I first want to thank the reviewers for all the ideas and enlightening about the ratings for my story, I had previously not seen the other ratings they didn't show up in my web browser. So thanks! And some of the reviewers are in my head with some of the same Ideas I had! I love to read what you think and what ideas you have. I'm glad you are enjoying the story.

I'm trying to write this as tactfully, tastefully, and realistically as possible. I hope its to your liking. Thanks for reading!

Emily had cried herself out. Hotch guided her to lean back in her hospital bed. She grabbed his hand, "Thank you." She said with a half nod.

"Just rest."

Hotch walked out of the room and called JJ. JJ answered immediately, she had suspicion that Hotch had left for reasons of Emily, "Is everything okay?"

"I need the team to continue working on the case. I'm going to run it by Emily and will call you with any information."

"Hotch? What about Emily?"

"Focus on the case. I will give you a call later."

Hotch hung up and went back to Emily's room.

She was staring out the window, but she wasn't looking at anything. Her eyes were empty and hollow. Her spirit had been robbed and the life was drained from her body.

Hotch hated to disturb Emily, she looked as if she was lost in another world. He dreaded to speak to her, to have her relive those horrifying moments. Surely she would understand, but how could he except so much from someone who had just gone through something so terrible. Hotch has been in many situations but this one in particular was foreign to him. It was personal. The team was furthest from his mind. Right now he wasn't worried about how he was going to tell the team. He was worried about his Emily and finding the men who did this.

When he did decide to speak he spoke softly, "Emily?" She didn't even turn her head. "Emily." He said more audible this time. She turned her head towards him with no expression; no tear left to cry only the internal pain to consume her. Hotch immediately felt detached from her. He suddenly had the gut wrenching feeling she was going to pull away from him. He forced himself to take a step back, as much as he wanted to hold her and comfort her he felt he couldn't. He had to give her the space she needed, but at the same time he needed to press her for information to bring her offenders in.

The situation is delicate and he had to approach it likewise. "I know it's going to be hard, but I have to ask you some questions." A sudden expression of agreeing with his request flashed across her face with a nod. For one time in his life he couldn't read someone. The previous moment she had seemed detached burying the events of last night, down deep inside, but now just a simple statement of needing to ask her questions brought the emotion back to her face. He tried not to think about it and continued. "What woke you up last night?"

Emily closed her eyes, "I felt my head being pressed further into the pillow by something covering the bottom half of my face."

"What was covering your face?"

"A hand."

"This is what woke you up?"

"Yes." Emily opened her eyes staring at the wall in front of her.

"What did you see?"

"A hooded figure, but no face it was covered up by the darkness."

Hotch was surprised. She seemed to be co-operating quite well and managing through the questions without breaking down. "What did you feel?"

"A heavy pressure on my abdomen, it made it harder for me to breath."

"What was the heavy pressure?"

"It was another hooded figure, but this time I could see his face. He had these piercing blue eyes."

"So he was a white man?"

"Yes."

"What happened next?"

"I tried to fight him and when I did I felt a sharp pressure against my neck and my hands were jerked above my head by the man on top of me and the one beside my bed."

"Sharp pressure? You mean like a knife?"

Emily suddenly seemed agitated, "Yes the guy beside my bed had a knife. What was I supposed to do with a knife held to my neck?"

"You did what you could to survive."

"And what did that gain, I always told myself that if I was ever in a situation like that I would fight until either I died or the assailant. I let myself down. If I had of fought I would at least be able to say that I tried."

"You did fight, but they held you down that is nothing to be ashamed of."

Emily's face again lost anger and seemed to be searching for something else.

"What is it?"

"I kicked my legs and as soon as I did I felt a pressure on both of my ankles."

"Like someone holding them down?"

"Yes."

"So there was a third person."

Emily immediately second guessed herself at Hotch's statement. She was sure there were three of them earlier but now was there three or was she just imagining a third person? She couldn't be sure. Maybe there was a good chance there was just two. She never saw the third person that would be a good reason to assume there were only two.

Hotch noticed the internal conflict she was having with whether or not there was this third person and tried to divert her thoughts with another question. "Emily?" He said her name grabbing back her attention. "Is there anything else you can remember?"

"Before I blacked out there was this pain in my neck." Emily reached her hand to her neck and felt nothing.

Hotch stood up and asked, "May I?"

She nodded her head giving him permission to look. Upon inspection he saw a pin point size blood spot encircled by a yellow bruise. Emily heard him let out a breath that forewarned of the news he was about to give her. "What is it?"

"Something was stuck in the side of your neck?" Hotch sat back down.

"Did they think they were doing me a favor?"

"Emily, I'm afraid I don't have good news."

Her face questioned what he was about to say, "It couldn't be any worse than what has happened already."

"It could get worse."

"Tell me Aaron, what is it?" She said raising her voice toward him.

"It's the case." Hotch hesitated to continue.

"What?"

"It's a rape case here locally. There have been a series of rapes taking place in the D.C. area. They occur on Friday night, the victims generally don't remember the actual rape, and they all have the same spot as you do. Three days later the un-subs return. The second time they come back, they don't give you a chance to forget and then they strangle their victims until their dead. Only one girl has survived the second attack, her fiancé had offered to stay with her after the first initial attack and he was coming home late from work when he surprised them. The three attackers ran out before they were caught. This is the case the team is working on as we speak."

Emily had tears rolling down her cheeks as he explained the case. When he finished she nodded and dried up her tears, "What am I going to do?" Her strength was starting to overpower the weakness she previously showed.

"I don't know. There is a good chance that if they don't get a second opportunity at you that it could throw them off their game, and we could catch them, or it could dismantle the group and we may never catch them."

Emily's mind raced back to the question of the three offenders, "So there is three offenders then?"

"Yes." Hotch didn't add anymore wanting to keep the worst news possible from her.

"Did they…did all three of them rape those other girls?"

"Yes." Hotch waited for a reaction.

Emily wasn't sure how to react. She had so many emotions fear, anger, strength and detachment.

There was a light knock at her hospital room door by a young nurse, "Ms. Prentiss you're free to go."

"Thank you." She said.

"Emily I need to go back to your apartment to look for anything that might tell us something about these un-subs."

Fear once again flooded her body at the thought of returning to the place of the attack. She didn't want to go back, but she had nowhere else to go. With fear and pain were tears, "I don't want to go back." She said.

"I was going to suggest that you stay at my house. We have an extra guest bedroom and there you would be safe."

"I couldn't intrude and I don't think that I'm in any condition to be around kids."

"I insist. I will arrange for Jack to stay with his Aunt."

"I couldn't."

"I'm not giving you an option. I do need you to go with me to your apartment and that will also give you a chance to grab a few things. I understand it will be hard and I realize that I'm asking a lot but time is of the essence and any information we can get will put us one step closer at catching them."

Emily encircled her mouth letting out a breath of aprehension, "Okay."

Before Hotch walked out to give her space as she got dressed he asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You've done so much, just by being here."

"I'm glad you called me."

"Could you stay in the room with me, I'm just going to pull this curtain but I want to know that you will be there waiting for me on the other side."

"Of course, I'll be right here." Hotch watched as she closed the curtain. When she was finished and the curtain was pulled back, there she stood. With what she was wearing she didn't even look like she had been raped, but on the inside she was fighting a battle with how to feel, what to do, and how to react.

"How am I going to do this Aaron?"

"With me by your side, I won't let you go through this alone. You have me to lean on."

Emily looked at the ground hesitating to walk towards him. She wanted to hug him, but realized that maybe he didn't want to touch her, how could he? How could they ever again show their love for one another by the passionate actions they once displayed frequently towards each other? He could never touch her like he once did caressing her and feeling the sensation of her body against his. She now was so dirty and disgusting.

Hotch walked over to her. He put his hand under her chin, raising it enough to where she would look into his eyes. "I'm not afraid to touch you. You are still the beautiful Emily you always have been. You may not feel beautiful but to me you always will be and nothing will ever change that."

Tears rolled down her cheeks with happiness. She was wrong he didn't think differently of her, he still felt the same as they did the first night they kissed. He grabbed her hand. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and they left the hospital in destination for her apartment.

Let me know what you think? How is it going so far?