𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘀

𝟏𝟑𝟎

"𝙰𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚄𝚗𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎"
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ
𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘺

"HOTCHNER," Aaron says after answering his phone.

"Hotch!" Noah exclaims, thankful to hear the man's voice. "Emily's gone! I can't find her and she's not answering her phone!" she explains as she paces back and forth outside of the school.

"Slow down," he replies. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"Like an hour ago," Noah frets. "She came to my speech and I saw her in the back, but when I finished, I couldn't find her anywhere and then she left me this weird, cryptic voicemail about being a mom and how much she loves me and it's freaking me out!"

"Morgan will pick you up and you'll come here immediately. Do not move," Hotch instructs her before hanging up the phone, not giving her a second to argue.

𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘶

Hotch puts his phone in his pocket and looks at Derek. "Morgan, I need you to get Noah from the school and put her on lockdown. Once she gets here, she doesn't leave this building," he demands before turning to the rest of the team.

"On it," Derek nods and grabs his coat before rushing out of the bullpen.

The agent jumps into an SUV and hits the gas pedal to the floor on his way to the school. They don't know what's going on, but Emily has been missing for about an hour or so and this is the first they've heard of any movement she's made.

Once Derek pulls into the carpool lane, he sees Noah outside of the school. She rushes up to the car and jumps in, putting her seatbelt on quickly.

"What is going on?" she asks him.

"I don't know," he answers honestly as he drives toward the BAU. "When did you see her?"

"She was right there," Noah says as she shakes her head, furrowing her brows at his speed on the roads. "Why're you driving so fast?"

"What do you mean?" Derek asks her. "You tell me Emily's missing and left you a weird message and you want me to go the speed limit?"

"I want you to tell me what's going on!" Noah pleads.

"I don't know, Noah," Derek says. His use of her name and the look on his face that he's trying so hard to find tell the teen that he's telling the truth.

Noah sits back in her seat, trying to calm her raging heart. She takes deep breaths, but none of them help. She tries to focus on what's outside of her window, but it's all blurring together and all she can see is Emily in the back row, cheering her on.

When they arrive at the BAU, Noah storms into the bullpen, but Aaron grabs her arm, taking her to his office.

"You need to stay in here," he tells her as he closes the office door behind him.

"What?" Noah asks, confused. "Why?"

"We've been working a case of someone extremely dangerous. Your mother has contacts that may have been close to him."

"What are you saying?" Noah questions him. "She could be in trouble?"

"I don't know," Aaron confesses before opening the office door and walking out, closing it behind him again. Noah stands in the middle of the office, confused by what's going on. She walks up to the window and sees the team in the bullpen, discussing something as they look at the board they've created.