Chapter Seven

Whipping around, Belle gasped, "Ben?"

Dressed in a black, looking more frightening than she'd ever seen him, was Benjamin Shields, her biology lab partner, orchestra mate, and fellow ensemble choir member. His lip gave an angry twitch as he growled, "You never noticed me. You chose him. You don't even know him. He's gonna leave you as soon as the FBI are done here but you chose him."

"I noticed you," she cried, fear making her eyes tear and her throat constrict. "I did. You were my friend."

"And that's all I ever was!" Belle jumped, cringing as both his irate tone and the effect it had on her pounding head. "But you see me now, don't you Belle? You see me?"

"I see you," she whispered, the tears beginning to trail down her face. "I see you."

From his belt sheath, Benjamin produced a buck knife. The murder weapon of the all the girls. "I loved you."

"You never told me. You never said anything." She whimpered, backing up some, nearly stepping on Reid's legs.

Benjamin stepped forward, the knife loose in his hand, at his side. "I shouldn't have had to tell you, Belle. I was always helpful. We did projects together. I was always there for you, but you didn't love me." He advanced farther. Raising his left hand, his free hand, he brushed her long hair out of her face. "If you have just seen me, for what I am, I wouldn't have had to hurt anybody. I just wanted you so much."

"Ben," her eyes flicked to the knife and back. "Ben, I'm here now. I see you."

"It's too late. If I can't have you," his eyes flashed down the Reid, who remained still on the ground. "No one can." He grabbed for her neck, but missed when Reid used his legs to swipe Belle, who was closer to him, off her feet. She landed hard on his leg.

He cried out before grinding his jaw together. Through his teeth, he hissed, "RUN!"

Benjamin, who hadn't expected Belle to suddenly shrink, turned trying to catch her as she scrambled around his legs towards the door. He caught her easily, given she couldn't crawl as fast as he could run. By her hair, he pulled her up, slamming her into the door. Having dropped his knife, he put her in a choke hold, looking around for a weapon nearby.

On the top shelf, just barely visible, was Reid holster, with his Glock 17 still inside. Grabbing it, Benjamin brought it closer to the struggling Belle, trying to remove the firearm from the holster. Belle, seeing her chance, grabbed the gun, easily removing it. Benjamin, unfamiliar with guns, didn't realize until it was too late that she had the weapon. He dove away from her grabbing the knife. He dropped to his knees beside Reid.

Belle turned, the gun aimed, to find Benjamin holding a knife to Reid' throat. "Drop it or he dies, Isabelle."


Guns draw, the FBI team, and a crowd of local officers, moved across the grounds. It had taken them about fifteen minutes to realize something was wrong and another five to find that both Reid and Belle were missing. They had spent another fifteen combing the area, it was then they stumbled across the lawn maintenance shed. They were approaching silently, and could hear commotion inside. Someone slammed against the door, a struggle. Swiftly moving feet.

Agents Hotchner and Prentiss were on one side of the door; Morgan on the other. From within they heard, "Drop it or he dies, Isabelle."

Hotch gave the gesture to hold and they listened.

From within, they heard her response. "There's something you don't know about me, Ben." A pause. A single gunshot.


Sorry I'm late guys. Thanks for being understanding.