Bright, Shining Light

Chapter 31

 

"Nora, you need to complete your firearm training." Spencer argued with the girl as she placed the glock she'd been holding on the shelf in front of her.
"I can't do anymore loud noises tonight, Spence." She attempted to explain, before he sighed irritably.
"You need to get this down. Your life might depend on it." He urged. Not only was Darnel Ashley a threat, but they had been working an ongoing case that made everyone in his team particularly nervous.
They had an unsub that was was replicating their past cases, taunting the BAU. They had reason to believe that he was stalking them all, which meant that their loved ones might be in danger as well.
She looked at him for a moment, a mixture of frustration and understanding on her face. Sighing deeply, she spoke in a quiet tone.
"The sound of gunshots scare me. I've tried, but right now I just can't take any more of it. I'm sorry."
"It's... it's okay." He assured. He really wanted her to have this down, but he understood that she was afraid. A gun would likely do her little good if she wasn't confident enough to use it.
"Let's go home, okay?" He said after he'd returned their safety equipment and slipped an arm around her waist.
"Thank you, Spence."
"Anything for you."

***

Nora and Spencer were both sick, him taking an extra day off from the BAU. Stuffy noses, raspy coughs and sudden sneezes plagued them both as they battled against their colds. Nora, who had fallen sick before Spencer, woke up after a nap with Spencer on the couch that evening and offered to get them a to-go order from the pho restaurant they both loved. She was feeling slightly better than he was, so she offered to go. Since the restaurant was only two and a half blocks away from their apartment and Spencer had dozed off on the couch, she left Lancelot at home. She needed two hands to carry their order home.
  On the way there, she had that feeling. A now recognizable feeling of being watched. Walking quickly to the restaurant, she made it there without incident. After paying, grabbing the bags and exiting the restaurant, that feeling grew. She wished she could dig her cell out of her pocket to call someone as she walked, but she had a bag in each hand. She wished she had taken Lancelot, or woken Spencer, or just cooked at home. After all this time, she should have known better. This was the first time in over a year that she had left their apartment completely unprotected, and now that she heard footsteps approaching quickly from somewhere behind her she remembered why. At least this time, Lancelot wouldn't be in harms way.
  As the footsteps drew closer, she picked up her pace until she was almost running. This was no easy feat, as the piping hot soup broth was splashing around in the to go bags. At this point, she didn't care. With one glance behind her, she knew she needed to run. Ripping open one bag as she jogged, she tossed one container full of the hot broth blindly behind her.
"Ah fuck! Stupid girl. No use in running from me."
  The unfamiliar voice so close behind her made her heart stop. She chucked the rest of the contents of their order at her attacker and took off at a full sprint. Less than a block away from the apartment, there was a large gap between the street lamps and the outside lights of her apartment building. The footsteps closed in, and she knew that she wasn't going to make it. Throwing her feet forward as fast as she possibly could, she began to plead aloud to no one in particular.
"Please no. Please stop. I haven't had enough time with him. Please..."
  Just as the apartment entrance slid into view, she felt him crash against her. They both toppled to the ground, struggling. She did her best to twist her body in order to fend him off, but he clapped a cloth-bound hand to her face. The sweet smelling chemical instantly filled her senses, causing her to thrash violently. She felt herself pulled in to the nearby dark alley. As she struggled to maintain her consciousness, her eyes looked wildly around. Her attacker had turned her to face him and she found herself looking into a pair of light blue eyes that she did not recognize. She had no choice but to breathe the sweetly foul chemicals he was holding over her mouth and nose. It was either that or suffocate. At this point, she knew that her best chance was to survive, and to think. She had no physical power over him, but she did have her brain. Looking up at his wildly smug expression, she noted the regular clothes he wore, the graying hair, and the heavyset build.
  She tried to ask him why he was doing this, but all that came out was a gasp. This only led to her further inhaling the chemical that he held to her face and finally everything went black.