Author's Note – So I couldn't resist ending this is a major action set piece. This would be fitting for a series finale but allows LaSalle to leave the show with a bang. And yes I know this story like my work in general is openly pro-law enforcement (or pro-military, CIA and America in general) and the right approach does seem to be going in with guns blazing and I won't apologize for that.

CATFISH PLANT

LaSalle and Sonja took positions on opposite side of the door leaving up to the rooftop as the rattle of automatic weapons continued from several directions on the ground as Pride and the police SWAT team continued to exchange fire with Eddie's men.

"Shhhhh, I hear movement," LaSalle said and motioned to Sonja that he would go first. LaSalle whirled around and sure enough there was a gangster rushing up the stairs. LaSalle pumped three bullets into his chest, the man falling down. LaSalle then took the body of one of the gangbangers from the roof and used it as a shield, he and Sonja making their way down the stairs. Another criminal appeared at the foot of the stairwell and Sonja killed him with a shot into his forehead.

Another gang member came as they reached the bottom of the stairs, emerging into a processing area with a conveyor belt on it. Two gangsters opened fire at the agents but the bullets struck the body LaSalle was using as a shield, blood flying in the air. LaSalle drew his weapon to the side of the dead body and mowed down the first man with a string of bullets into the chest, then quickly aimed at the second man on the other side of the room, taking him out as well.

Another hostile came shooting wildly, the bullets ricocheting off the metal equipment and sparks flying and it struck machinery. Sonja ducked to the floor and shot the man in the foot, the man screaming in pain, disoriented. LaSalle reloaded his machine pistol fired a round through the man's heart.

"Patton, we're approaching the second floor," Sonja radioed, "Any updates on Cade's position?"

Patton looked at his computer screen. "No, still in the same spot, but there are fewer hostiles inside now since Pride and the SWAT team are drawing their fire to the front of the property."

"Copy, you got that, Chris?"

LaSalle nodded.

FACILITY FRONT EXTERIOR

Pride and the SWAT team were now advancing slowly past the fence of the catfish plant. Eddie's men were still creating heavy resistance. Pride saw several muzzle flashes coming from the tall overgrown grass surrounding the fish plant building as they made their way past some barriers surrounding the catfish ponds. He motioned to the team members the positions of the hostiles.

Pride then popped up from his hiding spot and opened fired, hearing a hostile scream as he fell and his gun fell silent. The police also took down another hostile, advancing closer to the building itself.

PLANT INTERIOR

"There are three hostiles in the room holding Cade," LaSalle said. He looked out a flashbang grenade. "Brace for the explosion, Sonja." He wished they had night vision goggles, but this mission had been put on at such short notice and wasn't sanctioned by the federal government. But at least they knew that the bang was coming.

LaSalle closed his eyes and covered his ears after rolling one, then a second flash grenade down the hallway, the two grenades timed differently. Two hostiles guarding the outside of the room were completely deafened and temporarily blinded by the flash and LaSalle and Sonja gave them no time to recover, quickly shooting them down. The second grenade was rolled into the room where Cade was held.

Only one of the hostiles saw the flash grenade coming and ducked while the other two were taken by surprise. LaSalle and Sonja quickly breached the room, Sonja gunning down the first man while LaSalle took out the second. The remaining criminal tried to grab Cade, who was screaming from the shock and noise, and raised his gun but LaSalle shot him twice in the chest, the man slumping against the wall and falling to the ground.

Cade was screaming uncontrollably now.

"Cade! It's me, Chris! Cade!"

"Ummm…..I…you….you're here….."

"Yes we're here and we're going to get you out of here but you need to lay low with Sonja here. Dwayne Pride will be coming any moment too! You gotta trust me, man!"

"Ok…..ok…."

"Sonja, stay with him! I need to find Barrett, finish that son of a bitch!"

OLD FORT BAYOU WATERWAY

LaSalle approached the rear of the plant where it exited onto the bayou, and was met by a loud shotgun blast that hit the windowpanes next to him, shattering it. He quickly took cover but in the corner of his eye saw Eddie Barrett running outside, going for an area where his speedboat was parked. The marine unit was around the bend taking out the remaining gangsters leaving the fish plant.

Eddie quickly started the speedboat and started to drive north deeper into the bayou.

"Pride, what's going on in your end!"

"We've secured the first floor of the building, no additional casualties!" Pride radioed as they cleared the final room in the factory and saw no additional hostiles in there.

"I'm on the bayou, going in pursuit of Eddie. He knows these waterways well, if he disappears upriver, we may not be able to find him before he vanishes again."

LaSalle cursed at Eddie's head start but grabbed another speedboat parked there by the traffickers. Eddie took this boat full throttle, ignoring signs for a no wake zone as he went past a campground with its own docks, his waves causing other vessels to rock and their occupants to curse at him.

Eddie turned around and fired two more shotgun blasts at LaSalle's boat but missed both times, both blasts hitting the muddy water on either side of the boat, sending fountains of water into the air. LaSalle drove his boat back into the right side of the waterway, avoiding a collision with a pontoon party boat coming downriver.

By now LaSalle was closing in on Eddie quickly even as the waterway narrowed toward a road bridge ahead carrying traffic into the Preserve Golf Club, beyond which civilization was more limited. Dodging another shotgun blast, LaSalle furiously dove onto Eddie's boat, filled with vengeance and determination after what Eddie had done to his brother. LaSalle's boat veered off to the left, smashing into a cypress tree and exploding in a fireball.

HOUSEBOAT, OLD FORT BAYOU

LaSalle was now hanging on the right side of Eddie's boat, Eddie looting back and firing one more shotgun blast that LaSalle dodged. They were approaching the bridge supports now and Eddie swerved the boat left and right, trying to throw LaSalle off. He then sped toward the bridge supports, intending to smash LaSalle into one of them but LaSalle used all the strength he had and flipped himself onto the boat. The boat scraped dangerously against the bridge supports, sparking flying all over. LaSalle then fired a bullet into the motor, disabling it and causing Eddie to lose control of the boat.

They were now speeding toward a group of houseboats used as vacation rentals, right before the bayou grew thicker. Both men dove off the boat into the muddy water as the boat ran aground and into a clump of trees. LaSalle saw Eddie disappear behind one of the houseboats and kept his hand tight on his pistol as he approached it. As quiet as Eddie tried to be, LaSalle heard the floorboards creak in the kitchen and immediately burst through the door.

Eddie dove for cover and LaSalle's bullet hit one of the cabinets instead. When he fired again he realized his gun was empty. LaSalle charged at Eddie, grabbing him and slamming him into the dining room table, totally demolishing it as both men screamed in rage. During the struggle, Eddie lost control of his shotgun which flew several feet away.

"You took away everything that I built, and I'm going to take everything and everyone you care about! Your brother, that mama of yours, Sonja, your entire team, all of you are going to pay!"

This only filled LaSalle with even more determination as Eddie threw him against the TV, shattering it as well. Eddie gave at him against with a kick but LaSalle swept him off his feet, slamming him onto the floor and punching him twice, until Eddie kneed him in the stomach, sending him doubling over in pain. Eddie then took out a hunting knife and charged at LaSalle, who blocked the blow within inches of his chest and headbutted Eddie, breaking his nose and sending blood pouring out all over his shirt.

Eddie twisted LaSalle's arm, almost breaking it, and LaSalle backfisted him hard on the side of the fist, and the temporary reprieve gave LaSalle time to grab the shotgun just as Eddie prepared to hurl the knife at him. LaSalle fired a blast with the shotgun that struck Eddie right in the center of his chest, the force sending him flying backward through the window and into the water.

LaSalle carefully stepped outside onto the houseboat's porch, and when Eddie floated back to the surface, it was clear he was dead.

MERIT HEALTH HOSPITAL, BILOXI

LaSalle and Pride immediately stood up when the doctor walked into the waiting area.

"How's he doing?" LaSalle asked immediately.

"Physically, he's going to be totally fine, Agent LaSalle," the doctor said. "We were able to retrieve all bullet fragments and none of his wounds have been infected though we're going to discharge him on antibiotics just in case. But psychologically he's going through a lot, and we've had to restrain him."

"He's been that combative?"

"Unfortunately, yes. And he's yelling for you. Such a long break in his psychiatric treatment alone can cause this kind of relapse, and I can't begin to imagine what he's gone through the last few days with those people."

LaSalle nodded. "I need to see him now and make him home, he's always hated hospitals. Make sure all his records are transferred to his usual psychiatrist in Mobile."

LaSalle went into Cade's room and he was struggling against the restraints, screaming. LaSalle rushed into the room and went next to Cade.

"Cade! It's me, Christopher! I'm right here!"

"Chris!" LaSalle shouted. "Eddie's, Eddie will…..he….."

"Eddie is dead, Cade!" LaSalle said, "The rest of his crew are either also dead or in custody. Mobile Police are also raiding his beer factories as we speak, and with the evidence found at the catfish plant alone and the fact that they opened fire on police, all of them will be in prison for a very long time."

"But me….the stuff I did…."

"Now I hate admitting this, Cade, but all possible charges against you are in Alabama and our family has a lot of pull there thanks to Dad. The governor has already granted you full immunity given you testify against the remaining members of Eddie's crew."

"I…..Chris I don't know if I can face them again, even in court," he said trembling.

"You won't have to, Cade. You can do it at home in a video deposition and that recording will be played in the courtroom. You won't physically be there."

Cade relaxed significantly upon hearing that. "So all this is over, I'm going home soon?"

LaSalle hugged his brother. "Yes, I'm here to take you home."

TRU-TONE

"Chris, so you using that body as a shield, I saw all that with the drone sensors by the way, now you must have watched Total Recall, right? The original with Arnold I mean, not the remake which totally sucks….."

"I did, and it was better than the remake, but I don't know what scene you were referring to, Sebastian."

"The shootout in the subway station, when those guys go after Arnold on the escalator and…."

He was interrupted as Pride came from the bar with a tray of Fireball shots for everyone, except a strawberry daiquiri for Dr. Wade.

"Here's to our team, and especially to Christopher and Sonja, and our more than fifteen minutes." Several of the TVs in the bar were showing news reports about the massive shootout and drug bust, including a cell phone video of LaSalle and Sonja opening fire from the helicopter and infiltrating the top of the building, along with footage of the heavy firefight between the SWAT team and the gang members.

"There's something that I need to tell everyone, while we're all here," LaSalle said. He paused, almost tearing up.

Everyone put down their beers and looked at him in anticipation.

"It was difficult spending most of today in the hospital with Cade. Physically he's supposed to make a full recovery, but given that he already has underlying mental health conditions, it's going to be a long road for him."

"And I know you're going to be there for him, like you always have," Pride said.

LaSalle sighed and shook his head. "No, I haven't. Not enough. My brother blames himself for everything that happened. He tried to help Will and Kelly, and his heart was in the right place, but he wasn't thinking straight when he got involved with Eddie's crew. I blame myself for what happened, for almost losing my brother, for putting us all in danger during that raid in Biloxi. If I was there to give Cade some guidance, he would never have gotten him so deep in this shit."

The rest of the team was silent as they waited for LaSalle to continue.

"Instead of putting him in some rehab facility again, my mother and I have decided it's best that Cade return to our family home where he'll always be taken care of by people he knows and trusts, and Will and Kelly will be staying in our guest house on our grounds. And I…..I need to be there to take care of him.

LaSalle continued, "I know we've always been a family, and we always will be, but Cade and my mother are also family, and I need to be there for them."

"Chris, somehow I get the feeling you're not just asking for time off," Sebastian said awkwardly.

"No, I'm not. I'm putting in my two weeks notice and resigning from NCIS. I'm going to go home with Cade, and with our mom getting older, he's going to need me, even with Will and Kelly around. I've decided to move home to Alabama, and I have friends in the Mobile Police who can get me in the door, especially after we took down one of the biggest drug syndicates on the entire Gulf Coast."

"LaSalle, you can't just leave us like this. I don't know how this team is going to operate now," Gregorio blurted out. "Sonja, what did you say to him? He needs to come back after he's done with…."

"I love LaSalle like a brother," Patton spoke up, "And as much as this hurts, LaSalle needs to do what's best for his family, and I completely respect that."

"Thank you, Patton."

Pride nodded. "It's hard to say this, but I'm glad that you're not making the same mistakes I've made most of my life. I'm never going to get back the time I missed with Laurel while I was out everywhere chasing bad guys especially as a federal agent. A slower pace close to home would be good for you."

LaSalle gave Pride a hug. "I appreciate it. This is just so hard for me to do, but it's the right decision for me."

"I know it is."

Pride motioned for the waitress to bring another round of drinks to the table. "Well let's make the next 2 weeks really count!"

LASALLE ESTATE, DAPHNE, ALABAMA

"Shortest couple days in my life, it seems," Sonja said, looking at the muggy sunset over the live oak trees. "I can't believe they want me in Wuhan less than 24 hours from now."

LaSalle knew that he couldn't wait anymore to speak up.

"Sonja, there's also something I needed to tell you, I've been struggling with this all day," LaSalle said as they strolled along the marshlands off Mobile Bay, listening to the seagulls and pelicans swooping in from over the water. They were on the sprawling LaSalle estate outside Mobile, constructed by LaSalle'S father with the riches he's obtained from the offshore drilling company he used to own.

"What is it, Country Mouse?" Sonja asked. She had stopped in Alabama to visit LaSalle and see his old stomping grounds before heading back overseas on her next assignment. This time, she'll be going on a rare joint FBI-CIA operation to China to investigate a treasonous American scientist from the University of California – Berkeley working at the Wuhan Institute of Virology whom they suspect is being paid by the communists to develop a new weaponized virus. The good thing was, this time she'll be operating with diplomatic cover as a contractor with the U.S. consulate in Wuhan.

"I still can't stop blaming myself for not reaching out to you even after you had left NCIS," LaSalle said. "I think one of the reasons Cade remembered your number and kept in touch with you is he wanted you to be with me. That's why he remembered your number by heart and remembered everything you had told him about including your mission against MS-13. And this got me thinking, back when you were on the team, we couldn't deny that there was something between us. I said we should just remain friends because it might affect how the team operated, but that wasn't the real reason, because our team was already family like Pride likes to say."

Sonja was speechless for a moment.

LaSalle continued, "I was just afraid of the kind of commitment that it took, taking our relationship to the next level. I think it's time for us to do right by ourselves, and gives ourselves another chance."

Sonja blushed. "One of the reasons I left NCIS was because it was just too hard seeing you every day, without taking the next step. Now you say you're ready."

"I am, City Mouse. And my mama, she can't stop gushing about you," LaSalle said.

"I do want that, but now here I am, getting ready to fly to the other side of the world, basically married to my job now."

"I know how much your career means to you, and what you're doing right now is an opportunity most people don't get. So I'm not asking you to give any of that up. I just want to be here waiting for you when you're in between assignments. I just want to be here for you, always."

Sonja smiled and finally kissed him on the cheek. "I would love that very much. Remind me of what I'm fighting for out there."

Later, after he watched Sonja's car disappear back toward the main road, LaSalle went back into the large, well apportioned antebellum house where Cade and their mother were sitting in the living room drinking some ice cold sweet tea. LaSalle smiled at his brother.

"I knew you always wanted me and Sonja together. Good one there, little brother."

"It was about time you settled down, and clearly she's someone who has a lot in common with you and who understands you."

"And smart enough for your daddy in heaven to approve," their mother said. "Well I'm glad that you're both home for good."

"Me too."