A/n same warnings as always.

Disclaimer: I don't own CM if I did I wouldn't be writing fan fic.

"I won't do, it I swear to you on my father's grave," Morgan said as he embraced her, tears falling from his face.

"What are we going to tell him, Derek?" Garcia sobbed into his chest. This couldn't be happening!

"What are you going to tell who," Reid's voice came from behind them, the happiness in it slicing through both of them like a razor, drawing blood.

Oh, God what were they going to tell him!

"Hey Reid, listen buddy its nothing, just a surprise for Hotch." Morgan tried to smile

Come on, you have to put on a good face! He can't know anything is wrong, not till you show the video to Hotch and Gideon.

Reid's eyes narrowed, why was Garcia crying, he'd never seen her cry. JJ had said she'd almost cried in front of her several months ago, when Morgan had been in the middle of a terrorist bombing. Maybe something was wrong with Morgan, and she didn't want anyone to know.

"Why are you crying Garcia?" He asked bluntly. Then he turned to Morgan and said, "What did you do to make her cry."

"Hey don't look at me," He said holding up his hands, while he trembled inside. What if Reid didn't by their act? "You know women, we go away for a few days, and they cry when we come back because they missed us."

"Yeah sugar, he's right, I was just blubbering because I missed this big lug, although I don't know why, he is a royal pain in my ass." She said as sarcastically as she could, hoping Derek would play along.

"Oh really, is that why you whine every time I have to go on a case, and you don't see me for days." He winked at her and leaned in to kiss her.

Reid wasn't buying the act, but he turned and left them alone. If anything serious was going on he would find out about it soon enough. In the meantime, he decided he'd had enough of work for one day. He wanted to go home to his beautiful Jen.

He missed her so much. Out of town trips were the hardest part of his job. He didn't want to go back to the time when he only loved her from a distance. At least then she'd been with them on their trips, and he could at least see her every day. He ran down the steps to the bull pen, and grabbed his satchel. He whistled on his way to the elevator.

In the last three weeks they had spent maybe four days together. Instead of complaining, Jen told him their separation was paying the piper for the wonderful four day weekend they'd had. His plan was to get home before she did, light some candles, put on some music. He knew better than to try to cook again. He'd order in from their favorite restaurant and - well hopefully he'd get laid! He made it halfway home when his phone beeped.

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Neither Hotch not Gideon said a word after the video finished playing. They had always hoped that something like this wouldn't happen to one of their agents. They knew the reality of the work they did, and now it had happened. The demands the voice made were insane. They could not be met. They must not be met. But if they didn't do as this person wanted a precious life would be lost. The thing was, if they did do as the person wanted, another precious life would be over. It was a catch twenty- two.

"Where is Reid?" Hotch asked his voice betraying nothing, but his eyes were burning. Morgan had never seen him so angry.

"He's on his way home. I couldn't let him see this until, we spoke to you two."

"Morgan is right - we can't subject him to this until we know for sure."

"I believe it's real," Hotch said. "I was coming to tell you Jason, that the Director called me. JJ is missing, she never showed up for work today and she didn't call in. You know as well as I do what that means."

"We can't jump to conclusions, she maybe too sick to get out of bed, in which case it's a good thing Reid is on his way home."

"Too sick to pick up the phone and get help, I don't believe that. I saw Reid texting someone when we were getting off the plane. It had to be JJ, who else could've it been. As far as I noticed he didn't get a reply. So unless she was in the middle of something at work, she would've answered him."

"I want to believe that Derek, but we have the video, and we need to take the proper forensic steps."

"Penelope, can you find out who sent it, or should I give it to another of our computer experts," Hotch asked. He was giving her a break because of the contents and she knew it.

Garcia had wiped her tears away, and now there was only rage in her face. The Unsub was under the delusion that he could mess with the BAU. He was about to find out how wrong he was.

"You all should know by now that I can do anything you can imagine, and some things you can't. Get out of here while I track down this son of a bitch."

"Hurry, Garcia we only have six hours." Gideon said, but she wasn't hearing him. Her fingers flew over the keys so fast he could hardly see them.

"Come on lets let her work her magic, Morgan get Emily and Costa in the conference room. I'm going to call Reid and get him back in here," Hotch said, as he rose and turned to the door.

"What are you going to tell him?"

"What he's always told when called by the BAU, that there's a new case."

"Won't he think that's a bit odd?" Morgan asked.

"Yes, but what do you suggest I do Derek, tell him over the phone that-"

"I'm sorry Hotch, you're right. I'm just so angry right now I can't think straight!"

"Put it out of your mind Derek, I need you at one hundred percent. Can you do that?"

"Oh yeah, I'll stay as cool as ice, that is till I get my hands on-" He stopped at the look in Hotch's eyes.

He walked away from them, and went to find Emily and Costa. He didn't want to watch the video again or hear that voice. If he didn't then maybe it wouldn't be true.

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Hotch sat staring at the phone in front of him. He didn't want to make this call. He wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong. He wanted it to be a trick... some kind of sick joke… but it wasn't… it was real. Oh God how had this happened and why?

He picked up the phone, and was surprised to see his hand was shaking as he punched in the numbers for Reid's cell.

He entered the conference room ten minutes later. Emily Prentiss and Agent Martin Costa were sitting in silence with Gideon and Morgan.

"Did you reach him?"

"Yeah, he hadn't reached their home yet, and he'll be back here in about ten minutes."

"What did you tell him," Gideon asked.

"That we have an emergency, and we need him back here. He wasn't happy, but he didn't question me."

Gideon would give anything in this world if he didn't have to show this video to the young agent. For the first time in a long time, Gideon hated his job and himself for what he had to do.

The door opened and Garcia entered. "My children are working on the problem. We'll find him in no time." Her voice was flat and lifeless, no trace of her trademark play-fullness remained, and Morgan's heart broke to see, and hear her this way.

She walked over to where Derek sat, took a chair next to him, and reached out for his hand. It didn't matter anymore, who saw or knew about them, time was short and she wanted to spend it all with Derek.

The next five minutes passed by so quickly and yet so slowly, that when Reid walked into the conference room, they all jumped guiltily. He noticed the somber looks on their faces, and he wondered what was going on.

"Hey guys my birthday isn't for months, so what's with-"

"Spencer, please take a seat, we have something you need to see," Gideon interrupted. Spencer sat down.

"Spencer, Morgan received an email today, but it concerns all of us… and JJ as well."

"Jen… what's this email got to do with her; she's no longer with the unit." He was beginning to be slightly afraid.

"Spencer, the director called me a few minutes ago; he said she never made it to work this morning. She hasn't called in sick, or answered her phone." Gideon couldn't make eye contact with the young agent, if he did, he might cry and he needed to stay strong.

Spencer stared at his boss stupidly; surely they couldn't mean that… No, he wouldn't believe the thoughts crashing through his brain. This was a mistake, as if in a horrible dream, he watched as Gideon gesture to Costa. Everything began to fade around him as the video appeared on the screen in front of him.

Jen sat in a chair in a small room with what looked like concrete block walls. She was wearing a work outfit, and was tied to the chair. Her hands were behind her back, and her legs tied in front. She wore a blindfold over her eyes. If not for her blond hair, he wouldn't have recognized her. She'd been badly beaten, her lip split and her face bruised. She seemed to bleed from a dozen different places. She didn't respond to the voice that was speaking in the background. Her head lolled to one side, and for a moment he thought she was dead, and then he saw her chest rise and fall with her breath.

"Who I am is not important, you are good enough to discover that very quickly," the mechanically altered voice said. "What is important is that I have a former member of your team in my custody. You will follow instructions to the letter, or she will be killed. In exactly six hours, Derek Morgan will kill the lovely Penelope Garcia, and bring her body to me; if you don't this lovely young woman will be killed. I will contact you with specific instructions on where to bring the body. Do not think to try and deceive me, I have eyes everywhere and will know if you try."

This wasn't happening; it had to be a game or a trick.

Reid opened his mouth to say just that, and found his vocal cords didn't work. That was strange. His ears didn't seem to work either. He could see the movement of the mouths of his coworkers, but he couldn't make out what they were saying… very curious. Now his extremities were beginning to feel very heavy, almost as though he were swimming through quicksand. He was so tired. Everything was beginning to look wrong to him. His vision was failing him, getting gray around the edges of his eyes. He felt nothing, no sorrow or anger as the gray turned to pewter, then to slate. He fell in slow motion from his chair to the floor as everything went finally to black.