Emily stood in the dining room with Morgan and Reid, going over the timeline of Hankel's life. She was still rattled by JJ's attempt at self-sacrifice and losing the video feed, but working on a profile was helping to clear her head. Morgan and Reid seemed to understand that she needed something else to focus on, too.

"We can trace their whole family history," Morgan said, looking at the pictures they'd found and pinned to the whiteboard. "Here we got happy, smiling pictures of Tobias. Report cards all As and Bs, but at 8-years-old, we got nothing."

"That's his mother leaving," Reid added. He was sitting in the dining room chair he'd claimed the day before, surrounded by open journals. "The journals start after that. They're all written by Charles. Not Tobias."

Emily snorted. "Of course. Six months after the happy pictures stop, we have a report from Child Services saying they paid a visit to the house."

"The journals start right after that," Reid confirmed.

With a sigh, Morgan turned to face him, looking over the stacks and stacks of angry writing. "Charles is writing about punishing sinners and needing to remove the Devil from his son."

The idea of JJ having the Devil inside of her almost made Emily laugh. Whatever sin JJ had, especially if it was just being gay, didn't mean that she was evil. Emily tried to pretend she wasn't a lesbian for a long time, but she never really saw it as a sin. It was more about needing to keep up appearances.

After she'd slept with Daniel, she knew that she couldn't pretend anymore. Whatever other people saw her as was their problem, not hers. She wondered if JJ felt the same way, or if she actually saw herself as a sinner. Emily didn't know if JJ was out to the team and she just hadn't known, or if JJ was entirely closeted. Either way, she wasn't going to bring it up with the others. It wasn't her place to out JJ if she was closeted.

It didn't really matter in the moment anyway. Charles and Rafael would think of JJ's attraction to women as a sin. They would try and beat the Devil out of her, and if they couldn't, they would kill her.

"The start of the journals," Reid muttered, running a finger down a journal page, "corresponds to the start of Tobias' drug use."

"He's trying to escape," Emily said. She knew she sounded sympathetic when Morgan raised an eyebrow at her. Shrugging, Emily gave him a half-hearted smile. "That, at least, is understandable."

He nodded, shooting her one last thoughtful look before turning back to the whiteboard. "So, wherever he took JJ was Tobias' choice - not his father's."

"How do you figure?" Emily asked, moving closer.

"Look at these two lives," he said, gesturing between the happy side of the whiteboard and the trauma-filled side. "They're like inverse graphs. One's getting weaker while the other is getting angrier. Tobias would have run away. His father would have stood and fought."

Reid spoke up from behind them. "I'll go back through the journals and look for anything that could be used as a hiding place."

"Guys!" Garcia called from the computer room. "She's back!"

Emily was moving before she even registered Garcia's words. She hurried into the other room, coming to a stop beside Gideon and staring at the image of JJ on the screens. Somehow, she looked even worse than before, but at least she was still alive.

"Confess your sins," Hankel demanded. When JJ didn't answer immediately, he punched her across the face, almost knocking her out of her chair. "Confess!"

"I already did!" JJ sobbed, staring up at him with terrified eyes, her whole body trembling. "I- I said that verse. I told you!"

He punched her again. Grabbing her hair, Hankel yanked her head back painfully. "The Lord requires clarity." He slammed her head into the back of the chair, making her cry out in pain. "What is your sin, whore?"

JJ gasped, tugging at her binds, body wracked with sobs. "I- I'm-" He released her hair and she sat forward again, staring into the camera with panic smeared across her face. Her mouth opened and closed silently as she struggled to admit her 'sin'. "I can't," she finally whispered.

The situation became incredibly clear to Emily, and her heart clenched painfully. The bible verses, the willingness to suffer, the raw, wild panic in JJ's eyes at the thought of admitting the truth out loud told a familiar story. Emily wanted to tell JJ that it was going to be ok, that she didn't have to do anything she wasn't ready for, that there was absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.

Hankel hit JJ again, his fist connecting with the side of her head. "Confess!"

A shudder ran down JJ's body just before her eyes rolled back in her head. She began to convulse, mucus and bile spilling from her mouth. Emily's fists clenched so tightly that she knew she'd have half-moon marks for days. It was taking every ounce of control she had not to scream with rage and destroy every single computer screen.

Hankel pushed the chair over, throwing JJ to the floor and onto her back. She was choking and shaking, unable to even try and turn herself over. Emily stood frozen in place as she watched the blonde woman, her only friend on the planet, die in front of her.

When her body was still, Hankel left the room. Emily couldn't move. She couldn't breathe or think or do anything but feel the cold wash of despair run over her. Dimly, from a small, faraway corner of her mind, she could hear Matthew's voice, full of laughter, as he imitated Marilla from Anne of Green Gables. 'To despair,' the shadow of Matthew said, standing in front of an old tv set in his Roman apartment, 'is to turn your back on God!'

Emily wanted to laugh at the incongruous memory. It was ridiculous to be staring at JJ's dead body and remembering happy memories. Where was Matthew now? She wondered. When had she stopped keeping tabs on him? Why did she lose every friend she made? Maybe she had done something so evil in a past life that now she was condemned to a lifetime of loss.

The idea made her think of Milly, who was staying with Haley and Jack, completely unaware that Emily had lost JJ. Emily wasn't even sure that she'd told Milly about JJ at all. What would she say to her now? One of my teammates died and I don't have the energy to take care of you anymore? That wasn't an option Emily had anymore. She couldn't just hole away in her apartment and drink herself into a stupor until she could lock her feelings away and face the world.

She had a child to take care of now. Someone was relying on her. It was ridiculous. JJ had been relying on Emily, too. Where had that gotten her?

Around her, the team was talking and moving, but she didn't care. JJ was dead. They could catch Hankel, but it wouldn't bring her back. Someone took Emily's hand and she looked down to see Penelope staring up at her, tears streaming down her face. They could stay here together as the team found Hankel.

Movement on the screen caught Emily's attention and she looked up to see Hankel storming through the shack straight to JJ. He dropped onto his knees, tilted her head back, and started giving her mouth to mouth. Emily watched in disbelief as he tried to restart her heart and push oxygen into her lungs.

After an impossibly long moment, JJ gasped, her body jerking against the floor. Her hands tugged against the handcuffs as she tried to reach for Hankel, caught halfway by the belt keeping her attached to the chair. He straightened the chair as she caught her breath.

The only thing Emily could hear was the rush of blood in her ears. Her heart was racing, pounding, in her chest, as she watched JJ breathe unsteadily. Penelope's hand was painfully tight in hers, but she was sure that hers was the same.

JJ was alive. She'd come back to life. It was selfish to think about herself while JJ was going through this torture, but Emily felt like she'd been given a second chance. For the first time in her life, she'd gotten someone back after she'd lost them. Emily promised herself right then and there that she was going to be good enough for JJ. She was going to keep a friend.

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JJ walked slowly down the hallway, her white nightgown brushing against her legs and her long, blonde hair streaming down her back. The wood floor was cold under her bare feet, making her shiver. She knew that she should have put on a sweater before she left her bedroom, but there was a bad feeling in her stomach and she couldn't think about anything else.

This was the house that she'd grown up in. She recognized the worn white paint on the walls and the slightly chipped wooden picture frames that hung on the wall, pictures of her family staring out of each one. There was an open door to her left and she drifted toward it, looking inside.

It was Ros' room. JJ knew she wasn't allowed to go in there without permission, so she just looked inside. It was empty and dark despite the early morning sunlight that streamed in. She touched the necklace that lay on her breastbone and turned away.

The next door in the hallway was closed. JJ frowned, shivering in the cold, early Winter chill. She didn't want to go in there, but she couldn't think of a reason why. Taking the heart of her necklace between her fingers, she carefully made her way to the closed door. The wooden floor creaked as she stopped in front of the door's frosted window. Beneath her feet, the bright, shiny lacquer was worn and dull after years of people standing right where she was and knocking to see if the room was occupied.

JJ reached out to wrap her hand around the brass doorknob, jumping slightly as it shocked her. She tried to turn it, but it was a little hard to move. She didn't remember that about this door. It was usually so easy to open, sometimes opening without anyone turning the knob at all. With a grunt of effort, she managed to get it open and see the room beyond.

It was a bathroom. The floor was covered in tiny, hexagonal tiles that were various shades of white after so many feet. The sink was small, left over from the original owners, with tarnished brass knobs. The thing that really caught her attention was the large white bathtub against the far wall. The curtain, white with small pink flowers, was completely pushed aside.

Laying in the tub was Ros, still 16-years-old. She was wearing the denim overalls she loved and the flannel she'd stolen from Tom when they first started dating. Ros was sprawled out in the large tub, one arm thrown over the side, her head resting on one end and her feet crossed on the other. When the door opened, she looked up, grinning when she saw JJ.

"Whoa!" Ros said cheerfully, sitting up and crossing her arms on the edge of the tub. "Look at you, Jayje! You got hot!"

Confused, JJ frowned. "What?"

"How old are you now? 28? That's crazy." Ros grinned at her, reaching out a hand. "Come on. Step into my office."

"Um…" JJ wasn't sure what was going on, but she really missed Ros and she could never say no to her. "Ok!"

Taking her big sister's hand, JJ climbed into the tub, sitting across from her. They giggled as they crossed their legs and adjusted to the small space. The porcelain tub was freezing against her skin, but JJ barely noticed. She was so caught up in seeing Ros again that she didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

"So," JJ breathed happily, "what's up?"

Ros raised an eyebrow. "I think I should be asking you that. I never expected to get you in my tub, but then again, you were always a little troublemaker."

Laughing, JJ tucked her hair behind her ears. "God, it's so good to see you again."

"JJ…" Ros' smile drooped and she took JJ's hands in her own. "I'm really sorry."

"For what?"

"You know what." Ros looked down at their hands, brushing her thumbs over JJ's. "I should have been there for you. If I was there, I wouldn't have let mom send you away like that. It was really unfair."

JJ's heart skipped a beat as her memories began to come back to her. "I'm the one who should apologize," she said quietly. "I didn't realize how bad it was for you."

"Stop it." Ros glared at her, leaning closer to drive her point home. "Stop blaming yourself. You were 11, Jayje. I wasn't your responsibility. You can stop trying so hard to make up for it."

"I'm not-"

"I see everything," Ros joked, trembling her voice like she was a ghost in one of the terrible Haunted Houses they went to as kids. "You don't have to work so much, and you should really let your friends help you. I know Penelope would be more than willing to talk. Not to mention that new one. Emily Prentiss."

At the mention of Emily, JJ blushed. She really wanted to be close to the other woman, but she didn't know what to do about that. It was easy to be casual friends with someone, but JJ didn't know how to open up and be vulnerable. It always seemed to go wrong for her.

"You still have your life," Ros continued softly. "Don't throw it away out of guilt. You're so young and you've been so good for so long. I think it's time for you to take some chances and make some mistakes. I'm the ghost here, not you."

"I'm scared," JJ whispered as tears filled her eyes. "I don't know how to be myself. I don't know who I am."

"Then it's time to find out, isn't it?" Eyes dropping to JJ's necklace, Ros reached out to brush a finger over the small charm. "You should tell Hankel about me. I can be your sin. Let me protect you one more time."

Suddenly, there was a hard pain in JJ's chest. She grunted, pressing a hand over her heart. When she looked at Ros, she was met with a sad smile.

"I don't want to go," JJ told her, jumping forward to hug her big sister. "I can't lose you again."

"You never lost me, Jayje. I'm still here. I'll always be here, but there's room for other people, too. Let someone in."

"I love you so much," JJ gasped, crying. Another sharp pain filled her chest. "Would you still love me if-"

"Yes. There is nothing you can do or be that will ever make me stop loving you." She pulled away, cupping JJ's face in her hands. "Have a happy life, Jayje. You deserve it."

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"You came back to life," Rafael said as JJ blinked her eyes open. "There can only be one of two reasons."

She sucked in a deep breath, her senses slowly coming back to her. Ros' voice was still clear in her mind and she realized that she must have died for a moment. Her eyes flicked to the camera. Had Emily seen it? Had the whole team? She tried to smile so they would see that she was ok.

"There are no accidents," he continued. She looked back at him. "How many members are on your team?"

"Seven."

"The seven angels who rang the seven trumpets prepare themselves to sound. The first sounded and there answered fire and hail, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to Earth."

JJ shook her head. She had no idea what he was talking about. "What?"

"Tell me who you serve," Rafael demanded.

"I serve you," she tried, blinking back tears. "I serve you."

He nodded. "Then choose one to die."

JJ's stomach sank. She wasn't sure why he was asking her to do this, but she wasn't really surprised either. Her sin hadn't been enough, apparently, but her teammates' sins were. Even now, when she was on the brink of death and falling apart, it angered her to be overlooked.

"Kill me."

He shook his head. "No. I see now that you aren't one of them. Choose one."

"No."

Rafael pulled his revolver from his coat pocket and aimed it straight at her head. She'd forgotten about it in all the chaos. How many bullets had he put in? How many times had he shot? She'd never been very good at statistics and the pain in her mind and body was only making it worse.

He spun the chamber, resetting it anyway, and pulled back the hammer. "Choose and prove you'll do God's will.

JJ looked past the barrel of the gun to the camera. "No."

He pulled the trigger, but the chamber was empty. He pulled the hammer back again. "Choose."

"No," JJ repeated. "I won't do it."

"Life is a choice."

"No."

"Choose."

JJ looked away, knowing that the choice she needed to make wasn't the one he thought. Her eyes landed on a tombstone, tucked away with other forgotten things. JJ knew that she could keep saying 'no' until he shot her in the head, but if he just killed her, then what had all of this been for? If she died here, in the darkness, without ever living as herself, then she would just disappear from the world without a trace.

Even if the team remembered her, they would be remembering someone who wasn't real. There wasn't a single person in the world who knew the truth about her, including herself. Was that really how she wanted to die? As not just a liar, but a lie? On the other side of that camera was someone who wanted to know her.

"Emily Prentiss," JJ mumbled, eyes finally registering what she was seeing. Turning back to Hankel, she spoke up. "I choose Emily Prentiss."

Hankel lowered his gun slightly. "Why?"

"She's a sinner," JJ said clearly, her eyes drifting back to the camera. "She's a dyke and a sinner. If she dies, no one will mourn. I doubt she'd even be buried in her family's plot."

JJ stared into the camera as Hankel lifted the gun above her head, aiming at the wall behind her. He pulled the trigger, a loud bang making her jump, and the bullet lodged in the wall. She might not believe in God anymore, but JJ knew her luck had come from Ros. She could only hope that Emily got the message, and that she'd forgive her.

"It's time for you to confess," Rafael told her, putting the gun away. "You need to wipe your soul clean."

JJ licked her lips, nodding. "I know. I'm ready."

"Then confess."

She shifted in her seat, looking away from the camera. It was hard enough to talk about this without having to look her team in the eye. None of them knew this about her.

"My sister, Roslyn, committed suicide. I found her, but when I saw her in the bathtub… I froze. I stood there for probably 10 minutes, just staring at her, before I told anyone else. Sometimes, I think that if I had gotten help faster, she might have survived."

He seemed to approve of her confession and took the keys to the handcuffs out of his pocket. "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brethren."

So, she was still going to die, then. JJ let him take off her handcuffs as the last of her energy drained from her. Her confession, her return to life, her days of suffering were for nothing after all. It was all going to end with her dead in the woods, a nightmare she'd had since childhood.

And for what? Her soul wasn't clean. If Ros was really in Hell, then JJ's filthy desires weren't going to save her. JJ had failed to save her the first time, and now she was just doing it again.

As Hankel dragged her outside, JJ thought about Emily. In the short time they'd known each other, JJ felt more seen than she had in her entire life. The dark-haired woman was hiding just as much as she was, but pain recognized pain. They could have been friends. And now? Emily would be the one to find her remains.

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Emily stepped quickly, but carefully, through the Marshall Parish Cemetery. She'd been shocked when JJ called her a dyke and told her that no one would mourn for her, but then she'd put the pieces together and gotten the message. Reid had been able to recall the name from the journal, Penelope had found them a map, and then everyone raced to find JJ.

Dry leaves crunched under her boots as she picked her way between headstones. They'd found the shack where JJ had been kept, but the room was empty. Now, they were scouring the woods behind the worn down shack, looking for her.

Emily's whole body was trembling. From rage, from fear, from relief, she didn't know. They hadn't found JJ yet, but they were so close. JJ was still alive and they were going to save her. They were going to take her home.

As she was ducking under a thick tree branch, she heard a gunshot ring out. The blood drained from her face and she took off running toward the sound. They were so close now and if she still lost JJ…

Bursting through the trees, Emily saw JJ swing around, gun pointed right at her. On the ground laidy Hankel, dead. JJ and Emily just stared at each other for a moment, both worried that this wasn't real.

Then, a sob wracked JJ's body and she dropped the gun, legs crumbling under her. Emily ran forward and caught her, clinging to her tightly as she lowered them to the ground. JJ didn't have the strength to hug her, but her hand curled around the edge of Emily's jacket.

"I've got you," Emily breathed, gently pushing JJ's hair out of her face. "You're safe."

"I knew you'd come for me," JJ cried against her chest. Emily rested her cheek on the top of JJ's head. "I knew you'd understand."

Emily looked up as the rest of the team ran into the clearing and took in the scene. "I got your message," Emily told her. She shifted JJ into her lap and wrapped her arms around her. "You're going to be ok, JJ. We are going to be ok."