A/N: So I got more homework than time to complete it and I'm sick as a dog, but I managed to make this chapter a lot longer and update the story quicker like I had wanted, so my time hasn't been a complete loss. Enjoy!
Chapter 3- The Fears Of Men
June 20th, 1997.
Chicago, IL.
It had been two days since Michael had had that run in with the homeless woman on his way home to his family.
He didn't believe it was coincidence that it had happened. He wouldn't go so far to say he was superstitious, but between the trip to the cemetery and the profile looking at a pair of unsubs that had more than likely broken apart before the male partner began killing people with the bombs instead of effectively shutting down restaurants, he simply didn't believe it was coincidence despite the amount of time David Rossi was trying to tell him otherwise.
"Just promise me something, brother to brother," said Michael.
"We're gonna catch him. You, me, Bobby, Lou, and Hotch. We'll get him and then it'll be over," said Rossi.
"I still want you to promise me you'll look out for my wife and daughter, that you'll transfer to the Chicago Field Office if I wind up getting killed before Angie turns 18 and goes off to college," said Michael.
"I promise," said Rossi. "But nothing's gonna happen this time. We'll all be fine."
"It was probably mental defects from too much drug use, it wasn't like that woman knew who I was even though she correctly predicted Saturday, which according to you is when this freak will hit another restaurant," said Michael.
The two of them simply told themselves it was nothing. It would blow over and they wouldn't have to worry about Katherine and Angie being in the unsub's comfort zone.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Angie was listening to music in her bedroom and reading when she heard an odd noise in the hallway. When she went outside to see what had happened, she noticed that the AC unit in her parents' bedroom had managed to blow one of her uncle's folders outside, papers scattered throughout the hallway.
She hastily put them back in the folder but didn't look at them. For all she knew it was a case file and the FBI was always depicted as "Classified" in fiction for a reason.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Rossi was drinking coffee when Angie walked up to him, carrying the folder that had over half of a manuscript on serial killers.
"Where did you find that?" said Rossi.
"Mom has the AC all the way up, I think it blew out of your suitcase," said Angie. "I didn't look at it but I don't think I put the papers back correctly."
"It's alright," said Rossi. "You're not going to ask? You're usually too curious for your own good Dolcezza."
"I thought profiling family members wasn't allowed," said Angie.
Rossi laughed, and Angie began giggling.
"I'm writing a book," said Rossi.
"About?" said Angie.
"Being a profiler," said Rossi. "I'd rather you not read it, it isn't finished yet."
"Okay," said Angie. "I still think it's awesome."
He didn't plan on letting her read it even when he was finished. Nothing in that manuscript was something a curious eleven-year-old would be able to look at without getting nightmares. Even at 42 he got nightmares from it all.
"Maybe you'll meet Kennedy Winchester!" said Angie.
"Who's that?" said Rossi.
"Writes these really scary books," said Angie. "I'll be right back."
She ran upstairs then came back down with a book called The Bleeding House. Rossi skimmed it and couldn't tell if the author was male or female. A picture would've been more helpful. Whoever had written this made Stephen King look tame, so he decided to assume the author was male due to the book's content and dropped the issue.
He had bigger fish to fry, like trying to figure out who was blowing up restaurants in Chicago because the sooner he caught the unsub, the sooner he could treat his brother, sister-in-law, and niece to dinner somewhere other than one of the many pizzerias that dotted the Windy City.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Hotch and Rossi were looking through case files of prior alcohol-related deaths when they saw a boy about Angie's age skateboarding outside.
Another one came out, then a third, then two more. There were five of them now. Michael came by and scowled.
"Those brats here again?" said Michael.
"Who are they?" said Rossi.
"Just some boys who live on the street," said Michael.
"I think they have a crush on your daughter," said Hotch.
"They better not, they're a bunch of goddamn fools and they're no good for her," said Michael. "I mean, look at them!"
Rossi and Hotch watched as the boys tried to outdo each other, one of them fell into a neighbor's rose garden in the process.
"Who wants to get the shotgun?" said Rossi.
Katherine came nearby, saw the boys, and shook her head.
"The three of you can breathe easy, she still thinks boys are gross," said Katherine. "Then again, since all of your friends make a mess of my kitchen, Michael, it's no wonder she still thinks that."
"So long as she has that mindset till she's forty we'll be fine, right Dave?" said Michael.
"Won't need a shotgun, that's for sure," said Rossi.
Everyone except Katherine laughed.
CRIMINAL MINDS
June 21st, 1997.
Rossi and Hotch were driving around the South Side, seeing if all the restaurants in the unsub's comfort zone had the amount of cops at each one that they wanted.
"I can't wait till this is over," said Hotch.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Michael, Bobby, and Lou were parked at an Asian Fusion restaurant when one of the chefs ran outside and began speaking in a mix of broken English and Cantonese.
"What is it?" said Michael.
"Kitchen! Man sneak outside after tampering with stove!" said the chef.
"I need you to listen to me," said Lou. "Did the man put a bomb in or on the stove?"
"Boom?" said the chef. "It counts down."
"Stay outside!" said Bobby.
The three cops ran inside. Lou ran for the kitchen while Michael and Bobby ran inside the dining area. After exchanging a look, they stood up on a table.
"This is the Chicago Police department," said Michael. "There is a fire in the kitchen. I want everyone to calmly exit the restaurant through the front."
"I don't see any flames," said a customer.
"It's a grease fire, they can't contain it," said Michael. "Just exit out the front."
Michael and Bobby jumped down.
"Bobby, make sure these people don't kill each other," said Michael.
"What are you doing?" said Bobby.
"Checking the rest of the restaurant," said Michael.
He saw several people exit the bathrooms and kitchen, and he went into the latter to see what Lou found.
"It's gonna go in fifteen minutes, I sent the kitchen staff out the back entrance," said Lou.
The two cops were about to leave when they heard a noise. Both of them drew their guns.
"It's coming from the basement," said Michael. "I'll check it out."
"And leave me with the bomb?" said Lou.
"You're the bomb guy," said Michael.
What he found in the basement shocked him.
Several young women in their late teens to early twenties, speaking rapid fire Japanese and Cantonese, all of whom wore very little clothing and were handcuffed to the walls.
"Sonofabitch," Michael muttered.
He ran back upstairs.
"Can you deactivate it?" said Michael.
"No," said Lou.
"Can you at least untie it from the stove and throw the damn thing outside?" said Michael.
"This bastard is the deadliest I've ever seen," said Lou. "I so much as touch the damn thing it'll go."
"Sex trafficking ring in the basement, they're all scared shitless and restrained," said Michael.
Lou stared at the timer.
"We got fourteen minutes," said Lou.
Michael grabbed the pickaxe near the fire extinguisher as he and Lou ran down to the basement to free the women.
CRIMINAL MINDS
After Bobby cleared the restaurant and went outside, he noticed Michael and Lou weren't there. He immediately ran back inside and into the kitchen, where the bomb was reading that there were ten minutes left. Hearing a noise in the basement, he opened the door to see Michael and Lou freeing several women of their restraints downstairs.
"Both of you! This place is gonna go in ten minutes!" said Bobby.
"We got civilians down here!" said Michael. "Go back outside and make sure no one comes back in! And find that restaurant owner! I want some answers out of him!"
"Trafficking ring?" said Bobby.
"Yeah!" said Michael. "Now get out of here!"
"No!" said Bobby. "I can help!"
"I said get out!" Michael yelled.
Bobby left, feeling worse and worse with each step he took because he knew that Michael and Lou were dead men walking.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Minutes passed but for Michael and Lou, it felt like an eternity. Michael checked his watch and realized there was less than a minute left and they still hadn't freed all the women. He and Lou exchanged a grim look, knowing this was possibly it for them.
"I'll give it a try," said Lou. "We don't have anything to lose at this point."
After Lou went upstairs, Michael walked towards another woman.
He knew this was possibly going to be the last thing he was remembered for. He wondered if he would be labeled a hero or a martyr. Thoughts of Katherine and Angie clouded his brain and he felt tears going down his cheeks.
He didn't try to stop them because knew St. Jude wasn't going to be able to protect him this time.
That was his last thought before he saw a flash of light behind him and was thrown across the basement by an explosion.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Bobby had gotten everyone down the street when he heard it.
The restaurant was a fireball. He had called the fire department down a while ago and he watched them battle the blaze as he walked around, looking for Michael and Lou and calling their names.
They had to have gotten out. They couldn't still be in there… they couldn't.
When he found a spot that the firefighters had hit, he ran towards where the basement was and found Michael barely alive. His partner had been practically eviscerated by the blast.
"Michael! Damnit! I'm getting you outta here!" said Bobby.
Bobby tried to drag his partner out but a beam fell, pinning both men down.
"You can get out… save yourself," Michael rasped.
"You got a wife and a kid!" said Bobby.
"Tell them… I'm sorry… my St. Jude pendant… give it to Angie…" Michael rasped.
Michael handed the chain with the St. Jude pendant on it to Bobby, who took it and stuffed it in his pocket.
He edged himself out from under the beam and watched in horror as his partner gasped for air one last time before dying.
Bobby was about look for Lou when the fire flared up again, forcing him to flee.
He did so reluctantly.
CRIMINAL MINDS
When Rossi and Hotch got the call about the restaurant blowing up, they didn't remember who was over there until Bobby walked over to them. He was covered in soot and blood.
"Are you injured?" said Rossi.
"It's not mine," said Bobby. "Michael and Lou were inside. Michael's dead. Lou… I don't know."
"What? Why didn't he get out?" Rossi yelled.
"There was a sex trafficking ring, several Asian women in the basement," said Bobby. "Michael and Lou found them and were trying to free them when I left. I counted five of them running out the back exit… my guess is they were still trying to free the rest when the bomb went off."
"The restaurant owner did this?" said Rossi.
"The sex trafficking ring, definitely," said Bobby. "There's the bastard. I'm gonna arrest him, now. Charging him with sex trafficking and an accessory to murder one."
Bobby took off and arrested the owner so fast he didn't know what hit him.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Rossi watched as ten bodies were brought out. The last one looked to be male.
"Lift the sheet off that one so I can see his face," said Rossi.
"You don't have to do it here Rossi," said Hotch.
"Yes I do," said Rossi. "Lift the sheet up."
The autopsy tech did as instructed.
"That's Michael," said Rossi.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Rossi, Hotch, and Bobby were headed to Michael's house to make the notification when Bobby pulled over near a liquor store.
"Did they ever find Lou?" said Bobby.
"Not exactly," said Hotch.
"What do you mean?" said Bobby.
"Shit," Rossi muttered.
"It looked like he was in the kitchen trying to disable it when it went off," said Hotch. "They found a burnt torso with his badge on it."
"I need a drink," said Bobby.
"Me too," said Rossi.
Bobby went inside and came back with a bottle of Jack Daniels. Rossi usually preferred Scotch, but he didn't care right now. Any whiskey would do well to take the edge off before they got to the house.
He sat in the back and took a few pulls off the bottle with Bobby as Hotch drove.
"I'll tell Katherine," said Bobby.
"I'll tell Angie," said Rossi.
Bobby handed Rossi the St. Jude pendant.
"He wanted her to have this," said Bobby.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Hotch entered the house behind Rossi and Bobby and sat on the couch. He couldn't believe this had happened.
CRIMINAL MINDS
"Katherine, where's Angie?" said Rossi.
"Sleeping, it got late so I made her go to bed," said Katherine.
Rossi went upstairs. The moment he was on the second floor he realized Bobby must've told her because Rossi could hear Katherine screaming and crying. He knocked on Angie's door and sat in the hallway. Angie soon joined him, yawning and trying her best not to fall asleep again while she sat next to Rossi.
"What's going on?" said Angie. "Why did you wake me up?"
"We need to talk, Cara Mia," said Rossi.
"Okay," said Angie.
He took a deep breath. He couldn't lose it. Not now. He could already tell that Katherine wasn't going to be a source of strength for her daughter. He at least needed to stay strong for Angie's sake.
"The bomber blew up another restaurant tonight. Your father was inside trying to get some people out," said Rossi. "He – he died, Angela."
The way she reacted was more devastating to Rossi than Katherine's reaction downstairs. Angie's eyes quickly filled with tears, but she seemed to be in such shock from the news that they were unable to fall. It reminded Rossi of those stained glass windows in Catholic churches and the angels in them, how they always looked sad.
As he handed Angie the St. Jude pendant Michael had wanted her to have, Rossi noticed his niece looked like she was about to shatter at any moment. It broke his heart.
She went into her bedroom to put the St. Jude pendant away then came back out so quietly that Rossi wondered if the news of Michael's death had sent her into some sort of emotional shock.
"I – I need a hug," said Angie.
As the two of them shared a hug Rossi knew that even if Michael hadn't asked him to promise to stay in Chicago, he would've done it anyway.
Rossi could already tell that Katherine was wallowing in her grief and forgetting her responsibilities.
He couldn't leave Angie in Chicago to deal with this alone. She was like a daughter to him…
TBC