A/N: Okay so originally when I began all of these stories a few years ago, I really really didn't like Will. But I have to admit, over time, he has grown on me a little bit. So I actually changed my original plan. He's not going to be as horrible as I had originally wanted to portray him. There will definitely be moments especially in the future, but that's for another story completely ;)
Chapter 4
A month and a half had gone by with Will having custody of Henry. They had just finished their second weekend with the four year old and they made sure they made every minute count. Once again when Will came to pick up the little blonde boy he wailed, and screamed, and cried, begging to stay with his mom. JJ and Emily let their own tears fall as they listened to the four year old cry. Will looked lost and a little bit hurt. He finally gave up and set his son's backpack back down on the floor.
"Look why don't you just keep him one more day. You can drop him off at school in the morning and I will pick him up in the afternoon, that way we don't have to go through this" he suggested
"Really?" both Emily and JJ said simultaneously
The southern man nodded, "Yeah, maybe it would be best if that's what we did from now on? I don't know, maybe we could discuss it sometime this week?"
JJ was momentarily shocked before she recovered, "Yeah, okay"
With that Will nodded before he turned and left the condo. Emily and JJ looked at one another and smiled faintly. Then JJ kissed the top of Henry's head and rocked him back and forth.
"Looks like you get to spend the night here baby boy" she told him
He hiccupped as his red eyes looked up at her, "Really?"
"Yep" she told him with a smile
"I wuv you mommy" he told her as he flung his arms back around her neck
"I love you too little man" she replied
That next week, the members of the team woke up as they normally did on Saturdays, which was supposed to be their days off. JJ was at home with Declan and Ethan, while Emily was out running errands. What JJ didn't know is that Emily was actually looking at houses with Morgan, trying to find the perfect one so that they could move out of the condo and have more room. The team had no idea how bad their day was about to get or how things were about to drastically change.
"I don't know" Emily said as she and Morgan walked out of one of the homes they had been looking at
"Emily what's not to know? It's a beautiful place" Morgan told her
"There are cracks in the foundation"
"Cracks can be fixed"
"Nooo they can only be hidden, they're still there" she said as she shook her head
"Are you afraid the place is going to fall down?"
"I'm afraid it's never going to be as strong as it was"
"Somebody's heart isn't in this, so what's going on?" he asked her with a concerned smile
"I don't know. I feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle. I mean, I'm not sure if JJ even wants a bigger place, and it seems like I'm walking on eggshells around her sometimes. I feel like it's my fault she lost Henry and buying a big house isn't going to fix that"
"Emily it's not your fault, it's Will's fault, okay. And JJ doesn't blame you" Morgan told her
Emily shrugged her shoulders again, "I just…I don't know if this feels right anymore. When we came to this house a couple weeks ago it felt like home. I could picture the boys…all of them running up and down the stairs, playing in the backyard, watching movies together as a family in the big living room…cooking with JJ in that kitchen…Declan finally getting his own room…and Ethan and Henry goofing off in their room, staying up late talking and playing after we put them to bed"
She said the last part with a smile on her face, before it slowly faded away and she looked back up at her best friend.
"Now…I feel like that won't ever happen. Henry will never be a permanent part of our family. He and Ethan won't wrestle like they used to and-"
"Emily stop it" Morgan said as he put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "Henry will always be a part of your family, even if it is only one weekend a month. You both know that you will always make it the best weekend for your entire family. So there will still be a chance for Ethan and Henry to wrestle, and to watch those family movies together, and even for Henry and Ethan to stay up late after you had already put them to bed. And those times, because of everything, will be extra special."
Emily nodded as she fought back the tears that wanted to fall before she finally said, "Would I be crazy to walk away from it?"
"I hope we are talking about the house Emily" Morgan stated, "And if you are then…no not necessarily. You have to do what's best for you. Follow your gut"
Emily nodded again with a half smile.
Meanwhile across town Will had left Henry with his neighbor while he went into work on a Saturday. He and his partner were riding through the town when they got a call about a bank robbery. They flipped on their lights and made their way towards the bank.
As they pulled up and got out of their car cautiously, the next things that transpired happened so fast Will barely remembers it. He remembers hearing a gunshot and watching his partner fall to the ground, dead, with a bullet in her head, before he started firing shots back at the three bank robbers who were trying to escape.
A little while later the BAU showed up as the team on call. JJ looked at Will and asked him sincerely if he was okay. He nodded and told her he was.
"These people have robbed seven banks in seven months and they've killed one person at each robbery" Hotch told his team and Will
"MO?" Rossi questioned
"Single gunshot wound, each of the victims bled out" he answered
"Serial killers with a thirty day cooling off period and we are just now hearing about this?" Emily stated
"Headquarters has always characterized them as robbers first and killers second"
"No one kills seven people without serious psychopathic tendencies" said Reid
"Why are we here?" asked Rossi
"Crisis negotiation is overseas" Hotch said simply
The team then began to discuss the robbers inside the bank as they tried to formulate a plan. Finally Hotch began barking orders at his team.
"JJ, Reid, and Prentiss look at past robberies; that's going to be our victimology. Pull another analyst if needed"
The three nodded before leaving and heading back to headquarters.
"Dave I want you to handle negotiations and Morgan strategize tactical options with MPD"
Morgan looked at Hotch with a bit of anger, "Hotch I would prefer to work with someone else"
Hotch looked from his agent to Will, who would be one of the go betweens. The team leader felt the same way about the southern man as the rest of his team, but now was not the time for personal feelings to stand in the way.
"Morgan this isn't negotiable" he told his agent before turning to glare at Will, "We are all going to remain professional right?"
"Yes sir" Will answered
Morgan merely nodded, clearly unhappy with the decision
Emily, JJ, and Reid were sitting in the conference room combing over the past robberies. They seemed to be getting nowhere when JJ made one connection.
"The woman or Queen as she calls herself is the one who has pulled the trigger at every robbery"
The three agents looked at each other as they continued to go over their findings and try to fit more pieces together.
"If we turn the woman, the Queen, and the man, the King, against each other that could be our in" JJ said
"Only if the Jack doesn't die. If he does then…" Emily pointed out
Meanwhile, back at the bank Morgan was filing in one of their agents who had medical training and was about to enter the bank to check on the wounded bank robber and other victim who had been shot. Morgan watched as the man ran towards the entrance of the bank.
Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan stood around outside the bank and watched the footage on what was transpiring in the bank. They saw the 'Jack' stop breathing and gave Morgan the nod to give their agent the all clear to pull his weapon.
While they were watching outside, Strauss and Garcia were inside an FBI van observing the footage as well. They all watched in horror as the 'King' drew two weapons and shot their agent in the chest before shooting him in the head.
Hotch, Rossi, Strauss, Morgan, and Will are all discussing what just transpired and Strauss informs them that the Director wants to send in the tactical team.
"Morgan, Will, you two prepare them but don't move them in until I give the okay" Hotch tells them
The two men nod before turning and making their way towards the tactical unit. Strauss stepped away to make a phone call to the director to try to convince him that sending in a tactical team would be the wrong decision.
Garcia came running up to Rossi and Hotch at this time, "Sirs sirs we have a problem sources from the outside have been hacking into surveillance and I've been trying to ID them and at least a couple of them are media outlets"
"Can we block them?" asks Hotch
"No not without blocking ourselves too sir"
Hotch nodded before they began to look at this group of bank robbers again. As they began looking at the events of that day again they found that someone had sent a text message reporting the robbery, then they realized it came 30 seconds before they blocked out any security feeds.
"It was one of the robbers" Morgan stated
"She wanted us here" said Hotch
"There's no clear line of sight to the vault" said Will as he looked at a map of the bank as he stood next to Morgan
"If we go in that's where they're going so we need to be ready for it" Morgan told him
Emily and JJ came running up to them at that time, JJ stopping next to Will and Emily stopping on the other side of JJ.
"Garcia caught us up, why instigate a hostage situation?" the brunette asked looking at Morgan
"What's a narcissist without attention, she thrives on it" answered Morgan
"She must have something bigger in mind" the blonde said
"Well we need to separate the man from the woman to find out what that is" Emily pointed out
"Well that's not gonna be hard, they're already on edge" Morgan said
Inside the FBI van Strauss, Rossi, Hotch, and Garcia are watching bank footage while Garcia also types away furiously at her computer. She finally finds that not only are media outlets trying to hack in to the feeds, there are numerous out of country sources trying to hack in as well. They realized that someone else has watched every bank robbeyr and come to the conclusion the 'Queens' real partner is the one watching live feed every time she robs a bank.
Hotch tells Rossi to inform the 'King' that the 'Queen' has another partner, the perfect opportunity to turn the two against one another.
The man gets angry on the phone with Rossi and turns the table, "Enough talking to you. I want to talk to the cop who shot my brother"
Rossi hears what he says and turns to find Emily standing next to him, knowing she's heard it as well. He sees the brunette shake her head, but Rossi tells the man he will see what he can do.
They inform JJ and the others what the man has demanded and the blonde immediately tenses. As much as she dislikes the man standing across from her, especially with everything he's put her through the last few months, he's still the father of her son.
"No no way"
"If it means we can end this then I'm fine with it" the southern man says without looking at the blond
"What makes you think he won't shoot you the minute you walk inside" she says looking at her ex
"He wants out of there just as much as we want him out" Will says as he finally looks at JJ
"It's not happening. Forget it. Or did you forget that you're now responsible for a four year old full time?" the blonde said angrily
"It would make things easier for you wouldn't it? You'd get him back and I would be out of the picture completely" Will spat back
"That is NOT fair. I would NEVER wish you dead. You're his father and he loves you. And I most definitely am not going to be the one to explain to him that his father was being an ass and that's why he got himself killed"
"Okay. Enough. Both of you" Hotch said stepping between the two
JJ crossed her arms as Will stepped away.
Hotch then turned back to Will, "There's no guarantee he won't retaliate for the death of his brother"
The southern man turned to Morgan, "I know you'd do it if you were me"
"Will I get what you're feeling, and as much as I dislike you, JJ's right, you're a full time father now and you are too close to this to make that call"
"You're damn right I'm close. Four people are dead because I shot his brother. No one else needs to die because of what I did"
"This isn't about you" Morgan told him
"Risking your life won't bring them back" JJ told him
"I'm sorry Will" Hotch said, making the decision
Rossi made the call inside the bank telling the man that they couldn't send Will in to be killed. Emily stood beside the older man as they watched the footage inside the bank while Rossi spoke to him. The man inside became angry and pulled one of the hostages towards the phone. Emily and Rossi watched in horror as the man shot the hostage in the head. He then informed Rossi that he would continue to shoot a hostage every 60 seconds until the cop came inside the bank. Rossi turned and nodded to Emily who in turn nodded and then ran off to find the others.
Emily entered the FBI van to find Hotch, JJ, Will, and Morgan.
"He's threatening to shoot more hostages unless he has Will" she tells them, looking regretfully at the blonde
"That's it I'm going in" Will states as he stands up and tries to walk past Emily and Hotch
"No you're not" Hotch tells him, "We are" he tells the others as he scans the room
"Just let me do it" Will says again as he attempts to shove past Emily
"NO" the brunette tells him forcefully as she places a hand on his chest to stop him
"What do you care? You'd be just as happy as her if I get killed, cause then you get Henry back. Isn't that what you want?" he asks her
"Not this way Will. Don't be like this. It's not the time to have this discussion" she tells him flatly
"She's right" Hotch tells him before looking at his team, "Let's get ready"
As the tactical team was getting ready to enter the bank Emily, JJ, Hotch, and Morgan were standing behind a police car. As JJ looked up she saw Will walking towards the bank.
"What is he doing?" she asked as she watched her ex
When the realization finally hit her she began to yell and try to get to him to stop him from making a mistake.
Morgan grabbed her around the waist as he held her and Emily tried to help him. The blonde continued to fight them both as she shouted at Will. She finally stopped fighting once she realized he had already entered the bank.
Inside the bank when the robbers saw him, the man walked towards him. He ushered for one woman to leave along with two small children. Once they were out the man with the gun looked at Will.
"What's your name?" he asked
"William LaMontagne Jr…MPD"
Then not five seconds later the man pulled the trigger, shooting Will twice. The southern man hit the ground and didn't move.
Outside when they heard the gunshots JJ and Emily both flinched and gasped in horror before JJ began to shout. Emily immediately enveloped her in a hug and the blonde began to fight her before finally giving up and wrapping her arms around the brunette's waist and holding on tightly.
The team met back up inside the FBI van as everyone stood around staring at one another quietly. The video footage from inside the bank had finally been cut, so they could no longer see what was going on. No one knew whether Will was alive or dead, although their hopes weren't high.
Emily was chewing on her nails nervously as she looked at JJ, who was staring at the floor. Finally JJ spoke up as she looked up at Garcia, knowing the analyst had seen Will get shot.
"Where was he shot?" she asked the analyst
When the normally bubbly blonde didn't answer JJ asked more forcefully, "Is he alive or dead Garcia?"
"I don't know sweetie, I'm sorry"
"He was wearing a vest Jayje. He might be okay" Emily told her
"Might be?" she questioned as she looked her girlfriend
Emily did the only thing she could and took the three steps towards the blonde, enveloping her in a hug again.
"What am I supposed to tell Henry?" she mumbled into the brunette's neck
"Nothing, baby, there's still a chance that he's alive. We aren't going to have this discussion until we know the truth" she told the blonde as she rubbed her back and kissed the side of her head
Just then Rossi came into the van and told them that the robbers were no longer answering the phone.
"We need to get inside" JJ said as she pulled away from Emily, but let her hand slide into the brunettes
Morgan grabbed the blonde's other hand as he looked at her, "It's too risky JJ, we don't have eyes in there anymore"
JJ looked up at Hotch, tears in her eyes, "Aaron"
The team leader looked at the blonde and could see the anguish and knew what she was feeling. Even though she and Will weren't together, they still had a past, and a son. He couldn't deny her when she looked at him like that. He nodded.
"Let's go in" he told everyone
JJ dropped Emily and Morgan's hand as she followed Hotch out of the van, everyone else following them.
A/N: You guys all recognizing this episode, with my own little twist to it?! Hope you are still enjoying it