"Often, what people don't say tell you more about the nature of their insecurities than what they do say."― Wayne Gerard Trotman
Chris stared out the conference room window over looking the bullpen. Nefertiti was talking with Mikaela and Kuro, the three women laughing.
"Hey, Ryuga?" Chris asked the snowy haired man. Said man was focused on a file in front of him, writing a few things on a sheet of paper.
"Yeah, what?" Ryuga asked, gruffly.
"What's it like, being a dad?"
Ryuga stopped writing. He glanced up, amber eyes watching Chris, who was still staring out the window. One of the reasons he was so tired was that Mikaela had kept him more than half the night talking about Nefertiti's pregnancy.
To say he had a headache would've been an understatement.
Ryuga sighed and sat back in his chair, "You're worried you're not gonna be a good enough dad."
Chris shrugged, "Do you blame me?"
Ryuga sighed again, and leaned up, crossing his arms over the table to stare at Chris, "Listen, I'm not the psychologist Mikaela is, but I can tell you, with as worried as you get over Nefertiti whenever she's in trouble or hurt, you'll be twice as worried when it comes to your kid. And I also know, you'll be like a hero to your kid too. It's just you."
Chris laughed, once, "Yeah, you're right. Hard to believe, but you're right."
Ryuga smirked, watching as Chris walked out of the room. Suddenly, he blinked in realization.
"Hey, what do you mean, 'it's hard to believe'?!"
"Guys." Kuro burst into the room a few hours later, "You're not gonna believe this."
"Depends. A lot has happened in the last few weeks." Bao said.
"Well, trust me, you won't believe this."
"What is it?"
"Alyssa Dawn was just admitted to the hospital- complete victim of Monroe's MO."
"When you say complete MO, do you mean that-" Wales cut off as the SUV screeched to a halt outside the hospital.
"She was dropped off in the middle of an anuerism. They barely managed to save her." Kuro said, barely cutting the engine before jumping out of the driver's seat.
"What's the rush?!" Bao exclaimed.
"This is Alyssa- she has a habit of disappearing into thin air before we have a chance to grab her!" Kuro shouted over her shoulder, disappearing into the hospital before anyone could stop her.
Kuro paced up and down the hallway, growling to herself. Mei- Mei had said that Alyssa was in surgery, for an open heart surgery to repair the rupture in her heart.
And that was three hours ago.
"You do know that an open heart surgery can last up to twelve hours, right?" Nefertiti asked her sister.
Kuro glared, "Yeah, I do. And I'll stay here until she gets out."
"And they can be asleep for up to sixteen hours after the surgery." Nefertiti deadpanned, "You really plan on staying up eighteen hours straight?"
Kuro paused, before sighing, "No... I guess not."
"Kuro, we can do rotations." Mikaela said, standing up, "Ryuga and I can stay here for a few hours, and then someone else can take over."
Kuro hesitated, clearly not comfortable with the plan, but when she saw her friends and family's looks, she sighed.
"Okay fine. But-" Kuro started.
"Call you if she wakes up, I know. And put the cuffs on her so she doesn't run." Mikaela rolled her eyes, "We got this sis. You go back to the office with the others, try to find Spencer."
Kuro sighed, "Okay. Fine."
Without another word, Kuro turned and walked out of the room.
"You're quiet." Ryuga observed, watching as Mikaela filed her nails, "Why?"
Mikaela shrugged, "I'm thinking about Nefertiti and Chris." She frowned, "Why'd you say what you did this morning? 'It's hard to believe'?"
Ryuga rolled his eyes, "Chris was asking what it's like to be a dad and when I gave him some advice, he said it was hard to believe I could give some solid advice."
Mikaela raised an eyebrow, "That so?"
Ryuga nodded, "Yeah."
The two were silent for a moment.
"Hey, babe..." Mikaela said, softly, "Bringing up the topic of kids... I actually wanna talk to you about something."
Ryuga looked at his wife, "Yeah, what?"
"You remember a few years ago... We had a fight." Mikaela started, slowly, "The one about me being in the field."
"Yeah." Ryuga sighed, hanging his head, "I remember it. You had gotten hurt that day on a case."
"Well... Later that day, I started having some pretty bad stomach pains. I went to see Nefertiti, and well..." Mikaela sighed, "She said-" Mikaela breathed deep, "She said the beating I had gotten from the suspect, it... it caused me to have a miscarriage."
Ryuga looked up, shock running through his viens. He hissed, "What?!"
Mikaela looked at Ryuga, a broken look in her eyes, "Please Ryuga, don't be mad-"
"I'm not." Ryuga shook his head, "Not at you, anyways." He clenched his fists, "I'm mad at the bastard that caused it."
Mikaela blinked, "You mean... You're not mad at the fact that I pulled a Kuro and completely endangered two lives in one?"
Ryuga rolled his eyes again, "Mikaela, in the years we've been married, the only time I've actually been mad at you is..." Ryuga looked thoughtful, "Well, really, is never."
Mikaela looked relieved. She sighed, "Good."
There was a beat.
"But you can bet I'm gonna tell Kuro what you said. About you pulling a stunt like she did. And I'd bet she'll be all over you."
Mikaela glared, "Try it."
Ryuga smirked, "Watch me."
Kyoya yawned, tapping his pencil on Platina's desk to a little beat.
Tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.
A hand on his stopped his rythym. He glanced up, seeing Platina's hand on his, her eyes giving him a warning look.
"Stop, Kyoya. That's the third time I've asked you."
Kyoya sighed, "Yeah sorry."
"You know, if you want to keep your hands busy, you can help me with these files." Platina said, softly, more gently.
Kyoya shook his head, "Nah. I'd still be doing something to annoy you." He frowned, "Think I'll go down to the firing range."
Platina raised an eyebrow, "You sure? I mean, it's been a while-"
"Since I've had a gun in my hands? So what! Gives me a reason to catch up on my practice anyways." Kyoya stood and leaned over Platina's desk, placing a kiss on her forehead, "You know where to find me, anyways."
Platina sighed, but didn't say anything as Kyoya walked out of her office.
Unlike Kyoya had told Platina, he had gone upstairs, looking for a certain person.
He found him with ease.
"Hey, Chris." Kyoya said, "Care to take a walk?"
Chris blinked, "Uh... why?"
"Just to talk." Kyoya shrugged. He glanced up over Chris' shoulder, into Kuro's office. He saw his boss standing there, watching him.
Chris sighed, and looked at Nefertiti, who sat in the chair next to him, "You be okay by yourself?"
Nefertiti smiled, "Of course babe. I'll be right here when you get back."
Chris stood up, "Alright Tategami. Where we going?"
"Kyoya, what are we doing down here?" Chris asked as he and Kyoya exited the elevator and walked into the evidence lock- up.
"I want to show you something." Kyoya moved to a nearby crate, opening it up and pulling out a sniper rifle. Chris swallowed.
"What is that?" He asked, quietly.
"The rifle that shot Nefertiti, six months ago. It's also the same brand and style as the one that shot her in DC, three years ago." Kyoya replied.
"You are way out of line." Chris growled.
"Just look at it."
Chris backed away, slowly, "What the hell are you doing?"
"I used to shoot sniper rifles too, Chris. I know what you're going through. I also know that when someone you love gets hurt you'll do anything for them, but giving up what you're best at isn't the way you do it."
"Kyoya, I'm fine." Chris said.
"You're not." Kyoya shook his head, "Listen, you and I both know you're trying to act like you are. This- this is just a tool." Kyoya shook the gun a little, emphasizing, "A hunk of steel. No magical powers. And we also both know that whoever shoots the gun is not some all powerful God. Just a guy with a gun. Just like the guy we're hunting." Kyoya looked Chris in the eye, "And like every other bad guy, he's damaged goods."
Chris moistened his lips. After a moment of silence, he said, "So am I. I have too much blood on my hands. I'm just like Monroe."
"No." Kyoya said, "You're not. You and him, you're completely different. While Spencer kills for his pleasure, you kill to save people. And if you think being scarred for life is a weakness, that's okay. You think it's a weakness? Make it a strength." Kyoya held the the sniper rifle out, "Guns like these... they're a part of you. So use it."
Chris stared at Kyoya for a moment, before his gaze flickered to the gun being held out in front of him. Slowly, he reached his hand out, gripping the handguard and taking the gun from Kyoya.
"Now, what do you say we go to the firing range?" Kyoya asked, "I think we could both use some practice."
Platina blinked as she found Kuro looking out the window of the firing range look out.
"Kuro? What's up?" She asked.
"Seems your boyfriend's got Chris back on his feet." Kuro said.
"Huh?" Platina moved to stand next to Kuro, and blinked as she saw the same thing her friend was seeing.
In the firing range below, both Kyoya and Chris held the gun they were both accustomed to. Kyoya, a Glock 17, and Chris a Knight's Armament SR- 25.
"Wait... But I thought Chris didn't use sniper rifles anymore." Platina frowned, "And isn't that the gun that Monroe uses?"
Kuro nodded, "Yeah. It is. I told Kyoya that if he got the chance, to get Chris behind a sniper rifle again. Because he and Kyoya are more alike than you know."
"How?" Platina frowned.
"When they were both in the academy, they were partners. Granted, they couldn't do anything at first without wanting to kill each other, but they became good friends in the end." Kuro explained, "And when it still comes to their field tests, they're the top in their classes. No one, in the last fifteen years, has been able to beat their scores."
"That so?" Platina asked.
Kuro nodded, "Exactly." Her phone rang, and she answered, "Agent Blackheart." She paused, "Right. We'll be there in twenty."
Platina raised an eyebrow, "Alyssa out of surgery?"
Kuro shook her head, "Mass sniper shooting down town." Kuro knocked on the glass, and both Kyoya and Chris turned to look up at her, "Monroe's MO from when he was doing the sniper shootings three years ago."