Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.

Author's Note: Alright, alright, I decided to finish off the story. The last chapters are going to be slow, but it is basically the end of the tale. Thanks so much, everybody, for all the feedback! I honestly didn't expect that many replies! :D I'm so glad there really are invisible peoples reading my story! Just kidding... You are all very important readers, no one is invisible. :P Still, thank you, thank you, thank you. :) I'm sorry if you find the last couple of chapters lame... but at least there will be an ending and you'll know what happened to Mr. Eli Loker. :) Thanks for reading! Only one more chapter after this one!

14. Peace Showing its Pretty Face

"Why is William Rossini so interested in Loker?" Cal asked, seating himself down for a tale. Mandy and Zeke plopped into chairs of their own, looking disdainful, but not quite reluctant.

"I trust you know who McKinree is." Mandy stated.

"Well, I don't know him personally, but I've heard the name." Cal replied, shrugging.

"McKinree sent some of his boys to kill a man, but when your guy, Loker or whatever, starting snooping around, my boss told him to clean up his mess." Mandy started, but was stopped when Cal raised a hand faintly.

"How did Rossini know Loker was investigating?" he inquired.

"Rossini temporarily placed me under McKinree without McKinree's knowledge. I took up the job at the convenience store to ensure Peppers and Finster weren't caught doing the deed. But, the guy they stole a car from wouldn't let it go, so he brought in another friend to interrogate me: Loker. I didn't exactly expect them to just walk in that day, and I didn't expect to see a lie detection expert with them either." Mandy explained.

"How did you know he was a lie detection expert?" Cal queried, hardly letting the girl complete her story.

"We know about you and your little team." she growled. "We make it our business to know who threatens our organization." Cal nodded, allowing her to continue.

"Anyway," she spat. "I told Loker some truths to make him go away and ensure the image of my innocence; I didn't exactly suppose he'd keep at his investigation. I half expected he would get bored and would leave it alone. But, after a week, Rossini started to get a little nervous and that's when he ordered McKinree to get rid of Loker.

"Of course, McKinree always has to have his fun, so he held onto the brat to question him and cause him a little misery." Gillian and Ria pulled their eyebrows together at this statement, not wanting to imagine Eli's first experience in captivity. "If he'd killed him pretty quick and dealt with the body, we probably wouldn't be in this mess." Cal kept a straight face, despite the rage swirling within him. Mandy shook her head, signaling she was extremely irritated with McKinree and his cronies.

"When Rossini found out Peppers and Finster were under police custody, he was pretty angry." Zeke added. "He didn't want them to let anything slip, so he sent Mandy and me to kidnap your guy to force you to release Peppers and Finster and take McKinree off your radar."

"And...Rossini was going to forgive them just like that?" Cal inquired.

"Oh, we take care of our own, like most groups similar to ours." Mandy informed him, a violent gleam in her eye. The team on the other side of the glass shuddered at what she implied. They all would much rather be in the waiting room of the hospital than here, staring at two murderers and abductors. But, they couldn't just push this away until later. Eli wouldn't be out of danger until they had McKinree and Rossini.

Cal stood and made his way back to the room exit, his curiosity quenched while his heart was sick with fury and disgust, as well as sorrow. Eli was no more than a rag doll to these despicable creatures, being tossed between each other and treated like a possession they could poke with needles and wipe the counter with.

"You're a couple of twisted lunatics." Cal muttered as he pulled the door open and left them alone again. Promptly, he shut and locked the door, running a hand through his hair as he wore a bothered expression on his face. He thought that once Eli was found and known to be alive, this uncomfortable feeling would go away, but it clung to him like a persistent leech. The air was thick with an uncomfortable, serious feeling and he didn't like it. Cal wasn't the most cheery person, but he still appreciated humor and he still hated heavy, ominous feelings.

"I've got an address." Ria related happily, jotting the info down and handing it to Ben, who rushed off with a phone quickly brought to his ear. Lightman followed, eager to distract himself from the anxious feeling in his gut.

Gillian and Ria were left, staring at the two crooks in the interrogation room: Mandy pouting and Zeke looking apologetic. It was about time to call in one of Ben's agents to watch the culprits, then the two women could rush off to the hospital.

William Rossini smirked as he took a sip of his red wine. His velvet, cushy chair helped sooth his tight muscles, as did the dead body of his most annoying henchman. Unfortunately, he had to do the task himself, since his usual killers were absent dealing with that wretched Eli Loker. There were only two bodyguards at the gate to his home, but he didn't expect any hostile company that night. Mandy and Zeke were probably having smooth success. It was a bit troubling that Mandy had to shoot the kid before they had planned his death, but he would live long enough to serve their purpose.

There was a sound of a door slamming downstairs.

"FBI!" shouted a deep, male voice, echoing around the house. William sighed; his little team hadn't been very lucky. Great. Now he was going to prison. Although, there wasn't much he could do about it; so, he might as well finish off this glass of wine.

He'd somewhat expected this, but after living well for thirty years, he thought it was about time for him to get caught. Besides, he never said he didn't have a plan for his escape from prison. Thirty years is a long time to prepare a way out of captivity.

"Don't move!" demanded the voice beside him. He didn't have to look to know there was a gun aimed in his direction.

"Lightman, it's McKinree." Agent Reynolds mumbled as he held up a wallet with a driver's liscense tucked neatly behind clear plastic. "He's dead." Rossini watched carefully as Dr. Lightman headed towards the body and stood by it, looking as though he was pondering the case carefully.

"Hey, what about him?" voiced the agent pointing his weapon at Rossini.

"Cuff him." Reynolds ordered, looking angrily at the mob boss. The agent obeyed, taking out his handcuffs and urging Rossini to stand. William set down his class of wine and stood up fluidly, a smug smile on his face. He'd at least been able to finish one last thing before his arrest: the murder of McKinree, who was the cause for his sudden failure in getting away with crime.

"You have the right to remain silent," the agent said clearly as he slapped the handcuffs on tightly. "Everything you say can and will be used against you…" Cal's hearing seemed to disappear for a moment as he realized that this case was nearly over. The danger was over, for the most part. Eli was safe, his team was safe, and they had caught a mob boss. The englishman was finally relieved of the tight feeling in his chest.

"Reynolds?" he called to the agent who was organizing everything for the murder site. Ben quickly finished handing out commands and came over to Cal.

"What is it, Lightman?" he inquired, slowly observing the dead body and the lack of struggle around it.

"It's about time we visit Loker." Cal answered, his hands in his pockets casually.

Gillian and Ria sat anxiously in the waiting room when Cal and Ben came through the glass doors.

"How's he doing?" Lightman asked, snapping Foster out of her thoughts.

"He's in surgery." she replied. "The paramedic that helped him assured me he was going to be alright." She smiled, obviously still worried. Of course, they were all still a little uneasy, but most of the stress was lifted when Ben announced the capture of William Rossini and the death of McKinree. Now it was all coffee and questioning hospital staff from here.

Eli's mind was all in a jumble. His vision had just come back and it persistently focused on the red abyss of his eyelids. The sounds around him started to become more articulate and he could hear a group of familiar voices whispering. The last thing he remembered was sitting alone in that basement room, struggling to keep awake; he must've fallen asleep. He groaned as his body realized he was feeling pain in his leg, as if a sharp stick was shoved into his thigh: it hurt.

"Loker?" Ria inquired, her voice coming closer. His eyes snapped open, then blinked repeatedly against the blinding white and passing fit of sleep.

"He seems kind of dazed...do you think he got brain damage or something?" Ria whispered frantically, but Eli could only see her outline.

"How could he possibly get brain damage if he already has it?" Cal mumbled.

"He's probably drugged up or something." Ben interjected.

"Or maybe he's recovering from a traumatic experience." Gillian hissed. "Quiet, we don't want to overwhelm him."

"Oh, you call standing around his bed like a crew of vultures not overwhelming?" Cal replied, furrowing his eyebrows. Eli's vision began to clear and he could see the more defined features of his coworkers' faces. He noticed they all looked exhausted, and their eyes were bloodshot, like they'd been living off of a coffee supply.

"You guys look like crap." he croaked, smirking wearily.

"You're one to talk..." Ria murmured defensively. Gillian shot her a look, as if Eli was a fragile piece of glass stemware that she was trying to protect.

"I'd rather not know." Eli chuckled weakly. He gulped, his throat and mouth dry as his muscles moaned with soreness. "It's just nice to be lying in such a soft bed..." He sighed with contentment and closed his eyes for a moment.

"It's good to be alive." he stated, smiling gently.

"How do you feel?" Gillian asked sweetly, her motherly side seeping through.

"Tired." Eli answered immediately, his eyes opening with raised eyebrows. "I feel like I haven't slept much for the last couple of days." The team pondered this for a moment, smiling at each other.

"You haven't." Cal told him flatly.

"Then, there you go; perfect sense." Eli responded, smirking a little as he adjusted his position. The team couldn't help but laugh quietly; they were at a happiness high from Eli's wellness.

"Here's a question: how come you guys keep waiting until the very last minute to save me?" Eli teased, shifting again to gain a comfortable position and sit up a little more.

"At least we saved you." Cal taunted, grinning mischievously. Eli's face fell into a faint scowl, spreading an amused smile across Cal's face. "We wouldn't have to save you if you didn't keep looking for trouble."

"Maybe trouble is attracted to me; how could I know?" Eli said, shrugging tiredly. Ben, Ria and Gillian grinned while Cal gazed at him with a straight face. After a short while, even he couldn't keep so composed and his guise broke out into a smile.

"You are one of a kind, Mr. Loker." Cal muttered.

"Ah, so I'm irreplaceable." Eli concluded in a soft voice, but a playful smirk was plastered on his pale face. "You missed me."

"I did not say that." Cal disagreed immediately.

"But you implied it." Loker pointed out, still smiling.

"I did not! I said—"

"You implied it."

"No, I didn't—"

"—implied—"

"—no way—"

"—can't deny it—"

"Stop you two!" Gillian exclaimed, though it was mixed with a giggle. "You both argue like an old married couple." Loker wore a puzzled expression while Cal squinted and leaned his head to the side.

"Well, that'd be weird." Eli observed, raising his eyebrows.

"Aye, definitely odd." Cal agreed.

"We'd be divorced way before our golden years: we just don't...connect." Eli joked. "I think he's a bit too grumpy for me."

"And he's too much of an idiot." Cal added, pointing and Loker with his thumb. The team chuckled and shook their heads as they looked at the two.

"Oh, go home, you guys." Loker ordered wearily, nestling into his pillow. "You people look horrible; get some sleep."

"He's probably right." Gillian seconded, looking between her coworkers.

"Alright, I'm not complaining." Cal mumbled, turning to shuffle out of the room. "See ya, Loker."

"I hope you feel better soon." Ria said, also leaving, Ben following behind.

"Have a great night in the hospital." Reynolds chuckled as he walked, then stopped to twist his head behind him.

"You comin', Foster?" he inquired.

"In a minute; I can take my own car." she answered with a smile. Eli stiffened, frightened of what Gillian was going to do. She was an expert in psychology and she was plenty caring to make up for Cal's lack of compassion. Those two traits could make a fearful combination for a radically honest guy who just didn't want to talk about his traumas.

"Without the joking front; are you really okay?" she probed, linking her hands together in front of her as she placed a soft expression on her face. Eli smiled sorrowfully.

"I will be." he assured her.

Author's Note: Reviews, please? :)