Chloe stares at the Manning house. It is 3 a.m. but she is sure she just saw movement in the living room. She changes her vantage point slightly and sees it again. There is definitely someone moving around in there. Perhaps Manning keeps the lights off to save on his electric bill.
She makes her way into the neighbors yard and out to his shed. He is working on an addition to it so she is sure that's where she will find his nail gun. She hopes the idiot remembered to charge the battery.
She crawls into the shed by pulling an AC unit out of the back window. She finds the nail gun and, to her happy surprise, two batteries for it fully charged. She slips them into the backpack she carries. She loads a strip of nails into the gun then puts the rest in her backpack.
She looks over Manning's tool bench until she finds the two tools she needs to disable the safety. Now she would be able to shoot without having to press down on the gun. It is now more a firearm than a tool. She smiles malevolently. It is perfect.
Staring out the kitchen window, JJ squints. Did she just see movement behind the shed? She moves closer to the window. She can't be sure but she raises her wrist mike.
"Morgan, I think I just saw someone out by the shed."
"Keep your eyes on that area. If she wants to use his tool to kill him that's where she would look for it."
"I know. I…shit, yeah, someone's out there."
"Coming to you."
Morgan makes his way to the kitchen, staying out of the moonlight that filters into the windows. He steps up beside JJ.
"Where am I—never mind."
They both watch as a figure makes their way from the shed to the neighbor's yard. They are confused.
"Maybe we're just witnessing someone robbing Manning," JJ guesses.
"Maybe."
Morgan moves around, trying to get a view of the neighbor's yard. He can't find the figure they had seen. He gets back to the front window and eases up to the curtain, staring out at the street. He lifts his mike.
"I'm not seeing-UNGH!"
His voice cuts off as glass breaks. JJ races to the front room to see Morgan dropping to his knees. "MORGAN!"
"GET DOWN!"
JJ drops to the ground as nails are shot through the glass with enough force to embed in the wall JJ had been in front of.
"Holy SHIT!"
She crawls towards the window and eases up enough to look out. She sees a figure clad in black racing up the street, the bright orange tool in their hands.
"Morgan?" JJ questions.
"I'm…good…go…" he grunts.
JJ nods and races out of the house, her firearm at the ready. She hears the unmistakable sound of a SUV starting around the corner and pushes herself to run faster. As she turns the corner she sees taillights racing down the street.
"SHIT!"
She pulls out her phone. "HOTCH! She was here but got away. Morgan's hurt. Get an ambulance here and tell Reid and Rossi to watch out. Send a patrol car to get Manning into protective custody."
Hotch had heard the anger in JJ's voice. "I'm on it. How bad is Morgan?"
"Don't know. Shit, Hotch, I got him shot again. FUCK ME!"
She hangs up and races back to the house. She sees Manning putting pressure on a wound in Morgan's arm.
"Oh fuck, Morgan, I'm so sorry. Shit."
"JJ, this isn't your fault. Hurts like a motherfucker but it's not your fault. I should have known better than to approach the window when she was armed with that kind of nail gun. It's powerful and the nails are long. Just hurts like hell that she got two into me." He grabs her hand and stares into her eyes. "This is NOT. Your. Fault!"
JJ slowly nods but he still sees the fear and self-recrimination in her eyes. He knows it will be there until Baker is caught and the nails are removed from his arm.
Hotch looks at Emily. "I'll meet Morgan and JJ at the hospital. Stay here and monitor the police radio. Let me know if they find her."
Emily nods. "Will do. And, Hotch, she won't believe it's not her fault. Not after what happened in that warehouse."
He nods. "I know. Morgan and I will work on her. Promise."
Emily lets out the breath she'd been holding and starts to pace. Somehow Baker had been a step ahead of them.
Out in the parking lot, Hotch is jogging towards his SUV when a nail hits his thigh.
"SHIT!" He grunts as he goes to the ground. He grabs at his gun but a nail hits his hand, the pain paralyzing it temporarily.
Baker slowly walks up to him. "You should have been nicer to the women agents, you bastard."
He grimaces. "And you should have realized you were being set up, you freak," he counters.
Her eyes widen. She fires once more, the nail going into his chest. He drops the rest of the way to the ground…and doesn't move.
She stares at him. It was a set-up. That pregnant bitch was in on it. She looks up at the police precinct.
"She's just as bad as this fuck. I'll teach her a lesson she won't soon forget."
Chloe shifts her backpack so it's in front of her. She tucks the nail gun behind it and heads inside to confront Emily Prentiss.