Friday, November 3, 2011, 2:27 a.m.
Emily is surprised when her phone rings. Her heart nearly stops when she sees it's her home number.
"Em?" Reid asks from across the table.
Emily grabs the phone and gestures to him to be ready to hit the trace program Garcia had set up just in case Chloe Donaghy called Emily directly.
"Francesca?" she asks desperately.
"Si, cara. I did not wake you?"
"No. What's wrong? Are you okay? The security detail is okay, right?"
"All is fine, cara. But Henry had a nightmare."
Emily can now hear Henry whimpering. "Oh, my sweet boy."
"He said he needed to talk to you because he dreamt a bad man took you and Declan and you are never coming home."
Emily pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to stop the tears from falling. "Can I…" she clears her throat. "Can I talk to him?"
"Si, cara. Henry, here is your Mama."
"Mama!" Henry says, fear in his voice.
"Hey, Champ. Aunt Franny said you had a bad dream."
"Mama, you hurt?"
"No, Henry, I promise. I am sitting here with Uncle Spencer trying to find where Declan might be."
"Deek hurt?"
Emily bites her lip a moment. She hadn't wanted the kids to know what was happening but Henry is extremely curious and had asked one of the agents sent as part of a security detail. The idiot had told Henry everything. She takes a deep breath…and lies to her son.
"No, he's not hurt. He's just…missing. We'll find him soon."
"Him lost?"
"Yeah…exactly. He's lost. But we'll find him and help him come home."
"Unca Tom hurt?"
"Uh, yeah, Uncle Tom is a little hurt but he'll be okay soon," Emily says, crossing her fingers that what she is saying is true. Tom was still in critical condition but holding his own at last report. "So, think you can go back to sleep now, Champ?"
"Miss you, Mama."
"I miss you, too, Henry. I love you so much. Can you do me a favor?"
"Si, Mama."
"I'm worried Alaska might get scared, too, or have bad dreams. Can you cuddle up to him and sleep with him to keep him calm?"
"Si, Mama. I take care Ska."
Emily smiles, a tear escaping to glide down her cheek. "Thanks, Champ. I knew I could count on you." She takes a steadying breath. "I love you and your sister so much, Henry. Please never forget that."
"Love you, too, Mama. Goodnight, Mama."
"Goodnight, Champ."
Francesca takes the phone back. "Get some sleep, cara."
"I will. We're taking shifts. I have a few more minutes."
"Okay. And, Emily, be careful."
"I will be. Promise. But…if…if something…you'll be there, right? Always?"
"Si, cara. Always. Ti amo, Emily."
"Ti amo, Francesca."
Emily hangs up the phone and buries her face in her hands. She has forgotten Reid is even in the room until he speaks.
"You're preparing to die for him, aren't you?"
Emily jumps as he starts to speak. She slowly looks up at him. She nods. "Yes. But I swear to God, Reid, I will not die easily. I will fight to save Declan and myself. I will not just give myself to her. And I trust this team to be right there with me to keep me alive."
Reid studies her a moment and sees the honesty in her statement. He leans on the table. "If…it happens…I promise you, every memory I have of you, every story I've heard about you, I will make sure Henry, Rocky and the twins know. I can't promise you much but I can promise to share your memory with your children."
Emily loses the fight to hold back her tears. She sobs. Reid stands and moves around the table to pull her close.
"We'll find him, Emily. We'll find him and have a plan to get him out of there. There is no other option. And I will do everything in my power to make sure you get home to your children. I promise, Emily. I promise."
As he holds her Emily can't help but realize just how much Reid had matured in a few short years. Sure he still had his awkward moments but he was more of a man than he knew. She slowly lifts her head up.
"You're a fine man, Reid. There's no one I'd want watching over my kids more than you. Thank you for giving me that peace of mind as we go into this shit."
He gives her a smile. "Anything I can do to help, emotionally or mentally."
Emily smiles and slowly stands. "I need a break. I need…I need to…"
"Go to her. Morgan and Hotch will be here soon for the next shift. If there's a break we'll wake you."
She squeezes his shoulder. "Thank you, Spencer."
He just nods as she makes her way out of the conference room. JJ is sleeping on the couch in Straus' waiting room. Emily stands in the doorway a moment. Light from the hallway gives her just enough illumination to study the serene look on her wife's face. If only she could stay asleep until the case is over.
Emily finally moves into the room. She starts to lower herself into an armchair when JJ's voice reaches her ear.
"Lay with me, Emily."
"I…I…"
"You've been crying."
"Yeah. Henry had a nightmare. Francesca called because he wouldn't go to sleep until he talked to me."
JJ slowly sits up and stares at her wife. "You lied to him, didn't you? Told him things would be okay, that Declan would be home soon, that Uncle Tom would be fine." Emily just nods. "And you told him you loved him."
"That wasn't a lie," Emily says quickly.
JJ smiles. "I know." She moves to kneel in front of her wife. "Thank you for telling him what he needs to hear to rest. That's what a parent does."
"Jennifer…she's going to make me…I'll have to face her." She takes her wife's hands. "I swear to you, I won't just…sacrifice myself. But if I have to die to save him, I will. I took him when he was a boy and everyday of my life I was waiting for the bullet in my head for doing it. I swear I never knew she was alive. Once Doyle was dead I thought it was safe to get to know him again." She starts to cry again. "I led her to them, Jen. Whatever Declan goes through, whatever Tom does, I led her to them."
"STOP IT! Stop it right now, Emily Prentiss!" She grabs Emily's head and stares into her eyes. "You saved Declan from a horrible fate at the hands of the people that should have protected him. You gave Tom a son whom he loves and adores. You did things that…shit…that I can't even begin to imagine thinking of doing to save Declan, get him to Tom, and give him a chance at a real life. And soon, maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day, you will find Declan and free him again. And so help me, Emily Prentiss, you will not die doing so. This team will NOT let that happen. Do you hear me? We all come home, Emily. We ALL come home."
Emily grabs her wife and holds her as they both cry out their fears. After 5 minutes, Emily leans back.
"Thank you."
"You never have to thank me for loving you. Now come lay with me, Emily. Let me keep your nightmares at bay for a while."
Emily nods, suddenly even more exhausted than she was before. Feeling like a zombie, she stands and lets JJ lead her to the couch. The blonde lies down and Emily curls into her. JJ holds her close, one hand stroking up and down Emily's back as the other massages her scalp to calm her.
"You have always been so strong, Jennifer. So much stronger than we ever give you credit for."
JJ smiles. "It's my secret weapon. I kinda like it that way."
Emily smiles and snuggles closer. "I love you."
"I love you, too. Rest now, baby."
Friday, November 3, 2011, 7:40 a.m.
"Between what Jordan was able to get for us and what we've pulled out of the ghost files, Chloe Donaghy was born into a life of crime," Hotch begins. "Her father and grandfather worked both sides of the Catholic-Protestant conflicts in Ireland. Additionally, she had an uncle who was helped them deal anything to anyone anywhere in Europe."
"So why wasn't she on the take down list for JTF-12?" Rossi asks.
Emily sighs. "Lauren went after…" She takes a deep breath. "I went after the rungs that would help me climb the ladder to Valhalla. JTF-12 had spent a year building the reputation and mystery of Lauren Reynolds. By the time I actually took over the persona, Donaghy had been discounted as unnecessary to the mission. She was an ex of Doyle and was part of the bevy of women used to develop the…aspects of my character that would attract him."
"Easter saw she fell off the radar for a while after she broke up with Doyle. He assumed it was because he had beaten the crap out of her and she knew she couldn't let her family know," Hotch continues. "Her family would have gone after Doyle and Doyle would have slaughtered them."
"So she does have a devotion to family," Reid says in surprise.
"But not to her son," Emily states, nearly choking over the last word. She stands and begins to pace in agitation. "When Chloe found out she was pregnant she tried to overdose. She didn't want to bring Doyle's child into the world. I…I don't know if she was more worried about pregnancy taking her out of the game or if she truly just didn't want to bring another creature like him into the world."
"But suicide would have been against her religion," Rossi points out.
"She just wanted to cause a miscarriage, not kill herself most likely."
"How did Doyle keep her from trying again?" Jordan asks.
Emily stares at the wall. "He…he kept her tied to a bed for the duration of her pregnancy. He kidnapped a midwife to care for her and help bring the child into the world. That midwife was Louise O'Bannon, who you all came to know as Louise Thatcher."
"Declan's nanny?" Morgan confirms.
"Yes. Once the child was born, Declan gave Chloe £50,000 and told her to disappear. He also said if she ever came after Declan she would die a slow, painful death. It…wasn't an empty threat and she knew it."
"So now she knows Doyle is dead but how does she know Declan is alive?" JJ asks.
Jordan sits forward. "The body of Louise O'Bannon was found yesterday in an abandoned building in Belfast. Based on healing patterns and bruise colorations, they believe she'd been tortured for days."
"Until she finally gave up the information on Declan," JJ concludes.
"That's our assumption," Jordan agrees.
JJ nods. "Okay, so now we know who she is and how she found Declan. How the fuck do we find her and save him?"
"You know, the kidnapping of a child by a parent usually means the child will be okay. She may have already left for Ireland with him," Reid points out.
"So far our overseas contacts have not reported any flights into the private airstrips she and her business partners use," Jordan says.
"But they got her here. And they are waiting to take her home," Emily points out. "We need to know who those partners are and where they have planes right now. She won't be far away from her escape route."
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Morgan states. "We're also on the East Coast. The right boat or ship will get them to Ireland eventually, too. They could even put him in a shipping container and smuggle him out that way."
Emily can't stop the moan at that thought. She drops back down into her seat. She takes a deep breath. "She's not gone. Not yet. I'm sure she'll be ready to go at a moment's notice. And the final confrontation will take place near her escape method. Once I'm…" she glances at her wife and away again, "…dead, she'll make her jump across the pond. But not until then. It's a blood debt and she demands payment."
Reid glances at JJ. Her hands are clenched together so tightly her knuckles are white. Her eyes are wide with fear but she says nothing…because she knows Emily is right. He shakes his head, once again amazed at the women's ability to compartmentalize their feelings about each other when they really just want to lose their shit. He does the only thing he can do: he reaches out and puts a calming hand on her arm. She gives him a brief smile in return.
Morgan looks at Hotch. "So, what's the plan?"
"We need to keep digging. We need to find her escape route," Hotch says.
"That's not what I meant. I meant, how do we draw her out so that we can rescue Dec?"
Hotch looks at Morgan. "I know what you meant." He looks at Emily. "Prentiss, you're with me. Give me 5 minutes."
Emily nods and follows him out of the room. Morgan looks around. "Anyone else know what's going on?" Everyone shrugs.
"Maybe he's just checking her mindset," Rossi suggests.
"Maybe," Morgan says doubtfully. In his mind, he keeps thinking about Hotch's statement that they might have to let Emily go rogue to solve this one. Over his dead body would he allow his best friend to go off alone. Not. Fucking. Likely.
Hotch gestures to the sitting area of his office. Emily sits on the edge of the couch.
"Don't try to pull me off of this, Hotch," she warns him.
"I wouldn't dare. We need to talk about what we'll have to do when we find her. I think we both know what has to happen."
Emily studies him a minute then leans back on the couch. "You're going to let me confront her alone."
"Yes. Within certain parameters."
"Such as?"
"You'll wear a tracking device other than your phone. She'll most likely make you get rid of that anyway."
"True. And once I get face to face with her, if she has me under control, she'll find anything that looks like a tracking device."
"What if we plant it in your boot?"
Emily nods. "That should work. I doubt she'll make me take them off and I shouldn't have any reason to take them off myself."
"Will she be watching Quantico?"
"Definitely. We'll need to make my bolt look good."
"You sneak out, get in an SUV, we notice late. About the time you're casually pulling off base we'll be flying up behind you lights and sirens."
"And I'll lose your asses in the direction opposite where we're really headed."
Hotch nods. "Perfect."
"I'll need to steal a car." Hotch raises an eyebrow. "No way I'd risk you all tracking the Bureau SUV. So I'd dump it someplace and steal a non-descript car. I'll even switch license plates on the car to keep it from being caught on a BOLO."
Hotch nods. "It's almost scary how much we're thinking alike."
Emily grins. "Bet you never thought that would happen that night I ambushed you here in your office to prove I belonged on this team."
He chuckles. "You got that right." He takes a deep breath. "I'm letting you go rogue, Emily. But you won't be alone. Trust that."
She nods. "I do."
"Good. Go back with the others. I need to arrange a couple of cars for you to steal. I'll have one north of the base, one south. There will also be a car at the next mini-mall parked where you can take the plates without being seen easily. Any vehicle preferences?"
"I need a dark coloured sedan that won't draw attention but can be easily hidden in the shadows. It's what she'd expect me to steal."
"Got it. I'll get on it now."
"Hotch…Aaron…thank you."
He nods stiffly. "No thanks needed."
On her way back to the conference room, Emily gets a text alert on her phone. She pulls it out and opens it up.
"NO! FUCKING BITCH!"
At her first yell, her teammates had been running out of the room to check on her. They see it is taking all her self-control not to toss her phone across the room. JJ gets to her and grabs her hand.
"What is it, Em?"
Emily can't speak. Her face is red with fury. She shoves the phone at JJ. JJ watches her wife a second then looks down at the picture. She winces when she sees Declan's face, one side of his face obviously red from being hit. She turns to Garcia.
"Trace this text, Pen." She hands off the phone then turns back to her wife. "She's taunting you, Em. He's alive. Hold on to that. Bruises will heal. He'll be okay."
Emily just nods, not trusting her voice at the moment. She takes JJ's hand. "We need to talk."
She pulls JJ towards Rossi's office since it's closest. She shuts the door behind them and starts to pace.
"Hotch and I came up with a plan."
"And I'm going to hate it with a passion, aren't I?"
"Definitely." Emily lays it out for her wife. "JJ…shit, sorry…Jennifer, I swear, if there was another way, if I could see another option, I would take it. She'll lead me to her step by step. It's all we can do. But by stealing a car that we've set up to steal, we have a good chance of never getting separated. Now, if she's got a car or a ride waiting for me, I'll have the tracker in my boot."
"What will happen if she gets you in a car with her men?"
Emily's eyes harden. "I'll let them get me as close as they can to her hideout. Then I'll…put them out of commission and continue on my own to stall for time until backup arrives."
"Put them out of commission? You mean kill them? Just like that?"
"Not necessarily. Don't get me wrong, if it's a choice between me or them, or Declan or them, they'll die. But I promise you, I won't just murder them."
JJ nods. "Okay. Right. Okay. So…so, uh, fuck I don't even know what to ask."
"Then don't ask anything, Jennifer." She pulls her into a hug. "Just share some of that strength you have with me."
"I can do that. I can do that with no problem at all."
Emily is desperate to get back to the information in the conference room but she knows her wife needs this moment. And, if she's honest with herself, she needs it, too.
Friday, November 3, 2011, 8:02 a.m.
Declan sits up as the door of his cell opens. One man holds a gun on him as another brings in a tray of food.
"Five minutes, kid," he says as he sets it on the table.
As soon as the men are gone, Declan looks at the food. It has been more than 24 hours since he'd eaten anything. He wants to refuse the food but he knows his father, Emily and JJ would be upset if he doesn't try to survive. He scoots to the edge of the bed and looks it over.
"Just eat it, Declan," he mumbles to himself.
He lifts the bowl of cereal and starts to eat. His hunger takes over and soon he has eaten all the cereal, the apple and drunk the juice. He puts the water bottle under his pillow, hoping his captors won't notice he has kept it.
Exactly 5 minutes after his breakfast was delivered, the men come back and take the tray away. Declan hopes to be left alone but the woman claiming to be his mother walks in. He hates that he fears her more than the men.
"Enjoy yer breakfast, Declan?"
Declan just nods. She raises an eyebrow.
"Ye should speak when spoken to, son. Now, did ye enjoy yer breakfast?"
"Yes," Declan whispers.
"Good." She walks closer to him. "I thought ye should know, Tom Colter died last night."
"NO! YOU LIE!" Declan screams.
Chloe smiles. "Ah, I do love ta see tha' spirit. Much better than tha' mamby-pamby scared silence ye've been giving us."
"My dad is NOT dead!" Declan insists.
"Aye, he is. But I do have a surprise fer ye. Tha' bitch wha' stole ye will be here later taday. I sent her a little text showing your face all red from being slapped. I'm sure tha' has her a wee bit riled up. Later taday she'll get a special package from me. She'll be here by nightfall and dead by midnight, her body tossed inta tha sea ta feed tha sharks." She steps closer. "Tha choice will be yers, Declan."
"What…what choice?" he asks suspiciously.
"Ye'll get ta choose how she dies. Slow and painful, or quick and easy. Think about it, son."
He starts to shiver. "No. NO! I won't do it! I won't decide!"
Chloe smiles. "Then I'll choose slow and painful. And ye'll get ta see just how much fun torture can be."
She turns and walks out. Declan tries to tackle her but one of her men intercepts him and body slams him into the ground. Chloe watches as Declan groans, trying to regain the breath that had been forced out of his lungs.
"Lesson 1, Declan…never, ever raise a hand ta me."
She turns and walks out, her men right behind her. The man that had stopped Declan turns and gives him an evil grin. He turns off the lights as he slams the door, once more plunging Declan back into suffocating darkness.
Declan slowly crawls to the bed and pulls himself up onto it. He doesn't even try to stop the tears as he wonders if his father is really dead and wonders if he's going to have to watch Emily get killed right in front of him.
"Please, Emily, please come save me again. Please. Please save me again. Please," he sobs over and over until he cries himself back to sleep.
