FOUND

Chapter One

Take a Breath

On the morning that Pip's life ends, it takes a while for her to wake. Small snippets of the world around her come drifting into her consciousness. First, there's her cheek pressed into her soft pillow, then the tickle of hair against her lips and nose. Though her eyelids are still closed Pip realises that it's bright already. She can't quite remember the last time the children let her sleep in past seven, normally she wakes to squirming, giggling three year olds long before the sun has properly risen. Still, the twins are getting older now and perhaps that means Pip can look forward to more sleep-ins.

She steadfastly refuses to open her eyes just yet, trying to preserve the feeling of a nice restful sleep. As her sluggish mind continues to wake up Pip listens to a flap flap flap sound and wonders what it could be. The new noise is enough to prompt Pip to wiggle up higher on her pillow and open her eyes. "Seven thirty," she mutters to herself, rather confused. It isn't too rare for one of her children to sleep in, but both of them at the same time is an absolute anomaly.

Pip sweeps dark blonde hair away from her face and calls out, in the odd chance that the twins are awake, "Liam, Bridie, where are my early morning snuggles?" There's no reply.

She listens intently for the pitter patter of feet down the hallway, but they don't come. With a dissatisfied sigh Pip steps out of bed, fully intending to find out what mischievous thing her children are doing. As she nears the nursery the flap flap flap grows louder, more defined, and her steps quicken until she stands stiffly in the doorway.

The sight before her sends a chill up her spine which spreads to the rest of her body. I closed the window, she thinks to herself, I always leave it locked. Those reassurances don't help her because she can see the ends of the brightly coloured curtains fluttering out of the open window. Her lungs constrict as she looks at two empty beds and she has to fight past the dizziness of panic.

"Liam? Bridget?" Pip whimpers, "babies?" After a few moments of silence Liam's sweet blonde head quickly emerges from underneath his bed, he's holding his favourite stuffed toy. Pip's hands unclench at her sides and she finds herself able to breathe again. "Liam, you had me so worried!" Pip exclaims, clutching at her chest, "where's your sister?"

Liam's small body is dwarfed by the bed behind him. "A man tooked her, Mommy," he says in his tiny voice. Dust clings to his pyjamas and hair and Pip's primary concern (rather than when was the last time I cleaned under the beds) is how long has he been there? Her heart isn't breaking just yet, because she's trying to convince herself that this is a prank on Bridget's behalf. Sometimes her little ray of sunshine mistakenly thinks things are funny when they are not.

Pip reminds herself that Liam isn't a very good liar. She looks for a grin or a smile, anything to indicate that he's joking, but Liam's expression remains solemn. She rushed towards her son and takes his hand in hers, helping him off the ground. "What man? When?" she asks, her voice wavering.

Liam burrows his face into his mother's legs, Pip can feel his warmth pressing against her, seeking comfort. Bridget doesn't jump out of the closet and yell 'surprise' like Pip wills her to. "The man in the window," Liam replies softly, "he taked her away. He told me to hide under the bed." His little shoulders shudder with sobs while he explains and all Pip can do is thread shaky fingers through his curls for a moment, trying to grasp what's happening.

"Come with me and we'll get Papa," Pip tells Liam, keeping her voice even. She hoists him up onto her hip in one fluid movement and he still feels light, even though he's beginning to be all limbs. She moves quickly towards the stairs, trying not to make her sensitive son more upset than he already is.

"Jason?" she calls out when she's on the top landing. Jason inhabits the top storey of the home and Pip has never been more thankful for that than she is at this moment. She doesn't even wait for him to appear from his study, "I just woke up and Bridie's gone. Liam says she's been kidnapped. What are we…" the words catch in her throat and she can't say anything more. Images from time at a park the day before swim around in Pip's head- her little girl stomping over the wooden bridge 'like a billy-goat', rushing down the slide head-first while Pip cries out in protest. "…what do we do?" she finishes weakly.

Jason instructs Pip to call 911 and begins gently probing Liam gently for information. There are fourteen stairs and a hallway to rush down before she reaches the phone in the kitchen. Her fingers are trembling so much that it takes three attempts to dial. "911, please state your emergency," prompts a distant voice.

"My daughter, my baby, she's missing- someone has taken her," she tries to speak properly even though dissolving into sobs is all too appealing, "some time early this morning my son saw a man come into their room through the window and he took my little girl."

She stays on the phone with the dispatcher and answers the questions he shoots at her. He assures her that in the meanwhile a cop car is making its way to her address and that doesn't ease the anxiety as much as it should. At the same time she manages to make Liam's toast and fix some coffee. Pip has always been good at multi-tasking, and keeping herself busy has always been her response to stress.

Liam and Jason appear in the kitchen hand in hand. The boy's face has developed a paleness that would at other times prompt Pip to check his temperature. He's not sick now though, just scared and confused, and every now and then his dark eyes clench tight and squeeze out tears that Jason helps dash away.

"I can hear the sirens now," Pip tells the dispatcher, and they end the call. The shrill sounding of the siren is distant, yet still some streets away. She has only minutes before people start combing through her life, through her house, and she's going to have to relay her story over and over again until Bridget is found.

"Your Mom has breakfast ready and, because it's going to be a topsy-turvy day today, I think you get to eat it on the couch," Jason announces, not pausing to check what Pip thinks about the lethal mix of peanut butter and the lounge room furniture. Liam's quiet scuffing as he moves to the lounge room is so far removed from his normal totter and Bridget's accompanying exuberant trot.

The urge to lie in bed with a child tucked under each arm is so intense that it makes Pip close her eyes and lean against the counter, hoping she can compose herself. She has heard about families who had gone through things like this, she's met them, helped them, but has never entertained the thought that it could happen to her. Statistics present themselves in her head, what is the likelihood of having Bridget returned? What is the likelihood of Bridget being alive? Unharmed? Oh God, what if…

Pip feels Jason's sturdy hands come and rest on her shoulders, "stop thinking," he tells her sternly. Her eyelids flutter open and gaze at his face, one that is wrinkled in concern but otherwise emotionless. "Bridie will be found, but we need to take the appropriate steps. The police will be here soon, the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team will come, and an AMBER alert will be issued," his arms draw her into a hug and Pip lets her rest her head on his shoulder for a few short moments. It's good that he knows what to do, because Pip doesn't.

The guarded contact between them reminds Pip of a different period in her life, long before she had children. The memories were supposed to be hidden, to never be relevant to Pip's life again. "But they'll look and our life here will be placed in jeopardy! I'll be found out and if Peter is still looking…" She's so terrified that she can scarcely whisper about her fears. Her lungs have stopped working and she can't breathe and the world ended approximately seven minutes ago.

"Calm down," Jason hums into her ear, slowly drawing his arms away until they drop down to his sides, "I know that you've been scared for all these years, but we have no choice in the matter. In child abduction it's not just the perpetrator who is profiled- it's the victims, family and family friends. They will confirm that I don't have a niece. They'll question every aspect of your life and discover holes with or without our help."

"I just want her back and I don't want him finding us," Pip mumbles, the tears coming now that she's had some time to process the situation. She tries desperately to be quiet and not disturb Liam in the next room, but she's not sure how much it's working.

The number of the day on Sesame Street must be seventeen because Pip can hear a familiar rap coming from the TV. She's noticing the strangest and most irrelevant details while the air closes in around her. "He'll kill me like he threatened to, or them, or you," she sobs.

Her only friend stares at her, his face set into a reserved expression. "This house will be too full of agents and police for anyone to come near it until Bridie is found, and after that you'll be given all the protection that's due to you. Our concern now isn't Reynolds and who you are, it's Bridget and what we can do to help her," he states with finality.

Pip nods, unable to find words.

"Go check on Liam, I'm going to make some more calls," Jason offers.

. . . . .

It feels like the beginning of a swarm when the two officers knock and Pip knows it was only just starting. Her eyes are red rimmed and they sting terribly. Pip wants this to be a nightmare, even though she knows it it's real. She's still in shock and she wants to scream but there's Liam to consider. "Thank you for coming so quickly," she says with sincerity, although the phrase feels awkward on her tongue, "please come in."

The officers are both male, one of them over six feet tall and the other shorter, lither. Although they have friendly faces, Pip wants competence; people who have knowledge that's equal or superior to Jason's. Otherwise what's the point of opening her home up and being scrutinised? Pip rubs sweaty palms on her clothes and reminds herself not to be guarded. These people are here to help, she tells herself.

"Thank you ma'am, I'm Sergeant Jones and this is Officer Lewis. Would you be able to tell us about your situation?" The shorter of the two men asks, removing his cap and tucking it under his arm. They look so orderly and together and it makes Pip feel self-conscious. She's wearing a navy blue summer dress she carelessly plucked out as the quickest and easiest thing to put on. It doesn't suit the weather, but she hardly thinks that matters.

She can feel their eyes scraping over the house like it's an extension of herself. The beige walls and polished floorboards are uninspiring, but painting was such an effort when they first moved here, and since then she has come to appreciate the neutrality. It's a comfort, even now, so Pip is able to nod dumbly and welcome the officers into her house.

"I woke up at 7:33. Normally the twins come into my bed around six, but not today. So I went to their room and I saw that the window was open, which was strange because it's always shut and locked and-" Pip pauses and runs a hand through her hair in frustration "-sorry, I'm going off topic."

Officer Lewis gives an encouraging smile, "talk about what feels natural. What happened next?"

Pip nods, pursing her lips. Hasn't she always hated being examined like a thing under a microscope? But this will clearly be nothing compared to what is to come. She glances out at the street, hoping the CARD team has arrived so she doesn't have to explain this twice. They haven't. Disheartened, she closes the door and starts to explain again about how she had found Liam and all that he had said to her so far. "I haven't spoken to him about it much," Pip admits, "but Jason has. Jason Gideon, he's ex-FBI and like a grandfather to the kids. He knows better than I do what questions to ask."

"And where is he?" the Sergeant asks.

Wordlessly, Pip leads them to the kids' room. Gideon had taken Liam with him while Pip got dressed. The plan had been to make Liam play out what he had seen. Pip and the officers arrive just in time to watch Jason pat Liam on the shoulder, "you hid really well," he enthuses before gesturing to the doorway, "and look at this! You're to meet lots of new people today, like these nice policemen. How about you go shake their hands and introduce yourself?"

Liam looks up at Jason, then his mother, and finally his gaze fixes on the strangers' black boots as he timidly walks towards them. Lewis presents his hand to the young boy. "Hello, my name's Officer Lewis. What's yours?" he asks.

"I'm Liam," the child replies in the scarcest of whispers. He has never liked strangers and it takes him a long time to acclimatise to new faces. Pip hopes he can cope with today.

She wonders for a moment whether that's the reason he wasn't taken too, because he lacks the instant charm that Bridget possesses. Bridget chats to anyone, smiles at anyone, and always speaks on Liam's behalf. How will it change Liam if his sister is never found? How will the ordeal change Bridget? Pip wrings her hands together anxiously, feeling her heart march its way up into her throat. It's going to suffocate her soon, the feeling of loss, fear, and confusion.

"Let's get you dressed, hey Liam?" Pip says, moving towards the chest of drawers. She has to occupy herself with a task; otherwise she'll be consumed by her worries and won't be of help to anyone. She rifles through the drawers to pick out clothes for the day and presents each contender to Liam, trying to distract him from the quiet conversation going on between the men.

"I worked with the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit for over twenty years and I'm saying you need to raise the AMBER immediately. This is an unknown abductor," Jason states quietly. Pip hears him, even though she tries not to, because she doesn't want to know.

She concentrates on helping Liam pull the orange dinosaur shirt over his head. 'Unknown' and 'abductor' are never a good combination. More violence, more endangerment, less chance of recovery, her memories tell her. Pip holds up Liam's jeans and tries to smile at him, "are you going to do your button today?"

. . . . .

It's just one more week until she can leave Quantico, its finicky agents, and their horrifying reports. After giving the FBI the best years of her life, Erin Strauss has certainly earned the right to spend the rest of her good years in peace with her family. She had hoped her last days as Section Chief Director would be easy, that somehow the universe and its criminals would agree to let Erin drift through the remainder of her employment with ease. In retrospect, those hopes were very foolish.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, we're about to touch down after two weeks in Maine. Most of my agents have plans and to launch straight into a case will lower morale," Aaron Hotchner's voice seems perfectly agreeable and polite, but Strauss knows he is likely beyond irritated.

She taps her fountain pen against the desk, pausing to allow the man a moment to consider himself. She is still Chief Director for five more days and she had expected her more headstrong agents to acknowledge her as their superior until then. "Jason Gideon called the Bureau in an attempt to contact you and he was forwarded to me. He was the one to request your presence, so be sure to inform him of your irritation when you arrive on scene. Your pilot has been told to land at Reagan National and cars will be waiting when you arrive," she states curtly.

"Gideon, ma'am?" Hotchner repeats, as though he has misheard the name.

Erin gives an inaudible sigh, "he is particularly close to the abducted girl. I've directed the Alexandria Police Department to send you information as it becomes available. And, Agent Hotchner, if I hear of any discord I won't hesitate to pull your team from this case."

Erin places the hand piece down without waiting for a reply. Hotchner will undoubtedly have questions and she doesn't have any answers, but it's best for him to go straight to the scene. Cases involving child abduction need to be responded to straight away, she's quite aware of that and so are they. One more week, she reminds herself, you're not going to be around long enough to have to justify this decision.

. . . . .

Hotch sits rigidly against the white leather seat and passes his phone between his hands. He's stuck now with the responsibility of telling the team they have another case, one of which he knows nothing about. Most of his team members are looking at him expectantly, having overheard his side of the conversation. Anderson's soft snores mean that there is at least one exception.

The jet ride back from a case is always so contrary to the journey there. The seating arrangements always change so each person can have their own space to sort out what they've seen throughout the duration of the case. After that thoughts always go towards recreation time. Instead of reading through case files, brainstorming, and looking over evidence, the agents prefer card games and sleep. Now they'll have to regroup and the air of restfulness will evaporate.

"Wake Anderson up, we're landing soon anyway," Hotch says, giving one of his agents a nod. Morgan wastes no time in complying and gives a swift kick to Sleeping Beauty's seat. Anderson bolts upright and Hotch might have even been amused, if only he didn't have a possible dead little girl sitting on his shoulders. "We've got a child abduction case in Alexandria waiting for us when we set down. A three year old girl was taken early this morning and apparently Jason Gideon asked for us. That's all I know," he explains with the slightest of grimaces.

"Gideon?" Reid asks, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Gideon," Hotch nods.

Agent Langley smiles as she ties her black hair back into a bun. "The Jason Gideon who interviewed Dahmer and the Green River Killer?" she asks eagerly. Langley has been on the team for just three months and eager just about sums up her entire persona. At thirty-something she has the energy of a person half her age.

Morgan shakes his head and frowns, his eyes narrowing at the thought that he was going to reunite with the man. "No. The Jason Gideon who up and abandoned our team in '07 with nothing but a note," he responds bitterly.

"They're one in the same," Hotch reminds his agents. As if cases involving children weren't already difficult enough.

A chorus of leathery squeaks fills the cabin as each of the profilers ease back into their seats. "Oh," Langley replies with a frown, "still, those are some good interviews!"

. . . . .

Pip is caught in a paradox; time seems to pass quickly, yet painfully slowly at the same time. Her fingers are tapping quickly on the arrow key as she scrolls through recent photos of Bridget. Lewis asks an endless amount of questions to confirm the likelihood of a family friend being involved and Pip knows he isn't going to get very far with this until he realizes she doesn't have friends, doesn't have family, and doesn't even have a cable guy. "Bridget's father wouldn't have taken her?" he asks at one point.

Pip's dark blonde hair sways as she shakes her head, "no chance. He doesn't even know they exist, no one does. I moved away before I even knew I was pregnant, and I haven't kept in contact with any of my old friends. My family is dead. Car crash." She is soft spoken and sincere, but she can't tell him the whole story, even when she tries to think of it as practice for later.

She continues looking through the photographs, staring forlornly at the screen. Memories prod at her with every image that dances in front of her. Finally, she has a handful of decent photos contained within a single folder. Pip knows she's biased but she completely believes her daughter is beautiful. She's chosen this picture because hopefully Bridget's eyes will speak to anyone who sees it and that one so they can see she is one hundred percent sunshine.

It takes only moments to email the images and description off, which is the first step in getting them circulated. Pip knows the rough history of AMBER alerts 'America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response', adopted by each state to help get the word out about missing children to the public as soon as possible. She has never thought that one would be required for her children, not now, not ever. "How long until it's broadcast?" she asks Officer Lewis nervously.

"As soon as there's a hotline set up," he tells her, "your Jason Gideon is quite insistent."

"Isn't he just?" Pip replies, the first real smile of the day easing its way onto her face. Jason is on the case, and there's no one else in the world more passionate about her babies than Jason Gideon. She is about to discuss more of Jason's idiosyncrasies with the young officer, but the doorbell interrupts her thoughts. Ding dong, there are new people here to inspect your home, ding dong, ding dong, it seems to say.

Pip takes careful, measured steps to the front door, allowing Officer Lewis to follow behind her. She cautiously places her hand on the doorknob and takes a deep breath before swinging it open and peering to see how many new strangers she has to offer cups of coffee (or juice, or water, or any other fake niceties). Three, she counts as soon as she lays eyes upon them, but even as that thought enters her mind, she's staring at the one with the tousled brown hair.

"Hello, Ms. Gardiner, I'm Agent Spencer Reid from the FBI," says the lanky man on her doorstep.

He is all bony elbows, spindly legs, glorious sweater vest, and standing right there in front of her. Pip is rooted to the spot, unable to move or speak, just waiting for him to look up from the badge he's fumbling with. Leave it to Reid to conveniently forget eye contact when introducing himself, she thinks to herself. She tries to recall if he was always so skinny. Maybe, she thinks.

An eternity seems to pass and Reid still only seems to have eyes for his badge. He manages to tuck it into his pocket and Pip wills him to look at her face. Finally, it comes, "Garcia?"

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. There are certainly more to come! Thanks for reading and please consider leaving a review to let me know what you liked, what you didn't, and give me suggestions.