Mac pulled Jo into one of the labs and ducked behind a turned over tabled. His heart was pounding so loudly he could hardly think. Jo on the other hand, seemed determined to get herself killed.

Jo struggled away from Mac and sprinted closer to the balcony, trying to get a better view of the shooter. It was her only focus as the moment, and the world seemed to have melted away. Everything in her wanted to know why this man was killing her friends and coworkers to find her.

But as she peeked around a corner, she realized she was too close and they made eye contact.

"Shit."

Ellie sat there, her head swimming with nausea and fear. She just wanted to go home. Have her Mom tuck her into bed and kiss her forehead. Her and her mother safe in their apartment. A tickle in her throat made a coughing fit erupt from her throat.

She clasped both hands over her mouth but it wasn't enough to muffle the echoes. She heard footsteps stop in front of her mother's office. Before she knew it she was being yanked up by the hair.

Jo felt chills run up her spine when she recognized the icy eyes. Peter Curry, the man who she had put away back in her rookie days as an FBI field agent. He was a sex trafficker who never thought twice before killing. Life was a game and he enjoyed ending other people's early.

He looked cruelly into her eyes as she watched him. "I bet you're wondering how I got here," he said moving across the balcony, past two men who were obviously his followers to the stairs. He moved down the steps and closer to Jo. She wished could run and hide, but there were at least three of them and she had no idea where Mac was.

"It's amazing the deals you are given when you have information not only on other American criminals but also other countries as well," he smirked.

Mac watched in horror as the bastard moved closer to Jo. But everyone stopped and stared in shock as a large man marched into the center of the room dragging a crying Ellie. Jo jumped up, Mac pounced forward after her and locked his arms around her waist. Jo was already in a panic but it would have been more severe if Curry didn't seem as surprised as she was.

Mac held her tight, willing her to calm down. If they showed fear, Curry would use it. He needed her to calm down and get her head on straight.

Curry broke his attention away from Jo and watched as the man threw Ellie to the floor. Both mother and daughter let out a cry in fear and pain.

"What's a kid doing in a crime lab?" Curry asked abandoning his path to Jo. She struggled desperately against Mac and he shushed her gently.

"Ellie!" Jo called out, much to Mac displeasure.

Curry shot a look back at Jo then back to Ellie. "Ellie huh?" He took a cat like step toward Jo and Mac. With a humorous grin he examined the three of them. "And you must be the famous Mac. I heard you adopted black girl. I just thought it was a little too Hollywood for you."

Mac did everything he could to Jo from getting herself killed but he couldn't help but admit, he wanted to kill the bastard for saying it too. His grip wasn't enough anymore as Jo flew from his arms and protectively placed herself between Curry, the other man, and Ellie.

Without any hesitation, Mac jumped in behind her, scooping Ellie up off the ground and wishing he could do the same for Jo. He wanted them out of there, not standing nose to nose with murderers. Without warning Jo whipped out her gun and shoved it in Curry's face.

Her finger itched desperately on the trigger, wanting to end the man right then. Mac held Ellie against him also pulling his gun pointing it at one of the three men surrounding them now. Had Jo completely lost her mind?

"Tell me what you want. Just let us go. I'll do whatever you want, just let us leave," Jo's voice was cruel and harsh and even raise the hair on Mac's neck, but the man standing before them just laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving. I just thought I'd let you know-" Curry turned his back on her making her raise her gun a tad bit higher ready to take her stand and shoot if she had to. But he didn't just turn around and walk away. Instead he whipped around landing the butt of his gun into the side of Jo's head making Mac pull Ellie closer against him as she screamed. Mac gun was now pointing directly at the bastard's chest ready to unload his entire clip.

He must have completely forgotten about the three men behind him, but had a sudden reminder when something slammed into the back of his sending both he and Ellie to the ground beside Jo.

His gun was kicked away from him as the men stood over the three of them.

"I'm back, sweetheart," Curry hissed leaning down into Jo's ear, "and you're my bitch now."

One of the men pulled out rope from a bag he was carrying and grabbed Ellie first. She cried and struggled which only earned her a hard fist in the stomach. Her body crumbled and refused to fight any longer.

When Jo didn't fight for Ellie, Mac realized the blow to her head must have been harder than he realized. As they he shift closer to Ellie could see the blood pooling beneath her into her raven hair. Immediately he lunged for her, only to be halted by two hands on either of his arms.

Mac's head was spinning as the two large men grabbed him. All his thoughts were focused on poor Ellie who was crying, her knees pulled into her chest and her face so pale he wasn't sure if she was going to faint, and Jo who just laid on the floor creating a small puddle of blood underneath her head. Again his feet attempted to propel him forward to protect the girl, but he was thrown to the ground with such force his breath escaped his chest.

Yet, Mac refused to give up until another blow to the head came sending his vision black. All he could do was lay there as the men continued wrapping rope around his wrist and feet.

As the guys tightened the rope on Mac's wrist and moved to Jo, the leader stopped him.

"Leave her. I don't want them dead yet," he replied before turning around and heading for the stairs.

Another man appeared from the hallway of the lab. "Everything's set."

Curry nodded. "Let's go."

Mac blinked desperately trying to regain his sight. He could hear Ellie quietly sobbing and whispering for her mother, but he could do nothing. Slowly his sight returned and he forced his body into sitting position.

As the men followed out the staircase door, the last man stopped and turned and looked back at Mac. An evil grin spread across his face and he held up something back couldn't quite make out.

Explosions came from undetectable locations. Glass shattered, flames roared. Mac did his best to cover Ellie and Jo but there was only so much he could do with his hands and feet bound. Shards of glass pricked his skin.

All he could do was ignore the glass digging into his hands as he rolled to Jo.

"Come on Jo! Get up!" Mac demanded as Ellie watched helplessly. Nausea was rolling over her again and she did her best to resist the urge to throw up. Slowly she moved to her mother.

"Mom! Please get up! Momma please!"

Something in Ellie's voice alarmed Mac. For the first time since he had known the two he never realized that if one was fragile, so was the other. His mind trigger back to the time on the subway, how could he have not seen it then? Jo was frantic, yet calm and strong. Just like Ellie.

Jo stirred, her hands immediately grabbing for her head.

"Ouch," she muttered with the slightest sign of humor in her voice not completely aware of what was happening. She blinked away stars only to find herself staring into the desperate eyes of Ellie and Mac.

Reality hit her so fast, her next breath caught in her throat. "Shit."

Flames were coming out of the lab as well as Jo and Mac's offices, glass was everywhere. She was trying to think clearly but the situation mixed with the blood spilling from her head was keeping her from doing so.

"Jo," Mac said fighting for a calm tone, but when he got no reaction from her he tried again with a bit more force. "Jo!" Her head snapped back to him, questions and fear burning in her eyes. "Jo, everything's going to be alright. There's a pocket knife in my pocket. Get it out and cut us free."

All she could do was nod and obey. Her hands were shaking so severely she had difficulty cutting the rope off Mac's hands. The room became fuzzy by the time she was able to cut all the way through. Everything was spinning.

Desprately she shoved the knife into Mac's hands and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Mom?" Ellie cried as her mother wrapped her arms around her own body and began taking hard breaths.

"I'm okay. Mac, you're going to have to do it," Jo commanded. Fear was no longer pulsing through her body. Though her head was still pounding, the initial shock had worn off. Her FBI/CSI/Detective self was back and she was ready to take control of the situation.

Mac quickly cut the rest of his restraints and moved to Ellie. Both of them jumped up ready to break for the stairs. Jo on the other hand wasn't so sure about her movement. She got to her feet as quickly as she could and chased after them. Stars danced in her vision and it became harder for her to keep up.

Jo's hands braced herself on the railing as she tried to continue, yet her body refused. "Mac…" she barely cried before her body went limp and tumbled down the rest of the steps to a platform.

"Jo!" He and Ellie both stopped and bolted back toward her. Mac scooped Jo into his arms. "Ellie run ahead! We'll catch up!" Mac demanded as the smoke became thicker.

Ellie wanted to argue but saw it only as wasting time. Grudgingly she nodded and continued her dash down the steps.

Mac kept running, ignoring the pain in his own head or how much harder it was getting to breathe. The emergency exit came into view and he dashed after it.

A voice caught him off guard as he made it to the lower level platform.

"I didn't say you could play my game too."

Something hard hit his left knee sending him to the ground with Jo still in his arms. He rolled on his back, and jumped up to see Curry standing there, obviously waiting for him. Immediately he reached for his side arm only to be met by his on duty weapon to be pointed at him by a heartless killer.

"What game are we playing?" Mac asked cooly, feeling the pain in his knee start to explode through his leg.

"The game for Jo's heart and mind."

Before anything else could be said two gun shots rang through the air.