Really really really sorry for the wait! I didn't mean to drop out of cyberspace, but I had tonnes of revision to do last week and then I had no internet at the weekend and I spent all of this week revising for my exam tomorrow. i didn't even have a chance to watch the latest Criminal Minds (I know, crazy, right?) , but don't worry, I've caught up now.
Hopefully I will be a bit more regular form now on because I only have one more exam on wednesday and then won't have another till june.
Tell me what you think and I might update a bit quicker!:)
Chapter 7
"Morgan?!" Garcia screeched.
"Where the hell is he?" Emily exclaimed amidst other complaints from the rest of the group.
"Come on. We can't stop now, he's just trying to put us off." Hotch hurried them all along, hoping they were travelling in the right direction. The whole party rushed forwards, tears visible in all of their eyes, pleading that they find their lost teammate in time.
After walking around the maze for the best part of an hour, the team were frantically hurrying around; Morgan's screams could be heard every couple of minutes.
"Maybe we should take a break and think this over." Hotch suggested, taking his place as team chief.
"What?" Garcia all but shouted, aghast at his suggestion, "How could you even be thinking of stopping?" Tears sprung from her eyes and made their way through the tracks on her cheeks.
"I don't mean stop, Garcia." Hotch consoled, holding his hands out in front of him as to calm the tech analyst down, "I just mean that we should consider who we're working against. We're profilers, remember?" He added on, raising an eyebrow and earning a slight, albeit nervous giggle from Garcia. All eyes turned on Emily, expecting her to start the profile.
"I haven't seen him for years." She shrugged apologetically, "Not that I saw him much then, either." She added. JJ stepped forwards, placing an arm on her back.
"Em, you know a lot more than we do, anyhow. What was it you said back there?" She motioned the way they had come with her eyes.
"It doesn't matter." Prentiss mumbled, keeping her eyes cast downwards so as to not catch anyone's eye.
"Hey kiddo," Rossi, the father figure of the group, began to talk to her as he stepped forwards, "We know that this is hard. Heck, who else has a secret kick-ass maze under their house? Whatever it is, you know that you can talk to us. We're your friends and teammates and nothing will make us look at you any different." Emily finally peeled her gaze from the metal floor and saw that each of her colleagues wore matching gazes of concern.
"I know, Rossi. Thanks." The brunette agent nodded sincerely, "It isn't much, but my dad used to, um… He used t-to…" She paused to fiercely wipe away a tear rolling down her cheek. When JJ rubbed her back soothingly she carried on with fierce determination. "He used to take Mother into the basement and they got into really big arguments that I could hear from the ground floor. Well, once they were having a really big row – bigger than usual – and the basement door was open a little so I went to take a look what was happening and he hit Mother really hard when she put him in his place. I always wondered why she ha a couple of bruises here and there, but she told me that she had a little accident. I didn't really know any better until I was older." She stopped as more tears followed the first and Garcia pulled her into a hug. No one knew what to do to console her. They couldn't tell her it was okay, because it very clearly wasn't. Instead Hotch decided the best thing they could do for Morgan was continue.
"Thanks, Prentiss. So he's very controlling and used to getting his own way." He started.
"He's not afraid to do what he needs to get what he wants." Rossi continued.
"Don't forget violent." Emily spoke darkly. JJ ran a hand through her now limp and knotted hair, but stopped and winced when she reached the lump that had begun to form.
"Hotch that's not going to help us in here." She pointed out and Reid nodded in agreement.
"We're in his game. We're going to have to play by his rules."
They began walking again and didn't come across any obstacles for a while. Hotch turned the corner first, followed by the rest of the team. They froze for a second, but rushed forwards as their bodies whizzed into action at the scene ahead of them. Morgan was lying on the ground, unconscious, but over all look fairly unharmed physically.
"Morgan?" Garcia shook his shoulder slightly as they crowded round him on the floor. "Honey, wake up." She pleaded and slowly his eyelashes flickered and he squinted at the bright light above him.
"What happened?" He asked while groaning as he stretched out his sore muscles.
"You don't remember?" Hotch asked him and he shook his head, whilst letting Reid take a look at some marks on his neck.
"Electrical burns." He murmured. "It looks like you were tasered." Reid informed him.
"That would explain the screaming." JJ deduced.
"Then why did we hear so many? There's only one set of burns." Rossi stated.
"I bet he recorded it and gave us the illusion that Morgan was hurting to make us get sloppy and make a mistake." Hotch frowned.
"Sick son of a bitch."
