Hey everybody! I'm sorry its taken so long, but school has started and I'm busy. I'll try to update again soon.
CHAPTER FIVE
The plane touched down in the early evening. Hotch and Gideon dismissed the team with mumbled, "get some sleep. The reports can wait till tomorrow." So the whole team hit the pavement crawling to their own cars. This case had been hard on them all.
Michael Sanders, father of three sons, loving husband, had kidnapped, raped, and murdered five little girls all under the age of ten. They were working against the clock, as he had taken seven year old Emily Harrison and went on the run. He had been chased through two states. When he was corned, he killed the girl and himself. The BAU arrived less than thirty minutes too late.
Spencer and Elle shared a look over the hood of Elle's car. Then she got in her car and pulled out of the parking lot. A glance in her rearview mirror let her know that Spencer was right behind her.
Once they arrived home and made it inside, the pair stripped off their work attire and changed into more comfortable clothes. Elle slipped into a pair of pink cotton work out Capri's with C-U-P-I-D across her seat, and her favorite t-shirt. It belonged to Spencer until she adopted. Spencer changed into green plaid sleeping pants and a black undershirt.
The entire time, they were both silent. Processing their work could be difficult. Spencer went about making sandwiches while Elle grabbed a couple of cokes and the chips. Fatigue was setting in quickly, as they settled next to each other on the couch.
Spencer took care of the dishes. He returned to Elle's vacant gaze. He knew what she was thinking. It was what all of them were thinking. 'We should have been faster. We could have saved her.'
He sat down so close that their legs were touching. He reached over and entwined their fingers. He brought their clasped hands to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. Then they curled up close and simply held on to each other, letting the remnants of the case drain away.
Elle was astounded. Her heart fluttered in her chest. She came to an epiphany. 'This is the most intimate experience I've ever had.' There was no sex, no words, nothing. They were just Elle and Spencer cuddling on the couch, but it was really so much more than that now. 'I want this…I want to keep things just like this.'
&
Spencer had been running just inside the tree line for over a mile. He was careful to keep one eye on the road, but stay out of sight. Finally, the main road came into view. He remained as hidden as he could. There was no way to know where the unsub was, or who he was.
'Best would be to keep running. Find a phone, a sheriff's office, something has got to be out here somewhere.' He struggled to push thoughts of Elle to the back of his mind and push on.
He took another few steps, and one of his knees gave out. 'It was bound to happen; I just wish it could've held to town limits.' Spencer sat down to rest. 'Five minutes, just rest for five minutes.'
&
Hotch took the lead as he and Gideon made their way up the front walk of Reid's-and now Elle's house while Morgan went around the back. It seemed in order. There was day old mail in the box hanging next to the door, and a jimmied lock on the door.
"Gideon."
"I see it. Careful." The older agent replied.
As they crept up slowly, Morgan opened front door with his gloved hand. One look and his eyes went wide. "Hotch! Don't take another step!"
Hotch froze and followed Morgan's line of sight. Directly above the final step was a sawed-off shotgun rigged with wire. Upon closer inspection of the top step, the agents realized the wire ran straight across and up to the lethal weapon. He broke out in a cold sweat when he understood that he had almost been killed.
He stepped over the wire; Gideon followed saying, "That buck shot is meant for Elle. And look, in there."
The other two agents peered into the house. Laying on the coffee table was a man's watch. It was silver, classic in appearance. Underneath, a note.
HE'S NOT YOURS ANYMORE"Call Garcia, tell her that Elle is not to leave the federal building. This guy is gunning for her now too." Hotch ordered.
"She won't like it, Hotch. She's struggling with this whole thing now." Morgan supplied.
"She'll have to deal with it. As of now, she's in protective custody." Gideon ended the argument.
&
Elle and Garcia had been going over the same information for going on 43 hours. They still had not found anything that gave way to a lead. Elle got up and walked to the break room for more coffee. While she was out, her phone rang.
"Elle! Ellle!" Shouted the technician.
The brunet came rushing back into the high tech office and snatched up her phone. "Spencer? Hello?"
"Hey Princess! Are you okay? Where are you?" He asked in a rush.
"Garcia, we need a trace! Babe, where are you?" Elle asked. "Are you okay?"
"I asked you first." Spencer shot back.
"Spencer!" Elle cut down his lame attempt at humor.
"I don't know Elle. I don't recognize anything. I haven't eaten in a while and I've walked about four miles. The sign over the gas stations says 'Gus Gas and Truck stop.'" He provided.
Elle was writing furiously, and then shoved the paper at Garcia. The blonde began typing away as she dialed Hotch and Gideon.
"Hotchner."
"We've got Reid on Elle's cell. He's sitting at a pay phone at a gas station on I-18."
"We're on our way now, make sure Elle tells him to stay put. ETA's fifteen minutes." Hotch rattled out before he hung up.
"Elle, the boys are on the way. Make sure that he stays where he is. They'll arrive in fifteen." Garcia repeated.
"Popi, you still there?" Elle called through the phone.
"I'm still here, just tired." He answered. "Are you coming to get me?"
"Hotch, Morgan and Gideon are enroot. I'll see you at the hospital." Her tone was comforting, but the offer felt hollow. She wanted to go and get him herself.
"They know…about us?" It was really more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah, but we'll worry about it later. Right now, I want you to stay awake until they get there." Damn it, why couldn't she keep from crying.
"Aw Princess, it'll be okay." He said quietly.
"I should be the one saying that to you." Elle laughed under her breath.
"It doesn't matter. Love you." Spencer was fading quickly. The exhaustion was bubbling up from where he had pushed it back, and now he had run out of adrenalin to fight it off.
"Love you too. Stay with me." Elle could hear how tied he was. She glanced at the clock; they would be there in less than five minutes.
"There's an ambulance on the way, they'll meet our guys there." Garcia supplied.
"Ya hear that? You get to go to the hospital." Elle joked lamely.
"Only if you'll supply the enchiladas, I hate hospital food." Spencer tried to joke back. "I'm sorry. I should have called the cops or something. I've totally blown us out of the water."
"Popi, it doesn't matter. Besides, I'm the one who told everybody about us." Elle responded.
"Some one's here." Suddenly Spencer seemed completely aware.
"Who? The rest of the unit might have gotten there." Elle was on edge, he sounded like he was scared.
"Elle, I will marry you." Spencer whispered determination clear.
"Spencer? Who is it?" Elle felt her stomach drop. The unsub was there. She wrote it out to Garcia, who immediately patched it through to Hotch and Gideon.
Elle heard scuffling on the other end of the phone, and the line went dead. Her heart stopped. 'This can't be happening. This can't be real."