Deeper into the woods, the leaves became thicker. The light was faint. Reid could barely make Riley out anymore, but he knew she was there. Soon his eyes would adjust to the light; not soon enough, however, as Reid lost his footing, tripping into the muddy leaves.

"Spencer," Riley exclaimed, reaching down to help him.

Engles, however, had plans of his own. Grabbing Riley's arm, he tossed her aside to prevent her from aiding him. Reid heard her moan in pain as she crashed into the debris of the forest.

"Don't… touch her," Reid said, trying to stand up. Getting back on his feet was difficult.

From his coat pocket, Engles extracted a long, thin object. With it, he yanked at Reid's wrists, cutting away the twine. The release of the rope felt wonderful for several seconds, allowing blood to flow freely into his hands again.

Engles reached down, picking up the item Reid had tripped over. It struck him as he recognized it… a shovel. "Get up," Engles said strictly.

Struggling, Reid finally managed to get upright again. Riley watched him, off to the side, still laying among the leaves. Engles forced the shovel into Reid's hands, painfully tingling as they regained feeling.

"Now," he said. "Dig."

"We're supposed to bury ourselves?" Reid asked.

He wasn't sure, but Reid suspected Engles was smiling. "Not exactly. You're not going to bury yourself. I will bury you… after you bury her."

Horrified, Reid's eyes traveled to the pathetic creature laying in the dirt, her eyes staring right back at him. Reid wanted to refuse. Engles would surely kill him if he declined, but Reid had to give Riley a chance. He couldn't do that if he were dead.

Managing to control his hands, Reid gripped the shovel and began digging. When Engles least suspected it… Reid would know what to do. He just needed to follow his instincts. He looked at Riley, lying in the dirt. Reid dug slowly, giving her time to gather her strength.

Linda Engles sat in the interrogation room. Her arms were folded on the table, her head resting on them. The tears had long since ceased and she was calm for the time being. Hotch and Rossi stood on the other side of the two way mirror, observing her.

This was a tricky situation. There was no way to know if Mrs. Engles knew where her son was at the moment. If they could get that information out of her, they just might get to Reid and Riley in time. But one wrong move could drive her into a psychotic break. They could possibly never find their friends, and finding them alive would be a fairy tale.

JJ walked in, joining Rossi and Hotch. She looked over Mrs. Engles a moment, then turned to the two men.

"Anything?" Hotch asked, never taking his eyes from the woman.

"Nothing useful, sir," JJ confessed. "The line has been flooded with tips, many people claiming they've seen all three of them, but none are worth investigating." She glanced at Mrs. Engles again. "What about her?"

"I want you to talk to her, JJ," Hotch finally turned to meet her eyes. Rossi looked at her as well, on the same page.

JJ looked stunned. "Me, sir?" she asked. "I'm… I'm not…"

"She can connect to you better than anyone else on this team." Hotch explained.

"Sir, I'm not trained in interrogation." JJ admitted. "It would be better if-"

"JJ, she can trust you." Rossi chimed in. "We need her confidence and we need it now. She's the only one who can help us."

"Emily and I will prep you," Hotch explained. "We'll give you some techniques on what to say."

"Okay," JJ agreed. A horrible thought surfaced in her mind. "But… what if she doesn't know how to find him?"

That was not the first time Hotch himself had considered that. Still, his instincts told him they were on the right track. "She knows."

Half asleep, Mrs. Engles was startled as the door opened. She sat up as the presence of an unfamiliar agent entered the room.

"Mrs. Engles?" she asked, offering her hand. "My name is Jennifer Jareau. I work with the other agents you've spoken with this week."

"You going to yell at me, too?" She asked, slouching in her arms again, refusing to shake her hand. Finally, JJ set it down.

She took the seat across from the distraught woman. Mentally unstable and a slight religious fanatic, perhaps, but, as JJ looked over her, she realized Hotch's thinking about sending her in here. It wasn't that they were both mothers or familiar with incredible circumstances. JJ knew how to sympathize with grieving families. Linda Engles was grieving for her son. He wasn't gone yet, but he would be soon. To her, he was already gone.

"Mrs. Engles." JJ said. "I'm not here to accuse you of anything." No response, JJ continued. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?"

"I want my son," she moaned into her arms.

JJ took a deep breath. "I… want to bring him to you, Mrs. Engles," she stated. "But… we don't know where he is. He's kidnapped two people and they're going to die."

"He's setting them free!" She cried, sitting up. "You could never understand!"

"I… do understand." JJ explained. "I'm a mother… I have a son. His name is Henry."

It softened her. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with a warmer glow. "Henry," she repeated. "How old?"

"He's two," she said, smiling. "He's back home… and I miss him dearly. I know what it's like to be apart from your son."

"Two," she said, "That's such a great age. I remember when Jimmy was two. He was… so enchanted by things. He loved being outside, and feeling the wind on his face."

JJ smiled. "He sounds like a special boy."

Mrs. Engles smiled, trying not to cry. She nodded. "Jimmy has always been a good boy. He listened to me. Since he was a baby, he's always done what he's told. The other boys… they never listened, just like their stupid father. And Maria… she was a demon. And she was going to bear another demon, just like her."

Trying to stay focused, JJ steered the conversation. "Mrs. Engles… we need to find Jimmy. Can you tell us where he is? Because if you can… I can bring Jimmy to you. You'll be able to see him, right here."

"No!" Mrs. Engles cried. Her hands banged on the table top. "No, no, no! Jimmy… has to go. He can't ever come back. Not ever. Not ever."

"Mrs. Engles, please," JJ pleaded. She reached over and took her hands in her own. "You know where Jimmy is, don't you?"

Mrs. Engles wouldn't answer, but her lack of any response was enough. "Okay, Mrs. Engles, I know you're worried for your son. We're not really interested in him… we're interested in the people he's taken."

"He's helping them," She explained. Her hands remained calmly in JJ's, not even attempting to pull away. "They're not your concern."

"But they are, Mrs. Engles." JJ cried. "See… your son took a man and woman. They're my friends. The man… Spencer… you met him. The other day… with Agent Prentiss."

"Dr. Reid?" she asked. After a long, catatonic thought, she nodded. "Yes, I remember him."

"Dr. Reid… Spencer… he's been one of my closest friends for years… and he's Henry's godfather."

She locked eyes with JJ, almost ready to give in. But still, she shook her head. "My son claims he's suffering. They're both suffering. And he wants to free them. It's the best way. We know it is, he knows it is."

"You and you're son believe in ending the suffering of people. Why is… burying them alive helping them?"

"Oh," she said, smiling. "Well, you don't understand. When the body goes through a great suffering, the soul needs released in order to find happiness. When the body goes through a great torture, the greater joy the soul receives after death. The others were given a proper burial. Maria was a demon, she needed to die greater than the others. Jimmy knew which souls needed greater treatment… your friends will be better off. You should be rejoicing for them."

"We don't share your understanding, Mrs. Engles," JJ explained. "There's no way we can. Maybe your way is the right way, but we'll never understand that. And you're taking away our friends. We are all going to go through a great suffering with the loss of our friends… are you going to have to kill all of us? And Henry… he loves Spencer. If Spencer dies, does that mean you have to kill my son, too?"

Mrs. Engles gasped. JJ had finally gotten to her. She waited for an answer, silently begging for her to see reason, even just for a moment.

"I can't tell you where he is…" she spoke slowly. "… but I can tell you how to find him."

"How?" JJ asked desperately.

"Jimmy wrote those notes. The words are only meaningful if you understand our philosophy, which none of you seem capable of." Then she smiled. "But the numbers are simple… I showed him how to find the numbers… I can show you."

Reid was up to his knees in Earth. Each dig was slow and steady. Engles never pressed him to move faster. He passed around the grave, giving a few views of constructive criticism on the young genius's work.

Riley was still in the dirt. She was looking up at the canopy of the forest, her eyes were open. Above them, the moonlight had seeped away and the stars had vanished. Overcast had set in. Rain was coming.

Engles moved to Riley and finally pulled her upright. "Get up," he moaned. "If Lover Boy has to keep working, you could at least have the decency to stay on your feet."

He'd only have one chance at this. If he failed, they were both dead, but it was better than doing nothing. Riley got slowly and tenderly to her feet…

"Why can't you leave her alone?" Reid asked, continuing to dig. "Don't listen to him, Riley. You rest."

"Don't you dare," Engles said, looking back at Riley. "Stay on your feet. If you lie down, I'll leave you in these woods and I'll take him and make him suffer for days, until he begs for-"

With a quick swipe, Engles was knocked off his feet. Reid, having taken as much strength as he could muster, swung the shovel at his knees, knocking him down.

Engles wasn't phased for more than a second. He lunged at Reid, trying to pin him down and get his gun out at the same time. A brutal fight ensued. Riley backed away, frightened, watching. She wanted to help, but the fear and panic in the situation had taken away all the capacity for rational thought.

"Riley…" Reid called as the two men wrestled. He pulled her attention back to reality. Reid could never hope to overpower this man, even under normal circumstances; he just needed to keep him restrained for a few moments. "Run, now!"

"No…" she mumbled. She couldn't leave him. This would not be their last moment together; this was not the end.

Pushing Engles off him, Reid screamed at her. "You promised me!"

"I won't leave you!"

"Riley, you promised!" Engles hit him in his throat, sending him into a spurt of coughing.

It wasn't enough to stop him. He continued his battle with Engles. Riley had to do as Reid asked. She took a deep breath and turned, heading back they way they came. A moment later, Engles pinned him, finally forcing the gun on him. With the feel of the cold metal against his ear, Reid watched as her form disappeared into the night. He smiled with relief.