"Sey, you’ve got to get some sleep."

"I can’t. I bet Sasha isn’t sleeping. Wherever he is," Sey finished brokenly.

Sey was beginning to fade. No matter how hard he tried to stay awake, he was losing the fight. Finally. The tears and the sheer emotional toll were wearing him down. Declan could hear it in his voice. What was left of it. After alternating between talking non-stop and crying, Sey had very little voice remaining.

"Baby, please..." Declan whispered to him, his lips pressed against the side of his lover’s neck. "Lie down before you fall down."

Sey’s eyes started to close on their own, and gradually, he began to slump against Declan. Slowly but carefully, Declan lowered Sey to the bed, only to have him wake the moment his head touched the pillow. "Christ, Sey, what are you running on?"

Sey rolled over onto his side, facing away from Declan. Tears, of which he seemed to have an inexhaustible supply, trickled down one side of his nose, giving his lips a salty tang when his tongue flicked out to moisten them. "I’m s-sorry, Dec," he said almost inaudibly.

Declan hastened to reassure his partner. "Ssh, ssh, baby, don’t be sorry. That’s one of the things I love about you, the way you care so deeply about us."

Knowing he would never even close his eyes, much less sleep, Declan shifted Sey’s trembling body over in the bed. Not bothering to undress, Declan wanted to be ready to move as soon as he heard something from Davenport. He lay behind his lover, spoon-fashion, wrapping his arms around Sey’s upper chest. He sighed loudly in Sey’s ear as he lay his chin on Sey’s shoulder.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," came the husky response. Sey grasped one of Declan’s hands and pressed a kiss to its back. "I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here, Dec."

"You know I may have to go out soon..."

"I know," Sey said in a choked voice. "I’ll be okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Sey vowed tearfully.

A sudden noise caught their attention. A sniffle. A tiny hand reached up to caress Sey’s face. "Daddy?"

Declan peered over Sey’s shoulder. "Emmy!"

Emmy traced the trail of tears across her father’s face. Her lower lip pouting just like Sey’s, Emmy continued to sniffle delicately. "D-daddy, don’t c-cry."

"Daddy’s just missing Sasha, Princess Em. He’s okay," Declan said, rubbing Sey’s shoulder. "Aren’t you, Sey?’ Declan said, hoping Sey would understand that Emmy needed that reassurance even more than he did.

Sey wiped at his eyes, vaguely embarrassed to be caught like this by his daughter. He held his arms out to her, inviting her to come up on the bed. "Come here, sweetie."

Declan kissed Sey behind his ear, whispering, "I love you, baby." Emmy grabbed a handful of blanket and managed to pull herself up onto the bed. Facing both her fathers, she knelt on the bed, her knees drawn up under her. She looked so small, so fragile. This was hard on her, too.

"Is Sasha going to come back?" she whispered, her eyes big and round and full of fear.

Sey took a deep breath, trying not to think beyond the moment. He smiled tremulously, running an unsteady hand along Emmy’s arm. "We all hope so, Em."

Emmy leaned closer, looking intently into her father’s eyes. Framing his face with her hands, she whispered, "Did something bad happen to him?"

Sey’s eyes flickered anxiously over his daughter’s face. "I won’t lie to you, sweetie. Something happened. But we’re going to find him and we’re going to bring him back home as soon as we can."

Declan heard the renewed strength in Sey’s voice and he realized that Sey was talking as much to himself as he was to Emmy. Suddenly Emmy threw herself into Sey’s arms, hugging him so tightly, he could barely breathe. "Can I stay here with you and Da? Please, please, please?"

"Sure you can." Sey wrapped his arms around the little girl who brought so much light into their lives. He felt rather than saw Declan get out of bed, and he was not surprised when Declan stood in front of him.

"I’m going to go for a walk. Clear my head," Declan said to Sey, pantomiming using a phone. With her back to him, Emmy couldn’t see Declan’s gesture, which was meant only for his partner.

Sey nodded, pressing his chin into Emmy’s silken red curls, so like Declan’s. "Be careful," he mouthed.

"Always," Declan responded non-verbally.

***

Declan stepped out onto the front porch. Taking out his cell phone, he started to dial, but stopped. Because it was a moonless night, it was extremely dark. Yet a bright orange-red flare of light shone through the darkness. His nose wrinkled. Cigarette smoke.

"Walter?"

"Yep."

"I was just going to check in with Davenport--"

"One more time. I know. He’s not going to find anything in this. You’ll have to wait till it’s light."

Declan sighed heavily, raking his hands through the weight of his long red hair. "Damn, my head knows that, Walter. But I keep thinking--"

"I know." There was a pause as Walter took a deep drag on his cigarette, the lit end flaring even more brightly for a moment. "Sugar’s taking it hard. So’s Michael." He chuckled softly. "Though you’d never get him to admit it."

Walter peered into the shadows, searching for the vague shape that was Declan. "How’s Birkoff doing? He must be--"

Tears welled up in Declan’s storm-grey eyes. "Devastated. Yeah. Emmy’s with him now. That helps."

Walter nodded, though he knew that Declan couldn’t see him. "So who’s helping you?" his gruff old voice rasped out.

"Me? I don’t need--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You strong, silent types are all the same. Jesus, what is it with you guys? Though I had you pegged as a bit more sensitive than most, Declan."

Declan nearly snarled in response. "Why? Because I’m gay?"

Walter whistled under his breath. "Down, boy. I never said that. Maybe I should have said, you seem to have more *sense* than most. You know how to get in touch with your feelings. You just don’t always show it."

Declan’s grip on the phone grew unsteady as his hand began to shake. "I’m sorry, Walter. It’s just that I--"

Without any warning, Declan drew back his arm and threw the cell phone as far as he could. "I wish there was something I could do, dammit! Now!"

He sagged against the stone pillar that defined the end of the porch. He could hear Walter’s breathing. Another puff on the cigarette. Smoke wafted his way. "How do you think I feel? Knowing there isn’t a goddamn thing I can do? At least, you can go out at first light and search. Me? All I can do is wait. And watch my whole goddamn family fall apart."

Declan stared into the blackness, willing his eyes to adjust. He took a cautious step toward Walter, and then he heard it. Ringing. His phone. Where was it? There! Lying in the grass.

He vaulted over the porch railing with a soft cry. Grabbing the phone, he pressed a key. "Yeah?"

He almost dropped the phone. That voice.

"Sasha? Sasha! Baby, where are you? Sasha! Don’t hang up! Do you know where you are? Sasha? Sasha!!!"

Walter grabbed Declan’s arm. "Where is he?"

Declan’s bright eyes looked bleak. "We were cut off."

"I told you kids not to touch anything. That includes the phone." The old farmer continued to mutter under his breath about youngsters never paying heed to their elders as he walked into the kitchen.

Sasha rolled his eyes. Shit, he’d been able to say one or two words. Enough to identify himself. Enough to hear the pain in his father’s voice.

The farmer had given the two children a ride, all right. To his farmhouse. A little eccentric, he insisted he would call the police as soon as they arrived, but shortly after they entered the house, he decided that they needed to eat first. In the meantime, he wouldn’t let them use the phone. He seemed to think that children were better off seen and not heard, to quote the old saying, and apparently, little people had no rights in his home.

If Sasha and Skye hadn’t been so hungry, he would never have agreed to stay while the farmer prepared a meal. But after they ate, if the old man showed no signs of calling the police or their parents, Sasha was determined to run again. Yes, they had shelter. But at what cost? He kept hearing Declan’s wretched, pain-wracked voice in his head. He hoped he never heard anything like it again.

***

Declan sat down where he stood. In the grass. The phone was still clutched in his hand, but any moment now, Walter expected to see it drop noiselessly from Declan’s nerveless fingers. "Declan."

Declan turned his head slowly to face the former Munitions operative. "I could hear him, Walter," he said in a dazed voice.

"I know, man. Listen, you got caller ID on that thing?"

Declan frowned in puzzlement, his mind clearly not working up to speed. "What? Oh...yeah, I think so."

Walter gave an exasperated groan. "Then use it! For God’s sake, look at it, Declan!"

Declan blinked as the words began to penetrate. Grasping the phone, he searched for the previous call’s display. There it was. Out of area. "It says it’s out of area."

"Of course, it’s out of area, Declan. He’s not across the street. What else does it say?"

Declan shook his head sadly. "Nothing. Must be an unlisted number."

Walter pondered. "Hit redial!"

His vision blurring from exhaustion and emotional overload, Declan whispered, "What good will that do, if it’s out of area?"

"Dammit, Declan, you’ve got state-of-the-art equipment, but you have no goddamned idea how to use it, do you?"

Declan flushed. "Hit...redial..." he repeated, with a curious look at Walter.

Holding the phone up to his ear, he said excitedly, "It’s ringing! Walter, it’s ringing!"

"Of course, it is, Declan. That’s why they invented the technology. Sheesh, I miss talking to your better half. Birkoff always understood what I was saying."

Declan glared at the older man, but he didn’t really mean it. He was too happy to care what insults Walter threw his way. The phone was ringing!

***

Sasha scrambled for the phone, somehow having a sixth sense that it was for him, that it was his father trying to contact him. But the farmer grumbled about Sasha’s manners and pulled the receiver away from him, slamming it down on the cradle. "Ungrateful boy," the man mumbled.

Sasha didn’t even think twice. He and Skye had to escape their benefactor or they would never be found. "C’mon, Ange, we’ve had enough. Let’s go."

"But where are we going, Beast?"

"Back to the road."

***

Declan’s ears rang as the phone on the other end was slammed down. "They hung up."

"Try again."

"Oh, this is useless, Walter. Why am I doing this?"

"You got any better ideas?"

He hit redial again, and once more, he listened to the phone ringing. Only this time, when it was picked up, a voice answered. "Hello?"

"Who is this?" Declan asked.

"Who the devil are you? It’s my phone!" the old man replied.

"You wouldn’t know me. Have you seen a young boy, about 6, long brown hair, brown eyes? He’s with a little blonde girl."

"Seen ‘em? I gave ‘em a ride a while ago. Fed ‘em, too. Ungrateful youngsters."

"Can you tell me where they are?" Declan fretted impatiently.

"Nope. They took off a few minutes ago. The boy kept asking to use the phone. I told him not to touch anything, but he wouldn’t listen..."

The old man continued to grumble, but Declan only half-heard what he said. His son was trying to reach him, only to be cut off by this old fool without a clue.

"Listen..." Declan strained to get a word in, finally interrupting without a bit of finesse at all. "Look, he’s my son, I need to find him. Where are you?"

"Pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. Why, I remember..." The voice droned on, and Declan lost what little patience he was hanging onto.

Declan exploded, but he had sense enough to hold the phone away from him for several moments. "Dammit, Walter, is there any way to get an address out of this thing?"

"You got a phone number yet?"

"You think this bloody thing does skip tracing, Walter?"

"Ask him, smartass." Walter lit another cigarette and drew the smoke deep into his lungs. Shit, Declan was wound tighter than a watchspring.

Having had no success with getting the man to tell him his address, Declan despaired of ever getting the man to share his phone number. But he did. "Yep, it’s..."

Declan literally memorized the number the moment it left the old farmer’s mouth. It was a trick he learned a long time ago. Valuable in an emergency.

He clicked the phone shut. "I’ve got the number. Now what?"

Walter shook his head and grinned at the younger man. "Jesus, Declan, a brain cell is a terrible thing to waste. You’re married to the best technogeek in the known universe. How about we wake him up and get him to find out what address the number comes back to?"

Declan looked startled for a moment, then a slow, sly smile spread across his handsome face. "Walter, I could kiss you!"

Walter huffed and puffed, laughter twinkling in his bright blue eyes. "You do, and I’ll have to report you to your significant other!"

"Say, which one of you is the husband anyway?"

Declan smiled mysteriously, long lashes covering eyes suddenly flashing the color of molten silver. "A man’s got to have some secrets, Walter."

"Sasha, stop! Sashaaaa...stopppp!" Skye shouted with the last of her breath. She had a sharp, tearing pain in her right side from running so fast, so far in so little time. Completely out of breath, the little girl doubled over, her hands on her knees.

"Sorry, Skye. Are you okay?" Sasha’s worried brown eyes met Skye’s fatigued blue eyes.

"Yes," she said when she finally managed to catch her breath. "Just tired."

Glancing around them, she shivered. They were surrounded by what seemed to be acres of forest. Having been raised spending the past couple of summers at the Chateau, Skye was no stranger to the forest. Normally, the forest was something with which she had happy associations. But it was the middle of a moonless night.

"Sasha? Are there wild animals in these woods?" she asked fearfully.

Sasha’s eyes widened. "I-I dunno." Tucking an errant strand of long brown hair behind one ear, Sasha said, "Maybe we’d better move along, Ange. We need to find a safe place for the night."

"Where, Beast? I’m cold," Skye said, her teeth chattering. Upon closer inspection, Sasha realized that her lips were turning a faint shade of blue. She was too fragile to survive a night outside in the woods. Sasha wracked his brain for a solution to their problem.

He took off his jacket, slowly but surely pulling it over the four-year old’s trembling body. Zipping up the front, he said, "There, that should help."

Skye moaned disconsolately. "But Beast, now you’ll be cold."

Ignoring the goosebumps on both arms, Sasha smiled at the petite blonde. "How can I be cold, Ange? I’ve got you with me."

"But Sasha, it’s so dark. How will we see where we’re going?"

Sasha smiled like the unrepentant little scavenger he once had been, and now, through dire circumstance, was forced to be again. Reaching into the pocket of the jacket Skye now wore, he produced a small flashlight. Flicking it on, he cast a brilliant beam of light before them, illuminating a path where none had been before.

Skye’s blue eyes danced mischievously. Clapping her hands, she applauded Sasha’s foresight and common sense. He truly was her protector. In so many ways. "Which way?"

"Back to the road."

***

Sey had finally found peace, lying on top of the bed with his arms wrapped around his daughter. Deeply asleep, he never heard the commotion outside in the hallway.

Suddenly Declan burst into the room, shouting for Sey to wake up. "Sey! Sey! Wake up, baby! I need you!"

Walter traded an intriguing look with Michael, the two men standing in the doorway, a discreet distance away from the others. "That’d sure as hell wake me up," Walter said dryly.

Declan put a hand on Sey’s shoulder, and Sey literally jumped, his entire body coming awake all at once, nerves jangling. "Jesus, Declan!"

Blue eyes gazed bemusedly at green. A loud sigh echoed throughout the room. "We worked so hard to train that excitable thing out of our ops, too, didn’t we, Michael?"

Michael merely smiled.

Emmy slept through her father’s ecstatic cries as if nothing happened, her low, even breathing barely audible with all the ensuing noise.

***

Minutes later, Declan and the others hovered over Sey’s shoulder as he struggled to input the phone number Declan obtained into his computer. "You have a bloody program that does this back tracing thing?"

Sey rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Back in Section, I had programs that did everything, Dec. You seem surprised."

"Not surprised. Just...I dunno. Technology was never my thing. I guess I took all that stuff for granted. Never worried about where it came from or how it got there on my panel."

Sey chuckled, watching the display on the monitor through heavy-lidded eyes. "You and everyone else, Dec. Including Operations. The man couldn’t open a locked door if you gave him the key."

Walter raised an eyebrow. "Well...we must wake you up out of a sound sleep more often, Birkoff. You’re a pretty funny guy."

"You’re just saying that cause you want something. You people were always grubbing favors off me. No one cared about the risks I took." Birkoff started out intending to kid Walter, but the trace of bitterness in his reply took them all by surprise. Especially since it was true.

Michael placed a hand on Birkoff’s shoulder. "For what it’s worth, Birkoff, Nikita and I always appreciated what you were able to do to help us."

Birkoff shrugged. "Thanks, Michael. I didn’t mean that to come out that way, you know."

Declan sighed. "I like to think I wouldn’t have taken you for granted, if I’d known you then, baby, but...."

Walter glanced quickly at Declan, who was clearly at a loss for words, and finished his sentence for him. "We’re all only human, Birkoff. Even those of us with one foot in our mouths half the time. But we do love you."

"Shit, you’ve been smoking again, haven’t you, Walter?" kidded Birkoff, knowing if he were truly awake, he would probably cry at the wealth of support he was getting in his new life.

The program completed its run and the address associated with that phone number came up on screen with a flashing red border. "There it is."

Michael stared at the screen, committing the number to memory by rote. "I’ve got it. Declan?"

"Already there, boyo." He leaned over and kissed his lover goodbye. "When we get back, we’ll have nothing but good news, love."

Birkoff wound his arms around Declan’s neck, still obviously drowsy, but managing to hug him tightly nonetheless. "Love you."

"Me, too." Declan smiled as he pushed Sey’s dark hair back from his face.

***

Michael opened the driver’s side door to the Jeep and fastened his seatbelt. Declan clambered into the passenger side seat, stowing his weapons in the compartment between the two men.

Michael glanced down at the weapons before Declan closed the compartment. "You think it’ll come to that?"

"I think I don’t want to take any chances."

Michael nodded solemnly.

***

"You’ll give me what, kid?" The man couldn’t believe his ears. Here was this little boy, who couldn’t be more than six or seven years old, flashing a wad of cash big enough to get him killed by someone less scrupulous.

"You can have all of this, Mister. If you take us home."

"Where’s home, kid?"

Sasha sighed and pointed in the opposite direction from which the man came. "Home’s that way. I think. It’s awfully far, though."

"And all I have to do is give you two a ride?"

Sasha nodded.

"What’s to keep me from taking advantage of a little kid like you, friend?"

Sasha cocked his head intelligently at the man, his dark eyes tired but still shining brightly with something that could have been warning, but just as well could have been mischief. "Well..." he said matter-of-factly, "...the last man who tried to touch us ended up dead."

Skye yawned expansively, apparently struggling to wake up. Instead, she tucked her head beneath Sasha’s chin again, the pull of Morpheus too much for the little girl. The cold, the wet, the past twenty-four hours all conspired to keep her from the respite she deserved. She fretted in her sleep, her tiny groans and restive movements betraying her underlying anxiety.

As for Sasha, he slept intermittently, as well as he could with one eye trained on their supposed benefactor. His arms wrapped tightly around Skye’s body, he woke instantly when her motions grew too intense. The bond between the two had only strengthened since their abduction, and sometimes, it truly seemed as though Sasha were able to communicate with Skye without speaking.

Sasha stirred when he felt the jarring vibrations of the badly-used car abruptly cease. A hand silently approached, creeping over his body. The hand rummaged through the pockets of the jacket flung over the little girl. All at once, the hand froze.

One dark brown eye popped open, studying the man who was literally caught in flagrante. "Looking for this?" Sasha asked, opening his hand to reveal the rumpled wad of bills he had been brandishing earlier.

The man rubbed his hands avidly over his face. "You said it was mine."

"If you took us home," Sasha reminded.

"Yeah, well...I got expenses."

"You mean you’re not taking us home, right?"

The man clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "What makes you think I wouldn’t keep my end of the bargain?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe the fact that you were feeling me up like your date for the Junior Prom," Sasha said sarcastically.

"You sure you’re a kid?" the man queried, a deep frown furrowing his face.

When Sasha didn’t answer him, the man seemed to lose what was left of his patience. "Listen, fork over the money, okay?"

"Or?"

"If you don’t give it to me willingly, I’ll just have to take it, won’t I?" the man declared threateningly, tendons standing out in his neck.

"You’d have to catch me first," Sasha said quickly, rolling over and landing on the other side of Skye. Grabbing the little girl’s hand, he literally pulled her out of the car. Skye stood there, knees wobbly, trying to make sense of what was going on and failing.

Sasha screamed, "Run!" and his tight grip on Skye’s wrist dragged her behind him. Within seconds, the two of them were swallowed up again by the forest.

Sasha crouched down, peering through the brush at the road. It was not really all that far away, it just seemed like it. Skye’s harsh breathing sounding in his ears, he took a moment to reassure the little girl. "We’re okay, Ange. He didn’t get us."

"But what are we going to do, Beast?"

Sasha sighed. "Start walking, I guess."

Skye blinked, her bright blue eyes incredulous. "Sasha, we can’t walk all the way home!"

He knew she was disappointed in him. He could feel it. He had sworn to protect her, and now look what happened. They were still out here, in the middle of nowhere. With a greedy son-of-a-gun hot on their tail. How long would he wait? Sasha groaned. It was a *lot* of money.

***

Hours later, Sasha could find no sign of the man or his car. Judging that it was safe to come out of hiding, he stood up, helping Skye to her feet. "Maybe someone else will stop and give us a ride."

Skye looked frightened. "I’m not ever getting in a stranger’s car again, Sasha."

Sasha’s face fell. He was responsible for that look of fear. That look that spelled defeat. She was right. They couldn’t take another chance like that. They were lucky. They were still alive to tell the tale.

Skye studied the older boy, her expression thoughtful. "Sasha?"

He wouldn’t look at her. He was too ashamed of having let her down. But she reached out with two fingers and tilted his chin up, forcing him to make eye contact. His eyes filled with tears he refused to shed.

"Sasha, none of this is your fault."

"Sure it is. If you weren’t hanging around me, none of this would have happened. You’d be home--"

"Worrying ‘bout you."

"Yeah?" His dark eyes looked hopeful, even as a couple of stray tears traced a quiet path down his cheek.

She reached up with both hands and gently pulled his face down, brushing his lips lightly with a kiss. "I told you," she whispered. "You and me are s’posed to be together."

His face crumpled and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in the space between her neck and her shoulder. "I don’t deserve you, Ange."

She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to make their presence known any moment. "Don’t say that, Beast."

"It’s true," he whispered against her shoulder.

"No, it’s not," she countered. "You’re *my* Beast, and no one else can ever have you."

The possessiveness of Skye’s words thundered throughout Sasha’s entire body. She had claimed him, for better or for worse, and it looked like there was simply no way to deter her from keeping him.

***

The sun was strangely hot for autumn. The two children walked hand in hand down the road, the sun’s rays boring down upon them. They hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the man who attempted to rob them. The scenery was pretty, but monotonous with no signs of civilization to break into their preoccupied thoughts. Conversation had ground to a standstill. They were both so tired now, it took all of their energy just to keep walking.

Suddenly Sasha saw something. Far away. Like the proverbial dot on the horizon. "Hey! Maybe it’s a car!" Then he remembered their last ride with a stranger and fell silent.

Skye smiled wearily. "It’s okay, Sasha. We’ll never get home unless we try to get a ride with someone. I know that."

"I swear it’ll be different this time, Ange."

"I know."

The car approached at a fairly steady clip, both children watching in feverish anticipation. "Do you think he’ll stop for us, Sasha?"

"I sure hope so."

Moments later, they regretted saying a word. Their would-be robber had returned. "You two look plumb worn out," he said with a broad smile, slamming the car door shut behind him.

Sasha moved in front of Skye, in an effort to protect her, but he could feel her hand trying to cling to his.

"Nice try, kid. But I’m bigger...and badder...than you are." The man’s sardonic grin really irritated Sasha. He wanted to pull the smile right off the man’s face.

All at once, Sasha’s eyes widened. It couldn’t be. But it was. Skye felt the change in Sasha, but wondered what he was reacting to. "Beast?"

"It’s the cavalry, Ange. It’s the freaking cavalry," he whispered, unable to believe his eyes.

Skye looked puzzled. "What’s a cavalry?"

"That," he pointed to the two tall, lean men standing directly behind the wannabe robber.

Skye said something he never thought he’d hear cross her lips. "Shit."

Sasha laughed softly. "Hell, yeah."

"What the hell are you looking at, kid?" the robber demanded, evidently unaware that Michael and Declan were standing behind him.

Michael tapped the man on his shoulder, and at the very moment that he turned to face Michael, Michael said quietly, "Me."

Declan’s hand tightened convulsively on the weapon that was hidden in the waistband of his pants. As if he sensed Declan’s intent, Michael placed a hand over Declan’s, staying the execution of that particular threat. Shaking his head without taking his eyes off the robber, Michael said to Declan, "We won’t need that."

Declan relaxed his hold on the gun, but his stance remained tense. Michael reached out one leather-gloved hand to wrap his fingers around the man’s neck. "Now that I have your full attention...."

The would-be robber sputtered and gasped for breath. Michael’s fingers dug in just a little more. Declan’s silver-grey eyes narrowed their focus to the ever-tightening grip Michael had. As if they understood that this was not the time for distraction, both children watched in complete and utter silence, and neither of them tried to go to their fathers.

"Explain to me what you were going to do here."

"What’s i-it to y-you, man?" the man had the audacity to ask.

His mind securely in mission mode, Michael answered tersely, "My daughter. His son." His fingers cut off another infinitesimal sliver of air from reaching the man’s lungs. "Tell me. Now."

"Let me g-go."

"Tell me first."

"Kid’s got my money," the man said, too stupid to realize that he was facing the two people he should never lie to.

"Liar." Sasha pulled the bills out of his jeans pocket, offering them to Michael and Declan. "The money came from Remy, Da. I swear. I only took it so we would have something to live on. Till we got home."

Declan’s eyes flared brightly as they lit upon his son’s beloved face, and he finally allowed himself to feel the relief at seeing him again. Alive. Intact. Except for a small jagged cut on his forehead. Without making eye contact with the robber, Declan declared softly but firmly, "My son’s not a thief."

"But you just heard him! He took it from some guy!"

Michael’s grip further constricted the man’s throat, and after a brief moment, the failed robber passed out. He cocked his head at the man, now slumped and hanging from Michael’s gloved hand. "I like you better this way."

Declan grinned. "What’re we going to do with him? Take him with us, or leave him for the police to find?"

Michael abruptly released the man’s neck, and he dropped the rest of the way to the asphalt road. "Let’s leave him where we found him. Might be bad luck to bring him with us," Michael continued softly.

Declan chuckled, looking years younger once he let go of his grief and anger. Together he and Michael dragged the man’s unconscious body to his car, carefully propping him up behind the wheel. "Think he’ll talk?"

Michael shook his head. "Do you?"

"No." Declan peeled off his gloves, stuffing them into his waistband. "We clear?"

"Yeah," Michael replied, his eyes glowing verdant green. He crooked a finger, beckoning Skye to come to him. With a quick glance at Sasha, Skye covered the distance between herself and her father in record time. Michael picked up his daughter and held her tight. Skye clung to her father fiercely, while Sasha looked on, glad that their ordeal was finally over.

Declan walked casually over to where his son stood, pretending a matter-of-factness he didn’t feel. He didn’t want to embarrass Sasha by treating him like a baby, but the truth was, he was almost speechless at the powerful emotions racing through his slender frame. Eventually, he managed to croak a husky, "You okay, kiddo?"

Likewise, Sasha was all too cognizant of the unspoken rules he had set down with his parents. He wanted to be treated like an equal, though he knew he did not have nearly the maturity he sometimes claimed. But he was so damned glad to see Da, he didn’t care what he sounded like right now. "Da!" he exclaimed softly.

They might have stood there for countless minutes, wasting precious time, acting aloof and in control, if Skye hadn’t said what she did. "Wh-what?" Sasha questioned.

Skye turned to her father, her arms wrapped around his neck, as if asking for his approval. He nodded imperceptibly. Again, she whispered something in French to her father, something Sasha could not translate.

Declan’s face softened as he studied the little blonde girl who held his young son’s tender heart in her keeping. His bare hand resting on Sasha’s shoulder, Declan translated Skye’s heartfelt message for him. "She said...I always knew you would come for us. No matter what. No matter where."

Sasha felt his unspent tears choke his throat. He didn’t want to cry. Not in front of Uncle Michael and his Da, and especially not in front of Skye. But he really, really wanted a hug. Could an almost grown-up boy like Sasha get one without looking like a...baby?

Declan smiled, and his lambent silver gaze fell upon Sasha’s face, warming him inside. He held out his arms to the young boy invitingly, and Sasha hesitated mere seconds before throwing himself into the embrace he sought. Once his father’s arms were around him, he couldn’t hold onto what control he had left. Sasha buried his face against his father’s chest, inhaling the scent of him, like something long-forgotten that was suddenly necessary for breathing. His mind flashing on all the myriad bits and pieces that made up his most recent memory, he drew a shuddery breath and let go. "Oh, God, Da."

For his part, Declan seemed to understand exactly how Sasha felt. "I was afraid I was never going to see you again, kiddo." He wasn’t sure if that admission would help him heal or frighten him, but he knew it was something Sasha needed to know.

He lifted the six-year old into his arms easily, and Sasha burrowed deeper into Declan’s arms, locking his legs around his waist. "I missed you so much, Da. You and Daddy both." Sasha hiccuped on a sob. "Is Daddy okay?"

Declan kissed Sasha’s hair, and Sasha snuggled closer, playing with a strand of Declan’s long red hair. "He will be now."