Chapter 9

After so long looking for Foyet he ended up becoming remarkably easy to find.

A case of over the counter medication being substituted for something else had led JJ to thinking the same could be done for Foyet's medicines. He had done a lot of injury to himself during his original string of killings in an effort to paint himself as a victim and throw investigators off his trail. Because of this he was on a large number of strong medications.

Penelope searched a list of drugs he was on and narrowed it down to Tapazole. Thankfully there was no substitute for this drug and this was the glimmer of hope that was now causing excitement in the Conference Room.

Around the table sat Derek, Spenser, JJ and Aaron. All eyes were on Penelope as she furiously worked her fingers across the keyboard of her laptop, searching for a smaller search grid in order to find someone who may be Foyet.

To help her, the team fired off ideas to narrow the search:

"He's a narcissist in love with his own mythology so he wouldn't have stolen someone else's identity."

"He'd use a name connected with the case"

"A victim, maybe. A cop…"

Reid suddenly stood and walked to the board in the corner of the room.

"He likes things to have meaning to him."

"Like an anagram or something?" Derek asked

As Reid started writing things on the board, circling some letters and ruling out others, Aaron asked "Do you see something?"

"Not yet" Reid sighed.

"Wait" Aaron stepped forward. "He named himself The Reaper"

Reid wrote that on the board, circling more letters and finally underlining a name.

"Peter Rhea"

Penelope almost squealed in excitement. "There's a Peter Rhea in Arlington!"

Reid turned and looked at a relieved Aaron. "We got him"


Unaware of the action happening in the BAU room, Abby had arrived in her lab to start work for the first time since the attack. She had sailed through the main bullpen and the endless rounds of "Welcome Back Abby" "How are you doing" "If you need anything..." What she needed was to get back to normal and here in her lab she felt like she was close to that. Rossi had dropped her off at the front entrance of NCIS with a kiss and an assurance that he would be just a call away if she needed him. Knowing that he was staying in the office that day rather than jumping in on the hunt for Foyet was a soothing balm to her tired soul. She wasn't the kind to shrug off the fact that she needed help. She knew that she was now a changed woman. What made it bearable was the fact that she still had Gibbs, Aaron and Rossi behind her. Rossi had made it clear that he didn't see her any differently and though it meant he often had to sit her down and reiterate that, especially in moments of self doubt, Abby was smart enough to know that he meant what he said. With a happy sigh she picked up Bert and gave him a hug. The farting noise gave her a sense of calm and balance – something that no one else seemed to understand. Almost everyone had their version of a security blanket though, and Bert was Abby's. Well, Bert and Rossi, she amended as she turned to the job at hand. First job of the day was to analyse some blood evidence that had been collected from the home of a Petty Officer that had been beaten to death. Nice way to go, she thought as she bought up the blood work on one of her computers. After entering the data that was known to be of the victim she ran a programme that would identify any blood in the samples not belonging to the victim. Chances were that this blood would be of the attacker. Having set that in motion, Abby turned to her second computer and brought up photos of the crime scene. Hoping to zero in on anything that looked out of place or other types of evidence that may have been overlooked by a non forensic investigator, she lined up 6 different photos and hit the zoom button. Looking away from that screen she then turned back to the first to check the progress on the blood testing.

It all happened in a split second. Looking back later, she would not be able to pinpoint the moment that she had felt the earth shift beneath her. As she turned to look back at the now enlarged photos, everything changed. All at once she felt a darkness fall over her in a sudden hit. Her eyes were still on the enlarged photos but they focused on one photo in particular. Black shoes, the tips only visible from a closet with its door half closed. Blood on the tips of those shoes. She was transported back into her nightmare. A band of emotion squeezed her chest so tight she couldn't breathe.

Shoes. A closet. Blood. Mirror. A knife. Pain.

The urge to flee was so strong she was moving before she realised she had taken a step.

She willed the elevator to hurry, dashed through the bullpen, and into the elevator that would take her to the main entrance. Once there she kept moving, despite having no clear idea on where she was going. She just knew she had to move, get away from the pictures, away from the recall she was suffering. Putting her hands to the sides of her face in an attempt to block out the memories she ran through the streets, blind to anything she passed.

It seemed like she had run for an eternity when she stopped outside the BAU's offices.

As she entered the offices she realised she hadn't been running to something, she'd been running to someone. Rossi. To those strong, caring arms. The same arms that had held her through all the pain of the last few months, all the therapy, all the medication complications, all the nightmares, and all the fear and doubt that had assailed her. He was the one who could and would protect her from her demons.

As she entered the BAU's bullpen she saw Rossi walking back to his office reading a file. He was on the landing outside his and Aaron's offices. She walked up the ramp leading to the landing and merely whispered his name in relief. He heard her though and turned. His arms automatically opened, and when she reached them, they wrapped around her and held her tight. A sense of safety immediately entered her and only then was she able to breathe again.

"What is it, Sweetheart? What happened?"

Against his chest she felt the rumble of his voice, heard the beating of his heart, smelt the musk of his scent. She turned her face to his chest and simply inhaled, glad to be able to draw breath without feeling like she was drowning.

Rossi called on his years of training in order to not panic at the situation he now faced. He knew Abby had been frightened, had been able to see it in her eyes the moment he turned and saw her walking up the ramp. He also could take an educated guess that she had suffered a panic attack. What he didn't know was what had bought it on and how he could make it better for her. His main concern was to get her into his office, so prying eyes didn't make her more embarrassed.

Gently he moved her to his side and walked her to the couch against the wall of his office. Sitting her down, he walked to the door and closed it. He then took a throw rug that Penelope had knitted for him, and wrapped it around Abby's trembling shoulders. Sitting beside her he anchored her to his side and softly kissed her the top of her head, content to just hold her until she was ready to talk.

Aw, babe. What's happened?

As a profiler he knew how to take stock of things immediately, process information in a manner that meant he was able to deal with the important first and prioritise the rest for later action. He had used this ability many times over the last 4 months. Abby's recovery had been the utmost important thing in his life, but there were many times when he had had to remind himself that his sheer strength and will just weren't enough to make it all better for her. No amount of money he could throw at the problem would make it vanish. Abby had to stand on her own two feet, as she had always done, and while he may have preferred to do all the work he knew that would just diminish her fiercely fought for independence. At the end of the day it was that independence that had ultimately drawn him to her. She was unlike all the other women he had been with. She wanted and needed nothing from him, she had made her own way in the world and would continue to do so with or without him. An independent woman was something to behold, especially to an old school man like him. But it was an education that he was enjoying, even though moments like this rattled him. Moments when Abby simply clung to him, depending on him to keep her safe until she found her solid ground again.

It didn't escape his attention that she was keeping her face averted from him, that she twisted his shirt between trembling fingers, both somewhat protective measures. From years of studying human nature he knew that averting her face meant that if he couldn't see her terror then it didn't exist outside her head. Which was a complete contrast to the twisting of his shirt. An easily spotted sign of nerves. From the clues before him Rossi knew that Abby would be embarrassed at her break down, and maybe even her dependence on him. Rather than feeling disgruntled at this, he instead formulated a plan on how best to deal with a post panic attack Abby. He had to smile a little. Sometimes being a profiler was a great advantage – especially when dealing with women.


Now that the terror had passed exhaustion covered her body. But before she would give in she had to do something.

Abby could almost hear the wheels turning in Rossi's head. She knew exactly what he was thinking too. She knew that he was formulating a plan on how best to deal with her now the storm was over. Profilers think they are so smart, she smiled. What Rossi didn't know was that Abby had had a watershed moment during this panic attack. The fact that she had run to him with no thought of anything else was all the answer she needed about her and Rossi.

Now was the time to let him know that he didn't know everything. She hid a smile as a shiver of anticipation flowed through her. It had been so long since she had felt this alive!

Moving slowly, she twisted herself so that she was facing towards the back of the couch. Still in Rossi's embrace she put her hands on his cheeks, stroking them and gazing into his eyes. Smiling slightly she leaned in and kissed him. Everything she felt flowed through that kiss, hoping that he felt what she was trying to communicate. When his arms tightened around her and his mouth responded, her heart gave a leap for joy. A little more maneuvering enabled her to fall back on the couch. Rossi had no choice but to follow. His surprised look almost made her laugh. Instead, she kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, "I love you Dave Rossi"

For a heartbeat there was silence. Then Rossi took her hand, kissed her palm and noted simply, "It's about time you told me"

The rest of what he had wanted to say would have to wait. Right now all he wanted was Abby in his arms, kissing him and making him feel like he could topple mountains with his bare hands. As the passion became more urgent, and clothes started hitting the floor, Rossi was grateful that he had locked the office door and that, now the morning briefings would have been done, the office would mostly be empty for the next few hours. And that meant the he and Abby could simply loose themselves in a world of their own making.


Abby was sure she would never feel the same again. She had often heard women joking about the sexual prowess of older men. At least she had thought they had been joking. Until now. Stretching limbs that were now regaining feeling in the aftermath of their lovemaking, she turned on her side to lie across Rossi's chest. A position that was quickly becoming her favorite. One of his hands stroked her hair; the other stroked her lower back. She glanced up at him. Seeing his eyes closed but knowing he was fully awake, she peppered kisses across his chest. Her intent disappeared though when she recalled what he had said to her before she had gotten sidetracked.

"You love me" she wondered aloud.

At Abby's frown, he smiled. "I have wanted to tell you the same thing for months, but I figured with everything else going on I could run the risk of scaring you off. So I figured the best thing to do would be to wait for you to catch up a little"

Abby beamed up at him. "You think you're so smart"

Rossi laughed "Oh no, not when it comes to you." He leaned down and kissed her again, then lying with her in his arms he mused, "I wonder what you would say if I asked you to marry me?"

Abby leaned over him. "Are you serious? We haven't even dated."

"The heart wants what it wants, Abby. And until now, you had no idea that I've been in love with you from the day I met you all those years ago."

Abby thought for a moment. "You are the first person aside from Aaron and Gibbs who hasn't given up on me"

"I'm not going anywhere Abs"

"I'm afraid. I have baggage"

"I already figured that out. But we can deal with that the same way we have dealt with these last few months; together"

Abby grew silent again.

"Talk to me babe"

Abby sighed and snuggled closer to him, once again swamped by the rightness of being this close to him. She could have this forever, he was offering her that. But ...

"I can't help but think you will be getting the raw end of the deal. I can't .. I'm sorry .. I'm just ..."

As her voice broke, Rossi simply held her tighter.

"It's ok babe. You just let me know when you are ready."

"Don't leave me"

"I won't. I'm not going anywhere. I won't let you down"

Abby sniffled and raised tear stained eyes to him. "Maybe I'll be the one to let you down. I'm broken, Rossi"

"Then we'll put you back together again. Shush, baby" he rocked her. "I'm a great fixer. You wait and see"


Hope your all still enjoying the ride. There is more to come but it may shake a few readers up - hang in there :)

Sas