A/N: Yup, I'm baaack. (grins) Dunno if ya consider it a bad thing or good.
BUT, before getting on with the story… THANK YOU so much for your love, support and those fantastic reviews! (GLOMPS) It's easy to keep this baby floating and moving on with your help, ya know? So thank you! (hugs again)
Awkay… (takes a deep breath) Once again I'm having some annoying insecurities, so I'll need to jump forward before I'll change my mind about posting this. (gulps) I really hope you'll enjoy the ride!
Safe Haven
Six Weeks Later
From the beginning Spencer had discovered that it wasn't easy to coax marshal Doneghy into letting him out of the safehouse. That's why he savoured every single opportunity he got.
That morning he stood in the middle of a quiet street in a small town and closed his eyes, letting a surprisingly warm breeze caress his face. Freedom had never felt as good as it did just then. For a couple of seconds life was normal.
All of a sudden his eyes flew open. It could've been a scent or a hunch, or perhaps he was just imagining things. He turned his head and felt everything inside him freeze.
Right there, on the other side of the street, a dark skinned man stood reading a newspaper with his back towards him. The man's choice of clothing, the body structure… He didn't know what Derek was doing in that tiny town – perhaps he was working on a case – and honestly Spencer didn't even care.
Spencer's body reacted before his head had the chance to catch on. He approached the man, his lips open for calling out – until a firm hold grabbed his wrist.
Looking back with startle he found Doneghy. There was a extremely irritated look on the man's face. "You know better than well how dangerous it is to wander off in your situation. You should be a lot more careful."
Despair filling him Spencer looked over his shoulder just as the dark skinned man turned. It wasn't Derek. His eyes stung and he tried to tell himself it was because of sunlight. He swallowed laboriously, looking back towards Doneghy. "I'm sorry."
The marshal sighed, like a parent who'd just overreacted with their child in danger. "I know that this is frustrating but you need to try and hang in there for a while." The man nodded towards the car waiting for them. "Now let's get going. We've been out here too long already."
Spencer followed numbly, the searing sensation never disappearing from his eyes. He'd never felt as trapped and utterly lonely as he did when sitting into the car.
Derek inhaled a sigh, focusing on the morning dawning outside the jet.
It'd been a long, exhausting case. Five girls who hadn't even seen their twenty-fifth birthday had been murdered before they'd managed to catch the UnSub. Five innocent lives had been lost but somehow it was the furthest thing in Derek's mind.
All he could see was Spencer's eyes. That and Ellie's battered body, the bitterness in her eyes.
It was torture.
Deciding that he needed distraction before he'd lose his mind Derek began to put on his headphones until Aaron sat to the seat before him. Feeling a hint of misdirected resentment Derek put the headphones away, trying to keep his tone from sounding too hostile. "It was a long case."
Aaron nodded, looking at him with clearly visible worry. It took long before the man spoke. "You did well on this one."
Derek's eyebrow arched. "But…?"
Aaron sighed. "I'm sorry that you had to be suspended for a month. But I'm sure you understand why it was necessary." The pause between them wasn't a loaded one. "I also know that this is all taking a toll on you. And I'm here to listen when you're ready to talk."
Derek looked at his boss, his friend. It felt so good, to finally let go of all the grudgethat'd been swelling inside him for such a long time. He nodded, his stiff muscles relaxing for the first time in what felt like a decade. "I know."
The flight continued in silence, with Derek swimming in a world 'what ifs', 'could have beens' and 'maybes'.
It was going to be a damn long day.
The two of them might've been even more restless if they'd known of the phone call that took place a couple of days later.
Jackie Cullins from Las Vegas police department, who was trying to handle a exhausting amount of utterly dull paperwork, groaned before picking up. "Las Vegas police department, Jackie Cullins. How may I help you?"
"Hello", a very pleasant male voice greeted her. "This is… sort of embarrassing, but… I'm prosecutor Timothy Logan. I just noticed that I forgot to deliver chief William Reid some documents yesterday. I was wondering if he's still in so I can bring them to him myself?"
Jackie arched an eyebrow but didn't think much of it. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid he left a few hours ago. He said he'd spend a while in Quantico. He wasn't sure when he'll be back"
"Well that's a nice coincidence. I'll be on my way to Virginia soon as well. Maybe I can meet him there and finish off this case. Thank you. Have a good day."
Jackie smiled. It wasn't every day people were this nice to her. "You too. Bye."
In a car that was speeding just below the limit of drawing attention George Foyet hung up. His face gained the expression of a skilled predator making its plan of attack.
Ellie gave him a sideways glance before focusing on the road. "Good news?"
Foyet nodded, a chilling smile appearing. "You could say that." He held a pause, focusing on the road. He was sick of running around. "It's time to go to Quantico."
The car sped on as shadows of the darkening evening set in.
Spencer had never been a huge fan of TV. The only things he owned one for, really, were news and some quality documentaries. However, while in witness protection he'd come to discover that the noisy box in the living room's corner was an excellent distraction whenever his mind tried to jump on dangerous paths. That day, however, the TV offered him something entirely different.
He'd been listening to the rather talentless scoop reporter trying to catch scandals with only half a ear, taking it as some sort of a white noise. The moment he heard the name George Foyet Spencer's whole world stopped for a second. Turning his head he saw a young, blonde haired woman on screen. 'Communication liaison Ashley Seaver' said the text below her. "… still working tirelessly to catch Foyet. This is now a joined operation of several agencies."
"There are rumors that new leads have been discovered recently. Is that true?"
Ashley's eyes answered for her mouth, at least for Spencer. "I'm not at liberty to comment."
The reporter didn't seem to catch what he did. "Foyet's been missing for a very long time, now. It's already guessed that he's fled the country. Tell me honestly, is there any hope of catching him anymore?"
Fire burned in the liaison's eyes. "George Foyet has killed and hurt a lot of people. For all their sake, we're not giving up."
Spencer swallowed, his heart beginning to thump.
They hadn't given up. For the first time in forever they had a lead. They were closing in on Foyet. All of a sudden there was hope that perhaps this nightmare might end one day.
Spencer was so focused on those thoughts that he jumped when the tiny apartment's door opened all of a sudden. Doneghy gave him a apologetic look upon entering with some groceries. "Sorry if I startled you." The man frowned. "Is everything alright?"
Spencer mused silently that these days, it appeared the definition of 'alright' had changed dramatically. "Yeah", he murmured while turning off the TV, something swirling in his stomach. He cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable inside his own skin, too hot and torturously cold at the same time. "Do you… think you could take me somewhere? Please?"
It'd been a endlessly long, exhausting day and all Derek wanted was to go home and sleep it all away. To sleep away everything.
He was already on his way to the building's door when he heard Penelope's voice. "Oh, thank gosh!" Her eyes sparkled with something that got him suspicious. "I was so afraid you'd left already."
Despite his growing curiosity he smirked. "Did you miss me already, Baby Girl?"
Penelope grinned. "Actually, Hot Stuff… There's something I want to show you."
He frowned, not really in the mood for any surprises. "What is it?"
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I'd tell you." She motioned for him to follow. "Come to my lair and you'll find out."
Derek did as he'd been told although he had a bad feeling about it. As soon as he got close to her computer and heard the music his heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened to a amusing extend while he blinked twice.
Right there on the screen stood Spencer, in a clearly abandoned auditorium of a school he couldn't recognize. Marshal Doneghy was close by, observing the environment with careful eyes, but Derek barely noticed the man.
Spencer… had cut his hair in a way that suited him very well and dyed them much darker. Derek couldn't be sure but it seemed the genius was wearing green contact lenses. The clothes on the younger man were such Derek had never seen before – a pair of tight black jeans and a red shirt that hugged his thin body. This new look made Derek's mind and body react in ways he would've never known to expect.
He barely heard Penelope. "It's live footage from a security camera. This crossed my mind when I… sort of caught a part of Doneghy's report to Hotch yesterday. Apparently Spencer's been pretty restless lately. Doneghy takes him there almost every day and he plays for hours." He felt her look. "I'm sorry I can't zoom closer but it'd mess the quality."
"It's okay." Finally Derek looked at Penelope, and smiled. "Thank you." It came from the bottom of his heart and soul.
Penelope nodded and smiled back, brushing his cheek affectionately with one hand. "You know I'd do anything for you, Sugar." With that she began to leave. "Treat my computer with love and care, got that? And enjoy. I'll see you tomorrow."
His focus once more on the screen Derek nodded in his turn. "See you tomorrow."
On the screen Spencer kept playing. And it became apparent that Derek wasn't the only one going through a emotional rollercoaster.
The breathtakingly beautiful, haunting melody was such Derek had never heard before. It slipped under his skin, into every single corner of him and filled him with all those things going through both of them.
It was music of longing, of anger, of affection, of promises. And somehow it managed to speak out all those words they weren't allowed to speak to each other. Derek didn't see tears but he heard and felt them while the other man kept playing like his life depended on it.
Derek stared, stared and listened. His heart hammered wildly while his whole body remained paralyzed.
Since he met Spencer he'd been wondering what in the world made the man so special, why the genius managed to sneak past all his walls and under his skin. The truth was right there, speeding through his veins.
Derek just didn't see it yet.
Spencer played until his body couldn't handle the intensity anymore and stopped, gasping and his heart racing beyond all limitations. And somehow his chest felt just a little bit less tight than before. For a moment he just breathed easily.
"Kid?" Doneghy, clearly not understanding any of the things blowing inside him, appeared worried. "Are you alright?"
Spencer nodded, the strangest tingling sensation still lingering on his skin. "Yeah. I think I am." He would've never, ever wanted to leave the tiny stage, the security of music, but he knew there wasn't much of a choice. "Let's go."
Walking with the marshal into the building's shadows Spencer tried not to think about the dark looming everywhere around him, surrounding him. Tried to force himself into believing that there might be light up ahead for him, too.
Maybe he wasn't done believing in miracles, after all.
On his way home Derek did something he did quite often these days. He stopped to buy the day's newspaper. As soon as he was safely home he flipped through his purchase until he came across the 'personals' section. He couldn't help smiling upon noticing a message written by a very familiar pen name.
Heaven knows how Spencer knew that he sometimes skimmed through 'personals' for fun. Derek wasn't surprised, though – he should've known to expect that the genius would find a way to contact him. However, when the first messages from 'Fowls' appeared it took him a while to realize what it was about and even longer to figure out what Spencer was trying to tell him.
'Are you out there?' the first message asked.
Since then they'd been exchanging these brief messages as often as they could without endangering Spencer's cover. No one – Doneghy, Aaron, Emily or even Penelope – knew of this exchange. They were careful with encrypting each message so that no one would consider it suspicious.
Focusing as hard as he could Derek observed the message, stared at the letters until the true message was clear before his eyes.
'I'm safe and okay. I hope you are too.'
Derek smiled although a stab of pain went through him. It felt easier to breathe than it had in days, since he headed off for the case.
He savoured the feeling for a moment until he began to think through his response.
Aaron was just preparing for going home when his cell phone started ringing. He knew who the caller was long before he made sure. The same person had been calling him a lot lately. "Hotchner."
"It's me." William's voice was tight, just like it'd been since this whole nightmare began. "I just… thought I should call, to ask if there's anything new."
Aaron heard clearly what the man was truly asking. "Doneghy visited me yesterday. According to him Spencer is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances." As well as anyone could with their whole life having been stolen, with having to run and hide from a psychopath without the slightest clue of when it would end. He took a breath. "Do you have anything new on Foyet?"
"No." William's teeth practically screeched. "Honestly, I don't think there's a lot I can do to catch him in Vegas. He's long gone from the city. I have to try something different."
Aaron's eyebrow arched. "What would that be?"
"I… guess I'm trying profiling."
Aaron shivered a little when there was a knock on his office's door. He walked over to open with a frown. Behind the door stood William Reid.
Aaron blinked once before finding his voice. "So you came to Virginia?"
There was a stone hard look in William's eyes. "Foyet is after my son. If he wants to get to Spencer he'll have to come here. And I need your help to catch him before it's too late."
Gabriel Byrnes – a short, nearly bald fifty-year-old who'd been working in Witness Protection for longer than he cared to remember – had many flaws. Drugs and cheating his wife were only two things on the long list. But that night, as he stared at the beauty in front of him, he didn't really manage to feel like a lousy sinner.
She had a good body, which was the thing that coaxed him into following her to a tiny motel room to begin with. The nearly transparent, tiny purply dress of hers only added the impact with showing a hint of black underwear and a promise of milky white skin. Her black eyes smouldered and her white, perfect teeth shone when she flashed him a smile. She played with her long, fire red hair as easily as she played with him.
When she invited him Gabriel didn't hesitate before following. He didn't even notice the scars on her body as he explored her.
It was no surprise that he didn't hear the gun before it was much too late. The look in the girl's eyes had changed.
Gabriel's eyes widened and he unleashed a tiny, squeaking sound, backing off until he fell off the bed. "Jesus Christ…!" Although he lifted his trembling hands his eyes narrowed. "You gave me your consent, bitch! I didn't force you!"
She scoffed. "Trust me, there's no way you could force me into anything." She leaned closer, almost pressing the gun to his forehead. "Now… Unless you want me to shoot through your miserable crown jewels I'd suggest you do me a little favor."
Gabriel swallowed hard, his eyes on the gun. It had a silencer on. No one would even know if… His breathing was getting disturbingly loud. "I… Please, just…" Tears blurred his eyes. "Anything. Just… Please, let me go. Please? Let me go and I'll do anything."
The girl smiled sweetly. "Give me what I want… and I'll set you free alright."
An hour later Ellie Spicer watched with emotionless eyes how water embraced Gabriel Byrnes' pitiable corpse, carrying it away. It was only a matter of time before he'd be found. The police would immediately classify his death as a robbery gone wrong. A lot more nice and clean than he would've deserved.
She didn't snap out of her thoughts until her cell phone rang. A grin appeared. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd call."
"Where the hell are you?" Foyet growled. "We had an agreement, remember?"
A wry expression appeared to her face. "I'm not on your payroll, Foyet. There was something I needed to take care of so I did."
"What have I told you about drawing attention, Ellie? I haven't managed to continue this long with following all my urges. You're getting us caught!"
Ellie grinned, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I was a bad girl. I disobeyed." She went on before he got the chance to interrupt her. "Now, I've got the name of Spencer's marshal. Interested?"
TBC…
A/N: This… does not look good. (winces)
PLEASE, leave me a note and share your thoughts! Let me hear you out, folks. Pwease…? (gives one's most adorable pleading eyes) The next chapter is a touch from done and the one after that halfway there, so keep my inspiration alive and this story will be finished in no time. (grins cheekily)
IN THE NEXT ONE: A trap is already closing on Foyet, but is the man faster? His next move plunges a lot of people even deeper into the nightmare.
A TINY TRAILER FOR 'MAYHEM':
/ Exactly two seconds later a timer appeared, counting down from ten. The room's temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
"Holy shit…!" Emily uttered. /
/ "How?" Derek's eyes were filled with naked fury and despair, the same emotions William had been struggling with since this all began. The agent's lower lip was trembling. "How the hell are we supposed to bring an end to this when we're not allowed to do a fucking thing?"
William's mouth opened, then closed again. And finally he uttered the only honest answer that came to mind. "I don't know." /
/ When Liam dashed through the doors he was having a full blown panic attack. That's why he couldn't possibly notice the person sitting there, waiting for him, before the man spoke. "Missing something, Liam?" /
/ No matter how hard he struggled the drug was stronger. Everything turned faded away into silent, gray fog. /
'Hell is empty and all the devils are here.'
William Shakespeare
(The Tempest.)
Until next time, folks! I truly hope I'll see ya there. (glances hopefully)
Peace out!
Katsakura: It's quite nervewrecking not knowing what's gonna happen, no? (shudders) Trust me, I know exactly how you feel.
I truly hope the next one meets your expectations.
Colossal thank yous for the review!
Nicolethecrazyone: Am I cruel to feel sort of proud for that? (smirks sheepishly)
I'm thrilled to hear you liked that scene! It was my favorite. (beams)
We'll see what happens next… With Foyet in the picture, one can never tell…
HUGE thank yous for the review!
Winter Cicada: Waiting for? Oh, I'm so happy to hear that! (beams)
I'm so thrilled to hear you enjoyed those bits and pieces! Gosh. I truly hope you'll enjoy what I have in mind next as much…
Ya're right, 97 isn't THAT much. Especially for someone like Spencer. (grins)
Massive thank yous for the review! It really meant a lot to me, ya know?
Reidland: So sad, no? (pouts) Let's hope those weren't their last moments together. They'd deserve to be happy.
We'll see what's the next part of Foyet's plan… (shudders)
Loads of thank yous for the review! (And you're welcome, hun. It's the least I could give you.)
