SSA Scottley - A collection - S.R.

Elliot's pond

Episode: 12x06

"I'm dead serious." Luke said, as he, JJ, Lily and Spencer walked out the elevator together.

"There's no way." The blonde woman shook her head with a giggle.

"The probability of that happening to you more than once is astounding." Spencer said.

"I know. I know." Luke shook his head, as the four of them entered the bullpen that morning. "But I was there, ok, and I'm telling you, it was crazy."

"Thank God you guys are here. What do you know?" Penelope asked, as soon as she saw them all arriving.

"Nothing." Lily frowned.

"Nothing? You know nothing? But you were my last hope. You always know what's going on around." She whined.

"Sorry." Lily shrugged. "I have nothing for you, Queen."

"Ok." She sighed. "Rossi got here crazy early, and then right when Prentiss came in he pulled her in there."

They all glanced at Hotch's office where, in fact, Rossi and Emily were standing, apparently deep in conversation. When they opened the door and left the room, they didn't even try to cover their curiosity like they usually would. Instead, they waited for either of them to say something. Thankfully, Rossi did.

"We need to talk." He said, walking over to the conference room with Emily close behind him.

"Ok, ok." Garcia nodded, as she grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her forward so the two of them could go the conference room together.

Lily could tell she was nervous, so she squeezed her hand lightly.

"What's going on?" Penelope asked.

"It's Hotch." Rossi answered.

"Oh, my God." She gasped.

"Is he ok?" Lily asked, squeezing Penelope's hand again, but this time, seeking comfort for herself.

"He's ok." The older Agent assured, even if it did nothing to calm Lily's nerves. "But he has not been away on special assignment. That's something we had to say as a cover for the investigation."

"What investigation?" JJ frowned.

"Hotch saw Peter Lewis watching one of Jack's soccer games." Tara, who was already at the conference room when they arrived, answered.

"By the time Hotch reacted, Lewis had taken off. The Bureau searched the area, but he disappeared." Rossi added.

"When was this?" JJ asked.

"Days after Mr. Scratch resurfaced in Arizona. One of the victims was chanting his name when we found her. She had 'Hotch' carved into her forehead. It really got to him." Tara said.

"Why didn't he tell us?" Lily inquired. "We could have focused on finding Mr. Scratch."

"He knows we can't drop everything. Also, he didn't want to worry everyone." Rossi responded.

"So now what? They have around-the-clock surveillance?" Luke asked.

"Initially, yes. Agents were assigned to watch Jack 24/7. But when we were all in L.A. On the John David Bates case, Scratch surfaced again, this time at Jack's school."

"Going after Jack takes this to a whole new level." JJ mumbled.

"Peter Lewis is not going to stop. Which is why Hotch and Jack have now entered the program. Witness Protection."

Lily's eyes widened. Witness Protection? So that meant...

"But now that this happened, we can drop everything and focus on catching Mr. Scratch, and then Hotch can come back, right?" Garcia asked, trying to find some hope in the dark like she always did.