*Hey everyone! College is insane so it's taken me a while to write this chapter. But I finally got it done super late tonight and procrastinated on tons of homework. So this is super long and I apologize for that, but it will hopefully answer some questions about Cat and the incident. I hope you all enjoy! Sorry for the wait!
Chapter 15
April 24, 1997
Quantico, VA
The bullpen was loud and rowdy as usual but there was a tension all around with the election of the new Section Chief. Terrance Warner was seated at his desk focused on his last bit of paperwork from the recent case the BAU solved. Everyone else was discussing the potential candidates for the position but he could not care less. He had gone above and beyond in his work, he had helped out when the previous chief was losing mobility in his hands, and he had consulted on cases outside of his unit. Terrance knew that whatever decision made would be the best one headquarters could make. There was nothing in his power he could do to push their decision one way or another.
"Who do ya think it's gonna be, Terry?" A squeaky voice said. Terrance looked up to see his best friend in the BAU, Peter Duncan, standing next to his desk. Peter was average height but very thin. When standing next to Terrance, Peter looked like a tooth pick. Many described him as squeamish and shy because he rarely ever talked and jumped at every little movement. However he was very insightful when it came to difficult cases, he had a picking up on small details of murders that were unique to a killer and what meant the most to them. Some in the office got a little creeped out by how much Peter seemed to know about killers, but it was part of the job.
"I don't really want to get into it Pete, it's the board's decision and guessing could only hurt people," Terrance shook his head and went back to his paperwork, only a few more notes to make. He knew how much his friend wanted the position. Peter had been with the unit a few years more than Terrance and after getting denied the Unit Chief position, Peter figured Section Chief would be the recognition he deserved after serving the FBI for so long. For a quiet man Peter sure was ambitious.
"Aw come on Terry, you never get involved in office gossip. Just this once say what you're thinking about people here. I won't bug you about it again. Please?" Peter swiped the paper on Terrance's desk.
"Peter, seriously, I don't think it's a good idea. Now give it back, I need to get it done before the end of the day," Peter sighed and looked at Terrance with an exaggerated pouty face. He didn't like saying anything bad about his friend but Peter could at times be a little childish. Unfortunately, that's probably why he had not been elected Unit Chief. Terrance stood up and grabbed the paper from the smaller man. "Fine, you're missing out on some serious betting here though."
"I think I'll be okay," Terrance laughed as Peter slunk away to join the apparent pool the others had going on who would be their new chief. As he filled out the last line of notes and gathered up the paperwork spread across his desk, the board members walked into the bullpen and everyone stood to greet them.
"Good evening everyone. We just wanted to come by and inform you all of our decision," the director walked in with the other members of the board. Everyone immediately got up and stared hopefully in their direction. "Congratulations to the new Section Chief, Terrance Ward."
A round of applause filled the room. Terrance stood and went to shake hands with the director and the rest of the board. Although he tried to keep a straight face a small smile crept onto his lips. He knew something had been coming, the director had talked with him a few weeks ago about possibly taking on a more authoritative role within the Bureau. But Section Chief had never crossed his mind.
"Congratulation, Terrance. Your work has been impressive the last few years, you deserve this," the director took his hand pulled him in for congratulatory hug.
"Thank you, sir," Terrance pulled away with a big smile but made sure to compose himself before returning to his desk. A few people gave him hard looks but mostly he was followed by smiles and shouts of congratulations.
"Alright everyone, back to work." The noise quieted as people went to finish the work they had been too distracted to do only moments ago. The director came over to his desk and lowered his voice to say, "Your new office is clear, you can move in later today or tomorrow. Come see me tomorrow and I'll give you the orientation. Congratulations once again, I cannot wait to see what you do as Chief."
"Thank you for the opportunity," Terrance allowed himself to smile this time. He could not wait to call Caitlyn and give her the good news. With a new baby on the way, this was just what they needed.
"Congratulations Terry," Peter muttered as he walked up to his desk.
"Thanks Pe-…are you okay?" Terrance looked up at his friend. Peter's eyes stared down at Terrance's desk, his mouth forced into a line, jaw tense. His skin was flushed and sweat covered his forehead.
"I'm fine, really happy for you is all."
"Okay, do you want to come over for dinner? I know Christine is going to want to make something special to celebrate."
"No. But say hi to Christine for me," and with that Peter walked away swiftly. Terrance followed him until Peter disappeared into the elevator. He couldn't concentrate on his work after that unusual interaction. Peter, although a little immature, was always very composed. This reaction was out of character for him. But he could not focus on him for long, he wanted to call home and give his family the good news. Picking up the phone on his desk, he quickly punched in a number and drummed his fingers on the desk until he heard the voice of his wife on the other end
"Hey sweetie! I have some great news for you."
Later that night…
Stafford, VA
"Kids! Are you dressed yet? Your father will be home any minute!" Abigail heard her mother's voice carry from downstairs as she finished putting on her favorite pink dress. Her hands shook, barely containing her excitement. This was the longest her dad had been gone for work and they were having a special dinner to celebrate his return. Mommy also said they had big news to share! Maybe daddy was going to tell them he wouldn't be gone anymore? She hated it when he was gone. When he was gone he couldn't tell her stories before bed time. Mommy would but she didn't have the same funny voices that daddy did. Gah, she couldn't wait until he was home! Grabbing her favorite stuffed animal, her bunny, she ran downstairs to help mommy with dinner.
"Gosh Abby, watch where you're going!" Her brother Nathan muttered as jumped out of the way for her. Nathan had just turned 15 yesterday but they had waited to celebrate his birthday until dad was home. Even more reason to be excited because they would have cake with dinner!
"Sorry Nate! I'm gonna beat you downstairs!"
"Oh no you won't!" Nate rushed past her down the main staircase, Abby's shorter legs burning to catch up to her brother who was almost a foot and a half taller than her.
"What did I tell you two about racing in the house?" Their mother laughed as they came bursting into the kitchen, a blur of pink and blue clothes.
"Sorry mom," they muttered their apology but then immediately stuck their tongues out at each other. "Can you tell us who won though?"
"I think I did since I was in here first," she answered and held out a stack of plates to her son, "Can you set these out on the table?" Nathan obliged and headed to the dining room.
"What can I do, mommy?"
"You sweetie, can get the drinks ready," she handed Abigail two glasses and set the other ones of the table. Abigail went over to the freezer to get ice for the drinks just as the front door opened and a voiced called out, "Something in here smells delicious!"
"Daddy!" the two kids called out in unison. Nathan ran from the dining room and jumped into his father's outstretched arms. Abigail started to run but her mom yelled, "Drinks on the table! Drinks on the table!"
Her father entered the kitchen carrying Nathan in a big hug and set him down on the ground. When Nathan was out of the way he squatted down as Abigail crashed into him to give him a tight hug. He picked her up and swung her around. It felt so good to have her father home, the world was a little brighter and felt a little safer. Nothing could go wrong now that he was back.
"Alright you two, head on in to the dining room and take a seat. We can hear all about daddy's trip while we have dinner," mommy said once dad had set Abigail back down. The kids ran out as Terrance walked over and kissed his wife. "Welcome home."
"I've missed you so much. Now about this food business," Christine laughed and gave her husband a playful slap on the cheek. The two grabbed various bowls of food and headed to join their kids at the table.
Abigail was ecstatic. Not only had her father told them that he had gotten a new job that would keep him home more, but her mother had announced she was getting another brother or sister! She hoped it would be a sister because Nathan had more fun kicking soccer balls that playing dolls. She had tried playing with him in the backyard but he was way too good. He was a good brother though, he was always willing to be her partner when she practiced new dances. But now that he was in high school he was super busy with homework and soccer. His announcement at dinner had been finding out he was being recommended for the USA soccer training camp over the summer. Abigail wasn't exactly sure what it meant but she had a feeling he would be gone just like her dad used to be. She was hoping it wouldn't interfere with their annual camping trip. Her news at dinner was getting accepted into the School of American Ballet, following in her mother's footsteps as a prospective professional dancer. The best part of dinner though had been the marble cake at the end, the best part of any meal. Marble was Nathan's favorite but Abigail preferred just plain chocolate.
She yawned and rolled over on her side in bed, hugging Sprinkles the bunny close. Small rays of orange light filtered through her curtains from the street lamp outside. Abigail focused on the various lines the light made on her carpet and thought about the story her father had told them before bed time. It had been about a prince coming from a far off land to find the princess who had been haunting his dreams. He found her being held captive by an evil sorcerer and fought for her freedom. They fell in love and lived happily ever after. Those stories always made Abigail happy. She dreamed of one day finding her true love. Hopefully he would be a prince so she could live in a castle. Abigail closed her eyes and imagined what her prince might look like and the pretty dresses she would wear.
CRASH. BANG. Her eyes flew open to a loud noise from downstairs. Sitting up in bed she pulled the blanket up to nose and watched the door. A whimper escaped her mouth out of fear for what could be happening. Mommy probably dropped something or Nathan had sleep walked into the bookshelf again. But her hopes were crushed when her mother and Nathan came running into her room, pure terror written on their faces.
"Get out of bed, Abby," Mommy whispered yet still grabbed her arm and dragged her out from under her covers.
"What's going on? Where's daddy?" Abigail cried, her fear causing tears to begin running down her cheeks.
"Shh, daddy will be here soon. He's just getting stuff from downstairs," her mother replied, but something in her voice told Abigail she was lying. This made her tears come faster.
"Mom what's happening?" Nathan asked as she dragged the children to Abigail's closet, pushing the clothes away so there was a space big enough for the three of them. She pushed Nathan and Abigail in first and then followed while closing the door. "Why are we hiding?"
"Nothing sweetie," she tried again to assure her children but her voice was wavering.
"Are bad people here?" Abigail asked. She wrapped her hand around her brother's and squeezed.
"No sweetie."
"Is the evil sorcerer here? Like in the story?"
"There's no such thing as an evil sorcerer Abby," Nathan responded.
"Yes there is," Abigail stamped her foot, not thinking of the noise she might make.
"Abby, sweetheart, I need you to be quiet right now. Can you do that for me?" Her mother turned and knelt down so she was looking Abigail in the eyes.
"Why?"
"If you can be quiet we will go get those chocolate chip muffins you love so much. Does that sound good?"
"Yes."
"So will you be quiet?"
"Okay, Mommy." Her mother gave her a big hug then got up to face the door again. She opened it a so that a little sliver of light shown on her face. They could hear the echo of footsteps on the wooden floor downstairs and someone whistling. Nathan's grip on Abigail's hand tightened.
"Oh Chief Warner…Come out come out wherever you are!" A gravelly voice called from downstairs.
"I'm right here coward." Daddy's voice carried up to them, full of confidence. "You?"
"You took everything from me. Now I'll take everything from you." Two loud bangs rang out. Abigail's mother gasped and she could see her eyes were shining more than usual. Tears. Her mother had tears in her eyes. "Oh, Terry. So brave." The voice laughed as the footsteps grew louder.
"Christine? Where are you? Don't you want to say goodbye to your husband?" The evil man's footsteps were so loud now, Abigail thought he had to be giant from the echo they made. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.
"No matter what, stay here," Mommy whispered to them. She opened the door a little wider and slipped out, pulling it shut behind them. Nathan and Abigail heard shuffling from the room outside, something she thought might be a drawer. A few more footsteps…and then the squeak of a door.
"You monster!" Her mother cried out. More shots than Abigail could count rang out followed by a loud thud. Nathan let go of his sister's hand and went to the closet door to listen more closely. A disturbing laugh began, getting louder and louder until she was sure it was right in front of the door. Her fear was confirmed when the door flew open, the siblings both screaming out. Nathan kicked his leg out, his aim confirmed when the large shadow grunted and hunched over.
"The dragon Abby! The dragon!" Nathan kicked the shadow again, giving enough time for Abigail to run past him to the door of her room. When she entered the hallway she tripped over a sturdy mound and fell on her face. Rolling over she met her mother's eyes which stared blankly back at her. A red puddle had formed around her and Abigail had landed in it. Her clothes were wet with the red liquid and it had matted in her hair. She let out a sob and reached for her mother's hand which was gripping an object she had never seen before, but she pulled back as she heard her brother cry out. His cry was followed by another mysterious bang and thud.
"Oh Abby, where are you?" the voice called out in a sing-song tone. She forgot her mother and the object and quickly jumped to her feet, running down the hall to the playroom as fast as her legs could carry her. When she reached the door she flicked the light switch on the wall to shut off the hallway lights. Maybe the shadow man would have a harder time finding her in the dark. The playroom was pitch black as well, no light from the street filtering though the massive curtains. Abigail trusted her instincts and made her way to the closet. Once she opened the door she crawled in and pulled in shut as quietly as possible. Finding her way along the floor she made it to what she hoped was the right side and put her hand out on the wall, feeling for a break in the wall. There it was. The crawl space she and Nathan used in playtime as a dragon cave. This was where he wanted her to go. She hoped the dragon would protect her. It was hard for her to get the door open since it was meant to blend in with the wall, but she eventually did and climbed inside with Sprinkles and shut the cave.
Footsteps. They were faint but they were footsteps. And there was the whistling. She hugged Sprinkles tight to stop herself from shaking but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop the crying. Burying her face in the bunny would hopefully muffle the noises. She closed her eyes and silently begged someone, anyone, to save her. Her prince. The dragon. Even the evil sorcerer. Anyone was better than whoever was here in her house.
"Abigail. Oh Abigail. I know you're in here," she picked her head up at the sound of his voice. It was as if it was in the cave with her. She glanced around terrified searching for him, but no. He was not there. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."
Faint noises that sounded like sirens carried into the cave. The voice let out a terrifying cry but Abigail just smiled. They had heard her plea! "This isn't over Abigail. I will find you. You will be mine." The footsteps got loud and heavy but then grew fainter. Abigail smiled but it didn't last; she cried into Sprinkles, trying her hardest to keep them quiet in case the shadow man was trying to trick her. Her father had always said to be cautious until the men with badges came for her. Hopefully those sirens would know where to find those men. Or her father. He would know where to find her. Or even Nathan, who had told her to come here.
Abigail stayed in the dragon's cave for what felt like days. She heard faint voices come and go through walls but she was too scared to go outside. She could not be sure the shadow man was gone or he was tricking her with the voices. And she definitely did not want to see her mother looking at her that way again. The red liquid she had fallen in was starting to dry on her clothes and in her hair. It felt uncomfortable and gave her a weird feeling in her stomach. She continued to grip Sprinkles as tight as she could and although she was afraid she would rip her bunny, she could not find the strength to let it go. Her knuckles were white and her hands had started to shake. The tears had stopped streaming long ago and the trails on her cheeks had dried up. Her eyes felt raw.
She could not blink; she just kept staring straight ahead. The picture of her mother was all she saw when she closed her eyes. No more. She did not want to see it. Abigail wished there was some way to turn her hearing off too. She kept thinking she was hearing those odd thuds over and over again. Whatever they were, she felt sick to her stomach when they played in her mind. Instead she tried to concentrate on the voices that had come back into the playroom outside. One of them was louder than the other, almost as if he was angry or upset.
"The girl! They had a daughter! Where is she?" the louder voice said.
"We think the perpetrator may have taken her, sir," the quieter voice responded.
"This sort of Unsub was most likely a family annihilator; they don't take hostages."
"But we cannot find her anywhere else so that's the only explanation."
"Is it? Call family members, friends. She may not have been home."
"We did that. No one has seen her since school today."
"Then look around the house again! She is here somewhere! The girl is a genius and her father was Terrance Ward. I have a feeling she found somewhere safe to hide when this sicko broke in." The loud voice's statement was followed by grumbling and soft footsteps. The softer voice must not like the louder one.
"How do you know she's even alive, Jason?" a new voice echoed into the cave. This one was different than the other, with an accent and soothing tone.
"I just have a feeling," the louder voice had calmed down with the arrival of the new one. More footsteps, these ones louder than the others. The sound of the closet door startled Abigail out of her statue mode. She listened as the footsteps wandered around the large area of the closet. It wasn't until she heard them get close to the dragon's cave entrance that she scooted farther back into the darkness. "Where would I go if I was a girl hiding from a murderer?"
"It's a big house, there have to be plenty of hiding places that Terrance showed them."
"Dave, I think I found something." Bright light filtered into the cave as the tiny door was opened. Abigail blinked and tried her best to hide from the two faces that looked inside her safe spot. "Dave go get some help."
The man who must have the calmer voice, Dave, disappeared and the owner of the loud voice filled the space. He looked at her; his face was kind, which was odd considering how much he raised his voice at the other man. "Hi Abigail. My name is Jason Gideon. I worked with your father at the FBI."
"Can you go get him?"
"Abigail, your father is gone."
"Gone where? Mommy said he would be back soon but he never came. Then there were lots of loud banging sounds and thuds. And mommy had red liquid around her which got in my hair. And Nathan never met me in the dragon cave. And the shadow man said he would be back to find me," Abigail could not stop the words from flowing out of her mouth. All of the fear and worry and anger came rushing out as her voice got louder and shakier. She took a deep breath, tears returning to her eyes and washing down her cheeks. "I just want my daddy."
"Those sounds you heard, Abigail. The shadow man shot your parents and your brother. They are not here anymore," Jason tried to reach his hand towards her but she scooted farther back until she hit the wall.
"They're dead?" Abigail's tears stopped when the realization hit her, the pieces finally clicking into place in her mind.
"I'm sorry Abigail. Can you come with me? We need to make sure you're okay and get you cleaned up."
"Where's your badge? Daddy said to never go with someone unless you see their badge, like his."
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a badge identical to her father's. She nodded and crawled towards Jason. He grabbed her arms and helped pull her out of the cave. As soon as she was out more men came in and lifted her onto a bed on wheels. She watched Jason as the men wheeled her out of the playroom, gripping Sprinkles all the way to a big red truck and letting the tears fall freely down her face.
It was a long day after the men took her away from her home after the worst night of her life. Doctors ran tests and cleaned her up and gave her new clothes. Men who worked with her father asked her a million questions about what happened that night when the shadow man broke in. Even after she told them everything she remembered they still had more questions. Abigail did not get angry often but she yelled at them to stop when they asked her if she saw the man's face for what had to be the hundredth time. If she had seen it she would have told them already. That man had taken her family away. She would never forget him or his creepy voice. As she thought about his voice more, the more she thought there was something familiar about it. A tone to it that she remembered in the back of her mind but could not put her finger on.
She continued to think about it as she sat on the floor outside her father's old office. Jason had brought her there once the doctors were done with her. The "BAU" was calling her Aunt Rosie to see if she could take her in. Abigail barely remembered her Aunt Rosie. A distant memory of her father arguing with a woman popped into her head but it must have been so long ago that she could hardly picture the woman's face very clearly.
But she could see her father's face. She could see it so clearly: his messy hair, his blue eyes that matched her own, and his warm smile that reached all the way to his eyes. She could she her mother running to her father and falling into his outstretched arms, her blonde hair falling over her face as she laughed. She could see her brother chasing a soccer ball over to them, his eyes lighting up as he kicked the ball and made a goal. Seeing the three of them in her mind made her body shake as more tears she didn't know she had begun flowing again. Pulling her knees up to her chin and gripping Sprinkles' arm she let the sobs out as quietly as she could, hoping she could just disappear. Maybe this was all a dream and she would wake up soon with everything back the way it had been at dinner the night before: full of good news and cake.
"How are you doing?" The man said as he put his arm around her shoulders. She looked up to see the man named David staring down at her. He had a dark beard and dark brown eyes. They were kind though, giving her the kindest look she had seen in the past few hours.
"I…I'm scared. I don't know where to go now." She sniffled, picking up Sprinkles the Bunny and using him to wipe her cheeks. "I have no one." Realizing how true the statement was made more tears come.
The man pulled her close and stroked her hair with his other hand. "You have me. I won't let anything else happened to you." That statement meant more to her than the man ever realized.
"I want to go home. I want my family back."
"I know. I know. I'm sorry this happened to you. I wish there was something I could do to change this."
"Where is she? Where is my Abby?" A woman came running out of the elevator, her eyes red and frantic. She had been crying too.
"You must be Rosie Warren. My name is Jason Gideon and I am one of the FBI agents working your brother's case," Jason came out of the glass doors and walked over to Abigail's aunt. "We will need you to follow us to our conference room to discuss what will happen next."
"I need to see my niece first!" The woman scanned the open area until her eyes found Abigail and David. She looked just like Abigail's father. Her face was the same shape, she had the same hair color although it was much longer, and she even had the same warm smile. The only differences were her dark blue eyes and red lipstick. "Oh Abigail."
Abigail stood up and ran to her aunt, the only person other than David who seemed to care about her anymore. "It's you and me sweetie. I love you so much."
It was small, but those words comforted Abigail. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Jason took them to the conference room to help them start over from this horrible day.
