She was standing at Rossi's door trying to work up the nerve to go in,she held the picture in her hand looking at it. She had almost talked herself out of it.

"Cooper, you need something?"

She walked in his room and laid the picture down in front of him., he picked it up and looked at it. "This is you and my mother in Italy in 1971."

Rossi turned the picture over and his eyebrows rose, he looked at Izzy. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked angrily.

Izzy's eyes slowly opened from the dream she was having when she heard her hotel room door open. She looked into the mirror and saw the housekeeper coming in with towels. Izzy knew something wasn't right, the room had been cleaned, and fresh towels had all ready been put in the bathroom. She laid still, she saw the house keeper pull a gun from between the towels and aim it at her back. She rolled off the bed into the floor as she fired off the shot, hitting the mirror and shattering it.

Izzy took the gun out of her holsters, came up on her feet in one smooth move, aiming her gun at the housekeeper.

"Drop it or I'll shoot!"

The housekeeper started to shoot again, Izzy pulled the trigger once, twice.

She heard pounding on the door and her name being called, she held her aim and slowly approached the housekeeper. She picked the gun up and put it in her waistband. She checked for a pulse, there was none, she then heard pounding on the door.

"Cooper, Cooper!" It was Rossi and Hotch. She walked over to the door and unlocked it letting them in. JJ, Morgan, and Spencer came thru the adjoing room door.

"Are you okay?" Morgan asked.

"I'm fine."

"What happened?" Hotch asked.

Izzy gave him the details of what happened, Rossi noticed the blood on her shirt first. "Cooper you've been hit."

Hotch looked down at the arm of her white shirt that was down stained red. He sat her down on the bed and ripped the sleeve, examining her wound. Morgan called for EMS and the local authorities to help take care of the unidentified women.

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

EMS came and cleaned up the wound, she had been grazed by a bullet, like she said just a scratch. The hotel staff came and cleaned up the mess, while they went to dinner. They loaded up in the SUVs and headed back to the hotel after dinner, Izzy needed to get some rest the next two days were going to be long ones. She said goodbye to the team and went to bed.

XXXX

There was a knock on the door later that night, she rolled out of bed, stumbling to the door. She looked through the peep hole it was Hotch. She opened the door, he came in and shut the door quickly. He pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.

"I've been wanting to do this all day." He picked her up and carried her to the bed. Kissing her, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled away and looked into her eyes, lightly touching her injured arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Really." She touched the side of his face, and kissed him.

"I can't stay, I want to." He leaned down and kissed her again, his hand were in her hair. He got up and slowly walked to the door. She lay in bed and watched him leave.

"Good night Aaron." She had walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He turned around, cupping her face and kissing her. She opened her mouth and slid her tongue into his.

He groaned. "You're not making leaving easy Izzy!" She laughed at looked at him, her eyes sparkled.

"Go." She walked away towards the bed. She was lifted off her feet, pulled close to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her to bed and laid her down. He covered her up, and kissed her.

"Good night Izzy. See you in the morning."

"Good night Aaron."

He walked out the door, she smiled and rolled over and drifted off to sleep. Dreaming of a handsome dark haired agent, and his kisses.

XXXX

She was dressed and ready to go the wake, Aaron came in and handed her a vest.

"Are you sure I need to wear this?"

"Yes. To be on the safe side."

Izzy slipped on the vest over her black dress, she put a jacket on over her sleeveless dress. She put her phone in the pocket and grabbed her purse. They left for the funeral home. There was a long line at the wake, Izzy greeted each person with a hug and a kiss. Thanking them for coming. Morgan was close for most of the night. Jay brought her a cup of coffee, she drank most of it, it tasted funny to her so she sat it down. Half way through she wasn't feeling well, she excused herself and went into the family lounge to rest.

She sat down on the couch and her head was swimming, she felt dizzy and nauseated. She could barley keep her eyes open, Jay walked in and sat down beside her.

"Are you okay Izzy?"

"I'm not feeling good."

"Do you want me to take you home?"

"No I still have a hour and a half.." She didn't finish her sentence before she was totally out. Jay looked at her.

"Izzy? Izzy? I'm sorry." He picked her up and started to carry her out of the funeral home.

"Is she okay Jay." Asked Mrs. Patterson the owner of the funeral home.

"She isn't feeling good, I'm going to take her home."

"Should I get her friends?"

"No...don't bother them. I'll take care of her."

He carried her to the car and laid her in the backseat, he got into his car and drove out to her grandparents farm.

XXX

Hotch walked up to Morgan. "Where's Cooper?"

"She wasn't feeling well, she went to lay down in the family lounge."

"How long has she pen gone?"

Morgan looked at his watch. "Forty-five minutes."

Hotch went back to the lounge to look for her, when she wasn't there he started to panic. He started to alert the team she was possibly missing. They were searching the entire home and couldn't find her. She had been missing for a hour now, Hotch was in full blown panic. He was trying to hold it together. Mrs. Patterson walked up.

"What's wrong Agent Hotchener?"

"Have you seen Izzy Cooper?"

"The Chief of Police, Jay took her home a hour ago, she was sick. Poor think couldn't stand up. He had to carry her out."

Thank you."

Hotch went and gathered his team, they had to find her.

XXX

She woke up in a dark place, she was groggy, she tried to move but there was in a tight space. A phone rang, it was laying on her chest.

"Hello?"

"Hello Izzy."

"Brian?"

"How do you kie you accommodations?"

"Where am I"

"Six foot under, honey. And no one to save you."

"You're wrong."

She ended the call, she felt in her pocket her cell phone was still there. She pulled it out and dialed Garcia's number.

"Cooper, can you tell me where you are?"

"No. I was hoping you could."

"Hold on, I'm trying."

"I'm not doing so good P."

"You hold on Cooper." Morgan's voice came on the line.

"I'm trying." It was getting hard to breathe.

"She's at her grandparents guys. Go find her." She heard Garcia say.

"Cooper, you still with us?" She heard Spencer say.

"Cooper, answer us. Cooper!" She heard Hotch calling her name.

"I'm here." She could here the sirens. "I hear you coming."

Her eyes were getting heavy, she couldn't keep them open any more. She let her eyes drift close and the air left her body.

XXX

They got to the Cooper's house, they had their guns out, and ready to find Izzy. They ran into the house and cleared it, she was no where to be found, they searched out back. They wen towards the woods.

"Garcia, do you have an exact location on Cooper."

"She's 100 ft from you."

"Can you get her on the phone?"

"She hasn't said anything in twenty minutes. She won't answer. Her call is still live."

The went towards the woods and took on gunfire, they took cover and returned. They shot the two unsubs and started walking forward, the found the Chief of police Jay Peters and Brian Hagan laying in the grass dead. Fifty fee from the bodies they found a fresh mound of dirt.

"Christ, they buried her." They grabbed the shovels that laid next to the gravel and started digging. They got to the coffin and opened it, she lay there, not moving or breathing. Hotch called 911, while Morgan pulled her out and started CPR.

"Come on Cooper! Breathe!"

Rossi, JJ, and Spencer stood to one side watching in horror as Morgan performed CPR. Hotch was standing next to him, looking worried.

"Come on, don't do this to us."

Izzy inhaled and started coughing and gasping for air, Morgan sat her up.

"Easy. Slow..easy breathes."

EMS pulled up and put oxygen on her, she didn't fight them, they stabbed her to a gurney, she was still kind of out of it. They put her in the ambulance, Hotch climbed in with her and rode to the hospital. The rest of the team got into the SUVs and followed, the local police took care of Jay and Brian.

Hotch took Izzy's hand and looked at her, the worry in his eyes. He touched the top of her head, pushing the hair away from her face. She pulled the mask off her face.

"I'm okay Aaron. I'm okay." She put the oxygen back on.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I was scared, especially when you, that I'd lost you."

They pulled up to the hospital, the paramedics opened the doors, and pulled her out. Aaron crawled out and followed the gurney into the ER. They tested her for drugs, they found antivan in her system. She was laying on the gurney with her eyes closed resting when Rossi and Morgan came in to see her.

"Thanks Morgan."

"Your welcome. Wasn't what I had in mind, for kissing you." She laughed at him.

"Are you feeling okay, now?" Rossi asked.

"I'm tired, I was drugged. I just need to sleep it off. My stats are fine. I can't believe Jay was involved." There was a knock on the door, JJ, Spencer, and Garcia poked their heads in.

"Can we come in?" Garcia asked.

"Of course."

They came in and hugged Izzy.

'We thought we lost you." JJ said.

"You escaped death twice today. You must be a cat with 9 lives." Spencer laughed.

Izzy looked at them. "I've all ready used up about seven of them. So I better be careful."

The nurse came in and ran off everyone, because there was too many people in the room. They all left to go back to the hotel and rest. "The doctor really wants to keep you the night."

"I'm fine. I don't need to stay."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

The nurse came in and gave her instructions. "Take it easy for tonight, and tomorrow. Is someone going to stay with you tonight? Make sure you okay."

"I'll be fine..."

"I will be staying with her."

Izzy looked at Hotch with a funny look on her face. The nurse left the papers with Hotch and said she'd be right back with a wheel chair. "You can't stay, everyone will talk."

"It will be fine." He kissed her forehead." They left the hospital and got back to the hotel late, they got to the room. She changed into her pj, and climbed into bed.

'You haven't eaten tonight. Let's order something to eat."

"I'm not hungry. I'm going to bed."

"You need to eat Izzy. Take care of yourself." He ordered room service for both of them, she sat down to eat when it got there. He uncovered the dinner, it was a cheeseburger and french fries.

"How'd you know?"

"Know what?"

"This is my favorite?"

"I have my ways." He smiled at her.

They smiled and talked while eating dinner, she enjoyed having someone to talk to again. They finished and sat the tray outside the door. She climbed into bed to sleep, she didn't know if she wanted him to sleep in the other bed or sleep in bed with her. She wasn't ready to sleep with him in a physical way ,but she could use being held that night. She wouldn't protest if he wanted to hold her.

He turned out the lights and climbed into bed with her, he took her into his arms and held her. He wasn't trying to make love to her, he was holding her and kissing her. It was nice, she feel in his arms feeling safe and secure.

XXX

She woke up the next morning in his arms, he was staring down at her. He leaned down and kissed her. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm fine."

He studied her face for a few minutes trying to get a read on her, he kissed her. She got up and went to take a shower, got dressed. Aaron had left to go get ready in his room. They met in the hall and went down for breakfast, the rest of the team was down in the lobby waiting for them.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Rossi asked.

"I'm fine."

She had a feeling nobody at the table believed her. Truth is her good friend had help tried to kill her by burring her alive, and now in a few hours she was laying to rest her grandparents. She was a hot mess inside and wanted to curl up in a ball and fall apart. She couldn't allow herself the luxury of doing that, she had to be strong, there was no one to pick up the pieces.

She spent the rest of the morning running errands, she arrived at the funeral home twenty minutes before the ceremony. She asked for a the last twenty minutes be time for her to say her goodbyes alone. The doors were closed and she was left alone, she sat on the first pew and let the tears flow freely. For the first time in her life she was alone.

The door off to the side opened and Spencer walked in and stood beside her, he put his arm around her shoulder. She laid her head down and cried, he didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"I know you're not okay."

"Spenc..."

"You can tell me anything, it stays between us."

"I know, I'm just not ready to share some of my secrets yet."

He held her hand for a few minutes, the door opened and Hotch walked in. He stood frozen in his tracks at the intimate scene he was witnessing, he felt jealous and anger.

The funeral home director came in and told her it was time to open the doors, she sat on the front pew, she sat alone. The rest of the afternoon pasted in a blur, Aaron didn't talk to her at all. She went to the hotel and got her bags. She went back to the house without saying anything to the team. She had arranged to take off two more weeks to finish packing up the house.

She was sitting on the pack porch watching the sunset, lost in thought. She felt a touch on her shoulder, she looked up and was starring into Aaron's dark brown eyes. She stood up and he held her in his arms for a brief moment, She sensed a change in him, she tried to look in his eyes but he looked away.

"What's wrong?"

"We've got a case and have to leave."

"I'm taking two more weeks off to finish up here."

"I know, Cruz told me. We are leaving in twenty minutes." She went to kiss him put he pushed her away.

"Aaron, what's wrong?"

"This isn't going to work between us. You're better off with Reid." He walked away from her, leaving her stunned.

"Aaron, wait..." It was too late he had already left.