A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing this story! This is the final chapter, but I do plan on a sequel that will tie up loose ends and introduce another little plot line I have brewing in my head. Stay tuned! (Oh and I'm very close to posting a missing scene fic for "Once Lost". Stay tuned!)

"Martin!" Sam called out when she finally spotted him walking out of the ER waiting room. After they'd secured Danny, Sam stayed behind to wrap up at the crime scene while Martin road with Danny in the ambulance. "How is he?"

Martin met her in the hallway and then ushered her into a seat. "He's hanging in there. They just stabilized him and now they're taking him to x-ray. If they find any internal bleeding, they'll take him straight to surgery. He definitely has several broken ribs and pretty badly dislocated shoulder."

"What about his head? It looked like he took some hard blows--" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"You know Danny; he has a hard head," Martin quipped with a small smile. "They ran some tests in the ER. His pupils were reactive, but they'll take an x-ray to make sure. They were finishing with stitching up his face when I went in there."

"Were you able to talk to him?" Sam asked.

"A little—"

"Martin! Martin! How is he?" Elena called out from behind him.

Sam and Martin turned to find Elena and Jack walking quickly toward them.

"Is he okay? Where is he?" she asked again, the franticness evident in her voice.

"They just took him to x-ray. They'll know more once they can see if there's any internal bleeding, but he seemed…he seemed okay when I talked to him," Martin explained in a cautious tone.

Martin slipped into the ER examination room after he saw that the flurry of doctors and nurses who had been attending to Danny had walked out. Now only one doctor and nurse were by his bedside.

"How is he?" Martin asked, his voice hesitant.

"He feels like crap," Martin heard Danny say from behind the nurse and doctor attending to him. The doctor was finishing up suturing around Danny's eye and lip.

Martin smiled upon hearing Danny's weak quip.

"Sir, you really shouldn't be in here," the nurse said as she approached Martin. "We need to make sure he's stable—"

Taking out his badge, Martin explained. "I'd just like to talk to him for a minute before you take him to surgery—"

"He may not need it," the doctor piped in as he started to walk toward the door. "Considering what he's been through, for now, he seems to be out of the woods. But we'll know more after we take x-rays." The doctor opened the door, before giving the nurse his final orders. "You can give them a few minutes to talk and then get him up to x-ray please."

The nurse nodded as the doctor walked out. "I'll be right outside if you need anything," the nurse said to Danny before walking out the door.

Finally, Martin's attention focused on Danny. His face was bruised and stitched. The area between his neck and shoulder was a scary mixture of red and purple. Danny held his arm gingerly across his stomach, as if protect his rib cage. His wrists were bandaged as well.

"You look like hell," Martin said as he pulled a chair towards the bed and sat down.

Danny attempted to smile, but just couldn't do it without wincing in pain. "I'd look a lot worse if you hadn't thought to bring your fire extinguisher. What the hell made you think to do that?"

"Jack heard them over the phone…talking about gasoline. Sam and I saw the extinguisher on our way up the stairs. I figured I should be prepared."

His eyes widened for a moment, realizing the levity of what could have happened. "Thank you, Fire Marshall Bill. A couple seconds later…and…"

Shaking his head, Martin leaned forward. "Don't mention it. I think I owed you one anyway."

The two men sat in silence for a few moments, not really sure what to say next. But Martin knew he had to get some kind of statement about what happened from Danny.

"How did you get away from them? How did you get the phone?"

"I didn't so much get away as they left the room," Danny responded, his voice scratchy and weak. "I'd been trying to cut through the ropes on my wrists using a sharp edge on the chair. Finally when they left the room, I was able to get the rope off one of my wrists."

Martin eyes drifted to the bandages on Danny wrists. Clearly, cutting through the ropes caused them to bleed.

"I tried to get out of the room, but the door was locked. It was different from the room I was in when you guys got there. So I waited until someone came back. Thankfully, it was just one of them. When he came through the door, I came up behind him and wrapped the rope around his neck," Danny stated, obviously trying to be matter-of-fact, but his voice still betraying him with emotion. "I killed him…with my bare hands," he said as he glanced down at his hands.

"Danny—" Martin started.

"Before they left me in that room, they showed me a picture of Elena and Sophie. And they said that they were going to find them…and…and…" Danny couldn't finish.

"You did what you had to do."

Danny nodded. "I grabbed his phone, but I couldn't find a gun on him. All I could think of was that the other guys were on their way to find Elena and Sophie. I wasn't thinking clearly. I couldn't find a way out, so I called Jack. Eventually, they found me. I tried to get away, but I was so weak."

"You kept the phone on, though. And that's what lead us to you."

"Thank God," Danny mumbled before looking up at Martin. "Where is Elena now?"

"She's on her way with Jack. Viv is staying at the office with Sophie. We'll keep a close eye on them until we find Carlos."

"But the Sergeis are dead, right? They can't—"

"They're gone. You don't have to worry about them anymore."

Danny nodded. "What about Carlos? Any leads?"

Martin shook his head. "We think he left the country."

Sighing heavily, Danny closed his eyes. "He'll haunt us forever."

"No, he won't. We'll find him. We will," Martin replied in the strongest tone he could muster.

"All things considered, I think he's doing remarkably well," Martin said, after relaying the earlier conversation he'd had with Danny.

Shaking her head, Elena walked over to a chair and sat down. Wiping a few tears from her eyes, she struggled to maintain her composure. Seeing that she was in distress, Sam moved over to her and sat down next to her.

"Danny's going to be okay…just like Martin said," she reassured Elena.

"He really did seem okay…I mean, other than wanting to make sure you and Sophie are safe, he seemed to get through all of this…somehow," Martin piped in. "I think he'll be even better when he sees you."

Looking up at Martin, Elena gave him a small smile. "I hope so," she responded quietly. "But how can this really be over until we find Carlos?"

"His mug is all over the wires," Jack answered. "He can't hide forever."

"Believe me, Jack, I don't think he will hide," Elena responded, her voice fearful. "When he finds out Danny is still alive, he'll—"

Jack took out his cell phone. "Carlos won't get near Danny...or you and Sophie ever again. I'll make sure of that. I'm going to make a few phone calls to see if I can light a fire under the DEA. I'll see where we're at with tracking him down. And I'll arrange for a uniform to come down here and guard Danny's door while he's recuperating," Jack said as he turned to walk outside to make the phone calls.

Taking a deep breath, Elena leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes as Sam put her hand on her back to reassure her.

Deciding to sit as well, Martin sat down next to Sam. They sat there in relative silence for over an hour. Jack returned with no news on Carlos, but he did inform them that he'd gotten a hold of Sylvia to let her know about Danny, but she was out town. Then Jack called Raffi at the prison, just in case he'd heard something on the news. After those updates, they would occasionally speak, but mostly they were lost in their own thoughts about all that Danny had just been through. Just when Martin was ready to give up and ask the nurse's station about Danny's status, a doctor approached them.

"I'm looking for the family of Danny Taylor?"

"That's us," Elena quickly replied as she stood up. "Is he okay?"

"Are you his wife?" the doctor asked skeptically as he looked at the group who were obviously not his immediate family.

"I'm his girlfriend and these are his co-workers and friends and we're the closest thing he has to family here…so please doctor…please just tell us—"

The doctor gave Elena a reassuring smile. "You're Elena, I presume? We had to put him under anesthesia to do a couple of minor procedures to reset his jaw and shoulder. When he was coming out of the anesthesia, he kept saying your name."

Elena smiled…her first real smile since she'd gotten to the hospital. "So he's okay? He's going to be okay."

The doctor nodded. "No internal bleeding. He'll just need rest and to stay off of his feet for a while, but there's no permanent damage."

"Thanks, Doc," Jack said.

"Yes, thank you," Elena repeated. "Can I see him?"

"He's still under sedation to combat the pain, but you can sit with him. He's on the third floor, room 316. But just one of you for now. He needs his rest," the doctor said as he started to walk away.

Elena turned and look around at her co-workers. "Do you mind if I—"

"Go Elena. We'll plan on seeing him tomorrow," Jack interrupted.

Taking a deep breath, Elena nodded. "Thanks. And Sophie? She needs to eat and—"

"Vivian is more than capable of taking care of her. Trust me. In fact, she's even offered to take Sophie to her house tonight, just to make sure she's safe. Carlos would never know to look for her there. Don't worry about Sophie tonight," Jack reassured her.

"Thank you…thank you all so much," Elena said before turning and heading toward the elevators.

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As Elena stepped off the elevator, she quickly made her way down the hall to room 316. Smiling slightly, she nodded as she flashed her badge to the uniformed policeman sitting on a chair just outside Danny's door.

Quietly, she opened the door and entered the darkened room. At first, all she could see was a lengthy form stretched out on the bed. As she moved closer, the sunlight streaming in from the crack in the curtain illuminated Danny's face. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the bruises: his eyes, his jawline, lips and nose were various shades of red and purpose. He had a bandage over his left eyebrow and under his lower lip. Elena's eyes filled with tears, just thinking about all he'd endured to get those bruises. Slowly, she moved closer, pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed. His eyes were closed. She knew he was sleeping…she recognized the rhythm of his breathing from the few times they'd been able to actually spend a whole night together. Reaching out, she took his free hand. His other hand was hidden in a sling that protected his shoulder.

She sat there with him for what seemed like hours, until the sun streaming in the curtains began to dim. She began to drift in and out of sleep as her head rested against his hand. Suddenly, she felt him stir – his thumb caressing her cheek ever so slightly.

Lifting her head up, she smiled when she saw his eyes – peaking out through swollen lids.

"Hey," she said quietly.

Sighing slightly, Danny returned a small smile of his own. "Hey."

"How are you feeling?" she said as she squeezed his hand.

Attempting to shrug with his good shoulder, Danny squeezed her hand back. "Never better."

Laughing lightly, Elena shook her head as her eyes filled with tears. "Danny…Danny…I'm so sorry—"

"Don't," he said, squeezing her hand again as he moved his head to meet her eyes. "This isn't your fault."

Rolling her eyes, Elena wiped a few tears away. "Danny, it's safe to say you wouldn't be—" before she could finish, the door opened.

"Mr. Taylor, how are we feeling this evening?" the nurse asked as she brought in a tray and set it on the tray table in front of him.

"Um…feeling okay, but definitely not hungry," Danny replied weakly.

"Well, you had your last IV bag this afternoon. The doctor says you should try to eat a little something," the nurse replied as she took the top off the tray to reveal a bowl of something that looked like broth with unknown bits floating in it. The nurse picked up the spoon as if she intended on feeding the soup to him. "Just a few bites."

Glancing at Elena, Danny frowned.

"Tell you what?" Elena said as she smiled at the nurse. "I'll make sure he eats."

"Actually, I need to chart what he takes in and then I need to take care of some other 'housekeeping' issues, so as much as I know you want to help your boyfriend, I'm afraid I have to insist," the persistent nurse replied.

Turning toward Danny, she glanced at him helplessly.

Smiling, Danny shook his head. "How long have you been in here with me?"

Elena glanced up at the clock on the wall. "A few hours."

"Why don't you let the nurse here give you a break for a few minutes?"

"That's probably best," the nurse interjected. "This will go faster if he's not distracted."

Nodding, Elena stood up. "Okay, I'll go call Sophie and I'll let everyone know you're awake."

"While you're at it, you should get something to eat as well," Danny replied in a concerned tone.

Elena smiled. "I'll see you in a bit," she said as she touched his hand one more time before turning to leave.

Walking out into the hall, Elena looked up at the signs to see where the cafeteria would be. Seeing that it was down the hall on her left, she made her way in that direction. As she entered the cafeteria, she took her phone out and dialed Vivian's number.

"Johnson," Vivian answered.

"Hey Viv," Elena responded.

"How's he doing?" Vivian asked.

"He just woke up. The nurse is tending to him and making him eat something. He seems to be doing fine."

"That's good news. Great news. I'll call Jack, Martin and Sam to let them know. They were going to steer clear of the hospital until tomorrow, but I know they'll want to be updated."

"Great, thank you. How's Sophie?"

"She's an angel. I just fed her dinner and now Reggie is playing Wei bowling with her. She's doing fine. I told her about Danny, though."

Elena's breath caught a little. "What did you say?"

"That he was hurt, but going to be okay. And that you wanted to be at the hospital with him, which was why she was with me."

"Did she ask why she was with you and not her grandmother?" Elena asked, knowing that it was much safer for Sophie to be with Vivian since Carlos was still out there.

"Actually, she didn't question that at all. She just asked if I could take her to see Danny tomorrow. I told her we'd have to check with you. I don't know if you want Sophie to see Danny like that."

"I don't know, either, Vivian. His face…they beat him so badly," Elena said, her voice betraying her with emotion. "I'll try to hold her off for a couple of days, but I'll be there to pick her up in the morning. I just want to stay here with Danny tonight."

"I understand. Tell you what, I'll see if Martin or Sam can be there first thing tomorrow morning to relieve you – so Danny won't be alone. How does that sound?"

"That's perfect. I can't thank you enough, Vivian."

"My pleasure. Would you like to talk to Sophie?"

"Yes, please. See if you can tear her away from her game!"

Elena spoke to Sophie for a few minutes and made sure she was okay. Satisfied that Vivian had Sophie well under control, Elena decided to freshen up in the ladie's room and then ate a muffin in the cafeteria. After giving the nurse what she thought was sufficient amount of time, Elena made her way back to Danny's room.

As she approached Danny's room, she saw that the nurse was coming out. "Is he doing okay?" Elena asked.

"His vitals look good. He ate a little bit. Then we changed the bandages on his face and wrist. He'll most likely just go back to sleep. You know, we usually don't allow visitors—"

"I know you don't, but I just…I need to stay with him," Elena stammered. "I…I thought I'd lost him…and…I just—"

The nurse stepped forward and put her hand on Elena's arm. "I understand, honey. Go on in."

Smiling gratefully, Elena opened the door to Danny's room. He was sitting up in the bed, but his eyes were closed. As the door closed, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"You're back," he said.

"Of course I am," Elena replied as she walked over to the bed. "I called Vivian. Sophie's fine. She'll let everyone know that you're doing better and tomorrow don't be surprised if you're inundated with visitors!"

Danny nodded. "But tonight, it's just you right?" he asked hopefully.

"It's just me," she replied, taking his hand. "Hope that's okay."

Turning her hand in hands, he laced her fingers together. "It's more than okay. Did you eat something?"

Sighing, Elena leaned forward and lightly kissed him on the lips. "You shouldn't be worrying about me, mi amore. But yes, I did eat. How about you?"

"I humored the nurse. And then I got a good look at myself when I got up to go to the bathroom. I look like Frankenstein."

"You look pretty great to me," she said as she started sit in the chair next to bed. Before she could sit down, she felt him tug on her hand.

"We can do better than that," he said as he moved his body over slightly in the bed.

"Danny, I don't want to hurt you."

"I promise you won't, just come here," he said as he let go of her hand and patted the area next to him on the bed.

Shaking her head, Elena lowered the rail on the side of the bed as she slipped out of her shoes. Then as gently as she could, she slid into the bed next to him, curling herself next to his body and laying her head in the crook of his good arm. "Is this okay?" she asked.

Danny pressed the button on the side of the bed to lower them back a bit. "Yeah, it's good. I should warn you, I'm not going to last very long. The nurse gave me some more pain medication."

"Good, you need to sleep," Elena said as she snuggled next to him. Feeling him so close again was heaven, even in his weakened state. She immediately felt safe, comforted, and truly, just like she was where she belonged.

"Danny?" she whispered.

"Mmm-hmm," he answered.

"I have to tell you…I need you to know…" she stammered, not sure this was the right time.

"Need me to know what?" he asked as his arms tightened against her back.

Elena grasped his good hand in hers. "I need you to know how very much I love you. I don't know why you love me like you do, but I'm so grateful…and I love you more than words could ever say, mi amore."

She could almost hear the smile form on Danny's face. "I love you like I do because I can't imagine my life without you and Sophie."

They didn't say anything else before drifting off to sleep. Even though they both knew how much they loved one another, it didn't mean that their problems would go away. Carlos was still out there somewhere. Their only hope was that he wanted his freedom more than he wanted to make their lives miserable.

But this night wasn't about that. This night was about holding on to each other tightly and realizing how their loved had grown into something real and true and wonderful.

When Elena walked into Danny's life so many years ago, he'd had no idea of what she'd eventually bring to his life.

When Elena walked into the FBI office just a couple of years earlier, she never, ever would have thought that Danny would become such an integral part of hers and Sophie's lives.

Somehow, they'd found each other – Danny who wanted a family and someone to love him more than anything and Elena who needed someone she could trust and believe in completely.

End note: Sorry I didn't wrap up the Carlos thread. I don't know what I want to do with him yet! But I promise I'll figure it out in my next story!