It is two o'clock in the morning, and I'm still awake reading your work. Sleeping would be wonderful, but this is a pretty awesome way to pass the time. :)

Before I begin, I just want to tell you that you are one of the most amazing authors on this site, and I don't give out praise like that often. You're able to get into the minds of characters and write their thoughts/mannerisms so well that it is kind of frightening. (For a while with your Supernatural stories I debated whether or not you were Kripke in disguise.) Your hurt/comfort stories are especially top-notch—no joke. I get little tingles in my stomach every time I read them.

Thanks to your incredible writing, Ms. Dartmouth, I was able to get into so many new fandoms, including Agents of SHIELD, Guardians of the Galaxy, Cal Leandros, Magnificent Seven, Ocean's 11/12/13, and much much more.

But your CHAOS fics—dear God in heaven, they are (in the words of the Ninth Doctor) absolutely fantastic. They are written so well that I can picture them as episodes, especially Rack and Ruin and The Elephant in the Room. You write newbie Rick, gruff Casey, paranoid Michael and oh-so-amazing Billy so well—I can hear them speaking when I read your fics. I agree with you that Billy is a natural whump object and I literally jumped up and down for a while when I found out that most of your CHAOS fanfics were Billy!whump-centric.

I opened this fic, expecting to find another hurt!Billy story, but right away I knew something was up because it had been like six paragraphs and there weren't any Scottish-accented quips. And then when I saw Michael was the one being hurt, I sat back for a bit and realized—damn. I have another favorite whump object now. So thanks for that. :)

(It probably shouldn't have been that shocking though, seeing as I loved reading Vin h/c fics in the Mag7 fandom.)

So now onto my ACTUAL review here—I don't think just saying "nicely done" will suffice so here goes.

*A hit, probably. Bad luck. One small misstep. Michael doesn't know, and when he gets back to Langley, he'll figure it out. He'll put all his energy, he won't sleep until he knows who did this, why it happened.*

Like other reviewers, I like Michael's optimism here. He knows he's in a sticky wicket but he still has hope. That much is shown when he says "if" instead of "when".

*Michael takes a trembling breath, bearing down as best he can. "Stay there," he says. "Finish the mission."
There's a hesitation. "Is everything okay."
Michael swallows, closing his eyes. He doesn't like lying to his team, but it's what's required sometimes. One agent...or the mission. It's not an easy call...except it is.*

That packs a punch, because even when Michael is dying but he still puts the mission first. I dunno how to react but tears will definitely be involved.

*He grimaces, trying to find a better position to quell the bleeding from his side. It's not a vital hit, but the blood...
He takes a shaky breath.
He'll be here when they get back.
One way or another.*

Okay, that's what killed me here. "One way or another" meaning dead or alive. Yeah, he'll still be here but it better be alive. The ODS needs their fearless (and insanely paranoid) leader! (Well, they coped in SophieSaulie's fic but they still need Michael Dorset.)

And now onto my selfish request. *gets down on hands and knees* Faye Dartmouth, I beg of you to write a continuation of this fic from the perspective of one of the others (or all three). The fandom, while plentiful in Rick and Billy whump and even some Casey h/c, is somewhat lacking in Michael whump. (Trust me, while writing this review I've looked. There's this fic, SophieSaulie's and Lena's What Dreams May Come. If you know more Michael!whump would you tell me them?)

Well. *checks watch* I do believe I have to go to sleep now. Thanks so much again for sharing this wonderful ficlet with us—and I sorely hope it gets continued *wink wink*.

G'night!

Yours in Fanfiction,

-Emily :)

No! I want to know what happens! I can only imagine their reaction but since my imagination isn't as great as yours, I need you to tell me want happens!

Michael is dying but he puts the mission first especially when the mission involves his teammates. Loved this so much!

Short but brutal angst.

Thanks, Faye!

I know you've become a Billy-whumper (and he *is* a natural for that role!), thanks for giving us this. I know Michael is the leader, but he's always so stoic, it's nice to see him on the *h* side (and we can only hope *c* is to follow! Sorta shades of Vin Tanner! Thanks for this nice glimpse into Chaos' fearless leader.

Hawk50 (Lyn)

Nice twist there at the end. Having read so many of your stories, I was expecting it to be Billy who was bleeding out - and you counted on that, didn't you (grin)?

I do like Michael's slight optimism. He knows there's too much blood, but his thoughts are all on what he'll do once he's back in the states.

Being greedy, I'm hoping that there's a follow-up to this, from the POV of one of the others (or all three). In the meantime, thanks for sharing.

PS. Don't know if you saw where Eric Close is going to be in the film "American Sniper", and that his character has not yet been revealed. Me? I'm pulling for CIA agent (grin).

I love this little fic. :) I really thought it was Billy bleeding out until Michael took the call, then I started to have my doubts. nicely done.

and I'll vote with the others- more, please?

Oh, that was so very cool. :-) Any chance of a continuation?

Wow, that packs a punch! I tend to prefer long fics but you managed to really pull me in with this little ficlet.