This is a Henry chapter.

Believe Again

Sunlight streamed thru the laced curtained window and landed on the bed near the far wall. Outside, a single bird chirped on a tree branch. Under the covers, a lone figure stretched in his sleep. Slowly, he came awake. With a slight whimper, a blonde head poked out from beneath the blanket.

Henry rolled over and rubbed his eyes. Something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. As his eyes scanned the room, he realized that it wasn't his. Fear filled his tummy, but he wasn't going to cry. He just needed to find his mommy and she would make everything okay.

Grabbing his teddy bear, Henry slid off the bed and ambled out into the hallway. The unfamiliar surroundings increased the nervous feeling. Pausing, he listened for his mom. The clanking of pots and pans downstairs drew him in.

Excited, Henry ran down the flight of stairs toward the noise. The padding of his footed pajamas made a soft noise on the wood floor. Clutching his bear tighter, Henry pushed the swinging door open.

"Mommy!" he called out as he saw the figure bent over the dishwasher. As the person straightened up, the shock of blonde hair caught the little boy's attention. "Mommy!" Henry rushed forward to embrace the woman.

The woman turned around. "Henry?" her tone was deep and full of surprise.

Henry pulled up short. The blonde woman wasn't his mommy. The excitement he felt earlier was suddenly replaced by fear.

"Who are you?" Henry asked in a little voice, his lower lip trembling. "Where's Mommy?"

Jessica straightened up and smiled softly at the little boy she had been asked to take care of while Aaron and the team did what they needed to catch the bastard who had hurt JJ. But Henry didn't need to know that.

Her conversation with Hotch the day before played in her mind.

"What am I supposed to do with a toddler?" Jessica asked. She slapped the dishrag in the kitchen sink and spun around to face Hotch.

"Take care of him, Jess. At least until we catch this guy," Hotch replied. His eyes were sad, but there was a fire lurking below the surface.

"What am I supposed to say to him when he asks for his mother?" Jessica looked at the little blonde boy playing in the yard with her two children and with Jack. Though the children had no idea what had happened, they sensed something was wrong and took care to include Henry in their group.

"Tell him that she's on a case," Hotch said.

"So, lie to him?" Jessica's anger flared. "That little boy is going to be asking for his mother, Aaron!"

"I know."

"He's going to want to see her! What am I supposed to say?" Jessica demanded.

"He's three, Jess, I'm sure you can think of something. But I'm not going to argue about this right now; we have to find the guy who did this." Hotch moved to leave.

Jess threw her arm out to block Hotch's path.

"Wait! Are you telling me that there is a rapist out in the area roaming free?" she whispered angrily.

"If I said 'no'?" Hotch hedged.

"I would remind you that I am not Haley and you can't bullshit me, and two, I'm doing you a favour," she returned. Her eyes snapped with unspoken hatred.

Hotch paused while he weighed his words carefully. "Yes."

"Were you going to tell me? Or were you going to don that untouchable suit of armor and pretend that everything revolves around the FBI? Have you forgotten what happened the last time you decided to shut people out of what was happening in your world?" Jessica rushed on. She was angry and hurt and she hated Aaron so much that it hurt inside. It killed her every time she had to paste that smile on for Jack. He wasn't responsible for what happened to Haley any more than Henry was for JJ.

"I was…"

"I don't know what they taught you in that profiler school, but you're bullshitting sucks! You come into my house after calling me at the last minute to explain that you are dropping Jack off…oh, and Henry is with him too! Then you expect to walk out of the door without so much as a time when you'll be picking them up nor a thank you, Jess."

"Could you lower your voice, please?" Hotch asked as his eyes flickered toward the backyard.

"No. You walked all over my sister and used her until she couldn't take any more, now that she's gone for good, you want to do the same to me! No! Now tell me what is going on!" Jess crossed her arms over her breasts.

Hotch ran a hand over his weary face. "I haven't slept in two days; I don't want to get into this right now."

"If you want me to watch JJ's son, then you will tell me what the hell is going on!" Jessica stated emphatically.

"There is a rapist in the Georgetown area. Whether he's a serial rapist or this is a one time crime, we don't know. We are checking the databases, but so far, nothing is coming up," Hotch confessed.

"And the suit outside the front door?" Jess nodded toward the front of the house.

"For extra protection."

"What are you expecting to happen that one person could stop?" she asked evenly, but there was sarcasm in her tone.

"It's peace of mind."

"Where is Henry's father?"

"Will? I don't know. He left JJ at the hospital."

"Is he behind this?" Jessica wondered aloud.

"No. He has a strong alibi corroborated by three witnesses," Hotch confirmed. Was that regret in his tone or fatigue? Jessica couldn't help but wonder.

"What if he comes looking for his son? How do I stop him?"

"He doesn't know where you live. And that is the least of my problems right now. Just make sure that Henry is occupied and that he doesn't know what happened to his mother. Okay?"

"How bad is she?" Jess asked low.

"Jessica…"

"Parent to parent…how bad did he hurt her?"

The small muscle near Hotch's eye twitched. Whether because he was being pushed to tell the truth, or he was trying hard to conceal something, she didn't know, but whatever it was, she wasn't going to like what she heard.

"It was bad."

Jessica's eyes widened in horror. "How bad?"

"They are keeping her for a couple of days, bad. Satisfied?"

"Do I have a choice?" she asked rhetorically. "So, what happens until this guy is caught?"

"We hunt him down. We find him. And we catch him," Hotch returned in a deadly tone.

Jessica took a step back. There was something about Hotch's remark that frightened her…yet, it gave her a sense of satisfaction. There was no doubt in her mind that her ex-brother in law would keep his word.

"I'll keep Henry. But what's going to happen when she gets released and this guy is still out there?" Jessica asked carefully.

Hotch gave a backwards glance to the playful yelps and cheers coming from the backyard slide and swing set.

"I promise that he won't be. Call me if you need me," Hotch stated and walked out of the room with purpose.

"Where's my mommy?" Henry repeated as he clutched his glow worm tighter.

Pasting a false smile on her face, Jessica looked at the blonde boy. She took a deep breath.

"She's on a case."

"Is she going to get the evil doer?" Henry asked innocently. His eyes wide with wonderment.

Jessica blinked back the tears. "Yes, Henry, she is."

"Mommy always gets the evil doers."

"Are you hungry?" Jessica asked as she rushed to change the subject.

"Uh huh."

"Go sit down; I'll get you something to eat. Do you like cereal?" she asked from inside the cupboard. She busied herself long enough to swallow the tears.

"Yes."

Jessica set the bowl down and filled it. Taking the seat across from Henry, she watched as he dug into the multi flavored sugared squares and shapes.

"When you're done, do you want to watch 'Cars'?" she asked.

Shoveling a large spoonful of cereal into his mouth, Henry raised his spoon into the air dramatically and then whipped it down fast.

"Zoom!" He gave a wide smile.

That was all the answer Jessica needed.