'Okay, it's official. My job sucks! My girlfriend is missing and I, the Special FBI Agent, can't even pitch in to help find her because I'm too emotionally attached,' thought Emily, watching from a short distance on the couch in the Behavioural Analysis Unit conference room in Quantico, Virginia. FBI Agent Emily Prentiss was frustrated, scared for her blonde-haired, blue-eyed lover and had broken down twice in the time span of four days. Aaron Hotchner, her boss, had interrogated her on anything that she might now like suspicious phone calls, people following the girl and things of that nature.
Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau had been reported four days before, when she and Emily had left the building with intent of going home together for a night in. As soon as they had gotten to JJ's car, a piece of two by four had impacted against Emily's forehead and JJ's muffled scream could be heard in the underground parking lot. Emily had run back upstairs to her boss' office to tell him JJ was gone. Four days later, several doses of pain killers for the dark brunette, their computer technician going over video footage and a ransom note inch by inch and their group had come to stop at a dead end.
When Emily first broke down, she was in JJ's office and sitting in the same comfy chair she had at her own desk, staring at a photo that sat on the crowded desk right next to the lamp of the two lovers smiling at the camera. Luckily for them, no one had seen it because no one besides JJ goes to the other side of the desk. Tears had splashed onto the glass of the frame and Morgan found her crying and he put two and two together. He told Hotchner with respect for the two of them, not wanting either to get hurt more.
Haley Hotchner, Aaron's ex-wife, had walked through the bullpen with the thought that she couldn't believe that she was delivering his mail again when it got given to her. How did they find her anyways? She had brought her current house in her maiden name. A brown A3 envelope was given to her and she was ordered to give it to Hotch. Little Jack was in her arms taking in the room he was in.
The brown envelope was given to Garcia immediately and traces of dirt were found under the sticky part of it. A DVD was in the oversized packet. It was JJ tied to a chair for several minutes before being assaulted. The screen went black for seconds and the breathes of all five people watching hitched in their throats as the picture returned with JJ screaming every time someone touched her. They could only imagine what happened to the poor girl in the time the camera was turned off.
Two days later they had eliminated all the places that that certain sample of dirt had come from and ended up with three possibilities. Sure they knew who the kidnappers were but even the FBI couldn't find them. The best computer geek in the world couldn't find them and that was saying something. The upside to that was that there were only seven places in the Washington, D.C., area with that type of soil. Hotch, Rossi, Morgan and Reid each had a team of four people and three other Special Agents had their own teams to go out to one place each to search it for any sign of JJ.
They got lucky. Morgan found the place and called it in. Everyone was there in less than ten minutes, that Reid, Rossi and Hotch, the press who had appeared out of thin air basically, civilians who could get hurt just by being there and Emily, who Hotch had ordered to stay at Quantico until they were sure. He didn't want the scared woman getting her hopes up for JJ. When they hit the site, Garcia pulled Emily down to the garage and to the scene.
Emily was freaking out behind the ambulance. It had arrived with other agents seeing as they had a good idea that JJ was still alive, probably still tied to that chair in a bloody mess under the house in the basement. As Hotch and Morgan led the SWAT team into the house, minutes seemed like hours, long hours where Garcia and Emily couldn't breathe.
In the dark basement with the one light hanging above her in the middle of the room, JJ was huddled in the corner between a small bedside table and the wall. Thunderous footsteps could be heard above her as she fought to stay awake. Doors were crunching and the yells coming from the SWAT team could probably be heard three states over. That's how everything sounded and looked to JJ. The average looking asshole with a gun by the stairs was swaying and there was more than one of him. Her vision was jaded and she was scared.
"HOTCH! Basement!" yelled Morgan, preparing to kick it down.
That had been a mistake. As soon as the guy at the stairs heard that door go down, he pretty much sprinted towards JJ, pulling her hair as an attempt to use her as a shield. That was a mistake on his part. Surrounded by FBI and SWAT Agents in a basement with no way out so he must have figured that he would go down spraying bullets at every last federal agent and they would fire back, but they couldn't. JJ way in the way.
Silently with his eyes, trying to keep his steely look towards the guy going but also as warm, caring one to JJ, Hotch tried to talk the guy down while motioning for JJ to duck as soon as she had the chance. Morgan was sneaking away around the side of the guy. JJ was blocking his view, which he was thankful for as he pushed the barrel of his gun to the back of his head and he let go of JJ, the blonde woman scrambling back to the corner for safety.
"JJ, come on, girl. Let's get you out of here," said Morgan, making towards JJ, towering over her and scaring her more as she flinched as his touch. He turned and whispered to Hotch, "I'm gonna go get Emily."
All the SWAT team members were no longer in the house and Morgan stood on the front porch, his eyes scanning for Emily Prentiss. Spotting her with Garcia, tear tracks marring her pale, now tired, looking face, she looked to him with hope. She must have interpreted the look on his face as a bad sign. Hotch was still inside and she burst into tears, sobbing hard. Rossi stood Emily up and pushed her gently towards Derek Morgan, pulling her into the house and into the basement.
"She's scared, so she won't let us near her. You need to get her out to the ambulance," he explained.
"Hotch, can you get me a blanket?" asked Emily, noticing a dramatic change in the temperature as she entered the underground room.
"Sure," he replied, leaving Emily alone with JJ as he dragged Morgan out of the basement to let the brunette coax the blonde out by herself. Moments later a thick blanket was in her hand from the ambulance waiting outside and Emily was cautiously walking towards JJ, huddled in the corner, crying, filthy dirty with blood and dirt from being kept in the small and disgusting room for days on end.
"JJ. Sweetie, we have to get you out of here," whispered Emily, speaking slowly and trying to sound reassuring. "We're gonna get you home. Do you want to go home?"
JJ nodded visibly in the dim light and swallowed hard, wincing. Her throat was sore from screaming in pain from the torture she had had to endure.
"Well, you have to trust me, okay? I'll take you home," said Emily, holding her hand out for JJ to take when she was ready.
As soon as JJ fingers touched Emily's and there was no more flinching, Emily quickly moved the blanket around Jennifer Jareau. She wasn't expecting to be pulled into a hug. She had JJ wrapped around her finger, getting her to get out of the basement, cameras flashing and recording for a distance as they slowly limped to the ambulance, to the hospital where her back became stiff as a bored from sleeping in the chair next to JJ for the night.
That seemed like ages ago to the two lovers when really it was last week. Nightmares came and went for the both of them and JJ's throat was nearly healed but the doctor advised her to rest her voice. She needed help with changing and bathing, the one thing that Emily would never have an objection too and when she felt up to it, they would watch movies, make cookies or do something together. The boys came over regularly to check up on them, Reid being a little bit awkward because he still had a small crush on the blonde girl he had been on a total of one date with. Occiasionally, to let JJ know that she was there for her, she would shower the blonde with small, light, soft kisses full of love and trust.
JJ was smiling, truly smiling, and that was all that Emily needed to know that she was okay.