DISCLAIMER: The Lone Gunmen aren't mine.


" Where's Langly?" Frohike asked Byers as he put some lasagne down on Byers plate.
" Upstairs. He says he's not hungry." Byers answered, digging into his dinner.
" Langly's not hungry? He really must be upset." " Save some dinner for him though he might change his mind later." Byers advised Frohike.
Frohike sat down opposite Byers and started eating too. " So, how do you feel?" Byers asked conversationally.
" How do I feel about what?" Frohike demanded.
" About Carly, leaving."
" Carly's doing the right thing," Frohike shrugged.
" No, I mean…" Byers trailed off and tried to gather his thoughts together, " I know how you feel about her Frohike. Both you and Langly. I'm thinking the real reason why she left is for you two to become friends again."
Frohike couldn't think of a reply to that. Perhaps Byers was right.
" So I'm asking you how do you really feel about her?" Byers asked again.
" I like her a lot but…I'm not in love with her." Frohike admitted, " Not in the way Langly is. That one time with her was just a one night stand. I know it will never happen again. "
Byers nodded and finished his dinner quickly. Now that he knew, it was time to let Langly in on his secret. He would be breaking a promise to Carly, but he was sure everything would be okay in the end.

Langly looked up when Byers entered his room. He'd been listening to his portable cd player and didn't hear Byers knock. He had been trying to drown out his thoughts with loud, head-banging music and so far it was doing the trick. Langly removed his headphone and looked up at Byers expectantly.

" Yeah?"
" I need to talk to you," Byers said, " It's about Carly."
Langly sighed, " Byers, I don't want-"
" No, I think you'd want to hear what I've got to say." Byers interrupted.
" Go on then."
" She's going to kill me for breaking a promise I made to her," he started and Langly's eyes widened.
" What promise?"
" Langly-Carly's in love with you."
Langly almost fell off the bed in astonishment. He didn't believe his ears…or maybe he had fallen asleep and was just dreaming.
" How did…I mean…how do you know?"
" She confessed to me about three weeks ago and made me promise not to tell you. She didn't want to act on her feelings because she was afraid of getting hurt. That your feelings weren't serious."
" Not serious!" Langly glared at Byers, " she must know I am serious about them. I'm not lusting after her like Frohike is."
" You've got to tell her then. Tell her you are serious and confess."
" What if she won't?" " She will. Trust me." Byers reassured him, feeling more certain about it than ever. If it didn't work out between them, they both might end up hating him. Byers hoped it wouldn't come to that. He just wanted to see them happy.

" I really need to see you," Langly knew he sounded pathetic, but he couldn't help it, " It's important."
" You know you can't see me," Carly replied, " for your own safety."
" Carly…" Langly pleaded and Carly let out a long sigh and told him the address of the motel she was staying at. Langly scribbled it on a piece of paper.
" You putting your own life at risk," Carly warned him.
" I know…I'll be there in about fifteen minutes." Langly said and hung up the phone before she could lecture him further.
Meanwhile, Madeline watched as two men climbed into a blue van. One wore a suit and had a beard while the other man was short and wore black leather and glasses. They drove away. Madeline got out of the car and headed for the front door and found it open ajar. She let herself in the darkened building and kept to the shadows. She crept along until she could see a woman with long blonde hair. The woman had her back to Madeline and was hunched over a table, writing something. She is my only obstacle, but no matter. She might become useful. Madeline vowed, pulling her gun out of her bag and advanced silently towards the blonde woman.

Madeline coiled an arm around the woman's neck and pulled her away from the table. The woman gasped and tried to struggle free. Madeline got a surprise when she looked down at the woman's face-she wasn't a woman at all, but a man.

" How did you get in here?" he asked as Madeline kept her arm around his neck. " Never mind that," she hissed, her breath hot against his ear. Langly tried to tuck the note into his pocket. Madeline caught his wrist and grabbed it from him. She smiled when she saw what was written.

" Thank you, you've made it easy for me." She let go of Langly and shoved him forward, " if you try anything, I will not hesitate to use this," she aimed the gun at him. He didn't look scared, just determined.
" What are you waiting for? Get going," Madeline gestured to the door with her gun Before they left, Madeline spied a note on the table addressed to the two men who had left earlier. She screwed it into a ball and threw it aside before following Langly out the door.

Carly went into the tiny living area of the motel and was about to switch on the tv when someone knocked on her door.

" Who is it?" she called.
" It's Langly," he answered.
" Hang on a minute…I'm not dressed." She lied. The truth was she was holding a half-empty bottle of vodka in her hand. It was her second. She didn't want Langly to think she had become an alcoholic-she wasn't one. She had only decided to have a couple to take away her increasing depression. She hid the bottle then called to Langly, " Come in, the door's unlocked." The door opened slowly and there stood Langly-and her sister.

" Madeline?" Carly's mouth dropped open in shock.
Madeline gave Langly a shove and he stumbled forward, his hair falling in front of his face, obscuring his vision of Carly. " I'm so sorry Carly," Langly apologised, brushing his hair back, " she forced me to come…she had a gun in my back."
And that gun was now aiming at Carly, " Say goodbye to your friend," Madeline instructed her, squeezing the trigger.
" No!" Langly yelled and lunged for Madeline-just before they all heard a loud gunshot. Langly collapsed onto the floor, plain exploding throughout his body.

He heard a scream coming from Carly then there was nothing but blackness.