After the first time that Megan hadn't answered his phone, he felt his stomach drop and immediately called for backup. He drove into the semi-familiar area that she lived in and swerved the car into a vertical stop and got out; almost forgetting to tear the keys out of the ignition. He drew his gun, and rounded around the house, just in time to see Megan fleeing and Joe Carlos following after them.

Don got a new drive as he pressed his feet quietly into the ground and followed behind. After a few moments, realizing that he was catching up to them, Don gave a warning shot into some of the trees and Joe Carlos turned to him with a loaded gun, and flashed him a wicked smile. Don looked confident, steadying his breath. "The next one you won't be so lucky." His gun was already trained on him.

"Don Eppes." Joe answered smugly, his finger slowly moving towards the trigger.

Gripping his gun even tighter, Don extended his hand out so that his gun was trained to the man's heart. He had to stop his instinct to shoot him right then and there. For all the torment that he had caused: this man deserved to die. "Give me a reason not to shoot you."

In all his years at the FBI, Don hadn't seen a suspect to smug—so proud and not afraid to kill again. "Yes, very good. I see you've got your gun trained to my heart." Don said nothing, but shifted his stance slightly. Joe laughed proudly. "You didn't think I would come alone, did you?" If his intent was to get him to look away, even for a moment, Don instead trained himself to listen to the silence, eyes still fully boring into his.

They stood in silence for a moment before Don added."It's better that you put your gun down now."

Joe laughed again, giving a look of distaste upon hearing sirens growing closer. "I do have to give you credit for figuring it all out—but you can't expect me to give in that easily, now can you?

"I wasn't expecting that you would." Coyly, he kept his gun pointed at Joe. "I have all day."

The smugness returned. "You may have all day, Agent Eppes, but your agent and the girl don't—" He shrugged mockingly. "—sorry to say." Don could feel his anger rising, his fingers definitely ready to pull the trigger. It took every ounce of strength to not let one of the bullets in his gun hit Joe with a direct hit that would stop this man from breathing. Nobody, nobody threatens his team—ever! "Ah, now it's coming to you, isn't it? The man really wasn't joking when he said he wasn't alone. Can't you see that it's not you that I want?"

Don could now feel his blood was boiling, not to mention the way he said it, had the hair on the back of his neck standing up. But the heavy sound of sirens in front of the house, put satisfaction in all of this. Within seconds, agents had their guns trained on Joe Carlos. He was mentally counting how many officers had their guns trained on him. "Twelve against one. Now you know that's not fair."

"Yeah? Well neither is this." Don aimed him gun down and shot down at Joe Carlos leg. The man recoiled at the pain, dropping the gun in the process and falling to the ground. Smiling, Don picked up the gun and handed it to one of the agents, before whispering in his ear, "Now who's playing fair?" Gesturing for the agent cuffing him to take him away, Don sighed heavily, turning to another agent, named Joan Taylor. She called over her partner, Agent Tucker Morgan. Don informed them on what Joe Carlos had told him. "He's not acting alone." Then gestured the agents to follow as they made their ways as quietly as they could through the trees. Weapons trained to any movement.

As they were walking they heard some rustling, and saw that it was just a few birds that had made their nest in the trees—but as they were getting to a clearing they saw a man, headed sneaking towards the back of the house. Sandy blond hair, quite muscular and clearly there to get the job finished. Don issued for Taylor to check in the other direction while they took a direct hit. Don cocked his gun at his head a few moments. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." The man's hand was almost on the door, when his hands flew up over his head; a weapon similar to what Carlos had on him.

"Whoa." Agent Malone quickly took the gun and Don handcuffed him. " I wasn't going to do anything."

"Sure you weren't." Malone muttered, taking him away quickly. Don walked up the steps and motioned for Agent Taylor to keep eyes on the door, while he went in first. They were taken into a small washroom that broke off into to a bathroom. Checking it over, Taylor cleared it and they moved on into a hall. They went on to clear each room, and stopped when they got to the stairs.

"I'm fine, Sally." Megan stood up from her place on the couch a few moments later. The floor creaked and Megan cocked her gun over in their direction. Don and Agent Taylor rounded the corner and Megan put her gun down back by her side. "Don."

"You know him?" Sally inquired, looking quite startled. She was sitting protectively near Charlee, turning around the wet cloth and dipping it back in the bowl of water and wrung it out.

Megan introduced them to one other. "My boss, Don Eppes. Don, Sally Foster—my next door neighbor."

Her eyes flickered up to meet his. "It's nice to finally meet you. How'd you get in here?"

"Your back door was unlocked."

Looking slightly mortified, she shook her head. "I don't usually leave my doors unlocked."

Stepping in Megan filled him in. "Sally's husband just deployed to Afghanistan. How did you know that we were in here?"

"Carlos had someone else following you." Don offered, gesturing towards the couch." How's Charlee doing?"

Sally watched them quietly, knowing a little something about top secret work. "Megan, can you take over?" She asked, upon hearing a baby's cry on the monitor. Nodding, Megan sat down on the edge of the coffee table.

Putting the back of her hand against Charlee's forehead, she frowned. Reaching over for the thermometer, Megan inserted it into her ear. "Her temperature has started to go down, but she's developed another fever that pretty much had her pretty panicking on the way over here. Did I mention my neighbor was a nurse?"

Don gave her a relieved smile. "How are you doing?"

"You know, I'm not really sure anymore. Considering how this week has been." Megan offered tiredly, dipping the washcloth into the bowl and wrung it out again. Charlee groaned slightly when the coolness touched her skin.

"Yeah, I understand that one." Running his fingers through his hair, Don figured that he should fill her in, while they were alone. "Colby and David were checking over phone records again when I left, in order to connect Danny Carlos to the kidnapping of Charlee."

She exchanged a surprised glance with him before Charlee's eyes fluttered open. "Megan?" Then her eyes flickered over to Don's and she smiled wearily. The fever had clearly taken a toll on her. "Don?"

"Hey Charlee." Don greeted. "Megan told me that you haven't been feeling too good." He sat down on the edge of the couch and smiled down at her.

"I don't get it." Charlee furrowed her brow in confusion. Don opened his mouth, mirroring his own confusion.

"There were bad guys chasing after us." Charlee's eyes widened as she tried to sit up. "They're going to—"

Don shook his head, pushing her back down. "Whoa, slow down. No one is going to get you, ever again."

"Charlee" Megan soothed, "What Don is trying to say is that he caught the men that were responsible."

"Respons'ble?"

Megan pushed some stray hairs behind her face. "You're safe now." A smile broke through and Charlee wrapped her little arms tightly around her neck.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: One chapter left to write and then it's the end of this journey for now ;)