The BLACK Widows
Red Lettered Assassins
Iris Belvedere- San Francisco, CA; December 19th 2012, 2:30 P.M.
"Hey, hon. I was just calling to tell you that I've finished my Christmas Shopping early. Turns out Black Friday doesn't always come once a day. I can't wait to show you what I got for your parents. Well, I'm on my way back home. See you at tonight, Love you."
Iris Belvedere ended her voicemail call with her husband and proceeded to make her way home. Life was going good for Iris. The Real Estate was giving her good money, her husband just won a big case at his law firm and she just came back from her doctor's appointment with good news. Iris haven't been this happy these past three and a half years than she was in a lifetime. Pulling up to a red light, Iris applied her candy apple lipstick to freshen up when Chris got home. As she readjusted rearview mirror, Iris caught sight of a mysteriously familiar black SUV behind her. The driver looked strangely familiar…as if he came back from the dead.
"No, it can't be," Iris said to herself. "It can't be him."
Once the light turned green, Iris sped straight to her house; not thinking about the traffic or the speeding laws. She looked through the window and noticed that the SUV was following her every move. Frantic, Iris decided to take the short route home hoping it would throw her stalker off his tracks. Luckily, it did.
Once she got home, Iris locked every door in the house, set the alarm and got her Mini G-17 Revolver from her nightstand in her bedroom. Checking for any wired bugs or hidden cameras in the house, Iris immediately thought about the other woman who is in just as much danger as she was. She took out her cell phone, fingers trembling as she dialed the number.
"Hey, it's me," She began. "I know we agreed never to contact each other but it's an emergency. He's alive, Cami. I saw him and he's after me. He's coming after you so get your family out of harm's way wherever you are!"
There was a fiddling of the locks from the back that made Iris jump to her feet. She grabbed her gun and headed towards the back. Iris peered through her windows to make sure there weren't any intruders lurking in her patio before opening the door. She checked every inch, nook and cranny of her backyard patio. There wasn't any intruder.
Take it easy, Ton. She thought to herself. You're losing it girl.
Iris headed back in the house when she noticed a folded note taped on her window. Snatching the note from the window, she opened it. The words "BETRAYAL + PAYBACK= DEATH" were etched in big, bright red letters. Iris' hands began to tremble. He was alive and he wanted blood.
"Iris, are you here? Why is the alarm turned on?"
Christopher Belvedere headed toward the kitchen to find his wife in a daze; holding a gun in one hand and a note in the other. Her hands were trembling.
"He's back," She whispered.
Widow's Bite*Widow's Bite*Widow's Bite
Amelia Cantonelli-Austin, TX.; 4:30 P.M.
"I'm not getting anymore tech stuff."
"But it's what the boys want."
Amelia Cantonelli looked at her husband, Maurizio like he was crazy. "We already have an Xbox 360 with Kinect, iPhones, iPod Touch, and a Blu-Ray DVD." She pointed out. "I don't want to have my kids being spoiled by the digital world."
"We live in a digital age, sweetie," Maurizio explained. "Everyone is either texting, tweeting or on Facebook."
"We give them another iPad, they'll be fat in less than 2 years."
"Now you're over exaggerating. They'll be okay, Mia. They're boys after all."
Amelia nodded. "Speaking of which, where'd they run off to?"
"Probably to the toys section."
She took out her cell phone to call her oldest son when she noticed the 12 missed calls from a restricted number. Amelia looked around to see if Maurizio was watching but her husband was busy playing with their 4-month-old daughter, Stella.
"Honey, can you get the boys?" She asked. "I have to make a call."
Maurizio nodded as he headed towards the toys store before kissing his wife. Once Maurizio was out of her eyesight, Amelia dialed the restricted number and waited for an answer.
After three rings, a woman's voice came on the other end.
How's the weather in Texas? She asked.
"It's very warm this time of the year," Amelia replied. "We agreed never to contact each other, Iris. Someone had better be…"
He's alive, Mia.
Amelia's blood ran cold. "You're lying."
I wouldn't be calling you on if I were. He followed me to the house and posted a red letter at my door.
"But there's no way he can go to two places at once."
Don't be naïve, Iris warned. He has more connections than either of us combined. He'll find a way to send you a message.
A gunshot and a blood curdling scream startled Amelia to her senses. And suddenly, she became more fearful than ever.
Amelia? Iris asked. Are you there?
"No, no, no, no, no, no…." Amelia said to herself as she ran straight to the toy aisle. What she saw was her worst fears realized: her husband bleeding from a gunshot wound in the stomach.
"MAURIZIO!" She shouted.
"They…took them, Mia," Maurizio coughed. "I tried…"
"Shh, don't say anything." Amelia turned to all of the bystanders. "SOMEBODY CALL 911! PLEASE!"
A man reached for his cell phone and immediately called 911. Amelia reached for Maurizio's hand…and found a note with red letters with the same words: BETRAYAL + PAYBACK=DEATH.
Widow's Bite*Widow's Bite*Widow's Bite
"Is there anybody you know that can help you?" Chris Belvedere asked his wife.
Iris shook her head. "Everyone I know is either dead, blacklisted or don't have the guts to go up against him."
"Iris, he's been after you for five years," Chris sighed. "I'm tired of living my life on the run."
"What are you saying, Chris? You want to leave me?"
"Of course not, I'm just saying you should quit hiding."
Iris looked at her husband incredulously. "Are you stupid? I'm not going to get myself killed!"
"We've been living a lie and I'm sick of it! Do you know how hard it is for me to lie to my family about you? About us?"
"You're not exactly a saint either, Chris."
A frantic knock on the door halted their heated conversation. Iris got up to answer the door and found a shell-shocked Amelia Cantonelli on the other side. The woman was trembling so violently, Iris could tell she was crying convulsively. The rain was mixing in with her tears.
"Mia, are you all right?" Iris asked, concerned. The woman shook her head no. "Do you want to come in?"
Amelia looked up. Her green, bloodshot eyes portrayed a look of malice and despair.
"He's dead, Iris," She cried. "My husband is dead and my kids are kidnapped!"
Iris immediately took the weeping woman in her arms and led her to the living room.
"Chris, get her some water."
Chris nodded as he went in the kitchen to get some water. Iris tried her best to comfort her friend and comrade.
"Tell me what happened," She asked.
"Maurizio was at the toy store," Amelia explained. "He was getting my boys and he had my daughter with him. Then I heard the shots…the screams…that's when I knew."
"Mia, I'm so sorry." Iris apologized. "I tried so hard to warn you."
"Wouldn't have made a difference, would it?" Amelia looked at Iris. "I want that bastard dead, Iris. I want to find him, kill him and make sure he rots in hell."
"Amelia, that's a suicide mission. Besides that would mean revealing our true identities."
"I don't care! He killed my husband and took my children!"
"He ruined me too! I want nothing more than to kill that son of a bitch, but we're red-lettered. He has connections to deep and deadly for us to tackle."
Amelia looked at Iris for a long time before saying: "Alexis would've faced him."
"She did and she's got herself killed." Iris said. "And even if we did go out and faced him, we don't have anyone with the balls to back us up."
Amelia thought for a moment then smiled. "How about Evita?"
"Evita Schuler?!" Iris exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding."
"I know we never got along with each other but she was one of the best elite assassins we had."
"She nearly killed herself twice. I don't even know if she's still alive."
"She is and she works for the FBI."
Iris scoffed. "Just what we need, another Fed interfering with our business."
"We don't have much options, Ton."
Amelia was right. They didn't have many allies and their few enemies were out to get them. They had to rely on whoever can help them. Even it was their former rival and the FBI.
"Okay, fine." She said. "But if she tries anything shady, I'll kill her."
"I don't think you can kill FBI agents," Mia said.
"Being in Federal Jail sounds better than getting shot in the head."
Amelia nodded as she hacked into the FBI Database. "Now, we just have to find the one of the youngest agents in the FBI."
"Uh…shouldn't we just look up 'Evita Shuler'?" Iris said.
"I don't think she goes by that name anymore."
Iris shook her head as she looked at the people from the database. She scrolled down all of the young FBI agents when she came across a picture of a certain young woman in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Her profile read "Criminal Psychologist" and Iris smiled.
"We hit the jackpot," She told her friend.
Amelia came over to look at the picture. "Dr. Gatsby Algérnon," She read. "FBI Profiler, Criminal Psychologist. It's like she hasn't aged a bit."
"Right…she looks like the same puny shoe girl."
"Iris, we need to get our lives back, I need to get my children back," Amelia grabbed her stuff to leave.
"Where're you going?"
"Back to my 747 jet and heading to Quantico, Virginia. I don't care how much we disliked each other; Gatsby is the only one that can help us. So you need to stop being stubborn."
Iris sighed, ready to retort when her husband interrupted her.
"Please, Iris." He pleaded. "Just go to Virginia."
"What if I go to jail?" Iris said. "What if you go to jail?"
"I rather visit you behind bars than visit you in a grave."
Iris smiled and kissed her husband deeply. "That is never going to happen." She turned to Amelia. "Fine, we'll go to Quantico."
Widow's Bite*Widow's Bite*Widow's Bite
Gatsby Algérnon and Spencer Reid- Quantico, VA. 10:45 P.M.
"That's wonderful, I'm glad your flight landed safely. I don't know, I have a couple of psych evaluations to do tomorrow morning but I'm free in the afternoon. Cool, we'll meet at Gillespie's for lunch. Okay, say hi to the family for me. Spency and the kids are doing fine. I know you can't wait to see them. All right, Mami, I gotta get the twins ready for bed. All right, love you too. Goodnight."
Dr. Spencer Reid watched as his fiancée ended his conversation with her mother. He just got back from Christmas Shopping. He was hoping he got all the gifts right since this was the first time he was shopping for kids. It was very trepidating.
Dr. Gatsby Algérnon saw Reid enter their apartment with an assortment of bags just as soon as she entered her conversation with her mother and came over to him.
"Hey, did you get everything?" She asked.
"I think so," Reid replied, looking at the bags. "Did David want the Xbox or Wii?"
"I just usually get the better bargain. Please don't tell me you got both game consoles."
Reid gave Gatsby a look. "Of course not," He said. "I got him the Xbox360 with Connect or something?"
"Kinect, honey." Gatsby corrected. "And I'm sure David will love it." She sighed. "I can't believe it's going to be the girls' first Christmas already."
"They grow up fast, don't they?" Reid pointed out.
Gatsby nodded. "I'm glad they're going to spend it with family."
Reid nodded in agreement but Gatsby could see his proverbial wheels turning. There was something else that he wanted to say.
"What are you hiding, Spencer Reid?" She asked him.
After a brief moment, Reid replied: "Well, I didn't want to wait until Christmas to give you your present."
"I told you, Spency, I don't want any presents this year."
"I know but I couldn't help myself."
He took a medium-sized black box from his coat pocket and gave it to Gatsby. She looked at the box curiously before opening it and saw the most beautiful turquoise butterfly necklace encrusted in white gold.
"My God, Spency," Gatsby breathed. "This is beautiful."
"Really?" Reid lit up. "It's not too flashy?"
"Of course not. Can I wear it?"
Reid nodded as he took the necklace off to place it around his fiancée's neck. His hands trembled as he put the necklace on. Gatsby looked at her new gift with love and admiration, and then turned to the man who made her believe in true love again.
"I don't deserve this," She told Reid.
"You deserve everything and more," Reid said.
Gatsby leaned over to kiss him. "I love you more, Spencer."
"I love you best, Gatsby."
The phone rang. The young couple ignored it and continues with their kissing battle. Eventually, Gatsby's son, David Algérnon, answered the phone when the rings became frustrating to him.
"Mom, it's Chief Strauss," He called.
"Tell her I'm busy," Gatsby responded.
"Kissing Spence?"
Gatsby stopped kissing Reid and walked over to the kitchen where her 12-year-old son was.
"I don't want to talk to Strauss right now," She whispered.
"But you always taught me not to lie," David teased.
Gatsby sighed and looked at Reid. The young genius smiled and shrugged. Shaking her head, Gatsby took the phone from David.
"This had better be important, Strauss." She greeted.
Hello to you to, Dr. Algérnon. Erin Strauss quipped. I need you and Dr. Reid to come in tomorrow.
"Why? Hotch didn't say anything about a case this week."
This is my call. I need your… special expertise."
Gatsby sat down on the sofa. Reid could tell that she was now interested. "What do you need them for?"
Two women came forward to me seeking help because they fear for their lives."
"Why?"
They didn't tell me much except that they've been "red-lettered." They say that you'd understand.
Gatsby nodded. "What are their names?"
Iris Belvedere and Amelia Cantonelli.
"Well, you should know, Strauss, that their names are simply aliases. And bringing in a whole profile team…not a good call."
That's why only you, Reid, Prentiss and Laurent are going. I need you to report to my office at 7:30 sharp.
"Yes, Ma'am."
Reid came over to Gatsby when she ended her conversation with Chief Strauss.
"So, what did Strauss say?" He asked.
"Two ex-assassins have been red-lettered and they need my help protecting them." Gatsby informed.
"Well, who would want them dead?"
Gatsby shrugged. "Who knows? But Strauss wants you, me, Remy and Emily to be on this mission."
"I understand Remy and Emily but why me?"
"I guess to keep me sane. So much for the Izzy and Minnie's first Christmas."
Reid put his arms around Gatsby. "We're still going to have the girls' first Christmas even if it'll be on New Year's Eve. We promised to let our kids have normal lives and that's going to happen."
"But I've left that life, Spencer," Gatsby said. "What if helping these women causes me to want to go back?"
"You're too strong for that," Reid said. "You've been through so much and you've risen above it."
Reid was right. Everything Gatsby has gone through in her life she's endured. She made a name for herself at the FBI, proved that she could be a profiler and a criminal psychologist and raised three children. That life as an assassin was in the past.
"Promise you'll keep me grounded?" She asked.
Reid gave Gatsby a deep, loving kiss. "Always."
The phone rang again. When Gatsby answered it this time, there was cursing in French in the background.
"Calmez vers le bas, Remy. Ce n'est pas ce mauvais*,"Gatsby told her friend, Remy Laurent, who was obviously pissed. To Reid, she whispered: "I gonna take this in the office."
Reid nodded and kissed Gatsby as she headed upstairs. Reid was still in awe of his life. He and Gatsby have been together for nearly four years through thick and thin and it was still going strong. Gatsby Algérnon is the most beautiful, bravest, kindest most eccentric girl that Reid's ever met. He loved her with all of his genius mind and his troubled heart and he'd be damned if he'd lost her to the people that made her life a living hell.
"Spence, is Mom going back to being a killer?" David asked, interrupting Reid's thoughts.
"No, of course not," Reid replied. "She's just helping some…former teammates out on a problem."
"Those 'former teammates' are assassins. What if they take Mom?"
Reid came over and put his arms around his future stepson. "Nobody is going to take your mother back to that life, David," He reassured. "I swear to God, I would face those bastards myself before they take her."
Spencer Reid meant every single word of it. The only way Gatsby's former bosses are going to get her was through him.
*French Translation: Calm down, Remy. It's not that bad.
Author's Note: Hello, Liztopians and True Believers! This is my very first Criminal Minds Case Fic! Please Reid and Review!