A/N: So we are back in the land of the multiple-chaptered stories and I have a pretty clear idea of where this one is going to go. Everyone wish me luck for staying on track. Oh, and stick with me, because it may take a few chapters for it to become clear what I have actually done with everyone and parts of it will be in flashback (New Section will turn into Flashback in this instance - check out the dividers between sections for clarification) but it should hopefully be worth the wait.
Reviews! I opened up my email this morning and there were reviews! I feel like jumping up and down and screaming for joy. HPforever-after continues to get kudos for being my only reviewer for The Quiet Moments and The Longest Night (please feel free to add to what this wonderful person has said of those pieces) but now there are more reviewers and I am so excited to thank you all I think I'm rambling (pretty impressive in an age where all you have to do is hit 'Delete' huh?).
Thanks heaps to Kate and I really hope I can continue to improve on what you are reading so that others down the track can also become favs. x-MJ-x gets massive thanks for totally rocking my world with your fantastic review and I really hope you enjoy everything up to now even though you know somewhat where everything is going having read 'Scream' first. Lots of thanks to miaa29; you know me too well. ;) And a big sing-out to babygurl0506 for another awesome review (if you haven't read any of her work, I totally recommend you go check out her author page).
Rated M for sex scenes, adult themes and other things.
PLEASE NOTE: This is NPH 16. If you aren't already following this series, I recommend that you make your way to my author profile page and start with NPH 1, as some or all of this will not make sense otherwise.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India.
Missing – Chapter 1
Flashback
Emily yawned and leaned against the lift wall. The day had been perfect but long and all she wanted to do was shower and fall into bed with Aaron. Thankfully this was the last stop of the day and then she could do just that.
The lift dinged and the doors opened on the 6th floor of the FBI building. Aaron had promised he would only be a couple of minutes and only needed to shift a few files from his desk to another as they weren't for him to deal with and he'd forgotten last night to properly reassign them. Considering how tired her husband was, she had no doubt they'd be back in the car in five minutes tops.
As Aaron stepped out ahead of her with Jack sound asleep in his arms and she followed pushing the pram with the twins and they spotted Strauss looking far to grimly pleased to see them, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her abdomen that she was going home alone.
Flashback
JJ lunged for the phone before it could ring a second time and held her breath for a few seconds as Hotch asked in her ear if anyone was there. He was just beginning to sound worried when she exhaled in soft relief and slipped out of the room.
"Hi Hotch. Sorry about that, but Henry's running a temperature at the moment and has only just fallen asleep for the first time in about 12 hours. I was praying he wouldn't wake to the phone and he didn't. What's up?"
"Sorry JJ, but we have a case in Wyoming. A couple of kids went missing and we need to get out there asap."
"Of course. I'll let Will know and will be there in 20 minutes."
She hung up the phone and went to find her husband, who wasn't really that well himself.
He looked at her through red-rimmed, exhausted eyes and smiled slightly. "Do you have to go away Cher?"
"Unfortunately. Are you going to be alright coping with both you and Henry being unwell at the same time with me not around to look after you?"
"Hmm. I guess we'll find out. Honestly though, I'm sure we'll be fine and if need be, I'll call Carrie and see if she can come and help out for a few hours so I can rest…"
She watched him fall asleep between one breath and the next and sighed. She didn't like leaving when her family were ill, but at least she knew they were safe and it wasn't life threatening. Two children weren't so safe and they needed her attention.
Pretty certain that Will wouldn't remember the conversation in the morning, she wrote him a note, gathered up her things and after kissing both her males goodbye, she slipped out of the house and headed to work.
Flashback
"Ugg. I am so glad I can sleep in tomorrow morning and that there is nowhere pressing I need to be for the rest of the day."
Kevin smiled just slightly at this repeat statement. Penelope had been sick on and off all week and a trip to the doctor that morning had definitely been the order of the day. The doctor had been slightly stymied and more than looked harassed that so many people would choose to invade his Saturday with their ailments but he'd been thorough and after taking blood and urine, he gave them a prescription for anti-nausea drugs and sent them home with the caution to get some rest.
Which left him with an extremely unhappy tech kitten goddess to deal with.
His smile faded and he sighed silently. Looks like my birthday isn't going to be quite as exciting as I would have liked it to be.
Penelope sighed unhappily and with a groan got up slowly from the mat in front of the toilet. As she stumbled to the sink, he closed the lid and flushed the evidence of her unhappiness. When the water stopped swirling he could faintly hear a mobile ringing in the living room. He left her to clean her teeth and found her phone ringing on the coffee table. He grimaced as he saw who it was.
"Hey Hotch. Please don't tell me you need Penelope tonight."
"Is she still not feeling the best?"
"Unfortunately not and the doctor seemed clueless when he checked her over this morning."
He watched her walk toward him and thought she looked a little bit better as she wrapped herself around him and rested her head on his shoulder. He dropped a light kiss on the top of her head.
"Would she be up to a case do you think or is this likely to drag on for another few days?"
He sighed quietly. "I know better than to make those decisions for her. Hang on a sec."
He handed her the phone and wrapped her up snugly with both arms as she talked with her boss. He knew before she hung up that he would be sleeping alone that night.
"Sorry baby, but I couldn't just say no. There's a couple of missing kids in Jackson, Wyoming and what with it being tourist season and Emily still well and truly on maternity leave, I couldn't say no."
"No, of course you couldn't. You grab what you need and I'll drive you in."
She shot him a sweet smile and turned to do just that.
Flashback
Austin wanted to swear when she heard the phone start ringing. No good news ever came this late on a Saturday night.
Reid seemed oblivious to the tones sounding lowly in the room and for a second even she forgot it as his lips latched onto one of her nipples. She reached out for the phone as his mouth continued to travel down her body. She knew it was a really bad idea to answer, not just because it would take Reid away from her for however long the case went for but also because it would be blatantly obvious what was happening as she picked up the call, but it was far too late now to change her actions.
She almost had the phone to her ear when he locked his mouth around her core and sucked hard and fast and she came up off the bed screaming. She reached out with her free hand, gripped a handful of his hair and yanked up. His eyes were glazed as they took her in.
She carefully put the phone to her ear and said a husky, "Hello?"
There was a momentary pause and then a familiar, rather embarrassed voice asked, "Do I want to know?"
She closed her eyes in embarrassment. "No sir, you don't. I'll put Reid on."
She tugged on his hair and he climbed up her body, kissed her firmly and then took the phone.
"Hello? Oh Hotch, ah yeah…" she smiled as her husband turned into a stammering, embarrassed young man, as if he'd been caught doing something highly illegal. She wondered if they'd have enough time to finish what they'd started as her body trembled slightly under his.
When he hung up a moment later, he smiled sheepishly down at her. "Sorry about that. I don't recall actually hearing the phone ring; that's how distracting you are."
"You should only be sorry if you can't finish what you started."
His grin built slowly but when it came, it was accompanied by an unholy gleam in his eyes. He wriggled back down her body, spread her legs and with one last look at her face, put his mouth back where they both wanted it to be.
Flashback
Derek glared at the phone in annoyance as Jordan worked her magic and he reached down to tunnel his fingers into her hair, tugging gently just as she closed her mouth around him even tighter and deep-throated him. Damn but the woman was good.
He ignored the phone as she continued working on him but he stopped her just short of ecstasy to lift her up and straddle her right where he wanted her.
Gasping, he said, "Hold that thought while I check who wants us so urgently."
The phone was intruding again. Jordan shot him a naughty little smile and rotated her hips slowly as he picked up the ringing handset.
He stopped her movement by rolling them both and muttered, "Stop a minute woman." And then louder into the mouthpiece, "This had better be good at this hour on a Saturday night."
"Do you realise this is the second call where I am feeling distinctly embarrassed to be interrupting what I am interrupting? Don't you people ever take the phone off the hook when you go to bed."
He about swallowed his tongue as Jordan's hand made it's way between them and cupped his balls in her more-than-capable hands and squeezed gently.
His voice when he replied was husky and strained. "Is it really that important that it can't wait?"
"Depends if you think two missing kids are important or not?" he replied with more than a little reproof.
"Jordan stop," he said, more sharply than he'd meant to as she shot him a hurt look. He stroked her cheek and kissed her lightly in apology.
"Where and when?"
"Wyoming and as soon as everyone is here and briefed."
"I'll be there in 20."
Hotch hung up on him and he set the phone back on the bedside table slowly, thinking about what was to come. He hated working cases with missing kids. It didn't always end up well and it always hit him harder now that he had Ben to think about.
"It's bad," Jordan said softly. He looked down at her to see she'd let her hurt go and was watching him with compassion.
He nodded in reply. "Missing kids are always bad."
She nodded agreement. "I'm sorry about that. I should have thought that Hotch wouldn't ring if it weren't important."
"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I will have to go but we have just under two minutes for make-up sex, if you're interested."
She blinked startled eyes at him, smiled gently and nodded.
"I'm in," she murmured as she pressed up into him and kissed him hungrily.
Flashback
Kelly noted all the missed calls on her phone and winced as she quickly dialled. She and Brad had taken a cruise on the harbour with no cell service coverage due to a downed tower and she seriously hoped she wasn't too late.
"Agent Hotchner."
"Hotch? Its Kelly. Sorry, I've only just returned to an area with cell service. Am I late?"
"Not yet. I need you in here at the office as soon as you can manage it. We have a couple of missing kids in Wyoming."
"Of course. I'll be there as soon as I can."
She hung up and turned to Brad as he held the car door open for her.
"You have to go baby?"
"Yes. Thankfully my go-bag is here in the car. Do you mind dropping me in to work?"
"Not at all, though I'll be honest and admit I'd rather take you home."
She grinned and nodded agreement and watched the harbour recede as he took them inland.
Flashback
Teresa looked around her as embarrassment turned to sweet emotion as she took in the scene in front of her. She'd dressed with care because Dave had asked her to so nicely. He had arrived in a sleek black limo to pick her up and they'd been driven to the premier place in the city to dine at that moment while he started in on a subtle, intense seduction. The best table in the house, the most discreet service, the continued seduction and then he'd coaxed her onto the dance floor.
And absolutely none of it had given her even a momentary clue to what he had intended to do this evening. Her so-private Italian stallion had outdone himself that night.
Now she looked down at the man on one knee in front of her and knew all her dreams were coming true. Because there was no way this man would be asking her to marry him in an extremely public place if he wasn't absolutely sure of what he wanted. And what he wanted was her.
"Teresa, you know me, so you know this is the very clearest way I can declare my intentions towards you. I nearly lost you recently and it made me re-evaluate what I want out of life. I love you, more than anything and I would gladly give up everything I am if it meant that you were mine at the end of every day for the rest of my life. I know I was an ass for a lot of years but I've figured it out and you are more than what I need for the rest of my life to be perfect. So please, baby, will you marry me?"
She could have heard a pin drop outside the restaurant as everyone held their breath waiting for her reply. She thought about drawing out the suspense but decided that there was no way she was crushing this mans' dreams even slightly by making him wait for her answer any longer than necessary.
"I have loved you almost from the moment I first laid eyes on you so yes, David Rossi, I will marry you."
He smiled, and it took her breath away as he surged up and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her as the crowd around them applauded wildly and she distantly heard the pop of a cork on a champagne bottle as he looked at her close up.
"I hope you didn't feel trapped into saying yes in a bid to spare my feelings in front of so many onlookers."
She whacked his arm hard and then soothed that spot as she said gently, "If you don't know how I feel about you yet there is something seriously wrong. I said yes because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And you don't need to change a thing because I love you as you are now."
"Good, because I would be loathe to let you back out now."
She smiled radiantly and kissed him as she pressed in closer. He happily returned the kiss, placed the gorgeous diamond ring cluster on her finger and led her back to their table amid many calls of congratulations.
As she settled back in her seat, she heard her phone ring and had a mind to ignore it except that it was late and no one called this late unless it was urgent. She checked the caller ID and blinked in surprise.
"Hello Hotch. I'm surprised you are calling me and not Dave."
"Hello Teresa. I'm surprised I have to call you and not Dave. He wasn't answering his phone and I was hoping you were with him."
"Then you're in luck. Just a moment."
She handed over the phone with a smile and signalled the waiter. She didn't think they'd be here for much longer somehow. By the time the bill arrived, Dave was off the phone and she pushed the wallet towards him, by now knowing better than to think he'd allow her to pay.
As he escorted her out of the restaurant he explained what was happening in Wyoming and she agreed that there was no time to waste as they climbed in the limo and he sent it arrowing towards Quantico.
New Section-
He tripped on a tree root and fell to his knees beside a tree bigger around the base than he was and could have cried in happiness when he looked up to find the distant sound of rushing water was now a reality in front of his eyes. His dry throat constricted further as he climbed clumsily to his feet and stumbled down to the edge. He crouched down and got a handful of water in one shaking hand.
He didn't remember how he'd come to be there nor did he know where he was. What he did know was that he was cold, tired, thirsty and in a bucket-load of pain. He wanted a soft bed and a warm body to snuggle up to and all the water he could possibly drink. He lifted the hand steadying him and dipped both hands down to the water in the hopes that he could get more water than he had with one and knew distantly that it was a big mistake as he lost his balance.
His head roared in renewed pain and his body went completely numb as the water closed around him and as it sucked him down and tossed him about he succumbed to the sweet darkness sweeping his pain away.
End-
A/N: Confused much? Hee Hee. The queen of the cliff-hanger is back!
Don't worry if it doesn't make a lot of sense. Have fun imagining all different scenarios (and feel free to share them with me if you so choose) on what is happening and stick with me because once my scene is fully set we shall rocket into the here and now with a roar and a bang (maybe figurative, maybe literal).
Please let me know what you think with a review button conveniently placed just below this paragraph. Even if it's just a couple of words, I like to know what you think and it makes me want to continue to write.