Full Circle

Chapter 2 - Time & Tide

Chapter Description: Ellen Parker joins the search for James Bennett.

A/N: In our AU, Ellen is married.

Roosevelt Island. July 9, 2006. Sunday afternoon.

Ellen Parker pulled off her gloves. Usually she found gardening relaxing, but these days she couldn't focus on her hydrangeas. Instead she was constantly scanning the sidewalk and street in front of her building, watching for James Bennett or one of his enemies.

She placed her gloves and tools in a bin and then walked inside from the balcony, closing the door behind her.

Mike Chan set down the newspaper he'd been reading. "You weren't out long."

Of course he noticed. Mike had been a U.S. Marshal assigned to her case when she'd been placed in St. Louis over twenty years ago, and he never missed a detail. A consummate professional, he'd hadn't explicitly expressed a romantic interest in her until he left the Marshals. Only then had they started dating.

Two years ago, when Ellen finally agreed to let the Marshals move her again, she'd invited Mike to come with her. When he agreed to leave the town where he'd been born and raised, she proposed. Their second wedding anniversary was less than a month away.

"I'm too worried to enjoy gardening right now," she admitted.

"The Marshals will tell us as soon as there's any news."

"I know, but it's been weeks since they announced that James is in town. I thought they'd find him or have some kind of update by now. What's he doing here?"

"There's no reason to believe he knows you're here, and there are security cameras set up all around the building to watch for any sign of him." And because he knew her well he added, "And around Neal's place, too."

"And his work? And Columbia University?" Ellen asked. "It's one thing for me to stay close to home for a few weeks. I can work from the apartment and send you out on errands. Neal isn't going to agree to so many restrictions."

"He is surrounded by FBI agents at work," Mike reminded.

"Would you check on him?" Ellen asked. "Make sure he's taking this seriously?" She'd made the same request before, two years ago, when someone sent a postcard to her St. Louis home making it clear they knew who she was, and they'd claimed to be watching Neal, too. In that case the culprit had been discovered and dealt with. She hoped Neal had learned caution from the experience, but she wasn't going to hold her breath. Caution and being twenty-something rarely went together, and Neal in particular had always been a risk-taker.

"I had a feeling you'd ask," Mike said.

"That's not all I'm going to ask for," Ellen warned. "I'm tired of sitting around waiting for others to resolve this situation for me."

To his credit, Mike didn't groan, but he did look pained. "The Marshals will hate this," he predicted.

"I did as I was told when Neal ran away from home. They insisted I couldn't go looking for him, and I've always regretted listening to them. I've been patient with their restrictions this time, but I'm reaching my limits. And I want to make sure Neal is safe. So the Marshals are going to get my help dealing with James, whether they want it or not."

Neal's loft. July 9, 2006. Sunday evening.

His door was unlocked when Neal got home from his waterpark adventures, which meant Mozzie was inside the loft. Neal's dreams of indulging in a long, hot shower evaporated. He dropped his duffel bag inside the loft and closed the door behind him.