Chapter One

"So I got your results." Hawkes said as he entered Danny's office.

"And?" Danny questioned removing his eyes from his computer and looking at Hawkes.

"Guess." Hawkes said with a smirk as he waved the folder.

"Just give it to me." Danny said as he stood and took the folder from Hawkes's hand. Opening it, he read it over then looked up at him dumbfounded. "Bozeman? Ya kidding me?"

"Nope." Hawkes said slapping Danny on the shoulder. "You're the lead on the case, you make the call."

"Ugh." Danny groaned as he and Hawkes headed towards the conference room down the hall. "I swear if she picks up the phone, I'll kill you."

"It's been almost six years Danny," Hawkes laughed as Danny dialed. "She won't remember you."

"Shut up." Danny said as he waited for an answer.

"Bozeman PD." An older man answered.

"Hi this is Detective Messer from the New York Crime Lab." Danny started but was cut off by the man on the other end.

"You're calling about Lindsay?" he asked his voice not as impersonal any more.

"Ugh..No. What happened to Lindsay?" Danny asked looking over at Hawkes.

"She's missing, found her truck running on the highway, her little boy still sound asleep in the back." The man answered causing Danny to swallow hard.

"What?" Danny choked out putting the phone on speaker so Hawkes could hear.

"That was yesterday, still haven't really gotten any leads, poor little boy is stuck with her parents." The man explained.

"Little boy?" Hawkes questioned as he saw Mac passing in the hallway and waved him to come into the room.

"Gabriel, yeah, 4 years old." The man explained.

"What's this about?" Mac asked looking between Danny, Hawkes, and the phone.

"Lindsay's missing." Danny said nodding his head towards the phone. "My results got a hit in Bozeman so I called and he thought I called about Lindsay."

"How long?" Mac asked

"About 24 hours ago." The man on the phone answered. "I can send you everything we have, but it's not much."

"Do that." Mac said as he took the file from Danny. "Where's Gabriel?"

"With her parents, but Child Services is trying to get him." The man explained.

"Why?" Hawkes questioned looking at Danny who was just sitting in front of the phone with his head hung.

"She doesn't get along real well with her parents." Danny answered for the man looking up at Mac. "And her brother lives in North Dakota, sister in Wyoming."

"What about his father?" Hawkes asked watching Danny closely; Gabriel being four put his conception right around the time Lindsay and Danny split.

"We don't know anything about him, I don't think any one does." The man answered.

"Okay send us everything you have, including a picture of Gabriel, and take a sample of his DNA and run it through the system. Just in case." Mac said.

"Will do sir." The man said and got Mac's information before hanging up.

"Anything you know Danny?" Mac asked softly, not knowing what would trigger Danny in this situation.

"No." Danny said looking up at Mac. "I mean, I don't understand what you're asking me. You think he's mine?"

"I don't know, I'm simply asking if it's possible." Mac said warning Danny with his eyes to calm down. "They're going to run his DNA through the system, you're in the system as a government employee, so is Lindsay."

"Yeah it's possible, Lindsay and I." he paused trying to find the right words. "We um, weren't always thinking, you know."

"You didn't use condoms?" Mac said bluntly causing Danny to blush.

"Only when we remembered." Danny said softly avoiding looking at Mac.

"Okay." Mac said as his pager went off. "I'll let you know when the information comes through, for right now get back to your case."

"Sure." Danny said as he took the folder from Mac.

Mac sat at his computer looking over Lindsay's case file that had been e-mailed to him from Bozeman. Her truck was found on the highway, still running with a sleeping Gabriel in the back, dressed like he was going to or had played a baseball game. Lindsay's boyfriend had also not been heard of since her disappearance, Chuck Meyers.

Mac next came across several pictures of a little boy who he assumed to be Gabriel. The first was a head shot, His hair was brown the same color as Lindsay's, his eyes were a light blue that seemed darker around the outside of the iris, giving them a glow. His chin had a slight dimple in it, much like Lindsay's, his nose also appeared to be inherited from Lindsay, but his jaw was strong and the slight smirk on his face didn't belong to Lindsay.

"Detective Taylor?" the receptionist came through on the phone.

"Yeah?"

"An officer from Bozeman is on the phone for you." She finished.

"Thank you." Mac said picking up the phone. "Taylor."

"Detective Taylor we got a hit, paternity wise on Gabriel." he said through the phone. "And he seems to work in your crime lab."

"And?" Mac questioned scrolling to the next picture of Gabriel, this time he was wrapped in Lindsay's arms.

"I believe it was the same detective that called here." He started. "Detective Daniel Messer, does that sound right?"

"Yeah." Mac said. "Call me if you hear anything else."

"What about Gabriel?" the man asked before Mac could hang up. "Her parents can't take care of him, and I don't want to put him in with child services."

"I'll talk with Danny." Mac said and said his goodbyes. Closing the e-mail he headed out of his office and over to Danny's.

"Danny, we got the results." Mac said as he stood in the doorframe.

"And?" Danny asked impatiently.

"DNA confirms, you're his father." Mac said watching Danny for a reaction.

"Now what?" Danny asked looking back to his computer.

"Lindsay's parents can't take care of him, and they don't want to put him in child services." Mac explained. "A couple of us could fly out and help with the investigation while you take care of your son."