Author's Note: I'm going on vacation so I won't be able to update for about a week, so I wrote a somewhat longer chapter and tried not to end it on a cliffhanger. I'll try to update as soon as possible. Thanks for all the reviews:)

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked as he watched Martin slowly come out of shock.

"A guy called…he has Sam and Cecilia…he wants money…or he'll kill them." Martin slid into his chair. He was still holding on to his cell phone and his knuckles where turning white.

"How much did he ask for?" Jack asked

"A hundred thousand or Cecilia by midnight. He didn't mention Sam."

"Where is the drop off?"

"He'll call back." Martin looked at his phone as if he was mentally making it ring. Unfortunately, it didn't.

"Viv, you and I will call banks and get the money. Danny, try to get Martin to breathe and wait for the call." The team nodded and went their separate ways.

"Marty? You need to breathe. Can I get you some water?" Martin didn't respond to Danny's question. He merely put the cell phone on his desk and watched it. "Marty, breathe."

"What am I supposed to do? We do this every day! I can't just wait around while some guy threatens my family!" Danny watched in awe as Martin's face turned from white to red in a matter of seconds.

"Right now, all we have to do is wait until midnight. We'll get them back." Danny tried to stay as calm as possible, even though he cared for Samantha like a sister and Cecilia like a niece.

"I know…I know." Martin took a deep breath and started out of the bullpen. "I need some air."

"What if the call comes in?" Danny held up the cell phone.

"Then I'll answer it. I'll write down the address and wait until midnight. What else should I do?" Danny sensed desperation in Martin's voice.

"Okay, just come back if he calls." Martin walked out of the bullpen feeling as if he had just been hit by a truck.

Samantha watched Jim make the ransom call to Martin with wide eyes. She knew that Martin would pay the money, how could he not? Keeping in mind that Jim would live up to what he told Martin, Cecilia would be home safe. Right now, that's all Samantha cared about. Cecilia was still deep in her fevered sleep and Samantha hoped that she would remain like that until the ransom drop-off, but nothing was ever certain. As Jim walked over to her, Samantha noticed he was holding his gun.

"I want you to listen to me, Samantha. I just talked to your beloved Martin and told him the terms, which I'm sure you heard." Samantha nodded cautiously. "Now, listen very carefully." Jim pulled down the gag that was covering Sam's mouth. "I'm going to call Martin back and tell him where to drop the money off. At midnight, your daughter's life will be traded for one hundred thousand dollars, but I'll still have you. I'm going to need your help with the exchange."

"What do you want me to do?" Samantha tried to remain calm.

"Which one of the agents would be the least likely to try anything stupid?"

"What?"

"Who should I give the money to without risking being killed?"

"Give Cecilia to Agent Johnson and the money to Agent Taylor." Samantha replied.

"Okay." Jim pressed the gun up against Samantha's head for dramatic effect and walked back to the kitchen area for another beer. Samantha looked up at a clock on the wall that read "3:15"; she would still have about eight hours until Cecilia would be safe.

Martin made it back to the bullpen just as his cell phone rang; Danny had already set up the system to track it. Martin already knew that he had to stay calm and keep them on the phone as long as possible.

"Fitzgerald." Martin said causally into the phone.

"Hello again, Martin," The man said and the systems begun tracking, "I have final arrangements for you."

"I'm listening."

"The money, one hundred thousand dollars, will be unmarked and put in a duffel bag. The exchange will be made by Agents Taylor and Johnson. Agent Johnson will take the girl while Agent Taylor hands me the money. If anyone tries anything stupid, they will both die."

"Okay." Martin said and waited until the address was given. After they hung up Martin looked desperately at Danny and silently asked if the call was traced. Danny shook his head.

"It was untraceable. I'm sorry, Marty. We'll just have to wait until midnight."

"Right." Martin sat back down at his desk. Now, once again, all they could do was wait.

Samantha begun to doze off as she watched the minute hand slowly move around the clock. Cecilia was beginning to wake up, but who wouldn't after being asleep for nearly five hours. For those five hours, Samantha was sure she would die of anxiety. She also wondered if it was possible for someone to die of anxiety, or would they just kill themselves first? Sam's mind was beginning to wonder. It wondered to the first time Martin came to the office in New York, to the time when he left for Denver, and to when she found out she was pregnant. Everything seemed like a dream or some really twisted movie when everything went to fast and the audience had to watch the movie three times before they understood it. Samantha then realized how hungry she was, or at least how hungry Cecilia must be. Cecilia. Samantha would easily give up her own life to ensure the safety of her child's life. Jim way already half drunk by the time eight o'clock rolled around and was stuffing his mouth with chips or whatever he could find around the warehouse. It would still be four hours until the ransom drop off, and Samantha was beginning to fear he would be passed out by then. She had slowly begun to rip off some of the tape that tied her hands together and she would soon be free.

"Mommy?" Cecilia said in a small voice as she woke up, "Where are we?"

"It's okay," Samantha nodded at her daughter, "it's going to be okay. Your dad and Uncle Danny and Aunt Vivian are going to help us out. They are going to come in a few hours to take you home. Do you need anything? Are you hungry?"

"A little. Can I have some water?"

"There is a water bottle next to your bed." Samantha watched her daughter look for it, "Do you still feel sick?"

"I'm still tired." Cecilia replied as she begun drinking the water.

"Try going back to sleep, it's going to be okay baby." Sam smiled and Cecilia lay back down.

Jack and Vivian were beginning to load the money into a black duffel bag while Danny finished paper work (to keep himself occupied) and Martin drank massive amounts of coffee and stared at his cell phone. No one talked for a few hours. They were only one hour away from the drop off.

"Do we have a plan?" Martin finally asked and all the other agents looked at him.

"Vivian and Danny are making the switch," Jack replied, "You and I will wait in the car."

Martin nodded and took another long swallow of coffee.

"We should probably get going." Danny said and stood up. He, as well as the others, was anxious to get this over with.

"Are you doing okay?" Jack asked as he followed Vivian and Danny's car through the secluded area near where the drop off spot was.

"Not really," Martin looked out the passenger window and tired to figure out if he knew the area, he didn't. But then again, it was dark out.

"I know this has been hard for you," Jack pulled up next to Vivian, "But you need to stay in the car." Martin looked at his boss.

"You don't want me to play the hero, right?"

"To put it bluntly? Yeah." Jack replied and got out of the car. The agents could barley see each other in the dark but still managed to go over their plans.

"Okay, we have about five minutes," Danny said looking at his watch, "When we get Cecilia, whose car should we take her too?"

"Ours," Jack said and glanced over at Martin who was still in the car, "They will want to be together. Then we'll take Cecilia to the hospital to make sure she's okay." Danny and Vivian nodded as Danny picked up the duffle bag. But as soon as Jack headed back to the car, and Viv and Danny to the warehouse; they heard a soft scream followed by a gun shot.

5 minutes earlier

Samantha had the duct tape almost completely off her wrists and was starting to unravel the tape around her ankles-but she could only work on that when Jim wasn't watching her like a hawk.

"Kid! Kid, come on, wake up!" Jim, now drunk, shook Cecilia awake in effort to prepare her for the ransom.

"Don't touch her!" Sam yelled and was ready to pounce.

"Relax…relax." Jim pulled Cecilia up as she begun to squirm.

"I mean it, don't touch her!" Samantha yelled again, but this time she noticed Jim was holding a gun. Samantha backed down and hoped Jim wouldn't use the gun anytime soon.

"Shut up!" Jim yelled at Sam and, getting fed up with Cecilia's weakness, he pushed her on the ground. Cecilia hit the side of the bed on the way down. She screamed when she saw blood trickling down her arm and begun to cry. Samantha jumped from her chair and, for the lack of weapons, grabbed the chair and was ready to swing it at Jim. The leg of the chair hit his head, but before he went down he shot at Samantha. All three people, Samantha, Cecilia, and Jim, were lying on the floor bleeding.

"Mommy?" Cecilia crawled over to her mother's side and saw blood pooling out from the side of her stomach. "Mommy? Wake up, Mommy." Samantha coughed and slowly opened her eyes. "Ceel…I'm going to be okay." Sam touched where the pain was coming from and her hand came up covered in blood. Cecilia turned around to see Jim beginning to wake up. Cecilia held her mother's non-bloody hand and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Freeze…FBI!" Sam heard a familiar voice and begun to doze off.

Martin held his gun up to the mystery man while Danny and Viv took care of Samantha and Jack went to other side of the warehouse to make sure the man didn't run.

"Put the gun down!" Martin yelled but the man seemed to ignore him and pointed his own gun at Samantha and Cecilia. Samantha was almost unconscious, and Cecilia had her face buried in Sam's shoulder.

"Sam…stay with us," Danny said and checked her pulse. "I got a heartbeat. Call an ambulance!" Danny told Vivian and she pulled out her cell phone.

"Drop the gun!" Martin warned for the last time before Jim attempted to shoot Samantha again. Luckily, just before Jim pulled the trigger Martin riddled him with bullets. Jim's lifeless body dropped to the ground. Silently, Martin and Danny agreed to switch places. Martin ran to Sam's side with Danny checked Jim for a pulse. "This one is gone." He said, with no tone of disappointment or sorrow.

"The ambulance is on its way." Vivian said and turned toward Cecilia. "Come with me, honey." Vivian lightly pulled Cecilia away from Samantha's side.

"Is mommy going to die?" Cecilia asked and wiped her eyes.

"No, she's going to be fine. We just have to get her to a hospital. You and I and Danny are going to drive there and meet your dad. He's going to ride in the ambulance with your mom." Cecilia nodded and Vivian led her to the car.

"Sam? Sam, can you hear me?" Martin asked as he propped Sam's head up into his arms.

"Is Cecilia okay?" Samantha's face was loosing color.

"She's fine. Stay with me, okay?" Martin brushed her hair out of her face and Samantha nodded. In the distance, they heard ambulance sirens getting louder.

Martin didn't let go of Samantha's hand through the whole ambulance ride. The paramedics said Samantha lost a lot of blood and bullet was still lodged in some muscle tissue below her skin. They would have to operate to get it out.

"I'm sorry." Samantha said quietly and coughed up a bit of blood.

"Don't be." Martin wiped the blood off her check with the sleeve of his jacket.

"That will never wash off." She managed a soft smile.

"Save your energy," Martin said, "You shouldn't be talking." Samantha nodded and tried very hard to keep her eyes open.

When the ambulance pulled up to the hospital, Martin begun to move out of the way and let the doctors do their job. The paramedics met up with the doctor and they held Martin back as Sam was wheeled off into the operating room.

"The doctor will see you when the operation is over." Martin accepted this response and sat down in the waiting room. Pretty soon, Viv, Danny, and Cecilia came in.

"How is she?" Danny asked as he sat down next to Martin.

"The bullet," he glance over at Cecilia to make sure she wasn't listening, but she was drinking water and lost in her own thoughts, "logged in some muscle tissue. She lost a lot of blood and they are operating to get the bullet out."

"Do you know what her chances are?"

Martin took a deep breath, "Depending on how the operation goes, about 70/30. She should pull through."

"Samantha's strong," Vivian sat down on the opposite side of Martin, "She'll make it. She has a lot to live for."

Martin watched his daughter finish up her water and she carefully inspected the band aid on her arm.

"I know." Martin said quietly and watched the hallway for the doctor to come out, even though he knew it would still be a few more hours until he came out.

Martin hadn't slept for almost 24 hours. He drank coffee continuously and checked his watch every five minutes. Vivian took Cecilia to her apartment and would take her to school the next morning. Danny was planning on picking her up if the situation with Samantha did not change, or got worse. It wasn't until four in the morning when Samantha's doctor finally walked in the hallway towards Martin.

"Mr. Fitzgerald," The doctor started and Martin prepared for the worse, "Samantha lost a lot of blood during the operation and flat lined once." Martin took a deep breath, "We were able to get the bullet out, but there will be a bit of scar tissue in the muscle."

"How is she?" Was all Martin really wanted to know, and he voiced it.

"Stable, she's resting right now. She'll need to stay here for a few days for observation."

"Can I see her?"

"Of course." The doctor led the way to Samantha's room. Martin didn't care if Sam was still asleep; he wanted to be there for her when she woke up. And he wanted to be there for her for the rest of their lives.