Chapter 16

"You're going to be the bait."

"What?!" exclaimed Hotch.

They were both standing by the front window keeping watch.

"No worries, brother. While they're chasing you...I'll be chasing them. As I cut them down from behind, you'll turn on them and do the same from the front. It'll be like circling prey, the thrill of hunt!"

Hotch hefted the large knife in his hand that Mason had handed to him earlier.

"It'd be easier with a gun." he stated

"The noise would only give away your location. Knives are more up close...more personal. Plus brother, remember they hurt you, took you from your family, messed with your head; feeling their blood wash over you as you take their lives from them...I don't want you to be denied that, Cullen"

Hotch blinked. "You'll have my back?"

Mason smacked him lightly on the shoulder and grinned.

"Always, brother...always."

It was a sight to behold...Hotchner taking off at full speed into the woods his team chasing after him guns drawn.

Mason crouched out of sight yards away at the edge of the trees watching. He had told his 'brother' that he would bring up the rear in the chase, but his plan was to make his escape as soon as the coast was clear; while the BAU was too entrenched in the hunt of their colleague who Mason had given his baseball cap and plaid shirt to wear. If they shot at Hotchner thinking he was him… maybe that would give the agent incentive enough to attack, to strike out.

Mason stood and stared at the truck by the house, then at the woods.

He could just leave...right now...but...

...the lust for retribution was suddenly overwhelming.

He wanted to see Mr. Serious Agent take down one of his own; The final piece de resistance of all his work...and if Mason got to take one of them down before he disappeared leaving Hotchner to his fate...

Gripping his own knife, Mason quickly turned and ran into the woods, eyes flashing in anticipation.

"Agent Hotchner, can you hear me? Come on, let me see those eyes of yours..."

Hotch wanted to seep back into his dark cocoon but a persistent voice kept drawing him out introducing him to agony; it felt like someone had stabbed him in the head with a knife.

Knife…

He strained his eyes open a sliver and quickly snapped them shut from the light that felt like splinters trying to burrow their way into his brain.

Groaning, he tried to turn away but hands held the side of his face, holding him in place.

"The lights...can someone lower them?"

The voice…it was female.

"I got it..."

That was another voice, deeper.

"Okay, let's try again now; the lights have been lowered, it's all right." the female voice was soft, but commanding.

Hotch slowly cracked his eyes open to blurry figures standing around him; he flinched and tried to turn away as one of the figures leaned over him.

Wait...something was wrong, he could barely move!

Hotch started to struggle, He had to get away...he had to...

Hands grabbed at him..

"We need to take those things off him!"

"They're your Director's idea, not mine!"

The loud voices caused the pain in Hotch's head to spike and he groaned louder.

"Lemme go..don't touch me..." he murmured. "Don't...touch..."

"Hotch? Aaron...its okay. Stop struggling you're safe now...you're safe."

Safe?

Hotch stopped moving as the voice's words echoed into the fog of tiredness that suddenly overwhelmed him.

Safe.

"Mason." he sighed, his face relaxing as he slipped into darkness one again.

Rossi leaned back from the bed, his face creased with worry as he turned to the doctor.

Several hours had passed.

Morgan had sent Garcia back to the office, to hand over a copy of the photos to Strauss, they didn't want to chance sending them through email, the less the photos moved around electronically, the better.

"I've started running a program," she said. "To ping any searches or internet uploads regarding Hotch and Ezral. I can't promise anything...it may not be of any help, considering; but if it pops up on my monitor consider it blocked, disappeared, through the wardrobe never to be seen again."

"You can do that?" asked Rossi.

"I can and will do anything to keep my family safe, sir." she smiled,

"Don't I know it Garcia...never doubted that for a second." he replied.

Though she was smiling, Rossi knew she was deadly serious when it came to the welfare of the team.

A little while later after talking with Hotch's doctor Prentiss was returning to his room.

He's just going to need some time. Agent Prentiss.

As she neared the door she nodded at the agent standing guard; his name was Foster Cade, tall with short dark hair, she had occasionally seen him around the office and they would exchange Good Mornings and such. He had a reputation for being trustworthy and discreet, Strauss had probably chosen him for this reason.

"Cade." she said, acknowledging him.

"Prentiss." he nodded back. "How is he?" he asked quietly motioning at the door to the room.

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "He needs some time...what he's been through..." she trailed off, not wanting to over share.

"Agent Hotchner is one of the good guys, no matter what anyone says." he said. "Just know anything I hear while standing here, it won't go any further."

"Much appreciated." she responded, then quietly opened the door and stepped inside.

An hour earlier, a more coherent Hotch had awoken in a blinding fury when he realized that he had been restrained to the bed, the look of rage on his face would stay with Prentiss for a very long time.

As would the way the bed had sounded as it crashed repeatedly to the ground as Hotch had fought to escape, throwing himself forward and twisting out of the teams' hands as they tried to hold him down.

"You won't fool me again! I know who I am!" he had shouted, voice heavy, rasping; face red, contorted. "I KNOW WHO I AM!"

Morgan had physically gotten on the bed trying to use his weight to hold Hotch down, which had made Hotch even angrier.

"Get off of me! Get OFF!"

The machines attached to Hotch beeped wildly as he bucked in vain as the restraints along with Morgan's weight kept his movements now to a minimum, but he kept struggling nonetheless causing Morgan to wonder if he was hurting him. Reid grabbed for the call button and quickly pressed it, they needed some help in there. Prentiss ran out into the hallway and saw Cadence who was rushing towards the room.

"Get Dr. Allery!" Prentiss shouted.

Cadence within seconds was paging the doctor as Prentiss ran back to the room.

"Hotch?" uttered Morgan, when Hotch suddenly stilled under him.

"I'll never tell..." Hotch muttered, breathing heavily, his eyes wide, glassy and filled with a rage that was slowly slipping into wide-eyed worry.

"Tell us what Hotch?" asked Morgan, slipping off the side of the bed.

"I'll never tell." Hotch repeated, then started to shout out those three words to his worried friends and continued his struggle when the door to the room flew open and Dr. Allery along with Cadence came rushing in.

"Get away from the bed!" The doctor ordered the team and everyone immediately took a step back.

Hotch's eyes had darkened as she neared the bed a syringe in hand.

"Get that thing away from me!" his voice like gravel.

"Agent Hotchner stop struggling, we're trying to help you!" she ordered.

"No...No!"

The doctor injected the sedative into Hotch's i.v., then backed away.

"We need him to stay calm." she told his team members.

Cadence moved to the bed, adjusting the sheets and went about making sure her patient was okay.

Gasping, Hotch had squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the sedative move through his system, his body unwillingly going limp.

"I know who I am..." he murmured softly, "I know…I know...I'll never tell."

As Prentiss closed the door to Hotch's room behind her, she sighed at the scene before her.

The lights had been kept dimmed on Hotch's behalf, the first signs of the morning slipping through the window casting the room in a dull bluish light. The team was sitting around Hotch's bed on chairs Cadence the nurse had brought in for them. They were sitting close, but not enough to bristle Hotch, but close enough to feel the stare Hotch usually reserved for the criminals he interrogated, that he now had turned towards his own team, his own friends.

When Morgan saw Prentiss he moved over to doorway, pulling her aside, his eyes questioning.

She shook her head, "She just said give it time."

Morgan turned towards the bed; at the moment time was all they could give Hotch.

-TBC-