When he got home after being "missing" for almost a day, Charlie went to his room and fell into an exhausted sleep. His feet hurt, his legs hurt, and his ribs seemed to scream at him with pain. Alan came in to check on him several times, waking him up with each intrusion. He finally brought a chair in and sat down beside his son and spent the night in Charlie's room. During the night, Charlie woke with a searing pain in his sides. Alan rushed out of the room and brought him his pain killers that he hadn't taken in so long. Charlie squeezed his father's hand until the pain finally began to ease. Sleep was impossible until he was finally comfortable again.

Don spent most of the night awake. He had been so worried about Charlie. He couldn't help but blame himself for Charlie getting hurt and for him running away. But something continued to bother him. Megan, Colby, and David came inside after they brought Charlie home. They explained what had happened and it just didn't seem to fit. Why would Charlie be with Janet Waits? From what the three agents told him, he had been there willingly. They couldn't get much out of Charlie about it, but that much had been clear. He hadn't pressed charges, had told them he had willingly gotten in the car with her. They even said he was asleep in her home when they found him. What had possessed him to do something like that? Did he not realize how much danger he had put himself in?

Don couldn't decide how he was going to handle bringing it up with Charlie. He didn't want to scream, yell, but that's what he felt like doing. Charlie had put him and Alan through hell while he was away. But was Charlie being threatened by Janet? Was that why he had covered for her? Maybe. And if that was the case, he shouldn't yell at Charlie. But what if he actually was spending time with the woman? Her son had been so intent on killing him. What if she wanted to finish what her son let off? What if she was working with Jake?

That had been a question Don hadn't thought of. It sent his heart racing. He grabbed his phone and called the three agents, asking them to bring Janet in for questioning about Jake.

The next morning, he was still indecisive about Charlie. He managed to keep his questions at bay until that afternoon. Charlie looked awful when he got up in the morning, so Don let him off easy. He barely looked at Don, and hardly spoke to him or their father. He moped about the house and stepped outside a few hours after breakfast. Alan panicked. He ran after Charlie, who had only made it to the porch swing, where he sat when Alan came running outside.

"I'm still here," he said quietly to his father. Alan had run to the edge of the porch and was looking both ways for Charlie, not even noticing that his son was right behind him.

"Oh, thank God," Alan whispered as he turned around to face him. Charlie looked up at him, his face expressionless. Alan came up to him and sat down, pushing the swing.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Dad," Charlie said, staring ahead, instead of at his father.

Alan nodded slowly. He knew his son hadn't meant to let it happen, but something had driven him away. He had read the "I am sorry" on the board. Something had scared him away. He wanted to know what.

"Why, Charlie? Why did you leave?"

It was a question Charlie couldn't answer, not with complete honesty at least. "I can't take it, Dad. It's... it's complicated."

"What is?"

"I can't let you and Don get hurt, not again."

"But, Charlie, you never let us get hurt in the first place!"

Charlie stood from the porch swing. "Yes, I did."

Charlie went back inside without saying another word. He went back to his room and slept for another hour before coming downstairs again. When he did, he found Don waiting to talk with him. He wanted to escape again. He felt like the next time Don or Alan would get hurt was a time bomb, waiting to go off. He didn't know how long he had, but he didn't expect it to be long.

"Hey, Buddy, can I talk to you for a while?"

No, Charlie wanted to answer, but didn't. He sat down across from his older brother, expecting what was about to come. He knew it was only a matter of time before his brother confronted him about yesterday.

"Charlie, I need to talk to you about yesterday, about Janet Waits."

Yep, he'd seen that coming a mile away.

"What about her?"

"Did she threaten you in any way? Did she say anything about her connections with Jake?"

"No. She was nice to me. I was walking alone and she offered me a ride when I was about to collapse. I accepted and she took me to her house. We talked for a while, and I asked if I could take a nap later."

"So, you knew her before this had happened?" Don wasn't sure he wanted to hear his brother's answer.

"Yes."

So Charlie wasn't being threatened, should he be telling the truth. Basically, that gave Don a right to yell at him.

"What? Charlie, do you have any idea how stupid that was?" Don screamed.

Charlie inwardly groaned at his brother's predictability. He had seen it coming all along. Why must Don yell at him over this? It was so unimportant now.

"She could have killed you! Do I have to remind you what Carl did to you?"

Charlie's heart beat faster. Why did Don even ask that question? Of course he didn't. Charlie remembered every day what he'd been put through. It was why he had tried to run away. Carl was going to kill Don and Alan. He was not about to let that happen again, even if it hadn't been Jake who had been the real threat to them this time... it was him.

"What if she was working with Jake? Or, rather, what if she is working with Jake? I can't believe you would even consider talking to this woman. You have no idea what she is capable of. What if you'd been killed? How do you think Dad and I would have felt? And it would have been for nothing! You would just have been too stupid to realize what you'd done! You have to think, Charlie! And what were you doing running off anyway? You didn't have anything with you even, or at least anything of importance!"

That hurt. Charlie had brought a notebook and pens and pencils. Some of his best work came from just that. In fact, he had brought a notebook that had some of his best work. It was important to him because it helped him understand the risk his brother was taking. It helped him understand what could potentially kill Don... bullets.

"I just... I can't understand why you would run away like that! A water bottle and some paper isn't going to do a whole hell of a lot of good when Jake comes after you. What if he was the one who picked you up? Huh? What then, Charlie? You tell me, 'cause I can't understand why you would do something so stupid."

There it was again. Stupid. It was one of the words that Charlie despised. It was one he could never stand when he was being called that. Don didn't completely come out and say it, but he was definitely implying that that's what he was. It was too much for Charlie. Needing to get away from his brother, he stood without looking at Don.

"I... I can't, I couldn't deal with it, okay? I-I-I tried before, but I can't do it. Not this time. I don't know how I managed to with Carl, but this time I just... I won't do it. Okay?"

Don's face finally softened and he took in his brother's words. "What can't you deal with, Charlie?"

Charlie's face scrunched up as he felt fresh tears come to his eyes. He bit his lower lip and shook his head. He couldn't break... but he was falling apart.

"I can't... I can't lose you, or Dad. I can't deal with that. With Carl, it was like... everything was about you or Dad. He was trying everything he could to get to me by hurting you two. It terrified me, but somehow I managed to get through it. I can't do it... not again."

Charlie took a slow step and turned his back on Don. His shoulders rose as he heaved against a sob. He bit it away, trying to hide from his brother the pain he was going through.

Don, resisting the pain in his chest as he stood up, went to his brother. With slow steps he made his way toward Charlie.

"Buddy, nothing has happened to either of us. Jake has stayed away. I don't... I don't know what you're so worried about."

Charlie turned around quickly, anger written on his face at his brother's ignorance. "Don, it's you! Do you think that you would have gotten shot twice if you hadn't been thinking about me that day? No! You're a better agent than that. You do your job and you don't think twice about making the right decisions. You lost that when you focused on me instead of your work. It nearly cost you your life. If it had, I wouldn't have known I was responsible, but, damnit, I know now! How do you think that makes me feel? You could have died, Don!" As if that thought were just occurring to him,

Charlie stumbled as his knees buckled. "My, God." Charlie looked at Don with wide eyes. "You could have died." Charlie fell forward and Don managed to keep him up. "It... it would have been all my fault. Without me, you never would have gotten hurt."

Charlie pushed away from his brother, and Don was momentarily relieved due to the pain the pressure was causing him. But when Charlie stepped away from him with that panicked look in his eyes, he'd deal with the pain if it meant Charlie would stay put.

"I can't stay here. I-I-I can't. I should have... should have stayed away." He turned and started for the door, breaking into a run. He was stopped when he plowed into his father, who grabbed onto his son.

"Where are you going?" Alan asked, oblivious to what had just been going on.

"I have to go. I can't stay here." Charlie pushed his father's arms away, not wanting to be held back. He had to get out, but Alan's hands were strong. "Let me go, Dad. I need to go. I have to. Please."

Alan looked over Charlie's head at Don, hoping for some explanation as to why Charlie had to leave. Don's eyes held pain and worry, so Alan forced his son to stay put. He

wrapped his arms tightly around Charlie and his son fought him. Charlie punched at his father, begging to be let go.

"No! Stop it! I can't stay here! Let me go! Let me go!"

Charlie managed to get away for a brief second before his father's hand grabbed his wrist and brought him full-force into his chest. As if Alan's chest were a wall in his way, Charlie pounded on it with his fists, crying out to be freed. He couldn't stay here or Don would surely die. He loved his brother and wanted to stay, but he couldn't if it meant Don would be killed. He'd rather not be around his family and they be alive than being near them, waiting for one of them to die.

His strength waning, soon Charlie's blows weakened to the point they didn't hurt at all. Alan grabbed hold of his son's wrists, knowing the fight was out of his son. He let Charlie stand there, crying and looking around his surroundings like he didn't know where he was. When his eyes settled on his father's face, he broke into sobs as he launched himself into Alan's arms.

"Sh, sh. I've got you." Alan held Charlie up when his own legs wouldn't. He led his son to the couch where Don now sat, looking horrified at his younger brother. Charlie's sobs turned into wails as he sank to the couch, leaning on his father for support. Alan had no idea what had just happened, but he knew that both his sons were obviously upset. He would get to the bottom of it, but first he had to take care of Charlie. His son had been known to have panic attacks before, and he was afraid Charlie would have one now if he didn't stop it. So he tightened his arms around his son, letting Charlie's face get pressed into the crook of his neck. He felt the tears instantly wet his neck. As though realizing he was making loud noises, Charlie stifled his cry as he pressed his mouth into his father's shirt. Still, Don and Alan heard the scream. Don's heart felt like it was being ripped in two.

"I won't let it happen again. I promise, Charlie," Don told his brother as he leaned close to Charlie's ear, so he'd be sure to hear him.

It was too much for Charlie. The fear of Carl's threats still plagued him and with this added terror, he was pushed over the edge. How was he supposed to be a part of his family's life when all he brought was danger to them? He couldn't put them at risk. But leaving them would break his heart. He had managed it before, but he hadn't really been thinking. He would do it, if he needed to, but it would kill him to.

They were all that mattered though. He didn't matter anymore. His own health and life meant nothing if they weren't in it, so why should he worry about himself? Charlie worried about his family and keeping them safe. They were the important ones.

Charlie reached over and latched onto a fistful of Don's shirt. He pulled his brother closer to him and whispered hoarsely to him, "I love you."

Don's eyes searched his brother's. Charlie had ended his crying but there was such an emptiness to him that it tore at Don. What could he do to protect his brother? He was useless. Don realized that they were both struggling to survive this whole situation. He looked up at their father. He was the only one who had kept it together, their rock.

Charlie turned back to his father and hugged him tightly around the waist. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry I hurt you. I love you."

Alan's heart constricted. Rarely did he hear his boys tell him that, though he always knew it was true. What was his son going through? What caused him to talk like this, break like he just had?Something was seriously wrong and it seemed like there was no solution to it. Not until Jake was out of the picture.

Charlie slipped out of his father's arms and slowly went up the stairs to his room. Too shocked over Charlie's emotional breakdown, Don and Alan let him go alone. As soon as they heard his door close, they turned to each other.

"What in the world just happened?" Alan asked Don, knowing he had been there before he had.

Don shook his head, blowing out his breath in a huff. "I don't know, Dad. I just... I shouldn't have cornered him like that, but I needed answers. I asked him about Janet and I yelled at him over it. I shouldn't have done it. If I had known that would happen," Don waved his hand as if to indicate where it had happened, "I never would have done it."

"Did you get much out of him, like why he ran away?"

"No. He just kept saying how he couldn't let anything happen to us again, not that anything did with Carl. Dad, he's having a lot of trouble with this. I thought he told us everything about Carl, but it's gotten to him a lot worse than we thought. He's paranoid that something will happen to us. I... I don't know what to do."

Alan smiled. "The same thing you always do. You make it better."

"How? I can't find Jake. I've had agents working on this case for months-" Don's words came in a rush, but Alan interrupted.

"I didn't say you had to do all that, Donny. All it takes is for you to go up there, talk to your brother, and he'll feel better automatically. You know that's what he needs."

Don smiled in return. "You think so?"

"I know so."

Alan stood and helped Don up to avoid hurting his already sore chest. He had strained it too much today so he'd have to be careful. The doctors said if he was too rough with it he could break one of his ribs and puncture a lung. So Don took the stairs slowly, one at a time.

Don knocked lightly on the door to Charlie's room when he made it upstairs. Charlie didn't respond so Don opened the door for himself. He didn't see his brother, which concerned him. He went to the bathroom door and found Charlie inside puking. His whole body jerked forward with every wave of nausea, as though the vomit was coming up faster than he could release it. Don was too preoccupied with moving to his brother to consider calling for Alan. He came up behind Charlie and held his brother's hair back.

As Charlie was emptying the contents of his stomach, his hand slipped and he hit his head on the hard toilet seat. Don grabbed him by the shoulders to keep him steady. When the last wave passed, Charlie slumped to the floor out of Don's hands.

"My God, Buddy. What happened? Are you okay?"

It was then that Don noticed that Charlie had something in his hands. Charlie followed his brother's gaze to the papers in his hand and he shook his head, pressing them to his chest so that Don couldn't see what was on the front.

"What is that, Charlie?"

Charlie shook his head as tears slipped out of the corner of his eyes. He couldn't let Don see. He would handle it. But how? As the image flashed in his mind, he jerked again, this time out of fear.

"What is it, Charlie?"

Still Charlie wouldn't let his brother see. So Don came at him, thankfully not breaking his aching ribs. He pulled the papers out of his brother's hands.

"No!" Charlie screamed, but it was too late. Don turned the papers over and found that the top two were photos. He stared at the top one, horrified to find he was in the picture.

Jake was crouched at the top of a stone wall, barely visible to the gathered people below. He was taking aim at a particular person... Don. Don was talking on his cell phone as he made his way to his SUV, just outside of CalSci. Jake wore a broad grin on his face as he aimed at Don, his finger already on the trigger. Much to Don's horror, the next photo showed Jake pointing the same gun at Alan, who was standing in the front half of his and Charlie's home. It looked like Alan was looking at a photo of his wife, Margaret, and Jake was on the roof of the house next door, hidden by the large, brick chimney. Again that sadistic smile was on Jake's face as he took aim at the most important people in Charlie's life.

The last page had writing on it. All it said was, "I need only pull the trigger."

Don turned back to Charlie, who was shaking uncontrollably between the toilet and the bathtub. Don, equally shaken, managed to cover his fear as he slid over to his brother. Charlie looked up at Don when he grabbed his shoulder in a gentle grip.

"He's going to kill you, Donny. Please... run away. Go some place safe. Wait until he kills me. That's all he really wants. Let him kill me instead. Please, Don! Don't make me go through this!"

It may have been what his brother wanted, but there was no way that Don would abandon him now. He would stand by him to the end, whenever that may be.

"I'm not going anywhere, Buddy. We're going to fight this, okay? We'll get through this together. I'll hire agents to follow all three of us. We'll be fine, I promise."

Don prayed that his promise would not prove false.

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"He just left," Janet spoke into the cell phone. She looked around her, as though she should expect someone to be there. "Good. Did you tell him about Alan and Don? Did you tell him that I was going to kill them?"

"Yes," Janet lied. She had been told to tell Charlie all these horrible things, help Jake torture the poor man. She didn't have the heart to do it, even though her son's life could be at stake.

Jake laughed evilly. "Perfect. I'll fulfill my threat later. Great work, Janet. Oh, and Justin says 'hi.'"

The phone line went dead as Jake hung up. Janet bit back tears at the thought of losing her son. What would she do without him? Justin was all she had left. She couldn't lose him, on top of all the others. First she lost her husband Ian when Jake took a knife to his back... twelve times. She didn't know what lies her son had told him, but Ian had been a good father. Then Carl killed Todd. Even before they discovered the body, she knew that Carl had done it, and she knew that Todd was dead. She thought about poor Lana, his wife. She had been so devastated, but somehow she had

managed to survive. She was happy that her daughter-in-law had found someone new to marry. She deserved happiness.

And then Charlie killed Carl. Though she hated to admit it, Janet felt some relief when it happened. She knew her son was bound for jail whenever he got caught. He had had it coming for so long. At least he died before he went to prison. Knowing Carl, he would have found a way out. She thought the threat to her family was over. But Jake was still there.

Janet took a deep breath to pull herself together. She raised the cell phone to her ear once more after punching in a few familiar numbers.

"Director Merrick."

"Hey, Walt. It's Janet. I just got off the phone with Jake. I traced his call to a north tower near downtown LA. The call didn't last long enough for me to get any farther."

"That's good, that's good. Any little bit helps. Good work,

Agent."

Janet smiled, still pleased every time she heard that.

"Thanks. I'll keep you updated."

"Good."

"Bye."

Janet clicked off her phone and smiled to herself. At least she was a part of the process.

Geesh, guys! Why didn't you tell me about all these mistakes? As you can tell, I reposted this with a bunch of corrections. Here's my original message.

AHA! Didn't see that coming, did you? LOL Okay, some of you may have. I hope you all like it. She's not all bad. Oh, and for those of you who didn't know, Director Merrick's first name is Walt. It seems like most stories don't have his first name in it, so I put it in there. If you look at the guest stars from the first episode, you'll see that it says "Walt Merrick." Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and we'll move on to more angst in the next chapter, just not so overloaded next time. :-D