Here you go folks. Thanks to Bailey for being the best beta. We went back and forth on this chapter more than once but still all mistakes are mine. Thank you all for your faves, follows and reviews. Let me know what you think about this one. I'm curious.

Ryan wiped ineffectually at her bleary eyes as Cleve and Holly made their way into the hotel suite. Ryan had been asleep on the sofa for the better part of the last four hours. Cleve had agreed to stay the extra hours with Holly so that Ryan could be at least half awake for her protection duty.

"Do you have the heat on?" Holly asked as she walked into the room.

"What? No. Something must be wrong with the air-conditioning," Ryan yawned.

Holly picked up the phone. "Hey, this is room 417. I don't think our air is working…the whole floor? I see. Is there anything that you can do? I see. No, that's fine. Thank you."

"What did they say?" Ryan asked.

"They are going to have someone bring up some fans," Holly responded.

"Did you say the entire floor's air units were out?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah."

"When will someone be coming up?" Cleve asked.

"In just a little bit," Holly answered.

"I'll stay for that. Ryan you have your weapon?" Cleve said and Ryan just shot her a look. "I had to ask." In response, Ryan actually rolled her eyes.

In not very long at all, there was a knock at the door and a male voice coming from the other side, "Ma'am, we have your fans."

Cleve motioned for Holly to stay back. Her hand on her weapon, she checked the peephole. She pulled her jacket over her pistol and signaled an all clear to Ryan. Opening the door, she stepped back so that if need be, Ryan still had a clear shot. Holly watched this interaction with interest. It was like watching a choreographed dance between two experienced partners.

A young man in his twenties in a bell-hop uniform walked in holding a box fan and an oscillating fan on a stand. "Umm, where would you like them?"

Ryan answered, "In here is fine. Thank you."

He put them down. Plugged them up and before Holly could move to give him a tip, Ryan stood up and did so. She walked him to the door. It wasn't until he left that Holly realized that Cleve had shifted subtly so that she was always between him and her.

"I think you two are being overly cautious," Holly sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you miss the fact that you autopsied yourself yesterday? My job is to keep you safe and I'm going to do it," Ryan said heatedly.

"Look, I don't want to piss you off," -Holly held up her hands in surrender- "I'm just saying that I don't think there will be a threat this soon."

Uncharacteristically Cleve spoke, "Are you willing to bet your life on it?"

Holly looked at her and considered. "No."

"Then do as we say," Cleve replied.

"Haven't I always?" Holly smiled.

"Yes, but now is the time when people get sloppy. They are going to get desperate. Now is the time to remain vigilant," Cleve said.

"Thank you, Mad-Eye Moody." At Cleve's blank look and Ryan's barked laughter, Holly sat down heavily on the large puffy chair next to the couch.

"Cleve isn't much for pop-culture," Ryan grinned.

"Good to know."

Ryan looked at Cleve and said, "I told you, you should read Harry Potter." Cleve just narrowed her eyes in response. "What was the last book you read?"

"The Art of War"

Ryan shook her head. "I'd've thought you slept with it."

"Didn't say it was the first time I'd read it. Just the last book I read."

Before Ryan could retort, her cell rang. "Parker. What?! When? How? Okay…No, we're good here. We're fine. You'll keep us posted?" She put her left hand over her eyes and rubbed her brow by pulling her fingers and thumb together. "Just…just let us know something as soon as you can. No. We need to keep Cleve fresh. I'll send her home. Send the other officers. Make sure it's someone you can vouch for personally. I know, Oliver. I know."

She hung up her cellphone and looked over at Holly who asked, "What is it?" When she didn't respond right away Holly asked again, "Ry, what is it?"

Ryan pulled her hand through her hair. "They've taken Gail."

"No!" Holly yelled.

Ryan walked over to Holly and held her in the chair. She knelt in front of her. "Holly, we still have to keep you safe. You have to stay here."

"What do they know?" Holly asked wild-eyed.

"The team in front of Gail's apartment complex didn't report in so they sent another patrol. They found them in their squad, drugged they think. They were unconscious but alive. They went in to Gail's apartment. They had to break down the door. It was locked from the inside. There were signs that she'd maybe made a meal. They think possibly there was a struggle. They're going to test the beer it looked like she was drinking - see if she was drugged like the other officers."

"There wasn't anyone inside protecting Gail?"

"No. She adamantly refused to have anyone in her apartment, said it made her feel like a victim again."

"How long?"

"They're not sure."

"What are they doing to find her?" Holly asked.

"You know they're doing everything they can," Ryan said softly.

Holly grabbed Ryan's arms. "You have to go! You have to go help them!"

"No. I have to stay here and keep you safe. That's what Gail would want me to do. You know that, Holly. You know it in your heart," Ryan spoke to Holly like she would a trapped animal.

"What about what I want?! Does anybody give a damn about what I want?!" Holly was screaming now.

"I'll go!" Cleve interjected, reaching her hand out to Holly. "I'll go," she stated more calmly.

"Cleve," Ryan warned.

Undeterred Cleve pressed on, "I'll go. I'll drop in and talk to the Staff Sergeant. Shaw? Right?" Holly nodded in response. "Okay, then I'll swing by before I go to my room. Is that okay?" Holly nodded again.

"Cleve, you need your…" Ryan began, but was interrupted by Holly reaching out and holding Cleve's hand.

"Thank you," Holly said as she closed her eyes. "Thank you."

"I'll go right now," Cleve said and looked to Ryan for her approval. Ryan nodded in response. "Good. It's stifling in here. Reminds me of Jackson in July."

"You're getting soft in your old age. This is nothing compared to Houston," Ryan said smirking.

"Just because you can exist without air-conditioning is no reason to do so. It's what separates us from the animals," Cleve deadpanned.

"True story," Ryan said as she stood and began to walk Cleve to the door. She whispered, "I don't have to tell you what to share and not to share do I?" Cleve tilted her head and rolled her eyes. "Didn't think so. Okay. Be careful."

"You do the same, Parker. I'm not answering to your mama. She scares me."

"Daddy wouldn't let her hurt you."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Cleve said opening the door.

Ryan closed the door and turned to Holly who looked, like she was in shock. "Why don't you go take a shower and change? You kinda smell like the morgue and now that I'm up, it is kinda hot in here."

"It's amazing you're still single."

"Indeed. It's a mystery."

"Fine. I'm going. I'm going." Holly stood.

"You'll feel better," Ryan said and then added, "Not much but a little bit." Holly just walked into the bathroom to take her shower.

She stood under the spray for a long time crying. Big heaving sobs. She knew logically she had to calm down. She wasn't doing anyone any good in here hiding. She even prayed to a god she wasn't sure she believed in to keep Gail safe. When she felt the air kick back on, she knew it was time to get out. She toweled off and dressed quickly in running shorts and a t-shirt not bothering to dry her hair or put on shoes.

Walking back into the living area she saw Ryan heading toward the door. "Cleve can't be back already can she?"

"No. The front desk called and asked if we could return the fans. They are used in the laundry room and the folks there are pretty miserable without them," Ryan answered as she checked the peephole again. She saw the same young man as before so she opened the door.

"Ah," Holly nodded once.

Once Ryan got the door open she took about a half a second too long to realize something was wrong. The young man looked even more nervous than before. She saw a shadow to her left too late to do anything about it. She was braced for a fight but not for 50,000 volts of electricity from a Taser. After about ten seconds she fell to the ground and curled up in the fetal position.

Holly stood motionless. Frozen. The young bell hop, and a woman she was sure was Megan Stapleton entered immediately and closed the door. Then Megan spoke into a walkie-talkie, "Clear. Come on up." Holly was weighing her options when Megan looked at her, "Don't get any ideas, Dr. Stewart. If you move or make a sound, I'll incapacitate you, and kill them both with this." With her other hand she pulled a 9mm Sig out of the small of her back. Holly nodded in acknowledgement.

Megan set the Taser down on the desk near the door, pulled a bag of zip ties out of her jacket pocket and threw them at the bell hop. "Tie her up and gag her." She gestured to Ryan who was still laying on the floor convulsing slightly and threw a large knotted rag at him. He did as he was instructed. "Now, take her gun. Two fingers. Left hand. Slowly and hand it to me." Again, he did exactly as he was instructed. "Now get their cell phones and hand them over. Yours too." He picked their phones up off the coffee table and as he handed them over, Holly saw his hands tremble.

Soon there was a soft scratching at the door. Megan pointed at the bell hop and gestured with the gun, "Open the door." He moved to open the door and Ross Perik walked into the room pushing a laundry cart.

"Where's Gail?" Holly couldn't stop herself from asking.

Perik all but shivered in excitement, "Oh, you'll see her soon enough Dr. Stewart. We wanted the two of you together for your final act." He looked over at the bell hop then nodded to Megan. She pulled a cylinder out of her jacket pocket. Holly recognized it instantly as a silencer.

"No!" She was cut off by Megan drawing and firing another Taser at her. Holly had just enough time to wonder exactly how many weapons Megan had brought before she felt like her body was on fire. All of her muscles contracted painfully. She knew intellectually that she had only felt the effects for a few seconds but it was so painful. She had recovered enough to open her eyes when she heard a sound like a watermelon hitting concrete. The young bell hop had fallen on the floor in front of her with a bullet hole through his forehead.

"Help me tie her up and get her in the cart," Perik ordered.

Holly felt her body being bound then lifted. Then she was covered up with a sheet. She had an irrational thought wondering if the sheet was clean or not. Probably not.

"Not that I don't trust you, Dr. Stewart but you see you really can't make any noise," Perik said as he pushed a wet handkerchief over her nose and mouth.

Chloroform you cannot be serious! What is this the Green Hornet? Sleepy…so…sle…

Ryan had been watching helpless from the floor. She hated being tased. They tased them at the academy so that they'd know what to expect when it happened. A fat lot of good it did her. Goddammit! That poor kid laying on the floor dead over there. Holly being trussed up like a calf at a rodeo and loaded into a laundry cart. God. Where was Cleve when she needed her? She sure could use a ninja right about now.

"I'm going to take Dr. Stewart with me. You follow along later. We don't want to be too suspicious," Perik instructed Stapleton.

"Can I have this one?" Megan gestured to Ryan on the floor.

"Are you sure you can handle her?" He asked.

"Please. She's still down from that tase. I have another Taser, a syringe fixed up and the gun so I don't have to wait around for her to die."

"Did you cut the phone cords?"

"I have their cell phones," Megan held them up in her hands.

"No!" Perik yelled and Megan flinched in reaction. "You young people never think. The phones in the room.

"Oh!" Megan moved swiftly and cut all the phone cords with a knife. She returned to the room and smiled at Perik. "Now, can I have her?"

"Alright. But be quick. No dawdling. I want to get started tonight. You don't want to miss it."

"I won't."

He reached over and cupped her cheek, "Now go and get the elevator. I don't want to be out in the hallway any longer than I have to be."

"Of course," Megan stepped out of the room and Ryan fought the urge to be sick.

"Agent Parker, I do regret that our association will end here. If it is any comfort to you, I'm sure that Megan will treat you exactly the same as the other women she's so masterfully entertained. Sadly, you're just not special enough to accompany Dr. Stewart and Gail. I have very special plans for them." In answer, Ryan weakly spit around the gag and tried to get it on his shoes. He kicked her in the stomach. She didn't think he broke any ribs but goddamn it hurt. She was saved from any more repercussions by his walkie-talkie signaling with a beep. "I'm telling Megan to teach you a lesson Agent. She is very good at it." Ryan just closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the pain.

As soon as the door closed, Ryan was digging in her boot for her knife. Her fingers felt like they were asleep. Fatter and clumsier somehow. She managed to flip the knife open and hold it between her feet. She slid the blade carefully between her hands and managed to cut her bonds without cutting her hands too much. She rubbed her wrists. She only had a few more seconds. Stay on the ground and catch her off guard or hit her as soon as she walked in the door?

Gail didn't know how long she'd been out. She just knew she had a screaming headache and her hands and legs were bound to a table. Fuck. Not again. Don't panic. Don't panic. Wait. My head hurts but that's…that's…that was when Gail realized she had awakened to the sound of Holly screaming.