An involuntary gasp escaped her lips, then instinctively she released Andy, telling him firmly, "Run for Daddy, now!"

Obediently he ran to the door then opened it and ran out, as Laurie turned and blocked her assailant from reaching for him. "How dare you take him…." She started to yell, only for him to grab her, then cover her mouth with a piece of tape.

"NO!" she cried, the sound muffled. She kicked and struggled, only to have Gregson lift her in his arms, then carry her through the secret door,then heard it click shut behind them.

"Don't fight me, my dear. You want to be with your husband, I'll take you to him." His voice taunted her as he held her tightly in his arms and carried her along a passageway.

As they reached a flight of darkened stairs, Gregson set her down, then pointed a gun at her.

"I'm not afraid to use this, Laurie. On you, or your husband." Unwillingly Laurie was forced down the steps then through another hallway, as she "called", "Rick, darling, where are you?"

"Laurie!" She "heard" Rick calling to her ". "Rick, Gregson's got me, are you all right?" she "responded", taking strength from the fact that he was near.

"Sweetheart, I'm okay, can you reach your transmitter?" he "asked", and then she remembered she had turned it on to talk to her father. "It's on, love. Dad will find us."

Just then her captor stopped, then held her fast against the wall so he could unlock a door. As he opened it, Laurie could see a figure chained against a wall, and anger rose inside her.

"Laurie!" Rick called to her weakly, then she nearly fell as Gregson ushered her inside, then tore the tape off her mouth. "Rick!" she cried, then tried to go to him, only for the traitorous agent to jerk her back, then painfully wrench her arm in back of her.

"Now, Rick, maybe you'll tell me what I want to know. Talk to me, otherwise…" she heard him sigh regretfully. "I'll have to hurt your wife." He bent her arm and she gave a small involuntary cry.

"No." Rick grated between his teeth. "You harm her and I'll kill you."

Seeing his fury in the dimly lit room, Laurie felt something hard against her side, then realized Gregson's gun was now in his pocket. "Rick, his gun is right next to my arm, I'm going to grab it!" she "told" him.

"Please, I feel so sick." She moaned, then leaned against the OSI chief as if faint. As he started to shift his hold on her as if to steady her, Laurie grabbed for the gun in his pocket then yanked herself out of his grasp.

"Don't move, Gregson. You're not going to hurt me or anyone else in my family again!" she told him angrily. "Now give me the keys to Rick's chains."

"Now, Laurie, put down the gun before you accidentally hurt yourself, or Rick. That's going to be my story." He smiled, then Rick felt a chill go through him, realizing he had planted the gun in his pocket to act as an alibi.

"See, Rick, if you don't tell me where you found the drugs from the plane, I'm going to kill you, then frame your wife. She couldn't bear that you turned bad, so she killed you then herself." Rick snarled "you'll never get away with that, you monster!"

Gregson came toward her, "Give me the gun, Laurie, and I'll let you live." then Rick saw his wife level the weapon at him.

"No, you horrible man. Don't you come any nearer." She warned, then he dived at her, only to be tripped up as Rick lashed out with his leg. When Gregson fell, Laurie hit him in the head with the butt of the gun. As he collapsed on the ground, she grabbed the keys and unlocked the cuffs holding Rick against the wall.

Rick saw Gregson start to get up. Instantly Laurie handed him the gun.

"Sweetheart, behind me!" Rick shouted, then managed to push Laurie out of the way.

As Gregson came at him, Rick kicked him in the stomach, causing him to double over. Rick caught his breath, only to see their assailant somehow pull out a knife from somewhere and rise up, a sick smile on his face. "You might actually shoot me, Rick, but not before I kill Laurie. "Or," he pretended to lunge and Laurie shrank behind her husband, "I might stab you then finish him off afterwards."

As he came toward them again, Rick went to fire the gun, only for it to click on an empty chamber.

Gregson laughed, "What's it going to be, the lady or the husband, well, say goodbye to your wife!" As he came toward Laurie, hefting the knife in his hand, a single shot smashed into the man, catching Gregson in the shoulder and sending him reeling against the wall. Instantly Rick grasped Laurie's hand and the two of them staggered from the room. As the door slammed behind them, Rick let out a gasp of surprise, "AJ.!"

"Rick, are you all right?" The younger Simon came out from behind the door, and Laurie nearly burst into tears as he hugged both of them. "How did you find us?"

A.J. smiled with relief, "I followed Gregson from the time he met you in the lobby, sis, then into the Secretary's office. I'm sorry I didn't stop him from taking Andy, he was too fast for me. After we got Andy to safety, I followed the two of you. I didn't dare stop him in case he hurt you, hon." "A.J., you did a good job, thanks, little brother." Rick hung an arm around his neck.

Just then lights blazed on in the hallway and Oscar's voice sounded "A.J., did you find them?"

"Over here, Oscar!" A.J. called back. As Rick sagged against the wall, he felt his strength ebbing, then Laurie saw the cuts and bruises on his face and she put her arms around him. "Oh, Rick. What did he do to you, my love?" her voice broke.

Overcome with emotion, he tried to comfort her. "Angel, I'm all right, shh, my brave girl." He kissed her as she held tightly to him.

Oscar ran up to them, followed by several agents, then the Secretary himself.

"Rick, Laurie, are you okay? A.J., where's Gregson?" he asked as he hugged the three of them. Rick pointed to the open door.

"He's in there, the bastard. A.J. shot him when he came at us. Be careful, Oscar, he's got a knife."

Immediately two men went in with Oscar, and after a moment came out lugging a bloodied but still struggling Gregson between them. The Secretary ordered him to be taken under guard to the complex hospital, then as he left, told Gregson tersely, "You're lucky he didn't kill you, what I'm going to do to you will make you wish he did!"

Defiant, the OSI chief coughed, then focused on Rick and Laurie. "You should have killed me while you had the chance, Simon." He grinned sarcastically. "Next time you won't get the chance. None of you."

"Take him away." The Secretary snapped, then looked worriedly at Oscar as he put an arm around his son-in-law.

"How did we miss that?"

Oscar sadly shook his head. "He was the most trustworthy agent I've ever trained, I just don't get it. I mean, after Gibbs turned down the job, I thought he knew he was the best man for the position."

Rick cleared his throat, "Dad, sir, uh, he didn't do this because you passed him over. I think he did this because Carlos Jimenez was blackmailing him. I guess he went over the edge because he saw that drug operation as his ticket up the ladder."

He looked down into his wife's eyes, "I don't think he counted on you or our family, sweetheart."

Laurie saw the relieved look on his face. "Rick, I didn't give up on finding you, my love." She kissed him, as the Secretary smiled at her.

"No, Mr. Simon, she wouldn't let go, even told me off. I'm just sorry she's not still one of our agents. Let's get you to the hospital, there's a lot of people waiting to see you."

As Rudy fussed over him in the ambulance, Rick told Laurie and A.J. and Oscar how Gregson had first drugged, then knocked him around in an effort to get information out of him.

"Rick, he must have left you, then drugged Robbie and took Andy right when I went into the Secretary's office." Laurie explained tearfully, as Rick listened, aghast.

"Why that son of a ….., A.J, I didn't understand what you were talking about before, Rudy, is Andy all right?"

"Yes, son, just scared." The doctor looked at Laurie's worried face, then hugged her tightly.

"It's all right, missy, Rick's all right, see, we're here already." He pointed at the looming emergency room entrance.

Within minutes Rick was settled in a private room, and Dr. Allen was lining up another bed for Laurie so she could stay with him.

As Laurie sat next to him, waiting for Rick's blood work to come back, she noticed his wary look and the way he tensed at every strange sound.

"Rick, did Gregson do anything else other than, hit you, my love?" she asked, putting her arm around him, then resting her face next to his.

Hesitating, he felt her kissing his ear, then she whispered, "I can handle it, my love, I promise."

"He kept waking me up with a slap, or throwing water in my face. He tried to terrorize me into giving him information . He just got me so on edge…" he gulped, then took a deep breath as her arm tightened around his shoulders. "I'll be all right, darlin'." he reassured her, then kissed her gently.

"Oh, Rick." She murmured, catching her breath. "I'm going to have to kiss you and make it better all over. Let Nurse Laurie make you feel better." She added in a breathy voice, seeing the grin on Rick's face.

"Well, Nurse, you can start right here." He pointed at his lips, which she promptly kissed, then his forehead, then on to his neck. .

As she worked her way down his chest, Laurie unbuttoned his shirt, then stared at a large bruise over his heart.

"Rick!" she gasped, then lowered her head and began to sob.

"Laurie? What's the matter, my angel." Rick was startled, then he was scared as she tried to get up, still weeping.

"Darling, I, I'm sorry, I just, oh, what he did to you, dear heart!" She wept.

At once he got it. "Sweetheart, I'm okay, look at me." He told her, then he pulled his wife into his arms.

She raised her face and gazed at him, as Rick said, "Your premonition saved our son, remember that, darlin'. You protected me the best you could. But you heard me, Laurie, and you didn't give up."

"I never will, Rick." She sniffed,as he kissed her, then wiped her tears away as he caressed her face.

"I'm sorry that Gregson betrayed us, Laurie. It seems our lives are topsy-turvy right now. Just hold on to me, I'm not going to let you go." He vowed. "Always remember, I love you."

"I love you too, and I'm going to be very clingy for a while…." She responded, then giggled as he made a funny face, then pursed his lips.

"I still need my nurse to kiss away my pain." He pretended to pout, and as Laurie cuddled up to him, she started kissing the bruises on his arm.

"Whatever my patient needs, my patient gets." She promised, then kissed his lips again.

Just then the door opened a crack, then Robbie and Andy peeked in.

Robbie smiled at his parents as his son made a face. "Why, Grandma's just kissing Grandpa, yuck"

"Well, Grandpa's got some owies, so Grandma's just making him feel better." Andy made an "oh" with his mouth, then the two Simons quietly left.