A/N: O:)

Don't Judge a Book
Chapter Seven

"Mom, are you sure you're okay with this?" AJ asked.

He didn't like it, but he didn't like any of their other options either. Their perp was still out there somewhere, and the thought of sitting here even for one night doing nothing if they could stop him was not acceptable. He suspected a guy like that would do one of two things when he found those kids gone. One, bolt or two, try to find them. Frankly, AJ didn't want to take the chance on either of those. He wished he'd considered the latter before bringing the boys to Mom's house in the first place. In the end, that second possibility was what fueled the decision to take action, no matter how illogical it was. There was very little way the guy would even know where to start looking, so Mom and the boys were safe.

He and Rick needed to check on the Sanchez home, and he admitted he hoped they might get lucky and run into their guy. An hour or so of cooling down from the shock of finding two abused little boys had helped curb some of his anger. Mom's calming presence had helped, as it always did. He didn't think the first thing he'd do upon contact with the pervert was punch his lights out anymore. Rick, on the other hand, could still use more time if the persistent darkness in his eyes was anything to go by. His brother never was very good at letting go. That was what made him a good investigator, but at the same time reckless.

"I swear you're making it sound like they're holy terrors. It's not like you brought a pair of hardened criminals to my door. I'll be fine. They seem like sweet little boys." Mom gave him and Rick a weary, knowing look. "Besides, I survived you two, didn't I?"

"Aw, we were good kids."

"Richard Simon, I had a full head of gray by the time I hit forty and you being such a hellion had a lot to do with that," Mom said.

AJ started to chuckle, but sobered when Mom fixed a glare on him.

"It was all monkey-see, monkey-do with you, so you've got no reason to laugh. And for the record I'm still surviving the both of you."

"We love you, Mom," he and Rick said at the same time.

Mom didn't look impressed. "I'll send a search and rescue team if you're not back by morning," she said and shut the door before they could say any more.

They stood there for a moment, silently studying the detailed wood of the door. AJ raised his eyebrows and turned slightly. Rick was doing the same. They made eye contact and both of them bit back smiles as they pivoted away from the house and headed toward the truck. He didn't feel better about leaving Mom alone, but he also knew better than to underestimate her. Sometimes it took a bit of reminding that she wasn't exactly helpless, that was all.

"We have to find this guy before he splits, or worse," Rick said as he pulled the truck into the street. "The bad feeling in my gut won't go away."

"I know exactly what you mean."

AJ wasn't surprised he and Rick were on the same page. They might approach things differently, but in the end were more alike than either of them were likely to ever admit. He gazed out the window at the quiet, dark houses. Everything looked so normal and safe. He imagined very few people around here gave much thought to all the bad things that happened in this world.

"I can't stop thinking about what those kids must have gone through already in their short lives," AJ said softly. "I'm even trying to come up with scenarios that aren't atrocious. Not having any luck with that."

AJ heard an unhappy growl, but Rick said nothing. That had become a standard response tonight and it really did sum up things quite well. He knew they were being ruled by gut feeling more than cold, hard facts, and that was part of the reason he wanted to find the guy responsible. He wanted answers straight from the jackass's mouth. On a baser level, he wanted the satisfaction of telling this guy the objects of his abuse would never be hurt by him again. He knew it was a White Knight reaction. He didn't much care.

Rick steered the car to the Sanchezes and they went on high alert, looking for prowlers or any signs of activity. The neighborhood was dark except the Sanchez house, and AJ saw no cars out of the ordinary. Despite the lights, he knew the family must be sleeping. Knocking on their door at 1:30 AM wasn't advisable. The house looked secure and, funnily enough, the Peeping Tom thing was not at the top of the priority list anymore.

"We should head to the office," Rick said, already steering the truck in that direction. "Maybe the Sanchezes had a problem earlier and left a message. Anyway, I need to pick up a few items before we stake out the motel for our guy."

"We can't hurt him, Rick."

"For crying out loud. I'm not going to hurt him, AJ."

Rick's response was immediate, indignant and exasperated, which led AJ to believe the only thing his brother was thinking about was hurting the guy. This was working out to be one of those times Rick's stubbornness could prove to be a problem. They had to be careful. They'd already be in trouble for basically kidnapping those kids, but if they added assault and battery to someone they only suspected of abuse not even Town would be able to save their backsides.

"Rick, I mean it. We're going into this blind, and the last thing we want is to give this guy an out," AJ said.

"Can the lecture, kid. I'm really not in the mood."

AJ never intended to sound like he was lecturing, but he knew he often came across that way anyway. He also knew he wasn't telling Rick anything he didn't already know. Sometimes Rick needed non-subtle cues to let go of the bone he was chewing on, and that usually resulted in his brother being angry with him more than the situation. AJ didn't like it – often thought it was unfair, in fact – but that way Rick was less likely to go off half-cocked and that was a good thing. He'd learned a long time ago that being the voice of reason wasn't always fun.

"You think their mother's dead?" AJ asked after a minute. He couldn't stop thinking about that, either, and grasping at the hope that somewhere out there someone loved little Dean and Sam and would come for them.

"You saw how the kid reacted. If the mother isn't dead, I'll eat my hat."

AJ suddenly pictured how he used to wait by the window, so excited for Rick to get home from school so they could play cops and robbers and pirates and whatever stupid thing he wanted. Every day, it was the same thing. He could still feel that thrill of happiness, and he could also remember when that changed. AJ didn't remember much except vague hints here and there about their father, pieces cobbled together with photographs and stories, certain smells and sounds triggering more concrete memories. He didn't remember the time surrounding Jack Simon's death in any other terms than noticing a drastic difference in Rick and Mom, how they smiled and laughed less often, and how at first he hadn't been quite able to understand why Dad was never around anymore.

But there was one day in particular AJ remembered like it was yesterday. He could see vividly the day when Rick came home from school with torn clothes, blood on his upper lip and tear tracks dried and salty on his cheeks. Tears. His big brother. AJ had immediately burst into his own fresh tears, though he didn't know why. He remembered Mom cleaning Rick up and Rick's, "I don't feel like playing today, little brother" and getting more upset about that than about all the rest of it.

Later he found out Rick had gotten into a fight after school because a dumb kid had said something mean about him not having a dad anymore. At the time AJ still hadn't understood, but he sure did now.

"Yeah," AJ said softly. "You're probably right."

It was much worse, somehow, knowing the Sam and Dean's mother was gone and they had been left with a father so twisted and broken he had fast tracked right into a sexual predator. AJ had a very bad feeling that simple voyeurism wasn't what the guy had planned for Rosalie or Cristina Sanchez. He didn't want to allow his ample imagination to come up with a list of possibilities, not the least of which was rape. It was odd that he was targeting women, though, while holding onto boys. AJ was no profiler, but he wasn't sure it was likely for a predator to play both sides of the fence. A thought niggled at him, a mental red flag.

"You comin' or what?" Rick asked.

Only when Rick's voice pulled him from his musings did AJ realize the truck was parked in front of their office. He nodded and slid out, following a few steps behind Rick. This whole situation was so messed up he didn't know up from down. The problem was that warning bells were going off for so many disparate things he didn't know which he should focus on, which ones were tolling for the true danger. Confusion wasn't a good state to be in during an active case, especially on one so potentially sticky. Now wasn't the time for him to be in a quandary about which warning bell to listen to. Where Rick was impetuous, AJ knew he tended to over think. Speaking of Rick, he had brother-wrangling to do.

Rick barged into the office like a bull, headed straight for his desk without bothering to switch on any lights.

AJ sighed. He shut the door with a quiet snick and reached for the light switch. The last thing he expected was the dark shadows to come to life, or for his arm to be locked in a tight, painful grip and twisted around, up his back. Instinct had him fighting to break free, but it was too late. A strong arm wound around his chest, a hand tilted his head back and cut off his air. All he could do with any degree of prowess was choke as he felt something cool and hard press under his jaw.

"I don't know what you're spluttering about. I already told ya, A…"

Whatever Rick was going to say next faded into nothing as dim light from Rick's desk lamp flooded the room. With a barrel of a gun jammed into his jaw, AJ's gaze was limited to the upper half of the room. He didn't have to see Rick to know his brother had discovered his predicament. If he weren't a logical, sensible person, he'd think he could actually taste the tension in the air.

"Uh," AJ said.

The guy tightened the arm around his chest and frogmarched him a few steps deeper into the office. The gun stayed pressed into his jaw, but his arm was released and left to dangle at his side, all pins and needles. In seconds, AJ found an arm crooked across his throat, the pressure across his chest gone and the barrel of the gun jabbed into his side instead. His head wasn't tipped back anymore and now he could see straight ahead. He noted two things at once – Rick aiming his .44 Magnum steadily just above AJ's left shoulder and a cobweb thread dangling from Rick's lamp. He dismissed the cobweb and focused on Rick. He was too damned close now for Rick to use the gun without damaging him right along with his captor, and AJ thought everyone in the room had to know that.

"Put it down," the guy spoke, his voice rough and deep. He sounded like an adult, ominous version of the boy, Dean.

A switch flipped in AJ's brain. Oh holy shit, no way. There should have been no way the guy could know he and Rick were onto him. AJ caught Rick's eye, saw the glimmer of understanding when it dawned on him too. If this guy knew about and found them, he could find Mom, with or without their cooperation at this point.

"This doesn't have to get messy. Put. It. Down," the guy repeated.

AJ tried not to, but wheezed when the arm constricted tighter around his throat, the gun dug into his side.

"I have no qualms with blowing a big hole right through Mr. Country Club here if I have to, Roy Rogers."

"Okay, okay," Rick said in capitulation. "You win. Let my brother go."

"I think you ought to tell me where my boys are," the man growled. "Then I might consider it."

AJ didn't scare easily; that wasn't a trait conducive to his line of business. This guy's voice was scary as all get out. They were in "you don't mess around with Jim" territory here. He tried to convey that to Rick, but it was a challenge getting a useful breath in let alone attempt wordless communication.

"Your boys? What does that mean? If you're in need of our services, you can come back during business hours. Gotta say, though, missing persons is more cop territory than ours."

Rick was trying the clueless angle, which AJ would normally have supported wholeheartedly. He would have joined right in on that. He'd do it now if he could. All he managed was a high-pitched gurgling noise that didn't sound entirely human and a shoulder shrug that felt a bit more like a convulsion.

"Do you really want to play this bullshit game?"

Death by suffocation was not fun, AJ thought. It was definitely on his list of ways he did not want to go. Especially not tonight. He heard a slight buzz in his ears and the dim light got even dimmer around the edges. He didn't remember any of these feelings the last time he had been choked out. Of course he'd been dosed with enough angel dust to put down an elephant, so it was no wonder he didn't remember. And it had been Rick's arm around his throat, doing the only thing he could at the time.

"Mister, I don't know who you ar –" Once again, Rick's thought remained incomplete.

The buzz in AJ's ear got louder, more like ringing. The guy behind him startled, barely perceptible, but enough to permit AJ gulps of much-needed air. It helped some; it also made him see nothing except tiny bursts of light. He heard a few bumps and thuds and he was bodily moved around. None of it made sense to him. All he really cared about was that he could breathe.

"I should get that."

There went the breathing. AJ should have known it was too good to last.

"No, you shouldn't."

"Look, fella, we don't get a lot of calls at two in the morning. It's gotta be an emergency."

Anyone but AJ wouldn't hear the anger and fear in Rick's voice, only the nonchalance. Even oxygen-starved, AJ heard it. Jesus, just let me breathe.

"I said no. Tell me where my boys are. Now."

The answering machine kicked in. AJ heard his own voice delivering the outgoing message with precision. Huh. He did sound a bit snooty like Rick always said he did. He wondered if he might be having an out of body experience.

"Rick? AJ? Are you there? I tried calling you at the other numbers you gave us, but – " Something crashed in the background and the words were replaced by a terrified scream. Then the trembling voice of Rosalie Sanchez was back. She sounded nearly as breathless as AJ felt. "Oh please, help us. You're not there, you're … I'm going to call the police. I should have… He's done … there's something…"

The dial tone was the last thing AJ heard before everything went dark.