I can't let them continue the case without me, at this point I really don't care about what happens to me, I have people always covering my back, Jack hadn't had that back then. He'd had me of course but I was a young, naive detective fresh out of school; I didn't have a clue what I was doing. What's important now is that I bring him back home where he belongs, home. It's not fair on either of us other wise. I need to put my spy skills to good use and actually do something helpful. I'm done with petty theft and lost handbags. I want in on bringing him back.

Three years I've spent desperately searching and all it's done is have a bad effect on me. My once thick, long and glossy bright blonde hair is now kinda split-ended, straggly and I'm finding endless grey hairs, from the stress. I wonder what Jack would actually think of me if he saw me now. There are very dark circles under my eyes and my face has been drained of all it's youthful colour and glow. I'm only twenty six but I look forty.

I hadn't gotten this far just to give up or leave it to some strangers who didn't know him like I had, didn't know how vital it was to bring such a strong and heroic man back. I wasn't going to stop looking but if I continue, I know I'll just be driving myself to an early grave. So it stops now. I want them to tell me everything. No, need them to.

I had been sulking in my office for the rest of the afternoon after that little mishap in the files room when Robert had caught me with Jack's file but I had also been pondering on everything I read in his file and there were... let's just say inconsistencies. It was then that I came up with the perfect plan. Well not really. But it was then that I knew what my next step was at least.

"Robert? Where's the rest of the file?" I demand, forcing his office door to open in front of me as I storm into his office. Once my gaze falls on him at his desk after I enter however, I realise Robert isn't alone in here. There's a man dressed up in a crisp new guards outfit standing very straight in front of him. When the guard sees me his mouth slacks a little but he quickly controls it, he's not quick enough though and I do catch it.

"S-sorry," I manage to stutter but I'm still so convinced to get some answers on the questions flying round my brain, that I get a spurt of confidence. "But it's urgent, Sir." I add firmly.

He's sat behind his desk looking into many open files but he stops and slowly looks to the guard apologetically, over at me and then back to the guard. "Whitney, I expect no less than the best. Understand?"

The guard nods severely once and looks back to Robert. "Yes, sir."

"Excellent, don't let me regret hiring you. I look forward to seeing your work." Robert adds going back to skimming through papers as if the conversation has ended there. Even the guard looks a little puzzled but he quickly realises nothing more is going to be said and turns to head out the door, passing me.

Except he stops when he reaches me. "Afternoon." His deep voice entrancing as his thick dark hair distracts me but I find myself holding out a hand to him. He accepts it but shaking it for a moment, a little longer of a moment than a hand shake should go on for, I think to myself. "Willow Calendular." I introduce myself.

"August Whitney," He smiles back. I find myself a little entranced by his perfect teeth and Robert clears his throat behind him.

"Get to work now, son." Robert commands back from his seat, obviously a little displeased at our little introduction.

"Yes sir." He complies before giving me one last little uplift of the corners of his perfect mouth and he's out the door.

Robert looks up to me. "How can I help you, Willow?"

I begin to nod, shaking off what had just happened and distracted me. Thoughts of Jack come flying back from place they had actually migrated to when I was in the presence of August Whitney. I wonder for a split second if there was more to it than I think but I push past that thought. I don't have time for new romances when I'm still so hung up on Jack.

"I noticed missing pages and some of the ones that were in there made no sense." I recall with an accusing tone.

He gives me a silent frown and doesn't make an attempt to move or say anything. That just spurs me on to continue and suddenly I become more frustrated. I know any moment now I won't be able to hold back the words that need to come out. It's like the past three years of all of this start flowing out of me and I can't stop. "That's not all. I want to know everything you know. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G." I spell out to him."I can't take this anymore! I deserve to know! I don't know why I haven't done this before! Start talking." I hiss at the end and that gets him to crack. Not really visibly but his right eye does twitch a bit and he abruptly stands up, making me jump.

"Willow, calm down for a second. No sense will come out of this if you're angry." Robert says placing a hand on my shoulder and guiding me from my side of the desk to take a seat in the visitor chair. He then silently heads over to the fancy coffee machine he keeps in his room and begins brewing a new pot. Neither of us say anything until he's poured a cup.

I take a deep breath and try to calm down as he comes over and places the steaming cup down on the desk in front of me. I avert my eyes to anywhere except Robert to avoid his pitying glances but mange to mumble a thank you. I watch the steam dance above the mug and decide the coffee's too hot to drink yet despite how badly I want to take a sip.

"Now, Willow. I've explained it already... so, so many times..." His voice firm, he trails off at a loss for words. He then silently begins to walk towards the door but pauses and turns back around, pacing around. "I get it, Willow I really do but this really is for your sake."

"My sake?" I fail to withhold a scoff. "Okay, you keep telling yourself that."

He grunts at that and abruptly stops pacing and storms up to me getting very close to my face. "Okay, you want to know the truth?" I slowly nod, curious as to what he means by that. "Then I'm about to say something that will shock you so prepare yourself."

I gulp, unable to look away from his burning gaze. What will he say? He remains quiet for a beat and just bores his eye's into mine. I don't have to say anything for him to know I'm waiting for him to continue.

"Granted, it's not just for your sake. It's also for someone else and you need to be living for them."

I slowly frown. He couldn't possibly know about the other person so... "Who? Jack?"

"No." He replies sharply, still very close to my face causing me to flinch. "You know full well who I'm talking about."

I gulp again. "You can't possibly mean..."

"Mae? Yes."

I accidentally let out a strangled sob. "How do you know about her?!"

"It's my job to know everything about the people I work for. I get that you left her to be someone else's problem because you didn't want to endanger her Willow but for goodness sake, have some sense! If you die, she won't have any parents! Put her before Jack! He isn't worth it! If he really cared he would've been back years ago!"

"Shut up!" I cry out. It wasn't true! Sure, I have a kid but she lives with the nanny because she isn't safe with me. I just need to find Jack and then I can go back to being a mother.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but there will be a meeting at 9:30 tomorrow morning... on the Jack Myers case. You can come just to get up to date on the details. This doesn't mean we're involving you but I can't stand to see you suffer anymore." He says looking me right in the eye. Before I can move or say anything he gives me a hard look. "Just do me one favour and care about your child. She needs you."

Little does he know I am doing all this because I care about her. And because I care about Jack.

I nod anyway and rush to my feet to thank him but Robert raises his hand dismissively. "It's nothing. I just think you need to understand what's going on better. Now, go home Willow have the evening off." Robert says, picking up the files that had been scattered all over his desk and then promptly leaves the room.

I stare at the door where he had just stood my mouth agape.

Once I'm sure he's gone I scan the room quickly for anything on Jack but don't find anything. Then after heading to my office and finishing up some paperwork I decide to take Robert's advice and head down to the parking lot to my car.

Once I get there and begin to unlock my door through the key hole I hear soft footsteps somewhere near by but it doesn't faze me. It's beginning to get dark as it is evening after all and people come and go to their cars but when I do a brief scan of the car park before I get into the now unlocked car, I don't happen to see anyone.

The footsteps stopped a few moments ago anyway. I turn to get in my car but before I can even begin to lower myself in, a hand grabs at my shoulder, not hard but enough to startle me.

Turning round quickly I come to see the face of Jack.

It's actually Jack.

And after all the shock I've endured today, instead of doing what any normal spy would do, defend themselves after being approached so suddenly, I just scream. Then scream some more, and more.