"Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,

until you find it there and lead it back home.

Bring me to life."

(Evanescence: Bring me to life lyrics)

Hotch used all his influence to get as much help as possible and in a couple of hours sixty police officers and the whole BAU were after Joy Dalton.

"What's the next address, Ried?" Hotch asked, driving into a shabby side street. The agent, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked up from his list and pointed at a two-storey building at the end of the street. Hotch pulled up the car in front of it. The neglected front yard suggested that it had been abandoned for years.

They got out of the car and approached the building.

"Look, Hotch," Ried said, grabbing his arm. "This house is very strangely built. There are only three windows upstairs. I think one of the rooms has no window."

Hotch pulled out his gun. "Let's go inside," he said.

As soon as they entered the house through the front door, they were taken aback by the distinctive smell of a decomposing body.

The two agents exchanged a meaningful look. "She is here," Hotch said. "Let's go up."

Upstairs the doors of the rooms were open except for one. For a brief moment Hotch stood still in front of the massive oak door. He realized that he might not have been prepared for what was waiting for him inside.

"I'm going in alone," he said to Ried. "Call an ambulance."

The young doctor nodded and left.

Hotch took a deep breath and kicked in the door. The room was dark and the intensity of the smell told him he found what he was looking for. He turned on his flashlight and looked around. First thing he noticed was a dead body lying in one of the corners. Jimmy Dalton. He continued his way along the wall and found a bed. His heart sank as he realized that it was empty. The bedspread was covered with blood. "Too much blood," Hotch thought to himself. Suddenly, he sensed movement behind his back. He turned around abruptly and directed his flashlight in the corner next to the door. Joy Dalton was lying there curled up on her side. She was naked, her only cover being a dirty, bloody sheet. She was in a miserable condition, but she was at least alive, Hotch noted much to his relief.

"I found her. She's alive," he said to Ried who was waiting outside the door. "Go down and bring me a blanket from the ambulance car."

He kneeled down next to the girl and gently took her face between his hands.

"Joy," he said. "Can you hear me, Joy? I'm Aaron."

It took her minutes to open her eyes. "Aaron?" she asked, relief spreading across her face.

"Yes, it's me. I found you. It's over."

The girl reached out, but before she could have touched him, she lost her consciousness.

"Here's the blanket," Ried said and handed it to him.

Hotch gently wrapped her into it and took her into his arms. She felt almost weightless as Hotch lifted her. He carried her downstairs and put her in the ambulance car. He stepped back, allowing the doctors to examine her.

"Nice job, Hotch," said Morgan, tapping him on the shoulder. Hotch looked around in confusion and realized the whole team was there. Ried must have notified them.

Hotch shrugged off Morgan's hand. "We shouldn't celebrate yet. She might not survive," he said, removing his bulletproof vest. "You can all go home and have a rest. I'm going with her to the hospital."

(-)

That was four days ago. For four days Hotch had been sitting next to her bed, waiting for her to wake up. According to Dr. Steiner she wasn't in a coma, she just needed some sleep. Her body and her mind went through so much torture that she needed time to regenerate. Soon after she had been taken to the hospital, she came round once. She had kept repeating Hotch's name before she fell asleep again. That's when he decided to stay with her as much as possible. The doctor said that his voice was her only connection with the world, so he talked her a lot. He was even reading her from her favorite poetry book.

Yesterday something changed when Hotch took her hand into his. He caressed her thin white skin, his head resting on the hospital bed. Suddenly, he felt something strange. He straightened up and looked at her. Her eyes were still closed. Was it only his imagination? Then he felt it again: Joy squeezed his hand.

Dr. Steiner regarded this as a very positive sign. "She shall awake soon," he said, and gave Hotch a concerned look. "But you look terrible. You should get some sleep. She will need you when she wakes up."

(-)

But fate had other plans. Hotch needed to go to Quantico because the new case required everyone's presence. Morgan was waiting for him in his office, this time obviously determined to speak his mind.

"We have a new case. Where have you been?" he asked.

Hotch placed his briefcase on his desk.

"I was with Joy. She is still unconscious."

"I know. Because there is this revolutionary technology called a telephone, so I can keep in touch with the victim's doctor. You should do the same."

"Dr. Steiner said that my voice helps her to regenerate faster. The sooner she wakes up, the sooner we catch the kidnapper."

Morgan grimaced. "Of course. You've spent four days at her bed because you want to catch the bad guy so badly."

Hotch stepped to him and looked straight into his eyes.

"What do you want to say, Morgan?"

Morgan stepped forward and the two of them were glaring at each other.

"I say that you've entered dangerous territory with her."

"You're wrong. I'm doing my best to help a victim. This is what anyone of us would do," Hotch said and opened his briefcase, indicating that the conversation was over.

Morgan sighed, realizing that he wouldn't be able to convince him. "The others are waiting in the conference room."

"Tell them I'll be there in a second," Hotch said.

In that moment his mobile rang. It was Dr. Steiner from the hospital.

"Agent Hotchner? Joy Dalton is awake, but I'm afraid we have a problem. I think you'd better come here as fast as you can."

"I'm on my way," he said.

Once again the team had to work on the new case without him.

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