Mac groaned and rubbed his eyes. His head felt too full. He wasn't surprised to see blood coat his hand and splash on his lap from his nose. Mac closed his eyes listening to the surf. Should he call Jack? Mac swabbed at his bloody face with his T-Shirt. He'd run in panic. Mac had come here because he needed to be out in the open air. Sitting here he began to wonder was it fair of him to go back to his friends, his family? Mac was no doctor but knew enough to imagine the horror they would see as the end neared. Mac rubbed his head. He felt muzzy, foggy.

"Angus, are you ok?" Mac blinked at Sand...no Stacy. That's her name. Mac frowned. For someone sitting next to a person bleeding from his eyes, she was suspiciously calm. Something nudged his memory...he knew her from somewhere...He moaned and rubbed his head if only he could think. He managed a weak smile.

"Do you have a cell phone I could use?" He asked. She gave him a brilliant smile and moved closer to him wrapping his left arm around hers as she pulled out her phone. Mac could almost feel his brain scream at him that something was wrong, but it was like trying to grab fog.

"Are you going to call your wife?" Stacy said leaning her head on Mac's shoulder. Mac blinked and shook his head, but he couldn't quite…

See how much your wife would like… Mac narrowed his eyes.

"You were at the mall; you sprayed me with cologne." Mac managed as he blindly dialed Jack's number. Stacy grinned and pulled herself closer to Mac's side. Before she could say anything, Jack answered.

"Hello? Mac, is this you? The woman who has this phone is the one who poisoned you…hold on I'm putting you on speaker."

"Are you calling your wife?" Stacy asked staring up at Mac over his shoulder. Mac opened his mouth but hesitated when he heard Dr. Mendez over the phone.

"Mac, don't deny you have a wife. Pretend you are getting married to her tomorrow. She's completely delusional."

"Mac, we almost have a cure just buy time…" Stacy reached over and yanked the phone out of Mac's hand. She rose to her knees and threw the phone into the ocean. Stacy then sprawled the length of Mac's body.

"Is your wife looking forward to Christmas?" Mac coughed, turned and spit out blood. He turned back to her and forced a smile.

"You tell me, tomorrow's our day right?" Stacy grinned and leaned forward kissing Mac as if she wanted to chew on his tonsils. She put her hands in his hair and laid on top of him until he fell back. She leaned back.

"Tommy, I knew you'd come back to me. I have waited so long." Her eyes lit with a delusional light that had nothing to do with her brimming tears. Mac blinked his eyes. He could taste blood and feel the back of his throat fill with liquid.

"I've been looking for you too, Stacy." He managed to croak. She laughed and leaned back. Mac leaned forward relieved to be verticle again. She stood up and pulled on his hand.

"Come on, Tommy. You should see what I have planned for tomorrow." She shook the sand out of her hair and pulled on his hands. Mac grumbled as he staggered to his feet. He bent over feeling a heaviness in his stomach. Mac frowned and pulled up his shirt. His eyes widened, and his breath broke into desperate spurts. His abdomen was purple, the skin taut. Blood was pooling in his gut. Mac frowned. Why was this poison working so fast? Mac staggered a step. Stacy ducked under his arm. Mac closed his eyes at the spinning and weakness that pulled him toward unconsciousness. He shook his head and stared at his feet following her. Stall. Mac repeated over and over in his head forcing one step after another. Mac managed to drag one foot leaving a trail behind them. He just hoped Jack got there before high tide came in and washed it away.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

"Look what we have here? A pair of city mice." Riley held up a hand to block the flashlight's glare around her. Seven women, no Riley adjusted as they walked close enough she could see them. Girls, mid to late teens all wearing gang colors. Riley narrowed her eyes and scanned for tattoos and marks. She was relieved not to find any. This girl gang was local and not one of the deadly gangs she'd had to deal with in prison. That did not make them less dangerous. She didn't see any guns but did see a few handles of knives sticking out of belts and boots.

"Who're you?" Riley demanded tilting her chin and putting on an arrogant mask.

"Riley?" Bozer hissed. Riley turned and glared at him; he leaned back confused. Riley winked at him.

"Did I tell you to talk? Shut it, worm."

"Uh...yes ma'am…" Boze said putting up his arms and cowering down. Riley pointed to the lockbox with her boot. Bozer crept down and grabbed it in his hand. Riley put her shoulders back and chest out. She walked up to the one who spoke and stepped into her space.

"What the fuck do you want?" She snarled. The girl shifted her eyes to the side and turned her face away. Riley smiled and stepped back, "That's what I thought country mouse. What are you doing here in my house?" The gang looked at each other nervously. Riley frowned then smiled.

"Someone told you to protect this place," Riley said in her normal voice. The leader realized she'd been played and tried to shift her posture. Riley's glare deflated her bravado.

"They were making drugs here, not street drugs something else. This street is our turf but…" Riley nodded biting her lip in thought.

"What did the guys in charge of this look like?" The girl gang all stared at her in disbelief.

"Seriously? You're with the government, right? You don't know?"

Jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and took a steadying breath. The three doctors and Aadhya Kadar stood in a square arguing with each other. Jack only understood one of ever seven words but he got the gist that they had made a antitoxin that should work, but it wasn't.

"Docs! Docs!" Jack finally bellowed. The four looked at him surprised. Jack gritted his teeth and fought the urge to bang their heads together. Once he had their attention he put his hands flat together, "There are more years of schooling between the four of you than most third world nations, tell me you have something?" Doc Carl ran his hand through his curly hair and shook his head.

"It should be working." He held up his hands in frustration.

"Did you get the formula wrong?" Aadhya glared at him.

"I brought our best guess, the CDC has been trying to pick this poison apart for five years, but we have no idea how close we are."

"Maybe if we try…" Dr. Li began. Before Jack could get a word out Detective Lee Warren was at his side.

"Jack, I need to talk to you now." The detective said softly. Jack looked at him and frowned. Something serious was up.

"What's up?" Jack's phone blared startling everyone in the room. Jack frowned. He didn't recognize the number.

"Hell?" He asked. He heard rough breathing and a woman's voice in the background. Jack felt his heart sink, "Mac? Is this you?"

"You were at the mall; you sprayed me with cologne." Jack did not like Mac's wet rasp. His bleeding had gotten worse.

"Mac, the woman who has this phone, is the one who poisoned you...hold on, I'm putting you on speaker." Everyone in the room gathered close and listened with worry.

"Are you calling your wife?" The woman asked. Jack scowled. She sounded crazier than a nutbar. Dr. Mendez leaned forward and grabbed Jack's phone from his hand.

"Mac, don't deny you have a wife, pretend you are getting married to her tomorrow, she's completely delusional." Jack closed his eyes as he heard a wet moan of pain from his partner.

"Mac, we almost have a cure, just buy time…" Doc Carl started. They heard a soft cry of surprise, a splash, and the phone went dead.

"DAMNIT!" Jack roared. He pivoted and stormed to the war room. Lee Warren watched him leave then turned and narrowed his eyes studying the group of doctors. Matty was ferreting out the international partners in this mess, Riley and Bozer were off in Oakland. That left him. Detective Warren smiled and sniffed. That was just fine with him. He walked up to the doctors wondering what the safest way of dealing with this problem was.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Mac's body felt heavy. Fatigue fused his muscles with the satin under him. Mac frowned. What the hell? He forced his eyes to blink. They stung from the blood oozing under his eyelids. Everything had a blurry red patina.

Managed to take in his surroundings. He was in a room that exploded with pinks and reds. Every form of Valentine, lace, or heart-shaped decoration any Martha Steward wannabee ever dreamed covered every inch of the room. Mac glanced down and opened his eyes wide. Mac's skin crawled. Someone had changed his clothes. He wore a white tuxedo with black trim. The last thing he remembered was falling into a red car. Mac's eyes drifted shut.

It took all of his will and most of his energy, but he forced them open again. He tried to move his arms or legs and found he couldn't. He blinked and for a second his vision cleared. He felt himself tilt into a panic. The red satin under him had started out white. He could feel a warm wetness seep into his clothing. Stacy had sliced his arms and legs. He was bleeding out. Worse he was in a box, no not a box, a coffin-a transparent glass coffin. His rapid breathing fogged the lid only a few inches above his face. Mac managed to wiggle against the glass, but it wouldn't budge. Mac left arched smears of blood with any move. The stale thinning air stank of blood. No, no, no. He couldn't die like this! Not now...He couldn't breathe! His chest heaved. He looked through the side and gaped. In an identical coffin beside him in a bridal gown, Stacy's grey unmoving body laid holding a bridal bouquet in her hands. Mac desperately flopped against the glass. There was barely enough room for him to breath. He closed his eyes. The gibbering terror took over, he screamed,

"JACK!"