"Mike!" Steve leaned over his unmoving partner, his hand against the older man's bearded cheek, staring in alarm at the closed eyes. "Mike!"

"Alvin!" he heard Crabb bellow, tension in his voice. There was a thudding sound from the direction of the living room and Murtagh charged into the kitchen, his eyes widening in alarm when he spotted the San Francisco detective lying on the floor. "Call for an ambulance!"

"Yes, sir!" Murtagh barked, spinning on his heel and hightailing it out of the room.

"No…" came a low moan from the floor and every eye in the room snapped in Mike's direction. Though his eyes were still closed, his lips were moving. As they watched, he took a short, sharp breath and his eyes opened. "No, I don't need an ambulance… I'm okay…" He focused on his partner, whose face was hovering above his own, and tried a slight smile. "Honest… I'm okay… I just need to lie here for a few minutes… okay…?"

Steve stared at him for several long seconds then looked at Crabb. After another silent beat, Crabb turned to Martinez and nodded. The CHP officer scrambled to his feet and charged out of the room. "Alvin!"

Mike had closed his eyes again, a soft smile lingering on his lips. He reached for Steve's arm with his right hand and wrapped his fingers around the younger man's wrist reassuringly.

Steve looked at Crabb and rolled his eyes, exhaling in relief. Crabb smiled, shaking his head, and got slowly to his feet, patting the younger man on the shoulder as he stood.

"We'll, ah… you guys just relax and we'll get things moving here, okay?"

Steve nodded. "Thanks…"

Winking, Crabb disappeared into the living room, and he could be heard quietly giving orders to his men.

Steve sat on the floor, making himself more comfortable. He felt Mike's grip tighten around his wrist and the blue eyes opened again.

"Sorry about that," the older man said quietly with a dry chuckle. "It just hurt so damn much for a second there." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to groan.

"You got your pain pills with you?"

Mike nodded carefully. "My coat pocket." He moved his head slightly to the right.

Steve reached down with his free hand and rooted in the pocket, finally getting a grip on the small plastic bottle and pulling it out. "I'll get a glass of water –" he began, starting to get to his feet but the grip on his wrist tightened and the older man shook his head.

"In a minute," Mike hissed through clenched teeth. "I don't want to have to sit up just now, okay…?"

"Okay…" Steve agreed softly, putting the pill bottle in his own pocket. He could hear heavy footsteps in the other room and knew Crabb and his officers were securing the house and preparing to take the youngest Lonsdale out to their cars.

"Listen, ah, Mike…" Steve began quietly, "maybe we should rethink bringing Lonsdale back to The City today –"

The blue eyes snapped open again. "We're taking him home today. I'm okay. Are you?"

Steve frowned. "To drive?" Mike nodded. "Yeah… yeah, I'm okay to drive."

Mike nodded again. "Then Lonsdale can sit in the back with Bill…" His brow furrowed. "Where is Bill?"

Steve's head went back slightly and he frowned. "I think we left him on the front porch. He must be –" He had looked towards the kitchen entrance and froze. Tanner was standing in the doorway, staring at them worriedly. Steve smiled slightly, nodding at Mike. "He's okay," he mouthed, watching as his colleague's stiff posture relaxed.

Tanner quietly stepped closer, unable to erase the lines of concern from his face.

Steve looked down at his partner, who had closed his eyes again, and studied him for several silent seconds. "Bill's here," he said softly. "You want to try sitting up?"

Keeping his eyes closed, Mike nodded. Steve looked at Tanner, who knelt beside his colleague and, with Steve gently supporting his partner's bandaged left shoulder and Tanner taking his right arm, they helped the older man sit up. Mike's eyes were squeezed shut and he was holding his breath, which he released when he was vertical. He dropped his head forward and chuckled slightly before looking at his partner from the corner of his eye. "Well, I'm glad that's over…"

Steve smiled, reluctant to take his hands away, gently patting Mike on the back.

Exhaling loudly again, the lieutenant looked at Tanner. "So, I guess you heard we found Lonsdale, hunh?"

"Ah, yeah," Tanner chuckled, "yeah, I did. Ah, congratulations."

"Thanks," Mike acknowledged with a laugh. "So, ah, before we leave you gotta go down there," he nodded towards the basement, "and check out the hidden room. You're not gonna believe it."

Tanner grinned. "Yeah, I'll do that."

Steve raised himself from his knees into a crouched position. "You ready to get up?"

Mike looked at him and nodded. "Yeah…" He didn't sound too convinced.

"You're gonna have to scoot back a bit," Steve instructed, and Tanner released Mike's right arm so he could use his good hand to push himself away from the edge of the drop. Then, with an inspector on either side, the lieutenant got slowly to his feet, both of them continuing to provide support while he caught and maintained his balance.

Steve was staring at his partner's face, his brow furrowed. "Okay…?"

Mike eventually nodded. "Yeah… yeah, I'm good…" He smiled reassuringly at his partner then Tanner. "I'm okay… thanks…"

Steve released his partner's arm and crossed quickly to the sink. He opened a nearby cupboard, finding a small glass, and turned on the tap. He gave the glass to Tanner to hold while he fished the pill bottle out of his pocket and opened it.

Mike took the pill, put it in his mouth and took the glass. He made a face as he swallowed and handed the glass back to Tanner. "Yuck, well water… Tastes like iron…"

Both younger men chuckled; Tanner smelled the water and recoiled with a comical grimace before he put it on the counter.

Still smiling, Steve turned and began to lead them out of the kitchen, Tanner following close behind his boss, his eyes glued to the back of the older man's head.

Crabb looked over as they appeared in the doorway and a spontaneous smile split his face. Mike met his eyes and smiled softly with a slight nod as he followed his partner deeper into the room, the black inspector staying very close behind the lieutenant.

Jeffrey Lonsdale was no longer in the room; Murtagh and Martinez had already taken him to the car. Crabb, Braddock and Ayers, who still had his rifle in his hand, were standing near the front door; the Lonsdales, their heads down, once more holding hands, were sitting on the sofa. Mike glared at them as he moved past on the way to the front door.

Crabb touched the lieutenant's arm lightly when the San Francisco detectives joined the CHP officers. Mike nodded his thanks. The sheriff looked at his men, who nodded quickly, then he opened the door and stepped out onto the stoop, beckoning the others to join him with a tilt of his head.

When Tanner stepped over the threshold, Ayers closed the front door behind him. Crabb faced the SF trio, gesturing with his head towards the cruiser parked diagonally across the driveway. Martinez was standing near the closed back door; they could see Murtagh and Lonsdale in the back seat.

"Ah, listen, Mike," Crabb started slowly, meeting the suddenly hooded blue eyes evenly, "I'm gonna have Martinez and Murtagh bring Lonsdale back south for you –"

Mike was already shaking his head. "No, we can –"

"Excuse me," Crabb cut him off sharply, "but I believe your badges say San Francisco, don't they? Mine says California." He stopped and his stern visage suddenly broke into a wry smile. "Look, I know how important this is to you, believe me. That's why I'm insisting," he tread on the word lightly, "that you let my boys take Lonsdale back down there for you in one of our cars, with you following of course, and deliver him for you." He glanced at Steve and Tanner. "I think that would make us, all of us, feel a lot easier about everything… don't you?"

He had put the ball back in Mike's court, knowing the big city detective would feel cornered and out-gunned, to mix metaphors. He was having a hard time trying not to smirk, watching the lieutenant working through the pros and cons of the proposition and trying to find a way around it.

With a loud and frustrated sigh, Mike's eyes slid from Crabb to his partner. Steve stared back at him; it was obvious how he felt. Realizing he was not about to receive any back-up there, he looked at Crabb again. "How soon can we leave?" he asked simply and the three other faces erupted in relived smiles. He felt Steve pat him on the back as the younger man stepped off the small concrete landing, shaking his head as he exchanged knowing looks with Tanner.

"Well," Crabb said slowly, grinning, "like I told you, I'm gonna leave Julian and Bill here with the parents. I'll head back to Yreka with Dennis and Alvin… and Lonsdale, of course, then I'll get them to make sure your paperwork's in order and then you guys can all hit the road, and I'll get the warrants and come back here and we'll arrest the parents." He raised his eyebrows. "And then we'll figure out where they're gonna go… From what I've read in that file of yours, and I've only skimmed it mind you, they haven't been in your city for a long, long time. And even though their original… transgression was no doubt perpetrated in San Francisco, everything else they've done since then was done up here…" He shrugged. "So, ah, I'm suggesting we let our D.A.'s sort all that out, what do you say?"

Mike, who had been listening without reaction while the sheriff spoke, hesitated for a few seemingly very long seconds before he finally nodded slightly. "That sounds like a very good idea, John." He glanced at the CHP patrol car. "I got what I came for, and I'm satisfied with that."

Crabb grinned slowly. Mike could feel Steve's eyes burning into him from behind, and he knew the younger man had not been expecting that concession. Mike smiled to himself; it was nice to know he could still surprise his partner once in awhile. He nodded towards the car. "I'd like to sit down for a bit," he said to his partner then, as he turned to take a step off the porch, he turned to Tanner. "Steve and I'll be okay. Why don't you have a look at the basement – in the cold storage," he said with a smile, nodding back into the house.

Tanner's eyes lit up. "Yeah, sure." He looked at Steve and grinned. "Be right back." He disappeared into the house.

Crabb watched him go with a smile. "Ah, to be young and have that much energy again, eh?" he laughed as he turned to Mike and Steve. "You guys take it easy and we'll get things sorted in here and be right out." He went back into the house.

Mike stepped carefully off the porch and started to follow his partner to the LTD, which was still parked on the shoulder up the road. As he came abreast of the Dodge Polaras he stopped. Jeffrey Lonsdale's head was down, his right wrist handcuffed to the mesh screen that separated the front from the back. Murtagh was beside him.

Mike stared at the sullen profile through the closed window, letting the increasingly tense silence lengthen until the recaptured fugitive finally looked up. There was no expression in his eyes. Neither man blinked for several long seconds, then Lonsdale snorted and dropped his head once more.

Slowly Mike turned and started towards the LTD again. Steve, who had been waiting quietly nearby, fell into step beside him. They walked down the driveway and along the side of the road in silence. When they got to the car, Steve opened the passenger side front door and stepped back.

With a soft smile, Mike opened the back door and carefully got in. As Steve closed both doors, he put his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes. He could hear the far door open and his partner slip into the seat beside him. The door closed. A few seconds later he felt a hand come to rest lightly on his leg and a gentle squeeze. He couldn't hide his contented sigh or the affectionate smile that curled his lips.