Hey Everyone!

GUESS WHO'S BACK WITH A BRAND NEW UPDATE IN RECORD TIME? IT'S ME. HAI.

Okay so it took a bit of convincing but BLUE of all people suggested I post this earlier (I was aiming for Wednesday... since some of you have figured out what my two favourite days of the week are to post...), BUT here we are on a Canadian Sunday to bless you all with a chapter.

And you know how I said that you guys are going to hate me and you all went "no, no, we don't hate you."

Yeah... might want to change that thought for now...

AS ALWAYS THANK YOU TO THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO THE TTML WORLD AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE! SPECIAL SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO MY BOMB-DIGGITY REVIEWERS WHO TAKE TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A ROCKSTAR: LisaPark, OneWhoReadsTooMuch, bambam411, Momochan77, mercigirl01, zikashigaku, Rubiya, and gossamermouse101. How you all are still breathing and still willing to read my stories after what I put you all through... thank you. I am only as good as you guys make me out to be.

ALRIGHT PEOPLE! LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds


"Uncle Dave… you said you wanted to talk?"

"Oh, yes. I did want to talk."

She knew Dave was incapable of judging her.

When she first really got to know him at the Christmas party, or when he first told her to refer to him as 'Uncle Dave',or when was often giving her advice on what to say to people who thought her passions were silly, or when she had writer's block, or if she needed insight on a case and she was too proud to go to anyone else except her Uncle Dave.

He always came with an open mind and with big, open arms. If she ever felt the need to go to a wise individual who had a small cup of scotch waiting for her (she had to bring some cookies for it… she was getting used to the taste), she knew that the individual she was looking for was the person that was right beside her.

And he was the only person currently who could talk her through her mind racing.

She felt like she was in danger.

Lou couldn't explain it, but the fact that she was leaving Noah and Spencer conveniently by themselves is what both Spencer and Noah wanted.

However, the fact that they both wanted Lou away from them made her fear what would happen next.

It took everything within Lou to not look at Noah from her purview.

"It's about time for my round of scolding, huh?" Lou asked, knowing what the answer was.

"Well," Rossi said, his mind going to his thoughts as he wrapped an arm around Lou, "it's not scolding if you already know the lesson. It'll be more of a beratement."

"That's the same thing." She pointed out, knowing Dave was poking fun at her,

"One definition entails an emotion being conveyed through text or physical cues. The other specifies a verbal expression of emotions. I'm sure you of all people, Professor, can appreciate the distinction."

"I do, indeed." Lou said, her hand finding Dave's shoulder blade. "But it's more of appreciating the sentiment rather than the scolding itself."

"All jokes aside Lou, you have quite the family looking out for you."

Her smiled beamed brightly as she walked up the stairs, hitting the top of the foyer of the Manor.

"I'm extremely fortunate. I've always had a small family, so having one this big makes me feel… well, makes me feel loved."

"But you can't help but feel cautious still, like the other shoe is about to drop."

Like her hand was caught in the cookie jar, Lou was read easily by Dave.

David had profiled her the minute she asked him for personal time alone. There could have been anyone to accompany her, but Lou chose to spend time with Dave. Now why she chose him was something he couldn't deduce yet, but it was something intentional. Dave could hear the conversation between Lou and Spencer beforehand, and the kid was wrapped around the professor's pinky finger; he was oblivious to the fact the professor was calculating something.

The professor knew that Reid wanted to talk to Noah Bennett. She outright suggested that she put distance between herself and her Doctor.

Why would Lou do that only after finally getting close to him?

Why would she willingly run away from Reid, after finally accomplishing her goal?

She sees danger somewhere.

She's not letting Reid see the danger that she sees.

But she's not running away from danger.

She's pulling the danger towards her.

Away from Reid.

Dave managed to figure out Lou's intent before they even entered the Manor.

"Now, you seemed to have been too eager to walk away from Bennett and Reid. Considering that you almost risk your personal relationships with the entire BAU team and risked your own life for their safety to make sure Bennett was not near any one of us, it wouldn't make sense for you to be completely okay with Reid and Bennett being in the same vicinity together, let alone having a one-on-one conversation without your presence."

Rossi stopped walking for a moment to face Lou.

"Unless you were purposefully needing to put space between yourself and Spencer again, for his safety."

Dave was a profiler for long enough to know the subtleties, knowing which secrets were harmless, and which secrets could potentially prevent harm from occurring.

The secret Lou had, apparently, was a big one, based on her reaction to Dave's words.

She's waiting for something to happen.

She needs someone with her that she trusts.

Someone with a gun.

"And you asked me on purpose to come walk along with you," Rossi said, his arms still wrapped around Lou's shoulders as they walked further into the Manor, passing one of the grand staircases.

"Making Reid think it was his idea to go into the Manor to talk to me was smart, by the way. But you already knew I asked to speak with you. You just let Reid think it was his initial thought, so he wouldn't detect any suspicious behaviour from you."

Lou shook her head, her face turning red from being caught.

"You needed me for a reason, Lou. Ask away."

"You're the most unbiased person out of the team," she finally admitted, "and you won't think I'm ridiculous for my suspicions, no matter how silly they seem."

"I don't think suspicions are silly, especially from you. You have a very good reason to be paranoid." Dave encouraged. "What's been bothering you?"

"Noah gave up too easy," Lou muttered, walking further down the hallway with the author.

"Did he now? I thought incapacitating him with drugs forced him to give up."

Lou paused for a moment.

"I mean, yeah, you'd think… but… Uncle Dave, I think Noah has a back-up plan."

"Okay," Dave eased out of her.

He was glad Lou was feeling suspicious, considering she was the resident expert on Noah Bennett.

It reaffirmed his own suspicions.

"And?"

"And I know that sounds ridiculous, for Noah to have a backup plan, because he doesn't do back-up plans, ever, but… even before he kept taunting Spencer and kept asking for his attention, I kept thinking there is a reason I'm being pulled away, and all this thinking made me realize Noah's been trying get me to be alone, by myself, for years, that maybe this time is no different, and I… I—"

"Got a gut feeling and chose not to be alone." He finished for her.

Lou's eye brightened, realizing Dave was on the same page as her.

"Exactly. I can't explain it, but I just… I see a pattern, and I don't know how to make sense of it."

David internally smiled, pride coming through for the fact that Lou was thinking like a profiler.

But knowing the seriousness of the situation, he kept his face neutral.

"Play it out, what are you thinkin', kid?"

Lou sighed, gathering her thoughts.

"Okay, so you know how I was suspended? The woman who's investigating me conveniently has the same name as one of Noah's known associates, which even freakier, Noah's working with people? Already a huge red flag."

"Lone wolf changing behaviours. Definitely not good," Rossi muttered.

"When Cruz suspended me, he left me a letter within my suspension papers talking about how Noah has eyes and ears everywhere in the FBI, which I didn't believe at first, but—"

"Cruz knows what he's talking about," Rossi agreed, registering that the FBI was potentially infiltrated.

"Yes, he does. But it makes me question… How did Noah manage to set up his base of operations in my home? The Manor, that is under the care and protection of the Richardson estate? That would mean—"

"It's not just the FBI Bennett has infiltrated." Rossi followed along with Lou's plan.

Lou nodded.

"I think Noah has paid people off and are working for my dad. Otherwise, how could Noah make my home his playground?"

Rossi became more suspicious of everyone.

There were multiple people on the property that did not belong to the BAU.

He didn't know half of the people here; he couldn't vouch for them or confirm whether or not they were genuine.

And two of those people he didn't know were assigned to be bodyguards to protect Lou.

He understood what Lou meant by not wanting to be alone.

She didn't want to be alone with the guards.

"Are you certain that Noah only has eyes and ears everywhere?"

"Until ten seconds ago my answer would have been 'no'."

Rossi's eyebrows furrowed.

"What happened ten seconds ago?"

"Dexter stopped following me."

Dave now looked to see the well-trained dog, who was the literal shadow of Lou, was standing at the threshold of the Manor, staring off out the door. While typically, the loyal dog had his eyes locked onto his Mother, the dog was looking straight out the door, with laser focus on the crowd.

It was only until Dave noticed the dog was staring at the two bodyguards from Ambassador Richardson's security detail that Rossi put two and two together.

The dog didn't trust the bodyguards.

To Lou, Dexter was an indicator for many things. Rossi couldn't deny how intelligent the dog was, especially seeing how the mixed breed pooch was instrumental in locating the good professor. Considering the dog was highly intelligent and could pinpoint where danger was, Rossi had to take this confirmation from the four-legged friend.

There were people on Bennett's payroll working for the Ambassador.

Lou's logic made sense. Bennett could have only gained access to the Manor if there were people on the inside assisting him.

All the traps laid out in a specific way.

All the internal speakers conveniently placed throughout the home.

All the knowledge of how the Manor worked.

With not even the owner of the home know what was going on?

Noah had someone on the inside of the Ambassador's team helping the assassin.

Dave's finger twitched, thinking about how quick he could get to his gun.

"You don't trust them?" Rossi asked, referring to the guards.

"I don't trust anyone who's not the team," Lou said, deadpanned. "Especially if Dexter doesn't trust them."

"Smart move," Dave agreed.

"Dexter!" Lou called, to which the dog turned and ran towards his owner.

"What do we do?" Lou asked. "I was going to use the acoustics to call Spencer… but I don't want to tip off the guards."

Dave calculated they only had half a minute before the guards were too close.

"How do the acoustics work exactly? Can they hear us if we whisper?"

"No. They can only hear us mumble. Depending on where I am and how loud I go, I'd have to get my voice to a high-enough octave for it to actually carry throughout the whole Manor, especially if I want Spencer to hear me from the other side of the home. I'd have to really, really shout, and I only may have one good scream left in me before I wreck my throat."

"Wreck your throat?" Dave asked, confused.

"I can't guarantee Noah hasn't done something to mess with the sound," Lou admitted, thinking of all options.

"If I'm sounding the alarm, I'm making it count."

Dave went into overdrive. If Lou's suspicions were correct (Rossi was absolutely certain Lou was right; there were too many variables where Lou's theory fit perfectly, and the suspicious nature of the bodyguards only helped strengthen Lou's hypothesis, plus Lou was right about 98% of the time), then the two of them only had a certain amount of time before they were cornered.

"We need an escape route. We can't stay inside the Manor. It's his playground."

"There's a few passageways we can go down—"

"Nothing inside the home. We can't risk getting trapped."

Lou thought about it for a moment.

Noah knew I would come back into the Manor.

He knew how sentimental I was.

He knew I would tell Spencer about the acoustics and where I would go.

I hope he doesn't know about this secret.

"There's a door on the other side of the tower leading to the water. It's a really heavy door though. I remember Dad upgraded the home and used that door to sneak cigarettes. The handle's just over a decade old though, but I wouldn't put past Noah to set up another trap."

"It's our best shot. I'll buy you some time."

"But the guards could catch us if we're not fast enough!"

"Then we'll be fast enough."

Rossi looped his arm around Lou again, pulling her towards the North side of the Manor. Dexter was walking beside Lou, looking back ever-so often at the bodyguards walking at an average pace behind her. Lou tried her best to stay calm, and with Dave making it easier with his casual conversation. Rossi was asking her about the home, and he was a bit quicker on his feet with each question. It was only until Lou started blabbing off about how every other room was green due to her mother's obsession over colours is when she began to feel in control of her body.

"…And mom absolutely adores her reds, but green does have a special place in her heart."

"It would seem so," Dave agreed.

The bodyguards picked up their pace slightly, and while there was a distance between the guards and Lou and Rossi, it was a bit closer than Lou had seen the guards beforehand. They were just in front of the sitting room on the North side, and Lou could see the door that was inside the home leading to the tower was open adjacent and clearly unlocked—

What?

The tower door is unlocked…

Who unlocked it?

Lou was now freaking out.

The tower door was open.

Lou was the last one to lock it nine years ago, or at least she thought she was the last one.

But it was now open.

And her mother and father were most likely back at the hotel.

And if by some means Lou's Grandmama crawled out of her grave to unlock the door, that meant that someone really wanted that door unlocked, and for a particularly important reason.

And that particularly important reason scared the ever-living shit out of Lucille Richardson.

How did Noah open the door?

Was he the one who opened the door?

Was the door opened from the inside, from the exit?

Did Noah purposefully want Lou in the tower, thinking that was her only escape route?

Would Noah tamper with the tower?

It made sense for him to. He was quite symbolic, and he knew how important the tower was to her.

Were the bodyguards there to ensure that Lou entered the tower, at all cost?

Ominous-tower-door-that's-rarely-open is open in front of me.

Big, scary men behind me that is a lot closer than I'd like, practically forcing me to head into the tower…

Yeah, it's safe to assume this is a trap.

Lou took a chance, but she knew the second she addressed the subject, all hell would break loose.

She hoped Dave had a plan.

"Excuse me," she told the one bodyguard on the left. "Would it be alright if you gave me space? You're too close for my comfort."

The question made one of the security guards look to the other.

When they didn't respond, Lou spoke.

"Did you need me to clarify myself?" She insisted, watching their stoic faces stare back at her.

The one on the left smirked, and with his smirk he began to walk closer to Lou.

The cocking of Rossi's gun stopped the bodyguard from moving, wiping the smirk right off his face.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

"She asked you if you would give her space," David warned. "Now as your bodyguard, it's your job to protect her."

"That's not our job," the bodyguard on the right spoke.

One. Two. Three.

The guard on the left shot a deathly look to the guard that opened his mouth.

"Oh?" Dave pried, his years of hostage negotiating shining through.

"And what is your current job?"

I was right.

I don't want to be right.

Why did these super scary bodyguards have to be actually super scary muscle men out to kill me?!

"Lou, check the door." Rossi prompted. "Make sure it opens."

Door. To outside. Got it!

"You got this?" Lou asked.

"I got it," Dave confirmed, his gun aimed directly where it should have been.

Partially scrambling, Lou slowly opened the door into the tower. When nothing came popping out at her, she walked to the wall where it had the door leading to the outside. She checked the entirety of the door, hoping there were no traps laid out for her. She noticed the door was slightly different, albeit a bit cleaner and more polished. Lou reached her hand out to the handle when she was met with flat metal.

Lou realized Noah had taken off the door handle.

"For fuck's sake!" Lou hissed.

This is a trap.

He had a backup plan

This McGee took my move and used it against me.

It only angered Lou more, and made her more determined to get out of the tower.

"There's no handle!" She said to Dave, her back pushing right up against the door.

It wiggled forward a bit yet stopped moving right after.

"Keep trying!" Lou heard him shout, his voice still calm and collected.

He's still got the situation under control.

She tried pushing the door open, but it hadn't given her a good nudge. Giving it a harsh kick, the door still didn't move. She tried a second time to shove with her whole body, but the door wouldn't open.

Dammit, please work!

Please!

"Lucky number three."

Lou whispered to herself, before using all of her upper body strength to push open the door.

When she felt her body push forward instead of jerk back, and the door spring open to the outside world with the cold air hitting her face, the relief was overwhelming.

The door opened!

I can't believe it!

The giant smile on Lou's face graced her features thankfully.

Look at how strong I've gotten!

"Wow, you thought that was your muscles?"

Lou opened her eyes to find the one person she didn't think would be there.

"Zion?"

The Mossad agent managed to flash his megawatt smile, his white teeth stark against his brown skin. His smile did nothing to hide his arm in a sling.

"I do a surprise!"

"You should be in the hospital! What… How did you even know I was here?!"

"I did not. I knew this is the only door not monitored by the government gremlins. Fucking police pigs… Good thing I did come… or who else would open the door for you? Lou, why is there no handle on this door? This is not safe."

She was still in shock.

"How did you?"

"What? Open it? I took this from the frame. It was being a wedge to stop it from opening. So… maybe this is why there is no handle for the door."

She realized that Zion was holding Noah's blade in his hand.

"The universe is having fun with both of us, no?"

Lou's jaw dropped.

Noah had his knife in his possession when he was captured.

Someone was inside of the Manor the whole time.

Someone is working with Bennett.

"You came back? Why?"

Zion shook his head, giving Lou a levelled look.

"I left, and right away I knew something was wrong. Something did not feel right in my gout."

"Gut, Zion. And yes, you're right. Dad's bodyguards work for Noah, and I think Noah has a back-up plan that's more dangerous than what we found out."

"Eh? What problem then?" Zion was pushing the door wide open in place, preventing the door from swinging shut. "We finished the distraction plan first, and the secret plan you and I did worked perfectly. It stopped him right away! It should be easy to finish his other plan of back-up…"

Zion stopped, staring at the inside of the tower, and Lou looked at Zion's face.

It was covered in a look of horror.

The professor turned back into the tower, only to find that the pole in the centre of the tower, surrounding the round staircase that reached the top, was lined with an absurd number of wires and explosives that could easily destroy the entire structure of the tower, and most likely the entire Manor.

Lou's face mirrored Zion's.

Holy shit.

"Maybe it is not so easy to finish other plan," Zion muttered to himself, a hint of fear in his tone.

Noah did indeed have a backup plan.

A backup plan of locking me in the tower and blowing me up…

He unlocked the door thinking I wouldn't know he knew of this escape route.

He had the door blocked so I wouldn't get out.

He didn't realize Zion would come back.

Noah didn't realize people don't have to ask for help to receive it.

A small screen in the middle of the explosive bricks attached to a receiver showed the numbers "180" in red font.

It pulled all of Lou's focus to the screen.

No multitasking.

Just the screen with bright red numbers.

"I really hope that does not start counting down," Zion said quickly.

"Zion," Lou said dejectedly. "Please don't—"

180.

179.

178.

"—put that out into the universe."

The ticking coming off of the clock was deafening.

Zion ignored the raging look coming from Lou.

"Looks like three minutes," he said, tightening the arm sling.

He was getting ready to fight, again.

No. Not this time.

This time it's my turn.

174.

173.

172.

A loud grunt came from where Dave was, snapping Lou back into overdrive.

Dave!

Lou and Zion ran back to get Rossi, and Dexter began barking.

She turned to see her dog staring at her from outside of the tower.

She was terrified Dexter would follow her back into the Manor and become stuck in the explosion.

"No! Stay! I have to get Dave!"

Quickly going back through the open door of the tower leading into the home and ignoring Zion, Lou ran into the hallway to see one of the bodyguards laying on the ground.

She managed to find the other guard in a struggle with Rossi, grabbing the gun from David's hand.

Lou knew Rossi was a trained agent. However, the bodyguard was several inches taller and with more pounds in muscle and less years in age than Dave, and Lou knew that the bodyguard was going to have the upper hand on Rossi.

She also saw Rossi was covered in blood.

She saw the guard maneuver his hands to grab a hold of Rossi's hands holding the gun, and the guard was manipulating Rossi's hands to turn and face the gun towards Dave.

The knife was in Lou's hand the second she took aim at the guard's finger.

She felt the whoosh of air come from the knife spinning towards the guard, embedding itself it the guard's hand.

Lou didn't realize she was running towards the guard with another knife armed in her own hand.

The blade launched, landing in the guard's forearm.

The grip that was on Rossi's hands lessened, and the agent took advantage of the distraction by using the butt of the gun to attack the guard. The blunt force coming from Rossi's weapon incapacitated the guard, and the guard dropped quickly.

Lou ran over to David and looked over his wounds. Dave had a gash on his head and a wound on his leg.

"Oh no," she said.

"I've had worse, kiddo. It's a graze. Don't worry about me."

"Oh, I'm gonna worry. You better believe I'm worrying."

Dave finally noticed the appearance of Zion, and how he was not there a few minutes ago.

"Where did you come from?" Rossi asked, confused.

"Well my father is from Riyadh, but my mother—"

"Zion, any other time your smart-ass jokes, but not right now!"

Nodding in agreement, the Mossad agent did his best to help Rossi exit out of the home.

"Turn of tables, no?" Zion mentioned as he was helping Dave, where Dave was helping him hours prior. "We are now even."

"It would seem." Dave asked, picking up the pace as best as he could. "Where's the fire?"

"Not a fire." Zion said.

Lou pointed to the bricks of explosives stacked upon one another as they walked through the tower.

Rossi's eyes caught hold of the timer.

120.

119.

118.

"Oh shit," Dave said.

Lou kept the count of the bomb in her head.

117 seconds.

116 seconds.

115 seconds.

"We have to tell everyone quickly!"

Bursting through the open door, Lou, Zion and Rossi turned to the left, intending on going around the Manor.

Zion and I can get Rossi to the front in under two minutes.

Hopefully, I have enough time to get Spencer to safety.

Lou was going to continue on with her plan…

Until she noticed Dexter was no where to be found.

Ice-cold fear rang through Lou.

Dexter would never abandon her.

"Dex," Lou whispered.

Zion and Rossi slowed down for a moment, but Zion kept pushing himself and Dave along as best as he could, albeit slower than he would have liked due to his lung not working properly.

"Go. Find him."

Lou knew he didn't have time to wait for her, Zion had to help David.

But Lou wasn't going anywhere.

Not without her baby.

Dexter would have stayed exactly where he was, waiting for his mother.

If she had kept running, she wouldn't have noticed the figure at the lakeshore, who had a hold of a dog.

The same dog that had the fur pattern belonging to Dexter.

The figure who had a restraining pole wrapped around Dexter's neck, who was dragging him to the hidden boat at the edge of the dock, where the lake began.

The same figure that she thought intruded into the Manor.

The same figure who claimed that they worked for Office of Professional Responsibility and had her suspended.

The same figure who was working for Noah Bennett…

…Was the same person that was abusing her dog.

She was the one who got Noah's knife to him quickly.

She was the one controlling the machine.

She was the one who set up the bomb.

She was in the Manor the whole time.

And she's taking my dog.

"Lou!" She barely heard Rossi before she began running.

Her beige pashmina slipped off her neck as she bolted straight for the dock.

Lou would never be able to explain how she felt in that moment. She would never be able to put into words the absolute rage she had carried within her.

For a moment, she forgot that the monster who was out to destroy her was about to destroy her childhood home and practically all the memories attached to that said home.

She forgot about the bastard who captured her mother, attacked Emily and Derek, led her on a wild goose chase to separate her from her family, and forgot about all the pain inflicted by him and his apprentices.

However, she remembered all that rage the moment she had a visual on Sydney Judeau.

And Lou decided to let all that rage out on Noah's partner.

Judeau was too preoccupied with the dog to notice the brown and pink-haired woman spear the imposter through the midsection and tackle her to the dock. Lou heard the woman's head bounce off of the dock, her back landing with a sickening thud.

Sydney had no time to cover her face as Lou pelted her with punches.

"Not my dog… you… fucking… bitch!"

The gratification of feeling her fist connect with a cheekbone was only temporary.

Lou felt her head snap back from impact, feeling Judeau's wrist move to upper cut straight into her nose.

She saw stars for a moment before she felt a blow to her stomach.

Her eyes focused to see Judeau come for her own attack.

She pushed Sydney's momentum to the left, causing Judeau to stumble for a moment and gain Lou a few seconds.

She remembered Emily's training.

Look for an opening. Keep the core tight. Be a moving target.

She snapped to Dexter, who just wriggled himself from the catching device.

"Run!" She yelled to her dog, to which the dog hesitated.

"Run to Zion, Dex! Go!"

The dog reluctantly ran off.

Lou felt Judeau punch the side of her ribs painfully, taking advantage of Lou, but Lou quickly turned her body, allowing her own body's momentum to propel Lou's elbow straight into the neck of Judeau. She was winded for a moment before Lou went for another hit in Sydney's midsection, this time connecting harshly.

Judeau must have caught her breath, because she swept Lou's feet from under her and had Lou on her back.

86.

85.

84.

"Lost in your fairy tales, huh?"

Judeau sent a heavy kick to Lou, and the professor gasped in pain.

She felt the stiches in her side re-open from the force of the kick.

You can't stay down.

Everyone is in danger.

Spencer is in danger.

Somehow Lou knew to get on to her feet through all the pain.

"This is one fight you will not win, Professor."

Lou knew she was being mocked by the use of her title, when the two women first met.

Sydney kicked again, causing Lou to fall back to the ground.

You have to get up.

Another kick came, this time getting Lou in the head.

The brunette was discombobulated from the kick.

Lou couldn't see.

There was no way Lou could launch a knife at her.

But she attempted to get up again.

Judeau shoved Lou back on the dock.

72.

71.

70.

She's stronger than me.

She's going to keep knocking me down.

She's going to kill me.

"Know when to stay on the ground!"

The professor's brain had reprogrammed in that moment.

Stay… on the ground…

It was foggy, but time allowed itself to slow down, to give Lou enough time to remember a memory that was pushing its way to the front with force.

Throughout all the memories in the Manor, this was one that happened to come up far too often.

But Lou was always grateful when it did.

"…One day Lou-bear, you'll get into a fight, and they'll knock you to the ground…"

The memory of her father on that warm June day in the backyard was making itself ever present.

The memory of when Charles taught his daughter how to fight, and how to fight hard.

Lou couldn't help but be aware of how her hair was styled in that moment.

Little did he know that the lesson Theodore Charles Joseph Richardson taught his brilliant daughter, the one with the bright smile and fun hairdo, and too big brain, would be the most important lesson she ever learned.

The importance of being at the right place, at the right time, and still choosing to do the right thing.

"But that's the best place to be."

Her eyes opened widely, locking onto Sydney's.

"Pigtails and kneecaps," Lou whispered, reminding herself.

The confusion on Judeau's face bought Lou the time that she needed.

With all of the might she had, the skills she learned, and the tactics she adopted to incur the most impact, Lou pulled her legs up to her chest quickly. With her father's memory in front of her, she kicked out her legs, aiming at the one kneecap of Judeau with both her knees.

58.

57.

56.

The satisfying snap of hearing the kneecap most likely pop out of place wasn't satisfying to Lou. But finally managing to get to a standing position without Judeau kicking her down made Lou feel good. Lou had to catch her balance, as Judeau and her were at the edge of the dock.

"I do know when to stay on the ground," the professor repeated.

"And I know when to get up."

Lou couldn't help herself and left an imprint of her fist on Judeau's face before Sydney could protect herself.

Lou didn't have time to relish.

36.

35.

34.

She was in the blast radius.

And Lou had less than 30 seconds to escape.

I can make it.

I can just get out of the radius—

Lou was about to run off when she heard laughing.

It was laughter coming from Judeau.

Lou would have ignored her and kept running.

But she didn't move.

She couldn't move.

Not when Sydney had a device in her hand with a big, red, button on it.

With her thumb right over the trigger.

Oh no.

No.

No!

"Elena!"

Lou turned to the sound of her name.

The name that was only called by her favourite person.

She could hear him.

But she couldn't see him.

He wasn't near her.

She must have heard him from the open door in the tower.

That was something Lou never realized.

The door from the tower to the outside was never open regularly, and due to this, Lou would have never known the acoustics would carry out to where she was on the dock.

She would have never known she could hear the front foyer from where she was if she wasn't standing by the water, hearing someone shout her name.

Another thought terrified Lou.

Was he at the front door?

Am I hearing him through the foyer?

Or…

Did he come back inside the home?

She didn't think she could hear him, but her heart pulled at her, the invisible string connecting through the open door to the tower.

It wasn't logical.

It was absolutely absurd.

But Lou started going back into the Manor.

She stared running down the dock.

She just got back to him.

I was just back in his arms.

I just kissed him again.

I was with him.

Finally.

How could you do this to me, universe?

Lou knew deep down she had to save her voice for one loud scream.

It was the one time that mattered.

She pushed her body harder than she thought she could.

She was almost at the edge of the dock, almost near land.

Lou knew she wasn't going to make it.

She screamed until she had no voice left.

It could have been her only chance to say goodbye.

I love you, sweetheart.

"Spencer!"

She took a breath, hoping she could hear him again.

One last time.

"El —"

Lou heard the click of the red button being pressed down.

She felt herself being launched through the air backwards.

She felt mist from the lake before plunging deep down into the abyss.

She hit the cold water, realizing that the lake had still been frozen in some parts.

Her body was not ready for the cold water as it shocked her entire system (which was already borderline in shock).

Struggling her best to swim up, Lou's lungs were painfully gasping for air.

When she hit the surface of the water, she took a deep breath, only to get half of her breath filled with lake water.

The lake's too rough!

The explosion is causing the water to be too dangerous!

Lou plunged back underneath the surface of the water without her control.

She thrashed about under the ice hitting her.

The icy black waves around her had been throwing her off.

Find your balance.

Lou's Dad was an amazing swimmer.

His voice echoed in the walls of her mind.

And Lou always tried to be just like her dad.

She remembered one of his teachings.

Swimming in ice cold water.

Remember to not panic.

Get to the surface.

She pushed herself until she broke from the water.

Keeping her face above water was a struggle.

The water kept going into mouth, and Lou desperately tried to spit it all out.

Fill your lungs up with air.

Lou did as best as she could.

Grab onto something to float.

Lou flung her arms out and found a floating piece of wood from the Manor near her.

She hoisted herself onto the block as much as she could.

She noticed the block of wood was on fire beside her.

Fire?

Focus!

Look for the shore and swim.

Her eyes were adjusting, but it was not hard to miss the giant glowing structure on fire that was once classified as the tower to her home.

Lou's jaw dropped in agony, watching as part of her childhood home was burning in front of her eyes.

The tower.

My… books, my playtime stories, my paintings, and my lessons from Dad, and poems, and quests, and dress-up gowns and—

Spencer.

Oh God… Spencer!

I have to…

Get to him…

We have to…

Get married…

Make a library together…

Live together…

Be together…

Have…

A family…

Swimming with the little bit of energy she had left, Lou tried her hardest to get to the shore.

She was over the halfway point, and her legs were getting tired, and she knew she was slowing down.

Her whole body ached, and the water around her was getting warmer. It was a slight relief to Lou, until she realized the reason the water was so warm around her was because the blood was coming out of her faster than she intended.

The block that was aiding her slipped from her frozen grip, and out of her reach.

Keep… going…

She tried getting to the shore, but felt the cold-water creep into her bones, stopping her from moving her body.

I'm tired.

I can't move.

Maybe if I just…

Rest my eyes—

The water splashed suddenly, a semi-big wave came over Lou, and the professor didn't understand who it was that jumped into the water after her. From the shore she could see Zion and Dave making their way to her, but who was it that jumped in the water to help her—

Wait…

Was it someone helping her?

Or someone who wanted to hurt her?

Lou couldn't see Judeau, but Lou was on high alert.

She was by the water too.

Sydney could have come right after her.

She came to finish the job.

Lou tried to move her body to swim away.

But she couldn't.

She was immobile.

Lou felt the water around her move.

The water splashed over her.

However, instead of the butt of Judeau's weapon pressed on her forehead…

Lou found the nose of Dexter pressed against her cheek.

He jumped in the water to rescue me.

"Dex-ter." Lou cried out, her chattering teeth cutting off her words, her numb hands struggling to feel her dog's fur.

She held onto the dog as best as she could.

But it was enough.

Dexter managed to paddle his way to the shoreline, to where Zion and Rossi were waiting. Both men pulled Lou out of the water when she was close enough. Rossi grabbed the dog and tried to warm up the pooch.

Lou knew the water was cold, but oddly…

She didn't feel cold.

She felt warm.

"Lou! Lou… Neshama, talk to me!"

"N-no… I c-can't."

"Yes, you can. Keep talking to me."

"'m ti-tired."

Lou had no control of her eyes shutting.

"No, no sleeping, Lou. No falling asleep."

"-t's ha-rd… 'nd I-I w-wan-t to… sl-eep."

"Do not fall asleep! I need you to stay awake."

She could feel her body stop working.

Lou tried to fight it.

But her body no longer had any fight in it.

"I c-can't… m-mov-e."

"Lou, stay awake! Please!"

"'m… sor-ry…"

As much as she tried to fight it, Lou finally succumbed to her body shutting down.

[ + ]

"…How could you think that was a good idea?"

"Well it's not like I see you offering any help…"

She could remember this place perfectly.

She could remember every place perfectly.

It was Marrakesh.

Lou was about seven years old and her father was on assignment in Morocco, assisting with ending the activity of mercenaries in the area.

The mercenaries were facilitating payments of large weapons, and as a result, the extremist ground was stock-piling artillery. Her father apparently had done something to make the mercenaries angry, and although Lou was seven years old, she was much smarter than most people who were quadruple her age, and she knew her parents were fighting about something really important that they barely tried to hide from the brilliant Elena Lucille Richardson.

Lou was in the middle seat in the back of her dad's rental car. She remembered when she was young, how she didn't want to be on one of Dad's trips. It was summer vacation, and she wanted to be at home, with Linnie, or Grandmama. She had a few toys she was allowed to bring with her, as Charles didn't want her playing with any toys that were too babyish.

Her favourite was the slingshot, and her father only allowed to have one if it was designed to be accurate. She loved shooting rocks from the back of the car. Lou could still remember how cool she felt to be sitting in the back seat shooting rocks, being super accurate and hitting old and crumpled Twix wrappers as accurate targets. Lou also remembered how wicked she thought it was to have blue leather seats in a car.

It was one of the reasons why she bought her car Blue.

"Help? Help you with what? You decided that just taking the damn thing was the best idea. You had to steal the bloody receiver, didn't you?" A young Antoinette scolded her husband. The deep chestnut brown hair looked similar to the Lou's pigtails.

"Well, again, like I said, I wouldn't have had to steal the receiver if you just distracted Al-Akjar a bit! Then he wouldn't have noticed it was gone!"

Charles Richardson was not yet the Ambassador he would grow to be. Back then, he was a young and extremely bright agent, with quite the reputation ahead of him. The salt and pepper hair hadn't been a consideration. His jet-black hair was dark, yet still had a glossy shine to it in any light.

At the time, Charles was a man making his way through the rankings of the CIA. Lou never knew it then (she may have had an idea) but her father did work for the Central Intelligence Agency, and only knew of his involvement with the CIA after it was announced he would be an Ambassador for the United Nations.

She remembered how simple life was before her father became an Ambassador, and although Lou referred to that part of her life as simple… to anyone else, it was anything but simple.

The real normalcy was travelling for diplomatic duties, and not… a surprise "family trip".

Or as Lou's father used to call them, an adventure.

"I beg your pardon… You want the mother of your child to use her feminine wiles against a man for distraction?!"

"Did I say use your feminine wiles? No! I said distract him! You could use your big, bloody brain if you'd like!"

The car they were in pulled to a stop, to which Antoinette now had the full attention of her husband.

"I will have you know this big bloody brain I have is a few positions away from running an entire company! I will not have you undermine me because of my looks! Look at the example you are setting for your child!"

Lou, even though she knew it was a memory, allowed herself to play out the moment. She sat there, as her seven-year-old self, listening to her mother.

"Toni, I didn't intend for my words to come out that way."

"But they did." Her mother's tone was emotional, but firm. "You always ask me to help with the small things. Distract this person, take this key, lookout at this point… They make me feel insignificant! You have no idea what I've been going through at work! I have been working my arse off to show not only those stupid board members what I'm capable of, but to show Elena an example of what someone's life could be like without your guidance."

Her mother threw her hands up in the air. "And yet, you have gone out of your way to make Elena Lou your carbon copy. Well, there you are, darling. Mes sincères felicitations! You have practically dragged your family into your CIA affairs and your plan of raising a mini agent exactly like you happens to be working perfectly!"

"Come now, don't be that dramatic. It's a few self defence lessons and mind exercises to expand her mental capacity. Also, I've been teaching her about baseball. That's your favourite sport, Toni!"

"…Theodore, I saw you giving her the blueprints to a Beretta."

"She doesn't have any interest in guns!" Charles defended himself. "And it wasn't the actual gun, it was just the specs! I thought that would trigger some form of intrigue."

"The fact that you have normalized our daughter being so desensitized to all of this is absolutely absurd, Charles. She's seven. I shouldn't even be permitting this." Antoinette said disapprovingly.

"I'm not delusional. The poor girl has already gone through practically everything she needs to learn from primary upwards to secondary school, and you still insist she takes every year alongside Caroline. Yes, she's included and socialized with children her age, of course, but they know that she's different. She's isolated from them… not that Lou-bear minds, she always figures out how to entertain herself on her own, but she's going to get bored, Toni!"

"Mhm." Antoinette said shortly.

"And don't act like she isn't aware of what she's doing. She has asked me for this. Right, Little Lou?"

"Right!" Lou responded, always best friends with her dad. "This is research based only Mama Rosie!"

Toni rolled her eyes at her husband.

"You know you're the adult in this situation and can choose to lie?"

"Yes, but then Lou-bear would go off and find the truth on her own, and you know what happened the last time Lou tried to look for the truth; she was successful. I don't really need to deal with that kind of mess right now."

Turning to have her daughter's full attention, Toni spoke.

"Sweetheart… Do you genuinely enjoy some of the things Daddy teaches you?"

Lou thought about it for a moment.

"Some things I like. Like the self-defence, and the climbing, And the slingshot is absolutely marvelous!"

"I do love the word choice, darling." Antoinette said proudly of her young daughter.

"And… I really like how Daddy shows me how to recall things in my Mind Manor."

"Mind palace, Lou-bear."

"I like Mind Manor more. It reminds me of home!"

"Is that all, Lou?" Her mother asked. Lou always loved her mother's tone. Even when her mother was stern, her voice was filled with honey. She watched her mother's face look at her expressions. "Are you okay with Daddy still teaching you… all his lessons?"

Lou nodded, eager. She loved learning more and more about what her dad did.

It was something she had never come across before, and going on adventures was amazing, and Lou had never found something so…

Fun.

Lou remembered all the lessons her father taught her so far, and by doing so, remembered the ones that made her feel uncomfortable.

Guns.

Bombs.

Spies.

Not so fun.

"But… I don't want to learn about guns... or spies. They really scare me."

Lou's finger started tapping a slow one, two, three pattern on her knee.

"Are there things that your father teaches you that you enjoy besides your… adventuring?"

Lou took a moment to think.

"Baseball! I like it when Daddy teaches me baseball. It makes me feel strong."

Toni gave a look to her husband, to which Charles was aware of how uncomfortably he shifted his daughter's projection of what she wanted to be what Charles wanted.

Toni challenged her husband. "You intend on putting her through the same thing your father did?"

Charles turned to face Lou, making eye contact.

"No more guns," he said to his daughter, his voice not wavering. "You'll never have to learn how to fire one."

Lou's face lit up with happiness.

"Promises?"

Charles and Toni laughed. Their highly intelligent daughter with an IQ well on its way being higher than both of theirs still had a lot to learn, especially with simple things such as grammar and plural form.

It made them both feel happy that Lou still had time to grow.

They still had moments where she was still a child.

"Promises," her father echoed, sticking his pinky out for his daughter to wrap her pinky around.

"Lock it!" She squeezed his finger tighter, to which Charles did the same.

"Good! Now you make good on your promises, Father!"

The cheekiness of his daughter caused Charles to roar in laughter.

"You have to give credit where it's due, Toni. She's strong as an ox. At least she'll have a head start in growing up."

"No Charles, if you make her grow up too fast, she's going to want to be child for the rest of her life, constantly longing for the childhood she wished she had."

"And how would she do this, huh? Keep reading those children stories Mum got her and watch as she constantly psychoanalyzes them?"

"Oh, wouldn't that be hilarious. You train our daughter to be the best super agent to ever exist, and she chooses to be a teacher for children's literature."

"Hilarious for you, clearly. She takes your dream and not mine."

"Whatever career Elena Lou will choose; it will be the one she chooses without our biased opinion. I refuse to have my daughter grow up in a world where she just relies on her father's teachings of weaponizing herself."

"She doesn't, Toni."

"But she does. Give her the strength she needs without stripping her from her kindness. You don't realize how important it is for her to have different role models in her life, where she can explore all the options she has. She needs to be able to know that she can do anything, regardless of what gender she identifies with. She needs someone to show her that this world is her world, and that any scary thing that comes her way, she can conquer it. I love you so dearly for thinking our daughter could be an accomplished agent, and not letting anything or anyone stop her from doing what she wanted. I can see it in her."

"I'm glad you can."

"But that little girl thinks the world of you, Charles. It's about time you showed her what the world could do for her besides guns and spies. Certainly, she would be less anxious if she had more guidance from her father that just your teachings on how to dismantle a firearm."

There was a moment of pause in conversation.

"Okay. I'll only teach her things when it's Lou's choice."

The smile on Toni's face could melt any cold heart.

Lou remembered this part next perfectly, and how her parents reacted.

But it was the first (and possibly only) time Lou didn't care for her parents' reaction.

A mercenary had gotten a hold of the location of the car. Lou remembered that she didn't like the way the man looked at her parents. It was more apparent the mercenary was causing harm, as he pointed a gun towards her family. Her parents were in the middle of a fight, not noticing the man intending on ending both of their lives.

Gun.

Big gun.

Big, scary gun!

Lou took one of the rocks she had for her slingshot, aimed it right at the mercenary, and fired upon him.

The rock landed in the mercenary's eye, causing the man to cry out in pain and double over.

Both her parents heard the commotion out of the car, looked to the mercenary laying on the ground incapacitated, put the pieces together, looked to the seven-year-old with one her arm extended, holding out a slingshot that had already flung out its ammo out with impeccable aim, with the other arm hanging in the air, clearly in the launch position from firing a weapon requiring the same force and said aim for a slingshot.

The Cheshire smile that flung itself across Charles' face annoyed Antoinette to no end. He put the car into drive, proceeding back onto their route as Toni crossed her arms in frustration. She was forced to listen to her husband hum the theme song to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as they sped off, headed to the airport.

"Okay, fine. Maybe Elena Lou's going to grow up to be your super spy after all."


Are you sure you're ready?

xoxo N.


Next Time: "Am I dead?"