Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to the creators of the FBI Tv Show. I make no profit from this story.

Key Point: This story is based heavily on their private lives, with a little FBI work in order to keep the story going.

Chapter 5: SAFE

Jubal was sitting on Kristen's desk when Maggie and OA walked into the JOC. Maggie and OA looked at each other and split up - Maggie was going to get Jubal and OA would see if Dana was free and available for them.

"Morning, sorry to interpret Kristen, but Jubal could we see you in Dana's office for a minute. It is quite urgent."

"Ok, of course. Everything alright?" Jubal asked. Jubal hadn't heard Maggie enter the JOC but then again he was fully involved in his conversation with Kristen and often forgot that they were in a room full of trained agents and analysts.

Following Maggie to Dana's office, Jubal could clearly see the stress and concern in Maggie's body language. OA was standing just inside the room, at the door, waiting for Jubal and Maggie. Maggie entered first and moved next to OA, allowing Jubal to move to his position alongside Dana's desk facing the pair. As Jubal moved into place, OA needed to reassure himself and Maggie that everything would be ok… that this team… his team would protect them… protect Maggie if something did happen to him. He put this hand on Maggie's upper back, giving her shoulder a slight squeeze letting her know that he was right there, and then reassuringly guided her into the middle of the room.

Jubal was sitting on the corner of Dana's desk, and when Dana felt the heaviness of the room, she stood from her desk and moved to the front of her desk, leaning against the desk next to Jubal. Dana wasn't sure what was going on - last time she saw Maggie she was happy and relieved, and a little emotional. Dana hadn't told the team yet that she was retiring, but even if they had heard that from higher ups, the tension was too great for that news. Dana had no idea what was happening and she didn't like it.

Jubal broke the tension, "Maggie, OA, do you want to tell us what's going on?"

"You're quite pale, Maggie? Are you sick?" Dana followed up.

Maggie cleared her throat but stumbled over her words as she tried to get the details out, "I'm fine… It's just that… Well, yesterday." OA put his hand on Maggie's shoulder to reassure her and tell her that he would do it. He would explain their greatest fears. Dana and Jubal both noticed the tenderness of OA's actions and gave each other a side glance, telepathically saying that they would discuss that later.

OA straightened his body, and pulled down his blank face from Army days. In the Army they teach you how to shut down your emotions and to go into soldier mode - a mode that only operates on logic and training. A mode that doesn't let love, or fear rule your decisions and actions. And when leaving the Army it took him years to break that habit, and to allow people, his friends and family, to see him and his emotions. OA took the pair of gloves out of his pants pocket and then removed the first red note from his inside jacket pocket. Jubal and Dana were watching him closely and you could see the uncertainty on their faces.

"This morning, just after 06h00, I found this note stuck to Maggie's front door. I took photos of the placement before removing the note with gloves. Neither Maggie nor I touched the note without gloves. There were no signs of tampering and there were no people lurking around or out of place." OA handed it over to Jubal, who unfolded the note and held it out between him and Dana to read the note.

Jubal ran his hand over his face as he always does when he is concerned about his team's safety. After reading the note, Jubal handed it off to Dana and started pacing, immediately firing off questions as his brain tried to make sense of the situation, "The note isn't addressed - no name, no address, nothing. Maggie, do you think it was for you? Or do you think it was posted on the wrong door?"

Maggie responded, fear evident in her voice, but nothing showing on her face "It's not a wrong delivery, Jubal. It is for us."

Jubal nodded and walked back over to where Dana was sitting on the desk, still reading the note over and over again, and this time Jubal read the note out loud, as if hoping that hearing the words would help make sense of the note:

"Having someone special in your life will make this way more fun!

I know who you are, I know what you like, but more importantly I know your greatest fear. Can you afford to lose another special someone?"

Dana spoke next, in her soft, calm voice, full of control, "I'm not trying to interfere in your personal lives, but first things first, as we look into this, is there a special someone in either of your lives that we need to post officers with? Do you know who the note is referring to?"

OA looked at Maggie and Maggie did the slightest shake of her head, before OA continued, "There is more. After reading the note, we packed up and headed into the JOC. We stopped at a coffee shop on the way, "Pot of 'uck". We often stop there - Maggie knows the owner quite well."

"Yeah, I know the place, and Sinead. Great coffee." Jubal agrees.

"It is. Maggie stayed in the car and I ran in for our usual order. Sinead saw Maggie sitting in the car and remembered that she found an envelope in her mail from that morning, addressed to Maggie. It is the same colour envelope as the note in your hand - but this time it is addressed to Maggie, with her home address, and it is unstamped…" OA has to stop himself. He can feel the rage rising in him again. OA paces the room, hands on his hip, trying to slow his heart rate as he paces back and forth.

"I immediately felt uneasy as Sinead handed me the envelope and I just knew something bad was about to happen. I turned around to check on Maggie when I saw a bullet coming straight for me." Maggie took a deep breath in and sat on one of the guest chairs, remembering the fear that coursed through her as she sat in that car watching her partner. "Someone was sending us a message. They were paintball bullets. The window was covered in paint. Maggie and I got back in the vehicle and headed straight here."

OA removed the other envelope from his pocket and walked it over to Jubal. Jubal and Dana checked the envelope before Dana remarked, "No postal stamp, so must be hand delivered. This person knows your routine."

Maggie responded, "But we don't go there every morning. We go there on different days, at different times. This person was taking a chance by suspecting that we would go there this morning, and that doesn't fit this so far."

"Or he knows us, knows you, well enough to know that we would stop there after finding that note on your door this morning." OA explained to Maggie, knowing that they too often fall into habits with each other, "That you would want to go there because you feel like you need their coffee to get through a hectic day, and if you didn't suggest it, that I would because I would want to ease the day with donuts for you."

Dana removed the note from the envelope and read it out loud to Jubal, who was now pacing the room again:

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three shots to the heart. You're dead!

I know you well, better than you know yourselves or each other.

Maggie, your biggest fear has just come true.

You have lost the person that you love again.

You weren't able to save or protect him.

Omar, you are dead and unable to protect, care for or look after Maggie just as you have always thought.

I could do anything I like to her now and I will when you're gone.

Can you save each other?

Are you really safe?

Jubal stopped pacing at some point during the reading of the note. He looked up to the ceiling and then back down at Maggie and OA. Maggie was sitting on the chair and OA was standing next to her. Jubal looked to Dana to see if she was going to address the elephant in the room, but she nodded her head and let Jubal continue.

"Maggie, OA, is the note correct?"

OA reached down, putting his hand on Maggie's shoulder. He needed to feel her. He needed to know that she was there. That she was alive and breathing still. Feeling her, grounded and reassured him. "Yes, my biggest fear is not being able to protect and keep Maggie safe. I am petrified that something may happen to me, in this job, and I won't be able to stop the bad from finding her, in whatever form that may be. And Dana, to answer your previous question, no, there is nobody else in my life that needs protection."

Maggie continued after OA, "Yes, the note is correct. After Jason's death, I blamed myself for not protecting him. I was an FBI agent, my job is to protect people, yet I couldn't keep the one person I loved with my whole heart safe. And yes, to this day, that is still my biggest fear. That I won't be able to keep the people that I love and care for safe." Maggie squeezed OA's hand on her shoulder, took a deep breath and then addressed Dana and Jubal. She knew that earlier that morning she had told OA that she didn't want the team to know that he had spent the night, but if it meant keeping him safe, then she was going to disclose it to Dana and Jubal. "Last night, after work, OA and I went out for dinner. After dinner, OA drove me home. I was exhausted and fell asleep in the car. OA spent the night on the couch. He didn't find the note when he came to fetch me for work, but rather when he was leaving to go home. I think that the person doing this was watching us last night and that is why the note is not addressed. They knew that we were there together. That first note was intended for both of us."

"Ok. Let's go update the JOC. We've got work to do." Dana stated as she stood moved towards the door.