OA looked up and down the hallway, still seeing no sign of his partner. She took off right after they had their turn seeing baby Douglas. Tiff, Jubal and Isobel had gone to visit next, so Maggie offered to grab coffee for OA and herself.

That had been nearly twenty minutes ago. OA knew she had planned on just going to the floor below, so the fact that it was taking a while made him a bit antsy. After a day like today, he wasn't all that comfortable without her by his side.

She had told him she was fine, and physically she really seemed to be aside from the occasional wince whenever she moved a certain way… but he was sure that today had taken a toll on her. He knew it definitely had on him. He was still pretty shook up after seeing his partner held hostage by a man with such horrendous capabilities.

He needed to be able to see her right now. As long as he had eyes on her, he could reassure himself that she was okay… but without it, he was thrown right back into the moment when he lost contact with her back in the cemetery… only moments before he found her being held by a dangerous psychopath.

Visibility was limited in the cemetery, and their suspect could've been anywhere. He had dropped the gun after emptying his clip, but the agents couldn't be sure of what other weapons he was armed with.

OA did a thorough sweep of his current area then looked up to check the position of both Maggie and Tiff. Tiff was about ten feet to his left, but Maggie's distance had to be closer to fifty feet which meant she was a lot harder to see in the darkness. He wasn't thrilled with her being so out of reach, but there was a lot of area to cover.

He continued to move methodically through the cemetery. A light rain had been falling up until moments ago, and the air just had an ominous feel to it.

Hearing a noise behind him, he turned around to make sure the suspect hadn't doubled back, but it was just a tree branch blowing in the wind. His area was still clear so he spun back around, but he was only met with the sight of one agent. Tiff was still close by, but he had lost visual on Maggie.

He shone his light where she used to be, then checked twenty feet to each side, but came up empty. "Maggie, what's your location?"

Her voice crackled over his earpiece but he couldn't make out what she said.

"Maggie, you broke. Location?"

More crackling, this time her voice was barely audible.

"Maggie?!" He repeated his question a bit more frantically and was met with silence. Panic began to set in as he realized he had completely lost communication with Maggie, and right now he had no idea where she was. "Tiff, do you see her?"

"No, no sign of our suspect either."

"We have to find her." The minutes felt like an eternity as he quickly made his way through the rest of the cemetery. His heart was pounding in his chest as he prayed the lost connection was only because she was out of range. His eyes finally landed on the mausoleum nearly fifty yards away, and he broke into a jog as he alerted Tiff to where he was going.

She caught up by the time he reached the entrance, and nodded as a signal that she was ready. They made their way in, immediately being met by two sets of cement steps that led down into near complete darkness.

Their guns were drawn and aimed forward, as well as their flashlights, and as they started descending the first set, OA could hear hushed voices. Listening more closely, he could decipher one as his partner, but the other was male and menacing. He couldn't make out the words, but Maggie seemed to be in distress.

The agents hit the second set of steps and OA's light shone on two figures. His blood ran cold as the scene came into focus. There was Maggie, against their suspect, his arms wrapped her around as he used her as a shield. He held a weapon to her throat and from the angle, OA couldn't tell if it was a knife or an ice pick, but either way the tip was pressed roughly into her skin.

Her eyes were wide and immediately locked onto OA's, but all he could picture was the state in which they found Frank Silver's victims. "Let her go." He tried to keep his voice calm, not betraying the anger and fear he felt. He finally reached the bottom, still too far from Maggie for his liking. "Let her go."

"No, that won't happen." He appeared to tighten his grip on Maggie, and OA could see her flinch in the slightest.

OA kept part of his body shielded behind one of the concrete pillars, Tiffany doing the same several feet away.

"Drop your guns or she dies."

OA tried to get a good angle, but it was no good. Maggie was too close to Frank for him to have a shot.

"It's up to you, you get to decide if she lives or dies."

OA was sure his fear matched what he saw on Maggie's face as she squirmed within Frank's hold. He, himself, flinched when the silver tip of the weapon was pressed harder into her throat.

She seemed to panic a bit, her breath quickening as she ground out the words, "Take the shot."

Nothing had changed with OA's angle. "I don't have a shot. Tiff?"

"Negative."

Maggie was still struggling against him. "Take the shot."

"Take the shot, take the shot." Frank used the same words to taunt them, daring OA to pull the trigger.

OA wasn't about to risk it. He knew he was a damn good shot, but there was no way he would put Maggie that close to the line of fire. All he could envision, however, was that weapon going right into her throat. With that in mind, he shook his head in the slightest.

That was Maggie's cue to move, and she took it full force. Using Frank's grip against him to catch him off guard, she spun their bodies around, giving OA the exact chance he needed.

He fired a single shot, hearing Tiff do the same, both bullets catching Frank in the leg. Maggie slammed him into the pillar behind them, kneeing him in the gut and knocking him to the ground. She then delivered a blow to the side of his head that left him nearly unconscious.

OA had instinctively moved closer as soon as the shots were fired, but Maggie had it under control. She stood over Frank, breathing fast and hard. "Welcome to hell, you dirtbag."

OA's chest swelled with pride and he gave her an encouraging nod. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine."

The next while ended up being blur. Between taking Frank into custody, then getting the call from Jubal saying they all needed to hurry to the hospital, they barely had time to catch their breath. Only once they were in the hospital waiting room did OA get the chance to truly look Maggie over for injuries. Thankfully, she hadn't been hurt during the takedown. She was, however, sporting some pretty rough bruises… because being held hostage hadn't been the first time OA had to be scared over his partner's safety today.

He had heard it all when she had fallen through the floor of that old condemned cathedral, and his heart dropped with her. At first he hadn't been completely sure what happened, only hearing Maggie cry out after some pretty concerning crashes.

"Maggie?!" He started running in the direction where he had saw her only moments prior. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." She sounded like she was in pain.

Before he could ask where she was, he saw the hole in the floor and immediately pieced together what happened. He wanted to look down to make sure she really was okay, but he was afraid that stepping further into the room would cause more of the flooring to collapse, and this time it would be on top of Maggie. "Maggie, don't move. I'm coming down, I'll be right there." He immediately started back to the stairs, a lot more cautious of where he stepped this time.

He had barely made it down the stairs before Maggie spoke up.

"I think somebody's down here." Her voice was low and ominous, causing a pit to form in OA's stomach.

His heart started beating in overdrive as he thought about Maggie being trapped down there with their suspect. He picked up his pace, forgetting all about the unstable flooring beneath him.

"I need an ambulance to 4224 Belmont Drive."

An ambulance? Was it for herself? Was she hurt worse than he thought? Where was the suspect? His fear drove him the rest of the way and he finally caught sight of his partner, but some of his questions were quickly replaced with others.

Maggie, appearing relatively unharmed, was crouched down tending to a young woman. Judging by the fact that she was currently chained to the wall, it was clear she was a victim of their suspect… who was nowhere to be found.

OA kept his gun unholstered and finished scanning the room regardless. "Maggie, you good? Any sign of our guy?"

"No, but I think she's going into shock. Her name is Mary, but that was all I could get. C'mere, I need help getting her down."

He quickly moved to her aide, noting that she did seem to be okay, though it was dark in the room and she appeared covered in dirt. He knew he needed to focus on Mary, but he couldn't quite tamp down all of his concerns about his partner.

Maggie quickly brushed off his gaze in favor of the task at hand. Less than ten minutes later, the agents found themselves standing off to the side as Mary was loaded into an ambulance.

"Maggie, you need to get checked out too."

"It's just a few scrapes and bruises. Nothing's broken, I didn't even hit my head."

OA wasn't convinced. That had been a hard fall, not just a few feet down either. "Yeah, but-"

"No, I'm fine. Let's just focus on the case."

That was the end of that discussion. OA shook his head at his partner's stubbornness, but made sure to keep an eye on her for further injuries.

Now, for the second time since that fall, OA had lost sight of her and he just prayed it wasn't for any reason as sinister as the other. With that in mind, he stood up to find her.

He made his way to the end of the corridor, then took the elevator to the floor below. He walked around, finding the small area that held the coffee and vending machines, expecting to find her nearby, but it was to no avail.

Maggie was nowhere to be found, and though he knew it was probably a bit irrational, OA couldn't help the slight panic that began to form in the pit of his stomach.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to assure himself that everything was fine. She had probably just stopped by the bathroom, or maybe she was on the phone… but it had been a half hour since she walked away.

Okay, maybe she had taken the stairs back up and he missed her while he was on the elevator. Convincing himself that was rational, and deciding to take the stairs himself, he followed the signs to the correct door.

He opened the it, stepping into the stairwell, then nearly jumped as he came close to running into his partner. She had apparently been standing right off to the side of the door, and now appeared as surprised as OA was by the near collision.

"Sorry, I was just coming to find you. Are you okay?" He now stood fully in the small space, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I'll go get that coffee now." She avoided his gaze and reached for the door, but OA gently grabbed her by the other arm, his suspicions now confirmed.

"C'mon, don't do that, Mags."

"Do what?"

"Shut me out." His voice was soft, but pleading and he knew if they didn't have this conversation now, it probably wouldn't ever happen.

She paused, gaze focused on the floor, hand still hovering by the door handle. He watched as she took in a deep breath before turning to face him. "What do you want me to say?"

"How about we start with the truth?"

She just looked up at him with desperate eyes and shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't really know what to say.

He gave in, not wanting to push too hard after the day she had. "Okay, we don't have to talk. We can just sit here if you want."

Maggie huffed out a small laugh. "What… just sit right here in the middle of the hospital stairwell?"

"It wouldn't be the first time… well, it would be for the hospital, but we've done it at work."

"I guess that's true." Her smile faded but she finally relented and took a seat on the first step.

OA followed suit. Given the small space, their shoulders were practically touching but he was pretty sure neither of them minded the contact. He tried to subtly study her, knowing she would call him out if she saw him doing it. He could tell she had a lot on her mind, and by the haunted look in her eyes, it wasn't anything good.

He could relate. Ever since the takedown, anytime he found himself enveloped in silence, his mind would flash right back to the scene in the mausoleum and the weapon held tightly against his partner's throat. He wasn't all that sure what had transpired in the few moments before he and Tiff found Maggie, but the memory had to be hell for her.

So deep in thought, OA almost jumped when Maggie finally spoke up again.

"I don't even know why this is bothering me so much… I mean, it wasn't the first time anything like this has happened. I've had worse."

OA could guess the exact time she was thinking of in that moment, and to be honest, it still haunted him as well.

"He didn't even hurt me… I just can't get it out of my head."

OA couldn't either, and while their suspect hadn't physically hurt Maggie, he could have. Ultimately he knew that's what was bothering her so much. In that moment, she had been vulnerable. She had been at his mercy, and the thoughts of what he could've done to her made OA sick. He had been so scared for her then, but that was his own demon to work through. She didn't need to take that on.

"Weak… that's how I felt the whole time down there. I should've heard him approach, I should have been able to fight harder."

OA stared at her incredulously. "Maggie, you are not weak, never have been. You did fight. Mags, you're the one who took him down. He was holding a knife to your throat, yet you are the one still standing." He was pretty sure there was nothing Maggie hated more than the feeling of weakness, but that was something he had never associated with her. "Maggie, I'm proud of you." He met her gaze, trying to convey his sincerity.

Maggie gave him a small smile and nodded, but he wasn't quite sure that he had managed to convince her yet. He started to speak again, but she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I appreciate it, but let's just leave it alone for tonight. It's been a long day and I really don't want to spend any more time on it."

He respected that and wouldn't push the matter… but there was something else. "Okay, we can drop it, but that's not the only thing that's bothering you, is it?"

"What do you mean?" She tried to play it cool, but OA could feel her tense up against him.

"I know seeing baby Douglas wasn't the easiest for you because of…" He trailed off but knew she could decipher what he meant. He knew she had always wanted children and regretted not trying with Jason.

"How do you do that? I know I couldn't have been that obvious."

He shook his head. "You weren't. I just know you, Maggie, probably better than I know myself by this point. I also listen when you talk and I remember what you've told me before."

"I'm happy for Scola and Nina, I really am… but it's hard knowing I may never get that chance."

OA's heart broke at the pain in her voice, and he desperately wanted to offer her some sort of comfort. "You will, Maggie. Everything happens in it's own time for a reason."

"You really believe that?"

He pondered his words for a moment. "I do. I didn't always, but as I've gotten a bit older, I've seen it with my own eyes. Once the time comes, you will get that chance, and you're going to be an incredible mother."

He didn't have the answers, didn't know if he was out of line in his response… but he did believe everything happened in it's own time. Maggie really would be an amazing mother if given the opportunity, and he wished desperately for her sake that that dream of hers would come true. It would be a privilege from him to witness, too.

"Thank you, Omar." She continued to rest her head on his shoulder, and he leaned his own head against hers. They stayed like that for a few more moments, but when Maggie moved, she let out a small groan.

OA was instantly concerned. "How bad is the pain?"

"Not that bad. I'm just a little store. I'll pop some Tylenol when I get home."

"Speaking of which, do you want to go?"

She appeared to think for a moment, eventually nodding. "I'm sure everyone will understand."

"They will, they know you've had a rough day, Mags." He stood up first, offering his hand to help her. "C'mon. Do you want to just crash with me tonight?" He had the feeling neither of them needed to be alone right now, and was pleased when she agreed with his suggestion.

"As long as you've got Tylenol."

He grinned. "With our line of work, I've got some in the truck."

They made their way back upstairs to say their goodbyes. They offered Nina and Scola another congratulations, then bid everyone goodnight. Once they were in the parking lot, OA wrapped his arm around Maggie's shoulders and led her to his truck, letting out a sigh of relief at the feeling of having her so close.

…

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Right now this is marked as complete, but I do have a few ideas for adding a chapter or two. I'm not going to say what they are because it may be a while, but we'll see what happens. Also, I will of course write another one-shot for this that will be posted in 'Partners Until The End.' Anyway, thanks again and please let me know your thoughts!