Hurray for action and creative license! Here's chapter eleven for ya. There's not much to say about it besides I had a lot of fun writing it, for the most part. The beginning is bad, I know, but whatever. I did my homework to find out where things were for this little number, so don't bother me about that. So, uhh... Just enjoy! - Taylor! xx

PS- The centering isn't working for me. It's annoying. And the next one should be up next Saturday or Sunday... Aaanndd I have to wave my goodbye to AJ Cook, but she will NEVER leave my stories. NEVER. :)

Chapter Eleven

Bethany had crashed through the front door, tripping over the door step, and nearly split her skull on the banister in her rush to find Emily. Menace appeared at the top of the stairs, curiously starring. She ignored him as she heard ruffling in the living room. There, on the comfy leather sofa was her surrogate mother, reading a thick novel, sock-clad feet resting atop the coffee table. "Hey," Beth greeted, sitting across from her, beside the feet. "I think I know who it is."

Prentiss snapped the book shut with a dull popping sound, and put it beside her. She crossed her arms and retracted her mile-long legs. "Do you have a stressor?" she asked, skeptically.

"If you count having your wife and daughter killed in a car that flipped five times, then yeah, I have a stressor," she replied, half sighing the last word. "Look, Garcia checked him out all ready, but this guy has to be it. He was watching me and Justin the whole time we were talking, and when I asked him about his dad, he told me to leave. Leave! There's something uber creepy about him!"

Choosing to ignore the 'uber' part, Emily picked up the phone from the table and expertly dialed Hotch's familiar number. "Hotch, it's Prentiss," she said as soon as she heard him pick up.

"What's up, Prentiss?" he replied, monotoned.

"Girl wonder here thinks our unsubs are Walter and Justin Bey. We had

Garcia check them before and they seem to fit the profile pretty damn well. The kid is fifteen, the mother and daughter were killed in a car accident, and the father is pushing his son to do things he doesn't want to do."

She could practically see him frown. "Well, keep an eye on him for now until you get more solid proof. He may fit the profile, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's him. Just tell Bethany to be careful, and you, too."

It was nine o'clock on a Wednesday night when Emily's cell phone had practically rung itself off the coffee table. She had excused herself to the ladies room only a moment before, so Bethany was the one to answer it. "Hello?"

"Is this Emily Prentiss?" a feminine voice answered.

She wasn't sure what to say, whether to lie and say she didn't know anyone by that name, or to just hang up like nothing had even happened. "Uh, no, she's... Not available right now. Can I take a message?"

"This is Doctor Saunders at Medlink Hospital in Washington DC calling to say that her mother has had a minor stroke. It is nothing life threatening at present, however we will need to keep her here for a few days to monitor her condition."

Bethany early dropped the phone. "Uh, sure. I'll tell her right away."

"Thank you."

"No problem..." She hung up just as Prentiss reappeared, a small smile playing on her lips.

Upon seeing the shocked expression etched into Bethany's face, the smile faded and she stopped at the other end o the table. "What's wrong?"

"Some Doctor Saunders called from Medlink Hospital."

"In DC? What did they want?"

Carefully avoiding direct eye contact, she looked over at her. "Your mom had a small stroke."

Emily's mouth opened, then she shut it quickly. "Walk with me." They shut off the television and headed up stairs, entering Prentiss's room. "I'm going to call JJ, and she'll come here to watch you for a few days, alright? You're going to have to stay here for a while by yourself, though; it's two hours without traffic from here to Quantico," informed Emily as she threw together a go bag. "Promise me you'll lock the doors as soon as I leave. And, don't let anyone in except JJ."

She rolled her eyes a little, but agreed with a "yes, Mother." She watched her rush around for a few more minutes before ushering her to the door. Bethany gave her a sincere hug, which was returned, goodbye, before the raven-haired agent disappeared out the front door. She heard the engine roar to life, saw the headlights flick on, and watched as they dissipated as she drove away.

The second she was out of sight, Bethany ran back upstairs with Menace at her heels, into her bedroom, grabbed her mp3, and then ran back down. She plugged it into the speakers in the living room, then turned on 'Pretty Handsome Awkward' by the Used, picked up her book, and began to read. Before she knew it, there came a knock on the front door, so she put it down, lowered the volume of the speakers, now playing 'Dani California' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and trotted to the door. Menace barked a few times as Bethany peered through the peep-hole conveniently placed in the brass knocker. She saw blonde hair, and pulled it open, revealing a flustered-looking Jennifer Jareau. She glanced from the dog to the girl as Beth grabbed a hold of his collar. "Come in," she said, stepping out of the way.

JJ, who was carrying a go bag of her own, did so, placing it under the small table beside the door. "Sorry you're stuck with me for a few days," she said as the girl let go of the dog and shut the door.

"Honestly, it's not that bad. I just hope Mrs. Prentiss is okay." She quietly ordered Menace to go upstairs, which he reluctantly did, stopping at the top and laying here.

"Me too."

They headed into the living room, Bethany shutting off her music quickly as the song flipped to 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' by Panic! At the Disco. JJ sat down, leaning back a little. "So how's living with Emily?" she asked, looking over at her.

She smiled. "It's good. She's really cool, actually. I mean, she's a bit over protective, but other than that, it's been good."

"So, a little birdie told me you've gotten yourself a boyfriend here all ready," she stated with a sly grin.

"Er, yeah. His name is Aedon," she said, pulling out her phone to get a picture of him. "That's him." She handed over the phone so she could have a look.

"And she's okay with this?"

"She met him, and his father, and gave them the Prentiss seal of approval." They slipped into silence for a minute. "Hey, I think Castle is on. Wanna watch?"

By Friday morning, Bethany was fairly certain that JJ was a good mom. She had been caught twice trying to sneak chocolate chips as they made chocolate chip pancakes Thursday morning without even looking at her. It was no different from Emily besides the fact that she blamed it on 'eyes in the back of her head' rather than having taken profiling classes.

But, she was just as cool as Prentiss was, in her own way. Friday morning when she woke up and gone down stairs, there had been French toast waiting on the small table. She rubbed her eyes sleepily before plopping down. "You didn't have to, Aunt Jenn," she said after saying a silent grace.

Across from her, JJ sat as well. She shrugged. "I know, but I wanted to."

They sat in silence for a while, aside from the clinking of silverware on plates. It was fine by Bethany. She didn't particularly need any useless small talk anyway. But, it was inevitable that JJ would break that silence. "So... Have you told Emily yet?"

She shut her eyes for a second. "No, and right now I'm glad I haven't. She doesn't need to worry about anything else right now, especially something that isn't that big of a deal."

"She's going to find out eventually."

Her eyes snapped up and her fork clattered on her plate. "You're not going to tell her, are you?"

She shook her head and continued eating. "No," she answered after swallowing. "But she studies people for a living. Do you really think you can keep this a secret for much longer?"

All day JJ avoided Menace like the plague while Bethany did her best to keep them separate as much as possible, finally resorting to leaving him to his own devices in the backyard. That lasted for all of five minutes before he was sitting by the sliding door of the kitchen, whining to get in. Bethany sighed heavily. It was three in the afternoon, and after a whole day of doing nothing but reading and watching TV with her 'aunt', her patients was wearing thin. She thought she was going stir crazy, and that was just icing on the cake.

"Aunt Jenn!" she called through the small house from the back door. The blonde poked her head in after only a second, looking a little worried. "Come outside with me."

"Wh-"

"I'm going to cure your Cynophobia," she stated, sliding open the glass door. As JJ opened her mouth to protest, she raised her hand. "I know it's none of my business, but seriously, I think you need to get over this fear of Menace. He's the sweetest dog in the world. You have nothing to be afraid of. I know I'm outta line here, but please, just trust me?"

A little reluctantly, she followed her out onto the deck where the large dog stood wagging his tail in excitement. JJ seemed to shy away from him, but Bethany went behind her and nudged her forward a little. "Watch," she instructed, ducking back around, and kneeling to the ground beside the dog. He sat and attempted to lick her face, only to have his nose pushed away. "See? He's not going to hurt you if you don't hurt me. Just reach your hand out so he can sniff it. I'll even hold his collar."

As Bethany held both the choke collar and the leather one, the elder nervously held out a hand, slowly edging forward. He inhaled her scent before pressing his moist nose to her hand. She jumped, but didn't back away. Instead, she took a deep breath then another step forward. Menace licked it before she ran her palm down his neck. Beside him, Bethany grinned. "See? It was all an oxymoron."

After that, it was all smooth sailing for awhile. After a small dinner, they sat watching reruns of Numb3rs, JJ throwing in comments along the lines of 'that's not what it's like in the FBI...' until Bethany received a text from Aedon at eight-thirty. "Hey, Aunt Jenn? Can I go over to Aedon's? I won't be gone for more than an hour and a half, I swear," she promised, eyes pleading.

"Yeah, sure, just take your phone, and stay in the light. Oh, and bring Menace, too."

Bethany had left in a pair of black Daisy Dukes, and a grey tank top, cell phone stuffed into the back pocket. Behind her, she heard "be careful" to which she waved off. Her new basketball shoes were practically silent as she ran down the road with Menace beside her. After a few turns, she saw Aedon's house come into view. Aedon had never been fond of her dog, but had also been tolerant. She appreciated that immensely. As she passed Justin's house, which was only across the road, she heard muffled voices. Menace had obviously heard it before her, for he had all ready halted in front of her. She saved herself from tripping while trying to hear what was being said.

"Son, get her here, now. Anything you can say or do, you do it. No arguments!"

"But, Da-"

"I said no arguments. I'll do it myself of I have to. Get her mother here, too," said the first male.

"She's all ready coming. She's probably here by now."

"Make something up, get them both here now. Damn it, Aedon, just do it."

Bethany's eyes grew near to the size of saucers. Numbly, she reached into her pocket, withdrew her phone, and hit JJ's speed dial number. As it rang, she saw Aedon run at her from his house. By the time she picked up, he was nearly upon her. "JJ, it's Aedon; it's him and his dad," she said, hastily. "We were wrong! Call Hot-"

He wrenched it from her fingers, threw it to the ground, and stomped on it. Then, he produced a switchblade from his pocket, putting it up to her throat. By then, Menace had his teeth bared and was snarling at him, hair along his back standing on end. He lunged quite a few times, all narrowly missing. Roughly, the boy took her by the neck, and the dog by the leash attached, dragging them to the van in the driveway. "Dad! Get out here," he yelled over the snapping of jaws.

Bethany had nearly frozen when she had the knife to her neck, knowing much better than to scream and be killed. Desperately, her eyes searched the neighborhood for someone with their lights on. There weren't many on the street itself, being a dead end, but Justin's bedroom light was shining. A shadowy figure stood there, seemingly frozen. She silently screamed for him to see her mouthing 'help' over and over again. She felt herself being thrown into the back, Menace on top of her. He whimpered as he was cut in the back leg. She kicked the sides forcefully, making as much noise as possible.

Outside, she could hear another muffled exchange of words before to more doors slammed, and they sped off into the night. There were no windows where she was, nothing to hold onto, even, so she was tossed around like a ragdoll for a while. After at least twenty minutes of solitude, Aedon appeared from the front, switchblade still in hand. She froze as it was once again pressed to her throat, this time hard enough to draw blood. She winced, but otherwise gave him no satisfaction. Menace bared his teeth once more, but didn't they to do anything, probably for fear of getting her instead. From his other hand he produced a gag which he tied unnecessarily tight around her head. She was then blindfolded and her limbs were tied together. "Bitch," she heard him say before she felt the blade slice open her right cheek. Then, there was a scuffling sound, some jaw snaps, and a few snarls before he undoubtedly muzzled the dog.

They drove for what was probably another hour or two before they screeched to a halt, causing Bethany and Menace to slide into the seats. She inwardly winced. Seconds later, the back doors opened, the blindfold and leg-ties were ripped away from her body, and she was pulled rather rudely from the was shoved into a brick wall not four feet away, stumbling to catch herself from falling. She blinked a few times before realizing she was at a warehouse, and a rather large one, at that.

From behind her, a rough hand took a fistful of her hair and pulled her along. When she saw Aedon wrangling with the dog behind her, she knew it had to be Robert. As she was thrown through the door, she heard the snapping of jaws followed by a few muffled swears. Within seconds Menace was beside her, held away from Aedon's body by a make-shift catch pole. They were pulled through the crammed warehouse, then finally tossed into an empty, concrete room where blood spattered the walls and floor. Robert ripped the gag from her mouth, and almost immediately get saliva in his eyes. On reflex, he bitch slapped her across her cut cheek, blood splattering over her face further. "You're not to make a sound until we get back." He stood and turned to go.

"What, no threats?" she spat defiantly.

He spun back around and she received a boot to the ribs. She grunted, but glared up at him. "How's that for a threat?"

The door was slammed shut behind him as he left. Menace eased over to her and lay at her feet. With her arms tied, she couldn't pet him, but assumed he got the message, for he laid his head on her leg. "Whatever happens, buddy, I'll never forget you," she breathed.

Not two minutes later both returned, slamming the door. Menace sprang to his feet and snapped his jaws defensively. Aedon leered at him. "I never like this dumbass dog; always so protective of you," he said, slowly. It was then she saw the nine millimeter in his hand. "Never let me get too close. You know, they say that dogs have a sixth sense about people, now I guess it's true."

"Damn straight," she said.

Robert took the gun from his son. "I thought I told you to shut up, boy," he grunted.

"Why'd you do it? Huh? Why did you kill all those women? Did it make you feel powerful? I'm interested," Bethany hissed, feeling a tiny bit of nerve creep back into her soul. "Did you get off on it, too? What about you Aedon? Do you sleep well after everything you've done to those innocent people?"

"Like a baby," he snarled, a death glare at her. "You're going to end up just like them, you know why? Because you're just a bitch."

She gave a short, harsh laugh. "It's one of the perks to being a girl. Well, that and the fact that we can handle emotions better. I read somewhere that that's why it's less likely for women to become serial killers."

This set Aedon off first. He kicked out at her, but Menace had enough fight left to grab him by the ankle, if only for a second before leaving. He then turned on the dog, who was crouched low, teeth bared, and growling. Bethany felt her heart leap into her throat for a moment before Robert grabbed his son by the arm and jerked him back. "Leave the beast; we'll take care of it later." He turned to the girl on the floor. "Tell me where your mother is."

She shook her head. "Why the hell would I tell you?"

He knelt down beside her, an evil gleam in his dark eyes. "Because you want to live."