As it was nearing eight, Mark quietly sat in his office flipping through
old photo albums, smiling at some photos and getting a serious look at
others. Jesse and Amanda quietly entered the room and both sighed when they
saw him looking like he had never looked before... lost.
Jesse cleared his throat and walked over to Mark, hoping he could talk some sense into him. "Hey, Mark. What are you doing?"
Mark continued to look at the pictures and responded without even looking up from them. "Looking at some old pictures of my family," he replied, then giving a slight chuckle. "Here's one of Steve and I playing cops and robbers. You know, he always had to play the cop. And he would always capture me and throw me into a jail he had built. One day I remember asking him why he always had to be the cop and he said because he would rather protect people from the bad guys and help make the world a safer place to live in. I never actually thought he would end up being one for real. And that the bad guy would..."
Mark stopped suddenly and sighed, lowering his head. Amanda and Jesse both quietly walked over to him and laid a hand on each shoulder, trying their best to comfort him. "Well get him back, Mark," Amanda replied. "And we'll make sure that you're safe, too."
"Yeah, don't worry. You can still have happy memories after all this is over," Jesse agreed.
Mark shook his head. "No. I know this guy. If we even had a cop a mile away he would know it. And if he knows there are cops around, then he won't hesitate to kill Steve and me. And I don't exactly want to die, but if anyone should it should be me."
"Mark, no!" Amanda stated.
"I'm sorry, honey. But Steve is still young. He still has a lot of life left to live. But I've lived mine. And it's been a truly blessed one," he replied, smiling up at Jesse and Amanda.
Amanda quietly wiped a tear from her left eye, as Jesse held back his own tears. "Mark, no one should have to die here. And if you died, everyone would be devastated. Especially Steve. I mean his mother and sister were already taken away from him, so he needs you."
"Jess, I'm not going to live forever. I mean, how many years do I have left? Ten or twenty? Steve's going to lose me sometime."
"Yeah, but he shouldn't have to lose you like this. This would tear him up inside worse than if you just died naturally," Amanda responded.
"I'm sorry Amanda, but-"
"You know what? Fine. Go ahead and die. Be selfish. But I should I remind you that this isn't the Mark Sloan I know. The one I know wouldn't just give up no matter how crazy some criminal is. And he certainly wouldn't give up on his family! How dare you, Mark Sloan! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Amanda replied firmly.
"Amanda-" Mark began, looking shocked.
"No, I'm not going to stand here and listen to you like this. I just... I can't and I won't," she replied in a shaky voice as she hurried out of the room.
Mark sighed and looked up at Jesse for some response. "Well?"
Jesse shrugged his shoulders. "Well what? You mean, what do I think of you basically giving up? How do you think I feel? You're like a father to me, Mark. And also to Amanda. And then there's Steve, who really is your child and who's just lost his mother and his sister within not that many years of each other. How do you think he would feel if he lost his father, too? I mean, he could be so upset, who knows how he could react. So if you want to go ahead and do this then fine, but I won't stand by you on it."
Jesse then left, a confused and upset Mark sitting quietly at his desk. Mark sighed and rubbed his hand over a picture of him and Steve together. "Katherine, Carol. I need your help. I don't know what to do for the first time in a long time. Please, help me. Please..." **
A couple hours later, Mike and some of his helpers, roughly took Steve over to spot where they were to meet Mark, Mike happy with himself, for everything about to be turning out so well.
"Comfortable, lieutenant?" he asked, as he watched his men throw him to the ground, and swiftly give him a kick in the chest.
Steve coughed repeatedly and sat up as best as he could and in-between shallow breaths, answered with a vengeful tone in his voice. "You're just wasting your time, Pearson, because there's no way you're going to get to my father. He's smarter than that."
"Mm, hm. Well I guess we'll see, won't we? In fact, here comes daddy now!"
Steve looked over to where he was pointing, and saw Mark calmly walk his way over towards them. "Dad! No, you've gotta get out of here!"
Mark cringed with a father's worry when he heard how bad Steve's breathing sounded, but as calmly as he could, walked over to greet Mike.
"Well, well. If it isn't Doc Sloan. So we finally meet again after ten long years. So tell me something, doc, how have those years been?"
"I'm here, now let my son go," he replied, ignoring his comments.
"Sure thing," he replied, snapping his fingers as his men went over helping him up and untying him.
Steve ran as fast as he could to his father, clutching his side along the way. He only hoped that he would still have enough energy left to help his father through this; for he wasn't going to let a deranged man like Mike Pearson touch him, and especially kill him. "Dad? Are you okay?" he replied, reaching him, barely able to catch a normal sounding breath.
Mark stood there looking at him for a moment, taking in everything he could; Steve's hair, his face, his crystal clear blue eyes- everything that looked so much like that of Marks. He quietly nodded and pulled him into a hug, not wanting to ever let go of that moment between father and son. "I am now. But you don't sound all that great."
Steve's breathing still continued to worry Mark with each shallow breath he took, but still managed to answer his dad's comments. "I'm fine, dad. But right now we have to get you out of here."
"Aw, now, gentleman I thought we had an agreement- a son for his father. You have your son back safe and sound and now I want you."
"Yeah, well forget it, Pearson, because you're not coming anywhere near my father," Steve replied.
"Oh boy. Don't you ever give up, detective? Fine, looks like I'll have to do things the hard way," he replied taking a gun out of his side. "I guess you can say good-bye to daddy right here."
Steve then watched in horror as Mike pointed the gun directly at Mark who didn't even move and inch, and a sudden burst of energy flowed through him as he lunged towards his father to shield him from the bullet. But as he flew towards Mark's direction, a sudden explosion rang through his ears and seconds later both Sloan men were lying still on the ground.
TBC...
Jesse cleared his throat and walked over to Mark, hoping he could talk some sense into him. "Hey, Mark. What are you doing?"
Mark continued to look at the pictures and responded without even looking up from them. "Looking at some old pictures of my family," he replied, then giving a slight chuckle. "Here's one of Steve and I playing cops and robbers. You know, he always had to play the cop. And he would always capture me and throw me into a jail he had built. One day I remember asking him why he always had to be the cop and he said because he would rather protect people from the bad guys and help make the world a safer place to live in. I never actually thought he would end up being one for real. And that the bad guy would..."
Mark stopped suddenly and sighed, lowering his head. Amanda and Jesse both quietly walked over to him and laid a hand on each shoulder, trying their best to comfort him. "Well get him back, Mark," Amanda replied. "And we'll make sure that you're safe, too."
"Yeah, don't worry. You can still have happy memories after all this is over," Jesse agreed.
Mark shook his head. "No. I know this guy. If we even had a cop a mile away he would know it. And if he knows there are cops around, then he won't hesitate to kill Steve and me. And I don't exactly want to die, but if anyone should it should be me."
"Mark, no!" Amanda stated.
"I'm sorry, honey. But Steve is still young. He still has a lot of life left to live. But I've lived mine. And it's been a truly blessed one," he replied, smiling up at Jesse and Amanda.
Amanda quietly wiped a tear from her left eye, as Jesse held back his own tears. "Mark, no one should have to die here. And if you died, everyone would be devastated. Especially Steve. I mean his mother and sister were already taken away from him, so he needs you."
"Jess, I'm not going to live forever. I mean, how many years do I have left? Ten or twenty? Steve's going to lose me sometime."
"Yeah, but he shouldn't have to lose you like this. This would tear him up inside worse than if you just died naturally," Amanda responded.
"I'm sorry Amanda, but-"
"You know what? Fine. Go ahead and die. Be selfish. But I should I remind you that this isn't the Mark Sloan I know. The one I know wouldn't just give up no matter how crazy some criminal is. And he certainly wouldn't give up on his family! How dare you, Mark Sloan! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Amanda replied firmly.
"Amanda-" Mark began, looking shocked.
"No, I'm not going to stand here and listen to you like this. I just... I can't and I won't," she replied in a shaky voice as she hurried out of the room.
Mark sighed and looked up at Jesse for some response. "Well?"
Jesse shrugged his shoulders. "Well what? You mean, what do I think of you basically giving up? How do you think I feel? You're like a father to me, Mark. And also to Amanda. And then there's Steve, who really is your child and who's just lost his mother and his sister within not that many years of each other. How do you think he would feel if he lost his father, too? I mean, he could be so upset, who knows how he could react. So if you want to go ahead and do this then fine, but I won't stand by you on it."
Jesse then left, a confused and upset Mark sitting quietly at his desk. Mark sighed and rubbed his hand over a picture of him and Steve together. "Katherine, Carol. I need your help. I don't know what to do for the first time in a long time. Please, help me. Please..." **
A couple hours later, Mike and some of his helpers, roughly took Steve over to spot where they were to meet Mark, Mike happy with himself, for everything about to be turning out so well.
"Comfortable, lieutenant?" he asked, as he watched his men throw him to the ground, and swiftly give him a kick in the chest.
Steve coughed repeatedly and sat up as best as he could and in-between shallow breaths, answered with a vengeful tone in his voice. "You're just wasting your time, Pearson, because there's no way you're going to get to my father. He's smarter than that."
"Mm, hm. Well I guess we'll see, won't we? In fact, here comes daddy now!"
Steve looked over to where he was pointing, and saw Mark calmly walk his way over towards them. "Dad! No, you've gotta get out of here!"
Mark cringed with a father's worry when he heard how bad Steve's breathing sounded, but as calmly as he could, walked over to greet Mike.
"Well, well. If it isn't Doc Sloan. So we finally meet again after ten long years. So tell me something, doc, how have those years been?"
"I'm here, now let my son go," he replied, ignoring his comments.
"Sure thing," he replied, snapping his fingers as his men went over helping him up and untying him.
Steve ran as fast as he could to his father, clutching his side along the way. He only hoped that he would still have enough energy left to help his father through this; for he wasn't going to let a deranged man like Mike Pearson touch him, and especially kill him. "Dad? Are you okay?" he replied, reaching him, barely able to catch a normal sounding breath.
Mark stood there looking at him for a moment, taking in everything he could; Steve's hair, his face, his crystal clear blue eyes- everything that looked so much like that of Marks. He quietly nodded and pulled him into a hug, not wanting to ever let go of that moment between father and son. "I am now. But you don't sound all that great."
Steve's breathing still continued to worry Mark with each shallow breath he took, but still managed to answer his dad's comments. "I'm fine, dad. But right now we have to get you out of here."
"Aw, now, gentleman I thought we had an agreement- a son for his father. You have your son back safe and sound and now I want you."
"Yeah, well forget it, Pearson, because you're not coming anywhere near my father," Steve replied.
"Oh boy. Don't you ever give up, detective? Fine, looks like I'll have to do things the hard way," he replied taking a gun out of his side. "I guess you can say good-bye to daddy right here."
Steve then watched in horror as Mike pointed the gun directly at Mark who didn't even move and inch, and a sudden burst of energy flowed through him as he lunged towards his father to shield him from the bullet. But as he flew towards Mark's direction, a sudden explosion rang through his ears and seconds later both Sloan men were lying still on the ground.
TBC...
