A/N: Here comes the cavalry :D
"So, you're saying more origami stars have been found?"
Captain Kliss nodded as he sipped his morning coffee. "Yup. You know, it's amazing those little suckers weren't blown clear across the state, but every couple of miles or so, my men have found 'em along I-25 all the way to the Colorado border. Unbelievable, huh?"
Have a little faith, Mer.
Mary shrugged. "Have a little faith, Captain. What about once they crossed the state line? Any trace of the stars then?"
"Well, I've notified CPD, of course, but looking for paper stars along the highway isn't high on their-"
"We're talking about kidnapping of a minor and a US Marshall for-"
"Easy, Mary," Stan soothed.
"Chief Inspector McQueen?" one of the police officers called. "You have a call on Line 2 – it's someone from your office."
"Must be Charlie, maybe he has news on Marshall's phone trace." Stan picked up the phone and hit Line 2 then speaker. "Go ahead, Charlie. I put you on speaker."
"Good morning, everybody! I've got great news. The trace came back on Marshall's phone – it's definitely still on – or it was until it died about an hour ago. Can you believe they didn't turn it off? I mean-"
"Charlie!" Stan and Mary yelled in unison.
"Oh right, sorry. The phone's location is Trinidad Lake State Park."
"That's a large park with lots of remote areas," Kliss put in. "You can't narrow it down further?"
"Did I say I was finished?" Charlie laughed. "The signal is coming from an area on the map labeled 'Madrid Reservoir'."
Kliss had pulled out a state map of Colorado while Charlie was talking and he jabbed a thumb on the location. "I'll get on the horn to the CPD – now it's top priority."
"I'll call the feds," Mary said as she ran to another extension.
"Bring 'em home, Chief," Charlie said.
"Will do, Kid," Stan promised as he signed off.
"We're sure this is it?" Stan asked as the team looked at the cabin from a safe vantage point.
Agent Cain of the FBI nodded. "We've had this area under surveillance for some time, thinking it had to be part of the West Coast operations for the Forelli family but we haven't been able to catch anyone with the goods."
Mary lowered her binoculars. "It doesn't look heavily fortified or have any extra security patrolling the grounds."
"Well, they wouldn't want to attract any unwanted attention from the tourists, would they? I mean, with Trinidad Lake right there? It's too risky."
"What if they're not here? Do you have any other possibilities?"
Agent Cain nodded. "There is one other cabin a few more miles further in but this one has better access to the road and better visibility for people coming and going. I'm telling you, Inspectors, this is it."
Chris looked up when Frankie entered, the aroma of soup preceding him.
"Is it lunch time? I'm not really hungry."
"You should eat something, boss. Isn't that what you keep telling Sadie?"
Chris scowled. "And how is her highness today?"
Frankie shrugged. "Ok, I guess. She still isn't eating."
"Nothing?"
"She ate a couple bites of toast last night after-" Frankie stopped, realizing what he was going to say.
"After what?" Chris eyes narrowed, picking up on his underling's embarrassment. "Frankie, what did you do?"
"Nothing, boss! Well, not much anyway. She wasn't eating and her arm was hurting from where you – well, you know. And I needed to give her some medicine for the pain and she refused saying she only would if I would give her friend some first so-" he swallowed nervously.
"What did you give him?" Chris ground out between clenched teeth.
"Just aspirin, boss. And only that one time."
He glared at Frankie for a minute before shrugging. "Oh well, I suppose that's okay. I mean, the man's got a bullet in his leg. It's not like he's going to suddenly be ready to get up and plan an escape because you gave him aspirin."
Frankie grinned, relieved. "No, boss."
"When does Gina get here?" Chris asked, effectively changing the subject as he took a bite of his sandwich.
"In an hour."
Chris grimaced. "I suppose we better have Sadie back in her room by then. My loving wife won't be happy to know we're keeping the little princess in the cellar."
Frankie shook his head. "Should I do something about her arm? Put it in a sling, maybe?"
Chris thought for a moment. "No, let Gina do that when she gets here. Now, go see if you can get the brat to eat some lunch."
Sadie was scared again. Star had fallen asleep and she couldn't wake him. He was shivering and muttering Grumpy's name in his sleep. The phone had stopped beeping and was no longer working.
The light snapped on and she shoved the phone back inside Mr. Bear as she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. When Frankie appeared and set a food tray on the stairs, her tummy rumbled in hunger.
"Time for lunch," Frankie smiled.
"Star first," she said.
Frankie looked at the unconscious man. "I think he needs to sleep more than eat."
"Star sick again. You make better," Sadie ordered.
Frankie blanched. "I can't."
She shook her head. "Sadie no eat."
"Mary," Marshall murmured.
Sadie turned back to Star and wrapped her good arm around his neck, pressing her cool cheek to his hot one.
"You bad man," she whispered to Frankie.
From upstairs there was a terrible crash that shook the small cabin.
"FBI – freeze!"
Frankie ran for the stairs as Sadie smiled and whispered to Star:
"Grumpy here."
In the study, Mary and Stan were holding their guns on a stunned Chris as the FBI checked the two upstairs bedrooms.
"Hey Stan, I think we found our leak," Mary grinned.
"You wish," Chris sneered. "This is so much bigger and goes so much deeper than you could ever imagine."
Mary rolled her eyes. "What, do you guys all watch the same bad cheesy mafia movies? Now, where are Sadie and Marshall?"
"Boss- what-"
Movement behind her caused Mary to whirl and train her gun on the line backer charging into the room like a bull and she flinched in surprise.
"Whoa! I was wrong, Stan. There is some security on the grounds."
Frankie raised his hands. "Please don't shoot, lady. Frankie don't like guns."
With a great deal of effort, Mary kept from groaning aloud as she motioned him to join Chris. "Great security detail, jackass. Now, let's go over this one more time – where's the girl?"
"Down here, Inspectors!" Agent Cain called from the cellar.
"Grumpy!" Sadie cried.
Mary's throat constricted as she looked at Stan, who nodded at her to go. But the moment her back was turned, she felt the floor shake. Whirling back around she saw Frankie charging Stan and Chris reaching for his desk drawer. Stan clubbed Frankie on the back of his head with the butt of his gun, knocking him unconscious as Mary leveled her gun at Chris.
"Give me a reason, jackass," she growled.
Chris scowled, pulling out his gun as Mary fired hers. The shot hit him in the upper shoulder, knocking him back into the bookcases.
"GRUMPY!" Sadie screamed.
Mary backed towards the door. "You got this, Stan?"
He nodded. "Go."
Mary thundered down the wooden steps, barely clearing the last one before she felt an arm wrap around her legs.
"Grumpy," Sadie sobbed. "You came."
Mary swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat. "Of course I came, kiddo. I had to get the bad guys and rescue you and Marshall, didn't I?" She ran her fingers through the rat's nest of Sadie's hair, taking in the dirt, tear tracks, and dark circles. "Did they hurt you?"
Sadie trembled against her legs. "My arm."
Mary dropped into a crouch, noticing for the first time how Sadie's right arm was dangling uselessly at her side, and the red handprint on her delicate skin. Anger flamed inside of her as she looked into Sadie's eyes. "Nowhere else?" she asked, her tone insistent.
"No – but Star hurt bad," she said, tugging on Mary's hand.
Mary stood and for the first time her eyes flew across the floor to the dingy cot in the corner on which her partner lay, his body obscured by the FBI agent leaning over him. Swallowing her fear, she took Sadie's good hand and crossed over to his side.
Agent Cain looked up at her approach. "He's alive, Inspector. Bullet's still in his leg – I think it's nicked the femoral artery but I'm no doctor. I've already radioed for medical transport for him and Sadie. Chopper should be here in fifteen to take you to Denver."
Mary nodded. "I'm going with them."
Cain nodded. "Of course. I'll let your boss know." He surrendered his place to her and went back upstairs, leaving them alone with Marshall.
She sat carefully beside him on the sagging cot and picked up one of his hands, trying not to flinch at how hot his skin was to the touch. She smoothed some of his hair back from his forehead. Sadie scampered up onto the cot and sat on the other side of him, next to the wall.
"Mary," he murmured.
"I'm here, Marshall."
"Mary," he murmured.
Sadie tugged on Mary's sleeve. "Kissy kissy," she said.
Mary flushed. "I don't think so, Kiddo. He doesn't even know I'm here right now."
Sadie frowned and gave her a little push. "Kissy kissy," she repeated, more firmly this time.
Because she needed the contact after fearing she might have lost him, and because there was still a little girl inside of her that wanted to believe she could awaken her prince with a kiss, Mary leaned down and touched her lips to his. She flinched at how hot they were, but at the same time, her blood warmed to feel them against her own again – in reality this time, and not in a dream. When she pulled back, she gasped to see his eyes were open and looking at her, glassy with fever.
"Mer?" he whispered hoarsely. "Is that really you – or am I hallucinating?"
She laughed softly. "Of course it's me, Doofus. Have a little faith."
Off his puzzled look, she leaned down and kissed him again.
Behind them, Sadie giggled. "No kissy kissy."
From a safe vantage point five miles away, Gina lowered her field glasses and picked up her burn phone. She tapped her fingernails in irritation as she waited.
"Hello?"
"It's me."
"Problem?"
Gina laughed. "I'll say there's a problem. The feds just raided the cabin at Trinidad."
The voice on the other end muttered curses. "Chris and Frankie?"
"Captured, of course."
"And Sadie?"
"Back in the protective custody of the US Marshals."
There was a pause before the voice continued. "You know, I don't know why Tony didn't come to you instead of your husband-"
Gina laughed bitterly. "Because he's a male chauvinist pig, that's why."
"Well, I'm not going to make the same mistake."
"As my brother, you're a little biased."
"No, as your brother, I just know what you're capable of. Now, do you know where they're taking Sadie?"
Twenty-four hours.
Mary rubbed her eyes wearily. She couldn't wrap her mind around how much had happened within the past twenty-four hours. Marshall and Sadie had been abducted, shot, emotionally and physically abused, and then rescued. As she downed her third cup of bad hospital coffee, she glanced again at the sleeping girl. Sadie was curled up on one of the sofas in the waiting room, her right upper arm in a splint, the sling on a table in front of her. The doctor had said that it was a mid-shaft humerus fracture – and the only thing to do was wait for it to heal. He had prescribed children's Tylenol for the pain and given Mary a splint and sling and sent them on their way.
Mary wanted to break Chris' neck – if not for Sadie's arm, then most definitely for her partner's leg.
Marshall had been rushed straight to trauma and shortly afterwards to surgery. He had been given a pint and a half of blood. The bullet had nicked the femoral artery, just as Agent Cain had suspected, and was still in his leg. Mary had been pacing and praying for hours when the door from the patient wing finally whooshed open and Dr. McNailley came out, the front of his gown fresh with blood.
"Family of Marshall Mann?"
"I'm his partner and – his next of kin, Mary Shannon."
"Please sit down, Miss Shannon."
She blanched and swayed on her feet. "Is he-"
Dr. McNailley reached out a steadying hand. "He's fine, Miss Shannon."
Mary collapsed into a chair. "Don't scare me like that."
"His recovery will be a long one, however. That bullet was inside his leg almost a full day, without the benefit of antibiotics or the wound being cleansed. He's one very lucky man that you reached him when you did. Otherwise the infection would have spread and we might have had to amputate his leg below the knee."
Mary swallowed heavily and tears swam behind her eyes. Yup, I definitely should have killed Chris when I had the chance. If I ever see that bastard again, I'm going to. . . .
"Miss Shannon?"
"I'm sorry, you were saying?"
"Just that he was already coming around when I left recovery and he was asking for you."
Mary smiled. "How soon can he travel?"
Dr. McNailley frowned. "I don't think it's wise to move him for a couple of days at the earliest. That wound needs a chance to finish closing up and he's on a pretty heavy round of antibiotics."
"We can't stay here, doctor. Too many people knew this is where we were headed – isn't there any way we can transport him to a new location and I can be shown how to care for him?"
Dr. McNailley's frown deepened. "Well, we could induce a coma – but it's risky. You'd need to sign a waiver so the hospital wouldn't be held responsible."
Mary nodded. "Of course. Thank you."
Stan stood with Mary at the small airport on the outskirts of Denver, handing her the new ID's and other necessary credentials.
"Promise you'll be in touch?"
"Of course, Stan. As soon as he wakes up, I'm sure Marshall will want to give you a full debrief of what happened."
Stan nodded. "Looks like you're getting your wish to go with him."
She watched as the medical personnel loaded an unconscious Marshall into the plane and sighed. "I never wanted it to be this way, Stan, and you know it. But we're partners and I think you know that there's no one else I trust to watch his back – especially now."
Sadie came bounding over, releasing Alison's hand. "Go now?" she asked as she grabbed Mary's hand.
Mary looked Alison, seeing the conflicting emotions in her eyes. "Are you-"
"I'm fine, Inspector. Just – be careful," she cleared her throat and walked away.
Mary turned back to Stan. "I'm sorry I can't stay and help you find the leak, Stan."
"Keeping Marshall and Sadie safe is top priority now, too," Stan insisted. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Be safe."
Mary saluted him. "Will do."
Behind them, the airplane engines roared to life.
"Stan?"
"Yes, Mary?"
Her eyes darted to where Alison was watching them from the hangar. "Keep an eye on her. I still don't trust her."
"Don't worry, Mary. Aside from Charlie, the only two people I do trust are getting on a plane bound for an unknown location."
"Careful, chief," Mary wagged a finger at him. "You're starting to sound like me." She and Sadie turned to run for the plane.
"God forbid!" Stan called after them.
A/N : So who's Gina? And who's she talking to? And what about Sadie's mom, Carmen - is she going to wake up?
For those of you who might be thinking we're in the home stretch - we're not! We're only about halfway through. Reviews are LOVE!