A/N : Some violence on this chapter. Nothing graphic, but it could be disturbing to some. Please be warned.

CHAPTER TEN

Valerie's car pulled up in front of Heusaff's office, followed closely by Peter's car. All four of them got out and proceeded to check for a sign that there was anyone inside. The office appeared to be abandoned. Peter tried the door, but it was locked.

"Peter, look away. I insist." Neal told him.

"What? Why?" Peter asked.

"Because I'm about to do something you would not approve of." Neal answered.

Peter reluctantly turned away, Neal then proceeded to pick the lock of the door.

"Okay, you can turn around now." Neal said.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Let's go." he said.

Peter and Valerie pulled out their weapons, before proceeding. Peter went inside first, going to the left, followed behind by Valerie, who went to the right.

"Clear!" Peter said.

"Clear!" Valerie replied.

Peter and Valerie concealed their weapons again and motioned for Neal and Alex to come in. Once they were all inside, they proceeded to look around the office. It was a fairly small office. It had a chair and a desk with a phone that doesn't work, very drab wallpaper and an empty file cabinet.

"Hardly looks like an office." Neal observed.

"That's because it isn't. Magda said that this is a laboratory." Peter told him.

"There must be another room in here somewhere." Valerie said. She looked at Alex, who look apprehensive about the whole office. "What is it?" she asked her friend.

"No mirrors anywhere." Alex replied.

"Why is that so important?" Peter asked her.

Alex looked at him. "You'd be surprised at the things you can do when you don't have to look at yourself in the mirror." she answered cryptically, before she continued to look around.

They continued to observed what else was in the office. Towards the middle of the room, Alex noticed a small coffee table with a glass of juice in it, indicating that there was somebody had been in there recently. Alex stared at the glass intently and noticed something odd about it. The contents of the glass were uneven, which meant that either the room was slanted or the floors were tilted.

"I think I found it." Alex told them.

She immediately pushed the table off and pulled the rug out from under it, exposing a concealed door in the floor. She pulled on the handle and lifted it, revealing a secret passage that led down to the basement. Peter went down the stairs first, behind him was Valerie. Alex and Neal followed them closely.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw the laboratory that Magda told them about. They inspected the room from wall to wall and found Heussaff's desk. Valerie looked inside the drawers and found the two remaining statues.

"Alex, come here and take a look at these." Valerie told her.

Alex walked towards her and took one of the statues from Valerie. She looked at it closely and thoroughly. "The last one that Neal and I recovered was Isis, goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility. These would be the last remaining two statues. That one you're holding is the statue of Atum, creator of the world." she informed them. She held out the other statue in her hand. "This is the last piece, Seth, the god of storm, darkness, war and chaos." she added.

"He wouldn't just leave it here in this place though. Not after everything he did just to get them back." Neal stated.

"No, he wouldn't." Alex answered.

Alex pressed her thumbs on the statues eyes. It clicked open, revealing the inside of the statue. It was empty...the GX-42 that was supposed to be contained inside was gone. Valerie did the same thing to the other statue. Again, it was also empty. Sivan Heussaff was now in possession of two spheres of GX-42.

"This is bad! He could do a lot of damage even with just those two spheres." Valerie said, as they continued to look around for any more clues.

Peter took out his phone and called Diana. "Diana, I need you to call Special Agent Gardner and have him send a team here 198 Chambers Street." he told her. "Also, tell Jones to put out an APB for Sivan Heussaff. Make sure they have the recent photograph. And let NYPD know that there's a massive manhunt for this lunatic. He is currently carrying chemical weapons on him. We're gonna need all the help we can get." he added, before hanging up.

Neal noticed something in the trash. It was a piece of paper that was burnt, most probably Heussaff's attempt to cover up his tracks. He picked it up and inspected it carefully. It was part of a map of the New York City Subway.

"I know where he's headed." Neal said. "He's going to Time Square." he told them, as he showed them a piece of the map.

Valerie took out her phone and called Agent Calvin, and started spouting out orders. "Agent Calvin, I need you to coordinate with Agent Davies from CTD and Keith Bauer from DHS. Tell them Heussaff now has two of the GX-42 spheres in his possession, and that he is headed towards the New York City Subway Station. Tell Agent Cohen to get the team together and head over there. I want agents on foot to cover all points in Time Square, from intersections of 42nd Street, Seventh Avenue, and Broadway. I want HazChem containment units on standby. We have weapons of mass destruction headed in that area." Valerie told her agent before hanging up.

She looked at Peter and Neal. "You two wait till the WMDD team gets here. Make sure to tell them to 'SANITIZE' the area. They'll know what that means." Valerie told them.

"Hold on! We're coming with you!" Peter contradicted.

"Look, Peter, we don't have time to argue. Just this once, do as I say!" Valerie ordered, before leaving Heussaff's laboratory. Alex followed her closely behind.

When Valerie and Alex arrived at the scene, they were met by Agent Cohen to brief them. They were joined by Agent Davies and Bauer, who informed Valerie of the plan.

"We have NYPD officers from twelve different precincts patrolling all the entrance and exits, as well as all the lines and shuttle transfers underground." Bauer told her.

"I got my people covering half the station complex and your team covering the other half. ESU is here to provide us with any help we need." Agent Davies informed Valerie.

"Thank you, gentlemen." Valerie said. "Anybody spots Heussaff, be advised to proceed with caution. He is mentally unstable, we don't know what he is capable of. Those two spheres that he is carrying is enough to kill at least a million people, so for God's sake, don't let him anywhere near water!" Valerie told them before joining her team.

Peter and Neal arrived at the scene half an hour later, after giving the WMDD team Valerie's specific instructions. Agents and police officers and K-9 units, along with the angry pedestrians mobbed Time Square. NYPD were doing their best to do crowd control. Amidst all the chaos, they found Jones and Diana, who ushered them inside the municipal van.

"What's the status?" Peter asked them once inside.

"We got NYPD officers manning the entrance and exits. Some of them are on foot with K-9 units underground. We got CTD and UNSC on detail along with ESU covering the areas underground." Jones briefed him.

"Bauer from Homeland Security is in the UNSC van. He is the point person up here. Chief Vega and Agent Davies are the team leaders underground. We've been ordered to stay behind the yellow line until told otherwise." Diana informed him. "Basically, boss...we got benched." she added.

While Jones and Diana briefed Peter more information about the plans, Neal watch the monitors. He saw Alex come out of the UNSC van, zipping up her jacket partially covering her face. She stealthily managed to sneak past a few of the officers and made her way down the 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal express station.

Alex, what are you doing? Neal thought to himself.

He looked around at the van. Everyone was too busy and preoccupied with the operation in progress. It wasn't too difficult for Neal to sneak out of the van and follow Alex.

Once they were done discussing, Peter turned around to look for his CI. "Neal,-" he started to say, before finding out that Neal was gone. Peter looked at Jones and Diana. "Where the hell did he go? Find me Caffrey, now!" Peter ordered them.

Neal followed Alex down the express station, running as fast as he could to try and keep up.

"Alex!" he called her.

"Caffrey...what are you doing here?" Alex asked him.

"Following you!" Neal replied. "Come on, let's go back up and let the experts handle this." he told Alex. He was frustrated when he saw her continue to move forward. He followed her again.

"Why are you here anyway?" Neal asked her.

"I'm trying to help Valerie apprehend a mad scientist." Alex replied.

"Yes, but why HERE?" Neal pressed.

"You don't take the subway do you?" Alex asked him. "If you did, then you would know that this is the only terminal around this area that has fully functional restrooms." Alex informed Neal. "Heussaff needs water for the GX-42...this is where he'll be." Alex added.

As Alex predicted, Sivan Heussaff, who was wearing dark glasses and black clothing, proceeded to go to the restrooms. He stopped on his tracks once he saw police officers guarding the entrances, then he slowly backed off and ran away. Neal told the officers about Heussaff, while Alex ran after the scientist.

Alex spoke through her comlink. "Vega, I have the subject spotted down here at the IND Eighth Avenue line. Currently in pursuit near the tracks of the A train." Alex informed the UNSC team as she ran after the Heussaff. Neal was right behind her.

Heussaff stopped running all of a sudden and looked at the two who was chasing him. Alex and Neal thought he was about to give himself up, then he smiled that evil smile. They saw where he was standing. He was right next to a drinking fountain. Heussaff took his gloved hands out of his pockets and held out two silver spheres. He was planning to release the GX-42 right there.

Neal knew that they needed to buy some time until the rest of the teams get there. He started talking to Heussaff.

"Nobody needs to die today." Neal told the scientist. "Just tell us your demands and we'll do our best to give them to you." he said, trying to keep his calm.

"You think I'm stupid? I've worked in your government long enough to know that you people don't negotiate with-" Heussaff said, before stopping himself.

"With what?" Alex asked him. "Terrorists? Is that what you were about to say, Mr. Heussaff? Because right now, that is exactly what you are!" she added.

"It's PROFESSOR Heussaff! I've earned that! They can't take that away from me!" he snarled. "I've spent most of my entire career making sure that this country is defended. Making sure that the troops are properly armed whenever they go to battle. You'd think that they'd be grateful!" Heussaff screamed.

"What is it that you want, sir?" Neal asked him.

"I wanted to arm this country!" the madman replied. "There's a new war coming, far worse than the last one! I wanted to prepare you all! Save your lives!" he rambled. "What did I get in return?" he asked. "I was fired from my job, and was labeled as a lunatic by my peers! This is the thanks I get? I warned them! They didn't listen! Today is the day that I make them sorry for the wrong decision they made!" he added.

"You can't kill all these people." Neal told him, looking at the passengers who were still inside the subway, oblivious to what was going on. "These people have done nothing wrong to you." he said.

"I believe your government calls that 'collateral damage'." Heussaff replied. "Not that they're a such a great loss anyway! Have you seen 'America's Got Talent'? These useless people will finally serve their purpose! The deaths of these people will let the world know that I was right." he laughed maniacally. "I will be vindicated. I die, but my creation will go on!" he told him.

"Your creation? You mean your research? I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, but your research has been destroyed." Neal told him. "We found your hidden lab in Chambers Street. I was there when the WMDD unit incinerated everything." he informed Heussaff.

Heussaff growled in anger. "You ruined everything!" he yelled. "It doesn't matter. I can still kill all of us. And you have no one else to blame but your government!" he said.

"Wrong! Our blood will be on your hands." Alex told him. "The world will forever view you as a mass murderer. That is how you'll be know by your daughter!" she informed him.

"I have no daughter!" Heussaff snarled at her. "This is one of your tricks!" he said.

"We met Magda!" Neal told him. "She was pregnant with your child when she left you. You have a three-month old daughter named Fleur." he informed the madman. "Don't let this be the legacy that you leave her!" he pleaded.

"Fleur?" Heussaff asked. "Too bad..." he said, as he shook his head. "She's just gonna have to learn to live with life's disappointments!" he added, right before dropping the spheres into the drinking fountain. He pressed his foot on the pedal, but NO WATER CAME OUT.

Neal smiled. "While we were busy talking, the New York City Water Services turned off all the water pipes around this area. So that drinking fountain is currently out of service." Neal informed him.

All of a sudden, Peter showed up, along with Jones and Diana as well as some uniformed police officers from the NYPD.

"Freeze, Heussaff! Hands where I can see them!" Peter warned the scientist.

Heussaff held his hands up. Jones handcuffed him. Diana read him his rights, and he was about to be led away, when he stopped in front of Neal. "You think you're so clever." he said to Neal with an evil smile.

Diana urged him to continue walking. She handed him over to the another agent, accompanied by two police officers.

Neal looked at Alex and smiled. "Not a bad job for a couple of 'consultants'." he said. Alex laughed with him.

What occurred next happened very quickly. They all heard Heussaff yell. He had picked the locks of his handcuffs and was struggling with the officers who held him captive. He managed to grab one of the officers gun, and then aimed it at Neal and fired the weapon.

Neal felt someone push him down of the ground. He looked up and saw that it was Alex. The bullet connected and hit Alex right on the chest.

Seconds later, two more shots were fired. This time, it was from Valerie's gun. She had shot Heussaff in the heart and then right between the eyes. Heussaff's lifeless body crumpled on the ground.

Neal ran immediately and held Alex's body in his arms. Her eyes were closed and she remained motionless. He was then joined by Peter and Valerie, who knelt down on the ground beside Neal.

Alex softly coughed and slowly opened her eyes. She noticed everyone looking at her, and she tried to get up. She winced in pain and touched her chest.

"Hey, don't move! You just got shot!" Neal told her, his concern clearly visible on his face, especially in his eyes.

"I'm fine, Caffrey." she assured him. "Help me up." she said. Neal and Valerie both helped her stand up. She unzipped her jacket, revealing her Kevlar vest. She looked at Valerie. "I listen to you every once in a while." she told her friend, before coughing again.

"You sure you're alright?" Neal asked her.

"Yeah. Feels like I got kicked by a mule, but I'll live." Alex assured him. "You can use the body bag on him." she said, motioning towards Heussaff's corpse.

Alex turned to face Valerie. "Thank you." she told her.

"Don't mention it." Valerie replied.

Neal held Alex's face. "Thanks. You saved me again." he said.

Alex smiled. "It's what we do." she replied. She pulled away from Neal and joined Valerie's side.

Valerie looked at Peter. "Thank you for coming to the rescue, Agent Burke." she told him.

"Just doing my job, Chief Vega." Peter replied.

"Riiight..." Alex spoke. "Now that we've all thanked each other, how about we all get out of here now?" she asked.

Peter sat in his office. He just finished typing up his report regarding the Heussaff case. The UNSC team, along with the FBI and DHS have concluded the investigation and considered the case closed. Valerie and her team finalized their reports as well, and were packing up their equipments and getting ready to leave. Just then, someone knocked at his door.

"Come in." Peter answered.

Alex went inside his office. "You requested to see me, Agent Burke?" she asked.

"Yes, Alex. Please, sit down." Peter told her.

Alex sat down on one of the chairs. "What's this about?" she asked again.

"How are you? Everything alright? Are you breathing better now?" Peter asked her.

"Yes, everything's fine. I got a couple of bruised ribs, but other than that, nothing too serious." Alex answered.

"Good." Peter said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Alex...I wanted to thank you for saving Neal's life." he told her.

Alex held her hand up. "No need, Peter." she replied. "Neal and I, we've known each other too long. We have too much history. We may not always be on each others side, but when worse comes to worst, he's got my back and I got his. It's what we do." Alex told him.

Peter nodded. "Which is why it's hard for me to say this, and it will be harder for you to hear it." he said. He looked at Alex straight in the eyes. "I need you to stay away from Neal, Alex." he told her.

"Excuse me?" Alex asked, confused at what he said.

Peter leaned back on his chair and sighed, before he continued. "You have done nothing but cause trouble for Neal ever since the two of you met. You were the one who brought him along in pursuit of the music box that turned his world upside down. Every time you come back in his life, you bring danger with you. Whether it's stealing from the Italian Consulate, running from the Detroit mob, breaking into a Federal agent's apartment, getting kidnapped by Adler...it's always something! And you always drag Neal along with you! That needs to stop! You almost got him killed today! He followed you down that subway station, disregarding his own safety, because he was worried about you. I don't know why, but for some odd reason, you seem to have a hold on him. I'm telling you now, if you care about Neal at all, you'll stay away from him. He's on a path of making himself a better person...don't lead him astray." Peter told her.

There was silence inside Peter's office for a while. Alex just sat there and let his words sink in, but didn't answer him. Finally, she looked at him and nodded in understanding. With that, she stood up, headed towards the door and left his office.

Moments later, there was another knock on his door. This time, it was Valerie.

"Hey there. You have a minute?" Valerie asked him.

"Yeah, sure. Sit down, please." Peter answered.

"No, it's okay. This won't take long." Valerie said. "I just wanted to thank you for all the assistance on this case." she told him. "I know that my team and I, we're not exactly the easiest people to work with. I appreciate all of the courtesy you've extended." she added.

"You're welcome, Chief Vega." Peter told her.

"We're all packed up and ready to go. We're headed to the airport first thing tomorrow morning. We'll all be out of your hair soon." Valerie informed him.

"Well...it was nice working with you." Peter said graciously.

Valerie nodded. She looked at Peter's desk and saw Elizabeth's photo. "She's lovely, Peter." Valerie said. "You're wife is very lovely." she added. "Are you happy?" she asked him.

"Very." Peter replied.

"That's good. I wanted nothing more but happiness for you." Valerie told him. She started to head for the door, but then changed her mind. She walked back towards his desk.

"I was at your wedding. I didn't want it to turn into a Spanish telenovela, so I kept myself hidden...but I was at your wedding. I saw how good she was with you, and I saw how happy you were with her and I felt glad that the two of you found each other." Valerie revealed to him.

Peter was about to say something, but Valerie waved her hand to stop him. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Believe me when I tell you this, Peter Burke. You were that one part of my life that was the hardest to let go off." she told him. "In my head, I had these doubts on whether or not I did the right thing when I left you." she added.

Then she looked at him straight in the eye. "It took tonight for me to realize that I made the right decision all along." she said.

She saw the look of confusion in Peter's face, and she continued. "I heard you talking to Alex earlier, Peter. I see a lot of myself in her. Believe me, she's not as bad as you make her out to be." she told him. "After listening to your little sermon, I realized...that could've been me. If you and I have gotten married...if I have never left you, THAT is what my life would've been like. I would've never been accepted as your wife. I can just see your friends and colleagues. Every look filled with disapproval...every word dripping with disdain. That was how you treated Alex, who's only fault was sharing a past with Caffrey and having a career that you don't approve of." she stated.

Valerie stared at Peter straight in the eye. "Thank you, Peter. Now I can rest easy, knowing that I made the right choice. Have a good life." she said, before heading towards the door.

"Carol...wait!" Peter stopped her.

She turned back. "No, Peter...it's Valerie, remember? Carol died a long, long time ago." she told him, as she opened the door and left his office.

Valerie went to find Alex, who was sitting in the dark, waiting for her.

"You good to go?"Alex asked Valerie once she saw her approaching.

"Yes. But I don't want go back to the hotel just yet." Valerie answered. "This is your neck of the woods. Tell me...where can a girl go to have some fun?" she asked Alex.

"Depends on what kind of fun you have in mind." Alex answered.

"Surprise me." Valerie told her, as they both headed out the door.

Neal went to the conference room that was UNSC's makeshift office. He looked inside and was disappointed to find it empty.

Peter appeared out of nowhere. "They left over an hour ago. Their job here is done and they're headed for the airport first thing tomorrow morning." he told Neal.

Neal was dismayed that he didn't get to say a proper goodbye to Alex. He looked at Peter. "I think I'll head home now." he told his friend.

"It's still early." Peter said. "You wanna go grab a beer or something?" he asked Neal, who was reluctant at first. "Come on! El is still out of town. All I got waiting for me at home is Satchmo. Help a guy out, will you? Where can we go tonight to have some fun?" Peter asked him.

"Depends on your definition of fun." Neal replied.

"Surprise me." Peter told him, as they both headed towards the elevators.

~FINI~

FOOTNOTES :

*I'm not an expert...I have no idea on what the proper procedures are regarding with incidents involving WMDs.

*I had trouble getting inside a mad scientist's head...if you didn't like that part, it's okay. I didn't have fun writing it.

*To all those who requested an El/Valerie meeting, sorry to disappoint you guys. It just didn't fit in my story.

*Thank you for taking time to read this story. To those who liked it, you kept my morale strong. To those who hated it, you gave me a good learning experience. Hope you still read the stories I write in the future.