A/N: Please note that other triggering content (self-harm and suicide will be discussed) throughout the story. Please be forewarned and take precautions if these are troubling for you.

A/N: Violence towards a primary character is contained in this chapter. Please be forewarned if that is troubling for you.

I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews. My muse and I both appreciate it. This is still, as of now, planned to be a fairly long, multi-part story, but if you all aren't into it…I'll wrap it up before too long.

And remember…reviews and feedback keep me and my muse motivated…especially if they're positive!

***This chapter is a continuation of the second "part" of the story***More drama and more secrets revealed***

I hope you enjoy this latest chapter…Now on with the show!

"We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us thru that darkness to a safe and sane future." ~ John F. Kennedy

"Sometimes when you're overwhelmed by a situation - when you're in the darkest of darkness - that's when your priorities are reordered." ~ Phoebe Snow
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Chapter 27

He wants to see me broken…I guess the joke is on him. You can't break something that is already broken. I simply stare back into his empty, evil eyes…trying to contain the hollow laugh that is threatening to escape my lips. He notices the shift in my demeanor and slowly stalks towards me.

"You find this amusing Mia? Now why doesn't that surprise me? You always were fucked up." Lucas smiles.

"You can't break something that's already broken." I calmly reply.

"Maybe not…but I can shatter it beyond repair. Broken pieces can eventually be put back together. When you leave this room…no one will be able to fix you. Take a good look around you…do you still find your situation and what you've caused so amusing now? Still think I can't shatter what's left of you?"

I quickly glance around and notice pictures of various women taped all around the room. I had only noticed the bed before…but now I realize that these are the same pictures he had shown me earlier…the ones from the stack of papers…the women he said he killed. My heart starts to race as I realize he's taunting me with their images. I try to block out their faces but they're all around the room…wherever I look….more faces with haunted eyes staring back at me.

I'm distracted by their images and don't notice Lucas laughing at me…at the horror that I can't stop from appearing on my face.

"You killed all of these women? Just because they reminded you of me?" I quietly ask.

Hearing Lucas laugh again, I turn to face him and watch as he smiles broadly and simply answers "Yes."

"Why?"

"They were causing pain to everyone around them…just like you always did. But I would've never met them had it not been for you. They're all dead because of you. Remember that! None of them had to die…if you would have just ended your own life years ago. So the next time you are considering if everyone would be better off without you or not…remember all of these faces…and then maybe the next time…you'll make the right decision."

I glance around at the images again…haunted eyes staring back at me. Is he right? Are all of these women dead because of me? Could I have done something to save them?

I'm distracted by my thoughts and don't notice Lucas taking another swing at me…knocking me down onto the bed. I attempt to fight him off…I struggle to get free…but he keeps punching and hitting me. I feel my ribs crack under one of his stronger blows and my head is pounding from one of his earlier punches…making focusing on anything difficult.

On top of that…because he caught me by surprise…he managed to get the upper hand and he's much stronger than I expected. I try to push him back but feel my wrist snap in my futile attempt to get away from him

I hear him laugh as he repeatedly says "they're all dead…it's all your fault" over and over again.

I try to shake free of him…block out what he's saying and focus on what's happening…but my head's pounding and I can't seem to catch my breath…and whenever I try to look away from him…all I see are the images of women that are dead…because of me.

All of those photos…all of those murdered women…with their haunted eyes…everywhere I look.

I feel all of the energy I had before…all of the fight I had in me completely leave when I notice one image in particular…someone that I used to know…another one of his victims. I realize that I just can't do this anymore. He was right…I'm fighting a losing battle.

I know that by now JJ has probably contacted the rest of the team and they are either here or on their way…Summer is safe…and with the team close by…JJ will be safe too. That's all that mattered to me. Keeping them safe.

I realize now that Lucas was right. I was broken before…but now he's managed to shatter whatever was left. I guess he won after all. The only hope I have is to hide within myself with the remnants of my shattered heart and soul…and just hope that someday I can find a way to put some of the pieces back together again.

I'm finally able to retreat within myself completely…block out all of the sounds and images around me and hide within the maze of compartments and walls in my mind. It's the only place that I can try and save whatever parts of me are left…if there are any left. But hiding so deep within myself I wonder…will I be able to find my way back out…or have I retreated so far that I'll be lost inside myself forever?

Seeing Emily being knocked out of her chair and drug through one of the side doors, it took everything in me not to run in after her. Hotch and Rossi had to literally hold me back.

"Wait, JJ. We need to approach carefully or we'll put her in more danger." Rossi quietly tried to reason with me.

"Did you not just see what happened? How could she be in more danger than what she's in right now? God knows what he's doing to her right now!" I try to struggle free from both Hotch and Rossi.

"He still has a gun aimed directly at her. If we go barreling in there…he could just start shooting. We need to be cautious and catch him by surprise." Rossi tries again to reason with me…and I finally relent.

"Morgan…have you found any other points of entry yet?" Hotch quietly asks.

"I think so…give me just a sec." Morgan quietly replies.

"Ok…let's quietly move inside…if Morgan has another way in we can all make entry at the same time…if not…we can try to make entry on our side instead." Rossi whispers as the three of us quietly move towards the door I saw Emily and Lucas go through…noticing it's not closed entirely. I hear muffled sounds coming from the other side of the door and try to block out of my head all of the things that could be causing those sounds.

After what feels like an eternity we all hear Morgan come back on the Comms system.

"Hotch…I found another way in…but we need to move fast..."

"Morgan…Do you see his gun?" Hotch whispers.

"Yeah…it's still within reach…but he's not holding it right now."

"Ok…Morgan…are you ready?" Hotch responds

"Yeah"

I start to try and prepare myself for whatever it is that I might find on the other side of that door.

"Ok…we move on three…on my count…one…two…three."

I ready my gun so that I can be the first to enter the room and see Hotch and Rossi ready their guns as well. On three, Hotch slams the door open just as I hear glass shatter from inside the room. In a routine we have executed countless times, I enter with Hotch and Rossi following directly behind me. I quickly glance around the room…noticing Morgan already leveling his weapon on Lucas as the rest of us do the same. The sound of glass shattering had been Morgan entering through a window and the entry of all of us at once had caught Lucas off guard…enough so that he didn't have time to pick up his gun.

I hear Morgan yell at Lucas "Put your hands up and step away from her…NOW!"

Lucas looks around at all of us and just laughs…"Mia…it would seem your team has arrived to save you. Should we tell them it's too late for that now? Or maybe it'll be better when it comes as a surprise to all of them…when they realize what a worthless coward you really are."

"Shut up…put your hands up…and move away from her…NOW! I'm not going to ask you again!" I hear Morgan yell.

I leave my gun aimed directly at Lucas…waiting for the slightest movement…anything that would give me a valid reason to shoot him. I purposely don't look towards Emily…knowing that looking at her would distract me right now.

I hear Lucas laugh once again…mockingly…"You wouldn't shoot an unarmed man…now would you, Agent?" Lucas directs his question at Morgan...purposely moving his hands to show he is not holding any weapon.

I watch as Morgan glances in our direction, holstering his weapon, and then slowly moves towards Lucas. I keep my gun leveled at Lucas…watching for the slightest movement or change…and then it happens.

I see him move slightly…reaching for something in his waistband as Morgan approaches. Seeing a slight glimmer of something metal…realizing it's another weapon…I immediately fire my weapon…just as Hotch and Rossi fire theirs as well. Two shots to the head…one to the heart.

Lucas falls to the ground…obviously dead….directly between Morgan and Emily. I look over and see Morgan crouch over Lucas and pull out the weapon that Lucas had been reaching for…a knife.

Morgan states the obvious when he says "he's dead" but my thoughts are already on Emily.

I look over to see her lying on the bed…having obviously been beaten pretty badly based on how she looks…and her clothes ripped in several places. She hasn't said anything…and she hasn't moved at all since we entered the room.

I approach her and reach for her hand…but get no response…no acknowledgment that she even realizes that I'm there…that any of us are there.

I try talking to her…"Em…sweetie…it's me…JJ…you're ok…you're safe now."

I still get no response…and it's then I see it…the blank expression on her face…as if she's completely shut down…hidden within herself. Seeing her like this…nearly catatonic…has me completely terrified.

I look back at the guys and finally notice that they are looking around the room…horror and confusion on each of their faces. I finally look around the room as well and notice dozens of pictures…images of various women…women Lucas claimed to have murdered because they reminded him of Emily. I know that we'll need to find out if he was telling the truth about that or not…but right now…my concern is Emily.

"Guys…Emily needs help…we need the paramedics here NOW!" I yell…trying to get their attention.

"Hotch already called them…they should be here in a few minutes. Rossi went outside to meet them. Has she said anything?" Morgan asks as he approaches where I'm crouched next to Emily.

"No. She hasn't said anything at all…she hasn't moved…it's like she doesn't even realize where she is…or that any of us are even here. Morgan…I'm scared…I don't know what Lucas said…or did to her…I've never seen her like this before." I try to remain calm…but inside…my panic is rising.

"Princess…you're safe now…everything is going to be ok." Morgan tries to reach Emily…holding her hand…giving it a gentle squeeze…but he doesn't get any kind of response either.

"She'll be ok, JJ. She's just in shock right now…we just have to give her a little time…that's all." Morgan says…trying to sound convincing. Though I'm not sure right now which one of us he is really trying to convince.

I hear Rossi in the other room directing the paramedics to Emily "She's right through that door."

The paramedics make their way over to Emily and one of them asks Morgan and I to move so they can work on Emily. I want to stay right next to her…but I know they need room to work…so I reluctantly move slightly to give them room to work.

"Ma'am…my name is Rick…this is Maggie…we're going to get you fixed up and get you to the hospital…ok?" I hear the paramedics start to talk. "Can you tell me what your name is?"

Emily doesn't respond.

"Ma'am? Can you squeeze my hand for me…let me know you can hear me and understand what I'm asking you?"

No response.

The paramedics look back over to Morgan and I and ask "Has she said anything?"

"No…she was talking before he brought her in here….a little while ago…but we didn't see what happened to her in here…we don't know what happened after she came into this room…what he did to her" I say as I point towards Lucas.

"She hasn't said anything…to anyone…once we were able to get in here." I continue…my panic continuing to rise.

"We need to get her transported to the hospital…get her evaluated further there. It looks like she may have a broken wrist and some broken ribs…and possibly a head injury…but they'll know more once they can run more tests there" The other paramedic states.

"I'm going with you to the ER." I reply to the paramedic before glancing at Morgan…"let Garcia know what's going on…have her take Summer and meet us at the ER."

The paramedics start to argue with me…but in seeing the look on my face…decide against it. I have no intention of letting Emily out of my sight…I told her I wasn't going to run away from her…and I intend to prove that to her no matter what.

I just started to get her back this morning...and get a brief glimpse of what our life together might be like. I'll be damned if I'm going to let that bastard take that away from us now. I just hope that whatever he said or did to her didn't push her so far inside herself that I won't be able to help her find her way back to me again.