Author's notes: Happy Labor Day, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your holiday. This chapter is rated M for the language. As much as I watch Criminal Intent and other police drama shows, I hope I've gotten some of the terms and things they use correct. So, I apologize if I've used anything incorrectly. There's some more mushy/gushy/otherworldly stuff in here, too. You can't say you haven't been properly warned. LOL Here's the disclaimer (gotta keep the lawyers off my back): LOCI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a little bit. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy! :o)

Monday, August 21
Hudson Medical Center, 9:00 p.m.

Alex placed her hand on Drew's arm. "Drew, you can't go around and take the law into your own hands. You know better than that," she said softly. "Bobby and I will get these bad guys. It's just going to take some time. That's all." Drew sighed heavily as he looked at her. "I just…I just want this shit to be over and done with," he said. Drew looked at Bobby, then back at Alex. "I'm sorry. I know you guys are doing the best you can," he said with a sigh. He looked at Janelle before turning back to the 2 detectives. "I don't know if Janelle and I can handle losing any more friends."

Alex squeezed Drew's arm. "Everything will be fine," she said. Drew gave her small smile before he turned around to go stand behind Janelle. She sat up straight in the chair, still holding Angel's hand. "I wish you'd wake up now," she whispered. Drew sighed deeply as he massaged her shoulders. Bobby and Alex went to stand on the opposite side of the hospital bed. Bobby hesitated for a second before he reached out and held Angel's other hand. "I'm here, Angel," he said quietly.

Dr. Morton walked into the room. She smiled at the small group. "Detectives, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer," she said. They all said "Hi, Dr. Morton" in unison. She stood at the foot of the bed so that she could see and address everyone. "Did you get the power of attorney paperwork?" Janelle asked. "Yes, I did," Dr. Morton said. "I got 2 sets actually. One for you and your husband and one for her parents." Janelle nodded, pressing her lips. She glanced at the floor before looking at the doctor. "If Angel's life has to be terminated, Drew and I can't, we WON'T, do it," she explained. "Her parents need to make that decision."

Dr. Morton looked at Drew. He nodded. Then she looked at Alex and Bobby. She noticed that Bobby looked paler than he did when she had first met him. "Well, let me assure you all that THAT decision will not come into play here," she said. "I've looked at all of Angel's MRIs and CAT scans. Fortunately, she has no swelling in her brain, no fractured skull. She's got some slight bruising, nothing too serious, though. She's just unconscious. It'll take some time for her to come around."

"Right now, I'm ordering everyone to go home," Dr. Morton said as she looked at them all individually. "Get some rest and come back tomorrow." Janelle and Bobby started to protest, but Dr. Morton held up her hands. "Especially the two of you," she said. "You won't be any good to her if you don't take care of yourselves first. Faylene, the nurse that was just in here, and I are a force to be reckoned with it comes to making patients' families follow doctors' orders. If anything changes, we'll let you know. Now, let us all vamoose."

Dr. Morton marched to the door and held it open, indicating the discussion was over and that her orders were to be followed. Janelle and Drew took turns kissing Angel on the cheek before walking out of the room. They waited in the hallway for Alex and Bobby. Alex squeezed Angel's hand before she gave Bobby a pat on the back. "We'll wait for you downstairs," she said. He just nodded.

Bobby stood there and just stared at Angel, gently stroking her hand. He leaned down and placed his forehead against hers. "It...it…it hurts to see you like this," he said softly. "I don't want this morning to be the last…last time I saw you smile or heard you say 'I love you' or made love to you.You are the first woman I've given my heart to that actually knows how to treat it with care. I appreciate that." "Detective Goren," Dr. Morton said softly, "go home and rest." Bobby sighed, then kissed Angel's forehead. "I love you, Angel," he said as he straightened up and walked out of the door.

Monday, August 21
Law Office of David Brewster, 11:35 p.m.

David Brewster sent another text message to Eden Anderson's cell phone as he set the security alarm. "Shit," he muttered to himself. He headed back to his office. Mack Lowell was sitting in one of the chairs opposite Brewster's desk, swirling some Jack Daniels in a 3 ounce shot glass. "She could be dead, you know," he said when Brewster plopped himself down into his chair behind his desk.

"Eden? Dead?" Brewster said, reaching for the bottle and pouring himself a drink. He snorted. "Not without taking Frank James' eyes out and balls off first." "Well, then either you accept that fact or accept the fact that she's keeping that damn jump drive for herself," Lowell growled before taking a sip of his drink. "Quit bitching, Mack! Damn! Have a fucking backbone for a change!" "I'm not bitching!" Lowell hissed. "I'm trying to get your stupid ass to realize that your crazy plan is totally screwed up!" Brewster shook an index finger at him and said, "If my plan is so crazy, then YOUR stupid ass should have walked away from it at the beginning!"

Lowell and Brewster had been so caught up in their own heated conversation that they both jumped when they heard someone say "Gentlemen" from the doorway. It was Frank Devlin. He was impeccably dressed in a custom tailored black suit with thin white stripes, white shirt, solid black tie and shoes, his dark sandy blonde hair was slicked back. Devlin's blue eyes seemed to be a bit more piercing than usual.

A sly, devilish smile crossed Devlin's lips as he walked into the room. "You two look like you've seen…a ghost," he said, stopping next to Lowell. "How in the hell did you get in here?" Brewster asked with awe. Devlin shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "You keep forgetting, Davey, I used to install security systems when I was younger." "Damn! Son of a bitch probably disabled my cameras and everything else," Brewster thought to himself. Devlin extended his hand to Lowell. "What's up, Big Mack Attack?" he said with a smile.

Lowell looked warily at Devlin before he shook his hand. "Frankie," he said tersely. While Devlin wasn't looking, Brewster had slowly moved his hand from the top of the desk to underneath it. He placed his finger on the trigger of the sawed off double barrel shotgun that was mounted there and pointed it at the Devil. "Why in the world do you have that cannon pointed at me?" Frank Devlin said as he turned his attention back to Brewster, whose eyes widen slightly in surprise.

Devlin took a step back and held up his hands. "Do I look like I'm dressed to kill?" he asked innocently. He snickered for a few seconds at his own private joke. "Sorry," he said between snickers, "I amuse myself sometimes." Brewster and Lowell exchanged brief glances. Frank took a deep cleansing breath to compose himself. "Davey, don't be rude," he said, "pour me a drink." Brewster sighed quietly as he took his finger off the trigger and turned around to reach for a glass.

"Mack, I've got some personal business to discuss with Davey," Devlin said. "Take a hike, will ya? Go and get ready for Sammy's arraignment on Wednesday." Lowell looked at Brewster, then at Devlin. He visibly relaxed as he nodded his head. "He must have his property back," he thought to himself as he finished his drink. "Otherwise, he'd have 2 of his guards with him and nobody would be walking out of here alive." Lowell stood up and put on his jacket. "See ya in the a.m., Davey," he said as he walked out of the room.

Devlin took the chair that Lowell had just vacated. He watched Brewster in complete silence as he poured him a drink then passed it to him. Devlin sniffed and swirled the drink before knocking the whole thing back. Brewster started to sweat profusely at Frankie Devil's mysterious smile and the soft thud he heard coming from the reception area. "Davey, you're sweating," Devlin said as he held up his glass, indicating he wanted some more. Brewster mindlessly obliged the request. "That's not a good look for you," Frankie Devil finished saying.

"What did you just do to Mack?" Brewster asked, afraid of the answer he was going to get. Devlin shook his head. "Not a damn thing. You're starting to get paranoid." He frowned slightly. "It kinda sucks that you don't trust me, Davey," he said before draining his glass. "It's not that I don't trust you, Frankie," Brewster said, "it's just that I know how you can get sometimes when you think you've been wronged. You flip out for no fucking reason. Besides, I'm the only one who can keep you out of jail. You need me."

Devlin raised an eyebrow at Brewster's newfound bravado. "You're right, Davey. I do need you," he said in agreement. He pointed with his head at the picture of Brewster and Eden. "I wondered who Eden was fucking when she went on that cruise this past May." Brewster smirked at Devlin, knowing he had taken yet another woman away from him. "What can I say, Frankie? I'm a chick magnet."

Devlin chuckled as he stood up. "You're funny, Davey. Very funny," he said as he walked around the desk and sat down next to the picture, placing it face down. Brewster looked up at him, trying to figure out what Frankie was up to. "Have you heard from Eden? Does she still have my shit or are you holding out on me?" Devlin asked. Brewster shook his head. "The answer is 'no' to all questions," he replied.

Devlin leaned forward to look into Brewster's eyes. He saw that he was actually telling the truth. Brewster turned his head towards the door as he heard someone approach. That someone was Vinnie. "Mr. Devlin," he said, "your lady friend called and said that she'll meet you at the restaurant." "Thank you, Vinnie," he said, standing up and pulling a knife out of his inner jacket pocket. He held Brewster tightly by the forehead as he quickly and effortlessly sliced his throat open.

The last thing David Brewster saw as he was dying was Frank Devlin smile menacingly down upon him with a knife in his hand. The last words Brewster heard uttered by the Devil were "Don't ever fuck with the Devil, Davey. It will cost you your soul and your life."

Tuesday, August 22
Law Office of David Brewster, 2:05 a.m.

"I sometimes wish people would get killed during regular business hours," Alex muttered humorlessly as she and Bobby ducked under the crime scene tape. After having dropped Janelle and Drew at their home (they had to wait a few minutes before a uniformed officer could be posted across the street) and dropping Bobby off at his apartment, Alex had headed home. She had barely been asleep for 45 minutes when her cell phone started ringing. It was Captain Ross informing her that officers had been called to David Brewster's office.

Dr. Rogers and two of her assistants had placed the body of Mack Lowell on the stretcher when the detectives walked up. "What can you tell us, Doc?" Alex asked. "Right now, all I can tell you is that this guy was shot in the chest 4 times," Dr. Rogers said as she pointed out the bullet holes. "There are no exit wounds, so I'd say he was shot at close range. Based on the liver temp, I'd place time of death around 11:30, midnight. He might have been killed before the other guy in there."

"Thanks, Doc," Alex said. Bobby followed her towards Brewster's office. "Detective Goren," Dr. Rogers said. He turned around as she walked up to him. "I heard about your Angel," she said quietly. She gave his arm a small reassuring squeeze before walking away. Bobby smiled to himself, thankful and surprised by Dr. Rogers' action and concern.

When Bobby entered the office, Alex had finished talking to the one of the CSU technicians. "CSU hasn't found the murder weapon," she said. Bobby nodded as he went to examine Brewster's body, gently lifting the head. "His throat's been sliced from ear to ear," he said, putting the head back down. Alex pointed at the bottle of Jack Daniels and 2 glasses. "Think Brewster and Lowell had a drink to celebrate all of this madness that's going on?" she asked.

Bobby frowned as he looked at the tray that held the glasses. "There's a glass missing from the tray. He probably took it with him," he said as he went to stand next to Alex. "Whoever killed them had a drink, too." "For what? To steady his nerves?" she asked. He shook his head. "Maybe it was a drink to be…be sociable."

As Bobby gazed at the scene before him, he noticed that the picture of Brewster and Eden was laying face down. "Eames, look at this," he said as he went behind the desk again to set the picture back up. Alex watched Bobby as he looked back and forth between the picture and Brewster's body. "What are you thinking?" she asked. "I…I think that the Devil has been here," he answered quietly. Alex's face lit up with understanding as she nodded her head. She said, "Guess David Brewster found out the hard way why you should never make a pact with the Devil."

Tuesday, August 22
Denim and Diamonds Gentlemen's Club, 3:39 p.m.

"Uncle Franco came by here about 2 weeks ago," Julie Reese said as she blew smoke from her grape flavored Swisher Sweet cigarillo. Bobby and Alex had found her standing outside of the club. "Did your uncle say why he was here?" Alex asked. Julie shook her head. "He didn't say, but I knew trouble was brewing when I saw Francisco walk in behind him. I told them both they had to get the hell outta here."

Bobby frowned slightly. "Why would you turn your uncle Franco down now when you've always helped him in the past?" he asked, giving her that trademark Goren stare. Julie chuckled at his attempt to intimidate her. "As crazy and stupid as it sounds, I love my Uncle Franco," she said. "I'd do anything I could for him. But if he's got Francisco with him, all bets are off. They are more dangerous together than apart." Alex was about to ask a question, but her phone rang. She excused herself to take the call, leaving her partner to continue the questioning.

"Do you know where they are now?" Bobby asked. Julie shook her head again. "The last time I saw Uncle Franco was 5 years ago," she said. "He and the dwarf both showed up at my house uninvited. I told them to get the hell out then, too. I moved a month after that visit." "Franco know where to find you?" "He knows to look for me here, but he doesn't know where I live. I have a P.O. box and my number's unlisted."

"Think real hard," Bobby said. "Can you think of any place they would go?" Julie thought for a few seconds. She said, "Mom told me once that Francisco's grandma left him a house in Long Island. I think her last name was the same as his, but she had a weird first name." Alex walked quickly back towards them. "Goren, let's go! We've got a situation!" Bobby told Julie thanks, then hurried off after Alex.

"Eames, what's the situation?" Bobby asked breathlessly, fastening his seatbelt. "The psycho Wonder Twins have shown up at DeMarco Anderson's home," she said as she flipped on the lights and siren, easing the SUV into oncoming traffic. "They're brandishing weapons and holding hostages." Bobby held onto the dashboard as Alex started increasing the SUV's speed.

"Are all the children here somebody's…future?" Angel asked. Garvin shook his head. "No, not all of them," he replied. "Some are here waiting to be born and some are here like you, waiting to go back." She looked at all of the children on the playground. "How do you tell the difference?" she asked. He chuckled, shaking his head again. "You just feel it." "Stop laughing at me, Garvin," Angel said with a playful pout. "I just asked a simple question."

Garvin slid closer to Angel, putting a arm around her shoulders. "Nothing is ever simple with you, Heartbreaker," he said with a smile. She rolled her eyes and smiled. She turned her attention back to her children, who had gotten off of the merry-go-round and had started playing on the see-saw and swings. "Do you regret our decision to wait to have kids?" she asked softly.

Garvin gave Angel a small squeeze. "No, I don't," he said. "Us having kids while we were still in school and being on the road with the band? That would have been too much chaos. We made a wise decision to wait until we were in our 30s." Angel looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "Don't you ever be sad, Heartbreaker," he said, pinching the end of her nose which caused her to chuckle. "We had a good life." Angel chuckled again. "Thanks," she said.

Angel turned her attention to the playground. She noticed that her daughter had her head leaned to the side, looking at her. She laughed, recognizing the Goren lean. "They all will have the Goren lean," Garvin said. Angel stifled a laugh with her hand and said, "Of course they will."

The little girl took off running towards Angel. She came to a sudden stop when she reached her mother, resting her small hands on Angel's knees. "You go bye-bye now, Mami?" she asked. Angel's eyes widen as she looked at Garvin. He nodded. "The littlest ones always know," he said. She looked back at her daughter and nodded slowly. She looked closely at her future child, trying to memorize her features.

"You've got your daddy's nose," Angel said to herself. The little girl looked puzzled as she touched her nose. "This my nose, not Papi's," she said. Garvin and Angel both chuckled. She looked up at Angel and said, "Te amo, Mami" before taking off to join her siblings on the swings. Garvin stood up and held his hand out to a stunned Angel. She finally stood up and took his hand, letting him lead her back to the shoreline.

Garvin gave Angel a big hug when they had reached the tree she had been sitting under. She looked around. "Am I leaving now? Right this minute?" she asked. "Soon," he said with a smile. He kissed her forehead and started walking away. Angel watched Garvin until she couldn't see him any more. Then she sat down under the tree, gazing at the clear water and waiting.

Tuesday, August 22
Home of the late DeMarco Anderson, 4:00 p.m.

There were police barricades and police officers holding back the group of spectators when Bobby and Alex arrived on the scene. Captain Ross came up to them when Alex shut off the SUV's engine. "Put these on and follow me," he barked, handing them each a bulletproof vest. "What's happened so far, Captain?" Bobby asked as he and Alex caught up with Ross at one of the squad cars. "Neighbors reported seeing Eric and Eden Anderson pull up in that blue Mitsubishi parked over there," Ross said, pointing. "As soon as they stepped out of the car, they started shooting.

"Do we know how many hostages are in there now?" Alex asked. Ross shook his head. "One of the neighbors, Mr. Hurston, said a lot of Anderson's family members have been going in and out of this place all day long loading stuff into their cars and a U-Haul truck. SWAT's on the way." The crowd let out a collective scream and all police officers ducked when 4 shots were heard being fired from inside of the house.

"Something's happening!" a female police officer shouted when the front door was flung open. All of the NYPD force took aim at the door, pointing their guns and getting ready to fire when the screen door was thrown open. "Oh, my God!" Ross gasped. "It's a little girl!" Alex and Bobby stared in horror as Celena Anderson ran onto the porch, looking wildly about. "Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" Ross yelled. "She's unarmed!"

Celena covered her head as a bullet whizzed by her. Bobby came from behind the squad car. "Celena! Run!" he screamed. She wasted no time in jumping off the porch and heading towards him. She threw herself into Bobby's arms as he met her half way. "I've got you, sweetie," he said calmly as he picked her up. He pulled his hand away from her shoulder, muttering "Oh, my God" at the sight of blood.

"She's been hit!" Bobby snapped when he reached the closest ambulance, setting her down on the stretcher. "They've got guns! They've got guns!" she said repeated hysterically. Bobby held her hand and stroked her hair, trying to calm her down while the paramedics worked around him. Alex walked up to Celena and squeezed her hand. "Celena, can you tell us who else is in the house besides Eric and Eden?" she asked. Celena took a deep breath behind the oxygen mask she was wearing. "Mama, Auntie Lynette, Granny and Pops," she said. "Granny and Pops?" Bobby said. "You mean Mary Frances and Albert?" She nodded, squeezing his hand tightly.

"Uncle Eric shot Pops in the leg and pushed Auntie Lynette down. She hit her head. Auntie Eden keeps shooting at Mama and arguing with her," Celena said through her tears. "Detectives, we gotta go now!" one of the paramedics snapped. Bobby quickly kissed her forehead and said, "Don't worry, Celena. We'll save everybody." She desperately grabbed at him and Alex as the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance.

Alex saw the hell bent look in Bobby's eyes when they went back to report to Ross. "What are you thinking about?" she asked. He just looked at her without saying a word. "Oh, shit!" she muttered. "The things you will go through with your partner," she thought to herself. "What did the little girl tell you?" Ross asked. Alex quickly repeated Celena's story while Bobby checked his weapon.

"Where do you two think you're going?!" Ross snapped when Alex and Bobby turned away from him and headed towards the house. As he was asking his question, Eden strolled out onto the porch, waving a .45 around. Bobby pointed with his head. "We're going to catch the Queen Bitch," he said. "SWAT will be here in 5 minutes! Wait for them!" the captain barked. Alex and Bobby looked at each other before turning to look at Ross.

Ross could see the determined look in his detectives' faces. He shook his head, knowing Bobby and Alex would defy him anyway. Reluctantly, he gave in. He shook an index finger at them, saying, "Don't think for one minute that this John Wayne stunt won't go into my report AND your records. Be careful." Alex and Bobby both nodded and took off for the back of the house.

Ross pulled out a bullhorn and stepped out from behind the squad car. "Ms. Anderson, I'm Captain Danny Ross, Major Case Squad. I'd like to have a word with you." "I don't have anything to say to you or any of you fucking bastards!" Eden said. "I had the situation under control until somebody went and snitched like a little bitch. Y'all just need to leave and get outta my face!" "Ms. Anderson, I'm afraid we can't do that. We just want a peaceful resolution to this situation." "Fuck that!" she said with a sneer. "I'm the Queen Bitch and I run things! I'm taking back what's rightfully mine!"

While Ross had Eden distracted, Alex and Bobby managed to sneak into the house through the kitchen. They both peeked around the corner. He saw Eric shakily point his gun at Sasha and Lynnette. They were both on the floor, Sasha cradling Lynnette's head in her lap. Mary Frances was tending to Albert, who was lying on the couch. She was applying pressure to his calf. "I can't believe you shot your own daddy," Sasha said in disgust.

Eric aimed the gun directly at her nose. "You shut the fuck up! I told you it was an accident! He ain't my daddy anyway." Lynnette looked at Eric as if he had lost his mind. "Uncle Albert raised us like we were his own kids. He even adopted us," she said. "You are such an ungrateful jackass!" Eric pointed the gun at Lynnette. "I could never stand you," he spat. "I should go ahead and put you out of your misery." "Go ahead and do it, Eric. My ghost will come back and kick your ass!" "Y'all quit fighting," Albert said weakly. "I can't stand to see family fight."

Bobby looked back at Alex. "His hands are shaky," he said. She nodded. "You aim high. I'll aim low," she said. Bobby nodded as he followed his partner. "Hello, Eric," Alex quietly said as she emerged from her hiding place. Eric swung around, fumbling with the gun. He was trying to take aim at her, but couldn't because Bobby had come out and put the muzzle of his gun into Eric's face. "Don't give me a reason, Eric," he said, "I've had a very bad day."

Alex took Eric's gun away from him as Bobby wrestled him to the ground. She pulled out her handcuffs and placed them on his wrists. "You got him?" Bobby asked. She nodded. Alex began looking the hostages over while Bobby went to the front door. He placed his back against the wall and peeked around. Captain Ross still had Eden's attention directed away from the house.

Bobby took a deep breath before he quietly opened the screen door and slipped out on the porch without making a sound. "Captain Ross, you and all of the NYPD force need to go fuck yourselves!" Eden yelled. "I'm done talking to you, you son of a bitch!" She turned on her heel to head back into the house, but she was surprised to see Bobby standing there, pointing his gun at her. "Oh, Eden, the feeling's mutual," he said as he took her gun away.

"Clear!" Bobby said as he stepped away from Eden. 2 police officers rushed up the stairs, wrestling her to the ground and handcuffing her. As they helped her to her feet, Eden spit at Bobby. "Go to hell!" she said. Bobby looked at her calmly, raised an eyebrow and said, "You first."