Author's Note: Special thanks to the reviewers of last chapter: FloatingAmoeba; hxchick; Love-B .xo; crazyobsession101; and canny-bairn. Reviews genuinely make my day, so thanks for that.

Now, I know that this story already contains a lot of angst. Be warned that it's only going to get worse. BUT, on the plus side, this is the longest story I've ever written, and even now, the angst is only part of the story.

Also, many of you have wondered about the reactions of others. While you might (I hope not) be disappointed by this chapter, it is VITAL in setting up stuff for future chapters. So, yeah.

Thanks!

A soft knock sounded at Penelope's door. Surprised, the eclectic woman wiped the stray tears from her eyes before she checked through the peephole of her apartment door. She sniffed back her emotions and grinned as she saw the man on the other side nervously shift his weight to his other foot. Opening the door slowly, she smiled. "Now to what do I owe the pleasure for a visit from the infamous Dr. Spencer Reid?" Her eyes sparkled with delight. "You here for a booty call?" She suggested, unable to keep a straight face at the look of pure horror that crossed Reid's face.

"What?" Reid sputtered. "No! I—" He sighed, "I just wanted to know how she is."

Penelope's smile faded at the sudden swell of emotions and she gestured for Reid to come in and sit down, well remembering the last time Reid had knocked on her door late at night. She knew Hotch had suggested that the rest of the team give JJ time to settle before they saw her, and it must be cutting the young genius up inside.

"How is she Penelope?" Reid asked, biting his cheek nervously as he fought the hitch in his voice. "Is she okay?"

Penelope grimaced, desperately wishing she could give Reid better news, "She's alive."

Spencer ran a hand through his short hair in frustration, "That's all anybody will tell me. What? Do you all think I can't handle knowing—I know what probably happened to her. Less than 1% of abduction victims make it out alive. Human trafficking victims—"

Penelope held up a finger to his lips gingerly, stopping the spew of information. "I just don't know how to explain it."

Reid nodded sadly, well remembering the last time he had sat on this very couch.

Penelope opened the door in surprise. "Genius Doctor Reid, what on earth are you doing here already?"

He sighed, desperately wishing Hotch had assigned this task to someone else. The rest of the team was supposedly still in Nebraska, and he was the only one that could be spared. "What are you doing back already?"

"Penelope—Derek wanted to come. He probably should have come." Spencer shuffled nervously, fully feeling his inadequacy at the task in front of him.

"What's going on Reid?" Penelope narrowed her eyes cautiously as the genius stumbled around his words. While Reid was notorious for getting nervous easily, it usually didn't happen with the team, and it never happened with her.

"Pency!" Two-year-old Henry barreled around the corner and crashed into the genius's legs. "Up!"

Spencer gulped obviously and scooped up his godson. "Penelope, something's happened—"

Suddenly a knock sounded at the door, "Oh, that must be Will." Penelope sprang up without a word and opened the door quickly.

"Hey Spence," Will smiled as Penelope let him in. "I didn't know y'all were home already. JJ must be on her way home right now."

"Daddy!" Henry cried, holding his arms out toward his father who quickly stole his son from Spencer.

"JJ's not on her way home." Reid sat down on the couch, hating himself for being utterly unable to explain this the way he knew JJ would have. "That's what I came to tell you."

"What do you mean, Reid?" Garcia asked, plopping down next to the genius. "What did you come to tell us?"

"Yeah, what're you saying Spencer?" Will prodded.

"JJ was abducted last night." Reid admitted, wincing as he realized that over the last eight hours his entire world had been turned upside down. "The team is trying to find her—"

Penelope was up off the couch and on her phone in seconds. "Pick up, Derek." She ordered, cursing the fact that the call rang to his voicemail.

"—Penelope, they're not going to answer. They're in a press conference right now."

"A press conference?" Penelope snapped. "When the hell were you guys going to tell me? I could have been looking. How long has she been gone? I could have found her by now!"

"Emily just got out of the hospital. They're just mobilizing now. They thought—we thought it might be better if you heard it from one of us."

"Like HELL it'd be better!" Penelope screeched. Will, for his part, stood dumbfounded as he watched the scene play out in front of him. "My best friend is missing."

"We'll find her, Garcia. We'll find her."

Penelope bit her lip, well aware that Reid had pulled away from the BAU team during JJ's absence. Somehow, without JJ it was as if Spencer suddenly felt like he didn't belong. And in some ways, it was as if none of them really belonged anymore. Desperate to feel a deep connection with the gangly genius, she cleared her throat, apparently snapping him from his thoughts, "She's really thin." She explained slowly.

"Probably from malnutrition." Spencer murmured, "most victims—"

"Shhhh." Penelope placed a finger against his lips to silence any horrid statistic she couldn't deal with right now. "She's scared, her eyes dart around like she's looking for something bad to happen." Penelope admitted. Seeing Reid try to add something, she pushed her finger more gently in an attempt to silence him. "But she's alive."

Reid nodded, seemingly accepting Garcia's explanation. "She's okay?" He asked hopefully.

Penelope bit her lip with indecision. "She will be."

.oOo.

Hotch tensed as he placed his hand against the cold door handle to the bar he was far too familiar with. Pushing the door open, he paused only for a moment before he spied the man he was trying to find sitting at the bar, nursing his regular scotch.

"Will." Hotch sat down next to the Cajun and nodded at the bartender who quickly handed Hotch his own drink.

"What are you doing here Aaron?" Will asked his friend. Since JJ's disappearance, Hotch and Will had bonded over the travails of single-fatherhood. The fact that both men were dedicated to finding the missing agent had only solidified their friendship. But he was in no mood for friendly support. He just wanted to wallow.

"Emily called me." Hotch sighed. Though he and Emily were not on the best of terms, he felt a surge of appreciation for the heads up.

"Emily?" Will snorted at Hotch's use of the Agent's first name. Though Emily and Will had established an easy friendship, even Will was aware of Emily and Hotch's epic battles. "Called you?"

"She was worried about you." Hotch shrugged. "But Will, JJ—she just needs some time."

"She was afraid of me." Will slurred under his breath. Quirking his eyebrow, Hotch looked up at the bartender questioningly. The familiar man held up 4 fingers and shrugged.

"She told Emily you weren't safe. She's trying to protect you." Hotch tried to explain.

"Have you seen her?" Will sputtered. "I had to explain to Henry, not only why the woman we met today looked a lot like the 'pretty woman in the pictures', but why she was afraid of us." He shook his head sadly, "no father should ever have to explain that about his boy's Mama."

"Will. She'll get better. She just needs time." Hotch promised gently.

Will shook his head sadly. "I hope you're right Aaron." He groaned at the torturous memory that seemed burned into the forefront of his mind.

"JJ, there's someone here to see you." Emily beamed as she ushered the man and boy into her home.

"JJ." Will sighed, tears streaming down his face with relief at the sight of his fiancée. Henry clung to the back of Will's legs, still unsure of whom this woman was.

Nothing could have prepared Emily or Will for JJ's reaction.

At the sight of her fiancé and son that she hadn't seen in years, JJ leapt back. "No!" Her horrified whisper felt more like a resounding scream to each occupant in the room than if her cries were several decibels greater. Her eyes were wide and terrified as she scrambled furthering the distance between her and the others "Get out!" She visibly struggled to hiss the words out in Spanish. Turning to Emily, she explained rapidly, "Henry, he's in danger, they could come after him—if they see him with me, he's in danger—He has to get away, they have to stay away-"

"JJ—" Emily tried to calm her, trying to hide her surprise at JJ's insistence.

"No." Emily could almost see JJ's anguish as the younger woman strained to speak in a language she knew Will could understand. "Will—" JJ's tongue tripped over itself as she pushed the words forcibly out of her mouth, "you…have…to…" She switched back to Spanish, the English words too hard to force out of her mouth, "you have to get away."

"JJ—"

"Get away!" JJ insisted nearing hysteria, backing into the corner of Emily's sitting room and crumpling to the floor. "Go!"

Turning to Emily, she persisted, "Tell him. Tell him to get away. Tell him to go." She was half sobbing, half begging, "Emily, Please tell him he has to go away. He has to stay safe."

"Uh, Will. Maybe this isn't the best time. I think you should go." Emily put her hand on Will's shoulder, in an attempt to comfort the horrified man. "Maybe we can try again another time."

"What am I going to do?" Will clenched his jaw as he nursed his drink. "JJ's parents are gone—Henry and I are all she has left—"

"No. You're wrong." Hotch interrupted. "JJ has all of us. We've all been searching for her, and none of us are going to give up now."

"Damn, Aaron. You weren't there. You didn't see the look in her eyes." Will accused. Hotch remained silent, easily understanding the pain Will was facing. "I waited for her. I knew, I knew she was still alive. I waited."

"We all wanted this to turn out differently." Hotch comforted.

"Then someone tell me what the hell I'm supposed to do!" Will snapped, slamming the empty glass on the bar with such force that the glass shattered in his hand. Pushing away the glass shards and not bothering to look up at the bartender who simply cleaned up the mess with a sad smile, Will held his head in his hands. "I just don't know what to do."

Hotch sat quietly, waiting for the younger man to explain.

"I loved her Aaron. I still do. But I can't put Henry through that again—and how do I know it won't happen every time she sees him? I can't—I won't—let my son grow up afraid of his mother."

Hotch nodded, placing a firm hand on Will's shoulder. "That's what we're here for. You take care of Henry. I'll keep you in the loop, and one day it will be better."

Will shook his head sadly. "I wish I could believe you."