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A/n hey all, here's the next chapter for all my loyal readers. Thank you all for your kind reviews, suggestions and personal messages.

New Friends

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose trying to ignore the headache beginning to pulse behind his temples like the beat of a loud snare drum. He lowered his glasses and set aside the trace he'd been looking at. It was ordinary chalk dust. He could identify that with one eye closed and both hands tied behind his back. It looked like the suspect Detective Flack had for his latest murder case would be open and shut.

He glanced around the trace lab noticing that he was alone for the first time that day. The sudden urge to have Lindsay there where he could see her smile and breathe in the cinnamon scent of her body wash, overwhelmed him and tears pricked in his eyes. He swiped a hand angrily under the frames of his glasses. He had to stay aloof and apart if he wanted to stay sane.

You promised Lindsay you were done pushing her away.

He shook his head and the annoying voice in his head that would no doubt turn out to be right. He slammed a fist down on the table. He shouldn't be sitting here doing the work of lab techs. He should be out there looking for Lucy despite Mac and the Chief of Detectives. Let them take his badge! What did it matter in the grand scheme when his little Bella Lucy was who knows where with a complete psycho.

The door to lab opened and Mac entered carrying a file folder. "I'm here to tell you before you find out through the grapevine." Mac began, "I've asked for profilers from the Behavioral Analysis Unit will be here in a few minutes. The Commissioner feels that we need -"

"We don't need more feds in here Mac." Danny interrupted. "The local yokels can't find their backsides with their hands and a flashlight."

"Be that as it may, the profilers will be here very soon. I sent Adam to pick them up at Penn Station. I want you and Lindsay to speak with Agent Aaron Hotchner."

"What good with it do?" Danny growled. "I don't need to talk to anyone."

Mac stepped up to meet Danny as the younger man stood up. "Now you listen to me. First, don't ever take that tone with me again. Secondly, I am upset about Lucy too. She's my Goddaughter. I love her too. Lastly, Aaron Hotchner is a profiler who deserves your respect. He's going to interview you both about what happened from the minute you and Lindsey arrived in Amagansett."

Danny dropped his eyes from Mac's face. "I don't see what good that'll do."

"I know you don't which is why you're going to do it anyway. You'll treat Dr Reid, SSA Hotchner and Ms. Garcia with the respect they deserve. I want you to leave the attitude here in the lab."

"Yes sir," Danny said truculently.

"Go home and talk to your wife." Mac ordered.

Danny's head whipped up again to see the sorrow and anger in Mac's eyes for the first time since he'd come into the lab.

"What makes you think I haven't been talkin to Lindsay?" He quaked feeling his stomach dropping into his toes.

"I know you Danny. You acted the same way when Ruben Sandoval was killed. You're blaming yourself when there was nothing you could've done."

"You don't know that Mac." Danny began to shout wincing at the pain in his shoulder. "I should've known he would come after me. I shouldn't have put my family at risk by insisting we go on vacation. Lindsay was smart… She thought we should stay home. I talked her into going. If we had been home, you guys could've taken Casey clean."

"You don't know that Danny." Mac laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "What good is it to wonder what could've been? You made some great memories there, right."

Danny managed a tight smile, "Yeah… We did."

"Then hold on to that. The evidence will tell the story."

Danny didn't speak as his boss left the lab. He looked around as though he were forgetting something important. Then he took off his white lab coat and headed to the locker room. A long hot shower might clear out his head.

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The elevator doors opened smoothly onto the 35th floor. Adam led the way to the stairs, with the FBI in tow. He wasn't sure he knew what to make of SSA Aaron Hotchner. His dark piercing eyes reminded him a lot of Mac when Mac was in no nonsense modes, which was most of the time. He certainly looked the part of an FBI agent with his black suit, white shirt and tie.

On the other hand, the two people with him, SSA Dr. Spencer Reid and Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia, didn't look like they belonged in the FBI. Dr. Reid looked like a teacher's assistant with his sweater vest and messenger bag. The tech girl looked like summer had exploded all over her with her red, yellow and pink dress and red spike heels.

Luckily, they ran into Stella coming out of layout. "Hey Stella… Do you know where Mac is?" Adam asked grateful for a friendly face as the drive over had been quiet. He hadn't been able to think of one word to say all the way in from Penn Station.

"He was in trace talking to Danny." Something in her face told him not to ask about that particular conversation.

"Well, these are the BAU agents," He said instead, "SSA Aaron Hotchner, SSA Dr. Spencer Reid and Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia. This is Detective Stella Bonasera." Adam concluded the introductions."

Stella shook Mac's hand. "I've heard a lot of good things about your team." Hotch said.

"Thanks… Right now we're all feeling a bit someone just blindsided us. We followed the evidence three times to catch Shane Casey and three times, he escaped the custody of the NYPD. I for one am beginning to feel just a little irritated." She said. "Normally I'd be telling Mac rather loudly that we don't need your help." She said as she began to lead them down the corridor to Mac's office. "Right now I don't care. I just want Lucy back."

"We'll do everything we can," Hotch assured her.

Mac stood just inside the door to his office as if he knew they had already arrived. Adam thought he probably did because there wasn't much that got past Mac.

"Hello…" He greeted Hotch with a handshake. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor."

"SSA Aaron Hotchner and this is Dr. Reid and our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia."

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm glad you're here."

"Is there someplace that Garcia can set up?" Hotch asked.

"Adam… Why don't you take Ms Garcia to the AV lab and find her a work station." Mac directed his young investigator.

"Just call me Garcia sir." Penelope said stepping forward toward Mac. "Miss, makes me feel like I should be teaching school."

"Okay," Mac smiled at the colorful woman in front of him. "Garcia it is. Please follow Adam." He gestured to the door.

"Thank you." She winked at Adam and followed him out of the room.

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The rest of the two teams left Mac's office together a few minutes later with Hawkes, who'd just come up from the morgue. "Sid said cause of death on my latest DOB is exsanguination due to the severing of his carotid artery."

"Not a total mystery, "Stella sighed. "Did he find anything useful?"

Adam held up a small specimen dish. "We have a hair and it's human that he found in the wound track."

Stella smiled in a way that made Hotch quash a smirk. This woman was someone to be reckoned with in more then one way.

"You just made my day." She said to Hawkes.

"I'll let you know if we get a hit in CODIS." Hawkes said as he broke off from the group to enter DNA.

"What's the first thing you want to do?" Mac asked as he opened the door to one or the labs large conference rooms.

"I'd like to talk to Detectives Messer and Monroe." Hotch asked.

"Detective Messer's down in the showers. He should be up in a few minutes." Mac said as they took their places around the large oval shaped table.

The bank of windows showed the New York skyline, a dark blue sky with wispy white clouds, and golden sunlight. The early summer day shined on in spite of the fact that a precious little girl was out there somewhere with a psycho.

"I'd like to speak with them at their home."

"You want to take a look at the crime scene." Mac said.

"Yes. We'll get more information if I see how they lived."

The door opened behind them and Danny entered. "Adam said you wanted to see me Mac." He said keeping his eyes off the agents in the room.

"Yes." Mac said with a tone that warned Danny not to argue. "I want you to take Agent Hotchner back to your apartment. He's going to talk to you and Lindsay."

"Whatever Mac," He turned and left the room without acknowledging Hotch.

Mac sighed and inclined his head to Hotch. "I apologize for him."

Hotch stood up and moved back to the door, "You don't have to apologize Detective. I have some idea what he's going through. Don't worry, it'll all be fine."

Hawkes, Garcia and Adam entered the room at the same time Hotch left, taking their places around the table. Everyone including Mac looked at Reid who nervously ran a hand through his wavy bangs. It was up to him to take charge. He didn't have anyone to lean on this time.

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She pulled the yellow and pink flowered sheets up over Sarah's sleeping body. It had taken some doing, but she finally had her little girl to go to sleep.

"I know you're confused my beautiful little girl, but soon you'll remember mama." She smoothed the short blond hair from Sarah's little face. When her little girl woke, she would put some curls in hair and a ribbon. She'd dress her in the little dress that Sarah had loved and everything would be right again.

"Don't worry Sarah. You're here to stay with me. I'll keep you safe and never let you go again." She whispered as her little girl slept on with a tiny bit of yellow sunlight hitting the matching pillow covers. She still looked like a little angel that God had protected from the evil people who'd tried to keep her for their own.

The woman straightened up and pushed back her long blond hair. The last five years and all the failures she'd faced in finding her little girl were gone like snow melting in the sunlight.

She left the nursery and closed the door. She turned the key in the lock and headed down to the kitchen. Sarah would have her favorite meal when she finished her nap and was all dressed up. There would be music and toys back in the kitchen again. Everything was right after such a long night of pain.