Present Day

Hotch suddenly realized that the second skater had completed her four minute program and was taking her bow. He politely applauded and then watched as she promptly left the ice to huddle with her coach, leaving the clean-up to the local skaters.

As everyone waited for her scores to be announced, Hotch realized that he couldn't make out Paige's brightly colored dress on the sidelines. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that she and her coach had most likely left the immediate area to wait until she was called to the ice.

He continued remembering -

11 Years Ago

The next day the mid-morning flight from Chicago to Houston had Hotch, Rossi, and Laurel all on board. The FBI jet, meanwhile, had been engaged elsewhere and the BAU team had been instructed to take a commercial flight back to Quantico. Upon hearing that, Morgan had promptly decided that he needed to stay in Chicago and visit with his family, while Blake had discovered a need to consult with a professor at the University of Chicago. Reid and JJ had both developed a sudden urge to view the various exhibits at the Field Museum, in the company of Will and Henry, while Garcia had discovered a suddenly need to obtain Fran Morgan's famous peach cobbler recipe. It hadn't taken long for the three of them to join the others in Chicago. Together, they created a sizeable group which would be watching over Paige in Laurel's absence.

"Worried?" Hotch was sitting next to Laurel in the first class seats Rossi had insisted on paying for.

"Scared," she replied. "What if - ?

"Don't worry," Rossi spoke up from across the aisle. "We have all the facts and figures and it is up to everyone else to prove that they are wrong."

"Relax," Hotch picked up Laurel's hand and lightly squeezed it. "Everything is going to be just fine." Rossi was not particularly surprised to notice that neither Hotch nor Laurel let go of the other's hand.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Their first stop was the lawyer, Aretha Jackson's, office. "It is in The Woodlands, close to the airport," Rossi explained. "And we may as well start with the weakest link."

"We are here to see Ms. Jackson," Hotch told the receptionist in the impressive lobby of the law firm Garcia had tracked the lawyer to. Rossi counted a total of seven names in the firm's title, one of which was Ms. Jackson's.

"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked.

"No, but I think she'll see us," Hotch replied. "Just tell her that Laurel Mercer is here to see her."

"Is Ms. Mercer a client?" was the next inquiry.

"Enough, already," Rossi had his credentials out and was flashing them. "Call Ms. Jackson and tell her that the woman who made her professional reputation for her is on her way back."

He propelled Laurel through the door down and the hallway while Hotch, after treating the receptionist to his patented 'Hotch Glare', followed close behind.

"Excuse me, you can't go in there!" the secretary guarding the impressive wooden door with 'Aretha Jackson' emblazoned on it loudly protested when the three appeared in her office.

"That is where you are wrong," Rossi told her.

"I am certain Ms. Jackson will want to see us," Hotch added as Rossi pulled the door open.

"Laurel, how good to see you!" the well-dressed woman behind the desk gushed as she stood up.

"It's okay, Connie," she assured her secretary who had followed them through the door. "Please make sure we aren't disturbed. And, if you will close the door, please?"

"Aretha," Laurel replied coolly. "It has been a while."

"You seem to have done quite well for yourself," Rossi observed as he nodded towards the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows. "What are we on here – The tenth floor?"

"Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi," Hotch introduced himself and Rossi.

"They are FBI agents as well as friends of mine," Laurel added, taking a seat in front of the partner's desk.

"We are here to straighten some things out," Hotch announced, sitting down in the chair to Laurel's right while Rossi took the chair to her left.

"And what might that be?" the lawyer asked. Rossi noticed that even though she had sat back down and placed her folded hands on the desktop in front of her, her hands were trembling.

"Some monies appear to have gone missing," Hotch replied. "And, it appears that they were last seen in your possession."

"Monies?" the voice was wavering.

"Received in settlement of the amount owed Laurel and her daughter, Paige, as a result of their having been kidnapped and held against their will," Hotch told the lawyer. "Records show that the check was sent to them, care of your office."

"And, you cashed it, Aretha!" Laurel burst out. "And took the money and Paige and I never got a cent of it and I have been working my ass off just to make sure that we had a roof over our heads and food on the table!"

"While you, Lawyer Jackson, bought your way into this cushy position with a top rated law firm," Rossi pointed out. "I wonder if the other principals in the firm ever wondered where the money came from."

"Misappropriation of a client's funds is cause for disbarment," Hotch stated blandly. "As a lawyer myself I am well aware of that."

"You don't understand," was the woman's plea. "I had been offered several positions at prestigious firms and then, when the check arrived, I saw an opportunity."

"You were offered those positions because of me," Laurel heatedly pointed out. "Because I trusted you to treat Paige and me fairly. And you misused that trust. Do you know what you did to Paige and me?"

"I'm sorry," was the response. "I am so sorry - I'll make it up to you! But, please, don't report me to the Bar Association. I don't deserve that." She looked pleadingly at Hotch.

"You do deserve that," Hotch contradicted her. "However, we are willing to settle things quietly." He took a piece of paper out of the inner pocket of his jacket and handed it to her.

"As you will see," Rossi told her as she examined the paper. "We began with the total amount of the settlement money you received from the former police officers. We then deducted what we feel is a fair amount to cover your services."

"Even though you did make a big deal to the press about doing this 'Pro Bono'," Laurel pointed out.

"We then took the remaining amount and figured out how much interest you would owe on a bank loan for that amount of money, compounded over the past several years," Rossi resumed. "And, the resulting amount is what you currently own Laurel and Paige."

He took a business card of his pocket and handed it over. "Now, I would suggest you take the afternoon off to meet with your accountant and come up a repayment plan," he told the lawyer. "And, when you have one figured out, I expect you to call this CPA firm and speak with my accountant to let him know how you propose to handle things. He will let you know if your plan is acceptable."

"I look forward to hearing from him," Laurel commented as she stood up to leave the office.

"Oh, and by the way," Hotch turned back to add as they walked out the door. "You might want to see about returning that new Mercedes you have sitting in the garage downstairs. I don't think you are going to be able to afford it right now."