There's a whole lot of things I have/want to say, so bear with me for a moment...

First of all, I am sorry for the long wait. School has started, and I could say I'm busy, but that's not the whole truth (I AM busy, though, and not very loving of school at the moment). I just kind of forgot, with all kinds of things going on.

Second of all, this is the longest chapter by far. It's also the chapter I'm most anxious about, and for you probably the chapter you were waiting for. So, I beg you, PLEASE review. I'm proud of this and yet still quite insecure. Please tell me what you think - doesn't matter if it's good or bad. Just tell me.

I apologize for any inconsistencies - see, I'm not native to America, I've never been there (though I am going there in about a month: YAY!!), all my info I've got from the internet and my own logic. So I have no idea whether it's all true.

And a reminder for what happened previously (since it's been a pretty long while): The team is in Baltimore by invitation of an old college friend of Hotch's. Women through Baltimore are being raped, first one or two a week but then it escalated. Garcia found a link between eight of the victims - they were all involved in cases with prostitutes (again, no idea how all the legal stuff works in the USA - just bear with me). They found out the unsub keeps repeating something while he's raping the women - they couldn't understand what it was.
And on the more personal front - Garcia, having heard bits and pieces from Morgan, tried to get JJ to talking but didn't really succeed. Eventually, JJ went away. That's where this chapter begins.
Oh, and she has to write for a pres conference to get women who haven't spoken up yet about them being raped to go to them.

JJ went outside and leaned against the walls of the station. She seriously needed to do something about this situation. She couldn't just stand there while women throughout Baltimore were raped – she had to find the right words to help them.

She thought of the case they had had in Mexico. There, a woman, a victim herself, had been able to get several other women to talk. Maybe something like that was possible this time – maybe they could get Kathleen McAdams to talk in front of the press.

But could they do that to her? It would be extremely painful, not to mention awkward for herself.

There had to be another way. There had to be some right words, a right combination to get these women to talk…

--

When she saw Emily and Reid enter the building with a woman JJ assumed was Kathleen McAdams, she followed them inside. Soon after that, Hotch and Morgan followed. They met in 'their' office. Hotch was the first to talk.

"Crime scene tells us he is definitely meticulous and smart," he started off. "It was away from the crowd, yet not too far away to not be able to get away easily. He must have knowledge of the area, therefore he must be a local."

"Guys, Garcia found a connection between eight of the women. They've all been involved in cases with prostitution – they were street walkers and escorts," Morgan contributed.

"Eight?" Hotch asked. "What about the others?"

"No connection yet," Morgan said, shaking his head. "But Hotch, none of these women were poor. They didn't need the money." He paused for a moment. "Kathleen McAdams is one of the eight."

"It is estimated that about 85 of all prostitutes were forced or had no other way out. Women who choose to be prostitutes are quite rare in Western society," Reid quipped.

"In other words, it's highly unlikely that all of these women chose to do this," Hotch said, looking around. "We may have to do with someone who had something to do with the cases in which the prostitutes were involved – possibly someone from law enforcement. The fact that so far, none of his victims have been able to identify him, can point to his insecurity because he hides his face. He possibly has a job in which he feels he isn't appreciated enough."

"You're saying he could be one of us?" John asked, disbelieving.

"It's a possibility," Hotch said, looking at him. "But we aren't going to jump to conclusions here."

"Prentiss, you and I will talk to Kathleen. JJ, I want you to watch with Reid for any signs."

"Excuse me, but doesn't she need a bit of comfort right now?" Emily asked. "She's just been raped. She can't use us jumping all over her."

"That's why you're coming with me," Hotch replied directly to her. "Let's go."

While they were walking to the interrogation room, Emily gave JJ a sympathetic look that clearly said "Sorry to put you through all of this". JJ quietly nodded, trying to reassure Emily. She would get through this.

--

JJ stood behind the glass as Hotch and Emily sat up inside the interrogation room. She thought it was a bit senseless to put Kathleen in a room designed to question suspects, but thankfully the room was less cold than most interrogation rooms.

She and Reid waited in silence as Kathleen was brought in and sat down.

JJ looked at her and memories came back to her like a flood. The attitude, the make-up… This was a woman who had been broken by a man who abreacted his anger on innocent women. She felt herself getting angry, but forced it back. Nobody could use her anger.

"Kathleen, I am Emily Prentiss and this is Aaron Hotchner," Emily said, gently. "We're with the FBI, the Behavioural Analysis Unit. Do you know what that means?"

She tried to get Kathleen to talking, who merely stared at the table in front of her, apparently not even hearing the agents in front of her.

"I'm very sorry, but we are going to have to ask you a few questions," she continued. "You can help us to catch the guy who did this to you."

Kathleen looked up, a defensive look on her face. "I already told you everything I wanted to say," she said hoarsely. "Why do you make me go through it again?"

"Well, you didn't say much, but we are here so you can tell us what happened," Emily answered her. She kept her sigh inside as Kathleen didn't react.

"We know that you are also a prostitute," Hotch said softly. Kathleen's expression changed from anger to fear so quickly JJ hardly saw the change. "We think you may have met him before, as one of your clients."

Kathleen regained her composure, and her exterior returned to the stony person she had been before. She didn't budge as Hotch and Emily tried various interrogation techniques on her, hoping they could get her to talk. They didn't succeed.

Eventually, Hotch and Emily stood up, leaving Kathleen alone in the room, who sat still as a statue.

They entered the room where Reid and JJ were still studying Kathleen. "She's not talking," Emily sighed.

"You definitely hit a nerve when you started talking about her as a prostitute," Reid said, not taking his eyes off Kathleen's silent figure. "She got scared, and it took her a few moments to go back to her defensive state."

"There must be some way to get her to talk," Hotch said, a slight hint of frustration in his voice.

"Sir, can I try?" JJ suddenly asked, turning around.

"Why, what do you have in mind?" Hotch asked, eyeing her. Admittedly, he had put her in this room with a purpose. But he still wanted to know what her plan was.

"Just a hunch," JJ replied vaguely. Then she stood straighter. "I can imagine she doesn't want to talk with a man right now, and you were there."

"Okay, so you will go in with Prentiss," Hotch said, wanting to see her reply to that.

"No! I mean," JJ said, covering up, "a single woman may be better, make her feel safer. The less people know, the safer she is."

Hotch ignored the inner voice that spoke up at this comment – the word is instead of feels. "Alright," he finally said. "We'll be here."

JJ nodded, quickly leaving the room, but not before she saw Emily's encouraging look. A moment later, she entered the interrogation room, cautious but determined to help.

"Hey, Kathleen," she said rather softly. "My name is Jennifer Jareau, but you can call me JJ. I'm not a profiler like those agents before, I'm just an agent." She thought that the lower the rank, the easier it would be for Kathleen to trust. JJ knew that high-ranked officers were often scarier than ordinary cops for people who lived on the streets, and it was obvious to her that Kathleen lived on the streets. She saw the signs everywhere: the look in her eyes, the way she was dressed… exactly how she herself had looked.

She sat down in a chair opposite Kathleen. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked. Kathleen nodded, keeping her eyes downcast. JJ got up and poured her a glass of water from the bottle that had stood in a corner. "Here you go," she said, handing Kathleen the glass and sitting down again.

Kathleen drank silently, her eyes still fixed on the table. JJ decided that she needed a more personal approach, and she drew a deep breath before starting to talk. They didn't matter at the moment. Kathleen, the other victims and this bastard mattered.

"Listen to me," she started, drawing Kathleen's attention to her. "I know what it's like to be hiding and protecting. Trust me when I say you'll eventually feel better."

She didn't miss the flicker in Kathleen's eyes, but simply waited silently for Kathleen to look up. She had recognized Kathleen's secret even in the few moments she had seen her: it was a secret she was all too familiar with. She knew she needed to gain Kathleen's trust before she would talk. It would be easier to talk to someone who understood, JJ knew that. She just hoped it wasn't too obvious for the others. If they would just leave, instead of standing behind that glass and watch her every movement… They would be able to talk more freely then.

JJ wanted to help Kathleen. Wanted to make sure Kathleen would get out of this never-ending cycle, and she felt like she could trust her. It would all be easier if she knew nobody was looking.

But that was an impossible wish. JJ was drawn away from her thoughts when Kathleen did look up.

"Didn't I say I already told you everything I wanted to say?" she said, but it was a weak excuse and JJ saw right through it.

"Yeah, you did. But as the other agents told you, we need to know what happened. We want to help you," JJ replied. She was glad Kathleen was talking. She could see her walls were crumbling down very quickly, she knew that in a moment she would be ready to talk.

"How long have you been on the streets?" JJ asked, realizing she needed some way in.

"I don't, I live at home," Kathleen answered quickly. Though she managed to keep her composure, JJ just knew she was lying.

"Officially, yeah. You haven't been there for quite a while now, though," JJ said, observing the woman in front of her. "When did you start turning tricks?"

She hoped that the use of a slang term would ease Kathleen a bit. She would find some excuse for her colleagues later.

"Seventeen," Kathleen mumbled, not even looking up. JJ was surprised – she hadn't expected Kathleen to give in so quickly.

"Why?" It was a simple question, she tried to keep it short. Yet, Kathleen tensed up immediately and didn't respond.

"Your mom remarried. Did he abuse you?" It was a guess, based on her own experience. JJ knew that the information they needed was about the unsub, not the victims. But she wanted to help Kathleen, and therefore she needed to know her history.

"Did he?" She repeated when Kathleen didn't react.

When Kathleen finally looked up, JJ was startled to see tears in her eyes. Well, that answers that question, she thought, and the pain of her own history slowly started to come back.

"Kathy, it's… Can I call you Kathy?"

She nodded, and JJ continued. "Can you tell me for how long your step father did this to you?"

Kathleen shook her head, panicking. JJ recognized, knew what Kathleen was thinking: she had betrayed him, now he would do things… She felt uneasy, knowing so well what was going through Kathleen's head. She quickly tried to put herself in Kathleen's position and decided to sit closer to Kathleen and touch her, to comfort her. She hoped Kathleen wouldn't reject her, and she didn't. She simply sat as JJ stroked her hand on the table.

--

At the other side of the glass, Reid, Hotch and Emily watched. Reid was dumbstruck: when had JJ learned to get this good? He thought of the possibilities, some too horrible to think about: yet, they seemed the best explanation for what was happening. He wordlessly turned to Hotch, who looked back at him. In his eyes, Reid saw the same thoughts he had thought moments before, being confirmed.

He looked back at JJ, the innocent one in their team, who was still comforting Kathleen. He couldn't believe it… yet it was the truth.

--

After a while, Kathleen retreated her hand and rubbed her arms. "Are you cold?" JJ asked immediately.

"No…" she answered hesitantly. JJ understood.

"I know it is hard, but you need to tell me what happened. It will help, really. Eventually you'll feel better." She looked Kathleen in the eye, hoping to convey some of her thoughts without having to voice them. She desperately wanted Kathleen to trust her. They were running out of time, and Kathleen might be the key to the unsub.

"You…" she didn't continue, obviously aware of the fact that they were being watched. JJ simply nodded, knowing what question she was being asked. She noticed Kathleen's changing behaviour, knowing she had done the right thing. She didn't look at the glass, but she knew that behind it all eyes were on her, thinking, speculating… Well, almost all eyes, since Emily already knew the truth.

In those few seconds, Kathleen seemed to have made a decision. Maybe she was tired of fighting, maybe she just wanted to get him behind bars, but she gave in to JJ.

"Four years," Kathleen whispered, answering JJ's earlier question.

"The whole way?" JJ asked her, and Kathleen nodded. The tears were starting to fall again. JJ pulled her against her, not caring about protocol for the moment. This woman needed comfort, and she was there to give it to her.

"You ran?" She continued to ask when the tears had decreased a bit. Kathleen worried her. She hadn't been crying, there were merely tears falling down her cheek.

"I had nowhere else to go," Kathleen whispered. "Didn't know what else to do."

"I know," JJ said, comforting. The only way out… It was so familiar she felt tears forming in her own eyes. Don't think about that now, she told herself.

"The first days I holed up, but Jo – someone found me."

"Took care of you?" JJ said, thinking of Pat, who'd done the same thing with her.

"Told me what to do. It was easy money…"

"And you knew what to do," JJ finished for her. "The man who attacked you today, he was another trick?"

"I thought he was, but he walked past so then I thought he was just curious… Then he came up from behind…" She stopped talking.

"He threatened you, didn't he?" JJ asked gently. It was merely a guess, but she had thought of it before, when John had said that only one woman had talked. The women did report, but said not to have seen the rapist, even though they had seen him. It clearly told JJ that they were afraid of revenge, that he had threatened to do things to their loved ones.

"He threatened to do things to others? Your family?" She knew she was right when Kathleen tensed. "You can tell me, he won't know," she added to comfort her.

"He knew I have a little sister… My mother… It's not fair," she suddenly started to shout.
"I always kept quiet, I never told anyone, I don't deserve this!" She banged her fists on the table. "It's not fair!" she repeated.

"No, it's not," JJ agreed with her. She grabbed one of Kathleen's wrists. "Kathy, look at me," she told the woman, who slowly turned towards her.

"We can help you put this man behind bars, as well as your step father. Do you know what happens to child abusers in jail?" She nearly smiled when she saw Kathleen's eyes become slightly happier… A bit more satisfied. "It's okay to think like that," JJ told her. She had thought it herself many times… It wasn't enough but it helped.

"Can you tell us what the man who attacked you looked like?" JJ continued. As much as she'd like to talk about Kathleen's life, there was a rapist to catch.

"He was a honky," Kathleen started. "He had black clothes, uhm, I don't…"

That's okay," JJ soothed. "Was there anything about him you found odd?"

"He kept muttering something… I couldn't hear what it was…"

JJ looked at the glass for the first time with a meaningful look before she turned back to Kathleen.

"What did he do after… when he was finished?" She asked, realizing this was a difficult question.

"He got up, started…threatening me…" Kathleen's voice grew softer again.

"What exactly did he say?"

Kathleen winced, so JJ grabbed onto her hand.

"He said… 'if you tell anyone, Maria and your mother will suffer, too', Maria's my sister."

"And after that?" JJ prodded.

"He just left," she said, quite steadily.

"Kathy… I'm sorry I have to ask you this, but did he clean up afterwards?"

"He used a condom and he had gloves on," Kathleen replied, catching on what JJ meant. He didn't leave anything… nothing at all." JJ knew what she was thinking.

"Kathy, you have to understand this very well. This is not your fault. You did what you thought was the only way away from home, and it's not your fault that the unsub left no evidence. Do you understand me?"

Kathleen nodded, but unconvinced. "But I told you, and now he's gonna hurt Maria… He can, he knows them he…" She started crying now, and JJ was glad she was finally letting her anger and pain out. She held Kathleen against her as she cried, gently rocking back and forth and stroking her hair. "It's gonna be okay," she whispered. She hesitated for a moment, then added: "I turned out okay, too. I've got you." She felt some of her own tears falling down her cheek, but made no attempt to wipe them away.

When she looked at the clock in the corner of the room after a while, she noticed that she had been in the room for nearly one and a half hour: as much as she'd like to stay here and comfort Kathleen, she needed to work on the press conference: they still weren't close enough to catching this bastard.

She gently let go of Kathleen, having to ask one more question. "Kathy, do you think you could draw the man who attacked you?"

Kathleen looked at her. Her eyes were bloodshot, but there was a determination in them that told JJ Kathleen was a fighter. She nodded. "I can draw," she said, quietly.

"That's good, I'll get you a pen and some paper," JJ said. "Listen, I'm gonna have to go now, but if you ever need me, just give me a call, okay?" she said, handing Kathleen her business card. "Day or night, doesn't matter. All it takes is a phone call."

With those words, JJ left. She knew she had to go into the observation room, but she wasn't looking forward to it: she hoped they would skip the personal part and just go on to the profile.

When she entered the room, three sets of eyes immediately focused on her. "I'm okay," she said weary, before anyone could ask that question. When she looked at Reid, however, she saw in his eyes that he knew. That could only mean that Hotch knew, too.

She avoided their eyes and stood in front of the glass, looking at the woman who had just poured her heart out. For a moment, there was silence, until Hotch spoke. "A honky?"

"Means he's white, but we already knew that." She turned around, having no other choice.

"Guys, he said that Maria and her mother would suffer, too," she said, emphasizing the last word.

Emily nodded. "He knows the pain he's inflicting." She paused for a moment. "He's probably been abused himself."

I tried to keep the case in, to have it case-based, but the characters had other ideas. Anyway, tell me what you think. I need reviews!
And it's a good boost, since I am now quite stuck at chapter 22.