Chapter 2

She walked up the stairs to her apartment. It was early afternoon and warmer than she'd like, but she couldn't really complain. She was just about to head up the stairs when she heard a car door and then a voice. It didn't startle her. She recognized the voice immediately.

"Hey, Meagan!" the voice called out.

She turned around and faced him. She let a small smile creep across her face. She didn't want to seem unfriendly, but she knew that she didn't have much time until she had to go pick up Declan from school. She was just stopping off between work and taking him to the center. She wasn't stressed or in hurry.

"Hey, Tyler," Meagan replied.

"Did your Uncle find you earlier?" he asked.

She looked puzzled and then worried. She didn't have an uncle and no one knew that she was there except Emily and JJ. There was no reason for anyone else in her life to know that she was there. It was an assignment and one that she took as a favor. Outside this assignment, she didn't exist.

"Oh, really, did he say where he was staying?" she asked him hiding her surprise.

"No, just that he would be back later. He sounded a little strange though. I know that he wasn't from around here," Tyler told her.

"Strange how?"

"Like he was trying to cover up his accent. Or, maybe it just wasn't that strong now. I don't know. I didn't think anything of it at the time, because he didn't seem strange. But, now, I don't know. He just seemed worried about something," Tyler stated.

"Hmm...wonder why Mom didn't tell me he was coming into town. I should go call her and then him. Thanks for letting me know, Tyler," she said as she looked down at her watch. "I need to hurry."

"No problem, Meagan. We still on for movie night tomorrow with Dec. I got the new Star Wars for him to watch," Tyler replied.

"I don't know. Depends on what homework he has, but I'll call you and let you know. See you later," she told him as she rushed up the stairs without looking like she was.

She opened her apartment door and ran into her bedroom. She grabbed her go bag and then ran into the room the Declan was using. She grabbed his go bag, too. She was swearing under breath as she grabbed her Bluetooth off the charger. She grabbed another bag and packed it quickly before she headed to the safe. As soon as she got to the safe that was hidden in the back of her closet, she grabbed her cell and dialed.

"Lauren...my byli skomprometirovany...Call me on my old phone," she said leaving a message.

She hung up the phone. She grabbed her Glock and several clips already loaded. She knew that she didn't have time to play. She needed to get Declan and they needed to get out of the city. She sighed. She knew that he hated this. The teenager was still paying for his father's sins. It seemed like he would never be able to out run them.

She moved back into the living room. She saw both back packs and the small duffle bag that she'd packed waiting on her. She stowed the extra ammo and tucked the Glock into her waist band. She would change into a concealed carry shirt in a minute.

She pulled out an old flip phone and turned it on. She grabbed her new cell and opened the back. She pulled the battery and the dug out the sim card. She destroyed it. If anyone found her phone it would be useless.

She grabbed the bags and was out the door before anyone could say anything to her. She got into her car, knowing that there were extra plates in the back. She would change them as soon as they got out of town. First thing was first, she had to get Declan.

Emily was sitting at her desk. It was Hotch's old office. It seemed strange, but good at the same time. She was watching them all work in the bullpen below, all except Rossi. She was glad to be back in the States. She wished that it hadn't been under the circumstances, but she was glad to be there. She liked making a difference. She missed the States, but she had been happy in London.

This was different but the same. She was glad that her former team, even with new members, took her back. She was surprised when the higher ups asked her to be their Unit Chief. She took the job knowing that they were hunting men that had previously been convicted, most because of the BAU. They were their number one priority, but they couldn't stop the influx of other cases as well. While her team did their due diligence to hunt the escaped murders, rapists and prisoners, they still had other cases to work. She was proud of them. They all put in long hours and never gave up their fight. And, it was something that she told them regularly.

She smiled. JJ looked up at her and gave her a quizzical look. She just shook her head and went back to her lap top. She was reviewing their current case loads. It was a never ending stream of consults and questions. She was glad when they could help from the office. She was happier when what they told the locals worked out and they got their UNSUB. It was always rewarding to hear about those.

She sat back in her chair and looked across her desk again. She wasn't surprised at the lack photos. She had one of her with her mother at some benefit that had been in the city. There was picture a the entire team before she went to London. It was the one that helped her when she got homesick. Then there was the one picture of a little boy that only one other person one her team knew completely about. The blond haired, blue eyed boy smiled at her. It was an older picture, but it still made her smile.

She knew that hiding him again was exactly necessary, but she wanted to make sure that he was protected. She couldn't guarantee that someone else wouldn't go after him just because he was Ian Doyle's son. It didn't matter that Ian was dead. Some crime organizations liked to make examples. Whipping out Doyle's entire line would be one way to do that. Declan wasn't her blood, but she thought of him that way. If she felt more comfortable keeping him, she would. Her life was so complicated that it wouldn't be fair to him and she knew that. Declan still mattered and she made sure that he knew that.

He was well adjusted and Meagan was doing a good job of caring for him. She was Emily's first choice to watch him. She had been one of Emily's contact when she was at Interpol going after Doyle to begin with. She was glad that he had someone that could take care of any situation that they may run into. Meagan was Irish American and could blend in anywhere. Her training was above and beyond what Emily could have hoped for. When she ran into her after everything that happened with Doyle in DC, things just fell into place. It was one of the few times that she used her mother's political pull to get things done. Meagan had adopted Declan and his last name had been changed. He was by all accounts to the government, now, Meagan's son.

It was hard for Emily to do, but she knew that he would be better off with someone that would be with him all the time. Meagan could do anything she wanted. So getting a job that let her work around Declan's school schedule was easy. Keeping him safe was her number one priority and if she needed help or money, she knew that she could contact Emily. She'd only done so once and it was for money for some sports stuff. Emily didn't even flinch. She had the money wired within minutes. It was more than Meagan asked for, but she didn't care. Emily could spare it.

She was pulled out of her thoughts of calling Declan to see if he wanted to do something for the weekend, that was if they didn't have a case, by her cell phone ringing. She looked at it sitting on her desk and frowned. She reached over and picked it up. Her thumb hovered over the answer button. She looked up and caught JJ's eyes.

The blonde immediately got up from her desk and headed to Emily's office. There were no words as JJ sat down in front of her and waited to be briefed on what had Emily upset. When JJ saw that Emily was holding her cell phone, but hadn't answered, she took it out of her hand. She saw the number. She knew that number, too. She went to voicemail and dialed it. Putting it on speaker, she laid the phone down back in front of Emily.

"Lauren...my byli skomprometirovany...Call me on my old phone," the message said.

"Emily?"

"I need to go."

"Where?" JJ asked worriedly.

"I don't know yet, but something is wrong with Declan."

"I know that much. I recognized the number. What I don't know is what she said?"

"She said that she's been compromised."

"In?" JJ probed.

"Russian."

"She knew that you'd understand it. But, why use Russian? Why not something easier?"

"Not many speak it well enough outside the Russian community. Plus, in an age where German, Spanish and French are mainstays, it is harder to decipher. She was warning me."

"What do we need to do?" JJ asked.

"I need to call her and figure it out. I'll need a few days. I'll call the Director soon. He was briefed that this might be something that happens. I'll leave Rossi in charge until I get back. Make sure that no one stops their investigations," Emily said as she stood up and started gathering her paperwork and cell phone.

"We aren't going to let you do this alone."

"I have to, JJ," Emily told her.

Meagan pulled up outside Declan's school and waited for him to come out. She knew that it was going to be hard on the teenager, but they didn't have choice. They had to get out of town and fast. She didn't want to disrupt his routine too much because she knew that it could spook someone. She needed to make it look like any other normal day. As she waited, she planned. She thought about heading west but she wasn't sure who was exactly after Declan. She needed Emily and she needed her to do what she could to help figure it out quickly. She didn't have time to investigate. She had to protect Declan. That was her priority.

A few minutes later, the bell rang and students started pouring out of the doors. She smiled as she saw him walking towards her. His shaggy blond hair and blue eyes made him look like a surfer boy from California, but he fit in perfectly with the other kids at his school. Being in New England meant that they were close to Emily, but it also afforded them some really good academic schools. He waved to his friends and started towards the JEEP. He got in and smiled. Quickly fastening his seat belt, he waited for her to get in and start the vehicle.

"How was your day?" she asked him as she started to pull away from the curb.

"Not bad. Got a new report to write about President Grant for history class but it isn't due for another few weeks. I just thought that I would start it this weekend. Besides that, I have lacrosse and soccer practice after school tomorrow and Friday. Johnny said I could ride home with him," Declan told her.

"Sounds like a plan, but something's come up."

He turned and looked in back seat. He noticed the bag and then looked at her shirt again. He saw the butt of the pistol tucked up under arm. The shirt hid it, but he still knew where to look. He sank in the seat.

"Who was it?"

"I don't know," she answered.

"Where we going?" he asked her.

"I don't know yet."

"Does Emily know?" he questioned.

"Yes," she replied as she continued towards the Interstate.

"What are we going to do?"

"Get you somewhere safe and then we'll worry about who might be after you."

"What about school?"

"I'll call them in the morning. Or, I'll get Emily to do it. We can't rule out anything at this point, Dec. I'm sorry," Meagan told him.

"I'm always going to have to worry about what my father did, aren't I?"

"I hope not, Dec. Emily and I did everything we knew how to make sure that no one would figure out who you were. That is why we left so quickly. I can't be sure who to trust right now, except for Emily."

"Mom?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Emily is my Mom, too, right?"

"After a fashion, she is, yeah."

"Then let's go to her," Declan suggested. "I know that she can keep me safe. She's done it before."

"Let's find somewhere to stay tonight and then we'll see. I am not ruling that out, but DC isn't really somewhere that is completely safe. But, she might have a better idea."

Emily jumped up from her desk and ran out of the bull pen. She left her papers, her briefcase and her coat. She was going for Garcia's Liar. JJ was on her heels.

JJ texted Reid and told him not to worry about it. That she would tell him what was going on as soon as they knew. Until then, they were to keep working their cases. They were heading down to Garcia's office to see if they had a case.

"Reid said that they are worried about you, but they are working."

"Good," Emily answered as they came off the elevators just doors down from Garcia's office.

They burst into Garcia's office. She was running several searches for the cases that the others were needing to help generate a profile. She was surprised by their sudden appearance. She grabbed her chest, but turned to face them both.

Emily looked worried, but she didn't say anything. It was like she couldn't process what was happening. JJ took her phone from her and handed it to Garcia.

"I need you to trace that last call and give the closet GPS location that you can to where it was made," JJ told Garcia as the bubbly blonde took the phone.

Garcia plugged the phone into her computers and began to run her tech on it. She scoffed a few times and mumbled under her breath, but finally she had a map up on two screens. She was pinging it on screen and trying to triangulate on the others.

"I have got a location. It hasn't moved since the call was made. The phone is off the grid. That means it isn't on or it has been destroyed. The last time it pinged a tower was two minutes after the call was made. It is in New Canaan, Connecticut. Looks like it was on Park Street. That is all I can tell you," Garcia told them.

"Okay, thank you, Garcia," Emily stated as she grabbed her phone and headed out the door.

"What's wrong with Princess, Kitten?"

"Her prince," JJ replied as she chased Emily out the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know. They could be anywhere by now. She's got a hour on me, I'm sure. Which means she could be in New York, New Haven, or Canada for all I know," Emily stated.

"Do you really think that she would go to Canada?" JJ questioned.

"No, I don't."

"What would she do?"

"Look for somewhere safe," Emily stated.

"Like?"

"Urban, full of people, easier to hide in."

"So, New York?" JJ theorized.

"It would make sense, but I doubt she would go there. There are too many connections to the Irish Mobs there. She would move in an unlikely direction to throw them off."

"North or South?"

"South, I think."

"Then call her and find out," JJ urged her.

Emily looked at her. She knew that JJ was right. It wouldn't do them any good to be worried and blind. Hopefully, Meagan could shed some light on what was going on and then they could make a plan. Emily thought they because JJ hadn't left her side since she got the call. JJ was the first one to notice that something was wrong and she took care of making sure that no one else questioned their abrupt departure from the bull pen.

"Call her, Em. We can't do anything until we know more. She told you to call her old phone. Do you know the number?"

"Yeah, I know it. I memorized it. I am just surprised that she still has it," Emily replied.

"Why is that?" JJ asked.

"It was from my time in Boston, and it is my phone. I gave it to her for emergencies. No one knows about that number but me. Hell, I still have payments coming out of a shell account funded through one of my French Grandfather's trusts for me so it isn't in my name. It was my 'cloak and dagger' phone. Even Clyde didn't have that number," Emily told her.

"Do I?" JJ questioned.

"You could get it. You would know where to look. But, I don't have the phone. It wouldn't do you any good if you were looking for me. You would have only found Meagan."

"Who else knows that?" JJ asked.

"No one."

"Call her. Let's meet up and go from there. But, like New York, DC is going to be crawling with people who would be looking for her and him. What about somewhere else big? Somewhere with a big Irish concentration that they wouldn't look out of place and they could hide easily enough," JJ suggested.

"Boston!"

"Then call her and tell her to head to Boston. Keep the phone call short. We'll pick up burners on the way. And, don't look at me like that, I'm going with you."

"What about team?"

"Got any cases in Boston that need reviewing?"