He was still trying to recover; his breathing was still rugged and his arms and feet still felt numb. He could hear the lock releasing and the door opening. He wasn't mentally or physically ready for another round of her twisted game. He watched as she slowly descended the steps carrying what looked like a tray. She paused for a moment at the bottom of the steps smiling that wicked smile as she looked down upon her weakened guest.

"Tea time!" She said overly cheery. "Just as I promised."

She set the tray, which carried two cups of tea on the floor next to the chair. He exhaled trying to ready himself for what was next.

"I fancy myself a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to tea. I've created several of my own blends in fact."

"I told you I'm not a tea drinker."

"Humor an old lady, won't you?" She said sarcastically.

He flinched as she approached him not wanting to be touched but helpless to prevent her from placing her hands on his shoulders and pulling him to a sitting position. Then out of spite, she kicked his right foot, which sent shots of pain like fire through him.

"How's the foot by the way?

She giggled as he grimaced against the pain.

"This game is really getting old. Whatever you're planning just get it over with!"

"Not before we have a cup of tea."

"I'll pass."

Ignoring him she reached for one of the cups and held it close to his face. He could feel the warmth of the steam as it floated away toward the ceiling. She looked intently into his face waiting for him to lean in for a sip.

"Need I remind you that I can pay your friends a visit any time I want? I noticed that Penny…such a sweet name…I noticed that she's a tea drinker. I saw a cute little box of assorted teas in her office when I was there the other day."

Terror struck him. He couldn't allow her to go after his friends, especially Penelope.

"Okay, okay, I'll drink the tea."

"Good. That's a good boy!"

She brought the cup toward his lips. This time she didn't have to wait for him to comply. With that same look of rage in his eyes he took a small sip from the hot brew.

"Come on Agent, that's hardly a taste. You can do better than that."

Again he sipped from the cup. She caught him off guard forcing the hot liquid down his throat before he could protest. His throat burned as the bitter brown brew ran down his throat. He had no choice but to swallow hard before he ran out of air. She sat in front of him laughing as he choked and coughed. He wanted to strangle the evil witch and show her how it felt to have the very breath yanked from her body.

BAU Headquarters –

Garcia's voiced boomed across the laptop in the center of the table. She was excited that her search had yielded an address for Mabel Henry.

"Mabel Henry owns a house about forty minutes south of here. I've sent her address to your tablets.

"Let's go!" Hotch ordered.

Without hesitation they all headed toward the conference room door without looking back. Hotch paused and looked back at the laptop.

"Garcia…"

"Just…bring him home."

She ended the transmission leaving him staring at a black screen.

Home of Mabel Henry –

She was back sitting in the chair staring at him watching him lay silently on the floor in defiance. Stubborn to the very end she thought to herself. She had to admire him for that she supposed. She wondered how stubborn he would be when the effects of her special tea began to take affect. It was only a matter of minutes. The only thing she regretted was that she couldn't stick around to see him struggle for his last breath. She had a plane to catch and she didn't want to be here when his very capable team eventually found him.

"You're in special company, you know."

He refused to respond to her.

"The last time I brewed it was fifteen years ago."

Still he did not respond. He knew this was her end game. She hadn't even bothered to cover his mouth with the tape. After her last visit. He was too weak to yell for help and now his body was beginning to feel strange, his feet and legs were numb…

"I wanted to tell Antoine and Andrew the truth…that I was their mother but my sister and her husband were against it."

Her eyes moved away from him as if her mind had suddenly transported her to another place and time.

"My sister always thought she was better than me. She married that stuffy older man… they had lots of money and I… I had nothing!"

She looked back at the agent who was so silent now no longer fighting to break free from the bindings that held his hands and feet still.

"When you killed Antoine I knew I had to tell Andrew the truth but he left… vanished. My sister and brother-in-law blamed me for their behavior…so, I did the only thing I could do."

She knelt in front of him on her knees and examined his face. His eyes were closed now and she wasn't sure if he was able to hear her. It didn't matter it was important that she tell her story to the man who had killed her children.

"I brewed two nice strong cups of tea."

His eyes slowly opened and looked her in the eye with the same vibrant rage that she had been accustomed to seeing.

"You're dying Agent Morgan. You deserve to die for what you did. By now your lower body should be feeling numb. In an hour or so that numbness will be replaced with excruciating pain."

She stood and headed toward the steps looking back at him she checked her watch.

"I love tea. It relieves stress, calms my nerves and after you're gone I will be at peace. Your death will be the one gift I was able to give my sons.

He watched her as she closed the basement door and set the lock in its place. His mind went to Penelope. She would be so mad at him for being late and making her worry. He had to find a way to make it up to her. Where was the team? Had Hotch understood the call? He wanted so badly to go home and to forget that any of this had happened.

The team had arrived parking across the street from the small well-kept house on the corner. It was hard to imagine a woman who had given birth to two serial killers and who was determined to kill a federal agent was inside. They moved quickly behind a solid wall of SWAT officers, guns drawn with the intent of rescuing their friend and bringing him home.

Hotch loudly announced their arrival and without waiting for a response nodded to the SWAT officers who obliged and hit the door with the full force of the ram. One by one they entered searching each room looking and anticipating any and everything.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

Each room, one by one was entered and cleared. After a few minutes, the team and the local SWAT officers reconvened in the front room flabbergasted puzzled and desperate.

Rossi looked from JJ to Reid and then to their leader Hotch and confirmed the obvious.

"He's not here!"