AN: I'm back! :) The reason this has taken so long, both to write and post, is because I'm only using one hand and I'm taking an inadequate amount of pain killers because I'm allergic to narcotics (yay me!). So I'm taking stuff that I don't want to because there isn't another option, but I'm okay and I don't get sick as long as I remember to take my gravol and not get into any moving vehicles :) Not sure if what I've said makes any sense... it's rather difficult for me to follow my own train of thought while taking opioids, so if you can follow me bravo!

AN2: Thank you for your reviews and the PMs :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Catherine Jareau is mine, along with all the other characters you do not recognize.

Chapter 23: Enemy Action

Aaron Hotchner

Once is happenstance.

Twice is coincidence.

Three times is enemy action.

- Ian Fleming

September 9, 2011

9:00 pm

It's ringing. Come on, pick up! Pick up! I smile as the phone stops ringing.

- - Bonjour vous avez rejoinder la boîte vocale de - - Hello, you have reached the voicemail of-

No! Damn it, not the answering machine! This is urgent. I can't leave a fucking message.

The phone clicks letting me know someone has picked up on the other end. I sigh in relief.

A woman's voice answers, "Allo?"

That's not Emily. Did I dial the right number? Well here goes nothing, "Hello, may I please speak with Emily Prentiss."

The woman switched to English. Her voice is guarded, "Who is this?"

That's odd, her accent is British not American. Perhaps she is a contact from Interpol? I answer her,"This is Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. Who is this?"

"My name is irrelevant. I'm the one taking care of her and you're not supposed to contact her so this had better be important," the mysterious woman admonishes me; "You might have just blown our cover and endangered Emily's life again. Is this even a secure line you're calling from?"

I frown the again part hurts though I'm not entirely sure to what she is referring, "It is already a matter of life and death, I assure you. I would not have called if it wasn't important and yes this is a secure line."

"Very well," I can hear the displeasure in her voice, "One moment please."

"Thank you," I reply. It never hurts to be polite.

There is a slight pause before I hear the mysterious woman say, "Maura Sophia Prentiss you are not a monkey. Get down off that bookshelf this instant!"

I hear a loud thump, shrieks of childish laugher, and then the pounding noise of small feet fading away in the background. Emily has a child? It's not in her file, but she doesn't have any sibling to whom that little girl might belong. It's no wonder she's so good with Jack and Henry. But why didn't she tell me?

I am pulled from my thoughts at the sound of Emily's frantic voice, "Hotch! What happened? What's wrong? Did something happen to Catherine? Did you kill Doyle?"

I want to tell Emily how good it is to hear her voice, to know that she is okay. I want to know what she has been doing the past six months but we don't have time; Declan's life is hanging in the balance. I take a deep breath, "Emily, Declan has been kidnapped."

"What?! Hotch, how do you know that he's been kidnapped? I hid him! Very well, I should add. How did you even locate Declan?"

I rub the back of my head, "I was not the one to pinpoint Declan's location. Morgan was."

"Fuck!" she exclaims, "Why would you do that? Did you compromise his location? No you wouldn't do that. Who has him Aaron?"

This isn't going to go over well, "We're not sure E-"

She cuts me off, her voice deadly, "What do you mean you're not sure?"

"Prentiss calm down, stop interrupting me and listen!" I bark. "I mean that we don't know who took Declan," I hate myself for what I am about to say, "It might have been Doyle. Garcia, JJ and Morgan are trying to locate him." I try to placate her.

"That's it I'm coming back home!" she declares.

I say, "Okay. I understand," because in that instant I just know it would be pointless to argue with her. I am well aware of the lengths Emily went through to protect Declan Doyle the last time he was in danger.

I hear shuffling and Emily's voice is muffled, "I'll call you when I'm at the airport and again when I land."

I frown, "Do you want me to send someone to pick you up? I could send C-"

"No Hotch," Her voice is resolved, "You would have to send JJ and how would you explain her disappearance to the rest of the team? You need her there."

I sigh, "Alright."

"Aaron?" she murmurs.

"Yes?" I susurrate.

"Thank you for calling," Emily hangs up a second later.

I exhale slowly and try to keep the smile off my face. There are a few more mountains to climb but my team, my family is slowly but surely being put back together.

Emily Prentiss

Emily puts the receiver down on the cradle before spinning around her mind racing. "Maura!" she calls, "Maura pack your travel backpack, we are going on a short trip."

Abby who was sitting on the couch stands up and crosses her arms, "No Emily."

"I haven't got time to argue with you Abby," Emily says impatiently.

A small child appears in the doorway, "Where are we going Maman?"

"No where," replies Abby before Emily can say anything.

Maura looks between her mother and the other woman who raises her, "Maman?" she asks hesitantly.

"It's alright chérie, go upstairs and start packing your bag," Emily says gently. "I'll be along in a minute to help you."

Abby glares at Emily.

Maura hugs Abby tightly and then Emily before running out of the living room.

"You are not going back Emily. I don't care what the guy on the phone said, it's too dangerous," Abby says, getting riled up.

Emily's eyes show just how frightened she is, "Declan is missing."

Abby frowns, "Missing as in he ran away or missing as in kidnapped?"

Emily shudders, "The second."

Abby eyes grow wide, "Was it Doyle?"

Emily's shoulders slump, "They don't know."

"What do you mean they don't know? How can they not know?" she demands.

Emily sighs, "I don't know yet. Hotch is going to brief me when I land."

"I'm coming with you," declares Abby.

Emily crosses her arms, "No you're not!"

Abby raises an eyebrow challengingly, "Yes I am."

Emily frowns, "I'm going to work the case with my team and there is no way I can get you into the building Abby. You know that."

Abby glowers, "I do know that but why are you taking Maura? It's dangerous Emily. Something is going to happen and I can't bear to lose either one of you."

Emily hugs Abby tightly. "Nothing is going to happen. But I have to do this Abby."

"Leave Maura here with me," Abby pleads.

Emily shakes her head; "She'll be safer if I leave her at the BAU."

Abby throws her arms up, "Emily! Be reasonable, Maura will not be safer there rather than here, across the bloody Atlantic Ocean! Think! Talk to me!"

"No Abby," Emily says firmly, "We're talking in circles and I don't have time to argue with you."

Abby grabs Emily by her shoulders; "Emily Prentiss I am getting on that plane with you and that is final."

Emily rolls her eyes, "You sound like the Ambassador."

"Good," Abby says simply, "Then maybe you'll listen to me."

Emily frowns, "I don't have anywhere for you to stay while you wait. Catherine owns my condo now."

Abby squeezes Emily's shoulder, "Relax Emily. We'll figure it out either on the plane or when we arrive. Maura will be happier if both of us are around."

Emily sighs, "You had to play that card didn't you?"

Abby smiles, "It works every single time."

"Alright!" Emily sighs, "Pack a bag."

Abby turns around to leave.

"We need to leave in 20 minutes Abby," Emily calls out.

"I know," she says smugly, "I already called the airstrip, the plane is standing by."

"What? When?" Splutters Emily.

"When you were on the phone with Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner," Abby says and waggles her eyebrows.

Emily hides her face in her hands, "So all of this," she waves her arm around, "Was pointless?"

Abby rolls her eyes, "Of course not Emily. You just needed to be reminded that people care about you, that you are not alone."

"I love you too," Emily mutters darkly.

Abby smiles brightly and sweeps out of the living room, "Hurry up Emily. We wouldn't want to be late."

Emily groans.

Aaron Hotchner

September 9, 2011

11:00 pm

I am standing between the backdoor and the Smartboard in our roundtable room and in my most serious tone of voice announce, "I need your attention for a moment please."

The team turns to me as one.

JJ nods in my direction, a pained half-smile appearing on her face.

She is the only one present who has any idea of what I am about to say. As Garcia would say, I'm about to rock their world. Unfortunately I'm going to have to rip the carpet out from under my team, my family first.

I take a deep breath, release it and say; "Emily Prentiss is alive."

Silence for a moment before the room explodes into chaos.

"Quiet," I say in the same tone of voice I use when Jack and Henry get too rowdy.

Silence reigns again.

I swallow my nerves, "That night in the hospital Emily did die. She died on the operating table, but what you were unaware of is that the doctors were able to bring her back to life. She was air lifted to a naval hospital under an assumed name where she recovered until she could be released. I do not know where Emily has been hiding, nor any more information than what I have just given you." I frown at the looks of blatant dismay and betrayal on the faces of my family and continue, "While Agent Jareau and I worked together to ensure Emily's safety until such a time came that she could return to us. It was my decision to classify the information and then I passed it along the appropriate channels. If you want to be angry with someone, take it out on me, not JJ."

"Hotch," JJ says quietly. I can tell by the look on her face that she is even more scared of the potential reactions of our family members then I am.

I stand firm in my convictions that we, that I, did the right thing. "As I said, I take full responsibility for the decision. If anyone has any issues, they should be directed toward me."

Morgan is incensed and he has every right to be so, "Any issues? Yeah, I've got issues!"

The team and I can hear footsteps coming down the back hall towards the conference room where we are arguing and up until now they were unknowingly awaiting Emily's imminent return.

The rest of my team is stunned into silence a second time when a few seconds later a healthy, and very much alive Emily Prentiss appears in our doorway.

"Oh my God!" cries Garcia.

Reid and Garcia rush forward and hug Emily tightly.

Emily looks at me when she begins to speak. I see pity in her eyes and know that she knows what I have done. "I am so sorry, I really am. Not a day went by that I didn't want to…" Emily trails off, moving away from Reid and Garcia towards Morgan, "Really I… You didn't deserve that and I'm so sorry." She hugs Morgan; it takes him a few seconds to respond in kind. Emily steps away from the team, turns towards our boards and says, "There is so much I want to tell you guys and I promise that I will. But right now I really need to know what's going on with Declan."

I can hear the pitter-patter of small feet hitting the polished tiles in the hall, the sounds are coming closer and there is a quiet giggle before a little blue eyed, chestnut haired girl jumps into the doorway. This must be Emily's daughter. There is no way she could belong to anyone else.

My team is stunned into silence for the third time in less than five minutes.

The little girl, who cannot be much older than seven, looks at all the adults in the room curiously, as if not quite sure what to do before her eyes lock on Emily and with a huge smile and a joyous cry of "Maman!" she throws herself at the shocked woman.

"Did that little girl just call Emily mommy?" Reid whispers to Garcia.

"I think she did boy wonder," Garcia replies in astonishment.

While the team was distracted by their bewilderment, Emily has bent down to the level of the little girl and they are having a quiet conversation in rapid French.

I clear my throat and Emily finishes the conversation with a small frown on her face. She looked around the room awkwardly, "Um guys, this isn't exactly how I wanted to introduce all of you, but here it goes. This is my daughter, Maura Sophia Prentiss." She turns to the small girl; half hidden behind her legs and says, "Dites bonjour a tout le monde Maura."

"Bonjour," Hello the little girl says with a small smile and a slight wave.

Morgan appears to be halfway between stunned and angry, "Emily I didn't know you had a kid."

Dave starts to say something and then stops.

I find myself asking, "Why did you keep this from us?"

"To protect all of us," Emily replies with a sad look. "I've had her hidden away for years."

"Who is her father?" asks Reid.

"Who do you think her father is Reid?" Prentiss responds after scooping up Maura. She sounds exhausted.

"Judging by her name, appearance and approximate age, I'd say Ian Doyle." He answers promptly.

Prentiss sighs, "It was a rhetorical question Reid."

Dave asks, "Why didn't you hide her in the same house as Declan?"

Prentiss sighs and hugs Maura tightly, "It wasn't safe. Doyle doesn't know about her. If, God forbid, he found Declan, I couldn't let him find Maura as well."

"How could he not know about her?" asks a frowning Garcia.

"I was just over a month pregnant when the mission was finished. I suspected but I never actually told Doyle that I was pregnant." Emily admits in a whisper.

"Does Declan know about Maura?" Dave gently asks Emily.

"They have met each other a few times as friends, nothing more. It wasn't safe. It still isn't safe to have Maura here, but I couldn't leave her again," Emily replies, sounding scared.

"Emily, I know you're worried, but we will get Declan back and put Doyle away, then it will be safe for Maura to be around you all the time." JJ squeezes Emily's hand.

Emily smiles, "I hope so, I miss her when she's not with me."

JJ smiles back, "I know the feeling."

The quiet voice of the little girl hiding her face in Prentiss' neck pipes up, "Maman, j'ai faim. Il n'y avait rein a manger dans le bureau." Mummy I'm hungry. There wasn't anything to eat in the office.

Emily kisses the crown of her head, "Maura, I will find you something to eat in a little while alright Chèrie?"

The little girl sighs, "Oui maman."

"Prends ça," Take this Prentiss pulls out an iPod from her purse and gives it to Maura, "Écoute ta musique et ne parler pas. D'accord?" Listen to your music and don't talk. Understood?

Maura rolls her eyes, "Oui maman, je comprends." Yes mummy I understand. In that instant she resembles her mother even more.

Once Maura has the headphones on, Emily sits her daughter down on a chair behind the board with the pictures and facing away from the screen.

We need to get back on track, we've wasted too much time already. "Back to the case at hand everyone. There will be time to talk about everything later. Once we rescue Declan."

"Emily was there a man living at the house?" Reid asks.

"Yes, my friend Tom Cohler. He was raising Declan as his own," She replies.

"Where is he?" inquires JJ.

"I never saw him go in or out of that house," insists Garcia.

"He was on assignment overseas," Emily reassures all of us.

"But he's alright?" JJ probes.

"Yes, he's on his way back now," Emily confirms. "Tom got a call from Declan, he called me and when I landed Hotch told me that you had Doyle in custody."

Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant

filled with odd little waiters

who bring you things you never asked for

and don't always like.

- Lemony Snicket

AN3: Thank you for reading, please review :)