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You guys are so amazing! I need to start coming up with harder goals, because you already made this story reach 25 favorites! As promised, here is the next chapter. Remember, the next two goals are 70 reviews and 40 followers.

Believe me, this chapter and the one before it were so hard to write. But, I wanted to give you guys some interesting cases and this came from an idea that I had while watching a show on CBS. I hope that it wasn't too much for anyone; I tried not to get too gory.

Thank you for those of you that have read, reviewed, followed, or favorited this story. And also to those that have private messaged me. I appreciate you all very much.

This is the last chapter about the church shooting, so I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter Twelve: Gentle Pushes and Harsh Warnings

Allie

Though Alan Green had died in the shooting, I was thankful for his bravery. He had charged at the shooter and while struggling, he'd managed to pull the guy's mask off. And one of the churchgoers had recognized him before he had a chance to run away.

Charles Clayton was his name, and he'd recently done time for armed robbery, which explained how he would have had the connections to get a good assault rifle and ammo. While in prison, he had attacked a preacher that had come to speak to the inmates. His reasons for the attack were unknown – and the preacher had moved away after the incident – so there was no way to know what had caused his hatred for those that worshipped God. Nonetheless, we had to take him down.

SWAT had been called in to meet us at his house, and we all stood outside, waiting for Steve's orders. Finally, he gave them. "Okay, SWAT is surrounding the house, so there's no way that he can slip out the back. We've confirmed that his car is in the garage, so he's definitely home. SWAT is going to stay outside and provide us cover, and we're going in. Remember: this guy is armed, so don't let your guard down for even a second."

We all nodded and he motioned for us to move in on the house while SWAT also moved closer, finding positions to cover us from. At the door, Steve looked back to make sure that we were all in position behind him, guns at the ready. Once he was satisfied, he turned and kicked in the door before darting into the house. The rest of us followed at quick, measured paces.

All at once, everything about the situation hit me, just like back in my CIA days. The TV was on, the volume up much too loud. There was also a radio playing an Elvis song from somewhere towards the back. Water was running from the faucet in the kitchen. So many noises…

To cover up his movements.

I walked towards the TV to turn it off and that's when a shadow moved next to me, coming from behind a large shelf. My body responded without thought and I dived into a roll just as the gun went off, sending bullets flying over me.

I saw his knees and kicked as hard as I could, hearing a satisfying crunch as he cried out and fell, bringing the gun down as he did. I tried to deflect it, but the butt of it still hit me in the head. Black and glowing spots danced before my eyes, but I still managed to grab the gun and begin trying to wrestle it away.

Shots were fired.

And then the man on top of me grew limp and his weight fell onto me, the gun pressed between us. I gasped for breath until he was pulled away and someone knelt beside me, their voice muffled as they called my name.

Slowly, almost one at a time, the black spots began to clear and I saw Steve kneeling beside me, concern in his eyes. He was talking, but his voice was too muffled for me to understand. I tried to shake my head to tell him that I couldn't understand, but that sent a shooting pain through my head that was almost worse than the hit from the gun.

Steve's hand came down onto my shoulder and he shook his own head, probably trying to tell me not to move.

No problem. I just laid there with my eyes closed, fighting nausea, as my hearing slowly began to come back. Next thing I knew, paramedics were there, one on each side of me.

"Can you tell me your name?" One of them asked me as he started to hook me up to an IV while the other one bandaged my head.

"Allie Rhodes." I'd had concussions before; I knew which questions were coming. "I'm not allergic to any medications and I do remember what happened. How bad is my head?"

It was the other, younger man that answered. "You're definitely going to need stitches, and I'm guessing you have a concussion. Your partners say that you didn't lose consciousness, though, so that's a good sign. I'm all done here; let's get you loaded up."

They gently pulled me onto a stretcher and as they began to wheel me out, I called for Steve. He was there a moment later, worry in his eyes. "Hey, what is it? What do you need?"

"Kol," I told him. "He's still at my house. Can you bring him to the hospital for me, please?"

"Yeah, I'll head over there right now," he promised me.

The paramedics gently pushed him back and then loaded me carefully into the ambulance. The doors closed, one of the paramedics sat on the bench beside me, and then the ambulance started moving.

"You're lucky you didn't get your head bashed in," the paramedic told me with a smile. "One of your partners said that it came down with a lot of force."

"Yeah, I…" But the dots had returned, bringing nausea and dizziness with them. "I…"

"Hey." His tone was worried as he hovered me. "Are you okay?"

The darkness swallowed me before I could answer him.

Steve

I sped to Allie's house and then banged on the front door, which sent Gideon into a barking fit. A minute later, he had calmed down and Kol answered the door, frowning when he saw me.

"Why are you knocking like a man trying to get away from a murderer?" He leaned over to look around me and his frown deepened. "Where's Allie?"

"She's at the hospital." Before he could freak out, I filled him in. "While taking down a suspect, she got hit in the head with his rifle. The paramedics said she'll need stitches and she probably has a concussion, but she should be fine. She asked me to come and get you."

He nodded and stepped back into the house. "Let me set the security system and I'll come with you. I already returned the rental car, so I'll have to ride with you."

Once he was ready, I drove him to the hospital and we walked in together, heading for the desk. The woman there took our names, looked up Allie, and told us that she was getting a CT scan at the moment. She had a nurse take us to her room to wait on her.

Kol paced nervously while I stood near the window, arms crossed as I leaned against the wall, blaming myself. The guy had been hiding behind a shelf that was pulled out just enough to fit him. I had already moved through the living room and I should have seen it. Or I should have shot him before he could hit Allie with his gun.

Kono called and I answered. "Yeah?"

"How's Allie?" she asked me.

"She's getting a scan right now," I reported. "Did you guys find anything at the house?"

I must have been on speakerphone, because it was Chin that answered me. "A handmade map of church locations in the area. The two from today were circled, as well as one more."

So, he had been planning to hit another one in the evening. Sick bastard. "Did we find anything to give us motive?"

"No, we have no clue why he was doing it," Danny said, "but the map alone is enough evidence, not to mention that his gun matches the shootings. There was nothing else of interest in the house."

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem," he answered me. "We'll take care of the paperwork, just keep us updated on Allie."

"Yeah, let us know if she needs anything," Kono said.

"Will do." I ended the call and filled Kol in.

"At least it wasn't for nothing," he muttered just as Allie was wheeled into the room by a nurse.

She seemed surprised to see us. "Hey. What are you guys doing here?"

Alarm bells sounded in my head. "You asked me to go get Kol and bring him here."

She frowned, thinking for only a moment before she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I keep forgetting things."

"It's normal," the nurse assured us with a comforting smile as she wheeled Allie right up to the bed. "We just did a scan and the doctor should be in to talk with you shortly about the results."

The nurse helped her into the bed while Kol and I stood and looked on, helpless. After she was comfortable, the nurse left and closed the sliding screen door behind her.

"Are there stitches under that bandage?" Kol asked her, pointing to the white bandage stuck to her forehead.

"Ten," Allie confirmed. "Sit down, both of you. Quit hovering."

Embarrassed, Kol and I took chairs.

"How did the case turn out?" Allie asked me after a minute of silence. "Was he really our guy?"

I nodded. "They matched his gun to the shootings and found a map with his targets circled. More cut and dry than our cases normally are."

"But with more deaths."

Yes, there was that.

"Let's talk about how this guy got the drop on you," Kol told his sister, only half teasing.

She shrugged. "I honestly don't remember much. My brain is probably blocking the traumatic memories."

"You did great," I assured her. "And it wasn't your fault. I went through that room before you did and I should have seen that the shelf was pulled out."

She shook her head. "Hey, it's okay. You couldn't have known. Things like this happen."

"I'm just glad you're okay."

Kol looked between us for a moment and then said, "Mind if I step into the hall and make a call to change my flight?"

Allie looked confused for a moment and then realization lit her blue eyes. "Oh, that's right! You're supposed to fly out tonight."

He waved away her concern. "Don't worry about it. Flights are easily changed."

"But you said that you had an important meeting tomorrow afternoon. You won't make it if you don't leave tonight."

Again, he waved her concern away. "That's not what I'm worried about right now. I need to stay here and make sure that you're okay."

"That's what doctors and nurses are for." He opened his mouth to argue again, but she cut him off. "Kol Alexander, since when have I needed anyone to look after me? I'll be fine. You should go."

"I can't go anyway," he told her victoriously. "I already returned the rental car since you were planning on driving me to the airport."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Allie looked to me. "Steve, can you drive Kol to the airport?"

"Umm…" Kol was shaking his head wildly, but Allie had me pinned down with a look so intense, I couldn't say no. "Sure."

"We need to teach you how to read body language," Kol said and then turned to Allie, his expression and tone very serious. "Are you sure you'll be okay if I leave?"

She scoffed at him. "If anyone can't take care of themselves, it's you. That's why I need someone responsible to make sure that you make it to the airport on time and with all of your baggage."

Kol appeared affronted. "I only brought one bag and, I'll have you know, it's already packed and waiting for me at your house."

"Then go and get it, and let Steve drive you to the airport. Please?"

He stared at her for a few long moments and then finally sighed. "Okay, fine. But call me day or night if complications develop, okay? And for the record, I'm still against this. I just think you'll make my life a living hell if I stay against your wishes."

She reached over and tapped his hand, as one would a small child. "Smart man."

"Handsome, too," Kol teased her and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Rest up and get to feeling better. Call me if you need anything."

"Get out of here," she said and waved him away.

I followed him out of the room and we were silent on the way to the house, where he ran in really quickly to grab his bag. He tossed it in the backseat and then climbed into the passenger side, buckling up as I reversed out of the driveway.

"She's going to be okay, right?" he asked me after a few minutes and I looked over to see him staring straight ahead but looking at nothing, much as Allie had done at the church.

"Yeah," I assured him. "She's going to be fine. I mean, it was a hard hit, but the paramedics were optimistic and the fact that they didn't rush her up to the ICU is good. She's tough."

The corner of his mouth pulled up in a small smile. "She's always been tough. I don't know… maybe it's because she grew up with four older brothers. We were pretty rough – normal guy stuff, you know – and she somehow always managed to launch herself right in the middle of it. Our father hated it because she was always his little princess, but our mother told him that Allie needed to be treated like anyone else. 'It's a man's world,' she used to say. 'Let her learn to live in it.' He didn't like it, but he finally stopped being quite so… overbearing."

I waited, hoping that he would tell me more. And, after a few moments of silence, he did, still staring straight ahead, lost in his memories.

"She was always so clever. It didn't take her long to realize that we were bigger than her and naturally more muscular. She knew that she would never win against us by brute force alone, so she started sneaking out and learning martial arts. As many different kinds as she could. She started getting up at the crack of dawn to go for a run and training in every other way that she could." He let out a small laugh. "And then she started beating us and we knew that we were in trouble."

"She was good today," I said. "Her quick reflexes really saved her."

"I couldn't believe it when she went into the CIA. I didn't like it," he admitted. "She wasn't working as an assassin or anything, but it was still dangerous. I didn't like to think of her putting herself into danger like that. But she loved what she did."

"Are you worried about her being a part of Five-O?" I asked him, honestly curious.

He shrugged and thought for a moment. "She goes around rounding up criminals, so of course there's danger. But I know that she can take care of herself. She proved that today, even though it was a close call."

"You're a good brother."

"We were always the closest siblings, for obvious reasons. I literally can't remember a time when she wasn't with me. Of course, it helps that we're a lot alike. She's been a part of me for so long. Maybe that's why I get super crazy when she's hurt. I don't want to lose her."

"I'll do my best to ensure that doesn't happen while she's with Five-O," I assured him and meant it.

There was something behind that smile that I couldn't quite figure out. "Just while she's with Five-O?" he asked.

I was confused. "I'm not sure what you mean."

He shifted slightly in his seat so that he could look at me better. "Look, Commander, don't think I don't know there's something there between you and my sister."

I practically slammed on my brakes at the stoplight. "What?!"

He rolled his eyes at me. "What, you think I'm blind? She told me that you didn't trust her, and I was pretty sure that was true at first. But then… I don't know. Something changed, though. And tonight, in that hospital room with her, you looked just as worried as I was."

"I'm her commander," I argued. "Her boss. I'm worried because she's a part of my team. I would be that worried for any member of my team that got injured."

"Okay." Kol didn't sound like he believed me and, for reasons I couldn't put my finger on, I felt like I needed to make him believe me.

"I was mistrustful of her in the beginning, I'll admit. She was placed on my team suddenly and without my consent. So, yes, maybe I was a little hard on her in the beginning. But, I've since gotten to know her and I think that she's a wonderful addition to the team. That's probably the change that you're talking about."

"Okay."

I grit my teeth and forced myself to remain calm. He had managed to infuse so much doubt and accusation in those two little syllables. "Look, I don't know what you think you've been seeing, but you haven't even been around us that much. I mean, you helped us with a case and I appreciate that…" I had lost my train of thought.

"And there was the dinner," he reminded me. "After which we played poker and then you stayed later than everyone else, helped my sister clean up dishes, and then went out to the back porch with her. She doesn't take anyone out to her sanctuary, so…"

Confused, I said, "You had gone to bed before that."

"To bed doesn't mean asleep. I watched Netflix on my phone for a while and then came into the kitchen to get a glass of water. That's when I saw you two all nice and cozy out on the back porch."

"We weren't cozy," I said immediately.

"It looked pretty cozy. You were both smiling and laughing. So, you obviously weren't telling each other how much you hate each other."

He was obviously reading into things a little too much, which I told him.

He shook his head. "You can ask Allie – I'm very good at reading people and situations. I actually worked for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI for a while. It was cozy."

I changed the subject. Because if I heard him say cozy one more time in that smug tone, I felt like I was going to punch him directly in the face. And I didn't pull punches. "Why did you stop working for the Behavioral Analysis Unit?"

"I know what you're doing," he told me, but kept speaking before I could bother to deny it. "At the BAU, we dealt in all kinds of crazy. Like, we saw the worst of the worst. Lots of blood and gore and sick shit. I'd had it after a while. Had to get away and deal with my PTSD before I could do anything else."

"What do you do now?" I never had managed to figure out what he did for work.

He shot me another smug grin. "A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I guess you could call me a consultant, of sorts."

I knew that he wasn't going to give me any more detail than that, and I didn't really have time to dig because we were arriving at the airport. I pulled around to the drop-off zone and idled as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Safe flight," I told him.

He nodded very seriously. "Promise me you'll let me know if my sister somehow takes a turn for the worst, okay? I can hop on a private jet and be here within eight hours or less."

I was surprised. "You own a private jet?"

"No," he said. "But I know people that do. Promise?"

"I promise."

He nodded his approval and then reached behind him to grab his bag from the backseat. "And think some more on what I told you, okay? You can deny it all you want, but I actually think you'd be really good for Allie. And from what I've gathered about you, she'd be really good for you, too."

I shook the thoughts out of my head. "I'm not interested in a relationship. And we don't have anything going on."

The smug smile was back. "Whatever you say. But if you hurt her, I'm coming for you."

I didn't get a chance to respond because he melted into the crowd.