This story is a slightly altered universe. There are 3 things that are different.
1) JJ never cared what the team thought, she and Will became an item and he moved up to DC for her.
2) They never had kids
3) Everything else did happen
4) This takes place in the middle of S16/CME 1. The difference is there is no Voit or Bailey. (If that doesn't make sense to you, that is okay and also you should either buy the Season on DVD and watch it, or get yourself some heavy binge time with Paramount + to watch it, because it's FABULOUS!)
Here are the important parts you need to know for this story:
1) I am obsessed with the people who use various sexual kinks for healing purposes. I don't understand it at all and yet I am absolutely fascinated by it, because usually those people were abused by that same kink in the past.
2) I have MASSIVE amounts of respect for the writers and creators of this show, and I do not mean them any disrespect by writing this. If for some very odd reason one of them stumbles across this, know that I am just enjoying the world you created and I thank you for doing so.
3) I'm not good at writing, so my grammar and spelling are sometimes VERY off. I've edited this story a gazillion times so far, changed the plot at least 3 times and I am still finding mistakes. Please just roll with it as best you can.
4) This is still a work in progress and I have several key life events coming up. There will be delays in updating.
5) Thank you for reading.
"Wyatt? You good?" she repeated.
"I will be," he panted and with that Victoria tended to their little girl. She carefully pulled her out of her dream and once she was awake, she started wailing. Everything was too much, too scary, and too big for her to handle. She worked herself up so much that Victoria saw her lurch and rushed her to the bathroom, where she threw up on the floor.
"MOMMY!" Mackenzie screamed and Victoria sighed.
"Shhh, I'm right here Kenz," she told her gently and she scooped her up and without any hesitation at all Mackenzie glued herself to Victoria's chest. "Shhh, shhh, shhh, you're okay baby. I'm right here," she assured her. She held her close, rubbing her back and let Mackenzie cry it all out of her system. She sat herself on the toilet and kept her little one close, doing her very best to reassure her and calm her down.
Wyatt hobbled into the bathroom a moment later and looked around, spotting the puddle of vomit and left again to get something to clean it with. He returned later with cleaning supplies and the cup of sprite Mackenzie had been drinking earlier. "Try this," he said. "It's the sprite from earlier."
Victoria took it, but didn't rush the process. "What time is it anyway?" she yawned carefully placing the cup in Mackenzie's hands, helping her hold it, so she could take a sip if she wanted one.
"Four," he sighed.
"She was asleep by nine, so seven hours is decent," Victoria said and then began tending to Mackenzie as if she were the six year old she presented to the world. She needed to be cared for, loved, and reassured. "Okay my love, take a breath and a sip. Let's try to calm down a little more," she encouraged and Mackenzie immediately shut off her voice.
"No, no, my love, you can cry, it's okay, you're safe," Wyatt told her gently. He hated when she started to shut down so fast. He knew it meant she wasn't entirely sure of where she was and he didn't like that. "Tor, do placements with her," he suggested when he saw her start to shut down so fast. He didn't know if it was his voice that was affecting her or not, so he felt the change of tone would be good.
"Okay my sweet girl look at me please. Tell me. What is your name?" she asked gently and Mackenzie said nothing. "It's okay, you take your time, and when you're ready, you tell me your name," Victoria encouraged.
It took almost a minute for Mackenzie to bravely say her name and the tears came very quickly after. "Kezzie, Mumma," she said and then dissolved into tears against her.
"Very good my sweet love," Victoria praised her as she kept her close and did everything she could think of to help her calm down a little and regulate her breathing. "Kenzie and Mommy. Who's that there?"
"Da-ee," she whimpered and Wyatt turned to smile at her.
"Hello my Kenzie," he said gently.
"Da-ee, no sis, I not," she pushed out quickly and Victoria and Wyatt were scrambling their brains as fast as they could to make sense of her language. "No sis," she cried.
Wyatt was not entirely sure what sis was, but he could take a very good guess and he knew he had to proceed with great caution. "I'm glad you're not Kenzie," he assured her and then looked at Victoria to see if she had a better understanding. One glance and he knew she was just as confused. "I have a suggestion Kenzie, are you ready?" he asked her gently and she nodded very quickly, so he gave her a few seconds more. "Okay, Daddy's suggestion is that you stay here with Mommy and just sit together, and you can sip your sprite, and I am going to go get your communication boards. I know your mouth is probably sore, so we will get the boards to help you out," he told her and she nodded at him. He gave her a kiss to her forehead and then did the same to Victoria and went into the main room to get her boards. He ran into Bill and smiled. "Go back to sleep my friend, she's okay," he assured him.
"That was a lot of screaming," Bill pointed out.
"She was caught in a nightmare and now that it's over, she threw up, and she's calming down."
"Are you sure we cannot be of help?"
"If you would like to stick around and be with us, you are more than welcome, but this is where we sort of let her guide what happens. She's also very intent on telling us something, that we are not able to figure out at the moment."
"It's four in the morning, are we sure she knows what's going on?" Bill pointed out.
"No," Wyatt said honestly.
"I will stay here then. I need to know she's okay please," he said.
Four in the morning also woke Jennifer Jareau and William LaMontaine Junior, because the small person in bed with them, had a night terror, screamed bloody murder and then launched herself into the corner of the room, cowered against the wall and would not let anyone come closer. Her screaming woke all the ladies of the team, as they were next door, and Luke and Dave sat up in bed and listened intently. They heard screaming followed by movement and no one was very sure of what should be done next. Dave listened harder and looked at Luke. "It's Hazel related," he said with finality in his voice. Then he slowly got out of bed, and went to see if he could be of help and Luke followed behind him. They crossed into the ladies room, checked the beds, found them empty and continued forward toward the other doorway, where they were all huddled against the door frame, just watching for the moment.
"Hazel," JJ said softly.
"Will," Tara whispered into the room and he turned to look, and then very slowly moved toward her.
"Do you need any extra hands?" Penelope yawned.
"I'll let you know in a few minutes," he said and as soon as he finished speaking, Hazel let out one intelligible word.
"MAMA!" she cried and then melted into floods of tears.
"Hazel," JJ said softly. "Hazel look at JJ," she said gently, trying to pull her focus to something steady.
"Mama!" Hazel cried and her face crumbled even further.
"Just go with it Jayje," Penelope whispered to herself and Emily smiled.
In the very dark space, she took Penelope's hand and kissed her temple. "It's just a very delicate balancing act that JJ wants to get right, it's okay," Emily assured her and then squeezed her hand for an extra moment for comfort. Then Penelope felt a strong hand on her shoulder and she grabbed it, knowing it was Luke and she needed his comfort too in the moment.
"Hazel, look at me sweetheart," JJ encouraged and once Hazel's eyes were solely focused on her, JJ spoke very calmly. "Let's just breathe, in and out," she said doing it while Hazel had her eyes trained on JJ. If she could get her to mimic her, then she'd be better and getting things to calm down a little more. It took four deep, slow breaths, before Hazel realized everything around her and dissolved into tears that were just ones of defeat. "Hazel," JJ started, but before she could say any more, Hazel crawled forward, put herself in JJ's lap and hung on as tightly as she could.
"Mama!" Hazel cried and JJ sighed heavily. Hazel was not letting this go. JJ was Mama and Will was Daddy and that as all there was to it as far as she was concerned.
"Okay, okay," JJ groaned as she carefully stood up and held Hazel in her arms, naturally swaying from side to side, in order to bring this poor girl some type of comfort, while rubbing her back and kissing her temple. "Shhh, Hazel, keep breathing steadily for me," she encouraged and then she walked over to the doorway and smiled at her team. "I am so sorry we woke you all up. We are okay. Please go back to sleep," she said.
"Do you and Will need any extra help?" Dave asked and upon his asking, Hazel seemed to realize that Will was there too and he had taken great care of her. JJ and Will were safe people and that was al she wanted right now.
Hazel carefully pushed back and looked toward the other figure in the room. "Daddy," she whimpered and Will glanced at JJ who just nodded.
"I'm right here Hazel," he said and she reached one arm toward him. It very quickly fell, and so she leaned her entire body toward him. JJ took a step closer toward him and Will carefully took her from JJ, settled her into his arms and rubbed her back.
"Daddy. Riz. Ow," she pushed out and he nodded.
"Okay. Let's get you some toast and I will rewrap them for you, and when that's done, we can get you more meds. No meds on an empty stomach though, okay?" he asked her and she simply nodded and held onto him.
"Mama," she said softly and so Emily spoke up. JJ and Will had to know they had the support of the entire team. Hazel had to understand she was fully supported as well and so Emily used the moment to call the shots. It was the only way she figured everyone would calm down.
"Hazel. Mama and Daddy are going to take care of you, and we will all leave you rest. When you're done with your meds, please try and go back to sleep," she said. "That goes for Mama and Daddy too," she told her and Hazel very quickly agreed.
"Come on Hazel, let's get those ribs set," Will told her and carried her to the little kitchenette to take her medicine and then to the bathroom to wrap her ribs.
"Mama," she said and she started to cry softly and reach for JJ. She needed her Mama and her Mama kept getting further away from her.
"Go with it," Penelope encouraged her.
"I have to get final instructions sweetheart, I'll be right there," JJ said. Once they were out of earshot, she looked at Emily. "I don't know if I'm ready to be Mama," she said.
"You definitely are," Tara said tiredly.
"JJ, she bonded very well with you and Will. That is not a bad thing," Luke said.
"Yes, and if I continue to play into her little fantasy world, then I become a monster. We are not her parents. She is not a little girl. She's a nineteen year old adult."
"With a medical condition, an abusive past, and a branch of a family tree, that we only just found out about," Dave offered.
"It's four in the morning so I don't understand any of that," JJ pouted at him.
"Ok, it is very early, and we all have to be downstairs in a few hours. Everyone back to sleep if you can. We will get all the details straightened out in the morning, when it's daylight," Emily said and with that, she shooed JJ away, and the rest of them went back to their rooms, to attempt to get some sleep.
Penelope got into her bed and took a heavy sigh, before attempting to fall asleep. Hearing that noise, Tara stood from her bed, and Emily then moved from hers, both joining Penelope. "Talk to us please," Tara requested.
"JJ is worried accepting the role of mom will make it worse for Hazel. I don't know how that is possible, but I also know when it comes to profiling, there are things you all understand much better than I do. It leaves me very torn about who to want to help first. Hazel is a victim. We always help the victims. Also, are we doing more harm than good by letting Hazel refer to JJ and Will as her parents? I don't mind reinforcing that either, because she presents to the world as a little girl. It's just all very confusing," she said.
"That is where I think JJ is wrong. It's not a fantasy for Hazel. Hazel never had people to protect her growing up. At least not great ones. Now she's found herself in this situation where she knows these people will protect her and she doesn't want to give that up. They also haven't judged her for her speech, or her accidents, and none of us have treated her as a child, which is what she definitely resembles. She's found a safe place. For her, it's not a fantasy, like JJ says. It's a safe haven and in her safe haven they took on the parent role. I don't see anything wrong with that," Tara explained.
"If you can't sleep Penelope, I will get up with you, and we will do more research into Hazel's past. Maybe we can find key things she's looking for and that will help JJ feel better about the whole thing. I am very sure that we're going to have two smaller people behind the scenes with us today, so the more we learn on both of them the better," Emily said.
"I'm not sleepy either. Let's go," Tara smiled and the three of them went to Penelope's computer to gather up all the information they could.
"Mama!" Hazel cried out when she saw her and JJ couldn't help but smile.
"Yes Hazel, I'm here," JJ assured her. "Are we wrapping your ribs now?" she asked and Hazel nodded. "Okay, sit real still and we will help you out," she said and once it was done, Hazel carefully crawled over to Will, gave him a kiss to his cheek and then went back to JJ, and curled up on her lap.
"Mama!" Hazel said simply and she wrapped her small frame around JJ and held on as tightly as she could.
"Oh my sweet girl," JJ sighed. "It's still very late. Let's try to go back to sleep okay?"
"No, bah' d'ee'z, no s'ee," she pushed out frantically and JJ nodded. It was too early to piece together all the words Hazel had attempted, but no was pretty recognizable. The rest wouldn't matter so much in the moment. What did matter was that they all got rest.
"What about a very long cuddle then? How about you and Mama and Daddy all cuddle in the bed together and if we fall asleep, that's fine and if we don't that's fine too," she said and Hazel agreed to that. The three of them got back into bed, and JJ spoke gently. "We're going to put the television on softly, so that we have something to focus on, other than the dark. Sometimes, the dark is not the calmest place to be, so let's give ourselves something to focus on," she explained.
Ten minutes into what whey were watching, Hazel was sound asleep, and even snoring softly. "Mia," Will said softly. "I'm asking so I know. We're just going with the Mama and Daddy bits right now, yes?" he asked.
"I don't want to. I think it's going to make it worse when we catch this guy and then she gets to go back to living her life. I'm afraid that we are actually making things much worse. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she trusts us, but there's a very small part of me that keeps saying this is so wrong, and we need to not do this. We are not her parents. She is very tiny, but not an actual little girl. She's nineteen."
"She does have an abusive past. I'm sure that helped in having her not grow so tall. Doesn't Mackenzie have the same thing?"
"She had some super rare form of brain cancer. They cured the cancer, but she looks between six and eight, all the time. Garcia never said anything about the same illness for Hazel."
"Well, here's what we are sure on. She trusts us, and we are both falling for her, whether we choose to admit it or not. I need you to know that I am okay with falling for her. I'm okay with reconfiguring our lives at this point. I learned a long time ago, when someone shows up unexpectedly in your life, sometimes that is a good thing," he said and JJ made a face at him, which he only caught because the television was on. "It's okay to be her Mama," he assured her.
"I'm so scared I'll mess it all up," she said honestly.
"I don't think you can. Showing Hazel that there are good people in the world, that will protect her, and that will go and stop all kinds of bad people, that's not a bad thing," he said.
"I know you're right and I know the team will help us, and I also know I'm a little bit right. If this is just a fantasy for her, we are causing harm," JJ said.
"The first person you need to talk to then is Tara. I'm not a psychologist, I'm not sure what you see that I don't. I know I do not see a fantasy being played out. I see someone looking for safety and I'm okay giving that to her."
"I love you," JJ told him and leaned over to give him a soft kiss. I know we have to try to sleep for a little while longer, but I don't know how that's going to happen.
"Why's that?"
"There been mention of a branch of a family tree. Things are definitely going to get weird before they settle into routine," she sighed.
"I'm here, with you, no matter what that looks like," Will smiled.
At five thirty, the team, slowly started to get ready and as it became time for Will and JJ to get dressed and suit up, Emily took charge and spoke gently. "Hazel, JJ and Will have to go get dressed. While they do that, can Dave and I help you rewrap your ribs?" she asked.
"Mama?" Hazel asked looking at JJ.
"You can go with Dave and Emily, they are really good at taking care of people. One time they took care of me," JJ smiled at her.
"We did. She was recovering from a concussion and wouldn't follow orders if she wasn't being watched. JJ is very stubborn at times," Dave smiled and Emily nodded her agreement.
"They are right, I was recovering from a concussion. Dave and Emily took great care of me. I am not stubborn," she defended.
"Hazel, do not let her fool you, JJ is very stubborn as is the rest of this team," Emily put in. "Come on, Dave and I will rewrap your ribs while JJ gets dressed," she said and Hazel nodded and carefully reached for Emily. Emily smiled and sat down. "We'll stay here though, this way JJ and Will are close by if we need them, okay?" she asked and Hazel nodded.
Dave took a seat in front of her and Emily shifted behind her. "Okay Hazel, I'm going to explain the process for you. We're going to undo the wrap, roll it up, and then wrap you up again," he said.
"Daddy," she nodded.
"That's how Will does it?" Dave smiled at her and she nodded. "So Emily and I are going to do the same thing and just keep it tight so you heal," he told her and she nodded. They loosened the wrap slightly and then removed it and Hazel shivered at the rush of cold air and then winced at the movement.
Emily picked up a spare blanket nearby and wrapped it around Hazel. "Let's keep you covered while Dave rolls the ribbon. We'll leave you covered until it's time, because if JJ and Will think I did anything wrong, they will come after me," Emily said.
"You da bah-ss," Hazel said.
"We're a team," Emily pointed out.
"She just has the title of boss, but we are a team and a family and we work together," Dave told her. "Now, are you ready to be rewrapped?" he pressed kindly once the ribbon was rolled and she nodded. "Okay, blanket off," he said and then he and Emily carefully began wrapping her small frame to stabilize her ribs. Once that was set Penelope knocked on the door frame and smiled.
"Hey, we're almost ready," she told them.
Emily looked at her watch and smiled. "Hazel, Dave and I have two more things we need to do in the other room, can you let Penelope help you get dressed?" Emily asked.
"Mmm," she said softly.
"Thank you Hazel," Emily smiled.
"Emmy?" she asked softly. "Ow," she said pointing to her thigh.
"I'm sure Penelope can help you change that bandage. She is very gentle and I'm very sure Tara and Luke can help her if you'd like," she offered.
In the bathroom, JJ joined Will in the shower and kissed him gently, letting the water fall over both of them. When the kiss broke, Will wrapped her in tight hug and kept her there. "Jennifer Jareau, I love you, and I want us to get on the same page about Hazel," he said.
"Prentiss said Garcia found a branch of a family tree," she said. "That is also all I want to say about that right now," she informed him and began to wash him down. Her fingers slid over his body gently and she sunk down to her knees, keeping her eyes trained on him. His muscles glistened in the lighting and shimmered under the water, and all she saw was the gorgeous man, whom she loved, and that was all she wanted to focus on at the moment.
"JJ," Will said softly.
"Ah," she scolded gently, pausing for a moment. "We," she said rising to her feet. "We have super intense jobs. We have very intricate details we need to pay attention to," she told him and as she spoke, she kept planting little kisses, in just the right places, knowing they would excite him. "In this moment. With you. I don't want to think about anything else," she told him.
"Yes Ma'am," he said.
Tara, Luke, and Penelope were helping Hazel get dressed and change the bandage on her thigh, while Emily and Dave were in their rooms getting last minute details put together. Dave was coordinating with catering downstairs, so the crew could have breakfast behind the scenes and Emily had texted Wyatt, letting him know it was important they talk, before he went to deliver his lecture. Her phone rang a minute after she sent the text. "This is Prentiss."
"Miss Emily, thank you for the text. How can we help you?" Wyatt asked.
"Call her Agent Prentiss!" Victoria scolded in the background and Emily smiled.
"Shush," Wyatt hissed at her and she made a face at him, making him sigh. "My apologies Agent Prentiss, my wife says I'm being disrespectful," he said and he made a face back at his wife, who was simply holding their young love and doing her best to keep Mackenzie calm.
"You are fine Mister Lansing," Emily assured him. "Now, this is why I've called. Clearly Mackenzie saw, or thought she saw our prime suspect. We want to keep you safe. Mackenzie and Hazel are prime targets for him, especially with their injuries, and while your wife isn't a target, she could become one, while caring for Mackenzie. I want you all with us, at command. You'll be able to attend any part of the conference you wish and you'll be sure that Mackenzie is being kept safe with us."
"Just Kenz?" he questioned.
"Mrs. Lansing is welcome to stay with her, if that would make things more comfortable for everyone. If he is here like Mackenzie is sure of, then our profile says he's going to come after her again. She is his prime target," Emily said and her phone beeped as she spoke, indicating another call. She also heard crying off in the other room, and turned to see her team in a small frenzy of activity. She remained calm and focused her attention on Wyatt at the moment, while Penelope came running into the room and opened her laptop. "We have to be at our command center at seven," she explained. "As I said, I can't force you, and yet, this feels like the safest course of action," she said.
"Where shall we meet you?" Wyatt asked.
"Call me when you get to the lobby. We'll go from there," she said and with a few pleasantries, they hung up. "Garcia, what's with the activity?"
"Shooting, I'm getting details now. Will's phone went off too. It startled Hazel and her leg twitched while they were changing the bandage. She's okay, but she's sore," Penelope said and then she made a noise of disgust while turning her face from the screen.
"Hang on, let me see," Emily said quickly, knowing this was very early in the morning for anyone to have to be dealing with crime scene photos. Taking a look, she sighed and then starting making decisions. "Garcia, get us all the information on the victims please," she said. "Also cross reference them to Mrs. Matten. This feels like a massive escalation," she said and then she got a call. "Prentiss."
"Prentiss, it's Riggs," he answered. "My team says a silencer was used on all four victims as they were leaving the hotel," he told her. "He's trying to maim them. He's hitting the base of the spine and they are falling straight to the ground.
"We're having Garcia look into all of that now," she said.
"I'd put protective detail on the prime targets," he said.
"That's been done," she answered. "How many of your team has to leave to investigate?" she pressed.
"None. Metro has it covered. I just need to know if we're meeting earlier than seven," he said.
"No, by seven we'll have more details. The plan stays in place," she said.
"Copy," he answered and with that he hung up.
Emily looked at Penelope who was hard at work and then went to move into the other room. "Boss!" Penelope called after her. "Calm. Breathe. It's a lot," Penelope said gently.
"Thank you," Emily said, knowing she'd switched into go mode very quickly and she needed to calm down before she saw Hazel. She stood in the doorway, took a deep calming breath and then moved into the other room. Hazel was on the bed, surrounded by Luke and Tara, who were helping her to finish dressing, moving her very slowly so her body could adjust to movements and Tara was making her breathe on each section. "What's going on in here?" Emily smiled, speaking as gently as she could.
"Dess," Hazel told her, standing up with Luke's help.
"All dressed? Good. You look beautiful," Emily praised and Will and JJ came out of the bathroom, both dressed for the day.
"Will, your phone went off," Luke said holding his own up and twisting it, as if Will didn't know what a phone was. With a look, JJ understood and figured out her best form of communication.
"Take your phone, but you didn't use the mouthwash. I'm sorry I stole it from you," she said and gently pushed him toward the bathroom, so that he could look at whatever was going on and it wouldn't alert Hazel to a problem. Something was definitely going on.
"Mama!" Hazel smiled at her and she managed to throw up one arm for a few milliseconds before it fell back down. JJ smiled, moved closer to the bed and lifted Hazel into her arms. "Dess," Hazel told her.
"Yes, you are dressed very nicely. Where's Garcia?" JJ asked.
"Go," Hazel said simply, pointing toward the other room and Emily's phone went off again.
"Prentiss," she said answering it.
"Yes Ma'am, we're coordinating the final plan of action now," she said and a moment later hung up.
"Final plan of action?" Luke asked and Will emerged from the bathroom and looked at Emily.
"Are you up to speed?" Emily asked seriously and at her tone Hazel snuggled into JJ a little closer. She was at least now vaguely aware that something important was going on. Will simply nodded and then looked at Hazel.
"Hazel, since, I am all up to speed and JJ and her team need to get there, why don't we go down to command and get some breakfast," he said. They were all doing their best to tell Hazel what was going on, but also not give her so much detail that she panicked.
"That is an excellent idea. Rossi set up catering for us already and the Lansings will be joining us today," Emily said.
"Kez?" Hazel asked.
"Yes, Mackenzie and her mom will be with us while her dad is doing his lectures or seminars. In fact, if you and Will go now, I will text them to meet you and we will all get up to speed here, as a group, before joining you," she said.
"You have to promise to save Luke and me some bacon," JJ whispered to her and Hazel gave a genuine smile, before nodding yes and giving JJ a tight hug before reaching for Will. He took her out of the room and once they were gone JJ asked her question. "How bad is it?"
"There's been a major escalation," Emily said and Penelope called out from the other room.
"Look on the tv," they all heard her say and there attention moved quickly to the screen as Penelope entered the room with her laptop. "Victims one through four," she said and four images quickly appeared on the screen.
"Garcia, can you put up Matten's wife too please?" Tara asked.
"Of course," she said and then the entire room saw it.
"So he's mad at his wife?" JJ asked and then looked at Penelope. "What are the stats of these women compared to Matten. Specifically height and weight."
"I saw that too. It's within five pounds, either way, for all the victims, and in addition, he's not killing them, just paralyzing them. The hospital is sending me updates as fast as they can."
"He's looking for a battle. He wants to make as big a show as possible," Rossi sighed. "Was there any type of evidence left behind stating anything similar?" he asked.
"They are still combing through a few things, but as soon as I know, you'll know," Penelope offered with a sad smile. This was the part of her job that she hated. Waiting to get the information to catch the killer was always difficult.
"Okay, everyone suit up, Penelope you too, we are taking no risks. JJ grab extra vests for our guests behind command and I'll alert Riggs. Hazel and Mackenzie do not leave our sight until we have Matten in custody," Emily instructed.
Will and Hazel met the Lansings at the command center and sat at a small table and both of the young girls sat in their "Daddy's" lap. It was safer to be cocooned with someone they trusted and right now it was far too busy with far too many people who neither of them knew. All the movement and low talking was starting to stress Mackenzie out and she felt a panic attack coming on. "Daddy," she said softly and she clung to him like her life depended on it.
"Kenzie, I am right here and we're just having a little breakfast," Wyatt said offering her another piece of pancake, glad when she took it.
"Daddy, say," she pleaded with him.
"I'm right here baby," he assured her and she simply clung to him and whimpered softly.
"Mackenzie, Penelope told me that your Aunt and Uncle are here at the convention," Will said kindly. "Do you think they might want to join us?" Will offered.
"They have lectures and demonstrations all morning, but perhaps in the afternoon, Aunt Kat can come be with you," Wyatt said kindly and she simply nodded her agreement.
Will was about to attempt some sort of conversation to help relax Mackenzie and Hazel, but he had multiple interruptions. Hazel noticed and called out for JJ, Victoria offered to get everyone coffee, and Dave asked to see Will at a different part of command to show him a schematic of the room.
"Daddy," Mackenzie whimpered once she and Wyatt were alone for the moment.
"Kenz, let's just sit and cuddle, just right here, you and me, until everyone returns with more instruction," he told her.
Victoria returned a few minutes later with two cups of coffee and took a seat next to Wyatt. "Black with two sugars for you, and cream and sugar for me, you weirdo," she teased him.
"Ugh, did you hear that? Mommy just called me a weirdo," Wyatt smiled at Mackenzie and she grinned at him. "I would never do such a thing," he said.
"You say'd it bow her," Mackenzie said.
"When did I do that?" Wyatt asked, asking a funny face and Mackenzie smiled.
"Let's start with pizza last week when you said I was a weirdo for having pineapple on my pizza," Victoria told him.
"Yeah, dat," Mackenzie agreed. "An' her dawz," she added.
"Dogs?" Wyatt asked.
"Ah dawz," she clarified and she signed it for him.
"Yes, you don't like that I put relish on my hot dogs," Victoria said.
"Because that is all you use. It's not normal," he said.
"You're not normal," Victoria said rolling her eyes. "Now give me my little love please, because I have not had Kenzie cuddles in at least three minutes and I miss her," Victoria said and Mackenzie lifted herself carefully to give Wyatt a kiss to his cheek and then moved to Victoria's lap.
"I has Mommy?" she asked Victoria softly.
"If you'd like my love," she said and she helped her take a sip of the coffee. Just as she finished and let Victoria take the cup back, Dave approached them and smiled.
"Hello Lansings," he smiled at them. "Thank you all for waiting for us. I was trying to get final details for you, on how the day will go," he said. "Mr. Lansing, you're giving a lecture today?" Dave pressed gently.
"NO!" Mackenzie squealed.
"Mackenzie," Wyatt warned her gently. "You know Daddy has to give lectures. Uncle Bill and Aunt Kat are doing demos as well," he told her.
"No, Daddy," she said instantly bursting into tears and reaching for him.
"You need to calm down my love," Wyatt said and took her in his arms and moved off to the quietest corner he could find.
"I'm really sorry Agent Rossi, she had a night terror and is apparently still worked up about it," Victoria said.
"No need to apologize, and thank you for the explanation," he said. "Is she going to be okay once he leaves and goes to do his part in the convention?" Dave pressed carefully.
"She has me, and sometimes, that's okay. Sometimes it isn't. I wish I had a more solid answer for you," she admitted.
"We will find a way to work with you all, I promise," he said and then paused to look toward JJ who seemed to be having a similar situation with Hazel. "I do believe, we're all going to be figuring things out together today," he offered.
"What is the basic plan that you have so far?" Victoria asked.
"Right now we are just making sure we keep Mackenzie and Hazel safe. We do believe that Mackenzie did see him here and now it is our job to apprehend him," Dave assured her.
"Agent Rossi, you are very kind. Your entire team has been wonderful. My husband and I want the same thing you want. Kenz does too, she's just having a rollercoaster of a day. I will do my absolute best to make sure that we assist you in whatever way we can and that my husband doesn't become a roaring lion against you all," she said.
"Thank you. I will let you know as soon as we have more details," Dave said and with that he returned to the small team, to be sure they were all on the same page.
After a lot of deliberation and a little bit of disagreement, Will, Victoria, Hazel and Mackenzie were sent back upstairs to where the BAU was staying. The young ladies were very distressed about leaving the parental figure they were most attached to and Tara could see it was weighing heavily on Emily's heart. "Boss?" Tara pushed gently, once the four targets had left. "They are having all those childhood tantrums they could not afford to have in the past. They are safe and protected and now we can do our job with four less people to worry about," she told her.
"I know, I know, it's still hard to look at," Emily sighed and then took the offered unit from Penelope and slipped in her comms unit. Then she turned around so her back was toward her team and spoke calmly. "Marshal, Prentiss to the BAU," she said.
"Prentiss to BAU," Marshal said.
"Systems check," Emily said and received five responses of copy. "Good. Garcia doors open in ten minutes, make sure all the comms are up and running. Then get the rest of tech checked so that we have every angel of sight and sound we need. Lewis, Alvez, and Rossi, gather Riggs and his team. Update them about the plan and be ready for when the doors open. JJ, you're with me. We will double check that everyone is suited up and eliminate as many blind spots as we can. I'm not letting this bastard slip away again," she ordered and they all went to do their tasks.
Danielle Kryton was still in charge of catering to the members of Law Enforcement at the command center and she managed to learn the orders of each of the members. Just as Penelope was getting ready to find someone to get her a cup of coffee, Danielle approached her with her exact order. "I'm very grateful for the coffee Ms. Kryton. Thank you so much," Penelope said.
"Part of the job Ma'am," Danielle said and with that, she left.
Penelope sipped her coffee and then went to staring at her screen. It was only a few seconds of looking at a semi crowded lobby when movement caught her eye and she began to work on getting his face in her recognition program. "Marshal, Garcia to registration," she said.
"Copy Garcia to registration," Marshal said.
"Registration, I need one of you to head toward the door. I need a capture of the face that just rolled in," she told them.
"This is Buxton," Michael said. "I see him and I can get there. How long of a hold do you need?"
"It's just a few seconds," Penelope said. Michael took a deep breath and carefully stood up, moving over toward the man that just rolled in. He carefully moved closer toward the man and then pretended to trip on his shoe, before dropping down to tie it and then looked up toward the man in question. "Buxton, you have to be closer," Penelope told him seriously. "You're doing great on the angle, but I definitely need you closer than what you are," she said and Michael thought for a few moments.
"Copy," he said and then he stood up and moved closer. "Sir," he said directly to the man and the man turned to look at him. "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you. Do you know what convention you're at?" Michael pressed carefully.
"Of course I know, you idiot," the man snapped.
"I'm sorry," Michael said holding up his hands in defense.
"I don't mean to presume anything Sir. We do have two conventions happening in town and we've had two people come to the wrong place already," Michael said.
"I am looking for the ABC convention, which is what that sign says. Now please leave me alone!"
"We're good Buxton, you can leave," Penelope said in his ear.
"Yes Sir, and you have a nice time," Michael said and he went to sit down.
Penelope ran his face through recognition and when it came up with a match, Penelope felt her heart race a little bit. "Crap! Marshal, Garcia to Prentiss and Riggs," she said.
"Garcia to Prentiss and Riggs," he copied and she began speaking quickly.
"In the lobby, facial recognition now confirmed. Matten is waiting to enter," she said.
"Great work Garcia. Marshal, Prentiss to all," Emily said quickly.
"Prentiss to all," he re repeated and Emily started giving instruction. "Registration, I need everyone's ears. Garcia's whose line is it?" Emily pressed.
"Haze," she answered quickly.
"Everyone on registration keep focused. Haze when Matten approached your table, Garcia will help you reconfirm facial recognition and then let him proceed as normal. Marshal, keep Garcia and Haze connected privately while we get everyone else in place," Emily ordered and the rest of the lines stayed open while Garcia and Haze and their own closed circuit. The entire BAU stayed at their stations and listened while Riggs began placing people around the room and Luke saw Matten starting to zero in on one of the other convention goers.
"Marshal, Alvez to Prentiss," he said.
"Go Luke," Emily responded.
"He's targeting that man in line next to him. Look at him staring. He's not even focused on Haze and we need to make sure his focus stays with all of us," he said.
"Marshal, loop Alvez in with Garcia and Haze. When he finishes registration, get back in with me, and I'll have placement for you. Prentiss out," she instructed.
"Haze, it's Alvez, he is in your line and as he gets closer, I need you to pull his focus, I'll guide you," he told her. "Here's what you need to know. He's looking for small and weak, or at least skittish, so I need you to start being a little bit timid, now, because he's three people deep. Use now as practice."
"Hello Ma'am," she said softly to the very intimidating woman in front of her, dressed in a black vinyl corset and black fishnet stockings with six inch red heels, that matched her red leather bracelets.
"Aren't you a sweet thing," the woman smiled. "Cassandra Elroy dear," she told her and handed over her license, which Megan took and used to scan the list in front of her. Megan blushed hard by thinking about the things she and her husband had done on their honeymoon, not that long ago, and Cassandra caught it. "You should calm your mind sweet girl. A blush like that means you're either very into everything you see, potentially happy about a Mistress talking to you, or your so nervous your body doesn't know how else to react."
"Nerves!" Luke said quickly in her ear. "Timid, play the nerves," he told her.
"It's um. It's nerves Ma'am, I'm sorry," she said, speaking slowly and deliberately and on his screen Luke watched Matten turn all his attention to her.
"Well my darling, should you be interested in learning anything more, you know where I can be found this weekend," she smiled and handed Megan a business card. A Master was behind her and she did very much the same thing and as she spoke and blushed and engaged the people in conversation, while trying to be skittish at the same time, Luke watched Hollis Matten closely. All of his focus was now concentrated on Megan.
"Haze he is next in line and as soon as we confirm him, you can let him through," Luke coached her.
He rolled up to the table and Megan smiled at him. "Hello Sir, your name please?"
"Chase Harrison," he said simply.
"Yes Mr. Harrison, may I have your ID please?" she asked him and he produced a very accurate, although very fake driver's license that listed he was from Maryland and his name was Chase Harrison and he lived at 123 Lullaby Lane. Megan used a few moments to line the ID up, so she appeared to be matching his photo to the real person, but really she was putting him in her glasses frame and Penelope was in her ear, coaching her to tilt her head ever so slightly in different directions.
"Can you hurry it up there please, I have a lecture to get to!" he barked at her.
"Hold him there!" Luke said in her ear. "Remember skittish and small, let him be a little forceful. We are right here," Luke assured her and then cut his own mic for a minute. "Bastard thinks he's in charge everywhere," he grumbled.
"I, I, I'm so sorry Sir," she said, pouring it on thick. "M, my boss, he likes me to look for certain things, like um, you know, on the license," she said and as she spoke, she stared directly at his eyes. "You see, like I'm supposed to match this wrinkle here on your forehead. That's not a wrinkle that's a scar and I'm looking to find it on your forehead, but your hat is in the way," she said and he growled but took off his hat and threw it on the table and she visibly flinched. He was now staring back at her like a snake that was hypnotizing it's prey.
"Happy now?" Hollis growled as he pointed to it angrily, but held the position long enough for Penelope to capture his entire face.
"Photo captured," Penelope said in her ear.
"Y, yes Sir, thank, uh, thank you. Lectures start in fifteen minutes and the one you have first, is just down the pathway on the left, right inside," she assured him. "You um, won't, won't be late."
"Oh yes he will," Luke smiled in her ear.
"Thank you for your co-op. Um. Help. Thank you for your help," she said finally and Hollis gave her a predatory look, before he rolled down the hall.
"Great work Haze. Marshal, Registration is over," Luke said.
"This is Marshal, Prentiss to all," he said and everyone's mic's were now open.
"Penelope do we have a match?" Emily questioned.
"Yes, one hundred percent. That's him," Penelope answered.
"Marshal, Riggs to Prentiss." He waited for the copy and then began talking. "Tell me we have something, because I'm watching him head straight for the nerve stimulation lecture," Riggs said.
"That's him. We're a confirmed match," Prentiss answered.
"Logistics problem number one, we have a lot of innocent people here, I'd like to remove them," he said as he watched Matten roll past him. He had a ridiculously determined look on his face and Riggs sighed. "Prentiss, this body language says he's not coming out, once he goes in," Riggs said.
"So we corral him in and keep everyone else out," she said and very quickly she heard Sanders in her ear.
"If anyone can hear me, I'm blocking the lecture," he said.
"I'll talk to the lecturer," Burke said and very quietly slipped into the lecture room. Noticing a second figure, Kelsie swore under her breath and quickly asked for back up. "Lewis a little help please," agent Burke said and Tara went running around the back of the convention rooms, made it into the entrance opposite registration and then slipped into the lecture area to have a quick chat.
"Garcia, what's the woman's name?" Tara asked softly.
"Bobby!" a woman's voice called as Tara entered. "Love, I need you to," she started, but quickly stopped when she turned from what she was doing to see Bobby, looking at Tara and Kelsie with some confusion. "Can I help you Miss?" the woman asked.
"Madam Riley Miller," Penelope said in Tara's ear.
"Madam Miller?"
"Yes. May I help you?"
"I'm Agent Lewis with the FBI. This is Agent Burke. We are just holding your lecture entry," she told her.
"Are we safe?" Riley asked with alarm.
"As long as you both follow directions yes," Tara assured her. "Let's just talk over here for a moment please. Bobby?" she asked looking at the assistant and he nodded. "You as well please," Tara requested and pulled them out of view from the little opening. "I do promise, you are both perfectly safe and we are only delaying your lecture," Tara assured her.
"I'm sorry, what is all this about?" Riley asked, feeling very confused about what was going on. It seemed to be happening way too quickly to follow along and in her world, that usually lead to dangerous situations.
"Ms. Miller, I am very sorry to spring so much on you so soon and to ensure your safety, I need you and Bobby to come with me," Tara said and Riley sighed.
"Come on love," she said and he put everything down, took her hand and they walked out of the back of the little lecture room, where JJ was waiting.
"This is my teammate Agent Jareau, just follow her instructions and you'll be fine," Tara said and she slipped back into the tent with Burke while Sanders held Matten outside for the moment.
"All agents in the tent, take seats," Riggs said, "and the rest of you need to get into position outside, we are surrounding him as best we can."
JJ ushered Riley and Bobby away from the scene and took them back behind the hall toward Penelope. "This is agent Garcia. Sit here, with her and you will be safe," she said sternly and they both nodded while JJ went back to take position.
"Agent?" Bobby asked politely. "Is that woman a mistress? She's very kind but stern, like my Miss."
"Bobby, not now!" Riley scolded and he immediately went quiet and leaned into his Miss as an apology. "I always allow questions, but now is not the time," she said.
Penelope just gave them both a smile and returned to her screens. Focus was now essential. "Bobby, I will happily answer any question you have, once this is all over," she said kindly as she stared at her screens and began typing to pull up the different windows she needed to get the best views.
She needed a screen for outside the lecture tent and then all the views from the glasses of the undercovers who were now inside the tent. "Marshal, we need everyone open for communication," she said.
"Copy all."
"Excuse me!" Matten said to Sanders.
"Yes Sir, how can I help you?" Sanders asked, while Riggs was in his ear telling him not to let him in just yet. He needed to be sure that the Miss running the lecture was out.
"You need to let me pass, this is the lecture I am due to attend."
"You'll need to wait a few moments please," Sanders said.
"What? This is ridiculous. I've been coming to this convention for years and we are always allowed to be seated early," he complained.
"Yes, you have, and this time the person running the lecture has asked me to have guests wait," he said sternly and Matten backed down for a moment, but then calmed himself.
"Cotton and Jareau, round in behind our target," Riggs said and they slowly approached.
"Thank you for your patience, it'll just be a few moments more," Sanders told them and they both smiled and went to studying their target from behind, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
"Cotton, I have eyes directly on you," Riggs said in his ear. "Is anything suspicious?" Agent Cotton shook his head now and Riggs sighed. "Is everyone who needs to be posted outside, posted?" Riggs continued once a few extra minutes had passed and several calls of copy were heard. "Okay Sanders, let them all in," Riggs told him and Sanders checked his watch.
"Thank you for waiting. You may now enter," he said and then stepped aside, letting Matten roll past him. Hollis rolled himself to the front of the stage and parked himself on the end. Once he was set, he fidgeted a bit, but managed to set all his belongings where he wanted them and the rest of the under cover agents moved into place, carefully and slowly surrounding him, so he didn't get spooked too quickly.
Piper was the first one to move and sit directly near him and everyone heard Riggs asking Garcia for another check to be more than certain about the facial recognition. Ten seconds later, he got his answer. "Confirmed match. Hollis Matten," Penelope said.
"Kessler and Kirkland, approach and ask to speak with. We're going to try and extract him first," Riggs said.
"Agent Riggs, he's not going down without a fight," Rossi said.
"While that may be, I still have to try."
"Kessler, you do all the talking. He's after the women. Kirkland if you start it, he will be more difficult," Rossi said.
Ryan and Beth carefully entered the tent and approached him and took Rossi's advice. "Hollis Matten?" Ryan asked.
"Yes? Can I help you?" he grumbled.
"I'm officer Ryan Kessler. Would you kindly come with me? I have some questions I need to ask you."
"No," Hollis answered and went back to simply reading his little program.
"Mr. Matten, you do not seem to understand. I need to ask you questions," Ryan pressed and Hollis looked at him with anger in his eyes.
"I'm not going with you. End of discussion," he said. JJ and Tom were seated right behind him and Piper was off to his left. Across the room, Hailey was seated and she could see something bulging on Matten's hip.
"Hamilton to Garcia," she said softly.
"Copy Hamilton," Penelope answered.
"Weaponry," she said. "Zoom please. My left. Hip," she said quietly and everyone went a bit more quiet and tense, as Ryan and Beth did their best to convince Hollis to go with them, which he wasn't doing.
"Confirmation of an object. Hold for details," Penelope said and as she zooming in and working to confirm things further, Ryan and Beth decided to have a seat and talk.
"Okay Mr. Matten, if you won't come with us, then we'll just ask you right here," Beth said.
"Easy Kirkland," Rossi said in her ear. Matten was already angry and had injured a bunch of women this morning, who all looked slightly like his wife. It was why they chose Beth to go, since she didn't look like them. There was growing concern that it wasn't going to matter who was talking to him though.
"What is wrong with you?" Hollis growled at her. "I said, I'm not talking to you, I'm not going anywhere and I'm asking you to leave me alone."
"We can't do that Mr. Matten. You see, you, or someone who looks very much like you, injured five women early this morning and we are trying to clear you as a suspect," Beth pressed.
"I'm not going," he said and as he spoke Hailey Rivers crossed in front of him, to get on Beth's other side, for assisted backup. Before she finished, Hollis very quickly pulled the object from his hips and pulled the trigger, knocking Hailey to the ground. He kept his hand on the trigger, squeezing tight, so while it was only a couple of seconds, it was enough of a jolt from the taser to knock Hailey unconscious. Weapons were pulled very quickly and JJ moved in to cuff him.
"Hollis Matten you are under arrest for attacking a federal officer," he heard a voice say and before JJ was able to secure him, he lurched forward, knocking them both to the ground and when he rolled on top of her, he managed to grab her pony tail and bash her head on the floor. Everyone jumped on him quickly and managed to cuff him and haul him away.
"Garcia, we need two medical teams, right now," Prentiss ordered and Penelope called everyone who needed to be called. Alvez and Lewis sat with JJ and did not let her move an inch.
"I'm fine!" JJ insisted.
"Stop moving," Luke scolded her.
"I," she started.
"JJ, enough," Tara told her. "Just lay here, with us, and don't argue. You don't move until medical gets here. End of discussion."
"I'd like to sit up please," she said.
"Not after how I saw him grab your neck. Just stay down," Luke told her.
Hailey was nearby and she moaned softly. "Rivers, it's Prentiss, don't move so much. We're waiting on medics," she told her.
"Mmmf," Hailey pushed out. "Hap'nd?" Hailey managed.
"You were tased Rivers, just hang tight. Medics are on the way and they will look you over."
"M'fin," she said.
Dave noticed things a hair faster than Emily, so he leaned down and spoke softly. "Rivers, I am saying this as someone who noticed something and I know you can do nothing about it. You were shot with a taser, for more seconds than anyone is comfortable with and now the contents of your bladder is all over your pants," he told her.
"Ugh," Hailey grumbled.
"Keep your eyes closed, level out your breathing and know that we are right here with you, until medics arrive, which should not be too much longer."
"They are two minutes out," Penelope said over the comms and then the next voice was Riggs.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Hollis Matten is in custody and headed toward the offices now for interrogation followed by booking," he announced. "All registration attendants, please remain in place. Agent Kirkland, I need you with Rivers. You will be by her side until she is cleared and released. I don't expect it to take an excessively long time, but you are fully aware of our protocol. Be sure that Rivers follows it. Rivers, you will listen to Kirkland and you will not argue with her. BAU, you are your own command, but I have now left behind six of my agents, feel free to have them assist you, however might be necessary," Riggs said. "I'm now handing my comms to Agent Garcia. Riggs out," he said.
"Prentiss, can we get in touch with Riggs? I want to make sure everything for the prosecution sticks," Lewis said over her comms unit.
"We can. One thing at a time though. JJ and Rivers need to be attended to."
"Medics are here," Penelope said and all five agents at registration, guided them where they needed to be. Hailey was placed on a gurney and taken away, while JJ was helped to a seated position and checked for a concussion and the light scratches she had from the tumble on the floor were treated.
"Does she have a concussion?" Luke asked.
"No, she's fine. I wouldn't go running a marathon, but you don't need to check out of work for the day either," the medic said.
"You see? I'm fine, good to go, so let's go," JJ said and she stood up and felt the room spin. The medic could see it in her eyes and carefully took her by her shoulders and sat her in a chair.
"Maybe not so fast," the medic scolded her. "Which one is your boss?" he asked.
"I really," JJ started.
"Me! I'm the boss. What does she need to do?" Emily said.
"She needs to help close this case!" JJ grumbled.
"Quiet!" Emily scolded her and then looked at the medic for instructions.
"Is there a desk job she can do for the day? Something that doesn't require a lot of movement?"
"Yes, I have the perfect assignment for her," Emily said.
"Good, do that and if you develop any strong headaches, please go straight to the ER and tell them what's happened. It's still fairly recent, so you should be okay, but I always like to play it safe," he explained.
"We will make sure she is safe and taken care of," Emily promised and with her assurance, the medical team soon left.
"You're not sticking me on desk duty are you?" JJ asked with a slight pout once everyone had cleared out.
"No. I'm putting all of us on Hazel and Mackenzie duty," Emily said with finality to her voice. "Team meeting at command with Garcia. This case is not finished until we have a solid identification of Matten by either one or both of the young ladies upstairs," she said.
At the command center Penelope smiled and turned to Riley and Bobby. "Okay friends, your space is now clear and you are free to return. Also, Bobby, the blonde who you asked if she was a Miss? The answer is no. The lovely grey-haired vision who is about to walk to my post, she could be," Penelope told him.