Big Yellow Taxi  series Part Three 

Tile: 'Til It's Gone
Author: MagsRose
Email: magsrose@comcast.net 
Category: Gen
Rating: FRT
Summary: Frohike and his friends deal with the loss of his daughter in a custody battle.
Disclaimers: No infringement is intended. None should be implied. No money is being made and nothing but time has been spent. This is simply a major case of 'what if'.
More Disclaimers: Emma is mine as are Michelle, Bill and all his family.
Acknowledgements: Thank you, thank you, thank you to Amy Jonas who points out the holes before I fall into them.
Background: In May of 2001, Frohike discovered that he had a daughter and that her mother was dying. After some initial hesitation, he brought the girl, Emma, home. In July, Langly discovered that Morris Fletcher was stalking Emma. She left the country with Yves while the Gunmen attempted to discover why the former MIB had an interest in the child. 
They found out that a man named William Bayne had paid Morris Fletcher for information about Emma and her mother. Upon further investigation, the Gunmen learned that Bayne was a good friend of Emma's mother and had been present at the child's birth. 
After Christmas, Frohike received a summons ordering him to bring Emma to court for a DNA test to prove his paternity. Knowing that Fletcher was involved and that his chances of a fair test were nearly nonexistent, Frohike took Emma and ran to Florida telling no one where he was going. 
A month of searching finally led the rest of the Gunmen to their whereabouts. Jimmy and Yves convinced Frohike to come home and take his chances with the courts. 
Unfortunately, the required DNA test showed that William Bayne was, in truth Emma's father and he was given custody. 



Chapter 1

Bill Bayne carried a sleeping Emma into the house. Michelle had gone on ahead to unlock the door while he unbuckled Emma from her car seat. "Where do you want her?" Bill asked as he came into the living room.

"Take her upstairs," Michelle said. "I'll be up in a second." After setting the basket of left over food on the kitchen counter, she went back into the living room and retrieved the bag of Emma's extra clothes and toys she'd left at the bottom of the stairs. 

Michelle dropped the muddy clothes in the laundry room then went to see how Bill was doing. She found him putting Emma into her bed. He had removed her shoes and overalls leaving her dressed only in her t-shirt and diaper. 

Bill turned to see Michelle standing in the doorway. He chuckled. "My god, she's filthy." Michelle came over to the side of Emma's bed and smiled down at her sleeping face. She still had streaks of mud smeared over both of her cheeks and her arms in spite of all their attempts to clean her up with baby wipes. "She's even got it in her ear," Michelle noted.

Bill chuckled again. "I considered making another attempt before laying her down but figured it would be easier to do when she woke up."

Michelle put her hand on Bill's shoulder. "I'll toss her in the tub later. Come on. I'll make you a cup of tea."

"That sounds great."


With Emma asleep, adult conversation was now possible. "Have you made the final decision on when you're moving?" Michelle asked.

"In two weeks," Bill answered. "My mother is anxious to have me back in Connecticut." Michelle grinned. She had met Bill's parents and knew how often his mother complained about how far away he lived. Noticing Michelle's reaction to the mention of his mother, Bill laughed saying, "Hey, cut my mom some slack. She just wants her family around her."

"Yes, I know," said Michelle still smiling. "I'm sure I'll be the same way with Emma; not wanting her too far away." She got more serious. "And I know your father's heart surgery scared her. You're a good son, Bill. I'm going to miss you though and so is Emma."

"My offer still stands," Bill said hopefully. "I can always use an experienced partner in my new architectural firm."

"I have commitments here. I don't want to walk away from the business relationships I've worked so hard to establish." Michelle reached across the table to take his hand. "I'm sorry, Bill, but we've already discussed this."

"I know. But I figured it couldn't hurt to try again."

Michelle stood and, picking up both their cups, took them into the kitchen. She felt like she should say more about this but that would just lead to another lengthy discussion. It hurt her as well as him to continually say no to his requests. She did care about him but her plans for the future did not include moving out of the greater Washington, DC area. 

Bill watched as she unloaded the picnic basket from their day out. He was having a difficult time imagining his life without Michelle and Emma. Although Michelle was, in all ways, careful of his feelings, she would not even consider coming to Connecticut with him. He wasn't ready to give up though. There was one more option open to him. He didn't think of it as his last chance; it was, in fact, his first choice. 



Three days later, Bill walked into Michelle's house announcing his arrival with a cheery, "Daddy's home!" Emma, dressed in a green velvet dress with lace at the neck, hem and the ends of her sleeves, ran up to him. 

"Daddy!" she yelled holding out her arms to be picked up.

"Bill," Michelle said as she walked in the room, "please, don't encourage her."

"Ah, but it's just so cute," he said holding the toddler in his arms.

"See, see!" Emma insisted while squirming to be put down.

Bill put her on the floor and gave her his undivided attention. "What is it, little one?"

Emma pulled the hem of her skirt up to her face revealing white tights and a frilly petticoat but it was her foot she held out for inspection. "She got new shoes," Michelle explained. Bill oohed and ahhed over the shiny new patent leather Mary Janes. Emma dropped her skirt and danced around in a circle enjoying the sound her new shoes made on the tile floor.

Both adults laughed. 

Michelle checked her watch. "We need to go or we'll be late." She grabbed her own coat and Emma's out of the hall closet. Bill held Michelle's while she crouched down to put Emma's on. She stood and allowed Bill to slip her coat over her shoulders. He then turned and scooped Emma up off the floor in one arm and held the door open for Michelle with the other.

She noticed his enormous grin. "What?" she asked as she walked past him out the door. 

"I'm happy," he said. "It isn't every night I get to go out on a date with my two best girls." He headed out to the car to belt Emma in while Michelle locked the door. He'd bought a baby seat to leave in his car a year earlier so that they didn't have to keep transferring the one from Michelle's car. 

With his back to her, Bill missed the look of concern on Michelle's face as she paused to watch him for a moment. 

"You coming?" he asked.

"I'll be right there," Michelle said dropping her keys into her purse and walking out to his car.


Dinner went fairly well. Michelle had been worried about taking a two year old to such a fancy restaurant but there had been a minimum of fussing. Michelle had packed a selection of quiet toys and books to keep Emma occupied. Their waiter had also supplied them with a toy Michelle had not seen before called a Magna Doodle. Emma enjoyed drawing pictures with the pencil shaped magnet but could not work the eraser bar so Bill and Michelle took turns cleaning off the board for her. 

After dinner, they sat drinking coffee while Emma played contently with her melting ice cream. She hadn't gotten any on her clothes yet but Michelle knew it was only a matter of time. "Michelle," Bill said drawing her attention away from the child, "there is something I have been meaning to ask you."

"What is it, Bill?" Michelle noticed how nervous he suddenly seemed. 

"We've known each other for a long time and have gone through quite a bit together. I cherish our relationship, our friendship. You and Emma are more important to me than any one else on this earth. It is difficult for me to imagine life without my little family." 

Thinking this was another attempt to convince her to go into business with him, Michelle interrupted his speech. "Bill, you have a family. It's one of the main reasons you're moving back to Connecticut."

He shook his head. "It's not the same. I want you and Emma with me. I don't want to see you only on the occasional weekend but every day."

"Even if we moved to Connecticut, you wouldn't see us every day."

"But it doesn't have to be that way." He took her hand, pausing to muster his courage. "You know I love you. I've loved you almost from the moment I met you. Will you marry me?"

Michelle was stunned. This was not what she expected. 

Bill continued, strengthening his argument. "I bought a large house in Hartford. It's big enough for all of us with room for more children if that's what we decide to do. It's in a wonderful neighborhood with parks and excellent schools for Emma." 

Bill reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tiny velvet covered box. He opened it and set it on the table in front of Michelle. "Bill, I…"

Emma saw the light glint off the large central diamond. "Pretty!" she said climbing onto her booster seat to grab the ring.

"That's for Mommy," Bill said pulling Emma off the table and into his lap. "But I got this for you." He took a flat, velvet covered box out of a different pocket. He flipped it open to show the toddler a tiny, gem studded bracelet. 

"Bill, that's much too expensive for her," Michelle said as he tried to wrap it around Emma's wrist. This wasn't easy to do since Emma kept trying to take it out of his hands so she could hold it. 

Michelle tried again. "Bill, this isn't necessary." He finally managed to hook the clasp on the bracelet. 

Emma slid off Bill's lap and ran around the table to her mother's side of the booth. "Mommy, see!" she said waving her arm in the air making it impossible for Michelle to get a good look at the bracelet. 

"It's very pretty, sweetheart," Michelle said picking her up and putting her on the seat next to her before turning her attention back to Bill. 

"Say yes…please," Bill continued. "It is my fervent wish that the three of us be a real family."

Michelle was silent for a few seconds. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but knew there was no way of avoiding it. "Bill, you know I love you. You are the truest, most faithful friend I've ever had. But I'm not in love with you. You know this. I told you the first time you asked me to marry you. It wouldn't be fair to you for us to get married."

Bill wasn't ready to give up. "With time I'm sure the love we share would develop into the type of love you're talking about. But until then, what we have will be enough."

"No, it won't." Michelle insisted. "How long have we known each other?"

"More than three years."

"If it was going to happen, it would have happened long before this. I'm sorry, Bill. I can't marry you."

Michelle looked around to see what Emma was doing and noticed that she was gone. She lifted the tablecloth to see if her daughter had slid onto the floor. Quickly scanning the room, Michelle stood up to see around the other diners. "Emma?" she called out tentatively, the first tendrils of panic curling around her consciousness. Bill took a few steps toward some nearby diners to ask if they had seen where the toddler had gone.

Michelle was relieved to see their waiter carrying her errant child back to their table. Michelle met him to take Emma out of his arms. "She wanted to show me something," the waiter explained. 

"I am so sorry," said Michelle. "Thank you very much for bringing her back."

"It's no bother." 

Michelle put Emma back in her booster seat and pushed it up to the table making it harder for the little girl to slide out. Bill handed Michelle a book he'd retrieved from Emma's bag. Michelle gave it to Emma who started chattering away happily at the figures on the pages.

The adults sat back down, an uncomfortable silence growing between them. Bill watched Emma with her book, a look of deep regret on his face. He turned back to Michelle. "Nothing I can say will change your mind?"

Michelle shook her head. "I wish I could tell you differently. You are a good man and I would be lucky to have a husband as wonderful as you, but over time I'm sure you would see what you're missing and grow to resent the fact that I can't give you the love you deserve." 

"My love is strong enough for both of us. It will work out."

"No, Bill, you want it to work and wanting something badly enough does not guarantee it will happen." Michelle knew she needed to end this. Her answer was not going to change and she respected him too much to allow him to continue. Closing the little box that held the ring, she handed it to him. 

"Let Emma keep the bracelet," he said taking the jeweler's box and putting it back in his pocket. "It can be something for her to remember me by." Michelle started to protest; the bracelet really was too expensive a gift for such a young child but he went on before she could say anything. "I can't go on like this," he said not looking at her. "I can't continue our relationship as it stands knowing there is no hope of someday making you my wife." 

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Michelle said, "but if that's how you think it needs to be, I will respect your wishes. Your friendship has meant a lot to me, though. I hate to lose it."

Bill carefully folded his napkin and stood up. "Let's go. I'll drive you home."

"That's all right. We can get a taxi."

"No, I won't strand you here with the baby. I'm driving you home."



The trip back to Michelle's home was silent and painful. Even Emma was quiet in the back seat. Michelle was sure she had fallen asleep but when they got to the house she was awake but somber. Bill got out of the car and came around to the passenger side. Michelle didn't wait for him to open her door but stepped out to get Emma. 

She unbuckled the straps and lifted her out of the car seat. Settling the toddler on one hip, she grabbed the bag of Emma's extra clothes and toys off the floor and turned to see Bill. Michelle stepped aside expecting him to shut the car door. Instead, he reached inside and removed the car seat. 

"You might as well keep this as a spare." 

"Please, Bill, it doesn't need to end like this," Michelle said contradicting what she had said earlier. 

Bill shook his head. "I've got to go on with my life and I think a clean break here is the best idea." 

She hesitated wanting to say so many things but uncertain how to proceed. 

"Let me help you get this up to the house," Bill said. He picked up the car seat and walked quickly to the front door. He pulled out his keys and unlocked it. Opening the door he stepped inside and set the car seat on the floor. Michelle followed him into the house and watched as he took two keys off his key chain. "Here," he said, handing them to her. She took them without comment. 

"May I," Bill asked, holding his hands out to Emma. 

"Of course," Michelle said passing the child over to him. 

He held her tightly for a few seconds relishing these last few moments with the little girl. Emma clung to his neck tired and confused by how the adults were acting. After a minute or so, Bill said, "I need to say good bye now, little one. You be a good girl for your mommy and remember that I love you." He hugged her one more time and set her down on the floor turning to Michelle.

"I'm sorry I couldn't convince you to come with me," he said. "Good bye." He would not allow himself to hold Michelle one more time; he knew that would make it more difficult to walk out the door. 

"This is it then?" Michelle asked. "We won't see you again before you leave."

"No."

"Can we visit you in Connecticut?" Michelle didn't want to lose all contact with him.

"I would prefer that you didn't."

"Oh, Bill, this doesn't need to be so final."

He shook his head in sadness. "I'm afraid it does. Good bye, Michelle." He turned and walked out the door. 

Emma watched him walk away. "Bill going?" she asked her mom. 

"Yes, Bill's leaving." 

Emma tried to follow him but Michelle grabbed her before she could get down the front steps.

"Bill!" Emma cried as she struggled to get out of her mother's arms. "Daddy!"

"You need to stay here with Mommy." 

Sensing that she was not going to win, Emma laid her head on her mother's shoulder and cried. Michelle kissed Emma's wet cheek, her own face as tear stained as her daughter's. "It's just you and me now, sweetheart."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Yves pulled into the alley where the main entrance to the Gunmen's lair was located. Their van was already there. She parked behind it to leave room for the others she knew were bound to show up when word got out about what had happened. 

She had waited when the others left the courthouse to make sure that Morris Fletcher was really gone. She also wanted to check that he was not with Bayne and Emma. She didn't want the child to see her so she had to be extremely careful. She watched William Bayne and a very subdued Emma leave the parking garage. There was no sign of Fletcher. Yves made note of Bayne's license number for future reference. 

Yves walked down the stairs to the front door of the warehouse and was not surprised to find it locked. She pressed the buzzer and waited for someone to let her in. Jimmy opened the door with an apology. "Oh, sorry, Yves, I forgot you were coming."

Yves walked in and surveyed the scene. Langly was sitting at a computer, his hands rested unmoving on the keys. She was fairly certain he didn't comprehend what he had up on the monitor. Byers was standing in the middle of the room watching Yves with a bit of a dazed expression on his face. Jimmy was at her elbow waiting for her to move, to say something. 

Shell shocked. That was the only way she could describe their condition. Although they had all considered the worst possible outcome, until it had happened they really didn't want to admit to themselves that Frohike could lose Emma. 

Yves turned to Jimmy. "Where's Frohike?" she asked in a soft voice.

"He's upstairs changing."

"Why don't you go check on him?" Yves suggested. Jimmy nodded and walked off to see how his friend was doing.

Yves turned to Byers next. "John?" she said, waiting to go on until he focused on her. "Do you think you could make us some strong black coffee? I think we're going to need it."

With those two busy, she went up to Langly and put her hand on his shoulder. He turned slowly to look at her but said nothing. The light reflected off his glasses making his expression impossible for Yves to read. "What are you working on?" she asked him. 

"Oh, um, I was going to…" he looked back at his monitor. Yves glanced at it, too. 

"Some of your villagers are dying," she said, pointing at the screen. "It looks like they need some food."

Langly glanced at the indicated group. "Oh, yeah. I need to take care of that."

Yves didn't find out if the virtual minions survived. She was distracted by Frohike's return. 

"Yves, what are you doing here?" he asked brusquely as he walked past her dressed in his usual leather vest and coat, black jeans and combat boots. He sat down at his computer. Jimmy followed along behind him like a lost puppy. He stopped by Yves.

"I found him."

"Thank you, Jimmy," she said absently, watching Frohike pull up a file on his computer. It looked like his column. 

Byers came back downstairs. "Coffee's on."

Frohike turned to look at them. "What are you all doing just hanging around like this?" he asked. "We have a lot of work to catch up on."

The other three Gunmen glanced at each other in confusion but Yves just watched Frohike. Jimmy spoke first. "But what are we going to do about Emma?"

"She's with her real father now," Frohike said focusing on his monitor. "There's nothing left to do."

Loud complaints of "What do you mean?" and "You're her father!" and "You can't let Morris Fletcher get away with this!" and "We have to do something!" echoed through the warehouse. Yves said nothing letting them vent. She knew they were all going through a grieving process but she was more concerned about Frohike than the others at this moment.

Frohike held up his hands to silence them. "Look, she's better off where she is. Bayne will give her a good home."

The others started to protest again but he continued, "You guys weren't there in that courtroom the whole time. It gave me a lot of time to think. Langly was right all along. We had no business bringing a child in here." He shook his head and turned his back on them. "She's better off where she is," he repeated. 

"Don't tell me what I said," Langly yelled, just getting warmed up. Yves grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from Frohike. "Wha…" he gasped stumbling backwards. She dragged him to the back of the warehouse. She motioned the other two to follow.

"Calm down, Langly," Yves ordered. "He's got to work through this. This is quite a loss to deal with."

"Get your hands off me, dragonlady!" Langly said jerking his arm out of her grasp. He rubbed his arm and continued to glare at Yves as he said, "He's not the only one here dealing with the loss." Langly looked to Byers and Jimmy for confirmation. Jimmy nodded sadly but Byers wouldn't meet his gaze. "And, I'm not going to wait for him to 'work through it'. I'm going to figure out how Morris Fletcher did this." 

"Go ahead and see what you can find out," Yves said. "I'll even help you but you need to give Frohike some time."

"If you guys are done talking about me," Frohike yelled from across the room. "I could use some help. We need to get this edition to the printer in two days. We're seriously behind."

"Byers, why don't you go help him," Langly said. "I'm going to check out the lab that did the DNA test." He paused before walking away. "You know, we almost had to wait until Fletcher pulled this to fight back." 

Yves shook her head and Jimmy looked confused. "What do you mean?" Byers asked.

"Until the test came back saying that Emma was Bayne's daughter, it would have been difficult to prove that Fletcher was up to no good." Langly gave an evil grin. "Now we have him. He just doesn't know it yet."

With something constructive to occupy his mind, Yves knew that Langly would be all right. She watched Byers settle in with Frohike. They began to discuss their current issue of 'The Lone Gunman'. Seeing that this would occupy them for a while, she took Jimmy aside.

"I need you to do me a favor," Yves said once she got him alone. 

"Anything," Jimmy assured her.

"Keep an eye on them for me, would you? Let me know how they're doing." Jimmy turned to look at his friends, his mentors. He nodded.

"I can do that, but does that mean you're leaving?"

"Yes, I want to track Morris Fletcher down and see what he's up to. I need to make sure he doesn't go anywhere near Emma and Bayne."

Although he didn't like the idea of Yves leaving so soon after the day's events, he said, "That's a good idea."

Yves was prepared to tell him that she had seen Fletcher at the courthouse that morning but since he seemed to readily accept that she was leaving town, she kept that information to herself. She didn't want Frohike to know and, if Jimmy didn't know it either, he wouldn't have to try to hide this fact from Frohike and the others. 

"When are you going?"

"As soon as Mulder and Scully arrive. I called them from the car on the way here."

Jimmy nodded. He seemed so downcast that Yves was tempted to stay and hope that Fletcher had crawled back into his hole and would leave them all alone. But she had already made that mistake once and now her friends were paying the price. No, she had to find him and see what mischief he was up to. 

"I want you to make me one more promise," said Yves. 

"What's that?"

"That you will not hesitate to call me if you want to talk to me anytime of the day or night." She reached up and touched his cheek. He leaned slightly into her touch closing his eyes, savoring the contact. "Can you promise me that?"

He opened his eyes and nodded. "Yes, I can."


The buzzer went off signaling the arrival of reinforcements. "I need to go now. I'll come back as soon as I can."


 

Chapter 2


William Bayne stopped his car in front of the house and shut off the engine. It had been more than ten years since he'd been here and the pain of that parting was as fresh as the day it happened. He looked over at Emma sitting silently in the passenger's seat. She was a very different child from the one who had cried for him, not wanting him to leave. 

"Emma?" She turned to look at him. "Shall we?" he asked nodding towards the house. 

Emma opened the car door and, stepping out, walked slowly toward the house. Bill trotted up and joined her walking beside her to the front door. Emma unlocked the door and opened it. There was a soft beeping from the alarm panel just inside. Emma punched in the code and the lights on it turned from blinking red to steady green. 

"That's new," Bill said trying to make conversation. She hadn't said anything since they left the courthouse. 

"My dad had it put in when Langly found out that Fletcher guy was following me."

Bill felt a pang of guilt that Fletcher had frightened her. "He wasn't supposed to talk to you like that. I'm sorry."

Emma said nothing but headed for the stairs to go up to her room to pack her clothes. Bill wandered through the house noticing several other changes. All the furniture was new; there was different wallpaper in the dining room and the kitchen had been remodeled. He was surprised at himself. Of course there would be changes. Ten years was a long time.

Even with the changes, he saw Michelle everywhere: at the table with a cup of tea in front of her, sitting at the piano singing while she played, in the kitchen making Emma a snack, and at the front door giving him a kiss goodnight. 

The pain and grief he felt when he learned of her death came flooding back. Why hadn't she called him when she'd found out how ill she was? The realization that she had so completely cut the ties between them that she could not ask for his help when she truly needed it hurt him more deeply than not being notified of her death. He knew it was his own fault for leaving like he did and insisting that there be no contact between them but still…

He glanced up the stairs. Even though Michelle hadn't felt like she could ask for his help when she was dying, at least he could honor her memory by caring for Emma, by being the father he should have been in the first place. He headed up the stairs to see how Emma was doing.

He walked past Michelle's bedroom and paused in the doorway. It didn't seem right to see Frohike's belongings strewn about the room. The only thing left of Michelle's were some of the quilts she'd made. There was one on the bed and another thrown over the back of the overstuffed chair in the corner. 

Bill could hear Emma in her room. He found her sitting on her bed with her back to the door. There was a suitcase open and empty on the bed. She turned her head slightly as she heard him enter the room. She quickly wiped her cheeks and put her glasses back on. "How's packing going?" Bill asked. 

"Um, not very well. I don't know what to bring."

Bill walked over to her closet and opened the door. "Well, your clothes mostly. I have just about everything else already."

Emma's head snapped up in surprise. "But how did you know? How could you be so sure I would go home with you?"

"I know that you are my daughter," Bill said gently. "I had no doubt that I would be bringing my daughter home." Emma was silent again showing no inclination to get off the bed. 

"Would you like me to help you pack?" he asked grabbing a handful of clothes out of the closet. 

"No, I can do it but this suitcase isn't going to be big enough."

"Do you have any others?"

"There's a big green one in the garage," Emma said, finally standing up. "I'll go get it."

"No, you go ahead and start packing. I'll get it for you."

Bill returned shortly with the suitcase that Amy had lent to Emma when they'd left Florida. Emma stuffed both bags with all her clothes. She grabbed assorted other items out of her room that Bill figured where of importance to her. She stopped for a moment to consider the collection of ribbons and metals that she'd won for dancing. "Should I bring my Highland Dance costumes?" she asked Bill. "Will I still get to take lessons and go to competitions? I know they have them in Connecticut."

"Yes, by all means! Bring your costumes," Bill said encouraged that she seemed to be considering a future with him in Hartford.


By the time Emma had gone through the house and picked up other odds and ends that she wanted to take with her, the trunk of Bill's car was full. There were also several items in the backseat. But there was one thing that would not fit in the car and it was the one object that Emma wanted more than anything to bring with her: her mother's piano.

She sat at the keyboard running her fingers over the smooth keys very much like she had the day she finally came to grips with her mother's death and managed to play the instrument for Frohike. Bill watched her, knowing how hard all this had to be. "I'm sorry, honey, but we just can't bring it. I have a brand new piano all ready for you at home."

"Please, don't do that," Emma said.

"Don't do what?"

"Don't call me 'honey'."

Bill was hurt by this request but decided to be patient. He knew he needed to give her time to get used to him. "What can I call you?"

"Emma."

"All right, I can do that. Maybe later on we can find an endearment that you won't mind."

"Maybe," Emma conceded. 

It was getting late. They really needed to leave if they were going to get home to Hartford at a decent hour but Bill wanted to ease Emma out of the house. Getting her up from the piano would be the first step.

"Would you like to play a song for me before we go?"

Emma shook her head and closed the cover over the keys. She got up and pushed in the piano bench. She walked briskly towards the front door and out of the house. 

A bit surprised at this sudden move, Bill walked just as quickly into the kitchen. He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and left it on the counter. Then followed Emma out of the house to find her in the front seat of the car. "Emma, I don't know the code and you have the keys," he said.

Emma returned to the house, set the alarm and locked the door. She got back into the car and put the keys in her backpack.

"Ready?" Bill asked trying not to sound too cheerful. He was glad that this whole mess was resolved; that he had his daughter with him at last and that they were heading home.

"Ready," said Emma with much less enthusiasm.

"It's a six hour drive to Hartford," Bill said starting the engine. "Maybe this would be a good time to get reacquainted." He pulled the car away from the curb.

"Maybe," Emma said turning in her seat to keep an eye on her home as long as possible.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Mulder and Scully took over from Yves. Scully wanted to leave William at her mother's but Mulder thought the little boy might be a welcome sight. "What if he starts asking for Emma?" Scully wondered. 

Mulder grimaced. "Good point. We'll stop by your mom's on the way there."

If the Gunmen knew they were being 'babysat', they didn't let on. The extra company was appreciated for the distractions they created. What had happened at the courthouse was discussed briefly, enough to give Mulder and Scully the pertinent details, but not much else was said about it. 

Scully went upstairs to the living area to see what, if anything, could be scraped together to make a decent meal. She heard a noise in Emma's room and decided to check it out. She found Jimmy sitting on the bed looking through a binder that was covered with stickers and small sketches. 

"Hi, Jimmy," Scully said. 

"Hello, Agent Scully."

"Please, call me Dana," Scully said pulling out the chair from the little desk at which Emma sat to do her homework.

"Okay, Dana," said Jimmy with a small smile.

"What's that?" she asked pointing to the binder.

"Emma's notebook. I'm not sure what to do with all her stuff."

"Did you ask Frohike?"

"No," Jimmy admitted, "I wanted to take care of it for him but now I don't know whether to pack it up to send to her or just shut the door. I mean, what if we find a way to get her back? She's going to need her room and her stuff."

"Do you think there's a chance of getting her back?" Scully asked gently.

"Well, sure," Jimmy said with conviction. "We work on lost causes all the time. Not that I think getting Emma back is a lost cause!" he rushed to add. "But Frohike doesn't seem to want to try right now. Langly's seeing what he can find out though…" Jimmy gave Scully a pained look. "I can't do this. Frohike needs to decide about all this stuff," he said hopelessly. "I want to help but I don't know how."

"Just be here when he wants to talk about it or do something about it," Scully said. "And I think, right now," she said meaning the room, "we should just straighten up a bit and shut the door." 

They worked together to stack up the books and papers, hang up some clothes Emma had left folded on her dresser and straightened the comforter on the bed. 

"That's about it," Scully said fluffing up the pillows. "I was going to see what I could cook up for dinner. I could use some help."

"No problem," said Jimmy. Scully left the room. Jimmy stood in the doorway for a moment. He looked around the room one more time, turned off the light and shut the door.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Bayne talked tirelessly during the drive back to Hartford. He started with how he met Emma's mother and went on from there. Emma stared out the window without watching the passing scenery. She let him talk but was determined not to listen. She said nothing thinking he might stop if she didn't respond in anyway. He asked her no questions, but rambled on and on as if he'd wanted to talk to someone about all this for a long time. 

At first Emma wished he would stop, just leave her alone in her misery but he seemed oblivious to her silence. After a while, it became clear to Emma that within the close confines of the car it was impossible to tune him out completely. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep with her head leaning against the car window. When sleep didn't come, she feigned it, hoping he would notice and become discouraged. But it didn't work.

Eventually, she had to admit that some of the stuff he was saying was of interest to her. Some of what he was sharing about her mother, she'd never heard before.

"I was so excited when your mom told me she was pregnant." At this point he had her full attention. "I've always wanted children; a big family. So when your mom said she was going to have you, I wanted to celebrate. That was the first time I asked her to marry me." He was quiet for a moment lost in his own thoughts. It was the longest pause in his monologue since they got on the freeway. 

Turning to look at Emma, he was surprised to see her gazing at him expectantly. She was waiting for him to go on. It was the first indication he'd gotten from her that she was even awake. He looked back out at the road before he continued. "I'm sure you must know what her answer was."

It was a rhetorical question, so he was shocked to hear her ask, "She said no?"

"Unfortunately, that was her answer."

"You said that was the first time. When was the second time?"

"Just before I moved to Connecticut. I asked her to come with me and bring you, of course. That was when you were two. I bought her an engagement ring and everything that time." He fell silent once more at the painful memory. Emma waited patiently for him to go on. "She said no, again. The first time it was on a whim. She had just proudly announced that she was going to have you and on an impulse I asked her to marry me. I wasn't really surprised she said no that first time. We hadn't known each other all that long but the second time… the second time hurt." 

Bill suddenly remembered that his audience was a twelve-year-old child and that he was talking about her dead mother. He quickly went on. "I gave you a bracelet that evening. I asked your mom to let you keep it when she gave me back the ring. Do you remember it?" 

This was his last hope that she had some memory from his time with them. That she might remember the evening she received it and who she got it from.

"Was is gold with little red stones on it?"

"Yes! It had rubies in it. So you do remember it."

"Yeah, I used to wear it when I got dressed up. When it got too small, my mom put it in her safe deposit box. She said that when I have a daughter, I can give it to her."

"But you don't remember when you got it? You don't remember that I gave it to you?"

"No, I've just always had it. I never thought about where it came from."

Bill was disappointed but since she was only two at the time it was a lot to expect. "Well, now you know where it came from."

But Bill did not realize what effect this information had on Emma. The bracelet was something she treasured as a small child. She begged to be allowed to wear it and when the occasion warranted it and she proudly showed it off to anyone who would look. Even as she got older, she treasured this bit of grown-up jewelry that was all hers. 

That bracelet had become too small several year earlier. Her mom had put it away to protect it, she said, but Emma knew it was to keep her from playing with it. There was no way he could have known about that bracelet unless what he said was true. He had given it to her when she was just a little kid. And if that much was true then everything else he told her was true, too, and so was everything she had heard about him from her dad.

Her dad. Who was her dad? She didn't know anymore. She wasn't sure what or who to believe. She didn't want to think about it. It was all too much to try to comprehend. She was tired and upset once again. She lapsed once more into silence and wrapping the coat Yves had given her tighter around herself, she turned back to the window. It was dark and there wasn't much too see. 

Bill understood that his moment of companionable conversation with her had passed and decided to let her be with her own thoughts for a while. He had succeeded in some small way in making a connection with her. She still had the bracelet, had fond memories of it and even knew where it was after all these years. 

It wasn't much but it was a start and he had nothing but time to build a stronger relationship with her. 




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Two days after Emma left, Frohike decided it would be safe to go over to her house and pick up his belongings. During the trial, Bayne said he intended to take Emma back to Hartford to live there with him. Frohike had no idea what would happen to Emma's house but he knew that Clarence Brown, the lawyer who served as Emma's financial advisor, would make sure it was taken care of.

"I'll go with you," said Byers.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my own," Frohike barked. His temper had not improved at all in the two days since Emma had left not that Byers expected much in so short a time. As a matter of fact, they were all sniping at each other more than usual.

"I just thought you might like some help carrying your stuff out to the car," Byers offered.

"Okay, fine. Suit yourself," Frohike said heading for the van. Byers grabbed a coat and trotted out after him. 



When they got to the house, Frohike disarmed the security system and stood for a long moment inside the front door. Byers had grabbed a couple of boxes out of the van and stood back letting Frohike steel himself for what he must be dreading. This pause went on long enough that Byers was beginning to consider saying something when, finally, Frohike stepped into the living room. He glanced around and began picking up personal items as he moved through the house: a book here, a framed photograph there, some files with research for an article he'd been working on, etc. 

Byers set a box on the coffee table and Frohike put these few items into it, then grabbed a different box and headed into the kitchen. Byers opened the door to the alcove where the TV and other electronics were kept. He sorted through the DVDs and tapes pulling out the ones he knew belonged to the Gunmen. Quite a few of them had migrated from the warehouse along with many other bits and pieces that belonged not only to Frohike but also to Langly, Jimmy and himself. Another trip would probably be necessary to get everything out of the vacant house.

Uncertain of a couple of the older DVDs, Byers went into the kitchen to ask Frohike if he thought they were Emma's. He wasn't there but Byers noticed that the door to the garage was ajar and he could hear noises out there. He headed in that general direction but stopped when he noticed a crumbled up piece of paper and envelope on the kitchen floor near the garbage can. Frohike must have aimed for the trash and missed. Curious, he picked it up and flattened it so he could read it. 


~:~:~:~:~

Mr. Frohike,


Thank you for taking such good care of Emma until I could come for her. Her mother's death must have been an enormous shock but she seems to be handling it quite well. I was pleased at the trial to hear that she met with a grief counselor in the weeks following the funeral. This must have helped her a great deal.

When her mother and I chose to end our relationship 10 years ago, we decided to make it a complete break but I was shocked and surprised that she did not contact me when she became so ill. I never intended for her to ignore the fact that I was Emma's father in a case like this. I'm sure this is why she felt the need to turn to you when she found out that she was dying. 

I spoke at length to Clarence Brown about the settling of Michelle's estate. He told me that the car had been signed over to you. Please keep it. I have no need of it and I will buy Emma a new car when she is old enough to drive.

The house is another matter. Mr. Brown informed me that the house is in your name as well as Emma's. Just as I do not need a second car, we do not need an extra house. Please feel free to use the house until Emma comes of age and can decide what she wants to do with it. It would actually be better to have someone living there so that it does not appear vacant or fall into disrepair. 

I really think it would be best if you do not try to contact her or me for any reason. Emma has experienced many unsettling months since her mother's death. I want her to know that living with me is a permanent situation and seeing you and your friends again will just confuse and upset her. To this end, I will ask the judge to issue a no contact order. 


I had Emma remove what ever she wanted to take with her from the house but if there is a need for us to return for any reason, Mr. Brown will contact you. He has agreed to be an intermediary so that it will not be necessary for Emma to endure the pain of seeing you again. 

I'm sure you can understand that I have Emma's best interest at heart. Please abide by my wishes. If, for some reason, this becomes a problem, I will not hesitate to contact the appropriate authorities.


Sincerely,


William Bayne


~:~:~:~:~



Byers folded the letter up and put it back in the envelope. He hid it in his inside coat pocket. Although the contents of the letter angered him as they must have angered Frohike, he thought it just might come in handy later.



Chapter 3



So many people! There were so many people! Emma was overwhelmed. The adults all wanted to hug her, pinch her cheeks, or pat her on the head. They told each other that she looked like this aunt or that great-grandparent turning her head this way and that to see if there was anyone else in the family she resembled. Bill had a framed picture of her mother on the wall and it was universally decided that she favored her mother the most. 

The kids eyed her cautiously wondering what this new cousin was like. They hadn't known she existed before a couple of days previous so they were cautious. Two of them were near Emma's age but they were both boys and didn't seem all that interested in talking to her. Some of the younger ones stared at her and asked her questions out of curiosity but eventually ran off to chase each other around the house until they were told to take themselves outside where such activities would not result in broken furniture. The only girl cousin who was old enough to talk was too shy to do so without her more rambunctious cousins to back her up. She retreated among the adults and watched Emma from a distance.

Emma moved to the couch in the living room and listened to the loud voices and raucous teasing in the kitchen and family room. Bill, as he was letting her call him for the time being, had said that a week was the longest they could possibly wait before the rest of the family would insist on meeting her. She glanced at her watch. It was only 1:30. The 'party' had started only a half hour earlier and she was more than ready to crawl into a hole and hide from all these strangers. 

Over all, she and Bill were doing all right. He seemed to be getting over the idea that she was no longer a little girl. He had decorated her room with stuffed animals, dolls and a canopy bed. And it was pink. Everything was pink. She didn't mind pink but this was nauseating. He had noticed her disgust and they had worked together to remove most of the frills and over abundance of little kid stuff. It helped that he'd seen what her room looked like back in DC. 

They replaced the dollhouse with a computer table and a new desktop computer. There was no internet connection on her new machine. If she wanted to go on the internet, she had to use Bill's computer in his home office with him sitting nearby. 

The poster of the Olsen twins was removed and a Harry Potter one hung in its place. Next to it was a group shot of the hobbits from The Lord of the Rings. The canopy was stripped from the bed and all the stuffed animals and dolls were donated to charity. Emma kept one stuffed cat that, for some reason, made her think of Langly. 

The doorbell rang bringing her back to the unpleasantness of the day. Bill yelled from the kitchen where he was setting out the food for a big mid-day meal, "Emma, why don't you get that? It's probably your grandparents."

Grandparents. Emma had always wanted grandparents but now she wasn't so sure. Sighing, she got up and walked to the front door. She opened it to see a couple that had to be Bill's parents. Even worn down with age, they were both still quite tall. The woman's hair was gray but the man's hair had turned pure white. Emma noted that Bill looked a lot like his father.

The elderly couple and child stood and stared at each other for those few seconds that seem to stretch into an eternity while each side waits for the other to speak. The woman finally did, "Emma?"

"Yes?" Emma said her hand still on the doorknob. 

"We're your grandparents," the old woman explained. She stepped into the house and held her arms out in an invitation to a hug. Emma complied knowing it was inevitable. When the hug lasted longer than she expected, Emma peeked out at the old man from around his wife's arms.

He smiled at her and touched his wife's shoulder.

"Estelle, don't smother the poor girl," he said. "Why don't you let her breath and tell us how she's doing?"

Estelle let go of Emma and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket to dab her eyes. "I'm sorry, dear. Your father only told us about you a couple of months ago. Waiting this past week to meet you has been very difficult. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Emma said finding her voice. 

"My name is Estelle but I'd really like you to call me Grandma, if you don't mind." Her voice broke with that request.

She was so sweet and so sincere that Emma said, "All right…Grandma." Estelle hugged Emma again. 

"I guess that makes me Grandpa," the old man said when his wife let Emma go. He sized her up and decided to go ahead and ask. "Do you have a hug for your old grandpa, too?"

Emma smiled and hugged him also. They seemed like nice people.

Emma took their coats and hung them up. They waited with mildly amused looks for her to complete this ritual. Emma was relieved they didn't say, "Oh, how cute!" because it was written all over their faces. 

They followed her into the kitchen. Bill saw his mom and dad and came over to greet them. He hugged and kissed his mother then threw his arm around his dad's shoulders turning him to face Emma. "So, what do you think?" he asked his parents with obvious pride in his voice.

"She's lovely," Estelle said. Emma looked away from them, her face turning bright red. She felt like a prize cow on display at the county fair. Seeing dirty dishes in the sink, she walked away to busy herself. 

Bill watched her go, realizing he had embarrassed her. He excused himself and came over to shut off the water. "Sorry about that. Why don't you go get something to eat? I can do these later."

"I'm not really hungry and I don't mind doing the dishes."

Bill gave her a towel to dry her hands. "I know there are a lot of people to try to get to know all at once, but you never will if you don't try." He put his hand on her shoulder and turned her away from the sink. "Go ahead," he said. "Go be sociable."

For a second she thought he was getting it. But sadly, he still seemed to think that this whole family gathering event was a good idea and that if she just put her mind to it, she would have fun. 

She did as she was told and collected some food on a plate. She tried to go back and sit in the living room, which was still relatively quiet but got caught up by one of her new aunts who insisted that she come into the family room with everyone else. Space was made for her on the couch and she was forced to sit between Uncle Raymond and Aunt Judy. At least Emma thought it was Aunt Judy. It might have been Julie but in the rush of introductions she hadn't caught all their names. 

Bill had told her he had two brothers and two sisters. Then there were the eight nieces and nephews. The two older boys were playing a video game on the TV in the corner. The three younger ones were playing a board game. Emma thought it looked like Chutes and Ladders. Their older cousin, a seven-year-old girl, was playing with them and trying to get them to follow the rules but they weren't at all interested. This frustrated her causing her to whine and complain to any adult who would listen. 

The two littlest cousins, both girls, were much quieter. The infant was asleep in her mother's arms and the 18 month old was playing happily with a Bumble Ball, which vibrated and bounced around on the carpet in the middle of the room.

Still not hungry, Emma sat on the couch with her plate on her lap. She got jostled back and forth as her aunt and uncle talked animatedly with the others in the room. She was asked the occasional question which she answered politely but not expansively. 

Someone talked the two oldest boys into turning off the Game Cube so they could watch the hockey game. This just made everyone talk louder to be heard over the roar of the crowd on the TV and in the room. The sound seemed to echo in Emma's head. Did people's voices always sound like this and she had just not noticed before? Her head started to hurt and she was finding it difficult to breath. She excused herself and got up to go use her inhaler. 

Bill watched as she set her dish on the drain board. Turning to leave, he stopped her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Sighing, she said, "I need to use my inhaler. It's up stairs."

Suddenly concerned, Bill quizzed her, "How bad is it? Should I call the doctor?"

"No, it's just bugging me a little bit but I don't want it to get any worse."

"You're using the daily inhalers, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Twice a day?"

"Yes. Can I go now before it gets really bad?"

"I'll go with you."

"No, please," Emma just wanted to get out of there, "I can do this myself."

Bill watched her closely while trying to listen to her breathe. With the noise level in the room, this was impossible. When she was a baby, nearly all asthma incidents were traumatic and required a trip to the emergency room. But now she was old enough to know her own body and tell when it was building up. He had to show that he trusted her, so even though he was apprehensive he said, "Okay, but I'll be right here if you need me."

Relieved, Emma headed up the stairs. It was cooler on the second floor and the fresher air outside the crowded room made breathing a lot easier. She took a deep breath and found that she no longer felt the need to use her asthma medication. Bill would ask though and it couldn't hurt so she used the inhaler anyway. 

She sat at her computer table knowing that she really should go back downstairs. If she didn't, Bill would come looking for her. But then, so what? Even if he did, what was the worst that could happen? He'd just ask her to come join the party.

Too restless to sit still for very long, she got up. Crossing the room she stopped to look at a framed picture of her mother that hung on the wall above her dresser. Standing on tiptoe, she reached up and took the photograph down. Taking it with her, she went over and sat on the rocking chair near the window. 

Emma looked out over the back yard. Her three younger boy cousins had given up their board game and were now chasing each other around the yard attempting karate moves that were dangerous only when the attacker toppled over tripping up his opponent. Emma watched them for a while then turned her attention to the photo still in her hands.

Michelle wasn't smiling in it but appeared thoughtful. Emma had taken the picture a year earlier, right before she learned that her mother was going to die. Frohike had blown it up for Emma to frame. 

"I wish you were here," she said softly to the image of her mother. "I miss you so much. I need you to tell me what to do." Suddenly feeling silly for talking to a photograph, Emma got up and put it back on its nail on the wall. She returned to her seat by the window and watched the little boys for a bit longer but her mind wasn't on them.

To say that she missed Frohike and the rest of the Gunmen would be like calling a hurricane a summer shower. To make matters worse, without the comfort of the people she had come to love and trust after her mother's death that loss was once again becoming unbearable. Without their support, without someone to talk to and trust to listen to all she had to say without judgment, the approaching anniversary of that horrible time was weighing heavily on Emma's mind. 

She didn't know what she could or couldn't say to Bill. Her dad had said that Bill was a good man and not to be afraid of him. So far, Bill seemed okay and Emma did believe the things he told her about her past and his. She wanted to hear the stories about her mother but without her dad around for comfort, she was having a difficult time listening to even the happiest of memories. 

Her dad. She still thought of Frohike as her dad. She swore she always would but the DNA test said that Bill was her father and her dad's lawyer said that no one could mess with the test. But her mom had said…

With so many people telling her so many contradictory things, it was impossible to know who to believe. She was even having doubts about her mother. Emma remembered a conversation she had with her shortly before she died. They had discussed the fact that Michelle had only ever lied to Emma once and that was how her mom got pregnant with her. Maybe she meant that she had lied when she said Melvin Frohike was her father. 

Emma got up and, going over to her bed, knelt on the floor.She reached under the bed and pulled out her old school backpack. 

Opening it up, she dug out the mementoes she had requested from all the guys: a Ramones t-shirt from Langly, a tie from Byers, a Highland Games t-shirt from Jimmy and the one fingerless glove she had taken from her father that last day in the courthouse. Emma laid everything on the bed. She stood looking at her collection wondering if her friends and her father missed her as much as she missed them? She hoped so then felt guilty that she had wished so much pain on those she loved. 

Emma carefully replaced the items in her backpack. She hesitated to put the glove away. She pressed it to her cheek. The glove felt smooth and the smell of the leather made it seen that her dad was close by. Reluctantly, Emma put the glove with her other treasures and returned them to their hiding place under the bed. 

She walked over to her dresser and stared at her reflection in the mirror, her mind still in turmoil. All she had been told, all she had overheard was no longer making any sense. She didn't even know who she was anymore. The face looking back at her was that of a total stranger. She'd always had a good sense of herself but now, with all these conflicting stories, she was lost, cut adrift in a world of adults who were using her for their own purposes leaving her confused and scared. 

Finally, she decided that the one person she had always trusted was the one person she should believe: her mother. Michelle had said that Frohike was her father, then that's what she chose to believe. 

It was just a matter of getting back home to him. 



Estelle refilled her coffee cup adding cream and sugar. She walked back into the family room and noticed that Emma was not there. It occurred to her that she had not seen the girl in a while. "Bill," she stopped him as he walked past her, "Do you know where Emma is?"

"No, she went upstairs to use her inhaler and hasn't come back down." He belatedly realized how much time had passed since she told him what she intended to do. Experiencing a moment of panic, he said, "I'd better go check on her. She should have come back down by now."

Estelle set her coffee cup on the table. "I'll come with you."

Bill allowed his mother to go ahead of him up the stairs but when they reached the top, he walked quickly past her and flung open the door to Emma's room. She jumped, startled by his quick entrance. 

"Emma, are you all right?" he asked quickly crossing the room to where she was sitting in the rocker by the window. 

"I'm fine," she said getting over being startled.

"You used your inhaler?"

"Yes."

"And you're okay now? No more asthma attack."

"It wasn't really an attack but, yes, I'm okay now." 

"I was worried when you didn't come back downstairs."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to be alone for awhile."

"All these people came here today to meet you. Don't you want to go spend some time with them?"

"Bill," Estelle said from the doorway, "can I talk to you?"

Bill glanced at his mother. "In a minute," he said turning back to Emma.

"I think it would be best if we talked now."

Surprised by her insistence, he gave her his full attention. "All right." 

"Out here," she said meaning the hallway.

Estelle shut the door to Emma's room once Bill joined her. "Give her some time," she said in a hushed voice. "She's gone through a lot and we are not the easiest family to adjust to."

"I waited a week," Bill said in his own defense. 

"And a week was not enough." Estelle smiled at her son. "You also have to remember that she is a teenager who lost her mother less than a year ago."

"You think that's still a problem?"

"Bill," his mother said giving him a hard look, "you still miss the woman and you haven't seen her in ten years."

Bill nodded. "Good point." He considered his mother for a moment. "So, what should I do, just let her sit in her room and sulk?"

"She's not sulking. She's trying to deal with the changes in her life the only way she can."

Sighing, Bill glanced at Emma's closed door. "How long do you think it's going to take?"

"It will take as long as it takes." Estelle said sympathetically. "There's no easy answer."

"What should I do in the mean time?"

"Get to know her. Talk to her."

"I talk to her all the time. I've told her just about everything I can remember about my time with her and her mother."

"Then maybe you need to stop talking and listen. Have her tell you what she remembers about her mother. Ask her about her self, her interests and hobbies."

"Do you think that will help?"

"It can't hurt." Estelle put her hand on her son's shoulder and pulled him toward her. She kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck." She turned to leave then paused, "Oh, and Bill, never go into her room without knocking first. It's just a bad idea." She walked down the hall towards the stairs. 

Facing the door, Bill knocked this time.

There was a pause, then a hesitant, "Come in?"

"Sorry about earlier. I was worried that you were really sick." Emma didn't say anything. Bill spun the chair at her computer table around and sat down. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Emma shrugged but said, "Okay."

Bill smiled. "My mother said that I'm pushing you too hard. That it was too soon to throw all these people at you."

Emma glanced down at the floor feeling that it would be impolite to agree with him. 

"I think she's right," Bill admitted. Surprised, Emma looked back up at him. He reached over and patted her arm. "Stay here if you want. I'll give the others your regrets." He chuckled. "There's so many of them making so much noise, it will probably be a while before they notice that you're gone." He stood up to leave. "Can I ask you to do me one little favor, though?"

"What?" Emma asked apprehensively.

"Let me know if I do it again; push you too hard that is."

"All right."

"Good." He nodded. "That's good." He stood up heading for the door. 

"Bill?" He turned to see what she wanted. "Thank you," said Emma, truly grateful for the reprieve. 

"You're welcome," Bill said closing the door behind him.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Kimmy stood outside the Gunmen's lair waiting for someone to open the door. He rang the buzzer again and stood tapping his foot impatiently. It had been three weeks since the guys had been freed of the dead weight of that kid and he was amazed that they were all still dragging around like a bunch of old grannies instead of getting on with their lives. 

Langly was no fun at all any more. He hadn't shown up at their weekly D and D games in months, not since Frohike took off with the kid. The two of them should have stayed gone as far as he was concerned. Frohike was about as much fun as a fried motherboard these days. Byers and Jimmy, who were both wet blankets on a good day, had treated Kimmy like last month's garbage since the summer. 

Kimmy missed the days of hacking through all hours of the night, porn fests and drunken debauchery. He was at a loss to explain what his buddies were going through but he knew he'd had about enough. 

He reached out to push the buzzer again only to have the door open before he could. "Geez, finally! A guy could freeze to death out here before one of you slobs manage to get up off your sorry asses to open the door!" Langly didn't say anything. Kimmy looked him up and down. Langly was dressed only in boxers and a t-shirt. "Dude, it's three in the afternoon! Did you just get up?" 

"Shut up, Kimmy! Like you've never slept through the day." Langly said letting the door shut. He engaged only half of the locks, figuring that was good enough. "What do you want?" he stared at Kimmy through bloodshot eyes. 

"You called me, ass hole. I told you I'd be here this afternoon."

Langly's sleep fuddled brain eventually registered that he had in fact asked Kimmy to come and help him. Frohike was no good. He was spending more and more time in a drunken stupor either yelling at everyone or passed out in his room. Sometimes he went out to Emma's house and slept it off there. 

"You the only one here?" Kimmy asked.

Langly scanned the workspace. "That's what it looks like." He ran his hands through his hair trying to remember the last time he'd washed it, let alone taken a shower. Kimmy seemed to read his mind. 

"You know, you really should work on your personal hygiene. The stink coming off you would kill flies at 20 yards."

Langly's retort died in his throat. He really did need Kimmy's help and mentioning the fact that the amount of grease in the other hacker's hair needed a dipstick to measure it would do nothing to help the situation. "All right, all right. I can take a hint, especially if I'm hit over the head with it. Let me go shower," he said turning to go back upstairs.

"Hey, what the hell am I supposed to do in the mean time? Sit here growing moss?"

Langly circled around and quickly typed something on one of the computers. "Here, start with this. I've got to be missing something. I've tried for three weeks to find some evidence that Stevenson Genetics is crooked. Maybe you can see something I'm not."

"Who are they?"

"They do DNA testing."

Coming over and sitting down at the computer, Kimmy glanced at the screen. He began typing but continued talking to Langly as he did so. "So, what are we searching for here? Did another president leave his mark on some intern's dress and you guys need the test to prove it?"

Langly said nothing for long enough to make Kimmy stop typing and glance up at him. "Was I right? You got inside info on 'the shrub' and you just need some hard copy to print the story?"

Shaking his head, Langly said, "No, this is personal."

"Personal? What? You got a kid now?"

"No, nothing like that but I need to know if these guys are on the up and up like the legal eagles say they are."

Kimmy finally caught on. "Oh, no! Sorry, man, but you're on your own with this. Don't you realize how much better off you are without the little princess hanging around here."

His anger at Kimmy for the part he played in losing Emma to Bayne threatened to over come Langly's good judgment. His own feelings of guilt compounded the problem. "And how is this better off!?" he yelled. "Frohike thinks his only friend is a bottle of Jim Beam. Byers and Jimmy are trying to run the paper but it's more than they can handle on their own and I'm working to prove the DNA results are a farce. How are we better off?"

"Calm down, man," Kimmy said. "You just need to relax and accept the fact that the kid is gone and move on. Why can't you just go back to the way it was? Do you have any idea how boring you were getting? Do you know how much time you spent talking about her? Jesus, if I wanted to spend my time in kiddy land, I'd go visit relatives."

Langly shook his head realizing he was never going to change Kimmy's mind. The man was just too self-centered to see that there was more to life than his own creature comforts. The addition of Emma to the Gunmen's lives had messed with Kimmy's idea of what his world should be like. In some sad, pathetic way, Kimmy was jealous of Emma and the attention she required. 

No longer yelling, Langly said, "Just go, Kimmy. I'll handle it myself. I don't know why I thought you might want to help solve the mess you made."

"The mess I made! What are you talking about?"

"You told Fletcher everything. I thought you were my friend. I had no idea what a backstabbing son-of-a-bitch you really are."

"Hey, the man paid me money up front and believe it or not, I thought I was doing you a favor. If that kid's real dad was this other guy, then you guys wouldn't be saddled with her anymore."

"Did it ever occur to you to ask if we wanted to get rid of her?"

"Well, who wouldn't?"

Langly had heard enough of Kimmy's self serving logic. "Not everyone is as ego-centric as you are." He walked over to the door and opened it again. "Just get out."

Not one to stick around where he wasn't wanted, Kimmy walked out the door. Langly engaged all the locks this time, just for good measure.




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Emma set the table for four. Bill was cooking and making quite a mess in the kitchen. Emma didn't understand how he could get so many pots dirty for such a simple meal. As soon as she was done with the table she went in and started cleaning up the mess. She took all the pans and dishes out of the sink, filled it with water and added some dish soap. Bill noticed what she was doing and said, "Thank you, Emma. You're a good daughter." He glanced at his watch. "You're grandparents should be here in about ten minutes."

He loved to use that word: daughter. In the two months since she had come to live with him, she noticed that he seemed to use that word constantly, as if saying it would somehow convince her that it was true; that by pure repetition, she would come to accept it.

And she was trying to be good. Her new school, the third school this year, was okay. She hadn't gotten into any fights or insulted any teachers. The kids were nice so that helped and the teachers were decent. She wanted her dad to be proud of her when he finally came to get her. She had no doubt that she just needed to keep her head down and wait it out. 

She had gotten used to Bill and he had calmed down a lot about the whole new dad thing. He'd really backed down from showing her off to people and paid more attention to what she felt ready to handle. 

Instead of having huge family gatherings at his house or another relative's house, he invited them over one family at a time or the two of them would go to one of Bill's brothers' or sisters' houses without the whole clan in attendance. This was not as overwhelming and Emma felt more inclined to get to know each group. 

She liked little Amy. She was the 7-year-old daughter of Bill's older brother Steven. Emma told her about her friend Amy in Florida and how someday she was going to go back and visit her and go to Disney World. Little Amy begged to go with Emma and asked her parents if she could. She got quite upset when she was told no. Bill had talked to Emma afterwards saying that she couldn't make promises to the kids that he couldn't keep. Although Emma had not invited the little girl, she said nothing to defend herself. She didn't know how he would react if she disagreed with him.

She was being good and biding her time. Her dad was coming for her. He was coming for her soon. She knew all the Gunmen were working to find a way to bring her home. She just knew it.


 

Chapter 4


"I said, go away and LEAVE ME ALONE!" Frohike yelled. He was getting tired of saying it and wished they would all do as he asked. He didn't need their help. He didn't want their help. He just wanted to be left alone. 

"You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up," Byers said turning to the other two Gunmen for support. They had been trying individually or in pairs for more than a month to get him to come back to the warehouse. Scully and Mulder had tried; even Doggett and Reyes. 

"Come on, man," Langly said, "this isn't going to solve anything." He knocked over a whiskey bottle when he swung his arm out over all the empties they had found in the garage. "This shit will kill you."

"Yeah, look who's talking." Frohike growled. "I remember telling you the same thing about an illegal substance you insisted on using a number of years back. You told me to go jump in the lake so do me a favor and find a deep one and don't bother to come back up." 

Byers noted that although his words were slurred, there was nothing wrong with his mind. This much alcohol is such a short time had to be eating away at his liver and wreaking havoc on his other internal organs. The lack of nutritious food wasn't helping either. He had lost a lot of weight and he looked far older than his 54 years. After Scully had come by to see if she and Mulder could snap him out of his alcoholic depression, she told them that it was just a matter of time before this behavior could have a permanent effect on his health. 

Looking around the room, Byers saw that Frohike wasn't the only one who was showing signs of the stress of the last couple of months. The dark circles under Langly's eyes were obvious even behind his glasses. Jimmy, who was always the most cheerful of the group, seemed far too solemn most of the time. Byers knew he wasn't up to his own usual standard. They were all over worked and not getting enough sleep. He knew they couldn't go on like this for much longer. It would be such a boost for their morale if they could just get Frohike to come back home, preferably sober.

Jimmy came over and sat on the coffee table in front of Frohike. At least they had gotten him out of bed and down the stairs. "Well, how about this. Come back to the warehouse with us. Then we'll know that you're all right. What if like you're so drunk you throw up and choke on your own puke? We wouldn't know."

"Jimmy," Frohike spoke in a calm voice that was far more threatening than when he yelled, "get away from me or I will do far worse than throw up on you." Jimmy stood and moved back to the piano bench. 

Langly tried again. "We could just drag you out of here kicking and screaming and force you to come back with us."

Frohike actually laughed at that. "I'd like to see you try it, punk. This is my house until Emma," his voice broke on her name, "comes home to claim it and I intend to be here when she does."

"You're not thinking straight," Byers noted. "That's six years from now."

"What day is it?" Frohike asked. 

Byers, Langly and Jimmy looked at each other. "It's 2003," Byers finally said.

"I know what year it is, you moron. What's the day of the month?" 

"Oh," the question had scared Byers making him think Frohike was farther gone than he had imagined. "It's April 23."

There was a short pause. "Then in five years, one month, two weeks and two days, give or take a leap day, she'll turn 18. And I intend to be here when she does." All three of them started talking at once telling him not to be ridiculous and that they needed to work on getting her home long before that.

Frohike finally had enough. He got up from the couch to go back to bed. Jimmy also got up and ran to block the bottom of the stairs. "Move it or lose it, kid," Frohike threatened. "I don't really want to hurt you but I've had about enough of all of you."

Byers and Langly came over to add their support. "Frohike, please," Byers said standing next to Jimmy. "This isn't the answer."

"Yeah, man, we know what you're going through. Let us help," Langly pleaded.

Frohike turned slowly towards Langly. His look was incredibly menacing for a man who was obviously not well. He spoke slowly but with passion. "You have no idea what I'm going through. You will never understand until you've lost a child of your own." At that he dropped his threatening demeanor leaving only his pain and grief. "Just… just go away and leave me alone." The last time he'd said it, it had been an order. This time he was pleading with them. 

Byers stepped aside and let him pass. Jimmy tried to follow Frohike but Byers stopped him by holding up his hand. "Let him go."

"But he needs our help."

Byers shook his head, his face sad as he watched Frohike climb the stairs. When he was gone, Byers continued. "He's beyond our help. We've told him what he needs to do. Now it's up to him. We're never going to be able to force him to stop drinking. He's got to want to do it himself." 

Jimmy began to protest again but Langly said, "Byers is right. There's nothing else we can do. Let's go."

Although he wanted desperately to find someway of showing Frohike what he was doing to himself, Jimmy also knew that Byers was right. 

Checking his watch, Byers said, "We're late for that stake out. We'd better get out there." He headed for the door.

"I wanted to talk to you about that," said Langly hesitantly bringing his friend up short.

"What about it?"

"I got a call from Kimmy. He wants to show me something. I told him I would let him know when we were done here."

Jimmy made a disgusted face. "Why do you want to waste your time on that guy? He's done nothing but cause us problems."

Byers was fuming. "And you waited until NOW to tell us!?"

"I heard from him just before we left. He kept insisting he has something I need to see."

Byers threw up his arms in frustration. "He's just wasting your time again, Langly, and we need you on this stakeout."

"I told him I'd meet him. You and Jimmy are going to have to do it alone. How many people do you need sitting around in the van anyway?"

"There's more to it than that and if we don't get the evidence we need, we're not going to have a lead story for the next edition." Byers frustration level was reaching its limit. First they were unable to convince Frohike to come back to the warehouse and now Langly was reneging on his promise to help with the surveillance. 

The paper was in danger of failing. They were already rerunning Frohike's columns like they did when he was in Florida and the stories they'd been printing were pretty threadbare. Byers had filed follow-ups on many of their most popular investigations but this could not go on forever. Something had to give.

"I can't do this on my own," Byers said trying to get through to Langly. "I need your help." Byers noticed the hurt look on Jimmy's face then added. "And Jimmy's help."

"I help," Langly insisted. "I'm not just dead weight you know and I'm still not giving up on proving that Stevenson Genetics is as crooked as a three dollar bill."

"But we need you today!"

"Let me go see what Kimmy wants, then I'll come out and join you."

Byers had heard enough. "Fine! Do what you want! I don't care anymore. Come on, Jimmy. Let's get out of here."

"But…" Jimmy hesitated knowing they were stranding Langly. "How is Langly going to get back?"

"That's his problem." Byers said heading for the door.

Jimmy was torn not wanting to abandon either friend. He watched Langly for a moment trying to think of something encouraging or meaningful to say but finally gave up. He ran out to the van just as Byers was pulling away from the curb. Byers saw him and stopped giving Jimmy time to climb in on the passenger side before he sped off. 



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Langly parked Frohike's Honda in front of Kimmy's apartment. He felt no guilt over borrowing the car without permission. Frohike was in no condition to use it anyway. He was thinking it might be a good idea to keep the car at the warehouse. Then Fro would either need to walk to the liquor store to buy more booze or take a taxi. It might also force him to come out to the warehouse to get the car back. Either way, it would slow the drinking down a bit. 

Ringing the bell at Kimmy's front door, Langly waited for his fellow hacker to let him in. 

"Who is it?" came a voice over the intercom. 

"CIA!" Langly said. "Open the door! You know it's me. You can see me on the screen." He flipped the appropriate finger at Kimmy's security camera.

Langly listened while several locks were disengaged. "You can't be too careful. I learned the hard way when they killed my brother."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Langly, "I was there remember."

"A lot of good that did!" Kimmy shut the door resetting all the locks once Langly was inside his darkened apartment. Not only did he keep all the shades drawn but he had royally pissed off his landlord when he installed bars on all his windows.

"At least we caught the bastard that did it."

"A lot of good that did my twin," Kimmy complained.

"Look, I had to piss everyone off to be here right now. What do you want to show me?" Langly asked stepping around all the outdated computer parts Kimmy refused to throw away insisting that he might need some of them some day. 

"Over here," Kimmy sat down at one of several computers that were set up and running in a room that most people would use to serve guests dinner. Langly found another chair and cleared the junk off it so he could sit down.

"It's the maids day off," Kimmy said while watching Langly's efforts.

"It's been the maid's day off since you moved into this place." Langly said pulling the chair up next to Kimmy. "Whatcha got?"

"That DNA testing facility you've been investigating, I checked them out after we talked about it the other day." 

This statement shocked Langly. "But I thought…" He stopped, carefully reconsidering his words. If Kimmy had found something he couldn't, it would be worth censoring himself. "What did you find?" 

"Nothing."

His hope stripped away, Langly asked, "Then what did you ask me over here for? I've got too much to do to waste my time on you!" 

"Calm down and let me finish." Kimmy turned back to his monitor which showed the commercial website for the facility. He typed a bit on his keyboard and the screen changed to show the financial statements for the company. "There's nothing here or anywhere in their records to show that they can be influenced by outside interests. I checked around and it looks like what Frohike's lawyer said was true. This place has a spotless reputation. So, I checked into all the employee bank accounts."

"I did that," Langly said.

"Yeah, well, I do it better." Before Langly could protest, Kimmy continued. "I found nothing there either. So then I looked to see if there were any unusual purchases by any of them or long absences caused by expensive vacations."

Langly sighed taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "I've covered all of this and found nothing."

"You're the one who asked for my help so shut up and listen!" When Langly didn't say anything else, Kimmy continued. "I checked to see if there were any new employees that Fletcher could have planted in there to do the job for him. No luck there either. So, I did deep background checks on everyone from the CEO down to the guy that empties the garbage in the middle of the night." Kimmy clicked through pictures of the employees, which included personal information on each of them. "This was a dead end, too. I understood at this point why you needed my help. There is nothing here. Absolutely nothing."

Kimmy held up a hand to stave off Langly's further protests of wasting his time. "So, then I thought about my conversations with your buddy Fletcher." Kimmy paused here because he would have to admit to something he never meant to divulge. "At first I didn't give him the information he wanted. When he offered me money the first time, I told him to go find another patsy. Then he started threatening me. Said he still had contacts in the shadow government groups, black ops and all that. He told me that he had proof that I've helped you guys a couple of times. That's when I buckled and figured if I was going to betray my friends I might as well get some money out of it."

"Yeah, that was a real stroke of genius. I'm surprised you didn't hold out for the highest bidder."

"He was the only bidder, brain donor, and I wasn't going down for the likes of you or your cohorts. Now, do you want to hear the rest or not?"

"Go on. What else?"

Kimmy gave Langly a long-suffering look. "I don't know why I bother but…" Kimmy focused his attention back on the computer screen. He tapped it with one finger. "You're not going to find your answers by hacking or searching the internet. You're going to have to go in there and talk to people. He got to someone in there; threatened them or their families or something. If the evidence was tampered with as you keep insisting, it wasn't done with technology; it was a good old-fashioned inside job. Someone switched the samples. It's the only explanation and if you didn't have your head so far up your ass you'd have figured this out on your own."

Langly couldn't believe he'd missed such an obvious answer to his dilemma. He knew what Fletcher was capable of. They had just been so off target since this all came down. Without Frohike to keep them on track, to force them all to take a step back and look carefully at what they knew, what they needed to find out and a plan on how to get it, they were not up to their usual level of professionalism. They were a team and without one of their players they were at a loss. 

It also didn't help that he and Byers argued almost constantly. Jimmy tried to keep things calm but that just meant they were both jumping down his throat. If Kimmy was right and they found the culprit inside the testing facility and could convince that person to confess; they could get Emma back for Frohike and life would return to normal. 



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Jimmy rounded the grassy field at the east end of the National Mall down by the Capital Building. He started back west again. He wasn't sure how many times he'd circled the enormous field. He just knew he needed to run, to try burn off the stress and frustration of the last couple of months. Langly and Byers argued constantly and now he was having trouble not joining in. He did his best to keep them apart and happy but it wasn't working anymore. They had come so close to blows the other day. It had taken a lot of time and energy to calm them both down and get them to see that what they were doing was not only pointless, it was going to destroy what was left of their business and their friendship. 

He had gotten them to agree to go and make one more concerted effort to get Frohike sober and back in the warehouse with them. If Frohike still didn't want to fight to get Emma back, that was his choice but they needed his help on the paper. And if they could get him sober, he could work through his grief and stop being so pigheaded and help them fight for his daughter. 

But the trip out to Emma's house had made it very clear that Frohike was not going to listen to them. He had given up and was willing to sit there, waiting for Emma to turn 18 and come home on her own. Jimmy was afraid that Frohike would be dead long before that. If he didn't crash his car while driving drunk or simply drink enough to make his heart stop, his liver would give out. 

There was nothing Jimmy could do. He felt terribly and utterly useless. 

He reached the western section of the Mall down by the Washington Monument. He crossed the street to continue on down past the reflecting pond and up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He didn't even pause to admire the view before starting back down the stairs to head east again. 

It was a beautiful spring afternoon in DC but this fact was lost on Jimmy. All he knew was that is was warm enough to run without a jacket but cool enough that he could keep at it for quite a while without needing to stop for water. He ran to clear his head, to help himself think of what he could do to bring his three friends back together, to help relieve the stress they were all under. 

But he could find no easy answer. It all hinged on bringing Frohike back into the fold, getting him sober and back to work. Everyone had tried to talk some sense into him but no one could get through his depression. When Agent Scully failed, Jimmy knew they were in trouble. Frohike's respect and admiration for Dana was obvious to anyone who saw the two of them together. But he wouldn't listen, even to her. She and Mulder had brought little William with them when they went to see Frohike. He had thrown them all out, unwilling to listen to a doctor's advise or the pleadings of two of his dearest friends.

Jimmy stopped running once he neared the Capitol Building again. He leaned forward, his hand on his knees breathing heavily. Noticing that the lights were coming on in the buildings around him, he straightened up and looked at his watch. He'd been running for nearly two hours and felt no better. This wasn't working. If anything, his mind was in more turmoil than when he started. Spotting a nearby bench, he walked over to it and sat down. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed her number.



Yves's cell phone rang. She picked it up and looked at the read out. "Hello, Jimmy."

"Yves, can I talk to you?"

"What is it? Is everything all right?"

There was a pause as Jimmy fought with his emotions not wanting to worry her too much. "I don't know what to do. I'm not helping them at all."

"Are Langly and Byers still arguing?"

"It's worse than that. They almost got into a fight and Frohike is going to kill himself."

"What do you mean? Has he threatened suicide?" Yves hoped it hadn't come to that but she had considered the possibility that his deep depression, which had become obvious within a month of Emma's departure, could lead to a suicide attempt.

"No! No, nothing like that. He just won't listen to us and keeps drinking. I'm not helping them. I think I'm just making it worse by getting in the way."

Yves could tell that he was at the end of his rope and talking about it over the phone wasn't good enough. She needed to see him in person. "Where are you?"

"I'm out at the Mall, down by the Capital building."

"Can you meet me?"

"I don't have my car."

"Wait there. I'll come and get you."

"Okay." Jimmy was pleased and relieved that she wanted to see him. 

Jimmy waited. With the light fading, the warm afternoon was quickly replaced by cool evening. He was sweaty from running and was quickly getting chilled.

Fifteen minutes later, his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Jimmy, I'm in my car near at the east entrance. Can you meet me here?"

"I'll be right there."

Jimmy trotted toward the gate to find Yves pulled up to the curb. She rolled her window down to scowl at him. "You must be freezing. You're drenched with sweat and you don't even have a coat."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Get in before you get sick." He ran around the car and climbed in on the passenger side. Yves pulled into traffic. 

"Where are we going?" Jimmy asked when they'd left the downtown area. 

"Somewhere you can take a shower," Yves explained. 

"I don't really want to go back to the warehouse, not yet anyway."

"That's not what I had in mind. My place is closer."




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Langly parked Frohike's car in the alley. He noticed that the van and Jimmy's car were both there. He rang the bell to be let in. Byers answered the door but didn't speak to him. "Where's Jimmy?" Langly asked. 

"Why do you care?" Byers asked obviously still angry with Langly for not accompanying them on the stake out.

"Come on, Byers. Get over it. I've got news you both need to hear."

This got the other man's attention. "You mean to tell me Kimmy actually had something worthwhile to say?"

"He did think of something I missed. Where's Jimmy? I don't want to have to explain this twice."

Byers shook his head. "He's not here."

"But his car's here."

"That just means he didn't go very far." Byers waited expectantly for Langly to tell him what Kimmy had found out. "Well, out with it."

"That DNA lab…we're going to have to go in there."

"Funky poaching? You found something worth breaking in for?"

"I wish it was that easy," Langly said. "Someone is going to have to go in undercover."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Jimmy relished the feel of the hot water on his skin. It not only warmed him up, it was relaxing. It wasn't until he shut off the water that he realized he would need to put his sweaty clothes back on. He didn't think it would be appropriate for him to sit around in Yves's apartment in nothing but a towel. 

Climbing out of the shower, he found a fresh towel on the edge of the vanity. Next to it was a pair of dark blue sweats and a matching sweatshirt. He picked up the shirt and noticed it was his size. He dried off quickly and put on the clean clothes. He looked around for the shorts and t-shirt he had on earlier and didn't see them anywhere.

It then occurred to him that Yves must have come into the bathroom while he was in the shower. He glanced at the shower curtain wondering how see through it was. Not too bad. He decided not to worry about it. 

Jimmy thought Yves's apartment would be very elegant with lots of expensive vases and little statues and other stuff that could break easily. Instead, it was really very simple. Nothing was cheap but it wasn't fancy either. There was a large plasma TV in the living room, some leather furniture and dark wooden coffee table and ones at the ends of the couches. The door to her bedroom was closed but her office door was open. 

The light was on so he peeked inside. Wow! Yves had a lot of computer equipment. Some of it he didn't even recognize. He wished he knew what it all was so he could go back and tell Langly. The hacker would probably be jealous of Yves's set up.

"Jimmy?" Yves said coming around the corner. "Oh, good, you found the clothes. I put your other clothes in the wash."

"You didn't have to do that. We have a washer and drier at home."

"That's all right. I don't mind."

Jimmy plucked at the shirt he had on. "Thanks for the clothes but where did you get them?"

Yves favored him with a sly smile. "Now, you don't want a lady to give away all of her secrets, do you?"

Jimmy had a disturbing vision of Yves's closet being full of clothes from former lovers. This thought made him uncomfortable and he stared at the floor unwilling to meet her gaze. She laughed. "I borrowed them from my neighbor. He's a little shorter than you but I figured they would do until yours were clean."

Jimmy smiled sheepishly, embarrassed by his reaction to her teasing. 

"Come on," Yves said. "I made you something hot to drink." He followed her through the living room into the kitchen. She handed him a hot cup of tea, something he didn't usually drink. He took a sip anyway and found it very good. 

"Thank you, Yves. Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome," she said walking toward a small table with two chairs near the window in the kitchen. "Now, why don't you come and sit down and fill me in on what's been going on?"



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Byers and Langly were getting worried. It wasn't like Jimmy to disappear for hours on end, especially if he didn't have his car with him. They tried repeatedly to call him on his cell phone but got no answer. They each took a vehicle and drove around the neighborhood looking for him at his usual haunts. 

"I'm calling Yves," Langly said when they met up back at the warehouse after having no luck. "Maybe she has some idea where he might be."

"It couldn't hurt," Byers said.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Since Jimmy couldn't remember exactly when he had last eaten a decent meal, Yves ordered out for one. They sat at the little table in her kitchen drinking some wine and talking. Jimmy occasionally nibbled on what was left of the bread sticks that had come with the Italian feast that, with the promise of a big tip, had been delivered in record time. 

Yves was pleased to see Jimmy slowly begin to relax as he talked about how things had gone the last few weeks. She knew most of the story from their previous conversations but he needed to tell it all, to vent and she was more than willing to listen.

Yves got up to answer her ringing phone as Jimmy poured the last of the wine into their glasses. "Hello?" she said then listened to the caller.

"Yes, I do know where he might be," Yves said. "He's here with me." Yves saw a shadow cross Jimmy's face when he realized who she was talking to. "No, I won't put him on. He's here. He's fine. He'll come home when he's ready." She walked over to Jimmy and put a hand on the base of his neck running it across his shoulders. She could feel the tension in his muscles through the heavy fabric of the sweatshirt.

Jimmy held out his hand. "It's okay, Yves, let me talk to them."

Yves shook her head at Jimmy refusing to give up the phone. "Yes, I know he doesn't have his car. I'll bring him home myself."

Yves listened again then said, "Is it vital that he hears about this now or can it wait until later this evening?" Pause. "Then you can tell us both when we get there. You two just relax; we'll see you in a little while." She flipped her phone closed. 

"I should go," Jimmy said, standing up from the table. 

"We haven't had dessert yet and I am not going to eat all that spumoni by myself."

"But if they found out something important, if they need me… I gotta go." He headed for the door. 

"Jimmy, wait!" Yves caught up with him and put her hand on the front door so he wouldn't open it. "You don't know where Metro is from here. You don't have enough money for a taxi, do you?" He shook his head. "And it's too far to walk."

He stood resolute sensing that the guys needed him but not wanting to make Yves angry with him either. "Yves, please, I need to go home." She took both of his hands in hers and stood between him and the door. 

"Let them fend for themselves for a while. For once, you need to take care of yourself. Take a little time to recharge before going back in there." She could see him hesitating. "Let's go back and sit down, finish our conversation and our wine then I'll take you back home. They said it could wait until we get there."

She studied his face. He was so sad, so worn out by all that had gone on. She missed the carefree person he used to be and deeply felt the emotional pain that nearly radiated off him. She slid her hands up his arms and pulled him into an embrace. 

He resisted at first, surprised by this move but then allowed himself to experience the pleasure of holding her so close. He inhaled the scent of her. It was like a breath of fresh air for his soul. This notion sounded corny even to him but it was the only way he could describe it. 

She loosened her hold on him and leaned out to see his face. She smiled at him. He smiled back and sensing that the moment was right, that he had permission to take it a step further, he leaned in closer. He watched as she closed her eyes just before their lips touched, then closing his, he allowed himself to be lost in the kiss. His thoughts, in that moment, were for her and no one else. 

This wasn't their first kiss, not if he counted that one at Christmas, and he could tell that it would not be the last. He hugged her again, tucking her head under his chin. He was content to just stand there and hold her.

He closed his eyes again and sighed, his mind finally released from the stress of the past two months. These few moments of peace allowed a thought that had hovered, biding its time, waiting for all distractions to abate to present itself to him. His sharp intake of breath caused Yves to look up at him. A wide grin split his face.

"I've got it," he said softly, although he felt like shouting. Yves, though slightly puzzled, was pleased to see him enlivened, his hope renewed. 

"What do you have?" she asked. 

"I know how to make Frohike stop drinking and come back to us."


 

Chapter 5


Emma sat in Bill's reception area waiting for him to get off work. On a table near the window, there were a couple of models of buildings that the architectural firm had designed. Emma thought the detail was amazing right down to the tiny cars and people. The whole thing made her think of the miniature landscape that Langly and Jimmy had built for Langly's big party after Christmas. She knew that they would love these, too.

Bill was still working in his office. Emma was pretty sure he had no idea what time it was. He'd been really busy lately. The project he was working on was running into a lot of snags, as he called them. Emma was home alone most evenings. She'd do her homework, make some dinner then watch TV. Bill would usually come home just before she'd go to bed apologetic and promising that the late nights at the office would end soon. 

Bill's mom and dad would occasionally come over with dinner or they would pick her up at school and take her to their house but Emma was more often by herself and she was lonely. Lonely enough that when Bill said he wanted to treat her to dinner out, she had looked forward to it. But, business before pleasure or whatever the saying was and Emma sat waiting and waiting. 

Her homework was done and she had finished the book she'd been reading. With nothing else to do, she sat listening to a CD. She kept dozing off though. 

Emma sat up straighter and shook her head to try to make herself more alert. She glanced at the clock and sighed. Making a decision, she stood up determined to remind Bill that she was still there. But when she raised her hand to knock on the door, she heard him talking on the phone. It sounded like he was arguing with someone. She returned to her spot in the corner of the outer office knowing it would not be a good time to interrupt him. 

She was getting a little creeped out sitting there by herself. She hadn't seen anyone in a while. The hallway was empty and all the other office windows were dark. She figured everyone had gone home. Bill's secretary, Angela, had left more than an hour earlier.

Lacking anything better to do, Emma left the office to go to the restroom. She was halfway there when the hallway lights turned off for the night. She seriously considered running back to Bill's office. "Okay, that does it. When I get back I really am going to remind him that I'm here no matter who he's talking to." She continued on her way to the ladies' room.

Shaking her hands dry because the towel dispenser was empty, Emma headed back to Bill's office. She stopped dead when someone shone a bright light in her eyes. "What are you doing in the building? We're closed for the night." It was a security guard.

Emma's most recent encounter with security guards had been horrifying. The only time she'd gone on a stakeout with the Gunmen, she'd been taken into custody. They locked her up and questioned her for most of the day. Emma had nightmares for weeks after that experience. 

She backed away from this guard. He held up a hand. "Wait. I just want to talk to you." Emma continued to move backwards down the hallway not thinking about where she was going, which was away from the safety of Bill's office. When the security guard took a step toward her, she turned and fled. 

The guard quickly caught up with her and grabbed her by the wrist. She screamed and kicked him in the shins. The intensity of her reaction surprised him and he lost his grip on her. 



Still on the phone, Bill heard the scream. He dropped the receiver and ran to his outer office. Fear tightened his chest when he noticed Emma's backpack but could see no sign of her. He rushed out into the hallway. "EMMA!!!"

"DAD!" He couldn't see her in the darkened corridor but he followed the sound of her voice.

"Emma, I'm coming." He ran down the hall. "Where are you?"

"Dad!" She was afraid; she was crying. God help whoever was hurting her!

He turned the corner and saw two figures. The larger of the two had the smaller one trapped at the end of the hall. Emma saw Bill running toward them and called out to him again. "Bill!"

"Leave my daughter alone!" Bill yelled grabbing the security guard by the arm, pulling him off balance and into the wall. Emma scooted around the man where he leaned against a doorjamb. She wrapped her arms around Bill and buried her face in his jacket. 

"Mr. Bayne?" the security guard said finally recognizing his assailant. "I'm sorry. I didn't know she was your daughter." Bill held Emma tightly. He could feel her shaking.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I've got you. You're okay." When she began to relax, he addressed the security guard. "Don't worry about it, Stan. It's my fault. I lost track of time. I should have told you we were still here." 

He loosened his grip on Emma so he could talk to her. "Emma?" 

"Yes?" she said turning a little so she could see him. With fear still evident in her face, Bill could easily see the toddler he had known so well.

"I want you to meet someone." Emma turned toward the other man but hesitated to look him in the eye. "This is Stanley Burke. He's a security guard here. Stan, this is my daughter, Emma."

Emma's usually flawless manners when meeting new people failed her. She barely managed a feeble, "Hi."

The guard, being an amiable man with children of his own, smiled warmly at Emma. "I'm sorry I scared you but, now that I know who you are, there will be no problem." 

"Okay," Emma said still clinging to Bill.

Stan turned his attention to Bayne. "Do you have a picture of her that I can show the other guards so this won't happen again?" 

"That's a good idea. I'll see what I've got in my office."

Heading back in that direction, Emma stayed close to Bill making sure that she was as far away from Stan as possible. Bill had her sit in a chair inside his office while he found a photo to give to the security guard who thanked him and left to return to his rounds. 

When they were alone, Bill sat behind his desk. He picked up the receiver he'd dropped and replaced it in its cradle. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"

Hardly over the shock of the encounter, Emma was surprised by the accusatory tone he was using. "Am I in trouble?" 

Bill realized he was handling the situation all wrong. He got up and came around his desk to kneel by her side. "No, you're not in trouble. I just want to understand what happened." 

"I was waiting like you said but I had to go to the bathroom and the lights went out. He was in the hallway and I got scared and ran away." 

"Why didn't you just tell him who you were and that you were waiting for me?"

"I didn't think… You were busy." She started crying again. "He scared me." She put her face in her hands ashamed of herself for being so stupid. 

Bill pulled her to him and held her. She didn't put her arms around him at first like she had in the hall but after a minute she turned in the chair to face him. She relaxed against him finally accepting the comfort he offered. Bill noted this small break in her defenses. Since she'd moved in, he'd felt more like a roommate than a father but this evening when she was scared she called for him to help her. 

She called him 'Dad', not once but twice. 

Soon her sobbing was nothing more than a handful of erratic hiccups finally making it possible for Bill to talk to her. "I heard what happened in Richmond so I know you've had some bad experiences with security personnel, but I want to reassure you that the guards here have only your safety in mind. I trust them all completely and know that they wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"I know," Emma said. "But it was dark and I was a little scared already because there was no one around. I was stupid. I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you come and tell me you were getting scared out there by yourself?"

"You were working. I didn't want to bother you when I could hear you arguing on the phone with someone."

Bill was a little embarrassed that she'd overheard that conversation. "I don't want you to hesitate to ask for my help if you need it and we weren't arguing. We were discussing a problem that we can't seem to agree on."

Emma looked puzzled for a second then asked, "Isn't that what arguing is?"

Bill laughed. He laughed for a couple of reasons: the crisis seemed to have passed and he couldn't disagree with her logic.

"Okay, you got me on that one. I guess we were arguing. Which reminds me; I need to call him back. He's probably wondering why I dropped the phone and ran off like that."

Bill stood up. "Are you going to be okay now?"

"I guess so."

"You only guess so?"

"I'll be all right."

Bill thought about it for a second. "I think it would be a good idea for you to meet all the security guards."

Emma's fear quickly returned. "Do I have to?"

"They're not bad men and you shouldn't be afraid of them. Let me make this phone call and we'll go out to meet the other two that are here tonight."

"Please, don't make me," Emma begged. "I don't want to talk to them." 

Bill thought for a second. He didn't want to back down from this but she was genuinely afraid. "We'll just stop and say 'hello' on the way out. Nothing more."

Emma remained silent.

Sensing her continued reluctance, he explained, "It's not a reasonable fear, sweetheart, and the sooner you face it the better off you'll be."

Understanding that she was going to have no say in the matter, Emma resigned herself to the situation. "Will you stay with me the whole time?"

"Of course," Bill said seeing another part of her armor fall away with this request for his continued protection. "I'll always be there for you when you need me."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Frohike woke from a horrible nightmare. Emma was in trouble. He heard her crying and calling out to him. He yelled her name in the dream but he couldn't find her. He only managed to wake himself up. Half asleep, he got up and wandered through the house looking for her. His alcohol hazed brain had trouble separating the dream world from reality. "Emma?" he called. "Emma, honey, where are you?"

He traveled from room to room turning on all the lights, looking in all the closets. "It's me, baby. Just tell Daddy where you are." He staggered out into the garage to find it empty. Where had he left his car? He couldn't remember. He'd think about it later because he was looking for Emma right now. She needed him. 

Her room. He hadn't checked in her room. The stairs were more of a challenge to climb up than they were to stumble down. Halfway up he stepped on the corner of his robe bruising his shins on the hardwood stairs as he fell. He got up and, ignoring the pain, continued up the stairs.

Her door was closed. She was probably in there. He hoped she was okay. 

Opening the door brought reality back into focus. He was suddenly completely awake and stone cold sober. Emma was gone, had been for a while. She would not be back anytime soon. He fought the wave of grief that threatened to throw him back down into the pit of depression. This was the reason he hadn't ventured into her bedroom since she left. He knew it would just be a painful reminder of what he'd lost.

Frohike stood holding the doorknob examining the stripped room. Her computer was still there as was her bed and the rest of the furniture but all personal items had been removed: her clothes, books, computer disks and all the little mementoes and trinkets that are only important to a child.

He entered the room and pulled the closet door open all the way. He was looking for her photo albums, the ones that were so precious to her. They were missing from their usual spot on the closet shelf but in their place was a brightly wrapped package. When he took it off the shelf, a small envelope slid out from where it was tucked under a red ribbon. He picked it up off the floor. There was one word on it. It was 'Dad'.

Frohike opened the card. It simply said, "Love, Emma," in her neat handwriting. He put the card in the pocket of his robe and broke the ribbon on the present. He dropped that on the floor as well as the paper that covered the gift. 

It was a framed picture, one of Emma and himself. They were both asleep on the couch at the warehouse. He was sitting at the end of the sofa his head propped up on one arm and Emma was leaning against him. Her legs were tucked up underneath her and he had his arm around her. Through his tears, he studied the picture trying to remember a time when it could have been taken. It had to be the night she got back from the UK. She had gotten up very early in the morning unable to sleep and begged to sit up with him and watch TV. They had both fallen asleep. One of the other guys must have taken the picture and given it to Emma without telling him. Frohike would have bet his last bottle of Jack Daniels that it was Jimmy, the sentimental idiot. 

He took the picture with him when he went back downstairs. He set it on the kitchen table, chose a relatively clean glass out of the pile of dirty ones in the sink and grabbed a fresh bottle out of the cupboard. Returning to the table, he filled the glass then picked up the photo to toast it. 

But words failed him. 

He placed the photo face down on the table and downed the whiskey in the glass before refilling it.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Byers was worried about Jimmy. It wasn't like him to take off like that. He was relieved to find him with Yves but he really wanted to talk to the Jimmy to hear for himself that he was okay. Yet Yves had been adamant. She was protecting him for some reason; protecting Jimmy from them. With more than a little guilt, Byers realized that he and Langly had been at each other's throats more than usual. Jimmy had found himself caught in the middle too many times because his two friends were taking their frustrations out on each other. 

Byers hoped that going undercover at the DNA testing facility would give them the results they needed. He wasn't sure who should go in. Frohike was out of the question. It would take a while to get him sober and up to speed if they could get him to stop drinking at all.

The more he thought about it the more Byers came to realize that it would not be a good idea for any of them to go in. Emma, in essence, lived with all four Gunmen and it might be a better idea to have someone else do their dirty work. 

The buzzer rang and Byers hurried to answer it. He was pleased to see Jimmy and Yves waiting to come in. They'd arrived much sooner than he hoped. He unlocked the door. "Byers!" Jimmy exclaimed clapping his friend on the back. 

"Welcome back!" Byers said noting Jimmy's greatly improved mood. "We were worried about you."

Jimmy grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that. I went running to try to clear my head."

"Did it help?"

"Not really. My head got clear later," said Jimmy turning to smile at Yves. 

Byers noticed the return smile from Yves. He'd seen that same smile when Yves asked Jimmy to go with her to Florida to bring Frohike and Emma home. It was so obvious to everyone else that they cared for each other. He wondered if they had finally decided to act upon their feelings. It would certainly explain Jimmy's improved mood.

"Where's Langly?" Jimmy asked as they moved into the work area. 

"He went out to the store. He should be back soon." 

"But the van and my car are both here."

Byers laughed. "He swiped Frohike's car. He's using that."

Jimmy looked momentarily concerned. "What if Frohike reports it stolen?"

Byers shrugged it off. "He'd have to sober up quite a bit to think that clearly. And that would be an improvement."

Jimmy couldn't argue with that, neither could Yves. "What was the news that just couldn't wait when you called me?" she asked.

"Kimmy finally told Langly how Fletcher go the information about Emma out of him."

"Fletcher paid him off. Right?" Jimmy asked.

Byers nodded. "He offered but Kimmy refused at first. What pushed him over the edge was Fletcher's threat that he would expose Kimmy for all the help he's given us over the years."

"I assume he took the money anyway," asked Yves. 

Byers made a disgusted face. "He's Kimmy. What do you think?"

No one needed to answer that question. 

"Anyway," Byers said coming back to the original subject. "Kimmy rechecked all of Langly's findings from his research into Stevenson Genetics and verified the fact that it had to be an inside job. There is no evidence of computer hacking to change the results. All the employee bank accounts looked clean, too. There didn't appear to be any large unexplained expenditures of money by anyone involved. This leaves only one explanation."

Jimmy looked crestfallen as he said, "That Emma really is Bayne's daughter?"

"No! Not at all," Byers reassured him. "It means that Fletcher got to someone. He found a way to threaten someone with something so horrific they switched the results by hand."

Yves nodded. "We need to go in there. We need to earn the employees' trust and get them to talk to us, to tell us their darkest secrets." She said noting Byers affirmative nod. "This is going to be a long involved process, unless…"

Yves turned her gaze on Jimmy, shook her head then became thoughtful. "It's going to take at least two people. And I'm afraid none of you will fit the bill."

"I agree but probably for different reasons," stated Byers.

Yves went on. "I'll go, if you don't mind." She paused to see if either of them had any objections. When she didn't get any, she went on. "But we still need one more person. Someone with very specific qualifications."

"I'll go, too," Jimmy offered.

"No. You're not the right person for this," Yves said before Byers had a chance to veto the idea. "I need someone with the ability to infuriate people quickly and completely." She lifted one eyebrow at both of them. "I need Kimmy."

~*~*~*~*~


"What do you mean, you need Kimmy? He'll never agree to this," Langly insisted when he got home. "You know how anti-Emma he is. He's not going to do anything that will help bring her home."

Jimmy, usually the last one to defend Kimmy, found himself doing just that. "He double checked your hack for you and told you the truth about Morris Fletcher. You said yourself that he owes us."

"I'm sure he figures he's all paid up on that one," Langly pointed out. 

"Then we'll pay him," Byers said. "Money tends to motivate Kimmy to do 'the right thing'." 

"I don't know," Langly said. "Why him anyway? We could get Mulder or someone else."

"We want fast results on this and I am going to need a way to quickly build a trusting relationship with the people at this facility. With Kimmy there, I should be able to establish an instant rapport with everyone else."

"I just don't see how Kimmy can help get them to trust you."

"It's simple human nature," Yves said with a half smile. 



The idea was discussed at length; all aspects were considered. Langly finally agreed to call Kimmy who surprised them all by agreeing to the plan with very little fuss. Langly figured it was the offer of payment and the assurance that there was absolutely no chance he could get hurt.

That settled; Jimmy unveiled his plan to get Frohike sober. Langly and Byers were less enthusiastic about it than he was but both agreed it had a better chance of succeeding than anything they had tried so far. 

Jimmy asked Langly to hack into Frohike's private files on the older man's computer so he could locate the phone number he needed to put his plan into effect. 



Yves stood up and glanced at her watch. It was late and there was nothing further to be done until the next day when they could set their plans in motion. "Well, boys, I need to get some sleep." She paused and considered the group of men sitting around her. Making a decision she said, "Jimmy, can you walk me to the door?"

Jimmy's big grin made a verbal response unnecessary. He rose to accompany her. 

Byers and Langly exchanged raised eyebrows and got up so they could see the two of them at the door. Fully aware they were being watched; Jimmy unlocked the door for Yves. "Do you want me to walk you out?" Jimmy asked.

"No, I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night then," he said. 

"Good night," Yves said moving closer to him. 

Jimmy took her in his arms and they shared a short but sweet goodbye kiss. Releasing him, Yves smiled and inclined her head toward their audience. "I hope they don't tease you too much."

"Don't worry about it," Jimmy chuckled. "I can handle them." He held the door for her as she exited then watched the monitor as she climbed the stairs.

He walked back into the work area to find Langly and Byers deeply involved with their computers. He sat down facing the one Yves had been working at and waited for the comments he knew they were dying to make. He was pleased that Yves wanted their developing relationship out in the open but now he had to deal with the fall-out.

He didn't have long to wait. "So, um," Langly ventured first, "the ice lady melteth?"

Jimmy turned in his chair. "She was only an ice lady to those who deserved it," he said.

"Ah, come on," Langly went on. "How long have you been chasing her? Pretty much since the day you met her," he said answering his own question.

"No, because the first time I met her was when she broke in here when you guys were out. And besides, I never chased her," Jimmy insisted. "I was just patient and stayed near by until she noticed me."

Byers smiled. "Well, you're lucky she finally noticed then. Maybe it would have happened sooner if you'd worn a sign that said, 'Love sick puppy for sale'."

Jimmy seemed to seriously consider Byers for a moment. "You know, that might have worked. Why didn't you suggest it sooner?" He kept a straight face knowing it would only bother them more if he didn't allow their ribbing to get to him. 

Since teasing was getting him no satisfaction, Langly decided to give in to his curiosity. "So when we called, you were at her place?"

"Yes."

This admission piqued Byers's curiosity. "Where does she live?"

Jimmy paused. Yves had not asked him to keep it a secret but they hadn't discussed it either. "I think you'll have to ask her that," he said. This mysterious stuff was kind of fun and he loved watching the other two squirm for once.

"Oh, come on," Langly whined. "You were gone most of the afternoon and all evening. What did you two do the whole time?"

Jimmy was really beginning to enjoy himself and played it for what it was worth. "Oh, well…we, um…talked."

"Talked!" the blond hacker said indignantly. "What could you two possibly have to talk about for that long? Come on. We're your buds; it's time to fess up."

Jimmy stood up and stretched. "You know, Yves was right: it's time for bed. A good night's sleep after a very busy day is an excellent idea. I got quite a work out this afternoon. I'm going to sleep like a log."

Langly and Byers shared amazed glances before rushing to block his way up the stairs. 

"Whoa there, big guy!" said Langly. 

"You don't get to make a comment like that and leave without an explanation," Byers insisted.

Jimmy feigned ignorance. "What do you mean?" Yes, this was a lot of fun.

Langly was growing impatient. "Come on, man. You know perfectly well what we mean." He gave Jimmy a knowing leer. "Did you and the dragon lady do the nasty?"

"Langly, don't be so crude!" Byers admonished his friend knowing a more delicate approach would be necessary since Jimmy was in love with Yves. He smiled apologetically at Jimmy. "We're you're friends, Jimmy, and we care about you and Yves. You have to admit this makes us more than a little curious as to how your relationship is developing."

Jimmy paused dramatically and said, "You were the one who said it first, Byers. A gentleman never tells." He took the opportunity their stunned silence gave him and, brushing past them, climbed the stairs two at a time leaving them to wonder.




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




"I'm sorry, Emma," Bill said for the fourth time. "I just can't leave town right now. It's a six-hour drive one way. We'd have to spend the night and with the problems we've been having on this project right now, I have to be available if they need me at the construction site. I can't be gone that long."

Emma knew he was telling her the truth but that did nothing to assuage her disappointment. She wanted to visit her mother's grave. In a little more than a week, it would be one year since her mom died. 

"Maybe in a month or two," Bill went on. "We could both take a couple of days off and really spend sometime in DC. You could visit your old friends from school or go see Mr. Brown. We have a standing invitation for dinner at his house, you know."

"Yes, I know." She sounded so dejected. He knew she'd been missing her mom more and more as the anniversary of her mother's death grew nearer. He also couldn't fool himself into thinking that she didn't miss the man she'd thought of as her father for all those months. Bill strongly suspected that her desire to go to DC was also a wish to see Melvin Frohike. 

It was this certainty that, until now, had kept him from asking his parents to take her into the capital for the weekend. But he was beginning to reconsider. Emma seemed to genuinely like his parents. Maybe she would be okay with them on such a trip. He'd better ask them what they thought about it before he got Emma's hopes up. He didn't think they would mind but he had learned it was better to be sure about something than to disappoint her if things didn't work out.

"Are you done?" Bill asked pointing at Emma's dinner plate. 

"Yes," she said standing and taking her dishes to the sink. Bill brought in his own and returned to the table to get the rest. Emma started loading the dishwasher. 

"I can do this," said Bill coming back with the serving bowls. "Did you finish your homework?" 

"No," Emma lied. She had finished her assignments when she got home from school but this false answer gave her a good reason to duck out and go to her room by herself.

"Why don't you go do it now?" Bill said taking a dirty pan out of her hand. 

"Okay," Emma said turning to go. 

Bill watched her leave the room and sighed. He turned back to the sink wondering how he had deluded himself into thinking that having a daughter would be a life fulfilling experience filled with joy and Hallmark moments. He knew there would be some rough patches but sometimes it seemed that all they had were rough patches. 


Emma retreated to the relative comfort of her room. In this space, she felt closest to those people she missed the most. Here were her belongings from her own home: the quilts her mother had made, her photo albums, her mementoes from all the guys and other small items that made her room the only place in the whole house where she felt like she belonged.

She sat down at her computer and inserted a disk containing some of the pictures she had taken with her digital camera. She set the computer to play them like a slide show. Sitting back in the chair, she watched as the familiar faces flashed past. She stopped the flow of pictures now and then to consider some of the images: everyone at her table on Thanksgiving, the picture of herself and Yves at the piano on Christmas Eve, Jimmy and Langly opening gifts in their pajamas while wearing the stocking caps and neck scarves they had just gotten and Frohike laughing about something with Byers.

Emma shut down the program and took the CD out of the machine. She sat staring at her distorted reflection in the disk. She didn't understand why her dad and the guys had not come for her before this. Surely they must have found out how that Fletcher guy cheated on the test by now. Why were they making her wait so long? She wanted to go home and she was tired of hoping that each day would bring the news that all this confusion was cleared up and her real father was coming for her.

She planned on being home in time to go visit her mom's grave one year from the day she died. She wanted to buy roses to put by her mom's gravestone. Although Frohike had offered several times to take her out to the cemetery to visit the grave, Emma had declined so she had not been there since the funeral. And now that she couldn't go whenever she wanted, she discovered that she really wanted to. But Bill kept insisting he was too busy. 

Emma made a decision. She wasn't going to sit around and do nothing anymore. If the adults couldn't get it together to find a way to bring her home, then she would just take care of it herself. 




Chapter 6


Early one morning, about a week after Yves and Kimmy had procured jobs at the DNA testing facility, the phone rang in the warehouse. Byers answered it with his usual "Lone Gunmen group. John Byers speaking."

"Hi, John. It's me, Emma." 

Dumbstruck, Byers said nothing as his mind raced. Upper most in his thoughts was the fact that they had all been told to have no contact with Emma.

"John? Are you still there?" Emma said concern obvious in her voice.

"Emma," Byers finally said. "Hi! How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are all of you guys?" She didn't sound upset as he might have expected but more cautious or apprehensive.

"We're good." 

"What have you been doing?" she asked.

"Going on stake outs, interviewing people…you know, the usual," Byers said. "How about you? How is your new school?"

"It's okay. It's just a regular school. I haven't gotten in any fights though." She sounded proud of herself. 

"That's good to hear, Doc. Are you taking dance lessons?"

"No. We keep talking about it but we haven't found a teacher yet. Bill says that he'll do it really soon."

"Speaking of Bill, does he know you're calling here?"

There was a short pause.

"Is my dad there?"

"Your da…" Byers cut himself off momentarily confused by the question. "No, he's not here." He didn't offer any more information. A snag had developed in Jimmy's plan to sober Frohike up but they still intended to follow through with it as soon as possible.

"I've tried calling the house but no one answers. Do you know when he'll be home?"

"He'll be gone for a few days."

"Oh, no! He can't be gone. I need him to come and get me!" Apprehension was replaced by agitation.

"Come and get you? Where are you?" Byers glanced at his watch. It was a little after 9:00 AM. She should be in school.

"I'm at Westfarms Mall and I need him to come and get me." Byers was once again speechless. Emma continued. "I tried to get a bus ticket or a train ticket to come home but they wouldn't sell it to me over the phone without a credit card. And they said I was too young to buy it in person without a parent with me."

He had to ask. He was afraid of how she would react but he had to ask. "Emma, did you run away from home?"

There was silence on the line for about ten seconds. "That's not my home. My home is there with you guys. Please, John, I can't get an answer on Dad's cell phone either. I have to talk to him." She sounded desperate. 

"But Bill's going to wonder where you are. He's going to be worried and start looking for you."

"He works late almost all the time. He won't notice until tonight that I'm gone. That's why I need to talk to my dad now. If he comes right away I can be most of the way home before Bill knows I'm not there."

"But then what? It doesn't sound like you've thought this through."

"I don't know. I just want to come home!" She was getting upset. "Please, John, I gotta talk to my dad!"

Byers couldn't tell her the truth about Frohike. "Why don't I come and get you?" It was the only thing he could think of to keep her from asking for Frohike anymore.

"You'll do that for me? You'll come all the way out here?"

Byers closed his eyes, knowing this lie was going to hurt. "Sure, Emma. Then you can be waiting here when your dad comes home."

"Thank you, John," she said with relief evident in her voice.

"What will you do until I can get there?" 

"I'll stay here at the Mall. There's lots of things to do. Do you want me to meet you in the parking lot?"

"No, pick a spot inside."

"How about in front of Nordstroms?"

"All right." He checked his watch. "I can be there at about 3 o'clock. What are you wearing so I can spot you quickly?"

"You know what I look like."

"It's been a long time since I've seen you. Who knows? You may have dyed your hair and grown six inches."

"I haven't changed that much but I've got jeans and a green t-shirt on," she said. "Oh, and the red leather coat Yves gave me."

"I shouldn't have any trouble recognizing you in that. Make sure you're in front of Nordstroms at three o'clock."

"I will. Thank you, John. Tell everyone I'm coming home."

"I will. Good bye."

"Bye. See you soon."

Byers hung up the phone, deeply regretting what he had to do next but he could see no alternative. He looked up the number for the Hartford, Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Dialing the number, he sat impatiently waiting for someone to pick up the line. 



Langly came downstairs to find Byers still on the phone. "Do you have an email address to which I can send you a picture of her?" Langly looked over Byers's shoulder as he typed an address onto the screen. It was mgray@ hartforddcf.org. Accessing the network, Byers perused some of the digital photos that were stored on the server. Finding a likely choice, he attached it to the email and hit send.

Puzzled, Langly asked, "Hey, why are you sending out a picture of Emma?"

Byers covered the receiver with his hand. "Hang on. I'll explain in a minute." He removed his hand. "Okay, it's sent. Can you check to see if you got it?" He waited while the person he was talking to looked for incoming mail. He glanced up at Langly who was still expecting an explanation. "I got a call from Emma."

"What?" Langly exclaimed. "Why didn't you let me talk to her?" 

"I didn't…" he began before cutting himself off. "Yes, I'm still here. Did the picture come through all right?" he asked waiting for a response. "Good. It was taken four or five months ago. I also included my phone number if you have any questions."

Jimmy also came downstairs and joined Langly in waiting for Byers to get off the phone. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this but can I ask you for one more favor? Will you call me and let me know she's okay, that she's safe?"

Since Byers couldn't answer his questions, Langly turned to Jimmy. "He said Emma called."

"When?" Jimmy asked.

"I don't know. That's all he had time to tell me."

They both turned expectantly to Byers as he hung up the phone. He hesitated to tell them what had happened because he knew they were not going to like it. "Well, out with it, Byers," Langly insisted. "What's going on?"

"As I said, Emma called. It was about 20 minutes ago."

"I'm surprised Bayne let her call," Jimmy noted. "I thought he didn't want us to talk to her at all."

"He didn't let her call. She ran away from home."

Both men started talking at once.

"Oh, no! Is she okay?"

"Where the hell did she go?"

"What did you say to her?"

"Where is she? She's not living on the street is she?"

Byers held his hands up to get them to stop shouting at him. "Hang on and let me explain." He waited until he had their attention. "I talked to her, like I said, and she's fine. She's at a big shopping mall outside Hartford. She called here to get Frohike to come and get her."

"Man, he's in no shape to drive anywhere," Langly said. "Besides he can't. I still have his car."

"He's not even answering the phone," said Byers. "Emma tried calling there first."

"What the hell was she thinking?" Langly fretted. 

"She wasn't thinking, not much anyway. She planned ahead enough so Bayne won't miss her until late this evening. She skipped out of school and he's been working late."

"What are we going to do?" Jimmy asked. "We gotta do something." Both men looked earnestly at Byers hoping he had a solution.

"I told her I would come and get her."

Langly seemed relieved but Jimmy didn't. "What will we do with her when you've got her? She can't stay here. Frohike's in no shape to take care of her."

"We can do it until he gets his act together," Langly insisted.

"And what? Hide her in the warehouse?" Byers asked. "Bayne would get a court order and you know it. This is one of the first places he'd look.

"Then why did you tell her you would go pick her up?"

"I lied to her," Byers said with a pained expression on his face. "I didn't want to but it was the only way I could guarantee that she would stay where she was until someone could come and take her home."

"So, you called Bayne," Langly shouted, "and told him where she was? What if he's like… being mean to her and that's why she ran away and you just handed her back to him? What kind of a solution is that?"

"Calm down. I didn't call Bayne. I called DCF."

"Why DCF?" Jimmy asked.

"The Department of Children and Families: they'll send a social worker out there to find her." 

"Oh man, Byers! I always said you were a nark and you just proved it." 

"Langly!" Jimmy jumped in appalled by this harsh comment. "That's not fair!"

"He turned her in to the authorities. That's what a nark does!" He refocused his anger on Byers. "And if the suit fits…"

"If you think I was so wrong," Byers said, "tell me what you would have done."

"I wouldn't have lied to her," Langly insisted. "She's expecting you to come and rescue her and who is she going to see? The cops!"

Jimmy tried yet again to get Langly to realize that he was being unnecessarily hurtful. "Come on, Langly; lay off Byers. He was just doing what he thought was right."

"What HE thought, not what we thought. He didn't even ask our opinions on this. He just went ahead and decided for everyone." Langly once again turned his attack on Byers. "Did you even consider telling Frohike what's going on? Knowing Emma is in trouble could have shaken him out of his drunken stupor. What if you just screwed up our one good chance of snapping him out of it?"

Byers was sick of the argument, his patience worn thin by Langly's unending harangue. "It would be nice to have Frohike here to deal with this AND with you. I don't need you constantly questioning my decisions when I'm only doing what needs to be done." 

Langly started to say something but Byers continued, cutting him off. "We have to be careful not to do anything that might weaken Frohike's chances of getting Emma back. If he knew she was out there waiting for him, I don't think we could stop him from going to get her."

Jimmy stepped between the two men trying to block their views of each other. His only hope at this point was to distract them before they took it too far. "Guys, can we focus on what is really important here: making sure that Emma gets somewhere safe."

"That's what I was doing when I was so rudely interrupted," said Byers.

"That's what you thought you were doing," Langly retorted. "What you were really doing was betraying her trust. I hope you can live with that, Byers. She may never forgive you." 

"Langly, please," Jimmy begged. "This isn't helping at all."

"Don't worry about it, Jimmy," said Byers in a quiet voice. "He's probably right and I knew that when I lied to her and made the call to DCF." This shut Langly up.

There was silence in the warehouse for a few seconds before Jimmy asked what Langly didn't. "Then why did you do it?"

Byers sighed and said, "Even if she does grow to hate me over this, at least I'll know she's safe and right now that's all I can hope for."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Emma hung out in the mall for the next couple of hours. She did a lot of window-shopping but went into very few stores. She did step into a bookstore to buy something to read while she waited. She found a quiet area at the end of one hallway where there were some seats in the middle of the aisle between the stores. She sat down to read.

After an hour or so, she set the book down. Her stomach was growling. She hadn't eaten much breakfast and it was going to be a long drive to get home. She decided she'd better get some lunch before Byers arrived. She checked her watch. She had a little more than three hours before she needed to meet him outside Nordstroms.

The mall didn't have a food court but they did have a Burger King. This was not her favorite fast food restaurant but it would do. She got a burger, fries and some root beer but had to wait for a couple of minutes for someone to finish eating so she could sit down. 

She took out her book to continue reading while she ate. 

After only a couple of minutes, a woman approached her and said, "Excuse me. Is this seat taken?" Emma looked up at the large, matronly woman. She seemed to be in her late fifties or early sixties. She had long gray hair loosely tied in a bun at the back of her head and was holding a tray of food. The woman smiled expectantly at Emma. 

"No, go ahead," said Emma pointing at the empty chair across from her before returning to her book.

"Thank you," the woman replied. "This mall has so few restaurants and this place is always crowded. I hope you don't mind sharing."

"No," Emma said wondering just how chatty her dining partner was going to be. "I had to wait for a table, too." She took another bite out of her burger and returned to her book.

"You know, you look to be about the same age as my granddaughter. Would you like to see a picture of her?"

Emma tried very hard not to sigh as she looked up from her reading and watched the woman bend over to dig around in her enormous bag to locate the photo. Finding it at last, she passed it over the table. 

Emma politely took it and examined the girl in the photo. Her hair was as long as Emma's had been before she cut it over the summer. "Her name is Lauren. She's in the fifth grade. What grade are you in?"

"I'm in the seventh grade."

"Oh, so you're a little older then." 

Emma passed the picture back to the woman. "Your granddaughter is very cute." Emma didn't really have an opinion about the girl but she'd met enough grandparents to know that they all thought their grandkids were adorable.

"Thank you. I think she is. She and her mother live with me. She's in school right now." The woman studied Emma for a few moments. "I hope you don't mind my being a little nosy but how come you're not at school?"

Emma was prepared for this. She knew that her presence in the mall on a school day might cause someone to ask questions. "I'm on spring break. My mom and I are visiting from out of town. She's shopping but I got hungry."

She was proud of the fact that she'd thought up that last part while she was talking. She felt it was a nice touch.

"Oh," the woman nodded in understanding. "My name is Maxine by the way," she said holding her hand out across the table. 

Emma hesitated knowing that even under normal circumstances it was not a good idea to tell a stranger her real name. "My name is Anne," Emma said using the name she'd gotten used to while she and her dad were in Florida. She hesitantly shook Maxine's hand. With people all around, she figured she was safe enough.

"It's nice to meet you, Anne." 

"It's nice to meet you, too," Emma replied. Then, hoping not to have to answer any more questions, she returned to her book and her meal.

They ate in silence for a while. Emma tried to read but the woman's presence and the fact that she kept watching her made it difficult for Emma to focus on what was on the page. She gave up and closed the book to concentrate on finishing her food so she could leave. 

Maxine took this as an invitation to start up the conversation again. "So, where do you live?"

Emma had not planned her lies that far ahead. She tried hard not to appear nervous but had trouble coming up with a quick answer. "I, um, I live in Florida." 

"Well, this must be a real change of scenery for you. Are you enjoying your stay in Hartford?"

"Yes, it's very nice here."

"How long have you been in town?"

"A week."

"When are you heading home?"

"Today," Emma said with a smile, pleased to be able to say that.

"You seem happy," Maxine noted. "You must be just a little bit homesick."

"I guess so."

"It's hard to be so far from home, isn't it? You don't get to see your friends and all the people you love." Maxine paused before going on as if lost in her own thoughts. "And there's nothing as comforting as your own home in your own neighborhood where you know everyone and everyone knows you."

Emma didn't say anything. She knew there was no way this woman could have any idea how close to the mark she was hitting.

"Everything that is familiar and comfortable seems so far out of reach and you can't wait to get home to where you feel safe and loved. And you think, 'If I could just get home, everything will be all right. I won't have to worry about anything ever again'."

Maxine went on carefully observing Emma at this point. "But we don't always get what we want, do we?" 

Emma could no longer look at the woman as she spoke. Her eyes were filling with tears. She wished Maxine would just stop talking. "Please, don't," she whispered. 

If Maxine heard, she didn't let on. "Sometimes other people decide for us what is best and, even though we don't agree, we get no choice in the matter. Has that ever happened to you?"

Emma kept her head down; she didn't even nod or shake her head.

Maxine knew then that it was time to stop pretending and tell the truth. "Emma, I'm from the Department of Children and Families. Your friend, John Byers, sent me to find you."

Emma finally looked up at Maxine; her eyes reddened with unshed tears. "He did? He's not coming?" 

"No, sweetheart, he's not." Maxine slid a different photo across the table towards her. Emma glanced at it, surprised to see that it was a picture of herself. She remembered when it was taken so knew it wasn't a fake. There was an email message attached to it. "John said you would understand the note so you would know I wasn't trying to trick you."

The message said simply, "What's up, Doc?"

Emma read it believing it was from Byers. He was the only one who called her Doc. This was too much; she had endured too much. She put her head down on her arms on the table and cried. 

Maxine moved to the chair next to her and pulled a strand of Emma's hair out of the catsup into which it had fallen. She moved the tray out of the way and, using a napkin, did her best to clean Emma's hair. She then sat rubbing her back until she could finally speak.

"Why did he lie to me? Why didn't he come get me like he said he would? I thought he was my friend."

Maxine knew this would come up. "He didn't want to lie to you. His only concern was that you would be safe and would stay put until I could come and find you." Emma used a napkin to wipe at her running nose. Maxine once again dug around in her bag and pulled out a small pack of Kleenex and handed it to Emma. "Use this," she said. 

"Thank you," said Emma. She knew that she was no longer in charge; that she was trapped and was once again at the mercy of the adults and what they thought was best. "What happens now?" she asked.

Maxine was a bit surprised at this direct question. "Now, we can go back to my office and call your dad."

Emma's whole demeanor changed in an instant. "You mean it? You'll call my dad?" then it just as quickly changed back. "Oh, you mean Bill."

"Yes, Mr. Bayne," Maxine confirmed. Understanding that there was more here than John Byers had time to tell her, Maxine took one last sip of her soft drink. "Are you done with your food?" she asked the downcast Emma.

"Yes." 

Maxine took the two trays and stacked them with all the trash on the top tray. "Let's go. My car is not far from here."

Emma said nothing on the drive to the DCF office. When they arrived, Emma found a bustling office full of people on the phones, talking to each other and filling out paperwork. There were a couple of other kids in the office but they were with their moms. 

There was a conference room in the back of the office. Two of its walls were glass from midway up to the ceiling. It was in this room that Emma waited for Bill. 

Maxine talked to her for a while, asking her a lot of questions about her life with Bill and with the Gunmen. Emma was hesitant at first to tell her too much but after a while came to trust Maxine and spoke freely. 

After nearly an hour, Maxine had to leave Emma to her own devises when other concerns could no longer wait. She would have a few things to say to Bill when he arrived though. 

Emma made no attempt to keep herself entertained. She simply sat and watched the ebb and flow of people through the office. Maxine came to check on her now and then and so did a man named Sean. He brought her a bottle of juice and chatted amiably with her reassuring her that 'her dad' would be there as soon as he could. 

Bill must have been out at the construction site or he would have been at the office shortly after Emma and Maxine got there. Although she was dreading what he would have to say at least she would have somewhere to go that she could consider home. 

She wasn't all that sure she was welcome in Washington DC anymore. She hadn't been able to talk to her dad and John wouldn't say where he was. It was like he was hiding from her. Even on a stake out he always had his cell phone with him so if she really needed him, she could talk to him. Maybe he didn't want to talk to her anymore. 

Maybe none of them wanted to talk to her anymore. No one had tried to call her or write to her or even email her.

Bill kept a close eye on her internet use at home. When he wasn't there, the password protection on his computer made it impossible for her to go online. But Bill did not consider the fact that the students had internet access at school. Emma was able to check her old email account. She'd received lots of messages from her friends at her old school but there hadn't been a single message from any of the guys or her dad. 

This silent treatment bothered her and made her all that much more desperate to get home. Had they forgotten about her already? Were they even trying to find a way to bring her home? Surely one of them, Langly or her dad at the very least, would have found a way to get a message to her, even if it was through one of her school friends. 

And John had lied to her. 

He never lied to her. In the past, if he couldn't tell her the truth, he just didn't answer her. He never sugarcoated things or told her what she wanted to hear unless it was the truth. 

He didn't love her anymore. That was the only explanation. And if John didn't love her anymore and her dad was trying to avoid her…

Then she had a terrifying thought. What if Bill didn't want her anymore either? Maybe that was why he was taking so long to come and get her. Maybe he wasn't coming at all. She hadn't been very nice to him all these weeks. He was trying hard to be a good dad but all she did was complain and ask to do things that were unreasonable, like to drive all the way to Washington DC just so she could put flowers on her mom's grave.

Where could she go if he didn't come to get her? What would happen to her? 

Why did her mom have to die? Life had been so easy with her mom. It had just been the two of them. They loved each other and took care of each other. 

She missed her mom so much.

Emma started to cry again. She shifted in her seat so that her back was to the glass wall. She didn't want anyone to see her blubbering like a baby.





After a two hour drive, Bill arrived agitated and anxious to see Emma and didn't appreciate the woman who wanted to talk to him before he would even be allowed to see her. 

"She's my daughter and I will deal with her as I see fit," he insisted.

"She ran away from home and is likely to do it again unless you can get to the core of her unhappiness. Has she told you of her life before she came to live with you?" Maxine asked.

"We talk about her mother all the time."

"How about the man she lived with before you got custody?"

"That we don't discuss. I don't want her to idealize her life with those men and encouraging her to talk about them will only remind her of a time she'd be better off forgetting."

Maxine shook her head. "That's where you're wrong. It was a difficult time for her and she derived a lot of comfort from those relationships. Minimizing their importance and refusing to allow her to express her grief over the loss of those friends is having the opposite effect. It's all she thinks about and it is her dearest wish to return to them. If you want her to look to you for comfort and guidance, you must understand that these men were a part of her life and will always be important to her. If you don't accept this, she will never be happy in her life with you."

Bill never considered this possibility. Maxine had given him a lot to think about but she wasn't done.

"Emma says you work late a great deal."

"Yes. It's been unavoidable."

"And is this normal? Do you usually spend so much time at the office?" asked Maxine.

Bill could sense where she was going with this line of questioning and tried to cut her off. "It is my responsibility to make sure the job gets done right. I do what needs to be done to insure that a project is completed on time. It's one of the downsides of running my own business."

"But you have other responsibilities now. Children take a lot of time, too. Isn't there someone else you can trust to take on some of this work so you can spend time with your daughter."

She was right although he wouldn't admit it. He did have a couple of extremely competent project managers who would willingly handle the extra workload and could use the overtime. "Can I see my daughter now?" he asked.

Maxine could see she was getting through to him and felt he would make more of an attempt to be the kind of father Emma needed. "She's in the conference room." Maxine stood up. "I'll show you where that is."

Bill followed her through the maze of desks and file cabinets to the back of the office. Maxine pointed to the conference room. Bill could see Emma sitting with her back to the door. She had her head down on her arms. Bill paused with his hand on the doorknob. He took a deep breath calming his emotions before attempting to talk to her. He opened the door and went inside.

Figuring it was Maxine or Sean again; Emma didn't sit up or even open her eyes. Bill sat down in the chair next to her and put his hand on her back. "Emma," he said softly, "Are you ready to go home?"

"Bill?" Bayne was surprised to notice that she seemed relieved, sad but definitely relieved. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"I was," he said, "but not so much anymore. What you did was dangerous. I was very worried."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to go visit my mom's grave."

"Are you sure that's all this is about?" Emma looked away ashamed to be caught in a lie, or a partial lie at least. "Or is there another reason you were trying to get back to Washington DC?" When she didn't answer, he went on. "Maxine told me you tried to contact Melvin Frohike but only talked to one of his associates."

Emma was amazed to hear him say Frohike's name. He had told her shortly after she moved in with him that he thought it would be best for her not to talk about him and the other Gunmen at all. "He wouldn't answer the phone. The only one I could talk to was John." She stopped for a moment choking on her emotions. Bill waited until she could talk again. "He said he would come and get me but he didn't. He called here instead." 

"He did the right thing," Bill said leaning into the table so he could see her face better. "He knew it was dangerous for you to hang out in a public place by yourself like that. There are a lot of evil men out there who look for young girls who appear to be alone and either kidnap them or hurt them thinking no one will miss them." Bill knew what he was saying was a little harsh but it was true and scaring her at this point might keep her from trying a similar stunt later on. 

He didn't know if he succeeded with Emma but he did manage to scare himself. An image of her raped and mutilated body lying in a cold pool of water came unbidden to his mind. It seemed to burn the back of his eyes bringing with it emotions that refused to be contained. 

He placed his hand over hers on the table. "Please," he said. Emma looked up at him noticing the tears in his eyes. "Please, tell me you won't do this again. I'll take the time off so we can go on that trip to visit your mom's grave, if you'll just promise me you won't do something so dangerous again." 

Overcome by all the emotions she'd experienced since the morning, the realization that Bill really did care what happened to her hit Emma very hard. Remorse for how she'd treated him and gratitude that she had someone who loved her brought her back to the verge of tears herself. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry I made you worry and I promise to never run away again." She got up to wrap her arms around his neck. He hugged her tightly relieved that she finally seemed to understand how much she meant to him.

His voice husky with emotion, he said, "I love you, Emma. I always have. I have loved you from the moment your mom told me she was pregnant with you. Can you forgive me for being a rotten dad?"

"You're not a rotten dad," Emma insisted. "I'm just a rotten kid."

Bill laughed. "Sounds like we belong together then."

Emma stood back so she could see him better. She smiled then laughed herself. "Maybe we do," she admitted before hugging him again.



Sean approached Maxine where she stood watching the reunion in their conference room. "You have that smug look on your face again, Maxine."

"And which smug look would that be, Sean?"

"The one that says, 'job well done'."

"Why yes, I think that would be it. I know it's the one I was going for."

Sean crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the desk near Maxine to watch the father and child himself. Maxine looked over at him. "Don't you have something better to do?"

Sean shook his head. "Not right now."

Maxine chuckled. "Me either."




Chapter 7


Yves waited, more impatiently than usual, for someone to open the door into the warehouse. When Langly finally did, she stalked in and tossed the bag of clothes she was carrying on a chair. "I'm going to kill him!"

Byers came over to see what all the commotion was. "What did he do now?"

Yves visibly collected herself before answering. "He told everyone we were engaged and that I was pregnant with his love child." Yves shivered. 

Langly tried not to laugh but the snort that escaped his clenched lips was impossible to cover up. 

"Yves, he's supposed to be unbearable to be around," Byers said. "That was the point of taking him in there with you."

"Yes, well…he doesn't have to do such a good job of it."

"But is it working?" Jimmy asked coming into the room. Yves didn't even turn to look at him but a slight upturn of her lips showed her pleasure. Jimmy walked over to her and took her in his arms. They kissed, doing a proper job of it. 

Langly rolled his eyes but Byers still enjoyed the novelty of seeing them together. He was pleased that Jimmy's patience had finally paid off.

"Yes, it is working," Yves said still wrapped in Jimmy's embrace. "I have the complete sympathy of everyone in the facility."

"So, they're talking to you?" Langly asked. "Telling you their darkest secrets and those of their coworkers?"

Yves picked up the bag she had set down. She dug around in it pulling out a lab coat and a small tape recorder that was designed to be worn under her clothes. "I have three possibilities. The first one is Michael Nelson. He's a tech that processes the tests. Rumor has it he sleeps around on his wife. She is a no nonsense daughter of a preacher and will no doubt take a pound of flesh as well as half his assets if she finds out."

"Possibility number two is another technician. Her name is Daria Rhinegold. She's a single mother with two kids, one of whom is disabled. I'm hoping it's not her but I wouldn't put it past Fletcher to prey on someone in her situation."

"The third is the one I consider to be the front runner: Joshua Bramwell. He had a serious drug problem about six years ago. He worked hard to get clean and sober. Succeeded, too. But now, there is a great deal of concern that he is using again."

Yves held up the tape player. "I made tapes of several conversations." She handed it to Langly. "Listen to it and tell me what you think."

The phone rang and Byers went to answer it while Langly popped in the tape. Unfamiliar voices filled the warehouse making it impossible to hear who Byers was talking to. He put the caller on hold and came over to where the others were listening to the tape. "Can you shut that off for a minute?" Langly obliged. Byers turned to Jimmy. "It's her. She's back in town."

Jimmy quickly picked up the phone nearest him. "Hello? Yes, it's me."

He listened. "Yes, it's all true and we really could use your help." Byers watched Jimmy's reactions hoping for some hint of what was being said. "All we really need is for someone he trusts to go in there and tell him that what he's doing is going to kill him. He won't listen to us."

Langly was starting to get twitchy, waiting for Jimmy to get off the phone. "Sure, I'll come with you. No problem. So, you'll do it?"

Jimmy's wide grin and thumbs up told them that the answer was yes. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to us."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Bill climbed the stairs heading for bed. It had been a few days since he'd brought Emma back home. Things were going all right, better than they had been as a matter of fact. He wondered that it had taken a crisis to bring them closer together. 

Reaching the top of the stairs, he turned the corner to go to his room. He stopped when he noticed a soft light coming through Emma's partially open door. He glanced at his watch. It was after midnight. She must have fallen asleep with the bedside lamp on. 

He silently opened her door the rest of the way and peeked inside. Emma wasn't asleep. She was lying in bed with her back to him and she was reading. Bill stopped where he was and knocked softly on the door. He didn't want to startle her. 

She turned in bed and squinted at him. "Yeah?"

"It's a school night. Do you know what time it is?" Bill asked coming around her bed. 

Emma glanced at the clock. "Oh, wow! It's late. I was reading and lost track of time."

Bill decided not to play the hard ass dad. "What are you reading?" Sitting up in bed, Emma flipped the book closed to show him. " A Wrinkle in Time: I remember that one," said Bill taking the book out of her hands. "I had to read it in…I think it was high school. Is this assigned reading?"

"Yes."

Maybe he was going to have to play the hard ass dad after all. "Please, tell me it's not due tomorrow," he said with a pained expression on his face.

Emma laughed at him. "No, I just really like it."

"When are you supposed to have it read by?"

Emma looked over at the clock again. "Let's see. It's tomorrow already so I still have… two weeks, five days, ten hours and about forty minutes," she replied with a mischievous grin. "And I've only got like five more chapters to go."

"All right," Bill said chuckling. "I get the point: you've got it under control." He set the book on her nightstand. "But it's definitely time for you to go to sleep." 

"Yes," Emma said yawning now that she didn't have the story to keep her mind active and alert.

Bill lifted the covers so she could slide back down. "Do you want me to tuck you in?"

"No. I'm too old to be tucked in."

Bill acted surprised. "What? No, you're not," he said. "It's a time honored tradition. If the dad does it just right, it makes it that much more difficult for the daughter to get up in the middle of the night thereby disturbing the dad who is just trying to get some hard earned rest. Come on; lie down. I'll show you."

Emma obliged him by lying flat in the bed and pulling the covers up to her chin. Bill started at the foot of the bed and worked his way up tugging on the blankets and pushing them between the mattress and the box spring. 

Emma watched him and laughed saying, "You're as stubborn as…" She stopped herself from saying 'my dad' at the last moment. A much more congenial relationship had developed between her and Bill since she had tried to run away and she was afraid she'd just ruined it.

Bill stood up straight fully understanding why she stopped in mid-sentence. "It's okay, Emma. You can say it." When Emma gave no response, he pointed to the foot of the bed. "May I?" he asked requesting permission to sit down. 

She nodded, watching him over the top of the blankets. 

Bill sat down facing her with his back against the tall post. "I've been unfair to you. When you first came to live here, I asked you not to talk about Mr. Frohike and his friends. That wasn't right. I know you still miss them and telling you not to talk about people who are important to you was selfish." He glanced at the photo of Emma's mother on the wall before continuing. "I suppose I was jealous. For nine months, you thought of someone else as your father. Of course you would come to love him and forbidding you to talk about him was unreasonable. Can you forgive me?"

During this short speech, Emma slowly relaxed and brought the blankets down from her face. "Yes," she said feeling bad. Her dad had been right about Bill all along. He was a nice person but she had been nothing but cold and stand offish for so long. And the two times she really needed him; he'd been there for her.

"What was it you were going to say while I was tucking you in?" Bill asked again.

Emma hesitated for just a moment longer as she revised her original thought. "I was going to say you are just as stubborn as my other dad."

"Your other dad?" he asked but smiled to show he was not offended.

"Sure. Lot's of my friends have two dads and moms when their parents get divorced and remarried."

Bill nodded. "That's true." He was relieved that she had found a way of justifying her relationship with both men. He knew this was progress. "Can I ask you a favor then?"

Emma shrugged but said, "Okay."

He was going out on a limb but this wish was very close to his heart. "Do you think you can start calling me 'Dad' then?"

Emma nodded again after carefully considering this request. "Yeah, sure."

He waited a moment longer hoping she would say it right then but she didn't and he chose not to push it. She had agreed and he would have to be happy with that.

Standing up, Bill said, "Would you like me to finish the tucking in job?"

"Go ahead," she said smoothing out the covers. 

"Put your arms under," he recommended.

Emma complied and Bill finished the job that was interrupted by their heart to heart talk. 

"Good night, sweetheart," he said turning off the bedside lamp and heading for the door.

"Dad?" 

Bill paused, grinning with satisfaction. "Yes?"

"Can you loosen the blankets? I can't move."




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Byers sat on a bench in the outer reaches of the cemetery. From this location, he could clearly see the main entrance but was far enough out of the way to go unnoticed by those entering the grounds. 

He knew they'd show up eventually and he was a patient man. 

The weather was cooperating. It wasn't too hot for a day in early May. He was dressed only in jeans and a polo shirt but still appreciated the shade the cherry trees offered. He turned the page of the newspaper he was pretending to read but his attention was only on the cars that infrequently came in the driveway.

He checked his watch. He'd been there for over three hours and knew he could not devote much more time to this before Jimmy and Langly would question his absence or the cemetery grounds keeper would begin to wonder about him and ask questions. It was all rather silly but he just wanted to see for himself that she was all right.

And Byers knew they were in town. He kept tabs on Bayne's credit card use. They'd arrived last night and checked into a moderately priced hotel. He booked one room for the first night but two rooms for the next two nights.

Maxine Gray called Byers to tell him that Emma was fine and that her father had come to pick her up. Byers asked Maxine if she had talked to Emma at all. She said she had and told him about parts of their conversation. The fact that she was missing her mother did not surprise him and Maxine felt it was Emma's wish to visit her mother's grave that led to her desperate attempt to get to DC. 

He glanced up as another car came in. It wasn't them. He pretended to study the financial page. 

He couldn't be sure if they would come out to this place on the day of Michelle's death or just sometime within that general time frame. Knowing Emma, he figured the exact day was the safest bet. 

He looked up to see a car leaving the grounds as another pulled in the drive. The incoming car had Connecticut plates and it sure looked like Bayne in the front seat but there was an elderly man sitting next to him, not Emma. Byers watched as the car turned to head to the end of the cemetery away from where he was seated. He had checked for the location of the grave so he would be sure to be out of the way.

He got up and walked cautiously around the boundary of the cemetery. The car and its occupants were out of sight until he got to within fifty feet of them. When he finally saw the group, Byers understood the need of the second hotel room. Emma was there as well as Bayne and an elderly couple that must be Bayne's parents. 

Emma had a large bouquet of white roses in her arms. She hesitated for a moment looking back at the adults who waited by the car to give her privacy. Bayne smiled and nodded at her offering her a few words of encouragement. She walked toward the grave and stood alone staring down at the headstone. 

Byers' heart went out to her. He had a clear view of her face from his vantage point behind an old oak. So much had happened to her since her mother's death, he was surprised she still looked normal and healthy. 

Emma continued to stand holding the flowers without moving. After a few minutes, Bayne walked up to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Emma leaned her head against him as he pulled her closer. Bayne began talking to her but Byers was too far away to catch what he was saying. 

Kissing the top of her head, Bayne released Emma who bent down to lay the roses on the grave. With this done, the elderly couple approached the graveside. Emma hugged each of them in turn taking particularly long with the woman. She handed Emma a handkerchief and stood stroking her hair as Emma took off her glasses to wipe her eyes. 

Byers slowly backed away from his hiding place. This wasn't good. They were running out of time. He had to get back to the warehouse and talk to Yves and the guys. If they couldn't get this settled quickly, it would be better for Emma if they didn't even try.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



"Why the hell didn't you tell us where you were going?" Langly complained when Byers got back. "We could have gone, too." 

Jimmy was wearing his hurt puppy dog face. 

"I couldn't take a chance on being spotted."

Langly was fuming. "We go on stake outs all the time. We know how to stay out of sight."


"She would certainly have noticed the three of us there. I couldn't tell you because Bayne would have called the cops on us in a heartbeat. It simply wasn't practical for all of us to go."

Jimmy was more disappointed than upset. "You could have told us this before you went out there. If you can't trust your friends who can you trust?"

"It wasn't a matter of trust, Jimmy. I know how stubborn you guys are. Can you honestly tell me that you would have allowed me go out there by myself if you'd known about it?"

Jimmy screwed up his face wanting to lie to Byers but he knew it was useless. "No," he grudgingly admitted, "but it would have been nice to know you have enough respect for us to tell us what you were doing."

"That doesn't matter now. What does matter…"

Jimmy cut Byers off. "But it does matter. It matters to me and to Langly." He pointed at the blond hacker who had backed off letting Jimmy have the floor. "You treat us like kids or worse like idiots who can't make decisions for themselves. You can't keep doing this to us. We're a team and it's time you started treating us like teammates!"

The door buzzer went off. Langly went to answer it letting Jimmy carry their side of the quarrel. It was unusual that he was participating. He seldom did more than referee. It was novel to watch and the big guy was making some good points.

It was Yves at the door. Langly let her in without saying anything. He allowed Byers's and Jimmy's raised voices to speak for themselves. Yves was a bit surprised. She knew how much Jimmy respected Byers and had never heard him speak to the older man in such a way before. But with Frohike out of the picture, Byers had gotten into a bad habit of playing big brother and making decisions that affected all of them without their input. Yves was pleased to see that Jimmy had finally decided to stand up to him.

Having heard enough, Yves brushed past Langly and interrupted the other two. "All right fellows," she said, "this is counterproductive. We don't have time for such indulgences. There's work to do."

Jimmy looked hurt by Yves words. He thought she would be on his side of any argument now that he knew she cared about him. Yves noticed his downcast expression and came over to him laying a hand on his arm. "Jimmy," she said. "I'm sorry but I've got the information we've been waiting for. I knew you would want to hear about it as soon as possible." 

This announcement got everyone's attention. Yves sat down at a nearby computer and quickly hacked into the network at the Stevenson Genetics. As an employee of the company, she could have gone in through official channels but what she wanted to show them should be off limits to all except those with a higher security rating. But for someone with her abilities, a security rating meant nothing; she had the freedom to go where she wished. 

Delving into employee records, she brought up information and a photograph of Joshua Bramwell. "He's our man," Yves said. "I've been keeping a close eye on him for the last few days and the rumors about him were correct. He is using drugs again. He's been trying very hard to hide it but, unfortunately for him, the rumors are true."

"So how does this make him our guy?" Jimmy asked.

"His renewed addiction was not by choice," Yves explained. 

"Not by choice?" Langly said. "How could it be anything else?"

"Josh was addicted to Methamphetamine." 

Jimmy's eyebrows shot up at Yves's use of the man's nickname. "Josh?" he said.

"Yes, we talked for a long time today. He told me the whole story."

Byers was getting tired of all the interruptions. "And if you two would just let her talk, we'd get to hear about it."

"Thank you, Byers," Yves said but paused noticing that he was not dressed in his usual suit and tie. Choosing not to ask, she went on. "Josh worked for months to get off the drug and finally succeeded. He's been clean for six years. Then this past December, he met a man at the gym and they quickly struck up a friendship. One evening after working out, the man invited him to go to a local bar for a drink. They hung out, as he put it, and had a few beers. He doesn't remember much more than that until a few days later. By then, his need for meth was undeniable. I showed him a picture of Fletcher and he identified him as the man from the gym."

Byers ignored his own request at this point and broke into the story. "Are you telling us that Fletcher spiked his beer?" he asked in revulsion. He knew that Fletcher was pond scum. No, he was worse because pond scum did have some redeeming qualities and Fletcher had none. 

"Unfortunately, yes. Fletcher then threatened to go to the head of Human Resources at Stevenson Genetics and point blank tell them that Josh should be required to take a drug test. The company has a strict clean and sober policy. Josh knew he would lose his job if he didn't do what Fletcher wanted."

Jimmy shook his head. "The poor guy. I can't believe Fletcher would ruin someone's life like that."

Langly's reaction was very different. "Give me a break! I don't care what Fletcher did to him, he didn't have the balls to stand up to that black hearted bastard. Josh," he said the name with scorn, "decided to sacrifice an innocent child's happiness to save his own ass. I say he got what he deserved."

Yves stepped in. "Josh is ashamed of what he did, especially now that he's heard the details. He wants to help and is willing to testify that he falsified the results."

"This is great!" said Jimmy getting excited. "Now we have proof that Emma really is Frohike's daughter."

"Not exactly," Yves said. "Unfortunately, the way Josh handled it was to take the two most similar DNA samples and put Bayne's and Emma's ID numbers on them. He doesn't know who the real father is."

Langly, whose reputation as the least patient and tolerant of the four Gunmen, had now hit his limit. "Great! That's just great! So, we go through the whole thing again only to find out that she really is Bayne's kid! I don't know that Frohike could take that. Losing her twice will push him over the edge for sure!"

Byers tried to calm Langly down. "He's already over the edge, Langly, and we need to pull him back. This news will help. It will give him hope."

"But what if it's false hope."

"You said yourself," Byers reminded Langly, "that it was obvious to anyone who cared to look that Emma is Frohike's daughter. Have you changed your mind?"

"No, of course not! But what's to keep Fletcher from doing it again. How can we be sure he won't get his dirty mitts into it and screw with someone else and force them to do his evil bidding?"

"We now have proof," Yves asserted. "With this witness, we can insist on a blind test with only the judge knowing the ID numbers of those being tested."

"That's not going to stop Fletcher; you know it as well as I do," Langly was adamant.

Jimmy was disturbed by Langly's defeatist attitude. "So, you don't think we should even try? You think Byers is right and we should just leave her where she is."

"What's this?" Yves asked Byers. "You don't think we should try anymore."

"That's not what I said. I said we were running out of time, that Emma is forming attachments with Bayne and his family. If we don't get this solved in the near future, it would be cruel to take her away from the people she now considers to be her new family."

"But we're her family," Jimmy lamented. Yves got up from the computer to stand by him. She slid her arm around his waist and he drew her close. 

"I know," Byers said. "That's what makes it so urgent." He paused looking at Josh's picture on the computer. "Tomorrow is the day, right?"

"Yes," said Jimmy. "We're heading over there as soon as she gets here."

"Good, it's not a moment too soon."


 

Chapter 8



Frohike heard the front door shut. He opened his eyes and looked at the alarm clock. It was a little after ten in the morning. He assumed it was morning because it was light out. He didn't have much sense of time passing other than the cycle of being awake, drinking then passing out. 

Someone was coming up the stairs. Damn, it! Why couldn't they just give up and leave him alone? He rolled over in the bed so his back was to the door. This time he was going to refuse to get up. Let them rant and rave all they wanted; he just didn't care. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"What is going on here?" an angry voice with a strong German accent insisted. Surprised, Frohike turned to see his visitor: an old yet vibrant woman with an aura of authority. "What are you doing in bed in the middle of the day? Are you sick?"

He squinted at her. She stood glaring down at him with her hands on her hips. "Mrs. Haag?"

"So you know who I am but you still haven't answered my question."

Frohike rubbed his head, which was just beginning to pound from a major hangover. "What was the question?" 

"What are you doing in bed?" Mrs. Haag didn't wait for an answer this time. "Come on, get up. You've been indulging in this self pity for too long."

"How would you know?" Frohike rolled away from her, his headache so bad it was making him nauseous.

Mrs. Haag flipped the blankets off him. "Your friends called me because they are very worried about you. My God," she said wrinkling her nose at the smell, "when was the last time you bathed?" 

"Please," he begged, "I just want to be left alone."

"No," she said refusing to listen to his whining. "You will get up and you will get up now."

"I can't."

"Fine, then." She left the room. Frohike breathed a quiet sigh of relief not wanting to exacerbate his hangover. He was surprised she had given up so easily. He pulled the blankets over himself and tried to go back to sleep. 

But he was wrong about her giving up. "I thought you might be stubborn so I brought someone to help."

Frohike groaned. "What now?" He opened his eyes to see Jimmy standing over him.

"Sorry about this, Fro, but you've got to snap out of it." Jimmy pulled back the covers again and helped Frohike sit up. Jimmy then draped Frohike's arm over his shoulder and lifted him into a standing position. 

Jimmy turned to look at Mrs. Haag. "Where do you want him?"

"This way." Mrs. Haag led the way to the master bathroom. Jimmy dragged Frohike in supporting most of his weight. 

"Didn't I fire you already?" Frohike asked Jimmy. 

"Yes, you did but it didn't stick."

"You are so fired now. No more Mr. Nice Guy. You're out."

"You can fire the young man later," Mrs. Haag told him. "Right now you need to get out of those pajamas." She reached for the top button of his shirt.

"I can undress myself, thank you!" he insisted batting at her hands.

Mrs. Haag crossed her arms over her chest. "Go ahead then."

Frohike frowned at her from where he was leaning against the sink. "I'm not undressing in front of either of you."

"Oh, don't be so silly," she insisted. "I've seen you naked before."

"This isn't the same."

"I'm not leaving here until you are in that shower," Mrs. Haag said pointed at the frosted glass of the shower stall.

Jimmy had a compromise. "How about we turn our backs until he's in there with the water running?"

"All right!" Frohike finally conceded. "But no peeking."

Mrs. Haag rolled her eyes in exasperation and turned her back on him. Jimmy stood in the doorway, blocking any quick exit. 

Once he had the water running, Mrs. Haag yelled over the sound. "I'm going to go make a pot of hot coffee. Make sure you shave and put on clean clothes before you come downstairs." She paused to tap on the glass. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes," Frohike growled. 

"And I mean real clothes like normal people wear during daylight hours."

Picking the pajamas up off the floor, Mrs. Haag left the bathroom beckoning Jimmy to follow her. With his help, she stripped the bed and threw everything into the laundry room.

After starting a pot of coffee, Mrs. Haag went through all the cupboards looking for alcoholic beverages. Jimmy poured them all down the sink. He hesitated when Mrs. Haag set cans of beer on the counter. "You want me to pour this out, too?" 

"Yes, all of it."

She began going through the cupboards again. Jimmy opened all the beer cans and upended them in the sink. When he was done, he asked, "Are you looking for more booze?"

"No, I'm trying to see if he has any decent food. I'm sure he hasn't eaten anything substantial in quite a while."

"I can go to the store if you want."

She turned from what she was doing to look at Jimmy. "No, that won't be necessary. You may go home now. Thank you for your help."

"Are you sure? He can get pretty grouchy."

"I can handle him. Don't worry. What needs to be said now, will best be said in private."

"Well, okay but call us if you need anything. The number's here by the phone." He opened a cupboard door to show that there was a list taped inside. 

"Thank you."





Frohike came slowly down the stairs. His head was pounding fiercely now. He was dressed in his normal attire but his clothes were rather loose. He had to tighten his belt an extra notch. 

He paused at the bottom of the stairs, hesitant to go into the kitchen where he knew she was waiting. He sighed and, realizing there was no avoiding her, walked into the other room. "Well, look who decided to join the world of the living. Come, sit down, I made you some coffee. You look like you could use it."

Frohike eyes involuntarily closed in pain at the sound of her voice. His stomach was also protesting and the thought of ingesting anything right then was repugnant. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Don't tell me you're fine. I've never seen you look worse. Sit down." She pulled out a chair this time and waited for him to settle in it. "I'll make you something to eat," she said patting his shoulder. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Not all that long ago," he said. In truth, he couldn't remember. "Besides, I'm really not hungry."

"That's all right. There isn't that much in the house to eat." She pulled out a bag of pancake mix. "Later on, we'll need to go to the grocery store."

"I can't."

"Sure you can."

"No, seriously, I can't. They took my car."

Mrs. Haag laughed at this admission. "They are good friends then." Frohike grabbed his head moaning in agony. Why did she have to be so loud? 

Noticing his pain, she asked. "You know the best cure for a hangover?" 

"What?" he asked suspecting he wouldn't like the answer. 

"Don't get drunk."

Frohike had taken about all the abuse he was going to. "Was there a reason for your visit or did you just stop by to torment me?" 

Mrs. Haag filled a glass with water and set it on the table along with a bottle of Tylenol. "Take some; it will help your head." She sat down next to him and watched him take the medication.

"I did not come here to torment you. I came because your friends were worried about you. They're afraid you're going to kill yourself."

"They had no business calling you. I am not suicidal." 

Mrs. Haag shook her head. "Maybe not intentionally, but all this drinking will have the same effect in the end." She got very quiet for a moment. "And I know I would miss you terribly and so would your daughter."

And there it was. 

He fought the feelings of loss the mention of Emma always elicited. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about her. She's gone and that's all that needs to be said about it."

"So, that's what this is all about. You've given up without a fight." When he wouldn't even look at her, she went on. "What was the last thing you said to her?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Did you tell her you were going to get her back? Did you make that promise to her?"

"Just leave me alone!" He got up from the table but Mrs. Haag followed him. 

"Is she waiting for you to come for her? Did you make that child a promise that you're not willing to keep because it would be too much work?"

This stopped Frohike dead in his tracks. Was this the truth? Had he given up because it was too difficult? Or was it something else? He didn't look at Mrs. Haag as he said, "I told her I loved her and that no matter what anyone else said, I believed she was my daughter."

Knowing she was getting through to him, she didn't give up. "But have you done anything to prove this? Have you done anything to show that you are the kind of father I know you can be?" 

"I tried!" He exclaimed, finally meeting her gaze. "I tried to be a good father." All his frustrations came to the surface; his frustrations with Mrs. Haag's persistence, with the court system, with Michelle for dying and putting him in this situation and with everyone who would not let him mourn this loss in peace. "I have never worked so hard at anything in my life! And for what? To have her taken from me on the whim of a man who decides he misses her mother and expects that claiming her daughter as his own will fill that emptiness?"

Mrs. Haag stopped for a moment carefully considering her next words. "Do you truly believe she is your child?" she asked softly.

Frohike took a slow deep breath, exhausted by the argument and wanting nothing more than a good stiff drink and to go back to sleep. A lie at that moment might end the discussion but he knew Mrs. Haag would see through it and he couldn't betray Emma like that. Sighing, he said, "Yes, I believe she is my daughter."

"Then you must fight for her."

"I can't fight this."

"You have the truth on your side and it is time to do something about it!"

"It won't do any good." Frohike explained, "The man Bayne hired to do his dirty work will stop at nothing to destroy me and my friends. Stealing Emma was just his way of getting back at us."

"Then you must steal her back. Fight!" she demanded getting right in his face. "I know you can do this. Your friends are willing to help but they can't do it without you.”

"No, it's pointless and it will just make things worse."

"Your daughter is beginning to believe that this other man is her father because her real father won't get up off his sorry backside to do something about it! You must prove to her and to yourself that you love her and want her to come home. How could it be worse than it all ready is?"

"Because I could fail again!" he shouted. He fought to control his anger. His pent up emotions threatened to overwhelm him. After a moment, he spoke more reasonably. "I couldn't do that to her. I couldn't put Emma through all that again; to get her hopes up only to find out that she would still need to go home with Bayne."

"Are you sure about that? Are you sure it's her you're worried about or are you more worried about yourself?" Mrs. Haag asked. 

Frohike left the question hanging unanswered in the air and turned away from her to walk out into the backyard. She had hit too close to the mark with that last question. He was afraid of failing and he didn't want Emma to suffer for his inability to beat Morris Fletcher at his own game. He didn't want her to endure the heartache again and he didn't want to go through it himself. 

Having nowhere to go, he stood in the yard cursing the fact that one of his so-called friends had taken his car. He shaded his eyes from the glaring sunshine, surprised that it was so warm out. He didn't remember the seasons changing. Shocked, he looked back at the house. How long had he been holed up here? It had been late April the last time he'd asked but that fact had barely sunk in.

He went back into the house. He found Mrs. Haag calmly mixing pancake batter in a bowl. "What day is it?" he asked.

"May eighth," she answered. 

Frohike sat down in the chair he'd used earlier. "I missed it."

"Missed what?"

"The anniversary of her mother's death."

"Yes, you did. Your friend, Mr. Byers, said he went out to the graveyard. He waited for quite a while."

"Was Emma there? Did he see her?"

"Yes."

"How did she look?"

"You'd have to ask him that."

Frohike sat with his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. "I can't believe I missed it." 

Mrs. Haag poured some batter onto a heated griddle on the stove. "You've missed more than that," she informed him. When he didn't ask, she didn't elaborate. She left him alone with his emotions while she finished the pancakes. 

Five minutes later, she set a plate of them in front of him along with some warmed syrup and margarine. "You were out of butter. This will have to do."

When all he did was stare at the plate, Mrs. Haag put the margarine and syrup on the pancakes for him. "Do you want me to cut them for you or can you handle that yourself?"

Understanding that his chances of getting her to back off were nonexistent, Frohike took a bite of the food. He was surprised at how good it tasted. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. Mrs. Haag returned to the kitchen to make more. Shortly after he cleaned his plate, she came back with a fresh stack. 

Once he began to slow down, she brought him a fresh cup of coffee. Frohike drank it with no complaints this time. 

Mrs. Haag studied him over her own cup as he wiped up the syrup with the last bite of pancakes. "Are you feeling any better?"

Frohike sat back in his chair and wiped his face with a napkin. He nodded. "Yes, I do. That was good. Thank you."

"Do you think we can talk a little more calmly now?"

Frohike sighed coming to the realization that, yes, it was time to talk. He'd been wallowing in self-pity for far too long and had done himself a disservice as well as Emma and the guys. 

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, why don't we start with the fact that you have a daughter and you never brought her around so I could meet her," Mrs. Haag said with a little smile. 



They talked well into the afternoon. Frohike told Mrs. Haag how he'd found out about Emma and how she came to live with him. He mentioned his hesitancy to take on the responsibilities of a child especially since she was nearly a teenager. He discussed his fears of not being able to do a good job and how much trauma he felt he'd inflicted on her as he fumbled around attempting to do the right thing. "I'm sure there were many happy times, too." Mrs. Haag pointed out. "You must have pictures of some. I know how much you love your camera."

Frohike smiled. "She would get so frustrated with me sometimes over the constant picture taking." He laughed. "She had a major fit when she discovered one I had taken of her while she was sleeping." 

"Do you have it here?"

He nodded. "Somewhere."

"Do you think I could see it? I would love to see a picture of her."

Frohike hesitated for just a moment before he stood up from the table. "I'll be right back." 

He returned a few minutes later with a laptop computer. He turned it on and inserted a CD. He hesitated again steeling himself for the painful memories these pictures represented. Mrs. Haag came over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. Frohike looked at her as she smiled encouragingly at him. 

He was reminded of the day he'd forced Emma to acknowledge the grief she was suppressing over her mother's death by looking at baby pictures of herself; some of which included her mother. Frohike smiled back at Mrs. Haag and moved aside so she could sit in his chair affording her a better view of the computer screen. "Here," he said. "These are photographs from her birthday. And these are from a Highland Dance competition…" 

The pictures weren't as difficult to look at as he thought they would be. In fact, they made him realize just how much fun he, the guys and Emma had together for the nine months she was with them. In the courtroom in February, everything was so negative. Every mistake he'd made with Emma was paraded in front of the judge and it seemed that the man had no interest in what Frohike had done right. All of this added to Frohike's own impression that maybe, just maybe Emma would be better off with someone else; someone who lived a life that was closer to storybook normal than his would ever be. 

Many of the pictures were taken at the warehouse. Mrs. Haag had been there for the first time when she met Jimmy early that morning to be filled in on all that had happened. 

"I'm pleased to see you bought a house. The warehouse district your friends live in is not a good place for a child."

"This is her house," Frohike explained. "I moved in with her. When Bayne took custody of Emma, he said he would have no use for it until Emma turned eighteen and decided what she wanted to do with it." 

"She's twelve now?"

"Almost thirteen. Her birthday is next month."

"Your friends said you intend to wait here until she comes home."

"Yeah, well, that was the plan but I wasn't thinking all that clearly," Frohike admitted. 

"And how clear is your thinking now?"

"I'm thinking I've been a colossal ass."

"Watch your language, but I am inclined to agree," Mrs. Haag said. "Keeping that in mind, what will you do next?"

Frohike studied his coffee mug for a few moments before answering. "I'm not sure," he finally said. 

There was silence between them: Frohike waiting for a response to that admission and Mrs. Haag lost in her own thoughts. Thinking it might help the situation; Mrs. Haag decided to share her deepest pain and regrets with him.

"I've looked for my son for more than 50 years," Mrs. Haag said knowing full well that Frohike was aware of her background. "I gave him up as a baby in the hope he would survive the war. My hope was for him to find a family who could care for him and love him as much as I did."

With the pain of that separation still fresh in her mind, she looked away from Frohike for a few seconds before going on. "Both my husband and I worked for the resistance. When the Nazis arrested and executed him, I figured it was only a matter of time before they came for me, too. But I was lucky and when the war was over and the Nazis had been defeated, I thought of only one thing: to find my darling child."

"Then when you came to me saying you were my son…" She held up her hand to stop Frohike as he began to speak. "Do not apologize for that again! What you did was for a noble cause and I was glad to be of assistance in capturing a war criminal. But for those two days I thought you were my son and I was truly happy for the first time in 50 years."

Knowing she wasn't finished, Frohike waited silently. 

She took his hand saying, "You are lucky," she told him, her eyes filling with tears. "You know where your child is and even though it may seem impossible, you must do everything in your power to get her back."

Frohike took her hand in both of his. He was ashamed of himself. What was his loss compared to hers? "I'm very sorry about your son. We get new leads now and then and have not given up on finding him for you."

Mrs. Haag squeezed his hand in gratitude. "But what about your daughter?"

"You're right. I've been a fool. It's time to fight for what is mine."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



The phone rang at the warehouse. Jimmy rushed to pick it up. 

"Lone Gunmen group. Jimmy Bond speaking." Byers, Langly and Yves all watched silently as he listened to the caller. "Yes, Mrs. Haag," he said his apprehension evident on his face. Had she succeeded? Would it be good news or simply a request to come and get her because it was worthless to try any more? 

"Yes, I can bring his car over." The other three glanced at each other. If Frohike was sober enough to drive, that was at least a start. "Dinner? I don't think anyone has plans for dinner." He waited for confirmation from Byers, Langly and Yves. "They're all shaking their heads at me so I guess that means we can all come for dinner." Jimmy listened for a little bit longer then said, "Okay, I'll do that. I'll be there in a few minutes."

When he hung up, he was assailed with questions. "Hold on, hold on!" he said fending them off. "All I know is he wants his car and we are all invited for dinner. She also said to invite everyone involved with all that's been going on. Frohike wants to talk to us."

"That's encouraging," Yves noted. 

"I don't think she'd let him drive if he wasn't good and sober," said Langly.

"I know she wouldn't and it sounds like he's ready to join the fight," Byers said with a relieved grin.



Yves followed Jimmy out to the house in her car. Mrs. Haag met them at the door but refused to let them in. "I know you have a lot to tell him but it can wait. If you come in, he'll just pester you. All in good time." She held out her hand, they gave her the keys and left.



Byers parked the van in front of Emma's house. Yves's Mercedes and Mulder's Saturn were already parked in the driveway. He also noticed Doggett's car parked across the street. "I don't see Kimmy's car," said Byers.

"He'll be here," Langly noted. "He's not going to turn down an offer of free food."

They walked up to the front door and were greeted by Jimmy. "Come on in. They're all in the other room." It was unnecessary to mention this as the noise coming from the dining room was hard to miss. 

Everyone turned to greet the new arrivals then all eyes turned and looked expectantly at Doggett and Reyes who were standing together at the far end of the room. Byers and Langly waited in confusion for someone to speak. Doggett finally did. "I know this is not what you guys invited us here for this evening, but with everyone in the same place at the same time, Monica and I have decided that we want to make it official." He stopped and put his arm around Agent Reyes's shoulders. She turned toward him and they kissed briefly.

Byers caught on right away but it took Langly another few seconds to pick up on all the clues. He finally glanced at Monica's left hand and saw a small but respectable diamond ring on her finger. 

Byers was already congratulating them and Langly joined in whole heartedly. He shook Doggett's hand and clumsily hugged Monica. "Emma is going to be so pissed she missed this," Langly declared laughing as he did so. 

There was dead silence after this pronouncement. Langly looked around to see Frohike standing with a huge platter of fried chicken in his hands. "Oh, Fro…" Langly searched for words. "I'm sorry, I didn't think."

Frohike set the platter on the table. "Don't worry about it, buddy. And you're right; she is going to be pissed at first but then she'll be very excited. And among other things," he smiled at the engaged couple, "I invited every one here tonight to discuss what you've found out in my, um, absence, shall we say." 

Byers walked up to Frohike and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Mel."

"Yeah, man," Langly joined in. "It's been pretty hairy without you."

Before Frohike could comment on that, Mrs. Haag came in carrying in an enormous bowl of mashed potatoes. "There's time for that discussion later. The food is getting cold. Everyone find a seat so we can eat."



Mrs. Haag requested that nothing of serious nature be discussed at dinner so conversation was light but personal, allowing Frohike to catch up on what and how everyone had been doing during his 'absence'. He was especially interested in little William and what new words he had learned. 

Mulder was dismayed at the lack of beer or even wine to go with his dinner. 

"Mulder," Scully said in a threatening tone, "knock it off or you can go eat in the car."

Smiling sheepishly, Mulder said. "I was just teasing."

The tale of Doggett's proposal and Reyes acceptance of his offer of marriage was told in great detail. Tentative wedding plans were discussed.

Kimmy showed up late and although Frohike wasn't too pleased to have him there, he didn't say anything about it as Kimmy sat down to eat. Frohike was curious as to what part Kimmy had to play in all that had gone on since he'd been out of the picture. But he had promised to wait until dinner was over. 

When most of the food was gone and everyone was sipping hot coffee or tea, Mrs. Haag got up from the table. "I am going to go do the dishes. I believe you all have something to discuss."

It had been difficult to keep good news to themselves as the dinner progressed but they all respected Mrs. Haag's wishes that they wait until dinner was over. Her only reason for this was to reestablish Frohike's connections with his friends. To give them all a chance to get past his absence before delving into the more difficult problems that still needed to be resolved. 

"Let me come and help you," Frohike said standing to pick up some dirty dishes. 

"No, you are needed here. Your friends have waited long enough."

Frohike sat back down. There was an uncomfortable silence as each wondered who should start. Frohike figured he ought to go first. He cleared his throat. "I need to apologize to all of you." When no one commented on that, he went on. "My behavior the last couple of months has been unforgivable. I allowed myself to wallow in self-pity instead of facing my failure and working to find a way to bring Emma back home." 

He stopped for a moment, his regret overpowering him. He could feel the depression hovering, waiting for him to drop his guard and allow it to take hold of him again. But he couldn't back off now; he had to fight it. He felt a hand on his arm and looked over into Scully's clear blue eyes. The compassion and love he saw there gave him the strength to go on. 

He placed his hand over hers and smiled his thanks to her. He looked around the table and saw similar support in the faces of his friends. "I was terrible to all of you. I said some pretty nasty things. I hope you can forgive me."

General murmurings of forgiveness and don't worry about it were heard around the table. "So, I'm back and I know there is a lot of work to do. Mrs. Haag said you had some news for me. Why don't we start there?"

This was the opening Jimmy had been waiting for. "We got proof! Yves went in to the DNA place and found the guy that faked the report!"

"What?!" Frohike asked in amazement. "When did you find this out?"

"Hold on," Yves said, knowing she needed to amend what Jimmy had so excitedly reported. "I did make contact with a man at Stevenson Genetics who said he tampered with the DNA results. But all he did was put Bayne's and Emma's ID codes on the two tests that were the most similar."

Frohike shook his head. "So, this doesn't prove that Emma is mine but it does show that Fletcher was able to influence the test results. It might be enough to convince a judge to reconsider my case. What sort of proof do we have?"

"The best kind," said Byers. "This man is willing to testify that he tampered with the DNA results."

Frohike was again amazed. "That'll probably mean he'll lose his job or could be brought up on criminal charges, if I chose to push it."

Yves nodded. "He figures he'll be looking for a new job anyway. I offered to help him with that and to get clean again." She then gave Frohike a quick explanation of how Morris Fletcher had forced the man to do what he wanted. 

"I knew the man had very few scruples," Frohike said when Yves was done, "but I had no idea he'd go this far to get back at us. This guy… Josh, did you say his name was?"

"Joshua Bramwell," said Yves. 

"You're certain you can trust him?"

Yves considered this question for a moment. "I think so. He was pretty shaken up by what I told him. Fletcher lied to him."

"No surprise there," Frohike said contemptuously.

"Josh thought he was guaranteeing child support for a destitute little girl. When he found out his actions had taken that child away from her real father, he couldn't lie to himself anymore. Now he wants to help solve the problem he created."

Langly's opinion of Josh and his contribution to their present situation had not changed. "I still don't think we should trust the guy. What if he gets up on the witness stand and reneges on everything? What if he's still on Fletcher's payroll?"

Byers wanted this conversation to be a positive one for Frohike's sake. "Langly, you've never even met the man. We need to give him a chance. Besides, you're the one who couldn't find any dirt on him."

"Yeah, well that doesn't mean it's not there. We only learned about him yesterday."

Jimmy watched this exchange in horror recognizing the signs that they were well on their way to another full-blown shouting match. 

"But you were up most of the night looking," Byers asked. "Weren't you?"

"Yeah, so what if I was. There are a lot more places I can check!"

Frohike held up his hands. "Whoa, guys," he said cutting off Byers retort. "Calm down. You're both right. We can trust him to a point," he said nodding at Byers, "but still look deeply into his background just to be sure."

Jimmy relaxed and sat back in his chair. Yes, it was good to have Frohike back. 

Frohike turned to Yves who was waiting patiently to finish her conversation. 

"When can I meet this guy?"

"I can try to bring him around to the warehouse tomorrow." Yves stood up. "Let me go call him and find out."

After she left the room, Frohike looked at the far end of the table where Kimmy sat still eating his dinner. "So, Kimmy, what's your part in all of this?"

Kimmy stopped with his fork in midair. "Hey, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have the information you need," he whined. "I risked my neck going undercover just to help you out!"

Langly laughed at Kimmy's melodramatic assessment of the situation. "He got paid to go in with Yves to piss everybody off so they would talk to her."

"How did he manage that?" Frohike asked. "Oh, never mind. I can guess."

Once it had been settled that Josh could come to the warehouse the next day, Frohike called Kendall Gray, the lawyer who had represented him at the first custody hearing. Grey said he would make time to meet Josh to see if he thought they could get a new hearing. 

That settled, Frohike raised his last big concerned. "Now, what about Morris Fletcher? Where is he and what kind of trouble can he create for us?"


 

Chapter 9


"…happy birthday, dear Emma. Happy birthday to you."

Emma leaned over the edge of the table and blew out the thirteen candles on the brightly decorated cake. The enthusiastic applause that ensued when she managed to get them all out in one breath made Emma smile at the family seated around the huge table. 

It had taken some time to get used to all these people. In the four months since she had come to live with Bill, she'd slowly gotten to know them all and was now comfortable with these gatherings. She had always wished for a big family with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins and here they all were. 

Although she still missed Frohike, the other Gunmen and their friends, she found that living with Bill was not as bad as she had imagined it would be. She really liked her new grandparents, especially her grandma. 

Emma had a harder time identifying her feelings for Bill. She felt like a traitor if she even considered the possibility that she might love him. Melvin Frohike was her father. Her mother had said so and she saw no real reason to believe otherwise even though she was worried by the fact that she hadn't heard from him in any form since they'd said goodbye in the courthouse. 

Allowing herself to think of Bill's house as home had come from necessity and calling Bill 'dad' came with familiarity and an acceptance of the type of relationship they had developed. Besides…it made him happy. 

When Emma got up to cut the cake, Bill came to stand beside her. He put one arm around her. Emma smiled up at him as he addressed his gathered family. "Today, my daughter is a teenager." He drew her closer, kissing the top of her head as he did so. "Although I missed the last ten years of her life, I was fortunate enough to be there for her birth and I intend to be with her from now on." 

When his last comment elicited gentle laughter that from the adults in the room, Bill grinned and added, "Well, for as long as she will put up with me." Emma smiled again but only outwardly. Somewhere, deep in her soul, no matter how impatient or frustrated she got, she knew that her real father would find a way to bring her home. She had always looked forward to that day but for the first time she realized what this would do to Bill. 

When he had brought her home with him, she couldn't understand why he wanted her to be his daughter, why he had gone to the expense and bother to take her away from her real father. But at that moment, she knew it was not for some selfish or underhanded reason, it was simply because he loved her. 

"I would like to propose a toast," Bill announced then waited until everyone had a glass in his or her hand. "To my daughter, Emma. May her life be long and productive and her joys be many."

"To Emma," was repeated around the table before everyone took a drink. After downing the wine in his glass, Bill pulled Emma into a heart to heart hug, which she returned without hesitation. General conversation resumed and requests from the kids as to which portion of the cake they desired were heard. Bill was hesitant to release Emma. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

Emma looked up at him. "Thank you."

She noticed the concern in his face. "Are you having a good birthday?" he asked.

Emma smiled whole-heartedly this time. "Yes, I am."

"Good. Now, I think you'd better cut the cake before we have a revolt on our hands." He said pointing to her cousins. "I'll go get the ice cream." Emma picked the knife up and considered the cake wondering how big the pieces should be. 

Before Bill could return to the table with the ice cream, the front door bell rang. Irritated by this interruption, he set the gallon tub of vanilla on the table handing the scoop to his brother. "Paul, can you do the ice cream while I get that?"

"Sure," the young man said holding his hand out for the plate Emma had just put a slice of cake on. 

"I want chocolate," one young cousin called out. 

"Sorry, dude. It looks like you get vanilla or nothing."



The noise from the dining room diminished to a general hubbub by the time Bill got to the door. Through the front window, he could see an unfamiliar man standing on his front porch. He wondered what the guy was trying to sell. 

Opening the door, Bill simply said, "Yes?"

The man, dressed in a business suit and tie, replied, "Is your name William Francis Bayne?"

Bill cringed inwardly at the sound of his middle name. He'd always hated it. "Yes, it is." 

The man reached into his interior coat pocket and pulled out a sheaf of papers. He held them out to Bill, who took them without thinking. "You've been served," the man said, quickly turning to leave. 

Bill's mouth went dry. He stood for a moment with one hand still on the door and the other clutching the legal documents. He'd seen enough of them over the years to recognize what they were. In his line of business, such documents were commonplace. But those always showed up at his office. These, delivered to his home, were probably not work related so he hesitated to open them. 

He took a step back inside the house and closed the door. Once inside, he unfolded the documents and began to read. 


Estelle found him sitting on the couch in the living room with the papers lying in his lap. "Bill, who was at the door?" his mother asked before she noticed the look on his face. "What is it? What's happened?"

Without answering, he held up the stack of papers for her to see. She quickly scanned them, her expression shifting from puzzled to worried as she did so. "How can this be? The DNA test was conclusive."

"He says he can prove that the test was tampered with and he got a judge to order a new test."

"A new test for what?" Emma asked coming into the room with a plate of cake and ice cream for Bill.

Estelle dropped the hand holding the papers to her side so that Emma couldn't see them. "Nothing, dear. Don't worry about it."

"It's okay, Mom," Bill said taking the documents from her. "She'll find out about it eventually. She might as well know now." He held the papers out to Emma. 

Setting the dish down on the coffee table, Emma took the pages and tried to read them. They were full of legal language and were difficult to understand. She recognized all the words as English but did not comprehend their meaning. "I don't get it," she said flipping back the first sheet to look at the next one. 

"Mr. Frohike is forcing us to go to court one more time to try to prove that I am not your father."

Not waiting for a response from Emma, Estelle pulled her into a tight hug. "But don't you worry, dear. He can't prove something that is not true. You belong with us and with us you will stay."

Emma's grandmother let her go after a moment, and thinking that her words had reassured the child, she said, "Now, why don't you go back and finish eating your birthday cake so we can open presents."

"All right." Keeping her emotions carefully in check, Emma returned to the dining room.

Bill and Estelle watched her go. "You won't have any trouble fighting this. Right, Bill?"

When he did not answer right away, she tried again, "Bill, isn't that right?"

"There's someone I need to get in touch with," he finally said.

"Yes, I'm sure your lawyer can offer you some encouragement," Estelle noted.

"My lawyer?" Bill said momentarily confused. "Oh, yes, I will need to contact her but there is someone else I've got to talk to first."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



"But what was the point of waiting for two extra weeks, when this whole mess could have been resolved that much sooner?" Mulder asked. He and Scully had stopped by with little William to see when the date for the next custody hearing would be. They also knew it was Emma's birthday and wanted to be supportive on a day that could be very difficult for Frohike.

Byers explained the situation for about the tenth time in as many days. "Frohike wanted the summons delivered today to send a message to Emma." 

"What message?" Scully wondered. 

"It's his way of getting around the no contact order to let her know he's thinking about her on her birthday."

"That sounds like a nice idea," said Mulder, "but what guarantee do you have that she'll even see it. If I was Bayne, I wouldn't show it to her."

"I'm willing to take that chance," Frohike said as he joined them at the kitchen table. He and William had gone in search of cookies. He set the toddler on an empty chair putting a handful of vanilla wafers on the table. "Emma has waited a long time for this. Two more weeks won't make that much difference and if nothing else, Bayne will get the point."

"What point is that?" asked Scully.

"That I'm not giving up. He can do whatever he wants to try to get rid of me, but it's pointless. In the end, I will get her back."

"But what about Fletcher?" Mulder wanted to know. "Even though we couldn't find him earlier, he's bound to show up now that Bayne knows you're not going to let this rest."

"Langly, Jimmy and Yves are on it," Frohike explained. "They're up in Hartford keeping track of who and where Bayne calls. He's going to need Fletcher to fix the test again. He must have some way of contacting the man."

With a cookie in his mouth and another in one hand, William turned over onto his stomach and slid off the chair onto the floor. 

"I'm surprised you're not there with them," Scully said as she watched her son explore the kitchen.

"I'm staying very visible here in DC so that I can't be accused of violating any court orders. Byers and I will travel to Hartford a couple of days before the hearing. In the meantime, we're doing a bit of investigating for the paper. Which reminds me," he said turning to Mulder. "Your article for this week's edition was due yesterday."

Frohike had been surprised when he'd come back to the warehouse for the first time after his long absence to discover that Mulder had been writing special features to help fill space in the paper. The articles, though often drastically different from what their readers were used to, had been enthusiastically received. 

Mulder set down his coffee cup and made a big show of patting his pockets. "Now, where did that disk go? I know I had it when I left the house. Maybe I left it in the car." 

They were interrupted by Scully calling out, "William! NO!" and a loud crash as Byers's chess set hit the floor. She got up quickly as did everyone else. William was at first surprised then upset by the loud noise and all the commotion. Scully scooped him up to comfort him while the others picked up the chess pieces and the board.

"I'm sorry, Byers," Scully said. "I hope you weren't in the middle of a game."

Byers shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Nothing is damaged."

They returned to the table where Frohike yet again brought up the subject of Mulder's article. "It's done. Really it is," Mulder insisted.

"Let me guess," Frohike said. "You just need to put it on paper."

Mulder gave his friend a lopsided smile. "Well… yeah."

"I'll make sure he sits down to do it tonight," Scully told Frohike. She put William back in his chair and handed him another cookie. "So what does your lawyer have to say about the upcoming hearing. What can you expect?"

Frohike glanced at his watch. "Tell you what. It's awfully quiet here with just the two of us. Why don't you three stay for dinner? I'll fill you in on all the details."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Langly squirmed around on his seat trying to find a comfortable position. "Damn, I wish we could have brought the van," he complained yet again. 

Yves sighed. "Your enormous Chevy van is just too obvious. We can't take a chance on being recognized."

"Not that many people would recognize us out here in Hartford"

"Well, Emma would," Jimmy said. 

"And there's a good chance Bayne knows what the van looks like, too," Yves added.

"I know, I know," Langly said. "We didn't have much choice but this rental van would be easier to deal with if it was comfortable." Langly got up to adjust the green throw pillow he'd bought at Walmart to try to pad the chair he was using. He settled back in and needlessly double-checked the surveillance equipment they had installed in the rental van. The cameras were all working as was the phone tap.

"The guy with the summons left an hour ago," Jimmy noted. 

"Patience," Yves said in encouragement. "I doubt he'll make the call before everyone is gone." She thought about it for a moment longer. "I wouldn't be surprised if he waits until Emma is asleep."

"I hope not," said Langly. "I need to stand up and walk around before my legs atrophy."

"Go for a walk." Yves suggested. "We'll keep an eye on things."

"Yeah, right," Langly taunted them hoping for a reaction. It would certainly ease the boredom. "You two just want to be alone to play kissy face. I'm on to you."

Jimmy started to bristle at that comment but Yves stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Langly, this is important," Yves replied calmly. "We don't 'play kissy face', as you so delicately put it, at inappropriate times." When he didn't move, she got up and slid back the side door of the van. "It's a lovely evening. Go for a walk. It will help calm your nerves and we might have a long night ahead of us."

Getting up and exiting the van, Langly couldn't help but note that since Yves and Jimmy had become 'intimate' the woman seemed to have a great deal more patience and tolerance than she'd ever had in the past. This was fine with him. It was a relief not to have her breathing down his neck anymore. 

Of course, make some snide remark about Jimmy and that was another story. 

Langly walked away from Bayne's house. He wasn't stupid enough to saunter on past their front door but it did feel good to get up and move around some. He remembered that there was a corner market a few blocks from the house. He thought he'd seen a sign mentioning that it was also a deli. It was worth checking out. 

Discovering that he was correct, he pulled out his cell phone and called Jimmy. "Hey, man, do you guys want some sandwiches?"

Jimmy consulted with Yves then placed an order. 

Stretching his legs and the thought of a decent meal greatly improved Langly's mood. He walked back to the van juggling the bag of sandwiches and three large cups of soda. As he got within sight of the rental, he noticed that the party at Bayne's house was breaking up. One family was loading into a car parked two houses away from the van. He slowed down to see if Bayne or Emma were anywhere nearby. 

Catching no sight of either, he kept walking; trying to appear nonchalant. His ringing cell phone made that very difficult. He couldn't answer it with everything he was holding. He walked a bit faster, knowing that the phone would just draw attention to him. He ignored the other people on the sidewalk, keeping his head down. He knew none of Bayne's relatives had any chance of recognizing him but he didn't need them getting a good look at him either. 

The phone finally stopped ringing as he got to the van. The door slid opened suddenly and Yves reached out to relieve him of some of his burden. "Get in, you fool!" she snapped: so much for a softening of Yves's attitude toward him. "Hurry up before she sees you!"

Without thinking, Langly turned to see who Yves was talking about and in that split second saw Emma walking toward him. She faltered then continued toward the family grouped around the car as if she hadn't seen him. But Langly knew she had. 

Emma was holding a small child's toy in her hand and passed it off to a woman who stood by the vehicle holding a baby.

Langly didn't see what she did after that because he was unceremoniously grabbed by the front of his shirt and pulled head first into the van. Yves slid the door closed barely missing Langly's legs as he quickly drew them in.

Realizing he had jeopardized their operation, Langly shouted at Jimmy. "Get us out of here!" 

Jimmy started to move but Yves said, "Wait." She was watching Emma on a video screen. "Let's see what she does." All three of them gathered around the monitor and watched as Emma talked with the woman as she settled the baby in her car seat. Every now and then, Emma would sneak a quick peek at the van but didn't try to approach it. 

The woman finally climbed into the car. Emma stood waving at the family as they drove away. When the car was gone, she stood with her back to the van as if unsure what to do. At that moment, Bill called to her from the front porch. Taking one last peek at the van, she ran to the house.

Langly, Jimmy and Yves all sat back with a collective sigh of relief. "Do you think she saw you?" Jimmy asked Langly.

"I know she saw me." He paused considering the look he'd seen on her face. "And she didn't seem surprised."

Yves nodded understanding what he meant. "She knows. Bayne must have shown her the summons."

"So, she's not going to give us away," Jimmy noted.

"No, I don't think so," Yves agreed. "But we are going to need to be more careful. She is just twelve years old…"

"Thirteen," corrected Jimmy. "Today is her birthday."

Yves smiled. "You're right, but we still need to stay out of sight."

"Yeah," Jimmy agreed. "It's not fair to expect her to keep seeing us when she knows she can't talk to us."

Langly checked the monitor one more time before moving to the driver's seat. He started the engine. "I'll take us a couple of blocks from here. That should work. It's too late for her to be wandering around the neighborhood anyway."

He pulled the van away from the curb. Since the vehicle was facing away from the house, he did not have to drive past it. "Was that you guys on my cell phone?"

"Yes," Jimmy said. "We were trying to warn you that the party was breaking up."

"It was a little too late." Langly circled the neighborhood finding a parking spot two blocks to the north of where they had originally been. He shut off the engine, and set the break. 

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he flipped it open. He waited for the prompt then said, "Home."

"Why are you calling the warehouse?" Jimmy asked.

"I want to tell Frohike that Emma got his birthday present."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Emma lay in bed. Everything that had happened during the day played like a video in her head making it impossible to sleep: the legal papers that said her dad was finally ready to fight to bring her home and seeing Langly on the street before he disappeared into the van. 

There had to be someone else inside the van but she hadn't been able to see who it was. Maybe it was all of them. Maybe her dad had been there, too. 

She'd wanted so badly to find out, to walk up to the van and look in the windows to see for sure. When Julie, Ray and their kids finally drove away, she thought she might be able to go look. Just walk slowly past the van and take a quick peek, but then Bill had called to her to come inside. 

He didn't say anything about the van so she didn't think he knew they were being watched. Emma wondered how long it had been going on. Had they been watching her all this time? She doubted it. It had been four months since she'd come to live with Bill. She was pretty sure she would have noticed a van parked outside the house long before this.

She rolled over and looked at the clock. It was well past midnight and she still wasn't sleepy. Bill's parents had stayed for a while after everyone else left. The three of them had spoken in hushed voices. Emma figured they wanted to talk in private so she went to her room. From the upstairs vantage point, she had looked out the window to see if the unfamiliar van was still there. She wasn't really surprised to see that it was gone.

Emma lay mentally kicking herself for not looking more closely at the van. She wasn't even sure what color it was let alone the make and model. It was a light color but that was all she could remember. She seriously considered going for a walk around the neighborhood the next day to see if she could spot it. In the next moment, she decided that would be a bad idea, at least not without a really good reason. It would be best to pretend she hadn't seen Langly at all. She knew this like she knew her dad would someday come to bring her home. That didn't make it any easier to know that at least one of the people she had missed so desperately for so long was nearby and she couldn't talk to him.

What she had read on the legal papers made no sense. She wanted to know when the court hearing would be. The first one, the one in DC, was a month and a half after they found out about it. Bill didn't say and she had been hesitant to ask. He wasn't in a very talkative mood when she went to bed. 

The phone rang. 

This was worrisome only in that, no one, absolutely no one called Bill in the middle of the night. He said that phone calls after a decent hour should mean only two things: death or imminent death. 

Emma could hear him talking to whoever had the nerve to call so late. She got up and tiptoed out the door. Stopping outside Bill's room, she stood with her back against the wall and tried to breath as quietly as possible. She could hear him making listening noises, "Uh huh. Yeah."

This told her nothing but she was patient. "That's cutting it awfully close. We go to court in two weeks."

Emma's eyes widen in surprise. He had said 'we'. She hoped that meant Bill and herself. She could be home for summer vacation then back in her old school in the fall. 

"You told me that would be the end of it; that there was no way he could fight it. I'm not paying you another cent. You owe me, Fletcher!"

Emma fought the gasp that was an involuntary reaction to the sound of the man's name. She silently backed away from the door and down the hall to her room. 

Morris Fletcher. The name was enough to make her sick with fear. She hadn't considered the possibility that Bill would ask for his help again. Her excitement at the prospect of a new custody hearing now turned to dread. With a fair chance, she knew that the truth would come out and she would go home with her real father. But, if Morris Fletcher was once again involved, all bets were off. And there was nothing she could do about it. 

Or was there?



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Langly, Yves and Jimmy all listened as Bayne talked to Fletcher. Langly had tracked down the number Bayne dialed when Emma had first gone to bed. It was a cell phone. And the five or six calls Bayne placed had gone unanswered. He finally gave up and waited for the return call. 

With Fletcher on the line, they began their search for his location but the cell phone routed through too many different services; they didn't have time to pinpoint his whereabouts before he hung up.

"He's gotta know we're trying to find him," Langly observed, "or else he wouldn't be so incredibly paranoid."

"We know he's coming," Yves said. "That's really all we needed to find out."

"I can't stand the thought of that…that…" Jimmy was at a loss for a word horrible enough to describe Fletcher. 

"Monster?" Langly offered. 

"Fiend?" Yves added.

"Sorry excuse for a human being?"

"Degenerate?"

"Yeah, any of those or all of them," Jimmy said. "I just hope Bayne keeps him away from Emma." He turned to Yves for assurance. "You don't think Bayne would let him near her, do you?"

"I don't know," Yves admitted. "It seems like Bayne has been taking good care of her. We haven't found any evidence to the contrary."

"He got Fletcher to talk to Emma last time," Langly said. "What if he makes her tell him about our operations, our capabilities?"

Yves shook her head. "I just don't see it. Her school records and attendance look good. She hasn't gotten in any more fights. He took her to the doctor to get her medications refilled. She seemed happy enough when we saw her earlier. I don't think Bayne's the monster you guys want him to be." When both Jimmy and Langly appeared unconvinced she went on. "He can't touch her inheritance. He was good friends with her mother for years when Emma was born and Emma's lawyer, Mr. Brown, trusts him."

"I know all that but it doesn't change the fact that Bayne didn't hesitate to call Morris Fletcher for help," Jimmy pointed out. "Anyone who hangs with the likes of him can't be all good."

"That's why we're trying to get her back," Yves said hoping to ease his frustrations. "And this time we have the upper hand plus the evidence to back us up."

Jimmy glanced at her suppressing a smile. He liked that she counted herself as part of their group. In the past, her involvement with them had seemed to be only on an 'as needed' basis. But now, he sensed that she considered herself a member of their merry band of truth seekers. "I believe you, Yves. I just wish it was all over."

"We've waited this long. We can wait two more weeks." 




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



The phone rang in the warehouse at a little past one in the morning. Byers had gone to bed but Frohike was still awake hoping for this call. He picked up the receiver. "Did you get it?"

"Sorry, Fro," Langly said. "We couldn't track him down."

"Damn it!"

"He's on his way though. He said he'd be here in a week and a half."

"That's cutting it close," Frohike said. 

Langly snorted. "That's what Bayne said."

"Yeah, big deal," Frohike did not like being compared to Bayne. 

"We'll get the bastard, Frohike," Langly said taking a turn at being reassuring. "We're not giving up here. He might call again. You never know."

"Can you hang out there for a couple more days in case he shows up?"

"Sure," Langly said although he didn't relish the thought of spending that much more time in the rental van. 

"Thanks. I really appreciate you guys doing this for me."

Langly snorted again. "We're not just doing it for you, man."

"Yeah, well, I still appreciate it."

"What?" Langly said to someone in the background. Frohike could hear Yves talking but could not understand what she was saying. "Okay, cool," then back to Frohike. "Yves says to go check your email. She sent you some of the footage we took."

"What is it?"

"Just go look. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Frohike hung up and sat down at his computer. He checked his email and found the attachment. He opened it, ignoring the usual warnings about viruses. He waited for the video to begin playing, hoping it was what he thought it was.

The scene was of the street in a nice residential area. There were several cars parked on either side of the street. After about a minute of quiet neighborhood, the picture zoomed in on the front porch of the house that appeared to be the focal point.

Several people exited the house. Most looked enough like Bayne to assume they were his relatives. After some general goodbye hugging and waving and running around of the younger children, the group split up to go to their cars. Frohike continued to watch the front door of the house carefully. He thought he caught a brief glimpse of Emma before she disappeared inside. A moment later, she came running out with a small teddy bear in her hand. 

She ran across the street toward the camera. As she approached a nearby car, she stopped short: her eyes widening in surprise. After barely three seconds time, she continued towards the car and handed the bear to the woman who stood by the open back door to put her baby in its car seat. 

He watched as Emma talked with the woman and occasionally stole furtive glances towards the camera's position. The car left and after a short pause, she ran back to the house and went inside with Bayne.

Frohike reran the tape. These were the first pictures he'd seen of her since the day she was taken from him. He enhanced and enlarged the images looking for any signs of change. Her hair had grown out to what it looked like before she got it cut to alter her appearance when he took her into hiding in Florida. The dreaded bangs were pretty much just a bad memory. 

He hated to admit it but she looked like her usual self. 

Byers had told Frohike about seeing Emma at the cemetery on the anniversary of her mother's death. He had also voiced his concerns that Emma had developed loving relationships with these people. Frohike didn't agree with Byers's assessment that if they didn't get Emma back soon, it would be cruel to take her away from them. Frohike knew that Emma would never love anyone else and that not even Bayne could take his place in her heart. 

He ran the tape again and froze it on an image in which she was smiling. He printed out the picture and tacked it to the wall. He stood looking at it for a while, then turned to climb the stairs to go to bed. 


 

Chapter 10


Emma got up early the next morning. Chances were that Bill was not up yet. He often slept in until after she left for school. She wanted to try to get a message to Langly to let him know that Bill had spoken to Morris Fletcher. She got dressed and rushed down stairs. 

Bayne was already up when Emma walked into the kitchen. She wasn't sure but she thought he might be wearing the same clothes he'd had on the previous day. He looked very tired and she wondered if he had gone to bed at all.

"Morning," she said simply still thinking it might be possible to complete her 'mission'.

"Good morning, sweetheart. How are you this morning?"

"I'm okay but you don't look so good."

"I'm fine." He glanced at the clock then back at Emma. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Oh, I, um…" Emma quickly thought up a lie. "I wanted to catch the early bus to school so I could work on that big History project."

He nodded buying the fib. "Okay, but why don't I drive you. Then you can have a decent breakfast." He pulled out a chair at the table. "Here, sit down and I'll make it for you."

Not able to think up an excuse to put him off, Emma sat and watched him take out the makings of a large breakfast. "I'm glad we have this chance to talk," Bill said tossing bacon in a pan. "You saw the papers I got yesterday." It was a statement not a question. "Did you understand any of it?"

Emma carefully considered how to respond. "I know we have to go back to court and do the DNA test again."

"Yes, we do." Bill cracked some eggs into a bowl and started to beat them. "I'm sure there will be a couple of days of testimony, too." Knowing there was no comment needed, Emma waited for him to go on. He poured the eggs into a pan. He seemed to be working up to something. Emma wasn't sure what.

"Do you want me to make toast?" she finally asked. 

"That would be great."

Emma got the bread out and put some in the toaster. She had her back to Bill but she could sense that he was watching her. She was about to say something to him when the bread finally popped up. She buttered the toast and put them on a plate. 

Placing it on the table, she then took two glasses and set them on the counter. "Do you want orange juice?" she asked.

"Sure," he said spooning scrambled eggs onto two plates alongside slices of bacon. He picked up the plates and carried them to the table.

They ate in silence for a while, when Bill finally said, "Emma, can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"If you were to testify in court and the judge asked you what it's like living here with me, what would you say?"

Emma employed the time-honored response of any child who doesn't want to answer a question. "I don't know."

Bill knew he was putting her on the spot but he was desperate for some reassurance that she would paint a decent picture of her life with him. He tried again. "It's not so bad living here with me, is it? I'm not a terrible dad?"

"No, you're a good dad," Emma felt that this admission did not betray her real dad in any way. Bill was a good dad. He just wasn't hers. 

Bill relaxed a bit. "So, if the judge asked you if you like living with me, what would you say?"

This was a little trickier but knowing an answer was expected she did the best she could. "I like living here." 

This was the truth. Emma had been with Bill long enough that she had grown familiar with the house and with him. Such a familiarity was difficult to resist and pointless to deny.

Bill was encouraged by her admission and chose to ask the question that weighed most heavily on his mind. "And what if the judge asked if you loved me?"

Emma couldn't answer. Bill said it to her all the time but she had never been able to admit even to herself that she loved him. What could she say? 

Her silence told Bill that he had taken it too far; he had expected too much from her. He'd hoped that in the four months since she'd come to live with him, she had grown to love him as he had always loved her. If only he'd had a few more months, just a little more time to solidify his relationship with her…

"It's okay, Emma," he said putting a hand on her shoulder as he got up from the table. "You don't have to answer." He tried to keep his emotions out of his voice but the weight on his heart was too great to hide. 

He walked into the kitchen on the pretext of cleaning up before going to work but stood looking out the kitchen window instead. 

"Bill?"

He turned surprised she had followed him. 

"It's not that I don't love you. It's just that…" Emma fought to find the correct words. "I'm not really sure what I feel." 

The distressed look on her face made him reach out and put his arm around her. When she didn't resist, he pulled her all the way into a hug and held her for a moment. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry," Emma said. 

"Don't worry about it," he reassured her. "Just tell the judge the truth." When she didn't say anything, he added, "Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes, I can." 

"That's all I ask." He watched her go back to the table to get the breakfast dishes. He wished he felt reassured by her words but he had not missed the fact the she called him 'Bill' instead of 'Dad'. This was something she hadn't done in a long time.




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



"We've got a problem," Langly reported to Yves and Jimmy. 

"What is it?" Yves asked getting up from where she'd been resting.

"Emma's coming up the block behind us."

Jimmy turned to look out the back of the van. "It's her all right. What should we do?" Most of the windows were tinted but not the windshield so they would be invisible to her until she passed them.

"Let's wait," Langly said. "She had the sense not to approach us before. Hopefully, she'll walk right on by."

"I doubt this is a coincidence," Yves said. "She had to go out of her way to find us here. This isn't on the way to the bus stop from Bayne's house." Yves moved to the driver's seat with the thought of starting the engine if necessary.

Emma continued toward them. She was dressed in a plaid school uniform and carrying a backpack that appeared to be full of textbooks. As she drew closer to their location, she gave no sign that she knew they were in the area. 

When she was along side the van, she shifted her backpack to her other shoulder. In the process, she dropped a folded piece of paper. She walked on as if she did not notice the litter. 

She continued down the sidewalk. When she reached the corner, she paused for a moment before turning right and disappearing behind a stately house. 

Jimmy slid the side door open and jumped out. He picked up the paper and quickly got back into the van. He sat down, unfolded it and glanced at the writing.

"Lance from the Y called," Jimmy read aloud. "Then there is an I, a heart and a U."

Yves held out her hand for the note. "I understand the 'I love you' at the end but who is Lance from the Y?"

"It's the alias Fletcher used when he was stalking Emma at the YMCA," Langly explained. "She's trying to tell us he called Bayne."

"Clever girl," Yves noted. "But since we already know, she took an unnecessary risk in attempting to contact us."

Langly nodded. "And considering how stubborn she is, she'll try it again."

Jimmy agreed. "We need to call Frohike. I don't think we should stay around here anymore."

Yves pulled out her phone and dialed the number.



Frohike had to admit they were right. Emma wouldn't let up. Because she had succeeded the first time, she was more than likely to do it again. And since he wasn't there to tell her to knock it off, the only solution was for Yves, Langly and Jimmy to leave the area. 

"Come home," he told Yves. "We got all we really need anyway."

"You're sure?" 

"What did he say?" Langly said loud enough for Frohike to hear in the background.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Well?" Langly was getting impatient.

"We'll see you tomorrow then." Yves flipped her phone closed. "Let's pack it up," she told the two men. "He agrees that it would be best if we left the area."

"Emma's going to be disappointed that we're gone," Jimmy noted.

"She'll get over it," Langly said knowing she could feel worse than disappointment. Chances were she would feel abandoned. 

"She'll get to see us at the custody hearing anyway." He didn't know if he was reassuring Jimmy or himself.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


For three days in a row, Emma wandered around the neighborhood looking for the van. And for three days in a row, she went home disappointed. As far as she could tell, they were gone. It occurred to her on the fourth day that maybe they had decided to stake out Bill's office. 

After school the following day, Emma didn't take the usual bus home but boarded one that would take her out to Bill's architectural firm.

Emma searched the immediate area for signs of the rental van but found none. Knowing there had been a slim chance of success on her little mission, it wasn't too much of a let down. Resigning herself to the fact that Langly and the others were truly gone, she decided to check if Bill would be ready to go home soon. If he was, she wouldn't need to ride the bus and it wasn't too big a lie to say that she just wanted to surprise him.

She walked through the front doors and up to the security guard's desk. She set her backpack on the floor. "Hi, Ted," she said standing on her toes to hook her hands on the inner edge of the high counter to see over it. "Whatcha doing?"

"Playing tiddley winks with a manhole cover," Ted said with a smile. "What are you doing?"

"Bugging you."

"And you do it so well."

Emma laughed, pleased that she had gotten over her fear of the security guards. They were all very nice and most of them were even easy to talk to. "Is my dad still here?"

Ted glanced at the bank of security monitors in front of him and hit a couple of buttons. "His car's still here and I haven't seen him leave. Is that any help?"

"Sure, thanks," Emma said picking up her backpack and heading for the elevators. 

She stepped into the first one that opened. Hitting the button for the fifth floor, she settled into the back of the elevator. She hummed along with the tune playing on the in-house music system while she watched the numbers click off toward her floor. 

The door opened and Emma stepped forward to exit the car. She found her way blocked by a tall man in a dark suit. Noting that the man did not seem inclined to move aside to let her off, Emma stepped back to wait for him to get on. 

Still he did not move. Emma finally looked up into his face. Shocked to see who it was, she retreated further into the elevator.

"Well, well," the man said. "Lookie who we got here." Emma said nothing but stood with her back in a corner. He stepped past the doors to allow them to close. "Have you come to see your daddy?"

Since neither of them had pressed a button to tell the elevator where to go, it remained stationary. Emma tried to ease around to the panel hoping to get the door open. The man moved to block it. 

Emma returned to her corner saying, "My dad says you're not supposed to talk to me."

Morris Fletcher sneered. "Which one?"

"Both of them!" Emma said scowling at him. She wished she felt as brave as she sounded.

Fletcher laughed. "Is that so?"

Emma continued to glare at him but didn't answer. 

"So, how are you enjoying life here in Hartford?" Emma remained silent hoping that if she didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her get upset he'd let her go. 

The elevator started down in response to someone calling it to the first floor. Emma gave a mental sigh of relief. The doors would open and someone else would get on and she would, at the very least, not be alone with Morris Fletcher anymore. 

But he wasn't ready to give her up yet. He hit the emergency stop button bringing the elevator to an abrupt halt between the second and third floors. An alarm immediately sounded. Emma jumped at the unexpected racket. 

Fletcher laughed at her discomfort. "What's the matter, precious? Don't like a little noise?"

"Let me go!"

"There's one little thing I want to make clear before I do that."

"What?"

"It doesn't matter what Frohike and his cronies do, nothing will change the fact that William Bayne is your real father. You might as well get used to the idea."

"Liar! I know you did something!"

Fletcher laughed. "See, that's the beauty of it all. I had old Bill convinced he needed my help so he agreed to pay me. What he didn't realize was that all I had to do was sit back and wait for the results to come in."

"No, that's not true. You cheated! Melvin Frohike is my real father! My mom told me so!"

"Your mom?" Fletcher snorted. "I hate to break it to you, kid, but your mom was a slut. She slept around a lot."

"No, she didn't!" Emma shouted to drown him out. 

He continued. "She didn't know who your real dad was so she picked the one man she figured was a big enough sucker to take you in."

Emma put her hands over her ears to block out the sound of his voice.

Satisfied, Fletcher disengaged the emergency stop and let the elevator continue on its way down.

Ted was waiting on the first floor when the elevator doors opened. Fletcher came up short when confronted by the armed guard. "Is there something wrong with the elevator?" Ted asked.

Fletcher inclined his head in the general direction of the still open doors. "Oh, you know kids. They always have to play with the buttons."

Ted saw Emma standing in her corner, her hands still over her ears, her eyes tightly closed. "Emma? You're not messing around in the elevator are you? Emma?" 

Getting into the elevator with her, Ted reached out to touch her arm to get her attention. She shifted to one side to get away from him opening her eyes to see where she was going. Seeing Ted, she dropped her hands and looked around. "Is he gone?" she asked her voice a bit shaky. 

"The man who was just here?" Thinking the worst, Ted reached over to stop the doors from shutting. He looked out into the lobby to see that Fletcher was gone. Turning back to Emma, he asked, "He didn't hurt you, did he?" 

"No," Emma said busying herself with her school backpack, hoping he wouldn't see how upset she was. "He just said some really mean things about my mom." 

"He knows your mom?" Ted knew nothing about Emma's history, just that she was Bayne's daughter.

"I don't think so. My mom died …" Emma choked on the rest of her reply.

"Emma, are you sure you're okay?" Making a decision, Ted put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on. I'll call your dad to come down and get you."



Bill hurried down to the lobby and found a still shaken Emma at the security desk. "Emma, what happened?" he asked holding her tightly.

"It was that Fletcher guy. He was in the elevator."

Bill glanced at the security guard. "Thank you for taking care of her, Ted. I'll handle it from here." He led Emma to the elevator.

Once in his office, he told his secretary. "Angela, please hold my calls."

"Mr. Johansen needs you to call him as soon as possible."

"I'll get back to him when I can."

With the door to his outer office closed, Bayne directed Emma to sit in a chair near his desk. He sat down next to her. "Tell me what happened."

"I got in the elevator and when I tried to get out, he was there and wouldn't let me. Then he started saying awful things about my mom. I told him to stop but he wouldn't. He made the elevator stop between floors so I would have to listen to him."

"That's why the alarm went off?" Emma nodded. "He didn't touch you did he? He didn't hurt you?" Emma shook her head. "What exactly did he say about your mother?"

Emma bit her bottom lip and looked away, not wanting to repeat the horrible things Fletcher had said to her. Bill touched her cheek to bring her focus back on him. "It's okay, sweetheart. You can tell me." 

After another moment's hesitation, she said, "He called her a slut and said that she didn't really know who my dad was because she had slept with lots of guys." 

Bayne suppressed the surge of anger he felt at this. Fletcher was a necessary evil yet his insistence on tormenting Emma in this manner made no sense at all. They had arranged to meet again and at this meeting Bayne intended to make it clear that Fletcher was to have absolutely no contact with his daughter. 

"I'm sorry he said those things to you, Emma. I'll do what I can to make sure it never happens again."

"What he said about my mom… Is it true?"

"No!" Bill said vehemently. "No! Of course not."

"But you say you are my dad and so does my other dad: that's at least two people."

"Your mother was a good woman," Bill said emphatically. "She was the kindest, smartest person I've ever known." He chose reassurance over a more direct answer. "You know better than anyone else what your mom was really like. Don't let what he said confuse you." 

Emma smiled, comforted by his words. She knew that Fletcher was a liar but it felt good to hear someone else say it. "Why was he here?"

"We had some business to complete," Bill said once again side stepping the truth. "You should never see him again." A slight frown creased his brow. "As a matter of fact, we met here so that you wouldn't have to see him. I thought you were going straight home after school."

It was Emma's turn to avoid the truth. "I wanted to surprise you." 

Bayne didn't fully believe this but he could see no other reason for her to bother to come out to his office. "But what if I wasn't here?"

Emma shrugged trying to seem nonchalant. "I would have gotten back on the bus and gone home."

"You would have wasted a lot of time then. Next time call and make sure I'm here."

"But then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Better no surprise than an unpleasant one."

Remembering how scared she was in the elevator, Emma agreed. "Yeah, you're right. I'll make sure I call first."

"Good!" Bill said standing up. "Now, where do you want to go for dinner?"




On the drive home later that night, Emma once again brought up the subject of Morris Fletcher. "In the elevator…" she waited until she knew she had Bill's attention before she continued. "He didn't just talk about my mom."

"What else did he say?" Bill asked.

"He said that he tricked you. That he didn't need to do anything because he already knew you were my dad. He said you paid him lots of money for nothing."

Bayne gripped the steering wheel tightly making his knuckles turn white. Once again he felt a need to hide his anger from Emma. He consciously loosened his grip calming himself. He struggled with how to respond to Fletcher's comments. He had sworn, for Emma's sake, not to disparage Frohike or the Gunmen so he couldn't explain that he needed to be certain there was no computer tampering. 

"He did a lot of research for me." This sounded a bit lame so he added. "I didn't have enough time to do it myself."

"But why did you ask him to do it?"

"He came to me at first. I didn't know what happened to you after your mom died. He told me where you were and who you were living with. That's what I paid him for."

"He's not a nice man. He tried to hurt a friend of mine. My other dad and the guys had to fake their own deaths to try to get the man who hired him."

Stopping at a red light, he turned to look at her. "When was this?"

"A couple of years ago. My friend Yves… she gave me the leather coat, you know, the dark red one?"

"Yes, I know the one you mean." Bill hated that coat. She wore it all the time when he first got custody of her. She finally put it away when the weather got too hot.

"Her dad is a really bad man. I don't know what he does but she doesn't like it and she tries to stop him."

"What does this have to do with Morris Fletcher?"

"He worked for her dad to try to find Yves."

"What did he want from her?"

Emma shook her head. "I don't know. That's all she told me."

"Why did Mr. Frohike and his friends have to fake their deaths?"

"The light's green," Emma said bringing his attention back to his driving.

"Oh, thanks." He pulled the car through the intersection before repeating his question.

Emma sighed. "I don't know that either. But they had coffins and everything."

"I'm sorry about all that. But as I said, you will never see him again." 

"I hope not."

"Don't worry about it. I'll speak to him and make sure he understands that he is not to talk to you or to get near you."

Emma wanted to beg him to stay away from Fletcher. She didn't think Bill fully understood how awful the man was. She figured she knew more about him than Bill did and, even though he seemed to believe what she told him, he was still willing to deal with Fletcher.

"Be careful, okay?"

Bill smiled but didn't take his eyes off the road. "Are you worried about me?"

"Yes."

He looked at her then. She was serious and seemed genuinely concerned. "I'll be careful. Don't worry."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Four days before the new court date in Hartford, Yves and Jimmy were doing some grocery shopping for the warehouse. They bought only a limited amount of groceries since everyone was heading north for the new custody hearing. 

Crossing the parking lot on the way to the van, Jimmy once again expressed his concerns. "I still don't think we got enough milk."

"We have plenty," Yves insisted for the third time.

"But if we bring Emma home with us? She drinks a lot of milk."

"We'll just have to buy more then. It will be at least a week before that happens and she won't like the milk if it goes sour in the meantime."

"Well, yeah. That's a good point." They moved out into the middle of the lane between the parked cars to go around an elderly woman. She was walking with a cane and carrying three plastic bags full of groceries. 

As the young couple came up even with the woman, she inadvertently set her cane in a hole. This put her off balance and she fell to the ground spilling her groceries across the pavement.

Jimmy and Yves rushed to help her. 

The old woman lay unmoving but moaned softly. Yves bent over her as Jimmy scrambled to pick but the spilled groceries. "Ma'am, are you all right?"

"I'm not sure," she said in a feeble voice. "Could you help me up?"

"Certainly."

The woman gripped Yves's arm tightly and managed to get up off the ground onto her knees. She leaned heavily on her cane with her other hand and got to her feet. She was very shaky and Yves put an arm round her to steady her. "Thank you, dear," the woman said.

Jimmy had the groceries all gathered and back in her bags. "Can we walk you to your car?" he asked the woman.

"I don't mean to be such a bother…"

Yves smiled gently at the woman. "It's no bother. We were heading in that direction anyway."

They walked slowly allowing the elderly lady to set the pace. "That's my car up ahead. The blue one." Reaching the vehicle, the woman let go of Yves to fumble in her purse. "I know my keys are in here."

She pulled out her wallet. "Can you hold this?" she asked Yves who took it without comment. The woman removed several other items handing each of them in turn to Yves. There were a couple of lace handkerchiefs, a prescription bottle and a comb. 

"Wait, I think I see them." She pulled out some envelopes. These looked like personal correspondence and opened bills. Yves held out her hand to take these, also. The woman gave them to her then finally retrieved her keys from her purse. She turned to unlock the door then shuffled around to the back of the car to open the trunk for the groceries.

After loading the bags in the car, Jimmy slammed the lid shut then escorted the woman to the front seat. She opened the car to get in when Yves stopped her. "Ma'am?" she said holding out the contents of the woman's purse. 

"Oh, you keep those," the woman said. 

Yves frowned. Something wasn't right. "But these are personal items," she said meaning the wallet, the bottle of pills and the envelopes. The woman got quickly into the front seat; far too quickly for someone as old and feeble as she had seemed only minutes earlier. 

The woman closed the door but rolled down the window. "Those are for you," she said starting the engine. 

"But, Ma'am…" The woman put the car in reverse. 

"You've been served!" she shouted as she rolled the window back up. Jimmy and Yves jumped out of the way as the woman backed out of her parking space.

Jimmy and Yves stood in stunned silence watching the car drive away. Then they both turned to look at the envelopes in Yves's hand. She gave the other items to Jimmy and shuffled through the bills until she found one addressed to her. 

Yves shook her head in disbelief and showed the envelope to Jimmy. 

"They even used your real name," he noted.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



"Did you ever tell Emma your real name?" Frohike asked a half hour later as he looked over the subpoena. 

"No. I don't use it for reasons you are all very well aware of," Yves stated emphatically. "Did any of you use the name in front of her?"

All four gunmen shook their heads. She studied their faces seeing truth in all of them. "This can mean only one thing then."

"Fletcher," Frohike said gruffly. "But why bring this up now? None of your identities came up during the last hearing."

"He's grasping at straws," Byers speculated. "Fletcher probably had to admit to some pretty nasty dealings with your father to convince Bayne to put you on the stand."

Yves was silent for the few seconds, her mind racing. "I can't testify." She stood up and headed for the exit. 

"Where the hell are you going?" Langly yelled.

Jimmy ran after her meeting her at the door. For once, the amount of time it took to disengage all the locks was to his advantage. These held Yves up long enough for him to keep her from getting outside before he could stop her. 

"Why are you leaving?" 

"Jimmy, please," Yves said with a pained expression on her face. "You don't understand."

Jimmy wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her but he knew she would not accept it. Not at that point. "I probably don't understand everything you are feeling but I do know you're afraid that if you stay and are forced to testify that Frohike will not be allowed to bring Emma home."

"Then let me go. It's best for everyone if I just get out of town…" the hurt expression on Jimmy's face made her amend her original statement. "…at least for a while until everything settles down."

The other three joined Jimmy and Yves at the door. "And how do you think it will help matters if you ignore the subpoena?" Frohike asked curbing his fear that Yves's insistence on remaining an enigma might become a major problem.

"I will not be put under oath for any reason," she said not taking her eyes off Jimmy who was still preventing her from leaving. "I won't talk about my past or my father."

"It will look much worse if you don't show up," Byers insisted. "The truth is always far less shocking than what the imagination can envision."

Yves finally turned to look at the other three men. "You don't want to know the whole truth." She scanned their faces. "I've only told you as much as I needed to and if the rest comes out in the hearing, you will never be given custody of Emma."

Langly tried to help. "So, you've done some stuff you're ashamed of…"

"I'm not ashamed of anything I've ever done," Yves stated emphatically. "But I can't trust a judge to see it that way."

Frohike knew he had to get her to agree to this but that bullying her into it would not work. "Have you considered the possibility that Fletcher figured you would never get up on the stand, that your refusal to do so would cast doubt on my ability to be a good parent." Yves said nothing to this but Frohike could tell she was considering the possibility that what he was saying was the truth. "Let me talk to my lawyer," he went on. "I'll explain the situation. Let's see what he says."

Yves shook her head. "Your lawyer will tell you that I must testify. He has no other choice but I, on the other hand, do have a choice." She tried once more to open the door but Jimmy closed it with one hand then re-engaged some of the locks. 

"This isn't the answer," he said. "You can't keep running away from your past. Maybe this is just God's way of saying, it's time to face it."

Yves was trying very hard to be patient. "I doubt God would put Emma's future on the line to make me face my past."

Frohike tried again. "You're not the one seeking custody. I am. I'm pretty sure my lawyer will agree that your past is irrelevant. I'm telling you, Fletcher and Bayne are just trying to scare us with these tactics." 

Yves still wasn't convinced. "You told us Mulder's work on the X-Files came up at the last hearing."

"But this is a different judge. Let me talk to my lawyer," Frohike said again. "We may be getting all worked up for nothing."

"Please, Yves," Jimmy said, "It's worth a shot."

Yves wavered, unable to deny the logic of their arguments. Three years earlier she wouldn't have thought twice about rebuilding her life elsewhere in this type of situation. I'm getting soft, she thought, allowing myself to become attached to this odd group. 

Jimmy could sense her resolve crumbling. He put his arm around her gently drawing her closer. He turned to Frohike. "Do you think we could call him right now?"

"Now is as good a time as any," Frohike said.

"What do you think, Yves?" Jimmy asked. He knew her answer before she spoke because she leaned into him accepting the embrace. 

"All right," she conceded. "Let's talk to the lawyer." 

Frohike checked his watch as he headed back into the work area. "He's usually in his office this time of day." Yves and Jimmy followed Frohike wanting to listen to the conversation.

While they did that, Byers looked through all the other items the old woman had asked Yves to hold. The envelopes, although ripped open to look like unpaid bills, contained nothing more than junk mail with the addresses removed. The wallet was old and worn but had only cut up paper for money, bits of card stock in place of credit cards, and a few odd coins to give it weight. 

"Did you find anything useful," Langly asked looking over Byers's shoulder.

"Nothing," Byers said. "That process server was pretty clever. I seriously doubt she was as old as she seemed."

"Yeah, Jimmy said he was surprised at how quickly she was able to jump into the car to make a get away." 

"It would have been difficult to catch Yves unawares without some sort of elaborate ruse," Byers noted. 

Langly cringed. "I know I wouldn't want to mess with her."

The other three joined Byers and Langly to fill them in. "He says it shouldn't be a problem," Frohike said but Yves still seemed doubtful.

"I still don't like the idea of being put under oath."

"What did Kendall say?" Byers asked.

"He told us that Yves's background would not be admissible; that only the time she spent with Emma would be of any concern."

Langly tried to remember what all Emma had done with Yves. "There was really only the trip to England."

Frohike nodded. "And if the judge asks Emma about that, I know for a fact she will tell the same tale of adventure and excitement that she talked incessantly about for two months after she got back."

Langly snorted at this statement. Emma had driven them all crazy trying to fill them in on every detail of that trip. "This is all very well and good," Yves said, "but how can I be assured that his lawyer won't try to sneak in some other facts that will prejudice the judge in Bayne's favor. The last judge allowed such testimony."

"Kendall said he did some research on the judge who'll be presiding over our hearing," said Frohike. "She has the reputation of being a fair, no nonsense person who doesn't appreciate lawyers who try to pull underhanded tricks in her courtroom."

Yves sighed and said, "I still believe everyone would be better off if I just left town but I can't stand the thought of Fletcher manipulating the situation like this."

"So, you'll go with us to Hartford?" Frohike asked hopefully. When she didn't answer right away, he added, "Please, Yves. It would mean a lot if you could do this for me."

"Yes," Yves said after another moment's consideration." I will go with you to Hartford."




Chapter 11



Judge Amy Gray juggled the two latte cups and her brief case while trying to unlock the door to her office. She was surprised that her Court Services Officer was not there yet as he usually had the door open when she arrived at work in the morning.

"Why don't you let me do that?" a soft baritone voice asked. Judge Gray turned to see Bruce, her CSO, watching her with a highly amused look on his face. He was a tall good-looking black man with a shaved head and a winning smile.

"Please," she said stepping away from the door. 

Bruce held the door open for Amy once he had it unlocked. She put the two hot drinks on her desk then lay the brief case beside them. She picked up one of the cups. "This one's for you," she said handing it to Bruce. 

"Thank you," he said taking the cup out of her hand and replacing it with a manila folder. 

"So, what do we have today?" she asked sitting down and opening the folder. She took a sip of her coffee as she glanced over the file.

"Two men claiming paternity of a thirteen year old girl," Bruce summarized. "The mother is dead and left no other close relatives."

Still scanning the pages, Amy said, "A simple paternity test should solve this. Why are they insisting on handling this in court?"

"A DNA test was administered in February and a family court judge in Washington, DC gave custody to the man whose DNA matched the child's but now the other man is questioning the validity of the test."

"What testing facility did DC use?" Amy asked as she searched the file even though she knew Bruce would supply the answer before she located it. 

"Stevenson Genetics."

"We've use them in the past," Amy noted glancing up at Bruce. "And never had any problem." She returned to looking through the file. "But Judge Harrison seemed to think there was enough evidence to warrant another test and custody hearing."

She closed the file. "Is everyone here?"

"Yes," Bruce said. 

Amy took one long last drink of her coffee. "Let's go then."



Judge Gray followed her CSO into her courtroom. "All rise," Donna, the court clerk, said.

Everyone stood up as the judge settled in behind her desk. "You may be seated," she said. She quickly surveyed the faces in front of her. She didn't recognize most of them but one of the lawyers, a young Asian woman, looked familiar. Judge Gray assumed this woman had appeared before her on other matters. 

She studied the two men who both claimed to be the father of one child. One was tall, good looking and had a full head of brown hair. He seemed to be in his mid-forties. 

His name was William Bayne and he was the respondent. 

The other man was older, fifty-five or so, and balding. Although he was nicely dressed, he did not look comfortable in his suit and tie. Judge Gray double-checked his name. 

Melvin Frohike was the petitioner.

These two men could not be any more different. About the only thing they had in common was the fact they both wore glasses. You'd think it would be easy to look at the child and know which man was her father, Judge Gray thought. There was a picture of the girl in the file. She glanced at it as everyone settled themselves back in their seats. The girl must resemble her mother, because she looked like neither man.

"Good morning," she said. "The issue before us today is the paternity of thirteen year old Emma Michelle MacKenzie. I see that everyone is present."

"Yes, your honor," was heard from both tables.

"And the child?"

The lady lawyer stood. "The child is with her grandparents in the conference room until her presence is required." 

Judge Gray glanced at Bruce for confirmation. He gave a nearly imperceptible nod. The judge quickly consulted her notes before turning back to the lawyer. "Thank you, Ms. Hirosaki." The woman sat down.

"Are there any motions before we begin?"

Midori Hirosaki stood back up. "Yes, Your Honor."

Amy picked up her pen. "Go ahead."

"We feel that these entire proceedings are a waste of the court's time. A DNA test was performed in February, which proved that my client is Emma's father. The petitioner's allegations that the test was tampered with are unfounded."

The petitioner's lawyer stood up. He was a young man who looked barely 30. "Your honor, it is our contention that the test Ms. Hirosaki is referring to was corrupted. We have a witness that is willing to testify that he was the one who falsified the results."

The other lawyer tried to speak again but Judge Gray cut her off with a raised hand. "Judge Harrison has already ruled on this. We will go ahead with the new test." She consulted her notes, adding, "In light of the accusations of tampering, the DNA results will be coded with the identities kept secret until the results are read in this court in three days time." She looked back and forth between the two tables. "Does anyone have any objections to this procedure?"

"No, your honor," both lawyers said.

"All right then. Bailiff," she said addressing the uniformed officer in the back of the courtroom, "could you bring Emma in?"



Judge Gray carefully watched the girl's reactions as she came in with the bailiff and the technician who would take the samples for the DNA test. Emma scanned the room her gaze pausing briefly on the man she'd been living with since February then settled on the other man, Melvin Frohike. She took a hesitant step towards him but stopped. Amy looked to see that he was shaking his head at her, ever so slightly. 

A hurt expression flashed quickly across Emma's face. "Hello, Emma," the judge said to distract her as Bruce helped the technician get set up for the test. 

"Good morning, Your Honor."

"You can sit right here by me," Amy said pointing to the witness chair.

"Thank you" the girl said sitting down.

Judge Gray leaned forward on her desk so she could see Emma's face. "You've done this before?" she asked meaning the DNA test even though she knew the answer.

"Yes, in Washington, DC."

"So, you know how it works and that it won't hurt, right?"

Emma nodded then looked back towards the man who had previously lost custody of her. 

"We're ready, Judge Gray," her CSO announced. The samples were quickly taken from all three concerned parties: Emma, William Bayne and finally, Melvin Frohike. 

With this done, the judge turned back to the girl. "The bailiff will take you back to the conference room. We should be done here in a few minutes then you can go home."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Emma said. She stood up from the witness chair, paused to look at Mr. Frohike again and hesitantly raised her hand as if to wave at him but changed her mind before the bailiff reached her to escort her from the room. 

The judge watched the pained reactions on the faces of both of the people who had come to her courtroom for her help in solving this dilemma. Although this case was unusual, Amy could tell is was still going to be a tough one to decide. 

Once the door had shut behind Emma and the bailiff, Amy once again addressed those before her. "Does either party wish to present testimony?"

Getting an affirmative answer from both lawyers, Judge Gray said, "All right. Tomorrow at…" 

"10:30 AM," Bruce finished the sentence for her after quickly checking the schedule. 

"10:30," the judge confirmed. 

She closed the file folder in front of her, picked it up and stood up. "All rise," the court clerk said. 

Everyone stood and watched as the judge left the room. 





Langly, Byers, Jimmy and Yves all waited outside the courtroom. They had arranged themselves in the blue vinyl chairs that were strategically placed along the corridor. There was quite a bit of traffic in the hallway, much more than in the courthouse in DC. The courtroom was near a central stairway and it seemed that most people chose to use the stairs rather than trust the elevators in the old building.

No one had come out or gone into the courtroom since they sat down to wait for Frohike. Langly was growing increasingly impatient. 

"We know Bayne and his lady lawyer are in there. Emma's got to be around here somewhere, too." He started to rise but Byers put a hand on his arm to keep him in his seat. 

"It won't do any good to go looking for her," he said. 

"They must have her squirreled away around here somewhere," Langly said. He pulled his arm out of Byers grasp and got up. 

"Langly, you can't…"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Byers! I'm not going anywhere." He stalked across the hallway and leaned his elbows on the safety railing to watch the people climbing the stairs. 

Yves laughed softly at Langly's turn of phrase. Jimmy noticed her amusement and commented on it. "I think," Yves replied, "that I have been spending far too much time with you fellows." She inclined her head in Langly's direction. 

Jimmy smiled and nodded. "I'm not complaining," he said putting his arm around her shoulders. 

The door to the courtroom opened and Bayne, with his attorney, came out. Frohike and his lawyer were right behind them. Bayne headed down the hall away from the waiting group. 

"How did it go?" Byers asked as Frohike joined them. 

"It was about what I expected," Frohike said. "All they did was take DNA samples from the three of us."

"So, Emma was there?" Langly said interrupting him. Frohike nodded. 

"How did she look?" Jimmy asked.

"No different than she did two weeks ago," Frohike said but he could see they would not be satisfied with this. "She looked fine… a little scared but fine."

"We never saw her go in," Langly complained. "What did they do, sneak her in the back way?"

"She was waiting in some other room with Bayne's parents," said Frohike scowling. "Bayne's lawyer made a point of saying Emma was with 'her grandparents'. It made me want to stand up and object but I didn't want to piss off the judge on the first day."

Byers nodded. "You made the right choice. Don't let the little things get to you."

"And besides," Langly added with a bit of an evil grin, "you'll have lots of chances later to really piss him off."

"Who?" Frohike asked, "the judge?"

"Yeah. Who did you think I meant? Bayne?"

"No, but the judge is a woman."

"A woman?" Langly asked in surprise. "Let me guess, some old battle axe that's been in the legal system for years."

It was Frohike's turn to employ the evil grin. "I'll let you decide that for yourself when you're on the witness stand tomorrow."



Emma sat in the backseat with her grandmother, Estelle. Bill and her grandfather were in the front seat. Emma had no trouble thinking of Bill's mom and dad as her grandparents. She'd never had a grandmother or a grandfather before and had always regretted this fact. She wistfully listened to her friends at school talk about their experiences with the older generations in their families and she often felt gypped that she had never even met her own. 

And besides, Estelle and Steven were very nice and very sweet and loved her very much. She had no trouble admitting that she loved them, too. Since there was no one in her life to fill these rolls, she did not feel that she was betraying anyone with this admission, even if it was only to herself.

Emma ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek where the technician had brushed it with the cotton swab to gather cells for the test. She wondered what the results would be this time. The three-day wait seemed like an eternity. Everything could change again. Uncertainty and impatience made her sigh. 

"Are you all right, dear?" Estelle asked. 

Bill glanced at the rear view mirror to see Emma, who was sitting behind him, smile at his mother. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Are you worried?"

Emma shrugged. "Maybe a little." This was the truth. Back in February when the first test had been performed, Emma had known next to nothing about Bill and the thought of leaving Frohike had been terrifying. But this time, either way, she would be with someone who loved her and would take care of her. She knew how she wanted the test to turn out but was much less frightened by the possible outcome.

"Well, don't be," her grandmother said, "because I know the test is going to show that you belong with us."

Emma smiled again but didn't say anything. Her thoughts returned to the courtroom and where she saw Frohike for the first time in months. She'd been thinking about that moment for days and had carefully planned how she would react. She wanted to walk in, smile at her dad then sit quietly and calmly where she was told. 

But this was not what happened. Her reaction at seeing him had nearly overwhelmed her. She wanted to run to him and hug him and tell him how much she had missed him and how hard she'd been trying to make him proud of her. 

Fortunately, he saw her intention and shook his head to let her know that she had to fight that impulse. That was all it took but it did not lessen her disappointment. 

In the end, she was glad that she had not made a fool of herself in front of the judge and everyone else and she had to console herself with the thought that very shortly she could be going home with him; home to all the guys.



Bill glanced at Emma in the rear view mirror again. His thoughts, like Emma's, wandered back to the courtroom. Emma's reaction at seeing Melvin Frohike was exactly what Bill had feared it would be. She still had a strong attachment to the man and if it came down to choosing between the two of them, Bill figured he would lose. 

But he believed Emma loved him, too. She demonstrated it nearly daily. She simply never said it and Bill knew it would be a mistake to push her into admitting it. His mother had been right. He couldn't rush Emma into anything; it had to be on her own terms or not at all. He wondered if it was the same with all teenagers. He suspected it was. 

The next three days were going to be very long and troublesome. Sitting in the courtroom in DC had been difficult but this time he was the one looking at losing his child, not Melvin Frohike. The fact he'd been awarded custody the last time was a mark in his favor. He had provided a good home for Emma and she had adjusted well. She had done great in school and didn't get in trouble like she had in previous schools. She'd made many new friends and had developed loving relationships with his immediate family.

Bill pulled the car into the driveway of his parent's house. They all got out and headed for the back door. "Stay for dinner," Bill's mom said again having gotten a negative response the two previous times she'd asked. "I've got a pot roast big enough for all four of us."

"Come on, Dad," Emma begged. "Can't we stay?"

Bill's mind raced over all he needed to do at work. Emma was out of school for the summer so they didn't need to worry about homework or getting to bed at a decent hour. There was nothing he needed to do to prepare for court the next day. His lawyer was taking care of all that. He studied Emma's face. 

"Pleeeeeeeease" she said drawing out the word. He was wavering and she knew it.

Bill laughed. "All right, all right!" he conceded knowing it would make Emma happy and at that moment her happiness seemed more important to him than anything else.

He turned to his mother. "Pot roast sounds delicious. We would love to stay."





Frohike sat up, unable to sleep. It was 4:15 in the morning. Too early for breakfast and even if he could have found an open bar, drinking was out of the question. He hadn't had a drink since the day Anna Haag had come to the house and shaken some sense into him. 

He got up and moved quietly through the hotel room. Byers and Langly were sound asleep. Jimmy and Yves were in a room down the hall. Frohike opened his laptop and turned the machine on. He skimmed through the notes he and his lawyer, Gray Kendall, had made for the following day.

He knew they were better prepared this time but he couldn't help but wonder if there was something else they could do, someone else to bring in to testify. He had seriously considered asking Amy to fly up from Florida to talk about what kind of father he was. He and Emma had lived with her for a month when he first found out about the initial custody hearing. But after careful consideration, he decided he didn't want to waste her time; that among his friends and business associates in the Washington, DC area, there were plenty of people who could do the job.

John Doggett had agreed to testify as had Dana Scully. Frohike figured these two would seem to be the most credible witnesses among his friends, at least to a judge. Mulder had also come. Bayne's lawyer had subpoenaed him along with Yves.

Frohike was worried about what Mulder say on the stand. He knew Yves would only say what was required but Mulder, given the chance, tended to run off at the mouth. When anyone showed even the slightest interest in something paranormal, he seemed to think it was his job to fully educate them on that subject whether the recipient desired the information or not. 

Frohike made a note to talk to Kendall again about Mulder and warn him not to let the ex-FBI agent get carried away. 

He reviewed the list of everyone slated to testify that day. He and his lawyer had carefully mapped out questions that would be asked of each person to highlight the positive aspects of Frohike's life and his competence as a parent. He glanced once more at the list. Byers was up first.




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Judge Amy Gray sifted through the newspapers on her desk. Some of the headlines were pretty spectacular and, at first glance, difficult to believe. But others were more mainstream. She looked over at the bearded man on the witness stand. She held up one of the editions of "The Lone Gunman". The headline read, "WW2 Criminal Arrested". 

"I remember reading about this in our local paper," she said. "You broke this story?"

"Yes," John Byers replied with pride. "That was ours." He watched the judge set the paper back down before adding, "Mr. Frohike did the investigative legwork on that piece." 

Judge Gray nodded. She glanced back at the petitioner's lawyer. "Mr. Kendall, do you have any more questions for this witness?"

"No, Your Honor."

"Ms. Hirosaki, your witness."

Midori Hirosaki stood up from her place next to William Bayne. "Mr. Byers, you said that Mr. Frohike did the 'investigative legwork' on the story to which the judge was referring. What did this entail?"

Mr. Byers shifted in his seat so he was looking directly at the lawyer. "He went undercover as a suspect's long lost son."

"But this woman was not who you eventually exposed, was it?"

"No, it was her neighbor."

"And what was that woman's crime?"

"She worked as an assassin for the Nazis."

"How did she accomplish this?"

Gray Kendall, Mr. Frohike's lawyer, stood up. "Your Honor, I fail to see the point of this line of questioning. This information is public knowledge."

"Miss Hirosaki?" Judge Gray said.

"I wish to prove that Mr. Frohike's work is dangerous and that in the course of this investigation, a woman died from eating a pastry that was meant for Mr. Frohike. This woman's death was unnecessary and a direct result of their undercover operations."

Kendall leapt to his feet once again. "Your Honor! Ms. Hirosaki is trying to blame my client and his associates for a murder committed by a notorious criminal!"

Midori Hirosaki did not wait for a response from the judge. "If they had not been meddling in this, that woman would still be alive!"

Judge Gray held up her hands. She allowed a little bit of her irritation at this behavior to be heard in her voice. "Both of you calm down for a moment." She turned to the man on the witness stand. "How did the woman die?"

Byers sighed. "Mr. Frohike was given a pastry that was prepared especially for him. He knew he was in danger of being poisoned so he threw it away. Unfortunately, the maid found it in the garbage and took it out to eat it." He looked away from the judge for a moment with regret evident on his face. After a short pause, he continued. "Mr. Frohike went back later to find it so we could have it tested. He was surprised to see it had been removed from the trashcan. That's when he found the woman's body with the partially eaten pastry near by."

"It sounds like an unfortunate accident to me," the judge announced. "Ms. Hirosaki, let's move on."

After quickly scanning her notes, the lawyer said, "I have no more questions your honor."

The judge glanced at the sheet of paper in front of her wondering if what she saw was a misprint. "Mr. Kendall, call your next witness."

"Our next witness is Mr. James Bond."

Obviously, it wasn't a misprint. Judge Gray watched the young man enter the courtroom. He was tall and had a 'boy next door' look about him. He smiled at her as she pointed out the witness chair. "Good morning, Your Honor," he said continuing to smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Bond."

"Jimmy. Everyone calls me Jimmy," he insisted.

Jimmy Bond's testimony was primarily concerned with explaining Emma's living situation after her mother's death. He mentioned Mr. Frohike had gone to live in the house belonging to the girl's mother. He explained that their work was quite involved and frequently required them to keep odd hours. "Nobody wanted Emma to stay home by herself, so we built her a room in the living area attached to our office. That way her dad could work late and she could have a place of her own."

"So, did she live there from then on?"

"No," Jimmy said shaking his head. 

"How often did she spend the night there?"

"During the summer, it was most of the time. But when school started again, it was usually just the weekends."

Kendall nodded. "And what did your coworkers think of this arrangement?"

"Byers was the one who said we should build the room. Langly thought it was a great idea and so did I."

"Who is Langly?" Kendall asked as this was the first time the name had come up.

"Richard Langly. He's one of the Gun…" Jimmy stopped for a second looking a little flustered. "He's one of my coworkers."

Amy Gray watched Jimmy closely. He'd nearly misspoken. They must have deviated from his carefully rehearsed testimony. "You were going to say something else. What was it?" If this had been criminal court, she never would have asked such a question. But this was family court and she had a little more leeway.

Jimmy gave her a pleading look, his face turning bright red. The judge tried again. "You said he was one of the gun…something."

"Gunmen," Jimmy admitted then rushed to add, "It's because of the name of the newspaper. Their friends call them 'the Gunmen'. But it doesn't mean they use guns. As a matter of fact, they don't even own any."

The judge cut him off. "Okay, thank you. That's fine. I was just curious."

He relaxed a bit and settled back into the chair. "Sorry," he said smiling again. 

"Any more questions, Mr. Kendall," the judge asked bringing them back to the matter at hand. 

"Yes, Your Honor," he turned to the man on the witness stand. "So, overall, how would you say it went having Emma with you all so much?"

"It was fine. It was better than fine. We love her." He put his hand on his chest as if making a pledge. "I love her." He smiled. "It's like having a little sister. I never had a sister so I really enjoyed having her around." He let his hand drop into his lap. "I miss her though." He studied Mr. Frohike's face. "We all have." 

Jimmy moved in his chair so he was facing the judge. "It just hasn't been the same without her. You know, it's like one of those things where you didn't know you were missing something until you got it and suddenly it's gone." He shook his head. "I don't know if that makes any sense to you but she is a part of our family and without her there, our family is incomplete."

He stopped talking and sat back squarely in the chair waiting for what would come next. Amy studied his profile touched by his sincerity. 

Discovering that Kendall was done with his witness, the judge turned questioning over to William Bayne's lawyer.

Ms. Hirosaki started out slowly asking for clarification of Jimmy's earlier testimony. He answered confidently. Eventually, she addressed the living arrangements. "You said that a room was built onto the living area of your offices for Emma's use."

"Yes."

"The offices you speak of, they're actually in a warehouse in an industrial area, aren't they?"

"Yes," Jimmy said sounding a bit less confident.

"And did Mr. Frohike pay for the building materials that were used to construct this room?"

Jimmy glanced at Mr. Frohike before answering. "Emma paid for it."

"You required this child to pay to remodel your warehouse so she would have a place to sleep when she had a home of her own?" the lawyer asked with contempt in her voice.

"No! It wasn't like that at all. She asked to pay for it. She was always arguing with her dad about wanting to pay for things. She said she needed this room and she should get to pay for it."

"So, she argued with Mr. Frohike a lot?"

"No, well, sometimes. But not a lot."

"What kind of things did they argue about?"

Jimmy shrugged. "Just the kinds of things teenagers always argue with their parents about."

"I feel quite certain that most teenagers don't complain about not being allowed to pay for constructions costs. I can't think of any child who would choose to use her own money in such a manner."

Kendall stood up to object but the judge took care of it for him. "Was there a question in that, Ms. Hirosaki?"

"Sorry, Your Honor." She turned her attention back to Jimmy. "Could you be more specific as to what they argued about?"

Jimmy thought for a moment. "Mostly it was about things she wanted to do that he didn't think would be safe." He frowned at this point. "Like when Mr. Bayne had someone following her and we didn't know why. Emma would get really frustrated with how careful we were being to make sure she stayed safe after that." He glared at the man that had caused them this strife.

William Bayne quickly jotted a note on a legal pad and passed it to his lawyer. She read it before continuing questioning. 

"You said that she spent most of last summer living with the four of you."

The judge noticed the change in the line of questioning. The employment of private investigators was not unusual in cases such as these but this lawyer seemed to want to avoid that topic, as did her client. Judge Gray made a note of this.

"Yes, Emma lived in the warehouse with us last summer."

"With four single men?"

"Yes," Jimmy answered sounding apprehensive.

"And during that time, did any of you go out on dates?"

"No… wait, yes, Byers, um, Mr. Byers had a couple of dates."

"That's it?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yes, that was all."

"You're a good looking guy. You didn't go out on any dates at all last summer?"

"No, I didn't."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Move on, Ms. Hirosaki," the Judge Gray insisted. "He's already answered the question and, unless you intend to ask him out yourself..."

"That is not my intention, Your Honor." She focused once again on Jimmy. "When Mr. Byers went out on a date, did he bring home any overnight guests?"

"No," Jimmy answered looking a bit perplexed. "Oh, I get it. You mean did he… well, I know what you mean and no, he did not."

"You're certain of this."

"Yes, I am. We talked about it. Frohike decided that if it ever came up, he would take Emma home for the night."

Midori Hirosaki was getting nowhere with the witness and gave up saying, "No more questions, Your Honor."

The judge addressed Jimmy. "Thank you, Mr. Bond."

"You're welcome." He stood up and left the courtroom.

"I'd like to call a recess for lunch at this time, unless anyone objects." Hearing no complaints, she went on. "We will reconvene at…" She waited for her Court Services Officer. 

"1:30," Bruce said. 

"1:30," the judge echoed.

Everyone stood as the judge left the room.


 

Chapter 12


The first two witnesses after the lunch break were FBI agents. At first Judge Gray thought they must be there with some testimony explaining a nefarious background for William Bayne but each of them, Agent John Doggett and Agent Dana Scully, were personal friends of Melvin Frohike. The only testimony they offered was aimed at showing his competence as a parent as each of them had a child of their own. 

Although, Agent Scully's son was only a toddler and Agent Doggett's had died at an early age, both were impressed with how easily Mr. Frohike had taken on the role of parenthood. 

The respondent's attorney posed very few questions to these two witnesses. She seemed interested in only one fact: that both agents had worked on something they called "the X-Files". But strangely, she didn't seem inclined to explore beyond this point. 

The third witness of the afternoon was Richard Langly. He was one of the 'Gunmen' that Jimmy Bond had referred to that morning. The judge was surprised by how nervous he seemed from the moment he sat down in the witness chair. 

"Good morning, Your Honor. Afternoon!" Mr. Langly corrected himself. "It's afternoon! Good afternoon." He laughed a little too loud.

With the usual swearing in out of the way, he sat back in the chair and brushed his long, blond hair out of his face.

The petitioner's lawyer questioned Mr. Langly about the schedule he and his coworkers developed to insure that Emma experienced a normal life of school and extracurricular activities. 

"So, she was driven to and from school everyday?" Mr. Kendall asked. 

"No, not everyday," Mr. Langly replied. "It depended where she spent the night."

"Could you be more specific?" Judge Gray requested. 

"Oh, um, yeah." The witness had calmed down once he got into the flow of the questions but when the judge addressed him directly, he grew nervous again. "When Emma stayed at the house, at her house, she would usually take Metro."

"Metro?" 

"Oh, sorry," he said getting really flustered again. "Metro's the subway. Well, not all the way, not like New York. It's a train system that runs under and around the Washington, DC area."

Amy nodded but he wasn't done. "You can get on in most of the outlying areas and ride right into the middle of the Mall. Not like a shopping mall but the National Mall, you know, where a lot of the Smithsonians are and the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial…" 

"I understand," the judge injected hoping he would stop. "Thank you for the explanation." He gave her a goofy grin then turned his attention back to the petitioner's lawyer to wait for the next question. She could see now that it was her presence that was making him so nervous. She couldn't figure out why though. "So, Emma takes Metro when she stays at her home." She repeated to get him to finish his answer for the original question.

"Yes," Mr. Langly said misunderstanding her desire for him to continue. 

Judge Gray tried again. "What if she's not at home?"

"Oh, then Frohike, her dad," he pointed to the petitioner who looked a bit amused at his friend's difficulty in finishing a complete thought, "would drive her to school and we all took turns picking her up and driving her to dance class or the YMCA or back to the warehouse. It depended on what was going on."

"All right, thank you, Mr. Langly. Any more questions for this witness, Mr. Kendall."

The petitioner's lawyer looked less amused by the witness's discomfiture. "No, Your Honor."

"Miss Hirosaki, your witness."

The respondent's lawyer stood up but did not move from behind the table were William Bayne was sitting. "Mr. Langly, who else besides the four of you who live together in that warehouse would chauffer Emma around?"

"Once in a great while Yves would give her a ride and sometimes Mulder."

"Would this be Fox Mulder and the woman who goes by the name Yves Adele Harlow?"

"Yes."

"You mentioned the fact that you would drive Emma back and forth from the YMCA. What did she do there?"

"She would go swimming," he answered cautiously.

"How often was this?"

Mr. Langly shrugged. "Two or three times a week. I didn't really keep track."

"Which YMCA did Emma go to?"

"The one in Tacoma Park."

"Do you remember picking Emma up at that YMCA on the afternoon of July 30, 2002?"

"I…" the witness scowled obviously uncertain of the exact day. "I don't know. I did it so often, I can't say for sure."

Judge Gray glanced at Mr. Frohike. His amused look had changed to one of concern.

"On the day in question, a police report was filed by the manager of the Tacoma Park YMCA. It stated that a man with long blond hair and dark rimmed glasses had been seen speeding and driving erratically through the parking lot of that particular facility. The driver of the car then got out and began yelling at a man who worked there, even threatening to kill him. You fit the description of the driver of that car." 

The witness's demeanor gradually changed as Miss Hirosaki talked. He leaned forward his hands gripping the arms of the chair. When he finally spoke, it was done slowly with barely contained anger. "That was the day I found Emma talking to Morris Fletcher. Your client sent that spawn of Satan to stalk Emma, to get her to tell him about us and herself." 

Judge Gray watched as Mr. Bayne reached out and grabbed his lawyer's arm to get her attention, shaking his head when he had it. The lawyer glanced at him and nodded.

"So, overall, how often would you say Mr. Frohike was too busy to spend time with Emma?"

"Hold on a moment, Miss Hirosaki," the judge interrupted turning to the witness. "Who is this man Morris Fletcher?" 

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Mr. Langly asserted. 

She looked from the witness to the petitioner to the respondent. "Anyone care to fill me in."

The judge settled her gaze on Mr. Frohike.

He rose from his chair to answer. "Morris Fletcher," he said after a quick glance at his lawyer, "worked for a government agency that politicians would deny existed if they knew about it at all. He specialized in lies and subterfuge, achieving his goals by destroying other people's lives.

"My associates and I first met him when we were gathering information for a story and since then he has delighted in tormenting us. His relationship with Mr. Bayne is his latest attempt to do just that."

Gray Kendall stood up to add to his client's statement. "We have evidence that it was this man who facilitated the falsification of the DNA test that was performed earlier this year." 

"I am aware of that. But there seems to be more to this than I've read about here," the judge said tapping the file in front of her. She switched her focus to the other table. "Mr. Bayne, what can you tell me about him?"

Mr. Bayne said nothing for a moment. His lawyer leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear. Only then did he rise to speak. 

"Morris Fletcher came to me with information detailing what had happened to Emma after her mother died. I'd made some inquiries in an attempt to find her but had no luck. He not only told me where she was, but also described the dismal conditions in which she was living. I paid him to gather as much additional information as possible but I never told him to 'stalk' Emma or even speak to her."

The judge flipped through the file in front of her. Finding the piece of paper she was looking for, she asked, "If this man gathered so much information for you, why is he not on your witness list?" she asked holding up the paper so he could see what was written on it.

It was William Bayne's turn to frown. "I fired him."

"Why?"

He hesitated yet again to answer. His lawyer spoke only a few words to him this time. "He frightened Emma," William Bayne finally admitted. "Told her some lies that really upset her. I didn't want to give him the chance of doing that again."

The judge noticed that Melvin Frohike had his head in his hands. 

"I would like to speak to this man," she said talking to the respondent. "Can you still get in touch with him?"

Mr. Bayne nodded unenthusiastically. "I can try."

The rest of Mr. Langly's testimony was unremarkable. William Bayne's lawyer tried in several ways to get him to say that Mr. Frohike was overwhelmed by Emma's busy schedule. His nervousness completely forgotten, the witness vehemently denied this no matter how Miss Hirosaki phrased it. 

This ended testimony for the day. 

"We will reconvene at…"

"9:30 AM," Bruce said after checking Judge Gray's schedule. 

"I see you all at 9:30 AM then."

Everyone stood as the judge left the room.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



"Oh, man!" Langly said at dinner later that evening. "I was so glad you jumped in there." The four Gunmen sat around a table in a street corner diner after the hearing convened for the day. The rest of the group, Doggett, Reyes, Mulder, Scully and Yves, had left them to their own devices.

"No, problem," said Frohike smiling. "It was just a matter of telling the judge what he was like without really saying who he is."

Langly laughed. "Yeah, you couldn't exactly say, he's an MIB who works out of Area 51 without sounding like a serious nutcase."

Byers agreed. "Even though it's true, you can't say that to a judge who you hope will award you custody of your child."

"Exactly," said Frohike. "That's why we had to be so careful to tell the truth even if it was a bit vague."

"And the judge bought it?" Jimmy asked since he wasn't in the courtroom at the time.

"HEY!" Langly interrupted before Frohike had a chance to answer the question. "Why didn't any of you warn me what a hot babe that judge is?!"

Byers and Jimmy started laughing. Frohike chuckled, shaking his head. "You guys should have seen him. He couldn't finish a sentence without tripping over himself and giggling like a school girl with a crush. I would have been embarrassed for him if it hadn't been so damn funny."

"Yeah, well, laugh it up, Doohickey. You'll get your turn on the stand."

"I'm not going on the stand."

"You're not?" asked Jimmy.

Frohike shook his head. "Bayne's lawyer irritated me last time and I said a few things I regretted."

Langly snorted. "You mean you got royally pissed."

Frohike didn't disagree. "You guys testified along with Doggett and Scully. There isn't much else I could say other than 'She's my daughter and I want her back'. The judge knows these things already."

"Speaking of Doggett and Scully and their respective partners," said Byers, "where did they go? I thought we were all going out to dinner together tonight."

"The last I saw, they were deep in discussion with Yves," said Langly.

"I told them the judge wanted to talk to Fletcher," Frohike explained. "They've gone to try and track him down. Yves seemed certain that he was in town somewhere."

"How would she know that?" Byers asked.

"He was at the last hearing in DC," Jimmy explained.

Frohike nearly choked on his coffee. "He what?!"

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you, Fro," Jimmy said sheepishly. "Yves saw him and talked to him in the courthouse that last morning. He'd come to 'rub salt in the wounds' as she puts it. She told him to get lost and not to come back."

"Why didn't you guys tell me this?" Frohike said looking around the table. 

"This is the first we've heard about it," Byers said defending himself and Langly.

"Yves didn't tell you at first because she didn't see any real reason to," Jimmy explained, "and she didn't want to make you any more upset than you already were. After a while, it just didn't seem all that important."

Frohike took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I think I would be a lot less upset about bad news if everyone would just tell me this stuff in the first place."

"But you know about it now. Does it change anything?" Jimmy asked in defense of Yves and her decision not to tell anyone about this for weeks. Jimmy had found out about it only a couple of days earlier.

"I guess it really doesn't," said Frohike. "I just hate being treated like I'm fragile."

Jimmy thought back to Frohike's prolonged bout of depression and endless drinking but chose not to say anything about it. 

"So, what happens next," Byers asked to change the subject.

"Now, it's Bayne's turn," Frohike replied. "He gets to parade his witnesses through the courtroom and from the look of his witness list, it seems he's more interested in proving that I am an incompetent parent than in extolling his own virtues."

"Yves and Mulder are both on that list," Langly stated.

"Yup, that's what I mean."

"You know," Byers observed, "Fletcher may very well have told Bayne about Yves but Mulder? Fletcher and Mulder have never met."

"What's your point, Byers?" Frohike asked. 

Byers leaned forward resting his elbows on the table. "Why put Mulder on the stand? His work on the X-Files ended long before Emma came to live with us. What could Fletcher know about Mulder that would be pertinent to this case?"

"It would have to be something to do with Emma," Frohike noted. 

"What I'm saying," Byers continued, "is that if Bayne has information about Mulder he didn't get it from Fletcher. He must have gotten it from Emma."

"Oh, dear God," Frohike said. Suddenly, his dinner had turned to cement in his stomach. "Then there's only one reason I can think of to call Mulder as a witness."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


"Faeries?" Judge Gray asked.

"Yes," Fox Mulder answered.

"And Emma was talking to them?"

"Yes."

The judge looked over at Mr. Frohike who had a pained expression on his face. 

Midori Hirosaki, who had waited patiently while the judge did her own questioning, turned back to the witness on the stand. 

"Could you see them?" 

"Yes, I could."

"Did they look like tiny people dressed in gossamer clothes with dragonfly wings?

"Not to me. They were rather formless flashes of light."

"Mr. Mulder, what are the X-Files?"

"The X-Files are a collection of cases that the FBI found to be unsolvable through normal investigative methods. They sat gathering dust until I came along and began considering possibilities outside the realm of what is commonly accepted as a logical explanation."

Miss Hirosaki checked her notes again. "UFOs, extraterrestrials, vampires, werewolves, demons…these were all found to be reasonable explanations for some of the X-Files you worked on?"

"Yes."

"So, it was an simple jump in logic for you to convince Emma that what she was seeing were faeries and not some physical problem that was causing her to see these lights."

"She told me she thought they were faeries, not the other way around."

"But you did nothing to dissuade her."

"No, I didn't."

"You no longer work for the FBI, do you Mr. Mulder?"

"No.

"Were you fired?"

"My departure from the FBI was a mutually agreed upon arrangement."

"But the bureau had been trying to get rid of you for a number of years. Isn't that right?"

This question brought the Mr. Kendall to his feet. "Your Honor," he said, "what is the relevance of this line of questioning. This is a custody hearing not a job interview."

"Miss Hirosaki, where are you going with this?" the judge asked.

"I am attempting to show the kind of person Mr. Frohike chose to watch over Emma on numerous occasions. It is our contention that Mr. Mulder convinced Emma that she was seeing these so called faeries instead of telling Mr. Frohike that he needed to take Emma to the eye doctor to get her vision checked."

The judge turned and considered the witness. "Mr. Mulder, did you discuss this incident with Mr. Frohike?"

"Yes."

"And did Emma continue to see these lights?"

"No."

"Did you ever tell Emma about your work at the FBI."

"No."

"I don't see a problem here, Miss Hirosaki. Unless you have evidence to the contrary, choose another line of questioning."

William Bayne's lawyer had no other questions. 

The witness was then turned over to Gray Kendall. 

"Mr. Mulder, tell us about some of the things you did with Emma when she spent time with you."

"I taught her how to throw a ball. She got pretty good at it, too. We've played basketball but she's a terrible cheater at that." The judge noticed a smile on Mr. Frohike's face at that comment. "I took her to an Orioles/Mariners' baseball game." 

"Anything else?" the lawyer inquired.

"Every now and then I'd pick her up from school. On those days, she would spend the afternoon with my son and me until her father could come and get her or I took her home."

"Sounds like pretty mundane stuff."

"Yeah, it was."

"No more questions, Your Honor."

"Thank you, Mr. Kendall." She turned to the witness. "You may step down, Mr. Mulder."

She watched as the former FBI agent left the room. "Miss Hirosaki, would you please call your next witness."

"The respondent calls Miss Lois Runtz."

The bailiff opened the door to the hallway and announced the name to the people gathered there. He waited as a young woman entered the room and quietly closed the door behind her. Lois Runtz looked to be in her late-twenties and had long wavy black hair that was gathered at the back of her neck in a ponytail. 

Although she looked vaguely Middle Eastern, the judge noted that she had a British accent when she was sworn in.

Midori Hirosaki asked a serious of questions to establish Miss Runtz's relationship with Mr. Frohike and his associates. Then she asked more specifically about Emma focusing on time spent alone with the child.

"For the most part, I only saw Emma in the company of her father and his coworkers," Miss Runtz explained.

"Did you develop a friendly relationship with Emma?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible that she missed female companionship living with all these men?"

"Yes, that is quite possible."

"Would you say Emma thought of you as a role model."

"I don't know that I would put it that way precisely."

"How would you put it?" the lawyer asked with a touch of incredulity in her voice.

"Emma seemed to enjoy my presence and actively sought out my company when it was appropriate." 

"Did Emma spend any extended period of time with you away from Mr. Frohike?"

"Yes, she did."

"When was this?"

"Early August of last summer."

"What did you and Emma do during this time?"

"I took her with me on a trip to England."

"What was the purpose of this trip?"

"Sight seeing."

Miss Hirosaki consulted her notes. "The sole purpose of this trip was to play tourist?"

"Not originally, but when Emma joined me, my plans changed."

"During this time, you also conducted some personal business. What was the nature of this business?" the lawyer asked.

"As you say, it was personal," Miss Runtz answered coolly.

"Please answer the question." When the witness said nothing, the lawyer repeated the question. "What was the nature of your business on this trip?"

Lois Runtz sat calmly but still said nothing.

"Your Honor," Miss Hirosaki pleaded, "could you instruct the witness to answer the question."

This request brought the petitioner's lawyer to his feet. "Your Honor, the witness's personal life has no bearing on this matter."

"It does if Emma was in Miss Runtz's care while this was going on," the opposing lawyer insisted.

The witness turned to face the judge. "While Emma was with me, we spent all our time touring the countryside. It was not until she left for Scotland that I tended to the business for which I had traveled to England."

"You sent Emma off to Scotland on her own?" Judge Gray asked.

"No, we met up with some old friends of her mother's and she traveled with them."

The judge looked back at the respondent's table. "Ask a different question, Miss Hirosaki."

The lawyer flipped over a page on the legal pad she had notes written on. She read silently for a moment then said, "You don't use your birth name do you, Miss Runtz?"

"No."

"What name do you use?"

"Yves Harlow."

"Tell me, why don't you use your real name?"

The witness paused for a moment then said; "I have chosen to disassociate myself from my family."

"Was this the result of some argument or are you embarrassed by your family?"

"I don't think my disagreement with my family is of any importance here. I do not associate with my relatives and have not done so for years."

"What is your father's profession?"

Miss Runtz once again said nothing but she no longer appeared to be as calm as she was before. 

"Your Honor," Mr. Kendall said, "we keep going over this. Miss Hirosaki insists on bringing into these proceedings facts that are not relevant to them!"

The judge turned to the respondent's lawyer. "What relevance is there in this line of questioning?"

"We believe," Miss Hirosaki said, "that the witness's father is a notorious weapons merchant and that Miss Runtz works for her father. Our biggest concern here is that Mr. Frohike chooses to associate with such people as Lois Runtz and Fox Mulder and has even gone so far as to leave Emma in their care for extended periods of time."

Melvin Frohike must have heard enough because he rose to protest. His lawyer, who was already standing, put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back into his chair. He kept talking as he did this.

"These unfounded accusations are simply Mr. Bayne's attempt to discredit my client! He has been unable to prove that Mr. Frohike is an unfit parent so they are now attacking his friends. I find this to be…" 

The opposing counsel cut Mr. Kendall off. "Mr. Frohike's job as an investigative journalist throws him in the path of people who live on the edges of the law. Even Emma is aware of how dangerous it is and knows that, at one point, this group of so called journalists was forced to fake their own deaths in an attempt to stop this woman's father from testing a bio-weapon on the general public!"

"ENOUGH!" the judge finally shouted to get them both to stop. "I will not have this type of behavior in my courtroom! We will maintain professional courtesy at all times, speak in normal tones and for heaven sake…" she paused to scowl at both lawyers, "take turns!"

Judge Gray waited until both lawyers had the decency to appear chagrinned. "Now, let's take this one step at a time." She turned to address the witness. "Do you work for your father?"

"Not only do I NOT work with my father," Lois Runtz stated emphatically, "I have had nothing to do with him for nearly ten years."

"But your honor, my source indicated that the opposite is true," Miss Hirosaki insisted.

"Who supplied you with this information?"

When the lawyer hesitated to answer, Miss Runtz offered her guess, "Morris Fletcher, no doubt."

The judge sat back in her chair. "Is this true, Miss Hirosaki?"

The lawyer glanced at her client before answering. "Yes, Your Honor."

"His name does seem to come up repeatedly," said Judge Gray. "I need to talk to this man. Where is he Mr. Bayne?"

William Bayne grimaced. "I'm sorry, Your Honor. I was unable to contact him."

"We found him," Gray Kendall said. "He's waiting outside."

"YOU found him?" the judge said in surprise before turning back to the respondent. "It sounds like you didn't try very hard, Mr. Bayne."






Morris Fletcher settled in to the witness chair and smiled sweetly at the judge. He was a big man who was at least six feet tall, barrel-chested and had receding blond hair. He looked to be in his mid-fifties. "Good morning, Your Honor," he said still smiling. "And how are you this fine day."

"Good morning, Mr. Fletcher," the judge said. "Thank you for coming today. Your name has come up a number of times during these proceedings and I'm wondering if you can clear up some confusion for us."

"I can try." 

"Let's start with Miss Runtz." The judge said inclining her head towards the previous witness who was now seated in the row of chairs behind the petitioner. "What do you know of her father?"

"I worked for her father for a few months," Mr. Fletcher explained. "He asked me to find his daughter who he hadn't seen in years. He was worried about her. He heard she was into some shady dealings and had fallen in with bad company."

The judge sensed there was a grain of truth in what he was saying but that was about it. 

"But once I found her and she told me who he really was, I let her go and refused to tell her father where she was."

Lois Runtz turned in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. "Miss Runtz, is what he says true?" Judge Gray asked. 

"I managed to get away from him while he was trying to take me to my father."

Mr. Fletcher nodded. "Yes, I let you believe that so your father would think I failed, not that I had betrayed him."

Miss Runtz snorted and looked away from the man on the witness stand. 

"So, you agree with Miss Runtz," the judge said, "when she asserts that she has never worked for her father."

"Well, I couldn't say that for sure," Morris Fletcher hedged. "I suppose it's possible."

"But you don't know this for a fact."

"No, I don't."

The judge flipped through a few pages in the file folder in front of her. "There was also an incident at the YMCA in Tacoma Park involving Richard Langly." Mr. Fletcher nodded. "Tell me what happened."

"I had procured a job there so that I could more closely observe my client's daughter."

"Hold on," the judge said. "Your client?"

He pointed at the respondent. "Mr. Bayne."

"All right, continue."

"One afternoon, I found myself in the position to talk with her in a very public, non-threatening setting only to be assaulted by Mr. Langly." When the judge said nothing, he continued. "We were standing out in front of the 'Y' laughing about… something, I don't remember… when that idiot came screeching up to the door and slammed his car into the curb. He gets out cussing and swearing. He scared the living daylights out of the kid."

"You weren't stalking Emma?"

"Oh, no. I was just watching from a distance except for that one day. And unfortunately, that was the day Mr. Langly saw me. I left town right after that."

The judge glanced again at the file in front of her. 

"Mr. Bayne says that, unsolicited, you came to him with information about Emma."

"That's true."

"What made you decide to do this?"

"It came to my attention that a child, a girl for god's sake, was living with Mr. Frohike and his friends in that abandoned warehouse they call home. I decided to check this out for myself and found it to be true. I knew these guys had no business trying to raise a kid. So I checked into her background and found out that William Bayne was actually the girl's father. So…" He shrugged, "I told him where he could find his daughter." 

"What about the accusation that you tampered with the results of the DNA test that was done in February?"

Morris Fletcher smiled again waiting to answer until he made eye contact with the judge. "Your Honor, you know that's impossible." 

"But these gentlemen," the judge said pointing at Mr. Frohike and his lawyer, "insist they have proof that you did."

"They have a drug addict who was coached by Miss Runtz into telling a series of lies to a judge to reopen this case."

The judge studied Mr. Fletcher's face. She narrowed her eyes. "So, it's your word against theirs."

"I'm afraid so, Your Honor."

At this point Mr. Frohike jumped up to protest what he'd been hearing. His lawyer grabbed his arm and pulled him back down into his seat then spoke softly into his ear in an effort to calm him down. 

The judge had noticed that the petitioner was becoming more and more agitated the longer Mr. Fletcher talked. She waited for a moment before asking, "May I continue, gentlemen?"

"Sorry, yes," Mr. Kendall said. "Please, go on."

"Mr. Fletcher, William Bayne says that he fired you because you upset Emma by telling her lies."

"Yes, I'm afraid I did upset the poor girl but that was not my intention. I saw her at Mr. Bayne's office building one afternoon and made the mistake of trying to reassure her that everything would come out all right with this new hearing."

"And how did you do that?"

"I told her that her mother had made a mistake in thinking that Melvin Frohike was her father. I reassured her that William Bayne was, in fact, her real father. Unfortunately, she got very upset and accused me of calling her mother an unsavory term that I hesitate to use in polite company."

"I've heard it all, Mr. Fletcher. You can say it here."

"Well," he glanced over at Midori Hirosaki then at Lois Runtz, "if the other ladies in the room don't mind…" He waited for a response. Getting none he continued. "The little girl accused me of calling her mother a whore."

"Slut," Mr. Bayne announced.

"Excuse me," the judge said in shock at the outburst. 

"Emma said he called her mother a slut not a whore," he explained.

"Mr. Fletcher," he turned to look at Judge Gray, "is this true?"

The witness wore a surprise look. "I would never say such a thing to a child especially about her mother." Neither the statement nor the look convinced the judge. 

She questioned him for a while longer then allowed each of the two lawyers to do the same. He had a reasonable explanation for everything but Judge Gray found it difficult to believe most of what he said. Although she had just met the man, the reactions of the other people in the room were telling and it was difficult not to allow herself to be influenced by them.

When there were no more questions to be answered from either of the lawyers Judge Gray dismissed the witness with a warning. "Do not leave town in case we need to speak to you again. Leave your local address and phone number with the court clerk."

This done, Morris Fletcher headed for the door. On the way past the petitioner's table, he paused and looked closely at Mr. Frohike. "Nice suit. Blue really is your color."

Judge Gray watched Mr. Frohike go rigid and lower his head. He started taking deep breaths in an apparent attempt to control his emotions. She figured that last remark was not the compliment it appeared to be. "Bailiff," she said to circumvent any problems. "Please, escort Mr. Fletcher from the courtroom."


 

Chapter 13


After lunch, William Bayne's parents, one of his brothers and one of his sisters testified in his behalf. They all said what a wonderful parent he was and how well they thought he and Emma had been getting along. They stated that they loved Emma as if she had been a member of their extended family from the day she was born.

The last witness of the day was Mr. Bayne himself. He told of his relationship with Emma's mother, Michelle, and how he had searched for Emma when he discovered that Michelle had died. Although he had later come to regret some of his dealings with Morris Fletcher, the information purchased from him had been very helpful and he was relieved to finally have Emma with him. 

The petitioner's lawyer brought up a few points that made Mr. Bayne a little uncomfortable. One was the fact that Emma had run away from home and had to be picked up by the Department of Children and Families. 

"Why did she run away?" Mr. Kendall asked. 

"She wanted to go visit her mother's grave but I was worried what coming back to Washington, DC might do to her emotionally."

"How so?"

"I thought that such a trip would remind her too much of her life with her mother and with Mr. Frohike. I was concerned that it might be a set back in the relationship we had been building together."

"But you were wrong, weren't you?"

"Regrettably, yes. Her desire to honor her mother's memory was far stronger than her desire to try to contact Mr. Frohike again."

"Is it true you told Emma that you were too busy to bring her to DC?"

Mr. Bayne nodded. "Yes, and it was true to a certain extent but when I found out that she had run off, I realized how unimportant work seemed in light of the fact that something could have happened to her." He turned to look at the judge. "That incident put everything into perspective and I gladly took Emma to Washington DC to visit her mother's grave." He smiled to himself. "In truth, we had a good time on the trip." His expression clouded over. "I hope we get the chance to take more of them together."

"Is it also true that you worked many long hours during this time?" Mr. Kendall asked bringing William Bayne's attention back to the lawyer. 

"Yes, but less so after I brought her back home. I got much better at delegating responsibility within my company."

"And what happened to Emma on all those late nights at the office?"

"She would come home and do her homework. Sometimes she would stay with my parents."

"What about dinner? Did she eat alone very often?"

The witness frowned. "Back then, more often than I liked but now, almost never."

Gray Kendall consulted his notes for a moment. "Did you ever find a Scottish Highland Dance teacher for Emma?"

"I've been checking but I haven't found one in the area who has room to take her."

"Has she competed at all during the months she lived with you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid I just didn't get around to finding out where and when the competitions took place."

"You didn't have time or you didn't bother?"

Midori Hirosaki stood up. "Objection. He's badgering the witness."

"Sustained."

Mr. Kendall opened a file on the table in front of him. Out of it, he took a folded piece of paper. "Your Honor, may I approach the witness?"

"Go ahead."

Standing in front of the witness chair, Mr. Kendall handed William Bayne the paper. "Do you recognize this letter, Mr. Bayne?"

The witness unfolded the paper and skimmed over what was written on it. "Yes, it's the letter I gave to Mr. Frohike on the day I won custody of Emma."

"Can you read the first paragraph for us?"

"Yes, it says, 'Thank you for taking such good care of Emma until I could come for her. Her mother's death must have been an enormous shock but she seems to be handling it quite well. I was pleased at the trial to hear that she met with a grief counselor in the weeks following the funeral. This must have helped her a great deal.'"

Mr. Kendall took the letter back and handed it to the judge. "So, you agree that Mr. Frohike took good care of Emma in the months immediately after her mother's death?"

"I was trying to be nice," Mr. Bayne insisted.

"But you had just stolen his daughter," Mr. Kendall asserted. "Why be nice at that point?"

Midori Hirosaki objected this statement.

"Mr. Kendall," the judge said, "Ask a pertinent question."

"Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Bayne," he said returning to his table to consult his notes, "you stated at one point in these proceedings that you felt it necessary to save the child you call your daughter from the 'dismal conditions in which she was living'. Is this not true?"

"Yes, that's true."

"But this letter," he pointed to the sheet still in the judge's hand, "contradicts that."

"I didn't know what happened to Emma once her mother died," Mr. Bayne explained. "I was relieved to find out that she was safe and well. I was grateful to Mr. Frohike and his friends for that but I knew I could give her a better home and a chance to live a normal life. The letter was just my way of expressing that gratitude but also of informing him of my expectations for her future."

"So, you do agree he did a good job for the nine months she lived with him?"

"In the short term, yes, but for the rest of her life…that was my job."

"No, more questions, Your Honor."

The judge looked at her watch. "Unless there is anything else, we'll call it a day." Both lawyers said they were done. She glanced over at Bruce, her CSO. "We'll meet back here at…"

"10:30 AM."

"10:30 and at that time, I would like to speak to Emma. This will be done in my office with only the court recorder, the two lawyers and myself present. When we are finished, the results of the DNA test should be here."

Everyone stood as the judge left the room.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Frohike walked quickly out into the corridor only to find it empty of his friends. He had told them to find something better to do for the day than stand around in the hallways waiting for him to give them news. Mulder and Yves had come in to testify and Doggett accompanied them to make sure Fletcher didn't take off again but they all left when they were no longer needed. 

Arriving at the motel, Frohike found Langly and Byers waiting there for him. "Where are Jimmy and Yves?"

"Out shopping." Byers said.

"For what?" 

Byers shrugged. "They wouldn't say."

"The others headed home?" Frohike asked meaning Mulder, Scully, Doggett and Reyes. 

"Yes," Byers said. "They said they were sorry to have to leave so soon but they couldn't take any more time off work."

Frohike nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"They asked me to call them when you found out." Byers looked closely at Frohike noticing how tired he looked. "How did it go today? Did Fletcher testify? 

"Yes. All lies, of course, but I don't think the judge bought most of it."

"When did the judge say she'd give her decision?" Langly asked not looking up from his computer screen.

Frohike sat down on the edge of a bed. "From the sound of it, we should know before lunchtime. The judge wants to talk to Emma."

This statement made Langly turn away from his monitor. "Really? That's great! She'll say she wants to live with us."

"Yeah, I suppose she will."

Byers came and sat across from Frohike on the other bed. "You don't sound so certain."

"Oh, I know she'll tell the judge she wants to come home with me but that might not be the only thing."

Langly got up from his computer to stand near his friends. "What are you afraid of? She loved living with us. She's not going to say anything to mess that up."

"I don't trust Bayne's lawyer or even the judge for that matter."

Byers was surprised by this statement. "I thought the judge seemed fair. Did something happen today that you're not telling us?"

"No, nothing happened," Frohike asserted. 

"Then what are you worried about?" Byers asked. 

"Bayne's lawyer could make Emma say just about anything and I can't guarantee that she won't get carried away and say something that is either exaggerated or an outright lie because she thinks it will influence the judge. There's just so much that can go wrong." Putting his head down, Frohike continued. "I just wish this whole thing was over."

"We've only got one more day," Langly reminded him. 

Frohike said nothing. He merely stared at the floor lost in his own thoughts.

Byers leaned forward and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Try to relax. Langly's right, it's almost over. By this time tomorrow, we'll have her here with us." Sitting up straight, Byers looked around the room. "As a matter of fact, we'd better look into getting you and Emma your own room. I don't think she's ready to see Langly in his boxers just yet."

"Hey," Langly protested. "I know when to wear a robe."

"Yeah, but you don't know how to keep it closed," Byers insisted. 

Frohike gave them a half-hearted grin knowing they were trying to make him feel better. He decided to play along. Maybe if he proceeded as if everything was going to work out, he might believe it. "An extra room couldn't hurt. If nothing else I can get away from the two of you for an evening."

"That's not what I…"

"I know, Byers, I know. But you're right. I should look into it."

"You want me to call the front desk?" Byers asked.

"No," Frohike said standing up. "I think I'll just go down there. I could use some fresh air. But thanks, buddy."

Langly and Byers watched him as he left the room. 

"I don't know, Byers," Langly said still watching the closed door. "He's not looking so good. What's going to happen if the judge gives Emma back to Bayne?"

"Let's just keep our fingers crossed that we don't have to find out."




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Emma kept checking out the front window for Bill to get home. Since several of his family members were scheduled to testify, she had stayed by herself all day. For the first time in her life, she wished that school wasn't out for the summer. At least with school to keep her occupied, she wouldn't have spent the day pacing and watching the clock.

Hearing what sounded like Bill's car in the driveway, she ran back to the window. It was him! She got to the backdoor and opened it as he reached for the knob. 

"Hi," she said anxious to hear how the day had gone but afraid to push him to talk about it until he was ready to do so. 

"Hello, sweetheart," he said offering a hug. 

Emma accepted it then asked, "Did you want me to make dinner?"

Bill smiled down at her. "Why don't we work on it together? What would you like?"



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Jimmy and Yves came back within the hour with a sumptuous take out dinner, paper plates and plastic silverware. 

They had to move some computer equipment to set up the meal but no one cared. It was nice to be alone, just their little group of friends and not out in public where they couldn't relax and be themselves. 

They were all worried about Frohike but everyone was feeling the stress. And this gave them a chance to talk about the goings on in the courtroom, how each of them felt they'd done on the witness stand and what was coming next. 



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Emma stood up from the table to put her dinner dishes in the sink. Bill put his hand on her arm saying, "Hang on, Emma. We need to talk."

Sitting back down, Emma set the dishes on the table. "You're going to need to go with me to court tomorrow," Bill explained. "The judge wants to talk to you."

Emma's heart started racing. She didn't know if it was from excitement or fear. "Will I get to be in the courtroom with all the lawyers and everyone?"

"No," Bill said shaking his head slightly. "She said she would talk to you in her chambers with only the lawyers present."

"Her chambers?"

"Yes, that's like her office."

"Oh, okay." Emma was thoughtful for a moment. "But you won't be there?"

Bill knew it wasn't just his presence she was curious about. "No, I won't be there and neither will Mr. Frohike but you'll be fine. You've met the judge before and you know Midori."

"Yes and I know Mr. Kendall, too. He's very nice."

"That's good. So, you understand you have nothing to be afraid of."

"I understand, but…" Emma hesitated. "What will the judge ask me?"

"I'm not certain but it probably won't be all that different from the last time."

"And the lawyers, will they ask me questions, too?"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I don't know. She didn't say."

They were both quiet for a moment until Bill asked, "Is there anything else you want to know before we go tomorrow?"

"When…" Emma began but stopped because she wanted to say it just right.

"When what?" Bill asked concerned.

"When will the judge tell you where I have to go live?"

"Tomorrow," he said. "We'll know by this time tomorrow."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Frohike sat at his laptop late into the night. The other four had gone to sleep a couple hours earlier. Byers had encouraged him to try and get some sleep. He had insisted that he would hit the hay soon but at two in the morning he was still mindlessly surfing the net. 

He looked over at his two sleeping friends. Knowing that turning on a light would probably wake them, he got up and began rummaging through his bag using only the glow of his computer screen to find what he was looking for. He dug all the way to the bottom and pulled out a manila envelope. 

He sat back down at his computer and emptied the contents of the envelope onto the desk. There was a small children's book and a father's day card. This little package had arrived just before they left DC. He'd read the card and the note Emma added to it but had not taken the time to look at the book. He had just stuffed it in his duffle bag that was ready to load in the van for the long drive to Hartford.

He opened the card to look at it again. He didn't bother reading the preprinted poem but concentrated on the hand written message. 


~:~:~:~:~


Dad, 

I wanted to be home by Father's day but since I didn't make it, I'm sending you this card and gift. I love you and I can't wait to see you. I've missed you so much. Tell the guys and Yves I said hi and that I'll be seeing them soon. 

Love, 
Your Daughter, 
Emma 


~:~:~:~:~


The others didn't know he'd received this. At first, he had selfishly kept it private but now he felt a little silly for having done so. 

He turned the cover of the book towards the light from the computer. It was titled Emma's Pet. He understood the card and the note but not Emma's reasoning for sending him the picture book other than the fact that her name was in the title.

He flipped through it quickly reading the story about a small girl bear named Emma who wanted a big soft cuddly pet. She tried several different animals to no avail. Finally, she just sat down and cried. Then she noticed the biggest, softest and most cuddly thing she had ever seen: her father. She asked him to be her pet. He said yes then asked Emma to be his. 

Through his tears, Frohike smiled at the last picture that showed the little bear hugging her father. He understood then why Emma sent him the paperback.

Glancing at his watch, he closed the book and put it back in the envelope with the card. He left them on the desk beside the computer while he shut it down. Then he went to bed.


 

Chapter 14



Judge Amy Gray reviewed her notes for the issue that needed to be decided that day. She had known from the outset that this would be a difficult case. At first glance, one man's lifestyle seemed far better suited for providing a stable home for Emma, but without the results from the DNA test, she could not make her final decision. 

At a soft knocking on her door, she closed the file and stood up. Walking out from behind her desk, she said, "Come in."

Her Court Services Officer, Bruce, entered the judge's chambers and stood holding the door for those who waited behind him. Emma came next looking nervous and uncertain. Both lawyers followed her, Mr. Kendall allowing Miss Hirosaki through the door ahead him. The court recorder came last.

"Good morning, everyone," Judge Gray said. 

"Good morning, Your Honor," they all replied, Emma chiming in a little belatedly. 

Smiling at the girl, the judge pointed to a single chair that was set in the middle of the room. "Have a seat, Emma." Waiting until she was sitting, the judge then instructed the lawyers to do the same in the two seats behind Emma. 

The judge did not sit back down at her desk but in a chair facing Emma. Bruce and the court reporter sat off to the judge's left. Once they were all settled, the judge focused on Emma and smiled. "How are you today?"

Emma attempted a tremulous smile in return. "I'm okay."

"That's good. I wanted to ask you a few questions before we get started."

"All right."

"First of all, can you tell me the difference between the truth and a lie?"

"Sure," Emma took a moment to think about it. "The truth is what really happened and a lie is something you tell so you won't get into trouble."

"That's pretty good. How about a white lie? Do you know what that is?"

Emma's eyebrows knitted together as she tried to think of a way to explain a rather abstract concept. "It's when you tell a lie so you won't hurt someone's feelings."

"Good, that's good!" Judge Gray was pleased that she had a grasp of the finer points of lying. "It's important today that you tell only the truth even if you think it might hurt someone's feelings. Do you think you can do that?"

Emma nodded. "You have to answer out loud so Mrs. Lipton can record your answer," the judge said pointing at the court recorder.

"Yes," said Emma. "I will tell the truth."

"That's good," the judge glanced up at the two lawyers seated behind Emma. "Both Mr. Kendall and Miss Hirosaki would like to ask you a few questions."

"Okay."

"Mr. Kendall, would you like to begin?"

The judge got up from the chair and let the lawyer take her place. He asked Emma general questions about her life with Melvin Frohike and his friends. Emma spoke animatedly obviously enjoying the discussion of this time in her life. 

After a while, Mr. Kendall changed his line of questioning. "How do you like living with Mr. Bayne?"

"It's okay."

"Do you and Mr. Bayne get along?"

"Yes."

"Are you happy?"

"Most of the time."

"When were you not happy?"

Emma looked over at the judge who had taken her seat behind her desk. "At first I was sad, but after a while I got used to living there. Everyone's really nice."

"Tell me about when you ran away."

Emma's cheeks turned a bit pink at that question. When she hesitated to answer, Mr. Kendall encouraged her. "It's okay, Emma. Mr. Bayne already told us about it but we'd like to hear your version of what happened. Can you do that?"

"Yes." She looked down at the floor as if deciding where to begin. "I wanted to go see my mom's grave on the day she died; you know… like an anniversary. She really liked white roses and I wanted to get some white roses for her grave." Tears sprang to the girl's eyes but she went on anyway. "Bill said he didn't have time to take me. He said we could go like during the summer or something."

"So, what did you do?"

"I left for school one morning only I went to the mall instead. I tried to call my dad but he didn't answer the phone so I called the warehouse and talked to John."

"John Byers?" Mr. Kendall asked for clarification.

"Yes."

"What did he do?"

"He called Maxine and she came and found me."

"Who is Maxine?"

"She said she worked for…um…" Emma paused as she tried to remember.

The judge interrupted at this point. "Was she from the Department of Children and Families?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, that's what she said."

"All right, go on."

Emma continued. "She took me to her office and Bill came and got me later."

Mr. Kendall leaned forward in his chair to get a little closer to Emma. "Was there another reason you ran away?"

"I missed my dad. I hadn't heard anything from him in a long time. I wanted to see him again."

"So, you wanted to go home?"

"Yes."

Mr. Kendall turned to look at the judge. "Nothing more, Your Honor."

It was then Midori Hirosaki's turn. "I just have a couple questions to ask you, Emma. Why don't we start with your name?"

Emma looked confused. "My name?"

"Yes," said the lawyer. "You call Mr. Frohike your dad but you never changed your last name to Frohike. Why is that?"

Emma shrugged seemingly unconcerned. "I never really thought that much about it."

Miss Hirosaki nodded. "Okay, that's fair. You also call Mr. Bayne 'dad' don't you?"

"Most of the time."

"But how can you have two dads?"

"Lots of kids have two dads. For a long time I didn't have any dad but now two people say they are my dad. Bill didn't mind." She scowled a bit. "I don't know what my other dad would say though." 

"All right." Miss Hirosaki held her hand out to Emma. "Can I see your arm?"

Being right handed, Emma naturally extended that arm to the woman.

"No, the other one."

With a perplexed look, Emma did as she was asked. 

Miss Hirosaki took Emma's hand and gently turned it so she could see her forearm below her elbow. "How did you hurt your arm?" the lawyer asked.

Leaning to one side to see around Miss Hirosaki, Judge Gray noted that Emma had two large scars between her elbow and her wrist. Though mostly faded with time, they showed that she had received some pretty deep abrasions. 

Emma drew her hand out of the lawyer's grasp and, crossing her arm over her chest, did her best to cover the scars with her other hand. "I fell down." 

"What happened that caused you to fall?" Miss Hirosaki asked gently.

Emma wouldn't meet the lawyer's gaze but focused on the previously injured arm rubbing it as if it still hurt. 

"Emma," Judge Gray said, "you need to answer the question." The look of distress the child gave her told her more than the answer did. 

"I was pulling on my dad's arm and he made me let go. I lost my balance and fell. It was an accident, that's all."

"Why were you pulling on Mr. Frohike's arm?" Miss Hirosaki asked.

"He was arguing with Mulder. I wanted them to stop."

"Mr. Frohike was very angry, wasn't he?"

Emma nodded without saying anything. "I know this isn't easy to talk about, Emma, but you need to say your answer out loud," the lawyer reminded her gently.

"Yes."

"Did this argument scare you?"

"Yes."

"What were you afraid Mr. Frohike was going to do?"

Emma gave the judge a pleading look. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Although she felt compassion for the child, Judge Gray needed to know what happened to cause the injury and so much distress. "I'm sorry, Emma, but you must answer."

Tears now welling in her eyes, Emma returned her attention to Miss Hirosaki. "I was afraid he was going to hurt Mulder. He had him pushed up against the car and was yelling at him. He was really mad that Mulder brought me to where they were on a stake out only we didn't even know they were there." Considering her reluctance to answer, the judge was surprised by this wealth of information. She figured Emma knew the lawyer would not back down from this line of questioning and just wanted to get it over with. 

Emma brushed at the tears that rolled down her cheek. Bruce got up and gave her a box of tissue. 

After giving her a moment to wipe her face, Miss Hirosaki continued. "Those abrasions were not the only injury you received, were they?"

"No, I hurt my wrist, too."

"Was is broken?"

"No," Emma shook her head vehemently. "It was kind of sprained but not really. I only had to wear a stretchy bandage for a couple of days."

"Did Mr. Frohike ever hit you or hurt you in any other way?"

"No, never! He never hit me! NEVER!"

"When you came back from Florida in February, you had a black eye. How did that happen?"

"That was a girl at school! She punched me in the eye when I jumped her."

"So, you were fighting with her?"

The judge watched Emma's eyes widen as she realized she had freely given away more than she intended to. But once said, she couldn't take it back. "Yes, I was fighting with her."

"What was the fight about?"

"She said mean things about my dad."

"So you felt you needed to defend him?"

"She made me mad," Emma declared. "She called him some awful names." The judge could hear the anger in Emma's voice and see a spark of it in her eyes. "I couldn't let her do that."

"It's okay, Emma," the lawyer said soothingly to try to calm her down. "I can understand the feeling." She waited a moment for Emma to compose herself then asked. "Did you get in fights very often?"

"No… Well, not really."

"Can you tell me how many?"

Emma paused biting her bottom lip. "Does pushing count?"

"I'm afraid it does," the lawyer said.

"Three times then."

"Since you came to live with Mr. Bayne, have you gotten in any fights?"

"No, but the kids at my new school are not mean like those others in Florida."

"That's good, Emma. Thank you." Miss Hirosaki got up and spoke to the judge. "I'm done, Your Honor."

The judge stood up and moved to sit in the chair in front of Emma. "I have just one more question to ask you then you can go. I want you to think very carefully before you answer. I also don't want you to worry about anyone else in the room. Do you think you can do that?"

Emma swallowed nervously before she answered. "Yes, I think so." 

"That's good. Now, if it were entirely up to you as to which of these two men, Mr. Frohike or Mr. Bayne, you could go live with, which one would you choose?"

Emma did not hesitate as the judge expected but answered immediately and with conviction. "My mom said Melvin Frohike is my father. I believe her. I want to live with him."

"All right," Judge Gray said. "You're done. You can go now."

Emma stood to leave but paused by her chair. Seeming about to say something else, she changed her mind when Bruce stepped up beside her to take her back to where Mr. Bayne's parents were waiting.

The judge sent the lawyers to her courtroom intending to join them as soon as Bruce returned.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Back in the courtroom, the two men waited with no one but the bailiff for company. They had been told that the judge would join them when she was done with Emma's testimony. Neither man said anything for a long time. 

Eventually, Frohike broke the silence. "How has she been?"

Bayne turned to face Frohike, surprised by this break in their unspoken desire to have nothing to do with each other. "She's been doing really well."

"She's had no problems with her asthma?"

"No, not really. And you were right about her needing to be reminded to use the daily medication. She does have a tendency to forget."

Frohike chuckled. "I always believed it was a matter of selective forgetfulness. She used to complain that it made her throat feel raw."

Bayne smiled. "She never told me that one."

"She's thirteen now." Frohike noted.

"Yes, her birthday was a couple of weeks ago."

"How's she doing in school?" 

"She did pretty good. Her teacher's said that she could probably do better but…" Their amiable conversation was interrupted at this point by the return of the lawyers and other court personnel. They all stood as the judge entered.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



"All that remains now is to review the results of the DNA test. They should be here within the hour. I will take some time to go over them carefully before I give you my decision, say, sometime after lunch, Mr. Van Exel?"

"1:00 PM," he informed her after checking her calendar. 

"We'll reconvene at 1:00. I'll see you then."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Byers, Langly, Yves and Jimmy were all waiting in the corridor to hear the results. Nothing could have kept them waiting at the hotel although Frohike encouraged them to stay where they would be more comfortable. 

Everyone stood expectantly as the lawyers, Bayne and Frohike exited the courtroom. They gave Frohike space as he talked to his lawyer but quickly questioned him when the other man had left. 

"Well, what did she say?"

"Where is Emma? Is she coming home with us?"

"Come on, man! Out with it!"

Frohike just shook his head. "I won't know until after lunch," he said.

Langly threw his arms up and stalked off down the corridor. "Great! That's just great! This waiting is killing me!"

The others let him rant knowing it would be short lived. 

"What's the hold up?" Byers asked. 

"The test results are not here yet," explained Frohike. "They will be soon but the judge wants time to go through them." He checked his watch. "Let's go get some lunch."

Langly had wandered back their way to hear what Frohike had to say. "I'm not hungry. I can't possibly eat with all this tension."

Jimmy smiled at his overly dramatic friend. "I find that hard to believe," he said. "I bet if you really tried, you could."

"Come on, boys," Yves said. "Let me take you all out to lunch."

Langly reconsidered. "Well, if Yves is paying…"



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Emma sat with Bill's parents waiting for him to come and tell her what she had waited more than four months to hear. Her grandma was sitting at the table with her holding her hand but her grandpa was pacing near the door.

When the door opened and Bill entered the conference room, Emma thought her heart was going to jump right out of her chest it was beating so fast. "The judge is going to tell us her decision after lunch," Bill said immediately. "The test results are not here yet."

The stricken look on Emma's face caused Estelle put her arm around the girl and pull her close. Bill came to stand beside them. "It's almost over, Emma. Just a couple more hours to wait."


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Judge Amy Gray sat eating her lunch at her desk. Although she usually went to the cafeteria, on this day, she needed to be available to sign for the test results when they arrived. With the accusation of tampering on the previous test, she was taking no chances. 

Amy read through her notes as she ate. She'd been surprised to hear Emma say that her own mother, Maxine Gray, had been the DCF caseworker who found Emma at the mall. But they seldom discussed the minutia of their work and locating a runaway girl was not an unusual occurrence for her mother. 

Emma had been so definite in her preference for Mr. Frohike over Mr. Bayne. Amy wished she could agree that Mr. Frohike would be the best choice. His life style was outside the norm. His profession as a journalist was not all that unusual but the stories he chose to investigate were far from mainstream, at least most of them. 

Mr. Bayne was the owner of a highly respected architectural firm. 

Mr. Frohike went undercover and on stakeouts.

Mr. Bayne kept regular hours and was home at night.

The list went on and on making Amy impatient for the DNA results.


The courier arrived just before noon. Judge Gray signed her name on the dotted line and took the large envelope to her desk. She opened her brief case and took out the sealed envelope that contained the ID numbers for the three tests. 

She opened both envelopes, and matched up the names with the numbers on the results. Making a thoughtful noise, she reinserted the test results into their envelope and set them aside so she could finish her lunch.


 

Chapter 15


Judge Gray studied the expectant faces before her. Emma was not in the courtroom but waited in the conference room down the hall. 

"This is an unusual case," she said looking from one man to the other. "Often, when DNA tests are performed, it is to provide financial support for a child whose father does not want to acknowledge paternity. Emma is a lucky girl to have two men who not only say they are her father but are willing to fight for the right to raise her.

"As heartening as this is, only one man can be Emma's father." Judge Gray picked up the envelope with the DNA results. "But a blood relationship does not always mean that person is the best man for the job." She set the envelope down without opening it. 

"There are many factors I need to consider before I make a decision: who can provide the best home and the most stable environment both emotionally and financially." The judge focused on the applicant. "Mr. Frohike's profession forces him to keep odd hours and can, at times, be quite dangerous. But many people have dangerous jobs. I could not deny a police officer or a fire fighter the opportunity to raise his or her own child based solely on the fact that the parent could be killed in the line of duty." 

"I must also consider the fact that Mr. Frohike has no extended family to help him with raising a child but his friends seem more than willing to fill in when needed."

Shifting her gaze to the respondent, the judge continued. "Mr. Bayne's job makes him more likely to be home at a reasonable hour in the evening. He lives in a nice house in an established neighborhood and has a large family that has grown to love Emma as one of their own. But by bringing Emma here to Hartford, he took her away from the home she had shared with her mother; a house that is her own." 

"Both parties have their strengths and weaknesses and in the end, I believe that neither man would make a better father than the other."

"Since Emma is thirteen, I have to take her wishes into account. Her preference for living with Mr. Frohike was voiced with conviction yet she didn't hesitate to say that she was happy living with Mr. Bayne."

Judge Gray pulled a sheaf of papers out of the file in front of her. 

"This left me with two important documents to help guide my decision: Michelle MacKenzie's will," the judge held up the document, "and the results of the DNA test."

She glanced at the legal document in her hand. "Miss MacKenzie's instructions were very clear. Emma's father was to have sole custody of Emma in the event of her death." She picked up the envelope and opened it pulling out the test results. "And the DNA test says the that strongest genetic similarities are between Emma and Mr. Frohike."

The judge paused allowing that fact to sink in. "It is therefore my decision to abide by the mother's wishes. I'm ruling in favor of the applicant. Congratulations, Mr. Frohike. You get your daughter back." 

As expected, Mr. Frohike reacted with excitement. Smiling broadly, he said, "Thank you, Your Honor!" He then turned to vigorously shake the hand of his lawyer. After a few moments of this, he pulled the younger man into a bear hug. 

Mr. Bayne's reaction was, understandably, quite different. His sadness was evident in his face as he listened to his lawyer who was speaking to him in hushed tones. He shook his head at what she was saying. 

"Gentlemen?" the judge said to get their attention. "Emma is to leave the courthouse with Mr. Frohike. It is up to the two of you to make arrangements for Emma to pick up her belongings."

Signing her name to the necessary paperwork, Judge Gray closed the file and handed it to Bruce. 

"All rise," said Donna, the court clerk.

Everyone stood as the judge left the room.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Bayne looked over at Frohike. "I'll take you to Emma."

"Thanks," Frohike replied. 

"I'd like to ask you a favor though. Would you mind if I told her about the judge's decision? I'd also like a chance to say good-bye."

Frohike couldn't say no to this since the same courtesy had been extended to him in February when he'd lost Emma. "No, I don't mind."

"Thanks, I'll show you where they're waiting."

Bruce, the court services officer, was still in the room. "Why don't you go out this way?" he said pointing to the door the judge had left through. "It's shorter and more private."


When Bill entered the room, Emma was seated between his parents. She stood up and met him near the door. Bill took her in his arms and hugged her like he had no intention of letting her go. 

"What did she say?" Emma asked when she could wait no longer. 

"She said that Mr. Frohike really is your father after all. You're going home with him." 

Emma did not get a chance to react. 

"NO!" Estelle wailed. "No!" Her husband tried to comfort her but she would not allow it. "We can fight it, Bill. We can insist on another test. They have to be wrong! If the court won't do it we can do it ourselves. We can use it as proof that Emma is your daughter, not his!"

"Mom!" Bayne had to raise his voice to be heard. "Mom, please, stop! It wouldn't do any good. Emma is not my daughter!"

"What do you mean, she's not your daughter? The first test confirmed it!"

"I know she's not my daughter because Michelle and I never…" he paused glancing at Emma. "Michelle and I were never intimate."

There was dead silence in the room at this announcement. Both of his parents stared at Bill in disbelief. His father spoke first, "But you said…" Too shocked to continue, he turned once again to try to comfort his wife. This time she accepted his embrace. 

Emma had watched this exchange with concern: concern for Bill and his parents. The news that she was not Bill's daughter did not surprise her. She had known it all along. The fact that he was finally willing to admit it was a relief. 

Taking Emma's hand, Bill sat down in a chair and drew her close. He held both of her hands in his as she stood before him. "I'm sorry you had to hear it that way, Emma. But I couldn't tell you before."

"Why not? If you had told me earlier then we wouldn't have had to go to court again."

"There was always the chance that the judge would still give me custody of you, even when the test turned out in your dad's favor."

"But the last test…"

"Was rigged like they said," Bill explained.

"How…" Emma couldn't seem to finish a sentence.

"Morris Fletcher."

"But he didn't do it this time?"

"He was willing to for a large amount of money." Emma nodded in understanding. "But I wouldn't allow it when I found out how he accomplished it the first time." Bill frowned. He felt responsible for the pain he had encouraged Fletcher to cause. "I refused to let him do that to another innocent person." 

Bill squeezed Emma's hands to add emphasis to what he had to say next. "There's one thing I want to make very clear to you, Emma. What Morris Fletcher said about your mom is not true. Like I said, your mom and I never…" he stopped, uncomfortable with the subject matter.

"You never had sex," Emma filled in for him. 

"That's right but I loved you like my own daughter. When I learned, too late, that your mom had died, my only thought was to find you and bring you home with me. I thought I could be the father you didn't have but I found out that someone had already taken on that responsibility."

He continued. "Morris Fletcher made me believe…" he sighed, shaking his head. "No, I wanted to believe that you were living in intolerable conditions and that I was saving you. I know now that I was wrong and for that, I'm sorry."

There was a soft knocking at the door. The look on Emma's face told Bill she had guessed who it was and that there was no chance he could make her wait a moment longer. "Go answer it, Emma. It's your dad." He closed his eyes after he said it, and feeling her fingers slip out of his, he knew she was gone and gone for good. 


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Hovering outside the door, Frohike could hear the commotion in the room. When the noise abated, he waited a few minutes longer but the months of not seeing his daughter made him extremely impatient. 

He knocked softly on the door. After only a few seconds, it opened slowly and Emma stepped out into the hallway. A very quiet, "Hi, Dad," was all she said before she was in his arms. 

Frohike had no idea how long he stood there just holding her. In that moment, he understood what people meant when they said that time stood still. She didn't cry as he thought she might or accuse him of taking too long to get her back. Her breathing and his own heartbeat were the only things he was aware of. 

One of them sighed in contentment. He wasn't sure if he did or if it was Emma. Either way, it broke the spell and he could speak.

"I'm sorry it took so long, honey."

She let him go so she could see him better. "I don't care," she said smiling. "You're here now, that's all that matters." She was silent for a moment, studying his face. "I love you, Dad." 

"I love you, too, baby. I thought about you all the time." Frohike reached out to touch her cheek then pulled her back into his embrace. "I'm also sorry I wasn't able to come and get you when you ran away." 

Emma pushed herself away from him again but this time she was scowling. "Are you going to keep apologizing for stuff or can we just be happy now?" she asked with mock severity. 

Frohike laughed a full-bodied, hardy laugh. My, god, that felt good, he thought. It had been far too long since he had laughed like that. "Why don't we go tell the guys? I'm sure they are getting pretty antsy by now."

Since she had her father back, this was Emma's dearest wish but there was something she needed to do before she would allow herself that pleasure. "Can you do me a favor first?" she asked her dad.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Bill sat with his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. His feelings of loss were nearly overwhelming. Emma was no longer his and he would probably never see her again. 

This was compounded by the fact that his parents' pain was undoubtedly as acute as his. He could hear his mother crying softly and his father speaking words of reassurance to her. They deserved a better explanation for all the lies he had told them these past few months. He wondered if they would ever forgive him. 

They had been hurt when he first told them they had a granddaughter he'd kept secret for more than 12 years. Fortunately, the thought of meeting Emma had quickly healed that wound. But this…this lie would not be as easy to get around. They had committed their hearts to Emma, accepting her as their own grandchild only to be told in the worst possible way that he had lied to them yet again. 

And he still needed to explain it to the rest of his family. 

Lost in these thoughts, Bill did not notice when someone stepped up to stand beside him until he felt a hand on his arm.

"Bill?" she said softly. 

Looking up, he was more than a little surprised to see Emma. He took her offered hand noticing that the other was in the firm grasp of her father. "Bill," she said again, "I want you to meet my father, Melvin Frohike." She turned to the other man. "Dad, this is William Bayne. He is my oldest friend."


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Yves, Jimmy, Langly and Byers waited anxiously for Frohike's return. They had seen the lawyers leave the courtroom but no one else. Frohike's lawyer had spoken briefly to them letting them know that Frohike would be out in a few minutes and that he wanted to be the one to tell them how the judge had ruled. 

"This can't be good," Langly said. "This can't be good!" He had developed a habit of repeating himself when under stress. 

"You don't know that," Yves said watching him pace restlessly in front of where she was sitting. 

"If it was good news, we would've heard by now." He stopped in front of the door to the courtroom.

"You can't go in there," Byers said. "You're not family."

"Don't get me started on that one, Byers," he said moving away from the door. 

Jimmy was also having a difficult time sitting still and was wandering around as well. Yves had asked him a couple of times to come and sit with her. He would comply but would be back on his feet within a few minutes. 

After the third attempt to get Jimmy to relax, Yves realized that he needed to expend the excess energy the tension was causing him and walking back and forth in the hallway seemed to help. 

She didn't know how much longer this could go on.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Bill stood and shook hands with Frohike. He had to let go of Emma to do it but noticed that Frohike did not relinquish his grip. He understood how the man felt. 

Emma stood looking pleased as she watched them but there was something else she wanted to do. "Dad," she said pulling away from him, "I'll be right back. I want to talk to Bill's parents."

"All right," he said. "I'll be right here. Mr. Bayne and I need to discuss when we can go get your all of your clothes and stuff."

"Okay," Emma said. She cautiously approached the elderly couple who had stood watching as Emma introduced her dad to their son. 

"Hi," said Emma stopping a few feet from them. "I, um…I'm sorry." When neither of Bill's parents said anything, she went on. "I'm sorry I'm not your granddaughter." 

Estelle turned away from Emma to face her husband. Her emotions were too raw to respond to that statement. She felt betrayed by her son and was uncertain how to react to this child who was not her own flesh and blood as she had been led to believe.

Emma saw this and took it for rejection but she wanted them to know how she felt about them before she left. Through her tears, Emma fought to continue. "I never had grandparents. My mom's parents died before I was born so I never even got to meet them. When I found my dad, he told me that both of his parents were dead, too." 

Bill's father was obviously listening to Emma, which made her brave enough to go on. "When I came to live with Bill, I thought it would be nice to find out what it's like to have grandparents, even for a little while. You were exactly what I always imagined they would be like. It never occurred to me that I would learn to love you, but I do and I'm sorry I made you so upset."

Frohike and Bayne's conversation had ended when this little speech began. Bill found it difficult to listen to Emma's distress without doing something about it. He glanced at Frohike to see if he intended to offer Emma any comfort. When it seemed that he did not, Bill took a step toward the little group across the room. Frohike stopped him. "Wait. She said she wanted to do this. Give her a chance."

The two men watched as Estelle finally turned back to look at Emma. Her expression softened when she saw the sincerity in Emma's eyes and the tears on her cheeks. The elderly woman beckoned the child closer then drew her into a hug. Smiling at them, Bill's dad put an arm around his wife's shoulders and his hand on Emma's back. 

"We love you, too." Estelle said. "Isn't that right, Steven?"

"Of course we do," said her husband. "We loved you before we even met you. What happened here today has not changed that."

"I'm glad," said Emma.

Frohike glanced at his watch. He knew the other Gunmen were still waiting without knowledge of the judge's decision to give him custody. 

"We really should go, Emma," Frohike said. "The guys are probably wondering what happened to us."

"Okay," Emma said. She hugged Estelle and Steven again then turned to Bill. 

He hugged her tight. "I love you, Emma."

"I love you, too, Bill."

"I know, sweetheart," he said, "but it's nice to finally hear you say it."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Byers watched his friends idly but he wasn't really seeing them as his mind was preoccupied. He was worried that Langly was right: this final delay meant that Frohike had lost and was trying to come to terms with it himself before he had to tell his closest friends. 

Byers was also worried about how Emma would feel about him if she did come home with Frohike. Had she forgiven him for lying to her and alerting the authorities to the fact that she had run away from home? 

Would Emma think that Byers was nothing more than the nark Langly often accused him of being? She had trusted him to help her when her need was insurmountable and he had chosen the slacker's way out: just called someone else to do the work for him. At the very least, he should have taken the time to come to Hartford and make sure she was okay. He could have met her at that mall, had a long talk with her and then called DCF. 

He could have made her understand that she just needed to be patient; that they all still loved her and wanted her to come home…that it was just a matter of time. Yet, he sent a total stranger to find her. She was scared and alone and he had done nothing to help her when she trusted he would. 

"Byers! BYERS!" Langly yelled although he was standing right in front of him. Byers looked up at his petulant friend. "Have you gone completely deaf? What time is it?"

Byers realized he had heard this question repeated several times. He had even heard Yves answer it but Langly was focused on Byers and wanted him to check his watch.

"It's a little after 2."

"Where the hell is he?" 

"He'll be here soon," Byers insisted. "Why don't you go outside and walk around the building or something?" Byers asked. "Take Jimmy with you. I'll call you on your cell phone when he's ready to talk to us."

"No," Langly said shaking his head. "I'm not leaving. I want to be here when they come out."

"So, do I," Jimmy insisted. 

Yves pointed to the row of blue vinyl chairs. "Then sit down. You are driving us to distraction."

Langly glared at Yves. "What do you think we are: first graders you can order to their seats?"

Yves arched an eyebrow at him. "Most certainly, considering the way you're acting. Now, sit down...both of you!"

Jimmy and Langly sat in the indicated chairs and crossed their arms over their chests to wait. 

And it wasn't that long before the door to the courtroom opened. 



Frohike held the door with one hand and motioned for Emma to wait out of sight with the other. He glanced back at her with a mischievous grin on his face. She smiled and nodded in understanding. He stepped around the door so he could see his friends. 

Jimmy noticed him first. "Frohike!" 

The others turned to see him still at the door. He kept them at a distance with an upheld hand. His face somber, he said, "I'm afraid I've got some bad news."

They all froze absorbing this statement. Frohike motioned Emma forward with the hand hidden by the door. She took it and allowed herself to be pulled toward the corridor.

Giving his friends just enough time to think the worst, Frohike continued. "The bad news is…we're stuck with her." 

Emma stepped around the door. "Hey, guys!" she said waving with her free hand.

The whooping and hollering that ensued got the attention of just about everyone moving through the corridor and disturbed courtrooms on two other floors. 

Emma was roughly hugged by the first person who reached her, which happened to be Langly. "Hey, squirt, long time no see!"

"Nah, I saw you on the street outside Bill's house. It wasn't all that long ago." 

He laughed. "You're right but I couldn't do this that day." He put her in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles across the top of her head. 

"Hey, don't break her before I get my turn," Jimmy insisted. 

Emma hugged him next feeling her feet leave the floor in his exuberance. Yves was standing next to him when he put her down. "Welcome back, dear, " Yves said embracing her with less energy but just as much enthusiasm as the two men. 

As Yves, Jimmy and Langly talked with Frohike about the last day in court, Emma looked around for Byers. He stood away from the group, his back against the railing near the stairs.

"John!" Emma said running up to him. 

She wrapped her arms around his waist laying her head on his chest. He silently returned the embrace. 

"I missed you," Emma declared when he let her go. 

Knowing that she'd either forgiven him or understood the reasons for what he'd done, Byers smiled in relief and happiness. "I missed you, too, Doc."

"I'm hungry," Langly announced to no one in particular.

"Me, too," Jimmy agreed.

Byers looked at his watch. "We just had lunch."

"That was like 3 hours ago and I don't think anyone ate all that much," Langly insisted. 

"He's right," Frohike said. "How about it? Anyone up for ice cream?" 

Emma raised her hand. "Me! I want ice cream!"

"That's one. Anybody else?"

With everyone agreeing, they headed out to the parking lot. "I get to pay," Emma declared.

Frohike shook his head. "No, you don't."

"Why not?" Emma pleaded. "I haven't gotten to pay for anything for a long time."

"You haven't been around for a long time."

"Yeah, so, it's my turn."

"It's not your turn. You're not paying."

"But, Dad…"


Finis