"Nikolai!" Cailin's heart was racing. Nikolai had just killed the rest of McAllister's men and was standing in between her and McAllister. "Don't! McAllister, it's over. Niko, don't do this." Cailin's shoulder had started bleeding again and she had a gash across her chest; it went from her shoulder (the gunshot) to the base of the scar. It wasn't as deep as the first cut had been but she was still losing blood fast. It was a good thing that the "wire" was actually wireless.
"You should have chosen me. I wouldn't have had to kill your precious fiancé. Now I'll have to kill Nikolai to get to you it seems." McAllister lifted a gun up and pointed it at Nikolai.
"I told you, Starry, that I would protect you with my life. Remember that I always loved you." Nikolai braced himself for the gunshot. He heard a gun fire but never felt the bullet. He looked back a Cailin; she was holding a small handgun.
"I don't miss." She said before falling to her knees. She was weak from blood loss. Nikolai checked to make sure McAllister was, in fact, dead. He was.
"You managed to shoot him in the heart? But, you are right, you do not miss." Nikolai smiled. As he was making his way to Cailin there was another gunshot. This time he had felt the bullet. Cailin was still aware of what was happening. She watched as Nikolai fell to his knees in front of her. She looked up to see Thompson standing with a gun pointed at her.
"I should have done this a lot sooner." Thompson walked over to Nikolai and placed the muzzle of the gun to the back of his head. "I managed to shake my babysitters, as you can see." He cocked the gun and a shot rang out. Nikolai flinched but realized that he was still alive. Again he looked at Cailin and again she had gun in hand.
"You do not miss." Nikolai said.
"We need medics in here, now!" Cailin thought she heard someone yell but she was so weak now she couldn't be sure.
Don had heard them radio for the paramedics. He was still frozen in place. He tried to count the number of body bags that went in but lost count when he saw two stretchers go in. He hoped and prayed that one of those was for Cailin and not one of the body bags.
"Don, she's alive. She's going to be fine. She's going to need stitches again but it looks like she's going to be alright." Don was listening to Mac but he was watching for Cailin. He finally released the breath he'd been holding when he saw her. He commanded Siberia to stay with Mac while he ran to Cailin's side.
"Cailin?"
"Don. How's Siberia?" Cailin wasn't sure she wanted to show how much she wanted to touch Don right there in front of everyone.
"She's fine. She's with Mac; she's worried but she's fine." Don smiled at her. He rode in the ambulance with her and stayed by her bedside until she came around.
"How long have I been out?" Cailin asked; glad that Don's face was the first thing she saw. Alex was standing in the corner with his hands clenched into tight fists.
"Only just a few hours." Don brushed some hair out of her eyes.
"Alex?" Cailin looked at her brother. "What's going on?" She looked between Alex and Don; neither one of them were making eye contact with her. "Is it Niko? Is he...?" She choked as a lump formed in her throat.
"He's hanging in there. The doctors aren't sure if he's going to pull through or not. If he lives, he'll be facing serious jail time. The DA thinks that the judge may go easy on him because of what he did to help the FBI, but that's not a guarantee." Don replied.
"As long as he lives... but it doesn't look good does it?"
"No, it doesn't look good. How could you, Cailin?" Alex was beyond pissed. "Why did you have to put me through this again? It's a good thing Dad is dead because this probably would have killed him."
"Alex, I had to. McAllister had to be stopped. It was the only way. I had to face him again in order the truly let go of everything." Cailin looked at Alex but her focus rested on Don.
"Well, I hope you'll be able to it all behind you now. Gibbs is calling every half hour. I've told him to stay where he's at but if I don't call him back there's no telling what he'll do." Alex said as he stepped toward the bed. He kissed Cailin on the forehead. "I love you, sis." He headed out of the room so he could call Gibbs.
"Don, about earlier..." Cailin had meant what she'd said about not being able to lose him. "I meant what I said."
"I meant what I said, too." Don held her hand. "About this living arrangement..."
"Are you suggesting that I move in with you, Flack?" Cailin teased. She was finally over Eric's death. Facing McAllister again and reliving that day seemed to make her realize that she couldn't continue living the way she was. "How much of life have I missed in the past two years because I held on too hard? I basically died when Eric did. I stopped living; I was like a robot just following the daily routine. Not anymore."
"Yes, I'm suggesting that you move in with me. At least, if you want to." Don stroked her cheek. "Of course, you're going to be in for at least one more night. Don't worry about Siberia; she's hanging out with Danny. I think Lucy wants a dog now."
"Oh, don't make me laugh. It hurts." Cailin said after she laughed at his comment. "How is it that the cut connects the gunshot to the other scar?"
"I think that was on purpose, McCallahan." Russ walked into the room. "He didn't make it. The bullet shattered part of a rib and the splinters entered his lung. It filled with blood. He died in surgery."
"Niko..." Cailin whispered his name. "He knew he wouldn't make it through this. "'I told you, Starry, that I would protect you with my life. Remember that I always loved you.'" She quoted what Nikolai had said in the warehouse and even mimicked his accent. "He died protecting me. I think he always knew that he would."
"You gave him a chance to live. He would have been dead in that warehouse if it weren't for you." Russ acknowledged. "Are you up for a few questions? If not, they can come back later."
"No, it's fine. Let's get it over with while everything's still fresh. The sooner we get this over with the sooner I can move on with my life." Cailin said. Don kissed her forehead and then walked out of the room as more FBI agents and Internal Affairs walked in.
"So, Flack, what's with you and my sister?" Alex handed him a cup of coffee while they waited.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. She did promise me that if she survived today, she'd come back to me; that I wouldn't lose her. I tried to get her to promise that she'd survive today…"
"Let me guess, she didn't?" Alex looked at Don. He hoped that whatever was happening between the two would be something that would last.
"Nah, she's too smart to promise something like that. You don't think that Nikolai's death is going to change her mind, do you?" Don had been worried about that but Cailin hadn't looked like she was going to drift back into the darkness she'd been holding on to.
"Nikolai and my sister… I think most of that was physical. In terms of attachment to each other, I mean. It was more of a physical connection than emotional like she had with Eric and, from the looks of it, with you. When he left it didn't take her long to move past it. She cared for him; he had been her first love. She didn't date in high school, mainly because Dad wouldn't allow it. I won't lie. Nikolai Pavlova loved Cailin; loved her enough to die for her. Eric loved her that much too." Alex watched as the investigators questioned Cailin. "Dad and I were very protective of her. She has proven time and time again that she can take care of herself but that still doesn't stop me from wanting to protect her. I would have taken her place in that warehouse if I could have."
"You and me both, Alex, but we couldn't. We couldn't take her place any more than she could have run from it. Trust me, I begged her to let me come with her but she wouldn't." Don also watched as Cailin answered the questions. She was tired; he could tell from where he was sitting, but he also knew she wanted to put this behind her.
"She didn't want you to end up like Eric. She knew what would have happened. She can handle Nikolai's death, but she couldn't have handled yours." Alex and Don looked at the elevator as it chimed.
"Don?" A brunette walked out of the elevator.
"Sam, what are you doing here?" Don stood up as his sister came up to him.
"I went to the precinct looking for you and they said that you were at the hospital. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. My partner isn't. What's wrong?" Sam never came looking for Don, ever. "Alex, this is my sister Samantha. Sam, this is Alex McCallahan."
"Hi. Don, when were you going to tell me that you're investigating Nikolai Pavlova?"
"How do you know Nikolai?" Alex asked. He looked at Sam and then at Cailin. Cailin was watching the three of them. The investigators were just leaving. He headed into her room. "How'd it go?"
"Alright, I guess. Who's that talking to Don?" Cailin was watching Don and the brunette have a whispered argument.
"That's Samantha; his sister. Apparently, she knew Nikolai."
"What?" Cailin started to sit up and then get up.
"Cailin, lay back down! What are you doing?" Alex was trying to get her to lie back down but wasn't having any luck. "Don! Don, get in here!" Don looked into the room and took off.
"Cailin, what do you think you're doing?" Don grabbed her gently by her good shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"
"She knew Nikolai? How?" Cailin wasn't jealous; she was curious. She had hoped that Nikolai would have found someone and settled down but he hadn't mentioned anything about it. She remembered that, on the way to the warehouse, he had talked about meeting someone. He had said that she was a friend but maybe one day they'd be more. He never mentioned a name. "Niko…" She fell into Don. He held her as she finally managed to cry. Alex motioned for Sam to come into the room.
"Since you knew Nikolai, there's something you should know." Alex started. He looked at Don holding Cailin. He watched as Cailin's body shook from the sobs.
"My sister, Cailin, also knew Nikolai Pavlova. They had worked together several years ago. He had been with the FBI just as my sister had been. One day he left the Bureau and never returned. He walked out of my sister's life only to show up yesterday and shoot her." Alex could see that Sam was about to protest but he held up a hand to stop her. "He then helped the FBI stop his boss from killing Cailin. Cailin gave Nikolai a chance to live again, but he died in surgery."
"You must be the girl Niko was talking about on the way to the warehouse. I'm sorry. He wasn't supposed to die." Cailin said through broken sobs.
"You must be 'Starry'? He talked about you all the time. He said that he regretted leaving the way he did. We were supposed to meet for coffee the other day but he never showed. He called later to apologize; said that something had come up at work. He seemed like a really nice guy."
"He was. I wish could have gotten to know him better. He wished the same thing." Cailin smiled weakly at Sam. "Don, you can let go now."
"Not a chance." Don teased. He helped her lie back down. "Looks like I'm going to have to change my shirt." He looked down and noticed a little blood on his shirt.
"Oops. Alex, could you get the nurse? I think my cut needs looked at and the bandage changed."
"Sure thing, sis." Alex left to go get the nurse. He came back with the nurse. She looked at Cailin's cut and gunshot wound and then bandaged them.
"Are you alright, Sam?" Cailin looked at Don's sister. "Maybe you should sit down?"
"I can't believe he's dead. I was just talking to him the other day." Sam sat in one of the two chairs in the room.
"He seemed fine when we were in the warehouse, but thinking back on it now… he was just pretending to be alright so I wouldn't worry too much." Cailin said. "He always tried his best to protect me. As a rookie agent I was getting into so much trouble on cases. It's a wonder he hadn't died sooner." Cailin half laughed, half cried. "There's no point in living in the past. It took me almost getting killed again to finally come to terms with that." Cailin rested her head on the pillow. Alex headed out of the room and motioned for Sam to do the same. "Don?"
"Yes, McCallahan?" Don pulled a chair beside the bed.
"Never mind, I'll tell you tomorrow." She smiled and then closed her eyes. Don kissed her on the forehead before getting comfortable in the chair. He hoped that Cailin would finally sleep through the night.
"So, your sister and my brother?" Sam stood next to Alex outside the room.
"It looks like that, doesn't it?" Alex smiled. He wasn't complaining; Don had somehow managed to get through to Cailin. "She hasn't looked this peaceful in two years. Hopefully, this is the beginning of something that will last forever."
"What happened? If you don't mind my asking. What happened to your sister two years ago?" Sam asked. Alex looked at her; he's emerald green eyes mimicked his sister's. He explained to Sam about Eric and what had happened. Then he explained what he knew about the past couple of days. "I'm glad Don's found someone. He's been distant the past few years; not that he and I ever had that great of a relationship to begin with… He'd been on edge for the past three years. I figured it had something to do with the death of Jessica Angell, his partner. He never told me about it; I'd read it in the papers."
"You two should have seen him earlier today. We were in a surveillance truck before entering the warehouse; the whole thing was set up. We had it all planned out. Nikolai was to escape from the hospital, break in to Don's apartment, kidnap Cailin, and take her to McAllister. We were just sitting in the truck listening to the conversations taking place in the warehouse. Don couldn't stand it any longer. We heard everything but we couldn't move in too quickly. Don hadn't been happy about the whole mission; he wanted to be with her the whole time but she wouldn't let him." Mac came up to the two. He looked into Cailin's room and smiled. "Maybe now they'll figure out that life is too precious to let it pass them by."
"We can only hope." Alex agreed.