Author's Note: I cannot believe this took me over a year to update; total uncool points for me. But, I'm back, so I'm redeemed, right? Perhaps not, but maybe (hopefully) this chapter will change your mind. I'm probably very undeserving of reviews, but I would love some, please. :) I am rather unsure of this chapter given the length of time I have been away from this story, so your feedback, in any form, will be greatly appreciated and useful. Again, I am so sorry! But all I really hope, is that I don't disappoint with my latest installment.

Author's Note 2: This is dedicated to all of the people I let down in leaving this story for so long. In particular, the person who was the last to comment, and is only known to me as 'Davi'. That particular review shifted something inside of me, and made me realise that I owe it to all of you to finish this. Thank you so much, to everyone who has stuck with this story, and I hope I don't let you down.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, or any of it's characters. If I did, you would all be in heaven; TRUST ME.

FAR FROM OVER

The searing pain in her head hit her instantly as she opened her eyes, so much so that she barely noticed the blurred outline of the figure in front of her, her squinting eyes drifting helplessly closed once more. But then her instincts kicked in in a flash and the pain that she had felt just seconds ago seemed suddenly insignificant in comparison to the danger that her brain was telling her that she was in; nudging her like a child begging for attention. She couldn't ignore it any longer and her eyes shot open.

Blue eyes locked with brown and Sarah made her biggest mistake then; she underestimated her.

It's true what she was always being told; she really should be a profiler. There is no greater weapon than the mind, and true to form, JJ couldn't help but read the woman in front of her like an open book. To the naked eye, everything about this woman screamed comfort and nonchalance and a complete lack of fear. But if someone were to look a little harder, they'd see that she was feeling anything but those things. And look harder, JJ did; it came naturally.

The actual way that she sat on her chair was the first thing that JJ noticed; it was blatantly obvious, to her at least. Her chest pressed against the seat back as she rested her arms folded loosely over it. Lack of fear? No. The seat back acted as a barricade, a defense of sorts; a protection that the woman herself probably didn't even realise that she was using.

Then she paid a little more attention to those arms that were strewn so casually over the chair. Nonchalance? No. Her arms may have been loosely folded, but the hands that were tucked tightly away left just enough showing to see the white of her knuckles as she clenched them into a fist. This woman was anything but neutral to this situation; this was everything to her. It was her last chance, and provided a realisation for JJ that if her captor did not get what she wanted, she was not going to let go easily – she was going out with a bang.

And then two sets of eyes met once more. Initially, JJ had seen nothing but cold darkness in those grey eyes, but now she saw sadness and she suddenly felt a wave of guilt. That had always been one of her best qualities and her biggest downfall rolled into one – her ability to be compassionate even when the person deserved anything but compassion.

"She really hurt you, didn't she?" And in that moment, as pain flickered in the woman's eyes, JJ realised that not only did she have the upper hand, but that she'd had it all along. She was going to win this.

She'd taken in her demeanor, inch by inch, in all of ten seconds, and read each individual aspect for what it really was; uncertainty. But before the other woman could even open her mouth and mutter some defensive statement that proved her findings, a noise above them ripped both of their eyes from each other.

The noise and the now wicked grin adorning the brunette woman's face caused JJ to lose all logic, and in that moment she was filled with both relief and horror at the one immediate thought that filled her mind; Emily.

"Emily!" She shouted before she could stop herself, immediately regretting it. She didn't want Emily to come down here; she didn't want her in even more danger.

But she shouldn't have been concerned by her sudden outburst because before the words had even left her mouth, her captor rose to her feet, slapping duct tape across her lips with a smirk and a smug kiss before leaving the room; there was nothing that she could do to stop this woman getting to Emily now anyway, and her eye lids fell slowly closed as reality dawned on her. She had freely given away the miniscule amount of power that she had had and now Emily was going to pay for it.

She waited, eyes still closed, for the sound to come; the sound that would show that this battle had come to an end, and that she, they, had very much lost. But it never came and she would be lying if she said that anything but confusion filled her mind in those moments. Why were there no gunshots? No signs of a fight? What was it that this woman actually wanted from Emily if she didn't want her dead?

Before she could find answers to these questions that swam mercilessly around her brain though, the sound of heavy feet descending steps came, followed by a sight that showed her that this whole damn situation was far from over; that the games, the battle, the war, was yet to begin.