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Chapter Text

Bonds of Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any characters affiliated with the show.

Ring…Ring…Ring...

S.S.A Aaron Hotchner groaned at the unwelcome interruption to his sleep. His hand stuck out from under the blanket as he fumbled for the cell phone on his bedside table. Finally succeeding in grasping the infernal nuisance, he flipped it open and rubbed his eyes as he spoke. "Hello?" He asked, annoyance seeping into his tone.

"Sounds like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Senior S.S.A David Rossi commented wryly.

"Ugh. We got a case?" Aaron questioned, yawning.

"Why else would I be calling you at 2:30 in the morning? For a booty call?" Rossi answered sarcastically.

He grumbled. "Okay. I'll meet you around 3:00."

"That's why I keep you around." Rossi smirked.

About thirty-five minutes later, a half-awake Aaron stumbled into the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, sipping a cup of black coffee.

Walking into the office, he greeted the other members of the team – S.S.A Elle Greenaway, Senior S.S.A David Rossi, and Unit Chief Jason Gideon.

"Hey, guys." He muttered, sitting down in one of the very uncomfortable chairs at the table.

"Hey." The tired agents chorused.

"What do we got?" Elle asked wearily.

Gideon stood up and cleared his throat. "Our latest UNSUB has kidnapped four children in the past three years. The first abduction took place in Chicago three years ago. The victim was six year old Derek Morgan." He gestured to one of the pictures on the board behind him. It was a picture of a young African – American boy with big brown eyes and a slightly gap-toothed grin.

"His father died when he was four, but he had a mother and two older sisters, who were killed in a fire. It was declared arson when police found a note on the front door." He pointed to a photograph of the note, upon which a message had been written in blood-red letters. The note read, "IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM, I WILL."

He continued reading the case file. "The next victim, Emily Prentiss, was abducted from Washington D.C a few days after her fifth birthday."

Gideon gestured to the photograph of a little girl with long black hair and brown eyes. She had a serious expression on her face.

"Her mother, an Ambassador, was there on business. She left Emily with a babysitter and went to a conference, where she was killed by a sniper in the parking garage across from the conference building. At first, police assumed it to be a political assassination, but when they returned to the hotel where the Prentiss' were staying, the babysitter had been stabbed to death and Emily was gone. The same note was left at the scene of abduction, substituting 'HER' for 'HIM'."

Gideon pointed to the note that read, "IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HER, I WILL."

"The third victim was Jennifer Jareau." He gestured to a picture of a little girl with short blonde hair and a shy smile. "She was four years old when she was abducted from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania two and a half years ago. Her parents were stabbed violently. They died almost immediately after the attack. The same note was left on the living room table. 'IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HER, I WILL.'"

"The fourth and final victim was two year old Spencer Reid." The photograph on the board was that of a little blonde haired boy with brown eyes staring inquisitively at the camera. "He was abducted from his foster home in Las Vegas, Nevada two years ago. His foster parents and their two biological sons, both teenagers, were shot to death. The note was left on the toddler's dresser."

The team all turned to gaze at the note and it's message. "IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM, I WILL." The board was full of gory photographs of the crime scenes that contrasted greatly with the photographs of the small children.

Elle spoke first. "So why was the BAU called in on a cold case?"

"Two reasons. First of all, since the children were taken over state lines after each abduction, it's a federal case." Gideon replied. "Secondly, because it's no longer a cold case. We have a suspect. His name is Frederick Robertson. He is a thirty-two year old Caucasian male living in West Virginia. His neighbor, an elderly woman named Beverly Cromwell, has just moved to the neighborhood. She reported suspicious activity at Robertson's house last night."

Gideon turned to the next report. "She claims to have heard screaming coming from his backyard. When she came out to look, she says she saw him shaking a small boy by the shoulders and screaming violent threats at him while an older boy and two older girls ran to save the little boy. The older boy jumped on Robertson's back while the older girl bit him and the younger girl helped the little boy go back in the house."

He cleared his throat again. "She immediately called Child Protective Services, who found no record of Robertson having children. They reported this information to the police. The police then contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They had her give them a description of the children. She described the oldest as an African-American boy with an afro, the oldest girl as having long black hair, the younger girl as having long blond hair, and the youngest boy as having shaggy brown hair. They were also, according to her, very skinny, and she said the older boy and girl were bruised. Beverly's description of the children matched what they believe Derek, Emily, Jennifer and Spencer would look like now." He pointed to the board. "The authorities in West Virginia called us in to handle it, since the children were taken out of state after each abduction."

"So, what's our next step?" Aaron asked.

Rossi stood up. "We rescue those children. Wheels up in thirty."

The team decided to do a quick profile during the short plane ride, to see if it matched Fredrick Robertson.

"So, since this is a non-family child abduction, it can be categorized as either an acquaintance abduction or a stranger abduction. 27% of all abductions are acquaintance abductions, while only 24% are stranger abductions. And while aquaintance and stranger abductors have a tendency to abduct teenagers 71% and 57% of the time, respectively, strangers do abduct elementary aged children about 32% of the time." Aaron stated.

"Also, while family abductions are committed by a male about 57% of the time, 95% of all stranger abductions are committed by males." Elle added.

Gideon spoke next. "The typical non-family abductor is a Caucasian male in his 20s or 30s. Three out of four abductors have a criminal record, often involving drugs and violence that spans across their state, country, or both. In a typical abduction case, the abductor's offenses began in adulthood, so they don't usually have a juvenile record. They have usually began their offenses 11 to 12 years before their first abduction. While our suspect fits the profile, a thirty-two year old Caucasian male with a adult criminal history of aggravated assault and use of marijuana, and whose offenses started 12 years before Derek Morgan was abducted, his choice in victims is abnormal. His victims are younger than most stranger abduction victims, and his crimes don't seem to have a sexual motive."

Rossi spoke up. "The notes say, 'IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM/HER, I WILL.' It seems like the UNSUB feels that these children are not being properly cared for. He thinks the children will be safer and happier with him."

"1/3 of child abductions are carried out for a purpose that isn't sexual in nature. Usually, it's for a ransom. However, family abductions are also included in that statistic, where the motive is usually either personal vengeance against a partner or when the abductor feels a child is in danger." Aaron stated.

"Do you think we might be dealing with a stranger abduction…where the UNSUB feels the child is in danger, and therefore takes the matter into his own hands?" Elle asked.

"Yes." Aaron simply said. The rest of the team nodded their assent.

"And we're reasonably certain that Frederick Robertson is our UNSUB?" She asked.

Rossi nodded. "Seems like it."

By the time they arrived in West Virginia, they had determined that Frederick Robertson fit their UNSUB's profile to a T. The next step was to bring the man in for questioning, and hopefully find those kids.

The team met the local police at the precinct as rain began to pour from the sky. They quickly shared the profile with the officers before the Department dispatched their best team of officers to accompany the BAU.

It was only a twenty minute drive later when they pulled up to a typical suburban house in the middle of what seemed to be a nice neighborhood. Police surrounded the house as the team pulled their guns and ascended the steps to the front door.

Elle knocked three times. "FBI! Frederick Robertson, come out with your hands up!"

Silence.

Gideon gave a short nod of approval to Aaron, who kicked the door in and stepped inside, gun drawn. The team followed quickly, checking around corners and inside rooms. Elle checked the closets and Gideon went outside to check the garage and the shed. Elle joined him a minute later.

Rossi continued to look around as Aaron sighed in frustration. "Something's wrong here." He stated firmly.

Rossi put a finger to his lips as a warning for the younger agent to be quiet. In the near silence, they could hear a series of quiet whimpers and gentle shushing. He pushed a rug back with his foot to reveal a cleverly disguised basement door. It was barely noticeable, but it was there, and it was padlocked, the key nowhere in sight. He signaled quickly to Aaron, indicating that they would go in on three. He lifted the first finger, then the second, and finally the third. The moment Rossi finished, Aaron smashed the door in.

They heard a quick, muffled, high-pitched scream before almost complete silence. The only sound to break it was heavy breathing. The agents descended the stairs slowly and quietly. When they reached the basement level, they searched for a light and found a chain hanging on the ceiling. Rossi pulled it, and the room was flooded with dim light.

There, in the far corner of the room, were two young boys, both sitting on dirty mattresses and chained to the wall. They were clutching each other, the younger holding on to the older desperately and the older holding the younger protectively. The older, an African-American boy with a frizzy afro and chocolate brown eyes, looked about eight. The younger was a small Caucasian-American boy with brown eyes that matched the older's and shaggy brown hair past his neck that grazed his shoulders. He looked to be about three years old.

Aaron's heart nearly stopped, both from his sorrow over the children's situation and from the shock of this strong new feeling that something about these kids was going to affect his life… forever. He shook his head together to get rid of that thought for the moment and focused on the kids.

Rossi took out his walkie-talkie to radio to Elle and Gideon that they'd found two of who they were now certain were the missing children. The team replied that they were on their way inside.

Aaron cleared his throat and smiled gently at the boys. "Hey." He spoke softly, but at the sound of his voice, the younger boy clutched the older boy tighter and shook even more violently.

The older boy shot a suspicious look at Aaron and held the younger even closer, whispering quietly to him. "It's okay, Pretty Boy. I won't let anyone hurt you." At this, the younger boy visibly relaxed a little.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a policeman. I want to help you. My name is Aaron Hotchner. This is my friend, David Rossi. He's also a policeman."

Rossi waved, smiling at them.

The younger boy gave him a timid wave. The older boy nodded in their direction, more focused on protecting the younger.

The sounds of footsteps sounded from above and both boys tensed, the younger looking alarmed and the older tightening his hold on the younger.

"Those are just more police friends of mine." Aaron reassured them quickly. "If you want, I can tell them to wait upstairs." He added when the boys didn't relax at all. The older boy nodded.

"Hey guys, can you take one last look around while our new friends and I talk?" Aaron requested lightly.

"Sure thing." Gideon replied. Elle nodded her agreement.

Aaron turned his attention back to the boys. "You're brave little guys," He spoke quietly. "But I don't want to have to call you 'Little Guys.' Can you tell me your names?"

There was silence for a moment. Then…"I'm Spencer Reid." The younger boy whispered. Aaron smiled and gave him a little wave.

Derek took a long look at Aaron before he seemed to reach a decision. "Derek. Morgan." He said shortly.

"Hi, Spencer. Hey, Derek." He greeted them, pulling a bottle of water and a nutrition bar out of his emergency pack. "Do you want some food? Or water?" Spencer nodded, reaching out a little hand for the items.

Just then, a muffled sound of surprise sounded from somewhere upstairs. Both boys looked up quickly, giving each other a wide-eyed look of alarm.

"What is it, guys?" Rossi called upstairs.

Derek began to struggle with his chain. "Don't hurt them!" He growled fiercely.

Rossi raised his arms in a sign of surrender. "I'm not gonna hurt them. None of us are. But who is 'them', Derek?"

Elle appeared at the top of the stairs before Derek could answer. "Guys, I think we found the girls. They're in the attic."

Rossi nodded. "Go help them, Elle. I'm sure they'll feel more comfortable around a female."

"Yes, sir." She retreated from the doorway.

Aaron glanced at the boys and saw Derek still struggling with his and Spencer's chains. He pulled out his lock-picking tools and jimmied the lock, setting both boys free.

Derek stood up, still holding Spencer's hand tightly in his own, and pulled the younger boy to his feet. Spencer stood up shakily and squeezed the older boy's hand.

"Would you like to make sure my friends aren't hurting them?" Aaron asked Derek, who still looked upset.

Derek nodded wordlessly and Aaron led the way up the stairs. Derek was close behind him. Spencer was clinging to Derek's hand with all his might as Rossi followed behind them all.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they walked through the living room and the master bedroom, which the agents assumed to be Robertson's room. There, in the ceiling of the hallway, was another skillfully hidden door, this one leading to the attic. Gideon stood at the bottom of the old wooden stairs, but the boys were focused on the two little girls standing above him.

The older girl had long black hair and nervous brown eyes. She looked younger than Derek, but older than Spencer, maybe around six or seven years old. The younger, a blond-haired girl with a panicked look in her eyes, looked to be about five.

Both girls climbed down the rickety stairs as fast as they could. When they reached the bottom, where the boys were standing, they ran into the boys' arms. The four children embraced for a moment before pulling back and whispering to each other.

"What's going on, Derek?" The older girl whispered.

"I don't really know right now." Derek answered.

"They're police officers." Spencer volunteered.

"Are they gonna take us away?" The younger girl asked worriedly.

"No, Jayje. I won't let them take you away from us, you hear?" Derek whispered fiercely. His tone made it more of a statement then a question.

Aaron immediately felt the same emotion as earlier, that same realization that these kids were somehow important in his life. His focus was pulled away from the whispering children when Gideon pulled him to the side so that the kids couldn't hear their conversation. "They told us their names. The older one's Emily and the younger is Jennifer, but she's called 'J. J.'. They're our missing girls. I take it you found our missing boys?"

"Yep." Aaron nodded.

"Good. Let's head back to the precinct."

"Wait, Gideon." Aaron stopped him. "What's next for those kids? We can't reunite them with their families this time. They can't go home, they have no home to go to. What's going to happen to them now?" Aaron asked, unable to hide his deep concern.

Gideon stared at him a moment, trying to figure out why his partner was so shaken by this case. Granted, the ones involving children were hard for any of them, but something was different about this time for the younger agent. "The police called in a social worker. She'll meet us at the precinct. We'll figure things out from there."

Aaron sighed and walked back to the children. "Hey, Derek. Hey, Spencer. Can I meet your friends?" He asked, smiling at them.

Derek hesitated for a moment.

"Their names are Emily Prentiss and Jennifer Jareau. Jennifer prefers to be addressed as 'J.J.'" Spencer spoke up quietly.

"Thank you, Spencer." He said, slightly taken aback by the youngest child's extensive vocabulary. "I'm Aaron Hotchner. I'm a policeman. How old are you all?" He asked in an encouraging tone. The children were small for their ages due to malnourishment, but he knew how old they were. He was just hoping that having a normal conversation with the kids would help them relax and talk more freely.

"I'm six and a half." J.J spoke up. "Spencer is four, and Derek is nine, and Emily is seven and three-quarters."

"Thanks, J.J. I'm twenty-six." He told them, grinning when J.J and Spencer looked surprised at how 'old' he was. "Well, now that we know each other a bit better, I'm going to ask you for a big favor." He said seriously. "I need you all to ride with me to the police station. Can you do that for me?"

The children all froze. Emily, J.J, and Spencer all looked up at Derek, who as the oldest, was their leader. Derek looked at him, seemingly deciding whether or not to trust him. After a long moment, he nodded. He turned to the others and said quietly, "The police are usually good guys, like my dad was. They won't hurt us." The other children nodded trustingly.

Aaron was surprised, but also very relieved. This meant that they could avoid a scene with the police possibly using force to remove the children from the house.

"Thanks, guys. I owe you." He said, visibly relaxing. "Let's go, the car is right out front."

Spencer grabbed Derek's hand again as J.J took Emily's. They all walked toward the front door, Aaron leading the way as Gideon trailed behind them all. They met Elle and Rossi at the door and headed outside.

Aaron handed the umbrella from his emergency pack to Derek, who immediately sheltered the others from the rain. He wasn't completely covered by the umbrella, but the rain didn't seem to bother him. He was more focused on making sure the others were dry.

When they got to the car, the kids climbed inside, but Aaron pulled Gideon to the side. "Spencer needs a car seat. Ideally, J.J should have one, too. They're all so small for their age…"

"Well, we don't have any car seats, so that's out the question. Maybe the younger ones can sit on the older ones' laps? I would suggest that they sit with an adult, but I don't think Derek would be thrilled by that."

"Fine." Aaron sighed, obviously not happy with that answer and the situation in general.

The drive to the precinct was nearly silent, save for Spencer's occasional questions whispered in Derek's ear. Aaron's mind was racing a mile a minute. He had worked a few cases involving children before, but two were homicide cases and one, a kidnapping victim, was returned to his ecstatic mother. These kids had no home, no family willing to take them in. They were headed for foster care, Aaron was sure of it. And who knew what would happen to these kids from there? It was a flawed system at the best of times, and a downright cruel one at the worst.

Before he knew it, twenty minutes had passed and they had arrived at the precinct. He got out and opened the door for the kids. J.J slid off Emily's lap as Spencer climbed off of Derek's. Derek grabbed J.J's hand and Emily took Spencer's, and they followed Aaron into the police station.

The elevator lurched to a stop on the second floor. It dinged and opened its doors to let the group out. Aaron led Derek, Emily, J.J, and Spencer to where the police and the other members of the BAU case team were gathered. Rossi gave Aaron a look that said quite clearly, 'You're not going to like this.' Standing to his left was a blond-haired woman with a stern look on her face. Aaron assumed that this must be the social services worker.

"Hello." She spoke quickly, with a harsh undertone. "So, clearly, this is a difficult situation for me to be put in." This was a difficult situation for her? Aaron thought. By the look on Derek's face, he was thinking the same thing. "But, I've spoken to my boss, Andre Hilton, and he's very clear on the matter. The children must be returned to their respective states' care facilities. So the social service workers in Chicago, L.A, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C, are anxiously awaiting the children's arrival."

Everyone in the surrounding area went quiet as the social worker's words sank in. It took a moment for Aaron to realize exactly what she meant. She was going to separate them. No. She couldn't possibly be that stupid. He argued with himself.

"Spencer and Jennifer both have 5:30 flights. Come, now." She told them, turning to walk away and expecting the two younger children to follow.

The kids had previously all frozen in place at the prospect of separation. But now they moved fast, Derek and Emily moving to pull Spencer and J.J into their protection. Spencer started to whimper, and the older kids all hugged him closer.

Turning around to see that the younger children had disobeyed her command, she rolled her eyes. "Officers, a little help, please." Two officers glanced at each other, obviously not wanting to force these kids apart, but sighed and acquiesced. One of them grabbed Spencer while the other held onto the older kids, restraining them from going after him.

Spencer struggled violently, sobbing and shrieking at the top of his lungs. Gone was the intelligent little boy with the extensive vocabulary. He was replaced by a terrified toddler, desperate to stay with the closest thing to family he had ever really known. "Help me, Ecky! Help! Please Emmy, please!" He cried out, reverting to his babyhood nickname for Derek and Emily.

A third officer took J.J into his arms and carried her toward the exit. She cried and scratched and bit the man, but his strength overpowered hers. She screamed and sobbed, terrified.

Aaron's head swam with emotions as he saw the innocent toddler reaching his little arms out for Derek. He was frozen in place as Emily finally broke free and ran after the men holding Spencer and J.J. He could only watch as Derek struggled violently against the cop that was restraining him from comforting and protecting the youngest members of his family.

Something broke in him at the sight of them. "Stop." He said quietly. Nobody heard him through the chaos in the precinct. He cleared his throat. "Stop." He spoke up. Still, nobody heard him over the cries of the young children. Finally, he snapped. "STOP." He yelled at the top of his voice. Everyone, including the kids and his fellow agents, went silent, staring at him in surprise.

"Let them go." He said calmly. The authority in his voice stopped the officers in their tracks. Perhaps remembering that this guy was FBI, they obeyed and released their hold on J.J, Spencer, Derek, and Emily. Immediately, Spencer and J.J ran into the arms of Emily and Derek, sobbing.

"It's okay, I've gotcha. I've got you, I'll keep you safe." Derek promised softly, his voice breaking a little.

Aaron, as well as the rest of the occupants of the room, watched the reunion for a moment. He took this time to attempt to gather and organize his thoughts. But before he could, he heard the social worker's shrill voice.

"What the…what is this?" She demanded, looking between Aaron and the other members of the BAU team, who had absolutely no idea what was going on with the young agent.

"This is wrong. That's what it is." Aaron spoke firmly. "These children have already been traumatized by their abductions and the last few years of captivity. We do not need to add to that ordeal by forcing them apart."

Though the other members of the team were still not sure where this was going, they, as well as the other police officers in the room, nodded their agreement. It didn't take a psychologist to realize that these children were bonded, and that separation would only make things worse.

"Well, it's not my decision. I was told what I must do; I wasn't asked to do it. Besides, it's nothing like anyone has a better idea." She glared at him pointedly.

Aaron's heart pounded. It was now or never, he thought. He took a deep breath and spoke up. "Actually, I was thinking that I could speak to your boss about taking these kids into protective custody. Our UNSUB is still on the run, and he's going to be angry about this situation. I wouldn't be surprised if he just repeats his past actions. They might be in danger. The FBI can keep them safe."

The shocked silence of his teammates and the police officers was deafening to Aaron. He tried to prepare himself for anything that might happen now. The social worker's flat-out refusal, his boss' inevitable lecture…

But he wasn't expecting to hear Jason Gideon say to the social worker, "My agent is right. Get your boss on the phone. I'll sort this out myself. Agent Hotchner will be responsible for the children while they are in protective custody."

At the last sentence his Unit Chief uttered, Aaron's heart skipped a beat. He was now completely responsible for the fragile lives of four traumatized children. He turned to said children and took in the sight of them. Derek looked at him with distrustful eyes. He and Emily seemed wary at the prospect of living with him. J.J and Spencer just looked relieved to be staying with their protectors.

What had he just gotten himself into?

Chapter Text

"Hotch." Gideon motioned for Aaron to follow him into the nearby office where the BAU had set up.

Aaron took a deep breath and turned to the children. "Okay, guys, I'm going to be right back. My boss needs to talk to me." He spotted Elle Greenaway nearby and got an idea. "Have you guys met Elle? She's a nice lady. Why don't you go talk to her? I bet you guys could have some fun together." He knew that Elle carried around what the team called the Kid Catcher, a tote bag that had coloring books, crayons, puzzles and little toys that she carried with her in cases that involved kids. It helped occupy and calm any child victims while they waited for an interview.

Derek nodded and steered Emily, J.J and Spencer in her direction. Elle smiled, welcoming them warmly and taking out the Kid Catcher. She opened the bag and pulled out a princess coloring book, a pretend purse with a toy phone and colorful keys, a 24 piece Ninja Turtle puzzle and a small football.

Aaron watched for a minute before following Gideon into the office and closing the door behind him. Gideon sat behind the desk and stared at his agent for a long moment. Aaron shifted in his seat. Two years under this intimidating man and he still wasn't immune to the older man's scrutinizing evaluation.

"Why?"

Aaron sighed. He knew that he would have to explain his unusual behavior to his superior, but how could he explain what he himself didn't fully understand? He mulled it over for a second before answering. "Instinct." He said before deciding to elaborate. Talking to Jason Gideon about feelings that he was unsure about was extremely uncomfortable. "I don't really know. Something about these kids is somehow significant to me. I don't know what, and I don't know why. But if there's anything you've taught me it's that instincts are important."

Gideon nodded. "You're right. Instincts are important. But Hotch…" He paused to make sure he had the younger agent's attention before continuing. "There's a fine line between professional instinct and pure emotion. Try not to cross it unless it's absolutely essential."

"Yes, sir." Aaron nodded.

"Alright. Now, I allowed this to happen because you are most likely correct about the UNSUB returning to their places of origin and tracking them down. This man is smart, and determined, and we need to protect these kids until he is safely behind bars. Therefore, you will be in charge of the protective custody. Rossi will assist you as needed. Are we clear?"

Aaron nodded again. "Yes, sir."

"Also, in order to completely cover the victimology aspect of this case, Elle and I will be interviewing them daily, in a non-threatening manner. We need to find out why our UNSUB believed that each victim was in danger."

They stood to exit and found a shocked looking Elle waiting for them at the door. "Guys, you gotta see this." She whispered. They followed her over to the nearby table. She stopped a few feet away. "Look!" Elle hissed, gesturing to the children. They looked, and what they saw made Aaron blink, hard.

Derek was playing around with the toy football, throwing it up in the air and catching it, making pretend passes, all the while keeping a careful eye on the younger ones. Emily was carefully coloring a picture of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, being careful not to draw outside the lines. J.J was talking animatedly on a toy phone to an imaginary friend. But it was Spencer who was the one to surprise the adults. He had long since finished the Ninja Turtles puzzle and two 100 piece Avengers puzzles. He was now beginning a 250 piece Harry Potter puzzle with an image of Hogwarts on it, and rapidly progressing, for that matter.

The older three noticed the adults approaching and stopped what they were doing immediately, as if they were expecting to be told off, or worse, for playing. But Spencer was so engrossed in his puzzle that Derek had to nudge him slightly in order to get him to stop. Looking up and seeing Aaron and Gideon stopped him in his tracks, and he looked so horrified that he was now the subject of a shocked stare that it would almost be comical if it wasn't so sad.

"Sorry!" He squeaked, instinctively raising his arms to cover his face. He needn't have bothered; not only were the adults in no way, shape, or form going to put their hands on an innocent child playing a game, but Derek was acting in the way of a bodyguard, his defiant glare daring any of them to touch Spencer.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Spencer." Gideon spoke. "I enjoy jigsaw puzzles myself on occasion." Like in so many other situations, he knew exactly the right thing to say, because Spencer looked very relieved.

Aaron sat down at the table with them. "I need to talk to you all." He said, reaching for the Disney Princesses coloring book and flipping through the pages nonchalantly. His attempt to show the girls that he wasn't a threat was successful – J.J was giggling maniacally and Emily was smiling at him. They had never seen a grown up who used coloring books, or a man that liked to color princesses. They kept exchanging silly looks and laughing silently, and though they didn't speak, the girls obviously had their own little language.

But Spencer and Derek both looked very worried now, and Derek was keeping a careful eye on Spencer, as if he was going to be snatched away any moment.

Rossi had been working nearby and listening, but upon noticing how guarded Derek looked and how nervous Spencer was, both he and Gideon both approached the table. Rossi sat by Derek and, ignoring the way the boy scooted away, took the toy football and casually tossed it from one hand to another. Meanwhile, Gideon sat down and began helping Spencer sort the edge, corner, and center pieces. Spencer looked confused, but accepted his help without question.

"We're still looking for the man who took you. Until we find him, you are all going to stay with me. My friends, Elle, Dave, and Jason, are going to help me to take care of you. We all live in Quantico, Virginia, so we are going to take all of you with us on the plane ride home. Have you ever been on a plane?" Aaron asked.

Emily nodded. Derek, J.J, and Spencer shook their heads.

"Well then, Emily can tell you there's nothing to be afraid of. It's not even as long a plane ride as we usually make, because West Virginia is only about an hour away from where we work."

"It's 51 minutes for a plane ride from Huntington, West Virginia to Quantico, Virginia, actually. That is, of course, assuming an average flight speed of 560 miles per hour over 279 miles." Spencer interjected quietly, having gone back to working on his puzzle.

All of the adults stared for a minute. They knew the kid was smart, but they were now beginning to think that he might just be a certified genius. The other kids were unfazed, apparently very used to Spencer's obvious intelligence.

"Okay…" Rossi said, obviously taken aback. "So are you all okay with this plan?"

The kids all looked at Derek. Derek just stared at Aaron, as if he was assessing him and the quality of care he would provide. Aaron looked back, trying to communicate trustworthiness with his eyes.

After glancing at Rossi, Gideon and Elle as if to assess their character as well, Derek nodded stiffly. Turning to Emily, Spencer and J.J, he said quietly, "It's gonna be okay. I'll be right there with you guys." They nodded trustingly, knowing Derek would help them through anything.

About two hours later, they were on the plane and ready to head back to Quantico. The plane had taken off about twenty minutes ago, and they could now unbuckle their seat belts and walk freely around the cabin. Derek continued to sit and stare out the window, while J.J and Emily played with dolls from Elle's Kid Catcher. Spencer sat next to Derek, his head on the older boys' shoulder, until Gideon called him over. Curious as to the contents of the wooden box that the older man was holding, Spencer walked over to the man. Derek watched them closely, but soon realized that the older man only wanted to teach Spencer a board game. He relaxed slightly, but still kept a wary eye on him.

"Spencer, have you ever played chess?"

The little boy looked at the wooden chess set with interest. "No sir, I haven't."

"No need to call me sir. I'm much more comfortable with being called Jason." Gideon replied, giving Spencer a rare smile.

Spencer looked unsure, but, wanting to avoid the wrath of an adult, decided to do as the older man suggested. "Okay, Jason…" He squeaked hesitantly, immediately stiffening his little body.

It was clear from his posture that he expected to be physically assaulted. Aaron, who was watching the scene closely from the other side of the cabin, felt pained just thinking about what this little boy must have been through in his short lifetime.

He saw obvious signs of abuse in the other three as well. Looking around, he noticed how Derek, having heard the fear in Spencer's voice, had immediately become even more tense himself, looking ready to jump out of his chair at any given moment to protect the little boy. But he was only a little boy himself, Hotch thought, frustrated. Derek was only nine years old, and due to obvious neglect and malnourishment, looked more like a child of eight. It was clear, however, that Derek had had to grow up fast in order to survive. The protector of the younger children had no one to protect him.

Continuing to observe the children, he watched Emily cradle and rock the baby-doll that she was holding carefully, as if it were a living, breathing, fragile creature. She play-fed the baby-doll a bottle and smoothed the yarn the served as hair gently. Obviously, Emily was the nurturer. Perhaps this was merely her nature, perhaps it was her role as the oldest female in this little dysfunctional group. Most likely it was both, her situation bringing out her maternal abilities. But either way, Aaron noted, it seemed that she was the one who needed the most nurturing.

J.J, who was playing next to Emily, was the exact opposite when it came to her approach to playing with dolls. She scolded and berated them and bossed them around, saying harsh words under her breath. "Worthless, ugly whores. Don't know why I even bother to feed you." Elle and Rossi, sitting nearby, heard her and looked up in surprise and alarm when she took the Raggedy Ann doll and hit it against the seat. Aaron watched as Elle redirected little J.J by asking her to play Go Fish with her. He, as well as the other agents on the plane, who were talented profilers who only had to use basic psychology, knew that this type of play was both an outlet for her anger and a reflection of the life she had lived, for two and a half years at the very least.

And Spencer was the classic example of the physically and emotionally abused child, the cliché all untrained minds imagine when the term 'child abuse' comes into play. He cowered from any and all physical contact, fearing heavy blows from whatever adult he interacted with. He was small and underweight. The four year old had obvious low self esteem and big brown puppy dog eyes that avoided contact with others whenever possible.

He was practically the poster child for a Public Service Announcement on physical child abuse.

Aaron watched as Spencer tentatively helped set up the chessboard, his curious mind getting the best of him as he carefully examined each handcrafted piece. Gideon then began to teach Spencer the rules of the game.

The agent was pulled out of his musings about half an hour later when the plane touched down and the other members of the team began to make their way to the exit.

Derek stood up, and as soon as the chess board was safely put away for the next plane ride, Spencer ran over to him, latching onto Derek's leg in an anxious manner. He obviously adored Derek, and the affectionate way that the older boy ruffled his long hair made it clear that the feeling was mutual. Emily gave the doll back to Elle to put back inside the Kid Catcher. Then, taking J.J's hand, she led the younger girl over to where Derek and Spencer were, smiling at Spencer reassuringly. Obviously, she was now back to nurturing J.J and Spencer. Spencer detached himself from Derek's leg and took his hand instead, allowing Derek to lead the younger ones off the plane.

Back at the BAU, Aaron had invited the children into his office. Elle left the Kid Catcher with him and went off to do some case-related paperwork. Aaron sat down at his desk to fill out some paperwork for Social Services. They had already completed some of the necessary paperwork needed for the protective custody, including the background check, but there was a home study that needed to be completed. Social Services would be checking his apartment as a safety measure next week.

In the meantime, he sat the kids down with some "paperwork" of their own – coloring pages for Emily and J.J, a word search for Derek, who stubbornly claimed he was too old to be coloring, and for Spencer, who had tried to color a picture of Dumbo and had quickly grown frustrated by his own lack of fine motor control, a children's crossword puzzle book. He was whizzing through it, though. Aaron made a mental note to ask Gideon for a newspaper section.

Two hours and thirty-five minutes later, he was done, and the kids were bored senseless, having played with most of the things in the Kid Catcher. It was around six-thirty in the evening, so Aaron decided that it was time to take the kids back to his apartment.

He told Rossi, who was going to be staying on the couch for the remainder of the week, just to make sure everything was going smoothly. Rossi quickly packed his belongings and was ready to go in minutes. They stopped to say goodbye to Gideon, who nodded his goodbye to the kids. Spencer gave him a small but genuine smile, using the hand that wasn't holding Derek's to wave goodbye. Elle smiled at them all as they passed her on the way out. Emily and J.J smiled shyly at her and gave her the Kid Catcher back.

Aaron wondered what this night might hold in store for them as they all made their way out to the car.

Chapter Text

The car was waiting for them as they crossed the deserted parking lot.

The drive home was quiet. Emily was staring out the window, watching the scenery pass them by. J.J was rubbing her eyes and yawning, trying not to fall asleep in the car. Spencer was fidgeting nervously and whispering questions in Derek's ear. Derek was patient, but didn't have the answers for most of his questions about where they were going. The only thing he could say with absolute certainty was that he would do everything in his power to make it a safe place to stay.

Aaron pulled up to the apartment complex around seven-fifteen. Despite her best efforts, J.J had fallen asleep in the car, and Emily gently shook her awake and moved her off of her lap. Derek moved Spencer off of his lap, but the anxious boy still clung to him. Aaron opened the car door on one side and Rossi got the other side open. The kids stepped out hesitantly as Aaron and Rossi made their way toward the door to the lobby.

The kids followed the adults into the building, Derek taking the lead so that he could scout the territory ahead for any danger that may lurk within.

He needn't have bothered. It was a nice apartment complex, with a nearby playground. Spencer and J.J looked curiously at it as they passed by. Aaron made a mental note to take them to the playground the following day. It had probably been years since any of them had really played, yet alone at the park. It was long overdue.

The night shift was entering the building through the service entrance. Two staff, a man and a woman, were joking around as the came in. Upon taking a look at the children, however, that stopped abruptly. The woman whispered to the man, who was staring at them in mild shock. She gave Aaron and Rossi a dirty look.

Aaron realized that they were probably taken off guard by the state of the children- they were all dirty, and wearing torn clothes that didn't fit. Not to mention Emily and Derek's faces and arms were noticeably bruised. It must have looked like these kids were being abused and neglected. Which they had been, but not by Aaron, which seemed to be what the night staff were thinking.

Rossi seemed to grasp what they were thinking at the same time as Aaron. Not wishing for the younger man to get a Child Protective Services report filed on him, Rossi stopped at the front desk and introduced himself.

"Hello, my name is Agent David Rossi. I'm from the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. These children were victims in our last case. I will be watching Agent Aaron Hotchner's apartment tonight. If you see anything suspicious, please give me a call." He wrote his number down on the pad of paper on the desk. "Thank you very much."

The clearly contrite night staff muttered their assent.

The elevator was out of service, so they ascended the stairs to the fourth floor. When they arrived, Aaron led Rossi and the kids to the third door on the left side of the hallway. He took out his key and unlocked the door, pushing it open with his foot and flicking the light switch on the wall inside. The living room was flooded with light, revealing a small television set, a leather couch, and a small coffee table with books upon it. To their left was a tiny kitchen with a refrigerator, stove, and old-fashioned coffee maker.

Aaron led the kids down the short hallway, just past the kitchen. There was one bedroom on the left, another directly across from it, and a bathroom at the end of the hallway.

He gestured to the bedroom on the right. "This is where I sleep, and over there," he pointed to the left one, "is where you guys will sleep." He walked over and opened the door to reveal a yellow bedroom with a queen size white bed, a white dresser, a small closet, and a white and yellow striped rug.

J.J and Spencer stared at the room in awe. Compared to the attic and basement where they had been kept hostage, it looked to them like a room out of a fairytale palace. Derek and Emily, on the other hand, looked almost sad. Aaron and Rossi figured that the sight of the bedroom probably triggered long ago memories of their own homes.

Emily turned around and gave the agents a slight smile. "Thank you." She said it simply, but the men could both feel all the kids' gratitude for the safety they were providing, even if Derek was still suspicious of their motives.

"You're welcome. It's getting late, so you should probably go to sleep soon. But before you do, would you all like to take a shower? Or a bath?" Aaron offered kindly.

Emily's brown eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes." She answered immediately.

Derek looked at her in surprise. Usually Emily would see what he thought about it before she made a decision. But he hadn't seen Emily quite so pleased in a long time, so he nodded his agreement. "But..." He added, gaining the attention of both of the agents, "nobody looks at us at all. And you can't come in to help us."

Rossi raised his eyebrows. Aaron just closed his eyes and sighed. Both were thinking similar thoughts- Derek's determined tone was masking fear. If he was afraid of people looking, and afraid of help, then someone in his past may have looked at him naked, and it was possible that someone had abused the term "help". "Help in the shower" may have been a cover for sexual abuse.

Spencer had noticed the change in Derek's demeanor. He took the few steps necessary to reach his protector, put his little hand in the older boy's one, and squeezed as hard as he could. "It's okay." He whispered quietly.

Derek looked down at the younger boy and smiled softly. "Thanks, Pretty Boy." He said back, looking a bit less fearful now. "I'm fine. Let's go take a bath." He tousled Spencer's hair and Spencer giggled.

Aaron stopped by his room and took four clean shirts from his dresser. He gave them to Derek for the kids to change into after their baths. Everyone walked toward the bathroom, but J.J sighed and dragged her feet. Emily noticed and told her, "It's okay. The bath is fun. And I won't let anything hurt you." She stroked the little girl's long blond hair reassuringly.

J.J nodded, but seemed unconvinced, staring at the floor morosely as Emily turned the tap on. When the tub was halfway filled, Derek announced, "I'm closing the door now." He pushed it shut before either agent could reply.

They listened closely at the door for a few minutes, but heard no signs of distress, so they walked to the living room and sat on the couch.

"So..." Rossi broke the silence. "They seem like some good kids. A little scared, but nice kids."

Aaron smiled. "Yeah." He answered quietly. "I wonder how long they'll be here."

"Probably for a while. This UNSUB is intelligent. He might know how to avoid capture for long periods of time. But we'll find the asshole." Rossi paused. "Do you think Derek was sexually abused by our UNSUB?"

Aaron unconsciously clenched his fists in anger. "I don't know for sure. But my instincts tell me no. They rest of the kids didn't seem like they understood what he meant. Only Spencer realized that he was scared, and he didn't seem to know why, exactly." He paused. "What do you think about J.J? She didn't seem to want to go anywhere near the bath. What do you think happened to her?" He asked, trying to keep his concern out of his voice.

Rossi sighed. "I don't know. We may not find out what exactly happened to any of them right away. But with Gideon and Elle interviewing them, the truth will come out eventually."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before the sound of the water faucet turning off reached their ears. This door squeaked open a couple minutes later. The sound of children's steps sounded down the hallway as they came into the living room. Each of them were wearing the t-shirts Aaron had given them in place of pajamas.

Aaron bit back a smile. It was a comical sight. The kids were nearly drowning in his shirts, especially Spencer, who was dressed in an old FBI t-shirt of his. Rossi was silent, his mind whirring at great speed as he considered something.

"Can we go to bed?" J.J asked softly, yawning. Emily looked to Aaron for an answer, seeming pretty tired herself. Spencer was sleepily rubbing his eyes with his fist as he held Derek's hand. Derek was looking weary as well, but Aaron got the feeling that he wasn't going to sleep that night.

Aaron smiled. "Yeah." He answered her, "Let's go." Aaron and Rossi stood and followed the kids into the hallway and into the room that they were occupying. Spencer and J.J climbed into bed first, and Emily leaned down to give them both a hug before climbing into bed beside J.J. Derek climbed in beside Spencer.

"Should I leave the light on or off?" Aaron asked them.

Spencer looked at him shyly. "Can we keep it on?" He asked in a small voice. "I don't like the dark."

"Of course." Aaron reassured calmly. "Good night, guys."

"Good night." Chorused J.J and Spencer. Emily gave them a small smile and Derek nodded uncomfortably.

"Sleep tight," Rossi added with a warm smile.

They shut the door behind them quietly.

As they moved to return to the living room, they heard Derek add quietly, "Pretty Boy, Jayje, Em... I love you guys."

"Love you too." The younger kids chorused, as Aaron's heart squeezed with that emotion that he had been trying to ignore since he had met them. The feeling that said, 'These kids are important to you.' It was beginning to become familiar to him.

"You alright?" Rossi's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

Aaron shook himself out of his emotional mindset. "Yeah." He answered shortly. "Let me get you some sheets."

Almost five hours later, Rossi was settled on the couch fast asleep, and Aaron was in his own bed, having checked on the children every half-hour. Each time Derek was the only one awake when Aaron had opened the door. Aaron asked him if he needed anything and offered him a glass of water, but he shook his head stubbornly and glared at him until he left.

Aaron wasn't getting much sleep himself, his mind racing with thoughts of these kids and what was going to happen to them. Suddenly, a high pitched scream echoed throughout the silent apartment. Aaron bolted upright and ran into the opposite room. Rossi was right behind him.

Aaron entered the room in a mild panic, his heart pounding as Rossi drew his weapon in case the UNSUB had somehow entered the apartment. But there was no current physical threat behind the scream.

Spencer was in the middle of what looked to be a terrifying nightmare, and was surrounded by a whole team of protectors. J.J and Emily were holding each of his little hands in their own, and Derek was stroking his hair and speaking calmly to him. "It's okay, Pretty Boy. I've got you, no one's going to hurt you ever again."

Aaron and Rossi stood back and watched. Rossi holstered his weapon, and Aaron's heart rate slowly returned to normal. Spencer kept crying, apparently stuck in his painful memories. "Mommy, help! No Daddy! I'm sorry, stop it!" He struggled in Derek's arms, searching the room for his mother and father. His eyes were wide and panicky until they landed on J.J. Then they visibly calmed as he took in the sight of Emily and realized Derek was the one holding him. He clenched Derek's torn shirt in his little fists and started sobbing. Derek continued to speak softly to him, reminding him that nobody was going to hurt him. Spencer calmed down a few minutes later, wiping his eyes with his fists and sniffling. "Sorry." He apologized quietly.

"Don't be sorry." Derek said reassuringly. "It's okay."

Aaron and Rossi returned to their respective sleeping arrangements a few minutes later. There was no more disturbances for the rest of the night and into the morning, save for Derek getting J.J a glass of water around three a.m. He didn't sleep.

It was about seven o'clock a.m when Aaron woke up to the sound of whispering coming from the room that the children were occupying. He heard Spencer first. "I'm hungry. Do we get to eat?" Spencer asked Emily.

"I don't know. We can ask-" Emily started before the sound of the door opening cut her off. Aaron popped his head in.

"Good morning." He smiled at the kids. "Do you all want breakfast? I think I have some Cheerios."

Spencer lit up. "I love Cheerios!" He said excitedly. "Did you know that there are thirteen flavors of Cheerios produced in the United States of America? The brand was created in 1941, and was originally called 'Cheeri-Oats!'"

Aaron grinned back, pleased that the youngest boy had seemingly recovered from his night terror. "I didn't know that, actually. What else do you know about Cheerios?"

Spencer continued to babble on about his favorite cereal on the way to the kitchen. Aaron noticed that he was moving his hands in an odd way as he spoke animatedly. It reminded him of the hand movements of children on the autistic spectrum. The other kids were unfazed by this behavior, so Aaron figured that it must not be abnormal for them to see the youngest like this.

He had been less focused on the child's words than his hands, so he hadn't been paying close attention to the details of what Spencer was saying until he said, "My mommy used to give me Cheerios every morning!" His little face darkened as he added, "Daddy hated them."

"Oh, yeah?" Aaron asked, trying not to sound intrigued. He knew that if he showed too much interest in the subject of the children's past, then he would scare them off of it completely. So he busied himself pouring small bowls of cereal, adding milk, and setting them in front of the kids.

"Yeah." Spencer said quietly, staring down at his bowl of cereal forlornly. He didn't offer any more on the subject, and Aaron didn't push the topic.

Aaron had already given a bowl to Derek, Spencer, and J.J., and Emily was waiting politely for her own to arrive when a loud snore startled the occupants of the kitchen.

They all turned around to see Rossi still sleeping soundly on the couch, flopped down in an awkward position. J.J and Spencer looked at each other and giggled as Emily stifled a smile. Even Derek was struggling to mask his amusement. Aaron rolled his eyes and smiled a little.

"Dave." He called. No response. "Dave!" Still nothing. "ROSSI!" He yelled.

Rossi startled upright, reaching for his gun, which was under his pillow. Luckily, he caught himself and stopped just in time. He glared grumpily at the kitchen residents, who were laughing as if he were on Comedy Central.

"All right, all right. Yak it up, kiddos." He stood and stretched, scratching his stomach lazily. "What's for eating?"

Aaron didn't bother to hold back his grin as he answered. "Cheerios. They used to be called 'Cheeri-oats' back in 1941, did you know that?"

"No." Rossi grumbled tiredly. "Why do you even know that?"

"Spencer taught me." Aaron answered, gesturing to Spencer, who smiled, proud of himself.

"Wait..." Rossi, who was more awake now, and therefore more alert, spoke up. "We're having cold cereal? Hotch, didn't your mom ever teach you how to cook?" He started rifling through the cabinet until he found a suitable breakfast. "Here we go. Aunt Jemina's Pancake Mix. That's more like it. Where do you keep your frying pan?"

Aaron rolled his eyes and pointed to the cabinet above the sink. Rossi reached up to retrieve it.

Fifteen minutes later, the children were finishing their last pancakes, having forgotten the last time they had eaten a decent breakfast in years. Emily was the first to speak. "Thank you." She said quietly. The agents could hear the sincerity and gratefulness in her tone. Derek nodded stiffly as J.J and Spencer gave them small smiles.

"You're welcome." Rossi said, smiling back at them. "So, I called Elle last night. Do you guys remember her?" The kids all nodded, remembering the nice lady with the Kid Catcher. "Well, she's bringing over a pair of clothes for each of you that she thinks might fit. Since you have to be properly dressed for such a big day."

Aaron's confusion showed as clearly as the kids'. "What do you mean, Dave?" He asked suspiciously.

"We..." Rossi paused for dramatic effect, "are going shopping!"

Aaron just stared at his coworker in disbelief.

Chapter Text

Half an hour later, they were in the car on their way to the local Wal-Mart. Elle had joined them for the trip, having shown up fifteen minutes previously with a pair of Goodwill clothes for each of them. Rossi had thought ahead and invited her along just in case the kids felt more secure with a female around.

Aaron had protested the whole thirty minutes that it took them to get ready, reminding Rossi that he didn't have to buy anyone anything. Rossi had shooed him off, telling him that he never felt like he had to do anything. He just did what he wanted to. Eventually, Aaron gave up, having been reminded once more of his partner's stubborn nature.

The children all seemed to be overwhelmed by both the sudden departure and the loud public place, so Elle was speaking softly with them about trivial things, like their favorite colors, and what animal they liked best.

Spencer liked the color blue and sharks were his favorite animal. J.J said pink was her favorite color. She liked the flamingo, because they were pink and because 'flamingo' was fun to say. Emily liked purple and she loved elephants. Derek was stubborn, refusing to talk, so J.J told them he liked pit bulls, and Spencer added that his favorite color was red.

J.J and Spencer were distracted by the conversation and all they had to add to it, but Derek and Emily were on high alert as they walked through the store.

When they got to the children's section, Aaron and Rossi turned to the car seat equipment. They picked out car seats for Spencer and J.J, deciding on a blue and black design for Spencer and a pink and black one for J.J. After that, they picked out a purple booster seat for Emily. Although Derek was also small for his age, his seat belt fit properly, so he didn't need any equipment.

Elle suggested that they look at the children's clothing section next. After a quiet discussion between the kids, Derek, much to the adults' surprise, agreed to let J.J and Emily go with her to pick out clothes while Spencer and Derek went with Aaron. Rossi told them that he would pay for seven pairs of clothes, five pairs of pajamas, and three pairs of shoes for each child. Aaron began to protest once again. "Dave, you don't need to spend that much money..."

Rossi just gave him a exasperated look in return. "In case you haven't noticed, Hotch, I own a mansion. I can afford this. So just be quiet and go pick out some damn clothes." Aaron rolled his eyes but conceded, walking towards the boy's clothes section with Spencer and Derek right behind him.

About an hour later, the cart was full to the limit and the shopping trip had been successful. The kids had all picked out and tried on clothes, except Derek, who chose the clothes he liked but refused to try them on. After the items had been bought, each child picked out an outfit to put on in place of the Goodwill clothes.

Spencer chose the bright orange and navy blue t-shirt with the words "GENIUS AT WORK" written on it and the silly looking monsters in lab coats on the matching shorts.

The smile that lit up his face when Aaron had picked it out for him was contagious, and Aaron had found himself grinning as he placed it in the cart. Spencer also picked out his new white and navy Converse and mismatched his socks, using an orange sock from one package and a blue sock from the other.

When Elle gently pointed out that the socks didn't match, Spencer's eyes got wide, fearing that he had somehow angered her. Aaron saw this and quickly assured Spencer that it was okay if his socks were mismatched. The relief that flooded through Spencer was clearly visible. He gave Aaron a small but thankful smile.

J.J picked a pink t-shirt with the words "SOCCER GIRLS ROCK THE GOAL" written on it in purple block letters and a shiny purple soccer ball pictured beneath. She paired it with purple and pink striped shorts and pink Keds.

"Do you like soccer?" Elle had asked, wondering what had made J.J pick the shirt out.

"Rosie played it." J.J had replied, so softly that Elle almost didn't hear her. Emily had looked at her with wide eyes before wrapping her arms around J.J in a tight hug, whispering something to her that Elle couldn't hear. J.J then took a deep breath and put the shirt in the cart, slipping her hand into Emily's. Elle decided not to ask who Rosie was right then.

Emily chose the purple t-shirt with the pink glittery image of the Eiffel Tower and "PARIS" written on it in loopy cursive letters. She paired it with purple shorts with pink stripes that matched J.J's and purple Keds. Her smile was melancholy as she looked at the shirt, and Aaron briefly wondered if the shirt brought up sad memories. Emily's mother was an Ambassador, so maybe Emily had been to Paris with her mother before. The sad smile was replaced by a genuine one when J.J started talking excitedly about their matching shorts and how they picked the same kind of shoes.

Derek picked a red graphic t-shirt with the image of the face of a pit bull with sunglasses on it. When Spencer had seen it and ran to show Derek with such enthusiasm, Derek hadn't been able to hide his small smile, despite the tension radiating off of him in waves. Derek paired the t-shirt with black denim jeans and red and white Nikes.

The next item on the agenda was haircuts. The Hair Cuttery was just across the shopping plaza. The older kids all tolerated the place. Derek got a buzz cut, Emily chose to keep her long hair and just got a trim. J.J picked out a shorter style, getting it cut to a little above her shoulders.

Spencer, on the other hand, was overwhelmed by the sensory experience of getting his hair washed and trimmed. He shook violently throughout the whole procedure. As soon as the lady announced, "All done!" in a chipper tone of voice, he had started crying hysterically.

The older kids had all finished a few minutes prior to him, and each of them gathered around Spencer, Derek wrapping an arm around his shoulders in a tight squeeze and Emily and J.J both grabbed a hand. Aaron and Dave ignored the stares of onlookers as Elle led everyone to the car.

"S-Sorry." Spencer apologized quietly once he had calmed down sufficiently.

Before even Derek could say anything, Aaron had replied. "It's okay, buddy. That must've been hard, hmm? You did a great job in there."

Dave and Elle stared at him, still not used to seeing this gentle side of their coworker. They were still getting used to this patient reassuring version of the usually stoic agent. Dave swore he had seen Aaron smile more in the last 24 hours than he had in his entire career.

Aaron ignored their looks. The "No Profiling The Team" rule was one that was broken often; it was simply their observant nature as people and as professionals. If he were in their position, he'd be profiling himself, as well.

He was currently trying not to analyze himself. This persistent feeling of how these kids just simply belonged in his life was overwhelming him, and as much as he understood the logical reasons why he shouldn't get attached, he couldn't help but notice that his heart wasn't listening. He was already invested in these kids, in their futures.

Derek looked at Aaron, his little brow furrowed in confusion. Why was this man being so understanding of everything? Why were his friends playing along with this strange game? And how long would this peaceful facade last?

Aaron pulled over to the Burger King and asked the kids what they wanted to eat. Each child said they didn't care what they got, but at the last moment, Spencer piped up softly. "Can I get their chicken nuggets?" He asked, sounding almost fearful of Aaron's answer.

The man sighed internally. It was going to take a lot of time and patience to show these kids that he wasn't a threat. But considering what he knew about their pasts, he wasn't surprised that they all thought that he was a threat- pain was all they knew for the last few years, if not their whole lives.

"Yes, of course, Spencer. Does the twelve piece sound good to you?"

Spencer's little eyes widened at the thought of that much food. "Y-yes?"

"Alright. Does anyone else have a last minute request?" Aaron asked, giving the backseat an amused smile.

"Can I have the chicken nuggets, too?" J.J asked hopefully.

"Yep. How about you, Emily? And you, Derek?"

Both of the older children asked for burgers, and Aaron surprised them by ordering them each a small milkshake to go with their meal.

Ten minutes later they were all munching away at their food when Aaron's phone started ringing. He took a look at the caller ID and saw that it was Gideon.

"Hey, Gideon."

"Hello, Hotch. How've things been going?"

"We're all right. Did you need something?"

"Yeah. Can you bring the kids in? I'm under pressure from Strauss to start the investigation into the victimology aspect. I figured you, me, Dave and Elle could each interview one of them."

Aaron sighed. He hated the idea of pressuring the children into talking, but he knew when Erin Strauss got a goal in mind, she often ignored the well-being of others.

"Alright, let me tell them what's going on. I'll meet you in half an hour."

Chapter Text

Hotch turned the car around and headed to the BAU, smiling with as much reassurance as he could at the wary-looking children in the backseat. They must have been listening to Aaron's side of the conversation. His frustrated sigh and mention of telling them something had made them nervous.

These kids were observant. They'd had to be, in order to survive whatever it was that they had been through.

Elle and Rossi kept talking and asking questions to distract them, but it wasn't working. Still, they persisted, even though the only responses they got were tense one word answers.

When the car pulled up to the parking garage about twenty minutes later, Aaron parked and turned around to face the kids. "Guys, we are here because I got a call from my friend Jason Gideon. You guys remember Jason, right?" He asked nonchalantly.

"We played chess." Spencer piped up quietly, his nervous eyes avoiding Aaron's.

"Yeah." Aaron smiled at him. "Well, he is hoping we could go talk with him. He's got some questions to ask that will help us put the man who kidnapped you in jail." He didn't mention that the well-intentioned agents would also be pressing for answers concerning the children's entire lives, including the sensitive topic of whoever had hurt them before the UNSUB had came into their lives.

"Okay." Derek said calmly, surprising everyone, including the other children, who looked at him as if he had suddenly lost his marbles.

"Okay?" Emily and J.J chorused in disbelief.

"Yeah. I said okay." Derek looked determined. He opened the car door and stepped out, raising his eyebrow when nobody moved. "Let's go."

Ten minutes later, Elle and Gideon were in Elle's office, taking out items from the Kid Catcher for the children to play with while they waited for their turn to talk. They had decided that the interrogation room wasn't kid-friendly enough.

Aaron and Rossi were sitting in Aaron's office, discussing what was about to happen with the kids. "First of all, it's very important that you are honest with your answers to our questions. Do you understand?" Rossi asked seriously.

Derek and Emily nodded solemnly.

"We will." J.J replied.

"Yes, sir." Spencer said quietly.

"And we don't want to upset you, so if the questions are too much to handle, just let us know and you can take a break." Aaron assured them.

Derek and Emily just nodded again as Spencer and J.J chorused, "Okay."

"Alright then, are you ready, kiddos?" Rossi questioned.

"Yep."

"Let's go then." Aaron forced a smile as he led them to the other room, despite his fear about the information they were about to find out.

When they reached the threshold, Elle smiled warmly and invited the kids into her office. Gideon excused himself, Rossi, and Aaron from the room, assuring the children that they would be back soon.

"So what's our game plan here?" Rossi asked Gideon as the two of the and Aaron walked towards Gideon's office.

"Last night I sent out a request to the Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Washington D.C, and Chicago police departments asking them to mail is any files, photographs, or personal effects collected from the crime scenes. The Pittsburgh police were the only ones to respond so far. This," Gideon pointed to the small box on his desk, "is all they had for J.J. A character witness file, three photographs, and this toy." He lifted out a small stuffed monkey with a flower on its head and pulled its tail. The clear, soothing chords of a lullaby drifted out from the sound box in the toy.

Aaron took the monkey from him, his heart saddened by the sight of it. J.J was only four years old when she'd been abducted, an innocent little girl. And this was all that was left from that past life...three photographs and an old toy.

"Let's go over that character witness file before we talk to J.J." Rossi suggested.

"Sounds good to me."

About a half an hour later, they had found out more of J.J's background. J.J was just over three and a half years old when her older sister, Rosalyn, committed suicide. Rosie, as she was known to her family, was only thirteen. She had cut her wrists in the bathtub one night while babysitting her younger siblings- J.J and her brothers, ten year old Lucas and seven year old James. She left a note saying that she was being bullied in school and she felt that everyone would be better off without her.

That tragedy took place only four months before J.J was abducted and her remaining family members were stabbed to death.

"I have a feeling that there's a connection between Rosalyn's death and J.J's abduction." Aaron stated firmly.

Rossi and Gideon both agreed. "Let's go see what information we can get from J.J." Gideon said.

By the time they returned to the office, Elle and J.J had already set up a dollhouse away from the other children.

"Hey, J.J. Can we play with you?" Aaron asked.

J.J smiled at him and nodded, picking her doll back up.

"Hello, Jennifer. I wanted to-" Gideon started to say.

J.J's entire happy demeanor changed in a second flat. She froze before she stiffened with fury. "My name is J.J." She stated firmly, glaring at Gideon.

"J.J. Short for...Jennifer Jareau, right?" Gideon pushed harder, wanting to see where the six-year-old would take this confrontation.

"My. Name. Is. J.J." She gritted out, clenching her fists in her anger.

Elle opened the file and pulled out one of the three photographs, a picture of J.J months before the abduction. "Who is this little girl, J.J? Do you know her?"

J.J relaxed at the proper use of her nickname and took the photo from her. "That's Jennifer." She told them matter-of-factly.

Aaron and Rossi gave each other a knowing look. This was a classic case of trauma disassociation. J.J. had separated 'Jennifer Jareau', her given name before her abduction and the murder of her family, from 'J.J', the nickname her fellow captives had bestowed upon her.

She thought of the two different experiences as completely separate lives. Which to four year old J.J, it must have seemed to be, Aaron thought. His heart broke for the little girl.

"What can you tell us about her, J.J? What was Jennifer like?" Aaron asked gently.

J.J's face clouded over. "She was a big stupid baby." She told the agents, yanking roughly on the hair of the Barbie doll she was holding. "She never stopped crying. 'I'm hungry, I'm tired, I want my monkey, I want Rosie-'" She cut herself off abruptly, having touched a painful subject.

Rossi hated the idea of causing any kind of pain to a little girl who had already been through so much, but he knew he had to do it. So he took a deep breath and pulled out the second photograph - the school picture of Rosalyn. "Can you tell me more about Rosie?" He asked, showing it to her.

J.J gasped in horror. "No!" She started crying, tears quickly turning to agitated sobs.

Immediately, Emily stood up from where she had been playing in the corner and ran to her, hugging her and stroking her hair gently. Derek and Spencer walked over as well. Derek rubbed her shoulder, obviously lost in his own thoughts, and Spencer held her hand tightly. "S'okay, J.J." He spoke quietly, looking quite sad on her behalf.

Aaron could tell that J.J was overwhelmed. They had challenged her identity and dragged up painful memories of a dead loved one in the span of about two minutes. And she was only six years old. "Let's give her a break, guys."

Gideon shook his head and continued. "What happened to Rosie?" He pushed further.

Aaron felt his protective instincts taking over. "I said, give her a break, Jason." He spoke more firmly, staring his supervisor in the eyes.

They glared stubbornly at each other for a few minutes. The tension in the room was rising, and the J.J, having lived in fear of tense situations for a long time, attempted to placate the adults by speaking up, albeit very quietly. "Rosie went bye. She was hurt and the doctors came and took her to the hos-pit-al but she still went bye."

She took another shaky breath, and continued, "Jennifer was really, really sad, but not as sad as her daddy and mama. Daddy left for a long time every day and he came home all smelly and dizzy, and mama sleep the whole day. All day." She sighed. "Couldn't wake her up. Luke and James went to school but Jennifer stayed home. All alone by herself outside, and when they came home they yelled at her for being a big baby and crying all the time. Stupid baby." She growled, her sadness quickly turning to anger as she started hitting the Barbie doll on its plastic face.

Aaron closed his eyes and sighed, trying to keep his emotions in check. Poor little J.J. She had been nearly four years old, with a big sister she was close to who killed herself. Which caused their father to get drunk and their mother to get so depressed that she locked her remaining daughter outside all day and slept, when said daughter should actually be in Pre-K at that age. Then her brothers yelled at her and called her a baby for crying. And then finally she was abducted by a stranger, her remaining family members were killed, and she was held captive for two and a half years.

That was an awful lot of traumatic experiences.

Dave looked at Gideon, who was finally done questioning J.J, having gotten enough background information on the youngest girl to satisfy Erin Strauss for the moment.

Now he, Aaron, and the children could all take a break for the day, since the Las Vegas, Chicago, and Washington D.C police had yet to send over the files, photos, and personal effects of Spencer, Derek, or Emily.

"Alright, guys," Rossi said, clapping his hands, "we are outta here. We'll come back tomorrow, but the rest of today is ours! How's that sound?" He tried to sound cheery, in order to break the tension and sadness in the air.

Derek and Spencer stood up to leave, but Emily stayed by J.J's side, the younger girl having rested her head on the other girl's shoulder. J.J was still crying softly, and it was breaking Aaron's heart. Especially since she was wiping her tears so roughly, as if she was angry at herself for crying.

He stood up and took the couple steps necessary to kneel in front of her chair. "Hey, J.J?" He whispered. "Can I tell you a little something about crying?"

J.J lifted her head up slightly, but couldn't bring herself to look Aaron in the eyes. "I know, it's a stupid baby thing to do, sir; I'll stop it."

"No, J.J." Aaron murmured, reaching his hand out, very slowly and carefully, to place his hand over J.J's little one. The other kids were concentrating intensely on his hand, Derek and Emily in protective mode and Spencer looking fearful. J.J didn't pull away, although she did look at him with fear in her big blue eyes. He kept his hand very still and ever so slowly, her hand began to relax under his own.

"Crying isn't something bad, it's not wrong to do...Crying is a good thing, because if we're hurting, it means we're alive. And if we can feel very, very sad or angry, than we can also feel very, very happy and glad. Feelings show us that we're living people. And that is a very good thing!" He grinned, and J.J lifted her head to look at him and smiled back.

"I guess you're right." She accepted the box of tissues Elle offered her and proceeded to wipe her eyes.

Aaron pretended to look wounded. "You guess I'm right? I am right about everything!" He protested.

Emily and J.J giggled, and Derek bit back a smile. Spencer, on the other hand, looked very confused. "That is a statistical improbability." He stated, a serious look on his little face.

Aaron and Dave just laughed. Even Gideon cracked a smile.

They all stood up to exit Elle's office. "See you around 11 A.M tomorrow." Gideon reminded them as they walked out of the BAU.

"So why don't we head to the playground? How does that sound to you guys?" Aaron asked the kids.

"Okay." Spencer and J.J chorused. They were so little when they were taken, Aaron thought, did they even remember what a playground was like? But Emily looked cheerful at the prospect of the playground, and even Derek looked as if he were anticipating the visit.

One ten minute drive later, they pulled up to the playground outside Aaron's apartment complex. Just as they had the previous night when they had first passed it, J.J and Spencer looked at it curiously. Emily jumped out of the car first, after letting J.J out of her car seat. J.J trailed behind her slowly, and Spencer clung anxiously to Derek as he unbuckled his car seat and exited the car.

"C'mon, J.J, let's go play!" Emily called over her shoulder, and J.J followed her uncertainly. They headed for the slides. Rossi followed them and stood by the playground equipment as they climbed up.

Derek tried to head towards the monkey bars, but Spencer's tight grip on his leg wouldn't allow him.

He looked down at Spencer and his brow furrowed. "What's up, Pretty Boy? Don't you wanna play?" He asked the younger boy.

"I don't know how." Spencer mumbled, ashamed, looking at the ground.

Aaron frowned. This poor kid, he thought sadly. He was four years old and didn't even know how to play on a playground.

It made sense, though, considering the little boy's past. He was only two years old when he was taken, and he had spent the other two years of his life being held captive by his abductor. And at this point, they didn't know if he had ever been to a playground, even before he was abducted.

The agents did, however, know that he had recently been taken into Las Vegas foster care beforehand. It was quite possible that he had been badly neglected, maybe even abused...perhaps he had actually never been to a playground.

The thought broke Aaron's heart all over again.

He looked at Derek, who seemed to accept Spencer's answer as if it were expected. Derek's own sadness was evident in his brown eyes, so similar to Spencer's own.

Aaron cleared his throat. "Well, you are a very smart boy, Spencer. Would you like to learn how?" He asked gently.

Spencer's eyes got wide and hopeful. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay," Aaron grinned. "Let's test out the slide with J.J and Emily."

He, Derek, and Spencer walked over to where Rossi was watching Emily go down the slide with J.J on her lap. " Now you try it by yourself, J.J." Emily coaxed the younger girl.

J.J shook her head, too scared to do it on her own. Emily just sighed.

"Alright kid," Derek lifted Spencer onto the ladder leading up to the slide. "You go up, I'm right behind you." He followed the younger boy up and Spencer crawled onto his lap, burying his face in the older boy's neck.

"3,2,1, Go!" Emily, J.J, Rossi, and Aaron called out.

Spencer squealed loudly as they slid down the slide. At the bottom, he looked up and grinned. "That was fun!" Aaron and Rossi laughed as Emily and J.J clapped happily. Derek ruffled his hair, grinning back at him. "C'mon J.J, do it with me!" Spencer called out, grabbing J.J's hand and pulling her towards the ladder.

J.J. looked nervous, but followed the excited younger boy onto the platform and sat with him. Spencer kept a tight hold on her hand as they pushed off, J.J covering her eyes with the other hand.

"Yeah!" Derek, Emily, Rossi, and Aaron all cheered as the younger kids came to a stop at the bottom.

J.J uncovered her eyes and her eyes widened comically. "I did it!" She yelled victoriously.

"Yeah, you did it! You both did it!" Aaron said, grinning at them. "High five, you guys!" He and Rossi held out their hands for Spencer and J.J to clap. Derek eyed them carefully, but relaxed a little as the younger kids slapped the agents' hands with enthusiasm.

"What should we do next?" Rossi asked them.

"Let's go on the monkey bars now." Emily suggested. J.J looked at her and and smiled, ready to take on the next adventure.

Derek grinned at them, and He reached out and grabbed Spencer's hand. "C'mon, kid, let's go!" He urged.

Aaron smiled warmly at Derek. He was relaxing slightly now, allowing himself to have fun for the present moment, and Aaron couldn't be more proud of him. It took a lot of courage to let down your guard, even for a moment. Aaron knew that better than anybody.

When they got to the monkey bars, Derek climbed up the steps to the platform and reached out to grasp the first bar fearlessly, effortlessly making his way across. The rest of the kids cheered as he dropped to the ground, smirking at them victoriously.

Emily went next, struggling a bit halfway through but finishing out strong. Rossi and Aaron whistled as the rest of the children clapped.

Then it was J.J 's turn. She climbed up and took the first ring with both her hands and took a deep breath, stepping off the platform and trying to swing like she saw the older kids do. She made it two more bars, but missed her grab for the next one. She screamed as her hand slipped, but Rossi and Aaron moved fast, Aaron grabbing her waist and Rossi grabbing ahold of her legs. Then they gently lowered her to the ground.

Derek and Emily raced towards J.J to see if she was okay, Spencer close behind them. When J.J assured them all that she was fine, Emily and Spencer relaxed. Derek, on the other hand, was clearly having mixed feelings about the fall, relieved that J.J wasn't hurt, but upset that the agents grabbed her. He apparently decided that J.J being safe was the most important thing, because he gave the men a slight nod as a thank you.

"Is it my turn now?" Spencer asked excitedly.

Derek took a look at the height of the monkey bars and realized, belatedly, that neither he nor Emily could lift Spencer that high up. His face darkened with regret, and Spencer could see from the older boy's expression that Derek was going to say that he couldn't go on the monkey bars.

He pouted sadly but seemed to accept that Derek had made his decision.

Aaron could apparently read the boys' facial expressions as well, and before Derek could tell Spencer to move on to the next activity, he risked making an offer. "I could pick him up, Derek. I won't hurt him, I promise." He told the boy very solemnly.

"No." Derek said flatly, refusing to entertain the idea for a second.

"Please, Derek?" Emily asked quietly. She hated seeing the disappointment on Spencer's little face.

"Yeah, please?" J.J begged on Spencer's behalf.

Spencer gave the older boy his best pleading look. "Pretty please, Derek?"

Derek sighed in defeat. "Fine." He then stepped to Aaron's side, giving him a glare that clearly said, 'I'm watching you.'

Aaron resolved to be as gentle as possible. He knelt down in front of Spencer with a soft smile. "You ready, Spence?" He asked the little boy, watching his expression.

Spencer was clearly nervous, but trying to be brave so he could play on the monkey bars. He took a deep breath and nodded.

Aaron gently took Spencer in his arms and lifted the boy up in his strong arms. Spencer's eyes were clenched shut tightly, but they opened quickly when Aaron told him to reach out his arm to grab the first bar. "You can do it," he encouraged him.

Spencer hesitantly reached out and held the bar in his little hand. It was sweaty from his nerves, but he held on and reached out for the next one, hoping with all his heart that Aaron wouldn't let him fall. He didn't, and Spencer finished a minute later, grinning triumphantly when he heard Emily, J.J, and Rossi cheering for him. Aaron lowered Spencer down gently, and when he felt his feet hit the ground, Spencer's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Aaron!" He squealed excitedly, taking a hold of and squeezing Aaron's hand in his own little one.

Aaron smiled warmly at the little boy. "Of course, Spencer. I would never let you fall, okay?"

"Okay." Spencer smiled. He then let go of Aaron's hand and proceeded to run into Derek's arms. "Did you see me?! Did you see what I did, Derek?! I did a good job, didn't I?" He chattered happily.

"Yeah, kid. I'm really proud of you!" Derek laughed. He smiled at Aaron. "Good job." He added. And whether it was for Spencer, or Aaron, or both, Aaron appreciated it as he smiled back at him.

It was almost dinner time, so Aaron promised the kids that they could come back soon to test out the swings and the rock wall, and they headed back to the car and got in. Derek and Emily lifted Spencer and J.J into their car seats, but neither of them had quite learned how to buckle the younger kids in yet, though they could unbuckle them easily. After a minute of the older kids struggling, Rossi stepped in to buckle J.J up and Aaron stepped in to buckle Spencer.

They pulled into the nearby parking lot of Aaron's apartment building. Aaron and Rossi stepped out of the car, but let Derek and Emily undo the buckles on Spencer and J.J's car seats. They made their way inside the apartment complex and took the elevator up to Aaron's apartment.

Rossi cooked a spaghetti dinner for them all, letting Aaron know that they needed to go grocery shopping after tomorrow's interview. The kids loved dinner. They all had seconds and told Rossi that the spaghetti was great, much to David Rossi's pleasure.

Aaron set up a movie on his small television in the living room. The children decided on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which Aaron and Rossi said was a funny movie, though none of the kids had seen it before.

A couple hours, two bags of popcorn, and lots of laughs later, Aaron announced it was time for bathtime. Derek took them into the bathroom as they had done yesterday as Aaron and Rossi cleaned up the remnants of dinner in the kitchen and popcorn in the living room.

About a half hour later, the kids were all dressed in their new pajamas- Derek in some red Avengers ones, Emily in purple ones with the Powerpuff Girls on them, J.J in pink Barbie ones, and Spencer in green ones with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Aaron marveled in the fact that the kids looked less like the scared, battered children from just yesterday, and more like well-dressed and happy kids. He couldn't help smiling at the realization.

And as the kids went off to bed, he resolved to keep them safe and happy for as long as he possibly could. Tomorrow might bring hard times, but Aaron was ready and willing to take on the world for these kids.