"That's them?"    

Jeffery Carter heaves a contented sigh and smiles at the younger man beside him. "That's them."

"But they look so... normal."    

Detective Carter shrugs and takes a long gulp of his coffee. "Those two are as far from normal as it gets, trust me kid."    

"So what now? Are we waiting for back up... or should we...." Sean Flannery looks around the semi-full parking lot and frowns. No matter what they do, there's going to be a scene. It's inevitable.     

"We're waiting for them. They know we're here." Carter nods, his eyes never leaving the young couple seated inside the diner. "They've been waiting for this almost as long as I have."    

Flannery eyes his partner carefully, the elation clear as day on the older man's face. He knows he should be just as thrilled. There isn't a cop in the country who hasn't been anxiously awaiting this exact moment.     

Although, he always figured this would go down differently. After nearly a year of following their trail, Flannery fully expected the two of them to go out in a hail of gunfire, that they'd martyr themselves in an attempt to go out as dark and twisted heroes.     

And they'd be arrogant enough to believe that themselves. Four years on the run has done nothing to deflate their already enlarged egos.     

Veronica Mason and Justin Timberlake are a special breed, barely even human, really.     

Movement inside the diner catches Flannery's attention and his eyes dart around the lot, processing the scene around him. There has to be a way to do this with little to no casualties.     

Of course, it would only be natural for these two to take out a few more lives now. No one expects them to go down without a fight.     

"You take her... I want him." Carter nods, a look of fierce determination settling on his face as he steps out of the unmarked car.     

Flannery follows suit, doing his best to match his partner's long, confidant strides as he locks his right hand around the holster of his .357. He winces slightly when the heat of his palm comes into contact with the cold metal. He hadn't noticed before, but his hands shake as he follows Carter through the lot.     

At that moment, a small part of him wishes he'd never made Detective. That he was still running highway patrol on the outskirts of the city. Back then, the most excitement he'd seen were routine traffic stops and small time drug busts.    

When he unwittingly stopped the city's most prominent coke dealer on a traffic violation, the entire department seemed to take notice and there was no going back. The name Flannery suddenly stood for something and that led him here.    

He never expected it to be easy, he knew he'd have to make his bones somehow. Just not like this.     

The couple steps out of the diner, their arms locked around each other protectively, as if they somehow know this is it. Some would even speculate that this is the moment the two of them have been waiting for. Even they have to know just what their capture means.    

"Evenin' boys." The man smiles condescendingly, his eyes as black as the darkness surrounding them.    

"Hands where we can see em prick." Carter calls out, drawing his gun so rapidly, his hands are almost a blur.     

"Name calling... how very mature, Detective Carter." The woman laughs wickedly.    

"Timberlake to the right, Mason to the left." Carter barks.    

The couple sighs in annoyance and separates, not so much as flinching at the sight of guns drawn on them.     

Carter crosses the distance between himself and the man, a sort of maniacal glint in his eyes. Flannery mimics his partner's movements until he's standing behind the woman. He grips her slender wrists in his hands and pulls them behind her back, expertly slapping the handcuffs on her and guiding her to the car.     

She doesn't say a word as she eases into the backseat, an amused smile playing at her lips.     

"Get this piece of shit in the car... I'll call the Captain." Carter spits as he shoves the man in the same direction.     

Flannery nods and silently guides the man into the car beside the woman and slams the door behind him.     

In the distance, he can hear his partner celebrating on the phone and in a sudden rush, it all washes over him.     

It's over.     

The most wanted man and woman in America have been captured and it's just a matter of time before they'll both rot in their cells.