Author's Note: The edited verson of this chapter.

xXStoneXx: In the last chapter when Sands didn't answer Cerise about trusting her. This is why. Sands trusts Cerise as much as he can possibly trust someone, which is very hard for him. And in chapter 23, things have gotten very serious, so yes, he was questioning his own trust of her. THAT's why he didn't answer her. But she knows. And she understands.

Lynx: I'm British myself, and I come from a very...traditional family. The bit about the ring, is a bit of an inside joke between myself and my fiance(who's very much like Sands.)

And to those of you who have felt that Lily hasn't been thought of much. Trust me, Cerise thinks of her constantly. It's a very hard thing for a mother to go through, having a child kidnapped. I myself have never had it happen, so I wont fathom to know what it's like, but I try in this story. Please forgive me if Lily isn't brought up as much as she should. But remember, Sands and Cerise have been apart for three years. This story is as much about their love as it is about the race to save their daughter's life.

El chose to get up when the bells of the church began ringing the next morning. He'd gone to sleep while he'd considered everything he'd heard and seen. Sands was a strange contradiction. One moment he was a crazy, merciless killer, and the next he was a deep philosophical man, wanting nothing more then to live. El shook his head. It was all too confusing to dwell on. He was about to consider a shower when someone knocked on his door.

With a muttered curse, he glared at the door , before crossing over to it. A pistol in one hand, he opened the door a crack. Charlie looked up at him, a black eye gracing his face. El frowned but put the pistol up, opening the door wider. "I'm...I'm really sorry to bother you." Charlie stammered,

"But... but I didn't have anywhere else to go."

"What happened to you?" El asked as the boy entered the room.

"Well, when they discovered you and Sands had gotten away, they let me go..."

"Let you go..." El looked at him.

"Yes... they said that they didn't need or want me, but they beat the crap out of me anyway."

"Have you seen Sands yet?" El asked, watching the boy.

Charlie looked at him wide eyed. "No! I mean, no offense, but that man scares the shit out of me." He suddenly clapped his hand over his mouth at the fact that he'd spoken a swear word. El shook his head.

"What about Cerise?"

Charlie blinked. "She's dead... I mean, they killed her, didn't you know this?!" El was silent for a minute. He had a feeling it would better if Charlie didn't know that this wasn't true. At least for the meantime.

El sighed. "All right, stay here. I'll be back soon." El hesitated, his case was under the bed, but he wondered if Charlie would snoop around. Something about all this wasn't right. "Alright," Charlie muttered, going over to the bed and sitting down, his hands folded in his lap. El glanced at him and frowned a bit. No, something was most definitely not right. He would have expected this kid to be totally freaked out, but he was far too calm. El quickly left the room. The plan, was to go to Sands. He paused in the hallway, contemplating if this was the best course of action with the way Charlie was acting. He made up his mind and headed for Sands and Cerise's room. Glancing around, he knocked on the door.

Sands was still awake when the knock came. He frowned deeply and pulled the 9mm from under his pillow, getting out of bed slowly. Cerise whimpered in her sleep as she shifted. Sands paused, making sure she wasn't waking up, then he got up, moving to the door. He cocked the pistol again and felt for the locks. When he had them undone, he opened the door and shoved the gun into the face of whoever it was.

"It's me," El said in a harsh tone.

"Well, in case you've forgotten," Sands snapped back in a bitter whisper, "I can't see! What do you want?"

"We need to talk." El said calmly.

"About?" Sands replied bored, but he'd opened the door a little more.

"Charlie..." Sands frowned and stepped out into the hall, pulling the door closed behind him.

"What about the whelp?" Sands questioned.

"He's currently in my room," El said.

"Oh really. He's still alive, is he?"

"Yes... he looks a little worse for wear, but he's still alive." El watched Sands frown more.

"So why didn't he look for me first?"

"Maybe cause you've scared the shit out of him." El replied.

Sands grinned broadly. "Well, my work here is done then." Sands raised his eyebrows amusingly.

El was not very amused. "It just doesn't seem right... he's too calm... and he believes Cerise is dead."

Sands processed the information. "I see..." he muttered, his inner voice sneering at the word 'see'.

"Could he have been sent by the enemy?" El asked.

Sands rubbed his temple. "The kid's too dumb..." he muttered. El shifted, letting Sands think.

"But then again..." Sands cocked his head to the side as certain things were beginning to dawn on him, such as the kid's reaction to Cerise when they first met. "El, don't let him out of your sight. I don't trust the bastard."

El glanced down the hall. "If he's on their side, what do we do with him?" he asked Sands, looking back to him.

Sands grinned dangerously. "We'll use the little rat, till he's of no use to me." El frowned. "And El, don't tell the kid she's alive." With that, Sands went back into the room and, El headed back to his own.

"Who was it?" Cerise was pulling on a T-shirt when Sands came back into the room.

"You're supposed to be sleeping..."

"You got out of bed..." She retorted.

Sands tossed her a grin. "It was El," He told her what El had told him.

Cerise frowned. "Charlie... the kid?! I mean..."

"Don't put it past him, Cherry," Sands said, grabbing his clothes.

"I just can't... the idea that Rick would do any of this... you saved his life..." Cerise stated.

Sands sighed, turning part way to her. "As you said last night, the biggest part of this is about you," He said.

She choked back her tears. "But did he have to use Lily?" she demanded.

Sands pulled on his shirt and buttoned a few of the buttons, before he came over to Cerise. "Sweets. I've got all kinds of questions, Baby, but they'll have to wait."

"I swear, this is all gonna kill me!" She sighed deeply. Sands ran his hand up her arm and kissed her on the forehead.

"You're not allowed, you hear me?" He echoed her words.

They were stopped from saying anything else when the door flew open. Sands felt the shot ruffle his hair as it flew past him. He fired off one shot before Cerise grabbed his arm. "GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!" She screamed. "SAMMY YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

Sammy Iokie grinned as he holstered his gun. Sands growled and fired another shot at Sammy's foot. "Watch it Sands, these are new shoes!" Sammy snapped.

Sands grinned nastily. "Knowing you, I'm sure they're the ugliest things on the face of the earth."

Sammy rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

Sammy entered the room and shut the door. "Where's Sarah!?" Cerise demanded.

"She's on a run for some information for us," Sammy replied, going out on the balcony and looking up and down the street.

"What do you mean 'us'?!" She bit. Sammy came back into the room.

"I believe you now, Cee. I saw him too..." Sammy said.

"Who?" Sands asked.

"I...I don't know. But Jeff, he looks just like you!"

"It's Rick," Cerise said softly. Sammy looked at her, wide eyed.

"I saw his tattoo... on the back of his neck.Our tattoo…" Sammy looked at his wrist, then back at her.

"So you're on our side..." Sands stood loosely, but he was still holding the gun. Sammy glanced at it a moment before answering. "Yes, Jeff. Team ethics remember?We don't leave our own to fight alone."

Sands grinned slightly. "You realize of course, I'll shoot you if I find out otherwise."

"Yes, Jeff, I do," Sammy answered.

"Just checking." Sands walked over towards the table, where his suitcase was sitting.

"Wait, hold up..." Sammy was slightly confused.

"What?" Sands questioned.

"You're just going to believe me that easily?"

"Nope," Sands answered. "I don't believe a single fucking word you say. But you're useful, so…" He let the sentence hang. Sammy scowled, but knew he should have known better.

"Do me a favor, Sammy,." Sands said, pulling his discman from his bag.

"What?"

"Take Cerise out to breakfast. I need to think alone," Sands replied, putting the headphones on. Cerise sighed. She knew better than to argue. Sammy opened his mouth, but they could already hear Nirvana blaring from the headphones as Sands flopped down onto the bed, lying on his back. "Come on Sammy." Sands did his best thinking this way. Sammy sighed and followed Cerise towards the door. "We'll catch up with Sarah," he told her. Cerise nodded, making sure the door was locked.

Sands lay there, awake, listening to 'Rape Me' as it pounded in his ears. Now was his chance to think. It was the only way to think for him, his mind turning over all the information. If Charlie wasn't on the other side, then HOW did he find him and El? How did Dupre know where they were to begin with? Sands frowned deeply. There was no other answer for it,; the little bastard was on Dupre's side.

Sands ripped the headphones off and hit the stop button. He got up off the bed and grabbed his boots, pulling them on. Putting on his shoulder holster he headed for the door and left the room, taking the second keycard that was still in his pocket. He headed down the hall, his head down as if he was looking at the floor, but he was counting his footsteps to El's room. His plan was to get El so they could go pay a visit to Franky.

El answered the door cautiously. "Come on," Sands said, nodding down the hall with his head.

"Where?"

"A little walk," Sands answered.

El glanced back at Charlie, who was watching him. "What about Charlie?"

"Bring him," Sands said. El raised an eyebrow, but turned to Charlie.

"You'll have to come with us." Charlie shook his head, taking a step back. Sands had the feeling that the kid would do this. "Let's go kid,." Sands said shortly. Charlie sighed and slipped through the door in front of El. Sands shoved Charlie in the shoulder, making him go first, in case the plan backfired.

"Where are we going?" Charlie asked once they'd left the hotel.

"To see Franky,." Sands said shortly, not being able to see that Charlie had paled a shade or two. But El didn't miss it, and Sands heard El slow down a step or two, which was all he needed to know. Sands kept an unreadable mask on his face as they walked on, but he had a sickening feeling that Franky wasn't going to be alive when they got there.

When they arrived at the warehouse that Franky used as a base, Sands grabbed El's arm as Charlie walked towards the door. Sands cocked his head slightly, listening. Then, in Spanish, Sands quietly asked El how the place looked. El lanced around, frowning. If someone had been here, they'd been for a while.In fact, the warehouse looked like it was half burned to the ground. "If anyone had been here," El answered, "They're long gone. Part of the warehouse is burned." Sands swore and let go of El's arm."Charlie's by the door..." El muttered, letting Sandsknow where the boy stood.El followed, wishing now he'd brought a least one gun. "Wait here," Sands told El, taking a gun from one holster and tossing it to El. El caught the gun and raised an eyebrow, but did as Sands told him.

"Oh Franky," Sands called out as they entered the warehouse.

"He's not here," Charlie muttered.

"I'm picking up on that..." Sands replied sarcastically.

Charlie glared. "You know, I've had enough of your fucking mouth!" Charlie snapped, turning to face him.

Sands snickered, smirking. "Oh, aren't we getting brave," He replied.

"Fuck you!" Charlie yelled, the sound echoing in the abandon building, scaring some roosting birds.

"I don't swing that way!" Sands snapped back.

It was unexpected, Sands had to admit that, but Charlie's foot connected with his stomach and Sands stumbled backwards. As he faltered, Charlie reached forward and pulled Sands remaining gun from its holster. The moment Sands felt the action, he grabbed Charlie's wrist and threw his foot between Charlie's legs. Charlie tossed the gun and pivoted on a single foot, but Sands caught it and twisted, slamming him into a wall. "Who are you?!" Sands demanded. Charlie began laughing, Sands grabbed him by the neck and slammed him head first into the wall. "WHO ARE YOU?!"

He spun him around but kept a firm grip on the other man's throat. Charlie spit blood in Sands face and Sands kneed him in the groin. "Franky won't be helpin' ya." Charlie took on a southern accent. "As a matter o' fact, neither will his nephew."

"I figured that out, thank you," Sands replied bitterly.

"How did a blind fucker like you ever think you could manage to save them?" Charlie sneered.

Sands pulled his fist back and punched the man in the middle of the face.

Still Charlie kept on. "You know what the great thing was? After he was done with her, I got a turn."

"THAT was your mistake," Sands snapped, kneeing Charlie in the stomach, before throwing an upper cut. He grabbed the back of his shirt and lrammed his head into the wall again. This time Charlie dropped to the ground and rolled over, panting. His face was bleeding and he wiped his lip off slowly with the back of his hand. Sands was stooping over and picking up his fallen gun.

Without a word, he walked over to Charlie and stood before him. "You can give my regards to the Devil," Sands said, taking off his sunglasses with his free hand. Charlie gasped, backing into the wall, staring wide eyed at him. "And you can wait in Hell for Dupre." But before Sands could pull the trigger, something sharp struck him hard in the back of the head. The last conscious though Sands had was hitting the ground and feeling his gun being pried from his fingers.

He came stumbling out from the warehouse, into the hot sunlight, a hand on the back of his head, where he could fill the trickle of blood running down the back of his neck. His hand shot out, hoping to make contact with something. When it did, he wasn't sure that he liked what he found. His hand hit El's chest and he stumbled backwards. El grabbed his arm.

"Sands!"

"Where the fuck were you?!" Sands snapped, wrenching his arm from El's grasp, only to tumble forward into the man. As much as he hated to admit it, El was the only thing keeping him upright as his mind spun.

"I was making sure they didn't kill you," El answered.

"Oh really? How EXACTLY does that work?!" Sands spit blood on the ground and raised his head towards El.

"Simple, you're still alive aren't you?!" El bit back. Sands opened his mouth to say something, but the world faded away once again and he went limp in El's arms. El looked heavenward and rolled his eyes. "You are far more trouble than you're worth," he muttered to Sands' limp body before throwing him over his shoulder.