Chapter 10

"Corryn, you can't stay here." Dylan told her. "It's too dangerous."

"But I don't want to leave you, Dylan..."

"I know you don't...but you can't stay with me. The closer you get to having the baby, the more likely it is that Spencer's gonna try something."

"But... you'll be there, won't you? When I actually have the baby?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't miss it." He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Corryn smiled a bit at that. "Then... I'll go wherever you send me."

"I've booked you on a commercial flight to Rome, there'll be a contact waiting for you in the airport. He'll find you."

"Alright." She sighed.

"Don't look so sad. Once I'm sure the danger has passed, I'll come get you myself. This is simply a precaution. Spencer's too concerned about his little wife to notice much else."

"Good." Corryn smiled.

"With any luck she'll die soon, anyway."

"And serve him right."

"Exactly. But until I know for sure, it'd ease my mind to know you're someplace safe."

"Then I'll go."

"Good." Dylan nodded.

"But I'll miss you."

"I'll call you when I can." He kissed her softly. "You know I will."

"I know." She kissed back.

"Your plane leaves tomorrow morning." He told her. "And if something goes wrong, you'll have your remote...and we'll find you by your tracer..."

She nodded.

Dylan kissed her again. "I don't like the idea of having to send you away."

"I don't like going."

"But you'll be back soon enough." Dylan told her. "Come on, I don't have another meeting for a couple hours."

She smiled and let him lead her away.

Dylan never intended to feel this emotionally dependent on another person. Everyone else had let him down, but Corryn was different. She could be trusted. He loved her. Dylan led her to his quarters and into the empty room beside the bedroom. "Good place for a nursery?"

"It'll be perfect."

"I'm glad you think so."

"We'll be perfect... a little family..."

"We will be." Dylan slid something onto Corryn's finger.

She looked down, then up at him with wide eyes. "Dylan..."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, Dylan." She kissed him.

Dylan pulled her close and kissed her back. "You're not going to kill me, are you?"

"No, Dylan... I love you, I'd never hurt you."

"Good." He smiled.

"And soon we'll have a baby... it's a girl," she told him. "I found out today..."

"A girl?" He said quietly, hiding the twinge of disappointment well. "We should think of a name."

"Yeah... but once she's born... we can try again for a little boy."

"Yeah."

"I want one of each."

"That'd be nice."

"At least." She shot him a grin.

"Well we can have as many as you want." Dylan pulled her close.

She kissed him.

"I love you, Corryn."

~*~*~*~

Garrett paced anxiously in Cassidy's room as he waited for the nurse to come back.

The nurse returned. "Sir? I wanted to keep you posted... Mrs. Spencer's lung collapsed during surgery..."

"Is she okay?"

"She's in recovery now... she's still in critical condition but the doctor thinks she may be declared stable soon."

"What the hell does that mean?" Garrett demanded.

"That you can go see her if you'd like. She's survived surgery."

Garrett raced down the hall to the ICU and pushed open the door. There were tubes and wires everywhere. In the corner, a monitor was beeping and Cass looked paler than Garrett ever remembered her looking. She didn't look like herself.

She was starting to wake up, but the oxygen mask prevented her from saying anything to Garrett.

"Cass..." Garrett sat down next to the bed. "I'm here, baby, I'm right here."

She looked up at him wide eyed, seeming on the verge of tears.

"Shhh." He gave her hand a small squeeze. "You're okay."

She shook her head no weakly. No, she wasn't okay.

"You are, the doctor said you're stable. Which is a good thing."

She wanted to talk to him... she squeezed his hand back weakly.

The doctor came in after a moment and removed the oxygen mask. "Don't strain yourself, Mrs. Spencer," he instructed firmly.

Garrett was encouraged by this and kissed her hand.

"Garrett..." Now that she could talk to him, Cassidy just didn't know what to say.

"Shh." He kissed her forehead. "Don't try and strain yourself."

She cried a few tears. "The baby?"

"He's fine, baby. Just fine."

She squeezed Garrett's hand weakly again.

"Get some rest, baby."

"Stay," Cassidy said. "Please?"

He nodded. "I'm not going anywhere."

Cassidy seemed assured by this and began to doze off.

Garrett carefully kissed her forehead and watched as she drifted off.

~*~*~*~

Corryn stepped out of the plane terminal and looked around. Dylan had said her contact would know her...but she didn't see anyone coming towards her.

"I'm over here," a voice said cheerfully close by her side. "Come on, we'd better head to the car."

Corryn followed close behind. "Who are you?"

"My name's Damien Walker. Come on." He held the door open for her.

Corryn got into the car. "Thanks." She trusted Dylan, but all her years of training caused her to place a reassuring hand on the gun hidden in her bag.

The man went around the car and got in, pressing lock. And it was then Corryn realized that the doors only opened when he opened them... and that this was *not* an IMF vehicle. "By the way... my name's really Gavin Spencer." And with that the car took off.

"Let me out." Corryn demanded, pulling her gun.

"I don't think so. And I don't suggest using that, or the guys in the backseat might have to blow your pretty little head off." There was a click as two agents turned off their safeties.

"You're not going to get away with this, Dylan'll realize what you've done when the contact doesn't check in."

"The contact, my dear girl, is sitting in the backseat. And he *has* checked in."

Corryn turned around and looked at the agents in the backseat before turning back to Gavin. "You aren't going to get away with this."

"We'll see."

"He's going to call, and going to figure out something's wrong when I don't talk to him."

"You're going to talk to him. Or I'm going to make sure that little kid of yours never sees the light of day."

"Don't touch me or my baby."

"I don't need to touch you to kill you."

"You can't kill me. You would’ve done it already."

"Oh yes I can. And will, if you don't watch yourself."

"Where are you taking me?"

"None of your business."

"I think it is my business."

"It's not. Shut up."

Corryn glared at the man and for a second she contemplated blowing his head off but realized that wouldn't be wise when the two agents in the backseat would probably kill her before she even pulled the trigger on her gun.

Satisfied with himself, Gavin threw open the door to his brother's office and fairly threw Corryn in.

Garrett looked up from the desk. "I'm assuming you were successful and this is his little toy?'

"Then you're correct twice."

"Well...good job, little brother, I didn't actually think you could pull it off. I thought you'd kill her at the airport."

"I almost did."

"Well now we have something of his we can use." Garrett said thoughtfully.

"And what do you plan to do with me, you bastard?" Corryn demanded.

"Tut, tut, watch your mouth, there could be young children around." He said to her. "And, well, what kind of guy would I be if I just told you all my plans?"

"You might be slightly less of a fucking asshole, were that the case."

"Well, I guess I'm not. As a matter of fact, I may just let my brother be in charge of your...well being. He doesn't like your little boyfriend much."

"And I don't like you all very much."

"I don't really care. Because I'm the one who had you kidnapped, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. And *you'll* remember this." She decided to take a page from Grace Kincaide's book as she pulled out her small pistol and fired at Garrett.

Two agents rushed into the room and pinned Corryn to the ground. Garrett looked at his now bleeding shoulder. "Not bad aim, although it's not too smart to try and kill the only person keeping you alive."

She cursed herself. Of course he'd be wearing a vest.

"I'm not as dumb as you think I am." Garrett told her. "Get her out of her and make sure she's stripped of all her weapons." He ordered the two agents who dragged her out of the room.

Corryn didn't even try to struggle. It wasn't worth her life... or her baby's.

"Do what you want, torture her or whatever, just don't kill her. We need her alive." Garrett told Gavin.

Gavin nodded, following the guards out.

Garrett sighed and made his way down to the medical wing. He pushed open the door to Cassidy's room. "Cass--" He stopped in the doorway. She was sitting up, no tubes or wires coming out of her and she was holding their son.

Cassidy looked up. "Hi."

"Hey." He shut the door behind him and moved to sit in the chair next to the bed. "You look so much better."

"Thank you. They took him out of the incubator this morning..." Cass smiled at the boy. "He's growing so fast... he's eating by himself and everything..."

Garrett looked at his son proudly. "He sure is...he's strong like his mother."

Cassidy kissed the boy's forehead gently.

"Do we get to take him out of here soon?"

"Soon, they said."

"What about you?"

"It might be a while longer before I get to leave. They just unhooked the machines a half hour ago."

"But that's a good thing."

"Right... but it hasn't been long enough."

"But you're better."

"Sort of."

"Sort of better is still better." Garrett replied.

"Not enough better I guess."

Garrett kissed her cheek.

"So are you planning to hog him all to yourself?"

"Of course not. Hold him." Cassidy handed the baby to Garrett. "Play nice with Daddy, little man."

"Ahh, Daddy's a tough guy. Just like little Nathan." He held the little boy up.

Nathan let out a happy little squeal.

Garrett laughed. "He looks like you." He commented after a minute.

"I was thinking he looked like you. That blonde hair he's getting."

"It looks more Strawberry-blonde."

"He's still little... it's hard to tell."

"He's bigger than he was."

"Yes, he is. And he's so sweet..."

"And he's ours....our little boy."

Cassidy smiled at the pair. Baby Nathan cooed at his father and drooled a bit.

Garrett wiped Nathan's chin.

It was then that Cassidy saw the blood. "Garrett!"

"What? Something wrong? Should I get the nurse?"

"You're bleeding!"

"What? Oh, it's nothing."

"You're bleeding, it's not nothing. I want you to get it looked at."

"It's not that bad...the bullet just scratched me...I'm wearing a vest."

"You're getting it looked at anyway."

"I'm *fine*, Cass."

"Get it looked at," she ordered.

"Cassidy." Garrett said darkly.

"Please, Garrett."

"Cass, I don't need it to get looked at, it's just a scratch." He insisted.

"I want to be sure you're okay... Please, Garrett..."

"Baby...I'm fine, I swear."

"I'm just... I worry about you..."

"I know you do, but I'm fine."

"Alright... I can't wait to bring this little guy up to the nursery..."

"Yeah. Soon."

She smiled.

"Even if I have to break the two of you out of here myself."

Cassidy kissed Garrett softly. "That'd be sort of nice."

"Give you a little excitement."

"I can think of other kinds of excitement I'd like more but they're saying I won't be allowed any of that for a very long time."

"Can't we cheat a little? The doctors don't have to know."

"Unless I start bleeding again."

"Well...that would be one way."

She laughed a bit.

"Excitement'll be good for you."

"I think so. I think you'd be good for me. If you'd actually kiss me."

Garrett smiled and kissed her softly. "Better?"

"Hmm.... a little bit."

"Well, I can't do much else while you're still in here."

"And I'm not supposed to do much else. Plus the miniature audience."

"Mommy and Daddy love each other, pal." He told Nathan. "You love Mommy too?"

The baby cooed.

Garrett lifted the boy up again.

Nathan squealed.

"Like that, little man?"

The baby was babbling contentedly.

Garrett smiled.

Cassidy smiled at the pair. "He loves you already, look at him."

"Of course he loves me. I'm his dad."

"He's quite a little charmer."

"Just like me."

"Just like you," she agreed.

Garrett smiled and kissed her.

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