"What do you mean?" Toby asked.

"Your girlfriend. The one you live with. Did she come today?" Josh
clarified. Toby groaned.

"Not again." He muttered and reached for his phone.

"She's not answering." Josh grumbled before turning to run to Leo's
office and get more information. Toby slammed the receiver down and followed.
If Josh found out anything, he wanted to be there. Leo looked up as the two
people burst into his office.

"What now?" He asked.

"Do you know where Katy is?" Toby asked sharply. Leo sighed and leaned
back in his chair.

"Yes." He said simply. Josh and Toby stared at him expectantly.

"Well?" Josh asked.

"I can't tell you." Leo replied softly.

"Are you joking??" Toby snapped angrily.

"She asked us not to tell you until-" Leo started.

"Her plane took off, Leo." Jed exclaimed as he leaned in the doorframe.
"About twenty minutes ago."

"Where'd she go?" Toby asked urgently.

"Detroit." Jed replied.

"And she couldn't tell me?" Toby said softly.

"She didn't want you to know. I don't know why." Jed mumbled.

"Why'd she go to Detroit?" Josh asked.

"To handle a terrorist situation." Jed retorted, looking Toby in the eye.
Toby stared at his boss in shock.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The communications director
snapped loudly.

"A man escaped federal custody and took 24 tourists hostage in Detroit.
He demanded to see KD and she went." Leo explained.

"Who's this guy?" Josh asked.

"A real bastard. KD arrested him two months before she came here." Leo
started to explain.

"Faraday?" Toby interrupted. Jed and Leo looked at him and then nodded.
"What the hell are you doing sending her out to face Faraday? You know how
much it took for her to get beyond that??" He snapped angrily, very tempted
to kick a chair or two. The two men in front of him stared downward
sheepishly. Josh just stared at his friend.

"What is going on?" He asked softly.

"I wish the hell I knew!" Toby snapped.

"Toby, my office, now." Jed interrupted and disappeared into the Oval
office. Toby glanced at Leo and then followed his president into the other
room. Josh looked at Leo.

"What just happened?" He asked.

"You're smart, Josh. Figure it out. I've got work to do." Leo replied
softly. Josh sighed and disappeared out into the hallway.


"Toby, this has happened. You need to accept it." Jed muttered as he took
his seat.

"Let me get this straight." Toby started slowly, staring incredulously at
his friend and boss. "You sent my girlfriend into a hostage situation where
the lead terrorist has a personal vendetta against her for sending him to
prison less than a year ago after being convicted for murder and numerous
other serious crimes, and you let her leave before I could talk to her?" He
asked in an oddly serene tone of voice. Jed sighed, looked his communications
director in the eye and nodded.

"Not only that, but this particular situation happens to be located in
another state, and the scene of the crime is in a place where I can't reach
her?" Toby continued, struggling to keep his voice from cracking. Jed
sniffled slightly and nodded again. "And you want me to just accept it like
it's no big deal?? With all do respect, sir, are you nuts?"

"Toby, I'm sorry. This bastard said he'd let some of the hostages go if
she just showed up." He tried to explain. "If she showed up, Toby." Toby
grunted and looked at his feet. Jed realized that he felt worse than he
thought he would, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Well, that's just great." Toby said softly. "I wonder if my relationship
with her is ever going to be normal."

"What's normal?" Jed retorted softly as he watched the other man
carefully.

"Certainly not Katy." Toby replied with a weak smile.

"She'll be okay." Jed assured him. "She's come through worse." He added.
Toby sighed, sat down in one of the armchairs and began to trace the toe of
his black shoe around the edge of the large presidential seal that adorned
the floor of the oval office.

"Exactly why she shouldn't have to do this. Are they going to keep us
updated?" Toby asked, his tone suddenly seeming mournful. Jed nodded and sat
down in the opposite chair.

"I wouldn't have sent her, Toby, if she didn't want to go. I wouldn't
have sent her if there were any other options." Jed exclaimed weakly, trying
to rationalize himself. Toby waved off the president's words and smiled
again, still a weak smirk.

"I know. She's like a daughter to you. I'm not angry with you for sending
her. I'm angry because I didn't get to talk to her before she left, and I'm
fairly certain it's because of her that I didn't." He exclaimed honestly. Jed
nodded his understanding and clasped his fingers together.

"What are you going to do?" Jed asked.

"I'm going to wait." Toby replied honestly before walking out of the
office and disappearing into the hallway. Jed sighed and let him go. He
glanced to his right and saw Leo leaning in the doorway.

"This had better work out, Mr. President." Leo said softly before
returning to his office. Jed sighed.

"You're telling me." He whispered.

"Sir?" Charlie Young's voice exclaimed into the room. Jed looked at his
aide with a weak smile.

"Yeah, Charlie?" He asked.

"You've got a meeting with the D.O.D, sir." Charlie said softly. Jed
nodded and rose to his feet.

"Yeah, Charlie. I'm coming." He murmured and followed the young man out
of the Oval Office to the Mural room where the day was still going on, with
KD around or not.


"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Let's try and make it through this
as fast as possible." CJ announced as she took her position in front of the
many reporters of the White House Press corps. "First up, the President will
be meeting with several key congress-people tonight in discussion of the new
Economic pact and the medical research bill that is being taken to the floor
in four months. The general consensus is that it's about time." CJ exclaimed
to the chuckles of the reporters. She was right: it was about time that the
med bill went to the floor. It had been dragged through months of research,
rewriting, reworking, refinishing, all at the work of KD Brody who was not
going to go down with out a fight on most of the issues.

"CJ, what does the President expect to come of this meeting?" Someone
called out.

"The president hopes to make clear the intentions of this bill and he
hopes to get it passed with a few extra votes on top." CJ replied. "Jack."

"Do you know anything about the situation in Detroit?" The young reporter
called. CJ nodded.

"Yes, the situation is that Terrence Faraday, age 28, was being
transferred to the Maximum security prison outside Pontiac, Michigan after
waiting four years in a state prison. Faraday was convicted of multiple
counts of murder, rape, grand theft auto as well as armed robbery in numerous
banks across the country, totaling monetary thefts of nearly four million
dollars. At approximately nine fifteen local time, Faraday managed to escape
his binders, kill the three guards who were escorting him, and drive to a
small warehouse on the edge of Detroit that is a standard tourist attraction
where he took twenty-four men, women and children hostage. He's currently
holding them there while speaking to the local police and FBI." CJ read off
the paper.

"CJ!" Voices cried out.

"Yeah, Crystal?" CJ pointed.

"Are the identities of the hostages or the victim guards available?" A
young woman asked.

"No, we're trying to keep that out of this. We don't want to alarm the
families and we don't want to upset Mr. Faraday with too much press coverage.
Danny." CJ called.

"Is it true that KD Brody was sent to Detroit as a negotiator and if so,
why?" Danny asked with his pencil poised.

"Yes, Dr. Brody was sent to the scene due to a prior history that she has
had with Mr. Faraday. She was in fact the arresting officer for the arrest
took place during her brief career at the FBI. Mr. Faraday specifically asked
for her presence. Janice." CJ picked again.

"Isn't it true that it was because of the incident with Mr. Faraday that
Dr. Brody was expelled from the FBI?" Janice asked.

"I don't know anything about that, but I'll check into it. Last question.
Susan."

"Any word on Faraday's demands?" Came the question.

"Nothing yet. We'll let you know as soon as we do. That's it, everyone."
CJ ended the session and high-tailed it to her office. A moment later, Danny
leaned his head in, right on schedule.

"You lied to the press, CJ." He teased. "You know very well Terrence
Faraday is the reason KD got kicked out of the FBI."

"Actually, I didn't, Danny, but thank you. I'll be sure to mention that
at the next press briefing." CJ retorted. Danny smirked and moved completely
into the room. CJ looked up at him and smiled back. In the weeks gone by,
they'd grown closer. True, they still didn't know where the heck they were,
but it was more than a flirtation now. It wasn't a solid relationship, not
something easily admitted to with family and friends, much less the rest of
the world, but it was definitely more than a flirtation.

"So what are you doing tonight?" He asked playfully.

"I'm going home." She retorted playfully.

"Want some company?" He asked. She laughed.

"Why not? But you leave before ten." She added.

"As usual." He retorted before sitting down.

"Danny, what happened to Katy at the FBI? Is she going to be okay out
there?" CJ asked, praying for some comfort.

"I don't know. I hope so. I'm more worried for Faraday's safety than
Katy's. I don't know what she'll do if she comes face to face with him
again." Danny admitted, giving the honest truth, no matter how bitter.

"Would she hurt him?" CJ asked, an eyebrow raised.

"That's something of an understatement. I'm gonna go write my thing."
Danny added after a pause before getting up and disappearing into the
hallway. CJ sighed and tried to get back to work.


KD looked around and squinted. It was roughly three o'clock Detroit time,
and the sun was threatening to kill her eyesight. So many people she wanted
to talk to right now and Terrence Faraday was the one waiting on the damn
phone. She glanced at her friend from the past.

"Max, I don't want to be here." She admitted before looking at the brick
warehouse that rested about 100 yards away from her. A football field was all
that was separating her and the man who had driven her to such extremes as to
nearly take his life.

"But you are, because you're a good person." Max retorted and looked
around them.

"Too bad Ross isn't here. He'd like to see this." KD muttered bitterly.

"Yeah, well, be glad he's grown up enough to want be with his kids for
once." Max retorted.

"Right. Right. They're grown-up now, Max. Ross can be here for me." She
returned with a weak grin. He smiled weakly back and then looked at his
communications man.

"We got the call, Rocky. It's time." He said. She nodded and took the
phone.

"K.D. Brody." She announced.

"Thought I could get you out here." Came a cool, raspy voice. Definitely
Terrence.

"Well, what can I say? You were very persuasive." She returned evenly.

"Your boys are on their way out. I don't want a bunch of brats around
here anyway. One wrong move and they'll never bother anyone again." Terrence
exclaimed as KD watched the door of the warehouse open.

"What about their parents?" KD asked.

"Don't press your luck." Terrence returned.

"I have a tendency to do that. If anyone knows it, it's you." She said.

"Fine." Terrence retorted. There was a silence as four small children and
three adults hurried out the door. The seven people hurried across the
hundred yards and dashed into the safety of federal custody.

"You did the right thing, Faraday. Just 17 more." KD murmured.

"I want you in here." Terrence said suddenly.

"I don't think I can do that."

"I gave you a good will gesture. You give me one. Or I'll just pick one
at random and it's brain blasting time." Terrence growled.

"Fine. I'll be there in five minutes." KD retorted.

"Unarmed."

"Naturally."

"Five minutes."

"On the dot."

The line went dead.

To Be Continued . . . .