A few weekends later, Jessica, Beth and Claire all decided to go to the Winter Festival in Ashburn together. The girls started off by ignoring the food and going to all the rides, reasoning that they were less likely to throw up that way. After riding the Ferris wheel, the flying carousel, and the spinning teacups, Beth insisted that they take a break so her head could stop spinning. Less than a minute later, Jessica spotted the pony rides and dashed off to admire the horses. Beth and Claire shared a look, then sighed and followed their friend.
"Don't tell me you actually want to go on this?" Claire signed.
"Why not?" Jessica signed defensively. "It's a lot slower than those teacups. It'd be a break from motion sickness."
"I'd still like to wait until I'm less wobbly," Beth replied.
Claire rolled her eyes. "You, too? Pony rides are for little kids!"
"You're never too old for horses," Jessica objected indignantly.
"Horses, yes," Claire agreed. "These are ponies!"
"Ponies are still technically horses," Beth pointed out.
"You two can go, then," Claire replied. "I'm saving my…" She trailed off, frowning at something behind the other two girls. Beth and Jessica looked over their shoulders to see that a slightly grubby teenage boy had gotten in line.
"What's wrong?" Beth asked.
Claire shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just saving my tickets for something cooler."
"Come on, no one we know is here to see you," Jessica cajoled. "How often do you get the chance to ride a horse?"
"Well, I suppose if we're all doing it together anyway…"
There was a blur of movement, and Claire's eyes widened. Suddenly, she took off running. Jessica and Beth whirled around and saw Claire chasing the grubby boy toward the edge of the fair. She had almost caught up when the boy dove into a white minivan, which drove off before he had even shut the door. Claire stopped and wildly gesticulated at the van.
Jessica and Beth joined Claire on the sidewalk. "What was that about?" Beth demanded.
"He just grabbed a little girl and took off with her!" Claire responded, shaken. "I thought he was giving that girl weird looks when he got in line…"
"But…he was our age," Jessica signed, baffled. "Spencer says it's rare for teenagers to pull off child abductions like that…"
"Well this one did!" Claire snapped.
"Shouldn't we tell someone what you saw?" Beth suggested. She looked over her shoulder, quickly spotting a pair of clearly-frantic parents.
"Come on," Jessica signed. She and Beth gently steered Claire over to the worried couple.
"E-excuse me," Claire said haltingly. Unlike the other two girls, she knew how to speak, though she'd been told that her accent was very strong and she was very self-conscious about it.
The parents looked desperately at Claire and said something very rapid that none of the girls understood.
"I saw—what happened," Claire continued. "I…" She gave up and pulled out her phone. "A boy took her. I tried to stop him, but he got into a van and they drove away."
The parents gasped, looking more horrified than ever. "Well did you call 911?" the father demanded.
Claire shook her head and gestured to her ears. "Deaf."
The father angrily said something else that was too fast for the girls, but the mother put a hand on his arm. "She can't help it, Frank. Just call 911 yourself." The mother turned back to the girls, clearly fighting panic. "Will you please stay and tell the police what you saw?"
Claire nodded, then walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. "I can't believe this is happening," she signed, staring blankly into the distance. "I thought if I found a guy here, he'd be someone to flirt with, not someone I try to tackle!"
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Is that all you think about?"
"Not any more!"
Beth suddenly turned to Jessica. "Wait a minute, couldn't Spencer help? Or does he only do serial killers?"
"His team does child abductions, too," Jessica replied. "But I'm pretty sure they have some kind of rule that they can't help unless local police ask them to."
"That's stupid," Beth complained.
"That's bureaucracy," Jessica corrected. "It's a specific kind of stupid."
JJ held up a photo. "Aimee Lynch, eight years old, was taken an hour ago from a winter festival in Ashburn."
"Winter festival in Ashburn?" Reid repeated, alarmed. "You're sure?"
"Yes, why?"
"Jessica and her friends went there today," Reid explained, checking his phone. No messages from Jessica. He hoped that meant she'd left before the abduction…and not that she was currently unable to send messages.
Prentiss turned back to JJ. "It was just the one eight-year-old girl taken, right?"
"Yes," JJ confirmed. "There was a witness who saw the whole thing, though. Hotch and Rossi are going to Ashburn to interview her and the parents."
"Only one person saw anything?" Prentiss said incredulously.
"It's a temporary gathering with little to no security…" Reid trailed off, becoming worried all over again.
"Just text and ask Jessica if she's okay already," Morgan said. While Reid did that, Morgan turned to Prentiss and JJ. "I'm gonna take Reid with me to the family's house. The two of you, I want you to work with Garcia. We need to look at every local abduction or attempted one in the past year. See if there's any overlap."
"Good news is that we're barely into the second hour," JJ added.
Reid's phone went off. He checked it and immediately paled. "Jessica's friend Claire is the witness."
"What?" JJ looked through her notes again. "Claire Daniels?"
"Yes, that's her," Reid confirmed.
"But Jessica and her friends are okay, right?" Morgan said reassuringly.
Reid nodded, swallowing.
"Hotch and Rossi are already on their way to Ashburn," JJ said. "I'll let them know."
Arriving at the now-deserted festival, Hotch went to speak to the parents while Rossi was directed to a bench where Jessica and a short black girl were hovering over a somewhat ashen-looking brunette. "Hello," Rossi signed. "I'm Agent R-O-S-S-I. I work with Spencer in the BAU. I understand that one of you witnessed the kidnapping?"
Claire nodded, swallowing. "We were at the pony rides. There was a girl in a red hat standing there with her mom. Then a boy got in line behind them. I thought he was looking weirdly at the girl, but then I told myself I was just being paranoid. Maybe a minute later, the mom looked away and the boy grabbed the girl and ran off with her. I didn't even think; I just ran after him. He saw me chasing him and he sped up. I think that carrying the girl was slowing him down, though, because I was still gaining on him. But then he got into this white van and they drove off. I was so close to catching him!" she finished, frustrated.
"And there's no telling what he would have done if you'd caught him," Rossi replied. "Did you see the license plate, or any other defining characteristics of the van?"
"There was something written on the side, I think? I don't know, it all happened so fast."
"Do you think you could describe the boy to a sketch artist?" Rossi prompted.
Claire nodded. "You'll find the girl, right?"
"We'll try," Rossi signed grimly.
Claire stood up, angry. "Don't just try! You have to find her!"
"They're not actual superheroes, you know," Jessica cut in. "They'll do their best."
"They found you when you were kidnapped," Claire pointed out.
"Yes, because they're good at what they do," Jessica agreed. "I'm not saying they can't find this girl. I'm just saying don't demand promises they may not be able to keep."
"Thank you," Rossi signed. He turned back to Claire. "With your help, this girl stands a much better chance than if you hadn't been here. For now, hold on to that."
By the time Claire finished with the sketch artist and the three girls finally returned home, the sun was setting. Spencer didn't get home until much later. As soon as he did, he went straight to Jessica's room. "Why didn't you tell me about that abduction right away?" he demanded.
Jessica shrugged. "I was going to tell you when we got home."
Spencer frowned. "Jessica, I learned that there had been an abduction at an event I knew you were attending, and I hadn't heard a single word from you! Do you realize what my first thought was?!"
"That's exactly why I didn't tell you!" Jessica retorted. "I knew you'd get all worried, and I figured it would be better if I was safe and sound in front of you when you found out! I didn't know they were going to call you in on the case!"
"Called in or not, I could have helped you!" Spencer admonished. "I could have called the police for you! I could have come out there to interpret!"
Jessica scowled. "So you don't think I can handle myself in the great, wide, hearing world, is that it?"
Spencer winced. "That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
Spencer thought about it for a few moments, then sighed and sat down on her bed. "I worry about you. Not because you're deaf, but because you're my responsibility and you've already been kidnapped once. If you wind up involved in a crime, however tangentially, I'd prefer to hear about it sooner rather than later. Today, I learned that you had been at the site of a kidnapping—and I learned this not from you, but through my job. It made me feel like a failure as a guardian."
"It wasn't your fault," Jessica pointed out.
"I'm supposed to protect you. And I wasn't there for you today."
"I'm fine. I promise."
"I know you are. But I would feel better if I'd heard about all this from you."
"I'm sorry," Jessica signed, contrite. "If there's ever a next time—which I really hope there won't be—I'll text you right away."
"Thank you." Spencer gave her a hug, then finally headed off to bed.
The next morning, Spencer was just leaving for work when he ran into Claire in the hallway outside the apartment. "Have you found her yet?" Claire asked anxiously.
"Not yet," Spencer admitted.
"Are you any closer to finding her yet?"
"Between your testimony and the mother's, it sounds like there were multiple abductors, which increases the chances that the girl is still alive…but no, we're no closer to finding her."
"Can I come with you?" Claire asked hopefully. "Maybe there's something else I can do to help."
"Do you have anything to add to your statement?" Spencer asked seriously.
Claire sighed. "No."
Spencer hesitated, internally debating whether taking Claire to Quantico was more likely to make Claire feel better, or simply to result in Claire getting in everyone's way.
"You let Jessica go to Quantico pretty much whenever she wants," Claire wheedled. "And my parents said it's fine if I'm home by dark."
Spencer sighed. "All right, you can come. But only if you promise to stay out of the way unless we need something else from you."
"I promise!"
A few hours later, JJ escorted Sarah Hillridge into the conference room. Sarah immediately spotted the sketch of the teenage boy, and her eyes widened. "Charlie!"
"W-what?" JJ said uncertainly.
"That's him, that's Charlie!" Sarah exclaimed.
"Sarah, it's been eight years, are you sure…"
"Of course I'm sure, I'm his mother!" Sarah pulled a crumpled photo out of her pocket and held it up next to the sketch. "He's older, but it's him!"
JJ scrutinized the photo. There was a resemblance, but it was hard to be sure. Then she remembered that Claire was here. "You know, the girl who gave us that sketch is actually right outside in the bullpen. Why don't you show her that photo and ask if he looks familiar?"
"There's a girl here who's seen Charlie?" Sarah asked, raw hope in her tone.
"Let me introduce you."
JJ led Sarah out of the conference room and over to Reid's desk, where Claire had found a book on child abductions and was poring through it. She looked up at JJ's approach. "Hi, Claire," JJ said and signed. "This is Sarah Hillridge. She has a photo of a boy she thinks might be the one you saw yesterday. Could you take a look and tell us what you think?"
"Th-this is Charlie," Sarah said shakily, holding out the photo.
Claire scrutinized the photo. "It could be him," she replied, JJ interpreting. "Maybe. The boy I saw had much darker hair."
"They probably dyed it!" Sarah suggested.
"They?" Claire repeated, looking back and forth between JJ and Sarah. "Who's 'they'? Who is this boy?"
"Sarah's son was abducted eight years ago," JJ explained.
Claire raised her eyebrows. "The boy I saw was alone. If he was a victim, why did he kidnap another girl instead of trying to escape?"
JJ chose not to interpret this, hoping to hold off on explaining that part to Sarah. "Could be Stockholm Syndrome. Or maybe he's being threatened. Even if the boy you saw wasn't C-H-A-R-L-I-E, he might still be a victim acting under duress."
"He didn't look happy," Claire signed thoughtfully.
"Didn't look happy how?" JJ prompted.
"I don't know. He just didn't."
"All right, that's very useful," JJ said, aloud once more. "Come on, Sarah, let's go back to the board." She led the way back to the conference room.
A short while later, Sarah returned to the bullpen, grabbed Morgan's chair, and pulled it over to sit next to Claire. "So…I'm sorry, do you read lips? You're deaf, right?"
Claire nodded.
"So you weren't distracted by that woman calling for her child."
"Distracted?" Claire repeated, confused.
"There was a woman calling for a lost child as a diversion. She did the same thing when she took Charlie."
"Oh." Claire shrugged, not really sure what to say to that.
"Did…did Charlie look okay? Was he dressed warmly? Did he look like he'd had enough to eat?"
"He…" Claire took out her phone. "He had a jacket. He looked like he could use a shower. I don't really remember if he was a normal weight or not."
"He had a jacket," Sarah murmured. "At least that's something."
Claire hesitated, then decided to type something else. "My friend was kidnapped a few years ago. She was held for hours, and it scared the crap out of her, but her kidnapper didn't actually hurt her. Charlie didn't look injured either."
"You're sure?" Sarah asked, tearing up with hope.
"He outran me while carrying an eight-year-old girl. I think he had to be decently healthy to do that."
"He wasn't hurt," Sarah repeated to herself, almost like a mantra. "He wasn't hurt…"
Soon, other families began filling up the bullpen, and Sarah went to go talk to them. Claire watched with some trepidation. Just how many kidnapped kids were there?
Eventually, Reid came over to inform Claire that the kidnappers had been caught and three children had been found alive—Charlie, Aimee, and another girl. Claire stopped even trying to read the book she'd picked up and began watching the elevator like a hawk. At long last, she saw the doors open to reveal the three children. Charlie was quickly embraced by his parents in the hallway, and the two girls found their respective parents in the bullpen. Claire heaved a sigh of relief. Aimee was safe. Claire's failure hadn't doomed her.
After a few minutes, Aimee's parents let her go and pointed her in Claire's direction. Aimee walked over. "Mom says you tried to stop them from taking me."
Claire nodded.
"Thank you." Aimee threw her arms around Claire, much to Claire's surprise.
Claire returned the hug, somewhat awkwardly. "You're welcome."
Jessica's phone vibrated. She opened it and saw a new message from Claire. "I change my mind. I don't want to study chemistry and blow things up for science. I want to study psychology and become a counselor for families of kidnap victims."
"You sure?" Jessica asked. "That would get pretty depressing after a while."
"Are you seriously trying to talk me out of it?" Claire responded in disbelief. "YOU?"
"I'm not trying to talk you out of it, I just want you to be sure. I've seen how upset Spencer gets after these missing children cases."
"I saw how traumatized you and Spencer both were after your respective kidnappings. Then today, I talked to a mother who hadn't seen her son in eight years and was desperately clinging to any hope she could get. And then that little girl was rescued, and her parents told her what I did, and she hugged me, and all I could think was that I hadn't really earned it. I apparently suck at chasing bad guys, but I think I made that mother feel better, so therapy seems like something I can do."
"Go for it, then," Jessica encouraged.