Disclaimer: Even though I have petitioned all forms of authority I can think of, I still do not own Criminal Minds. Lame. FIGHT THE MAN!!! WIN ME CRIMINAL MINDS! If you do this, a share will be given to you. We'll be rich I tell you... rich.

AN: So this is a bit short, and mostly about the case they are going to solve. I went into a rather large amount of detail because it will be important later on. Like... really important. Maybe even a Aaron/Emily kiss important... I don't know why I said that. Whatever. Anyways, I hope you like it.

Aaron had to run to catch the jet, and when he got in the door, and everything was shut, the pilots voice came over the intercom, "Okay folks, this is your captain speaking. Skies look clear all the way to Mount Springs Texas, tail wind is in our favor so it looks like we should reach our destination in just over four hours. You know the drill, seatbelts up until I give you word."

Slightly out of breath Aaron sat in his usual chair before they were free to move about the plane, buckling his seat belt. There were many things that he was afraid of. Flying wasn't one of them. They had been in this jet so often, that some weeks he spent more time in here than he did in his own home. Not that he minded, he knew what this job demanded of him, and if sitting in a beautiful furnished plane was what it demanded, he was happy to oblige. As always, the team sat in silence for the first fifteen minutes of the trip, each gathering their own thoughts and steeling themselves for whatever horrors they were about to come face to face with.

"Okay folks, you are free to move about the cabin. Captain out." As soon as the words were done, a flurry of voices and questions were flung about the small space, and Hotch had a hard time listening. They all moved to congregate around the case table. The polished wood table provided enough room for the six of them to all see whatever it was that they were doing, and add their input. Aaron knew this one would be bad, cases involving dead kids were always bad. Though they often saved the last child, they knew that losing the first one could never make up for saving the last one.

"Okay guys, settle down. Let's get to it." Aaron used his boss voice, Morgan nodding along and accepting the file from JJ. He didn't know how long Morgan would be okay with being the boss, but allowing him to call the shots, but for now the team needed him to be here with them, and not worry about calling the fire department to bridges that weren't yet burning.

JJ stood and clicked on the TV, the pictures of four, smiling boys filling the screen. A collective groan went up, and Aaron was shocked to see that one of the victims bore a striking resemblance to his son. There were subtle differences, but it was uncanny how much they boy in the picture resembled his son. Swallowing hard, he turned his attention back to JJ, trying hard not to look at his sons doppelganger.

"Mount Springs, Texas. In the last four weeks four boys have been abducted, three have been found dead." Aaron's stomach clenched as the screen flashed from four smiling, joyful faces, to three dead faces from their autopsy pictures. Three lives snuffed out prematurely. JJ flicked a switch again, and the faces all panned out to show three badly bruised and broken bodies. Morgan let out a small curse, and Emily who was sitting across from him, moved her leg so that their knees were resting against each other. He had promised himself that he was going to take a step back from her, and not pursue anything, but the contact was welcome, and he reached under the table and patted her knee. Hoping that she would take comfort in his motions.

Rossi's voice filled the silence that had taken over the group, asking the question that Aaron knew they were all thinking. "What makes them think the fourth boy is still alive?"

JJ spoke quickly, giving the boys name, to make him more real to them. They knew it was important for the Unsubs to remember that their victims were people, Aaron knew it was important for them to remember too. "Rodney Jones. 8 years old. All the other boys were found after five days, their autopsies confirming that they were held for four of those days then killed."

"So?" That came from Morgan, his voice not as harsh as his word sounded.

"Rodney was abducted yesterday afternoon. Local PD knew they had a problem, but didn't want to admit that they needed help." Another curse rose from the team. They knew they weren't welcome by most local enforcement, but when it involved something this serious, they usually liked to be called in right away. Not three bodies and one missing boy later.

"Let's talk victimology." This was from Reid. Aaron saw the small smile pass between them. Since she and Will had broken up, he noticed that Reid and JJ had become quite close. Though he knew it was against bureau policy that two members of the same team be romantically involved, he had vowed to protect their relationship. It was also a reminder of the obstacles that he would face if he ever did act on his feelings for Emily. There would be no one to protect him. Except Emily, and that thought wasn't exactly unappealing. It was very appealing if he were honest.

JJ's voice took on a somber tone as she described the victims. Aaron felt a hand on his knee, and looked to Emily. She was leaning forward, the pretence of listening to JJ, but he saw a small smile aimed his way, and he couldn't help reciprocate. He wasn't sure where she stood on him, but he knew that keeping his distance from her was going to be hard. He wanted her close, especially on this hard case.

"Victim number 1. Bradley Gaines. White male, age 7. Height 43 inches, weight 49 pounds. Brown hair, brown eyes. Was abducted from Grandberry Park around 2:30 Saturday afternoon. His mother said she turned her back for a second and he was gone. He had been playing catch with his dog. The dog came back Bradley didn't." The picture of his smiling face flashed on the screen, and he looked more than happy holding a worn leather glove and standing somewhere in the field. Aaron noticed that he had a grass stain on his shirt, and was missing one of his front teeth.

"Victim number 2. Jimmy Jones. White male, age 8. Height 47 inches, weight 53 pounds. Blond hair, blue eyes. Was taken from Hillers Park, which is on the other side on town. His father said that he had been playing with his cousin on the monkey bars forever, then when he looked back both boys were gone. He said the cousin said that Jimmy went to play with some other kids, and didn't see him go anywhere. Also taken on a Saturday afternoon." This was the boy that so resembled Jack. He didn't think any of them had noticed, but the soft squeeze on his knee had him looking at Emily. The depth of emotion and understanding in her eyes made him realise that she too had seen the resemblance.

"Victim number 3. Zack Green. White male, age 7. Height 44 inches, weight 50 pounds. Brown hair, blue eyes. Was also taken from Grandberry Park on a Saturday afternoon, but he had been playing soccer. It was a league game, and he had gone missing shortly after the game finished. Local PD descended immediately and they didn't find him." The boy looked small and happy in his picture. The soccer uniform he wore was crisp and clean, and the joy that was on his face was unmistakable. Aaron didn't know how anyone could hurt a child, couldn't even fathom it.

"Definite pattern there. Always abducted on a Saturday, all from very public places with almost unlimited access, and yet on the third boy he managed to escape with him, and get away unnoticed." Reid's voice was soft as he explained what they all knew that meant. Though Mount Springs was by no means a small town, with it's 50, 00 residents this was most certainly a local, and when that got out it would turn into a witch hunt.

"How were they found?" Aaron asked, knowing that as much was said about an Unsub after he was done with his victims than what he did with them.

"Fully clothed. New clothes bought from a store. Wrapped carefully and laid carefully on the ground." JJ flashed up the crime scene photos, and a surge of hatred fill Hotch. The Unsub obviously felt remorse after the first victim, why did have to do it a second, third and fourth time.

"Sexual assault?" Emily asked, and Aaron moved his knee against hers, hoping that their small contact was enough to convey that he was there for her.

"Yes. Trace amounts of spermicidal lubricant was found indicating no semen."

"What about the fourth boy, Rodney Jones?" Aaron knew that he was barely holding the anger that threatened to be released from him.

"Same. Public park, Saturday afternoon, and he was going to baseball practise. He lives just across the field from the diamond. His parents said that he often walked by himself." JJ shook her head, and Aaron knew they were all thinking the same thing again. Three boys go missing, show up dead, and you still don't walk him to the diamond.

"Wait." Emily's voice popped in, causing Aaron's heart strings to pull, and his ears to perk, waiting for whatever she would say. "Jones. Were Rodney and Jimmy related?"

They all flipped through their various folders, everyone indicating that they couldn't see anything in anything. Aaron called Garcia, and smiled with her enthusiastic greeting.

"Office of Penelope Garcia, fount of all that is knowledge and secret information. Speak and you shall be heard."

"Garcia have you got what I asked for?"

"Yes sir. No Internet chatter on the usual sites and communities, either he is a newb, or isn't involved with the community."

"Baby girl," He couldn't deny that he loved the way Morgan and Garcia communicated, it was unorthodox, but they had a special relationship, and Aaron enjoyed listening to them. "There is no way that this guy is new at this. Can you run a search for registered sex offenders and get that information to us."

"You got it sugar. Anything else I can do for you?" Aaron could hear her typing in the background, and once again felt Emily brush her knee against his. He had vowed not to say anything to her, but his resolve was disappearing faster than he could watch it go. Then he heard Emily speaking and a little more of it ran faster than he could blink.

"Yeah, it seems that all four boys play some sort of sports, can you get schedule information for all local baseball and soccer teams?"

"Emily, ha ha, sweetie. I can get you anything. All you need to do is ask."

They all shared a short moment of reprieve from the truth and laughed at Garcia's joke. Though the truth wasn't far off, it added a moment of levity.

JJ spoke next, and Aaron new that this team could never be broken apart, though they were completely different, and sometimes hated each other, they worked together so well, that doing anything different wouldn't be as effective, "Garcia, can you tell us if Victims number two and four are related. Jimmy and Rodney Jones."

"I will have all this and more for you, my dears. Garcia out."

The speaker phone clicked and they all went silent for a moment, realizing that they flew towards inevitable evil, pain and sorrow, and they only thing they could do would be to clean up the mess of some over proud cops.

"Okay guys, we need to hit the ground running when we land. JJ and Reid go to our contact. JJ make friends fast, and Reid start going through the sex offender profiles. Morgan and Rossi head to the park where Rodney was taken, Prentiss and I will head to the other victims homes, we need to find out as much about the boys as we can. Finding out what connected them, will help us find the person that did this." They all nodded, and Aaron knew what he had to do next. Hoping that they wouldn't assume that he was jumping the gun again. Before, he would do most of the paperwork for the team, allowing them to focus more on their duties, he didn't mind, but now that he wasn't in charge he had to share the responsibility.

"I know this seems a little early, but we need to run a preliminary profile, something to start with." They all shared a look around the room, and Morgans eyes darkened. He wouldn't defend himself to the team, Morgan knew what being the boss entailed, and this was something he usually did in private. Bringing in the entire team would make them think faster when they got there. "Look I know you're all thinking about it anyway, saying it out loud and writing it down, is just something that will help us later on."

Silence filled the air, and no one wanted to be the first to say anything. Suddenly the intercom crackled and the pilots voice came to them. "Hello folks, this about marks the half way point of our trip. Leaving about two hours until we get there."

Reid finally broke the silence. "Statistics show that the unsub is most likely male, early 20's to mid thirties. Due to the overtly violent nature of the crime, suggests that this is not his first time, so probably on the older end of the spectrum."

Emily spoke next, and Aaron knew that the team would always trust his instincts, and do as he asked, because they knew that he knew what was best. Though he didn't think that, he trusted his team implicitly, and he needed them to trust him. "Probably local. A white male. With the amount of time he spends with them, he is either self employed or unemployed."

The round kept going with Rossi. "It's odd. The abduction is clean, and swift, no one sees a thing. He sexually abuses them, beats them black and blue, but not the face. Then he disposes of them with new clothes and they are clean. Like he loves them. Feels bad for what he's done. feels remorse."

Morgan spoke next, "Sounds like you think that might be two unsubs."

"It appears that way. Remorse, that isn't something a violent, male, sexual sadist feels. He isn't capable of feelings."

They went around the table a few more times, speaking of it, hoping that they could have some idea of who they were looking for by the time they got to Texas. After several minutes, and several repeat of used ideas Aaron looked at his watch and sighed. They were running out of time to find Rodney Jones, and this was no longer becoming beneficial, they needed to regroup privately, learn who and what they each need to know.

Interrupting Morgan he spoke loudly, hoping that his tone was even. He wasn't mad at his team, he was mad at the case, and the fact that it seemed a ticking clock was sitting loudly behind them, counting down the seconds that Rodney had left. "Okay, this isn't helping any more. Let's break up for the rest of the flight. Remember, hit the ground running. When we land we'll have just under seventy hours to find Rodney Jones alive."

They all nodded and moved to their separate corners of the cabin. Morgan and his iPod took several folders and moved to the seat closest to the bathroom, facing away from the rest of the team. Rossi moved to the bench and stretched out, several folders with him as well. Reid and JJ moved to the corner opposite Morgan and sat side by side, heads bent together and hands clasped, folders between them.

When they had all settled, he and Emily had stayed at the table, across from each other, and silently looking over file. They had all been over the files, searching for the clue that would lead them to the killer. Aaron knew that they all knew what was at stake here. If they didn't find Rodney Jones alive, another boy would be abducted within three days. The sad fact is that sometimes they needed another victim to find the killer. It had happened to them more times than Aaron cared to remember, and he was afraid that it would be the case here. "Not if we can help it." He thought defiantly. Rossi was right, this team could do anything if they put their minds to it.

**

Emily had listened with rapt attention whenever anyone said anything. Then, when no one was talking, she was focused solely on the man across from her. She had noticed right away that one of the victims had looked almost exactly like Jack. It was scary, and she hoped that Aaron hadn't thought of this, but they didn't know where Jack was. Though they could have been twins, the subtle differences in the boys spoke volumes. Volumes that said that Jimmy wasn't Jack, and that was enough reading for her.

She knew what the cost of this case was for him, for all of them really. When one of them were hurting, they were all hurting. It was as if they children they were going to avenge was every bit as important as the child they had lost. Though they knew Jack was safe somewhere, and the three boys already lost would never come back, Emily felt that if she could save Rodney and the rest of Mount Springs boys, she could save Jack. It was an irrational feeling she knew, but she couldn't help herself.

Her heart pulled for him, and every brush of his knee against hers sent chills down her spine, and waves of emotion sweeping through her. She had told herself that she would stay away from him, hold herself back, and not do anything that would convey her feelings. But her heart betrayed her mind, and when she sat across from him and her knee accidentally brushed his, she just left it there, resting against his. It was one of the most fantastic feelings she'd felt in a long time, keeping contact with him for an extended period of time.

But as the team had gone off, to learn as much as they could separately she hadn't moved. She had purposely stayed still, hoping that he would go to his usual chair, and sit like he always did, in silence, and out of her eye line. However, he hadn't moved to his chair, or his knee, and it was still touching hers. She wasn't complaining exactly, but one look over her shoulder and she knew she would see Reid and JJ sitting hand in hand and looking over files together. She wanted what they had, and wanted it with the man sitting opposite her. Though she knew that he was emotionally unavailable, the heart wants what the heart wants, and her heart wanted him. Her heart also wanted to fix him, and hold him, and do various other things that weren't polite to speak of, but very nice to think of on cold nights alone.

She got up and moved to sit beside him. Though she knew that she was going to be closer to him, her knee, and the rest of her body, instantly missed the connection. She knew that she was treading very thin ice, and risking her heart in a very large way, but she couldn't stop the actions once they were in motion. As she sat beside him, close enough that they would brush elbows if either of them moved, she leaned in close to him, and relished the heat she could feel flowing from his body. He bent his ear towards her, and a sudden wave of intimacy washed over her. She could feel his breath on her shoulder and she shivered at the feelings it evoked in her body.

"Aaron," she whispered the words, and placed her hand on his thigh, not caring about her vow to stay away from him, or the possible implications of her actions. "We will catch the man that is doing this." She knew she meant, and he understood, that she was talking about both their unsub and Foyet. "And I will be there for you. Whenever you need me."