A/N: Just as a warning, this chapter contains references to Trust Metric and Two Daughters. And I realize that I haven't been thanking you guys for all of the reviews, which is horridly rude of me! Please forgive me-reviews make my day!

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Numb3rs.

The evening sun is sinkin' low

The woods are dark, the town is too

They'll drag you down, they run the show

Ain't no tellin' what they'll do

-"Tell Ol' Bill," Bob Dylan

Chapter 4—Demands

Megan was pacing. In fact, she was pretty sure that everyone was pacing, in their own way. Colby was still in the hospital—he'd lost a ton of blood, but he'd be fine. She closed her eyes for a moment. The last time he'd been in the hospital seemed much too recent. At least he'd woken up briefly, briefly enough to explain the important things—Hett had an injured Don. That was all that mattered, in the end. Not that it did much good. They'd already been able to guess as much, in the six hours Colby had spent unconscious. David was still at the hospital. When she'd left, he'd been looking in the window at Colby. Megan couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking of the last time he'd been looking in through an identical window, seeing his partner unconscious and injured.

Megan had notified the Eppes family. Charlie, Alan, Robin, Amita, and Larry were at the house now. She'd left them too their worry, afraid to share with them her own. She was, after all, in charge now. The ball was in her court.

Megan rubbed her face with her hands, still pacing up and down the room. She turned her head to the video display, which showed pictures of Hett's original victim and his home in the aftermath of Don and Colby's encounter. There was a large purple stain on the blue carpet in one of the pictures. She knew that on any other color rug, that stain would have been red. But Colby was alright now. He was not their priority here.

She and David needed to find Don. Something Colby had told her had her worried. In a way, she supposed that it was a good thing. She clung to the hope that Don might still be alive. The other part wondered about his current state, assuming Colby's analysis was correct. Colby had looked her in the eyes, right before the nurse had pumped more drugs into him, and told her that he thought Hett would not kill Don immediately. She had been relieved, for a split second. Until Colby had continued: "He enjoyed hurting us," he'd said. "He'll want to do it more."

The problem was, Megan thought, still pacing, there were no leads. She had no idea where Hett would go now. Did the man have a plan? Had this been spur-of-the-moment? Without knowing this, she knew nothing. Part of her ached in despair. They wouldn't find Don in time.

The door behind her swung open. She spun around, and glared as David entered with Colby at his heels, on crutches.

"There is no way they released you from the hospital," she told Colby. Colby just looked at her.

"You know what it's like," was all he said. And he was right. When Megan had been kidnapped, her captor had cut her artery, gambling that the team would save her rather than chasing her abductor. Megan had survived—barely. Her call had been as close as Colby's. A few hours later, she'd had Larry smuggle her out of the hospital. She sighed as she looked at the two men before her, thinking faintly how wonderful it was to have Colby back. David stood close to him, protective and supportive. Megan turned back to the screen on the wall.

"Alright," she began, knowing that to fight Colby now would simply be a losing battle. "We need a plan. I can't find anything on Hett, no other properties or investments in L.A. He has no known associates here, either. We've been over this, of course. I can't find anything new."

"What about Charlie?" asked David. Megan shook her head.

"He's a mess, and he's with Amita and Alan," she explained. "I asked him if he could do anything, but he just looked at me. Maybe in a little while"—Megan didn't like to think about what might have happened to Don in a little while—"we can ask again. But I think we may have to do this one alone, guys." Just then, her phone rang.

Megan looked at it. She looked up, surprise etched on her face. "Don," she almost whispered. Colby and David's heads snapped up. They rushed to tap into Megan's phone. When they were ready—after the third ring—she picked up.

"Reeves," she said, not knowing what—who—to expect.

"Hello, Megan." It was not Don's voice. She tensed—had Don told him her name? Then she relaxed slightly—of course. She was on Don's speed dial. He'd seen her name there.

"Hett," she said. A statement, not a question.

"I take it the guy I shot made it out? I rather expected him to. He seemed resourceful."

Megan's jaw clenched. "Is Agent Eppes okay?"

Hett paused. "He's alive, if that's what you mean."

"Let me talk to him," said Megan.

"I don't think so," Hett replied easily. "You'll have confirmation that he's breathing soon enough."

"What do you want?" she asked firmly.

"I want you."

Megan's reaction was involuntary. She froze, eyes wide. Surely not… Colby and David glanced up at her, identical looks of horror plastered on their faces. The man at the other end of the line chuckled.

"No, no, not like that," he told her. "And you should see the glare your boss just gave me. But no one worry. Actually, though, I should clarify. I don't just want you, Agent Reeves. I want all of you. There are four people to a team in the FBI. I shot one of you. I expect his presence as well, by the way. And whoever the fourth team member is." Megan had automatically relaxed, but now she was tense again. What did she do? Don would kill her if they followed this guy's demands. And if they didn't…

"Oh, and one more thing." The voice on the other end of the line. Megan's heart rate increased. "Eppes… says he knows someone named Robin. Robin will come too." Megan noted the slight pause at 'says,' and wondered how Hett knew about Robin. There was absolutely no way that Don had told him. From the other end of the line, Megan heard a strangled yell of fury. She wondered if Hett had positioned the phone precisely so that she would hear it. When the yell became a moan, she was sure that he had. She closed her eyes briefly, imagining what Hett had to have already done to Don to get such a sound out of him so quickly. At least they knew he was alive now.

"Tell me you're coming. All of you." Hett's voice was cold and hard. Megan looked frantically at Colby and David. She had no idea what to do in this situation. From the other end of the line, she heard Don cry out, this time in pain, not anger. She saw Colby's muscles tighten for an instant and David's involuntary flinch. She made up her mind.

"We'll be there." Her voice was hard.

"Good. Come alone. No weapons—I'm good at spotting them, just ask the agent I injured. Drive an unmarked car, no government tags or tracking devices. And bring Agent Eppes' friend. Robin." He said her name sweetly, and his voice made Megan feel sick. "Believe me, I'll know if it isn't her. Tell no one where you're going. It won't make a difference if you do, anyways. I can kill all of you before tactical can get to me. If you come alone, only one of you has to die. And he's already part of the way there." A groan from Don. Then the line went dead.

Don had heard Hett come in, and he had been surprised when Hett had come to lean against the wall to Don's side. It was the first Hett had let him see him since he'd woken up chained to this wall. Hett held Don's cell in front of his face.

"I want to talk to someone on your team. Preferably not the guy I shot. I imagine he's in the hospital… or a grave." Hett sounded as though he was merely listing possibilities, but his pause betrayed him. He was pushing Don's buttons. He wanted to see Don's reaction. Don didn't give him one. When Don hadn't responded a few seconds later, Hett opened the phone and accessed Don's speed dial. "In that case," he said, "I'll just have to guess. What about… 'Charlie?' Is he on your team? Or maybe he's not. Maybe you don't want me anywhere near him. Now… 'Robin.' I'd hazard a guess that you don't want me anywhere near her, either, team or no. 'Dad.' Presumably that's a no as well. I dial them—starting with Robin—unless you give me a number to dial instead."

Don stared at Hett. He assumed that his family and Robin had already been told. That he was missing. They would be wrecks. And then to hear from his captor... "Number 4 on my speed dial," he told Hett, glaring. Hett pushed the buttons, and then held the phone up to his ear. His eyes met Don's.

Don listened as Hett asked—no, it wasn't really a question, more of a dismissive statement—about Colby. He couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Colby had made it. Suddenly, a heavy weight lifted itself from Don's shoulders. Hett glanced at him, and Don guessed that Megan was asking to speak to him. Don wasn't in the least bit surprised to hear Hett's refusal. Then he heard Hett's cold, emotionless demand: "I want you." Don stiffened, glaring up at his captor. He did not like how that sounded. She was on his team, and Hett would not touch her. Hett saw him looking and chuckled at him. A shiver went down Don's spine. He was really, really beginning to hate that chuckle. Hett's reassurance of Megan made him feel no better. His next demand made Don furious—and afraid. He knew that they would come. In fact, he knew it before Megan herself even knew, not that he would ever be aware of that fact. They would be there, just as Hett demanded.

"Oh, and one more thing," continued Hett. Don's head jerked—not Charlie, not Dad, surely not them. "Robin will come too." Don cried out, lunging towards Hett. His cry of pain as the movement jarred both of his bullet wounds mixed with his yell of anger. The sound came out more animal than anything else, and in that moment Don realized just how desperate he truly was. If Hett had Robin… he was defeated.

Hett took a step towards him. Suddenly, his bad leg was jerked out from under him, leaving him swinging from his arms. Hett pulled his bad leg straight and Don bit back a yell—it came out as something closer to a moan—as the wound started bleeding again. Don could feel the blood softening his blood-encrusted jeans. Hett let him go. Don swung slightly and crashed into the wall before he could get control over his movements again.

"Tell me you're coming," demanded Hett. "All of you." Evidently he didn't like what he heard, because Hett slammed Don's injured knee up against the wall. Don could not stifle his cry of pain this time. Hett was behind him again, and Don hadn't seen the attack coming. He winced as he realized that this was all for show. Megan, and probably Colby and David, was hearing this.

"Good," he heard Hett say. Don sagged against his bonds, no longer bothering to hope. Don groaned as Hett put pressure once again on his injured leg before hanging up the phone.

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