Fiona felt Michaels grip her hand tighten as their feet hit the water. She sucked in as much air as she could, cutting off her breath as the bay swallowed them. The shock of hitting the water was disorientating and momentum pushed them deep below the surface. As they slowed she felt his arm around her waist and her back collided with his chest. He moved them quickly toward the light and they broke the surface gasping for air.

Close to her ear, Michael breathed her name "Fi?"

"I'm okay" she replied hoarsely, pulling away so she could turn to look at the burning building.

Michael turned and followed her gaze, his heart pounding in his chest. Black smoke filled the air and debris floated all around them, James Kendrick was no more.

Michael locked eyes with Fiona "Sam…." they said together, quickly turning to swim toward shore.

Sam was pacing….flexing his hands. Get to the rendezvous spot, wait 15 minutes and then leave for the rally point, that's the plan they agreed on…of course that was before a building the length a city block blew up.

"They got out" he repeated for the 10th time, looking at his watch…..13 minutes….."C'mon guys….."

Sam put his hands on the trunk and lowered his head – closing his eyes to clear his mind. Maddie is gone, he thought to himself – his breathe picked up and his emotions started to surge - they gotta be okay…they got out…..

He thought back to the first time he met Maddie, he'd showed up to keep an eye on Cara while Mike went to find Sophie…

Hurrying around the back corner of the house to get to the garage, Sam was stopped in his tracks by the sound of a shot gun racking and a shout of "Hold it right there!"

Sam turned slowly with his hands up to find Madeline Weston pointing a shotgun at him, he grinned and turned on the charm "You must be Mikes Mom!" he exclaimed as he started move forward

"One more step and I'll blow a hole in your chest" Madeline warned calmly

Sam stopped, anyone who can speak in full sentences without removing the cigarette from their mouth should to be taken seriously…

"I'm Sam Axe…..a buddy of Mikes" Sam explained "He asked me to come keep an eye on Cara"

"Right, Michael told me Sam Axe was a Navy Seal." Madeline replied, clearly skeptical "You look like a Parrot head"

Neither her eyes nor the shotgun waivered, Sam was both insulted and impressed "Well I do enjoy Jimmy Buffett and but I am a Navy Seal…..just retired. Look I really need to check on …."

Suddenly Fiona appeared, also headed to the safehouse. She stopped and took in the scene with a smirk. "Madeline, is everything okay?"

"Michael showed up, busted into the garage and then took off in a hurry." She replied, eyes still locked on Sam "Then I caught this Jimmy Buffett impersonator trying to sneak in, now he's trying to convince me he's Sam Axe!"

Frustrated , he exclaimed "I am Sam Axe!"

"I see your point Madeline" Fiona said "He does look like a hungover Jimmy Buffett impersonator"

"Aww c'mon Fi!" Sam shouted

Fiona smiled, and continued toward the safe house "Relax Sam…Michael is on the way back with Sophie, you can go now if you can get past Madeline."

Sam glared as she walked by, then turned back toward Madeline who had lowered the shotgun and removed the cigarette from her mouth. "Huh…I really pictured you…younger…..less scruffy…..."

Sam relaxed "Nice to meet you too Mrs. Weston"

"Call me Maddie" she replied, taking a drag off her cigarette "Want a beer?"

It was a long ride to the rendezvous point in the Everglades. Even with the adrenalin crash, sleep was impossible. All that Michael had to show for decades of sacrifice and service was with him in the back seat of a stolen car. Fiona and, in the form of the drives Sam rescued, his freedom. He'd denied wanting or needing both over the years, but understands they are connected. Having one without the other, wanting one without the other, cherishing one over the other has never worked. Being free, truly free – not the illusion of freedom he worshiped all these years – and making a life with Fiona was all he needed.

Sam's voice cut through the silence "We have about a quarter mile to go, I'll cut the lights when we turn off the highway"

The air in the car was thick, filled with the trauma of today's events. Michael looked down at Fiona, her head resting on his leg, though she was asleep the exhaustion and pain were still clearly visible.

Michael moved a stray hair from her face and lightly stroked her cheek "You sure Jess will be there?"

Sam took a deep breath and exhaled slowly "I'm not sure of anything Mike, but this was part of the original plan to grab you. And it's what I would do. If not, we got cash, guns, phones with numbers we all memorized…..we can regroup and find him and make it easier for him to find us."

Nodding, he stroked Fiona's arm to wake her "Fi? Hey….we're almost there"

Fiona was instantly awake, a result of years of vigilance. Without lifting her head, she rolled over and looked up a Michael "Hey….."

His face softened under her gaze "Hey…we'll be pulling up at the safe house shortly"

"About two minutes out" Sam advised from the front seat

Swinging her legs down, Fiona sat up next to Michael "Wow, I slept the whole 2 hours?"

"You're exhausted" Michael said "We all are. Hopefully Jess and Charlie are here, and we can rest for a couple of hours while we decide our next move"

"They'll be here" Fiona said with confidence "It's what I would do"

Sam stopped at the end of the driveway and flashed the headlights three times in quick succession.

They stared intently at the house, and finally the front porch light flashed four times in quick succession.

After checking on Charlie, they sat down to debrief. Maddie's absence weighed heavily on all of them. They gathered around the table in the small kitchen, Michael was silent as Sam and Fiona recapped what happened with James. Then Jesse, with tears streaming down his face, recounted what happened at the safe house. They were all in tears before he finished.

Jesse had already relived those last moments with Maddie a hundred times, distraught he looked at Michael "I'm sorry Mike" he said, his voice breaking with emotion "I'm so sorry, it should have been….."

"No!" Fiona said fiercely "Do not do that to Madeline. She was Michael's mother and but she was special to all of us, we all loved her. But she was also a part of this team and we cannot dimmish that. She worked assets, ran surveillance, and provided tactical support on so many jobs over the years – this wasn't the first time she saved our lives. Any one of us would have done the same thing. We can mourn her as a mother and a friend, but we need to respect her courage and honor her as a member of this team."

The team sat in silence, absorbing Fiona's words. Sam stood and opened one of the cabinets, pulling out a bottle of scotch and four glasses. They raised a glass to Madeline Weston, the conscience and compass of their team - beloved mother, Grandmother, and friend.