Kayla had told Dru that she wasn't sure whether she'd make it into
work that day or not. She was still iffy about it all. He had
already left for work and to drop Kyleigh off at school. But after
pacing for a good thirty minutes and feeding Emery, Kayla finally
decided that she was going into work. She dressed and dressed Emery
before taking her out to the car and locking her carrier into the car
seat base. Getting into the driver's seat, she took a deep breath
before securing her seat belt and starting the car.

Rafe sat in his new SVU, figuring he needed to change his vehicle
after his run in with Kayla at the park incase she saw what he was
driving. He sat down the street watching Kayla get into her SUV
making sure Emery was strapped in. Rafe patted the Great Pyrenees
puppy lying on his lap that he still had yet to name.

After a couple minutes of just sitting there, Kayla started down the
street trying to make herself as confident as possible about going
into work with Emery. She just couldn't see leaving her with anyone...

Starting up his small SUV and followed her down the road. He had to
plan this perfectly or everything would be screwed up. Rafe waited
for a few turns until he had found a spot where there was hardly any
traffic. He saw her turn on her blinker and started accelerating
behind her. Holding onto the puppy in his lap he smashed into the
back of Kayla's SUV sending the front into a telephone pole as she
began her turn.

Kayla had been taken by surprise and had hit the steering wheel right
before the airbags went off. Luckily having a newer vehicle, the SVU
was equipped with airbags all around.

Emery screamed in the background, pulled from her happy state of
playing with the butterfly toy that was hung on the car seat.

Rafe put puppy down on the passenger seat and got out of his vehicle
heading over to Kayla's SUV. He glanced in the driver side window
making sure Kayla was ok then opened up the back door and saw Emery
screaming in her car seat. "Hey sweetie… it's ok…" he whispered and
unbuckled her from her car seat. Rafe carefully picked her up and
made sure to grab the baby bag on the floor that Kayla had backed and
any toy that was on or around the car seat.

Looking at Kayla, Rafe headed back to his SUV that was hardly damage
just a few dents in the front bumper. He opened up his back door and
placed Emery in the car seat he had gotten and strapped her in.
"Shhhh it's ok sweetie…" He kissed the top of her head as she kept
scream, obviously traumatized by the accident.

Emery's screams slowly brought Kayla out of it, and she slowly lifted
her head. She looked over her shoulder and saw the car seat there,
but the door open. "Emery..." she whispered as she tried to open the
door, but kept missing the handle. After a few more tries, she
managed to get it open. Reaching down, she pressed the button and her
seat belt was released. Holding heavily onto the door, she managed to
get out of the vehicle and then she saw Rafe behind doing something...
"Emery..."

Rafe got into his SUV and slowly backed up picking up his cell phone
before driving away heading for the airport. He heard one of his men
answer the phone, "ready the jet." That was all he said before
hanging up. He drove a little farther before calling 911 to report
the accident; he didn't want Kayla to be hurt or seriously injured.

Kayla moved to the back of the SUV and reached in and ran her hand
along the car seat. Where was Emery? Tears fell down her face,
"Emery... Emery!" Her head was pounding, and looking around just
made her even dizzier and she slowly slid down the vehicle.

Emery continued to cry. She didn't like this seat, it wasn't the
same. It didn't have her butterfly toy hanging up.

Rafe continued to drive towards the airport, and looked back in his
mirror every once and a while. "Shhh… it's ok Emery…We're just going
on a little trip." He said softly trying to calm her down and smiled
seeing his puppy sit up and looked back at the baby wondering what was
going on.

The baby just continued to cry, "Da...Ma..." she cried out waving her
arms around. She wanted someone to come and check on her. She wasn't
used to crying for so long.

Rafe got to the airport and stopped the car near the jet. He climbed
out and slowly got Emery out of her car seat and grabbed everything,
then headed towards the jet. Rafe looked at the man standing at the
bottom of the stairs. "Get my bags and my puppy out of the car." He
ordered him and headed up the stairs taking a seat holding Emery in
his arms.

Emery coughed a bit as she tried to catch her breath and looked up at
the man. He wasn't her mom or her dad. Why was he holding her? She
just sniffled as she studied him.

"Hey sweetie…" He said softly and smiled brightly at her. "You're too
adorable." Rafe bounded her on his knee slightly.

"Mamam..." she said looking around.

"You're coming home with me sweetie…" Rafe smiled at her and tried
tickling her belly softly.

"Mamam..." she said again frowning up at him.

"I know sweetie…" he reached down and grabbed one of her toys from the
bag.

Emery grabbed the toy and then frowned up at him.

"You'll be ok." He smiled. "We're going to have a good time in
Australia."

"Mamam...Da...Dadadadda..." she babbled looking down at the toy and
waving it around a bit.

"Ya play with your toy sweetie." He smiled and held her in his lap.

Emery sighed and then threw the toy onto the floor and looked down at
it and then up at Rafe.

"You don't want that one?" Rafe asked before bending down to get it.

"Mamam..."

"Emery mom was not nice… she wouldn't let daddy see you." He said
softly. "I'm your daddy…"

Emery just looked at him weirdly and then started to cry.

"Shh… it's ok…" Rafe soothed and brought her up against his chest and
rubbed her back gently.

"Mamam...Dada..." she whispered sniffling. She wanted them. She
liked them. She wasn't used to strangers.

"You're ok…" Rafe whispered rubbing her back and kissing the side of
her head.

She sniffled more, but settled against his chest, letting her head lay
there as her little body relaxed.

"Shhh… you're ok…" Rafe said softly still rubbing her back in soothing
circles.

Bringing her hand up, she stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked on
it. She wanted her mommy or daddy. Normally, she wouldn't suck her
thumb, but she wanted the comfort of it.

Rafe continued to rub her back in soothing circles and held her close.
"You'll be ok…"

Emery just laid there sucking her thumb not really paying any
attention to the man.

"Hey Emery you like puppies?" He asked turning her around so she
could see his puppy bounding around.

She just looked at the puppy and then back down quietly. That wasn't
one of her puppies.

"He's your puppy." Rafe smiled and held her on his knee.

Emery just frowned a bit as she sucked on her thumb. He was so not
her puppy.

"Sweetie you shouldn't suck your thumb." He explained to her before
searching through the bag for a pacifier.

But she kept sucking it anyways ignoring him. If her mommy or daddy
were there they would be playing with her and she wouldn't have been
upset in the first place and wouldn't need to suck her thumb. This
guy was crazy to think he was gonna get her to stop.

Rafe couldn't find a pacifier, but started pulling out toys offering
them to her and dancing them around trying to get her attention.

"Mamam..." she said softly before putting her thumb back into her mouth.

"She's not here sweetie…" Rafe explained trying another toy.

"MAMAMAMAMAMAM!!!" she cried out pushing the toy away.

"Shhh… she's not here." He explained.

Emery just glared at him before sticking her thumb back into her
mouth. She wanted her mom.

Rafe smirked seeing her glare at him, "you are so much like your mother…"

"Mamam!!!" Emery said brightening up a bit thinking that her mom was
coming.

"No sweetie… moms not coming." He explained softly.

She frowned and stuck her thumb back in her mouth. He was being
mean...making her think she was going home with her mom...

"You need to sleep Emery…" he explained. "We have a long flight."

"Mamam..."

"No mom."

"MA! MA!" Emery said practically shouting.

"And there's the Lopez side… you're defiant like my sister…" He
sighed, shaking his head.

"Mamam!" she continued. "MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA!!!!"

"Shhhhh calm down…" Rafe said calmly. He knew this was going to
happen and that it would take a while for her to get used to him, but
he just had to be patient with her.

"MAMAMAM!!!" she looked around trying to see if her parents were
coming for her. "Mamam...Dada..."

"They're not coming." He explained to her lowly.

Emery frowned, "Mamam. Dada."

"No kiddo they aren't coming…"

And in went the thumb again as she glared.

Rafe just smirked at her, "so much like my sister."

Emery just looked away from him.

~*~*~

Rafe heard the pilot announce their approach to the runway and soon
enough they were at a complete stop. There was a jeep there equipped
with a car seat and Rafe strapped Emery in and made sure the puppy was
comfortable in the back before putting in the bags. He got in and
began his drive to his isolated beach house on Trinity Beach in the
Queensland's of Australia.

Emery started screaming. She wanted to go home to her mommy.

"Shh… We're almost there…" Rafe explained driving down the street
towards his house.

She continued to scream and cry. "Mamam..." she cried.

Rafe continued to tell her it was going to be ok and to quiet down.
He was just glad that they were almost to his house. Turning down
another street getting closer to his house, he approached the front
gate signaling to the guard to open up the gate. It slowly opened and
Rafe drove up the long driveway to his house.

She gasped for air, stop breathing for a couple seconds, before
sucking air in and screaming again.

Stopping in front a few people came out from the house to get the bags
and take the car to the garage. Rafe unbuckled Emery and picked her
up holding her against his shoulder. "Shhhh… we're home…" He bounced
her gently before walking up the stairs into the house.

Emery cried and waved her arms about, "Mamam..."

"She's not here…" Rafe explained to her and headed up the stairs
hearing the puppy bounding up after them.

She flailed her arms around and hit Rafe in the side of the head. She
wanted her parents, he was being mean.

"Oww…" Rafe mumbled. He grumbled a little bit, knowing that if Kayla
had just let him see her they wouldn't be in this position.

Emery continued to cry.

Rafe brought her up to the nursery and walked out onto the balcony.
"Look sweetie the ocean."

She just sniffled as she tried to catch her breath. Where was her
daddy and mommy at?

Rafe walked over to the wooden rocking chair that was outside on the
balcony and sat down. He slowly started to rock holding her close and
after a few minutes started singing an Argentinean lullaby that his
mother used to sing to him when he was upset.

===============

Dr Makayla Michaels, MD
APO Field Agent
Medical Unit

Rafe Lopez
Drug/Weapons Dealer
Masq

Emery Carissa Michaels