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Where the Blue of the Night

"Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves."

- Carol Lynn Pearson

Chapter Thirty Eight

November 9th

It had begun to rain and he was already soaked. An uncomfortable dampness clung to his jacket, seeping through the material into his skin and bones. It would take a week to warm up, or it would if he'd noticed.

Hotch didn't particularly care about the weather at that moment in time, unless it was going to somehow effect what was happening inside the school. He looked behind at the sound of another vehicle arriving, and saw Rossi driving, Will with him. He knew he would prefer to have the rest of the team with him, but given the attention the scene was already getting, and the chaos that was ensuing behind the tape hastily put up by one of the officers, he doubted that would be a wise move.

Martha Moore had failed to answer since putting the phone down on him for the third time. He'd backed off from calling again, knowing that any pressure would intensify the situation in there. The rest of the school had been quickly and quietly evacuated; the pupils walked down the street into the nearby church hall, where their parents could collect them without interfering with what was happening at the school.

The parents of the children in the classroom with Martha Moore were a different matter, however, and he was missing JJ's calm but firm presence. It would take around twenty minutes for her to get to the school from the safe house, if Llewellyn drove, but he was reluctant to push her immediately into the public eye, and into the eye of their UnSub, who he was pretty sure would be in the crowd, blending in.

"What's the lowdown?" Rossi said, the collar of his jacket pulled up around his neck.

"She has twenty three pupils in there, plus the substitute teacher, Sally O'Hare. She is twenty four years old and has recently qualified," Hotch said, keeping his eyes on the windows of the room, all of which had the blinds closed.

"So Sally is unlikely to be much use to us. She'll be panicking, and will possibly agitate Martha further," Rossi said. Hotch knew the words were cruel, considering the position Sally was in, but they had to consider the worst case scenario.

"One girl has managed to get out of the room next to where Martha has them; Erin James. She wasn't feeling well. Martha shouted at her and moved her immediately out of the room, because she didn't want the other pupils to catch what Erin had. Erin's pretty upset; she's gone home with her mom," Hotch said, condensing what had happened so far.

Rossi nodded, his hands in his pockets. "She's going to peel off and discard the weaker children," he said. "She's come back here for a reason, Hotch, and it has to be her main reason to live at the moment. "

"She's come for a replacement for Alfie," Hotch said, as Emily returned to his side. "Does that mean Alfie is already dead?"

Rossi shrugged. "It might mean she knows he is unlikely to last. That he's sick and not very strong. But what we have here is a change in MO. She's with children older than what she's previously gone for, and she hasn't planned this for months previously. This is different."

Hotch saw Emily nod. "Her personality has become dissociative. She wants a child and already has a relationship with these kids, so although she can't mould them into them thinking that she's their mother, she's aware that a bond is already formed. I've been speaking to the parents," she said, looking at Hotch and Rossi. "The ones that are still behaving rationally have been really useful. Hotch, I know you have two cases to consider here, but I really think we could do with JJ, Morgan and Reid here. If we can calm the parents and speak with them about their children, we can work out which ones she's most likely to want to take with her."

Hotch gave an almost imperceptible nod, his hand holding his phone inside his jacket pocket. "You say ones, plural not singular. Why do you think she's going to attempt to take more than one?"

"Insurance," Rossi said. "If one doesn't make it, she has a spare. She may also see it as a readymade family: a brother and a sister, for example."

"We need to speak with the parents about their children. We know she will definitely try to protect at least of the pupils in her class; the question is, what will she do with the ones she doesn't want?" Emily said, looking at the building that was now shrouded in grey rain.

"And we have no way of getting a shot on target," Rossi said. "Unless someone gets the opportunity to pull the blinds. "

Hotch pulled out his phone, and gave it a stern look. "I'm going to bring in the rest of the team," he said. "We're looking at the possibility of an agent, or two, having to go inside, once she started to make demands."

Rossi nodded, shivering into his coat as a helicopter moved overhead. It was the media – the circus was beginning. "I hate to say it, Aaron, but we have another minimal loss situation. It's unlikely that everyone in there is going to walk out. We have to be realistic about that."

Hotch looked away, refusing to acknowledge the truth in Rossi's words. Emily looked pensive, her eyes on the entrance to the building.

Police officers were now beginning to swarm around them, taking instruction from the handbook he had written; waiting for his instruction. Hotch inhaled deeply and looked at Rossi. As of that moment, none of his agents were inside the building; he had no emotional ties in there yet, and he did have the knowledge, and the intelligence and experience to get O'Hare and the children out of this situation. He had to believe that.

"Rossi," he said. "Can you organise the local officers until Morgan gets here, then assign that job to him? Prentiss, have three or four of the female officers start to ask the parents more questions about their children, and their children's friends who are in that class as well. Focus them on specific areas."

She nodded, then moved away quickly. He didn't want to send Emily in there, yet she was probably his only choice. Personal feelings crossed with professional ones, and instead of trying to separate them, he let them run alongside.

"Dave," Hotch said, interrupting him instructing one of the deputies. "When you have a moment."

He was there in less than half a minute. "What is it?"

"We have no way of getting a shot on target, and we have no idea of what she's doing in there. I have to send someone in to manipulate the situation. Who would be your choice?" Hotch said. He knew they had time to make controlled, calm decisions. There was no threat of a bomb or several people firing weapons as there had been in Colorado, and Martha Moore would want to take her time in choosing which children were the perfect ones for her. They could assume she had a gun, but Hotch knew he could also assume that she would be unlikely to move from her classroom until the end of the school day. She would want to do her job and teach the children. That gave them three hours.

"Not Reid; he's too young. She wouldn't see him as an equal. Not Morgan; his race makes him an unlikely person for her to bond with. She's worked and lived in a predominately white area all her life. It's down to yourself, me or Prentiss," Rossi said. "I wouldn't choose Prentiss. I think Martha will respond better to a man."

Hotch felt Rossi's words alleviate the pressure that had been building on his shoulders. "You or I?" he said.

"You," Rossi said. "You're calmer than me. And she knows you're the head of the unit. The question is, can you delegate control out here?"

Hotch nodded. "I have no problem with that. I'm going to speak with her again first, or try to at least. See if I can persuade her to let some of the children out."

Rossi nodded. "I'll get on with the cavalry," he said, walking towards a group of officers who were looking at him expectantly.

Hotch called Llewellyn, and asked him to round up the rest of the team. Then he instructed Will to take over from Prentiss, collate the information on the pupils who were inside. She passed on some medical information that could be used immediately, and for the first time since getting the call out to the school he felt in control. He spoke briefly with Agent Neild from the Hostage Rescue Team that had arrived moments ago, filled in by Rossi, developing a quick plan.

Then he rang the number again, the noise of the telephone in Mrs Moore's classroom coming at him in stereo, given the close proximity of some of the officers inside the school to the room. She answered, her voice sounding lighter than it had done before.

"Agent Hotchner, I suppose? What can I help you with?"

Hotch paused for half a second, just enough to take away her ease. "Mrs Moore, we have the parents of the children inside your classroom with us, and they're anxious to know if they are alright. Bree Clough and Joshua Pye both need to take medication which is kept in the office. We'd take it as a sign that the children are all okay if you'd let Bree and Joshua out to do this."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. He knew she would not want to keep Bree and Josh anyhow; both children suffered from epilepsy so she would consider them imperfect. "No, Agent Hotchner. Bree and Joshua have work to do. They can't come out to play until they've finished their lessons."

He'd expected such an answer. "May we send their medication into your room? You know how important it is that they take it."

"I am aware of that, Agent Hotchner. How do you propose to get it to me without disrupting my class?"

Her voice was cold, and her detachment from reality was almost palpable. She truly believed that this was a normal situation; that she was still the class teacher and that there weren't thirty or so armed officers and agents surrounding her.

Hotch knew he couldn't destroy her present state of mind. To expose her to reality now would be like pulling a trigger himself. "You have another adult in there with you," he said. "Why not let her come out and take the medication back. We can instruct her on how to administer it also." The children's emergency medication was also going to be passed on, if possible. it was unlikely that either would have a seizure; Bree hadn't had one since she was five according to her mother, but the situation was unlike any either had been in before.

"The children need to have their medicine, Mrs Moore," he said, breaking the silence. She was on the verge of refusing him, he could tell. "If you fail to let them have it, it will be a disciplinary offense."

"If Ms O'Hare does not return in five minutes I shall do something you will regret, Agent Hotchner." She hung up.

Hotch informed Rossi and Prentiss, passing on the information to the officer in charge, Detective Woo. They still had no way of seeing what was happening inside. Agent Neild stood next to him, her eyes on the outside door nearest Martha's classroom.

"It's unlikely she'll think we've wired her up," Agent Neild said. "From how you've profiled her?"

Hotch nodded. "Martha Moore is in an almost fugue state at present. In her mind, all she is doing is teaching her class as deciding which of her pupils to save. Putting the camera on O'Hare will give us eyes and ears in there that we desperately need."

"And your next step?"

He glanced at Neild. She had a strange way of asking questions. "To go in there myself. Out of all my team, I'm the one she will react to most."

"In a positive way?"

"We don't know," he said. "Predicting the behaviour of someone in the state she is at the moment is intelligent guesswork. There are several ways she could react."

"You will take your weapon?"

He nodded. "But I hope not to use it. Not in front of the children, and again, we don't know how she will react."

Sally O'Hare stepped out of the door, the pale light of the rainy afternoon catching her face. Hotch and Neild ran towards her, as did the one of the medics who had the medication.

"I don't have to go back in there, do I?" O'Hare said, her voice shaking. "You can go in and get the children out?"

Hotch shook his head. "We need to you go back in there with this camera attached to you, and a microphone. That way we can see what's happening and we'll be able to work out when best to enter. She's also expecting you back in there, with the medication that the children do need."

She looked at him, fear filling her eyes. "She has a gun."

Hotch waited for her continue as one of the HRT fixed the camera and microphone.

"She's trying to teach the kids like it's a normal day, but they know it's not and they're scared. They're so quiet in there; it's weird. I just want to get them out of there, or try and take her gun or something." She was sounding a little braver now.

Hotch frowned. "If you try either of those things the outcome may not be what you wish. If Martha thinks you are going to try to stop what she is doing, she will most likely react violently. You need to go back in, and act as normal as possible. If you can appear fine, the children will respond to that and won't be as scared. Don't worry about the camera, and don't try and speak to us, or act unnaturally. We'll enter at the right time. Do you understand?" He raised his eyebrows, physically unable to smile. He knew he looked severe.

O'Hare nodded. "Okay."

"Good. One of the medics will go through what to do with the medication. After that, we need you to go back inside." He heard the phone start to ring. No one else answered it. It was for him.

He walked over to it slowly, and answered it tentatively, aware that Martha Moore's mood could change in a second.

"Agent Hotchner?"

"Mrs Moore."

"You'd better send her back in quick, else little Kyle might not see his mamma tonight." Her voice was a whisper, probably so the children wouldn't hear, but then he heard a whimper, and his own heart began to pound.