Rescue

They'd found the GPS led to this wooden shack in the desert so they raced towards it hoping to God they'd find Aaron alive. Spencer played with his hands trying to keep his worry in check while JJ sat next to him trying to calm him down.

"Spence, we'll save him," she assured.

"I know but what state will he be in? What's Charlie done to him?" he answered vulnerably.

They suddenly saw the wooden shack and pulled up alongside. They got out the SUV along with their weapons as she said, "Well, we're about to find out but one thing I know for sure is you'll help him through it."

He nodded. He knew he'd do his damn hardest to help his lover over what ever he'd gone through in the last 24 hours. He couldn't lose him; he just couldn't. It was all his fault he'd been taken in the first place. If he hadn't run off to Las Vegas without talking to him he wouldn't have followed him and got kidnapped in the first place.

They searched the shack with their guns drawn. They almost bulked when they saw the blood and tools on the wall but they couldn't find the two men they were looking for. Spencer hoped to God none of these tools had been used on his boyfriend. He still was afraid what state he'd find him in.

"He's not in the shack," they radioed the rest of the team.

"I think I may have spotted something about two miles to the right of the shack," Kate replied.

"How bad?"

"We don't know yet but you'd better come."

"On our way."

They headed towards the direction Kate had told them. They saw a man in a purple suit with green hair with his back turned to them using a shovel. They couldn't see Aaron with him until they saw a body down beside him in the sand. Oh god, was that Aaron in the ground?

They slowly stepped closer and heard the man laughing as he kept dumping the sand over the body. Their chests closed as they recognised the victim's face as Aaron's. It was clear he was planning to bury him in the sand.

To their relief they could see his chest heaving up and down but as they saw the sand go down on his face they knew they had to act fast. If they didn't their friend and boss would be buried alive in that sand.

"Freeze," Rossi ordered raising his gun at the madman.

"Come to see me bury the Batman," he cackled back at him throwing another load of sand over Aaron's face.

"He's not Batman, Joker," Spencer answered trying to bite back the nervousness he felt. "His name's Aaron Hotchner. He has a family back in Virginia. He has a son that needs him and a partner that loves him. You don't want to take them from him, do you?"

"He's the Batman," he shouted throwing more sand in Aaron's face.

Morgan glared at this man. He was clearly insane and he'd had enough. They clearly couldn't get through to him that Aaron wasn't Batman and he was continuing to bury their boss alive.

He put his finger on the trigger and let go. He watched as the bullet hit his chest and a patch of purple turned into a patch of red as he fell onto the sand behind him.

Suddenly almost like out of a trance Aaron got up wincing and trying to get the sand off him shaking his head. He slowly got onto his feet and saw his team around him. He felt tears in his eyes as he saw his lover try and help him back up.

He hugged him so glad he was going to live to see another day with him. All the problems they'd had seemed so far away now; like a distant memory. He just wanted to move on and spend the rest of his life with Spencer and Jack. They were his family.

He then remembered Charlie and gingerly went over to the young man. He knew his leg had been cut but thanks to the dilaudid he could hardly feel it. He saw through the young man's eyes he was back to Charlie even though he was still wearing the Joker make-up though some of it had sweated off.

"Do you think I'll see my mother again?" he whispered.

"I'm sure of it," he answered patting his shoulder.

He smiled nodding as he took his last breath from the gunshot wound but Aaron's eyes had already moved away from the young man's face to his pocket. He picked up the bottle of dilaudid out of his pocket and curled his fingers tight round it. There was no way he was going to let go of this.