Author's Note: Yeah, I pretty much have this story finished. So it's just adding chapters now.

It is unbeta'd right now, cause I haven't had a chance to talk to my beta reader.

Thanks to my loyal readers.

Sands and El approached the warehouse slowly. "Guards?"

"None." Sands frowned but nodded. They stepped up to the corner and stood there for a moment. There were no cars, so they crossed at a slow stride. But they didn't go up to the front door. Instead, they slipped into the alley.

"There's a balcony with a door." El whispered to Sands.

Sands was silently a moment. "Give me a boost." He told El. El frowned, walked over to the balcony. He cupped his hands as stirrup. Sands put both his hands on El's shoulders and one foot in El's hands.

El hoisted him up, but Sands fingers missed the railing and he fell on his backside on the ground.

Sands growled. "Let's try that again." El sighed and Sands stood, putting both hands on El's shoulders again. This time, Sands grabbed the railing and hung on for dear life. He pulled himself up and over the railing on to the balcony.

"Find the back door." Sands hissed to El, before turning for the door.

He ran his hand along the wall, until he found doorknob and tried it. It was unlocked. "Of course, who would lock a balcony door.." Sands muttered to himself. He leaned against the door pressing his ear against the glass and paused to listen for movement. There was none. Slowly, Sands opened the door and slipped in, closing it behind him. Pausing again, he listened. When he was sure no one was there, he pulled out the cane from his pocket and extended it.

Slowly, and painful to him, he moved around the room, feeling his way around, with the cane and his hand. It was an office, hopefully Dupre's. He felt out the desk, which was overed in papers. He opened the drawers, feeling through them and was happy to find a cell phone. Pulling it out of the drawer, he flipped it open and turned it on, pressing a speed dial button.

"What's up Rick?" A woman's voice said on the other end. One Sands recognized. He hung up then. So, Mackenize Harly was involved in this as well. He wasn't surprised. She'd been Rick's lover for as long as Sands had known the two.

Putting the cellphone back in the drawer and closing it, Sands moved towards where he figured the door was. He ran his hand along the wall and found it. Trying the knob again, he found it was locked, but the lock was on his side. He undid the locks, but before leaving the room, retracted the cane and put it back in his pocket.

He left the room with a confident walk, he had no idea which direction he was heading in however. Might as well wing it. He kept walking. But his luck was about to run out.

"There ya are boss." A voice said. Sands stopped dead, hearing the footsteps coming towards him on what sounded like stairs. "We didn't think you'd be in today." The man said.

"Change of plans." Sands answered.

"Ah..." The man peered at him curiously. "You all right, boss, ya seem a little tense."

"Migraine." Sands replied.

"Ah, yeah, that'll do it." The man said with a nod.

"Listen, you still want us to move the brat out to the compound?"

Sands looked up sharply, he took a moment to reply. "Let me see her first before I decide."

"Right, well she's down in the basement." The man turned and started down the stairs. Sands followed him. They made their way down stairs with no words. But as Sands followed him across a large room, the man broke the silence. "We finally got her to stop screaming, but we can't do thing with her. I mean, no offense boss, but was it a good idea to kidnap a three year old."

"I have my reasons." Sands sneered.

The man shook his head and took a key from his pocket. Sands waited patiently as the man unlocked the door for him. "There ya go. Let me turn on the light." The man flipped on a switch.

Sands kept his face blank, but growled. "She's been in the dark all this time?"

"Um...well...yeah."

Sands tossed the man a hard look, before heading down the stairs. The man started to follow, but Sands stopped in the middle of the stair case, his hand on the rail and tured part way.

"Stay up there." He snapped. The man blinked, but backed off.

Sands continued down the stairs. As he came off the last one, he heard a whimper from the corner. Sands moved towards it. The whimper got louder. Lily scrambled into the corner to escape. Sands felt his heart beating faster, a rush of anger filling him. He walked over to the corner slowly and crouched down.

"Shh, Lily-bug, it's alright." He said gently.

Lily stared at him, tears running down her cheeks. "I want my mummy!" She cried. "I want my daddy!"

Sands moved closer, slowly. "Lily, baby, it's alright. No one's going to hurt you sweets." Sands whispered. Lily continued to curl up in a ball, sniffling.

"I want mummy."

"I know baby, I'm going to take you to her..." Sands said soothingly.

Lily looked at him. "The bad man scares me..." She whispered.

"I won let him scare you anymore..." Sands whispered, attempting to move closer.

She backed futher into the wall. "You're the bad man." She said, barely audible.

Sands froze. He couldn't seem to find the words he wanted. What had Dupre done to her? To confuse his daughter like this, where she didn't even know her father. Sands swallowed back the hurt, frustration, and anger that came rushing forward with her words. He wanted so much for her to trust him. "Lily-bug, it's all right sugar pie. I'm not the bad man..." He uttered softly. She whimpered.

"Sweetings, remember when mommy brought you to see me, at the hospital?" Lily squeaked, "Yes..."

He moved closer. "Remember the toys you showed me? Your doll?"

"I wanna go home..." She cried. Sands reached out hesitantly and touched her hair. "Shh.." He cooed. "I'm going to take you home."

But before he could move her, gunfire erupted in the room above. "Fuck it!" He sneered, turing his head towards the stairs. Lily cried, drawing away from Sands. "Lily...bumblebee," Sands turned back at her, but he was in debate. If he took her with him up stairs, she could get hurt. If he left her here, he might never had another chance like this. He swore vulgarly and turned to Lily. "Come on, baby. We're gettin' out of here." He scooped her up. She didn't protest, but wrapped her arms around his neck.

Sands drew one of his guns as he ran up the stairs. Using the door as cover, he paused to listen. The men were all on the other side of the room, by the sounds of their voices. Gun fire was erupting from above and Sands had an idea of who it was. "Thank you El, for turning this into a fucking wet job!" Sands sneered. The men were between them and the only way Sands knew to get out. He'd have to find another way. Coming out from behind the door, he turned left and ran, praying silently, he didn't hit a dead end.

El saw Sands sprinting towards a hallway, carrying a child. He turned, running down the cat walk, the way he'd come. Men were still shooting, but they were missing their target. El hadn't planned on THIS happening and had no doubt Sands was going to be furious. He made his way down the stairs in a back hall and looked around. He was about to go right, when he saw Sands appear in the hall way to the left. "This way!" El called.

Sands sneered, his lip curling back. But he tightened his hold on Lily and ran in the direction of El's voice. They could hear men coming towards them. "You better fucking know a way out of here!" Sands hissed at El.

"I do, come on." El turned and ran down the right hall. Sands followed. The sound of the men filled the hall and Sands spun for a moment, firing off a few shots, before turning back to follow El.

El pushed the fire escape door open when they reached it and they ran out into the sun. El was about to stop, but Sands didn't. He kept sprint, his feet splashing in the puddles in the alley. El groaned, but followed. They sprinted out of the alley and across the street, continuing to run, until Sands ran into another alley a few blocks away.

El leaned against the wall near the entrance, breathing hard and watching for anyone who was following them. Sands felt around and found a stack of crates. He sat Lily down on top of them, catching his breath.

"Are you all right?" He asked her softly. "You hurt." She shook her head no, before throwing her arms back around his neck and sniffling. "Daddy!" Sands sighed, his body relaxing as he hugged her close. "It's all right sweets, you're safe." He whispered.

El turned from looking at the street, to look Sands and the little girl. He hadn't really grasped the reality that Sands indeed had a daughter, until now. Now that he could see her, he felt another ping of pity for the Officer. This was a side of Sands, El never expected to see. He hadn't even expected to see the way Sands acted with Cerise. This showed him a man who cared for his family, who loved them dearly, who was capable of love after all.

El turned back to the street at the sound of a car. They needed to get out of here soon. He turned, opening his mouth to speak to Sands, when he was punched hard in the face. There was a sickening crack and a dribble of blood began running down from his nose, over his lips. The look on Sands' face was pure murder. El staggered back, wiping the blood off with the back of his hand.

"If you ever, endanger the life of my daughter, again, I'll kill you." Sands hissed. "No, strike that, I wouldn't kill you. I'd cut off your fingers." Sands growled. "Think about it, El... You think you could live with out your fingers?"

"Sands..." El's tone had a warning to it.

But Sands stepped closer, getting right into El's face. "I don't think you could. You'd never be able to eat, perform daily tasks like wiping your ass. And you sure wouldn't be able to do what you love the most, play the guitar."

El glared. "I just saved your life." El replied, only to regert it.

Sands grabbed him by the collar and swung him around into the wall, slamming him against it. "The hell you did! You endangered my daughter's life! Going in, guns blazing like that!" Sands shouted, though his voice was starting to take on that soft dangerous tone.

"Isn't that what you do, Sands?" El sneered back.

Sands pulled him away from the wall and threw him onto the ground. He straddled El's legs, shoving a gun under El's chin. "No, that is NOT what I do." Sands replied softly, but scathingly. "ESPECIALLY when it's my daughter's life on the line!"

El glared at him. "You've got your daughter, now let me go." "No." Sands replied sharply.

"Why!" El demanded.

"Because it's not over." Sands growled, getting off of El, but he didn't holster his gun. "Rick will come after us now, and even if I did let you go, he'd come after you as well. We have to finish this, and we have to finish it NOW!" El huffed and leaned up against the wall. Sands moved back towards Lily, who was still sitting on the crates.

"So what's your plan?" El asked him. Sands sighed, holstering his gun, when he heard Lily sniffle.

"We'll go back to the hotel, grab the girls and high tail it to somewhere where I know Rick wont follow right away."

"And where's that?" El asked. Sands raised his head, as if looking at him.

"Guitar Town." With that, he picked Lily back up and started out of the alley.

"You're not taking this to my village." El growled.

"I don't have any other choice!" Sands snapped. He stopped with a sigh and gestured.

"Look, El. When this over, I swear I'll leave you the fuck alone. I just need to take my wife and my daughter somewhere safe and your village is the only place I can think of."

El peered at Sands.

"Your wife?"

Sands nodded. "We had a quickie wedding the other night." Sands left the alley, El blinked, but followed him.