There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables. Now my friends are dead and gone. Here they talked of revolution. Here it was they lit the flame. Here they sang about tomorrow and tomorrow never came. From the table in the corner, they could see the world reborn and they rose with voices ringing and I can hear them now. The very words that they have sung became their last communion. On this lonely barricade at dawn. Oh my friends, my friends forgive me that I live and you are gone. There's a grief that can't be spoken and there's a pain goes on and on. Phantom faces at the windows. Phantom shadows on the floor. Empty chairs at empty tables where my friends will meet no more. Oh my friends, my friends don't ask me what your sacrifice was for. Empty chairs at empty tables where my friend will sing no more. (Les Miserables)

Sonja stood, frozen between the two desks, unable to move closer to either. Despite the office being occupied with the whole crew, she felt alone, cold and alone. The one person she needed to make sense of this, this situation, was missing from the fray, would never arrive. He caused this and he should be here to fix this. He's the only one who could and can't at the same time.

Two weeks prior

Annabeth stood in front of the building that matched the address on the 3x3 note paper she held in her hand. The building blended in with the surroundings so well that if the uniformed officer stationed at the partially opened door wasn't there, one would make the assumption the place was another bohemian loft like so many other dwellings in New Orleans. She stepped up to the gate. "Excuse me, I'm here to see Special Agent LaSalle."

Roy checked the woman's ID before directing her inside. He watched her appreciatively, noting specifics. She was a classic beauty, not stunning but definitely memorable. He shook his head as he watched the woman move into the offices and hoped that this wasn't another headache for LaSalle.

Surveying the room, Annabeth noted the exits and mapped four escape routes before she paid any attention to the two occupants seated at desks. "I'm looking for Special Agent LaSalle. Would one of you be able to help me?"

Sonja answered before Gregorio. "I'm sorry, we didn't catch your name."

"I didn't offer it." She turned to watch Christopher LaSalle descended the stairs. "Long time no see, Bama."

Christopher froze in his tracks. He hadn't heard that voice in eleven years but time hadn't erased the memory of what the voice use to do to him. "Annabeth," came the whispered sigh.

"Try to sound more enthusiastic, Chris. I would love to hear the difference."

"Well, it is the first time I've seen a ghost," Christopher growled.

Annabeth shook her head ruefully. "Not a ghost. A bad penny maybe but not a ghost."

"How about a tortuous memory?" he offered.

"I'll take that," she returned chuckling softly. "Is there someplace we can talk privately?" she asked while surveying the room.

Christopher took in the room for the first time, finally noticing their audience. "Yeah, let's go this way." He instinctively placed his hand on her lower back, physically guiding her through the courtyard to Patton and Sebastian's domain. "They're out, we should be good."

Annabeth scanned the room with a knowing eye. "Wow, so high tech. Things really have changed."

"Gotta keep up with the times," Chris replied. "What's going on? You're actually skittish."

Annabeth stopped her wanderings, both hands gripping tightly to the back of a chair. "From your nonchalance you don't know."

"Don't know what?" Christopher asked with a frown.

She swallowed hard and looked him in the eye. "He was released two days ago."

LaSalle felt his world freeze. No way in hell was it possible. He was guaranteed notification. There were protocols in place. "How's that even possible?" he chocked out.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I got a text message from that FBI dork yesterday. He was released at ten o'clock a.m. the day before yesterday. Walked out the door, free and clear."

"I wasn't notified."

"Obviously."

"He hasn't contacted you has he, Annabeth?"

"No. I'm going on an extended trip, Chris. I'm not going to give him the chance."

He wiped his hand across his mouth and rubbed his neck. "I need to tell King."

Annabeth, unsurprised at his statement, finally let go of the chair. "Do what you need. I wanted to make sure you knew. Now, I'm going to say a final goodbye. I'm going to become a distant memory."

He couldn't stop himself. "Where you headin'?"

She turned away from him. "You know better than than. Two can keep a secret only if one of them's dead." She turned back. "I have no plans on either of us dying."

"Fair enough," Christopher admitted. "I'll see you out, assuming you're leaving immediately."

"You know me well enough. I will take the time for a hug before I'm on my way."

LaSalle quickly engulfed Annabeth in a hug. He was overcome by a wave of nostalgia. The embrace felt so right, so familiar and yet so wrong and foreign. "Are you sure you wanna run?"

Annabeth sighed, "Is there any other choice?"

Chris's phone buzzed with an incoming text. "It's King. Wants to know where I am, a.s.a.p. He needs to know and I need to stay put."

"Guess that means I'll be seeing myself out then," she said, squeezing his bicep. "Stay out of his sights, Chris."

LaSalle pulled her back in for a better hug before ushering her out the door. They headed back to the main building only to stop at the raised voice coming from the offices.

"Where's Christopher?" Pride shouted in the main room.

"He's in the courtyard," Tammy replied.

The pair watched Pride barrel through the door. "Christopher, Dawson is out." His sentence halted as he caught sight of who was standing with LaSalle. "Well, this is going to save me a phone call. Annabeth, it's good to see you despite the circumstances."

"Same, Dwayne. How'd you find out about Dawson?" Annabeth asked.

Pride smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. "I'd forgotten how direct you are. I got a text from an unknown number. I'm assuming it's Dawson. He's threatening you two."

"Threatening us? How?" Chris asked.

"He says I'll get the pleasure of watching both of you die," Pride explained.

"Dawson was never one to mince words," Annabeth stated.

"Or one to make idle threats," Chris added.

"Makes disappearing sound better and better," Annabeth snorted.

"What? Who's disappearing?" Pride questioned.

"Annabeth came to say a permanent goodbye."

Pride wouldn't believe what he heard. "You were planning on vanishing? You really think you can get away and survive on your own. That worked so well for you last time."

Annabeth stared at Dwayne. "It's me he really wants. I vanish, he'll leave Chris alone."

Chris whipped around to face her. "You really believe that or are you basing that assumption on something you really want to be true?"

She didn't answer him. It wasn't necessary as the three of them knew the answer. "What do we do?"

"We're going to go into the squad room, update the rest of the team, get you two to a safe house and then hunt down Caleb Dawson, put him away for good," Dwayne stated.

"Sounds good except for the the safe house part. I'm not going to take a backseat to dealing with Dawson," Chris declared.

"Chris, remember what happened last time," Annabeth implored.

LaSalle took a very visible deep breath and let it out slowly to fortify himself. "We know what to expect this time."

"So ten minutes ago you were going to kiss me goodbye and now you're ready to play house," Annabeth shot back.

"Annabeth," Pride started.

She whirled on both men, anger spitting from her eyes. "No! You don't get to do this! That man tried to kill the three of us! Now he's targeting us again and you want to stay where he can find us! We know him better but the reverse is also true. He knows us better!"

"You're right," LaSalle conceded, "so we don't make the decision." He gave Pride a pointed look.

Annabeth shifted her gaze between the men silently asking, "What the hell!"

"We let the members of the team Dawson doesn't know make the game plan," Pride elaborated.

Annabeth focused on Christopher. "You trust these people?"

Pride started to answer but Chris raised his hand to stop him. "You don't know what she's asking. Annabeth, I don't. I call them family."

She turned to take in the courtyard. After several minutes she turned back to the only two people in the world who she trusted. "Introduce me."