This took me a very long time to write up and I'm not sure that I am entirely happy with this chapter but it was the only thing I could to get it out…please let me know what you all think?
Chapter 7 – July 20th
Neither of them thought that Broyles would have gotten to their hotel room as fast as he did, it was also most as if he was at their door the minute Olivia hung up the phone with him. Olivia was shaking slightly; this was not supposed to be how things went. She was supposed to be capturing the stalkers not becoming a victim. Peter had opened the door before Olivia had even heard the knocking at the door; she turned to find Broyles searching the room with his eyes.
"What happened?" his voice was more stern than they had ever heard, the worry evident in his face. "I don't know Sir. I was here and received the flowers from a delivery boy and I thought they came from Peter. But he came home and told me they weren't from him. The note even said 'my beautiful girlfriend, these are for you…' Olivia handed the note to Broyles who looked over it, trying to find something that was not really there. After a few moments Broyles looked up at Olivia, "It seems you were right Agent. I'm sorry that it has come to this." He didn't even bother trying to give Olivia a reassuring smile; she just nodded back at him.
Olivia understood why no one was quick to jump on the idea that someone was following her when she had mentioned it originally, no one wanted to believe that someone would actually try to come after an FBI agent, they were also trying to keep her in the best frame of mind she could be and allowing her to go all out to find someone who might not have been there to begin with was not how that was going to happen. "Sir what are we going to do now?" Broyles' looked back at his agent, she was the strongest person he knew and yet, standing in front of her, with Peter's arm around her shoulders, she looked like a child, a frightened child that didn't know what to do with herself.
Doing the one thing that Broyles could think of, he pulled Olivia closer to him and put his arms around her and brought her into a hug, feeling her relax a little in his embrace. She had become like a daughter to him and he would be damned if he let anyone scare her. "Olivia, it will be alright, we are going to move you both now, I am the only one who knows where you are going and you will always be watched by patrolmen although they won't know what they are doing there. We will find this man, I promise you that." He pulled away from Olivia and watched as she moved back into Peter's arms and him placing a kiss on her forehead.
"You will go to this address…" he handed Peter a small note with only two lines on it, "…you will not tell you father or Agent Farnsworth…they are being looked after so don't worry about it…you will go to the address and you will stay there. Do you understand Olivia, you are being put under house arrest, you cannot leave the hotel room and you cannot call anyone. This is very important." He watched as Olivia turned to him, for a moment he thought she was going to protest yet she just hung her head, agreeing to what he was saying. "Bishop, so far this man has not made any notation towards you or your relationship with Agent Dunham, as far as we are concerned he may not even know about your relationship and so you will be able to leave the hotel and come to the FBI building, there you will be able to collect any files that may be useful for Olivia to be looking over and you will also be able to go shopping."
He was being very strict on them both, although Olivia understood why, she still didn't like the idea of being stuck in a hotel room, not matter the circumstances. After a little more discussion, Olivia and Peter packed what little that had and made their way to the taxi waiting outside; silently they travelled to their new destination. They were both scared, although neither would say it out loud. Holding Olivia close to his side, Peter tired to calm his nerves as the thought of someone trying to specifically target her continued to grow inside of him.
There had been little happening since they moved to the new hotel room over a week ago, little activity whatsoever and Olivia was becoming like a gated animal.
Olivia was stubborn, Peter knew that but she was even more stubborn now that she was stuck inside and also when she knew that Peter had been allowed to wander around the city should he wish. In fact, Olivia was stuck inside their new hotel room since the incident with the flowers. Peter had been allowed to head back their apartment, once it had been cleaned and processed, to retrieve anything they needed, all their clothes and things that they both wanted. Olivia had paced the length of the lounge until he had come home.
"What took you so long?!" She was frantic, he had told her he would only be gone for an hour and he had been gone three, Olivia was livid. "Sweetheart relax…I'm sorry, it took a little longer for me to be able to get everything…which I didn't by the way. Some of it wasn't there anymore, I guess the FBI took them as evidence, I'm not sure." He dropped four full bags on the floor in front of her. "What was missing?" she really wasn't interested in what was missing she just wanted to put something else on, other than what she had been wearing for almost the last two weeks. As she pulled things from the bag Peter spoke.
"Well to be honest with you, your hair brush was gone and so was some of your clothes, a couple of t-shirts and your toothbrush. Also I was able to get a look at the photos you were telling me about…" This caused Olivia's head to snap up, her hair brush and her toothbrush were gone…she was a profiler, that was her job and she was damn good at it, and those were warning bells to her. "What do you mean my hairbrush and toothbrush were gone?" Peter's look became confused; he wasn't sure what was so important about those two things. "I mean I couldn't find them anywhere. I looked everywhere but I figured that the FBI must have them."
Olivia shook her head as she reached for her phone, texting away to someone, "No, basic profile of a stalker; gift and petty theft. It is a common denominator that all stalkers will take things from their…" Olivia hesitated on the word that was supposed to come next, "…victims…homes. Hairbrush and toothbrushes are among the most common things they will take." She was looking down at her phone when Peter sighed, "Most of the photos of us are missing your picture. They have been ripped and cut to leave everyone but you in them." Peter watched her swallow as her phone vibrated and then the colour from her face drain as she read the message. "Broyles said that those times were not catalogued…I'll have to tell him about the photos as well. He said he is close to finding out who paid for the flowers."
Peter took a step forward and watched as she slowly placed her phone back into her pocket, her hands shaking slightly. "Hey…" he pulled her towards the couch and made her sit down, pulling her into his arms. "We are going to work this out, I promised you that and I am promising you again now. Broyles has Charlie running down almost every lead or possible hint of a lead that comes up. He will find something." She felt Olivia nod into his chest and felt him place a kiss on her forehead, for someone who was so independent and head strong, there would be times that she would be the little child that Peter had thought he remembered.
"Charlie wanted to come and see you but Broyles said it probably wouldn't be a good idea…the less people that come and go from this place the better." She nodded again, she really did want to see Charlie. She hadn't seen anyone since the night their house was broken into, she had no idea how Walter was or how Astrid was coping with him now that they weren't there. Olivia missed them all and she just wanted this over and done with. Another kiss on the forehead and Peter's voice was softer this time, "What are you thinking love? Hmm?"
Olivia sighed against his, shrugging as she thought, "I just can't believe this actually happening. After everything we have been through…this is what is going to stop us from living our lives. Come on Peter you can't tell me this isn't affecting you either. This isn't just about me anymore..." She looked up at him from her position before huffing and moving away from him, finding her way to the balcony she had claimed as her own. Peter watched as she slid the door open and then let it bang as it slid closed. Sighing Peter leaned forward and rested his head in his hands, he felt for her, he really did. Olivia was like a caged tiger and everyone knows that tigers don't like cages.
Following her after a few minutes, Peter slowly let the sliding door open, feeling the rush of cool air on his face and bare feet. "Livia, sweetheart…" He looked her over, her arms resting on the balcony railing, her legs crossed and her head hunched over. He went to her side and mimicked her positioning before turning to face her completely and taking her in his arms, "There is no place I would rather be, even, no matter the situation. You understand that yea?" Peter rested his head onto of hers, feeling her nod against his chest once more. "Good…now I can see not one but two surveillance cars out on the street, we are safe. Why don't you come inside and I can take your mind off of some of the things that have happened…"
Olivia heard the smile in his voice, she knew what he was getting at and so she pulled away from him and kissed him completely on the lips, feeling him react again against her movements. It didn't taken them long to make their way back into their room, closing the door behind them and ignoring the outside world, neither remembering that there should only have been one surveillance car out the front of their hotel.
Peter woke to the sound of his phone buzzing against the bedside table, although he was less than impressed when he noticed that the time now shone a bright red 2.46am. Groaning, he rolled away from Olivia, really missing the warmth of her naked body against his. Groaning again when he saw the name on the phone, he answered it with slightly less than a grunt, "Walter." He listened to the man mumble and humble with his words for a few minutes, yawning through the whole one sided conversation, just trying to stay awake.
It wasn't until he heard a crash and then the phone drop did he panic. He called Walter's name over and over, hoping that he would pick up the phone again, but he didn't and then the line died. Sitting up further in bed Peter dropped his phone and leaned to his left, looking back down at the sleeping woman next to him. "Sweetheart…" he moved her hair away from her neck, causing her to stir slightly and look towards him with bleary eyes, "…I have to go to Walter…I will be back later on…" he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek as she yawned and nodded, not really sure if she had comprehended what he had said.
Dressed and leaving her with a kiss and a note in case she really didn't hear what he had said he left the apartment, intent on finding out what was so important at 3am and what had happened to have caused the phone to drop. Jumping into Olivia's SUV Peter turned the key, he found the engine would not turn over, trying a few more times he only heard the whining of the engine struggling. Groaning and dropping his head to the steering wheel, contemplating going back inside and crawling under the covers once again but knew that with everything going on he couldn't ignore Walter. Popping the hood and getting out of the car, Peter shivered in the cold; it really had gotten colder during the night. As he worked to find the fault with his head inside the bonnet, Peter never heard the sound of crunching footsteps behind him nor did he feel the bag that seemed to suddenly cover his eyes. It was in a flash that his hands were tied behind his back painfully and his legs kicked out from underneath him, causing his head to bit the car sharply, sending him crashing to the ground with no hands to break his fall.
Gasping for breath and trying to get his baring, Peter regained enough strength to reach for the bag on his head, ripping it off in a quick motion, quick enough to see the flash of something coming towards him, quick enough for him to duck out the way and land a punch against his assailants ribs, sending the weapon crashing to the ground with a distinctive metal clunk. Swinging once more, Peter sent another fist into the side of the attackers head, sending him crashing to the ground as well, before doubling over slightly from the pain of the hit on the back of the head. He groaned as his hand touched the back of head, feeling the lump that was forming there and the blood that had already started to seep down his neck.
Peter missed the moment where the attacker had gotten up again and this time had been able to get the bag back over Peter's head, tighter this time. Peter swung randomly, hoping to actually hit something but the bag over his head was giving nothing away to what was happening around him. The sharp pains continued to come, the beatings with hard objects against his shoulders and his chest as well as the distinctive collision of a boot hitting his stomach and ribs, he was close to losing consciousness, close to letting go of his sense. Some may have said he was lucky he didn't see what was being swung at his head and body while others would say it would be worse not knowing what was happening to you.
Then the pain stopped, the continued beating ceased and his body was allowed to relax and let all the pain he had just received come full circle and Peter wished that the person would continue the short pain was better than the long drawn out agony he was now it. He could hear breathing, the deep in and out of someone who was furious; it was close to his ear although Peter could not see through the thick material of the bag. There was silence for a few moments, the rushing of blood the only thing that Peter could hear until he felt the bad being pulled from his head roughly. Glancing around at his surroundings, Peter was able to focus on small details, the darkness and the pain becoming a little too much.
He wasn't near his car anymore; somehow in the frenzy of being blindfolded and beaten, he had been shoved into a small alleyway, although he could see the back end of Olivia's car, telling him he wasn't far from home. He tried to stand, tried get a grip on the world around him and keep the pain down long enough to fight whoever it was that was coming at him. Rolling over onto his knees, Peter coughed, the blood coming from his mouth splattered on the floor, shining in the light of the single street lamp.
Trying to rise to his feet, Peter felt the sudden connection of a boot with his face, flinging him backwards against the brick wall and pavement. He groaned, he wanted to fight back, he wanted to get up and lay into the person who thought they would get the upper hand on him but if Peter was completely honest with himself, the person had gotten the upper hand, he had gotten the jump on him and Peter had one too many broken ribs to even consider getting up again now. His eyes were closed against the harshness of the single streetlight.
There was silence for a moment, Peter taking the opportunity to slowly stand again, his painful and stiff legs allowed just enough give to actually get him up. As he did, he looked back at the person standing in front of him, his eyes adjusting slowly but enough for him to see the man, the familiar face of someone who he had seen a few times before.
Wickman.
They stood off together, neither wanting to give an inch to the other although Peter knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to defend himself anymore. Straightening his back though, Peter was not about to let Wickman know how hurt he really was. It wasn't until Wickman started to pace in small distances did Peter realised how affected he really was from the beating, his eyes barely being able to keep up with Wickman, only causing Peter to sway on his feet.
"You know…you have been a real pain in the ass Peter. Always getting in the way of something you shouldn't…" Wickman stopped pacing and looked directly at Peter who squared his shoulders as much as possible, "You are insane you know that right. You can't expect Olivia to actually want to be with you, do you?" Peter scoff at the man in front of him, spitting out blood that had pooled in his mouth. It was then he realised the Wickman wasn't much shorter than him, nothing special to look at and nothing that would ever have brought alarm bells to him if you saw him down the street.
"See now that's where you are wrong!" Wickman jumped forward a little as he spoke, sudden anger coming over him and he pinned Peter against the brick wall behind him, he had more strength that Peter thought, either that or Peter's injuries were worse than he thought…he was leaning towards the latter though. Wickman held Peter against the wall roughly; looking over Peter's bloodied and bruised face. "She told me she loves me. She accept the flowers, she held my hand. We are meant to be together and you…" he looked over Peter once more before smiling sinisterly at him, "…are…just…in…the…way…"
And with that Wickman brought his right hand from Peter's shoulder and with one last forceful shove, Wickman forced a sharp blade through Peter's stomach, cutting through the skin and piercing no doubt many internal organs. Peter gasped at the contact of the knife, the pain worse than almost anything he had ever felt before. Feeling the twisting of the knife was worse; Peter knew the damage that would have caused. Peter's legs gave out from under him and his body leaned forward against Wickman, who twisted the knife the opposite direction before pulling it from Peter's gut.
He took a step back and watched as Peter fell to his knees, tears coming from his eyes and the blood poured from his stomach. He was becoming cold and numb, the world turning on its side as his slack body toppled to the side, landing harshly on the cold concrete. The last few moments were only filled with thoughts of Olivia and how much he loved her. Her face, her smile, everything he wanted from their relationship. Letting his eyes close slowly, Peter let the tears fall once more as the voice was once again in his ears.
"And now you have no choice but to stay away from her…too bad you won't live long enough to say goodbye…" The voice rung through his ears as a hand slipped in Peter's pocket slowly before being pulled out again, Peter vaguely feeling something being removed with the hand. Then Wickman began to walk away, leaving him alone and dying in the alley. One final sob escaping his mouth before his mind went blank and the pain stopped…
A little love? Maybe? :D
