A/N: Hey everyone! I know, it's been two months... But look! A shiny new update for you!

This is how the last chapter was supposed to end, but I got sidetracked... And even now, this wasn't how I planned to end THIS chapter. Funny how things end up...

SHOUT OUT: I want to wish a very happy birthday to Empyrean Skies! I'm sorry I couldn't get this up earlier today, but I've been super busy! I hope you like my "present" to you! Also, your recent reviews have really kept me motivated to keep writing, even if it's just a little each day. So, you deserve a HUGE thank you! Plus, since it's your birthday, I'll even throw in a cyber pineapple :)

ENJOY!

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"Chief!" Lassiter yelled, already pulling Clarke's car door open. He heard the slap of her shoes on the pavement and felt the weight of his companions' stares as he hauled Clarke out of his car. Seeing the bastard's smirk, his earlier fear vanished, may or may not have caused Lassiter to force Clarke to "accidentally" hit his head on the roof of the car. Hearing the other man's yelp of pain and surprise brought a slight smile to his face.

"Detective?" Vick questioned, allowing a bit of hope to leak into her voice. Her suspicion was about to be confirmed, she knew -no- she could feel it.

"Meet Trenton Clarke," Lassiter began, grabbing said man by the back of his shirt and shoving him against the car. "Mr. Clarke here is our suspect's husband." He pulled Clarke's arms behind him, receiving a grunt in response to his roughness, and proceeded to cuff them.

Vick's eyes widened for a moment before she her cool, professional mask made her face impassive. "Arrest him," she ordered, her tone frosty.

"On what charges?" Clarke asked incredulously. His face still forcibly pressed into his car.

"Being an accomplice to a kidnapping and attempted murder," she answered, sure of the Clarkes' and Carmichael's intent.

"What?" Clarke looked surprised, but Vick and Lassiter both knew there was smug satisfaction behind that bewildered facade. Both cops ignored his questions, and began to lead him back to Lassiter's car before realizing that they had been in the middle of a rescue. That, and O'Hara and Guster were still occupying his vehicle; neither knew what was happening.

Lassiter covered his momentary lapse in memory and called for Juliet, who was halfway out of his Crown Vic anyway. "O'Hara!"

She rushed over to meet them, leaving Gus in the car alone, something Lassiter was definitely uncomfortable with. "Carlton," she paused, looking at Clarke in confusion, "what's going on?"

Lassiter jumped right in, "This is Trenton Clarke. I need you to take him back to the station and begin interrogation immediately." When he saw she was about to argue, he cut her off before she could begin, "Take my car, and just do it." It hurt for him to give her control of his car, but he knew that he had to make it to their destination; because if what they found there was bad, he knew he couldn't let her see it.

She glared at him even as she grabbed their new suspect's arm. The fury in her blue eyes was enough to make him cringe mentally. He had taught her well, and he knew that if looks could kill, he would be a smoldering pile of ash right then.

"Lassiter," the Chief called, and he noticed that she had turned away and started for her car. "Let's go." He nodded, and followed her lead. He would be content to take the backseat, literally. Henry was, after all, still driving Vick's car.

The elder Spencer didn't waste a moment after the Head Detective had gotten in. Almost as soon as his rear end hit the seat, the former cop was going around the scene of the accident at a speed that Lassiter thought surely wasn't legal. But at that moment, Lassiter couldn't bring himself to care.

There was one thing that was bugging him though, and he decided to voice it, "What about the other vehicle? The van?"

"While you were directing O'Hara on what to do, I told some officers that were following us to stay behind and take charge of the accident," she answered, and Lassiter nodded in agreement. He had no doubt that he would have done the same thing.

OOOOOOoooooOOOOOO

It took less than ten minutes for the group to finally reach their desired destination. And when they got there, they felt no sense of relief. None whatsoever. The tension didn't dissipate; it just went up. It was nearly palpable by the time Lassiter and Vick made it up the front walk; Henry had been ordered by Vick to stay behind, though she wasn't sure if he'd obey. She figured he wouldn't, and she had no idea how she felt about that.

As they slowly crept toward the front door, both cops drew their guns simultaneously. They understood whom they were dealing with, and refused to be caught off guard. They had to be ready; this could be their last chance to get it right.

Vick watched as Lassiter stepped ahead of her and moved to the right side of the door while she moved to the left. He reached out and pounded on the door three times, shouting, "SBPD! Open up!" When they received no response, the two shared a glance, and, after Vick's nod of approval, Lassiter kicked the door open.

They rushed in, guns held aloft and steady. They were ready for whatever might pop out at them. Moving down the hall, they didn't notice anything even remotely out of the ordinary, save for the lack of any evidence suggesting that someone might live there. So far, it seemed as if the house was totally unoccupied.

Finally, the hall brought them to a single door. They thought this was odd, but didn't have time to think about it any further. Lassiter grasped the knob and turned it, and the two of them moved in quickly.

It was dark inside the room, too dark. Vick was about to tell Lassiter to turn on the mini flashlight she knew he carried when the lights suddenly flickered on. Either Lassiter had found the light switch, or a motion sensor triggered them.

When Vick's eyes had adjusted to the sudden change in lighting and she was finally been able to see the room in which she stood, she nearly dropped her gun in shock. Her eyes widened in horror at what she saw around her.

"Sweet Lady Justice..." Lassiter breathed, holding his gun at his side as he took it all in.

Vick closed her eyes briefly, already needing a respite from what she was seeing. "Call CSU," she told Lassiter, "and tell them..." Vick trailed off, taking a deep breath. "Tell them to hurry."

OOOOOOoooooOOOOOO

So, I know it's probably not what you were expecting... but it's what the muse wanted. And what the muse wants, the muse gets... It is a very demanding creature, ya know.

Please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter/the whole story, and let me know if you have any suggestions or things you'd like to see happen.

Also, if you guys have an idea that you'd really like to see me write, please tell me about it! If I think I can do a good job, I will definitely give it my best shot :)

The next chapter will hopefully be up before another two months go by :)