It was clear by the time they had all come together in the precinct that it truly was the work of the Replicator, and that it was more than likely to be John Curtis who wore that mask. And even though they had the feeling that it was him, Penelope was still no closer to locating him than she had been back in Quantico. Dave was trying not to get frustrated, but he couldn't shake the premonition that something was about to go horribly wrong.

"I really need to get back to the hotel, David. I have a terrible headache."

He looked into Erin's face, noticing how pale and drawn it was, and gave her a small nod. "Do you want me to give you a ride back?" he asked as he caressed her face, never letting his eyes dart away from hers.

She shook her head before looking over at Alex. "Lexie's going to actually drop me off before she grabs supper for herself and Penelope. Do you want your usual Chinese order?" He nodded. "Good, I'll tell her what you like then before I head up to our room. I'll see you soon?"

"Hopefully before midnight. Though if it's super late, I will make certain to try not to wake you." She gave him a small nod before drawing in a deep breath. Relaxing a little, Dave allowed her to kiss him sweetly before she turned on her heel and darted out of the room, Alex at her heels.

"I swear, if you two were to be any sweeter, we'd all have cavities that needed filling," JJ teased as she came over to him, resting her hand on his upper arm. "Though I will not complain about the fact that she has been a lot nicer to our team since you two started dating. So whatever you do, don't break her heart. I don't want to have to walk on eggshells around the both of you!"

"Whatever, Jen," he replied, rolling his eyes a little as he went over to Penelope's side and took a seat on the desk, watching her face intently.

"You're making me nervous, and I don't work well when I'm nervous, David."

A slight chuckle slipped from his lips as he tried to smile at her. "I'm just as nervous, Kitten. I take it that you feel this heavy stone in the pit of your stomach?"

She pushed away from the desk to look up into his face before solemnly nodding. "I just can't shake it. It's like ever since we came here, the knowledge that something horrible is about to happen has just gotten stronger and stronger. And I know that Erin truly wasn't feeling the best, but I also didn't want to see her leave. We're stronger together, you know?"

"I do. But I also know that Erin's probably a better shot than I am, and I made certain that she was always carrying her service weapon with her, ever since Maeve's death." Penelope nodded once more, though he could tell that she wasn't convinced. "They'll be fine. They have to be fine."

Penelope have him a weak smile before turning back to her work, and he drifted over to Aaron's side, feeling that uneasiness settle even heavier in his stomach as he gazed at the information board. "This isn't about my brother, is it?"

"I don't think so, Aaron. The more I look at things, the more I'm starting to believe that this was an elaborate ruse to draw us out of our comfort zone…fuck."

"What?"

"Curtis. He has such a large grudge against Erin and Alex, and I just sent them alone to the hotel. He has obviously been watching us, which means that he probably watched them leave. I, I have to go. If he hurts Erin or Alex, I will never forgive myself."

Everyone was looking at them, and he felt like he was going to suffocate from the worry that was welling up in his throat. "Go. We'll wait here for news from you, and then we'll go from there." Aaron clasped his forearm tightly, giving him a determined look. "I promise you, we will not let anything happen to her."

He gave his best friend a tight nod before turning on his heel and jogging out of the building. It didn't take him long to hail a cab, and he shoved a wad of money at the man, telling him to get to their hotel as quickly as possible. Dave found that he couldn't settle down the entire drive, though he tried not to get too frustrated when the traffic became a little too snarled for his liking. Thankfully the cabbie seemed to know that time was of the essence, as he went down the first side road that he could get to before picking up the speed.

Still, it was a twenty-five-minute drive to get there, and he felt the dread intensify in his heart as he gave him more money before jumping out of the taxi and jogging inside. Breathing heavily, he approached the front desk and waited for the clerk to address him. "May I help you, sir?"

"Did you happen to notice if the blonde I checked in here with walked past already? There's been a development in our case," he panted out, pulling out his badge and then showing Erin's picture to the woman. She took a good look at her picture before looking back at him and nodding. "Thank you."

"Do you need me to call your room?"

"Yes, do that as I head up there, please." They were only on the third floor, so he went over to the stairs and took them two at a time in his desire to get to his lover. By the time he was on their floor, he was sprinting and he pulled the keycard from his pocket as he slid to a stop outside their room. In his haste, it took three tries to open the door, but then he was thrusting their door open, feeling the cool outside air whip against his skin as he looked at the bed.

Erin was in Curtis's arms, a terrified look on her face as he held a syringe to her neck. "Drop the needle, John!"

"Oh, I don't think so, Dave. Your lover here has to pay for the sins she's committed over the years. And I think it will be all the sweeter that she dies while you're watching."

In one fluid move, Dave pulled his service weapon out of its holster and aimed it at John. "I think that my finger will be faster than yours, and then where will you be? Dead. And even if you do manage to inject her with that noxious brew you dreamed up, you'll still be dead, because I'll shoot you before calling 911 for her. So, if you want to live, drop. The. Needle."

Curtis smirked at him as he broke Erin's delicate skin with the tip of the needle, his thumb pressing the plunger slowly downwards. And despite what he had said, David could only watch as Curtis injected Erin with the doctored MDMA, knowing that if he were to shoot in that moment, he could very well speed up the effects of the drug, since there was the possibility that the man would inject it faster. As the needle fell to the bed, though, Dave tried to get a bead on him before he escaped from the window, but felt like he needed to get to Erin's side first and foremost. And so he let John Curtis escape into the night as he dropped onto the bed and cradled Erin in his arms.