Thank you all for commenting! I just wanted to say, in reference to the cursing that was in the last chapter: I personally feel that it was well within character. Just because they never said it on the show doesn't mean that they wouldn't say it in those situations. Secondly, this chapter also contains cursing. I apologize if it bothers you, but I am not going to change.

Santa Barbara, 1989

He's been working for about seven hours when he gets the dispatch code for a 207 near an elementary school. His heart stops in his throat and he sits up a bit straighter, praying to God that the description of the missing kid won't match his only son.

"Victim is a 12-year-old boy with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. The child is about 5 feet tall, and he was wearing a plaid green collared shirt, jeans, and black tennis shoes."

Henry has heard over twenty parents of missing children tell him and his partners what it feels like when they discovered that their child had been taken. They described it as a loss and longing for air, like the cold hand of death had wrapped around their lungs and refused to let go. They also described an ache in their heart, like someone had shoved their hand into their chests and begun manually pumping blood. There's a fear that doesn't go away, that eats away at their lives until their child is found. The grief and fear are unending and all-consuming.

He assumed that was true, but he never felt what they did until today.

He grips the edge of his desk with both hands, hanging his head limply.

Shawn has dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

Shawn is twelve years old.

Shawn went to school wearing a plaid green collared shirt, those jeans that he hasn't let his mother wash for three weeks, and those shoes that he loves as much as Back to the Future.

He looks up and exhales shakily, slowly standing up.

Who the fuck took my son?

He's holstering his gun and preparing to leave when Herb steps out of his office. "Henry, you're not on this case."

Henry looks up sharply. "The fuck I am. Who do you think you are?"

Herb crosses his arms. "I'm your commanding officer, Henry. This case is personal to you. I can't let you in on it."

Henry steps closer to Herb. He's never threatened a superior officer, but he's damn willing to do so now. "It might not be my son."

Herb doesn't back down. "That was your son's elementary school, and the victim perfectly matches his description. I'll bet you 800 bucks that Shawn's little friend comes running into the police station any minute. He'll want you."

Henry clenches his jaw. "Then tell him I'm out looking for my goddamned son." He turns to leave, but Herb catches his arm.

"Henry, I can't let you on this case."

Henry huffs out a bitter laugh. "You can't- you're not letting me in on this case?" He shakes Herb's hand off of his arm. "That's my son you're talking about. You think I'm not fucking gonna go after him?"

"Henry –"

Henry shakes his head. "No, Herb. I have the means to catch the bastard and protect my son. I have an obligation to protect the people of this city, yes, but I have a stronger obligation to protect my family. My son is the top of that list." He takes a few steps. "Maddy's in session with an officer right now, but when she gets out, tell her. She needs to know."

"Why don't you tell her?" Herb calls to Henry's retreating back.

"I've gotta find my son," Henry responds, lifting his middle finger in the air to tell Herb just what he thinks of him right now.

When Henry arrives at the school, some of the lingering students and all of the staff are still there. Gus is one of the students, and by the time Henry steps out of his cruiser, Gus is absolutely hysterical.

"Mr. Spencer!" Gus shouts, tearing away from his teacher – Mrs. Jenkins, Henry absently recalls – and running straight for Henry. He bowls into Henry, forcing him to take a few steps backwards, and tightly wraps his arms around Henry's middle. "They took Shawn, they took him, they took him. I- I couldn't do anything, I was just coming out of the school doors and I heard him scream for help, I'm so sorry, Mr. Spencer, I'm so, so sorry –"

Henry gently grips Gus's forearms and kneels in front of him. "Gus, this isn't your fault. You couldn't have stopped them. I'll get Shawn back, but I need your help."

Gus nods solemnly, but his bottom lip trembles and his eyes are filled with tears. "I didn't- I didn't see anything, Mr. Spencer. All I heard was Shawn screaming for help, and then he was cut off mid-sentence."

When this is all said and done, Henry's going to need just five minutes to break down, to bow his head and cry like a little child. He doesn't have that luxury – Gus does, but Henry needs to be strong for Gus and these teachers and Madeleine, and God willing, he needs to be strong for Shawn.

Henry purses his lips and nods along. "Okay, Gus. I'm going to talk to your teachers, see if any of them got something. Are your parents coming?"

Gus chokes on a sob, and Henry finds himself subconsciously pulling Gus towards him. "They- they are, Mr. Spencer, I'm just- I just –" He seems to stumble across a thought too terrible to bear, because the dam breaks and he buries his face into Henry's free shoulder. His fists grip the back of Henry's collar, and Henry slowly rubs his back.

"He'll be fine, Gus. I've found missing kids on less information."

"H-how can you have less than nothing?"

"Well, I don't know if I have nothing yet. I need to talk to your teachers, but my partner will take care of that for now. I'll wait with you until your parents get here."

"Does Mrs. Spencer kno-know?"

Henry squeezes his eyes shut and breathes in shakily. "I don't doubt she does," he says. Inside, however, he thinks, As soon as she's able to get out of the police station, she's going to want to help me.

I just hope I have something to give her when she does.

Madeleine Spencer would tear apart the world with her bare hands if one of her loved ones was in danger. Leaving her job in the middle of a session when she hears that her only child has been kidnapped is not a big deal in her book.

In all honesty, Henry would have been upset with her if she hadn't.

She arrives at Shawn's elementary school about fifteen minutes after Henry got there. By that time, they do have something: a blue 1983 Mustang with the license plate number WYP 3428. Henry doesn't doubt that it's stolen, but it's a lead, and he immediately radioes the chief and relays the information.

Maddy's car door slams and she marches up to Henry, her eyes on fire. "Where the hell is my son?" she shouts at him, standing on her tiptoes and glaring into his eyes.

"We don't know yet, Mads. We got a license plate number and a car, but that's all. It's probably stolen in the first place."

Maddy is instantly confused by her husband's resignation. She takes his hand and leads him away from the crowd. "That's not the sound of giving up I hear."

Henry's eyes widen in shock. "God, no! I would rather die than give up on this case. No, I'm just –" he runs a hand through his hair. It's already starting to thin. Soon enough, he'll be bald. He presses his lips tightly together and turns his face away from Maddy's. "I don't know how to find him," he says, and his voice cracks.

Maddy is stunned into silence.

Henry's breaths come faster and faster, and it's all he can do to keep his tears at bay. "Listen, Mads, it's always been terrifying working these cases, but it wasn't- it was never our son, and now it is, and I can't imagine, I just– he's scared, and he's alone, and I have no idea where to start looking or even who to look for. And I've gotta be strong, for you and Gus, but I can't because my son's life is at risk." He chokes on a sob. "Mad, I screwed up. I can't save him."

Maddy takes both his hands in hers and runs her thumbs over the back of his hands. "Yes, you can. You're just –" she stops, takes a breath. "You're just overwhelmed. And I doubt– I doubt the criminal just took him, you know? Maybe he was targeting you?"

Henry nods along, lips pressed together. "Wait," he says, looking up. "Mads, you might have something there." He grabs her hand and runs back to the police cruiser. "C'mon, I think we have a lead."

Three days ago, Jason Leighburg escaped from prison. He had been convicted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, child molestation, kidnapping, and murdering of 3 minors. He was the walking definition of evil, and he escaped prison.

Henry Spencer was the officer that put him there.

The chief decided to listen to Henry's lead and sent out the entire force around Santa Barbara to look for Leighburg. Henry takes Madeleine and heads to the place where he found Leighburg in the first place: Bakersfield, CA.

He finds the abandoned shack with relative ease, and he passes Maddy a flashlight and his walkie-talkie. "Stay here," he whispers. "Leighburg is armed and dangerous. I've almost lost Shawn today, I'm not about to lose you, too. I'll radio if I find him. Keep the lights off."

Maddy clearly wants to go with him, but she understands the seriousness of the situation. "Okay, honey. Please come back soon."

He kisses her goodbye. "I'll come back as soon as I can. I love you."

She squeezes his hand. "I love you, too."

Henry exits the cruiser and quietly shuts the car door behind him. He unholsters his gun, clicks it off safety, and stealthily moves towards the shack. When he gets closer, he hears something, and he slows down.

There are two people in there, and one is putting up a fight.

"Just stand still, you little fuck!"

Yep. Definitely Leighburg.

"Oh, fuck you! I'm not doing anything for you!"

Henry's heart stops and he looks up. His ears must have deceived him.

Shawn.

"Didn't your father ever tell you not to disrespect your elders?" Leighburg sneers. Henry creeps around the edge of the shack, and he finds a window. What he sees absolutely sickens him.

Leighburg is tying a noose around Shawn's neck. Shawn is standing on a chair, and his eyes dart around wildly.

"My dad told me to respect respectable people. I don't think taking me from my school and kidnapping me because you were pissed that you got caught is exactly respectable."

Leighburg backhands Shawn, and Shawn screams in frustration. Henry waits for his chance. He still risks hurting Shawn if he fires now.

"Just shut up, or I'll kill you without finesse."

Shawn sneers and spits in Leighburg's face. "Go to hell, Leighburg."

"Only after I kill you." Leighburg tightens the noose around Shawn's neck and Shawn wheezes at the tightness.

If Henry doesn't act now, he'll lose his son.

He shuffles two steps to his right, lifts his gun in one smooth movement, and aims for Leighburg's temple. He doesn't even think about what will happen if he misses. He just fires his gun.

Blood splatters in all directions, Shawn tries to scream, and Henry sprints to the door and throws his weight against it. Shawn has one foot barely balancing on the partially toppled chair, and his hands claw at the rope around his neck.

Henry doesn't even glance at Leighburg; he knows he's dead. Instead, he reaches for another chair and shoves it under Shawn's feet. Once he's sure that Shawn is currently out of that danger, he takes the toppled chair, rights it, and stands on it so that he can free Shawn from its noose.

As soon as he's free from his near death-trap, Shawn gasps and lunges for his father. Henry manages to catch him, but he can't keep his balance, and they both fall backwards – thankfully, not on Leighburg's corpse. Henry's back howls in pain, but he ignores it because his son is clinging to him and shaking like a leaf.

Henry breathes a sigh of relief, holds Shawn tight, and picks up his radio. "I've got him," he says, still holding Shawn. "Leighburg's down. Shawn is safe."