A/N : Well here it is folks, the finale. We will still be doing a two-part epilogue, each of us doing our team. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations and is full of surprises! ;-) And as always we own nothing of JE or CM and are just having fun playing with our favorite characters; namely Ranger and Derek! LOL :-) And now on with the show!
DPOV
I can't believe that son-of-a-bitch dared to snatch my Baby-girl! Of course I am worried about Steph, too; but taking Pen from me was a BIG mistake! I am glad that Ranger kept a cool head and thought to try to calm me down the only way he thought he could. It worked. A little. I am still beyond pissed but our little wrestling match got my head screwed on my shoulders once again. Ranger knew he was the only person who could bring me back down.
Ranger told me that we were now waiting on Zip and Zero to arrive back here with the surveillance tape from the mall parking lot. So here we are cooling our heels, well I am trying to keep my cool.
It's a good thing Hector is watching the trackers the girls had on them, along with the location of their panic buttons' GPS. Now all we have to do is wait, easy right? Not!
As I catch myself taking deep breaths, Ranger enters the room. I open my eyes as I hear him ask.
"You OK, bro?"
"Fuck no!" I reply. "Pen and Steph have been taken from under our noses. This shit is so not right. I want this mother fucker bad!"
"I know how you feel, trust me. But in order to work at your maximum capacity you need to try to calm down. Don't make me tackle you again." He threatens.
"Yea, yea, I know, but it hurts so much. I can't help the anger I feel. I know you feel it too. How do you control it? And thanks by the way for bringing me back earlier." I tell him.
"The military training I have been through is the main way I keep it together, and I guess I'm getting used to Steph attracting the crazies and getting in over her head." He chuckles.
I laugh with him. "Yea, I can see how that would happen for you bro, but I'm not used to it. Working with the rest of the BAU team, we're the ones who face danger frequently, not Pen. She doesn't know how to deal with this. She's not a violent person."
"No she's not, but she is with Steph. Steph's been through this before, several times. She will keep Pen safe. And Pen is a smart girl, she will know how to follow Steph's lead." He offers.
"I guess you're right. I hope we hear something soon. This waiting sucks!" I grumble.
Just then Ranger's phone goes off with a text message. He pulls it off his hip and looks at the read-out.
"It's Junior in the control room. Zero and Zip just got back. Let's head down to the garage to meet them." Ranger says.
As we walk out of the elevator Zip and Zero walk up to us. Zero hands over a CD to Ranger and tells him.
"This is the video of the van that took Steph and Ms. Garcia."
"Let's take it to the computer lab and have Hector give us a look at it." Ranger replies.
We all head back to the elevator and ride up to the second floor. We enter the computer lab which makes Hector turn to see who has joined him. He looks at Ranger with question in his eyes.
Ranger hands Hector the CD and tells him in Spanish that we need to watch it carefully. Hector nods with excitement in his eyes now.
As we watch the video play on the screen there is not much there. The black panel van pulls up beside the girls, two masked people in black clothes grab them and throw them in, close the door and quickly drive away. There is a small section where we can barely see the license tag on the van. I try to reign my emotions in as I watch Pen get manhandled.
Once again Ranger speaks to Hector in Spanish telling him to try to track down the van's license tag. Hector immediately goes to work.
"It will be a few minutes while Hector looks things up. And he is still watching the girls' trackers and panic buttons. We'll get them back, we just need time." Ranger explains.
Hector looks up from his screens with worry etched on his face. He tells Ranger something in rapid fire Spanish.
"What is it man? What did he say?" I wonder aloud.
"He says he lost the girls' tracker and panic button signals. The last signal he got was just south of New Brunswick." Ranger says.
"That means they are heading toward Trenton again?" I say.
"Yes, either that or the Pine Barrens I would think." He tries.
As we are discussing this, Hector looks up again after his computer dings. Once again he tells Ranger something in Spanish.
"Interesting." Ranger muses. "Hector said the plate on the van is registered to one James Russell."
"Who is that?" I ask.
"The ex-husband of one of the TPD's lady officers, Robin Russell. She has been known to be quite close to our male suspect." He answers.
"The cop that you thought it was all along? Joe Morelli?" I say.
"Yes, that's the one. We know the male suspect is Detective Morelli, Steph identified him when he tried to kidnap her again. That was right before I called you and your team in." He looks at me with hate in his eyes.
"So it's Joe and this Russell woman who have our women?" I ask.
"Yes, now we just have to figure out where they have them." He tells me.
PPOV
We have been thrown around in the back of this van for what feels like hours. My hips and legs are starting to get sore. Not too long ago the driver pulled over and opened the door to talk to Steph. He said he knew she had some kind of tracker and panic button on her, so he searched us both till he found them. He then threw them on the side of the road in the bushes, after stepping on each of them to destroy them. Steph seemed to get really upset and down after that. I don't blame her. I have been freaking out since they got us.
"How are you doing Pen?" She asks me.
"OK, what's wrong? You look like you're upset." I tell her.
"You could say that. Remember the ex-boyfriend I told you about earlier at the mall? The one who mistreated me. Well that's him driving, Joe Morelli. And the bitch in the front with him is another Trenton cop, Robin Russell. I should have realized that the other cop we thought it was couldn't be, she is taller. Robin is my height and the woman that tried to kidnap me the day you arrived was the same height as me too. I feel so stupid that I overlooked that detail." She says putting herself down.
"Listen hun, you did nothing wrong. It was all that dynamic dumb duo in the front. You have to realize that Ranger and Derek will move Heaven and Earth to find us. At least I know Derek will." I giggle slightly. "I would hate to be them right now. Derek will be on the war path. And so will Ranger. You don't mess with either of their families or the people the love and care about."
"Yea, but without the trackers and panic buttons it will be alot harder to track us down." She says.
"Well they will find a way. And I left a little something that may help with that also." I grin at her.
"What..."
Steph is interrupted by the sudden stopping of the van. The door is opened and we are quickly and roughly removed. I barely get a look at a large red-brick looking building of about 4 stories. I think it is an old office building. They shove us forward and lead us around to an empty, dark room. It looks to me like an old office supply storage room. We hear the door close and clicked locked behind us.
BackatRangeman :
DPOV
Ranger and I are waiting in his office when Tank comes rushing into the room. We both look up expectantly.
"Hector has found something. Come on." He says then turns to leave. We have no choice but to follow him.
As we walk in the room, Hector points to the screen full of joy and palpable excitement. He then begins to explain in broken English.
"I find hidden file with password. Angelita Pen put it there I know. She do extra work. We not need to know. File is information on all women working for TPD. Russell woman old husband own building in warehouse district. It is possible they are there."
"Address?" Ranger inquires.
"1733 Riverfront Drive." Hector replies.
Ranger turns around and starts to speak.
"Tank, have Hal and Cal go check out this address."
Tank nods and leaves the room. We finally have a lead. My hand is itching to get started. I hope this lead pans out.
We head back to Ranger's office to wait to hear from Hal and Cal. While we are waiting Ranger starts to form a plan of attack. He calls a meeting for everyone in the conference room. Once we all are combined he begins.
"As soon as we find out if this building is where we need to go, and I have a strong feeling it is, we need to be ready to move out. Woody, I want you driving the main truck with Tank, Lester, Derek, and myself. Bobby, you Ram, Zero, and Zip will be in the second truck. Everyone else will follow and go with our "Bomber Rescue Plan". As for capture, anything goes!"
The whole room breaks out in wide grins. I feel like I could take down an entire group of murderous unsubs. We are all thinking quietly when Ranger's cell phone breaks through the silence.
"Yo. OK. Stay put, we're on the way." He says into the phone.
I see the "blank face" that Ranger has so easily adopted drop into place as he tells the room at large.
"That's the place. Hal spotted the van parked a block away. Let's go get our girls!"
Ranger tells his guys to stop at the armory to "get dressed". He tells Ram to bring his special toy. We all file out of the conference room and make our way down to the garage. We all load up and head out of the garage and onto the street.
We screech to a stop a block away from the building 12 minutes later, after Ranger said it should have taken over 30 to get there. He is right, this guy Woody can drive; like a bat out of hell!
Once we are all out of our vehicles, Ranger gathers us all together in a group, then starts to hand out orders.
"Junior, Brett, and J.J., you take the front door; Zip, Zero, and Reid you take the back door; Manny, Binkie, and Bones check out the basement if there is one and the first floor; Hal, Cal, and Rossi you guys get the 2nd floor; Bobby, Santos, and Hotch you check out the 3rd floor; and Tank, Derek, and myself will take the 4th floor; Woody, Vince, Emily, and everyone else walk the perimeter; Ram you know where I need you." He says as he jerks his head back as he looks up. "Comm links on ... test ... OK, let's move out!"
We all start to head to the building and to our appointed positions. After several minutes I start to hear the teams checking in.
"No basement, and first floor clear." Manny reports.
"2nd floor all clear." Hal says.
"3rd floor clear." Bobby's voice booms in my ear.
"No one spotted at the back doors." Zero reports.
"No one approaching from the front." Junior says.
"Movement on 4 Boss, east side." Woody tells us from his position outside.
Ranger, Tank, and I separated on the 4th floor to check things out. I hear Tank's bass voice in my ear.
"Movement on the east side stairwell, looks like they're heading to the roof."
I think to myself, 'Shit! What the hell are they thinking?'. Ranger and I immediately move toward the stairwell to the roof. We meet at the bottom and race up. As we hit the top, I kick the door in, slamming it against the opposite wall. What I see halfway across the tar stops my heart!
Standing about 20 feet in front of Ranger and I is none other than Joe Morelli and a woman I am assuming is Robin Russell. Joe is holding Steph in front of him, over-powering her with one arm clamped around her waist. She has absolute fire in her eyes. Russell is holding my Baby-girl in the same position, both with glocks trained on their foreheads.
"Officer Russell please you don't want to do this. Pen has done nothing to you to make you treat her this way. We'll get you all the help you need. Just... please ... let Ms. Garcia go." I try to reason with her.
I see Officer Russell look over to Morelli. He glares at her and shakes his head "no". It seems like she is seeking his approval. I begin to see that she will do anything for him. Even kill or be killed.
I then realize what I have to do, she's not giving up. I have no problem with this outcome either. They took my Baby-girl and Steph, they deserve it. I look up and into Pen's eyes to get her attention. She looks back at me with eyes full of fear. I try to tell her with my mind what I need her to do. I quickly jerk my head downward and at the same time point down fast with my gun. I see the immediate recognition in her eyes and the nod of her head that she understands.
Pen slumps forward in Russell's arms looking like she has passed out. I take the opening she has given to put a bullet in Russell's forehead. She drops to the rooftop, dead.
I then turn my attention to Ranger and his gun that is trained on Morelli. Morelli actually has a smile on his face as he taunts.
"I didn't need her anymore anyway. I have all I want right here in my arms."
"Give it up Morelli. You will never win. You actually think I will let you walk away from here with Steph. Keep it up and the only way you will leave is in a body bag!" Ranger screams.
I see Tank approaching the air conditioning unit behind them, trying to sneak up from the rear. Then Joe starts his ranting again.
"Fuck you, Manoso! You have always been a thorn in my side. Why do you think I'm on this roof? I'm waiting for my friend to pick us up with his chopper."
It's then when I realize I have been hearing the sound of a chopper, getting closer. At this same moment Steph starts to struggle in Morelli's arms. She is kicking out with her feet and legs in complete "Rhino mode". I barely hear Ranger's voice in my ear saying, "take it". As she stomps down on Morelli's sneaker-clad foot, she also bites down on the hand holding his weapon. It is the opportunity that we need. But before we have a chance to move in, I see Morelli's head jerk back as a bullet hole appears in the middle of his forehead.
As he falls dead to the floor, Steph runs over and into Ranger's awaiting arms. Knowing that she is safe now, I make my way over to Pen.
"Baby-girl are you OK?" I ask her.
Her eyelids finally open then she looks up at me and asks me timidly.
"Is it over? Is Steph OK? I'm fine Hot Stuff. I was playing possum so you and the team could work and do your thing."
"Everyone is fine mama. Let's get you up and out of here." I tell her.
I pull Pen up into my arms and hug her tight. We make our way over to where Ranger and Steph are standing in each other's arms.
"Hey man, everything good? Steph are you alright?" I ask.
Steph nods her head against Ranger's chest, as Ranger explains.
"She's OK overall, just coming down from the adrenaline rush. I'll get Bobby to give her a full exam when we get back to Rangeman."
"So what happened with Morelli? Your gun was never fired." I say.
Ranger looks over to me and says one word. "Ram".
We all slowly make our way to the stairwell, then down and out of the building. I hear Ranger through our comm links.
"It's over. Everyone head back to our Haywood home. Comms off."
I ask Ranger as we move toward the SUVs. "What did you mean when you said 'Ram' "?
"Ram took the shot, took Morelli out. He is our sniper. I had him positioned on the rooftop across the street, just in case." Ranger explains.
We all pile back into the SUVs and head back to Rangeman. Once we arrive Ranger announces to everyone.
"Case close meeting in the conference room 08:00 tomorrow. Everyone get some rest. We have all had a rough day."
I totally agree. I have not let go of Pen since we left the rooftop. She is still snuggled tightly in my arms. I think she is finally starting to calm down from all the excitement of the day. I kiss her head tenderly as I begin to speak.
"Baby-girl, we need to talk ... "
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A/N : Well that's it, the grand finale. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as Manda and I enjoyed writing it for you. We still have two chapters left tho, we each are still doing our closing epilogues for each team. Please still review and let us know what you think. Rain (Jackie)