Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds
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As the turn of events happened and the insane thought was spilt the decision to get to the safety of bureau was unanimous. There they could reassess everything, that they knew and didn't know. Although once they were there, there was nothing else they could do but question, they needed more to go on and one note and a tape could only justify that Penelope's claim that Chase McClusky was alive or at least someone decided it was a good joke to resurrect the idea that he was alive.
It was turning 7 that night and they realised they had just spent their free day sitting around a table trying to decide the poignant effects of Penelope's post. Hotch had decided that mulling over it all consistently was not going to help anyone so everyone decided to depart and go to their respective homes. Derek who was planning on stopping at Penelope's followed through with that plan. He took her home while everyone else dispersed with the decision to carry on with normal life until more things came, if there were to be any. All left with the imprint from the small section of the tape they had watched, all knowing Penelope was better than that, she thrived for life, for their lives and they didn't need to see her getting hurt to see how close she was to giving up on it. If they had continued to watch they would have questioned their life without her in it, if she had in fact taken one last breath and given up entirely. Life would be nowhere near as bearable.
For now they left with their thoughts and drove with their thoughts and that night they would sleep with their own thoughts.
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'Want shall we get in baby girl?' Derek asked as he unlocked the door and held it for Penelope to enter. He wanted to make the night as normal as possible. He didn't want Penelope to panic about things that she had no control over so he would do what he had to in order to keep her normalcy for her
'Just get some take out... it's easy, I just want to laze around seeing as I ruined your plans.'
'Hey they can go on hold for another day and have done so don't worry that pretty little head of yours.' She smiled and accepted a kiss off him.
'Oaky handsome... I'm going to go get changed.'
'You do that; I'll get the menus out.' She nodded and started to dig through the draws as soon as she got in the room, she threw some bottoms on to the bed, and a top and then got a pair of sweats and t-shirt out for Derek. 'You stuff's on the bed hot stuff.' She got no response. She put the top she had in her hand on the draw and walked out, Derek was on the floor obviously in the throes of a consciousness and otherwise, her eyes darted to an all too familiar figure in her front room.
'Well well well Penelope Garcia we meet again.' Penelope's eyes widened and she gasped as she felt someone grab her from behind. 'Why do you look so scared?' She remained silent. 'Now I currently have 5 others going to get those lovely people that were here earlier and we are going to have a long chat about things.' She was about to scream when a hand pushed tight to her lips and she felt the familiar feel of a needle as it penetrated her skin. 'Half the amount of the others.' He said and smiled and then watched Penelope collapse with paralysing state of consciousness into the unknown assailant holding her.
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Whatever she was injected with made it hard for to keep a grip on reality, she knew the feeling, everything was so familiar to her. It was him, it was the drug, it was the past. This time though when she woke up she was aware of near surroundings, she was completely aware of a familiar dank claustrophobic feel she had from the 4 walls. She shook her head, and realised she was on the floor, her legs bound together, her hands behind her back, a gag in her mouth, when she looked up she felt her heart drop. On 6 chairs were the rest of the team, none awake, none aware of what she had dragged them into. She felt the tears prick in the corner of her eyes and couldn't help but let them fall, she had got them involved in this and now she had no idea what fate she had led them to.
Hotch shifted slightly, and her attention shot to it, she watched, praying he wouldn't look at her with blame but as his head lifted and his eyes focused, they filled with worry. He wanted to say so much but couldn't due to being gagged as well, he shook his head with intent to clear it of the druggy haze, he looked to his left, Reid and JJ still under, he then looked to his right, Derek, Emily and Rossi all gagged, Derek and Rossi seemed to be coming to. He looked at Penelope whose head was against the wall as she cried, and he knew right then and there that the writer of the letter was the person behind this. He felt Derek's body stiffen next to him as his mind caught up and his eyes opened. He looked at his trusted colleague and saw the confusion, he then waited for him to lift his head up and as he did he saw the expression and anger he knew would come.
Penelope had sucked in her tears, she knew she couldn't break down right there in reality; she could break down later, if there was a later. For now she diverted eye contact as all 6 members of the team desperately tried to get her to look at them, they all knew she was in the middle of an inner battle of self- regret, self-hatred and self-blame, none of them thought that at all. Well she finally did look at them they all saw the apology she was sending them. They now all knew that she knew who it was, it was a dead man walking.
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a/n: Okay so I know it's short but I know where it's going and I'm balancing this in with revision so my fickle brain is a little panicked at the work overload it actually has to do for once!
But let me know! But I hope you're enjoying! =)