The team had been shackled for four hours now, Reid had been trying to calm his mother down but she had become hysterical when she saw him forced into the room with the others.
Garcia was weeping silently, shackled next to Reid she looked periodically at the empty shackles opposite which were supposed to be for Morgan she was limp in her restraints, the team could tell she had given up.
Hotch had never looked away from Prentiss since they arrived, she had been bandaged up but the angle her arms were now at in the shackles was causing her considerable pain.
"I'm fine Hotch really, you have more than me to worry about" she smiled through the pain.
"I am not going to ignore the fact that you're in pain" he returned the distress could be heard in his voice.
Suddenly the door flew open and Alex strode in looking at each of the agents.
"Now BAU team members, how does it feel to be reunited with your friend?" He grinned at a bruised and battered Rossi.
"And Dr Reid, you have a little family reunion, such a shame Agent Morgan isn't here to enjoy it" Reid looked at Alex, his eyes betrayed the pain he was feeling, filled with tears for his fallen teammate.
Alex relished the look, Reid's pain delighted him.
"You lot presented quite a challenge for me and John after your little genius here let on our plans, well my investors are gone now and you are my toys to play with" Alex finished by unshackling Reid's feet.
"What are you doing?" Reid looked at the man as he raised the level of his arms up, the young genius was now stood completely upright with his arms above his head. John entered with a camera and hit record. Alex's fist flew towards Reid's face, Hotch suddenly lurched forward pulling desperately at his shackles and screaming at Alex.
John turned the camera to capture the reaction grinning menacingly.
Reid whimpered and cried attempting to shrink back from the blows being dealt to him, blood poured down his face and stained his shirt a scarlet red.
"That's it Doctor, show them how pathetic you are, they won't help you." Alex sneered in his ear, he then turned and grabbed Hotch by the throat.
"You can't protect them Agent Hotchner, anymore than you protected me all those years ago!" Hotches confused face enraged Alex and he kicked him in the chest knocking the wind out of him. As he gasped for air Alex let out a groan of pleasure.
"Now I didn't bring you here just to sit around, I have a game for you to play. Garcia I think you can go first!" He grinned at the rest of the teams protective expressions but frowned when he saw no reaction from Garcia.
JJ looked at her friend, usually the last to give up hope, she was slumped in a way which told the team she didn't care what happened now. One single tear fell from JJ's eye as she looked at her broken friend, the loss of Morgan was a shock but for Penelope it had been the end.
Alex took her out of her shackles and forced her into the middle of the room, she stood hunched and shaking, Alex waved John out of the room with the camera and stood in the doorway.
"If you don't perk up soon I'm going to kill you before we get started" he grinned. Upon receiving no response from Garcia he became enraged.
"Who would have thought that killing one pathetic Agent would ruin the fun this much! What was so special about him! He was nothing just like all of you!" he screamed, his entire face turned red and the veins in his forehead bulged.
Garcia's head snapped up suddenly, tears were flowing freely down her cheeks and she took a step towards her captor and began to speak.
"To you he may be nothing" she began. "But to me he is everything, I love him and he loves me, he protects me and this team, he laid down his life in defence of me and I would lay down mine for him. He is my solace and sole source of light in the darkness that is this world and you!... you extinguished his fire in one breath, at the same time extinguishing mine, my heart bleeds for him even now and you presume to tell me he was nothing!" she gasped for air as the pain overwhelmed her again.
"He was my hero" she whimpered in conclusion.
"And I always come back for my baby girl" Alex was struck around the head and fell limp to the floor. The rest of the team trained their eyes on the figure standing before them, was it him? Dared they believe their own eyes.
Garcia reacted first; she ran forward and wrapped her arms around him tears soaking into his shirt.
"I thought I would never see you again!" She managed. Morgan wiped the fresh tears from her face.
"It takes more than a bullet to keep me from my girl" Morgan replied. His shirt was stained with blood and he gasped slightly, as Garcia embraced him tightly.
"It's ok his shot was too far left and he didn't injure me too badly" he said seeing Garcia's concerned look. The pair then set about freeing the others; Morgan had taken John out and acquired the keys already.
Hotch ran straight to Prentiss' side and fussed her despite her repeated claims that she was fine, JJ helped Reid to walk and Morgan assisted Rossi, Reid's hair was matted with blood and his breathing was wheezy, he needed to be checked over by a doctor, JJ was concerned about internal bleeding but Reid, like Prentiss insisted he was fine and went to comfort his mother who was hysterical after seeing his beating.
Despite this small victory and their being released from the shackles, their trial was nowhere near over yet.