So, I may have lied to you last upload... I got this done sooner than expected because I'm working on another one, and I'm trying to get its first chapter up on October 12 (it'd be awesome if you got the reference... Jsayin...). Anyway, I'd like to thank my seventh period study hall today for forcing me to whip out my trusty little iPod and start this, and my parents for leaving me alone long enough for me to finish it about half an hour ago. This one jumps to a lot of different places, but next chapter it will hopefully come together. I can't garuntee when the next chapter will be up because I myself can never predict how long a chapter will take me to write. Hopefully by the Sunday after next? Thought I'd suprise you today. Did I? Love everyone who reads this! - Taylorr! xx
Disclaimer: So, it's not mine. Whaa? You wanna fight a'bot it?
Justin couldn't feel his feet even touch the ground as he sprinted down the pavement. It had been too late for him to get Holly, so he had instead yelled to his dad, who never answered, and run to her house to tell her aunt. He'd never thought he could run that fast, even when he was in better shape; he just hoped it would be fast enough so that he could at least wait until he was there to break down in an asthma attack.
The first thing he saw as he rounded Clark Street was the dark SUV parked in the Kingston driveway; it had to be her aunt's. He slowed as he crossed the yard before he began to pound on the door. "Help! Help!" he shouted.
Within a minute a thirty-something, blonde woman appeared, a concerned look creasing her otherwise attractive face. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but he shook his head, desperately gasping for air. "Holly... Taken... Aedon... Robert... Quick," he choked out between wheezes.
It took a second for her to soak in what he was trying to tell her, but when it did, she looked as if she would have a heart attack. "Come in and get some water," she instructed in an urgent tone. He obliged, and the door was shut swiftly behind him.
JJ left the room after handing the kid some water. She whipped out her cell phone and punched the keys so fast, her thumbs turned into a blur. There was a click signaling someone picked up. "Hotch! It's JJ. Holly's been taken," she rushed. "It was Robert and Aedon all along. This kid saw it happen. We need to get Garcia on this right now."
She heard muffled voices in the background. "JJ, do you know who the agents are on guard right now?" he asked.
"No, I have no idea. Honestly, I didn't think anyone was."
He grunted, agitated now. "Stay right where you are and don't let the kid leave. He's our only witness and we might get something out of him we don't all ready know."
"Okay, I'm at the house. And Hotch? She called right before she was taken. She tried to tell me, but they must have smashed her phone."
"Don't get yourself worked up about this. We'll get her back." With that said, both ends hung up. Again JJ found herself punching in more numbers, only this time, she was sent to voicemail.
"Hey, it's Emily; here comes the beep- leave a nice message."
"Emily, it's Jayje. I know your with your mom and everything, but I really think you need to hear this. Bethany's been taken. Don't start panicking yet; the team is on their way and we know exactly who it is. Trouble is that we don't know where they went. Anyway, I'm sorry I had to drag you down like this. Call when you can."
Robert and Aedon had disappeared awhile ago, after playing around with the knives. They left her with slits on her biceps as well as mid-thigh. Her shirt had been ripped around the ribcage, blade splitting the skin underneath. She had winced and given slight grunts, but not given them anything to get off on. Menace had lived up to his name and given Aedon a run for his money. It took him literally sitting on top of him to get the dog from ripping him apart.
She was now slumped against the wall, carefully trying to get the painful wrist ties off. Menace had gashes over his shoulders from taking a few blows, but was bravely sitting tall beside her, jaw tight and ears perked. She gently patted his back, pulling herself to sit upright. "Hey, buddy," she muttered. "I'll be all right. Keep your ass outta trouble, will you?"
The door burst open, Rob stepping in first, Aedon flanking him. They said nothing, and the door slammed shut. "What's up, fellas?" she asked with a mock sense of interest.
"Shut up now."
"So, tell me, did you kill your wife, too?" She knew full well she was pushing her luck, but being as impulsive as she was, she just couldn't stop herself.
Aedon gave her a death glare, Robert all but choked her. "On ya' feet," he barked. "Now."
"Okay, pushy," she muttered, using the wall to stand up.
"Turn so you're facing the wall." She reluctantly did so, glancing down at the statue of Menace. He was waiting for her order now. "Take a step back."
As she did, she let her eyes travel to Aedon. He had the same look on his face as before. She shot him an annoyed, disapproving expression before shutting her eyes for a second. "What're you gonna do?" she bit.
There was a short chortle behind her. "Whatever it takes to get what I want." She felt the tip of his blade rest on the middle of her spine. "Now, are you ready to tell me where your darling mother is?"
"No."
She felt a - no pun intended - stabbing pain along her spine, and bit back a scream. "How about now?"
"No."
She was roughly spun around, disorienting her enough that she couldn't see the blade heading straight for her gut. That was the one that finally caused her to yelp. It wasn't deep enough to pierce any vital organs, but was in a really sensitive area. "I'm giving you one more chance," he growled as he tore the knife back.
"I-I don't know," she lied. "She just took off. Next thing I know, my aunt Jenn is there."
He tutted with his tongue. "How very irresponsible. Worry not, child, we will find her and bring her here as well. It's just a matter of time. In the mean time, if you behave yourself, you get your hands back."
She grunted as the ties were cut with the bloody knife. Aedon was holding off the dog as he stood, but Menace once again lived up to his name and got loose. He snarled and snapped his jaws at the boy before charging him with every intention of ripping his head off. In the blink of an eye, he withdrew a gun from the back waistline of his jeans, and pulled the trigger with it pointed right at him. The large shepherd was hit square in the chest, and his limp body fell back to earth, a piercing scream escaping the girl's lips. With a smug smile, he pocketed the gun, and they exited without another word.
Nearly three hours after JJ's frantic phone call the rest of the BAU, save for Emily, arrived at the house, all wearing matching expressions of anxiety. Justin, who had been sitting at the kitchen table, starring at his empty glass of water, jumped as the door banged open. Penelope, who had tagged along, ran and threw her arms around JJ. Hotch and Rossi were more subdued, and simply entered the kitchen without a sound. Morgan and Reid carried in Garcia's equipment and placed it in the living room.
The boy looked up at the two older men now sitting across from them. He looked confused. "Are you the cops?" he asked.
"No, actually Justin, we're the FBI."
"FBI? Why are you here?"
Rossi shifted in his chair. "We came here to catch a killer. Mrs. Kingston is actually one of our team members, she and Holly went undercover for us to try and lure them out," he explained slowly.
"So Holly... That's not her real name?"
"No, actually it's Bethany."
Hotch folded his hands on the table. "Look, Justin, we need you to tell us exactly what you saw."
"Well, it was dark, but she was under a street light. She stopped and was on the phone, probably with... Whoever that blonde woman is. Aedon came out of the house, grabbed her and shoved her into his dad's van. His dad grabbed Menace, and they just drove off. When they grabbed her though, I think she saw me. She kept mouthing 'help'. I was too late to save her, but I knew I had to tell someone. My dad was drunk out of his mind, so I ran all the way here."
"And that's it?"
"What about the sister? Bethany mentioned to agent Prentiss that he had a sister."
"Kalli? Last I knew her dad sent her to stay with her friend's in Richmond for the week. Wait, so you're saying that Aedon and his old man are the ones killing all those women?" he asked, just putting two and two together.
The men stood together. Rossi nodded, grimly. "Afraid so."
Justin put his head in his hands, and they left the room. Hotch flew into the living room where Derek was bein bossed around by Garcia in attempts to assist her in setting up her various necessary electronics. Both heads snapped up as they entered, the redhead's eyes filled with concern. "Anything?"
"From what he says, JJ was right; she did try to tell us, but they smashed her phone. She got thrown into a van and they drove off. He said the sister is at a friend's in Richmond."
"Garcia, can you find out the plate number and try to track it down?" Hotch asked, but it sounded more of a statement.
"I'm your girl."
Bethany had lost track of time. After Menace had been shot, every second seemed to drag on for hours. Having her hands freed, she had stroked his blood stained coat and said her final goodbyes before sliding along the wall to the far side of the room. She saw where her blood had begun to pool where she was sitting, as well as the smears now on the wall, but she ignored the pain and tried again to stay strong. Her body had taken a beating, but she knew it wasn't even half over.
In attempt to keep her mind off the pain, she began to pray. It was something she had done since she was a little girl, but hadn't truly made a plea to God since she was diagnosed with cancer. She begged for Prentiss to be safe, as well as the team, said the Lord's prayer, gone through the whole 'if I die before I wake...' shebang, then rambled off other things she could think of, neglecting to ask for her life. She figured it was her time, after having overcome so much. Hell, she knew she wasn't invincible, and being taken down by a serial killer basically guaranteed her name would not soon be forgotten. However, she never really wanted the fame or recognition, but to never be forgotten by those she loved.
What a sap, she thought to herself, shifting to be more comfortable.
There's only so much you can see in the world before your time is up.
Okay, I know I'm fairly pessimistic, but this is ridiculous. 'What if's' are done.
Emily Prentiss was delighted with the news that her mother was almost fully recovered. The stroke had been so small, she hadn't needed extensive care. She was back to her old self- inquiring about her personal life, bringing back "the old days", and whining and complaining about needing to get back to work. Lucky for her daughter, she had enough evasive skills to not answer any personal questions just yet.
On Saturday morning, however, Elizabeth Prentiss had taken a sudden nose dive for the worse. Doctors and nurses had buzzed around the room for hours before she decided to step out of the building to check her phone for the first time since Friday afternoon. She didn't put it past Bethany to leave a few text messages. Outside, she sat on a metallic green bench and pulled out her cell. On the screen read '1 new voicemail'. Her brow furrowed as she listened to it. A frown creased her face as the words sunk in. No-freaking-way. Was it karma or just bad luck?
She dialed JJ's number without even looking at the numbers and ran a hand through her dark hair. "JJ? It's Emily. Have you heard anything?"
"No, nothing yet, but we're getting close. We tried tracking the plate on his van, but came up with nothing. Look, don't freak out about this. We'll find her, I promise. You just take care of your mom," her friend instructed, gently.
"Okay... Thanks JJ. Call me as soon as you hear anything."
"Will do."
If you hate me, I completely understand... I didn't want Menace to die either. He was such a good boy... *sniffle* Ha, anyway. Hope you enjoyed it.
