Over at the BAU building, Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner was working with his nose to the grindstone on a few reports that were piling up on his desk. He really wanted to be at home, playing with Jack and catering to every last one of Haley's pregnancy-induced desires, the sillier the better, but when he mentioned the reports, Haley suggested that he take the day to catch up, so long as it was just that day and that he came home that night. Work would be off the table again until it was time to go back.
Surprised because it always irritated Haley when work was mixed with family life, Hotch said his goodbyes to his family at ten-thirty that morning and made the drive out to Quantico. When he arrived, he found that Rossi was already there, trying to work on a chapter for his next book.
All was well until a few hours later, when Haley called.
"Miss me already, Hales?" Hotch asked jokingly when he answered.
"Aaron, I need you to be serious." Haley said tensely. "Is anyone else in the office right now?"
"Dave is here. What's going on?"
"Fetch him, turn on the TV to a news channel, and put this phone on speaker. I'm not hanging up."
Heeding the seriousness of his wife's tone, Hotch did as he was asked, even collecting Rossi in record time.
As the older man quickly turned on the office TV to a news channel, Hotch sat back at his desk and put his phone on speaker.
"Haley, I'm here with Dave." he told her. "Will you please tell us what's going on?"
"There's a situation of some kind of going down at the mall in Foggy Bottom right now."
Hotch sat back in his chair. "Isn't that where Charlotte and Quinlan took Jack?"
"Yes, and they left out almost an hour after you did. Also, from what I understand, Emily and JJ are at the mall, too—they took their niece shopping."
"Excuse me? Haley, where are you?"
"Next door with Cho, because I've been hanging out with her. Her parents were already here, and Sandy Jareau arrived ten minutes ago."
Hotch rubbed his brow, trying to get his thoughts in order. "Okay, how is Imogen?"
Haley let out a breath and rubbed her middle as she felt a knee nail her near her navel. "Immie-girl is fine, but just kicking me like nothing else because I'm nervous about the situation, especially because Cho had a contraction."
By point, Hotch felt like his brain was going to melt, so Rossi seized the desk phone cradle and pulled it towards himself.
"Haley, it's Dave." he told her. "Have you tried reaching the others?"
"Yes—we've tried Charlotte, Quinlan, JJ, and Emily, but none of them are picking up, and it looks like even texts aren't going through. Would that be because of a jammer of some kind on their end?"
"Most likely. Is it just you, Cho, her parents, and JJ's mother at the house?"
"Actually…"
There was a brief pause on Haley's end of the connection and muffled voices before she spoke again.
"Emily's mom just showed up—she heard what was happening and headed over here, looking for JJ's mom."
"Do you know where Emily's father is?"
"According to Elizabeth, stuck at work, but watching the news."
"Okay." Rossi said. "Unless you have to go to the hospital because Cho's water breaks, or something, I want all of you to stay there and keep your eyes and ears pealed for updates."
"I understand, and I've apparently been put in charge over here, so call me with anything. Are you going to go rally the rest of the troops now?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Then will you please take the phone off speaker and give it to Aaron?"
"Sure thing, Haley. Hang on."
Rossi did as asked and then left to his office to start calling the rest of the team. He even closed the door behind him.
When Hotch was alone, he asked, "Haley, are you going to be alright?"
"I'm thinking about our boy. Aaron, Jack must be so scared."
This hadn't escaped Hotch's thoughts, either, and he was just as concerned as Haley was, but for the sake of the other occupants at the House of Jareau who were depending on her, and so as not to set off one of her crying jags, he decided to be the bigger person.
"He also isn't alone, either. He's with people you and I both trust."
"Yeah, that's true…"
"And I'm sure Emily and JJ would've no doubt found Jack, Charlotte, and Quinlan by now."
Haley was taken aback by that. "What? Why?"
"Even when they aren't trying, they're very adept at finding people—it's a talent of theirs. They'll keep Jack and anyone else near them as safe as they can for as long as they can. For that, and a variety of other reasons, I trust JJ and Emily each with my life, so I am completely confident in trusting them with Jack's life, too."
Hotch's words instilled reassurance in his wife, so she said, "Okay, Aaron. You and the others go bring the rest of the family home safe."
"We will. I love you so much, Haley. Given Imogen an extra pat for me."
She smiled, even though he couldn't see her, and wiped the tears forming in her eyes. She was completely unashamed that her friends were watching her.
Haley had long ago accepted that her husband's job was dangerous and she knew that every day, there was always that chance that she'd get a call that he'd been killed, but she felt compelled to ask a question that she'd asked him often ever since he joined the FBI. It was like a code to them.
"See you tonight?"
"See you tonight."
Hotch hung up first and took a few calming breaths to steady and center himself before he went to check on Rossi.
Within the hour, Penelope, Derek, and Spencer were at their office building, heading up in the elevator towards the sixth floor where they worked. None of them had been given specifics about what was happening, but they were all told to get to Quantico, post haste.
As Penelope and Derek were officially living together at Penelope's apartment while they looked for a place to officially call their own, they had arrived together. Spencer had been out running errands, but he still made it to the BAU building just in time to meet the others by the elevators in the lobby.
"Do either of you know why we were asked to come in on one of our days off?" he asked.
"Uh-uh." Derek said. "Any idea where Emily and JJ are?"
"No, but probably staying off the grid so they can recover from what happened this week."
"All I know," Penelope said as they disembarked from the lift when it arrived at their floor and they crossed the lobby into the bullpen. "Is that Rossi told me to make sure that I have my laptop and gear with me, but I never come here without any of that stuff."
Indeed, Penelope had her wheeled laptop case in tow.
"I guess we should really be prepared for what's coming."
The others nodded in agreement with her and entered the main office bullpen. It was very quiet, so they headed straight over to the meeting room, where they saw not only Hotch and Rossi, but Strauss, as well, since she wasn't on vacation and had already been in her own office.
When Penelope, Derek, and Spencer saw all three of their superiors all seated at the table, they took their seats quickly.
"Thank you all for joining us." began Strauss. "We have a bit of a situation at the Meadowbrook Mall in Foggy Bottom, and while this team has already been invited in, I advise that we all err strongly on the side of reason and caution."
Penelope put her hand over her heart. "Don't tell me—JJ and Emily are there."
"Jack, too, and his nannies." Hotch confirmed. "From what we've gathered so far, there is a masked unsub waving a gun around in the Barnes & Noble. The mall is on complete lockdown."
Tacked on Rossi, "There have also been reports at least two fights breaking out on two levels of the complex."
Derek raised his eyebrows. "That is no coincidence. I would lead a charge in if I wasn't recovering from surgery; do we have anything like a strike team helping us out?"
Strauss nodded. "Yes, and the local authorities are aware that our people are inside—they're being completely cooperative. That being said, even me joining your team for this case, we are still a few people short, so I've arranged for us to have a mobile command center and staff today. It should be here by now, and we will go straight to the scene."
Penelope looked to Hotch. "Sir, is there anything else we should know?"
"Nothing that can't be explained on the ride out."
He stood and looked at the other four.
"Everyone go gather what you need—we'll leave out from the lobby in five!"
