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.

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!

***More drama and more secrets revealed***

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

"Remember that life's big changes rarely give advance warning." ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"Violence is like a weed - it does not die even in the greatest drought." ~ Simon Wiesenthal

Chapter 41

"He had an apartment off campus and so did I, but we were hardly ever there. We were usually going out or at school…or he was at the hospital. It seemed like a waste of money to be paying two sets of bills when neither one of us were home that much, so we moved in together. That was right before everything went to Hell. We had been getting along really well together…most of the time. Except for those few times that he would disappear and come back 'grumpy', and I liked spending time with him. He thought moving in together could work…two friends being able to spend time together and share expenses. It made sense at the time…but it was all part of his plan. I didn't know that when I agreed to it. He had told his parents that I had agreed to marry him…right after he graduated. Word got back to my parents about our 'engagement' and my parents started planning our wedding with his parents. It just snowballed out of control." I explain.

"But you two weren't even dating at the time…were you?" Matthew asks.

"No…we were just friends."

"So why didn't you just tell your parents that you weren't engaged?"

"It wasn't that simple. With all of the time that we had spent together…he had found out about my cutting…and he threatened to tell my parents and the school. I would've probably been thrown out if they found out about it. He was working so much and doing rotations at the hospital…I thought I could just wait it out…at least until he finished school. I figured by then he would realize what a ridiculous idea it was for us to get married…or I could talk some sense into him. Then he changed everything and decided he wanted to be more than friends with me. He blackmailed me into being his girlfriend." I explain.

"He what?" Matthew angrily replied.

"Yeah…nothing says 'I love you' quite like being blackmailed. I thought about just leaving…but I had told him too much by then. I thought he would ruin what I had built at school and the relationship I had just started to rebuild with my parents. That's when he started to get violent. Part of it was his drinking and all the drugs he was doing…but part of it was just him. The final straw came when he had to work a double-shift at the hospital…and came home in a complete rage. I have no idea why he was so mad at me…but he beat me up and assaulted me so badly that I could barely walk. I waited until he passed out and I left. I couldn't stay there any longer."

"Good lord, Em. Where did you go?" Matthew asks…concerned.

"My aunt and uncle's place. That was one secret I never shared with him…one place I knew he'd never find me. They called a doctor they knew and they came over and patched me up. I stayed there for a little while…and that was when I found out I was pregnant. I got a new place near the school once I recovered enough. Lucas had found out the phone number there and left me a bunch of messages…telling me how sorry he was and it'd never happen again. I knew he was lying though…since he'd done the same thing before…just not that bad." I quickly glance up at Matthew.

"He'd done the same thing before?" Matthew asks…horrified.

"Yeah…he'd gotten violent with me before…but nothing like that. I kept thinking he'd change…or maybe it was the drugs or his drinking…or that I had too much to lose if I left. But after that night…I knew I couldn't stay any longer." I sadly reply.

I continue on "I know it was stupid to stay as long as I did. But, I guess I thought I could help him. Or at least save myself in some way. Besides…I didn't want anyone thinking I couldn't take care of myself…looking at me like I was some kind of victim. Or that I wanted or expected someone else to take care of my problems. I'd always taken care of myself…and I had no intention of changing that just because of him."

"So what happened next?" Matthew replied.

"I decided that I was going to tell him I was pregnant…but that I didn't want or need any help from him. I thought I owed him at least that much. Then I just planned on finishing school and moving on with my life. Things just didn't turn out the way I planned."

"That's when he attacked you, wasn't it?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah…he seemed fine when I called and told him I wanted to stop by and pick up the rest of my stuff…and that I wanted to talk to him about something. I got there and I could tell he had been drinking. So I decided to get the conversation over as quick as possible. I grabbed all of the stuff I absolutely needed and then I remembered I left something upstairs. I went to go get it and he ran up the stairs in front of me. We were arguing and I blurted out that I was pregnant and to let go of me. He had been holding my arms and when I said that…he looked horrified…and pissed off. He grabbed my arms even harder and shoved me down the stairs. The next thing I remember was waking up at the bottom of the stairs…in an empty house…must've been a few hours later. I finally made it to the phone and called 9-1-1. The ambulance got there and took me to the hospital. I had them call my parents on the way."

"Your parents? Why not your aunt and uncle?"

"I didn't know which hospital they were taking me to and I didn't want Lucas to find out about either one of them…he already knew about my parents." I explained.

"Oh…I guess that makes sense. So…what happened once you got to the hospital?" Matthew asked.

"The doctors were able to save Summer…and me. But they arranged for Lucas to be informed that Summer had died. They knew that if he thought she was still alive…he might try to kill both of us again. My parents contacted his parents and told them what happened. They disowned Lucas and sent him off to rehab. That was their way of saving their own reputations and keeping me safe. No one but my family and the few doctors that worked on me knew that I was still pregnant. I went to stay with my aunt and uncle again and my parents arranged for me to finish the rest of the semester of school from home. Once I did…I tested out of the rest of the classes I had left and got my degrees from there so I didn't have to return. I had Summer and took a little time off before I started going to Yale."

"Why did you decide to go to Yale? You already had those degrees from Georgetown. Why not just stay home and take care of Chance and Summer?" Matthew asked.

"I considered that…but I decided I didn't want to be stuck in a life like my parents. Those degrees I had from Georgetown were something they wanted…something that would've left me traveling in their social and political circles for the rest of my life. I wanted a life of my own. I also wanted to learn more about behavior and find out how someone could turn out like Lucas…so I decided to go into Criminal Justice and Psychology." I explained.

"Well…given your career…I guess that turned out well." Matthew smiled.

"They were able to transfer a lot of my credits over from Georgetown. I was also able to test out of several of the classes, so I really didn't have that many classes to actually take for the degrees. At that point, Chance and Summer were both living with my aunt and uncle, and I was staying there as much as possible too. I was there whenever I wasn't taking classes on campus."

"That must've been nice. To be able to spend that time with Chance and Summer."

"Yeah…it was. We were all really close. I think it really helped us stay as close as we are now. With all of the moving around I've had to do and all of the traveling for my job, that time really helped us all bond."

"That's great Em." Matthew smiles. "So, why didn't you just get a job with the local police or something like that? You could've stayed near your kids and still helped people?"

"The local police were okay, but I wanted to be able to help on a bigger scale. I had heard about the FBI BAU division when I first started taking classes at Yale, and as soon as I did, I was determined to get a job there. So, once I finished at Yale I joined the FBI. With my background, all of my degrees, and my connections…I had no problem getting accepted. As a bonus…the training was close to my aunt and uncle's place…so I was able to see Chance and Summer a lot. I had hoped that once I graduated that I would be able to get assigned to one of the field offices near their place…but that didn't work out. I knew it would take a little time to get a job with the BAU, since that wasn't a direct assignment. You have to work in the field for a little while, unless you have some experience somewhere else, which I didn't. I suppose I could've used my political connections to get an immediate assignment there, but I didn't want to do that either, so I just went through the normal process…just like everyone else. Besides, I wanted the experience so I wouldn't look like an idiot once I finally did get a chance to apply to the BAU. So, when I applied for one of the field offices, I ended up getting assigned to one in the Midwest. I didn't want to uproot Chance and Summer…or the rest of my aunt and uncle's family…so I decided to go ahead and move out there and just come back and see them whenever I could. I thought that if I worked out there for a while…I could transfer back to a closer field office as soon as an opening came up…or better yet…an opening at the BAU…which is where I really wanted to work all along." I continued.

"How long were you out in the Midwest?" Matthew asked.

"Not long. Just a few months…and I was doing really well. Then I got called into my supervisor's office. I thought something was wrong…that I had missed something big on a case or something…but when I walked through the door…I realized that wasn't it at all. I realized I was about to be pulled into something a lot bigger…and much more dangerous than anything I had ever done before."

"What did your supervisor want?" Matthew asked.

"It wasn't exactly what he wanted…it was who was standing there with him. Isabella's brother Tom was there…with someone else. One of Tom's colleagues…Clyde Easter. Tom had joined the Special Forces in Europe after I left Italy…and had worked with the CIA and Interpol on various assignments over the years. They needed my help on a special assignment…one that my special skills and background were essential on. It was one that was in Europe…and one that would change my life again…forever. That's when I was handed a picture of someone that would change my life forever…Ian Doyle."