𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 ↠ a. hotchner

chapter twenty-two - eventually.

      In the late morning the next day, Spencer and Ophelia continued to work endlessly on the profile board. She requested that someone work on it with her rather than alone, as to not spark another situation like last night.
      "He'd have to know the area well enough and spend a lot of time there," Spencer began.
      "That's how he knows the trails, he stalks them," Ophelia added.
      "Do you think he'd have property out there?" He questioned, looking at the map.
      "If he does, it's not on there, I already checked—"
She was cut off by none other than deputy Boyd practically throwing himself through the door.
      "It's Sheriff Ruiz— he killed her," He was visibly distraught. Ophelia immediately got to her feet. The rest of the team was checking out the crime scenes, so Spencer and Ophelia were left at the station with no vehicle.
      "You go, I'll check with Garcia to see if she can find anything that isn't on the map that might tell us where our unsub is hiding," Spencer pulled out his phone and dialed Penelope's number. Ophelia found herself hesitating. The team needed her on the scene, but she really did not want to be alone with the deputy.
      "Let's go," She muttered, fixing the cuffs on her blouse. She followed the deputy reluctantly out of the station and into his police cruiser.

      "He did exactly what Omar said he would do," Aaron observed, pulling gloves over his hands.
      "Do you really think it's not him?" Rossi questioned, examining the body from afar. Aaron shook his head.
      "He doesn't fit the profile even a little bit. He's already powerful, why would he target illegals that are vulnerable?" He stood, pondering. "But the only people that heard this description are me and Morgan," JJ perked up.
      "Wait, Hotch," She stepped forward. "There was a speaker outside the interrogation room— Boyd turned it on. He stood next to me and heard what Omar said," Aaron immediately removed his gloves and started towards the rest of the group.
      "Deputy, where's Boyd now?" He had claimed to find the body, but was nowhere to be found when the team showed up.
      "He said he was going to go pick up the other agents at the station, why?" Suddenly, it clicked in his mind.
      "Ophelia snapped at Boyd last night when he implied the victims deserved to be killed from crossing the border illegally. He killed Sherrif Ruiz because he was angry— Ophelia's his real target," Everyone started gathering around the cruisers and SUV's. "And we just lead him right to her,"

      The car ride was mostly silent; Ophelia wasn't going to rely on Boyd for details. He watched as they got deeper and deeper into the desert, dust flying around either side of the cruiser.
      "So what do you think about the profile?" He asked, never taking his eyes off the road. Here we go again.
      "I think my team is never wrong," She grumbled. She crossed one leg over the other and rested her hands on her stomach.
      "So you think the killer is a coward?" Her eyes darted to the side of his face. Her heart started racing. "I think he's doing us a good service," He continued. Ophelia gulped.
      "What are you implying, deputy?" Her voice was shaky and her hands wrapped around her stomach subconsciously. He didn't reply. He just looked at Ophelia, and for a moment, she could've sworn Santa Muerte was staring directly at her and her unborn child. A presence of evil that she should've addressed sooner took over the police cruiser. In that moment, she prayed. She prayed that her child wouldn't be taken away so soon. She prayed to anything and everything that was holy to get the both of them out safely. Then, buzzing.
      "Put in on speaker phone," He ordered. His voice sent chills down her spine as if it had come from the depths of hell itself. She obeyed and answered the call.
      "Ophelia, don't say anything if you're near him, but Boyd is the unsub," Emily's voice brought her to tears. They were too late.
      "I know," She breathed. She had to stay calm and out of distress. If she got too worked up, there was no way her baby would survive this. He ripped the phone out of her hands.
      "Still think I'm a coward? I'm holding an FBI agent hostage," He bragged. Ophelia knew she had to slow her heart down. She gripped the seat beneath her and tried with everything inside of her to calm down. On the other side of the call, Aaron was doing the same. If he lashed out at any point, that would definitely push the unsub over the edge and Ophelia would be dead in minutes.
      "No, not anymore," Aaron. His voice was the only calming thing about the situation. She had to have faith in Aaron as an agent that he would get her and their child out safely. "You've proved us wrong, Boyd,"
      "Then I'll make sure you're never wrong again," He tossed the phone onto the dash. He pulled his gun out of his holster and pressed it to Ophelia's temple.
      "No, please!" She cried out. "I'm pregnant," Her arms held her stomach as she sobbed. His finger lightly squeezed the trigger.
      "Boyd, listen to me," Aaron's voice was still calm, but dark and stern. "You've already proved to us that you're not a coward," On the phone with Spencer, JJ was giving Derek instructions on how to get to Boyd's barn. They knew that's where he had to be taking Ophelia. "Killing a defenseless pregnant woman would just show that we we're right," Ophelia could tell he was battling with himself on Aaron's words. "She is not the enemy, Boyd," Her shoulders still shook underneath the barrel of his gun. The team now had eyes on his cruiser approaching the barn, picking up speed. The cruiser came to a screeching halt a couple yards away.The team set up a barricade outside the doors of the barn, they had him surrounded. He took his gun in his other hand and grabbed onto Ophelia's hair, dragging her out of the cruiser on the driver's side. He pushed her to her knees in front of him. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She had to stay calm. She felt the cold feeling of the metal barrel pressing against her skin return at the back of her head.
      "We have you surrounded, Boyd," Derek shouted from behind the SUV door. "If you shoot her, you'll die," Wind whipped around Ophelia's face. She could barely keep her eyes open from all the dust. "You'll never get to see what a legend you'll become," A moment of silence. Then, he spoke.
    "Too bad there'll always be people like her," Shots fired into the empty desert. Ophelia folded into herself, surrounding her stomach like a shield. She heard Boyd's body drop behind her, a cloud of sand being released underneath him. She held herself there, ears ringing, until she saw a pool of blood start to form beside her. She prayed that it wasn't hers. She heard footsteps bounding towards her, but she couldn't move.
      "It's alright, princess, you're alright," Derek's smooth voice cooed as he helped her stand.
      "We need two ambulances ASAP, she needs to get to the hospital immediately," Hotch ordered over the radio. She felt around her body for injuries and was surprised to find none.
      "See? You're alright," Derek soothed, rubbing her shoulders. Aaron strode towards them. Oh, god.
      "Are you okay?" Aaron had never been angry at her, but she could tell that he was absolutely seething. She nodded. Derek left her side to guide the ambulance through the scene.
      "How long have you known?" His voice was stern. He was trying his best not to shout.
      "A month," She couldn't lie to him, not now. He looked away from her and pulled at his chin.
      "How far along?"
      "Seven weeks," He ran his hand through his raven locks. He had absolutely no idea how to react. He just knew now was not the time to yell. A medic approached her, telling her to lie down on the stretcher.
      "We'll talk about this when we get home," He joined her at the side of the stretcher and climbed into the ambulance with her. They didn't speak the rest of the time unless the medic asked them questions.