The Following:

Peace, Love, and Happiness

Season 3

Episode 2: Shaphat Part 2

Ryan leaned back in his chair and stifled a yawn. He, Mike, and Max were in his apartment doing research. He was feeling sore and over tired. His scratches and cuts still hadn't fully healed. Another cup of coffee wouldn't help him wake him. A long vacation would definitely help him get everything back on track. But he knew that would never happen. Not with his line of work.

There always seemed to be some sort of crime that needed to be solved. Too bad the Hardy Boys was just a fictional book series. Also their lives and the crimes they solved, were nothing compared to what he had to do every day. There were no Joe Carroll's or Lily Gray's in the series. If there had, then it would have to be an adult book series, and not young adult.

When he was young, he read the Hardy Boys religiously. He owned the entire series and new each book by heart. His father joked that if he knew the Bible like he knew the Hardy Boys, he would be the smartest Priest in the world. His sister Jenny was a Nancy Drew fan. She owned every book, but didn't know them like Ryan did of the Hardy Boys.

"Ryan," Max said standing up from her spot. She rubbed her tired eyes. "Want another cup?"

"I actually do," Ryan said looking up from his computer. "Thank you." He smiled at her.

She returned a few moments later with three cups of coffee. She handed one to Ryan, Mike, and took the last one for herself. When she handed her cup to Mike, they locked eyes for a few moments. Both smiled at each other, before returning to their work.

Ray so far has had three cups and was glad to have another. After he stopped drinking, he replaced alcohol with coffee. He was addicted to it and didn't feel too bad. Yes, he got agitated when he didn't' drink his coffee, especially in the morning, but there were no consequences like alcohol did. It wasn't ruining his life or anyone's around him.

Right when he woke up, the first thing he did was brew a large cup of coffee. He would sit in front of the TV slowly drinking his coffee enjoying the aroma, the taste, and obviously the caffeine burst. His two favorite flavors were either hazelnut or French vanilla.

"I have nothing so far," Ryan said with a tired sigh. "I have searched over two hundred forms of suicide, but have found nothing so far."

"Same here," Mike said sniffing the coffee. It was too hot to drink. But the aroma was relaxing. "Nothing I have found so far is useful with the murders so far."

"I did find something pretty grotesque though," Ryan said leaning forward in his chair. "In Ancient China, it was found that they would boil someone alive as a means of execution." He paused and looked at Mike who was watching him curiously. "Imagine that, being led to the big pot while a whole crowd watched from a distance."

"That's disgusting," Max said shaking her head. She took a sip of coffee. "I think I have found something." She turned looked at Mike and then Ryan. "There was an Ancient Japanese form of execution that resulting of disembowelment the guilty party. It was also used as a form of suicide on rare occasions. It is called Seppuku, which is roughly translated as stomach cutting."

"That explains a lot," Mike said taking a sip of coffee. It was still a bit too hot to drink.

"In a way it does," Ryan said with a small shrug. "But what does that have to do with Genji?"

"Well since Genji comes from a Japanese family," Mike pointed out, "Could it be that simple?"

"It could be," Ryan said with another shrug. He took a long drink of coffee. "But why did Genji use such a harsh form of death?"

"Also what was his relationship with Brandon?" Max asked looking up from her laptop, "And why did he kill his parents and then himself?"

Ryan was about to respond, when there was a knock on the door. He sighed and stood up, wondering who could be coming by at this late hour. Perhaps it was Carrie stopping by to say hi. He hoped not. He liked her a lot, but this was not a good time to visit.

He opened the door and was surprised to see Gina by the front door. She smiled at him and simply said, "Hey."

"Hi Gina," He said smiling back at her still surprised. "They let you out?"

"Yeah this morning," Gina said relieved, "So can I come in?"

"Uh yeah," He said stepping aside allowing her to enter.

Gina stepped inside and eyed Ryan as she placed her purse on the floor by the front door. "Am I disturbing you?" She asked.

"Not at all," He said with a small smile.

It was nice to see her moving around. After she was stabbed and with the amount of blood he saw from the wound, he feared that she wouldn't make it. All he thought was, not another one. Losing Debra was hard. He looked up to her. She was a motivation for everyone in the FBI. When she died, it was a huge loss for everyone.

When he first met Gina, he knew right away she was good news and bad news. He desperately wanted to find the followers and to find out whether Joe was alive or not. Yet at every turn, she seemed to be in his way. She was a hard-hitting and determined Agent, desperate to find the same thing that he was searching for. He knew that she would get the work done and catch all those involved with Joe, but not quickly enough.

Then came the day when she was stabbed at her old flame's house. When he saw her laying on the floor in the garage, covered in a pool of her own blood, he feared the worst. He didn't want to lose anyone else. He took every death personally. Except for those on Joe's side.

"Ryan," Max said stepping out of the office, "Who was at there?" She saw Gina standing in the living room looking well. "Oh hi Gina," She smiled at her. "It is nice to see you moving around."

"Thanks," Gina said with a smile. "It feels good to be moving around and out of the hospital." She saw Mike exit the office and approach them. "Burning the early midnight oil?" She asked glancing at Ryan.

"Sort of," Ryan said with a small shrug. "Have you watched the news at all?"

"Yeah I have," Gina said shaking her head clearly upset. "Terrible." She was at a loss of words.

"That is one way to put it," Mike said stepping beside Max.

"So I am guessing that you guys are working on the case here now," Gina asked. She glanced at the office. "How can I help you guys?"

"Are you sure?" Max asked looking at worried. "You have been through a lot, are you up to it?"

Gina looked at Max and smiled weakly. "I am on temporary leave of absence," She said with a hint of bitterness. "But I can still be of help to you guys." She paused and nodded her head in the direction of the office. "I am going stir crazy not being able to do anything."

"I understand how you feel," Ryan said with a smile. "Can I get you a coffee while we go over what we know so far?"

"Actually yes," She said her eyes twinkling with excitement.

A few minutes later, they were all in the office, discussing the case. Mike was silent, finally able to drink his coffee. Max had already finished hers and was wanting another cup. Ryan was slowly spinning his mug around and Gina was slowly sipping hers.

"I don't get this," Gina said shaking her head. She ran a hand through her long hair. "Why did Genji kill Brandon in such a disturbing way?"

"We don't get that either," Max said with a shrug.

"The closest thing we have," Ryan said, "Is that Genji came from a Japanese family and was a history buff."

"Why do you think he killed his parents?" Mike asked looking at Max. They locked eyes again, which caused her to smile.

"I'm not sure," Ryan replied with a shrug. He began to play with the stubble on his chin. "The only guess I have, is that when his parents found out about what he had done, they were going to turn him in." He took a sip of coffee. "Of course he was not going to let that go."

"His parents became a liability," Gina shook her head upset, "A son kills his own parents, because of that." She paused staring into her cup of coffee for a brief moment. "It's very sad."

"It is sick the extent of what people will do for Joe," Max grimly said. She sighed and began to push her mug gently from one hand to the next.

Ryan's phone began to vibrate. He saw on the caller ID that it was from Jeffery. "Yes," He said answering the call.

"There has been another murder," Jeffery simply said.

"Oh no," Ryan said annoyed. He ignored the inquisitive looks everyone was giving him.

"Yes," Jeffery continued, "I don't have much on the case, because another Bureau has it." He paused for a few moments breathing heavily into the phone. "I want you, Max, and Mike, since you guys seem to always be together, to go to St. Paul, Minnesota and get as much info on it."

"I see," Ryan said confused. "Why us and why in Minnesota?"

"I can't say much over the phone Ryan," Jeffery said after hesitating for a few seconds. "But you were requested personally and I know you will want people whom you can trust to go there."

"When should we leave?" Ryan asked waving his hand in a silencing manner when Mike began to ask what was going on.

"Right away," Jeffery said before hanging up.

Ryan gently set his phone on the table. "There has been another murder and apparently we need to go to Minnesota to find out what happened," Ryan said before anyone could say anything.

"Minnesota?" Mike asked not sure if he heard correctly.

"Yes, Minnesota, the home of the Twins," Ryan said, "Just not the crazy, sadistic murderous ones, although they do murder in baseball." He paused waiting for everyone to laugh at his joke, but no one did. He cleared his throat.

"The Bureau there couldn't send us the info?" Mike asked confused.

"I don't know," Ran shook his head. He stood up and shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently the murder is connected to me somehow, because I was requested to go there." He chuckled and threw up his hands noting that this was out of his control.

Joe was tired, hungry, cold, and annoyed. He hated it in prison and that was obvious. The first time was lousy, there was no reason to believe that his second time there would be a vacation. Yet, despite his horrible predicament, he felt strangely blessed.

When had Claire pinned against the wall and the knife against her throat, he knew that she would have to be killed. If he didn't kill her then, then he would be killed, whether by her or by someone else. Killed or be killed. A good motto to live by.

Joe found himself chuckling as he replayed the events prior to his arrest. Ryan popping out of no where to save him from killing Claire. Yes he loved her with all his heart and knew that it would break it to kill her. But there was no way that she could survive. She played her role. She was supposed to have died then, for real.

Then came Ryan. He tackled him to the floor and stopped him from killing the only woman he truly loved. The woman who he would do anything for. Even kill.

Ryan had a gun pointed at him and with that same angry and perilous look on his face, as he aimed the gun at him. He was determined to kill him. Shoot and kill him in cold blood. That was his design. But of course, Ryan wasn't strong enough to do so. He lowered the gun and allowed him to go to prison.

"Oh Ryan," Joe found himself laughing loudly, "You god awful predictable pragmatist."

"Joe are you talking to yourself again?" A man in a cell across from him asked. He peeked through the bars.

Joe opened his eyes and sighed. "Go to sleep Frank," He said not in the mood.

"Oh so you weren't just talking in sleep," Frank said watching Joe in the cell across from his. "Because if you were, you were just talking about Ryan Hardy again."

Joe cursed under his breath and stood up. He approached the gate and peered at the overweight, heavily tattooed, trucker like look of a man. "Tell me Frank," He asked in a chilly tone, "What else do I talk about?"

"Just him," Fran shrugged.

"Oh good," He nodded pretending to show interest. "Now what did you say you were in here for?"

"Drugs," Frank simply said.

"Drugs, wow you are one bad ass," Joe said toying with him.

"Don't mock me Joe," He dangerously said.

Joe hated to be threatened. It was one of his pet peeves. Possibly the highest one on the list. Anyone that threatened him, usually ended up on the chopping block. Yet, here behind bars, that would prove to be difficult. But not impossible.

"I am not mocking you," Joe said gently. He pretended that he was talking to a child and not an adult. "I assume you know who I am?"

"I have heard of you yes," Frank said licking his fat lips. "You are a murderer."

"That word is just so cold and none descriptive," Joe said shaking his head. "I am more than just that." He paused for a few moments, trying to find the best words to describe who he was. "Life is a precious thing. God gives us life and that makes us his children. So who not better to end it?" He paused again. "I am Death," He began to raise voice as if in prayer. "I am the decider and I am the one who chooses whether you live or not."

Frank gulped loudly, unsure what to say to him.

"So tell me Frank," Joe asked with a twisted smile. A tint of red excitement flashed in his eyes. "Do you want to live or to die?"

Mark stood next to the largest tree in the woods. It wasn't the woods by his house, but woods nonetheless. It would be silly for him to go back to his house and to the woods, he and Luke use to play in. There was no doubt that cops were there. He would be recognized and arrested immediately.

The woods that he chose, was a few miles from the morgue that he was so thankful to have found. The nice mortician allowed him to use whatever equipment he needed. Most people weren't so nice to him.

His mother always told him not to trust in strangers. Strangers are bad Mark. She used to say all the time, when he was young. They will take you away from me and hurt you. Never trust in them. Of course, as a child he listened to her, thinking that everyone outside of the family was ravenous killers, ready to kidnap little kids just to kill them.

Obviously, that was not true. If that was, no one would want to have kids. The world would become a far more dangerous place, then it already is. But she did have a point though. Trusting the wrong person could kill you. Now he was allowing about to scatter the ashes of the person he trusted most of all. His brother. His Luke.

It was still a shock that he was gone. His whole life, from birth they were always together. When Luke cried as a kid, he was there to sooth him. When he cried, Luke was there to help him out. They were always there together. They were inseparable.

"Oh Luke," He miserably said. He opened the jar of ashes. "I miss you so much already brother." He shrugged his shoulders and began to cry again. "I never wanted it to end this way."

Mark turned over the jar as Luke's ashes poured out on to the ground below. The heavy wind carried the ashes away from him, almost as if it were a life on its own. He set the jar on the ground and stared into the distance as if he could still see the ashes.

"I thought we would kill Joe and Ryan," Mark bitterly said, "That we would go with Mother to her beach house away from all of this." He paused and wiped away a tear. "I thought, just like in the Disney movies, that we would live happily ever after, outside of America, outside of their laws and jurisdiction."

"But of course plans never go the way we hope," Mark continued, "I never knew that it would be that bitch to shoot you though." He shrugged his shoulders. "For some reason, I saw myself dying before you. I know Mother always saw you as the stronger and bolder one. She told me I was the soft and good-hearted son of hers."

"I don't really believe her though," Mark said continuing to look into the distance, "Good people do not kill. I have killed. So I am not a good person. I am a killer and since I am a killer there is a few things I want to do."

Mark paused again for a few moments, enjoying the peaceful quiet the desolate woods gave him. All that could be heard, was Mother Nature at her best. The rustling of the wind through the trees. The hordes of birds singing their harmonic praise to each other, just to find a mate.

"I will fix this all," Mark said a bitter smile appearing on his face. "I am going to kill Ryan, Mike, that niece of his, and somehow kill Joe." He closed his eyes sniffing the air around him. "I will kill whoever was involved in destroying our family."

He opened his eyes and grabbed the mini pouch on a necklace that he had filled with a small amount of his brother's ashes. He kissed tenderly. "I love you brother," He said vowing for revenge.

Flying was perhaps one of Ryan's worst things to do. It was pretty much at the top of the list. He liked to feel in control of things and flying that high definitely was not helping. He had always been that way. He liked to have both his feet firmly planted on the ground, sturdy like a tree.

As much as he didn't want to go, he was insanely curious about what was in Minnesota. It interested him far too much, that it overlapped his anxiety. Plus orders were orders and even though he wasn't fully appointed back into the Bureau. With all the help he has done so far, he very much felt like he was back with them.

He peered at Max, who was fast asleep, with slight jealousy. She didn't really care too much about flying and was out cold as soon as she was seated. Mike was sitting next to her and was sifting through his iPod, but it looked like as if he too would soon be asleep.

Ryan saw that the flight attendant was making her way to him handing out drinks and snacks. They were in first class and everything was for free. Not that it bothered him though. Money wasn't really an issue, even if paying nearly four dollars for a can of coke. Boy, what a market.

When she came to his spot, she smiled at him. "What can I get for you sir?" She politely asked.

Ryan cleared his throat. "What have you got?" He asked.

"Well since you are flying first class," She sweetly said, "Everything is complementary." She paused for a few seconds. "We have orange juice, apple juice, water, coke, seltzer, sprite, diet coke, and alcoholic beverages of your choice."

"Alcohol?" Ryan asked without thinking.

"Yes," She said as her smile widened, "We have three different types of beer, vodka, and scotch. So what can I get for you?"

Ryan took a deep breath and felt his throat dry. The urge to drink was a strong one. Such a temptation. Especially after Luke poured the vodka down his throat forcing him to drink it. He could remember every detail of it, from the taste, to the temperature, and to the warmth it gave him as he swallowed it. Oh how he wanted another drink again.

"Um," He began. "I will have a water."

She handed him a cold cup of water and a napkin. "Thanks," He said taking a sip.

"It is my pleasure," She happily said, "And if there is anything else, just let me know."

For the rest of the flight, Ryan slept on and off. He would look at his phone and see only ten to fifteen minutes had passed every time he woke, from what he thought was a good sleep. Max, was still sleeping, and Mike snoring softly.

After what seemed like ages, the plane finally landed. They picked up their bags from the baggage claim and then rented a car under Ryan's name. On the way, they stopped at Dunkin Donuts and picked up something quick to eat. It took about an hour, but they finally arrived at the address that Jeffery had given to Ryan.

The address belonged to a large warehouse at the edge of a lake. The warehouse stood about four stories in height and had no windows, besides the two above the front door. Five cop cars were parked in the front, with dozens of cops and agents taking notes or guarding for anyone overly curious reporters or civilians.

Ryan parked his car and stepped out. He scanned the scene, wondering what was going to happen next. Max and Mike stood beside him, observing as well.

It didn't take long though. He saw one of the cops tap a dark-skinned man and point in his direction. The man then looked and smiled motioning for two other men to follow him. "Hi there," Ryan introduced himself as the three men approached.

"Hey there," The dark-skinned man said reaching out to shake Ryan's hand, "My name is Jack Crawford." He pointed to a scruffy looking gentleman to his right, "This is Will Graham," He pointed to a well prepped and intelligent looking man to his left, "And this is Hannibal Lector."

Hope you enjoyed!

More craziness to come! And yes for a Hannibal-Following merger! Yes!

(They should have that in the real shows as well!)

-shaw18