"They've been down there for hours, what do you think they're talking about?" Reid asked as the team sat in the living room waiting for Graham and Darling to come back out of the basement where they had been from the moment Darling and Morgan got back, Graham immediately engulfing her into a less than comforting looking hug and whispering something to her that seemed not of a message from a loving husband based on her reaction of an eyeroll before nodding and following him down the stairs.
"I don't think they're doing much talking if you know what I mean" Emily shrugged, not noticing Morgan tensing up as he shook his head, walking back into the room and being immediately met with laughter.
"So you spend 4 hours pretending you're fine sitting in sopping wet clothes and then when you finally let Graham give you some of his clothes to wear you choose that?" Rossi couldn't contain his laughter at Morgan's light wash jean shorts with a yellow and baby blue flannel shirt he was buttoning up over a white vest top.
"Laugh it up, I didn't pick it- the guy had it laid out on the bed for me and that stupid goofy smile when he showed me it" Morgan rolled his eyes, "I look like the god damn easter bunny brought a farm."
"Very hot" Emily teased, "I'm sure Darling's pants will drop the minute she sees you."
"Her name is Anne" Morgan corrected with a sigh, sitting down on the sofa and trying not to think about how similar the fabric felt to her old couch, "and there will be no pants dropping."
"Isn't that why you've been a dick to Graham the last few days? Because you're trying to win her back."
"I've not been a dick to him" Morgan rolled his eyes again, "and no, if she's happy here with him then that's all that matters-"
"Bullshit-" Emily laughed as she worked on the profile with Rossi- Reid, Ashley and Hotch having gone to the medic station to work out this new compound and how it might have gotten to Addie as soon as Darling and Morgan got back.
"It's okay chocolate thunder, you'll get over her eventually" Garcia tried to be supportive down the phone before having to hang up and get on a call with Hotch and Erin Strauss.
"It's not bullshit and I'm not trying to get over her" he shook his head, walking over and drinking his luke-warm coffee, "if she's happy then I'll be fine, even if it's not with me."
"Derek-" Rossi sighed, "-it's okay if this is hard for you, especially given the fact she's clearly pregnant with your-"
"She's not pregnant" Morgan responded, walking back over to the map and trying to work.
"What? But we saw the-"
"It's a fake bump" he pinned up the photo of Addie to the 'infected' side of the board where it was only just her and hopefully staying that way, "but no one say anything about it, and you guys need to stop making her uncomfortable- especially you Rossi."
"What? What have I done?"
"'And when was the last time you slept with Derek, 5 months ago I assume'" Morgan made a mocking voice of Rossi's, "that wasn't fair of you."
"What's not fair is her leaving without a goodbye" Rossi folded his arms, "and in my defence I thought she was pregnant with your kid when she said that."
"That's still no excuse to talk to her like that."
"Derek-" Emily placed a hand on his shoulder, "you don't have to pretend it doesn't hurt."
"I do" he brushed it off.
"Why?"
"Because if I'm not okay then she won't want to come back" he blurted out before he could stop himself, the two staring at him with sympathy.
"Oh Derek-"
"Don't 'oh Derek' me, I don't need pity, it's my fault she left, I should have been there for her-" he walked into the kitchen to get more coffee, pausing when he saw Darling stood at the top of the basement stairs just staring at him, having heard the entire conversation.
Neither of them had the chance to say anything before Graham came up the stairs behind Darling, smiling at Morgan as they both walked up into the kitchen.
"I'm glad the clothes fit- yellow is a great colour on you" Graham nodded with no sarcasm in his voice which somehow annoyed Morgan more than if he mocked him.
"I'm going to go and change" Darling cleared her throat and spoke quietly, eyeline down and arms wrapped around herself as she went to walk out of the kitchen quickly.
"Are you forgetting something?" Graham smiled at her, pointer finger patting his cheek.
Darling fought a sigh and smiled back at him, walking over and planting a soft kiss on his cheek, going to step back but his hand cupped her face and dragged her lips to his.
Morgan had to physically look away from the simple kiss that Darling did not look as if she was enjoying by any stretch of the imagination.
"Wear something nice, okay sweetie?" Graham brushed her chin with his thumb as she stepped back, his tone seeming warm and sweet but his expression of warning at her anything but it.
"Of course love" she nodded, turning and quickly walking up the stairs to her room, locking the door behind her.
Morgan couldn't focus on the conversations in the living room, Rossi and Emily trying to figure out the profile, Graham offering to make dinner for them all and heading out into the garden to pluck fresh vegetables.
He could only focus on that kiss, how Darling walked back to Graham like a dog being ordered by their owner, like someone forcing themselves to do something they didn't want to just to make someone else happy- someone he didn't like to see Darling being again.
His mind raced, he couldn't stop thinking about her- the last time he saw her in Garcia's office, the begging in her voice, the pain he had caused by not being on her side, the apology he still owed her.
And then he thought about her leaving without a word, no warning, no fight for them, just walking away like what they were was disposable, leaving behind a note only for her landlord of all people.
He felt it all at once then; everything he had been pushing down, everything he had been ignoring so he didn't overwhelm her by making her talk about it or push her away further.
But he couldn't help it now as he snuck out of the living room without anyone noticing, walking up the stairs with determination and a selfish need to get her to talk, to get her to explain, to apologise- to do anything but pretend nothing had happened.
He tried to open the locked bedroom door to no avail.
"J-just a minute."
Morgan waited a while before knocking at it again to no response.
"Can you open the door?"
"I'm getting changed."
"I don't care, we need to talk."
There was no response, so he knocked again, losing patience quickly.
"Darling-"
The door suddenly burst open, Darling staring up at him with a dagger of a look in her eyes, "and what if I don't want to talk to you?"
He just stared at her for a moment; the fresh speckle of tears on her cheeks she had quickly wiped off when he knocked on the door, her voluminous hair tucked behind her ears, her beige silk button up top half undone showing her lace bra, her wide legged light wash high waisted jeans with a fringed bottom that were too long for her without her usual heels that Graham didn't let her wear brushing the floor where her leg shook.
"Then you can just listen" Morgan responded quietly after a while, gaze still caught on hers.
She rolled her eyes, tearing her gaze from him and walking into the bedroom, buttoning up her shirt and tucking it in as she did, sitting on the edge of the bed and putting on her odd socks that Morgan couldn't help smiling at how 'Darling' that was.
The bedroom however was nothing like her.
It was painted beige, white bedding, matching bedside tables and lamps, a 'live, laugh, love' decal above the bed that Darling would only be caught hanging in her real home ironically.
The bed was crisply made, something Darling never did, sparse of any throw pillows Darling would usually pile miles high.
The vanity was clean, the clothes hung neatly in the closet, the chair empty of accessories and shoes from trying on outfits.
It was nothing like her apartment, it was nothing of any personality, it was nothing like her.
Morgan stood by the closed door and watched her, even how she sat on the bed was like sitting on too-clean furniture at your parents' house.
It was like she didn't belong there, like she was afraid to take up space there.
"You moved out of your apartment" is all Morgan managed to say, stating the obvious but needing a way to bring up the topic they had been avoiding.
"I did" she answered simply, not giving him anything else to continue the conversation like she normally would, hoping it would send the message that she didn't want to talk.
"Why?" He continued anyway.
"Luke knew where I lived, and considering you guys didn't seem like you'd believe me if he tried to kill me again I figured I'd be safer moving."
"So simply moving apartments wasn't enough? You had to move states away and not tell anyone?"
"Having the whole of the FBI against you doesn't make a gal wanna stick around town" she brushed past him to the vanity, taking a silver pearl necklace she would never normally wear and attempting to put it on.
"We weren't against you-"
"Yes, you were" she spoke bluntly, only catching his eye once in the mirror before shaking her head and walking into the ensuite bathroom to use the larger mirror for the fiddly chain that wasn't playing ball.
"You could have talked to me" he followed her, "you should have talked to me."
"You said you couldn't trust anything I said" she reminded him despite the jabs of pain in her heart from remembering his words herself.
"What I said was stupid, what I did was stupider but it still doesn't mean that you-"
"You don't get to decide how I react" she suddenly turned to him with a determination in her voice, "not now, not ever."
"I-" Morgan was taken aback by her strong voice, although he couldn't lie and say he didn't enjoy it, "you're right, I'm sorry."
"What?" She tilted her head with confusion at how he agreed with her, expecting some kind of argument to break out.
"Let me help you."
"What?"
"With your necklace" he motion at the fact she was still poorly attempting to put it on and visibly getting more frustrated with it.
"Oh" she looked down at the necklace, "I'm fine."
He rolled his eyes, taking it from her hands and standing behind her in the mirror.
"Would you lift your hair up for me?" He asked, she sighed and did just that, placing the chain around her neck just so it dangled on her collarbones, "I don't like to see you struggle."
There was a silence that seemed to thicken the air in the room as he brushed her skin clasping the back of it, his hands lingering on her shoulders for just a moment before putting them back into his pockets.
"Thanks" she mumbled, unable to stop herself looking at him stood behind her in the bathroom mirror for a moment, savouring how good it was to see him there before forcing herself to turn away and walking into the bedroom where she picked her clothes up off the floor and threw them in the washing bin by the side of her bed.
"Ah, I was wondering where your pile was" he chuckled to himself, Darling turning to him with confusion.
"Your laundry pile, it takes you at least two weeks to get around to doing your washing- or until your run out of clean clothes which is usually longer with how many you have" he let himself smile before a sombre thought hit him, "or had I guess."
Darling felt a similar smile snagging at her lips before shaking her head and putting the lid back on her Laundry bin, "I'm good at laundry now."
"Oh really? So if I opened your underwear drawer it wouldn't be full of pink socks then?" He joked.
"That was one time" she couldn't help her laugh before frowning at herself for falling back into that dynamic with him, "and anyway don't look in my underwear drawer weirdo."
"Wouldn't dream of it" he lied, glancing over at the bed that looked more worn in on one side, "I assume you sleep in one of the spare rooms usually then?"
"What?" She turned to him before following his gaze, "oh... no, this is both of our room, I just don't sleep well anymore so I'm usually up at night, and he just chose the décor and stuff so it seems more like him in here than me."
"Clearly" Morgan laughed.
"What's that laugh for?"
"No offence to the guy but he's got as much personality as a piece of white bread."
"Wow" Darling couldn't help her laugh, "and you meant that with 'no offence?'"
"Truly" he chuckled, picking up the reading glasses on the side table he assumed was Graham's, "I mean even his glasses are the most basic pair possible."
"Put down his stuff you judgey fiend" Darling couldn't help her amusement as he went around the side table mocking Graham's stuff that she had spent months holding back her own opinions of, letting herself slightly enjoy their banter again, feeling a calm in her chest she hadn't had before she realised it was him at the bedroom door.
"And I'm assuming he has some sort of bible in the bedside drawer too- oh" Morgan opened it, all laughter fading as he pulled out the box of condoms and swallowed the gulp in his throat.
Don't say anything, you have no right to say anything, you have no right to know, you-
His rambled thoughts were cut off by Darling sighing and turning from him as she sat on the bed and finished added plasters to the deep scratches in her calf, folding down her jeans.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, the box is unopened and will remain that way."
Morgan couldn't help his relief that he knew he wasn't entitled to, placing the box on the side table as he walked over to her, hands in pocket.
"And why is it, uh, unopened?" He couldn't help his question coming out, Darling raising an eyebrow at him before rolling her eyes.
"Despite my apparent reputation, I don't sleep with every stranger I see- even those I'm fake married to."
"Poor guy, having to be married to you for months and not even getting any" was something Darling didn't expect to hear as his response, looking up at him with a confused and offended frown before seeing his teasing smile, knowing that something was bothering her and knowing that he could make her feel better by making her laugh.
"You suck" she couldn't help her chuckle as he sat on the bed next to her.
"Seriously he must be heartbroken- look, he was prepped and everything" he continued to joke, gesturing to the 50 pack by the bed.
"He definitely takes the whole 'fake marriage' thing seriously, quite the method actor" she forced a chuckle but there was a sense of something else she couldn't quite hide, Morgan of course picking up on it but knowing she wouldn't tell him if he asked her outright.
"So what is his deal then?"
"What?"
"Well I assume you're here as a part of your contract cover deal with the Whitehouse, what's his?"
"Oh right..." she nodded, knowing she wasn't meant to tell anyone but it was Morgan and despite all they had been through she still felt the urge to tell him everything, "he was a CIA agent I think, had an undercover mission in the mafia- he was seriously was committed, divorced his wife and left his kids and everything to do it, doesn't even contact them now."
"Wow... sounds like a classy guy" Morgan shook his head, "so what happened for him to need to retreat to the suburbs?"
"He hasn't told me" she shrugged, "every time I've asked he just says 'nothing your pretty little head need to worry about' in that dumb accent of his."
Morgan couldn't help his laugh, "you don't like his accent?"
"It's just so Canadian" Darling joined in with his laughter, "like we get it, you're Canadian man- stop reminding us with every word."
"You're a very supportive spouse" Morgan chuckled, nudging her arm and checking up on her like he always did, like he always would, "how is married life then Mrs Smith."
Darling let out a sigh, forcing herself to shrug, "it's fine."
"Fine?" He chuckled, "how romantic."
"You know what I mean" she shook her head with hidden amusement at him, "it's not exactly real now is it."
"Gasp! You're telling me your name isn't really Anne Smith? You're not really a pie baker who runs book club and wears nothing but white and beige?" He teased overly dramatically until she hit his arm with an almost uncontrolled laugh, feeling more like herself than she had in months.
"Stop bullying me."
"I'm honestly shocked, you've been hiding it so well-" he continued to tease just to be able to see her bright laugh that made every ache of his body disappear immediately.
"Seriously though, what's wrong with being married?" He asked, "other than the fact you clearly have a deep rooted hatred for Canadians."
"Well I was already forced into a wedding by Canadians before, they don't seem to be having a great track record with me" she chuckled before sighing, "I don't know, I just... I always thought marriage would be more, I mean obviously this isn't the most traditional sense of marriage given the circumstances but... I just thought- I don't know, it's just me being stupid; he's nice, he's a good, solid guy to be married to, I shouldn't complain, I just..."
"You thought you would be in love when you got married" Morgan said knowingly, looking down at her as her eyes met his.
There was a shared moment then that neither of them anticipated, a moment of understanding, a moment of yearning, a moment of needing for the other again and not hiding it as their fingers almost touched on the bed.
Almost- but not quite before the door opened and Darling jumped to her feet, stumbling over the jumper she had left on the floor before Morgan caught her hand to stabilise her but accidentally pulled her back too far and she fell towards the bed- falling on to top of him.
"Am I interrupting something?" Rossi teased.
"N-no, no not at all- we were just, uh-" Darling didn't have time to enjoy her body on his again, the way his hands fell around her waist automatically, how hers placed on his chest, how she felt like something that had been missing for months slotted into place.
She couldn't let herself think that, she pushed herself off Morgan quickly, stumbling to her feet from the thump she landed on the floor with.
"-talking" Morgan finished her sentence, standing up and stepping away from her with an understanding nod at her that she appreciated.
"Talking? Is that what the kids call it these days then?" Rossi raised a suspicious eyebrow at them and then glanced over at the condoms on the side table, Darling's eyes widening as she rushed over and quickly chucked them back into the drawer.
"Those were, uh, just-"
"It's okay you two, I've been stood outside the door for 5 minutes making sure I wasn't walking into anything- I'm honesty more disappointed that I'm not" Rossi chuckled, "we need you downstairs Derek- and Hotch asked for you on the phone Darling."
"Me?" She tilted her head, "why?"
"You may have a new identity and fancy name but he's hoping your IQ and terrifying brain has stayed the same" he chuckled, walking out down the stairs, Morgan and Darling exchanging glances at each other before following.
"How's Addie?" Darling asked down the video call to Hotch, sitting at the kitchen table with the team behind her- Graham still out in the yard talking to the neighbour over the fence as he continued working on the garden.
"She's doing..." Hotch went to explain, being cut off by her yelling in the background.
"I'm going to rip out all of your throats and feast on your organs!"
"...fine" Hotch finished his sentence with an awkward expression.
"Well, at least she hasn't lost any personality" Rossi shrugged.
"Teenagers" Emily shook her head.
"Are 14 year olds known for eating organs?" Rossi tilted his head at her.
"Can we stay on topic please?" Hotch sighed, shaking his head, "Darling, I need you to figure out how she could have gotten infected by it- we're going through the compound possibilities here too."
"But how would I know? I don't even know anything about this Flakka drug, despite what you all think I'm not some drug expert" she rolled her eyes, failing to hide her bitterness from their last 'conversation' months ago.
"Reid" Hotch sighed, not having time for this conversation with her and calling him over, "can you explain some of the side effects and symptoms of Flakka? I have to go talk to Addie's doctor."
"Well in it's pure form it's deadly with even a single taste- oh hi Darling" Reid nodded at Hotch before smiling at her down the video call "which is why it's combined with normal bath salts as a drug usually; it makes them hallucinate, have delusions of the real world. It's like a fight or flight response in the brain- it's made a lot people kill before."
"What are the other symptoms?" Darling prompted, "like internal stuff or how they think."
"Long term it can cause brain swelling, they have no control over their thoughts and actions in the moment, usually think someone is chasing them- it stops all sensation of pain too, there were military attempts on soldiers with it before during war times but it ended up not being able to be controlled since it is just a need to kill anything that fuels their paranoia, unable to be targeted at the opposing army. It dehydrates them so fast that they crave more water but nothing hydrates them fast enough, it gives them a sense of super strength and fearlessness that is dangerous to others but mostly themselves, the comedown is the worst with how the body deteriorate and rots inside-" Reid started rambling on.
"Okay please stop talking" Darling shook her head with a wince at the thought of Addie going through all of that, of acting like that, of being so thirsty and that she would kill to get near-
Darling paused at that thought, tilting her head as her brain ran fast with various conversations to herself.
"I know that look" Morgan looked down at her with a hint of a smile, "what're you thinking?"
"Reid, what was that about dehydration?"
"Hm?" He tilted his head, "oh yeah, it dehydrates the body to the point of skin flaking off- if it was combined with something even more dehydrating it could cause the body to completely sponge up any water inside of it-"
"So they would take the drug and then have the urge to drink water, correct?" She interrupted.
"I mean yeah-"
"What is it kiddo? What are you thinking?" Rossi prompted.
Darling's mind raced back to the morning Addie started feeling ill, the water Darling placed by her bed she drank within minutes and had refilled again, Addie asking her for more after the forth cup.
"Turn off the water to the town- now" Darling scraped her chair back as the thought fully formed in her head, rushing over to her sink, tearing open the cupboard under it and using all her strength to shut off the water pipe.
"What? Why?" Reid prompted.
"If this terrorist wants as much destruction for as long as possible they need a way to keep people ingesting the drug even if they've already taken it which is impossible if they were mailing it like an anthrax letter or injecting people on the streets because we'd notice, they'd need something that could be increased in dosages within a few days-" Darling couldn't get the vowel to quite switch, standing up and looking around desperately as she talked, eyes landing on the tool box left on the side from Graham bringing his gardening string outside.
"-but what's a way to get the compound, that's probably not oil or air based, out to the public without anyone knowing and make them have a natural feeling of wanting more of it to the point they get hit by the full effects?" Darling continued, gabbing a large wrench and walking back over to the pipe as the team all caught onto what she was saying.
"Water" Reid's eyes widened with the realisation.
"Water" Darling nodded before swinging the wrench into the pipe, denting it to the point it didn't burst but the water no longer could travel to the tap.
"What are you doing?" Rossi asked.
"Making sure none of you fuel whatever trace of the drug you probably have in you from drinking the water in your coffee throughout the day" Darling grabbed the duct tape from the box and walked over to the downstairs bathroom, taping up the door.
"I think we'd be able to stop ourselves drinking toilet water-"
"Not if that drug is making you thirsty as all hell, I'm not risking it" Darling walked back in, looking out of the window into the back yard before doing a double take.
"Graham!" Darling yelled, running to the back door and kicking it open.
The old neighbour had jumped over the fence, somehow triggered by seeing Graham's hose watering the flowers and suddenly being fuelled by an intense need and rage for it, launching Graham to the floor with strength he didn't usually have and cutting the side of his head with the rock.
The man snarled at Darling as he drank the house hose before it cut off from the pipe being dented.
"Darling! Get back! His pupils are turning red like Addie's were before she attacked us!" Morgan ran out after her but she just let out a yell.
"Mr Greggory I swear to god if you don't get your ass of my petunias I'm going to-" her sentence was cut off by him running at full force on all fours at her, "-holy mother of god-"
Before he could launch himself, Morgan threw his body at Darling, both of them falling and rolling out of the way- Mr Greggory landing with a smash of his head on the concrete steps into Darling's house.
"W-what is happening?" Graham groaned as he got up, placing his hand on the side of his bleeding head- which was when Mr Greggory, who's eye had somehow popped out in the impact, turned to him with hungry eyes- well, one hungry eye now.
"Holy moly that's disgusting" Darling gagged, the team at the door sharing a similar reaction and backing up from he door.
"Mr Greggory what the higgildy hell are you-" Graham went to yell before the man came running full force at him, interrupted by Darling's foot smashing into the side of his face.
"Graham please get in the house now!" She yelled as she pushed herself to her feet,
"Now dear you don't need to worry-"
"Fucking drop the act or the man who takes out our bins over every morning is going to drink the water out of your blood" Darling barked at him, standing in front of him as a blockade whilst Morgan helped him to his feet and Mr Greggory attempted to circle them like an animal hunting its prey.
"Thirsty" he whispered, "so thirsty."
"Mr Greggory come on, come on just focus on my voice and we can get you to quarantine and- shit!" Darling had to jump into her bed of roses to avoid his launch.
"Darling!" Morgan turned from helping Graham into the house where the others led him to the table chairs, running towards Darling and throwing a hefty punch into the face of the normally sweet looking old man who currently had an eyeball hanging out of his face.
"Let's go, let's go-" Morgan grabbed Darling, pulling her to her feet but Greggory blocking their way back to the door, "Rossi! Help us out here man!"
"We don't have any weapons! Hotch took them to avoid a panic or Darling taking your gun again!" Rossi yelled back in a panic.
"Here!" Emily chucked Rossi a kitchen mallet, "it's the best I could find."
"You didn't think to get a knife?!"
"We don't wanna kill the guy! He's just a little old man-"
"Does that look like just a little old man to you?!" Morgan yelled, pushing Darling behind him as they both backed up down the end of the garden with Mr Greggory closing in on them.
"Derek-" Darling gripped onto the back of his arm, "what's he going to do to us?"
"It'll be fine Darl, don't worry-" Morgan tried to assure her but if he was honest he had no idea, "-he'll probably just try to kill us."
"Oh okay that's super reassuring" Darling nodded sarcastically, both of them pausing when Mr Greggory stopped and his head turned to the hose at the back of the garden next to Darling, running towards it at full force.
"Shit-" Morgan wrapped his arm around the back of her waist, twisting her into him and jumping out of the way as the old man turned on the tap, water blasting his mouth and him lapping it up like he had never drank before.
Graham had fully come to in the house and was now running back out towards Darling, grabbing her off Morgan and yanking her to her feet, "get down to the basement-"
"You're hurting my arm!"
"I don't care!" He pushed her, going to run after her before a hand grabbed his neck and yanked him against the back wall.
"Graham!" Darling turned at the door, staring in shock as the surprisingly strong old man forced Graham's mouth open and shoved the hose spouting water into it.
"No!" Darling screamed, pushing Morgan out of the way as he tried to stop her and jumping onto the old man's back, sending them both to the floor in a brawl.
"Get Graham inside! Make him vomit up the water- ow!" Her attempted orders were interrupted by the old man throwing her to the floor and straddling her, his eye blood dripping on her as he tried to force her mouth open.
"Darling!" Morgan went to run back to her but someone else got there first.
"You ask permission before you do that to a lady!" Rossi's boot smashed into the old man's head against the brick wall off of Darling who spat out the water and stumbled to her feet, staring in shock at the old man who was still trying to get to the water even with his skull half smashed in from the bricks and Rossi's brute force.
"J-Jesus Christ Rossi, you couldn't have done that before he chucked us around the garden?" Morgan panted, Rossi just turning and pulling Darling into an embrace.
"Stop being a hero kid, you're going to give me a heart attack" he held her in the hug, Darling standing there in shock before hugging him back.
"T-thanks Rossi" she couldn't help staring at her neighbour almost lifeless on the floor, a terror coming to her eyes that sent her back to 5 months prior in that prison staring at the bodies around her in the guard's office.
"Everyone get into the house" Graham coughed up water as he pushed himself to his feet, all jolly attitude gone, shaking his head, "and tell me what the hell is going on."
"Zombie drug?" Graham sat at the kitchen table as the team explained, Darling passing him a bag of peas to hold on his head, "that doesn't sound real..."
"That's not the technical name for it but-" Reid explained down the video call but was interrupted by Hotch running into the room.
"What the hell happened?! I heard someone was attacked- is anyone infected? Is Darling okay?!"
"I'm right here Hotch, I'm okay" Darling gave a little wave, surprised to hear the concern in his voice for her.
"My neighbour on the other hand-" she looked out her back window at the body still clawing for water in her yard, "-well that's another story."
"God damn it, so it's gotten out to the point people are being affected by the symptoms? Great" Hotch shook his head before letting his anger take over and slamming his fists on the table.
"Woah-"
"Calm down Hotch-"
"Calm down?!" Hotch yelled at Rossi through the monitor, "people are going to die! No one knows about the water and have slowly been poisoned by it with small dosages the last few days- they're going to drink it today and have nothing in their heads other than killing and getting to more water! Don't tell me to-"
"Then we have to make sure they can't get any" Darling was hit with a thought.
"What?"
"The water supply, it can be shut off in each house like normal but since it's an old mining town this is built on it has a quarry it comes from; it's all connected and should be able to be stopped at the source" Darling continued, looking around at the team's confused faces at how she knew that, "what? A girl has to do her research before uplifting her life and moving to a town she's pretending she lived in all her life in."
Morgan couldn't help his slight amused smile at her before she continued talking.
"Like I was saying; unlike a lot of new cities and towns that have it at the end of each street, our water supply comes directly from the quarry that's just up past Tulip street near the quarantine sight where Reid, Ashley and Hotch are- if you can get there and shut it off then people won't have any chance of drinking the water to the point they snap and have no control over it- right?"
"That... that could work" Hotch nodded, "but we already have reports of people turning violent around here; wives snapping whilst making breakfast when their kids breathe the wrong way, neighbours fighting for a jug of water, kids fist fighting for water balloons; it's starting to turn nasty on the streets down this way since it's nearer the quarry and fresh water supply where the drug compound must have been dispersed. We can't come out of the compound, we've gone into a lockdown here."
"Then we'll do it" Darling suggested.
"I need Morgan, Rossi and Emily to keep working the profile- we're close, we think it's someone in the neighbourhood but we have to keep going and find them to find the exact compound so Reid can make an anti-version to fight it in the water supply" Hotch explained.
"Then we can go" Graham stood up, simply nodding at Darling, "we'll help you folks out, won't we honey?"
"No offence guys but I don't think two people who've been living in suburbia are going to be much help against drugged up violent super humans" Emily shook her head, "plus, none of us here have any weapons to offer you protection."
Darling and Graham exchanged knowing glances at each other with a slight smile before turning back to the group, "we might be able to help out with that."
"What in the wacky sex dungeon is this place?" Emily said in shock as the team walked down the stairs into the basement that was covered in black tarp, computer monitors on the wall tacking the area, a security system with camera's all around the inside and outside of the house, a cell like cage in the corner of the room under the stairs and most importantly; a wall full of guns and weapons.
"Not a sex dungeon" Graham's cheery laugh most certainly didn't match the tone of the room they were in, "but protection."
"From what?" Rossi quizzed.
Graham glanced around the room, "Anne has her history, so do I."
"Her name is Darling" Morgan corrected, "and her 'history' doesn't include needing a machine gun hanging in the basement- is this 'history' of yours a threat to her?"
"Guys" Darling shook her head at them, "can you just let him help? He knows what he's doing."
"It's how does he know what he's doing that we're worried about" Emily folded her arms, agreeing with Morgan and not liking Graham despite his very friendly demeanour.
"Ex-Interpole agent I assume?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"What? How did you know-"
"You're very suspicious, not many women are that suspicious of me without some kind of background in not trusting people" he chuckled, walking over and grabbing a baton off the wall, placing a knuckle duster in his back pocket and taking a hand gun before Darling placed a hand on his.
"Let's leave the guns here."
"It's for protection-"
"We're not killing anyone Graham."
"If they're trying to kill us then-"
"No" Darling spoke sterner than she ever had to him before, everyone falling to silence immediately and looking at her, "this isn't a mission or undercover assignment- lives are not expendable here; I said we're not killing anyone, that means we're not killing anyone- do you understand me?"
He looked down at her for a moment, Morgan almost being able to see his eye twitch from the woman he clearly wasn't used to talking back to him before he nodded, placing the gun on the side.
"There- you happy now, dear?"
She stared back at him, forcing an attempt at a non-sarcastic smile, "ecstatic, thank you sweetheart."
The team exchanged glances at that interaction before Graham turned to them with his usual bright smile, "okie dokie folks when we leave press the home security button at the front door- it'll lock the house down, no one can leave or enter. The doors and windows are reinforced and bullet proof but down here is the safest if anyone does manage to get past that."
"You shouldn't leave without a trained agent" Morgan went to grab a gun but he stopped him.
"These weapons are for Smiths only."
"Well then Darling should put her baton back since she is a Dawson" Morgan glared at him, unable to hide his irritation and clear dislike for this man.
"Guys can you stop it?" Darling let out a sigh, grabbing a metal bat off the wall, "we don't have time for this and I don't wanna lose anymore neighbours- I quite enjoy everyone's potluck food, Mr Greggory made great bread too."
"I'm coming with you two" Morgan decided, taking a baton despite Graham's attempt at a glare behind his cheery demeanour.
"You need to stay and sort out the profile-" Darling tried to argue.
"Emily and Rossi can do that" Morgan looked down at Darling, "you know there's no point arguing with me on this- I'm just as stubborn as you."
"Fine" she shook her head slightly before turning with acceptance to go up the stairs, "but no one is as stubborn as me."
"Oh don't we know" Rossi chuckled, following them as they all walked up to the front door.
"Give us a call when-" Emily went to say before Graham stood next to her started having a coughing fit.
"You okay?"
"Graham-" Darling was suddenly by his side, holding up his shoulder as he finished heaving, "-you might need to stay here, you might have ingested some of the water."
"I know the back streets to the quarry" he stood up, "I can get us there quicker, the man of the house should be leading you-"
"But you might start to act like Mr Greggory or-"
"I said I'm going" he glared down at her, the team all exchanging looks at his demeanour change before he forced his usual smile and opened the door, "everyone ready?"
Darling took a breath- the dread of walking into the a potentially murderous neighbourhood seeming less daunting than having to spend time just with the slightly misogynistic man she was supposed to be spending her new life with, and the man who was going to do anything to remind her of her old life.
Darling nodded and followed them out of the front door, but one thing was sure;
She was certainly not ready for what was to come.