"Don't be stupid," Morgan hissed, aiming his gun as sweat poured down his face.
The kid in front of him was shaking, his grip on his own weapon unsteady. But Morgan knew the look of desperation in his eyes. Knew that this was one of the most dangerous situations he could be in.
"Come on, kid," he urged, heart pounding. "You don't wanna do this. Just put the gun down and we can walk away from this."
He shook his head. "I can't," he whispered.
Morgan saw his finger on the trigger. He saw his grip tightening. He knew the kid was going to shoot him, and that the only chance he had was to fire first.
But he couldn't do it.
"Kid, please -"
"Drop it."
They both froze at the sound of JJ's voice, the kid's breath catching as he felt the barrel of her gun pressed against his temple. His arms lowered almost automatically, giving the uniforms a chance to come in and take the gun from him.
As they cuffed him and brought him out of the room, JJ holstered her own weapon and moved towards Morgan.
"I thought you were outside," he said quietly.
"I was. I had a clear shot at his head from the bushes on the north side."
Morgan frowned. "Then why didn't you take it?"
She shrugged. "Because I knew that if that kid died, no matter who pulled the trigger, you'd carry that with you. And you've got enough weight on your shoulders, Derek."
He watched her walk out of the room, seeing for the first time the friend he had in JJ.