Here it is again an Anthony-less chapter, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Don't worry, he'll be back, he always will be ;-)

Chapter 14: Discovering more facts

Dylan put the bottle on the table and turned around to face Anthony once more. It was strange. Dylan's heart beat faster, but she was also afraid meeting him again. Her surprise could not have been greater as she saw Aurelie bursting through the door. Checking all corners very professionally for lurking enemies the black woman finally lowered the gun in her hand. Her eyes focused on the angel. A mixture of relief and anger was in her soft facial lines.

Seeing the red head in that condition she became more worried. "Are you alright?" Reluctantly she put her gun away and looked around in the room.

'Oh my god', Dylan thought, 'I must look absolutely horrid!' She could not quite explain Aurelie's presence here, but that was not so important to her at the moment. "I'm fine", she began, which was not true, but the angel had something else on her mind. "But never mind - how is Alex?"

Aurelie seemed to have found what she was looking for. "The operation went very well", she replied walking behind the bed, "she woke up and it seems there is no sign of brain trauma." She squad and picked up the small thing that Dylan had mistaken for a clip. "Let's go now - Charlie told me to bring you back to the agency."

Closing her eyes, Dylan felt a wave of gratitude and relief rushing over her. Alex was alive, what else mattered. Aurelie rushed out the door, observing the angel that walked next her. Despite the mess around her eyes the red head looked very happy. "I think I like to step by Alex first."

The left the corridor and entered the stairs, walking down Aurelie snapped: "I don't think so, besides you could not talk to her anyway, even if the police gave you a few minutes."

"Police? What do you mean?", Dylan asked and stopped for a moment, before she closed in again.

Aurelie shook her head in disbelief. Half laughing she said: "Are you so naïve or did someone hit you on the head?" The black woman looked at the angels face. "You are wanted for kidnapping and conspiracy for murder. I frankly don't know how Charlie talked me into getting you. After all I think you are the leak and if you freaky boy friend kills the doctor - I'll have you for it as well."

Dylan could not believe what she heard, both of them had stopped unconsciously. "That is ridiculous!", Dylan gasped. "I want to protect her as much as you do. Why would I send Anthony after her, I hate him for still wanting to kill her."

The angel took deep breaths to keep from exploding, that was so silly. What made her think, that she was working with Anthony against the agency?

"That's an interesting statement, so you admit the two of you are conspiring together", she looked with an ice-cold expression at the red head. "Tell me, how long this went on - I talked to Natalie, she said you identified the 'body' and talked everyone into covering up his crimes, how long Dylan?", Aurelie demanded twisting Dylan's hand off her arm.

"He died, he really was dead", the angel almost cried back.

"So what? Someone looking like him comes the way and you jump him?", the black woman sounded disgusted by the very idea.

Dylan slapped her with so much power in the face that she span halfway round. Coming up in a fighting position Aurelie stopped as she saw that the angel was running down the stairs. A few seconds later she hurried after her. Holding onto a small brick wall Dylan stood outside staring at the graffiti painting on the next house wall. She was again crying, as the other woman came closer, the angel turned.

"It is him, I know it sounds silly, but it is really him and I'm not working with him. He showed up as I was caught by the O'Grady's I had nothing to with their death!"

Aurelie lost her appetite for battle, as she saw the angel so confused and lost. "I wish I could believe you", was her reply, still thinking that she hooked up with a look alike, but out of despair about loosing the original in the first place. "But the police has you on tape, sitting in Troy O'Grady's car holding a gun to his head and the nurse they took from the hospital and one of Seamus lackey's stated you ordered him to kill Seamus after he nearly killed everyone else in the room."

"No, no", Dylan shook her head. "I asked him not too." She sighed as she saw that the black woman was not believing her. "Yes I saw red, but as I saw how helpless he was I knew I could not go through with it, but Anthony … he … he has his own views." Fighting of her tears she began: "I think it was him, that he …." She broke off, the angel could not tell Aurelie. The black woman would never understand.

"Let's go", she said and turned so abruptly that her black hair cut the air almost like a whip. Dylan followed trying to explain to Aurelie that she only made this one mistake. "I made one mistake, but then I was out of control, he kidnapped me, he thought it would be safer for me. That's all - anyway how did you know where I was?"

Opening the door to her car, she told her with bitter voice: "Stealing my gun - you also picked up my PST. The personal signal tracer every field agent in our organisation has."

Dylan looked down ashamed. The gun was probably found at the crime scene, no wonder the other woman was so upset, she had all the reasons to be. As she looked up she saw her waving with the clip or more like the tracer between her thumb and index finger. The angel bit her tongue and opened the co-driver door. As the car left the depressing rather poor neighbourhood a deadly silence was over the car.

"Charlie does not think I'm responsible for Seamus dead, does he?", Dylan asked after a while.

"Let's say he does not want to believe it and wants to talk to you first - he is very disappointed", Aurelie told her. "He is convinced you and the assassin are not working together and somehow I agreed to go along with it. Besides my boss, is coming here to provide extra men power to protect Dr. Crushner and for now Natalie is taking care of her."

It was amazing how open the other woman's emotions were to read. She seemed to have the outmost respect for Charlie and trusted his judgement, yet she seemed to disapprove of Dylan and Natalie. She said her name with such an undertone, that the red head wondered why Natalie was not sent. Probably she was only hurt by Dr. Crushner offering Nat to go on first names so early. "Why did you come instead of her?"

"Because she hardly slept in the past 24 hours. She was dreadfully worried for Alex and you, even the light sedative the doctor gave her, did not help her sleep. So she is not in the best condition to drive around, I just hope nothing happens, because she is not really at her best. If your boyfriend decides to stop by …", Aurelie stopped as Dylan suddenly interrupted her. "Stop calling him that!", she yelled. "He is not my boyfriend!"

Aurelie shrugged her shoulders slightly and rolled her eyes, then she drove on without saying a word. Gazing outside the window the angel's guilt slowly raised to the surface as her anger was disappearing. What had she done? She bet hearing of the accusations against her, her fellow angel was even more worried. She looked back, how was she now to sort out things with Anthony? They were most likely to meet in battle the next time.

The closer they came to the agency, the uneasier Dylan felt. She was not afraid of a possible scolding. They were most likely to be utterly understanding, which made her feel even more guilty. To be wanted for such crimes, who terrible this must be for Charlie and the Agencies credibility. Worst she would certainly rely on his help to get out of these tangled webs she laid out for herself.

"Get down", Aurelie suddenly yelled. "Civil patrol."

Dylan dived under the window and kneeled half were her foot-space was supposed to be. The black woman used the gate opener and rolled on the parking lot behind the building. "There we are!"

The angel took a deep breath and left the car. Then she walked on and reaching the hall of fame, she encountered Natalie who run into her hugging Dylan like she had feared not to see her again. "I'm so glad you are ok, but what is with your face?" She withdrew and run her fingers over the mascara covered cheeks of her friend.

"Oh Nat I'm so sorry, I … don't know what to say", she looked down. Natalie was on bare foots. "You don't have to, I bet Aurelie told you that Alex made it. And about the kidnapping we'll talk when Charlie calls, I know you would not order anyone to kill Seamus! In the meantime we clean you up, okay?"

Dylan nodded, she did not deserved to be cleaned up by Natalie, what she deserved was a good smack in the face like she had given Aurelie. The blonde angel needed to do something for her and she did not wanted to hurt her any further. So she followed obediently to the nearest hand basin. Where Natalie filled it with hot water. "You went berserk and he came to the rescue?", Nat asked while Dylan was rubbing her face with soap and water.

"Yes, he did", the red head continued also her face was already cleaned up. The hot water felt so good. "Oh Dylan", her friend said and padded her on the back. "Ouch", Dylan rose up.

"What is it?", Natalie asked worried.

"I almost forgot about, at least I know where this dull pain all the time had come from", the red head sighed, with all that crying and her face hurting so much, she barely had felt her back. "That bastard from whom you took the rings hit me pretty badly…", Dylan explained. He certainly had paid for it.

"Let's see", Nat said and crumbled her shirt up. "Oh damn - the last time you looked like that, had crashed into a subway station!"

"It does not feel that bad", Dylan tried to calm her down. "Anyway I deserve it."

"Silly girl, of course you don't", Nat scolded her and lowered the shirt.

"I made the wrong assumption, Nat, it was not Seamus - it was Anthony!", she clung to the basin, her knuckles turning white. She stared in the dirty water. "I don't - I …"

"Dylan, what are you talking about?", the blonde said surprised.

"I'm talking about the Thin Man being the one that drove over Alex!", she said louder as she had wanted to.

"What? How did you get that idea?", Nat turned her around. Dylan just looked in the most awkward confusion at her. "It was a woman, we have more than a dozen witnesses, that clearly described the same person behind the wheel. No Creepy Thin Man mentioned!"

Then she stopped and asked seriously: "Wait a moment do you really think it is him? You can't be serious about that."

That was too much at once. A woman? How did that fit into the picture? It was not him, that was the second time today she had the feeling off never having heard anything better in her whole life. Then she remembered the look on his face. "Oh Anthony", the angel said.

"Dylan", Nat said realising how great the extend of her friends emotions for their favourite assassin must have been. "We will found out what is behind everything, you'll see - now let's go and talk to Charlie."

They left the rest rooms encountering Aurelie, who was now dressed completely in black and heavily armed. "Are you going somewhere?", Nat asked her.

"Well, someone has to welcome Bo… my associates and none of you is right now available, so I trust Dr. Crushner once more into your hands Natalie." Then she turned and walked down the corridor in direction of the rear exit.

"She really believes I did it", Dylan said.

"Don't feel bad she does not know you and she is very worried about Anna", the blonde angel went into the hall of fame and strode towards the office doors.

"Is Bosley not here?", the red head said looking around.

"No, he is with Alex and Max at the hospital, at least until six, then Jason and I take watch. He has taken it so much worse than any of us", she informed her.

"I wish I could see her, is she conscious? Did you talk to her?", Dylan needed to know more. "Did you know how worse she is injured?" With Anthony not being responsible anymore, she felt she had the strength to face the whole extend of it all.

"Well she has multiple fractures, both legs, a knee is real bad up, the ribcage good it, hairline fracture of the left shoulder, the right one dislocated, the arm broken. She can't talk because her chin also has a fracture", Nat sounded very unhappy about having to repeat it all. "The doctor said she had been really lucky, her skull itself could have fractured. Everything except for the knee will heal without any problem, they said."

Seeing Dylan's shocked expression, she added: "It could have been her back as well, but no damage there. She needs rest, but before I left, they told me and Jason that Alex definitely will recover. She could not say anything, but she clearly showed that she was aware that we were with her."

That was indeed good news, also it left the question about who did it. It seemed unlikely that Dr. Sattler herself would indulge in such assassination plans, after all she had hired her own killer, with an instant replacement guarantee. "Any idea who did it then and does Mr. Munday know about this?", she asked. Obviously her mind was working again.

"No clue, we thought about Dr. Sattler, but the description does not match her and she has an alibi, and Alex' father is on the plane. He'll meet us at the hospital later."

"How did he took it?"

"Terrible, especially because he could not get a flight, everything was booked out, but Charlie made an arrangement. Jason's personal assistant is picking him up. You would not believe how nice she has been. I guess she is quite a fan herself. Too bad you did not met her, she arrived an hour after you left."

"I still might, sounds like you guys did a lot of work in my absence", Dylan said and a bit of shame showed through her voice.

"Well, at least you kept her hired hand busy", Natalie said smiling and added: "Besides, that is the greatest news on the case, that Sattler woman is here in L.A., that's why we thought of her. The day Aurelie arrived here she took a plane and at the very same time, Alex was attacked she checked into the Hilton Plaza."

"You are kidding?" That moment the clock clicked onto 5 p.m and Nat pressed the button and Charlie's voice filled the air. "Hello Angels."