Closing the door to his apartment, Anderson Wellings turned and stared at the door to his neighbor's apartment, he still could not believe that Steve was dead. He had only been young cop's neighbor for a couple of months, but they had quickly become close friends, often sharing a beer after work, commiserating with each other about their jobs or on the odd Saturday night that Steve managed to wangle off, they would hit the nightclubs. He shook his head, still unable to believe that he would never see his friend again as he turned and began to walk down the stairs.

Reaching the shared landing, he hesitated and turned again, frowning to look up at Steve's apartment after hearing a noise coming from within. It sounded like someone was moving around the apartment.

Biting his lip, he hesitated a moment, uncertain of what to do as he stared up at the apartment before he turned and hurried back up to his own apartment to call the police to report that there was a possible intruder moving around inside Steve's apartment.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

"Take another step and my next shot won't miss!"

Mike felt Steve freeze beside him as they heard Quintin's chilling threat to them.

Pulling his arm free of Mike's light grip, Steve suddenly turned back towards their captor.

Mike caught a glimpse of the gun, that Steve had been fighting so desperately for possession of, in Steve's hand as the younger man spun around to face Quintin.

Two gunshots rang out, almost simultaneously, before Steve turned and shoved Mike roughly out of the door as he yelled breathlessly, "Run!"

Glancing over his shoulder as he stumbled through the door, Mike saw Quintin lying on the floor, clutching his shoulder as he yelled at his men to get up and grab them. With one hand pressed against the wet, burning wound in his side, Mike grabbed Steve's arm and pulled Steve back up onto his feet when Steve stumbled and almost fell as they ran towards the safety of the forest that surrounded the small wooden cabin they had been held in.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Slowly hanging up the phone, Roy stared out of the bullpen, deep in thought. Keller's probation officer had confirmed the Keller had been released from prison just two weeks before after being released on parole for good behavior.

The parole officer had told him that after his release, Keller had followed his parole conditions to a tee on release, reporting to him immediately and settling into the halfway house where he was ordered to live as well as finding employment as a busboy in a small restaurant. After faithfully reporting to his parole officer twice a week for the last two weeks, Keller had failed to report yesterday and a quick check this morning of the halfway house and the restaurant where he worked revealed that he had not been seen at either location since yesterday, a clear violation of his parole conditions. But parole officer admitted that after hearing the news reports of the possible death of Keller's son in the fiery car accident, the P.O had decided to give the ex-con a break, after all, he was probably grieving the loss of his son and the last surviving family member that he had left.

So, Keller had disappeared after he had come to the station to confirm his son's death. Roy frowned as his suspicion grew that whatever had happened to Mike and Steve, Brian Keller was involved right up to his neck.

"Lieutenant."

He jumped in surprise as he was pulled abruptly from his thoughts and he found himself staring at Lee standing in the doorway.

"We just got a report that there is a possible break and enter into Steve's apartment. Steve's neighbor called it in, he believes the intruder is still there. Uniforms are already rolling…"

Jumping up, Roy grabbed his jacket as he headed out the door and across the bullpen as Lee followed him, ordering over his shoulder as he moved through the bullpen, "Tom, radio the responding units, tell them that they are not to move in until I get there."

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Struggling to his feet, clutching his shoulder, Quintin ignored the warm blood that trickled between his fingers as he staggered to the door, reaching it just in time to see the two cops flee into the forest with his two men following closely behind and to hear Davids shout to Yates. "Come on, they went this way!" as they disappeared into the forest.

Hesitating a moment to look back over his shoulder at his wounded boss standing in the doorway of the cabin, watching them, Yates turned and followed Davids as he asked a little skeptical, "Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure!" Davids growled over his shoulder at his partner, as he leaped over a fallen tree, "Now hurry up before they get away."

"I don't know why Quintin trusted Keller in the first place," Yates puffed breathlessly as he climbed over the tree and begun to follow his partner deeper into the forest, "Even when he was in the joint, the guy was nothing more than a no-good drunk who was only interested in what he could rip off for himself."

"I don't know why either and I ain't going to ask, but what I do know is Keller is a dead man when Quintin finds him and so are his kid and the other cop," Davids puffed as he paused and looked around, searching for some signs that the two wayward cops had come this way.

"Do you think the kid's really in on stealing the diamonds with his old man like he said he was or do ya think Keller teamed up with his partner?" Yates frowned.

"Look, Yates, I don't know, and I don't care. All I care about is my split. But I do know if we don't find Keller's kid and his partner fast, they won't be the only ones who will end up dead. So, come on, man, stop flapping your jaw and help me find them. The boss ain't too happy that we let them got away."

"It wasn't my fault; Keller's kid took me by surprise," Yates sighed.

"Yeah, I know. The kid's got more guts and spunk in him than him than his father has ever had," Davids answered distractedly as he continued to scan the forest.

Yates sighed again as he looked around at the trees and ferns that surrounded them, "You don't think that they can really get away, do ya, Bobby? I'm sure the boss managed to hit the older…"

Ignoring his partner's inane chattering, Bobby Davids froze as he found himself staring at several wet burgundy spots on one of the fronds of a large fern. Hurrying across, he wiped the tacky wet spots with his finger before lifting his finger closely and looking at the red stain in the dim forest light. He grinned as he suddenly took off under the undergrowth, leaping over ferns and fallen logs, leaving his surprised partner to follow, as he yelled excitedly over his shoulder, "I found blood drops, they're this way. One of them's bleedin'. They can't have gotten too far."

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Stumbling, for what felt like the hundredth time, over another tree root, Steve sunk to his knees, unable to catch his breath. He felt Mike try and lift him back to his feet and he weakly pushed the older man's hands away as he shook his head. "I…I can't, Mike, … I…I can't run anymore."

"Come on, Steve, just a little bit further." Mike softly tried to encourage him, reaching for his arm again, ignoring the pain that flared in his own side, sending white hot shards of pain through his side as his injured muscles protested at the movement and he felt the warm sensation of blood trickling down his side. Hearing the distant sound of running feet and voices drawing closer, he grabbed Steve's arm and started to lift him up again as he whispered urgently, "Come on Buddy boy, we have to get out of here."

Drawing as deep a breath as he could into his burning chest, Steve shook his head again as he pulled his arm free, "I … I can't, Mike." he whispered breathlessly, blinking away the dark spots that danced in his vision. Pushing the gun, he still held tightly, into Mike's hand, he tried to push Mike away as he begged, "Take this and go…Get out of here… while you… still have a chance, Mike…Leave me here…"

"No way, Steve, there's no way I'm not going to leave you…" Mike protested vehemently as he again grabbed Steve's arm and pulled Steve roughly up onto his feet as he heard someone's muffled shout, "I found blood drops, they're this way!"

"Damn it, … Mike, what… are you doing?" Steve frustrated gasp ended in a choking cough as Mike wrapped his arm around his shoulder and held it tightly, refusing to let it go. Steve struggled to get free from Mike's hold. "I told you… to get…out of…here," Steve sobbed desperately as Mike's hold on him tightened.

"And I told you that I am not going to leave you behind, Buddy boy," Mike told Steve firmly. Gritting his teeth, with one hand gripping Steve's arm that was encircling his shoulders as his other hand, clutching the gun Steve had given him, wrapped around Steve's waist, supporting him and holding him up as the younger man faltered and stumbled with each step, Mike headed deeper into the thick undergrowth as the sound of voices and running footsteps from somewhere behind them drew closer.

Struggling to stay on his feet as he fought for each small breath, he was able to pull into his tortured lungs, Steve gave up fighting and tried his best to keep up with Mike as they began to run again through the undergrowth.