A/n thanks to everyone that's still with me in this story. I appreciate all your reviews.
Disclaimer: Yada, Yada, Yada!
The basement room under Sleeping Pines was the size of an average living room. It was windowless, and the only light swung from a fixture set into the ceiling in the middle of the room. The floor was concrete and cheerlessly gray. The ceiling was white with rust stains running across it like old blood stains. The light focused down on the inhabitants and left the corners of the room in black shadow.
"Dr. Stevens… we have warrants for your arrest." Reid informed the doctor. He kept his service piece trained on the doctor.
Leia had dashed into the room, and she sat just inside the circle light raining down on the men and women locked in this struggle for life and death. She looked first at Mrs. Warburton, and then at Dr. Stevens as though trying to make a decision.
"Dr. Reid… I'm surprised that you would come here without the great Aaron Hotchner. Don't you hide behind his skirts like a frightened boy? Or is it Jennifer Jareau's skirts that hide you. She's a beautiful woman Dr. Reid. A woman like that wouldn't give you a second look in the real world. How did you get her into your bed?"
"I'm not here to talk about my life Dr. Stevens. I'm here to take you into custody and end the victimization that's going on in this nursing home."
To Reid's great surprise, the doctor threw back his head and laughed. "Dr. Reid… I have three people in my custody that I'll kill if you don't back off slowly and put down your weapons."
"That's not going to happen… The officers with me can take you out before you can blink. I'd prefer to take you alive, but if I have too -"
Dr. Stevens' face took on an ugly cast. His lips twisted into a sneer and his eyes narrowed at the young agent. "I know all about you Agent Reid. You're the product of a diseased mind. Your father left you when you were ten years old because you're a freak of nature. I have contacts in high places and I know what happened to you in Georgia. You should have been -"
Reid had been looking at Dr. Stevens like he was a very interesting new bug, and in the same calm tone he interrupted the doctor. "Why don't you stop attacking me and tell us why you're killing these women. I know you've stolen money from them, but there's more to it then that, isn't there?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. You're pitiful attempts at profiling me won't work."
Reid saw Leia out of the corner of his eye. She was crouched down as though stalking a mouse, or the birds that she sometimes tried to catch when he would take her to the park in the spring time.
"You know Dr. Steven's… I don't really need to profile you. You're not that interesting. All I need is Garcia."
"Who or what is a Garcia," The doctor asked in a bored tone that was laced with contempt.
"Oh dear… she'll be so disappointed when I tell her that she didn't hold your interest. And I thought you checked me out thoroughly." Reid clucked his tongue disapprovingly.
"My sources didn't tell me you're sarcastic Dr. Reid."
"Now see… you've hurt my feelings Dr. Stevens."
"This isn't a game Dr. Reid. I want transportation to Canada and I'm going to take Tommy with me so you don't get cute with those guns."
"Why don't you let all of your hostages go and we'll talk." Reid answered.
"No… I'm not stupid enough to fall for your tricks… But I will let the nurse go… just as a show of good faith."
The man guarding nurse untied her bonds and two police officers pushed the gurney out of the room. "There you are Dr. Reid. Now why don't you see about ordering a helicopter and a pilot for me and Tommy?"
"Why are you so interested in Tommy and taking him with you?" Reid enquired. His arms were getting so tired, but he kept the gun trained on the doctor.
"He saw me come out of old lady Hutchinson's room that night. He wasn't supposed to be up and wandering around, but he was that night. He was going on about some bad dream or something. I don't know what he saw, but I have to take him with me now."
"Dr. Stevens… Why don't you tell me the truth?"
Reid could see that the man was beginning to sweat. His face was very pale and the hand that held the gun on Tommy was starting to shake.
"I don't know what you're talking about Dr. Reid."
"I think you do… I told you that I have Garcia. She gave me some very interesting facts about you. You were married once a long time ago. Your wife was involved in a car accident five years after you were married. She lingered in a coma for two years, didn't she?"
"Shut up… You little pup!" Stevens shouted at him.
"A young intern at the hospital gave her a fatal dose of digitalis, just like you gave your victims."
"I said shut up… I'll shoot him." The doctor had turned to face Tommy straight on. The young man was still sleeping or unconscious. He didn't move or respond to the events around him.
"You won't shoot him. You'll abandon him when he was six years old, but you won't shoot him. You left him to be raised by state homes and nursing homes, when you couldn't handle him. He started to show signs of autism and you brushed him aside like a used paper bag."
"I said shut up!"
"No... Tommy is your son and you left him to be taken care of by the very same kind of people that killed your wife. Then you decided two years ago that you felt bad and you got him in here. You never loved him though, you only feel guilty. He'd be better off without you!"
"No… He's a freak of nature just like you!"
He began to swing the gun around toward Dr Reid. Leia leapt off the ground and onto the gurney. The doctor, distracted by the movement, turned again and several shots rang out into the room.
--
Emily, Hotch and Morgan had cleared the living room and entered a room to their left. The other officers were clearing the rest of the house. The room was a small bedroom. The man in the room was sitting in a chair right in the middle of the room. The twin bed to the left was unmade and littered with newspapers. The old battered night table had a lamp without a shade and a large, well read bible. The lamp was on and it showed the large, black haired man in the chair. He was larger then Morgan. He was smiling a smile that would have been beatific on a saint; on his face it was hideous.
There were three sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest and he held the trigger in his hand. "Well… I thought you'd never get here." He said pleasantly in that same high pitched voice.
"Let's everyone just calm down," Hotch advised. There were several officers behind him and he motioned them away. "He has a bomb strapped to his chest. Get everyone out."
"Yes… why don't you all leave? Except for the lovely Agent Prentiss… I want to speak to her alone."
"That's not going to happen!" Morgan growled from his position at one side of the room.
"Call off your watch dog, or I'll press this button and we'll all go up." He directed at Hotch.
"It's okay Hotch… I'll talk to him." Emily lowered her gun and Guest smiled.
"No… I'm not going to leave you alone with this guy." Morgan insisted.
"It's okay…" She insisted.
"We're going to be right outside the door," Hotch jerked his head at Morgan and with one last glowering look, they left the room.
"Well... It looks like the big one has more then a professional interest in you."
"Why don't you stop talking about me and tell me what you want. You have the bomb so you're in control.
"I should have thought that it was obvious. I want you! You're just like the other whores out there. You need to be punished for your sins."
"You'll punish me like you did the other women. Did you know that two of your victims had children?"
"Of course I know that. I watched them before I took them. Believe me; it's better for them to live without lying whores to raise them."
"Is that what your mother was?" Emily asked. "Did she lie to you, or did she abuse you?"
"My mother was a saint. She never abused me. She wasn't like the others."
"Do you mean your sisters?"
"I'm not going to play games and talk about my childhood. You profilers think you can stop the warrior of God but you can't. My mission will go on until I am finished!"
"Why won't you talk about your sisters?" Emily asked calmly.
"What do you know about my life or the whores that didn't do as they were taught by my mother?" His voice had risen in pitch and one hand was thumping the desk.
"I know pretty much all there is to know about you. You were married, but your wife couldn't have children. The marriage didn't last, but you couldn't kill her like you wanted to. You had to find substitutes for her and your older sisters that abused you sexually until you were a teenager and large enough to fight back. You hated your mother for not stopping it. You killed all three of them, didn't you? There was a house fire and it was classified as an accident. I wonder though, how is it that they weren't able to get out of the house!"
"You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Yes… I do. You're using religion as an excuse to get back at your sisters and your mother. Did you set the fire that killed them?"
"Shut up… it was an accident!" My mother wasn't supposed to be there! She was supposed to be visiting a friend!"
"So you decided that killing your sisters wasn't enough, you had to punish women like them. You want to make us pay for what they did to you. Why religion Harvey… was your family religious and you see their abuse of you as a betrayal to your faith."
"You were sent here to deceive me, just as the serpent deceived Adam and Eve. I refuse to listen to your lies."
"I'm not the one that's untruthful, Harvey -"
"I am the Arch Angel Michael and I won't listen to the lies of a whore." He suddenly smiled as though he'd come to a decision. "I can be merciful just as God himself is merciful to his children. There is a thirty second timer on this bomb. If I were you I would run." He pressed the trigger and Emily turned to run screaming at Hotch and Morgan to get out.
They ran through the hallway of the house. Emily saw Hotch and Morgan yelling to the SWAT agents and moving as though time had slowed down and everything had lost its' noise. They had just reached the front door when Emily tripped over something and fell to the floor.
Hotch turned back and said something, but she couldn't hear what it was. She didn't hear herself screaming at him to get out of the house. Then there was huge explosion and heavy hot air rushed over her, and threw Hotch through the doorway to the porch.