And now the bottom drops out.


"Hey sailor."

"Catherine. " Steve frowned, taking a small step backwards. A shiver ran down his spine. "What..."

Unable to finish the sentence, he just stared at her, bracing himself against the doorframe.

She stood there, smiling, seeming to relish his bewilderment. Her eyes flashed with something mischievous and raw. Like he'd caught her in a lie. Steve wanted to repeat his intended question, but his brain wasn't in sync with his mouth, and he couldn't process what he was seeing.

Because Grace and Charlie lay unmoving on Danny's bed. Wrists and ankles bound. Why wasn't she untying them?

"Jesus, Cath. What happened? Are they okay?"

Catherine blocked the door as he lunged toward the kids. She shoved a gun into his ribs. Steve pushed past her, not registering her as a threat. His foot struck something in his way.

"Ah fuck." He faltered, and then it hit him. "Oh my God, Danny...buddy."

Danny was on his side on the floor at his feet. Arms bound behind him, tightly. Splotches of blood spread out on his torso. His eyes were closed, but Steve could easily see that Danny was breathing.

"Who did this? Answer me, Catherine." Steve froze, as his eyes tracked the room. A chair lay on its side nearby, streaks of crimson a horrible accent. The certainty of her stance hit him and he felt the gun for the first time. "What the -"

"Stop right there, Steve." She purred. "I don't wanna hurt you. Don't push me."

Blood rushed to his head and her next words were muffled by the beating of his heart. He had to shut this down. Regain control.

Catherine dug the gun into his side and smiled. "Don't worry. I didn't hurt the kids. They'll sleep it off. I can't say the same for their father."

She glanced at Danny, proud of her work.

"Cath...why..?" He shook his head, as he bent over, hands sliding to his knees. Steve wasn't so sure he hadn't lost his mind.

"You better sit before you fall down." She turned the chair right side up and patted the cushion. "First, give me your weapons. Slowly. Oh, and don't try anything - I know you have a little something on your ankle, too."

She grabbed him by the arm and yanked him farther into the room when he didn't obey. He stumbled but caught himself.

"I need the flash drive. Where would Danny hide it?"

Calmly, Steve put his weapons on the chair. Emptying the clips, she tossed them out of reach.

"What are you talking about?" Steve frowned, not hiding his confusion and disgust. "What flash drive, Cath? You're not making sense."

Danny stirred, rolling over and giving Steve a better view. Busted lip, swollen eyes. Everything tunneled out again, and all he could hear was his own ragged breath. He tripped and landed next to his friend, chest heaving as he caught his breath. Hand smearing Danny's blood when he slipped.

Impatient, Catherine kicked Steve in the back. "Get up! We don't have much time."

He ignored her, eyes searching his friend's battered face, brushing his hair back carefully. "Danny? You there, buddy? Danny? Hey, please, you okay?"

"Danny, Danny, Danny." She rolled her eyes and kicked Steve again. Harder this time. "We don't have time for this."

Danny didn't respond and Steve lost it. Launching himself at Catherine, bellowing and growling, he shoved her into the wall. The gun flew out of her hand and skittered across the floor. A picture fell, glass shattering with a sickening, tinkling crack.

Pinned down, she showed no emotion. She glared at him, her gaze infused with a cold fire.

Not letting up, Steve pressed himself against her. "What is going on? Tell me now, or I'll -"

Catherine coughed, unable to speak because Steve's forearm was cutting off her air. He shifted his weight just a bit.

"You'll what, Steve? Huh? Kill me? Really." She laughed, voice raspy. "I told you. Flash drive. Now."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Flash drive." She repeated her demand.

Teetering on the brink of madness, Steve screamed. "Answer me!"

She exhaled and tried to break free, grunting and pushing against him. They slid to the floor, but Steve was too strong for Catherine. He held her in place, straddling her, and they both caught their breath.

Recovering, he kept his voice steady as he renewed his search for answers. He was running out of time, though, and he knew he couldn't give her much leeway. "What happened here? Answer me, Cath. What the fuck is going on?"

"Danny got cute with my laptop." She spat the words like a petulant child, annoyed with his insistence.

"Your laptop? What are you talking about?"

"He copied some files."

She said these things like he should know what she was talking about.

"Why would he copy your files?" Wrinkling his nose, he shook his head.

Her next words were meant to be a curve ball. "I was using you."

"No shit." Steve laughed and even gave her a smug smile. He wasn't a total sucker.

Catherine stared at him for a few shocked seconds. "You knew?"

He finally felt like he had the upper hand. He'd sort out the unknowns once he knew Danny and the kids were safe. Until then, he stayed in the game. "Really? You think I'm stupid?"

"No, but -" Her nose twitched and her mouth hung open in disbelief.

"You left me, Cath. You chose work. I get it. You're on a mission or whatever."

"But I thought you love me."

"Loved. Get it right." He glanced at Danny again, steeling himself. He couldn't let emotion wreck his resolve. "Tell me what's going on. Danny needs help. Now."

"One of my contacts. Danny has their info on that drive."

"Cath, why didn't you come to me?" Steve finally felt like he was gaining ground. That maybe Catherine could be reasoned with. "You drugged his kids?"

She nodded. "They'll be fine. Maybe a touch of a hangover. No biggie."

The callousness of her words struck him. Steve's eyes watered and his whole body shook. Who was this monster before him?

She took this brief window and tried to escape, bucking him off. He fell to the side, sprawling on top of Danny, as Catherine crawled across the floor to the gun. Steve recovered quickly and jumped on her, both of their hands hitting the gun at the same time. Without thinking, he bashed her head into the floor, not once but twice, grabbing the gun and rolling away.

Chest on fire as he struggled to fill his lungs, he trained the weapon on Catherine. She didn't move. Steve slid closer and checked for a pulse, exhaling loudly when he felt the steady beating of her heart. As relieved as he was that he hadn't killed her, he needed to move fast.

Scanning the room, he searched for something to secure his former teammate...lover...God she was so many things. Steve closed his eyes for a second and let go of everything he knew to be true. Then, he set about his task, not losing much time to worry over things now. Finding nothing helpful to restrain her, he untied Grace and used her bonds on Catherine. Making sure they were tight. Showing her no mercy.

Once he had things under control, he checked the kids. Both were very much alive, though heavily sedated. He dared not think too much about what had been used to knock them out. Then he tended to his partner. Danny's pulse was strong and his injuries seemed superficial. Until Steve opened his shirt. Stab wounds and bruising were evident.

Steve stared at the scars on Danny's chest. The one he had inflicted was pink and healing. He knew Danny still had pain from the GSW, but he never complained. The fading reminder of the liver transplant ran right through the worst of today's assault. It was almost lost in the purples and reds. Then, his eyes found the stab wounds, which had bled very little, expertly done; he knew. They'd been meant to inflict pain and instill fear. Not to kill. Not quickly anyway. Infection could take days if allowed to take hold.

"Danny...are you with me?" Steve checked for a pulse again, just to remind himself that his best friend was alive and real. "Hold on, buddy."

Catherine was coming around, still half out of it, mumbling. He made sure she wasn't going anywhere, firmly adjusting her bonds, trying not to linger. If he stared too long, he knew he'd lose his mind. He'd come very close to ending her right there. It would have been easy. Because Danny...the kids…what she did...

What the fuck was going on?

Steve was so confused and angry and ... Shit, he felt like he might pass out. Instead, he pushed his emotions aside and called 911, requesting HPD and a bus.

He didn't know anything about a flash drive. Didn't care about the stupid flash drive. All that mattered was Danny, Grace and Charlie.


Things will never be the same.