[1.03]

APRIL STOOD IN THE CORNER OF THE INTERROGATION ROOM, HER EYES NARROWED ON ADRIAN BALE.

She just couldn't believe that the fate of that man outside was in the hands of this psychopath.

"We'll start with a transfer. You're in a high security facility now. We can get you medium." Gideon stated as he paced behind Hotchner.

"No." Bale muttered, his face in his hands, "I want out of prison. A mental facility."

Hotch narrowed his eyes, "You're asking for something we wouldn't give a bank robber. There are minimum security prisons-"

"I don't care. I want to be able to talk to people who aren't prisoners. I want to have access... To people, things, the world. I want to connect again." Bale listed,

April's blood boiled, "You should've thought about that before you blew seven people up!" She growled,

"April." Hotch turned to stare at her and she sighed pushing off from the wall and sitting across from the inmate,

 "One more thing- without which there is no deal." Bale stated glancing between Gideon and April,

"What is it?" Gideon asked,

"I want you to confess. I want you to admit that I beat the both of you in Boston and I outsmarted you. I want you to apologize to the families of those victims you got killed. And I want it all in writing." Bale said,

Hotch stood, "That's enough."

April swallowed nervously. Could she do that? She has no problem apologising to the families of the victims but her issue is with Bale. She didn't want to conform to him. To give him the satisfaction. Despite him being in jail, he still won.

Gideon placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, "If we do this, you'll tell us how to defuse the bomb?" 

"Only...if you do this." Bale stressed,

"How do we know you aren't lying?" April asked, her fists clenched under the table,

"It's all in writing, Agents. If my client refuses to give you the information or if he gives you information he knows to be untruthful, the deal is void." Bale's lawyer told them.

April looked up at the two BAU agents and nodded, "Okay."

Agent Berry and Gideon were giving a piece of paper and pens and they began writing. Hotch sat between them, watching Bale as they wrote.

They both finished roughly at the same time. April set down her pen gently, her hand shaking and Hotch reached over to squeeze her forearm in comfort,

"I wanna hear it." Bale stated,

Gideon grabbed his paper, "'It was a hostage situation-'" 

"No." Bale interrupted, "I want to hear hers."

"March 15th, 2005 was one of the hardest days in my career." April looked away from her paper and locked eyes with Bale, "I got to experience what real loss felt like. And it was all my fault. At first, I thought I succeeded when Bale walked out of that warehouse peacefully, hands in the air. But everything changed when I sent six agents in." April held back her tears, "They never came out and that's when I knew what failure felt like. I was outfoxed by Mr. Bale. And there's not a day that goes by where I don't think about those six agents who lost their lives that day."

Bale smirked at her, "I really felt that, Agent Berry. Deep, deep down."

April stood up and the other agents went with her in case she decided to do something she'd regret, "I gave you what you wanted. Now it's time to hold up your end."

They chained Bale back up and led him out of the room and over to the hostage, who was blocked off by the bulletproof glass. Aaron held her back, "Are you okay?"

She looked up at him, "Ask me again when we diffuse that bomb."

Aaron and Gideon stood on either side of Bale while everyone else had gathered behind.

"Ok. I've isolated the wires connected to the actual device. We've got one shot at this. It's either the... Blue wire or the red wire." Tracy explained,

"Which do we cut, Bale? Red or blue?" Gideon asked the inmate,

Bale took a deep breath, "Red."

" You know if you're lying, this thing goes boom, you get nothing, right?" Gideon explained to him,

"Yes."

"If we cut the red, it's over. You get to spend your time in a cushy asylum, bushes, trees, visits, nurses... And we get this man out of here alive." Gideon continued,

"I don't see how I could be any clearer." Bale stated,

April examined the inmate. He was sweating, tense. He was... waiting for something.  For them to cut the wire, yes, but that's not all.

"And the emotional release I would feel by pressing that button... Well, that was just a little too overwhelming to pass up."

"17 seconds." Tracy announced,

"Red wire, right?" Gideon asked,

"Yes."

April reached over and grabbed the radio from Gideon's hands, "Cut the blue."

Everyone turned to look at her, "April-"

"Are you sure?" Tracy asked,

"Do it." She repeated,

Everyone was tense as they watched Tracy cut the blue wire. If she was wrong, she was screwed.

At 3 seconds, the bomb stopped the countdown. 

It had been diffused. 

"All right. Shouldn't take long to cut this thing off now." Tracy stated. 

Hotchner aggressively grabbed Bale and shoved him out of the room and towards the door.

Gideon squeezed her shoulder, "Good work, Berry."

Elle looked over at her, "How'd you know?"

April smiled, "He told me."

She handed Gideon the radio and followed Hotch out the door, "Wait!" Hotch paused and they turned to face her,

The blonde walked up to the man in the orange jumpsuit, "Who outfoxed who?"

Bale lunged for her but Hotch held him back, "C'mon."