Chapter 1

"Ugh, I thought they'd never get to sleep," Denise Hotchner said of her twins James and Clarissa.

"They're one year old. What do you expect? Little angels?" Hotch asked, "I remember Jack being so hyper. Now, he won't go to sleep unless I tell him a superhero story." The normally stoic Unit Chief laughed.

"Anna was always good about going to bed on time," Denise mused.

"Well, I think James and Clarissa feed off of one another," Hotch laughed.

"Now that the kids are asleep," Denise said seductively, "we can have some alone time." She kissed up and down Hotch's chest. Hotch nibbled at her ear.

"That tickles!" Denise laughed.

"Do you want me to stop?" Hotch teased.

Denise just laughed.

"Have I ever asked you to stop anything, Hotchner?" Denise asked.

"Mmmm. I can say the same thing for you, Mrs. Hotchner." Just then, the phone rang.

"Uggh," Hotch groaned.

"Did you forget to tell Garcia you were gonna have some 'alone time' with your wife?" Denise laughed, "seriously. She'd be asking for all the details!"

"That she would," Hotch agreed, "oh no. This is bad. This is real bad."

"What is it, honey?" Denise asked, worried. She shot straight up from the bed.

"It's a bunch of missing kids. All six years old or younger. Looks like a mass abduction." Hotch put on his suit and dress pants at lightning speed.

"Oh God!" Denise gasped, "are they gonna be okay? I mean, I know with our kids-" Denise rambled. She was freaking out.

"Relax," Hotch consoled, kissing her cheek, "it's all gonna be okay. The children are right down the hall."

"I'm gonna check on them anyway."

"I know, Denise. I'm sorry I have to go. I promise I will make this up to you."

"Don't be sorry," Denise chided, "we agreed. No more apologies. Remember? You find these kids alive somehow, alright my sexy Unit Chief?" Hotch had to chuckle.

"I'll do my best, love. You look after the kids for me. Make sure Jack takes his cough medicine. He's got a nasty sinus infection."

"I will." Denise kissed him again.

"I've gotta go. I'll call you as soon as I can, sweetcakes."

"Sorry everyone has to come in late," Hotch said, "let's get started, Garcia."

"Okay. Ten children were abducted from an afterschool program. Five boys. Five girls. All under six years old."

"Yeah, but this case is different," Rossi noted.

"Yeah," Garcia answered, "because we kind of know who the unsubs are."

"Kind of?" Hotch asked.

"It appears to be a child abduction ring. They've been going at it for ten years They keep the children as sex slaves and starve them. When the children get too old, they...kill them," Garcia cringed.

"Ten years!" Hotch exclaimed, "why haven't they found these people yet?!"

"They go to different parts of the country," Prentiss answered, "and they set up shop there. When they get 'done' with the kids, they move to their next location."

"We've been called to help rescue these kids and ID these unsubs. Wheels up in twenty," Hotch commanded.

"Hey," Hotch said into the phone, "Don't count on me being home in a couple of days. It's worse than we thought."

"How bad?"

Hotch grimaced.

"It looks like it's a child abduction ring. There's multiple people invovled in this and this is just one big MESS!" He slammed his fist against the wall.

"Aaron. I can hear you beating the wall. Being angry isn't gonna help you solve this case. I'm worried too." Hotch sighed. His wife was right every time.

"I know," he sighed, "you're right. It's just..."

"They remind you of our kids," she finished.

"They only take kids six years old and under."

"Jack, Anna, Clarissa, and James are sleeping. They're gonna be fine."

"Oh, I know." He shook his head. No matter what, he had to be professional.

"You catch these bastards, Aaron."