Million Reasons

Chapter Forty Eight: Love You

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died

Nickleback - If Everyone Cared

It was a trap, Maggie had known that long before any of them had entered the building. Those screams though, those frantic, hoarse screams from Susanna Warren, that was what had driven Voight, Jay and herself to enter the building. The bomb squad was ten minutes behind them and deep down somewhere inside herself Maggie knew that they didn't have that kind of time. Voight felt it too, she could see it in the those opaque black eyes as he surveyed the building. She could see the decision was made from the way that his shoulders were set as his fingertips guided the door handle downwards, allowing the door to open just the slightest bit.

She'd turned to glance at Antonio then. Her lover was was standing over ten feet away, his gun trained on the windows above ground level. He was wearing his leather jacket over his vest, the one that clung to everything in just the right way. She paused for a moment, remembering what it was like to be gathered up in those muscular arms of his, shielded from the rest of the world. She wished she was there right now and that this wasn't happening but it was and Maggie had to face that reality. His dark gaze lowered to hers, his eyebrows furrowing into a frown as he read the situation the same way she had. His sensuous lips clamped down into a grim line as his gaze slid from her to the building and then back to her again. He lifted his hand before balling it into a fist and tapping it twice on the bullet proof vest just over the space where his heart resided.

Love you.

It was a gesture him and the kids had started when Laura picked them up from Antonio's place. Once they were in the car, Antonio would rap his knuckles against his chest and the kids would respond in kind. Maggie placed her fist against her chest before returning the gesture.

Love you too.

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The music was deafening, it erupted into the room abruptly causing everyone who was in motion to freeze in place. Maggie could feel her heart thudding like a jack hammer in her chest as her cobalt blue gaze came to rest on Hank Voight. One of his feet was on the floor, on top of a tan colored covering spattered with paint. His forehead was creased as he stared down at the offending item, his jaw clenched in a quiet and dignified rage. It took Maggie a second to calm the panic that was beginning to creep in through the recesses of her mind, that icy cold fear was back and she shoved it away valiantly. She couldn't fall to pieces at the final hurdle, Voight was clearly stuck, that meant Susanna needed her now more than ever.

The music was loud, shrieking and constant, the same way it had been back at the first house and Maggie couldn't help but think there were more similarities between the two events than one may think at first glance. The pressure switch underneath Voight's boot was meant to trigger the music, which was in turn was meant to disorientate and terrorize them. Frightened people made mistakes and that's what Spencer York wanted.

"What the hell was that?" Antonio's voice called out over the radio, followed by that familiar crackling as he released the button on his radio.

"I don't want anyone else coming up here." Voight barked into the radio, his foot never leaving the pressure switch.

"The bomb squad have just rolled up." Antonio stated, leaving Maggie feeling slightly more reassured by their plight. At least they would have an actual professional on the other side of the radio so that they could diffuse the bomb that was strapped to Susanna's chest. Already she could see there was no way they could come in here right now, not with the way this place was set up.

"Tell Dwyer the place is rigged." Voight relayed to the other man over the channel.

The light above them flickered before shutting off completely along with the music. The three of them stood there in silence for a moment, acclimating to the darkness before Susanna Webber let out a shrill cry that sent Maggie's hackles raising. The emergency lights blinked for a second before kicking in and illuminating the room dimly.

"I believe he's messing with us." Maggie muttered, closing her eyes for a brief second against the harsh, brightness of the light.

"You there Hank? Tell me what you see." Dwyer's familiar voice cascaded over the radio.

"He's got C-4 taped to her body." Voight informed the bomb disposal expert. "He's set up this whole this whole perimeter around her."

It was more like a light show with lasers, Maggie thought. Something you'd see in one of those old James Bond movies... Which gave her an idea.

"I need you to find the trigger. I'm showing no receivers or transmitters checking in, so it's either on the bomb or it's wired to it." Dwyer told them as Jay shuffled around the edge of the scaffolding keeping the green laser pointers in place. "Now, can you get past the perimeter?"

"We can only get so far." Voight remarked, the disappointment showing in the tone of his voice as he looked back at Susanna.

"He put something on my back." she told them, her eyes going wide as she stared back at Voight. "Could that be it?"

"Could be the trigger." Voight said out loud, nodding his head at Jay, who began to move slowly around the scaffolding towards Susanna's back.

"No." she yelled out, her body beginning to tremble as both Maggie and Jay began the approach once more.

"Susanna." Maggie said her name kindly as she holstered her weapon and took a step forward. "I want you to keep your eyes on me for a minute can you do that?"

Susanna nodded vigorously as tears began to leak from the edges of her eyes. Her body was beginning to tremble and Maggie could already see that the fear was beginning to win out in the other woman as her eyes began to dart once more her breathing coming out in ragged pants.

"Susanna." Maggie said snapping her fingers to draw the other woman's attention. "Look at me. Keep your eyes focused on me."

Jay was talking in the background but Maggie tuned him out, her priority right now was this woman and making sure that she stayed calm and in exactly the right place. Halstead was moving again and Susanna could feel it, Maggie could see the indecision flitting across her eyes as hysteria began to take hold once more.

"We're all gonna die." she cried, sending a shiver straight down Maggie's spine as she fought to control her own panic rising up in the depths of her chest.

"Nobody is going to die." Maggie spoke with a confidence she didn't feel. Susanna hung her head for a moment as tears streaked down her cheeks, her lank hair hanging over her features. Beyond her Jay held up his hand signalling to Maggie the next port of call. In her head Maggie knew that the lasers weren't dangerous but that familiar sensation of dread was back, gnawing at her stomach. She swallowed hard against the bile in her throat before thrusting her hand through it at the count of one.

Susanna screamed, leaving every single one of Maggie's nerves jingling as Halstead nodded and the two of them stepped through the lasers inside the perimeter.

"Susanna." Maggie shushed as Jay pointed to the block of C4 taped with duct tape to the center of the other woman's chest. "Look at me."

Maggie's hand clasped the C4 tightly, holding it in place as she met Susanna's exhausted eyes, her voice calm as she spoke.

There was apprehension in her chest, she could feel it building as she held the plastic block in the palm of her hand, keeping it as steady as possible.

"Hey, hey. You're with me and we are gonna be okay." she reinforced, her gaze locked firmly on Susanna's as Jay reached between the two of them. It took him a second to remove the blasting caps from the device before he reached behind Susanna and stopped the timer with his forefinger.

The relief was momentous. Maggie felt herself exhaling deeply as her heart continued to thud like a sledge hammer in her chest. Despite what she'd said to Susanna, she had been terrified of the outcome and she could tell from the slight tremor in Jay's hand as he thrust it into his jacket pocket that he had too.

Apparently that's what happened when you had something to lose.