A/N:

Thanks a lot to HestiaRue14, crazyobsessions101, Wolfybaby and lazerwolf314 for commenting on the last chapter. Especially I want to thank for some criticism but this might be the moment to mention that I tend to get a little defensive. Sometimes.

I mentioned Will only in an accessory sentence or two. He's in Norfolk (haha, I had to look up again to find out where I put him) and attends a conference about witness protection. But JJ mentions he's away when she's excusin herself to see Emily so maybe it seemed to be part of her lie then...

I didn't really describe how JJ and Henry were taken because... okay, I admit I suck in those kind of scenes. So the short explanation in Chapter 9 must be enough. xD But I don't think I'll let the story have breaks like that again & explain the upcoming situations better.

The disclaimer stays the same. But Paget Brewster is returning next season & Rachel Nichols has to leave the show! The latter I think is sad but former... yay! The cast (presuming that Thomas Gibson will get a contract which I hope he will) will be just as great as it was before CBS started messing with Criminal Minds a year ago. Yet I thought Rachel Nichols did a great job, especially regarding that she was seen as a simple replacement by many fans and Ashley Seaver was a poorly defined character. She had to face a trying situation but did very well.

I quotes the beginning of the third strophe of the irish song Danny Boy. I do not own (but certainly love) it.

Short Warning: This chapter contains the mention of child abuse. No description of it though. I'm not describing those things and I always admire that Criminal Minds can have very cruel and brutal scenes but treats the topic of children being victims with a certain respect and sensibility.

I think I will indeed try to get a Morgan/ Emily pairing in this story or at least something close to that. I cut the plans I had for the plot so I'm not sure whether I'll have Emily survive or die. This might end up being even more out of character as it is right now. Like in this chapter... yes. Very. I don't tend to be that tearful in real life. xD

So I hope you'll enjoy reading this rather short chapter. My a/n is almost longer than it. lol

Read & Review! Please, I love getting them!

He lay in her arms and didn't move. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed - if he'd be lying in a bed she would have thought he was peacefully sleeping. She remembered how her, Will and Henry watched a movie all together. Once a month Henry would be allowed to go to bed way too late. He was the one to pick the movie but he wouldn't make it to the end most of the time. He looked so similar to how he fell asleep between Will and her while watching Brother Bear.

But since he was in hell this wasn't the case. She felt his pulse and harkened for his breath every other second. Both were there. Palpable and audible. Assuring. Yet she was afraid he might just not wake up again. It would spare him much suffering but, oh God, it would take so many of the pleasures of life that he would probably never experience.

She gently caressed his cheek. It was awefully cold.

"Henry, wake up, honey. It's going to be okay, do you hear me? Please... Henry, please wake up!"

Her tears fell on his cheeks. But he didn't answer. Didn't move.

A large bruise had formed on his forehead which was the main reason for JJ's worry. She was pretty sure he had a concussion. She most likely had gotten one, too when her head had harshly connected to the ground before Doyle had taken Henry from her. Before she had failed to be a good mother. And now she, the one who -if at all- was supposed to suffer Doyle's revenge- was awake while Henry was not. He was too young to have a concussion due to a terrorist's punch. JJ knew that concussion-patients weren't allowed to sleep at first and needed to be watched. Sleeping or being unconcious was dangerous. Especially for four year olds.

A cerebral bleeding could easily kill them.

Kill her son.

"They should be here every minute", Garcia stated nervously, for maybe the hundredth time since she had called Hotch, "oh my God, Emily, what is taking them so long?"

"As long as Reid isn't at the wheel of one of the cars I'm sure they're heading here leadfooted."

"Well, if this would be the case they would already be standing here! Aren't they aware at all of how bad this is? Do they even care?"

The moment she said it she regretted it already.

"Of course they do", she mumbled and took Emily's hand, edgily squeezing it, "I know they care and they'll make everything... just fine. They will. I can rely on that, can't I?"

"Of course you ca-", Emily was just about to reassure her friend but was interrupted by the ringtone of her cell. Nobody except JJ knew the number. She knew who it would be.

"Try to trace the call!", she directed Garcia who imediatley let go of her hand and turned towards her computers.

"Doyle?", Emily answered the phone, trying to let her voice sound calm and fearless. With a pinch of determination. At least that's what she had aimed at.

"Hello Lauren."

His voice sounded too familiar to Emily. She couldn't avert getting goosebumps all over. The feelings that had been part of her decision to leave to Paris were back right away. As if someone would always be on her tail. The fear. The sleepless nights. The meticulousness it had taken to install every alert system she could think of and the knowledge that her life could take a sudden end every second - because Doyle was only one man but yet everywhere.

It was the feeling that she could not fight him because somehow he had always been the better, the winning one. He was too strong for her but running away was as impossible. Two times she had pretended to be dead. But neither as Lauren nor as herself this had been successfull. She had failed. She would fail again and again and again.

Except that this time she wouldn't even try.

"What do you want?"

She saw Garcia typing hasty, maps and numbers appearing and vanishing on the computer screens.

"You know what I want."

Did he laugh?

"But I can't give it to you just the way you expect it", Emily tried to keep the conversation animated, "I'm having a problem with guys like you - you oughta know by now."

"Oh Lauren, it's easy. I want you. Jennifer wants her son. And her son wants his life. It's quite simple."

His words seemed to burn her like blazing heat.

"Yeah. Except that I'm not exactly trusting people like you. I need to have the assurance that they'll live. If you give me that I will give myself to you. How are you planning to do that?"

"Not at all. I am not negotianting. You come. Trust I'll let them go."

"I can only repeat - I cannot trust you. Let's not pretend you're an honest-"

"You want to hear the truth?", he harshly interrupted her, his voice rather filled with anger than mockery now, "I have a better idea. Why don't you have a look at it by yourself? Because what I told young Henry here to bring to you was certaily not a lie! I'm true to my words. Maybe you'll trust me with that in a minute!"

He hung up and within a second all evil had left her cell and exchanged wiht the dial tone.

"Did you trace the call?"

"I... no", Garcia stammered, "I don't know how this is possible! I tried everything but- ..I couldn't, I don't know- Did I just kill JJ with that? Oh my god, no- I... I-"

"Please stay calm - he'll call again or I'll call him. They will be okay. Doyle wants me and he needs them to get- Wait a second", Emily said, taking a look at her cell again "I think I just got a MMS. It's... quite a huge file, a video maybe. But I think this cell is too old to play it."

"Let me have look on that! I'll get that on my computers and we'll see what you got there."

"I'm afraid I know what we'll-"

But what they got to see and hear was so different from what they had expected. Searching for solace Garcia went back to embracing Emily but could not find what she was looking for. She had always tried to protect herself from what she was working with every day and being surrounded by plush and fluff instead of sickening images had worked out fine.

From now on Penelope Garcia would be a haunted woman.

A surviving victim of Ian Doyle.

And when ye come, and all the flow'rs are dying; If I am dead, as dead as I well be...

The soft, sweet melody was one of the things both Emily and Garcia loved about Ireland. But the version they were listening to now wasn't the sentimental pleasuring melody they were used to.

Doyle had sent them some sort of a remix of what he had done to JJ and Henry. They started at the dark, low quality pictures of a scared mother trying to protect her terrified child. A few clips showed them how JJ was being tortured by Doyle - followed by what was even worse.

He had hurt Henry. They had proof. Not only had he scared him, had scared JJ by threatening her to hurt him - he had really done it. He had raised his dirty hands against a boy who had proudly sent Garcia a self-made postcard with nothing but a pirate, a bunch of glitzy stickers and his name on it - which he had learned to write all by himself not even a month ago.

But the worst part of the video was the sound. The song. He had mixed it up with the sceams. They did ot match the clips they saw - but there was no second without wincing, crying, begging or screaming in the background.

Hello Emily, were the last worst that appeared in front of the fixed-image of JJ holding Herny who seemed to be unconcious, your life is worthless. But it'll pay for your friends family.

"Emily", Garcia, drowned in tears, whispered, not trying to really tell her anything, "Emily."

"I will mend matters", Emily answered, as much under her breath as Garcia, "I swear I will. Doyle was right. I have no other option than to trust him. I was wrong to wait that long. I'll go save them. I'll bring them back to you, I... I'm so sorry..."

She turned around, on the spur of the moment as determined as never before. Henry needed medical attention and so did JJ. They had barely any clothes. It was awefully cold outside even though lunchtime was yet to come. If she would wait much longer... winternights in DC weren't comfortable with thick greatcoats but presumably unbearable with sleepwear in a basement.

She had no choice.

"No, Emily!", Garcia snarled and roughtly grabbed the brunette's arm, dragging her back next to her, "if you go now you won't spare them anything! I know him, too. He took you from me. He... he hurt us by hurting you. He's going to revert that principle. That you're turning yourself in to him means you care for them. And that means you'll suffer if he kills them in front of your eyes-"

"I know!", Emily replied yelling, breaking away from Garcia to leave the room, "but tell me what other options there are despite doing the only thing that offers a little but not unexisting chance to get them out of there before they'll never be able to recover from what happened today! Tell me and I'll happily do whatever it takes!"

"Emily, please-"

"NO!"

By now, Emily was crying again. She had returned because the burder she had been carrying in France had been too heavy. And now she had to find that things only got harder and harder. Paris had been the new version of an easy life. She had left her old world because it had started to crush her.

Time had made her a broken person.

She kicked the door open to leave the office but couldn't get farther than a few meters. She hadn't looked whether anyone was standing outside and had lowered her head to hide her face from whomever she might meet while rushing out of the building. Her face hit a, with a white shirt and subtle black suit cested, chest. Emily recoiled right away. Her eyes widened as she stared into Rossi's face, the whole rest of the teem behind and next to him.

A wave of memory seemed to knock her down. Before she was able to gain controle of herself again she threw her arms around his neck, weeping bitterly. For that she would die anyway a last moment of not being alone was all she wanted. Only one moment of weakness. Then she could suffer and die being the strong person she would fight for to be.

"Prentiss?"