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Of Kings and Pawns (IC)

Whiles James was off dealing with his own business that had even himself feeling extremely concerned, there was a less-than-happy conversation going on downstairs. Jon understood well enough that Charlie was only young - and much of what was going on must have been significantly stressful on the kids in particular. They were all just about old enough to know that things weren't quite right, so now all of the carers under that one roof could be expectant of questions and concerns. It had already started happening - it was one thing Frank didn't fully understand. No one seemed to be 'rushing' to get the kids as far away from it as possible. God knew that James could organize for that to happen, just so they could go away while it was dealt with and live a normal life. Even if none of them could go with them, they'd have each other's company, they could look after each other, no doubt.

Wouldn't that be better than worrying about if someone was going to kill them?

Regardless, Frank didn't voice that. It was a suitable suggestion, though, one where he'd, to his surprise, have more people on board with it than he first thought. A bit late now - Or was it? He didn't know. All he wanted was for Jordan to be somewhere safe. He wanted that for all the children they had here.

Jon wanted that, too, but the idea of Charlie being away from him? Fuck no.

It all seemed to be coming down on Charlie's head, though, and it was too much for him to cope with. A boat of information emptied on top of him so suddenly - cruel, but necessary.

"You hear me out a sec." Jon said, calmly, and reached out to take him by the arm. He slowly pulled him away from the wall and sat him down beside him again, this time dropping his arm a little tighter around his shoulders - not so much to make him uncomfortable, but, more of a way of assuring him that his words weren't going to be accompanied with a flimsy half-assed hug, and hopefully that what he was saying was going to be strong and serious.

"I won't lie to you." He said, softly. "I'm not saying we will leave, of course not. I can't determine if that'll happen yet, but honestly? Chances are it won't. The bags are very... Emergency, really. Last resort. I promise, me and James are making sure we're doing everything we can to have it so that we can all stay here, I swear." He explained. "You're asking a lot of questions, and all of them have answers. In times like this it's only normal to feel unsafe, to feel like there's something that's going to hurt you - but believe me, Charlie..." He rubbed his shoulder. "I'll tell you a million times - There isn't a single person under this roof that doesn't care about you, your mom, Jordan, Joseph - All of you have got everyone watching out for you. Me especially." He offered him a faint smile. "Because that's what people who care for each other do - they protect each other." He looked across the room for a moment and stayed quiet, just thinking to himself.

"If we do end up leaving, it won't be far from here. Things will still be normal." He said. "And I'll be right there with you if it happens - I've already promised your mom, and I'll promise you, as well - I'm not going to leave you guys. Not you, not mom, not Thalia. I'll do whatever it takes to stay with you, kiddo." He said, "And finally... The thing you said about guns... it's not the guns that hurt people, pal. It's the people that hurt people." He said. "Think about how many men and women out there all carry guns, people we trust - our soldiers, the spies of the nation, even the police officers. You've seen plenty of cops with guns, I bet, but I bet they've never tried to hurt you, have they?" He asked.

"Everything you've been through has taken its toll on you. And that's okay." He said, slowly turning to him and pulling him into a full hug this time, just holding him close, doing his best to offer all the comfort he could possibly give. "Things will be a little different - Sometimes you might find that something just hits you, and no matter what you do, you don't feel safe. Don't feel happy." He sighed, "Other times, you just might feel like you can't talk to anyone other than the people you care about most - you might not feel like you can trust anyone. That's okay, too, because all these things happen." He nodded.

"But we can't let these fears drag you down, or hold you back, can we?" He asked, his voice a whisper. "When my own son was a little younger than you, I always used to tell him, if he was scared of something, the best thing to do was to face it - because if you grow up being scared of it, chances are you're gonna' be scared of it forever. Or at least a lot longer than necessary." He explained. "And sure enough, he did. He faced his fears - he took the chance, sometimes with me, sometimes on his own - but he did it whenever he could, and trust me, Charlie, things turned out real great for him. It made him love life even more than he already did." He said.

"That's why, one day soon, me and you are gonna' go and stomp out this fear of yours, put it in its place and tell it it's not allowed to bother you anymore - the sooner we do that?" He let out a single laugh and patted Charlie's back. "The sooner you're gonna' be even more amazing than you already are, okay?" He smiled. "So c'mon... No tears." He said, resting his head down on top of Charlie's own. "We're here in California, and we're here to stay, be it here in Encino or way up in San Francisco - and I'll be damned if anyone can chase us out of here. They'll need more than an army to make me do that." He said, then his hand gently traveled up and down the surface of his back a few times. He could only hope that he'd given Charlie... Well, hope.
 
Thinking clearly wasn't the direction of thought that Charlie was heading in. The sight of the bags all over again, followed by Jon's warning of MAYBE leaving again were enough for him to retreat. And the fact this newfound guardian of his, his 'hero' in some ways, was targeting his specific fears and experiences only made matters worse. He was unconsciously backing up, even shivering in place. He was afraid, no doubt, and before Jon's words, he almost wanted to turn around and run for the door. If he did, he had no idea where he'd go, considering his room was now haunted with the sight of a packed back in case of an emergency - which he had a hunch was more of a preparation for the inevitable. And even through the man's words, even touch, it made him want to swat him away and go for the door. Promises of safety... and now that they were here, they had to hide away in a safe room or even run away from it all again? Two days of being on the road already had him paranoid, even under the illusion of being a spy. Now, he just wanted things to go back to normal, maybe better with Thalia back. Or would they?

Charlie had no doubt the people around him DID care, and that Jon wasn't going to let him or his family get hurt. But why must their lives be so difficult? Why couldn't Thalia just... come home? Why did they have to come to her? His life was now flooded with so much in the way of new experiences, followed by what he assumed would be a full life overhaul. Jon didn't lie. He did say it was a maybe. But probably not? He didn't like that, not because he didn't like good news, but because he didn't believe it. He kept his head hanging low as he was seated by Jon's side, his arms crossed over his stomach. He didn't want to make eye contact with this protective figure. All he wanted was stability, to stay here and live in peace like he was in Philadelphia before his father was killed. "I don't wanna go anywhere," he whimpered, still rather stiff. "I wanna stop moving and stay somewhere. And Mommy's been acting really different, everyone looks so stressed. I know we have to leave again, and I don't want to. All I want is the bad people to go away and stop hurting us. And you promised me that."

There's no way Jon could explain to a child that his mother had just seen a severed head show up at the door - he couldn't mention the head at ALL. But he went on to show his understanding. "I get it, though. Grown up stuff. I just don't want them to keep trying to hurt us. I wanna stop and relax. I thought we were doing that before, but if we have to pack to MAYBE leave? I don't know..."

Next came the laser tag incident, with guns. Jon tried to rationalize what was placed in Charlie's mind as an irrational fear, showing that not everyone who holds a gun necessarily had bad intentions. Cops, people in the military... spies, which appealed to him more than anything. He didn't see Jon with a gun, ever, and he didn't see the execution at the airport either, so that image of Jon was clear as day. It's why, when his fear of guns kicked in, he wasn't immediately repelled. It made him calm down... loosen up, just a bit. His head leaned over onto Jon's shoulder in an effort to support himself as he was close to tears, but trying not to reach that point just yet. Things were going to be very different, and probably won't go back to the way they were. And true, now was a definite low point of their venture. But he figured he'd brave it through. Hope they don't have to leave again. Jon also spoke of kicking the fear, by facing it? He had a share of that at the laser tag place when Joseph 'shot' himself with the gun in his knee, and it proved THAT gun wasn't real. But what about actual guns? Would he have another breakdown in the face of one?

But what Jon said... it would make him happier, better than before? Was that true? He'd never had a fear as traumatic as this one, so he really couldn't tell from experience. He let out a deep huff for a sigh, still really down, but tried his best to relax from the previous tension. "I guess... okay. But promise me you will do whatever you can so we don't have to leave. I actually like it here and don't wanna keep running away."
 
Jon sat there and listened to Charlie - something he'd done a lot since he met him. It was the least he could offer him, though, so he just patiently played it out and waited for Charlie to get in all the words he needed to - and there was a lot he was worrying about, a lot an eight-year-old shouldn't have even been thinking about - shouldn't have been aware of, even. It was sad, but, Jon was determined to fix things and give the boy a normal life, even if it meant throwing himself in the face of danger to do so. There was always the chance that Jon would get injured, but, he too damn stubborn to just die - at least now he had a reason to be careful, didn't he? He still had a lot of tricks and surprises up his sleeve, one of which Charlie would play a big part in. All in good time, though, right?

"Well." He sighed, "Everyone is stressed, yeah, I won't lie about that. You see, when things threaten our wellbeing, the lives we know, it's only natural for us to become stressed. It's human nature. It's natural for any species in the entire world to be stressed when bad things happen. When forests get cut down, the wildlife within them get stressed out, panicked - but they adapt. And humans? Humans are the best species at adapting. We've done it for millions of years, and we're not gonna' stop anytime soon." He said. "Believe me, we're all worried, all stressed - but that's a good thing. It helps us ready ourselves for when things go wrong." He explained. "In life things take time - and the most important thing you can learn, Charlie, is that things do go wrong. Things can't always be perfect - and life is unfair, but it's still good." He rubbed his back.

"We can stop and relax soon, pal, I promise. You just gotta' hang with us for one final push, and as soon as that's done, me, you, mom, and Thalia can all go on and have a normal life again. You'll have your new friends still, and there won't be any worries. You guys can hang out together, you won't have to stay around in the house, you can go and play soccer on the street, meet them at the park - whatever it may be. Things are worth waiting for, because, well, good things come to those who wait." He smiled.

Jon had a big promise to make, too - not necessarily one he could keep, but one he'd try damn hard to uphold.

"I promise. Everything in my power will go towards making sure we stay here. Keep in mind that if it means keeping you guys safe, leaving might be our only choice - but I swear that I'll do whatever I can." He said. "Like I said... Things will be okay soon. No matter what happens, I'll make sure you and me always have each other to turn to. I'll make sure I'm always there to watch out for you and your mom, and Thalia? She doesn't really need my help - but... For you, I'll keep an eye on her as well, too." He winked.

--

James had done the business of checking the CCTV cameras. He'd been looking at them all intently - following Thalia and Karin's footsteps all day since they arrived at the restaurant. Every camera they came into view on, he was there to make sure that they didn't take any detours. From what he saw, they didn't. Not a single detour - Thalia didn't vanish. She didn't go off and be part of his father's butchering. So why the hell was that sent to them? Why did they make it such an obvious thing in the footage? Did they not know that there was someone who was capable of verifying all of that? Was it only meant to serve as a distraction more than anything else? James feared the worst. Why would they send something so blatantly obvious if they knew it was going to gain them nothing? What if there was deeper meaning behind this?

The address was exposed, though, so that was more of a worry than anything else. What if all the past events were tied in? At this point in time, who or if there was a traitor didn't matter. What mattered was keeping everyone safe - chasing ghosts would only end up getting someone killed, or losing someone beyond a point where they could get them back. It was definitely going to be a difficult thing to do, if they lost anyone - be it to the police or otherwise. The police at least wouldn't hack their heads off as soon as they got a moment's chance. The police, though? A bit of a different story, considering Al-Asheera and Bradan had people in their ranks. It was possibly more deadly, when you look at it that way.

Only time will tell.

Still, James went and found Tony, wherever he may have been, and he got in close and started to whisper.

"Thalia checks out. She didn't leave Karin's side all day." He said. "The only time they were apart was when either one of them went to the bathroom, and that was only for a couple of minutes, at best." He said. "The video's trying to cause war among us. Reeves is trying to play you." He said.
 
The most appropriate place Tony could find to bury the only remaining part of his father's body was in a distant corner of James' vast yard. Somewhere nobody would accidentally stumble upon it or dig it up. It wasn't quite the proper burial he had in mind, but it was all he could manage for now. It's not like Tony didn't see this day coming. Alzheimer's wouldn't be the death of Patrick Walsh, but his son surely wish it weren't something as terrible as beheading. If only it could've been a peaceful end. Instead, his own actions lead a gang to take revenge in the most hostile way. Tony would forever have a bullseye on his back from Al-Asheera, maybe even from the underlings and small-team thieves that worshiped Ra's religiously and wanted some corrupt form of justice for their lord and savior. It wasn't Tony that ended the kingpin's life, though, but nobody would ever know that besides Reeves. The underlings would believe so, and pursue the vendetta until Tony had nobody left to love. The list was already fairly short. Maybe it was at its end, now. All that was left was the slay the killer. And they knew exactly where he'd be.

Funerals were something Tony had grown used to, attending many in the past for investigative purposes and to further understand a homicide case. Rarely were they for loved ones near and dear to himself. This one was quite impromptu. No tombstone or written words. Just a simple cross placed in stones to signal its location for future reference with the head buried within the box it was brought in. The detective could barely open the package again to look the man in the eyes. If only he could've at least visited last Saturday, like he always promised he would do. Now those visits would be to the burial grounds. It's like he could still hear his father's voice in his head at their last visit... the old man's innocent, harmless voice, and Tony's youthful one in the most enthusiastic way possible.

"Tony..."
"Yes, Dad?"
"You're... you're coming back, right?"
"Of course, Dad. Next week, Saturday evening, I take you to wings, then bingo night."
"I just... don't..."
"Dad... it's okay. I love you."
"I love you too, son."

Such memories brought tears to his eyes in his lonesome, kneeling before the small grave, back turned to the house, and head bowed as he said a few prayers in his head. So this was goodbye to a poor old man who didn't deserve his cruel fate. And Tony could only blame himself.

The alone time didn't last when James returned, prompting him to wipe the tears off from his cheeks and stand up to his feet, dusting off the dirt from his knees. He sighed, his eyes red and cheeks damp - it didn't take a genius to see that. In a brave effort to overcome his sorrows, he tried to talk the pain away through his memories. "You probably did your homework, so you know my father wasn't quite well. My job kept me busy and pressured me to place him in a nursing home for proper treatment. Money wasn't an issue. The department helped with that. But ever since he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I made a habit of at least seeing him every Saturday night. I'd check him out, take him for wings, then make it back to the nursing home for bingo night. Huh... call me old for participating in that, but with Dad it was.... nice. And this past Saturday I couldn't make it because of... this. I know he probably doesn't remember the routine but... it meant a lot to me. And I know if he were in his right mind, he'd appreciate it, too." He huffed in an attempt to remain calm, glancing back down at the grave. "I wish I could've buried him by Mom. In their joint memory. But at least putting him to rest peacefully gives... some closure."

He then moved over to the subject of the video included in the package: Thalia was innocent. Had nothing to do with the execution. Thank God. He nodded. "That's good to know. I don't know why she'd ever.... do that to me. To him. To hurt a defenseless old man like that. You... you didn't see the video, James. You didn't see what those brutes did to him. He was just... there. Eating breakfast, thinking Reeves was me. Then, out of nowhere, a man dressed like a cop just.... walks up from behind him with a dagger and..." Words didn't need to tell what happened next, and tears began to escape Tony's eyes again. He sniffled and looked to the sky. "You get the picture. I know you've seen worse, and I've seen some nasty things in my time... but when it's your father getting slaughter like a pig, it hits you. Hits you like a punch to the gut and the pain doesn't go away."

--

Jon, understandably, was trying to plant whatever sort of hope into Charlie's mind that he could. The boy was afraid, and clearly not thinking positive like he should be. And it hurt to try and remain hopeful. Maybe all he wanted in his innocent mind was to be hugged and told everything was going to be okay. Or, maybe he wanted to hear this from someone more deeply involved. Though young, Charlie was aware Jon was sent to help them out after a greater, more horrible event conspired. But where was the heart of the chaos? James and Thalia, whatever the two were up to. Jon was very emotionally invested in the Griffins, and would tell him or his mother anything to make them happy. As much as he enjoyed the positive vibes and the existence of a strong, fatherly figure, he needed a little bit more than that. As much as half of him feared her, Charlie wanted a talk with his big sister. What really happened so long ago, and why bad people were chasing them from the start. He wanted answered, uncensored. And Jon wasn't going to give them to him.

What Jon could give him was a deep, meaningful hug, which is what Charlie did by wrapping his arms around the man, so suddenly, but so meaningfully. He truly was a second father to the boy, especially in a time of need. Part of what he said about kick the fear was scary, but he knew he'd have to face that eventually. With his face buried in the man's shoulder, Charlie muffled, "Thank you, Jon. For helping me and my family. I don't know what I'd do without you. What Mommy would do..." His face separated from the shoulder, as he went on. "You know... Mommy was so sad up until you came along. And after the ride in the car to Ohio, she just seemed to start... smiling. Seeing Mommy smile isn't really... a thing with strangers, so that's why I was surprised. But I like when she smiles more. And you do that to her. Only Daddy used to make her smile..."

Perhaps that was a subconscious desire within Charlie for Nicole and Jon to foster a deeper relationship than the one they had. Surely, he wasn't the only one who wanted that. And also wasn't one Nicole would've said no to at this point. Jon was there to break such a strong independent woman's fall more times than she felt she deserved. So maybe, in time, they could be something more.

But for now, Charlie stepped off from the bed up on his feet, rolling his head up straight, and telling Jon, "I'm... gonna go talk to Thalia. I have to ask her something." And almost like a robot, he marched off and out of his room, away from the scary look of packed bags, and to the room of his sister. She and Joseph had taken a break from their French lessons, and Thalia was fast at work packing her own emergency bag. Thankfully, James had bought her a new wardrobe after she'd stained her few remaining clothes in blood. Not to mention the new clothing she and Karin had just bought. What she wasn't expecting once she'd finished and put the suitcase aside was a few gentle knocks on the door. Young ones, so it wasn't anything to worry about or prepare for combat. Unaware of who her little guest might be, most probably between Joseph and Charlie, she called out:

"Come in."
 
"Things like that always hit you hard." James nodded, his words quiet. He looked off to the side for a moment, then took a deep breath and began muttering a story he hadn't shared with many. "A long time ago I knew a girl called Miracle." He said. "She and I were very close. So close that she ended up pregnant - and time and time again, I got cocky. I told myself and her that I could manage one more job. One job turned to another, and another turned to a dozen. Every time my excuse was 'with this we'll have enough to settle for the rest of our lives'." He shook his head and let out a pissed off sounding laugh. "And that was the end of it, really." He shrugged.

"You don't forget what happens, not when it's to this level." He said. "Miracle was killed when I pissed off the wrong people, and alongside it, her baby. What can I do? Absolutely nothing." He said. "I was cocky, like you are." He nodded a few times. "That's not meant as an insult, either, because... Well, it's what you are. It's in your nature." He explained. "You and I are very alike. We can never have enough. We never want to stop because we feel like we're invincible to some extent. And in ways it's true. You and I are invincible because of how we approach things. It's often those that cower in fear that lose." He said. "I know it sounds crazy, but where would we be if we'd never stood up to the bullshit?"

He looked at him for a moment, "Even when I found Miracle hung by a meat hook in the basement of a house, I still didn't give up. And you can't give up either, no matter what." He said. "I see good things for you - providing you settle. As soon as this is over... Hand back your badge, take the peaceful life, maybe just be a 911 operator of all things. But don't go back to law. It's the source of all your suffering." He explained. "You'll be okay, I know it. Don't let this hold you back, take your time to grieve, then come back strong. But believe me, this is the calm before the storm." He shook his head. "Everyone needs to be protected now, more than ever. If we fail now, it's game over. I believe that you're capable - regardless of the past or future, you're capable of doing more than you may think." He said.

He glanced to the floor, "I fear what may happen. It's obvious that this is nothing more than a distraction, Tony. The video, I mean." He said. "I don't like the taste of it all. I feel shit's going to hit the fan faster than we know it, but we'll see how it goes, I suppose." He said. "The kids all need to have a normal life. I don't want anything getting in the way of that, and I'm sure you don't either." He said. "This..." He nodded down to the little patch. "This will only hold you down for so long. You'll be okay."

--

LAPD HQ, Los Angeles.

"The targets we have, gentleman, are Thalia Griffin, now one of the country's most wanted, Detective Frank Hale, Detective Tony Walsh, and a man who goes by the alias of 'Fritzy', someone believed to be involved in the crimes that have taken place over the place over the past while, and finally, Karin Held - the woman who has now been identified as a possible accomplice. Her neighbor's stated that he's not seen her for a few days, leading us to believe that she may be on the run and in hiding with Thalia Griffin. On top of this... Frank Hale is currently wanted for the abduction of David Redgrave's son - six-year-old Jordan Redgrave - and potentially the murder of the aforementioned Redgrave, your SWAT Commander."

It was the FBI briefing them. This was their case now.

"I'd like you to keep one thing in mind, Agent." Captain Bradshaw called out, "Hale recently warned us of the bombs planted throughout the city. Where he got this information, I'm not sure, but he kept to his word and gave me evidence that Jordan Redgrave is alive, well, and happy." He explained. "If not for Hale, thousands of people would right now be dead, and some of the most famous and most busy landmarks this city has would be rubble and stuffed with corpses. Including a hospital." He furrowed his brow, "There's not a chance in hell that Hale killed Redgrave. He told me that the only reason he has Jordan with him and didn't hand him over was because Bradan's people are apparently still looking for him."

"Thank you, Captain." The agent turned away. "Anyway, this is a situation that shall be approached with caution - We'll move into the house in Encino, as planned, and we're going to be taking things carefully. Thalia Griffin is currently on a shoot-to-kill order if needed. You can expect her to be armed and dangerous, so, if she tries to run whenever we get there, you're more than welcome to put a bullet in her back to save us any trouble. Thalia Griffin is wanted mainly for premeditated - but failed - terrorism, and also several robberies and murders that have taken place over a number of days here in LA. Fritzy is an infamous hacker that the FBI have been pursuing. Our reasons for being so intent on capturing said man or woman will remain undisclosed for now. Federal business, but if you find him or her, you're not allowed to use lethal force unless absolutely necessary. Karin Held, no force unless needed. Walsh - the partner of Frank Hale and believed to be involved, as well as Hale, are believed to both be armed as their service pistols were never returned. If they show any resistance, once again, lethal force is authorized."

"Our Tactical Team will lead the operation with you gents providing backup. As we're dealing with an infamous grey-hat, we're keeping communications to the bare-minimum until we get in range of the house. Even if someone is tapping in to our channels, if we don't talk of our operations unti we're close, there's nowhere for them to run before we get there. Sounds simple enough, yes?" He asked. "Also, one other thing... Check your crossfire. As we believe that Jordan Redgrave and potentially Joseph Held are both within the house, if shots do get fired, I don't want to see either of them within fifteen feet of it happening, is that clear?"

There was a series of 'yes sirs' and 'yups' from around the room.

The Agent stood tall for just a second, then nodded a few times. "Alright, then let's get this thing started."

Shortly After...

"Bradan, I've found out something. Frank Hale." He whispered.

"Eh?"

"He has the Commander's son. He's in hiding."

"Fantastic. I'll have some people on that right away."

"He's onto you, though. He knows you're after the boy."

"An easy assumption to make. That's fine. What danger is one man?"

"There may be others. I wouldn't recommend getting involved yourself."

"Hmpf."

"Please. Stay out of it. I'll get some people together and track them down myself if I have to."

"As you wish... Don't let me down now."

"I won't, sir."

The secrets were out there - Was Frank's time limited? Was Jordan's, too?
 
Charlie turned the knob on the door and allowed himself to enter, slowly stepping inside to see that big sister of his that he'd heard so much about. Seeing her more often did relieve that feeling he was stunned with the first time - that fear of her being unlike him, a threat. But she wouldn't hurt a hair on his head, as he'd seen in time. Now, it seemed like he trusted her with some of his deeper, darker fears. Fears that his mother and Jon couldn't put in their places. But it went a tad further than a fear. It seemed more like a temptation that he needed to vent about. And this wasn't quite something he could discuss with his parents, or similar figures. It was an issue only a fellow youth like Thalia could understand fully.

He approached his sister, hands folded in front of him, walking as if he were marching to the time-out corner. His head was slightly bowed and eyes elevated to peek at the taller girl's eyes. He looked guilty, even though he'd done nothing wrong. It brought Thalia into a state of confusion to see her brother so troubled. Her expression showed a mild sense of caring, as much as a girl who'd lived on the streets could've, but in comparison to Al-Asheera, she probably had the most heart of many. She could try her best to give him advice, even if her type of advice wouldn't apply to a child catered to everything he pleases. But what if Charlie's concern revolved around something Thalia could relate to in her time in a street gang? As a thief? Or maybe something deeper, from the very beginning... running away. The trouble going through a kid's head when they question their life, want to get away from their troubles. Thalia felt that eight years ago. Now it was Charlie's turn.

"What's up, Charlie?"

"Um..." he stuttered. "I wanted to ask you something. Something I don't wanna ask Mommy. Or Jon."

"Oh?" she said, more confused than ever. She extended her right hand forward, a hand reaching forward to give him comfort. Maybe seat him by her side if it made him feel better. She feared, though. Charlie had felt discomfort with her hand ink before. Would he once again less than a day later?

No. Surprisingly, he lifted his own hand took hers. It drew a smile over her face as she took him to the bed and they sat side by side. Before Thalia could ask Charlie to begin, he did on his own, raising his head to face her, his eyes screaming young innocence compared to her own adolescent corruption: "Did they make you pack your bags, too?"

She stroked his long hair from his forehead, acting a bit surprised, as if for his own good, "Pack? Pack for what?"

Charlie's eyes wandered the room quickly, noticing the obvious suitcase in the corner of the room by her closet. That spoke for itself; Thalia was giving him the same treatment to shield him from the troubles ahead of him. He figured she'd give him the cold, honest truth. But it seemed not. "So you're going to do that, too?"

"Wait... do what?"

"Lie to me."

Her eyes shot out. "W-What are you talking..."

"Jon told me everything was okay, but he told me he packed my bags again in case we have to leave. That means we aren't safe, right?"

Thalia sighed. Charlie was a mind years beyond his age, and clearly didn't want a shroud of innocence around his eyes. At a point of her life, she wanted the same thing - no lies to make her feel better about herself. Seems like Thalia and Charlie were cut from the same cloth in more ways than one. It left the older sister speechless for a moment. Part of her wanted to give Charlie his wish - honesty, no matter how much it would worry him. On the contrary, she thought it might put him at ease. Some brutal truth rather than the comfort. She knew that pain, that craving. That might be why he came to her. Time to break down the facade: "So you know."

Charlie shook his head. "I want you to tell me what's wrong. No lying like Mommy and Jon are. And why is Mommy acting funny?"

How could she possibly tell him the details of their mother receiving a head in the mail? She could go on about the other things and the seriousness of their situation... but how would she describe the delivery? She nodded very slightly. The other adults under the roof would tear the ass out of her later for inflicting fear into the boy... but she knew he needed a different approach. Her heart was racing at the fear of his reaction, and she fastened a proper grip on his hand to keep her with him. "Yes, Charlie. We're in trouble. Yes, I fear we're going to have to get out of this house soon. All because of the same threat...." She gulped.... Did he know? "...the same threat that killed Daddy." He didn't react much, so he clearly wasn't surprised. "It's a threat I, myself, brought onto us without even knowing, but am in the process of fixing. And I don't know how much longer I can go on this way."

Rather than react, Charlie had another question. "When can we just sit back and relax? Stop running and try to be normal? Mommy was so happy after she saw you yesterday. Why can't we stay that happy? Why are things going so wrong?"

"Because... well..." There was an answer to all of this in her mind. An honest one. "Because of me."

"Hm?"

"If I'd never run away, none of this would've happened," her voice cracked with her words, eyes drifting away from contact with the boy. "We'd both still be in Philly. We'd be safe at home, Daddy still alive, as one happy family. Nobody would be in trouble, and things wouldn't be going wrong. You wanted the truth, right?"

Charlie froze in place. All the nice things he'd heard about Thalia... all wrong? All because she caused this disaster? "Is that why you have tattoos and piercings?"

She nodded. "It's a long story."

"I want to hear it."

"You really don't. It's too horrible for anyone to wanna know."

He scooted closer to her, gripping her by the elbow with his other hand, practically clinging to her. What was he so attached to after hearing all of this? "I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."

There wasn't much for Thalia to learn from Charlie, but his gesture meant the world to her. The two were developing a sibling bond. It's what she wanted for so long, what she vented to Karin about in the very beginning, that one day, she'd be with her brother and they'd be able to sit back, past aside, and talk. Now was the time to get the past off the table and move on. And with that... how could she say no?

--

Tony didn't expect James to open up about his past, and for a while, he would've never bothered ask. Why would it matter anyway? There was no trust between the criminal mastermind and the detectives for so long that whatever their backstories were probably meant precious little to one another. But not to Tony when heard about a past lover from James. He'd heard stories like this time and time again, be it in works of creative fiction or in the field as a detective. Partners in crime and in the bed, falling apart due to one member getting greedy. Like James said, the whole 'this will set us for life' complex kicked in. But he could never have enough. In a way, James was right about Tony being similar. He had gone on about how Al-Asheera would be his swan song... but would it really be in the end?

"I'm sorry to hear about that," he sighed. "But I can't argue with that, really. I was getting greedy. And over-confident. This was supposed to be my big takedown, what would define my career and let me go down in the books. Hell, if things didn't turn out the way they did... had Karin and Thalia, and you as well, not had me and Frank by the balls from day one, I think we would've brought Thalia in, had her in lockup, and tortured her for information just to settle this. Less messy. But it panned out like this. Lives were lost, or destroyed here among the living. All for some career-defining moment, some fifteen minutes of fame when the leader of Al-Asheera gets taken away in handcuffs. And after I'd killed Ra's, I thought I would have that satisfaction. Until Reeves came after my father..." His eyes fell back down to the makeshift grave by his feet. "Then I knew this wasn't over."

He nodded at the next part: a quieter life later on. "It's not like I can go back to the LAPD now. Last time I was there, I was arrested as an accessory to murder, and word gets around in the department. Fast. Once Reeves is caught, I might be subject to investigation as well. So even if I wanted to keep this up, I couldn't. My plans were originally to take my old man out of California entirely, just so I can spend more time with him... but I guess that won't be the case." He shook his head as it fell in a downward glance. "I still plan on leaving, though. To where? I don't know. Somewhere, to do something. I'll find that out for myself later."

Fear... everyone was afraid, that was for sure. Receiving a head in a box didn't help that atmosphere, either. And James was admitting to it. "We all need to move past this for the better. It's just sickening that three kids are caught in the middle of it. It's like people have lost their humanity. I mean, the way Ra's would treat Thalia, forcing her to marry him and all, shooting a pastor in the middle of a church... what Bradan's men did to Redgrave's daughter, and the list really goes on. What's important will be moving on. Because now, it's all a matter of finding Reeves and putting him down."

The last part... would Tony be okay? Now definitely didn't seem like a time to think so. He just gave a brief nod, then a friendly tap to James' shoulder, his facial expression not changing much from the beginning. "I say we head back inside. It's getting a bit late, and I bet the kids are hungry and all." Although Nicole was preparing food as it was, which Tony had seen before heading outside. Maybe James would want to help.
 
"It's only on the path of wandering that we find where we truly belong, Tony." He said, simply. "And I know I promised it for Melissa, but, if you'd be interested, I'd be willing to get you on a plane to that island I told you about, give you a place nearby a nice resort, maybe some Greek lessons. Who knows." He shrugged, "Either way, maybe if you went there you'd find what you're looking for. As you can imagine, once this is all over I'll have some affairs of my own to get in order, but I doubt it's the last you'll hear from me." He said.

"I mean that as nicely as possible, too - Everyone I work with? I tend to keep track of them. Obviously I don't break their bank accounts or deny their job applications before the employers see them, but... Just simple things, really." He said. "Things will be alright. Hopefully any upcoming storms don't hit us too hard. We'll see. I know for a fact that Frank's business isn't over - I'm sure he still feels alone, too. But I'll be helping as much as I can. Bradan's plagued this city far more than Al-Asheera - Time-wise, of course. I've lived here most of my adult life and the whole time they were always a fear. Al-Asheera are new blood who quickly fell to a city they underestimated."

"Whether or not you'd like to assist is down to you, of course. If you decide to, though, I can assure it'll be rewarded rather handsomely. If not... You're still a free man. Whatever you think's right, Tony." He said, then looked down at the patch his father was buried on. "Maybe we couldn't save him, but, I get the feeling you still have the chance to do what's right and save someone else." He smiled, and with that, he went to go back into the house as well. Everyone was a little hungry, and the idea of food being prepared was good. Would things actually return to normal, even for one day?

Seeing as the FBI and LAPD were loading into SWAT vans as they spoke - not a chance.

...

A bit of time went by, and James was clueless. The police scanner hadn't given anything. James was sat there in his room watching the CCTV of the house and the CCTV attached to other houses in the neighborhood. Yes, he could break into all of that quite easily, as most people didn't even protect it with passwords or any form of encryption. But they were on their way, and by the time James noticed it... They were literally a block away.

Three SWAT vans, eight police cruisers, as well as unmarked units following shortly behind.

"Oh, shit!" He yelled, and that was probably loud enough for most people to hear. He was immediately up and out of his seat. He grabbed his phone and near enough dove down the stairs.

"Everyone get your asses down in the safe room, right now!" He called. He dashed through the house, the first place he went to being Joseph's room. He barged inside and Joseph jumped to his feet - he was innocently sat at his laptop playing Minecraft, but he looked shocked and even panicked when he saw James' expression.

"James?"

"Joseph, no time to explain." He said, quickly taking him by the arm. "Go through to the bar room and wait there. Turn the light on the wall off to the left, the one by the shelving that has all the glasses, okay?"

"But-"

"Do it." He said, closing the laptop, and Joseph just submitted and gave a nod. Off he went. On his way there he bumped into Karin - and Frank and Jordan, and most likely Tony, too. But where was his other friend? He hoped he'd be okay, but he was in no place to argue. James took the chance he had to run and find Jon, and anyone else who wasn't there, but he'd hoped Thalia had heard him - by the time he'd gotten things sorted (including hiding Joe's laptop under his mattress), the cars pulled up right outside the door, basically. James dashed right back to the safe room. The Butler was there, too.

"Is Thalia here? Charlie?" He asked, ushering the adults with children into the basement first. He looked at Nicole and Jon, and he could only guess that the answer was no.

"I thought she was with you."

There was the first massive slam against the front door.

"Fuck." James said.

Karin immediately barged past him and sprinted towards Thalia's room. "Thalia, no!" She called out. Idiocy on her part, really. Life was about to get very difficult for her. James didn't even have time to go back and save her - Joseph was in tears as soon as she took off, but there was no time. The door flew off its hinges as soon as she rounded the corner, and James quite literally forced everyone down the stairs if they tried to ger past, and he promptly slammed the door behind him.

Luckily the Butler knew the code, so he let them in. The two kids that were there were already really upset. As for Nicole, James was sure her reaction would be far from happy. Jon was... A mess. He'd assumed that James would bring Thalia and Charlie at the very least. So part of him was fucking pissed. Was it too late? Would Charlie and Thalia be hauled away? Thalia for definite, because he could only assume that it was the police.

To be honest, he hoped it was.

Karin rounded the corner in the meantime and was stopped dead in her tracks. She was faced with around fifteen SWAT officers, and...

"Freeze! Get on the fucking ground!" The lead man screamed, and immediately Karin dropped to her knees and tears started to well up in her eyes. At least she tried - but this time, trying wasn't enough.

They started to clear all the rooms while another man came and zip-tied her wrists together.

I'm sorry, Thalia.
 
A disaster was quite literally at the doorstep to the mansion, and getting closer as James rallied the inhabitants as quickly as he could to his bunker, the one place they'd be safe. But moving everyone oneshot would not be taken lightly by everyone, particularly not the children who were in tears and distressed on the way to safety. If anything, Tony was handling it alright. Although this was, indeed, his doing, he was trying his best to remain calm and ensure everyone's safety. It was only natural as a detective to not break down in such a situation. He'd been in the heart of evacuations before, so this felt rather natural to him. The advantage was that there weren't many people to gather, and most of them were prepared and warned this would happen. But this quick? James was right - almost framing Thalia was a distraction. At this rate, a proper evacuation to a safer place where nobody would find them wasn't going to happen. At least Charlie didn't have to worry about them all leaving.... sort of. He'd only have to worry about himself leaving simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Tony quickly followed his partner Frank down to the bunker, definitely taken slightly off-guard in his depressed state of mind, but still ready to move if needed. He had a slight hope that the incoming SWAT team would respect the grave in place for his father, but he had severe doubts about that. The incoming team would tear the place apart for clues on bringing down Al-Asheera, so he sucked it up and followed the pack alongside Frank. He figured everyone would be safe, despite the sight of distressed Joseph and Jordan and a nearly-broken-down Nicole. Frank, Jon, and James were probably used to the chaos...

But where were Thalia and Charlie?

It had to stress out their mother more than anyone, who was rushed down to the bunker, quite literally dropping what she was doing, and forced to follow along into what looked to her like a doomsday hideout. The entire time Jon had her hand held and guided the way, she could only think of two priorities: her children. Sure, she could've assumed Thalia was a big girl and could get to the bunker alone, but Charlie? Not a chance. He was so young, so innocent. He would be so confused right now. And the entire time to the location, she was just waiting to catch him in her arms and keep him safe, tell him he'd be alright. But once she reached the home beneath the home... her little boy was nowhere to be found. Neither was her eldest. Her eyes darted back and forth in the confines, eventually finding themselves on Joseph and Jordan on occasions. Maybe Charlie tagged along with them? She couldn't know ahead of time... but now she did. Charlie wasn't with his friends, and not with James either. Then came the thuds of the entry. Then Karin's rash move of going back for Thalia, which confirmed she wasn't there. Nicole froze in place, her hands shaking unconsciously, eventually wrapping around her waist, looking around the place, unable to settle down until she could confirm her children's safety. It wouldn't happen. If Karin had to take off into the danger zone to find her, then, surely, Thalia was in trouble. Eventually, Nicole turned to the man she'd found comfort in for so long, never this fearful in her life. Not even at the news of her husband's death, or even the head that'd shown up not long ago.

"Jon?" she shivered, "M-My children... Charlie, Thalia, where are they? Tell me they're somewhere safe. Tell me they're not up there getting taken away by law enforcement. My lord, Jon... they're all I have. I would take their place up there if I had to, so long as they were somewhere safe..." Her hands lifted over her forehead, as her entire head bobbed inward as she went on in her mother tongue in a softer voice, "Mon dieu, mes enfants..." [My God, my children...]

Nicole was near the point of tears and mumbling on beyond the point people could understand, and Tony could only watch over from a distance. He'd comforted weeping mothers before, but he felt this was a situation more suited for Jon, so... all he did was watch in remorse. How could he face her after his father's head showed up in a box for her to see? The poor woman... she'd just got her daughter back, only to lose her again? No doubt the police and feds had a shoot-on-sight order, so things weren't looking good for Thalia if she were still up there. He doubted SWAT would kill a child though, but the trauma would shake up Charlie decently, and he feared that. His gaze returned to Frank, wherever he might've been, and spoke in a soft voice so Nicole wouldn't hear, "Frank... Tell me you saw Thalia and Charlie up there. If not... god damn it, we need to get them out of lockup, wherever they end up. Karin, too. She'd toast up there, and you know it. We just have to hope they don't shoot them both on sight."

--

Thalia's Bedroom...

What began as a moment of fear and questioning evolved into a story-telling time between the two siblings, each speaking of the lives they once lived before they were brought together. Charlie went on about the achievements of his young life, the very ones Thalia was already familiar with thanks to James' quick research, but hearing them coming from his own lips brought joy to her heart. This is what she had dreamed of for years, ever since she had found out she had a brother. Not to mention how proud she was of his accomplishments and not surprised that their mother was taking Charlie down the same path. But at the same time, she seemed a bit more lenient. Unlike with Thalia, Nicole didn't force Charlie to speak French at home or go to mass every Sunday, as well as tailored his activities to those the boy enjoyed. Perhaps life could've improved had the runaway stayed home. Everyone would be happy. Strict, but happy. She'd get to see every event and medal he'd won in his time, and, if he went into acting like he mentioned at one point, she'd get to watch. But it wasn't too late to build those memories. Charlie was young, and in some ways, Thalia had a lot of youth to recover. Maybe moving back in with her mother would help.

Charlie's story was a fun, enjoyable one... but Thalia's only started that way to Charlie. Her activities like ballet and acting did appeal to him in one way or another, as they were very similar to what their mother grew to enjoy. It was also what he saw the most from her old pictures. Of course, Thalia did butter him up with the good time she'd spend with their parents... then bringing up the more unpleasant experiences of middle school. She didn't go into details about her and Jenny's relationship, but she did go on to ask if he KNEW Jenny. He didn't, fortunately, but she did explain that the rebel for a girl made her middle school life a living hell through rumors and hurtful words. None of the specifics; she didn't know how Charlie would feel about her sexuality, so she did everything she could to leave that out of the equation. She touched on her suicide attempt - though not into the gory details of how and with what, the fights with her mother day in and day out, her own unhappiness.... then running away from home, where she was taken in by a horrible man - Ra's - and made... well, a thief.

"So... you were a criminal?" Charlie whimpered, looking at her in disbelief.

Thalia didn't want to hide herself from her brother. She nodded, stroking the boy's cheek with one hand and clearing the left side of her neck from her red locks with the other. Her right hand fell from his face to hold his own smaller ones, both of her tattoos in his view. "These tattoos were given to me when I joined them. When I was trained and all."

"B-But why? You had a good life with Mommy and Daddy, even if you weren't happy. It might've gotten better for you."

"I couldn't know that..." she shook her head. "I didn't like what Mommy wanted me to be. Topped off with the fact I couldn't go to school without being made fun of? I just... couldn't take it." She let out a quick sniffle at her recollections. Charlie was sad that she ran away for those reasons. And it was her fault for it. "I'm sorry, Charlie. If I had to do it all over again, I would stay. I would always stay."

"You couldn't home home?"

"I would've if I could've. But I was forced to stay. The leader wanted me for my... skills..." Better than saying it was for sex, after all. "And he wouldn't let me get near my family, or he'd do horrible things to them."

Charlie froze for a moment. Horrible things. Did death count? His puppy-dog-type eyes were irresistible to Thalia, who just kept looking down to him, her arm resting around his shoulder for comfort. "Is that why they... killed Daddy?" His sad voice uttered.

Thalia nodded. "Yes. That's why they killed Daddy. Because I wanted out. And James and Jon? They helped make sure you and Mommy wouldn't be in danger."

A lot now made sense to Charlie, whose eyes were near the point of tears, but wanted to show a sort of strength in him as the 'man of the house'. But right now, all he could do is wonder about the future, both of them oblivious to the incoming invasion. "But we are still in danger."

"Yes, but hopefully not for long."

"It doesn't make a difference if we are still at risk, Thalia. Promise me... the bad man that took you in and made you do bad things... tell me you're going to stop him. Put him in prison. I... don't want to have to run away to get away from it and leave Mommy behind."

She hadn't mentioned that Ra's was dead just yet. Charlie was still under the impression that the schizophrenic Arab man was still alive and targeting Thalia. It made no difference, anyway. The child could believe what he wants, but one thing was certain: Al-Asheera wasn't going to touch her family ever again. She probably wouldn't stand for Reeves to go to prison, preferably death, but the one thing she didn't want to appear as for Charlie was a murderer. Charlie's words screamed the purest of innocence, and the clanswoman found it irresistible. She wouldn't let him make the same mistakes as she did years ago.... "Je promets, frère," [I promise, Brother.] she whispered in a soft embrace with him. Charlie's arms went around her neck as well, finding comfort in her words and her touch. For once... someone that wasn't lying to protect him. He'd received a brutally honest truth, and was going to make peace with it on his own. "You never have to run away... never."

But very soon, he'd be ripped out of his place by the most horrible of circumstances, all starting when the sounds of furious, battle-ready footsteps echoed the hallways outside, followed by the occasional one yelling "Clear!" or something along those lines. Thalia's eyes shot out, pulling herself away from Charlie and looking to the door to her room. Charlie noticed his sister's change in mood. She'd become uneasy so fast. Was it her natural paranoia? Or was something wrong?

"Thalia?"

She shook her head in the most hesitant of ways. Part of her wanted to check out the window to see what was going on, but she knew what she'd see: police. SWAT. FBI. Whatever the local law enforcement had to bring to this part of town. Her heart sank into an endless freefall as she propped herself and Charlie up to their feet, kneeling before him, her voice coming out in near whispers. "Charlie... you need to hide."

"W-What? Are the bad people here?" His voice, low in volume as well, began to shake with each passing word, his eyes about to leak tears. He didn't get much of a chance to speak with Thalia in a full panic mode.

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to make sure they don't touch you. You just need to hide, okay?" Her face turned back in the direction of bed, placing a slight bit of pressure on Charlie's shoulders to push him downward. "Get under the bed. They won't find you here. You just have to stay completely silent, and I promise, I'll come back for you when the bad people are gone."

"But what will you do?"

"I'm going to protect myself. Stop them from getting to you. But we can't waste time, Charlie. You need to get under the bed, now."

Realizing that his sister probably knew better, Charlie submitted and crouched down, eventually falling to his stomach. Thalia guided him, lifting the skirt of the bed for her brother to get inside. Charlie was quick and agile for his age, so he got in quickly. As he made himself comfortable, Thalia's head peeked under to see him. She could see him as he whispered, "Don't get hurt, sister."

Thalia nodded, her heart near the point of shattering at how much her brother cared about her, even if he knew her most damning of secrets. She remained frozen for a few moments before lifting her hand, palm inward, to her mouth, and left him a blowing kiss before dropping the skirt and standing to her feet. She clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and narrowed her sights on the door. Any minute now, a SWAT team would charge in and bind her in handcuffs. She could either surrender... or fight. And the footsteps and gear clanking around was only getting louder.

This is it, T...

The wait wasn't long. Soon after Charlie was safely under the bed not speaking a soul, the door to her room was blasted off of its hinges, and four armed SWAT officers instantly charged in, each with assault rifles, all scoped and with lasers, all pointing directly at her chest. They didn't have to speak for her confident facial expression to fade. At least they didn't shoot her on sight... but this was it. Arrest. She'd been in cuffs before, all thanks to Tony, but this was about to be more real than anything. After eight years of not getting caught... it was over. "FREEZE, GET YOUR ASS ON THE GROUND!" The leading officer called out.

Thalia froze for a moment, eventually and slowly putting her hands up in the typical surrender motion. Her breaths had become uneasy and heart racing with several guns pointed in her direction. She could be toast in seconds. "D-Don't shoot... please!" she whimpered, clenching her eyes shut.

The team approached, the leader getting a good look at her face. "Thalia Griffin?"

She nodded.

"I said get on the ground..." he got closer and closer, almost face to face. "Or I swear, my team will put you on the ground. Your choice."

The officer was dangerously close to grabbing Thalia by the hair and throwing her to the ground, but as he pulled his weapon back in a swinging movement.... Thalia countered. Ducking, acting quick on her feet, and probably the most foolish move she'd attempt in her life as she reached forward to grab the officer's neck while he was distracted by his miss. Surprisingly, the adrenaline rush in Thalia's body had her in a stronger position than she'd been in before. She felt herself on the brink of overpowering the officer before her, and might've even had the confidence to make a run for it and dodge three other members of this team and the rest of SWAT and FBI outside. Her grip tightened, force applied to push him away and keep him from pointing his weapon at her. Fortunately, this rush only lasted a matter of seconds before three gunshots blasted from each of the officer's guns... two missed, one grazing her right hand, the other her right hip. But one struck Thalia's left shoulder, causing a scream from her as she fell back, her feet fumbling and triggering a pain spike in her ankle from the sprain the previous night. She lost her balance and collapse into a fetal position on the ground, blood splattering on the bed and floor, her voice shrieking in pain as her right hand gripped her new wound.

"Aaaaaaaagh!" she howled as the stunned officer she laid hands on recovered from his distraught moment. He held his rifle properly, the laser pointed directly between Thalia's eyes.

"Wanna try that again?" he huffed.

Thalia glared at him, narrow eyed and with a death glare, channeling the inner criminal in herself. "Fuck yourself."

That remark of disrespect was enough for that leader to point his gun to Thalia's left forearm and place another bullet into her from a foot away, causing her to scream further... but this time, she wasn't alone as she shrieked and tried to cater to two horrible injuries... from under the bed by her side, Charlie was peeking through the cracks of the bed skirt to see his sister fall to the ground, blood spatter on the ground, and a gun pointed to her head... then moving to her forearm and taking another shot into her body. Her screams... the gun. The horrified little boy couldn't help but scream when he saw his sister getting shot right in front of his eyes. He wanted to look away, but the traumatized part of him forced him to keep looking... and yelling at the top of his lungs, mainly for his mother to come help him. And those screams were enough to get the SWAT team's attention, particularly the leader... did she really kidnap one of the two children that they were briefed about? They'd have to find out, fast. A child's life was now at stake. As the leader zip-tied Thalia's arms behind her back, despite the pain she was in and the fact she had two bullets in her left arm, he looked around the room for the source of the noise, eventually directing an officer to check under the bed.

"Who's the child, Griffin?" he snarled as he let her go on the ground, pointing his gun at her as the other members of his squad searched the bathroom and the closets.

Thalia would give him another 'fuck yourself'.... but two bullets and the ankle sprain were enough to make her scream so much, even leak a few tears. She couldn't risk any further suffering. So silence was her best bet.

"Sir..." the subordinate officer peeking under the bed called for his leader. "We found the boy. It's not Held or Redgrave.... come here, little fella... I'm one of the good guys."

Charlie was literally frozen in place, breathing heavily and shivering in place. Nothing could put a boy in a more traumatic place than this... than watching his sister get shot right in front of him. He didn't say a word, nor come out from under the bed.

In light of the boy's silence, Thalia had to speak, a bit out of breath and in the midst of her tears. "T-That's my brother... please don't hurt him!"

"Riiiiight," the leader growled in sarcasm, pressing his boot over her to keep her on the ground. His focus returned to the officer who'd found Charlie under the bed. "Get him out of here. He shouldn't have to see this criminal's cruel fate."

"Roger that," he called as he reached further under the bed, trying to take Charlie, who was still immobile from his isolated state of mind. Once he finally got a grip on Charlie's arms, he instantly began to scream.

"AAAAAHHHH! GET AWAY FROM ME WITH YOUR GUNS!"

It gave the officer the impression that Thalia had scared him with the thought of guns. He pulled Charlie from beneath the bed and pulled him up and into his arms like a child, despite his screaming and crying. Just seeing a SWAT officer holding her brother made Thalia's blood boil. Was she about to lose her brother after this meaningful, heart-filled bonding moment they had together? He'd be away from his mother, Jon, and friends as well. It scared Thalia to know she had ruined her brother's life, and broke her heart to see him this afraid and screaming, as if for dear life, being carried away and soothed by an officer hushing him to calm down.

"He's my brother...." Thalia grunted, glaring up at the man pinning her down, her voice still cracking under the pressure and feeling weaker and weaker due to the blood loss. "Ask him... please."

"Huh..." the leader huffed. "We'll have to see about that."

This might've been the end for her and Charlie... but she hoped everyone else made it. The children, her mother, Karin... were they okay?
 
The two kids they had in the basement with them were in pieces. It wasn't hard to figure out what sort of fate Karin had endured, so Joseph was sat on the couch, sobbing with his face pressed into his knees. He was all alone with no one to comfort him, currently, because there was drama unfolding everywhere around him.Jordan was clinging so tightly to Frank that Frank knew he wasn't going to be able to pry him off for a long while. He was shaking and crying the same way he had the day his whole family had been killed off by brutes on the other side of the spectrum from Al-Asheera. It wasn't a nice sight to see, and the fact that they'd lost three people from the flock so quickly? That added more pain to the whole scenario.

It pained Jon more than he could think when he realized that not even Charlie was down here. He was no doubt vulnerable, alone, scared - probably just wanting someone to find him and take him up in their arms and tell him it'd be okay. Every child loves, wants, and needs that sort of comfort in a stressful or distressing time. Now that he knew he couldn't give Charlie that said comfort? And that Charlie was going to end up... God knows where? Not an easy thought to be faced with. It hurt him so much that even he was in tears - if that wasn't confirmation shit had hit the fan, then I don't know what was.

As soon as Nicole was by him and talking about her children - were they safe, were they okay, and so on - Jon was quick to take her into his arms and just hold her - tighter than he had ever hugged her before. Despite the two of them not being his own children, he felt her pain, and he was drowning in it just as much as he was. He felt so powerless. He was powerless. What good would he be against 20-dozen police officers?

A fine way to repay the household that had saved thousands of lives, really.

Speaking of all of that, James was punching something into his phone. One long passcode, all composed of numbers and letters. It was a basic display, clearly a self-made application he had on there.

Anyone who was paying any attention saw some of the following on his phone.

'fritz.exe is now starting...'
'DRIVE ONE heat acceleration activated.'
'DRIVE TWO heat acceleration activated.'
'DRIVE THREE heat acceleration activated.'
'Data backed up to Cloud, located @ Güira de Melena, Cuba, currently uploading @ 50GB/s.'
'Data backed up successfully'.

'WARNING - DRIVE ONE heat now at 27° Celcius.'
'WARNING - DRIVE TWO heat now at 28° Celcius.'
'WARNING - DRIVE THREE heat now at 27° Celcius.'

'Global drive heat increase detected.'

'Average drive heat now at 48° Celcius.'
'WARNING - DRIVE FAIL LIKELY.'

'Average drive heat now at 60° Celcius.'

'DRIVE ONE failed.'
'DRIVE TWO failed.'
DRIVE THREE failed.'

'Error - fritz.exe - no drives detected.'

The whole process overall was fairly fast. It definitely gave anyone in close proximity enough time to see what was going on, though - It didn't take a genius to figure out what James had done. He'd backed up all his shit in Cuba, then blew up his drives that had all the juicy information on them. Was this it? Did this mean James was going to hit the trail and never be seen again? Leave Karin in prison, pregnant, and leave Thalia to more or less death? What about everyone else? How would they fare? Would they even survive the whole ordeal?

Or maybe James wasn't planning to leave at all. It was hard to say, but one thing was for sure - He was covering his own tracks as quick as he could manage.

"Nicole." Jon spluttered on to her shoulder, "Oh, god." He choked. "Don't worry. Don't worry, we'll fix this. I'll fix this, alright?" He sniffled. "I swear, I swear I'll get them back. I will." He nodded. That was providing they weren't all dead, obviously. He couldn't bring himself to think of that possibility, so, he threw himself down by the coffee table and ripped the laptop open, going straight to the CCTV. He didn't move the cameras, obviously, because that would just give them away. No, he left it all still and just watched - and he wasn't impressed by what he saw, that was to say the least. He wanted to go out there and show them all what for, make them pay, make them suffer to a level that equaled his and Nicole's own pain.

What was stopping him?

Meanwhile, Frank had a response for Tony.

"Whatever situation they're in, we're too late." He whispered. "Keep your voice down, don't talk all the death and shooting with the kids around." He glanced off at Joseph who was still sat on the couch and crying his heart out. "That's his sister up there. No need to worry him any more than he is now." He frowned. "No matter how we look at this, me and you won't stand a chance of getting them out of wherever they end up on our own. We've got a price on our own heads, too." He whispered. He still had Jordan in his arms, but he was crying far too much to pay attention to what the two were saying. "We'll figure something out." He gulped, then glanced off at Jon.

Jon was back on his feet and made his way for James.

"Let me up there."

James shook his head and put his phone away, "Fat chance, friend. You think they'd give you special treatment? Sit back down so we can figure this out."

"Charlie's up there, for fuck's sake. James, let me out of here, I can handle it."

"Not happening. Like a good priest, I'm going to protect my flock as much as I can. That means not letting you get fuckin' killed." He poked him in the chest, hard enough to make him take a step back. "Your emotions are getting in the way of things and your balls are bigger than your brain. Sit down, shut up, and we'll find a way to sort these things that doesn't involve us getting killed." He snapped.

Jon glared at James, and he looked as though he wanted to jump into him and rip him in two - but hesitantly, he went and sat down beside Nicole again, this time immediately pulling her back into an embrance. Right now she was the driftwood to stop him from sinking, and it was probably very much the same in reverse. As long as they could comfort each other in one way or another, they'd be okay, wouldn't they?

--

Chaos seemed to be unfolding in the bedroom, and as soon as Karin heard the gunshots, she could only let out a cry.

"No!"

The arresting officers didn't seem to pay much mind to her emotions, but they were being a damn sight kinder to her than they were to Thalia.

"Karin Held?" One of them asked.

"Yes." She sniffled, bowing her head.

"You're under arrest as an accessory to murder, conspiracy to carry out a terrorist attack, robbery, and harboring a fugitive." He said, "On the back of this, full custody of Joseph Held will be revoked from yourself until further notice. Do you happen to know where he is?"

"School." She choked.

"Nice try. You're forgetting it's the middle of August." He said. "I'll ask again - Where's your brother? We'll take him to the station with us and ask some questions, nothing-"

Karin spat right in his face, thus silencing him. Maybe not the smartest of things, but, they'd potentially killed her best friend, and now they were threatening to take Joseph away from her, too? Not a chance in fucking hell was she going to bend over for them.

Though it was probably a good idea - The case itself was volatile, and every cop here had something against Al-Asheera and their associates. She found herself getting clipped around the head with the officer's rifle, and she hit the floor, cracking her head off a little table nearby. She was bleeding, too, but not to the same extent that Thalia was, though she was definitely going to need some treatment.

"Get her out of here." He whispered, wiping the saliva slowly from his face.

Meanwhile, in Thalia's room, the door flew open and in stepped a man that was probably comparable to Jon in age, but that was about it. He had a certain spring to his step that said 'Now you listen to me' - He was unarmed, had no armor on, just a plain grey suit with a white shirt and dark purple tie. He was dressed to impress in some ways, but he had his FBI badge hanging from his belt. He was here on business, purely, but when he walked in and saw an unarmed woman on the ground - albeit Thalia Griffin - bleeding from all over the place...?

"What the fuck is this?!" He yelled, with the slight southern twang to his accent topping it all off. He saw Charlie screaming and crying, Thalia on the floor and losing a lot of blood, and the SWAT team literally standing there and just... Well, watching it all happen. Condoning it. First, he went to the officer holding the screaming boy, "For the love of god, put him down. Put him down!" He repeated himself, then waited for Charlie to be set down on his feet. Hopefully this guy wouldn't appear as threatening to Charlie as the others - not that he himself knew that - seeing as he didn't have a gun on him, but even so, he got between Charlie and the officers all the same, shielding him from the others getting any closer.

"God knew I was a fool for trusting the LAPD with something like this. You can expect a complaint on your Commanding Officer. Leave your names with my colleague on the way out." He glanced over them all. "For the love of Christ, get the girl out of here and call her an ambulance. Armed escort, leave her cuffed, but I swear, if she bleeds out on my operation, there's gonna' be hell to pay. Out. Out!" He waved his hands through the air to usher them out the door with Thalia.

"With all due respect, sir, we're professionals. We've been trained for this." One of the officers in the room confronted him, chest flaired up like a proud peacock.

"And I've been doin' this since you were suckin' your thumb and wondering why your action figures didn't have genitals. Get out my face."

He stood his ground, stared the guy down, and simply stood there and waited for them to back off out of the room. He wasn't going to let them just... Let Thalia die, despite how much she may or may not have been responsible for. Plus, the sound of a kid screaming was going to distract everyone from focusing on the tasks at hand. He needed to deal with that - in a more subtle way than the former officer had managed.

He shut the door over and turned back to Charlie, then lowered himself down onto one knee. He had a pair of thick-rimmed glasses on, with the frames made of black plastic. He slipped them off and put them in his pocket when he ducked down, though.

Goliath1_Lead.jpg

"Hey there, son. My name's Andrew Goodman, I work with the FBI - ya' see?" He patted his badge with his index finger a couple of times, then looked over his shoulder and scowled at the door for a split-second. He looked back to the boy. His voice was rough. Not sandpaper level, but, fairly deep. A smoker, drinker, maybe a bit of both. It was hard to say, really. "Did those officers out there hurt you? I'm sorry they've been so..." He tried to think of an appropriate way to word it, glancing at the floor. "Ruthless." He let out a deflated sigh. There was really no other way to say it. "Just be sure I'm not one of them. Sadly, I've been forced to work with them today." He said. "Is it just you and that girl in the house? Where are your parents?" He asked. He kept his voice as soft as he could manage, of course.

He couldn't exactly physically comfort the kid now that the officer had already violated that right - After that, he wasn't even willing to chance a pat on the shoulder.
 
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Without a doubt, the group huddled in the bunker were a mess in their own ways. Children traumatized by the loss of loved ones, a mother weeping over her children not being in the safety of her arms, and two detectives with prices over their heads and powerless against the swarms of SWAT and FBI not far away. They were safe, but three of them were not. Thalia and Karin were arrested and injured, and Charlie had witnessed a shooting and was almost swiped away by a scary man in SWAT gear. All unknown to the pack. Just the fear of the worst left Nicole a wreck. She feared that Charlie would be taken away and placed in foster care, as she couldn't show her face after her husband was assassinated. And Thalia? Worse, she feared her daughter was shot on sight by her notoriety and the itchy trigger fingers of the LAPD alone. She could already picture the bloody remains of her child after taking about a dozen rounds and bleeding out on the floor. It's all she could imagine. Thinking positive in a moment like this simply wasn't going to happen. For every moment she could, she held on to Jon. It wasn't going to bring her children back, but it did comfort her slightly. And when he promised to get them back, part of her... believed him. She saved her before at the airport, and she had faith that he could do the same for her children.

Jon got up from his place at the laptop, leaving the woman unsure of his actions. Was he going to brave the storm, take on the legion of police officers upstairs and get her children back? He was insane. Fortunately, after a quick chat with James, it didn't happen. He wouldn't survive, and the fact he was powerless in the face of this problem left him just as broken as her. If anything, the best option for them both was to comfort each other. He brought her into a comforting embrace, and she responded accordingly, resting her tired head on his shoulder, her hands folded before her running through prayers in her mind. It was all she could do: pray for the best of outcomes. Charlie probably won't die... but would she never see him again under her new identity?

"Charlie..." she whimpered. "If I'd kept him home, he wouldn't be in this mess. M-Maybe Thalia wouldn't be here if I'd treated her better. Now I don't even know what the police will do to them. They were such good kids, and I failed them as their mother."

Tony kept peeking over his shoulder, trying his best to listen in to Nicole's words. He'd dart back and forth between her and Frank with Jordan. Families were being torn apart by this invasion. An invasion that would've never happened had he never decided to turn on his friends. It hit him hard to realize that Charlie was now under the mercy of the LAPD, who would probably throw him into foster care if they can't locate his mother. The boy's life was going to be ruined. And Thalia? There was a good chance she didn't make it. The police would see her and just shoot on sight. It wouldn't surprise him. Her blood would be on his hands. Karin was a bit of a wild card, but sure enough, she'd lose custody over her brother, so that's another pair of lives ruined because of his actions. As Nicole dwelled over her regrets... Tony did over his own, turning away from Frank and towards James. This time, not for the same question as Jon.

"How long are we stuck down here?" he asked in whispers. "Is there some way out besides the way we came in? There's no way we can last forever down here."

--

What scared Thalia more than being shot, as well as its side effects, was the safety of her peers. She had no idea Karin stormed out to try to look for her, no idea if her mother was even in the bunker. For all she knew, everyone could've been caught off-guard and hauled away. And Charlie? He was screaming and kicking, begging to be let go while in the arms of a total stranger that probably left him wetting himself. Her mind raced over those details, which only contributed to the excessive weakness within her. She was losing a lot of blood to the two gunshots in her arm and the skims she'd suffered as well. Having a bulky man press down with his boot on her smaller frame didn't help. She was growing weak, tempting to close her eyes to just to relax... end her suffering... leave it all behind. Al-Asheera, all the scary commitments that awaited her on the other side...

But that also meant leaving her mother, brother, and Karin behind, too. And that was the only thing keeping her awake. Maybe they'd believe they're siblings, judging by the genetic similarity. Or would they? Clearly, they wanted to watch Thalia die in front of their eyes, rid the city of the mystery redhead and carry her body around as a victory trophy over Al-Asheera. Considering she took a completely unnecessary bullet to the arm and wasn't receiving any sort of medical attention, this was a vengeance-driven strike.

Until the suited man entered the room, halting the sloppy invasion in its tracks. The brute pressing against her stood up to listen as he and his team were having their asses chewed out by the FBI, it seemed. It came as a relief to Thalia, unless the bureau, too, was corrupt and wanted her head on a silver platter. It didn't seem so, as Charlie was let down onto the floor. He instantly curled into a ball, back against the wall, crying at the sights around him, but not screaming and kicking anymore. It still killed her hear to watch helplessly. Soon enough, she was hoisted to her feet, upon orders by the agent. She was to be kept alive? That was a surprise. Through the events of tunnel vision and muffled hearing, she managed to get up, practically dragged, and hoisted through the halls. She could hear the words of one of the officers, the one who fired at her forearm and lead the pack:

"Don't let Griffin and Held see each other. I think we can play this to their advantage."

Held.... Either Joseph or Karin. But considering that they emphasized on not seeing HER, it was most likely Karin. She was caught. Now more than ever did Thalia regret dragging this once-innocent waitress into a world of trouble. Now she was carrying a child and under arrest for crimes she never committed. Crimes only she, herself, should go down for. At least in her dazed state, she could've passed off as unconscious, hanging her head forward to fake it even further. Her acting skills really paid off now, but she wasn't going to blatantly disrespect anyone from this point on. She was saved once. Could she be saved again?

"Hey, stay awake, Griffin!" the officer barked at her, slapping her across a single cheek quickly. "Don't think you can have your ass saved again. We were given orders to use whatever force necessary to subdue you. So don't think your life is guaranteed if you wanna try and act smart."

Lies, as Thalia now knew, but she went along with it and stayed awake despite her crippling weakness. She'd get help very soon, fortunately. Because now, she was losing feeling in her left arm, and it was far too strange for her. Was she going to lose the whole arm at this rate? She was no expert to know, but she'd heard of infected wounds and amputations before, and even seen one in Al-Asheera on a smaller scale. But a whole arm? She tried not to think about it too much. Just... relax. She'd have to think about the future when she was more well than now.

But as they hauled her away, the leading agent managed to slip out a burner phone, a small one that was kept out of view of his peers, and texted to a contact only titled 'Head'. Not the old one.. the new one. All he texted was 'Done'. Nothing more, nothing less. His partner helping Thalia away, as well as the girl herself, didn't catch this... but it spelled trouble. The second shot was premeditated. It was Reeves' orders.

...

Charlie sat on the floor, curled up into a fetal position, back against the wall, and shivering. Was it normal for him to feel this cold in a moment of fear? He just wanted to go back to his mother, or to Jon. He thought he could handle the words out of Thalia's mouth, but the second chaos came into the safety of the bedroom, he felt he had to retreat, physically and emotionally. Then he witnessed a shooting in front of his eyes at point-blank range? The lots of blood coming from his sister? Being found by a man fully armored up, a gun strapped to him? It was every fear he could possibly have bundled into one. The FBI agent came as a great relief to him, but it didn't help him relax from his jittery state of mind. He didn't even look up to give the man a good look in the eye. He was frightened that he'd be no different. But at least there was no gun in his hands. No sign he'd do any harm. He was more sympathetic to a child rather than the cold men who run with guns and shoot on sight. This was different, and he could feel it in the isolation.

His head shook back and forth. He didn't look harmed, not physically, but definitely emotionally damaged. He just wouldn't voice that. Sorry? Was he now? Charlie didn't believe for one second, after seeing a cop shoot his sister, that anyone in a badge had his best interest in mind. He wouldn't even reach forward to take his hand. He simply didn't want to be touched by anyone other than his mother or Jon, and THAT he'd make known.

"M-M-Mommy..." he whimpered. "Jon...." His back pressed against the wall with his palms flat on the floor. His head shot forward, his eyes streaking tears in fear. "Go away! Go away! I want my mommy and daddy!"

He wasn't even offering any answers to what the man had to say. It was clear he was violated, and he did hint to parents and someone named 'Jon' there.... but no details. It was a start.
 
It was only Frank in the room that knew the grizzly details of what Tony had done, and how all of this was more or less his fault. It was probably up for question if Frank would still be kind enough to keep it secret. What if he decided to do otherwise? Such a response certainly wasn't out of the equation any more, and seeing as Jordan had been knocked off his high step, and Frank's ex and her younger brother were now... Missing, and probably going to go through hell, and Joseph no longer having a proper full-time carer? There was a lot on the table that went against Tony - and it's just like James once said, the one question that drives every man to power is simple, but yet makes them more and more powerful every time they ask it.

What's in it for me?

And now Frank couldn't help but ask, what was in it for him if he kept things secret? Would things like this happen time and time again? He couldn't be sure. For now, he'd give the benefit of the doubt, but every man has their limits. How much would he let himself, his friends, and Jordan endure before he finally spilled the beans? Accidentally or otherwise? Frank was resilient, luckily, but the guy had been through a lot. What if having Jordan around had made him softer in its own right? He may have been going around seeking revenge on those that wronged the boy he was now caring for, but what if there was another part to Frank that just... Switched off as soon as he assumed the role of carer?

"Nicole..." Jon pulled away a little bit and lifted his hands to her cheeks, holding her head and looking into her eyes. "Taking Charlie away from home was the best decision you could have made. You and I both know that you and him would be in a whole world of pain right now if we'd never left Philadelphia." He sniffled. "Look... I know this probably looks bad on your end, and it's probably knocking your belief in your own ability as a parent, but trust me... This is just real shitty luck that we sadly all got caught up in. It was never meant to go down like this - but this isn't your fault, I swear." He said. "It's not going to be easy letting Charlie be away from you - but I'm going to do everything I can to ensure that wherever he is, he's safe. As long as he's safe and can't be hurt by Al-Asheera, then that's what matters. Our priority now is doing what we can to spring Thalia from custody, alright?" He looked down at the floor.

"Don't you give up. Charlie's been strong for you - Do yourself a favor and be strong for him, too." He nodded once, "I'll be by your side until the end, I promise."

The end? The end of the situation they were caught in? Or did he mean the end? In either case, it was surely a nice reassurance to have.

Before Tony had the chance to ask his question to James... James actually took on the role as the responsible carer in the meantime. He held out an open arm and called out, "Joseph, c'mere."

His voice was soft and welcoming, of course. Joseph dragged himself to his feet and rushed to the man's side, throwing his arms around him. He continued sobbing into his chest, instead.

"Karin..." He blubbered.

"I know, Joey, I know." James put both arms around him, then set his head on his shoulder and closed his eyes. "You be brave for me, kiddo. We'll figure something out and make sure we get Karin back, you understand?" He rubbed his back. "I'm not gonna' let you be stuck in the spot where you're not gonna' see her, I assure you of that much. But you gotta' be brave, strong. Like Karin would want you to be. You know Karin better than I do - That means you know that she's tough as rocks, ain't she?"

"Yeah." He spluttered - now that James was ducked down, Joseph set his head on his shoulder, too. He was trembling out of fear and worry more than anything else.

"Shhh..." James cooed him as best as he could. "Remember what I promised. I don't break promises." He whispered. "Take a deep breath, have some water - there's some under the sink over there." He nodded. "You'll be okay, just calm down, alright?"

"I'll try." He sniffled.

"Good man." He patted him on the back and sent him on his way, then he turned to Tony, just in time for his question. "Sadly there's no way out, no. We're sat behind 8 inches of Titatium, soundproofed, impenetrable in theory. There's one way in, one way out. The most we'll be stuck down here is for a day. We've got a bathroom that has its own water tank, and that can last for months. We've got enough stuff down here to survive for one night, I assure you. Food, water, books, and a feed to the CCTV. We have nothing to worry about, but, until the police leave - which will be as soon as they've cleared out all the evidence they can find - we have to stay here, so get comfy."

"James...?" Joseph called out.

"Hm?"

".. My insulin's upstairs." He sniffled.

James covered his face with one hand, sighing as a whisper escaped his lips, "Shit."

--

Karin was dragged out front to one of the commanding officers of the LAPD, and she wasn't happy to be face to face with anyone else. She felt sick from the head wound she'd received, but she knew she was seeing the end of her freedom unfold. As soon as she began to think of Joseph, and the baby, and the life she could have had with James, the tears started to flow. The law states the child is actually allowed to stay in the cell with the mother until it reaches the age of three, but fuck that, she'd sooner never see the kid again rather than give them a fucked up start in life like that. It would pain her, but it was a selfless act.

Was this really it? When she got out of prison, would Joseph be married with his own children, wanting nothing more to do with her? Would her own baby be in college or maybe even be married with kids themselves, too?

She was overthinking, but, she had nothing else to think about, and Thalia was nowhere in sight just yet.

"Throw her in the back of a DELTA cruiser, boys. That head wound can be treated at the LAPD, it's not serious." He said. DELTA was the detective units, obviously. Unmarked patrol.

And that was it. She was thrown in the back of a car, as requested. She turned and set her head against the window, blood smudging up the side. She managed to catch a glimpse of Thalia in the corner of her eye as the car's engine was started up. She immediately looked at her, but what was the point in even trying to communicate? She shot her a sad look, a sympathetic and apologetic one, and she slowly closed her eyes as the car she was in began to roll away.

Hospital for Thalia, station for Karin.

They were both at opposite ends of the scale. Getting Karin out was sadly going to be extremely difficult.

--

Andrew held up both his hands when Charlie started crying again. He wasn't just going to give up on this one. He couldn't just walk away. The kid needed out of here, put somewhere safe - but first he needed the whole story. He needed more background to what was going on. He knew well enough already that the boy was in danger - It was Al-Asheera they were dealing with, after all. One of their own, caught by the police? Chances were the family was quickly going to become a target of some sort - Even more reason that Andrew couldn't just pan Charlie off to someone else and hope for the best. He was a better person than that.

"Hey, hey..." He put both his hands up a little higher when Charlie backed away, "Look, son, I ain't here to hurt ya'." He said, "If you don't want me to even breathe at you, I won't." He said, "In fact..." He groaned as he slowly dropped himself back so he was sat on his ass, then he crossed his legs and kept his hands held up. "You see...?" He said. "I won't get too close. I won't hurt you. Won't lay a finger on you." He said. "I know those men that came in here seemed very... Dedicated on hurting people, but like I said, I don't work with them or for them - They're LAPD, I'm FBI. Two very different departments, I'm sure you know." He shrugged.

"To put things in simpler terms, I'm a Supervisory Agent for the FBI. I'm not one of the types that carries guns or gets involved in big fights. I do other things. I help investigate crimes - like a detective - and I run a lot of family liaison, which means I... Support families in hard times after they get... Say, involved in a bad situation. Much like this one. I help them cope, give them advice - In fact, buddy, you'll find I'm here to help you. I'm not here to force you to sit in a police station for a few days." He explained. "I also work with children, too. Like you. Sometimes younger, sometimes older - I help them when they've been kidnapped, been caught up in crimes, when people have hurt them or their parents, and... When their parents have hurt their parents, too." He shrugged.

"With that being said... I want to help you here. I want to help get to the bottom of everything - and if I can, I want to reunite you with your parents, and this... 'Jon' fella' you've been speakin' of, too, if that's what you'd like." He said. "Think you can tell me a little more about what happened before I walked in? I heard the girl that was here say something when I got close to the room - She said you were her brother, is that right?" He asked.
 
It was like Jon's touch alone was a blessing to Nicole, the perfect peace that she needed to at least fight to keep herself together. He was helping her get by her past regrets and painful memories of the road from coast to coast, all topped off with both of her children being stranded upstairs and at the mercy of the LAPD. They couldn't hear the gunshots or the crying from their bunker, but Nicole could only imagine Charlie hauled away screaming and crying for his mother and Thalia shot on sight without any questions. It was the horrifying nightmare of any mother, and now it was nothing short of the reality. Unfortunately, Nicole had no idea HOW to be strong in such a situation, if she couldn't even hold her children close. If she could surrender herself in their place, she wouldn't let James stop her from doing so. But that would never happen - an innocent, middle-aged grade school teacher definitely couldn't pass off as the infamous and youthful mystery redhead. In that bunker, everyone was powerless to the forces upstairs, and all Nicole wanted to do was drop her head into Jon's lap and weep away the bad day, in hopes that tomorrow, this could be corrected. That she could have her family back.

Nobody wanted to be powerless, either. Both Jon and Tony had come forward asking about getting out of the bunker, already. They wanted to do something about their friends that were left behind upstairs, no matter how risky it would be, even if it meant adding on to the arrest toll. But James knew best: keep the survivors here. They'd already lost three of their own, and added losses would only break them further. They'd have to wait this out. Maybe a day, like James had told Tony. It was painful to imagine, but necessary. Enough time for the police, FBI, and SWAT to clear the area and giving up on the rest of them. All depends on what Karin, Thalia, or Charlie tell them.

While Nicole took comfort in the embrace of Jon, Tony needed his own peace in solitude. After having his ex-girlfriend snatched up by the men hunting her down, and possibly killing her too, how has Frank not taken revenge and snitched? He knew enough for Tony to be burned at the stake, and then some. Who knows what Jon would do if he knew that it was his actions that caused the head to be delivered to their doorstep. But silence was still the name of the game. Frank hasn't snitched, but did he plan on it? What was he gaining from keeping his mouth shut? Nothing. What WOULD he gain from opening it? Some sort of label that he'd turned on his partner? Was either one of them worth it, especially knowing the magnitude of his actions? It was for reasons like that that Tony would treasure the alone time while it lasts. Soon enough, James would call for some sort of intervention to plan on how to get the three of their own back. More time to lie in the face of the man that holds his fate. But judgement would come. Now that it's put the woman James loves, as well as his unborn child, in danger, it wouldn't end well for this detective.

--

With Thalia barely conscious to even hold her own and look in front of her to find Karin giving her a sad look, it only left Charlie huddled away in his corner of the world in the bedroom. The older agent was trying to convince him to communicate, giving the boy distance, sympathizing, and even showing how he was different from the team of armed men that stormed in here first. More importantly, it seemed like this Andrew character actually cared for what happened to Charlie, and to his family. He probably understood the works of Al-Asheera better than him after hearing from his sister, and was more well-equipped to do something about it.

LAPD. FBI. Though he hadn't been in California for long, he could understand that the two were separate entities. He did know that federal agents also carried guns, probably smaller and concealed, but so long as he didn't see this man's, Charlie would suck it up, curling into his ball with his head in between his knees, and his teary eyes peeking upward at Andrew. He was still as scared as a child could be in this situation, but at least he wasn't on the brink of having an accident underneath himself. Maybe even slightly coherent now. Maybe he could explain the few facts he knew, whatever he'd heard from Thalia, summed up into the way that his innocent mind could comprehend it.

He wanted to help, it was his job to. So... Was Thalia his sister? He nodded ever so slightly at that question. "S-She's my sister," he whimpered with a sniffle at the end. "Her name is Thalia..." That might've been enough to confirm her identity, but enough to confirm Charlie's as well. With the name Thalia Griffin all over the news, it wouldn't be hard to go back to all of those documentaries her mother had made with mention of a little brother. "She told me.... she told me she used to work for a bad man. A bad man that she told me was dead now..." Depending on how much Goodman was briefed about the case, he might link that to the body of an Arabian man washing up on Long Beach found in the morning. Charlie couldn't confirm anything that precise, but it was a hint. "She did bad things..." he muffled, bowing his head in shame. "She stole from people, she left them hurt... she even told me she might've put a police officer in a wheelchair, too..." The reference to Richard Hart, Tony's old partner, even though Sam had already confessed that it was his doing, not Thalia's. She didn't know that, so in her words to her brother, she vented her grief and guilt about it moments ago. "She has scary tattoos and piercings, even though she was a good girl in Philadelphia..." He sniffled again, "But she promised me she was going to change. She held my hand and promised me she wouldn't hurt anyone anymore. Then the scary men in black came in and...." His head collapsed between his legs, his palms catching his face. "They used guns on her! They wanted to kill her like they killed my daddy!"

Charlie had yet to mention anything about his mother or Jon just yet. But he was about to get to it. "My mommy is living here too... Please don't let the men with guns hurt her! Or Jon! I don't want to lose them like I lost my daddy and my sister! Please!"

--

Though, outside remained one figure a few blocks away that was watching over the invasion firsthand... the ex-Al-Asheera man himself, Damien. When he trailed the girls back to their house after the evacuation, he couldn't have picked a better time. True, he was risking his own life simply by being there, especially with a sister that cared so dearly for him, but he hadn't run into a seemingly innocent member of his past organization... until this date. He'd heard that Al-Jameela might've betrayed the pack, and now that he knew where she was, he figured it would be high time to ask for himself... maybe recruit her as well and have her support his cause. But that was a hope stomped as he saw the white-haired 'roommate' of hers with a nasty mark on her head and dropped into a police cruiser, and Thalia hoisted into an ambulance with blood dripping down her left arm. His jaw dropped as he got a glimpse of the situation from his vantage point through his binoculars. Was this because of him? No way. Their fortune must've run out, and Al-Asheera got the drop on them through the LAPD. In that case, it might've been too late to pursue Thalia. But Damien was determined to wait until the local law enforcement clears the way so he can get in on that mansion and figure out what Thalia was doing there. Before he continued staking out, he sent out a quick text to his babysitter:

"I'll need you to watch over Angie for the night. You'll be paid for your time."
 
Andrew sat there and let Charlie talk - he didn't even move until the young boy started to look more panicked again. Death seemed to be a dominant fear for him now, which was sad. It wasn't something someone of his age should have even had full knowledge of yet, but here he was. The SWAT team had given the impression they wanted Thalia dead, and that wasn't going to fly. Did they want her dead, though? Andrew had worked with enough children in his career to know that most kids tell what they see - They can tell if something's up, or if something's not quite going down the way it should. They're not stupid, and they pick up on just as much - if not more - than their adult counterparts. Andrew scratched his chin for a moment, then held up a hand again.

"Okay, calm down." He said with a gentle tone. "I'm gonna' move just a little closer so we can talk, but if you want me to stop, just say." He said, and he shuffled forward to a bit more of a closer distance, so he was only a few feet away. No need to get much closer than that, after all.

Andrew was well-briefed on the whole situation. It was hard not to be - it was the case of the century in LA. If they ever got Bradan? They'd have the two biggest cases in history. Taking them both down would outplay famous events - Chances were there'd even be a Celebration Day for when two of the country's biggest crime syndicates had their reign of terror ended. But all in good time. It was critical that Andrew focused on the task at hand.

It was time to confirm some things, though. Andrew wasn't someone to beat around the bush - If Charlie wanted the truth, then it was the truth he was going to get.

"The man responsible for the majority of this is dead, yeah, he's not going to be coming back." He nodded once, "Though there's still a lot of people that work for him, which is what everyone's main focus is right now. I wouldn't worry, though, because these people aren't as powerful as they were as little as a week ago. They haven't got many people left in some respects, meaning this can all be over soon." He ran a hand through his hair. "The LAPD weren't coming in here to try and kill your sister. The way they treated her was wrong, even though her involvement with the bad man we spoke about made the situation very... Explosive, really." He shrugged.

"The issue is, son, a lot of police officers who protect the streets relate on a very personal level to everything that's going on. Many of them have friends and family that may have been caught in acts of violence by the... Group that Thalia worked with, right? So, a lot of them are taking out their anger and need for revenge on Thalia, which is... quite sad. I don't think one person should be blamed for the actions of all their friends, but sometimes that's how it works." He said. "Your sister won't die, though. Her injuries? They're not fatal. Even with a fatal injury she'd still have a good chance." He said. "Let me show you why, in fact..."

He opened his suit jacket up, then unbuttoned his shirt in the center of his chest only. He pulled the shirt open a little. "See that?" He pointed at a rather nasty scar he had more or less in the middle of his chest. "When I was a young man working for the FBI, I was shot myself. We were investigating a gang that was surfacing just outside of LA, robbing and even killing travellers. I came face to face with the man that ran it all, and we both took a bullet that day. Sadly, he got me in a very bad place, as you can see." He said, the slowly buttoned his shirt up again. "That's a fatal injury right there. The bullet punctured one of my lungs and also skimmed my heart, too. If it had been as little as half a centimeter towards the left, it would have killed me. Split my heart in two, more or less." He explained. "Now, I have a pacemaker - Which is basically a machine that helps my heart beat properly. You might have heard of them." He tilted his head. "I'm sure if I can survive an injury that bad, your sister will be just fine. Her wounds haven't cut any major arteries, so, most of her pain will come from the shock of it more than anything else, and just like I requested, she'll be on her way to hospital as we speak."

"Now, my team is not here to hurt anyone, like I said." He offered the faintest of smiles, "The FBI investigates things where things don't quite add up, which is why I'm here. I'm sure it's no coincidence that the gang in question is suddenly changing and weakening all over the city while your family is hiding out somewhere, right? So, how we're going to do things will go a little something like this..." He glanced around, "First thing's first, your mommy, and Jon? They won't get hurt at all if we find them. Not a single bullet will be fired from now on, I'll make sure of it." He said. "From what I'm hearing in my earpiece, though, the team aren't having much luck finding where everyone is, so, maybe you can help me with that."

The sad thing was that they'd never find them. That was the idea of the safe room; unless you knew of the feature beforehand - which neither Charlie nor Andrew did - there was no way you'd locate it, not even by chance. Only more drama for the works, it seemed.

"Why don't you tell me your name?" He asked. "As soon as all the officers with the guns and all that have left, which will be soon, it'll be nothing but detectives in the house. They'll just be having a look around." He nodded, "Maybe me and you could have a walk around the house - You could tour me, even - and we could maybe try and find Jon and your mommy?" He asked, then he held out an open hand, clearly offering a handshake. "I'll even shake on it - I promise neither of them will get hurt. How's that sound?" He asked, simply.
 
One of the first things Andrew did was advance closer, which was enough to give Charlie a quick scare, his heart sinking in place. As he got closer, the boy leaned his back flat against the wall behind him, as far as he could retreat. It was his deepest fear at this point: a strange man with a badge getting close enough to hurt him. Even if there was still a good few feet between the two, Charlie was still shivering under his clothes. But... nothing happened. He wasn't hurt; the older gentleman didn't pull any sort of weapon on him - didn't even touch him, for all he knew. All that changed was that he was closer. What was clear the whole time was that he was trying to put Charlie at ease and make him more comfortable, maybe enough to be a bit more vocal about what's going on. He'd already told quite a bit, but there was still more to tell. Even if they weren't going to find his mother or Jon today, he was going to be in good hands, hopefully far away from the LAPD. Once they make the connection that he's Thalia Griffin's brother, the grudge-holding cops who pinned Richie's injuries on her would use him as leverage. He was better off with the FBI.

Charlie was progressively calming down, thankfully. It put him at more ease to know that the man Thalia had referenced not long ago was actually dead, as confirmed by Andrew. He also heard about how the legion known as Al-Asheera was still out there, even if the man pulling the strings was gone. Knowing this gang had strength in numbers was terrifying for a young boy whose perspective of quantity was highly exaggerated. At least the SWAT team wasn't ordered to kill his sister. Whatever they were doing in terms of hurting her was personal, and Andrew wasn't going to stand for that. She didn't deserve to pay for whatever Al-Asheera did - most of it wasn't even her. The police just wanted someone to blame, someone alive to pay for the crimes of many. Would she survive? Andrew sure as hell believed it, so much as to expose his own injury from the past. It scared Charlie to see him reveal his scar, worried that beneath his shirt would be a weapon, or some other scary image. Surely, he'd seen enough of those be it in his imagination or in person. He could still see past Andrew at Thalia's blood spilled on the ground from the shots and skims taken from her earlier. Instantly, he looked away, covering his eyes at first with his smaller hands. It might've seemed like he didn't want to look at Andrew, but eventually, he did exactly that. He peeked through the cracks of his fingers to see the injury that the many fortunately survived. And if Thalia's shots were less severe... she'd make it. Finally, good news.

Now a bit more comfortable around the man, Charlie could probably hold a stronger conversation with him. He extended a hand out for a shake to proceed with the investigation. Maybe Charlie could tell more about what he knew. His mother and Jon weren't in the house, though? It was scary enough. Maybe they went shopping and he wasn't made aware. First things first... "Charlie..." He started with his name. "I.... we only got here last night," he whimpered. "Me, my mommy, and Jon. M-My daddy was killed by a mean man at home in Philadelphia. A mean man with a gun..." His heart sank at the phobia trying to take control again. "B-But Jon made sure he can't come back and hurt me or Mommy. Jon was the man sent by some other man... James, I think. Yeah. James and Jon. They found Thalia and they helped get me and Mommy over here to visit her. But I think we have to stay here for longer. I don't really know this house that well, but I do know where my room and my mommy's bedrooms are. And the kitchen... that's where I always find Mommy. She's always there working and keeping herself busy. Right now, we're in Thalia's room, but besides that, I don't know..."

Unfortunately, all of those locations would come up empty. Not a trace of Jon or Nicole in that house. Perhaps their belongings, at most, but that was it. Seeing the hand of the agent trying to make peace with him, Charlie extended his own, took it in a light grab, and shook it. "I don't know what to do, Mister. I just don't want them to get hurt. Not them, or my friends, Joseph and Jordan. They both live here, too, and they're around my age. I don't want those mean men hurt anyone. Please, don't let them." He couldn't emphasize enough that nobody gets hurt. It was too late for Karin and Thalia, but they were already long gone, be it to the station or a hospital, but at least Charlie was becoming more talkative. No direct connection to Fritzy, and no mention of Karin or the detectives came from Charlie's mouth, but there were enough clues for Andrew to go on to show that things were peaceful and were in favor of protecting him. The question was, how protected would he be under the FBI?
 
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The first thing Andrew picked up on, other than Charlie's name, was what he said about the people he and his companions were close with. They sounded interesting enough - And Jon? He 'stopped' the bad man from coming back? How did he do that, even? It obviously caused a lot of questions to be risen about who he was and what it was he did. Then there was James - Who was he? Why did he go out of his way to help a family at the other end of the country? One thing Andrew could say for definite was there was more to the story than the FBI and the LAPD first believed. It all seemed too convenient, the events he'd read about. The deaths of big heads of both Bradan and Al-Asheera's gang, the sudden turnover of a couple of detectives in the LAPD, the anonymous tip about Thalia Griffin.

Was this something much deeper and darker than he'd originally anticipated? All he knew now was that they'd gotten Thalia Griffin and her known 'accomplice', but at what cost? There were so many people that were unaccounted for. Parents, siblings, carers, and John and Jane Does all over the place. Who were all these people? Why would an eight-year-old be the only one left here? Where did everyone else suddenly vanish to? And why without him? They could hardly use a young boy as a scapegoat.

Right?

Andrew had his doubts, but there had to be more than met the eye. For now, though, he had one job to do - make sure Charlie was okay. There was no need for him to be surrounded by violence and destruction anymore, so they'd sit here and wait, and as soon as that was done with, hopefully they'd have some sort of indication as to where everyone else had gone. If it came down to that, Andrew would obviously have to get Charlie out of there. He didn't need to see everyone else he cared for getting arrested, too. Apparently there were other kids here, though, which confirmed more than a few things - Karin's younger brother was caught up in all of this somewhere, and the infamous Jordan Redgrave was alive and well, just like the even more infamous Frank Hale had promised. Reassuring as well as scary, really, but now it was a matter of going one step at a time.

"You're doing well." He nodded to him and offered a smile once he'd finished talking. He slowly rose to his feet and got the blanket from the bed, though, followed by putting it down over the blood on the floor. No need for either of them to have to keep looking at that. "You don't need to worry about what you need to do. You've done enough to help out, and that's okay." He said. "Like I said, I'll make sure no one else you care for gets hurt - but first we have to worry about finding them, don't we?" He took a deep breath and sat back down a few feet away from him again. "We'll wait for the guys to clear out of here, then me and you can take a look around. I don't think I've been in a house this big before, so, you might have to show me around a little. I'm sure your mom's somewhere here, isn't she?" He asked.

Wrong.

But he was going to stick to his word.

Time went on, and obviously all the armed guys were in and out of the house in no time - they'd cleared every room, and Andrew heard that much going on. He did make sure none of them came in the room he and Charlie were in, though. But how could every room they went into be clear? That was impossible. They even checked the back yard and found nothing - not even Elvis the dog, whom of which had obediently followed Frank into the basement. He was working as a good comfort mechanism for Jordan. A smart animal. The dog was stressed, though, as even he was aware of the situation. He was hot, panting here and there, and had irregular breathing. It wasn't used to the 'exciting' life, after all. At least the dog also found comfort in having Jordan cuddle up to him.

In the time went by, Andrew kept things as normal as possible - and let Charlie use the bathroom if he needed to, which he imagined was the case after all the stress and the fright he'd had. After that, though, and once the SWAT teams had cleared out, he finally took him out of the room and started to walk him around - and took his hand as they did so, if Charlie wanted to do so, but he obviously didn't force that - to see if they could find anyone he'd spoken of before. Jon, his mother, James, and his friends, too. But sure as shit, with every room they went to, they didn't find anything. Just packed bags that hadn't been taken, and that was it. Andrew even started to panic after the fourth room they checked.

Where the fuck are they?

Every room in the house. James' computer room, James and Karin's bedroom, the offices, the bathrooms, the kitchens, the cinema room, the bar room, the pool house, the back yard, the small greenhouse. They looked everywhere, and some rooms were even double-checked, but they didn't find anything other than detectives and forensics who were wandering around collecting whatever evidence they could find - Any stray hairs they could find, anything with fingerprints, anything they could get their hands on. They were going to be here a while, too.

Andrew couldn't even imagine. What was Charlie thinking of all this? Thinking of how they couldn't find not a single person that he held close? Did Charlie have his own assumptions?

Andrew wasn't sure, but they couldn't stay here. It was all too fucked up for even Andrew to try and interpret - but something really didn't feel right, and now he wanted to protect the one innocent person they'd located in all of this. Charlie. The next part of all of this wasn't going to be easy - in fact, it was going to be one of the more terrifying and worrying parts of the whole ordeal, but it was completely necessary and the only way of keeping him safe. The only way they'd truly reunite him with his mom and Jon and everyone else was if they left him in the house on his own after the forensics team had cleared off.

Which, let's be honest, wasn't going to happen.

Andrew took him out the front of the house and just off to the side, where they were met with a black BMW.

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Andrew opened the passenger door, then he ducked down beside Charlie and looked at him.

"I'll be honest with you, fella'... I know you're probably upset that we couldn't find anyone you know in there." He said. "And honestly, it's a strange situation, one I've not seen before - but you remember what I told you, when things don't add up, that's what the FBI's there for. We'll get to the bottom of it." He nodded. "Buuuuut... I can't just leave you here on your own, obviously. I doubt you'd want that, anyway." He looked at the car again. "This is my car here, and given the circumstances... You're gonna' need to come with me so we can get you somewhere safe, okay?" He said. He wasn't quite sure how else he could deliver that line - there was no 'comforting' way to put it, but, he'd hoped he'd shown Charlie he was trustworthy enough by now. Still, he expected him to be reluctant - Why would any kid want to ride off into the sunset with a member of the FBI? Even if it was for his own safety?

Meanwhile... James and Jon were watching it all happen on CCTV, and Nicole was probably there, too. He was hugging Nicole the whole time - but after a while he had to stop watching. He was falling to pieces, and watching Charlie walk from room to room with this agent killed him - they were expecting to find them somewhere, weren't they? It was killing Jon to watch it, and he felt sick after some time. He just bowed his head and closed his eyes - It was the worst feeling, knowing that Charlie was expecting them to be there, but there was nothing they could do to meet his wishes. If they left the safe room now, they'd be completely swarmed and hauled away - then things would be over.

James didn't know what to do, either. He just sat back and watched - he looked at this agent in particular and got a few screenshotted close-ups of his face. He'd ID him in no time, just as soon as he had the chance. So far he thought that the agent's intentions were good, seeing as he wasn't forcing Charlie around by the arm and wasn't particularly aggressive. The one thing James feared was that the LAPD would get their hands on him and, as was previously said, use him as leverage over Thalia Griffin. LAPD are meant to be noble, but with something like this? There's no telling how far they'd go.

He just hoped that this agent knew how to stay hidden - and he hoped even more so that he'd help Charlie do the same.
 
The first relief that came to Charlie's rescue was the blood being out of sight. It was a distraction in his conversation, now out of his view so he could think a bit clearly, and even follow along with Andrew. Physically, too. He promised not to hurt anyone he cares about, or let the LAPD hurt them, either. Did he trust the FBI agent? Maybe more than before, but he wanted to give him a chance. It was his best chance at finding his mother and Jon and just being in their arms again, somewhere he could trust he was safe. A means to an end, sure, but desperate times do things to even the youngest of kids. Charlie was no exception. In fact, in his own mind, it might even prove a sort of heroism in himself by staying strong and putting up with this stranger. He was offered a quick trip to the restroom and was kept away from any of the scarier sights of the venture. At least it was better than being hauled off to a squad car against his will kicking and screaming like he was before. Especially with the more vindictive sectors of the LAPD and the trigger-happy likes of SWAT.

But they came up empty. No Jordan or Joseph. No mom or Jon. Neither of those two detectives. Not even a trace of the dog. Did the bad people that Thalia spoke up beat them to the job, and the police came for them? It was all far more confusing for him. He had no idea where everyone could be, and he couldn't possibly know where they'd go. He was useless as for a lead at this point, and now the priority for him was safety.

He was directed to Andrew's vehicle, a fancy-looking set of wheels to the youngster. Not as mesmerized as he was by the likes of Jon's car from back in Philadelphia, but enough to catch his eye. It looked comfortable enough, but he'd be separated from the safety the mansion had promised him. But.... what safety? It was taken over by police officers, men in suits, the scary men in black with powerful guns, and forensic scientists. The safety was compromised. Was his best bet an escape? He was reluctant, but so far, nothing bad had happened while he was guided by Andrew. So he accepted with a nod, crawling into the passenger's seat of the vehicle.

"Please find my mommy, Mister," he whimpered to Andrew as he turned his back on the mansion. Time to abandon his safe haven... maybe for another? Maybe for worse. He didn't get a chance to see Karin or Thalia, both already taken to the station and the hospital respectively... but it was best he didn't as to not react too extremely. He did have another question, though. "Where will we go?" What was this other place Andrew had in mind? That's what Charlie was so worried about. Would he be comfortable there? Would he be passed on to some temporary carer? Or would his conditions get worse?

--

While Tony wasn't around to watch over the footage, still in the bathroom cooling down from his heated, dueling state of mind, Nicole WAS there to watch over the footage of her son and the man that found him. An older gentleman in a suit. He was definitely not as scary as the men in SWAT gear - as his mother, Nicole was familiar with Charlie's fears and comfort zone. It was unnerving to see him being taken away and guided from room to room, but it didn't bother her as much as Charlie's disappointed face every time he looked into a room and didn't see his mother. Or Jon. The CCTV footage showed his scared facial expression, confused, desperate for the loving touch of someone he cared about. At least she was resting her head on Jon's shoulder for the bulk of the time, trying to calm herself down. Why couldn't she just walk out? If Charlie was considered innocent, wouldn't they want him to find his mother? It almost tempted HER to ask James to let her out. It would be the third time someone asks him to open that door. It was evident that everyone wanted out. But they had to wait.

Fortunately, what Nicole was viewing didn't show Thalia getting shot twice. A relief not to see her precious daughter in danger, but the mystery of where she could be still left her mind troubled. No doubt she was arrested. Same goes for Karin. What did James have planned to spring them? And in case of injuries, treat them? Perhaps the older doctor from before could help in the way of injuries, someone Nicole wasn't aware of, but that was the easy part. The hard part would be getting the two out of LAPD and federal custody. Past security and out of sight. Not to mention a new safe place, as this current one is compromised by both Al-Asheera and the LAPD. It was all she could think of. Seemed like it was all Jon could think of, too. He look just as stressed as her, freaking out in his mind, and unable to bear the sight of Charlie being taken away by an FBI agent. He was acting as if this were his own child being swept away... and Nicole couldn't blame him. She wouldn't. The two had become so close as friends, almost a second father-son bond, that this separation was doing a number on both of them. She kept a single hand flat against his chest, feeling his racing heart. It could've been interpreted as a sign of intimacy, but with how well he's treated her son, it's no surprise she'd grown attached to him, too. He needed the comfort from someone. It was something Nicole could actually feel useful doing... helping Jon after he'd helped her.

James was at work finding out who that federal agent was, and Nicole wanted to know as well. "James..." she finally spoke, "Who is that man with Charlie? I'd say he's a federal agent, but I don't want to make a wrong assumption. Any idea if he's going to keep my son safe? And Thalia... my, do you know anything about her from that footage?"

--

Al-Asheera HQ

Night was dawning over California, and over the balcony of what was Thalia's bedroom in the headquarters in Burbank stood Jordan Reeves watching over the city. A city that was once mostly under the control of Al-Asheera. Not anymore with the loss of an entire inner circle and a drop in manpower. The gang was still legion thanks to the overflow of recruits, but things could be better for the thieves. And under new management, it would be harder to control the gang's inevitable unrest. Sam Walsh had already shown his doubts before his death, and so were many others. But this wasn't over until the woman was responsible for the downfall paid for her crimes. Then, they could leave for Portland and start over, salvaging the good name of a gang that had reign so well for so long. All of this territory he was watching from above... gone in a flash after the port disaster. All the territory they claimed was no longer taken seriously and quickly reclaimed by either the rightful owners or another street gang. The rise of Al-Asheera was one enough for the history books and scary campfire story. The downfall would be a tale to tell children to boost their morale. Reeves wasn't having that. Things had to change, soon. Which is why they were striking first, and hard.

The servant that Reeves had hired to work for him personally had returned. "Your Highness." He bowed upon saying it, bowing upon each response to come.

Reeves turned around from the balcony, hands behind his back, and nodded. "Yes?" He looked quite well for a man who'd been shot, except it was a setup, so he had that to his advantage.

"Our insider in SWAT confirmed that Griffin was shot. Once to the shoulder, another to the forearm, and a few scrapes, too."

"Excellent. Who was caught in the raid?"

"Only Griffin, Karin Held.... and the little brother. Charlie Griffin."

"Hmm..." Reeves nodded to himself, thinking over his next move. He paused for a few seconds, then spoke. "Where is the little boy headed off to?"

"We don't know."

"Find out. Have a camera to his face, and slit his throat before dawn."

"Your Highness... he's just an eight-year-old boy. No harm to anyone."

"He's Thalia Griffin's brother. He deserves to die for his sister's crimes."

The servant froze before nodding. "Yes, Your Highness. But the local law enforcement couldn't find anyone else. We did confirm a few things from the LAPD/FBI collaboration meeting before the raid. We've confirmed the existence of a boy named Jordan Redgrave living with Griffin and Fritzy. Maybe kept in custody by a man named Frank Hale."

Reeves did feel his heart sink briefly at the sound of a boy with the same name as himself, but he did have an idea for him. The last name.... "Redgrave... like the man Al-Ra's wanted to make our second insider?"

"Yes, Your Highness. David Redgrave. The one we found dead, along with his wife and daughter. The boy was never found."

"But now we know who he might be with," Reeves smiled. "We also know he is a target to a rival. But it's like they say..." Reeves stepped closer to the servant, reaching for a glass of Scotch from a nearby table. "The enemy of the enemy is my friend."

"Y-Your Highness..."

"I want to get in contact with the Clover Boys. We shall set up a meet. My face will be masked, but I would like to speak directly and in person with Bradan Cabhan. Tonight. Tell him Al-Asheera has a new man in power and would like to negotiate arrangements for peace. And a deal he can't resist. If they get jittery, mention Jordan Redgrave. Can you get in contact and deliver my contact info?"

"I-I'll try, Your Highness..." He was stuttering upon each word. Would this be something Ra's would approve of? Teaming up with the man he was trying to provoke?

"Good..." Reeves let out a confident grin over his face as he sipped on his hard drink. "Leave my presence."
 
Andrew was pleased to know the boy was willing to get in the car without any argument. It made the job of getting him somewhere safe a lot easier. He walked around to the driver's side and climbed in. There was no need for either of them to hang around the scene anymore. If Charlie had never been found, then obviously Andrew would hang about and investigate further - but now it was a matter of priorities, and the boy caught in the middle of everything was going to come first. Andrew had a glance around the area once he was sat beside him, then looked at Charlie again. "Buckle up, kiddo." He gently patted his shoulder, then started the engine.

"I'll do my best to find your mom - I'll help find everyone you care for as best I can, that's my job, after all." He said. "Until then, you focus on taking it easy. We'll be going somewhere safe, outside the city - If anyone you know gets found, we'll be the first to know about it." He smiled at him. "We're going on a drive while I figure out exactly where we'll take you. You'll definitely be with someone in the bureau at the very least, don't worry - I won't hand you off to the LAPD. I'm going to do everything I can to ensure I'm allowed to keep in contact or at least be close by so I can keep an eye on you. I'll make some calls and talk to some people." He nodded.

"While we're driving, though, I'll stop somewhere and buy you something to eat. I saw there was food in the kitchen that wasn't ready yet, so, I'm guessing you haven't eaten yet, either." He said. "We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us, so, after you've eaten, if you wanna' just close your eyes over and rest up a spell, that'd be just fine. I can wake you when we get there." He said, and with that, he moved the car into gear. The first stop was going to be the food, as promised - Wendy's seemed like a safe bet, and as time was getting on quite a bit and the night was quickly coming into its later stages, a takeout was the best bet.

He figured, despite his car being his baby, that he'd let Charlie eat in the car while they were on the road. Plus, Wendy's had some good kids' options, which was nice. Andrew figured he'd eat when he got home.

Whenever that would be.

On the way out of the city, though, he made a phone call. He was using his hands-free system in his car, meaning Charlie could hear the call (providing he was awake and everything).

Ring, ring, ring.

"Goodman, SitRep?"

"Well, arrests have been made but there's a lot more I need to tell you about. I need to arrange witness protection of some sort for a Charlie Griffin." He explained.

"Parents?"

"Didn't find his mom or any other carers, no."

"We'll arrange for social services to come and pick him up."

"Uh... No, sir, I don't want you to do that."

"Why not?"

"He'll be better off with someone from the bureau."

".. I assume you're talking about yourself."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He's been through a lot, and as I said, it's a volatile case with a lot of stones left unturned. He'd be safest with me."

"So be it."

"I want non-uniform agents nearby my home, just to be safe. Female only."

"Female only? Any reason why?"

"A matter of trust and comfort, really. Not only that, a lot of our female agents are a lot less... Obvious."

"If that's what you want, sure. How long do you think this will be a thing?"

"As long as it takes. I need some clothes delivered to my house, too. For the boy. Looks to be..." He looked over at Charlie for a moment, then went back to having his eyes on the road, "Size eight at best."

"I'll have it taken care of. Be advised, though, Operation Hummingbird is now in full effect."

"Noted. I'll keep you updated." He said, "Bye for now." He added, and with that he pressed the button to hang up.

On the road they were, heading right out of the city. At least it was now confirmed that Charlie would be with someone who would be able to look after him - in a secure location, too. He'd at least be with someone he... Trusted to a good enough extent.

--

James was going to give it to her straight. Joseph was refusing to eat anything more than a few spoonfuls of beans seeing as he didn't have his insulin with him - that alone was stressing James out enough, because he could see that the boy was suffering for it. It was all piling up - the life he'd built was practically falling to pieces now. Everything he'd worked so hard to achieve had slipped from under him - but hopefully not for too long. Maybe things would change. Maybe they'd go back to the way they always were - maybe he could take this as a lesson for how to treat the future. Take it easy, don't be stupid, settle with the vast money he has now and just live life, have a family, a normal way of living. It would be better than this... Wouldn't it?

"Thalia was sadly injured in the raid, but her wounds weren't critical from what I could see. She was transported to hospital, I assume, meaning getting her back isn't going to be too much of a challenge. Plus, there is someone I know who can treat her further if needed - All in all, though, I'm working on finding out everything I can about her. There'll be a medical report done on her when it comes down to it, so we can see the full extent of her injuries once that's published. I assure you she was very much alive when she left here, if not a little worse for wear." He explained. "As for the man with Charlie..." He frowned. "He's got that Federal look about him, yes, and I can only assume as much. Cameras around the house showed he had a badge of some sort, but I can't tell what one it is. With a bit of luck it won't be an LAPD detective." He said. "It's running on the facial search as we speak - It goes through the database of Law Enforcement Officers that I have saved. If it finds a match, then hey presto, it'll pull the file up for me."

"Not only that, but it'll check for any potential matches online - LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter; you name it. If it finds a similar picture I get the name or account name it's linked to. That feature's basically bootlegging off of Google's 'search by image' feature, though, so it's somewhat flawed. It'll return results with similar pictures and color schemes rather than identical matches, but-"

A notification popped up on the laptop's screen.

'Search complete.'

"Welp, this is the guy." James shrugged and turned the screen to her.

160220171214.jpg

"Matches a file in the FBI database I've put together - My database is a few years out of date now seeing as I had to wipe the most recent one, but, if this guy's popped up? I'm guessing he's a veteran of the bureau. A real loyal dog." He said. "Andrew Travis Goodman. Aged 50. Did a four-year Master's Course in Criminology at the University of Michigan almost immediately after he turned eighteen, I'm guessing, graduated when he was 22. He signed onto the FBI in LA when he was 23, which, for the record, is the minimum age you have to be to join the FBI. He rose through the ranks and he's now a Special Agent-In-Charge, on-track to become the Deputy Assistant Director within the next year or so. He's been with the bureau since for 27 years in total, hasn't ever applied to another job," He scrolled down a little. "Divorced, has full custody of his daughter which is probably the main reason he didn't rise through the ranks as quickly as you'd expect. He's Directed or Co-Directed quite a few things over the years - He was a Commander in the FBI SWAT in his younger days, before his daughter was born, after that he ran the Public Affairs department for quite some time, and now he lives a more quiet life - he leads the FBI's Training & Recruitment Division."

"His history shows he's a pretty tough nut to crack. Suffers from sleep apnea, took a bullet to the chest that left him bound to a pacemaker - Took down one major gang leader when he lead an investigation. He was laid off work for six months after taking the bullet, but, returned after four. He's a trained marksman within the Critical Response Team... Guy was probably next-to-deadly in his early days. Now he's more focused on keeping other members on track, given his rank. He's worked some notable cases, though - Child abduction, kidnapping, murder-suicides, terrorism, espionage, cult investigation, gang interception..." He nodded a few times, then looked up to Nicole.

"I know it's a stressful time, Nicole, but this man's been with the bureau for nearly 30 years. If anyone was going to have him in their pocket, there's no way his record would look like this." He said. "We've got a phone number, address, details - You don't need to worry, Charlie's in good hands. For now, I want you to try and take your mind off of it, because no matter how you look at things...?" He frowned. "The kids aren't as safe with us as we'd like to think, and given the fact that Al-Asheera are probably looking for Charlie now that they know he was here? I don't want to risk it. The bureau are strong enough to protect him until we get things back in order, but we lost a lot of resources today, so protecting us is even going to be a tough task." He frowned.

"I'll do what I can to keep an eye on your boy, Nicole. I promise."

--

The Lucky Jack, Downtown LA

"Sammy..." Bradan smiled. He was the only one that remained in the club after closing time - It was more or less his home when he wanted it to be. He could stay here and drink the night away and not worry about a thing, because there was always eyes on this place. The fancy nightclub was the perfect throne for one of the city's kings. Did rival gangs dare to set foot here? Not unless they had a reason to do so. If they came unwelcomed then shit well and truly hit the fan. They had the barrage of bent cops and hardened gangsters waiting for them at every angle. By far the most dangerous part of Downtown, yet also one of the safest for those who didn't have beef. Why? No robbers, rapists, or murderers dared to carry out their deeds in Bradan's part of town. In some ways Bradan had the notoriety of a protector - until he decided to kill a cop and his family.

"Bradan." Sammy nodded, giving him a smile. He walked to his side - the balcony that overlooked the dancefloor below. "I have news. About Al-Asheera."

"Is that right?"

"Yes. Apparently, the leader wants to meet with you to talk of peace arrangements."

"Peace? Heh." He shook his head and sipped at his drink, leaing onto the railing. "Rich."

"I... I booked you in. I told them you'd meet."

"You did what?!" The drink fell from his hand and plummeted to the dance floor below, shattering on impact. Before it even hit the floor, though, Bradan had Sammy by the throat and had bent him backward over the railing himself - if he released him, chances are he'd have a similar fate to the glass if he didn't react quickly enough.

"I had to." He choked, "I thought this is what you'd want."

"After they took down some of my businesses - ones that pay protection to me - No, the last thing I fucking wanted to consider was 'peace', Sammy."

"I'm sorry." He coughed.

"You're not sorry. Sorry my ass. You chose your life over the rest of us. Is that what it is? You scared of a couple of stone age-style motherfuckers?"

"No, Bradan." He shut his eyes.

"Give me one reason not to turn you into my next big accident, Sammy."

"They know about Jordan Redgrave." He whispered.

Bradan leaned back a little and stared down at Sammy's face, then slowly pulled him back over the railing and stood him up straight. "What do they know about him...? We know well enough that Frank Hale potentially has him, I had that confirmed by an officer who attended the briefing."

"They have an address. A confirmation. They want to make a deal. Make peace if they get you the boy, I'm guessing, I don't know. Work together - they get what they want, you get what you want."

"And what do they want?"

"I--.. I'm guessing Thalia Griffin. She got arrested in the raid, I hear."

"Anyone else?"

"I... I don't know. Anyone she might be associated with? Friends and family?" He shrugged.

"Where is this Thalia Griffin right now?"

"Hospital, I think."

"Put her at the top of my list tomorrow morning. Pay off any cops that are watching her to get me five minutes in a room alone with her."

"Consider it done." He said, shakily. "Bradan, we... You should attend the meeting." He said. "Tomorrow night, maybe. I can get someone to send the word to them. Think, you get Jordan Redgrave, then you take the city back. You'll be face-to-face with the new leader, after all."

"Ah, of course. The infamous Ra's fell the other night." He scratched his chin, "Maybe. A new leader doesn't mean I trust anyone."

"That's my point. They're weak - they've lost their best men and they don't have any influence anymore. You could technically have people end this. Get rid of them once and for all."

Bradan looked at him for a moment, a sly grin falling onto his face, "Maybe." He ran a hand down the side of his arm, "Have someone arrange a meeting. Tomorrow night. Tonight I'm busy."

"With what?"

"I think you know." He whispered.

They both immediately kissed.
 
From the start, things weren't looking too good for Thalia in her mother's eyes. She was injured, that was confirmed. Not critical, but she at least wanted to know what happened? Did they shoot her on sight? Did she provoke them? Was the degree of force even necessary? She was no doctor, but as soon as she hears that her daughter's left arm was shot twice, one time when there was no need as the SWAT team sat idly by and watched her bleed, she wouldn't rest for one minute until the responsible officers were hung out to dry by their superiors. Fortunately, Andrew had that covered, as well as her son's safety. One child wasn't doing so well... but at least the other would be in safe hands. As much as she would hear or know about Andrew, she'd still trust Jon over him, simply because she'd seen him in action keeping her and Charlie safe in San Francisco. But... Andrew looked experienced. Nearly 30 years of it would be hard to fake from a professional. He also seemed to have a gentle touch for children, as any older man would. Did he have children of his own? It would explain. It was a much easier touch than the aggressive likes of SWAT, and that much was enough to make the blow less painful to the woman's heart. James even reassured her that this was Charlie's best case scenario. If there was any federal agent he could fall into the hands of and be safe, it was this guy. Seemingly incorruptible and working for the greater good.

It was all getting to her mentally, letting out her stress into an occasional squeeze in Jon's hand. In the heat of such a situation, it was probably best for her to rest. Take a nap. It wouldn't help her forget that now both of her children were gone, but it would help relax. She could feel every fiber in her aging body as if it were jabbed by needles. Rarely did Nicole ever treat herself to anything self-serving like a spa day or any sort of day off. It wouldn't help if her mind was still where it was before, at work in the school she used to teach at, or at home for her children and husband. A mother's job never really ends, as she believed. But what if she was powerless in the eyes of troubles? She released Jon's hand and stood up from by his and James' side. She'd seen enough of this Andrew Goodman to pray he's her son's best chance at being okay. She took to a free couch in the bunker, not occupied by any of the others, and simply rested her heavy head down, laying on her side, and slowly trying to drift off into a period of sleep.

...

Time passed, hours before anyone was allowed outside the bunker. It all had to wait until later that evening for the forensics and SWAT teams to clear the area and call it a night. And even if they could get out soon, there's no way they could even sleep there. The mansion was a crime scene, and they needed somewhere safe. Any past residence of any of the pack was a no-go if they were all wanted - and given Charlie's tendency to always tell the truth, there's a good chance he's given names of everyone under that roof to Andrew Goodman. Odds are, nobody knows that James and Fritzy are on in the same, but it wouldn't take long for them to put two and two together. The question was: where would they go? What was James's contingency in this case? At least everyone was packed up and ready for the sudden move. It would be harder on the children to be pulled out of what they once called safe... but this was necessary, after all.

As Tony emerged from the bunker, he could only look around at the linings of 'police crossing' tape and areas of the house blocked off for forensic analysis later. Their rooms were searched and items deemed as evidence removed, though their packed bags were strangely untouched. Odd, but it was to their advantage. The bag in Thalia's bag was gone, though. Most of her room was stripped down and taken apart to pull whatever they could on the mystery redhead. Even if her notoriety alone was enough to ensure that she stays behind bars, they were clearly looking for something more solid. For Tony? He felt like he was looking back on the wasteland of a disaster he'd brought upon the pack. He wasn't far off, because this was, indeed, his fault. Had he kept his mouth shut to Reeves... had he not struck a deal with Roland... This wouldn't happen. Thalia and Karin wouldn't have been arrested. They could all stay here safely. Hell, his father might still be alive. Even after hours in the bathroom with time alone, things weren't easier for Tony to digest. Nobody could ever know his secret... ever. He tried to play cool, though. After scanning the mansion, he returned to James to ask the question everyone was waiting to hear the answer to.

"This place has been tossed over to nail us, or at least try to link us to being here," Tony began, "Clearly, they knew who they were coming for. But seeing they gave up, we might have a quick window. But what's our play? Sure, we need to get out of Encino, but to where? And how do you plan on getting your girlfriend and Thalia out of lockup?" Tony was still unaware of Thalia being shot, so he had no idea she'd be in the hospital. "Karin might be easy, but Thalia? She's probably being held under high security so nobody touches her. I still remember how she said that Al-Asheera kills people before they talk. She might just be torn between death and doom right now. I hope you're not planning on storming into LAPD's headquarters and trying to brute-force her way out. You won't make it against a swarm of already-pissed revenge-seeking cops. Half of them want to crucify Thalia, which... I assume we aren't going to let happen, right?"

That's the last thing Tony needed: More blood on his hands. He was too afraid to even take a seat on the couches or touch anything in the room. Even though his fingerprints and DNA were around, it wouldn't help if more evidence showed up after the area was cleared. Once again, they needed to get out, fast.

Nicole, on the other hand, now rested up slightly, had a different priority in mind. With no regard for her surroundings, she directed her steps to Thalia's bedroom. That's where she was last seen, after all. She hadn't seen CCTV footage from that just yet, and therefore, hasn't seen the blood spilled. But she had to see for herself, see where her daughter last stood. Take something of hers, a personal belonging, just to remember her by in case she ends up losing her firstborn again and only has to see her from behind a thick layer of glass. Such an image of that being her daughter's fate... it was her nightmare in her slumber. Why did it seem like a reality, though? She could already imagine Thalia being processed, photographed, fingerprinted, logged into the system as a criminal. If there was any chance she could get so much as a piece of her clothing just to remember her by, much like she'd kept before she ran away in Philly. A memory of her daughter as she tried to better herself.

The mansion was big, but Nicole had already developed a general sense of what was where. Thalia's room. The door was covered in the vibrant yellow police tape forbidding anyone from going inside. With no regard for the fact her fingerprints would be picked up, she reached for the knob and allowed herself entry. No lock, fortunately. But as she pushed it open and looked around.... she'd be in for a disappointment. The bedsheets, curtains, and all of Thalia's personal belongings were all gone, taken away by law enforcement in an attempt to gather evidence and pin as many crimes as possible on her. They didn't find anything more than the results of a shopping spree, unfortunately. Even when they tried to nail her for STEALING these things, they even found the receipts. Quite a disappointment, but they still kept the belongings for further investigation. The LAPD truly wanted to nail the mystery redhead for all they could get, and hang her out to dry. But the lack of anything momentous didn't shock Nicole as much as what was waiting on the floor.

It didn't take a genius to realize that the floor was coated in bloodstains. And definitely not a cop's. That was quite a large quantity of blood for a woman who hadn't been exposed to such extreme circumstances. It was kept minimal for two shots - one to the arm, one to the shoulder - but it was all the same to Nicole. Her daughter was shot like an animal. Maybe not killed, but if she would ever see her daughter again, she'd be suffering, and that was enough to shatter any mother's heart. She gripped over chest in an attempt to keep herself up on her feet, another hand flat against the frame of the door to prop herself up further. But her eyes never left the bloodstains. Was James serious about her injuries not being 'life-threatening'? She didn't even know where Thalia was shot. But clearly, she was. Her breaths became heavier, sweat leaking down her forehead, and jaw dropping slightly down. Who could possibly explain that everything was okay if there was blood spilled?

"They... the police," Nicole whimpered to Jon behind her, assuming he'd follow her as a supportive figure. "They shot her like this. Did they even think twice before they shot? That this was a girl looking to right her wrongs? She didn't deserve to be shot..." her left eye began to shed a tear as she couldn't help herself, but release her hand from the door frame and step forward, just enough for her to collapse to the ground, by the cones and notifying marks on the ground left by forensics, just kneeling in front of the bloodstains. "My baby..." her hands were about to reach forward at the dried blood, just to touch what was once her daughter's. "My poor baby."
 
"We had no time to clear evidence, no time to clean bedsheets, pack away clothes where they wouldn't be found, no way to cover up our tracks. Our fingerprints are all over every aspect of this house, along with stray hairs, dead skin, you name it - it's here in the house somewhere, and that's what's going to be our downfall. At least we'll all come up as John or Jane Doe, but for some of you it's going to be obvious when it comes to piecing the puzzle together. Even if I have wiped your records, some of you will get found out in one way or another, but we'll see. McAllister missed all the action, too, because he's off with his boss, is he not?" He shrugged. "Lucky him. But my point is, they've found everything that we wanted to try and avoid them finding. They've found DNA from us and the kids, no questions asked. As son as the forensics team determine the average age of the hair and whatnot that they find, finding out who was here and who wasn't is practically child's play."

"Not only that, but when they broke in I initiated a sequence that wiped everything on my computers upstairs, so we've lost our frontline defenses. Everything's been backed up to a town in Cuba, and although accessing it is possible, getting simply 'reestablished' is not. It will take time - potentially a good few days, and even after that I'm going to be backtracked, seeing as some of the things that I backed up were a few years out of date. But at least the majority of the important things will remain where they were." He shrugged. "Good news, though - Seeing as they came here mainly looking for Thalia, the room where they found her will be the one place it's been picked clean. Other rooms? They'll do basic sweep and pick up hairs and whatnot, but, they want everything they can get when it comes to charging the mystery redhead. We might find some stuff of ours that hasn't been taken." He explained. "That means the well-hid almost-a-million dollars should still be where I left it, but let's not get our hopes up."

"Simply put, it's time to call The Jackal." He said. "Who, for the record, is someone I worked with a long time ago. A friend of a friend who practically owes me for given him the fast-track to being as rich as he is. Once a man who went around doing his own bounty-hunting and helping people vanish off the radar, now a successful businessman who's pride and success was just borrowed from other people. He leads an interesting life now, believe me. Some Englishman - He owns houses all across the country, and in other countries, too. He uses a legal business to filter illegal activity through the cracks without getting caught. He holds these big VIP parties in some of his places, filled with drugs, gangsters, women who strangely aren't US citizens, expensive alcohol, Cuban cigars, and unlicensed gambling. The guy makes more money than God just by doing that. I'm sure you can see why he may be more useful than just helping us with accommodation - if he wants to help us beyond that." He frowned.

"The only issue is, from here to where we want to go is a three-hour drive. I know Jordan ate quite well while we were in the basement, but, Joseph didn't. I need to stop by somewhere to get him some proper food, and we also need to loop back before we go anywhere so I can take the remainder of his insulin from his fridge at home. In total, we're looking at 3 and a half, maybe four hours of driving. Frank has his car, so he can easily ship you, Jordan, the dog, and himself. Me, Joseph, Jon, and Nicole can all go in the car Jon brought here with him. I'll let Jon drive and lead the way, as he's admittedly the best driver of the two of us. Whoever drives your car is between you and Frank."

"Go start getting everything together. And no, we won't let them crucify Thalia. I already have a plan in the works for that, one that won't fail. But we can't risk trying to move her now, because her injuries will hold her back. We need to give her a day or two so she's at least mobile, but still not fully healed - while she's in hospital we'll get her out." He said. "You seem to be forgetting about Karin, too." He looked away for a moment, then let out a gentle sigh.

"If you have any ideas on her, let me know."

James was clearly blank - was this the end for Karin? If James didn't have an idea for getting her our of custody, who would?

--

Meanwhile on Jon's end, he did indeed go with her into Thalia's bedroom. Chances were he wasn't even going to leave her side at this rate, because why would he? He cared too much for her to just leave her behind, and he didn't want her wandering off on her own. If you take away a parents' children, what more do they have left? Quite simply, they don't have anything. Children are the ones that make up the world of their parents - You take away someone's world, and you take away everything the person in question has ever lived for. Now Nicole was more or less alone - no kids to hold close, a husband that was murdered... Jon was going to at least be there to hold her hand.

He reached out and stopped her from touching the blood, though, gently curling his fingers into hers. "You don't want to do that." He whispered, softly. "I know this is horrific for you. I do." He sighed, pulling her into yet another hug and holding her there. "I don't know how I'd feel if my daughter went through anything similar to Thalia. I may not know her, may not have ever seen her face - but she's still my child, still my flesh and blood. I can't even imagine the pain you're feeling over Thalia right now, though. But you can't give up." He said. "In situations like this, especially the LAPD, they shoot first and ask questions later. We don't know if Thalia surrendered or tried to fight back, but, we do know that they have a vendetta against her and the gang she once rolled with. Harm was going to come her way - but if that's the case, and they did all this needlessly? You know we'll find a way to flip it over on them." He said.

"Any injuries involving bullets leave a lot of blood, no matter where they are. You heard what James said - your daughter is alive." He said. "If she wasn't, we'd know by now. I don't know how stable she is, but give me a couple of days, Nicole - I promised you once and I'll promise you again. I'll bring your daughter back to you. Whatever it takes." He sighed, then closed his eyes over. This wasn't an easy thing to be caught in. He didn't know Thalia that well, but the mere expectations he had of him and her getting to know each other brought on enough pain in a moment like this one. Would he ever be able to show her the same care he'd shown her mother and brother?
 
Whatever needed to happen in this mansion needed to be quick, and all of them had to be out of there before it gets too late. Fortunately, like James mentioned, the LAPD and FBI came for Thalia primarily and wouldn't bother look deeper anywhere else. They got the mystery redhead herself and her 'known accomplice', according to them. Would they look deeper for the detectives and children? Or Fritzy? Again, like James had mentioned, they would put the pieces together, even without concrete DNA matches, who was living under that roof over the past week. Either that, or they would break the girls for it. He figured Thalia wouldn't talk, considering how stubborn other Al-Asheera higher-ups were. He would expect nothing more than a lack of cooperation from her. Karin might be a different story. Sure, she's as tough as they get, but who knows what the Feds would do to her to try and break her? Especially if she's tied to Al-Asheera, thanks to her best friend. Worrisome... but it would have to be dealt with elsewhere, not now. Tony's bag was still where he'd left it, under his bed, so preparing his belongings wouldn't be too much of a hassle, so he took the time to listen to James clearly and completely.

The Jackal would be their saving grace, a contact of the criminal mastermind, yet another who owed him a favor. Yet another businessman using his seemingly legitimate business as a passage for his illegitimate activities. Tony knew that he shouldn't ask any questions about working with a criminal, as he had been doing exactly that for a week, since he agreed to work with Thalia off the books. Whoever this Jackal was probably had a roof for the crew to hang their heads until further notice, which was a good sign. He'd play ball on this one, no need to oppose. Long drive, but they'd stop for food, no doubt. The detective didn't mind; he could fit something into his stomach after all that time he'd spent in the bathroom not eating much in the bunker. Two cars: him, Frank, Jordan, and Elvis in one, Jon, Joseph, James, and Nicole in the other. He could get behind that. Seemed fitting enough. Which brought up yet another concern: Karin. She was gone, too. Arrested. Getting her out might be a tricky ordeal as well. Probably a job for the criminal minds of the bunch, more than Tony, but he'd happily give his input for how to get into the LAPD HQ.

Tony originally planned to head to his room and grab his bag, maybe even talk with Frank a bit about how he was taking things. His ex-girlfriend was just arrested and shot, after all. But those plans were quickly shifted as he passed through the foyer to the stairs.... and heard the furious knocks and screams of a familiar feminine voice calling for someone to open up.

"Hey! I know you're in there, James, or whatever your fucking name was! Otherwise, you would've been arrested with Thalia! So open the fuck up!"

Oh, for fuck's sake... Tony groaned in his mind. That voice... it was the girl that he'd saved alongside Thalia and caused a world of trouble with. Jenny, was her name? He'd heard she'd caused a fight with James and got herself kicked out, but she had the audacity to come back when she knew damn well the mansion would be a crime scene?

"Helloooooo? Do I need to call the cops back here? I know you're in there! I can hear you walking!"

Were Tony's footsteps THAT loud? Unbelievable. He shook his head and realized he had no choice. What if one of the neighbors - or even Jenny herself - calls the police again and they all get busted? His weapon stowed away in his back pocket, he sucked in his chest and approached the front door. How would she dare come to a crime scene like this, with police tape around the property and on the door specifically saying 'DO NOT CROSS'? If he could guess anything, Thalia's first girl crush certainly was a loony bitch. Without any hesitation, Tony reached out from the crack in the door he'd created to see her, reached forward, and grabbed the goth-looking woman by her hair and dragged her inside. She let out a quick scream of pain from the jolt, and continued rambling.

"Hey, watch it, bucko!" she snarled. "Keep in mind, I know exactly where you all live, and I could give the LAPD all of your names and faces!"

It brought a thought to Tony's mind. A rather clever one, too. Could he pin his sins on Jenny, the jealous vindictive girlfriend of the mystery redhead, who, upon her heart breaking, snitched? It was convincing, maybe even something James could buy. But he'd let the man himself be the judge of that. He dragged the woman across the foyer to return to James and explain the story. He wouldn't be pleased to see her again - nobody would be, really - but they couldn't leave her on the door screaming like that.

"James... look what I found on our doorstep crying and begging to be let in." Tony released Jenny from the grip over her hair, only to be swung at by the girl. It wasn't very threatening, so Tony let it be.

"Fuck you," she barked at him, then directed her attention to James. She wouldn't dare hit him like she did earlier that day, but she did have some stern words. "You motherfucker. You go on about keeping people safe? Then you throw me on the streets and let MY GIRLFRIEND get arrested?" Jenny was still under the illusion that she and Thalia were a thing, even though Thalia had expressed to Karin in their shopping spree that Jenny wasn't what she'd expected at all. Tony observed from afar, thinking over her personality. She'd be the perfect scapegoat... but maybe James would pick that up on his own. "Now she's in jail, and I heard that she was injured. You sick, sick bastard. You used her to whatever end you had, then just tossed her aside like that?! Be glad I came here first and not to the police to tell them everything I know. Because boy, do I wanna beat the shit out of you right now and give you a piece of my mind, because I am NOT standing for this!"

It might've been a mistake to let her in. This is NOT what James needed right now. But this was a situation that needed dealing with. If they anger Jenny further, she had the power to expose them all further than they already were. She'd seen and heard things that could put them all in hot water, after all. A complication, and quite a headache, too.

--

Before she could try to touch the blood and tamper with it as evidence, Nicole was halted by Jon. Why was it that his touch would put her to a standstill like that? That her heart would skip a beat with every meaningful gesture he'd offer? It wasn't like this was casual sympathy. From Jon, it all seemed beyond genuine. Straight from his heart, no faking it. So much as to care for her own children like his own. He was trying to talk some sense into her distressed mind, clearly not thinking straight. That was a rare sight out of her, as she'd usually been so good at maintaining composure. She did a fine job at it when her husband was killed when she talked with Philly PD about who might've done it. But now, with her longlost daughter, she couldn't restrain herself any further. And just seeing her blood left behind, her belongings all gone... it sure hurt. But she stayed in Jon's embrace. No children, no husband, and all of her other family members were in France, a constant reminder of how far away from home she was. At least Jon was someone to care about... to love, in one way or another.

Shivering in her place and clinging to Jon as hard as she could, she went on. "This feels like every nightmare come true, Jon. Knowing Thalia was gone and no idea where... it felt so different from knowing she was shot and arrested. This is far more painful than knowing she was simply gone. I know when it comes to childcare, you aren't close with your children. But I'm sure that your heart is in place. My lord... Charlie loves you to death, and I know he's out there somewhere, freaking out that you're not by his side helping him through this. I know he'll be okay with who he's with... but Thalia. I hope she will be okay. I'm praying for her to be okay."

As strong as her faith was, reason was prevailing. The blood count was intimidating for her, even if it was minimal to someone more accustomed to horrors as such. She feared the worst and was dying on the inside, waiting for some proof of life from Thalia. She trusted James to the point she knew she'd be the first to know anything about her daughter. She slowly rose to her feet, still in Jon's arms, her teary eyes looking into his own, for the first time in a long while, showing genuine fear, yet another quality she didn't want anyone to see in her. She needed to relax, though. "D-Do you think you could walk with me to the kitchen? I need some water." Perhaps a cold drink would help her relax. Just a little bit.
 
"Oh, if it isn't my favorite person in the world." James said, with a tone of bitter sarcasm. "If you'd be so kind just to close your fat fucking mouth for five seconds, I'll quite happily explain a few things to you. First, I want to tell you something funny - No, something utterly hilarious, in my eyes." He cleared his throat, "You've been giving it all of this talk. 'My girlfriend wouldn't want this, my girlfriend wouldn't want that, my girlfriend, my girlfriend, my girlfriend.' - Blah, blah, blah." He shook his head, "You think she even gave a shit about you after I threw you out that door? Do I look like she started a fight with me? Do I look as though she tried to kick my ass? No, I don't, and you know why? Because she doesn't care, Jenny." He jabbed her in the chest with his index finger.

Meanwhile, Joseph was hidden around a corner close by listening to the chaos unfold. Not words a ten-year-old should be hearing, but, there you go. All of the kids were exposed to more than that needed to be, so it was time for Joseph to join the ranks of 'kids who knew more than their own good', even though he'd started off pretty close to that as it was.

"She didn't even bring it up. In fact, she agreed with me when I gave her my reasoning. I told her you were nothing but a vindictive trouble-maker, who went as far as attacking her mother. Yes. I told her about that. The funniest thing is Nicole was more forgiving for that than Thalia was, despite her being the one that you assaulted, but Thalia? Oh, no, after she heard about that, she doesn't want anything more to do with you. As soon as you dragged her family into the dirt with all of your drama, you went from Hero to Zero on Thalia's list. She was happy I kicked you out - She couldn't blame me. She even apologized on your behalf, seeing as you didn't have the goddamned decency to do it yourself."

"But there's one thing I'm not going to stand here and take - I'm not a user, I'm not disloyal, and this certainly wasn't in my intentions." He snarled, stepping a bit closer to her, still standing tall. "Once again, if you hadn't thrown yourself at my door like some dime store mercenary, and just stopped and maybe even investigated for a moment, you'd have been able to find out that I'm already planning on finding a way to get Thalia out of there. The only reason she got arrested is because she didn't make it to us on time before the police kicked the door down. Oh, and there's another thing - The girl you hate so much, Karin, threw herself in harm's way to try and help Thalia after she realized she'd failed to meet with the rest of the group. She ran out there and got beaten to the ground right alongside her."

"So some could say it's not me that caused trouble, no, some could say Karin's fallen under harm because of stupid and selfish acts, but we won't go into that. She's now sitting in a cell somewhere after trying to get Thalia back, but..." He looked over Jenny for a few moments. Tony could probably tell by now that his wish was about to come true. "But there's something about you, Jenny, something beyond the bitterness, the child-like behavior, the toxicity... That really does call out to me." He nodded a few times, slowly, "Yes... Yes, I think I may have found the chicken in the fuckin' henhouse."

"It all works quite well for you, I imagine. You get thrown out, your precious 'girlfriend' doesn't immediately come looking for you, the house is filled with people you hate, and after all the arguments you have no real attachment to anyone. If they all went down, it's no skin off your back, is it?" He asked. "You expected maybe Thalia to be the only one to get out of there, you expected us all to be taken by surprise, and hey-presto. All of Thalia's friends and family go down, end up in prison, all the kids disappear into the social care system, and that leaves one person, ripe for the picking: Thalia." He said. "You'd have been able to rush in like some gracious savior to keep her afloat when she had nothing left, and she'd be back in your pocket. Oh, that's very cunning, Jenny, very cunning indeed." He said.

"I just find it funny how you vanish, then suddenly we get shit showing up at our doorstep with no reason why. I knew you were a slimy little bitch, but someone who was capable of sleeping with the enemy? That's low, even for you." He said. "And now that you're threatening to potentially throw us to the wolves again..." He looked at Tony for a second, then looked back to Jenny, "I mean you know what that means, Jenny." He whispered.

Ominous indeed. Had Jenny finally stepped on one too many eggshells?

--

"I know he is, yes." Jon gulped, "I'll find Charlie as soon as I can, but, he's safe right now." He sighed, "He's safe and that's what matters the most. If I can find a way to get in contact, maybe even arrange some sort of visit for the two of us, then I'll do it. But we need to be careful. Even if it's only a phone call, we'll find a way to make contact and let him know that we didn't just... Leave him behind. Even if all I can manage is a message being passed on by the feds, that would be better than Charlie assuming that we're just...Gone forever, really." He shook his head. He was beginning to upset himself just by thinking about it, so maybe it was worth changing things for a little. They hadn't eaten for a while either, so that wasn't contributing to any emotions in any positive way.

A perfect subject change and a reason to get out of this room rose up - Nicole wanted water. Fantastic. There were voices in the hallway, but, that wasn't bothering Jon - at least not yet. When he saw who it was, his tone was going to change a little.

And believe me, it did. As soon as they walked into the hallway and saw the one and only Jenny stood there, involved in what seemed to be a rather heated discussion with James and Tony, Jon went onto full defense mode and turned his demeanor into something very castle-like - not letting Nicole out of his sight, keeping a good shield between her and Jenny, making sure he watched for any sudden movements from the girl that's already caused them so much trouble. She was a rabbit that had walked into a ferret's nest. Without Thalia here, there wasn't a single person who would even slightly take her side, especially not after all the stress of the day.

And then you take into account the obvious hole in the plot - Jenny vanishes, police show up. Was anyone really going to trust her?

James did see one opening, though... Jon cared a lot about Nicole and Charlie, and the police were the whole reason Charlie wasn't with them anymore. Jon knew how to get violent. Knew how to exact revenge. If he'd heard the whole conversation that they'd had...? Oh dear.

Tony still wanted his name cleared, though, so if he wanted to expose it to the man who cared so dearly for the Griffin family - light the fuse and run away - then there was no doubt he'd be able to trigger some sort of reaction. In front of Thalia's mother, too? If she was provoked into believing that her childrens' suffering was all on the shoulders of the girl she'd tried so hard to be friendly with, how would she react?

What a chaotic situation they had on their hands.
 
Jenny and James were toe-to-toe once again, accusations bouncing back and forth, some truths, some exaggerations... and some conclusions based on the past day. And it all spelled bad news for Jenny, but a sweet, sweet relief for the onlooking Tony. James had the idea that Jenny might've sold them out after she'd been given the boot. The timeline lines up perfectly as well. Tony's sins might just die with Jenny. Well, to everyone except Frank. But would Frank stop the madness before the lie goes any further to a mistake they can't go back from? More importantly, even if she really didn't care for their friendship, would Thalia take lightly to hearing that her childhood best friend had sold them out and was put down for it?

"Don't talk about something you don't understand," she growled, swatting away James' finger from her chest. She could call him out for making her uncomfortable by touching, but what good would that do? "I know she loved me, and even told me she'd meet me at the hotel I'm staying at when SHE called ME." Only the part about Thalia calling first was the truth. She straight-up declined the offer for a hotel night of fun. Once again, a manipulative tactic that James couldn't confirm or deny. "Does that sound like a girl who just doesn't care about me?" she scoffed. "No. Not at all. She still LOVES me. And I love her. I don't believe for one second that kicking me out left her totally unfazed and made her forget me like that. And when I get a chance to, I'm going to confirm it just so you know. You know... behind bars, and all. You'd better find a way to get her out, or you're never going to hear the end of me." She took a step closer with a dead-serious look in her eyes. "I'll make it my life's work to make sure you end up in a hole in some high-security prison and never get to see sunlight again."

Quite a threat, especially in light of recent events.

But whose fault was it that Thalia was arrested? Sure, a lot of blame for past events COULD be thrown at Jenny, including attacking her mother. But what about the arrests? Her and Karin were in cuffs and hauled away. As far as Jenny was concerned, she was relieved that Karin was gone. She'd grown to hate this new best friend of Thalia's, and if she has to rot in prison, Jenny wouldn't feel bad in the slightest. Even if it came at the expense of Joseph and her unborn child. But what about the reason Karin and Thalia had been arrested, that all these horrors went down? That later, on the same day that she'd been kicked out, that a severed head shows up at their doorstep AND a SWAT invasion was conducted? That wasn't Jenny's fault. She had no way of ratting them out to Al-Asheera, and took James' final threat at the door seriously, including the painful blow to the face she'd received. But what if he didn't believe her? She'd already lied enough to squander her credibility, and now that things have lined up this way? It could spell doom and gloom for her.

For Tony? It was an opportunity worth taking, but he only showed a sign of agreement with James' reasoning, arching both eyebrows upward and slowly taking steps closer to Jenny from behind in case she attempted to escape. Because with accusations like this floating around, he wouldn't put it passed her.

Jenny's jaw dropped as low as it could go at the bold statement from James. She shook her head in disbelief that now, probably the grandest of crimes was about to be thrown at her, even when she did absolutely nothing to get in their way. "You're shitting me. You think I was the one that got Thalia arrested? All to get back at you all for leaving me for dead? Do you think I'm THAT stupid?" she shook her head in disbelief. "Come on, think about it for one second. I could NEVER get away with that without risking Thalia's life as well. I'm sure you know that. And as much as you underestimate me, I think you're smarter than that. Smart enough to know that I wouldn't take THAT huge a risk. I can tempt her to run off with me, sure. But as far as to risk LIVES? No way. You've got that all wrong."

Tony now decided to pitch in. "Oh, trust me. Sociopaths like yourself don't care for the feelings of others. Not to mention you're a compulsive liar. You think we're gonna buy a word you say after all the stunts you've pulled that lead to people like Nicole Griffin getting hurt in the end?"

She spun around on her heels to face the detective, wagging a finger in his face, despite his height towering over her. "Shut up. You're not a part of this, bozo."

"Huh, that's rich," he scoffed as his voice took on a more aggressive edge - one James probably shouldn't mind. He lowered her finger from his face and went on, "When the things you've done came close to hurting innocent children, leaving them in tears, risking the lives of my friends, AND costing me my fiance AND my sick father? Yeah, I sure as FUCK have a part in this. So you shut up and sit tight, because this steaming pile of shit you've shown up with isn't looking too good for you."

He stood there, arms crossed, and simply looked down at Jenny in dismay. This was his lucky break. It would be devastating for Thalia to hear that it was Jenny that sold her out... but it was better than going through another near-death experience from the girl again. He knew very well not to mess with the mystery redhead after she came close to ending him. But Jenny? She only showed a look of fear, intimidation... panic, a temptation to run, as she shook her head to the taller man confessing his woes. "I'm... I'm sorry for your fiance and your father. But I didn't have anything to do with that. I took my money and went on my way, nothing more, nothing less."

"Hmph. Liar."

"I'M NOT LYING! GOD, for once, I'm not lying! I had nothing to do with what happened! I just wanted to come back to help get her back!"

And the fact that Nicole and Jon had passed by in the moment that Jenny was screaming such things didn't help the situation. That voice, Nicole knew it among many other that she'd known for so long. As she inched her way to the kitchen, they passed by the verbal argument in progress and both stopped. What were these accusations being thrown about? That Jenny had to do with Charlie being taken into federal custody AND Thalia being shot and arrested? That she might've had a part in the beheaded man's head showing up for her to see at the door? That the horrors of today were HER fault? All because of that wicked, selfish young woman that had returned to her life after so long and was making it her life's work to pervert her daughter's mind. Her feelings went from sadness, to pity, to complete confusion. She was tempted to feel angry, but it was quite a foreign concept to the older woman. She'd never truly hated someone like that, but if James' words were true as she'd heard them...

It might be the first time she'd truly feel this bitter. She kept herself behind the human shield known as Jon, and whispered, "Why is... why is she back? I thought James asked her to leave. And... What are they talking about? Could it be that..." She couldn't even finish the despicable thought in her mind that Jenny had left them all to dry once she'd left the mansion. It was beyond sickening.

But would there be any fair trial for the renegade? Or would they just shoot here then and there. She turned around to face James once again, now practically begging for mercy:

"Listen.... this wasn't me, okay?" she waved a hand over her chest to protect herself flimsily. "I had nothing to do with ANY of this. I want Thalia back as much as the next guy. You can't possibly think I told them this much, do you?"
 
"Hm." James said, simply, then looked at Tony for a moment. "The three of us should talk elsewhere. Last thing we want is the kids hearing all of this." He said, "Follow me, the both of you." He instructed, and with that he took them both towards the stairs and eventually up them. He didn't know what sort of ruckus they could be expecting in his room - he just hoped that the police hadn't picked the place clean. There was a lot up there that didn't need to be taken. He had a feeling his drawer full of police officer profiles was bound to be gone, though, and that was just going to cause a whole world of problems if they decided to start looking for the guy that said profiles belonged to. It's not every day you find someone who has access to that sort of stuff. Thankfully there was nothing that really gave away who James was - all of his fake ID cards and passports were locked away safe, hidden from people who rummaged through his desks and such. His identity was somewhat safe, but he knew they'd have to stay away from this house for a while, which was rather saddening. It was a safe haven for so many.

He took them to his bedroom and motioned them both inside. "You two wait right here. I need to check my office and make sure the police haven't taken anything of too high importance. A bit of a dead hope, sure, but it's worth a look." He said, and he left them to their own devices for a moment while he did as he said he would and vanished off to his office. First he checked the million dollars, which was thankfully still there, but then he checked a drawer in one of his desks in search of one thing - one thing which he found straight away. A stun gun. The perfect incapacitation device. As for his computers and everything else tech-related, the drives had been taken from them, but all to no avail. All of the drives were damaged beyond any form of repair, meaning the police were going to spend a nice few days wasting their time trying to get things to show.

Even so, after collecting the stun gun and pocketing it, he returned to the room with Tony and Jenny. He knew that by vanishing ominously into another room like that, he probably unnerved Jenny a little bit, but still. He returned seeming harmless as ever.

"You see, Jenny, there's just one problem that remains, no matter what you say." He said, "You've come in here at not only a convenient time, but you've came here and you've threatened to rat us out - You've threatened to do so if, more or less, we don't help you get what you want. You're willing to expose everything about us and shit all over our names, just like that, and there wouldn't be shit we could do about it. You want me in a high security prison, you've shown no concern over what might happen to the kids in such a scenario, and honestly...? Given the fact that a previously unknown individual sold us out and nearly got Thalia killed, do you really think it was wise to come in here and make such threat?" He asked. "I told you to leave and not come back. I told you to stay away. I told you that if you made things difficult I'd go out of my way to make your life hell."

"Thalia doesn't want you here, her mother doesn't want you here, the kids don't want you here, Jon doesn't want you here, Frank and Tony don't want you here, and I don't want you here." He said. That was as stern as his words to her were going to get. It seemed as though James was going to be the judge, jury, and the executioner in this scenario. After the events of the day, losing Karin and Thalia, then having to cram into a room underground for hours on end, he was in no mood for a full-scale investigation.

"All I'm going to say is this is really going to hurt." He said, suddenly, and with that he quickly pulled the stungun from his pocket and jammed it straight into her side below her ribs, triggering it and holding it there for four or five seconds - it was enough to put her on the floor, to say the very least.

He looked at Tony.

"Cuff her. If she screams, duct tape her mouth shut. If she keeps kicking and screaming after that, you can be a little less pleasant about keeping her quiet." He said. He put the stun gun away.

--

Jon looked at Nicole and sighed, "I..." He didn't know how he felt. Would Jenny have really done that? Given all the shit she'd gotten from everyone, including himself, it wasn't out of the question - Jon was just another person looking for someone to blame for their suffering, and right now, Jenny seemed the most likely and also the most convenient. "She hated more or less everyone under this roof, Nicole." He whispered. "She hates me, you, Karin, James - and I don't think she was far off of hating Thalia, given how much she pushed her away and rejected her advances or advice. And the fact that Thalia never went looking for her after she got kicked out sort of emphasizes her hate on everyone else, I suppose." He explained. "It makes me so... Angry." He shook his head, "Angry that someone like her didn't even consider innocent children before she decided to fuck everyone over." He frowned and looked at the floor.

He then filled a glass of water and handed it to Nicole, which was their original intention.

"I can't believe it. The whole reason Thalia's hurt and Charlie's in some foreign location could be... Because of her." He closed his eyes and leaned against the counter. "Disgusting. Truly disgusting." He whispered.
 
As much as Nicole would've liked to continue to watch over and figure out how far exactly Jenny's betrayal had gone, the younger girl was taken away, upstairs, with James and Tony. What was about to happen to her? Were they about to execute someone under the same roof as two children? She hated to imagine that possibility. She was fortunate not to hear the sounds of the bullets that spilled her daughter's blood... but no matter how bitter she felt towards Jenny, she didn't think death would be a proper punishment. Death never was - what does a person learn if they won't be alive to actually benefit from the lesson? All it does is inflict fear upon the masses, which was one of the reasons she strongly opposed capital punishment. But this house was like the wild west now. Well, in such a way that only James' rules applied now, and if he deemed it appropriate for someone to die, it was going to happen. Nicole remained quiet as she took a sip of the glass of water Jon had brought her. He was right: what she did was disgusting. But part of her knew she had to calm him before he attacked her again.

"Jon..." she called softly, the glass in one hand, as another one weakly held over his larger bicep. "Please, try to remain calm. Believe me, I find her actions as horrible as you do. And I can't help but wish for her to face judgment, too. She...." she gulped. "She separated me from my children. Injured one, and put the other in federal custody, maybe even witness protection. I feel as angry as you are. But we mustn't lose our composure just yet until we get to the bottom of this, right? What justice would we be doing if we just attacked her without investigating what she did further? This is a very sensitive matter, after all, correct? So..." Her hand, though brittle in her shaken state of mind, gripped over Jon's muscle as tightly as she could in order to appeal to him emotionally. "Please, don't react too violently just yet. For me?"

Upstairs would be a different story for Jenny and Tony. The detective had her by the back of the neck, grabbing and directing her up the stairs to where they needed to be. James apparently needed to investigate his room to see for certain what the LAPD and feds took. It couldn't have been too extensive a search given they were looking for things connected to Thalia. Most of James' belongings would, first, not link back to the man directly, and second, have nothing to do with Thalia, therefore not worth looking deeper into. The same thing would apply to Tony and Frank, as well. Karin might be a different story, considering how they caught her and confirmed she was under the same roof as the mystery redhead and had a connection. All of these complications... they were Tony's fault, but now more than ever did he have to make it seem like it was Jenny's. The girl simply hung her head low, displeased at the grip over her neck. She might've tried to run if he didn't have a hand on her. It might've gotten her a bullet in her back, but at this point, she was expecting one between the eyes with James going away behind closed doors like that, specifying that he didn't want to do this near the children. Her heart began to race, trying her best to distract herself.

"Could you loosen your grip, you barbarian?" she growled.

Tony scoffed. "And give a proper criminal some leeway? Not a fucking chance, Sugarpuff."

The name-calling alone pissed Jenny off further, squirming under Tony's grip. "You really don't know how to treat a woman. I bet your girlfriend hated being with you."

His grip tightened on her neck in an attempt to subdue her. She squealed in pain and arched her back forward. He didn't like anyone talking about his troubles with Melissa, especially now that she was gone. "I guess I see why Thalia got sick of you. You're just some rude entitled millennial who likes to hold grudges. It must be true that my generation was probably the last decent one."

"Fuck you," she grunted under Tony's rough grip. "Your kinda man is the reason I hate men."

"Oh, so you're one of THOSE lesbians. The ones that just hate men. I thought those were only in porn."

"So?"

"Just thinking out loud. It's no wonder people can't stand you. Not just Thalia."

"I love her. And she loves me."

"Really? Kinda looks like you seduced her and she went along with it. Didn't seem very... mutual."

"Shut up. You didn't see the passion we have. I bet you wish you did, Grandpa, so you could get your sorry dick hard to something. Just ask your other detective partner who walked in on us."

"Hmph. I don't need to watch you whore yourself out to get off. But I think I can safely say you're fucked in the head."

"Grrr...."

The conversation was cut short as James returned. The stun gun wasn't in sight, but Tony could tell he had some sort of weapon concealed in his pocket. He knew the telltale signs of when a man was armed. So once he noticed that, he let go of Jenny's neck and took a step back, his hands folded in front of him as he watched over. Jenny looked up, listening to the words about how her case was looking worse and worse by the second. Was someone trying to set her up? Little did she know that the man doing so was right behind her. James emphasized that she had disobeyed direct orders to back off, and that nobody wanted her here. Not even Thalia. Jenny didn't believe that one bit in her own distorted reality, but she didn't attempt to run yet. Or resist. That is until the issue of pain came forward. Jenny, speechless through the tirade, flinched at the sudden movement, but couldn't escape in time, ending up with an electric shock delivered to her body for a solid four or five seconds.

She couldn't help but scream at the top of her lungs for the duration of the shock, her head shooting upward and her fists clenching shut in an attempt to lessen the pain, to no avail. Tony could only watch her shrieking in pain, and ultimately collapsing to the floor. That, along with the way James deemed her responsible for what happened to them. What if this were HIM caught and declared guilty? He wouldn't be as merciful to a man, definitely, and combined with Tony's history? He wouldn't last. James might just end his life right here under his own roof. This wasn't a risk he could take. But still... Jenny was about to pay for his crimes. His heart shivered at the thought she'd probably end up dead for something she didn't do, just for coming by to ask for her childhood friend back and out of custody. Just for at least trying to be caring... Tony kept his thoughts to himself, and not showing how he was affected by the events physically. He, instead, followed James' orders and knelt down to her level to put her in handcuffs, ones he was allowed to have now that trusts were up between him and James again. As he bound the moaning girl on the ground in the bracelets, he looked up and spoke:

"I'll keep her with us when we get out of here. Maybe in the trunk knocked out. But.... what are we gonna do with her? No way we're just going to take her with us to your guy. I know it's not my place to ask but.... I think we ought to be transparent here."

Jenny could hear what was going on, but her mind couldn't process or make sense of any of it. She was in too much pain and groaning softly to herself as she was put in handcuffs. She was heard mumbling a few words, "I did nothing wrong.... I just wanted to help T..."

Unfortunately, this was the truth. But James probably wasn't buying that.

--

Encino Hospital Medical Center

With two bullets to the arm, one of them still lodged in her shoulder, Thalia needed medical care immediately. There's no way they could keep her stable in the police department's medic bay, not with injuries that grievous. With that in mind, she was rushed to the nearest hospital they could find, the ambulance transporting her proceeded and succeeded by two tinted SUV's as escort. They couldn't risk an ambush if Al-Asheera - or even Fritzy - wanted to get her back and use the convoy as a means to do so - a trick shot, of sorts. No, with a wanted criminal like Thalia Griffin, there would definitely be heavy security on the way to the hospital, inside as she is operated on, during recovery, and when she's transferred to where she'd be held. A terrorist like herself? And every law enforcement agency having it out to get her - particularly the LAPD over the fate of Richard Hart, which was still being pinned on the mystery redhead? Not a chance would she get a slap on the wrist or any sort of minimal security treatment. The hospital would be heavily guarded, no questions asked.

But was there a chance for the LAPD to back off of Thalia Griffin and give up on their personal vendetta for the downfall of Detective Hart?

The entrance of several federal agents with an injured criminal strapped to a gurney with an oxygen mask over her face was enough to make a huge scene in the lobby. Nurses and doctors frantically working to stabilize her as bystanders looked over at the sight. Not every criminal had this much heavy security. It soon came to light - and even leaked to news outlets - that the criminal was, indeed, Thalia Griffin. Bystanders were in a panic, and the media was having a field day with furthering the constant buzz about her past and future, along with speculation as to whether she'd survive and what her fate would be beyond information. The death penalty was deemed unconstitutional in California, but it didn't stop people from tossing and toying with the idea. It'd been ten years since a prisoner was executed in California, anyway. Thalia Griffin might be a historical break in that cycle, that is if she's not extradited to face judgment in Pennsylvania, where the death penalty IS legal. In a matter of days, Thalia's name had become that poor lost Christian girl from Philly waiting to be brought home to her good family to a wanted criminal that people wanted to see burned at the stake. So much talk, but until then, she was getting help to keep her arm intact. Her injury wouldn't doom her to death, but she needed to be stabilized.

Being a federal case now, the LAPD and SWAT shouldn't be doing anything more than running security. They should have no interaction with Griffin until she is to be moved. Interrogations were going to be handled by the FBI first and foremost, and if the LAPD Al-Asheera task force had anything to add, they would come second. And with the head of this task force - Tony - MIA and a wanted man, the task force may never get a chance to voice their concerns. Not within the bounds of the law, that is. That wasn't to stop someone from going around it to get answers for himself, right?

Out of the front doors of the emergency wing walked a gentleman in his 30's dressed in a dark grey suit with a black button-up shirt beneath the suit jacket. He didn't wear a tie, and the top button of this shirt was undone. He had a beard, which he gently let the back of his hand skim over, not used to the sensation of facial hair, especially in the heat of a situation as this one. He was walking on a slim black club for a cane held in his right hand assisting him as he walked rather slowly. Clearly, he had a condition and couldn't walk without it. His hand then rummaged in his pocket as he took a look around the wing like a stranger in the room. He shouldn't be here. But he knew he had to be.

Detective Richard Hart... it always had a nice ring to it, he thought to himself as pumped his chest forward and began to take steps forward to the front desk to see an orderly working at reception. Not gonna let that nasty bullet ruin my career any longer.

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"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked upon seeing the detective, immediately assuming his reason for being here was because he had shown up walking on a cane.

The man's hand emerged from his pocket, exposing a typical police badge in his left hand, curled between his fingers as his left hand supported his walking stick. He gave his name: "Detective Richard Hart, LAPD. Me and my partner, Anthony Walsh, were heading up the Al-Asheera/mystery redhead manhunt before it became a federal case with the bomb threats. Well, until I realized Detective Walsh was just as involved as the next guy. So I'm here to get to the bottom of this. The mystery redhead, now known as Thalia Griffin, was my case from the start. And if there's anyone who should interview her who knows the ins and outs of this chase, it's me."

The receptionist sighed. "Are you sure you have authorization to do that? A group of FBI agents told me nobody is allowed to get in contact with Thalia Griffin."

"The captain gave me the go-ahead." A blatant lie, but would the woman confirm this? For all Bradshaw knows, Richie was still on his indefinite leave recovering. Hell, nobody, not even Richie's wife, knows that he's on his feet like this. "He said he's work it out with the FBI and see to it that I get a few moments alone with Miss Griffin. There's a lot of gaps that the LAPD needs to fill about her case."

"Even if I wanted to let you in, Mr. Hart..." the receptionist went on, jotting his name down on her notepad. "Thalia Griffin is still in surgery and still needs an hour or two to come back into consciousness. Minimum."

"Son of a.... What did SWAT even do to her?"

"You aren't watching the news? We tried to keep a lid on it, but someone leaked. Two gunshots, one to the left shoulder, one to the left forearm. Significant damage done, there. They're lucky they got her here on time before anything permanent could've ensued."

"Fuck..." Richie growled to himself. What was the next course of action? It was late, so going home was tempting... But what if the FBI moves Thalia once she's conscious? He couldn't risk that. He was already going off the books and behind Bradshaw's back. He and Tony must've had that in common - unorthodox methods. And if it meant he had to sit in the waiting room until Griffin comes to to have a word with her... he'd do it. "You tell me the minute she's conscious. This is a time-sensitive manner, in case you haven't been briefed. The Al-Asheera task force has priority to question her, and I'm not leaving until I get some well-deserved answers."

With that, Richie inched his way passed the front desk and to the waiting room. He slowly seated himself in one of the barely-cushioned chairs, letting out an exhale of brief pain as his rear made contact with the seat. Moving form sitting to standing and vice versa was a pain for him, especially given the fact he should still be in a wheelchair, but once again... he wasn't going to sit the sidelines any longer. And hearing Tony might not have his whole head in the game... it was his turn to take control of the case.
 
"Make sure she can't scream and put her in the trunk of a car." James said, "We'll drive with her to my guy's location but we won't let her out, obviously. We can't have the location compromised - So on that note, you can take her cell phone, too. We don't need any security risks - Make it very clear that if she kicks or screams while she's in the trunk, you're going to do a lot of damage." He said. "All that aside, though, I need you to start loading cars up. That means you get the car around here and you put her in first before anyone else can see her." He said. "I've got chloroform if you need it. Hit her with enough to make her too drowsy to worry about anything, and that should be just fine to go from there on. Keep things under control, follow me, and have one person in the car keeping a close lookout for anyone following us. It won't be hard after a while, especially once we've made a few stops."

"You know the car arrangements. Be vigilant, and if you notice something even slightly out of place, you call my phone and tell me. I'll be in the car of a very experienced driver, whereas you'll be in a car driven by someone who's had standard LAPD vehicle training. Quite the difference. Escaping a hairy situation alone won't be easy on your end, so, like I said - anything happens, you call me. I hope you can understand my nerves - There's going to be a lot of unmarked cruisers hovering around tonight, seeing as they came here looking for a household full of people and only found two. They'll be watching the exits to the city and all that - but luckily for us, they don't know what half of us look like. The rest of us aren't so lucky." He sighed, then looked down at Jenny.

He shook his head, "Such a waste." He looked at Tony again and nodded once, then spun on one heel, slowly, and made his way out of the room. It was time to get moving, as he said. They could only hang around here for so long, and he wanted to get to this house as early as possible. First he had to call The Jackal and ask for confirmation, though. If he didn't confirm things, then they really would be in the shit. But as James had said, Jackal owed him a favor - one he expected to be paid as soon as possible.

Downstairs, Jon was getting another talk from Nicole about the whole bitterness of the situation - maybe she was right. Maybe Jon would be best off keeping his distance. So far, most parts of this whole ordeal had been fucking cursed anyway.

"You're right." He whispered, bowing his head a tiny bit. "I'll play it safe, let James and whoever else deal with all this. I'll help them if they need me to, but I'll avoid having any real part in it." He said. His head lifted and his eyes met with hers again. "I'd rather stay and make sure you're okay, anyway." He said, and the smallest of smiles fell onto his lips.

--

Somewhere outside of LA

Wherever they were was definitely a lot less chaotic than the mansion. They were surrounded by trees and nothing more - it was secluded out here. If Charle was asleep, obviously he wasn't going to be seeing much of that, but the fact of the matter was they weren't anywhere in the city anymore, which was a good thing in more ways than one. Out here there was no such thing as sneaking up on people or hiding in plain sight, because the chances were you'd be spotted from a mile away.

Not that it mattered. Only two people knew where Charlie was going to be - Goodman, and the man that he'd spoken with on the phone. Charlie was going to be safe out here - a life this quiet may not have been something he was completely used to, but, at this moment in time it was more than ncessary. At least out here there was plenty of fresh air and chances for safe adventures - depending on how he looked at things, really.

If Charlie was asleep, then Andrew gave his arm a gentle shake to wake him up. If not, well, he simply just spoke to him.

"Hey." He whispered. "We're here." He said, simply enough. In front of them was what must have been Andrew's house. Lights were on, showing that someone must have been in. Overall, though, a quiet place - not miles and miles from civilization, but tucked away all the same.

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"Come on, we'll head inside." He said, and he hopped out the car then walked around to the passenger side and opened up the door for him, taking his hand once he'd stepped out. "Only other person who lives here is my daughter. She's a little younger than your sister." He said, and after locking the car, started walking him to the front door. He also figured that the best way to make Charlie more inclined to meet a new face was by making positive connections - connecting similarities in his daughter to Thalia, for example. He imagined he was tired, though, so he'd make introductions quick.

"Once you've met her I'll show you the room you'll be stayin' in. It's not far from one of the bathrooms, either, so you won't have to work too hard to find your way around." He let out a tiny laugh, just as he put his key into the front door's lock. The moment of truth, it seemed.

The door opened up, and that was that. The house was a warm interior, very family friendly, even though there was no sign of any wife or anything like that. The house was quiet, and there wasn't any signs of life anywhere. At least not until footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. They were in a hallway after entering the front door, but the rest of the house was fairly open-plan. The house was painted with warm colors, so, hopefully the home itself was welcoming enough - Andrew was hoping so. Regardless, a teenage girl was the one that came down the stairs. She didn't look much like Andrew at all, so, she must have taken her mother's looks. As said, though, there were no signs of any mother/wife in the household.

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"Hi, dad." The girl stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at him, then at Charlie. She seemed startled, but not hostile. She was overall quite friendly in her demeanor. Andrew nodded to her, and she walked up and gave her dad a hug. "So..." She said, then looked down at Charlie for a moment.

"This is Charlie. He'll be staying with us for a while." He whispered.

"Something happen...?"

"Later." Andrew murmured.

"Right, well..." She looked at Charlie. "I'm Faye. Nice to meet you, Charlie." She gave a quaint wave - her voice was soft, almost inaudible.

"I was gonna' show Charlie where his room was, so, we can talk later, alright? You should be in bed." He reached out and playfully ruffled the girl's hair, only to get a death glare from her. They both grinned, though.

"I know. I will."

"Do that." He said, "Goodnight, honey." He squeezed her shoulder with his free hand then lead Charlie off towards the stairs. On the move again, it seemed. He was taken upstairs and down a walkway to the left of the top of the stairs, and he had a room that was at the back of the house, it seemed. The curtains were closed, though, and it was a pretty standard room for the house's interior.

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There was a TV mounted to the wall opposite the bed, a desk below the window to the right of the room, and a closet, too. It didn't look like a room that had been stayed in recently.

"This is it." He released Charlie's hand and crossed his arms over his chest, "Uhm, well... We haven't got any of your clothes here, but, I'm having stuff delivered tomorrow morning for you. The first door on the left out of here, and if you need anything during the night, Faye's room's the second door on the left out of here, just past the bathroom, and my room's on the right of the stairs, second door down. Can't miss it." He said. He glanced around for a minute. "It's late, so, if you want to be left to sleep that's just fine. If you want anything, like... Eh... Warm milk, TV on, whatever you want, just say and I'll get it. Tomorrow you can have a proper look around here." He said.

He glanced towards the window and sighed. His mind was occupied by all sorts of puzzles - He knew for a fact that there was so much more to all of this than anyone else had seemed to have picked up on. Would it be down to him alone to prove that there was more that needed investigation? Would Charlie manage to trust him enough to tell him everything he knew eventually?

Only time would tell - but for now, Andrew was in a spot he hadn't been in for a long time - Putting a kid to bed. Not even his own kid, either, so it wasn't like he was going to make any offers that pushed his trust boundary. He doubted Charlie wanted a stranger reading to him, for example.
 
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