"Are you ready to give us your statement?" Hotch asked Garcia, just as Morgan and Prentiss reentered the hospital room.

Garcia sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Hotch nodded and gave her the best smile he could muster. He was never close with their technical analyst and wasn't sure how to comfort her or help her ease into this hard conversation, but he wanted to. He held himself accountable for her and JJ's injuries and he wanted to do everything in his power to make this as easy as possible for them. He knew Garcia telling her account of what happened was going to be tough.

Prentiss leaned against the wall next to Reid and Morgan took a seat next to Garcia's bed. He grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly. "You don't have to do this now if you don't want to Penelope. We can do this later."

"No, Derek, we need to get this over with." She gave him a weak smile and stared at him for a moment, trying to decide the best way to tell him her next idea. "And.. um.. while I do this, can you go sit with Jayje?"

"What?" Derek asked, looking at Garcia incredulously. "No babygirl, I'm going to sit here with you. I want to know."

Garcia rolled her eyes. She loved Derek, she really did, but she couldn't bear to tell the story in front of him. She knew it would hurt him almost as bad as it hurt her to think about it again. He would get angry, and she didn't want that. He looked like he had already been through hell, and she didn't want to put him in anymore pain. Plus, she didn't want to look weak in front of Derek. She didn't want him to think any less of her.

"Please, Derek. Please." She looked at him with sad eyes, begging him with the sad look on her face. "Go sit with Jayje. Talk to her. I don't care what the doctors say, she can hear you. Tell her to stay strong, okay? Please?"

Derek had no idea what Penelope was trying to do, but he couldn't stand the look on her face. She looked so desperate for him to leave, and he would rather die than put her through anymore pain. If she wanted him out of the room while she gave her statement, then so be it. "Okay, okay. Someone come get me when you guys are done."

She gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand again. "Thanks." She whispered.

Derek nodded and walked out of the room reluctantly.

"Okay, Garcia, take as long as you need. Do your best to not leave out any details and start at the beginning, everything you can remember. We were able to see most of what you went through, but we need a better account of what happened." Hotch said, in a more gentle voice than usual.

Garcia snapped her attention towards him suddenly. "So JJ was right? You guys could see us? You could see us through the camera?"

"We saw pretty much everything that went on in the basement." Prentiss said, giving her friend a small smile. "But how did JJ know we could see you?"

"Wait, wait." Hotch began, not wanting them to get ahead of themselves. "Let's just start at the beginning. Garcia, do you remember being at the bar?"

Garcia took a deep breath and closed her eyes, mentally picturing the bar in her head. "Yeah, Jayje and I were playing pool. She was schooling me of course, but we were still having fun. We were only on our second drink, so we weren't off our rockers or anything. We both noticed some guy creeping on her from across the bar, but I didn't think much of it, I mean Jayje was rocking short shorts.. it's to be expected."

"Was the guy paying attention to JJ the unsub?" Reid asked.

Garcia shrugged. "I don't know. Down in the basement, I never really saw him without the hood or hat. I saw him once without the sunglasses, but I was half out of my mind at that point. I mean, I didn't even know it was Battle's brother until we got here and you guys told me."

Hotch nodded. "Okay. What happened next?"

"Nothing. Everything seemed normal. The guy disappeared after a bit, and we didn't think anything of it. I mean two girls at a bar, they are going to get looked at. No biggie. So, we just kept playing pool, and Jayje's phone rang, and it was you." She said, glancing at Hotch. "She couldn't hear you so she went outside and she told me she would be back in a minute. After about fifteen, I went to go look for her, hoping nothing was seriously wrong. She went out the closest door, which was the side entrance and it's pretty deserted. I was barely out the door when I felt something over my mouth, and I don't remember anything after that until the basement."

Prentiss sighed. "So, probably chloroform?"

"More than likely. There are various drugs on the market that can have the same affect, but chloroform is the most common used by sadistic ki-"

Hotch held up his hands. "We got it, Reid, thank you. What happened when you woke up?"

Garcia took another deep breath and continued on. "I woke up alone, he hadn't brought JJ in yet. After having a brief Penelope-Panic-Extravaganza, I remembered what happened at the bar, and I started thinking the worst. JJ wasn't with me, and I thought.. I thought.."

Tears rushed to Garcia's eyes and Prentiss came over to the bed and grabbed her hand. "It's okay, PG. You're doing great."

Garcia nodded and blinked back her tears. "I couldn't even yell. I wanted to, hoping that maybe someone would hear me, but it's like I was mute or something. I couldn't find my own voice. That's when he.. Battle.. came in with JJ thrown over his shoulder. He just dropped her on the ground like she was trash! He chained her up and that's when I found my voice. I started screaming, and he just laughed and said it wouldn't save me. He.. he.. kissed JJ and smiled and left."

"And you were already chained up?" Reid asked, still leaning up against the wall.

Garcia nodded. "He must have done it when I was still out. I don't remember. I was really starting to panic again and when Jayje finally woke up, she didn't remember anything. She was calm though, like freaky calm. It made me want to hit her or something. I thought she was delusional."

Hotch sighed. "Garcia, did he say anything? Tell you who he was or what he wanted?"

She shook her head. "No, not that time. After awhile, it felt like days, but I guess not.. um, he came back and asked how we were feeling. I didn't say anything, but JJ started being a real smart ass with him. If it was any other time, I probably would have laughed." Garcia said, staring out the window aimlessly. "He kept calling her "Darlin" and he almost sounded like a gentlemen. Ironic, huh?" Garcia asked, letting out a heavy sigh. "He then moved over to me, he.. he.. was like touching my face, you know? It made me sick to my stomach. He was being gentle and almost sweet, but it.. it repulsed me. And JJ, she just started throwing out snide remarks left and right. Telling him he looked like the unibomber and she asked who he was and what he wanted. She was giving him real hard time."

Prentiss nodded and looked at the Unit Chief. "Yeah, we were right, she was sacrificing herself. JJ didn't even want him near her."

"Too bad it nearly cost her her life." Spencer added, looking down at the floor sadly.

Garcia looked back and forth among the people in the room, utterly confused. "What do you mean? What do you mean sacrificing herself? What are you talking about?"

Hotch shook his head. "Let's keep going Garcia and we will discuss it later. Let's just get your statement out of the way first."

"NO!" Garcia said, looking just as surprised as Hotch did because she actually just yelled at her boss. "Um, sorry boss man, I mean, Hotch. I just, um, what do you mean? I have the right to know. I deserve to know."

Prentiss sighed. "Look PG, this isn't your fault at all." She said, glancing a nervous look at Hotch. "But you know JJ, she is a damn martyr until the end. JJ was trying to protect you Penelope. She didn't want Battle getting close to you, so she did the best she could to make him angry. That's why she was trying to act calm and that's why she was being such a pill. With all his anger directed at her, you would get the least of it. She was trying to save you." Prentiss said gently, giving Garcia a small smile.

Garcia closed her eyes. "When my blonde little buttercup wakes her skinny ass up, I'm going to hug her tightly, and then kick that skinny ass to Korea!" Garcia said, feeling incredibly thankful and angry at JJ. While her actions were incredibly honorable and courageous, they were incredibly stupid! She could have gotten herself killed. She almost did! The punches, the slapping, the breaking of her fingers..

Garcia slammed a hand over her mouth and looked at Emily wide-eyed. Prentiss immediately jumped off the bed and grabbed the nearest trashcan for Garcia to vomit in. She held Garcia's hair back as Garcia released bile and fluids into the trashcan. Luckily there wasn't anything in her system to really throw up.

"Are you okay Garcia?" Reid asked timidly, not sure how to handle the situation. He felt awfully out of place, not exactly sure how to help or comfort Garcia. Social situations were not his forte.

She nodded quickly. "I was just thinking.. Jayje is so... so... STUPID!" She said, looking at her teammates. "She shouldn't have done that! I could have handled it!" Garcia said, throwing her face into her hands.

Hotch patted her back gently. "It was JJ's choice, Garcia. She felt what she was doing was right, and it ultimately might have saved your life. JJ is a strong and capable agent and I'm sure that she wouldn't change anything she did in that basement."

"No!' Garcia cried, mentally chastising herself for getting emotional after she swore to herself she wouldn't. "You didn't hear her down there! When he broke her fingers, it was so awful! You didn't hear her screams! They pierced right through my heart! She was in so much pain, and now I know it was because of me! You didn't see her lying there so broken afterwards! She wasn't even the same person! She was lying on the ground, not moving, barely breathing.. it was awful. I think she wanted to die! I think she was in so much pain that she honestly wanted to die, and that's on me! It's my fault because she didn't think I could hold it together!"

"Stop it Pen. That's not it at all. You could have been calm and collected down there and JJ would have done it anyways! It could have been me down there and she would have done the same thing. Hell, she still would have tried to piss him off if she was down there with Hotch or Rossi, and I think you know that. That's how JJ is. She puts everyone before herself. This isn't your fault, and I'll be damned if you walk out of this hospital thinking it is!" Emily said, pulling her friend into an embrace. "You were strong and you made it out of there! You walked out of there and went to get help for JJ. We've told you once and we'll tell you again until it sinks in, you were great. You are a hero. Don't forget that, ever."

Hotch nodded. "Prentiss is right, Garcia. JJ was in charge of her own actions, and she would have played the exact same role no matter who was down there with her. Do not blame yourself." He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "I think that's enough for now. Let's just take a break, and let you rest a bit. We can pick this back up later. There is no need to strain yourself right now, okay?"

Garcia nodded, grateful for the break. She needed just a few minutes to not think about Battle, that basement, or the fact that JJ was lying somewhere in the hospital in a coma.

"How is she?" Morgan asked the doctor that was standing over JJ as he entered her room. Morgan was taken aback by all the machines and wires surrounding JJ's bed. If he hadn't seen her name on the chart outside, he wouldn't even know it was her. Her face was too swollen and bruised to be recognizable. JJ's blonde hair was matted and tangled around her face and her lips were a bruising purple. Her left hand was already in a cast, and she had bags of blood hanging next to her bed. He cringed. Out of all the things he had ever seen, this was on his top five of most horrific.

"Lucky." The doctor said simply, checking her IV line. "Very lucky."

"Lucky?" Morgan asked, feeling his temper rise. Lucky was the last word he would use to describe JJ's current condition.

"Yes," the doctor said nodding, "lucky. Her scans show there is no internal bleeding, which is a miracle in itself. Based on the external bruises casing her body, we were positive we were going to find enormous damage internally, but we didn't. We were also worried about her brain hemorrhaging based on the external trauma her head took, but we also found nothing. Don't get me wrong, she came in here with a lot of problems. Dehydration, exhaustion, twelve broken bones, a concussion, severe bruising, and an incredible loss of blood is in no means a walk in the park, but none of it will be fatal. In all honesty, based on the amount of trauma she endured, she shouldn't be alive. So yes, agent, I say the only word to describe her condition is lucky. Well that or miraculous."

Derek nodded and swallowed hard. "What about this coma?" He asked, looking nauseously at JJ. "Is it possible she won't wake up? Is it possible she won't have a memory?"

The doctor sighed. "Anything is possible, Agent Morgan, but I am almost certain she should wake up in a matter of days. I think once her body rests and starts to heal itself, she will wake up in time. Her memory is up for question, but only time will tell. It's expected for her to be a bit groggy on the details at first, but with time, everything will come back to her if she doesn't remember to begin with. I am confident Agent Jareau will heal and physically be just as she was before with time."

Derek narrowed his eyes at the doctor. "And mentally?"

"Ah, Agent Morgan, I am not a therapist by any means, but after what this poor woman went through, how would your mental condition be? I can only assure her physical conditions."

He sighed and nodded. "Can she hear me?"

The doctor gave him a small smile. "It's not proven.. Some doctors will you tell you it's impossible that she can comprehend anything your saying, but in my personal opinion, she subconsciously can understand every word. I feel the words of friends and family bring them back to us sooner." The doctor shook Derek's hand and exited the room, leaving him alone with JJ.

Derek fell into the chair next to JJ's bed, afraid to look at her. It was that bad. Her nose was obviously broken, her face was swollen, hell everything was swollen and bruised. Would things have been different if he had waited for back up and let the rest of the team continue to JJ? Would she look this bad? Was this his fault? Did he put his personal feelings first? Did he choose Pen over JJ?

Derek hunched forward and put his face in his hands, trying to compose himself the best he could.

"I'm sorry, JJ." He began, praying that she could hear him. "I am so sorry. We should have found you sooner. We should have looked at Battle in the first place. We messed up, and you and Pen had to pay the price, and I'm just so fucking sorry. It's my fault though. I should have waited. I should have waited for back up with Pen. I was selfish. I wasn't thinking Jay, I just, well, I fucked up. You have to understand, it's not like I was picking her over you, I wasn't trying to leave you behind. I wouldn't do that, she was just there, in front of me, helpless.. I.. I'm just sorry." Derek sighed and shook his head. He loathed himself at that moment. Rossi was right. Rossi was fucking right.

Rossi stood in JJ's doorway, listening to Morgan offer the most ridiculous apology. Rossi knew it wasn't Morgan's fault. He knew that if they had gotten there ten minutes earlier, it wouldn't have made a difference. She would still be in the same condition. None of it was Morgan's fault, and he wanted to tell him. He wanted to apologize for going off on him in the first place because he had no right. But the truth was, he needed someone to blame. He was just so angry with himself for not figuring it out.. it was right in front of them. He started the BAU for crying out loud, he is supposed to be one of the greatest minds in the country, and he failed. His two teammates paid the price. Not to mention, the only woman he could see himself experiencing love again with was in a coma. He couldn't save her. He failed and he needed someone to blame, and he put that on Morgan.

Rossi was wrong, he knew he was wrong, but it didn't matter. He was in way too much pain. He wanted someone else to be hurting just as bad as him.

Instead of entering JJ's room and telling Morgan this, Rossi turned around and marched back to where Battle was undergoing surgery.