Andromeda roused at the first ring of her phone. "Yes."

"Hey, gorgeous. Can you talk to your doorman and approve me?"

She laughed, blinking the tiredness from her eyes. "Of course. Put him on."

There was silence for a moment.

"Ms. Pierce?"

"Hey, Hampton. That's Mr. Quinn you're speaking to and he is absolutely allowed up to my condo. Thank you so much for being cautious."

"No problem, Ms. Pierce. I'll key him up now."

Andromeda wrapped a robe over her pjs and padded to the front door. She opened it just as Parker got off the elevator.

The poor thing looked so tired, and his limp was overly pronounced. He didn't brace his hand against the wall, but it looked like he wanted to. "Oh, baby. I knew you were going to do too much."

When he reached her door, she slipped one of his arms over her shoulders, then tilted her head up for a quick kiss. It was as natural as breathing, that kiss.

After securing the door she led him inside the condo. He looked around curiously. "Mac and Roz?"

"Roz is in the spare bedroom, and Mac is on the sofa in my office."

She glanced at the clock on the wall. Almost two a.m. "I have food in the fridge for you in you want it, or you can head straight to bed."

"Let's go lay down."

Sounded good to her. As soon as they were in the bedroom, though, and he started shucking his clothes, she realized he'd ripped open the bandage. It had brightened with fresh blood. "Why don't you go take a quick shower and I'll get Roz's medical kit from the dining room.”

He saluted her.

"I'm craving a nice hot shower," he admitted. "I'll be back in a few."

Andromeda beat him back, of course, then just listened to him bathe. Years ago, they'd have showered together, and she wondered if he needed help now. Just as she thought about knocking on the door to ask, the shower shut off. Within just a couple of minutes Parker limped out.

Oh, good heavens he was something. Even a little hunched in pain, his skin gleamed in the bedroom light. He had a towel wrapped around his lean hips, holding it with one hand. The other hand held his sidearm. It was normally a good sized towel for her, but on him it looked small. And that allowed her see the too numerous torture scars, spiking her anger all over again.

"Your poor body," she sighed.

"It got a workout today," he admitted. "I didn't do anything too strenuous, but I've been on my feet and going for a long time. And it hurts trying not to limp too much, you know? I don't want them to think I can't do the job."

"You're translating. That shouldn't require anything physical. Sit down or lay down."

She motioned to the mattress and he sat on the edge, a fist wrapped in the towel around his hips. The towel was just low enough that she could reach his wound. He turned to the side a little so that she could reach both the front and the back and set his weapon on the nightstand.

Andromeda glanced at it, but it didn't cause her alarm anymore. She knew if used correctly it would save lives.

"It doesn't look like you ripped any stitches out, but it does look like you strained them, pulling on the edges of the wound." She leaned around to the back and blotted with the wipe. "Oh, looks like you pulled one here."

"Yeah, I thought I felt one give," he sighed.

"The wound looks like it held, though. We'll have Roz look at it tomorrow."

Rummaging through Roz's bag, she found two large anti-stick bandages, as well as tape. Once she had the patches in place she repacked the bag and set it aside.

"When is the last time you took anything for pain?"

He waved a hand as he shifted to a horizontal position, grimacing as he moved. "I'm going to pass on the pills. It's manageable right now."

"Bottle of water? Or anything?"

He smiled up at her, even as his body began to relax. "I'll take a bottle of water and you curling up beside me."

Andromeda hurried to get the chilled bottle of water, but by the time she returned he was deeply asleep. Smiling softly, she set the bottle on the bedside table within his reach, then circled to the other side. After debating for a moment she left her sleep pants on, then climbed into the bed beside him, wrapping her arm high over his chest.

Now that he was home she could relax and stop worrying.

* * *

Parker blinked his eyes open, his heart racing. He struggled to shake off the dream, not sure if what he'd heard was real or imagined. It was like when you were just drifting off to sleep and you imagined your mother hollering your name. 'Par-kerrrr'. And you’re jerked to consciousness.

Some instinct urged him to get up out of the bed, to do something.

There was another small click, then a rustle of fabric. Maybe Mac or Roz had gotten up to use the bathroom or get a drink of water. No, they didn't normally get up in the night. He didn't think it was either one of them.

Slipping out of the bed, he crossed to the bathroom doorway and pulled on his canvas pants, gun at the ready. Then, moving ever so slowly, he padded behind the bedroom door. Just as he got there, it began to swing open. Parker stilled and stopped breathing, waiting. The muzzle of a gun appeared first. Parker recognized a Glock, a pretty idiot proof weapon. Then a hand. But it wasn't enough. He waited as the person crept in further. Then he saw them reach to the side and flick on the lights.

Parker had half a second to recognize the surprised face of Ibrahim al Fareq, Mozi's brother, before the man began to swing his weapon toward Parker. Recognizing the immediate threat, Parker squeezed the trigger.

The HK barked in his hand, and he had a split second of 'oh, shit, the cops needed him' before the bullet hit in the left pectoral. Parker knew immediately it was a heart shot.

Andromeda cried out as she scrambled off the bed, her eyes wild with fear as the blinked the scene into focus. Parker held up a hand, shushing her, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. Nodding, her eyes burning with fury and fear, she backed against the wall of glass.

Now that he knew she was out of the immediate danger, Parker leaned out enough to look down the hallway. He could see there were shadows moving, but he couldn't tell what was going on.

Then he heard several hard thumps from next door, and fear lanced through him. He glanced at Andromeda and could see she realized what was happening as well. Roz was in the next room.

"You should come out now, Army man,” a voice called down the hallway, “before anyone else gets hurt."

Parker clenched his jaw, not liking the direction this was going. He peered down the hallway again, and grimaced. Roz was dancing on tiptoes as the man behind her, several inches taller and many pounds stronger, gripped her head in his arm. His left hand was clamped over her mouth and his weapon was pressed against her right temple.

Tears leaked from her terrified eyes and Parker swore. She didn't deserve this.

"What do you want, al Fareq?"

"Ah, of course you know who I am. That is good. It will make things go more smoothly. Step out here, Army man."

Parker took a step forward, fury surging in him, gun at his side. If he was lucky the other man wouldn't see it. Why did he keep calling him an Army man?

"And where is Prosecutor Pierce? I know she's here. Invite her out."

Parker glanced at Andromeda, who moved up. She bent down to the intruder's body for a second, then stood again. The man was long dead, but his maybe father didn't need to know that.

"Your son is bleeding," Parker told him, "and you're holding the only medical personnel capable of saving him. Why don't you let her go?"

There was a long stretch of silence.

"Ah, well, Ibrahim is just going to have to give his life for the cause, because this woman," he paused to run the gun muzzle through her hair, "is staying exactly where she is. Now, where is Prosecutor Pierce? Where is the woman responsible for all of the turmoil of this night?"

Parker could feel her moving up beside him. She paused to look at him for a second, before peering around the doorjamb.

"Ah, there she is. Step forward, please. Take the Army man's weapon from his right hand, first."

Parker could have cursed a blue streak, but he handed Andromeda the gun. Her fingers barely wrapped around the grip. Shaking, she held the weapon in one hand. "Please let her go," she said, her voice raspy from sleep and maybe from the scream.

"I don't think I can do that," the older man said, and he almost sounded like he was laughing.

Now that his eyes had adjusted to the light, he could see that the man had to be in his fifties, at least. His hair had grayed out, and he wore a long gray beard. His dark eyes were cold, and Parker could see an endless number of deaths in their depths. This man had done every heinous thing imaginable and was willing to do more.

"You have cost me the lives of my family. My children, my wife, they are all in custody now because of you."

Andromeda shook her head. "No, because of Mozi, your son. He told us where they all were."

The old man clenched his teeth. "Harum zadeh. He is no son of mine. Do not even mention his name to me again. Step forward."

Al Fareq pressed the muzzle into Roz's temple harder, making her whimper.

Andromeda held up a hand in supplication and took a small step forward, then stopped.

That seemed to satisfy al Fareq because he gave her a grimy smile. "Now, I'm going to give you a chance to get out of this."

Parker felt his fear spike for Andromeda. He knew she would do anything to get Roz out of this, even at the expense of her own safety. He glanced at her narrow back, almost directly in front of him.

"You have one chance to lift that gun and take a shot at me," al Fareq told her. "Assuming, of course, you don't shoot your friend in the process."

The old man chuckled. Parker knew Andromeda's face had to be fearful, but she shook her head.

"I'm not going to do that you fucking asshole." Her voice had taken on a thread of steel. "Instead, I'm going to give you one chance to surrender your weapon and let the woman go."

Parker's heart began to race and he reached out toward Andromeda. He had to be ready for anything.

The old man barked out a laugh. "I admire your courage, Prosecutor Pierce, but I decline your offer. Now what are you going to do?"

"Nothing," she said softly. Then she tossed Parker's gun toward al Fareq's feet.

Everything slowed down to microseconds. The old man's eyes followed the path of the gun as it arced toward his feet. As soon as it hit the floor the gun went off, because Parker had lightened the trigger pull. The apartment echoed with the sound of the gunshot, which had struck off in the dark somewhere. Parker reached out and grabbed the Glock from the back waistband of Andromeda's sleep pants, even as she dove to the side to get out of the line of fire. As Parker raised the dead man's weapon, Roz's fist shot out and down, hitting the old man in the crotch almost perfectly, but the more devastating strike came from Mac. The former Army Ranger's ham sized fist struck the old man's temple from behind, knocking him out cold. He hadn't even seen him coming.

Parker jerked the gun up and away without firing a shot.

Roz staggered but Mac was there to catch her, wrapping her into his massive arms. She sagged into him instantly.

Parker dropped the gun and went to Andromeda. She sat up, tears streaking down her face as she realized it was over. She staggered to her feet and lunged at Roz, hugging her from behind. The two women turned to each other, and Parker held his fist out to Mac. Knocking bruised knuckles, the man grinned at him.

"That felt good," he rumbled.