Leave Out All the Rest [Kidnapping Plot]

[Gerald Fay]

{{This is a time lapse in the kidnapping plot. After the thread where Lily escapes, this takes place one week later. Therefor, Krys and Jack have been captive for a week now - and he keeps his victims for a week. I'm not sure what the team will know about him by now - they obviously know that his name is Gerald Fay, and where he lives. Let's say that they also know his backstory - about Jamie and Lexie and MarieAnn. He's killed his previous victims himself, but this time ... he's changing the rules, since he has Krys. And because he's mad. Any questions, let me know.}}

It had been a week.

With Gerald Fay's previous victims - the three sets of a girl and a boy that had represented Jamie and Lexie for him - he had offered them all the ice cream that they could eat, for that was what MarieAnn had been taking them to eat when they'd gotten in that car accident. He'd killed the children in his backyard and mourned them for the proper mourning time before finding his newest victims.

That had been the best recreation that he'd been able to do in previous times.

This time was different.

This time, he had a MarieAnn, but not a Lexie. Lexie had escaped. She'd always been the vibrant one, that little girl, so much more fiesty than her brother Jamie. MarieAnn had LET her walk out that door, without even thinking of how they would have been a family together if not for that.

He'd planned it differently, the ending to thier story. From the moment that he'd taken this MarieAnn, he'd known the ending this time would be different. He'd finally rewrite the story of this life, the one thing he'd always have done differently.

This time, Gerald Fay had planned to go with them. A good captain goes down with his ship, after all. He'd planned for MarieAnn to drive Jamie and Lexie and him to go get ice cream, just like last time, except this time he'd be there, and this time he'd die with them when they crashed.

But MarieAnn had betrayed him when she'd let Lexie go. How could a mother let her own child go?

No, Gerald's plans had been changed the moment that had happened.

He would not be dying with them today. Not when MarieAnn had betrayed him. Not when Jamie had betrayed him too, by letting his own sister go. No, he couldn't die with them, not in good conscious. He'd have to try this again, after the grieving time, with a new Jamie and Lexie ... and another MarieAnn, too. Yes, that would be the way things would go.

It was the morning of the seventh day of their captivity, and Gerald descended the stairs to the basement where they were. They looked so tired, not at all like they had when he'd first captured them. MarieAnn had bruises and cuts from all the times that he'd hit her, punched her, for being a bad mother, a bad wife. She didn't even deserve these children. She definitly didn't deserve the chance at redemption that would have come with his previous, abandoned plan.

"MarieAnn. Jamie. It's day seven." He knew they wouldn't know truly what the number meant, but he did. He knew that today was the day that they were going to die. From behind his back, he brought forth the black tie from MarieAnn's funeral... the real MarieAnn, a small part of his brain that had almost died off said.

He stepped over to MarieAnn, holding her roughly in place as he tied the tie around her eyes, blindfolding her. Gerald ignored the cries of Jamie.

"It's time, family. It's the final day. I've blindfolded you, MarieAnn, because you are blind. You're blind to all around you. You're blind to how beautiful Lexie was when you let her escape. Poor, sickly MarieAnn, can't even see in front of her own two eyes how good she has it." He felt the anger, anger he'd never previously recognized as his, swirling around inside of him. "Don't worry, Jamie. You haven't been a really good boy, but you'll still get ice cream." He smiled at Jamie before retrieving the bowl of ice cream that he'd brought down with him and had left on the stairs.

"Now, once you're done with the ice cream, Mommy is going to take you for a nice drive." He smiled at the blindfolded girl. "Just like she did before. I was going to go with you, but I just have too much work to do." He cupped MarieAnn's face with his hand.

Yes, MarieAnn would be taking the child for a drive, but she had no hopes of escaping with Jamie.

With the second tie that he'd brought with him, he tied MarieAnn's hands behind her back. He leaned in close to her ear, whispering his words so that Jamie wouldn't be able to hear them. "Now now, MarieAnn. This time is your time. You're going to drive that car, and you're going to end it. Just like you did before." He smiled.

"Eat up, Jamie. It's almost time to go."

ooc;; Gerald plans to put her in the car, with Jamie next to her in the front seat. She'd be blindfolded the entire time, and have her hands tied, and remember, he believes that there'd be no hope for her to escape, because she doesn't want to escape if she's TRULY MarieAnn. Yeah, he's a bit screwed up.

[Krys Robin]

It had been a week. Six days since Lily had escaped if you were counting in between being scared and crying. Krys couldn't do much crying however given that she had little Jack Hotchner to look out for. She knew that if she burst into tears he would know that she was afraid and would have become even more fearful. She couldn't have that, even if it meant bottling up everything that she felt inside of her when really all she wanted to do was curl up into a little ball and just disappear.

She could take being hit. The only bad part of it was seeing the look of horror on little Jack's face and when Gerald would briefly leave the room the little boy would come over to her. Krys wasn't stupid, she knew he was worried but she lied through her teeth. Things were always 'fine', and 'but how are you'. They didn't have time to worry about how she was feeling. Sleep was a rare occurence, spent huddled together as she held the little boy, her back against the wall in nothing but darkness. Left alone with your thoughts. Thoughts of your past, the future, Reid... It was all oddly familiar. She had been tied to a chair before by her own father, hung out a window, pushed into a filled bathtub, locked in a closet for days... This was just another round of trials she had to go through.. Right? Once again she was lying to herself.

It was morning and she dared to open her eyes. It was so dark in the basement you couldn't even tell the time of day. Her head was throbbing. Cringing she could barely see, her right arm tucked gently around little Jack. She had to keep him safe... For Hotch. Krys had a fondness for Hotchner. She liked to think if nature hadn't been so cruel and that if life had actually been fair, if she ever had a dad he would have been like him. Lying to herself again. It was getting old.

She heard Gerald's footsteps and with a quiet groan she lightly nudged Jack so to wake him. They had to be alert to keep any harm from coming to them. If they were awake, even if they had to be hurt it'd at least make it difficult for their kidnapper. They barely had time to wake up, Krys didn't even have time to stand, for Gerald grabbed her roughly so much that it hurt and immediately wrapped something around her eyes. Instinctively her breath shortened and became more shallow, quickening in pace soon all she saw was darkness. Cut off from the world, unable to see little Jack, she began to panic but at first couldn't say anything.

"D-Don't eat it Jack. Don't." She warned the boy in a shakey voice before once again Gerald had control, whispering in her ear, his hot breath making the hairs stick up on her neck. Brought up onto her knees her breath became caught in her throat and unable to hide it anymore she let out a whimper mixed in with a cry. Her brown eyes became wet behind the blindfold and tears managed to seep from behind the fabric and drip down her dirty cheeks. "N-N-No. I won't." She managed to get out giving a bit of a struggle as her capture tried to tie her hands together before Gerald forced her arms behind her back.

Silently she ran through at least a dozen prayers in the back of her mind, choosing them instead of facts beginning to ramble them under her breath as her body shook with fear. Gerald could probably feel it with the way he was maneuvering her body. No one was coming. No one would help. She was going to die right here, and little Jack too. She had failed. This entire week she had fought back. She had kicked, punched, yelled, but now, like a ragdoll she could be lifted and moved to whatever the man desired. Cut off from the world she had given up.

[Gerald Fay]

((ooc// Obviously, this is going to be a short post, because there's not much that I can do yet. I don't know how speedily or whatever we're going to go through this ...))

"Yes." Gerald hissed in her ear. "You will. It's your fate. You can't CHANGE fate, MarieAnn." He stroked her cheek fondly.

With dark eyes, he looked towards the young boy staring at the bowl of ice cream he'd handed to him. "Mom's just jealous, Jamie, because she can't have any. Come on now, eat up." He smiled kindly. He did love Jamie, even if he'd let his sister escape. It wasn't really his fault. It was MarieAnn's. It was always MarieAnn's, and Gerald was supriesd that he hadn't seen this before. All these years, he'd been only finding Jamies and Lexies to ercreate that day ... he cursed himself for not having thought of this before.

[Dr. Spencer Reid]

((ooc: So I'm just going to get the whole raid thing started, then we can go in when Hotch and Morgan and Matt and Chez(If she's around) oh and Rossi post.))

It had been the worst week of Reid's life. The first few days he was able to keep his head, and keep investigating the case like it was an other case. But as he got less and less sleep, not even leaving the office at night to afraid to leave the action, he started to fade. His team would force him to sleep, and when he did it wasn't for long and always an uneasy sleep filled with nightmares. Soon he was so tired and worried about Krys and Jack that he wasn't thinking straight. He wasn't as bad as Hotch. As each day went by Reid kept thinking that he killed them on the seventh. That day was ticking closer. Because they hadn't found Krys' body Reid had to believe that she was still alive, that for some reason the UNSUB had decided to keep her as long as the others. Maybe it was because Lily had gotten away? It seemed like he was devolving.

It was on the morning of the seventh day that they struck a break. The phone that Keith had told them about hadn't giving them much as the time. And they had very little to go off of. But from what Lily had told them, for the names that she had given them, they had found him. Gerald Fay. He had lost his family in a car crash, Marieann, Lexie, and Jamie. He was reliving the deaths of his children. Even better was they had an address! Just in time. Reid crushed himself for not trying hard enough. For letting Krys be with the monster for almost a week.

The moment the team got the information they were out the doors and in the SUVs. The short drive over there seemed like it took several hours. Every second that ticked by was a second closer to Fay killing Krys and Jack. When the cars stopped in front of the harmless looking House the team jumped out already ready. The SWAT team wasn't there yet, and none of them were going to wait for them to get there. They raced to the front of the house, some of them going to the back. Reid found himself at the front door with out even knowing how he got there. He looked to the highest agent with him for the order to go in.

------------------

Kate had gone through the motions of the last week, not really being there. At one point she was called back to New York for a mission that Jack said, "Only she could do." and she got the idea that that was because it was so dangerous that no one else would take it. Of course she was glade to. She was by herself, Matt not leaving Washington, D.C. It was a good time for her to clear her head. To get away from Matt and the stress that filled the BAU offices. The undercover op. took several days then she went back to Quantico to find Krys because she did care very much for the other woman and wanted to find her safely.

The day she got back was the day before they made the break through. And when they did figure it all out she was exited. She hopped in the care ready to go find their lost friend. When they got there she was one of the ones to run around back, figuring that it was the less formal way to go, as well as the way that she figured Matt wasn't going to go. At the back door she stopped waiting to hear the okay to go in knowing that if she raced in there that she could get both Jack and Krys killed, something that she never wanted to see happen.

((ooc: I have a question: Are they in the basement still or at the kitchen table? Oh and anything can happen, but Me and Krys decided that Reid shots and kills Fay so yeah...))

[Krys Robin]

OOC: Basement.))

Krys cringed and felt the tears sting her eyes even from behind the black fabric that blinded her from the world. Shadow. Only shadow. There would be no getting out of this and the worst part is, just as she anticipated since she was very little, she was all alone. It was like being crammed by her father into the closet being screamed at about how much of a failure she was. How much of a waste of a space she was and that the world would be better off without her. Darkness. Only black. Oddly comforting yet the lack of any protection caused her to shake, filled with her own cloud of shame.

Soon all would fade. Even the shadow. She braced herself for what was to come, cringing, gritting her teeth together holding in a cry. Though she was inwardly defeated and had accepted that her life would be ended on this evening, didn't mean she had to like it or that she wasn't scared. To the contrary, she was petrified and felt like she could have vomit if it wasn't for the fact that she hadn't eaten in a while.

There would be no more of this. No more tiredness, no more pain, no more sadness, all of this should have been a relief if it wasn't for the thing that she'd be losing: Spencer, Matt, her friends at CT (if they really were her friends), her siblings. She had let them all down. This is how it would all end, hidden away in this basement and this stranger would take the final blow and end her life.

Lowering her head she couldn't see anything beyond the blindfold. She was unable to feel anything aside from the shuddering of her own throat and the mud staining her cheeks along with the tears. In her head she ran through every possible prayer she could think of, even though deep down she knew it would be useless. At least now the pain would stop. Soon it would be all over. No help would come.

Matt popped out of his SUV without so much as a word. There'd be time for speaking later, right now they had to get Krys and Jack. Little Lily had been found by a civilian and through some interrogation, attended by with her mother, they had been able to eventually pin down a location (the cell phone didn't hurt either, thank god she had it). Now, without knowing quite how Matthew found himself at the front door, gun drawn but directed at the ground until he felt threatened enough to use it.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a very tired looking Spencer Reid and Matt's brow peaked slightly. What was he doing here? Surely this wasn't a good idea. He wanted to say something but ended up refraining instead continuing his venture into the home with Kate tailing. A part of him was upset by the fact that she had went back to the city for a mission. Abandoning him and Krys but once again he'd worry about that later. He should have figured that she wouldn't give a damn, but this was just him being bitter.

Finally he reached the door, and it was opened by someone. He could hear Gerald down below, Jack's little cries, and the sound of Krys.. Like he was choking. He felt a surge of protectiveness rise within him but somehow managed to not go shooting off like a madman. Instead he moved down the stairs with the rest of the team, gun raised he shouted: "PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR. NOW!" His dark eyes never leaving the UNSUB.

Krys meanwhile, being blindfolded and tied had absolutely no idea what was going on so she had taken to panic while on her knees and bound. Crying when all she could see was black, absolutely scared out of her mind as now the torture of not knowing when the final blow would come was delayed. So she knelt there, shaking like a wet little puppy, crying and whimpering unsure of what was to come.

[Hayley "Chez" Chezaneski]

The dark haired woman pulled up the black SUV in front of the Long Island house. From a distance, the house didn't look like it could hold any of the horrors that they knew it did. It looked normal, like any house here, not too small or too large, a beige color. No, the house of Gerald Fay idn't look like it could hold any horrors. But Hayley knew that horrors could lie beyond closed doors. How many children had this man murdered? The FBI could now connect him to at least six abductions and murders of children under six years old. Were Krys and Jack locked in a baseent, as she and Ryan had been? She felt those deep secrets and fears push at her edges, threatening to spill out and present themselves to her team, showing her insecurities and failing her as a person, betraying her. How much longer could she keep it inside?

They'd found that their UnSub - Gerald Fay - was reliving the deaths of his children. There'd been no sexual component in the prior cases, but what would be different with Krys there? What was her part in all of this?

Today was one of the times that the CT's media liaison was doubling as an on field agent. It'd been suggested that there was more than one woman there when they'd be rescued - after being held captive by a man, there was always the risk that Krys - and possibly Jack - would fear a man grabbing her, even if they had known that person previously. She'd agreed immediatly to come along.

She knew the feeling all too well - and knew well enough that even if there was no sexual component in this case, it didn't mean she wouldn't be fearful. Rape wasn't the only thing a woman could fear from a man. How long had it taken Hayley to be able to look a man in the eyes? She was still battling simple things like that today, even if she was much better now.

Therefor, Chez didn't plan to take any chances when it came to Krys' rescue. Her friend wouldn't be left alone, because Hayley hoped that she'd do the same for her.

Another reason that Hayley had been asked to come along was the imminant media circus that this would create. She could already see one news van coming along the road, and the young woman sighed. At least she wasn't going into this as a liaison today, but as an agent. Sometimes, her job seemed to be the hardest. She knew, though, that the circus would have to be dealt with soon enough.

Her hand on her gun, she drew the weapon and stood to the side of the door. Derek Morgan, one of the agents from the CT team that she'd gotten to know over the past week gave her a nod before kicking down the back door. Hayley knew well enough that they'd put her with one of the stronger agents for a purpose - she didn't do missions like this very often - but she knew that her team knew well enough she was more than capable of kicking down that door herself.

The two agents burst into the home, guns cocked and at the ready, whipping around each turn in the house.

"Agent Morgan," The woman said, her eyes like frightened steel. She hoped he didn't notice that fear that lay in there somewhere with the adreneline coursing through her system. When the FBI had rescued her, was this what they'd felt? "The basement." He didn't question why she said this with such certainty, merely nodded and moved forward with her.

Up ahead, she saw Matthew, Kate, and Reid, and called her assumption to them as well. "Basement!" The other agents were at the basement door before she and Morgan had moved forward more than five steps, Matthew and Reid down the stairs first, Hayley, Kate and Morgan tailing them.

ooc// Hey all. I'll post for Morgan and Gerald tomorrow. I hope it's alright that Hayley's here - I figured that, in real life cases such as this, they'd want women agents along as well, so that's my excuse. I'm hungry. In case people were sitting there wondering 'Is morgan hungry?' The answer was yes.

[Derek Morgan]

This was it.

Because of Lily Burton, they'd found the house that held Krys and Jack. Lily and her mother Claire were away in a safe house, tucked away until all of this was over. With any luck, that moment would come soon.

Morgan was driving the SUV that contained him and Hotch. He'd refused to allow his superior to drive the car that would bring them to his son. Morgan feared that he'd drive recklessly, and knew the older agent wasn't of a straight mind at this point. He could see the anger in his eyes. He'd never seen him like this before. They were bending rules by even bringing him to the scene - and even more if Hotch managed to make it past the door and into the house.

"Hotch, I know you're not going to listen - but just think about not doing it, man. I don't think your son needs to see that." Morgan hopped out the door of the car, swinging it closed behind him, Hotch still inside.

He'd been instructed to take the back door with Hayley Chezaneski, one of the counter terrorism's agents - their media liaison. She was working the case as one of thier agents because they needed a female on the scene - between her and Kate, he hoped that Krys would be alright.

Standing at the back door of the Fay household, Morgan looked towards the CT's liaison and nodded to find out if she was ready. When she responded by giving him a responding nod, Derek Morgan kicked in the back door.

The two agents burst in the door, guns at the ready, securing that the house was clear and their UnSub wasn't waiting for them with a gun around the corner. When Morgan was sure that this wasn't the case, he said "Clear!" And continued to search out the house.

"Agent Morgan, the basement. Basement!"

He burst towards where he figured the basement stairs were, Hayley on his heels. Why hadn't he thought of that?! ... and why had she? There was no time for that, though - he ran towards the door, getting there just as Matt did.

"Put your hands in the air, now!

And there was their UnSub. He was there, and though he couldn't see them from where he was - there was Krys and Jack. He could hear them - hear Krys' cries, hear Jack cries, and his heart fell apart.

"NOW, you son of a bitch!"

[Dr. Spencer Reid]

((ooc: So I'm going to skip Hotch because I'm afraid if we don't get some posting the sit is going to become inactive... Oh and I'm going to do a little power playing with Hotch, so that he isn't just left sitting on the street. ))

Reid followed Matthew into the house. His heart was racing so fast that he was surprised he didn't pass out. He was in his raid state of mind. He was there to do a job, to save the victim and catch the killer. Some how the fact that Krys was one of those victims was always somewhere in his mind. He tried his best to keep it in the back of him mind and try not to think about it. He knew that the price for becoming personal in a case was dire. The only thing was he was personally involved in the case. Beside him, just entering the house as well, was Hotch, another person he knew was dealing with a lot. His son was one of the victims, which was far worse than what Reid was going through. Jack was his own flesh and blood. Losing a child was ten times harder than losing a partner. Half of Reid wondered why Hotch was allowed to come in his state, but the other half knew that Reid was in the same boat. So it was either both of them, or neither, which worked fine with Reid.

When Reid heard Chez mention the basement, which Reid heard over the ear pieces each and everyone of them where wearing, he knew she was right. It made sense. You kidnap at least size other kids before you, their going to cry and make noise. And what better why to keep your neighbors for hearing than keeping them in the basement. Matt in front of him, who apparently understood just as much as he did, turned down into the stair well, which was just feet in front of them. As Reid made his way down the stairs, his gun at his side, though he barely noticed it there. His heart pounding. He was so afraid of what they might find down there. Entering the basement Reid moved in, first not looking at anything but the man who was obviously their UNSUB. Reid recognized him from the photos they had.

Pointing his gun at him Reid let the other males work the "negotiations", Reid's voice wouldn't even work anyway. Instead he took this time to look around. His eyes barely could focus on the scene in front of him. The darkness of the basement seemed to encase him as his eyes drifted to Krys blindfolded and tied. His heart gave a shutter. He couldn't take his eyes off her. The dried blood all over her seemed to stand out the most, with the new cuts and bruises lines each inch of flesh that Reid could see. It made him feel sick. That she had to go through all of that. That they couldn't have found her before she was hurt so badly. Why did it have to be her? Reid could have dealt with just about anyone else sitting there, just not Krys. Her cried echoed through his mind. They would turn into a record playing over and over again, forever.

------------------

Kate found her way down the stairs to the basement, after following Chez and Morgan through the back door. When she say the pain Krys and jack Hotchner were in she felt terrible. She hated that anyone had to be hurt, and deep down she felt bad able having left for the mission earlier the week. But what was she suppose to do? It wasn't like CT actually had any right to be on this case it had nothing to do with terrorists. So it was either defy her boss and maybe get fired, or go and potentially save hundreds of other people from being killed in a terrorist attack. There was only one problem if she told Matt, or anyone that. She didn't care about rules, or following direction. The real reason she didn't want to be there was because she cared. She had to get away. She couldn't handle being there any more. But now she was there, and she was ready to try and help save Krys. This was the moment that mattered. Nothing else. Worse things happened to people than this and they were able to recover. The only thing that needed to happen was Krys getting home alive. Kate pointed her gun directly at Gerald Fay, ready to shot if needed.

[/blockquote]

[Gerald Fay]

He could hear the footsteps. He could hear them, and he knew what they meant. They would be here soon. The ones who thought that he was doing wrong, the ones that thought he shouldn't have his family again. But they didn't know, they didn't know that they were the ones that we're wrong. He had to tell them! Then they would all understand, and they'd leave him and MarieAnn and Jamie alone. He couldn't do anything about not having Lexie anymore. She was gone. He'd have to get another. Maybe they'd even help him with it, if they all understood.

They were at the foot of the stairs, and a man near Gerald's age was yelling at him to put his hands in the air. But what would that help him?

"No no, you don't understand!" he saw the gun pointed at him. He knew what guns could do, and he held his hands out in front of him. "I'm saving them - they're finally where they belong!"

His eyes darted back to the two the FBI was mistakingly looking for. "MarieAnn, Jamie - tell them. You know that you belong with me!"


ooc// I'm sorry that this sucks. I'm not sure how quickly you all want to move it along - I'd like for him to at least be able to say something to Hotch or interact with him before Reid shoots him. And, possibly, for Morgan to prevent Hotch from shooting him, loosing his attention on Reid, who'll shoot him then? Just an idea - I think Morgan would want to prevent Hotch from shooting Gerald and having Jack see that, and therefor, Reid would take his chance. Again, just an idea. Tis all, my furry friends.

[Krys Robin]

"Get your hands in the air now you piece of shit!" Matt snapped with his country boy accent, losing his patience instantly at this man's lack of comprehension. The fact that Gerald hadn't instantly leaned forward to loosen Krys, though an unfair wish on Matt's part, was cutting any little strings that held him together and he was on the verge of being an absolute tyrant. "Now! NOW!" He barked the orders, jerking his hands with the gun in hopes that it would speed up the process.

The yelling happened all at once so Krys did not automatically recognize any of the voices (being blindfolded). Instead she heard only angry shouts and as a result let out a shudder and a weak cry, sounding like she was choking on air. Practically whimpering. "I wanna go home..." Tears continued to sting her eyes beneath the blindfold, and her wrists hurt from how tightly they were tied. She felt weak. Scared, and she hated herself for feeling like that, especially in front of little Jack.

"Please.." She begged in a barely audible voice. She felt like a coward, but it didn't matter. Not if these were her last few moments on earth and she could feel the pain like she was feeling now. "I just want to go home..." Nervously, still blinded, she began to hum under her breath, a song she knew from her past that she used to hum whenever she was nervous. It was a habit that Krys picked up when she was a little girl, locked in the closet or strapped into a chair, it kept her calm. This song posessed relevance for one of the team however as he had written it.

Matt was stunned for a moment. She was humming his song 'Butterfly'. She had heard him sing it to his best buddy Jack's daughter when she was little, sometimes even still today, and had mentioned liking it so occasionally he'd sing it at pubs. But this was far different. Upon first attempt his voice was barely there, hoarse despite the weapon and threat he was holding.

"Krys..." He cleared his throat and gave one shake of his head. Business. No time for anything else yet he felt the need to tend to her even though they were separated. "Kiddo I'm right here. Alright?" Nothing from Krys other than a few shakey sobs as she lowered her head, obviously not believing him out of denial that no help would come, something that enfuriated Matthew even more than the new cuts on her person.

His dark eyes darted angrilly onto Gerald along with the gun. "STEP AWAY FROM HER."

[Aaron Hotchner]

Aaron Hotchner was a mess. It had been a week since his son had gone missing. A week. And if the thought that his son was left at the mercy of an unstable murderer for seven days wasn't enough of a reason for Hotch to hate himself, that number held a special significance to them with this particular UnSub. They had discovered that he was recreating a fantasy - a fantasy that included his family: a wife, and his two children. But these particular UnSubs were very unstable and their mind caught up with the fantasy after a while. They could only pretend for so long, while the truth was glaring them in the face. The truth was your family is dead, and they aren't coming back. There were no replacements for family. Even a murderer could understand that. The thought itself my Hotchner's heart lurch. No replacements for family, God, Jack. Hotch had to get his son back, it was as simple as that.

But so far he hadn't been doing a very good job. Usually so well composed, SSA Aaron Hotchner: always in control, had been nothing short of a disaster this entire week. He'd been edgy and snappy and quick to verbally abuse his team when he felt they weren't working fast enough, weren't doing all they could. But his team understood, and they didn't blame him. And he knew they knew that, but it didn't ease the weight of guilt that pressed on him after he'd snapped at Reid more than once to get to the point, or took his rage out on Rossi, Morgan and Prentiss for not working hard enough. But of course they were, they were all working on overdrive. There was so much at stake.

The unit chief of the BAU passed a hand over his tired eyes; he could feel a headache coming on. A headache from the combination of guilt and stress and lack of sleep that had been slowly eating away at him since the morning he'd received that phone call from Haley. Despite his team's protests, Hotch had refused to sleep or take a break for the first three days on the case. And sometime in the middle of a conference on the fourth day, his body had refused to function until it got what it had been craving and he finally relented to taking a break. But all in all he had averaged maybe 48 hours of sleep total all week. In those rare times when he finally gave in to take a quick nap and recharge, he had been plagued by nightmares. Nightmares of his son, lost and scared and alone - alone but for the nameless, faceless phantom they were chasing. And none of them ever ended well. It must more than once that Aaron Hotchner had woken up screaming.

So he gave up on sleep and adopted espresso as his drink of choice. He had never cared for the taste of it - too many years foisting off the complimentary sludge the FBI offered as coffee - but it did the job. They caught a break on the fifth day, when Lily, the little Burton girl who had been unfortunate enough to be a victim as well, had escaped and given them enough information for Garcia to identify their UnSub. Lily's escape had given Hotch hope, but hadn't managed to shake the cold from his heart. So Lily had escaped, but their UnSub - Gerald Fay, such an ordinary name, no one would expect him to be a killer. But then, Ted Bundy wasn't such a strange name, either, and no one suspected him - still had Jack. and Krys.

That bit of news only further enraged and disheartened the profiler. They had worked with Counter Terror quite a few times in the last few months and Hotch had gotten to know and like the young agent, she was a lot like Garcia with her cheerful demeanor and infectious happiness. Hotch didn't want to see either of them hurt. This case was a very touchy one, on many accounts. For one, in the face of protocol, he and Reid shouldn't even be working this case: they were too emotionally involved. Emotional involvement upped the stakes and the risk factor for both parties. It was never a good thing. But there was no way Hotch was just going to sit by while some bastard was keeping his son locked up. He knew Reid felt the same. Rules aside, kidnappings were always delicate situations; even saying the wrong thing could easily get someone killed. They had seen it happen too many times not to know, and kidnapping cases were always difficult. Especially when they involved children.

But this one was different. It was a whole new world when those involved were people you knew. Even more so when they were people you loved, family, friends. Reid had been taken hostage twice, once along with another member of their team at the time, and both accounts had been nerve-wracking. But it was nothing compared to this. Jack was his son, his own flesh and blood. And just a child. He was only five years old. So after they had discovered the name, Garcia had pulled everything she could on the guy, family history, credit card accounts. She had his address pinned down in thirty seconds flat and Hotch had to physically restrain himself from bolting out the door and storming the place the moment he got the house number. This is a delicate situation, he'd had to remind himself, words that he had spoken so many times before, to his team, to local cops, he was now speaking to himself. Reckless actions will only get people killed. That thought had sobered him up and from that moment on he threw everything he had and more into the case. There was the unspoken thought that he wasn't supposed to be there, implicating simply enough that he wouldn't be there when they were taking the guy down. Strauss actually pulled him from the case officially, but she hadn't been able to stop him from coming in and assisting in any way he could. And she didn't try. And it also went without saying that, regardless of whether or not protocol forbid it, he would accompany his team to Fay's house. Even his mind, at the moment seeking nothing but vengeance, knew enough to draw the line at going further than to the UnSub's home. And all the while he reminded himself, Reckless behavior gets people killed.

But then he was in the car with Morgan - who wisely forbid Hotch from driving, and his friend spoke quietly, ""Hotch, I know you're not going to listen - but just think about not doing it, man. I don't think your son needs to see that." And it was then that Hotch realized that was exactly what he had been thinking. Regardless of anything else, there was a part of him that desperately wanted nothing more than to see Gerald die. And he wanted the man's blood on his hands. This was his fight. Being a profiler, Morgan had no trouble understanding that this was how he saw things. But when the surge of rage disappeared, Aaron saw the sense in his agent's words. Something that had been there all along. Jack. The senior profile closed his eyes. Jack was just a kid, barely five years old, and Hotch knew better than anyone what trauma could do to a young person's mind. Seeing his father shoot someone right in front of his eyes would haunt Jack Hotchner for the rest of his life.

So how could he even consider doing it? He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, willing his anger to disappear with it. What h wanted more than anything else was to see Gerald Fay dead. That was all that mattered. As long as he was killed, Hotch tried to reason with himself, what did it matter who did it? After a few long moments, the unit chief nodded. "I know, Morgan" he relented at last. "I do. It's just...hard. I want that son of a bitch dead, Morgan. After what he's done to Jack, to Krys and Lily..." he shook his head. Morgan understood, he didn't need to be told. The senior profiler gave his subordinate a meaningful look before Morgan was out of the car and joining the rest of his team in converging on Fay's house. There was a ten second span where Hotch considered staying put, telling himself not to do anything rash. But he heard the unmistakable crack of splintering wood, and the voices of the other agents through the ear piece attached to his ear, calling out, "the basement!" and the next thing he knew he was out of the car and slipping into the house behind Reid. He had on a Kevlar vest because they all knew it was inevitable that he would end up here, and his sidearm was held tight and at the ready. He was only a step or two behind Reid and he caught the younger agent's eyes as he headed for the basement stairs, nodding once.

And then Matt's voice echoed up from the cellar, ""Put your hands in the air, now!" followed shortly by Morgan's "NOW, you son of a bitch!" and Hotch wasted no time in following Reid down the stairs. His heart was pounding in his chest and his blood was roaring in his ears but his mind was clear, alert and entirely focused. The basement was dark when he reached it, and Hotch was both thankful and on edge. On one hand, he couldn't see his son. He needed to see jack, to make sure he was alive, and alright. But then, the darkness was a blessed respite in case things weren't good. And it was probably better off if he couldn't see Gerald's face; it gave him less incentive to be reckless and make a mistake.

Hotch took a deep breath and had to swallow his son's name before he could blurt it out and give the bastard one more reason to kill him. Nonetheless Hotch stood by, Glock held in a firm, unrelenting grip and pointed straight for the sound of Fay's voice. Someone would have to make the first move. Tension was so thick in the air it was nearly tangible. Hotch shifted forward, eyes scanning the darkness for sudden movement. He heard Jack then, sobbing softly, scared. The beast of rage clawed its way out of him. He wanted nothing more than to shoot Fay and be done with it, but he thought of Morgan's warning. He was right. And he could never risk a shot at the UnSub like this, half-blind with little idea where his son and Krys were. he couldn't risk hitting one of them.

Aaron Hotchner gritted his teeth. "Gerald Fay," he called out, voice cold and level. "You're surrounded. Give it up. Let them go." All of his anger was infused in that last statement, his voice cold as ice. The words "Or I'll shoot," hung unspoken in the air between them.

And if he didn't, someone else would.

[Dr. Spencer Reid]

((ooc: That's a good idea, Morgan. But I want Fay to move toward Krys, whether he was going to hurt her or what it doesn't matter, but I want Reid to think that her and Jack are in trouble when he shots him...))

Reid's mind never really traveled as far as to think he was going to shot Fay. He knew deep down that it was the only way that he was going to be able to know that the man had payed for what he did to Krys, Jack, and Lily. But never once did he actually think it. He knew that Hotch wanted to shot him, but some how Reid couldn't find it in him to shot someone like Elle had. Though if he did shot Fay he wouldn't be sorry. As he stood looking through the darkness at the monster listening to Krys' and Jack's soft cries he got closer and closer to wanting to shot Fay. If he so much as made one offensive move Reid knew he was dead, either by himself, Hotch, or maybe even one of the other many agents in the room.

As Gerald tried to explain that he had done nothing wrong Reid's brain snapped into profiler mood. If Hotch hadn't spoken up first Reid would have. He knew that Fay was delusional. He thought Krys and Jack were actually his family. There was no way to rationalize with him. No matter how many times you told him they weren't his wife and son he wouldn't believe it. He had to come to that realization himself, and something told Reid they didn't have time for that. They needed to get him to let them go, whether he continued believing they were Marieann and Jamie or not. "Mr. Fay..." Reid's voice broke the new silence that had formed for when Hotch ordered him to give up. His voice was soft, and kind of strained from the frog that had formed in his throat. He knew that he had to be very careful or Gerald might go to kill one of the hostages, they didn't know if he had a weapon after all. "Mr. Fay... You need to let your family go...you don't want to hurt them..." He said trying to play into his fantasy, but founded that it only made him feel sick. To think about Krys as someone other than who she was was hard.

Deep down Reid knew it wasn't going to work. He was killing his children over and over again. The accident had been caused by his wife, meaning Fay wanted to kill her, kill her for killing them. That was the only thing Reid could come up with. And that meant he wasn't going to let Krys walk out of there alive as long as he had a choose about it. That thought scared Reid more than anything else.

[/blockquote]

[Gerald Fay]

Gerald watched as more and more people came down into his world - they weren't allowed here! This was HIS world, not theirs - they had no right to tramble his personal space. So what if he'd hit his wife a couple of times - he was allowed! She'd been asking for it - and after all, he'd created her. He was the reason she even existed! And now they were telling him to give up the family that was his?! He wouldn't ask them to give up their family! It wouldn't be ethical. Jamie was his child, his own flesh and blood - nobody could take him away! Not these fools who were at his house now ... or, no! That wasn't right! She'd been going to take the children for ice cream ...

The lie that he'd told himself all these years started to crumble. If they'd just been going for a snack, then why had they had suitcases? Why had Jamie and Lexie been crying? Why had MarieAnn had a black eye, why had he screamed and begged her not to leave ...

He barely heard the words of one of the agents telling him to give up his family. MarieAnn had taken his children from him, and now these people were trying to do the same thing.

It was in a broken, whispered voice that he said, "There was never any ice cream." His eyes were closed. "She was taking them, wasn't she? I'd gone too far." The last words were spit harshly and he opened his eyes with a snap.

Gerald's eyes found the man with the harshest face. His dark hair reminded him so much of his little Jamie. "You wouldn't take a son from his father, would you? Leave this place. Let me be." He spoke directly to the dark haired man, hoping he'd have some sympathy. He wasn't a bad man. He just wanetd to keep his family.

He knew in his heart - but not in his head- that they weren't his and that they never would be. He'd stolen them - but in his own way, he loved them.

He loved them. That was true. But they weren't his, no - but that didn't mean he had to want to give them up.

He wanted Jamie and Lexie back. It was his fault that they were dead. Their mother had been running from him, after all, when they'd crashed.

He just wanted them back.

"Don't take them away again." He said as he moved towards MarieAnn.

ooc// By the way, Reid - this was written before you suggested that he go towards them! Woot for great minds thinking alike.

[Dr. Spencer Reid]

((ooc: Well I guess we should probably get this thread all done and over with since we've already moved months into the future. Even though Hotch hasn't been on.))

Reid kind of checked out. His mind went numb as Fay started to rant on about taking a son away from his father, and Hotch tried to convince him that he needed to do the right thing here and let the kid and Krys go. It was all a wasted effort. Reid knew that, Hotch knew that. Fay was to delusional he wasn't going to see the light at the end of the tunnel no matter how much Hotch pushed it in his face. The only way they were going to get everyone out of there okay was to use force, and of course that meant Fay not getting out of there alive. That was one thing Reid wanted most of all, but something that he never wanted to do. Killing a man was as easy as a pull of the trigger, but a long time ago Reid realized that he didn't have the guts, rightfully so, to kill anyone. Reid was even able to figure out that he wasn't the best aim because he didn't want to hit the target. Only when he really needed to did he find that he could actually hit the man he was aiming at, and maybe his team had figured this out as well.

And that was exactly what happened in the next second. Reid wasn't fully in it, his eyes were locked on the beaten Krys on the ground, and the scared Jack next to her. Everything happened to fast that Reid couldn't even believe what had happened. He saw Gerald Fay move forward, arms reached out for Krys. Her cowering body quivered and in the next second Reid had pulled the trigger. The defining boom struck the enclosed basement a bit to loud. The next second Fay was on the ground. Reid had managed to shot him in the chest, though he was alive right then there was no chance that he would make it to the hospital. Reid stared at the dead body his gun still raised for several seconds before he was able to lower the weapon. He was still in shock of what he had just done, though. Some how he couldn't find himself to be sad at Fay's death. The man had killed 6 kids, and had hurt Krys, Jack, and Lily. Reid didn't think he would ever be sorry for the death.

[/blockquote]

[Krys Robin]

Though blindfolded she could feel Gerald hovering over her and though she hadn't had much to eat she felt like she might be sick. Her stomach clenched and unclenched as silent prayers rolled through her head. She never really pondered whether she believed in God or not in the past but now, here she was, praying to some higher power to get it all over and done with. Apparently it had some affect.

The boom was a loud pop and Krys had no idea where it came from so, on instinct, she cried out. Cringing beneath the dark fabric her terrified body shook and she found little comfort tucked all alone. She couldn't even form words when she was sure that she was still alive, just trembling little sounds of whimpers and half formed sylables.

Bringing her knees up and to her chest she scooted back into the wall away from the yelling, where the sound had come from. Now she had completely checked out, due to the blindfold covering her eyes and was afraid of absolutely everyone who she couldn't see in the room. There was too much going on at once, she couldn't possibly take it in. Not in the way that was needed.