Amy ran. It was something she loved to do – it made her feel free. But today, it was for survival. She wasn't aware of the rain hitting her. She wasn't aware of the mud slapping against her legs as she ran. She wasn't aware of the camp cunsellor calling her name. She just needed to run. She made it to her dorm, pulled the door shut behind her and started pacing. She pulled her damp fringe from her forehead, keeping her hand there.

"Hey." The dorm room door was open and the camp counsellor walked in. Blonde, athletic, she was only a few years older than Amy. "Are you ok?"

Amy nodded. "I just needed to get out of there." She stopped pacing. "I need to make a phone call."

"Ok." The camp counsellor gave her some privacy.

Amy dialled her grandmother, but there was no answer. The very familiar tightening in her chest returned. She clutched the reciever to her chest and then dialled another number. He picked up on the second ring. "Hotchner."

"Agent Hotchner?"

"Amy." He sounded happy to hear from her. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. Well, no... I had a panic attack and my grandmother didn't answer. I didn't know who else to call." Amy sat on the floor, her legs tucked under her.

"That's alright. I'm glad you called me. Why don't you tell me about it?"

"I thought I saw him... I thought he was here, at camp. I thought he was going to try and grab me. I felt... relieved." There was silence on the other line. "I wouldn't have to lie to anyone or tiptoe around anyone... I'm crazy, aren't I?

"No, you're not... What you're going through – it's normal. Have you heard of Stolkholm Syndrome?"

"No."

"It's when a – when a victim starts to sympathise, empathise with the person who hurt them, who took them. They can begin to develope a connection with them. Almost like a relationship. It's not uncommon in situations like yours. I'm sorry. I wish there was someway to make this stop for you."

"Does it go away?"

"It can. It just... might take some time first." They talked for a little while about nonsense and soon began to wrap up their short conversation. "Why don't we get together when you get back from camp?"

She nodded, then realised that she was on the phone and said, "I'd like that. Bye." She hung up the reciever and looked at her nails, wiping dirt off of them.

"Was that your mom or dad?" Amy spun her head around and saw the camp counsellor, closing the door behind her, carrying two hot cups in her hands.

Amy shook her head. "My parents aren't around." The counsellor looked embarrassed. "It's ok, you didn't know. It was a... family friend." She didn't know what else to say – "hey, that was the agent who found me after two years of being sexually abused" - and he was a friend of sorts.

"Do you live with...?" She indicated the phone.

"Aaron." She took the cup that the other girl offered. "No. I live with my grandmother and my sisters. Aaron, just... helps out with me. Apparently I can be quite difficult sometimes." She took a sip of the hot chocolate, instantly feeling better. "This is really good."

"Thanks. My, uh sister showed me." She watched as Amy took another sip. "I'm Jennifer, by the way. JJ." Jj fell down opposite Amy

"I'm Amy."

"We should go back."

"We can hang here for a while. I need a break from all those chicks saying how the mud is going to ruin their hair."

"I love being out in this weather. You can just savour the shower." Amy closed her eyes and smiled.

"Can I ask... What happened out there? I saw you. One minute you were smiling and the next moment you just froze."

"I thought I saw someone I didn't want to see. Even though I know there's no way he could be here, it still freaked me out."

"An ex?"

"Something like that. It's really complicated and I really don't want to talk about it."


Amy and JJ sat side by side, skimming stones. It was their last day and they were two of the last girls waiting to get picked up. When JJ's parents had shown up, she begged them to let her stay until Amy's grandmother showed up, unwilling to let her new friend be alone.

"She's going to be a while... You should go."

"No, because as soon as I leave it's me and them and they're going to drive me insane."

"What about your sister?" JJ's face suddenly sunk. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer -"

"She died. 5 years ago." She smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry. I know that doesn't fix anything. It doesn't make anything better. But, um, I am."

"You don't want to know how she died?"

"Do you want me to know?" JJ shook her head. "Then I don't need to know. When you want to talk about it I'm right here." She clasped JJ's hand in her's, her left hand and JJ's right hand wearing matching friendship bracelets that they had made in camp – their birthday's feel close together – the perfect birthday presents.

Amy's face fell and JJ followed her line of sight. A dark haired, tall man was walking towards them. JJ could vaguely understand why Amy's demeanor changed: the man had a certain air of authority – JJ certainly wouldn't want to get on his bad side. "Who's that?"

"Aaron." The man walked over to the girls and pulled Amy into a hug."Is something wrong? Has something happened?"

He smiled and let her go. "No, everything's fine. You're grandmother asked if I could pick you up and I thought it would be a good chance to have that chat."

Then JJ's parents walked up. "Jennifer."

JJ nodded and looked at Amy, and shrugged. Amy glanced at Hotch. He quickly took the hint and engaged the Jareau's in conversation. "You have him well trained."

"I don't even really know him that well." She could feel her chest tightening.

"I wish you could come home with us."

"So do I." Amy stared out at the lake. "But my grandmother, no matter how much she doesn't want me around, wants me gone even less. Jen... There's something that you don't know."

"You don't have to tell me. Not unless you want to. You didn't badger me about my sister, I can offer you the same thing. You'll tell me when you're ready." She pulled her friend into a hug. "You have my number, you have my address. Please! Or I will go crazy."

"I know the feeling." The two girls laughed and walked back to the adults.


Aaron took a bite from his burger. He looked at Amy, stunned she had just recited a line from the book she was reading about Jeffrey Dahmer.

"Give me this." He took the book from her and laughed when he saw David Rossi's name printed on it. "Amy, you're 14. I really don't think you should be reading that stuff." Amy looked up at him, surprised. Even Hotch looked a little surprised by himself. "Sorry. That's not..."

She smiled and popped a curl of onion into her mouth. "It's ok. I mean, it's not like my dad's around to tell me this stuff. If it makes you feel anybetter I'm balancing it out with Shakespeare." She threw her head against her folded arms on the table. "I wasted time, and now time doth waste me." She straightened up. "See. I don't disparage genres. I'll read anything." She took a sip of her soda. "It makes sense though, right? That line about burning Hustler, not Catcher In The Rye?"

"Amy-"

"Would it have made a difference?" She looked him dead in the eye. "Would it have helped me?"

"There's no way to tell." Hotch grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth. "Amy. There's something I wanted to talk to you about. I spoke to your grandmother last week. She said you've been having trouble getting back to things. You've been taking it out on your sisters."

"They say things to me. Call me names. I hate them."

"They just don't understand what you went through. I understand that you're angry but you can't keep taking it out on them."

"So what do I do?"

"I can teach you ways to channel your anger. How would you like to spend the last few weeks of your break with me? You can meet my wife. She'd love to meet you."

"What about my grandmother?"

"I'll need to run it by her first but I don't see any reason why there should be a problem. I can teach you how to channel your anger. I can even teach you defence if you'd like."

"Yes, please." She sipped on her soda. "Do you run a school for lost causes or something? Why are you doing this?"

He laughed. "I don't know. Maybe you can call it a hero complex. I see something in you. I think you can do great things someday. And that bastard shouldn't get away with ruining your life." He reached for his glass. "Excuse my languange. But he shouldn't get to dictate how you live your life." He sipped his water. "'It is not in the Stars to hold our Destiny but in ourselves.'" Amy stared at him, wide eyed and open mouthed. "What? I know my Shakespeare."