How I wish I'd chosen darkness from cold. How I wish I had screamed out loud. Instead I've found no meaning…” Tears and Rain - James Blunt

The story so far...

Victoria and Storm spent one Unforgettable morning in each other's arms. Storm could not bring himself to let go of his late wife, Emma. Victoria and Piper opened their art gallery, Euphoria. Victoria met Julian Scott, a very nice and generous man, or so she had thought. A few weeks later Victoria found out she was pregnant with Storm's baby and she was leaving town, only to be kidnapped and held hostage by Julian.

Presently Victoria is still being held captive by Julian. The profilers at Statham Island's Behavioral Analysis Unit, Storm included, are working furiously to try and get to her before it is too late. Will they succeed? Will Julian Scott let her go? Who will die and who will survive when this long rescue operation is over?

BAU's Data Bank[13:58] pm

"How long before you get the location?" Storm asked Josh Cobain for the hundredth time since he walked into the server room 45 minutes earlier. He knew Josh and his team of technicians were doing all their best to hack into the live feed but time was a luxury they could not afford "You need to back off Storm and let them handle this. Josh and his team won't let you down man," Pete Charlton said carefully. He understood Storm was on edge, hell, If Lynn was in trouble, he would be in a state too..."Focus, don't think of Lynn now," he forced himself to get back to the task at hand.

"It's easy for----------" Storm started to fire back, but an unexpected memory hit him hard. Victoria and Piper's opening night! He remembered how jealous he had felt when he saw the way Mr. Smooth took Victoria's hand and seemed to whisper something in her ear...His name was...Julian? Scott? His name was Julian Scott! He remembered Kendra telling him a few weeks after the launch that Victoria and this Julian Scott were getting close. Suddenly he knew who Victoria's captor was. Excited at this breakthrough Storm reached for his cell phone and called Marcelle and Lynn.

~

"I've told you, at this stage the BAU has been asked to help find the kidnapped woman...no..it's not true, it's not Agent Chace's wife! The BAU neither confirms nor denies the rumors that Agent Chace is involved with the kidnapped woman. Where do you get your information from...No...don't you dare print that, I swear if you do we'll take legal action against you. What? What Blitz attack?" Melissa Swanson was on a conference call with the three major newspapers and news station in Statham Island. "No comment...We'll schedule a press release once we have more information about the unsub." She was glad when the phone interview was over. She felt absolutely drained, tired and scared for the victim. Reporters were all vultures and it took years of experience for someone to handle them as well as she did, but sometimes it got very hard.

~

"Marcelle? Is Lynn there with you? I need you guys to get me everything on a Julian Scott, a graphics designer for an Advertising agency called Chilli Bush in Downtown," Storm was almost yelling now, his body buzzing with excitement. "A Julian Scott you say?" Marcelle asked for confirmation. Lynn was already typing the name and searching on the federal data base. "Yes..I think he's our guy. I just remembered seeing him at Victoria's art gallery launch a few months ago. When we watched the live feed I thought he looked familiar," Storm answered, sounding sure of his memory with each passing moment. He knew he was right. He could feel it in his gut. "Okay...will send it right over," Marcelle answered.

~

"We're all set, here's everything on Julian Scott. He's 37, no criminal records, no convictions, no priors. He's a free lance graphics designer for an Advertising agency in Downtown. No listed address or telephone number. " Lynn murmured softly, slightly disappointed that the search on Julian did not reveal much information, her fingers not leaving the keyboard as she sent Storm and rest of the team the info on Julian Scott.

"How do you do it?" Marcelle asked suddenly. "Do what?" Lynn retorted, not looking up from the screen. She was suddenly suspicious and she wondered if perhaps Marcelle knew about her little office romance with Pete. "Be so logical and rational even when there's much going on?" She asked, sighing sadly. Watching that live feed had shattered a big part of her heart. She could not understand how a man could treat a woman like that. She wondered if Josh, her secret crush, had it in him to be as cruel and as mean as Julian Scott. "Well...I wish I could say it gets better with time, but..." Lynn replied but she let her voice trail off when she saw the panicked look in the Marcelle's eyes. It was true, she saw a lot of horrible things working as a Profiler and some days it got to her more than others. The situation with Storm's lady friend got to her too, but she had to keep her head straight. Storm needed them. "I'll just take these to the rest of the team,"Marcelle whispered, collecting the notes from their briefing session earlier.

~

Somewhere in Statham Island-Julian's lair

What have you done? You need to let her go! The cops will be here and they'll kill you!" No! Shut up...Just shut up...What were you thinking? You love Victoria...you can't hurt her! No! Shut up...She's pregnant with that swine's child...You need to kill her and get rid of the body...

Julian Scott's heart was beating fast and hard and he could not silence the voices in his head. He had just watched a news update. He and Victoria were all over the news. He was now Statham Island's most wanted, dead or alive. He could not believe how soon his identity had been revealed...But hey, this was the BAU and anything was possible!

"URGGGGGGGGH" Julian finally screamed, unable to take the torturous voices in his head any longer. All he wanted was for Victoria to love him and now...Here he was, feeling like a rug was being pulled from under him!

"Agent Chace..."Julian whispered, trying to calm his nerves. "Julian," Storm answered, deciding to be bold and address him by name. He was sure Julian would not call after the leak on the news. He had argued earlier with Melissa when he saw the news clip but Melissa had denied BAU's involvement with the media frenzy. "Your special friends have found me I see...Well, my demands are simple. 10pm, at the Boardwalk, you need to bring §500 000, we'll trade...Victoria for the money. No Cops, No FBI, No SWAT. I know you are planning a blitz attack on me, but I swear, if I so much as hear a helicopter hovering in my hood, I'll kill her!" "Is she alive? Let me speak to her?" Storm begged. The BAU did not negotiate with terrorists but Storm would do anything in his power to save her; he would pay the ransom. "No! Do as I say and she'll stay fine!" And the line went dead.

"Now...tell me you got the trace on that call!" Storm growled furiously. Josh and his technicians were tracing the call while he was on the phone with Julian. Before Josh could answer, Nellie, from across the room let out a triumphant "Yes!"

"Yes...We've found him!" Nellie, announced triumphantly. The call had taken no more than a minute and they'd worked furiously to get this trace and she was sure they wouldn't get it again this time, but it looks like Julian had slipped because he'd phoned them from his home phone instead of the disposable cell phone he'd used earlier.

Storm quickly rushed to her side. "Where is he? How far is he?" He asked, the perpetual frown on his forehead starting to ease for the first time since the BAU took over Victoria's case. "I've sent the rest of the team the address and co-ordinates. They should be receiving them now!" Nellie replied, unable to hide the relief in her voice. "I'll go round up everyone. See you in the conference room," Pete Charlton mumbled over his shoulder as he left the room. This was the moment they had all been waiting for! They had located the bastard and they were going to get him. Ready or not, here they come!

~

Special Agent Ron Richardson's office [19:00 pm]

"How can you say that? We're talking about Storm's child here. A woman's life is in danger!" Melissa paced up and down the room, her body taut with tension.

"Melissa, you know the BAU's position on hostage situations. We don't negotiate with terrorists!" Ron Richardson, replied, taking a huge breath to calm himself. Emotions were running high and the last briefing session had not gone well. Storm wanted to pay the ransom and the BAU team had been shocked to learn he had that kind of money. They knew he was well off, but they did not know he was that well off! "I don't think a blitz attack is the way to go!" Melissa raged back. She thought playing along and going with Julian's demands was the safer option. But Ron believed a blitz attack on Julian was the best option and the rest of the team was at odds. Storm also thought paying the ransom was the way to go.

"Can't you reconsider?" She asked, trying one last time. "No. We know his identity and his whereabouts, why wait to do the drop when we can catch him off guard?" Ron asked sensibly. "He's dangerous and he's threatened to kill her if he even hears so much as a helicopter...Do you really want to risk the girl?" "We've got an experienced team and we'll pull this off. The whole operation won't take longer than fifteen minutes tops." He said, trying to reassure her. "How can you be so sure?" "I have to be!" he mumbled, leaving the room to change for the rescue operation.

~

BAU's briefing room [19:15 pm]

Special Agent Ron Richardson gazed outside the window as the day gradually gave way to darkness. His team's voices in the backgroud sounded so far away. They were still arguing about the blitz attack and paying the ransom. The females in the team wanted to do the drop, Storm wanted to do the drop but the males wanted to go in there with guns blazing.

He had made the decision and they were going in! Melissa would deal with the reporters and the news channels, Lynn, together with the Sthatham Island Police Department would monitor the situation and keep the civilians at bay. He, Marcelle, Josh and Pete would go in for the girl. Storm would remain with the hostage negotiator.

The SWAT Team would be on standby in case things went horribly wrong and they had to come in. There would be a doctor and paramedics on the scene to treat the girl; from the live feed she was in a horrible state now. Everyone had the same question they were all afraid to ask because they knew how deadly Storm's reaction would be...But Storm had the same question too...Was his baby still alive? He wondered how it could be possible after so much trauma!

Julian Scott's rooftop [20:33 pm]

"Must be some hell of a celebrity, to have a showdown like this, huh?" Janice mused, looking down from the roof top. The SWAT Team's helicopter had just landed a few minutes after the BAU arrived at the scene. The whole area was buzzing with all sorts of law enforcement people, medics, newsgroups and civilians. "It's someone close to the BAU. I think Agent Chace's wife or something. I heard it on the radio earlier," Roman replied. From where he stood, the tension on ground zero was so thick he could cut it with a knife. "No way...Agent Chace's wife died two years ago," Janice informed him. She'd read the papers when the story broke about an Emma Chace brutally murdered in their posh §3 million estate. "Well, whoever she is, she must be really important to Chace. Otherwise the place wouldn't be swarming with the feds," Roman retorted, suddenly bored with talk. He wanted action

Julian heard and felt the sound of the helicopter landing on his roof top. He panicked. This wasn't supposed to happen! Not this way! The drop was supposed to happen in just over an hour and now Storm Chace and his friends had blindsided him. Julian swore wildly. It was his own fault as well, the media has said the FBI was planning a blitz attack on him and he'd ignored them, choosing to trust Storm Chace...and now, here was, cornered! His rage was red hot now...occasionally he glanced at the gun on the table and paced...he glanced at Victoria and paced...She looked so pitiful, crouched in the corner like that. The sound of the ringing phone on the table startled both of them. With veiled interest, Victoria looked up from her corner and noticed the gun on the table for the first time that evening.

"Hello? Who is this?" He barked into the phone, tears threatening to spill over. He was so tired. He hadn't slept for the past 48 hours and he just wanted this mess to be all over. "This is Carly Manson. I'm with the SI PD. Please, listen to me, you have to give yourself up and let the girl go," the negotiator said calmly into the phone. She didn't like the way this was turning out, the BAU blind siding this man like this, who knew what state he was in and how far he would go if he felt cornered? "No...We had a deal. §500 000 for the girl and now you all decide to trick me and show up in my territory? Because of you, an innocent girl is going die!" Julian screamed, scaring Victoria out of her inertia. "Listen to me, let the girl go and this all goes away..." Carly told him soothingly. "No! Put Chace on the phone. I want to speak to Chace now!" Julian raged again, he was so tired...

"Julian, it's Agent Chace. Is Victoria okay?" Storm asked, he could hear Julian breathing wildly and he knew then, coming in like this was a mistake, they shouldn't have! "Yes...she's right here.." Julian started to say but stopped mid sentence when out of the corner of his eye he saw Victoria stand from her corner and try to reach for the gun on the table.

"You fool! You stupid cow!" He screamed wildly, the phone crashing on the floor. Storm closed his eyes as he listed to Julian and Victoria's altercation. "Please...I'm so sorry...Please Julian..Don't hurt me," Victoria begged for her life. "Now, I'm going to kill you! You shouldn't have done that!" Julian screamed some more. All Storm could do was listen because he knew talking to Julian was pointless, the phone was lying somewhere on the floor. In a dream like state, he saw his team run towards the house, he wanted to crash into the house and save Victoria, but his feet would not cooperate. All he could think about was Victoria and his baby.

Victoria knew it was all over from the look in Julian's eyes. She had underestimated him. She had assumed the gun on the table was the only gun he had, but when he reached for another one from somewhere on his back, she knew she was dead. "Please...Please Julian I'm sorry. My baby...you can't kill my baby!" She begged. "Victoria, I'm sorry! I never wanted to hurt you! All I wanted was for you to love me. And now...you've forced my hand!" Julian whispered, slithering closer to her.

She felt the force of the bullet before hearing the sound. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She clutched her stomach, disbelief written all over her face. "You...you've shot me..." she whispered, gazing into his eyes, she reached out her hand, begging him to take it and help her.

Time stood still as everyone heard the two successive gun shots.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" Storm heard the animal like howl but it did not register in his mind that it was coming from him.

Marcelle stopped mid stride. She was almost at the door leading to the dungeon. She closed her eyes sadly as she thought "Storm!" Lynn's eyes filled with tears as the civilians ran amok, forgotten for the moment. She knew it was all over...And there would be no winners tonight. Melissa closed her eyes in silent prayer, wondering why bad things happened to good people, she glanced at Storm and her heart went out to him. Why? Why didn't Ron listen to them?

Storm did not know how he got to the dungeon but he broke down in tears at the sight that greeted him. Victoria lay lifeless on the floor as the doctors and paramedics worked on her. "No...Victoria? Please wake up? Wake up dammit?" he cried over and over again, "Get him out of here! Get him out of here!" The doctor screamed, trying to resuscitate Victoria. Agent Pete and Agent Richardson dragged Storm out of the room, trying to comfort him? But where did they start?

"He's dead!" The doctor confirmed after checking on Julian. From the other end of the room, paramedics and more doctors were working on resuscitating Victoria but it did not look promising. Pete could not believe how much strength was needed to get Storm out of the room. Pete felt removed from his body. He watched everything that was happening all around them as if it were happening to someone else. They should have listened to Storm and paid the ransom...They should have gone with Melissa's suggestion and played along, but no...they had had something to prove, they were the BAU, invincible, and they would pull this off! And now..now a man was dead and Victoria's and the baby's life were hanging by the thread.

A somber mood washed over everyone at the scene as Victoria, fighting for her and her baby's life, was wheeled out on the stretcher into the waiting ambulance. "Are you the next of kin?" Dr. Johnston asked when Storm made it quiet clear to her that he was coming with them. "What does it matter?" He asked stubbornly, impatiently. The doctor was about to say something, but thought against it. Victoria would need all the support and prayers she could get. What would it hurt if he came with her? Slowly she nodded her head and allowed him to get inside the ambulance.

"Let's get moving people! Call the hospital and tell them to get OR1 ready! We need to get her to surgery ASAP. She's lost a lot of blood. Let's go!" Dr. Johnston fired instructions as she got in after Scott. With sirens blaring the ambulance sped out of the driveway towards the hospital ten minutes away. Inside the ambulance all Storm did was pray and bargain for Victoria and their baby's life. The BAU Team, wordlessly got into their waiting SUV and followed the ambulance. Storm needed them. The SI PD and the rest of rescue task force would secure the crime scene and take care of the rest. Special Agent Ron Richardson blamed himself for the mess the evening turned out to be. If only they had gone with Storm and Melissa's suggestion, maybe, just maybe, the night would have turned out differently.