Author's note: It has been brought to my attention by my mom (who reads the chapters as soon as I post them) that the story might have gotten a little choppy and hard to understand (I tend to forget that I know what I want to happen but no one can read my mind), so please if anyone is confused, leave a comment or email me and I'll answer any questions you guys have

Chapter 25

Don rushed back to the bullpen knowing that he was close to getting Terry and Amita back. As he waited for the elevator doors to open again he let himself REALLY think for the first time. They had a relationship in the academy and when it ended he admitted he still had feelings for her but then he met Kim. When he went back home and lost Kim, he thought he would miss her like he missed Terry but somehow the pain that he felt after losing her was different. He had loved Kim, that's why he had proposed but he had to admit that while they were dating, he had once in awhile imagined his life with Terry if they had gotten married and he liked the image. When he transferred back to LA and they became partners again he hated to admit it but he wanted to have their old relationship back. He still loved her and now there is a possibility that he might lose her. Anger flared as he thought of the cut that Amita had told him about. He was going to catch these men no matter what the cost. The doors opened and he stepped out and rushed to the bullpen.

"Do we have permission?" Charlie asked with fear and a little sarcasm. He felt ridiculous about asking permission to give away his own work especially work that would only take him a half hour to rewrite AND save two very important women.

"We do but only if you really can write it again in thirty minutes, Merrick doesn't want to risk letting them get too far"

"I can rewrite it quickly, I only wish there was a way to tag their movements"

"What do you mean?"

"Well we know that they're planning to leave the state. If only there was a way I could get them use an equation to break into a bunch of fake bank accounts. We could track where they are breaking in from and catch them"

"Why can't we do that?" David asked innocently

"Well because the equation we're giving them is like a map. It predicts where they are supposed to strike next. The equation will only help them by telling them where NOT to strike next. It doesn't help us track their actions"

"So make one up" Don said simply

"If only it were that easy. It's easy enough to write it. It's getting them to use it. Their mathematician will spot that the equation isn't for the use we said it was. We could logically tell them what it should be used for but then it will seem suspicious that the FBI is handing over an equation and telling them what to use it for" Everyone was silent for a moment and then Don jumped from the chair he sat down in as if he had been shot at

"I have an idea" Don exclaimed after he realized that everyone was staring at him

"Well tell us" Charlie responded impatiently

"Well its really a long shot but what if I could get Terry, or Amita for that matter, to convince them that they don't want the equation to find them, but that they want you to come up with an equation to hack into the computers faster then they can"

"That is so out there…its perfect" Charlie said smiling "I'll start work on it now" He stood up and started heading to the conference room

"But we don't have their demand for it or approval yet for that matter" Don said standing up and walking to catch him

"But I need time. When that little girl Emily was kidnapped I completed the algorithm relatively quickly but that was with the help of Amita and Eric. I don't have them now" Don looked hesitant. He was worried that this wouldn't work and then where would they all be?

"Ok, work on it" Don said letting Charlie continue his walk to the conference room "David, call Merrick and tell him about the change in plans" David panicked for a second. He had never liked talking to Merrick. He didn't know why there was just something he didn't like. He decided however to suck it up for Terry and Amita's sake

"Hello director Merrick?"

"Yes who am I speaking to?"

"Agent Sinclair"

"Agent Sinclair I'm surprised you're calling. Agent Eppes just left my office, is everything going ok?"

"Yes well there has been a change in the plan"

"A change?" Director Merrick asked as he sat forward. He was hesitant to give the suspects the equation and know they were going to change the plan?

"Well agent Eppes had a different-"

"Agent Eppes? Well then why isn't he on the phone?"

"He's busy at the moment" David turned to give Don the evil eye for sticking him with Merrick but the worry David saw in Don's eyes as he stared at the floor made him stop "He'll be back in a moment but the sooner we-"

"Well stop babbling and tell me the plan"

"Of course. What if we could get Agent Lake, or Amita-"

"Who is that?"

"Another hostage, she's a consultant that occasionally comes in with Dr. Charlie Eppes sir"

"She's working on this case as well?"

"No she wasn't working on the case"

"Can she be trusted being in the building while working on the case?" He didn't like this Amita being around classified information

"Yes sir she can be trusted, she has clearance from a previous consulting job but sir the plan…"

"Of course. I'm sorry, continue"

"What if we could get agent Lake, or Amita to convince them that they don't want the equation to find them, but that they want Dr. Eppes to come up with an algorithm to hack into the computers faster then they can"

"That's helping them Agent Sinclair! We can't do that" Merrick pointed out as if it were obvious

"Well then Dr. Eppes can track their movements with the algorithm. We have used this technique before"

"When?" He would have remembered

"In a kidnapping case. They kidnapped the child of a mathematician for the work he was doing. With the equation he solved you can hack into any Internet encrypted site. Dr. Eppes and Amita, created a false site with a false algorithm so we tracked them down and apprehended the suspects" David was tired of explaining and just wanted to get into action. These were two people he cared about not to mention other hostages who were in there too

"Ah I see" Merrick was silent for a moment and David was afraid that Merrick had hung up and he hadn't realized it until he heard the answer he was waiting for "Go ahead with the plan. Be careful and get Agent Lake back safe"

"We'll try sir. Thank you" David hung up the phone and breathed for what felt like the first time since the call had started. Don looked up from the floor as it registered in the back of his mind that the phone call had ended.

"What did he say?" Don said looking hopeful

"He said go ahead with the plan and to get Terry back safely" David said smiling. Don's face relaxed a little

"Ok. I'll tell Charlie to work fast on the problem, see if he needs help" David raised an eyebrow " Maybe call in another mathematician, to get it done faster, though I doubt they'd be able to keep up with him" He turned to walk to Charlie's conference room "Oh David, get all the computer techs that are available to come up with a series of fake bank accounts. We don't know who they're going to strike next but when they use the algorithm to hack into their accounts, they'll pull up one of these accounts"

"I'll get right on that" David answered practically running to the elevators. Don continued his walk to the conference room and then realized that he needed a team outside the café. Mentally kicking himself for not doing something so vital until now he turned to organize some agents that were free to be part of the team, though he knew once people found out it was an agent inside the café he would have line of people wanting to help.

I AM SO SORRY! I have no clue why this chapter to write and post. Things kept getting in the way and it seemed like whenever I sat to write, everything I wrote sucked. So I finally sat down to an empty, silent house and just wrote. I'll try to update faster. Thanks for sticking with my story.