My head is pounding. I feel like I've been at this report for hours, and when I look at the clock I realize I have. 'Ten more minutes,' I tell myself, 'and then a break.'

Behind me OA is working away, too. Our office is bustling with activity because we just solved a case. The movement, talking, and flipping of papers on desks around me is white noise, typical background humming, and helps me work.

"OA, Maggie," I turn around in my chair to look at Jubal who has just walked out of Dana Mosier's office. "We've got something."

His face, as usual, is serious but gives nothing away. I stand and head follow him to a conference room. OA is just behind us.

Kristen and Dana are both already there, and Kristen has some information up on a screen. I take a seat at the table and wait.

"911 received a call from an anonymous good samaritan a few minutes ago. He called in a loud disturbance and saw guns. He mentioned there was fighting over drugs and mentioned the name Big Juan. According to other intel we've gathered, Big Juan's real name is Juan de la Rosa, a big time drug smuggler from Argentina. He came to America in '09 and moved up the ranks quickly until he became a top player in the drug trade. We've been watching him for years trying to get something that will stick and have been unsuccessful. Kristen, play the call," Jubal says.

"Alright, here it is," she responds.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Yeah, I'm calling from the corner of Ponderosa and Elm. There's a big fight happening across the street. Lots of shouting and stuff, and they have guns." The man sounds nervous and rightly so.

"Okay, Sir. What is your name? Can you give me an exact location? A house number?"

"Yeah, it says 1503 I think. Maybe 1508. I can't tell for sure from here."

"Are you safe? If not, move to a place you are."

"I'm hiding. They can't see me."

"Okay, good. Can-"

"Wait. They are yelling about drugs. Something about drugs from South America and ripping them off. Big Juan, that's the only name I hear."

"Okay. What is your name?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Okay, Sir, help is on the way."

"Crap, I have to go."

There is the sound of scuffling in the background and then nothing. The call disconnects.

"Sir? Sir? Are you okay?"

The recording ends and the room is silent for a moment.

"Police officers are on the way, but won't make a move until we get there. Our job is to safely end whatever fight is still occurring and bring them all in. Got it?" This time it's Mosier who's talking. "This is all the information we have for now, but we will update you with anything we have from the road."

"I'm sending you a picture of De la Rosa now," Kristen informs us.

"Alright," Mosier says. "Let's go."

It feels like forever and no time at all passes on the fifteen minute ride to the address given on the call. Police set up a radius around the house, but did so out of sight of the house itself. All roads are blocked so no one is getting out of here unless they're cuffed. Or dead.

As we get out of the van, OA and I slip on our vests and fasten then securely. My hand automatically brushes against the gun on my hip, but I don't yet grab it. There are two teams who will storm the house and we will follow the team at the back entrance.

It's getting dark. The sun has fallen below the horizon, but leaves enough light that we can see where we step. The lack of light offers more protection and I'm thankful. We've done this half a dozen times in the last few months, but it doesn't keep the fear away. I'm able to push that fear aside and focus, knowing that's the only way to keep both my partner and me safe.

We stop as we reach position, waiting for the word to breach the back door and enter.

Moments pass. Waiting is he hardest. But before I know it the door is blown open and we are moving. OA is behind me. I know I'm safe as I could be given the situation. I sweep left when we enter and he turns right. There is no one there in that room, but I hear shouting and gunshots ahead.

The sound of glass shattering calls my attention away from the room and pulls me toward the sound. I'm walking down a hallway, checking the first two rooms and seeing nothing. I turn for a moment and realize OA isn't with me anymore. He must have found someone along the way. I keep walking, walking toward the sound of broken glass. Only fifteen seconds or so have passed since the sound first beckoned me, but time seems to slows down.

I reach the third and final door at the end of the hallway. There's a deadbolt. I twist the deadbolt until it clicks open and turn the handle, but it's locked. I slam my shoulder into the wood like I was taught to do, but it doesn't budge. I ready myself to slam into it again, but suddenly OA is here.

"You stole my thunder last time, allow me," he jokes. It almost catches me off guard for him to joke at a time like this. Almost. But it doesn't because it's OA,and that's what he does. He lessens the tension.

I nod and back away. He kicks the door, hard, but still it refuses to move. I just look at him, a small smile playing at the corner of my mouth. He narrows his eyes and looks at me. "Shut up," he warns.

Then he puts his hand on the door, thinking. "Maybe there's a deadbolt on the other side, too," he says, "or else something in the way." He's looking at me with one eyebrow raised.

Luckily, the door opens out so the hinges are outside. We look around for something that will wedge into the hinge but see nothing.

I quickly make my way back to the kitchen, gun still in one hand just in case though the fight must be over. Once there, I see one perp is dead, shot in the chest. Through the open space to the living room I see three more handcuffed on their knees waiting to be taken in. One is crying. He is young and looks like the dead man and I wonder how they are related. My best guess is they're brothers. Or they were.

I start pulling drawers open until I find the butter knives. I grab two and make my way back to where OA is waiting.

"Nice," he says as I hand him one. We manage to get all three pins out of the hinges relatively quickly. I pull my gun and raise it as OA pushes open the door. He grabs his gun and we enter the room. Upon a quick scan showing nothing, OA rushes to the window where it appears someone broken the window to escape.

"Look, Maggie. Someone nailed the window shut. That's why they had to break it. But why?" He's thinking out loud, but I barely notice. I'm too busy staring at two small eyes watching me from under the bed. I almost missed her at first, but now that I've seen her, I'll never forget. She'll never leave my mind.

"Mags?" OA says again as he turns to see why I haven't answered. His eyes follow mine until he also sees the child. Our eyes meet for a moment before he nods and heads to the door, eyes open a little wider than usual. We both know the girl could very well be scared of him. Or both of us. Either way, he doesn't need to be in the room. He will wait for me in the hallway after he finds paramedics to come check on her.

I'm almost three yards from the bed, but don't dare move any closer. Instead I sink down to the floor so I seem smaller and less intimidating. I try to smile, but feel sick to my stomach.

She has dirt covering almost her whole body. It's smudged on her cheeks and caked to her clothes. Her hair is matted and her eyes are dull. She has clearly been here, like this, for a long time.

"Hi," I say quietly. "I'm Maggie. What's your name?"

But the young girl just stares at me, eyes wide.

"It's okay," I try again. "I won't hurt you."

I try to move closer, but she becomes even more panicked and pushes herself farther under the bed. She has a blanket in her hands that she pulls closer to her chest. Her leg is the only thing that remains close to the edge of the bed. Only because a chain is enclosed around her ankle, the other end connected about two feet from the bed to the floor.

I hold my hands out in front of me and speak again. "It's okay, it's okay, I won't hurt hurt you. I'm here to help."

Still she refuses to look away or speak. I hear paramedics coming down the hallway, OA leading the way.

"OA, stop," I call out as quietly as I can while making sure he can still hear me.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Mmhmm," I answer. He gets close enough to make eye contact to ensure everything really is okay, and then backs up just a few steps.

"Let me know if you need anything," he quietly calls. Then he's silent.

I don't really know what to do now; I've never been in a situation like this before. So I back up a little and sit down all the way. Her panic lessens slightly and her arms relax just enough that the corner of the blanket she's holding falls. I see a small clump of matted brown, the color matching her hair almost perfectly.

"Oh my God," I whisper. "OA, she's holding a baby."

I hear him talking softly to the paramedics trying to buy me time, but I know I'm running out. I try a different approach.

"Is that your baby brother or sister?"

Her eyes narrow slightly and her hold on the baby grows tighter. She looks at me like she's trying to figure me out.

"I bet they're hungry. And you probably are, too. Do you want something to eat?" Still she stares.

"¿tienes hambre? ¿quieres comida?" I try again wondering if she knows Spanish instead. Nothing.

"I don't know if she can understand me. What do I do?" I'm looking at OA, but he's busy talking to the paramedics.

"You have to let us in there," one of the paramedics says loudly. The girl pushes herself back against the wall. They push pat OA and enter the room. As they get closer the girl begins to completely panic. The baby starts to cry and soon is screaming which makes things even worse. Then the girl is kicking at them, trying to get them to back off.

"Stop!" I'm calling, "enough!" But it doesn't do any good. The girl kicks one of them in the arm and he howls. The other grabs the baby and pulls it from her arms. The first sound the girl makes is a shriek. A scream unlike anything I've heard. It's filled with fear, anger, and betrayal.

"Agent, grab the baby!" one yells at me, but I'm frozen. OA pushes past and grabs the baby from the paramedic's arms. The two then grab her arm and inject her with something. The girl calms immediately. Suddenly another agent appears and cuts the chain that's around the girl's ankle allowing a paramedic to pick her up and carry her out to the ambulance. OA hands the baby to the other who then also exits.

Then OA and I are alone in the room. I'm still frozen in the spot staring at the place where the girl had been. OA touches my shoulder and I flinch just a little. I'm almost embarrassed. I don't even realize I'm crying until a hear a sob escape from my mouth. Then I'm completely embarrassed but there's nothing I can do to stop the few tears that are falling down my face. I look away trying to hide them, but I guess I don't need to be embarrassed after all because OA's eye are watery, too, as he fights tears of his own. He quickly blinks them away as I wipe mine.

"You okay?" he asks even though he knows the answer. No one could be okay after witnessing what we just had. Still, I give my best nod, though it's unconvincing.

"It's okay not to be, you know," he states matter of factly, back to his normal, stoic self.

"We need to get to the hospital," I say quietly.

It's his turn to nod. Then we are walking back down the hallway, through the kitchen and out the door.

This case will be a killer; ones with kids always are.

AN: I don't know exactly where this story is going to go. I'm trying to write more, but am having a hard time. It's very slow going. The idea came to me the night after I finished Shakenand I couldn't resist starting it. I've decided to post even though it is late and I really don't know where to go from here.

Please let me know what you think. It's quite a bit different from my last one. And if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!