Forgetful

Chapter 8

"Rowan?" The girl genius was woken up by the incessant buzzing of her phone. She numbly reached for it, immediately hearing the frantic Penelope on the other end.
She was instantly wide awake. "What's going on?" She demanded.
"I- I- fell asleep on the desk and when I woke up she was gone." Penelope was crying, her voice high pitched.
"Who was gone?"
"Elizabeth. I can't find her. Someone hacked my system and deleted all of the surveillance cameras. She's gone."
Rowan stood up, immediately starting to pack themselves up. They were going home to find their daughter.
"Alright, Penny, it's not your fault, okay? We'll be home on the next flight." The two hung up and Rowan pushed her hair into a messy bun, sliding on tennis shoes.
She woke Spencer up, telling him to finish up packing their room. She went to find Hotch.
By the time that she knocked on the door, he almost immediately answered.
"Elizabeth's missing." Rowan told him. She hadn't taken the time to let it sink in yet.
"You and Spencer go home. Rossi and I can stay here and solve the case. The rest of the team is going to help you find her." He assured her.
She nodded once and turned to go back to their room. "Rowan?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Breathe. We'll find her." He touched her shoulder briefly before going to wake the rest of the team.
It hit Rowan hard then. Elizabeth was missing. Her daughter had been taken.

And suddenly she was fighting back the urge to break down and scream.
•

"Oh, Rowan!" Penelope practically threw herself at the couple, crying into their shoulders. The three stood there for a moment before Rowan forced herself away.
Her eyes were stained red from crying. She couldn't cry anymore- her head felt too empty for there to be anything left in her tear ducts.
"I know we're going to find her, Penelope." Derek told her comfortingly, prying her off of Spencer and guiding her back to the computer room. She felt the most at peace in there, where she could do whatever she could do to help. Everyone knew that.
"Morgan?" They heard another voice, and all heads turned towards JJ. She was walking in, a brisk pace quickening her steps.
"JJ." Reid murmured in shock. He was the most wrecked- Rowan had to force the ideas into the back of her head: she was going to find the missing infant like they always do. She had to detach herself- because what good was she doing to Elizabeth if she couldn't even function?
"We're going to find her." JJ insisted, grabbing onto the two of them and pulling them in a tight hug.
"Penelope, have you checked the security cameras around the building? Red lights, shop cameras?" Rowan managed, shaking her head slightly but squeezing JJ's hand to let her know she appreciated her coming in to work.
Penelope started clacking on the keyboard. "Um," she sniffled. "I can start running license plates, but there's one black spot behind the building. You can get in, get out, and no one would catch your license plate or car make." She was still clicking.
"Pretend they don't know about the black spot. Start running those plates from everyone that seemed to stop in the time that you fell asleep in. Check for anything- everything.
"Spence, you and me have to sit down and make a list of everyone that would target her." Rowan continued, slowly breaking down.
Morgan caught her as she fell, holding her against him. She cried into his chest, her fists beating the wall behind them.
"Why her? Why our daughter? Haven't we been through enough?" She screamed. Slowly, Spencer gathered her up in his arms and the two of them sat on the floor, both of them crying and clinging to each other.
"I'll check and see if there are any recently released fugitives that they put away." JJ offered to Morgan, disappearing into the briefing room. He made his way to find them something to drink.

And Rowan and Spencer rocked.