Sacrifice

Sidney Howard wrote; One-half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.

Aaron Hotchner arm was extended, his weapon held firmly in his grasped. "Drop the gun Clancy."

Clancy smile denoted evil. "Sure Mr. FBI man," he sneered as laid the gun on the table and slid it toward the very serious Hotchner.

The white cord of Aaron's ear piece was in stark contrast to his black suit coat. Letting his left hand leave his gun for a moment, he called to his team, "This is Hotch, I have Clancy.

SS Jason Gideon was two floors above the younger agent. He was quickly making his way down to his partner's position. Aaron reached out and picked up Clancy's gun placing it into his coat pocket. As Aaron began to move slowly toward the suspect, he matter-a-factly instructed, "Get down on your knees Clancy, and put your hands on head."

He heard Jason in his ear piece, "I'll be there in a minute, wait don't do this alone, Aaron."

Aaron knew Jason was right and he was looking out for his well being but he was uncomfortable with suspect still being on his feet.

From Aaron's blind side Brian Clancy's Brother, Todd crept slowly into the room. He grinned as he raised his gun and took aim at the back of Aaron Hotchner's head.

Jason Gideon rushed down the stairwell. Prior to taking the stairs, he holstered his gun so he could move faster. He felt safe because he was moving through the areas he'd cleared on the way up.

Jason abhorred guns and violence in general. He did this job because he wanted to save lives and try to understand what made the madmen tick. Even so, he would use his gun if he had too. With that realization about Jason Gideon's psyche, he'd holstered his gun; he'd left the clip loose so he could remove it smoothly when he reached Aaron's position.

Jason entered the room on Aaron's blind side behind the second suspect, and deduced quickly if he didn't act the man standing in front of him would most assuredly kill Aaron Hotchner.

Jason's genius mind processed then scene laid out before him. There was no time to draw his weapon and make the shot without endangering Aaron's life. So Jason Gideon made the only decision he could; he attacked the Todd Clancy.

Jason had the element of surprise on his side. He grabbed the young man's gun hand in a steel grasp with his right hand, and used his body to shove Aaron to his left and out of harm's way. He grappled with Todd for control of the gun. The gun went off once far to Aaron's left entering harmlessly into the wall. Jason banged the gun hand against the chair. Once, twice, and Todd released the gun on the third strike; the gun skidder harmlessly across the table top.

Todd Clancy was far from a small man. He stood a head taller than the elder Agent Jason Gideon and had about forty pounds on him. He was a very muscular young man, and now he was angry. He grabbed Jason by his vest and pushed him hard and fast into the wall. He slammed him once then twice, knocking the breath out of Jason.

Aaron was stunned momentarily by his partner's action. Managing to keep his balance he moved to an angle in which he kept the Brian covered, and he could observe his partner as he struggled with the armed suspect.

Seeing the size and strength of Brian's younger brother, he became more and more concerned about Jason's ability to handle him alone. Bringing his wrist up he screamed in his microphone, "We've got a second suspect. I need you to step it up guys." Looking back at Jason, he screamed at Todd, "We're the FBI. Let Agent Gideon go or I'll use lethal force."

Todd quickly swung Jason around placing him between himself and Aaron. He shook Jason, "You're not as tough as you thought are you old man."

Todd reached for Jason's weapon, as Jason struggled to prevent it, knowing the clasp was loose. Todd was getting more and more frustrated with the elder agent.

Derek Morgan, Ell, Spencer Reid, and JJ burst through the front about the time Todd head butted Jason not once but twice. The success of this action was shown by the large laceration that was open over Jason's left eyebrow, momentarily stunning the older man, Todd then pulled Jason's gun free from its holster with little trouble.

Jason made a last grab for the gun and the fought control of the weapon. Todd suddenly pulled his gun hand free of Jason's grasp, shoving the elder agent he center the gun on his torso...

The impact of the bullets striking lifted Jason off his feet and sent his body tumbling over a table landing with a nauseating thud, face down on the floor. Blood began to pool on the floor at Jason's head.

Derek sprang to Todd's side and pushing his gun to his head. "Drop the gun or I swear I'll blow you brain's out right now!"

Derek shoved the young man against the wall with his gun cocked at his head, wanting the man to give him a reason to use it.

Spencer and Ell moved to Hotch's side. "We've got him Hotch. Go see to Gideon," Spencer's soft voice announced.

Morgan pulled Todd up and shoved him hard against the wall. He got in the young man's face, "That old man was SS Agent Jason Gideon. If he dies you and your brother will fry. That is if you and your brother get out of here without me putting a bullet between your eyes. Do you understand?"

Brian chuckled, "Man you won't kill us. You're just mad that my kid brother off'd that old man."

Spencer cocked his gun and placed against the back of Brian's head. "I wouldn't be so sure about that Clancy. Society as a hold would be better off without you in it. However, lucky for you Jason Gideon trained this team. He hated violence in any form. He felt that studying and understanding people like you and your brother help us learn and make us better at catch the next animal we come up against. This maybe the first time I might have to disagree with that lesson."

Brian's faced paled. Reid pushed the gun harder against Brian's head before he shoved Brian face down on the ground, "Be Quiet before I change my mind."

Morgan looked across the room and caught Spencer's eye. He knew the young man was struggling with what had happened to Gideon. Reid had been fatherless most of his life and Gideon had taken a real interest in the young agent. He was basically a father figure to the young man.

Swinging Todd around, Morgan shoved him to his knees and face down on the ground facing away from Jason's body.

The local police and U.S. Marshals filled the room. Morgan nodded to the lead marshal, "Sam get these scumbags out of my site, you can add attempted murder to this one's laundry list. We'll work the rest out later."

Sam turned to his men, "you heard the man." His men quickly took custody of the suspect's pulling them out of the room reading them their Miranda rights as they left.

While Morgan and Spencer were dealing with the suspects, Hotch holstered his weapon and quickly moved with JJ to Gideon's side. He grabbed Jason and turned his limp body over.

Cold dead eyes stared up at the two agents. Blood from the laceration through his left eyebrow trickled through the open eye and down his cheek. Jason's color was pale and ashened. His lips were slack and turning bluer by the second.

JJ opened Jason's airway… he didn't attempt a breath. She felt an almost overwhelming sense of nausea when she placed her fingers on his carotid and his pulse was absent.

Noting the two large bullet holes in Gideon's vest, Aaron tore it loose from the stricken man's chest. Please God, tell me this vest did its job, he silently thought. Looking down he gasped at the blood he saw on the white striped shirt below and whispered, "No, Jason… Nooo, this can't be happening!"

Fear and sadness filled JJ's face as she looked up and said, "Hotch, he's not breathing and I can't… I don't feel a pulse."

Hotch swallowed hard and pulled of his suit coat. Loosening his tie and unbuttoning his collar, he yelled, "Get the paramedics!"

Working on automatic he ripped the shirt open and quickly scanned the chest and abdomen for a bullet holes. The vest stopped the bullets from tearing through Jason's body, but it allowed enough of the metal to penetrate its layers and lacerate his chest and abdomen during his forceful tumble over the table.

Breathing a short sigh of relief, Aaron placed his hands over Jason's heart and started compressions. He counted out loud to JJ, "One, Two, Three…," while she positioned Jason's head to breathe for him.

The federal marshals were dragging the last of the suspects from the scene just as the paramedics arrived.

JJ stood and staggered a bit. Reid stepped to her side and steadied her. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and silently sobbed into his shoulder.

The second paramedic knelt opposite of the now profusely sweating Agent Hotchner. He unzipped the bag and flipped on the monitor. He quickly pulled the pads out and slapped the on Jason's chest. He placed one on the upper right chest near the shoulder and the other on the left lower chest at the nipple line. "Sir, stop CPR so I can get a look at his rhythm.

Aaron didn't acknowledge the paramedic or his request. He continued compressing Jason's chest, totally focused Jason's head as it moved back and forth with his compressions watching the dead eyes staring into oblivion. No, dear God, don't do this. Don't take him from me. Not like this. He deserves better than to be taken out by these pieces of trash. Please God, Please! Aaron prayed.

Aaron kept counting, "sixteen, seventeen, eighteen…" Why Jason, why did you do this? I'm not worth it. Come on Jason, fight… Show me something. Dam' it don't you leave me. The thoughts raced though Aaron head as he worked. He was oblivious to anything else happening in the room His muscles were burning, sweat rolled down the sides of his face, but he could stop Jason needed him and he needed Jason.

Hotch pushed Derek's hands away, "No Morgan, I have to keep…, One… two… three," Hotch repeated as returned to his mission.

Derek grimaced as he reached down pulled the now struggling Aaron Hotchner up off the floor. He turned him to face him. When he finally made eye contact with his team member, he sternly said, "No, you don't need to continue. You can stop now."

Aaron twisted attempting to get out of Morgan's steel grasp. "No! He's not dead. Let go of me! What are you doing Morgan? I have to help Jason."

Morgan turned him back to again making eye contact he shook him, taking his voice a step louder and sterner, he growled, "No Hotch, it's ok… it's ok to stop… the paramedics have him. They have him!"

Aaron blinked once then twice and slowly moved his head up and down as the words Derek was saying slowly sunk in. He focused on his bloodied hands resting on Morgan's shirt. He just stared for a moment at his blood soaked hands. Jason's blood was all over his hands and it sickened him.

In the background, the paramedic screamed, "He's in V-fib… Charging to 360… Everyone clear!" The shrill sound of the electricity charging brought Aaron back to the body lying on the floor.

Aaron turned back just in time to see Jason's body convulse in response to the electricity as it coursed through him. His eyes then focused on the monitor screen as the line jumped up and down, then it went in a straight line for a moment or two. The rhythm of ventricular fibrillation once again ran across the screen. No. Don't do this… Come on Jason, come on, Aaron thought.

"Charging again," the paramedic exclaimed. Once again the shrill sound of the defibulator filled the quieted room. The ker-chunk sound that preceded the convulsive movements of Jason's body would haunt Aaron as much as the retort of the gunshots that put them here in this arena.

Suddenly, there was a beep beep beep on the monitor and Jason's eyes slowly closed. The paramedic spoke, "I've got a rhythm," he reached up and laid his fingers on Jason's neck.

The paramedic announced, "I've got a pulse with it. I'm going to get a line on him." Looking up at his partner, he asked,"Is he breathing on his own?"

In a few moments, Jason groaned, this time his head moved from side to side powered by Jason himself.

Jason became restless and combative as his consciousness returned. It was as if he was re-living his thoughts during the event in his head from the moments before the shooting. "Hotch, behind you… I don't have time for my gun… Got to stop him… Aaron look out get back…," Jason's voice was weak, as he repeated statements over and over.

Aaron quickly dropped back down to Jason's side, and laid his hand on Jason's shoulder. Trying to sooth the older man's fears, he softly and calming spoke to him,"It's alright Jason. It's over. I'm here Jason. I'm right here,"

Jason's dark eyes opened and gazed up at his pale sweaty friend. He frowned, "Aaron, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Aaron slowly smiled. It was just like Jason to worry about everyone else even though he was the one who was injured, "No Jason, I'm not hurt. You've just scared the hell out of me, but I'm fine now."

The paramedic looked over at Aaron and said, "We should really get him to the hospital. He's had a big shock to his system."

"Ohh no, I don't want to go to the hospital. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be fine," Jason whined gravelly.

Aaron chuckled. Of all his agents Jason Gideon hated the hospital. He was a terrible patient. Aaron patted his shoulder; "Sorry buddy, but this time you've got to go be checked out."

The team silent watched the interaction between the two senior agents. It was becoming evident that there was a chink in the armor of the ever stern Aaron Hotchner. Jason Gideon was the one weakness any of them had ever observed in the all business man in black.

Aaron laughed, "Jason, you can have all the Italian you can eat, after you're checked out at the hospital." Leaning down he caressed the side of the older man's head, and placed his lips against the older man's forehead.

Not really caring what anyone else in the room thought at that point, Jason's eyes closed for a moment as he absorbed the feeling. He opened his eyes and quietly spoke to his partner. "It's alright Aaron; I'm going to be just fine."

Aaron dropped his forehead to Jason's, "You scared the hell out if me Jason. Don't you ever do that again... I thought you were…"

Not really wanting to have this conversation in front of everyone. Jason whispered, "Aaron your embarrassing the children."

Aaron chuckled, "You're probably right." Looking up he motioned to the officers to bring the stretcher up to Jason's side. Jason groaned loudly as they carefully lifted him onto the stretcher. "You're a sore loser, Hotch. I won fair and square. We eat Italian tonight."

Aaron smiled as followed the stretcher to the ambulance with Gideon fussing the whole way out.