The Long, Lonely Road Ahead

The following events take place after Hotch’s divorce but prior to JJ’s giving birth.

Yes, I know it’s a Mary Sue in some ways, but it was fun to write, so I’m throwing it out there for you to read and see what you think.
Please, read and review. Or at least vote on this story. I know you’re out there…

The Long, Lonely Road Ahead

Chapter Nineteen

I manoeuvred the Washington streets as if I knew where I was going, one eye out for signs for the freeway. I tried to both speed and follow the traffic laws, so that I could slide under the radar, but I knew it was only a matter of minutes before every cop in the city was looking for me. Finally! A freeway sign! I pulled onto the 495, which I knew would eventually take me to the 66. I needed to get out of state. There were militia connections all over the country, all of which were anti-government. All I needed to say was that the FBI was after me, and I knew I’d get anything I needed to escape. I turned on the radio, searching for a local news station. My brain was rushing, considering where to go next. I had my wallet, but not my cell phone – which was probably a good thing, actually – and this car looked like it had OnStar, which was a huge problem. I didn’t want to be tracked. Who did I know, aside from Pen, in DC? Come on, Terra, think… I searched the exits as I came upon each one.

The part of town I was now driving through looked divey enough… I swerved off the freeway and pulled onto a main artery, lined with pawn shops and boarded up storefronts. Not a good area at all. Perfect. I swung into the first garage I saw and parked the jeep out front. Two mechanics stopped work on the BMW they were clearly taking to pieces, and walked up to me.
“Can I help you?” one of them asked. His rolled up sleeves exposed large, hairy tattooed arms. Prison tattoos. Excellent.
“I’m looking to trade in my jeep for something… a little less noticeable,” I said. He glanced at the other man.
“I think you’re in the wrong place. We can’t help you,” the other man said.
“I think I’m in the right place. I don’t want this piece of shit any more,” I said with a snarl. “And it’s not mine, anyway.”
“Are you trying to tell us that this is stolen property? What do you think this is?” the first man said, gesturing with his greasy hands.
“A chop shop,” I said, hands on hips. “And if you don’t give me what I want, I’m going to take it.”
“You’re going to take it… right.” They laughed. I sighed.
“Fine, whatever. What have you got here, anyway, aside from that BMW?” I said, heading around the back to the lot. There weren’t a lot of choices, but then I saw the Harley and it was love at first sight. “There. I want the Harley.”
“That’s Mike’s,” the first man said. “It’s not for sale.”
“I don’t care. I’m taking it.” I faced the two of them.
“Like hell you are,” the second man said. He reached for me. “Now, Babe, come on. Get back in your jeep and…” I rammed the heel of my hand into his windpipe, and reached for his outstretched arms, flipping him onto his back. As he gurgled on the ground, hands clutching his throat, his partner looked at me astonished.
“Give me the keys, and any cash or weapons you’ve got,” I said. “Or come at me, if you think you can take me, and I’ll take what I want when you’re on the ground too.”
“Uh…” He seemed unsure.
“Oh what the fuck,” I muttered, and with a single, hard sock to his jaw, he was out cold on the ground next to his friend. “I’ll find it myself.” I walked into the office and a bit of searching revealed the keys to the Harley, a helmet that just about fit, a leather jacket that didn’t smell as good as I’d have liked, and a cash register. I raided it, but it was pretty empty. The safe in the back was closed, so that was a dead end, but I found some cash and a loaded 9mm in the back room. I stepped outside, and the first man was now on his feet, livid. I pulled out the gun and pointed it at him. He stepped back, hands up in the air; clearly, he still couldn’t speak. Then I put on the jacket, stashed the cash and gun in the pockets, and put on the helmet. I peeled out of the lot with a small wave—the man gave me the finger in return and I laughed. I was on my way.

I was soon out of the DC area and into Virginia. I needed to get to an airport, or I wasn’t going to get to California in time to kill Josiah, Frank and Matt before the raid occurred. I drove down the 66, following it to the 81, where I headed down towards Staunton. Outside of Staunton was a little place called Hebron. In Hebron, at a crossroads, was a grocery store and gas station well known in militia circles. It took about three, almost four hours to get there. I finally pulled into the gas station around 4 pm. The winter sun was low in the sky and it was freezing cold out. At least there wasn’t any snow on the ground, which was a miracle. I parked outside the convenience store and headed inside. There was an older woman at the counter, behind the cash register, reading a tabloid.

“We’re closed,” she said without looking up.
“You’re open,” I countered. “Josiah Herald told me so.”
“He did, did he?” she said, eyeing me over her magazine.
“He did.”
“You’re a bit far from home, aren’t you?”
“That’s the problem. I am, and I need to get back home as soon as possible.”
“Is that a fact?”
“It is.” We stared at each other.
“Henry!” she suddenly hollered. “We’ve got a customer.”
“We’re closed Mabel!” a man yelled from behind a curtain at the back of the store.
“It’s a family matter,” Mabel called back. There was a rustling and then a tall, hollow-cheeked man appeared through the curtain.
“Why didn’t you say so?” he asked. “What can we do for you, Miss?”
“She’s one of Josiah’s,” Mabel said, turning back to her magazine.
“Josiah Herald? He’s good people,” Henry said. “You need to get home to him?”
“I do. And there are some… old family enemies who’d rather I didn’t make it home,” I said. He put up his hands.
“No need to say any more. How did you want to do this?”
“I need to be able to fly. I’d prefer a private plane, a small one, but I’ll take a new driver’s licence, some way to conceal my identity if possible.” I fiddled with my helmet.
“Brad’s got a Cessna. He could probably take you as far as Louisville, Kentucky,” Mabel said.
“That’s true. Why, I’ll bet he’d take you the whole way if you could help pay for fuel,” Henry said, reaching for the phone. “Can you wait until morning to leave?”
“That’d make the most sense,” I said, leaning against the wall. “I’m pretty tired.”
“There’s a motel down the road some,” Mabel said. “Our Julie manages it. She’s on shift tonight. I’ll give her a call when Henry’s done.”
“That would be great,” I said. We waited for Henry to finish on the phone, Mabel reading her magazine. Finally, he hung up. Mabel reached for the phone.
“Well, Brad said he’d be happy to help, but he needs cash up front for fuel. Do you have cash?” Henry asked.
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Good. You go to the motel and get a good night’s sleep. The airfield is about ten miles down the road from the hotel. You can’t miss it. Hebron Airfield. Brad’ll be waiting for you at 7 in the morning.” Henry nodded at Mabel. “Mabel’s just letting Julie know, that’s all. You go on and get to the hotel.”
“Thank you for your kindness,” I said, holding out my hand. He took it and shook it gently.
“For one of the chosen, for those who protect this country from all threats… well, it’s a pleasure. You take care and give our regards to Josiah,” he said with a smile.
“I will,” I said, trying to keep my thoughts from showing on my face. Mabel waved from where she was on the phone and I headed back out into the night.

(“She’s gone,” Hotch told Rossi over the phone.
“What do you mean, she’s gone? How could she be gone?” Rossi replied.
“I don’t want to get into the details, but she managed to take out the officer at the door, and then carjacked a Jeep,” Hotch said. He was back in his house, doing up his shoes as he spoke to Rossi. “We’ve got an APB out for her and the Jeep, but I have a feeling this isn’t her first time at evading the authorities.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Rossi said with a sigh. “So she’ll be on her way to meet us, whether we want her there or not.”
“I’m not sure you’ll even be able to see her if she makes it out that way,” Hotch said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I let her get away.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Aaron. This is difficult enough for you as it is,” Rossi said.
“I’m going to take the first commercial flight I can get out to Redding. I’ll rent a car in Medford if I have to, but I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Hotch said.
“Okay. You can fill us in on the details when you get here,” Rossi said, hanging up. He turned to the rest of the team. “Terra’s gone. Hotch lost her somehow, he won’t say how, although I’m sure we can guess.”
“This is not going well for him, is it?” Prentiss asked.
“I can’t believe Hotch, of all people, would be thinking with the wrong head,” Morgan said ruefully.
“He’s a man, isn’t he?” Prentiss asked. Reid, Morgan, and Rossi looked at her sharply. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant that he’s fallible, just like any other man… or human. He clearly cares very deeply for her.”
“I know. It’s enough to make one find some validity in the theory of love at first sight. Even though that’s not really possible, it’s all just a series of hormonal reactions…” Reid began. Rossi stopped him with a stare.
“We all know what Hotch is feeling right now, and we don’t really need to go into it, do we?” Rossi asked.
“Not really, no,” Morgan replied. “I just feel for the guy, y’know?”
“We all do,” JJ said, flipping through her files. “He was alone and vulnerable, probably really lonely without Hayley and Jack, and he was attracted to her.”
“I thought we didn’t need to talk about it,” Reid said.
“We don’t,” Prentiss said. There was a pause. “I guess it’s just that I didn’t see this coming, you know? Hotch… always seems so perfect, like he’d never ever do anything like this for… what?”
“Love?” Reid asked. “Do you think it’s love?”
“I have no idea what it is,” Rossi said, “and I’m not going to speculate here. All we need to remember is that we need to be extra sensitive about this. He’s going to be angry enough at himself about losing her without anyone pressing him for details.”)