The agents watch the door close with a silent bang. Seconds turn to minutes. Minutes seem to turn to hours as they stand outside, waiting for the signal to come in. Morgan bends down and places his pistol back into its' ankle holster.
"What are you doing? Riley told you to take it out!" Reid exclaims.
"Like she's going to know, what difference does it make if I have a gun at my foot? It's not gonna hurt to be extra prepared," Morgan replies.
"Fine. But don't come crying to me when she finds out."
Morgan laughs slightly and turns to face the street. The street, just like the warehouse, is deserted. Another part of town that no one bothers to come visit. He sighs, thinking of how this place could have looked when it was being used.
A sudden screech from inside makes him turn back. Riley's piercing scream is heard from beyond the walls. Reid grabs the handle of the door but Morgan holds him back.
"You heard her! Don't go in, we could get her killed!" Morgan says.
"If we don't go in she will be killed!"
"We don't know that Reid. We have to trust her. I'm sure she knows what she's doing."
He sighs and releases the handle. "I know, but I can't just stand out here and hope she makes it out alright."
Morgan shrugs in a silent response. Reid turns away and looks down at the sidewalk.
Another eternity seems to pass before the pair hears the sound of a vehicle approaching. A black SUV pulls over across the street and Hotch and Rossi get out.
"What's happening?" Hotch asks as he makes it to their side of the street.
"Riley went in a while ago and we haven't heard anything since," he turns to Reid, hoping he doesn't mention the scream. Reid says nothing and Morgan continues, "She told us not to go in until she called for us. I think she knows what she's doing Hotch. She said she'd yell if she wanted us to come in. We gotta trust her," Morgan explains.
Hotch nods and Rossi doesn't question it. All four agents stand outside the building waiting for something, anything to happen. A sudden chill sweeps over the group and they all shiver for just a second.
Like a claim of victory, they hear a voice from within the building, "Guys! Come in here!"
Without hesitation the group dives into the building with Reid leading. They don't stop to inspect the foyer, they continue into the larger, lit room to find Riley pinning Him down to the floor with a knife to his throat.
Both Riley and the man look up at the visitors. Riley smiles while the man is flabbergasted. He expected her to come alone.
"He's all yours boys," Riley says, bloodied, bruised, and mangled, but still smiling. Hotch and Morgan come over to apprehend the man as Riley gets off. She stands and moves to the far wall to watch him be arrested, the moment she's been waiting for a long time for.
Lightheadedness passes over her and she slides down the wall onto the sturdy ground. Realizing she still holds the knife she tosses it away as she watches Him sit up to be handcuffed.
"Riley!" A voice startles her and she looks sideways. Wren comes running from the corner and collapses in her lap, throwing his arms around her.
She winces from the pain but lets it pass as she relishes this moment with him. Riley strokes his hair as he sits in her lap and nuzzles closer to her.
A sense of dread sweeps over her and she looks up at Him. They see it at the same time, a gleam at the bottom of Morgan's leg; his gun. He grabs it, ignoring the agents grabbing his arms, and aims it at Wren. But she's quicker than that. Curling her body around him, Riley positions herself between Wren and the bullet.
Bang! Smoke billows into the air around the man. He smiles with malevolency for a moment, but his smile fades as He watches her stand.
Riley uses the wall to get up and then looks down at herself. Lifting her shirt up, she looks at the damage. A bloody hole appears in the right side of her abdomen, the same spot as before.
"Same spot as last time," she laughs bitterly. "There's nothing even there anymore, just scar tissue." She looks up at His awe-struck face with a smile, "Better luck next time champ." His dumbfounded expression doesn't change as Morgan yanks the gun out of his clutches and handcuffs his arms behind his back.
Riley lets her shirt return to its natural position and leans down to help Wren up. He takes her hand without a word and they move around the group; her limping, him walking stiffly. They stop at the door and Riley takes her jacket off the knob. Digging into her pocket, she fishes out a tape recorder and hits the stop button. She goes over to Reid and hands him the recorder.
"I did have a plan," Riley says as he takes it. He watches her limp out of the building.
Riley wraps her jacket around Wren's shoulders as they leave the building. She looks at the scratches on his arms and frowns.
"Come on, we should get those looked…"
Before she can finish the sentence everything becomes blurry and her body hits the concrete.
"Riley! What's wrong, Riley?" Wren cries.
"Go…go get the guy I gave the…that thing to." Wren nods and runs back inside.
He gets in the door and finds himself standing directly behind the guy. Wren tugs on the back of his shirt urgently.
"Mister! Mister!"
Reid turns and looks down at the disturbance. "Wren?" he says confused. "What? Where's Riley?"
"She fell outside and won't get up. She told me to come get you."
Reid's eyes widen and he hands the recorder to Rossi before he follows Wren out of the building. He finds Riley lying motionless on the sidewalk with her back against the building.
He kneels down and shakes her shoulders. "Riley! Riley! Get up!" She doesn't stir. Reid notices for the first time the extent of her injuries. The gash down her arm is relatively deep and blood continues to seep out of it. Her side, contrary to her declaration in the building, didn't hit the exact spot, it went centimeters wider and opened the hole more, causing more blood than before to flow out of her. He calls Wren over to keep pressure on her side while he dials 911.
Reid hangs up and tries again to get Riley's attention, "Riley! Riley stay with me!"
She budges slightly and moves her crooked, broken hand up to rub her face weakly. "Reid? Where, where am I?"
"Hey! Hey, stay awake Riley! Come on."
The man walks out of the building escorted by Morgan and Hotch and flanked by Rossi. He looks over at the girl on the pavement and laughs deeply. A smug, arrogant smile doesn't leave his face. Reid pays no attention to the man but Wren notices him. A spooky feeling creeps into him from the look on His face and he scoots closer to Riley and Reid.
Morgan notices the scene then the man's reaction. Anger wells up inside him. He shoves the man toward the SUV across the street.
"Come on! Move!" Morgan commands roughly. The man keeps the smile on his face as Morgan forces him into the vehicle.
The sound of sirens grows increasingly louder.
Reid urges her to speak more, "Riley, come on. Stay with us!"
"I…I can't. I think I've lost some blood…and my, my head is pound…pound..." she mumbles before she falls silent again.
"I know, Riley." Reid brushes against both marks on her forehead and whispers, "I know. Just try. Please. Try."
Siren lights flash against the building and the noise becomes unbearable as the ambulance pulls up along the curb behind them. Two men in white get out of the back and bring a stretcher over to Riley. Her eyes flicker open a slit and she watches her surroundings as she is lifted into the vehicle. She watches Reid usher Wren into the van as well after noticing his injuries. Riley smiles, grateful Reid is looking after her foster brother.
She cherishes the last image of them as her vision cuts out and she's left staring into a dark abyss.
Thanks to everyone following, favoriting, and reviewing; it means a lot! Keep up the great work! :) Here's the next chapter!
