unedited

THIRTY SEVEN. BEST TEARS

"YOU'RE NEVER GONNA FIND HER," HORTON INCHED CLOSER, HIS YELLOWING FINGERNAILS CURLING INTO HER LINE OF VISION. Daisy's bloody body was weighed down as if the ground were velcro, and her breathing was laboured and weak. She had hardly anything left in her. But she couldn't stop. She couldn't give up. Horton crouched down so that his lips were pressed against her ear, his hot breath clouding the side of her face. "She's mine."

Daisy screamed angrily, her hands shooting up to latch themselves around his neck. He was caught off guard, and she forced herself off the floor, using the strength she had left to climb on top of him, her knees on each of his arms. Her hands pressed into his windpipe, and he flailed about, choking as blood dripped from her face onto his.

"You son of a bitch," she hissed, lifting one fist and punching him square in the face. A satisfying crack echoed through the apartment, the cartilage in his nose crunching under her hit. "Where's my sister? Where's Beatrice?!"

"Oh, Daisy," Horton used the last breath he had to cackle her name, before his sunken eyes rolled back in his head and his body stilled.

"Daisy!" two hands shook her awake, causing Daisy's eyes to shoot open. She gasped in surprise and started thrashing about, only to be held down by the same arms. "Daisy, calm down!"

"Get off!" she cried out, her voice hoarse from lack of use. Her breathing was uneven and her heart was close to bursting out of her chest, yet she felt the same kind of adrenaline she had so many years ago. It felt as though she were back in that dark room, her life so fragile it could slip out of her hands and shatter. "Horton, you piece of shit-"

"Daisy, you're safe," Hotch took his hands off of her, sitting up in the bed. Daisy's wide gaze settled on his face, illuminated by the golden lamplight. He wasn't going to hurt her. She was safe. His face was so different to Horton's; there was a kindness unlike any other she'd seen.

Once she realised where she was and who she was with, Daisy whimpered, leaning forward and falling into him. Her hands found his t-shirt, gripping the material like she was afraid to lose him; to be left alone again.

"It's okay," Hotch had no reluctance in holding her back. To see her so on edge, he wondered how many times she'd experienced this and no one had been there to comfort her.

"I'm sorry," Daisy whispered, refusing to let go of the man. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologise," Hotch said softly. He hadn't made any indication that he was going to pull away , which meant she didn't have to worry about how long she was in his arms. "Was it a nightmare?"

Daisy nodded just enough for him to see her answer. "The man who hurt Beanie."

"He's gone, Daisy," Hotch assured her, now rocking her back and forth. He'd read the file - he'd seen what she'd been through. "He's been dead for years now. He can't hurt you or your sister anymore."

Daisy pulled away and looked up at him with red eyes. "But Harrison can. What if tries to get to her? She can't protect herself, she can't even run away-"

"He's not going to harm her," Hotch handed her the glass of water he kept on his nightstand, letting her empty the contents. "We'll heighten the security detail. No one's getting in or out of her building."

Daisy hiccuped, before nodding once more. She had to believe him; she didn't really have any other choice. She wiped her eyes and sniffled, sitting up against the headboard of the bed. One of Hotch's hand was wrapped around her waist, the other on her leg. It was comforting, having someone to wake up to. She'd never had that before. "It was my fault he took her in the first place."

Hotch looked down in surprise. He'd never known Daisy to be the kind to open up about things, especially what had happened to her family. "I'm sure that's not-"

"I'd gotten into an argument with our dad," Daisy's voice was firm, though a tremble tried to push through at the end of each word. She reached for the television remote, turning the box on and staring blankly at the coloured screen. Her head fell back against Hotch's shoulder, and his grip on her adjusted slightly. "His depression left him back in the hospital, so Beanie had to take care of everything when I wasn't there. I was supposed to bring groceries that day, but I got held up at work - we were planning a bust on a local drug ring. I wired her money to get them delivered and went back to my apartment. I called three days later when I had a spare moment, and she never picked up. If I had just gone to the house and checked on her, she wouldn't have gone through all this."

"You're looking for someone to blame," Hotch knew she wouldn't believe him, she was probably going to blame herself for years to come. "How could you have known?"

"Beanie told me there was something creepy about the delivery man," Daisy muttered, a light scoff bubbling from her lips. She watched the infomercial that was playing, as if it were an academy award winning film. She was desperate for the distraction, something to shift her mind from the gruesome images that kept playing. "I complained to the company, and they said they'd put him on a different route. I thought I'd sorted it all out. I mean, it was the bare minimum I could do to make her feel safe. She should have been living with me, I could have taken care of her."

"Listen to me," Hotch turned her body so that she could look at him. His hands cupped her cheeks, not allowing her to turn her head away. It wasn't like she wanted to, anyway. The physical contact he provided her made her feel so secure, and deep down she knew she'd struggle to give it up when the case was over. "It's not your fault. It was his. There's a million excuses you can give to convince yourself otherwise, but the fact is: you saved her life, and for that, you still get to see her grow old."

Daisy choked a little as she attempted to hold back a sob, so Hotch rested his forehead against hers. It seemed to calm her down, their close proximity leaving her to synchronise her breathing with his. His thumbs wiped away her tears, leaving her with the knowledge that she wasn't a burden, especially not to him.

★☆

"I can confirm that every single victim was abducted from a nightclub in the central city district," JJ said, walking into the round table room, where Spencer, Hotch and Rossi were mulling over everything they knew about Harrison so far. "Always after midnight on a Friday, where it's less unusual for men and women to be seen leaving together.  From the security footage, it seems that all of the victims were taken from the restroom and out the back door, where he'd likely parked a car to take them away. We haven't got a full face shot, but he wears the same jacket every time."

Spencer took one of the images that Garcia had zoomed in on, noting the Liberty Church patch immediately. He felt slightly ill, remembering the patch that had been sent to Daisy.  "Yeah, that's gotta be him."

"Are we sure?" Rossi asked, looking over the genius' shoulder. Spencer pointed to the patch, and Rossi hummed in agreement.

"I've had contact with some of the former members of the cult," JJ sat down and pulled out a new file. She opened the manila folder and showed profiles of six women, two of which were in their teens, as well as documents of call script. "Apparently Daisy isn't the first woman he's been obsessed with."

She handed it to Hotch, who read over the exchanges briefly. He knee was bouncing under the table, his growing distress obvious to the rest of the BAU. "Eight marriages to women in the church. They were all annulled after less than three months."

"Looks like I've got some competition," Rossi joked, breaking some of the tension in the room. JJ smiled, while Spencer exhaled an amusement spout of air from his nose. Hotch didn't react; he didn't actually hear what the man had said. Any case that had a direct impact on anyone in the team meant there was an insane amount of stress on them all, as they were so closely knit. If one was targeted, they all were.

"Where is Daisy, anyway?" JJ asked, looking over at Hotch. The other two directed their attention at the man as well. They all knew he had taken responsibility for her, and as a result the two had gotten far closer emotionally than they had over the last several months of working together. It was nice to see that he'd finally come around to her position in the team.

"She's in the training centre with Morgan and Prentiss," he replied softly, gripping the paper so tight it contradicted his tone. He wanted nothing more than to be down there with her, but he knew he was needed up here to solve the case. "They, uh, wanted to make sure she has enough physical strength to protect herself when she's out in the field."

"Is it really the best idea?" JJ rested her elbows on the table, her protective instincts long kicked in. She and Daisy weren't as close in comparison to the rest of the team, but the blonde still cared deeply about her. "I mean, after what happened in Boston, she needs more time to rest."

"We don't have another choice," Rossi muttered, not a fan of the idea either. He twisted the space where his wedding ring used to be on his finger, an old habit he should have grown out of by now. "But she's a tough cookie. If anyone can do it, she can."

Hums of agreement rippled through the group, before Spencer pushed himself to his feet and left the room without another word. JJ pushed herself up to follow him outside, but Hotch held his hand up, indicating that he could take care of it.

The unit chief followed the doctor to the small kitchenette attached to the bullpen, where he was piling sugar into his fourth cup of coffee that day. His hair fell in his tired eyes, but he didn't bother to move it out of the way like he usually would. His hands were shaking as he emptied his second sugar packet, but he was so concentrated that if anything distracted him, he'd probably break.

Hotch crossed his arms over his chest as he approached, lowering his voice so that surrounding agents couldn't pick up on their conversation. Luckily it wasn't too busy that day - as most of the attention had shifted to finding Harrison. "Reid, is everything okay?"

"No, everything is not okay," Spencer's voice was rushed with a slight tremble. He avoided eye contact with his superior, mixing his drink and dropping his spoon in the dishwasher. It took him a moment, but when he finally looked up, Hotch could see the evident bags under his eyes. "There's a guy out there who wants to hurt Daisy, and we haven't caught him yet."

"I know," Hotch completely understood the frustration he felt. Clearly it wasn't just him being kept up at night. "But we're doing everything we can."

"It's not enough, Hotch," Spencer's voice was sharp, though he quickly apologised for it. Hotch didn't mind. Spencer shifted, his shoulders rolling back as he tried to contain the million thoughts running around in his head.  "A-and the best we can do is send her out there with a healing gunshot wound?"

"Morgan will be with her," Hotch tried to reason, watching as Spencer took a long sip from his drink. He wished it had been enough to convince the boy genius, but in truth he was having trouble believing it all himself.

"You didn't see this guy," Spencer shook his head, remembering his time in Liberty Church. It had been over six months now, but he could still recall every detail. "He really got under her skin. He was delusional; he...he was convinced they'd be together forever, and saw how he beat her as a blessing."

Every time Hotch thought about how Daisy came out of the church, dried blood and fresh covering almost every inch of her skin, his fists clenched and his jaw tightened. The idea of anything happening to her again made him want to burst into a fit of rage, and the clock was surely ticking. Of course Benjamin Cyrus had hurt Emily, but he was dead and gone now. However, Harrison was still out there, and he wasn't going to give up.

★☆

ew!

hm anyway

there was this tiktok thing i saw and it was like the last photo on your camera roll is what makes you happiest and i tried it and it was a screenshot of your lovely comments :')  and honestly ya girl shed a tear or two

also it's forty five minutes till my birthday (nz time) and i'm spending it in lockdown cause jacinda (love her) made us go into another one for a few days and it SUCKS but ya know that's life but also UGH FUCK I CAN'T DO IT AGAIN

hope y'all have had a good day :))))))