Author's note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or alerted this story. Again, I'll direct you to the warnings in the first chapter of this story. I will also take the time to explain right here: this story will be sad. It will be devestating. BUT, I promise, there will be a happy ending. I'm already 100+ pages into the story, and find that it keeps getting sadder. AGAIN, there will be a happy ending, but it will take a while. I also realize this chapter seems kind of...out of place...but there will be an update tomorrow as well. Suffice it to say "the kid" that JJ seemed so afraid of is just the tip of the iceberg. However, not all of these chapters will focus on JJ ALONE. This story is more about the entire team coming to grips with what happened. While JJ has the largest recovery ahead, in some ways each member of the team has to recover as well.

Thanks again for your reviews and support. I genuinely appreciate them!

**Also, as a side note, many of you will notice that this chapter answers a question that many of you may not have thought to ask. (What was up with JJ and the blanket?) As you read this story, just know that even minor details are important...and usually, there's a huge explanation in later chapters.**

As soon slammed the door shut, Hotch punched the steering wheel forcefully with both fists while the other SUV slowly pulled out of the parking lot.

"Something wrong, Agent Hotchner?" The kid in the back sneered.

"Do you have a name, kid?" Morgan asked angrily, not wanting to know what had transpired that sent the normally stoic Hotch into an emotional rage.

"Antonio." The kid smirked proudly, puffing out his chest as if it made him more imposing.

"You realize she was a federal agent?" Hotch spat out as he thrust the car into drive, not flinching as the tires squealed loudly.

Antonio smirked, "Yeah, that's what we were told."

Derek felt disgust well within him. "Kid, you know how long you'll go away for? You're going to be in prison for the rest of your life." He added smiling with satisfaction as the kid gulped nervously.

"Prison's too good for you." Hotch ground out with distain. "I'd gladly shoot you myself."

Antonio bit his lip nervously as Hotch peeled around a corner, not doubting the threat for a second. "What if I told you something?" The kid asked thoughtfully. "What kind of deal could I get?"

Morgan shook his head at the kid's naivety. "You won't know until you tell us something." He suggested, more than hoping that anything this kid said would be useful to send this kid for prison for a long time—right along with a reputation that this kid was a snitch.

The kid sunk back thoughtfully, gently rubbing the stubble that barely counted as a beard. "What do you want to know?" He settled for. It was definitely better to make the officers show their hand so he could know what to say, he reasoned.

"Who took her—who took Agent Jareau?" Hotch asked quickly.

The kid shrugged, "I would guess Manuel. She's only been with us for a couple of months."

"A couple of months?" Derek asked incredulously. "She's been gone three years. Where has she been the whole time?"

Antonio shrugged again, "Hell if I know. I'd ask Manuel if you want to know anything about that. It's kind of like a lease—we borrow Alejandra for a while, Manuel takes her back after a while. She was going back in about a week."

Realizing that this Manuel must be the same one he had heard JJ utter several times, Hotch's curiosity was piqued. "Who's Manuel?"

The kid shook his head, "He's a bad dude. Lives somewhere back east. He's got planes and fancy cars—I remember from when he dropped puta off with us."

"Who do you work for?" Derek asked. It didn't take a profiler to realize that this kid wasn't even remotely deep in any organization.

"Man, what do you take me for? I ain't telling you that, not until I've got some promises." The kid sat back smirking, but on seeing Hotch's look his face fell. "But, because of my generosity, I'll give you a freebee. If I know the answer, I'll tell you one more thing you want to know. After that, I'm asking for my lawyer."

Hotch asked the question before his mind even registered he had opened his mouth. "The blanket?" He asked softly, "Tell me about the blanket."

The kid smirked, "That, Agent Hotchner, is something that I can tell you," He sat forward in his seat, "but I only heard about it."

"Go on." Hotch ground out.

"Apparently, the only thing Manuel gave her for a while was a blanket." Antonio's eyes danced with delight and Derek felt a sickening dread that he wasn't going to like what the kid had to say next. "After a couple of months, Manuel realized that the blanket was like some security thing." The kid chuckled.

Both agents fell silent, unwilling to picture what circumstances had led to JJ's need for security.

"One day, when she came back from somewhere he had sent her, he found out she hadn't obeyed the way he wanted her to." Antonio looked to the agent's faces to see if they understood. Satisfied by their grim response, he continued, "So, Manuel pulled out her precious blanket, and lit it on fire."

Hotch's lips twitched angrily, but otherwise remained impassive.

"When Manuel handed her off to us, he gave us strict instructions—no blanket for puta, she hadn't earned it back yet."