Authors Note: Good news! I talked to Scarlett saturday night and gave her the rest of Blood in the Sand, so this'll probably be the LAST unbeta'd chapter for this story I put up.

Thanks for all the wonderful, wonderful reviews. And I'm glad you all liked the fact Sands and Cerise got married. It is a shame about Sammy...Rick's just gonna have to get his come up'ins as we say. ;)

Author's Note2: This is the beta'd verson of this chapter.

When morning came, Sands was jostled out of his sleep by the ringing of his cell phone. Sitting up slightly, he realized that Cerise was still sleeping against him.Carefully, he moved his arm and rolled over slowly, digging his cell phone out of his jacket. Flipping it open, he hardly had time to get a word out when the other voice spoke.

"We have a lot to talk about Sands, so you meet me at ten am at La Vac Vola and we'll discuss the safety of your daughter."

"You son of a.." The caller hung up. Sands growled and threw the phone across the room.

The sound of it hitting the wall, brought Cerise out of her sleep. "Shelly?" She asked with a yawn.

"Go back to sleep, baby. I've got to go somewhere. I'll be back soon," Sands said, getting out of bed.

Cerise sat up. "Sheldon, no. Where are you going?"

"Out, Cerise. Don't concern yourself with it." He leaned over and kissed her.

Cerise glared at him, knowing full well he wasn't going to tell her no matter how much she protest. "Will you just be careful?" she muttered. "For you," he replied, grabbing his jacket and the black bag from under the table by the window.

He left Cerise sitting in the middle of the bed with her arms crossed and went straight to Sarah's room. El answered the door, as he expected.

"What now?" El questioned.

"You're coming with me," Sands answered, not even bothering to turn his head in El's direction.

"Why?"

"Because the bastard that's causing all this wants a meeting and rule one, El, never go in alone." Sands felt his own nerves twinge as he spoke . How well he knew the costs of such a move. Never go in alone. That was his mistake.

El glanced back at Sarah, who was still fast asleep on the bed, then grabbed his holster and jacket and stepped into the hall with Sands. "Do you have a plan?" El asked.

"Of course I do," Sands replied with a brazen grin. "You're just gonna have to be my seeing eye dog." He heard El growl and continued to grin .

Sands stopped El half a block from the restaurant and pulled him into the alley. "What time is it?"

"Why?"

"Because this'll only work if he's not there yet."

"It's nine am," El answered.

"Good, Dupree won't be there until about nine thirty-ish," Sands muttered. He set the bag on the ground and knelt, unzipping it. He pulled a small silver button-like object from the bag and held it up. "Attach this to your jacket or shirt or what ever the fuck you're wearing."

"What is it?" El took it, looking it over.

"It's a microphone," Sands answered, taking another small silver object out of a small zip-lock bag. This he planted in his left ear. "I have the earpiece this way you can tell me if Dupre is going to pull anything," Sands explained.

El attached the microphone to his collar and watched Sands. Sands took something that looked like a sleeve with a glove at the end and began inflating it.

"What is that?" El asked in a confused tone.

"It's my third arm, this is where it really gets fun." Sands grinned, attaching the arm to the right sleeve of his jacket. Then he grabbed the bag in his other hand. "Let's go."

They reached the restaurant and Sands found himself asking the same question he'd asked the kid weeks before. "No, there's just the wait staff," El answered.

"Right." Sands strolled past El as if nothing was up and took a seat at a table right in the middle of the floor. El frowned but followed Sands in. He sat down at a table nearby and looked around. He watched a waitress come up to Sands and heard Sands order a cup of coffee as he lit a cigarette. The same waitress came over to El and El also ordered a cup of coffee.

They didn't have to wait long. El blinked as the man came strolling into the restaurant. He was a little taller than Sands and his nose looked broken, but other than that he looked exactly like him. The man took the black sunglasses off, and a sickeningly sweet smile graced his lips. He didn't even look in El's direction, but walked up to the table where Sands was sitting and pulled out a chair.

Sands didn't lift his head from the table, as if he was studying the scared tabletop. In his good hand was a cigarette, before him a cup of coffee and under the table his right hand was reaching into his jacket for his gun. He was relying on El and he knew El knew it too. "Mornin' Jeff," the man who sat down said, as if they were old friends.

"Rick," Sands stated simply, finally raising his head and bringing the cigarette to his lips, taking a long drawl.

"So, here we are again." Rick looked around. "They've changed the decor, you should see it. Oh, oh, I'm sorry. You CAN'T." Sands kept his face neutral. "Which is a shame, cause you're never going to see what Lily looks like. She really does look like her mother. Hopefully our children will look as beautiful."

Sands bit his tongue and flexed his fingers. When the time comes, he reminded himself. He sighed as if he were bored. "Dupre, was this all you wanted say? 'Cause if it is, I've really got better things to do."

Dupre shook his head. "You don't have anything better to do. Or are you heartless when it concerns your daughter?"

Sands grinned grimly, his head tilted down. He gestured with his free hand for Dupre to bring it on. "Keep up the lip, Dupre. If I'm gonna go away, it might as well be for wiping your ass across the floor of this restaurant and putting a bullet in your head."

"You've always been talk, Sands. Just a bunch of bullshit."

"I'm wonderin' who's bullshittin' more, Dupre, 'cause you've never stood toe to toe with me."

"Yet."

"Understand me Son. I'm the slickest there is. I'm the quickest there is."

Dupre chuckled. "You might have been. You ain't anymore." Sands heard Dupre standing. "It ain't time to finish this yet, Sands, but soon enough." "So here we are, Mexico. Longway from Paris isn't it."

"Not far enough." Sands replied. Dupre was silent for a long moment, then Sands heard Dupre standing

With that, Dupre turned and walked away.

"He's left." Sands heard El's voice in the earpiece. Sands opened fire on the chair Dupre had been sitting in, sending it spiraling across the floor.

When the clip was empty, Sands stood and tore the fake arm off his shoulder as he heard El's footsteps coming towards the table. "So that's Dupre..." El muttered looking at the door. "Yes, that's Dupre,." Sands muttered, his head towards the table, as he shoved his stuff in the bag.

They left the restaurant. "With all respect," El muttered quietly, "Why didn't you just shoot him?"

Sands stopped in the middle of the street. He was lighting another cigarette. Dropping his lighter back in his pocket, he stood there nonchalantly, as if he was looking at El. El shuddered, it felt as if Sands was glaring at him. "One," Sands held up one gloved finger. "He still has my daughter. Two," Sands extended a second finger. "He set up the meeting, he could have had anyone else around, expecting I would try. Three," He held up a third finger. "I'm not playing by his rules." With that, he lowered the other two, leaving his middle finger extended until he was sure El got the point. Then he began walking again towards the hotel. El followed and heard Sands starting to sing. El raised an eyebrow and looked at Sands like he was crazy.

"I woke up in a Soho Doorway,

A policeman knew my name.

He said 'You can go sleep at home tonight,

If you can get up and walk away.'

I stumbled back to the underground

And the breeze blew back my hair.

I remember throwin' punches around

And Preachin' from my chair."

"Must you?" El questioned as he walked beside the black clad man.

"Well who are you?" Sands continued. "Tell me who are you, cause I really wanna know. Who are you? Who the fuck are you?"

El glared at him. Sands felt it and just grinned. "Relax, El. That's you're problem. You're all tense. You never take any time for yourself."

El shook his head. "I think I should be asking you that question."

"What?"

"Who the fuck are you!" El snapped, giving Sands a look.

Sands didn't answer, but the grin fell away and he grew serious. El watched him as they walked. He seemed lost in his own thoughts. It was finally, as they reached the door of the hotel that Sands answered. "I don't know." He just left El standing in the door, open-mouthed as he headed towards the elevator.

"What's it matter, El? I'm whomever I wanna be," Sands called over his shoulder as the elevator doors opened. El followed him, peering at him curiously. The more he thought he got to the answers of this man, the more Sands wove more lies. "Yer mama don't dance and daddy don't rock 'n' roll, El. So get over it,." Sands said as he stepped into the elevator. El followed him, deciding to stay silent