Thanks again for the great support with this!

Just as a little warning... I might have made myself cry writing parts of this... Just thought I'd put that out there...

The men moved faster than Scott could think. He was in a daze, one thought tumbling through his mind continuously.

This couldn't be happening.

He looked at Virgil, catching his brother's eye. Virgil gave him a small smile and a soft nod. Scott didn't need words to know what his brother meant: Virgil was telling him he had done the right thing.

Blag twisted the rope around his hand as his men advanced on Matt, keeping Scott back. His lackeys unchained Matt's hands from the wall but left them bound together. Two took hold of his arms, drawing Matt to his feet and starting to force him towards the steps.

Matt, however, had no intention of going quietly.

"Don't do this!" He struggled against the hold, his loud voice echoing around the room. "You've played your game; Scott did what you asked. Let Virgil go, let them both go!"

Blag gave a sharp nod and one of the men slammed his gun into Matt's head. His eyes widened in surprise for a second before he slumped, the men's tight grip on his arms stopping him from sinking to the floor.

Scott's mouth was open in a yell he never had time to exclaim. He turned on Blag.

"What was that for?"

"He's played his part: I don't want to hear him whining about it. He's alive, isn't he? Thanks to you. The same can't be said for Virgil. Your brother is going to die, Scott, and it's your fault."

"Don't listen to him!"

Scott glanced over and saw Virgil fighting against his restraints, his expression furious.

"It's not your fault - you know it's not. It's him, it's all him and if you dare think otherwise, I'll…" Virgil pulled a face as he trailed off, uncertain of how to finish his threat. Blag had no intention of leaving Virgil alive for long.

"I'll come back and haunt you," Virgil eventually said and Scott gave a weak smile at his brother's attempt to lighten the impossibly dark situation. "This isn't your fault, Scott."

"How sweet," Blag sneered. The tension left the rope but before Scott could move, a cold blade pressed against his wrists. To his surprise, the ropes were cut and Scott brought his arms in front of him, rubbing the chafed skin.

"What are you doing?" he muttered. Uncertainty was more terrifying than Blag's threats. The man raised an eyebrow.

"You seem to be under the impression that I'm some heartless beast. You have two minutes to say your goodbyes."

Unable to stop himself, Scott glanced at the entrance. He couldn't run, but still he automatically started judging whether he could get Virgil out quicker than Blag could react.

But Blag gave a signal and one of his men drew his gun on the unconscious Matt.

"I can still change my mind and just shoot them both. Time's ticking. I wouldn't waste it if I were you."

Scott had no choice. Deep down, he knew he couldn't save them both. If he sacrificed this time to say goodbye to Virgil, he would never forgive himself. The last words he had shared with their mother had never left him: this would be no different.

He wanted to say something comforting, something that would help his brother. He didn't know what. The only thing he was aware of was how painfully hard his heart was thudding. Breathing hurt and, for the first time in a long time, panic threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn't lose Virgil: couldn't let his brother down after swearing to their mother he would keep them safe. He had promised her, seen her last smile as she believed he wouldn't let her down.

He had failed.

Ignoring Blag, he moved to Virgil. The men pulled Matt up the steps behind him but Scott knew the officer wasn't out of danger yet. Not until Blag knew Scott was doing as he was told.

There was nothing he could do.

He crouched next to his brother. Two minutes didn't give him nearly enough time to say what was going through his mind, but his voice wouldn't cooperate anyway.

"Virg, I'm sorry," he whispered, resting his hands on his brother's shoulders. He glanced around and saw Blag looking the other way. His hand shot to the restraints, tugging. He snarled as they refused to give, changing his grip and trying again. He couldn't sit here and do nothing!

"I'll kill them both, Scott," Blag called, without looking over, and Scott shut his eyes in defeat.

"It's okay, Scotty," Virgil whispered.

"It's not." Scott wanted to lash out and rage, but he couldn't let Virgil see him like that. Instead, his voice was flat. "I don't know what to do."

"I do." Virgil's voice shook and he swallowed hard. "Be the big brother you've always been? I'm…"

Virgil's voice dropped, making sure Blag couldn't hear him. "Scott, I'm scared."

Scott softened, letting go of the anger – for now. He aimed for a reassuring smile and tightened his grip on Virgil's shoulders. He had spent his life soothing Virgil's fears – from monsters under the bed to disastrous rescues. This was something he knew how to do, regardless of the situation.

"Don't be," he said, willing his voice to remain steady. It did – just. "Look at the speed of that water. You've got hours. You said it yourself: the others are coming. You're going to be fine, kid."

Virgil glanced to where the water was trickling through and he shakily nodded. But Scott's reassurances weren't enough this time. They were up against the man who had haunted them both for years – and they were losing. Scott's words didn't have the power to banish Virgil's demons this time, not when said demon was standing in the same room as them.

Virgil also knew what Scott was doing – he had asked it of his brother, after all. False reassurances might have worked when they were children, but Virgil had always been able to see straight through him, more than any of their other brothers and more than their father. He couldn't lie to Virgil. But Virgil took a deep breath, sat up a little straighter and nodded.

"You're right." Virgil's voice was barely audible and Scott felt him shudder. He wondered how long until shock caught up with Virgil: he had been at Blag's mercy for days now and instead of a rescue, Scott's arrival had just made everything worse.

"'course I am; I'm me."

Virgil looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Scott attempted to grin. Then Virgil rolled his eyes and managed a shadow of a smile. Scott's attempt had been pathetic, but it had worked.

"Time's up, boys."

"No, wait, please…" Scott didn't care that he was begging. He hadn't said any of the things he needed to say. Blag was already walking towards them though.

"I said two minutes."

Scott swore; Blag had no intention of giving them longer.

He didn't know what to do! They had got out of difficult spots over the years, a solution miraculously appearing just in time. Only now, there was nothing. No miracle, no rescue, no way out.

Scott's only hope was that the rest of the family were on the way. He refused to think that they might be dead. He didn't acknowledge that, apart from the hangar (which he now knew had just been a trap and not a lead), they didn't know where to start looking.

If he could keep Blag distracted, maybe they would be able to reach Virgil in time? He had to believe that.

Virgil gave an involuntarily shudder. Scott looked at him.

"I'm cold," Virgil muttered. Scott could see the lie in his eyes, but he wouldn't undermine Virgil's bravery.

Not knowing what else to do, he whipped off his jacket and awkwardly draped it around Virgil's shoulders, slipping it between the wall and his brother.

"What are you doing?" Suspicion lined Blag's voice but Scott shot him a dark look.

"Exactly what it looks like; I'm giving my brother my jacket. Got a problem with that?" He didn't care anymore. Blag had won, and he knew it. There was no way Scott could get Virgil out. Blag wouldn't have Matt killed just because Scott was rude.

The jacket was too little, too late, though. Virgil had been down here for too long. But it wasn't in Scott's nature to sit by and watch one of his brothers suffer. If he could give Virgil even a small amount of comfort, that was precisely what he was going to do. Virgil wouldn't admit to being scared again, not with Blag in earshot. But he had admitted to being cold. It was the only thing left Scott could do to help – he was going to make damn sure he did it.

Scott turned back to Virgil, his hand curling around the back of his brother's neck. Virgil was watching Blag with wide eyes over Scott's shoulder.

"You have to get away from him, Scott. Promise me?"

"You just focus on keeping yourself alive until the others get here, you hear me?" Scott said gently, squeezing Virgil's neck.

"Scott…"

"Shh," Scott soothed, resting his forehead against his brother's. Virgil's eyes closed at the contact and Scott suddenly found it hard to breathe past the sharp pain in his chest.

"Time's definitely up," Blag snarled, moving forward and wrenching Scott back.

Scott didn't look away from Virgil even when Blag yanked his arms behind him and locked handcuffs around his wrists. He tensed, but still didn't look away. Virgil also maintained the eye contact and Scott tried to smile reassuringly.

Blag's men reappeared. While Blag took one of Scott's arms, another man took the second. The third, however, moved to where the water was trickling in.

Scott felt the colour drain from his face as the man lifted a leg and kicked at the stone. He did it again, then again. On the fourth kick, a large chunk of stone fell away. He then reached forward and used his hands to pull away a few more pieces. Virgil gasped and Scott felt his horror.

What had been a gentle trickle of water was now a gushing flow.

"NO! Virgil!" Scott struggled furiously against the hold. He had promised his brother time: time to be found, time to be rescued. He had been convincing himself as much as Virgil that there was still a chance of getting out.

Virgil would now be lucky to have ten minutes. Certainly not enough time to get himself free.

"You can't do this! Virgil!"

"Scott!" The fear was apparent in Virgil's voice and Blag laughed.

Scott saw red. He fought with everything he had, momentarily breaking away from the men. He took a step towards Virgil before hands grabbed him and hauled him back. The man in the corner tore lose another chunk of stone before striding back towards Scott, taking his arm as Blag let go. The madman drove his fist into Scott's stomach and the three of them forced him from the crypt while Scott caught his breath.

He still had no intention of leaving his brother.

"VIRGIL!"

Scott's voice was a roar. It didn't matter though; Scott recognised that Virgil had been telling the truth about where they were. There was no one nearby to help.

He tried to lunge back towards the doors but Blag got there first. He made a show of first closing, then locking them.

"NO!"

Blag turned, smiling. Scott shook his head. Virgil wasn't just his brother. He was his best friend. The person who kept him grounded, kept him sane while Scott tried to shoulder the weight of the world. Without Virgil, Scott had no idea who he was.

He couldn't lose him.

"Please," Scott begged, "let him go. I'll do anything, just let him go."

"You see," Blag said conversationally, walking back towards him. "There is the Scott I know. Let the true you show, Scott. Let the whimpering coward out."

Scott swallowed. Pleas weren't going to get him anywhere.

Anger took over.

"I'm going to kill you," Scott vowed darkly. He kept eye contact with Blag, refusing to look away. "However long it takes, whatever hell I go through to achieve it, I am going to kill you."

"Perhaps," Blag shrugged, looking unconcerned. "But it's fair to say that I've killed your brother now, isn't it?"

There was a maniacal gleam in Blag's eyes that hadn't been present before. Now, more than ever, he looked truly mad.

"Take him down," Blag ordered. Scott didn't have time to react before the two men whipped his feet from under him. He couldn't break his fall in time and he crashed to the ground.

One of the men followed him down, a hand gripping his hair and wrenching Scott's head to one side, exposing his neck. The other crouched in front of him and Scott glanced away at the sight of the needle Blag handed over. He couldn't look at it. Blag's laugh made Scott aware that his tormentor knew precisely the reason behind his fear. But there was nothing Scott could do other than wince as the needle was inserted deep into his neck. He felt the contents emptied and the men back off.

He knew why. They weren't needed to hold him down any longer, his limbs already felt heavy and lethargic. There was a sprawled figure lying on the ground just visible in Scott's eyeline and he knew it was Matt. The van that had brought him here was nowhere to be seen.

Within seconds, his eyes were fluttering despite Scott stubbornly wrenching them open. For some reason, he felt it was of the utmost importance to keep looking at the door, almost as if Virgil was going to come suddenly bursting out of it.

But no one appeared.

"Virg…" Scott whispered brokenly before finally slumping. He blinked once more, and this time his eyes didn't open again. The tension left his body as he collapsed against the ground. He didn't feel the two men grab him under the arms and drag him across the ground as Blag led the way across the field, leaving Virgil behind.

TBTBTB

The car skidded across the field, bumping and jolting the occupants violently. Gordon had his teeth gritted but he didn't slow. A large house was visible on the horizon and he knew they had finally arrived. The tracker still hadn't moved and Gordon prayed they were moments away from stumbling across Scott. Deep down, he hoped Virgil and Matt would also be there, but he kept quiet. John could be realistic on the side of pessimism at times and Gordon didn't want his budding hope crushed.

"Stop here." John said suddenly. Gordon looked at him. If John wanted to stop because he couldn't take the motion any longer, Gordon intended to ignore him. But he could tell by John's expression that his brother was planning and Gordon slammed on the brakes. The car jolted to a stop.

"They'll hear us coming," John explained. "We're close; we'll go the rest of the way on foot and hope we can keep the element of surprise."

Gordon nodded and got out. It would only take them five minutes to cross the distance by foot, but hopefully no one would hear or see them coming. John also got out, finally putting his laptop in the back of the car. But as John made to move, Gordon held out a hand.

"Wait a sec," he muttered, moving to the far side of the car. John muttered something under his breath but Gordon ignored him. His brother had been armed with technology up until now, and it had got them this far. But now it was Gordon's turn, and he wanted something with more firepower.

He opened one of the bags he insisted they brought with them, revealing two handguns. They had lost their weapons at the hangar – Gordon assumed Scott's kidnappers had taken them while they were out cold.

"Where the hell did they come from?" John exclaimed, clearly also thinking about their lost guns.

"Scott," Gordon muttered. He picked them up and offered one to John.

"Scott?" John didn't take the gun, instead staring at his brother. Gordon sighed and stuck it through his belt, tested the weight of the other one and began walking off. He didn't have time to stand and explain and knew John would follow him.

"We were going after Blag and Virgil. You think Scott would waltz up and ask nicely for our brother back? He had back-ups. There's probably back-ups of back-ups in the other bags."

"How did you-?" John fell into step with him.

"Know? I know more about you guys than you give me credit for."

John didn't answer and Gordon knew he had made his point. They glanced at each other and broke into a run without a word.

The house got closer and Gordon's adrenaline drowned out any stiffness from the car, plane and explosion. It felt good to have a gun in his hand. They had been on the backfoot for so long now and Gordon fully intended to end it all, today. His imagination might have played tricks on him for years when it came to Blag, but it was reality that had haunted his brothers and Gordon was determined to put a stop to it.

"We can't just walk through the front door," John suddenly said, slowing his pace. Gordon matched him and shrugged.

"Why not?"

John gave him an exasperated look: Gordon always took the direct approach while John found another way around. It was how they had both been their entire lives.

"We'll find a back door," John said. "If we want to get to Scott first, we can't be seen."

"We're going to sneak up to a house with open fields surrounding it, hope no one is looking out the window, then find a conveniently unlocked back door so we're not heard and search the house until we find Scott without anyone finding us first?"

"Any better ideas?" John said and Gordon sighed.

"I like it," he lied.

He was certain Scott would have had a plan. But Scott wasn't here…that was the problem. John was silent - Gordon could tell by his face what he also thought of the plan. Scott was in that house though. They were going in, one way or another, and neither of them would suggest otherwise.

They sped up again. They didn't have a solid plan; it didn't matter if they barrelled straight in or attempted to slip in silently. Gordon knew they were making it up as they went along. He blamed spending too much time around John when he started to wonder what would happen if they just found the tracker and no Scott.

Looking up, banishing the thought, Gordon skidded to a stop, throwing out an arm to catch John around the chest. His brother stopped with a sharp curse.

"There's someone there," Gordon breathed. He flicked the safety off the gun and squinted, trying to work out what he was seeing. His initial reaction was that it was someone taking aim at them. But now he wasn't sure. The figure wasn't moving and there was no sign of a gun.

In fact, there was no sign of life at all. John clearly had the same thought, sprinting forward.

"Scott!" John yelled.

"John, wait!" Gordon charged after his brother. There was no point aiming for subtlety now; anyone could have heard their shouts. Gordon didn't take his eyes off the figure, eventually coming to the conclusion that the person was both unconscious and bound. Gordon didn't have time to be grateful it wasn't someone lying in wait for them.

"It's not Scott," he muttered, more to himself than John as they both kept moving. They drew level with the figure and John dropped to his knees without answering Gordon.

"Matt," John breathed and Gordon felt sick when he saw his friend. John instantly felt for a pulse and Gordon didn't dare breathe. John finally gave a shaky nod and Gordon could exhale again.

"He's alive. Badly hurt and his pulse is erratic, but he's alive," John said.

Gordon ran a hand over his face. It wasn't Matt's condition that had him on edge. If Matt – who was little more than a bystander in the scheme of things – was in this state, then what hope was there for his brothers?

He looked away from Matt, examining the area. He first looked at the house, anxiously scanning the windows. Matt could have been left there as bait and even now, someone could be taking aim at them. But no one was there.

What did draw Gordon's attention, however, was a pair of heavy wooden doors. They were set into the ground, their angle indicated they led down into some sort of cellar. Gordon dared to hope: if it was a cellar, there might be an entrance into the main house from it.

"I've found us our back door," Gordon muttered, nodding to the doors. John looked up.

"That's nice," he said, distracted. John didn't look around but pulled something out of his pocket.

Gordon stepped forward. The device was the size of the pen but he knew it was far more than that. He glanced at his brother. They had insisted there could be no connection to International Rescue; they couldn't give Blag that sort of leverage. But just as Scott had made sure they had weapons, John had brought his own gadgets. The laser was thin, but powerful, and the cuffs snapped open within a moment.

John pulled them away, easing Matt's arms to his side again. The man's breathing instantly eased, making Gordon suspect a broken rib.

John started checking Matt over. Wanting to stay out of the way, Gordon crossed to the doors. They were locked and he rested his hand on the wood, wondering if it was their way in. Gordon suddenly became aware he could hear something and he pressed an ear against the wood. He could hear running water, and a lot of it.

Gordon frowned and looked down. A trickle of water was beginning to seep under the door. The cellar – if that was what it was - was flooded. But that made no sense… Unless…

"John, we have to move!"

"Let me make sure he is stabilised and then I'm with you, Gords… Gordon?"

Gordon yanked on the doors again, swearing.

"Gordon, what are you doing?" John was already moving towards him as he spoke, confused.

"He's in there! Scott's in there!"

Gordon grabbed his gun and fired at the lock. His aim was true and the lock splintered. Gordon wrenched open the door and both brothers swore as they stared in horror at the flooded room below them.

"Someone's down there!" John suddenly shouted and Gordon realised he was right. There was a dark shape just visible through the water. As John took a step back, clearly preparing to do something, Gordon reacted. One hand shot out, grabbing the cutter before he dived straight in.

He knew diving in, with no idea how deep the water was or what was waiting for him, was stupid. But he also knew there was no time. He hoped he missed any steps leading down and was relieved when he didn't collide with anything solid. In a few strokes, he came to the dark figure, and almost swallowed water as an involuntarily exclamation escaped him.

It wasn't Scott.

It was Virgil.

Wearing their brother's jacket.

Gordon didn't think about what it meant. He activated the laser, directing it at the manacles holding his brother prisoner.

To his horror, it didn't work, the resistance of the water reducing the power of the beam. Growing angry, and refusing to consider they were already too late, Gordon jabbed the button furiously. The beam flickered again. Finally, on the fourth attempt, the cuffs gave way. Only one had come free, but it was enough for him to grab Virgil and launch them both towards the light again.

As his head broke the surface, Gordon instantly flipped so he was on his back, Virgil's head resting against his chest.

"Gordon!" Following John's voice, Gordon pulled Virgil towards the door, feeling the steps bumping into the back of his legs. He stood as soon as he could. He was now close enough for John to reach forward. John got his hands under Virgil's shoulders and pulled his brother out. Gordon scrambled out after them, barely noticing he was shivering.

"He's not breathing!"

"Move!" Gordon shoved John out of the way. John went without protest as Gordon tilted Virgil's head back, pinched his brother's nose and breathed hard. Alternating between breathing and pressing on Virgil's chest, Gordon slowly began to lose strength as the cold got to him and his brother still lay there, unresponsive.

"Come on, Virgil!" Gordon yelled, thumping his brother. To his utter surprise, Virgil jerked, water spilling from his mouth as he coughed harshly. John darted forward, helping roll Virgil over so their brother could empty his lungs. Virgil ended up half-sprawled across Gordon's lap. Gordon rubbed his back reassuringly.

"We're here, we've got you…"

"Scott…" Virgil breathed, his voice weak. He slumped against Gordon and as John rolled him back over, they saw that Virgil had passed out again.

"John?" Gordon whispered, wondering if they were too late after all. John already had his hand against Virgil's neck. John breathed a sigh of relief, squeezing his eyes shut before looking Gordon in the eye.

"It's alright, Gords. We've got him. He's alive."