Fina Messer woke to the 5 am news report on the radio. She rolled over and stretched before pulling herself to her feet. She grabbed her running shorts and sports top from the foot of her bed and pulled them on. She scraped her light brown curls back into a ponytail, and placed a kiss on her fingertips before reverently touching the photograph of a soldier taped to the mirror. She ate a quick breakfast bar on her way out the door with her gym bag. It was a nice enough day that Fina decided to jumpstart her workout by jogging the ten blocks to the gym connected to the New York FBI field office. She took it at a decent pace and arrived hardly breaking a sweat. A familiar face greeted her as she ran up.

"If it isn't my kid sister the Fed," Gio teased. He rose from his placed against the hood of his dark blue sedan and gave her a loving punch on the arm.

"And my big brother the scientist, huh?" she jibed back, "What brings you out this way?"

"Thought I'd see if I can still outrun you," he shrugged, "And maybe loser pays for breakfast?"

Fina felt she was up for the challenge. They ran the track together, neck and neck to the end when Gio's longer legs and fresher start came to his advantage.

"So, let's do breakfast," he said, panting. Fina nodded, then caught a whiff of herself.

"Showers first," she insisted, "Be back here in fifteen minutes." They agreed and the plan was set. Both showered and dressed for work, Fina in a black pantsuit and white blouse; Gio in khaki slacks and a button down shirt. Fina carefully dried her hair then strapped on her holster and clipped her pager onto the belt as well.

"Where are we going for breakfast?" Fina asked.

"Joey's," Gio said, naming a café at the halfway point between his Crime Lab and her field office. She agreed it was a good choice and hopped in the passenger seat of his car. The drive was silent, but Fina could tell that something was eating at her brother. He tapped the steering wheel with a nervous rhythm and his knee quivered. It was behavior which was out of place for the tall, dark and quite handsome CSI, who was known to posses and even temper, making him invaluable in a career path traditionally known for its emotional followers. The behavior only worsened as they reached the café and sat down.

Half an hour later their waitress delivered the plates; strawberry pancakes for Fina and a stuffed omelet for Gio. They began eating, but soon, Gio put his fork down and turned to her.

"What do you hear from Micah these days?" he asked. Fina froze for a moment, then lightened up her expression so he wouldn't be suspicious. There was no way he'd found those documents. And even less of a chance that Micah had said anything.

"Got a letter from him about a week ago," she answered of their Marine friend, currently on active duty, "He's alive, craving peanut butter and root beer, not together of course. Why?" Gio pulled out a sheet of paper. It was covered front and back with a very familiar scrawl.

"I got this yesterday," he said, "Micah's unit lost two of their members and he seemed to be a little mellow and introspective. This is the part that really confuses me," Gio search for a specific passage and began to read, "The one thing in my life I will never regret is loving Fina. That's right Gio, I am truly in love with your sister. If anything happens to me, make sure you let her know how happy she has made me. And help her move on," at this point Gio looked up into his sister's face, "Fi," he asked, "Is there something between you and Micah that no one in our nosy, law enforcement family has caught wind of?" The tinge of pink in her cheeks was enough to convince him he was right.

"My kid sister has a boyfriend!" he exclaimed, "When did it happen?"

"The day before he left, we spent the day together in the city," Fina pulled a photograph from the breast pocket of her jacket. She handed it to him. It was a picture of her and Micah on a bridge in Central Park. It had been her day off, so she was dressed casually in dark denim jeans and a red tank top, her hair flowing around her shoulders. Micah stood behind her in a camouflage t-shirt and khakis, his arms around her waist.

"You look happy," Gio commented, handing the photo back. Fina nodded and wistfully studied the photograph before placing it back in her pocket.

"He's a good man," Fina said.

"You don't have to convince me," the older brother laughed, "Besides, it's not like you guys eloped or anything." Fina laughed. This she could handle.

"OK, so I don't get to defend my boyfriend like any other kid sister because I'm dating your best friend, I get it," she said, raising her hands in surrender. Suddenly, two pagers went off in unison.

"Mine," both said, as they reached for their phones. The conversations were short, but they were both being called in to work.

"I'll run you past the office," Gio offered, "It's on the way to my scene." Fina agreed to the deal and picked up the bill as per their running agreement. She whispered a silent prayer of thanks at having successfully dodged that bullet.

--

"Johannes!" Capitan Ryan called from across the room, "We've got a missing two year old. Take the rookie with you." Fina looked up. She'd been on the squad for almost two years, but she was still considered the rookie. Agent Megan Johannes was a new transfer from Chicago with nearly ten years under her belt. She'd been acting a bit superior, so she'd been moved from partner to partner. Fina crossed the room at the Capitan's insistence.

"Shut the door, Messer," he said. Fina complied.

"You'll be working with the NYPD. See if you can't take Johannes down a couple of notches," he said. He shuffled through folders on his desk for a moment before taking a seat. Fina could tell that he considered her and this assignment his last hope before he was forced to reassign Johannes.

"I do and you stop calling me 'Rookie'?" she asked. It was a risky move, but she took advantage of the desperation she could sense on him.

"We'll see," he said. He extended the case folder to her, "You're primary on this one. Make us proud." Fina felt her heart begin to race. This was her first major case as primary lead. It was a great honor.

"Yes, sir," she said.

--

Agent Johannes insisted on driving to the scene herself. Fina decided that, as long as they got to the crime scene, she wouldn't die on that hill. They pulled up to the scene and Fina smiled to herself at the sight of Flack interviewing the crowd.

"Listen, Rookie," Johannes said, "Follow my lead on this one." Fina decided it was time to draw the line. She locked eyes with her new partner.

"I'll let you lead for a while, but Capitan put me on the lead, so at any time, if I don't like the way the investigation is going, I'm taking over," she stated, trying not to sound nervous. They stepped from the car and strode over to the tape, Fina half a step behind.

"Whose scene?" Johannes asked, flashing her badge and ducking under the tape. Fina followed.

"Mine," the salt and pepper detective called out, "Detective Don Flack, NYPD."

"Agent Johannes, my partner, Agent Messer, FBI missing persons." Johannes said, stepping in front of Fina and flashing her badge again, "What do we know?" Her tone was harsh and demanding, her stature that of a fighter, waiting to attack. Fina could have sworn she saw her uncle get defensive.

"Our DOA is Kelly Richardson, 23. She's the mother's younger sister. Mom and Dad were celebrating their anniversary. They came home to her on the floor and a missing three year old," Flack handed over a photo of a smiling little boy with a blond bowl cut, "Sammy, his birthday was two weeks ago. That's when the photo was taken." Johannes took a brief look at the photo before handing it off. Fina studied it very closely. The boy was cute, with pink tinged cheeks and sparkling green eyes.

"We need full access to all of your lab reports and interviews," Johannes snapped, turning to go toward the house. Fina hung back to apologize to Flack. She felt relieved when he smiled at her.

"She's a live one," he commented. Johannes was at least Fina's fifth partner since the academy.

"Yeah, they want me to quote, 'Bring her down a couple notches.' And that was a direct order," Fina laughed, "By the way, I'm the lead on this one, so anything passes through me." It was as much of a shock to him as it had been to her. Flack reacted by slapping her on the shoulder, like he would his son.

"Congratulations, Fina Mac!" he looked up toward the house. " You'd better go rescue your partner before Hurricane Stella drowns her," Flack said, pointing to the front porch where her partner was toe to toe with the CSI supervisor. The two women were arguing heatedly and gesturing wildly.

"Right," Fina said. She strode to the porch.

"What seems to be the problem?" she asked. Neither woman turned to look at her. Instead, like a pair of teenagers they spoke to each other under the cover of speaking to her.

"There is a 23 year old woman in there who deserves some care," Stella bit out.

"And we need to examine this crime scene if we're going to get inside this guy's head," Johannes bit back.

"Not until CSI is done," Stella bickered. Fina held up her hands to quiet them.

"Agent Johannes, I warned you that if I did not approve of the direction this investigation was going I would take over." Fina said, "I didn't expect it to happen so soon. That said," she paused, "Stella, sorry, Detective Bonasera, you know that she's right. Time is of the essence in any kidnapping case." Her words were soft and even toned, proof of her brief stint in training as a hostage negotiator. She'd shown natural talent for the job, had even considered pursuing it as a career, but had settled with her passion. The older women both seemed shocked by Fina's strong demeanor, the agent because she was a rookie and Stella because Fina had never stood up to her before. The Greek CSI stepped back and took a deep breath, pressing her hands together in front of her face.

"Agents," Stella said, "as much as I understand your need to see this crime scene, you have to understand, the blood pools are extensive. My CSI's are using step pads to process. Makes for a tight scene."

"What about a video feed?" Fina offered, "Or real time access to the crime scene photos?" Johannes seemed disgusted at the idea of compromising, but Stella agreed it. Fina radioed to the tech unit and Stella pulled Gio from processing to gear up.

"If it were anyone but you, I would not be doing this," he complained, as the camera was strapped on to his head. It wasn't a heavy piece of machinery, but a nuisance none the less.

"You would too, you big whiner," Fina joked back. She opened the laptop computer and booted up the program. She put on a communications headset so they could talk things out.

"Ready?" she asked. Gio answered in the affirmative. He walked back into the crime scene. The image wobbled as he moved from step pad to step pad. At one point he almost fell.

"My extra eye is making me top heavy," he jokingly complained.

"Yeah," Fina shot back, "I shoulda thought of that, what with your big Italian head and all."

"You got no room to talk," Gio teased. For the siblings, this bickering was a refreshing release of the tension which surrounded the house.

"Children," Flack interrupted, "Do I need to get your mother?"

"No, Uncle Flack," the pair recited in unison. By this time Gio was in the actual crime scene, and all trace of levity disappeared.

Stella had not been lying about the blood. It was everywhere. All four walls showed cast off and the carpet was red.

"First thing that comes to mind is passion," Fina said in a shocked almost whisper.

"I'm not sure one person could do all this," Gio said, "Why is there cast off on all of these walls?"

"And did all that blood come from one person? Eventually the body runs out," Fina said.

"Let us worry about that," Gio replied, "What about Sammy?"

"The perp made no effort to clean up his murder, so if he killed Sammy he'd probably do the same thing. This is a passionate man; he probably thinks he's doing something for Sammy's good. Is there still no ransom?"

"Not yet," Gio said, "We should check into the sister's past, see if she made anyone angry. The parents too, probably."

"I'll get my partner on that," Fina said. She motioned to Johannes, who did not look happy to be on the receiving end of such an order. She stalked off to make the phone calls. After she made the calls she quite literally ran into Flack.

"Agent Johannes," he said, "You seem annoyed."

"Yeah," she said, "I have to follow a rookie's lead."

"You know," Flack said, "If it weren't for that rookie, you'd still be fighting with the NYPD."

"I'm starting to see that," Johannes admitted, "Those two work great together. Did they ever go out?" Flack laughed.

"The Italians?" he asked, "No way."

"Italians?" Johannes asked, puzzled.

"Giovanni and Serafina Messer are brother and sister," Flack explained, "The oldest two of five. And the only two with Italian names."

"Siblings?" she asked, incredulous, "No wonder she's our unofficial liaison." Pieces were beginning to fall into place, bits of the puzzle that was Agent Messer.

"Yeah, and she went federal to avoid that whole mess," he muttered. Just then they were called back to the crime scene.

"Find something?" Johannes asked, adjusting her position to see the screen. The room displayed was painted a light blue with a primary color airplane motif. It was clearly the little boy's room.

"Yeah, in Sammy's room," Fina said, "It's a flyer for a nanny strike. Sammy didn't have a nanny, did he?"

"Actually," Flack commented, "he did. Grace Foster. She didn't watch him because she's visiting her sick sister."

"Sick sister my foot, she's at that rally" Fina muttered, "We'll need to find her."

--

Agent Johannes returned from her lunch break to find her new partner elbow deep in a case file.

"Did you work through lunch on the little boy's case?" she asked. Fina looked up, then shook her head.

"It's an older case," she said, "a runaway who turns eighteen next week. I had hopes of getting her home to celebrate, but this girl knows the city. Her parents are worried sick."

"I've still got fifteen minutes of lunch," Johannes pulled the file towards her, putting her feet up on the corner of the rookie's desk, "Let me take a look." She settled back in her chair and read the name off of the file.

"Anna Donelle Messer?" she asked, "She related to you and your scientist brother?"

"Our youngest sister," Fina admitted, "She ran away six months ago without leaving a trace as to where she was going. You'd think that with our family we'd have found her in a day but she knows how to disappear." Fina looked up from her desk and froze. Johannes turned to see two Armed forces officers in full dress standing in the doorway.

"Serafina Messer?" one of them asked. Fina stood on shaky legs and nodded. Johannes looked confused but moved to stand as well.

"Is there somewhere we could talk privately, Ma'am?" the officer asked. Fina nodded again, and looked to Johannes to vacate the otherwise empty office. She did so but hung just outside the door and watched as Fina's pale face grew paler then broke out in a relieved smile. There were tears in her eyes as she thanked the officers and ushered them out of the room. Then she sat back down at her desk and put her head in her hands. Johannes waited for a moment, before cautiously stepping back into the room.

"Do I get to know what that was about?" Johannes asked. Fina looked up at her and shook her head.

"Not even my family gets to know about that yet," Fina said, swiping at tears that still rolled down her cheeks, "Understand?" Johannes saw the steel in her blue eyes and nodded.

"Back to the grindstone, then?" Johannes asked, pulling out Sammy's case file.

"Yep," the younger agent said, "Let's do this."

--

The next hours yielded nothing on little Sammy. His nanny, as it had turned out, really was caring for a sick sister and all of the rally participants had been detained, questioned and cleared. Fina sat at her desk, sifting through the cell phone records of the victim and decided to check in with the CSI's. The phone rang about four times before it was finally answered.

"Monroe," the voice on the other end was soft and caring. It was also laden with sorrow.

"Hey Mom," Fina said, "It's me, what's going on?"

"Sweetheart," Lindsay said, "It's Micah."

"Mom," Fina interrupted, not wanting to cry again, "I know about Micah. I need to talk to Gio or Stella about this morning's case."

"Alright, dear, I'll go get your brother. Stella is still really upset," there was a pause, "I know you care for him, Serafina, how are you holding up?"

"I'll be okay, Mom," Fina insisted, "Just get Gio for me, please?" The phone switched hands relatively quickly, and Fina pictured the whole lab gathered in the break room around Stella and Flack.

"Hey, Fina Mac, did you hear the news?" Gio asked, shaking her from her vision.

"Yes," she said, "and I'm okay, happy even, if I may be so selfish, but right now I am at a dead end with this case and I still have a missing two year-old out there. What do you have for me on our vic?"

"Not much, she was a pretty stand up girl. A dancer for a troupe and dance teacher as well. A starlet trying to make it big."

"Our starlet into any drugs that you can tell?"

"Tox came back negative, but we had Adam look at her hair. She got clean about three months ago. That's the same time that she moved in with her sister."

"So the past life followed her. But why take Sammy?"

"Revenge?" Gio speculated, "The two were alone in the house, there could have been a confrontation and then the perp could have mistaken Sammy for Kelly's kid and taken him."

"Why?" Fina asked.

"What is the leading group of child kidnappers in the nation?" Gio asked.

"Non-custodial parents," Fina said, "Your theory is that the guy thinks Sammy is his?"

"He might really be," Gio said, "Run with me here for a moment. Kelly is into drugs and dancing. A kid is going to ruin her life. She runs to her sister, has the baby, can't handle the responsibility and runs off again. Two years later she starts trying to iron out her life and gets killed for it." The scenario wasn't an uncommon one.

"Plausible," Fina admitted. She began typing furiously, trying to find any information on Kelly.

"So how are you really?" Gio asked, "I mean, this is your boyfriend were talking about."

"Funny," Fina jokingly mused, "I thought we were talking about a twenty-three year old female murder vic." She tried to change the subject, not completely sure she could talk about Micah just yet.

"Fina Mac," Gio scolded, "Be serious. I'm really concerned about you."

"And I'm really fine," she insisted. "He's alive and he's coming home. I don't care about anything else. I do care about making sure that I can say the same thing to Sammy's parents."

"Okay," Gio said, "I get it. I'll do some searching on this end and see if I can't come up with a boyfriend or dealer. I'll be in touch."

"Thanks, Gio," Fina said, hanging up the phone. Johannes walked over and put a Subway sandwich on her desk.

"What's this for?" the younger agent asked.

"I didn't see you eating lunch earlier," was the response.

"Thanks." Fina unwrapped the sandwich and was halfway through it when the phone rang. Johannes reached across the desk to pick it up.

"Johannes," she answered. It was Gio at the crime lab with an address for them.

--

The two agents stood together as they strapped on bullet proof vests. SWAT teams assembled and dispersed around them. Johannes followed Fina's lead as they moved closer to the command post.

"I'm seeing three distinct human heat sources," said the infrared camera technician, pointing them out on the screen, "This smallest one is probably your kid."

"Alright," Fina said, taking in the situation at hand, "We need a full team in that house. Agent Johannes and I will go with and we'll take charge of the child's welfare." Fina's demeanor demanded the respect that her barely average height would not normally command. The SWAT commander nodded and counted off his men. They moved into position, waiting for the command. When it was given, they rushed in. Fina sprinted for the back steps with Agent Johannes hot on her heels. The younger agent directed her partner across the narrow landing. In unison the two women kicked the doors open. Fina swept into the room, gun drawn and saw the little blond boy huddled in the corner of the bed. She quickly holstered her gun and rushed to the boy's side. He skittered away, understandably scared.

"Sammy," Fina whispered, "It's okay. I'm a police officer. Your Mommy and Daddy asked me to come find you." She sat down on the bed and waited for the boy to come to her. It didn't take long before he crawled over and wrapped his arms around her neck. She immediately rushed down the stairs and out the door with her precious charge.

--

The next few hours were spent wrapping up the case paperwork and making sure Sammy was safe. As it turned out, Gio's theory had been correct and the captor was Sammy's biological father, angry at Kelly for keeping a child, especially a son, from him.

It was nine o'clock when Johannes pulled on her jacket, ready to head out for the night. She looked back across the room to see her new partner still at her desk, head in her hand, studying a case file. Shaking her head, Johannes walked back until she was standing behind Fina. Only then did she realize that the young woman was actually asleep. Johannes giggled a bit and shook Fina awake.

"Yo, Messer," she whispered, "Wake up." The brunette stirred and blinked. Suddenly she jumped and looked at her watch. She hustled to gather the file and tuck it in her bag. Without a word, Fina rushed out of the building. Johannes shrugged and headed to her car.

On the way home she saw her partner running full tilt on the sidewalk, so she pulled to the side of the road, slowed down and opened the window.

"Messer!" she called, "Need a lift?" Fina nodded gratefully and stopped running. She gave directions as she tried to regain her breath. Less than five minutes later they were at her building.

"Thanks!" Fina called as she ran inside.

"No problem!" Johannes called back. She was very curious as to what was going on and had nothing else on her schedule, so decided to wait for a bit to see if her partner was headed somewhere. Sure enough, ten minutes later, Fina ran back out the door in dark denim jeans, a red turtleneck and brown corduroy blazer. The running was made more difficult by the red heels she was wearing. Her hair had been released from its typical ponytail and was now beautifully framing Fina's face. Fina got into her car and drove. Johannes followed as far as she could, until Fina pulled into a military base. She got through with a brief pause. Johannes pulled into the drive.

"Can I see some ID please?" asked the uniformed officer at the gates. Johannes pulled out her badge and driver's license.

"Is this official business, Agent Johannes?"

"Not really, but I'm concerned for my partner, she just came through, Serafina Messer. She's been acting weird all day and I wanted to make sure-" Johannes' ramblings were cut off by the soldier.

"I cannot allow you onto the base for personal reasons," the soldier said, "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to move along." Johannes nodded and backed up.

--

The morning sun shone in through a hospital window, hitting Fina's eyes and waking her from a restless sleep in an oversized easy chair. She opened her eyes to see that Micah was already awake and staring at her.

"Good morning," she whispered, "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough," he whispered back. He reached out his hand and she wrapped her own fingers around his. He pulled her over to his bedside for a kiss, which she happily gave him.

"I love you," he said. Fina smiled at him and kissed him again. A girl could get lost in his kisses and those bright blue eyes were killer. They pulled back to breathe and laughed at the thought that two grown people, a Marine and an FBI agent at that, could be acting so much like teenagers.

"I love you, too," she said. They kissed again before Fina realized how late it was.

"I have to go to work," she exclaimed, gathering her bag and blazer. Micah hesitated to let go of her hand.

"I wish you didn't have to," he admitted, pulling her back. Fina kissed him again.

"So do I, believe me," she said, "What time is your PT session?"

"One-thirty," he said, confused.

"I'll try to take a late lunch and be here with you," Fina bartered. Micah nodded. They exchanged one last kiss and she was off.

--

Red flags went up in Johannes' mind as soon as Fina walked into the office wearing the exact same outfit she'd changed into the night before. The jeans were a little less crisp and the shirt looked slept in. But she felt powerless to say anything because then she'd have to admit to the stalking.

"Sleep well, Messer?" she asked instead. Fina nodded even as she yawned.

"If we're going to be partners," she said, "You may as well start calling me Fina."

"Not Serafina?" Megan asked, curious.

"Only my parents call me that, and only when I'm in trouble," Fina laughed, "That and the reporters and historians who are suddenly so interested in my story."

"You aren't even twenty-five yet!" Johannes laughed, "What do historians want with you?"

"My life story, as dull as it is," she quipped.

"Well, Fina," Johannes said, "You can call me Megan." They settled in to their respective paperwork and spent a relatively quiet morning chasing down leads on some colder cases. It was noon when Megan's stomach growled loudly.

"Well," she laughed, "I'll take that as a sign. You want to go get something to eat?"

"I'm okay for now, thanks" Fina said, "I have a lunch meeting at one that I should hold off until."

Megan nodded, stood and left the room. Fina settled back into her chair and back to her case file. It wasn't Anna, but another runaway about the same age and social background. They were handing off the case to the NYPD homicide unit today, as the girl had been found in a dark alley. She had overdosed on heroine and alcohol. Gio had been sent to collect the file. She expected him within the next half hour and wasn't sure exactly how the conversation was going to go. The CSI's knew that Micah had been wounded on the battlefield, even knew that he'd lost the lower half of his left leg, but they didn't know that he'd been flown in under the cover of darkness the night before. As the son of two decorated members of the NYPD, the human interest story would be a great scoop. Fina and Micah had planned to tell his family that evening after Fina got off work, but her favorite date outfit in its current condition would definitely tip Gio off that something was up. Just as she was trying to figure out what to do, her brother strode into the room.

"Hot date last night?" he asked without thinking. Then his mind caught up to his mouth and he stopped, "Your boyfriend is half a world away, injured and you're going out at night?" he asked. The spark in his eyes wasn't exactly a friendly one.

"Relax," Fina said, "No need to deck me. Micah's in town. They flew him in last night. He's at Mercy and he has his first PT session in an hour. I'm going to be there." Gio's impression of a goldfish was almost comical.

"How do you get to know all this when his parents don't even know? I thought the military was family over friends?" he asked. The moment had come. Fina bit her bottom lip and chose her next words with precise care.

"It's also wives over parents," she said softly, reaching inside the turtleneck for the rings that lay close to her heart.

"Wait, Wait, Wait," Gio said putting both hands on his forehead, "Information overload. Secretly dating, I get. But secretly married? Why? When you knew we'd all be over the moon about it, why hide it?"

"We've always loved each other," Fina said. "Getting married was an impulsive thing that we did the day before he left. I was scared he wouldn't come back, and I think maybe he was too. We really were, are, going to tell everyone, but I chickened out on that part last minute because I didn't need everyone feeling sorry for me if something did happen to him." She was trembling with fear and anxious nerves, waiting for his Italian temper to kick in. Instead of getting angry, Gio reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder to calm her.

"Okay, it's okay," he said, "I'm not angry. Tell him I'll be by to see him as soon as I can." Gio pulled the file off of the desk. He shook his head once more in disbelief before kissing her on the forehead and walking out. Fina collapsed back into her desk chair and laid her head down on the desk. She closed her eyes in relief and fell asleep.

Megan shook her awake at a quarter to one, wanting to ensure she got to her lunch meeting. The elder agent watched the younger as she straightened her desk, stuffed the dog eared and ever present file into her bag and hurried off to make herself look presentable.

--

Fina rushed into the room just as Micah's PT was helping the injured Marine into a wheelchair. It was a hard sight for her to see, her strong defender leaning on the large man, struggling to make it to the chair, gritting his teeth against the pain. She knew there were tears in her eyes even as she mustered up a smile.

"Hey there," she said, "miss me?" she leaned in for a kiss, remembering how he'd pulled her off of the ground for their wedding kiss to make up the rather large height difference between them.

"You know I did," he said, guiding her in for a second kiss, "Fina meet Morris, my physical therapist. Morris, my lovely wife, Fina." The large man extended a hand.

"Pleasure," he said, a hint of a southern accent in his baritone voice, "the Corporal here was just telling me how you two met."

"And how does he say it happened?" came a voice from behind Fina, "Because I was there and it was nothing all that romantic." Fina turned around to find Gio in the doorway.

"Hey," Micah teased, "I was already giving her a teddy bear." Gio scoffed and crossed over to hug his best friend.

"How are you, man?" he asked, taking in every aspect of Micah's appearance.

"Doin' better than I was," Micah said, "Late for PT right now, so walk with us." As they walked, Micah made another round of introductions.

Therapy was hard all around. Because Micah was in such great shape, it was easier than most patients, but still grueling. They met mostly with Jackie, an occupational therapist who taught Micah some of the finer points of being in a wheelchair. After an hour he was drenched in sweat, and so were Gio and Fina who insisted on learning how to help him if he needed it.

"You did beautifully," Jackie praised at the end of the session, "We'll have you home in no time flat." At that statement, Fina's mind began to race. They hadn't talked about whose apartment they were going to live in. Either option was open, as his landlord was a war veteran himself who insisted that he would keep the apartment free for Micah, even if the lease lapsed. Either apartment would need to be rearranged to accommodate Micah's wheelchair.

"Don't you worry about it, my Seraph," Micah said, "we'll cross all the necessary bridges as we come to them."

The doctor came in then, to examine the stitches. Micah grabbed hold of her hand and she stood strong for him. He flinched once or twice as the doctor hit a tender spot. When the exam was done, the nurse wrapped the leg as the doctor spoke with them.

"We'll give the swelling another week or so to go down before we measure for a prosthetic. After that it will be somewhere around two months before the incision has healed well enough to tolerate any extended use with the prosthetic. But everything is going very well.

"When can he come home?" Fina asked.

"Well," the doctor considered, "I expect that we can release him as soon as the OT clears him. We'll feel more comfortable sending him home if we can prove that he can function independently or with minimal aid." The young couple nodded.

"Fina, sweetheart, you should get back to work," Micah said, having noticed the clock. Fina nodded before kissing him goodbye. Gio settled into the chair which had served as Fina's bed the night before.

"My shift is done for the day, I'll keep him company," the CSI volunteered. The FBI agent looked suspiciously at her husband and brother.

"Alright," she sighed playfully, "but stay out of trouble." The pair just laughed.

"And you," she said sternly, pointing a finger at her brother, "None of this, 'You hurt her I kill you and hide the body stuff.' Got it?" Gio nodded, amused.

--

Fina ran by her house for a quick change of clothes before she finally made it back to the office at three. Megan Johannes was waiting. She studied Fina for a few silent minutes before saying anything.

"Pretty long lunch meeting," she commented, "and no offence, but you need a shower. Were you working out?"

"In a manner of speaking," Fina dodged the question, "Anything new come in?"

"Yeah Cooper and Finch are covering a teen runaway. They could use our help. They think they've tracked her to a shelter group, but can't be sure. They'd like us to go investigate, so make that shower quick." Megan didn't look up from the paperwork on her desk.

Fina did as she was told and soon found herself in the passenger side of the black department sedan. The shelter was a long distance from the field office, for that matter pretty much anything important in New York was, so it made for a very lengthy drive.

"So," Megan asked to break the silence which had hovered between them since Fina's return, "How was your lunch meeting? Who did you say it was with?"

"Nice try, Meg," Fina laughed, "You know I didn't say who it was with. But it was enlightening to say the least."

"Enlightening?" Megan asked, "sounds like you went to a poetry reading or a philosophy class."

"Nothing quite so profound I assure you," Fina laughed. The car pulled to a stop in front of a sparkling white building which seemed out of place in the neighborhood. The few teens clustered in front of the building scattered as they recognized Megan and Fina as law enforcement.

"You know that if you need anything I've got your back, right?" Megan asked. Fina was surprised, but nodded. The two agents slipped on their sunglasses as they stepped out of the car. They walked in the front door of the building and were greeted by an art gallery. One picture in particular was especially haunting. It was done in colored pencil and depicted what seemed to be a family. The shapes were definitely human and Fina could make out six figures in blue, standing in a semi circle but grouped by twos, their faces blurred. A seventh figure stood out in the drawing. The young woman was detailed, drawn in pale pink with long hair flowing back as if she was facing the wind. She stood beside two blue female figures, one of which was holding her wrist, but the girl in pink wasn't facing the inside of the circle. She was looking outward, struggling slightly against the hands wrapped in her hair. The signature in the corner read 'Don.' Something about the piece captured Fina's heart and eye as she studied the tear-stained face of the girl in pink.

"A captivating piece, no?" asked a voice from behind them, startling them, "So full of emotion, history and symbolism. Hard to believe the artist was only seventeen when she drew it. Can I help you, Detectives?" Megan flashed a badge.

"Actually we're Special Agents with the FBI. We need to talk to you about this girl," she showed the woman a photograph of the missing teen. Fina thought fast and pulled Anna's photo from the breast pocket of her jacket.

"And this one," she said. That the woman recognized both girls was clear. Also clear was Megan's annoyance at Fina bringing in a cold case. Fina just held her breath and hoped that her intuition wasn't off.

"That's Faith and that's Don," she said, "They've both been in today."

"Where are they now?" Fina asked. Six months of searching and this was the closest she'd come to her baby sister.

"Faith left a couple hours ago, but Don is working on a project. I think she's still in the studio." It was all Fina could do not to run through the building. Instead she stood stock still, fighting tears.

"Do you know where Faith went?" Megan asked. The woman shook her head, long black hair waving.

"Can you please take me to see Don?" Fina asked, still fighting back tears. The woman nodded and led them to a back room. Fina felt her heart begin to race as the woman pushed open a door to peek inside

Anna was hard at work on a drawing and didn't look up when the three other women entered the room. Fina took in her sister's long blond hair in desperate need of a wash and her skin and bones frame. Anna was dressed in ragged jeans and a battered old sweatshirt Fina recognized as having first belonged to Gio. She sat cross-legged and Fina could see that her sneakers had been worn almost through.

"Don," the woman said, softly clearing her throat, "These Agents would like to speak to you." Anna looked up and Fina saw that she wanted to run. Instead Fina decided to do the running. She sprinted across the room and pulled her sister into her arms and held tight, despite her struggling.

"Let go of me!" Anna screamed. She tried to bite her sister's shoulder, but Fina twisted away. Megan strode over, cuffs at the ready. But Fina held her off. She pulled back from her baby sister, moving her hands so she was holding the girl's arms at the shoulders. She looked into Anna eyes and saw crazed desperation.

"Don," she said, "I need you to calm down. Please. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to take you home." Anna fought hard for a few more minutes before her limited strength gave out and she collapsed against Fina's body in tears.

"I can't come home. I can't," she said over and over, "That's not where I belong."

"Yes, you do," Fina assured her, "We all want you back." Anna kept crying and Fina stroked her hair. Megan shifted nervously from one foot to the other as she waited, not wanting to allow their trail to cool down. She turned to the woman who ran the shelter.

"Do you have any idea where Faith may have gone?" she asked. Anna spoke up.

"There's a run away camp near here," she said, peeking up from Fina's left shoulder, "It's where I've been staying for the last few weeks. Faith has been helping us for the past week, then showed up this morning wanting to stay. Lexie told her it was okay. Then Faith and I came here, but she was bored after a while, so she split." The teenager turned to her sister, "Fi, I really don't want to go back." She was almost pleading.

"We'll talk about that back at my office," Fina said, "First, we need to see this camp."

Anna reluctantly led them to a vacated parking garage which was full of separate shelters which had been created using blankets, sleeping bags, cardboard and plastic. It wasn't hard for Megan to spot Faith's space, the hot pink comforter was still relatively bright and the girl sitting on it was still freshly clean. While her partner talked to Faith, Fina found Anna's space and collected her sister's things. There wasn't much, a couple sketch pads, an old comforter taken from their linen closet, a few books and a family photo. Fina noticed that Anna still wore the courtesy shield her parents had commissioned on its chain around her neck. Fina led Anna back to the car, then gave her a chance to say goodbye to some of her new friends. Eventually, both teens were in the back seat of the sedan, neither speaking to the agents.

They pulled in to the field office, and Anna tried to make a run for it. Fina took off after her, and it didn't take long to catch the winded teen. She guided her back inside to one of the interrogation rooms.

"Anna," Fina said, "What happened? Why did you run away?" The teenager settled into a very stereotypical slouch.

"I told you, I don't want to go back. Easy as that."

"I don't mean now, I mean six months ago when you didn't come home from school. I mean the day that the entire force was out searching for you. The day that our big brother cried himself to sleep and Daddy didn't sleep at all. Why did you run then?"

"I wanted to be alone," she said, "I was never alone at our house. I was always shoved in with the twins. It was always Alex, Aiden and Anna, as if we were one person. But at the same time I didn't belong. I was the odd man out. I mean you and Gio were always together and the twins were together, but I didn't have anyone like that. So I figured I'd get away from that." The account was so apathetic that Fina's heart broke.

"Why don't you want to come back?" she asked, placing a hand on Anna's shoulder.

"I've done stuff that I'm ashamed of. Besides, I ran away. Mom and Dad are going to kill me." Fina scoffed.

"Maybe hug you to death, but nothing more," she said, "You aren't the first Messer to run away from home. Granted yours did last longer than Gio's and mine, but you did make it back in less time than the family record for missing persons, so I think you are still within the realm of loveablility with the rest of your life to spare," Fina looked for a smile, but didn't get one. So she went for the more somber approach, hoping to make Anna understand the depth of the family's commitment to her.

"Anna," she said, her tone serious, "I have been exhausting my resources to bring you home. Mom and Dad and Gio have all taken detours from cases more than once because they thought they saw you. The twins have made your case the topic of most of their term papers at the academy. We were scared." Anna nodded.

"Okay," she whispered, "I'll come back. I'll come home." Fina smiled and stood, hugging her sister.

"I'll submit all the paperwork to close your case and then see if I can't get time from my boss to take you to my place and get you a shower before we call everyone." Anna nodded.

"You can come sit out with me if you like, meet my partner, wait for me to be done. Megan could probably even get you something to eat if you like."

"Food would be nice," the runaway admitted. Fina smiled at her sister.

"Food it is then."

--

It took Fina longer than expected to finish up all the paperwork. Anna mostly entertained herself with a legal pad and pencil. Finally, it was time to talk to the captain. Fina gathered the paperwork and headed to the back office.

"Come in, Rookie," he responded to her knock. Fina slid the folder across his desk.

"I just closed a cold one, sir," she said, "I was hoping to reunite her with her family within an hour or so and stay for the rest of the evening."

"Agent Messer, it's almost six in the evening, go home," the man ordered with a smile.

"Thank you, sir," she said. She walked out of his office and collected her bag and her sister and they drove toward her apartment. As Fina was letting them into her building the phone rang. It was Micah.

"Hey, Honey," she said, ignoring her sister's look of surprise.

"Are we still on for dinner?" he asked. Fina closed her eyes in frustrated recollection.

"Oh, sweetheart, I am so sorry. Something came up with work and I had to stay later and now I have a family meeting to call, I don't think I can make it."

"Sure," he said, disappointed. His tone sent a wave of guilt through her as she realized that she was the only chance at company he had that day.

"I found Anna today," she said, trying to cheer him up. She'd written him letter upon letter after the teen had run away blaming herself, so he knew this was big, "That's what came up. I only barely convinced her to come home, and I haven't told my family yet. So, how about we make dinner into late night ice cream sundaes?"

"If you bring the fudge, definitely," he agreed, remembering the homemade fudge sauce recipe she'd perfected in high school, "I'd better let you go. I love you, Fina"

"I love you, too." Fina hung up the phone and turned to her smirking little sister. She ruffled Anna's hair affectionately then pushed her gently toward the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, Anna emerged, wrapped in a towel.

"Feel free to raid my closet for anything that will fit you," Fina said, surveying the pile of filthy clothes on the bathroom floor. Anna nodded and moved to dig through the drawers. She discarded several sweatshirts bearing FBI and NYPD academy logos until she finally found one she liked. The logo was from a community theater play Fina had been in her junior year of high school. Fina herself grabbed a sweatshirt and faded jeans and rushed off to change. When she finished, she called to make sure their three other siblings would be at their parents' house that evening.

"Fina," Anna called, "Do you have a hairbrush I can use?"

"Sure," Fina called back. She tossed it to her sister, who looked so young sitting cross-legged on the couch in the oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants. Her curtain of sun-bleached blond hair reached her waist and held none of their mother's curl. Fina sat down beside her and reached for the brush. She gently ran it through Anna's hair. They sat for a while before either one spoke.

"Fina, I'm still scared," the seventeen year old admitted.

"Don't be," Fina said. "When I say Mom and Dad still love you, I mean it." Fina pulled the brush through one more time and stood.

"Come on," she said, "We have to go have dinner."

--

Fina pulled up in front of her childhood home and practically dragged her sister out of the car. The sisters walked up the steps and were just opening the door when Gio ran up behind them.

"Anna?" he asked, incredulous. He swallowed her in his arms and held on for dear life.

"I'm so happy that you're safe," he choked. Fina knew ttthat she saw tears in the tough man's eyes. He, more than any of the girls, had felt the pain of guilt when Anna ran away. From the moment he joined their family as a streetwise four year old, he'd taken on the responsibility of protecting his baby sister, Fina. As they'd each been born, Alexis, Aiden and Anna had all been tucked under his wing.

As he held onto Anna for dear life, the door opened to reveal Alex and Aiden. When the identical twins saw their sister they screamed for joy and rushed to embrace her. Their jubilation alerted Danny and Lindsay who were at the back of the house. They slowly made their way to the door. The three older children parted ways. Lindsay's jaw fell to the floor and she opened her arms. Anna went willingly, with tears in her eyes. Mother and daughter clung to each other in the shelter and security of Danny's arms.

"You're home," Lindsay marveled repeatedly through her tears, "I'm so happy that you're home. I missed you." Gio suggested they move the reunion off of the front steps and inside. He also suggested ordering pizza for dinner.

Dinner was a joyful affair filled with laughter. Anna fit right back in to the spot they'd reserved for her in her absence and seemed comfortable. She laughed at the stories the twins told of their time in training at the police academy. She gave them a brief picture of where she had spent her time.

"Enough about me," she declared, "I want to hear about you guys. How are your love lives?" Danny and Gio laughed and excused themselves to do the dishes.

"Non-existent," declared Alex and Aiden in unison. All eyes turned to Fina.

"Don't look at me," she said defensively, "I don't have a boyfriend." Anna looked at her sister doubtfully. "I don't!" Fina asserted again.

"And I suppose you also didn't have a dinner date you took a rain check on tonight?" Anna asked.

"I was planning to have dinner with a close friend, yes," Fina admitted, "and before you ask, yes, we are meeting up for sundaes later tonight. But he's not my boyfriend." Aiden, Alex and Anna giggled. Lindsay leaned back in her chair, suspicious. Fina rose.

"Speaking of which, Ma, can I use your stove for a bit?" she asked, gathering a grocery sack she had brought with her, "I promised to bring the fudge."

"Sure, Angel," Lindsay said, growing more suspicious. Fina didn't notice her mother's gaze as she entered the kitchen. Her father and Gio were sitting at the kitchen table, pouring over an article in a forensics journal. Fina tried to make as little noise as possible as she retrieved the saucepans she needed to make her fudge sauce. She added the semisweet chocolate bars to the larger pan, and the sweetened condensed milk and the other ingredients. When the mixture was ready, she poured half of it into a second pan and added a scoop of peanut butter, stirring until it had melted, but not completely mixed in. Gio caught her eye and smiled at the peanut butter, remembering her comment about Micah's cravings days before.

"Fina," her father spoke up, "I don't think we have the ice cream for sundaes." Fina feigned shock.

"You tell me this after I've spent all this time making hot fudge?" she asked. She laughed at his expression, "Relax, Dad, I'm meeting a friend for sundaes after I'm done here. I should actually get going." She carefully poured the steaming fudge into two containers and said her goodbyes. Her father hugged her extra long and whispered that he was proud of her. The look her mother gave her said they were going to have a talk later and Anna's hug was sweet and sincere.

Fina walked into Micah's room armed with everything they'd need to make sundaes, and a couple of his favorite DVD's. She found that he already had visitors. Stella and Dan Flack rose from their places on either side of Micah, surprised to see her. Fina smiled at them nervously, unsure how much her husband had divulged.

"Hey, Fina," he said, "something smells good."

"That would be the hot fudge I just made at my parents' place," she said, grateful for something to say. She set the bags down on the table and started sorting out dishes and ice cream, thankful that she'd decided to go with packages of paper dishes and plastic silverware.

"Aunt Stella, Uncle Don, do you want some ice cream?" she asked. They both nodded. She took orders and served up sundaes to everyone. When that was finished, she realized that she had nowhere to sit. That problem was solved when Micah scooted over to make room on the edge of the bed. She perched on the edge of the bed. It was silent for a time, before Fina spoke.

"I brought some movies if we wanted to watch one," she said, rising to collect them. She read off the titles and they settled on The Princess Bride. She hooked everything up and settled back on the bed. The movie was a welcome relief because it meant they didn't have to talk or answer questions.

"You don't look very comfortable perched there, Fina," Micah commented, "You've had a long day, lean back a bit. I promise I won't bite." Fina smiled at his tactics, knowing he just wanted to be closer to her. She did settle in against the top of the bed. Halfway through the movie, her eyes became too heavy to keep open, so she closed them for a minute. Moments later she was sound asleep with her head against Micah's shoulder.

It was Stella who first noticed that she was asleep.

"Poor darling had a rough case the past couple days," she said to no one in particular, "Not to mention that Anna's birthday's coming up." Micah straightened his arm to a more comfortable position and wound his fingers in a lock of brown hair.

"Have you ever thought of dating Fina?" his father asked. Micah smiled softly.

"Let's just say that the two of us have been thinking about that together," he said. Flack smiled broadly.

"Since when?" he asked.

"The day before I deployed," Micah said. Fina stretched lazily as she stirred in her sleep. Her groggy mind didn't register that they weren't alone, so she snuggled in closer to him and kissed his neck, before falling back to a deep sleep.

"I'd say you've been doing a little more than thinking about it," the older man laughed. Micah shrugged.

"Maybe we have," he said, "But right now, that's our business." Stella and Don agreed, and they understood that he wasn't trying to be rude. They settled back in to watch the movie.

Half an hour later, the nurse made her rounds. She came into Micah's room and clucked her tongue at the mess and the visitors. Micah shook Fina awake gently.

"Hey, Corrine," she yawned, "Feel free to take the ice cream and fudge back to the nurses station with you if you want it. You'll want to heat the fudge again and tell Nate to avoid the one in the green container. It's peanut butter." The nurse laughed and stepped in to collect the treat.

"Bribery will get you everywhere," she joked, "That and the fact that your husband's a Marine." Fina and Micah flinched while Stella and Don choked on their laughter. Corrine didn't seem to notice as she turned to Don and Stella.

"I am, however, going to have to ask you two to leave," she told them. Wordlessly, they nodded and rose, still staring at the young couple in the hospital bed. Fina started to pull away from Micah, embarrassed, but he tightened his hold reassuringly. He looked back to his parents without a trace of shame.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow," he said, "When it can be all of us. We wanted to explain it to you tonight, but Anna came home so we couldn't get you all together." Don and Stella nodded. Stella moved to the bedside and kissed each of them on the forehead. She lingered next to Fina, smiling brightly. The younger woman was certain she saw tears in her mother-in-law's eyes.

"I'm not mad," Stella whispered, "I love you both. We'll talk. Get some sleep."

--

Fina woke early and carefully pulled herself from Micah's arms. It wasn't too long after that when a nurse came in with breakfast. Fina smiled at her and gently woke Micah. He sat up and they ate together, smiling the whole time. Fina laughed as he tried to force feed her oatmeal and somehow it ended up on her cheek. He leaned forward with a napkin, and wiped it off. As they were finishing up, Morris came in with a wheelchair. Fina looked confused. It was still awfully early for a physical therapist to be in.

"I asked him to come early so that we could do this together," Micah admitted. "Since I have two sessions a day, we're trying to schedule them wisely."

The physical therapy session went well and finished in enough time for Fina to get to the gym before work for an abbreviated work out. She ran into Megan on the track. She'd been jogging for a while, but invited Fina to join her.

"So," Megan said, "You found your sister. I'll bet that's a rush like none other."

"Oh, you bet," Fina enthused, "We had a nice family dinner at my parents last night, just the seven of us."

"Just the seven of you," Megan laughed, "That's my whole extended family. What was it like growing up with so many siblings?" She picked up the pace and Fina matched her stride for stride.

"Well, I always liked it, you always had a friend around to play with. Anna said that there was too much division, Me and Gio, Alex and Aiden, there was no where for her to fit in, apparently. That's going to be our biggest hurdle in keeping her home." Megan nodded solemnly.

"So did your parents come from big families?" she asked.

"My mom did, she's got five older brothers," Fina said, "My dad is one of only two kids."

"Are you close with your uncles, cousins?" Megan asked.

"What's with all the questions?" Fina asked. They ran another lap before she answered.

"My oldest cousins were teenagers when I was born, and they live in Montana, so we're not all that close. Two of my mom's brothers never got married. My dad's brother is pretty cool, but he never got married and he's still got a few residual gang ties. We're closer to the Lab family than our real family." This time, it was Fina who sped up, leaving Megan to either follow or catch up.

"Okay, this one, I've got to ask; the Lab family?" Megan said.

"My parents met when my mom transferred here from Montana to work at the Crime Lab. My dad's a CSI as well. Their team is really close and so we're all like a family. There's me and my siblings, Felicity Taylor, the four Hawkes kids and Micah Flack."

"Wait, Flack as in Detective Flack from Sammy's case Flack?" Megan asked, her head spinning at the connections she was making.

"Yeah, the only son of Don Flack and Stella Bonasera, the CSI you went toe to toe with," Fina laughed. They slowed and took the track at a walk to cool down.

"Let me get this straight," Megan said, "Your parents and your brother work for the crime lab. You are closer to the CSI's and homicide detectives than your actual family. Why did you go federal?"

"For that reason, I was too connected. That and I wanted to work missing persons." The two agents showered and dressed for the day. They walked into the room to find the office was a frenzy of activity, teenaged runaways and their weeping parents were being reunited by the dozens. Fina and Megan fought their way back to their desks, only to find they were occupied by teenagers waiting in quiet submission. Fina shook her head and walked back to the captain's office.

"What's going on?" she asked, stepping around other agents who'd taken refuge in the office.

"That runaway camp you found Faith and Anna in last night. I had the guys go back and found fifteen other teenage runaways we've been searching for. Nice work, Messer." Fina nodded humbly. The other agents looked at her with slight annoyance. This was her second high-profile case this week and this time it had invaded their turf.

"What do we do right now, boss?" one of the agents asked.

"Footwork," was the response, "Anything you can on old cases. If you can't do anything then you are on call. I'll let you know when the chaos has died down here. Messer, stick around for a minute." Fina waited as the others filed out of the room. Megan Johannes was the last to leave and she only stepped out after Fina silently told her to go. The young agent sat down in one of the chairs across the desk from the captain.

"Agent Messer, I want to talk to you about your lunch break yesterday. It was too long," he said. Fina sighed and dropped her head into her hands. The captain continued.

"This isn't a problem I've had with you before, in fact, I've often had to tell you to take a break, so when your partner approached me about you not being back, I was concerned. She told me that she's worried about you. Are you okay?" Fina nodded, but her demeanor betrayed her.

"I trust that you know you can approach me with any problems you may have," he said.

"There's just a lot going on in my life right now," she said, "But I am determined not to let it interfere with my work as an agent."

"I'm glad to hear it," the captain said, "Now, go enjoy your morning. I'll call you when I need you."

--

Fina and Micah wandered out to the hospital courtyard so that he could get some fresh air. He insisted on propelling the wheelchair himself, citing that he'd need the practice. As they meandered through the tranquil garden, Fina spoke up.

"We need to make some decisions," she said, "Starting with which apartment we're going to live in."

"Yours," he said without hesitation. He had helped her find the apartment when she'd gone apartment hunting and it was the place that had hosted all the March madness basketball nights with Gio before Micah had shipped out. He knew she was in love with the spacious apartment for its windows and proximity to her office. It was also going to be more wheelchair accessible than his third floor bachelor pad, which was a place he'd leased as a crash pad for when he was in town and an address for mail.

"Alright," she said, secretly glad the decision was so easy, "When can I spring you from this joint?"

"They say if everything goes well, as soon as I get measured for my prosthetic, so another four days or so. But I'll still need to be back here twice a day for therapy, unless the insurance will pay for home sessions, which they probably won't." Fina reached over and took his hand.

"As soon as we tell my parents, I'll talk to my captain and explain things. He's ex-military himself, so I'm sure we can work something out." Fina's pager vibrated and she reached down to her waistband to check it. She read the number and quirked an eyebrow before reaching for her phone. She looked through her contact list before nodding and dialing. Micah wrapped his arm around her waist and tickled her. She swatted his arm as Megan picked up.

"Hey, Messer," Megan said, "Do you want to do lunch?" Fina's gut reaction was to say no. She leaned against Micah's shoulder and looked up at him.

"Give me a second," she said. She moved the phone to her shoulder.

"My partner wants to do lunch, will you survive without me?" Fina's eyes nearly begged him to ask her to stay. Instead he gave her a sly smile and kiss.

"You two need to get to know each other. Go," he said, "Besides, your brother's coming over at his lunch break." Fina pouted but got back on the phone to make arrangements with Megan.

"Who was that?" Megan asked, having heard snippets of their conversation.

"No one of consequence," Fina joked. Micah feigned hurt and tickled her side in revenge. Because they had been friends since childhood, he knew, and easily found, her ticklish spot and it was all Fina could do to keep from laughing. She wrapped her fingers around his and shoved his hand away from her side.

"So," Megan said, not sounding convinced, "Do you want to do lunch?"

"Yes," Fina said, "Where do you want to meet up?" Micah seemed determined to be a pest as he snuggled his nose up against her ear and blew the hair away from it, tickling her neck. She swatted at him.

"Do you want a salad or a slice?" Megan asked, using a bit of New York slang she'd picked up.

"A slice sounds good," Fina said. They arranged a pizzeria and Fina helped Micah back to his room. She was just getting ready to leave as Gio came in with a gym bag over his shoulder and a smirk on his face.

"This just looks dangerous," Fina laughed as she collected her bag and kissed Micah. She lingered longer than usual just to annoy her big brother. In the middle of the kiss she glanced up to see Gio faking being sick. She smiled as she pulled away and gave Micah a final peck on the cheek.

"You know," Gio said, "I could have lived my whole life without seeing that and died a happy man." Fina shook her head playfully and walked out.

"Call me if you need anything," she said over her shoulder. Gio watched her go down the hallway before he opened the gym bag.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Born ready," the Marine replied.

--

The atmosphere in Ray's changed. The restaurant fell silent then slowly filled with reverent whispers. Fina turned in her chair and nearly choked on her pizza. Micah met her shocked gaze with a cocky grin. He hobbled over to her on crutches and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Are you crazy? What are you doing?" she asked, stunned. She wasn't quite sure how to react or treat him, so her hands fluttered around his shoulders, his neck, down to his fingers and back again, never settling. He grabbed one of them and held it.

"I'm having lunch with you and meeting your newest partner," he said, "And before you ask, yes, my doctor knows where I am and he gave me the crutches." Fina laughed at her husband's foresight.

"Probably after you threatened to hop around everywhere rather than using your wheelchair," she muttered under her breath. Megan watched the interchange with amusement and greeted Gio as he sat down next to her.

"Who is that?" she asked him quietly. The CSI laughed a moment before he whispered back.

"My best friend," he answered, "Who has apparently been my brother –in-law for almost a year." Megan nodded and he saw the question behind her eyes but shook his head.

"I have no idea how it happened, and they're not talking until they tell my parents, which could be a while." He said this a little louder than he meant to and Fina heard him. She stopped mid-jest and turned to him.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked. Her husband also turned his attention to Gio, having missed the initial statement.

"Mom and Dad just took two weeks off to take Anna to Bozeman. They've had the trip planned for months, they were just waiting for her to come home," Gio said. Fina's face fell and Micah rubbed her arm slowly. Their eyes locked and they held a conversation without saying anything. His hand reached up to her cheek and his thumb rubbed her chin.

"Don't worry about it, Fina," Micah whispered, "Let's just enjoy lunch." She nodded and turned to make introductions.

"Megan, you've met my brother, Gio," she said, "and this is my husband, Micah Flack. Micah, my partner, Megan Johannes." The pair shook hands and Gio walked up to order pizza for himself and Micah. The three who were left fell into easy conversation about baseball and the weather. Megan had to stop herself from asking about the leg injury and the doctor comments that had been thrown around earlier. Gio returned with the food and told Micah that the owner, himself a veteran, had given them their pizza free of charge. Micah nodded and it was then Megan noticed the Marine Corps logo on his t-shirt.

"Were you in the Corps?" she asked. Micah nodded.

"My father was a Marine," Megan said, "He lost three fingers and one of his eyes in Beirut the night of the attack on the base. He always talks about his Marine brothers with great respect. Especially the man he says saved his life, a Mac Taylor." She was so lost in thought that she missed the looks that passed between the three New Yorkers. Suddenly, Megan's pager sounded, startling everyone. She answered the page and talked to her boss for a few minutes before looking apologetically at Fina and the men.

"That was the captain," she said, "They've finally found our desks again so he wants us in." She gathered the rest of her pizza and stood. Fina kissed Micah on the cheek and did the same. The two left together, but soon realized that they had separate cars. Each drove to the office, but Megan managed to get lost along the way, arriving twenty minutes later than her partner. She had to push her way through the sea of reporters swarmed around the door. Once inside she found her partner sitting at her desk, fuming. Megan walked cautiously to the edge of the desk.

"I don't want to talk about it," Fina snapped. She had obviously lost her temper and was trying to pull herself back together. The phone began to ring. Fina just stared at it, as if she were willing it to stop ringing. When it became apparent that her partner was not planning to answer the phone, Megan reached over and picked it up, ignoring the protests.

"Johannes," she said.

"Hello, I'm Kristen Triener, with Dateline. I'm trying to reach Serafina Messer," Megan's eyebrows shot up. She looked at her partner who shook her head, drawing a finger across her throat.

"She's not currently available, but can I take a message?" Megan asked, motioning for Fina to be silent as she activated the speaker phone.

"Dateline is putting together a special on the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping and subsequent child kidnappings and I'm hoping that Miss Messer would be so kind as to grant us an interview. If you wouldn't mind asking her to call when she does get a moment that would be great. The number is 555-7549. Thank you so much and I hope you have a nice day," she said in an overly cheery voice before hanging up. Fina groaned and laid her head on her arms.

"I did not need this," she moaned, lifting her head so her chin rested on her folded hands. Megan turned a chair around backwards and sat, staring into her partner's eyes. She was shocked to find so much heaviness in such a young face, heaviness that she hadn't seen in the 23 year-old even when they first became partners. The phone rang again and Megan answered it by reaching over and turning on the speaker.

"Johannes," she said.

"This is Detective Stella Bonasera with the NYPD Crime Lab," the caller answered, "I'm looking for Agent Fina Messer."

"I'm here, Stella," Fina said, lifting her head a little higher off of the table as she spoke, "What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping to take you to dinner tonight," she said, "I thought we could talk about some stuff and it would be some good girl time." Fina gave a half smile at the thought.

"I would love to do dinner," she said, "but I have to make one phone call to make sure I didn't have any other plans." Stella agreed and they said their goodbyes. Fina made a private phone call and then called Stella back with the plans.

--

Fina met up with Stella at a shopping center near the crime lab. She was a little early, so she wandered around before settling in to enjoy a smoothie. She pulled out her ringing phone and smiled at the picture ID. With a flick of her thumb she opened the phone.

"Hey, Handsome," she said.

"I miss you, Angel," Micah responded, "Do you really have to meet with my mother?"

"After the hand we dealt her last night, I think it's only fair," she chuckled. "Does it help any if I say that I miss you too?"

"No," he said, "because I want you to be happy." Fina chuckled softly.

"How very noble of you," she said. She looked up to see Stella standing in front of her.

"I have to go, love you," Fina said in a bit of a rush, all her nerves returning. She managed a nervous smile at Stella.

"Hi," she said. Stella let out a chuckle and sat down across from Fina.

"Hi to you too," she laughed, "I'm not here to grill you or anything. I just want to spend some time with the girl I've always considered to be a daughter."

"Stella," Fina said, "Thanks for the thought, but you can't expect me to believe that this doesn't have anything to do with Corrine's little announcement last night." Stella laughed and nodded. She found that she couldn't resist asking a couple of questions

"How long have you two been together?"

"Together or married?" Fina asked, not wanting to reveal that they were actually the same day.

"Both," was Stella's decision after a moment's delay.

"Since the day before he deployed," Fina said. Her smoothie was finished, so she stood up and Stella joined her. They walked for a while in silence before stopping in front of a bridal store.

"What was the wedding like?" Stella asked.

"A quick ceremony with a JoP," Fina admitted, "We just wanted to spend as much time with each other as we had left."

"So, you were married at the going away party?" Stella asked, thinking back to the loud, cheerful bash the lab had held the night before Micah left. Looking back, it was easy to see the little things between the pair; long looks, subtle touches and quiet whispers, the traces of tears, all par for the course with the two best friends anyway. From the moment they'd met as infants the two had been inseparable, a friendship that had led to more than one black eye each in defense of the other. At six, the pair had gotten suspended, the youngest in the history of their elementary school, for standing up to a bully, and nearly knocking his two front teeth out.

"Yeah, we were," Fina admitted. Stella took her hand and pulled her in to the store.

"Stella, what are you doing?" Fina asked, laughing.

"We are going to look at wedding dresses for you," the older woman said. "You might not have had a big wedding, but your first anniversary is in two months and you two can renew your vows in front of all your family and friends. Now, let's get you a dress." Fina smiled softly through the happy tears clouding her vision at the sweet display of love.

"Okay," she said, "If Micah's up for it, I'll do it."

--