A/N: Here's another chapter. I hope you all like it!
So I hope you all are still enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Just one question: do you guys want this story to go on after this? I've got a few twists and turns up my sleeve if I do continue this story, but I just need to know it the story won't become too long for you guys.
Special thanks to jenny crum, guest, snuggleUP, 2Addicted2YourLove and Christiangirl!
I don't own criminal minds!
Chapter 52: Stand Off
Without even a single thought, Hotch had been racing to the other side of town. At first he had no idea what he was doing. He was going to the CIA, knowing they didn't have a reason to let him in. He had to be forceful to get inside, he knew that much. If he was right than something was wrong with JJ. He had a feelings in his gut and it wasn't a good one. He could just feel the terror in his body, and after the information that JJ had revealed to him he had no choice but to act on it. He wasn't about to let her down.
So when he was finally pulling up in front of the entrance where security was checking cars and ID's, he waited in his SUV. Once the row of cars was cleared he pulled up next to one of the security guards and he showed his credentials. ''Aaron Hotchner, FBI!'' he said simply.
''Sir, do you have an appointment?'' the stranger asked calmly.
''No, I don't. But it's an emergency.'' Hotch said in a panic, knowing he wasn't going to get inside by staying calm and collected.
''Sir, you're not getting inside unless you're an employee or if you have an appointment.'' he repeated. ''You have to go, sir.''
In response Hotch stepped from his car and in front of the man with anger written across his face. He didn't have time for games, let alone the rules of the CIA. ''My girlfriend works here. Something happened to her, and I need to speak to her superiors immediately.''
''What's her name?'' he asked, noticing Hotch's insistence.
''Jennifer Caitlin Jareau. She's a field officer, I believe.'' Hotch went on, a part of him proud and another part of him completely terrified.
''Give me one minute, sir.''
Hotch stepped back and leaned against his car as he watched the man dial a number and talk to someone on the phone. He was slowly counting away the minutes as he waited, his arms folded across his chest and his impatience increasing with each breath he took.
Inside SAD, Owen was standing in the operations room when Collins stormed inside and called out his name. He immediately turned around and followed his boss into his office.
Collins looked up at Owen as he held his phone to his ear. ''Aaron Hotchner, FBI, is in front of the gate claiming that something happened to JJ.''
''What?'' Owen croaked out as he stepped behind the desk. He looked on the computer screen and saw Hotch on the surveillance tape. ''Yeah, it's him.'' Owen confirmed in defeat.
''Let him in!'' Collins said over the phone. He ended the call and slammed the phone onto his desk in anger. ''JJ must have told him about her job.'' he breathed out. He couldn't believe that one of his best agents, someone who believed in protocol actually went against it. JJ had made a major mistake that was about to cost her her career with the CIA. ''Bring him in through the backdoor and keep him in interrogation. I'm going to check if we can track JJ down. I'll join you in a few minutes.''
Owen left quickly and made his way through the building, his head racing a mile a minute. He never expected JJ to reveal her job, not even to a boyfriend. And to him that meant that their relationship was more serious than he ever could've imagined, which broke his heart. He had always hoped for a second chance with her, but now it seemed to be out of the question. He had lost her to a FBI agent he didn't even know, or trust for that matter.
Owen turned a corner and walked towards the entrance of the building where he saw the profiler gazing around him in a slight panic. When he met Hotch at the gala, he seemed in control and calm, but now Owen was faced with a different side of the man he didn't even know. But he stuck to his plan and approached him. ''Aaron Hotchner?'' he asked.
Hotch turned around at the sound of his name. His mouth fell open when he realized that JJ's ex-boyfriend turned out to be CIA as well. ''Hi,'' he greeted. ''Owen, right?''
''Yes, I'm Owen.'' he said, keeping his surname out of it. ''Come with me.''
Hotch simply followed the agent, feeling a huge amount of distance coming from him. And Hotch knew it was all about JJ. They both had an interest in the same woman after all. But Hotch forced his personal feelings away when they quickly walked through the building to a part that seemed to be more private. And then they finally walked into a secure room with a table and few chairs.
Owen closed the door behind him and pointed for Hotch to take a seat. ''Why do you believe that JJ is in trouble?'' he asked, getting to the point immediately.
Before Hotch could even answer the question, an older looking man stormed inside and whispered something in Owen's ear. ''What is it?'' he asked when the two faces of the men before him filled with concern.
''JJ's phone has been turned off.'' Collins replied simply as he looked back at Hotch.
''JJ texted me about half an hour ago.'' Hotch began as he took out his phone and put it on the table for both of them to read. ''What could it mean?''
Collins looked closely at the text, thinking it had to be some kind of stupid rambling. ''Award hits? Furthest wool?'' he said, reading the text out loud.
Owen on the other hand immediately came into action. He took out a pan and a piece of paper from his suit. ''During our missions, JJ and I sometimes used anagrams in case of emergencies.'' he began to explain quickly as he started deciphering the text on paper.
''But what does it mean?'' Collins asked.
As he wrote down the last few letters, he felt his heart stop. It couldn't be happening, not now. Not like that. ''Sir!'' Owen said as he handed the piece of paper to his boss.
''Ward knows, two hours left.'' Collins said in fear as his mind was already jumping to action. ''Owen, have tech's trace JJ's last text. If they can break the encryption on her phone we might be able to track her last location.''
Owen rose from his chair, realizing he had send JJ into a trap. ''Sir, I know where she went.'' he said. ''I found an address for a cleaning company that Asad Hawsawi used as a front. JJ went there to check it out on her own.''
''You let her go by herself?'' Hotch asked angrily.
''I told her not to go in!'' Owen assured, but nothing was going to help their situation.
''We have an hour and a half left to defuse a bomb and we don't know where it is.'' Collins interrupted. ''We have other concerns at the moment!'' he went on. ''Owen, go now! I need you. JJ needs you!''
Hotch was rising from his seat as well. ''How can I help?''
''Go home!'' Collins said as he turned around to face Hotch.
''Go home?'' Hotch repeated angrily. He wasn't intimidated by Collins' demeanor. So he stared back at him with authority, like he did while he was at work. He could be just as stoic and distant when he needed to be. Only with JJ he was different. She forced another side of him surface. With her he was more loving and so much happier and now there was a possibility of losing her, and not to mention that JJ mentioned there were only two hours left. Two hours left for her to live? Or two hours until the bomb went off? He didn't know, but he wasn't going to stand by and do nothing while the love if his life was in the crosshairs. ''You have one of your field officers out there on her own and no idea what's going on! You need help!''
''You don't work here!'' Collins shot back angrily. He wouldn't stand for anyone talking to him like that no matter what the situation was. ''The secrets that JJ knows are incredibly dangerous. She compromised everything by telling you about her affiliation with this agency.''
Hotch took a step forward in complete disbelief. ''JJ never wanted to risk her job or this agency, trust me.''
''If and when JJ comes out of this alive she'll be done, that you can trust me on!'' Collins said and then he turned his back to Hotch and walked out of the room, leaving him on his own.
But Hotch wasn't done. He wouldn't let anyone risk JJ's life like that. They needed help and he was there, willing to do his part. So he followed them outside into the hallway and stopped. ''If the FBI director gets wind of the operation you're running without the FBI's knowledge, we both know what will happen.''
Collins stopped and then turned around. ''Are you threatening me?''
''If I was threatening you, you would know. Trust me on that!'' Hotch shot back in rage. ''You have an agent out there in the dark, and you need help!''
''Owen take him with you!'' Collins ordered. ''I'm going to debrief the department right now.''
''Let's go to tech-ops.'' Owen said quickly, and he began walking with Hotch on foot behind him. He couldn't help but appreciate the man's insistence about helping out on the case. It meant that his feelings for JJ were very genuine and in the end that's all he needed to know.
The van came to a halt after a twenty minute drive, and JJ heard the doors slam shut in the front of the van. She was laying flat in the back of the van bound and gagged. She had struggled against her restraints to no avail, and it didn't help that she heard the insistent beeping of the weapon next to her, suggesting that time was slowly running out. She had tried to get a look at it, but the blindfold in front of her eyes made it next to impossible. She had seen it for one second before Ward's men had disarmed her and thrown her into the back of the van.
She stopped, her breath hitching when she heard the door next to her open. She felt a hand grab her arm roughly and yank her out of the car. She collided with the ground and hissed out angrily as she got onto her knees, the restraints behind her back cutting into her wrists painfully.
Christian stepped in front of JJ and then behind her, pulling her up by her restraints so she was on her feet. He shoved her forward and into an elevator right in front of them. Once the door closed he removed the blindfold from JJ's eyes, and he watched as she desperately searched for a weapon around her. Her eyes were big and filled with complete panic, giving him exactly what he wanted. He closed the gap between them, shoving JJ against the wall behind as his one hand settled on her throat. ''Don't worry, sweetheart. Grigory and Ivan are taking care of the weapon and ten minutes before it's set to go off, we'll take our private helicopter and enjoy the side of Washington, DC exploding with you in it!''
JJ closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. This was by far the worst situation she had ever been in. Too many lives were at stake and she was held by a sociopath while two others were placing the bomb somewhere in the building she was in.
Then she suddenly, somehow, felt a wave of calmness wash over her, and her training kicked in. She eased up against the wall, looking back into Christian's cold eyes. She mumbled softly through her gag, and knew he needed to know what she said.
Christian took off the gag quickly as he kept forcing her against the wall. ''What is it, darling?'' he asked with a grin on his face.
JJ quickly gazed at the elevator's levels and realized they had almost reached the floor where Christian wanted to go, so she held off. She would strike when the time was right. ''Why?'' she croaked out. ''This isn't you.''
''This weapon will make sure that my boss is going to get known and that his organization will only grow, darling. Don't you understand?''
''Who do you work for?'' JJ asked, knowing the chances of any real answers were slim.
''I should've known you weren't Alex. You're something else.'' he breathed out in anger. ''FBI? MI-6? NSA? CIA?''
The moment he mentioned CIA, the elevator doors opened and JJ struck. She pushed up her knee and kicked him the groin with all the power she had within her, causing her to get freed from his grip. So she passed him by and ran through the elevator doors in a hurry, hoping to get to safety somehow.
''You'll never get away from me!'' Christian yelled angrily. He got up from the ground, the gun pointed ahead of him and he fired, again and again, watching the blonde go down.