A/N: Hello again! I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I will be driving back to school and getting ready for the next semester tomorrow, so the next upload might not be until Sunday, but I have it ready for you guys! For those of you who have faved/followed/reviewed, THANK YOU! I see you, I appreciate you, I love you. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
Joey was lying on her back. She couldn't feel any sharp pains, but she was winded.
Her vest had taken the hit. Joey groaned as she scratched at the vest, trying to get it off to relieve the pressure on her chest. None of her ribs felt broken, but some of them were definitely bruised.
The sound of footsteps fast approaching reached Joey.
"Ryan!" Prentiss dropped to her knees next to Joey while Reid quickly moved to where Thomas Hayden had dropped.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Joey wheezed, waving Prentiss away. She sat up and began to pull at the velcro straps. "My vest took the hit. Go help the girl."
Prentiss gave her an anxious once-over before nodding and standing to help the restrained girl who was now crying softly on the table.
Morgan and JJ suddenly burst into the room, guns raised. "What happened?" JJ demanded, seeing Joey sitting on the ground, still pulling her vest off. They both holstered their guns and Morgan moved to help Reid.
"Hayden had a gun." Joey said, using a stack of boxes to hoist herself into a standing position. "He pulled it and I…I…" She faltered, finally realizing what exactly she'd done. Her breathing suddenly became more pained. "I didn't know what to do so I—."
"Hey." JJ came over to her and grabbed her shoulders. Joey stiffened. "You did the right thing. It was a clean shot. Besides," She looked over and Joey could see Reid and Morgan hauling a handcuffed Hayden off the floor. He was bleeding from his shoulder, but otherwise fine. "It looks like he's going to be okay." She turned back to Joey, eyebrows drawn together. "Are you sure you're okay?" Her eyes darted all around Joey's body, searching for injuries.
Joey nodded. "Ribs took a bit of a beating, but otherwise I'm fine." She cringed as she bent to pick up her vest, holding her side.
"Okay, let's go get you checked out anyway." JJ insisted, leading her out to where two ambulances were waiting.
As Joey sat on the back of the ambulance getting checked over by an EMT, she felt her phone buzz. She pulled it out to see a text from Pearce. Just one word: answer. Joey barely had time to register the text before her phone rang.
"Hello?" She answered, failing to hide the resentment in her voice.
"Agent Ryan, how nice to finally hear your voice." Joey rolled her eyes. "Why haven't you been answering my calls?"
"I'm working a case."
"And what's the status as of right now?" Pearce asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.
Joey sighed. "We just arrested the UnSub."
"Excellent. So you'll be flying home tonight, I assume?"
"Yah. Hotchner will have to take care of a few things with the local detective, but we'll leave after that." Joey closed her eyes, bracing herself for what she knew was coming.
"Good. I want to see you as soon as you get back."
Joey clenched her jaw. It had already been a long day. "Sir, please, if it could just wait until tomorrow morning—."
"You know…" Pearce cut her off. "I was thinking of sharing my…extensive photo collection with Agent Hotchner. I'm not sure of his tastes, but I think he'll find what I have…interesting to say the least. What do you think?"
Joey's heart dropped. "Okay…fine. Just please, you don't have to do that. I'll be there tonight."
"Good. I'll be waiting." The line went dead.
Joey opened her eyes to see Reid standing before her. "Who was that?"
"Uh, no one." Joey answered, pulling herself out of her head. "Just someone from home."
"Oh…" Reid looked awkward. He bounced on the balls of his feet before sighing. "I just…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
Joey gave him a curious look. "Sorry? For what?"
"You were right. We should have waited for back up, but I made us go in early and—." Reid began what Joey could tell would quickly turn into a ramble so she held up a hand.
"Reid, it's not your fault." He looked uncertain. "Really. None of us profiled him as using a gun, and we couldn't have predicted what was going to happen. Besides, he was about to strangle the girl in there when I entered so really, you were right." She implored with a small smile. "Besides, I'm fine."
Reid twitched his mouth to the side, but a smile tugged at his lips. He stepped off to talk to Prentiss as Hotch suddenly appeared. "Are you okay?"
Joey nodded emphatically. "Just a couple of bruised ribs, but besides that I'm good."
"Good. Prentiss told me it was clean, and Hayden's going to be fine." He glanced at the EMT who hand gently lifted Joey's shirt and was wrapping her ribs. "You'll be okay to fly?"
"Yes, Hotch, really, it's not a big deal. I'm fine." Joey insisted, though she shivered at the touch of the EMT.
Hotch nodded. "Okay. Once you're done, we'll head back to the station and finish there before flying home."
Back in the SUV, Reid and Prentiss buckled in the front seat. "I get to hit you every time my seatbelt locks." Reid muttered bitterly.
Prentiss ignored him and turned around in her seat to face Joey. "Okay, what's wrong?"
Reid froze, then slowly turned and faced Joey as well. Joey looked up from the window. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well you are a terrible liar." Prentiss stated matter-of-factly.
"We know something's up." Reid said quietly from the passenger's seat. "You've been getting texts and calls all day."
Joey gave him a very measured look. "Nothing's wrong." She said firmly. She turned to look out the window again, uncomfortable under her colleagues' gazes. She wished they would drop it.
"Who was really on the phone back in the ambulance? And what did they want you to do?" Reid asked hesitantly.
"Reid, drop it." Joey struggled to keep her voice calm.
"Oh my God." Prentiss suddenly breathed, her eyes widening. "Are you being blackmailed?"
Joey closed her eyes bracingly. "Prentiss, it's nothing. Just…let's get going, okay?"
"No! If you're being—." A sudden honking behind them caused them all to jump.
Hotch was in the SUV behind them, wondering why they hadn't started moving yet. Prentiss gave Joey a we're-not-finished-with-this-conversation look and pulled the car into drive.
The flight home was short and filled only with Joey losing spectacularly to three games of chess with Reid. As the team descended to the tarmac and headed toward their respective cars, Morgan called out with a mischievous smile.
"Hey Ryan! JJ, Prentiss, Garcia, and I are headed out for some drinks. Care to join?"
Joey grinned but waved him off. "Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'll take it easy tonight and spend the night in." She grabbed her ribs for effect. Though as everyone else piled into their cars and drove away, her smile vanished.
Joey climbed into her car and pressed her head back into the rest, steeling herself, before turning the ignition.
Pearce was the only one on his floor that still had his lights on as Joey made her way down the hall. She knocked on the door and entered at the call.
"Agent Ryan, good to see you made it back safely." Pearce's smile reminded Joey of a crocodile as he sat behind his desk. "Please, sit."
Joey tenderly moved to sit as Pearce stood and came around to lean on the front of his desk in front of her.
"The case went well then?" Pearce asked.
"Yah, fine. We caught the UnSub before he could hurt anyone else." Joey said to her knees.
"Good, good." Pearce folded his arms importantly. "I need you to deliver an envelope tonight." Joey said nothing, but continued her defiant stare at the floor.
Without warning, Pearce's hand connected with the side of her face. Joey gasped, then instantly winced as pain seared through her side. Stars had popped into her vision.
"When I talk to you, I expect a response." Pearce said with a sinisterly calm voice.
Joey nodded. "Okay."
Pearce leaned down toward Joey's face and she tried to pull away. Pearce reached out and tucked a piece of Joey's hair that had come loose behind her ear. She barely repressed a shudder. Pearce cupped the side of Joey's face that he had struck.
"You need to start having a little more respect." He whispered with a smile. Suddenly, Pearce's hand slid down and started to close around Joey's throat. Panicking, Joey's hand shot up to her neck and tried to pull Pearce's hand away.
When Joey started to see black creep into the edges of her vision, Pearce finally released her, walking back around his desk. As Joey coughed and attempted to take huge breaths, massaging her throat, Pearce opened a safe and pulled out an unmarked manilla envelope.
"You'll be delivering this. Drop it off and leave without speaking to anyone. An address will be sent to your phone." He said with a sudden business-like manner.
It took Joey two tries to stand and take the envelop from Pearce's outstretched hand. As she made her way back to the elevator, she felt like she was viewing the hallway though a reversed telescope. With her bruised ribs, Pearce's meetings, and the overall lack of sleep and food Joey had been getting the last couple months, her body was starting to protest.
Later, when Joey had finished delivering Pearce's package, she stood in her bathroom, staring at her reflection in the steamy mirror. Her hair still dripping from her shower, Joey realized how thin her face was becoming. There were dark circles under her eyes that could have matched Reid's and her cheekbones were too defined against her skin.
Sighing and pulling her pajamas on, Joey moved to her bed. She checked her watch. If she fell asleep now, she would be able to get a few hours of sleep before she had to wake up for work tomorrow. Joey resentfully set her alarm and fell into bed, hoping sleep would take her away soon.