Disclaimer: see chapter 1
A/N: The timeline here is based on AJ's age since JJ's has never been mentioned on the show.
…
Behind the glass window, Hotch snarled, "Son of a bitch."
The rest of the team watched him in confusion as he raced out the door. Their eyes turned back to JJ as she spoke quietly.
"You didn't kill my sister."
They watched Hotch throw open the door.
"I didn't find out I like dead girls by killing," Downes said, smirk still in place.
"That's enough," Hotch barked.
"Your sister didn't consent, but she didn't decline either," Downes continued, paying no attention to Hotch's entrance. "That's the good thing about dead girls: they can't say 'No.'"
JJ didn't move.
"JJ, out now," Hotch commanded, grabbing JJ's arm and dragging her from the room.
"She was really, really good for a virgin," Downes said to their exiting figures.
In the observation room, Reid wondered how he never knew JJ had a sister. Though, he thought to himself, Emily's 'death' did prove JJ could keep secrets.
Emily couldn't help but wish to have seen JJ's reactions. Was she ok? Had JJ remained still because she was too shocked to move?
Morgan felt a pang of sympathy. Personal demons were hell to unearth, he remembered.
Rossi couldn't remember the last time he'd been so surprised. Then again, he mused, JJ seemed to be full of surprises.
…
"You can't continue with this," Hotch said emphatically. He was livid – livid that he hadn't seen this coming, livid that he couldn't protect JJ from what she had heard, livid that scum like Downes could even exist.
JJ seemed to be in shock. Her gaze was empty; her face, blank.
"I don't even know what I'm doing." She fell back against the hallway wall and slid down to the floor.
"What's going on?" Morgan asked. The rest of the team had joined them in the hallway.
Hotch waited for JJ to say something, but she remained quiet. "They need to know," he said gently.
JJ hugged her knees and looked down to avoid everyone else's eyes. "My sister died twenty-two years ago. She was seventeen, had blonde hair, blue eyes, exactly this guy's type."
"Died, as in?" Rossi asked.
JJ buried her head in her arms. The team heard a muffled "suicide."
Reid frowned. "That's not this guy's M.O."
"But you heard Downes," Rossi said. "He didn't start with killing. He's a coroner. He could've started with anyone who showed up on his tables."
"The question is can we trust what he says?" Emily asked.
"Prentiss is right," Morgan agreed. "He's singled JJ out. He'd probably say anything to get a reaction from her."
"But there has to be a reason why he chose JJ." Hotch paced back and forth as he thought out loud. "Something more significant than a physical resemblance."
"I'm still here." JJ's voice floated up to them. She stood but still refused to meet their eyes. "Its possible Downes performed the autopsy on Annie."
"An autopsy?" Morgan asked. "For a suicide?"
"It was the first 'suspicious death' the town ever had," JJ explained. "They wanted to be thorough."
"But you said you didn't know this guy," Emily said. "I thought in a small town everybody knew everybody else."
"They do, but no one in town knew how to perform an autopsy, so they brought in a county coroner." JJ shrugged, "It could've been Mickey Mouse for all I remember."
"Why didn't that show up on our records?" Hotch asked.
"Practically nothing in East Allegheny has been computerized." JJ rolled her eyes. "There's no need for it. As for the county records, I have no idea."
"Let's get back on point," Rossi directed. "If we're going to get his motive for killing and the names of Downes' other victims, JJ's going to have to be the one to talk to him."
"I don't like it," Hotch said immediately.
"Neither do I," Emily added.
"What about having another presence in the room," Reid suggested. "JJ plus someone else."
"He'd never go for that," JJ spoke up. "He'll want no distractions, no buffers."
"JJ's right," Morgan said. "Having someone else there will detract from the greatest possible emotional impact for JJ."
"JJ, can I speak with you alone?" Hotch asked.
JJ nodded and followed Hotch down the hallway. He stopped when they were out of the others' earshot.
"Are you sure you can do this?" Hotch asked quietly.
"I don't really have a choice, do I?" JJ said resignedly.
Hotch couldn't stand the look of defeat on JJ's face.
"Of course you do."
"Not if we want to get justice for all his victims."
Hotch had rarely felt so ready to say, "Screw it all. We have enough to put him away for life," but a part of him knew that JJ was right. There were families that thought their daughters were simply missing and hoped for a safe return. There were families that knew their daughters had been killed but didn't know by whom or why. So instead he said, "I'll only allow this if you believe you can handle it."
JJ stared at the floor. "I can do this."
"Look at me when you say that," Hotch commanded gently.
When JJ looked up at him, she knew there was no way she'd be able to lie. "I don't know, but I'm going to try."
"Ok, just let me know if you want to stop." When JJ nodded almost absentmindedly, Hotch added, "Promise me that you will if it becomes too much."
JJ fidgeted. "I promise."
…
"Here's the deal," JJ said forcefully as she entered the room. "For every sordid detail you make me sit through, you give me a name and a location."
Downes leaned back in his chair and looked her over. "I want one more thing."
"And what would that be?" JJ ground out, jaw clenched.
Downes grinned infuriatingly. "You have to answer some of my questions."
JJ glared at him. There was a saying that criminals often made the best profilers. Downes certainly knew how to push her buttons. She had no doubt that he would try to pull everything out of her that she'd worked so hard to bury inside. But there were families out there that deserved to know what happened to their girls…
"Fine," JJ slammed a pen and pad of paper on the table and shoved them towards him. "But first you give me something I can verify."
Downes picked up the pen and twirled it in his hand. "And what do I get in return?"
"If I can confirm that you're not just jerking me around, you get to continue in this game of yours. If not, I end this, right here, right now."
…
JJ sat alone in the precinct room set aside for the team. She tried to think of something that didn't remind her of Annie, but it was proving to be quite difficult. Henry? She couldn't help but wish that Annie could have met him. Will? Same thing. Soccer? Her escape after Annie died. Work? A career she chose based on life experiences revolving around Annie. Butterflies? She could remember many afternoons when Annie had helped her chase them down. Football? The thought of the Redskins' dismal season really didn't make her feel any better.
Reid's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, the team made contact with New Jersey's closest FBI field office. They're starting their search."
JJ nodded slightly. "Thanks for letting me know, Spence."
Reid desperately wanted to comfort her.
"You ok?"
"Not really."
Right, he thought to himself. Stupid question.
"You want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
He tried to think of other ways to help her, but she was always better at comforting people than he was.
"Is there any way I can help?"
"Not really."
He had hoped she would let him be there for her like she had done for him all these years.
"Oh, ok," he said feebly and turned to leave.
"Spence?" Reid turned back to face her. "You can keep me company if you want."
"Ok," Reid readily agreed.
They sat in silence.
"Spence?"
"Yeah?"
"Maybe you can help me." Reid perked up in his chair. "Talk to me about something, anything. It could be stats for all I care."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Pick a really boring topic like the way printers work."
"Actually, that's quite fascinating," Reid began. "Ink printers are probably the most common microfluidic devices, and most people don't even realize it. The principles of fluid dynamics need to be taken into account, so the microfabrication is of the proper design and materials…"
As Reid prattled on, JJ let herself get lost in his voice.
…
Hours had passed by, and eventually the entire team had ended up in the room. Hotch and Rossi had brought dinner, Morgan had interrupted Reid's spiel – which had ended up on piezoelectric materials, and Emily had begun a discussion on classic books and movies.
Looking at his watch, Hotch was about to instruct the team to head back to the hotel for the night when the local detective stuck his head in the door. Looking at JJ apologetically, he said, "Looks like you're going back in."
…
A/N: More set up in the chapter. There'll be more JJ misery in the upcoming chapters. Sorry, JJ.