Sorry about the delay. It's been a pretty bad summer so far & I haven't really felt like writing. I hope you enjoy the chapter & meeting the winner of the little competition I posted during Predetermined Fates.

Chapter 5

Less than a week had passed since the BAU's discovery of Parilla's actions and the team had decided that it was best that the Jareau family was left unaware of their findings. They didn't want JJ's family to worry when there was nothing they could do to help. Under the impression that both Jareau women had no idea about the killer's spree, Emily was surprised when she received a phone call from a very determined- and angry- Leila.

"I want you to teach me." Leila demanded as soon as Emily had said 'hello'.

"Teach you? Teach you what?" Emily frowned as she searched her purse for the keys to her car.

"How to defend myself against him. What to say when…if he gets me." The conviction in the teen's voice made Emily stop in her tracks.

"Leila…how did you-"

"JJ left a file on the kitchen counter. She's been acting weird all week. I knew something was wrong so I-"

"JJ knows too?!" Emily cried, surprising a short man across the parking lot. "How long?"

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe two weeks?" Emily pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned against her car door.

"Leila, listen to me. We've been ordered not to touch this case. Hotch didn't even want you guys to know about it. I can't just-"

"No, Emily!" Leila yelled into the receiver and Emily could tell that the girl was close to tears. "I'm never feeling that way again and you if you won't help me then I'll find someone who will!" As Emily got into her car and tossed her bag onto the passenger's seat she realized that Leila was right. She deserved a fighting chance against the monster that had almost destroyed the only family she had left. Besides, if she refused and anything happened to Leila, she would never forgive herself.

"Meet me at my apartment at 7." The older woman sighed, knowing that it would come back to bite her in the ass. She hung up with Leila and immediately dialed Hotch's number, knowing that their Unit Chief would want to know about the failure of their plan to keep the Jareaus ignorant. Clearly that isn't something one accomplishes with ease.

Kira looked in the mirror briefly, flinging chestnut strands behind her ear, and glanced once more out her bedroom window. Her friends waved to her, anxious to be on their way, and she waved back before rushing to say goodbye to her mom and running out the door. The group walked to the local field where they began their typical warm-up routine, passing soccer balls to one another and weaving around orange sticks in the ground. By the time their practice was over, Kira- along with the rest of her team- was drenched in sweat and ready for her daily ice bath. As the group walked home, their numbers diminished as one by one they went their separate ways, leaving Kira and her closest friend Emma alone.

"You still haven't texted him back?" Emma cried, throwing her arms into the air for emphasis. Kira blushed. Having always been the shyest of her group of friends, Kira never really felt like she fit in. Her mother had decided that moving to D.C from their home in England would be a good change for her and ever since she had been taken out of her comfort zone, Kira became introverted and less social. That was until she joined her high school's soccer team. Rekindling an old love, Kira eventually grew out of her shyness and learned how to be a part of American society. Her accent, on the other hand, seemed to be a constant reminder that she was, in fact an outsider.

"Not yet, but I will eventually. Promise." Kira's dark blue eyes were downcast as she heard Emma snort.

"Yea, well you better." The blonde girl bumped her shoulder into her friend's. "I'll see you tomorrow." Emma waved as she sprinted down her street, leaving Kira to complete her trek alone as she did every night. Sighing, Kira checked her phone revealing three unread text messages from Kyle. She blushed at the mere thought of the senior and shoved her phone back into her pocket, telling herself that she would reply after her bath. She would never get the chance. As the 16 year old girl turned the corner, she felt a cloth being pressed over her nose and mouth. Caught by surprise, she gasped, inhaling the distinct scent of chloroform that immediately dulled her senses. She fell backwards, into her kidnapper's arms and was unconscious before the back door of the sedan was even open. Less than a block away, Kira's mom had just finished preparing her favorite dinner, completely unaware that her daughter would never get to taste it.

The first thing Kira registered was her hair tickling her nose and cheeks. She inhaled a deep breath, trying to shake away the uneasy feeling in her stomach, before opening her eyes. She tossed her head back enough to move the hair from her vision and took in the sight before her; a room lit by only one light with a single door for entry and exit. Kira wiggled her arms only to notice that her hands had been tied behind her back and that the wire around her wrists was cutting into her skin. She hissed in pain as she tried to roll into a more comfortable position.

"It hurts less if you sit still." The voice from the far corner of the room caused Kira to jump, letting out a loud gasp as she huddled against the wall behind her. "Sorry."

"Wh-who are you?" the girl asked as the owner of the voice came into the light. It was woman, not much older than her, with golden hair and strikingly blue eyes. The woman's hands were also bound behind her back and there was a hazy look in her eyes suggesting that she too, had been drugged.

"Cara. Cara Sheppard." The blonde said, her voice as sweet as honey. She inched closed to the younger girl with a soft look in her eyes. "And you?"

"Kira Taylor." Kira's wide eyes betrayed the fear she felt as she drew her knees to her chest and pressed her back against the wall. Cara approached her slowly, wincing as the wire around her wrists drew blood.

"It's going to be alright, Kira." The older woman promised with a smile and Kira found herself breathing easier at the prospect of facing this with someone beside her. Eventually, Cara made it to her side of the room and sat next to the shaking teenager. The blonde touched her shoulder against the girl's in an effort to comfort her. With her hands bound she couldn't provide as much solace as she wanted to.

"Why are we here?" Kira jumped at the contact but quickly leaned towards the older woman. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." Cara admitted. "Where did he take you from?"

"I was walking home from practice." Kira dropped her head. "God, I could see my house from where he grabbed me."

"So someone's waiting for you at home?" Cara asked hopefully. Kira nodded. "Good, that means they'll call for help when you don't show up."

"What about you?"

"I was walking to my car from the gym. He came up behind me and put a cloth over my mouth before dragging me to a car." Cara saw that she hadn't answered the girl's question. "No one's waiting for me."

Both women jumped at the sound rapid footfalls right outside the metal door. Kira turned to face her new companion with a desperate look in her eyes while Cara's expression told nothing. The door swung open and a tall, dark haired man loomed over them with a beaming smile. He looked the two women up and down before extending his arms as if to hug them.

"Welcome." He said, slowly crouching down to their level. "Sorry about the, uh…accommodations but it's the best I could do."

"What do you want from us?" Cara frowned as he eased closer, his breath hot on her face. The man reached a large hand out and took hold of her chin, drawing her closer.

"All in due time, Cara." He whispered almost seductively before offering her a twisted smile. Cara hated to admit it but the man was attractive. His piercing eyes stared at her with an intensity she had never seen before so she did the only thing she could- she stared back.

"Who are you?" Kira's shaky voice seemed to shake their abductor from his trance. Without releasing Cara's jaw, the man turned and responded with a hard backhand to Kira's lip. The girl cried out as she fell over, unable to cradle her injured jaw. Cara's eyes danced towards the girl as she tried to shake out of the man's hold.

"Leave her alone!" the blonde found herself yelling. At the look of shock on the man's face, she thought that he had finally realized the gravity of what he had done. She was wrong. He growled and leaned forward before grabbing the back of Cara's head and hoisting her to her feet. The blonde groaned at the pain but refused to let the tears on the corners of her eyes escape. Kira was already upright and staring at her with wide eyes once more.

"I don't see why we couldn't start right now." The man rushed forward, pinning Cara to the wall, and brought his lips close to her ears. "My name is Jeremy. Say it. Jeremy." Cara's lips remained sealed but after a hard yank on her hair and a vicious look from her captor, she relented.

"Jeremy!" she cried, shutting her eyes as the man nestled his face in the crook of her neck. No, this couldn't be happening.

"That's right." He chuckled as he inhaled her scent. Moving back and relishing the look of horror on both the women's faces, Jeremy smiled lovingly at the blonde before pressing his lips firmly against hers. Cara squirmed and shook her head in an effort to get away but Jeremy's hold on her was iron. She remained plastered to the wall while he assaulted her mouth. When he was finished, Jeremy released her, causing her to fall back down next to Kira. The girl looked mortified at what she had witnessed, her eyes wet with tears as she realized why they had been taken. Cara, ignoring the blush in her cheeks from the forced kiss, scooted closer to the girl. The two shared a look of mutual understanding and trust before Jeremy stepped between them and grabbed Kira by the collar of her shirt. Surprised and terrified, the girl let out a shriek as he came dangerously close to her. Cara opened her mouth to demand that he stay away from the teen before she realized that he had no intention of kissing her. Jeremy frowned as he took in the girl, long dark hair matted with sweat from her practice. Sapphire blue eyes that danced from one corner of the room to the other. It was all too much for his fragile state of mind to comprehend. He shoved her forward and into the dirt wall. Kira hit it hard, banging her shoulder against a particularly rough spot, and crumpled to the ground.

"Don't hurt her!" she could hear Cara begging but was more focused on getting her bearings. Jeremy ignored the blonde completely, placing one foot on either side of the teen and dragging her up by the hair. Kira refused to cry out but tears streamed down her face regardless as Jeremy's face contorted with rage.

"You ruined everything!" he screamed in her face. Kira shrank back as much as she could. "You little bitch! I should've killed you when I had the chance!" he raised a fist and the only thing Kira would remember would be the sound of her head hitting the ground.