AN: I am so sorry for the long update time! Just too much going on! Aagh! Anyway – enough babbling, on with the story!
No Rest For The Wicked, Pt 2
The next day, Prentiss and Morgan head out to patrol the area around the grocery Reid likes to frequent. They're hoping they'll catch a glimpse of Sam and Dean – something that can tell them just how much these hunters know about them. They pause at a newspaper stand, mostly for a reason to stick around and not look suspicious. Prentiss grins as Morgan buys a comic.
"Didn't know you were an Ultimates fan." she teases. Morgan grins.
"I made the mistake of taking Pretty Boy to see the Avengers." he says. "You wouldn't believe how into these things he gets."
"Uh-huh. And the fact that you, Reid, and Garcia pass them around means?"
"Absolutely nothing." Morgan says cheerfully. "Besides, this is the brand-new issue. And with how fast we can breeze through a comic, I don't have to wait forever to get my turn." Prentiss just laughs at him as they round a corner into an alley.
They don't see Alan standing there in the shadows, waiting for them to come. He's a master of dirty tricks – knowing when to get in and out and how not to be seen doing it. Alan knows how to take a chance and have it pay off.
He's in and out before Prentiss realizes she's been stabbed. Morgan sees him go, but the searing pain burning in his side is enough to keep him with Prentiss. He grabs her by her arms and helps ease her to the ground. Blood soaks her shirt fast, too fast for Morgan's liking.
"Hang on, Prentiss, you're gonna be okay." He's frantic, pulling her shirt up so he can assess the damage. It looks deep; he knows it came damn close to puncturing a lung. Serrated edge, designed to do maximum damage being pulled out. His hands are shaking. "Damn." He puts one hand over the wound and pushes down, reaching into his pocket with the other to get his cell.
"Morgan, wait."
Prentiss shoves his hand to the side. Together, they watch as the wound heals over on its own. Slowly, they look up at each other. Prentiss blinks. "That was freaky as hell."
"Yeah." He pulls her shirt back down. "Are you okay?"
"I think so. Nothing feels wrong." She allows Morgan to pull her back to her feet. "Who the hell was that?" Morgan just shakes his head, staring in the direction the man ran off.
Hotch, the hunters just declared war.
/-/
Castiel arrives at Sam and Dean's hotel room just as Alan gets back. He stops, staring at the newcomer. "Who the hell is this?" he snaps. "I thought we were in this on our own."
Dean leans against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "Cas is a friend. We figured we could use his opinion on this one." he says calmly.
Alan snorts. "We don't need his opinion – they're freaks, and they're going down." He raises his bloody knife, a sadistic smirk twisting his lips. "I already got one."
Sam jerks. "What the hell! You stabbed an FBI agent to death?"
"Yep. Got her right between the ribs." Alan flops down on a bed and starts cleaning his knife. "She'll drown in her own blood before her partner can get help. Now it's six against three." He motions towards Castiel with his knife. "Four, if your friend is with us."
Castiel just stares at the knife. "Dean, may I speak with you outside?" Dean nods and follows him out the door. Castiel leans against the wall, sighing. "Alan is reckless. Luckily, it will take far more than that to kill one of those agents."
Dean frowns. "What are you talking about? They're really freaks?"
Castiel glances at him. "Like one would have considered Sam a freak, when he still had visions." he retorts. "Dean, these people are not evil. You cannot hunt them."
"Alan says they killed his cousin."
"Whether they did or not is irrelevant." Castiel says. "You cannot hunt them. This is a battle you will not win."
"What makes you so sure of that?"
"Because I know these people. It will take a very special set of circumstances to kill them, and you cannot replicate those circumstances. If you try, you will fail, and then they will kill you. And Sam, and Alan. Whatever it takes to make them feel safe again."
Dean just stares at him. "You know them pretty well."
"They came to me for help. I never mentioned them to you because I never thought this situation would arise."
The hunter nods. "Look, Cas, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just – "
"You need to know for yourself." Castiel sighs. "I understand. Just – I need to at least try to convince you to walk away from this one. Please."
Castiel doesn't plead. He demands, orders, but he doesn't beg. This is the first time Dean has heard him use that tone. It's almost enough to make him just leave this one alone, but well, now he's curious. He shakes his head.
"I can't. But I can promise I won't do anything to them – or let Alan do anything to them – until I know for sure. Does that work?"
Castiel nods slowly. "It does. You will see, Dean. They are not monsters."
/-/
They meet back at the mansion. Hotch insists on looking Prentiss over, making sure she's okay. Once he's satisfied, he turns his attention to Morgan. "Who was he?"
"No idea. I'm not Reid; I can't read other people's minds." Morgan sighs. "Honestly, I can't even tell you what the guy looked like. He was gone before we could even get a look." He runs his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry, Hotch."
"Don't be. You did what you had to." Hotch turns to Prentiss. "Go upstairs and get cleaned up. The boys are coming home early today." She nods and heads off. Hotch glances at Morgan. "You too. Clean up." Morgan looks down at his hands, just then realizing they're still covered in Prentiss's blood. He shivers and heads down the hall. JJ and Garcia head upstairs to help Prentiss.
This leaves Hotch, Rossi, and Reid in the living room alone. Rossi looks to Hotch. "What do we do? It's not like we can kill them."
"Killing them would bring more problems than just the law." Reid says softly. "Hunters are extremely protective of each other; even ones who don't know them will come after us if we kill them. We'll never be safe again."
"I know." Hotch runs his fingers through his hair. "All of this – Reid, what do you think of them?"
Reid looks at his hands. "From what I got from Sam, I don't think he and his brother are the problem. I think whoever stabbed Prentiss – it isn't them. It's got to be someone else." He looks up. "Maybe I could call Castiel and find out?"
Rossi makes a face. "I'm pretty sure an angel has bigger things to worry about than little old us."
"Probably." Hotch agrees. "I hate to say it, but we need a trap."
Rossi stiffens. "You want one of us to be bait."
"Not one." Reid says suddenly. "Me." Rossi twists to face Reid, but the younger continues on. "The hunter went after Prentiss, not Morgan. That says he lacks the confidence to take on an alpha male without help. But I'm not an alpha – he'll have no problems coming after me. And then I can tell you guys what you need to know to take them out."
"No." Rossi says flatly. "That's not acceptable."
Reid just gives him a look. "Double standards, Rossi."
"Yeah, and they're gonna stay that way, too." Rossi points out. "Hotch, come on – you can't be seriously considering this."
"Unfortunately, I don't see where we have a choice." Hotch admits. "I don't like the idea any more than you do, but it's not like we're gonna leave him alone." He sighs. "They came after Prentiss. Morgan is right – this is war. We need to stop it now, before someone figures out how to kill us."
"I'm not sure we can be killed, Hotch." Reid says. "I mean, someone would have to find a way to kill all of us at once. Since Garcia's usually not anywhere near our cases – we can never be killed." He shrugs.
Rossi shakes his head. "I'll think about that later. Let's go check on Morgan and Prentiss before the boys get home. This is the last thing they need to worry about."
