Hey guys and gals - sorry about the big delay in between chapters. Chapters 18 have the last remnants of the Doyle saga - and as such took a bit longer to layout than normal... I'm hoping to pick up the pace again now that we'll be getting back to "regular" cases. Although... I don't know that there really is such a thing with the BAU... I know how frustrating it's probably been for all of you to wait for what has probably felt like forever... so hopefully the fact that these are both long chapters helps to make up for it... I'd really like to not be chased down with torches and pitch forks ;) - plus any time that I don't have to spend in hiding is extra time I can spend writing ;)
I just want to give a heart felt thanks to all of you who nominated 'The Road Not Taken' for 'Best Het Romance' in the Profiler's Choice 2012 Fanfic Awards... and also thanks to all of you who nominated 'The Road Before Us' for 'Best JJ/Reid'. I'm honored that you think my stories are deserving of awards.
The ballot is up now - so make sure to take time to go and vote for all of your favorites.
* Profiler's Choice 2012 Fanfic Awards for the Criminal Minds Community *
Hosted by ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 and hxchick
It is our pleasure to announce the Third Annual Profiler's Choice Fanfic Awards for the Criminal Minds community!
The final voting ballot is now available on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum at the 2012 Profiler's Chioce CM Awards thread.
Please read all rules before sending in your final ballot. Incorrect ballots will be immediately and completely disqualified.
I know you didn't click on the nifty link just to read my aimless ramblings - so on with why you really are here after, of course, the requisite disclaimer. I don't own Criminal Minds... blah, blah, blah, belongs to Jeff Davis, CBS, Mark Gordon Productions, and ABC Studios, yada, yada, yada, anything that's familiar or that you recognize isn't mine... etc, etc, etc.
Happy reading and enjoy :D
Spence smiled as he walked back in their bedroom from the bathroom and watched JJ sleeping in their bed, with her arms raised up above her head, just like the kids all did. He dropped his running shoes next to the bedroom door and sat down on the bed in his running shorts with his t-shirt in hand. Then he leaned down and nuzzled against JJ's ear as he whispered in her ear. "JJ, babe, wake up."
JJ gave a contented hum and arched her back in a stretch as she left dreamland. "Mm, best wake-up call ever." She murmured as she lifted her arms to wrap around Spence and discovered that he was shirtless. Her hands continued to explore her husband's chest, shoulders and back as she turned her head, and kissed him.
She broke the kiss and pouted, leaning back out of the kiss at the realization that Spence was wearing running shorts as her hands settled on his hips.
Spence smiled and leaned his head down against his wife's forehead. "I was thinking that we could get the kids up and take them for a run with us."
"Aren't they still sleeping?" JJ asked as her fingers played with the waistband of Spence's shorts.
"So we'll keep them in their pajamas and make sure they're all comfy and snuggly in their jogging strollers." Spence replied as he rested on his elbows above his wife. "Plus, Rebecca deserves a chance to sleep in before she starts classes again this week."
"Mkay, you sold me baby." JJ murmured as she levered herself up on her elbows and kissed Spence. "Let me just change quick while you finish getting dressed." She said with a nod of her head as his t-shirt in his lap and his shoes by the door.
Spence nodded and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. "Okay" he replied and then stood up from the bed, letting JJ up.
"Hey guys," Rebecca called out as she entered the kitchen a short while later, "what's the plan for today?" she asked as she closed the door behind her. Then she stood in confusion for a moment at the quiet emptiness of the Reid house at 7 am on a Saturday morning.
She walked into the kitchen in confusion about where everyone could be. Normally Chloe and Henry were already chattering away at this time of the morning, and the house would be bustling with activity as JJ and Spencer played with the kids and got ready for the day.
She turned on the light. There, stuck to the coffee maker, was a post-it note explaining that they'd taken the kids with them for a run so that she could sleep in. Too bad she hadn't been able to sleep anymore. With a smile, she set about getting breakfast ready for when the Reids returned from their run.
"Hey, what are you doing up?" JJ asked as she entered the kitchen with Joshua in her arms. "We took the kids with us so that you'd be able to sleep in."
"Thanks for that," Rebecca replied with a smile, "but I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. So how was your run?" she asked as she reached out to take the baby from a hot and sweaty JJ.
"It was good… and something in here smells really good," JJ answered "and I'm pretty sure it's not me." She said as she pulled her sweaty tank away from her skin.
Rebecca smiled and then she and JJ turned to watch as Chloe and Henry hopped through the kitchen door.
"See how far I can hop Mommy!" Chloe exclaimed as she took a hop forward.
"Me too Mommy!" Henry shouted, not wanting to be left out.
"I see guys. Good job!" JJ answered as she watched them both hop once more.
"Mommy?" Henry asked as stopped next to Mommy and tapped her on the leg.
"Yeah little man?" JJ asked as she looked down at Henry, running her fingers through his soft blonde locks.
"I hunry." Henry said as he tipped his head back to look at Mommy.
"Me too." Chloe added.
Rebecca knelt down in front of Chloe and Henry, who were still dressed in their pajamas. "Well how about we have some scrambled eggs and some fruit while we wait for the cinnamon rolls to be done?" She asked as she settled Joshua in his high chair and JJ helped Chloe and Henry up into their booster seats.
Chloe and Henry nodded as their eyes went wide at the special treat for breakfast this morning.
Henry turned to look at Daddy as he entered the kitchen. "Daddy, Becbec made cimamom wolls!"
"She did! Wow; that must be what smells so good in here." Spence replied as he smiled at Chloe and Henry in their booster seats and Joshua sitting in his high chair. He wrapped an arm around JJ's waist, his fingers slipping underneath the edge of her t-shirt and dancing lightly across her skin to tickle her.
JJ slapped his chest. "You should go take a shower… you smell." She teased as she turned to look at her sweaty husband.
Spence leaned down as if to kiss her and then at the last moment, diverted to her neck and let his breath brush over her sweaty skin, causing goose bumps to rise on her skin. "No worse than you smell." He teased back, winking as he lifted his head and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Then he sat down next to Chloe at the table.
"Daddy you stinky." Chloe said wrinkling up her nose.
"Okay, okay. The natives have spoken." Spence laughed as he stood back up. "I'm going to go take a shower."
JJ laughed as Spence passed her and then slipped around the table to sit next to Henry.
Henry wrinkled his nose. "Mommy you 'tinky too."
JJ laughed. "Okay, I guess I'll go take a shower now too." She said standing up and ruffling Henry's hair as she left the kitchen.
Rebecca laughed and shook her head as she started scrambling eggs for Chloe and Henry.
JJ smiled as she entered their bedroom and heard the shower still running. She kicked of her running shoes next to Spence's and then quickly peeled her sweaty running clothes off and dropped them in the hamper as she passed through their walk-in closet to the bathroom.
The steam from Spence's hot shower hit her as she crossed the bathroom and slid open the glass door to the shower. She paused as she closed the door to the shower, enjoying the view of her husband standing with his hands braced on the wall, his head tipped down as he let the hot water rush over his head. Rivulets of water beaded and ran down his back and across his ass, before sliding down his long lean legs.
JJ smiled as her eyes perused her husband's body. It appeared that his head was somewhere else right now and he hadn't heard her entering the shower. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Spence's waist and pressed her lips to his back, kissing the space between his shoulder blades.
"You know, my wife is right downstairs." Spence said playfully as one of his hands settled on JJ's on his belly.
"Hm really?" JJ grinned as she continued placing kisses along the curve of her husband's spine.
"Yeah. You know she has a ooohhh," Spence moaned as JJ lightly nipped at the skin of his back, "badge and gun… and with the hand to hand skills she's been working on… you really don't want to …oh god babe." Spence gasped as his wife's hand slipped down his belly to wrap around his length, her fingers lightly teasing his balls for just a moment.
"So what were you saying about your wife?" JJ asked as her other hand slid up Spence's chest, teasing his skin softly as she held him close and continued to press kisses to his back.
"I… can't… remember…" Spence gasped, "God babe… I love you." Spence managed as he peeled JJ's hands free and turned to face her.
JJ's lifted her arms and wrapped them around Spence's neck as he turned to face her. "I love you too baby." She whispered as she leaned up to kiss Spence. She gasped as her back made contact with the cold shower tiles behind her. "Mm" She moaned in pleasure as Spence's warm body pressed up against hers.
Spence reveled in the feeling of his skin sliding over his wife's as the hot water from the shower beat down against their skin. "Do…you…have…any…idea…how…sexy…you…are?" he asked as he lowered his head and kissed his way across JJ's collar bone to the base of her neck. He alternated between placing kisses, nipping, and lapping at the water that beaded on her warm supple skin.
JJ's fingers flexed as her hand cupped the back of her husband's head. She yearned to be able to tangle her fingers in his locks, but while his hair had grown back over the last couple of months, it was still quite short. She settled for scraping her finger nails across his scalp as her head tipped back in pleasure to lean on the tiled wall of the shower.
Spence groaned against JJ's neck as he felt her toes trailing along his calf muscle. His fingers gripped her toned thigh and slid her leg up to rest on his hip.
JJ bucked her hips as Spence's hand slipped between them and teased her sensitive flesh. "Speeeeeence" she moaned drawing out his name as she turned her headed and captured his earlobe between her teeth, tugging ever so gently. "Baby, we don't have much time." She gasped and shuddered as Spence's fingers continued their exploration.
Spence nodded against her neck in understanding that while he would love nothing more than to spend the entire day ravishing his wife, their escapade in the shower would need to be a quickie… 'But then there was always tonight', he thought as his fingers continued to traverse the apex of JJ's thighs. He lifted his head and kissed JJ firmly at discovering that she was more than ready for him.
JJ moaned at the loss as Spence pulled his hand away, then squealed in surprise as he lifted her other leg up around his hips and she was pressed between her husband's hips and the tiled wall of the shower at her back as his hands supported her via their grip on the back of her thighs and her ass.
Spence groaned low in his throat as JJ shifted her hips, her ass wiggling where he held it cupped in his hands to support her as he pinned her to the wall. "JJ, babe…" he lifted his head, resting his forehead against his wife's, his nose brushing against hers.
As they gazed into each other's eyes, all that could be heard was the sounds of the water pelting the walls, the floor, and their bodies in conjunction with their racing breaths and beating hearts.
After their untold moments long silent conversation with their eyes, Spence pulled his hips back, and JJ reached between them, guiding him as he sank into her depths.
JJ crossed her legs tightly across Spence's back; her heals gripped his ass as she attempted to push herself as close as humanly possible. Her arms tightened around his shoulders. Her head tipped, capturing his lips. She nibbled on his lower lip begging entrance to the sanctuary of his mouth.
Spence grunted in satisfaction as JJ guided him home. And it was home, with JJ wrapped tightly around him, there was no other way to describe the intense feelings of love, satisfaction, contentment. This was home… this was where he'd always belonged.
Then JJ was nibbling on his lip and he kissed her back, his tongue darted out to dance with hers as the kiss grew heated and frenzied. Then just being inside JJ with her wrapped around him wasn't enough anymore and he drew slowly back, shifting JJ in his arms to get better leverage.
JJ gave a breathy moan as Spence began to move, his skin dragging deliciously along hers. She pulled her lips from his and began to kissing and nuzzling his neck. Her teeth tugged at his ear lobe. She traced the shell of his ear with her tongue, her hot breath blowing in his ear with each breathy moan.
JJ's hot breath in his ear left him unable to maintain the maddeningly slow pace that he'd set so far. His hips moved faster, setting a faster rhythm as he nuzzled his face against her neck. He chanted "I love you, I love you, I love you." over and over as he pressed kisses to her neck and nuzzled against her ear.
"I love you too baby." JJ gasped in his ear. She clutched at Spence's shoulders, neck, and the back of his head. Her hips swiveled moving in time with Spence's thrusts.
The heated, moist air of the shower ebbed and flowed past, between, and around them as Spence and JJ moved in unison to drive each other to new heights.
Spence fought against the rolling in his balls with all his might as he felt JJ clench around him. Knowing how close she was, he was determined to drive her over the edge before letting go himself. He drove his hips forward and upward again, his back bowing slightly as he exerted himself in causing JJ untold pleasure. Swiveling his hips ever so slightly as their hips met, he was rewarded with a shuddering gasp in his ear from JJ. With renewed vigor, each thrust was followed by a swivel of his hips.
JJ squinted her eyes shut as her head fell back exposing her throat as Spence continued his new onslaught to her senses. Every swivel of her husband's hips rubbed her just the right way. Combined with the circling of her own hips and the rhythmic thrusting of their hips in time with each other's, she was barely holding on.
Spence took advantage of JJ's exposed throat and worshiped the column of her graceful neck. He buried his face in the base of her neck and kissed up its length to the underside of her chin. He paused momentarily to nibble on her chin, then kissed his way back down the other side of her neck using a combination of light feathery kisses, open mouthed kisses, nips, licks, and nuzzling.
JJ clutched Spence close as his hot breath blew across the freshly kissed skin of her neck. It wasn't humanly possible to pull him closer, or she would have. She clung to him, the feel of his skin pressed and rubbing against hers as the hot water from the shower washed over them while they made love pushing her closer and closer to the threshold of her limits.
Spence decided to take a risk as he felt his wife's arms and legs draw even tighter in the grip around him. He slid one hand around from gripping her ass, pressing JJ tighter against the wall with the weight of his body to ensure he didn't drop her as he continued to thrust in time with JJ's hips. He slipped his now free hand between them to rest on her lower belly. He could feel the trembling of JJ's abdominal muscles against the tips of his fingers as he stretched his thumb down from where the palm of his hand rested against her golden curls. His thumb sought and found her dew covered pearl, circling it teasingly as he continued to meet his wife's hips, thrust for thrust.
JJ's eyes opened wide, her fingers gripping the back of Spence's head as she pulled his lips to hers in a heated needy kiss as all of the sensations culminated in their ultimate goal.
Spence swallowed JJ's cries of passion as wave after wave of pleasure filled bliss washed over her. As she spasmed and clenched around him, Spence felt his balls tighten yet again, and allowed himself to ride the crest of the next wave of his wife's orgasm letting go as the pleasure washed over them both. His body jerked against JJ's as he achieved his release, pressing her against the wall and driving her into the depths of another orgasm.
Spence stood gasping for breath in his wife's arms, his forehead resting against hers as he held her, still perched against the shower wall.
JJ raised her hand to brush Spence's wet bangs back from his face. "Hey you" she whispered as she stared in Spence's eyes and gently kissed him. "I love you."
Spence smiled. "I love you too, but we should probably finish up our shower before we run out of hot water."
JJ laughed and then moaned at the loss of closeness as she unwound her legs from Spence's hips and he helped her lower her feet to the floor as she slid down the length of his body. "You're right, but we should use the hot tub tonight. We wouldn't have to worry about running out of hot water." She teased stretching up to kiss him again.
"Mm" Spence moaned into the kiss. "No arguments here." He said as he wrapped his arms around his wife and then turned her into the spray of the shower as he reached for the shower gel.
The doctor smiled at the joyful gasp his patient Penelope Garcia-Morgan made as the image of the baby came up on the screen. "Your baby is definitely healthy and on track developmentally." The doctor said as he turned to look at the Morgans. "So that leaves me with just one question. Would you like to know the sex of the baby?"
Penelope bit her lip as she turned to look up at Derek. Derek squeezed Penelope's hand and lifted his eyebrows in question as he looked at his wife, as if to say it was her decision. Penelope turned to look at the doctor. "Yes we would." She replied, biting her lip as the doctor nodded.
The doctor turned the monitor towards them. "Well, based on what you're seeing here, what do you think?"
Penelope gasped and covered her mouth with her free hand. Derek looked from Penelope to the screen and then back again. "Baby girl… it's a baby girl… right..." Derek trailed off as he looked down at the happy tears in his wife's eyes.
Penelope nodded. "We're having a baby girl." She sobbed as her emotions got the better of her.
Derek grinned, blissfully happy as he wiped away the tears on his wife's cheeks and then leaned down to kiss her. "Mama this makes me so happy… now I'm gonna have two baby girls." He whispered in Penelope's ear, causing her to giggle.
Elle laughed as Will huffed and puffed his way to join her at the top of the trail. They'd decided to get outside and enjoy what would probably be one of the last summer weekends before fall weather set in. Will had suggested a hike, so here they stood in Great Falls Park in McLean looking down at the Potomac River as it thundered over the falls.
"Hey cher, how about if we set up in this picnic area for lunch? I think my little buddy is getting hungry." Will said glancing over his shoulder at Billy who was kicking his legs with his fingers in his mouth.
"Is Daddy talking about you Billy? Are you hungry?" Elle asked as she walked over to stand next to Will and Billy.
Billy squealed happily as Mommy came close. "Mama mama mama" He said excitedly as he reached for Mommy, wanting to get out of the backpack now that they were no longer moving.
"Just a second buddy." Will said over his shoulder and then turned to Elle, giving her a quick kiss. "Why don't I take this if you're going to take shorty?" Will asked indicating the backpack on Elle was wearing that held a blanket and their picnic lunch.
"Sounds like a deal to me." Elle grinned as she slipped the backpack off her shoulders and handed it to Will.
"This thing is heavy as hell cher. What do you have packed in here?" Will asked as Elle pulled Billy out of the baby backpack and then rested him on her hip and helped Will take it off.
"Food. I've seen you and Billy eat." Elle teased. "After lunch that backpacks going to be a lot lighter… of course yours might end up being a lot heavier."
Will shook his head and leaned down to look at Billy. "Do you hear that Billy. Momma thinks she's funny."
Billy laughed as Daddy made a funny face.
Dave grinned at Erin as they walked along the trail at Little Creek with Mudgie. Mudgie ran a little bit watching the squirrels, birds, and wildlife, then his master called him back to heal and he trotted back to walk alongside him for a bit before running up ahead once again.
"So are you relieved that Tim picked soccer over football?" Dave asked as he looked down at Erin."
Erin nodded her head where it rested on David's shoulder. "Yes, to be honest just the thought of Tim playing football terrified me. So I'm very glad that he decided to stick with soccer."
"Me too." Dave nodded, rubbing Erin's shoulder as they continued their walk. "He's really good at soccer and I'm glad that he stood up to the peer pressure on something little and learned that it wasn't the end of the world. Someday he'll have to stand up to something much larger than his friends all wanting him to quit soccer and play football… and with everything we see… that terrifies me."
Erin nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is a terrifying world where nothing is always what it seems isn't it?" she mused.
"Something you want to talk about cara? Something wrong with the case? Are you and the task force any closer to finding who it was that was helping Doyle?" Dave asked in concern, able to see that something was bothering his wife.
Erin took a deep breath and lifted her head to look at David. "We've made great strides. We have people under surveillance. We've uncovered quite a bit of evidence, but we're waiting to find out if the people we have under surveillance lead to any other individuals being involved."
"Well then it sounds like hopefully this will be over soon then." Dave replied.
"Not soon enough." Erin replied. "Nothing can undo what these people have done."
Dave nodded. "Sadly that's the case with every case that crosses our desks. We can only stop the criminals; we can't rewind the clock."
"So did everybody have fun today?" Emily asked as she glanced in the rearview mirror at Jack, Avery, Seth, and Declan. Avery and Seth were out cold after their active day.
She'd thought maybe Declan would enjoy a day away from the boarding school and had invited him to join them on an outing to the zoo. She'd even taken a day off from work in order to go so that they could avoid the crowds and fully enjoy the exhibits.
"It was super fun Emily!" Jack exclaimed. "Right Declan?" he asked as he turned to his older friend for confirmation.
"Yeah, I had a great time. Thanks for inviting me." Declan replied.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you could come and that you had a good time. I think your Mom misses you though since she offered to drop you off at school in the morning so that you could spend the night at home." Emily replied with a smile as she looked at Declan through the rearview mirror.
"Yeah, she has to sign the permission slip for me to play lacrosse this year." Declan replied with a shrug.
"I thought lacrosse was played in the spring?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, the regular season is, but I'm old enough to be on the fall traveling team this year. It's gonna be so cool." Declan replied.
"I bet it is buddy. Are all of your games going to be away? Maybe we can come and see some of your games?" Emily said. "I don't really know anything about lacrosse, but you could teach me right?"
Jack bounced with excitement in his seat. "Me too! Me too! I want to learn too!"
"Really? You want to come and see me play?" Declan asked excitedly, "that would be so cool. I'll get you a copy of our game schedule as soon as we start practice."
Emily smiled at the enthusiasm of young boys. "Terrific. So do you have all your stuff?" she asked as she turned onto Louise, Declan, and Tom's street.
"Yeah, thanks again." Declan replied, preparing to get out as Emily slowed down approaching his house.
"You're welcome bud…" Emily trailed off as she noticed that something didn't look right as they got closer to the house. All of the lights in the house were off, including the front light, which was incredibly strange considering that Louise was expecting them back and should be home. Then her eyes widened as she watched three people walk out the front door of the house and across the street. "Guys, I need you to do me a favor okay?" Emily asked as she pulled into the first driveway she came to, "I need you to duck down so that nobody can see you okay?"
Both boys looked confused, but sadly given his history, Declan knew not to question it. That was a side effect of bad things happening at a young age, you learned to take warnings seriously. Declan helped Jack duck down and made a game of it as they hid underneath their jackets pretending to be spies, which meant they had to stay out of sight and be very quiet…if they only knew.
It took everything she had to stay calm in front of the kids, but inside she was panicking and wondering what was going on. She ran through the options in her head, knowing that she needed to get the kids out of here. She glanced back to make sure that Jack and Declan were down and out of sight. Then she quickly peaked in her side mirror. All eyes in the vehicle just the block and on the other side of the street appeared to be on the house…Declan's house. She took a deep breath and calmly backed out of the driveway she'd pulled into, hoping that their arrival on the block had been either missed or taken for granted.
She eased the car back out onto the street as if everything was normal so as not to arouse any suspicion and began to drive away. As she drove, she glanced into her rearview mirror, making sure that the mysterious car hadn't started following her. She held her breath as the driver's side door opened and the driver got out, inadvertently stepping under the street light. She gasped in the realization that she knew that man. At the end of the block she quickly turned the corner and made her way back to the freeway, hoping to get lost in traffic and keeping her eye on her rearview mirror, making sure they weren't being followed.
Emily debated where it would be safe to go and determined that there was probably only one safe place to go. The BAU. She'd call the team when she got there.
"You too huh?" The guard said with a shake of his head. "I'll keep prayin' for y'all to get to work some normal hours." He replied as he waved Emily through as she showed her badge.
A look of confusion crossed Emily's face as she simultaneously pushed Avery and Seth's double stroller towards the elevator and guided Jack and Declan into the elevator as well.
"Emily, what's going on?" Declan asked, finally feeling safe enough to ask in the elevator.
"Emmy I'm scared. I wish Daddy was here." Jack said, picking up on Emily's nerves and the strange happenings after their great day at the zoo.
"I know Jack." Emily replied, speaking softly and running her fingers through Jack's baby soft sandy blonde hair. "I wish Daddy was her too." Then she turned to her other side to look at Declan. "I don't know what's going on Dec, but I promise we'll find out okay."
Declan solemnly nodded as he picked at the hem of his t-shirt.
The elevator stopped at the sixth floor and Emily turned to Jack and Declan. "Come on guys. Let's go get ahold of…" Emily trailed off as she saw the team all still in the bullpen.
"Emily, we were just about to call you." JJ said standing up she noticed the kids were with Emily. "You know I think Aunt Penelope might have some cookies in her office. How about we go find out?" JJ asked as made eye contact with Penelope.
Penelope nodded in response to JJ's glance. "You know what I do have cookies and snacks. You guys must be hungry after your big day at the zoo. Why don't we go find some snacks and you can tell me all about your big day?" Penelope said, looking down at Jack and taking his hand.
JJ took the stroller from Emily and followed Penelope, Jack, and Declan to Pen's office for snacks.
Emily turned from watching the kids go to Penelope's office with JJ and Penelope and then turned back to the rest of the team. "What's going on?" she demanded.
"Princess, you might want to sit down." Morgan suggested.
Emily shook her head. "I'm too worked up to sit down. Just spill."
Rossi nodded. "Doyle escaped from prison."
"What? How? What the hell… he was in maximum security. How does someone escape from maximum security?" Emily asked as she looked around at the team.
"With help." Elle replied.
Emily sank into the chair at her desk. "This really isn't helping my day. I went to drop Declan off and…" she began explaining the scene at Declan's house.
"So who was it that you thought you recognized?" Elle asked.
"Richard Gerace" Emily replied. "He and I crossed paths while I was the JTF."
"Do you think he and the people he was with could have helped with Doyle's escape?" Reid asked.
Emily shook her head. "Not after the nasty scar Doyle gave Gerace. But I am really worried about what it could mean that they were coming out of the house when we got there."
Rossi nodded. "Okay, we'll go check it out." He said nodding to Morgan, Reid, and Elle. "You stay here with JJ and Penelope and keep the kids distracted. We'll call you and let you know what we find."
Emily nodded and then watched as they headed out the double glass doors of the bullpen. Then she turned and walked down the hallway to join the kids, JJ, and Penelope in Penelope's lair.
As Emily was just about to the door, JJ came out, quietly closing the door behind her.
"Hey Em, I was just coming to find you. Are you okay? You know we're going to find him right?" JJ asked in concern at the troubled expression on Emily's face.
"No, I know we will… it's just this on top of…" Emily paused realizing that JJ wasn't up to speed. She glanced behind JJ, making sure the door to PG's lair was closed all the way. The she set about filling JJ in on what she'd found when dropping Declan off at home and explaining that the guys and Elle had gone to check things out.
JJ took a deep breath and let it out, "Well, that explains why you showed up here with the kids just as we were about to call you. Do you need to drop Jack off or have Haley come and pick him up?"
Emily shook her head. "No, Haley is out of town for a few days."
JJ nodded. "Okay, well the kids seem to be pretty tired and hungry."
Emily's shoulders sagged. "We were supposed to have dinner with Louise since Declan was spending the night there instead of at school."
"Okay, so we'll order pizza and figure out what to do from there." JJ replied comfortingly and wrapped her arm around Emily. "Let's go see what the pregnant lady wants on her pizza. Maybe we can figure out if the baby is a boy or a girl from her topping choices."
Emily laughed allowing her spirits to be brightened, if only temporarily, as she followed JJ into Penelope's office.
JJ smiled as she watched Pen rub her belly while she talked with Avery about what she wanted for her second birthday which was just around the corner. Then she chuckled as she looked around at all of the kids' faces covered in pizza sauce.
"Really?" Penelope asked. "What color do you want the butterflies to be?" she asked
"Purpwe" Avery replied as she leaned back against Auntie Penelope and tipped her head back to be able to see her.
"Purple is your favorite color right now isn't it Avery?" Emily asked as she looked at Avery.
Avery nodded her head in agreement and then lifted her hand, her little fist rubbing at her eyes.
"Are you tired cutie?" Auntie Penelope asked as Avery leaned back against her.
"Oh little girl you are exhausted. Let's get you cleaned up so you can crash." Aunt Penelope said reaching for the wet wipes to clean the pizza sauce off of Avery's hands and face.
Then Emily's phone rang. Emily swallowed and pressed a kiss to the top of Seth's head. "Buddy can you go sit with Auntie JJ and finish your pizza?" she asked as she slid Seth's plate over in front of JJ and then stood up sitting Seth in JJ's lap as she stepped out of the conference room to answer her phone.
JJ gave Emily a reassuring nod, knowing how concerned she was. "Hey big guy you were pretty hungry huh?" JJ asked as Seth settled into her lap and he continued eating, getting as much pizza on his face as he did in his mouth.
"Ah?" Seth grunted as he turned and offered his fist full of pizza to JJ.
JJ smiled and kissed her nephews head. "Oh, no thank you buddy. It's nice of you to share, but you eat."
"Okay, we'll see you when you get back." Emily replied solemnly as she reentered the conference room. She subtly shook her head as Penelope and JJ both looked at her.
"It's bad isn't it?" Declan asked in a soft voice.
Emily closed her eyes for just a moment, fighting back the tears. Then she reopened them and looked at the boy who she'd risked so much for to give him a new life, one away from his father's. It pained her to know that it looked like his father's world had tracked him down anyway. "Yeah Dec, it's bad."
"How… how bad?" Declan asked.
Emily swallowed thickly. "Why don't we… um take a walk?" she asked, completely unsure how she was supposed to tell him that the only mother he'd ever known was dead.
JJ and Penelope both blinked back tears as they heard Declan's loud cry of "NO!" followed by sobbing.
"Why is Declan crying?" Jack asked innocently, concerned for his friend.
Penelope and JJ glanced quickly at each other, unsure what exactly to say. JJ however remembered another Jack, a different Jack whispering in her ear to ask her if George had hurt Mommy, if Mommy was okay, and where she was.
JJ swallowed. "Jack you know sometimes people get hurt right?"
Jack nodded.
"Well," JJ swallowed, hoping she was saying the right thing, "sometimes, if people get hurt really, really bad, it can't be fixed and they die."
"Like my pet frog?" Jack asked trying to understand even though luckily, this Jack had yet to have any firsthand experience with death at his young age other than his pet frog that had died over the summer.
JJ remembered Emily talking about how upset Jack had been at the death of his first pet. She nodded. "Yeah sweetie, like your frog. That's what happened to Declan's Mom."
Jack frowned, his brows furrowing just like his Daddy's. "Is Declan gonna be okay?"
Penelope rubbed his back since she was sitting next to him. "Yeah Jack, eventually he will, but for a while he'll probably be really sad and need a good friend like you."
At that moment Emily came back in the room and sat back down at the table, wiping her red rimmed eyes. "He cried himself to sleep. I stretched him out on the couch in Aaron's office."
Jack rubbed his eyes.
"You're pretty sleepy too I bet huh?" Emily asked as she stood up and knelt down next to Jack.
Jack nodded, rubbing his eyes again.
"Okay, well how about we get you set up on the couch in Daddy's office too?" Emily asked picking the exhausted five year-old up out of his chair.
"I don't think Jack and Declan are the only ones who are exhausted." JJ smiled as she glanced down at Seth who was sound asleep in her lap, sucking on his thumb as he curled up against her.
"No he's not. Little Miss Mini-Me is sound asleep too." Penelope said pointing out the sleeping little girl in her lap. "You know, I have a playpen is in my office. If we set it up in bossman's office, then the kids will be able to have some peace and quiet to sleep, but still be close by."
"Thanks PG. I'll just go lay Jack down. Then I'll go grab the playpen." Emily said as turned to walk out the door, with a sleeping Jack passed out on her shoulder.
They no more than had the kids all down then the guys and Elle returned.
"We called the locals. They're processing the scene." Elle explained. "Are you okay? Is Declan okay?"
Emily shook her head. "No, but he will be… and me… I just want to get Doyle back behind bars and catch whoever it was that did this to Louise."
"Are we sure that Doyle escaping from prison and Louise being murdered aren't connected?" Rossi asked.
Emily shook her hand again. "No, they can't be. Doyle didn't know that Declan and Louise were alive. The last he knew, they were murdered in the corner of that warehouse in Boston. It's why he took me there back in March. He wanted his revenge where he thought his son died."
Reid nodded his head. "What if we used that to our advantage?"
"What are you thinking kid?" Morgan asked.
"Doyle doesn't know that Declan and Louise were alive. What if we planted a story with the local media to draw Doyle out?" Reid continued as he laid out a plan that should draw Doyle out with everything that they knew about him and his personality.
Emily nodded. "It could work. I need to go call Aaron and let him know what's happened."
"Take all the time you need." Rossi said with a nod and a comforting smile thrown in Emily's direction. "JJ, I know you aren't the media liaison anymore… but do you have someone in mind that would work best for the plan?"
JJ nodded, already dialing her phone. "I do. Give me about ten minutes." She said as she sat down at her desk.
The bullpen became a flurry of activity as the each readied to carry out the plan. Emily returned to the bullpen from calling Aaron just as JJ was getting off the phone.
"It's all set up. I just need to send them the copy that we want them to run with and they'll make sure it airs in the 10 o'clock news." JJ said turning in her chair to look at the team.
Rossi nodded. "Reid, work with JJ on the wording of the press release. Emily?" he asked as he looked up at Emily who was walking down the stairs from the catwalk.
"Aaron's on his way back now, but told us all to be safe and he'll see us soon." Emily explained.
"Good." Rossi replied with a nod. "So here's where we're at…."
Ian Doyle sat at the bar drinking Irish Whisky and Guinness as he watched the news. As a newly escaped man, he was laying low at an Irish pub where he knew he could trust the owner. Everyone would be expecting him to be on the run right now, but he was staying close to DC. He had debts to settle.
"Ey, turn that up." Doyle gestured to the TV that was currently showing the news where they were showing a picture of a woman who'd been murdered in her home. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn that woman was an older version of Louise, his former house keeper and nanny.
The barkeep grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.
"It appears she was killed in a home invasion," The newscaster said, "but here's the most interesting piece of the story. We've discovered through our investigation that prior to seven years ago, Louise Thatcher didn't exist. We've searched through state records to find out who this woman was to see if we could uncover anything that might lead to why she would have been attacked so brutally in her own home. Surprisingly, we found nothing. No birth certificate, no driver's license, no documentation what-so-ever that predates seven years ago. In fact our search for answers has only uncovered more questions. We'll bring you more as this story unfolds."
"Emily, Emily, Emily," Ian whispered under his breath as he spun his empty pint glass in his hand. Then he stood and turned throwing the empty glass against the stone wall of the pub. "You'll regret the day you betrayed me and stole my son from me Emily Prentiss."
The team sat in the surveillance vans with SWAT nearby as they waited outside Declan, Louise, and Tom's house in Reston to find out if Doyle's curiosity was going to get the better of him and he was going to make an appearance. They didn't have to wait long. As expected, Doyle had appeared, wanting to find out if the Louise on the news was his former housekeeper and nanny and if so, if that meant Declan was alive as well.
Doyle fought against the restraints as he was dragged down the hall to the interrogation room. "You can lock me up again, but I'll get out again. I have friends in high places." He sneered as he was pushed down in a seat and cuffed to the table.
"You might have friends in high places, but eventually we'll find out who they are. Associating with someone like you… well someone always talks eventually." Morgan replied as he stared down at Doyle with his arms crossed.
Then Emily opened the door and walked in the room. "Anything?"
Morgan shook his head. "Just the usual. You can't hold me. I have friends in high places… blah, blah, blah." Morgan said as he continued to stared down Doyle. "Nothin' we haven't heard before."
Doyle struggled against his bonds, becoming agitated at Emily's presence in the room. "You bitch! You stole my son from me. Seven years! Seven years I thought he was dead."
Emily braced her hands on the edge of the table getting in Doyle's face. "And I wonder Ian what your captors in North Korea would have done to him if they'd thought he was alive… if they'd thought hurting Declan would break you… if they thought threatening him would make you talk. You always talked about raising a warrior. Did you forget that he was a four year old defenseless little boy?" Emily glared at him, the weight of her gaze forcing Doyle back into his seat. "Why should a four old little boy have to pay for the sins of his father? You're right. I did fake his and Louise's deaths… but I didn't do it to spite or hurt you… you aren't worth that kind of effort. I did it to protect them, to give Declan a life free from who and what you are. He's been free from that life for the last seven years Ian… when he smiles it lights up a room because he's happy… at least he was until earlier tonight. What did you do Ian… who did you piss off enough that they'd find a way to come after him?"
Ian's head hung down. "Is he safe?" he asked as he looked back up. "The news didn't mention him… so he must be safe."
Emily stood back up and crossed her arms. "He's safe for now. But the only way we can keep him safe is if we find the people that killed Louise. Who hates you enough to go after Louise and Declan to get to you?"
"No one, at least no one that's lived to tell the tale. Nobody even knows he exists." Ian replied.
"Richard Gerace was there." Emily said. "I saw him come out of the house with two other people… a man and a woman. Think Ian! Declan's future depends on it."
"You know as well as I do that Gerace was always more your problem than mine. Sure I gave him the scar… but what you did to him… well I'm sure he holds much more of a grudge over that than any war wound I gave him." Ian said as shifted and leaned forward in his seat. "Let me see Declan. Let me see my son."
"That's not going to happen." Emily replied and turned on heel and walked out of the room, followed by Morgan.
The team stood in the round table room trying to get fresh eye's on the case.
"Are we sure this isn't just about Gerace getting revenge on Doyle?" Rossi asked as he looked at the evidence board.
"No, Gerace gave up on Doyle a long time ago. Plus, knowing him like I do, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have the balls to attempt this." Emily replied.
Reid crossed his arms as he sat on the edge of the table. "Yesterday was a break from Louise and Declan's regular routine."
"Right, and your point Reid?" Elle asked as she looked at Reid.
"What if we go at this from the very beginning? What would a normal day look like for them Emily?" Reid asked.
"Well Declan normally stays at the boarding school. He comes home over breaks, special occasions, if he's not feeling well. Louise of course has her own normal routine, so she might have changed her plans around since we were planning on having dinner together." Emily explained.
"Okay, well let's get started on going through their regular routine. Maybe we can find something there. Baby girl?" Morgan asked as he looked at Penelope who was seated at the table, her fingers flying over the keys of her laptop.
"Already on it like cute on a baby, hotness." Penelope said without even glancing away from her screen. ""Okay, now this is interesting."
"What is it PG?" Emily asked, taking a seat next to Penelope at the table.
"Well, while you and the adorable quartet were at the zoo yesterday, a lot of the kids at Declan's school got sick. All at once." Penelope said her fingers continuing to fly over the keys. "Food poisoning… poor kids."
"Who were the kids?" Emily asked.
"Here" Penelope replied, pointing to her screen showing the list of kids who'd gone to the nurse's office at school the afternoon before.
Emily looked over the list. "These are all friends of Declan's… I think all of them are in the same dorm as him too."
"So it was targeted at Declan then?" JJ asked.
"It makes sense. They knew his routine. It's a boarding school and they don't have permission to pick Declan up from the school, so they have to get him away from the school to get access. They were counting on him getting sick and being at home with Louise." Reid said as he stood up to look at the evidence board.
Elle walked over to join Reid in looking at the evidence. "They were awfully angry that Declan wasn't there. Louise took quite a beating."
"What if the beating that she took was because of who she was?" Hotch asked from where he stood in the doorway.
The team all turned to look at him as he sat his duffle bag down inside the doorway.
"Nice beard man." Morgan said noting the full beard Hotch sported on his face.
JJ looked down and smirked as she watched Emily's face light up at the sight of Hotch as she walked across the room to greet him.
Emily's eyes took in the very much missed sight of her husband as she walked across the room towards him. She took in the sight of his beard, his cargo pants… and her girly side gave a feral growl. She'd have to make sure that once this was all wrapped up she had some time with him alone before he shaved that beard. Then she refocused. They needed to wrap up this… whatever the hell this was before that could happen. "Hi" she said as she entered his personal space and wrapped her arms around him for the first time in months. "God I missed you."
"I missed you too. Are the kids okay?" he whispered in her ear as their hug continued.
Emily nodded against his shoulder. "The kids are okay… well Declan's having a rough time right now, but he will be okay."
Aaron nodded and pulled back, brushing Emily's hair from her face and then leaned in to kiss her. "You have no idea how much I've been wanting to do that."
"Oh, I think I might." Emily replied with a grin. Then the solemnness returned as they let each other go, both remembering that they needed to solve this case to keep Declan safe. "So what were you saying about Louise being beaten because of who she was?"
"Whoever this was showed a lot of rage at Louise." Hotch said as he looked at the evidence board.
Emily tipped her head as she looked at Louise's picture. "She had been with Doyle since before Declan was born."
"Okay guys, look at this." Penelope interjected, getting everyone's attention. "I've got someone delivering cupcakes to the school yesterday afternoon not too long before all of the kids got sick." Penelope said as she put the footage up on the monitor. She'd started looking through the footage as soon as Reid mentioned that Declan had been the target.
"There, there," Emily said as they caught a brief glimpse of the woman's face. "Can you run that through facial recognition and see if you get a match?"
"I can try, but at that angle it will be hard to get a match and it could take a while. I'm sorry Em. I'll work as fast as I can." Penelope replied.
Emily walked behind Penelope and rested her hand on her shoulder. "It's okay PG. Can you get me a printout? We might have something faster than facial recognition software."
Emily walked into the interrogation room where Doyle sat and slapped the photo of the mystery woman on the table. "Who is this?"
Doyle's eyes widened as he looked at the photo. "Chloe Donaghy."
"And she is?" Emily prompted.
"Declan's mother… although I use the term loosely. She never wanted him. She tried to kill him before he was even born." Doyle said as he began telling Emily the whole story behind Declan's birth.
"No wonder she hates you." Emily shook her head. "Did Louise help with Declan's birth?"
"Yes" Doyle replied.
Emily nodded. "Then that explains why she did this to Louise." She said as she laid the crime scene photo of Louise's battered body on the table in front of Doyle. "I need to know who her contacts are in the States and I need to know now." She said as she handed him a pen and a piece of paper.
"But why would she do this? She didn't want him then… why would she want him now?" Doyle asked as he stared down at the blank sheet of paper.
"To hurt you. What else would she and Gerace have to gain from taking Declan?" Emily asked.
Doyle continued to stare at the sheet of paper; then he lifted his head. "Money. It's the only thing she ever cared about."
In the course of looking through Chloe Donaghy's connections, Penelope came across Lachlan McDermott. Doyle had murdered Jimmy McDermott in relation to a blood feud between the families. Lachlan owned an 'import' company that shipped internationally. He owned three warehouses in Inner Harbor Baltimore, one of which was slated to be demolished.
The team approached the warehouse with the lights off and waited as the SWAT team pulled up and blocked in what would appear to be their suspects' car. They moved quickly and quietly through the warehouse, clearing room after room. Then they reached the back of the warehouse, catching Donaghy, Gerace, and McDermott in surprise as they were surrounded.
Gerace made a move to reach for his gun.
"Uh uh uh Richard. I wouldn't do that if I were you." Rossi said. "You have a lot of guns pointed at you right now, so I'd keep them up if I were you."
Gerace lifted his hands back above his head and the SWAT team covered the three international criminals as the BAU team closed in and began to cuff their suspects and read them their rights.
"I can't wait to get home and see the kids." JJ said as she wrapped her arm around Spence's waist in the elevator.
"Me either, although, this time of night, that's all we'll be able to do. I'm sure they're sound asleep." He replied as he wrapped his arm around JJ's shoulders.
"They look so peaceful and angelic while they sleep." JJ replied with a grin as they stepped off the elevator to find Penelope waiting for them. "I could watch our babies sleep for hours."
Morgan knew his baby girl was excited to tell the team about the baby, so as soon as he stepped of the elevator; he walked over to Penelope and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He cleared his throat to get the team's attention.
"Speaking of babies." Penelope said as she glanced up at Derek. "We wanted to let you know that the baby is a girl."
Morgan grinned as the team stepped forward to congratulate them all.
Rossi shook Morgan's hand. "I've got some cigars and single malt Scotch when you're ready to celebrate." Then he turned to Penelope. "I'm very happy for you kitten; I'm sure Jake is going to make a great big brother." He whispered in her ear as he gave her a kiss on each cheek.
The hugs and hand shaking continued all around. Finally Hotch got everyone's attention. "I don't know about all of you, but I am anxious to get home. Save the paperwork for tomorrow. Nobody has to be here until noon. We'll focus on getting this case squared away then, but for now, go home and spend some time with your families."
Emily turned and smiled up at Aaron as everyone went into the bullpen to gather their things before heading out. "Why Agent Hotchner, I do believe you've turned into a big softie." She teased.
Aaron grinned and shook his head. "No I just want to get home and see the kids…and spend some quality time with my wife."
At Aaron's comment about seeing the kids, a frown crossed Emily's face.
"What is it?" Aaron asked, settling his hand low on her back.
Emily took a deep breath. "It's just now that this is over… I have to call Tom and let him know what happened. We might have caught them, and have Doyle back in custody, but for Declan this is far from over."
Aaron nodded. "Let's get out of here and get home. You can call Tom while I unpack."
Emily nodded. "As long as you promise not to shave the beard until tomorrow morning."
"Really?" Aaron said turning to look down at Emily as they crossed the elevator lobby. He'd have thought that Emily would be of the same opinion as the kids. Not a fan.
"Oh yeah" Emily replied in a throaty voice. "Trust me… you can dress up and play soldier at home any time you like."
Aaron's eyebrows lifted and a large grin crossed his face as he followed his wife into the bullpen to gather their things.
Hotch and Emily peeked in on Avery and Seth when they got home. A smile crossed his face when he thought of how excited they would be that Daddy was home in the morning. "We'll have to go see Jack in the morning so he doesn't feel left out."
Emily nodded. "I'll call Haley in the morning. I'm sure she'll be happy to help with the surprise."
"I'm going to go unpack and take a shower." Aaron said and then kissed her temple. "You know where I'll be if you need me."
Emily peeked into the guest room, glad to find that Declan was asleep. She stood watching for several minutes watching, wishing there was something she could do to make the next several weeks and months easier for him. Then she pulled the door most of the way closed and headed down the hall to her and Aaron's bedroom in order to call Tom, who at the moment had no idea of everything that had transpired in the last few days.
Tom sighed on the other end of the phone at the news of Louise's death. The first couple of years, he'd lived with the fear that Doyle's men or some nefarious governmental group would find Louise and Declan and that they'd have to pay for things that Doyle had done. As the years had gone by, that fear had faded, but now it had reached out of the past like a specter and Louise was dead. Luckily Declan was okay. God…Declan… the boy had no idea what it was like to have a normal family. "Emily, I'll be on the next plane out. I think we need to talk about a custody arrangement. You know I loved Declan like he's my own, but he deserves to be part of a family… he needs a mother. I still want to be part of his life… and if I can still see him as much as I did before, then I'd like for you and Aaron to raise him. You can give him the family that I can't."
"I… Tom… I…" Emily paused, overwhelmed with emotion at the thought. "Declan's been through a very traumatic experience… you know I love him, but we need to let him be a part of this decision. You can't just fill the missing piece with me and expect that he's going to be okay. You also need to think about how this will make him feel. Is it going to feel like you don't want him… like you're giving him away?"
Tom sighed again, the emotion of everything overwhelming him. "There's never any easy answers are there."
"Unfortunately, no." Emily replied. "I promise I'll think about what you said and you think about what I said. After Louise's funeral and things settle down, we'll talk with Declan and find out what he wants."
"Okay, I'll see you soon." Tom said as he hung up.
Emily sighed and scrubbed her hand over her face. Then she smiled as Aaron came out of the shower. "Hey, how was your shower?"
"Amazing." Aaron replied as he scrubbed the towel over his head and face, drying his hair and beard. "How did the call with Tom go?"
"I think he's a little broken up and might not be thinking clearly. He wants us to take Declan even though he's spent the last seven years raising Declan as his own." Emily replied.
Aaron nodded as sat down on their bed next to Emily. "And what about you?"
"I think we need to ask Declan what he wants." Emily said as she looked at Aaron.
"And we will… but that's not what I asked. What do you want to do?" Aaron asked, knowing all too well what Emily's answer would be.
"If it's what Declan wants and we can do it in a way that he doesn't feel like Tom is abandoning him or doesn't want him, then I would love for Declan to be a part of our family." Emily replied.
Aaron smiled. His wife had the biggest heart and the softest spot for children who'd lost everything. If she had her way they'd adopt every wayward child they came across in their line of work. He knew exactly how much it cost her that they hadn't been able to take in more than just Seth. "Okay." He nodded.
"Okay… just okay?" Emily asked as she looked at Aaron.
"Yeah, he's a good kid and he needs a family. But you're right it has to be his choice and it has to be in a way that he won't feel like he's losing Tom or being abandoned."
Emily gave a sigh of relief as she sank into Aaron's side. She reached up and ran her hand along his jaw. "Now about this beard." She murmured as she leaned up to kiss him.
"You've got to be kidding me Jason." Hotch said as he looked at the forms in his hand.
"I wish I were Aaron, but apparently the events of a few days ago ruffled some feathers of the higher ups." Gideon replied as he stood leaning against the wall with his arms and feet crossed. "You know you and the team have my support. I wish there was something that the Director or I could do about this, but when a Senate hearing gets called, you know you have to appear."
Hotch nodded. "We might as well let everyone know now, at least they'll get to enjoy some time with their families while we prepare for this side show."
"There is that." Gideon replied as he followed Hotch out of his office and down the catwalk.
"My team in the round table room." Hotch called out.
JJ, Reid, Morgan, Penelope, Elle, Emily, and Rossi all broke from discussing baby girl names to head up the stairs of the mezzanine and into the round table room.
Needless to say the team had all been less than pleased about being suspended and having to wait two weeks for the hearing. They re-captured Doyle. They'd also apprehended three other international criminals and put them in federal custody as well. That was supposed to be considered a good day's work in their books.
Two weeks of down time had allowed them time to square away some personal things. Louise's funeral came and went. Aaron, Emily, Tom, and Declan sat down together and discussed where Declan would live now. Declan had been excited to become a part of the Hotchner's family, especially with Tom still being as involved as he always had.
JJ and Spence enjoyed their down time. It allowed them to be present for Chloe's first day of pre-school. At three years old, soon to be four, she was attending one day a week. Henry had been excited to have Daddy and Mommy home to play with for almost two whole weeks, and Joshua of course, as a happy healthy six month old was always happy to spend time with Mommy and Daddy. Seeing as Rebecca was starting her senior year of college, she was glad to have the extra time to adjust to the increased stress level.
Derek and Penelope spent time with two year old Jake and planned out the nursery for baby girl Morgan. It was sure to be a baby pink princess paradise.
Will enjoyed having Elle at home and them spending time with Billy. He'd come to accept how important Elle's work was to her over the years, and would never begrudge it to her. He'd learned to enjoy the family times they did have together as much as possible.
Rossi would have liked to have spent time with his wife, but with Doyle back behind bars again, the case she was working on to find out who had been helping Doyle when he originally escaped from Kwan-Li-So and began his rampage of revenge.
Erin Strauss-Rossi sat huddled with the task force she was leading and looked over all of the evidence they'd worked to accumulate over the last six months, ever since Aaron Hotchner had the BAU swept for listening devices during the course of the original Doyle case. What started off as some listening devices, had developed into what was sure to be one of the largest indictments of government employees that she'd ever seen.
Well-manicured hands flipped through a folder looking over notes, photos, and evidence. Then they picked up the phone. "Make it happen. He's of no use to us now and clearly he can't be controlled. While you're at it you might as well take out Donaghy, Gerace, and McDermott. Make it look like an accident. I want to be done with this whole sordid affair. Getting into business with Doyle was a mistake in the first place." He nodded as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. "Good see that it's handled immediately."
JJ paced anxiously up and down the hallway of the US Capitol building. For some reason the Congress members involved in the hearing had requested to speak with her first.
Spence grabbed JJ's hand as she walked by him for the twelfth time. "Hey, it's going to be okay."
"Spence this is serious. What if they break up the team?" JJ asked as she looked up at Spence.
"Well then I guess we'll figure it out when and if that happens, but there's no sense worrying over something that hasn't happened yet. Aren't you the one who used to tell me that?" Spence asked as he looked down into his wife's worry filled blue eyes. "All we can do is answer their questions."
JJ took a deep breath. "Thanks. I love you."
"I love you too… and it looks like you're on." He said squeezing her hand as the doors opened and her name was called.
She squeezed his hand back before letting go and being led into the chambers.
JJ placed her hand on the Bible and swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help her God and then was seated at the table facing the Congressional Committee. She took a deep breath to steel her nerves and then focused.
"Good morning Agent Jareau." Mr. Cramer said as he looked down at her from his perch on the panel. "If you don't mind, now that you've been sworn in we're going to jump right in."
"Of course, sir." JJ replied.
Mr. Cramer nodded. "And how long have you been back with the Bureau?"
"Four months sir." JJ replied.
"A lot has happened since then. I see there've been some transfers and loans of Agents to other Agencies. You had sixteen cases in that time." Mr. Cramer stated as he looked down at his notes.
"Nineteen, sir." JJ corrected.
"Ah, yes, in sixteen weeks." The Senator said as he leaned back in his chair. "That's impressive."
"Thank you." JJ nodded.
"But what's more impressive is the fact that you were reinstated, promoted, and suspended in that short time. I believe that's a record Agent Jareau." Mr. Cramer said as he leaned forward in his seat.
"Why aren't we in there?" Reid asked as he stood out in the hallway with the rest of the team.
"There just trying to intimidate us." Rossi replied.
"Well that's not about to happen." Morgan said as he stood with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his gray suit pants.
"I'm not okay with this." Penelope replied.
"You may not even be a witness." Rossi explained.
"I'm not worried about me…" Penelope trailed off for a moment as she glanced around at the team. "Don't they have anything better to do than…"
"Baby girl, this is just what they do." Morgan replied.
The team all turned to look at Erin Strauss-Rossi and what appeared to be her entire task force showed their badges and what appeared to be a warrant to the guard manning his post at the entrance to the hallway in front of the chambers.
Erin tossed a small smile at the team just before she and her task force opened the doors of the chambers and interrupted the hearing in progress.
JJ turned in shock at the sound of the doors opening behind her. To her great surprise it was Erin Strauss-Rossi and her task force. She turned back in her seat to face the panel as the committee chairman's voice boomed through the chambers.
"What is the meaning of this? This is a closed hearing." Mr. Cramer asked.
"I'm sure that it is; however, you Senator Cramer will no longer be participating." Erin said as the agents behind her spread out to cover the room and both of the exits. Erin continued her approach to the bench behind which the panel sat. Two agents approached either end of the bench and moved behind it. "Senator Cramer, you are hear by under arrest for aiding and abetting a known terrorist, money laundering, fraud, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder."
The eyes of the other members of the Congressional Committee widened as the list of charges against Senator Cramer were read, he was handcuffed, and he was lead out of chambers.
Senator Tomlinson, seated to the right of Senator Cramer's former seat picked up the gavel and called a brief recess. "Agent Jareau, I remind you, you will remain under oath, but are free to leave chambers during the recess."
"Yes sir, of course sir." JJ replied, anxious to find out what the hell had just happened.
JJ stepped out into the hall as the members of the Congressional Committee slipped into a meeting room to discuss what had just happened.
"Erin," JJ asked as she joined the team and Erin in the hallway, "what just happened."
Erin smiled at JJ. "It turns out Senator Cramer was one of many drawn in to Doyle's web. He appears to have been the friend in high places that Doyle spoke of. Unfortunately for Doyle, Gerace, Donaghy, and McDermott, Senator Cramer decided to terminate their friendship. All four died sometime during the overnight hours and were discovered in their cells this morning, all dead by various means. It's taken months to unravel the layers of people and protection that the Senator placed between himself and Doyle. We've had a wiretap on his phones and access to his emails for weeks now. We have him ordering an associate to take care of Doyle and the others on tape. It looks like the Senator will be in the hot seat and answering some difficult questions himself now."
"Well that answers a lot of questions about how Doyle was able to do a lot of what he was able to do and to access." Emily mused. "But what does this mean for the Congressional Committee."
JJ tipped her head to the side. "I don't know. To honest they all looked pretty shaken up about Senator Cramer being arrested. They called for a recess, but I have no idea what that could mean."
"I have to be going. There's a mountain of paperwork waiting to be signed off on and filed." Erin said. "But I'll see you all later."
As the team was watching their former nemesis walk off, they were called in before the committee.
"Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Emily whispered to Aaron as they walked down the aisle to be seated at the witness table.
"I'm not sure what to make of it. Dave?" Hotch asked.
"I have no idea," Dave replied, "but I suspect we won't have to wait long to find out."
Mr. Tomlinson now sat in the center seat of the panel. "We've looked over the file that originally drove this investigative panel to be called at the request of Senator Cramer. While there are some irregularities in the way the case was handled in that a task force wasn't set up and the proper jurisdictions were not respected in regards to federal agencies and local authorities, it is this committee's opinion that time was of the essence in order to apprehend the four international criminals with terrorist connections."
Senator Tomlinson looked to his fellow Senators and Congressmen and then back at the team as he continued. "The ends however do not justify the means as you are all well aware. The DIOG has rules and they need to be followed for a reason. Consider this your first and only warning that this committee will not accept a rogue team operating within the FBI and with the use of government funds."
"This committee is also willing to recognize, however," Mr. Tomlinson continued, "that this particular investigative hearing may likely have been started as a means to cover illegal activities on the part of Senator Cramer. As such, we are ending this hearing and you are all reinstated and dismissed." He said as he banged the gavel.