Samantha

Chapter Four: the results

The lab was processing the DNA samples. Lila was going back over the details when someone knocked on her door. She looked up expecting to see Aaron but instead saw Joshua Andrews, the last person she expected. "May I help you?" she asked politely. Curiosity crept in as he shut the door behind him.

He stood in front of her desk. "I just wanted to remind you of something, Smith." She tensed. "And what would that be?" He was intimidation at it's finest. He leaned forward on her desk, his two hands pressing down on the file she had been studying. "Dating within the office is prohibited."

She was confused. "Yes, sir. I am aware of this.." He stared at her with his unsettling gaze. "Might I ask why you are bringing this up?" This topic was highly uncomfortable to be having with her boss alone in her office. "You know why, Smith. Don't play dumb."

She was offended but pushed it aside. "I assure you, sir, I am professional in the office. I have no clue to what you are referring." Andrews sighed. "Look, whatever this thing you have with Shepard and you is, it needs to end. Understood?" Heat flooded her face as realization hit.

"Uh...Sir, nothing between Shepard and me is anything above professional. Friendly at most. I would never jeopardize my job like that. That thing the other night was not as it seemed." Andrews leaned back, away from her. "It better be. Don't make me speak with you again, Smith."

He left her office, shutting the door quietly but the click rang in the quiet room. The heat had yet to leave her face and she set her head in her hands. "What the f-" She was interrupted by the office door opening again. "Files!" She looked up to see Aaron holding too files in his hand.

"Not what I was going for, but sure." She grabbed one and shook her head at his confused look. She opened the file. "These the results on the DNA?" Aaron nodded. "Sure is. Didn't even have to call Maury." She rolled her emerald eyes at his bad joke. "Hush." She stared at the DNA samples, trying to make sense of them.

Aaron looked up at her. "Please tell me you understand this?" Lila nodded. "Unfortunately, yes." Shepard looked at her face. "Not good?" She shrugged. "Depends on the way you look at it." He sighed. "We might need to call Maury if you don't tell me soon." She glared and pushed him off her desk. "It's Freeman's baby."

Aaron nodded, running his hand through his hair like he often did when he was thinking. "Well, let's go tell him." She nodded, standing up from her desk chair. "When will we tell Jeremy." He opened the office door for her. "I don't know, after." They walked to the car and started towards Freeman's house.

"I saw Andrews in your office this mornings. Anything important?" The blush returned to her face. "No, nothing really. Just asking for a update on the case." She turned her face out the window so he couldn't see the bright red she was turning. Aaron glanced at her. "I gave him that report yesterday." She shrugged, "I guess he was impatient to read it."

~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••~

"It was mine?" Caleb asked. Lila nodded. "It was," she confirmed. He set his head in his face. He had loved her, anyone could see that. The baby added onto that was too much for him.

Tears were running down his face. "I loved her, I would've loved that baby. I wanted to be with her. I would've left Julie. I told Sammy that a hundred times. She never listened, never took me serious. I loved her so much, she could just light up a room. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her, I wanted to be with her so much. Do you think she knew that? How much I loved her?"

Agent Smith set a hand on his arm. "She knew. She left Jeremy to be with you, Caleb. She knew how you felt." He smiled, a sad smile. "Thank you." She looked down. "For what?" He wiped away a tear from his face. "For telling me that." She nodded, understanding him.

They stood to go, Caleb was still on the couch staring at a picture of Samantha. Aaron opened the door for Lila but she was looking at Caleb on the couch. "We'll find out what happened to her," she said to him. Caleb looked up from the picture, his teary blue eyes meeting hers. "I know you will." She nodded before following Aaron out the door.

~•~••~•~••~•~••~•~••~

Jeremy sat still, his face blank. "It wasn't my baby. I knew it all along, I don't know why I got my hopes up." Aaron looked down, rubbing his hands together. "I'm sorry." He shook his head. "No, " Jeremy said. "You're not. You didn't lose anything. Just go do your job." Lila grabbed Aaron's arm. "Come on, let's go."

Back at the office, Smith sat at her desk looking at the picture of Samantha. She was pretty, sure, but there was more to her. Her eyes glinted like they were enjoying an inside joke. Maybe that's what made Caleb so sad. He had lost that look along with any chance of getting to know the joke, getting to laugh with her.

Lila gritted her teeth and started going back over the information. She was more determined than ever to find what happened to Samantha.

A few hours later, a knock sounded on the door. Lila looked up to see Christina, Samantha's older sister. She standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Christina," Lila called. "Please, come in, have a seat. What can I do for you?"

Christina looked like her sister only slightly more mature and with blue eyes. She sat in the chair directly in front of Lila's desk. "I knew about Caleb and Sammy." Christina's confession took her off guard. "You did? How did you find out?"

Christina  began telling me the story. "It wasn't planned. Jeremy and Sammy had split again so she was out at this bar. She met Caleb, he hadn't started dating Julie yet, and they hooked up. This became a regular thing until Julie and Caleb got together, Sammy was upset but Julie seemed to really like Caleb to she didn't say anything.

"Jeremy and her got back together but were still fighting so she started hooking up with Caleb again. They became really close and Samantha broke it off with Jeremy. She had been planning to for a while. She loved Caleb, she told me. She found out she was pregnant so she stayed with Jeremy longer, afraid Caleb wouldn't want her if she was pregnant."

She leaned forward in the chair as she continued. "But she found out Jeremy wasn't the father and broke up with him. She called me telling me she was finally gonna get what she wanted. She was finally gonna get the family she had wanted with Caleb and the baby. She was going to tell Julie when she hung up. That's the last I heard from her."

Agent Smith let out a deep breath. "When was this?" Christina paused briefly, "Tuesday morning." Lila glanced at the file. Samantha Miles died at 12:38 Tuesday afternoon.

Christina stood up. "I realize what this sounds like. I hate to think that Julie would ever hurt Sammy but..I just need to know what happened." Agent Smith nodded. "I understand. I'll let you know as soon as we find something. Thank you for this." Christina nodded before leaving, wiping tears off her face.