Jennifer Jareau stood next to her husband, William Lamontagne as they stood doing last minute fixes to their appearances in the huge hotel mirror. JJ looked down at her fitted skimming-the-knees strapless red dress, then over at Will, who was looking oh so very handsome in his black suit, which he paired with a crisp white button down and a red tie that matched JJ's dress. They exchanged excited glances, took one another's hand, shared a quick kiss, and left. When they got down to the lobby, where all the agents had agreed to meet, Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia were already standing there, arms linked. Morgan looked good as usual in a black tux, while Garcia looked gorgeous in a pink knee-length dress and a black shrug she'd pulled over it. They complimented one another and chatted about how anxious they were to get going. They were headed to the annual FBI awards gala, and this was the first year the BAU was invited. The agents were allowed to bring up to two guests, so JJ had brought Will, and Hotch had brought his girlfriend, Beth. They waited patiently in the lobby as the rest of the agents came down. Each one looked beautiful and handsome in his or her own way, and they complimented each other as they looked at one another in deep admiration. They all exchanged last minute nervous smiles, then headed out.
Despite the fact that it was February, the Los Angeles air was fairly warm and comforting, making it easy for the girls to be comfortable in their dresses. They all piled into a big limousine, and took off for the gala. When they got there, they stepped into a large room with a small stage, marble floors, crystal chandeliers, high ceilings, and round tables with white tablecloths, leather seats, and candles. They showed their invitations to the security guards, and stepped into the space. JJ took in the atmosphere, which was friendly with chatting agents from all around the country. The agents got escorted to a table at the front of the room to the left of the stage. JJ sandwiched herself between Will and Blake, and looked around once more in awe of the beauty of the room. She squeezed Will's arm, and he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and a squeeze back. They fell into a chorus of light, fun chatter. They were brought glasses of water and champagne, and as she drank her water, JJ fell into laughter and deep smiles. She had to tell the team something, and just as Hotch noticed her untouched champagne, they were interrupted by a deep voice into a microphone. A tall, broad shouldered man in an expensive tuxedo stood on stage at a podium. He cleared his throat, and said, "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the annual FBI Awards Gala here in Los Angeles. We've invited the best agents and their families tonight, as we recognize each one of you for your outstanding work. First, we'd like to recognize the newest department to join us, the Behavioral Analysis Unit, led by Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner and section chief Mateo Cruz!" Applause sounded, and a light shone on the BAU's table. The announcer fell into a speech, and JJ zoned out. She thought about her announcement, how not even Will knew, and how she would tell the team.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a series of loud BANGS. She saw everyone around her go to the ground, and she instinctively followed them. When she was under the table, she looked around at her teammates, who looked a mixture of confused and scared. They hadn't brought their weapons as was instructed, so they simply waited. JJ saw the announcer go down, blood pooling around his body, then a tall, tan-skinned man with a gun in his hand faced the room. He yelled, "I only want the BAU, where are they?" No one moved, he looked around, and continued, "If you don't show yourselves I will kill every person in this room." Hotch looked at the team, nodded, and slowly stood up, Rossi, Blake, Reid, Cruz, Morgan, Garcia, and JJ following his lead. They stood up straight with their hands up, and Hotch looked the man in the eyes, "Here we are, now, please, what do you want?" The man looked each of them up and down, and said, "I want you to slowly, calmly, and quietly walk outside, you make one wrong move, I shoot, clear?" They all nodded, and started to leave. JJ looked down at Will, smiled, and mouthed, "I'm pregnant. I love you."