It appeared as though every vehicle registered in LA and a great many others were all on the road that afternoon. Tony raced though a light that had turned amber a while ago, a camera catching the car's number plate as he crossed in red. Directly in front of him a second light showed red. Chewing his lip he drove onto the sidewalk past the three cars before him and turned right into an even thicker stream of traffic. A few justifiably irritated drivers honked their horns at him and one swore into his open window. Yeah, you're absolutely right, that was highly illegal, but there's no need to insult mom! He pushed past the outraged driver and forced himself into another lane, changing minutes later as he noticed a gap further ahead. Occasionally he glanced at his watch. Dammit, it's too late!

Tony drove as fast as the car would go on the highway without sparing a thought for what any police would say if they caught him. Fortunately there appeared none around and he made it to the turn off sweating slightly. Slowing the car he approached the farm, sensing he was being watched. Without slowing any further he drove past before he parked the car in a ditch on the side of the road and slipped over to the orange grove. He prayed the agents had disabled the electric fence as he threw a handful of earth at it. It failed to hiss. Breathing easier he climbed the wall and peered over, noting the absence of any movement. Tony lifted his feet over the wires and jumped noiselessly to the ground. It appeared his arrival remained undetected. He made his way through the trees and over to the empty crates. Praying silently he lifted them, discovering his friends huddled together inside the second one.

'Tony, I thought you weren't coming,' Clarissa cried, wiping tears of relief from her face. 'What's going on?'

'I'm gonna take you two to my car,' he told her, lifting Blanca into his arms. 'We gotta go now. You need to be real quiet, ok?' His eyes met the child's and she nodded in terror. 'It's ok princess, nobody's gonna hurt you,' he assured her, his heart aching for her.

'I brought my house,' Blanca whispered, pointing to it. 'Can we bring it?' Her eyes looked older than her three years as she struggled with the possibility of losing her only toy.

'Sure we can,' Tony assured her, carrying it by its handle with the two fingers he was able to move on his left hand. 'Let's go.' He led the way over to the fence, halting them inside the line of trees. 'Stay here a minute, I'll just make sure it's clear.' He made a circuit of the trees, satisfied they were alone. 'I'll lift you up first,' he told Clarissa, pushing her onto the fence. 'Okay, here's your stuff. Throw it down and I'll pass Blanca.' He handed the silent toddler to her before pulling himself up beside them. Noiselessly he jumped to the ground, nodding at her. 'Hand her down.' Once they were all on the ground he lifted the toddler and their bag and hurried them over to the ditch in the road where he had parked. 'Get inside and stay down.' He started the car and drove out of the ditch, turning to rejoin the highway.

'Where are we going, Tony?' Clarissa asked as they gathered speed. 'You got to tell me what's happening now.'

'I'm taking you someplace safe till I can get you the tickets to Boston,' he told her. 'I'll explain later, I promise.' She looked at him clearly dissatisfied but remained silent on the drive back into LA. Tony kept to the speed limit as he drove to his sister's house and parked on the driveway. 'Come on,' he said, lifting the child. He hurried over to the door and searched for the spare key that was always kept inside the meter box. Glancing round the deserted street he unlocked it, disarmed the security and led them inside. 'It's okay, there's no one home.'

'Whose house is this?' Clarissa demanded as he led them into a family room. 'You got to tell me now, Tony.'

Tony nodded; aware he couldn't put off his task any longer. 'Sit down.' He opened the fridge and poured them some juice, taking Blanca into his arms. 'See that box over there, princess. Go see what's inside.' She hurried off, exclaiming in excitement as she withdrew a pile of toys. Waiting until she was completely absorbed, he settled beside Clarissa.

'I'm American,' he began softly. She stared at him shocked. He waited a moment but she remained silent so he drew a deep breath. 'I'm a Federal Agent – I was sent undercover to gather information on Christianson and discover the names of his fellow smugglers. He was the only major player we knew about. They held an important meeting today and we were able to pick them up.' He glanced at her, dismayed to see her face turn red.

'Is your name even Tony?' she hissed.

'Sí, and my grandfather's Mexican. I spent lots of time there with him.'

'So how could you sell us all out?' she questioned, her eyes flashing. 'You sell your own kind…'

'I didn't sell anyone out,' he insisted, aware they had arrived at the crucial point in the discussion. 'We're only interested in the smugglers. I'm not gonna be asked about any of you.'

'You're "not gonna be asked about any of you"' she echoed, louder. 'So you finally let me know where you stand, Tony Almeida! You're a rich American, and you're worse than the rest of them. You think those police are going to ignore all those people? You know they'll all be deported by tonight, that's why you came back for us. Don't lie to me,' she snapped as he opened his mouth. 'You don't give a damn about any of those people we came out with.'

'Clarissa, that's not true,' he said softly, attempting to take her hand. 'I did call in the location of the stranded group yesterday. We were out to stop the smugglers only. You gotta admit the way they transport people is dangerous. And they're using you as slave labor, that's wrong.'

'What you done is worse,' she snapped, getting up to move over to the door. He followed her, searching for a way to help her understand. 'Say whatever you like, Tony, but you sold us out! People are going to be deported because of you. So what do you plan on doing with us?' she cried suddenly. 'You going to turn us over to la migra?'

He shook his head. 'Would I have returned for you if I planned on doing that? I'm gonna get you on the flight to Boston tonight.'

'How kind! And how do you plan on paying for the tickets. I haven't got any money.'

'I'll get them,' he assured her. 'I need you to stay here today, it's quite safe. This is my sister's house and she's in Chicago at the moment. I'll send someone to take you to the airport if I can't make it back.' He reached for her hand again. 'Clarissa, I know this is real hard to understand right now, but I love you. I'll come join you in a coupla weeks.'

'No, you won't,' she said, backing away from him. 'You're a bastard, Tony. You're worse than the gringos – you're their lapdog! I thought you were some detective after one migrant, but you're worse than that. You're after every one of us! Leave us alone, ok. Don't ever come near us again.' She backed further and he reached in vain for her arm, dismayed at her rage.

'Querida…'

Clarissa reached forward, slapping him hard across the face. 'Leave me alone, Tony. Just go,' she hissed and turned away.

Tony nodded slowly, resisting the urge to rub his burning cheek. 'Ok. Like I said, you're quite safe here. Stay put until I deliver the tickets.' He turned and left the house, striding across the driveway to the car. Eyes filled with tears of regret, he took the cell phone and dialed his sister, begging her to buy two tickets for the evening flight to Boston with her credit card to be collected at the check-in counter. He promised to pay her back as soon as he could and returned to his apartment, grabbing an envelope from deep within his mattress. Once it was secured in his jacket he returned to CTU, steeling himself for the consequences of his actions.

'Where the hell have you been?' Jack demanded as he knocked hesitantly on his office door. 'Shut that door. Sit down!'

Tony sank into the chair he was pointed to sick at heart. 'Chappelle's looking for you. He's been looking for you for over half an hour. You better start talking to me right away! I want to know everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, Tony!'

Tony looked into the smoldering eyes and sighed inwardly. Looks like the whole world is mad at you today, Almeida! 'I told you I had to take care of something,' he said quietly, meeting the eyes of his annoyed boss.

'You've been back to the farm,' Jack stated, searching his impassive face. 'I'm guessing you returned for one reason only, Tony, to get some people out.' He glared at the younger agent, noticing a flicker in his steady brown eyes. 'Don't bother to deny it.'

'Fine, I won't. Those people went through hell to come here, and they're not the primary targets. I'm not prepared to watch them rounded up like so many criminals just because they're held as slaves by that bastard. That good enough for you, Jack?' Fists clenched behind his back he awaited his sentence.

Jack shook his head slowly. 'You violated the first rule of undercover operations, Tony. You don't get involved with the misfortune of innocents you encounter - ever. When I called you I heard a child's voice. I'm guessing you returned for it and it's family.' Blue eyes met brown ones and locked together.

'You don't need her for anything, Jack,' Tony said after a long silence.

'You realize what would happen to you if Chappelle ever found out you returned for some aliens?' Jack asked.

'I can take a guess,' Tony assured him. 'He'd fire me.'

'He'd have you arrested,' Jack stated unemotionally. 'You're a federal agent, Tony.'

Tony nodded. 'Yeah.' He placed his hands on the desk, palms upright. 'I understand.'

Jack's brow wrinkled in confusion. 'What are you doing?' he asked before understanding dawned. 'I'm not arresting you, Tony. You completed your mission successfully. Chappelle tells me we rounded up the entire ring of key players. If a handful of aliens working on the farms managed to evade the police it's nothing to do with CTU.'

Tony glanced at him to gauge his displeasure, startled to discover his boss's face lacked any hint of irritation. Swallowing he returned his hands to his lap. 'Thanks, Jack.'

'You've still got to see Chappelle over at Division,' Jack told him. 'Like I said, he's been expecting you. Of course he understood that the anesthetic knocked you out for a while, but he's determined to debrief you personally. I suggest you remember where you are.'

Tony nodded and rose. 'Thanks for covering for me, Jack,' he said as he turned to leave. 'Guess I'm no good at undercover work.'

'You done great,' Jack assured him to his amazement. 'Now get over to Division, debrief and come back here. The doctor tells me you need a few more stitches.'

Tony nodded wordless and left the office, debating silently which of the following activities he dreaded more. He collected the same car he had driven to the farm in and drove slowly to Division, rehearsing what he planned to say. He resolved to remain silent about calling the Mexican police if it was at all possible.

An agent led him into a holding room and asked him to wait for a few minutes. He nodded uneasily and tried to concentrate on anticipating the events he would be questioned about. Only Jack was aware of the existence of Clarissa and he had promised to remain silent about the incident, so he only had to worry about his phone call. Tony straightened as the door opened and Chappelle entered.

'Afternoon, Tony,' he began in his nasally voice. He laid a tape recorder on the table between them.

'Mr. Chappelle,' Tony said.

'Glad to see the anesthetic has worn off and we're able to conduct this debriefing. As you're aware, protocol states a returning undercover agent has to provide a detailed analysis of the entire mission,' Chappelle droned on. 'Normally I'd start at the beginning of the operation, but you've given us detailed daily updates. Later you'll get your chance to examine the transcripts and sign them. Right now I want to know two things - who tipped off the Mexican police about the aliens and where are the missing aliens from Christianson's farm, in particular a certain Clarissa Lopez and her young daughter.'

The breath caught in Tony's throat as he gazed steadily at the wall behind Chappelle. 'Sir, I called the Mexican police.'

Chappelle nodded, his face its usual blank mask. 'Which part of my order did you fail to understand, Almeida? I recall I told you that I would deal with the situation.'

'Mr. Chappelle, I picked up that particular group,' Tony attempted to explain. 'I actually pointed my gun at them and forced them into that shed. I was just as responsible as Christianson himself for the fate of those people.'

'Nonsense, Almeida, you were working undercover,' Chappelle told him. 'You were working as a federal agent; at least you were until the time you decided to disobey my orders! Tell me why we planned this mission in the first place.'

Tony forced himself to quit squirming on the plastic chair. 'It was planned to catch smugglers like Christianson and take them out,' he stated, looking his boss in the eye.

'That's right. You were present at the beginning of the discussion when I informed you the immigration department has decided to solve this problem. You saw firsthand just what was happening, yet you chose to jeopardize this entire mission to save a handful of people. That was direct insubordination, Almeida!' His mouth turned downwards as he regarded Tony.

'Yes sir,' Tony agreed. 'Mr. Chappelle, if you care to check through my military records you'll find I was held prisoner together with my men for three days in a similar shed. We were all trained Marines in prime condition and we barely managed to avoid fatalities. I understand…'

Chappelle held up a hand to silence him and pulled his record from the laptop beside him. He studied it in silence for a few minutes while Tony struggled to think what he should say about Clarissa. 'So you were,' Chappelle began, startling him. 'You were tortured too, for giving your captors false information.'

'Sir, I was unable to watch my men die,' Tony explained. 'I chose to fabricate a story and buy them a little time. I was prepared to accept the consequences of my actions then sir, and I am now too.'

Chappelle regarded him with expressionless eyes. 'You're extremely fortunate the rescue panicked the smugglers and they chose to hold a meeting rather than disperse!'

Tony remained silent, his eyes attempting to gauge his boss's emotion. Dammit, you just can't read this guy, Almeida. He might let it go, or he might have you arrested, and you haven't got a clue. He lowered his eyes, awaiting his sentence.

'You deserve to be fired for insubordination, Almeida. However, as it happens your actions led to the outcome we all hoped for.'

Yeah, you can receive the Immigration Department's thanks unexpectedly soon!

'So I won't fire you. You're suspended till further notice. Try working against me again and I'll have you arrested.' Cold eyes met Tony's who nodded his understanding.

'Fine. Your suspension will last one month without pay. Now onto my second question. Where is Clarissa Lopez?'

Damn you to hell for mentioning her, Christianson. You hate me, I understand that, but you're dragging her into this only for your personal revenge. 'Sir, she was working in the kitchen when I went with Christianson in the morning,' Tony replied without the faintest trace of emotion on his face. 'I have no idea what happened at the farm after I left.' He stared at his boss, willing his lie to be accepted.

'Really? You might like to know that Christianson told me you two were having an affair, sharing accommodation. You assured him you were together before the mission.'

Tony nodded. 'Yes sir. It seemed the perfect cover for me, part of a family with a woman and child. He bought it.'

Chappelle frowned. 'Of course he bought it, Almeida. The question was where is the illegal immigrant with whom you were conducting an affair while you were undercover? Where is she now?'

'Sir, when I left the farm everything appeared normal,' Tony replied, congratulating himself on keeping a check on his emotions. 'I did spend time with her, but it was never as serious as Christianson seems to think.'

'You're telling me you have no idea of her whereabouts?' Chappelle questioned.

'Like I said sir, when I left the farm all appeared normal,' Tony repeated. 'Let me assure you, none of Christianson's aliens DARED wander round without permission. I can only assume she fled when the house was raided.' Easy Almeida, you're doing great.

Chappelle raised his head disdainfully. 'The house was surrounded, Almeida. Nobody got in or out once our agents arrived.'

'Then she might have finished a few jobs and returned to the hut to rest,' Tony replied equally calmly. 'I've got to collect my own stuff from there too, sir.'

The door opened again and to his intense dismay Hammond entered. 'The teams are almost done, Ryan.' He stared coldly at Tony.

'Fine, Brad. Alright, Almeida, you may collect your things, as you're heading over there right away.'

Tony narrowed his eyes in puzzlement.

'I've assigned the task of mopping up to Mr. Hammond,' Chappelle informed him. 'He needs to find a few things to help nail Christianson. Give him your full cooperation.'

'Yes sir,' Tony replied, turning to face Hammond. 'What do you need, sir?'

'I need to find the book where Christianson kept a list of all his aliens. I understand from Jack that you actually saw it for yourself. It will form useful evidence against him.'

'Sir, you've got more than enough evidence,' Tony told him softly.

'I need that book, Almeida. Once we locate all the people on his list, California will no longer hold the record for the state with the highest illegal immigration. I need you to show me the location of that book.'

Tony nodded helpfully. 'I'll take you to his office, sir.'

'My men have searched the entire house,' Hammond snapped. 'They failed to locate anything. I want that book, Almeida. One of the smugglers we interrogated said you knew where he stashed it.'

Tony swallowed his fear down. 'I can't imagine why anyone would say such a thing, sir. He didn't trust me enough to show me things like that. My own name was on that list. I have no idea where that book can be.'

Hammond nodded. 'I'll give you exactly ten minutes to think about its location, Almeida. We will find that book, let me assure you, but doing so later will be useless. I suggest you remember who you're working for. Sit down!'

Tony sat back on his chair, his fists clenched at his sides.

'If you refuse to divulge the information at the end of the ten minutes, I'll have you prosecuted for holding up a government investigation. You will go to prison. It's entirely your choice.' He opened the door and left Tony alone in the holding room, his heart threatening to burst from his ribcage.