Chapter 10

Family Outing

Aristotle said, "There was never a genius without a tincture of madness."

"I'll let Rossi know." Emily said, running outside. It was possible that the twins were going to bring Jack back here. If that was so, then they had to wait for them.

Rossi was about to get into the helicopter with Aaron. He stepped down when he saw Emily running out of the cabin. She told him about the phone call. He turned to the 'medics.

"I can't travel with him." he said, handing Judith his card. "I need to know of any change, anything, in his condition. And I need to know where you are taking him as soon as you know."

Judith looked a little taken aback by what he said. "You mean no-one's going to ride with him?"

"Lady, this is the FBI. We can't always have what we want!" Rossi climbed into the chopper and took his friend's hand. Again, Aaron responded to the gesture. So he could probably hear him.

"Hotch, I can't travel to the hospital with you." he said gently, touching the injured man's face. "We will all be there just as soon as we can. Hang on in there, Aaron. Just don't die on us!"

Giving his hand a final squeeze, he jumped down off the chopper, and bending forward, he went back into the cabin. Morgan was talking to a cop at the scene.

"What the hell is this? First Hotch, now Jack?" Rossi ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Was it the same UnSubs?"

"Description matches." said Morgan, looking up from his phone. "Seems so."

"This whole thing must be connected with his family in some way." Emily said. "Not just revenge for their father."

"They just ran Haley down, didn't even slow." said Morgan. "Bradley Masefield was driving. It wasn't an accident."

"So what have we got?" Rossi asked, pulling out a chair and sitting on it backwards, leaning forwards on the chair back.

"They are organised. This took some planning." said Spencer, worry clear in his voice.

"They are bold, snatching a kid in broad daylight in front of witnesses!" Emily said.

"Bold or stupid." Morgan said. "They either think that what they are doing is right, in which case they are psychopaths..."

"Or they don't care if they are caught." said Reid.

"They didn't dump the body. That tells me they are coming back here." said Rossi.

"So we'd better be ready for them." Reid said.

"We have a little over an hour, that is assuming they are coming straight back here.

"Get everything back where it was. We don't want them to know we've been here until we want them too." Rossi said, replacing the chair.

Emily bundled the plastic back in the cupboard, and cleaned up Aaron's blood that had run off it onto the floor. Morgan put Aaron's guns in his pocket. There was no need to be giving them that advantage. He passed his mobile to Rossi, who switched it to silent, and pocketed it.

"Right, ideally, I want two of us inside and two outside." Rossi looked around. "There isn't really a safe hiding place for two."

"I'll stay inside." said Reid. "It's dark in here. Even if they light the lamp, light won't reach me here." He went and stood with his back to the corner opposite the door, next to the hanging ropes. There was a heavy old chest of drawers that cast a shadow over the corner. He was virtually invisible.

"Garcia," Rossi turned to her. She hadn't moved or spoken since Hotch had been taken out. "Garcia, are you alright?"

"Erm...yes, I think so." The shock was still evident on her face.

"Ok, Garcia, I want you to hide the cars." he said. "Ours is right out side. Drive it further up the drive where they won't see it. Then go back for yours and hide it in the woods. We don't want them to suspect anything." Rossi gave her his keys.

"Ok. Thank you." She gave Rossi a trembley smile. "I called the PD when we first got here. Should I ask them to stay away now?"

"Yes. We don't want them crashing in and putting the child in danger."

Garcia ran out to move the cars, dialling her mobile as she went.

Morgan looked at his watch. "Fifteen minutes minimum until they get here. Although I would think they'd drive within the law. They won't want to be stopped with Jack in the car."

They heard Garcia drive away in Rossi's SUV.

"That poor little boy. He's lost his Mum today. He could still lose his Dad." Emily had tears in her eyes. She wasn't compartmentalising so well today. But that was probably because all her compartments were getting mixed up. She wiped the tears away.

"He won't lose his Dad, Emily. Hotch is tough. He'll make it." said Morgan, although he was thinking the same and he suspected the others were too.

"Ok, Reid, you stay there. Let's find ourselves a hiding place ready." Rossi said. The others followed.

Rossi's phone rang. It was the hospital. Rossi opened the phone, not sure if he wanted to hear what they had to say.

It was the surgeon. They were just about to take Aaron into the OR.

"The coma is probably caused by blood loss and shock. When the volume expanders have time to work, he may come round. Shock is difficult to predict. He may lose his right leg. There is a lot of damage, but we'll do our best. I'm afraid you must prepare yourselves for the worst."

"How long will he be in theatre? I need to know when to call back."

"Give us four hours. Try then."

The doctor cut the connection, and Rossi put his phone away.

"He's going in to theatre now." Rossi said to the others. "We will have to wait for now."

-0-0-0-

"Need wee-wee." Jack said, clearly getting distressed.

"Crap!" said Bren, who was now sitting in the back with the kid. "What do we do? I don't want him messing up my car!"

Maize sighed. "Hold it in, Jack. We're almost there."

"See Daddy?"

"Yes, see Daddy."

The child sat back against the seat. Daddy would help him. Daddy was strong. Daddy loved him. He sat and thought about cuddles from Daddy.

The car turned off the road and drove into the woods.

Now that Hotchner was dead, she thought, and his horrible wife was splatted all over the road, they would raise the kid. He was after all their brother, and both parents were gone. They could be a proper family. She could pretend to be Mum, and Bren could be Dad.

"It's going to be fun being a family, Bren."

He smiled. "Yeah! Daddy-Bren!"

"Maybe we could have some kids of out own." Maize said. Bren smiled.

Yeah! A real family!

They pulled up outside the cabin. Maize opened the glove box and got out her gun – a tiny point two five. She got out, and opened the door for Jack. She picked him up and carried him towards the door.

Bren opened the door and they went inside, closing the door behind them.

Rossi ran to the door with Prentiss, and sent Morgan around the back.

Rossi used a mirror to see inside. She was still holding Jack. Soon they would realise that Aaron wasn't there any more.

He kicked the door down.

"FBI!"

Maize turned to look at Rossi and Prentiss in the doorway. To their dismay, they saw that she was holding a gun at the child's head.

Jack was crying, calling for his Daddy. Rossi thanked his god that Aaron wasn't here.

"Put the gun down and give yourselves up." Rossi said, his own gun not wavering.

Reid stepped out of his hiding place and stepped closer to them. Bren and Maize walked backwards to the wall where she could see Reid as well as the two by the door.

He stepped forwards again and re-holstered his gun. "Let me take the child's place. Let him go, and take me instead."

Suddenly and without warning, she swung her weapon round and fired it twice at Reid almost point blank, then she returned the barrel to Jacks head.

For a moment or two he stood where he was. He looked down at the two growing patches on his chest. A hand fluttered against the wounds, and he looked at Rossi in surprise. His wide hazel eyes started to lose focus, and he fell sideways onto the floor.

"Reid!" Rossi shouted. He looked at his fallen agent, but the gun didn't waver from its aim.

"Now back out of the cabin. Now. Or I shoot the kid." Maize said. Obediently, Rossi and Prentiss backed out, guns still trained on the twins. Once they were outside, and Maize and Bren were at the door, Maize called over her shoulder.

"Ok, Bren. Do it now."

Bren took a five litre container marked 'Floorshine' off the shelf and tipped it around the small room.

The two of them exited the cabin, still holding the point two five at the little boy's head. As Bren stepped out, he flicked on his lighter, and tossed it through the door. They threw themselves to the ground as the whoosh of flame went over their heads. Rossi and Prentiss were knocked off their feet onto the ground by the blast. The twins ran to the car, and shoving the child in the front between them, they got in and drove off.

Rossi took of his jacket and used it to put out the flames on Emily's legs. Morgan ran round to the front.

"What the hell..."

Rossi helped Emily to her feet and ran to the burning cabin.

"Reid's still in there, Derek. He's been shot!"