Gradually the men who had made the mistake of following Zeke and Frank surrender. Most die but close to 100 surrender to stand justice. Emily is in the middle of the square helping bind some of the prisoners when Jake races up to her. When she sees the look in his eyes she stiffens.

"Where is she?" she immediately asks.

"Zeke's office. It…doesn't look good."

Emily drops the rope in her hand and races for the former mayor's residence. She looks over her shoulder. "TELL MORGAN TO LEAD A GROUP TO THE GATES TO MEET HOTCH!"

Jake frowns. "WHO?"

But Emily doesn't answer. Jake shrugs and starts to bind the prisoners while looking around for Morgan to pass on the message.

Emily races into the house and right to the study. Several people stand at the threshold, staring sadly into the office. She muscles past them and sees Roz standing with a stricken look on her face as Dr. Blake and another man work on JJ.

"Roz?" she asks nervously.

"Zeke tried to shoot me. Jenny knocked me to the ground and took the bullet for me. She fucking took it for me, Emily. She's lost so much blood. I…I don't…" her voice chokes off.

Emily steps past them and looks down at her wife, whose eyes are closed. She kneels at JJ's head and places her fingers on her cheeks. She leans over and kisses JJ on the forehead.

"Hey, baby, you need to stop lying around like this. There is work to be done. We won the battle. Time to rebuild the town. We'll need to find a home for our sons. Maybe somewhere between the library and the school, huh? That would be good. Oh, and Hotch showed up. Can you believe it? All the sudden he was there saving me just like he did when I was 10. I ordered him to safety and he actually listened to me." She forces a smile to her face. "Might be something that never happens again. It sure as hell never happened before." Emily wipes a tear off her cheek. "So wake up, baby. Wake up and see everything that's changed, okay? Things are going to be good again here. It will be good and our boys will be safe and…and…fuck, Jen, please just wake up. Please. I can't…can't go on without you. Please."

Emily leans down and places her head on JJ's. The doctors never pause as they fight to save the life of the brave woman who had helped lead them to victory.

Morgan carefully approaches the gate. He whistles a signal Fidelis uses and is shocked when it is answered. You could knock him over with a feather when Hotch appears through the smoky haze.

"Son of a bitch, you really are here."

Hotch extends his hand. "Damn right I am."

The handshake turns into a hug. As it ends Hotch studies his second.

"You're hurt."

"Been busy playing with some bad guys that wanted to ruin your daughter's new life," Morgan replies with a grin. "So how many with you?"

"Just a handful. Have a few staying a ways back with some quads Gibbs lent us."

Morgan lifts a brow. "Gibbs? Are you serious?"

Hotch nods. "I am. He heard that Cyrus was coming after Emily. He offered help. Turns out he's not so bad after all. But that's a story for another day. Did Emily make it through the battle okay?"

Morgan sighs. "Yeah. But, uh, her wife…JJ…she's not doing well."

"Take me. Now."

Morgan nods. He sees McGee standing a bit away. He turns to Jordan. "Help them out?"

She nods. "You got it."

"Thanks, baby."

Morgan and Hotch start to jog back towards the mayor's house. Hotch glances at him.

"Baby?"

He chuckles as he sees his friend blush.

"I'm happy for you. If she means that much to you, don't give her up. For anything."

"I won't. Thanks, Hotch."

The two men hurry into the house and straight to the room with an even larger crowd outside of it. They push their way in.

"Roz?" Morgan asks.

She shrugs. "Still not awake. They got the bullet out. Trying to get her stitched up. That was my bullet. That was my fucking bullet! Why the hell did she do that?"

"Love makes us all do crazy things," Hotch says. He moves past them and kneels down beside Emily.

"…and a puppy. The boys should have a puppy. Maybe one each so they won't get jealous of each other," Emily says, keeping up a steady stream of future dreams for JJ to hear. "Yeah, a big house with you and me and the boys and Garcia and Reid and their kid and two puppies. Maybe three so Garcia's kid can have one. It will be great."

She jumps as she feels a hand land on her shoulder. She turns and meets the soft, concerned brown eyes of her father.

"She…we got married. Morgan stood in for you. She's my wife, Dad. I can't lose her. I just can't."

He puts and arm around her shoulder. "Then keep talking to her, Emily. Don't let her forget she is not alone and has a hell of a lot to live for."

Emily nods and goes back to talking to her wife.

Sandy Jareau slowly approaches the tent holding her grandsons and her daughter's best friend. She takes a deep breath and steels herself for the message she has to deliver.

"GRANDMA!" Henry yells.

He and Declan run out to give her hugs.

"You hear from Mama and Mommy?" Declan asks.

She forces a smile to her face. "Not yet. Soon. I'm sure we'll hear from them soon." She looks up and sees a nervous Garcia standing there. "Right now I need to speak with Aunt Penny. You two go back inside."

The boys reluctantly go into the tent. Garcia slowly walks towards Sandy.

"I had a dream that Spence said he was trusting me to raise Nikola to be a brainy nerd like the two of us. And I asked him why we couldn't do it together and he said because he gave his life to save the plant. I begged and begged him to tell me he was mistaken; begged him to be alive." She is crying now. "Please tell me that was just a horrible dream. Please, Sandy, don't tell me it was real."

Sandy takes Garcia's hands. "He's hurt but alive. Go, Penny, he needs you. I will stay with the boys."

Garcia can see the truth in the older woman's eyes: he's not doing well and may not make it. She races past her, going as fast as her pregnant legs can take her to the treatment area. When she gets there her eyes immediately find her husband. A doctor is changing his bandages.

"Dr. Quincy? Is he okay?" Garcia asks nervously.

The gray-haired man looks up. "Garcia," he says sadly. He stands so she can take his place. "Time will tell. He lost a lot of blood before he could be attended to. Chest wounds are always bad but I got the bullet out. They got the right herbs in him on the battlefield and I added more. My guess is he'll be asleep the next day, maybe 2. We'll just have to monitor him. If he's going to make it these next 48 hours are critical. I wish I could say more than it's just a waiting game."

Garcia wipes her tears and takes her husband's hand. "Hi, Spencer. I love you so much. Nikola and I need you so you just…just rest and get well, okay? We need you and love you and…and…please, Spence, please just get better! It nearly killed me to almost lose you once. I couldn't make it if I lost you. I know it. I know I can't. Please, please get better. Please.

Dr. Quincy watches them a moment before moving to the next patient. Garcia wasn't the first distraught spouse he'd dealt with and, sadly, won't be the last. He can only hope the rumors that the town has been retaken by the resistance are true. The injured needed rooms out of the weather, not pallets under tarps.

Garcia lies down beside her husband, her hand stroking through his hair the way she does when he has a bad headache.

"I love you, Spencer. I love you so, so much.

Roz is sitting on her parent's bed. Down the hall JJ rests in her childhood bedroom with her wife and father-in-law by her side. In Roz' old bedroom, Alfred is recovering from a knife wound to the neck. The leader of the resistance runs a hand through her hair.

"And where are you, Zeke? Where the hell did you go?"

She had been sure her shot hit him which means he was wearing body armour. As Roz had tended to JJ he had snuck out of the room. But to where? She had already checked the tunnel but he is not there. She stands and starts to pace.

"He had to have another rabbit hole. He had to have a way to get to the tunnel and out of the house in case someone attacked. He's known about the resistance a while, not to mention just the everyday people that hate him. He'd have to have more than one way out."

She is looking out the window when she hears a shuffling sound. She slowly turns, trying to figure out where it came from. She hears it again.

"The closet," she whispers.

She steps closer and puts her ear against the door. It is kicked open, knocking her to the ground. Her father stares at her with furious eyes.

"You traitorous BITCH!" he hisses, his gun leveled at her head. "You were supposed to be dead!" he growls for the second time that night. "You were dead and Jenny would be killed in the line of duty or captured by the mercenaries and tortured until she died. Well, she died like a dog tonight, didn't she? Shot like a rabid cur in my study!"

Roz laughs harshly. "She's not dead, Dad. Haven't you figured it out yet? Your daughters are a hell of a lot tougher than you. We're more like Mom," she says with a snarky grin.

His cheeks flare. "And when I catch her, I'll make sure you 3 share a fucking grave."

Roz closes her eyes as he cocks his gun and a gunshot echoes in the room. She slowly opens her eyes and looks at her body to assure herself she is not wounded. Zeke is on the ground, his head propped up by the back of the closet, a bullet wound between his eyes. Roz turns and looks at the doorway and watches Emily lower her gun. The brunette sighs.

"I swore to Jennifer I wouldn't kill him. When she wakes up again she'll kick my ass."

"Again?" Roz presses, locking onto that one word.

Emily looks at her sister-in-law. "Woke up long enough to say she loves me and wants to see our kids. Once the sun is up I'm going after them."

Roz nods and stands. "Good idea." Emily turns to go. "Emily." The taller woman stops. "It was him or me. I'll make sure she knows that."

Emily just nods and goes back to sit with her wife. Roz looks at the body on the floor. She had wanted her father and Frank to live to see justice.

"Fuck it. This works, too."

She walks out and goes to find a couple guys to deal with the removal of the body and check on the surrender of the mercenaries and loyalists.

Emily drops back down in the chair beside her wife's bed. She takes her hand and kisses the back of it. "Roz is safe, Jen. I just saw her. Word has it…that is I confirmed…shit…Zeke is dead. I'll tell you more when you wake up again. Just know that he's done, Frank is done. All their damn followers are dead or in custody." She kisses JJ's hand once more. "You won your town back, Jennifer. You and everyone else did what you had to do and won your town back. Now we can find the perfect home for us and our sons."

From a chair in the corner, Hotch watches his daughter talk to his daughter-in-law. When did she learn to love? He sure as hell hadn't taught her that. He taught her to kill and maim. She had found love on her own and, in some way, reawakened that inside him, too. He now felt love for Hailey and Jack, not just possession of them. He leans forward, elbows on his knees, his hand clasped lightly in front of him.

"I owe you, Emily." Emily looks over. "I'll never be able to forgive myself for what I did to you in relation to Doyle but I will do my best to thank you for what you have done for me. At some point in the last 20 or so years I had forgotten what love is. But nearly losing you…I couldn't understand what was happening to me. And then it hit me: I'd sent my daughter off to die and I realized there were so many things I didn't say to you, so many ways I wronged you over the years and yet…yet still you managed to find love and see past all the crap I had drilled into you over the years. Yes, your loyalty switched from me to JJ but, fuck, that's how it should be."

"I'm sorry, Hotch. I just…when I saw her…something in me just…" she shakes her head, still not able to put a word to the feeling she'd had the moment she saw JJ in that alley. "I knew I had to save her even if…if I could never see her again after she left us."

Hotch nods. "I understand that. I felt the same about you." Emily lifts a brow and he grins. "Well maybe not the exact same way." She grins, too. "I saw a little girl whose father died on her and I felt like I had to protect her. She was never going to know fear and pain like that again. Do you remember how you convinced me to start giving you self-defense lessons?"

Emily thinks a second then smiles. "Used the 'what if the bad guys get me' tactic."

Hotch nods. "Exactly. Every time that you used that argument it worked. I had vowed to protect you from the bad guys and everything I taught you or let you learn from others was a means to that end. Until one day I looked at you and realized you were the perfect soldier."

"When?"

"What?"

"When did you know that?"

Hotch sighs and sits back in his chair. "The day I ordered you to put down Greenaway. You did it and reported back to me like you were announcing new rot gut had arrived. It was nothing to you; just a job. What if I had ordered you to kill your two guests?"

Emily looks at the beautiful blonde on the bed. "I…would have disobeyed you. They were so alive. I fucking hate that this war and all this damn information about her father has killed some of that inside of her. And I will do my damnedest to make sure our sons never have to lose that bit of innocence."

Hotch smiles. "Sons…I can't believe I'm a grandfather."

Emily smiles, and for the first time all night it reaches her eyes. "Well you are. Declan and Henry. They are…are something. Declan was never allowed to be a kid so he's learning it's okay to play and make mistakes. Henry is…Henry is a bit of a shyster. He's always looking for the angle that gets him out of studying. He'll be a heck of a trade manager when he grows up."

"Good to know. So, uh, I guess you're staying here?"

Emily nods. "I am. Hotch…Dad, this is her home. And it is becoming mine, especially now that whoever runs it isn't set on killing me," she adds with a shrug. "This is where I want to raise our sons. We can make this place good again; better even than it was."

"And it will be enough for you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"You've lived your life on the edge for a lot of years, Emily. Can you calm down to a life of mostly peace, maybe a skirmish here and there to sooth the warrior inside you?"

Emily chuckles, her mind reflecting on her job prior to being sent to the mines. "I wasn't a warrior here. I was a librarian."

Hotch lifts an eyebrow. "You mean like at the place with the books?"

Emily laughs, remembering JJ saying something similar. "Yes, the place with the books. I was helping rebuild it. I can only hope it survived all this shit. Part of the job was reading a book if I wasn't familiar with it. I had no idea how much I missed reading until I was caught up in the life of Pip in a Charles Dickens novel."

Hotch smiles a little. "I remember those names…that was 'The Old Curiosity Shop' right?"

Emily grins. "Right author, wrong book. Pip was in 'Great Expectations'."

"Ah, right."

"I loved it, Dad. It shocked me that I went from assassin to librarian in less than a year."

Hotch chuckles. "Doubt I'd have guessed that turn around. So you're telling me you'll be happy here."

Emily nods. "I am. I had doubts a few times but now, more than ever, I know this is where I am meant to be."

"I'm happy for you, Emily. I'm glad you overcame any handicaps I gave you to find love and happiness."

"Thanks, Dad. Uh, any chance you, Hailey and Jack want to relocate here?"

Hotch sighs and slowly shakes his head. "I'm the leader, Emily. The leader has to do the right thing for their people, not for themselves. Maybe…maybe someday I'll retire and a gray-haired old soldier and his wife will show up on your doorstep."

"Then they will be welcome with open arms."

"Good to know. And if you want to visit, you can."

"I know, Dad. Road goes both ways."

"You two are so sweet," JJ says weakly.

Emily spins around and stares into blue eyes a little clearer than before. "Jen, baby, are you with us?"

"Think so. Whole body aches."

"Took a bullet to the shoulder and hit the ground. Both will make you hurt," Emily tells her.

"Okay." JJ glances around, frowning. "Is this…my parent's house?"

"Yep. Your bedroom according to Roz," Emily answers.

JJ grins. "Guess that means we either won the day or are being held captive here."

"We won, baby. Frank and Zeke are both done. Their troops either dead, scattered or captured. It's all over, baby. And tomorrow I'll bring our boys to town to see their Mommy." She kisses JJ's hand. "Henry will convince Declan they have to wait on you hand and foot until you're better, even if that means missing school and lessons."

JJ chuckles and nods. "Yeah, he will definitely find an angle to his advantage." She glances over at the chair. "Hi again."

Hotch stands and walks over. "Last time I saw you I was…less than courteous."

JJ lifts her eyebrow. "You were ready to kill me and my best friend, not to mention your daughter."

"Uh, right." He takes a deep breath. "My viewpoint was pretty fucking narrow back then. I'd like to think I've changed for the better. By my suggestion 4 clans are working together to reestablish permanent electricity and telecommunications to the Metro DC area. Picard's New Frontier is already up and running. They are now working on Straus' area. Then Gibbs' territory will be next and finally Fidelis."

"Why is Fidelis last?" she asks.

"Because to prove I wasn't setting them up to lose everything, I offered for us to benefit last. It worked. Things are changing and, to be honest, I have you to thank for it." He places a hand on Emily's shoulder. "Whatever you did that day to change my daughter was contagious. I got tired of living in the dark on scraps. You showed Emily there is a chance to live in the light. And somehow, someway that lesson transferred to me, too. My people owe you a lot, Jennifer Jareau. And if you ever decide to visit us, you'll be feasted and celebrated as a hero."

JJ smiles. "Thank you for saying that. But you give me too much credit."

"Not at all. Welcome to my family, JJ. And I can't wait to meet my grandsons."

JJ grins. "They will be so excited to have a grandfather to be proud of."

Emily glances at the window. "To that end, I should start my way to the camp. I can get there just after sunrise, get them fed and start back with them and Sandy. She'll want to see you and Roz are okay, too."

"Make sure she knows it's just a small wound in my shoulder. And a hit to my pride that I knocked myself out when I hit the ground. Worst is the blood loss making me so damn tired," JJ stresses.

Emily leans down and gives her a kiss. "I'll tell her. I love you so much."

"I love you, too. Now get going so I can hear all your embarrassing childhood stories from your father."

Emily blushes as Hotch grins.

"Suddenly I'm thinking I should send someone for the boys," Emily says nervously.

The other two chuckle. Emily kisses her wife once more and stands. She looks at her father.

"See you in a few hours."

"I'll be here," he confirms.

Emily pats him on the arm and leaves, glad to see someone found her duster and delivered it to the coat rack there at the house. She slips it on and goes out into the early morning light. She sees a few fires still burning and knows they are probably house fires set during the battle.

"Rat bastards set them to destroy evidence of things they did or just to be assholes."

She sets off for the mine road. As she approaches the mining center she sees a lot of activity. She grabs someone passing by and nods toward the cluster of people.

"What's going on?"

"They had the place rigged to blow just like Roz thought. Would have taken this entire end of town out and anyone using the mine road to advance into town wouldn't have had a chance."

"Damn. Be careful disabling it all."

The man nods and continues on to help the other demolition experts render the various bombs inert until needed. Emily continues to walk, her mind wandering to the type of house they will need. The big question is will the Reid's be neighbors or housemates? She can completely understand the need to keep those you love close so she is fine either way. Plus, having built in babysitters is good when Mama and Mommy need some alone time. She grins at that thought.

"I need you to come with me."

Emily had been so lost in thought she hadn't even noticed when she walked past three men standing off the path. Her hand goes to her gun as she turns.

"Excuse me?"

Two men stand with rifles visible. The other stands holding nothing but a Bible. She had never seen him before but knows exactly who he has to be.

"You must be Cyrus."

He gives a smile. "You've heard of me."

"A few things. You sent a man after my son. He's dead now. You'll see him soon if you don't walk away," she says as she starts to slide out her gun.

"I know violence is a way of life for you, Emily. But this little…interaction need not go that way. Come with us so we can…bargain with Hotchner." He holds up a lock of blonde hair tied together with a leather band. "Or plan to never see your son again."

Emily's hand and heart freeze. "No way. You don't have him…"

"Oh, but I do. We made our way into your little camp by helping the injured. Some we bandaged, helped them to rest. Others we sent straight to God. In His mercy we acted. Now in your son's mercy you act. Drop the coat, drop the gun belt. If we don't return with you in the next half hour his throat will be cut and he'll be left for the scavengers."

Emily studies the man. His calm is unnerving. Part of her says there could be no timeline regarding Declan being killed because how could he have known when she would get here. But another part of her says she can't risk his life. She straightens up and slowly slips off her coat. With slow, deliberate movements she unbuckles her gun belt, undoes the tie that keeps it tight to her thigh and lets the rig fall to the ground.

"Very good, Emily. Now keep your hands up as Sean here pats you down. Don't want to find any surprises later that could hurt poor little Declan."

Emily swallows a growl at the tone of the man's voice. Sean pulls off several knives and 2 more guns from Emily and then shoves her towards the third man. Emily doesn't fight as the man pushes her into the woods.

"Get her weapons. Toss the rest in the bushes," Cyrus orders Sean then follows Emily and the other man off the path.

They walk for 5 minutes before Cyrus tells them to stop.

"Kneel down, Emily."

Emily's jaw clenches as she does as ordered. The man that had been pushing her along goes and lifts up a 5' long piece of wood that had once been a sapling. He lays it along the back of her neck.

"Arms up, Emily," Cyrus orders.

Emily lifts her hands up. Cyrus pulls her wrists out nearly to the end of the 6" around stick them loops them with rope to the spar. He binds her tightly in the uncomfortable position. She flexes her fingers, already feeling them go numb. He then jerks her head back and binds a gag around her head.

"Just in case you decide to do something foolish and call for help."

Emily just glares at him. Sean walks up and throws a rope over her head.

"Get up, woman. Walk on a leash like the bitch you are," he taunts.

She glares at him and gets to her feet. When she has a chance she will kill him slowly. They walk on for another hour before coming to a clearing with lots more men and several horses. Emily grunts at Cyrus.

He smiles. "You're asking where your son is. My guess is he is in his bed sleeping." He holds up the lock of hair. "Thankfully Bart didn't mind giving up a lock of hair for this little charade.

As the men laugh Emily's eyes look them over until she comes to a man with curly blonde locks. He chuckles and flips his hair, showing where the hair had come from. Emily sees red. With a roar as loud as her gag will allow, she races at Cyrus and spins, just barely missing him with the end of her crossbar. The men laugh as two quickly grab her and slam her to her knees. Cyrus looks down at her.

"That will be forgiven. For now." He looks around. "Everyone mount up. Time to head south and wait for Hotchner to come after his little girl."

Cyrus climbs up in the saddle. He takes the rope leash Emily is on and kicks his horse into a walk. Emily stumbles to her feet, forced to follow him or get choked to death. She was bait for Hotch and she knows no matter what, she will not live unless she gets herself out of this predicament.

"I'll live. I'll live and come back to you, Jennifer. I did it once I can do it again. I'll come back to you and the boys, I swear it," she vows as the camp gets farther and farther behind her.