The team has just assembled in the meeting room, it is early in the morning, Morgan is standing off to the side with his coffee, Reid is sitting on the side of the table, Prentiss is sitting in a chair to Reid's right, Hotch has just came into the room from talking on the phone. Gideon is over at the white board looking over their current case.

JJ has just entered the room after Hotch, having just gotten off of the phone herself.

"So what do we know?" Morgan asked JJ as she came in, expecting some new news.

"I'm waiting on a phone call, got a possibility of a lead but he's double checking" she responded, Gideon's attention still on the board as if looking at it all for the first time or memorizing it for the 10th time.

"The guy's specialty is in fire arms, snipers, silencers, and because he wasn't accepted to become a member of S.W.A.T. he is telling everyone they could have used him. But going about it the wrong way in taking out the people who evaluated him from room tops. He's been slipping up and letting people witness his crimes now, sending us messages that he is not afraid of us and possibly knows that what he's been doing is wrong" Reid went over and right then JJ's phone went off and she went to answer it.

"He's wanting to challenge us now, he isn't sneaking around anymore" Morgan thought out loud and Gideon turned to them.

JJ hung up her phone; "he has returned home and has been apparently taunting the police outside of his house to come inside. So far they haven't seen him leave his home," she stated and with that they left the room and went for the parking garage.

"Is he seriously considering taking us on inside of his home?" Prentiss asked as she put on her belt, having been thinking it over on their way into the SUV.

"Maybe he feels he can outwit us in his own home, its his territory and he knows it better than anyone right now" Hotch said as he pulled the SUV out and began to drive in the direction of the man's house.

"By now he may have traps set up, automatic firing guns set up for sensor the moment someone walks in" Gideon stated in the passenger's seat, eyes on the road, he then looked over his left shoulder, "JJ, call in the paramedics."

JJ smiled to herself from the seat behind his, "already did" she informed and the rest of the drive was silent.

The moment the SUV pulled up the team piled out, a tall office building across the road from his bungalow, two story houses on either side of his. A tall hedge wall splitting a divider between his house and the other two houses, construction tarp in his backyard covering part of the ground and attached to the back fence from possibly working on a patio.

Police cars blocking off the road on either side, people watching with interest from the barrier's set up at what is going on. Officer's stationed at their own cars with guns aimed at the house in case if any gunfire comes from it that it won't take them off guard.

The team quickly put on their bulletproof vests and microphones with built in speakers into their right ears. "Testing… one – two – three" Hotch said just as they got them in and a few gave a nod and the rest a thumb up that their sets were working. "Alright, Morgan you take the left side of the house, Prentiss the right side, Reid you cover Morgan from behind and Gideon you cover Prentiss, I'll take the front door. Morgan, Prentiss and I will enter at the same time, JJ I want you to watch from the front window to the right here" Hotchner indicated to her, "and keep us informed of any movement that you see."

No one complained, each of them headed in the direction they were told to go, the door to the left of the house entering into the laundry room, the door on the right side into the kitchen, the one Hotch is to enter is into the main hallway, the garage door to his left but it is sealed shut by three different locks.

Looking down from above, the man smiled to himself, "the fools… they'll learn to never underestimate me" he said, scope to his right eye looking down at the scene. He used his basement window to come out from under the tarp, no one saw him use his modified backyard fence to crawl under and sneak his way around the entire scene. Used the back door to the office building and took the stairs to the rooftop.

"I will make this team feel pain" he muttered as he moved the focus of his scope to look upon JJ, smiling at how they think they are going into a house to find him with guns ready to fire.

"NOW!" Hotch ordered and he kicked open his door, gun raised looking at the door's for the garage on his left and family room to his right. No sign of anything hostile.

The other two kicked open their doors, guns trained for any movement, "clear" Morgan stated after his eyes looked around the laundry room, Prentiss coming up around the kitchen table, "clear" she stated shortly after Morgan.

JJ keeping her eyes on the room, looking at the corners of walls, under the rims of doors for any sign of movement, "nothing on my end" she reported, gun raised at the very large window she is looking into the room for.

Eye set on the weak spot of her protective gear, the area just below the under arm, finger just resting on the trigger of his non-silenced sniper rifle. Wanting to be caught after this, to see their reactions to what he is about to do will finish off his streak of revenge.

"Clear" sounded in JJ's head, Morgan's voice only a few seconds after Prentiss, her eyes trained on the room as she watches Hotch open the door to the room she is watching, he immediately sees her, she shakes her head to say 'No one'. The sound of a bang from the distance, her eyes going wide at the feeling of something hot and large having just shot into her.

Hotch watched from the door frame her eyes, "I heard gunfire… JJ what's… no" Hotch said, concern and disbelief in his voice at the last few words and he ran out of the house as he watched her collapse.

"Officer down! Officer down!" a policeman on the outside declaring on his walkie- talkie once he saw the agent fall to the ground.

Reid, Gideon, Morgan and Prentiss rushing out of the house the second they heard Hotch in their heads and went for JJ's location, their stomachs doing a slip while their hearts feel as though they've just stopped a beat or two.

Having dropped the gun the moment she realized what had happened, right hand coming up to cover the left side of her under arm on instinct while the pain rises to spreading through her chest, a numbing, fuzzy feeling coming over her lower half and slowly climbing up. Eyes on the sky, hearing shouts from behind on the road, something about knowing where the shot came from and mixed in with that, hearing her name being shouted.

Next thing she felt was someone pulling her from the top part of her vest to sit up against the wheel of a car, looking up to see Hotchner looking down at her as the other's circle around. Vision a little hazy, taking in deep, shallow breaths as if finding it hard to breath.

"JJ hang in there! The ambulance isn't here just yet, they are coming down the road as I speak" Hotchner stated, Morgan's eyes on the office building just across the road, "he wanted this… he set us up!" he said outraged as Gideon then sent him after the shooter.

Reid now crouched down next to JJ on her left, Gideon to her right, Hotch standing, right hand rubbing the back of his head in worry while Emily is crouched down in front of JJ, on her knee's, hands shaking.

"It hurts…" JJ whispered when she felt Reid put his right hand over the entry wound, to try and stop the bleeding.

"You hang in there JJ, stay with us" Reid stated but noticed he was nearly pleading to her, as her face is pale, eyes not fully focusing on anything anymore. Gideon then taking her right hand in his own, "stay with us JJ, you're going to make it! You hear me," he stated with confidence, but his voice is cracking at the sight of her head leaning back into the car.

JJ felt a warm substance rise through her through, giving off a few little coughs as the substance raises to her mouth, a coppery taste as she feels tears in her eyes, her mind spinning but starting to slow down, hearing their words as if at a distance. Something holding her right hand firmly, but unable to give anything back as her strength drains from her body.

Reid's throat going soar, voice cracking and tears coming down his cheeks at the sight of her condition and seeing blood now in her mouth come up to her lips, "JJ you have to hang in here! Please – stay with us!" Reid practically begged, loosing his emotions, seeing in the corners of his eyes that Gideon's eyes are red, and can hear Emily choking back her own tears. Hotch is standing, staring with disbelief at what is happening before him, to what has been done to one of his youngest member's of his team.

Emily now covering her face partially with his left hand, fingers' shielding her eyes from what is happening.

JJ closes her eyes, after looking up at the sky, a numbness spread through her whole body now, clenching her jaw at a flicker of pain inside of her where the bullet sits. Mind slowing down more so, no more thoughts, opening her eyes one last time to see Reid and Gideon only, everything else has mostly darkened in her vision, seeing the shock, worry, and fear in their eyes as her vision continues to go darker, and darker. Till nothing can be seen and everything stopped.

Hotch had looked away just before she stopped moving, Reid and Gideon being witness to JJ having just gone while hearing door's open and close as well as a set of running footsteps.

"What is her condition?" a paramedic asked while his partner went to the back of the van to go and get a stretcher, Morgan rushing past him to look and see JJ's lifeless body sitting up against the car tire. He felt tears rushing to his eyes, left hand cover his mouth as he became overwhelmed with emotion.

Reid's hand dropping to the ground, tears flowing down his cheeks as he looks upon her features. Gideon setting her hand onto her stomach while his other hand reaches up to pull her eyelids down and he closes his eyes as he lets his head hand hang down in defeat.

Emily covering her face with both hands now, sobbing into her hands at what has just happened, Hotch turning away from them to try and mask his own emotions while Morgan falls to his knee's.

JJ is gone… just like that…. the killer got us Morgan thought what everyone else has going through their minds.

Morgan then felt his cell phone vibrate, he pulled it up to see that it is Garcia and hit talk before bringing it to his ear. "Hey sweet stuff, I just got news that you got the guy!" she said excitedly which caused him to close his eyes and rub his face while giving off a small sniff back of his emotions.

Garcia caught this and felt her joy drain right away to shock and wonder, "what don't I know Derek?" she asked and Morgan then swallowed to clear his throat. "Its JJ… she's dead," he said before lowering the phone, the words hitting him like a brick wall has just fallen onto his back. The words making the sight feel more real than just comprehending it.

Garcia on the other end felt her hands shake as she brought them to her mouth, staring at the screen before her in shock, the words sinking in the moment she heard them.

None of the team members could watch as they put JJ's form onto a stretcher inside of a body bag and into the van to be taken away.

Gideon called up JJ's family, Emily told Garcia the details of what all had happened while at the man's house, no one really wanting to be on their own stayed at the station. Glued to their desks or to the break room, minds wrapping around the events that last happened in their lives.

Hotchner went back to his home to be with his family and break the news to Haley himself. He surprised her when he told her he was coming home on his cell phone, that telling her that the case was done. The moment he closed the door to their front door she flung her arms around him in a hug, "this is a pleasant surprise!" she said, happiness in her voice, Hotch put his arms around her, embracing her as if he hadn't seen her in months.

"Aaron?" Haley said, her voice low, having noticed his returning hug isn't just a greeting hug by the way he held her, "what's wrong?" she asked and he led her to the couch to sit down, he sat next to her but facing her.

"Haley… we got a phone call that the sniper guy was in his home" Aaron began, keeping his eyes on her's, knowing that he has her full attention, "we were told he was still in his house, I told JJ to watch one of the rooms from the outside to warn us of any movement we weren't expecting." Aaron felt himself start to loose control of his emotions again; holding them in he took a deep breath while Haley placed a hand onto his hand that is on his knee for comfort. "Just as I looked into the room that JJ was watching and got a signal from her saying no one was there, I heard a gunshot from a distance" Aaron paused again, closing his eyes to try and rub the emotions out of his eyes with his middle and thumb rubbing his eyes. "I watched as JJ collapsed through the window, I ran out and pulled her up to a car wheel to sit her up… the sniper was on the office building across from the house. He'd slipped by unnoticed…"

Aaron was finding it harder now more than ever to hide his emotions from Haley, he opened his eyes to look at her, his eyes red and tears shining in them, "he killed JJ… she died at the scene… right in front of the team and I – we watched her slip away" his voice fully cracked, Haley couldn't believe what she heard. The news taking time to sink in, feeling nauseated all of a sudden, moving forward on the couch she put her arms around Aaron's shoulder's he put his face to her shoulder as she did the same for him.

The phone then rang next to them, neither answered it – not wanting to talk on the phone and let the machine get it.

"Hotch? It's Gideon… I just got off the phone with JJ's family. The funeral is late this after noon; they've just booked last minute seats. The wake is happening at 4:00, the funeral is at 5:45 so everyone has some time with her… I'll see you there" and the call ended.

To Be Continued…

Please review; I have never done a story like this before, though the next chapter will surprise everyone.

Started: Wednesday October. 17, 2007

By: SLITH