This chapter is a bit shorter again, and does not follow the same format. After this, there is just one more chapter... sad, huh? This journey has been awesome and I've truly loved it. Thank you to Dee, Whiz and kensi jj!

Enjoy!

Jose's POV~

I'm outside the room where I know Maggie is waiting for me, but I almost have too much adrenaline pumping to focus. This is it; I get to end it. Maggie will be dead and OA, too, if he's here and I get lucky. I pause, my gun hiding under my sweatshirt, as I stand against the wall. A doctor walks out of the room and notices me.

"Friend?" he asks.

"Yeah, how's she doing?" This is too perfect.

"She's sleeping, has a breathing tube, and is on a lot of medication, but you can go in if you'd like," he turns to walk away after giving me a smile.

"Who else is in there?" I'm dying to know, and this doctor is eating out of my hand.

"Just her partner. He got lucky, you know."

Then he's gone and I'm left standing against the wall. I'm so excited and nervous at the same time, and I can't quite get a grasp for what I'm about to do.

Suddenly an alarm is going off. It's loud and I know I'm running out of time. It's been only three or four minutes since Ed took the first shot. I'm surprised it took so long. I have to move if I'm going to get out of here.

I stand up and push open the door. Maggie is laying in her bed, pale and obviously in critical condition. She's inside this glass room on a bed. Her partner is sitting beside her and is holding her hand.

I scoff. That's when OA looks up. For a few seconds he just looks at me before I see his eyes widen and then narrow in understanding. He knows who I am.

Soon I'm to the door of the smaller room. I push it open and am standing there, so close, yet not nearly close enough.

"The things I'm going to do to her," I growl. I can't help it. My eyes are glued on hers. Then the gun is pointed at her. I picture her body pressed up against mine and also with a bullet through her forehead. I'm not sure which I prefer, but either is enough to have me squirming with anticipation. I look to OA but am surprised to see he has a gun as well which is pointing at my head. That's not something I expected. Our eyes lock and we just stare.

"I'll kill you," he says simply.

"Then I'll kill her," I answer knowing my words are like poison to him, but he doesn't hesitate like I expect. Instead his eyes grow even more cold as his finger tightens on the trigger.

"Did you know," he starts, "that there is one spot of the brain that is special. If I shoot you in that one spot, it will immediately stop any action you would want to take; You'll be unable to shoot either of us. I'm a damn good shot." He's standing there and I believe every word he says even though I've never heard this before. The authority in his voice is enough to scare me, though I can't show it.

"I learned about it as a part of Special Forces. I bet there's a 80 percent chance I can hit it. Wanna try? Otherwise, put the gun down."

He continues to glare and takes a few steps forward. Now he's about 10 feet away. At first I think it's a rhetorical question, but he keeps staring at me like he's waiting for an answer.

"You have five seconds to put the gun down. Five."

Im so stuck on the words he's saying that I don't realize my gun has fallen a bit and is no longer pointing directly at Maggie.

"Four."

I'm trying to figure out how to kill them both and walk out alive, but I'm not sure how, don't think it's possible. So how can I do the most damage?

"Three."

He's getting too close to zero for comfort. I realize my gun is not pointing at Maggie. At the same time I see Maggie's eyes are open. She is staring at me in horror. If I move it to shoot him first, I'll be dead before I get off a shot. But with Maggie, I have a chance. I have to take it. She needs to die and he needs to suffer.

"Two."

I raise my hands and pull the trigger as fast as I can. I hear two other shots ring out and am slammed by both bullets he shoots. I shout out in pain and am on the floor in seconds. Both my hand and my shoulder hurt in a way I have never experienced and I am having a hard time focusing. I hear Maggie's partner calling for her. I fade away celebrating her death.

OA's POV~

Suddenly the man I hate so deeply for the pain he's inflicted on Maggie is standing before me. He's there, gun in hand, charging the door to our bubble. His gun is on Maggie and my gun is on him. He's just looking at her. I want to shoot him, but need to try to talk him down, need to do my job. His body language tells me that, as of this moment, he's not an immediate threat even with his gun out. I know I don't need to take action quite yet but will be ready.

Then he sees me, and I see panic shoot across his face briefly at the sight of my gun. He wasn't expecting me to have one. Then he's hard faced and talking big about both Maggie and me dying. The seconds feel like hours. The alarm is going off, has since he entered the room so I know help is on the way, but they don't know where he is or what he plans to do.

The next thing I know I'm making up a story about a part of the brain that serves as a instant kill so to speak. I don't know where it came from, but it's good and it's getting him to hesitate. I can't handle the way he is staring at her as if he wants to do unspeakable things. I'm sure he does. I glance over at Maggie while he's thinking and see her eyes begin to flutter. The sound of the alarm, our loud talking will wake her soon, and I hope it's not until after I end this. Whatever that will look like.

I'm still watching carefully for him to show any sign that Maggie is at risk. I will not hesitate to shoot him if he does.

Then I'm counting. I'm counting down from five because this needs to be over now.

"Five." I hear myself say. By the time I get to three I start to see more determination in his face, and I tighten my finger around the trigger.

"Two."

He moves so fast, but so do I. We shoot at almost the exact same time. I shoot once more and then hear nothing except him hitting the floor.

I grab his gun which slid across the floor, check to make sure he really is down, and then my attention is, of course, immediately back to Maggie. She is panicking. But I'm there. I'm by her side as fast as I can.

"It's okay, Mags. I got him. He's down. He can't hurt you. I promised you I would keep you safe and I did. It's over."

The fear in her eyes begins to subside and I can see how much that took out of her. She seems to fall back against her pillow and is fighting sleep, fighting so hard. But the fight is not enough. The second her eyes are shut, I look back to Jose. His breathing is shallow and blood is pooling. Two officers have just come in, guns drawn and raised. I show my badge, quickly explain what happened, and am relieved when I'm told for now I'm no longer needed.

I go back to Maggie's side. She seems to still be fighting her sleep even as it consumes her. The doctor returns to the room and is shocked by what he sees. Maggie is in my arms and Jose is in the hands of two other doctors who get him off the floor onto a gurney and out of the room. When he is gone it takes a minute or two for the alarm to be quieted. As it shuts off and I look again at Maggie, realize how close I was and still am to losing her. She's safe now, but she still might not make it. My gut clenches at the thought as I brush some hair out of her face. I need her to be okay.

She will be. I have to believe that. She will be.

AN: I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but I've been starting at it for four days and don't know what to change. I'm trying to speed things up because I feel like this story is starting to drag- not something I want to happen. Please let me know what you think!