Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first!

A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here's the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don't own the chapter title either. That belongs to the fabulous Bowling for Soup! Also, this is an untitled hidden track from the Drunk Enough to Dance album, but I did at least find the title! The line that inspired the use of the song is, "I'm halfway around the world and just a day behind."

Chapter 30.

Belgium

Hawkes was looking at Carla in surprise, his hands cupping his coffee mug. "What do you mean we've known each other since we were kids?" he asked, searching his memory for her.

Carla smiled. "What? You don't remember me? I stumped the boy genius? I'm impressed," she teased. "You really don't remember? My mom used to bring me to the hospital with her? She was a nurse and her and your father worked together a lot. You were maybe four or five."

Hawkes shook his head. "No. I don't remember meeting you until we were in college," he said as he thought back to his undergraduate days at NYU. "It was in senior level biology."

Carla sighed. "Ah, I remember it well. If not for you, I would have failed that class."

Hawkes laughed. "You don't give yourself enough credit," he assured her, remembering how easy it had been to explain the coursework to her. "You would have figured it out."

Carla shook her head. "Nope. The professor hated me. Before I finally got up the courage to ask you for help, I had asked him a couple of times. Needless to say, I was more confused after I talked to him than before!"

"He did have a way of talking completely over his students, didn't he?" Hawkes asked.

"That's an understatement," Carla shot back. "I swear Sheldon, you were only sixteen, but you had a better grasp of how to teach than he did."

Hawkes felt heat rise in his cheeks. "Thanks. Why did it take you half the semester to ask for help?"

"Pride. Nothing more than that. I'm six years older than you, Sheldon. It was embarrassing to have to ask you for help."

Hawkes looked at her, a teasing smile on his face. "And here I thought it was because of my stunning good looks." He grew serious for a moment. "I had the biggest crush on you," he admitted.

Carla blushed. "Really? I never knew. I just got to know you as the little brother that I'd always wanted."

Hawkes looked at her, before reaching across the small table to grasp her hand lightly. "Do you still see me as your brother?" he asked quietly.

Carla looked into his chocolate eyes before shaking her head. "No, I don't."

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Danny rubbed his eyes wearily underneath his glasses before deciding to take a break from his research. He had searched through every database he could think of, expanding his search nationally when the local records had come up short on any properties that the Pasternak's could have purchased. Hours spent in front of the computer, straining his eyes for nothing. From what he could tell, there were some huge withdrawals of cash from their accounts, but he couldn't find a record of any large purchases.

"Face it, Danny boy," he mumbled aloud. "You need Cory's help to get through all of the accounting crap." He bit his lip, still not ready to talk to her. Instead, he shot an email to the forensic accounting unit of the lab and then grimaced when he realized the time. It was after two a.m., and they didn't get in until eight. Sighing in exasperation, he gathered his gear to make his way home.

When he got there, he wearily placed his gun in the safe and walked into the bedroom. He looked at the bed, which seemed huge without Cory there. Shaking his head, he grabbed his clothes to shower. In the shower, he thought back over the previous week, before his life had spun out of control. In his heart, he blamed Cory, although intellectually he knew that she only had a small role in it. I know that she does tend to rush off, her mind only on the case, but damn it, she really needs to think about us as a couple. I would just like to know what's going on with her. She's been single-minded about Etienne since Alexis was rescued. I don't know how to help her. If she continues at this pace, she's going to burn out, he thought. Finally figuring out why he was so upset with her, he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew now what he needed to do, how he needed to confront her when she got back in town.

With relief making his heart lighter for the first time since he'd awoken alone, he crawled under the covers, his last conscious thought being how the bed seemed too big without her next to him.

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When Cory awoke, she felt a sense of impending doom. She knew that she'd had a dream, or rather nightmare, but the pieces of it were quickly flitting from her memory. Shaking her head, she thought about what she had been dreaming, but since Armando had not made an appearance, she was fairly certain that it had not been precognitive. Taking into account the events of the previous week, she knew that she was probably just subconsciously reacting to the fight with Danny.

Sitting up in bed, she brushed her hair back from her face, her mind wandering back to her interview with Lukasz the previous day. She expected a call from him with a day or so, if the feel that she had gotten from him was correct. She smirked, recalling how he had tried to play her and the expression he had been wearing when she walked out of the room.

After her brain was working properly, she climbed out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. She had just turned off the water, when she heard phone ringing. Swearing softly under her breath as she slid on the tile floor a bit, she wrapped the towel around her shoulders to catch the water dripping from her hair. "Reid?"

"Corinne, I hope that you are awake," Alistair's crisp voice answered her.

"Good morning to you, too, Alistair. I've actually just gotten out of the shower," Cory answered him.

"Good. Are you ready for another trip through the countryside?"

Cory's eyebrows rose in surprise. "He's already contacted you?"

"Yes. There was a message waiting for me when I arrived this morning. I do believe that you made quite an impression on him," Alistair answered her.

"Good. I need this intel. Give me an hour to get ready and we can leave."

"Perfect. That will give me enough time to finish up a few things."

Cory hung up the phone with a smile and quickly walked back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

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Lindsay had just finished putting her shoes on when Flack walked in. "Hey, Don," she said softly, her hands quickly gathering her hair back into a ponytail.

Flack smiled at her, giving her a soft kiss before walking to the bassinet where Ryan was sleeping peacefully. "Hey, you ready to get out of here?" he responded.

Lindsay nodded, a sense of contentment coming over her. She couldn't believe the peace that had come over her the first time she had held Ryan. She had stared down at his peaceful face and marveled on how perfect he was. "I can't wait to get home. I just want to take a long hot shower. My hair is a mess."

"You look beautiful," Flack told her. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"I love you, too," Lindsay responded as she carefully picked Ryan up, trying not to wake him, so that they could leave. Waving to the nurses, they walked out of the hospital and into the bright sunlight. Gently, Lindsay strapped the baby into the car seat, then climbed in front.

Flack drove carefully on the way home, thinking about how many cases he'd worked with that had involved a car accident. Thankfully, they got home without incident and when Lindsay made a motion to get the baby out, Flack shook his head. "Let me," he said quietly.

Lindsay nodded, knowing that he wanted to spend as much time with the baby as possible. "Sure," she said as she grabbed the diaper bag instead. As they walked up the four flights of stairs to their apartment, Lindsay decided to ask, "When do you go back to work?"

Flack paused and turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Six weeks. I decided to take paternity leave. I wanted to be here for both of you."

Lindsay smiled. "Thanks. Your mom offered to watch Ryan for us when I go back to work," she revealed.

"Really?" Flack responded in surprise. While he didn't have a really close relationship with his parents, they still spoke on occasion. His mom, Angela, had been excited when they had told them of the pregnancy. His dad had been more reserved, but it still pleased him to know that his first grandchild was on the way. "I'm glad. I think that it will be good for both of them."

Lindsay laughed. "You mean that it's a chance for them to spoil Ryan rotten. But, that's how it's supposed to be with the first grandchild."

Flack just shook his head as he unlocked their door. "I can't imagine my dad spoiling anyone," he quipped. "But maybe now that he's retired, he's gotten better." He looked down at the sleeping infant and carefully walked into the nursery to lay him down in the crib. He turned on the monitor as walked into his and Lindsay's bedroom as she was getting undressed. Smothering a groan of desire, since he knew that it would be six weeks before they could have sex again, he decided to change the subject. "You hungry?"

Lindsay groaned. "God yes. The hospital food was okay, but it left a lot to be desired. I would kill for some good pizza."

Flack mock bowed, "Your wish is my command. I'll go order it now and then we can catch up on a movie. Anything you want to watch?"

"You pick," Lindsay called over her shoulder before she shut the door.

Grinning, Flack walked to the entertainment center, to choose the movie as he made the call for the pizza.

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Cory and Alistair arrived at the prison just slightly after lunchtime. Cory grinned as she climbed out of the car. "I'm surprised that he called so quickly."

Alistair just raised an eyebrow. "You can be very persuasive when you put your mind to it, Corinne. Besides, he sees you as someone he can manipulate."

Cory's grin turned into a smirk. "I love it when people underestimate me," she drawled back, flashing her badge to the guard on duty before they walked into the small interview room. It only took a few moments for another guard to lead the criminal in.

Lukasz shot Cory a smile as his eyes roamed over her fitted black suit and turquoise silk blouse beneath the jacket. "Alistair, I thought that I had conveyed to you that I wanted to speak to Agent Reid alone," he said smoothly, not once taking his gaze from Cory.

Cory glanced at Alistair, barely restraining her smirk. "It's okay, Alistair," she drawled. "I'll be fine."

Alistair nodded as he rose. "As you wish, Corinne," he said quietly before leaving the room.

"So, Mr. Adamicz, you wanted to speak with me?" Cory began.

He smiled. "Please, call me Luke. May I call you Corinne?"

"Sure," Cory responded. "So why did you call me here, Luke?"

"I pondered your offer last night and have decided to help you," he said. "What do you want to know about the man you call Etienne?"

"Why does he want to destroy the U.S.? Why is he focused on me particularly?" she asked. "And don't give me the crap about how you convinced him that the U.S. was responsible for the death of his parents."

Luke smiled. "I do like directness. It was not crap that I convinced him of the evilness of the U.S., but it was not the only reason that he was forced to change. The KGB employees a lot of different techniques to make sure that its operatives are committed one hundred percent to the cause. So, he was broken down mentally and basically reprogrammed."

Cory cocked an eyebrow. "While that is extremely disturbing, I can see that happening. But that still doesn't answer my question," she responded drolly.

"Ah, but it sets the stage. The programming worked better than anyone has expected and he was then trained in the art of assassination, but means of making the deaths look natural or by accident. Needless to say he excelled and for the first time in his life since his parent's death, I believe that he felt like he belonged. When the Wall came crashing down, so did the idyllic life that he had built."

"So he had lost his support and reacted the way that he'd been taught, with hate," Cory surmised.

"Correct, Corinne."

Cory studied the man, her head slightly cocked. "So why me?"

"You're beautiful, smart and deadly. I think he's smitten with you," Luke responded, a twinkle in his eye. "You are one of the few people that might be able to derail his plan."

"The plan that you have no idea of, right?"

Luke settled back. "Well, I wouldn't say that I have no idea, but I would say that I might know more than what I had let on yesterday."

Cory mimicked him and settled back in her chair, crossing her legs casually. "So enlighten me."

"Etienne has done extensive research into past and previous global dynasties. He's studied them to see what causes once great nations to completely collapse. I do believe that he might have found the solution in those studies. I do know that he is planner. He never does anything rash; it's not in his nature. Everything that he does has meaning."

"So any clues that he's left me have been deliberate," Cory mused, lightly tapping her finger to her lips. "That's interesting. Do you have any idea of how he'll attack?"

Luke shook his head. "Only that we will have trial runs before the actual attack. And he's a little obsessive compulsive, so he likes to do things in threes."

Cory took a moment to complete her notes. "Thank you."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "So, when do I get out of here?"

Cory laughed. "I never said that I'd get you out of jail, just that I'd prevent you from being extradited back to Rwanda. You will be transferred to a facility in New York, so that you will be available for my additional questions," she answered him.

Luke sighed, but nodded. "That is better than this hell hole," he conceded.

Cory just rolled her eyes as she stood to leave. "You will be transferred within a couple of days," she informed him as she turned to leave, happy to get away from his uncomfortable gaze.

"I can't wait," he called after her as she exited the room.

Cory sighed as closed the door behind her, resisting the urge to shudder in disgust.

Alistair smiled at her. "Did you get the information that you wanted?"

"Kind of. He gave me some background, but it's enough of a start that I can have the BAU start to build a good profile. I do believe that he is withholding information, but I'm confidant that with time, I'll be able to wrest the information from him."

"Oh, I have no doubt of that, Corinne. Does this mean that you are going to transfer him to New York?"

"Yeah, for the meantime. Once I get all of the information out of him that I can, he's coming right back to you, so you can prosecute him," Cory assured him.

"Thank you," Alistair said gratefully.

"No problem," she said before letting out a sigh. "I guess it's time for me to get back to New York."

Alistair nodded in understanding as they walked out of the prison. "Corinne, I'm sorry that I didn't confide in you about him," he said quietly as they walked towards his car. "But, whatever is bothering you, you need to deal with it."

Cory nodded. "I know, Alistair, it's just going to involve eating some crow. I don't like the taste of crow," she said wryly.

Alistair laughed. "Trust me, the taste only gets stronger the longer you wait," he advised.

Cory smiled. "I'll keep that in mind," she drawled as she settled into the butter soft leather seat for the long trip back to London.

AN: Okay. So first of all, let us address the hate on the boards at the moment. Rule 1: if you don't like a story, don't continue to review it and say how much you think it sucks. There is now a forum topic for the Rules of Conduct, please take a look and see if you agree or not!!! Anyway, much thanks to the people that continue to read, review and place this on story alert. I'm humbled. You guys rock!

Soccer - Are you still celebrating? :D I'm glad they won and that your happy about it. How long did you stand in line for HP last night?

Maddy - Thanks. I work very hard to layer everything and I'm glad to see it's paying off! I agree. We need more nerd women on TV! Life is kinda calm, but it's hot as Hades here, so not much to do. :p

Axellia - What do you nee to know on the school shootings? Cuz, I'm kinda done with the story line. They can't pin anything on Etienne, so they are going to have to just close out the case. Did your muses come back? Yes, you did get her to Yorkshire, but no nights out. She's gotta patch things up with Danny, i.e. eat some crow. I don't know if Carla is just going to be a rebound girl, but I do sense some pending romance for him. I can't leave him broken hearted for long! Oh, I totally know about CM? I was like OMG! NO! Okay. Better now. Trust me in saying that Morgan is definitely going to go all hero complex in this story and I totally can't wait for it. :D

angelbaby - Thanks!

Aphina - Yes, you do suck as a reviewer, but since you rock as a beta, I can forgive you! Homegrown terrorists is such a hot button these days that it's interesting to see in a storyline. I like the freedom that it gives me. No making up foreign languages or trying to figure out how someone from another country will react. If only I'd made him Texan. But I do love the side of Cory playing him. I see it as a cat and mouse game and she is definitely the cat. I think it's in her nature to see the world in black and white, especially being in law enforcement. She has strong morals and the shades of gray are very difficult to deal with. That's why Armando is sticking around. Women can definitely be more vicious than men, but they are just not as numerous and that story line has been so much fun to write! Yes, Hawkes is moving on. I don't know who he'll end up with, but I need Lydia with Morgan right now.