Fire.
That was all she could dream about. It was all she felt.
Fire running through her veins. The searing heat was unbearable.
Her eyes shot open in panic. Glancing over at the alarm, she was surprised that she'd managed to sleep at all. 04:12, the clock read.
Tilting her head slightly, she listened to the noises she could hear floating through to her bedroom. She could hear the TV. And Alex. Definitely Alex. But, there was something else, another voice mingled in...another woman?
JJ sat numbly, pulling her battered knees up to her chest. She didn't even care. All she wanted to do was run away and never look back.
She walked slowly, almost zombie-like, to her closet. She silently praised herself for managing to single handedly put on a pair of underwear, a loose sweat top and a pair of tracksuit bottoms. Slipping on a pair of her worn running trainers, she carelessly sauntered into the living room. She didn't care that Alex had company. He'd already broken her. There wasn't exactly much more he could do, even if he wanted too.
Glancing in the direction of the living area, JJ wasn't at all surprised to see not one, but two young girls occupying her leather sofa. One was a skinny build with shocking red hair, the other a brunette with soft brown eyes and a shy smile.
"Oh. Yeah. This is my sister, the one I'm looking after, isn't that right Jenny?" Alex said.
JJ said nothing and continued for the door.
"I'm glad your feeling better, that must have been one hell of a scare." Spoke the red head.
JJ turned, and raised her eyebrows at Alex, not understanding.
"She's talking about your car crash. You know, the one that gave you the bust lip and stuff?" Alex spoke slowly as though speaking to a child.
"Yeah. Thanks." JJ said sarcastically, before turning on her heel and slamming the door shut behind her.
"Where are you going!" She heard Alex shout from behind the door.
But she didn't reply. The second her foot touched the wet cement outside, she ran.
Running was all she knew.
Whenever things got to hard, too scary; she ran.
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her and she left the shadows as far behind as she could.
Thunder rumbled above her; lightening illuminated the dark path in front of her. The flashes of light made her dizzy, but still she continued to run.
Her feet hit the pavement as fast and heavy as the droplets of rain. Within seconds the thin material of her clothes were soaked through. JJ pushed through it and didn't stop, not for a second. She couldn't. She wouldn't.
She had no idea where she was going. She didn't care so long as it was away from where she had been.
20 minutes into her run, the sodden lace of her sneaker entangled itself around the other, throwing the blonde harshly to the pavement below. Learning from her soccer days, she quickly twisted her body so that the main impact were on her knees and elbows rather than her already damaged wrist.
Like hell would that stop her.
Jumping back up, JJ continued to run.
It felt like forever had passed when her body finally began to tire. Her bones screamed in protest for her to stop.
Eventually she did.
Wiping away the loose hairs plastered across her face, she stared ahead. She had no idea how she'd even gotten here, but here she was. Right outside Hotch's front door.
JJ stood silently for a moment, but before she had the chance to knock, a searing pain radiated from the left side of her ribs. She was unprepared and fell with a thump to her already grazed knees.
She slumped against the doorway and focused on steadying her breathing. She was wet, and cold, but her body itself was numb.
A few seconds later, the grassy patch outside Hotch's kitchen window lit up. Someone had turned the hallway light on.
Struggling to stand, she knew she had to leave before her boss found her like this. What the hell was she thinking anyway, coming here of all places.
Placing her throbbing wrist inside her sweater, she limply cradled her ribs. Now was the time to make another run it.
Reaching the end of the dimply lit street, she was convinced she slipped away without anyone noticing. But over the deafening roar of the rain and thunder, JJ had failed to noticed the frenzied patter of bare feet hitting the ground behind her. It wasn't until a hand grasped her shoulder and spun her frail body around.
The second his dark brown eyes locked with hers, his entire world crumbled to pieces. She watched helplessly as the color drained from her bosses face. Other than the minor marks on her face, with clothes still on, there wasn't much too see. But JJ knew just from his haunted expression, he already knew.
She contemplated running again, but deep down she knew it was too late. She'd been caught. And now she'd have no choice but to face the demons that had been lurking behind her all these years. They'd finally caught up with her. Now, there was no going back.