Authors Note: The plot thickens.

Thanks to the kind reviews, really helping.

And thanks very much to Scarlett for Beta Reading this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, or anyone else in Once Upon A Time In Mexico. They belong to their respected creators, I just let them come and play. ;)

Chapter 4

Sarah paced the hall, running a hand over her cheeks to wipe the tears from her eyes. She was not only worried about Sands, but Cerise as well. The thing that worried her the most though, was one, simple fact. Something had gone very wrong, and she feared that it wouldn't end there.

Someone was playing a game. Maybe Sarah herself was a pawn of that chess game, maybe not. The next round of action was going to have to be well thought out. Lives depended on it... Sands' life, Cerise's life, and possibly the rest of the team's as well.

She turned when she heard the electric hiss of the main doors opening behind her. Mac and Cerise were storming in. Cerise's small frame was furious from head to foot. She absolutely shook when she stopped in front of Sarah.

"Where is he?" Cerise questioned in a low voice.

"They're preparing to move him to OMS."

Cerise nodded. "And Matinize?"

Sarah shrugged. Cerise grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her outside into the warm, late afternoon air, Mac trailing behind them. The sun was just preparing to set, causing the red in Cerise's hair to appear dark crimson - the color of blood. Sarah shuddered. The color reminded her of the blood that had been running down Sands' cheeks when she'd found him.

When they were a safe distance, free from prying eyes and ears, Cerise spoke. "We're in big fucking trouble here."

"I don't get it..." Mac said, shaking her head. "Who would want to burn you, Cerise? You've been more than valuable... I mean, you're retiring after this!"

"Maxell!" Cerise answered with her former boss' name, without hesitation. Maxell had been the one who hired Monterio to kill Cerise, when Cerise had gotten too close to knowing that the woman was double-crossing her own country.

"She's terminated."

"Yeah, and Sands and I paid the fucking consequences!" Cerise replied, upset, and hugging herself tightly. "Look, I know it can't be Maxell. But someone.... it makes no fucking sense that Sands and I were both compromised. It made even less sense that our operations kept intertangling, yet neither one of us ever saw the other."

"Sands was not privy to your existence. Not after..." Sarah didn't finish. She didn't have to. They all knew. When Sands had assumed his partner, and more than that, his lover, had been murdered, he'd snapped. He'd suffered a mental breakdown, and it had landed him in OMS for nearly five months.

Cerise had been reinstated after the entire mishap, and Maxell's treason was uncovered. Rick had planted a bullet in Maxell's head, on the orders of HIGHER authorities. Cerise was just pissed it hadn't been her, or Sands, who'd had the pleasure of doing the deed. So now, WHO had compromised her and her former partner?

"There's another matter...." Sarah said softly. "The Spooks...they...Sands..." She stammered, struggling to continue, as tears sprung to her eyes.

"What?" Cerise asked.

"The cartel...it had to be them...they...they fucking tortured Sands when they caught him...."

Mac shuddered. She'd never been tortured, and she couldn't imagine what that would be like. Cerise on the other hand, had been, at the hands of Maxell's partner, for three days. She could imagine. Cerise looked at Sarah, waiting silently, but her stomach was already twisting in a knot. "They took his eyes...." Sarah whispered.

They all stood there, stone still, the sound of an approaching helicopter breaking the silence of the evening. It was the chopper that would take Sands to Virginia. Cerise almost didn't want to believe it, but she knew better. She knew what the cartel was capable of.

"Will you be visiting him?" Mac asked.

"You bet your bippy." Cerise used Sands' words exactly the way he'd said them, even adding that sarcastic little grin.

Sarah and Mac had left Cerise alone, to file her report. She twisted the pen in her fingers as she sat in the small room, alone. Now that no one else was around, she had time to let it all sink in. She'd been fine before, her mind distracted with her work... up until she remembered what Sarah had told her.

'They took his eyes'

Cerise dropped the pen and shuddered... cartels were ruthless when it came to torture, but never had Cerise heard of the cartel blinding someone, or as Sarah explained later, actually removing the victim's eyes.

Something settled in the pit of her stomach, and before Cerise knew it, she was leaning over in her chair, vomiting into the trashcan near the desk.

'Oh god...' she thought, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Never again would she see those golden-brown eyes looking at her. She'd never lose herself in them again. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how Sands must be feeling right now. Her stomach turned again, in a dry heave, she had nothing left to give.

She wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand and slipped off the chair, sinking onto the floor, away from the desk and waste basket, silent tears falling down her cheeks. "Oh Shelly..." she whispered sadly. So much had worked against him, and now this. "I'm so sorry, Sheldon..." she cried softly. God only knew, she was still in love with him. She sat there for a long time, thinking about the past, about the team's operations, about the semi-solo operations she and Sands had performed together.

That had been her whole life, HIS whole life for nearly ten years...

Sands came to with a sharp breath, and a yell of pain. As his lips closed, he frantically felt around him, finding himself on a bed. His wounds were bandaged. He reached up with his good hand and found a thick white gauze around his eyes. Then a sound caught his ears, someone was in the room with him.

"Jeff?"

It was Sarah. He heard her move tentatively towards the bed.

"S-s-sarah...where am I?" He felt Sarah slip her hand over his, and for a split second he wanted to jerk it away, but Sarah had always meant well, and to be truthful, he liked her too. Maybe even thought of her as a younger sister.

"You're in OMS, back in the states." Sands groaned and sank down deeper in the bed.

"Did you HAVE to bring me back here?" he muttered.

"Well, I didn't bring you," Sarah replied sarcastically. "The Company did."

"Just as bad.." Sands grumbled. He reached up and touched the bandages around his eyes.

"Do you remember what happened?" Sarah asked softly. She watched Sands drop her hand without hesitation, and heard the irritation in his voice.

"How the fuck do you forget something like that?!" he snapped. Sarah slowly let go of his other hand.

"I'm sorry, Jeff, but you've been in and out of it for nearly two weeks."

"And you've been here all that time?" Sands asked, cocking his head to the side, strangely amused.

"Mostly, yeah. Mac and Sammy relieved me when I needed a break," she said, but she wasn't being all that honest. Cerise had spent the first week beside Sands' bed, sometimes with Lily asleep on her lap.

"Well, nice to know SOMEONE cares." Sands replied sarcastically. Sarah retorted by pinching him hard in the shoulder.

"OW!" He gave her an angry 'look', but Sarah could see past the scowl. There was bit up an upturn betraying that frown. She flopped back down in the chair. Sands broke the silence after a moment. "So...how bad is it...?"

Sarah swallowed. "Well, um...they removed the bullets. Not too much damage there.."

"I wasn't talking about that.." Sands bit back.

"It's irreversible..."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Sands snapped angrily. Sarah cringed slightly. She watched him as he lay on the bed, breathing hard.

"I'm tired," he stated finally, half rolling onto his side, his back to her. "I'm going back to sleep."

Sarah sighed and stood up. "Jeff..."

"What?" he asked, his voice solemn.

"Everything's going to be alright," she said quietly.

Sands flopped back over, so he was facing her, and he sat up once more.

"Alright?! ALRIGHT?! I'VE LOST MY GOD DAMNED EYES!" He shouted. Sarah swallowed, trying not to tremble. When she didn't reply, Sands fought to slow his breathing.

He'd been ready for an argument, almost craving it. But damn, he was so tired. "Just go, Sarah. Go home, get some rest, go get some coffee, go do SOMETHING, but leave this fucking room. I just wanna be alone for a little while," He said finally. He heard her sigh and move away from the bed.

"Jeff," she said, halfway to the door.

"What?" Sands asked, turning his head towards her, a bored look on his face.

"Listen Jeff...if...if someone should come to visit...that you're really not expecting..." He heard her sniffle. "Just try to understand... it was for your own good.."

Sands raised an eyebrow. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I can't... I can't be the one to explain it. Just trust me, Jeff."

"Don't I always?" he said, somewhat sarcastically, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yes Jeff, you do. I'll be back later." She said softly, opening the door.

Sands listened to her leave, and laid back down with a deep sigh, and a confused mind. He just wanted to go back to sleep. He began filing away everything she said for later processing, and slowly drifted back to sleep, his tired muscles getting a much needed rest.