Chapter 15.

The following day Cate was sat up on top of her hospital bed dressed in her sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt with a Star Wars print on it that Julie had brought in for her from Cate's home rather than wearing the hospital gowns provided. The doctor had allowed Cate to begin moving around slowly and not very far. She could go from her bed to the private bathroom she had in her room and that was enough for now, for everywhere else Cate had to be pushed in a wheelchair which she hated.

'You ready?' Julie asked pushing the foot rests down on the wheelchair. Cate looked at the wheelchair with disgust. 'Don't look like that Cate you don't have a choice, get in.' Julie smiled enjoying this part.

'You get far too much pleasure out of my pain Rogers.' Cate said as she slowly got down from the bed then over and into the chair.

'I enjoy it while I can, you'll be up and about like your old self in no time.' Julie smiled as she began to wheel Cate out of her room towards Kris's.

'The sooner the better.' Cate grumbled.

'It's only your second day here, just one more and the doctor said you can go home. Quit your whining.' Julie said tapping Cate on the head as she did.

'Have you spoken to Kris today?' Cate asked feeling out for the mood Kris was in.

'A little, she's still mad as hell and getting fed up herself of being here.'

'When is she being released?'

'The doctors want her here for the rest of this week, they'll see how her progress is after that.'

'She'll be out in a week.' Cate laughed.

'More than likely, Jill went into see her today.' Julie said slowing down their pace a little so she could tell Cate everything before they reached Kris's room.

'How did that go?'

'Not great. Jill tried to make peace and explain but Kris would have none of it and threw her out again.' Cate sighed propping her head on her hand this was going to be a little harder to solve than she imagined.

'Has Charlie spoken with her yet, Kris I mean?'

'Not that I'm aware of but then who knows if she would take the call right now.' Julie sighed as they reached Kris's room door.

'Well time we found out.' Cate smiled. As they entered into the room they found Kris sat up in bed reading Cosmopolitan magazine the rest of the team had left all ready, knowing to leave Kris alone with just Cate and Julie to hopefully talk Kris round and calm her down.

'Keeping up with the latest do's and don'ts of fashions then I see.' Cate said as she got out of the wheelchair and into the more comfortable chair next to Kris's bed, Julie sat on the foot of the bed giving Kris a big warm smile as she sat down.

'I was wondering when you were going to get here.' Kris smiled still looking in her magazine. 'So, you've come to try and calm me down make me see sense?' Kris said flipping through the pages.

'Nope.' Cate simply answered.

'You're not?' Kris asked looking to Julie, who continued to smile at her, then Cate.

'Julie said you had the better fruit basket of the two of us and my room was getting boring so we came here to eat your food and hang out for a while.' Cate smiled as she went through the large basket of fruit on the bed side cabinet.

'Well help yourselves then.' Kris laughed in confusion shaking her head a little. Cate took the grapes throwing some over to Julie as well, after a few moments of general chit chat Cate cleared her throat and began to get down to the serious talk.

'You need to forgive your sister and Kelly.' Cate bluntly said.

'I knew it! I knew that's why you were here. They won't listen so they send you two in here instead to make peace.'

'Kris, that's not how it was.' Julie began to defend.

'Of any of us Julie I thought you'd be just as angry, shouting down the walls.' Kris said.

'And I am Kris, don't think that I'm not but...'

'But what?' Kris demanded.

'But it's time we moved on from this, we still have a lot to do and we have to do it as a team. If we continue on as we are bickering and yelling at each other then we fall directly into Diane's hands. This is what she wants, a great divide between us making us weaker and we are weaker right now Kris.' Cate said.

'Don't you think I know that Cate, I do but look at us you and me especially.'

'What happened to us isn't our sister's fault.'

'Not directly maybe.'

'Not at all.' Julie defended Jill and Kelly in their absence. 'Come on Kris, you know better.' Julie pleaded.

'Kris, we need to settle this. I know you're angry with Jill and Kelly we are too but...'

'But what Cate, and you knew! You knew what was going on and you never said anything to any of us. You watched us mourn Kelly at her grave site and you said nothing.'

'I couldn't Kris and you know that.' Cate frowned at Kris.

'You could have told me.' Kris stated. The room fell silent again as the three Angels thought over what was being said in the room. Cate stood up and walked around the room stopping and standing at the window looking out over the hospital grounds. Placing her hand to her ribs she leaned against the wall looking back into the room at her friends.

'I really wanted to Kris so many times and believe me it would have made things a lot easier for me with everything that went on.' Cate paused for a moment before speaking again. 'Do you know what went through my mind every time I saw Kelly's grave?' Cate asked rhetorically, holding out her hand Cate held out her thumb and index finger showing the space between them. 'I came this close, this close to losing her and it scared the hell out of me, it scared me in a way I've never felt fear before. I've known Kelly for what, four years now and I can't imagine living without her. I hated feeling that way, that made me angry. I wasn't really angry with Kelly or Jill, I was angry with the situation we were put into and I took it out on them. I can't do that anymore, I'm too tired to keep fighting. I need Kelly more than anyone else more than I ever realised and I can't ever let her go.' Cate began to walk back towards Kris. 'You're the same Kris, with Jill, I know you are. I know you're mad at her and Kelly for their secrecy but it's not really them you're mad at, they're just here now and convenient to yell at and throw out of a room.' Kris looked down to her hands listening she raised her head looking to Julie and Cate.

'They scared the hell out of me and I can be mad at Jill, I needed her and she left me, left all of us.' Kris said her eyes glistening. Julie moved closer to Kris sitting beside her putting her arm around her friend.

'Kris we each have a reason to be angry but Cate's right we have to let that go and move on. I've spoken with Jill, listened to her. Not being with you and talking to you Kris that alone is killing Jill. She knows how much she's hurt you and disappointed you but she's so fearful of losing you. As soon as you were brought here she pulled right out from Roth and came here to be by your side and she didn't leave it.' Julie explained while holding Kris.

'It was Jill's name you called before you passed out Kris after you were shot.' Cate said propping herself on the foot of Kris's bed.

'And it was Jill again you called for when you woke up.' Julie continued. Kris looked at the two Angels again and laughed, Julie looked to Cate baffled. 'What's so funny?' Julie asked.

'You two.' Kris answered stopping herself from laughing too hard as it hurt to do so. 'You two have spent far too much time together.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Julie asked a confused smirk across her face.

'You've turned into quite the tag team, the bad guys had best watch out.' Kris smiled leaning into Julie resting her head into Julie's shoulder.

'Well just wait until all three of us are out there, the bad guys won't know what hit 'em.' Cate smiled her best devilish smile. All three Angels smiled and began to laugh both Cate and Kris had to stop when it began to hurt making Julie laugh a little more at their expense.

'So, will you please talk to our sisters, make a little peace?' Cate asked as they all quietened down a little.

'You've made peace with Kelly?' Kris asked Cate raising an eyebrow.

'Pretty much. Kris I'm just pleased she's alive and that we're all able to still be here but if Diane Matisse has her way by ripping us all apart we won't be.'

'Where are our sisters?' Kris asked sighing knowing full well that Cate and Julie were right and Kris knew it was time to forgive and move on deep down she knew she needed Jill and Kelly, pushing them away was hurting her as much as them. Looking at her watch Julie looked to Cate with a smile.

'They should be out in the waiting room by now.' Cate stood up again and turned towards the door.

'If you're willing I'll go and get them.'

'I never really had a choice in this did I?' Kris asked as Cate had her hand on the door handle.

'Not really, you may be stubborn short stack but I'm a lot more stubborn than you are.' Cate smiled back to Kris as she went out of the room.

'Should she be going out there without being in the chair?' Kris asked Julie nodding towards the wheelchair.

'Do you want to try and force Cate into it?' Julie asked looking down to Kris who still had her head on Julie's shoulder.

'Good point.' Kris smiled.

Cate leaned against the wall watching Jill and Kelly. Kelly was sat on one of the seats waiting whilst Jill paced up and down impatiently one hand on her hip the other pushing her hair back out of her eyes. Putting them out of their misery Cate smiled and called out to them.

'Hey you two, come on in here before Jill wears a hole in the floor.' Jill threw Cate a look that she was not impressed with Cate's teasing but rushed over with Kelly not far behind her.

'She really wants to see me, us, talk to us.' Jill urgently asked.

'She does, Julie's with her go on ahead I'll catch up.' Cate said smiling at Jill whose relief was evident in her face as she turned and hurried towards Kris's room. Kelly walked to Cate's side slipping an arm tenderly around her waist supporting her.

'Should you be up and about like this?' Kelly asked as they walked down after Jill.

'Don't start.' Cate smirked.

'You managed to talk Kris round then.' Kelly said while Cate leaned into her.

'I did with Julie's help.'

'Quite the team you two and with Kris on side well the bad guys had better watch out.' Cate began to chuckle as they continued walking and entering into the room.

'So,' Julie began after nearly two hours of further conversation and tears shared by all in the room. 'Where do we go from here?' Kelly looked to Jill who looked to Kris who looked to Cate who was about to answer just as Bosley and Tiffany came into the room, looking to them Cate answered.

'We find Diane and stop her.'

'That will be harder than we hoped.' Tiffany said placing her purse down on the table to the side of the room.

'No leads at all?' Jill asked surprised.

'None.' Tiffany answered frustrated flopping down into the couch.

'What about Roth?' Kelly asked.

'That's why we're late.' Bosley began to explain. 'Roth was killed in his cell last night.' The room fell silent.

'Damien's dead?' Jill repeated shocked by the news.

'How?' Cate asked.

'A fight broke out in his holding cell, one of them pulled a blade and stabbed him, cutting a main artery, and Roth bled to death.' Bosley explained.

'Has the guy who stabbed him said anything?' Julie asked shocked like the rest of the team.

'Nothing, he was all ready in the cells for murder obviously he didn't mind committing another.' Tiffany explained picking up from where Bosley left off.

'Diane.' Kris concluded to which everyone agreed.

'But why kill Roth, did he really have any useful information that would have helped us or the police?' Julie asked standing up walking across to the couch where Tiffany sat.

'Unfortunately Julie now we'll never know.' Tiffany said leaning forward resting her arms on her knees.

'She's tying up loose ends, Roth being one of them. What about her brother Stewie, Cate?' Bosley asked looking to Cate from where he stood leaning against the wall.

'You've been in contact with Stewie?' Kris turned to Cate annoyed and surprised by this new piece of information.

'Not now Kris.' Cate winced as she moved forward in her chair by the side of Kris's bed. 'I don't think she'd kill Stewie at least not yet.'

'Why did you go to him in the first place?' Kris asked.

'To get some information.' Cate explained not telling Kris any more that that.

'Well where do we look now?' Kelly asked the room.

'Check in with those detectives from LAPD see if they have anything to share with us.' Bosley reasoned.

'Best place to start for now. I don't want us doing anything else more than that until Kris and Cate are back to full fitness.' Kelly said taking the lead.

'That could take a few weeks Kel, we might not have that kind of luxury with time.' Cate said looking to Kris and back to Kelly again.

'Then we stay close to home and off cases for a while.' Tiffany said. The room agreed in solemn tones.

Cate was right it did take a few more weeks until the doctor signed both her and Kris off to be able to go back to work in full capacity. During the weeks waiting the entire team worked the paper trail trying to find new leads on Diane and where she might be. Everything turned out to be a dead end, a phony company here and dead body there, Diane was cleaning up and doing a very good job of it. The first day back on the job the entire team had got the message from Charlie to be in the office at 10am for a briefing with new information he had gathered. Cate had collected Kelly on her way in, they pulled in to the office's parking bay first closely followed by Julie and Tiffany who had come together followed by Jill and Kris who were of course together. Last to arrive was Bosley, which was very unusual.

'Time is money Bos.' Kris teased linking arms with him as they all walked in to the office. Each taking their prospective seats, Julie and Tiffany on one of the sofas and Kris and Jill on the other whilst Kelly and Cate took an arm chair each in front of Bosley's desk, they still had fifteen minutes before Charlie was meant to call, Bosley as at the bar making coffee.

'Hey Bos, we have a message on the machine.' Kelly noticed as the little red light flashed on the answering machine.

'Better play it then.' Bosley said paying more attention to the coffee than the answering machine. Kelly pushed the play button for the message to play.

'Good morning Angel's.' A female voice came out through the machine's speakers, Diane Matisse's voice. 'Just thought I'd check in with you as I know you've been looking for me, well you won't be able to find me. I've taken a little trip; a well-deserved vacation lots of sun, sea and well you can guess the rest. I'll be back before you know it. Goodbye for now Angels, nice to have you back in the game Kris and you Cate I know we'll have a blast!' The sound of the call disconnecting clicked as the message finished. Cate sat up straight looking around the room.

'Everyone out now!' Cate yelled as she saw wires around the furniture and on Bosley's desk. Everyone stood but looked to Cate confused. 'I mean it, everyone out now!' Grabbing Kelly Cate ran for the door with everyone else behind her close on her heels. They ran out of the agency's front doors onto the street clearing the building just as an almighty explosion lit up the building, blowing out the windows with flames bursting through where the glass once was. The impact of the explosion threw the Angels and Bosley to the ground with rubble, wood and glass flying everywhere over them and their cars, no one moved as another explosion went off somewhere in the building again. The Townsend Agency was destroyed.

To be continued.

Another story finished well this side of it any way... Hope you enjoyed it and keep your eyes peeled for its sequel. Couple of stories in the works in the back of my mind, so much more to come! Thanks so much for all of your reviews and messages, it's been a great story to write and I'm so pleased so many of you have been reading, enjoying and reviewing. Keep it up, it really does push a person on to continue writing! Thanks again, AJ5 xx ;-)