Limbo awaits you.
Down the rabbit hole you go;
Warmth and peace is there.
"-mbarda!"
Harry found himself sprinting through the Forest of Dean, dodging thickets of bush, roots from the trees and lethal spellcasting from the escaped Death Eaters chasing after him. The war had ended nearly two years ago, but there were still some of Voldemort's followers on the loose. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron and Hermione returned to school intending on completing their NEWTS. Harry had decided to self study and take his NEWTs at the Ministry after Hermione let slip that that was a possibility. He had discovered that once the Horcrux had been forcefully ejected from Harry's soul, it was like a fog had been lifted from his mind that he didn't even know existed and all of a sudden it allowed him to retain knowledge loads better than before. Harry had in fact discovered that he loved learning and while Hogwarts was being rebuilt, he found himself barricaded in the Black family library at Grimmauld soaking up information at an alarming rate. Funnily enough, the library contained both magic and muggle subjects, so he was able to start catching up on things like mathematics and the sciences. He picked up a few languages too and even had time to read classic literature.
Grimmauld Place had a music room as well and there were all sorts of instruments in there and he was able to pick up piano again after briefly being taught in primary school. His music teacher had always supported him and seemed to think he was some kind of prodigy. He didn't know how true that was, but he knew how to play and that's all that mattered. He spent time with the violin and guitar and was able to make some progress.
Anyway, for Harry, returning to Hogwarts was not something that was high up on his list of things to do. For a long time, Hogwarts was his home. The fact that his life was in danger nearly every year he had attended, plus all the bloodshed that happened on these grounds, he felt he was totally justified in his decision not to return. To be constantly reminded of all the pain and loss everyday seemed like torture to him. His two friends, though, disagreed and were not impressed.
FLASHBACK
"What do you mean you aren't returning to Hogwarts? What about your education?!" shrieked Hermione.
"Exactly that Hermione! I will just take my NEWT's with the Ministry like you said!" returned Harry, slightly miffed at his best friend and her attitude. "I-I...Herm...I just can't return there. How can you expect me to go back to the place that holds so many terrible memories and losses!"
"LOSS?! Loss? You're yapping on about loss? The Weasley's lost their son, their brother. My parents don't know I exist and you? Who did you lose? NO ONE!" yelled Hermione.
Harry stood there gapping at his friend before absolute fury took over; the infamous Evan temper coming out to play. Hermione must have realised she crossed the line as she started to pale and back away from Harry.
"WHO DID I LOSE? Are you kidding me Granger? What the fuck do you mean by that? In case you missed it, I have lost more than most have during this shitshow!" shouted Harry.
"Do I need to make a list? My parents, my godfather, my pseudo godfather and his wife...MY GODSON!"
And that's the one that hurt the most and Harry had been struggling to cope with the death of little Teddy. Remus and Tonks named Harry godfather to their newborn son as soon as the little wolf was born and when they placed the tiny babe in his arms the first time, all that seemed wrong in the world felt like it just fell away. Harry was smitten and a doting godfather even in the short time they had together when he was alive.
Alive. Something Teddy was not. Harry had failed as a godfather as soon as the babes parents were no longer on this Earth. Teddy's grandmother, Andromeda, had custody of the boy after the battle. Harry was already struggling with the aftermath of the battle and he dealt with it by either shutting himself in the library or hiding behind a Firewhiskey bottle. He was soon served an ultimatum by the aging Tonks matriarch after finding him passed out in the library in a pool of vomit for the upteenth morning in a row. Either he got his act together and sobered up or she would forbid him from ever seeing his godson. So Harry cleaned himself up, he wanted to be there for Teddy and Andromeda allowed him to see the little boy whenever he wanted. Andromeda became a grandmother to Harry too and had become his closest confidant. That came to a crashing end fairly quickly though.
Some of the escaped Death Eaters ambushed the two of them in Diagon Alley. Harry had been there and rushed to their aid. Unfortunately he was too late and had to watch as a well aimed diffindo cut across Andy 's chest and another that cut right through Teddy's neck
The scream of anguish that followed would not soon be forgotten by the patrons of Diagon that day and as Harry fell to his knees next to the bodies of his family, he couldn't help but think for the hundredth time that he must be cursed.
The amount of blood spilt that moment stained the cobblestones of the alley and it would be a long time before Harry would be able to remove the image from his mind. He wasn't quite the same after that day, honestly he wasn't surprised he hadn't gone insane but something had broken in him and if anyone noticed he was a little more standoffish and a bit of a little shit no one said anything.
"Okay one, your parents died years ago as did Sirius and the others are not even family. How selfish can you be?" piped in Ron angrily.
"Wow, just wow." Harry replied. He stared at them before turning around and stalking off.
FLASHBACK ENDS
"Confringo! "
Harry fired off the blasting curse over his shoulder. He heard a yelp and assumed it hit its target or close to it but didn't wait to check. He continued to run but a chunk of debris that came flying towards him caused him to get distracted and didn't see the tree trunk sticking up out of the ground in front of him. Harry's foot caught on the large root tripping him over causing him to fall directly down a large hole in the ground at the base of a tree.
Tumbling down the hole, Harry hits his head fairly hard on the way, he awaits the moment he hits the bottom. Instead, a splash was felt as he landed in shallow water. The fall wasn't too far but Harry had experienced enough concussions to know he had a mild one now. He slipped into a daze before realizing too late that he's about to fall unconscious.
The next thing he was aware of was the blank whiteness that filled his vision, much like the scene he had with Dumbledore after he was hit with Avada Kedavra during the Battle of Hogwarts. Slowly more details came into focus. He was lying next to a small pond, tiny ripples making their way over the water signaling some type of aquatic creatures lurking just beneath the surface. Harry can see a thick forest in the distance and a small cabin to the left of the pond.
Carefully standing up, he made his way to the cabin. Entering, he was immediately greeted by a wave of heat, the kind from a lit fireplace. Harry timidly moves to where he guessed the sitting room was. There he finds a room where a large bookcase occupies one wall, filled to the brim with books and other knickknacks. The fireplace in question is on the opposite wall. In front of said fireplace are some wingback chairs. Harry quickly noted he was not alone and saw one of the chairs was occupied. Before he could say anything, apologize for intruding, a cold, raspy voice breaks the silence.
"Master. Finally, I have been waiting for you"
The Deathly Hallows
united you will become
the Master of Death
The figure in the chair stood to greet Harry. The being stood at roughly 8 feet tall, they were shrouded in a black robe with a hood that covered its face. The voice that emitted from the depths of said hood sounded raspy almost as if it was in disuse for a length of time.
"Harry Potter" it stated "I have been wanting to meet you for a longtime."
"Um, hello? Sorry, but who are you?" asks Harry. "In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through - "started the figure.
"- and too dangerous to swim across, "interrupted Harry. "Death?"
"Yes, Harry Potter."
Harry stood there, mouth hanging open, not quite believing Death was standing in front of him. He saw a spindly hand reach out towards him and it took everything in him to avoid flinching. The hand settles on his head as Death bends down to talk to him.
"I've been watching you master. Y-"
"Wait, how am I your Master? I only have one Hallow now."
If Death had a face, Harry was sure it would be scowling at him.
"Please cease your interruptions. All will be answered soon."
Harry looked sheepishly back at Death and mimed zipping his mouth.
"As I was saying, Master, I have been waiting for a chance to speak to you. Tell me, are you happy?"
"I-"
"And please don't try to lie to me. Really think about your answer. Are YOU happy?"
Harry paused for a second before replying. "I mean, I'm not unhappy…" though as soon as he admitted that he immediately thought that that was not the right answer at all.
"Are you really? I can see everything and everyone at any point in time. Can you honestly tell me that you are living, not merely surviving? You, who have lost so many loved ones since you were a babe, friends who have turned their backs on you not just now but multiple times in the past. You -"
"OKAY! FINE. NO, I AM NOT HAPPY, LIFE SUCKS, LIFE'S NOT FAIR. I GET IT AND I HATE IT. I hate that everyone leaves me! I hate that the world was put on my shoulders - I HATE everything!" Harry breathed harshly, fists clenched tight as he stood in front of the giant being.
Death just watched calmly before continuing. "Two years ago, you united my Invisibility Cloak, Elder Wand and Resurrection Stone. While it has been written in legend that whoever holds all three becomes the Master of Death, this is not at all accurate. The term Master of Death was coined by me, but the three Hallows was a silly little thing I created to tease the Peverell brothers. They're just pretty trinkets…powerful but you do not become my Master simply by owning the three. Instead, the Master of Death title was always intended to go to someone I personally chose to be my eternal partner. While I wouldn't be their servant, together we would act to keep the balance in the many universes that exist." explained the deity.
"You, Harry Potter, were chosen by me the moment you were born. I could see your soul even then. The type of man you would become. Selfless, kind, powerful. Someone who wouldn't abuse the power that would be bestowed upon you once you became the Master officially." continues Death. "Together, we would traverse time and space to ensure balance is kept."
"Do I get a choice? Why can I not rest?! I am tired, Death. I want to see my family again. To be able to find peace again." Harry asked sadly.
"Harry." Death replied softly. "While I cannot promise that you will eventually rest, I can allow you to visit your family whenever you are in my realm. I know you are exhausted, I can tell your soul is wary, but you have so much more you can do, so much potential to help others. If it helps, being my Master, there may come a time when you meet someone that I can grant eternal life to as well. I am not completely heartless, I know you will want company other than myself. It can be anyone you wish, a friend, a parental figure, a lover."
"Who would WANT to spend eternity doing what we do? Wait, don't answer. I'll rephrase. What non-psychopathic person would want that? To not ever move on, to never see their loved ones again? To watch them grow old and die while we live on?" Harry pondered.
"You never know Harry, you might find someone who would want to spend eternity with you. While you don't have a choice so to speak, you do not have to come with me now. I know out in the living world you are being chased by the Death Eaters. You can come to my realm now to begin the transition and we can move on to another universe or you can choose to come whenever, all you need to do is call my name and I will be by your side instantly. I'll give you 48 hours to decide. Call me when you have made the decision." answered Death.
"I'll send you back to your house. I'd advise you to talk to the Goblins. They know of The Master. They will help you gather your belongings into a bottomless bag or trunk. You can bring whatever you want to travel with you. Gold, money, properties, anything you wish"
Harry blacked out before coming to find himself on his bed in Grimmauld.
Gringotts and goblins
Dank caves, fire and dragons
Your wealth is secure.
While it seemed like Harry was very reluctant to even think about following Death, in truth, he had pretty much made his decision before the deity even left. Death had indeed hit the proverbial nail on the head. Harry was not happy. Even disregarding the period he was completely shitfaced after Teddy's death, he despised everything he was put through. Even after the war, the public thought that they had the right to decide his future, his education, his job and even who he was in a relationship with. Granted, he willingly joined the Auror force just as everyone had expected (because God forbid if he didn't follow in his father's footsteps) so that he could help round up the last of Voldemort's followers. The ship with him and Ginny sailed long ago, in fact they didn't bother reconciling once the war was done. Harry had discovered he was partial to the male body rather than the opposite. Last he heard, she was happily married to Dean. Anyway, the Wizarding World decided they wanted to dictate every little thing about his life and he'd had enough. There's nothing left here to convince him to stay. He has only a few friends that he would miss, like Neville and Luna, but otherwise no one else was holding him here.
The same day Harry returned to Grimmauld, he found himself walking up the familiar steps to Gringotts remembering the haggling he had to do to get back on good terms with the Goblins after the breakout with its dragon. Harry walked up to the nearest teller and asked to speak to his account manager.
"Greetings, may I please speak to Gornuk?"
"Greetings Lord Potter, just one moment please"
Harry waited for a short minute before Gornuk approached the desk,
"This way Lord Potter" instructed Gornuk before heading to his office. Once directed to be seated, it was down to business.
"Now, how can Gringotts be of assistance to Lord Potter?"
"Yes, can I please request a full inheritance test? There will be a title I have received recently that I am told you will recognize"
Intrigued, the goblin nodded and summoned the required tools. "Drop three drops of blood onto the parchment here and you will get your answer momentarily."
Harry did as asked and waited patiently for his inheritance to reveal itself.
Full Name: Harrison James Potter-Black
Date of Birth: 31st July 1980
Blood Status: Half-Blood
Father: James Potter (biological) (deceased)
Father: Sirius Black III (blood-adopted) (deceased)
Mother: Lily J Potter nee Evans (biological) (deceased)
Godfather: Sirius Black III (deceased)
Godmother: Alice Longbottom (unavailable)
Magical Occupation: Auror for the British Ministry of Magic
Magical Education: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Masteries:
Defense Against the Dark Arts
Potions
Transfiguration
Alchemy
Dueling
Magical Titles & Houses:
Ancient and Noble House of Potter (Lord)
Ancient and Noble House of Black (Lord) (via blood-adoption)
Ancient and Noble House of Peverell (Lord)
Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor (Lord)
Master of Death
Official Name: Lord Harrison James Peverell Gryffindor Potter Black
Magical Abilities:
Metamorphmagus
Animagus (Black Panther, Ferruginous Hawk & Python)
Elemental (Fire & Air)
Parseltongue
'Well then.' thought Harry 'I knew about the Lord Potter part and the Master of Death part, but not everything else.'
Meanwhile, Gornuk stared at the parchment with his mouth open. He snapped his head up suddenly before calling for another goblin. "Get The King here now!" he ordered. The other goblin scurried out of the office to do his superiors bidding. They didn't have to wait long before the goblin returned with whom Harry assumed was the Goblin King.
The rest of the Gringotts business concluded after hours of bowing profusely ("Wow, in all my years I did not think I would be standing in front of the Master " explained the King). Also planning and discussing the many assets Harry had inherited ("Hell, I own how many manors and castles?!" exclaimed Harry excitedly). By the end of the session, Harry left with a newfound appreciation for magic and a magical trunk containing all monetary assets in both Wizarding Currency and Muggle, books, clothes and even shrunken properties that he can choose to set up wherever he ends up. Let's just say he was now very much loaded and would never have to work again if he wanted. Arriving at Grimmauld, he called "Death!" and within seconds, Harry found himself whisked away and into what Harry imagined purgatory would be.
"Harry, the first universe you will be going to will be a vacation of sorts - it will give you a chance to live a little without any heavy burdens. Call me when you are ready and we'll continue to discuss your role as the Master of Death ." Death turns away and is about to disappear again before a vortex wraps Harry into an embrace.
"Wait! Where and when are you sending me?"
"Now Harry, why would I ruin the surprise?"
The last thing Harry saw was his companion turning back to him and give him a little wave.
Clunking chains are heard
No wings of hope come closer
To the iron beast.
"-should we wake the kid?"
"That's just sick, who would do this to a child?"
"He looks in bad shape!"
"Oh the poor boy, he can't be older than five."
"Hotch, wake him. Judging by the cut on his head he could be concussed."
Harry wasn't sure where Death dropped him off, nor did he know who this 'kid' was that the voices were talking about, but he did hope that it would wake so the voices could shut up and let him sleep off his migraine.
"Hey, hey kid! we need you to wake up!"
Harry continued to feign sleep, still cursing the child for not obeying the voices. He just wanted to rest dammit!
"Kid!"
"Hey kid."
"Little one," a soft baritone voice said. "You need to wake up. Please open your eyes."
Harry snapped his eyes open with a glare before opening his mouth to yell "For fucks sake kid, wake up will you, I have a fucking migraine and these assholes won't shut up until you WAKE THE FUCK UP!."
There were three key takeaways from that little outburst. One, Harry's proclamation was followed up with total silence. Two, as he sat up to take a look around the room, he noticed his leg was tethered to a short chain attached to some metal bars. Three, there were four other people stuck in the same situation with him, all sporting similar looks of confusion, shock and surprise.
"What are you staring at?! Take a picture, it will last longer!" and while he thought he mustered up an intimidating glare, the other prison cell occupants just thought he looked like an adorable kitten.
"Little one, we've been trying to get you to wake up for an hour or so now. We are so glad to see you open your eyes." says the older man.
The other occupants consisted of two ladies and two men. The pretty blonde woman looked to be the youngest. She was looking at Harry with an unbearable mothering look. The other woman was a brunette with a serious look to her face but he could tell she looked worried for him. The other male sported a lovely chocolate shade to his skin and had a shaved head. Harry rather thought he looked like a Greek statue, muscles galore too. The final occupant, the one who had spoken last, looked to be the oldest of the group. He had whiskey brown eyes, short dark hair and a naturally broody face.
"Kid..."said blondie.
"Who are you callin', kid?," asked Harry through narrowed eyes.
"Hate to break it to you, but we were talking to you, kid." replied the Greek statue.
"I'm not a child " huffed Harry looking for all that he had denied it, a child.
"Um, sorry kid, but yeah you really are."
"Little one, what is your name?" asked the baritone voice.
"Who's askin'?" snipped Harry
"My name is Aaron, the other man over there is Derek, her name is JJ and lastly Emily. We are agents with the FBI." Aaron replied, pointing to each person as he named them.
Harry stared at them for a while before replying with a soft voice "My name is Atlas"
Both he and the goblins had come up with quite a few identities while they were discussing his inheritance and had forged quite a bit of official looking documents and passports to match. He decided he would go with the name Atlas Marcaunon Peverell. As soon as he could, he would ensure Death planted his files somewhere.
"Atlas, it's nice to meet you. How long have you been here? Where are you from? Do you know where your parents might be?" (A/N Harry will now be called Atlas)
"I don't know but my parents are dead." Atlas replied. The others thought the kid sounded rather callous talking about his dead parents so blandly.
"Oh I'm so sorry, Little One. Who are your guardians then?"
Atlas shrugged "That's ok. They died a long time ago. I don't have any guardians. I don't need any."
"They can't have died that long ago though, you're what, five years old?"
Again, Atlas could feel himself start to get pissed off with that line of thinking. "Seriously, I keep telling you, I'm not a fucking kid!"
"LANGUAGE!" shouted the four. Atlas just gave them a blank stare. "French." he replied snarkily.
"Yeah? How old are you then?" asked Derek indulgently.
Atlas narrowed his eyes on the man. "I'm 20 years old"
'Poor kid, he's clearly delusional or maybe just been down here too long to tell what is real and what isn't' thought Emily sadly.
"Fucking hell, please stop looking at me like that!" yelled Harry.
"Hey, none of that or you will stand with your face in the corner." Aaron clearly showed off his paternal skills having to deal with his own young sons' tantrums before. After the first curse word, he mentally calculated the length of the chain and the distance to the corner and deduced he'd be able to reach it easily.
"What? How many times do I have to tell you? I AM NOT A BLOODY CHILD! AND YOU SURE AS HELL ARE NOT MY DAD" The famous temper started to come out. Suddenly a big hand grabbed his upper arm and led him toward the corner and turned his face so his nose was touching the wall.
"You will stay there until I deem fit. You will think about why you are in trouble in the first place and then we will continue this conversation."
Seething, Atlas stayed quiet but if he hadn't been so distracted by the fury then he might have thought more about how Aaron was able to move him so easily. Atlas was still quite built when he left his universe so he should not have been able to be pushed around with no resistance.
The other three just watched on with amusement.
Innocence is lost
Burned childhood imminent
Within these steel walls.
There was something niggling at the back of Atlas' mind but he couldn't decide what it was. Logically, he knew that there was nothing stopping him from removing himself from the corner but another part of his mind was preventing him from disobeying Aaron, as if he didn't want to disappoint the others. Rather than stand there and think about why he was being punished, he decided to focus on what he knew about his current situation.
'I really should have asked Death more questions.' thought Atlas.
'I have no idea if I just appeared here as me or if my soul merged with someone else.'
Atlas assumed it was the latter considering that the four sharing his space didn't seem surprised to see him appear out of thin air.
'If that's the case then who was I before the merge?'
There were a few things he knew for certain. From what he gathered from when the others were trying to wake him, he must be injured in some way and he could feel some pain in his body but he was too focussed on convincing the others of his age that he didn't bother cataloging his own body. He would get to that later. He also knew that he had no idea how long this body had been inside this cell, nor why for that matter but judging by the looks of the others, he must have been here longer than them. Atlas hoped to fish for some answers from them at some point.
Meanwhile, Aaron sat down and observed the hurt child, counting down the minutes while the others spoke quietly amongst themselves. He had decided he would only keep Atlas there for 5 minutes then set him free so to speak. He could see the boy struggle with his emotions and could tell he was fighting with his instincts to obey while also wanting to rebel which amused him to no end. However he can't help but think about the circumstances in which he ended up captured. How long had Atlas been here? What did the unsub do to him? And why did they take Atlas? From the MO they gathered earlier in the week, the unsub had never taken a child, the unsub seemed to be evolving and they need to know why.
Hotch's heart dropped when they were unceremoniously dropped into the cell only to discover an unconscious child chained to the bars. He was able to get close to the child, even though he was chained a bit away from the boy. Thankfully he could see the little chest rise with his breath and determined the kid was still hanging on. He couldn't help but think of his own son, Jack and he was sure JJ was thinking about Henry as well.
Pulled out of his thoughts, he checked his watch and saw that the 5 minutes was up so he called out to the boy, grabbing the attention of the others as he did so.
"Atlas, you can turn around now. Please refrain from using that type of language again." Aaron softly said.
With a scowl, Atlas turned around and sat on the floor with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed at the man. He was about to open his mouth to probably say something he shouldn't but was interrupted by heavy footsteps coming towards them.
"Ah! I see you are all awake now! Good, good. Have you all been introduced? Yes? Excellent!"
They all turned to look at the person that had come up to them and started manically pacing back and forth in front of them.
"Well then, I must say, I was not expecting the famous BAU to stumble across my traps. I already know each and every one of you of course so I know that you're are not that stupid to get caught. So I'd have to say that you clearly meant to get caught on purpose then! Now why on earth would you be interested in little ol' me hmm?" the unsub stood there tapping his chin in mock thought.
"Oh my, where are my manners! My name is Anton, it's such a pleasure to meet you all, especially you, Atlas."
Without another word, he wheeled over a table that had a meager amount of food on it.
"Sorry guys, but you'll have to share. Don't be like Atlas and waste it now, this is all you'll get for the next three days."
"You're starving him?" Yelled Morgan
"What? No, not at all. He's starving himself. Refuses to eat or drink. Not my problem though." He shrugged and left.
"Atlas, c'mon buddy you need to eat." Hotch holds up a slice of bread to Atlas' mouth only for him to turn his head the other way and glare at the wall. He ignored the fact that the action probably made him look childish.
"I'm not eating that. It's probably poisoned." murmured Atlas.
"What makes you say that?"
The child just ignored him.
"Atlas."
Sighing, Atlas turned back to Aaron. "He gave me water the first night. It made me throw up blood. I'm not touching anything he gives us and I'd advise the same to you."
Aaron drops the food in horror before nodding to his team. "Alright." At some point, the team will look back and wonder at the boy's way of speech. It sounded much too mature for a child his age. But as of now, they are too distracted to contemplate this.
Pain, an unseen force
Behind the smile it grows
Survival is hard
With only their watches to judge time, days come and go and they are all growing a little weaker from the lack of food. Atlas was in worse shape since he was so small and injured. Their hope was that the rest of the team would find them in time. If only to at least save the boy. The unsub appears after three days, presumably to give them more food.
"Now, now. Why haven't you been eating? Gotta say, this is beyond rude. I'm trying to show you all great hospitality and you throw it in my face? That just won't do."
He made his way to the cage door before slipping inside. The four adults move forwards in an attempt to attack the guy.
"Ah, ah. Don't do that, besides you have no weapons on you. What did you think would happen?"
"I could pummel you into the ground and I wouldn't need a gun to do that!" flexed Morgan.
They all try to move forward again but are stopped by the chains on their legs.
"Heh, well good luck with that." Snickered the unsub. "Now, Atlas, as punishment I will need to force feed you. We don't want you dying just yet."
He leaned forward and grabbed Atlas in a headlock before tilting the boy's head back, holding his jaw open with one hand and tipping a glass of water into his mouth.
"Hey! STOP THAT!"
"Swallow, boy!" The unsub pinched Atlas' nose as the child bucked to and fro and tried not to do as he said. But desperate for some air, he was forced to do it.
"Good boy." He let the child go and proceeded to leave the room.
Hotch crawled close to Atlas. "Atlas, are you ok?" The boy said nothing, until they all saw his face turn green before the child turned to his hands and knees, throwing up bile. To their horror, they could see the vomit had a red tinge to it, meaning he was once again throwing up blood. It seemed to go on forever and they could see Atlas was exhausted from the heaving. Aaron rubbed his back in comfort.
Coughing, Atlas collapsed to his side, somehow avoiding the puddle of puke and slipping into unconsciousness. The four adults looked at each other in worry, all trying to figure a way out of this mess.
Hours passed by and they quietly conversed, created plans, dismissing said plans and then starting again before the unsub returned. Atlas flinched at the sound of the door opening before waking up.
"Enough chit chat, I just dropped by to grab my little toy for a bit of fun torture! Don't mind me!"
The unsub unlocked the cage door and quickly grabbed Atlas by the neck and dragged him out to the loud protests of the others.
"Hey! Stop! Don't do this!" came the shout from Derek
"Why are you taking him? Take me! " yelled Aaron
"You don't know who this is do you? This fella here is Atlas Marcaunon Peverell! Heir to the Peverell Empire. This pretty little head will fetch me a big price you know. His family will no doubt want him back but well, no-one said anything on the condition in which he returns"
Atlas sneered at the unsub. He noted the looks the others were giving him to keep his mouth shut. But, Harry never did well with orders and neither would Atlas.
"Idiot, you haven't done your research. My family is DEAD. So you will not be getting a penny from anyone! Sorry fuckface." Here Atlas grinned at the man, ignoring the others as they were trying to silence him.
"No, no no no. Boss would have said something. The kid is lying." They all heard the unsub mutter as he paced back and forth.
"Oh well then, guess l can do what I want then." said the unsub thoughtfully. He grabbed Atlas' head and smashed it into the wall before dragging him out of the room, the others shouting loudly.
"Hmm? Little Atlas, you seem to have some protectors and I know how to get under their skin."
The unsub closed and locked the cell door before dragging Atlas over to the far side of the room and proceeded to hang him up from the ceiling using the chains hanging there. He continued to ignore the others yelling as he made sure Atlas was secure and lifted off the ground. He turned the boy to ensure that he was facing the team for front row seats for what's about to come.
The BAU team just watched in horror as the little boy was hung up as if he were in a meat factory both hoping the boy would keep his mouth shut but also needing the boy to hold on a little longer while they figured a way out unless the rest of their team found them first.
The unsub started to circle around Atlas like a lion stalking its prey. Deciding to forgo any villain monologue or insight into what he plans on doing to the boy, he pulls out a sharp knife, a whip, a baseball bat and a small gun.
He started off small by dragging the blunt edge of the knife across the boy's chest before circling behind the child to cut his shirt clean off his body leaving Atlas in his slacks. His already injured body on show. The unsub proceeded to make small cuts into the boy's chest, face and arms before placing the knife on the table and began to punch him in his ribs.
The FBI profilers nearly burst into tears at the sight of the small boy being beaten in front of them. They forced themselves to watch as the unsub continued. They feared for Atlas and were not hopeful that he would hold on much longer. Not with the damage being inflicted on such a small body.
Atlas however had other plans. Afterall, he didn't survive multiple murder attempts by a psychopathic dark lord and his minions only to be taken down by one muggle. He lifted his head and spat blood onto the floor and grinned with near insanity towards the unsub.
"You punch like a girl." he snickered.
Aaron facepalmed mentally, wanting to turn the boy over his knee for a spanking for deliberately goading the guy. Morgan, though horrified, also tried to hold back laughter and admired the little spitfire.
The unsub paused before making his way to his table but with his back turned towards everyone else they couldn't see what he picked up.
"What's wrong, Petal?" goaded Atlas." Did I hit a nerve?" Atlas had no idea what he was going to do next, but he was trying to gather up his magic internally to try and do something, anything to throw a distraction towards the guy. Of course, his hero complex wouldn't allow him to leave his fellow cell mates so he would need to make sure they escaped with him.
Atlas was so distracted by trying to collect enough magic that he didn't notice the unsub moving again until something cold clicked around his neck. Realizing he was collared, he started to struggle.
The man leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Oh Atlas, I know what you are, who you REALLY are and believe me I have no idea how I managed to catch you. Catch the one person who always seemed to be unkillable. The Boy-Who-Lived." He grinned as he turned away for a second before returning.
"This collar? It's not just a fancy jewelry piece. This is a magic inhibitor. Oh I know what you were trying to do, trying to collect your magic. But it's not going to work. Everytime it senses a build up in magic, it will burn you. Oh it will BURN….Harry Potter." With that, he grabbed the whip, turned the boy around so the others could see the damage and expertly whipped the kid until he was bleeding. The cuts from the whip weeping profusely, deep too.
Atlas tried to struggle with each hit but the way his arms were being held up, a loud popping noise echoed through the room. He tried to hide behind the pain, but he could tell his shoulders were dislocated.
The only other sound's reverberating around the room were the girls crying from having to watch this happen to someone so young. Hotch and Morgan were forcing themselves to keep looking as they felt it would give the boy some kind of comfort that they were there for him.
The unsub soon got bored with this method as the boy seemed to be unconscious, or at least stopped fighting back. He grabbed the bat and hit Atlas over the head, just to make sure before pulling him out of the chains and dumped him back inside the cell.
"You, make sure he doesn't die. I'm not done yet." He pointed at Aaron before making his way up the stairs and through the door.
Aaron crawled over to Atlas and carefully shifted him onto his back before brushing his shoulder length hair away from his face and cups his cheeks, softly calling his name.
"Atlas? Atlas, please open your eyes, little one." Lightly tapping his cheek, Aaron continued his attempts.
"C'mon little one, open those eyes for me."
He internally rejoiced as the boy groaned and opened his eyes. Before they could all celebrate, Atlas' eyes rolled into the back of his head and his whole body started to spasm and shake.
"Shit, Hotch, he's seizing!"
Hotch quickly rolled Atlas onto his side and attempted to hold his head to stop him from harming himself further. Aaron diligently rubbed his shoulder in comfort. "Shhh, you're ok, you're ok little one. It'll be over soon." said Aaron as the boy let out little distressed noises. He continued the ritual until the boy stilled and Aaron noticed the kid's eyes open again, revealing the emerald orbs.
Hotch leaned down close to the boy. "Hey kiddo, are you with us?"
Atlas wakes up in pain. He can see the older man, Aaron hovered over him worriedly but ignored his calls. He looks around until his eyes land on a reflective surface, instead of focussing on his injuries, he finally sees why the agents had called him a child.
"What. The. Fuck." He feels a soft touch to his shoulder before he flinches back and shuffles backwards until he hits the wall.
"Hey, hey, it's ok Atlas, it's me, Aaron remember?"
Atlas ignores him again. "Why the fuck am I so small?!" He finally realised that he must have been de-aged during the transition. "Motherfucker, as soon as I get my hands on him he's DEAD!"
The others watched him with concern; they've never come across a child that seemed so out of touch with reality. But, considering the head injuries including everything else, they're not surprised. Meanwhile, Aaron continued to try and get the kids attention.
"Little one, shh shh you're ok, you're ok." He held Atlas's face between his large hands and carefully looked into his eyes. "Look at me Atlas." He noticed the boy's eyes dart back to his reflection. "Eyes on me Atlas. You're going to be ok. We will get out of here."
Atlas continued to ignore Aaron before yelling out in thin air. "DEATH! Get your scrawny, bony ass here right now or so help me God, I will shove your-" The air became cold and a darkness settled over the room before time stopped. Atlas glanced around and noticed that it was almost like someone hit pause on a video. All the agents were frozen still but he could still move.
"Now now Master, that's not a very nice thing to say to me." came the voice of his everlasting companion.
"Deeeeath!" whined Atlas "Why am I a child? I don't want to be a child!"
"Come now, I did tell you that this life would be your chance to regain what you once lost."
"What? No you didn't, you said it was a vacation!"
"Same thing" Death waved his reply away.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Live Atlas. Live and be happy. You're a five year old child, you can reclaim the childhood you once lost. You were robbed of love and family so young, but now is your chance to live how you should have. I chose this universe, this situation for a reason. You will find what you craved for for so long with these people. Aaron is the one I chose to be your family. I put you in his path for this reason. He is already a great father and his wife is lovely. Give him a chance. I know that he is planning on taking you in once you all get out."
"Death, I don't KNOW how to be a son. I don't know HOW to live, to be HAPPY. I can't be what he wants me to be. For all intent and purposes, I am not a child though I look it."
"Just think about it Harry." sighed Death. "You will have noticed your emotions are fluctuating constantly. This is due to the transition. It's still in progress. Soon your five year old mentality will dominate your twenty year old personality. You will keep your powers and memories and such, but you'll find that you act more like a child as time goes on. Just let it happen."
"Death, who is this guy that's keeping us captive and how does he know me? Magic?"
Here Death looked sheepish as he did a very human thing; scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Ah, yes. So, that's Dolohov. He, uh, somehow caught us unaware and tagged along. I did not intend for this to happen. But he is the only one that made it through. He has no usable magic though. I made sure of that."
Harry just sent Death an annoyed look before pouting with his arms crossed.
"When I leave, time will reverse to just before you mentioned my name. I would advise you to keep your magic a secret until you feel you can trust them all. I apologize for the torture you went through. I didn't think the situation would escalate like this. You will have a chance to escape soon." said Death. "Live, Harry. Be happy. You don't have any obligations in this universe so what you do is up to you." Death waved his hand over Harry, giving him the false memories of Atlas to help him for the future.
With a small whooshing sound, Death disappears and Atlas is returned to the scene with Aaron hovering over him, hands on his face. Atlas thought about what Death had told him and while a childhood seemed like a good idea, he didn't know how he could do this. He could tell that even if he retained his twenty year old mind, the five year old mentality is still lingering in the back of his mind so he just knows that he's going to have different personalities at times. And emotions. And puberty once it gets to that point. Oh god, he will have to go through his teenage years again. He knows Death gave him Atlas' memories and sadly he wouldn't have time to go through them all just yet. He thought about the situation with Aaron. According to Death, he chose Aaron to become his dad. Atlas was not sure what he thought about that but he knew that if Aaron tried to insert himself into Atlas' life, he would not make it easy for him.
The escape is near
to freedom they are headed.
The claws of death, gone.
"Guys, we need to find a way out of here. Atlas. I can see we are losing him." Aaron continued to hold the boy's head still as he watched the eyes, glazed and confused. He lifted Atlas' head up. "Hey, c'mon little one. Keep your eyes open. Stay with us. We will get you out of here."
Atlas looked into Aaron's eyes before he looked towards the cage door. He could feel his magic building but he could tell that the collar was doing its job. He could feel a burning sensation around his neck but he ignored it as he concentrated on the door. To the rest of the room, it looked like Atlas was unconscious, or headed that way at least. He tried not to let himself get distracted by the constant tapping on his face from Aaron nor the pain from the collar.
"Atlas, kiddo I need you to stay with me."
With a concentrated glare at the cage door, a resounding click was heard before it swung open. The others looked at each other in amazement before they looked at Atlas who had finally lost the battle to stay awake.
"Um, how did that happen?" asked Morgan.
"I have no idea." replied Prentiss.
"You three, go take a look around out there and see if you can find our guns. I'll stay here with Atlas." ordered Hotch. Once the others had cautiously left the cell, Aaron carefully picked the boy up and laid him on his lap, his head leaning on his chest. Aaron wasn't sure why, but he felt an instant connection with the boy. He didn't know whether it was because he had his own young son and the whole thing hit too close to home. Either way, when they got out of here, he was going to make sure Atlas was looked after. If it turns out he has no family, then he would work something out to make sure the boy was safe and loved.
"Hey Hotch! This guy was obviously confident we wouldn't get out. Our gear is all here in the locker." called out Morgan.
"JJ and I will go ahead and make sure the unsub is not nearby." said Prentiss.
"Go, be safe. Take him down if you see him." replied Hotch.
Aaron continued to cradle the small child in his lap, offering some comfort that he was sure the boy would complain about were he awake. As he waits for his team to return, Morgan is left guarding the door that led to the discovery that they had been kept in a cellar. He glanced at his boss and smiled as he saw him gently rocking the child. They both knew that the little guy would be in a world of pain and they vowed to protect this boy at all costs. Morgan had no idea what would become of the child once he was released from the hospital, but he quietly hoped that Aaron would take him in. He knew that Haley and Aaron were both qualified for adoption and that they were hoping to grow their family now that Jack was a little older.
Hotch was carefully drinking in the sight of the boy. Atlas was a handsome child, still with some baby fat around his cheeks but he almost had an aristocratic look, high cheekbones and a sculpted nose. Underneath the closed eyelids are the most captivating emerald green eyes which seemed ethereal. His face was framed by his black shoulder length hair that curled slightly at the ends. He could see the child was struggling to breathe, which by the looks of the bruises on his body, at least one rib was probably broken and causing Atlas pain as his chest rises and falls.
With the ladies, JJ and Emily lifted their guns up and cautiously cleared the immediate area. They can see that they had been kept in a cellar and a small bungalow was situated nearby. Silently they approached the house with their backs against the outer walls, their guns at the ready. On a count of three, they kick down the door.
"FBI!" shouted Prentiss.
They stealthily moved through the house, clearing each room as they went. They came across some stairs which they guessed would lead to a basement. They make their way down and are horrified at what they find. There's a pinboard with loads of pictures of Atlas, some time stamped as being very recent and some documenting the torture the boy had suffered before the team were captured. A creaking noise interrupted their search and they saw the unsub had been hiding in the darkness by the stairs before he started to run back up to the ground level of the house.
"Stop! FBI!"
Neither of the two could get a good shot of the guy so they chased after him in time to see him exiting the house before running off into the forest. They couldn't go further though, the lack of food and sleep overtaking their need to run off after the unsub. Instead they start to search the bungalow for the rest of their gear, phones and such. Finding them somehow with some battery life was a welcome relief. They called Penelope, hoping she could trace their call.
"You've reached Penelope Garcia in the FBI's Office of Supreme Genius."
"Pen, oh my god it's so good to hear your voice."
"JJ? Babe, where are you? Are you with Em, Hotch and Derek? Please tell me you are!"
"Pen! Listen, we were caught and thrown into a cellar and oh God, Pen! He tortured a CHILD. A child dammit. We only just managed to turn our phones back on. Please track us! And get the team down here with paramedics. The child he's in bad shape and I-"
"Hey, hey calm down, I'm on it." Penelope hangs up and immediately calls Rossi.
"Garcia?"
"JJ just called, they were captured and held hostage. Apparently a child is involved and is severely injured. I've sent their locations to your phones. I've called an ambulance to the scene too and I'll meet you all there."
"Thanks Garcia, we'll go meet with them."
Back in the cellar, JJ and Emily make their way back to Hotch. "Sorry Hotch, he got away. The rest of the team and paramedics are on the way."
Aaron looked up at them and they all thought he was going to berate them for losing the unsub but to their surprise he just nodded before Atlas began to stir awake letting out a soft keen of pain.
"Shh shh, it's ok, just hold on a little longer. Help is on the way. My brave boy, just hold on for me." cooed Aaron.
The rest of his team watch on with fondness and a little bit of surprise. They had never witnessed their boss so soft before.
With that, the four adults plus child made their way up the stairs and outside. Atlas was semi-conscious and he cursed his childlike brain when he automatically curled up into the warmth offered and snuggled his face into Aaron's neck but he figured just this once he would indulge in the comfort.
Aaron smiled as he felt his boy relax against him, cradling him carefully and trying to avoid the cuts on his back. He thought Atlas had fallen asleep until he felt the kid shake. Thinking that Atlas was finally showing his emotions and letting it all out, he carefully rubbed the boy's head but stopped when he felt a warm wetness seep into his clothing and then realised that the kid lost control of his bladder. Sounds of distress and pain alerted him to something more serious. Leaning the boy back, Atlas' head rolled to the side, his eyes rolling back into his head and the shakes increasing in intensity while foaming at the mouth.
"Shit, he's seizing again." exclaims Hotch. The team watched with sadness as the boy struggled with his own body as it failed him. Aaron placed him on the grass and turned him on the side into the recovery position, ignoring the state of his clothes and waiting for the shaking to stop.
"I'm here Atlas, I won't leave you. Ride it out little one, help is coming." Aaron said softly.
Once he stopped seizing, Atlas once again cursed his child's mindset when he started to cry and reached out towards the man who showed so much compassion towards him. Seeing this, Aaron picked him back up to cuddle, ignoring the wetness from Atlas and cooed soothing nonsense to him to try and calm him as Atlas clutched his shirt in his small fists.
"Soooorryyy" cried Atlas.
"Hey, why are you sorry?"
"Bad, bad, bad. Wet." Slurred the boy.
"Hey, no it's ok. You're not well, you can't help it." comforted Hotch. He continued to soothe the boy as they waited but was very worried about how Atlas was slurring his words.
"I'm worried about his head injury," stated Morgan "I assume that is where the seizing is coming from."
"I just hope it's not an underlying condition." replied JJ
Not too long later, they heard sirens making their way towards them as the five of them sat on the grass. Moments passed and they saw Reid, Rossi and Garcia running towards them, the paramedics close behind. Briefly explaining the situation, Aaron carefully placed Atlas onto the ambulance gurney before the child reached a hand out towards him again. The first aid responders quickly hooked him up to small machines and a respirator mask to help him breathe. Aaron grabbed hold of Atlas' hand before both of them were loaded into the back of the ambulance.
The healing embrace
where only time will heal wounds
on a person's soul.
While Atlas and Hotch were heading to the hospital, Morgan, JJ and Prentiss were all getting checked out by the remaining paramedics. Thankfully none of them were overly hurt, just a little malnourished so they weren't required to be hospitalized. Nonetheless, they were all worried about the little guy and were going to head there to keep Hotch company.
"So, what's the story with the kid?" asked Rossi.
"The little guy was already there when we got caught," replied Emily. "The unsub managed to get a hit on us one by one as we were combing the woods. We were chucked into a cell in the cellar there and the kid, Atlas, was already chained to the bars."
"Atlas? That's his name?" rambled Spencer excitedly. "You know, the name Atlas has a Greek origin. It means "to endure" or "to carry". In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan that fought in the war against Zeus and when they lost, he was condemned to carry the heavens on his shoulders. In other myths, he was instead instructed to hold two pillars to keep the Earth and sky apart. Atlas was also-"
"Yes, thanks Reid," interrupts JJ "Atlas was unconscious when we got there and he was already quite injured." JJ continues to tell the team their story and what happened with the child and how Hotch has been behaving around him.
"So the boy, Atlas, do we know anything about him? He looked to be what, four or five years old? Did he speak much?" asked Rossi.
"We learned a little about him. The unsub actually was the one to reveal most of what we know. Atlas Marcaunon Peverell is his full name." said Morgan.
"What a unique name! Marcaunon actually is an Elvish name, it means "ruler of the home". I believe the English name is Henry. But Peverell, I'm not sure on the orig-"
"Anyway, according to the unsub, Atlas is from a prominent family and if everything was to be believed he's the last one in the family. Atlas admitted himself that his parents are dead. It sounds like he inherited the family wealth as the unsub was asking for money from the family." continued JJ.
"What about the unsub?" asked Rossi. "We had gathered quite a bit of intel, but we couldn't I.D him?"
"He said his name is Anton, but that's all we have. We can build a profile when we get back to the Bureau."
"How about you all, are all of you ok? We were so worried." asked Garcia
"Yeah babygirl, we're all good. Atlas is worse off."
"Are we all going to the hospital? Oh please say yes, I only caught a glimpse of the little one but oh my gosh he's super adorable! Oh the poor thing, how can anyone hurt a child?"
"Slow down Pen, yeah we should all go ahead so we can check up on Hotch and Atlas."
Meanwhile, Hotch was internally freaking out as Atlas had suffered another seizure in the ambulance. He had to step aside so that the medics could help him, but Aaron could not stop worrying about his little boy. On Atlas' part, he wasn't too aware of his surroundings, but he did know the kind FBI agent was by his side the entire time. The seizures were scary but he wasn't cognisant enough to figure out the cause just yet.
Not soon enough, they arrived at the hospital with Aaron following the doctors and Atlas until they reached an area he could not follow.
"I'm sorry sir, you can't go any further. Feel free to wait here in the waiting room and we'll update you as soon as we can. What's his name?"
"Atlas Peverell."
"Thank you, we will notify you as soon as we can."
Aaron was resigned to finding a seat and waiting with bated breath. Time seemed to crawl at snail pace and at some point, he was joined by the rest of his team.
"Hey Hotch, have you heard anything yet?" asked Morgan.
"No, nothing yet."
"Have you contacted Haley yet?" asked JJ.
"No, but-"
"Hotch, go on, call her. She's been worried sick. We've tried to keep her updated since you all went missing."
"Is she mad?"
"No, just worried."
Aaron looked towards the room Atlas was moved into before pulling out his phone and dialing Haley's number. He moved out of earshot but stayed within eyeshot in case the doctors came back.
"Aaron? Baby, is that you?" came the voice of his wife.
"Yeah honey, it's me. I'm ok. We got out."
"Oh my gosh, I was so worried, Garcia didn't have a lot of information when I got the call but- and Jack! Jack, he's freaking out a-and I couldn't get a hold of you and-" panicked, Haley kept speaking a little incoherently.
"Haley! I'm ok, I'm fine - a bit hungry and roughed up but I'll be ok."
"When are you coming home?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something, but it might be best if you come to me. Can you come to the Virginia Hospital Center?"
"Hospital? Why are you there?! You said you were fine! Aaron wha-"
"Shh, shh. Calm down, I'm fine but Haley. The unsub had captured a five year old and had him locked up with us. It's bad Haley. I want to be here for him. He must be so scared."
Haley paused for a second before replying. "Okay. Okay, yeah I'll come. I'll see you soon."
"See you soon, honey. Can you bring me a change of clothes please? Love you." Hotch ended the call before returning to his seat. Glancing at the time, he knew that Atlas had been in surgery for at least 2 hours. Half an hour later, the doctor from before came through those doors and recognized Aaron.
"Atlas Peverell?"
Hotch jumped to his feet. "Yes! Here, Agent Hotchner. How is he?"
"Agent, are his parents or guardian here?"
"Uh, no. He was a victim of a kidnapping with us. We haven't been able to contact anyone but we have reason to believe he has no one. How is he?"
"Ok, well usually we would wait for relatives but considering who you are, we can ignore that for now. Atlas will recover. Physically anyway. But it will be a long recovery. Mentally, we have no idea. He flatlined twice but we stabilized him. He's asleep right now and will probably stay asleep until tomorrow at least. I can take you and your companions in to see him."
"He suffered three seizures today, was that to do with his head injuries?"
"Yes, he had another one during surgery. At the moment, we think it's due to his injuries, but we will keep an eye on it. Anyway, come on through. Just know that we will need to contact Social Services. They'll be here tomorrow."
The team all followed the doctor towards a private ICU room. They all paused at the sight of the little boy that wormed into their hearts. Atlas is small anyway, but seeing him engulfed by the hospital bed, hooked up to multiple machines and tubes running in and out of his body, he looked positively tiny.
"I know it looks bad, but he'll recover."
"Go on, usually we would only allow you in for visiting hours, but for you agents, we'll ignore that rule."
One of the others gasped as they took in the scene; Hotch assumed it was Garcia. The team all trooped into the room and found a place to sit. Hotch took the seat next to Atlas' head. Rossi grabbed the clipboard at the end of the child's bed.
"Aaron," called Rossi softly. "The kid, his injuries, I-I don't know how he held on for so long."
"List them for me." Aaron had half his mind on Rossi and the other half on Atlas, but his eyes were only for Atlas.
"He has three broken ribs, the rest are bruised badly. His collarbone is cracked and they had to reset both shoulders as they were dislocated. His hip bone they don't think will ever heal properly so will probably have a permanent limp. The lacerations on his back were beginning to become infected but they are treating those. Minor cuts on the rest of his body and a rather serious looking head injury. There's some burns around his neck, presumably from the weird collar on his neck which they can't get off." listed Rossi rather clinically, but he knew he had to otherwise he would break down like the ladies in the room.
Everyone was in tears, the four that were with him knew it would have been bad considering they were first hand witnesses to most of those injuries but it still hurt to see and hear just what the little boy is suffering from. Aaron tenderly holds one of Atlas' hands in one of his larger ones and the other reaches up to lay on the boy's forehead, brushing aside his hair.
"Aaron?" said a voice from the door.
The team looked up and saw their boss's wife standing there anxiously. She made her way into the room.
"Hey Hotch, we'll come back in the morning ok? If he wakes before then, let us know." said Morgan, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, get some sleep guys. I'll be in touch. Garcia? Can you please see if you can find anything on him? His full name is Atlas Marcaunon Peverell. I don't have anything else to go on though. Like where his family is from or anything, but the unsub mentioned the Peverell family like it was some kind of royalty."
"On it boss. I'll message you any details I find."
"Thanks Garcia."
The team trooped out while Haley took a seat next to her husband. "Hey," she softly said, running her hand through his hair "What's going on, talk to me, baby."
"We were caught by surprise. They knocked us out before dumping us in a cell. Atlas, this little one, was already there chained to the bars. He was hurt and unconscious but we were also chained to the cell as well and I-I didn't know how to help him. He's so small, Haley. Call me crazy but I felt an instant connection to him. I can't explain it. The unsub, he had been torturing Atlas before we got there, tricking him into eating poisoned food until he threw up blood. Oh God, he tortured the child in front of us and we couldn't. Do. Anything. I've never felt so helpless." Haley was surprised to see Aaron so worked up that he was tearing up just talking about it.
"Oh Aaron, it's not your fault. I know that if you could have, you would have done EVERYTHING you could to help the poor thing. I do not doubt this." Haley looked towards the little boy and instantly understood what her husband felt. She looked at Atlas and everything seemed to click into place. Haley wanted to wrap the child in a hug and never let go.
"Aaron, who is he? Where is his family?"
"We're not sure. I mean we have his name and according to Atlas, his parents are dead. But also according to him, he has no guardian either meaning he was alone. I don't know how true that is though as most of the time he seemed pretty out of it. I have Garcia working on it."
"I assume Social Services will be involved?"
"Yes, it is probable."
"I don't want him going into the system Aaron. I-I think that would be a bad idea considering what we went through."
"I know, honey. Neither do I, but we'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow."
"Oh Aaron, can't we adopt him? I know with your job and Jack that it would be hard but-"
"Shh, I know, I know. I was going to bring it up when you got here. I would like to petition for adoption if the chance comes up. You're right, it will be difficult and I think he may have some issues mentally as well as the issues he will have physically."
"If we get to keep him, we will deal with it. Jack would love an older brother."
"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, honey. But if he doesn't have family, we'll figure it out. I am so happy you are willing to do this too"
"Of course, baby. Something is telling me that he needs to be with us, in our family." Aaron leans over and kisses his wife on the cheek.
"Where's Jack?"
"He's with Jessica at the moment. Are you staying here with Atlas?"
"Yes, I want to be a familiar face for him if he wakes up."
"Do you mind if I come back tomorrow?"
"Of course not, I'd like you to meet him too. He can be a little standoffish though, he seemed rather angry when we kept calling him child. But he seemed to warm up to me in the end."
"That's ok, we'll handle it."
Once Haley left again, he took one last look at Atlas before taking the clothes and went into the attached bathroom. Thankfully, there was a shower there which he didn't hesitate to use. His beautiful wife left him a few pairs of sweatpants and t-shirts so he quickly washed up and changed before returning to Atlas' bedside.
A little while later, Hotch phoned Rossi to see if he could drop off some of his files that he can work on while he waited. It was late evening, so he assumed the team would drop stuff off in the morning. Aaron settled down in the recliner next to Atlas' bed and decided to get some rest. It felt like he had only closed his eyes for a second before a cacophony of sounds woke him back up.
Snapping awake, he quickly stood and leaned over Atlas only to notice that the boy was seizing again. "Nurse? NURSE! Please, someone help!" Aaron quickly presses the call button for the nurses station. Within seconds, a stream of nurses and doctors swarmed the bed, Aaron moving to the outskirts of the room.
"Nurse, we need a shot of diazepam now!"
They administered the dose directly into one of the many tubes inserted into his veins and waited for the shaking to stop. The nurses settled him, giving him a mild sedative to help him rest before leaving Aaron to it. Aaron came close to the bed and carefully wiped the drool from the side of Atlas' mouth.
"Oh Atlas." The man gently caresses the boy's face before taking hold of his hand again. At some point he fell asleep again, his head on the side of Atlas' bed, still holding hands.
Morning came and Hotch woke up with a sore neck and back with the way he fell asleep. Atlas was still asleep so Aaron quickly moved into the bathroom to freshen up before returning. Soon a nurse dropped off some breakfast for him, digging in, he waited for his team to turn up. Once his food was cleared away, he went back to holding Atlas' hand, hoping that he might wake today. He felt a slight squeeze around one of his fingers so Aaron stood up again and leaned over the bed.
"Atlas," Hotch called softly. "Little one, can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand again for me?" Aaron looked down at their hands and he felt the little one attempt to do as he said. He could see the boy was slowly coming to and he was beginning to panic.
Atlas could feel himself waking up, but all he could acknowledge was the pain that he was in. He could tell something was in his throat and he began choking on whatever it was. He could hear someone talking to him, trying to calm him down. Hands were on him, attempting to keep him from struggling. Atlas opened his eyes slowly and he could see wires and tubes all over him. Panicked, he began scratching at the needles and wires, yanking out what he could. He pulled at the tube in his mouth and managed to get it out, gagging as he did. He tried to roll off the bed, ignoring the machines that were loudly beeping but was stopped from doing so.
"Nurse? He's awake!" yelled Aaron. "Hey, hey, hey. Atlas? Listen to me, you're ok. You're with me, Aaron, in the hospital." Aaron tried to hold on to the boy's wrists to stop him from trying to rip more needles out.
"Atlas, c'mon buddy, look at me," he let go of the wrists and cradled the boy's head in his hands. "Breathe for me little one. In and out, follow my lead. In and out." He could see Atlas start to calm down as he became more aware of his surroundings. "There you go. Good boy. Keep breathing."
"Sir, what happened?"
"He woke up and panicked. He managed to pull out a few things." Aaron watched as the nurses administered another sedative so that they could replace everything that was ripped out. They refrained from intubating him again but instead put in a nasal cannula. He could see Atlas was still awake but unable to do much else but look at him due to the sedative. The nurses finished up before Atlas' doctor asked to speak to him in the hall.
"We wanted to run something by you before we did anything. We can't risk him pulling anything out again. He could do some major damage to himself. I would like to restrain him to the bed rails with these soft bindings." said the doctor, showing Hotch the restraints.
Aaron looked between the doctor and the cuffs. "Do it."
They both walked back into the room, Atlas had fallen asleep. The doctor carefully wrapped the soft cuffs around each wrist and again to the rails of his bed.
"He should sleep for a little longer, the sedative we gave wasn't strong. Social Services will be on the way later this afternoon."
"Thank you, doctor."
Aaron sat back down with his elbows on his knees, hands holding up his head as he watched over Atlas worriedly. An alert from his phone let him know that his team was on the way. Leaning back, Aaron waited for them to turn up, thoughts of Atlas running through his head.
