A/N: Um...not too sure how this one will play out, so I'm just going to head straight on to thanking my reviewers.

Reviews are bread and butter when you write for no profit and you all certainly feed me well. Thanks to greengirl82, HGRHfan35, Hazmatt, HPforever-after, Wtiger5 (for chapters 25, 26, 27 & 28) and megameighteen. I hope this chapter has truly been worth your wait and your amazing encouragement. Love you all lots.

So this chapter is entirely inspired by Wtiger5's reaction to the chapter where Emily was harmed, and to only a slightly lesser extent by how the rest of you reacted. And the scene where we are primarily from Lydia's pov, her direct clash with Malik, is actually written by her totally amazing self.

And as to the beautiful, gorgeous, amazing Wtiger5; I just flat out love working with you. You're an amazing friend and sister and with you working with me on these, I've just seen them get even better than before. Thanks for being you and know that I'll love you forever. Mwah my darling.

Rated M for violence, torture themes, drug use, coarse language and sex scenes. (yes, this is going to have a little bit of everything)

WARNING: This chapter is going to be heavier than all the ones before it (but I think you know why). It is also longer than I normally would write as I have decided to deal with their vengeance all in one hit. Please proceed with caution.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben.

Arabian Nights – Chapter 29

All his life, he'd been raised as a prince among men; born to lead and to one day be the sheik in his fathers place. From the moment they'd arrived in this valley and started to build it up into the beautiful palace it was today, everything he'd ever wanted had been handed to him quickly, and he had been denied nothing that he'd ever asked for. He considered himself a smart man and had been told by many that he was filled with great wisdom and would lead them well when his father died.

Then that time had come and he had stepped up to the throne. And he'd made the changes that would allow him to have the family he'd always wanted. He went out into the world, selected his wives, and created his harem. It hadn't been easy, taking many years to smooth out the rough edges of the plans he'd set in motion. But finally everything had settled down into a rhythm, a daily routine they'd all become familiar and comfortable with.

And then Najeeb had come into his manhood; it was time for him to select his harem.

He knew he wasn't meant to have a favourite brother. His mother would be horrified to note that after he had been raised to consider none more special than the other, that he had somehow still come to consider Najeeb to hold a special place in his heart. So instead of sending his youngest, and most beloved, brother out with a team of the other guards as was always the custom, he himself had decided to go along and help him select the very best wives.

His first choice had been impeccable, a woman of exquisite beauty and spirit. His second choice had been outrageously daring, but clearly of even more importance to him than his first choice had been, so he had perhaps indulged Najeeb more than was wise. He should have insisted they knock the women out as they always did. In fact, he knew he should have listened to the little voice in his head that screamed at him that taking eight women all at once was an incredibly bad idea.

But he had discounted that voice due to his great love for his little brother.

And it had not gone well, right from the start. Najeeb had insisted that it was alright for them to talk softly among themselves. He hadn't wanted them any more traumatised than they already would have been from having been selected in the first place. That had allowed them to plan an escape; and escape they had, as soon as they were able, breaking his arm and Najeeb's nose in the process. And Najeeb, silly man that he was, fell head over heels in love with the woman who'd broken his nose. Then, had decided he had to have her and went back again. When that had failed, resulting only in his arm being broken in a second place alongside the first break, he had tried to put his foot down. But he loved his little brother, and his little brother loved her.

So back for a third time, going in with the drugs they'd always used in the past. And this time, they had finally been successful. But he'd had a dilemma; did he punish the woman who had first broken his arm, or did he punish the second woman to break it; the one Najeeb loved more than the others. He'd chosen the second woman, deciding he needed to come down hard on her so that she wouldn't be any trouble for Najeeb when he handed her over.

But he'd had trouble controlling himself from the moment he'd stripped her out of her clothes and he'd heard the first, and only, noise she'd made as he administered her beating in preparation for the Rite of Rebellion. From there, it had all been downhill. He hadn't thought about having her, it had simply happened; one moment he'd been beating her and the next he'd been sliding his aching flesh into her deliciously tight heat and he'd completely lost his head.

Najeeb's reaction to his petition to add her to his harem had been alarming and unpleasant. He'd never been denied anything, especially not by Najeeb who worshipped him, but his younger brother had shown a core of steel that had shocked him. But not only had Najeeb said an incredibly firm 'no' to him, he'd slapped him and called on the challenge before stalking off, leaving him with the distinct thought that no one woman was worth coming between him and his brother.

When he'd spotted mousy little Lydia watching him in fright, he'd been so tempted to take his anger out on her. But he knew if he left it too long, he'd have all sorts of trouble convincing Najeeb to drop the stupid challenge that would see them have to beat each other up until satisfaction was attained on the behalf of the victim. So he'd turned his back to her and gone to find his brother.

It had taken them several hours to hash it out, and had included Najeeb's insistence that he get down on his knees before the woman and apologise for his violation of her. He'd argued that one point determinedly, but in the end, Najeeb had said it was that or the challenge. He'd then indicated that he wanted it done at that moment, when he himself would have happily waited until the sting of it all had faded some. But if he'd done that, he wouldn't have discovered his woman's treachery so quickly.

For they'd arrived at the woman's room to find she wasn't there. And his first thought had been for the little mouse in the next room. But she hadn't been there either. And when they'd searched the entire palace, they had found that there were six women missing and none of the perimeter alarms had been tripped. But it was just as clear that the women weren't within the confines of the palaces' territory so they'd loosed the dogs and discovered that they had taken the one path designed to take them straight to the highway; somehow avoiding detection.

But they had been too late to catch them and the decision had been made to follow the truck until he dropped off his load and they could get to them just long enough to do away with them before they could talk. Only they'd come too close to the truck and they'd been spotted, causing the women to change whatever plans they may have had to leave the truck earlier and allowing them to make it to safety. They'd been forced to retreat under fire, but had managed to lose their tail with some help, and they'd figured they had enough time to pack up and move before the enemy invaded while the women recuperated.

Yet now he knew they'd taken too long. He'd been intent on slipping away, figuring that if he was free, he could later come back to rescue his brothers. He'd been shocked when the knife just suddenly appeared in the centre of the back of his hand as he'd slipped around a tree and just as surprised when the man had as suddenly appeared, pulled it out and hauled him along behind him like he weighed nothing and was worth even less.

When he was a sheik.

When he'd gotten his feet under him to stand, he'd seen those two tall men and recognised only one of them. But that one man's presence had settled a dread in his belly that he'd hidden behind a sneering smile that cowed most men. And when they'd moved aside from the door, he figured he'd won.

The little mouse stood between him and the door, the blades she held in her hands almost casually gleaming in the faint light coming from a window high up the wall. And the dread had been replaced by fear as he realised she wasn't alone; the woman who had almost completely come between him and Najeeb stood with her.

And neither of them had looked anything less than pissed off.

But he was a sheik, a king among men, and he was cowed by no one, least of all by two women he'd already had...and fully intended to have again while he killed them...slowly.

New Section

Lydia had loved the powerful feeling that swept through her as he'd looked at them with fear. But then she'd started doubting herself as his fear had been replaced with a mixture of contempt and hunger. She'd just known that he was thinking about having them again and killing them while he was at it and that had really angered her.

She'd been surprised into submission once before by this man and she'd vowed in the hospital, held within Cameron's safe embrace once again, that it would never happen again. Yet if the look in his eyes was anything to go by, he disagreed with her silent vow and would do everything in his power to get her under him one last time.

As she watched him pull something out of his boots, she shored up her doubts and tucked away her fears.

Now it's my turn...

She just knew he was going to try her and as he straightened slowly, she readied herself for whatever he had to throw at her.

His dark eyes glittered at her as she dropped into a fighter's stance, both blades held easily in her hand, and she held his gaze as he sneered at her. Holding her head high, she refused to give in to the fear she felt scrambling in the back of her mind.

"You can do this; he has no power over you anymore," she told herself softly.

"Little mouse, let's see how loud you squeak this time when I return you to your rightful place, flat on your back and beneath my feet."

Malik lunged as his words trailed off, forcing Lydia to bring up both blades as he bore down on her. She stumbled back slightly, not expecting the powerful blow, especially with his wounded hand.

Idiot! You forgot the first rule of a fight; never underestimate your enemy.

She kept her eyes on the wicked blade the man held out in front of him. He feinted left, trying to get her to follow him, but she held her ground and ducked under his next swing. Her left hand flicked, the blade striking like the bite of a cobra. A thin line of red blood welled along his side and he snickered as he glanced at the shallow wound.

"Is that all you can do little mouse?"

Lydia ignored the taunt as she continued to circle her nemesis. Malik swung again, faster this time, and she barely danced back out of range, just catching the edge of his blade with her own. She countered with a thrust of her own that he easily avoided.

Settle down Lydia, you've fought his kind before. Be patient and he will come to you.

Deciding to go on the offensive, she shifted her weight to her back foot and reversed her hold on her right knife so that the blade could lie flat against her forearm. The other she kept tip forward, towards Malik.

"Even a mouse can frighten the elephant," she remarked wolfishly. "And your reign of terror has lasted long enough."

Three blades clanged as she charged him, putting all of her weight behind each strike. The knife in her right hand glinted in the moonlight as it flashed twice, each time causing another small cut.

Enraged, Malik growled softly. This woman was making a fool of him. It was time she learned her lesson. He paused, pulling back, hoping she would follow his movements. A faint smile touched his lips as she circled closer and he suddenly lashed out with his foot, catching the inside of her left wrist.

Lydia yelped as she lost her grip on her knife and it spun out of sight into the corner. Malik used the distraction to his advantage and backhanded her across the face. She fell to one knee as she shook her head to try and clear it. She sensed rather than saw his foot swinging towards her abdomen and crossed her arms into an "x", blocking the kick. Ironically, instead of demoralizing her as Malik had obviously intended the move to do, the pain pushed back her fear and she rolled to her feet, her lips set in a hard line and her green eyes blazing. Judging her distance carefully, she kicked out with her left foot in the same manoeuvre that had caused her to lose her own knife, smiling in satisfaction as she made hard contact with his forearm. Reversing her momentum, she slammed her heel into his body.

Malik grunted as the air left his lungs, but unfortunately he didn't lose his hold on his weapon. He staggered back slightly and she pressed her advantage. Her blade danced out in a beautiful but deadly dance, scoring three more cuts to his torso; however, he recovered faster than she had expected and as she moved back out of range, he caught her right arm with his blade. The wound burned like fire and tears sprang to her eyes. Malik's eyes darkened at the sight of her blood and his lips curled into a sadistic smile.

"It's time to end this little charade mouse." He flipped his knife in a wide arc, sweeping it towards her head. Lydia reacted without thinking, bringing her own knife up to meet his. She quickly realized that with her wound, she couldn't hold him back. Disengaging, she leapt back to catch her breath. She didn't have much time as Malik followed her path. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cameron's hand move toward the hilt of his sword. She shook her head at him even as the blade materialized in his grasp, and returned her focus to the man in front of her.

Mouse am I? Let's see how he likes this.

With a deep breath, she tried the trick that had won her three medals in knife and sword fighting. She flipped her blade up in the air, spun underneath it, and caught it in her left hand. She ducked under Malik's outstretched arm, pivoted on the balls of her feet and caught him diagonally across the chest. Her momentum carried her forwards and she levelled her forearm into his throat. He dropped with a strangled gasp, his blade falling to the ground and his hands flying to his windpipe.

"I am not your little mouse," she hissed as she backed away from him.

Then, as the rush of adrenaline faded, she dropped to the ground, exhausted both mentally and physically. She closed her eyes against the threatening nausea she could feel and listened to the calm authority Aaron wielded as he spoke to Cameron about her care.

New Section

Emily pulled her eyes away from the massive blade Cameron had pulled seemingly out of nowhere as Aaron ordered him to put it away and tend to his wife.

That put her gaze squarely on Malik, who lay gasping for breath on the ground, bleeding from his six cuts and attempting to recover from the solid blow Lydia had dealt at the last moment to his throat. Her new friend had just finished getting her own back for her months of torture; now it was her turn.

She stepped forward slowly, assessing with every sweep of her gaze. Aaron would label her a million times foolish if she'd survived this far only to meet her end through something she missed noticing.

He was fully disarmed, of that she was sure, particularly since Cameron had finished very thoroughly but roughly frisking him. She didn't think for a second that he was anything more than just winded, but he was wounded. And wounded alpha males could be particularly aggressive when threatened.

She stopped just out of his reach and just stared at him. She knew what she was going to do and she also knew that Aaron wouldn't like it at all. She would definitely be hearing about it later, and probably at volume. She thought briefly about avoiding that, because she was sure she couldn't stand to have him mad at her. But in the end, her decision had been made long before they'd left the hospital and she was resolved to carry it out.

She just needed the boys to restrain him first.

She took a large step back and turned her head to see that the other three just watched her now, waiting to see what she would do. She made a slight gesture with her head and they came forward.

"I don't trust him enough to get close enough for what I want. Can you guys restrain him for me?"

"What are you intending to do to him?" Lydia asked with interest.

She smiled slowly. "Give him back a little taste of what I've been through over the last week."

She waited patiently while they got into position. Cameron took the man's legs, because he refused to give up all his weapons, and a moment's distraction could see Malik getting his hands on a knife they didn't need him having access to. Aaron pinned the man's wrists, seeming not to care that he might be causing bruises with his grip and the way he utilised it. Lydia held his two guns for him.

When they were ready, she walked back to Malik's side and crouched down as she pulled out her gun.

"Do you know, I've never met a situation before in my life that has left me with such a lingering sense of fear and self-loathing as meeting you has done. You aren't a man; you're a monster, and the worst kind too. You think it's your right and privilege to beat and rape women and you enjoy the thrill it gives you. You get off on women's pain and suffering and you expect respect and deference in return, thinking that nothing you're doing is wrong.

"But it is wrong, and because I don't think life in jail, or even a court ordered execution is enough for me, I'm going to get a little back first."

She shifted the hand with the gun in it, until his eyes were on it. She hated the steady, calm look in his eyes, but she squashed down the irrational urge to just shoot him now. She wouldn't become completely like him.

"I've been through a lot over the last week, and almost none of it good. My only consolation, as it was Lydia's, is that there is no way you could have gotten us pregnant; our husbands saw to that before you took us. But for the rest, I will take it back."

He opened his mouth, and she was glad that he issued his challenge in his native language.

"With passion and fire like yours, you need a real man with a strong hand to guide and lead you. He is nothing compared to me."

She smiled coldly and replied in kind. "Luckily for me, he is everything compared to you. And we'll see who really has the stronger will."

She slipped back into English as she let the safety off. "Like I said, it's been a long week, and I've had almost as long to count the ways in which you violated me. My gun is a Glock 19, capable of carrying fifteen bullets when full. I removed a bullet from this gun for all of the major ways you violated me, but I truly don't recall how many there were because I kept adding to this list. I know there is at least one bullet left of the fifteen; I just don't know where it starts, or even if I put it back together in the right place. But I do propose we find out."

She shifted the gun and placed the barrel against his forehead as a calm, white static settled over her. She slipped into her protective compartment and watched him for any change at all. Immediately, she noticed that he had begun to sweat despite the cold, and his breathing had hitched just slightly as the cold metal touched his bare skin.

Oh goody...now we'll see how he likes it.

"Violation number one; you put a knife to Penelope's stomach and threatened her child if we didn't cooperate. That showed me immediately that you had no honour, and no respect for the innocence of young life. Well, I suppose you could say that it wasn't a direct violation on my person, but since Penelope is one of my best friends and is considered, as far as I am concerned, to be a sister I never had growing up, you may as well have violated me."

The click of the gun as the trigger was pulled was loud in the sudden silence. Emily felt a deep satisfaction as he flinched slightly at the sound. She ignored the slightly nervous looks she was getting from the men on either side of her. Shifting the gun to sit it over his heart, she continued.

"Violation number two; you took us with the intention of forcing us to become wives to a man when almost all of us were already married. You frightened all of us with your cold manner and the knife you waved so confidently around and you took us far away from the world we know."

Another click brought another flinch and a slight indrawn breath from Aaron that she ignored. He didn't say anything though and she was grateful for that, but she also knew she'd be hearing about it much later. She shifted the gun to the other side of his chest.

"Would you like to drown in your own blood? Violation number three; when Austin started bleeding, I know you were thinking you should just dump her somewhere and leave her there to bleed to death. Another almost-sister and friend, another violation that might as well have been. But then you added insult to injury when you tried to keep us with you after we stopped, causing additional panic."

This time, the click made him close his eyes briefly as he flinched.

Good; this is going to be enough after all.

"Do you know that your spleen is under the barrel now, and that you can bleed to death from a wound here? Perhaps we should see how long it would take you?

"Violation number four; you came back a second time, just when we were beginning to feel secure with our partners again."

His body jerked as he attempted to dislodge Aaron. Emily waited while her husband resettled his grip before she placed the barrel over his intestines.

"I think, for this one, I'd actually be content to put the hole through your intestines, get some lovely dirt in there and then wait for the infection to set in before I actually consider getting you some help; all just to watch you suffer.

"Violation number five, and be aware that I actually consider this to be your worst violation yet. Number five; you put a gun to the top of my daughters head..."

"He did what?"

Aaron's shout of outrage was almost completely drowned out by a scream from Malik and since he was screaming, Emily let the soft click of the gun be lost in that sound. She'd let Aaron have that one.

She waited until the screaming dropped to a couple of whimpers followed by silence. Tipping her head slightly to the side, she regarded the man at Malik's head. Aaron just stared back at her calmly. Looking at his hands where they held their prisoner competently, she noticed the twisted angle of Malik's good wrist and nodded once.

Shifting her gaze back to Malik, she smiled coldly. "I'll let Aaron have number five. Violation number six; you drugged us and came back a third time. I might have let that go since we'd already figured out that you're a persistent lot, but my son tried the tea you drugged and could have been killed. So maybe I'll just put a hole in your intestines for that, shall I?"

The click caused him to writhe slightly in an attempt to break free. She ignored that as she put the gun over his manhood, causing him to freeze into utter stillness as she ground the barrel in just slightly. His eyes went huge and he seemed to stop breathing as he begged her both with his eyes and in his native language to stop this.

After nearly a minute, she lifted a hand and he stopped speaking abruptly.

"It's very sweet of you to offer to get down on your knees and apologise for your actions. But that won't satisfy my needs, so we'll continue.

"Violation number seven; you beat me up. Well, I guess you couldn't do anything different since I re-injured your broken wrist. But you didn't just beat me up; you put this," she ground the barrel down harder and he let out a little shriek before she eased up slightly on the pressure," in my body."

She ignored the opening door behind her, and Aaron's snarled, "Get out!" to whoever had tried coming in. She heard the door close and saw by Aaron's face that whoever it was had decided to stand on the inside. She just hoped that they didn't interfere.

"You put it where only my husband is allowed entrance and not only did you do that, but you were so forceful that you broke something inside me just a little bit."

She pressed down again harder still and let him see in her eyes that this had been her plan all along. Harder and harder she pressed as he began to thrash and scream for help and only when the strong smell of urine mixed with dung filled the air did she pull the trigger.

The rapport of the gun was thunderous in the small room, louder even than his panicked screams. She stood up as she clicked the safety back on and turned the gun around. Holding it out to Aaron, she gestured that they could let him go and they did, slowly, allowing him to curl up on his side as he continued to scream.

She turned towards the door and saw the cautious approval in Lydia's eyes, and the straight out caution in Alex's as he eased the door open slightly and slipped back out of the room.

Lydia held out her arms and the two women embraced as Cameron straightened from his inspection of the broken man on the ground before him.

"I demand no more recompense for Lydia's sufferance at Malik's hands. My demands have been more than adequately met." His eyes met and locked with Emily's for a moment, then he bowed deeply in respect before walking to Lydia and embracing her.

Aaron looked at them all cautiously for several long moments before approaching the broken man's body. Several long minutes passed before he too stood and turned to face them. The admiration on his face was easy to see.

"Agreed; my demands are satisfied."

Emily inclined her head and led them out of the room, allowing Alex to move in with a couple of men at his back to capture the last of their prisoners. All that was left now was to hear their reasoning for their actions.

This had better be good.

End-

A/N: Whoa...that took on a bit of a life of its own, but re-reading it for editing purposes, I'm happy to leave it as it is.

Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker.