The saga that freaking keeps going without my want for it to do so! Starts with Rear Window (Part 1) if you didn't know.

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"Carter. Carter!"

Carter snapped out of her stunned state and quickly raced up the stairs. Mason's wedding ring imprinted her palm as she clutched it fiercely in her hand.

"Carter, what's going on?" Donovan demanded.

"I don't know. Just hold on."

It was possible that Carter was overreacting. Mason hadn't responded to her calling out to him. For him that wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary, he didn't like people calling out to him like a dog. And he detested it even more when Carter did it, mainly because it was her. Thinking about it that way, meant that it could all be fine.

Except for his wedding ring being on the floor of the foyer. There was no logical explanation for that.

When Carter entered Bridgette's room, she found it empty but looking exactly as they'd left it. All their equipment had been packed up. All the monitors on the desk were gone. Besides the suitcases in the corner, it looked like it had the first time they'd entered it. But there was no Mason.

"Mason!" Carter called out again.

Still, she received no reply. After checking each room and finding them empty, she returned to Bridgette's room. She approached the desk, trying to find anything that would explain Mason's absence. There was nothing, everything looked normal.

"Where is Mason, Carter?" Donovan said, his tone tinged with concern.

"I don't know," Carter said, making another slow circle of the room. "He isn't here. I found his wedding ring in the foyer, but nothing looks messed with."

"Call him. He might have gone out."

"Okay. I'll let you know what he says."

Carter hung up and called Mason. Before the second ring even went through a message arrived from Mason.

Mason: Went out for dinner. Be back in a few.

Despite the easy, reassuring message, Carter couldn't let herself relax.

Carter: Your wedding ring was in the foyer.

Mason: Weird. Must have fallen off. Keep it safe for me until I get back.

Again it felt normal. The way Mason didn't make full sentences was in line with how he usually messaged. But still, Carter couldn't shake this feeling inside her.

Carter: Of course, sweetheart.

Mason: Thanks, babe.

Carter sprinted towards her bags, yanking the zipper open, calling Donovan as she worked.

"Carter-"

"They took Mason! Donovan, they have Mason!"

"Carter, tell me what's going on."

Carter tossed her phone to the floor but froze as her eyes caught something. It was a single red stain. Along with the stain she released there was a faint odor of bleach in the air that she'd missed. That meant other spots had been cleaned. Anger and dread invaded her veins. Turning away from the single spot, she removed her gun case and shoulder holster.

"Carter!"

"I need you to call the Bureau and have them send agents to my location," Carter said, ripping her jacket off. "I need you to tell them Mason has been taken and I'm going after him."

She hooked on her shoulder holster, unlocked her gun case, and loaded her gun. Tucking it into the holster, she tugged her jacket back on.

"Carter-"

"I do not care," Carter said. "I don't know how long ago he was taken and I'm not losing a second. Send for help. I'm going now."

Carter hung up and slipped her phone into her backpack as she raced out the door and down the stairs. At the front door, she calmed her pace and opened the door easily as if she was simply leaving. She tucked her hands into her jacket pockets, holding it closed so her holster wasn't visible.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Bridgette called out as the family approached. Carter kept her expression unbothered, even managed to smile a little but her eyes locked with Darrel.

"Carter, we got you-"

"Darrell," Carter said evenly. "Take everyone inside and lock the door."

Carter smiled but she saw he understood her when he nodded curtly.

"What-"

"Let's eat inside," Darrell said, wrapping an affectionate arm around his daughter's shoulders, in a subtle move to direct her towards the house.

Carter's mother glanced at Carter but Carter only smiled and tilted her head towards the house.

"I'll be right back to get some of that ice cream," she said cheerily.

"I'll put it in the freezer," Erica said.

"Sounds good."

Once Carter heard the lock of the door engage, Carter casually looked both ways before jogging across the street. She ascended the steps to the Franklin house. She gave the door a quick knock and waited. When no one came, Carter knocked again, still with the easy sound of someone just stopping by.

When the door opened, Carter wiped out her gun and pointed it at a startled Victoria.

"In," Carter commanded.

Victoria backed up slowly and Carter eased into the house, nudging the door shut behind her.

"I'm FBI. I know you're involved with your husband's business," Carter said.

"I don't know what-"

"This is going to go a lot faster when you realize you can't lie to me and that I know everything. Right now, I'm here to get my partner back. So you are going to take me to him. Right. Now."

Carter infused the last two words with all the rage and coldness that flowed through her.

Victoria didn't move and Carter took a single step forward, letting the gun be the only threat that needed to be spoken. Victoria swallowed and nodded quickly.

"Slowly," Carter said as Victoria turned around, Carter wasn't taking any chances, knowing there were likely hidden weapons throughout the house.

Putting a hand on Victoria's shoulder, Carter followed her through the house and down a set of stairs to a finished basement.

"Victoria, what are you doing? I told you to-"

Thomas cut himself off as he spotted Carter right behind his wife. As he did, three other men, with the build of enforcers, noticed her as well.

Carter pushed Victoria to the side as the three men drew their weapons. But two of them were already crumbling by the time the third got off a shot. The bullet cut right past Carter's neck as she fired on the man and he folded.

Swinging her gun around, she trained it on the stunned Thomas. Fury burned through Carter as out of the corner of her eyes she found Mason. He was tied to a chair with his head bent. What wounds he had, she couldn't fully assess.

"Down on your knees," Carter ordered.

Thomas glared at Carter as if ready to lunge at her. But Carter narrowed her eyes and moved closer, letting Thomas see the full level of her anger.

"I said down. Now," Carter said, coldly.

Thomas slowly went down on one knee then on the other.

"Victoria get the zip ties I'm sure are in here and put them on your husband."

Victoria, hunched over, scurried over to a draw and pulled out a set of zip ties. Eyeing Carter, she knelt down next to her husband and reached behind him.

In a blink, Thomas leapt to his feet, a knife in his hand. Carter twisted away from the death blow of the blade and hit Thomas in the back of his head with her gun. He crumpled to the floor and Carter spun around as Victoria came out her.

Furious, Carter slapped the second knife out of Victoria's hand and punched her in the face. With a cry, Victoria fell to the floor.

Holding in her want to do both of them more damage, Carter tied them up and crossed the woodworking studio, a clever design masking the reason for all the deadly tools and the tarp.

Holstering her gun, she crouched down next to Mason and gently lifted his head. Blood streaked his face from his nose and one eye was pinched shut by a growing black eye. Pulling out her phone, she called 911.

"This is FBI Agent Owens. I need an ambulance immediately," Carter said.

She rattled off the address and stopped listening to the voice on the other end as she continued her examination of Mason. Breathing became more shallow as she lifted his shirt and found bruises painted across his skin.

"Getting handsy...with me...Owens?" Mason said, weakly.

Carter laughed but it came out choked. Walking back to Thomas, she collected the knife and returned to Mason. She cut the ties on his wrists and ankles.

"You're going to be fine," she said.

"I know... I have... you."

Carter lifted her gaze to Mason and he weakly touched her cheek.

"You're leaking, Owens."

Carter roughly swiped at her face. "Don't you know these are just allergies?"

"Ah. My mistake." Mason dropped his head back, closing his one working eye. "I almost thought you cared about me."

"That's you wrong. It would look bad for me if my partner died on the job."

"Am I going to die?" Mason asked.

"No, you're barely damaged. You're just being dramatic."

Mason let out a tired chuckle but instantly stopped, groaning in pain.

"Don't laugh," Carter said.

"Thanks for that astounding advice."

Carter looked around the studio, taking in the men she barely registered what she'd done to, then at the unconscious Thomas and silent Victoria.

"What happened?" Carter asked, quietly.

"Jumped me when I was packing up. I don't know how they knew. My security system didn't even go off. They must have disabled it."

The pounding of boots thundered overhead and Carter spun on her knee as she pulled out her gun, training it on the stairs as the door opened.

"Agent Owens?" a voice called out.

"Down here. Is the ambulance here?" Carter asked as the agents descended into the basement.

The leader nodded and at the back of the group, two medics rushed forward with a gurney.

"Gently, he's bruised but I don't know if there's more damage than that."

The medics worked carefully but efficiently. As they headed towards the stairs, Carter followed.

"Agent Owens," the FBI leader said. "We need to debrief."

"And we can but right now I'm going with my partner. Secure Thomas and his wife. That is what you need to do right now."

Without waiting for the leader's objection, Carter clambered up the stairs and hurried to catch up with the medics.

Outside the house, the street was flooded with cars, agents, and curious onlookers. Across the way, Carter spotted Bridgette, framed by Darrell and Erica peering out the upstairs window. Carter met their gazes but kept going. She climbed into the back of the ambulance. The medics worked quickly, settling Mason as the ambulance drove through the city. Once they'd done all they could, they sat back.

Carter sat near Mason, watching him. With the fury of having him kidnapped and hurt fading, Carter found a mountain of guilt for leaving him waiting to crush her.

She knew he was useless when it came to self-protection. His spoiled butt meant he'd always had someone to protect him. That was supposed to be Carter but she'd left. Even though they had finished their mission it wasn't done until they left. She'd failed her mission because she left Mason vulnerable. They hadn't been in the clear and that was her fault. She should have stayed.

Carter ducked her head and pinched her eyes closed, trying to keep the tears from slipping out. When she opened her eyes, she saw Mason's hand angled towards her. She raised her head and found him looking at her.

Carter took Mason's hand and wrapped her fingers around it.

Without a word, Mason closed his eye and turned his head away, even as he gripped her hand.

When they reached the hospital, Carter had to let go of Mason's hand but she stayed with him until she wasn't allowed. The wait for his examination gave Carter more time to think about her failure but she quickly pushed it aside when the doctor found her.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"The worst of his injuries are three broken ribs. We reset his nose but it won't look the same. But other than a lot of bruises that will take time to heal, he's okay. We've given him something for the pain. The best thing he can do right now is rest."

"Thank you."

Carter gripped the doctor's arm in gratitude before going to Mason's room. He lay in a bed, machines hooked up to him and echoing his heartbeat into the room. Grabbing a chair, she pulled it next to the bed and sank into it.

The situation felt strangely similar to when she'd been in the hospital with her father. Only this time there had been something she could do to prevent it.

"I should have stayed with you," Carter said, feeling her throat tighten.

Mason blinked at her. "Yeah. This is your fault." The tightness in Carter's throat disappeared as she laughed. "Just don't let it happen again. I know I complain about life but that doesn't mean I want to die."

"I promise," Carter said.

Removing his ring from her pocket, she gave it to him.

"Thanks for giving me a warning."

Mason smiled. "Only thing I could think of."

"It worked."

Mason nodded then closed his eye. Carter sank deeper into her chair and watched the heart monitor.

When the door to the room opened, Carter sat up but winced at the tightness in her muscles, wondering how long it had been. Yvette hurried inside as Carter stood up. Instead of going to Mason, she hugged Carter, holding her tight.

"Thank you for saving him," Yvette whispered.

"It was my fault," Carter said.

"No, you do not control the actions of evil men. You saved him. That's all that matters."

Carter pulled back and felt like crying at the certainty in Yvette's voice. She didn't blame Carter for Mason's current state.

"Invalid in a bed here," Mason said.

Smiling with teary eyes, Yvette went to Mason's side and perched on the edge of the bed. Gently, she touched his face. Mason turned his face away, hiding his blackened eye.

"Don't look. I look sad, pathetic, and ugly," Mason said.

"Aww yes," Yvette said. "I forgot I only married you for your looks. I should leave and come back when you aren't so ugly."

"Excuse me, I was just tortured," Mason whined. "Can you please show me some sympathy?"

"Of course," Yvette said, softly.

Carter looked to the doorway as someone appeared.

Donovan gave her such a warm, loving look that she wanted to curl into his arms and fall asleep. The exhaustion of the event hit her but she knew she was far from being done with dealing with it.

She crossed over to him and they left the room, closing the door on Yvette and Mason. Before Carter could say anything, Donovan wrapped his arms around her. Carter leaned into the comfort and familiarity of him. It felt like it had been years since she'd been with him instead of two weeks.

Turning her face, Carter buried it in Donovan's shoulder. Donovan kissed the side of her head.

"You come down on the agency jet?"

"Yeah."

"I've missed you," he said.

Carter turned her head, laying it on his shoulder. "Same."

They stood there for a long moment, Carter resting all her weariness on Donovan and Donovan taking it all for her.

"We have to go back, don't we?" Carter asked.

"Yes."

"I left Mason alone. It was my fault."

"That's possible." Carter tilted her head back to look at Donovan and his matter-of-fact expression. "There's no telling what would have happened if you were there. At least with you gone, the family was gone with you. It could have been worse if Thomas had come for you while they were still there."

Carter thought of Bridgette getting hurt and though it didn't take all of it away, it helped lift a little of her guilt. She knew that part of her would take time facing that Mason had been injured so much because she wasn't there to protect him. But she faced the reality of her job being that she couldn't protect everyone. Even the ones she wanted to.

Donovan kissed her forehead. "Let's get going. The sooner we get this over the sooner we can go home."

Carter sighed but nodded. Before they walked off, she peered into the window of Mason's room. He was fast asleep with Yvette sitting on the edge of the bed, gently caressing his face.

The trip back to the house was a silent one, Carter watching the passing city with her hand laced with Donovan's. But once they arrived, she pulled her hand away and stepped out of the car. The scene on the street looked the same as it had before, with agency cars lining the road and curious pedestrians milling about. The new addition was the news crews set up on the outside trying to get information.

Donovan carved a way through the crowd with Carter following. Once they hit the caution tape, they ducked under and walked side by side.

"The agent in charge?" Carter asked the closest agent.

They were pointed to a woman with sharp eyes, soft features, and a tight ponytail.

"Agent Owens," the woman said. "There you are. How's agent Douglas."

"No major injuries. He'll recover."

"Good," the woman said. "Let's get this story."

For the next hour, Carter broke down what had happened and answered all the questions thrown at her. At the end of it all, Carter felt wrung out and exhausted. With Donovan guiding her, she crossed the mostly emptied street and walked back into her mother's house. The second she stepped inside, Bridgette came racing towards her.

"Is Mason okay? What happened? I was so worried that something would happen to you even though we had no clue what was going on." Bridgette hugged Carter, holding on fiercely. "I'm really glad you're okay."

Carter hugged her step-sister back. "I am. And so is Mason. Just a little battered."

She knew Mason would have wanted his injuries exaggerated for sympathy's sake but she was not going to make Bridgette worry more than she already was.

"We have something for you to eat," Carter's mother said. "We thought you might need it."

"Thank you."

Bridgette let go of Carter only to keep her arm around her waist as if Carter was delicate and likely to pass out from hunger. Carter almost laughed at the gesture since she was tired but nowhere close to falling over. Still, she allowed Bridgette to hold onto her, knowing it was for Bridgette's reassurance more than for Carter's sake.

Everyone took a seat around the kitchen counter, Carter eating the plate of food they'd prepared for her. After she'd eaten most of it, Bridgette leaned close to Carter.

"That's your real husband, isn't it?" she asked. Carter nodded. "I can see why you'd judge Edwin. Your husband is really hot."

Carter burst out laughing but then buried her face in her hands, feeling tears come unwarranted. A pair of familiar hands rested on her shoulders while Bridgette wrapped her arms around one of Carter's and rested her head on Carter's shoulder.

When the tears finally stopped coming and the image of Mason beaten and tied to a chair faded a fraction, Carter pulled herself together. She blinked and looked around at the concerned faces trained on her.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"Your friend was hurt, that's natural," her mother said.

"Mason can never know I cried over him," Carter said, wiping her face.

"It will be our secret," Bridgette said teasingly.

"You need sleep," Donovan said.

"My room is still open," Bridgette offered eagerly.

Carter and Donovan exchanged a look.

"I'll make some calls," Donovan said.

As he went off to inform the agency they would staying in New York for another day, Carter stood up knowing she needed a shower and a bed. At the top of the stairs, her mother looked at her and hesitated as if she wanted to do something. Cautiously, she reached out to Carter and squeezed her arm, as if worried that action was crossing a line.

"I'm really glad you're okay," she said.

Carter nodded not sure what to say and accepting the gesture of comfort being as much as she could handle.

With a final squeeze, her mother moved off, leaving Carter with Bridgette. The pair walked into Bridgette's room and Carter sank onto the bed and fell back. She knew she needed a shower but for that moment, she didn't feel like moving. Bridgette sat down next to her.

"Your life is kinda insane, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

Carter rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Yeah, it is. You don't even want to hear about what happened at my wedding."

"You know that makes me want to hear it more but I can see why it would be hard to have me in your life."

Carter dropped her hand and looked at Bridgette sitting curled up. "I want you part of my life, Bridgette. But it will look different from other relationships because I want to keep you safe."

"But you still want to be my sister?"

"I do."

Bridgette pressed her lips together attempting to contain the force of her smile and gently rocked back and forth with her happiness. Carter smiled and laid her head back down.

"I settled everything," Donovan said, walking into the room. "We don't leave until tomorrow late morning."

Bridgette stood and peered down at Carter. "I should let you get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow before you go."

Carter sat up. "Thanks for letting me steal your room again."

"You can always steal my room."

Bridgette left and Carter continued to stare at the doorway until she heard the click of the guest bedroom door.

"What are you thinking?" Donovan asked, coming to sit next to her.

"We need to call the agency back and let them know we'll be back the day after tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because tomorrow night I'm tailing a bunch of teenagers to a movie."

"Any reason?"

Carter smiled. "Yeah. I made a promise to my sister."

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THANK THE FREAKIN HEAVENS IT'S OVER!!

*dramatically falls to the floor in relief. Weakly waves my hand*

Go ahead, gush about how cute and soft and delightful it was. You know it was, Soft Carter with Mason is a rare sight. 🗯💬💭

This was something I was really curious to explore because Carter and Mason would next acknowledge that they are best friends but we all know they are.

So I wanted to see how Carter would handle her best friend being in pain. Honestly, I don't know how she held up, I'd be a mess if I saw Mason hurt.

Could I break down a door, take down a couple of men, be a complete kick butt person to get him back?

Well clearly not, you know me. Weak as a peach but just as sweet as one. ☺️

Anyways, if some of you are thinking of demanding another part to this saga involving Bridgette's date or Carter seeing Mason in recovery the answer is NO!

Though sadly my 'No' seems to never hold up against you. So who knows what's what anymore! 🙄

Whatever, vote, comment, follow because I finished the saga.

Shout out comments from In The Entryway (Part 3)

🙄 such is the reality of my life

Heads up, he dies.

That the perfect way to explain Mason and Carter

She really has, hopefully one day she'll accept Mason is her best friend

Wow! So that explains my love. 🤔 Who knew.

Yeah it something I never expected.

Oh look! It's Carter and Mason's friendship photo!