A/N: You guys amaze me with your reaction to this story, thank you. As a thanks, here is the next chapter much sooner than you all expected, I'm sure (me too) Thank you again. Your humble bard.

Korsak came out of the bathroom to find Rossi speaking with the police lieutenant they had spoken to earlier.

"What do you mean you found Thomas?" Rossi waved Korsak over. "Where is he, can we speak to him?"

"No sir, I'm sorry. He is being taken to our morgue. They patron found him behind a local bar almost an hour ago. He didn't have any identification but the officer who responded recognized him.

"Sonofabitch!" Korsak paced behind Rossi while he spoke to the officer until his phone buzzed. Leaving Korsak with the officer he stepped away to look at his phone.

"Oh my God."

"What?" Rossi handed him his cell and pulled the officer aside.

"Lieutenant, do you have access to a helicopter?"

"Well yes, we have a helicopter that we use for medical emergencies, why?"

"One of our people needs to get medical attention as soon as possible." Korsak handed the phone back to him, hands trembling. 'Frost…'

"I believe it's on the other side of the island." Rossi explained what had happened and nodded approvingly as he called his dispatch officer.

"Vince…he's alive. We'll get to him in time. Besides, he has Maura taking care of him." He patted his friend on the shoulder. "I'm going to wake up Kevin and tell him to get off his ass and find us Clyde Easter."

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Emily walked away from Jane with purpose. If someone was out there she refused to allow anyone else to get hurt in her stead even though she knew they would come after her. Heading back in the direction of the falls she carefully pulled her arm out. Her shoulder was stiff but at least she could move it. She moved it around a bit more before putting it back in the sling. The weaker she appeared, the better target she would be. Self-preservation at all costs was Lauren Reynold's motto. Emily Prentiss though had a family to think of. Without realizing it, Emily was finally beginning to blend the two.

There was murder in her heart against whoever was out here with them and if she did come across them, she hoped she would be able to contain Lauren long enough to get them to talk.

She marveled at the terrain they had crossed in the dark. It really was treacherous. The path they had taken going up was practically gone thanks to the rains and she understood that. Some of the places Lauren ended up were quite similar. She needed a comfortable environment and even though they hadn't been there long, she had gotten the chance to explore the falls area.

Emily cleared a tree and saw a barely hidden wire at its base on the other side. She didn't know if she was being watched but if she had to bet, she figured she was so she made no move to at on what she saw, she just nonchalantly bypassed it and continued on, her mind working. She did grab one of the three sharpened branches that had been jammed into the ground in the event someone fell into the trap. The same one it seemed that Frost had fallen into.

If it were Lauren, she would have hired locals to do the job of getting rid of some unwanted problems and then disappeared. But that was true only if they had been ordered to get rid of her. Maybe they were supposed to grab her or just hurt her. She had no real idea.

With the sharpened branch in one hand she continued walking and listening. If they knew who Lauren Reynolds was, they would never have accepted this job. Whoever was out there couldn't stay quiet forever. And if Emily knew Jane at all, she knew the cavalry would be catching up with her fairly quickly.

A slight noise to her right caught her attention but she didn't let herself react. Walking on, she tried to ignore the buzzing of the phone in her pocket.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Rossi listened as the bartender described the other men associated with Thomas and wondered if they were up in the jungle right now. The other men were known troublemakers and worked for the highest bidders, usually capturing exotic animals for collectors and just generally working as hired muscle and very occasionally as guides themselves.

"What are the odds that these guys are up there with them?"

"That's a Reid question Vince but even I wouldn't take those odds."

Things were getting more complicated by the minute. Someone had hired these guys. Maybe Kevin would be able to turn up something they could use and track down who it was. If this was what he suspected in his gut, a hit on Emily, than whoever hired them was still on the island, waiting for notification that the job was done.

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Emily surreptitiously pulled out her cell phone and looked at the text. She wanted to scream and immediately had to bite back a curse.

'Connected to the House dear. They know where you are.'

"Goddamn you and your riddles Clyde Easter." Emily grumbled as she re-read the text. She was so preoccupied she almost missed the sharp snap to her right. Someone was keeping pace with her. It didn't sound like more than one person thank goodness so it shouldn't be to hard to dispatch them.

She started walking a bit more haphazardly hoping to draw them out. She could hear the falls in the distance so she knew where she was. Tripping on purpose she mistakenly reached out with both hands to catch herself and her cry of pain resounded around her.

"Idiot." She could tell the person stopped though. Carefully she pulled the sharpened branch out of her belt and tucked it into the sling. She paused as she the looked at the branch. JJ had killed a person not to long ago with just a broken stick. She should be able to hold her own with this.

"JJ…" She had screwed up so badly. If only she had told the team days earlier. If only she had told Jennifer. If only…

If she survived this she wouldn't blame Jennifer for leaving her. She deserved it and she only had herself to blame. And Lauren Reynolds.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the man come barreling into her.

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They all took off running in the direction of the scream.

"Emily, answer me!" JJ was showing off the athlete that she was, vaulting and running through the jungle in the direction of the scream. The branches that whipped at her body and face were hardly felt by her.

"JJ wait! Morgan was right behind her and so were the others.

Jane ran next to Jordan thinking of all the ways she had failed her friend. Why the hell had she blown up at her? It wasn't Emily's fault that Frost was hurt. If Emily was…No! She wouldn't think that way. She couldn't, she would never forgive herself.

"We're headed back." Jordan huffed.

"What?" Hotch was keeping an eye on the rest of them.

"The falls, we're headed back." She was right. Hotch recognized the area from their walk up the day before. He watched her vault over a tree and immediately go down.

"Jordan!"

"Carajo!" Jordan got to her knees and took a deep breath. She had knocked the wind out of herself had taken a branch to the face. Looking at her feet Jordan saw what she had tripped on. More wire. She saw that the sharpened branches had been tossed away from the trap and she knew in that moment that Emily had probably saved her life.

Hotch helped her stand up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Hotch."

"You're bleeding" The cut wasn't big but it was starting to bleed into her eye. "Here." He pulled a rag out of his pocket and held it to her forehead. "Sure you're okay?"

"Just great. Come on." She pulled him along with her as they ran to catch up with the others.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Nooo…" JJ faltered at the sight in front of her. Emily was lying still at the base of a tree covered in blood, eyes closed.

"No you don't Princess." Morgan and Jane ran past her and reached Emily together. Jane checked for a pulse. It was slow, but it was there. Checking her she quickly came to a realization.

"The blood's not hers." The relief in her voice resounded with the others. Most of the blood was on her sling. JJ dropped down next to her bringing her lips to Emily's.

"Emily…baby please…" Tears falling, she helf Emily's head, startled when she pulled her hand away sticky with blood.

"Jennifer?" her voice was a confused whisper. "Jennifer!" She sat up quickly, hand tightening on the sharpened branch in her hand. "Where is he?"

"Where's who?" Jane asked.

Emily brought a hand to her head. "Ow…" Everything tilted crazily and she shut her eyes tightly. "Oh shit." Her head was spinning. When he barreled into her she had rolled with it and pulled out the branch. When he saw it he had rammed her into the tree but not before she shoved the branch into him. It must have been his scream that brought them running.

"Emily?" JJ's tears were still rolling down her face, the relief she felt was unbelievable.

"Someone attacked me. I jammed a sharpened branch into his chest…he screamed and I must have blacked out. I…" She turned her head just in time, throwing up into the foliage.

When she was done she tried to stand up put a firm hand held her there. Looking up into dark eyes, she wasn't surprised that Hotch was there.

"We've been down this road before Emily." He handed her a canteen for her to rinse out with. She nodded and leaned back against the tree. She almost certainly had a concussion and for at least a little bit, she was grateful for the safety in numbers idea as she closed her eyes.

"Oh no you don't Emily Prentiss!" JJ's blue eyes flashed angrily as hers snapped open at that tone.

"I'm…"

"Sorry is not going to cut it right now. What the hell were you…" JJ lit into her like she was a twelve year old. She was beyond angry, she felt crazed not understanding how Emily could think so little of her. She didn't even pay attention to the others as they turned away from them to give them some privacy.

Emily let her rail at her. She deserved every word and more. She didn't realize she was crying until JJ suddenly stopped talking.

"What?" She couldn't defend herself because JJ was right about everything.

"You're an ass Emily but we love you you idiot. No more of this running off by yourself." She wiped away the tears on Emily's face. "In sickness and in health, till death do us part…understood?"

Emily looked at her in wonderment wondering what she had done in a past life to deserve this woman.

"Yes ma'am."

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Javi stumbled and tripped trying to keep from falling. With every step he felt his insides filling with blood. He had jammed his fist against the hole that bitch had put in him but it was no use. It wouldn't stop and he knew she had killed him. This was supposed to be a simple job, that's what his brother had said. He tripped again and fell, landing on his fist. The shock pulled his hand away and he felt himself start to drift as he emptied his life out into the jungle that had sustained him for so many years.

So? KNow where all of this is headed yet? Me either! hehe..just kidding… I'd love to get your thoughts, I appreciate them all truly.

Shameless plug time, My book Beauty of Fear by L E Perez is on Amazon for free kindle download this weekend! Its currently listed at #11 under Murder/Suspense. Help a sister out, 'kay? Just one thing though, reviews are even more important on Amazon. Several of you have already read it and reviewed. THANK YOU. There are not enough words...

Oh yeah-more reviews =quicker updates