~Search~

The alarm had been raised. People from all over the resort were walking the darkened streets, calling Henry's name in accents from all over the world. JJ, frozen with panic and fear, had remained at the apartment with Catherine in case Henry somehow turned up. Will and David had gone off with a group of guys from Canada. He was trying his hardest to be strong, but on the inside, JJ knew he was a wreck.

Their little boy was missing. One of the three people in the world she wanted to protect the most, and she had managed to lose him in a foreign country, where he wouldn't understand what anyone was saying to him. What if he had wandered off and gotten hurt? He was only little… how would he ask for help? He could hardly read, how would he navigate his way back if he had gotten lost?

Tears burned her eyes as she thought of her precious baby boy, alone in an unfamiliar place, scared and wanting nothing more than for his parents to sweep him up. All she wanted to do was gather her sweet boy in her arms, kiss him and hug him, promise him that everything would be ok.

Michael began to fuss in her arms, a loud frustrated cry that indicated he really was hungry. It was the tip of the iceberg for JJ, and she immediately burst into tears as she fumbled with her shirt. Her hands shook as she lifted Michael to her breast, tears dripping down her cheeks as he latched on and finally quieted down.

"It's ok, he's only little," Catherine said gently. "He probably woke up and wasn't sure where he was, and he's wandered off. He can't have gone far"

"The front door is locked," JJ said tearfully. "He would've had to come out this way"

Catherine fell silent. Michael broke away from JJ's breast, letting out an angry cry that only served to further tear JJ's heart.

"I know buddy, I'm sorry," she sobbed, working to try and get him settled again. "I'm sorry"

Catherine's hand came to rest on her back. Even though she hardly knew the woman, JJ found the slightest bit of comfort in her presence.

"You've got to try and calm down a little bit, love, I know it's hard, and I know you're scared… but your wee one is picking up on your stress," Catherine said gently, lightly stroking Michael's little hands with her fingers.

Footsteps came clambering up the stone steps, and JJ looked up to find Will and David standing before her. She swallowed hard, trying her best to stem her tears enough to speak.

"You can't find him?" she asked weakly. Will shook his head, his lips clenched together as his face paled even further.

"One of the guys we were with called the police… but that was like half an hour ago, I don't know where they are," David said in frustration. As if by summons, one of the reception staff from the resort came through the gate, making her way up to where the four adults were gathered.

"Someone told me there's a missing child from this apartment," she said in a thick Spanish accent.

"Yeah, what the fuck are you doing about it?" Will spat. "Call the fucking police! Tell them to get here NOW!"

The girl recoiled, her eyes widening as David put a hand on Will's chest to steady him. "Sir, I'm sorry… I'll call them right away. How old is the missing child?"

"He's three," JJ said tearfully. "Please, just call the police, we think someone's taken him"

"Of course, of course," the girl said quickly, retreating down the steps. JJ crumbled, a fresh wave of tears coming as Michael grunted and pulled away from her breast. Through her tears, she switched him to her other side, before reaching out to grab her phone from the table.

"I'm calling Hotch," she said through her tears, looking up at her husband. "I have a bad feeling about this… we need help"

Will swallowed hard, nodding as she unlocked the screen and pulled up the keypad. Catherine got up from the couch, walking over to where David was standing at the top of the stairs. They talked in hushed tones as Will came to sit beside JJ. Pale, and sick to his stomach, Will watched as she dialed in a familiar number and lifted the phone to her ear, hoping beyond hope that their friend would be able to provide them with the help they were going to need.

It was nearing 6pm in Washington D.C. Aaron Hotchner had sent the majority of his team home for the evening; no cases had come across his desk that required them to fly out, meaning they were on day six of spending the night at home. It was a rare occurrence indeed. As far as he knew, the only BAU member who hadn't left was David Rossi, who he had heard on the phone next door just minutes earlier.

Signing off on a file, he moved it to the completed stack, before taking a moment to recollect his thoughts. His eyes fell on the photo of his son that sat on his desk. He smiled to himself as he remembered Jack asking that very morning whether Henry was home for a play date yet. The LaMontagnes had only been gone four days, and Jack clearly already missed his little friend.

His phone buzzed loudly against the wooden desk, startling him out of the silent reverie he'd been sitting in. He picked it up, frowning when he saw JJ's name on the caller ID.

"I told you to forget about work for at least two weeks," he muttered, shaking his head as he slid his finger across the screen to accept the call.

"JJ, if you're calling to find out what cases-"

"Hotch, I need your help!"

Hotch froze. Her voice was full of tears. JJ was an extraordinarily strong woman, and he didn't think he could remember ever hearing her this upset. His mind travelled back to getting the call that Elle had been arrested on holiday. Had something equally awful happened to one of the LaMontagnes?

"JJ?"

"Someone took Henry!"

Hotch felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. Henry was three. JJ was extremely protective of her boys… how had someone managed to slip Henry out from underneath his parents' watchful gaze?

"We put him to bed, and about half an hour ago Michael started crying. I went in there and after checking on Michael, I realised Henry wasn't there. We've searched the whole apartment, but the window was open, Hotch. I closed it before I put the boys down, and it can only be opened from the inside. Henry couldn't have done it, Hotch… someone took my baby and I don't know what to do!"

"Has someone called the police? Have you checked the surrounding areas?" Hotch asked quickly, rising from his desk. He rounded it so fast on the way to the door that he knocked his hip against the corner. The pain was like a knife going through his leg, but his heart was now pounding so fast that he barely felt it.

"Another guest called them but they haven't shown up. Will just asked reception to call them again. I have a bad feeling Hotch! I don't think the police are going to handle this properly!"

Leaving his office, Hotch walked quickly down to the next door, throwing it open as soon as he reached it, startling Rossi out of the concentrated stance he was in.

"JJ, you need to stay calm. I know you hate hearing that, but getting hysterical isn't going to do Henry any favours right now. Has anyone searched the resort?"

Rossi stared at him in confusion, setting his pen down and pushing his file aside.

"A bunch of guests are out searching right now… Hotch, I don't know what to do!"

Hotch could feel his eyes pricking with tears as he listened to JJ sobbing on the other end of the phone. A horrible weight had settled in his gut and his chest felt horrendously tight.

"JJ, do exactly what the police tell you. Give them my contact details and ask them if we can be given any information they have. Give your statements as accurately as you can and answer any questions they have. I'll fill the team in… Emily might have some contacts at Interpol who can help you. Remember, JJ, the first 24 hours are the most crucial, so cooperate with the police and help them as much as you can. Keep me updated, ok? I'll see what I can do from here"

"Ok… please don't tell the team tonight, I… don't ruin their evening"

"JJ, Henry's missing. They would fly to Spain on the next flight if I asked them to," Hotch said gently. "It's going to be alright. We're going to figure this out, ok?"

"Ok"

"Is Will with you?"

"He's right next to me"

"Stay together, JJ. We'll find him"

JJ quickly hung up the call, indicating to Hotch that someone had arrived to speak to her. He stared at his phone for a minute, before looking up at Rossi, who had since gotten up from his desk and crossed the room to stand before his colleague.

"What happened?" Rossi asked in an almost terrified whisper.

Hotch let out a heavy breath, his face paler than ever.

"Henry's been abducted in Spain"

The receptionist had returned to the patio as JJ ended the call with Hotch. Her eyes were swollen with tears as she clutched her now sleeping baby boy to her chest, Will's arm strong and comforting around her shoulders. Unable to speak or take in any information, JJ had simply turned and buried her face in Will's shoulder, her shoulders shaking with terrified tears as David and Catherine spoke with the resort worker. Will wrapped both of his arms around his wife, tears falling down his own cheeks, their youngest son sleeping between them, protected by their bodies.

The sounds of the night were drowned out by approaching police sirens, and JJ squeezed her eyes shut. The urgency of the situation was starting to sink in, and yet, she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that, as bad as it already was, it was about to get exponentially worse.