The zipper continued it's path up the tent until it reached the top. Then the entrance to the tent parted. JJ continued to scream.

Hotch rushed into the tent. He grabbed his friends shoulders and tried to steady her. She was shaking and sweat was forming on her brow. "JJ." He said sternly. When she didn't listen to him, he repeated, only with more force exerted into his voice. "JJ! Stop screaming. It's me. It's Hotch."

JJ must have heard him on some level because she turned her head towards him and focused her eyes on his. When she finally recognized him, her screams turned into whimpers and she leaned into his embrace that he quickly offered.

"What happened?" He asked after waiting to hear her breathing slowly return to normal.

"I-I don't k-know. I heard v-voices. T-they were children. I t-think." The tremor in her voice was audible.

Hotch rubbed his hands up and down her arms to try and further relax her. "Shh." He continued to coax her. "There's no one here anymore. I'm sure it was just a dream."

"No!" She all but yelled. "It wasn't a dream. I 'never' went to sleep. I barely closed my eyes. I heard them, dammit, I heard them. I'm not crazy." She looked at him and he saw the plea to believe her in the tears that were anxiously waiting to fall.

Something in his gut told him that she was telling the truth, but his conscious was screaming at him that she had gone hysterical. In all his years of working, he learned that sometimes the rational wasn't always true and it was best to follow what your gut was saying, no matter how absurd. He had worked with JJ long enough to know that she wouldn't make something like this up.

He pulled her into his arms and whispered that he believed her. He just needed to fully convince himself of that.

Morgan heard as the bat, once again, flew around his head. He watched it as it swiftly flew farther away. It landed in a tree above a white glowing bubble a fair ways away.

Considering how dark the surrounding area was, he was surprised he could trail the bat with his eyes that far. But nevertheless, he did.

He grabbed Prentiss' hand and dragged her towards the glow, much to her annoyance. She would rather run from danger instead of head towards it, especially when they were both unarmed.

They walked slowly and steadily towards the glow.

When they were a few trees away the outline of the object became more apparent. Upon closer inspection they concluded it the was "ghost" of a young girl. But how they could see her, they didn't understand.

The girl lifted her transparent head from her hunched form. She had silver tear tracks running down the side of her cheeks.

Prentiss looked at Morgan confused. His face mirrored hers before he turned and started to walk closer to the girl. Prentiss pulled his hand back but he refused and let go, thus causing their grip on each other to be lost.

"Morgan." Prentiss whispered, but he ignored. "MORGAN!" The frustration in her voice was inevitably distinctive. But, being the stubborn guy he was, he continued to ignore her.

"Hey," Morgan said gently while kneeling down so he was face to face with her. "what's wrong?"

"H-he made me do it." She hiccuped.

"Who?"

"The m-man. I don't know. He makes m-me do s-stuff. If I don't, he h-hurts me." The young girl, no older than seven cried. She stretched her arm and pulled up her cotton sleeve. The cotton reminded Morgan of clothes he had seen in pictures that represented clothes worn in the late 1800's if not early 1900's. But that was irrelevant to what she was trying to show him. She had large, hand print bruises marring her translucent skin.

"Where is this man? What did he make you do?" Morgan questioned. She might appear dead, but abuse was abuse, and Morgan was determined to help no matter the apparent "dead" factor that came into play.

"I don't know. He just shows up." She hiccuped through her sobs, but continued answering his questions. "He made me scare your friend. 'For the fun of it!' he says. I don't like doing it, it gives me a weird feeling in my tummy and throat."

Morgan instantly knew that she was referring to the feeling of remorse. He took pity on the girl, although he was beyond confused as to "how" he was seeing this girl, but the rational part of him dismissed itself once he saw her tears. His heart lurched for her.

The girl continued. "Does she hate me?" Her attention drawn towards Prentiss.

He turned to Prentiss who still had a weary look on her face. He outstretched his arm toward her to try and invite her over but she remained adamant about where she stood.

"ROSE!" All three turned towards the voice. There stood a young boy, approximately ten years old. His attention was obviously directed to the girl next to Morgan. "Come on. We must finish what we started."

Morgan and Prentiss turned back to examine the girls reaction.

She stood up and smiled. Her mouth opened and appeared to stretch until it engulfed her whole face and eventually the rest of her body. Then she was no longer in sight.

Morgan felt a cool wind blow past him.

Prentiss on the other hand, rather than feeling the chill blowing past her, she felt it go 'through' her. Her muscles tensed and her blood seemed to freeze. The hair on the nape of her neck stood immobile. Goosebumps tickled their way up her arms, back, neck - basically her whole body.

Then she fell to her knees and emptied the contents of her stomach unto the dirt beneath her.

Morgan rushed to her side and began to rub her shivering back while she tried to gain control of her erratic breathing.

They each heard laughing in the distance.

So, what do you think? :D

Sorry about the delay. School has been hectic. I've also been lazy. Sorry about that. But I am working on another story...which, my apologies, but it's a one-shot that is considerably longer than this one currently is. I'm dedicating it to my Aunt. You'll see why once I post it if you care to look. :'( Don't know when it will be posted, but it's very difficult for me to write.

Anyways, this story hasn't been forgotten. Promise.

Oh, and seeing as how it's about 12:30 a.m. here on December 24th, Christmas Eve (Probably later once this actually gets posted), but "Merry Christmas" to those of you that celebrate and "Happy Holidays" to the rest of you. I don't know names of the other ways people celebrate.