A lot of POV changes in the chapter. I hope that doesn't get too confusing. I would have updated this morning for you, but my internet was down until about an hour ago. Oh, and if anyone ever doubted the love that CM fans have for every single one of the team members, all they have to do is look at those last few reviews. Y'all are amazing. Enjoy!


"With foxes we must play the fox."

-Dr. Thomas Fuller-


EMILY'S POV

Jacob's finger relaxed on the trigger. He started to shake his head. "No, no, no, this isn't right."

I gasped in relief. For now the terror was over. Rossi slumps back to the floor. He's still staring at me, "Bella," he whispers.

"Jacob, please," I know whatever doubts Jacob is having won't last long. Jacob is someone who once a plan is made, it must be carried out, no matter the cost. "Let them go. You have me. Kill me. They don't have to do die."

He turns to me. Blood drips into his eyes from three long scratches across his face: marks from where my nails dug into his skin during my failed escape. He wipes the blood away and glares at me. The red from the blood stands in stark contrast to the blue in his eyes. I know he won't let them go, but I can't give up.

He turns away from me and looks at the six men who had led my family into the barn. They cringe under his glare. "Where is the other? Where is Derek Morgan?"

I inhale sharply. How could I have forgotten about Derek? I search each one of my family's eyes, but they each shake their heads until I look at Hotch. His face is bloodied and swollen, but I can still see his deceptively small nod. Relief and hope wash over me.

There was a chance.

If Derek was out there, there was a chance. He could be leading another rescue team here right now. I just had to stall Jacob long enough.

I look back at him. One of his men steps forward from the rest. "He ran into the woods before we could get to the SUV. Bastard's fast. We sent someone after him, but he never came back."

Even with Jacob's back to me, I could imagine his glare. The other man bowed his head. Jacob's shoulders tensed, and the gun shook in his hand. "We don't do this until they're all here."

Byron, who had been standing behind me, hisses to get Jacob's attention. Jacob whirls around, eyes narrowed. "We may not have that much time. If he called for help, we could have the entire US army coming down on us. We need to get this over fast and get the hell out of here."

"No, you six," he points at the other men, "set up a perimeter around the barn. Shoot to injure. I want him alive." The other six men duck out of the barn door. It moans shut behind them.

"Jacob, this is your last chance. Let them go." I don't know where this sudden confidence came from. Nothing had changed. Jacob could kill us all in thirty seconds and be gone forever if he wanted, but I knew he wouldn't. His fantasy had to play out perfectly. He tapped the gun against his head as if in thought.

He chuckled and grinned at me. "I could just kill them now and wait for my men to bring in Agent Morgan, or do you mind if I call him Derek?"

Jacob's threat silences me. This small conversation has worn me down. I can feel the adrenaline crash sapping my strength. The pain starts to come back in full force. My leg aches. My arms are numb, and I'm beginning to lose feeling in my hands. My face hurts the worst. I can feel the long gnash pulsing where Jacob sliced me across the cheek with the branding iron. My head is pounding mercilessly, and I can barely think now. It takes all my strength to keep my head up.

Jacob looks at my family. "I apologize for my men's roughness. They're good soldiers. They just don't know when enough is enough sometimes." His eyes fall on JJ. She tightens her hold on herself, trying to block as much of herself as she can from him.

Hotch scoots closer, and I can how much pain that puts him through. He grips his torso and glares at Jacob as if daring him to take another step. Jacob only laughs. He slips out of his suit coat and holds it out in front of him. "For her."

"I'd rather die," JJ hisses.

He rolls his eyes. "That can be arranged. Put this on. It will put my mind at ease. There's no reason you have to be more uncomfortable than necessary."

"Necessary?" JJ snaps. She raises her head and now I can see the fresh bruises dotting her neck where someone grabbed her.

Jacob half-smiles and bites his lip. He looks at Hotch. "Is there something in the water at Quantico? Your women have some mouths on them. I know how to fix that though."

JJ's face drains of color. She turns to me. I nod at her to take the jacket. She reaches out and grimaces when he drops the coat into her hands. "There you go. Was that so hard?"

JJ throws the jacket over her shoulders. She shivers but pulls the jacket tight over her. I don't want to imagine just how 'rough' those men were. Hotch stays by her side, successfully putting himself between Jacob and JJ.

His eyes follow Jacob as he makes his way towards me. I automatically tense as he takes place behind me. His hands caress my neck. "It won't be long now, love, and all of this will be over."

Whatever source had given me strength moments ago abandoned me. I was exhausted, and the pain was everywhere. I wanted it to be true. I wanted it to be over. I was tired of fighting. I was tired of the pain. I only wished my family didn't have to die with me.

Derek, please, get them out. Please, save them.


I listened in horror as Emily begged for someone's life. I had no way to know who, and no way to help them. I bowed my head and prepared for the gunshot, but it never came. Instead, I heard Jacob's orders to bring me in. I motioned at Calvin to take the left side of the barn. With another gesture, I made sure he understood that stealth was our only advantage.

If Jacob knew we were here, every one of them could die.

He nods and pulls a large knife from his pant leg. He crouches lower and moves along the back of the barn. I go to the right and pause at the corner. I can see the silhouette of two men coming towards me. Their weapons aren't raised. They don't even seem to be worried.

"That blonde bit the hell out of my lip. It's still bleeding." One of them says.

I growl quietly realizing they were talking about JJ. I grip my gun tighter. I could kill them both before they even drew their weapons, but that would only give away my location. I seethe and wait for them to get closer.

"Quit your winin'. If we make it out of this, Jacob's gonna have your skin for makin' her strip down like that." His partner laughs. "I thought that tall one was going to have a heart attack."

"Bastard sucker punched me. Lucky I didn't kill him then and there."

The other laughs harder now. "You kiddin'? That guy woulda murdered you if me an' Briggs hadn't pulled him off-" he doesn't get to finish his sentence. They get to the corner and I hit him over the head with the butt of my gun. The other attempts to raise his weapon, but I kick it out of his hands.

I tackle him to the ground and punch him three times before he's able to defend himself. He tries to twist out from under me, but I press my thumbs hard against his windpipe. His fingers claw uselessly at my face.

"Is this what you did to her?" I hiss as loud as I dare. I know I can kill him. Everything inside me is telling me to. This monster hurt JJ, humiliated her. He deserved to die, but, seemingly without my command, my fingers release their hold. The man under me sucks for air. I raise my arm again and bring it down hard on his face. His body goes limp under me.

I wipe my mouth and stand to my feet. Two down. I hope Calvin is having as much luck as I am. I pull the bodies around the back and crouch against the side of the barn as I make my way around to the front.

I peak around the corner. There's two men standing, guns raised. I curse inwardly until I see a shadow on the other side of the barn. The glint of a knife flashes in the dim light. The shadow begins to advance forward, and I do the same.

We're almost on the men when they realize what's happening. I wrap my arm around the man's neck closest to me. I hear the sound of metal sinking into flesh next to me. After several seconds, the man in my arms goes limp. I lay him to the ground.

Calvin is standing in front of the door, bloody knife in hand. The other man is at his feet, dead. I know I should be sickened that he had killed a man in cold blood, but I knew how it felt to lose a teammate in the field. I knew the wracking grief and guilt, but I also knew the insatiable bloodlust for the people responsible. I nod at him in the darkness.

He twirls the knife in his fingers and motions back the way he came. Once around the corner he points up. The roof starts about three feet above our heads at a sharp angle then steepens. There's a window with light shining through. I smile. This was our way in.


EMILY'S POV

I could feel Jacob's breath on my neck. It sent shivers down my spine, and my stomach lurched at having him so close to me. "I'm going to let you choose the order in which they die. One by one I'll pull the trigger on your command."

I'm revolted and terrified. I meet their eyes, and I see my fear reflected in them. "I won't. I won't choose." I gasp to them. "I won't."

He chuckles in my ear and presses his hand hard against my left arm. I stifle the scream as best I can, but the pain is too much. I cry out as lances of pain shoot down my arm and through my mind. Lauren recoils from the feeling, but I can feel the pain amplified in her consciousness.

"Stop it!" Hotch groans.

Jacob releases my arm. I gasp in shock and relief, but now I fear for Hotch. Jacob doesn't move from behind me, but I can feel him tapping the gun on my shoulder. "Ah, ah, ah, Agent Hotcher. We wouldn't want any accidents," he rubs the gun against my neck, "to happen, would we?"

Hotch glowers. "Don't touch her."

I plead with Hotch to stop with my eyes. "Byron, maybe you should teach Agent Hotchner a few lessons on manners."

I watch in horror as Byron grins and moves in front of Hotch.

"No, Jacob, no, stop!" I know my pleas are useless. Hotch glares defiantly up at Byron even as the big man's foot connects hard with his ribs. I yell again fighting against the ties holding me to the chair. I can't watch this. I can't watch them suffer because of me. I close my eyes, but tears still stream down my face.


REID'S POV

I look away in disgust as Byron's foot connects with Hotch's torso repeatedly. I try to do anything to not look at the torture next to me, but more than that I refuse to look at Emily.

When I saw her on the computer monitor, I knew that I would never see anything as terrible as that, but she was so much worse now. I didn't know how she was still alive. I knew that no one else would be able to withstand that much torture, but she had. For us. She thought by staying alive, she could somehow save us from this.

I scan the barn, looking for anything I could have missed before, anything that could help us get out of this. That's when I see it, or rather, them. I watch in amazement as Morgan and another man shimmy through the window of the loft. Morgan raises his finger to his mouth. I nod and immediately look away.

We're going to make it out of this.


"In order for light to shine so brightly darkness must be present."

-Francis Bacon-


Morgan to the rescue! Let me know what you're thinking!