TIES THAT BIND, Jay Halstead

009.

JJ stepped forward, her hands trembling as she bent down to inspect the bloodstains. Her eyes were wide with fear, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt sick, her stomach twisting with dread. She could barely breathe as her gaze fell to the floor—Alba’s hair, scattered on the ground, torn from her scalp as she was dragged away.

"Hotch," She whispered shakily, "Alba's hair."

Just as everyone's gaze fell on the long strands of hair, Garcia’s voice broke the silence.

"I’ve got the results. It’s… it’s a match to Alba’s blood."

The words hit the team like a punch to the gut. Hotch’s face fell, his eyes darkening with concern.

JJ was silent, still crouched down, her face pale. She hadn’t said a word since the silence had settled in. Her thoughts were elsewhere, far from the case, and the fear gnawing at her gut was unbearable. She could feel the weight of her past pressing down on her, and she couldn’t help but think of Alba. The thought of losing her now was too much to bear.

Before anyone could say anything, JJ turned and walked out of the barn, her body trembling. Her face was pale, her hands shaking as she pushed through the door.

"JJ!" Spencer called after her, but JJ didn’t stop. She couldn’t. She had to get away from the scene, away from the suffocating fear that was creeping into her bones. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think.

She had already lost her sister once. She couldn’t lose Alba too.

Meanwhile, in the cold, damp darkness of a forgotten dungeon, Jay stirred.

The sharp pain in his head was the first thing he felt as he slowly regained consciousness. His head throbbed, his body ached all over, and his vision was blurry. The world around him was dark, the only light coming from a small, grimy window high on the wall. His hands were chained, wrists raw from the rough metal, and his body was cold, stiff from lying on the stone floor.

Jay’s breath hitched as his senses slowly returned to him. The last thing he remembered was the killer dragging Alba away, her blood staining the floor, her face pale.

His heart raced as he tried to sit up, but the chains on his wrists held him down and just when he thought that he was alone, in the silence of the room, he could hear a faint sound.

His heart skipped a beat as he strained to listen. Alba?

He moved as quickly as he could, the chains rattling with every movement. He finally saw her, lying on the floor beside him. She was unconscious, her face pale and bloodied, but there was a faint rise and fall of her chest.

She’s alive.

Jay’s breath caught in his throat as he crawled toward her as much as the chains allowed, his heart pounding in his chest. He reached out, his hands trembling as he gently touched her shoulder, where the blood had soaked through her shirt. Her shoulder wound had been crudely bandaged, but it wasn’t enough. The bleeding had slowed, but the injury was still severe.

"Alba," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Please, wake up. Please."

Her eyes fluttered, and for a moment, Jay thought she might not respond. But then, slowly, Alba’s eyes opened, her gaze unfocused at first. She blinked a few times, her face a mask of pain, but her lips twitched into a faint, cold smile.

"Jay…" she whispered, her voice weak, but still carrying that cold, unyielding edge that had always defined her.

Jay’s heart clenched at the sight. She was alive, but barely. He reached out to help her sit up, his hands gentle but urgent. "Don’t move too much. You’re hurt."

Alba winced but didn’t flinch. She slowly tried to push herself up, her cold persona slipping back into place despite the pain. "I’m fine," she said, her voice steely, but Jay could hear the strain beneath it.

Jay’s eyes filled with concern as he looked at her. "No, you’re not fine. You’re hurt. You’re bleeding."

Alba gave a small, almost imperceptible shake of her head. "I’ve been worse," she said, her voice low, but there was a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes. "We need to get out of here. The killer… he’s playing with us."

Jay’s stomach twisted. She’s right. They were trapped, but they had to escape. He couldn’t lose her. He had already lost too many people in his life, people he’d worked with, people he cared about. He couldn’t lose Alba too.

"Stay with me," he said, his voice shaky. "We’re getting out of here soon. I won’t leave you."

Alba’s cold eyes flickered toward him, and for a moment, there was something almost tender in her gaze, something that she never allowed anyone to see. "I’m not going anywhere, Jay," she said, her voice steady, but there was a hint of exhaustion in it. "You’re not getting rid of me that easily."

Back at the barn, JJ was pacing the small area near the entrance, her mind racing. The team was still processing the scene, but her thoughts were consumed with the worst-case scenario. The blood, the drag marks, the silence—everything pointed to one terrifying truth: Jay and Alba were in danger.

"Hotch, we need to find them," JJ said, her voice breaking as she looked at him. "We need to find them now."

Hotch gave her a look of understanding, but his face was hard, the weight of their failure heavy on his shoulders. "We’re doing everything we can, JJ. We’ll get them back."

But JJ wasn’t sure she believed him. Not anymore.

_________

I'll upload another chapter tonight!!

xoxo,
Mar.