Marcus Clark parked his car in directly behind Dr. Foster's, on the far outskirts of the property, and all the other cars followed suit. He had had cases like this before, but hardly of this magnitude. Hostage situations were usually carried out by amateur criminals, not serial killers hell-bent on revenge, so they had to, as they say, proceed with caution.

Two seasoned officers climbed out of the car behind him, followed by a pair of rookies from the other, and Clark started to form a strategy in his mind. Obviously, the three members of the Lightman group couldn't go in first, they were the only ones unarmed, but he didn't necessarily just want to barge in anyway. They needed a certain degree of stealth, especially if there were two potentially armed and definitely dangerous criminals holding Dr. Lightman.

"Riley, get the two extra vests out of the car." One of the younger cops, who hadn't been on the force for more than a year, reached into the car for two bullet-proof vests. "Two of you, put those on and keep the third one behind you." He pointed at Torres, Loker, and Gillian. Gillian and Loker slipped on the vests, pulling Torres behind them like they were a shield.

"We're going to skirt around the perimeter, you three stay behind us. Wait before you shoot." Clark pulled his own gun out of his holster and started around the driveway, moving around what must have been a smokehouse at some point in its early life. "Riley, Calhoun, take the other side, you three stay with me."

Hutchinson knew they were coming. He saw them long before he knew they would realize he could see them from the attic window. If he had learned one thing, it was that cops had the ability to be highly obnoxious and incredibly stupid all at once. He held a .44 in his hands, fully loaded and ready to fire, while Daniel, who stood at the other window, was holding the long rifle.

He watched as they crossed the yard in what he assumed should have been a stealth maneuver, had it not been so blatantly visible. "I'll get Lightman and meet them outside." And with that, he headed down the stairs, wondering if maybe he should have just shot them before they had a chance to get to the house. But what fun was that?

Foster was glued to Loker's side at this point, neither one of them breathing regularly with anxiety and a certain level of dread. It was less than two minutes before they actually reached the house, Clark and the other two cops were moving at a steady rate across the property, their guns pulled out, ready to fire at first sight of Hutchinson.

Then, just as they moved to the last open patch leading to the house, Gillian saw them. "Wait!" She grabbed Loker and Clark, who was getting ready to sprint towards the house. He turned around to yell something at her, but she pushed him to look at the house. It was Hutchinson all right. And Cal.

With a gun pushed into his neck.

No one moved, even in his exhausted, half-conscious state, Cal knew that. He could see Foster, Loker, and Torres standing not a hundred yards from him, along with two cops and the head of the F.B.I. who name he couldn't remember. Cal was sure they weren't the only cops here, but he wasn't really concentrating on that right now. He was a little preoccupied with the gun on his neck.

"Do you agree to the terms?" Hutchinson yelled, his grip tightening around Cal's upper body, pulling at the cuts on his chest. "Give me a signed release form and you can have him!"

"I can't do that Andrew!" the F.B.I man answered, stepping forward a few yards, Foster, Loker, and Torres in close pursuit. "The state won't let you walk free, not after this, and you know it."

"Give them to me, or he dies." He pushed Lightman just far enough forward to emphasize his point, still having his gun pointed at his head and his arm holding him in place. Lightman looked up at his "rescuers" and immediately sought out Foster's gaze. But she wasn't looking at him; she was looking at the man who had refused Hutchinson's request with horror and shock on her face, obviously not understanding.

"Touch him and I'll shoot." The F.B.I. man raised his gun, and all of sudden his name came back to Cal. Marcus Clark, the bastard who got promoted because he sold out the old captain of the law enforcement division.

"Fair enough." Hutchinson took a step back towards the house, pulling Cal with him, using him as a shield in case Clark decided to pull the trigger. Cal's ribs screamed in protest as his captors arm dug into them, but he had no choice but to go with him. "Daniel!"

A single shot fired, followed by a horrible scream and a dull thud.

When Cal looked up, he saw the body of Marcus Clark laying on the ground, blood pouring out of the bullet wound in his head even though he was already dead, his pistol lying on the grass by his side.

"Now. Somebody get me my papers."

(A/N) Hope it was worth the wait, and i was excited to see how many people were reviewing. I love all of them, signed or annoymous, so just keep sending :)