Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and the characters are not mine.

Authors Notes following the story.

Bearding the Lion

"I want to go in there with you," JJ said

"I want to go in there with you," JJ said.

"What?" Hotch asked. When Garcia called and said JJ wanted to talk to him, he hadn't expected this.

"All his victims were young, blonde," JJ told him.

"Like you," Hotch finished, taking in the difference in her hair. She had changed it to look similar to the way the "women of Jacob" wore theirs on the monitor. "You think seeing you might get him to open up?"

"It's worth a shot. Has he said anything to you?"

Hotch shook his head. "Nothing useful."

"Then we have to do something," JJ said. She must have picked up on his discomfort, because she added, "He won't be able to do anything to me."

"He won't be able to do anything to you physically." Hotch emphasized the last word. He stared at her, sizing her up to see if she understood the emotional danger she was volunteering for. He knew he wasn't unaffected by Jacob. How much more would it affect JJ, with his attentions focused on her? Even though he'd never get a chance to act on them, she would know what he was thinking. It was what she was counting on when she proposed the plan.

JJ met his gaze, levelly. "I can handle it. And, if this will get him to tell us about other victims, it would be wrong not to try it."

She was right. If there were other victims, the families deserved whatever closure they could provide. But, did their opportunity for closure outweigh his duty to protect his agents from risks that could be avoided?

"I'll be fine," she said.

He could tell it was important to her that she was allowed to do this. It was mainly to help the families. But, he felt like she saw this as a test of her skills, as well. Would vetoing the plan send a message that he didn't trust her ability to handle the job? It was that question, and the knowledge that he couldn't think of a better way to get Jacob talking, that decided the issue for Hotch.

"I'll be there the whole time," he told her, and himself. JJ nodded. "All right, let's go over what to do."

They planned out their strategy. He would trust her and trust that she was ready for this, but he was going to make sure they left nothing to chance.

"Ready?" Hotch asked her.

"Ready," JJ answered. They walked out together.

Authors Notes: This is my first attempt at writing original dialogue for the characters on the show. I'm hoping the characters sound like themselves. I'm not really happy with the title, but I couldn't think of another one.