Hotch’s P.O.V

We had just finished our case in Sherwood, Nevada. I was in my office finishing off the case file when my phone rang. I answered hoping it wasn’t a new case I had only just gotten home and wanted to spend time with Jack and I knew JJ wanted some time with Will and Hennery. David with Josie and Alex and Morgan with which ever girl he was dating this month. Although we worked away a lot we still wanted to spend time with our families.

“Aaron Hotchner,” I answered the phone professionally.
“Hello agent Hotchner, my name is Thomas Montgomery, and I am calling from Atlanta high security prison,” the person on the other line spoke clearly but there was a hint of panic in his voice.
“Mr. Montgomery how may I help you,” I must of sounded impatient and I felt even more impatient.
“I was calling to inform you well I’m not quite sure how to say this,” he cut off, “one of the inmates on our death row, has escaped,” he sounded as if he didn’t want to believe it himself let alone inform someone from another state
“which prisoner?”I asked if we had worked on the case before we may be able to find the person quicker than if we had no knowledge of this particular Unsub
“well, umm I called the police department and they told me to inform you but until the time that he either takes another victim or kills one you can remain in Washington. the police department haven’t invited you onto the case yet but will if they can’t handle it they will call you straight away.”
“what is the prisoner’s name?”
“Oh right umm the name I was told to inform you because I believe you have a team member who was taken by Connor Wailand ,” he had been muttering but the man belonging to that name had pierced a whole through the heart of someone I hold most dear to me
“Is that all you wish to inform me of,” I asked choking out the words
“that is all, thank you for your time agent Hotchner,” he fare welled me.
“Goodbye Mr. Montgomery,” I replied just before the line went dead.

Connor Wailand had escaped. In my heart there was no reason for him to stay in Atlanta. He had a total of 67 victims. 66 of those victims died. Alex was the 67th and he would want to finish what he started. I had to tell her. I had to tell the entire team. But I had to tell Alex first. I didn’t want to tell Strauss but it would be only too soon before she got her nose stuck into it. Just as this thought reached my mind. No other then the agent Erin Strauss knocked on the door to my office.

“I know you know about Wailand, when are you planning on telling the team, especially David and Alexandra,” she said as she entered, “I forwarded that call onto you,”
“I was planning on telling Alex first thing tomorrow morning and then the team just after I told her,” I explained.
“I want to be there, but you should go home now I’m sure jack is dying to see you,” she said. “And Aaron don’t even think about excluding me from this,” she left leaving me to my thoughts. I’d never thought I would see the day that I was willing to hide something that could ultimately get the people I care for killed. As Garcia said we are more than just friends we are a family and I can’t risk any of them getting hurt. I cared for them too much. All of them. Alex, David, Morgan, JJ, Reid, Emily and even with all her quirks Garcia managed to fit in there somewhere as well.

The night seemed to pass in a trance I picked jack up and put him to bed. I finished a bit more work and then finally went to bed I slept soundly and nothing seemed to wake me I even slept through my alarm had it not been for Jack I probably wouldn’t of made it out of bed at all.  I dropped jack of at school and drove to work.  I was dreading the conversation I was to have with Alex when she arrived. I was surprised to see that Reid was already at work so was Morgan or at least the lights were on in his office. 

I drifted towards my office and sat down I looked at the phone on my desk the cord spiraling around like a slinky. I remembered every word Thomas Montgomery said on the phone yesterday the words were like a beating drum in my ears. I watched the bullpen as JJ, Emily and Garcia flitted in eventually David and Alex came. I dialed the number for Strauss.

“Erin Strauss,” she answered.
“Erin its Aaron I am going to tell her now, if you want to be here you better come now,” I replied
“Okay,” the line went dead. I sighed and stood up and walked out onto the catwalk,

“Alex, can I speak with you,” I called over the banister she got up from her desk and walked up the catwalk and into my office as Strauss walked into the bullpen. She too walked into my office. I glanced back at the bullpen and saw Emily, Reid, Morgan and Garcia starring at my office almost as if the longer they stared the more of the conversation they would hear. I shut the door and closed the blinds, “Alex, you may want to sit down,” I said motioning to the two seats in front of the desk. She slumped into one of the chairs glaring at Strauss who sat awkwardly in the other. Strauss had obviously offended Alex and Alex thought that she was planning to do it again.

I sat down in my chair and began speaking, “how much do you know about what happened after Wailand was arrested?”
she starred at her feet “do I have to go through this again?” she asked not looking very pleased. I nodded regretfully “all I know is that he went to Atlanta high security prison, what all of this has to do with me?”

Strauss and I exchanged nervous glances. The escape hadn’t been announced or even leaked to the press so no one knew about it except the people the prison informed. Myself, Strauss and the local police department. “There was an escape at that prison,” Strauss mumbled, “It was Wailand .”

Burst out in tears and ran out of the office. She ran out of the bullpen and disappeared around a corner. Morgan, Garcia, Emily and Reid stared after her. Whilst JJ and David who had now joined the team in the bullpen glanced between Me Strauss and the glass door Alex had burst through. “Round table room now,” I called over the balcony the irritation in my voice was clear. But I wasn’t irritated at the team. Not even Alex who had just ran out of the bullpen, I was annoyed by Strauss. Actually annoyed is an understatement I was aggravated.  Strauss had just said the point straight out, no warning, no care for what Alex would be feeling.

Alex was most likely confused about the feelings she had for certain people, scared that they would not accept her with her torturous past and her scars that bared those memories. She would also be worried that she was going to lose her job with the BAU.  Annoyed that Strauss kept getting on her back bringing up thing she had suppressed so deep inside herself like the death of her mother and Stephanie Torbalinie.  Everyone walked toward the round table room, and Emily turned back, “do you want me ahhh...”
I cut her off by simply shaking my head, “she needs her space at the moment.” Everyone took their seats at the round table Strauss stood obnoxiously in the corner with her arms crossed. “You don’t have to stay; I don’t see why this is so important to you, do you just want to see our entire team break down?” I spat at her. Everyone stared at me in shock, Strauss just glared at me and turned on her heal stormed out. I knew I was pushing my luck but she had just made Alex cry and that is not very easy to do.

“What was that about?” David asked but did not answer I just started on the topic that was most important
“yesterday, just after you all left, I got a phone call from Atlanta high security prison, the warden informed me that one of the death row prisoners has escaped,” I spoke in a clear tone but slumped in my chair. I was exhausted and it was only 9:30am, I had a feeling it was going to be a long day
“so they want us to help find this guy?” Morgan asked in his usual tone.
“Quite the contrary, because the guy who escaped impacted this team in a severe way, almost killed one member of this team,” at first everyone except David and myself turned to Reid thinking of his experience with Tobias Hankel. And their eyes then flitted to Garcia remembering her incident with James Colby Baylor. But both of those men were dead and had been dead since they hurt Garcia and Reid. Their eyes then flitted to me with the expressions in each pair of eyes an expression asking ‘who?’

 David was the one who answered the question on everybody’s lips, “Connor Wailand.”

Alex’s P.O.V

 After I stormed out of Hotch’s office I ran to the bathrooms, I don’t know why I just followed the halls and found myself there. one thought kept running through my head ‘he can’t of escaped, could he?  he can’t of, could he?’ I felt like I was going to faint I gripped the edge of the sink for stability. I filled the sink with water and splashed my face. It seemed to cool me off. My stomach began to gurgle and the next thing I was racing into the closest stall and everything I had eaten for breakfast reappeared. My hand were shaking and my legs turned to jelly I collapsed by the side of the bowl feeling like I was going to vomit again. I closed and locked the door of the stall and sat there waiting for the next round of vomit. Only one thing sprang to mind this only makes what the doctor said last week true I was pregnant with Connor Wailand's child. The vomiting stopped about an hour later but I sat in the stall crying, the sound of footsteps did not concern me people had been coming and going most of the morning but nobody paid any attention to me. The footsteps stopped right outside my stall.

“Alex, I know you’re in there, come on open up,” JJ’s voice came through the door along with three knocks.
“Go away,” I felt bad for pushing her away but I didn’t want to talk to any one right now.
“I’m not leaving until you are accompanying me,” she said stubbornly.
“You will have a very long wait I’m never leaving this stall,”
“ so what, you’re going to end up like moaning myrtle, ugly-miserable-moping- moaning myrtle,” she said as she sat down beside the stall. I gave a little smile at her harry potter reference only my true friends would know and pay me out about my obsession with certain fiction novels. I opened the stall door but did nothing more I sat there she looked at me as I wiped the chunks of vomit of the edge of my mouth.

“JJ you don’t think he will come here do you?” I asked not really sure if I wanted to hear the answer.
“ I don’t think so he doesn’t have a reason to really, I think he just wanted freedom not revenge,” her answers seemed semi honest but I doubt she really felt that way she was probably just trying to make me feel better
“I know a reason he may come after me,” I said placing both hands on my stomach
JJ’s eyes widened “your pregnant?”
I nodded “how did you tell the team?” I asked referring to her own pregnancy
“well, Will surprised me in New York; we were on a case there, anyway he surprised me and Hotch asked him if there was a problem Will looked quite surprised that I hadn’t told them and so I just turned to them and said it straight out but I guess it’s a bit different for you,” she stood up and pulled me to my feet she dragged me over to the bench where someone had let the water out of my sink. I looked a total mess I had mascara running down my face.  I had bits of vomit in my hair and on my shirt. I was as pale as a ghost and to make it even worse I had dropped my glasses next to the toilet, and that’s where they were staying for now. Almost as if she were reading my mind JJ walked over and picked them up she ran them under hot water and dried them on the inside of her shirt she handed them to me and I slid them onto my face I sat down on the bench beside the sink and stayed there.  JJ left and came back carrying my hand bag and a small pack of tissues she found my makeup case and the remover she squirted a few drops onto a tissue and cleaned of the mascara smudges of my cheeks Emily came in and brushed my hair as I sat there feeling useless. JJ reapplied my make up even manage to almost completely hide my scar using foundation I managed to get the vomit of my shirt reasonably well but pulled my hoddie on to hide the wet spots from where I had cleaned it with soap and water.

“Come on it’s time to tell the team,” JJ said pulling out of the bathroom. I was hesitant to tell the team only a few of them knew what he did to me. I figured the others knew as well, but I had not said it and I had asked them not to tell anyone.

Everyone gathered in the bullpen and looked to me expectantly. “I know I should have told you this earlier but I felt that you would over react. I realize you probably figured it out for yourselves but respected my privacy and didn’t ask, that I would say it when I was ready,” I was mumbling and stumbling over my own words. “Everything Connor Wailand did to those girls he did to me, If not more because my torture did end when he was arrested,” I was shaking so much I couldn’t stop the memories I was reliving were bringing nothing but tears and shudders of fear.

“What do you mean the tortures didn’t stop after he was arrested?” asked Morgan who got elbowed by Garcia and glared at by David.
I turned my face to the floor I could not bear to look them in the eyes I shuffled my feet awkwardly. I stood in silence almost praying that JJ would tell the team, but she stood in silence to waiting for me to say it, “I’m pregnant. and Connor Wailand is the father.” the team looked shocked. Had I been older and not been raped they would be happy for me.  But that’s not what has happened.

“How long have you known?” David asked in a mutter.
“Since my ultrasound on Thursday,” I said in a meek voice as he pulled me into a hug I wrapped my arms around him and stood there for a while until everyone was hugging me as well and then leaving to go to their own offices or desks. I was obviously finished talking. David pulled me away and went to walk to his office before he turned back and grabbed my hand. He half dragged me to his office and closed the door behind him.

“Alex why didn’t you tell me? I would have been able to help tell the others,” he asked almost in a disappointed tone I turned my eyes away from him and looked around the room it was small and cozy with a plush leather couch and painting from the renaissance era. There were photos of me and Josie and of my mother. There was a single photo of Caroline, David and a small boy who must have been about 2 or 3. I had always wondered who the boy was but I never asked. I assumed it was a son that Caroline took away from him when they divorced. I don’t really remember living with Caroline. I mean I was still in shook from the murder of my mother. I didn’t talk to anyone for almost three months after her death not to David, not to Caroline. Nobody. David said after a while he felt that I was never going to speak again.

“I didn’t know how to tell you I wanted to do it in person but you were so tired last night, and woke up late I was still trying to figure it out when Hotch called me into his office,” I said finally gaining the courage to look him in the eyes.
“you know your surprisingly like your mother you know she hid her first pregnancy from me too,” he smiled at the memory
“I thought you were the first to find out she was pregnant with me even before my father,” I said confused.
he looked to the floor I had said something that tripped him up. “Alex your not the only one who hid stuff between us. I wanted to wait until both you and Josie were old enough to understand and then Garcia was close to finding him but then the trail went cold and we couldn’t get any closer,” I stared at David confused. who was he referring to when he mentioned him? “Alex, you have an older brother,”

“I have a what?” my eyebrows raised with the pitch of my voice
“a brother, he would have been 17 when you were born, your mother made some stupid decision when she was 15. Of cause I was in Vietnam at the time of these foolish decisions. when I found out that she was pregnant it was too late for an abortion I offered to raise Parker whilst she finished school but she just put him up for adoption,” he explained
“by foolish decisions you mean what?” I asked scared of what my mother could have been doing when she was a teen
“oh it wasn’t anything illegal, well at least not back then, just smoking drinking taking drugs, having sex all with a guy twice her age, she was 15 ‘the love of her life’ was 30,” he made quotation marks around the love of her life with his fingers to emphasis that he had probably told her to break up with him but she refused.
“so where is he now?” I asked not sure if David could answer
“not sure we have his record up until he was 21 and then the trail goes cold as I said earlier, he moved to London where you and your mother were living at the time we could ask Emily to contact her friends in Liverpool if you want,” I smiled but shook my head if I had my math correct he would be in his mid 30’s he had made an entire life for himself I didn’t want to mess that up for him. But it was nice to know about him. Even if we didn’t get in contact.