Criminal Minds – Dominoes

This is the second story in a trilogy that first began with 'Little Wonders'. The dominoes begin to fall after one case ends badly and Strauss decides to actually acknowledge their marriage. This begins about six months after the end of 'Little Wonders'.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, and I wrote this before I even saw 100.

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Chapter 1 (March 2012)

The four of them had been separated by Metro PD as soon as they pulled up at the hospital; once they were assured the other two had been taken care of by the medical professionals, the locals started to take the statements of what had just happened.

Rossi

"It all happened so quickly, I don't think anyone really knew what was going on. We were standing in the alley behind the un-sub's house, guns at the ready, waiting for him to come out so we could apprehend him.

"Everyone had a bad feeling about this, especially Emily. We all agreed it was more than likely this would get violent pretty quickly, so the Kevlar's were distributed and worn. It was habit really…"

Morgan

"Hotch called out to the suspect, even though we knew he was the un-sub, and we all took up defensive positions so he couldn't escape.

"He came out of the house pointing his gun at us, and that was when I knew it, this situation we were in, was going to end badly.

"He stepped down from the porch onto the concrete so he was level with us, and started to speak…"

Reid

"He said 'I know you've come for me, and I won't go quietly,' and that was what he did. You never really expect them to follow through with what they say; normally they act all macho until they're the ones staring down the barrel of a gun and then they face the facts.

"Most of the time, we end things without firing our weapons. Everyone knows how much paperwork comes after firing just one bullet, let alone one from each weapon, but that's what happened anyway…"

Rossi

"We watched as he walked closer to us, ignoring Hotch's calls for him to stop, but we all just stood there. We were, naively I'm guessing, hoping that he would either lower his weapon or come close enough for us to overcome him quickly. But that wasn't the case.

"It's never the case.

"He started going on about how these men work too hard, how their jobs are ruining their families, their marriages, how he was saving everyone the trouble of more failed relationships.

"And he said it while looking straight into Hotch's eyes…"

Morgan

"Man, I could never do that. Stare right into his eyes and blame him for what I've done, bringing up memories of his dead ex-wife, of his failed marriage like that, but I guess the un-sub knew that about him. I mean, we're all over the news every few months, and if you look hard enough, it's not that hard to find out about our personal lives.

"What shocked me, though, was what happened next…"

Reid

"He aimed his gun straight at Hotch and blamed him for making him that way, saying it was Hotch's fault that he committed those murders, that all those lives were lost, which actually isn't true, it can't be true, but you don't care about that.

"What you care about was what happened next…"

Rossi

"I remember Emily was standing behind the un-sub; she had a perfect view of what was going on. The un-sub fired three quick rounds straight into Aaron's chest; he was wearing the vest, but he still stumbled back from the force of the shots.

"It was enough to give us reason to shoot at him. Everyone fired a single shot at his torso, not aiming for the heart, as we wanted him alive.

"The thing is, he mush have been really strong, because just after he stumbled, five bullets piercing his upper body, he shot a single round into the man right in front of him…"

Morgan

"Obviously, his aim was off, or this could have ended up a lot worse. Hotch was hit in the neck by the bullet, a .22 calibre, and that was when the shit hit the fan, if you'll excuse my French.

"Emily let out this almighty scream, I swear if it was one decibel louder it would have shattered glass, and fired another shot into the un-sub, fatally wounding him. She ran straight to Hotch, her husband, disregarding everything and everyone else around them, except for calling an ambulance.

"I remember she put her hands straight to the bullet would in his neck, trying to apply pressure to keep him from bleeding out, and was almost swearing at him…"

Reid

"She said 'Don't you dare die on me, Aaron, you promised you would never leave me. Stay alive for Jack, for Audrey; stay alive for me. Just stay alive.'

"By the time she reached those last few words, her voice had dropped almost to a whisper, but tears were running down her cheeks. In the distance I could hear the sirens and see the flashing lights of the ambulance, and I hoped that he would survive, that he would live to see his family again.

"We've been through so much together, we pretty much are a family, but he needs to live to see his kids grow up.

"He didn't deserve what happened to him. Neither of them did…"

Emily

"They took him away in the ambulance, but they wouldn't let me ride with them, even though I'm his wife. Dave brought me here, to George Washington hospital, and I swear the seventeen minutes it took to get here were the longest of my life; far longer than Audrey's birth even.

"When I ran into the ER, covered in Aaron's blood, the nurses were around me instantly. They thought I'd been hurt, it was so funny, but they wouldn't listen, would they. I told them it wasn't my blood, that it was Aaron's blood, but one of them said I was going into shock, that I should be examined.

"I know now I should have listened, but at that moment in time, all I cared about was Aaron. Nobody had told me about him, even though I was all but screaming his damn name! I was almost hysterical, and one of the nurses sedated me and strapped me into this bed to stop me from escaping, or at least that's what the doctor said.

"I wanted to kill him when he walked in and said 'It's for your own good, Mrs Hotchner,' and I swear, if he hadn't strapped me in and drugged me, I would have. I kept screaming for Aaron, and then you guys walked in.

"Now, everyone's in here, just staring at me with sombre looks on their faces. Can you either crack a smile, or give me the bad news already?"

A noise at the door made me look up, and I saw Audrey and Jack's nanny, Amelia, holding a very fussy Audrey in her arms, Jack standing next to her. I heard Amelia argue with the Metro cops, and I needed to deal with it, to be comforted by my children.

"Can someone let my kids in please?" I called out, wanting a hug from the one year old already. "She won't calm down unless you let her in."

I saw Audrey smile as one of them finally let her into my room and Amelia sat her on my bed, and she crawled onto my chest. Jack climbed up next to me and attached himself to my side as usual. My doctor meekly followed them in.

"I'm very happy to inform you, Mrs Hotchner, that your husband has come out of his surgery and is currently in recovery," my doctor said humbly. He was standing next to my bed, on the same side as Jack, and we smiled at him.

"Thank you," was all I could manage to choke out. Even though I was happy, I felt suffocated, all these Metro cops around me, the restraints on my wrists, I just wanted to get out, and I said so.

"Can you let me go, I want to see him," I almost demanded, trying to sit up again. "I want to be able to hug my children, and I want to sit by my husband while he heals."

"I'm sorry Mrs Hotchner, but we need to keep you in here overnight for observation. I can take the restraints off, but because you are currently suffering from shock, I cannot discharge you until I am certain there are no side effects."

I sighed reluctantly. "Fine, but I want to see Aaron first thing in the morning."

I gave him my best death stare, and he agreed, though somewhat grudgingly. I smiled in triumph and rattled my wrists against the side of the bed, hoping he'd get the picture. He did.

Rossi

"Is this interview almost over, because I have other places I need to be, like with the rest of my family," I asked, desperate to hurry the cop up. Yes, I knew he had a job to do, but it was their fault they weren't actually at the raid to see what happened first hand.

"Yes, Agent Rossi, you're free to leave now, but someone may be in touch later if we need any more information," my interviewer said, and I was out the door before he could even finish.

Emily's room wasn't that hard to find; it was the only one with a delegation of Metro PD cops outside the door, though none of them looked too concerned. I smiled to myself and pulled out my phone to text JJ; in the rush to follow Aaron, no one had contacted her or Garcia to let them know what was going on.

I was glad when I slipped into the room and saw Emily was sitting up with Audrey in one arm and Jack in the other, Amelia silently hovering at the side of the room.

"Uncle Dave!" Jack exclaimed. "Thank you for bringing mommy to the hospital to save daddy!"

I smiled warmly at my godson and ruffled his hair. "How's Hotch?"

Reid

"I have never seen Emily show that much emotion before; not at her wedding, not when Audrey was born or even when she came back to work after leaving the kids for the first time. But when Hotch went down on that concrete and she cried out, I just had this feeling something bad was going to happen…" I stopped suddenly, and the Metro cop looked at me.

I looked towards the corridor and save Rossi walking calmly down the hall, and let out a breath I hadn't even noticed I'd been holding.

"One last question, Doctor Reid," he said, and I turned my attention back to him. "How do you think this will affect the team?"

"Reid?"

I heard my name and turned to see who had called it.

JJ

The moment I got the text from Dave, telling me to grab Penelope and meet him at the hospital without any extra details, I knew something bad had happened. Unfortunately for us, being stuck in the office at Quantico, it took over an hour in traffic to reach GW Hospital, the one frequented by our team.

I didn't even need to ask for directions to the room I needed, I just followed the mass of Metro PD cops hovering in one corridor. Penelope never left my side as we approached the room they were watching, and I saw Dave in Emily's room, despite the window being surrounded by uniforms.

"Oh, they're okay," Penelope breathed next to me, and I smiled widely.

"Baby girl? Jayje? What are you doing here?"

Penelope and I turned around as well, someone else having walked up behind us.

Morgan

I looked at the cop like he had grown an extra head. "Excuse me? Who told you to ask that question?" I demanded. How would this affect the team my ass, I could smell Strauss's intrusion a mile away.

"Um, I believe the request came from someone named," he looked down to check the name. "Strauss?"

I knew it. I shook my head, stood up, and walked out. I was determined to rescue Reid from his torture then see how Emily was holding up.

I didn't need to walk far, the cops hadn't separated us that much, and I pulled the genius out of his interview before continuing down the hall. After a moment I saw all the uniforms hovering, and two beautifully recognisable women just in front of them.

"Baby girl? Jayje? What are you doing here?" I asked the pair, slipping my arm around Pen's waist and placing a kiss on her temple.

"We got a call from Dave telling us to come down here," JJ said. "He said it was important?"

I nodded. "Things didn't quite go to plan…"

Rossi

When I saw Jen walk in, I could breathe a little easier. She made her way over to me and I pulled her into my side, once again glad neither of us were in the hospital bed, or Emily's position. Reid, Morgan and Garcia pushed through the barrier of Metro cops and joined us by the bed, where Emily was being babbled to by Audrey while Jack curled up against her.

"What happened with Hotch?" Reid asked me quietly.

"He made it through surgery, and I'll be able to see him in the morning," Emily interrupted. Her hearing had obviously picked up the question and she answered it. "And then I've been summoned to see Strauss at 10 tomorrow."

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Oh, and by the way, this is the beginning of a long series, one with it's own universe spawned off it. Check out 'Superhero Mom', a prequel to this, mostly fluff.