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I'll be updating Sunday, and sending out a little extra to regular reviewers tomorrow or Saturday, and I have just had an idea for a fluffy oneshot, so keep your eyes peeled for that (which truly is the world's most disgusting expression!)

Thank you to Kim for going back and reviewing each chapter of Calverville Point, and to xCailinNollaigx for her reviews for Calverville and Humanity.

Have a great Easter weekend to those of you that celebrate it, and Chag Pesach Same'ach to those of you celebrating Passover.

Where the Blue of the Night

"Our very lives depend on the ethics of strangers, and most of us are always strangers to other people."

- Bill Moyers

Chapter Five

November 11th

She wondered what he would do later. There was no doubt in her mind that he wasn't going to bring her food or water. She was one of the ones on whom he wanted revenge, possibly the one he wanted the most. For a moment she felt scared for her safety, a feeling she had so far managed to ward off. She was one of his obsessions, one of his desires, part of a fantasy that would never be realised. So far, concern for the rest of the team had been at the forefront of her mind, but now the silence and his continual presence were beginning to wear her down. This was part of his strategy – she pulled words from the profile – he wanted to break them down, using their weaknesses, their fears. He sought his victims when they were at their weakest, toying with them like a hunter with its prey.

A chuckle broke the silence. She looked over at him, waiting for him to speak, but he didn't. Instead he just sat there, smiling at her knowingly, toying with the detonator in his hands, the device that could kill someone somewhere else. She tried to will her fear to strength, willing herself to be calm. How could she talk him out of leaving the room? He would have to go at some point, to the bathroom, or to get food.

The thought of the bathroom made her back ache. There was no provision for her. Luckily, she'd not eaten much in the past twenty four hours, but her kidneys were now aching slightly and she knew an infection was imminent. This was another way of making her suffer, another way of him taking his revenge.

His cell phone rang, surprising both of them. He studied the screen before answering, checking to see who was calling.

"Hi, honey," he said. "No, I haven't forgotten about dinner with your mom. I'll be back soon. It's been a busy day. Yeah, I know, they're all busy days." There was a pause then a laugh. "I'll see you in fifteen minutes, sweetheart. Yeah, you too."

He put the phone away in his jacket pocket then stood up, giving her a smile. "I guess duty calls," he said. "I'll see you in the morning – maybe." He ambled to the door, its weight screaming as he pulled it open. She wondered if she could overpower him when he came back later, or in the morning, but it was doubtful. Even if she could break free of the ropes, he'd threaten her with detonating the alleged bomb if she approached him.

The alleged bomb. There was a chance it wasn't real, that it was simply a threat, like the many he'd already made. But she couldn't take that chance.

Or could she – if it meant she could get out of there?

November 4th

Agent Boyd was familiar; Emily recognised him instantly, the flame red hair and broad shoulders impossible to miss. She'd seen him several times and had, on one occasion, been stuck in an elevator with him for twenty minutes.

He gave her a quick nod as she entered the conference room, his face taut with worry, and she felt a mixture of concern and annoyance. It was looking likely that someone, probably one of Boyd's team, would have to make a trip to Agent Mansfield's cabin. They could have used the local PD, but as maintaining secrecy around both of the cases was essential, they would have to use their own manpower instead.

The rest of the team sat down around the table, their expressions grim. The Alfie Fletcher case would be enough to keep their minds off whatever else was happening, but it still felt as if a dark cloud was hovering over them, about to storm. Emily cast her eyes over Agent Boyd's colleague, a man she didn't know, and didn't think she had seen before. He was older, in his fifties, and slightly balding. He had a friendly, happy face, and something about him reassured her instantly.

"I'd just like to start by saying that we're sorry you have to be here today. I know you have better things to do, but hopefully we can catch whoever did this quickly and then everyday life can resume." Agent Boyd glanced around the table, looking at each of them in turn, and Emily knew that they all saw the same thing in his eyes; he didn't believe what he said - they had no leads and a solution within the next forty-eight hours was highly unlikely. She exchanged a look with JJ, who looked about ready to cry and Emily's concern increased. "I want to go through the events leading up to last night's attack, and then explain what we need to do from here. It's going to involve some inconvenience as you have probably already worked out." He pushed his lips together, an outward sign of his reluctance to continue speaking.

"Agent Boyd," Emily said. He needed to get over himself if this investigation was to progress quickly. "We don't blame you or your team for any of what's happened. I'm sure you followed the correct procedures with the letter that was sent to Agent Jareau. Please don't worry about our reactions, and just tell us what we need to know and what we can do."

He sent her a look of thanks and seemed to relax a little. "This is Agent Sylvester, a new addition to our team, and I'll explain more about his role later." He gave a sharp exhalation of breath, almost a sigh, and Emily could feel the pressure he was under in his boss' absence. "A letter was received by Agent Jareau's partner a few days ago containing threats against every member of the team. The letter – would you mind passing the copy round?" He gestured to Agent Sylvester. "Was of a particular style; disjointed, non-fluent, almost as if someone was ranting."

"So you dismissed it after making enquiries to see if any other threats had been made in the past twenty four months that were delivered in the same way and had the same tone," Rossi said, leaning forward. "We wrote the procedure and the checklist of things to look for. I would guess that this person knew that the letter would be dismissed, while at the same time creating a small amount of panic – hence he chose to send it to the home address of a team member."

Boyd nodded. "We did exactly that. If there had been anything that suggested more of a committed threat then Agent Mansfield wouldn't have gone on vacation. I'll continue with what happened last night: there was clearly no intent to kill; rather to injure and scare. The explosive at Agent Rossi's residence was designed to have only cause damage that would inconvenience Agent Rossi. The explosive that we controlled the explosion of at Agent Hotchner's apartment was exactly the same. The tampering with Agent Morgan's car to make it look as if a bomb had been put there was done by someone who knew exactly what they were doing. No footage has been caught on any security camera, and as you know, that's a feat in itself."

Emily felt Morgan shift restlessly next to her. "So what are your next steps? I know our apartments have been searched. Are you able to trace the letter – the printer, or where it was mailed?"

"The letter was sent from the zip code in which Agent Jareau lives. The printer is one you'd find in any house or small business; the same with the paper. If there were any significant details, we'd have been tracking down a suspect by now," Agent Boyd said, disgruntled. "We've gone through the list of usual suspects. There are a handful of people who we routinely check when a threat like this is made. For one reason or another they bear a grudge against the Bureau, or specific agents or departments, and we keep a close eye on them. None of them look to be even remotely connected with this. We do, however, have several avenues to pursue. Your technical analyst will begin looking through a list of chat rooms and websites related to such attempts and explosives. The bomb used was put together well, by someone who knew what they were doing, but we don't believe they were an expert – you'll see the details in the report; the construction was rushed. We're also going to monitor your email – all email addresses, and if there are any that we don't have on record please pass them to us. It may be that you have been stalked for some time."

Something triggered a connection in Emily's brain; separate thoughts were woven together. "Our phones," she said, almost blurting it out. "Our cell phones have been breaking up or not working in places where there has previously been reception. I know sometimes the quality of reception can waver, but it's happened to several of us over the last few weeks."

A nod went round the table.

Agent Boyd looked almost pleased. "I'll have it looked into immediately. We'll have new phone numbers set up for you within a couple of hours. I just ask that you only let essential people know what they are, and you keep a tab on who has your number."

Hotch nodded. "You think this is likely to be a personal attack rather than a vendetta?"

Agent Boyd shrugged. "You're the profilers, you tell me. Your profile will be of the utmost importance here, and we will use it to place our resources in the right areas. I need to go through some security precautions with you now, as it's my unit's job to keep you safe.

"For the time being you all need to maintain your normal routines as much as possible; if you go to the gym every day at five, then continue to do so. I know I don't need to explain why – you wrote the handbook on this. However, there are certain things you need to do. We recommend you stay together in pairs, and enter your apartments and houses as you would enter a property containing a threat. Please keep me, or Agent Sylvester, informed of your movements – that doesn't mean where you are every second, but where you're staying, restaurants etcetera. We need to know if we can't get in touch with you whatever the reason might be." He looked around the group again.

Emily tuned out slightly, needing to process what had already been said. They had to keep the same routine as a change in it could trigger the UnSub's behaviour, either sending him to ground, or escalating his actions. Until they caught him, their independence would be restricted, and even though she wasn't the type to go out partying until the small hours of the morning, she knew a sense of claustrophobia would tie itself to her until this was over.

"We need a list as soon as possible of all names you would consider to be suspects," Agent Boyd said. "We can then start to eliminate them immediately. Do any come straight to mind?"

There was a silence as everyone thought, allowing the faint noise of rain against the windows to become noticeable.

"Harold Tevez," Rossi said. "He holds a grudge against the BAU, and me in particular. He had an obsession with Terri Cryer, who I had a relationship with some time ago. You'll have his correspondence on record somewhere in your archives. He had a very obsessive personality; once he'd served the two months from breaking the injunction against him, he became interested in trains and a girl who worked in the ticket office in his local station. He could well have switched back to us if there has been a trigger event, and that could well be something as innocuous as a quote in the newspapers."

Agent Boyd jotted down a few notes and nodded at Rossi. "Anyone else? We will be speaking to each of you individually, and I'm aware that you have this other case to work on."

"Liam Carrere," Hotch said. "He's been brought in on two separate occasions, both in connection with a series of minor explosions on dignitaries houses. He has a morbid fascination with bombs, and has admitted to fantasizing about what it would be like to be a suicide bomber, or to have several timed explosives tied to him. He hates the BAU as he feels we "stifle creativity by putting it in a textbook." The explosion from last night would be his style."

Boyd nodded again, his hand producing something that looked like hieroglyphics in his notebook.

JJ looked like she was about to speak, but stopped before the words came out.

"What is it, Agent Jareau?" Boyd said, looking concerned.

"Should I arrange for my partner and little boy to go on vacation for a couple of weeks?" she said. "Maybe go spend some time with family?"

Emily felt her heart ache for her friend. She knew JJ had been missing Will and Henry tremendously in the past few days. To have them go off now, especially when dealing with a missing child case, could push her over the edge.

Agent Boyd shook his head. "Your house wasn't interfered with, and is probably one of the safest given that your partner is there so much during the day. I would increase your security, and we'll be sending someone round at least once a day to double check for any anomalies. They can stay put at the moment."

JJ gave him a weak smile, throwing Emily a look that said more than words ever could have. Emily wondered whether she should mention to Hotch about JJ's suspected state of mind, although she assumed he would have already noticed it.

Agent Boyd stood up, closing his notebook, that Emily noticed was a moleskin. It looked new, as if it had been bought especially for this case, a way to make himself feel more important and worthy of being in charge, however temporarily. "I'm going to stay here, and we'll ask you to come in and answer a few questions. I promise to take up as little of your time as possible. Agent Rossi, can we see you first? And Agent Prentiss, if you can come after that – we know you have other urgent business to attend to."

She gave him a quick nod and followed Hotch out of the door into the bullpen. It was quiet outside, with none of the usual hubbub and noise. The lack of conversation made it seem eerie, and a shiver went through her.

"Emily – can I see you in my office for a moment?" Hotch said, looking strained. She followed him in, closing the door behind her. She had an idea what this was going to be about.

"We're going to be questioned about our relationship," he said without sitting down. "Strauss is going to want to know why I was at your apartment last night instead of my own."

"There could be any number of reasons," Emily said, feeling indignant, her heart sinking at the same time. Were they going to have to end it before it had even begun?

Hotch nodded. "There are, but she's not stupid. She already knows something's going on. I suggest we're honest about it."

"But they can hang us for it, Aaron," she said, using his first name. This was no professional conversation; it was personal.

He looked straight ahead, not meeting her eyes. "At this moment in time, I doubt that Strauss will mention it to anyone else. Her affair's just gone public; he's left his wife. She has enough to deal with right now with the Alfie Fletcher case, the attack on us, and Morgan's issues back in Utah. I suspect she'll turn a blind eye."

"But what if she doesn't?" Emily said, feeling panic grow within her.

"I'll deal with it. Be honest with Agent Boyd about what's been happening between us. It may be that the UnSub is aware of our relationship already," Hotch said.

Her mind took the same paths that his had done already. "He knew you weren't going home last night," she said. "That's what you think, isn't it?"

He was quiet for a second and then nodded. "If I was going home, there would be a chance I would have Jack with me. Plus I live in an apartment building, and an explosion there would risk others. He knew when he sent the letter to JJ that Will would intercept it. I imagine that by now Will has spent a small fortune on the security at their house, and the UnSub knew that that would be the outcome. He's not interested in hurting anyone indirectly. If he'd have targeted Morgan's place, then he risked Morgan bringing someone back with him. JJ's, and he risks Will or Henry being hurt. Rossi is predictable, as is Reid."

"As am I. He could get two birds with one stone where we're concerned, Hotch," she said, leaning against his desk.

He raised his eyebrows at her again. "He could, but he won't. Both you and Reid are in apartment buildings – others could possibly be injured too. He's not a random killer; everything he does has been well thought out and has a purpose. At the moment, his objective is not to kill, but to torture."

"You already have a profile," she said, more of a thought out loud. "Then why is he doing this?"

"I don't know, yet," Hotch said. "But it's someone who knows us well, and has access to information about where we are and what we're doing. If our cell phones have been tampered with and he's been listening to our conversations, he'll know how to torture us best, as well as being proficient with technology."

Emily nodded, feeling suddenly weary. It was a feeling she knew she was going to have to battle. "Are you staying at my place for the next few days?" she said, wondering if the cloud did have a scrap of silver lining sewn somewhere in its darkness.

"If that's okay," Hotch said. "I've already been in touch with Haley and told her what's happening. She's taking Jack to her cousin's in Montreal, which she was going to do in a few days anyway. I'll go with Agent Sylvester later to pick up some clothes."

She gave him as good a smile as she could muster. "We're in for another tough ride," she said, wishing that it was a ride, and one that she could press the emergency button and get off.

Hotch nodded. "We are," he said. "I just hope we can all get through it okay."

Emily left his office, seeing Strauss emerge from her own. On a less busy day, when the sword of Damocles wasn't hanging over their heads, Garcia would have Photoshopped Strauss as the wicked witch, her nose developing warts, her eyes bulging and teeth rotten. The day would not allow for that, as the face of Alfie Fletcher reminded her when she opened the file; and another box inside her head. She just hoped that the label on it didn't say 'Pandora's'. But maybe that was already open.

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Sarah x