(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)
Thank you to all you wonderful reviewers. Thank you Emobunnyme, Mary tag, Hippiechic81, Ash59, pechika, Yeegaber, lailyspenstar, Daisyangel, Diana, and MaidenMoonshine!
I apologise for not PM'ing... I forgot, I don't get too many replies anyway, so I guess I'll survive forgetting ;)
Diana- Hey! I'm glad you liked the chapter, your review lifted my spirits as usual ;) it was a short chapter and I'm sorry to say this one is shorter too, but... I'm just getting a bit lazy and 2,000 words is becoming my limit, I'll do better in the future ;D thanks again!
Enjoy!
Previously:
Debra Whinton's entrance seemed to wind Aaron all of a sudden and he shook his head in denial.
Spencer, on the other hand, felt his eyes roll back as unconsciousness claimed him once more.
"Garcia?"
"I'm here, I was just grabbing a coffee, what do you need me to find?"
Garcia sat down and placed her unicorn mug on a sparkly coaster beside her. She got her fingers ready over the keyboard as she waited for JJ's request.
"Actually, we have a lead, the unsub struck again and we have witnesses this time," JJ said. She paused and Garcia heard her huff to herself. "Um, have you been to see Spencer? Aaron hasn't answered my calls."
Garcia sat back, a frown low on her brow. "Oh..."
"Can you just... check on them? Aaron would have told me if they had to stay in over night. I called Sean and he's still got Jack and Henry so... I-I'm just not sure, Penelope, it won't take long. I just-"
"JJ, I'll go right now, okay, I'll check on them and get right back to you," Garcia said, trying to keep the worry from her own voice. She heard JJ exhale.
"Thank you! When you do find Aaron can you slap him for me?"
Garcia paused in pulling her bag over her shoulder and grimaced. "I'd rather not."
"Well tell him he's due one when I get back."
There was a young woman at the computer, Jeremy was leaning on the counter beside her, watching the screen.
Aaron watched them closely, glancing back at Spencer every so often to see if he'd woken up.
Jeremy pointed at the screen and the woman nodded.
Hotch finally lost his patience; he kicked the corner of the counter before growling out a question. "What are you looking for?"
He hated every part of this. Feeling so helpless. Watching Spencer be poked and prodded. He wanted to get out. Now.
Jeremy and the woman looked around at Aaron. The woman wore a badge (Aaron observed now that she had turned around) that said Caroline in cursive. Caroline smirked, brushing her short blonde hair out of her face. Her teeth were short and sharp, her lips thin and her cheeks round and puffy. Aaron hated her from the offset, just like everyone else in that god forsaken place... except Spencer of course.
"We're checking Dr. Reid's blood," Caroline said simply. Aaron shook his head.
"He's my son. Spencer Hotchner. He's just a boy."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say." She turned back to the computer and started typing again.
Jeremy continued to stare at Aaron.
"It's really for a good cause, Mr. Hotchner," he said.
"He's a child. I couldn't care less about good causes and science. Spencer is an unwilling participant."
Jeremy shook his head and looked over at Spencer with a wistful sigh. "You're both too afraid to see-"
"See what? Experimentation on a toddler? I can see that alright," Aaron snapped, his teeth grinding together harshly.
Jeremy rolled his eyes and tutted. "So blind," he muttered. He turned back to the screen.
"Get Kieran, and that woman, I need a bone marrow sample," Caroline said, flicking her head to a fresh package of supplies on the counter. Jeremy nodded and grabbed a pair of gloves. He walked to the sink and started washing his hands thoroughly.
"Her name's Debra, by the way," he said, shaking his hands off. He pulled on the gloves before securing a cap over his hair.
"Whatever, she's just another charity case that Scott brought on."
Jeremy chuckled as he put a mask over his face.
Hotch looked back at Spencer who was looking up at the ceiling with a dazed expression. He yanked on his restraints and puffed out a breath when they didn't move. He didn't know how he was going to get them out.
"Aaron?" Garcia called.
She was stood on JJ and Aaron's front step, looking around for any sign of life in the windows. She smiled at a man walking his dog across the road. He waved and she waved back nervously. She turned back to the door, her hands holding each other tightly. "JJ said you guys were back?... your cars not here though," she mumbled.
Penelope looked around before peeking through the letter box.
"Hotch? Spencer? You in there!?"
She stayed at the box's level for a moment then she stepped back and sighed.
"Please answer," she said as she pulled out her phone and called Aaron's number again. It went to voicemail.
"JJ's going to kill you," Garcia murmured as she headed back to her car.
"Any word?"
JJ turned to Emily and smiled weakly. They'd just been discussing the profile while Morgan and Dave talked to witnesses.
"No."
Emily grimaced. "I-I'm sure they're alright," she added hopefully.
"Aaron's probably just gone full father mode. He kinda zones everything out when that happens," muttered JJ as she rested her chin on her hand. There was little hope in her voice.
"See. I'm sure it's just... just Hotch being Hotch."
"Maybe."
"Look... I'm really sorry, JJ but I need your focus here. Garcia will call us and give us every detail on what Hotch has been up to... down to what he ate last night." Emily tried to cover the command up with a smile. JJ looked up slowly, her eyes tired.
"You're right," she said feebily. She sat up and started to sift through some of the photos in front of her. She avoided Emily's eyes. What she really wanted to say was 'you don't understand,' but she held her tongue.
Emily was probably right.
Garcia got back into work and went straight to her computer. There were still tabs based on the case up on the screen after she logged in. She minimised them all quickly and started typing.
She was going to find out what hospital they went to and then she was going to give Hotch a piece of her mind... in the nicest way possible of course.
She pulled up the security cameras from the nursery and sped it up to around the time Spencer finished.
She watched as Aaron exited the car and walked inside. She smiled briefly until another man walked into view. She frowned when he walked up to the car and glanced around.
"What are you doing?" she muttered, leaning up to the screen. She gasped when the man got down and squirmed under the car, an object in his hand as he went. He was down for a few minutes before he got back up, brushed himself off and hurried away.
Garcia sat back, her eyes wide. "Oh no," she whispered, as Spencer and Aaron walked back on screen, Spencer holding Aaron's hand and skipping lightly. God, he was cute, and Garcia would've smiled if she wasn't panicking.
She watched as Aaron strapped Spencer in and got into the driver's seat. They pulled out and Garcia started smacking the keyboard pulling up cameras from the area.
"Okay, there you are, you're okay," she whispered as she followed the car through the camera. After just seven minutes of watching Aaron pulled into a gas station. Garcia whimpered when a van followed in behind them.
"Oh god..."
Aaron watched as Debra listened to Spencer's heart beat. Spencer had not long woken up and there were tears running down his face.
"Pl-P-Peas," he whispered, as Debra lifted the stethoscope. She rolled her eyes and pulled off her gloves.
"Stop the tears, crocadile," she said with a scoff, brushing past Aaron who glared helplessly, and walked from the room.
Aaron watched her shut the door before he turned back to Spencer.
"Spencer? Hey, buddy. You were out for a while there. How are you feeling?"
Hotch craned his neck to try and see the toddler on the table, a hospital gown now adorning his fragile little body. Spencer spat out a sob and shook his head.
"Huwts."
"What hurts?" Aaron asked quickly. Father mode engaged, he thought, an image of JJ laughing crossed his mind.
Spencer laid his head back and let another sob break past his lips. "My awm."
Aaron winced when he recalled the procedure he'd been forced to witness. "Yea," he muttered. "It's going to hurt a little bit, champ, but you're so strong, and brave, you just hold on okay?"
"Daddy?"
Aaron felt his heart skip a beat and he raised his head until his neck cracked.
"I'm here, buddy."
"Don't leave me?"
"Never. I'm not going anywhere without you, Spencer."
"I...I'm scawed," Spencer whispered.
Aaron paused and he looked down at his hands, a tear suddenly falling into his lap without his realising. "Me too, buddy."
Garcia watched in horror as Aaron was shoved into the van. She burst into tears when little Spencer was thrown in too and the door was pulled shut.
She stared at the screen as the van vanished, leaving Aaron's car in the gas station, a small puddle forming beneath it. She could see Spencer's beloved (despite his denial) rabbit still waiting in his car seat.
"I can't fix this," Garcia whispered, shaking her head at the screen. She pressed her hands to her mouth and her breaths started escaping her in short rasps.
"I don't know what to do! What do I do!? What... oh god! Oh god, oh god, oh god!"
Garcia sobbed and started typing at her keyboard. She could barely see through her tears as she rewound the footage and searched for plates. "Come on, please, please. Not now... not again, please don't do this," she whispered as she unfogged her glasses and fast forwarded to catch the numbers.
"No!" She slammed her hand into the keyboard when there was no number on the van, just a smooth white plate, void of any information.
"Agent Garcia?"
Penelope spun around and hicuppped at the sight of Strauss in her doorway. She was watching Garcia with a worried expression as Garcia stuttered and looked between Erin and the computer.
"Um... oh, ma'am, I-I'm sorry," Garcia said quietly, looking back at the slanted keyboard and straightening it.
Erin frowned and shut the door behind her before taking in Penelope's tears and her haggard breathing.
"What's wrong, Penelope? Has there been an altercation? Is it the case?" Strauss walked slowly toward her, not getting too close as Penelope tried to wipe her eyes, only for the tears to be replenished by even bigger ones.
"No... I..." She sniffed and her lip trembled. "I don't know what to do," she whispered, her voice so high and trembly that Erin almost didn't hear her.
Erin's face became deadly serious and she pursed her lips.
"What's happened?"
"It's Aaron and Spencer... they've... they've been attacked," Garcia said, a sob pushing through the words. She pulled up the footage again and motioned for Erin to look. Penelope turned away, biting down on her knuckles as she continued to breathe shakily, her heart rate still unbearably high and panicked.
Erin looked down searchingly, her mind trying to fix their predicament.
"I ran plates... nothing, there's nothing... A-and... I don't know what to do..."
Thanks for reading.
I have a good...ish plan for what's going to happen, hence why this was a shorter chapter because I'm building up to the next part. Hang in there, boys!
Please review, it always means a lot especially when I work hard to keep my updates regular, it's awesome to see your feedback. Also, I'll definitely try to PM every reviewer, I usually do, so if you review, keep your eye on your inboxes, I enjoy responding or answering any questions you guys have, whether they relate to this story or to my writing in general.
See you next Sunday (hopefully!)