A/N: Ok so I'm a week late but here ya go - last chappter!

CHAPTER 11

As JJ lay on the ground she was without a doubt exhausted and in a great deal of pain. But she knew if she didn't get up things would only get worse. Rolling onto her stomach she struggled to get back on her feet again. "Come on JJ," she said to herself, trying once again to stand. "Get up!" She grunted as she used the last of her strength to propel herself upward. Unfortunately her injuries quickly forced her back to the dirt below. JJ tried once again to erect herself, but fatigue and injuries won out and she was forced back to the ground this time close to losing consciousness.

**FLASHBACK**

"She hasn't passed the test yet!" Morris yelled back getting angry. He had time to study the others to learn about what they liked and disliked, he had time to plan the test for them to decide what to do. But with Jennifer, he though, she hadn't been planned. He didn't know anything about her, other than…"You protected him in the house why?" he whispered into JJ's ear.

"What?"

"Derek!" His voice and anger grew. "You protected him at the house. Why?" He asked again.

"I don't know what you're…" JJ started but was quickly silenced by Morris' fist connecting with her face that caused her to fall to the ground.

"LIER!" He shouted standing over the fallen woman.

"OK!" JJ yelled back trying to protect herself the best she could with her hands still cuffed behind her back. "He's my friend."

"They all are aren't they?" Morris asked with a much calmer demeanour than only moments earlier.

"Yes." JJ replied trying to keep his anger at bay.

"Ok here's what's going to happen." Morris started to explain as he pulled a bandanna from his pocket and tied it around her head making sure she couldn't see.

"I'm going to send you out to play with your little friends." He smiled as his impromptu plan started to unfold. "But there will be rules, they can't help you. If they make one move to come get you I'll shoot them." He said with such conviction that JJ would have believed him even if she didn't already know what he was capable of.

He knelt down and whispered in her ear. "But we're going to keep that part our little secret, aren't we Jennifer?" As Morris finished tying the blindfold around her eyes he took note of the worry that was now present in her features. "Now, now don't get discouraged, you haven't heard the fun part yet." His mood lightened some. "If you manage to make it all the way there, which I'm guessing is the only way to keep them from coming to get you, I won't have to hurt them." He mused. "However I'm afraid I'll have to shoot you. But I promise I'll make it quick." He patted her on the shoulder before pulling her to her feet and taking her towards the front door.

"It's been a pleasure my dear, but you really shouldn't keep the others waiting." Jacob Morris said as he opened the door he stood to the side pushing JJ out and shutting the door again.

**END**

"Prentiss, keep talking to her." Hotch said taking command of the situation. "Rossi, Reid cover me I'm going to get her."

"You can't" Reid said in a small voice. "He'll shoot her."

"No. He won't." Hotch answered the younger man. "He's had his gun pointed at us since JJ came out. It's not about us. It's about her."

"I don't, uh…" Reid started trying to follow the conversation but worry for his friend was causing a fog in his genius mind.

"We're the bate kid." Rossi said putting his hand on Reid's shoulder as a sign of comfort. "He doesn't want to hurt us, he wants to take the thing that means the most to her or kill her. He's just using us as leverage."

Hotch nodded before repeating his earlier orders to provide cover while he tried to rescue their fallen colleague.

"JJ!" Emily yelled, hoping the blonde would answer. To Emily it seemed like forever since JJ had attempted to move and the amount of blood covering her mid section was a definite cause for concern. "JJ, hang on ok." Emily tried to reassure her without giving away Hotch's plan for a rescue attempt. She could see Hotch out of the corner of her eye moving closer to her fallen friend, she also knew Morris hadn't seen him yet, he was too busy training his gun on Rossi and Reid who were in turn pointing their weapons back at him. Emily knew just as well as Hotch did that if he could reach JJ there was some cover to be had behind a stone wall that was home to a small garden in front of the property. "JJ, can you hear me?" Emily tried again.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

Hotch slow and efficiently made his way across the grass towards JJ. He could here Emily calling to her and he knew Rossi and Reid had is back. He was also sure that Morris wouldn't hesitate to shoot him if he got the chance. As he reached JJ's damaged body on the ground in front of him he reached out his hand to her neck to feel for a pulse.

"N' go 'way" came a low slur as his hand touched her neck.

"JJ, it's me." Hotch said pulling the blind fold off hoping she could see him. "Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here." He tried again watching her squint her eyes trying to adjust to the bright light outside.

"Can't….N'help… Jacob…shoot…" JJ tried but was barely hanging on.

"It's ok. I know what he wants JJ. Just let us help you." He said gathering her up in his arms, and beginning to make his way back to the team and more importantly the waiting ambulance. As he carried her he could tell that she was no longer conscious and that worried him a great deal because now that he was close to her he could see that she was pale and had a lot of injuries.

As he carried her quickly and carefully as he could Hotch's calm demeanour changed when he heard a shot ring out. Having kept a close eye his colleagues he could tell it was Rossi who had taken the first shot. And if that was the case he wasn't about to stick around and wait for Morris to take his turn. Running the last few yards with the blonde in his arms Hotch had almost made it behind the cover of the SUV when he felt something rip threw his left shoulder, but he didn't have time to assess it as his current priority was getting JJ some help.

"Prentiss!" He yelled to the brunette who was already on her way over when she'd seen Hotch get hit by one of Morris' round. "Send in SWAT." He ordered as she reached him and helped place JJ on the waiting gurney.

"That's a go for Swat." Prentiss said over the radio, ignoring the scene behind her she turned her attention to her two friends; JJ who was unconscious and in rough shape with the EMT's and Hotch who she'd assessed now that she could see him properly had only been grazed by the bullet. "Are you ok." She asked him out of concern.

"I'll be fine Prentiss, go to the hospital with JJ." He said before sitting down and waiting for the next set of EMT's to check him out.

"Yeah, ok." Emily said and made her way to the ambulance that held her friend. "JJ?" She said grabbing her friends hand as the ambulance made its way to hospital. "You'll be ok just hang on.

Speare Memorial Hospital Waiting Room

"What's going on?" Morgan asked as he stood in the doorway to the waiting room out of breath.

"What are you doing up?" Emily asked as she stood from her chair and guided him to the closes seat.

"JJ was kidnapped and tortured and Hotch was shot. I'm not just going to sit around and wait for you all to come update me Emily." He said half angry, half concerned.

"Hotch is fine, he's getting some stitches. The bullet just grazed his arm." Rossi interjected the relevant information into the conversation.

"And JJ?" Morgan asked looking from one friend to the next.

"Nothing yet. We called Will and he's on the way with Henry and Garcia." Emily answered sadly. "Morgan. Where are you going now?"

"To see Hotch." He stated as he hobbled out of the room and down the hall.

Speare Memorial Hospital Suture Room

"Morgan?" Hotch looked up in surprise when he saw the dark profiler limb into the room. "You should be…"

"Save it." Morgan said before Hotch could continue. "I needed to see that you were alright."

"I'll be fine. Thank you."

"Hotch what happened today," He paused. "It should have been me, Morris wanted me not JJ."

"Morgan he would of taken both of you if would of wanted to."

"No Hotch! She talked him out of it. She basically made a deal with him to take her and leave me."

"She did what she thought was right Derek." Hotch said with gentleness in his voice Derek had only heard him use with Jack.

"I was mad at her for so long Hotch because she lied to us, because she had a secret and she was only trying to help Emily." Morgan kept talking trying to make sense of his feelings.

"Morgan, I was the one that gave the order. JJ was just doing what I told her to."

"What! Why didn't she say anything?"

"Because this team means a lot to her and she wanted to make sure it stayed together. She was afraid that if you and the others knew the order came from me that the team would fall apart."

Speare Memorial Hospital Post Op Room 476 (Some time later)

As he sat there watching her sleep he couldn't help but think how much of a jerk he had been to her over the last few months. He'd blamed her for lying to them when in fact it had been Hotch's decision all along. He'd ignored Emily's request to be angry at her and not JJ. Hell he'd even ignored Emily a second time when she'd told him to 'get over it everyone else had.' And after all that, after he treated her like crap, questioned her skills as a profiler, questioned her place on the team she'd given her life to save his.

Sitting in the small white hospital room Derek Morgan had never felt this bad in his entire life. He had been sitting in the chair beside her bed since she'd gotten out of surgery. Each member of the team had been by to see her at least once, and Will, Henry and Garcia should be arriving within the hour. As he sat there he couldn't help but think if she'd only wake up he could apologize, he could explain, he could let her yell at him, something, anything.

"JJ, I'm so sorry." He said to her for what must have been the 8th time.

"Why?" The reply he heard was so quiet he wasn't sure he'd heard it all.

"JJ?"

"Yeah." She blinked and tried to open her eyes, but the light was bright and she squinted a few times before she managed to open them fully.

"JJ are you ok?"

"Never better." She replied and tried to give him a small smile.

"I'll get the doctor." He said starting to stand.

"Wait." She said and he stopped and turned his attention back to her. "Why are you sorry?"

"You shouldn't be here. This," He used his hands to motion towards her broken body, "it should have been me."

"Derek don't. I made a choice, I knew what I was doing."

"I was the Senior Agent I should…" He tried to explain, but was cut off.

"Derek, do you remember that night in Henkel's kitchen. Do you remember what you said to me?"

He thought for a moment and then said; "That one of you was here and the other wasn't and you'd have to figure the rest out for yourself."

JJ nodded before she continued; "I didn't get it then, but I get it now." She smiled again and closed her eyes. "It wasn't your fault." She told him before drifting off to sleep.

~Fin~

A/N 2: Well that's basically it. Part of me wants to leave it here as I think all the loose ends have been tied up. But part of me wants to do a bit of the emotional fall out and recovery process too. I dunno I'll leave it up to you all - drop me a review or a PM and let me know what you want. Thanks for reading - it's been a blast! AJ