A/N: Major thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed and continues to do so. I know I promised this chapter ealier but I was working on it hecticly, non-stop at school - ask any of my friends. Seriously, as entire notebook filled with scribbled pages of ideas for this chapter, four printed out pages, both sides covered in scribbles of editing for that page....
I had my beta read over it, but that took awhile becuase she was really busy when I sent it to her. Then we notcied another small problem and I couldn't fix it up because I was swamped with work and swamped by school work and assesment tasks. Seriously, who puts one the second last day of school? Well, it's school holidays now, so I should be updating a little more regularly.
Dedications: I am dedicating this to a few people.
1) My beta, who had the horrible job of editing it for me. I know, my grammar and spelling sucks - I'm sorry. But thank you so much for your hard work.
2) Josh. You only wanted 10% dedication but I owe you the entire story. Thank you for your push. Lol - not quite two weeks, but I got it up in the end. Thank you so much!!It was silent as JJ and Hotch walked up to her hotel room for the duration of the case. Their footsteps echoed up and down the corridor and made JJ uncomfortable. The silence between them was driving her crazy. She'd always been able to talk to Hotch but now she couldn't help but feel like he'd judge her for whatever she said.
JJ sighed as they walked closer to her door. She was tired, nauseous, and all she wanted was to curl up in a ball and sleep. Too bad they had a case to sort out. She couldn't hide from what was going to happen.
They stopped outside her room and Hotch pulled a key card from his pocket. JJ assumed he got from Emily. He slid the card into the slot and the lock clicked. JJ pushed the door open and walked in and made a bee line for the bed. She flopped and closed her eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Of all the things Hotch could have said, of all the things he could've ask; that was how he chose to start this conversation? JJ instantly knew she wouldn't like this conversation.
"I didn't tell you because until this morning, the morning sickness wasn't that bad. I could manage it," JJ answered, keeping her eyes shut. She couldn't bear to see the anger and disappointment on his face.
"What set it off?"
JJ opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion. She didn't know what he was asking.
"When Haley was pregnant," he began slowly, not quite catching JJ's eye, instead, looking at a blank spot on the wall, "certain things set of her morning sickness… the smell of coffee for instance."
"I had a little alcohol and that's probably what set it off." JJ answered. She used her hands to push herself into a sitting position. She put her head into her hands and looked down at the bed. "Hotch," she asked, head still hung, her words a little muffled, "is this case over?"
"I want you to pack everything up. You're going to need to be ready to leave, by the time I get back."
"What?" JJ cried out, not caring how rude she sounded.
She was always prepared for anything, and as Media liaison, was often asked tough questions at press conferences. No matter how much those questions annoyed her, she always answered politely. Not this time.
"Don't play dumb with me JJ," Hotch snapped at her. His face softened when he saw how hurt she looked. "You knew that your pregnancy could complicate things… we're pulling you out. This has gone on for long enough. It's getting dangerous." His tone was much softer now, his words slower.
"And what are you going to tell Stacy?" JJ demanded, hands on her hips. "What cover story are you giving her?"
"We are going to tell her, that because of how sick you are, your father is flying you home."
"Sure, she'll believe that," JJ muttered sarcastically.
"She knows how sick you are, JJ, she can't argue with that."
There was a pause. The air was filled with a thick, heavy layer of awkwardness that hung like a hovering cloud. JJ felt claustrophobic in the hotel room. She needed to get out into the fresh air.
It was a minute before JJ broke the silence. "What about those girls? What about their families? You're just going to abandon them all? Give up on the hope they have?"
"It is out of my hands JJ," Hotch told her sternly, He stepped to the door and placed his hand on the doorknob when JJ said something, which sent chills down his spine.
"And what if it was Jack?" she asked softly. "Wouldn't you want answers?"
He took a deep breath to calm himself down and JJ could guess how angry he was when he turned around to face her.
His words made her flinch, "That was a low blow JJ."
"I'm sorry," JJ hastily apologized, "I am Hotch. But these families deserve answers."
"Get your things together," he said and left her to gather he things.
JJ lay back on the bed and tears stung her eyes. She didn't mean to bring Jack up that way. It had just slipped out. Of course she knew he would do anything for Jack and would want answers, so how could she use him like that? He had been through so much in the last few months.
So had she, and he had always been there for her. She curled up into a ball, tears still streaming down her face. She couldn't leave this investigation. That was at least one thing that was clear to her now.
She spent the next ten minutes, thinking everything through. Her thoughts revolved first around the families of the victims. She couldn't leave them wondering whether their children would ever get justice. Besides, their deaths struck a little close to home for JJ. She wished she could compartmentalize like Emily, but she found herself unable to do so now.
Her thoughts then drifted to Emily, and what she was doing right now. Probably stuck watching the girls at camp. Being forced to stay inside and watch a bunch of cheerleaders definitely didn't rank high on Emily list of things to do – even if it meant getting out of the office. JJ's thoughts turned to the girls she'd befriended at camp. Kelly had always been there for her, no matter what and It had cost Kelly a lot. She was only seventeen. It wasn't fair to make her do the FBI's job.
JJ needed to talk to someone about everything going on. She couldn't talk to Kelly and certainly not to Hotch. She wasn't supposed to know Emily so that was out of the question, too. That left one person she could talk to. But did she want to talk to him? She couldn't tell him anything that would jeopardize the investigation, and that was what was bothering her.
She made a decision and grabbed her cell from the bedside table. JJ dialled a number she now knew of by heart.
- - -
Reid had come up from Miami when Hotch called. He was to meet two CSU techs at Stacy's apartment to plant a few bugs and check for any evidence that she'd been in contact with her brother. They figured, based on the profile, he was her partner. Reid waited outside the door while the techs forced the lock open. They had to work fast.
- - -
Hotch waited impatiently in Stacy's office for the woman to return. They needed to discuss JJ. It would give Reid and the techs some time to search her home as well. As he sat in the chair opposite her desk, some of the things JJ had said before stuck in his mind. Namely, would she believe it?
He'd profiled Stacy with the other members of his team, but it couldn't say if she would believe the cover story or not. That was something, no profile could tell them.
Just as he checked his watch for the umpteenth time, Stacy walked into the room. She looked like a lawyer, engrossed in a file as she walked. Stacy sat down and looked at Hotch.
"I was sorry to hear about Kate." She gave Hotch a look he couldn't quite decipher. "Will she be okay?"
"We believe so," Hotch played the part of the loving father, "however, because of how sick she is I am going to withdraw her from camp."
"Is that wise?"
"She's my daughter, and I don't want her to get worse by overworking herself here. No offense."
"None taken." Stacy regarded him for a moment. "You know, she is really talented. Has the potential to work as a cheerleader professionally."
Hotch nodded once in response. "I know how talented my daughter is. However, I am leaving her options up to her, letting her decide what she wants to do. If she wants to be a cheerleader, I will not influence her to do something else; I will let her continue to be a cheerleader. Where I draw the line, is when my daughter's life is on the line."
"Is your daughter that sick?" Stacy asked with real concern in her voice.
"Kate's been sick for a few days now and dehydration and exhaustion are making it worse. Maybe next year, she can come back? That is, if she still wants to be a cheerleader."
Stacy looked down at her watch and sighed. "Well, I am sorry to cut this short; but I need to inform the others that Kate has dropped out. Tell Kate I wish her all the best and that I hope she gets better soon. It's a real shame she has to drop out."
That last part was muttered more to herself then to Hotch, but he still heard it. He stood up politely, and faked a smile to her. "Of course."
He walked out of her office and waited until he was outside and out of earshot of Stacy before pulling out his phone and dialling JJ's number.
- - -
"Hey," JJ said, sitting down on the beach next to Chad, who turned to her and smiled. The light breeze whipped through her long blonde hair, as she sat down and pulled her knees to her chest in comfort.
She had changed into track pants, green tank top and a black jacket hoddie. She had her bag sitting next to her, the one that Hotch had told her to pack before.
She knew he would come back, and she couldn't be there when he got back. She feared they would fight again and she knew in her emotional state right now, she couldn't handle that. Not with him.
"Hey, you feeling okay?" he asked. He looked concerned as he took in her huddled posture.
"Yeah, physically fine." Her voice was flat, emotionless.
"Emotionally?" he questioned, catching on to the meaning of her words.
"I haven't been feeling well for a while now… I love being a cheerleader, it's all I know. It's my life. And now dad wants to take it away from me… all because he found out…" she trailed off, her eyes focused on the orange tinted ocean and the setting sun.
"Found out what?" Chad prompted a minute later when JJ went silent.
JJ continued to stare out at the ocean, and didn't seem to notice he was there. She just watched the shallow waves roll in and out. Eventually she found her voice.
"Found out that I'm pregnant."
Chad looked shocked. She listened as he tried to form words. She wasn't surprised that he was tongue tied. He'd shared secrets with her and she'd kept this from him.
"Does anyone know?"
JJ shook her head; then sighed gently. Emily. Hotch. Reid. The whole damn team. But she couldn't mention any of them – Chad didn't know about them. "Kelly does," she settled for.
"And now your father?" Chad confirmed.
"Yes. He's pulling me out of camp because of it."
"Does he know how well you've been doing at it, even though you're pregnant?"
"That doesn't matter. I'm seventeen and pregnant. That pretty much says it all. I can't do cheerleading anymore, because I have to take care of my child."
She had fallen victim to her alias, and was now living the life of Kate, rather then the life of Jennifer. She found it easy to slip into Kate's life, and easier to deal with Kate's problems, rather then her own.
She was having difficulty turning back into Jennifer, and she knew it. But Kate had an easier life to deal with. She did not have superiors trying to shut her unit down or a boyfriend that lived in a different state, and she certainly did not have the pressure of such a demanding job. Kate knew what she wanted to do in life, and put everything into her passion, cheerleading and wasn't afraid to be herself.
Cheerleading was a passion of Kate's, something she knew and loved, and all she wanted to do in life. JJ wished life was that simple.
"What about the father? Is he around?"
JJ blinked in surprise. She thought hard about the question, before looking over at Chad, landing back in reality. "No, no, he's not."
It wasn't a total lie, JJ told herself. She wasn't sure if Will would stick around once he found out she was pregnant. He certainly wouldn't give up his job in New Orleans and move out to Virginia with her. He loved his job to much and she wouldn't let him.
"You going somewhere?" he asked, motioning with his head to the bag next to her.
"Hotel outside town probably," she shrugged, "I just need to get away for a little while."
Chad saw the raw emotions cross her face and knew how hard this was for her. He knew she needed to get away, but he was worried she would do something stupid if she was on her own.
"Come around to my place," he offered, "I have a spare room."
"I couldn't ask that of you."
"You didn't ask. I offered."
JJ smiled shyly at him. "Only if you're sure… I don't want to impose."
"Don't be silly." He smiled at her and poked her lightly on the nose.
She smiled in response, a genuine one for the first time in a long while.
He put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled at her gently. "Come round to my place as long as you need." He took his hand of her shoulder and held it out to help her up.
She accepted and allowed him to pull her up. They walked across the beach along the water's edge, bumping into one another and pushing each other into the water.
JJ was smiling the whole time. Kate loved being with Chad. He was someone who didn't judge her and who she could just be herself with. She realized that was probably why she had so much fun around him, and why the world seemed to melt away, leaving just the two of them.
Eventually though the sun set, ending their fun; they raced up the beach, barefoot, to his car. They got into the car, and drove home, to Chad's place. JJ's phone rang, and she saw the caller I.D.; Hotch.
She hung up right away, and buried the phone deep into her bag. She was lucky that he didn't call until now. She didn't know what she would have done – to the phone, or Hotch, if she picked up the phone.
"Someone you don't want to talk to?" Chad guessed.
JJ shrugged. "My dad."
Her phone rang again, and she could still hear it. She dug into her bag, pulled it out, hung up the phone, turned it off, and buried it in her bag again. At least now he couldn't call and ruin a perfect afternoon.
- - -
Hotch had tried JJ three times now, and couldn't get a hold of her. He assumed she was still angry with him, therefore not answering his calls. However, when he got to the hotel room, and knocked on her door, he got no answer.
He stuck the key in the door, and found the room empty. She had left.
Hotch sighed and pulled his phone out. He dialled Morgan's number.
- - -
They arrived at Chad's place and Chad led JJ to the spare room. It was small, with only a bed, but JJ was thankful for her own space. She sat down on the small bed, and smiled up at Chad, who dropped her bag onto the bed next to her. He'd insisted on carrying it for her.
"What do you want for dinner?"
"Thank you!" JJ spoke, genuinely meaning it, confusing Chad for a moment.
"For what? I only offered you dinner…"
"No, for letting me stay."
He smiled at her, catching her eye. "Of course. Anytime!"
JJ curled up into the fetal position on the bed, and hugged her knees close to her chest, needing the comfort. She began to rock gently backwards and forwards, feeling like a teenager again, who was in serious trouble with her father.
And it was true, in the sense that she often thought of Hotch as her father. Her own had been absent in her life for a long time.
All of the conflicting emotions overwhelmed her. She had always been able to keep her emotions in check, especially when it involved a case, and rarely showed emotions in public, yet, here she was crying, feeling upset, angry, hurt… betrayed. And the list went on.
He moved forward and placed a hand gently against her cheek. "I'm worried about you. I'm not going to leave."
JJ nodded her head, and felt comfort and warmth from having his hand against her cheek. She closed her eyes, and within minutes, felt herself fall asleep.
- - -
"What are you talking about, Hotch?" Morgan asked, as he paced back and forth. He and Gideon had gotten in a few hours ago, having had to take care of some other things back in Virginia. Gideon gave him a raised eyebrow and Morgan put the phone on speaker.
"She got really emotional when I told her that we were pulling her out, and just took off."
"You have no idea where she is now?" Gideon asked with concern in his voice. JJ wasn't one to do rash things like this.
"No idea at all. She packed her bag and left."
"Do you think she'll go back to camp?"
"Jason, at this stage, I have no idea, but for her sake, I hope not."
There was a pause. "Morgan, can you call Garcia? Ask her to track down JJ's phone? I'll call Emily and ask her to look out for JJ."
"Sure thing. Hey, Hotch… we'll find her."
"I hope so Morgan, I really do."
Morgan hung up, and dialled Garcia's number.
"Hey hot stuff? Miss me?" Garcia teased coming on the line.
"I need you trace the location of a cell for me, baby girl."
"Sure thing gorgeous. What's the number am I tracing for you?"
Morgan gave Garcia the number and heard her tapping away, giving a running commentary as she did so. "So, how is this little undercover operation going anyway? How's JJ doing as a cheerleader? No one gave me an update."
"Number Garcia?" Morgan grunted.
"What is so important about this number?" Garcia asked, now concerned. "Whose number is it anyway?"
"It's JJ's."
"Oh… Damn. I can't trace it, the phone's turned off, sugar. The second she turns it on, I'll have a trace ready to go."
"Thanks baby girl," Morgan said in a defeated voice as he hung up the phone. He looked at Gideon and groaned out loud. "This is going to be a long day."
- - -
"I'm sorry, say again," Emily spoke into her phone as she walked out of the crowded hall hoping to block out the noise so she could hear what Hotch was saying.
"JJ's missing. We think she may be coming back to the camp and we need you to keep an eye out for her."
"What do you mean missing?"
"She left the hotel with her bag and turned her phone off, so we can't track her."
Emily had to hold back a gasp at the news. "So you have no idea where she is? None at all?"
"No. We think she may be going back to the camp, can you keep an eye out for us?"
"Yeah, sure thing Hotch," Emily replied distractedly. "What about Chad? Would she be at his place?"
"It's worth looking into," Hotch agreed, "I'll get the address from Garcia and go see if I can find her there."
Emily hung up and walked back inside to find herself accosted by Taylor and Kelly.
"Is it true?"
"Is what true Taylor?"
"That Kate has been withdrawn from camp?"
"Where did you here that?"
"One of the girls, Erin said she saw her being taken to the car by her father…"
"Look, if you to can keep this quiet for now, we'd really appreciate it."
Both girls nodded, hoping that Emily would elaborate. She did. "Kate was taken home by her father because she's been really sick lately."
"I noticed it," Taylor said slowly, "but I didn't think much of it, I mean, many girls here get sick because they push themselves too hard."
Kelly shook her head. "You don't know how sick she really was." She turned her attention back to the agent. "Will she be okay?"
"We honestly don't know right now…"
"When are you flying her home?" Taylor demanded, "Can we at least say goodbye?"
"I will see what I can do, no promises though girls. And remember; don't go telling this to anyone."
- - -
Morgan and Gideon called Emily minutes later, and she told them about Chad. After thinking about where JJ had been in Miami since they arrived Emily remembered the beach where JJ had first met Chad.
"Check the beach, too," she said and hung up.
So Gideon and Morgan took a trip down to the beach. Considering it was a work day, the beach was crowded. And not just be adults. There were groups of teenagers hanging around on the beach, playing volleyball. No sign of JJ or Chad.
"Come on JJ," Gideon said softly as the two walked back up the sand, to their car. "Tell us where you are."
"This is ridiculous. How can an FBI agent just go missing?" Morgan muttered, "And to think it was JJ. She could cope with anything. No matter what we saw, she didn't even seem to flinch. I thought she was the strongest out of all of us. For her to do this…"
Nothing more was said as the two FBI agents got into the car, Gideon in the driver seat while Morgan was in the front passenger seat. "So what now?"
Gideon dialled a number on his phone, and waited till it was answered. "Hotch; did you get Chad's address?"
- - -
Emily walked around for the rest of the afternoon like a lost puppy. Her best friend was missing and no one had any idea where she was. She had just taken off. How could she not have seen it? She had been with JJ this week. She had seen how sick she was and how much this case was affecting her.
She hated herself for not seeing the signs in her best friend. She was a profiler, she was supposed to see some of the things that others missed – but in this case, she had failed to notice them. And they could cost her everything. Because of this, she could lose her best friend.
For the rest of the day, Emily had girls running up to her, asking her about whether or not it was true that Kate had been withdrawn from camp. Some even went so far as to say that the reason she was taken home from the camp was because her life was in danger.
That hit a little to close to home for Emily, and she fought to keep from crying. She couldn't do anything to help look for her best friend; instead, she had to babysit a bunch of cheerleaders.
Not that she had anything against cheerleaders. She didn't. It was just that it seemed like such a trivial job, and she felt she could be doing something useful elsewhere.
- - -
Gideon and Morgan sat on a park bench and waited for Hotch to arrive. As they waited, they watched kids playing on the equipment in front of them. Mothers stood nearby watching their children closely.
Two children ran across the grass, followed by a third, all yelling and giggling, while the mothers watching on yelled at their kids to be careful.
"I used to bring Jack to a park like this when he was little."
Hotch sat down beside them they got down to business.
"I got the address of Garcia, but, I don't think that it would be wise to have three of us show up her doorstep."
"Especially not when we scream FBI," Morgan joked earning a glare from Hotch. He instantly became quite. Now was not the time for jokes.
"I'm happy for two of us to go… Jason, you could play the worried uncle if you wanted to tag along."
"Absolutely," he agreed at once. "I just hope we don't scare this poor kid."
"And while you two do that, what am I supposed to be doing?" Morgan complained; feeling completely left out. JJ was his friend and if they were going to find her, he wanted to be there.
"I want you to check up on Emily. She sounded upset on the phone. I figured she could do with some company."
Morgan cheered up immediately. Spend some time with Emily? His favourite agent? How could he pass that up? Besides, it gave him a chance to keep an eye on Stacy, in case she did anything to JJ…
"I'll call you in a little while, let you know how it went," Gideon put a hand on Morgan's shoulder as he stood up, to follow Hotch to the car.
Morgan watched the two walk across the grass, up a small gravel path and then to the parking on the street, where Hotch's car was parked.
Morgan sighed and walked to the opposite end of the park, to where he and Gideon had parked earlier. He got into the driver seat and started the engine. He sat for a moment before heading to camp.
- - -
JJ woke up an hour or so later; and reached over for Chad – only to find he wasn't there. She rolled over in bed and sat up slowly as the door opened. Chad walked into the room.
"Here," he said holding up a cup of tea. "I thought you could use this."
He sat down on the end of the bed, and handed her the tea. She took it and downed a large swig.
"I know you probably don't want to talk, that's fine. I'm not going to push you, but, I think you should at least let your dad know where you are."
JJ sighed and looked down at the bed. "I just need a little time."
"No worries," he stood up. "I'll go start dinner. Want anything in particular?"
JJ shook her head, and watched as he left the room. She put the tea on the bedside table. JJ placed both her hands on her stomach and felt comfort and warmth, spread through her body.
"I am so sorry," she whispered, "I wish I could've been a better mother to you. I wished I could've done more to protect you from everything… I hope you can forgive me."
- - -
After dinner, JJ just couldn't stay in the house anymore. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic and couldn't breathe in the house. She told Chad she was going for a walk and left the house, not knowing where she was going, and not caring. She just let her feet take her, where ever they wanted to go.
There was a knock at the door and Chad walked from the kitchen, where he was cleaning up.
He opened the door, surprised to see two, official looking men standing there. "Hi, can I help you?"
"Chad?" the older of the two asked.
"Yes," was the nervous reply.
"I'm Kate's father. Is she here?" Hotch asked, taking over the conversation.
"Kate? No, I haven't seen her today," Chad lied. Both Hotch and Gideon picked up on it at once.
"She and I had a disagreement earlier and ran off," Hotch explained, "I know she was close friend with you… I'm worried about her, I just want to talk to her, make sure she's okay."
Chad looked nervously between Hotch and Gideon. "Did you ever think that maybe Kate does not want to talk to you?"
"I'm afraid that is not your decision," Gideon intervened.
"If you don't mind me asking Sir, who are you?"
"I'm her uncle," he shrugged. "Her father called me to invite me down here, to see her at camp."
"Look, this is my daughter we're talking about… I just need to make sure she's okay. She doesn't know anyone in Miami, apart from you, so I know she has either been here, or will stop by here."
"I'm sorry, I really am… I don't know where she is. I can't help you." Chad slammed the door in their faces.
Gideon walked with Hotch back to the car. He got into the passenger seat, Hotch in the driver and waited for Hotch to start driving, before speaking again.
"He's just trying to protect his friend Kate; you can't hate him for that."
"No, but I can charge him with impeding a federal investigation."
"Except that he doesn't know that. All he knows is that Kate's dad is looking for her, and her uncle is worried about her. He doesn't know she's FBI."
Hotch looked over at Gideon, and raised an eyebrow. "Aaron, she's fallen victim to her alias. She's confused, and hurt right now."
"How do we help her?"
- - -
Emily was bombarded with questions from all the girls at the camp, and it was getting quite tiresome. She found Stacy and told her she would make a short announcement about Kate's departure at the end of the day. Stacy was happy with that.
The questions faded and soon Emily found the peace and quiet she had been longing for all afternoon. She thought about JJ and hoped she was safe wherever she was.
She needed a distraction, and found one, watching the group in the hall, practicing the routine for the performance at the end of the week.
"Hey," a voice broke her thoughts. She turned and saw the familiar face of her partner. She leapt into his arms for a hug, tears building in her eyes.
"What are you doing here?"
"Hotch thought you might need a friend…"
She pulled away and gave him a huge smile. "Thank you!"
"Oh my god," she heard a voice yell out from behind her. She turned to face the cheerleaders, and found herself face to face with Samantha and Laura.
"What are you doing here sir?" Laura asked, raising an eyebrow, looking between him and Emily.
"You're school wanted to send someone out to check on you girls, so I volunteered. How you all doing?"
"Why were you hugging her?"
"Agent Prentiss is my girlfriend, another reason I wanted to come out here." Morgan wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer. "So, Samantha, you haven't answered my question."
Kelly and Taylor joined the two girls and watched the interaction between the agents. "We're good sir," Laura spoke, and began talking about how fantastic the camp was and how much she had been learning and how she was having the best time of her life.
"It's been fantastic Sir," Kelly took over the conversation, "but did you hear about Kate?"
"I did," he nodded, "how sick was she?"
"She hadn't looked that good for the better part of the week," Laura shrugged, "I just thought she had some eating disorder or something. Didn't think too much of it."
"Do a lot of girls get sick around here?"
"Some do," Samantha commented.
"Those who take pills," Kelly shrugged, ticking of on her fingers, "those who have some sort of disorder, those who work themselves too hard."
Taylor looked at him concerned, not sure if he was FBI or not, but needing to know about Kate. "Is she going to be okay?"
"Yes, she'll be fine, her father is going to fly her home later tonight to let her recover." He saw that the rest of their group had stopped what they were doing and were looking over at them. "You girls should continue on with your routine."
They shrugged and one by left to re-join their group and polish of the dance routine. Morgan let go of Emily, and spun her around to face him. "Please don't hate me," he pleaded with her, "I couldn't break my cover, and I couldn't think of anything else and I -"
"Morgan," Emily smiled at him, cutting of his rambling. "Shut up!"
- - -
Emily stood at the front of the hall, looking out at all the cheerleaders standing around, waiting to hear what she had to say. She saw Morgan, standing behind them all, and caught his eye. He gave her an encouraging smile.
She smiled back before her attention turned back to the teenagers in front of her. "I have been asked many times today about Kate, so I will explain it to you all now. Kate was withdrawn from camp this morning by her father because she was sick. At this time, we believe it was just the flu, made worse by the rigours activity. She was not withdrawn from camp because her life was in danger in any way."
Emily patiently waited for the sniggering to stop before she continued on. "She will not be returning to camp, and is flying home tonight, depending on what the doctor says. That's all, thank you."
The crowd immediately began to talk, splitting of into small groups. Emily weaved through the teenagers to where Morgan was standing. "I will no longer take JJ for granted. Standing in front of all those people…"
Morgan laughed at that comment. "You did great Em."
"You did indeed," Stacy said from behind Emily. "You were able to answer all their questions, while reassure them that Kate would be okay."
Both Emily and Morgan looked at Stacy.
"Well, I was just trying to do my job," Emily tried to shrug it off, watching the teenagers slowly start leaving for the evening. Stacy followed Emily's gaze and watched the cheerleaders leave.
"It's such a shame when a cheerleader falls sick," Stacy sighed loudly.
"Does it happen often?"
Stacy looked over at Morgan. "No. It doesn't happen often. Being sick is just one of those facts of life…" she trailed of. "I'm afraid I have somewhere to be, would you excuse me?"
Without waiting for an answer, Stacy walked away from the FBI agents, and followed the teenagers out of the hall.
Morgan and Emily both looked at each other thinking the same thing.
- - -
JJ lay down on the bed, staring at the wall, arm wrapped gently around her stomach, in a protective gesture. "I don't know what to do," she whispered, "I wish you could tell me what to do."
"Talking to me?" Chad laughed, standing in the doorway, looking over at JJ.
She rolled over to look at him. She shook her head no.
"Your father and uncle stopped by before."
"Uncle?"
"Yeah, old guy, kind of balding. He seemed really worried about you. Your father is really concerned as well. You really should call him; let him know that you're okay."
"I can't… not right now, I just need a little time."
"Whoa, hey, I'm not going to pressure you into anything you don't want to do. You should know that by now."
"I do," JJ assured him. "I know that."
He gave her a reassuring smile and turned to leave her alone when the doorbell rang. It was faint at first an then got louder.
Chad tried to ignore the door. He wasn't in the mood to talk to whoever was on the other side. With his luck it was someone else looking for Kate. But when they rang the door bell again, and knocked on the door, he knew they weren't going to go away any time soon.
With a sigh, wiping his palms on his jeans, Chad made his way to the door, and pulled it open, frowning when he saw who was standing on his door step.
"I know I'm early," she spoke lightly, smiling as she did so. "But I was hoping that we could talk before dinner tonight."
"I'm sorry but I'm actually busy right now. I'll call you tomorrow and we can talk then," he tried to compromise with her.
"You'll do no such thing! We had dinner planned for tonight." Now she was angry, and he didn't want to deal with an angry mother, not on top of everything else that had happened today.
"Something's come up, more important then the dinner."
"Oh right? More important then dinner with your own mother?"
Stacy's eye widened slightly and he noticed that they seemed to get darker, indicating how angry she was. Well, he was angry too and he wasn't afraid to show it.
"I've been living with dad for years, haven't heard one word from you, and suddenly I have to drop everything, to spend some time with you? I don't think you've earned the right to ask me to do that!"
"You're right I -"
"Just leave!" Chad demanded, slamming the door shut. Seconds later, JJ heard footsteps coming back to the bedroom, and felt the bed dip, and he sat down on the edge of the bed.
JJ rolled over to face him, tears still streaming down her face. "Please don't cancel dinner with her because of me."
"You heard that huh?"
JJ nodded her head once.
"I didn't want to go to dinner with her anyway," he sighed. "I was going to cancel this morning. I guess you just gave me the excuse to do so."
JJ felt awful now and tried hard not to show it. Here she was, some hot shot FBI agent, yet no matter who she talked to, she seemed to ruin their lives. She'd used Hotch's son in an argument with him, which she knew hurt him. She'd made Chad cancel dinner with his mother, whom he was only just beginning to get along with. She'd ruined an entire FBI investigation…
She wanted to become Kate, forget about her old life; start over fresh. Just her and her baby. Maybe Chad, because he'd been supportive of her no matter what, and she knew he wouldn't ask questions that she didn't want to answer.
"I'm leaving!" she announced, sitting up on the bed.
He looked at her. From his expression she knew he was trying to figure out if she was serious or not. "What?"
"I'm leaving, starting over fresh."
"Where would you go?"
JJ thought about where she could go. She had money under her name and a phone under her name, which meant that the FBI could track it and her. She couldn't get away from them.
But then a thought hit her. Will. She looked around the room, but didn't see a phone. She needed to call him, to hear his voice. He could help her out; get her out of this mess.
"I need a phone," she said.
He left the room and seconds later, returned with his cell. She accepted the phone he handed her, and dialled a number, hoping that Chad would leave the room. He didn't.
"Hey it's me," she said into the phone softly. "I need your help."
"JJ, baby, what's wrong?" Will asked concerned.
"Where are you now?"
"I'm back home; New Orleans, I was planning to fly down to Virginia to see you after the investigation's over."
"Change of plans," she told him sternly. "Can you fly out here?"
"Miami?" he questioned. "What's going on?"
"I need to get away, so I was hoping you could buy two tickets under your name and I could fly back with you…" she was trying to be careful with her words around Chad. She couldn't reveal anything about her past, about her life as an FBI agent, but at the same she didn't want to give away where she was going in case Chad told Hotch. "I promise I'll pay you back for the ticket," she added.
"What's going on?" he asked, "What are you trying to get away from? JJ talk to me baby, please. What kind of trouble are you in?"
"Please, can you just trust me?" she asked, her voice quivering. "I need you to trust me."
"I trust you, you must know that."
"I do."
"Alright, I'll give you a call when it's all done. I'll talk to you soon," he promised, hanging up. JJ hung up, and stared into space for a minute, the conversation running around in her head.
She dialled another number, not even thinking about it, till the phone was against her ear.
"Hello?"
"Elle?" she asked her voice cracking.
"What's wrong JJ?" her friend asked, worried.
"I'm in trouble."
- - -
"Kelly, this is important, can you think of anywhere she would go?" Hotch asked raising his voice slightly.
"She liked to hang out with this Chad guy."
"Yeah, we tried his place, she's not there. Is there anywhere else she would go?" Morgan asked, in a pleading tone.
"No," Kelly shook her head, tears building in her eyes. "No, there isn't anywhere else she would go. we don't actually know anyone else here."
"Anyplace he would take her?"
"I'm sorry, I just don't know," Kelly began crying. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, Kelly, we're sorry," Emily whispered wrapping her arms around the crying teenager, "We're sorry, this is not your fault. We're just worried about her."
"I am too," Kelly whispered so that only Emily could hear.
- - -
"Stacy, get your ass in here," the male voice yelled from the study. Stacy got up on the bar stool at the kitchen island and walked down the brightly lit corridor to the study.
She looked over to the man with the sandy hair, sitting at the desk, looking at a screen. "Look at this?"
She sighed, stepping forward to look at it, and, after studying it for a minute, she gave up, stepping back and looking at him expectantly. He didn't say anything. She sighed dramatically.
"Well?" her hands went to her hips. "What is it?"
"That blonde cheerleader you liked so much? That Kate chick, she's FBI. They just put out an A.P.B on her."
- - -
JJ hung up the phone an hour later, and gave it back to Chad, who had just re-entered the room with a glass of water for her. She took the water and took a sip, placing it on the bedside table.
"Can you give me a lift to the airport?"
"Sure," he managed a small smile to her. "Whenever you're ready."
She looked down at her bag on the floor, still zipped up, nothing unpacked. "I'm ready now. But, can we stop somewhere first?"