SECRET LOVE, hotchniss

12

(S2 E15)

This was a nightmare.

They had all been through awful things both in life and in this job, and after everything that happened with Derek a few weeks ago Aaron had wanted to protect his team more than ever.

But he had just given the green light for JJ and Spencer to interview a potential witness. A witness that turned out to be the unsub - Tobias Henkel.

He had sent them, alone, to the middle of a farm with no cell reception, completely unaware of the situation they were walking in to. Hell, he barely had any idea what they were walking into.

The drive to Henkel's property was agonising, the torture of 'what if's' consuming his mind. The four remaining members of his team driving in an absolute silence, there were no words strong enough to describe the terror they were all sharing, terror for what they were about to find.

Before the car was even in park doors were flying open and with a simple glance they split into two groups, Aaron and Jason checking the house, Derek and Emily heading straight to the barn. The barn they had just seen in a viral video where a woman was being completely torn apart by dogs.

Derek walked into the barn followed closely by Emily and a team of police. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the same scene as the video, the small area looked as if it had been painted red, the air was thick and the smell of iron was etching itself in his nostrils. There were chunks of raw meat scattered across the floor, it wasn't even recognisable as human. But he knew it was all that remained of what was once Helen Douglas - Henkel's latest victim, the star of his most recent upload. 

Before he could think any further JJ's voice cut through the air, a terror in her voice that he had never heard before. As their flashlights hit her he could see that she was covered in blood, but it was her eyes that truly shocked him. They were wide, pupils dilated in fear. As she held her gun facing him he spoke, identifying himself and Emily, trying to bring her mind back to her reality and out of the terror filled survival mode it was currently wading through.

After what seemed like hours he could see her brain slowing, processing her safety, and she lowered her gun. He questioned her asking if she was hurt, if she knew where Reid was, but she wasn't processing his questions, she couldnt.

That was until Emily spoke up.

Emily had grounded her, brought her back to the present, and while she was sympathetic to JJ's current state of mind, she was able to get the answers they so desperately needed. Even though his mind was racing, his emotions flowing rapidly from horror, to relief, then landing on desperation, Emily had remained calm, focussed even.

He could tell it wasn't due to lack of care, it was the exact opposite. She cared so much for the team that right now getting information and ensuring their safety was her top priority, and she was absolutely not letting any emotion get in the way of that.

After getting JJ to the ambulance and watching Emily speak with her he noted that she was kind, but told her the truth. She wasn't hiding anything from her, no 'white lies', no 'everything is okay', comments that were almost human instinct to say in a situation like this. She was honest but managed to keep JJ calm despite the insurmountable concern growing in his own stomach. His interest was peaked. He was suspicious of her but not in a way that made him doubt her, it was more so a curiosity as to how she had become so good at managing both traumatised people and her own emotions. She clearly had experience doing this, but he knew she only had minimal field experience, coming to them from years working a desk job.