***
Epilogue
Relaxing in the comfortable seat assigned to him on the Air France flight he managed to catch at the last minute, Frank stared out the window watching the cloud formations above and below the plane. The last two months had been as close to hell as he wanted to get. That was how long he had been away from Shay and the babies. He had enlisted his father-in-law's help in getting them out of the country. Thomas had seen to it that they made it safely to France, stashing them in the Chateau that Shay had disappeared to shortly after he had met her about five years ago. He did not want to take any chances that Rudolf would get his demented hands on any more members of his family. Frank's cousin had already paid too high a price for being related to him and the thought of anything happening to Shay and the kids sent him into a panic.
Rudolf had managed to stay one step ahead of Frank and his team. When a lead would come their way, it was as if Rudolf got wind of it just before they showed up and he vanished into thin air. Frank was near the point of giving up when he received an overnight package with no return address. The package contained one small cassette. He still had a hard time believing what was on the cassette. Two voices engaged in a very intense conversation. One of the voices belonged to Aristos Patriaka. The other voice remains unidentified.
"The location of Rudolf Folterung." The unidentified voice.
"What are you talking about?" Patriaka's voice.
"I'll keep this simple for you, Fat Man. You tell me where Folterung is hiding out; I let you live."
"Rot in hell."
"It's your life..."
"No...no wait! I'll give you what you want!"
"Smart man."
"Costa Rica. Check the name...Leben Zerstörer."
"One final message. Forget Frank Donovan. The man knows nothing. You go after him again, I'll serve you up as pork dinner to the guards. Got me?"
"Yes!"
The tape had ended, but had given Donovan the information he needed to apprehend the man known as Rudolf Folterung. With him secured behind bars, Frank was free to take a leave of absence and be with his family. The team had also been put on leave for an undetermined amount of time. Frank's superiors were leaving that up to him, giving him the time he felt he needed to come down from a case that had cost his family far too much. He decided to take the time they offered and hopped on the next flight to France. It seemed the perfect place to reacquaint himself with his wife and children, and he looked forward to it more than anything he had before in his life.
--
Frank exited the hired vehicle when it came to a stop in front of the beautiful Chateau. He took a moment to absorb the landscape. The countryside was simply breathtaking and he saw easily why his Ashling loved the time she spent here in the past. He paid the driver and picked up his bags, heading for the large door. He heard a squeal as the door opened and laughed happily at the sight of his wife running toward him. He dropped his bags and scooped her up into a tight hug as he twirled her around before setting her on her feet. His lips sought hers in a long, hard, desperately hungry kiss before breaking away to kneel down to embrace LJ and Ariel, who were frantically tugging at his pant's leg. He looked up and the sight he beheld surprised him so much that he lost his balance and sat down on the hard ground. Frank saw his youngest child, Zach, being carried toward him in the arms of the one person he thought he would never see again. Michelle walked alongside Nick, her arm firmly tucked in his, and both were smiling happily.
"Hello, Frank," Nick greeted, still smiling.
"Hello, Nick." Frank noted that the smile did not quite reach Nick's eyes, but it was a start. It was a start.
~finis~
A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for reading this and not stoning me to death for its content. A special thanks for those who left me feedback whether it be here, the FLMB, or through email. I truly appreciate your time and effort.
And to Serena...I'd be lost without you. Thanks so much!