Hey Everyone!
AND I'M BACK AGAIN! EARLY! Well, I did say next month, and we're in a new month, so... HERE YA GO! Let's keep the ball rolling as best as we can! I hope you've all been well these past few weeks, staying safe and keeping distance. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, because this one... oh boy.
As always, thank you to everyone who has subscribed and put this story on their favourites. To get that notification ALWAYS puts a smile on my face, and gives me the drive to work on this story more and more!
To my oh so LOVELY reviewers: gossamermouse101, LeopardFeather, LisaPark, sonnetStar, Rubyia mercigirl01, OneWhoReadsTooMuch, zikashigaku, and LoveFiction2020, you all are rockstars. I'm so happy to see you all take the time to leave your thoughts and your emotions and your overall "I'MNOTPANICKING" phrases that make my heart sing. Thank you for making my days that much brighter.
OKAY I'LL SHUT UP HERE WE GO!
ENJOY!
P.S. I don't own anything Criminal Minds
"Whose turn… is it next?"
Emily had only seen pictures of Bennett, not being able to get a full look of how the man appeared to be. People said he was intimidating, but Prentiss had gone against one of the most intimidating men registered in the system. But this had been a man that had not been in the system, and he definitely wasn't Doyle. He was a ghost, a rumor associated with venom should anyone dare to come across Sir Noah Alexander Bennett. Even when she was receiving notifications from Quantico that there had been an investigation notice on Bennett, via Penelope and Reid putting out an investigation, she knew her family was in for trouble.
She did everything she could on her end to stop that investigation from going through. Interpol was aware of Bennett's behaviour, but due to the nature of his work (via a lack of evidence to bring forth a conviction, or to even remove him from office), the intelligence agency was not able to stop Bennet from wreaking havoc. But Spencer kept digging, even after she told him not to, and when Emily received a message from her contacts that Bennett acquired several new assault weapons and other military devices, she hopped on a plane straight back to her friends to tell Spencer to listen and to stop investigating.
However, her plan completely changed the moment she was stateside. When she landed, there had been a voicemail from a number she didn't recognize. But the voice was familiar. It was the professor with pink hair she had been introduced to weeks prior, who seemed to outsmart the smartest person Emily knew. She finally allowed herself to read Bennett's file, and Lou's name did appear, among the multiple reports on concerning behaviour on Bennett's part when trying to get in touch with Professor Richardson, which caused him to be reassigned away from Lou.
To hear that voice on the other line, how uncertain yet desperate she was to find help from a monster to which even Emily feared… There was nothing that was stopping Emily from leaving Lou's side, considering the professor had knowledge on an international assassin that wanted her dead, or worse. Emily was in the same position not too long ago. She would have wished for anything she had someone along side with her when she faced Doyle. She wished she didn't go off on her own to stop Doyle, not after realizing the emotional trauma she went through, and the trust she had to rebuild with her friends. Prentiss was more than eager to help Lou then, when she asked, because Lou was in the same position she had been in, and Lou was asking for help, and Emily wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she said no.
But at what cost was her help?
"Guys, where's Morgan?"
Garcia's voice came on the comm, snapping Prentiss back.
"Anyone have eyes on Morgan?"
Emily turned to Spencer, their eyes meeting.
"Will someone answer me!"
"I… Said…"
Noah Bennett's voice brought them back.
"Whose turn… is it next?"
Garcia must have heard Bennett that time.
"…Oh that son of a bitch!"
Emily and Reid had been beside each other frozen for a moment.
But JJ?
Jennifer Jareau had been calculating this moment from when Lou vanished.
Hell, if she was being honest, it was when she first heard his name.
But she made the decision, back when she was sitting in the bullpen, thinking of when a good opportunity was to get back at Bennett, and to get Lou back, was the exact moment she decided that if she had a shot to kill Bennett, she was going to take it.
JJ had this very second in front of her eyes. This was the man who caused enough fear into people's lives just by his presence. This was the man who had been wreaking havoc among the BAU. This was the man who put her child's safety at risk. She knew to wait for her moment, knew the second Noah Bennett was in her presence she would have her shot. He wasn't expecting her, not when his focus had been on both Reid and Lou. She was an agent, a friend, and a protector.
But also, she was a mother.
A very pissed off mother who intended to make sure everyone she loved was safe.
"Yours," JJ stated, as matter of fact.
Her gun fired two shots rapidly, both were successful in hitting Noah Bennett in the upper torso.
All three took cover immediately, not knowing what Bennett's response would be, but knowing it would be deadly.
They all bolted out the door, with JJ and Emily heading back towards the way they came, and Spencer turned to the way Morgan had been pulled by Bennett's grappling machine.
Each of them got down the hall and turned to each other, to check if their teammates were okay.
Spencer heard faint ticking before all hell broke loose.
Before any of them could register if the other was safe, a burst of energy erupted from the room, causing Spencer to deduce there had been a small bomb placed into the grand room, with the expectation to truly harm anyone in its crosshairs.
The three of them leaving the grand dining room in the nick of time had been a coincidence Bennett was not expecting.
The flash of red and orange pulsed in front of him.
The push of heat overwhelmed him.
Spencer couldn't see.
Spencer couldn't breathe.
Spencer couldn't move.
He was flung into the air before coming down hard.
The debris from the blast of the apparent bomb had scattered, the walls and doors, and he didn't realize the force propelled him down the hall further than he intended. He attempted to look down the hallway that had once been clear but could slowly see the pile of drywall and grand doors blocking any pathway between his teammates, as well as the cloud of smoke beginning to form.
He attempted to scream out, but Spencer's intake of breath caused him to cough roughly, becoming completely discombobulated.
That's why he lures us in.
Make a note of this now.
He will always have a trap.
He coughed, feeling his lungs heavy.
"Spence!"
He could hear JJ's voice through the comms.
Coughing again, he tried his best to talk back.
"I hear him coughing, JJ," Rossi's voice confirmed for Jennifer.
"I need to hear him. Spence?"
"JJ…"
It was loud enough.
"Are you okay?" Jennifer sounded scared.
He took a quick itinerary.
Everything was moving.
Albeit in pain, but still moving.
"I'm good. You okay? Prentiss okay?"
There had been a pause.
An uncomfortable pause.
In that moment, Spencer knew what JJ was about to say.
He still hoped he was wrong.
"Emily's not moving."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"She's hit on the head. There's blood."
"Well isn't that troubling?"
Spencer couldn't see him, but he could hear him loud and clear.
The assassin's voice echoed throughout the home, being projected through loudspeakers that were hidden.
"You should probably get her to a doctor," Noah drawled. "And preferably, not one made of tin."
That's it. Enough.
I'm done playing it safe.
"You know," Spencer shouted back, coughing again to clear his throat. "I may be socially awkward, but even I know it's rude to introduce yourself into a conversation that you're not welcomed to."
"Reid, what are you doing?" Garcia was in his ear, scolding him.
"Oh?" The loud voice boomed. "Is that so? You find yourself qualified to give lessons on etiquette?"
"I work through my problems. I don't kill them."
Bennett's laugh was strong, and almost sounded genuine.
"That was funny, Reid. I'll give you that one."
"Reid, be careful."
It was Rossi cautioning him.
"You don't want to push him too quickly," the older agent advised.
"Why did you go so quiet on me, Doctor Reid?"
Spencer stood up now, gaining faculties of his body.
"Don't care to argue with me anymore?" Noah persuaded, his mechanical voice going through a speaker.
"I don't argue with children," Reid said with cheek.
"Ooh, a fake doctor and a comedian? Clearly Lou's scraping the bottom of a broken barrel."
"Report."
That time it had been Morgan's voice.
"Morgan!" Garcia cried.
"Hey Baby Girl."
"You good?" JJ asked.
Derek's voice was uncertain. "Physically okay. Disoriented."
Hotch spoke up.
"Reid, buy some time. We're sending EMTs towards Emily's location."
"You know all about being quiet, don't you, Bennett?"
Spencer had to go into taunting mode or do something in a way which would cause Noah to become distracted.
"Why, yes, I do know a lot about the inner workings of being silent." It was working, since Noah began going off, talking about himself. "I would teach you, considering even with your lack of finesse there would be some skill that could be sharpened. I learned that can be done with a very intelligent and powerful mind, such as the one Lucille has," Bennett drawled, a sick tone in his voice when he spoke of his Ellie.
"However, I despise your face, and therefore I would not consider the thought of teaching you anything except about learning a lesson in taking what is not yours."
That made Spencer snap.
"Taking what's not mine?"
"Oh yes," the evil voice echoed again. "You took Lucille."
"Elena is not a possession for you to keep."
"You will not call her that name!"
Spencer knew that was a sensitive point for him.
Elena forced Noah to call her by her preferred nickname.
Ellie gave free reign to Spencer to refer to her however he liked.
To Spencer? It meant the world that she gave him that freedom.
To Bennett?
It enraged him to know it was something that would never be given to him.
And frankly?
Bennett was jealous.
"Spence, EMTs are here." JJ kept Reid up to date. "They're helping Emily. We're getting her out, we just need more time."
"Morgan," Hotch was running point, "state your location."
"Unknown. Looking for markers."
"We've got infiltration coming in soon people." Rossi reminded the team.
"Team, keep the comms on." He could hear Penelope's rapid typing in the background as she spoke. "I'm trying to pinpoint Morgan's location with the frequencies."
Spencer smiled to himself.
He had Noah in a tight spot.
They just needed more time.
"Call who by that name?"
Spencer now had a bit of energy, walking around in his spot.
"Hm? Do you mean… Elena?"
"Reid…" Rossi warned.
The doctor ignored him.
"Or do you mean my Ellie?"
He waited for Bennett's response, but the only response he got was Bennett's laugh.
"My, my… Doctor Reid, do you think me a fool?"
It left an uneasy feeling in Reid's chest.
Had he taken an incorrect step?
"Or do you think that you are in my head?"
There had been a pause, Spencer waiting for Bennett's next move.
"The reality is… Doctor Spencer Reid… You are no where near my head."
His manic laugh reverberated throughout the house.
Suddenly, the house went quiet.
Until Bennett spoke again.
"But I'm in yours."
When Bennett spoke next however, his voice hadn't come from the hidden speakers in the house.
It came from the comms.
Bennett's laugh echoed out throughout his headset, and the loud voice in his ear enraged Spencer.
"Son of a bitch!" He heard Derek's voice.
"Stay calm! Stay on the comms!" Garcia was erratically shouting. "I can get him off, but stay on the comms!"
"Quite the vote of confidence for yourself, Miss Garcia."
It was the first time Bennett had spoken directly to Penelope.
"You haven't seen my confidence yet, asshole."
"Ooh! What an insult! Will that confidence aid you in protecting your teammate? Or finding Lou?"
Noah's comment caused the whole team to still.
"I seem to have everyone's attention. Let's play a game, I'm bored. And frankly, somehow, you are all slightly entertaining. I am making you choose between Lucille, and the agent, Derek Morgan. You can only find one or the other."
"Why?" Hotch asked.
Noah scoffed, almost offended. "Because I can!"
Spencer's hands were shaking.
Not out of fear.
Out of sheer anger.
"You know, the first time Lou tried to kill me, it wasn't as much fun as this."
Spencer had his suspicious, but to hear Bennett of all people confirm his thoughts, terrified him to no end.
"Granted, she took me by surprise, which in turn, surprised both of us, and I happened to crash my Aston Martin. So, truly, it was my mistake I had let my guard down, allowing the car accident. Oh, I miss that car."
Garcia's voice came through, monotone. "December, almost eight years ago."
"Well, someone has done their research! Correct you are. It was no ordinary car accident; she had constructed by design. It was just sheer luck that Lou's plan had backfired on her, causing her to become unconscious."
Spencer heard Bennett hum in happiness. "It's nice seeing Lou unresponsive once again. Gives me a wonderful feeling to know that she's at my mercy at any time I please."
Bennett's comment uprooted Spencer's heart.
He had Elena, and she was unconscious.
Reid lost his voice in that moment.
"You sick bastard," JJ sputtered out.
"It has taken you this long to notice? I thought someone who went from a liaison to an agent had some form of intelligence."
"Enough with the games, Bennett." Rossi commanded on his own comm.
"I couldn't agree more, Mister Rossi. Miss Garcia, back to business, as you currently have two options. You can either keep me on this line and possibly persuade me to give up Lou's location, or you can kick me off the communication line and begin to search for your teammate, Mister Derek Morgan."
Taking another breath, Noah continued.
"I will let you know however, which ever one you choose to save, I will hunt the other one."
That had shifted the dynamic of the team drastically.
Bennett hummed in laughter to himself.
"Did you think I wouldn't know you could pick up on the frequencies of each communicator? Your skills with technology almost amount to my own, but they do not surpass it. I know you'll be able to find your friend Morgan fairly quickly. The question is, will you want to? If you know that it may end Lou's life as a result?"
Spencer could hear Garcia's desperate gasp.
"What shall it be? Shall you allow me to know all your secret moves, listen in onto your every motion while you find your precious Lucille, and sacrifice Morgan's well-being for the safety of everyone else? Or will you have come all this way, just so you can have Lou killed?"
How was Garcia supposed to decide between those two evils?
"Remember, I am the only one who knows where they both are currently… Decide."
Spencer knew Garcia was looking for Morgan already. The team could manage without the communications on their line, staying absolutely quiet on the line. However, the team knew that Garcia wasn't going to sever her comms with Morgan and was currently working faster than Noah predicted to find Derek before she had to make any decisions she was forced to. Penelope would never forgive herself if she made the decision to put Derek's life above anyone else, but also she wouldn't forgive herself if she gave up on her Lucy Lou, not her best friend, not after the professor had practically given up her sanity to keep the ones she loved safe.
Spencer knew it, the team knew it, even Noah knew it, which is why he put Penelope in that position.
Penelope would never choose between her friends, and that's what Noah chose her.
So he could torture her.
In Noah's eyes, she was the weakest target.
But Spencer also knew how Morgan was, and how Morgan would always take an opportunity to enact some anarchy into the system.
Especially if that meant keeping everyone safe.
Especially his Baby Girl.
Especially his Little Lou.
"Let me make it easy," Morgan said softly into the microphone.
"No!" Spencer shouted.
"Derek!" Garcia shouted.
Everyone on the comms heard a line cut out from the system.
Morgan had ultimately made the decision to have the team look for Lou.
To sacrifice himself.
Bennett, who apparently had not been expecting that outcome, began to laugh.
"Wow! What a turn of events. Oh, you agents… you are all so damn entertaining."
Garcia sobbed softly, trying to hide her emotions from Bennett. He heard her.
"Oh come now, Penelope! Cheer up! You didn't even have to decide."
"What do you want?" Rossi shouted.
"That is an interesting question. Well, currently, what I wanted was for you to pick Mister Morgan so I could hunt Lou, but why not go for your dear Derek instead?"
The team heard Noah snap his fingers.
"You know, I know exactly what I want. I'm still going to hunt one of them down."
"Bennett, don't do this," Rossi warned, his negotiation training coming in.
"Oh but I will, and the best part is, I won't tell you who I'm choosing!"
His laugh echoed again through the comms, shrilling horridly.
"No, I lied. The best part is, I didn't tell you that I placed both of them within range of each other!"
The team was frozen in fear.
"Now, if I've learned anything from Lucille, it is always have a backup plan to your backup plan. I knew Derek Morgan would be self-sacrificing, he would do anything to protect his loved ones! And you, Penelope, oh so the same! If Morgan hadn't disconnected the communications, and had you chosen to save either one of them, you in turn would have been able to save them both, due to the fact that they most likely will run into each other soon. Unfortunately for you all, each one of you is oh so predictable, and as a result, followed my predictions. Now you have no way to find them, Miss Garcia."
Spencer had to mimic Ellie's tapping motion.
His hands were shaking too hard.
Bennett manipulated Morgan to cut his comms, knowing that Elena was with Morgan, and knowing that Garcia would have been able to pinpoint the location of the two, Bennett made sure that he had the upper hand.
He was successfully making the team weaker and weaker.
And Reid was done.
"Bennett."
"Oh? The Tinman speaks?"
"Get off the comms." Spencer's voice had his own venom spewing. "Come and face me, like you've been taunting."
"Or what?" Bennett said, humour in his voice.
Spencer had a smile of his own.
He knew what Bennett was like.
Noah was purposefully using the reference Elena had for Spencer. The doctor knew how his Ellie was with her favourite children's novel, intertwining The Wizard of Oz in her everyday life.
If Bennett was going to taunt him with that name, he might as well return the favour.
"Or you can prove Ellie right and remain the Cowardly Lion."
The silence had been deafening on the line.
To which Spencer knew that his comment cut into Noah Bennett.
Considering this was a man who always had to get a word in, his lack of words had spoken volumes.
"What will it be?" Spencer asked again.
The doctor heard a resolved sigh.
"Well, if you ask nice—"
Everyone on the comms heard another line cut out from the system.
To which Garcia let out a scream.
"There's your confidence, you douchebag!"
"Penelope," JJ tried soothing, but the tech analyst had been angry.
"Let me get my hands on him! Let me get my hands on that Noah Bennett! I don't care if people can hear me, I want it known that man is on my list! If Morgan had just given me a few more seconds… Dammit Derek! We just needed a few more seconds!"
Spencer let out a laugh without humour after hearing Garcia.
If only the universe had given me a few more seconds with Elena, I wouldn't have been here.
She wouldn't have been here.
No one would have.
We would have been at home, with Dexter, and her sugar cookies, and my books, and our Doctor Who reruns, and my cases, and her student's projects, and… and…
We would have been able to start our life.
"A few more seconds," Spencer mumbled to himself.
A few more seconds, and he would have his life back.
It caused an ache in his chest longer than he expected it to stay there.
If he only had a few more seconds to tell her he loves her.
"Team, split up."
Hotch had spoken up.
He got everyone to focus.
"Garcia's got an approximate on your locations. We now have two missing team members to recover, and we don't have enough time. Stay connected at all times. Let's bring them back."
[ + ]
Lift.
Her head had been foggy for a while now. She had never been chloroformed, but she knew that Noah must had added something else she inhaled which caused her to be sluggish. Lou knew that she was awake, but it was her mind being active. Her body had been taking a lot longer to respond. Slowly, but surely, she was gaining faculties of her body. The room she had been in was dimly lit, with the professor being thankful that she finally had some form of light. It was the only way she could see what was making the banging sound near her.
Lift your head.
It was Lou's inner voice almost willing her to get up. Her eyes were hazy, but she could see through her lashes that she was in an unused room used for storage. She couldn't pinpoint where she was, but she knew she was trapped in the room. There had been banging outside of her room, and she wondered why had there been banging outside of the room, as if someone was trying to break through a door. Noah must have locked her in the room… shouldn't he have been able to get in? Why was he making such a ruckus to get in?
Lift. Your. Head.
Her brain was a bit slow, but Lou slowly figured out that the sound she was hearing had been coming from inside the room, meaning someone had been in there with her. Someone who had been attempting to get out of the room she was in. Emily? Zion? Fear raked through Lou as she fought hard to gain consciousness. Noah capturing another person was not what she wanted. It wasn't in Lou's plan to have someone in the same position she was. Her being in that position was even too much to begin with.
Lift.
Your.
Head.
She managed to open her eyes fully, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dark room. Getting herself to sit up, she felt out of sorts until her equilibrium kicked in. I'm in the storage room for events. It's the only room shoved and stacked with furniture. From what she could see, between the towers of furniture that had apparently made their appearance, the figure was at the door, attempting to uproot the frame somehow. Lou took a moment, but she figured out that she was in a corner of the room, meaning the person in the room may or may not know she was in there.
Taking account that Noah oddly left all of her knives and her weapons on her (Lou didn't want to think that Noah was pleased with the idea of sharp objects near her), she observed the room. She tilted her head as best as she could from the angle she was sitting, trying to let the fleck of light aid her in seeing the features on the person. Lou deduced it was someone who was broad-shouldered and was about to say Zion's name before the person punched the door our of anger.
"Dammit!"
It wasn't the voice Lou was expecting, but it overwhelmed her all the same.
Because it was the voice of one of her family members.
That meant that her entire family was there.
For her.
But… she had to make sure.
She was hesitant to speak, but she had to try.
"Derek?"
Lou's voice softly filled into the room.
The room went quiet for a moment.
She thought she was wrong, and had made a huge mistake, until the voice spoke in utter disbelief.
"…Lou?"
She couldn't hold the sob in.
Morgan's voice came through again.
"You're…in here? In this room?"
"Yes," she replied. "It's actually me."
If Derek's here… that means…
Spencer…
The tears formed instantly.
"Derek… I'm… so sorry."
"It's okay," his voice carried throughout the room, "it's okay."
Lou sobbed, trying to stop herself from crying. She took multiple breaths to gather herself. "I don't know what happened… I thought we had him… I got Mom back… and then he just… There was this big machine… and he… Noah… He's not acting the way he normally does. Noah's… not as calculated. He's going off of emotion. He's become too erratic. I don't know… I don't know how to stop him like this—"
"Lou, slow breaths. Don't exert your voice as much," the relief had been pouring out of Morgan, especially in his tone. "Let's focus on one thing at a time, okay?"
"Okay," Lou agreed, knowing Derek was speaking to her in that manner to calm her down.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
One.
Two.
Three.
He kept walking into the room, his voice still soothing. She could hear his footsteps slowly approach the room, trying to get a layout of where everything was. There were a lot of items stacked upon each other, and she heard Morgan run into things.
"Where are you, Lou? Can you see me?"
"Kind of," Lou said, struggling to move.
"Hold on," Morgan muttered.
She didn't have to wait long, as a tiny torch came from where she had guessed Derek was. By having that speck of light, Lou was able to see she was indeed in the storage room for the dining hall, on the South side of the Manor. She was in the back-left corner, and Derek had been by the door, directly across from her. She managed to see the top of his head from behind the stacked tables and chairs and attempted to sit up further. Lou was having the chloroform wear off and was having more control of her faculties, being able to prop herself up easily.
"Lou?!" Derek shouted out.
"I'm here."
Morgan's flashlight hit her face from across the room, and although Lou was blinded, she figured right away that Derek had found her.
"Just my luck," she heard Morgan say with relief.
She could hear the chairs being shoved out of the way; things being cleared in order for the agent to find a path directly tad o the professor. Lou used the table beside her to help herself stand, attempting to meet Morgan in the middle. She had just gotten into a standing position when she saw Derek face to face in front of her. She didn't bother hiding the tears in her eyes as Morgan grabbed her, pulling her into a tight hug. Relief washed over her as she hugged Derek back. A sob escaped her again, feeling overwhelmed with the amount of love received by the team.
"Don't you ever do something like this again." His tone was scolding, but Lou was going to take his seething words with happiness. Lou assumed now that Derek could physically see she was safe, he relaxed a bit, allowing his true emotions to come through. She knew he was right, and she had to let him get it out. He pulled away from her, tilting her chin softly upwards so she was having Morgan's full attention.
"Do you hear me? I am pissed, so absolutely pissed with you. And I don't care how scared you are. You listen to me. We are a family. We stick together. We fight together."
Lou could only nod, going back to hug Derek tightly, wrapping her arms around him. She felt him sigh, his resolve leaving slightly as he began pulling in his Little Lou closer, before resting his chin on top of her head.
"I need to hear you say it, Lou."
She bit her lip before slightly pulling back to look at her friend— brother.
"Promise me."
Lou smiled, tears escaping her.
Derek didn't know that this was a promise she had already made to herself.
"I promise."
A sigh of relief erupted from Morgan, and Lou could tell he was slightly more relaxed.
"Ah shit," Morgan mumbled all of a sudden, and Lou deduced he must have remembered he had done something that wasn't the best choice to make. Before Lou could ask where everyone else was, and why was it that Morgan was also apparently locked in the same room as her, Derek pulled away to adjust his comms. Figuring out that he must have turned them off by his own means, Lou could hear static come from Derek's earpiece before she heard a loud voice coming from the small speaker, before all noise on the line stopped, and having an even louder "DEREK MORGAN" erupt from said speaker in Derek's smiled for a moment before allowing the individual on the earpiece to finish what they had been saying.
"You done, Baby Girl?"
Lou gasped, listening to the muffled beratement Morgan was getting.
Penny…
"I'm sorry. Something had my full attention." Morgan said to the person on the other line of the comms, his eyes not deviating from Lou.
Pulling the device from his ear, he motioned for Lou to come closer to him, offering the earpiece. Standing on the tips of her toes, she put the comm to her ear, hearing Garcia's voice ring through loud and clear.
She was also aware that Penelope Garcia wasn't the only one on the line.
"…Morgan we can't afford to have you go rogue! Lou might be there with you! We need to find her!"
"He found me, Penny," she said softly.
The line was dead silent, most likely all in shock to hear the Professor's voice.
It was Jennifer's voice she heard next.
"Lou?"
"Hey JJ," she said softly.
Penelope's soft cries were heard on the line.
"Are you okay?"
It was Hotch's voice.
She could practically see Aaron's face, as stoic as he tried to be, she knew he was more concerned than he let on.
"I have a golf ball on my head. I'm disoriented. I'm angry. But I'm doing alright."
"Where are you, kiddo?"
That time it had been Rossi.
She wanted to hug her non-uncle Uncle Dave. He was always so good at telling stories, and he always told stories to Lou when she asked, no matter what time of the day. The both of them shared a bond with literature, and it was a relationship she truly cherished.
"South side of the manor. I'm fairly sure it's the storage room. Derek and I are stuck."
"I'm coming."
That time.
That time…
Lou knew exactly who those words belonged to.
Everything she had been holding in had come pouring out. Every painful emotion she felt with each deceptive action she performed was ingrained in her head.
Leaving him, lying to him, pulling away from him, making him think the absolute worst, that she had been dead, or lost, or at the mercy of Bennett.
But with each painful memory flooding her, a wave of happy memories had come along as well.
When she first asked to hold his hand.
When she first expressed her compulsion.
When she learned that he was like her.
When she hugged him the first time.
When she first had the pleasure of feeling his lips against hers.
When she shared her home and her life with him.
When she realized she loved him.
It was overwhelming her with how much she was cared for.
"Spencer," she whispered.
"I'm. Coming."
His voice was determined and strong and scared, a combination she had never heard before.
That's when she fully realized he was here.
Spencer's here.
"Where are you?" She pleaded, desperate for him to be close and safe with her.
"North side, facing the water."
The other side of the house.
"I-", Lou remembered that Noah could have been anywhere, "Spencer, Noah could be anywhere. Please be careful."
"Oh, not just anywhere Lucille."
Morgan and Lou turned to find Noah Bennett walking through the now unlocked door, standing from across the room, picking chairs out of his way to get closer to the two. Morgan took the earpiece from Lou, sliding it over his ear again.
"And here I thought that people would listen to the plan!"
Lou could hear Spencer's protect from Morgan's comm.
He heard Bennett.
"Get to Elena!" Lou made out from the comm in Derek's ear.
The assassin shoved a table to his left, knocking a tower of chairs down.
"Meh, I never really liked the plan I created anyways. It kept too many people… alive."
That was when Lou fully adjusted her eyes as best as she could to look around the room. There were chairs, tables, podiums, columns, and many other catering necessities housed in the room, stacked highly upon each other. While expertly placed, it had been several years since they've been looked at, and Lou could not count on the integrity of each stack.
It made Lou realize how much of a hazard the storage room was.
And why he placed both Derek and her in here.
One wrong move and all these chairs could come down and crush us.
"Direct eyes on Bennett," Derek muttered into the comms, slowly pushing Lou behind him in order to shield loud thud of each wooden chair hitting the floor kept startling Lou, but she knew that the assassin had been doing it on purpose, in order to disorient her as best as he could. Derek also knew this as well and was determined to not let Bennett get the upper hand.
"Derek—"
"Lou," he whispered, "When I say run, you run."
"No."
"Lou—"
"You made me promise to stick together!" She whispered.
"And I made a promise that I would teach you to protect yourself," he whispered back.
He made sure she was looking directly at his face when he spoke next.
"Running is the best option to protect yourself now. Let me teach you this, at least. Let me keep my promise."
She had been taken aback.
That was a promise Derek made to himself.
It left Lou uneasy, knowing that teaching her how to protect herself was tremendously important to him, and also knowing he didn't get that opportunity left her feeling worse.
She didn't have enough time to feel bad, however.
"Get ready, Little Lou."
"Derek Morgan," another chair somehow flung itself across the room by the sheer terror of Noah. "I knew from the second I saw you; you were going to be a monstrous pain to deal with."
The agent's tone shifted drastically.
No longer was he caring.
He was on the defense.
"Then why don't you face me, you son of a bitch."
Lou bit her lip.
She forgot Morgan specialized in obsessive behaviours and knew exactly how to treat a volatile Noah Bennett.
"Well, then make it easier for me, won't you? Come out."
Derek scoffed. "Easier? You snatched me from my teammates so I wouldn't detect the bomb that went off, stuffed me into a room without a way out, without my gun, on top of terrorizing Lou for years! You think I'll make anything easy for you?"
…Bomb?
Lou must have been unconscious when the bomb went off.
There… was an explosion?
She knew Derek also was an expert in explosives. That must have been why he was with her, Noah had to separate him from everyone else so that he could make the team weaker and weaker. Derek was the best option for Noah, and the best route for success. She was frustrated she didn't notice Noah took into consideration that the team would follow her. She did herself, but she didn't realize how much of a blind spot she was in when it came to protecting the team. Lou tried, but she ultimately didn't stop herself from feeling awful. She knew trying to separate herself from the team was a risk, but at what cost?
Was anyone hurt because of the explosion?
She quickly recalled Spencer currently making his way to her, as he was at the forefront of her mind. JJ had been there on the comms, dumbfounded. Penelope had been berating Morgan, Morgan was in front of Lou, Uncle Dave asked where she was and Hotch asked if she was okay—
Emily.
Not Emily.
Lou needed to make sure Emily was okay. Yes, Lou was mad at Emily for exposing the professor's secret to her father, but she needed to apologize to Prentiss for being so callous with her, when Emily had literally risked her life to help Lou.
Emily, I'm so sorry.
"Ah, you'd like a fight, then?"
Noah's voice being within close range brought her back.
"I think I can schedule that in, since we're completely off-plan now."
"Come face me, you coward."
"Oh… Poor choice of words."
Lou felt Morgan push her backwards before she heard Noah's enraged scream come towards them both.
Lou felt Noah's hand slip through her hair as she was pushed away from him by Derek.
Even from the close swipe near her face, she could feel his hands were cold and clammy, as always.
He had almost grabbed her.
Noah was close enough to grab her.
It brought back terrifying memories.
"Lou, if you run, I will grab you. I know you're not very good at it, but if you run, you know that will just be a tease for me, my pet. Don't give into my chase if you do not want to be chased."
Little did she know, he always manipulated her into a position where she had to run.
This time?
She knew what he was doing.
She heard Morgan grunt back, and from what she could deduce, there had been skin on skin contact, with rapid fire blows going between the two men. She tried to see what had been going on between the two men, but Derek had practically launched her backwards, and as she fell, a tower of chairs came crashing in front of her, blocking the way between her and the other two people in the room. It had protected her from Noah and separated her from Derek at the same time, creating a wall.
"Lou!"
Morgan was telling her to run.
But her feet wouldn't move.
She just promised him they would fight together.
She didn't want to listen to him.
But not listening to him, or Emily, or Spencer is what got her in the spot she was in currently.
And Derek told her this was how she needed to protect herself.
Lou was a teacher.
She knew the importance of listening to a lesson, no matter how brief it be.
Run.
Lou turned, instinctively following where the door was. She knew where Bennett had entered, and she did her best to climb over each set of knocked over debris, doing the most to not cut herself. It didn't work, as Lou could feel her legs and arms being scratched up due to all the broken wooden pieces scraping her leg. She jumped, allowing herself to feel the motion with each jump, not allowing herself to stop. She kept pushing forward, making her way out of the room.
A loud thud came from where Morgan and Bennett were fighting, and Noah began laughing.
She figured Noah got the better of Derek. She heard Noah grunting, and then the creaking of chairs. Although the room was dark, there was enough moonlight to give off the silhouette of a tower of chairs come crashing to the ground.
The agonizing yell that came from Morgan when the chairs crashed down was something that she will ever forget.
Fear struck through Lou.
"Bullseye!" Noah shouted.
"Derek!"
Lou began to jump back over the table she just scaled.
"Lou," she heard Derek's voice filled with pain.
It was soft, but she could tell her was trying his hardest to talk.
Noah's shrilling laughter made Lou's stomach somersault.
Derek's voice was barely audible.
"He's… coming."
"Ah, yes, I'm coming little mouse!" Noah squealed in delight. "Go and run away from this big, scary cat, why don't you?"
He laughed again.
"Let me have a bit of fun, Lucille? Please? A bit of a chase?"
She wasn't going to run.
Not yet.
She knew Derek was right, that running was the best was to protect oneself.
But Lou didn't fly across the country and risked her life to protect herself.
She came to protect her family.
And she wasn't going to run without a fight.
Lou scrambled to get an itinerary of what weapons she had left in her thigh pocket.
Knife, knife, slingshot, small steel ball bearings, tube, knife, baton, knife, knife, lighter, smokebomb, knife.
Grabbing the slingshot, she took one of the steel balls in her pocket, placing it in the pocket of the slingshot before pointing the weapon into the empty room.
Lou may not have had good aim with a gun.
But she had good aim.
"Give me your fears, Lou. I will happily take them all. Well, I'll heighten them, but I'll take them."
Taking a deep breath, she looked within the dark room, waiting for anything to slightly move.
She knew Derek was on the ground, so she wouldn't be able to hit him.
Anything that had been alive and moving while standing up in a vertical position in that moment was only Noah Bennett, and she took a risk when she saw a shadow move from across the room.
Bring it on, Goliath.
She left go of the slingshot pouch, hoping she could get some form of contact.
The satisfaction of hearing metal whipping onto skin, and Noah's grunt of pain made Lou feel happy.
But just in the slightest.
"Tell me that's not a slingshot you just used."
Lou froze for a moment.
"Acting like a fucking child, all the time! Every aspect of your life is so damn childish! When will you grow up!"
It's you who needs to grow up, Lou thought silently.
He huffed in anger, shoving around in his pockets.
"Okay," Noah said with resolution.
The clicking of a magazine into a gun was heard.
She also heard the safety being clicked off as well.
"Now I'm angry."
Go.
Run.
Now.
There was no more energy, nothing to propel her faster than she had already been going. But she knew how fast Noah was. She experienced it too many times. He could grab her across a hotel room within three seconds. He could have her pinned in under two. He was the fastest person she had come to know, which is why she had to catch him off guard. She had a clearing, and she knew she was less than ten feet from the door. Lou could see the exit. She wanted to stay with Derek, wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt, but she had to protect herself.
Lou was in danger.
She had to stop thinking about everyone else except for herself.
A gunshot rang out, and Lou felt something whiz by her ear quickly.
"Fuck." Lou whispered in disbelief.
Noah… shot at me.
He almost killed me.
Keep. Running.
She bolted through the previously locked threshold, successfully getting into the hallway. Lou began running towards the North side, to hopefully find Spencer somewhere in the middle. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, weaving through the hallway, keeping an eye out for Noah's machine, or the man himself. She managed to get down the hallway, pushing herself against the wall when she heard Noah's humming.
He's feeling slightly better now, might be because he's closer to killing me.
"You know, you've gotten faster since I've last seen you run."
Pinpointing where his voice came from, she continued forward after calculating Noah was far enough from her where she could gain some distance.
She was trying to buy time for Spencer to reach her.
Two more gunshots rang out, and Lou had to stop herself from yelping. Noah was firing warning shots, trying to get her to make a sound to have it echo through the home. He was doing the same thing she was, using echo location to determine where the other party was. Hearing his exasperated sigh meant she was correct in keeping silent.
"What's your secret?" Noah's voice was fading, but he was still within range.
"Pilates? Treadmill? Taking that fucking dog out on repetitive walks?"
Ducking past the gallery's doors, she glided towards the Midwest corridor of the Manor. She had thought she heard Noah speak, but the voice had been too muffled. It gave Lou the smallest comfort, to know she gained enough distance between Bennett and herself.
Lou stopped running for a brief second.
She took a deep breath, taking a moment to regather her thoughts. She was literally between the man that had been, and currently still was, causing terror throughout her life, and the man who had been supporting her throughout the terror. It was something Lou had to notice in that moment, as she was the one who put herself there. She was the one who pulled herself away from Spencer in order to protect him, but the cost had been greater than she anticipated. Zion was more hurt than he was probably letting on. She hadn't heard from Emily, which indicated to her what state she may have been in. Derek… Lou didn't know how Derek was, but with how Zion looked, she could only hope Derek looked slightly better.
And now Spencer—
She stopped the sob from coming out of her mouth.
What if Noah got his hands on Spencer?
It was a thought too terrifying to think.
Lou inspected the hallway once more, turning her back to see no one behind her, nor there had been any trace of someone lingering. She turned forward, allowing the moonlight from the window to the left of her to aid her walk.
She had to get to a safe spot.
But where?
The library had been foregone, and her bedroom was on the East side—
The tower.
I can get to the tower.
She had taken a step forward when she realized how the Manor was currently.
Too…
Quiet.
Oh no.
Lou's hairs on the back of her neck stood.
She knew she shouldn't have stopped running.
In an instant, Lou felt large, clammy hands grasp onto her, and Lou couldn't hold back her scream.
Those hands did not belong to her Tinman.
They belonged to hands she had felt only years ago, and never wished to have on her skin again.
"Gotcha, little mouse."
See you all in a bit! I won't say when!
Muahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahaa.
xoxo N.
Next Time: "Come on, stab me here. You know you'd like to, my pet."
