"Are you sure you can handle the kids and Germ Boy this week?"

Laurie grinned as A.J. stopped in the doorway of his kitchen.

"Yes I'm sure, A.J.. Rick's temperature is down, he's not congested and he'll be really upset if you two postpone your getaway again." Picking up his suitcase, the younger Simon let out a sigh of relief.

Despite a pleading phone call or two, A.J. and Linda had been faced with losing a substantial deposit if they rescheduled their planned trip to Hawaii. At that point Laurie had stepped in and assured them she could still handle four children and a sick husband.

"Besides, Mom will be here, and I know Ricky and Ceci will be big helps, won't you guys?" Laurie looked over at A.J.'s two oldest, who were busy fighting over a set of car keys.

"Ricky, Ceci…." A.J.'s tone got their attention.

"Sorry, Dad, we'll help Auntie and Grandma, you guys just have fun." Ricky answered. Ceci tossed him an apologetic look then added, "Don't worry, Daddy, Robin and Melly will be good. Besides, Auntie promised to take us to Fairhaven to visit the horses."

"You did?" Linda came in with her coat, then smiled as Laurie nodded. "I've been wanting to find Robin his own pony, so I thought the kids might like to see where Poorboy and Prince came from."

Just then Rick showed up, still feeling like a truck hit him, but relieved his brother and sister-in-law were finally going away. "Hey, A.J., are you sure you're not moving out, I mean, with all these suitcases…." He teased, seeing yet another bag.

"Very funny, Rick. See if I bring you any Macadamia nuts." A.J. shot back, then groaned as Linda gave him a hug. "Don't mind him, Rick. I'll bring you a cool shirt or something."

"Thanks, honey. I knew it was my brother's lucky day when he married you." Rick snickered, then took a look at the clock.

"A.J., I hate to break this up, but you guys need to get to the airport, is Robbie here?"

"Right here, Pop." Robbie came in and took his uncle's case from him. "Everybody ready?"

At once there was a flurry of hugs and kisses as the younger Simons suddenly realized their parents were leaving. Rick managed to avert Melly's tears by letting loose a loud sneeze.

"Uncle Rick,….uuuuggggh." she giggled, then let her aunt swing her up into her arms. "Come on, sweetie, let's say goodbye."

Going to the door, everyone waved as A.J. and Linda climbed into Robbie's van, then took off. As the car vanished down the street, barking broke them all up as Rex and Ricky's dog Max chased each other around the front yard.

"That's it, now you know we've gone to the dogs…." Rick smirked, then pretended to dodge Robin and Ceci as they chased him back into the condo. Ricky groaned, then put an arm around Laurie as they followed.

"That's the worst one yet, Auntie. Since when is Uncle Rick such a punster?"

"Since you were little, honey. Come on, let's restore order." She grinned, shooing the dogs in and closing the front door.

Rick couldn't figure out where the time went the next few days. One minute he was building a fort out of wooden pegs with Robin, the next taking Ricky to his drivers ed course. Laurie had teased him about discovering his second childhood, but he really enjoyed taking care of his nephews and nieces.

He was surprised to find it was already a week when Laurie reminded him to pick up A.J. and Linda at the airport.

"We have to do this more often, sweetheart." Rick told her, as he picked up the papers he needed for their current assignment.

"Hey, Pop, do you want me to file those for you?" Robbie joined them in his father's little office.

"Sure, Robbie, but I thought you were taking Andy to football practice?" Rick asked, surprised, then chuckled as his son shook his head.

"Rob asked if he could drive him over, seems he promised to substitute coach the kids this week. I think Andy's going to fill him in on what they've been practicing."

Glancing at his watch, Rick realized it would help him if Robbie took the paperwork over to the courthouse for him. "Thanks, son. This way I can pull in front of the terminal and be right there for your aunt and uncle."

As Rick climbed into his truck, he was touched to see Laurie follow him out with a bottle of water and a sack with munchies. "Sweetheart, thank you for thinking of that." He started, as he took the refreshments from his wife. Suddenly a look of fear crossed her face.

"No, oh God, please no, don't hurt them!"

Rick heard the terror in her voice and immediately got back out of the car just in time to catch Laurie as her legs buckled.

"Laurie, sweetheart, breathe, please!" Rick begged, terrified as he saw Laurie's eyes close. As if in response to his plea, her eyes opened , then she began to sob.

"Rick, A.J. and Linda…someone's going to shoot them!"

"Shhh, just breathe Angel, please!" he repeated, rubbing her back. Slowly her breath slowed down, then he felt her trembling ease. "That's better, darlin', now tell me, what did you see?"

"You've got to go to the airport, love, that's where it's going to happen. They come out of the airport, then a brown van pulls in front of them, a hand with a…a gun. I heard a shot, then, oh there's blood all over!"

Horrified, Rick carried her back to the house, "Robbie!" he called, then saw his son in the doorway.

"Pop, what happened? Mom!"

Rick put her down as he explained, "Son, I've got to get to the airport, your Mom saw your Uncle and Aunt being attacked. I've got to stop it."

"Go Pop, I'll call Ron and have him meet you there." Robbie assured him, putting an arm around his mother. Laurie held out her hand. "Be careful, darling, please."

"I will, just rest, love." He kissed her hand then turned and ran back to his truck.

As he sped down the road to the highway, Rick called his brother's transmitter, hoping A.J. was within range. A faint beeping alerted him to a reply, then he was relieved to hear Linda's voice.

"Rick, where are you?"

"On my way to the airport, honey. Where's A.J.?"

His fears eased when A.J. himself answered, "Waiting to get off the plane, Rick. Is everything okay?"

"Now it is, but …listen A.J.. When you get off, stay in the terminal, don't come outside." He answered.

"Okay, but, why…" A.J. began, only for Rick to interrupt him. "It's a long story, but, well, Laurie had a premonition, little brother, a bad one. She saw you two attacked outside of the airport."

"All right, Linny and I will wait at the gate. Just be careful." The older Simon rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile. God, it was good to hear A.J.'s voice, he'd really missed him this last week.

As he pulled into the waiting zone at the airport, Rick took notice of a brown van parked two cars away. "Laurie saw the hand with the gun come out of a van….I wonder." He thought, reaching for his transmitter.

Abruptly he saw his sister-in-law come running out of the terminal, and he jumped out of his truck and met her on the sidewalk.

"Linda, how was it? Where's A.J.?" he began, only for her to grab his arm frantically.

"Rick, I can't find A.J., did he call you?"

"I called him, honey. I told him that you two needed to wait in the terminal for me." Rick exclaimed, then heard A.J. 's voice. "Rick!".

Turning, he saw an arm with a gun, sticking out the door of the van he'd noticed earlier.

Realizing this was what his wife had seen, he stood in front of Linda. "A.J.? What's goin' on?"

Another voice answered him. "Mr. Simon, you and Mrs. Simon get in here, or I'll kill your brother in front of you."

Rick heard an intake of breath from his sister-in-law in back of him, then reacted.

Hollering "Police!" he whirled and pushed Linda in back of a stack of baggage, then dove at the gun-toting arm, his hands grabbing it and twisting in one motion. A shot went off, then Rick found himself on the floor of the van wrestling for control of the weapon with a thinly built man. Through the open door of the van Linda's voice sounded "Police! Help!" Then the door slammed in back of him and he lost his grip on the gun as the assailant tried to wriggle free.

He heard muffled cries, then something hit him. His last conscious memory was of movement, then a low chuckle, and silence.

The next thing Rick knew, someone was talking to him. Pain assaulted his senses, and he had to force himself to open his eyes. Immediately he wanted to close them again, as a frightening sight was in front of him.

A.J. was tied to a chair, blood streaming from his nose, and a gun was pressed against his head by a stocky young man dressed in track clothes.

"Welcome, Mr. Simon. I was afraid Frank had hit you too hard, that would have spoiled everything."

Rick tried to turn to see who was talking, only to have a white-haired figure step in front of him.

"I wonder if you recognize me, Mr. Simon. It's been a very long time, almost thirty years to be exact."

Rick started to shake his head, then realized who the older man was. Licking his lips, he growled, "I see your methods haven't changed, Professor….Altman."

An almost gleeful expression crossed his captor's face. "Ah, you do remember. That will help things immensely. You see, gentleman…" Altman turned to the younger Simon, then waved his hand and the other man pulled the gun away from A.J..

"I hate to think all my experiments have gone to waste. My son, Frank.." he nodded at the silent figure, "has been a perfect subject, but he needs someone to practice on. Oh, I'm not going to let him kill you, not yet anyway." Altman's face took on a smirk. "But I'm sure he can use you gentleman as a warm up for my final tests. I'm just sorry I couldn't take your brother's lovely wife with us."

Anger flared in A.J.'s eyes, as Rick snarled "You stay away from her, or I'll …" Suddenly the old man came towards Rick then punched him in the face, driving his head back painfully.

"I'm going to do more then that, Mr. Simon. I'm going to invite both your wives to join us, on pain of finding your bodies. Then they will be the final test for my son's abilities, and you'll watch them die very slowly, before we make our departure. I'll leave you two to think about it….".

As the two Altmans strode away from them, Rick gazed hopelessly around, seeing that they were in a lab or office of some kind. He saw them start to exit through a rear door, then the older Altman turned, and held up a couple of familiar objects. Rick could almost hear his brother groan. Their watches.

"Oh, by the way, gentleman, I have your transmitters, I'm sure your family will want proof that I'm serious." Laughing, he left the room, the door clicking shut behind him.