AN: Hello, I am back! I've been struggling to write as a result of not having enough ideas I deem 'outstanding' and the fact that I've had little time to write. '200' helped to re-motivate me; what an AWESOME episode!

This story will focus on JJ, Reid, Cruz, and some other choice characters (such as the unsubs). There won't be a lot of the team in this fic, and it is based on the premise that Will and Henry don't exist (I know I'm taking some real liberties here). This story will follow the timeline of what happened, but I will be adding some of my own twists throughout including at the end. Some of this may read like watching the episode and some chapters may seem boring as a result of this, I apologize in advance. Because I don't have a ton of free time, this story won't be overly long, but I gave it my best shot given the time I have. I'm posting this first chapter now, a little hurriedly, in hopes that it will give me the extra motivational push I need to make this happen. I can already say a big THANK YOU to the multiple people who PM'd me, asking that I do my take on '200'. You know who you are, it is appreciated!

Finally, I chose the title because it was the first description that stuck in my mind. It reflects, in a sense, how I felt watching the episode, how the characters reacted during the episode, and the discomfort they will continue to feel in this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.

Rating: Strong T for now (if you've seen '200' you know why), may bump up to an 'M' later depending on where this goes.

Squirm (as a verb)- to wriggle or twist the body from side to side, esp. as a result of nervousness or discomfort.

"JJ, are you ok?" Spencer looked over and asked as they walked through the Georgetown campus, back in the direction of where they had parked.

"What? Yeah…I'm fine." JJ lied, her mind snapping out of what had clearly been a deep thought.

Spencer pursed his lips, trying hard not to stare at her too intensely. He knew her better than that. She knew that he knew her better than that. And yet, she had clearly just lied to him. It was rare that he had seen her mind so preoccupied. Rare that they had spent a night out together and she had been so quiet. No, something was definitely not 'fine'.

"JJ, you know you can talk to me…" Spencer began, trying a less intrusive tactic.

"I know." She replied simply, her words having an air of finality as if she were trying to kill the discussion. It seemed like she couldn't wait to get out of here, to get away from him tonight.

'Why did she agree to go to the film festival with me then? Sympathy?' He wondered.

'Or was it something I did? Is she no longer happy with the direction this, whatever this is, was going? Maybe I talked too much? I was only trying to help her understand what we were watching. I wanted it to seem fun, but she seemed so distant and uninterested…'

"JJ…" He turned to her as they walked but she continued to stare forward blankly, as if in a trance.

"JJ?" He tried again more firmly.

"Huh? What? Sorry Spence, were you saying something?" She tried to cover quickly.

'No, actually, I wasn't JJ. What is going on with her?'

There was a long moment of awkward silence as they had come to a stop in the center of campus. The air was cool, the surrounding area almost devoid of people now. The only sounds were a slight breeze and the splashing of the garden fountain behind them.

"JJ, I know something is wrong. Please tell me what it is." He pleaded with her. He looked deep into her eyes. They looked fearful, worried, they weren't their usual bright cheerfulness.

She looked away, glancing at the area around them. Noticing how few people were around made her feel nervous for some reason. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck sticking up as a cool breeze ruffled her hair a little.

JJ knew she was being paranoid, but it was for good reason. She couldn't tear her mind away from what Cruz had texted her. It was consuming her. She thought that going out with Spence would be a good idea, a way for her to distract her busy mind for a while, but it hadn't worked. She could only focus on that one thing, and it scared her.

She felt bad when she realized that not only had she used Spencer tonight, but that she had also been so distracted with her thoughts that she had cheated him out of any chance of a good time that he could've had. Now he was staring at her, expectantly, hoping for her to come clean and spill her guts to him. Because they had been seeing each other, on and off, for a while now, and that's what normal couples did. They shared, they were open. They trusted each other. Well, she did trust him. The problem was that right now, JJ wasn't sure that she could trust herself. She had no idea what the next few hours would bring, let alone the next few days or weeks.

The situation had gotten out of control, become infinitely more dangerous. She had to get out of here. She had to find Cruz so he could explain that message to her. She had to get out of here and away from Spence…to protect him. Being with him now could just as easily put him in the same danger she was potentially in right now. Yet, he didn't have what they were looking for. She did. And Cruz. Nobody else. And that was why the situation had come to a head; quickly spiraling out of control. And that was the reason she was walking so fast, with so much focus. She had to leave now.

JJ fidgeted with the scarf around her neck, pulling it tighter. Sliding her hands back inside her coat pockets, she pulled the coat impossibly tighter around her frame, attempting to shield herself from the shiver travelling down her spine.

"JJ, please." Spencer repeated desperately, growing obviously frustrated with her.

"Look Spence, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come out tonight. I loved the invitation, and I meant to have a good time. I just…have a lot on my mind…" She replied finally.

"Clearly. But I want to know what it is. I want to help you."

JJ flinched a little at the sharpness of his words, but she smiled thinly.

"You can't."

"Let me try, please. I want to."

JJ shook her head in the negative.

"You know Spence there are always going to be some things I can't tell you, we've been over this."

"But it doesn't have to be that way."

"It does."

"JJ, come on. I'm tired of doing this verbal dance with you! What is going on? Is it…me." His last words coming out nervously.

Immediately JJ's face softened a little and she realized the extent of the damage her recent distantness had caused. She cursed herself for being so focused on protecting Spence, that she had forgotten about his low self-confidence.

"Of course not Spence. I promise this has nothing to do with you. I'm very happy with you." JJ forced herself to smile, reaching her hand out of her coat and reassuringly intertwining her fingers with his.

"Then what has you so distracted? You barely said a thing all night. You kept checking your phone; you hardly watched the movies or even laughed…" He began to babble off a list of observations he had made throughout the night.

"Spence…someday we'll talk about it. I want to talk to you about it. Honestly, it's killing me a little inside not to. But I can't. For reasons that are out of my control, I just can't tell you right now. Please, forgive me." She met his eyes, the emotion in them clear.

"I love you Spence, truly. That will never change" She added empathetically.

Spencer worried his bottom lip, eyeing JJ as he tried to read through her eyes. He still wasn't sure everything she was telling him was true, but he could see the love in her eyes. That was real. He was weak. He could worry about her, but he couldn't stay mad at her. He caved.

"Ok JJ, fine. I'll let you have this one. But if there is anything I can do to help you, anything at all…"

"I know Spence. Thank you. And thank you for caring so much."

When she smiled Spencer couldn't help but to smile back.

"You know I'd do just about anything for you JJ."

"Just about?" JJ asked playfully.

"Anything." Spencer restated firmly.

JJ chuckled, closing the space between them as she held his gaze. Their lips were just about to meet when the sound of frantic footsteps surrounded them. JJ was suddenly yanked forcefully backwards, a hand clamped to her mouth.

Spencer's eyes bulged, startled by the sudden attack. He barely had a chance to process JJ being violently pulled away by a dark masked figure when his vision went dark. The feel of rough burlap against his face, the fresh air of the cool outside replaced by stale, enclosed air attacked his senses. He heard a muffled scream about ten feet from him. JJ.

Spencer tried to shout out, but his attempts were silenced by a hand pressed to his face. It soon became hard to breathe. An unexpected punch to the gut successfully incapacitated him enough to make him crumble to the ground. His arms were roughly pulled behind his back, cold metal encasing his wrists.

Spencer struggled, putting forth his best effort to fight. This earned him a hard blow to the side of his face. His head bounced off the concrete ground from the impact of the blow. He couldn't move now without feeling nauseous. As he was forced to his feet Spencer focused all of his concentration on remaining conscious. His head was swimming, he was going to vomit.

'Don't vomit. You could suffocate.' He implored himself.

He was thrown into the back of a vehicle, skinning his knees in the process on the unforgiving metal surface. He was no doubt in the back of a cliché dark van that almost all unsubs seemed to prefer.

His head was throbbing now as he came to rest on the floor of the vehicle, his body stretched out. He didn't dare move; the pain would be too much. He had to stay conscious and it was becoming harder by the moment. Suddenly there was a 'thump' beside him. It was a smaller, curvier body than his own. JJ.

She was still struggling, she refused to quit. Spencer heard an angry man's voice, but the voice echoed inside his skull, he couldn't make sense of it.

Then, in almost an instant, she stopped moving completely.

Spencer could hear one last faint whimper and then, nothing. His brain filled with worry for what had just been done to her, and Spencer forgot to focus on staying conscious.

When he woke up again he would be in hell.