AN/Sorry, I kind of got stuck for a little while.
Aaron Hotchner groaned as he awoke in a dark room. What just happened? He asked himself as he attempted to blink away the throbbing in the back of his head. The last thing he remembered was picking up the box of stuff for JJ, and then...blackness.
Looking down at his restrained limbs, he saw that he was duct taped to a small chair in the center of a dark room. It seemed to be a basement, or a large closet with no windows.
How am I going to get out of here?
Suddenly, the door burst open and light flooded the room. Hotch's head ached as his eyes attempted to adjust to the sudden change of light. "You're awake."
"Where is Hotch?" Rossi asked Emily angrily, staring at the sleeping woman in Hotch's office.
"He said that he'd be right back, that was three hours ago. I've tried his cell but he's not picking up." Emily said, attempting not to sound worried.
"Where did he go?" Rossi demanded
"He said he had to go home. I don't think it should have taken this long." Emily's worry seeped into her voice.
"I saw his car in the parking lot when I went down to grab everybody coffee." Reid added
"Get Garcia to trace his cell, we need to get him back here before she wakes up." Emily nodded and scrambled into Garcia's office.
"Hey, can you run a trace on Hotch's cell? We can't seem to find him."
"Your wish is my command" Garcia typed furiously for a few seconds before she finished. "That's weird. He's got his phone off. His last location was 421 S 1200 W, but they live on the opposite side of town."
Emily darted to the room to find Rossi, Reid and Morgan in the Conference Room. "The unsub has Hotch."
"How do you know?" Morgan asked rising from his chair.
"He left three hours ago, his phone is now off and it's last location was on the other side of town from where they live. What do you think happened?"
"Get Garcia to check surveillance tapes. He probably grabbed Hotch from right downstairs." Rossi said angrily. The profilers worked furiously to determine the unsub behind all of this mess.
James was seething. This man had the audacity to even look him in the eye! Did he know what Jennifer felt for him? His rage boiled as he attempted to show the man his place in this world.
"She loves me you know." James stated simply and was infuriated as the man sat there smirking.
"Who loves you?" Hotch chuckled, antagonizing the unsub as much as possible. If he could just buy time....
"Jennifer."
"She doesn't even know who you are. You are a nobody. You fear rejection and failure in this world, so you've created a nice little fantasy for yourself to live in. But you know it's wrong. You know it's not right. JJ doesn't even know who you are." Hotch finished as James punched him repeatedly in the abdomen.
"Her name is Jennifer!" The unsub insisted, punching Hotch in the face.
Hotch could taste the blood in his mouth. This type of pain--this is what Aaron Hotchner was good at dealing with. Sitting and waiting for something to happen, that was torturous. Someone beating the snot out of you...well, he had experienced that plenty of times, and though never enjoyable, Hotch knew he was giving the team time to find him.
"Where's Hotch?" JJ asked entering the room as the other eight eyes looked up at her guiltily. A knot twisted in her stomach. Hotch had promised everything would be ok, but the reality of the situation began to wear on her. How strange that it had only been a couple of days before that she was happy. That seemed like an eternity ago.
"JJ, um, Hotch is--" Morgan started but was interrupted by JJ's simple conclusion.
"He's missing isn't he?"
The team silently affirmed her question by refusing to look her in the eye.
"What are we going to do?" JJ asked sadly
"We'll get him JJ, don't worry." Emily encouraged.
"You know, the unsub looks at JJ as his equal, he looks at her as though she is perfect. Maybe if we get her to do a press conference where he can see her, she can give him a message. If we can convince him that Hotch isn't a threat, we should be able to trick him into coming into a disclosed location." Reid said thoughtfully.
"No." Morgan answered quickly. "We don't know what this guy will do. He could see JJ's plea as a way to get Hotch back and spook enough to kill him."
JJ's face blanched at the suggestion, what would their babies do without a father? She couldn't let that happen. As stressful and frightening as these past days were, there was no way she was going to let this psycho get the best of her.
"I want to do it." JJ spoke up firmly as the others continued to argue.
"We could set up a rendevous. He'll call into the tip line, trying to get a hold of JJ. He probably won't even think that she'll come in with backup. He thinks she's in love with him." Reid offered, trying to convince the others that this was the best plan of action.
"No. There has to be another way." Morgan insisted.
"It could give us just enough time to get Hotch out of there and grab the Unsub." Rossi pointed out, seriously considering Reid's suggestion.
"No." Morgan continued to disagree.
"Look. This is our best chance. We've been at this for hours. Hotch doesn't have a ton of time before the unsub will get violent. You've seen what we've got on this jerk---nothing!" Rossi firmly decided. "Do the press conference."
Hotch was reeling. The unsub had apparently tired of using him as a personal punching bag. Assessing his injuries as much as possible he thought that his ribs may be cracked or broken. His nose was definitely broken. He was going to have some nasty bruising.
If I get out of here alive. What would the team say when they found his body? Would Hayley come to his funeral? It was absurd, he knew, but as much as his exwife hated him, would she be sad if he were gone? He knew JJ would be devestated, but she would move on. His one regret was that his children wouldn't ever know their father.
No, don't think like that! He commanded himself angrily. He was supposed to protect JJ, and what did he do? He gets kidnapped by an unsub AT THE FBI! How could he have been so stupid? Here he had promised to protect her and keep anything from happening to the babies growing inside her, and he got kidnapped! How was he supposed to protect her now?
Shaking his head as though to dispell those thoughts, Hotch attempted to devise a way out of this situation. Now was not a time for pity or worry. Now was a time for him to survive. Although, sitting strapped to a chair in a cold dark room, Hotch could only think of one thing. JJ, I'm so sorry.
Moments later JJ was in front of the dozens of reporters with her prepared speech and notes. Her knees were trembling, but she refused to let the nerves get to her. Her obvious baby bump seemed to signal to the reporters that they could walk all over her, but she wouldn't have it. The team watched in amazement as she presented her monologue to the Unsub, using the press as an unwitting pawn.
"I am SSA Jennifer Jareau. A little over three hours ago a federal agent was abducted. Here at the FBI, we ask--I ask--please don't hurt him." She pleaded with the unsub, hoping the press didn't notcie the way she directed all of her comments to the Unsub. Not that it really mattered now. This show wasn't for them. It was for him.
She continued, ignoring the questions that the reporters were attempting to ask, "I have set up a tip hotline, the number will be showing at the bottom of your screens. I, Agent Jennifer Jareau, will be heading this investigation--so all callers will speak with me." She finished finally looking directly at the camera. Hopefully it wouldn't take long for the unsub to respond.
"I'VE GOT SOMETHING!" Garcia shouted, running from her office into the conference room.
"What is it baby girl?" Morgan asked quickly.
"The unsub, his name is James Wallace. He's the son of Jordan Wallace, the multimillionaire. James has a rap sheet a mile long, that somehow his daddy's been able to keep under wraps. It wasn't easy, but all of the travel items coincide--his private plane has been at every case for the last 4 months. I found them!" Garcia's explained excitedly as Morgan, Emily and Reid stood and rushed out of the room.
"Mama, do you have an address?" Morgan called out, turning around to face her as he grabbed his hardware at his desk and she stood in the doorway of the conference room.
"You bet your bottom dollar I do!"
"Wait!" Rossi called from behind Garcia. "We need to wait until this guy calls. We can't just go in, we might spook him. One thing is for sure, if he even gets a hint that something isn't right he'll kill Hotch." As if on cue the phone for the tip line began to ring. JJ nervously answered it, placing it on speaker so that the team could hear, but speaking into the phone so that the other side couldn't hear him.
"Hello, this is SSA Jennifer Jareau. Who is this?"
"You asked for me." Came the short reply.
JJ looked questioningly at the team before responding "James?"
"I knew you loved me. I will do what you ask. I will not hurt the man, but we need to be together."
"James, if you give me Aaron, we can be together. Where are you?" She asked, slightly disturbed at talking to the man who had been stalking her for months. If she had any say this man would go away for a long time. But, he wasn't important right now. If he killed Hotch---well, she didn't think she could handle that.
"1212 S Battle St. I will only give him to you." Garcia's earlier address was confirmed as James disconnected the call.
"Let's go!" Morgan almost yelled, pushing the team along.
"JJ, I don't know if you should--" Rossi attempted to dissuade the blonde from joining them but was cut off by her simple reply.
"I'm doing this."
Hotch was once again blinded by the light eminating from the doorway as the unsub--James--entered the room.
"She's coming!" He taunted gleefully, punching Hotch once more in the chest, causing him to wince in pain.
Hotch's head drooped in exhaustion. Surely she wouldn't risk her life and the lives of their children for him--would she?
"She told me not to hurt you." James spat out angrily, and just as quickly began to reminisce of his conversation with JJ, "but she's coming!"
AN/Please review! Thanks!