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CHAPTER 20

Alice opened her eyes and peered tiredly at the TV screen. Something had woken her up but she was unsure what.

Sighing, she sat up on the sofa, she had fallen asleep and her show was long over. Stretching she glanced at her watch, frowning a little…

Jessica should have been home by now.

She slowly got to her feet, and stretched some more, the ache in her hip making itself known. At 60 she wasn't that old, but sometimes her bad hip made her feel like she was 90. She was a widow with no children of her own, so was thankful for her friendship with Jessica and the bundle of energy that her young nephew Jack was; their friendship gave her a reason to get out of her small apartment, they made her feel needed and she was so very grateful for that.

Tightening her sweater around her she switched off the TV and made her way through the dimly lit apartment. No need to waste electricity; one light on in the living room, a light in the hallway, the light from the open door of Jack's room adding to it. She quietly peeked in the room and smiled at the sleeping figure of Jack sprawled on his bed, an open hand-held game toy next to him.

Poor boy, he had been fighting off a cold, so after some chicken soup and some cold medicine, she had sent him off to his bed to rest. She was taking the game off when she heard the thud of a car door. Moving over to the window she peered out from the side of the curtain to the darkness of the evening and the apartment's parking lot one floor below and watched as Jessica stood by the side of her car.

Good she was home.

Alice frowned slightly when a man emerged from the back seat of the car; she squinted as he stepped under the halo of one of the parking lot lights.

It looked like Mr. Hotchner, Jessica's brother-in-law. Maybe that's why Jessica was late, her brother-in-law was well enough to leave the hospital and she had waited to be able to bring him home with her. She was always thinking of others that way…

The sound of the phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. Alice glanced at Jack then shuffled as quickly as she could back down the hallway to the kitchen where the phone was; by the time she got there the phone had stopped ringing.

"Of course" she muttered to herself. She turned the light on in the kitchen to read the phone's call display.

D. Rossi

The name sounded familiar, Rossi...a coworker of Jessica's brother-in-law perhaps, Jessica spoke on occasion about the agents of the BAU, the stories sounded amazing and a little scary at the same time to Alice.

Suddenly, the phone rang again, startling Alice. She quickly picked up the phone hoping the ringing wouldn't wake up Jack.

"Hello?"

Jessica's apartment looked out over the parking lot. She glanced up at the second floor window, Jack's light was still on.

She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest; she had to stall.

Turning to Hotch as he exited the car, she pointed to her bag on the floor of the passenger seat, she didn't have time to grab it.

"My bag." she said reaching to open the car door. "I forgot it."

Hotch stepped from the shadows into the light of the parking lamp, his eyes looking almost black in his pale face.

Jessica froze, then turned away from the car.

"Please, wait a minute." she pleaded.

Relief washed over Rossi when he heard Alice's voice on the other end of the line.

"Is this Alice Hoffman?"

"Yes, who is this please?"

"Listen to me carefully Alice, my name is Agent Dave Rossi, I'm with the FBI, is Jessica there with you?"

"Jessica? No, but she and her brother-in-law just pulled up in her car; he's also with the FBI, do you work with him? They should be up here shortly, do you want to hold?"

"Where is Jack?"

The urgency in the man's voice was making Alice nervous.

"He's sleeping, is there something wrong, Agent Rossi?"

"Do you have time to take Jack and leave the apartment?"

Alice glanced towards the front door, her nervousness turning into fear.

"I...I don't move as fast as I used to. What's going on?!" She turned to look down the hallway to Jack's room, then back at the front door.

"Okay, listen carefully, take Jack and find a place to hide. Jack's father is not well and we want to make sure that you and Jack are safe. He is most likely armed and has forced Jessica to drive him to your location."

Suddenly feeling too exposed, Alice turned off the light in the kitchen.

"I...but...Jessica, I can't..."

The tension in the car was thick as the other team members watched Rossi struggling to keep from shouting at the woman on the phone.

"Alice, you don't want Jack to wake up to a father with a gun who can't remember him. We're on our way, now go!"

Alice gasped and slammed down the phone. Taking one last look at the front door she moved as quickly as she could down the hallway into Jack's bedroom closing the door behind her. Jessica had told her about Jack's father's abduction, the reason the boy was living with her for now, she and Jack were so happy when they heard he had been found; why would he want to hurt Jessica or his own son?

She scanned Jack's room looking for a place for them to hide. The room wasn't that big so she was left with two choices, under the bed or in the closet. At 5'3" she was a small woman, but there was no way she would be able to squeeze under Jack's small bed with him.

She heard the faint sound of keys in the door and made her choice. As quickly and his gently as she could she picked up the sleeping Jack, ignoring his soft groan as he nestled against her, his face by her neck; then she turned with an agility that surprised even her and flicked off the bedroom light, moving deftly in the dark with her sleeping charge and slipped into the closet, closing the door quietly behind them.

"Please, wait a minute."

Jessica turned holding up her palm towards Hotch, too cognizant of the gun he had gripped in his hand.

"You...you told me not to call you Aaron...so, what should I call you? What's your name?"

Hotch faltered for a moment, was she part of their game?

No...Mason was dead, there was no more need for games, just revenge. He had met all the members of the BAU, she wasn't one of them, but she might have info on where to find them, he just...he just needed time to think. His headache was making itself known again, he pressed his fingers against the side of his head in pain.

"I want to help you." the woman pleaded, "Tell me your name."

Jessica flinched as she saw a shadow pass over Hotch's face and he stared at her with a clarity or a sudden madness, she wasn't sure which but it chilled her.

"My name is Cullen Ezral."

Hotch then grabbed her arm pulling her towards the building.

The semi-darkness of the apartment surprised Jessica, but gave her a ray of hope,

Maybe Alice saw her with Hotch and took Jack with her back to her apartment?

But she wouldn't know there was any danger.

Maybe she saw the gun.

Her eyesight isn't that good though…

"You live alone?"

She could feel Hotch's presence behind her as he pushed her forward swinging the front door shut behind him.

Jessica's mind was racing.

Should I lie and say yes?

He didn't lock the door, maybe I could make a run for it.

But what if Jack and Alice are still in here somewhere?

"No." she answered as he pushed her further into the shadows of the apartment. "My nephew...Jack; he's staying with me for a while, but he's not here, he's at a sleepover." she continued quickly when her stressing Jack's name had no effect on Hotch.

They moved through the apartment, Jessica switching on lights; one of Hotch's hand on her shoulder guiding her forward, the other holding the gun pressed into the small of her back.

"What's down there?" he motioned at the dimly lit hallway.

"Bedrooms, a bathroom."

Jessica's chest tightened as he pushed her down the hallway, her mind screaming out in silence.

If you're hiding, Alice, keep Jack quiet, if he hears his father's voice...

Hotch pushed the first door open, it was a small bathroom, the second door across from it...

"My room." murmured Jessica turning the light on.

Hotch turned to the last closed door.

"My nephew's room."

"Open." he ordered.

She swallowed heavily and turned the doorknob, as the door slowly swung up, Hotch reached over and turned on the lights.

"See, she said motioning at the small bed and toys, her eyes widening at the small gasp she heard emanating from the closet on the far side of the room.

Oh god, they were in the closet.

She held her breath hoping that Hotch didn't hear anything.

Hotch scanned the toys scattered around the room.

She hadn't lied about the kid.

Maybe she wouldn't lie about other things too.

When he dragged her from the room, Jessica thankfully grabbed a hold of the doorknob and closed the door behind them.

Alice couldn't control the gasp as the light in the room flicked on. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath as she held the sleeping Jack tightly, her hip was beginning to ache and Jack was beginning to squirm.

Don't wake up, little one. Not yet...not yet. She pleaded silently.

-TBC-