Em's first test at the hands of her captor will decide her immediate fate. Will she pass or fail?

A special shout out to rjwritergirl. You got the tattoo right. Major kudos to you!

Through The Fire

Emily was starving and her head hurt. She knew that the first day had past and time was running out. Even though her captor had not done anything extreme toward her, she knew her life was still in danger. She had to get out. She had to get help.

In the darkness, she tried to make out anything - a sound or piece of evidence to help her identify where she was to help with escaping. There was the stairs and door to the main room. Or was it a main room? She hadn't heard anything - no footsteps, no voices, not even a phone ringing.

He had let her out, but he had blindfolded her before he escorted her to the bathroom. He hadn't done much talking, but she tried to tune her ears into simple things everyone took for granted. She had heard cars honking and a dog barking, but how far from the house, she had no idea. But there was something that haunted her: the smell. It wasn't just any smell, it was death. Fear and evil mixed with death. Her skin still crawled.

She shivered in the cold. She wished she had her windbreaker, but at least she had remembered to wear her sweats. Still, that didn't keep the cold from seeping in. Drawing her legs up, she brought her bound wrists closer to her breasts to keep in the warmth.

It must be night, she wondered to herself. It was definitely colder. Poor Mudgie, did anyone ever find you and let you out? I'm going to owe you a steak when I see you again. Her thoughts went to the black Lab and how he had laid on her feet to keep her warm when Dave was away.

Dave! Her body tingled with the thought of Dave holding her tight in his arms that last night they were together. She could still feel his lips on hers, his tongue mating with hers as his hands brought her to the point of no return.

Closing her eyes, she remembered the spicy taste of his smooth skin as she made love to him. The way he cried out her name as his hands wrapped in her hair and his body made them one. He pushed her hard and fast to completion as he whispered in Italian how much he loved her and he would never let her go. She was his forever. He had held her tight in his arms as she fell asleep - her last good sleep.

A bout of coughing caught her off guard. What had started off a little cough earlier had turned into a spasm as she tried to catch her breath.

"Great," she gasped as the tears ran down her cheeks. "On top of everything else, why not get pneumonia?" She curled up tighter into the corner. "Real smart, Em, press your back against the cold cinder blocks; that isn't going to help anything."

Trying to catch her breath, Em staved off another fit. Suddenly the door was thrown open with a loud bang and light filled the room.

"Hey, bitch, I'm home. Did you miss me?" the voice thundered loudly. Em turned her head away from the harsh bright light. He stomped over to where she was curled up. "I brought you something to eat." He knelt down beside her and opened the bag. The aroma tickled Em's nose. Her stomach grumbled in response.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked.

"Thank you," Em whispered. A part of her wanted to shove the food in his face and try to make a break for it, but the seasoned profiler in her knew it was more beneficial to play along. She needed to let him think he had the upper hand, that he was the one in control. If she could get him to drop his guard for a moment, she could profile him. Then she might have a chance.

He thrust the burger container at her. "Eat!"

Em struggled to pick the fully loaded burger up. She wasn't sure what warned her, but she knew she had to be careful. He was judging her and the way she reacted. Carefully she did as she was ordered although he sat and watched her every move.

Finished, Em swallowed the last bite. "That was…good." It had been and would have been better if his breath hadn't been filling her nostrils. Suddenly her head snapped to the side and stars burst behind her eyelids.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" he thundered.

What had tasted so good a moment earlier threatened to make an appearance. Cupping the side of her head, Em kept her head down.

"I asked you a question!"

"No. No, you didn't."

"What do you say?"

"I'm sorry."

"That's better. I said I was going to teach you some manners. Seems the others didn't know how lucky they had it."

"May I ask a question?" Em braced herself for his reaction, but he seemed amused.

"You get one, so make it good."

"Where is -" Em swallowed hard. She really wanted to keep her dinner. "Where is the woman who was here?"

"Gone. She was good for a moment, but she thought she could get away. I taught her a lesson she'll never forget." Cupping Em's cheek, he leaned in so close she could make out the acne scars on his forehead. "Something tells me you're a fast learner. Maybe I'll keep you around for a while."

Getting up, he took the container and threw it in the bag. Limping toward the stairs, he turned around. "Maybe tomorrow I'll let you shower, and then you can show me a few things. Something tells me you're a real wild cat in the sack. As long as you don't bite, you might learn a thing or two, too." He shuffled up the stairs, turned out the light, and slammed the door behind him.

Em closed her eyes and repeated the Arabic alphabet out loud twice. Eventually, her stomach calmed down. That was a close one, she whispered silently. Tomorrow you can get out for a moment, then you can size him up.

Shivering, she curled tighter. Maybe the team found something and would come to rescue her. Or better yet, the pneumonia would do her in. Either way would be a relief if it meant he would never touch her again.

Closing her eyes, Em willed herself to think of somewhere sunny and warm. If the UNSUB could use psychological torture to break her down, she could use dreams to keep herself warm.

"You're on the beach in the Bahamas, wearing that tiny French bikini," she muttered. "And Dave is with you."

That brought a tiny smile to her face, but it was still a long while before she fell asleep.