Glad everyone is enjoying the story and thanks to those who reviewed. So sit back, put your feet up ( I'm not responsible if you tip over backwards from leaning too far) and have fun.

JJ and Hotch stood to one side while the zoo director coordinated the search for Jack. As each team called in, he marked off the area as clear then assigned them to another section. Morgan, Rossi and Reid had opted to join the search teams with the hope that Jack would come out of hiding if he heard a familiar voice. Even though he was worried about his son, Hotch couldn't help but admire how efficiently the director was handling the search. It had had taken less than two hours to empty the zoo of it's patrons and another four was estimated to scour the place from top to bottom.

Hotch heard JJ's phone ring and from the corner of his eye he watched her step away from the command post to hear better. A few minutes later, she returned with a frown.

"Garcia?" he asked, turning toward her.

"Yeah," JJ said with a shake of her head. "She didn't have any luck with the surveillance footage. She was able to track his progress from the time he entered the zoo to when he exited the gift shop. But once he and his classmates turned the corner she lost him. Apparently there is a big blind spot there." JJ looked at him with sad eyes.

"Did she try the cameras at the gate?"

"Yes. Like I said, she has a picture of Jack coming in but not going out. Now she is focusing on the exit videos. Penelope said she is trying her hardest. She even pulled in Kevin to help."

"Good. The more eyes the better. Keep me informed," Hotch said as he started to turn his attention back to the activity at the command post.

"Will do," she said just as her phone rang again. She smiled at Hotch. "Maybe that's her. Be back in a few," and walked away.

As JJ walked she glanced down at the phone and frowned. The screen didn't show Garcia's name but an unknown number. Puzzled, she hit the connect button and said, "Jennifer Jareau."

"JJ?"

She stopped in her tracks at the sound of the voice she had dearly missed hearing. Quickly JJ looked around to make sure she was alone.

"Emily?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, it's me."

JJ smiled broadly. "It is so good to hear your voice."

"Same here."

JJ's delight in hearing from her friend quickly faded when she realized that this wasn't a social call. Something had to be wrong.

"Em? What's wrong? Are you in danger?"

"Is it true?" Emily bluntly asked her.

"What's true?" JJ asked puzzled.

"Is Jack missing?"

JJ pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it dumfounded. How the hell did Emily know that?

She took a deep breath and released it slowly to collect herself before putting the phone back up to her ear.

"Yes," she said carefully. "How did you find out?"

She heard Emily mutter 'damn' under her breath. "I was checking out the D.C. news online and there it was. I can't believe it."

"Neither can we, Em."

How's Hotch?"

JJ looked back over her shoulder at her boss. "Hotch is being Hotch," she confessed. "Face unreadable and keeping it bottled up. He did let the teacher have it, which," she said quickly, "he did apologize for. I know it is tearing him up inside."

"I bet. What are you guys doing to find him?"

She quickly brought Emily up to speed. Telling her how it happened and how the search was progressing. Throughout it, she could hear soft footsteps in the background and knew that Emily was pacing and if she wasn't holding the phone, she would be picking at her nails.

When she finished, silence hung over the line. Afraid that they might have been disconnected, JJ quickly asked, "Em? You still there?"

"Yeah, JJ, I'm still here." There was the sound of defeat in Emily's voice. "I feel so helpless. I adore that kid and it is tearing me up that I can't do a damn thing to help you. I'm thousands of miles away stuck in this hell hole of an apartment."

"I'm sorry, Emily," JJ said softly, trying to ease her friend's pain. "I wish you were here, too. I would have loved watching you cower the lions into a full confession," she joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

A small chuckle came over the line. "I would have had the gorillas handing over their banana stash in five minutes."

JJ laughed. God, she missed her friend's sense of humor. "Don't worry, Emily. We'll find him."

"Do you think…" Emily trailed off in hesitation.

"Think what?"

"Do you think it is Doyle?" Emily blurted out.

"Doyle?" JJ echoed in surprise. That hadn't occurred to her but it seemed an unlikely possibility since it has been five months. He would have struck much earlier. JJ quickly dismissed the idea and set about easing Emily's mind not wanting her to obsess about it.

"No. It is just a simple case of a kid wandering off. All kids do it. Jack is somewhere here in the zoo."

"Positive?"

"Positive," JJ said confidently.

She heard Emily letting out a little sigh of relief. "Good. Well I better let you go. Tell Hotch I have him and Jack in my thoughts."

JJ smiled into the phone. "I will. And Emily?"

"Yes?"

"I miss you. Be safe."

"So do I and I will."

JJ hurried back to Hotch and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. When he turned, she gestured for him to follow her. Puzzled, he did and they soon were standing in a quiet corner. He stood with his arms crossed, looking at her expectedly.

"Well? What did Garcia find?" His voice was tinged with a hint of annoyance when she didn't answer right away.

"The call wasn't from Garcia," JJ said at last. "It was Emily."

Hotch stared at her unblinking for a moment then he drew his eyebrows down into a deep frown. "Emily?"

JJ nodded. "Yes."

Earlier Hotch had wondered if this day could possibly get any worse. Apparently the answer was an absolute 'yes'. Now he had two things to worry about: Jack's disappearance and Emily's safety.

"What happened to her? Was her cover blown?" he demanded.

"Oh, no," JJ said quickly, holding up her hands. "Nothing like that. Emily found out about Jack."

"How?" He asked in surprise.

"She saw the Amber Alert online and it threw her for such a loop that she had to call me to find out if it was true."

"How did she sound?" Hotch asked her with concern.

JJ grimaced. "Tired and at wits end. It's killing her that she is stuck in Paris and not here helping us. I think the isolation is getting to her."

Hotch nodded. "I can understand that. Emily is not the type to stand idly by on the sidelines doing nothing. She has to be in the thick of things unfortunately sometimes to her own detriment."

"I tried to relieve her mind but I'm not sure I did," she admitted. "She even asked me if Doyle could be behind Jack's disappearance."

"Doyle," Hotch said in a flat voice causing JJ to look at him in concern.

"Do you think she is right?" she asked, getting a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Hotch shook his head. "I don't believe so. After Foyet, Jack is very leery of strangers especially men. If Doyle tried to approach him, he would have run to his teacher. But…" he hesitated. "If we don't find Jack here, we may have to consider it."

"Damn," JJ swore. "Then we better find him."

"Agreed. Lets get back command center." Side by side they headed back.

They hadn't gotten far when a voice rang out behind them. "Agent Hotchner!"

Hotch and JJ turned to see an overweight police officer lumbering up to them. The man skidded to a stop before them, gulping in deep breaths of air. His face was so red as a tomato that JJ was afraid that he might drop dead on the spot.

"I was just coming back from checking the parking lot," he wheezed, "when I saw this stuck to the windshield of your SUV." He held out an envelope. "It has your name on it."

Hotch frowned as he took the proffered envelope and turned it over carefully in his hands. "Thank you, officer. You can go now."

"Ah, okay," he said and headed off.

He waited until the man was out of sight before he opened the envelope. While JJ looked on, he folded back the flap, pulled out a slip of paper and read it quickly.

JJ watched as he clenched his jaw in anger. "It's no longer a consideration," he growled, holding out the note for JJ to read.

"YOUR SON FOR MY SON."

Ahha! The plot doth thicken. Don't forget that little old button below. It's begging to be pressed.