A/N: This chapter was a bit of a surprise, even for me. Also, it was written in response to a challenge for the word "cold".

The flashlight was cold in his hand. His gun was cold in the other hand. Standing outside on a cold day in March with a fierce wind blowing down the canyon like streets of New York City can do that to metal objects. His hands were cold, too, even though they had been in gloves, or rather, barely covered by thin scraps of cloth that had no fingertips. He wasn't entirely sure if he had feeling in his fingers, which, he wagered, is probably just as bad as no feeling at all.

Creeping through the dark building, he heard Olivia's voice in his ear. "Fin's going in the other door."

He nodded, though she couldn't see him, and said into the small microphone near his wrist, "Got it." Continuing down the hallway he was in, he stuck to the wall, glancing behind him every few seconds. He flicked the flashlight beam down to the floor as he stepped on something that was soft before it made a cracking sound. A dead rat. Gonna need a new pair of shoes after this one, he thought. Setting the flashlight steady against his gun again, like they taught at the Academy, he was soon in a large room littered with trash and things he couldn't name. He saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, he heard Olivia in his ear again.

"Fin's comin' up on you."

"Got it," he said again as the flash turned into a full on beam of bright light that threatened to temporarily make him blind. "Tell him to watch it with the damn flashlight."

Silence for a moment before the beam lowered and he could see Fin's face above the light he carried. He jerked his head to the right and Fin nodded, turning to go down another hallway.

Alone again, he crept among the garbage, sticking to the wall and working towards the other side. The sound of small feet and an equally small squeak alerted him to the presence of a rat, this time alive. An involuntary shudder passed over him as he thought about the scurrying animal. There were a lot of things he could stand, and rodents weren't one of them. And he sure as hell didn't feel like dealing with Arnold Schwarzarat at the moment, especially when things much more deadly could come out from anywhere.

Poking his head around a corner, he saw what he had come looking for: a haggardly dressed man and a woman, bound and gagged with duct tape. Backing up a few paces, he said softly into his mic, "Our guy's in a room, east end. He's got a woman. She's bound and gagged."

"Hold on a minute." Silence, which he knew to be that of Olivia conversing with the captain. "Fin's gonna meet up with you, ESU is comin' in. Hold off until they reach you."

"Okay." He strained his ears for the sound of Fin, his senses at a level only reached by those who are in immediate danger of being killed. His back against the stone wall, he alternated between watching for Fin and looking towards the corner around which he would soon run. Closing his eyes, he pictured the woman's eyes, fearful, but wit ha slight glint of hope that he had glimpsed as he had quickly peeked around the wall. She had seen him, and that gave him hope as well. The slight murmur of the man's voice drifted to him, though he couldn't make out the words.

"ESU coming?" he asked as Fin joined him minutes later.

He shrugged. "Didn't see 'em." Nodding towards the wall to their left, he asked, "Our guy in there?"

He only nodded in response, then caught the flash of another light. "I think ESU's here."

Fin turned his head, then ran lightly down the length of the wall. Some conversing with the five ESU guys and then they were all running back.

"You got men out back?"

The leading man nodded. "Waiting for your orders."

He looked Fin in the eye and saw the confirmation that he was ready. "Tell 'em to go," he told his wrist and Olivia. Then he said to the six men beside him, "Let's go."

They burst into the open space to find the man shirtless and undoing his pants. "Freeze!" John yelled and he did. "Turn around! Slowly!" He didn't really expect the man to have anything on him, as far as weapons were concerned. The ESU men fanned out across the room as a door on the opposite wall was knocked in and five more ESU guys poured in, fanning out as well. Fin rushed forward and grabbed the guy.

"Tuck it in," he spat, contempt filling his voice. The man did so hurriedly and Fin grabbed his wrists and spun his around again, sliding the cold handcuffs over his wrists. "Serventin Polichko, you are under arrest for the rape and murder of Kristine Polichko, and seven other women. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can not afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand?"

Polichko gave a jerk of his head and John watched as Fin tried not to kick the guy, or worse. Shoving him ahead, he went out the door that ESU had kicked in. John went to the woman that still lie bound and gagged. Pulling a pocket knife out, he flicked it open and quickly cut the duct tape. "This is going to hurt." He pulled the tape from her mouth, wincing as she did. Grabbing her clothes from the floor, he gave them to her, allowing her to slowly put them on. He yelled out, "Someone get a blanket or a jacket or something." Two men ran outside.

Once the woman was dressed, he took her arm and helped her to stand. "What's your name?" His voice was soft.

"Natasha." It was whispered, hoarse.

"It's okay now, Natasha," he said, taking the blanket one of the returning men handed him and wrapping it around her shoulders, keeping his arm around her protectively.

"It's okay now. It's over."