A/n my thanks to all who've been kind enough to review and provide feedback or add this story to your alerts.

Disclaimer: I don't own them people, no copyright infringement is intended.

The SUV pushed through the snow as fast as Gideon dared to drive it. It wouldn't help JJ for them to have an accident. The other part of his mind was telling him that it didn't matter anyway. He should have listened to his instincts when they told him something was going on with the young agent months ago. He should have confronted her then.

The SUV slid sideways just a bit when he stepped on the brakes for a red light. He was yanked out of his thoughts by the sharp sensation on adrenaline in his belly. He berated himself for losing concentration. The snow was getting thicker and the roads more treacherous. The sky was entirely white now as the snowflakes got smaller and smaller.

When the light changed to green, he gingerly stepped on the gas pedal and the truck started forward with a bit of a lurch. The tires bit into the snow and the headlights stabbed into the whiteness showing the slow moving car in front of them. His heart refused to slow down. It was his fault this was happening, he should have confronted JJ, or Reid, and forced the truth out of them.

He noticed that they were getting closer to their destination, just one more right turn and they would be there. He slowed for the turn and rounded the corner with a slight slide. He regained control and halfway down the street they found the home of Dr. Van Cott.

He slowed to a stop, his hands sweating and stuck to the wheel. He hated driving in the snow. The other two vehicles carrying other agents and SWAT pulled up behind him. The SWAT team was dressed in white, and they quickly blended into the snow as they took up positions around the house.

Reid had leapt from the truck and Morgan had to hold him back from running straight into the house. "No… we have to check for booby traps." Morgan was saying.

"He hasn't bobby trapped the house. He wants me to go in." Reid protested fighting the larger man.

The house was a large two story affair painted white so that it was beginning to blend into the background. There were several large windows on each floor that were shuttered tight. The shutters were dark blue. A driveway led around to the back of the house, and the garage and it was already full of snow.

How was it possible for Michael Van Cott to bring JJ here without arousing suspicion? The homes were large and widely spaced, but surely someone should have seen him with her. Gideon shivered and not just from the cold.

"I think were going to find that Dr. Van Cott is dead." Gideon said. The team was informed by the SWAT leader that the doors and windows were clear of explosives.

"That doesn't mean its safe," Morgan declared once more holding Reid back. They were covered with snow and Gideon saw the Reid was trembling.

"Let him go Morgan." Gideon said resignedly.

"But -"

"Michael Van Cott wants him."

Reid stepped forward into the show filled driveway. Gideon put a hand on his shoulder. "Just do what you have to do to end this." He looked the younger man in the eye and Reid nodded. He was going to end it alright. Van Cott didn't know it but he was a dead man.

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Hotch and Emily swung off the off-ramp just as the snow abruptly began to fall harder. The snowflakes were so tiny they resembled ice crystals. Emily shivered just thinking about going back out into this near white out conditions.

The SUV followed along behind a plow, and Emily relaxed the death grip she had on the armrest of the door.

"Afraid of snow storms Prentiss," Hotch asked without taking his eyes off the road.

"I don't mind snow sir, but driving in a storm like this gives me the willies. Not everyone is as careful behind the wheel as you are." Emily observed.

Hotch actually smiled at this. "Well… I'll let you in on a little secret. I hate driving in the snow. Haley loves it, she claims it sharpens the reflexes, but in our line of work we don't need the stress.

Emily smiled back at him. "I agree with you sir." Then she frowned. "Are we going to make it," she asked him, her eyes pleading with him to lie to her if he had to.

"I don't know. The time limit is almost up." Emily's phone rang and she pulled it off her belt. "Prentiss…Hey Morgan… Yeah… were about a mile away. I'll tell him… Okay see you there.

She hung up the phone the turned to Hotch just as the plow turned right. They continued moving straight ahead to the next intersection. Hotch pulled up to the left hand turn lane and waited at the red light.

"That was Morgan. They're at the house and Reid is going in. They're following quietly." Emily explained.

"Good I don't want him going in alone…" Hotch began a slow left hand turn and out of the white sheets of snow a car careened toward them.

Emily screamed and there was a sickening crunch of metal as the small car hit the passenger side of the car just behind Emily's seat. The SUV was pushed half way around on the snow and ice covered road. Emily's head connected with the passenger side window, cracking the glass. She fell into unconsciousness without hearing the airbags deploy. The SUV continued in a circle until it faced the wrong way. It came to rest next to the traffic barrier, and cars skidded to a halt around them in a chorus of shrieking horns and screaming brakes.

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Reid entered the house easily. The front door wasn't locked. "Well… I guess that's an obvious invitation." He said, to himself.

His heart was hammering and his stomach was so queasy he thought he might lose what was left of the wonderful breakfast he'd had with JJ just four hours before. His hands were beginning to sweat and he wiped them on his pants. He unzipped the coat he wore and shucked it off. It didn't matter and it would only slow him down when he needed his gun.

He stepped quietly into the foyer and watched as the agents and SWAT swarmed through the house in total silence. He waited on pins and needles as they searched the house, but Reid was already sure he knew where JJ was. He'd noticed it in the pictures the sick bastard had sent to him. There was a water heater in the background of a room made from cinder block. It had to be the basement. It was always the basement, un-subs loved basements. He thought maybe this un-sub might be more original than the average psycho. He found black laughter wanted to well up in his throat and he fought against letting it out. Instead he giggled, and it sounded sharp and cutting against his ears.

He moved to the kitchen and found the door to the basement without informing Gideon or Morgan. He wiped his sweating hands on his pants again and reached out to the door. He opened it without stopping to consider that if might be booby trapped. He didn't care anymore; the only thing that was important was JJ and the baby. He couldn't let them become a statistic and what did life matter if they died. He would rather be dead than live without JJ.

He swallowed hard and took one step down the stairs. The light was on and it revealed ten wooden steps to the bottom. He trailed one hand down the wall as he walked slowly down the stairs. He wanted to run down and burst in on this man but he didn't dare. He looked down and realized he'd taken four steps down. He kept his eyes on the stairs and began to count the remaining stairs as he moved down them. His legs where trembling by the time he stepped off the last riser. The bile in his throat refused to go away and he swallowed past it as best he could.

The hallway was also lit as though he was being led. He thought for one fleeting moment that maybe coming in here alone was a bad idea. The hallway was short and the door in front of him was painted red and standing open. He realized his gun was still in his holster and he fumbled it out, nearly dropping it. The trembling in his hands wouldn't stop. Was he going to be able to shoot the gun if he had to? He hoped so, he hoped this man gave him a reason to pull the trigger, his whole body shook with the need to hurt this man as badly as he'd hurt JJ.

The door was right in front of him and he went in fast. At one end of the room JJ sat on a cot. A tall man with black hair and dark eyes stood next to her with a large hunting knife at her throat. His face and neck were a mass of scars. He was as muscular as Morgan and he grinned at Reid.

"Dr. Reid… how nice of you to join us," He said running his free hand through JJ's hair. She didn't move or flinch. Her face looked even worse in person.

"JJ… you okay?" She didn't respond to his voice. She only stared at the floor. She was as silent as a statue.

"Oh …I'm afraid that the lovely Jennifer won't be joining our conversation. Isn't that right my beauty?" His hand continued to stroke her hair. She didn't move or try to speak, even though she wasn't bound or gagged.

"W-what have you d-done to her." Reid shouted, not caring if the whole world heard him.

"Forget about her, I have business with you Dr. Reid. I want to know why you think you can raise my son." He tangled his hand in JJ hair and yanked her head back.

The knife scratched just a bit, and a tiny bead of blood welled up and ran down to her collar bone. She didn't make a sound, but a single tear fell from her left eye and rolled slowly down her face.

"Stop it…" Reid yelled.

"I don't think so. You see I made a promise to Jennifer that we would always be together. You're in the way of that." Michael Van Cott said.

"You make me sick…" Reid countered. "You have an abusive relationship with your mother and you think that makes it okay for you to hurt others."

"What would you know about it? You have no idea what that bitch did to me from the time I was a baby. I never did anything right. She told me terrible things and she beat me. Do you know what that's like?" Michael shot back, his hands beginning to shake a little.

Reid laughed hollowly. "This isn't about me; you pick women to rape that look just like your mother. You're punishing them. What I can't figure out is why you haven't killed any of them."

Van Cott laughed. "I don't need to kill them. It's a better punishment to leave them alive, don't you think. Why don't you ask Jennifer how she's suffered? Oh that's right you don't have to ask her, you've been watching it all this time."

Reid refused to be sidetracked. He flicked his eyes to JJ and saw that she was still silent and unmoving. Her refusal to fight was scaring him badly. What had this man done to her?

"No… I think the reason you haven't killed them is because they don't see you. You blindfold them so they can't see your scarred face. You don't want them to be repulsed by your face. If they can't see you, then the fantasy can't be complete can it. You'd want them to look in your eyes as they died, wouldn't you."

"SHUT UP!" Van Cott roared.

"Your father did nothing to help you when you were a child. He let your mother hit you and belittled you for years." Reid said as calmly as he could, keeping his gun on the man even though his arms was beginning to ache.

"He was weak and spineless, so I decided to kill him when the opportunity was right. The snow storm was perfect. The car slid and I grabbed the wheel. He tried to fight me, but then the car crashed."

"It didn't make any difference though did it; you still had to punish your mother. You had to show her from the grave that she couldn't hurt or control you. You failed though, your weak -"

"SHUT UP! He shouted again. He yanked on JJ's hair again and the knife cut her again. He watched more blood run down her neck.

"You won't kill her, because your baby will die too and I know you don't want that." Reid said.

The man roared and let go of JJ. He pushed her to one side and charged at Reid. The young agent pulled the trigger.