TELL ME THERE'S A REASON

Josiah had taken his time on the drive home. He needed time to reflect. He'd driven five miles under the speed limit, and, against Chris's express orders, had stopped for gas, had the oil checked, all to give himself time to think. A great weight seemed to lift from his shoulders at the thought that he didn't have to do this for a living anymore. Eighteen years of living inside the heads of killers, rapists and other assorted crazies. He'd done his part. It was time to gear back and enjoy life with his wife and daughter; Rosie'd be grown and gone before he knew it and he'd miss out if he wasn't careful. Yeah, retiring from profiling was definitely something to consider. Given his experience he could lecture or even take on a full time teaching job to bring home the bacon. The sedate lifestyle of an academic had a certain appeal right now.

He drew slowly to a stop beside the plain Chevy sedan sitting on the side of the road a few hundred feet from his driveway. It was an FBI surveillance vehicle and no one to be seen anywhere. 'Strange,' he thought to himself. He hadn't seen any other cars either. He hadn't expected to, since surveillance would have been called off once Weller had been captured and identified in Kansas City.

Then he remembered Sandy Williamson was the agent assigned to JD. Sandy and his wife Karen had been in the same pre-natal class as he and Del; the Williamsons' daughter had been born the day after Rosie. A really nice young couple, they were expecting their second child around Christmas. Sandy had been twenty-eight to Josiah's forty-eight at the time. The memory of the age difference was another jolt of reality reinforcing Josiah's thoughts, that it was time to quit profiling.

Josiah pressed the accelerator and eased the aging vehicle around the corner into the driveway. It was then that he was struck with the feeling that something was wrong. Even before suburban completed the turn into the driveway the dogs rushed the fence and began baying at him. It was not the usual greeting for the familiar suburban. They weren't usually inside the dog run, unless Del was away from the house, and he could see her pick up truck parked in its usual spot under the sycamore.

Josiah continued slowly up the driveway. At the halfway point he crested the small rise in the driveway; only then did he see Beau. The dog lay unnaturally still about fifty feet from the house.

At the sight of Beau's body Josiah knew immediately... his family was in danger. The dogs, the noise of the suburban, whoever it was knew he was here. He gunned the engine the last few hundred yards and pulled to a squealing stop. Leaping from the driver's seat Josiah saw them even before he hit the ground.

Weller stood at the top of the porch stairs, smirking triumphantly at him. One arm was crooked around Del's throat, while the other held a scalpel behind her ear.

Del looked awful.

Her brown curls were gray with dust, as was her clothing. Her left cheekbone was purple with bruising. Josiah could see blood on her neck and shirt. She kept her handcuffed hands down so that her shirt hung open to reveal her blood stained bra. The memory of Estelle Kolochek's body flashed into his mind. How her distinctly female anatomical parts had had the skin peeled off them, likely before she had died, according to the medical examiner's report.

Josiah, suddenly blind with rage, made an inhuman growl and roared toward Weller. Weller reacted by pulling his arm tighter around Del's neck and bringing the knife up in front of her eyes.

Her eyes... Del's eyes pleaded with Josiah for control. He stopped dead some twenty feet from the steps, and looked up at them.

"That's right, brother," said Weller silkily. "Stop, listen, and learn how you have been manipulated, won over to the ways of sin and eternal damnation by this Jezebelle."

Josiah had never had to do anything this hard before. 'Stay calm, Sanchez, listen to him, work with him.' He had to. This monster held Josiah's whole life at the point of a knife. He looked at Del again. She was frightened, but she wasn't beaten. He had to stall for time.

"Teach..." His voice was barely more than a croaked whisper. Pausing, he swallowed hard to clear his throat and to give himself a moment to muster enough composure before continuing loudly. "Teach me, brother, I want to learn."

A menacing smile spread across Weller's face. "A change of heart, brother, from the last time we met?" His eyes were bright as he stared down at Josiah triumphantly. "I think you would say anything to save this harlot! Her power is strong, but through me your heart will be opened up to His Word and you will learn how she has deceived you. I will gladly teach you, but first things first. Your gun."

Josiah moved to take his gun out of its holster.

"NO!"

He froze.

"Take your jacket off first."

He shrugged the jean jacket off his shoulders and let it slide down his arms and drop to the ground behind him.

"Now remove the holster, gun and all."

Josiah did as he was bidden, snaking one arm slowly out of the brace, then letting the holster slide down the other arm.

"NO!"

He stopped again, eyeing Weller warily.

"Don't just let it drop. Throw it, all of it," Weller indicated with a tilt of his head, "over there into the bushes."

Josiah let the holster drop into his hand and then with a deliberate slow motion swing of his arm tossed the weapon into the cedars.

"Now your shirt."

"What?"

"Your shirt. I want to make sure you're not wired."

'Weller is amazingly clear thinking for a madman,' thought Josiah as he tugged his shirt gently out of his jeans. Stripped to the waist now, Josiah couldn't help but shiver at the loss of warmth in the late November air.

"Now your shoes and socks."

"Why?"

Weller jerked Del tightly around her neck again.

"Okay! Okay." Josiah held up his hands in surrender to indicate he was going to do as he was told. "I'm taking them off," he said as he bent over, and stood on one foot and then the other to pull his Nikes and socks off.

"Do you remember your bible, Josiah? I go before my God naked and he clothe me. So you are now, brother Sanchez, naked in your understanding of His Purpose, He will clothe you with His Understanding."

The ground was cold under Josiah's bare feet. If he had to chase Weller, bare feet would slow him down. The skin of Josiah's upper body tightened into goose flesh against the cold air.

Weller jerked Del backwards, holding her even more tightly. Del winced but made no sound. Leaning backwards as she was with all her weight on her left leg, Josiah knew that her bad hip was screaming at her. Weller pushed Del forward ahead of him and she took a stumbling step down the porch stairway.

"On your knees, sinner, and repent," ordered Weller as he pushed Del down the next step. The knife wavered ever closer to Del's neck.

'Don't.... don't hurt her,' Josiah pleaded in his head. "I am repentant," he said out loud as he dropped to his knees and stretched his arms out toward Weller, palms up. "Since our last meeting, I have had time to reflect. Your liberation spoke to me. If you were truly wrong in your mission, why then would God have delivered you from the prison bus? Many nights I have lain awake pondering those events that freed you from your incarceration. In seeking his understanding I have seen the error of my ways. You have delivered me from very brink of hell and damnation."

From the corner of his eye he could see Del's face. She knew what he was doing. She too was waiting for their chance.

"Not me!" screamed Weller. "Not me, it is your Lord God who speaks to you! He uses me as an instrument of his will. It is He, not I, who wills your obedience."

"The Lord God Almighty!" thundered Josiah from his knees, gesturing into the sky with one hand. "He graces us all with His mercy, undeserving sinners that we are. Through you, brother, I have seen his true bidding. From the time of Adam, woman has been the bane of man's existence..." Never would Josiah have thought his father's fire and brimstone sermons would have been any use to him. He bellowed on, buying time, waiting for an opportunity. He just didn't see how he was going to get off his knees and close to them with Weller holding that knife to Del's throat.

"We shall rejoice together, brother. You and I together, we will rid this Earth of the abomination of Harlots. We will sit to the right and the left hand of the Almighty. Rejoice-" Weller's eyes were bright with his madness, caught up in his delusions as he ranted on. Then suddenly, to accent his sermonizing, he raised the knife from Del's throat and gestured with it into the air.

A crack split the air. Blood instantly appeared on Del's face and shoulder. Terrified, Josiah thought she'd been shot. Mindless of the fact that Weller had only been armed with a knife, all logic gone, he launched himself at Weller, roaring with rage.

Weller was already down as Josiah fell on him. Holding Weller by the neck, Josiah pounded on him. Over and over again he drove his fist into Weller's face, heedless of the damage he was doing to Weller or himself, driven by the primal rage of avenging one's mate.

Strong arms clamped onto Josiah's shoulders and dragged him backwards. Josiah bellowed his outrage at being prevented from beating Weller to death. He shook them off and charged at Weller again. Again Josiah was grabbed, this time he was forced backwards onto the ground.

"Josiah." His named was growled in his ear as he struggled to get up from under the three men. "JOSIAH! He's down! He's been shot!" Only then did Josiah stop fighting the men holding him down. He blinked and looked up.

"Shot," he repeated dumbly to Chris. "Where..." frowning at Chris, then Nathan and finally Buck in his confusion. 'Where did they come from? How did they get here?'

Chris, Nathan and Buck sat back on their knees breathing hard from the effort of holding him back. Josiah levered himself up on one elbow and looked over at Weller. The madman still held the knife despite the fact his shoulder was a mass of blood and broken bone. His face was decorated with blood and snot from a broken nose and what looked to be a broken cheekbone.

It took another second for him to notice Vin was standing over Weller, pointing his rifle at him.

Then Josiah realized it was over.

"DEL!"

He turned on his elbow searching for her. Del was kneeling on the ground a few feet away, close enough for him to see that she was shaking with shock.

"Del?"

He rolled up on to his hands and knees and crawled over to her. Kneeling beside her he took her in his arms. "Delancey girl," he whispered his throat tight with relief.

"F..f..fool" was all she could say. She buried her face against his chest, seeking the security there, while he buried his face in her curls. He clung to her, reassuring himself that she was okay. He didn't even notice that Chris had unlocked the handcuffs until Del's arms slid up and around him drawing them both tightly to one another.

Chris turned away from Josiah and Del. They needed a moment and Chris had a crime scene to secure.

Chris spied Buck over by the dog run. Buck was rubbing JD's back as JD heaved into the dirt.

"Whattaya think, Nathan?" Buck asked as Chris approached.

Nathan's hands traveled quickly up JD's neck and through his hair. He grimaced in sympathy at the nasty lump he found there. "Another concussion for sure."

"Get me up!" JD gasped, before wiping foul smelling spittle from his mouth with sleeve.

"I don't know, JD, maybe you should take it easy," cautioned Buck.

"Get me up!" JD ordered a second time.

Buck looked over at Nathan who just shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, kid," Buck replied in resignation, and with Nathan offering a strong arm on the other side, JD latched onto them both and struggled gamely to his feet.

"Stubborn, kid," muttered Buck loud enough for JD to hear as they watched him make his way unevenly toward the house.

"Reminds me of you, Buck," commented Chris mildly as they watched JD lean forward to put his hands on the steps ahead of him to steady himself as he made his way up the steps.

Chris then followed Nathan over to where Beau lay. Nathan knelt down beside Beau.

"Nathan?" asked Chris.

"He's alive, Chris," replied Nathan. Chris could hear the worry in Nathan's voice. "I don't know how, because it looks like he's lost a lot of blood."

"Call it in, Nathan," ordered Chris. "If they give you any static tell them I authorized it."

"Will do," replied Nathan with a wide smile, heading for the Ram to use the car radio.

"And, Nathan, see if they can get word to Ezra. Let him know we made it and that everyone is okay."

Nathan nodded and continued on his way to the truck.

Chris smiled to himself as he turned his attention to Josiah and Del again. Dispatch had to be used to unusual requests from Team 7 by now. Nathan more than any of the others seemed to enjoy making them and listening for the reaction on the other end of the call.

In the meantime Buck had retrieved Josiah's shirt and shaken the dirt out of it offering it to Del for warmth and to cover up Weller's handiwork. Josiah had helped her put it on. Chris watched as Buck deftly insinuated himself in between Josiah and Del to do up the shirt when Josiah's hands shook too much to manage the buttons.

The barking of the dogs caught Chris's attention. Vin had dragged Weller's unconscious body over to the dog pen and handcuffed his good arm to the fencing. The animals stood at the fence letting Weller know what they thought of him. A word from Vin and the pack quieted down, but there was something about Vin's stance that sent a chill up Chris's spine. Weller was handcuffed and unconscious yet Vin stood with his rifle at his shoulder trained on Weller's head.

"Hey, Cowboy," said Chris as he approached Vin.

"Stop right there, Chris," warned Vin not raising his face to look at Chris.

Chris froze still some ten feet away. "What's up, Vin?" asked Chris guardedly.

Vin didn't move a muscle. "Say the word, Chris, and no one'll have to worry about bein' hurt by this piece of shit ever again."

"What?" The words were spoken so quietly and with such hate Chris wasn't sure he'd heard Vin correctly.

"He's a monster, he doesn't deserve to live."

"Vin, that's not our decision to make. It's up to the courts-"

"It's justice!" Vin spat out vehemently. "I could do it and never lose a wink of sleep over it." The cold look in Vin's eye and the barely restrained fury in his expression frightened Chris.

Vin shifted the rifle to his eye. "Long as he's alive, he'll be a danger."

"Vin, you can't do this."

"How are you gonna stop me?"

"I can't, but I'll turn you in. I'll have to. It'll tear me up to do it but I won't let you get away with cold-blooded murder. You'll go to prison."

Vin looked up at him, the cold blue gaze probing his own to see if he was serious. Chris made sure Vin saw he was dead serious.

"So what, I got nothing left that matters. Mia's gone."

"There's still time for you two to work things out."

"No, no there isn't. You don't understand, Chris, I've lost her for good. She can't stand the sight of me. I look..." Vin swallowed convulsively. "I look too much like Aiyana." Vin voice caught on Aiyana's name.

Vin turned his attention back to Weller.

Chris was desperate now. He watched in disbelief as Vin brought the gun to his eye again.

"What about Kody then? Eh, Vin? Think about Kody! The courts will deny you access, they'll have to if you go to prison. He'll grow up without you!"

Vin showed no sign of wavering.

"Vin... VIN, you grew up without a father, is that what you want for Kody? Is that what you want, Vin, to miss out on your son's life?"

Vin hesitated. Chris saw his chance to reach him. "Is that what you really want?" Chris asked in an urgent whisper.

It was a long moment before Vin slowly lowered the rifle. Then he raised his face to catch Chris' gaze with his own. "I still think it'd be the right thing to do," he said quietly before turning and walking away.

Chris watched as Vin made his way across the yard. The confrontation had left Chris shaken and sweating. Vin, on the other hand, looked calm and collected as he took his rifle case from Nathan, who was returning with it from the Ram.

Weller moaned but didn't wake up. Chris signaled to Nathan to take a look at him.

"Hey, where's the twiglet?" asked Buck of no one in particular.

Chris, thinking Del and Josiah would know where Rosie was, watched as they exchange a fearful glance. Chris suddenly realized Rosie was still unaccounted for. Del and Josiah rose quickly to their feet and ran toward the house, up the steps and into the kitchen through the broken screen door, with Chris, Buck, Vin and Nathan close behind.

JD was well ahead of them all. Chris could hear him calling to Rosie from somewhere inside the house. "Okay, Rosie, you win, I can't find you. Come on, Rosie." Using the age-old song, JD called out to her. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Everyone in the kitchen paused and listened. After a brief moment of silence a little voice replied, "I'm here, silly!"

Chris sighed with relief. Rosie's voice was full of childish indignation. She was innocent of all that had transpired in the last few hours.

In a voice that sounded all the world like nothing had happened and that the game was still on, JD replied, "Where?"

"Here," Rosie replied impatiently. "In Barbie's house."

"Ya sure had me fooled!" JD replied lightly, keeping the pretense of the game up.

Josiah went through the living room and around the corner down the hallway. Del started to follow until Nathan grabbed her by the arm. "Del, wait," whispered Nathan, handing her a clean, wet tea towel. Del paused to wipe the blood and dirt from her face and neck, letting Nathan finish the spots she missed. All the while she listened to Rosie's running monologue.

"Daddy, where's your shirt and running shoes? It's too cold to go outside without a shirt on," she scolded her father.

Josiah appeared carrying Rosie, hugging her tightly to himself. He didn't reply to her question. From the look in Josiah's eyes it was taking everything he had to hold back tears of relief.

"JD, you took so long to find me I feel asleep in Barbie's house," said Rosie petulantly over her father's shoulder to her uncle who was following behind them.

"Child, don't speak to your uncle that way." Del scolded as she approached them while JD slipped into the kitchen with the others. "It's no wonder you fell asleep, you hardly slept last night."

Chris could hear Rosie ask, "Mommy, what happened to your eye?" as he watched JD sway on his feet. Buck and Vin moved quickly and quietly to catch him before he fell.

"I'll explain later, child," replied Del from the other room while Buck and Vin settled JD into a kitchen chair and Nathan knelt down beside JD to take a look at him.

Shifting Rosie to one arm Josiah put his free arm around Del and gathered them both tightly to himself.

Chris glared sternly at JD as JD tried to wave Nathan off. The effect of the glare was spoiled when Chris couldn't help but smile along with the rest of the men in the kitchen at the little voice that said, "Daddy, you're squeezing too hard."