Sorry that this part is a bit shorter than the rest. Only a couple more to go now! Please R&R! Thank you for all the replies so far, very much appreciated!

'Alright everyone, this is it. This is the last chance for you to pull out. I'm not going to force anyone into doing this. This is your decision and one that only you can make. There's the door, no-one will think any less of you if you go through it now.' Jack's words almost echoed through the room, all that anyone could really hear was the sound of their own conscience, the sound of their own heart pounding in their chest. Needless to say, no-one went through the door.

'OK then. Here's what we do…' Jack continued, his immense presence filling the room with hope. 'Danny, Vivian, you're round the back. Martin and I will take the front. We're getting Sam, no more, no less. Got it?'

Everyone nodded. Nothing more needed to be said now. They'd been trained for this, now it was time to put that training to the test under more pressure than they'd ever been under before. They couldn't afford to mess up – not if they valued their jobs, their freedom, their lives…

The rain pounded the pavements outside, the streetlights illuminating each individual drop as it fell from the angry clouds above. In silence, both pairs walked casually yet carefully to their positions, all scared, and none admitting it. Taking a deep breath, Jack raised his finger to the doorbell, pressing it firmly. No-one answered. He tried again, the bell ringing out with great urgency. This time when no-one answered, the door was kicked to the ground, letting out at least some of the apprehension and frustration of the past days.

'FBI' shouted Martin, his eyes rapidly adjusting to the poorly lit hallway as they scanned the area. His hands clasped his weapon that followed his view. He flicked left and right, both he and Jack clearing rooms and areas as they went. This was the stage where they always said that the training kicked it, that it worked through the nerves, worked through the adrenaline rush. They were right, by the time that all four agents had cleared the downstairs area; they were up on the next floor without even thinking.

It was Martin whose eyes first fell on the closet. One of the brass door handles glimmered from the street lighting outside. Somehow Martin knew that this was it. This was when his worst fears would be confirmed, when his world would fall apart. For an instant he froze, his body refusing to confirm his fears. But then he heard a faint noise, no more than a slight tapping.

Instantly his feet covered the ground, within seconds the door was off its hinges and there she was, barely recognisable, but there and, more than that, showing signs of life.

'Sam, it's me Martin. Can you hear me?' he rushed to her side, assessing her situation as she mumbled to him. He had never heard a more beautiful mumble in all his life. 'The senator, he was, and the army major…. erm…. Major, erm, what's his name? They needed…they needed, god damn it, they needed something...' Sam's breathing became more and more rapid as she became more and more frustrated at what she deemed to be her own incompetence.

'It's ok. Don't worry, everything's ok,' Martin spoke gently, clasping Sam's hand in his. 'I've got you, it's ok.'

The next minutes were a complete blur. Sam was carried out of the house, much to her annoyance, even though her consciousness was unpredictable, her body weak and her limbs in no state for anything. It was all the others could do to hide their shock at the state that Sam was in. Considering the high rank of her captor, they had all presumed that she'd at least have been reasonably kept.

As she was helped into the ambulance that was waiting, Martin was still holding her hand, still speaking gentle comforts to her. 'I've got you,' he kept repeating. 'I've got you now.'

Jack looked on at the two, constantly checking for any sign of the normal inhabitants of the house returning. They'd got lucky with no-one being there and he knew it. Surely their luck couldn't last? But then his focus went back to Martin and Sam. Sam, his Sam, Sam who had spent days going through an absolute hell that he surely could have put an end to, Sam who had fought like hell to stay alive because of him, Sam who he had now lost his chance with.

But somehow he could look at Martin and not be sad for missing his chance. He knew that Sam had found someone who finally deserved her, who wouldn't hurt her, who could make her happy. Even as the paramedics were doing whatever it was that they did, he could almost have sworn that he saw her smile. She was a fighter, would fight until the death if need be, and what she deserved was someone who would fight right there by her side. He couldn't offer that – Martin could.