Disclaimer: Still don't.

A/N: Here we go. The big chapter...

From where he stood at the end of the corridor, standing directly opposite of Brody's hospital room and Aaron Shanks, Pride watched as Brody hit the door frame and fell to the ground. She didn't move for a moment and he felt his heart pound against his ribcage. Finally she started to push herself up though. Her movements were slow, sluggish, and she was obviously having a hard time getting the energy to hold herself up, let alone to stay conscious. There was a blood stain on the front of her hospital gown, the circle of red spreading from what was probably torn stitches, and the IV in her arm looked as if it'd been forcibly yanked out.

Pride then turned his full attention back to Aaron Shanks. There was a look in Shanks' eyes that Pride had seen more times than he cared to remember. It was the look of someone cornered, someone on the edge and not all together sane, but also someone who knew what he was about to do and was ready for it.

"I said back off," Shanks exclaimed, as an even more prominent look of determination appeared on his face.

"Put the gun down," LaSalle instructed from beside him.

Pride's gaze traveled down to Shank's chest. He was wearing a long sleeved button-up shirt, a black undershirt just barely visible around the neck, and there seemed to be something underneath it that didn't have quite the normal outline. "Chris," he said softly.

LaSalle followed his stare and tensed.

"Take it easy, Aaron," King said calmly.

A bitter smile flashed across Shank's face before anger took its place again. With one fluid movement he tore open the button-up shirt, revealing what Pride had suspected. A bomb. It was strapped to his chest and had the obvious makings of being homemade, but yet with a touch of someone who knew what they were doing to some extent at least. In his hand was the detonator, connected to the bomb, and in the other he still held the gun.

"This wasn't how I was going to do this," Shanks said ruefully. "I was just going to make it me and Agent Brody."

LaSalle shifted as if to get a better shot. "You don't have to do this at all."

Shanks noticed the movement and held the detonator a little more firmly, his thumb hovering over the red button on top. "Put your guns down." He pointed the gun to his side where Brody was using the doorframe to pull herself up into a sitting position.

In his current position Shanks could shoot Brody or detonate the bomb or do both. Either way Brody would be dead and most likely many others would be as well. There weren't many options available. Pride glanced sideways at LaSalle and gave the other agent a nod. Together they slowly placed their guns on the floor.

"Now back away slowly," Shanks ordered.

Pride shifted backwards to make Shanks feel more at ease, but didn't move any further away. "Agent Brody isn't the reason your brother is dead."

"She could have stopped the Petty Officer with the IED. She had the chance!" Shanks glanced down at Brody with a venomous look. When he realized she was starting to stand up he used the butt of his gun to hit her temple, knocking her back down to the ground.

Pride tensed further as he watched Merri hit the floor. She didn't get up again, didn't even move, and it took all his years of control not to grab his gun and rush to her. From beside him he heard Christopher mutter a barely audible curse under his breath.

"I read the file," Shanks continued, pulling Pride's attention from Brody. "I know what she didn't do."

"You didn't read all of the reports," Pride stated, keeping his tone even in an attempt to calm him. "Otherwise you'd know what she did do." Shanks looked confused for a moment and he took the opportunity to keep going. "After the explosion she was one of the first responders. She ran into the blast zone even while there was still sparks and falling debris. She tried to help the officers and when she reached your brother..." He paused for a moment to make sure it would sink in. As he did so he caught movement from behind Shanks. A quick, subtle glance and he saw Brody. She was slowly crawling towards the police officer and, Pride noted, the officer's gun. He met Shanks' eyes again and continued with the explanation, hoping it'd be enough to distract him. "She stayed by his side, applying pressure to his wounds in an attempt to help him. She didn't move from his side until medics got there." He took a small step forward. "She tried to save him."

The story seemed to make Shanks hesitate. A distant looked appeared in his eyes and his face contorted with a myriad of emotions. Pride noticed the hand holding the detonator shake slightly as his knuckles turned white from the amount of pressure he was using to hold it. A few seconds later though and all the anger, all the pain over his brother's death, returned full force. Pride knew what it meant. There was no way Shanks would be talked down.

"But she failed," Shanks deadpanned. "And it cost my brother his life."

"And now you're going to cost the loved ones of other families the same price," LaSalle stated.

A rueful, bitter cross between a smile and a scowl crossed Shanks' face. "I won't be alive to regret it though." His thumb moved closer to the button on the detonator...

"Shanks!"

All eyes turned to where Brody was sitting against the door of the hospital room, the police officer's gun aimed directly at Shanks.

Brody POV:

Pain, a sharp stabbing pain, was spreading from her side and engulfing every muscle and every limb. Merri's head throbbed as if someone was beating the inside of her skull with an anvil and it was taking all her will-power to focus her thoughts enough to make her limbs move.

Slowly, careful not to draw Shanks' attention, Brody inched her way across the floor towards the dead police officer. His gun was still laying in his limp hand and if she could just reach the weapon they might have a chance of getting out of this alive. It was worth a try at least.

In the distance, almost as if through a fog, she heard King talking. She tried to ignore it and push what he was saying, and the memories it brought back, to the back of her mind. This was no time for distraction. No time for hesitation. No time for weakness.

No time for mistakes.

Finally she was close enough to reach for the weapon. With a quick look over at Shanks to ensure he hadn't noticed her moving, she reached out for the gun. As soon as her fingers grazed the grip Merri wrapped them around the gun and pushed herself up. Her head pounded even more and her vision blurred again as she slid up against the door for support.

She knew what it was like to lose a sibling. Knew how it felt to want revenge against the person responsible. This was an extreme most people wouldn't go to though. There were innocent lives on the line, people who didn't even understand why they were about to die. They didn't deserve this. Her gaze flickered to Pride and LaSalle. None of them deserved this.

"Shanks," Merri called, her grip tightening on the gun.

When Shanks turned his eyes widened and she was reminded of the similar, frightened eyes of a dying officer. At the same time his thumb began to push the detonator switch.

She didn't hesitate.

She pulled the trigger and took the shot.