Zephyr Ridley was now beginning to have regrets about the mess he was currently caught in. He knew everything, and was already figuring out how to turn himself in. It was the only right thing do.

At least he knew the root of his problems.

Kali Grigorovich.

They'd been friends for a very long time, but she had changed in the past year in that she'd allowed herself to get recruited into working for a child trafficking ring. Overlooking a heinous crime would be worth it if she could finally have enough money to get out of D.C. for good. She was very bored. A change of scenery was just within reach.

But but Kali's back-up muscle was beginning to turn on her—they felt that answering to a young person about dastardly deeds was beneath both of them. Even with all the money they were paid for every completed job.

Kali didn't have time for the drama of Asa and Wyatt. So it didn't take her long to think of Zephyr as a replacement for them.

Everything ran just fine until Kali learned of Olivia's being let go, and that the MPD was aware of what she was doing. Her irritation only grew at finding out that the FBI had also gotten involved. That particular establishment majorly complicated things.

The house location would be found. Kali's operation would be terminated, and she would be punished. Eliminating all of her liabilities was the only option. There would be no middle ground.

Lulling Zephyr into a false sense of security was the first place to start.

"What are you doing back here?"

This was Katherine's inquiry to Zephyr when he came back down to the hideaway.

He answered her question with a different one. "Do you want to leave?"

"What?" Katherine said in actual confusion. "Are you screwing with me?"

"No. We're actually in a residential neighborhood, a small journey away from D.C. proper."

"But you said—"

Zephyr cut her off. "I know what I said! Look—the cuckoo bird in the house is called Kali Grigorovich, and this is a child trafficking ring."

Katherine found this very alarming, but moved on to her next train of thought since they weren't in immediate peril. "Tell me about all this yarn the kids have."

"It's to determine who's worth keeping, and who isn't. Different colors mean different things."

"Then the little ones here are keepers?"

"They are, in Kali's book, but not mine. I've got Faith and Hope to thank for that." Zephyr admitted. "I did not sign up to terrorize my baby stepsisters. Thank God no one has been moved on to the next step."

Katherine couldn't believe that Zephyr was telling her everything so easily. "And just what does Kali think you're doing down here?"

"Checking on the 'merchandise,' as she put it."

"Then are Asa and Wyatt back? I want to talk to them."

Zephyr chose his words carefully because of the watching children. "I think they both bought the farm."

"Fine. What was that about getting out of here?" Katherine stuck her hands in her jacket pocket. "I want that, but I'm not going without everyone else. I'm not. It's together, or not at all."

"Totally." Zephyr agreed. "I don't have a solid plan yet, but if the hatch opens up again, do you think you can have everyone climb up the ladder?"

Katherine was not naive, nor had she forgotten that she was caring for other people's children, but she thoroughly believed that Zephyr no longer meant any harm.

"Yes." she finally told him. "I can have everyone ready."

"Good. Stay alert—I have to go."

Zephyr departed once again.

Katherine's hope started to burn a little brighter.

It wasn't until the BAU and MPD hit the road in the mobile command center that Penelope had a breakthrough.

"You guys!" she cried. "They're in Dunn Loring!"

Everyone quickly gathered around Penelope's nook of a work station.

Captain Walsh said, "That's a little bit less than a half hour away. Miss Garcia, do you have anything like coordinates available?"

"I already took the initiative so you can give the information to the driver, m'am." Penelope handed the other woman a Post-It Note with writing on it. "Here you go."

"Much obliged." Walsh took the paper. "I'll be right back."

She headed towards the front area where the vehicle driver was. Not long after, the sirens began to sound, and they began to head even faster towards their destination.

Penelope had a second breakthrough in her data-gathering just as they pulled up in front of the house.

Emily noticed her friend looking at the computer monitor with a very concerned expression on her face. She joined her immediately.

"This is no time to hold anything back." Emily told her. "The local officers are already outside, setting up the barricades."

Penelope faced her friend. "I discovered who Zephyr keeps the closest."

The others overheard this and once again formed cluster at her work area.

"You have our attention." Matt said to Penelope. "The floor is yours."

Penelope turned to look at the screen, feeling unsettled with everyone watching. She was more used to doing this part of the job over the phone.

"This young woman on the screen is one Kali Grigorovich of Dunn Loring, Virginia." Penelope indicated the person she'd been looking into. "She's eighteen years old, and as far as I can tell, she has no living family to speak of. Her connection to Zephyr Ridley is that they sailed all the way through grade school together."

"Are they friends?" Will wanted to know.

"Yes. I wouldn't say boyfriend and girlfriend, but they are definitely friends. I give you all Exhibit A."

Replacing a DMV photo of Kali was a collage of many, many texts between her and Zephyr.

"There isn't time to go through each one individually, but this one did catch my eye. It's from her to him." Penelope continued. "The timestamp is from earlier today."

JJ winced as she read the message aloud. "It says, 'You'd better not wuss out, or else F & H will be first up.' That's perfectly terrifying."

"We've definitely found the elusive trafficking ring at the heart of the Yarn Child case, and this text solidifies it." Tara concluded. "The f and the h must stand for Faith and Hope—both Ridley girls."

Emily nodded. "That's right. JJ had a chat with their mother, Spring, back at the station."

Everyone's eyes turned to her.

"Spring Ridley told me that Zephyr is her stepson, and that she loves him, but considers him a wildcard. She also made it sounds as though Zephyr has a sketchy history." JJ sighed. "As for the twins, they're best friends, but Faith is deaf."

"Is she able to communicate?" Spencer asked.

"Yes, and she even signs. Missus Ridley even informed me that neither of her daughters have ever spent a night away from home before." JJ showed her colleagues the rag dolls. "These belong to Faith and Hope. Their mother lent them to me becasue she wants them to have something familiar when we find them."

Will inquired, "Any last tidbit?"

JJ thought about it. "Missus Ridley said that she doesn't approve of the bad things that Zephyr does, but I have a feeling that there was once a time when he really cared for Faith and Hope."

Rossi pointed at the text. "He probably still does, JJ. They must be his Achilles Heel if Kali is threatening to move them ahead of the others."

"Then words like that would only have weight if both parties have known each other for any inordinate amount of time. What does the reply say?"

Penelope called it up. "Zephyr sent, 'Okay, okay. I'm in. Don't worry about me.' It looks like he sided with Kali again."

Rossi sounded like he was thinking out loud. "I agree, but her words to him in the first text you showed us made it sound like he was having second thoughts. What about the first message before in the thread?"

"Let's check, sir."

Penelope resurrected the text in question.

Emily read it. "This one says, 'I don't want this anymore. The stakes are too high. Let's let them go.' Garcia, what does the timestamp read?"

"Nine-fifteen."

"Katherine and Olivia were abducted just over an hour later. Sandy found Olivia at the station house not long after that." Emily pointed in the direction of the house. "Obviously, Kali is calling every shot. There is no way that she isn't inside."

Captain Walsh spoke up. "What are your orders concerning Kali Grigorovich?"

"Don't shoot to kill," Emily decided. "Because we don't know where Katherine and the kids are, but do approach her with extreme caution; Kali will most definitely be armed. Can I trust you and Agent Simmons to lead this mission?"

"Sure. Where will you be?"

"Running point back here with JJ."

"Understood."

Emily turned to Matt. "Are you good?"

Matt was, but he had paused just for the briefest of moments. He was feeling puzzled—Emily and JJ were first on any scene. Always. It was unlike either of them to hang back on this kind of occasion.

He still gave Emily his best confident look. "Yes, boss. I'm all good. Let's roll."

Inside the house, Kali was fuming.

She had murdered Asa and Wyatt in cold blood on account of their going soft, but now everything else was beginning to work against her. All of her best laid plans were being laid to absolute waste. Could no one be trusted?

"You had one job!" she yelled at Zephyr. "Just one! What the hell did you tell her?"

"NOTHING!" Zephyr protested.

Kali responded by landing a well-aimed kick at her partner's legs. He collapsed in surprise, and then grew stuck when she continued.

"How did the cops and Feds get here?!" she screeched.

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Zephyr truly had no idea how the calvary had arrived, but he was definitely going to keep his word. Any price was worth saving the people in the basement. Even jail time.

So he had to stand up to Kali.

Figuratively, and literally.

Zephyr got to his feet. Kali immediately backed up: though slender and lightweight, her companion was well over six feet tall. She definitely wasn't.

"I didn't say anything that would piss you off, and I certainly didn't put out a homing beacon!" Zephyr snarled. "I'm not that stupid!"

Kali didn't believe him. "No? Then how do you explain the FBI outside?"

Zephyr shrugged. "I guess Katherine has a smart device that we overlooked."

"Go figure!" Kali made to move, but Zephyr was blocking her from leaving the room. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I think I'm stopping you from going down there for a visit—none of them deserve this!"

"Yeah, well you don't deserve this," Kali shoved Zephyr hard. "But hey! What can you do?"

Zephyr immediately retaliated by shoving her in return. "I can do that!"

A physical fight broke out between them.

Outside, Matt approached the house with a mega-horn in hand. Captain Walsh was beside him. Will and Primrose both stood faithfully with their CO, while Tara and Spencer were next to Matt. Behind them was a mixture of BAU and MPD personnel. Everyone was wearing tactical gear and armed for the possibility of a fight.

Matt called through the mega-horn, "Zephyr Ridley, Kali Grigorovich—this is the FBI, and the Metropolitan Police Department! Come out with your hands up!"

Not a peep came from the house.

Walsh examined it with a heat-seeking tool. "They must be at the back of the house, otherwise I'd be picking something up."

"Any sign of Katherine, or the little ones?" Matt asked her.

"No, but I wouldn't be surprised of the house has multiple hidey-holes, and everyone has been stashed in one of them. Should I send some of my people around the back?"

"Please do. Have them get in position, but don't go until I give you the all-clear."

Walsh conveyed her understanding and busied herself with dispatching her people.

More time passed.

Matt's further attempts to draw Zephyr and Kali out went unanswered.

Even Emily, JJ, and Penelope surveyed the scene through cameras and monitors from inside the command center without talking. They were waiting. Just like everyone else.

It was the eagle eyes of Spencer Reid who spotted activity first. "The front door is opening!"

Indeed, Zephyr was emerging slowly from the house, extremely aware of the innumerable amount of guns pointed at him. To everyone's great surprise, he knelt down on the snowy ground and held his hands up in surrender. He was done. Quitting.

"Zephyr," Matt called to him. "Are you armed at all?"

"No, sir, I don't have any!" the young man called back. "Search me, okay? I'll do whatever you want!"

Matt, Walsh, Will, and Primrose jogged over to him.

"Is Kali in the house?" Matt asked as Will and Primrose gave Zephyr a pat-down.

"Back bedroom—second floor, last door to the right. Be careful."

Walsh addressed him in a sharp tone. "Any traps that we should know about?"

"No, m'am. None." Zephyr answered her. "Kali had a gun. I left it on the kitchen counter after incapacitating her."

With a word from Matt, Captain Walsh gave her people instructions and permission to move in before saying, "What possessed you to go so far?"

"There was a dust-up, and I was terrified for my life."

"Captain, he's telling the truth about the fight." Will reported as he and Primrose handcuffed Zephyr. "His knuckles are bloody."

Walsh took this in stride as she spoke to Zephyr again. "Are Katherine Spelling and the missing children on this property?"

"Yes, m'am. They're through a trap door in the garage floor that Kali made me padlock shut."

"We'll handle that. Your cooperation will serve you well when it comes to sentencing, but we still have to arrest you. Do you understand?"

Zephyr nodded solemnly. "I do, m'am."

At Walsh's behest, Primrose mirandized Zephyr and led him to the nearest police car.

Matt called out to Will. "Hey, LaMontagne—can you you come over here, please?"

"What do you need?" Will asked when he reached him.

"Go look for bolt cutters—they're probably at the back of the command center. You're going to cut the padlock when we get into the garage. Right now, I'm just waiting on the confirmation of Kali's capture."

Will returned to Matt in record timing with a set of strong bolt cutters. Moments later, they received the update they'd been waiting for. Kali had been captured and taken in to police custody.

This left the BAU and MPD free to converge on the house to secure the gun and begin the crime scene investigation, but more importantly, free the prisoners.

"This should do it." Will said. "There…"

With no small amount of maneuvering and finagling, the sergeant finally managed to get the padlock off the trap door. It was easier said than done.

Will threw the door open the moment he could. The long ladder was visible as it descended into the secondary basement, but only a dim light could be seen beyond that. He did his best not to shiver as he moved forward.

"Katherine Spelling?" he called down to his sister-in-law. "You down there? This is the MPD and the FBI!"

She returned his inquiry at once. "I'm here! All of the kids are here, too!"

"Is anyone hurt?"

"No! We're just tired, and really ready to go!"

Will smiled even though Katherine couldn't see him. "Today is everybody's lucky day—rescuing you all is exactly what we're here to do!"

Everybody in the basement cheered.