ENTANGLED | CRIMINAL MINDS

Compromise

For days, the team worked tirelessly, never going home once to rest or eat. Their mission was to bring Jean home safely but as the hours ran on, the team's hope diminished.

They were up against a highly trained assassin who made no mistakes.

Their only hope was that Cat would make a final play for Spencer and it would lead them to their team member.

In his office, Hotch slept slumped against his desk, the files splayed across his desk. They weren't any closer to catching Cat than they were when Jean was first abducted. The team was getting restless.

He looked outside his lonely office to inspect his team, seeing Garcia snap at Derek for getting her coffee wrong. Emily and JJ were bickering in the corner of the room over the geographic profile. However, Spencer was taking it the worst.

The young profiler had dark circles under his eyes, showing that he hadn't slept in days, despite the team advising him to, no, pleading with him to go home and get some well-deserved rest. His mind refused to shut off. He felt that a second he took to rest was a second spent not finding Jean.

He had to do better.

For his Jeanie.

Spencer sank back into his chair, his mind full of self-loathing and despair for not being able to think of a solution to bring her back to them. He felt himself beginning to doze off when Garcia's laptop pinged.

"Guys, you're gonna wanna look at this" she shouted, running across the bullpen with her laptop and coffee to reach the round table room.

On the screen was Cat Adams. 

Spencer cursed as he saw her face on the screen. He would do anything to never hear her name for the rest of his days. Even if he never heard her wretched name again , it would still haunt his dreams.

"Did the FBI hire dumbasses? I've had your pal here for days and you guys are running around like headless chickens. How embarrassing" she muttered into the camera.

"Regardless, I wanted to let you know that in the next two hours, your precious Jean will be dead. I'll be delivering the final blow and will dutifully send you the video when I'm far and gone" she laughed, as if killing Jean was the funniest joke in the world.

The team stood still in the wake of the revelation that their teammate was mere hours away from her death, knowing they stood no chance to save her in time. They had been working for days and couldn't find anything, they'd be fools to think they could do anything in two hours.

"However, I will offer a compromise" Cat called out to the camera.

The team felt the faint flutter of hope in their hearts.

 "In return for my location, Agents Reid and Hotchner must come to said location alone and unarmed. Jean's already on her way out, poor thing. Hasn't had food and water for days, all while being tortured. Nothing says a good time like a few broken ribs" Cat said as she grinned maniacally at the camera.

The team let out a breath they didn't even know they were holding when the camera panned to Jean, barely breathing but alive.

Although she was almost unrecognizable, the team recognized her in a heartbeat. Her eyes were practically swollen shut and her face was littered with purple bruises that were beginning to turn a dark yellow.

 Her body was strapped tightly to the rusted pole that held her, but you could see she didn't have the energy to stand, that it was the chains holding her up. Her ribs looked to be broken in several places, not to mention the cuts and bruises littering her arms.

"P-please" Jean croaked out, whether to Cat or to the team was unknown.

Cat walked over to her and backhanded her faster than the speed of light. "Shut the fuck up" she seethed.

"You heard my terms and conditions. Goodbye" Cat said, and with that, the screen turned black and the video disappeared.

The team took a deep breath and tried to compose themselves as they analyzed what they had watched.

"Let's think rationally, if we can keep digging and looking throug files-" Morgan remarked before he was interrupted by Hotch.

"There is no time to go through these fucking files. Reid and I have to go. There's no other choice" Hotch said sternly, already heading out the door to his car, Spencer in close pursuit.

"Are you insane? The second you two step foot in there, she'll kill you!" Emily shouted at the pair. "You're signing a death wish".

Hotch continued onward to one of the many black SUV's the team owned, disregarding what Emily said, but Spencer stayed back.

"Emily, she's in there because of me. If my death is what can bring her back safely, I won't hesitate for a second. Don't think I don't know what I'm doing, I know what I'm walking into and what the outcome may be and I wholeheartedly accept it. End of discussion" he responded.

Spencer ran down the stairs and into the parking lot, quickly hopping into the black SUV where Hotch was already situated and in the driver's seat, his foot on the gas, waiting to speed out of the parking lot to save Jean.

Hotch's phone pinged and the duo looked down to discover that an unknown number, most likely a burner phone, had sent them an address.

Without another word, Hotch pressed on the gas, and the pair were off.

As they drove in silence, they wondered what awaited them at the abandoned warehouse Cat was holding Jean.

They wouldn't be prepared for what fate had in store for them.