CHAPTER NINE
JJ led the way into the conference room towards the team with Haley and Elizabeth Prentiss hot on her heels. Before anyone could so much as stand to greet the two women, the Ambassador quickly disregarded the need for introductions.
"What are you doing to find my daughter?" She asked sternly, no room for arguments. Taken aback slightly at her abrupt confrontation, Rossi quickly lost all sense of pleasantries, taking on the roll of the 'formal team leader,' knowing that that was obviously what the ambassador had in mind as she approached him.
The whole team had known from the way that Emily talked of her mother that she was not a warm and fuzzy type of person, but taking in her cold demeanor and stern eyes, they hadn't realized up until now quite what that had entailed.
"Ambassador, we are doing everything we can to find both your daughter and our team leader," he said, nodding warmly in Haley's direction, "but I would like to remind you that with all due respect, you are here to help to provide us with any information possible, not the other way around."
"I understand that Agent Rossi, but I would like to think that as her mother, I would be informed of what is happening concerning the undergoing investigation," she said coldly.
Giving a curt nod towards the ambassador, he glanced towards Morgan, willing him to take over.
"It seems that you're daughter is not 'missing,' but is in considerable danger. From what we found on the man who we believe to be responsible, she seems to have quite the bulls-eye on her back," Morgan stated in a professional manner.
"What do you mean she isn't missing? Of course she is missing!"
"Both your daughter and Agent Hotchner have disappeared on their own accord. I'm assuming you've both seen the news?"
"Yes," the two women replied in unison.
"Whatever went down at Emily's apartment, she thought that their best option was to run. She believes that the man behind the explosion in her apartment is dangerous, ridiculously so, and she made the call to go underground for the time being."
"What do you mean, 'she believes'? Have you spoken to her?"
"Yes. Your daughter contacted Technical analysis Penelope Garcia this morning, providing us with a lead, and ensured us that both her and Agent Hotchner were safe for the time being."
Before the ambassador could ask what their lead was, Haley cut in to the conversation. "What does Aaron have to do with this? Why am I here?"
Turning towards his boss' ex-wife, Morgan continued. "At the time of the explosion, Hotch was at Emily's apartment. He was with her when the men broke into her house, and has now become a target as well. They are together, and we all have full confidence that whatever they decide to do, they will be safe. Not only is Hotch a damn good agent, but Emily is with him as well, and that means that they will practically be untouchable."
Smiling softly at his attempted words of comfort, she didn't miss what he had said about her ex being at Emily's apartment so late. She had met Agent Prentiss once a few years ago during the super bowl and remembered how gorgeous and outgoing the agent was. Shaking away those thoughts that were now none of her business she asked, "what is he doing to get them both back here safe?"
Snorting quietly to herself, JJ popped up. "Actually, it seems that Emily is the one calling all the shots on this one."
Confusion skittered across the faces of everyone in the room. "How do you mean JJ?" Asked Reid who up until then had been quiet.
Glancing up, JJ looked at the team as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, surprised that no one else had picked up on it as quickly as she had. "Well first of all, the chat room was obviously Emily's idea. Then there's also the fact that they ran. Hotch wouldn't have run whether or not it was the best decision for the situation. As smart and as analytical as he is, his good judgment would have been replaced by confusion and anger and he most likely would not have made the safe call on this one. Although he would have immediately done anything he could have to ensured Emily's safety, he would have been enraged at the situation, most likely resulting in a more direct and aggressive approach. Also, Hotch probably has no clue what is going on. Because Emily is the only one who knows the entire situation, he isn't familiar with the case whatsoever, and would have little idea as to what steps should be taken, therefor letting Emily take charge. Possibly involuntarily," she added with a smirk.
"Good thinking JJ," said Rossi. "But you forgot one thing. There's also the fact that this is Emily here. There's no way she would have let him take charge on this one anyway."
Snickering softly at Rossi's comment, JJ glanced at Reid who looked ridiculously confused. Rolling her eyes at the child-like man next to her, she turned back to Rossi.
"We are going to have to create three profiles then," she stated matter-of-factly.
"Three? What for?" asked Morgan.
"One for Emily, One for Hotch, and one for them together," continued Rossi.
"But why?" Morgan asked.
"Because they act differently when they are together," said Reid, catching up on Rossi and JJ's train of thought. "We can predict what each person would do separately, but all bets are off when they are together. There's no telling what they could decide to do next."
"Hotch and Emily also react differently to each other than they do with the rest of us," added Morgan.
"What do you mean?" Asked the ambassador, keenly listening to what they were saying about her daughter and their supervisor.
"Ever since Emily joined the team, the two of them have always acted a little strange around each other in comparison to the rest of us. At first, it was mistrust regarding the way Emily was placed on the team, but since then their relationship has changed considerably. Still, they are extremely reserved with each other, and yet they work together seamlessly, finishing each other's thoughts before the rest of us have even caught up to what they are discussing. They aren't as comfortable around each other as they are with others, and I don't think that they trust each other with the same level of comfort that there is between Emily and the rest of us, or even Hotch and us. At least on a personal level that is."
"But why? Asked Reid, still confused as to how he could have missed such important vibes from the two members of his team.
"I think that on a basic level, Emily makes Hotch nervous. And he isn't completely aware of this, and so he reacts with slight amounts of hostility and suspicion," said Rossi thoughtfully, reflecting on all the times he had caught Hotch snapping at her in the beginning.
Turning towards the media liaison to his left he continued, "JJ, what about Emily? You and Garcia have the best insight to her."
After a moments thought with pursed lips, JJ started speaking. "I think… I think that Emily is subconsciously aware of this as well, and she reacts with distrust, uncertain as to why he doesn't trust her," JJ slowly stated. "Their relationship has always been on rocky ground, and yet like you said, they work together impeccably, almost as if they are on an entirely separate wavelength from the rest of us. And there is a level of protectiveness that Hotch displays over Emily that I'm not even sure that he is aware of. Emily has told me on occasion that she thinks he's coddling her, and that she views his actions to be telling her that she can't handle herself. And with Emily, that's one hell of a sore spot. We all know how capable she is. And yet, even though he angers her immensely at times, she still shows an uncanny amount of care for him. And I think…. I think that she intimidates him. She's the only one who can even think of telling Hotch to shove it up his ass and get away with it," she said with a chuckle. "And even though it bothers Hotch that she has this kind of influence over him, he cant do anything to stop it."
"And he may have been suspicious of her, but he trusts her judgment immensely. He has no doubt whatsoever when it comes to her capabilities," added Derek.
"Okay so I think we all have a pretty good idea of what they would do alone under these circumstances, but what we need to figure out is how this would alter their judgment being together," said Rossi.
"Well let's see. Emily is compassionate, intelligent, quick on her feet…" Morgan started before the rest of the team started chiming in.
"Thoughtful."
"Caring."
"Modest."
"Strong."
"Fast thinker."
"Independent."
"Capable."
"Private. Very private."
"Strategic."
"Determined."
"Are you guys all crazy? Have you MET Emily?" Asked an astonished Garcia who had just appeared in the doorway, intent on sharing the information she had found on dames with the team until hearing the last of their list. Confusion skittered across the face of each member of the team, save JJ who was sporting a knowing grin.
"What do you mean baby girl?" Asked Morgan.
"Well hot stuff, you seem to be missing a few things from that list."
"Like what?" He asked confusedly.
"Uh lets see, how about, crazy, outgoing, wild, badass, sexy, reckless, rebellious, fun, ridiculously HILARIOUS, did I mention sexy?" Listed Penelope, ticking off each trait on her fingers.
Snickering, JJ backed up Garcia. "Yeah, sorry boys but when was the last time you hung out with Emily besides work or team drinks? I think Garcia pretty much nailed it. Maybe slightly exuberantly, but nevertheless."
"Okay, we'll uh, add that to the list." Huffed Rossi awkwardly, glancing at a wide-eyed and blushing Spencer.
"And Hotch?" asked Morgan, moving the conversation towards their team leader.
"Intensely private. Maybe more so than Emily even."
"Stern. Scarily stern."
"Caring. Compassionate. Even though he isn't very good about showing these qualities to many people, they're there. We've all seen them."
"Protective."
"Alpha."
"Smart."
"Closed off."
"Aggressive."
"Protective."
"You already said that Morgan," stated Reid.
"I know, but seriously protective. Especially when it comes to Emily. We have to think about that because we know that no matter what happens, if something goes wrong, he will do everything he possibly can to keep her safe, even by putting himself in danger," he stated.
After contemplating their teammates most prominent qualities, Morgan heaved a big sigh. "They're practically polar opposites guys."
"No they aren't," popped up JJ quietly. They may be outwardly different when it comes to how they act around us and with each other, but think about it; they are almost eerily similar. They are both very intellectual, unbelievably passionate, reserved, protective. I mean look at the way that Emily takes care of all of us! And yet they both have a hidden side, one that they don't let each other see, more so than the rest of us. For Emily it's the funny, slightly wild side, and for Hotch it's the caring fatherly side. I'm not too sure that that either one of them even knows that that side of the other exists!"
"JJ's right. They're going to have one hell of a time together," said Morgan.
"How so?" asked Reid, still clueless.
"Man, they're going to be cramped up in motels together for who knows how long, and they hardly even know each other. Like really know how the other acts outside of work. This is going to be one hell of an intimately crazy trip for them," said Morgan, doing his best to fill in Spencer. "I mean, Hotch unconsciously holds Emily at a greater difference than he does with the rest of us. It's going to be a totally different experience for them having to stay in such close quarters for so long. Who knows what could happen," he finished with a wink in Garcia's direction.
"I hope Hotch doesn't give Emily too much trouble, he can be a real stickler when he wants something done a certain way," sighed JJ.
"I think you got it backwards JJ, I just hope Hotch doesn't end up killing her. We all know that she will get her way in the end," Morgan snickered.
"Okay so where does that leave us?" Asked Rossi, getting everyone back on track.
"We know that if doing this separately, Hotch would most likely take charge and aggressively track down these people on his own, attempting to keep anyone and everyone out of harms way, even if it means that he is on his own," started Morgan.
"Emily on the other hand, would take a more patient approach. She would be a little bit more tactful about it, asking for help when needed and would probably have a more thought out plan rather than charging right into the line of fire," contributed Reid.
"And together?" Asked JJ.
"Well we already know that Hotch is letting Emily take the lead on this. So we know at least that for the most part, they will stay hidden and safe until they come up with a solid plan."
"Safe? You think that they are safe?!" said Elizabeth in a harsh tone, not understanding how her daughter could possibly feel safe holed up someplace with a group of madmen after her.
"With all due respect Ambassador, although you may have insight to Emily's past that may come in handy for us, you do not know how she acts and reacts under pressure in our field of work. Your daughter is more than capable of handling herself, and with Hotch by her side, they are as close to safe as they are going to get, and that's including if they were here. And that is why we will be focusing our investigation on finding the men who put them in this situation instead of our team members. Even with all of us putting our heads together to find them, hell, even with the entire BAU working together, it could take us days to track them down. They spend their lives tracking down criminals, and therefore know exactly how to hide from one. And even knowing them as well as we do, there's no saying how long it could take us to find them ourselves," said Rossi evenly, attempting to calmly explain this to the Ambassador.
Nodding in understanding, Elizabeth took a step back to stand next to the younger blonde woman who was brought in with her, now grasping the fact that this was no longer by any means her field of expertise. As hard headed as she knew that she was, she also knew when it was time to let others take the reigns. And in this case, she was sure that in her presence was a group of people who would do everything in their power to bring her daughter home. And from what she had overheard about Emily and her supervisor, she was sure that the same went for him as well. As difficult as it was sometimes for her and her daughter to get along, all she wanted was to see that she was brought home safely.
Seeing the Ambassador step down, Rossi turned his attention back towards Garcia who was still standing in the doorway. "Garcia, did you finish the search on Dames?"
Suddenly remembering the reason that she had barged into the room in the first place, Garcia stepped to the front of the room.
"Okay so I did what you said and I did every search in the book on Dames. And let me tell you, this is one creepy dude. He grew up with a seemingly normal lifestyle despite being one of the wealthiest families in the area. He had a brother who was seven years older than he was, and was homeschooled as far as I can tell, as there aren't any school records."
All the while that Penelope was speaking, the Ambassador was mulling her words over and over in her head. Something seemed familiar about what she was saying, but Elizabeth couldn't quite place it.
"Unbeknown to Dames, the rest of his family were deeply involved in multiple terrorist organizations all throughout Pakistan and were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. Just before he turned sixteen, his entire family was killed and many of the people that were working with the family were jailed. After that, Dames started getting involved in some…risky business as he got older.
"What kind of risky business?" Probed Rossi.
"Weaponry possession, drugs, prostitution. And that was just when he was younger. He's been arrested twice, once when he was nineteen and once when he was twenty-two, and then he seemed to disappear off the grid altogether. I couldn't find anything on him after his second arrest."
"What did you find on the takedown?"
"Not much Sir. The only information I was able to find regarding him was that Nicholas was proven innocent as he was oblivious to his family's occupation, and was then put into foster care. I was able to find links pointing in the direction of the CIA, but I unfortunately didn't find any ties to Emily."
As Garcia finished, the looks on the team's faces dimmed in disappointment that their only lead seemed to dissipate. But why would Emily have told us to find information on him if there was nothing of importance to find?
Just then, the Ambassador finally decided to speak up and share the information that she had figured out as Garcia was speaking. The only reason that she hadn't said anything yet was because she wasn't sure if it was her place to speak for her daughter. But, she figured that if her daughter had purposefully told the team to look up Dames, she must have been okay with the fact that they would be digging up her past as well.
"JTF," she stated mater-of-factly to no one in particular.
"Excuse me?" Said Rossi, eyeing the Ambassador confusedly.
Raising her eyes to meet those of the man before her she replied. "JTF-12. That's the group of people that did the takedown on Dames."
"Are you sure?" Asked JJ.
"Positive."
Suspicious of the Ambassador's sudden comment, Rossi looked to Garcia.
Shaking her head at his unspoken question she replied, "Sir, like I said, all I was able to find was that Dames was at the top of the most wanted criminals list for human trafficking, arms and weaponry, terrorism, prostitution, drug deals, the list goes on and on. And that he and his family were taken down by an elite group of CIA agents, but the details were all walled up like crazy, it would take me days to brake through those protections, and that's if I could do it undetected."
"Why was JTF involved in this?" Asked Reid, turning the attention back to the Ambassador.
"A better question would be how do you know about it?" asked Morgan.
"I hardly know the specifics regarding this case, but I do know that the situation was considered to be…somewhat delicate. The only reason that I know that they took part in the operation is because my daughter was part of the unit," she finished, looking up into the shocked expressions of the people placed around her.
After a moment of stunned silence and disbelief, the team sprung into action. Although they were both shocked and confused, they knew that in order to get answers they needed to continue with their investigation. At least now they had a proper lead.
"Garcia—"
"Already on it," Garcia replied to Rossi as she started to back out of the room.
"This time start with Emily. It will be difficult to dig up information on her time with the CIA that has been so well hidden, but it will be even harder to uncover information on Dames."
With a nervous expression, Garcia nodded shakily. The last thing she wanted to do was to upheave private information from one of her best friends' past. But she would follow orders without any grudge, knowing that she would go to any ends to bring her babies back to safety.
Scurrying away, the team watched as she left with a renewed, albeit slightly nervous determination. When she was no longer in sight, Rossi turned back towards the ambassador and took the seat directly across from her.
"Tell us everything you know."
