Chapter 1 -

Six Months Later

Emily smiled as she opened the door, she could voices in the kitchen and in the last six months that smile had been on her face almost everyday when she came home from the office. Silently she took off her shoes and moved into the lounge automatically opening the small cupboard as she safely locked her gun and credentials away. Only then did Emily follow the sound of the voices and head towards the kitchen.

"Come on Libs, keep going you've only got three more questions to do!"

Emily smiled once again as she listened to the interaction. Hannah was an undergraduate at Georgetown, they had a mutually beneficial agreement where Hannah picked Libby up from school and looked after her until Emily came home and Emily paid her well but the relationship she had built up with Libby had been an added benefit.

"I take it Libby is procrastinating again Hannah!"

Emily grinned as she walked behind Libby, bending down as she kissed her niece softly on the cheek and looked at her school book.

"Well Emily it's algebra and you know much Libby enjoys that subject!"

Hannah smiled as Libby cheekily stuck her tongue out and carried on working out the problems.

"You're home in good time Emily."

Hannah smiled as she looked up at the older woman who nodded in response as she sat down next to Libby.

"Yes, my meetings actually ran to time today and if I can recall you have plans tonight?"

Hannah rolled her eyes as Emily winked at her. Hannah had briefly mentioned her date night the other day but she was pleased that Emily had remembered.

"Yes, but there is a meal in the oven for the both of you, Libby helped me make it earlier."

Hannah smiled as she stood up and looked at Libby's homework.

"Nice one Libby, see you just need to concentrate sometimes! Have a good evening guys and I will see you tomorrow!"

Hannah quickly waved her goodbyes as she picked her bag up and slung it over her shoulder.

"So Libs, go and put your homework back in your bag so you don't forget it tomorrow and then we can eat."

Emily smiled as she kissed the top of Libby's head before the young girl got up and took her homework off from the kitchen table.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief as the weekend arrived without the team being called away on a case. Even though she had taken a step back and didn't travel often now, her priorities changing rapidly when she had taken guardianship of Libby, her niece's relationship with the team was as strong as ever. This Saturday Tara and Rebecca were joining her and Libby on a trip to the zoo and Emily knew that Libby would enjoy the day they had planned for her.

Tara walked beside Emily as they followed Libby's lead as the young girl had a hold of Rebecca's hand and they were smiling and chatting away to each other.

"So Emily, how are Libby's nightmares?"

Tara spoke quietly, the six months since Libby's parents had been killed had gone quickly but the trauma hadn't moved away as swiftly, so Tara had helped to arrange a therapist for Libby.

"They are not so frequent but when they hit, they are still as vivid as ever."

"It's going to take time Emily, just remember that if you ever want a break Rebecca and I are more than happy to have Libby stay over with us."

Tara smiled as she watched Emily stop for a moment and look at her, a look of sincerity evident on her face.

"Thanks Tara, it's strange how quickly my priorities have changed. But look at how happy she is, I know that I definitely have made the right choices."

"Oh definitely Emily, and we will always be there to support you, the both of you. Now come on it looks like we are missing out on penguin feeding time!"

Tara laughed softly as she watched Rebecca help Libby feed the penguins.

He made sure that the doors were locked as he flicked the lights on. Even though he knew that nobody would disturb him, his workshop was in a secluded location and as darkness fell nobody would be dropping by to ask him to fix their vehicles.

His right hand reached up and gently clasped the cross that hung around his neck, words spilling out of his mouth as he moved to the back of the workshop.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

He reached and brought down the metal frame, this was a new device, one he had designed himself, he knew that it would help bring him the answers he so desperately craved.