If you took away my ability to tell time as I stared into the blue hour sky I wouldn't be able to tell if it was sunrise or sunset.-Unknown
XI. Blue Hour
New York…Sunday…9:00PM
Taylor quietly shut his bedroom door and moved over to his desk and sat down. He had just got home from the library, he was starting to spend more of his free time there.
His eyes drifted to the picture frame on his desk. It was his mom's favorite picture of them. It was his 10th birthday and she took him to Disney World for the first time. A smile spread across his face as he looked at them standing in front of the Magic Kingdom with Mickey ear hats on.
He gently grabbed the chain around his neck and rubbed the two metal dog tags at the end. When he and his father were packing up the house he found her dog tag and ever since then he hadn't taken them off.
The smile slide from his face as his eyes fell on the object of his disdain. He silently hated that his Dad had it framed and left it in his room as a reminder.
Taylor remembered the day that they told him his mother was dead. He didn't believe it. When he and his father and grandma were looking at her body through the viewing glass in the morgue, he felt numb. All he could remember thinking was that the body was fake, that the lifeless corpse looked nothing like his mother. He tried to justify it in his head that someone made a replica of her body or that his mother had an identical twin and it was a bad case of mistaken identity. He still felt numb, he felt like he was in a haze during the wake and her funeral.
Even the gun salute didn't bring him out of it. He barely responded when the people at her funeral offered him and his father their condolences. Then all of a sudden they folded the flag on her coffin and placed it in his arms. He stared at the flag, the American flag, red, white, and blue in all its glory folded in a perfect triangle.
By the time he looked up everyone but his father was gone and her casket had been lowered into the ground. All he remembered feeling was confusion and disbelief. A flag, a cheap made in China 20 dollar flag. His mother was dead and in the ground because the NYPD didn't do their jobs. She was gone and never coming back and all he had to show for it was a fucking flag.
In that moment a rage so deep consumed him. All these people telling him how much his mother did for them but miraculously none of them came to her aid when she needed it. He was furious he wanted to get a gun and kill every member of HR.
He was getting better at managing his anger. It was now a slow sizzle that only acted up when he had nothing to preoccupy his time with. He reached down into his bookbag and pulled out a packet of supplemental math problems that his teacher gave him.
He always had done well in math and after his Mom died he started focusing on it more. His teacher even recommended that he considering joining an outside of school math program. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock at the front door then he heard the commotion of a struggle. Before he had time to grab his phone, his bedroom door was kicked in and his room filled with gas. The last thing he remembered were men wearing black and gas mask surrounded him before he fell unconscious.
Joss sped through traffic racing to Paul's apartment. Her entire world could crash and burn as long as Taylor was safe.
At first when she got pregnant she used it as her cover thinking once the baby was born she could give it up for adoption. As soon as the nurse put him in her arms she was mystified. He was so tiny, so delicate and she knew right then and there that she would do whatever it took to protect him.
She gripped the steering wheel as her focus returned. If Frost or his men harmed her son in anyway shape or form she was going to put everyone in the ground.
Ross sat in the back seat of a black town car as she watched Shaw swerve through traffic following Carter.
"So do either of you have a plan."Ross questioned
"Shoot first, ask questions later." Shaw replied
"What Ms. Shaw means is that we have informed our contact within the police department and shall take precaution in approaching the situation." Finch responded
Ross sighed and sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She was brought out of her meditation by heavy panting.
She turned her head and opened her eyes and stared as the gold and black dog sat uncomfortably close to her face with his tongue sticking out.
"What are you looking at dog?" Ross asked
"Ms. Ross please do try to be nice to Bear."Finch stated
When the dog heard his name he barked and licked the side of her face and sniffed her hair.
"Not a fan of dogs Ross?" Shaw commented grinning.
"It's just surprising, dogs usually hate me" Ross replied
Ross scoffed as she leaned into the door to get Bear away from her face.
Joss pulled up in front of the apartment building and got out not even bothering to take the keys out of the ignition. She ran into the building and made her way to the 4th floor before she could round the corner and hand grabbed her arm. She turned to see Shaw followed closely by Ross, Harold, and Bear.
Shaw reached behind her back and handed her a gun.
"I think you might need this mama bear." Shaw stated
She nodded to Shaw and took the gun as they both moved in formation to the apartment door that was left ajar. As they moved into the apartment they saw the remnant of a struggle. In the walk way was the limp body of a dead man dressed in black tactical gear and from the looks of the position of his head his neck was broken.
As they moved into the living room they saw another downed and probably dead kidnapper. A short distance from him was the slumped over form of Paul. Joss moved closer to him and checked his pulse. She let out a sigh of relief he was alive, unconscious, but alive.
Shaw tapped her shoulder and nodded to the lone picture frame sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room. Joss picked up the picture frame and as soon as she turned it over her heart dropped to her feet.
She slowly sat down on the couch behind her and stared at the picture of her and Taylor from when they went to Disney World across the glass of the frame where written in black marker where numbers. She slowly opened the picture frame and removed the picture, making the writing on the glass more legible.
Written in black marker across the frame read '2°47'19.6"N 72°16'55.0"W followed by her and Ross' names.
"They have Taylor and they want Ross and me to come get him." Joss stated
Ross walked up to Carter and grabbed the frame and turned toward Finch and Shaw.
"Either one of you have a GPS"
Ross watched as Finch pulled out his phone and asked her for the coordinates.
"It's the coordinates to a rural area in Colombia, how do they expect you both to get down there?" Finch questioned
"I know a way" Ross stated as she turned toward Finch.
"How fast can you get your hands on 1.5 million dollars?"
Finch raised his eyebrow
"Immediately Ms. Ross. why?"
"I'm about to cash in a favor and I need a down payment." Ross stated
Harold's eyes drifted to Jocelyn as she still sat on the couch staring at the picture of her son. After a moment he turned his eyes back to Ross.
"Consider it done Ms. Ross, when do you need it."
Ross turned back toward Joss and snapped her fingers in her face.
"Hey collect yourself, if you want your kid back, we have work to do."
They all made their way back out side
"Meet us at the Teterboro airport in 5 hours and bring whatever you need for a wire transfer" Ross stated
Finch and Shaw watched as Ross and Carter drove away.
As soon as they left a police cruiser pulled up.
"Alright glasses what the hell is going on? First you have me looking around for s potential psycho contact killer, and then you tell me Carters kids in trouble." Fusco stated as he moved toward them.
"Detective Fusco, I would love to explain what's going on but there's a matter that requires my immediate attention." Harold stated as he moved toward his car with Bear and drove away.
Fusco turned toward Shaw
"Did you call back up and an ambulance" Shaw asked
"Yeah, why?" Fusco replied
"Good then they can handle this" Shaw stated as she moved toward Fusco's car.
Fusco followed her and got into his car.
"Alright tell me what's going on?"
Fusco watched as Shaw pulled her phone out and pulled up a map.
"It's a long story, I'll tell you on the way."
Fusco started the car
"On the way where?" Fusco questioned.
"To get John." Sam stated
AN: the term Blue Hour refers to the period of twilight each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness.