Jack slowly raised himself up from the floor furious for being such a total idiot and not suspecting something was wrong; the throbbing in his head outstripped only by the urge to throw up. Unsteadily he got to his feet, staggering as the room spun wildly, his eyes finally focussing on Randy as he sat behind his desk. Instinctively, he reached for his gun but the holster was empty.

"Oh please Agent Hudson, you don't think I'd be that stupid do you?" A vaguely familiar voice asked from behind him.

"Morris," he acknowledged without turning.

"That's right. I can see why they made you Team Leader. Sit down Hudson... and Randy... thank you for your help."

Jack looked at him accusingly but Randy shook his head vigorously. "He told me that he wanted to give himself up. I would never have helped him if I'd known what he was going to do. You have to believe me."

"I wouldn't," Morris sniped. "He's a natural born coward. He'd sell his own mother if he thought it would keep him safe."

"You leave my mother out of this." Potts shouted suddenly growing a backbone.

"Don't worry Randy, I told you she'd be safe as long as you kept me informed of Jackson's whereabouts."

"That's not true." The man complained vociferously leaving the bewildered Agent with no idea who to believe.

"And you're not a coward?" Jack commented. "Getting others to do your dirty work for you?"

"I prefer to think of myself as resourceful."

"And yet you've trapped yourself in a corner. Now that's what I call great management skills."

"Sit down Special Agent Hudson!"

Jack debated whether to take the ex-Supervisor seriously or not but when he brandished the gun in his direction he complied. All he could think of was that he was about to die the same way his friend Shep had all those years ago, shot with his own gun. "If you use that every Law Enforcement Officer in the building will hear it."

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"You don't actually want me to answer that, do you?" The retort had come unbidden but he paid for it with a punch in the mouth which jarred his already aching head and he could taste the blood on his lips.

"You'll speak when you're spoken too, understood? I'm fed up to the back teeth with people not taking me seriously."

"What are you going to do with us?" Randy questioned fearfully.

"You, I'll probably kill quickly just the way you fired me, over in a flash so to speak. Trust me compared to him you're goldenrod."

"I'm what?" When he didn't receive an answer he continued on. "And what about Agent Hudson..?"

"Oh he'll go as slowly and as painfully as I can manage, one piece at a time." He switched the gun to his other hand and pulled out a large knife. "You see Jack, I came prepared. I know I'm not going to get out of here but at least I'll make you suffer first."

Seeing his opportunity Jack grabbed for the knife but the dizziness from the blow to the head made him clumsy and he yelped in pain as the blade sliced the palm of his hand.

"Oh no you don't, just stay put or Randy here dies." To emphasise the point he placed the gun against the terrified man's temple.

"Agent Hudson... Jack... Please don't antagonise him, please."

Temporarily defeated he sat back in his chair, his good hand supporting the injured one. Everyone jumped when his cell went off again.

"You won't be needing that. Give it here." Imperceptibly as he handed it to his captor, Jack pushed the answer button. "That's a good boy." He took it from him and threw it across the room without checking it and Jack said a quiet prayer hoping that it had stayed on.

"What are you going to do with me?" He repeated Randy's question and immediately picked up on the man's hesitation. "You don't know, do you? You've got my gun and a knife and you still don't have a plan or is it that you haven't got the guts to do it yourself?"

Randy looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Shut up Hudson, one more word from you and I'll blow his brains out!"

"But then you won't have the chance to get your revenge on me." Jack reasoned calmly. "There'll be so many people storming into Randy's office that you'll be dead before you can take a second shot."

A shadow passing across the frosted glass window in the door caught the OSM's eye and he looked up expectantly only to receive a warning look from his fellow captive and an ASL sign he recognised as 'no'. Hastily he turned his gaze downward again.

"Why don't you let Randy go? You'll still have me."

"He fired me. No one does that and gets away with it... No one..!" He looked away for a second and took a deep breath to get a modicum of control and it was then that he noticed the cell-phone still active where it had fallen. "You think you're so clever don't you? You resented me from the moment I walked into the bullpen! What's wrong? Were you afraid of a little competition or maybe you wanted the job for yourself, was that it? Couldn't follow orders so you thought you'd have a go at dishing them out, until I spoiled your plans!" He was so angry now that he took his eye off the man behind the desk and lunged for the object of his fury which was all the time Randy needed to be out of his seat and running for the exit. Morris spotted him at the last second and swung the gun round training it on the fleeing man's back but Jack managed to knock it from his hand. "Damn you!"

Jack saw the flash of the steel blade as it came towards him but only managed to partially deflect it, dropping to his knees as it sliced into the flesh of his side. As he hit the ground he saw both Bobby and Myles charge through the door guns drawn.

"Drop the knife, now!" Bobby ordered.

Morris hesitated for a moment but then complied, his eyes lighting on the gun at his feet.

"Just give me a reason." Myles spat out. "Please..."

"Hold your fire, guys." Jack ordered. "We want him alive."

The Aussie turned to the waiting SWAT team. "Get that drongo out of my sight!" He turned his gaze onto his bloodied colleague. "You okay, mate?" He asked as he held out a hand to help him up.

"Let's see... I've had my head almost staved in with a gun butt... Been punched in the mouth... Had my hand slashed and been stabbed in the side. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Hey, all in a day's work for a Super Agent, eh Sparky!" he grinned.

"Ha-ha." Jack swayed as he tried to straighten up and both Bobby and Myles reached out to grab him before he could hit the deck again.

"I suggest you get him to a hospital, Agent Manning. Myles, you and I have a..." Ted raised an eyebrow at the tall Aussie "... drongo to interrogate."

o-xxx-o

Bobby jumped up from his seat when Jack finally emerged from the Emergency Room looking even paler than he had when he went in. "Stitches?" He asked sympathetically.

"Yeah," he waved a freshly bandaged hand in the air. "And staples," he added and pointed to his side.

"Ouch," the taller man winced.

"Tell me about it. Is Randy okay?"

"...Came through without even a scratch."

"That sounds about right."

Bobby slapped his friend on his good shoulder but it still elicited a groan. "So, got any plans for tonight?"

"Sleep..." Jack replied miserably. "That is if I can find a comfortable position."

"Tell you what... Why don't we do something we haven't done in quite a while?"

"Sleep..." He repeated.

"I was thinking more along the lines of going out and getting completely hammered."

Jack barely had to consider the suggestion. "You're on, but one thing..."

"What's that then mate?"

"Let's make it at your place. That way you won't have to carry me home when I pass out."

"Sounds good to me..."

o-xxx-o The End, Maybe o-xxx-o

A/N: Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone for contining to read and review this story. I love you all! Secondly, I know there are a few of you out there that aren't necessarily Jack/Sue fans so for that reason I'm ending this part of the story here, but... for all of you J/Sers I see the glow of a sequel on the horizon. If you want to see it written then let me know. Enough takers and I'll get right on it.