The next day, Myles was dropped off on his driveway. There, he said his 'thank you's' and 'goodbyes' to Wanda and Gregory…for now. He was sure he'd see them again; maybe in the spring or summer next year when fishing season was at its peak. He had to admit that he didn't mind being around Wanda and Gregory, despite how annoying they could be. It was nice having some new friends.

He hoped that the couple would safely make it back to the Brandy Station. The highway was clear on their way to Washington, but once they entered DC, the snow storm had made itself known; it was clear that it had snowed in the area the night prior and it was still snowing. When the couple was out of sight, Myles then looked at his driveway and noticed that it had been recently shoveled to make it look like he was home. He guessed that either Sue, Jack or Bobby did it this morning as he knew full well Webber wouldn't dare enter his property and do something pleasant for him.

He then approached his front door and saw that it was secure and in one piece. It was obvious that Bobby had been careful when he broke into his home, but then again, Bobby was the master at picking locks. Once he made his way inside the house, he set his full suitcase aside and entered the kitchen. Flyers and mail from the last week and a half were on the table, so he assumed his friends did that for him as well. He grumbled, thinking that his friends were going to trick him into paying them for their services. He then went to his phone that was still on the charger, and was pleased to see that it was at 100% battery life. As he suspected though, he had some missed phone calls and dozens of voicemails, but before he dealt with that order of business, he needed to text Jack of his presence, make himself a cup of coffee, and relax in the living room for an hour or two.

Jack had taken the day off. He knew that Myles was coming home and wanted to make sure that the driveway was clear, that he was settled in, and that he was going to be okay alone. When Myles had notified Jack yesterday that he was coming back to DC, he assured Jack that he was alright and didn't want company for the remainder of the week, but Jack knew that Myles was pretty good at lying lately, so he needed to see for himself that his friend would be alright. After shoveling the snow from the driveway, brushing the snow away from his friend's now dead plants, and bringing in the mail into the house with a makeshift key that Bobby retrieved for him, he decided to go out for a bite to eat. Then, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, he received a text from Myles saying that he was home, and he made the decision to give his friend a surprise visit. No doubt his presence would tick off Myles, but Jack was just being a good friend.

After brewing a pot of coffee, Myles went to the living room, turned on the television, and watched sports highlights from the past week. While at the lake, he'd missed a lot of football games, so he needed to catch up on everything that happened before going back to work and looking like an idiot for falling behind on the latest scoop. Then, there was a knock on his door. He raised a brow, wondering who it could be at this time of day since everyone he knew should be at work. He told Jack quite vividly that he didn't want to be bothered, so maybe it was his sister, who was most likely stricken from his voicemail antics.

But it wasn't his sister. It was a man that he'd seen before…a man that he watched cry in the distance before he was put on paid medical leave. He - of whom Myles had killed his sister - was here before him, staring daggers into his soul. Myles didn't know what to do or say. Should he slam the door and run? Take the chance, and reach for his gun in the bedroom? Call for help? Or play stupid?

Myles tried the latter, "Can I help you?"

The man across from him said, "you know who I am, and I know who you are. Names are not important now, but I know that you are the man who killed my sister."

Myles thought for a moment, then said, "Devin? Aren't you supposed to be in court awaiting trial?"

Devin sniggered, "I made bail, and I could afford to pay my way out of court. It was also said that although I had developed the fraudulent plot, I was under the duress of my parents. They can't prove that I had used the programs, but they could with my parents." A pause. "But I'm not here to tell you of my arrest and what happened after." Suddenly, a Smith and Wesson pocket pistol was in view, and it was aimed at Myles' stomach region. Devin tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, so that residents walking by wouldn't see the gun.

Myles tried to be firm with Devin, "Are you here to kill me then?"

Devin gave the off duty agent a blank stare. He said, "Not yet. I just want to talk first…inside. It's cold."

Myles stopped for a moment before replying, "Okay…we will talk in the living room." Myles entered first, and Devin followed, but Devin didn't bother closing the door. They went into the living room, and both sunk down into the furniture awkwardly. The man wanted to talk, but Myles wasn't sure he could focus on a conversation with a gun pointed at him. They sat in silence for quite some time before Myles started:

"How did you find me?"

"I'm a genius. I have my ways of finding people who I despise."

Myles scoffed, "Well, you're not genius enough to evade the law."

"Shut up." Devin then sized up Myles. Myles refrained from looking at the convict. "I'm furious, Mr. Leland. I'm furious that you killed my sister. Why? You didn't have to pull that trigger."

Myles tried to explain himself on a more personable level, "Devin, I had a job to do…"

Devin's bottom lip quivered. He didn't plan on becoming an emotional wreck. He interrupted, "She was just a kid with realistic goals and dreams of living a peaceful life."

Myles slightly nodded. "I know. And I know how you feel."

"No, you don't! I'm her brother! She was my best friend! And she didn't deserve to be shot and killed by the FBI."

Myles said, "Devin, I agree wholeheartedly. She didn't deserve that, but the sad reality is that if someone aims a gun at another FBI agent and looks like they're going to shoot to kill, I have to do something. If I didn't pull the trigger, another one of my comrades would have, and you'd be at their house instead. As much as Diana didn't deserve it, she made a terrible decision that unfortunately cost her her life."

Devin took a couple of deep breaths. He looked away momentarily, seemingly conflicted about what he was currently doing. Quickly looking at Devin, for a moment, Myles was sure that the man wasn't going to end up killing him at all. Myles tried to be personable again, "I won't deny it. I hate what I had to do. I've shot and killed people in the past, but never a child. I also met Diana when she first came to our office asking for 'help.' I had an interpreter to help me converse with her, but in that brief moment, I admired her qualities of being cunning, believing in justice, and being capable of loving someone. She was a good girl, and I'm sure she would have grown up to be a fine lady. I'm so sorry, Devin. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope you can understand the situation."

Devin replied, "Oh - I understand, but I don't have to like it." He then lowered the gun, leaned into the back of the couch and wept. Then, "First I lost my land, the sanity of my mom due to that prick of a stepfather, and then my sister. And it's all your fault."

Myles sighed. He didn't know what else to do or say. If he survived this, he knew this wouldn't be good for his PTSD, but at least it was just another thing he'd learn to face. He asked again, "Are you going to kill me?"

Devin looked at the pistol in his grasp. "I don't know."

Myles then tried to convince Devin to leave, "Devin, if you go, I won't tell anyone about this. You can carry on with your life…"

The other man interjected, "No, I have nothing left to lose." He made up his mind, "You'll die."

Devin then raised the gun to Myles' head, but before the trigger could be pulled, Devin was pistol whipped by an uninvited guest; he collapsed onto the floor. Myles looked up to see Jack, saving the day yet again. After peeling the gun from Devin's grasp, and cuffing the unconscious felon, Jack focused his attention onto Myles and asked, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Myles replied, "It's about time you showed up, Prince Jack."

Jack answered, "I'm assuming that's a yes. Is this Devin?"

Myles rose from his seat. He confirmed, "Yes, it is. He got let go, paid his bond or whatever, and then decided to come here and have a chat with a little Smith and Wesson. Since he's a hacker, it's not surprising that he entered the FBI database and found my address. Luckily, you showed up, because my negotiation skills aren't up to par."

Jack, worried for the man, asked again, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Myles nodded firmly. "I am. Thank you…although what did I tell you about unexpected visits?"

Jack chuckled. "I can't help it. I like being a friend and a rule breaker."

Myles then suggested, "Let's not tell anyone about this, okay?"

"Understood, but I will be contacting FBI security and ask them why they allowed a hacker into their system."

Later that evening…

"YOU ALMOST GOT KILLED?!" screamed Anne. "Why is it that when I come home from holidays, there's always some drama I have to deal with?"

Myles - uncharacteristically slouching at the kitchen table - gave Anne an unimpressed look while she ranted. He wasn't annoyed or mad at Anne, but at Jack, who obviously told her everything that occurred while she was on holiday. She was livid with Myles, and his behavior and recent events, and he couldn't blame her. Anne then drew a large breath to calm herself after her twenty minute lecture. She questioned, "Don't lie to me…are you actually alright after…you know…everything?"

Myles looked at the surface of the table while he answered, "I don't know. The incident this afternoon wasn't good for me, but I've come to realize that my PTSD is just a part of me, so it's just another thing that I'll have to contend with. The reason I called you while you were in Europe was because I was told by a yoga instructor that I needed to tell someone, who I trust, how I truly felt about my condition. I held my feelings in for so long, put myself in denial, and bottled my emotions…it was only a matter of time before things got out of control."

Anne's ears perked. "Wait…you've been doing yoga?"

"Yes, meditative yoga. It's helped me tremendously, and it'll help me even more if I continue here in the city. Although I'm going to miss doing it in the fresh air."

Anne thought for a moment, then said, "Are you going back to work next week?"

Myles exhaled. "No, I don't think so. I think I'm going to take another month off. I need to find a new psychiatrist that'll give me a better behavioral therapy program and medication that doesn't make me queasy. After that, I don't know what else I'll do besides shoveling snow and indoor yoga."

Anne then had an idea. "Why don't we go on a family trip together? Just you and me? Although I came back early for you, I still have a couple weeks of holidays. We could go somewhere warm and do yoga there together."

Myles looked at his sister, but said nothing.

Anne said, "Don't worry, we will find a psychiatrist for you right away, and get you more sustainable medication before going on the trip, but you still need to get out of DC, so I think once that order of business is taken care of, we can leave the country for a few weeks. What do you say?"

Myles bit his lip. He was lucky that he still had some family left that genuinely cared for his well being. If it were his parents, they would tell him to get over it, and if it were his elder brothers, they would probably ignore him. He didn't regret rekindling the relationship with his little sister one bit.

"I think…getting out of the United States would be suitable for me. It's too bad that it took an unexpected trip to Lake Moomaw and a guy pointing a gun at me to come to this conclusion."

"Well," Anne continued, "Lake Moomaw wasn't entirely in vain. You learned there that you have to accept your condition instead of ignoring and fighting it. You also learned what activities helped you there such as yoga and fishing, and…by the sounds of it…you made some friends along the way."

"I was also given a tongue lashing by Sue. And Bobby and Jack broke into my house."

"Yeah, you were being an idiot. Maybe you should learn not to lie or hide things from your friends."

Myles shrugged. "I normally don't hide things from Sue, but…I just thought I could get away from everything and deal with it myself, but alas, that was a terrible decision to make."

Anne added, "And now you've learned not to be a prick."

Myles gave a slight smile, and lightly laughed. "I'm half of one now."

Chapter 25 is next…