"No," she trailed off, steadying herself on the counter. "He wants my baby?"

"Max," Jimmy said, hearing the trauma in her voice. "Yes, he's asking for Caroline and the baby."

"He can't have her."

"Of course he can't. He can't have you either. I need you to talk to him. He thinks you're Caroline."

She felt Kenny's arms come around her, practically holding her up. "I can't…he…no. I can't do this."

"Skeeter is bleeding out on the floor."

He saved me, delivered my baby, her mind raced. My friend. Kenny's partner. He did this to me…no. I can't. I can't leave my girls again. "What?"

"One phone call. You can do it. I know what he did to you."

Deep breath, focus. Don't let him destroy you. For my girls. Kenny, he won't…One phone call. It's how it starts. "Okay. When?"

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"What?" Zach said. "Mom! I have to tell her."

"She's detoxing," Jill said. "She doesn't need this."

"You haven't even told Kenny and Max."

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Kenny watched her for a long moment, as they waited for the phone ring. Her head in her hands, barely keeping it together. "Max."

She looked up, fighting back her tears. "I don't want to do this."

"I know."

"I can do this."

"You can do anything."

"Don't go?"

"I'm never leaving you," he promised, keeping his arms around her. "I got your back."

She bit her lip, as the phone rang. "Okay. Hello?"

"I'm going to patch you through," Jimmy said, hoping he doing the right thing. "Max, you ready?"

No, she thought, gripping Kenny's hand. "Yeah. Do it."

"Caroline?"

She physically winced, sinking into Kenny. Do it. Skeeter just delivered Chloe. "Hi, Michael."

"Oh, where are you? Where is our baby? I need you."

Stick to the story. "I'm safe. I needed to get away for awhile, for the baby. Michael, what's going on? Why are you doing this?"

"I need you. Bring our baby."

Max gulped, thinking of Skeeter possibly dying. No, I can't. "I can't. The doctors won't let me leave. Michael, come to me. Let those people go, and come to me."

"No! You get here now. We're leaving. You have two hours, Caroline, or you'll regret it."

"Hello?" she asked, the dial tone. "Michael."

"You're not going anywhere."

She looked up at him. "How can I do nothing? It's my fault."

"It's his fault. He kidnapped you. You're not leaving this house," he stated, as the phone rang. "You're barely functioning. Do not move. Hello?"

"How is she?" Jimmy asked.

Shaky, pale, lost, he thought, actually thinking of doing this. No, she's a wreck, She just had a baby. "Oh, she's been better."

"Two hours isn't a lot of time. He's bleeding out."

"You are not sending her in there. She's…not this time."

"Kenny?" Max asked softly, her voice cracking. "He's our friend. I can't let him die."

"And I can't let you die," he stated. "I just got you back."

My overprotective, coddling, husband, who I love more then my own life. "He won't hurt me. He had two weeks to. He wants Caroline."

"You are not her."

She pulled out her hair elastic, letting her hair fall out. "I can be."

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"Michael has a restraining order. I know what he did to Max, but it's still valid. She can't go there."

"But it's where she wants to go," Zach stated. "He kidnapped Max."

"They all need time to sort it out."

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"Max, forget it," Kenny said, standing up and looking at her, after they hung up. "I'm putting my foot down on this one."

"He's your partner."

"And you're my wife."

"The guy that was my partner, the guy that I love, would do anything to help his friend."

"Not serving you up on a silver platter. What are you doing?"

"I told him I'd talk to him again," Max said pacing the length of the kitchen. "If he needs to see me, her, Kenny…Do you really think I want to go back in there? That I want to see him? That I don't want to spend all day here with you, our kids, our newest kid. How can I live with it?"

This is why I love her, he thought, even if I hate this. Passionate, reckless, she's traumatized, just had a baby. "Damn it, Max."

"I'm not okay, I think you know that. I need you right now."

He tossed her a coat. "I don't like this."

I don't want to do this, she thought. I want to cuddle with my girls, bond with my baby, be with Kenny, get on an even keel. "Let me go tell them."

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"What's this?" Max asked, as Jimmy handed her a bag. Ignoring the prying eyes, she longed to sink back into Kenny's arms, go home, my baby. No, my friend. I can do this.

"Caroline's clothes. He had closets full of them," he said, taking in her sweat pants, fleece, winter boots and pony tail. "You won't pass for Caroline like that."

She froze. "You want me to wear this?"

"He wants you to be her."

She shuddered, taking the bag. I'm me. Kenny is worried. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Talk him down. Be his wife."

"He wants my baby."

Jimmy looked at his deputy, former deputy, he thought, carefully. Trauma, he thought, that's what all over her face. Stubborn, determined, but she is severely traumatized. Looking over at Kenny, and he is not happy. "That'll never happen, Max."

She shuddered, trying not to think about the last two weeks. "Where can I get changed?"

Jimmy pointed to the bathroom, and then waved Kenny over after she left. "She'll be fine."

"Max is so far from fine right now. Caroline's clothes? Do you know what this is going to do to her? You want to send her in there, he has a gun, he thinks she's his dead wife, did you see her expression? Do you have any idea what she's…She shouldn't be doing this. Whoa."

Jimmy followed his gaze, to Max coming out of the bathroom. She does look like her sister.

Curvier, he thought, after just having a baby, I really like her with some more curves. All that blonde hair, the make up, heels, she is a bombshell blonde, Kenny thought. If she didn't look like she was going to burst into tears. Support her. Be there for her. "Hey, Honey."

She looked up at him, fighting the urge to through herself at him. "Don't look so worried."

"Right back at you."

"Here," Jimmy said, handing her a gun, thinking she was probably the last person who should have one at that moment. "You still with us?"

She nodded, trying not to think of her friend dying in there. "I'm ready."

"Max."

She turned back to her husband, wishing she was home. "I'll be okay."

Liar, he thought, she's about to have a total mental breakdown. No, be strong for her, she needs to know I believe in her. "I know you will be. You can do this, Honey."

She nodded, still fighting the urge to flee. Go home. Be a mommy. A wife. Nothing else. Hide. No, go save my friend. "I love you."

"Ah, Max," he said, his heart breaking into a million pieces. "Love you too. It'll be okay."

"I'm ready."

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"Caroline," Michael breathed, as she walked into the room. "Where is our baby?"

"I couldn't bring her in here," Max said, forcing her voice to remain even and looking at his gun. "Not with that in here."

"You think I would hurt our child?" he asked, keeping his gun trained on Dr. Mott and Skeeter. "Come here, Caroline."

He's awake, she thought, seeing the bleeding shoulder wound. Keep him alive, get them out. He wants me. Standing next to the bed. "I'm here. It's just you and me. We don't need them."

"They're our ticket out. Get that wheelchair."

Broken pelvis, she thought, looking at the gun. I can't chance smacking him and have him start shooting. Slow, move slowly. Wait. Wheeling it close to the bed. "Where are we going?"

"To our baby and son. Your bitch sister nearly killed out kids. I want to kill her."

She gulped. Caro, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I can fix this. "I know she did. We'll go find them together. Where is Nathan?"

"When we get out of here."

Bad idea, Skeeter thought, watching his old friend groggily. I can't believe Kenny let her do this. She's shaking. Didn't I just deliver her baby? Caroline. "Hey."

Max shot him a look and willed him to stay silent. "Ignore them, Michael. We don't need them."

"I need you," he breathed, stroking her cheek. "Come here."

Max winced, as he jammed his tongue down her throat and touched her breasts. No, stop…pulling back, she stood up quickly. "We should get going."

"Wait," he said. "Where is our baby?"

"I'll take you to her," Max said, thinking of the tiny Chloe, home with her grandmother and sisters. Never, you'll never touch any of them. I'll kill you first. "Don't you want to go to her?"

"Caroline," he breathed. "Undress for me."

"What?" Max asked, thrown for a loop. "No, not here. Please…I just had a baby, I don't want you to see me all…flabby."

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"She's doing fine," Jimmy said, seeing how tense Kenny was.

"He had her for two weeks. She had a baby two days ago. She's hormonal and traumatized."

"Give her some credit."

"Oh, I give her all the credit in the world. She practically burst into tears when we left to come here. So did the girls, Emily is especially attached to her right now."

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"Lets just go," Max said softly. "We'll get the baby, Nathan, and start fresh. You have me, Michael, lets just go."

"Hold on," he said, aiming the gun at Skeeter and Dr. Mott. "Kill them."

"What?"

"I need to know you're really with me."

"If we kill them, the police with kill us. Just leave them alone," Max said, as he turned the gun on her. "What are you doing?"

"You're not betraying me again. I will kill you first."

She nodded. "I have the chair. We can go."

"Help me, Caroline," he stated, sliding into the chair. "Ow!"

Max jumped, as he waved the gun away from her and the hostages. One shot, I only have one. Kicking the chair from behind and causing him to crash onto the floor and send the gun sliding across the room. Hearing his scream of pain, something snapped, as she jumped on top of him and let her fists fly. "I hate you! You fucking son of a bitch! I hate you! You tortured my sister! For years! Helped murder my son! I am not Caroline, damn it! I fucking hate you!"

"Max?" Skeeter asked, watching his old friend pummel the other man in his blood loss state. "Oh, man. My partner is going to be pissed."

"You bitch!" Michael shouted, as she kicked him in the pelvis. "I'll kill you!"

"You can never have my baby!" she screamed at him, kicking him again, as the cops rushed in. Feeling arms lifting her away. "Let go of me!"

"Max," Kenny hissed, holding his hysterical wife back. "Max, it's over. Hey, look at me. It's done."

"Let me go!" she screamed again, fighting against his hold on her. "I hate you! Do you hear me? I fucking hate you!"

"Max," Kenny tried again, dragging her out of there. "Look at me. It's over. Everyone is safe. You're safe. Look at me."

"He wants my baby!"

"He can't have her," Kenny said softly, ignoring the chaos around them. "No one can hurt Chloe, okay? She's safe. You're safe. Come here."

"Let me go!"

"Oh, not a chance, Honey," he said, afraid of what she would do if he did. Pulling the gun from the waistband of her skirt. Handing to another deputy, he turned back to his wife. "You look at me. You're better then this, get it together. I love you, Honey, please come back to me."

Damn it, Jimmy thought, as Skeeter was rushed to surgery, as he looked at Max breaking down in Kenny's arms. She did go a little nuts. Watching Kenny talking to her softly and not letting her go, he felt guilty. She shouldn't of done this, she wasn't ready. Walking carefully over to them. "Max?"

Kenny shook his head, as she began to sob in his arms. She never cries, he thought, not like this. Shaking, clinging to me, scared. Meeting Jimmy's eyes again, he held onto her. "Come on, we'll go home, Honey."