Credit to the creators of Numb3rs.

Don stormed down the ward, it had only been months since he'd last been here and the memories of the hours spent waiting to hear if his Dad was still alive were weighing heavily on him as he caught sight of his agent sitting on the edge of a bed. Though now mostly cleaned up Colby was still looking distinctly battered as a nurse gently wrapped a dressing around his badly grazed forearm.

"How you doing?" Don asked as he reached Colby, trying to keep the concern from his eyes and voice.

"I'm fine" Colby answered calmly shrugging off the question and Don's barely concealed worry.

"Where is she?"

"Down the hall" Colby said with a jerk of his chin.

Don gently squeezed his agent's shoulder, "David's on his way up" Don told him before heading further down the ward ignoring Colby as he rolled his eyes.

"Donny" Alan said as Don reached the right room just behind his father. Don winced to see how Alan had aged again in the last hour, he doesn't need this right now Don thought directing in anger at the unknown criminals, his resolve to catch them stronger than ever. Don smiled at his Dad, knowing it looked more like a grimace, and walked into the room.

Jessy was awake and alert sitting propped up in bed on pillows. A large white bandage was on her neck and jaw and a large bruise was spreading across her temple but she smiled when she saw them.

"Hey guys, come to spring me?"

Don rolled his eyes but relief flooded through him so intensly that he sat down quickly in the nearby chair.

"How you feeling sweetheart?" Alan asked coming towards the bed.

"I'm fine Uncle Alan, really, it's just a bit of a concussion and a few stitches. They said I can go straight back to work if I feel like it."

"They did not" Don retorted and Jessy stuck her tongue out at him.

Alan smiled, obviously reassured that she was alright by her playful banter. "I'll go get you some water" Alan said picking up the empty jug and patting her uninjured cheek affectionately before leaving the room. The moment he was out of sight Jessy slumped back against her pillows and Don was struck by how pale she looked.

"You sure you're alright Jess?" Don asked getting up and stepping closer to the bed.

"Yeah" Jessy said though this time her voice sounded less strong, "I just feel a bit light headed at the moment, they're discharging me though."

"Should they?"

"I think they know what they're doing."

Don rolled his eyes, Jessy was a stubborn about accepting medical help as every other agent on his team. "We found another victim" Don said changing the subject.

Jessy's eyes focused on him, her attention turning back to the case at hand, "Who?"

"Emily Symes" Don replied, "her license was on her just like the others and just like the others she seems absolutely normal. She was branded with a 5."

Jessy's eyes widened, "A 5? Then we've missed one?"

Don sighed, "Seems that way. I've got people out searching but it's not like we can drag every lake, river and pond in LA."

Jessy shook her head, "They'll turn up" she said confidently if sadly, "whoever is doing this wants us to find to them. Wants us to get the clues." She sighed heavily, "They'll make sure we find the poor bugger."

Don nodded, accepting the truth of this. At that moment his phone began to ring. He glanced at her even as his hand began to drift towards it.

"Get it" Jessy smiled, "I'll catch up with you later."

"Feel better" Don said kissing her forehead, "and listen to the doctors."

"Yes Mum."

Don narrowed his eyes at her then left the room, "Eppes" she heard him say as the door swung shut behind him.

Jessy closed her eyes and sank into the pillows, willing her body to stop hurting.

"We got him, a Paul Pidcock, caucasian male 42 years old" Megan's voice said over the phone, "victim number four, probably been dead for a day or two."

Don closed his eyes for a moment, another one he hadn't saved, "We're on our way." He flicked his phone closed and collected David and Colby on his way. Sinclair had insisted on coming to the hospital with him after hearing about the explosion. Don was just glad to see that David appeared to have finally got over the shock of finding out that Colby was a spy. They seemed as close as they had always had, if not closer.

"How's Jessy?" David asked.

"She'll be fine" Don answered, "docs are probably discharging her in a couple of hours, my Dad's going to take her home."

"Who was on the phone?" Colby asked gloomily examining the bandages on his arms.

"Megan, they've found victim number four."

"The victims aren't being robbed" Megan said in frustration staring up at the screen where the five victims looked down on her, "all of them still had their wallets or handbags."

"Their ID was in their mouths, so the killer obviously wanted us to know who they were" Colby added.

"So the clues must have something to do with their identities" David mused.

"Exactly!" Charlie said as he barrelled into the war room, hearing the end of David's statement.

"What have you got Charlie?" Don asked quietly standing, he'd seen that look on his little brother's face before.

"It's so simple" Charlie fumed, "I can't believe I didn't see it earlier."

"Charlie!" Colby and Megan exclaimed in unison.

"Right, well I had the same thought David did. The way the victims all had their ID so obviously on them has to be part of the clues. Their identities are the clues, or more specifically their names."

"What about them?" David asked.

"The victims were also branded which means they were meant to be in a particular order."

Megan scooted back out of the way as Charlie leant over the laptop bringing the victims names up onto the screen.

"Putting them in order 1 – 5 they look like this" Charlie said as he typed.

The team glanced up as the names flashed up in one long line.

Jennifer Evans Samuel Saltmarsh Yasmine Emerton Paul Pidcock Emily Symes

"I don't see it" Don said after a second, going by the blank looks on his teams faces they didn't either.

"If you take out the names and leave only the initals what do you get?" He pressed a button and the names vanished leaving only the initials of each person behind.

J E S S Y E P P E S

"Jessy?" Don exclaimed.

Charlie nodded grimly, "This case isn't like the one in New York. This one is personal, this one is about revenge."

"Jessy was in charge of the New York case" Megan said slowly, "she caught them."

"No, she caught one group of them" Charlie replied. "There were two cells, working seperately but together, making sure they operated differently so they wouldn't get picked up together."

"David I want a list of everyone Derrick Chapman ever worked with, knew or spoke to" Don said quickly, his eyes furious.

David nodded and immediately left the room without another word.

"Colby get back to the hospital and stick to my cousin like glue" Don ordered next, "don't listen to a word she says, remind her I'm in charge and they're my orders if she continues to protest." He bit his lip and added, "Don't tell her what's going on. Send my Dad home and make sure Jessy stays away from him, if they're coming after her I don't want him involved."

Colby nodded looking troubled and he too left.

Charlie was frowning, "Don't you think you should tell her Don?"

"Come and help me Charlie" Megan said drifting towards the door, "show me what you've got that makes you think there were two cells."

Charlie hesitated for a moment but seeing the expression on Don's face he followed Megan out, his eyes preoccupied and worried.

Don stayed in the dimly lit room his eyes on the screen where the initials of the five dead victims spelt out his cousin's name. This clue was as subtle as a sledge hammer, it was a message, Jessy was going to die. They already had a plan in place Don realised, the only reason they were playing games was because they wanted Jessy to know they were coming for her. Wanted her to know there was nothing she could do. Wanted her to be scared. Well that was never going to happen Don thought furiously. He'd got Megan back when Crystal had abducted her. He'd got Colby back when he'd been being tortured and nearly killed on the Chinese freighter. Each time he won and the bad guy died and this was going to be one of those times. He'd be damned if this job was going to take someone in his own family. Charlie was right, this case was personal now.