Bobbie slid her badge through the card reader, juggling her bag and her cup from Starbucks.  Then, with the skill that comes from practice she got the door open without mishap, thus winning the first battle of the day and on a Monday at that.  It was a start.

Ten minutes later she was in the duty room checking the comms traffic on the cases they were working, nibbling the bagel that went with the coffee, wishing she'd gotten cream cheese instead of jelly when the phone rang.  "Yes," she said, flipping the pages on the clipboard she was holding.  Then she set the clipboard and the bagel down and just listened for a moment as the caller briefed her on the status of a job she was supervising.  "Thanks, Danny.  It sounds like you guys got it under control."

"No problem.  By the way, I tried to catch you at the office yesterday before you left but I guess I missed you, so the reports are in your box."

"Missed me?" she said, "but..."

"Yeah.  Security said you'd gone in right before I got there, but I guess it was just a quick trip cause you weren't there when I got there."

"Oh, yeah," she said,her voice blank.  "I was just picking something up.  So you guys will be back here tomorrow and we'll figure out what next with this."

Right, I'll see you then," Danny said cheerfully and hung up, leaving Bobbie staring abstractly into space, her expression closed. 

She sank into the chair, considering and rejecting possibilities until she found one that seemed right, though unlikely, she hoped.  Tossing her bagel into the trash she moved over to the keyboard and started typing in her access information, pulling up the secondary monitoring tapes for the vault.  Then she started fast forwarding through the one from yesterday.  She slowed when it got to the section for about noon yesterday, when she'd been grocery shopping with Billie.  She stared at it for a moment, feeling her hands go cold and something like lead settle in her stomach.  Then she pulled out her cellphone and punched in a number.  The recording she got drained the blood from her face and sent her zapping back to the brownstone.

She knocked hard on Sam's door and then repeated it again twice more.  When there was no answer she zapped inside and headed for the bedroom.  The closet was empty and there was nothing of his in the bathroom.  Those facts made her go weak in the knees, so she sat on the edge of the tub and tried to think.  It took a while, fifteen minutes or more of nibbling on her finger, totally focused on the problem of how to find a man who had never once told the truth about who he was or what he wanted.  But it came to her finally.  She looked in the sink and then took a tissue and wiped it down carefully, both the basin and the area around it.  Then she went into the bedroom, pulled the blankets off the bed and examined the pillows carefully.  Finding what she wanted she added it to the tissue from the bathroom and zapped straight to the commune.

Stephen opened the door and grinned.  "Well this is a surprise."

"I imagine it is but I'm in trouble.  Are Dinah or Marc around?"

"Dinah's upstairs with the kids, it being feeding time.  Marc and I are drinking coffee and enjoying fatherhood together.  Come in," he said and led the way back to the breakfast nook.

Marc looked up from the newspaper he'd been perusing and smiled at her. "What's up, sugar?" Then he took in her expression. "What's wrong?"

"I need to find someone in a hurry," she said, sinking into a chair.  "I'm hoping you and Dinah can maybe help.  I think, I hope to god, I've got his DNA."

"Okay, but... Never mind."  Marc's expression went blank for a minute then said, "Dinah will be down in a minute or two.  Sit, have a cup of coffee."

She sank into a chair, fighting for calm.  Then she smiled.  "Thanks.  But I'm so wired the last thing I need is caffeine."  She set the tissue on the table.  "Can you look at someone's DNA and tell if they're talented?  Or a mage?"

"Good question. Let's see." Marc picked up the tissue and found the hair. He opened his palm and his DNA began spinning. He looked at one extracted from the hair. He compared it to several other DNA strands and finally said, as everything went blank,  "Well, I compared the DNA from the hair with several others from the House. I'd say whoever it is is talented, not a mage, but I'm not sure if he's Awakened or otherwise talented.  I haven't found any distinguishing DNA strands that separate those two groups. Does that help?"

She nodded, her lips going white.  "I thought so, I mean that he was something.  Thanks."

"Hi Bobbie," Dinah said, taking in her expression.  She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down.  Then she said, without preamble,  "What's the matter?"

"I need to know where the owner of that DNA is," she said, gesturing towards the tissue.  "So I can kill him and then arrest him."

Dinah raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Marc.  "Okay."  She separated out a strand of hair and then a helix.  "Well I can use it, but it's helpful to have a map handy.  We keep those over at the ops center."

"Thanks," Bobbie said, standing up. 

Marc zapped along with Bobbie and Dinah. "So what'd he do?" he asked as they popped into the Ops Center. Cal barely missed a beat on what he was doing.

"He lied to me, used me to break into the vault and now he's disappeared," Bobbie said, her voice clipped, as she watched Dinah set the grid over the map Cal put up on the monitor as soon as he saw them. 

"Ah, lovers quarrel," Marc said, nodding wisely.

"No," she said, "unfortunately.  That would be much easier to deal with."

"Are you sure it isn't, because looking at your face. Oh, never mind," he added as Dinah kicked him in the shin.

Dinah had resolved the grid down to one helix and a stable spot on the map.  "Frostburg," Cal said, writing down a set of coordinates.  "That would be Maryland," he added.  "Towson State area."

"Thank you all so much," Bobbie said, taking the slip of paper.  "I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it," Dinah said.  "You want us to go with you?  At least as far as the front door?"

"Yeah, we could use some excitement around here," Marc suggested hopefully.

She bit her lip, considering it.  "You won't do anything?  Unless I want it?"

"Promise," Dinah said, crossing her heart with her finger.  "We'll wait outside, he won't even know we're there unless you holler."

"Yeah, promise," Marc added.

"Okay," she said.  "And thanks."  She gave them the coordinates and they zapped out, reappearing in from of a cabin set back in the woods.  It was still, as though the world slept under a canopy of soft green and high blue sky.  She looked around, getting her bearings and then headed for the front door while Dinah and Marc dropped back into the trees.  She took a deep breath and then pounded on the door, anger taking hold.

She had to pound again and yell, "Come out of there!" before the door finally opened.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he hissed at her.

She didn't say a word, she just hauled back and hit him as hard as she could in the jaw and then followed it with a punch to his stomach that had all her weight behind her, doubling him over at the waist.  "You bastard," she yelled, advancing on him with tears of fury standing in her eyes, "You lied to me and then you used me!"

"See," Marc said to Dinah. "Told you it was a lovers quarrel."

Meanwhile Sam was struggling for breath.   "Here I am," he gasped, "risking my neck to keep you out of it and safe, and here you are sticking your pretty little nose in where it isn't wanted!"

"Crap!" she said.  "I've got your smiling face on tape, you ass.  I've got my badge on the security log when I know I wasn't anywhere near there.  Now, you took something and I want it back, now, or I swear I'm arresting you. Unless I kill you first,"  she told him, continuing her advance on him.  "And at the moment," she added, doubling her fist again, "I prefer the latter."

"Oh, miss righteous. Just how exactly do you think your ruddy government got it in the first place? Huh?  Think about it. It's okay for YOU to steal it but not for me to steal it back? Huh?"  But Sam was wisely backing up despite the power of his argument.

"I didn't steal anything," she told him, unimpressed.  "And if it was stolen file a claim and prove it.  Now, what's it going to be?" she asked, pulling her arm back, getting ready to slug him again and looking like she couldn't wait. 

"You are very sexy when you're angry," he said and ducked just in time.

He didn't duck the follow up blow that hit him in the stomach again.  As he doubled over again, trying to catch his breath, she grabbed him by the shirt and shook him, indignation mixing with her rage.  "Where is it?" she ground out. 

"He's right, she is very sexy when she's angry," Marc observed happily, enjoying his voyeurism.

Dinah smacked him upside the head.  "Shut up," she hissed.

Marc gave her a hurt look before he returned his attention to the main course.

"Where's what?" Sam asked, grunting for breath again.

That was when three men shimmered into existence.

"Oh fuck, you've well and truly mucked things up now," Sam hissed.

"I haven't done squat," she snarled.  "And I'm a lot more likely to really hurt you in the next sixty seconds than they are, if you don't quit playing like we're both stupid..  Now for the last time.  Where. Is. It."

"Uh oh," Dinah said, watching the newcomers.

"Yes, Simon, where is it?" asked the big guy from among the newcomers.

"It isn't here," Sam/Simon replied. "I... it is in a safe place."

"What's it to you?" Bobbie demanded, turning to face them.

"And getting worse," Dinah whispered.

"But you've got to admit it is entertaining," Marc replied.

"She's not involved," Sam/Simon said to the the big guy.

"Fine. But she'll do until you give us the notebook," he said, as he grabbed Bobbie Jo and winked out with her.

"Jesus no!" Sam/Simon yelled and leaped for him or her or someone but the big guy, Bobbie Jo and the other two were gone.

"Now what?" Dinah snapped.  "And don't just stand there with your mouth open; stop him before he disappears too."

Marc hadn't needed to be reminded. He'd zapped over before Dinah had finished her thought and put one steely hand around Sam/Simon and wasn't going to be moved. "So, son, what's up?"

"It's none... They won't hurt her. They want ...something. They know they won't get it if they hurt her," Sam/Simon replied.

Dinah strolled over from where she'd been standing.  "Hi," she said, her smile friendly.  "I'm Dinah and he's Marc.  And you should trust me on this next one.  You don't want to piss him off.  So the smart move is to tell him what's going on and who they are."  She eyed his jaw.  "That's gonna be some bruise, there.  She's got a nice punch."

"Fine. They're... business associates of mine, unfortunately. We've developed a disagreement on a few points of our contract."

"And?" Marc asked.

"And I didn't like being blackmailed into doing something so I, uhm, I came up with a better plan."

Dinah grinned and folded her arms over her chest.  "Really?" she said.  "A better plan.  I can tell, can't you honey?"

"Oh yeah, definitely, except for poor Bobbie Jo," Marc commented with a glare.

"Look, I didn't ask her to stick her nose in here. In fact I did everything I could to keep her out of it."

"It shows," Dinah said.  "Which is why it took her what, five minutes to track you down?  And if she could do it so could anyone else, in say ten or fifteen minutes.  So, listen Sam, or whatever your name is, cut the self-serving exculpatory digressions, just suck it up like a man and tell us who they are and where they took her.  'Cause, and you should trust me on this one too, my punch is way better than hers and I don't even have to use my hands if I don't want to."

Sam/Simon looked at Dinah then at  Marc. "I'd believe her if I were you," Marc confirmed. "So, give."

"They are after a certain object that the Zoo had in their inventory - in their vault. It was nothing the Zoo could use. The intrinsic value of the thing is maybe 10 bucks.  Due to another business proposition going a bit off, I owed these guys a favor. But I didn't want them to have the item, as a friend of mine, who it actually belonged to, wanted it back. So, I took it for him and gave it back to him. I don't have it any more."

Dinah sighed.  "We need to go back to her place and get her toothbrush and then back to the ops center, for a start anyway.  If we get lucky we can get her back without telling her sisters or Daddy.  If not, well, Sam, you'll probably decide we're much easier to deal with."

"I"ll take him to the Refuge and you get the toothbrush. I'll meet you at the Ops Center," Marc replied.

"Wait, you can't just ... just take me off," Sam/Simon snarled.

"Oh watch me," Marc said and did just that.
 
Dinah shook her head and then thoughtfully closed and locked the door to the cabin before winking out and reappearing in Bobbie's apartment.  Then, brush in hand, she continued on her travels, re-emerging in the ops center.  "Hi Cal," she said cheerfully, ignoring Sam.  "I need the map again," she told him, as she fired up the sigil and pulled Bobbie's DNA from the toothbrush.

"What's that?" Sam asked.  "Where are we?"

"Be quiet and be a good boy," Marc told him.  Trevor walked in then and Marc said, "Trevor, old fellow. This is Sam, or possibly Simon, or more likely someone else entirely. Would you be so good as to make sure he goes nowhere?"

"Not a problem, Marc," Trevor replied.

Dinah grinned and set the helix spinning against the grid she overlaid on the map, and then started narrowing it down to a single point.  She looked at the map and grinned.  "DC, how nice.  So close to home for her.  So how do you want to do this?" Dinah asked Marc.  "It's an address in northwest, which means they aren't as used to gunfire in the neighborhood like they might be in say, southeast or Anacostia.

"Wait," Sam said, just as his phone began chirping. "That'll be them now. Hullo."  He listened for awhile then said, "No I don't... Honest. Hullo? Hullo? ... Damn" he said throwing the phone down.

"I guess we zap in, grab her and zap out," Marc replied.

"Just you and me, sweetie?" Dinah asked hopefully.  "Or should I ring the alarm and call in reinforcements?"

"Oh, just us I think."

"I'm ready when you are, then.  I'm sure Trevor will keep our new friend comfortable until we get back," she said with a cheerful smile for Sam.  Then she and Marc winked out, reappearing in a quiet residential area, at the end of a cul de sac.  "That's the house," she told him, pointing to the one at the end, set back from a pair of iron gates, currently in the ajar position.  "Pretty toney for a hide out." she observed, looking at the Rolls Royce in a circular drive in front of the house.

"Yeah, crooks must be doing good in this economy. All right, We zip in, zip out and go home. No theatrics. Agreed?"

"Gotcha, sugar lips," she told him happily.  Then she gave him a kiss for luck.  "You're in charge."

"Wow, what'd I do to deserve that. On my mark.... Mark."  They zapped in, causing astonishment and discontent amongst the high mucky muck crooks. Marc said, "Oh, pardon me. I think you've got a friend of mine staying here. We'd like her please..."  They were all staring at him, giving Dinah a clear opening to find Bobbie.

Dinah wasted no time, heading for the rear of the house where she found Bobbie tied and bound in a chair under the eagle eye of a man who gaped at her when she entered the room.  "Hi," Dinah said, walking into the room casually.  "I was told that I should come back here and see you.  It's about a problem I'm having," she explained, and drove her fist into his face and  then her knee into his groin.  He went down like he was glad to hit the floor.  Dinah nodded and untied Bobbie.  "Ready to go?" she asked.

Bobbie laughed.  "Oh yeah," she said, hitting the man over the head with the chair when he tried to stand up.  Then she followed Dinah back to where Marc was in the kitchen.

"Ready when ever you are, sweetie," Dinah said.

"We'll be back," Marc said, and grabbed a handful of hair from the ringleader as they winked out.

"Well," Dinah said as they re-emerged in the Ops Center.  I don't know about anyone else, but, even as early as it is, I could use a drink and some food after all that.  Travel always gives me an appetite.  And I think," she added, looking at Sam, "that we'll be more comfortable at the house, don't you honey?"

"Oh yeah. Come along Sam. You too Bobbie. No, now don't go kicking him. It isn't polite," Marc added frowning at Bobbie who was glaring at Sam. Marc zapped them all to the great room.

"Have a seat everyone," Dinah said and headed for the bar.  "I'm pouring scotch Sam, but if you'd rather something else, I can make that happen."

Sam was watching Bobbie out of the corner of his eyes. "Scotch is fine... Uhm, I'm not sure who you are."

"That's Dinah, and I'm Marc. But you know we're not sure who you are either, so ..."

"Sam.. Simon."

"Well pick one, sweetie," Dinah said as she handed him a glass and then gave one to Marc and Bobbie.  "I'll be right back with some food.  So don't cover anything important without me."

"I'll help you," Bobbie said, still glaring at Sam.  "Just show me where the rat poison is."

"So," Marc said settling back more comfortably. "Shagged her yet?"

"I beg your pardon?" Sam asked.

"Oh, too bad. She'd forgive you sooner and with a bit less violence. Well, can't be helped at this point. But she's pretty pissed."

Sam stared down at his drink, looking glum.

"Suit yourself," Marc replied and sat back to wait.

Dinah and Bobbie were back in a bit more than a few minutes with a tray of sandwiches that she put in front of Sam.  "Help yourself.  They're safe."  She took one and settled next to Marc on the couch, her feet tucked under her.

Bobbie, looking less murderous, took one herself and returned to where she'd left her drink.  "I appreciate you getting me out of there," she said to Marc and Dinah, ignoring Sam.

"Oh, delighted old girl. We've been bored. Glad for the diversion. So who were the men, Simon?"

Simon looked at Marc then ignored him looking over at Bobbie. "I am sorry. I did try to keep you out of it."

"Really?  So using my badge, moving into my house, making a play for me?  Those were all ways you were keeping me out of it?" she spat.  "Next time don't try."

"Yes, well, that was before I knew you," Simon replied a bit defensively. "But then, well, I moved things up and got out hoping that no one would bother you or anyone else in your family."

"Gee, that was so kind of you," she said, sarcasm dripping from each word.  "But you forgot one little thing, though, in your rush to be noble.  You used my badge and you're on tape.  So now I'm implicated.  Which means I have to get it back with or without your help."

"Uhm, Sam?"  Dinah said. "We're gonna help her.  So be sure to factor that into your next response."

Simon drug his eyes away from Bobbie Jo and looked down at Dinah. "I can't get it back. Period. It is too late."

"And you, what, don't feel the slightest inclination to fix this for her?" Marc said, his eyes narrowed.

"Well, no one even knows it's gone," Simon replied.

Bobbie made a noise like she was strangling on a scream.  "You moron, I know it's gone!  Plus those tapes get reviewed.  So how long do you think it'll be until someone else knows?"

"Well, even if I put it back they'll see me on the tape!" Simon protested. "If that's the case then why put it back?"

She resisted the urge to fly at him and beat him to a pulp.  "I'll put it back." she said. 

"And erase the tape?" he asked.

"At least edit it," she said.  "And then I'm going to skin you alive, inch by inch.  The thought of it is the only thing keeping me sane."

"All right. Go home.  I'll get it."

"Oh no,  she said. "Not a chance.  You played me for a fool once but you're not doing it again.  I'm not letting you out of my sight until I have it back."

Marc leaned back and crossed his arms on his chest, enjoying this way too much.

"You can't come with me. If I promise to bring it to you?" Simon pleaded.  "Besides, I could just zap off and you'd never find me."

She laughed.  "Oh that is rich.  You promise?  Why would your promise mean a thing to me?  All you've ever done is lie to me, manipulate me and use me.  You've stolen from me and from my employer.  I don't know even your real name."

"And uhm," Dinah said, putting her oar in, "I can find you, just like I found you the last time."  She held up her palm and a helix appeared.  "That's you, honey, in all your glory."

"Fuck," Simon commented.

"No, I don't see that in the cards for some time yet," Marc replied.

"Look, he's... nervous. If I take you there... Well, I'm not seeing it working out real well," Simon tried once more, giving Bobbie puppy dog eyes.

"Trust me, it'll work out less well if you don't,"  Bobbie said. 

Simon frowned. "All right, but just you, not them."

"They'll wait outside.  It's the best you're gonna get."

Simon frowned harder. "Look, they can find me if they want to. So why do they need to go along with us?"

"Because it's even money I'm gonna kill you before we get done."

"I'll take my chances," Simon retorted.

"It's not you I'm worried about.  I don't wanna do life just because of your sorry butt," she said flatly.

"Oh surely they wouldn't. They didn't even ... it was gathering dust. It wasn't like it was useful to them."

"It'd be murdering you that would do it.  And I'm getting closer to the edge by the second.  Though," she added, considering the matter judiciously, "I could probably get off on temporary insanity plea due to an irresistible impulse.  Or if that didn't work all I'd need is one woman on the jury to hang it."

"Oh," was all Simon could find to answer.

"You know, Bobbie, you really shouldn't jump to conclusions. I mean, do you know the provenance of the piece?  Maybe Simon's right," Marc pointed out.

"I have no objection to sorting that out after it's back in the vault.  I'll even help sort it out.  But until then the only thing I care about is getting it back," she said.

That was when Simon reached out, pulled Bobbie into his arms and zapped them both out. He was still kissing her when they touched down again.

Forever afterwards she had no idea what happened.  One minute she was ready to castrate him and the next she'd have sold her soul for a bed and both of them in it with nothing to do for days except explore what ever it was that sent her up in flames every time he touched her. She pressed herself as close to him as she could get, and rejoiced when his arms tightened around her.

"Who's this then?" a voice asked, interrupting what might have gotten embarrassing had it gone on much more.

Simon broke off the kiss, reluctantly. 

The speaker was a short and rather dumpy fellow wearing a flithy lab coat and glasses that made his eyes look huge.  He took a finger and shoved the glasses higher up on his nose as he peered at Bobbie.  "Cute at least."

She opened her mouth to reply in kind and then shut it again, stepping away from Simon abruptly.  "Are you the one he gave it to?" she asked when she trusted her voice.

"Gave what to?  Who are you? Simon, who is this?"

"It's ... I got her into trouble when I took your notebook," Simon explained.

"Well, okay, she can hide out here then," the short fellow said as he turned back to his messy lab.

Bobbie shook her head and followed him inside.  "I don't think you understand, I don't need to hide.  I'm here to get it back.  So if you'll just give it to me, I'll get out of your hair."

The short guy looked at her aghast. "Give it back? Are you out of your mind?  We've been trying to get it for 10 years! It's my work! It belongs to me! Tell her, Simon. Stupid woman."

Bobbie grabbed him by the arm.  "Just stop.  Stop right there.  If it's yours then file a claim.  I'll even help.  But I get it now or I take both of you and put you in jail."

"Don't be silly," the short guy replied. "You can't do that. Simon won't let you. Will you Simon?"

"Uhm, no I won't. Listen Smitty, can't you, uhm, give me another notebook?" Simon asked. "They won't know what's in it.  You know. Another of your notebooks. They all look alike."

"I'll give you a blank one," Smitty decided.

Bobbie gaped at them.  "What are you?  Nuts?  I need the real one."  She glared at them both, thinking hard, needing a way out of the loonie bin.  "But here's what I will do.  You xerox it and give me the original."

"No," Smitty replied stubbornly. "It's mine. I want it."

"Smitty, please."  Simon bent down and whispered into his ear, "I like her. I can't see her if she's in jail."

Bobbie reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone.  "The deal's on the table for sixty seconds.  After that I'm dialing and it won't be for dollars."

"I don't like her," Smitty said. "You can do better."

Bobbie bent and put her nose an inch from Smitty's.  "I couldn't care less if you like me or not.  You do not want to mess with me.  I've been lied to, used, manipulated and stolen from.  I'm almost certainly falling in love against my better judgment and I am at the end of my tether.  It's worse than PMS.  I'm bigger and in better shape than you are, buster, and if I have to I'll beat you up and take it that way.  You got fifteen seconds left.  What's it gonna be?"

Smitty scooted over behind Simon. "You're ... uhm, falling in love?" Simon asked.

"Don't push your luck or you'll die before you find out."  She was ready to stomp her foot and scream.  "Jesus, what is it with you people?  Just give me the bloody notebook."

"All right, we copy it. Give it to me Smitty," Simon said holding out his hand.

"No, I won't." 

"I can make you.." Simon threatened.

"You wouldn't dare. Mom would kill you."

"He might not but I will," Bobbie yelled.  "NOW!"

Simon closed his eyes for a second and then there was a notebook in his hand. "There. Come on, let's find a copier elsewhere before she blows."  Simon grabbed her hand and zapped them out of there and to a Kinko's in DC.  "Take just a second."

She just glared at him.  And she'd be damned before she'd pay for the copies.

Ten minutes later he had copies and he handed her the notebook. "So, you'll wipe the tape?"

"Yes, as soon as I get back."

"So, Saturday?  8pm? I'll pick you up."

"Just like that?" she asked, her voice quiet. 

"What?" he asked frowning.

"As if nothing happened.  As if..." she gestured with her hand, at a loss for words.  "As if...none of it happened.  As if you didn't lie to me, or use me or anything else?  Just I'll pick you up at eight."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.  Then when he finally broke it off, he said, "Eight. Sharp. Dress to kill."  He zapped out.