I love this story so much. The characters are dead on and the tension palpable. I rerad it whenever I am craving a well written Don whump.

I loved it! I was so glad with the theory the used for season 4!

This was gorgeous, and the break-out circumstances (and not leaving with Dwayne) aside, it could still completely fit into canon.

"The lock clicks, and he puts the puzzle out of his mind." I really like how you described Colby's confusion--not with questions, but his practical assumptions, like questioning his judgment to not wear a helmet. And how when he did *get it*, it was a smooth transition into wondering just how safe he is with an armed-Dwayne.

"The truck around him lurches..." An author who can be subtle! I thought this was a great way to show instinctively tied to his team he still is, while still being aware of the danger he's in if he shows it.

"...his--former--teammate." Aw...does that mean that Don & Co. are still his present teammates? I do kind of wonder...if in this circumstance, Colby were a triple agent, would he compromise the mission to make sure Don got help, or would he run with Dwayne to validate the last two years?

The conversation that he has with Don is my favorite part of the story. It's so...heavy with the things they don't say. Colby not snatching the gun and Don deciding to trust him at all, but still not wanting to look at him. (That's kind of a sign of trust though...not staring at Colby like he's waiting for him to do something awful?)

"Colby can't think of anything to say, so he keeps his mouth shut." Watching Colby interact with the team in general is heartbreaking, and drives home what has changed. Colby's regret is powerfully done, almost palpable near the end, as he thinks of the way things *should* be.

I thought Colby memorizing Brent Cornell's name was a nice touch, and certainly fits in with "decent human being"; juxtaposed against Dwayne?

"...his voice hasn't changed, but he pulls Colby to his feet without being rough..." I like that you've captured this awkward balance between being suspicious and angry, and yet still confused enough that some care leaks out, too.

"He doesn't know where to start." That clawed me up from the inside. As far as his headspace goes, I could definitely see this Colby in between seasons 3 and 4.

Excellent job. Thank you for sharing!

~Michelle

I like it, like it very much! Off to see if you've written any more Colby fic.

An excellent story. I like the characterization of Colby here. For the record, I knew all along that Colby was no traitor. Looking forward to more of your stories.

very nice - enjoyed it very much. :)

This was fabulous.

This is amazing. Cant believe I missed it.

I like this defense. Must be confusing the hell out of the team to have Colby behaving like that. I am sure that at this point they'd like to hate him, because it would make it so much easier to accept his betrayal. And then he proves himself to be a bit more complex than that. And his actions then leave them to wonder afresh, why did he do it? And the last line is absolutely perfect.

WOW!! I loved this. I loved seeing Colby as a decent human being. I know this is a one shot but I would love to see a continuation to this.

I agree, Colby is a decent human being. He made some wrong choices in the past, but after working with Don and everyone, he really did start to care about them. In a way, it seemed almost as if he was trying to cover up his past. But I know that's not true, otherwise he wouldn't have done anything with that one bug.

Some of the visual parts really grossed me out, so good job. I liked how you showed how the bonds bteween Colby and the team changed after he was exposed as a traitor.

ohmg. that was awesome. ♥ =] i definitely look forward to reading more of your work!

I love this! its what i would expect from colby no matter what. i still cant believe ...nevermind lovely sad but great fic.

now that's my Colby looking out for Don and not leaving him to die. I loved this story.

Liked this a lot and thought that it really sounds like Colby. It does a good job of making him decent, as you said, without declaring him innocent.



Everyone's reactions (esp. David's) in this section really rang true to what we saw.