The Agent and The School Teacher

Chapter Seventeen: Where Are My Children?

I went through the day distracted. I made my decision with good reason, but it didn't necessarily mean that I was happy about it. I just couldn't handle the guilt on top of all the other crap in my life right now.

"Mom? Mom. Mommy?!" I snapped out of my thoughts to see Charlotte standing beside my desk. I looked up to see that all of the other kids were gone. "Its time for recces."

"Right, um...can you go ask Mrs. Carlisle if she can watch you guys? Mommy has some stuff to do." She nodded and I wrote out a note for her to deliver to Mrs. Carlisle, who was an on-call substitute teacher that we had. She left and I rubbed my temples, trying to alleviate the stress induced headache that was forming. Maybe I overreacted...

No! Aaron was the one telling you that it was ok to think of yourself every once in a while. This is me looking out for myself for once, and I'm not going to let him make me feel guilty about it.

~~~

The class filed in an hour later, and I had talked myself into feeling better and prepared for the math portion of the day. I was getting my worksheets together, when I glanced up to see that Charlotte wasn't in her seat. I furrowed my eyebrows, scanning the classroom to see if she was up running around, but I didn't see her.

"Guys...where is Charlotte?" All of the kids started looking around. I looked to Jack.

"I didn't see her outside," He said, 'We were supposed to play superheroes, but she never came."

I had a sinking feeling, and it was the kind that mothers tend to get when they know something is wrong with their child. I left immediately, sending Mrs. Carlisle to supervise my class and booking it to the Kindergarten classroom. Kindergarten and First Grade have recces at the same time, so if...if I'm right about where my daughter is, there is every possibility that her sister is with her. I'm just praying that I'm wrong.

I reached Sadie's classroom, walking in and surveying the desks. Sure enough, Sadie's was empty.

"Elizabath?" The teacher, Ms. O'Brian asked. "Is everything ok?"

"Where is Sadie?" I asked. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"I thought you knew...their father came to pick her up. Charlotte too. He said you knew he was coming." I covered my mouth with my hand, running out of the classroom and grabbing my phone. I started to dial 911 but I stopped. Do I really want the police to deal with this? Or do I want someone I know, and trust, looking for my kids?

Despite my better judgement, I clicked on Aaron's name in my contacts.

"Agent Hotchner." He said formally.

"Aaron..." I said, my voice shaky. "I know we aren't in a good place right now but I just..I don't know what else to do."

"What's wrong?"

"Its' Ben, the girls were at Recess, I wasn't there, I think...no I know he took them. They said he picked them up, Ben has kidnapped my daughters..." I was full on sobbing now, on the verge of a panic attack. My six and five year old daughters were gone and I didn't know where they were.

"Ok, Lizzie, I need you to go down to the Police department. One of my team members will meet you down there so that we can arrange for us to take your case. We'll find them-"

"I don't know if we have time for that! I don't know where my kids are Aaron, my little girls are missing-"

"I know that, and believe me, I understand your fear, but we have protocols to follow, ok? I have someone in transit to the police station right now but you have to leave right now, ok? We will find them." I nodded.

"Ok...ok, I'm leaving right now. Thank you, Aaron."

"Yes, of course. Now go." I hung up, running back to my classroom and grabbing my car keys.

"Is everything alright?" Mrs. Carlisle asked. I shook my head.

"No, um...I have to go. My ex husband has kidnapped my kids." Her eyes widened. "Can you cover for me?"

"Of course, go." I smiled gratefully, turning and running out of the classroom and into the parking lot. I got into my car, immediately dialing Jackson's number.

"Lizzie, what's up?" He asked, as if he knew why I was calling.

"Ben came and took the girls from school at Recess. I'm going to the police station, and I've already called Aaron. Can you go tell Mom and Dad and stand by to meet me somewhere?"

"Yes, of course, I'm leaving as we speak."

"Thank you." I started the car, pulling out of the parking lot at a dangerous speed. "This is all my fault, Jackson. I should've been out there, the day after he showed up, it was stupid to let them out of my sight. This is all my fault, oh gosh."

"Lizzie, you need to calm down." He said. "The girls need you to be level headed right now."

I knew he was right, so I began taking deep breaths and trying to think logically. Ben was a drug addict and a scum bag, but he wasn't abusive. He wouldn't hurt them, which gave me some peace, but not much. 

~~~

I peeled into the parking lot just as JJ was getting out of her car. I parked, jumping out and running up to meet her.

"I assume they sent the person best equipped to deal with a hysterical mother?" I asked, trying to remain calm.

"They sent the person best equipped to empathize with your situation." She said. It wasn't hard to deduce from that statement that JJ was a mother herself.

"Then please...help me find my kids." She nodded, putting a hand on my back as we rushed into the police station and up to the reception desk.

"Excuse me, I'm Agent Jennifer Jareau with the FBI, I need to speak to your captain immediately." The receptionist pointed in the direction of an office and she walked back, opening the door without knocking."

"Jennifer." The captain said. He was familiar with her.

"We have a kidnapping case. She's a friend of ours, and I was wondering if you would be so kind as to sign over jurisdiction to us." He glanced at me.

"Please..." I said quietly, "My ex-husband, he took my five and six year-old daughters from school." He nodded.

"I'll handle the paperwork. You go get those kids. I just need your John Hancock." He opened a drawer, pulling out a form and JJ took it, signing several places before turning and booking it out the door again with me in tow.

Where are my children?