I am SOOO sorry for being soooo late with updating this story.

Thank you to all my readers, reviewers and those of you who have me on alert.

Especially gottalovealoser, JB and CC. Who will kick my ass because I'm taking so long with this story when it should be done already.

Thank you for all your patience and understanding of how life can just bury you and not want to let you get your head back up again.

But now I'm back and I'll be updating another chapter this Sunday.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for Cougar to spill on what's happening.

So lets get started shall we?

"What warning?" Pooch looks from Cougar to that damn feather to Jensen and then back to Cougar again. From the way Cougar reacted, he already knows that Jensen's in danger…again. "Cougar man…what warning?"

Clay huffs out a breath as he scrubs his hand over his face. "Well…obviously it's a warning that someone's after," sees that Jensen's passed out and lowers his voice a little, "Jensen." Clay looks to Cougar, who's in the process of stripping his lover of his torn and bloody clothes, and sighs. "Who?"

Roque's just standing back, against the door frame, watching his teammates as they attempt to understand what's going on. He shakes his head and steps forward, keeping his voice low as well in deference to Jensen. Although he doesn't know why the hell he's doing it but it just feels wrong right now to disturb the techie after he saved Clay's ass without any thought of his own. Again.

Rogue can feel himself getting pissed all over again about that and decides to stay on the topic at hand…for once. "Does it matter who it is? We find them. We deal with them. That's all there is to it." Rogue is watching Cougar very closely as Cougar's caring for Jensen so he notices how Cougar tenses up when he speaks of 'dealing' with whoever is threatening Jensen. Interesting.

Clay also notices Cougar's reaction to Roque's statement and doesn't like it. "Cougar…who is it? Who the hell is after Jensen? And why Cougar? What happened?"

After Jensen passed out during the discussion, although it seems more and more like it's becoming an inquisition, Pooch ran to get a bowl of water, soap, some rags, some alcohol for disinfecting and some antibiotics-just in case-and put everything on the nightstand. Then he helps Cougar finishing disrobing Jensen and they all see the full extent of his injuries. "Shit J."

Clay and Rogue both just stand there, observing how Cougar and Pooch work on cleaning and patching Jensen up the best they can, waiting for an answer from Cougar. Yet they all know that Cougar won't answer until he is satisfied that Jensen is taken care of and resting comfortably…and safe. They know that before Cougar will rest or answer any of their questions that he will check the perimeter around their supposed safe-house about 10 times before coming back in to secure all the windows and doors.

And it won't matter if the others do it before he does; Cougar will do it for himself and make sure that everything is as it should be. They all know how protective of Jensen he is. Even though he's the smaller of the two, he's definitely the more feral and the more dangerous. Jensen, even though he's built like no other techie they've ever seen, he IS the more effeminate and the more sensitive of the two. Also the more danger prone. That kid could be in the desert and a massive flash flood would suddenly hit threatening to drown him.

Cougar's also the older of the two and he takes that very seriously. Cougar knows that Jensen hasn't had the time to experience everything he's experienced and to learn from those experiences. Which is one of the reasons why he has more patience with Jensen when Jensen does something stupid. But he also remembers of how he almost lost Jensen before he ever admitted that he loved him and he never wants to feel like he felt when Wolfe almost stole him away. Never. So Cougar works very hard at making Jensen realize the consequences of his actions and to think before he does something. But he never berates Jensen when he's hurt and feeling like shit. That's just too much like kicking a puppy when he's already got a broken leg.

So they wait and stand there quietly. Cougar and Pooch caring for Jensen, which is easier for Pooch now that Cougar's stopped the growling that he doesn't even seem to realize that he's been doing since discovering the damn feather. Rogue and Clay are just waiting patiently for Cougar to be ready to talk. Roque even quietly goes to get more rags when the ones Pooch brought are all covered in filth and blood and that just shows how seriously he's taking this new development.

Usually risks to the kid aggravate Roque because Jensen usually brings them upon himself, mostly because he can't stop his mouth from running. But this…this feather and Cougar's reaction…it's clear that this has nothing to do with Jensen other than what he is to Cougar. And that just isn't right. You don't hurt a man by going after his family. That's not acceptable.

Cougar and Pooch finish caring for Jensen: cleaning and stitching the wounds that need closing, cleaning and bandaging the other less severe wounds, making sure he's comfortable and there are painkillers and a glass of water next to the bed. After all that's been done, Cougar goes and checks the perimeter as well as the rest of the house, making sure it's as secure as it can be.

Roque and Clay look for any clues as to who it could have been who broke into the house and left the feather while Pooch is in the kitchen, making dinner for everyone, knowing they'll need food to help keep up their strength and for when, during the discussion, Clay starts drinking as much alcohol as he can get his hands on.

Roque is finishing his sweep of the first floor for anything they may have missed when he sees a piece of glass on the floor beneath Cougar and Jensen's bed, right near the post. He bends to retrieve it and sees there's more, further beneath the bed. Being very careful, Roque reaches and grabs the source of the broken glass. It's a picture frame. It contains the photo of Jensen, Cougar and Analicia-Jensen's niece. The same one that Cougar wears inside his hat. They're at the park on one of those rare occasions when the team actually gets leave. Cougar is holding Analicia in his arms as Jensen has his arms wrapped around Cougar and Ana. It's actually a very beautiful picture.

Or at least it was. Now it's been ripped out of the frame and is barely staying inside by being caught on the corner of the frame. Jensen's face is scratched out and the word 'wrong' is scraped across Analicia's face. Roque sighs and gets up slowly, not wanting to disturb Jensen. But it's too late. He's up and staring at Roque, eerily quiet. Jensen silently reaches over to grab the frame from Roque and Roque gives it up without a fight.

They both hear Pooch in the kitchen talking to Clay and then to Cougar. Jensen gets out of the bed and walks, a bit stiffly since he's still so sore, towards the kitchen where the others are and Roque follows behind. They enter the kitchen quietly but the others, mainly Pooch, stop their talking and watch as Jensen walks towards Cougar and then hands him a broken picture frame.

They all know what it is because Jensen never leaves that frame behind, like Pooch always has his Mojito no matter what happens. They all also know that Cougar wears the same photo in his hat so that he always has them with him, wherever he may have to go. When Cougar takes the frame from Jensen he's silent yet deadly coiled, ready to strike whoever's threatening his family, no matter how he reacted before to Roque's suggestion of 'dealing with them'.

Pooch gasps at the state of the photo, clearly shocked by what was done to it. Thinks the word might be because they're a gay couple and in the photo, it looks as if they have a child together. Pooch is feeling so much anger that people can be so close-minded and bigoted that he's having a hard time concentrating on the dinner and just waits for either Jensen or Cougar to speak.

While Clay just closes his eyes for a few seconds before taking another swallow of his beer and watching Jensen and Cougar. Jensen, who's strangely silent. So silent that it's a bit scary.

Roque just watches closely, because he thinks he knows what's going on. Or…at least who it might have been that broke in.

Cougar looks at his lover while trying to hold the rage at what was done to their family photo at bay.

Jensen looks at Cougar and says just one word, "Why?"

NOTE: For those of you who don't know or can't remember, Wolfe is a character from another of my stories, The Other Sniper. You don't have to read that one for this one if you don't want, just know that he was a very bad man who got what he deserved when he tried to take Jensen from Cougar.