A Song of Their Own

Chapter 13

There had been no opportunity for Reid to indicate he'd spied Will on the stoop, so JJ's first clue that Will was present was the sound of his voice. She'd frozen when he started speaking, closing her eyes in relief at conclusive proof that he was alive. Thank you, God.

The rest of the team joined her in listening in on the conversation between Will and Reid. Without needing to be told, Garcia immediately started a background search on Viera, looking at rosters of known criminals, but also looking at anyone by that name connected with New Orleans, Houston or the Caymans.

The others started hatching plans for the following day. They needed cash, forty thousand dollars of it, and despite the urgency of the operation, Hotch anticipated trouble prying such a sum loose from the feds. He started a round of phone calls, including one to Erin Strauss. They'd managed to keep her peripheral to the case so far, but her influence might now be helpful. Rossi listened in to the calls, hoping for the best, but anticipating the worst. And knowing that he would put up the money himself if it came down to it.

Morgan, Prentiss and JJ put their collective expertise together to come up with a plan for Will and Reid to get Minnow out of the house tomorrow night without any of them being injured. None of them were confident Reid would go unnoticed if he tried to impersonate a junkie again. They were concerned the dealers would become suspicious of him, if not the traffickers.

Privately, JJ wondered what toll it might have taken on her fiancé to so vividly relive that time in his life. She couldn't wait for him to be back. She needed to see him, to touch him, to reassure both of them that he was all right. We get another night. It wasn't the last time.

"Good work, Reid." Hotch acknowledged him as he entered the suite.

"Oh, my junior G-man!" Garcia had left her station to give him a quick hug. "I'd bake you some cookies if they had a kitchen in this place."

"I'll take a rain check, Garcia." Reid opened his arms as JJ walked into them to embrace him.

"Thank you. You found him."

"We all found him together, JJ." He disengaged. "You heard what he wanted me to tell you?"

"I did. I'll tell Henry, after Will's safe. Did he look okay?"

"Well, apart from the Fu Manchu-which doesn't suit him at all-and, did they tell us he had an earring? Because he does. Anyway, apart from that, he looked fine." He paused a moment, remembering. "JJ? Do you know who Charlene is?"

The expression on her face was difficult to read. "I thought he was seeing someone here, remember? I guess that's her."

Morgan came over to pat Reid on the back. "You did good, Kid. We might make an agent of you yet."

"Hey! I resemble that!"

"Don't let him pick on you, Reid. You were great." Emily gave him a peck on the cheek. She wasn't in the habit of sharing her feelings with others, but she'd been concerned for the safety of her dear friend, and was relieved that he'd returned in one piece.

"Can I have your attention, everyone?" Rossi was addressing them all. "We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. But we have something to celebrate tonight…the finding of young Will LaMontagne, and the good work done by all of us as a team."

As he was speaking, he uncorked and poured the bottle of wine he'd ordered. His experience told him they all needed to release some of the tension of the day before entering the fray again tomorrow. "I propose a toast. To teamwork, to the goodness of all people who work to protect our children, and to the success of our operation tomorrow."

"Here, here," came from the six others joining him.

The couple retired to JJ's room again, to sit before the view. She curled into Reid's side, wanting to feel his arms around her..

"Thank you. I know I said it before but.….thank you."

He just looked at her. There were so many things he could have said, but he fell back on the easiest. "You're welcome."

They were both quiet for a while, JJ leaning her head against Reid's chest, listening to the beat of his heart. She turned her eyes up to his face and noticed the faraway look on it. She thought she knew where he was.

"Spence?"

"Hm?" He looked down at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Me? Sure, of course, why wouldn't I be?"

He realized he'd over-answered, and knew she would pick up on it. So he gave in and explained himself.

"I….it….it was just hard to remember, you know? That time. I thought I'd left it behind, but I guess it's never really gone. It came back to me like that." He snapped his fingers.

"I thought that was it." I know my man very well. "You're not that person any more, Spence."

"No, JJ, that's just the point. I am that person. I will always be that person. I'm not proud of it, but I can't deny it."

She sat up to look him straight in the eye. He could see that she was a little angry with him.

"You may be that person, Spence, but you are also the man who just put his life on the line. You're the man who is so tender and loving with my little boy. You're the guy who makes me feel precious beyond anything I'll ever deserve. So don't you dare define yourself by your faults. Don't you dare. You overcame them. I know, maybe you have to overcome them again every day, but the point is that you do it. And I love you. Don't you dare…."

He was rendered speechless. She could see the emotions passing over his face…regret that he'd upset her…..wonder at her description of him…..and, finally, gratitude to be the recipient of such fierce love from the woman before him.

He pulled her into his arms. His voice was choked.

"JJ…JJ. I know I don't deserve you, but I sure hope you never figure it out."

She pushed him back and hit him softly in the chest. "You! Why do you have to make me laugh every time I'm mad at you?!"

He gave her that crooked, squinty-eyed look. "Survival?"

Laughing, she pulled him up and led him over to the bed. He offered no resistance.

It was difficult, but they stayed true to their promise to Hotch. With maybe a little stretching of the parameters. Ultimately, they fell asleep again in one another's arms, a fitful, restless sleep before a difficult day ahead.

The task force met in the morning to lay out a game plan. They had a dual aim: to extract Will and the children, and to get into the Hope Filled Families records. They knew once they showed their hand to the traffickers at the house, the ring might try to shut down the agency and destroy the evidence. But they also knew they couldn't seize the agency's assets until they'd secured the safety of those in the house. It was a fine edged sword, and the success of it would have real life repercussions for the large number of children still being held in the Caymans. Everything had to go as planned, in the right order.

Hotch wasn't aware of Rossi's call to Strauss the night before. He didn't know his good friend and colleague had offered to front the money but channel it through the FBI. He only knew that the FBI had somehow come through. A bundle of cash totaling forty thousand dollars had been delivered to the hotel.

The team reviewed strategy. "If he's got the other girl with him, Will is sure to try to give some sort of signal. JJ, what do you think it would be?" Emily was disappointed they hadn't thought to have Reid ask the night before.

"Well, he always had a little signal he'd give me when he wanted us to leave a party early and go home to.." JJ caught herself. The team all tried to suppress smiles while they purposely avoided looking at Reid.

Rossi broke the silence. "What would he do?"

"He'd stroke his chin, like this." And she demonstrated by running the side of her flexed index finger up and down over her chin.

"Will you be able to see that?" Reid was addressing his question to Hotch and Emily.

"We're going to move to the bench closest to the parking lot. Marcan's original instructions were to be by the playground, but she knows I'm battling her for an upper hand here. She won't be surprised to see us sitting closer."

"So we'll get a better view. And I'll say something like "chin up" if we can see it." Emily was planning how to notify the task force members who would be at the park. "But we'll need to be careful. We think Will is armed, but we don't know about Marcan, and we can't know who else besides the children might be in the van….or who might be watching from another vantage point."

Reid was strapping on his shoulder holster again. He and Morgan would be with NOPD, staged close to the house. If the child was still inside, and if the situation became urgent, they would be nearby to get her. JJ and Rossi would be with DHS task force members near the park, ready to assist if the whole operation went down there.

There was no time for endearments. Reid and JJ had shared theirs in her room earlier that morning. Holding her by her shoulders, Reid had looked straight into her eyes. "I'll see you tonight. With Will. And we'll celebrate."

She nodded without speaking, then drew him into a tight embrace. "I'll see you tonight," she whispered into his ear. "Take my love with you."

"Always," he promised, and he sealed it with his kiss.

The van pulled into the parking lot at 3:55. Hotch and Emily were already situated on their bench, hoping against hope that Will would have found a way to get Minnow into the vehicle with them.

Marcan exited the van with Rosalynn, who was actively resisting her.

"Well, I guess she's not drugged today," Emily observed.

"But I'm willing to bet that will mean they've only got the one child with them. Marcan couldn't have handled two resisting kids at once." Hotch was already trying on his hostile, demanding look.

Marcan was trying in vain to keep a smile on her face as she approached them with the reluctant child.

"Mr. and Mrs. Roget, hello. You remember Rosalynn. Rosalynn, say hello to the nice people."

Rosalynn was trying to pull her hand out of Marcan's. "Let…me…go! Let me go!"

Hotch was grimacing on the inside, but needed to play the heavy here. "Young lady, you will behave!" He was shouting angrily at the girl, and succeeded in gaining her immediate attention.

"Come here," Roget ordered.

The child looked frightened. Emily turned her head away briefly to wipe the sympathy from her eyes. When she turned back, she was the submissive wife.

Hotch/Roget bent his face close to the child's. "Her pupils are normal, she's not drugged." He took the child by her shoulders and twirled her around. Next, he took each arm and examined it closely, and did the same with her legs, suggestively lifting her dress just above the knee. "She looks clean. Has she been tested?"

Those listening in winced. They knew he was referring to the common practice of testing these children for communicable diseases before their 'adoption' or 'sale'. In a case like this, the communicable disease list went far beyond the usual.

Marcan was glad to reply. "I have the papers in the van. I can show them to you if you decide to go ahead with the…..transaction.

Rosalynn was squirming again. "Stop!" Roget ordered. Marcan felt the need to be apologetic.

"I'm sorry, she's not usually quite like this….."

Roget interrupted her. "She's just the way I like them…feisty."

Emily knew it was Hotch, and she knew he was just playing a role, but she felt sick to her stomach. If the man hadn't been her boss, he would already be on the ground, holding a very sensitive part of his anatomy.

"So…," Marcan wasn't sure, "does this mean you're ready to go ahead?"

"She'll do. Let's see the paperwork."

"You mean you want to do it now? Here?" Marcan seemed surprised.

"I told you I was on a tight schedule, and I told you we're about to travel. It needs to happen now or not at all."

Marcan was still hesitant. This wasn't how it usually happened. "But…do you have the money?"

Emily jumped in, playing the wronged socialite once again. "We are quite resourceful, Ms. Marcan…and not without influence. Of course we have the money. Now go and get the paperwork."

"I…I need to call my supervisor first." Marcan stepped away and got on her phone. She seemed to be in a very animated conversation for a few minutes, and then returned. "As long as you've got cash, we can do it. They won't let me take a check under the circumstances."

Blessing the FBI for coming through, Hotch went to their vehicle and removed a pouch. He opened it to show Marcan the bills. "Forty thousand dollars. Do you want to count it?"

She was cowed. "Let me just look at it a minute. I'm sure I won't have to count it all."

They watched as she flipped through each bundle of bills to make sure they were all large numbers. Apparently she thought that would suffice.

"I'll get her papers, they're in the van. Just wait here."

Emily had been watching Will, leaning against the van, during the entire exchange. There was no chin stroking, no touching of a particular part of his body, no unusual movement to indicate anything. It seemed he didn't have the other child with him. But Emily did notice a subtle nod of his head, which she read as a 'thank you' for taking Rosalynn away from the ring.

Marcan returned with the papers. Rosalynn, torn between an evil she knew and an evil she knew not, turned to go with Marcan. Emily held her back. The child was screaming. "No! Take me with you! No!"

Emily almost drew blood, she was biting her lip so hard. When the van was out of sight, she and Hotch wrestled Rosalynn into the back seat of their car, and Emily got in with her. They didn't know if they were being watched, so continued to play their roles until they got inside.

"Honey, Rosalynn, it's all right." Emily was trying to use her 'calming' voice, to make the child listen to her. "It's all right. We're the good guys. We're getting you out of there. Honey, you're going to be all right. Everything's all right. You're safe."

They could see she was having trouble listening, and was still very much afraid of Hotch. He turned to her from the front seat, his facies almost completely different from the hostile, imposing look of Roget.

He softened his voice as much as he could, reminiscent of how he spoke to Jack when the boy was frightened. "Rosalynn, I won't hurt you. Neither of us will. You're safe with us, and you'll never have to go back to those people again. We're going to help you to get back home. Do you remember home?"

Emily realized that 'home' may not have been a very good place either. "Honey, we're going to make sure that no one can ever do anything to hurt you again. Do you hear me? Do you understand?"

She didn't appear to, but she'd quieted. As they drove back to the hotel, she fell asleep against Emily.

Will made his way back to the house driving at a leisurely pace, much to the annoyance of Marcan, who had to get back to the agency. He wanted to give the whole team time to reconvene near the neighborhood. The detective in him picked out the likely vehicle that was delivering Reid as it made its way slowly through the neighborhood streets.

The task force was closing in on the area. Now that Will was aware of their presence, they were free to use a broader group of agents and police. But they couldn't flood the street with strangers without arousing suspicion, and the last thing they needed was to be having it out with the drug dealers while they were trying to take down a human trafficking ring. Most of the task force stayed at a 'near distance' from the target house.

Hotch and Emily made a rapid transfer of Rosalynn into the care of child welfare social workers waiting back at the hotel, moved to a less conspicuous vehicle, and made their way toward the neighborhood. JJ and Rossi were already in transit. Morgan was cautioning Reid one final time before his friend stepped out of the car.

"Don't take any chances. You don't need to take them on by yourself. Just make sure the kid is out of harm's way and call for backup. We can be there in under a minute."

"I hear you, Morgan. Don't worry, I definitely don't have a hero complex. I'll call for help when I need it."

"All right then, Kid. Go to it. Good luck." Morgan patted his back and then watched as his good friend stepped out of the car and headed around the corner.

He had the shuffle down. He even knew how to look more desperate than he had the day before. But he didn't know how he'd be received by the dealers down the street. Hoping he wouldn't have to find out, he continued shuffling along.

His hope was rewarded. As he approached the house, Will exited the front door.

"Hey, buddy! Didn't I tell you yesterday to leave?" His voice was loud, to carry to the dealers on the corner, and his 'fellow trafficker' in the house.

"Didn't I tell you not to come back?"

Reid gave his best glassy-eyed stare and slur. "I'm sorry, man. I just need some. I just need some Dilly."

Will spread a malicious grin across his face. "Oh yeah? You need some Dilly? Well, come on with me, I've got some Dilly back here."

The young dealer from yesterday was watching the exchange with disinterest. The other guy in the house had beaten a few people up, but he'd never seen this one do it. But watching this wasted looking junkie getting pummeled didn't interest him in the least.

"Dilly, you have some Dilly? I need it." Reid was practically whining. He kept up even as Will was whispering to him.

"Minnow's in the basement. Viera puts her there when she gets upset. She's tied to a post in the back section. I've left the door unlocked. When I go inside, you'll be able to get in and get her."

Reid was nodding. He knew the others were listening in as well.

"We need to get you out too, Will. How?"

"Viera's here and another guy named Jackson showed up. If you can signal me…a car horn, anything…when you've got her out, I'll go outside to investigate the noise. We can go back in together. Once Minnow's safe it won't take but a few of us to take them down."

"Okay, I'll show you some Dilly, you damn junkie!" Will was shouting again. Reid made the proper grunting noises and then feigned a loss of consciousness.

"Ah, stay there and sleep it off. And then get out of here!" Will went back into the house.

Reid waited until he could hear voices coming from inside, then slowly got up. He found a door leading to what appeared to be a dark, unfinished basement. Knowing there were no basement windows visible from the front of the house, he felt comfortable risking his flashlight. The place was so dark that most of the light was absorbed within a few feet of him. It was hard to see into the corners.

Slowly, he made his way around the periphery of the room. Finally, in the farthest corner, he found her. She was asleep, tied to a support post. He couldn't help but notice the blond hair on this young girl, cut to a length that reminded him of Henry. In fact, most of her reminded him of Henry. They were similar in age and size. Reid was willing to bet her eyes would be blue when she opened them. No wonder Will had gotten so attached. He could feel it happening to him already.

Reid put his hand over the girl's mouth to stifle any sound she might make. He needed to wake her and secure her cooperation before attempting to get her out of the basement.

"Minnow!" he whispered softly as he shook her. "Minnow!"

The eyes went wide with startle and fear. They were, indeed, blue.

"It's all right, I'm here to help you. Will…I mean, Frank…" He realized she would know Will only by his undercover name. "Frank sent me to help you. My name is Spencer. I'm going to help you get out of here."

He watched her carefully to make sure she was processing what he was saying. The flashlight cast eerie shadows on both of them. He could only imagine what must be running through her head.

"If you understand me, nod your head." She did.

"You can't make any noise, or they'll hear us. Do you think you can be quiet if I take my hand away?" Reid was whispering in the soft, quiet voice he'd used successfully with both victims and unsubs in the past.

She nodded again. He removed his hand from her mouth. "Okay, just take my hand and we'll go. Be as quiet as you can."

They started across the basement, making slow progress because of the darkness. They'd gotten only to the next corner when they heard a commotion upstairs. Both froze in place.

"God damn it!" came from a voice unfamiliar to Reid. "They're at the agency! They know! They've got Marcan!"

Reid's stomach flipped. Someone had pulled the trigger on the agency too quickly. Word had gotten back to the traffickers in the house. He knew they would want to flee, but not before cleaning up loose ends.

He said aloud, so the task force could hear, "They know we're on to them. You need to come, they'll try to get away."

To Minnow, he said, "Hurry! We need to get out now!"

On his final word, the upstairs door to the basement flew open. They could hear shouting from several men, making it hard to decipher the words. But Reid knew it was trouble. He shoved Minnow back into the nearest corner and squatted with her. In her frightened state, she struggled against him, making it impossible for Reid to draw his weapon.

Finally, he could make out Will's voice over the others. "Viera! Leave her and let's go! She's not worth the trouble! Come on, Jackson's already gone!"

Viera was undeterred. "She's the only one left who can identify us. She's got to go." His voice was chilling.

"She's just a kid, nobody will listen to her, let's go!" Will was still trying to get him out of there. He couldn't be sure, but he didn't think Reid would have had time to get Minnow out. He didn't want a shootout in the basement with the child there.

Viera was ignoring Will and had moved to the corner where he'd left the child. He swept his hand until he found the chain of an overhead, very dim light. He could see immediately that the child was gone. He turned on Will.

"What did you do with her?"

"What?"

"You heard me. I know you have a soft spot for her. What did you do with her? Where is she?"

"I didn't do anything. Let's go."

Viera turned his gun on Will. "Put your weapon on the floor." Very slowly, Will complied, eyes wary. He did his best to hold Viera's gaze. He didn't want the trafficker to start looking around for the child.

Reid and Minnow could see everything from their place in the shadows. Even as Reid started to reach for his own weapon, Minnow cried out in defense of the only man who'd been decent to her.

"You leave him alone! Leave Frank alone!"

Viera spun himself toward the shadowed corner and took aim.

If it had been any brain other than Reid's, there wouldn't have been time for the recollection, even as he put himself into motion. But it was his brain, and he did remember. He remembered JJ's words about considering herself and Henry before putting himself in danger. But he also remembered her words from another conversation. "Everybody is somebody's child, Spence." Here was somebody's child, a child like Henry. And he could make only the one decision. He had to put himself between the child and the bullet. He felt the impact in his right chest and arm. He had time to hope that the bullet had been angled enough to mitigate the damage…just before he passed into unconsciousness. He never heard the gunshots that followed.

Will had been able to make them out in the shadows, had seen Reid fall trying to protect Minnow. Now he saw Viera aiming once again at the girl, determined to obliterate the best source of information about him. Will launched himself at the trafficker, knocking the man to the ground. The gun went off as they landed, the sound muffled by their bodies.

The task force had been launched into action at Reid's summons, and were almost at the house when they heard the gunshot over his wireless microphone. After that, there was only static. The device had apparently been compromised.

Converging on the house almost simultaneously, the rest of the BAU team entered the darkened basement with caution. In the dim light, they could make out two bodies. Immediately, JJ recognized one of them. She ran to it as Morgan ran to the other.

"Will! Will!" She knelt at his side, feeling for a pulse. "There's nothing!"

Rossi could hear the panic in her voice, and pulled her gently away from the fallen detective. "Let me in, let me help him."

JJ offered only slight resistance. Some part of her knew she needed to step aside. She watched as Rossi started chest compressions. She tried not to see the puddle of blood seeping out from under Will.

Morgan pronounced the other body to be lifeless. It was Viera's. As he rose, he realized there was yet another form lying in the shadows. "We've got someone else down, Hotch."

The team leader tore his attention from the scene with Will LaMontagne. He heard Morgan cry out.

"Whoa, sweetheart, put the gun down. Put it down. I'm with the FBI. I'm here to help you." Pause. "We're the good guys, sweetheart. Put the gun down. That's it. Put it down. Good girl."

As he moved toward the shadows, Hotch heard Morgan again. "It's Reid! He's been shot. Call 911!"

None of them had time to process his words before they heard Morgan correct himself. "Never mind, I'm taking him!"

JJ's eyes moved in shocked horror from the figure of Will lying on the floor to the sight of Morgan carrying the limp form of her fiancé. Reid was frothing a foamy, bloody liquid between his lips.