(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters)
Sorry for the delay! I am seriously thinking of taking a break from fanfiction... not yet, but I have A levels coming up so I will have to focus on them. I'll warn you when I'm taking said break, I should only be gone a few months. I say that now, but I don't know if I will be able to pry myself away for that long ;)
Thank you to all the reviewers! I am experiencing a problem where I can't see the reviews, UPDATE! I can see your reviews now!
Thank you Hippiechic81, Tempest Wolfe, fishtrek, Gawain, WishForBetter, Guest, laileyspenstar, Ash59, Guest, Diana, and Guest.
Please keep reviewing and hopefully I'll be able to view them soon.
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
"Mmmmrk!" JJ gasped behind the tape as Jack was pushed into the basement. He stumbled and struggled to get back up with his arms tied tightly behind his back.
"J-Jay-Jay," he whimpered, looking at her with pleading eyes as Harrison yanked him up to his feet.
"Looks like we've almost got our happy family," Harrison sneered, shoving Jack forwards and causing him to stumble again. Jack started to sob as he fell to his knees once more.
JJ tried to yell at Harrison to leave Jack alone but only muffled cries escaped from beneath the tape.
Spencer whined quietly from where he'd been thrown to the floor. Harrison nudged him out of the way and pushed Jack up against the wall. JJ started to wriggle towards Jack as he wailed loudly, but Harrison shoved her away and slapped her face cruelly.
"Ummmph!" She groaned as she reeled back into the wall.
Spencer's eyes flew open at the distressed noises behind him. He sat up on the dusty concrete and gazed around.
"Sp-Spenc-Spencer!" Jack's hicupped through broken sobs.
"Looks like Baby is awake," Harrison hissed; a smile curled around his lips and he took a menacing step closer to the dazed child.
"L-leave my brother al-alone!" Jack shouted desperately and he cried harder. Harrison's smile fell; his mind was thrust back in time suddenly.
"Chester?"
Harrison heard his father's gruff voice calling and he grabbed his younger brothers arm.
"Chester! Get here!" The voice shouted and the three year old at Harrison's side clutched his leg and hid his face in his long pyjama pants.
"Scawed..." Chester whimpered and Harrison winced as the small boy's fingernails dig into his leg.
"I know you're scared," Harrison whispered back. "But you've got to try and be brave, Okay?"
Chester looked up with wide green eyes and his bottom lip quivered.
"Can you do that? For me?" Harrison asked gently.
"CHESTER!?"
Chester quickly nodded as the voice rattled the very foundation of their house.
"Get under the bed. Quick," Harrison pushed his brother to the floor and lifted his sheets before ushering the three year old into the small gap between the bed and the floor. Chester scurried under the bed.
"You've gotta be brave," Harrison warned and Chester squeaked in response. Harrison let the sheets fall and at that moment the door flung open.
"CHES- Harrison?"
Harrison stared up at his father and he swallowed thickly when he caught sight of the bottle in his dad's clutches, the contents almost gone.
"Dad..."
"He's under the bed isn't he?" His father growled. Harrison stood in front of his bed and shook his head.
"Move!"
"No! Please!"
The drunk man staggered forward and smacked Harrison so hard that he fell to the floor.
"No, dad!"
Before he could get up, his father was lifting the sheets and reaching for Chester.
"No! Leave my brother a-alone!"
Harrison blinked wearily and found himself back in the basement standing over a shivering 2 year old curled into a ball.
"Chester..." Harrison whispered as he stared at the child. Spencer looked up and Harrison inhaled sharply when he saw the brown eyes. Chester doesn't have brown eyes, he reminded himself.
He stepped back from the child and shook away his haze.
"Harrison?"
Alan bit the inside of his lip as Harrison whipped around to face him.
"What?"
"Um... They're onto us," Alan mumbled. Harrison's jaw tightened.
"What are you on about?"
Alan turned his laptop and showed an image of Harrison that had been sent out as an amber alert.
"Shit!" Harrison smacked his hand against the wall and Spencer jumped at the sound, huddling into the wall.
"What are we gonna do?" Alan asked, turning the screen with his un-handcuffed hand.
"We gotta wrap this shit up."
"Penelope?"
Garcia's eyelashes fluttered tiredly, But she quickly shut them when the sun berated her eyes.
"Hmm?" She murmured.
"Do you remember what happened, Penelope?" The voice asked and Garcia's brow bunched together.
"Who-" she started opening her eyes and saw a middle age women looking down at her. She caught sight of the other people in uniforms walking around the apartment. Suddenly, she jolted upright and whipped her head around.
"Wha-!"
"Easy, Penelope, you were attacked," the paramedic said, calmly placing a hand on Garcia to push her back down.
"Attacked?" Garcia touched her face and winced when her arm brushed against her sire ribs.
"Yes. We were called by SSA Aaron Hotchner. Your boss?"
Garcia nodded, but she continued to frown in confusion as she tried to piece everything together.
"It seems they had some kind of tip that you were going to be targeted. Here, have a drink, you're dehydrated," the paramedic offered her a bottle which Garcia took gratefully in her trembling hands.
"Do you remember what happened?" She asked as Garcia took a big gulp.
"Uh..." Garcia bit her lip and tried to recall what happened. She looked around her apartment searching for something to jog her memory when her eyes landed on a teddy bear discarded by the counter.
"Spencer!" She gasped.
"Jacks gone," Hotch said before he collapsed into his chair and started breathing heavily.
"What?" Emily whispered.
"Haley said... she said that he had been playing baseball with his friends when h-he just disappeared."
"How can he just disappear?" Morgan grunted angrily. Hotch didn't reply; his head was in his hands.
"What about Henry?" Emily asked.
"He's with Will at the police station. He's safe," Rossi added and Hotch closed his eyes with a hint of relief.
"What about Spencer?" Morgan questioned as he folded his arms.
"I'm still waiting for a call from Kevin..." Hotch muttered.
"Aaron."
Rossi put a hand on Hotch's shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
"We're going to find them," he added. Hotch was about to answer when his phone rang.
"Kevin. Where are they?" He demanded before Kevin could even get a word in.
"Penelope's apartment was trashed," Kevin mumbled in a small voice.
"Are they ok?" Emily asked; she began to chew her stubby nails, tearing the skin as she went.
"They took Garcia to the hospital to be safe. She wants to talk to Hotch," he replied shakily.
"And Spencer?" Hotch added. He held his breath.
"Spencer wasn't there, Sir..." Kevin mumbled.
Aaron threw his file against the wall and cleared the table with a big swoop of his arm.
"Hotch!" Morgan yelled, stepping forward to grab hold of his unit chief.
"God dammit!" He growled as her thrust his foot into an unsuspecting chair.
"We'll find them, Aaron," Rossi said.
"Stop saying that! You don't know! You just don't know!"
JJ managed to get her tongue around the moist tape and for the first time in hours she spoke.
"It won't work," She rasped before clearing her throat to try again. Harrison spun around and glowered at her. The tall guy who Harrison had been talking to and who Jack and Spencer recognised from when they were taken licked his lips and narrowed his eyes at JJ.
"Of course it will work," Harrison snapped.
"No. Without Henry you can't recreate it," she mumbled.
"I-I'll find another kid," he stuttered back.
"But that defeats the point of these rituals. Harrison, listen to me. No matter what you do, you can't bring your siblings back," JJ said quietly, her eyebrows arching with sympathy.
"Shut up!"
Harrison pulled a knife from out of his pocket
"Plea-"
"I said shut up!" Harrison flicked the blade of his knife out and thrust it towards Jack, who pressed himself futilely into the wall.
Spencer gaped at the knife and then at Jack.
They need a distraction, he thought.
"H-how old were they?" JJ asked.
Harrison paused and glared down at his knife.
"3 and 6," He whispered.
"And you were the eldest?" She asked bravely, her voice shook as she spoke. Harrison nodded, but the knife remained out.
"Why are you doing this?" JJ gritted her teeth together and waited with unease for the reply.
"Why? Why!? Do you know how much I suffered?" Harrison spat.
"I lost my sister too," JJ said quickly. "I understand."
Harrison paused for a moment considering JJ's words. Spencer edged away from them, his eyes still glued on Harrison and the tall, greasy haired guy who had attacked him at Garcia's apartment.
Neither man seemed to notice him.
"Did your father murder her?" Harrison growled, though seemingly taken aback by the woman's honestly.
"No but-"
"Then you don't understand. You have no idea what it feels like for your own father to murder your brother and sister... a-and for him to make you watch!"
Spencer shuffled again. Unlike Jack and JJ his arms and legs weren't tied up with layers of tape. He was glad but also partly irritated that they didn't think he needed restraint- was he really that weak?
"Then why do you make so many other people have to live your nightmare?" JJ questioned. She glanced at Spencer who appeared further away than he had been. She scowled a little bit quickly turned back to the unsub so as not to alert him of what the small boy was doing.
"They need to know what it feels like," Harrison muttered as he ran a finger along his knife.
"Who?"
"The families! They act as if they are perfect; you acted as if you had a perfect family. I never got that!"
"You're...you're jealous?" JJ whispered and Harrison's grip on the knife tightened and he took another step toward JJ.
"Perfect families can't exist!"
"Our family isn't perfect. I'm not married to Aaron and Spencer and Jack aren't even biologically mine. We don't fit your specification!" JJ insisted. Jack looked up at JJ sadly and she knew that what she said must have hurt him. Spencer, on the other hand, was close to the door and was barely taking notice of the conversation.
"This is going to work. I'll get that other kid and it will work."
Spencer glanced up when he heard a tantalising footstep and he saw the glint of the knife as Harrison got closer to his surrogate mother.
Now was the time.
"Hey!" Spencer squeaked as Harrison traced JJ's neck with the knife. His head flicked back to Spencer.
"Would you look at that, you can talk," Harrison laughed, straightening up and coking his head at Spencer.
"My little brother was 3 when my father killed him," he hissed. "He let me watch as he kicked him. I saw...saw..." a sad smile flashed over his face.
"Heard the crunches. Do you know how long it took for him to die?"
Spencer took a step back as Harrison shuffled forward.
"20 minutes."
Spencer gulped.
"I reckon it'll take 10 with you," Harrison cackled, watching the small boy pant with terror. He straightened up and pocketed the knife.
"I doubt you understood anything I just said."
"Yes he can!" Jack shouted.
Harrison turned his head for a moment and Spencer took his chance; he shot forwards and yanked the keys off the table and away from the unsuspecting greasy stranger.
He stumbled to the door and jammed the keys into the lock.
"Hey!" boomed a voice behind him. Spencer turned the key and flung the door open. The tall lanky stranger and Harrison both staggered to the open door as Spencer vanished into the hall, leaving JJ and Jack alone with Alan who was still staring at his computer screen with a glazed look in his eyes.
"Spencer!" JJ cried. She was greeted by the sound of thumping against the staircase. Jack burst into tears again and JJ began to pull at her restraints.
Spencer bolted for the front door, his heart pounding as he twisted the doorknob. Nothing happened and the thundering of heavy footsteps drew nearer.
"Get here!" Harrison's voice echoed down the corridor. Spencer released the door and staggered into the sitting room searching for a phone.
He skidded past a side table and spied a home phone. He nabbed it from its stand and ducked behind the couch.
"-the fuck did he go?"
Spencer crawled into the kitchen as the voices filled the living room. He reached up and opened the cupboard door and squeezed himself inside and shutting it quickly behind him.
He glanced down at the phone and started carefully pressing in Hotch's number.
"Hotchner," Aaron said as he held the phone to his ear. He paused and scowled at his phone.
"Hello?"
Heavy breathing came from the other end.
"JJ?" Hotch whispered hopefully.
"Spencew," a voice whispered back.
"Hotch?" Morgan asked when he saw Aaron's eyes bulge.
"Garcia! I need Garcia!" Hotch yelled.
"Best you're gonna get is Kevin," Rossi muttered. Hotch shoved past him and called Garcia's lair.
"Aaron?" Rossi raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Garcia's office, Kevin speaking," came a semi-cheerful voice from the laptop.
"Track my phone, Kevin," Hotch ordered.
"O-okay, Sir. I can do that... just give me a-"
"Now, Kevin!" Hotch growled. The team stared at Hotch as he returned to the phone, holding it close to his mouth.
"Spencer, buddy... where are you?" Hotch whispered and the team exchanged hopeful looks.
"Basement," Spencer whispered.
"Is there someone there with you?" Hotch asked quietly.
"Hiding..." Spencer mumbled. He halved around the dark cupboard and breathed in sharply, counting to three to calm his growing panic.
"Where's Jack and JJ?"
"I-in the b-basement..." Spencer's voice trembled.
"Okay, hang in there, buddy, we're tracking your call now," Hotch added and he heard Spencer's breath hitch.
"Is Gawcia Okay?" Spencer whispered so quietly Hotch almost missed it.
"She's okay. She's at the hospital with broken ribs but she'll be fine."
"Henwy?" Spencer added.
"He's safe. Let's focus on you guys," Hotch replied and he tapped the desk for them to hurry.
"Sir-" Kevin's voice broke through the silent conference room.
"Just keep tracking Aaron's mobile," Emily snapped and silence ensued once more.
"It's going to take at least 10 minuets to get an accurate location," Kevin said in a small voice.
Emily grimaced and Hotch put his hand over his mouth, praying Spencer could stay on the line for that long.
"Huwwy," Spencer pleaded and Hotch felt his heart break at the small yelp of fear that mixed with his voice.
"Try and stay on as long as you can, Spencer," Hotch whispered and he heard Spencer gulp nervously. "Are you three okay? Is Jack or JJ hurt?"
"I-I don't think so."
"Are you hurt?"
"N-no I-"
A voice broke through the phone call. Someone was yelling in the background.
"-come out! We'll kill your Mummy if you don't!"
Hotch closed his eyes and felt a single tear fall down his cheek.
"Spencer, stay where you are, you got that? He has no reason to kill JJ."
Hotch could hear sniffles on the other end and he prayed that Kevin had an address.
"I-I'm scawed," Spencer whimpered. "I don't want them to huwt Jack or JJ."
"They won't. We'll find you soon," Hotch added.
"I think-"
Suddenly, a loud crash drifted into Hotch's ear and his eyes widened with fear.
"There you are," a cold voice jeered.
"No! NO! Daddy!" Spencer cried and a great deal of thumping followed.
"Spencer!" Hotch shouted back and the remnants of the team all froze.
"Help! Please... Daddy!" The small voice cried.
"Don't touch him!" Hotch yelled.
"Am I speaking to the famous Aaron?" A cruel voice asked and Hotch slammed his fist against the table.
"Let them go!"
"You'll see your eldest in a few days, calm down," the voice sighed and Hotch could practically head him rolling his eyes.
"Help!" Spencer squeaked in the background but as he called out again a loud whack silenced him mid-sentence.
"No!" Hotch cried. He looked down at the phone and saw that the call had been ended.
"Did we get a location?" He asked, spinning around and glancing at his broken team.
"Kevin?" He asked and a nervous voice on the laptop cleared his throat.
"It wasn't long enough, sir. I managed to triangulate it to an area but it's still pretty large."
Hotch shook his head and Spencer's desperate pleas filled his mind.
"Spencer!" JJ screamed.
"Is he go-gon-gonna be a-alright?" Jack sniffled.
A soft cry sounded from the floor above and JJ wrestled with the tape holding her back.
"SPENCER!" She shouted.
"DON'T HURT HIM!"
The yells suddenly stopped and JJ started pulling harder at her tape.
"Sonova- LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
"Quiet!" The stranger finally spoke as he entered the room and he aimed a gun at JJ. Alan gaped at the gun and shrank behind his computer screen. Harrison stormed in with Spencer slung over his shoulder."What did you do to him!?" JJ hissed. She craned her neck to see the small boy hanging over Harrison's shoulder.
"I thought Piggy was meant to keep them quiet?" The stranger grunted, motioning to Alan.
"Yea, well, 'Piggy', is pretty useless with everything but computers," Harrison added.
Alan squealed in panic and the stranger snorted.
"Sounds like a pig too," he laughed.
"Nah, he's lost a bit of weight from being here," Harrison snickered. He dropped an unconscious Spencer nonchalantly against the wall beside Jack who could only stare at the blood tickling down the side of Spencer's face.
"Mum, they hurt him!" Jack gasped. He looked at JJ; his lip trembled and fresh tears slipped down his face.
"Spencer! Sweetie, can you hear me?" JJ called quietly. They watched Spencer's head loll to the side.
"He'll be fine... for now."
Morgan stood up and marched towards the door.
"Where are you-" Emily started but Morgan was quick to cut in.
"I'm going to see Garcia."
"But she's in Virginia," Rossi raised an eyebrow doubtfully and Morgan glowered at him.
"Yea, and she's alone and probably scared," Morgan added with a slight growl.
"You'd have to take a flight there. We need you here, Morgan," Hotch deadpanned.
"It's a short flight and this Harrison guy is in between Virginia and North Carolina or how else would he get the boys so quickly," Derek retorted; he began to get annoyed with having to explain himself.
"No. We can't assume that, Morgan. You have to stay. I'll have Kevin visit her," Hotch insisted.
"But-"
"Morgan, Garcia is safe where she is. Right now we have no idea what Harrison Brand is doing to Jack, JJ, and Spencer, so we need you here."
Morgan's hand paused over the door handle and with an exasperated sigh he dropped it and turned back to the team.
"Fine. What do you need us to do?" He murmered.
"Rossi and I will check out the locations Kevin sent us, Emily stay here and call in another tech analyst to work with. Morgan, help the sheriff with questioning."
The team nodded and got back to their tasks. Hotch checked his phone and pulled up a picture. He sighed at the image of JJ and the boys at Henry's party. He stroked a finger down her face and then the boys.
"We'll find you guys, I promise," Hotch said and he clicked his fingers at Rossi.
"Why's he's not waking up?" Jack asked. He reached okay a foot a gentle nudged Spencer. The blood was still dripping down his pale skin.
"I'm not sure, Honey," JJ whispered.
Harrison, who had been sat with his eyes closed, stood up abruptly and caught hold of JJ's arm.
"I don't need you anymore," He deadpanned, yanking her up and dragging her away. JJ yelled and tried to catch her footing.
"NO! DON'T LEAVE US!" Jack screeched, lunging forward, but falling on his side.
"Jack!" JJ cried as Harrison pulled her away.
"Jack! We'll come find you, okay, sweetheart. We'll find you!" she yelled. Harrison yanked her roughly up the steps and she looked back desperately.
"You're gonna be fine!" she sobbed. "Look after Spencer. We will-"
The door slammed shut plunging Jack, Alan, and Spencer into silence.
"Get off!" JJ snapped. Harrison's grip on her arm stung and left white imprints on her skin. He tugged her our the front door and JJ looked around hopefully for any sign of where they were. She tried helplessly to take in her surroundings but all too soon she was being shoved into the front seat of a car. She struggled against Harrison while he buckled her in. He flicked a pocket knife out and held it menacingly in front of her throat.
"Move and I'll have my guy slaughter your boys and then I'll move on," he snarled. His eyes travelled to the skinny guy stood on the porch and JJ followed his gaze. She swallowed thickly and nodded.
"Good," he hissed, slamming the door and hurrying over to the driver's side.
He started the car, and with his knife aimed at JJ he began to drive.
"W-where are we going?" JJ asked as they turned onto the highway.
"Nowhere in particular," Harrison shrugged his shoulders and spun the wheel, overtaking a huge 16 wheeler.
"What do you plan on doing with me?" she mumbled. She glanced at her taped hands and bit her lip anxiously.
Harrison continued to drive, choosing to ignore her until he turned off on another road. He kissed his teeth thoughtfully before speaking.
"My mother left me and my brother and sister when I was 5."
JJ remained silent: she knew where this was going.
"She left us with him," Harrison muttered angrily; his fingers tightened on the leather steering wheel and he glared out at the road.
"What are going to do to me?" JJ asked again; her voice shook with fear.
"She knew what he was capable of and she left us with him."
Harrison slammed his hand against the wheel causing JJ to yelp.
"Did he beat her?" JJ asked quietly and after she'd recovered.
"She was weak!" Harrison spat.
"He beat you after she left didn't he?"
Harrison took his eyes off the road for a moment and stared at JJ.
"I was a substitute... He wanted Chester and Frankie... I tried..." his eyes wandered back to the road.
"You can't blame yourself," JJ assured him, seeing empathy for him as his fingers trembled on the wheel. She knew she shouldn't, but she felt herself associating with him and dark memories of her sister's death blossomed within JJ's mind.
"I don't blame myself," Harrison said and then he laughed. He parked the car and JJ glanced around and found that they were parked in an abandoned car park.
"You thought I blamed myself this whole time?!" he smacked his leg and roared with laughter.
"I was a child!"
"I-"
"No, I don't blame myself: I blame Her," he snarled. JJ pressed herself into the door as Harrison drew a gun on her.
"I'm not the same," JJ whispered.
"I never got the chance to take revenge on her," Harrison added slyly.
"I'm not your mother!" JJ cried.
"You're still their mother; for this to work I have to get rid of you."
"What happened to you was- awful... we aren't surrogates, I would never leave my children and my partner would never hurt them," JJ said in a desperately high pitched voice.
JJ gaped at the gun as Harrison's finger stroked the trigger.
"You're boys will join you soon enough," Harrison added, his finger tightening on the trigger.
JJ lunged forward.
A scream.
A gunshot.
Silence.
Another cliffhanger? Whoops, I slipped.
I was so stressed last week because my parents went on holiday and I was looking after our pets for almost two weeks. Those jobs went from twice daily walking, feeding cats, chickens and dogs and all the their joys that come with pets ;) anyway, they're back tonight so I should be able to do my college work and stories side by side again without extortionate breaks. Sorry about that.
Thanks for reading and all the support you guys give this story. It means so much to me!
If you want updates on this story, especially considering my recent inconsistency, then I recommend following or favouriting so you can be notified :D
See you guys in the next chapter!