Without a Trace

Author's note--I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!! I left for Den Haag (The Hague, the Netherlands) on Wednesday, and I didn't have a stable internet connection last night (stable enough to post a chapter, anyway)! I'm so sorry; please forgive me! It's up now!

Alright, I wrote myself (as Danny's girlfriend "Ashleigh") into this chapter, AND I get to comfort Draco a little! *happy dance* YES, he will end up with Harry, but I'm a friend (and ONLY a friend) and so that's okay that I comfort him. *big grin*

Keep in mind that NOTHING HAPPENS TO PARKER THAT HARRY AND DRACO CAN'T HANDLE!!! (That being said...I apologize for what's about to come and the potential cliff-hanger...)

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Without a Trace



SEVEN HOURS MISSING

At the hotel, Martin spoke to the same girl he saw on the videotape, accidentally making her cry when he told her that the wonderful, smiling couple to whom she gave the room key was actually the deranged grandmother who had kidnapped the child. She called her supervisor, who called the hotel manager. The supervisor took Martin and the team of FBI forensic scientists up to the room, where they immediately spread out and got to work. Martin’s jaw tightened visibly as he surveyed the set they had just watched on camera. The camera itself was still sitting on the desk, aimed at the bed, and the suitcase was closed, on the bed, minus the child’s clothing that Narcissa had unpacked. His heart lifted slightly as he realized that, if they took the clothing, it might mean they were planning to keep the boy longer than they let on. If that were the case, he would most likely need a hell of a lot of counseling, but it would give them a better chance of finding him alive.

He went back down to the lobby and obtained the current guest list, which he faxed back to the office for Elena to cross-check with any known associates she might have uncovered. The manager of the hotel balked when Martin insisted that they do a room-by-room walkthrough for guest identification checks. He protested weakly, citing the hotel’s guests’ right to privacy, but Martin threatened him with ‘obstruction of justice and impeding a federal investigation’, making it all too clear that the agent would have no problem hauling the entire management staff down to Headquarters for questioning and arrest. Martin was, by nature, passive; bullying was more of Danny’s tactic, but with a small child’s life on the line, Martin was all too willing to play the ‘bad cop’.

* * * * *

Danny pulled up to Spaulding’s house. It was a simple house in a quiet neighborhood, but Danny knew better than to be fooled. He got out of the car, drawing his gun. He was joined by several police officers, and they clustered around, going through the gate, and then broke off as they spread out to cover the back of the house just in case someone tried to make a run for it. The last time Danny was here, he had gone in without an arrest warrant and taken several incriminating photographs from Spaulding’s bedroom. The judge had no choice but to suppress that evidence because it had been obtained illegally. Danny shook his head, almost to the front door. He wouldn’t make any mistakes this time. He pressed his ear to the door, listening. Silence.

“Spaulding, this is the FBI! Open up!” Danny hollered, waiting about a second before crashing his foot through the door, bringing his gun up as he advanced. He swept left and right, making sure the room was empty before calling “Clear!” over his shoulder. The other uniforms fanned out, heading to the kitchen and bathroom while Danny made his way cautiously to the bedroom. The door was closed, but Danny heard faint sounds of a music box playing. His heart sped up as he opened the door. He snapped the light on and cursed when the room was empty.

There was a music box laying on the bed next to a pair of children’s underwear and a note. Danny examined the underwear, pressing his lips into a thin line. He pulled out his cell phone, pressed a couple of buttons, and leaned over to read the note.

“Elena, hey, it’s Danny. I’m at Spaulding’s house. No, it’s empty. Figured it would be, but that fucker knew we would be here! He’s playing with us! He left a pair of the boy’s underwear on the bed…” Danny’s voice broke. “The back…there’s blood on the back of them, Elena. And there’s a music box and a note. The note says, ‘Jack—my fifteen minutes were so good that I think I would like some more time. Tell the father that his little boy is just the perfect size for my finger. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt—much—when I do take him. I’m not a complete monster, after all, but I do so wish you could be here for the fireworks. This is it, though. You won’t see me or the boy again. I hope you see our faces in your nightmares for the rest of your life, Jack. It’s been fun!—Graham’. Goddamnit, Elena, we’ve got to find them! Any new leads? Fuck. No, I’m going to take another look around here and then come back. Pass the word on, okay? Gracias, mi amiga.”

Danny hung up the phone and looked back at the items on the bed dejectedly. He spun in a small circle, not quite sure what to do, and then he was rapidly overcome with the need to put his hands around Spaulding’s neck and squeeze until the bastard’s eyes popped out of his head. He stomped to the nearest wall and put his foot through it. It made him feel a little bit better, but not much. Danny sank into a chair as he brushed the plaster powder off of his black slacks and shoes. He was an FBI agent, and there was an image to uphold.

He left the bedroom exactly how he found it; Forensics would have a busy day today, and on a holiday too. He swept a practiced eye through the house, pausing as he entered the living room, and his eyes lit on the computer sitting in the corner. The other officers were busy searching the remaining rooms and backyard. Danny paused to pull a pair of rubber gloves out of his pocket, wondering momentarily if checking out Spaulding’s computer could be considered illegal. He stared at the running computer, not really seeing the exploding fireworks that were Spaulding’s screen saver. He made a snap decision; illegal or not, Danny was not about to throw away that little boy’s life over a potential violation, and he reached for the mouse. The software for playing videos was still open, as was Spaulding’s email. Danny clicked on the “Sent” folder, checking the timestamp on the “15 Minutes” message.

“That fucking son of a bitch!” he exclaimed to no one in particular, checking the time on his cell phone. According to Spaulding’s computer, the email had been sent at 5pm (well, 4:58pm, but close enough). The text message to HJ’s phone arrived an hour later. The bastard had counted on HJ—well, any of them, really—not thinking to check for new emails, and they had played right into his hands! Danny pounded his fist on the desk before taking a deep breath and recomposing himself. He checked the tower, pulling out the memory stick. He reached for his cell phone again.

* * * * *

Back at the office, Draco was still sitting at the conference table when a woman walked in, carrying a couple of bags of something that smelled delicious and made his mouth water. She smiled cheerfully at him, placing the bags on the table, and then her eyes flashed with recognition. She had curly brown hair, light greenish-blue eyes, and a pretty face. Her suit was styled and snappy, yet comfortable-looking. She came around the table, holding her hand out to him.

“Oh my god, you’re that little boy’s father, aren’t you? I am so, so sorry that this is happening to you and your family, but keep your chin up. You have the BEST people in New York—well, in all of America, really—looking for your son. You’re…Draco, right? Draco Malfoy? My name is Ashleigh. Are you hungry? You need to keep your strength up,” the woman introduced herself, shaking Draco’s hand and then putting her other one on top of their joined hands.

“Yes, I’m Draco. I didn’t think I was, but whatever you have in there smells delightful, Ms…Ashleigh. Wait, how do you know about my son? Are you an agent too?” Draco was confused. Ashleigh let out a small laugh, unpacking the bags of Chinese as she talked and making up a plate for Draco.

“No, I’m not an agent. Well, you might say I’m an ‘unofficial’ one, since I’m here more than almost anywhere else. My day job, though, is an attorney. I’m Danny Taylor’s girlfriend. Have you met Danny?” Draco shrugged. They had been in the same crowd while watching the video, but they hadn’t been formally introduced. “I see. Well, don’t let him intimidate you. He can come on strong sometimes, and he’s a huge joker, but just be nice-sarcastic back to him, and you’ll be fine. I try to bring them dinner as much as possible. These guys,” Ashleigh motioned around the room, indicating the team. “They get so wrapped up in a case that they’ll forget to eat and sleep. They’d work themselves until they dropped if I let them. It’s admirable, all right, but they can’t find anyone if they’re passed out on the floor. So I bring a ton of food up here, and they generally wait until it gets cold and icky before eating it, but what can you do?” She shrugged, handing Draco a plate of Chinese food. He accepted it gratefully and began eating. She continued talking as she recovered all of the different dishes. She really HAD brought ‘a ton’ of food! “Your son’s face is all over the news. Those vultures love nothing more than—”

Ashleigh was interrupted as the glass doors opened again, and a tall red-head with two solemn black-haired children entered. The two women exchanged hugs, and then Ashleigh bent down to kiss the two little girls. The other woman’s eyes flicked over Draco and then suddenly refocused. He dropped his fork in surprise.

“Malfoy!”

“Weasley?” Ginny held up her left hand, indicating her ring.

“Ah, ah, ah, Malfoy, watch it. I’m a Potter now. Not that that’s a step up or down in your book,” she teased, not really sure if she was serious or just playing. “What in the world are YOU doing here, of all places?”

“Ginny, his son is the missing boy,” Ashleigh broke in quietly. Ginny’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand, appearing, to Draco, as the sixth-year he had known back at Hogwarts.

“Gods, Malf-I mean, Draco, I’m so sorry,” she said softly. Draco tried for a smile and failed, pushing his plate away as the enormity of his situation hit him again, and he covered his face with his hands, elbows resting on the table. He was in the process of trying not to burst out crying again when he felt a small tap on his arm. He peeked through his fingers to find Harry’s piercing eyes staring at him from two different heads; Potter’s twin girls. Perfect.

“You look sad,” one of them said. The other nodded in agreement. Behind his hands, Draco’s lips twisted in an amused smile against his will.

“Your little boy is gone, right?” Blunt, as always. Even at six years old, Draco could see Harry in the both of them. Draco sighed and pushed away from the table, looking at them.

“Yes. My son’s name is Parker, and he’s three. You two are about five, aren’t you?” Even though they were Potter’s kids, Draco couldn’t bring himself to be rude or angry with them. He never would have thought it possible, but after his son was born, Draco Malfoy had turned into a giant sap where children were concerned.

“We turned six in January. We were gonna go watch the fireworks tonight with Mommy and Daddy, but that’s prolly not gonna happen now,” Draco had no idea which one was which. He vaguely recalled hearing Harry’s voice yelling on the phone…Molly and…Lily?

“Today is the Fourth of July, you know,” the statement was made in a matter-of-fact voice that made the blonde man bite his lip. They resembled him so much; it unnerved Draco.

“Does Parker like fireworks?” the other twin asked. Draco nodded, his face twitching as tears welled up. Ginny stepped forward, intending to herd the two away from Draco, as amused as she had been watching Malfoy be interrogated by Potter look-a-likes. Before she could get her children, the two girls looked at each other, communicating silently. They both simultaneously turned and crawled into Draco’s lap, giving him hugs. The open sympathy shown by both girls, who were very close in age to Parker, as well as the fact that, through no fault of their own, they had their father’s instinctive compassion made Draco’s shoulders shake as he was engulfed. Ginny stopped, frozen in shock to see her husband’s former nemesis weeping openly. Ashleigh was worried for a moment that seeing an adult cry might scare the two girls, but they wound their arms around Draco’s neck and tucked their black-haired heads into the crook of his neck, one on each side. Ashleigh laid her hand on the back of his head in silent comfort, pressing her lips together to keep from crying herself.

* * * * *

That was the scenario Harry found, having returned from being with Jack while he interrogated Pansy. He stopped on the other side of the glass, just observing with surprise. Ginny was standing with an indescribable look on her face; it was almost as if she had bitten into a sour lemon. He recognized Danny’s girlfriend, Ashleigh, from the back. She generally showed up this time of night with dinner; and a swift glance at the table told him that she had gotten Chinese. Again. She had her hand on the chair in front of her, but she was blocking his view. He moved closer to the room, nearly fainting in shock when he realized that the Slytherin had a lapful of would-be Gryffindors—who were also clinging to him, he noted—and was crying, on top of it!

Harry shook his head; the universe was going mad! Not only had fate bitch-slapped him hard by dropping Draco into his city, but now his own daughters had taken to him! Add to that the fact that Harry had watched Draco cry more in the last six hours than their entire lives of twenty-plus years, and Harry was ready for a VERY strong drink. But duty called, and Harry reached down inside himself, calling upon his extra Gryffindor reserves of strength that would sustain him to the brink, and then some.

With a jolt, he remembered that a sick pedophile was on the loose with Draco’s child in his grasp, and Harry felt guilty because he was relieved that his own daughters were right in front of his eyes. He pushed open the glass door and was greeted with two voices crying simultaneously, “Daddy!” Lily looked up and shot off of Draco’s lap to throw herself at her father. Molly wiggled down, but not before planting a quick, six-year-old kiss on Draco’s wet cheek, and then she, too, flung herself into Harry’s arms, this time succeeding in knocking him backwards. Harry rolled back with his two little girls in his arms, laughing almost maniacally. Ginny looked huffy, and she left the room to no one’s notice.

Draco stirred as the girls were in motion, and he watched with a mixture of happiness and sadness as the two little girls ran from one pair of arms to the next. He knew how thankful Harry must be feeling right now, and he tucked the sight of the green-eyed, black-haired trio away in his mind to examine later; right now, he could feel another wave of shattering heartbreak rise up and explode out of his tear ducts. Ashleigh quickly knelt in front of him, and he leaned his head on her shoulder, wondering pitifully if he would ever stop crying. She smoothed his hair and passed her hand along his back, murmuring words of comfort and strength until he sat up; she grabbed a handful of napkins from the table and handed them to him with a knowing and empathetic smile. Ashleigh turned around to face Harry, who had stood up and was holding his girls in his arms.

“Hey, HJ. These two are the best, do you know that?” Ashleigh gave him a quick squeeze that turned into a four-way hug.

“Yeah, I do,” he said gruffly. “How’s Draco?”

“Draco’s a big baby,” the blonde answered wryly, in third person. He wiped his nose one last time and stood, joining them. Harry gave him the once-over, noticing uncomfortably that Draco did the same to him.

“Come on now,” Harry replied softly. “Given the situation, I think you’re holding up really well.” Draco’s face went blank for a second before Harry saw the familiar Slytherin mask come up. It sent a flicker of alarm through Harry’s stomach, and he wanted to smack his head against the nearest brick wall for his stupid choice of words. “Hey, uh, Ashleigh, I-”

“Say no more, HJ. Hey, girls, how about we go find some paper and you can draw pictures for your daddy and Draco? I bet they could use some happy pictures right about now,” Ashleigh held her arms out. The twins clung to Harry a moment longer, and then allowed themselves to be transferred. Ashleigh was no stranger to them; in fact, she had been like a second mother or a big sister. When Ginny had turned to drinking, Ashleigh had stepped up to the plate, baby-sitting the girls on a moment’s notice, while Harry struggled to make things right with his wife. Of everyone on his team, Ashleigh was the one Molly and Lily were closest to, followed by Danny simply because he was in close proximity to Ashleigh.

“HJ, I’ll have my cell phone with me at all times, so just call if you need to, okay?” Ashleigh said, leaving the room with the girls. Harry trusted Ashleigh completely; she was extremely intelligent, as protective of his girls as he was, and calm in a crisis. She was a fourth degree black belt in TaeKwon-Do, and that went a long way to reassuring Harry. He watched as the girls waved to him over Ashleigh’s shoulders, and then turned his attention to the person he had avoided for seven years. Draco was staring into space, his mouth tight and a sullen look on his face. Harry suddenly felt like a fumbling eleven year old again, instead of the calm, unaffected FBI special agent he had been trained to be, and resentment stabbed through him that Draco Malfoy could still do that to him after all these years, and without even saying anything!

“Why do they call you ‘HJ’?” Draco broke the silence. Harry shifted uncomfortably as his stomach betrayed him with a large growl. Both men smiled, albeit for different reasons, and Draco walked over to the food that Ashleigh had brought and prepared a plate for Harry, grateful for something to do.

“That’s what I told them to call me when I first got here, six years ago. I was terrified that ‘Harry Potter’ might be recognized; I didn’t really have to worry, though. As much as I have come to love New York, the American people are amazingly ignorant of the world beyond their borders,” he sighed. “But it was too late to change it, so…” Harry shrugged, accepting the offered plate and sitting at one end of the table. Hungry once again, Draco slid his own half-eaten plate over and sat to one side of Harry so that they could continue talking.

“Why did you leave?” Draco swallowed, asked his question, and put another forkful of rice in his mouth. It was semi-warm, but still decent.

“You mean, earlier? At the security office? Um, yeah, sorry about that. I—you just caught me completely off-guard, you know, and FBI agents aren’t supposed to be caught off-guard,” Harry parried, suspecting that that wasn’t what Draco was talking about. He was rewarded with a scornful look.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said, recognizing the guilty look on Harry’s face. “Why did you leave England?” Harry shoved a huge wad of food in his mouth to avoid answering. When he looked up, Draco’s eyes had never left his face, and he sat expectantly, waiting for an answer.
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Chapter notes:

1. Gracias, mi amiga This means "Thank you, my friend" in Spanish. Since Danny and Elena (and, if you must know, Ashleigh as well hehe) are fluent in Spanish, it's only natural that they would drop a phrase or two here and there (when they're not angry with each other and fighting). Danny and Elena are both Hispanic, while Ashleigh is Caucasian, but they all speak it fluently.


Author's notes--Hope you liked! And now...review responses! (Yeah, you're SO surprised!)


Night--I hope that the new development in what's happening to Parker wasn't TOO disturbing...Sorry if it was, but keep telling yourself that they can handle it (and I hope you don't feel like I've mislead you)

I will think on your request for more Snape. Thanks for the suggestion (and the review!)

Magic...can't say. England...maybe more later (MAYBE lol) Ron and Hermione...right now, the team is more worried about getting Parker back safe and sound than about the fact that Narcissa is an escaped convict (more or less). If/when they get Parker back, THEN they'll worry about Narcissa. But Parker is the #1 priority here.

Also, the team doesn't know that they are Muggles, and they don't know that the boys and Narcissa have magic. Harry, in moving to America, is running from his past, and so he and Ginny might use magic every once in a great while in the privacy of their own home, but they decided to live among the American Muggles and haven't really had an interest in finding out whether there is an American wizarding world.

Draco and Pansy agreed to live like Muggles during their vacation in America, and so neither brought their wand with them. At first, I wondered if that would be plausible (since a wizard's wand is like an extension of himself and he's NEVER without it) but my reasoning for them leaving their wands in England was to remove all temptation of using magic while in America (which *could* get them in trouble) and because if the American Customs would have confiscated it or something...that would have been disasterous. (Not to mention they would've had to either go through a TON of bureaucratic red tape to get it back or forsake it and buy a new one when they got back to England.)

Confrontation between Harry, Ginny, and Draco *grins* Hey, you predicted the chapter! Yay!


HPDMkawii--GOOD internet tonight! Sorry for the delay in updating. Thanks for your review! :)

WeasleyWench--thanks for your kind words! I think Anthony LaPaglia is sexy for an "older guy" but I just think Danny (Enrique Murciano) hangs the moon! More info coming, I promise! (Hopefully this chapter helped answer a question or two...and give you a thousand more! lol)

LMAO "Damn boy is too gay for words and then he goes and knocks her up." OMG I almost fell off my hotel bed laughing! That's GREAT! It will be explained...eventually.

EmeraldGrey--awww, thanks! *resisting...trying...so...hard* Mmmmmmmmph! Clue: sometimes I wonder if I wasn't subtle enough in this chapter with the clues to Parker's whereabouts. But at this point in time, the team doesn't really know what is significant and why, and I'd love to hear everyone's guesses! haha Okay, I'm going to stop before I reveal something serious...

Danine--Yes, I hear you. *sigh* I see so many Pansy/Blaise pairings that it just makes sense in my head, so I had to get them together (if for no other reason than to free up Draco! haha) Thanks!

xXBrokenDreamXx--yay, so glad you keep coming back! lol Hope you liked this one too. Thanks!

Star55--YAY, thank you so much! It makes me so glad to hear that you guys can "see" it happening, just like me! My main goal in writing is to be believable, so I'm so glad you think they are realistic! And I'll be sending you an email in a minute about this chapter update. So sorry again for the delay!

KLS--I know. Although slightly in her defense, remember that we're not sure if she even knew about Spaulding's past before she hatched the plan. She *might* have the benefit of the doubt there, but the hints are obvious, so she definitely gets a thumbs down for being such a bitch. But she's focusing more on hurting Draco, and she hates him so much (because she's twisted and insane) that she is not thinking of Parker as a person; Parker is a tool with which to hurt Draco, to her.

Magic....can't tell. After Voldemort, Harry's magic did suffer some, yes. But it's been seven years and some by now, so his magic is no longer damaged. (and I gave more info on this in Night's response, above--if you skipped over it)

Draca--suck! Sorry about the keyboards and the delay in updating! I'll be home on Saturday, though, so things will go back to normal from there! Thanks!

Night--YAY you reviewed again! The largest train station in NYC is Grand Central Station, and when Jack was handing out orders, he told Vivian to cover the train station (as well as bus stations, airports, and subways) with Parker's information. And Jack meant for her to check the train tickets too (and she knew that...Vivian's good like that). Narcissa does not have a wand after escaping from Azkaban. She escaped and hightailed it to America to fuck with Draco's family. I checked the HP Lexicon and couldn't find "tracking spells" on it, so I didn't know if that was an actual spell used in the books/movies or if that was a product of other fanfiction stories...any ideas? And no, Narcissa hasn't Obliviated anyone in America. :D

Thanks so much, you guys, for reading and reviewing! The next update will not be so long in coming as this one was!