Chapter 6

Dinner was completely silent. Garcia could hear the soft, inevitable tick of a clock in the background. The air was heavy to breathe. Every so often Frank would cut her a piercing glare, which under normal circumstances she would have returned, she hadn't done anything wrong after all, the man was paranoid, but for the small matter that he had horribly, cold-bloodedly killed someone. She didn't really want to rile him up. Magenta wheeled in a tray on which sat a slab of meat, Riff Raff following behind her. The squeak of the wheels seemed unnaturally loud in the thick air. She glanced across at Reid who sat opposite but his eyes were fixated on Gideon. She couldn't read their expression. Morgan sat next to Reid, closest to Frank, and opposite Rocky. Gideon sat at the opposite to Doctor Furter, at the bottom of the table.

Magenta smacked the food down in front of Doctor Furter, the sound making everyone jump and look towards their host in time to see the maid hand him an electric carving knife.

Garcia's heart leapt in her chest. Morgan was on his feet in an instant, hand reaching for the gun he no longer had. Frank cocked an eyebrow.

"Relax Agent Morgan," he purred huskily, and fired it up.

The whine filled Garcia with dread as he dragged it through the meat, baring his teeth at her and Gideon in turns, fixing them with his eyes. The threat was obvious.

Only once the machine was turned off and laid to the side did Morgan finally sit down. The meat was dropped in front of them unceremoniously.

Frank stood up and raised his glass.

"A toast," they each gave the others at the table wary looks and put hands on their mismatched glasses and pitchers, "to absent friends."

There seemed to be a general consensus around the table that playing along was the best option.

"To absent friends," they echoed, only Reid managing to say it clearly, which earned him an appraising look from their host. Morgan muttered it and Garcia felt her throat close up, barely managing to choke the words out. Gideon said nothing.

"Now, Rocky," Frank looked at his creation and held his hand out to Riff Raff expectantly. The manservant slapped a party hat into it, which Frank snapped onto his head.

Garcia felt nauseous; the bright colours and innocence of a birthday party forever corrupted in the image of a paper hat on a killer's head.

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Rocky..."

There was a disjointed joining in from the rest of the BAU, to varying degrees of volume, none of them enthusiastic. Furter cut them off before the song was ended and abruptly took his seat. He surveyed them all with relish.

"Please, eat," he said courteously, making it sound less like a command but nonetheless making Garcia's skin crawl. Rocky tucked in with gusto. She almost yelled 'don't' but Doctor Furter's eyes were pining her mouth shut. Her hand drifted towards her fork although her brain shouted not to touch the food. Furter's penetrating eyes never left her own. The warmth of a hand stilling hers on the fork made her finally look away. Gideon's gaze was kindly and calm.

"Don't eat it."

Frank's eyes swivelled to his new target and he scowled. Gideon looked back at him undeterred. Garcia glanced across the table at Morgan and Reid, whose plates also remained uneaten. Reid was still watching his old mentor as though he would vanish again. Morgan was watching their host, waiting for an opportunity.

"We came here to discuss Eddie."

Garcia gave a little gasp at the name of the victim and Gideon squeezed her hand briefly, reassuringly, before withdrawing it.

Frank gave a himself a small smile and carefully cut up his food, chewing a swallowing deliberately before answering the question, his focus still on his food.

"That's rather a tender subject." He raised his head and gave Gideon a level look. "Care for another slice."

It took her minute, only a minute, and then she snatched her hands back from the table.

"Oh my God."

Opposite her Reid had turned very pale, and beside him Morgan had gone still. Only Rocky remained eating and again Garcia wanted to reach out and knock the plate away from him. Again she didn't dare.

Gideon had not moved.

"Eddie sent me a letter," he said it very slowly, very controlled. "It was a warning, asking me to come here and help him." He pulled the letter out of his pocket and laid it on the table. Frank's nostrils flared and he was clearly agitated. His eyes were wide and glaring.

Gideon held the stare for a long moment before speaking.

"Where is Eddie, Frank?"

Now Frank grinned, slowly and chillingly. It was all teeth; amusement and malice.

"You want to know where Eddie is Former Agent Gideon?" He wrenched on the table cloth, sending plates and cutlery flying. Food scattered all over the floor but nobody noticed. All eyes were pined to the glass topped coffin they had been using as a table. Eddie lay inside, sliced open and butchered.

Everyone moved at once; Reid, Morgan and Garcia all jumping to their feet.

Reid's eyes were fixated on the mess of the corpse of the man that he had seen murdered. He had to rapidly look away, shutting his eyes against the image that he would never be able to forget.

Morgan swore loudly and made to lunge at the murderer, ignoring his original instinct to wait for his moment. Frank took a step back and put his hand on the still warm carving knife, a dare in his eyes. The agent pulled himself up short, breathing hard; his teeth gritted and muscles a knot as he tried to restrain himself. The look in Furter's eyes whispered 'Good boy' and Morgan glared at him murderously.

Garcia staggered back from the table, a half-sob, half-scream escaping from her mouth before she pressed her hand firmly against it. Seeing her distress Rocky lumbered to his feet and strode over, wrapping his arms tightly around her as she pressed her face into his shoulder. Now Furter's attention was diverted from Morgan and his grip tightened on the knife as he saw his creation, made just for him, embracing another.

Only Gideon remained in his seat, his eyes staring almost sightlessly down at his nephew, his face grim. "No matter where I go," he muttered, "there are always monsters."

"Oh Rocky!" Furter was on his feet, staggering to his creation and wrenching him from Garcia. "How could you?" he snarled back at Rocky before slapping Garcia around the face.

"Garcia!" Reid and Morgan both shouted and Gideon started up out of his seat.

Penelope was never one to take any kind of violence against her, and equally she was never so stupid to challenge a psychotic killer. She turned and ran and with bared teeth Furter followed. Morgan was the quickest of the agents in the room as he moved to pursue but found his way barred by a smirking Riff Raff. Magenta was screeching with laughter behind him.

"Get out of the way before I knock you down," Morgan growled dangerously.

Reid was the closest and reached the other side of the table just as Garcia cleared the doors and before Frank could. Determinedly he stood in the way and slowed the doctor just enough to give Garcia a head start.

"Stop," he stated calmly and Frank drew up short.

"Do not concern yourself with this Doctor Reid," Frank snarled as he knocked Spencer aside into the wall and tore out the room after Garcia.

"Reid!" Morgan shouted as he got past Riff Raff, but Reid waved him on, wheezing slightly.

"I'm fine, go. Go!"

Penelope didn't know where she was going. All she could hear was the pant of her breath and the scream of her mind to run as fast as she bloody well could...and then she could hear the smack of a pair of pursuing stilettos.

Furter caught up with her halfway up the stairs, pining her to the barrier with a leer, hands gripping her wrists. He pressed himself against her, forcing his face into her own.

"You'd better wise-up Penelope Garcia."

She stilled for a second and then kneed him hard. Frank yelled and stumbled backwards.

"Got it," she muttered and kept running.

The bodily harm, along with trying the ridiculous feat of running in those shoes, kept the distance between them, but as she reached the top of the stairs she knew he was closing the gap. Fortunately so was Morgan.

Garcia crashed through a huge pair of double doors and realised with a curse that she was back in the laboratory again. She didn't have time to regret it long as Frank exploded through the doors behind her. No where left to run she backed away slowly, hand fumbling in her pocket for the pepper spray. Furter eyes gleamed strangely, his hair wild from the chase, as he advanced.

"Frank, if you hurt her..." the voice rang out clear from the top of the stairs, and there Morgan stood like an avenging angel.

Furter's eyes moved from Garcia and alighted with amusement on the agent.

"You'll do what Agent Morgan?" he smiled tauntingly.

Garcia pulled her arm up to hit him in the face with her pepper spray but she didn't have time to press the trigger before everything went dark.