A/N: Heya guys, i meant to have this up earlier but RL didn't want to play along. so here you go, it's slightly shorter but i had to end it where it ends. Thanx to all the reviews, alerts and favs. you guys still rock

Also i only own the wish that the recognisable characters are mine but sadly they're not. baddies and Freddy are mine though. without further delay, enjoy...

By the time that Lindsay got back to the lab with Freddy in tow, she could see something wasn't right. Everybody looked tense and there wasn't anyone of the team in sight.

"This is weird. Where is everybody?" She shared a look with Freddy who looked really nervous and scared. Well she couldn't blame him.

Just as she rounded the corner to go the break room she heard a scream, some curses and a gasp, not one of them the same voice. Lindsay shot a panicked look at Freddy who just shook his head.

"They are at it again, Lind. They are hurting him again." Freddy had tears in his eyes when he saw the scene in the break room. What have I done? The only thought in his mind.

What he saw was a tall dark haired woman crying into a tall man's shoulder. There was an older man staring into the space just above the TV, a black guy was standing next to a blond man, the black man had his hands over his face while the blond was biting down on his closed fist. There was another man who just stood there crying openly. He had reddish hair with a beard. Lindsay walked in and walked straight to the blond and put her arms around his waist.

"Danny?" Is this what the guy looks like? What the hell?

"Lindsay, they, they….." Danny stammered. Lindsay took the phone from Danny and went to the farthest end of the room followed by Freddy. Nobody had said anything or acknowledged him. Whatever had been on the video had shocked them all into oblivion.

Lindsay took a deep breath and started the video.

"This is what you get for putting the phone down in my ear, Mr Messer! Let's see if your father enjoys your punishment." The video showed Mac tied to a chair with cables attached to a collar around his neck. Without warning Mac arched his back and his muscles contracted, the strain evident on the part of his face that's visible. The scream that came out of his mouth was almost inhuman, it made Lindsay flinch. Freddy put his arms around her shoulders, took the phone out of her hand pushed stop and pulled her into a hug.

"We have to go help him, Freddy."

"So let's go then freaky brain." The two cousins was completely oblivious to the looks of the people in the room behind them, Danny was even sporting an angry look. Don cleared his throat and the team stared in shock as the cousins turned around and faced them without letting go of each other. Lindsay caught the look on Danny's face and smiled through her tears.

"OK, this is awkward."

"You think?" Danny glared at Freddy, "who is this bozo?"

Lindsay looked at Danny, frustration showed in her face, 'Now is not the time.' She thought.

"This bozo, Messer, is my cousin. Freddy Monroe, meet my husband and the father of my daughter, Danny Messer. That is Don Flack, Jo Danville, Adam Ross, Sid Hammerback and Sheldon Hawkes. Guys this is the guy that is going to help us get Mac home where he belongs." Each of the team members nodded as their name was said and looked completely blown out of the water with Lindsay's last statement. Danny moved forward and shook Freddy's hand.

"Good to meet you. Sorry about earlier but I get kind of jealous." Freddy laughed

"Yeah, you should be. She was the cream of the crop back in Montana. But I will hopefully be able to tell you more about that a little later. Right now, I want to know if you are the guy Phillip wants."

The CSI's exchanged looks; looking puzzled except for Lindsay who knew the whole story.

"What?" Six voices asked in unison, which almost made Lindsay smile, almost. But in the circumstances that wouldn't be the best thing to do. She took a deep breath and explained as brief as possible.

"Phillip tricked Freddy here into working for him. He knows where Mac is also what has been done to him. He called me hoping that we would be able to help. Freddy didn't know that this case is personal; he just wants to help Mac. Now I know that you guys might not trust him and I don't expect you to but I trust him. Right now we have to get Mac back and we have to use all the help we can get." After her little speech she saw seven faces turned to her with mixed emotions but they all had one thing in common- determination.

"So what are we waiting for? Freddy tell us what we know so we can get this show on the road and bring our Mac home." Jo said rubbing her hands together in anticipation and looking more alive than what she had been two days ago. The rest of the team took her cue and started making plans. Don, Danny, Sheldon and Sid were questioning Freddy on location and condition of Mac. Adam, Jo and Lindsay started making plans too, but it had nothing to do with Mac's rescue…..

While the team was busy getting ready to get to rescue Mac, he was getting ready to give up. It just hurt too much. After the electrocution session he passed out and the goons threw water over him, hot water. He woke up (if you could call it that) to a world of burning and hurt. He couldn't even rub or hold on to whatever hurt, because he was tied to this damn chair so tightly he couldn't even move his wrists. So he was ready to just quit.

"Don't you even think about it Mac Taylor!" the sound of the voice made Mac stop breathing for a second. What the hell? I must be losing my mind, he thought.

"No you're not! I will not let you give up and let this bad breath mongrel win!" Mac laughed jip now I've lost it completely.

"Mac Taylor, it's bad enough that I have to get in your head to get your marine six in gear. Do not tempt me into slapping your brain to attention."

Mac smiled in his delirium, Claire would make any drill sergeant scared. 'What are you doing in my head, baby?'

"Don't patronize me, Mac. I am here to make sure that you get back to your family. Danny still needs you and so does the rest of your team."

'I can't do this anymore Claire. It's just too much.'

"No Mac! You can do this. I know you can, just a little while longer honey."

Just then something hit Mac in his stomach, making him groan. He felt his ribs snap under the pressure, suddenly he struggled to breath. He felt like he was drowning, his chest heavy.

'Claire?' even in his head his voice sounded small and weak, 'I can't'

"They're here baby, don't leave them now." He could almost feel her touching his face as he lost touch with the reality. The last thing he heard before a deeper darkness snatched him away was a voice that didn't have a face,

"Goodbye, Taylor."

When the team went through the door behind SWAT each held on to a hope born to them through experience. Working with Mac Taylor will give everyone that hope that everything will be alright. They moved in and after a very short gunfight they had three suspects in custody. Freddy ran passed all of them ignoring the glares he got from the suspects and moved straight to the room where Mac was in. Sheldon was right behind him fortunately.

Sheldon stopped dead in his tracks when he laid eyes on Mac. It was one thing to see the videos and photo's but real life drove the nail home. He needed help and fast. Sheldon instructed Freddy to cut the ropes at Mac's feet while he went for the ones around his wrists.

"Mac? Can you hear me?" Sheldon called while looking for a pulse- the one he found was weak and jumpy. "Mac?" he tried again.

"I don't think he can hear you. I tried talking to him but he didn't respond. Phillip spoke to him through that mike over there." Freddy said pointing to the thing lying in the corner.

"Crap. Okay, I can take this off because I don't know what's underneath. He struggling to breath I think," Sheldon was talking why he probed Mac's abdomen and felt the bones under his fingers give way, "a rib punctured his lung." He expertly inserted a chest tube instantly easing Mac's breathing. Next he looked at his fingers and found that at least six are broken, but he wasn't too sure. His right collarbone looks broken, the wounds on his back is bad and inflamed. Where the hell is those paramedics?" he shouted, Sheldon was getting angsty. Mac needed to get to a hospital and fast.

Another couple of minute's later two medics came running in carrying a backboard and their equipment. They started working and taking vitals. Calling numbers that didn't really mean anything to Freddy but apparently it wasn't good because Sheldon went white. Soon they had Mac on a stretcher and were running towards the ambulance followed by Sheldon.

"I'll meet you guys at the hospital" he shouted just before the doors closed and the bus took off sirens blaring.

"I think we need to start processing. Jo why don't you and Lindsay go to the hospital and then Adam and I will process the scene?"

Jo looked at Danny, "You sure?" Danny nodded, "where did they go? What hospital?"

"Trinity." Freddy spoke up for the first time.

"OK, Freddy. Let's go, Danny call if you need us."

"OK, will do. Please phone us if you hear anything?"

"Sure," and with a wave the three got into the car and drove to the hospital, where their patience would be tested in the waiting game.

Danny and Adam started processing with a grim determination. This guy will get caught, and soon.

SO? what you think? let me know pretty pls with cherries ontop?