DISCLAIMER: Again, I don't own Law & Order: CI

Years Ago:
The boy sat on the porch, watching the clouds roll bye. He watched as a man mowed the lawn across the road and as a man and a woman took the grocery's out of their car. He also noticed that the man taking the grocery's out was looking at the man mowing, the man mowing stopped and look at the other man. They both smiled and went back to what they were doing. He stayed outside because he really didn't want to be around his family at the momment, he loved his mum but some times people needed time to themselves.

He had started high school that week, he knew that his mother was on the phone with the school. One of the jocks had seen him staring at him and they had fought. He noticed a girl watching him from the next doors porch. He stood up to get a better look, she stood up too - she was smiling. The girl stood up and walked over, she had straight brown hair that went down to her shoulders, and she was wearing shorts and a tshirt. He looked down at her feet and saw she was wearing thongs - the only reason he would have looked at the girl was that it was cold and really shorts, a tshirt and thongs was not the most brilliant idea of clothes to wear.He himself was wearing a jumper and long pants, there was something about her that he was drawn too.The girl stood in front of him, and then sat down pulling him down with her.She looked off at the man mowing, he was now staring directly at the grocery pair's house and it wasn't at all subtle.

"I have been watching since we arrived here, nearly caught them once but mum kept me home"she looked at the boy and smiled. "My name's Mary Truscott, just arrived from Australia. Mum and Dad thought it was a great idea to move away and give me more options" she rolled her eyes. He was confused, 'why was she talking to him?'

"Sorry, have a tendicy to tell everything I know to strangers." she looked off again. "but I don't think you will be a stranger. Will you?" she asked.

"Robert. Robert Goren" he said, hoping she would leave.

"Nice to meet you Robbie"

"Just Goren" she pouted. They both looked at the man mowing, he was lugging his mower back to the shed. The man who had taken in the grocery's was standing by the shed. The two men looked around and went into the shed together. Mary looked at Goren, now drawing Goren's attention back to her.

"So Robbie, what school do you go to?"

"The one down the road, it's horrible." she smiled, he pouted.

"I start there tomorrow. How about we be friends?" she held her hand out, waiting to be shaked "Be my first friend in a foreign country?"

"Sure" they shook hands.

From then on in they became inseperable, only because Mary had been brave enough to walk over and say hello. They had been two peas inb a pod, Mary and Goren looked after each other, in their last year of school she would save him from constant attacks from fellow classmates - sometimes she would save him and he never knew - and sometimes he would look after her, by tutoring after school. Mostly at her house, her parents were always away form what she called 'Work breaks' but Goren knew that it wasn't so.

In the interview room the tension was getting thick. Eames wanted to know who this 'Mary' person was and why they were investaging a missing person case. While Goren was pacing, trying to figure out whether this person was fooling him or whether Mary was really 'missing'.

Sarah sat in her chair, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture. It was her and Mary, they had both finished their accounting degrees and were partying. One hand around each other and they looked happy. Eames saw Sarah take out the photo and coughed, causing Sarah to flinch and drop the photo. Sarah reached down to get it but Goren beat her. He looked at the photo and saw the girl that he missed, the one he left to go see the world for.

"So Sarah, tell us. How long has Mary been missing?"

"well, it was a week ago Mary left saying that she was meeting this guy at the caffe down the road. I presumed that she was going to go to work afterwards and then come home later. I work from home, I own and internet tshirt shop so I don't usually leave the house. Mary is usually the one who get the grocery's and does 'actual hard work' as she says it. Where was I? sorry, Mary has gotten me into the habit of not thinking before I speak which is usually really bad-" Goren broke in with a cough, making Sarah focus. "Anyway, it was a day later and there was no food left in the house, I called Mary's cell - she always has it on - it was off, so I called her work and they asked me where she was because she didn't come into work. I thought 'That was strange, she never not goes to work' I left it another day, only because I thought she might call. I called her parents and they said she hadn't been over and that she was meant to be over that day."

"You didn't think to report it on the first day she was missing?" Eames broke in.

"She doesn't normally during the week, but sometimes she goes drives home and walks the streets. She told me she hoped one day she would see him again" Sarah smiled, thinking of pleasant memories of her friend, drowning out the unhappy images of Mary's childhood.

"See who again?" Eames asked. Goren quickly sat down and ignored the question from his partner.

"Continue"

"So I went to the local prescint and I told them that my friend had been missing for four days, which by the time they finally got to talk to me. Stupid kids down a few levels of our apartment decided it would be fun to steal and joyride the landlords car. Police were too busy with the landlord that I spent a good three house waiting." she sighed, trying not to get angry "So they asked me; 'Anything we should know?' and I told them that Mary had told me she had a friend in Major case sqaud. The guy there wasn't to helpful after I told him that, he just grunted and told me to come here, and here I am"

Goren nodded and promptly stood up, walked out of the room with Eames confused and following warily. They both walked into the viewing room, watching as Sarah sat fidgting, looking around the room and then occasional would lie down on the table with her eyes open counting bricks in the wall.

Daniel Ross was in their waiting for them, unlike Eames he knew all about Mary, when Goren had applied there was a section that asked about numbers to call in case of accident or emergency. Instead of writing down a family member's number Goren had wrote down 'Mary - Friend', which had got Goren a couple of questions to answer for.

Goren looked through the window, Ross was doing the same and Eames looked at the two of them. She was the one to break the silence.

"I think she is telling the truth that her friend is missing but why? why are we investagating a missing person's case?" Eames asked. The two boys ignored them.

"Ask her for her permission to search their house and see what clues you can find" Ross ordered, getting strange looks from Eames.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed before.

Stephy ;P