A/N: Firstly, I hope that everyone had a good Christmas and New Years Eve/Day. May 2016 be the year where all your hopes and dreams come true :)

I'm glad to see that people are still reading, favoring and following my story. Thank you so much. There's just one thing I need to mention. I noticed that I didn't really get much feedback on the last chapter:/ I'm hoping that it's because of the holidays and not because you didn't like the chapter. Honestly, your reviews mean so much to me and encourages me to continue writing this fic. So, please review when you have the time. It doesn't have to be a paragraph.

I hope this chapter makes up for the last. Things are about to get real. Let me know what you think :) Thanks again :)

-ThianaJay10

Chapter 14: Sometimes it all gets a little too much

She felt herself being roughly placed on a chair in the middle of the room. Fear kept her from moving or trying to fight back as her arms and legs were duck taped to the chair. She kept her head down and eyes closed, afraid of what she might see if she opened them as she tried to control her breathing.

What is he gonna do to me? She wondered.

"Oh my God. Aria."

Aria's head snapped up as soon as she heard her mother's voice. It was then that she saw a laptop set up on a table in front of her and Aimee's worried face on the screen.

"Mom?" She said unsurely, her voice cracking slightly.

"Oh, Tesoro." Aimee said, wiping away a few tears that had fallen."Baby, are you okay?" She asked as she took in Aria's appearance.

"Yeah." She said as she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Mom, what's going on? How..." She let out a breath. "How am I able to see you right now?" She asked, confusion written all over her face.

Before Aimee could answer her, the door swung open and the Unsub entered the room. Aria's eyes shot to him as he walked towards her with a smug look on his face.

"Allow me to fill you in." He told her as he leaned closer, making sure that his face wasn't visible to the webcam. "I set this up, so you could say goodbye." He whispered so only she could hear.

The team watched as the Unsub leaned closer towards Aria, telling her something that they couldn't hear. Aimee tensed up as she watched Aria's eyes widen at what she was told. Aaron placed his hand on Aimee's shoulder, hoping to offer her some kind of comfort. He stayed calm for her sake, even though he felt like telling the Unsub to get the hell away from his daughter.

"Garcia, can you trace their location?" Hotch asked.

She shook her head. "I'm trying, but the signal's bouncing around. I'm doing my best here." She told him sadly.

He nodded. "Keep trying."

"Yes, Sir."

Aimee tuned out the conversation. Her focus was on Aria. She looked beyond terrified.

"I can't do that." Aria said, shaking her head.

The Unsub pulled back giving her an incredulously look. "Well, it wasn't a request." He told her as he moved to stand behind her. "So..." He grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling it so her head was tilted backwards. She winced in pain. "You either do as I say..." He paused then pulled out a knife, placing it under her chin. "Or I slit your throat right now in front of your parents. The choice is yours."

"No, no. What is he doing?" Aimee asked as she watched the Unsub place a knife against Aria's throat.

No one said anything as they studied the Unsub, trying to find something that could help them find him.

"He's just trying to scare her into doing what he wants. He won't hurt her." Aaron told her.

"He won't hurt her? He already has, Aaron!" She said referring to the gash on her forehead and bruised cheekbone. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "What does he want from her?" She asked.

"He wants her to say goodbye. That's why he set this whole thing up." He said with a sigh.

She felt the knife cut into her skin as she delayed her answer.

"What's it gonna be?" He asked as he applied more pressure against the knife.

She winced as she felt the sting. "I'll do whatever you want. Just please stop." She pleaded.

He held the knife against her throat for a few seconds longer before he lowered it and let go of her hair. "Good." He said as he wiped the knife clean. "You have thirty minutes. Use it wisely." He told her then walked away from her. Aria kept her head down as she struggled to keep the tears at bay.

"Is he gone?" Aria heard someone ask. She looked up to see Aaron standing next to her mother, mirroring her worried and anxious face, but he hid it better than she did.

Aria nodded. "Yeah." She said as she took in a shaky breath. "Why is he doing this?" She asked Aaron.

He looked at her then sighed. He didn't want to scare her any further but she needed to know what to expect. "He's taunting us. He wants us to know that he's the one in control. He allowed you the opportunity to say goodbye so he's not worried about us trying to trace your location, which means we probably won't be able to." He told her. "But we'll find you, Aria. I promise." He tried to assure her but it wasn't working.

Aria's head was spinning. She didn't know what to think. The throbbing in her head had gotten worse and she felt nauseous. What if they couldn't find her? Was he going to kill her? Is that why she had to say goodbye? She closed her eyes and tried to take slow deep breaths as all these questions and thoughts ran through her head. The last thing she needed right now was to pass out or throw up.

"Aria? What is it? What's wrong?" Aimee asked worriedly as she saw what Aria was doing.

"I can't, Mom." Aria said as she opened her eyes, struggling to stay calm. "I can't breathe." She choked out.

"Aimee, what's going on?" He asked as he watched Aria struggle to breathe.

"She's having an anxiety attack." She said as she briefly glanced at him then turned her focus back onto her daughter. "Aria, I need you to listen to me. You're okay. Just take slow deep breaths." She instructed but Aria was still struggling. She started panicking as she turned to Hotch. "Aaron, if she doesn't calm down, she's gonna pass out." She told him.

"Okay, let me try." He told her. She nodded then moved to stand behind him as he sat down in the chair opposite the laptop. "Aria, I know you're scared but can you look at me, please?" He asked her. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear as she struggled to take in air. "We're here. Your mom and I are both here. You're gonna be okay. You just need to breathe. I know it's hard right now but we don't want you to pass out. We're gonna need your help. Do you understand?" He asked then saw her nod slightly. "Okay, just take slow deep breaths, in and out, like this." He told her as he took in a deep breath himself, then slowly released it, his eyes never leaving hers as she mimicked him. "That's it. You're doing great." He told her.

They did this a few more times. The room was silent as the team watched Aaron calm down Aria. The sound of the two of them breathing in and out was all that was heard as Hotch coached Aria though her panic attack. Aimee stood next to him, one hand on Aaron's shoulder as the other covered her mouth. Aria's breathing eventually evened out.

"I'm okay." She finally said as she took in another deep breath then slowly released it. "I'm okay." She repeated, more convincingly. "I'm sorry. I don't know why that happened." She apologized.

"It's alright." Aaron assured her, feeling relieved that he had been able to calm her down. "You okay to answer some questions?" He asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you have any idea where you might be?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "No. I didn't really see anything."

"What about the room you're in? Can you describe it?"

"It's just a small dark room." She said as she looked around then frowned. "There's no window" She realized. "What room doesn't have a window?" She asked.

"It could be a storage room of a warehouse or a basement. Do you hear anything distinctive? Something that could narrow down your location."

She took a deep breath then tried to concentrate on any sounds she could hear around her. "No, it's quiet." She paused. "I'm not really being much of a help, am I?" She sighed dejectedly.

"You're doing fine. It might not seem like it, but you are helping, Aria." He told her.

"You're just saying that." She told him with an unconvinced look on her face.

He gave a small smile. "Have I ever lied to you?" He asked softly.

She shook her head. "No."

"What can you tell me about this guy?" He asked gently.

She looked away. "Not much. He looks like a regular guy." She shrugged.

"What about his behavior? How did he seem?" He asked,

She shook her head. "I'm not a profiler, Aaron." She told him.

"No, but you are perceptive." He told her. "Just give me your best guess."

She took a breath then released it slowly. "I'm pretty sure he's a sociopath."

"What makes you say that?" He asked her.

"He's cold and calculated but lacks control. Any defiance makes him violent." She sniffled. "I leant that the hard way." She paused. "He smashed my head into the concrete ground without even hesitating. He hasn't shown any empathy or remorse." She shook her head, blinking back tears. "I saw what he did to Stephany." She told him.

"Stephany Dawson?" He asked. "You saw her?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"How is she?" Aaron asked.

"Bruised, bloodied and scared." She paused. "I'm not too far from that." She sighed.

"Hey." He said. She turned to look at him. "You did good." He told her, hoping to distract her from Stephany. He needed her to stay as calm as possible to avoid another panic attack. "What you told us will help us build a better profile."

"And that will help you find us?" She asked.

He nodded. "It will."

"How bad is your headache?" Aimee, who had been unusually quiet up until that point, asked.

Aria frowned. "What?"

"You're squinting. You do that whenever you have a headache."

Aria bit her lip. "It's not too bad." She half-lied. It was bad but she could manage. It was the least of her problems.

Aimee stared at her without saying anything.

"Mom, it's fine." She tried to assure her but Aimee still stared at her, looking as if she was about to burst into tears any minute. Aria bit the inside of her cheek, trying really hard not to cry. Her mom was always the strong one. She didn't think she could handle seeing her tough mother cry. "Please stop looking at me like that." She whispered.

Aimee sniffled. "Like what?"

"Like you're never gonna see me again." She said, sadly.

"Baby…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"I know." Aria didn't need Aimee to finish her sentence. This was hard on both of them. "It's gonna be okay."

Aimee snorted. "I'm supposed to be telling you that." She said.

Aria shrugged then turned her attention towards Aaron. "What is he gonna do to me when my thirty minutes are over?" She asked him. "I need to know what to expect."

"Aria…" He sighed. "He's not going to kill you. But he will hurt you. He's sadistic and thrives off of other people's pain."

"So, I can't avoid it?" She asked, already knowing the answer. She read a bit about sadists. They were probably the worst type of serial killer you could find. A sadistic sociopath.

Aaron shook his head.

"So, what do I do?" She asked, figuring that there were guidelines she had to follow.

Hotch took a deep breath then glanced towards Aimee. She was not going to like this one bit. He turned his focus towards Aria, who was watching him intently. He could tell she was just putting on a brave face for their sake but he saw right through it. She was terrified.

"You need to do what he says. Don't defy him in any way." He paused. "I need you to not fight back. He'll hurt you even more if you do."

Aimee turned to face him. "No. Don't tell her that. She needs to fight back." She said as she stood up from her seat. "You can't expect her to do nothing while he hurts her!" She exclaimed.

"Aimee…"

"Don't 'Aimee' me, Aaron." She cut him off.

He sighed. "I know this is hard to understand but that's exactly what she needs to do." He told her. "Fighting back will only make it worse." He told her calmly.

"You can't possibly know that."

"I do. I've been doing this job a long time. I've dealt with guys like this before." He explained to her. "I need you to trust me."

Aimee shook her head. She couldn't bear the thought of her daughter being hurt by that monster. "She's been through so much crap already and now this." She paused. "I can't lose her, Aaron." Her voice cracked, slightly but she cleared her throat to cover it up. "She needs to fight back. She needs to not give up." Aimee persisted.

"I'm not saying that she should give up…"

"Then what are you saying?!"

"Mom!" Aria yelled from the screen, having heard everything that her parents were arguing about. "Stop. Please don't fight. Not right now." She told them.

Aimee closed her eyes, as she felt her resolve breaking at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Okay. No more fighting." She agreed reluctantly as she sat down and faced Aria again.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" She asked Aaron.

He sighed. "Just don't show him any fear. I know it'll be hard but just try, okay?" He told her.

She nodded. "Okay." She sighed. "I should probably say my goodbyes. I don't have a lot of time left."

"Aria, you don't have to." Aimee told her.

"I do. I have to do what he says." She sighed. "You're recording this, right? Just in case." She asked. Aaron gave a quick nod.

She exhaled slowly. "God, this so hard." She said as she shook her head. "I guess I should start with Nonna and Nonno. You are two of the most important people in my life who I admire so much. As busy as you both are, you always made time for me and never missed a single dance recital or competition. You made sure that I had everything I ever needed and wanted, which I am truly grateful for. But honestly, your time and attention meant more to me than any material thing. Nonno, you always told me that there was nothing more important than family. Thank you for loving and supporting me unconditionally. I am so honoured to have you as my grandparents and so lucky to be your grandkid. Ti amo così tanto."

"Uncle Matt, as much as I love our Skype chats, I really wish I got to see you more often in person. Thank you for being the best uncle and Godfather a girl could ever ask for. I'm so proud of the work you do. You're the most selfless person I know. Promise me you'll stay safe and keep doing the amazing job you've been doing all these years. Ti Amo, Zio."

"Daniel…" She sighed."I can't even put into words how grateful I am to have had you in my life for these past four years. When we first met, I was in a really bad place. I gave you a lot of grief but no matter what I did or said to push you away, you wouldn't budge. You stayed. After everything I threw at you, you didn't leave. I knew then that you were perfect for mom and that you weren't just in it for her but for me too. So, thank you for being the father I needed and for treating me like I was your own. Any kids you and mom have will be so lucky to have you as their dad. I know I was. Promise me you'll take care of mom. Don't let her grieve for too long and shut you out. Remind her that she doesn't need to be tough all the time and that it's okay to cry. Marry her and continue to make her as happy as you've always done. I've never seen her smile as much as she does whenever she's around you. I love you, Daniel. Always."

"Danny, I never thought I'd meet someone who loves dance as much as I do. You're the best guy I know. You're my rock, Danny Evans. I never would've survived high school without you. Thank you for always being there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on. For all the endless conversations, days when we would dance until our feet hurt and for dragging me to all those baseball games every chance you got. I'm so blessed to have you as my best friend. Look out for Izzy for me, please. Don't ever stop being the person you are."

"Izzy, we've only been friends for about two years. but you're the closest thing I have to a sister. You remind me to not take life too seriously and you never fail to make me laugh. Time spent with you is never dull. I wish I could be as fearless as you are. You stand up for what you believe me and never back down from a challenge. I've always admired that about you. I know you and Danny don't see eye to eye but I need you to look out for each other. Keep your focus on the showcase. We've all put so much time and effort into it and I don't want that all to be for nothing. You're my two closest friends and I love you both."

"To my dance and drama family, there are too many of you to mention but I just want you all to know how grateful I am that you were all a part of my life at one stage or another. I still find it amazing how so many different individuals can share the same passion. It's a very rare and beautiful thing. Yes, we bicker and fight, and don't always get along but that's all part of being a family. Thank you for all the memories and good times we had. Don't ever stop dancing."

"Mom." She managed a small smile. "You taught me to be strong and independent, kind and loving. I'll never be able to thank you for everything you've done for me. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting these past few weeks. It all seems so petty and childish now. I was just so mad and I never really thought about how hard it must have been for you. You sacrificed so much for me and practically raised me on your own. I'm so proud of everything you've accomplished. You're my hero, Mom. Ti amo per la luna e tornare indietro." She ended in perfect Italian.

Aimee was in tears by the end of Aria's message to her. "You're my greatest accomplishment, Tesoro. Ti amo per la luna e tornare indietro." She repeated.

Aria nodded, unable to stop the tears that had managed to escape. She cleared her throat then turned towards her father.

"Aaron." She exhaled slowly. "We didn't exactly find out about each other in an ideal way but this past month I spent getting to know you has been amazing. I mean, it had its ups and downs but we made it work. When I got that stomach virus, you didn't hesitate to stay with me even though I spent most of the night throwing up. I really thought we had more time. I was looking forward to having more days like last Saturday and getting to know you and Jack a little better. I wish I got to meet the rest of your team. They sound like really great people. No matter what happens, I know you did everything you could to find me. Please remember that. If I don't make it…" She paused then shook her head, looking away for a second then turning back. "…don't tell Jack who I am. He already lost his mom. He doesn't need to know that he lost a sister too. I need you to promise me that." She told him.

He swallowed the lump in throat before replying. "I can't." He shook his head. "I can't promise you that Aria."

"Aaron, please." She pleaded. "He's just a kid."

"So are you." He shot back then ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to fight over this with you. It's not going to come to that." He told her. "Do you hear me?" He asked her.

Aria bit the inside of her cheek then nodded. "Yeah. I hear you." She cleared her throat. "I don't know what else to say."

Before Aaron could reply he heard the sound of a door opening then closing. He watched as Aria moved her head in the same direction, her face turning pale as the Unsub moved towards her.

"Time's almost up." He told her. "Any last minute goodbyes." He asked as he leaned closer towards her.

She stared straight ahead, trying stay as calm as possible. "No." She said simply, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she was scared.

"As you wish." He said as he noticed her gaze was still focused on her parents. "Take a good, hard look. You won't be seeing them again." He told her.

Aria took a deep breath then exhaled. "I love you." She mouthed to Aaron and Aimee when the unsub wasn't looking.

Then the screen went blank.

The room was silent as everyone stared at the screen which no longer showed Aria's face. Aaron still had his hand on Aimee's shoulder, who hadn't moved at all. She was clearly in shock. He squeezed her shoulder gently as the rest of the team silently made their way out of the room to give them a bit of privacy.

"Aimee? Are you okay?" He asked as she still stared at the screen.

She shook her head then stood up, letting his hand fall off from her shoulder. She wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks with her hand then cleared her throat. "If you're wrong and this doesn't work…" She paused then took a deep breath. "If Aria doesn't make it out of this alive…" She bit her lip then shook her head. "I will never forgive you." She told him, looking straight into his eyes and he could see that she meant every word. Before he could reply, she walked out of the room. He slammed both hands down onto the table in frustration as he leaned forward with his head down. He couldn't blame her for feeling that way. If Aria died, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself either.

Grandma and Grandpa

I love you both.

I love you, Uncle.

I love you to the moon and back.

Aria stared at the blank screen as the unsub started cutting away at the duck tape around her arms and legs. Once she was free, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the chair, leading her out of the room. He was talking to her but she couldn't bring herself to listen. She felt numb. This man had practically threatened her in front of her parents and forced her to say goodbye to her family. She really didn't care what he had to say. Before she knew it, she was back in the room she had woken up in.

"Did you hear what I just said?" He asked once he noticed that she wasn't paying any attention to him.

Aria looked up at him with a blank expression on her face as she leaned against the wall.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back later for you." He told her then left the room with a twisted grin on his face.

She slid down the wall as she watched him leave the room.

Only when she heard the click of the door as it shut did she allow herself to let out the emotions she was feeling. She brought her legs up to her chest, burying her face in the crook of her arm as quiet sobs wracked her exhausted body.

Stephany looked up from her corner of the room as she heard Aria crying. She knew exactly what she was feeling. She had been there herself. She knew what that man was capable of. Aria needed to get out. She was too young to be in this position. From that moment, she vowed to do everything she could to help Aria escape. It might be too late for her, but Aria had a chance. She would make sure of it. Even if it ended up costing her own life.

"She would not show that she was afraid, But being and feeling alone was too much to face, Though everyone said that she was so strong, What they didn't know is that she could barely carry on, But she knew that she would be okay, So she didn't let it get in her way, Sometimes it all gets a little too much, But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up, And you don't have to be afraid, because we're all the same, And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much…" Shawn Mendes – A Little Too Much