unedited

TWENTY FOUR. NO PLACE LIKE A LONELY APARTMENT

DAISY'S FACE WAS TOO NUMB TO FEEL THE BLOOD DRIPPING FROM HER BROKEN NOSE. The thick, red liquid fell between her cracked lips, but the adrenaline pumping through her made it feel like nothing. The only indication that she was bleeding was the metallic taste on her tongue, but it was the least of her problems. She heaved out a heavy breath and spat out a ball of blood and saliva, using her wrist to wipe her face, smearing blood across her cheeks.

"Horton!" her voice cracked as she screamed at the top of her lungs. She looked around the dimly lit room, stumbling as she tried to force her vision to adjust. She waved her hands around, reaching for the small crack in the door. "Horton, you son of a bitch! Where are you?!"

Once she found the break in the wood, she stuck her fingers in, twisted, and threw the door open, breaking into a run up the rotting stairs. She gasped for breath, her head spinning as she reached the landing. The kitchen. She was in the kitchen now.

She looked back and forth, and once she caught sight of the average height man hiding behind the marble island, she ducked. The bullets hit the doorframe above her, splintering the wood, so she took the chance to run and tackle him to the ground.

Horton yelled out, the gun flying from his hands and hitting the floor with another 'bang'. Daisy yelped as she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, but she didn't stop. She flipped Horton onto his stomach and pulled his hands behind his back, her knee pressing against his spine. Horton wheezed, before he used what was left of his strength to throw her off him. 

Daisy groaned as she hit the ground, feeling her side grow heavy and wet. She was losing yet more blood. She looked up at the ceiling, seeing the swinging light above her. Her eyes started to roll back in her head as an overwhelming numbness overcame her, and she looked to the side, her eyes falling on the gun. A choked breath left her lips as she reached out, her fingers just brushing over the cold metal.

"You're never gonna find her," Horton managed a croaky laugh, pushing himself onto his feet. He swayed from side to side, trying to find his footing. He took a step towards her, then another, then another. "She's mine-"

BANG!

Daisy shot up in bed, her body coated in a cold sweat. Her hand fell to her chest in an attempt to still her beating heart, but it felt like it was about to burst out of her ribcage. Unconscious tears had spilled down her cheeks, and she quickly used her shirt sleeve to get rid of them.

Looking up, she wasn't met with anything comforting. The coldness of her apartment had never made her feel good, and she doubted it was ever going to. As someone who tried to force a bright attitude around others, it proved to be far more difficult to be left alone with the residual emotion.

Her room had white walls, white furniture and wood flooring. There were no pictures of her family and friends, no artwork or flowers. It was minimalist, not because she wanted it to be, but because she had never spent enough time to herself to make it feel like a home. Her desk at the BAU was a more familiar place, but yet she still couldn't bring herself to put up photos or anything that would give her personal life away.

Taking in the silent bedroom, Daisy sighed, running her hands through her tangled hair. God, she hated dreaming. It didn't happen as often anymore, but when it did, it was always the same - she closed her eyes and she was reminded of the man who hurt Beanie. It had taken a year for her to stop seeing his face in everyone she saw, and two for her to be able to sleep without a light on.

Reaching over to her alarm clock, she removed the plane ticket in front, allowing the fluorescent numbers to blind her briefly.

3:47

Daisy groaned, kicking back the sheets and forcing herself out of bed. She felt queasy, as she usually did whenever she'd wake up from a nightmare. It was a routine, and after so long she'd gotten used to it. A cold shower was enough to get her to start thinking straight again, but she knew the she wouldn't be falling asleep again for the rest of the night.

She wished she had the confidence to call up a friend - but who? Everyone she knew was probably asleep. Emily? Spencer? Penelope? It was hard to get good rest in a job like theirs, so they'd likely be knocked out this late. Rhea wasn't even an option, as she went to bed at nine most nights.

Reaching for her mobile, she scrolled through her contacts, thinking about who the best option was for her to talk to about her problems; as if she'd actually do it. Momentarily, her thumb hovered over HOTCH.

She scoffed to herself and threw her phone back on the bed. "Forget it."

★☆

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked, sliding over the chocolate bar he owed her and leaning against the desk Daisy sat at. They were on a case in Atlanta, where a serial killer was picking up young women and cutting them open.

It wasn't exactly a party.

Daisy looked up with tired eyes, waiting for her third caffeine hit of the day to kick in. "Yeah, I just had a rough sleep last night."

Spencer watched her carefully. He had come to know her well enough to pick apart her changes in demeanour. She hated to be profiled, as did the rest of the team, but sometimes it was far too easy. "Nightmares?"

Daisy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, averting her eyes to the file. She'd been looking through different pick-up ads that attract young men. Emily, Derek and Hotch had already gone to visit one, while Rossi and Agent Todd, JJ's temporary replacement, had gone to another. "How'd you know?"

Spencer got to his feet, holding his hand out to her. His long, slender fingers had small scars from all the paper he'd sifted through in his short life, yet there was something comforting about them. Daisy took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. He smiled down at her in a way that made it seem like he understood. His eyes knew the pain of reliving something horrible. "I get them too. They're not exactly unusual in our line of work."

Daisy nodded a couple of times, before she pulled away and took a step back. She was more withdrawn than usual, which hadn't gone unnoticed by her coworkers. She was far more focused on the case rather than her usual witty comments and inappropriately timed humour.

Spencer kept his distance, but continued to watch her carefully. "Do you want to talk about it?"

In truth, Daisy wasn't sure. She knew about Reid's kidnapping, and she felt like she'd rather comfort him than be comforted about her experiences. It was in her nature to take care of others, not the other way around. "I'm okay, but thank you."

Spencer seemed a little hurt by the way she couldn't open up to him, but ultimately, he understood why. "I'll always be here if you need to talk."

He squeezed her shoulder before walking back to his own workspace.

"Daisy!" Emily walked into the room with Hotch and Derek on her tail. A sheepish grin was spread across her face as she approached her coworker, which made Daisy pull a face. Spencer glanced over his shoulder, his pen hovering in the air. "I need to ask you a favour."

Daisy looked between her and Hotch, the latter of whom didn't look particularly pleased. "What is it?"

"The Viper," Emily handed over a business card. Daisy took it, before showing it to Spencer. "He's creepy, and weird, and a predator."

"And?"

Emily hesitated. "And you're exactly his type."

"You don't have to go undercover if you don't want to-" Hotch interjected, but cut himself short when Daisy shrugged, almost carelessly.

"Sure, why not?" she reached behind her head and took out her hairpin, letting her hair fall around her shoulders. Emily and Derek both chuckled as the agent sent a wink their way. Hotch's jaw tightened and he looked away. Daisy noticed this, and raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem, Hotch?"

Hotch met her eyes, and she noticed that there was a certain hardness to them. It was one that she didn't recognise, but if she didn't know any better she would have placed it as concern. "Of course not. Good luck, Alvarez."

Daisy didn't believe a word he said, but she grinned nonetheless.

★☆

eh

idk

anyway

uh

stonks