Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.

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May 2014:

Emily was in a hurry to attend a meeting, gathering up the necessary files, when the phone rang.

Checking her watch, she picked up handset. 'Agent Prentiss speaking.'

'I've got a Detective Jake Crewe here, wanting to see Agent Prentiss.'

'I'm actually on my way out,' responded Emily, wondering where she had heard that name before.

'He's quite insistent ma'am.'

Emily gave a soft sigh. 'Put him on the phone.'

'Agent Prentiss? Emily? It's Jacob Crewe. We went to the Academy together?'

Ah, so that's where she'd heard the name from. 'Jake? Yes I remember you. What can I do for you?'

'Well, I heard you'd moved up into the BAU. I've got a real bad case out back at home, and I could do with your team's help.'

'Jake. I'm so sorry, I don't work in the BAU anymore. And I really need to get to a meeting.' Pre-empting Jake's disappointment, she quickly continued. 'But if you head up and see Agent Aaron Hotchner – he's the Unit Chief – and tell him about your case, he'll see what the BAU can do.'

Letting out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding, Jake said sincerely 'Thanks Emily. I'll do that. I'll come find you after?'

'Hmm,' was Emily's non-committal reply. 'I gotta go. Good luck Jake!'

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Agent Aaron Hotchner looked up from the paperwork that he had been reading when he heard a knock on the door, seeing a man that he did not recognise standing in the doorway. 'Can I help you?'

'Detective Jacob Crewe, Albuquerque PD. I spoke with Agent Prentiss on the phone downstairs, and she referred me to you. I need your help.'

Shaking the man's hand, Hotch invited him to sit and explain the situation.

'We've had four kids go missing in the last seven months: fourteen year old Francesca LaSalle, four year old Henrietta Wetherby, seven year old Colby Ellard and just last week nine week old Maya Stevens. There's been no ransom demands, no phone calls, no nothing. The only contact we've had is when he posts a letter to the families a week later, the word 'die' on a single sheet of paper, written in the child's blood.'

Taking a deep breath Detective Crewe continued. 'We've hit a dead end. We really need to find this guy - and find these children. We could do with your help.'

Hotch listened as Jake finished speaking. 'We'll need your files and any information you have on the cases. We'd also need an official invite from your Chief,' he advised.

Jake nodded his head vehemently. 'Done. I can organise that. Thank you so much.'

Hotch nodded. 'We'll do what we can. I need to get my team together.'

'Thank you.' Jake rose from his seat and shook Hotch's hand. Preparing to leave, he spotted a picture on Agent Hotchner's desk.

'Cute kids,' said Jake. 'I've got two at home myself.'

Slightly relaxing the shoulders he hadn't notice tense up, Hotch pointed them out. 'My kids – Jack, Alexandra and Saxon. The photo was taken last week at Saxon's third birthday party.'

'They grow up so fast don't they? My twin girls are turning six next month and it's too darn fast for me. I remember when they were but babies, just home from the hospital!'

Hotch allowed himself a smile, and showed Jake another photo as Jake laughed, then suddenly yelled out 'Holy Shit!'

Hotch dropped his smile immediately and narrowed his eyes at this man who was staring at his most precious family photo – the photo with himself, his wife and three children in it.

Jake quickly attempted to fix the situation, sensing the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees. 'I do apologise. It's just that ... You're married to Emily Prentiss? No, wait it gets better – you're the father of Emily's children? My god, I never thought I'd see the day where Emily got married and had children!'

By now Hotch was standing and reaching for the photo frame, as if by removing the object from this man's hand, he can keep his family away.

As Jake relinquished his grip on the photo frame, he gazed into Hotch's unreadable eyes and cold expression. 'You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?'

The only response he got was a cold stare.

'Agent Hotchner. Sorry, sir. Allow me to explain. Emily and I went to the Academy together. Emily Prentiss was one hell of a student and person to be around, but she always swore she'd never be tied down by marriage or children. She never said why, but I think it had something to do with her parents.'

Jake shook his head ruefully. 'You must be one hell of a guy to have caught her and made her change her mind!'

During this spiel, Hotch's eyes and face softened slightly. When Jake put out his hand to be shaken, Hotch shook the hand, and couldn't stop a small smile slipping out at Jake's final words. 'It's a pleasure to meet you sir! All the best! And I'm going to leave now, and get my boss on the blower. Right, the case.'

After this whirlwind had left the office, Hotch sat down, photo frame still in hand. What a morning!

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When Aaron Hotchner popped down to see his wife later, he stood leaning at her desk, arms folded over his chest, as Emily Prentiss returned from yet another meeting.

'So I hear that you swore never to let a man draw you into marriage or motherhood.'

Emily's head snapped up from the file she was reading as she rested her eyes on the man seated on her desk, a small degree of cockiness visible in his facial features.

'Aaron. What in the devil were you two boys talking about? Surely you weren't in the same room long enough for you to exchange versions of my life story!' she said.

Smiling, he placed his warm hand on her arm, drawing her in for a quick kiss. Parting, he reassured her. 'You've got nothing to worry about sweetheart.'

'You heading out?'

'Yeah. We take off at 3. We've got four missing children going back seven months.'

'Doesn't sound promising,' she said, squeezing his arm. 'Good luck.'

They talk a little while longer before Hotch needs to head back up to his office. Leaning forward for a final kiss, he rises from her desk.

Preparing to leave, he hears Emily whisper one last thing ...

'I'm glad you caught me.'

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Author's Note:

It made sense to end this oneshot here, but for those of you actually interested in the case, it was resolved as thus:

The four missing children were actually a 'healthy' sibling to a terminally ill sibling: Francesca had an older brother Dominic, Henrietta had an older sister Annabella (who had died soon after Henrietta was kidnapped), Colby had an older brother Reece, and Maya had an older sister Nora who had died before Maya was born.

The four children had been kidnapped by an UnSub who had been conceived only for his bone marrow. Vince Lansbury's bone barrow had assisted his brother George to live for a further three years before he died. After that, his parents had separated, unable to cope, and he'd grown up in a loveless environment, shuttled between parents.

Unfortunately, by the time the BAU found the link, identified potential suspects and discovered his hiding place, there had been a death. When they stormed the farmhouse, they discovered a stick-thin Francesca LaSalle cleaning in the kitchen, Henrietta Wetherby sitting on the floor in a room holding a near death Maya Stevens in her grip, and Colby Ellard in a shallow grave out back. It wasn't a pretty case to wrap up.