"Adam Harris, come out with your hands up." Rossi boomed through the loudspeaker. "There's no way out of this, just let the girl go."

They saw the curtain to the living room shift, the girl's blue eyes pleading as Harris's arm locked against her throat. Garcia had found Harris's name and address. When they started asking questions about him in town, someone called and told him to run. Instead of running, though, he grabbed a seven year old from her mother on the street. Harris was holding her hostage in an attempt to get the police to leave him alone.

"Hotch, let me go in." JJ pleaded. "I can talk him down."

They had already tried storming the place, but the little girl's screams stopped them in their tracks. With the way Harris was using her as a shield, there was no way to get her out safely by force.

Hotch sighed, running out of options. JJ had been begging him for hours, the look on the little girl's face melting her heart. But she had a point. A woman wouldn't be as threatening to Harris, and if anything she could at least check to see if the girl was okay.

"Hotch, please. I can do this."

Emily's stomach sank as Hotch nodded. "Alright, but Jareau… you'd better know what you're doing. This is our only chance."

JJ smiled. "Yes, sir." She checked the straps to her vest and holstered her gun on her ankle, that way Harris wouldn't see it as she approached.

Rossi's voice rang out, "Adam, a friend is coming in to see you. She's unarmed, and she's just here to talk." The curtain flickered as he peered outside. "She's not going to hurt you, Adam. She just wants to make sure that you're both okay."

Emily grazed JJ's lips with her own. "Remember the rule you gave me? Well it applies to you, too. No getting shot at, okay?"

"This will all be over before you know it, Em." She flashed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." With a breath of air, she started to the door. As she walked, she kept her hands above her head with her palms facing the window. Harris nodded before disappearing, the door being cracked open.

He grabbed JJ's arm, pulling her into the house. "I didn't do anything wrong." Harris's eyes glanced around the room wildly, his body twitching against the frightened girl.

JJ gave her best, non-threatening smile. "I know, Adam. Is it okay if I sit down?" Harris thought for a second before nodding. She smiled again. "Okay, then I'm going to sit down." She moved slowly, being sure to keep her hands in his sight.

"I didn't do nothing." He mumbled.

"Well then why don't you tell me about it? Sit down and talk to me, okay?" Her eyes were focused on the gun that his hands were fidgeting with, waving it in front of the girls face.

"They killed Kathy." He cried, his grip getting tighter. The girl whined, tears falling down her cheek. "They killed her and she didn't do nothing."

JJ's eyes didn't leave the gun. "I know, Adam. And I'm very sorry. I understand why you had to kill those people, but that little girl is just like Kathy. She hasn't done anything wrong. Why don't you let her go and we can talk about it, okay? Just you and me."

Harris's eyes shifted to the top of the girl's head. His face fell for a moment, considering it. "You don't have a gun?" his eyes stared at the empty holster on her hip.

JJ smiled. "No Adam, I'm just here to talk. I don't have a gun." She lied.

He nodded. "I'll switch. You take her place."

"Okay." She smiled sweetly. "Just let her go."

The little girl looked to JJ as Adam threw her aside, wrapping one arm around the blondes waist and the other over her throat. The gun was pressed to her cheek. "I'll let her go, but you have to tell them not to shoot. We're going to talk, right?"

JJ nodded, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "They won't shoot you if you have me. We're just going to talk." She confirmed, looking up at the crazed man's face, trying to reassure him. "Are you ready?"

Harris's heart was beating frantically against her, his arm tight against her throat. JJ reached for the seven year old's hand as he led them to the door. He opened it slowly, slouching so his head was below hers. "Tell them." He grumbled.

JJ let of the girl and showed the team her hands. "I'm okay. Adam is letting the little girl go, but he wants you to know that he still has me and I'm unarmed. We're going to talk, so don't bother us." She felt his grip tighten around her. JJ avoided Emily's worried gaze, knowing that brunette's eyes would make her crumble.

Rossi's voice fell from the sky. "Adam, let the girl go so you and Jennifer can talk."

Harris's body shifted, letting the girl flee; the door slammed shut behind her. Harris didn't release JJ from his arms, though; he held her tighter, the gun still pressed against her throat.

"Why don't we sit and talk?" she choked, his grasp around her neck a little too tight.

"They killed her! They killed Kathy and no one did nothin' about it. They just let them go."

"Tell me about Kathy, Adam." She forced a smile, the feel of the holster against her shin the only comfort she could find.

Whispering, Adam prodded the gun into JJ's jaw. "She was just a girl!" he screamed.

"Adam, if you want to talk you have to loosen your grip. We're friends, right? You don't need the gun."

He dug the gun deeper, his voice gaining pitch as he screamed.

"Hotch, they've been in there for a while now." Morgan frowned. "What's the plan?"

Emily shook her head, interjecting. "She told us she was okay. We have to trust her."

Hotchner nodded. "Prentiss is right, Morgan. JJ chose her wording purposefully. She said she was okay and not to bother her. She knows how to handle herself, especially since Harris doesn't know she has a gun.

Morgan sighed, knowing they had a point. If they tried to force Harris out, he might shoot JJ before they were successful.

Emily put on a good front, but inside she was trembling. She hated knowing the blonde was inside and she couldn't do anything to help. Snipers had lost view of Harris when they'd gone back inside.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of JJ's scream and a gunshot. The agents drew their guns, Hotch giving them the signal to storm the house. More gunfire echoed through the air as they ran, the windows shattering.

A/N: Out of curiosity, do I still have everyone's attention?