It was a normal enough home. No garden gnomes in the front lawn, but the curtain were drawn. It looked homey though, brightly colored but not over the top. Dave looked up and down the street as they walked the path to the front door. This was a quiet neighborhood.
As Dave knocked on the door, he took a sidelong glance at his partner for the day. "So," he started conversationally. "What did you do to piss Hotch off enough to get stuck with me?"
Emily didn't even look at him, just shrugged. "I guess he just figured that I was the only one who would put up with your shit."
If forced, he would admit that he had been in a particularly grumpy mood. It was more than his usual crass sarcasm. He didn't like to think of himself as crotchety, but he had been pushing the bill for the past few days. Stunned by the blunt statement, the door in front of them was pulled inward before he could supply any retort. "Can I help you?" While Emily verified that the man, Robert Fullman, was in fact a witness to their latest homicide, Dave found his thoughts wandering to the reason for his grouchy demeanor. Something he wasn't quite ready to share with anyone. No, not just yet.
He phoned it in for the most part, adding a complimentary handshake with his introduction. He didn't really care where he was walking to as they were led deeper into the home. They were offered a seat on what looked like an expensive, though seldom used couch. There was minimal polite conversation before the brunette got down to business. That was something he admired in her. Not the getting down to business part. He could manage that just fine himself. She always had a way about personalizing her encounters though. A quality he prided in himself, but one he had crafted over time. For her, it seemed a natural gift.
He didn't pay much attention to the conversation. The guy was dull. Dave vaguely wondered if the man actually had any actionable information, or if he had just claimed to be a witness for the benefit of the inevitable visits for follow-up questions. The tray of cookies on the coffee table, and several offers of a beverage leant to the idea. When Emily had finally relented to the man, he jovially got up to fetch the glass of water from his kitchen.
"Okay," Dave leaned closer to her on the couch as he spoke in a rough whisper. "You tell Hotch I'll behave if he calls us back to Quantico right now." Emily must not have seen the humor in his plea because she gave no response, so he pushed a little further. "This is downright torturous." She gave him a look, one that he was overly familiar with, and he raised his hands in apology. As he turned away from her frigid glare, something caught his eye. He moved to examine the object.
While he was studiously confirming his suspicions, he suddenly found himself struggling with an intense hatred for his lackadaisical approach to the interview. For all the crap that he had given Hotch for putting him on newbie duty, Dave knew that the task still carried a certain amount of danger. He knew that, if it was an official assignment, he should have been on full alert. The sound of Emily forcefully demanding his release brought his attention back to the current situation. He thought that this was precisely why law enforcement officers typically worked in pairs, and he was thankful to have her there. It was a strange thought, really. Something that he had known for years, it was no great secret. The idea just seemed to be one of the myriad of thoughts that were racing through his mind. They were flying by at such a velocity, that it was difficult for him to grasp at any individually.
"Drop it, or the Old Timer goes out with a bang," was the surly, albeit pedestrian reply Emily received from the man at Dave's back.
He watched as his partner hardened. As if, pointing the gun at the man more harshly would scare him off. Then he winced as he recognized the look in her eyes: sheer helplessness. "Put it down," she tried. With only a short, yet disturbingly maniacal chuckle in answer, there really wasn't much of a choice for her. Dave figured she had two option here. She could either shoot and hope that it was on target, or put her Glock down and hope that the deranged bastard didn't kill them both.
"Emily, don't you dare." He forced the words out in the harshest, most authoritative tone he could muster, but Dave could already see that she was leaning toward the latter option. She dropped the gun down a foot or so, letting it waver uselessly to the side. She shook her head, clearly hesitant about her next movement. Taking a deep breath, she slowly raised her left hand and simultaneously tossed her Glock onto the sofa with her right. No sooner did it hit the cushion and Fullman pulled the trigger. Not once, but twice. Dave saw Emily falling to the floor, and then felt pain erupt over the back of his head.
It had been awhile since he'd been rendered unconscious due to a violent blow to the head. 'Wife number two,' Dave thought. His right hand went to the site of impact. No blood. He still had quite the head of hair for his age, and a wry smile came to his face as he told himself that it paid off in more ways than shielding his skin from the butt of a gun too. Recent memories rushed to the forefront and he found himself frantically staggering to his feet. A quick survey of the room revealed that he was alone. Emily's body was not lying where she had fallen earlier and there was no blood. Not wanting to risk being found out if Fullman was still on the premises, he suppressed the urge to call out Emily's name. He reached for his gun, but of course all he came up with was an empty holster. He cursed Fullman for the second time, and instead began to search his pockets for his cell. He pulled the device out, and then slowly made his way toward the front of the house. He found himself more irritated with his earlier lack of attentiveness as he stumbled for the correct direction. Once outside, he punched Hotch's contact. A few seconds of delay in getting backup wouldn't matter at this juncture, but those same short moments would mean everything for his B.A.U. team. It was not going to be a fun conversation, but Dave was probably angrier with himself than any of his colleagues could be. Maybe.
"Hotch, I'm going to need the team down here. Robert Fullman's our UnSub, and he's got Emily." It was far more painful than ripping a band aid off, and held far more ramifications.
If Hotch was miffed, or concerned for that matter, he didn't show it. "We'll be right there," he stated calmly. His voice was muffled for a moment, and then came back to its normal volume. "I've got a patrol car and an ambulance headed your way."
Her first sensation was the pain radiating in her chest. Emily let out a soft groan, silently applauding herself for her decision to keep the hidden Kevlar even though the Florida air had been sticky and humid as usual. She swallowed roughly. How long had she been unconscious? Dave. Where was Dave? She opened her eyes, and scanned her surroundings to the best of her ability. Everything was dark and her mind was groggy, but she knew that something was wrong. She tried to sit up, but she couldn't move. Where was she?
"Has a hell of a kick on the way down," she heard a familiar voice echo in the darkness. She remained silent. "The Ketamine," the voice specified.
"Fullman," she replied. It wasn't a question though, it was an accusation.
"Yes," he answered flatly. "I have to admit, I was a little caught off guard when they sent you." He walked into her view now. "I was expecting a uniform."
He reached out and gently caressed her face, but she pulled away from his touch. "What do you want from me?"
"I've been watching you, you know?" He nodded seemingly more to himself than to her. "Indirectly."
"So what now?" she virtually rolled her eyes. "You're going to take me to some remote pedestal and shoot me in the back of the head?"
"No, actually," he smiled. Then he looked up and to his right. "Well, maybe." He stared at her for a moment. "See, you're special Agent Prentiss. I can see the way he looks at you."
He, she wondered? "Then why am I here?" she demanded.
He looked at her almost tenderly. "All in due time, dear."
A/N: Hey, guys! It's been quite a while, and I do apologize for the delay. I've been very busy with school and whatnot. I really do like this story though, and I can't shake it, so don't worry. I will definitely be finishing this one whether I still have readers out there or not. I am adding time in my schedule specifically to write this story. Here is chapter four, please feel free to let me know your thoughts.