Not being cleared for active duty wasn't about to stop Emily from going to work the next day. She was getting more and more frustrated doing nothing all day it just left her more time to think about what had happened. At the very least she could show up and see what the team had come up with or if they had started a new case she could at least help with. She got out of bed, her eyes lingered on the pain pills for a moment she knew the relief they would give her from the broken ribs and arm but decided it was best to not take them. She wanted her head to be clear, no she needed it to be if she was going to be of any use to the team. Instead, she walked over to the closet and pulled out clothes grimacing at the motion of lifting her good arm high enough to get the hanger off. Emily could tell it was going to be a long painful day but a part of her didn't mind the pain it helped her know she was alive and that this wasn't some blissful dream she was going to wake from to find herself back in that basement.

After getting dressed Emily retrieved her gun from the drawer of her bedside table along with her badge and walked downstairs to see that Garcia had already left. Part of her was relieved she knew the blonde would just try to talk her out of going with the argument she needed to rest.

Emily scanned her name badge to get into the building and headed to her team's floor. It wasn't until she had to take a deep breath that she realized she had been holding her breath, her stomach was in knots she hadn't seen the entire team since she was in the hospital. She knew they were going to want to know everything she hadn't gone into detail about what had happened at least not beyond what they needed to know for their MO. The thought of seeing JJ also terrified her, not in the way Nathanial terrified her, but she knew that eventually she would break down and tell the blonde everything and she didn't want to see the look of hurt and pity on her face. JJ was the last person she wanted to pity her.

Ever since the moment she had met JJ something about her had drawn Emily to her and it had taken way to long for her to admit her feelings for the blonde. Only Morgan had guessed it from the start, her feelings for JJ. He was the first person on the team Emily had told about not being interested in men after a few drinks at the bar with him. Emily hadn't been the most public with her sexuality to the team, but she hadn't gone through the lengths to hide it either she just preferred to keep her personal life separate from work, that was if she miraculously found time to have a personal life.

She took a moment to collect herself before walking into the room. The last thing Emily had been expecting was the silence that followed her walking inside. No one said a word, but she could see from there facial expressions they knew what had happened. A shiver went down her spine and she could feel the color drain from her face. The only one acting normal was Reid who hadn't even noticed the silence that had fallen and was instead turning pages in the book he was holding. She quickly averted her gaze from those around her and walked over to her desk next to Reid's. "Hey, earth to the genius boy," she said in a teasing tone.

Only after hearing her voice did Reid look up from his book, "Emily! You know I've missed you with you gone I've had no one to watch movies with after all no one else in the team can speak as many languages as you."

Emily smiled for the first time in a while, it was nice to see that Reid was just as oblivious as ever. She was relieved that conversation had started up in the room again. "So where is the rest of the team?"

"Hotch went to go see his kid before coming back here, he didn't leave last night, and he said he would be back soon. As for Morgan and Rossi, they're in the briefing room going over your case again… Actually, it is perfect that you are here we could use some fresh eyes plus I don't think you've really told us everything, so you might have some more insight then we do." Reid said as he stood up from his chair.

Emily should have known that she couldn't keep what had happened to herself not with what the team did, not with Nathanial still out there. She didn't quite know what to say to Reid but was saved by the fact he was already walking to the briefing room without waiting for her to say a word. Again, even though he was a genius he was still as oblivious as ever a fact Emily took relief in.

What surprised Emily was the lack of surprise when the team excluding Hotch noticed her walk into the briefing room. "I told you she wouldn't last the week without coming into work. You owe me twenty bucks Morgan" Garcia said.

"Wait you guys were taking bets on when I would come in by the end of the week?" Emily didn't know if she should be offended, surprised, or if she should laugh.

"Well, you are a creature of habit plus you were totally restless yesterday," Garcia remarked as she was typing on her laptop.

The amused look on her face fell once she noticed the case that was up on the board and that her name was under the victim category. She couldn't help but let the self-doubt that crept into her head that she was just that weak to have let herself become just that a victim. Emily felt a hand gently squeeze her arm and she instinctively flinched and her whole body grew ridged until her gaze fell to JJ standing next to her. She could see the look of hurt flash in the blonde's eyes as her hand fell back to her side. "It's okay to let yourself feel," she said softly.

As much as Emily wanted to break down and let herself be comforted by JJ she didn't let herself. A part of her was scared that if she did fall apart she wouldn't be able to put herself together and she would really be as broken as she felt. Keeping her tone as emotionless as she could, "Where are you guys at on finding Nathanial?"

The moment of silence that followed only confirmed the dread that was forming her gut they hadn't found him. "We had one sighting of him, but the description was vague and at this point cold. We do have a trail of victims it looks like he has been doing this for a while now. For the most part, his victims didn't escape him alive" Morgan said. "Charlotte and you are the exceptions. It looked like he kept her alive although she was his captive for a while. We haven't been able to get much out of her though it seems like she is still protecting him."

"I think she has a form of Stockholm syndrome. He convinced her that he could harm her sister if she betrayed him, so I think she created this fantasy that he cared for her because he kept her alive even when the others he brought in died. At least I don't think I was the first one she had seen in that basement…" she feels silent for a moment her composure slipping slightly as she got lost in her thoughts. For a moment she could have sworn she was back there even though she knew it was all in her head.

JJ could instantly tell something was wrong from Emily's facial expression and lightly grabbed the brunette's hand. "Just breath… you're okay" she said softly.

Emily was jerked back to the present and she let out a sigh of relief to see that she was still in the room with her friends versus the basement. This time when JJ went to release her hand Emily held on tighter not wanting the comfort the blonde's presence brought her to be gone. "He kept her because she knew enough about medicine to keep his victims alive if he went too far when they angered him. Nathanial has quite a temper when he doesn't get the reaction he wants. He favors both physical and mental punishments I think Charlotte got a lot of the mental at least once he showed her picture of her sister that was recent to keep her under his control. As for me… he tried tended to favor physical abuse. I guess I didn't give him the reaction he wanted. It entertains him to break his victims to find what makes them finally break to the point where they are less than a person" her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. Emily took a moment and looked around to see the look on their faces and regretted it instantly as she saw the pity in their eyes. She let go of JJ's hand and walked out of the room she needed air and to be out of that room and out of her head.

Emily walked down the hall and out the door that led to the stairs knowing no one would be there she let herself fall apart. She couldn't breathe or at least it felt like her chest was tightening and her entire being was on edge. The door opened and instinctually she drew her gun and turned to face the person that opened the door. For a moment she was stuck in a trance it was like she wasn't there. She knew she was in the stairwell at the BAU but in her head, she wasn't. She was back in the basement she felt helpless.

"Emily, it's me. You're safe. Emily…" She recognized the voice, it belonged to JJ and with that, she was brought back. Horrified with herself she lowered her gun and let it fall to the floor.

"JJ" that was all she could manage to say as tears welled in her eyes. Almost in an instant, the blonde's arms were around her.

"It is going to be okay, we're going to do everything we can to catch Nathanial. I won't let anything bad happen to you again."

At that moment Emily let herself fall apart she let herself be vulnerable. "I'm scared. I am afraid and hate how it makes me feel. I can't stop getting lost in what happened… he got to me JJ it's like he is in my head and I can't make it stop."

JJ remained silent and just held onto the brunette tighter.