𝓼𝓪𝓯𝓮 ➣ 𝓼. 𝓻𝓮𝓲𝓭

𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂

Reid had this book memorized like the back of his yet, but he still took it home and read it again. Just for her.

He could imagine young Mara reading this book. Obsessing over Gatsby and Daisy's love story. Hoping they got together in the end. She could imagine the horror on her face when she finds out Daisy and Gatsby were the ones that ran over Myrtle.

He finished the book the same night but he didn't see her again for a few days. Not until she came back to work.

"Mara, you're back!" JJ grinned, running over to hug the girl.

Mara smiled and hugged her back, greeting everyone on the team before falling on Reid. "Hi, Spencer."

"Hi.." He smiled and stood up, opening his arms for a hug. Mara stepped into them and they enveloped her in a quick but tight hug. With a team of profilers around them, they didn't want to hug for more than normal time because that would raise suspicion.

When she pulled back, Reid smiled at her and Mara ignored the twang in her heart at the sight. She took a seat at her desk, pulling picture frames from her bag. She set the picture of her and Reid on it, along with a picture of the entire team, her and her brother, and of her and Mallory. The BAU floor was still under construction to rebuild after the explosion so they had them on the second floor temporarily.

She was finishing some of the case file reports from before her break when Garcia hugged her tightly and announced they had a case.

They all moved into the conference room. Hotch was taking care of something in his office while they all got comfortable and Garcia prepared to present the case.

Mara was flipping through a book as fast as lightening while Rossi was showing Reid pictures of a car.

"I just put in new brakes," Rossi said as Mara's eyes scanned a page. "She's running like a dream."

"I always admired the aesthetic of the classic Torpedo C body, epsically in the ninteen forty-seven," Reid said, making Mara look up and smile as Rossi stared at the kid in shock. "They just don't make them like that anymore."

"Yeah, well, I'm lucky to have found it," Rossi replied. "Uncle Sal would be proud."

Hotch finally came in and Mara couldn't help but notice how pale and sick he looked. She wrote off as lack of sleep and turned her attention to the file in front of her.

"Guys, meet Samantha Wilcox, in Wichita, Kansas," Garcia said, clicking her remote. "Last night she snuck out with her boyfriend, they were attacked, she hadn't been seen since. Boyfriend got a broken jaw and a concussion. And the description of the attacker matches her father, Eddie Lee Wilcox."

"Ex-con," Reid quickly added. "Still on parole. Eddie is a car thief and wheel man extraordinaire. String of assault charges, too. Been in and out of jail since he was a kid."

"We don't usually work parental abduction cases." JJ said.

"We do when the abduction's violent and dad's a former convict." Morgan replied.

"He hasn't been incarcerated in over three years," Mara said. "I mean, he's had ample opportunity. Why pick yesterday to kidnap her?"

"Well, he beat the boyfriend within an inch of his life to do it, so taking her had to be real important." Morgan said.

"And apparently Eddie was none too pleased that Samantha's mom melody had decided to remarry an then move from Chicago to Wichita," Garcia said. "He lost visitation rights the last time he got locked up."

"So, the anger about that is the stressor that builds up over the years," Mara said. "Last night he decides to do something about it. This could be vengeance for taking his daughter away."

"If it's revenge against the mother, he'll either hurt Samantha or disappear with her," Hotch said, his voice shaking. "She's been missing for over five hours, and we know how time sensitive these cases are. The AMBER Alert is expanding...every hour...excuse me."

Everyone looked up as Hotch's voice gave out and he turned around, seeming to take a breath but he collapsed instead.

Everyone moved to their feet, over to the man who laid unconscious on the floor. Garcia called 911 as they tried to find out what was wrong.

The team followed the ambulance to the hospital and waited for the doctors to finally tell them what was wrong. Why their leader had collapsed.

Morgan had somehow convinced them that they needed to help find the missing girl instead of worrying about Hotch. They were flying out within the next ten minutes, Rossi and Garcia stayed behind and contacted Haley's sister.

"When the plane lands, Morgan, JJ, I want you to interview Samantha Wilcox's mother. Reid, Tate, you go check out the abduction site," Rossi said, the temporary leader. "I'm catching the next flight to Wichita and I'll meet you there."

"What about Hotch?" Reid asked.

"Garcia's here," Rossi replied. "She's not going anywhere."

Reid and Tate stray from the team and head to the abduction sight, finding the car left exactly how it was found.

"This is off the beaten path," Mara said, following the officers to the scene. "Her mother said she snuck out late. He must have followed her here from here house."

"Which suggests he may not have planned the abduction," Reid replied. "He just waited for the right opportunity."

"Look at this," Mara said, kneeling and grabbing something from the ground. "She left her cell phone behind. Odd for a teenage girl."

Reid shrugged. "Maybe she lost it in the struggle."

"Or it's a forensic countermeasure so they can't be tracked with the GPS."

Mara phone dinged in her pocket and she pulled out. "Garcia got a hit on VICAP, they want us back at the station."