Author's Note: First, I have to send out a major thank you to my beta, Brynn for sticking with me through the immense writer's block that struck at the end of this story. Second, to all of you readers who waited so patiently, and prodded me to finish this, this is for you.

At the hospital…

"And that's it?" JJ's father asked incredulously, waiting on pins and needles as the others fell silent with the gravity of their memories. "She started to seize and…?" He prodded, incensed that they would stop the story there.

"And we stopped it." Rossi bristled, not realizing he had voiced the memory of one of the worst moments of his life. They slipped into JJ's hospital room, unnoticed by Morgan whose gaze was affixed at JJ's still crippled form. but unable to stop himself from falling back to the memory that would haunt him for years to come.

Earlier…

"What do we do?" Rossi asked, feeling himself ravel out of control as he involuntarily stepped back, unable to bear what was happening in front of him. "Somebody do something!" He ordered.

"Turn her on her side." Hotch instructed, feeling completely useless as he ran his hand through his hair, afraid to touch her for the fear he might break her further. "How did this happen?"

Derek silently knelt down beside her shaking form, gingerly reaching out to touch her as he guided her onto her side.

"The thing…" Dave observed, horrified. Gesturing to the metal ring around JJ's neck, his voice dropped involuntarily. "The thing, it could be like a failsafe switch."

"I can't get it off." Derek stated unnecessarily, a hint of terrified desperation in his voice. "How…" His mouth felt dry and he felt his fingers trembling as JJ's shaking subsided slightly. I wish Reid was here. He thought, not bothering to correct himself at wishing his best friend had joined them in the focus of a sociopath. "What do we do?"

"Maybe…" Hotch forced himself to think, hating the terror that seemed to cripple him. "Maybe there's a remote trigger? If we get her far enough away, maybe it will stop."

"You really think that will work?" Morgan asked, needing the reassurance as JJ trembled viciously in his arms.

"How should I know?" Hotch spat,

"Stop it! Both of you!" Rossi shouted, hating how long this conversation was taking. In reality, not even seconds were passing, but they were running out of time. "Will it work?" He asked Hotch pointedly.

"I have no idea." Hotch admitted honestly. "But it's the only idea we have."

"We could take her back inside?" Derek offered. "Maybe—"

"The building is on fire, Morgan." Rossi reminded urgently. "Let's make a decision, make it now. We don't have time to sit around and discuss all the alternatives. You think this will work?" He looked to Hotch with an authoritative air.

"I think that's the best chance we have." Hotch nodded, gulping down the pit in his stomach with fear that he could be wrong. "Get her far away, it might stop."

"It might ruin our chance for being found." Rossi observed, not because he had any doubt of what they should do, but needing to state the obvious anyway.

"Who cares about that?" Derek shook his head, picking up JJ into his strong arms and feeling a rush of fear at the electrical heat that was radiating from the thing around her neck. "You said it yourself, make a decision and we do it now."

"So what do we do?" Rossi asked. "Do we go?"

Hotch glanced over at JJ who lay limply in Morgan's arms. "We go." He said decisively, leaving no more room for questions.

There wasn't time for arguing.

Back at the Hospital…

Rossi's voice trailed off as he met the unforgiving, horrified gaze of Will and JJ's father.

"We thought it was the only option." He offered lamely.

"The thing—the thing on her neck, we were right. Once we got her away, it was out of range, it didn't hurt her anymore." Hotch defended their actions weakly.

Because really, what more was there to say?

We're sorry?

We are sorry that we ran further into the woods when a highway was only two miles in the other direction?

We are sorry that not only did we fail to protect her, but it is our fault she was hurt so badly?

There weren't enough words to describe the guilt they felt.

There weren't enough words to describe how much Will and JJ's father should hate them.

Nor were there enough words to describe how much they hated themselves.

"She's going to be okay." Will assured, and if it wasn't for the hollow tone and the black circles under his eyes, they would almost believe he was still holding out hope. "She's a fighter, she will be okay. The doctors said so."

The other men simply fell silent, unable to correct him but likewise unable to face the fear that maybe she just was not strong enough to overcome this particular challenge.

"How long were you in the forest?" JJ's father asked, his voice breaking as he searched for more details that might make this entire story make sense.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot more clarity they could add to the situation.

"A day." Morgan coughed from the chair, his voice cracking as he suddenly joined the conversation. "It was only a day." He reaffirmed.

Earlier…

"Has she woken up yet?" Hotch asked, already knowing the answer, but incapable of stopping the question.

There wasn't anything else to do.

They ran until they had found a clearing near a creek and set up emergency flares to be found. Now they sat, watching while Morgan tried to cradle JJ carefully while Dave rummaged around for something.

He just felt so useless.

"No." Derek grimaced, hating that the only sign that she was even alive was the massive heat radiating from her and the soft rising and falling of her chest that signified that at least she was still breathing.

It was something.

Rossi rummaged through a pile of rocks, sending them tumbling which caused both Hotch and Morgan to jump at the loud sound, the events of the last several days sending their anxiety into overdrive.

"What the hell are you doing, Dave?" Hotch spat, jumping up with pent up energy for the simple fact that there was nothing he could do.

"I'm trying to find something we can use as a cup." Dave growled, not bothering to feel apologetic in light of the danger of the situation. "She needs water."

"What the hell are you thinking? This has got to be infested by germs and—" Morgan fumed.

"Look, I'm doing the best I can." Rossi shot back, any patience he might have had flying out the window. "But she needs water. It's the best I've got."

"She can't drink if she's out cold." Hotch observed.

"We will figure that out when we get there." Dave retorted. "Damn it, one step at a time I can't do everything—" He trailed off as the distinct sound of a helicopter sounded overhead, drawing closer as the three men stood and waved their arms noticeably and nearly collapsing with relief as the rescue helicopter hovered over their location and started to descend.

At the hospital…

"And they brought her here." Hotch added, his voice trailing off as there was nothing more to say.

Tom Jareau sighed, feeling the entire weight of the world on his shoulders. He thought knowing might make it easier.

Instead, everything was all just so much harder.

Agent Morgan stood, vacating the chair that he had been sitting in all night and allowing JJ's father to take his place.

"Oh Jenny-Bean." He felt tears stinging the back of his eyes in the same way they had for the last several days. He didn't know what to say, what words he could offer to bring back his daughter from the prison that held her consciousness back.

This was his baby girl.

It just wasn't fair.

His eyes snapped toward a movement he was sure he had to have imagined, his mouth dropping open in shock when it happened again.

Her fingers moved.

On their own.

Slowly, but unmistakably, her fingers on her right hand raised and lowered with a wave of relief rushing over every person in the room as the movement continued.

It wasn't a lot. It wasn't anything that under normal circumstances would have ever been even heralded as an effort.

But this, after everything, this was a miracle.

She was alive.