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A/n hello all... Here's the next chapter. Only two more to come. Thank you all for your wonderful support and comments.

Never Again

"Are you high Casey? I'm not interested in anything you have to say."

"If you want your little wifey to have your daughter back, you'll shut up and listen to me."

Danny held out a hand to Lindsay as she hurried over to him. "I'm listenin," He growled. "What the hell do you want?"

"I told you what I want. I want you, and in return, I'll give you back your little ball of sunshine."

Danny motioned for Lindsay to get her cell phone. He watched her dial while he thought as fast as he could.

"Tick-tock Detective… Time's a wasting," Shane said into his ear.

"Alright… Where?" Danny demanded feeling ice creep into his heart. He would sacrifice his life for his Lucy. There was no thinking about it.

Shane gave him an address on Long Island City. "It used to belong to an associate of mine from prison. It's empty now, nice, and private. Meet me there in one hour."

"No way… I need more time." Danny began to say watching Lindsay talking frantically into her phone.

"One hour Messer or you'll never see your little girl again." Shane hissed into his ear. "I don't think I have to tell you to come alone."

The phone clicked off. Now Danny could hear Lindsay talking to Mac. She was crying, tears flooding her face as though she'd stepped out into a heavy rainstorm.

"He's off the call now Mac… Yes, I'll let you talk to him." She passed off the phone and threw herself into his arms.

"Hey Mac… Yeah… He's asking for a trade, me for Lucy. No Mac… I'm not gonna let him take her away from us forever. He wants me to meet him at some place on Long Island City. I'm supposed to go alone Mac so don't try to stop me. What? My God… Are you serious? When? Okay, I'll tell her… Yes, tell them all I said thank you. I'm on my way. No… You did. Okay, we'll go. Alright Mac, thank you."

He slapped the phone shut and gave it back to his wife. He stood there staring at Lindsay unable to form a coherent sentence until she put her hand on his face. "Are you going to tell me what Mac said and why you think you're going to trade yourself for our daughter?

She pulled out of his arms and planted her feet as though she were about to hit him with everything in one punch. His phone rang again, startling them so that he almost dropped his phone.

"Messer," He barked irritably. "Oh yeah… I forgot that didn't I." He rattled off the address and shut his phone.

"Lindsay, please just listen to me." He begged as her eyes shot daggers at him through her tears.

"No," She shouted. "I thought we were past all this macho bullshit Daniel Messer. You are not going to trade yourself for our daughter. We'll find another way together."

Her face was scarlet and verging on purple. Her eyes were huge and her hands had curled into fists. He put up both of his hands. "Lindsay…"

"I said shut up Danny. We're going to plan something else with Mac and the FBI. We'll get someone to go undercover for you or -"

He reached out and dragged her back into his arms. "Listen to me Montana. They found her!"

She went so still that he thought his words turned her into stone. "What did you say?" Her voice shook so hard he thought her teeth might rattle out of her head.

"I said…" Now reaction was setting into his heart and his hands began to shake. He clenched them tighter on her arms. "They found our little girl. Lucy's all right… She's in Montana. Can you believe it?"

She pulled back out of his grasp again. Her lovely dark eyes looked up at him in utter and total shock. "She's in Montana… Are you serious?"

"Mac told me," Danny said inanely as if the fact that their boss said it was so must make it so.

"What did he tell you?" She shook him hard.

"He just said she was in Montana and that we're booked on the first flight out of here to meet up with the rest of the BAU."

"We have to pack." Lindsay hurried into the bedroom.

"I'm going to clue in our guard outside the door. They're supposed to take us to the airport."

0000000000000

Reid had never gotten used to riding in speeding vehicles with blaring lights. At least it wasn't Morgan at the wheel this time. He'd been able to buckle his seat belt and, for once, he didn't have to navigate.

Hotch shut his phone. "I just got the word that the Messers are in the air and on their way to Montana."

Reid, sitting in the back seat and to the right of Mac could see the muscle in his cheek relax. "Thank you Hotch," He said. "I don't know how Garcia got them on that flight, and frankly I don't want to know, but thank you all the same."

"You're right, you don't want to know." Hotch said, but Reid smiled at the pride in his Unit Chief's voice. "You're welcome though, and I'm glad they are out of harms way."

"I'm going to have a conversation with Danny and his eagerness to trade his life for Lucy." Mac said as he took a right hand turn with squealing tires.

"I understand why he would do it." Hotch said quietly as the tall buildings of the city flashed by.

"I understand too," Mac said, "but we're still having a conversation."

Reid watched the two older men smile at each other. At least they'd made new friends. His thoughts turned back to the job at hand. At least this time he had a vest, back up and a gun in this confrontation with a psycho. It would all be all right this time.

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They fanned out around the house that fronted the river. They couldn't hide fact that they had come in force so they didn't try. Shane Casey wouldn't get his wish to have Danny so they had to let the SWAT team go in first. Hotch went behind the two SWAT team members while Reid followed Mac and Stella around to the back door with more SWAT agents. The rest of the team had stayed back at the lab waiting for the word that they had taken Shane Casey into custody.

0000000000

The house was nearly brand new; Hotch could see as they hit the front door and entered the living room. It had carpet, but no furniture. He didn't hear anything despite the shouts of FBI and NYPD that were echoing off the white painted walls.

They next encountered an oak staircase leading up to the second story. The top of the stairs revealed more dark blue carpet and white walls. There were five doors leading off the hallways. Hotch separated from the rest of the SWAT, heading down to the end of the hall. He pushed open the door, sweeping the room with his gun.

"Hello Agent Hotchner," Shane said from one corner of the room.

He held a gun in his right hand and pointed it right at Hotch. One of the SWAT agents entered behind him, but Hotch waved him back with his hand. "I'll handle this," he told the burly man next to him.

"Oh you will… I'm surprised that Detective Messer isn't here. I thought I'd made myself clear." Shane said angrily, his eyes flaring with rage. "I hope you didn't give him bad advice."

"Why don't you put down the gun and we'll talk about it." Hotch said.

"I don't think so," Shane held the gun squarely on Hotch despite his vest. "You take me in now and you'll never find little Lucy Messer."

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble Mr. Casey," Hotch said taking two more steps into the room. "We know where she is. We know all about your connection to Daniel and Eileen Cadence. You don't have anything left to bargain with." Hotch informed Casey who narrowed his eyes.

"You're bluffing… I know you're a profiler with the almighty FBI Agent Hotchner, but you won't trick me."

The gun in his hand began to shake as the light from the noonday sun filled the room with its golden brightness.

"I assure you I'm not bluffing," Hotch, said advancing another step into the room.

Shane lowered his gun a bit. "Stay back…" He ordered the agent. "Just because you wear that vest doesn't mean I won't cut one of your legs out from under you."

"You don't have anywhere to go Casey." Hotch said. "Put the gun down and come quietly."

"Tell your friends to leave and maybe I will," Shane said.

Hotch looked over at his SWAT team accompaniment. "Please leave us alone."

"But sir," the large one at his right began to protest.

"Do it," Hotch ordered. "Go find Mac Taylor and let him know that we found Shane Casey."

They left the room grumbling with protest and irritation.

Shane smiled at Hotch. "I know all about you Agent Hotchner. I have my sources too and I know you lost your wife recently."

"This isn't about me," Hotch said through clenched teeth.

"Oh I think it is… You see I know you failed to keep your family safe just as Danny Messer failed to keep his family safe. You are so dedicated to your job; you can't see the threats until they consume you. "

He suddenly dropped his gun with a thud on the floor and put his hands behind his head. "Take me back to jail…" He said with a smile that reminded Hotch of a man he'd once arrested that killed a little girl after raping and beating her within an inch of her life. "I'll find some other way to make Danny Messer pay for what he did to me."

Hotch couldn't make his feet take him forward. Suddenly, he could hear Haley's voice in his head and two gunshots that ended her life. His gut began to stab with pain as though Foyet's knife were slashing into him again. If he looked done he'd see the brilliant scarlet blood he'd lost. He'd hear Foyet's voice taunting him about Haley and Jack.

"Come on Agent Hotchner, I'm unarmed and we're alone. Do what I can see in your eyes you want to do?"

Another memory surfaced, Strauss asking him if he thought that Foyet would be a danger had he not killed him.

"What do you think would've happened had Foyet got up off the floor Agent Hotchner."

"I don't have to guess. He would've tried to kill my son."

"That's good enough for me."

No… He wouldn't let this nightmare happen again to a man just trying to do his job and protect his family. He squeezed the trigger.