Thanks again for the strong reviews!! Please keep them coming! A special shout out goes to mabelreid for helping me to develop the team's 'plan'! You're too good to me!
A/N: I have no idea what the director of the F.B.I.'s gender is, so I'm taking some creative liberty and making the director a woman. ;P
The team devised a plan that day. It took them almost four hours to devise as many contingency plans as humanly possible. Morgan gave Garcia a brush up lesson on her self defense tactics and also took her to the police firing range for a refresher as well as to verify her previous statement that she had learned how to use a firearm.
Any time they were in public the team was looking over their shoulders and being vigilant of those around them. The unease of each agent was palpable and grew as the hours progressed and day turned to night.
The team decided to call it a night and went back to the hotel in two vehicles as well as an armed escort for each car; apparently the director did not want to take any chances when it came to the team's safety…it also reflected positively on her, especially if there is a press conference if the unsub is caught.
They arrived at the hotel safely and as everyone made to enter the elevator Morgan took Garcia's arm and held her back whispering, "I want to talk to you for a minute."
Hotch entered the elevator last and held the doors open expectantly, "I just have to have a quick word with Garcia and then we'll be right up."
"Have the talk in one of your rooms."
"It will only take a minute."
"Derek—"
"We will be right up," he promised.
Hotch gave a weary sigh before nodding his head and letting the elevator doors slide close.
Penelope looked at him unenthusiastically, "What is it Derek?"
"I just wanted to promise you that I'm going to protect you from this unsub."
"I know," she said quietly as she put her hand on the side of his face.
Morgan covered her hand with his, turned his face and kissed her palm. He closed his eyes for a long moment, relishing her touch and when he opened them they were filled with fury once again, "This isn't right! It should be me risking my life, not you!"
"We aren't going to go over this again."
"Why not?" he snapped.
"Derek," she warned a she looked around and saw people looking at them due to Morgan's raised voice, "People are staring."
"I don't care! Let them stare!"
"Let's go outside," she said as she took his hand and directed him outside the hotel. Once out in the cool evening air she released his hand and turned to him, "You need to calm down."
"I can't! I just got you into my life and now I might lose you!"
"The team will protect me."
"We'll try our best, but there aren't any guarantees!"
"This isn't helping, Derek. I'm trying really hard to be brave and this is just making it harder," she cried out as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"I know this isn't helping, but this should be me!"
"Derek," she warned as his words began to grate on her already raw nerves like coarse sandpaper.
"No Penelope! You aren't ready for this!"
"I'm not ready for this?! Do you really have that little faith in me?"
"It's not about faith, it's about skill and training. You aren't prepared!"
"Don't tell me what I'm prepared for!" she shouted as his words stung white hot pain in her heart.
"You can't do this!" He hollered back.
"You can't stop me! I'm doing this! I'm doing it for JJ and Spencer and their poor baby!"
"You're letting this situation cloud your judgment!"
"Exactly! And the moment I stop letting these types of situations bother me is the time I need to quit my job!"
"You aren't listening to me!"
"No! You aren't listening to me!" She turned her back on him so he wouldn't be able to see the unrestrained tears coursing down her face.
"Pen," he whispered as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" she screamed as she spun on him, "Don't ever touch me again!" She turned her back on his and began to run.
"Penelope!" He called out as he ran to her side.
"Leave me alone! I can't even stand to look at you right now!"
Her words froze Morgan mid stride, his feet seemed rooted in place, "You can't go!" He screamed at her retreating form, "The unsub is still out there and you're giving him a chance to take you too!"
She stopped in her tracks for a moment due to the pain in his voice, "Let him come and get me. Maybe it would be better then to have to deal with this pain. I can't make it stop Derek, these thoughts of mine just keep whirling in my mind and I can't take it anymore!"
Garcia began to run again and Derek sunk to his knees as a strangled sob escaped his lips, "No!" he whispered.
Garcia ran until her lungs were on fire and she thought they were going to burst. She stopped and looked around the alien city and her eyes came to rest on a large church three blocks away. She forced her legs to move and she began to run again. Penelope jogged up the cracked cement stairs, pushed past a heavy oak door and stumbled into the dimly lit building. She was greeted by the smell of candles and wood; she slowly walked up the carpeted middle aisle and sat down at the end of the first pew. She lowered the kneeler, got to her knees, folded her hands and rested her forehead on them.
Penelope prayed the hardest she had ever prayed in her life. She prayed for the team, for JJ, Spencer, Derek, the Reid baby, patience, forgiveness, courage; she prayed for a long time before she sat back and put her head into her hands. She didn't even hear the whispering of shoes on the carpeted aisle, she didn't notice the man standing in the pale light staring at her and he didn't perceive the shake of his head. In fact, the only reason she became aware of him was when he sat down beside her.
Penelope visibly jumped, "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was here."
"That's okay," soothed the stranger.
Garcia scrutinized the mystery man's side profile in the faint light; her heart skipped a beat then began to race as she recognized this man from the sketch she had put together for JJ; she recognized the cold, ice blue eyes and the menace in them. Oh no! Maybe he doesn't know who I am. May be I can just get up and walk away.
She cleared her throat and began to stand when the man put a hand on her forearm, "I'm just leaving," she whispered as she tried to remove her arm from his hand, but his grip tightened until she cried out.
"I love the peace and serenity of our Lord's house, don't you?"
Garcia's eyes were racing around the room looking for the nearest exit I'm such an idiot! I should have brought Emily with me! I should have— Garcia's mental tirade was cut short when the unsub grabbed her hair and yanked her head back, "I asked you a question!" he screamed into her ear as he shoved a revolver to the side of her head.
"Y-yes! I l-lo-love the serenity here!" she stammered uncertainly.
The unsub cocked his head to the side, "Yes Lord."
Garcia frowned until the man painfully dragged her from the pew by her hair, "You think you're so smart don't you?"
"No!"
"Yes, you do! Don't lie to me! You took my protégé and left me alone! Now I'm going to make each and every member of your team suffer! First that pregnant whore who exposed us! Then that kid who outwitted Timmy, who did he think he was?! Now I'm going to make you pay and your team will pay through you and your pain!"
Garcia looked around the empty building praying to hear the words, 'Freeze! F.B.I.!', but it was to no avail. Where are you Derek?!
Derek waited on the pavement for a few minutes eat our heart out you sick bastard! He pulled himself to his feet and made a show of staggering into the building. He rode the elevator up one floor before exiting and running into the stairwell and down the flight of stairs. The team was waiting at the bottom and Hotch handed Derek his Kevlar vest, "How did it go?"
Derek strapped the vest on, "It went. Let's move! Who has eyes on Garcia?" He shouted into his radio as the team ran from the kitchen doors and into the waiting SUV's.
A female voice crackled over the airwaves, "She just entered the church. No one has come or left since we arrived except Penelope Garcia."
The SUV rocketed away from the curb with a screech from the tires. They drove the ten blocks to the church, shutting off the flashing lights and silencing their sirens as they drew near. They waited in the vehicles for a few minutes, "Maybe this isn't going to work," stated Emily. "He may not have seen Derek and Penelope's performance."
"No, he saw it," came Gideon's voice from the front passenger side.
"Let's hope he did."
The team waited and surveyed the grounds, but no one entered the church. In fact, the street was deserted and quiet. It was beginning to wear on Derek's nerves, "I don't like this. It's too quiet!"
"He'll come," affirmed Hotch although he wasn't nearly as sure as his voice.
More time slithered by, "Do we have a visual of Garcia?" Derek asked into his radio.
"Negative on the north side of the building."
"Negative on the south side."
"Negative on the east."
"Shit. This isn't good."
Hotch thought for a moment, but he knew in his gut, "I don't like this, it's been too long. Let's move in!"
The command was radioed out to all the units and they made their unified entrance.
Garcia was pulled to a wall with wooden paneling in the basement and the unsub pulled out a hidden door, "I bet you didn't know that the church had this door here. It's actually rather handy for entering and exiting without anyone noticing." Shit!
As she was pulled through the hidden doorway she heard running footsteps pounding overhead and radios crackling they're here!
"Penelope?" Derek called out as he ran up the middle aisle, his heart rate rising with every step that he couldn't see her.
Penelope heard Derek call her name and her heart fluttered despite the dire situation.
Morgan saw Penelope's lime green purse with its contents spilled on the first pew, "Baby girl? Answer me! Where are you?!"
"Derek!" she screamed as the unsub cracked the butt of the revolver on the base of her neck and she fell into darkness.
Derek froze in his place, "Shut up!" he bellowed and listened intently. I could have sworn I heard her call my name! Everyone stood stalk still and listened.
An elderly, burly priest entered the room, saw the federal and local agents and clenched his fists, "This is a house of God! Whatever you are doing here will cease this moment! Your weapons are not welcome here!"
Hotch faced the man, "I understand your position Father and I wouldn't have allowed this to happen under ordinary circumstances, but one of our agents is missing and there is a very dangerous man here. We believe that he may have taken her, is there any way out of here that we don't know about?"
The priest studied the man as an older Caucasian man, a younger Caucasian woman and an African American male gathered around. He saw their weary, fear filled eyes and recognized that this was not only a colleague, but a dear friend of theirs, "Not that I can thi—wait a minute." The man thought for a moment before hustling away, "Follow me!"
He led the team to the rectory then to his personal office, he hastily opened a filing cabinet and rifled through the contents, "Here!" He spread out an architectural scroll and studied it for a moment. The small room was even more crowded as the team bumped and jostled each other in order to get a better view of the drawing. "This is it! There should be a door here," he said while pointing to a section of wall in the basement of the building, "but I haven't seen anything when I'm down there. It was probably built over or sealed after the war. It was used for—"
"Father!" Derek snapped, "There is a woman's life at risk. I'm sorry, but can we please skip the history lesson? Where does that door lead to?"
"Of course young man, that door leads to an underground tunnel, but I don't know where it goes. There have been rumours, but nothing substantial."
"Let's go!" Hotch called as the team rushed from the room. Hotch turned, "Thank you Father. I apologize for the intrusion and I will be back to explain it to you in greater detail when I know my agent is safe." He left the room at a run to catch up with the team.
Everyone was waiting for instruction and Derek was chomping at the bit. Hotch ran into the room, "There's a tunnel in the basement, but the parish priest doesn't know where it leads. I want three officers to remain up here, four agents to take the perimeter and the rest of us will go into the passage way."
The assignment agents and officers went to their designated locations and waited to hear from the group that went into the basement.
The unsub dragged Garcia through the darkened, musky passageway. It was pitch black, but he knew this area like the back of his hand. He picked up his pace that stupid bitch! How dare she call out to her 'friends'?! Now they will know about my passageway! I'm going to have to make her pay! He paused for a brief moment, Yes Lord, he answered in his mind, I know what I have to do and I will do it because You wish it to be done. She will not get away with this sin! He came to the end of the passageway, opened the door and looked out onto the street. It had begun to drizzle which made it quiet and fairly deserted, in other words, it was perfect. He picked up the unconscious woman and dropped her into the trunk of his waiting car before entering the driver's side, starting the engine and driving away into the night.
The team arrived in the church's basement and saw the gaping entrance into the ominous looking tunnel. Derek removed his flashlight and braced his gun on top of the hand holding the source of illumination, "Ready?"
"Go!" Hotch commanded.
They entered the tunnel that was completely devoid of light and made quick work oh running through it, coming out onto the street. Derek dropped to one knee and motioned to the fairly dry patch of asphalt, "He has a car."
Hotch nodded, pulled his cell phone from his pocket and strode away.
Derek stood and holstered his service weapon along with his flashlight, trying his best not to punch something. Emily appeared at his left, "We'll find her."
"You don't know that."
"I have faith."
"I don't."
"You'll have to take my word on it then."
"I'll believe you when we find Penelope and this bastard is dead or in custody."
Another chapter finished. What did you think? Should the team find Garcia before the unsub hurts (or possibly even kills) her? Did you like the 'plan'? The more feedback the better! Thanks for taking the time to read (and hopefully) review!
FeistyFeral