. What We do for family
"Uncle Aaron?"
Kai's tear filled voice sent icy chills down Hotch's spine. He grabbed his keys and coat and headed for the garage. He said, "Yeah, Kai, what's wrong? Where's your grandpa?"
"He's sleeping and I can't wake him up. I called 911 like Grampa said, but nobody's here yet and Grampa always says to call you if something really bad happens"
"You did great Kai, where's Aunt Jennifer?" His phone pinged as Garcia sent him a text. He ignored it.
Kai said, "Kayner said she and Henry had to go with him. I think Grandpa tried to stop him."
The name was a blow.
Hotch's phone pinged again, but he had no attention to spare for it. The conversation with Kai had become all encompassing.
"How long ago did they leave Kai?"
" They just left. There's no one else here, Uncle Aaron, except Grandpa and he's asleep."
"Stay there, I'm on my way, Kai, I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay with your grandpa. If the police get there first, tell them I'm on my way."
With great reluctance, Hotch disconnected the call and looked at the text. Garcia had been eavesdropping on dispatch again and the text was a frantic request for his status, and if he was okay would he find out what was going on. He called her as he got in his car.
Garcia answered after a single ring, relief saturating her tone. "Oh, sir! You're okay! I checked on Reid and he's fine and headed to Rossi's house. But I can't get JJ or Rossi. Are they with you? Both phones keeps sending me to voicemail."
"Rossi's been injured, that's who the medics are on their way to. Pull up the file on John Kayner. We got him for those hypothermia murders last year. Preliminary information says he's our attacker and he may have kidnapped JJ and Henry. Then find out what hospital they're taking Rossi to and call me when he's able to tell you what happened."
###
The ambulance was pulling away as Hotch arrived. He sought the officer in charge, a Detective Gregory.
Gregory said, "Agent Rossi was grazed by a bullet on his left hip and was pistol whipped. They're taking him to St. Mary's. One boy is in the second guest room with a uniform, packing a bag. We're setting up roadblocks and Kayner's face will be all over the news by dinner time. Boy said he wants to stay with you."
"That's fine. Agent Rossi is his grandfather. We work together, and trust me, you don't want to be within reach if he finds out Kai went to Social Services."
"Above my paygrade." Gregory agreed and gestured toward the house. "He'll be glad to see you. From what we could get, Kayner assaulted both Agent Rossi and Agent Jareau, but we only found Agent Rossi when we arrived. Jareau and the other boy are gone."
Hotch thanked him and went to see Kai.
###
"Uncle Aaron!" Kai jumped to his feet and ran to Hotch, grabbing his knees in a fierce bear hug. Hotch nodded his thanks to the uniform and picked the boy up,
"Hey there. How's my hero of the hour?"
"Is Henry okay? And Aunt Jenny?."
"That's why I'm here. I need your help to find them." He set the boy on his bed and knelt in front of him as the sound of another car arriving reached him
"In here Reid!" Hotch yelled over his shoulder before returning his attention to Kai. "Kai, I want you to play a game with me. You up for that?"
"Don't want to play. Want Henry back. We didn't get to swim in Grampa's pool yet. Is Grampa awake yet?"
"This game is going to help me find Henry and Aunt Jenny. Your Grampa is going to get help from really good doctors. Aunt Penelope will call me when he wakes up, and I'll tell you. Okay?"
"Okay." Kai's tone was less than enthusiastic.
When Reid came in, Hotch said, "Walk the scene. I'll get set up at the local police station and see if I can get ahold of Will and Joy We can meet at the station and go over what we find."
"Will do. Any word?"
"JJ and Henry left with the Unsub. Locals think it was John Kayner." Reid sucked in a horrified gasp, remembering JJ's struggle with PTSD during that case. It wasn't an anniversary this time, but the association would still be there. Hotch said, " Rossi is on his way to the hospital. Garcia will keep an eye on him and let us know."
Reid nodded and headed back toward the front of the house. Hotch turned back to Kai.
"Okay kiddo, I want you to close your eyes and pretend you're watching a movie of what happened before Henry and his mother left.. Remember, it's just a movie. Nothing that happens in it can hurt you, okay? Start before you knew anything was wrong. What were you doing?"
"Playing checkers with Henry. I won the first game and Henry wanted a snack, so he went downstairs. Then I heard him yell for Aunt Jenny. She started yelling at Kayner, She'd been making sandwiches in the kitchen. Grampa got up fast and said stay here and call 911. He gave me his phone." The boy reached into a pocket and pulled out Rossi's phone. "He ran downstairs and there was more yelling and things dropping and a gun went off. "
"What happened then?" Hotch asked.
Kai told him.
###
Thuds and indistinct cries sounded from beyond the closed door. A gunshot rang out and Kai started with fear and froze in place. Only the sound of a door slamming broke his panic. He crept to the edge of the stairs and looked down
Grampa sat at the base of the stairs, leaning against the railing with his chin resting on his chest. There was a cut on the side of his head and a fist sized red spot.
Mudge lay in his lap, occasionally looking up and licking Grampa's face.
"Grampa?" Kai called. Grampa moaned quietly. Mudge glanced at him and whined. Kai slithered down the steps to crouch beside Grampa, whose eyes were closed A small hole near the pocket of his pants was rimmed with a damp stain in the surrounding cloth.. Outside, a car engine roared to life. Despite his growing panic, Kai remembered Grampa's orders. Kai patted Grampa's shoulder, and said, "Grampa? Grampa I'm calling 911, just like you said. I'm gonna call Uncle Aaron too. You always said to call Uncle Aaron if something bad happened. I'm calling, see?" He held up the phone and dialed, but Grampa didn't react. "Wake up!" When patting didn't work, Kai tried shaking, but Mudge didn't like that, and kept getting in the way.. The sound of the car engine faded and disappeared and aside from another moan, Grampa remained stubbornly asleep. Kai put the phone to his ear and listened for an answer.
"911 what is your emergency?"
Kai told her.
###
How did this happen? Penelope Garcia settled in the hospital room's chair and pulled out her laptop. You don't have time for that one. You have to find JJ and Henry. But the thought of her Godson in the hands of a real life Mr. Freeze had her wanting to curl into a ball and cry. But JJ is with him. She'll keep him safe. We just have to find her and help her. The sight of an unconscious Rossi disturbed and distracted her as well. He's a campaigner. He's seen almost everything. This sort of thing doesn't happen to him. In her heart, Penelope knew it could happen to any member of the team. Rossi had been poisoned once, but that had been by a rogue agent, not some crazy psycho with a fire extinguisher fetish..
Reid seemed to attract trouble. Hotch courted it more often than she cared to think about. Her Baby Boy had driven her crazy on a regular basis with his heroics. Which is the other reason I'm glad he decided to leave. The only ones he has to be a hero for now are Savanna and Hank. Emily had been almost as bad, before she left. Now JJ might not come back. None of that! Penelope told herself sharply. We'll get her back. Her and Henry both. With Rossi down? Her inner demon taunted. Rossi? How can he be down? He's smart. He's the Old Wolf!
Her screen pinged as Kayner's file came up. She sent every address in the file to Hotch and Reid and then set about digging for more clues. Hotch called her moments after receiving the list.
"How is he?" Hotch asked.
"Still out, Sir.. The bullet wound was minor, He'll be on his feet in a couple of days. The doctor said he could wake up anytime, but concussions are unpredictable beasties, especially ones as nasty as the one our descendant of senators and gladiators incurred."
"Let him know we've got eyes on every address you sent. Nothing yet, so keep digging."
"Yes sir, all the way to China, if I have to."
###
The headache was pounding like fury. What the hell did I drink? David Rossi wondered. This doesn't feel like scotch. It feels like the results of my last bar fight. Fight! He'd been in a fight! Memory returned and panic surged. Where were Kai and Henry? Was JJ okay? Rossi opened his eyes and started to sit up. He caught a glimpse of Penelope Garcia before his head threatened to explode and his stomach churned. Firm, gentle hands encouraged him to not make a second attempt.
He groaned as the scent of hospital disinfectant and the beeping of a heart monitor made its way past the pain and into the forefront of his awareness.
Garcia said, "Agent Rossi? Sir, You shouldn't sit up, the doctor said your head is dented, but good."
"Where're Henry and Kai? Is JJ alright? What about Mudge? His dog had growled at Kayner, but Rossi couldn't remember what happened after Kayner came at him with the raised pistol.
"Mudge is fine. Your vet has promised to take very good care of him for as long as necessary. Kai's fine. He's with Hotch. They're on their way to Jessica's. He's going to stay with her or Hotch until his parents can come get him. Hotch said to tell you Kayner is America's most wanted at the moment. His face is on every cop's computer and most of the televisions in the country.
"Kayner has them! I saw them leave." Rossi tried to sit up again and this time his hip joined the chorus of complainers. "Find a doc and get me out of here." They were visiting me, at my house. There shouldn't be anywhere safer!
Penelope pushed him back again. "Please don't do that sir, it's really a bad idea. We don't know Kayner has them, but it's the mostly likely possibility at the moment," Garcia said and offered him painkillers and a cup of water. When he finished the water, she took the cup back and set it aside. She tapped her phone several times before setting it on the tray table over his bed, a timer indicating his words would be recorded. "What happed at the house sir? What do you remember?"
"I know Kayner took them." Rossi repeated as he rubbed the side of his head gingerly and wrangled his memories into a semblance of coherence.
"He does have them. He's using Henry to control JJ. I saw him doing it, and I couldn't do anything about it! One minute I was watching Kai and Henry play checkers. Henry wanted a snack and went downstairs. The next, Henry is screaming for his mom and JJ is shrieking Henry's name and threatening mayhem if he isn't released immediately."
"What happened then?" Penelope asked.
Rossi told her.
###
"I'm hungry." Henry announced, getting to his feet. "I'm going to see if Mom's done with lunch. You guys want anything?"
Rossi shook his head and smiled in thanks. Kai shook his head and began putting the checkers set away. "I want to swim before lunch." Kai announced, but he hadn't done more than find his swim trunks when Henry's yell of "Let me go!" was followed by a frantic cry for his mother. The sound of dropped cookware was followed by JJ screaming his name followed by Kayner's. Rossi scrambled to his feet and tossed his phone to Kai, saying, "Call 911 and give them the address here. You remember it?"
Kai nodded and Rossi added, "Tell them someone has broken into the house." Rossi slipped out of the room and closed the door. He crept to his room, pulled his gun out of the safe and loaded it. He inched toward the stairs, but there was no view of the kitchen from there. JJ's voice washed away the silence. She was in control of herself again, or least of her voice as she said, "Let him go, Kayner. We can talk about this. Take a minute. No reason to do anything irrevocable."
Kayner's voice was gloating and spiteful as he said, "Irrevocable? I'll give you irrevocable!" The sound of the gunshot startled Rossi so badly that he almost fell the rest of the way down the stairs. He caught himself on the handrail and darted to the kitchen entryway.
Kayner stood in the back doorway. One hand maintained a crushing grip on Henry's upper arm. The other held a gun pointed at Henry's head. JJ crouched behind one of the kitchen counters, gun in hand, her face a mask of fear, icy anger and determination. Kayner said, "we're not going to talk. We're going to get in your car and you're going to drive where I tell you to."
Rossi recognized the opportunity. He could shoot Kayner now, in cold blood. It would probably be considered a good shoot. Kayner had fired at JJ, he was clearly a lethal threat. He should take the shot. Only one thing stopped him.
I'm not that good a shot anymore. I don't know that I'll kill him. I might just wound him. If that happens, he'll probably kill Henry. I might even miss and hit Henry myself. Neither of the last two were likely, but they could happen. He couldn't risk it. Not with Henry.
So Rossi didn't shoot. He said, "Not going to happen." Kayner's gaze snapped to him, saw Rossi's gun and reacted.
JJ screamed Henry's name and darted toward Kayner, only to stop short as his aim shifted back to Henry's skull. Kayner's bullet slammed into Rossi's hip, sending him to the floor in front of the stair's handrail. Mudge, already poised and anxious after all the noise, darted off the couch and planted himself in Rossi's lap, sending fresh lances of agony though his injured hip. As he struggled to get Mudge to back off, Rossi was glad Mudge was trained to freeze at the sound of gunfire, but wished the dog would remember that he was supposed to wait for a release command to move.
"Get in the car and drive up to the front door." Kayner's voice carried from the kitchen. "If you're not there when I show up, the boy dies. Go."
By the time Rossi got Mudge to move, JJ had hurried past him, her gaze holding both a worried inquiry to his condition and a frantic plea that he find the answer to saving Henry. Kayner followed. He retrieved Rossi's gun from where it had fallen near the kitchen doorway. Mudge growled as he approached Rossi, who put a calming hand on the dog's back.
"She has a lesson to learn. So does the boy" Kayner started to turn away, then his gun hand whipped out and back and before Rossi could block the blow, the pistol's grip connected with the side of Rossi's head, sending him into oblivion.
###
"John, you need to let him go." JJ insisted as she drove. John Kayner had appeared as if out of her nightmares, snatching Henry as he paused to glance out the door at something that had captured his attention. Now Kayner sat in the back seat, Henry beside him with his hands tied behind him. "He's a child, he has nothing to do with what I did to you. Your issue—"
"He has everything to do with it." John Kayner gloated shifting his aim and the muzzle of his gun came to rest against her son's blond hair. "Shut up and turn at the next right."
This road was a dirt track, full of rocks and potholes. Their progress slowed to a crawl as JJ maneuvered to avoid the worst of the bumps and protect the car's undercarriage. They followed it for more than an hour, until it dead ended at a trail head.
"Stop. We get out here." Kayner opened the passenger side door and pushed Henry out before getting out himself. "Get out and start walking." He ordered, gesturing toward the trail that led into thick forest. As darkness fell, they came to a small cottage.
Kayner dug a key out his pocket and tossed it to JJ, He said, "Open it and no funny stuff. He shook Henry's shoulder meaningfully. She unlocked the door and went inside. Kayner followed with Henry. Her son looked at her with more concern than fear. His bravery, and the need for it, hurt almost as much as the fact that she had not protected him from this.
Kayner pointed toward a staircase near the back wall. He said, "Down the stairs and to the end of the hall. You might recognize the set-up, although I've made a few improvements. Move. I get nervous, your boy gets dead. Understand?" She nodded and went down the stairs. The temperature dropped noticeably as she descended.
At the end of the hall was a room with fog leaking out from behind a reinforced metal door. The large thermostat showed a gage designed to register extreme low temperature, rather than high ones. She remembered Carl Mason, trapped in a room like this one and seized her fear in an iron grip to hide it from Kayner.
I'm out of time. If I go in there, Henry and I are both dead.
She stood, waiting for Kayner's touch, desperate to not telegraph her intentions.
His hand landed on her shoulder and she reacted, grabbing, twisting, and shouting simultaneously.
"Henry, Run!"
As if they had rehearsed it, Henry yanked himself loose from Kayner's grip and ran; up the stairs and, hopefully, out the door. He was out of sight before Kayner recovered, pulled out of her grip, and lashed out with the butt of his pistol's handgrip. He connected with JJ's cheek bone and triggered a flashback to her time with Ascari.
Kayner used that moment to deliver another blow, this one to the back of her head and by the time she woke up she was too cold to do anything but engage in confused and anguished hope. Forcing her eyes open revealed that Henry did not share her prison.
He got away! He's safe! We had The Talk. He'll find help. He'll tell Rossi about this place. Rossi knows who Kayner is. He'll call Hotch. They'll find me. I just have to stay alive until they do.
She didn't think about how long it might take Henry to find help, How finding help in the darkness outside would be a challenge for an adult, never mind a ten year old boy. They'd driven and walked for a long time. She wasn't sure how far from help they were. She struggled to not think about how she was shivering less and less often; or how unresponsive her muscles had become, or that she didn't feel as cold as she should. She held to a single thought.
They will find me.
###
Henry ran until he fell, his mother's last command ringing in his ears. Run! She'd given that command before, years ago. Given it after the strange, dark haired lady had taken him away from a play date. He hadn't run far enough that time and the dark haired woman had found him and come so close to doing something terrible.
Mom had just given him The Talk. She'd interrupted his post birthday enjoyment of his presents to give it. An hour long lecture that covered How bad guys thought, What they wanted, How to be safe and stay safe, and What to do when he wasn't safe.
This time, I'll run far enough. I'll get help. I'll help mom. But first he had to gain enough distance and time to get his hands free.
Once down, he rolled to his right and into the trees and brush that lined the road. Hoping the darkness and the foliage hid him, he lay still and tried to quiet his breathing while he tested his bonds. He listened. Stretching his ears for any trace of John Kayner's footsteps. Minutes passed before he heard the heavy tread of hiking boots and a flashlight beam played over the trees on the other side of the road.
Henry froze, not daring to move, unable to think of anything beyond a realization that his fall and tumble had probably left a glaring neon sign indicating where he was.
If it had, Kayner didn't see it. he moved a short distance past Henry's hiding place and then turned back toward the cabin, muttering under his breath as he did so. When the sound of his footsteps faded away, Henry shifted and squirmed until he'd worked his hands under his rear and around his knees to where he could reach the knots of the ropes holding his wrists with his teeth. By the time he'd freed his hands, he had his breath back and Kayner hadn't returned. Henry made his way back to the road and headed toward the highway as fast as the darkened trail permitted. His mind filled with a single thought.
Mom's counting on me.
###
"Found it" Penelope Garcia's voice rang as she hit the speed dial for Hotch's phone. He answered on the first ring.
"What have you got?" He demanded.
"A remote location near where Kayner and his parents ran into trouble. Paper trail says it's a small cabin that belongs to the family of one of Kayner's childhood friends, The property has undergone recent renovation to provide higher electrical capacity and a recent shipment of—" her tone plunged from excitement to panic laced horror as she forced out the last words. "—refrigeration coolant. It was all paid for with cash. The only paper trail are the permits, and they're in George's name, but… George Shaw lives in Europe, and both of his parents are dead."
"Address?"
"In your phone."
"Good work. Let Will know we'll pick him up at the station. Then alert local medics, P.D and S.W.A.T. Tell them we need full support, but let them know it's a potential hostage situation. We're taking point and will meet them at the station as well. They can follow us to the location. We're on our way."
"Done and done."
###
David Rossi hauled himself upright, pleased when his head only throbbed, rather than threatening to explode. A determined swallow kept his lunch in his stomach. He disconnected the vital monitors and reached for the crutches leaning against the bed's headboard, doing his best to ignore the pain and nausea doing so caused..
"What are you doing?" Penelope asked, after a hasty farewell to the local S.W.A.T commander.
"We're joining Hotch." Rossi's tone left very little room for argument, but Penelope took every inch and let fly.
"No, we're not. How many pain pills did you take? We're staying here and letting your head and hip heal."
"You should know, you gave them to me." He took a deep breath and dredged up enough energy to keep himself upright, saying, "Fine. I'm joining Hotch. You'll probably be of more help as communication hub." He went to the small closet and retrieved his clothes.
"Sir, you can't help them in the field. The doctors won't let you."
"Won't be the first time I've gone against medical advice."
Displaying a stubbornness and impatience usually reserved for difficult internet searches, Garcia darted in front of him and blocked his access to the bathroom. "Sir! Getting yourself killed won't help JJ or Henry. You need to relax and let Sir Hotch and Boy Genius take this one."
Do not fall down. Rossi ordered his body firmly. Penelope saw the trembling and shoved the chair she'd been using behind him and got him into it with the lightest of nudges.
"Who are you and what'd you do with David Rossi?" She demanded.
"What?"
"The David Rossi I know would not even consider idiocy on this scale."
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do Kitten." He tried not to growl. Penelope was right, he knew it, even if he didn't want to admit it. Hurt and anger flashed and he half expected tears, or at least sniffles. What he got was the same glare his first wife used to give him when he abandoned her for a case.
"This is not your fault, sir. You had no reason to suspect Kayner was anywhere but prison or a halfway house somewhere. No one blames you. Not Hotch, not Reid, and not me. Certainly not JJ. If anyone is getting blamed it's Kayner."
Rossi dropped his eyes, recognizing the speech as a variation of one he'd given several times. He couldn't stop the murmured comment that was for his own conscience, more than anyone else. "He walked right by me! He rendered me useless with one blow. One! It was my house. There should be no place safer!"
"Litterbox leavings!" Garcia replied. You're FBI, not King of the World. JJ is FBI, not some shrinking damsel. This was…badness, just badness. That's all."
"I'm getting too old for this. I can't even keep my friend's kid safe." Rossi protested.
"Kayner surprised and out witted all of us. It happens. You'll get your chance to get even. But now's not the time. You are benched, slugger."
Something in his expression brought a softening in her manner. She didn't relent, but she did say, "I'll have Reid send us pictures. Okay? You and JJ can share hospital gown horror stories."
That startled a chuckle out of him and he gave in and got back into the bed, determined to endure the headache without complaint. Penelope saw through that as well, and returned from the nurse's station with painkillers and a cup of water.
###
A slap to the face roused JJ enough to hear Kayner's curt command to wake up. She wasn't cold anymore. Part of her knew that was bad, she remembered Spencer talking about how hypothermia was a relatively pleasant way to die. Most of her didn't care. Except for the hard metal floor, she was comfortable and tired enough to be ready for a nap.
"I got your boy." Kayner said. "You hear me agent? I got Henry. He's locked in the bedroom. He's going to learn all the lessons I did. I'm going to teach him what a mother's love can do. How a lack of it can make you want to give up. How that lack can turn you against the rest of your family. I'm going to show him how strong he can be. You're going to be central to it. Once you're gone, you'll be part of his final lesson. The final test of his will to survive. You're going to nourish him one last time.
Kayner's meaning took several minutes to reach her cold-slowed brain. When it did, JJ's heart seemed to stutter, as if trying to remember how to beat more quickly. She tried to protest, but what escaped her throat could not be called words.
More of a moan. Death's herald. I am come.
"I wanted you to know, before you die." Kayner murmured, his voice growing softer, and his tone full of irony and sarcasm as he backed away. "You'll be a provider to the end. A good mother." The sound of the freezer door opening and closing sent emotional pain clamping down on her soul.
No. I won't go! I won't. She listened and searched for the feel of her own heartbeat. Keep beating. She ordered. Beat. Beat. Beat. The measured pattern of her own heartbeat became the center of the universe. It had to keep beating, as long as it did, Henry was safe.
She had to keep Henry safe. Beat. She was his mother. Beat. That was her job. Beat.
###
Henry La Montaigne watched the sky brighten and stumbled onto the main road. He'd walked all night. Now he was exhausted, hungry, and unbearably thirsty.
And it's still miles and miles to the highway. He looked and listened in vain for a car, but the only sounds were birdsong and wind moving through the trees. His legs trembled as he forced them to keep moving. Mom's counting on you. You have to keep moving.
The only sense of time lay in the light levels and the eventual appearance of the sun between the trees to his left. Putting one foot in front of the other became the purpose of his existence. His focus narrowed to that single task to the point that the black suv had to screech to a halt, honk, and flash it's lights before he realized it was there. What that meant didn't occur to him until his dad swept him into a hug.
"Help Mama." He choked out, gesturing in the direction of the trail head. Spencer appeared with a bottle of water, opened it, and handed it to Henry. Henry took a healthy swig of water as his Godfather asked,
"What is the house like Henry? How many rooms? Where is he keeping your mom?"
"I only saw two rooms. The main one, with stairs at the back, and the freezer in the basement. He was gonna put us both in the freezer, but Mama—Mama went after him so I—I could get away." He felt tears in his eyes. Dad hugged him again.
"You did great Boy-o. I'm so proud of you! Mama will be too!"
"Did you see a back door or window into the basement?" Spencer asked. "Did Kayner have help?"
"No. Just a hallway and the freezer."
"Okay. Good Job. We're going to go get her right now. I'll see you soon. " Spencer's lips brushed the top of Henry's head before his Godfather darted back to the Suv, which roared to life and sped past them up the road. A S.W.A.T truck and three police cars followed. The ambulance and the remaining police car pulled to the side of the road.
Henry took another pull at the water bottle.
"Little sips, little man. You don't want to make yourself sick." Dad warned as he carried Henry to the waiting ambulance and sat on the rig's bench, still cradling Henry as medics checked him over.
When the medics confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the child that food, water, and sleep wouldn't cure, Will turned his son so they faced each other and said, "I gotta go get your Mama. I thought you could go help your Godmother look after Uncle Dave. You up for that?" When Henry hesitated, Will said, "If you ask nicely, the officers might let you run the siren. Sound like a deal?"
When he had Henry's reluctant agreement, he let the local cops take the boy to Penelope. Once they were moving, he climbed into the ambulance and said, "Let's go."
###
Spencer followed Hotch up the steps and onto the porch, crouching silently as Hotch checked the door. It opened without protest and they entered, followed by S.W.A.T, whose members split off to check other rooms while he and Hotch moved to the stairs. There was no sign of Kayner, and there were no sounds indicating Kayner had been found by S.W.A.T.
He followed Hotch down the stairs and down the hallway to the freezer. The door's lock was blessedly simple and Hotch yanked the door open to reveal JJ lying on the floor, the blue of severe hypothermia tinting her skin. Tiny ice crystals clung to her lips, nose and eyebrows.
Don't let her be gone. Let us have gotten here in time! Spencer holstered his gun and darted past Hotch. "I need blankets! Get the medics in here!" Spencer picked JJ up and carried her upstairs as he tried to wake her, so focused that it was whole minutes before he remembered to wonder where Kayner was.
###
"JJ!" Beat. She recognized Spencer's voice and felt her heart stutter again. It's beats were slower now, and she wondered how much longer she could force them to continue. Don't think that way! Beat. It will work as long as you do. Beat.
"JJ! Wake up!" Beat. Someone was moving her, picking her up and carrying her. Warmth erupted around her, Too much warmth. She shifted, trying to escape, but someone held her secure. "You're safe, JJ. We've got you. Henry's okay. Come on, open your eyes!"
Henry? Beat. Henry is safe? Beat.
"In here!" Hotch's voice roared with command. Beat. Beat.
"JJ?" Will? Beat. Beat. How did Will get here? Beat. Beat Beat. Hands rested against her cheeks, as warm as the room and becoming welcome as the first hint of chill returned. A hand gripped her wrist and pushed back her shirt sleeve.
"JJ! Mon Cher, wake up love." The prick of a needle and the sensation of something warm being injected brought back memories of her kidnapping and torture.
She tried to pull away, tried to escape whoever was holding her, but it was useless. The grip tightened and Will's hand squeezed hers. "You're okay, love. You're safe! Relax, we're just trying to get you thawed out."
She was shifted and the scent of Will's aftershave enveloped her as whoever had been holding her released her into Will's grip. Blankets enveloped she and Will and the resulting warmth ate away at the ice that had become her core.
"H—Hen—Henry?" She forced the word out of a throat that wasn't ready to work yet.
"He's fine. He told us where to find you and I had LEOs take him to Garcia and Rossi."
God, they found me! Beat. Beat. Beat. Her heart speeded up steadily as warmth spread through her and tears of relief leaked from beneath her eyelids. She'd done it. They were safe and Kayner would never threaten her son again. As soon as she could, she would make very sure of that.
That thought allowed her to relax into Will's embrace and fall asleep as he put her on a gurney and the medics loaded her into the ambulance.
###
"Mommy!" Henry's smile soothed the driving need to destroy John Kayner and allowed JJ to enjoy, for the most part, her reunion with her BAU family.
At least for a moment or two. She embraced Henry and wallowed in the gratitude for his safety that bubbled in her soul. Will released the grip on her arm that had gotten her here and moved to lean against the wall near Rossi's bed.
"I love you, baby. You're my hero." She murmured into his hair. She held him until he squirmed with a child's impatience at restraint of any kind.
JJ released him and Spencer moved in Henry's wake, pulling her into a bear hug.
"Welcome back!" His two words held boundless relief and joy at her recovery. One by one, the rest of the team offered similar sentiments, passing her slowly around the room, until she stood opposite Will, on the other side of Rossi's bed. Kai moved from his place at his Grandfather's un injured hip and offered her a hug before joining Henry in the adjacent room, where a child sized table had been set up with paper, crayons, and colored markers. Penelope and Spencer followed them. Hotch managed to herd Will, Joy, and her husband, Sean, after them, leaving JJ and Rossi alone.
"Ice crystals don't suit you." Rossi began with an ironic smile. She forced herself to meet his eyes, expecting lingering anger and hoping for the first hints of forgiveness. What she found was a reflection of her own guilt and regret.
"Hospital décor doesn't work for you. You should avoid places like this." JJ replied.
A long moment of mutual poker faces and Rossi sighed.
"Penelope said you wouldn't blame me, but JJ, I'm sorry, I had an opportunity to take him out and I didn't. There should have been no place safer for Henry and Kai. I should have been able to stop Kayner. I never—I should have improved security ages ago, but I'm not used to having kids here, I didn't think—""
She stared at him, floored that he should feel guilty.
"Rossi—! You don't—I'm the one who's sorry. Kayner was after me! He wouldn't have been there. You wouldn't have the knock on the head or the powder burns to your hip."
A chuckle escaped Rossi and he said, "I owe Garcia. She told me I was being an idiot."
"She told me the same thing. I guess she's smarter than both of us." JJ sat down again, relief stealing what little energy she'd recovered. "You hear anything about Kayner? We get him?"
"No. He disappeared into the trees. Dogs tracked him to the nearest waterway, but haven't found where he came out yet."
"Penelope find anything new?"
"Not that she's admitted to."
They were both quiet for a time. JJ considered what it would take for Penelope to tell her of any new leads first. Rossi considered which of his old army buddies would be willing to convince a Ranger cadet to give Rossi a hand with some light tracking work.
"Grampa! Look what I did!" Kai barreled into the room, a sheet of paper filled with brilliant colors and partially hidden designs clutched in one hand.
"What's that?" Rossi asked, as Kai bounced onto the bed, handed Rossi the paper, and settled back against Rossi's un- injured hip. Rossi's eyes met JJ's and a silent acknowledgement blossomed between them. An identical thought played through both their minds.
Kayner will pay. I don't know how yet, but we will find him and he will never threaten a child again. Never.