Hey this is a continuation of Warning delving more into Hotch and Emily's relationship and Emily overcoming the ordeal she suffered. I hope you enjoy reading! I do not own any part of criminal minds and or its affiliates.

Since the incident in Arizona things at the BAU had pretty much got back to normal, but Hotch and Emily's relationship grew more awkward. They felt as if any feelings towards one another should be hidden, especially at work. It was as if they had taken one step forward and two steps back.

Emily had been showing all signs of improvement in getting over her ordeal, but she kept a constant reminder of it with Bryan, Tracey, and Hannah's pictures sitting on her desk. She hid her feelings well, although her feelings were not hid to those close to her, for the teams promise of not inner profiling had been broken exposing her true emotions. Emily so needed that something she could do to pull her out of the abyss, a feeling of still being worthy of her job and helping or saving lives.

Hotch struggles daily with the right words and actions, trying to maintain a standard with his team while at the same time not completely losing Emily. She had opened up to him on the four day drive back to Quantico but her feeling of worthlessness consumed her. He again wanted to feel her in his arms, and make all the pain go away.

The team stepped off the jet in Augusta, Maine. The icy wind from a cold front took their breath as it swept past their faces.

"Wow it is extremely cold up here, not used to this." JJ said pulling her coat tighter around her torso.

Emily had come off the jet behind her, "I didn't even notice." She responded to JJ.

JJ looked back at her with concerning eyes then continued on.

Rossi and Hotch watch as Emily took the last few steps to the pavement. Rossi looked to Hotch and knew that he felt as if he was sharing the same pain as Emily. Rossi couldn't think of much to say but had a few words of comfort to give, "Just keep being her friend and she'll come around." Rossi then continued off the jet.

The word, friend, hit Hotch hard. He thought they had past that point, as a matter of fact they did. He had to keep it that way and get her back. She had made him feel whole again since the loss of Hailey. The simple thought of Emily in his arms once again needing him, like she did standing there that morning, against a beautiful sunrise in the Arizona desert had his heart beating faster. His thoughts went to the present looking at her walking away with the wind tousling her hair. Hotch suddenly came to the realization that he still needed to get off the jet. They did have a case to work and for this particular case time is of the essence.

Inside the Augusta, Maine police station the team began to work frantically. A three year old girl named Hannah had gone missing.

There had been a recent string of missing girls that end up being found dead a day later in a public location. This is a clue that the un-sub wants his work to be seen. He isn't trying to hide it and is willing to take risks.

Hotch went straight to delegating tasks, "Rossi and Prentiss I want you to speak with the parents. Reid and Morgan go to the site of the abduction. Myself and JJ will work on looking at the most recent abductions trying to make connections."

Rossi and Emily pulled up to the parent's house. The yard was flooded with reporters and policemen. Both walked side by side up to the front door. Rossi looked at Emily concerned, "Are you going to be okay?"

She looked back at him with disheartening eyes, "Situations like this are never easy, I've done them before, I'll be fine." She said reassuring him. Emily knocked.

A petite blonde woman with short hair answered the door. Her eyes were puffy, red and stained with tears. It had been eight hours since the abduction and the look of grief and worry had begun to take its toll. A man came up standing behind her and he was the first to speak. "We've told the police everything we know. You need to be out there looking for our daughter!"

Emily responded to the distraught father's harsh tone with a confident, reassuring voice, "Sir we are agents Prentiss and Rossi from the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. The best way for us to help you is to let us talk to you and your wife. We may recognize something the officers didn't." Emily waited for a response.

The father pushed open the door, leading them to the living room.

Morgan and Reid were at the store located two blocks from where Emily and Rossi were. Morgan looked around, "This isn't your typical grocery store. Locals would be more likely to know this place instead of outsiders. There is even a section for little kids over in the corner."

Reid looked around and found the exact spot where she was taken. He walked over to it. "Here is where she was taken."

Morgan walks over and puts his self in the mother's shoes. "So I'm the mom and I see my little girl five feet from me playing with the dolls on the bottom shelf at the end of the isle. I look away to grab some wipes off the shelf, when I look back she's gone."

"Morgan look."

"What is it?"

"Go stand on the other side of the isle and tell me what you see."

Morgan walks past Reid on the other side of the isle and notices a mirror that is located about twenty feet straight in front of Reid by the little girl's dressing room. "From this point of view I can see you plain as day as well as the mother standing in the isle. So if I'm the un-sub I can see the mom turn her head which gives me a chance to grab the girl, but how do I get out of here without be noticed."

Reid looks around and one isle over parallels with the store's wall. He notices a side door that's propped open. Morgan follows him to the side door then back up to the checkout counter where they first came in. Reid gets the attention of the cashier, "Ma'am why is that side door propped open?"

"It's left open every 1st Tuesday of the month from 8am-10am when Wendy from up the road comes and unloads new toys, and kids clothes she and her sister make. It's been left open today because the police wanted the scene left as it was. You know what's a mystery to me is how that little girl was abducted without making a sound."

Morgan looks to Reid, "He has to have some way to keep her quiet when he takes her giving her no chance to scream, and his best time to take her is when Wendy would be un-loading merchandise with her back turned towards him.

Reid looks outside, "Come outside." They go back outside in the chilly weather. "Look you can easily see through the front windows especially if you were passing by. A child could easily be seen and if you knew about the deliveries it would be a great way to slip in and out without being noticed or for that matter making any noise."

"Reid we need to talk to everybody that knows about the deliveries. I'll call Hotch and Rossi to give them a heads up."

While Morgan was dialing Reid added, "Our un-sub is definitely local. He has a two hour time slot one day of each month to watch and wait for his next victim."

At the station Hotch and JJ were sorting through old cases trying to make connections with the assistance of Garcia. The news they just received from Reid and Morgan, and from what they already deduced, all the abductions were related. They had gone unnoticed for so long because the abductions were so far apart.

JJ was pinning a picture of a three year old, whose body was found over a year ago. "This guy has one heck of a cooling off period. The time between abductions is so long how will we be able to find him?"

Hotch looked up at her, "We have to find him before we find Hannah." Still looking at JJ Hotch had noticed she was acting differently than normal, and asked, "Is there anything bothering you?"

JJ scratches her head then grabs another picture contemplating on telling him what was really bothering her.

"JJ?"

"It's about Emily well about you and Emily."

"What is it?"

"Just forget it; it's not my place to say."

"JJ this team is a family, and if there is something bothering you don't hesitate to tell someone, even if it is about other members of this team including me."

"Well Sir it's not just me it's the whole team. We can see the connection between you and Emily and we don't want you to feel as if you have to hide it. If anything we would be happy for you both. Like you said were family and…" JJ looks down. "I've said too much."

Hotch smiled, "I needed to hear that. It's comforting to know that everyone cares so much." Hotch looks back down to his case file.

"Hotch?"

He looks up at JJ, "Yes?"

"Is Emily going to be okay?"

"In time I believe she will be."

JJ smiled and went back to the task of hanging up case photos on the bulletin board.

Let me know what you think? Please Review! I hope you liked it! Part 2 will be posted soon!