October 31

Manhattan Courthouse – Manhattan, New York

"…John Sullivan Senior and Yelina Salas, you have both professed your love for each other and exchanged rings," Judge Halstead, who was delighted that Sully was not only getting married, but was to be a father again in a matter of months, said warmly. "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Ty, Bosco, Danielle, John, David, Ellie, Robert, Swersky, and Emily Speedle all clapped quietly as Sully and Yelina shared a kiss and then stepped away from the bench, "Congratulations, Daddy," Danielle said in a warm voice as she hugged Sully and kissed his cheek before hugging Yelina. "Can I call you Mom?"

Yelina looked surprised, but didn't say anything, "I…I just never had a mom," Danielle spoke softly. "My dad said that he was going to work one day and found me on his porch with a note from my mom saying that I was his and his problem now. My dad did a really good job raising me by himself all these years."

Sully smiled at Danielle's comments and compassion filled Yelina's eyes, "If you want to, you may call me Mom, then," Yelina replied, giving Danielle a hug. "Your father did a very good job raising you."

"Hey, as much fun as this love fest is, I gotta get going if I'm dropping John and Ellie off at school before I go over to Bed-Stuy," Bosco said as he smiled at Sully and Yelina. "Bobby, do you need a ride to JFK?"

Bobby smiled as he hugged his Aunt Yelina, "Congratulations, Auntie," he spoke in a kind voice.

Yelina smiled and kissed Bobby's cheek, "Come with the boys for a visit at Christmas if you can," she replied in a gentle voice. "Thank you for coming, dear one. I know it was hard for you to be here."

"Love you," Bobby said in a kind voice before he looked at Bosco. "I'm taking the subway to JFK."

Bosco scoffed, "I got time, Bobby," Ty offered calmly. "I can take you to JFK before work."

Danielle smiled and kissed John and Ellie, "Get off to school, both of you," she said. "Love you."

Smiling, John silently hobbled out of the courtroom with Ellie at his side, but Bosco kissed Danielle before leaving, "That would be great to get a ride to JFK, Davis," Bobby said calmly. "Thanks."

"See you at the restaurant later, Sully," Ty said calmly as he and Bobby left the courtroom.

"Congratulations, Sully and Yelina," Emily said warmly. "Thank you for asking me to be here."

Swersky grinned, "Come on, Emily, you got a flight to catch," he said in a happy voice.

"And you, David, are going home to rest and do your lessons," Danielle said calmly as she took David's hand in hers and held him close. "If you stay feeling good, you can come to the party this evening."

Nodding, David let his mother lead him from the room while Sully dipped Yelina for another kiss.


Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital – Miami, Florida

A gentle knocking sound brought Nick, who had been taking a post-breakfast nap, out of his very relaxing sleep, "Trick or Treat, Nicky," Greg said as he came into the room wearing a black cape, and carrying a small plastic pumpkin basket that was filled with candy. "Happy Halloween, my friend."

Nick smiled and coughed a bit, "Thank you, Greggo," he replied calmly. "How goes the new job?"

"I signed a contract til January," Greg replied softly. "Apparently, the petition in Vegas has real merit…"

Greg sighed and sat himself down beside the bed, setting the candy on the bed so Nick could look at it with his good hand, "My leg is so messed up that I'll be in this cast til after Christmas at least, but the arm cast is coming off in a few days," Nick commented as he pawed through the candy with his right hand because his left arm was still in a cast and sling for a few more days. "The strain of pneumonia might be gone by Thanksgiving. My parents are at their condo having some extra rest."

"I'm not on til noon," Greg replied calmly. "Ecklie sends me daily emails about my status…"

Nick sighed softly, "Did he say who started the petition, at least?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"Um, he actually sent a scanned copy to me," Greg replied, reluctant to reveal the instigator.

Nick frowned, "Greggo, what gives?" he asked worriedly. "The petition's obviously upset you."

"Because a lot of you, including Grissom, are friends with the person who started it and you all are not going to believe me," Greg replied in an anxious voice. "The person thinks deaf people are freaky…"

Nick gave Greg a curious look and Greg sighed, "Sara started the petition," Greg admitted quietly.

"Sara, Sara Sidle?" Nick asked in a surprised voice, his eyes wide. "I'm so sorry, Greg. I didn't know…"

Greg looked surprised, "You believe me?" he replied in a shocked voice. "You and Sara are friends…"

"Unfortunately, I also remember how Sara reacted to that whole case with the deaf kid," Nick replied in a concerned voice, fully sympathetic to Greg's plight. "Did you find a place to stay in Miami yet?"

Greg nodded, "A couple of the CSI's live in this nice secure building in Calle Ocho and they got me set up with a spot," he replied calmly. "I talked to my mom and she's gonna come visit and bring me things; she's sorry about what happened at the lab to me and to you. She's madder than heck at Ecklie."

Nick smiled, "Hey, Nick, you mentioned that you knew how to sign," Greg said. "How…?"

"Um, one of my sisters is deaf and I wanted to be able to communicate with her, so I learned the language," Nick replied calmly. "I would teach you, but I need both hands to sign properly."

Greg nodded and Nick yawned, "I'm starting to get tired," Nick said apologetically.

"It's okay, man," Greg replied calmly. "I can go and come visit later."

Nick, however, gave Greg a pleading look, "Can you hang around a bit while I sleep?" he asked in a worried, almost anxious voice. "I can't remember everything yet, but I get flashes of stuff…"

"Okay," Greg replied quietly, determined to help however he could. "I'll stay for a while."


In the safety of the psychiatric unit, Ryan sat with Tommy in the atrium as they shared some breakfast sandwiches that Ryan had brought from Burger King, "…I'm nervous," Tommy spoke softly. "Diana said she's gonna bring Emilio by in his costume later. Jason's been by once and Jenny hasn't been by at all…"

Tommy sighed heavily, "I haven't seen my little one since that day at the McDonald's and I'm not sure he'll forgive me for being drunk," he said, composing himself. "He was probably very, very scared."

"I haven't talked to Jenny, but I know that Emilio has been asking Diana when he can see his daddy because he misses you," Ryan replied softly. "He knows that you're sick in the hospital right now."

Tommy nodded and sighed, "You…you also said that Mom's in jail for stabbing a cop and his wife and that I will have to talk in court to show that Mom's violent?" he asked, trying to recall Ryan's words.

Ryan nodded, "Why are you asking me?" Tommy asked quietly. "You've got power of attorney…"

"Because it's your right to choose," Ryan replied calmly. "I know you're still working through things."

Tommy sighed, "Mom…she never gave me a choice, you know?" he spoke softly. "She just popped the stuff into my drinks and told me to give her friends a good time. I wasn't able to say no to any of it…"

Swallowing hard, Tommy silently took a bite of his breakfast sandwich and swallowed it, "Emily's visited a few times and she's tried really hard to make me see that I'm different now that I'm actually getting help, but I can't see it yet," he spoke in a quiet voice. "All I can see is the pain I've caused others…"

"Try not to think about it because it will upset your recovery," Ryan spoke calmly. "Doctor Higgins said that you would have a lot of bad moments where you would think about that stuff, but you need to switch your focus to how you are getting help for it. How are you doing with the depression?"

Tommy sighed, "Up and down," he replied softly. "There are days when I just hide in bed as much as possible with migraines and other symptoms because I'm so shook up about the past, but there are also days where I'm doing AA, group therapy, and the activities that people here can do…"

Swallowing hard, Tommy silently reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a check, which he handed to Ryan, "Um, I'm at the step in AA where I'm supposed to try and make things right with people," he explained in a shaky voice. "I got Diana to get some money out of our accounts to pay you back for all the times you helped my family out and paid for stuff. Just take it and don't say anything."

Nodding, Ryan took the check and pocketed it, "I'm full," Tommy spoke shakily. "I…I have to save it."

"You don't have to save it," Ryan said quickly, knowing that Tommy's prison habit of squirrelling food away for later was coming out again. "I'll take it with me and have it for lunch if you're full."

Nodding, Tommy pushed the food towards Ryan, "Whenever you're hungry, you can always ask a nurse to bring you a snack, remember?" Ryan asked gently. "It's part of the treatment plan you're in."

"I…I remember," Tommy replied softly, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry…I get memory lapses sometimes."

Ryan frowned and looked at a nurse, who was coming to check on them, "Excuse me, I think my brother needs a medical assessment because he's saying he gets memory lapses," he said in a worried voice.


Rogers High School – Manhattan, New York

"…Officer Finney, fight in Classroom 132," Brendan heard a voice over the radio that he carried while on duty as the school's Resource Officer. "All versus one situation. EMS has already been notified…"

Irritated that he couldn't seem to get through one shift of his second job without a fight breaking out between students, Brendan clicked his radio, "10-4, responding now," he replied as he bolted out of his broom closet of an office and down the hallway to where the classrooms were. "Let's see…"

Quickly finding the classroom, Brendan saw that the door was open and the students seemed to be gathered in a circle, "…Your dad's a cripple and you knocked that girl up…" he heard voices say.

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!" Brendan bellowed as he came into the room. "AGAINST THE WALLS, NOW!"

Extremely irritated that the School Resource Officer had ruined the fun they were having before the teacher got there, the crowd cleared and lined up against the walls. Brendan swore as he saw a student lying in a heap in the middle of the floor coughing and holding his ribs while blood decorated the floor.

Swearing loudly, Brendan got down on the floor and his eyes widened when he rolled the student and saw that it was Tommy Nieto with a bloody nose and a gash on his forehead, "Uncle Brendan?" Tommy asked in a shaky, groggy voice. "They just started taunting me and throwing stuff and crap…"

"…Crap, what a suck up," a voice murmured. "He knocked Yokas up and now he's sucking…"

Angered beyond belief, Brendan blew his whistle and everyone fell silent, gaping at him in shock, "Sit down at your desks and shut your mouths or else ALL of you will be placed under arrest," he growled.

The room went silent as paramedics came into the room with medical supplies and a gurney, "WHO JUMPED HIM AND HIT HIM?!" Brendan roared, glaring at the class. "Come forward now!"

A snicker filled the air as a young man in holey jeans, a golf shirt, boots, and a leather jacket came forward with a hand fluffing up his messy Mohawk, "The name's Stickles Dominguez," the kid said, giving Brendan a look. "My brother died cause this washed up punk stopped hanging out with him."

"You're related to Smartie Dominguez?" Brendan asked in a cold voice. "John's old friend?"

Stickles smirked, "Tommy and John couldn't cut it, so we stopped hanging out," he replied.

Brendan scowled and quickly cuffed Stickles, "…Crap, this is Carlos's kid," one of the paramedics murmured as they got on the floor to help Tommy, who was quickly passing into unconsciousness.

"Man, I texted Tommy about that party in Bed-Stuy a while back where we beat up that screwball from Vegas, but Tommy ignored it," Stickles said in an annoyed voice. "And then he knocked up Yokas!"

Brendan froze and glanced at the paramedics, "Scoop and run," he ordered sharply. "NOW!"

Terrified at Brendan's anger, the paramedics quickly got Tommy on the gurney and hustled him out of the school to the safety of their rig. Glaring at the rest of the students, Brendan hustled Stickles outside and was relieved to see that the paramedics were gone with Tommy, "You alone?" Stickles asked softly.

Before Brendan could reply, he was grabbed from behind and a bag was forced over his face, "Cool!" he heard Stickles say in an awed voice. "Another law guy we can mess with just like Nick Stokes!"

Brendan struggled to break free, but he felt strong hands wrap around his legs, "Stickles, settle down," he heard a voice say as a van door was slid open. "Just take his gun while we drive him around a bit…"

The click of a lock rang through Brendan's ears and as he felt the van move, he felt his own gun being pressed against his skull through the bag, "Help us get Yokas and Stokes out of prison or we'll kill you," Brendan heard a voice say. "And then we'll go kill all your family and friends one by one."

"And if I say no?" Brendan asked, flinching when he heard a chuckle. "What's so funny?"

The sack was ripped off his head and Stickles grinned, "You're a dirty cop ever since you messed around with Edward Addison," he hissed coldly. "That crap was in the paper for two weeks, right?"

Swallowing hard, Brendan lowered his head, "That's what I thought," Stickles replied coldly, smiling.


Miami-Dade Crime Lab/Police Department

"…No, Ryan, the lab will be all right," Rick said in a calm voice as he stepped out of the elevator and on to the main floor of the Crime Lab. "I'm just running an inspection and things are very slow right now."

Ryan murmured a thank you and ended the call. As Rick put his phone away, he saw Eric, Calleigh, and Alexx all chatting in the break room while decorating for Halloween. He looked further down the hallway and saw Jesse and Natalia chatting in an interview room looking very serious, but somber.

"…Grissom apologizes, but he had to go back to Vegas to sort things out in his lab," Natalia was saying as Rick opened the door, putting a swift end to their conversation. "Hi there, Sergeant Stetler."

Rick sighed, "Cardoza, go get coffee," he said in a calm voice. "You look like you haven't slept."

Not wanting to tell Stetler that he hadn't slept since Dan Cooper escaped jail, Jesse silently left to go hide in a quiet corner until Halloween was over and Rick handed a paper to Natalia, "There's Bobby's flight information and he should get in in about an hour and a half," Rick said quietly. "Maggie died on October 20 last year and Bobby was working on Halloween; he made the kids go out trick or treating even though they were missing their sister. This is his first Halloween without any distractions and since he went to New York, he probably visited Maggie…"

Natalia frowned, "Why are you giving it to me?" she asked in a confused voice. "I…"

"You're dating my brother-in-law and I'm cool with that because you make him happier than my sister ever was capable of," Rick replied calmly. "I'm sure he's going to be hurting when he gets in…"

Natalia nodded and got up, "I guess I should get going if I want to make it on time," she replied.

Rick nodded and Natalia silently left the room, leaving him alone and relieved that he could belatedly grieve the one year anniversary of his sister's death in peace. Their parents hadn't cared much for him and Amanda, so he and Amanda had looked after each other and now she had left him behind.

Catherine was doing better, but she had developed complications from her healing injuries that had prompted more surgery. Lenny had gotten to talk to her on the phone last night, but she was still very weak from being stabbed and was probably under the knife by now, so he was alone for the day. He silently reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and silently looked through the photos he and Amanda had taken together during his last visit to New York the summer before; she had called him and asked him to come help her deal with the change in seasons and they had spent a week together.

Letting out a sigh, Rick sat down and buried his face in his hands, "Ugh, Mandy, I miss you so much," he said in a shaky, tear-filled voice, completely unaware that he was being watched by Eric and Alexx, both of whom were standing in the hallway after seeing Natalia rush out. "Life's not the same without you."

The door opened and Rick looked up sharply at seeing Eric and Alexx, "If you're looking for Horatio or Boa Vista, Horatio went to the hospital to pick up CSI Sanders and to visit with Nick Stokes," Rick said in a toneless voice. "I sent Boa Vista to the airport to get Bobby. I think Speedle went to get his wife…"

"I was just wondering how the investigation's going?" Eric lied, wanting to keep Stetler talking.

Rick sighed, "I'm not involved in that, actually," he replied calmly. "Because I was sent threats…"

"Sergeant, would you like some coffee?" Alexx asked kindly. "Calleigh just made a fresh pot."

Rick shook his head, "I'm waiting for a call from the hospital because Catherine started bleeding internally again," he replied quietly, picking up his wallet. "Could be liver, spleen, or kidneys…"

"Your hands are shaking," Alexx observed as she walked over to Rick and saw the photos. "What…?"

Rick scoffed, "My sister, Amanda, and I took these when I went to New York last summer to visit her and her family," he replied quietly, showing her the photos. "She had schizophrenia and had a rough time…"

"If you ever want to talk about how it feels to lose a sister…" Eric offered in a quiet voice.

Alexx gently took Rick's hands and checked his forehead, "Your blood sugar's low and you're hypoglycemic," she said gently, quickly putting the wallet in Stetler's jacket pocket. "Come on."

"Where?" Rick asked in a worried voice as he let Alexx help him stand. "I've got work to do."

Alex scoffed as she led Rick out of the interview room and into the breakroom with Eric at their heels, "Calleigh, is there any juice in the fridge?" she asked as she sat with Rick on the couch. "Get it now."

Eric quickly broke into the fridge, retrieved a bottle of apple juice, and opened it before he brought it over to Alexx, "Here," Alexx said as she helped Rick drink some of the juice. "Drink it slowly."


New York University – New York, New York

As John entered the technologically advanced library to see what bookwork he could do without frustrating his professors with his super intelligence, he heard his cell-phone ping quietly. Sighing softly, John set his bag down on a nearby table and pulled his phone out as he sat, determined to be quiet.

Hey there, Johnny Boy. It's Stickles Dominguez, Smartie's brother. I stole Tommy Nieto's phone after I beat him up at school. I found your number in here and I thought you might like to see something cool.

John frowned as a video link appeared in his messages. Wondering if this was some sick prank, John silently grabbed his bag and went over to the desk, "Excuse me, I was wondering if one of those technology labs were available?" he asked in a worried voice. "I'm with the NYU School of Law."

"Student ID?" the librarian asked calmly, sighing as John took it out and showed it to her. "Thanks."

John nodded and the librarian tapped a few keys on the computer, "First year student?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," John replied in a quiet voice, sighing as the librarian stood and motioned for him to follow.

The librarian led John into one of the rooms that were equipped with computers, TV sets, and audiovisual equipment one would find in the best CSI labs, "I have a basic understanding of how things work," John said as he took out his cell-phone, hooked it to data downloader, put a flash drive in, set the data to copy both text and video to the flash drive, and quickly got on the computer. "A person just sent me a weird text and a video and I'm worried it's suspicious. I know I shouldn't use the computer…"

Nodding, the librarian watched as John accessed the video on the computer screen and both of them frowned when Stickles's face came into view, "Hey Johnny Boy, it's a shame you and Tommy became too good for us before Smartie died," Stickles said in a cold voice. "I got in with the bigger fish and we got a cop to help us break Derek Stokes and Emily Yokas out of jail. Hey, let the cop say hello to John."

Stickles moved and a uniformed officer with a bag over his head suddenly came into view, "It's a dirty cop, so I don't think anyone will care about him," he said in an amused voice. "Lift the sack."

John's eyes went wide as the sack was lifted revealing a bruised Brendan with a gag in his mouth, "We're headed to Riker's, Johnny Boy," Stickles said coldly. "Sergeant Finney is going to help us. Isn't that right?"

"Go phone 9-1-1 and ask them to send some uniforms to Riker's and also phone the Crime Scene Lab," John whispered in an anxious voice as he looked at the librarian. "I'll try and keep contact."

Nodding, the librarian tore out of the room and John silently looked at his phone, "…Finney's a dirty cop and I don't know if he ever apologized for going to your old man with your stolen file," Stickles said in an amused voice. "He tried to tell your old man you were crazy and he also befriended Fred Yokas…"

Swallowing hard, John picked up the phone and texted, encouraging Stickles to tell him more because he was not only curious, but he also wanted to stall for time until something could be done.


Angel of Mercy Hospital

"…Carlos, please sit down before we end up with two patients!" Tommy heard a nurse snap.

There was a sigh and the clatter of a chair, "I was up in PT when I got the call and I got down here as fast as I can go anywhere with that walker," Tommy heard his father say. "What exactly happened?"

Tommy groaned and opened his eyes, flinching when he found light being shone in his eyes, "Carlos, your son is awake," Mary Proctor said in a calm voice, moving the light. "His name's Tommy, right?"

"Where's Uncle Brendan at?" Tommy asked in a groggy voice. "He was at the school and told the paramedics to get me out of there. He had cuffed Stickles up, but he sounded scared…"

Carlos frowned as he took Tommy's hand, "Oh, hi Dad," Tommy said in a groggy voice.

Mary Proctor frowned at the mention of Sergeant Finney, "You got pretty banged up, kiddo, so why don't you just get some sleep?" Carlos said gently even though he too was worried about Brendan.

"Stickles stole my phone, Dad," Tommy spoke in a groggy voice. "Said he needed it for a project."

Carlos sighed, "I'll call the police while you sleep, okay?" he asked calmly. "Your mom's babysitting…"

Too sore and tired to argue, Tommy drifted off into a deep sleep, "I know Davis and Finney aren't on duty til noon and that Brendan took a morning job as a Resource Officer at Tommy's school to make a little extra money," Carlos said as he looked at Mary. "He and Grace want to have kids…"

"Do you have Sergeant Finney's number?" Mary asked in a concerned voice.

Carlos quickly got his phone out, "Holly does, as she and Grace hang out," he replied. "I'll call her."

"I'll call the police and let them know about Tommy's phone," Mary said as she left the room.


In the safety of the Boscorelli apartment, Holly smiled as she laid Emily down for a nap in her crib after putting Mikey in his crib with a toy to keep him busy. She wasn't working that morning and had been more than happy to come up and babysit the preemie twins while people went to Sully's wedding.

The door opened and Holly smiled as she went out into the living room and saw Sully walk in carrying a sleeping David in his arms while Danielle and Yelina walked together, "David got tired on the ride back and he's going down for a nap," Sully said as he disappeared into the room John and David shared.

Holly's phone suddenly rang and she answered it, frowning when she heard Carlos on the other end explain that Tommy had been beaten at school and was now at Mercy, but that his phone had been stolen, "I'll come as soon as possible," she said softly, frowning when Carlos asked for Grace's number because Brendan had been at the school, but hadn't been seen since. "Brendan's missing?"

Danielle frowned as Holly gave Carlos Grace's number before the call ended, "Tommy got beat up by some kid at school and Brendan hasn't been seen since he cuffed the kid up," Holly explained softly.

Yelina looked at Sully as he came out of the bedroom, "I'm worried something might have happened," Holly said in a concerned voice. "Brendan only took that job so he and Grace could save for a kid."

"Is Finney in trouble?" Sully asked in a concerned voice, gazing at Holly. "I heard you talking."

Holly nodded, "I think so," she replied in an anxious voice. "Could you call the police?"

Sully nodded and took out his phone, frowning when he saw a 9-1-1 text from Headquarters.


Miami-Dade International Airport – Miami, Florida

"Sir….sir, are you all right?"

Feeling groggy, Robert slowly opened his eyes and found that he had fallen asleep in his first class seat and had slept through the flight. Everyone else was off the plane and an attendant was watching him.

"Oh, I sincerely apologize," Robert replied as he unbuckled his belt and slowly got to his feet. "I must have fallen asleep during the flight and lost track of time."

The attendant gave him an understanding look and Robert quickly grabbed his carry-on bag from the overhead compartment before getting off of the plane. He had fallen asleep shortly after takeoff because it was Halloween and holidays involving kids hurt slightly because he had lost a child; the best thing to do instead of crying in the flight was to fall asleep and try to maintain a semblance of sanity.

Since it was still early, the airport was quiet and Robert took the opportunity to mentally plan out a small trick or treating route for BJ and Adam that evening after supper as he walked through the airport, past many, many kiosks and other gates. He was hungry, tired, and emotionally drained after marching for Doc and after visiting Maggie's grave. He didn't expect anyone to meet him at the airport even though he had told Rick when he'd be getting in. He knew that people had busy lives of their own.

As Robert got into the front area of the airport, however, he saw Natalia lingering near the exit, "Hi," he said softly, relieved that Rick had sent Natalia to pick him up. "I'm assuming Rick sent you."

"He said you needed me," Natalia replied softly, walking over to him. "You look super tired."

Robert nodded and offered a sad smile, prompting Natalia to gently stroke his cheek, "There's a little part of me that hates kid-friendly holidays because I lost my daughter last year, but I also love them because I still have my sons," he replied softly, relaxing at Natalia's touch. "I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too," Natalia replied softly, lost his kind expression. "Did you have breakfast?"

Robert sighed, "Not yet, but perhaps we could go out for breakfast?" he asked softly.

"That would be nice," Natalia replied gently, smiling at him. "The car's just out front."

Natalia turned to walk away and suddenly felt herself being pulled into Robert's arms, her eyes widening in surprise when he delivered a passionate kiss to her lips. Quickly relaxing, she returned the kiss.

"I just had to do that," Robert replied quietly as they pulled apart. "I haven't kissed you for two days."

Chuckling, Natalia led Robert out of the terminal, both of them barely missing Emily, who had come from a different gate with Tim's help because he had used his badge to meet her at the gate in concern over her being pregnant. Tim had insisted that they stop at a food kiosk for something to tide them over until they could go eat and Emily had simply allowed that to happen, as she was grateful he cared.


New York University – New York, New York

"…Finney's stubborn and stupid, so we'll give him something to loosen him up a bit," John heard Stickles say as he watched Brendan, who was handcuffed and kneeling in the middle of the room, whimper.

John's eyes widened as a hand came into view holding a huge needle and flicked the needle, "How about some lovely amphetamines, Sergeant Finney?" Stickles asked soothingly. "To give you courage."

Footsteps entered the room and John looked up, sighing when he saw Mac and AV Tech Adam Ross approach the computer. The three of them watched in silent horror as Stickles jabbed the syringe into Brendan's neck and Brendan's screams filled the air, "…I think they're out of Manhattan," John spoke quietly as he watched Stickles rip the empty syringe out of Finney's neck. "They mentioned going to Riker's to get Derek Stokes and Emily Yokas and that Finney's a stupid, dirty cop who deserves pain."

"Yokas isn't even in Riker's," Mac replied calmly. "Her location hasn't been divulged to anyone."

Adam eyed the setup nervously just as a horn blared on the screen and the sound of water splashing could be heard, "Yo, Stickles, we got white caps!" a voice called out. "We almost there man."

"They're on a boat," Mac reasoned quietly. "Trainee Boscorelli, any other information?"

John froze as Brendan was suddenly hauled to his feet with his hands still bound, "We got the stuff to blow it up, but you're going to be our ticket out with your badge," Stickles said coldly. "Nobody will shoot a cop hostage, so we're going to get Stokes and if anyone tries to stop us, you'll get dosed to death."

A ticking sound suddenly filled the video screen, "We'll soon be there," a voice said as Brendan threw up.

Mac quickly grabbed his radio, "NYPD, have all available units converge on Riker's Prison!" he barked.


FDNY Headquarters

Sirens filled the air, but Grace found herself used to it because she worked downtown two days a week and at the 55 Firehouse the other three days a week while Brendan worked two jobs simply because they were saving money to have a kid. Kids were expensive, but it was worth every bit of hard work.

Grace's desk was small, but roomy enough for a desktop computer, boxes for paperwork, and a small collection of photos of her and Brendan that reminded her why she worked so hard. As Grace worked, she suddenly noticed an anxious looking Ty, Sergeant Christopher, and Danny Messer come into the front area, "Grace," Ty said as he hurried into her office. "Um, I've got bad news about Brendan."

"What bad news?" Grace asked in a worried voice as Ty, Sergeant Christopher, and Danny came into the office and all took chairs, as they knew that was the only way they would get through talking.

Ty sighed, "NYPD got tipped off to a text and video that was sent to John Boscorelli at NYU by a guy named Stickles this morning," he explained. "I was running LaRusso to JFK after Sully's wedding, so I got the 9-1-1 alert when I was coming back to meet Sasha for breakfast. We have a uniform at Angel of Mercy talking to Tommy Nieto cause Brendan broke up a fight between Tommy and Stickles…"

"What's your point, Ty?" Grace replied in a confused voice. "I know Brendan does school security."

Sergeant Christopher rolled his eyes, "Tommy got beat up by this Stickles kid and got his phone stolen," he said, quickly shutting Davis up. "Not long after that, John Boscorelli got a text from the stolen phone along with video of Sergeant Finney being held hostage by Stickles and several other guys."

"You're telling me that Brendan got kidnapped?" Grace asked in a horrified voice. "Why?"

Ty frowned, "He was there and Stickles knew him somehow," he replied softly. "I don't know."

Shaken, Grace started crying, "We've got every unit throughout the city looking for him based on the video that was sent to John Boscorelli," Sergeant Christopher explained. "We're doing all we can."

"I told Brendan that he didn't need to work at some inner-city high school!" Grace sobbed anxiously as she got up from her desk and grabbed her coat. "I need….I need to go help them look for him…"

Alarmed that Grace might end up in trouble if she went out on her own looking for Brendan unarmed, Ty caught her in a gentle, but restraining hug. Grace struggled briefly, but then sobbed in his arms as Ty's and Sergeant Christopher's radio's went off.


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