Disclaimer: Even on my 200th story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds!
A/N:Wow! Thank you for the response to this! You all rock! =)
Rating is going to start going up from here on out... HEADS UP THERE!
For now I hope you enjoy!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
JJ had never felt a headache like it, but the moment she felt it was the moment that she knew something terrible had gone wrong. She was supposed to be nearing Penelope's apartment, not in this predicament.
Against her will and to her stunned awareness, she was suddenly dragged from the car, only seeing Hotch's dangling body. Everything happened too quickly, she didn't even hear or feel the seatbelt be sliced to release its hold on her body, nor did she remember her body hitting the roof of the car as she fell freely. All she remembered was the terror that this situation was evoking in her.
Even with terror filling her, she couldn't just allow this to be it. She had to fight for Henry, fight for Hotch, fight to get her family back together because like everyone else was showing, she was sick of the distances coming between them. She wanted to get life back on track and not have any regrets.
"Aaron!" She cried out as she struggled against the man's hold. She could feel his hands digging into her skin as he allowed his grasp to tighten on her. In a frenzied attempt she fought back as she was dragged from the wreckage of Hotch's SUV. "Aaron!" She panicked as she realised she was done for. Her weakened strength wasn't helping her win this battle and the pain in her head was doing nothing to take away her disorientation. "Aaron, please, Aaron!"
As she thought the worst was going to happen. Hotch was mortally wounded and left inside the mesh of metal and she was about to be taken away from all sanity to whatever fate was waiting for her.
Suddenly, she heard a growl and then within seconds she was impacting the floor, stunned as her body smacked against the concrete, her head connecting with it as an effect. She lay still for a moment, only becoming aware of the scuffling after a couple of minutes and she quickly sparked to life.
By the time her body actually responded and she looked to see the car that she should've been in driving off at a high speed she felt herself being lifted.
"Come on," Hotch said as he helped her move, but quickly caught her as her legs gave way and he realised she was in no state to move far. "I've got you," He told her and supported her the best he could before laying her down.
She flashed her glance upwards and looked into Hotch's eyes and couldn't suppress a smile as she realised he had saved her. They had just been driving along, finally getting back on track when they were caught unaware by the unknown assailant and then he saved her life and she couldn't deny that her heart sped up a little faster at the thought of him being her saviour.
It was as her vision began to blur and the darkness began to creep around her peripheral that she felt herself weaken and then without thinking, she just spoke what was living deep within her. "I'm in love with you," She whispered out in a pained voice and felt the words catch in her throat. "I just wanted you to know," She managed in a dying voice as she caved to the darkness.
Hotch closed his eyes as sirens pierced into the air around him. He cradled JJ still and felt lost, "I love you too." He managed before a new sense of chaos took over and he had to step away from JJ and get himself checked over.
As though this moment had given him new perspective, Hotch knew he couldn't run from what he really wanted in life any longer without being aware that it could be easily taken away.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Hotch had been seen to and looked to the door with every passing movement. He felt a wash of relief overcome him as Rossi walked in, Emily following him quickly. Now maybe he would get some answers seeing as no one with any authority in this damn building was giving him a straight answer.
"How's JJ?" He asked instantly, not caring for welcomes.
"They're going to keep her in overnight, we're just waiting for us to be allowed into her room," Rossi told Hotch as he stood at the end of the bed. "You okay?"
"As I can be," Hotch replied dryly. "He was trying to kidnap JJ and I got so angry that I just lost it." Hotch admitted, his tone distant, his gaze quickly distant. "He tried to kidnap JJ," Hotch almost roared as reality hit him hard, "We have a major issue on our hands."
"We know," Emily answered him back plainly.
"What do you mean you know?" Hotch asked him agitatedly, "How could you possibly know that?" The simplest explanation hit him then, "Have you seen JJ?"
Shaking his head, Rossi looked solemn, "A nurse told us that JJ had told her to tell whoever turned up for her. She knew we'd get here before anyone." He saw Hotch digest the news, "Aaron, there's more."
"What?" Hotch asked, his voice reaching up an octave with irritation. "What else is there?" He feared for JJ's health immediately, he wondered if there was more damage than he had though.
"Penelope and Derek aren't home," Rossi confirmed, his tone calm, but full of dread. "Derek's car was ambushed and Penelope's apartment was a wreck. There's forensics there, but they're missing."
"A nurse told us that JJ had mentioned the man that hit you tried to kidnap her right out of the car," Emily continued on from Rossi's thought.
"Let me get dressed, we need to get to JJ and see what she knows," Hotch said as he jumped straight into becoming the boss again. "We'll get an artist in, and get something to run through VICAP. We need an APB out on the car too. It was a dark blue sedan, blacked out windows, dent on its left front bumper."
"Already on it," Rossi assured making sure that Hotch knew that he had started this ball rolling. "We'll be outside waiting."
Leaving Hotch to get changed, Rossi took Emily's hand and took her back to the waiting room where they would wait to take Hotch to JJ. Quickly, Rossi made a phone call to check if there were any updates, or – if they were lucky – major breakthroughs and developments. He watched from afar as Emily took a seat as she seemed to become almost emotionless with the shock of the situation.
Emily couldn't let the worry disperse from her body. Here she was with two of her friends, her family, in hospital and two other members of her family were missing. It all seemed too much of a coincident to happen in one night.
"They're linked," Emily whispered as she felt Rossi begin to soothe her by running his hand over her back as he came to sit next to her. "The person that took Pen and Derek, he tried to get JJ and Hotch."
"You can't be serious, Em," Rossi pushed back the idea. "It's too much pressure for one night for one person."
"Two Unsubs?" Emily asked as she sat up. "Dave, I think we've got two Unsubs working together. What are the chances that two FBI agents get abducted and another two are in a serious accident. One where one of said agents is almost abducted?" Emily asked, her voice slowly picking up in paced. "And Spence? Where's he?"
"Okay, so we need to profile this as if it were a team of Unsubs with a double abduction. Reid's at home, he's going to meet us here as soon as. He's okay, Em."
Emily took a deep breath, her mind not thinking like an agent for the moment, "What do we do?"
"Bella, we do what we know," Rossi told her calmly. "We go with what we have and we wait for contact to be made to give us leads and allow them to slip up that way."
"What if contact isn't made?" Emily fretted, feeling a little weak at this entire influx. "What if-"
Rossi stopped her, "You're gonna hurt yourself if you start this now," He started to tell her gently. "We do what we do best, Em. We work to get them back."
"This wasn't part of the plan though," Emily told him quietly as Rossi pulled her tight to his side and kissed her temple reassuringly. She had envisaged Monday morning coming around, Rossi fighting tough with everyone and using his authority to get everyone to see sense. Now, however, everything was falling through on her. This plan would never happen if they weren't a complete bunch like they were only hours before.
Smiling at her lovingly, he pushed a piece of hair out of her face, "Sometimes we just have to change the plan."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Penelope tried her hardest to be brave. Oh boy did she, but she couldn't take the truth of reality. Here she was bound and gagged and on the opposite side of the room was the man who had become her enemy faster than a shot of lightening. He too was bound and gagged. He, unlike her though, was chained to wall - A definite sign that he was more the watcher than receiver in this sick idea of a situation.
She had to wonder idly if he were to step up and help her - if he could that was - if she was in the way of danger. Would he kick up a fuss to save her or would he let her get what was coming to her? Would he rile the bad guy and instigate his own punishment for whatever he was here for? Would he provoke a mad man to give her a little extra time?
She guessed she would just have to await that fate.
One of the things she hated, was knowing that she was stuck here, with Derek, and all before the team could find themselves again. She felt like cases had dragged them apart, tiredness had ripped into them and they had all left the level plane they had all walked on together. She wanted to get back and solve this; she didn't want this to be that. However, if there was one thing she knew it was that the remaining superheroes that she idolized were going to fight to get their own back.
When she saw Derek's head move to face the door, she joined him as she dropped back to reality and her eyes widened to try and see the man clearer and put an identity to him. She failed instantly. She watched the masked man come towards her and she could see just from his eyes that he was so full of intent, so full of glee. He didn't even look at Derek, he went straight for Penelope.
That intent and glee was meant for her.
Gulping difficultly around the gag, Penelope prepared herself to be welcomed to hell.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
After waking up what had felt like hours earlier, Derek had watched Penelope from across the room and had tried his hardest to capture her attention with his eyes alone. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy ride, but he had to try everything to repent for them falling out of their friendship because of his sheer will.
He couldn't deny the feeling that all was too late for shoulda, woulda, coulda's now, and he would do anything to prove that he would fight anyone and anything to protect her.
Looking to the door, he watched as a burly man came in and he instantly came up short in recognising him. He had never seen a man matching his build before and the mask on his face was only making Derek all the more agitated, but he had seen that look in his eyes. He had seen it in the eyes of so many Unsubs – that intent, that purpose, that plan.
Derek saw red instantly as he watched the man approach Penelope. He would do anything and that included breaking his hands to get free if was to stop him from laying even a finger on her. He never relented and even broke skin as the man finally reached her.
He felt his breathing become strong and heavy with pure rage and in his mind he was calling himself an idiot rather than making up death plans for this bastard. If he hadn't have gone off of the handle, he and Penelope wouldn't be living this moment as separates, they would be able to support one another, but he had killed that possibility with his own insecurities.
Now he had to fight for their freedom and then fight for her back.
For now he seemed to be watching his own worse nightmare coming true.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Having her hands untied, Penelope was pulled to her feet and quickly pressed flush to the wall. She felt his hands move down her body and she tried to remember a happier time, a time before this, but as her head went back and she whimpered out in disgust and fear, she felt his hand come to clasp her neck, keeping her head tilted back with force, his hand slipping up to squeeze her jaw painfully.
He sniggered as he moved his hand back down the soft scoop of her neck and began to tighten his grasp and the more that he pushed to her to wall and stole her breath, the more the man behind her kicked up a fuss and fought against the mental chains keeping him on the floor on the other side of the room.
Penelope could feel the depletion of air as his grip became like a vice and slowly got tighter and tighter. It was happening faster than she had ever anticipated it too. Her eyes began to roll into the back of her head and her hands were gradually losing their power to fight him off of her. Soon Derek's struggle began to just fade into the background and all she could hear between this mad man's evil laugh was her mind screaming at her to survive this.
Just as her body gave up, and her eyes closed fully she hit the floor and all of the remaining air she had was swept straight from her. Her breathing was difficult as her lungs were able to suck in oxygen through her nose. The gag making it impossible to cough and clear her airways to get enough air in to help her get some sense back.
Opening her eyes again, she could see the man's booted feet and just past she could see the blurry outline of Derek. Slowly she watched as the feet parted a little and the man dropped down into a crouch in front of her.
"Now, Penelope," He started and ran a hand over her face to clear it of hair. "You're going to be here a while and I don't intend to give any warm ups. You and Derek need to see that this isn't going to be an easy ride."
He looked over his shoulder at Derek and laughed.
"I'd get some rest for now," He mentioned as he turned back to Penelope. "You two are going to have such a show for one another."
He left Penelope untied as he saw her swimming in the realms of consciousness and otherwise. He knew she wouldn't be able to do much even if she was able to move much. Derek was chained up, and the room was completely stark of anything.
It was just the two of them and four hard, solid, sound proofed, concrete walls.
He got up and left the pair satisfied.
As Penelope's eyes drooped closed from lack of air she looked right ahead and could see Derek's blurry form still ripping away to move some of the chains. She felt elated at that sight. After not talking for almost a fortnight she was happy to know he cared enough about her even if it was just for the moment and their predicament.
She was just relieved in that instance to hear Derek fight back.
Maybe he didn't hate her as much as he said he did.
Maybe.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-