Alison Reagan

Old Buddies.

Today I was at the courthouse early because I had to speak at a deposition investigating whether John Russell fell or not.
Basically they wanted to know if I killed him.
So I was sitting in the room with my lawyer, Frank McAndrew, I know what your thinking. Why not have Erin represent you? Because Bones is the only person that knows I'm here besides dad who I asked not to tell anyone.
I might want to start paying attention now.
"What happened on the roof?" She asks me.
"I walked onto the roof I was armed with my handgun, but it was holstered. I had my partner, Dr. Jacob Brennan, take Tommy Russell off of the ledge and take him downstairs where he would be safe-" she cut me off.
"So from that point on you were alone with the deceased, correct?" She asked.
"Yes, I was alone with John Russell he was still on the ledge after my partner went downstairs, I tried to move closer but he kept moving back and he told me to stop, so I did. I talked-" I was again cut off, but this time by the door opening. I looked over and saw a man whispering something to the guard.
Just then the guard locked the door.
"What's going on?" I ask the man that locked the door.
"I'm not finished." Said the woman.
"Just a sec." I told her then look at the guard. "What's going on?"
"They're evacuating." I went to stand. "I got to ask you to sit tight till all the prisoners have been returned to their holding cells and we can safely clear the building."
"She hasn't finished." Said the woman to my lawyer.
"Yeah-uh, maybe we should just finish this up. I'm sure it's nothing." My lawyer told me then turned to the guard. "Is this nothing? He would tell us if it was something. Allie?"
I wasn't listening, I pulled out my phone and went to a phone number I hadn't used in a while.
"FBI, unlock the door." I said flashing my badge. "Come on."
I walked out of the room and hit the contact.
'Hello?' I hear.
"Greg Parker, it's nice to hear voice again. I'm just sorry it had to be like this." I said.
'Who is this?' He asks.
"Oh you know, Alison Reagan." I said.
'All be damned.' He said.
"I know. Listen I'm at the courthouse. And I need a favor." I said.
'We've got an active shooter there.' He said.
"I figured something was up."
'He charged the security there and he fired a gun.'
"What's his 20?"
'Could be anywhere. Courtroom, judges chambers, holding cell. Guy is mid 20s, black, weapons a hand gun, oh and he was wearing a parole device.'
"An ex con. Fantastic."
'What was the favor you needed?'
"I was wondering if your unit could respond to this because my brother doesn't know that I'm here exactly." I admitted.
'I'm on my way. We've got you covered.'
"You guys always have." I say and hang up.
I walk to the metal detectors and see security.
I hold up my badge and walk over.
"I have a team on the way. How many shots fired?" I ask the man.
"One. So far." He answered.
"One is enough. He say what he was looking for?" I question.
"He said he needed to see one of the prosecutors. My guy didn't get his name."
"He's probably headed for a courtroom." I said to myself. "How many are there?" I ask him.
"9. Three on each floor, our kid went that way." He said pointing behind me.
"You got uniforms on the exits?" I ask.
"Yeah."
"Ok. We're going to have to set up a command post. Tell your guys to stand down. I need building plans, I need video." I said.
"Ok. Room 240 is free. We'll set everything up, security video is done wireless. Up the stairs." He said.
"Gotcha." I said and went towards the stairs. "Left, right?" I ask the man while standing at the foot of the stairs.
"Uh. Second floor, take a left. Oh, you'll need these." He said and threw me his keys.
With that I went upstairs. I pulled out my gun and started looking around.
I was walking up the staircase when I saw a woman in a uniform have a gun pressed to her back by a man that matched Gregs description.
"Everything alright folks?" I ask after I saw the man move the woman closer to him. I had my gun pointed at him at was slowly moving up the steps.
"He's gotta gun." The woman said shaking.
"Turn around. Get out of here now! Or I will kill her, I swear I will." The man said and by now I was at the base of the staircase he was on and I still had my gun raised. "I said get out of here!"
"Ok. You know what?" I said and raised may arms in a surrendering motion. "I was just working security, so I'm just going to go ahead and set this down."
I pull the magazine out of my gun and set them both on the bottom step of the staircase.
"Take the clip out and set them right here. Just uh, tell me what you want." I said.
"I want to talk to Dan Cheznik." He said.
"The lawyer right?" I asked and he nodded. "Alright, well you know, I got a cell phone in my pocket, got the keys to the building. Let me just call my boss here, and we'll see if we can find him for you, ok?"
"Ok." He agreed. "But you do anything stupid and I will shoot her, right here right now. I promise you, I will."
"I hear you. Alright, I'm just going to reach into my pocket here, grab my phone. Ok? Call my boss." I said and pulled my phone out and hit my most recent out going call and clicked it.
"It's ok." I said mostly to the girl.
'Parker here.' I heard.
"Boss, hey it's me. Yeah, I'm in a stairwell on the third floor with a young man, what's your name?" I say the last part to the unknown man.
"Forget my name." He says. "Ask about Cheznik."
'Young man? What are you saying Allie? Are you telling me your with the subject now?' He asks.
"Yep." I say.
'Ok. Hang tight. We're right outside the building.' He tells me.
"We're looking for a prosecutor," I say then look to the man. "What's his name again? Dave Cherran?"
"Dan Cheznik." He said even though I already knew that.
"Dan Cheznik." I said into the phone.
'Do you at least have your gun? Maybe I should call your brother in.' He said.
"No, no, no. It's, it's C. H. E." I said turning down his idea.
'Are you telling me that he's got you at gun point?' He asks me.
"Yes. That's right, yeah. We just need a location for the young man and lady here." I say hoping he understands.
'Ok. He's got a hostage.' He says.
"Correct."
'Do you want the team on the immediate action plan? Give me yes.'
"No, no, no. He's a prosecutor." I say turning down another idea.
'Ok. Just stay on the line with me Allie.'
"Tell him you'll call him back." Said the your man.
"Boss, I'm gonna have to call you back." I said nodding my head.
'Ok.' He said and hung up.
I held up my phone showing him I had ended the call.
A few minutes later the young man told me to call my 'boss' back.
'Hey, buddy. You ok? Do I need to call Danny?' He answered.
Ugg if he calls Danny he will kill me.
"Boss, any info for my friend here?" I ask.
'Nah, we're still working on that. Can you stay on the line with me?' He asks.
"Ok, they're working on it. I'm just going to stay on the line with here and get some information." I said.
"No, no. Hang up. Tell them to call you back when they know where he is." He says.
'Boss, I'm going to need you to call me back." I said.
'Copy that. Just stay cool. Keep him calm and put him on our side. Ok?' He asks.
I nod and show the young man my phone again so he knows I hung up. I once again set my phone on the step and wait for Parker to call me back with info.
"He's gonna call back, right?" The man says after 10 minutes of silence.
"Yeah, yeah. He'll call back." I assured and let out a breath. "So uh, this prosecutor must've, must've done something really bad to you, huh? Makes you pick up a gun and come back in here. Risk your life." I said nodding my head at the end.
"What were you convicted of?" I ask him.
"Murder, ok? He convicted me of murder." He spit out and I nodded my head.
About a minute after that my phone rings.
"Answer it!" He demands.
I reach down and pick up my phone.
"Yeah." I say.
'Ok, court room 7.' Parker said. 'For real, clearing it out now so stall him. Make it slow. We're looking at the building plans right now.'
"He doesn't have a location prosecutor yet, but he, but he is trying." I say to the man.
'Plan A. Less lethal and working on a surprise entry.'
"What's he saying?" The young man demands.
"He's working on it, He's working on it. Just give him a second." I told him.
'Plan B. Lethal from across the court tinted windows looking west. We're going to need to use thermal. Do you copy that?' He asks me.
"Yeah." I answered Parker.
'Ok. We already have video were laying the audio. Look for an earwig on the prosecutors table.' Parker told me.
"What is he saying?" The young ma asked getting mad.
"Ok. Ok." I said.
"What is he saying?!" He yelled making the girl jump.
"It's courtroom 7. Courtroom 7." I answered.
"Which floor? Show me, let's go." He said pushing the girl forward.
"Alright, she's scared. Alright? You're making it worse." I told him.
"Walk now." He demanded.
"Just put the gun down." I said quietly. "Ok? Put the gun down, and you can take me instead, ok? Take me instead."
"Cuff her." He told the lady
"It's fine." I told her.
"Now!" He yelled.
"It's fine." I repeated.
"Cuff her up, I'll take the two of you." He told her.
"It's fine." I repeated again and nodded my head. "Come on." She took out her cuffs and she put them tight around my wrists, but not tight enough to cut the circulation off.
"If he's not in that room when I get there-" he leaves our imaginations finish that sentence.
The lady finished cuffing me as I kept reassuring her that it was ok.
"Move." Said the man pushing us forward.
I slowly head towards courtroom 7. When I reach the door I try to use as many keys as possible trying to buy the team some time.
I had found the right key and I opened it a crack and stood there for a second watching Sam shut the door after Spike carries an elderly woman out of the room.
I open the door all the way and we walk in.
The man takes the keys out of the door and re locks it.
"You lied." The man growled at me. "You said he'd be here."
"They told me he would be. I thought that he would be." I said.
"Lies. You lie just like everybody else." He yells and loosens his tie. "This wasn't supposed to happen. Oh my god." He looks around the room for a few minutes before he comes up and points the gun at the other girls head.
"You, you're going to get her phone and you're going to call the police, and you're going to tell them that they have 15 minutes to deliver Chesnik to me or one of you dies." He says moving the gun making the girl flinch. "Do it!"
She turns to me and I nod my head at her letting her know it was ok and she takes my phone and dials 911.
"They uh, said they were working for him." I said looking on the prosecutors table for the earwig.
I pick up the earwig but can't put it in because he keeps turning around.
"Alright? Said he could come any minute." I said then turned towards the girl. "Move towards him, I'm an FBI agent. Move towards him, distract him for a second. Just for a second."
She moves forward.
"Hey what are you doing?" He asks pointing the gun at her while he is distracted I put the earwig in.
"I don't know." She said moving back raising her arms.
"Stop talking. Don't move." He yelled.
"Why don't you just, tell me your name, and maybe I can help." I told the man to get his attention off the girl. "Alright, is this payback? Is it revenge?"
"I don't want revenge." He told me.
'Allie, if you can hear me look up.' I hear Parkers voice in my ear.
I look up slightly. 'Alright, buddy. Ok. Just keep him contained close to the balcony. We'll drop from there.'
"You get a gun and come in here and you tell me you don't want revenge." I said.
"I want my name back. And I want to know how get got a confession out of me when I never confessed." He paused. "2 years I've been waiting for the file to show up. The governments case against me, well today it did. And my lawyers telling me the files wasn't there. Now I need to talk to the man that put me away and I want him to look me in the eye and tell me what happened." He ranted.
'That's good Allie, just keep him talking.' Parker said. 'We're trying to find a point of connection.'
"I hear you, and you know what? You and me, we are not that different. Something happened a couple months ago, I did something, and I- I keep having to defend it. You've done what I did." I said trying to get him to open up.
"Maybe, maybe I look at myself differently too. It like, I know exactly what happened that day, I remember it perfectly. And my brains keeps playing tricks on me, and I start to go over it and over it in my mind asking myself if maybe, I'm remembering it differently. Maybe I was wrong."
"I did that, for 11 years. Charged me as an adult, but I was 15 when they put me away. Never finished high school, never had a job, never kissed a girl. I don't know anything about anything, but I know what happened that day and I know I didn't kill Katie." He said and I nodded.
"Why don't you tell me about her? What was she like?" I ask him.
"She was amazing. Incredible smile, she didn't have to be, but she was nice to everybody. No matter what kind of family you had, house you lived in, she just saw you. When I show up the first day of school, you know I'm 12, the only black kid in the class. It's like they've never seen it before, the kids are whispering and moving their desks, and I'm feeling like I just want to fall into a hole and disappear. And she comes right over, she sits beside me, smiles, and tells me we're going to be friends. And just like that we're friends." He told me. "Just like that, best friends. 3 years, 3 years we were best friends until, I fell in love with her."
"Did Katie feel the same way?" I ask him.
"I don't know. The day I told her, we rode to the park, she was sitting on the back of my bike, I was swerving, she was laughing, we were having such a great time. Just being together. Just us. It was the perfect day, and then I just said it, I mean I told her I loved her." He said remembering.
"What did she say?" Asked the other woman.
"She said I was sweet, she leaned against me and kissed me on the cheek, and she asked me to give her a ride. I said yes, I dropped her off at the corner, near her house." He said.
"And that was the last time you saw her." I guessed.
"Yeah." He said.
"I remember this. I remember seeing her picture in the paper." The woman said. "I'm so sorry."
The man wiped his tears away.
"So you sat up there, and you told your story and what? The jury didn't believe it?" I asked walking closer to him.
'Good Allie, just keep walking him back until he's right underneath the balcony.' Parker said and I dipped my head letting him know I heard him.
"They did. But then Cheznik put some guy on the stands, some guy who had been in a holding cell with me for 5 minutes. And he gets up there, an he tells the jury, that I confessed to him, that I told him that I killed her." He said.
"So this guy says that you confessed to him. What did you say?" I ask.
"Nothing. Not a word. Not even a hello." He said.
"That's what you told the jury?" I ask.
"Yeah. But this guy knew stuff about how she died, things that only the killer would know. Things I didn't even know." He said.
'Allie, one minute to the shooters deadline.' Parker says in my ear. 'And alpha needs more time, you need to buy us more time.'
I nod my head.
"That's why you wanted the file." I concluded.
"But none of it was there. And Cheznik made sure if that." He said.
"Alright, you gotta forget about Cheznik. And confronting him at gunpoint, is not going to convince anyone of anything. If your innocent put the gun down." I say slowly walking towards him. "A gun never solved anything, believe me. The police are probably out there right now with a sniper, and I know how it works. So I'm asking you, I'm begging you, I'm begging you, just put the gun down." I said and then he looked at the clock.
"No, it's over." He said.
"No." I said shaking my head.
"You get over next to her and put out your hands up." He said to the other woman. He took my phone and chucked it at the wall making it smash to pieces. "Now!"
I heard a thud and knew it was Parkers team so I didn't look up.
"Your time is up." He said
Just then a flash bang went off and I grabbed the other girl and pulled her out of the courtroom.
"You're ok, you're ok." I said to her. "Come on, come on."
"I'm sorry I looked up, I didn't know." She wept.
"It's ok. You're ok." I said and handed her off to someone. "Cuffs. Take these cuffs off." I said to the guard.
Once he did I saw my wrists were raw and bloody from moving them against the cuffs.
"Are you ok?" Ed asks me.
"I'll be better when I get that kid out of there." I said to my old unit buddy.
"I've been on the phone with his lawyer, the kid was right. The case was a disaster." He said.
"What do you mean a disaster?" I ask.
"Battle of the fittest." He said.
"That's him." He pointed out the lawyer to me and handed me a bug that would record our conversation.
"Make sure it's recording." I said an he nodded. With that I put the bug in my pocket and walked away.
He was on the phone when I reached him.
"Excuse me, sir." I said and tapped his arm. "If I could just talk to you for a second, I got to get back in there."
"What? They got you out? What's going on?" He asked. "Listen I have to call you back." He said and hung up his phone.
"I figured we could just get this straight. So it, it was a young girl who was raped and murdered?" I ask him. "And the people were just looking for someone to hang."
"They always are." He agreed.
"And the suspect is a kid, and all you got on him is circumstantial?" I ask. "I mean no one is going to want to take that case."
"That's right. It's a no win." He said.
"Except you. You do what it takes to win the case. You know what? I get it." I said.
"The system is rigged against the good guys, you do what you got to do." He said.
"I hear you. Like giving a detained prisoner the details of a murder so he could testify. How many years did you knock off this guys sentence?" I ask him.
"Excuse me." He said
"What about the 8 other cases you used jail house informants to get confessions?" I ask and grab his arm when he went to walk away.
"Get your hand off me." He demanded.
I remove my hand.
"I make no apologies for what I did. Those were cases, they were tough cases. No one else could have gotten those convictions, they knew that. That's why-" he stopped.
"That's what? Why they made you senior prosecutor a month after that kid went to jail?" I said and walked away.
I walked to the room where Parker was and walked in.
"Hey Allie, I wish we could have met up on better circumstances." He said. "Nice work." I nodded
"Is what he said enough to nail him?" I ask Parker.
"No, no but the whole thing might be enough to get this kid an appeal. Ed is working on it, I'm going in to tell him." He told me.
I put my hands up to stop him.
"Let me have a vest." I said.
"Allie, you can't just keep putting yourself in the middle of this thing. That's not how my team operates. You know that." He told me.
I walked by him.
"What is this?" He asks as I grab a vest and gun. "Is this someway to atone? You save this kid and you get to take it all back?"
"I'm not trying to take it back." I said walking out the door.
"Allie, Alison." I heard him call after me.
I ignored him and walked back to courtroom 7.
"Ok. This is FBI agent Alison Reagan." Said Lewis.
He looked over at me and realized I was a fed.
"You're a cop?" He asked crying.
"Yes, I am. I need you to listen to me. I got Cheznik on record admitting that he would do whatever it took to make a conviction. Your lawyer says there may be as many as 8 similar cases. With the evidence he has, it's enough for an appeal." I said moving closer until I was in front of him. "So just put the gun down, ok? Nobody dies today. Nobody dies today, ok?"
"Wait, what you were saying about going over something in your brain" he said.
"Yeah." I urged.
"In prison I went over a lot of things, but there was this one thing that I kept asking myself over and over. I asked myself why Katie didn't want me to drop her at home that day. Why she wanted me to drop her at the corner. She didn't love me, she wanted me to drop her at the corner because she was meeting someone else. She had a date." He said.
"My god." I breathed out shaking my head slightly.
"And whoever she was meeting, that's who killed her. It had to be. I promised her the first time I went to her grave, that I would prove I was innocent. Not for myself, but for her. So they would start to look for him. Whoever he is. And justice would be done."
"I promise you, we're going to make sure that happens. And you will get your appeal. Nobody dies today, ok?" I said to him.
He moved the gun away from his head and I grabbed it out his hand.
"Put your hands on your head." Lewis said and he did so.
I walked out with him to the cop car and the cop opened the door.
"You never told me your name." I told him.
"My names Michael Jamison." He said and I nodded.
"Michael Jamison." I repeated and told the officer I would get the door. "Michael," I said and he looked at me. "I have a sister, she's a lawyer and she's really good. I'm going to ask her if she will represent you at your appeal." I told him and he started to cry again.
"Thank you. I don't deserve your help after today, but you keep helping me. Why?" He wept.
"Because everything I told you was true. I didn't want the same thing to happen to you." I said and stood up. "I'll talk to her."
With that I shut the door. And he drive away.
I see Parker and walk over to him.
"You alright?" He asks.
"Im good. I owe you." I said and walked to my car and pulled out of the courthouse parking lot.
I pulled into dads driveway because we have Sunday dinner today and I look at the time and realize I'm an hour late.
"Damn it." I cursed getting out of the car.
I walk inside and go to the dining room where everyone looks at me.
"Where have you been?" Danny asks. "We've been calling you for an hour and a half."
I reach for my phone and pull out the my phone in 3 different pieces.
"I think it's safe to say it didn't go through." I said joking around trying to lighten the mood.
Danny reached for the phone but then diverted his eyes and grabbed my arm.
"What happened?" He asked sternly.
"What are you talking about?" I ask confused.
"Who did this to you?" He asks gesturing towards my wrists.
"Oh that." I say with a humorless chuckle.
"Yeah that." Danny said getting mad.
"It's nothing I was just at the courthouse for a deposition." I said trying to make Danny forget about my wrists.
"Deposition for what?" Danny asks.
"John Russell. See if it was really an accident. That jazz." I answered nonchalantly.
"How'd it go?" Danny asked and I looked down and pursed my lips.
"I walked out in the middle of it." I said.
"I'm sorry what?" Erin asks. "You walked out in the middle of a deposition to clear your name of wrongdoing?"
"Yep, pretty much." I said then paused.
"Why did you walk out?" Danny asked.
"I think courthouses are bad luck for me." I said.
"What?" Danny asked confused.
"Ok. So I didn't just walk out." I said looking between Erin and Danny. "Can we drop this please?"
"No, we can't because you walked out on a deposition. Do you know what they could do now?" He asked. "So why did you walk out? Was it getting to hard? Were there-"
"There was gunman Danny! Is that what you wanted to hear?! That I was held hostage in a courthouse again! They went on lockdown and I left so I could tell security, to tell their guys to stand down then I went looking for him. That's how I got these." I exploded them gestured to my wrists. "That's how my phone got broken. That's why I was late! Is that a good enough reason for you?!"
"Gunmen? Hostage? Why didn't you call me?" He asks.
"Because Parker was there with Ed and their team. I knew you would freak out." I said.
"You're my sister, of course I would freak out." Danny said.
"Can we talk about something else? We only have 52 of these dinners a year and I don't want to spend it fighting." Dad said disrupting Danny and I's fight.
We nodded and diverted our attention somewhere else.
He focused on his plate and I focused on Brooke.
I could have died today...again.
I have to make every moment with her like its my last one.