Bonds of Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any characters affiliated with the show.

A/N: Hello, Criminal Minds fans! I've been a fan for a long while now, but I have never before written a Criminal Minds fanfic. This is a little unorthodox, but my first CM story is to be a kid!fic. Aaron Hotchner, Jason Gideon, David Rossi, and Elle Greenaway are FBI Agents from the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI that track down an UNSUB who has kidnapped four children – 9 year old Derek Morgan, 7 year old Emily Prentiss, 6 year old Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, and 4 year old Spencer Reid. Sound intriguing? Please Read and Review!

Ring…Ring…Ring...

S.S.A Aaron Hotchner groaned at the unwelcome interruption to his sleep. His hand stuck out from under the blanket as he fumbled for the cell phone on his bedside table. Finally succeeding in grasping the infernal nuisance, he flipped it open and rubbed his eyes as he spoke. "Hello?" He asked, annoyance seeping into his tone.

"Sounds like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Senior S.S.A David Rossi commented wryly.

"Ugh. We got a case?" Aaron questioned, yawning.

"Why else would I be calling you at 2:30 in the morning? For a booty call?" Rossi answered sarcastically.

He grumbled. "Okay. I'll meet you around 3:00."

"That's why I keep you around." Rossi smirked.

About thirty-five minutes later, a half-awake Aaron stumbled into the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, sipping a cup of black coffee.

Walking into the office, he greeted the other members of the team – S.S.A Elle Greenaway, Senior S.S.A David Rossi, and Unit Chief Jason Gideon.

"Hey, guys." He muttered, sitting down in one of the very uncomfortable chairs at the table.

"Hey." The tired agents chorused.

"What do we got?" Elle asked wearily.

Gideon stood up and cleared his throat. "Our latest UNSUB has kidnapped four children in the past three years. The first abduction took place in Chicago three years ago. The victim was six year old Derek Morgan." He gestured to one of the pictures on the board behind him. It was a picture of a young African – American boy with big brown eyes and a slightly gap-toothed grin.

"His father died when he was four, but he had a mother and two older sisters, who were killed in a fire. It was declared arson when police found a note on the front door." He pointed to a photograph of the note, upon which a message had been written in blood-red letters. The note read, "IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM, I WILL."

He continued reading the case file. "The next victim, Emily Prentiss, was abducted from Washington D.C a few days after her fifth birthday."

Gideon gestured to the photograph of a little girl with long black hair and brown eyes. She had a serious expression on her face.

"Her mother, an Ambassador, was there on business. She left Emily with a babysitter and went to a conference, where she was killed by a sniper in the parking garage across from the conference building. At first, police assumed it to be a political assassination, but when they returned to the hotel where the Prentiss' were staying, the babysitter had been stabbed to death and Emily was gone. The same note was left at the scene of abduction, substituting 'HER' for 'HIM'."

Gideon pointed to the note that read, "IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HER, I WILL."

"The third victim was Jennifer Jareau." He gestured to a picture of a little girl with short blonde hair and a shy smile. "She was four years old when she was abducted from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania two and a half years ago. Her parents were stabbed violently. They died almost immediately after the attack. The same note was left on the living room table. 'IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HER, I WILL.'"

"The fourth and final victim was two year old Spencer Reid." The photograph on the board was that of a little blonde haired boy with brown eyes staring inquisitively at the camera. "He was abducted from his foster home in Las Vegas, Nevada two years ago. His foster parents and their two biological sons, both teenagers, were shot to death. The note was left on the toddler's dresser."

The team all turned to gaze at the note and it's message. "IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM, I WILL." The board was full of gory photographs of the crime scenes that contrasted greatly with the photographs of the small children.

Elle spoke first. "So why was the BAU called in on a cold case?"

"Two reasons. First of all, since the children were taken over state lines after each abduction, it's a federal case." Gideon replied. "Secondly, because it's no longer a cold case. We have a suspect. His name is Frederick Robertson. He is a thirty-two year old Caucasian male living in West Virginia. His neighbor, an elderly woman named Beverly Cromwell, has just moved to the neighborhood. She reported suspicious activity at Robertson's house last night."

Gideon turned to the next report. "She claims to have heard screaming coming from his backyard. When she came out to look, she says she saw him shaking a small boy by the shoulders and screaming violent threats at him while an older boy and two older girls ran to save the little boy. The older boy jumped on Robertson's back while the older girl bit him and the younger girl helped the little boy go back in the house."

He cleared his throat again. "She immediately called Child Protective Services, who found no record of Robertson having children. They reported this information to the police. The police then contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They had her give them a description of the children. She described the oldest as an African-American boy with an afro, the oldest girl as having long black hair, the younger girl as having long blond hair, and the youngest boy as having shaggy brown hair. They were also, according to her, very skinny, and she said the older boy and girl were bruised. Beverly's description of the children matched what they believe Derek, Emily, Jennifer and Spencer would look like now." He pointed to the board. "The authorities in West Virginia called us in to handle it, since the children were taken out of state after each abduction."

"So, what's our next step?" Aaron asked.

Rossi stood up. "We rescue those children. Wheels up in thirty."

The team decided to do a quick profile during the short plane ride, to see if it matched Fredrick Robertson.

"So, since this is a non-family child abduction, it can be categorized as either an acquaintance abduction or a stranger abduction. 27% of all abductions are acquaintance abductions, while only 24% are stranger abductions. And while aquaintance and stranger abductors have a tendency to abduct teenagers 71% and 57% of the time, respectively, strangers do abduct elementary aged children about 32% of the time." Aaron stated.

"Also, while family abductions are committed by a male about 57% of the time, 95% of all stranger abductions are committed by males." Elle added.

Gideon spoke next. "The typical non-family abductor is a Caucasian male in his 20s or 30s. Three out of four abductors have a criminal record, often involving drugs and violence that spans across their state, country, or both. In a typical abduction case, the abductor's offenses began in adulthood, so they don't usually have a juvenile record. They have usually began their offenses 11 to 12 years before their first abduction. While our suspect fits the profile, a thirty-two year old Caucasian male with a adult criminal history of aggravated assault and use of marijuana, and whose offenses started 12 years before Derek Morgan was abducted, his choice in victims is abnormal. His victims are younger than most stranger abduction victims, and his crimes don't seem to have a sexual motive."

Rossi spoke up. "The notes say, 'IF YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM/HER, I WILL.' It seems like the UNSUB feels that these children are not being properly cared for. He thinks the children will be safer and happier with him."

"1/3 of child abductions are carried out for a purpose that isn't sexual in nature. Usually, it's for a ransom. However, family abductions are also included in that statistic, where the motive is usually either personal vengeance against a partner or when the abductor feels a child is in danger." Aaron stated.

"Do you think we might be dealing with a stranger abduction…where the UNSUB feels the child is in danger, and therefore takes the matter into his own hands?" Elle asked.

"Yes." Aaron simply said. The rest of the team nodded their assent.

"And we're reasonably certain that Frederick Robertson is our UNSUB?" She asked.

Rossi nodded. "Seems like it."

By the time they arrived in West Virginia, they had determined that Frederick Robertson fit their UNSUB's profile to a T. The next step was to bring the man in for questioning, and hopefully find those kids.

The team met the local police at the precinct as rain began to pour from the sky. They quickly shared the profile with the officers before the Department dispatched their best team of officers to accompany the BAU.

It was only a twenty minute drive later when they pulled up to a typical suburban house in the middle of what seemed to be a nice neighborhood. Police surrounded the house as the team pulled their guns and ascended the steps to the front door.

Elle knocked three times. "FBI! Frederick Robertson, come out with your hands up!"

Silence.

Gideon gave a short nod of approval to Aaron, who kicked the door in and stepped inside, gun drawn. The team followed quickly, checking around corners and inside rooms. Elle checked the closets and Gideon went outside to check the garage and the shed. Elle joined him a minute later.

Rossi continued to look around as Aaron sighed in frustration. "Something's wrong here." He stated firmly.

Rossi put a finger to his lips as a warning for the younger agent to be quiet. In the near silence, they could hear a series of quiet whimpers and gentle shushing. He pushed a rug back with his foot to reveal a cleverly disguised basement door. It was barely noticeable, but it was there, and it was padlocked, the key nowhere in sight. He signaled quickly to Aaron, indicating that they would go in on three. He lifted the first finger, then the second, and finally the third. The moment Rossi finished, Aaron smashed the door in.

They heard a quick, muffled, high-pitched scream before almost complete silence. The only sound to break it was heavy breathing. The agents descended the stairs slowly and quietly. When they reached the basement level, they searched for a light and found a chain hanging on the ceiling. Rossi pulled it, and the room was flooded with dim light.

There, in the far corner of the room, were two young boys, both sitting on dirty mattresses and chained to the wall. They were clutching each other, the younger holding on to the older desperately and the older holding the younger protectively. The older, an African-American boy with a frizzy afro and chocolate brown eyes, looked about eight. The younger was a small Caucasian-American boy with brown eyes that matched the older's and shaggy brown hair past his neck that grazed his shoulders. He looked to be about three years old.

Aaron's heart nearly stopped, both from his sorrow over the children's situation and from the shock of this strong new feeling that something about these kids was going to affect his life… forever. He shook his head together to get rid of that thought for the moment and focused on the kids.

Rossi took out his walkie-talkie to radio to Elle and Gideon that they'd found two of who they were now certain were the missing children. The team replied that they were on their way inside.

Aaron cleared his throat and smiled gently at the boys. "Hey." He spoke softly, but at the sound of his voice, the younger boy clutched the older boy tighter and shook even more violently.

The older boy shot a suspicious look at Aaron and held the younger even closer, whispering quietly to him. "It's okay, Pretty Boy. I won't let anyone hurt you." At this, the younger boy visibly relaxed a little.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a policeman. I want to help you. My name is Aaron Hotchner. This is my friend, David Rossi. He's also a policeman."

Rossi waved, smiling at them.

The younger boy gave him a timid wave. The older boy nodded in their direction, more focused on protecting the younger.

The sounds of footsteps sounded from above and both boys tensed, the younger looking alarmed and the older tightening his hold on the younger.

"Those are just more police friends of mine." Aaron reassured them quickly. "If you want, I can tell them to wait upstairs." He added when the boys didn't relax at all. The older boy nodded.

"Hey guys, can you take one last look around while our new friends and I talk?" Aaron requested lightly.

"Sure thing." Gideon replied. Elle nodded her agreement.

Aaron turned his attention back to the boys. "You're brave little guys," He spoke quietly. "But I don't want to have to call you 'Little Guys.' Can you tell me your names?"

There was silence for a moment. Then…"I'm Spencer Reid." The younger boy whispered. Aaron smiled and gave him a little wave.

Derek took a long look at Aaron before he seemed to reach a decision. "Derek. Morgan." He said shortly.

"Hi, Spencer. Hey, Derek." He greeted them, pulling a bottle of water and a nutrition bar out of his emergency pack. "Do you want some food? Or water?" Spencer nodded, reaching out a little hand for the items.

Just then, a muffled sound of surprise sounded from somewhere upstairs. Both boys looked up quickly, giving each other a wide-eyed look of alarm.

"What is it, guys?" Rossi called upstairs.

Derek began to struggle with his chain. "Don't hurt them!" He growled fiercely.

Rossi raised his arms in a sign of surrender. "I'm not gonna hurt them. None of us are. But who is 'them', Derek?"

Elle appeared at the top of the stairs before Derek could answer. "Guys, I think we found the girls. They're in the attic."

Rossi nodded. "Go help them, Elle. I'm sure they'll feel more comfortable around a female."

"Yes, sir." She retreated from the doorway.

Aaron glanced at the boys and saw Derek still struggling with his and Spencer's chains. He pulled out his lock-picking tools and jimmied the lock, setting both boys free.

Derek stood up, still holding Spencer's hand tightly in his own, and pulled the younger boy to his feet. Spencer stood up shakily and squeezed the older boy's hand.

"Would you like to make sure my friends aren't hurting them?" Aaron asked Derek, who still looked upset.

Derek nodded wordlessly and Aaron led the way up the stairs. Derek was close behind him. Spencer was clinging to Derek's hand with all his might as Rossi followed behind them all.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they walked through the living room and the master bedroom, which the agents assumed to be Robertson's room. There, in the ceiling of the hallway, was another skillfully hidden door, this one leading to the attic. Gideon stood at the bottom of the old wooden stairs, but the boys were focused on the two little girls standing above him.

The older girl had long black hair and nervous brown eyes. She looked younger than Derek, but older than Spencer, maybe around six or seven years old. The younger, a blond-haired girl with a panicked look in her eyes, looked to be about five.

Both girls climbed down the rickety stairs as fast as they could. When they reached the bottom, where the boys were standing, they ran into the boys' arms. The four children embraced for a moment before pulling back and whispering to each other.

"What's going on, Derek?" The older girl whispered.

"I don't really know right now." Derek answered.

"They're police officers." Spencer volunteered.

"Are they gonna take us away?" The younger girl asked worriedly.

"No, Jayje. I won't let them take you away from us, you hear?" Derek whispered fiercely. His tone made it more of a statement then a question.

Aaron immediately felt the same emotion as earlier, that same realization that these kids were somehow important in his life. His focus was pulled away from the whispering children when Gideon pulled him to the side so that the kids couldn't hear their conversation. "They told us their names. The older one's Emily and the younger is Jennifer, but she's called 'J. J.'. They're our missing girls. I take it you found our missing boys?"

"Yep." Aaron nodded.

"Good. Let's head back to the precinct."

"Wait, Gideon." Aaron stopped him. "What's next for those kids? We can't reunite them with their families this time. They can't go home, they have no home to go to. What's going to happen to them now?" Aaron asked, unable to hide his deep concern.

Gideon stared at him a moment, trying to figure out why his partner was so shaken by this case. Granted, the ones involving children were hard for any of them, but something was different about this time for the younger agent. "The police called in a social worker. She'll meet us at the precinct. We'll figure things out from there."

Aaron sighed and walked back to the children. "Hey, Derek. Hey, Spencer. Can I meet your friends?" He asked, smiling at them.

Derek hesitated for a moment.

"Their names are Emily Prentiss and Jennifer Jareau. Jennifer prefers to be addressed as 'J.J.'" Spencer spoke up quietly.

"Thank you, Spencer." He said, slightly taken aback by the youngest child's extensive vocabulary. "I'm Aaron Hotchner. I'm a policeman. How old are you all?" He asked in an encouraging tone. The children were small for their ages due to malnourishment, but he knew how old they were. He was just hoping that having a normal conversation with the kids would help them relax and talk more freely.

"I'm six and a half." J.J spoke up. "Spencer is four, and Derek is nine, and Emily is seven and three-quarters."

"Thanks, J.J. I'm twenty-six." He told them, grinning when J.J and Spencer looked surprised at how 'old' he was. "Well, now that we know each other a bit better, I'm going to ask you for a big favor." He said seriously. "I need you all to ride with me to the police station. Can you do that for me?"

The children all froze. Emily, J.J, and Spencer all looked up at Derek, who as the oldest, was their leader. Derek looked at him, seemingly deciding whether or not to trust him. After a long moment, he nodded. He turned to the others and said quietly, "The police are usually good guys, like my dad was. They won't hurt us." The other children nodded trustingly.

Aaron was surprised, but also very relieved. This meant that they could avoid a scene with the police possibly using force to remove the children from the house.

"Thanks, guys. I owe you." He said, visibly relaxing. "Let's go, the car is right out front."

Spencer grabbed Derek's hand again as J.J took Emily's. They all walked toward the front door, Aaron leading the way as Gideon trailed behind them all. They met Elle and Rossi at the door and headed outside.

Aaron handed the umbrella from his emergency pack to Derek, who immediately sheltered the others from the rain. He wasn't completely covered by the umbrella, but the rain didn't seem to bother him. He was more focused on making sure the others were dry.

When they got to the car, the kids climbed inside, but Aaron pulled Gideon to the side. "Spencer needs a car seat. Ideally, J.J should have one, too. They're all so small for their age…"

"Well, we don't have any car seats, so that's out the question. Maybe the younger ones can sit on the older ones' laps? I would suggest that they sit with an adult, but I don't think Derek would be thrilled by that."

"Fine." Aaron sighed, obviously not happy with that answer and the situation in general.

The drive to the precinct was nearly silent, save for Spencer's occasional questions whispered in Derek's ear. Aaron's mind was racing a mile a minute. He had worked a few cases involving children before, but two were homicide cases and one, a kidnapping victim, was returned to his ecstatic mother. These kids had no home, no family willing to take them in. They were headed for foster care, Aaron was sure of it. And who knew what would happen to these kids from there? It was a flawed system at the best of times, and a downright cruel one at the worst.

Before he knew it, twenty minutes had passed and they had arrived at the precinct. He got out and opened the door for the kids. J.J slid off Emily's lap as Spencer climbed off of Derek's. Derek grabbed J.J's hand and Emily took Spencer's, and they followed Aaron into the police station.

The elevator lurched to a stop on the second floor. It dinged and opened its doors to let the group out. Aaron led Derek, Emily, J.J, and Spencer to where the police and the other members of the BAU case team were gathered. Rossi gave Aaron a look that said quite clearly, 'You're not going to like this.' Standing to his left was a blond-haired woman with a stern look on her face. Aaron assumed that this must be the social services worker.

"Hello." She spoke quickly, with a harsh undertone. "So, clearly, this is a difficult situation for me to be put in." This was a difficult situation for her? Aaron thought. By the look on Derek's face, he was thinking the same thing. "But, I've spoken to my boss, Andre Hilton, and he's very clear on the matter. The children must be returned to their respective states' care facilities. So the social service workers in Chicago, L.A, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C, are anxiously awaiting the children's arrival."

Everyone in the surrounding area went quiet as the social worker's words sank in. It took a moment for Aaron to realize exactly what she meant. She was going to separate them. No. She couldn't possibly be that stupid. He argued with himself.

"Spencer and Jennifer both have 5:30 flights. Come, now." She told them, turning to walk away and expecting the two younger children to follow.

The kids had previously all frozen in place at the prospect of separation. But now they moved fast, Derek and Emily moving to pull Spencer and J.J into their protection. Spencer started to whimper, and the older kids all hugged him closer.

Turning around to see that the younger children had disobeyed her command, she rolled her eyes. "Officers, a little help, please." Two officers glanced at each other, obviously not wanting to force these kids apart, but sighed and acquiesced. One of them grabbed Spencer while the other held onto the older kids, restraining them from going after him.

Spencer struggled violently, sobbing and shrieking at the top of his lungs. Gone was the intelligent little boy with the extensive vocabulary. He was replaced by a terrified toddler, desperate to stay with the closest thing to family he had ever really known. "Help me, Ecky! Help! Please Emmy, please!" He cried out, reverting to his babyhood nickname for Derek and Emily.

A third officer took J.J into his arms and carried her toward the exit. She cried and scratched and bit the man, but his strength overpowered hers. She screamed and sobbed, terrified.

Aaron's head swam with emotions as he saw the innocent toddler reaching his little arms out for Derek. He was frozen in place as Emily finally broke free and ran after the men holding Spencer and J.J. He could only watch as Derek struggled violently against the cop that was restraining him from comforting and protecting the youngest members of his family.

Something broke in him at the sight of them. "Stop." He said quietly. Nobody heard him through the chaos in the precinct. He cleared his throat. "Stop." He spoke up. Still, nobody heard him over the cries of the young children. Finally, he snapped. "STOP." He yelled at the top of his voice. Everyone, including the kids and his fellow agents, went silent, staring at him in surprise.

"Let them go." He said calmly. The authority in his voice stopped the officers in their tracks. Perhaps remembering that this guy was FBI, they obeyed and released their hold on J.J, Spencer, Derek, and Emily. Immediately, Spencer and J.J ran into the arms of Emily and Derek, sobbing.

"It's okay, I've gotcha. I've got you, I'll keep you safe." Derek promised softly, his voice breaking a little.

Aaron, as well as the rest of the occupants of the room, watched the reunion for a moment. He took this time to attempt to gather and organize his thoughts. But before he could, he heard the social worker's shrill voice.

"What the…what is this?" She demanded, looking between Aaron and the other members of the BAU team, who had absolutely no idea what was going on with the young agent.

"This is wrong. That's what it is." Aaron spoke firmly. "These children have already been traumatized by their abductions and the last few years of captivity. We do not need to add to that ordeal by forcing them apart."

Though the other members of the team were still not sure where this was going, they, as well as the other police officers in the room, nodded their agreement. It didn't take a psychologist to realize that these children were bonded, and that separation would only make things worse.

"Well, it's not my decision. I was told what I must do; I wasn't asked to do it. Besides, it's nothing like anyone has a better idea." She glared at him pointedly.

Aaron's heart pounded. It was now or never, he thought. He took a deep breath and spoke up. "Actually, I was thinking that I could speak to your boss about taking these kids into protective custody. Our UNSUB is still on the run, and he's going to be angry about this situation. I wouldn't be surprised if he just repeats his past actions. They might be in danger. The FBI can keep them safe."

The shocked silence of his teammates and the police officers was deafening to Aaron. He tried to prepare himself for anything that might happen now. The social worker's flat-out refusal, his boss' inevitable lecture…

But he wasn't expecting to hear Jason Gideon say to the social worker, "My agent is right. Get your boss on the phone. I'll sort this out myself. Agent Hotchner will be responsible for the children while they are in protective custody."

At the last sentence his Unit Chief uttered, Aaron's heart skipped a beat. He was now completely responsible for the fragile lives of four traumatized children. He turned to said children and took in the sight of them. Derek looked at him with distrustful eyes. He and Emily seemed wary at the prospect of living with him. J.J and Spencer just looked relieved to be staying with their protectors.

What had he just gotten himself into?

A/N: thanks for reading, guys! Please review to tell me what you think! Remember, I'm new to this fandom, so constructive criticism is welcome! Also, requests for what you want this story to include are welcome, as well.

P.S- for anyone reading this who is following my Boy Meets World story Where The Heart Is, or my NCIS story Family Portrait, I'm working on the next chapters now, they should be up within a week. I just had to get this idea out of my head. Sorry!