In the movies, when the main character receives bad news, the type of news that shakes them to their core, time literally stands still. Everything and everyone moves around them in slow motion, while they remain frozen, seemingly trying to come to grips with what they have just been told, with what was happening.
Although you imagined the emotions bubbling inside of you were the same, in your situation, a movies slow motion perception of the main characters surroundings couldn't have been further from what you were currently experiencing. It was literally the opposite.
Everything was moving rapidly, and you couldn't keep up. Before you'd even had the chance to process the latest event, something else had come up, and completely, catastrophically overwhelmed you.
— Earlier That Day —
Once you'd left the office, at around two am, you'd gotten straight into bed the moment you were through the door, passing out instantly. Unfortunately, your much needed rest was soon interrupted and after only four hours sleep, you were up again.
You arrive at the address JJ had texted you, at the same time as Prentiss, greeting her a quick good morning, walking with her toward Rossi and Morgan.
"JJ said the police told her it was urgent." She states once you'd reached them.
"Four hours of sleep after what we went through in Canada, it better be." Morgan exclaims, turning and walking into the building that the police were surrounding.
When you walk into the apartment, where JJ already was with Reid, alarm bells started ringing. There was no sign of Hotch, and considering you were all there, it was unusual for him not to be. After the internal revelation you'd made to yourself yesterday, that you are in fact in love with him, you were hyper aware of his absence.
Brushing it off to focus on the detective and the case details, you begin scanning the crime scene.
"Now, unless Dr. Barton puts his son in harm's way, we're going to keep having a victim a day." Reid explains.
"Where's Barton now?" You question.
"He's at home. He doesn't know about this victim yet." JJ informs and then Emily asks the question that was still racing around in your head.
"Where's Hotch?"
"He's not answering his cell. I assume it's on vibrate. He'll get the message when he wakes up." JJ says, quite nonchalantly, which erased some of your concern but not all of it. Rossi advises JJ to call again, stating that Hotch could meet us at Barton's house and with that, you turn and follow everyone out the door.
The house that the SUV pulls up in front of was huge and beautiful, donning a classic and sophisticated style. Once inside, you stand beside Rossi, watching and listening as Emily begins reeling off multiple questions to Dr. Barton. You still couldn't shake the feeling that was something was wrong, the fact that Hotch still hadn't answered his phone, so when Emily had offered to take the lead, you'd been thankful.
When JJ steps out of the room to call Garcia, you follow her, asking if there had been any word from Hotch. She confirms that there still has been nothing, and you nod, mumbling something about how it wasn't like him, before re-joining the team.
"Jeffrey, where are you?" Dr.Barton frantically speaks into his phone, looking towards you and the team with a worried expression. Your brow furrows, I thought he was upstairs?
Morgan sprints past you, running up the stairs, before appearing above you by the railing, "He's not up here."
Before rushing out of the house with Rossi, Morgan and JJ, you pull Emily to the side, asking her to let you know if she hears anything from Hotch. She nods, sending you a sympathetic smile, obviously hearing the concern in your voice and seeing the worry written all over your face. Thanking her, you wave goodbye to Reid, before heading to the door.
Striding out with the rest team, Dr. Barton tries to follow you, but Rossi orders him to stay in the house, telling him to let us do our job. He objects and starts to refuse, but after you and the team begin to explain in more detail, he finally agrees, allowing you to leave for Jeffrey's school.
Rossi took control at the high school, informing the headteacher of how things were going to proceed.
Stepping out of the headteacher's office when your phone rings, eagerly you answer the phone, hoping for news on Hotch.
"Hey Ana. Emily's gone to get Hotch because he's still not here and we need more eyes. Can you come and help me review these files so we can build a profile?" The fact Hotch still hadn't turned up was bothering you more than you cared to admit, but you pushed this aside, instead confirming with Reid that you'd be there soon.
Finishing up your call, you go to inform Rossi and JJ that you'd be heading back to Barton's house, telling them to ring you if they needed anything.
When you arrive back at the house, you notice that Reid looks a little angsty, so you ask him if everything's okay.
"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine, we just need to get through this." He runs a hand down his face before continuing, "Right, we know he's been killing Hispanic males as surrogates. Did you separate the case files?"
Dr. Barton nods, uttering a yes and gesturing in the direction of the specific pile.
"Okay, how many of the surgeries fit the criteria?" You question, reaching for the papers, skimming through them.
"82."
"Alright, now let me ask you this. On how many of those dates did you operate on somebody else as well?" Reid questions Dr. Barton again.
"75."
"Did any of those patients die on the table?" Reid asks again.
"10. Um, no, wait. 11." Dr. Barton reaches for a pile of patient files.
"Okay, 11. That's where we start, this whole thing is about choice. He's forcing you to play god with you son, because the last time you had a choice, your decision devastated him." Reid begins explaining details of the profile, to help narrow down the unsub.
You and Reid take it in turns, going backwards and forwards, going through specific dates where the doctor had operated on patients.
When Reid instructs Dr. Barton to look at the note again and the wording on the charts, you finally get somewhere. Dialling, you ring Garcia, asking her to look up the details of the patient that Dr. Barton remembers.
She informs you that he was taken off his ventilator and declared legally dead three days ago. Uttering to her that is the stress, you ask who the father is. She gives you the name and you tell her to get a photo of him to the school immediately, declaring that you believe he's the unsub.
Twenty minutes or so later, Dr. Barton re-enters the room, stating that he was going to pick up his son, as the note said not to deviate from his routine. Nodding, you stand up and look to Reid, communicating that you'd both accompany him.
Reid's phone rings as you're about to leave and you halt, fearing it may be Emily or the team with news on Hotch. You only hear the one side of the conversation, so have no idea who's on the phone or what is being discussed.
"What if the unsub was trying to tell Dr. Barton that he is actually the target, and that he's gonna leave his without a father?" Reid states into the phone, looking towards you.
Frowning, you look from him to the space where Dr. Barton formally was, hearing the noise of the door opening.
"Barton!" Reid shouts, springing up and running after him. You're on his tail, rounding the corner as Spencer tackles Dr. Barton to the ground, a resounding gunshot ringing out. A groan erupts from Reid as he crashes to the floor, and you know he's wounded.
Instantaneously, you draw your weapon from your holster, moving to shield both Reid and Dr. Barton, "Stay down and don't move from behind me!"
"Get away from him!" The unsub shouts, revolver raised as he steps closer towards you.
"Drop your weapon, now!" You bark.
"He killed my son." The unsub cries out.
"He did not kill your son. Your son was killed by a car accident." Reid interjects, from below you on the grass.
"I'm gonna ask you again, I do not want to shoot you, please drop the gun." Clicking off the safety, you yell pleadingly at the unsub as he continues to move closer.
"Stand up, you coward." The unsub completely ignores your plea.
"Mr Myers, listen to me alright, it's over. Dr. Barton did not kill your son. Your son was killed by a car. And this is not what he would want. Okay? So drop the gun, now." Calmly, you insist for the final time, as the unsub begins to lower his weapon.
Sirens can be heard in the distance, and just when you think Myers is about to drop his weapon, he raises his arm again.
"I'm sorry."
And before he has the chance, you shoot him in the chest, darting towards him and throwing his gun to the side as soon as he drops to the floor.
Crouching down beside Reid as he tells Dr. Barton to tend to the unsub, you check Spencer over, making sure he's actually okay. Reid thanks you and you shake your head, telling him it's not necessary.
As you place pressure on his leg, to try and stop the bleeding, thoughts in your head start swirling. Reid was shot and almost died again, in the space of three weeks. It could have been you on the floor instead, injured with a wound to the the leg. And there was still no word on Hotch.
JJ, Rossi and Morgan pull up and come running over, drawing your attention back to Reid, asking firstly if he was okay and then if you were.
"We need to get him to a hospital." Pointing towards his wound, you utter that the bullet went clean through.
"You need to find Emily. Call Emily." Reid blurts out.
"Where is she?" Rossi questions.
"Somethings happened to Hotch." Reid states and your heart drops to the pit of your stomach. What? Why hadn't Emily said something sooner?
You watch as Morgan and JJ help Reid to his feet and you go to help, but remain rooted on the spot. Everything seems to constrict within your chest and Rossi notices, helping to guide you to the SUV.
Everyone was obviously disturbed by the news, but your reaction, your muteness would raise questions with JJ and Reid. Frankly, you were too worried about Hotch to even concern yourself with what they were thinking. Hotch's well-being was the priority.
Trying to calm your shaking arms and to stop yourself from fidgeting, you press your nails into your palms. Prentiss comes into your view as you make your way down the hospital corridor, and then you see Hotch, dressed in hospital gowns.
"He still isn't conscious yet." Emily says, rising from the chair in Hotch's cubicle. She glances toward you and you curve the edges of your lips slightly, silently communicating that you weren't mad. You were way to close to this, so she made the right decision not letting you know until the unsub was caught.
Tears begin to well in your eyes as you focus on the monitor above the hospital bed, watching the doctor beside Hotch tend to him. On the phone, Prentiss had mentioned that it was Foyet, that Hotch was left with Morgan's credentials in the E.R.
"Agents, he's waking up. Remember, he's weak. Don't push him." The doctor's voice interrupts the conversation around you, causing the team to quieten.
Standing at the side of the hospital bed, you stare at him as he begins talking, his voice small and croaky, "Where am I?"
"In the hospital." Rossi answers.
"How did I get here?"
"Foyet drove you." This time Morgan answers.
"Can you remember what happened?" This time you timidly ask the question, worried you might be pushing him too far by getting him to answer.
He briefly describes what happened in his apartment, asking what Foyet took, and then asking what he left. Emily mentions the B section in his planner but that she couldn't see anything out of place, that she searched everywhere.
"Where are my clothes?" Hotch asks, groaning slightly as turns to watch Prentiss grab his bag of belongings.
Hotch pulls out his FBI credentials, opening the wallet to find a folded photo slotted in between, of Jack and Haley. Exhaling, he closes his eyes, wincing slightly.
"Haley's maiden name is Brooks. I always listed her in the B's in my personal information in case it fell into the wrong hands." Everyone's faces panic, eyes darting from one another as you listen to Hotch.
"He knows where they live."
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A/N - Hi guys. So sorry this took me so long. This update is more of a filler chapter but I promise the next one will be juicy.
I'm so happy this is out of the way because what I have planned for my next update is gonna be...interesting. It's so fun to tease.
Thank you all for your comments and votes. Sweetness now has 12K views, I honestly cannot keep up.
You guys are the best and I love you all.
xoxo