Author's Note: So, basically this story is about Hotch reflecting back to the past year of 2011.
Also: The dream sequence is in italics; present day material is non-italicized.
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters, but that's my New Year's resolution to own it for 2012.
"One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things." ~John Burroughs
Hotch sat in his office at eleven fifty-five on New Year's Eve, looking out the window down to the bullpen, watching his girl and his son interact with each other.
He thought about how bad two-thousand and eleven was a bad year for him and his team, especially for Prentiss, nearly losing her to Ian Doyle. The team had thought they lost her to Doyle, expect for JJ. JJ and he were the only ones, who knew that Prentiss had survived.
Hotch, thought about that night in March.
"Lauren Reynolds is dead." Reid said.
"What?" Hotch asked, as he turned around to look at Reid.
"Prentiss said that seventeen days ago. But her intonation wasn't surprise or grief. It was like a mantra, like she was remeinding herself. Lauren Reynolds, L.R." Reid said.
"Guys." Hotch said, as he held out his hands in front of him, with Prentiss' gun, badge and cell phone in his hands.
"She left her badge and gun?" Morgan said. "Why would she do that?"
"That doesn't make sense. Why run? We're her family. We can help." Reid said.
"Doyle's killing families. She's not married, not close to relatives. He was ready to wipe us out. She ran to protect us." Rossi explained to the team.
"Then how do we find her?" Garcia asked worried.
"Here's how? Ian Doyle is our unsub. Prentiss is our victim." Hotch said, as he hung Prentiss' ID badge up on the board. "We profile their behavior, and we treat it like any other case. Because terrorism isn't an area we specialize in, I've reached out to an expert from the State Department. Someone who can also shed light on Prentiss' past." He reveled to his team.
"Who?" Reid asked.
"Her." Hotch said, with raised eyebrows and looking over to the BAU doors.
"Let's get to work." JJ said when she walked through the doors of the BAU.
JJ presented the case to the team in the conference room. "Okay, so I talked to a friend from Langley. He couldn't give me Emily's full CIA history, but he could give me this. She assumed the identity of Lauren Reynolds as part of a Special Task Force called JTF dash twelve." She said.
"Who was undercover on Doyle?" Reid asked.
"Emily. She made contact with him in Boston, to get Intel on Valhalla. She was posing as another weapons dealer." JJ said.
"How close did she get to Doyle, as part of her cover?" Hotch asked her.
"The recon they did on Doyle included a background of all of his romantic relationships. Emily was his type." JJ answered.
The team is on the jet flying out to Boston, to rescue Prentiss, before it's too late. They're watching a video of Prentiss.
"So, how did Doyle know she was waiting for him?" Rossi asked.
"The mole must have told him right?" JJ said. "The same guy who's been feeding Doyle the contractors and agents?"
"I hate to be the one to ask this, but how long does Emily have?" Garcia asked, while looking at Hotch for an answer.
"Her best chance is also the most troubling. Doyle saved her for last because he views her as his stressor, which means he'll take his time." Hotch told her.
Hotch is in the interrogation room with Clyde reading the file Clyde wrote about Prentiss in October of two-thousand and six.
"You sold her to us, the same way you sold Doyle to the North Koreans." Hotch said.
"Just because you know how I profile, doesn't mean you know me." Clyde said.
"It takes a skilled sociopath to betray his team and the cause he held for dear for self-preservation. If you cooperate with us and we save Agent Prentiss, then maybe we could talk about a deal. But if anything happens to her, I will destory you. You can count on that." Hotch said
"She said you were the best. I'm unimpressed." Clyde said.
"We'll get Doyle with or without you." Hotch said.
Hotch is trying to get Clyde to help him and his team save Prentiss, before it's too late. And Clyde wants Hotch to take an oath.
"Someone, we both care about is in trouble. I need the original profile when Doyle was a terrorist we combined that with who he is now a serial killer." Hotch said.
"Agent Hotchner, you took an oath to protect the laws of your country and I took one to protect the secrets of mine." Clyde said. "Do you understand what you're asking?"
"I know it's not easy." Hotch said.
"I'll do it if you join me. You see there's no catching that man. He'll escape from your priosn as easily as he did North Korea, and then...all hell breaks loose. If you want to stop that man, you have to put a bullet between his eyes yourself." Clyde told him. "Can you do that? Can you break your oath, Agent Hotchner?" he asked.
"No." Hotch whisper.
"Can you take you one, then? Can you swear that your team will save her?" Clyde asked
"Yes." Hotch answered.
The team is in visitor lounge of the hospital, waiting on news about Prentiss.
"She never made it off the table." JJ said, with tears in her eyes.
As soon as JJ delivered the news to the team weeped for the lost of their friend.
~.~.~
Hotch looked out his office window down to the crowded bullpen. He saw JJ holding Henry and standing next to Will, while talking to Kevin and Garcia. He saw Morgan, Reid and Rossi coming over to them. He then saw his girl and his son making their way to the group.
He smiled when he saw the group laughing about something Reid had said. He was glad they all were getting along, but a few months ago some of the team members wasn't too happy about a secret he had kept from them about Prentiss be alive.
Hotch remember when the team found out Prentiss had survived and when she came back to the team.
"She's alive?" Garcia asked.
" But we buried her." Reid said.
"As I said I take full responsibility for the decision. If anyone has any issues, they should be directed towards me." Hotch told the team.
"Any issues?! Yeah, I got issues." Morgan angrily said.
"Oh, my God." Garica said when she saw Prentiss standing in the doorway of the conference room.
"I am so sorry, I really am. Not a day went by that I didn't want to... Really, I..." Prentiss said apologizing to the team. "You didn't deserve that, and I'm so sorry." She said, as she hugged Morgan.
~.~.~
"Do you want to see what your dad is doing?" Prentiss asked Jack.
"Yeah!" Jack answered.
Jack and Prentiss left the group and went up the Hotch's office.
"Daddy, what are you doing?" Jack asked when he and Prentiss walked in the Hotch's office.
"Just thinking." Hotch told his son.
"About what?" Prentiss asked.
"How bad this year was and how good it was?" Hotch said, as he went over to his son and pick him up and wrapping an arm around Prentiss' waist. "Nearly losing you to Doyle was the bad part about of this year. And the good part was when you came back." He whisper to her, just before pressed a soft kiss against her lips.
"Daddy what time is it?" Jack asked.
"It's nearly midnight. It's eleven fifty-nine." Hotch said, looking at his watch on his left wrist.
"It's almost time for the New Year!" Jack exclaimed
"Let's go out to the catwalk and count down with everyone then." Hotch said.
Hotch walked out of his office onto the catwalk carrying his son and hold Prentiss' hand. He then wrapped his arm back around Prentiss' waist, as they waited for Garcia to bring the countdown.
"Ten... nine... eight..." Garcia shouted.
"...seven... six... five... four... three, two, one!" They all shouted along with her.
"Happy New Year! Everyone!" They all shouted.
Kevin gave Garcia a kiss and Will gave JJ a kiss.
Hotch, pulled Emily into a kiss. "I think two-thousand and twelve is going to be a good year." He murmured against her lips.
"Mm, I would say so." Prentiss murmured against Hotch's lips.
"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." ~Oprah Winfrey
THE END.
Author's Note: You all better review. If you don't then Oprah Winfrey won't give away free stuff to you. I'm kidding! Please review at your own free will. HAPPY NEW YEAR!