Part 1
Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
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Chapter 01
T-minus 8
It was one of the more terrifying days in a life of terrifying days.
On the morning of the first day JJ Jareau was driving her son Henry to summer camp. She was thirty weeks pregnant, well past the point of hiding the bump. She had six weeks before she was grounded, nine before she planned to go out on maternity. Assuming Michael lasted that long, Henry had come about three weeks early. But he had also been perfectly healthy, so it was entirely likely that she and Will just couldn't count. According to the email she'd received this morning Michael was starting to grow fingernails, his brain was starting to develop wrinkles, and he was producing his own red blood cells, or would be sometime this week. And they were on stand down this week, which meant she wouldn't have to try to eat cop food with the wicked heartburn she'd been dealing with. Life was about as good as it was going to get. "So what's on tap for today?" She asked her son.
"Lego light sabers!" Henry replied.
"Awesome!" Yep, life was good. Until they stopped at a red light. And she heard her back doors unlock. "What the..."
Before she could think two men in ski masks piled in to the back seat of the car. JJ's heart started pounding triple time as the one behind Henry pointed a gun at her son's head. "You will drive." He said with a thick accent.
Okay, she thought, keep calm, follow directions, try to figure out what they want. "Okay." She replied.
"Do you want me to run the light?"
"No. Do not draw attention." The one pointing the gun said. "If you do..."
"All right."
"Mom?" Henry asked.
"It's going to be okay." She said reassuringly. They were hiding their faces and didn't want her to draw attention. That meant that they planned on letting one or both of them go alive. The light changed and she started driving. "If you want money..."
"No talking."
"All right."
The other man gave directions in the same accent. Otherwise they did not speak. He took them into a residential neighborhood, one she was not familiar with, and then up to what looked like a school that was in summer secession. They stopped a couple of blocks away. The man with the gun reached over and opened Henry's door. "Get out." He said. "You see the school? Go there. You will be safe."
"Mom?" Henry asked.
"He's right." JJ said. There was a crossing guard less than a block away, one helping kids Henry's age across the street. "Go call your father and Uncle Hotch."
"Yes." The man in the back repeated. "Go call your father and Uncle Hotch." Henry looked back wide eyed, but pushed open the door and ran to the crossing guard. "Now you will drive." The man said.
"Wait." JJ watched as Henry ran up to the crossing guard. He was safe at least.
"Drive!"
The crossing guard was turning to look at her car. "You're not going to shoot me." JJ said.
"No." The man replied. He put his gun away and pulled out a tazer. He showed her the spark between the pins, then reached around and pressed them against the bulge in her belly. "Drive." He said again.
The taser wouldn't kill her, JJ knew, but she had no idea what the shock would do to Michael. "All right." She said. As she put the car in gear she watched the crossing guard lift her radio. At the same time she lifted her phone and took some pictures of the car. All right, JJ thought. That's something. She pulled away knowing that the team was not far behind.
They drove for a while again, this time landing in an industrial area, one very quiet. They had her pull over and park. "Lean forward." The leader said, as he pressed the tazer to her skin. "Put your hands through the wheel."
JJ threaded her hands through the steering wheel, making it impossible for her to quickly reach for any weapon. In the meantime the second man jumped out and quickly disarmed her. With the tazer right on her skin she had no choice but to let them pull her hands behind her and put her in cuffs. Then they pulled her out of the car as a van pulled up. The driver and another man were also wearing ski masks. Nice traditional kidnapping, she thought as they pulled a bag over her head and put her in the back of the van.
They drove forever, from the feel of the car out of the city and on to the interstate and then off it again. At least long enough for her bladder to start to complain, and then start to ache, and then start to be a real problem. Long enough for the heartburn to become an issue as well. At least she could feel Michael moving in there, twisting and kicking in a way that was reassuring. As long as he's all right, she thought. As long as my baby is all right.
Eventually they slowed in a way that said more than a stoplight. She heard a door roll up and then the echo of them pulling into a garage. When the van stopped they pulled her out and frog marched her somewhere. It was cool in here, and their footsteps echoed. She heard doors opening and closing for them. After a few turns they entered a space where sounds were muffled, smaller and with carpeting. They stopped, the cuffs came off, but before she could react she was pushed off her feet. She instinctively turned to protect her belly but she landed on something soft and resilient. As she pulled the bag off of her head she heard the lock snick behind her.
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Set between seasons 11 and 12 and I believe cannon to that point.
My brain vomited the first 20 chapters of this up a week or so ago, and broke a nasty case of writers block. Yes, I am still finishing everything. And with this out of the way it seems I can.
Fair warning, yes Spencer ends up with a boyfriend in this one. No, I am not putting in the graphic bits. Yes, my brain is still going there, I've written him with 21 original female characters, one crossover and JJ and I believe my next one will have a female love interest so I think I can go there this time fairly.