It is nearing midnight. No one has come in to check on JJ or Carmen. The little girl had fallen silent long ago, not even answering any questions from JJ. The agent prays the little girl has fallen asleep. Just when she thinks their captors are going to leave them alone, a door opens. JJ moves towards the sound, staring through the air holes to see what is happening. A large man, his face bathed in shadows approaches her box.
"Who are you?" JJ asks, knowing he is too big to be Gulliver.
His only response is to slam a metal bar into her cage. JJ groans as the sound rings loudly in her head. She hears the sound of something scraping the floor and her box starts to jiggle. She is thrown against the side wall as the entire thing is tilted. She realizes she is on a dolly of some sort and being moved.
"Put it in the van," she hears a voice order.
The dolly drops her cage to the ground. Two men pick it up and put it in a cargo van. She is shoved towards the front of the vehicle. A few minutes later, they come back with Carmen's box and she is also shoved into the van. The side door opens and JJ looks out to see the woman who had answered the door at Gulliver's house. She smiles at JJ, though there is no warmth in the look.
"That little fuck Feist is going to talk. We'll deal with him later. For now, time to get rid of you and the brat. What was the old saying? Oh, yeah…no body, no crime."
The woman laughs. JJ shudders knowing the woman is not kidding.
"Oh, God…Henry…Emily…I'm sorry," JJ thinks to herself. Out loud she sounds more confident than she feels, her media liaison training taking over. "You won't get away with this. Agent Hotchner would have told everyone you're involved. You'd be better served giving up and then maybe you can make a deal with the prosecutor."
"Shut up," the woman sneers…and she pepper sprays JJ.
JJ drops back, pain ripping through her face. The woman and the two men with her laugh and get into the van. A third man opens the bay door of the building they are in before leaping into the back with the crates.
As they pull out, floodlights hit the van. The driver slams on the brakes as police, SWAT and the FBI surround them. One officer ducks into the building and shuts the bay door, cutting off that route of escape. From behind the protection of a police car door, Hotch addresses the scene with a bullhorn.
"Stephanie Williams, Simon Gulliver, Byron Smith, and Joseph Jacobs you are surrounded. Turn off the van, throw down any weapons you have and exit the vehicle with your hands up."
"Maybe we should do what they say," Gulliver suggests, his eyes on all the guns pointed at them.
The men look terrified. Williams smacks Gulliver upside the head. "You give up, you die by my hand." She looks over her shoulder at Smith. "Get the agent up here."
Smith unlocks JJ's cage and drags her forward. Her eyes are still worthless, coated with the sticky pepper spray concoction. Williams puts a gun to JJ's head and rolls her window down.
"Let us out of here or this agent dies. I swear, I'll put a bullet in her head and then in the kid's head."
Emily's hand tightens on her gun. Even from a distance she can see something is wrong with JJ's face.
"Has she been maced?" she asks Reid.
"Looks like it," he confirms.
"I'll kill the bitch," Emily vows. Reid just glances at Emily, agreeing with the sentiment.
They watch as two members of the SWAT team rappel down the building behind the van. The men drop silently to the ground as Hotch continues to keep the attention of those in get away vehicle.
"That's not going to happen. You kill her you die, too."
"Fuck, Hotch, don't tempt them," Emily mumbles in frustration.
"You're only chance is to let her and Carmen Carlyle go," he continues, unaware of Emily's statement. "Now, throw your weapons out and exit the vehicle with your hands up."
Hotch and Williams glare at each other. All of the sudden, the side door opens and Smith and Jacobs leap out.
"I GIVE UP!" Smith screams.
Jacobs also has his hands raised but seems too scared to speak. Williams spins around to see what they have done. JJ, even barely able to see, takes her chance. She leaps across the lap of Williams and throws the door open. Her momentum pushes her out the door and she grabs a hold of Williams, bringing the smaller woman tumbling out with her. As JJ falls on top of her, the gun in Williams hand goes off.
Time seems to slow down for Emily Prentiss. She can feel herself running towards the van but it's as if she's running molasses. Being on the driver's side of the van she covers the SWAT member who comes from behind the vehicle and drags the driver out and onto the ground. She keeps her gun trained on the man as Reid leaps forward and cuffs him. Once the man is secure, she moves carefully to the front of the van.
She sees Smith and Jacobs already in custody, being led away. She sees Morgan carefully rolling JJ off of Williams…and the smear of red across JJ's chest.
"JENNIFER!"
Morgan waves Emily over to get JJ. As she runs forward she sees JJ look towards the sound of her lover's voice. "Emily?"
Emily drops down beside her. "Jen, stay still! WE NEED A MEDIC!"
"EM! It's not my blood," JJ says, her voice a bit shocky.
"Wh—what?"
Emily looks beyond JJ and sees Morgan stand up from checking Williams. The dark agent looks to Hotch and shakes his head. The woman is dead, a victim of her own gun.
Emily pulls JJ close. "Oh, God, Jen…we still need to get you a medic. You've been sprayed."
"Yeah. Okay. In the van—"
"They have her, Jen. She's okay."
"She was really brave, Emily. Make sure her parents know that."
"I will, sweetheart. I swear."
Medics come over and start to wash out JJ's eyes and cleaning off her face. As her eyes start to readjust, JJ studies her team who are all looking down at her. Suddenly her eyes narrow.
"Em…where the fuck is your cast?"
The members of the BAU all laugh. Well, except for Emily. If JJ's already got her "mother of the team" voice back she must be feeling better.
"Um, long story. Tell you later?"
"You'll tell me on the way to the hospital. I know I have to go in so you better, too, and get another cast on your leg while we are there."
"Yes, ma'am," Emily answers contritely. "But Hotch said it was okay!" She adds quickly.
"Hey, now, don't throw me under the bus! You and Garcia had already freed your foot before I saw you."
"Garcia?" JJ asks. "Oh, it looks like I need to have a serious talk with all of you!"
Morgan looks at the EMT's. "Um, if you are planning to sedate her, make it a big one."
The EMT's and BAU team chuckle as JJ is loaded onto a stretcher. Emily climbs up in the ambulance with her. Though she would never admit it, her ankle is killing her and she is actually looking forward to getting a cast back on it. As they settle into the ambulance, Emily pulls her cell phone, hits speed dial and hands the phone to JJ.
"Emily?" Garcia answers anxiously.
"Can you tell me why you helped my fiancé get rid of her cast?"
There is a long pause. "Uhh…gotta go get Henry. Love you, Jajye!" Garcia hangs up. JJ busts out laughing and hands the phone to Emily. "It's nice to know you all haven't forgotten who is really in charge of this team."
Emily smiles down at her. "We wouldn't dare." She leans down and gives JJ a gentle kiss. "I love you, Jennifer."
"I love you, too."