You stood against your living room wall, clutching a hammer to your chest that was given to you by the very man pilfering through your house. You were in pajamas and had come downstairs to grab a quick snack before retreating back into your comfy bed. But that was quickly interrupted by a loud banging at your front door. Being the curious human you were, you went to go see who it was. The moment you opened the door just a crack it was forced open, pushing you against the wall and a hammer was thrust into your hands followed by a gruff voice.
"Don't move or you'll find one of those in your head."
Shocked and utterly confused, you just stood there, watching him upturn your beautiful house. Several times you contemplated making a run for it but he would look back at you as if he knew what you were thinking. You even turned to look for a phone but he had already smashed them. He knew right where to unplug things, where to upturn your furniture to block windows and door, and where to keep you in his sights the whole time.
A chill ran up your spine.
He has done this before.
You looked down at the hammer in your hands and thought back to anything that sounded familiar on the news. Nothing with a hammer came to mind. But...but something about nails. Three, no four people were found with nails in their heads, sitting on their couch amongst a house in shambles.
Blood drained from your face as your knuckles whitened against the hammer handle. The killer was in your house, going through your things and now you were going to be next. You looked around desperate to find something to help you. Anything.
You nearly scoffed as you looked at your hands. Duh. Fear does stupid things to your mind. You have a freaking hammer.
But before you could even think about bashing him on the head, your unwanted visitor dropped all the DVDs in his hands that he was tossing around like little frisbees and ran over to you.
He pulled out four pictures, flashing them in your face. They were the last four victims, their dead bodies shinning in the flash all with a nail in their heads. He threw them on the ground at your feet one by one as he spoke.
"Duck, duck, duck, duck," he then took the hammer pushed a button on the bottom of the handle then grabbed your hands, placing them back on the handle, "goose."
Suddenly the handle felt warm and it vibrated. You looked up at him with alarm only to be greeted with his back as he turned to leave.
"Don't let go sweetheart, or you'll be painting the walls with that cute face of yours. Let's see if they can make this a victimless crime scene." He laughed then ran out of the house.
Tears pricked your eyes as you stood there in your ruined house with a bomb in your hands and an itchy nose. You slid against the wall to the floor and let your horror-filled chest burst out in tears. Crying for only a moment you sniffed, wiped your face on your shoulders then stood up, not once letting go of the hammer.
Carefully you picked your way around your broken possessions to your room where you were thankful you left your phone. How you were going to use it you weren't sure but you were glad you had one despite that.
But before you could enter your room you heard tires screech and doors slam followed by the sound of people running across your yard and around your house. You stood absolutely still, your eyes wide as you strained to pick up how many people were outside. You shook your head in despair. There were too many to tell.
A voice in your kitchen made you jump and hold the hammer tighter.
"Hello?"
You walked out holding the hammer like more like a bat than a bomb. "Come any closer and I'll blow us all up."
A tall, handsome man walked around the corner to meet you, his eyes wide with concern as he held his hands up.
"No need to blow anyone up."
A second person came in, FBI on his vest as he pointed a gun at the ground.
"Blow up? Is she an accomplice, Reid?"
The tall one without a vest, Reid, shook his head. "She's the fifth victim. Luke, tell the others to stand down and to stay back, she is holding a bomb."
The Luke guy left leaving you with Reid. He took a step closer to you and looked you in the eyes.
"Are you hurt? Are you alright?"
You shook your head, holding out the hammer like it was going to bite you. "No, I'm not hurt but I'm not alright. My house was ransacked and I am holding a bomb and," your body shivered as your voice caught making Reid take a step closer, "he left pictures right over there of the other victims." You nodded in the direction of the four pictures, new tears springing to your eyes. "I don't want to be like them."
Reid ignored the pictures and focused solely on you. "Don't worry about the pictures right now. Just look at me ok?"
You nodded just as others started arriving, obviously not listening to being told to stay back. There were about six of them but you couldn't get a good look at them. An older man with a graying beard spoke up.
"My hands are starting to hurt," you said quietly but you knew Reid heard you.
"Do you think you can defuse it, Reid?"
Reid didn't look away from you as he stood just in front of you, his tall body shielding you from the others. "It looks like a simple release trigger. You can go ahead and take those pictures off the ground over there. I will also need duct tape."
You nodded to a closet beside the kitchen in the hallway. "I have some in there, third shelf, second box labeled tools."
Luke from earlier went to go get that as the older man from before grabbed the pictures. YOu watched him pick them up and you winced. Reid reached out and shielded your eyes from the pictures.
"Look at me alright?" He smiled as he took the tape from Luke, making you smile too but it felt more like a wince, "I need you to listen to me carefully and do as I say. I won't let you get hurt." He then directed you to your counter where he grabbed your arms and set your elbows down. "You just need to hold on for a little bit longer."
You nodded again, biting your lip. With nimble fingers, Reid undid the tape with a jarring 'wrrrr' sound. He looked you in the eyes and nodded in return.
"Okay, now, I am going to start by wrapping the tape around the head of the hammer then slowly make my way down to your hands. Ever so slightly you are going to slide your hands down as I wrap. The tape will hold down the handle until you no longer need to hold it."
You shook your head. "It's hot. And getting steadily hotter."
Reid's eyes widened. "We are on a timer."
Your heart jumped and you gasped. Reid held your gaze though, holding up the tape. "But we can beat it. Start talking to me. About anything."
You both turned to the hammer where he started wrapping the head of it. You swallowed and looked around. "How did you guys know I was here and what happened?"
He glanced up at you then focused on the tape. "We got an anonymous tip. But we figured it was the same guy. We have been tracking him for a few days now."
You nodded. "What are you going to do with the bomb once I don't need to hold it anymore?"
"Good question."
You snorted, blinking back more worry tears. Reid looked up and searched your eyes a moment before continuing, just staring the neck of the handle.
"You live alone?"
"Yes," you nearly whispered.
"No pets?"
"Haven't had time to think about getting one or not. Just moved here."
"Work?"
"Bad relationship."
Reid made it to the top of your hands now, the handle almost too hot to touch now. He glanced at you. "Start moving your hands down with each pass I make."
You did as he said, moving smoothly along. It was your turn to ask personal questions.
"Do you live alone?"
Reid hesitated for a moment but continued. "My mom lives with me."
"Oh." Oops, maybe too personal.
But Reid went on. "She makes for the best dates though. It would be weird without her around."
You smiled, your hands how halfway down the handle. "I bet she enjoys them just as much as you do." You glanced back at the group that was now joined by firefighters and some cops. You turned back to him, your hands still moving down slowly. "What is your job? Debombing woman in their kitchens at two in the morning?"
Reid smirked, his eyes glued to the hammer as he spoke. "We work for the BAU, Behavioral Analysis Unit. We profile killers so we can find them and stop them before they kill anymore."
You took in his appearance, your heart leaping but this time for much better reasons. He was so young, so handsome, he should be married with a young family, not risking his life like this. You shook away your thoughts and quietly spoke.
"I'm amazed I haven't had a full-blown panic attack right now. But I think that's thanks to you. I don't know how you are so calm."
Your hands were nearly off the handle. Reid called for someone to help before answering, a bomb squad coming at his call. One of the others must have called for them.
"The trick is to not think about it too much. We will be fine just as long as we are careful and don't let it go too soon."
You nodded, holding back tears as the heat from the handle suddenly skyrocketed. "Plese hurry. It hurts a lot."
"I know, I can feel it too. Just a few more seconds." Reid looked up and held your weeping eyes. "You are going to be ok. I'm not going to let you get hurt."
The bomb squad came over, holding a bucket of sorts under your hands as Reid finished up wrapping it, your hands letting it slide right out. The hammer and attached roll of duct tape fell into the bucket with a deafening thunk. You didn't know what they did with it because the moment the hammer left your hands you ran into Reid's chest, his arms ready to receive you as you cried.
You let it all out as he held you to him, the noises of the others working around you becoming background noise to Reid's kind and gentle words he whispered into your hair. After a few moments, you stepped back. Reid looked you over, reaching up to tuck a fly away behind your eyer then his hands come down your arms to take our hands. But you let out a cry of pain, making him step closer, worry etched on his face.
"What? What is it?"
You turned your hands up, your body shaking with new found pain. "I guess I lied. I am hurt," you said under your breath as you both took a look at your blister covered hands. Blood started to seep out some of them.
Reid called for a doctor and your hands were wrapped. Reid never left your side as they laid you down in the ambulance. The other officials took pictures of your place and the blisters on your hands before they started planning their next move. You turned to Reid only to find him already looking at you.
"Are there going to be more hurt?"
He shook his head. "Not if I can help it."
You nodded then looked away before asking another question a bit more quietly. "Will I see you again, Mr. Reid?"
Reid smirked, tucking his hands in his pockets. "It's actually Dr. Spencer Reid, I have three PhDs." He cleared his throat as your brows rose but you smiled. "I, uh, I don't see why not. I would like to check up on you. But I kind of need to catch the man who did this to you." He reached out and ever so gently touched your fingers that stuck out of your bandages with the back of his.
You relaxed on the ambulance bed and smiled as you felt a blush take over your face. "Please. Go avenge me, Dr. Reid."
The two of you smiled and he chuckled, jumping out of the ambulance, looking back at you kindly.
"Spencer," he replied.
You smiled back, waving what fingers you could move. "Go avenge me, Spencer."