Well here we are, you and I...the end of the road. Many thanks to those who have read and reviewed; I appreciate the kind words. To those who have lurked, it was good to see you on the traffic count and I hope you enjoyed at least part of the fic. And to everyone...apologies for taking so long to get to the end. It would have been a much tighter plot if I'd stuck to my original plan and finished the fic before posting.

Kelly cast an anxious glance at the fuel gauge and hoped that they were nearing their destination. She'd been driving for twenty minutes and there had been no sign of a gas station. The road had stretched out in front of her and she'd tried to keep her attention fixed on the barren landscape and not think about what they might find at the end of the drive. Kris had managed to get the location of the phone booth from the operator and they'd immediately piled into the cars and set off towards it. Despite Bosley's protests Falcone was travelling with them. She knew that he was concerned about what they might do, but there was no way that they were going to further endanger Sabrina by harming Falcone.

Kris' voice broke the silence. She'd been tracking their progress on a map, and announced that their destination should only be a few hundred metres down the road. Kelly checked the road ahead again, and sure enough, just about visible through the heat haze was the unmistakable profile of a phone booth.

Kelly slowed the car to a halt and pulled on the handbrake. She'd been scanning the road as they'd approached, hoping to see some sign of another driver, but there had been no other traffic on the road. She turned in her seat to face Falcone. "So where is he?"

"I'm his employer, not his keeper. We had a time specified, that has passed. I presume he has left."

"Where would he go?"

"Some place far away from here... if he had any sense."

Kelly bit back the next comment, knowing that Falcone was being deliberately obtuse in an effort to make her angry, and perhaps careless. She took a breath and collected her thoughts, trying to shift the ever growing fear that they were too late and now out of options.

"What's that?"

She looked up as she heard Kris' question. Following the direction her friend was pointing in, she spotted a folded sheet of paper tucked beneath the phone's receiver. She exited the car and snatched up the note, unfolding it and scanning quickly through the contents.

"Get out," she yelled at Falcone.

Kris shook her head, "I don't think so."

"There's no time to explain, Just trust me. I don't want that man with us for the next part of the journey,"

Bosley pulled his station wagon in behind Kelly's Mustang and she was quickly at his window, outlining as briefly as she could the plan that she had just come up with. He opened his mouth to raise some objection, but she quickly shut him down.

"Bos, please. Just do this for me. I promise you that I know what I'm doing."

She turned back to face Falcone, who was unable to disguise his interest in the way that things were developing.

"What's in that note that's got you all hot under the collar."

"That's none of your concern," she snapped back at him.

"On the contrary, I'm sure that it's very much my concern."

"Shut up. I won't tell you again."

Bosley opened the driver's door and climbed from his car, his gun drawn. "I have an offer you can't refuse Falcone. Get in."

Kris watched the exchange with interest, wondering what on earth was going on. She was about to raise the matter with Kelly, when her friend climbed back behind the wheel of the car.

"We don't have much time," she announced tersely before shifting the car into gear and pulling away.

Bosley took a step backwards as the tyres spat gravel in his direction. He glanced at Henry and then Falcone; hoping that one of them would have an answer as to what was going on.

Kris waited until Kelly had settled the car down to a steady speed. She was way over the limit, but with the straight empty roads surrounding them, Kris reckoned that they were safe enough.

"You want to tell me what's going on, or at the very least where we're going?"

Without speaking, Kelly grabbed the scrap of paper that she'd taken from the phone booth and passed it to Kris.

Kris flattened the sheet out and scanned through it. It purported to be from Lazic. She let out an exclamation of astonishment as she took in what it said.

"Why on earth would he tell us this?"

"I don't know."

"It could be a trap."

"I know. I've thought about that, but I don't think that we can afford to take the chance and play it careful."

"Is that why you didn't want Falcone with us?"

"Partly. If Lazic has set this up to trap us, then I don't want Falcone getting away as well."

Kris glanced through the note again. It amounted to little more than a handful of lines, but it told them exactly where Sabrina was, and gave an indication as to how much time they had to reach her. Kris didn't want to look at her watch; didn't want to know just how close they were to the deadline that Lazic had set. The moment that word entered her thoughts, she wished that she could banish it. Deadline. That's exactly what the time was. If they were late then the consequences were likely to be fatal for Sabrina. She swallowed nervously.

"How much further?"

"Another ten minutes by my reckoning."

The countryside flashed by the windscreen as the car sped on, and Kris just prayed that Lazic wasn't playing some kind of sick joke on them.

Kelly took the turning too fast and had to fight with the wheel to maintain control of the car. She reluctantly slowed her speed and the car rocked and bumped as they made their way down the disused road towards the old rail yard. The tracks were visible in the distance, but Kelly had no idea if they were still in use or not. The yard had obviously seen better days and the containers that were scattered around were rusting and abandoned. She pulled the car to a halt in front of the old depot building and climbed out; the still arid heat of the day hitting her full in the face. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun and glanced around at the rusting containers, trying to fight the sense of helplessness.

"With the timescale that Lazic gave us, this is going to be impossible," Kris spoke up.

"You can't think like that," Kelly tried to persuade her friend, but she was having the same feeling that they were fighting a battle they couldn't hope to win. "Lazic's been here; there should be evidence of that. Split up; let's cover as much ground as we can."

"What about the office?"

"Leave it." Kelly made the snap decision. "The notice said that she would be almost out of air. That has to mean one of the containers."

Kris turned slowly on her heel, taking in the number of containers that were spread around them. "We can't even be sure that he was telling us the truth. What's to say that this isn't his idea of a sick joke?"

"Don't," Kelly silenced her friend. The same thought had been running through her head ever since she had read the note. She had pushed that thought to the back of her mind, clinging to the hope that she had been given.

"Come on, let's do this."

She made her way over to the first of the containers and studied the area, trying to work out if anyone had been there or not. The note had been brief; telling her little beyond the location and the fact that they were fast running out of time. She didn't want to dwell on why Falcone's hired gun hadn't carried out the job that he'd been tasked with, she just wanted to find out that he'd been telling the truth and that Sabrina was still alive.

"Over here," Kris' voice broke the silence and Kelly glanced in her direction. There was something glinting in the sunlight; something glinting in an area where the ground looked as though it had been recently disturbed. As she watched, Kris sprinted towards it and snatched up a key that had been dropped on the ground.

She offered up a small prayer of thanks and hurried over to where Kris was now trying to open a heavy padlock.

"Come on," Kris' hands were shaking and she fumbled with the key; the grit that coated it preventing it from sliding into the lock. Kelly closed her hands around her friend's and prised the key from it.

"Let me."

She wiped it against the sleeve of her blouse and then slotted it into the padlock.

With a heavy click the padlock dropped open and she swiftly unhooked it and pulled on the heavy metal door.

Kris was at her side in seconds, helping her. It seemed to take an age for the door to open even an inch or two.

They both stepped into the blackness and the stifling close heat; immediately feeling the perspiration pricking their skin.

She heard Kris gasp as her eyes finally became accustomed to the gloom. Sabrina was propped up against the far wall of the container, her head slumped down upon her chest...apparently lifeless.

Kelly pushed past and rushed to her friend's side. "You ok? Sabrina? Sabrina can you hear me?"

Kelly crouched at her side and held her breath; waiting for some response. There was none. "Sabrina?" She wanted to reach out; to press her fingers against her friend's throat and feel the reassuring beat of her heart, but she held back. If she didn't move; if she didn't make the gesture then for a few more moments she could believe that Sabrina was alive.

"Kell?"

Kris' barely audible query made her draw her hands back into fists; she didn't want to find her friend this way. As her eyes grew more accustomed to the gloom she could see that Sabrina was drenched in perspiration; her right wrist handcuffed to a supporting strut.

"Bri...c'mon Bri, don't do this to me." She pleaded with her to respond, but there was nothing. She took a shuddering breath and unclenched her fist; reaching out her right hand to the side of Sabrina's neck. She pressed her fingers against the warm damp skin and prayed to feel the steady thump of a pulse.

"Kelly?" Kris' voice was more desperate now. Kelly closed her eyes and concentrated on the task in hand. There was nothing. She refused to panic and moved her fingers slightly forward.

"Oh my …." her voice dropped away as her emotions got the better of her.

"What is it..."

"Sabrina...Bri...come on," Kelly fought against the tears that pricked her eyes. "Open your eyes, come on."

She heard the cry from Kris and then felt the hand close on her shoulder in relief.

She carefully reached forward and tilted Sabrina's head back, one finger gently prying open her left eye. She almost overbalanced when she heard Sabrina let out a low moan and felt her friend try to pull away.

"Come on Bri...come on."

Kelly held her breath as Sabrina fought to open her eyes. There was no sense of recognition at first, but after a moment or two she seemed to gain focus.

"That's it," Kelly encouraged. "Come on." She ignored the tap on the arm from Kris; her attention fully on her friend, but when Kris persisted she tore her gaze away and saw the bottle of water that was being offered. She took it gratefully and apologised under her breath.

"Come on..." She held the bottle up and Sabrina welcomed the cool refreshing liquid, at first taking small sips and then attempting to gulp it down. Kelly pulled the bottle away; knowing that she should regulate the intake.

She reached out and placed the back of her hand on Sabrina's forehead, wincing as she realised just how high her temperature must be. They needed to get her out of the container; even the heat of the day was cooler than the super-heated temperature of their present location.

She felt Sabrina try and pull away from her hand. "It's ok," she repeated her earlier assurances. "We're going to get you out of here. You just have to give us a little time."

"Kelly?" the voice was faint, but Kelly couldn't help but smile.

"I'm here. We're going to get you out of here. I promise."

She gave Sabrina more of the water, relieved at the effect it seemed to be having. She watched as Sabrina fought to open her eyes again; it was apparent that she was gaining strength.

"Get me out of these," she finally whispered, using all her strength to move her right arm and the cuff that was secured around her wrist.

Kelly exchanged a glance with Kris, hoping that her friend had a key on her.

"I'll call an ambulance." Kris rose to her feet. "And then get hold of Bosley. If he's got a key with him he can bring it here."

Kelly felt a hand tighten on her shoulder and then heard the echoing sound of Kris' footsteps as she exited the container. She turned her attention back to Sabrina, not wanting to tell her that her freedom would have to wait a little while longer. She was somewhat surprised to see that Sabrina was nodding towards a spot on the ground. She watched as her friend struggled to speak.

"At your feet."

She looked first at Sabrina and then down at the place she was trying to indicate with her eyes. There on the dusty floor of the container was a small key. Kelly snatched at it and reached towards Sabrina's wrist. Sabrina had known the key was there, so why hadn't she made an effort to free herself? She tried to push the thought out of her head and concentrated on the lock. It was hard to get a grip on the cuffs and it took a moment or two to realise that the reason for it was that they were coated with her friend's blood. She flinched, pulling away and taking a moment to recover her composure before setting to work again. She wondered just how much damage Sabrina had done to herself. She worked the key in silence and, after what seemed like an age, the cuff clicked open and Sabrina's arm dropped lifelessly down to her side. She reached to help, but Sabrina pulled away.

"You ok?"

Sabrina nodded, but Kelly noticed the way that she was now cradling her left arm against herself. She had a feeling that the dark shadows were hiding further bruising.

"We need to get you out of here and to a hospital," she instructed; relieved when her comment wasn't met with refusal. She paused for a moment. "You need a hand?"

Sabrina bit her lip and then nodded. "Not sure I can stand on my own," she admitted; her voice thick with pain.

Kelly's frown deepened. "Kris has called an ambulance, you want to wait till it's here?"

"Just get me out of here," Sabrina told her faintly.

Kelly hesitated and then glanced back at Kris who had just re-entered the container, uncertain of what to do.

"I'm not a crime scene," Sabrina forced the words out through clenched teeth. "I just need out of here." She closed her eyes and sucked in another breath. "Sooner rather than later would be good."

"Give me your hand." Kelly stepped up and tried to work out the best way to get her upright, encouraged by the way that she now had the strength to form full sentences. "I'll try and make this as quick and painless as possible."

She saw the reluctance that Sabrina had to let her left wrist go. Goosebumps prickled her skin as realisation dawned on her. The scream that she'd heard...the reason that Sabrina had been unable to reach the key on the floor...

She swallowed and tried to push the sickening thought from her head. She glanced again at Kris and the two of them prepared to lift Sabrina to her feet. They moved to either side of her, Kris carefully trying to avoid coming into contact with her friend's swollen wrist.

Sabrina cried out as the sudden movement caused the pain to flare in her ribs and wrist. She closed her eyes and tried to regulate her breathing so that her ribs would hurt less. She felt the perspiration form on her forehead as she tried to concentrate. Her body was telling her that things weren't right, but she knew that she had to hold it together for just a little while longer.

She felt her friends falter and then lower her back to the floor.

"No," she pushed the word out. "Please."

"I'm sorry," she made out Kelly's voice above the roaring in her ears. "It's too much for you."

"I'll be the..." the words fell away as edges of her vision began to darken. She screwed her eyes shut and then opened and tried to focus. The world swam in front of her and darkness crowded the edges of her field of vision. She clutched at Kelly's arm, trying to make her understand what was happening. She was aware of someone tipping her head back and a cool hand on her forehead. There were words; she thought it was Kelly, but she couldn't be sure and then her whole world lurched again. She bit down hard on her lip as her world shifted beneath her; the pain was unbearable.

She leant heavily on Kelly as she felt herself being moved forward, knowing that she would have difficulty supporting her own weight.

"Let's get you outside."

She made out Kelly's words through the pounding in her ears and did her best to comply as her friends attempted to move her forwards. Each step was agony as her ribs protested at the movement, but she did her best to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The sooner she was away from the place the better. Cool, fresh air was only a matter of steps away... she was not going to give up now.

The sunlight hurt her eyes as she emerged from the container. She was aware that there were others in the vicinity, but she wasn't alert enough to take in who they were; her entire focus was on remaining conscious as she edged painfully forward.

Other hands reached out towards her and she instinctively pulled away.

"It's alright," she heard Kelly's voice through the roaring in her ears. "They're here to take you to hospital."

She opened her mouth to say something but the words just wouldn't come. Her knees buckled and she lost her battle to stay conscious.

Kelly looked down at the blood that marked her clothing, wondering just how much Sabrina had lost. The ambulance technicians had spoken in encouraging and calming tones, but neither herself or Kris had been permitted to travel in the ambulance. She had stood helplessly by as Sabrina was manoeuvred onto a stretcher and then into the back of one of the idling vehicles.

A technician had briefly stopped at her side, but Kris had been quick to explain where the blood had come from. She reached out for her friend and was pleased that it was swiftly taken.

"Let's get out of here, huh?"

"What if we'd been five minutes later?"

Kris asked the question and Kelly simply squeezed her hand by way of a response. It wasn't something she wanted to dwell on. It had been too close, much too close and the only reason they had found her was thanks to a note left by the man who'd been detailed to let her die. She shuddered and tried to ignore the worry that was nagging away at the back of her mind. Sabrina was alive and that was all that mattered. If anything else followed, then they'd be ready for it... all of them... they were a team afterall.

Kelly looked at the photograph that had made Henry Sullivan's name. It felt odd to be back in the office, back in familiar surroundings after the events of the past few weeks. She'd not seen Sullivan since the meeting in Ludlow. Bosley had taken care of him, whilst her attention had been fully directed towards Sabrina's well being. She had sat for what felt like a lifetime in the waiting area of the hospital with Kris; no-one there commenting on the blood that marked her clothes. It was a sight that was obviously all too familiar to the staff. Henry had cared about Sabrina, that was obvious. She wondered how he was handling the news of her injuries.

She looked up as she realised that the chatter in the room had died away. Bosley and Kris were looking at her expectantly and she realised that she'd not been paying any attention to them.

"I'm sorry," she apologised. "I was miles away."

"Penny for them," Kris said.

Kelly nodded towards the photograph. "I can't look at it in the same way as before," she admitted. "Knowing what he did...I can't help but wonder just how much that was playing on his mind whilst he was trying to pull his friends from the wreckage."

She looked again and saw the concerned expressions on the faces of Kris and Bosley. She waved away the thought. "I'm sorry, it's nothing... Just over thinking the issue, that's all." She turned her attention back to the squawkbox and waited for Charlie to continue.

"So Henry Sullivan was responsible for the crash at Fort Menzies?" Charlie questioned.

Kelly nodded. "Sullivan and the pilot Gasperino were in over their heads in debt to Jack Falcone and desperate for a way out. Falcone told him that his and Gasperino's debt would be cleared and their families left alone if they helped Falcone get access to the consignment of drugs and illegal merchandise that was due to be flown out of Menzies."

"With Falcone threatening his family he saw no way round the issue," Kris picked up the story. "He rigged the plane so that Gasperino would have to put down at a nearby air field. What he didn't account for was a last minute change of heart by Gasperino and a treacherous weather front."

"So a less experienced pilot took to the skies and failed to cope with the fault the plane presented?"

"The presence of Senator Ward on the flight also meant that the pilot was reluctant to put down at an isolated strip in the middle of nowhere. The senator had offered the pilot money to ensure that he made his connecting flight."

"So there was no CIA conspiracy?" Charlie asked the needless question.

"No conspiracy," Kris confirmed. "Although Falcone made use of Carl Douglas' desire for a Watergate type story to gain information about Sullivan and where he was living. He manipulated Douglas into piling the pressure on Sullivan."

Kelly's expression was one of sadness. "Douglas thought that this story would be the making of him." She glanced around at the others. "What will happen to the truth?"

"A new report will exonerate the pilot of any wrongdoing," Charlie told her. "Finally bring peace of mind to his family."

"...And Henry Sullivan's part in it?"

"That's a little trickier," Charlie admitted. "So much has been built up around him during the years..."

"So Douglas' story is suppressed." There was anger in Kelly's voice. "We're perpetuating a lie!"

"The army doesn't feel that there's anything to be gained by revealing the truth."

"I bet they don't. Can they be certain that the remaining survivors will maintain the silence?"

"Henry Sullivan was admitted to St Mark's Hospice this morning," Charlie told her in a quiet voice. "I don't think his former colleagues will do anything to make his final days any worse."

Kelly fell silent, staring down at her hands. "Does Sabrina know?"

"No. She's got to concentrate on her own recovery at the moment. From what I hear she was lucky you found her when you did."

"And Douglas?"

"His recovery is going to take a lot longer. He's still in intensive care. The police haven't been able to speak to him yet as the doctors are keeping everyone from his door."

"Will he be charged over what happened?" Kelly's voice was hesitant.

"At the moment he is in the position of victim. No-one has put him in the frame for anything."

"He sold Sabrina out," Kris replied hotly, noticing the way that Kelly flinched at her comment. "He handed her to Falcone in exchange for the tape."

"The police don't know that," Kelly turned to face her friend. "Falcone hasn't said anything, and Carl isn't exactly in a position to confirm or deny anything."

"You could say something."

Kelly didn't answer.

"What about the tape?" Kris thought it best to change the subject. "Who left the copy in my car?"

"Gasperino. I'm guessing he was your late night visitor as well. He never left the area. Some of Douglas' notes were recovered and he believed that it was Gasperino who left the flowers at the plinth. Douglas had tried to talk to the man; believing that he was keeping something from him, but the man would never return his calls. The new sheriff is bringing him in for a little chat,"

Kris frowned. "I hope he has words with everyone in the town. It was one of them who sold news to Falcone. There was no other way he could have known I had the tape. I think Gerry Cochran will be getting a knock on his front door. That's one man with more than a few things on his conscience."

"What about Falcone?"

"I think it's safe to say that Mr Falcone will no longer be putting the hard word on anyone. The moment that word got out about his arrest, the station house was inundated with calls from people eager to stick the boot in." Bosley smiled. "That's one rat well and truly off of the streets."

"And Jarek Lazic?" Kelly wanted to know. She watched as the smile fell from Bosley's face. "He's still out there, isn't he?"

"Somewhere. Interpol have flashed his picture at all the major transport hubs, but so far there's not been a sighting of him. Intelligence suggests that he's returned to his former occupation, and so we shouldn't be seeing him on these shores again."

"You want to be the one to tell Sabrina that?" Kris remarked coldly. "I don't think she's going to be happy when she hears the news. The man broke her wrist."

"and ribs... not to mention the psychological torture," Kelly muttered, thinking back to the way he'd left her in the container. "The man needs to be off of the streets."

"I'm sorry angel," Charlie's voice broke into the conversation. "There was nothing that could be done. Knowing his predilection for trouble, I imagine that it's only a matter of time before someone puts him out of business." He paused. "Has there been any word from Sabrina?"

"She signed herself out of the hospital last night. She's going to take a few personal days," Bosley replied. "Told me on the phone that there was someone she needed to see."

"I understand Bosley. Tell her to take all the time that she needs."

"Excuse me!" Kelly broke across the chat. "There's no way she should have been released. Charlie, if you'd seen the state she was in...nurse on duty told me that she expected Bri to be there for at least another week."

"She signed herself out Angel; there was little the staff could do."

Kelly bit back her next comment, knowing that her friend had her own demons to exorcise, but worried that she wasn't in a state to look after herself. "You know she's going to hate it if we make a fuss... but..."

"I know," Bosley spoke up saving Kelly from explaining any further. "I've made a few calls. When she comes back we'll make sure that she gets all the help that she needs."

"You think she'll come back?" Kris asked the question.

"Of course," Bosley replied confidently. "Where else would she go."

Sabrina let the freshly cut bunch of flowers slip from her hand and watched as they dropped in front of the plain granite stone before her. She'd wanted to place them, but her injuries prevented her from such an action. The walk from the cab had been painful enough and she was trying to ignore the searing ache from her damaged ribs and the angry throb from her wrists. Her eyes took in the handful of words that were so carefully engraved into the stone. She'd read them so many times before, but she looked at them with the same close attention that she'd always shown them. They said so little, but to her they meant everything. It was the last resting place of the person she missed most in the world. That one spot of earth - no matter where life took her – would always be the most important. She closed her eyes and blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall.

"I'm sorry that it's been awhile and sorry that I missed Mother's Day," she began, already feeling more than a little guilty. "There are some people I really should tell you about. I know I should have mentioned this earlier; but ... well, you know me..."