Author's Note: Thanks to littlegreenbottle and brynnifer for beta'ing this and making it a lot better.
"Where is she?" Garcia burst through the door to the hotel room lobby where Morgan had said Hotch would be. "Why did I find out ten minutes ago that you found her when you've known for an entire day?" She barrelled toward Hotch on a war path.
"We had to be sure Garcia." Hotch smirked, only slightly frightened as he watched Penelope readjust her black bobbed wig. "Is everything okay?"
Garcia waved him off, creaking her neck in annoyance, "The media is out there like baby birds trying to fight for the worm from the mama bird, but I pushed through them just fine."
Hotch chuckled at the image of Garcia forcefully pushing the press out of the way, and smiled appreciatively. "Morgan?" He asked, surprised that the muscular man wasn't at Penelope's heels.
"He's coming. He decided to fall behind with Agent Rossi and Reid." Again, she waved him off as she plopped down in the couch next to him. "Now where is she?"
"Why don't I wait until everyone's here?" He suggested, smirking softly.
"But she's okay?" Garcia's eyes were desperate for any morsel of information. Hotch couldn't help but relent.
Hotch nodded slowly, unsure of how to accurately define JJ's condition. "She's alive."
Tears sprang to Garcia's eyes as she felt the floodgates of her emotions release. While seeing JJ was the next important step, just knowing she was alive was better than any Christmas present she could have gotten.
The trio of male agents quickly darted inside the room, slamming the door behind them. "They're like animals out there!" Derek exclaimed, his eyes wide as he panted with relief.
"JJ had a lot of friends in the media—" Spencer tried to explain, slightly out of breath himself. Tucking his shirt back in and readjusting his tie, he breathed a sigh of relief to have crossed the great sea of reporters that lined the entrance to the hotel.
"They're just as worthless as they've always been." Dave rolled his eyes.
"Now will you tell me where she is?" Penelope asked impatiently. "Hotch—it's been three years, I think we've waited long enough." She begged.
Hotch smiled easily for a moment, relieved that they had found her. Then, the memory of JJ's current state struck him, wiping all joy from his face. "Blood tests confirmed—the woman Prentiss and I picked up yesterday is JJ."
"I knew it! I knew we'd find her!" Garcia half-squealed, half-sobbed as tears of gratitude and relief washed down her face in a great torrent. Dave ducked his head in a quick silent prayer as Reid smiled broadly.
Caught up in the joy of the moment, Garcia grabbed the other men in a large hug, bounding with joy that her friend had been found. "We found her!"
Noticing that Morgan grimaced at Garcia's exuberance, and well aware that Hotch still had more to say, Rossi quickly pulled away.
"Where's Will?" Reid asked, looking around for the familiar face that usually joined them on anything related to JJ.
"I haven't called him yet." Hotch admitted reluctantly, "he took Henry back up to Pennsylvania for the weekend to finish up some final things." Hotch grimaced at the thought of calling Will to let him know. It wasn't that he intended on keeping the other man out of the loop, he just wasn't sure how JJ would respond.
"For JJ's parents? I thought their funeral was a few days ago?" Rossi asked, searching Hotch for any response. "Don't you think he'd want to hear the good news?" He suggested carefully.
Hotch shook his head. "I think JJ's going to need a little time."
"Hotch, what aren't you saying?" Dave asked, feeling the familiar sense of foreboding return. Hotch was hedging the question, and Derek had conspicuously avoided spilling any information on JJ's condition during the drive to the hotel. Something was wrong.
Hotch grimaced, "We found her." He nodded, "now we need to find out who did this to her."
"What do you mean 'who did this to her'?" Garcia asked skeptically. "Hotch, we found her. She's alive!"
Hotch sighed, "I want you to all be prepared for the sight that will greet you. She might be agitated—or confused—possibly even scared." He watched as his words failed to sink in to the others. "I don't know how she'll respond."
"Hotch, why would JJ be scared of us?" Reid asked, pleading inwardly that his worst suspicions would not be realized.
"Right now, JJ has yet to speak a word to someone other than Emily. Even when she's spoken to Emily, it's always been in Spanish." He grimaced as he saw the flash of understanding followed by horror pass over both Reid and Rossi's eyes.
Derek nodded slowly, "She's real bad."
"You mean you've seen her?" Garcia turned to him incredulously, whipping around to Hotch, her eyes narrowed angrily, "Why did he get to see her first?" She accused, "You should have called me. I—"
Holding up his hand to quiet what he was sure was about to turn into a long, heartfelt monologue, Hotch forced patience into his voice he didn't feel, "Before I let you all see JJ, I have to know you can handle it. It will be quite a shock."
"I don't care if it's a shock, I need to see her now!" Penelope demanded. "She needs me!"
"She's not here." Hotch confessed reluctantly, avoiding the fury that splashed across Garcia's face. "She's at Emily's. She's going to stay with Emily for a while."
"Then let's go! Why are we waiting here?" Penelope stood and was almost out the door before she realized no one was following her.
Derek stopped her before she left the room entirely, "Baby Girl, wait." He pulled her gently back into the room, "we're still not sure who had her—" He started, choking at the memory of the bright eyed kid now stuffed in a jail cell twenty miles away, "Hotch called us all here as a diversion—we don't want to tip our hand."
"Like poker." Reid suggested, hoping his metaphor would help Garcia understand, "or a magic trick. If we're all here at the hotel, anyone still looking for JJ will think she's here."
"But I need to be there." Penelope stated adamantly. Seeing that Hotch wasn't about to let her leave quite yet, she huffed down into the seat she had just vacated.
"You owe me big time, Aaron Hotchner." She groaned crossing her arms over her chest in defiance. "Big time."