"Grant?" Donavan's voice startled him. Kevin quickly turned his eyes from the window, and faced his boss. It took a moment longer to pull his thoughts away from the surprisingly pleasant images of staying here, raising his son and making up for the time he missed with his brother.

"Sir."

"How are you doing?"

"I'll live."

"Good." The older man frowned "and your hip?"

"Will heal." He shrugged "eventually."

"Well enough for field work?"

"Hopefully."

"It better." Donavan met his eye sternly. "What were you thinking Grant?"

"That we should have taken Dennison down while I was inside his organization last month." The words slipped bitterly past his lips.

"Because of Miss Woodbridge."

"Amelia was one of the best." He sighed, pushing the pain aside "But no… because he has been killing and torturing people for information for the better part of a decade and selling it to the highest bidder."

"Bringing down those bidders is important Kevin." Donavan glared at him from under his greying brows. "Many of them were terrorists. They could have killed a lot of people if we didn't"

"We should have found another way. How many people died because of us letting Dennison slide. They murdered Amelia, they nearly killed my brother… how many others." His superior studied him quietly.

"What is rule number one, Grant?"

"Don't let emotion cloud your judgement." He shook his head, adverting his eyes while he contained the emotions that tried to escape.

"You have always been good at that Kevin, one of the best… you never get emotionally involved… with anyone." Donavan sounded worried.

"They tortured my brother because they thought he was me."

"Grant… you didn't even know you had a brother." Something in the older man's voice caught his mind.

"But you did?" he didn't flinch away from his boss's steely gaze "Didn't you?"

"No."

"I have worked for you for five years, I know when you are lying to me."

"I didn't know you had a brother… but I knew it might be a possibility. That your adoption had certain…shall we say… irregularities."

"You knew I was kidnapped."

"It wasn't relevant."

"It was to me!" he allowed silence to engulf them. It lingered while the older man walked to the window and stared out at the roof of the parking garage. When he finally turned back his voice was tightly controlled.

"I have arranged your transport to one of our medical facilities as soon as you are cleared to be moved…If anyone can get you back to 100% they will." He waited for a response, but Kevin just nodded. His eyes were kinder as he continued "It would be best if you leave him, Kevin...safer…for both of you."

"I know." He did know that. He had seen the pictures documenting his brother's injuries. He knew how much being associated with him had cost, but Neal was still willing to risk it. That made it hard to walk away.

"Family is a huge risk in our business."

"I know that, and I'm not willing to take that risk." If that made him weaker than his brother then so be it, Kevin decided.

"Good." The older man looked at him doubtfully "I'm not saying it couldn't work, some agents have normal family lives when they are off duty… but it is dangerous. It makes you vulnerable."

"I can walk away." He swallowed hard, firmly not thinking about how easily he and Neal meshed… how they connected instantly, the way their minds seemed to be two halves of the same whole... "But let me tell him goodbye."

"You have a few days until we move you."

"Thank you sir."

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

Diana waited on the park bench, watching Katherine Harris like a hawk. It was a huge risk bringing her to the meet, but if the man didn't see her he would most likely keep walking. Several agents wandered the periphery, waiting. It was 2:55 and everyone held their breath, wondering if Steve Richards would show… if he really believed Ms. Harris' contact. Pretending to read her book she scanned each face that passed.

At 2:59 she saw him. A sturdy, averaged sized man, in his late 50's, grey sprinkled his once dark hair and lines traced his features but he still looked enough like the thirty year old pictures to be recognized. Moving her hand as though to brush back a stray lock of hair, she murmured.

"I have eyes on Richards… coming around the south of the jungle gym. Grey shirt. Careful he's carrying something." Her fellow agents quickly acknowledged her as he approached the bench that held his former girlfriend and seated himself beside her. Her eyes fell on the parcel in his arms and her heart stuttered. The small bundle looked like a baby… not more than a month old, Diana thought. The stunned look on Harris' face confirmed her fear. "Nobody move in yet… Richards has a potential hostage." Diana whispered urgently.

"I didn't know you were going to bring a baby today." Harris said quietly, so quietly Diana only heard her through the ear piece. D***! She hoped the crew in the van was recording this.

"You said you wanted back in so you are back in." he shrugged casually "You were always better with the kids than I was."

"That's true" Harris' voice wavered nervously. "You were to rough sometimes."

"Men aren't as gentle as women are." The man said it ruefully. Diana contained an indignant snort and the urge break his nose.

"But it's harder to convince a couple you are giving them your baby that you love, when they have bruises." She lamented, more confident now.

"Which is why I need you, Kathy." He smiled affectionately, Diana's stomach turned a slow loop in her gut. "Will you find a suitable home for this little girl?"

"I told you I want back in, didn't I?"

"Yes you did." He frowned slightly "Kathy don't take less than a hundred grand for her…"

"I thought eighty was our magic number."

"Inflation." He gave her a cheeky smile.

"Got it." she reached for the child, and the agents around the park held their breath. For one heart stopping moment it looked like Richards wouldn't surrender his prize, then with a playful grin he released the baby into her arms. Harris cradled the newborn with surprising gentleness and stood up to walk away. "Two weeks, same place?"

"You'll bring my 70%"

"Of course."

Katherine Harris walked twenty feet before the scene exploded with shouts of "FBI!" and a dozen agents converged on the startled man. Steve Richards surrender was far too easily, Diana thought. He allowed himself to be cuffed with a smug little smile that forced Diana to clench her fists until her nails drew blood to keep from hitting him. She made sure she was the one who read his rights and walked him to the vehicle. There would be no risk of technicalities on her watch.

"You won't convict me, sweetheart." He told her as she closed the door. She didn't meet his eyes and slammed the door firmly.

"This time we have you, and no one here is for sell…you will never see freedom again." She whispered before walking around to her seat.

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Neal's voice was quiet… calm as he watched his brother. His fingers softly stroked his sleeping nephew's head. Only an hour ago he had introduced William to his father and now…

"My boss wants to transfer me to a secure facility…" He offered a small smile 'I don't get much say in the matter."

"But you do get a say in coming back."

"Some." Kevin confirmed, there was, after all, no reason to deny it.

"But you aren't going to are you?"

"Neal…" he sighed and shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "I want to stay, more than I have wanted to stay anywhere since that summer in London with Amelia… but that is exactly the reason I can't."

"You aren't allowed to be happy?" his brows arched over blue eyes.

"I won't risk your safety…William's safety." He dropped his eyes, unable to meet the hurt that reflected back at him. "Family… close ties make an agent vulnerable."

"I know that." The hint of reproach in Neal's voice hit him like a rock "Better than most, but they also make you better… stronger."

"We've had this conversation before."

"Yes, we have." Kevin heard his brother shift in his chair. The silence crackled in the air like an electric current.

"I'm sorry Neal, I'm not as strong as you are." He admitted reluctantly.

"Are you sure?" he wasn't asking about Kevin's strength.

"Yes I'm sure, I leave in two days." He raised his shoulders helplessly "Just forget you ever met me."

"I can't do that Kevin."

"Then tell yourself I died…" He flinched at the look that crossed the other man's face.

"Just take care of yourself." Neal smiled, his expression exasperated and his eyes painfully sad. "And maybe contact me occasionally."

"Maybe."

"It can be subtle. I'll figure it out."

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

Meredith Wilcox walked slowly into the hospital following the FBI agent the two stiff marshals told her the message came from. Slipping away from them and finding him had been surprisingly easy. It had simply been a matter of entering his name in an online search … his address was listed in an online phone book. Her hands shook violently, her whole body trembled and her stomach clenched. Thirty years she relied on pills to push back her memories… to take the edge off the throbbing ache in her chest, but today…today she would see the man her sweet boy became with a clear head. He deserved that, after all who knew what kind of dungeon he grew up in.

Her mind could picture a dozen horrific possibilities… assuming of course, that Danny didn't just send that message to hurt her. He was the sort that would. She couldn't count the ways he had tried to cause her pain. After sleeping quietly all night while his brother was taken, he didn't sleep peacefully again for months. When all she wanted to do was sleep forever, he woke up every hour crying… screaming for bubba to remind her of her loss. Her husband always slipped out to hold him, while she cried herself back to sleep…alone. Then Danny spend four years torturing her… constantly playing as though Nicky was still there, repeating his name over and over…knowing it was like a knife to her heart. She would never forget the day he gave her the paper stork… standing there looking at her with a smile while her heart lay on the floor between them, shattered.

She wished she brought her pills… her hands curled into fists and her stomach threatened rebellion. The agent ahead of her stepped into a room and she moved forward quickly. She waited a moment outside the door to collect herself. A young woman's voice drifted to her ears.

"It took a little digging to figure out who she was, but handing that baby back to her mother… it was one of the best moments of my life."

"I can imagine." The voice that responded sounded suspiciously like Danny. "I wish I could have helped."

"The woman just held her so tight… like she might dissolve if she didn't and her smile … and don't get me started on the big brother… he's three and he couldn't stop talking and hugging his mom and kissing his sister. It was absolutely beautiful."

"And Richards is going down for good."

"The arrest was perfect… by the book all the way. There will be no technicalities for him to exploit."

"Good." Meredith risked a glance into the room. She saw two men in the visitor's chairs, a young woman prowling the room, her whole being radiating nervous energy… and a third man in the bed. He shifted and she realized with a start he wore the same face as one of his visitors. At that moment two pairs of blue eyes noticed her.

"Mom!" the shocked whisper came from the recliner.

"Danny." She acknowledged him with a distant nod, before she allowed her gaze to turn to the face she came to see. "Nicky… oh my baby! What have they done to you?" he frowned at her, she pressed on. "I'm here baby, I'm here."

"Neal?" Nicky's eyes cut away from her face, looking at Danny "This is our… mom?"

"What's left of her." Danny's voice seemed to crack on the words. Nick nodded knowingly. "Life has been hard for her, Kevin." Danny always sounded concerned about her… no one else ever saw how cruel he was. The urge to strike him rose in her throat, but she restrained it. She wouldn't, she didn't often rise to it when he was a child. She wouldn't now.

"This isn't about me, Danny" she said sternly. "Do you have any idea what your brother has been through the last thirty years… there is a reason he's in that bed." the look that passed between the two looked… was that sympathy and disbelief. "Of course you don't, you don't care. You never cared how much someone else was hurting." She turned her eyes back to Nicky. "But I care, baby, you can tell me all about it. I'm right here sweetie. Mama's here." She wanted to throw herself on him and hold on and never let go, but the look on his face stopped her. Nicky was staring at her with a cold hard expression.

"What do you mean he doesn't care about…?" she couldn't understand the anger in Nicky's voice.

"Don't." Danny said quietly "Kevin, please don't. It's ok."

"No it's not." He looked at the other man. "Neal it's not ok." his eyes moved back to her "he has been sitting here for the last five days to make sure I wasn't alone."

"Sweet heart, you should know" she hated to be the one to tell him. Obviously he wanted to like his brother but he needed to know that Danny would hurt him. "He always looks concerned when… people are watching, it doesn't mean anything."