Author's note: Ya'll I am SOOOO sorry this too so long to write! I've had it in my head for ages, but well real life caught up with me. My best friend just had her second child, a little boy they named Blaine Asher Alexander. And I was there at the birth! It was sooo cool! And then, well I kind of been seeing a lot of this guy, so he's kept me busy. But I promise to finish this, just have patience with me. It will get done because I can't STAND IT when people start something and not finish it! Thanks so much for your support and reviews, they mean the world to me! So keep it up and I'll keep it up. Truth is I'm not yet sure where we're going from here, but it'll be good! Enjoy!

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It was Tuesday of the second week of rest for Charlie. In two days he would find out if he had to do another round of Chemo or if he was cancer free. He was seriously hoping for the latter to be true. It was a warm sunny day and Charlie and Alan sat on the back porch, Alan reading a book and Charlie working on some problems for Larry. He figured if he worried about other people's problems, his might not be such a big deal.

It was late in the afternoon and the sun had gone to the other side of the house, making the porch nice and cool. A low breeze blew and Charlie closed his eyes, letting the feeing of the wind rush past his face. Hopefully Don would be coming by later for dinner. Charlie knew the case was getting better by the day and the FBI was entrapping more of the higher up in the drug ring, but there were still threats. Charlie knew that Don had tried to keep the danger away from the family, but Saturday Charlie had gotten to the mail before his older brother had and found the threatening letters against him. He had kept it quiet, knowing if he let Don know he was worried, it would make Don worried.

After a while Alan got up and meandered into the kitchen to make dinner. Charlie started to doze off when his father came back outside and woke him. "Charlie, I'm missing some ingredients for dinner tonight. I'm going to run to the store for a minute or two, will you be alright by yourself?"

"Sure Dad, I can take care of myself, I'm an adult, just a tired one."

"Okay, I'll be back in a jiff."

Alan grabbed his car keys and headed out the front door. Charlie looked back down at the notes he had made for Larry. 'Maybe I'll get Amita to finish these' he thought as his eyelids slowly drifted back down. But it wasn't too long before his sleep was interrupted again. He heard the front door open again and assumed his father had forgotten something, but was surprised to find two young men entering his home. Remembering the letters, he started to get nervous, his eyes darting around looking for a hiding place.

The two men seemed to know where they were going as the headed back to the porch. "Professor Epps?" one of them asked.

Charlie took in a deep breath. These were Cal Sci students! Not his students though, so he wasn't sure why they were there.

"Yes?" Charlie answered. The two students were taken aback a bit by Charlie's appearance. He imagined he still looked a bit sick and weak.

"Professor Epps, I'm Rob and this is David, we're in, um, Professor Fleinhardt's class. I'm sorry, but he wanted us to come over and tell you that your office was broken into today," Rob explained.

"What?" Charlie was a little confused.

Rob continued, "Your office, it's a wreck. Was there anything there that someone might want to steal?"

"Um I don't think..." Charlie's brain was having a hard time processing the information, but David cut him off.

"Professor Fleinhardt said that you sometimes work for the FBI? Maybe was there any of your work for them there?"

"No," said Charlie, "I don't keep that stuff there, only when I'm there. I usually have it at home or at the FBI office."

"Oh," sighed Rob. Charlie missed a meaningful glance between the two boys when his phone rang. Charlie looked at the caller ID and picked it up.

"Hi Larry."

"Charles! I just called to tell you that someone broke into your office!"

"I know, the two students you sent to tell me are still here."

"What students?" Larry asked quizzically.

"Two young men, Rob and David? They said you sent them to tell me about the break in," Charlie looked up at the two men who started to look very twitchy and nervous to him.

"Charles, I didn't send anybody over, what's going on?"

"Um Larry, I'll tell you later. Will you do me a favor and call Don and tell him EVERYTHING, you understand?" Charlie was starting to feel nauseous again.

"I think so Charlie, be careful, okay?"

"I will, thanks Larry," Charlie hung up the phone and looked back at the two boys. He began to notice that they were both taller than he was and definitely more physical. Especially in his present condition. He sat up a little straighter in the chair.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked the two. They had seem to come to a decision while he was on the phone with Larry.

"Look Professor," David began. "We're sorry, but we've gotta do this." He pulled out a cloth from out of the backpack he'd been carrying. "We're in a lotta trouble with these people for not paying up, and if we don't bring them back something, well you understand right?"

"No," Charlie said. "If you know, why don't you go to the FBI yourselves?"

"It doesn't work that way," Rob explained as David came closer to Charlie. Charlie tried to back away. He thought about making a run for it, but in his present condition he wasn't sure what he could do. David was almost on top of him when Charlie finally decided to go for it, the worse that could happen was he'd get caught, and then he'd be back in the same place he was now anyways.

He stood up and threw the chair between him and David. It was too bad that it was two against one though because at the same moment Rob realized what Charlie was about to do and reached around and grabbed him from behind. Charlie tried to struggle, but his weakened body betrayed him. As he tried to call out David placed the cloth firmly against Charlie's mouth and nose. The world went very black.

XXX

Don was speeding home like there was no tomorrow. It had taken too long to comprehend what Larry was trying to explain to him, something about Charlie's office being broken into and two men at Charlie's house. The one thing Don did know was that it didn't sound like good news. He pulled up to the curb and lept out just as his Dad was pulling shopping bags out of the back of his car.

"Donnie! Your early," Alan began.

"Dad! Where's Charlie?"

"In the back, where I left him. He had two visitors from school come just as I was leaving and I let them know he was on the back porch."

Don cursed under his breath and ran for the house. Alan looked quizzically after him.

"Don? What's wrong?" groceries forgotten, Alan ran after his son. They were both stopped dead in their tracks when they got to the deck. The lawn furniture was toppled over and Charlie's notes we're scattered, blowing gently in the breeze. The blanket that he had been using lay crumpled on the ground, but Charlie was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh my god…" Alan said, clamping a hand over his mouth. "Don…"

"Dad, what did those two men look like?"

"They were students! They said they were from school…" panic arose in Alan's voice. "I left him, I thought he'd be alright…"

"Calm down Dad, this isn't your fault. It must have something to do with the case we're working on," Don flipped open his phone and dialed Terry. This was a bad, bad time for Charlie to go missing. They were so close. But it was obvious that these two we're not professionals, and from what Larry had said, Don guessed that they were probably drug users that owed something big. Maybe by grabbing Charlie they hoped to pay off whatever debt they owed.

"Lake," Don heard Terry's voice over the phone.

"Terry, its Don. We've got a potential kidnapping. Can you come over to Charlie's house?"

"Don? What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"Charlie's missing," Don could hear his own voice betray his worry, but he tried to remain strong for his father. "I really need you here."

"I'll collect David and we're there," Don heard Terry snap her phone shut. He looked back in the worry in his dad's face.

"We'll find him Dad."

"Donnie, he starts Chemo again on Monday! If the tumor isn't already gone he has to start again Monday! If we don't find him…"

Alan felt faint and sat down where he was. Don knelt down beside his father and comforted him. "We'll find him Dad. We're not going to let Charlie get worse. But I need your help. You're the only one who saw the kidnappers. Do you think you can give a good description?"

Alan nodded. He had to, for Charlie.