.../For The Love Of Maia/...

Summary: A woman by the name of Sara Rutledge arrives, causing Diana great concern. But is she who she claims to be?

Warning: This story is loosely based on spoilers/rumours that are floating about regarding Season 3. If you don't want to know, might be best not to read!

Disclaimer: I don't own jack (or anyone else.)

Thank you for sticking with me and my story :)

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Chapter Eight

Diana tried to remember everything she's learnt about these situations. Stay calm. Try to be rational.

They didn't tell you what to do if the one thing you lived for was involved.

'Okay. Listen up. You do what I say, or Maia's dead.'

Sara beckoned to the terrified child.

'Maia. Come here.'

Maia didn't move. She couldn't make her muscles obey. Sara moved to stand next to Diana and aimed the gun at her, sensing Maia wasn't exactly a threat. She knew she had to kill Maia anyway, that was the plan. But if she did it infront of the agents, she'd be in jail before she'd have the chance to split. She just had to get Maia away from her mother and the other agent.Sure, when they found the body she'd be number one suspect, but she could be in Mexico by then.

'Maia. It's okay. We can go now. I'll take you to your parents. You can go back to being the little girl you used to be.'

Maia was crying again, the pain in her head and her heart merging into one big ache.

'Please...I just want to go to my mom.'

Diana felt a lump form in her throat. Of course Maia missed her parents, but she wanted to go back? To 1946?

'I know you do, love. And If you come with me...I can take you back to see her. To see your parents. Everything can go back to the way it was.'

Maia struggled to a half sitting position, slumping against the armrest. 'My mother and father are dead. I want my mommy.' She struggled against her diziness to look in Diana's direction.

That look meant the world to Diana, who knew the mother she meant was her, and for a second the relief and love she had for Maia numbed the pain in her leg. She bit back the desire to move towards Maia. She wouldn't make it, for one, and there was also the small problem of the gun against her back. And then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tom , who had obviously recovered from his blow to the head, making a move towards Maia, unseen by Sara.

Thinking quickly, Diana reached out and struck Sara on the back of her knees, sending her stumbling to the floor. Struggling to retain a grip on her gun, Sara fired wildly before loosing the gun as it scattered under the couch.

Trying to catch her breath, Diana panicked for a moment. Where were Tom and Maia? Had one of them been hit? She noticed Sara struggling for the gun and Diana made a dive towards it, praying she reached it first.

The two stuggled for a couple of seconds, but to Diana it felt like hours. She could feel the cool metal against her fingertips, but she couldn't stretch her arm any further. Suddenly one of Sara's attempts knocked the gun towards Diana, snd she grasped it in a death grip. She snatched it away from Sara and aimed it towards her, finger on the trigger. She glanced over towards the couch, searching desperately for any sign of Maia or Tom, but the couch was empty.

'Tom? Maia!'

'It's okay, Diana. I've got her.'

Tom rose from behind the sofa where he had shoved Maia to protect her from the shot. He carried her over to Diana, who had propped herself against the coffee table again. Hand shaking, she passed the gun to Tom who aimed it towards Sara and passed Maia to her mother. Trembling, Maia reached for her mom and flung her arms around her neck, sobbing.

'Mommy! Are you okay? You got shot!'

Diana wrapped her arms around her daughter, hugging her fiercely.

'Baby, I'm fine. It's okay. What happened to your head? Let me see.'

She held Maia's face in her hands and examined the wound.

'She hit me...I fell...against something. It was wooden. Mommy- I was so scared. She said she was taking me back to my parents, but I didn't want to. I didn't want to go back!' Maia was bordering on hysteria now. Diana clasped her daughter close to her, stroking her back, and to her suprise found that she was crying as well.

'Oh sweetie, you're safe now. I've always told you I won't let anything happen to you. And I mean that.'

She looked over at Tom, who had Sara in handcuffs and was calling the Homeland Security office to get the four of them back to Seattle.

The four sat silently in the den for a few minutes untill they heard sirens in the distance. Maia whimpered queitly in Diana's arms, Diana herself reluctant to ever let her daughter go. The emergency teams arrived and dealt with Sara. Paramedics helped Diana onto a stretcher, Maia never leaving her side. The four got into a federal helicopter to be flown back to Seattle.

Sometime during the long flight, Diana looked over at Tom. 'Thankyou' was all she managed to get out, but the tears in her eyes said so much more. Because Diana never cried.

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Still to come: Prologue