protect your head and maybe your heart too

caught? the reprise

I've only been kidnapped once. It's fine. I'm fine. Not traumatized at all.

Nope.

It's like....wasn't long.

So I'm fine.

Triple H was like halfway through an interrogation when the rest of the team broke in.

If I wasn't about to cry I think it would have been pretty badass.

Add that to the list of times I almost died. (It's a long fuckign list.)

The firm therapist needs a fucking pay raise, okay?

She worked overtime that week.

But like, I'm not mentally scarred or anything.

I don't feel super stressed when walking in the dark alone, or jump three feet in the air at a noise, or like- fall asleep in my roommates room a lot because sometimes when I close my eyes I feel like I'm still there and it makes me cry.

No, I don't do that.

Not traumatized at a l l .

I was walking to work as one dose when they're a homeowner who needs to pay taxes. It was a relatively nice June day. It could be cooler out, but at least I wasn't melting. I make my way into town, waving to passerbys. With a small town like ours, you get to know everyone pretty well. There was a group of three people across the street walking around.

I think they're the plastics.

I can't tell, I really need glasses.

Squinting makes me feel old.

As I get closer, I've yet to make eye contact with them, they aren't looking in my direction.

I reach the flower shop and turn to look one last time.

I don't know why I'm getting so caught up on not recognizing townspeople. Did we get new neighbors?

The shortest blur looks across the street. Not at me directly, but in my direction.

My blood runs cold.

Triple H.

How did I not see it coming?!

I duck into the store and bolt to the back room.

"Janis?" Aaron calls past me. The story hasn't officially opened yet, he's just working at the cash register.

I don't respond, I just slide down the back wall till I'm sitting on the floor, knees pulled to my chest.

Fuckfuckfuckfuck .

That's all I can think as my breathing is labored.

Fuck I am not about to have a panic attack at work . Fuckfuckfuck.

"Janis?" Aaron is crouching in front of me. His voice is soft. "Can you breathe with me?"

I shake my head, tears burning at my eyes. If I could I fucking would. I'm doing my best.

I try to do the breathing tactics we were taught as agents. You'd be surprised how often we get panic attacks on the job.

Agent....triple H....triple H in town....fuck

"I'm gonna call Damian, okay?" Aaron says. "I'm not this best with this stuff." He mumbles as an afterthought.

"No!" I croak out. I felt pathetic, but I couldn't worry Damian. If he knew triple H was in town-

Nonononononononononono

I can hear Aaron talking in a hushed voice to someone but I'm too busy trying to get my breathing in check to care.

Once I feel my body actually accepting the oxygen I inhale, I listen to Aaron talking on the phone.

"She just ran in...I dunno...kinda worried..."

I couldn't hear who he was talking to, but it was obviously about me.

Aaron walks over and passes me his phone.

"Damian." He says simply.

Of course he called Damian. I said n o t to call Damian.

I take a shaky breath and lift the phone to my ear, mentally preparing for an ambush of concerned questions.

"Janis?"

"Yeah?"

I can almost feel Damian's sigh or relief.

"What happened, love? You want me to come over?"

"No." I say, a little too quickly. If triple H kept walking in the direction they were going, Damian would walk right into them. "Just stay in the theater, out of sight."

"Why?"

"Trust me." I say. No point in freaking out Damian more than necessary. "I gotta call home and talk to the plastics."

"Janis?" Damian hesitated like he's about to ask a question he really doesnt wanna know the answer to. "Was it triple H?"

"I saw the main three. In town." I say. It sounds like I'm about to cry and honestly, I might.

"I know. I see them walking past the theater now." Damian says. "They aren't stopping to look in any buildings, just be careful love, okay? Call the plastics, I'll see you at home."

"Okay." I say. It's softer than I intended, but I'm shaking all over.

The plastics are in town. The plastics are in town.

"I love you, okay? Bye." Damian says.

"Love you too." I mumble before clicking off the line.

I push myself to my feet and walk over to where Aaron is, by the cash register. I give him his phone back and pull out my own to make another call.

"Thank you." I say, mustering as much strength into my voice as possible.

Why was I so fucked up by this? I've literally looked blue chic in the eyes.

Aaron smiles as I lift my phone to my ear. It rings twice.

"Hello?" Regina's voice flows through the phone. I walk away from Aaron.

"Regina, put me on speaker."

"Okay." There was a click and Regina started talking again. Her voice sounded further away. "I'm with Karen and Gretchen."

"Good. Can you guys lock the doors? Damian and I saw the main three in town. Don't think they're looking for the residential area but it's better safe than sorry."

"Shit." I can hear Gretchen. "I'll go lock the front door."

There's footsteps walking away before Karen speaks up.

"We should make our own fucking agency. Or at least buy somes guns. Face plant emoji, fist emoji."

I laugh, but there is no humor behind it. "Yeah. That's a good idea."