leave, having found it, his gaze stopped her. She sighed.

"Tell Raoul I'm not coming in today."

"What?" she turned back around, surprised. It wasn't his day off. He never faked sick. Why would he suddenly be skipping work? It didn't really matter—all they were doing today was talking to Goddess Bless employees to see what they could learn about the criminals---but she was confused.

"I'm going to find her."

Kel didn't need to ask who he was going to try and find. She already knew. She nodded and left.

Neal climbed into the car, groggy as usual. "Gabriela has earned herself a new nickname—Gabby. She wouldn't stop screaming all night."

Kel smiled. Gabby was Neal's eight-month old baby. He hadn't been getting much sleep lately, needless to say. Kel felt bad for him, considering the day they'd had yesterday. They drove in companionable silence, Neal savoring the rare quiet.

When they got to the station, Raoul was waiting for them. His face was troubled. "I've got you two talking to victims all morning. In the afternoon, we're doing the same thing we did yesterday. Where's Stone?"

Kel had decided on her lie already. "Sick, sir. He's not coming in."

Raoul frowned. "Fine. You know where the right room is. Get to it."

Kel nodded and sauntered into her room, not too excited about her day's work. No doubt she'd end up tired, and nothing more would've been done towards solving the case. She forced a smile at her first civilian to interview.

"Hi, I'm Keladry Mindelan," she began, holding out her hand. The girl, a blonde with frizzy hair and a pug nose, smiled and introduced herself too.

"I'm so glad that you're all trying to help find those evil people. The first thing they did when they came in was spill all over the floor obnoxiously. When I was cleaning, he stepped on my hand and broke my nail! I was like, "Hello, I just got a mani cure. You are so totally going to pay for that!"

Inwardly Kel grimaced, glad that she could still hide her emotions well.

Two hours, four broken nails, a ruined perm, a broken nose, a stained dress, and eight employees later, Kel was ready to check herself into a mental asylum. Finally she took her fifteen minute break, collapsing onto the couch in the lounge. A minute later someone put something warm in her hand. She opened her eyes and glared at Dom.

"You ruined a minute of blessed sleep and an excuse not to interview any more employees with broken nails. Consider yourself lucky I don't currently have the energy to kill you."

Dom smiled cheerily. "I always do." His expression turned more serious. "So, how have you been, my dear co-chief? Interviewing more civilians? And by the way, that is coffee. You should be grateful."

Kel snorted. "I am grateful. Or course I am. And yes, I am stuck interviewing civilians. Let me guess—you and the rest of the Own Riders have a day off?"

He sighed. "I wish. We're stuck, just like you are. Only, we have to interview men—so instead of broken nails I have to deal with blows to egos, and broken arms. It's not really much better."

Kel nodded. "I suppose not." She glanced at the clock. "I've got to get going. Thanks for the coffee, Dom."

He saluted in return, walking off back to the Own Riders' wing of the station. Kel turned the opposite way.

When she walked into her office, she expected to find another ditzy looking girl, giggling to herself as she twirled her hair around and around on her finger. Instead, a girl with raven-black hair and sparkling blue eyes sat in her chair, staring in front of her.

Kel raised her mug of coffee to her lips and took a sip, preparing herself. She might not look ditzy, she thought, but that didn't mean that she wasn't. As she went through the standard, "Hi, I'm Keladry Mindelan, please tell me what you saw…" her mind wandered through the boring speech. Black hair and blue eyes. That sounded a little bit like---

But something told her it wasn't her, and Kel wasn't going to get her hopes up again. The last time she had, she had gotten Joren's hopes up too, and then they had been crushed. She wasn't going to do that again.

The girl nodded. "Thank you. It's nice to know that those people are being taken care of. They're horrible. By the way, I work at the phone company. My name is Jana Smi---"

Kel cut her off with a glance. "I'm so sorry, I don't mean to pry—but are you adopted?"

Jana looked startled. "Err---why do you need to know?"

Kel sought a fitting excuse. "I've just heard about someone like you, and I heard someone say that you might be connected to the case in some way. I'm probably totally off, but---"

It was Kel's turn to be interrupted. "Well, yes, I was adopted. When I was two, my mother was hit---"

But Kel knew the story. She wasn't listening. She had already brought her phone up to her ear and was already dialing Joren. When he picked up with a gruff "Hello?", she answered quickly.

"Come to the station. We found her."

A/N: Sort of a filler. Next chapter comes the reunion which may be bad because sometimes I make emotional scenes sappy/corny. Anyway, it isn't really a cliffie, but if you want to know what happens next, you can always drop me a review!

(when you see lots of returns, that's a break. When I did these other ones, they didn't show up.)