You all know the drill, it's not mine , it never will be. Drop me a line if you like it let me know what you think, or not. Just a note the actor might be gone from the show, but Aaron Hotchner will live forever in fanfiction. Unlike some producer/writer that might come to find themselves as unsubs in some story lines.

Some how it didn't surprise either of them to see Tony DiNozzo, talking to one of the nurses, he was doing what he does best. Working the subject and getting information, without giving anything back, flirting at it's finest.

They didn't get far before they noticed Penelope sitting in one of the seat in the waiting room, with an ice pack on the chair next to her.

'"Kitten, have you been seen?" Rossi asks as soon as they are close enough.

"No, no need just banged my knee when I fell."

"Have you heard anything? Any updates at all?" Hotch asks.

"Nothing, I wasn't in the ambulance with Sam, there was so much blood." she whispers as she looks at her stained hands. "One of the EMT's handed me the ice pack then passed me off to a uniformed policeman. That was over two hours ago." She looks at her watch. " almost three now."

"I can fill you in if you like." Tony says softly as he sits next to Penelope. "Sam is still in surgery, holding his own. That's all I've got for you."

"Thanks Tony." Rossi tells him.

"Well I'm just glad that I haven't lost my touch, not yet at least."

A small smile appears on Penelope face as she looks at her friends goofy expression.

Hotch gave her the once over taking in her blood stained hands and small cuts on her legs. "Can you tell us what happened? Can you give us a description on the shooter."

Just as she is about to start when a smartly dressed woman in her mid-sixties comes over glaring at Penelope, she pushes Hotch and Rossi out of the way without saying a thing anything to them. As soon as she is in front of Penelope she slaps her hard in the face twice, hard enough that Penelope ends up with a split lip. Hotch pulls her back and away from Penelope so she can't be hit again.

"Do not hit my agent. Or I will arrest you. Do you understand?"

"Just are you anyway?" Rossi asks.

"My name is Margret, I'm Samuel's mother."

She pulls away from Hotch and glares at him. "You can't talk to me that way. I have rights." She turns her anger back toward Penelope. "This is all your fault, I told my son not to get involved with someone like you, a no account. I bet the man with the gun was after you not my child you're the one that works with criminals, It's not like this is the first time that you've been shot at. Now is it?"

Standing to his full height. "I'd back off if I were you lady," Tony tell her with an expression that would make Gibbs proud.

"Who are you to be telling me what to do?"

"A friend, a very good friend to both Sam and Penelope."

"It's okay Tony, she is right it's not the first time I've been shot at, except this time I wasn't the target, Sam was, along with the upper management of his company." Penelope tells them as she dabs her lip with a tissue.

"How can you say that? You're only guessing to keep yourself out of trouble."

Hotch simple says. "Garcia." then waits.

"The shooters name is Ken Rivers, he was a friend of ours mostly Sam's. That is until about two months ago, Ken was bypassed for a promotion. Sam got the job, more money and more responsibility. Ken was pissed to say the least. He told Sam that the would get even if it was the last thing he did. After he emptied two clips, his weapon looked like a 9mm to me, maybe not, it happened so fast. He took a small gun, smaller than his hand, out of his pocket, when he was out of bullets." The agents watch as she blinks and swallows before she can continue. "He put it next to his temple. I closed my eyes after that, I did hear the pop."

"You did good Penelope, I'll help you write out your report. " Tony tells her softly.

"Margret just so you know your son was given a well earned promotion that he deserved. He didn't do anything to anyone Margret. He worked hard to get it, in fact he didn't even know he was in the running for it." Penelope tells her with the same tone of voice she uses when she talks to some children when she is out in the field. Simple sentences without any emotion in them.

With care Tony moves his cane to the other hand when he sees the same nurse he was flirting with earlier pointing to him and Penelope, showing a man in scrubs where to go. He helps Penelope stand as the doctor come closer.

"Family of Samuel." is as far as he gets before Margret interrupts him. "I'm his mother. We can step aside this doesn't concern these people."

"Actually Penelope is Sam's wife they've been married almost six months." Hotch tells the doctor. "I do believe his wife comes before his mother, correct me if I'm wrong."

"Married!" Margret screeches. "Sam wouldn't so that and not tell me."

"Apparently he did." A new voice says from behind them.

Hotch and Rossi turn and see the rest of their team is standing there. "Reid." a smiling Rossi says.

"Doctor please, tell us how Sam is doing." Penelope tells him with a calmness in her voice that is on the verge of breaking.

"He was hit twice by bullets once in his abdomen the other in his neck. I have to tell you he is very lucky to be alive. I take you're the one that made the pressure bandage for his neck, it saved his life." He says as he looks at her blood stained hands. "We managed to repair the damage in his abdomen without to much trouble, the wound to his neck is what is concerning us the most right now. He lost a lot of blood we are giving him a transfusion and keeping him under heavy sedation, he's in ICU."

"Maybe we should transfer to him to a better hospital, if you are so concerned about a neck wound." Margret tells him scowling the whole time.

"This is hospital is the best civilian hospital in the city Margret. The only one that comes close is Bethesda that one is for military personal and agents that work for the military." Penelope tells her.

"You can see him for five minutes each." The doctor says looking at Penelope and Margret. "But that's it for tonight, he needs to rest and we need to monitor him throughout the night. He is going to need more blood, so if you and your friends would like to donate, it would be greatly appreciated." The doctor tells them.

"The agents look at one another nodding. "We'll meet you in the cafeteria Garcia, Tony watch her for us?"

Seeing Tony nod his head, Margret yells at him angrily. "If you're such a good friend why don't you give blood as well?"

"Because I had the pneumonic plague, ten years ago. I can't give blood to anyone."

The doctor does a double take. "So you're him. All this time I thought you were myth. I owe Brad a steak dinner."

A somber Tony quietly adds. "I owe him my life."

"I want to see my son first." Margret demands as she follows the doctor.

Tony hooks her hand into his elbow. "Come on Penelope, go see Sammy, then I'll buy you some tea and something chocolate to eat."