Reckless

Chapter 10

The good, relaxing times however were bound to come to an end. For that Monday, the BAU had another case on their hands: Emily's suggestion. Harry couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed with the woman. They were doing what they had been hired to do, but he couldn't help wanting to spend more time getting to know Haley. Hermione could see her brother's distress and squeezed his hand gently during the briefing.

"Wheels up in thirty," Hotch stated. For a moment, the older man allowed his eyes to linger on Emily Prentiss before scanning the faces of his two newest agents. Harry looked to be mildly upset by the news, but seemed excited. Hermione simply seemed ready, much like Spencer himself.

The plane ride there was spent further discussing the case and laying out a plan for once they touched ground. Spencer, Derek, and Harry would go to the newest crime scene; Hermione, Emily, and JJ would go to speak with the family of the newest victim to find any connection between them; Rossi and Hotch would go set up at the prescient.

Harry couldn't help but blink in surprise each time the slightly awkward and shy Spencer Reid fell into what he called "agent mode." The young man became more confident and sure of himself. It was this Spencer that Harry could easily see keeping up with his feisty sister. He shook the thoughts away and fell into his own version of "agent mode." While Spencer scanned the crime scene, Harry questioned the main officer on the scene. Derek talked to those occupants of the apartments around the alley.

Meanwhile, Hermione and the other girls sat inside the O'Connor home. The grieving parents sat in front of them. As they explained their daughter's troubled past and the years of rehab they had put her through, Hermione's eyes scanned the house very carefully. Years of training in the magical field had her looking for signs of magical disturbance or interference in the house. She couldn't find any.

"Do you think she could have let her attacker in?" Hermione asked suddenly. She had seen in the report that none of the locks had been tampered with. It was something that disturbed Hermione greatly. The blonde mother shook her head and clung closer to her husband.

"No," she hiccupped, "Melody was always very suspicious of anyone who came to our door, day or night. If she didn't recognize them and trust them, she wouldn't let them in the house." The woman gasped suddenly as the thought occurred to her. "Do you think she knew her attacker?" She asked. Her wide brown eyes looked from each of the women. JJ shifted uncomfortably.

"It is possible," JJ confirmed.

"Why would someone she knew want to harm her?" The husband and father demanded. Hermione could easily tell that he was frustrated and angry at the idea. It was understandable. Before JJ could answer, Hermione filled in her place.

"We are simply exploring all options." She left out that it was highly possible that Melody knew her attacker. The young woman seemed to be just as paranoid as Hermione herself was at sixteen, but for entirely different reasons. From what she had learned from the parents, Melody had a long history of narcotic abuse. The young girl was more than likely expecting an undercover narcotics agent to be at her door instead of something more deadly. "Can you tell me where she would get the narcotics typically?" Hermione asked as it occurred to her. The mother furrowed her eyebrows.

"Sometimes," she sighed heavily, "she would steal the pain medication from my purse or the medicine cabinet. Other times…"

"She would get them off the street," the father finished bitterly. Hermione and Emily shared a small look with JJ. The father was bitter over his daughter's reckless behavior and probably more than bitter over the fact that he could not protect her. He couldn't save her. Hermione watched as the implications of what she was asking sank in. "Do you think she may have let him in?"

"Him?" Emily questioned. The father shifted in his seat. His arms fell from around his wife's shoulders. A heavy sigh pushed up from his lungs.

"When I found out what my little girl was doing, I followed her each time she snuck out of the house." The agents leaned forward slightly, sensing that whatever he had to say would be important to their case.

"Do you think you could come down to the station to do a sketch of the man?" Emily asked. He swallowed and nodded.

"I could never forget his face…"

"Well, I could see why…" Emily muttered as they stared down at the finished composite sketch with the father. JJ cracked a small smile, but Hermione couldn't. She could only stare numbly at the picture in front of her.

"Did he have a limp?" Hermione demanded suddenly. The father blinked and looked at her bewildered. JJ and Emily followed the father.

"Yes, how did you know?" Hermione's hands shook. She closed her eyes and swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise.

"Because I'm the one that gave it to him," Hermione stated as she spun on her heel and walked toward the room Hotch had stationed them in. Emily and JJ fought now to keep up. Hermione ignored their questions of "How do you know him?" as she threw open the door to the large room. Hotch and Rossi turned away from their conversation and coffee as she approached. "Can you call the team together? I know who we're looking for…" Hotch nodded and moved to do as she asked. In the meantime, Hermione sank down into one of the chairs and laid her head in her hands. JJ and Emily sank down beside her and cast worried looks over Hermione's bowed head.

'How could I have forgotten? I knew that this MO sounded familiar…I just…' A small voice that sounded strangely like Ron finished: had faith in the justice system to detain him. The sound of the door opening again brought her from her thoughts. She glanced up and met Harry's worried stare. She swallowed and looked away. Harry took a seat to her right and when Spencer arrived he took a seat to her left. Hermione avoided both Spencer's and Harry's eyes as the rest of the team filed into the room. She stood out of reflex once everyone was completely seated. In her hands, she clenched the sketch in her hand. She placed it on the white table in front of her and tapped the picture.

"The man we are looking for is in the criminal database already as a drug dealer. His name is Buck Harris." Hermione ignored the looks Emily and JJ shared and the nervous looks the entire team was giving her. "That's how he lures these girls in. If they already have an addiction, he uses it to his advantage. If they don't, he creates one. Once upon a time his MO was adult women who were vulnerable at the time be it from drugs or, in my case, strong prescription sleeping pills. He would slip into their houses usually before they could lock the door. If there was a family or a man of the house, he would wait until they left. When they did…" The entire room tensed as they realized where it was going. "I had taken two the night he grabbed me." Harry's fists turned white underneath the table as he listened to her monologue. He had stayed at work to finish up some of the paper work that had accumulated during the day. He hadn't been home… "The drugs are essential for his success. You can't fight back if you aren't in your right state of mind…and I wasn't even conscious when he grabbed me. He takes you to a place he calls his Fun House. It's a giant mansion filled with at least eleven bedrooms and bathrooms, a giant kitchen and dining hall, and even a dance hall. It's like a maze and you can't find the door to the outside… That's where you wake up, the dance hall. He leaves a video explaining the rules of the game and how you have no choice but to play if you want to survive. In those two days that his victims are missing, that's what they do. It's like a deadly version of hide and seek. After you watch the video, he turns off the breaker box. The moment you find him, you die. The moment he finds you, he tortures you and leaves you for another round." It was clear to all that Hermione was drifting back to that time as she spoke. "I found him on the second day of my captivity. The cocky arse had been asleep in one of the room at the farthest end of the mansion. I found my gun at his bedside and slipped back out before he could wake up. If he wanted to play, I was going to fucking play; but this time, I wouldn't be the victim. I found the speaker system that he used to talk to us as he hunted us…and left him a little message."

"Now it's your turn, motherfucker. Let's see if you can find me…"

"Just to add a little flare, I left the breaker box off. I wanted him to feel the panic he'd made me feel…and did he panic…" Hermione chuckled darkly. The team shifted uncomfortably in their seats while Harry only blanched. A Hermione seeking revenge was a man or woman's worst nightmare. "He stomped through the house like a man on a rampage. Not even bothering to be silent. He was so angry that I had gotten past him. So angry that I had gotten the better of him, but I didn't hunt him out. I wanted him to find hope, find one of those weapons that he left sitting around the house in places only he knew about." By this time, Emily, Derek, and JJ were pale. Hotch and Rossi were staring at Hermione in a new light. Spencer and Harry just sat there, taking the information in. "Once he did, I waited for him to find me. An hour had passed before he did. I shot his knee out and kicked his only means of defending himself away from him; then I kneeled down beside him and informed him that I had called my team."

"You're going to make some prison daddy really happy, aren't you Buck?" Hermione cooed to him. "You've got such a pretty face….and such thin arms…Yes, a prison daddy is going to have so much fun making you his bitch…"

"But he hadn't gone to prison. Instead the courts deemed him legally insane and sent him to an asylum." Hermione frowned. Her fists clenched in anger. Hotch was the first to recover from his shock.

"Do you know which asylum he was put in?" He asked.

"McLean Hospital…" Harry inserted for the first time. He stared at his sister as he spoke. Hermione hadn't told him the gory details and he hadn't asked. She had been through enough and she probably wouldn't have told him anyway. He was slightly surprised that she had shared as much as she had with the team.

After Hotch left to make a phone call to McLean Hospital, everyone just sat there and for a moment no one but Harry and Spencer could look at Hermione. Underneath the table, Spencer took her hand in his and squeezed it softly. Hermione smiled slightly over to him. Emily was the next to meet Hermione's eyes. Who were they to judge? Emily had done worse things in her time with Ian Doyle.

"I don't blame you," Emily spoke suddenly. Every eye turned to her. "For wanting revenge…" Emily swallowed. "I've seen the pictures, just as we all have, of how he leaves his victims. The type of torture he puts them through…" Hermione gave a small twitch of her lips that could have resembled a smile.

"Do you think he still uses the same house?" Derek asked. While Hermione's story sent chills up his spine, Derek knew that he needed to continue with the case so that no other girls would have to suffer what she and the rest of the victims had. Hermione shook her head.

"He wouldn't. Despite the verdict, he wasn't insane. No, he would use a different house. Probably abandon, but with still a lot of room," Hermione pondered.

"Could he use the woods?" Derek asked. His brown eyes were kind when Hermione met them. She shook her head.

"He could go as far as to use the woods, but it doesn't fit him and it doesn't fit the state of the girls. If they had been running through the forest for two days, it would show on the state of their body. Besides the forest would be dangerous terrain for him as well. He wouldn't risk it…"

"So we need to search large abandon houses then?" Derek asked. Hermione nodded.

"Look for warehouses too," Hermione added. Derek gave a quick nod in response and left to call his favorite girl.

Hermione reclined back in the seat and closed her eyes. She couldn't help but go back there to that house. A hand on hers stopped her. She looked up.

"Don't," Harry scolded softly, "don't go back there. Nothing will come of it." Spencer squeezed her other hand gently and hoped that this case would be a short one. Hermione smiled at the two men before laying her head on Spencer's shoulder.

Hermione glanced over at her brother worriedly. He had been selectively talkative ever since she finished her story. He only spoke when he was spoken too or had some insight to the case. Hotch had called them to action shortly after getting the address of Harris' house. Currently, Hermione and Harry were staking out the house, waiting for Harris to leave. She could still see the muscle of his jaw jumping in the darkness. The silence was grating on Hermione's nerves.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly. Harry glanced over at her, but was saved from replying by Harris exiting the house. Hermione tensed instantly; Harry's hands clenched the steering wheel tightly. Harry's posture rivaled a statue as they followed behind Harris. They passed the abandon warehouse he had pulled into. Harry shoved the car into park and called Hotchner.

"We've found it," Harry stated. Hermione pursed her lips in annoyance. He had completely avoided her question.

"Harry?" Hermione pressed once he was off the phone. "Are you alright?" She repeated. Harry glared over at her slightly.

"We are about to face a man that made your life a living hell and you are asking about me?" He snorted. Hermione smiled slightly.

"It's not like we haven't faced worse," Hermione pointed out. Harry moved his hands back and forth of the wheel as he thought of a way to word his reply.

"But we don't have magic at our disposal this time," he muttered. "If something goes wrong in here, there will be no quick fixes…" Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but the approaching SUVs cut off any reply she could possibly give. The brunette cast one final glance at her brother before she exited the car. They crept toward the warehouse Harris was keeping the girls in. They had men stationed at every possible exit. Buck Harris would not get away.

"Wait until all lights are shut off then go in," Hermione warned them quietly as they approached the warehouse. From the front of the line, Hotch nodded sharply. They split off once they entered the home. Derek, Hermione, and Spencer took the stairs to the second floor while the rest of the team stayed downstairs. Once upstairs, the trio split up. Hermione crept down the hallway, peeking in each room as she went. The unnerving silence was suddenly broken by a muffled scream. Hermione launched into movement. She lifted the mike on her shirt as she approached the door. "I've got him," Hermione whispered, "fifth door to the right of the stairs." Hermione eased the door open to see Buck Harris over the young woman that he had abducted. Melody O'Connor's frightened green eyes locked onto Hermione's brown as soon as she stepped into the room. Harris turned at the squeaking of the door.

"Move and I'll blow out your other knee," Hermione hissed. A brief wave of fear washed over Harris' face before rage overcame it. As he stared at her, his rage melted into sadistic glee.

"My, my, this is a familiar position," he drawled, "come back for more?" He grinned, exposing yellowed teeth. Hermione's eyes narrowed but she kept her face completely blank. Slowly, she began to move. She moved her body in front of the young woman that lay whimpering on the floor of the warehouse. Harris stood just feet away from her near the door, but it seemed as though he had no intention of running. No, he wanted to torment his only surviving victim. That personality trait was something Hermione was counting on. It would buy the others some time to get to her. "Because I have to say, you were quite…"A sick smirk pulled his lips upward, "memorable." Hermione swallowed back her rage and held her finger steady. He wanted her to shoot him. That was reason enough not to. She could hear the others racing to her position. Derek was the first one to reach her. He had been only a few rooms away. Hermione kept her gun aimed at Harris until Derek cuffed him. Slowly, she lowered the gun to her side and turned to help Melody off the floor. Spencer came into the room just as Melody threw her arms around Hermione.

"Thank you," the young girl whimpered as Hermione stood. Because the teenager refused to let go, Hermione brought her up along with her. "Thank you…" Hermione frowned slightly at how badly she was shaking. She was going through withdrawals. Hermione ran a hand over the young woman's back in an attempt to calm her down. Slowly, the rest of the team came pouring into the small room. She could hear Derek escorting Harris out of the room. Her shoulders relaxed slightly and Melody's hold finally loosened then dropped.

"Let's get you out of here," Hermione told her with a gentle smile. Melody nodded. Her cheeks were still stained with a small blush.

"Will you come with me?" Melody pleaded.

"Of course," Hermione agreed. She ignored Harry's small smirk as she escorted the girl out of the building.

The team had departed that night and most of the plane's occupants were fast asleep. The only two still awake were Hermione and Aaron Hotchner. Hermione had tried to sleep, but the memory of the "Fun House" haunted her. While the war had honed her senses exceptionally, the sleeping pills in her system that night had made her slow and uncoordinated. She had made it laughably easy for Buck to find her. The faint scars on her shoulders and chest served as a reminder of the punishment he had forced onto her. They also directed her away from sleeping pills. Since that night, she hadn't touched a single pill. A small sigh escaped her lips as she leaned her head back against the seat. Vaguely, she wondered if Melody would stay away from her drug of choice after all of this.

"Are you alright?" Hermione turned her head toward the speaker. Aaron had slipped into the seat across from her while she had been in thought. His brown eyes held wary concern. Hermione nodded. Hotch raised his eyebrows in disbelief, but he did not call her bluff. He simply folded his hands onto the table and looked out the window.

"Do you know how hard it was not to pull the trigger?" Hermione asked rhetorically. She hadn't planned on speaking to him. She usually kept her problems for Harry, but there was something about Aaron Hotchner that pulled the words from her lips. "To put faith back into a justice system that had let him walk free?"

"Yes," Aaron answered. "It is hard," he admitted warily, "to have faith in such a flawed system, but the moments of success greatly outweigh the injustices." Hermione met his gaze and raised her eyebrows.

"But how long until the injustices outweigh those successes?" Hermione questioned. A small smile cracked the older man's lips.

"That is why we are here," he told her.

"Damn straight," Derek mumbled from his position on the couch. Hermione and Hotch glanced toward him. One brown eye peeked at them from behind an arm. Hermione smiled then looked back at Hotch. Amusement danced behind his brown eyes as the shared a small chuckle.

"Get some sleep," Hotch demanded quietly as he stood. Hermione smiled slightly at the much older man.

"Hotch," she muttered as he turned to leave. He looked at her from over his shoulder. "Thanks." He smiled.

"Anytime."

(A/N: See, I'm still here! None of my stories are abandoned.)