Disclaimer: Criminal Minds belongs to CBS. This is a work of fiction. All the characters portrayed in this story have no relation to anyone living or dead.

Spoilers: Set around Season 4 / Season 5. No specific spoilers to any TV episodes

Pairing: JJ / Emily - Will be eventual femslash - don't like, please don't read any further.

Archiving: Only with the permission of the author

Many thanks to those who have taken the time to review so far.

Prologue:

The door to the cellar was yanked open roughly, bathing the top of the wooden stairs in garish, artificial yellow light. Two shadows quickly broke the line of light and a young woman was bundled hurriedly through the door. The man who had carelessly shoved her through the doorway held onto an arm with a vice-like grip as he turned to lock the door behind him. For a second, the room was swallowed by darkness before an audible click accompanying a simultaneous glare of light from a bare bulb in the room below illuminated the area.

The woman's captor grunted slightly and then pushed the woman forward her, impelling her to stumble down the steps. He maintained his grip on her arm, not caring as she cried out in pain when he increased the pressure.

The woman could not hide her fear; her breath came in short staccato pants and were accented by the sobs she could not stop wracking her body. "Please let me go," she begged between gasps. "I'll do anything."

There was no response from her captor and at the bottom of the stairs he pushed her toward a tall pillar that stood centrally. The young woman's eyes grew rounder as she noticed a set of bloodied manacles attached near the top of pillar and she dug her heels in, trying to halt her progress towards them. "No, no, no," she cried, shaking her head manically. As the pair reached the pillar, the woman desperately tried to keep her hands down, doing anything and everything in a frantic surge of self-preservation.

Her captor allowed her struggles to continue for a few minutes, seemingly drinking in her terrified attempts to get away before casually drawing a fist back and punching her squarely on her jaw. Her head snapped back with the force and she staggered dazedly. It was all he needed and he grabbed her wrists with practiced ease and secured them within the metal bands. He caressed her cheek almost lovingly before turning to a work bench that ran along the rear wall. His hand hovered over the array of tools that were neatly ordered across the bench. He paused for a moment before making his choice and turning to his captive. He slapped her cheek lightly, encouraging her to regain her senses. "Come on darling," the man cooed softly. "I need you awake for this."

TBC