Disclaimer; I do NOT own criminal minds, only in my dreams are they mine.

A/N: Once again thank you to my beta reader GoodGodHenry, for her endless patience in helping me decide that, Hotch and Prentiss were indeed needed in this chapter.

Emily watched as Hotch froze, his phone seemingly stuck to his ear, with a look of pure panic on his face. Her stomach began to churn, nothing good could have caused a reaction like that. No, it had to be bad, or worse than bad, it must be something downright awful. Emily tried to keep her panic under control, she knew she shouldn't jump to any conclusions, but that was hard to do when Hotch seemed to have gone into another, darker, world.

"Hotch! What's wrong?"

Nothing. He didn't even blink.

"Hotch!" she called again louder, but still she got no response. He was beginning to scare her. She stood and walked around the table towards him, and grabbed his shoulders forcing him to look at her, to just bring his damn phone away from his ear!

"Hotch!" - he was still in shock.

She checked the time, it had been three minutes since the phone call, she needed to get him to snap out of whatever it was that he was in. Taking a deep breath, she began to shake him while calling out to him firmly.

"Aaron, I need you to tell me what's going on!"

His eyes finally darted towards her, still not seeing her, but he seemed to be slowly coming back to reality.

When he spoke it was in a whisper, "He has them!"

The words, mixed with the horror in his voice, sent a shiver down Emily's spine, and her heart faltered. Immediately she knew who he was talking about, but she dismissed the notion. 'It could be anyone' she thought, desperately refusing to accept what she knew in her heart to be the truth.

"Who? Who does he have, Aaron?" her voice was as quiet as his, her eyes pleading for it not to be true.

When he finally met her eyes, there was no need for words, she had the answer.

JJ opened her eyes, her vision hazy, and her head was throbbing. Forcing herself to focus, she took in her surroundings. She was bound tightly, by her wrists and ankles, to a chair that was sitting in the middle of the room. The restraints were made from thick rope, that had a way of chaffing any skin it came into contact with, whether she moved or not.

The room itself looked as if it was designed for a small child; with its soft lilac walls that were cut in half by a wraparound butterfly border. There was a large doll house in one corner, neatly finished with all the pieces carefully arranged inside it. A toy box stood against the wall near to where JJ was sitting, she could see that the wood had been carefully engraved with different scenes from various fairy tales. JJ could also make out an engraving on the lid, it looked like it could be initials, but the room was too dimly lit for her to read it.

The only light JJ had, came from a nightlight in the shape of a butterfly that was plugged into the wall near the bed. The bed itself, wasn't really a bed, it looked more like a crib that had been turned into a toddler bed; the high dark wooden railing was against the wall, while on the other side the railing was only half the length and height, its only function to keep the child from rolling off. The bed was finished with a purple, butterfly themed comforter.

JJ couldn't figure out why she was here, or what the meaning of the children's theme was. Were they even still at the research lab?

JJ hadn't seen Spencer, and her panic increased, 'where was he?'. Her eyes darted around the room again, as if this time she would see something she had missed previously, and that Spencer was just hiding somewhere. She began tugging at the restraints, ignoring the pain that this action elicited, desperately trying to find a way out.

The tears began to well up in her eyes. She had to find him, they couldn't be separated, how would she protect him now.

Just as she was about to call out for help, the door slammed open, and the unsub walked in.

His eyes were a strange shade of green, that seemed to pierce through JJ's soul, causing her to shudder. A large smirk was spread across his face, contorting it into a sadistic look of pleasure. He was enjoying himself. Immensely.

"Agent Jareau, it's a pleasure to meet you, can I call you JJ?" he said almost conversationally. "Your agent title won't matter much after I'm through with you."

JJ gritted her teeth, trying not to respond to the thinly veiled threat. Instead she began pulling on her restraints with more strength.

"I'm so happy you could join me, I've waited a long time for this." He crooned at her.

"What do you want?" JJ spat out.

"Now, now Jennifer. That's no way to speak to someone." he said warningly as he moved toward her.

Before she could react, he landed a hard backhanded blow to her cheek. The metalic taste of blood immediately filled her mouth, and she fought not to cry out.

"You have so much to learn, but I see we need to add manners to the list!" he said eyeing her intently.

"What do you want?" JJ asked again, defiantly, only to be met with another strike to her cheek.

"What did I just say?" he snarled at her. The second blow had left her slightly dazed, and momentarily unable to answer. "Seems like your father still has a lot to teach you!"

"My father?" JJ asked bewildered.

"Agent Hotchner, of course."

"He's not my father!" JJ said firmly, though her mind was laced with confusion. 'Why would he think that?'

"Isn't he?" the unsub sang, "He most certainly cares about you, and you care a great deal what he thinks of you. You follow his every word."

"He's my boss!" JJ yelled, "Of course I follow his orders."

"Now Jennifer, watch your tone, and don't argue with me. I've seen the way he acts towards you, and the young Dr Reid."

"You've been watching us?" JJ asked, she couldn't help but wonder how long he had gone unnoticed by them.

"Oh, most definitely. Why else would I have chosen you? You and Dr Reid need my help."

JJ was dumbfounded. This unsub was clearly delusional, and suddenly JJ was unsure about pushing him.

"You, sweet little JJ, have been through so much. Having to carry so many burdens on your shoulders, yet nobody was there to take care of you. It's only fair that you get a chance to start over."

"What do you mean start over?" JJ asked brusquely, giving another firm tug on the ropes. 'Screw not pushing him', she thought obstinately, 'I need answers.'

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves there, darling. "The unsub smirked, and went on tauntingly, "There's so much to do before then," before he landed another, unexpected, blow to her cheek.

This time JJ struggled to bite back tears of pain.

"Tell me, JJ, how do you feel?"

"About what?" JJ hissed.

Another, harder, blow followed.

"About your feelings; now, about your childhood, the members of your team. All of them!" He yelled.

"No!"

"No?"

"I'm not giving you what you want!" JJ answered defiantly.

"I'm starting to lose patience with you, Jennifer."

JJ merely stared at him.

"Very well, have it your way." the unsub sighed. He then went on, landing punch after punch; first to JJ's face, then moving on to her stomach, leaving her winded and struggling for breath. The tears were flowing freely now.

"Ready to try now?" the unsub asked glaring at her.

JJ shook her head, partly because she couldn't breathe, and partly because she wasn't giving in.

"You are more stubborn than I thought." he stated, turning away from her, and walking toward the dresser.

JJ's eye was beginning swell, and he was facing away from her, so she was unable to see what he was doing. When he turned back, JJ saw a large syringe in his hand. Her eyes widened, and she began to struggle with renewed vigour at her restraints.

"I guess it's time to try another method." he sneered, as he slowly made his way closer to her. "This should make you more compliant!". As he spoke he brought the syringe down, and plunged it straight into her heart.

JJ let out an ear piercing scream, as the burning sensation filled her chest, and spread throughout her body, eventually causing her to pass out. Her last thought was of Spencer, hoping that he was faring better than she was.

Hotch glanced at Emily, she was barrelling towards the police station, sirens blaring, her face almost unreadable. To an outsider she would appear to be emotionless; but he could tell from her frown lines that she was agitated and uneasy. Her pursed lips told him that she was fiercely determined, and hell bent on finding this guy.

Hotch didn't know how he knew these little things about her, only that he did. He chalked it up to the fact that they had been working together for five years. Wasn't it only reasonable, and inevitable, that he would be able to read her?

Before his thoughts could stray further from the more pressing matter at hand, Garcia's cheery voice filled the car, "What can I do for you, my fearless leader?"

Hotch snorted, earning a raised eyebrow from Prentiss, and mentally rolled his eyes. He was anything but fearless right now; Fear was filling every bone in his body.

'This couldn't be happening, not to him, not again!' he thought desperately. A sudden rage swept through Hotch at the unfairness of his life.

"Garcia, I need you to trace Reid and JJ's phones, and give me a location!" his voice held a noticeable edge.

"Sure, but sir, why am I doing this?"

"Just do it, Garcia!" He barked at her. For a couple of seconds only the sounds made from the clicking of the keyboard filled the car, before there was a beat of silence.

The panic stricken voice of Garcia shattered any hope Hotch may still have been hanging on to. "Their phones are dead, I can't find them!"

"Damnit Garcia! That's not good enough!" He roared, slamming his fist down onto the dashboard. Prentiss jumped at his unexpected anger.

"What's going on?" Garcia asked, her voice quivering.

Emily shot Hotch a glare, 'He really didn't need to go off on Penelope like that', before she answered.

"We don't know Garcia."

Reid woke up in a similar position to JJ, the only difference was that he was in a room decorated specifically for boys; it was filled with cars and trains.

Reid immediately looked around for JJ, his heart clenching when he couldn't find her. He hadn't been able to stop the unsub in time.

The effort of looking around left him feeling exhausted. His bones were aching, they felt as if they were being compressed. Reid felt like crying, the drug was making it difficult for him to control his emotions - they were all over the place. All he could think about was how JJ was right, they should have called for backup. Hotch would never have let anything happen to them, he would have protected them. He hoped Hotch would find them, he swore he would do better next time.

He needed Hotch and Emily, he didn't know why them specifically, but he did. This was extremely confusing for Reid, he was mad at them, and it wasn't like they could do anything differently to the rest of the team. But Reid sensed that it was whatever he had been injected with, that was making him feel insecure.

He once again tried to get loose to look for JJ, but he couldn't. He let out a frustrated moan, and with his chin resting on his chest, he dropped his head. It wasn't long before it snapped up again.

He had heard a loud scream. His heart dropped into his stomach, and a lump formed in his throat.

It was JJ.

He hadn't had a chance to ponder about what was happening to her for long, when the door suddenly crashed open, causing Spencer to jump.

"Dr Reid! You're awake, how are you feeling? Are the drugs starting to work? You should start feeling your bones beginning to shrink." The unsub rambled on, in a tone that Reid could best describe as excited.

"What are the drugs supposed to do?" Reid asked in an attempt at remaining calm.

"They are going to help give you a second chance"

"A second chance at what?"

"At childhood! From my research, you never really had much of one the first time around." The unsub said shaking his head sadly, as if Reid's life was of utmost importance to him.

Reid was bewildered; Was the unsub planning on keeping him here forever? How did he know about his childhood? If he was the target what had he done with JJ? Surely the team would find them before it was too late. His mind was racing with a million questions, and through numerous possibilities, at a dizzying speed.

The unsub merely smirked at the muddled expression on Reid's face. "Don't bother trying to understand it Doctor. You aren't going to remember anything when I'm through with you anyway."

Reid involuntarily gulped.

"Now then," The unsub continued, "let's see if you are more cooperative than your fellow agent."

"What happened to JJ?" Reid squeaked out.

Reid felt a stinging slap across his cheek, that immediately caused tears to spring to his eyes. "Don't interrupt!" he growled, "And don't worry about your partner, I'm going to take care of her."

At this declaration, Reid felt a rush of emotion, mainly fear, spread throughout his body. The tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"Tell me, Dr Reid, how do you feel right now?"

Reid glared at the unsub, why was he asking him that.

"I'm waiting Spencer, tell me about your emotions." He said warningly, before wagging his finger in front of Reid's face, adding, "Don't you dare lie to me, and I can always tell, or I can promise you that Agent Jareau will suffer."

Reid remained silent, looking at the floor. The unsub gave him another slap to the cheek, causing Reid to cry out in pain. His tears began to flow more earnestly.

"Don't make me repeat myself!" the unsub yelled, making Reid wince.

Reid desperately tried to get his crying under control, so he could speak. "I..I'm s..sc..scared." He finally managed to stutter out.

"Good! Keep going!" the unsub barked.

"I...I'm worried about JJ?" Reid mumbled, but it was a question, more than a statement.

This enraged the unsub "I told you not to worry about her!" He roared, lifting his arm to take another swing at Reid. Before he could bring his hand down, Reid cried out loudly, "Wait! Wait! I'm sorry, I won't do it again"

The unsub seemed to calm immediately, he stopped and nodded. "Good! But we still have some work to do on you. I think it's time for another dose of medicine."

"No! No! Please, I'll be good!" Reid begged. But the unsub ignored him, and Spencer's world went black.

A/N: Another cliffhanger!

But at least there is a little bit of insight into the unsub. I couldn't decide if I wanted Hotch and Emily in this chapter but then I realised I couldn't not have them. We do want them together don't we?

Please Please leave reviews, Tell me what you think so far, love/hate it. Also feel free to send in any suggestions about what you want to see going forward.

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