Notes: Again, I'm sorry for the delay! I can't promise anything anymore, except that I will finish this eventually. So just stick with it. This chapter is mostly a flashback. The part that isn't a flashback takes place about an hour earlier than that last chapter. It will be clear as you read the chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Warning: There's some bad language and a little violence towards the end.

7 a.m., 7 hours Missing

Eight Years Ago

Carrying a banker's box, Danny walked into the NYPD Vice unit. Vivian had "borrowed" a box full of old records to help them track down their latest missing person. The only stipulation was that she return them after she was finished. After they'd found the missing guy, it was late in the day and Danny knew Vivian was hoping that she wouldn't, once again, miss Reggie's basketball game. So he volunteered to return the box for her. His instinct was to give her a hard time about it, but after seeing the grateful look on her face, he just told her it was no problem at all.

Even thought he'd done a good deed, he wasn't thrilled about taking the detour on his way home, but it did give him an opportunity to catch up with an old friend. Approaching the records desk, Danny smiled at the attendant as he showed her his badge. "Special Agent Taylor, FBI. I'm returning these. Agent Johnson checked them out earlier today."

The young woman manning the records desk returned his smile as she coyly replied, "Agent Taylor, huh? I can help you with that. I'll just need your signature right here." Handing him a clipboard, her eyes twinkled with interest. "My name's Jennie, by the way."

"I can see that," Danny replied as he motioned to her nametag pinned to the breast pocket of her uniform. "Nice to meet you, Jennie," he finished, unable to stop the charm from creeping into his tone. As he signed his name, he asked, "Do you happen to know if Detective Aguilar is working today?"

"Carlos? Sure he is. You know him?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just thought I'd catch up with him while I'm in the neighborhood. He still sit around the corner?" Danny inquired as he put the pin down and looked up at Jennie.

"Yep, right over there," she motioned. "It was nice to meet you Agent Taylor."

Danny smiled and gave her little wink as he backed away. "Thanks for your help."

Rounding the corner, Danny smiled as he caught sight of his old friend sitting at his desk, struggling to type something on his computer. "I didn't think Vice cops even knew how to turn on a computer," he joked as he approached Carlos from behind.

Laughing, Carlos pushed away from his desk as he looked up. "Ahh...Danny, mi amigo, still a smartass!" he exclaimed, standing up to give Danny a quick hug. "It's good to see you, man!"

"You, too, Carlito. Que pasa?"

"Oh, Danny, man...have I got some news--"

"Carlos! I've been waiting--" an irritated voice with a heavy accent called out from behind them, but stopped suddenly.

Danny turned to see who the voice belonged to and was pleasantly surprised. In a word, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Long black hair, light mocha skin, deep brown eyes and a body liked he'd never seen. She was wearing a short skirt, a midriff-baring halter and high heels that showed off her legs.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," the woman apologized as her eyes met Danny's.

"It's okay," Danny responded, almost mesmerized.

"Danny Taylor, I'd like you to meet Elena Delgado," Carlos said. "Elena's on the Decoy squad, as you can probably tell," he explained as he motioned to her revealing attire.

Rolling her eyes, Elena held out her hand. "Yes, you'll have to excuse me. I was just on a job. You're the "FBI Danny", right? Carlos has mentioned you."

"Yeah, that's me," Danny as he took her hand in his for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you. And don't believe anything he's told you about me."

Elena smiled. "Don't worry. I take everything he says with a grain of salt," she answered as she motioned to Carlos.

"Hey, be nice...both of you," Carlos interjected. "So what was this about 'waiting'?" he asked, referring to Elena's dramatic entrance.

"Oh...it's...it's nothing," she replied, obviously not waiting to make a big deal in front of Danny. "I just thought you were going to pick me up downtown. When you didn't show, I took a cab."

"Oh baby, I totally forgot. I got busy, you know? Lo siento, mi amor," Carlos said as he affectionately put his hand against Elena's back.

Just with that one exchange, Danny's heart deflated a little. It's was now completely obvious that Elena was Carlos's girlfriend.

"No problema," Elena replied. "But I do want to head home. Are you about ready?"

"Oh baby...Danny's here. I was thinking we could all go get a drink."

"Carlos, no, we don't have to--" Danny started to object, seeing that Elena was ready to get out of there.

Looking up at him, Elena interrupted, "Actually, it's okay. We can go."

"You sure? Danny and I could just go on our own."

Elena shrugged. "No, I'll...I'll go for a little while. I'd just need to change, though."

"You really don't, baby," Carlos said, "You look smoking."

"Carlos," Elena cautioned in an annoyed tone. "Maybe we could just stop by--"

"No, no, no. I have a better idea," Carlos said, reaching into a gym bag under his desk. "Here," he said, handing her a hooded sweat jacket. "That'll cover you up. We're just going to Smitty's across the street."

A few minutes later, they were on their way to the bar across from the precinct.

As they walked past the records desk, Danny heard a familiar voice. "Bye, Danny!"

Nodding to Jennie, the records officer, he replied. "Good night."

"Yeah, night Jennie," Carlos replied and then said loud enough for her to hear. "Funny thing, she never says goodbye to the rest of us when we leave."

They made it over to the bar and were seated in a booth: Danny on one side and Elena and Carlos on the other. Just as they got seated, the waitress came to take their orders.

"What can I get you tonight?" she asked, looking to Elena to start.

"Um, I'll just…I'll just have a ginger ale," Elena replied in a quiet tone.

"And you sir?" the waitress asked, addressing Danny.

"Club soda with lime," Danny answered.

"And I'll have a Jack with a beer," Carlos chimed in. After the waitress nodded and walked away, Carlos leaned forward as he rolled his eyes. "Between the two of you, I feel like a lush."

"Danny, I hope you didn't order club soda because I didn't order a drink," Elena said, obviously thinking it a little strange that Danny wasn't drinking with his old buddy Carlos. "You don't—"

"Don't worry, baby," Carlos interrupted. "Danny here is as sober as Sunday suit. I've never seen him take a drink of anything stronger than that club soda in the three years I've known him."

Danny just chuckled and shook his head. "I'm high on life, can't you tell?"

"Oh believe me, I know, amigo! You're enjoying every bit of being a single hombre. Lucky bastard. As for her," Carlos said, motioning to Elena. "She used to drink with the best of them, including me! But certain circumstances now prevent her—"

"Carlos!" Elena cautioned, shooting him a warning look.

"What baby? Danny's a friend. I want tell him," Carlos said proudly. "I'm going to be a Papi."

His eyes widening in complete surprise, Danny felt conflicted. He was happy for Carlos, but felt bad because Elena clearly wasn't ready to start telling people. "Congratulations," he responded genuinely as he looked at both of them across the table. "Really, that's…that's great."

"You bet your ass it is. Elena's going to be a gorgeous mom."

Sighing heavily, Elena forced a small smile. "Thanks. I'm excited, but it's still really early," she said as she gave Danny an appreciative glance before turning to Carlos with a more stern look. "Remember, honey, we agreed not to tell anyone."

Carlos looked at her and then leaned in quickly to give her a peck on the mouth. "I never see this guy," he said, motioning to Danny. "His active social life and big-wig FBI job keep him too busy to hang with his old buddy Carlos, so I want to take this opportunity to share the best news I've had in a long, long time."

Hearing Carlos's rationale, Elena seemed to lighten a bit.

Danny laughed again. "You think I'm busy? Wait till you guys have a kid. Your lives are going to change big time."

Elena met Danny's eyes again, silently agreeing and showing the overwhelmed feeling she'd obviously been worrying about.

"No worries, man. We'll handle it," Carlos replied. "As soon as I get this one to marry me, all will be good."

"Okay, now," Elena said as she shot another warning look, while still smiling, over to Carlos. "I let you tell about the baby. Anything else related to our relationship isn't up for discussion tonight."

"Yeah, give her a break Carlos," Danny said, trying to ease Elena's discomfort.

Just as Carlos was about to respond, his cell phone rang. Taking his cell phone from his pocket, he looked at the display and frowned. "I gotta take this. Be back in minute. Don't talk about me," he said as he stood up and walked away.

"No chance of that," Danny remarked as he looked at Elena with a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry about that…if you were embarrassed. I promise, your secret is safe with me."

Elena shrugged. "It's okay. I should know by now that Carlos can't keep his mouth shut. As long he doesn't tell my parents, it will be okay. I'm still trying to figure out what to tell them."

"I'm betting after any initial shock, they'll be incredibly happy to be abuelos."

"You're right, I'm sure you're right," she replied, clearly appreciating his easy-going, supportive tone. "Doesn't make telling them any easier, though."

The waitress arrived and set down their drinks and then asked if they wanted to order appetizers. They declined, deciding to wait for Carlos. After the waitress walked away, they look at each other hesitantly, not sure of what to talk about since they were essentially strangers, while they took sips of their drinks.

Finally, Elena spoke. "So tell me, what's the bureau like? We work with agents on federal drug cases all the time. They always seem so serious and rigid. But you? Not so much."

Danny laughed. "Well, I'm off the clock. When we go in the building, we morph into emotionless, generic G-men."

"I doubt that," Elena responded with a smile.

"No, really, I like it. I think it's all about where you work. I work Missing Persons, so we're a little less buttoned up. We deal with a lot families who need hand-holding and communication, so I guess I'm more easy-going."

"Mmmm. You know I've thought about it. Applying to the FBI. I've thought about it a lot actually."

"Really? You're not happy in Vice?"

Shrugging, Elena motioned to the skimpy outfit under her jacket. "There are things I like, but more often than not, I'm asked to spend most of my time working a corner for information. That's getting kind of old, but it's hard to make people see you in a different light."

"Something tells me, they won't make you work on a corner in a few months," he comments, referring to her pregnancy.

Nodding, Elena smiled. "Right, but then they'll just chain me to a desk and treat me like a porcelain doll. I just think joining the FBI would be a fresh start…a way to continue in law enforcement, but maybe force people to let me use my brain instead of…you know," she said, motioning to her outfit again. "I just feel like there's something more out there for me."

"A fresh start, huh? That's funny. I didn't start out as a cop. I was in law school…trying to become a lawyer, but I saw the FBI as a fresh start as well. I never really considered law enforcement as an option, but the FBI had recruiters come to my school. I filled out an application as a back-up plan, but it ended up saving my life. It provided a lot of structure to me at a time when I needed it the most."

Looking apprehensive, Elena ran a hand through her hair. "So they want lawyers? I probably couldn't even get an interview. I went to college while I was a patrol officer and barely made it through."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. They hire people from all different backgrounds. We have an ex-NYPD cop on our team. If it's something you're considering, you should definitely go for it. I could help with the application or I could ask around—"

Shaking her head, Elena leaned forward as she laid a hand on his arm. "No, no, I appreciate it, but now really isn't the right time. Especially now. I never thought I'd be in the position…having a baby…at this point in my life, but it kind of puts me in a holding pattern. But thank you for talking to me about it," she said as she gave his arm a gentle squeeze before letting go.

Her touch was quick, but his reaction to it was unmistakable. He couldn't help but be attracted to her, but of course, she was a friend's girlfriend. All the good ones were taken. Just as Danny was about to respond, Carlos returned to the table.

"Danny, my man, have I got a surprise for you!"

Both Danny and Elena looked up at the same time to see Jennie from the records room trailing behind Carlos. She'd changed from her uniform into skintight jeans and a halter top.

"Jennie saw me outside talking on the phone. She came up to me and said how nice it was to meet you today, so I invited her join us," Carlos said as he usher Jennie into the seat next to Danny.

Danny just smiled as he exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Elena before turning his attention to the young woman next to him.

"Hey."

"Hey, I hope you don't mind," Jennie said in a light whimsical tone

"Not at all," Danny responded, forcing his most charming smile. He didn't want to be rude, but in all honestly, he would have rather had just continued talking with Elena.

They spent the next hour listening Carlos tell crazy stories from his old days and Jennie chime in with vapid, nonsensical thoughts. Discreetly, Danny would exchange weary glances with Elena. As the evening wore on, he could tell that Elena was getting more and more tired. Since Carlos seemed oblivious to her occasional stifled yawns, Danny spoke up.

"Hey, listen, it's getting late," he said as he glanced knowingly at Elena. "I should probably head home."

Eyeing him gratefully, Elena quickly agreed. "Si, I'm ready to head home, too."

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Carlos sighed. "What are you guys, like 50? I was thinking we could go to that club down the street."

Jennie quickly nodded and started to speak, but Danny spoke up before she could get the words out.

"Nah, man. I've had a long week. It was great to see you, though. And it was nice meet you," he said as he looked at Elena and then quickly remembered Jennie. "And you, too."

They left the bar and walked outside. Danny held his hand up to hail a cab as Carlos answered his ringing cell phone.

"Hey, are you going downtown?" Jennie asked as a cab slowed to a stop at the curb.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, downtown."

"Mind if I tag along?" she asked in a sultry tone as she took a step towards him.

Regarding her for a moment, Danny smiled slightly as he opened the back door to the cab. "Sure," he replied as he motioned for her to get in. As he did this, his eyes met Elena's. She was standing in front of him with her arms crossed with a slight smile on her face.

"Bye Elena," Jennie called out as she slid into the cab.

"Goodnight Jennie," Elena answered as she kept her eyes focused on Danny.

Taking a step forward, Danny gave Carlos a wave since he was still engrossed in a phone conversation. "You guys walking?" Danny asked as looked at Elena.

She nodded. "We're just a couple of blocks. I'll enjoy the walk. Carlos will use the time to finish his phone call. It's attached to his ear lately," she responded with a smile. "Hey, you were so nice to give me advice earlier, can I return the favor?"

"Absolutamente."

"Jennie has a thing for law enforcement guys and now I think she's branching out to the Feds. Just wanted to warn you…in case—"

Danny laughed. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she gets home safe and that's it. I'm not big on becoming a part of the NYPD vice gossip mill."

"Wise man," Elena responded. "Hey, really, thank you for your encouragement earlier. It was great to finally meet you."

"You, too. If you ever change your mind about the FBI, just call me. I'm happy to help. You'd be great. But I understand needing to slow things down now. Good luck to you…on the baby…everything."

Elena smiled. "Muchas gracias," she said as she took a step back towards Carlos.

"Adios," Danny said as he gave her one final warm smile before sliding into the cab. As he sat down, he took a deep breath. As charmed as he was by Elena, he had to let it go. She was having a baby with one of his good friends. Carlos – he always has all the luck.

As a hard, sting, freezing cold hit Danny's face and body, his eyes flew open. He immediately tried to move…to get up…to fight, but he quickly remembered that he was tied to a metal chair. They'd been doing this since he'd first woken up a couple of hours ago…beating him until he passed out and then waking him again by throwing ice water on his face and body.

When they first woke him up, he couldn't understand what they were doing or why they knocked him out and took him. But then he quickly realized Carlos's betrayal. In between blows to the face and cigarette burns to his body, the Sergeis informed him that Carlos made it clear that he and Danny were partners. Carlos had convinced the Sergeis that Danny helped him launder the money with federal resources. Apparently, Carlos had even provided the Sergeis with a dummy paper trail that implicated Danny.

Danny had to think quickly to determine the best way to attempt to survive this, giving Jack and the team a chance to find him. But after hours of pain and frustration, he was reaching the end of his rope. He'd gone from telling them he had no idea where the money was to needing to speak to Carlos to get the money. He'd tried everything he could to hold them off.

"Agent Taylor, I hate to ruin your pretty face, but if you don't tell me where my money is or where Carlos is, then you won't have much of a face left."

Shrugging, Danny tried to look up with half-closed eyes. "I don't know what to tell you anymore. I don't know where Carlos is or where your money is. You're wasting your time…and my time, for that matter."

In response to his flippant remark, he felt another hard blow to his jaw – the force so strong the metal chair tipped over causing him to hit the floor hard. The impact made his whole body convulse in pain.

As one of the men reached down to pull the chair upright again, Danny noticed a man entering the room. He approached the Sergei brother who had just asked him the question and handed him something that looked like a small picture. Sergei turned toward Danny as he carefully regarded the picture.

"Agent Taylor, we don't like to do this, but you're leaving us no choice. We don't like to get our families…loved ones…involved in our business."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Danny asked, feeling a sense of fear as Sergei approached him again.

"When you wouldn't talk, you forced us to go through your things. It seems you and Carlos share much more than just business partners," Sergei stated ominously as he turned the picture toward Danny so he could see it.

As soon as Danny's eyes focused on the picture, he felt his heart drop to his stomach. It was a picture of him, Elena and Sophie that he kept tucked in the back of his wallet. They'd taken it in one of the photo booths. They were looking at each other in the photo, laughing…looking so happy together.

Shaking his head, Danny started to plead, "She has nothing to do with this. She doesn't know anything about this."

Sergei smiled. "Oh I know. Believe me, I won't go to a beautiful woman like her to ask for the money. She looks like a woman who could offer other enticements. If I can't get my money from you or Carlos, maybe I can get repayment from her in another way…from the cunt you both seem to care so much about."

Feeling a sense of dread and panic, Danny fought against ties that bound him to the chair. "Oh…God…don't…I'll kill you….you mother fucker….I'll kill you!"

This time, Sergei laughed. "That would be a neat trick, Agent Taylor. You'll be lucky to live long enough to watch me fuck her," Sergei paused as he stepped even closer to Danny and looked in his face. "My brother likes them younger," he whispered as he pointed to Sophie in the picture.

Screaming out, Danny lunged forward butting his head into Sergei's nose as hard as he could. As soon as he did it, Sergei stumbled backwards as he covered his nose. The two men rushed toward Danny. One pulled his hair back, extending his neck, as the other pulled out a gun and put it in Danny's open mouth.

Wide-eyed, Danny looked from one man to the other – knowing he was just moments away from death. His only thought was that he prayed that Jack and the team would keep Elena and Sophie safe.

"Don't kill him yet," Sergei said as he recovered and approached Danny again.

Danny could see the blood seeping from his nose as Sergei loomed above him.

"A bullet to the head would be too quick. Yes? We can do better than that. Yes?" Sergei said as the man pulled the gun out of Danny's mouth. "We're going to find your girlfriend and her daughter. And then we're going to come back with them so they can watch you burn alive. After that, we have our fun with them…and then…if we still haven't gotten our money from your friend Carlos…we'll shoot them in the head."

Feeling helpless as one of the men kept a grip on his hair, Danny couldn't help the tears coming to his eyes. "I'll get you the money. Just let me make a phone call. I can get you the money…I just need to make a phone call. Please…please," Danny begged.

"Look at this, the tough FBI man cries," Sergei laughed. "Your opportunity to get us the money is over. We're done here," Sergei finished as he walked away. "When we get back, you burn."