Running low on motivation here so please review and let me know what you think so far!
Chapter 18
JJ awoke with a start, the cold immediately invading her senses as she slowly rose to her knees. A cough overcame her, sending her almost back to the floor with the force of it. As the blonde doubled over, a hand coming to press against her suddenly heavy chest, she wondered how long she had been asleep. Any concern regarding the matter, however, was instantly cast aside as she looked up and saw that she was alone.
"Ava?!" Panic overwhelmed the older woman as she thought of all the awful things that could've befallen her partner while she was sleeping. Cursing, JJ threw herself against the door and pounded hard, shouting Ava's name as well as a slur of profanities at the people she knew could hear her. Just as another, shorter coughing fit passed, the door swung open, almost hitting the blonde in the face. JJ had to jump back as Ava was tossed back inside and straight into her. The two collided, sending both women to the ground, as the men behind them couldn't help but laugh at their expense. JJ shot the two a menacing glare just as the door was closing.
"I was so worried." JJ quickly scanned her friend for any injuries. She could see none. "Where did they take you?"
"The bathroom." The lie fell easily from her lips as Ava prayed that JJ wasn't awake long enough to question it.
"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" The blonde reached out, taking Ava's chin and turning it to see her better. Ava managed to stop herself from flinching away just in time. Instead, she let the older woman look her over until she was satisfied.
"I'm fine." She said softly. "That cough doesn't sound too good though."
"It's nothing." JJ waved a hand in dismissal. "Just a cold."
"Right." Ava scoffed sarcastically. JJ chose to ignore it.
"We have to do something." JJ insisted. "We can't just sit around here and wait to be-"
"We don't have to do anything." Ava surprised her. The look of confusion on JJ's face was obvious enough for Ava to continue. "Everything's going to be fine."
"You can't possibly know-"
"I know." The darker haired woman pressed. "Just wait and see."
"Wait? That's your brilliant plan?" JJ's anger flared as she watched Ava try to find a comfortable position to sit in. "You said it yourself- she's going to kill us. You may have given up but I sure as hell am not going to wait for her to decide when we die. I'll fight them myself if I have to."
"Don't be ridiculous." Ava barely looked up which only infuriated JJ further.
"I'm not the one being ridiculous, Ava." JJ crossed her arms. "I'm not going to just lay down and let her kill us or hurt you." Ava surprised her again by letting out an amused scoff.
"She's not going to kill anyone." Ava stated plainly. "Just wait."
"What, did she pinky swear?" JJ's sarcastic question left a bitter taste in her mouth as she realized that she was missing something. "What did she tell you, Ava? What lie did she promise?"
"She didn't lie." Ava pressed her knees to her chest in an attempt to keep warm.
"If you believe anything that woman has told you, you're seriously losing grip on reality." JJ watched as Ava checked out of the conversation, her forehead dropping onto her bent knees. "Ava, listen to yourself! You're taking the word of a psychopathic murderer who's hell bent on hurting you." JJ knelt in front of the girl, placing her hands on slumped shoulders and pinning them to the wall. "We have to fight them."
"No," Ava shook her head slowly, "we don't."
"What's happened to you?" JJ pleaded. "An hour ago you were telling her to fuck off and baiting her into a fight and now you won't even…" The blonde trailed off as she came to a conclusion. At the sound of her sudden silence, Ava risked a glance up and regretted it immediately. JJ's eyes had, without warning, filled with tears. Her features had softened and the look of anger she was just sporting was completely replaced by something far worse: pity.
"What did she do to you?" the question was almost a whisper- a whisper that JJ knew would not receive a response. She watched as Ava swallowed hard and finally made eye contact with her. Expecting to find tears, JJ was surprised by the lack of emotion in Ava's emerald gaze. She tilted her head slightly, feeling her own tears slip out, as the hands that held Ava's shoulders slowly moved to her face. Watching JJ cry for her coupled with the fact that she had most likely pieced together what had happened was almost too much for her. Ava jerked her head away from the woman as she threw both arms up, effectively pushing the blonde away. JJ let herself fall back into a sitting position as she struggled to absorb what was happening. The blonde watched as her once confident and witty partner shrunk further into herself, closing JJ and the rest of the world out. Ava's head went back to rest on her knees and JJ fought hard to stifle the tears that threatened to fall. She pressed a hand against her mouth hard, knowing that seeing her cry would only further upset Ava. The crashing wave of guilt came soon after as she realized that whatever Ava had done, she had done it for her. Several moments passed in complete silence before the two heard the door open again. Ava was almost as quick to stand as JJ was, the blonde already halfway across the room before anyone could notice.
"What did you do to her?!" JJ cried, rushing towards Katya. She barreled straight through the woman's bodyguards, who were completely taken aback by the outburst, and tackled the taller woman to the ground. They landed hard, an audible gasp escaping Katya's lips as JJ grabbed her by the collar and shook. She repeated the question over and over, shaking the woman furiously until two pairs of hands pulled her off. However, the smaller blonde refused to relent as she stood quickly, ready to tear anyone who opposed her apart.
"JJ, stop! Please!" she could hear Ava's pleas but ignored them as one of the men stepped forward to subdue her. The other was quick to grab Ava, holding her back just in case she decided to step in. JJ, fueled solely by rage, focused all her energy on Katya. She completely ignored the giant of a man that was equally as dedicated to protecting the woman as she was to hurting her. Just as her hand grazed the fabric of the trafficker's shirt, JJ felt herself being pulled back. The man had his arms around her neck, much like he had when he had taken her. JJ clawed at him, still desperately trying to reach out and hurt Katya in any way. She kicked and thrashed to no avail as she felt herself slowly losing control of her limbs. Just as she thought she would lose consciousness yet again, someone spoke and the man released her, letting her fall to the ground with a thud. Ava was by her side at once, watching her cough as she tried to regain her senses.
"Let's get this over with, shall we?" Katya cleared her throat nonchalantly as one of the men briefly left the room before returning with a tripod under his arm. Ava frowned, unsure as to what Katya wanted, but refocused her attention on helping JJ stand again.
"Whatever she's done," JJ heaved, "whatever she's promised you, Ava, I am not leaving here without you. Do you understand me? There is no universe, no reality, where I will let that happen."
"Shut her up, will you?" Katya waved a hand and within seconds, JJ was gagged and pushed aside. As the second man set up the tripod and camera, Katya watched the array of emotions that played across Ava's face. "Don't worry, it's not what you think." Ava's stomach lurched at the crude suggestion as Katya almost laughed. The blonde took a step closer and handed the shorter woman a piece of paper. Ava took it slowly, eyes dancing from JJ to the camera and back. She scanned it quickly, a frown etched on her face the entire time.
"What is this?" she finally asked. Katya merely gestured to the camera. "You want me to say this…to the camera?" The blonde nodded once, her smile growing. "I-I can't do that."
"I'm sorry, what was that?" the seemingly innocent question was most certainly nothing of the sort as Katya took a single step closer. They could hear JJ trying to speak through the gag, no doubt telling the woman to stay away from Ava.
"This wasn't part of our agreement." Ava held her ground, a part of her still defiant.
"Our agreement was: you do as I say and she gets to live." Katya reminded her. "If you've changed your mind, all you have to do is say so." Ava's eyes widened as the man restraining JJ raised a knife and placed it against her pale throat.
"You won't kill her." Ava was almost positive. "You kill her and you lose your only bargaining chip. You'll never get what you want then."
"You have a point." Katya admitted, the grin on her lips never wavering. Without another word, the man behind her grabbed JJ's hair and began dragging her across the room.
"Stop!" Ava cried. "You swore you wouldn't hurt her! That was our deal: she leaves here unharmed!" Katya merely shrugged, turning to watch as the smaller blonde struggled against the man.
"What can I say? I'm a criminal. We tend to bend the rules a bit." Annoyed, the man wound back a fist and punched JJ hard in the gut. The air rushed out of her lungs as she doubled over in pain, her aching chest pounding as she fought to breathe. Just as the man went to force JJ's head into the barrel of ice water once more, Ava relented.
"Alright, I'll do it!" she yelled. "I'll read your goddamned letter." The man let go of JJ and watched as she curled into a ball on the ground, her eyes looking up at her partner.
"Good girl." Katya jeered, her hand creeping up to a stroke a pale cheek. Ava remained frozen in place but JJ's anger was immediately rekindled as she tried to rise again, shouting something that sounded like 'don't touch her'. The man beside her simply placed a heavy foot on her back and forced her down. Ava waited until the camera was on her and recording before looking up.
"My name," Ava's voice shook slightly as she cleared her throat, "is Avalona Thorne. I work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. On December 3, 2017, my partner, Agent Jennifer Jareau, and I were kidnapped by a woman named Katya Volkov. Three years ago, I was responsible for the arrest and imprisonment of Volkov and her accomplices. Shortly after, she was approached by Interpol and offered a deal. In exchange for information that would lead to the arrests of dozens more like her, she would remain out of prison. Volkov took the deal and, to ensure that she wasn't compromised, her death was faked on April 16th, 2014. Everyone who wasn't in direct contact with her, including myself, believed that she was dead. I have caused Katya a great deal of pain, both physical and emotional, and for that, I am sorry. I've betrayed her, lied to her, and almost caused her death on more than one occasion. An apology, however, is not enough to make up for the losses she has suffered because of me." Ava paused, her heart racing as she swallowed hard, her stomach flopping as she spoke. She opened her mouth, fully prepared to finish the letter, but stopped as soon as she made eye contact with JJ. The pause was apparently too long and Katya stepped into the frame. She grabbed Ava by the collar, hoisted her up slightly, and growled in her ear,
"Finish it or I'll tell the entire world all about how you murdered your son." Ava's blood ran cold as she looked up at the woman. There was no mistaking those eyes- Katya wasn't bluffing. As the blonde released her, Ava struggled to find her voice again, eyes wide as she purposely kept her gaze away from JJ. When she did, it was lower and trembling much more than before.
"Despite my transgressions, Katya and I have reached a…a mutually beneficial agreement in order for me to make up for what I've done. I will remain here, with Katya and her associates, for as long as she deems necessary. In exchange, Katya will release Agent Jareau, alive and in good health, to return to her family." JJ's cries of disapproval were undoubtedly audible to whoever would be watching the recording in the near future. No one in the room seemed to care.
"To my team…my family," Ava's eyes finally filled with tears as she realized that this would be the last the BAU ever saw of her, "I ask only one thing: do not look for me. You will only succeed in bringing more pain to other, innocent people. Please…consider this my last request to you, the only people in this world that have ever made me feel at home." Ava released a breath as the red light turned off and the recording was finished.
"I don't recall asking you to improvise but I suppose it'll do." Katya crossed her arms as the men collected everything. Ava didn't move as the blonde approached her again. Even JJ didn't make a sound, her mind still reeling from everything she had just heard. "Don't look so down, Avalona. The whole world is going to hear your story. You'll be a hero. You'll be famous." Katya patted her cheek lightly before letting out a chuckle and following the men out of the room, leaving the two agents alone once more.
Six cups of coffee in, the remaining BAU could do nothing but rub their temples and groan as disappointment after disappointment landed in their laps. Their sleep deprived minds could hear the background noise of the afternoon news but failed to register what was being said. It was only until Garcia shuffled in and looked up at the screen did they realize something was terribly wrong. The bright pink and green mug shattered, startling them all, as Penelope read the headline of the latest news story, plastered across the screen alongside a dirty and tattered Ava.
KIDNAPPED FBI AGENT EXPLAINS ALL; BEGS LAW ENFORCEMENT TO STAND DOWN
WARNING: THIS CONTENT COULD BE CONSIDERED GRAPHIC
