"I can't believe you did that!" Sue exclaimed as she placed plates onto the table for supper. They were having spaghetti and meat sauce tonight. It was comfort food, and Sue desperately needed it.

Jack laid the cutlery beside their plates. He raised a brow. "You can't believe what? What did I do?"

Sue put her hands on her hips. "Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm going on about."

"Sue, I'm a man. I can't read your mind. You have to tell me."

"I'm angry at how you treated Myles today."

"Oh…that."

Sue gave her fiancé a disgusted look. "Is that how you treat someone who has been with the FBI for 16 years?! 16 years, Jack!"

Jack prepared himself for a grilling from Sue. She was normally nice and calm, but when she got angry, she got angry. "Sue…"

"16 years! He's been around longer than you and Bobby have, but you two just so happen to be team leaders, so give him a little bit of respect." Sue didn't care. She was going to make sure that Jack knew how his actions upset Myles today. Fortunately for Myles, Sue didn't plan on telling Jack about his panic attack.

Sue continued, "You, Bobby and Garrett didn't handle the situation correctly. I'm so disappointed in you guys."

Jack was taken aback. Never in his life would he have thought Sue would defend her former adversary like this. The two have really come a long way since the first day they met. Sue then stopped setting the table, and moved to rescuing their supper from the stove.

"Hey," Jack started as he appeared in front of her, "I don't regret a single thing I did today. If you haven't noticed, Myles needs the leave of absence."

"By suspending him?!"

"We're not suspending him! We're giving him a free vacation with pay! And he can do whatever he wants with it. He can go to Disneyland for all I care as long as he gets adequate rest. We need him to be 100% well in order for this team to function properly, and giving him some stress free space can achieve that."

Sue shook her head. "Yeah, well, you didn't have to put him on leave in the manner that you did. You, Garrett and Bobby made a final decision without giving Myles any prior knowledge. You should have had a discussion with him first about what you've noticed, and what you think is best for him. It would have given him a chance to correct his behavior or give him a choice to temporarily leave, but instead, you guys decided that it would be best to go behind his back, and…ugh…you took away his dignity today."

"Dignity? How?"

"You guys tricked him! You convinced him that he would be having some fun with his friends. But you guys decided to be idiots, and you took him down to the gun range, watched how he was currently shooting, and pointed out his flaws in front of everybody. Then, you basically told him to go home. You embarrassed him, Jack." Sue took the noodles off of the burner and drained them into the sink.

Jack also grabbed himself a spoon and stirred the meat sauce. He even taste tested it before turning off the burner, so that the marinara wouldn't bubble and violently splatter across the stove and walls. Once Sue finished her task, Jack continued the conversation. "Whatever…you can defend Myles all week long, but I still stand by my decision and how I handled it. I know Myles, and I know him better than you ever will. If I would have done what you suggested, and talked to him privately, giving him an ultimatum, he would have fought with me, and I didn't feel like tolerating that. Forcing him to take leave gives him no chance at fighting back, and gives him a reality check that if he wants to continue to be on this team, he has to get better, and doing it in a stressful environment won't help him; it'll just make him worse."

Sue opened her mouth. She was offended at one of his remarks. "How dare you?! Don't you tell me that I don't know Myles! I know him a lot better than you give me credit for. Yes, we fight sometimes, but it won't stop him from telling me about his feelings or things that the rest of the team doesn't know."

Jack scoffed, "Things…like what? Like keeping his PTSD from us for five years? I think you doing that was completely unfair and irresponsible."

Sue retorted, "Myles is my friend and brother too, and I think what you did to him yesterday was also unfair and irresponsible. You didn't even give him a chance. 16 years, Jack!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I can't believe this."

"Can't believe what? That I'm defending my friend? Jack, Myles is on the edge, and you just added fuel to the fire. You need to be supporting him."

"I am! I'm supporting him by giving him leave. It's what's best for both him and the team. Sue, I have no choice, but to take him off the team for two weeks. You should have seen what he was doing on the gun range today, and it was troubling. Myles is almost as good a marksman as I am, and he never shoots like that. If he shot out in the field and missed his target like he missed today, he could hit something or someone else, such as a teammate. It's not suspension; he's just resting, so that he can get back on his feet and be an asset rather than a liability."

Sue shook her head, but Jack continued, "When he goes on leave, I don't plan on leaving him on his own. I will visit him often after working hours to see if there's anything I can do around his house. His sister is away in Europe for four months, so he doesn't have any family in D.C. right now except for us. He has other friends too, but unlike them, we have resources."

Sue exhaled. "Jack, I had to deal with a distraught agent today, and it was awful, because Myles is always grumpy, yet calm…and to see him all sad and lost…he thinks that his career is over. You have to talk to him, and assure him that it's not. We can't have him going on his 'vacation' thinking that, because then he won't even try getting better.

Jack then concluded, "Okay, I'll talk to him."

"Great, now let's eat," Sue said as she piled spaghetti and meat sauce onto her own plate. Jack had to chuckle at her actions. She loved her comfort food when she was upset. He was glad that he was going to be marrying such an innocent, yet strong willed woman who wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

Unfortunately, Jack didn't have time to talk to Myles, because at 7:00am, they received a warrant, and by 10:00am, the FBI teams were situated on Devin's ranch. Compared to Mr. and Mrs. Ray's ranch, this piece of land was quite small; however, there were still plenty of trees in the area that Devin could flee into if given the chance and disappear. There were also vast hills surrounding his house; however, they could use them to their advantage; they would make good hiding spots for their tactical team. Unlike the other ranch, there were no animals here. Maybe Devin sold them…or killed them.

There were two units of the FBI there; including Jack's. There, they were going to apprehend both Devin and his computer; however, they had to be careful as Devin's stepfather warned them that his stepson wouldn't go down without a fight, so they made sure they brought some rifles along with their handguns just in case Devin escalated. They also assumed Diana would be at school, so they didn't have to worry about her interfering.

After they finished getting themselves ready for action, Jack called upon his team and said, "Okay everyone, I've got posts for you. D', Tara, Bobby and I will raid the home, while Myles and the other unit that came with us will surround the home from the hills. Sue, you will stay out here by the truck, and if anyone leaves the home through the front door, speak into your microphone, so you can notify everyone."

Myles had a mix of anger and disappointment on his face. In his eyes, it was apparent that Jack didn't want him on the team anymore; otherwise, he'd be raiding the house with them. Myles walked away from the team, and left to set up his own position at the back of the house before Jack finished talking. What was the point of listening to the plan for raiding the inside of the home if he wasn't going to be a part of it?

Sue was concerned for Myles when she watched him storm off. She also felt anger towards Jack for treating his teammate differently, and anger for everyone else who seemed to be okay with it. Maybe everybody was in the zone and they would say something to Jack later. It wasn't long before the unit (minus Myles and Sue) went to the front door of the main house. They knocked but there was no answer. So without further ado, the team busted down the door, and entered whilst shouting, "FBI! Put your hands up! FBI! FBI!"

As Sue watched her team disappear inside the house, she noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye. There was a small stable not too far away from the house, and a young, familiar girl exited the stable on a horse. Attached to the horse's saddle were some survival bags, and shotguns. As the girl fled into the trees and up the hills, Sue said into her microphone, "Diana is here on the ranch. I thought she was going to be at school. She just left a stable outside on her horse."

Myles, situated on top of a hill with the back of the house in clear view, looked to his left and observed the girl and her noble steed leaving the area. He said to the team, "Stupid girl. I can confirm that she is heading into the bush. I recommend dealing with Devin first, and then we can find his sister later."

Then, Sue and the FBI unit around her noticed some commotion happening in the backyard. In Myles' perspective, he and his part of the team watched Jack and Bobby struggling with Devin as they dragged him out into the backyard. Following Bobby and Jack were Dimitrius and Tara who were carrying guns and Devin's computer. Sue then appeared, and approached Jack and Bobby who had Devin face down and shoving his face into the dirt.

Bobby said, "Stop struggling, mate. You're getting nowhere fighting with us like this."

Once they finally managed to get handcuffs on Devin, they all rose to their feet and were ready to head back to the front of the house where their vehicles were. But before the team could pack up, a shot rang out and a bullet hit ten meters in front of Bobby and Jack's feet. The team jumped and immediately pulled out their guns. Sue noticed this, and she deduced that there was an active shooter in the area; like everybody else, she used her eagle eyes to look for the shooter, but she could only find random FBI agents scattered amongst the trees. Then, there was another shot, and dirt and leaves escaped the ground in the same spot. This person could shoot, but they weren't accurate. Then, Sue noticed someone familiar in the trees and in the middle of a hill. It was a young girl, and she was aiming a shotgun barrel at the team; it was Diana. Sue quickly approached the girl, but Jack grasped Sue's hand. He shouted, 'What are you doing, Sue? There's an active shooter!"

Sue said, "Look over there. It's Diana. She's the shooter. I need to get closer, so she can see me sign. She's deaf, remember?"

Everyone's eyes widened when they caught sight of the girl. She was supposed to be running away right now, not fighting back. What was going on? When Sue was close enough, she signed and shouted, "Diana, what are you doing?!"

Now that Diana was involved, Devin was now shouting and squirming in his handcuffs. "Diana! What are you doing? This wasn't the plan! RUN!" Obviously his words were no good, because she was deaf. He needed to sign to her, and get it through her thick skull that she should leave. He turned to Bobby and said, "Sir, please uncuff me, so I can sign to my sister. She doesn't understand. Please."

Bobby asked, "She doesn't understand what?"

Devin answered him, "She doesn't know that I was in on the scam. She thinks that my parents were the ones solely involved in the cyber crime attack. Behind her back, I tried to frame our parents after I sold my ranch, so that I could pin all of the blame on them, and we could run away and live together. And now, she thinks that you are wrongfully arresting me and hurting me. I have to sign to her, and tell her to stop, because that lady isn't going to convince her."

Sue shouted, "Please, no one shoot!" She then signed and said to the girl, "Diana, put down the shotgun. Tell me what's wrong? We can talk this over."

With the shotgun lowered, Diana signed back with one hand, "Let him go! He didn't do anything! Only my parents are involved in this! I'm here and not at school, because we are going to go south and find jobs and an apartment. Let him go, and let us leave!"

Sue went closer to the teenager. Jack held his breath, he was completely against what his woman was doing. If she wasn't careful, she was going to get herself killed. He then raised his gun, and aimed it at the girl's head. Sue, seeing Jack's actions, said, "No, Jack. Don't hurt her. She wouldn't hurt me, right?"

Diana repeated, "Let my brother go! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Sue signed and said back, "I'm so sorry Diana…but he did. He lied to you. Your parents were stealing from people online, and your brother had a hand in it. Everyone - including Devin - were losing their farms, and they couldn't make ends meet, so…they thought they could solve the problem by paying their debts off the dishonest way."

Diana growled. She signed back, "Devin is NOT involved in this. You liar! He'd never lie to me!"

Sue said into her microphone, and relayed to the team, "She doesn't believe me. She thinks I'm lying." She approached Diana again, "I'm sorry, Diana. I know you love your brother and that you desperately want to live with him, because you're unhappy with your parents, but…"

"Liar! You are all the liars!" The girl yelled with her own voice, which caught everyone by surprise. Her words obviously weren't clear, but the agents could all tell what she was referring to.

Sue said, "I am not lying." She then turned to Bobby. "Bobby, please uncuff Devin, so he can talk to her. He's the only one who can calm her down. Trust me…he won't run."

With Jack's permission, Bobby was given the go ahead to uncuff Devin's wrists. Without hesitation, Devin quickly got to his feet, stood beside Sue and started signing only, "They're not lying. Diana, I made a bad choice, because mom, dad and my livelihoods were failing here on the ranch; we were all going to file for bankruptcy. But then I had an idea that could make us rich and pay off our debts so we could save our homes."

"That doesn't make sense," she responded, "you hate mom and dad!"

Again, Sue drew closer to Diana while she was distracted by her brother. Maybe she could grab the shotgun before the girl did something stupid with it. Diana's eyes started to water. Was her brother really telling the truth, or was the FBI making him say it? "You're making him say this! I refuse to believe that he was involved."

Sue signed expressively, "No, we're not, believe us!"

Sue had stopped talking while signing, but Jack knew what they were talking about. He said to his team members. "The girl doesn't believe us and Sue is trying to convince her we are telling the truth."

Suddenly, Devin started to run towards Diana, but Bobby stopped him, and threw him back onto the ground and into handcuffs. Sue looked over her shoulder and saw Bobby and a couple of random agents struggle with Devin. Sue then stepped in front of Diana's view of her brother, hoping that this would stop the teenager from shooting at Bobby. Sue signed again, "Believe me Diana, we are not making Devin say those words. He made a bad mistake and feels terrible for it, but just like your parents, he also has to pay the price."

Diana looked away defeated. "If that is true, I guess I'll be in the foster care system now. I should have just kept quiet. I shouldn't have come to you guys." Then, she looked over Sue's shoulder, and saw Bobby shove Devin's face into the dirt again. The man wouldn't stop moving, so he had no choice. "No, my brother would never betray me. Let him go!"

Sue shook her head.

Diana signed, "Out of the way!"

Sue was adamant on staying in her place.

"Fine," Diana said with her real voice. Then, she placed both hands on the shotgun, raised it, pointed the barrel at Sue's chest, and placed her finger on the trigger." -

"BAM!"

It all happened so fast. Before Diana could squeeze the trigger of the shotgun, she fell forwards like a weak structure with no support. She let go of the shotgun when she hit the ground, then started to tumble down the hill. Eventually, she slid to a stop almost to the bottom of the hill, and remained face down in the fallen wet leaves. She laid there, motionless.

Sue was frozen in position. She was shocked and confused as to what had just occurred. Although she couldn't hear anything happening around her, she could sense the emotions and actions of everyone in the vicinity. When she came to her senses, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed Devin continuing to fight Bobby and the other FBI members. Devin was screaming, swearing and crying. His sister was just shot, and probably killed. Sue was almost glad that she was deaf; she was already emotional, and she would be a wreck if she heard the cries of a grieving family.

Then, Sue ran to the girl to see if she was alive. Jack lowered his weapon. He watched Sue run to Diana and shout her name. His heart broke for her. They were supposed to help Diana, not kill her. Unfortunately, they were forced to, because the young woman had a lapse of judgment. Trying to ignore the screams and cries of Diana's brother, he looked around to see who had shot the girl. He had to talk to them, see if they were okay, and have a conversation about protocol and what their next step was. He couldn't be mad at them; the girl was a threat, and almost killed Sue. It was just unfortunate, because Diana was young and had so much to live for.

First Jack spotted Dimitrius thirty yards across from him in the trees; however, he was greeted with a face of disgust and shock. His mouth was agape, his brows were furrowed, and he was frozen in place. Eventually, he put his handgun away, and went to the fallen girl as well. Over the years, the senior members of the team had shot people of various ages, but no one under the age of eighteen before.

Jack then found Tara, who had her hands covering her mouth, and looking as if she were going to burst into tears. He felt bad for her, because Tara was just as invested in the young girl as Sue was. It was their initial case, and they conversed with Diana and built a bond with her.

Finally, Jack shifted his gaze up to the top of the hill - approximately twenty yards from where Diana once stood - and saw Myles bent over, trying to throw up. Bingo. Ignoring the girl, Jack made his way up the hill and towards his troubled teammate. Jack's stomach dropped as he neared Myles, unsure of what he was about to approach. Myles was already on the edge, so why did this have to happen to him? Jack cursed himself. He should have taken the shot.

Once Sue reached Diana, she flipped the girl onto her back and noticed a clean bullet wound through the girl's forehead. Sue covered her mouth with one hand, and began to weep. Why did they kill her? Sue was adamant that Diana wasn't going to shoot her. Why? Dimitrius then joined Sue and reached for the young girl's wrist; there was no pulse. She was gone.

On the hill, Myles finally vomited. He wasn't mentally and physically well to begin with, and now killing a fourteen year old just added onto the mess. In his 16 year career with the FBI, he'd shot six people, but none of them were children.

Suddenly, Myles heard Jack's voice. "Myles, are you alright?"

Myles spat out whatever was left in his mouth. He continued to hold himself in a bent over position, in case he had to vomit again. He didn't respond to Jack, which worried the other man, but eventually Myles spoke, "Yeah, I'm good." When the feeling of sickness finally passed, the agent stood up straight and regained his composure. He said, "It's not the first time I've shot and killed someone." He then glared at Jack. "Don't you dare pin the blame on me. I was doing my job."

Jack interrupted, "I'm not. You saved Sue's life. There's no doubt in my mind that Diana was going to shoot her. Right now, my concern is you. I need to make sure you're alright before we go back to the office. Also, you know protocol. You will be under investigation, so make sure you give that rifle to me as soon as we get to the bottom of the hill."

Myles nodded in understanding, then he said, "I need to sit down."

9:00pm...

After supper, Sue and Jack were on the couch, trying to relax with coffee and tea. They were also holding each other's hands while sitting in complete silence. Jack wanted to reassure his fiancé, but he knew that no matter what he said, nothing could take her grief away. They both grieved in their own ways. He wasn't as connected and invested in the young girl as Sue was, but what happened was still a tragedy, and should have never occurred. On the other hand, Sue felt awful because the teenager had no business being with her brother today and getting involved at all; but, Diana's emotions got the better of her and she made a life changing decision. Sue was heartbroken; she was supposed to help Diana, not kill her.

Then, Sue said, "I failed her, Jack."

Jack replied, "Sometimes these things happen, and I'm sorry for both you and Diana. She truly didn't know that her brother was involved in the scam with her parents, and she thought we were wrongfully arresting Devin, and mistreating him. She just wanted to protect him, so they could live together, and she paid the price for it."

Sue wiped away her tears with her sleeve. "I know…it's just…she was so young, and had a bright future ahead of her. She's also Amanda's friend and now I have to tell Amanda that Diana is dead because she made a mistake and we had no choice, but to shoot her."

Jack set down his coffee, and massaged Sue's free hand. "Sue, I want you to listen to me. Do not blame Myles…he saved your life. Whether you like to believe it or not, Diana was going to shoot you, and if she did, you wouldn't be sitting with me here right now."

Sue looked away. She understood, but she didn't have to like it. "Diana was only fourteen. She was only in high school for two months. She could have done something valuable with her life. I remember…she said to me that she would like to join the FBI one day, because if I could do it, she knew she could too." After that statement, Jack wrapped his arm around his fiancé's shoulder. She then leaned into him and wept.

Chapter 7 is next…