Author's note: This story is a re-write of the episode Ultimatum (second favourite episode). The episode is pretty much the same just with more Colby-whump (of course). If you haven't watched the episode, this may be hard to follow. A lot of the dialogue is straight out of the episode. I hope you like it.

Warning: un-betaed

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the parts that is straight from the episode.

Ian Edgerton couldn't believe it. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was just him, Colby and Don and everything was going fine until David and the prison marshals joined in. Ian turned only to make sure he covered himself from both Don and the three at the door. He didn't expect that turning Colby Granger meant getting him shot by the bullet meant for him. He kept a straight face as the bullet made impact and blood started dripping. He had to work hard to keep Colby in front of him as a shield as Colby's legs almost gave out from the shock of getting shot. "Colby!" That was David Sinclair, Granger's partner. Ian kept the gun pointed at Colby's head. "You're not a very good shot, Galvin." He hissed at the prison marshal, smirking as David grabbed her and threw her out the door before refocusing on Ian again. He couldn't believe she took the shot when she didn't even have one.

"Edgerton, let Colby go and take me. He needs a hospital." Don Eppes pleaded with the man.

Ian's smile didn't reach his eyes, though he was tempted to do what Eppes asked. He wanted to get Colby to a hospital, but he couldn't hand Colby over without exposing himself. I'm sorry, Colby. Colby groaned when Ian jolted him as he pulled him tighter against him. "You should've taken the shot, Don. Now, it's too late. If you want Colby to get out of this alive, you'll leave now and maybe I'll take care of the bullet Galvin put in him. The longer we stand here, the more blood he loses."

Don looked at Colby, who was trying his hardest not to react to the pain or the situation. He was sweating from the effort. Colby nodded for him to go. "I'll be okay. He knows if I die, he has no leverage."

"Don't back down, Eppes!" Thompson ordered. David wanted to pistol-wack the man. Colby was bleeding in front of them and this guy just wanted Edgerton.

Don clenched his jaw, angry with himself for letting it get this far. "Get Thompson out, David."

David grabbed Thompson's arm and dragged him back towards the door but he didn't take his eyes off Colby. "We'll get you out."

Colby nodded weakly. "Hang in there, Colb." Don said before slamming the door shut.

Don ran his hands through his hair as words such as SWAT and CP were thrown around. "That's an FBI Agent in there. We're taking tactical command." He heard David say.

"This is the United States Penitentiary; my turf!" Thompson demanded.

Don scowled at the two marshals and grabbed Thompson, throwing him up against the wall and holding him there. Galvin went to stop him but David grabbed her from behind, trapping her arm behind her back. Don growled in Thompson face, though he was talking to both marshals. "Colby has a bullet in him because of you two. There is no way in hell that I will let you take command of this situation!" Don gave one last shove, before letting the man go.

Thompson straightened his vest, "Fine. It's your guy's neck on the line. You do the talking." He turned to leave but not before mumbling. "For now."

David watched them walk away before turning to Don. "What happened in there?"

"I had a shot, and I didn't take it." Don said simply, though his tone showed he was clearly blaming himself.

"Don, come on, talk to me."

"Look, I need some time. Just...you're in charge." David sighed as he watched his boss walk away. He got ready to negotiate for his partner's life.

As soon as the door closed, Edgerton was a different person. He quickly tucked his gun in his belt and gently lowered Colby to the ground, laying him flat. "You'll be fine." Ian said as he rummaged through the cupboards for anything that could help Colby. He almost cheered when he found a first-aid kit. Grabbing a couple of tea towels, he knelt back down next to Colby who looked to be having trouble breathing. "Crap, please don't tell me the bullet nicked a lung." Ian took Colby's grey t-shirt by the collar and tore it straight down the middle. He pulled away the blood soaked fabric. "The bleeding is not too bad."

"Says you." Colby mumbled as he tried to keep himself awake. He hated this feeling of drowning, of not getting enough air. "Why are you doing…aaahhh!" Colby bit his lip, cutting the scream short. He was taken by surprise when Ian pressed a towel against his ribs. "Why don't you… just… leave this to the…professionals?"

Ian shook his head, "The bleeding may not be bad but it's not stopping either. I don't put pressure on it, you're going to bleed out before I get what I need." He pulled away the towel and exchanged it for a gauze. Using his teeth, the tore off strips of medical tape and taped it in place. "Okay. I'm going to sit you up." Ian got up and moved to Colby's head, lifting him up from under the arms and dragging him back until he could sit him against the column in the room. Colby clenched his jaw, trying to stop himself from yelling out. He felt himself losing consciousness. Ian knelt down in front of him. "Hey!" He slapped Colby cheek. "Stay awake! Can't have you dying on me. I still need you."

Colby glowered at him. "Go to hell."

Ian chuckled and grabbed a pressure bandage from the first aide kit, wrapping it around Colby's ribs. "If you can still give me attitude you'll be fine." He made sure it was tight enough to slow the bleeding but not so much that it added to Colby's breathing difficulties. "How's that feel?"

Colby smirked, "Like I've been shot."

Ian laughed. He got up and went to the fridge, pulling out a red Powerade. "Aren't you glad I chose the break room to make my stand?" He opened the bottle and helped Colby take a few swallows, then picked up Colby's hand and wrapped it around the bottle. "That should keep your energy up for now. Keep drinking." He got back up and started getting back to business. He needed a way to deter the people outside from coming in.

Colby watched, as Ian took pulled out a toaster and cut the cable. Up until now he had always looked up to this man. He was the most resourceful FBI Agent he knew. "I knew you were a nine ball… but… you know, I considered your track record, I figured it was…okay."

Ian wrapped the exposed wire around a fork and slipped it under the metal door before plugging the other end into the wall socket, electrifying the door. "The marshals and the FBI put me in this situation."

"You're…blaming us." Colby tried to steady his breathing.

Ian looked over at him. "I didn't kill Costello and I'm definitely not going to jail for it."

Colby chuckled, grimacing at the pain in his side. "I hate to be…the one to break it to you…but you're already here." Colby took another drink from the bottle.

Ian scoffed at Colby's smug face but he was relieved Colby was still able to give his smart remarks.

The tech people got David and Nikki set up. David was worried. Not only did Colby not look good when he left him but Don was off somewhere else doing god knows what, leaving him in charge. It wasn't that he didn't think he could handle it but knowing your partners life depended on it made every decision that much harder to make. "You're hardwired in." One of the men told him. David picked up the phone, waiting impatiently for Ian to pick up.

Colby turned his head in the direction of Ian who just picked up the phone. "I'll keep it simple. G5 fueled on the tarmac at LAX and a Beatles reunion."

"I want to know what I have to do to get my partner out of there safely." David wanted to reach through the phone and grab the man by the neck. He was a friend, how could he be so nonchalant when Colby was possibly bleeding to death.

"There's only Paul and Ringo- shouldn't be too hard." Ian grinned at Colby who rolled his eyes at him.

"Yeah, you want to play around." David was already losing his patience. "I got 20 marshals out here, itching to turn this into a bloodbath, okay?"

"Get me Professor Eppes on a video feed in the next 20 minutes." Ian stopped the jokes.

"I need to know that Colby is all right." David said after taking a deep breath.

"He's fine." Ian knew he was lying. Clearly, Colby was not fine. "And as long as no one does anything stupid, like a crisis entry, which I'm sure the marshals are pushing for, he'll stay that way."

"Let me talk to Colby or you're not getting crap!" Don growled at him.

Ian sighed and knelt down in front of Colby, holding the phone to his ear. "David."

David didn't like the sound of Colby's breathing. He sounded like he was having trouble getting out the one word. "Colby, how are you holding up?"

"I'm…good." Colby reassured his partner. "Just do…what you have…to, David. Don't…" That was all Colby got out before Ian pulled the phone away.

"There, you heard him. He's fine. Now get Professor Eppes on a video feed now!"

David handed the phone over to Nikki. "Talk to him." He needed to get Don onto Charlie.

"Ian." Nikki spoke in a voice she only reserved for the people she cared about. "It's me."

"Betancourt," Colby watched Ian facial expression soften at Nikki's voice. He does like her. "It's been a while since I've heard your voice."

"Yeah, well, you stopped calling." It wasn't an accusation. Just a fact.

"Yeah," Ian got a little uncomfortable at that, "A fugitive hunt in the Abajo Mountains. Cell phone service really sucked."

"Back out on the hunt. That must've made you happy."

"I'll tell you what will make me happy," Ian looked at Colby as he felt his temper flare, "is to have my friends trust me!"

"Hey, we do. I do." Nikki insisted and she really did believe him.

"Really? That's why you're keeping me on the phone, so the marshals can find a way to take me out!" Ian screamed at her, losing his cool.

"Taking Colby hostage is not gonna help your case." Nikki tried to calm her friend down. She knew she had lost control of the negotiation. "If you're innocent, we'll prove it."

"I spent my career putting my ass on the line, thinking it'll make a difference," Colby worried as Ian started pacing with the gun, "and how does the Bureau repay me? By putting me behind bars! By believing scum like Salazar!"

"No one's convicted you of anything yet."

"Yeah, sure they haven't." Again Ian looked at Colby as he voiced his threat. "If Charlie's not on my computer screen in the next 19 minutes, it's gonna get real messy in here."

Colby closed his eyes once Ian hung up the phone. He didn't see Ian's worried expression. Ian knew he didn't have much time. Colby's condition was deteriorating. "I could've taken Eppes, you know?" Ian grabbed a chair and straddled it, hoping a conversation would keep Colby awake.

"Why didn't you?" Colby asked, leaning his head back against the column.

"Because you know how this feels." Ian said, simply.

"How so?" Colby asked. He was getting very tired.

Ian shrugged, "Everyone in the FBI thought you were a spying for the Chinese.

The one man who could prove your innocence was dead. I mean, hell, even your partner thought you were guilty."

Colby hated to be reminded of his undercover days. It almost killed him and it took a while to earn his partner's trust back. "This is nothing like what I went through." Colby seethed, "If you're waiting on the Stockholm syndrome to kick in, it's going to be a long night." He glared at Ian. "If you had taken Don, I wouldn't have hesitated to shoot you."

Ian smirked. He believed Colby. Don doubted his choices since the Crystal Hoyle case but Colby doesn't. He would've taken Ian out to save Don. "I guess I made the right choice then."

Don ran over the general rules of a negotiation with Charlie. He hated it when Charlie became this involve in a case. Don tried to keep Charlie in the background but Ian had asked for him and Don had to get Colby out of there. He remembered the blood seeping out of Colby as Ian used him as a shield. I don't care if he is innocent. Colby's bleeding in there because of him.

Charlie sat down at the computer. "Hey, Ian?" He said when the man appeared on his screen."

"Sorry to drag you into this, Professor, but I need your skills." Charlie frowned as Ian looked down at something on the floor. Don held up a note for him. Colby?

"Uh listen," Charlie was nervous, "I need to ask you about Colby. How is he doing?"

Ian hesitated, knowing showing him Colby's condition probably wasn't such a good idea, but he also knew he wouldn't get anywhere if he didn't. "Here." He turned and tilted the screen to show him Colby. Don moved so he could see. He needed to see his agent. He was a little relieved when he saw that Colby's wound was dressed.

"Everything's going to be fine, Charlie." Don frowned at how breathless Colby sounded. "Just listen to what he has to say, all right?" The corner of Don's lip tugged at the brave face Colby was putting up for his little brother.

The screen turned back to show Ian again, much to Don's distaste. "Satisfied?"

"Uh, yeah," Charlie answered as he read Don's note, "and, uh, how are how are you doing, Ian?"

"Oh, fine, except for the fact that I've been set up for a murder I didn't commit, and I'm looking at a trip to the death chamber! How about you?" The sarcasm was unmissable.

Colby rolled his eyes at him. "You know this would go faster if you cut out your smartass comments." Ian glared at him but he couldn't fault his words. He was running out of time and Colby needed help.

Don had to smile at Colby's words. He had to be okay if he could still give Ian attitude. "You're the only one who can help me out here. Salazar was afraid that Garcia was going to testify against him, so he ordered him to be whacked, but Garcia escaped before the job got done."

"Escaped felons- isn't that what they pay you to do?"

Colby winced as he chuckled at Charlie's unintentional joke. "Ha!" Ian shook his head before continuing. "Outside, Garcia had nowhere to turn for money but Salazar's people. He wouldn't have lasted ten minutes. But inside the jail- that would be the perfect place for him hide until he could talk to the cops and guarantee protection for himself."

"You think Garcia is hiding inside the prison system? Using someone else's identity." Charlie worked out.

"What I was trying to tell your brother." Ian growled. Don sighed, feeling a little guilty but not guilty enough to let Ian off the hook for taking Colby. "The prisoners all wear I.D. bracelets." Ian showed him, cutting it off his wrist. "Easy enough to get off. And once you do, you're lost in the system."

"How many prisoners are there?" Charlie asked.

"Over 6000." Ian revealed.

"Okay, now I understand why you called me." Charlie thought about those odds. "You're talking about a longitudinal socializing process as it applies to the prison population."

Colby smirked at Ian's confused look. He has gotten used to Charlie's Maths talk, even understood some of it sometimes. "Sounds complex."

Colby laughed at that but ended up curling over at the pain it cause, "Aaahhh!"

"Colby!" Don heard the cry of pain from his agent and turned the screen, but he saw nothing, not even Ian. "Edgerton! What's happening?"

Ian gently lifted Colby back up so that he was sitting against the column again. Granger had his eyes closed as he tried to regulate his breathing. Ian smiled, impressed. This guy was tough. He could hear Don yelling but ignored him. Ian looked down at the bandage. Blood was starting to soak through. "Damn it." He cursed softly, then checked his pulse and temperature. The pulse was too fast and irregular and he felt cold and clammy. It was symptomatic of shock.

"IAN!" Ian jumped a little at the volume of Don's voice. He looked at Colby and decided his next move may either motivate Don to help him or blow a hole in the wall to take him by force. He'd have to risk it. Ian got up and turned the screen so that they could see Colby.

Don froze at the picture on the screen. Charlie looked at him, then back at the screen, not knowing what he should do. Colby looked ten times worse than he did two minutes ago. Don couldn't even tell if Colby was conscious or not. "He's not doing too good, Eppes." Ian spoke as he kept the camera on both him and Colby. "I hope whatever you just said isn't too complex because Colby's really counting on you to get the right answer."

Charlie went pale. He has rarely been put under this kind of pressure before. "Colby." He whispered desperately at the screen, willing Colby to look at him.

"Colby talk to us!" Don pleaded.

Colby heard his bosses voice through the pain and turned his head towards the voice. "Don?" He opened his eyes but couldn't get them to focus on the screen.

Don let out a breath of relief at seeing and hearing his agent. "Hang in there, Colby. We'll get you out of there."

They smiled when Colby bobbed his head. "'kay." He managed to get out.

Ian let the screen swing back into its original position, taking them away from Colby. "You don't have much time."

Don got close to the screen. His voice dropped to a low and dangerous level. "Start praying that Colby makes it out of this alive otherwise you'll wish I put that bullet in your head." Charlie shuddered at Don's tone. He's never seen Don like this.

Ian's face hardened, "You hear that professor? A lot of lives are counting on you."

As soon as the feed was cut, Ian knelt down next to Colby and lifted his head. "Come on, Granger. Stay with me." Ian tapped his cheek. "Open your eyes, Colby."

Colby did, giving him a smirk. "Don's so… going to… kill you."

Ian coughed out a breath of relieve, grinning, "As long you're alive to see it." Ian dropped onto the ground. "I think I just had ten years scared off my life."

David hated waiting. He felt helpless. His partner was inside a room with an FBI Agent turned alleged-murderer and he could do nothing to help the situation. He knew Don and Charlie were working on finding Garcia to this stand-off but he didn't know if Colby had the time. He picked up the phone and called the room. He knew it wasn't normal negotiation procedure but he needed to hear Colby's voice.

Ian frowned when the phone rang. He made sure Colby was sitting up on his own before getting up to answer it. "What?" He was short, knowing who it was.

"Let me speak to Colby." Ian softened at the plea. It wasn't a demand but a request. He sighed, not sure if Colby was up for a conversation.

"Give me a sec." Ian cover the mouth piece and showed Colby the phone. "It's Sinclair. He wants to talk to you."

Colby smiled at the phone, lifting his hand up to take it. Ian made sure Colby was able to hold the phone before standing up and looking around the room for anything else he could find useful.

"David." Colby's voice was weak.

David sighed in relief, despite the effort behind the small word. "How are you holding up, Colby?"

"Better than you…by the…sound of your…voice."

David smiled, "I doubt that. Listen, Colby, Charlie's close to finding where Garcia is so just stay alive for me, okay?"

"Okay, but just…in case…"

David shook his head, "No…don't start talking like this could be it."

Colby smiled, "Come on, David. In our line of…work…it's going to…happen at some…point."

Ian turned at that. "Damn it." He whispered. Colby was getting paler by the minute. He knelt down and grabbed another pressure bandage from the kit, wrapping it around the first one. "Let him talk, Sinclair." Ian ordered. He hated when people wouldn't let their loved ones say their peace. "Don't worry. It won't be his last words. I promise." The last words were said quietly to Colby only.

Colby frowned at him. He couldn't read the man. "Go ahead, Colby. I'm listening." David told him.

Colby swallowed before speaking. "I'm a lucky…man…not many people…get to choose…their brother."

David covered his mouth, tears coming to his eyes. He had to swallow a few times before he could speak. "Yeah…I feel the same way, brother."

Colby frowned when someone cursed outside the door. Ian was laughing as he secured the second bandage. He waved away Colby's glare. "Eh…it was just a few volts, enough to send a message."

"Colby, you there?" David asked when his friend stopped talking.

"Yeah…Ian just shocked Galvin." Colby had to admit, it was her fault for trying to breach.

"Yeah, she and Thompson insisted on trying to get a camera in there. They underestimate Ian." David shook his head. "Hey, do me a favour and stay awake in there, okay?"

"Okay." Colby promised before dropping the phone. He didn't have the strength to hold it up anymore. Ian frowned and picked it up, holding it to his ear, relieved that Sinclair had hung up.

"You know, when I was, like, 12…there was this kid, Ricky…Caroll, the bully who used to terrorize the…neighborhood." Ian didn't know where Colby got the energy to keep talking. The guy looked like a death warmed over. "So one day, me and my friend, we, uh…hid out and waited for him and jumped him."

"And?" Ian asked, sitting back down on the chair.

"And we beat the crap out of him." Colby shrugged, "Then I got home and I told my old man what happened, and, uh, he beat the…crap out of me, and said it was better…to fail with honor than to win by…cheating."

Ian knew what Colby was telling him. There were other ways to go about this. Taking a federal agent hostage could only make things worse, especially one that was bleeding out. "Think I should just quit? Trust my fate to a jury?"

Colby nodded, exhausted. "I'd rather see you have your day in court alive than have to stand at your funeral, Ian." He was sincere. Just like Bloom, Ian's record at the FBI was exceptional. He didn't want this one act to define the rest of Ian's life. "Why don't you let me help you, the right way?"

Ian sighed, knowing Granger still wasn't seeing his side of this. "You see the way I live. I can carry my life in a backpack. My idea of a five-star hotel is an insulated sleeping bag and a waterproof tent." He chuckles. "What the hell would I even do with $500,000? Have you even taken a moment to think about that?"

Colby looked at him. No, he didn't think about that.

David looked at the papers in front of him. They were Garcia's transfer papers all signed by Frank Thompson. Why would Thompson stop Garcia's transfer seven times. David confront him, just as they were getting ready to breach the break room Colby and Ian were in. "Salazar wanted Garcia transferred. I knew moving him was part of his plan. Garcia goes to a different prison, meets new contacts and Salazar's heroin ring continues to grow. Keep Garcia here, at least it's contained." Thompson told him. This guy was an arrogant bastard. "Now, let me do my job. Get your partner home." He turned away from David. "Let's go." He, Galvin and his guards left.

David cursed as he answered his phone. It was Charlie. The safest place for Garcia was with the maximum-security prisoners. He would've exchanged bracelets with one of them. Solitary confinement was their best bet and the most secure place for Garcia. David hung up the phone, hoping to stop Thompson but it was too late. He got on the phone to Edgerton to warn Colby.

Ian picked up the phone. "I'd better hear Garcia's voice on the other end of this phone."

"Hey, we located him, all right." David spoke quickly, there was no time. "I need to talk my partner right now."

Ian heard the urgency and held the phone between them so they could both hear.

"It's David."

Colby closed his eyes. "Still alive."

David didn't have time to worry about his partner but his heart skipped a beat at Colby's voice. "We found Garcia. He's in maximum security so it's going to take us a few minutes to get to him." Colby just listened, knowing there was more to this call. "Maybe in the meantime, I could send you guys in some food. Some Italian, you know, maybe some Mexican." Suddenly Colby was on alert, his head shot up.

"No food. Just Garcia. Five minutes." Ian said, not knowing secret message that was passed between the partners. He was oblivious to Colby's sudden raise in energy level. "Garcia got himself transferred to maximum security."

"He must've been really afraid of Salazar." Colby's mind was clearer with the adrenaline rush brought on by his and David's distress word.

"He could've figured out a way to get to a cell block Salazar didn't control. He picked a spot that no one can get to." Ian and Colby were thinking along the same line now.

"A place that's being watched 24-7."

"Salazar can't operate without help inside the jail."

"A marshal!" Colby realized. The cases Colby hated the most were the one's that involve law enforcement officers turned bad.

"Garcia knew all along who, but Costello was killed before he could give me the exact location." Finally, they put it all together.

"You let yourself be arrested." It dawned on Colby that being in here was Ian's plan all along.

"I had to get in here. It was my best chance to find Garcia."

"It was crazy, man." Colby shook his head.

"I needed Charlie's help." Ian told him, "If I would've rabbited, nobody would've listened to a fugitive." He knelt down in front of Colby. "Five more minutes. Five more minutes and Garcia will give us Salazar's partner."

Colby leaned his head back, knowing what was about to go down. "We may not have that much time." Ian frowned at him. "The bit about the food- Mexico, it's me and David's distress word." Colby revealed to Ian, trusting him now. "That means Thompson's getting ready to breach."

"So ask yourself, Granger, why is Thompson pushing to make entry? Why wouldn't he at least listen to what Garcia has to say?" Colby knew the answer. "He wants to protect himself, and now he's got to kill me." The lights went out, leaving only the emergency ones.

"We need cover." Colby lifted his arm to Ian. Ian pulled him up, moving him furthest from the wall he knew Thompson would breach." He handed Colby the gun, knowing he couldn't be caught with it. It would be the perfect excuse to shoot and ask questions later. Colby nodded and took it. Ian protected Colby as much as he could from the blast. He was in bad enough shape without the impact of the blast adding to it.

"Stand down! Stand down! He's giving up!" Colby yelled as Ian stood with his hands on his head.

Ian looked at the green light on his chest, then up at Thompson. Would Thompson shoot an unarmed man? He didn't have to find out. David got in in time and pushed his gun down. "Just in case you don't shoot any better than you think." David looked around, noticing someone missing. "Where the hell is Galvin?"

"David!" Ian called out to him.

David turned to see Ian checking Colby for a pulse. "Colby." He dropped to Colby's side. "Is he…"

Ian looked at him and shook his head. "No, he's alive but he's not responding."

David took Colby's head in his hand, "Colby!" He turned around. "Get the medics in here!" He ordered. The paramedics had been on stand-by outside the prison gates since this hostage situation started. "Come on, Colby. Wake up."

Ian watched as guilt built up inside him. Despite his good intentions, a good agent, and a friend, was still hurt. He remembered how Colby called out to ensure nobody shot at him when they breached. It could've saved his life. "Come on, Colby, you've lasted this long."

David ignored the man he wanted to punch. His entire focus was on his partner. "COLBY!" He yelled.

Ian almost laughed in relief when Colby's eyes opened at that. "Holy crap! That worked?"

David huffed in relief. "Alright, partner, stay with me."

Colby squinted at his partner through the settling dust. The corner of his mouth tugged up. "Hey."

David laughed, affectionately putting his hand on Colby's head, giving it a little shake. "Hey."

The medics came in with a stretcher. They checked Colby's vitals. "I can hear fluid in his lung. Let's get him loaded. The bullet might have nicked his right lung." David and Ian watched as they got Colby onto the stretcher and carried him out.

Ian turned to David and held out his hand. "Thanks." David looked down at it and nodded, but he didn't take it. Instead, he threw a right hook, catching Ian around the left of his jaw.

"That was for Colby. The next time you come up with a hair brain plan, leave me and my partner out of it!" He left the room before Ian could reply.

Ian grimaced as he moved his jaw around to see if anything was broken and then nodded. "I deserved that." He said to the guards who came in to cuff him.

David sat in the corridor while Colby underwent surgery to remove the bullet. The paramedics said he was lucky. Even though the bullet nicked the lung, the puncture wasn't big enough to cause major damage. If it wasn't for the bullet being lodged in there, surgery may not even be needed. If the hole were any bigger, Colby would be in the morgue, not the operating room. He wondered if Ian would've let Colby go if he knew Colby wouldn't survive to see the end.

"Hey, how is he?" David jolted at the hand on his shoulder. It was Don and with him was Charlie. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

David waved away the apology, "He's in surgery. I don't know anything yet but the paramedic seems to think Colby will be fine."

"That's good, right?" Don sat down next to him.

"Yeah." Charlie looked down the corridor where the operating room was. "Colby's strong."

"I know. It's just that for a moment there I was on that freighter all over again; yelling for him to wake up." David rested his head in his hands.

"Hey." Don rubbed his shoulders, "He didn't die then and he's not going to now. He'll be back on his feet in no time."

"I punched Edgerton." David told him, smiling at how satisfying it felt when he did it.

Don looked up, grinning at Charlie who nodded, impressed. He would never dare to punch Edgerton. That man scared him. "Good." Don approved, "I was wondering where that bruise came from."

"So what's going to happen to him?"

"He should be out tomorrow. Just waiting for the courts to open and a judge to release him." Don explained.

"Anyway we can pretend we lost his paperwork." David asked, still not ready to forgive Ian for his part in this.

Don laughed, "It's very tempting, I know."

Charlie saw the surgeon coming towards them. "Hey guys. I think Colby's out." David and Don shot out of their seats.

"Agent Granger's family." The surgeon pulled off her mask as she spoke.

"That's us." Don answered, not even bothering to correct her. They was as much family as Colby's family in Idaho.

"I'm Dr Shaw. Agent Granger's suffered a gunshot wound just below his fifth rib cage." She gestured to a spot on Charlie's chest. "The bottom of his right lung was punctured. I've got the bullet out but I would rather allow the lung to heal itself. Invasive surgery to fix the puncture could cause more trauma."

"But he'll be okay? There won't be any lasting effects?"

"I'm very optimistic. The blood loss was worrying but we got the early alert to have his blood type ready. It was lucky he received good first aid, whoever did that saved his life." Dr Shaw was impressed; obviously thinking it was one of them.

"Can we see him?"

"Of course, he's being moved to room 212." Don shook the doctor's hand, thanking her.

Charlie pulled out his phone. "I'll catch up with you guys. Dad and Amita would want to know how Colby's doing."

"Sure." Don walked with David to Colby's room.

David shook head. "If only the doctor knew the person who administer first aid was the one who held him hostage for the last 12 hours."

"Ah come on, David. Ian had his reasons." Don tried to get David to understand, "Think of it as him going undercover. Like Colby."

"Yeah, well, when Colby went undercover he only put his own life at risk! He didn't drag another agent with him." David argued, he couldn't rid himself of that feeling when he thought Colby might not make it. "Edgerton could've swapped one of us for Colby. He risked Colby life unnecessarily."

Don nodded, "Yeah, alright, I can't really argue with that."

"Damn straight you can't!"

David smiled when he walked into Colby's room and found him coming around already. "Can't really keep that guy down, huh?" Colby's was elevated on the bed with an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. The oxygen was the best treatment for the lung injury and the elevated bed assisted his breathing.

Don nodded, "He's Colby. I wouldn't expect any less." He was grinning as he step up to his friend.

Colby squinted at his boss. "Wh…" He frowned when he realized the oxygen mask was making it hard for him to talk. His hand came up to pull it down but a hand stopped him.

"Leave it." David grinned when Colby glared at him. "You have a punctured lung."

Colby sighed and left the mask alone. "If you're worried about Edgerton, he's fine." Don told him. "He'll be released soon."

"You know you wouldn't be in this mess if you didn't fight like a girl, right?" David teased him, knowing Colby couldn't retaliate. "I also distinctly remember you telling me how great of a partner I am! You're kind of embarrassing."

Don grinned at Colby's expression then burst out laughing when a certain finger showed itself. "Hey, keep it civil. You're FBI Agents."

Colby pulled his mask up a little. "He started it."

Don reached over and pushed the mask back into place. "David, you're not playing fair." He jokingly admonished his senior agent.

"Hey, it's not often I get one up on Colby Granger and his smart remarks." David complained. He put aside the joking when Colby started to drift off. "Get some rest. I'll be back tomorrow morning to check on you."

They waited until Colby was asleep before leaving.

Two days later…

Colby was changed and ready to leave the hospital. David was signing his discharge papers. He was ordered to take it easy for the next seven days before he started doing any strenuous exercises. He was packing his belongings into the gym bag, not noticing when someone entered the room. "Should've known it'll take more than a bullet to keep you down." Colby smiled at the voice, turning around to find Ian and Don grinning at him.

"I was on the way here and thought I'd pick up a stray." Don pointed at Ian. "The judge had problems locating his paperwork so he only got released this morning." Don couldn't believe it when he heard what had happened. He and David had joked about it but they never did anything to delay the process. Clearly, some greater power thought Edgerton needed a little punishment. Ian glared at him, making Don laughed and put up his hands as if to surrender. "I swear I didn't do anything. It's karma."

Colby smiled and held out his hand. "Good to see you out. Do you have your badge back?"

Ian shook it. "Not yet. That's going to take another week or two."

Don narrowed his eyes at the cheeky look Colby had. "What's Nikki got to say about your two week holiday?"

Ian groaned, "I have to be in an area with cell reception."

Colby put a hand against his side as he chuckled. "No hunting for you, huh?"

"Yeah." Ian had a distinct feeling that Colby was enjoying the restriction Nikki had put on him but he let it go. He nudged his chin at Colby's wound. "How's the side?"

"Annoying more than anything else." Colby complained as he lifted his bag with his left hand.

"Hey, let me take that." Don took the bag off him, walking beside him as they made their way towards the reception.

"You guys didn't have to come. David's driving me back home." Colby was grateful to his friends, but they still had a job to do.

"This guy wanted to see you but didn't trust you not to shoot him on site." Don grinned. Ian narrowed his eyes at him, knowing Don was enjoying this too much. "He has something to say."

"What?" Colby turned to his former captor. Ian looked like a cat trying to cough up a fur ball. Colby frowned and turned to Don, confused. Don just shrugged, grinning. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry." Ian blurted out.

"There! That wasn't so hard, was it?" Don laughed.

"That's it?" Colby shook his head. "I'm fine. There's no need to apologise."

Ian grimaced, "I still put you in that position and that bullet you took was meant for me."

Colby's hand unconsciously went to his side. "So you're apologizing for using me as your Kevlar?"

"Well…I…" Ian stuttered, it sounded bad the way Colby put it. "That's not what I meant to do."

Colby chuckled, "It was a joke, Ian. Galvin wanted you dead. I'm hoping me getting shot wasn't a part of your plan."

"It wasn't, trust me."

Colby shrugged, "Then I got shot. It comes with the territory. Right, Don?"

"Right." Don knew Colby wouldn't hold it against Ian but he wasn't going to tell Ian that. It was fun seeing him squirm. Out of all of them, Colby was the most forgiving. He looked at situations from different points of view. Maybe it was because he'd seen so much in his life. His psychiatrist told him he could learn a few things from Colby.

They stopped when they saw David walking towards them from the prescription counter. Colby narrowed his eyes at the bag of pills in his hands. "What are those for?"

Ian and Don tried to hold back their laughs. Colby was notorious for not taking his meds. David shook his head at them. "Anti-inflammatory, antibiotics and pain-killers."

"You can give the pain-killers back." Colby told him.

David knew it was coming. Colby was the worst patient in the history of the FBI. "Either you take them when you need them or you're staying with one of us so we can force-feed you."

"Gee, Sinclair, you sound like his mom." Ian dared to laugh.

"Don't get me started on you. I still blame you for this!" David glared at him before throwing the pills to Don to put his Colby's bag.

"Can we get out of here?" Colby started walking towards the lifts. He sounded eager to leave but the truth was, he was getting tired from standing there talking. He needed to lay down.

As they walked past the waiting area in the reception, a little boy ran out in front of him. His quick reflexes allowed him to avoid knocking the boy over but his body wasn't quite ready for the suddenly movement. Ian picked the boy up while David and Don grabbed Colby as he doubled over in pain. They sat him down. He groaned as his body protested loudly. However, a little boy's cry made him stop. He looked up at the boy in Ian's arms. Ian was looking around annoyingly, trying to locate the boy's parents. "Ian, smile, you're scaring the boy." Colby pushed back the pain as he smiled at the little one. He couldn't be more than two. Don smiled as the little boy sniffled at the same time as giggled at Colby.

"Jake!" A distressed woman ran up to Ian and took the boy from his arms. She didn't know if she should be alarmed or grateful that her boy was in the arms of a stranger. Clearly she had lost track of her son.

"It's okay, ma'am, we're FBI." Don showed her his badge. "Little Jake here almost took down my Agents." She looked down at Colby and saw he was in pain.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, ma'am. Just keep a closer eye on Jake there. He's too cute to lose." Colby waved at the little boy, who giggled and waved as his mom carried him away.

"You have a way with kids, Granger." Ian still had a frown on his face. "You okay?"

Colby let his head drop in his hands once the boy was out of sight. "Fine, just give me a second."

David wondered if he shouldn't find a doctor to check him over, just in case. He was about to do that when Colby grabbed his arm. "Don't you dare get a doctor." He warned. "I'm getting out of here now." Colby held out his hand to David. "Help me up."

"Are you sure you're okay, Colb?" Don asked, picking up Colby's bag. "Maybe you should stay with…"

"No, I am not staying at Charlie's." Colby groaned, "I'm going home!" He wondered why Don always offered up Charlie's house whenever one of them got injured.

"You know I have two weeks to kill. I could stay with Colby for a few days."

"Hell no! Nikki would kill me. Go spend time with her." Colby complained.

"Actually, I think that's a good idea. It was Edgerton's fault you're here in the first place." David supported.

"Yeah, thanks, Ian." Don agreed.

Colby groaned, "Do I have a say in this?"

"NO!" Came three voice.

The END!