A/N: Sorry this update was delayed, but I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel and I have to limit my time on the computer. Also, I was informed that Mistaken Identities was nominated for Best Team/Case Fic. My very first CM story. I am positively thrilled and thank all the readers for this honor.

"The present is the ever moving shadow that divides yesterday from tomorrow. In that lives hope" by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Chapter 16-Hotch Sends a Clue

Hotch ran a tongue over his dry lips while staring at the ceiling waiting; waiting for his captor to return from probably sending that video of him being molested and tortured to his team. He felt bad knowing they would see him in that condition being abused in every possible way, and he knew exactly what each one would be thinking when they did. JJ would be distraught; Garcia would be overcome with emotion; Prentiss would be trying to compartmentalize things; Morgan's temper would get the better of him; Rossi would internalize his anger. But the one he worried about the most was Reid. The young genius would take what's on the video the hardest as he knew the younger agent considered him a father figure, and that it would be hard for him to watch what was taking place. But Hotch also knew Rossi would keep them focused on trying to find him despite his own feelings. He swallowed the building lump in his throat and winced a bit at the discomfort from the cut on his throat. But as bad as things were right now, Hotch wasn't about to give up hope. He knew what he was going to do to give his team a clue where he was was definitely risky; especially if Armitage figured it out. And the man would probably kill him outright if he even suspected. But to Hotch, the chance to be a step closer to being rescued made what he had planned worth the risk. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door open. Lifting his head slightly, he saw Armitage with an amused grin on his face, walking inside; he was holding a cell phone in his hand and a gun tucked in his waistband.

He checked his watch as he approached the bed. "I believe your team should have viewed the video I sent them by now," he said cheerfully sitting down on the bed. Reaching out a hand he gripped Hotch's jaw and turned the agent's head from side-to-side checking the cuts on the agent's face and throat, then the ones on his chest and his shoulder. The cuts to his face, chest and throat had stopped bleeding and seemed to be beginning to heal on their own; but the shoulder injury still slightly oozed blood. "No sign of infection yet anywhere. Wouldn't want you dying from infection first, now would we?" He chuckled. "But, first things first." Opening the cell phone, Armitage pressed the buttons and listened as the phone rang. After a few seconds….

"Rossi…"

"Agent Rossi, just the man I was hoping would answer."

"What do you want, Armitage? If it's about that sick video you sent us…"

"Let me simply say that I know Aaron enjoyed my administrations very much and wanted more. As you could see, he didn't even try and fight me, that's how badly he wanted me to fondle him. So let me assure you his next performance will be much more enjoyable for both of us. He'll give a performance even he won't believe he could."

"You keep your damn hands off of him, you bastard! If you so much as touch him again…."

"Tsk. Tsk. Now is that any way to talk to the man who holds Agent Hotchner's life in his hands? I know you don't want to antagonize me, because if you do, Agent Hotchner will suffer for your impertinence." There was a moment's silence on the other end.

"You don't scare us, Armitage. We will find you. And when we do…."

"Agent Rossi, right now I have a gun pointing at Agent Hotchner's head. One more outburst and I'll pull the trigger, and that will be the end of one very insignificant FBI agent. And you'll have nobody but yourself to blame."

"I want to speak with Agent Hotchner."

"Surprising you should ask that. Aaron wants to say something to you as well. I'll put him on." Armitage placed the phone against Hotch's ear as he pulled out his weapon and pointed it at the agent's head. "Talk to them and don't try anything or you'll regret it."

Hotch's eyes shifted momentarily to his captor. "Dave?"

"Aaron? Are you all right? We saw the video. Just hang on a little while longer because we're coming to get you and bring you home."

"I know you will. But should I not make it this time, take care of Jack and Haley for me."

"Aaron, you'll be able to…."

"Promise me, Dave." Hotch heard a sigh on the other end.

"I promise."

Hotch took in a deep breath and felt the mouth of the muzzle of the weapon press against his temple. "Dave, please. I'm begging you and the others to find me. Don't let me down. Please save me. I'm begging you."

Rossi knew his friend would never beg for his life, and sensed Armitage wanted him to beg as a form of humiliation. But he also sensed the Unit Chief was trying to secretly pass on information to him without Armitage noticing. He decided to play along.

"I promise you we will. Just don't give up."

Hotch noticed Armitage waving his weapon indicating he was to wrap up the conversation. "I have to go now, Dave. But I just need to know one last thing."

"What is it?"

"Have you spoken with Haley about what's happened?" Hotch figured it was now or never.

"Yes. She's worried sick about you. But she and Jack are fine. I convinced her to stay at her parents' house."

Hotch let out a deep breath. "Thank you. I know she'd want to help, but it's hard for her to fix things from afar." He prayed Rossi would catch the clue.

With a smirk, Armitage took the phone away. "So, did you have a nice chat with your boss, Agent Rossi?"

"When we find you, Armitage, you will pay for what you've done."

"That's if you catch me. And that video I sent you is just the beginning. I will soon be sending you two more videos in a few days in which Aaron will be saying his goodbyes in one. He will die the following day. But now I must get off the phone as I have things to do. Goodbye."

"No, wait…." Rossi said but heard a click telling him the call had been disconnected. "Damn!" he muttered.

"What is it?" asked JJ who had been sitting at the table watching the older agent and catching only his side of the conversation, and from the look on his face, she suspected the news wasn't good. "Is Hotch all right?"

Rossi leaned forward on the table with both hands, palms flat. "We're running out of time, JJ." He repeated what Armitage had told him and noticed JJ cringe as he talked. Rossi slammed his fist down on the table. "And we're no closer now than before."

JJ tossed a loose strand of blond hair over her shoulder. "Dave, can we find him before it's too late? What I mean is…."

Rossi sighed suddenly very tired. "I can't afford to think otherwise," he said. His eyes suddenly narrowed as he recalled something. "I just remembered something. I think Aaron might have given me a clue as to where he was."

JJ looked hopeful. "What did he say?"

"He asked me if I had spoken with Haley and I told him I had and that she was worried about him. That's when he said something strange."

"Which was….?" JJ asked.

"He said he knew Haley would want to help, but it's hard for her to fix things from afar."

The blond media liaison looked at the older agent with confusion. "What does that mean? Hotch knows Haley can't help with a case."

"I know," Rossi slowly got to his feet and picking up a marker, approached the white message board and wrote word-for-word what Hotch had said. Putting the cap back on the marker, he stared at the words. "I can't help but feel there is a message somewhere in this sentence. But what?" He continued staring at the words, but darn if he could figure out what the message was that Hotch had managed to send. He now wished he had sent JJ to speak with Doctor Harbinger instead of Reid because if anybody could figure out the message it would be the young genius.

Armitage stared at Hotchner with an amused grin on his face. "Now see, Aaron," he began. "Begging your team to find you wasn't so bad now, was it?"

"Yes it was," Hotch said in a low voice hoping to keep his captor from suspecting anything. "It was embarrassing and humiliating. But that's what you wanted wasn't it?" he stared with anger at the man.

Armitage chuckled. "That's why I wanted to hear you say it. But enough of this chit-chat. I have some torture to prepare." That said, he got to his feet and walked out of the room leaving Hotch to wonder if the worse was yet to come.

He didn't have long to wait as Armitage, whistling, re-entered the room, and when Hotch noticed the average-size cardboard box he carried in his hands, he inwardly shuddered at what was awaiting him but kept his feelings hidden because he refused to show fear to his captor. He watched, face impassive, as his captor sat the box beside him on the bed just far enough away so that he couldn't see the contents. He watched as Armitage reached inside and removed a strange looking device that had a two-pronged fork on each end with a collar of some kind.

"You'd be amazed at the things one can find if one knows where to look. This is a Heretics Fork. And while it doesn't harm any vital organs or cause death, it does prolong pain." Armitage then proceeded to fasten the collar around Hotch's neck and one fork penetrated the flesh under his chin while the other end his upper chest. "I must warn you if you try moving your neck it'll just cause the prongs to dig in deeper and cause more pain." Forced by the device to keep his head erect, Hotch allowed his eyes only to shift as he tried to see what Armitage would pull out of the box next. Again he didn't have long to wait.

Armitage pulled out something which looked, to Hotch, like ten metallic wedges of some kind. He had a suspicion as to what they were for. Armitage took one wedge at a time and shoved them beneath the nail of each toe on Hotch's feet causing the agent to squeeze his eyes tightly shut and hiss from the pain while unintentionally moving his head causing the prongs to dig further into his chin and upper chest. "I think this is called Toe Wedging. I understand it's quite painful."

Hotch could only whimper from the pain in both feet as well as his chin and upper chest. And despite his best efforts, single tears emerged from the corners of each eye and rolled down the side of his face landing on the pillow. He hurt so much he barely heard his captor calling out to him.

"Aaron? I suggest you open your eyes. Wouldn't want to miss this."

Hotch forced his eyes to open making sure to keep perfectly still. He noticed Armitage holding what appeared to be a holy water sprinkler in one hand, and a saucepan with something hot in it as he noticed steam rising. His eyes shifted from the sprinkler to the saucepan and back to the sprinkler.

Rossi had been staring at the words from Hotch for over an hour and was no closer to figuring out the hidden message than he was earlier; JJ was still seated at the conference table preparing for the press conference taking place in about ninety minutes. Both turned around when they heard voices behind them and saw Prentiss and Morgan approaching, both agents looking frustrated.

"Well?" asked Rossi suspecting bad news.

"Doctor Morrow checked all his records and there was nothing for a Jason Armitage nor anybody even related to him," replied a frustrated Morgan.

"Same with Doctor Dexter," added Prentiss dismally. Both agents noticed the writing on the message board. "What's this?" she asked.

"We got another phone call from our UnSub while you and Morgan were gone," Rossi said. He went on to repeat the conversation with Armitage and ending with his conversation with Hotchner and how he suspected their Unit Chief had hidden a clue to his whereabouts in the sentence written on the board.

Prentiss and Morgan were both speechless for a few seconds.

"That means Hotch is running out of time," Prentiss stammered. "Armitage could kill him anytime."

"We gotta find him and soon, Rossi," Morgan chimed in with a pained look on his face.

Prentiss moved closer to the message board and studied each word in the sentence. "Any luck finding the hidden message?" she asked looking at him.

"I've been staring at this sentence for more than an hour with no luck whatsoever," Rossi replied in exasperation.

"Where's Reid?" asked Morgan folding his arms. "If there's a hidden message there he'll find it."

Rossi checked his watch and exhaled. "He's not back yet," he announced. "I hope that means Doctor Harbinger has some useful information about Armitage. We have less than two hours before the press conference."

Morgan sighed. Just then his cell rang, and the agent noticed it was Garcia. He answered the call.

"Hold on baby girl while I put you on speaker," he said. "Okay, go ahead."

"Just wanted to let you know, my chocolate God, that I checked out that security tape over and over again, and enhanced it as much as I could. There's no clear view of the courier who delivered the envelope from the UnSub. Sorry."

Morgan sighed, frustrated. "Okay. Thanks anyway, baby girl."

"I feel like I'm letting the boss man down," Garcia said apologetically. Morgan could hear the tremor in her voice. "Derek, please tell me you're getting close to finding him. Tell me you're going to bring our liege back alive."

"We're doing everything we can, sweetness," Morgan told her. "You just keep thinking positive and Hotch will be back before you know it."

"I'm trying, but it's hard, Derek."

"I know, baby girl. Believe me I know. But we will find him. I promise. Besides, have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"No, but…."

"No buts, Garcia. You just keep telling yourself Hotch is alive and we're gonna find 'im."

"I believe and trust you. Thanks. Garcia out." Morgan put away his cell after Garcia disconnected the call.

Just then, as if on queue, one of the double doors of the BAU opened and an out-of-breath Spencer Reid walked briskly into the office. He had a slight smile on his face. The younger agent seemed excited about something.

"Somebody looks happy," JJ said with a smile.

"I hope from your expression it means you have good news," Rossi stated.

"I do," Reid began once he had caught his breath. "Dr. Harbinger checked his computer files and never treated a Jason Armitage, but he did treat a Ruth Bellows. He took over the practice from his partner, the late Doctor Morris Stoddard who Garcia and I dismissed as he was deceased. But we didn't notice it because the practice is still under his name."

"Who's Ruth Bellows?" asked Prentiss.

Reid turned towards the raven-haired agent. "The late mother of Jason Armitage. Seems like Doctor Harbinger treated her for several years for epileptic seizures and prescribed Phenobarbital until she developed kidney problems and was confined to bed in her home and hooked up to a dialysis machine. According to the records, as she was confined to bed, the doctor ordered a bed for her similar to the ones you find in a hospital."

"Like the one we noticed in the video," Prentiss remarked.

"Exactly," Reid continued. "The restraining straps however can be purchased separately. But as I was saying, Harbinger lost track of Ruth Bellows after she married Arnold Armitage and moved away. Last known address he had was in Alexandria, Virginia. I called Garcia while en-route back here and had her check if there was a current address, but the home Arnold and Ruth Armitage lived in was partially destroyed by a suspicious fire three years ago and later demolished. The insurance company investigated suspecting arson but nothing was ever proven so they were forced to pay Armitage. Also, Arnold Armitage died from a stroke six months ago. Jason was their only child. But Garcia also noticed something odd."

"And what was that?" asked Rossi, feeling hopeful all of a sudden.

"Just before their house was destroyed by fire, Garcia found out that Ruth Bellows left her husband and son, changed her name, and disappeared leaving no address. I asked Garcia to continue checking to try and locate Ruth Bellows."

Morgan smiled. "That's great work, kid," he said gripping the young profiler's shoulder. "Maybe this is the break we've been looking for."

Reid smiled faintly. "It'll be great only if it saves Hotch's life. Did Garcia find anything on the security tape regarding the courier?" He saw Morgan shake his head negatively. Then, his eyes fell on the message board behind Rossi; his eyes narrowed. "What's this?" he asked stepping closer and looking at the words. He continued looking while listening to Rossi repeat the conversations he had. Reid stroked his chin. "So you think Hotch hid a message in this sentence?" he asked not looking at the older agent.

"That's what I'm thinking and hoping," was Rossi's reply.

Reid, still studying the message, took the marker from Rossi's hand. He lined out everything but two words: 'fix' and 'afar'. Then, he rearranged the letters in the two words. Once finished, he stepped back. "It's an anagram," he finally said. The others looked at the board.

The rearranged letters spelled out one word: FAIRFAX.