A/N: And once again, so sorry for the delay! I hope someone out there is still interested in this story…

And I still don't own anything.

Chapter 10

Until now, Nicholas Angel had thought that stuff like this only happened in movies. Now he thought… To be completely honest, now he could barely think at all. He vaguely recalled being beaten, then pushed under water, then beaten again and forced under water over and over again. He could clearly remember the agonising feeling of the liquid entering his lungs. He could swear he had died several times, but every time he had been mercilessly brought back to life.

Now he was lying on the floor, watching red spots dance in front of his eyes. He felt absolutely numb, enjoying these blissful moments when there was no pain. Except for breathing. Breathing hurt like hell, his throat and lungs still crushed after multiple drownings.

Slowly, his mind was getting clearer. Consciousness was coming back to him, followed by the agony in all of his limbs. Was this what his brother had to deal with?... He shuddered, unsure whether it was even a shudder or just a painful convulsion. Imagining Benji going through all of this made him sick. Again. He wondered whether Benji even knew what had happened. There was no guarantee anyone knew. He had a suspicion that the Met could have a hunch but were too worried about the possibility of failing the operation. It didn't matter that him being captured before even getting the needed information from his colleagues meant the operation had already failed. At least that still gave them the opportunity to organise another one.

Nicholas suddenly felt a wave of slight amusement as he tried to imagine people at the Met attempting to come up with an explanation for him having been captured in the first place. They didn't know about Benji, didn't know about all this super-spy stuff… They knew nothing. And does anybody know anything?

Does Danny know what is happening to me? It's probably a good thing he doesn't know… Sure, he would be excited about the proper spy movie shit he might be imagining… Nicholas couldn't hold back a painful chuckle. But reality is not like in the movies. Does Benji know?... If I die, will he even find out?... He most certainly will, at some point. Nicholas felt a lump in his crushed throat at the thought – Benji will most likely blame himself…

Nicholas got hit by another wave of pain, which brought more black despair. Nobody would know what happened. They probably wouldn't even find his body… Another painful tremor shook the inspector as he was hit with a realisation: he was already fully assuming that he wasn't going to get out alive…

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Danny was looking at Benji and trying to imagine what he must have been feeling. Was it the same dread that was now consuming the sergeant from the inside? The dread that wouldn't just give up and subside, pushed away by some faint distractions? Indeed, the blond man did look quite agitated, biting on his thumbnail, his gaze distant and wandering. However, there was something else behind that look, something Danny couldn't place. He wanted to say something reassuring, wanted to give his word that they would find Nicholas, but he knew it would be a lie, as he still hadn't got a faintest idea what was going on.

"You look a lot like Nicholas," he suddenly said, his throat sore and dry. The sound of his voice made both men jump.

"We're twins," Benji replied with a sheepish smile, as if that hadn't been established already. That kind of smile looked very odd on a face that was so much like Nicholas. Danny looked down.

"So… you're under the FBI's protection?" he asked and watched the other man nod.

"Yeah…" Benji rubbed the back of his head, looking from Danny to the computer screen in front of him and then to the door leading to the room where the agents were.

"Must be scary," Danny went on, catching himself thinking that, apart from scary, that must have been hella cool. Although it's probably the agents who are having the most fun, not the people under protection. Benji shrugged.

"A bit scary," he replied with a sigh. He hated playing this role, especially now, when he needed to concentrate and do everything to get his brother back, but he had no choice. "It just all happened so quickly, you know…" He cut off, noticing something on the screen.

"Guys!" he called, swiftly putting the headphones on. Danny watched the agents rush into the room. He suddenly felt jealous of Benji being of at least some use to the case, apparently tracing someone's tracks. He began to feel useless, unable to help Nicholas or even be of any aid to these people.

There were a few minutes of silence, as Benji was listening to something in his headphones and watching the screen intently. The hard expression on his face made him look more like his brother once again, and Danny had to blink with an effort to get himself back to reality. The reality in which Nicholas was missing and they had no idea where he was…

"Got them!" Benji exclaimed, jumping off his seat and starting to move towards the door. "Let's get going!"

Brandt was the fastest to reach out and grab the blond man's shoulder.

"What do you think you are doing?" he asked sternly, earning quite a look from his friend who, however, couldn't say anything without blowing his cover. "You don't mean you are going there, do you?"

"It's not your job, Benjamin," Ethan joined in, making Benji want to punch him more than ever. "It's ours. You need to stay safe".

Jane didn't say anything as she placed her hand on his other shoulder and gave it a squeeze, her look, however, showing the most understanding.

After a few minutes it took Benji to explain to the others what he had found out and tell them the address he had traced, the three agents were ready to leave. As two of them were already out, Ethan turned to Danny, who at this point felt completely lost.

"Take care of him," the agent said, nodding in Benji's direction. "He might still be in danger".

And with that, he left. Danny suddenly felt both really important and scared. He looked at Benji, who was now sitting in his chair, looking defeated. But everything is going to be fine now. They will find Nicholas. Will they?...