WARNING: Mentions of sexual assault

F I V E

"We have footage of Em being dropped off outside," Garcia said as she hit play on the security footage. They watched as a black car, with tinted windows and no license plate of course, pull up outside the building. A door opened and Emily stepped out, the gun hanging in her left hand. She tucked it into her waistline and began walking into the building as the car sped off.

"The son of a bitch just dropped her off here," Morgan said, his fists tensing and rage bubbling.

They continued watching the tapes, moving from the outside camera to the inside view. The lobby was nearly empty, and Emily kept her head down as she flashed her badge. The jacket over her shoulders covered the blood on her shirt and chest - her abductor had clearly planned this out. They watched as she got into the elevator and used her ID to scan in. When she got off the elevator, the jacket was gone.

"That's the jacket we recovered from the elevator." Rossi said.

"He's confident we won't be able to find him until he wants us to find him. He's playing with us." Rossi said.

"Was anyone outside when the car pulled up" Hotch asked.

Morgan shook his head. "Nobody."

"I'll have Garcia check surrounding traffic light cameras, maybe one caught him."

"That'll take a while." Reid said quietly.

"It's all we can do at this point." Hotch said, defeated. "Morgan, you and I will go to the hospital and see what else Prentiss can give us. Rossi and Reid, stay here and go over the security footage from the night she disappeared. Maybe we missed something."

Reid nodded. They had gone over those tapes hundreds of times. He even watched them on his own time, desperate to find something they had missed. But, he'd do it again without a complaint.

…

"Do you remember anything else?" Hotch asked gently. Emily was hesitant to talk to them, she was scared. Rightfully so. It had just been surprising to see her so vulnerable, her walls were completely torn down.

"He sucked on menthol drops. He loves those things. I remember his breath on my face when…" Her face went blank and he watched as she distanced herself from her own mind.

"Em?" Derek said softly.

She blinked a few times before looking back at Hotch. "I don't remember anything else."

"Okay," Hotch closed the notepad he had brought and stuck the pen into his pocket. "JJ? A word?"

JJ stood up and rubbed Emily's hand before following the unit chief into the hallway. Morgan replaced her at Emily's bedside and she briefly heard him talking as she left.

"How'd the…" Hotch paused, and inhaled. "How'd the rape kit go?"

JJ shrugged. "She made it through. How long until we have anything?"

"A few days. It'll be processed and then we'll get the results."

JJ nodded, and Hotch watched the turmoil swirl in her eyes. "Hotch, we don't have anything. A thirty year old man with blonde hair and brown eyes is… vague at best."

"I have a sketch artist coming in, I'm hoping that'll help."

"Hopefully."

"Her mother will be here at the end of the week." Hotch said.

"That's… good I guess."

Before Hotch could respond, Dr. Jackson approached the pair.

"I'm glad I caught you." She said, a smile spreading across her face. "Emily's being discharged tomorrow. She's tolerating solid foods, she's rehydrated, and her infections are cleared. However, I do advise that she stays with someone for a while, she needs your support."

"Thanks, Doctor. We appreciate everything you've done, more than you know." Hotch thanked her. JJ hugged her quickly.

"We'll make sure she stays with someone." JJ said. "Thank you, again."

Mary smiled again and walked back to the nurses station.

JJ and Hotch went back into Emily's room, where Morgan was whispering softly to their friend and she was nodding.

"Dr. Jackson is discharging you tomorrow, Emily." Hotch said. "She suggest you stay with someone for a few weeks."

Emily nodded. "I don't want to burden any of you—"

"Nonsense." Morgan said as he gripped her hand tightly. "You are never a burden, Emily. You're more than welcome to stay at my place, if you'd like."

"That's very sweet of you, Morgan. I'd like that."

"Then it's settled." He said with a smile. "Emily Prentiss meets Derek Morgan's bachelor pad."

And, for the first time in nearly five months, they heard one thing they thought they would never hear again. Emily Prentiss laughed.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm hoping to have some extra time on my hands with the virus and everything that is going on in our crazy world. I hope you're all staying safe (and staying INSIDE!) and healthy! Don't forget to leave a review :)