First, let me just say...my humblest, most sincere apologies. :( Things got crazy, and i totally forgot that i never put up the last chapter. And i was looking at my emails, and noticed a message from a reader (thank you Sheaffer!) asking why i hadnt finished. so i rushed over here, and put up the last chapter! so once again, sooo sorry and...read, review and enjoy!

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After Colby had disappeared around the bend of the second tunnel, Megan thought she heard a suspicious thud, as if something heavy had hit the wall, but she had decided against going to check it out. The sound had been quiet enough to be falling dirt or her imagination. Plus, she didn't want to go barging in on Colby if there was no reason to go barging in. But she had remained alert and tense, with a familiar twinge of foreboding growing in her gut.

Then she heard her partner cry out in pain, a sharp sound barely muffled by the wall of dirt that separated the two tunnels, and Agent Reeves flew on ready feet into the second entrance, hands darting to hover by her gun. But she hadn't even had time to form a solid thought when she collided with a man rushing out of the tunnel, preoccupied with something behind him.

Megan had time to register two things; the man that stumbled backwards was their suspect, in his tattered flannel shirt and overlong-hair, and that he was unarmed, eliminating the possibility of using her gun on him. She couldn't see Colby, but didn't have to time to really look around for him either, as the suspect had recovered quickly from being caught off guard. She nimbly evaded as he launched himself at her, clipping his jaw with her hard fist and managing to wrap an arm under his shoulder to restrain him. But before she was able to secure her hold, he twisted out, whirling around to deal a hard blow to her side that forced to her breath out with a sickening whoof. Making herself inhale against the numbing pain, she ducked as he struck out again, only able to hit him with another glancing blow. Suddenly, she felt him grab her wrist and twist her arm back, and though she thrust her leg out hard in a precise kick to the knee, he threw his weight against her, smashing her face into the wall of dirt.

Colby had seen Megan run into the man through the gradually fading mist in his brain, and he had managed to struggle up to his hands and knees as the suspect threw the first punch. He worked at getting nearer as the fight progressed, unnoticed in the darkness of the tunnel by the two focused on each other. Finally, Colby saw his chance as the man threw Megan against the wall of the tunnel, unknowingly turning his back to the hidden agent.

Colby hurled himself at their attacker, steeling himself against the series of explosions he knew would erupt all over again in his destroyed ankle. He pushed the man to the ground, using his bulk to press him down. But the suspect fought back frantically, desperate to fix the situation that had suddenly taken such a bad turn for him. Colby winced as a fist connected with his cheekbone, and saw another hit aimed for his face approaching, but it was stopped mid-arc by another pair of hands.

Megan caught the man's arm agilely, wrenching it back under him as she kneeled on his flailing legs to suppress them. As Colby rolled his own weight off of the guy, she was able flip him over fully, her martial arts training once again coming in to play. The man delivered another blow to her shoulder, but this time, no longer caught by surprise, Megan swiftly punched him the gut, followed by a jab under the chin, before wrapping her arm under his shoulder and around his neck to effectively immobilize him. With her knee in the small of his back, Megan waited as the suspect struggled a couple more times, before finally giving in as he realized that there was no escape.

With a non-to-gentle jerk, Megan pulled the man to his feet, not feeling too guilty about the flicker of satisfaction she felt as she pushed him up against the dirt wall to handcuff. She smiled slightly as she heard him grumbling with his face jammed into the dirt.

"Not very nice, is it?" Still pressing him against the wall, Megan glanced around for Colby, worry seeping through her bubble of smug victory.

Her partner sat limply on the ground nearby, propped up against the wall. The only movement Megan could see from him was the twitch of a muscle in his clenched jaw and the flicker of his shut eyelids as his face twisted in pain.

"Colby, are- "

"Yeah, yeah." Colby groaned. He opened his eyes, averting Megan's anxious gaze and pressed a hand to his sweat-dampened forehead. The dull ache in his temples had now erupted into a full-grown, malicious headache, making his brain feel way too big for his skull. His entire body was ready to embrace the cool, open darkness of passing out, but Colby forced himself to get to his feet, using the wall for support. Slowly, he shuffled over to his partner and their finally-captured perp, moving like an old man after a long day.

Megan scrutinized Colby closely, her sharp eyes taking in his hunched posture, the shine of sweat on his pale features. But she knew that right now, Colby didn't need her to be playing mother hen.

"Thanks. You kinda saved my ass," she said, gratitude mixing with the light-heartedness of her comment.

"Yeah, well you kinda saved mine first. Krav Maga at the Y is not something to laugh at…" Colby mused, before chuckling.

The suspect Megan was holding suddenly chose this moment for another bid for freedom, trying to catch his captor by surprise and twist out of her hold. He kicked Megan hard in the shin, then turned around to try to pull his handcuffed wrists from her unrelenting grasp. But before he had even turned all the way around, his escape was stopped in its tracks by a powerful fist flying towards him. Colby's punch struck him full in the face, and his entire head bounced back from the impact. He crumpled like a rag doll against the wall before sliding clumsily to the floor. Megan didn't loosen her firm hold on him as she kneeled down to check the fallen perp's state. Not surprisingly, he was out cold.

"Nice, Granger, now we'll have to drag him." The female agent joked sarcastically as she straightened up, throwing a disgusted look down at the prone figure at her feet.

Colby managed a laugh, despite how much his head was swimming, but Megan wasn't fooled. She looked over sharply, before crouching down next to the unconscious suspect again.

"We're almost back at the shack, just ten more minutes through the tunnel, and then we call for backup and a medic. You need that ankle looked at as fast as possible." She looked down uncertainly at the man.

"Really, I was joking about dragging him, I'm sore enough as it is. Plus, fireman's carry isn't really my thing." She rolled the guy over onto his back, shaking him a couple times, with no result.

"Here, let me." Colby moved beside his partner, grabbing the suspect and shaking him much more roughly than Megan had. Getting no response, he slapped the man across the face, before hauling him up by the front of his shirt.

"Let's go, Sleeping Beauty. Time to get a move on."

The perp moaned faintly as he was forcibly pulled up and his eyes remained closed, but the fact that he remained standing after Colby let go of him, though swaying unsteadily, was good enough for both agents. Megan began prodding the criminal forward as they continued to make their way toward the shack and the car.

"By the way, I don't think I mentioned this, but you're under arrest."

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A speedy one and a half hours later, a relieved Megan watched as the anticipated two cop cars and an ambulance (Don had wanted to tell the hospital send a helicopter instead for faster aid, but Colby, being Colby, had persistently refused) arrived up the dirt road leading to the shack. Following them was a black government-issue SUV which she knew their worried boss was driving. She looked back out the window at the slumped form of the suspect they had caught, who had been handcuffed around a tree so that the agents could keep a close eye on him from the comfort of their car.

Sighing as she leaned back in the cushiony seat, Megan let her head roll over to the other side, stretching her cramped feet and toes. She had taken off her shoes as soon as she had gotten into the car, throwing the offensive footwear in the backseat so she wouldn't have to look at them. Her feet, now sporting angry red blisters, would need some TLC when she got home.

Colby was stretched out in the driver's seat, muscular arms folded across his chest, fast asleep. He had tried to stay awake to wait for backup with her, but had finally given in to his exhausted body's demands after the first hour. Of course, Megan had gladly let him sleep. Her partner's face was creased with discomfort and the terrible pain from his ankle that had only gotten worse. He had turned down the two Aspirins she had dug out of her purse, because of the severe headaches he got from a normal dose of painkillers, and Megan hadn't had enough of the pills to simply knock him out.

She smiled lightly as he mumbled something in his sleep, his brow furrowing, and felt a rush of friendly affection for her partner. He was a great friend, she mused as she watched the approaching cars rolling nearer. Sure, he was often headstrong and risky, and sometimes his overall laid-back attitude could become annoying, but that was all overshadowed by his courage, loyalty, and kind heart. She could always count on him to have her back, selflessly endangering himself to help her. And Megan knew she would do the same for him, which was what made them such great partners, such a dynamic team.

Megan watched with peaceful content as help finally arrived, the police cars and the ambulance bouncing and jolting along the uneven path to come to a stop in front of their car. Soon her own mind wandered to delight in thoughts of a long, soothing bath and the comfort of her own bed, and Megan couldn't help but think that sometimes, even the bad days had their good moments.

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THE END!