AN: hi guys!! happy monday!!

sorry this chapter is like hours late, i was celebrating my nan's 94th birthday and she got so drunk i had to drive her home and put her to bed🕺🏻 the icon that inspired nora's character btw

but yay!! happy update time!!

there are some TWS but i'm gonna be so real i don't think they go very in depth for any of them:

child cases
mommy issues
delilah is the mommy she has issues
daddy issues
this is the kathy gray case so heads up for that interrogation with hotch and emily
delilah sees a lot of herself in the unsubs who were victims once
jj understands delilah so well
it's not a trigger warning but i wanted to remind you
the psychology of cannibalism
don't ask i don't know either
remember this though it will be on the test

i hope you guys enjoy and i will see you next week!

also kinda depressed halloween isn't on a monday this year :( so happy early birthday to delilah, dylan and ziggy :(

•

"but in my flesh he speaks to me, and i in my flesh understand him." - delmira agustini

•

It was rare Delilah travelled with the BAU, these days. She missed the relationships she'd had with the team before what happened with her dad, but she much preferred not being in the BAU.

It was nice to have a consistent set of rules and procedures to follow with child cases. They were all similar enough that she could figure them out in a matter of hours if her brain wasn't too sleep deprived and coffee deprived.

Changing different profiles every case with the BAU had left her feeling lesser than, sometimes. She wasn't an expert in every single type of killer, as much as she was a genius, and she hated when she felt like she was the last one to connect dots.

She preferred being an expert in her field. It was why Strauss put her back in the CAC. It gave her a sense of security and confidence she'd never be able to lose, because this was where she first started.

And then Strauss updated the policy so, if there was a child abduction or a child murder or anything related to the child that the BAU were working on, a CAC agent had to go with them.

Delilah was on the jet with the BAU team to go to Alabama for an abducted ten year old girl whose parents were murdered in a home invasion at one am. It was about eight and a half hours later since their deaths, and the clock was ticking.

It was weird, though, if Delilah was honest.

Not the case, because they still barely knew anything while they were waiting for Penelope to send over the crime scene photos, but the fact that JJ wasn't here.

Her maternity leave lasted into the new year. Delilah's didn't, and neither did Will's paternity leave. The two of them were back at work, except this was the first time Delilah had travelled since Henry was born two months ago. It was weird and she hated that JJ wasn't here, but she was glad JJ was at home with the boys.

Mason was not used to Delilah being the one who travelled. JJ wasn't used to being at home without Delilah, either. She hoped they'd figure it out together.

She also hoped she'd figure out how to talk to JJ's replacement. Agent Todd looked closed off to the team, sat on her own with her laptop open, eyes firm on the screen. Delilah hadn't actually spoken to her before, but she knew she came from counter terrorism and they probably knew a few of the same agents.

Delilah studied her for a moment before she gave up on building a mental profile of the woman, sighing as she looked at Emily sat beside her on the sofa. Hotch and Derek sat in the booth opposite them, and Dave and Spencer were in the booth next to them.

"What?" Emily murmured, looking up from her phone where she was texting Liv. "Miss your better half already?"

"Being away from her for more than an hour makes me feel like the world is going to implode, so, yes, actually," Delilah muttered. "But, no, that's not what's up. We don't know anything about this case."

"We're waiting on Penelope to send the notes through," Emily said. "And, newsflash, you're whipped."

Delilah elbowed her, making Emily laugh.

"Don't get mad at the truth, Lilah."

"I'm not-"

"We got the up links of the crime scene photos," Jordan said, getting up and moving to put her laptop on the table Hotch was sat at. "This is Geoff and Nancy Hale. Both their throats were cut."

Delilah looked at the photos of the two victims, eyebrows furrowing at the difference in wounds.

"Any evidence of abuse?" Derek asked.

"Nothing," Jordan said.

"Slitting someone's throat is quick and efficient," Spencer said.

"That's because the real target was down the hall," Emily said, Delilah nodding in agreement.

"She has a name," Jordan said, fixing the two of them with a look.

"What?" Delilah said.

"She's not the target," Jordan said. "Her name's Cate. She's ten years old."

"Alright," Delilah muttered, raising an eyebrow at her. "Amber alert in effect?"

"Since seven this morning," Jordan said.

"With the unsub's head start, he could be anywhere within a four hundred mile radius," Hotch said. "Make sure that they're casting a wide enough net."

"Got it," Jordan said.

"Who discovered the bodies?" Derek asked.

"Jim Scheuren, Cate's biological father," Jordan said. "He was supposed to take her for the weekend. The police don't consider him a suspect."

"We'll want to talk to him anyway," Hotch said.

"We're also going to need a list of registered sex offenders in a twenty mile radius," Emily said.

"What's the makeup of the Hales' neighborhood?" Spencer asked.

"Mostly white and middle class," Jordan said.

"We'll need aerial views of the neighborhood," Derek said. "If Madison county doesn't have them, talk to Garcia."

"Dave, you and Morgan go to the crime scene. The rest of us will get up to speed at the precinct," Hotch said. "Bellerose, you can choose what you want to do."

"I want their ME reports," Delilah said. "Do we have them, yet?"

"No," Jordan said. "Their bodies were discovered about an hour ago. I don't even think they've taken them to the morgue, yet."

"Tell them to hurry up, then," Delilah said.

Jordan blinked at her, eyebrows furrowing. She wasn't happy with Delilah's tone, clearly.

"I can't rush an autopsy," Jordan said.

"Well, try anyway," Delilah said. "I need it to confirm if it's one killer or two and what kind of people we're dealing with."

"What?" Derek said.

"Look at the difference in wounds," Delilah said, pointing at the neck wounds on Geoff and Nancy. "That's two different approaches to this same method. One is steady, secure, experienced. The other is shallow, unsure, hesitant. You don't gain or lose confidence in the amount of time it would take one unsub to kill the bigger threat, Geoff, and kill Nancy, and abduct Cate without alerting anyone. It's impossible. It's a team. The master and the apprentice."

"Well, that changes the dynamics," Emily said. "That's good."

"How does it change the dynamics?" Jordan asked.

"They'll spend more time with her," Delilah said.

"How is that a good thing?" Jordan asked.

"She's not dead, is she?" Delilah raised an eyebrow.

Jordan scoffed after a moment.

"How can you be so cold about this?" she asked. "Don't you have kids?"

Emily's breathing hitched, hand grabbing Delilah's wrist and squeezing warningly. Hotch shook his head at Jordan, and Dave sighed heavily beside them.

"It's called compartmentalisation," Delilah said. "Don't mistake that for coldness. I see shit worse than this every day. As far as I'm concerned, we still have a chance at saving her life. I care about keeping Cate alive just as much as you do. That's why I'm here."

Jordan nodded once.

"And, Jordan?" Delilah said. Jordan looked at her. "Don't ever talk about my kids again."

Jordan nodded again, eyes dropping to the laptop. Emily's grip loosened on Delilah's wrist after a moment, Emily giving her a look. Delilah shrugged. Emily rolled her eyes fondly, looking back at her phone.

•

•

Delilah stood with Emily in one of the interrogation rooms, the two of them looking over the crime scene photos.

"Definitely two unsubs," Emily said. "The difference in neck wounds..."

"You know, it's almost like someone's first with Nancy," Delilah said. "It's very hesitant and almost weak and childish. I definitely think we've got a juvenile involved."

"But how does the dominant one control his juvenile apprentice and get Cate?" Emily asked.

"There's definitely two killers," Delilah said, "But there could be more unsubs. Again, increasing Cate's chances of survival, but maximising the trauma she's dealing with. A third member could control the girl while the two killers handle the parents. It would probably be a woman, or another child. Cate wouldn't go off with a scary man, but another kid or a woman?"

The door opened and they looked over, Jordan walking in with a piece of paper.

"Is that the autopsy report?" Delilah said.

Jordan nodded, handing it over.

"Listen, about the plane-" Jordan started.

"Already forgotten," Delilah murmured, waving her hand. "Definitely two killers. No sexual abuse, just murder. Mission orientated. They needed to eliminate the parents to get Cate."

"Would she not have woken up during their murders?" Jordan asked.

"Maybe not," Delilah said honestly. "If it was done at the same time, the most she could've heard is half a scream. See the way the cuts go in this direction? They cut both the carotid artery and their voice boxes. They stop them screaming and leave them to bleed out. With Nancy, the cuts are more hesitant, so, there is a chance that she could've heard something."

"But they'd be covered in blood," Emily said. "She wouldn't have trusted them, even if one of them was a kid."

"No, she wouldn't," Delilah murmured. "Which only adds to my theory of there being more than two people in this team."

"Three unsubs?" Jordan asked.

"Two killers, one abductor," Delilah said. "If it's a woman or another child, she'd go easily enough. Easier than she'd go with the blood covered killers."

"Hotch is waiting for Cate's biological father to get here," Jordan said. "His alibi is good but Hotch is hoping he might know who did this."

"He won't," Delilah said. "I looked at his records when we got here. He has weekend visitation every other week, and he's an alcoholic, according to the few warnings he has for public intoxication and urination. He's an absent parent, at best. No, this doesn't feel like someone knew the family."

"Why not?" Jordan asked.

"Because, if she knew them, it would be a lot easier to do this in the day," Delilah said. "With knowing them, they have the element of trust. They wouldn't have to break in and kill them. No, it feels like a ritual to do it this way. That suggests a distance between Cate and the unsubs. They watched her, chose her specifically, but she didn't know them. Which, again, only fuels my theory that there was a woman or another child there to get Cate."

"It could've just been two of them," Jordan said. "There's no evidence of a third partner."

"It could've been," Delilah agreed. "But it isn't."

"How'd you know, though?" Jordan asked.

"Gut feeling," Delilah said. "And the fact there's no sign of a struggle to suggest Cate was snatched from her bed. It's like she willingly got up and was carried out of there. My guess? The third partner got Cate up while the other two killed the parents, and then they got her out of there and in the car. The house is isolated enough to do it without being noticed."

Jordan blinked at Delilah.

"This is what I do," Delilah said, giving her a small smile. "I'm sorry if I sounded like a bitch on the jet. I do care about Cate. She's innocent in all of this and, if she survives, she has to grieve her mom and stepdad, and work through whatever they're doing to her. It's just hard to get attached to every kid you meet when you've got fifty other cases like this waiting for you, and you know that only two percent of the kids are gonna survive."

Jordan nodded slowly.

"No, that makes sense," Jordan said. "I'm sorry if I sounded like a bitch, too. It's hard not to get attached. We don't see a lot of kids in counter terrorism. It gets to me."

"I get that," Delilah said. "You're not desensitised. For what it's worth, though, I hope you don't get used to this kind of thing. You know you've lost a piece of yourself when you can stare at dead children and not feel anything because it's just another Monday at work."

"Jordan," Hotch said, pushing the door open.

Jordan gave Delilah and Emily a smile, following Hotch out of the room.

"She did a press release on a case a few weeks ago," Emily said, "And then we found the unsub's entire family was murdered. She didn't cause it, they were dead before we even got there, but, for a moment, she blamed herself for their deaths. Two kids."

Delilah winced.

"I'm convinced the media liaison job is harder than ours," Delilah said. "I'm not envious of JJ at all."

"Me, neither," Emily sighed. "You okay?"

"I miss my kids," Delilah said, shifting on her feet. "I used to love travelling with the team. I hate it, now. I've turned into a homebody in a year and I never want to travel on this schedule ever again."

"So you're never gonna come back to the BAU?" Emily pouted.

"Not as long as Hotch is here," Delilah said, giving Emily a grim smile. "You could always come to the CAC."

"Nope," Emily said firmly. "I'll learn to deal with us not being besties at work, too."

"We're still besties, you loser," Delilah laughed. "We're just not on the same team."

"That's literally the same thing," Emily said.

Delilah rolled her eyes fondly.

"Come on," Delilah said. "We need to get working on this."

•

•

Cate Hale was alive. Delilah was entirely surprised when she saw the little girl lying in the hospital bed. Emily was just as surprised.

"This isn't about hurting her," Delilah whispered. "Even the epilepsy... There would've been some harm done if it was about that. They took her for another reason."

"But what reason?" Emily murmured.

"I guess we've gotta find out," Delilah muttered. "You wanna do this?"

Emily winced.

"Not really," Emily whispered. "Since... Since I did Ziggy's interview, it just... It's harder to do these cases as a parent. I don't know how you do it."

"It's a lot of desensitisation," Delilah sighed. "I'll do it, if you don't want to. I don't mind."

Emily glanced at her.

"You sure?" Emily asked. "I know it won't be easy."

It wouldn't be. Cate had escaped and so had Delilah. She couldn't ignore the clear parallel in knowing she and Cate both had to live with what had happened to them. Though, she prayed what happened to Cate was nothing like what happened to her.

The only way to know was to ask her, though, and Delilah hoped her history with this kind of thing might help Cate feel a bit more comfortable.

On the other hand, Delilah had not expected to have to see a child today, and she didn't think interviewing Cate with her scar on display was a good idea.

"I can do it," Emily said.

"I'm here for a reason, Em," Delilah sighed, patting Emily's arm. "This is my speciality. I've got this."

"Do you want me to stay?" Emily asked.

Delilah chewed on the inside of her cheek, but shook her head.

"I'm staying," Emily murmured. "Come on. We've been standing in this doorway like creeps for a few minutes. Cate's dad is looking at us."

Delilah and Emily stepped into the hospital room, smiling awkwardly at Cate and her father.

"Hi," Emily said. "I'm Agent Emily Prentiss from the FBI, and this is SSA Delilah Bellerose. We would like permission to speak with Cate."

"Okay," her dad said.

"I'm sorry," Delilah said, "We'd like to do it alone, if possible."

"Why?" he asked.

"We need to ask certain questions and, sometimes, it's easier for a girl to answer those questions when there are no present," Delilah said awkwardly.

"I'm her father," he said.

"Daddy," Cate whispered, looking at him with pleading eyes. "Please?"

"Alright, baby," he said, kissing her forehead. "I'll be right outside."

"Thank you," Delilah said.

He left the room, closing the door behind him. Delilah looked at Emily, who nodded. Delilah walked over to the side of Cate's bed, while Emily moved to stand near the window.

"Hey, Cate," Delilah said. "I'm Delilah, and this is Emily. We're so sorry about what happened to your mom and stepdad. We'd like to ask you some questions so we can find out who did this. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's okay," Cate whispered.

"We're going to do what's called a cognitive interview," Delilah said. "It's as much about the things you sensed as the things you saw."

Cate's eyes filled with tears, bottom lip trembling. Delilah's heart ached, moving on autopilot to sit on the side of Cate's bed and take her hand gently.

"I'm scared," Cate whispered.

"I know," Delilah whispered, squeezing her hand back. "You know, it's okay to be scared. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone, okay? We're gonna be right here with you the whole time."

Cate looked hesitant. Delilah stroked her thumb over Cate's knuckles.

"Were you scared?" Cate whispered, looking at her with teary eyes.

"When this happened?" Delilah said softly, pointing at her face with her other hand.

Cate nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "That's rude."

"It isn't," Delilah assured her. "I was terrified. I was even more scared in the hospital because all the doctors were poking me, and strangers were asking me questions about what happened, and I just wanted everyone to go away."

Cate nodded, squeezing Delilah's hand.

"I'm sorry we have to be here, Cate," Delilah said softly. "I really am. The last thing I want to do is make you relive this. You don't deserve that. I wouldn't ask unless I thought this would help us find who hurt you and your family."

Cate chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, glancing over at Emily.

"You know," Delilah said, Emily's eyes moving back to her, "Emily is actually my big sister."

"Really?" Cate asked, looking between the two of them.

"She's right," Emily said.

"Emily helped me a lot when this happened to me," Delilah said. "She made me feel safe. You're in good hands with her, I promise."

Cate nodded.

"Okay," she whispered. "I'll do it."

Delilah nodded.

"Okay," Delilah said softly. "Close your eyes for me, sweetheart."

Cate closed her eyes, tightening her grip on Delilah's hand.

"What's the first thing you remember?" Delilah asked.

"It's cold," Cate whispered.

"Are you outside?" Delilah asked. Cate nodded. "Who's there?"

"A man," Cate whispered. "He told me to keep quiet."

"What is he doing?" Delilah asked.

"He's holding my hand," Cate said, "It hurts. He's waiting for something."

"What does he look like?" Delilah asked.

"I don't want to be here," Cate whispered, grip tightening on Delilah's hand.

"He can't hurt you, I promise," Delilah whispered, tightening her grip on Cate's hand. "I'm right here. Just focus on my voice and my hand, okay?"

Cate nodded, sucking in a shaky breath. Her eyelashes fluttered on her freckled cheeks, a few tears sliding down.

"Tall," Cate whispered. "Dark hair. Old."

"Old? Old like Emily?"

"Old like my dad," Cate said.

"Is anyone else there?" Delilah asked softly.

"Someone's coming!" Cate's voice took on a whole different pitch, the fear seeping into Delilah's chest and making her bones ache. "Delilah! Help me! Please help me!"

Delilah fucking hated her job.

She pulled Cate into a hug, shushing her gently as she smoothed her hand over Cate's hair.

"I'm right here," Delilah whispered, meeting Emily's concerned eyes across the room. "I'm right here. He cannot hurt you, Cate. I'm not going to let him touch you again."

Cate cried, wrapping her arms around Delilah. Delilah sighed softly, resting her chin on Cate's head as the little girl cried.

"Take a deep breath, sweetheart," Delilah whispered. "You'll make yourself sick. Copy my breathing, okay?"

She exaggerated her next breath, tracing a slow circle into Cate's hand as she did. Cate's chest juddered as she tried to follow, her eyes flickering open on the exhale to watch Delilah trace around the same circle on her hand in the opposite direction.

They did it a few more times before Delilah wasn't worried Cate would cry herself to the point of throwing up. She continued to trace the circle on Cate's hand, though Cate moved her hand after a moment to trace over Delilah's bracelet. Delilah couldn't help but smile at the soft gesture.

"I can keep going," Cate whispered, sniffing as she straightened herself up. "Just keep holding my hand?"

"I'll hold it until you let go," Delilah assured her, intertwining their fingers.

Cate nodded, closing her eyes again.

"So, he put you in the trunk of the car? How long were you in there?" Delilah said softly.

"I don't know. Not long. Ten minutes?" Cate murmured.

"Was the ride bumpy or smooth?" Delilah asked.

"It was smooth. I wanted to scream, but no sound would come out," Cate said, shaking her head.

"It's okay," Delilah whispered, "So, the car stops, and they open the trunk. What do you hear?"

"Wind. Wind through the trees," Cate whispered.

"And what do you smell?"

"Cooking."

"Are you inside now?"

"They've taken my shoes off," Cate said, sounding more surprised than anything.

"That's so you won't run," Delilah told her. "I want you to look down at your feet and tell me what you're standing on."

"Carpet. I'm in a little room. With clothes and tinfoil all around me," Cate whispered.

"What else?"

"I... I hear bells," Cate whispered, eyebrows furrowing in obvious confusion.

"What kind of bells?" Delilah asked.

Bells?

"Small," Cate whispered. "Like a fairy. Every time they ring, the man says something to the boy."

"The boy?" Delilah asked, looking at Emily.

Emily sighed, nodding her head and shooting a text to Hotch. Delilah was right about that one, too.

"He's standing right next to you," Cate whispered.

"How old is he?" Delilah asked.

"My age," Cate said. "His parents want me to play with them. Puiule. They keep calling him that."

That was Romanian. Delilah's stomach sank slightly.

Bells, Romanian terms of endearments, tinfoil and clothes, an RV. It sounded like Romany travellers, which was bad, because they'd gotten rid of Cate for a reason.

She didn't fit their plan. As soon as they found a girl who did, they'd be gone to the wind. They'd never be able to find them and track them down.

"His parents?" Delilah said, brain finally catching up to that part.

She fucking called it on the woman, though, even if the rest of this was throwing her.

"Delilah, I don't want to go," Cate whispered, nails digging into Delilah's skin. "I don't want to go. No! Don't make me go!"

Delilah wrapped Cate into another hug, the girl collapsing into her chest in another fit of sobs. Delilah rubbed her back with one hand, the other hand tracing the circles into her skin as she slowed her breathing.

"I'm right here, Cate," Delilah whispered. "Open your eyes for me, yeah? Focus on me."

Cate blinked her eyes open, Delilah giving her a small smile as she wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

"You did a really good job, sweetheart," Delilah whispered. "I'm so proud of you. You were so brave. Thank you."

Cate nodded, exhaling shakily. Delilah held her tighter, looking at Emily.

"Tell Hotch," Delilah murmured. "I have a theory. Tell Garcia to be ready for me to call with a set of parameters."

Emily nodded, slipping from the room. Delilah turned her attention back to Cate, stroking her hair softly.

"You did so well," Delilah whispered.

"Thank you," Cate mumbled. "Are you gonna catch them?"

"Yes," Delilah said.

She had to find them, now. If she didn't, she just knew she'd hear Cate's screams for her to save her joining the countless others in her nightmares.

No, thank you.

"How?" Cate whispered.

"Well, I happen to be a genius," Delilah whispered, grinning at Cate when she looked up at her in surprise. "And I happen to work with another genius. I think, together, and with the help from the rest of the team, we'll be able to figure this out."

Cate's lips twitched into a sad smile.

"I hope so," Cate whispered.

•

•

Delilah felt sick from the moment she left Cate's room, but it wasn't a sick feeling in the way she was unwell. She was disturbed, and confused, and she really did not know what she was looking at here, but she knew she was in the process of having a brainwave and she needed to function in high quality.

So, when she got back to the station with the others, she headed to an empty room and closed the door, starting up a call to JJ before she even started thinking about this case again. She needed something to snap her out of her spiral and allow her to examine it with new eyes.

"Hi, baby!" JJ's voice came over the phone after two rings. "I miss you so much. I hate this. Never ever leave me again."

Delilah laughed softly.

"I miss you, bambina," Delilah said. "I've only been gone a day and a half."

"Still, I hate not being with you," JJ said. "I'm clingy and I want you to come home."

"Soon," Delilah assured her.

"How's the case?" JJ said.

Delilah sighed.

"That bad?" JJ said.

"No, not bad," Delilah said. "The kid's back. She's fine. They didn't hurt her. Just kidnapped her and killed her parents. So, they hurt her, but not directly. And it's a family doing this. It's like a family ritual tradition. And, to make matters even worse, I think they're Romany travellers, which means, as soon as they get a girl that fits whatever they're doing, they're gone to the wind."

JJ exhaled slowly.

"Jesus christ," she muttered. "Wait, how did you get the kid back?"

"She's epileptic," Delilah said. "They dumped her eighty four miles away from her home. I finished her cognitive interview about an hour ago. She was so brave. My heart hurts for her. She sobbed on me for, like, half an hour before I left."

"The poor thing," JJ whispered. "You know, the Romanies are superstitious people. Her epilepsy probably saved her life. Are there any other, like, superstitious behaviours?"

"There was glass scattered at the door that wasn't from the window they broke," Delilah said.

"That usually means good luck," JJ said.

"How do you know that and I don't?" Delilah asked.

"There's literally a Cher song called Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," JJ laughed.

"Figures," Delilah said. "Good luck, though. Outside of that house? That's ritualistic."

"You know, these kind of rituals are established over a long period of time," JJ said.

"And that's what I'm worried about," Delilah said. "I'm gonna ask Penelope to go back and look country wide for any girls in the age bracket who were kidnapped and had both their parents murdered. I don't think I'm gonna like what I find."

"I just can't believe it's a family," JJ said. "Imagine you and I just taking the boys to go kill people."

"That's a line, even for me," Delilah sighed.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" JJ said. "You just had a genius moment. What is it?"

"What if they're making wives?" Delilah said.

"Explain?"

"They abduct girls the same age as the young son, they disappear into the night, we never hear from them again. Cate didn't fit this because of her epilepsy and their superstitions. But, if we get results for other similar cases... The mom could've been abducted, too. That's why there's no sexual abuse, even with there being a dominant male and a juvenile male. They're making wives and they're following traditions, just in a fucked up way."

"I think you need to go and call Penelope."

"I do, too," Delilah sighed. "How are the boys?"

"Mason needs picking up in an hour, so, I'll be getting ready to get him and Ziggy, soon, and Henry is napping after his last feed. They're good, though. Being angels, as always," JJ chuckled.

"Good," Delilah murmured. "I miss you guys. I hate this. I want to come home."

"We miss you," JJ said softly. "And we want you to come home, too, but Cate needs you to find who did this to her parents. And, if you're right, there's going to be another little girl you'll need to save soon enough. They need you there."

Delilah didn't have to like that fact. She also didn't know if it would be easier to have JJ here with her on cases like this in the future, if leaving the boys home with Liv and Nora and Colin would make her feel less alone or would just make the two of them turn into worried mother hens because they had an extra child to worry about, now.

"I'll call you guys later," Delilah said. "If you're awake, 'course. I should go and try and solve this so I can come home faster."

"You got this, honey," JJ said softly. "We believe in you."

"Thank you, bambina," Delilah said. "I love you."

"I love you."

•

•

Delilah sat in the conference room, staring down at the pages she'd grabbed from the fax machine. Penelope was on the phone, and Spencer, Morgan and Emily watched Delilah stare down at the photos of missing girls with a blank face.

"You wanna explain your brain wave yet?" Spencer asked. "Even I haven't caught up to this one."

"Get my dad and Hotch," Delilah said, rubbing her face tiredly. "This isn't fucking good. We're in trouble."

"How bad?" Emily asked.

"I'm gonna have to get Evie to take this as a case when we've caught them," Delilah said.

"But it'll be over," Derek said.

"No, it won't be," Delilah sighed.

Derek left the room, returning a moment later with Hotch and Dave. They closed the door behind them, Dave's smile faltering when he saw Delilah's current state of stress.

"What's going on?" Dave asked.

"So, we all know it's Romany travellers, right?" Delilah said.

They all nodded.

"Great, okay," Delilah said. "So, the shattered glass spread at Cate's house, that's a superstition for good luck. It's ritualistic. Rituals like that are perfected over long periods of time. So, I called Penelope and asked her to run this same MO as far back as she could, country wide, and... Well, Penelope?"

"Hi," Penelope said, sounding exhausted and near tears herself. "So, Queen Lilah had a big brain wave and we are in a lot of trouble."

"What do you mean?" Hotch asked.

"These are all hits," Delilah said, pointing at the pages she'd set out on the table. "The files are on the laptop with photos. There's thirty of them."

"Thirty?" Derek said, voice higher than normal. "Thirty girls have been taken with this MO?"

"They go back as far as nineteen o-nine," Penelope said grimly. "Rapid City, South Dakota, Taos, New Mexico, Gary, Indiana. My map is lit up like a Christmas tree."

"The times between the kills were long enough and the regions of the country so spread out that it never showed up as serial," Delilah said. "And, when looking at the dates, there's crossover periods that wouldn't allow for it to be the same son from the previous abduction teaching it to his son. It's generational, and we're looking at about four or five active families that'll resurface in the next few years."

"That's why Evie has to take it," Emily sighed, rubbing her face. "It's ongoing, even if we catch these ones."

"And there's absolutely nothing to say that our current child unsub is an only child. They have no records or anything or us to track them. They disappear into the wind when they get the girl and they're untraceable again," Delilah said. "We're looking at a serious fucking problem, guys."

She knew they understood the gravity of this situation when Hotch sank down into a seat, staring at the papers scattered on the table.

"What are they doing to these girls?" Hotch muttered.

"They're making wives," Delilah said. "Child brides for their son. The shock of what happens to their parents allows for the son to get close to the girl, build a trauma bond through stockholm syndrome. They get married, have a son, and join in when he's old enough to do the same thing to another little girl."

Hotch rubbed his face. Delilah sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"So, they'll have to take another girl," Derek said.

"They'll be desperate to get another girl," Delilah said. "And they'll be gone in the wind the moment their RV is up in flames to destroy any DNA evidence. They'll have to relocate and start fresh. It's how they stay hidden. We can't do anything until we have more bodies, or we get a DNA hit on the blanket Cate was wrapped in."

"We can't let them get away," Spencer said.

Even if they caught these, though, there were more out there, and the chances of finding them were non existent.

Delilah really hated her job, sometimes.

•

•

Delilah was exhausted by the next day, having not slept a wink since they got here.

Another little girl had been taken, her parents murdered, and they finally got a ping back on the blanket Cate had been found in.

Delilah was sick of being a genius, sometimes. She hated waiting for the confirmation that she was right because she was always right, and it always felt like she was learning it again for the first time.

Kathy Gray, one of their missing children, was part of this unsub family.

They were making wives, and Delilah was so tired of people hurting children, hurting innocent little girls and turning them into monsters.

Delilah hated that she understood why Kathy had been sucked into this life. She hated that she had been victim to her father's legacy in the same way Kathy had made her son be.

Blood would always stain the hands of the mothers for what they allowed the fathers and sons to do to the daughters. You could outrun your father, for a while, but you could not escape your mother's blood.

The very act of her bringing you into this world was an act of sheer brutality. You started this life covered in her blood and you would forever be unable to wash yourself clean of her sins, her solitude, and her sadism.

Delilah couldn't help but feel incredibly grateful that she would never continue this family curse. Her children weren't hers through blood, but that was for the better. She could never create something good. She'd birth a reincarnation of trauma and pain and suffering, and it wasn't fair to anyone to do that, least of all the innocent child.

Delilah sighed, running her hands through her hair to try and shake her thoughts off.

The team were gathered in the conference room, Penelope joining them on the phone for their deep dive into Kathy Gray.

"A working theory from nineteen seventy one was that a transient killed the family and abducted Kathy Gray," Penelope said. "Then all the leads went cold."

"How do you watch your family get murdered and then make a life with the people who did it?" Jordan asked.

"It's stockholm syndrome," Dave said.

"You adapt or die," Delilah added.

"And now she's training her son to be a murderer," Emily said.

"At a certain point, once traditions are handed down generation after generation, there is no right or wrong," Hotch said. "You simply accept the way the world works."

That was fucking ironic of him to say. She knew he wasn't agreeing with the actions of the unsubs, but the fact he could so easily see the psychological reasoning behind this drove Delilah insane.

Her father murdered his own father, and Delilah could guess that her grandfather had done the same to his father because it was weird for two hunting accidents with sons to mysteriously go wrong and end with both of the fathers dead.

It was a generational tradition in the Milner family to kill your father. It was a generational tradition in the Milner family to sexually abuse your children. After it being passed on generation after generation, it wasn't right or wrong. It was just how things worked.

Delilah was no exception to that psychology, except she had never molested a child, but she despised how easily Hotch could apply this logic to a case when he'd refused to see it in her case.

She had killed her father of her own volition, yes, and she would take accountability for that until the day she joined him in hell, but it was no big surprise she turned out the way she did. Strauss even said she suspected Delilah would be the one to murder her father, that she'd always known that.

If they'd always known that, why were they so insistent to isolate her and punish her for it? Why was Strauss able to forgive it so easily but Hotch couldn't look deeper than the blood on her knuckles and see that not all of the blood belonged to her father? Why couldn't he see that, underneath the murderer, there was a terrified little girl inside of her finally able to rest for just a moment because the monster who hurt Dylan was finally dead?

She hated him. She hated Hotch more than she hated Elliot.

"The Romany are a closed society," Spencer said. "The unsub simply twisted and distorted traditions to become entirely insular."

"Abducting the children keeps the bloodline pure, killing the parents ensures that people eventually stops looking for her," Derek said.

"We got a report of an RV on fire about 20 miles from here," the local chief hurried in, face panicked.

"Dave, you, Reid, and Morgan go check it out," Hotch said, the three men getting up to leave. "Garcia, I need you to digitally alter kathy gray's photograph to simulate what she would look like today."

"Consider it simulated," Penelope said.

"Thanks," Hotch said, hanging up the phone.

Delilah stared down at the scars on her knuckles, flexing her fingers out of the fist they'd unconsciously curled into.

"What do we do now?" Emily said.

"Where's the nearest shopping mall?" Delilah said.

"About thirty five miles away, or something," Emily said, looking at the map on the wall.

"If it's their RV, they'll need money to start fresh. A lot of Romany make their living as petty thieves," Delilah said. "Cate described clothes with tinfoil in the room she was held in. That's how they steal the clothes without alerting the sensors. They'll go to that mall, or another one further out. They got the girl, they're starting over."

"So, we take the digitally altered picture and hand it out, have people looking for her," Hotch said. "We have a chance at finding Lynn, the latest abductee."

"They're not gonna take a missing child to the mall with them," Delilah said. "That's why it'll be that mall. They'll need somewhere to stash the girl because the state is crawling with FBI and cops. They can't go far, but they can't leave, yet."

"So, we could catch the unsubs," Emily said.

"If we do, it's a diversion or a distraction," Delilah said.

"What do you mean?" Hotch said.

"They've been stealing for years, they never get caught. It'll be too easy," Delilah said. "Kathy will take the fall."

"Why her?" Hotch said.

"Kathy might not love her husband entirely," Delilah said. "But there is one person she will do anything for. Her son. She brought him into this world. She'll do whatever it takes to protect him. He's killed two people. She'll take the fall to give her husband and son a head start to get the girl away."

"Would they leave her behind?" Emily said.

"Yes," Delilah said. "For the interests of their family, yes."

Delilah loved JJ. She would take the fall for JJ to get away and protect their boys if it came to it. She knew JJ would do the same if the roles were reversed. She knew Emily would do that for Liv and Ziggy. She knew Liv would do it for Emily and Ziggy.

It was what being a parent was. No matter how old they got, their children would always be their children. You would do anything for your child. Delilah would quite easily kill for any of the children in her family. She would also, difficultly, live for them. Anything between that was nothing, even if Delilah would have some serious problems if any of her children now became killers.

Emily sighed, rubbing her face.

"We need to figure out how to break Kathy," Delilah said. "She's our only chance at finding Lynn alive. She'll be highly indoctrinated, so, it'll take a lot to break her. Emily, you'll be the supportive fellow mother who relates to what she's done, why she's done it. The fact Ziggy is the same age should help you build some rapport with her."

Emily nodded.

"Hotch, you'll play bad cop," Delilah said, looking over at him. "You need to scare the shit out of her. You need to force her to trust Emily and make her feel backed into a corner. You treat her like the monster she's going to pretend to be. Don't humanise her. Don't humanise her husband and son, either. Emily, you have to humanise her. You have to humanise them. Try and draw parallels between her as a mother and her own mother when she was a girl. Remind her where she came from."

Hotch nodded slowly.

"Crime scene photos, too," Delilah said. "Make her relive the crimes. Make her look at what her husband and son have done. Show her the Hale's, then Lynn's parents, and then her own parents' photos. Show her what her husband did. Remind her of what they're capable of. Remind her that she saved Cate's life, even if she didn't. Remind her that she is still good. You have to play off each other."

"Do you not think you should do this?" Hotch said.

"No," Delilah said. "I won't control my anger well, and we need her conscious to give us our answers. I'm going to gather a list of every known fence in the state. We're going to wait for her to break, and then we're going to read the names to her. When she gives us a physical indicator, that's how we know who has Lynn."

Jordan exhaled, Delilah blinking at her.

She'd forgot the woman was there because she was so quiet.

"How do you know any of this?" Jordan whispered, tears in her eyes. "How many of these cases do you have to see to be able to predict any of that? This whole time, you've just figured it out so easily."

"I'm a genius," Delilah said. "It's what I do."

Jordan nodded. She didn't seem like that answer was good enough, but Delilah wasn't in the mood to elaborate, and she knew her past history hadn't been disclosed to Jordan.

"I hope you're right about this," Jordan said quietly. "For Lynn's sake."

"Me, too," Delilah sighed. "I'm going for a smoke."

"I'm coming," Emily said, following Delilah out of the room.

They headed outside of the station, the two of them sitting on a bench outside. Delilah grabbed the cigarettes out of her pocket, handing one to Emily and lighting hers up, then holding the lighter out for Emily.

"So," Emily said, exhaling the smoke with a sigh. "Scale of one to ten, how crazy are we feeling?"

"Solid six," Delilah said.

"Thought so," Emily said. "This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

"Yep."

Emily sighed. She took Delilah's hand in hers, tangling their fingers together and stroking her thumb over Delilah's knuckles.

"I love you," Emily said, looking at Delilah. "You know that, right?"

"I know," Delilah said, smiling softly at Emily. "I love you, too."

"Good," Emily said. "I am your favourite sister."

"Over Haley?" Delilah teased.

"Oh my god, I hate you," Emily smirked. "Why can't you just let me have this?"

Delilah laughed, rolling her eyes before taking another drag of her cigarette.

"Fine," Delilah said. "You're my favourite."

"Well, now it feels forced," Emily sighed. "Never mind. I'll just settle for being your least favourite. It's fine. I'll be fine."

Delilah laughed again, shuffling over to lean into Emily's side.

"You are my favourite," Delilah mumbled, resting her head on Emily's shoulder. "I promise."

"Thank you," Emily grinned, kissing Delilah's forehead. "You're my favourite, too."

"I fucking better be," Delilah scoffed.

•

•

Delilah was right once again.

Kathy Gray sat in the interrogation room. Delilah stared at her through the mirror, face blank as she watched Emily talk to her, watched Hotch stalk around the room in circles.

Spencer stood beside Delilah, Jordan stood behind them, though Delilah could tell they were probably more nervous about this than she was.

Delilah wasn't nervous. They had a plan and it would work. She just didn't particularly want to see it go down, because she had made the plan. She had told Emily to talk to Kathy like a victim, and she had told Hotch to talk to her like a criminal. She was practically playing tennis with the two sides of Kathy: the orphaned daughter, or the enabling mother.

She couldn't help but see herself in this situation. If someone was calling her Isobel, if someone was throwing her trauma back in her face and trying to turn her against any of her family, she would throw the biggest fucking fit ever. She felt evil for telling them to put Kathy through the mental stress, but the other part of her didn't care.

She had no choice, but she did it anyway, and she hurt children.

That was the difference between Kathy and Delilah. Delilah never hurt children, or enabled people around her to do that. She'd done everything she could to protect the kids in her life, and she'd continue to do so.

It was still throwing her. She didn't have to like it.

"Kathy, I can't help you if you're not going to be honest with me," Emily said, sat beside Kathy at the table.

"I already told you, I killed them," Kathy said.

"All by yourself?" Hotch asked.

"Yes."

"Well, I know that's not true," Emily said.

"It is."

"How did you do it? How did you abduct a child and control two adults while you slit their throats?" Hotch asked.

"Oh, come on, you know she's not responsible for this," Emily said.

"I know we have a string of bodies, and she knows where her husband and son are," Hotch said.

"You are the victim here," Emily said softly.

"No, she's not," Hotch scoffed, putting his hands on the table and looking down at Kathy. "She killed innocent people."

"Her family was murdered," Emily said.

"And now she's killing other people's!" Hotch said.

"Kathy, this is not your fault," Emily said, looking at Kathy.

"My name isn't Kathy. It's Sylvia," Kathy scoffed.

"No, it isn't. Your name is Kathy Gray," Emily said. "And you were a beautiful little girl. Your mom and dad were murdered and you were kidnapped. Do you recognise yourself there?"

Emily slid a photo of young Kathy over to her, watching as Kathy looked at it in surprise.

"You see?" Emily asked.

"I'm sick of this!" Hotch yelled, slamming his hand on the table, making Kathy flinch. 

Delilah flinched, too. Spencer looked at her, silently squeezed her hand before letting go.

"Then leave us alone!" Emily said.

"Where are your husband and son?!" Hotch yelled.

"Look at me, Kathy. Don't listen to him," Emily pleaded. "They stole your life. Let me help you get it back."

"That little girl is better off with my son than any man she could meet in your society," Kathy hissed.

"I'm sure you raised him very well," Emily said. "Tell me about your own mother."

"I've already told you everything," Kathy scoffed. "I killed them, all by myself."

"How's it going so far?" Dave asked, walking into the room they stood in to watch.

"They're trying to crack her by reminding her of the girl she used to be," Jordan said.

"I hope this good cop bad cop routine works," Spencer said. "If her family gets away, we've lost that little girl forever."

"It will work," Delilah said, tugging lightly on the necklace around her throat. "They're pushing her towards a traumatic break. She'll start cracking under the pressure soon enough."

"You're lying," Hotch said.

"Kathy-" Emily tried.

"My name isn't Kathy!" Kathy scoffed, throwing her childhood photo away.

"Yes, it is," Emily said softly. "Your name is Kathy Gray. You're from Vienna, Virginia. Tell me where your husband and son are so I can help you get your life back."

"Want to see what you did?" Hotch asked, starting to lay out the crime scene photos.

"Hey, don't show her those," Emily pleaded.

"If she killed them herself, she can see it again," Hotch snapped. "Serial killers like to relive their crimes. Did you know that? This is Geoff Hale. He died from a strong, decisive cut. I think that was your husband. Nancy Hale, her wound was more tentative. This was your son, right? I'm sure by the time he teaches his own son how to kill, his hand will be steady."

"Ok, stop-" Emily tried.

"This is the Robillard family," Hotch said, setting down more photos.

"Kathy, you don't have to look at that," Emily said.

"Do you want to see some more?" Hotch said, pulling out even more photos.

"I don't know what that is," Kathy whispered, shaking her head as she looked at the photos.

"Then look closely!" Hotch said, shoving Kathy's hair forward. "You don't recognize your own mother and father?"

"What is..." Kathy trailed off, bottom lip trembling.

"See? This is the tentative cut your future husband made while he slit your mother's throat," Hotch said, pointing at one of the photos. "Where are your husband and son?"

"Cate Hale is only alive because of you, Kathy. Isn't that... Your husband wanted to kill her, and you didn't," Emily said.

"No," Kathy cried.

"How does that make you feel?" Emily asked. "To know that he was willing to kill that little girl? That he would have been willing to kill you, too? They murdered your family, Kathy, and they took you in, but you were never really one of them."

"No."

"You were just a breeder."

"I won't betray my family."

"Your little boy is only ten. There is a chance he could get out of custody when he's eighteen, but that's only if we get to him," Emily said.

"I love my family," Kathy sobbed.

"Then tell us where your son is," Emily pleaded.

"She's ready," Delilah said.

"And we can all help him together," Emily said, trailing off as Dave walked into the room with a piece of paper and handed it to Hotch.

"Scott Woodland, Zander Blanchard-" Hotch started.

"Ok, come on, give her a second," Emily said.

"Max Estep, Chip Jackson-"

"I don't know who those people are," Kathy said, shaking her head.

"It's a list of every known fence in Huntsville," Hotch snapped. "And you're gonna tell us who your husband took the goods to. Coles Rudzinski, Pete Shernit-"

"Come on, give her a minute to do the right thing," Emily tried.

"Matt Thorne, Brent Woodhouse-"

"Okay, I can't stop him, Kathy. this is it," Emily said. "This is your last chance to make things right."

"Kevin Everson, Mike Fenner, Morris Collins-"

"Stop!" Kathy said, shoving her chair back from the table and jumping to her feet.

"Morris Collins," Hotch repeated.

Delilah nodded at Spencer and Morgan, who hurried from the room. She looked back at the interrogation, watching Kathy steady herself against the wall.

"The boy's not with him," she said.

"Where are the children?" Emily asked.

"I'll only tell you if you let me see my son," Kathy said.

Emily nodded.

"You were right," Jordan said, looking at Delilah. "You were right about everything."

Delilah sighed, rubbing her face.

"I hate being a genius," she murmured. "I hate this fucking job."

Emily came out of the room, handing Delilah a slip of paper with an address onto it.

"Thank you," Delilah said. "Dad, let's go."

"After you, kiddo," Dave said, following Delilah out of the room.

•

•

Delilah was relieved to be heading home, all things considered.

The fact Kathy had other sons out there was not great, but Evie was taking the case on starting from the day after tomorrow, so, Delilah could continue to be angry over this messy situation and deal with it, then.

She had a feeling Evie would be paying a visit to Kathy Grey, soon enough. Evie was the best at manipulating people into breakdowns where they'd spill their guts. If not her, they'd talk to the son. Evie would get through to one of them. They'd make a dent into things eventually.

It didn't mean Delilah had to be happy and accept it, though.

She felt horrible about putting Kathy through all of that, but that was half outweighed with pure anger at the fact she didn't see anything wrong with this. She was teetering on a tightrope from one mood to the other and she felt crazy because she'd been on both sides of the victim and the criminal, but she didn't carry that on to children.

Delilah would put her boys in the ground herself if they dared to kill anyone just because they could. She knew things weren't always black and white, but she wasn't raising psychopaths or sadists or serial killers.

Her boys would be good, and she would do everything she could to make sure of that.

So, if Emily text JJ a heads up that Delilah had gone eerily non verbal from the moment they closed the case and headed to the airport, and the boys were out of the house when they got home, Delilah could only really see it as a good thing, right now.

Liv was still at work. It was past midnight, but she'd be finishing in an hour, according to Emily. She dropped Delilah and Dave off before heading to go and pick Liv up when she finished.

Dave took himself straight off to Nora and Colin's place. They were having a grandkids sleepover in their house, and Jack had been invited, too, because it was a Friday. Even Henry was spending the night, though Will had also gone to supervise, armed with enough pumped baby milk in bottles to last a week.

Delilah was grateful, truthfully. She loved all three of the boys in the house, but she knew Mason and Ziggy were very tuned in to her emotions, and she was volatile even when she was silent. She didn't even really want to be around JJ because she felt so restless and out of control.

She didn't know why this case had triggered her to feel like this. It wasn't a really bad case, in terms of brutality. It was the fact that children were killers.

It was the fact that, whether Delilah wanted to admit it or not, her children had been killers before their deaths. She'd watched them kill, albeit reluctantly.

It was the fact that the victim had become the abuser. It was the fact that Delilah had done that in a way, too.

It was the fact that her dad had said he wanted her and Dylan to grow up in that basement and give him grandchildren. It was the fact that he would've so easily continued the cycle, that she and Dylan would've become too traumatised eventually to stop him. It was the fact she could've still had a life with Dylan if they hadn't tried to escape, but what kind of life would it have been to be her father's prodigy and become a killer like he had always intended?

It was different. She knew it was different. She just couldn't separate the similarities in her head to stop feeling so crazy about it.

Nothing made sense, and Delilah was so sick of the fact that she would forever be traumatised to the point that her emotions seemed to be playing Russian roulette with her mental state and sending her into panic attacks, derealisation breaks, psychotic breaks, or just straight up non verbal to the point that even JJ was concerned after Delilah had showered the day off, eaten something, and had not said a single word.

They were in their room, sat against the headboard with one of JJ's reality TV shows playing. Delilah stared blankly at the screen, hands curled around the cuffs of her hoodie. JJ sat beside her, not touching, just looking at her, tugging on the chain of Dylan's necklace.

"Lilah?" JJ whispered. "How can I help?"

Delilah didn't know. She just used to hide away when she got like this, or sleep it off if it was bad enough her insomnia lay off her for a while to give her the sweet release of a living death for a few hours.

She wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, though. Not yet. She knew she'd hear Cate screaming her name if she closed her eyes and went to sleep, now. She needed a distraction, something to clear her mind, but she didn't know how to communicate when she could not force a word out of her mouth.

Her fingers tightened around the cuffs of her hoodie. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, turning her head towards JJ and looking down at her lap. JJ stared at her for another moment before lifting her hand, placing it over Delilah's and stroking her thumb over the exposed skin.

Delilah exhaled slightly at the contact. JJ was always so soft and gentle with her, always so kind and thoughtful and home.

Delilah hated soft when she was sad, but it was balm to a bruised soul on days like today. She wasn't sad. She wasn't even angry, anymore. She just felt numb, but this wasn't the kind of numbness that a stab wound would ease. It would only make her feel worse.

She saw so much of herself in the monsters she saw at work. She needed a physical reminder that, sometimes, just sometimes, Delilah was capable of softness. She was capable of tenderness, and she was deserving of it, too.

JJ always made her feel that way. Delilah still felt thrown off by how easily JJ soothed her, but she wasn't running away from it anymore. That was progress.

"Oh," JJ whispered. "I know what you need, honey. It's okay."

She moved her hands slowly, not trying to catch Delilah off guard when she was so tense and stiff. She gently slid her arm around Delilah's waist, hand slipping beneath her hoodie to trace over the skin of her hip.

She rested her chin on Delilah's shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to Delilah's cheek.

"Can I take this off?" JJ whispered.

Delilah nodded. She lifted her arms, letting JJ tug her hoodie off and throw it aside. She made quick work of removing her own t-shirt, gently guiding Delilah back to lie against her chest as they lay down.

Delilah closed her eyes, ear pressed gently over JJ's heart. She could hear the soft and consistent thumps and she sighed softly, fingers stroking over JJ's stomach. JJ ran her fingers through Delilah's hair for a moment before she lowered one hand, holding it out beside Delilah.

Delilah traced her fingers over JJ's wrist, then pressed two fingers to JJ's pulse. It followed the same rhythm of the beat beneath Delilah's ear, a beautiful symphony that was proof of all Delilah had fought to live for.

JJ smiled, moving her other hand to tangle in the curls at the back of Delilah's neck. Delilah relaxed against her, intertwining their fingers together.

She didn't know how long they lay there for. She was too consumed in focusing on JJ's heart to notice how the darkness grew in the room and how the episodes played by on the screen, holding neither of their attention.

All she knew was JJ didn't look away from her the entire time. She just watched Delilah, a soft look on her face and nothing but warmth and a sense of home in those beautiful ocean blue eyes that reminded Delilah so much of what she'd lost, but what she'd gained, too.

Dylan's necklace sat just in Delilah's eye line. She wore his birthstone around her neck, and the birthstones of her children.

"This was a hard case," Delilah whispered, her hand moving from JJ's to curl two fingers around the chain of the necklace. "It doesn't feel like a win."

JJ hummed softly, scratching her fingers over Delilah's skull.

"I know," JJ murmured. "I'm sorry, honey."

"I don't know why it bothers me so much," Delilah mumbled, eyes fluttering shut as JJ's hand moved to stroke her thumb over Delilah's scarred cheek. "No kids died."

"Sometimes they just hurt," JJ said softly. "There doesn't always have to be a reason, unless you want me to give you one. It can just hurt because it has to."

"I hate feeling like this," Delilah whispered. "It feels like I've done something wrong, but I haven't. The kids are all alive. I just... I don't have control over this and I don't know how to function without being in control anymore. It makes me feel like I'm back in the basement, like someone else is making all of the decisions for me, but in a bad way."

JJ hummed again, fingers soft on Delilah's face. She pressed a kiss to Delilah's forehead, exhaling slowly for a moment.

"Do you want someone to make decisions for you in a good way?" JJ asked softly. "Or do you want someone to give you control back?"

Delilah blinked her eyes open, squinting up at JJ. JJ ran her fingers through Delilah's hair, twisting it lightly as she tangled her fingers in the curls and tugged Delilah closer.

"What do you want, baby?" JJ whispered. "How can I help?"

"Kiss me?"

JJ nodded, other hand moving to tilt Delilah's chin up. Delilah closed her eyes, sighing softly as JJ pressed their lips together. She was gentle, taking her time to let Delilah settle into the softness of the gesture.

She didn't push. She wanted Delilah to give her a cue on who would take it further, if they were to take it further. She knew Delilah so well and Delilah's chest ached with the amount of love she was capable of feeling for JJ.

They were extraordinary in every way, the two of them. Nobody truly understood Delilah, but JJ got the closest. She understood everything about her, and it was as terrifying as it was exhilarating.

Delilah's hand tugged on the necklace she still held onto. JJ pulled back from the kiss, eyes searching Delilah's for a moment. Delilah sucked in a shaky breath, tightening her grip on the necklace and tugging again.

"Please?"

JJ flipped them before Delilah could blink. Her back hit the mattress and JJ's lips pressed against hers again, her weight settling on Delilah's hips as she straddled her. Delilah couldn't help but gasp into the action, JJ deepening the kiss.

Her hands felt like the most beautiful fire against Delilah's skin, warming her and leaving intense bursts of heat behind. Her entire body was tuned to JJ's, her own hands unable to find anywhere to settle in her desperation for more.

JJ laughed into the kiss, slowing herself down and pressing long, lingering kisses across Delilah's face, her hands moving to take Delilah's and guide them to her hips.

"Stay there," JJ whispered, lips soft against her scar. "I'll tell you when you can move them."

Delilah nodded.

"You tell me if anything changes," JJ whispered, pulling back to fix Delilah with a serious look.

"I will," Delilah whispered, chewing on her bottom lip. "It's okay. I'm okay."

JJ's thumb tugged Delilah's bottom lip free, lips crashing down onto her mouth again a moment later. Delilah let JJ take control, kept her hands on JJ's hips even as JJ's hands traced down across her collarbones and down to her chest, thumbs catching on her nipples and making Delilah whine into JJ's mouth.

She laughed as she pulled back, latching her lips onto Delilah's jawline. Her hands didn't stop tracing over her chest, touching everywhere except her nipples again, and Delilah couldn't help but groan and tighten her grip on JJ's hips.

"JJ, please."

"What, baby?" JJ murmured, pressing her kisses down Delilah's throat. "Have some patience."

"I don't do patience," Delilah whispered, eyes fluttering shut as she tilted her head back.

"Don't I know it?" JJ whispered, scraping her teeth lightly over Delilah's pulse. "I'm making the decisions for you right now. Be a good girl and let me make you feel better."

Delilah moaned as JJ's tongue circled her nipple before tugging it into her mouth, teeth scraping over the sensitive skin as her hand gave the same treatment on the other one. Her hips twitched at the movement, JJ grinding down with a satisfied sigh.

Delilah smirked slightly, guiding JJ's hips with her hands as JJ's kisses moved to her other boob. JJ stopped, looking up at her with raised eyebrows.

"I haven't moved my hands," Delilah said.

"Loopholes," JJ muttered, shaking her head. "Should've known."

Delilah laughed, but it was a strangled whine within a second when JJ lightly bit down on Delilah's nipple. Her hands abandoned their mission on her chest and scraped down across her stomach, fingers slipping around the waistband of her pyjama shorts and pulling back, then releasing it to smack lightly against Delilah's skin.

"Breathe, baby," JJ mumbled, pulling away from Delilah's heaving chest to kiss her again. "Focus on me."

"I am," Delilah mumbled, tightening her grip on JJ's hips.

JJ studied Delilah for a moment, tilting her head to the side as she caught her breath. She shifted her weight on Delilah's hips, making Delilah whine at the pressure building in her stomach.

"You can move your hands," JJ whispered, pressing another kiss to Delilah's lips. "Am I making all the decisions tonight?"

Delilah nodded easily.

"Words, pretty girl," JJ said softly. "Let me hear you."

"Yes," Delilah breathed. "Please. I can't- You have to. I can't."

"It's okay," JJ soothed, pressing a soft kiss against Delilah's lips as her thigh pressed between Delilah's.

Delilah arched up into the kiss, JJ deepening the kiss and using her hand to push Delilah back down against the bed.

"I said you could move your hands, not anything else."

Delilah nodded, hands moving to JJ's face to tug her down into another kiss. JJ moaned into it, pushing her thigh against Delilah again to hear her moan. Her hands moved to Delilah's hips, guiding them against her thigh as she pressed her kisses lower and lower down her throat towards her chest again.

She sucked her mark into the spot just below where Delilah's necklace fell. She sucked another right beside it, scraping her teeth over the mark before she continued her path down Delilah's chest. Her thigh moved from between Delilah's, making her whine and move her hands to JJ's hair.

"Please, bambina," Delilah whispered. "I need more. Please."

"Let me take my time with you," JJ murmured into her chest, teeth scraping lightly over the side of her boob.

Delilah was never one for patience, but she didn't protest. She couldn't. JJ's lips and tongue and teeth against her skin felt too good to ignore, even when she ached for more. JJ refused to move further down, though.

It was driving Delilah insane, her tugs on JJ's hair getting tighter and tighter as JJ continued to torture her.

"JJ," Delilah pleaded, feeling the tears start to burn in her eyes with how desperate she was. "Please."

JJ looked up at her, a smile flickering across her lips unlike anything Delilah had seen on her before. She knew what it was, though, because she knew exactly how it felt to be the one in that position.

JJ enjoyed having Delilah right where she wanted her. She enjoyed having the control. She enjoyed knowing she could sexually torture Delilah because Delilah would let her do whatever she wanted to her.

"Don't cry, baby," JJ said, lifting her hand to wipe a tear from Delilah's face before it slid down her cheek. "I'm not hurting you."

"I know," Delilah whined. "But you're not touching me enough, either."

"I know how to make you feel good," JJ murmured, scraping her teeth over the marks on Delilah's chest on her path back up to her lips. "I'll take as long as I want to."

"Do you want me to beg, or something?" Delilah asked, chest arching up into JJ's lips when she stroked over a nipple.

"You're so sensitive, sometimes," JJ whispered. "I want you to shut up and let me touch you how I want to. I'll shut you up if I have to. Wait."

Delilah fucking hated this. She wanted to flip them and fuck that attitude right out of JJ because nobody got to tell Delilah what to do, but she couldn't make her body do anything except kiss JJ back when she finally joined their lips again.

She hated the power JJ had over her. She hated how much she trusted JJ with having this power over her, but that just made every single touch of JJ's skin against hers set her nerves on fire in the most beautiful way because it felt so good and her underwear was soaked between her thighs from the slow torturous touches JJ had given her.

"JJ-"

"Stop being a brat, Lilah," JJ mumbled into her skin, teeth scraping over the mark her lips left.

"Just touch me then!" Delilah whined, hips bucking into JJ's as she grabbed the waistband of Delilah's pyjama pants. "It's not funny."

"No, it's pathetic," JJ said, tapping her hands against Delilah's hips.

She lifted them silently, watching JJ tug her pants and underwear off and throw them somewhere behind them. She glared at JJ, watching how JJ's lips twitched into a smirk as she moved herself to kneel between Delilah's legs, holding herself up over Delilah with her hands.

"I hate this," Delilah whispered.

"Then do something about it," JJ whispered.

Delilah didn't move. JJ's smirk widened.

"I thought as much," JJ whispered, dropping a kiss on Delilah's lips.

Delilah sighed into the kiss, JJ smiling against her lips as she pulled back, pressing another soft kiss to the scar on her face.

"You're so beautiful, honey," JJ whispered, blue eyes burning into a forest fire of green. "And all mine."

Delilah nodded her head, hands tangling in JJ's hair.

"All yours."

"Good."

JJ pressed her kisses lower, Delilah groaning as she took her sweet time, avoiding her boobs and pointedly staying above her hips. Her hands traced circles on Delilah's inner thighs, though she avoided her wetness, too.

"JJ, I swear to god-"

JJ swiped two fingers through Delilah's wetness. She whined, tightening her grip on JJ's hair as she twitched beneath the woman.

"Shut up."

"No."

JJ stared at her for a moment, eyebrows furrowing. Delilah took JJ's hand in hers, bringing it to her lips and sucking the two wet fingers into her mouth. She released them with a pop, smirking at JJ's blown pupils and the bottom lip held captive between her teeth.

"Maybe you do know what you're doing," Delilah murmured. "I'm soaked."

JJ grabbed Delilah's jaw with her hand, pressing their lips together with force Delilah hadn't seen from her before. She practically melted into the bed, whimpering as JJ took control easily and took what she wanted from Delilah, swallowing her moans before they could hit the air.

Her other hand moved between Delilah's legs, sliding through her folds before she pushed two fingers in, Delilah's back arching up into JJ's chest. She couldn't hold the kiss with how JJ curled her fingers, head falling back onto the pillow.

JJ's lips left wet kisses on her skin as she kissed her way back down Delilah's body, using her other hand to push her thighs further apart. She sucked marks into Delilah's hips and thighs, leaving little bites here and there that made Delilah twitch beneath her and pull on her hair.

"Please," Delilah whispered, trying to push JJ's head between her thighs. "I need more."

JJ didn't actually fight her on that one. Delilah expected more resistance and the first flick of JJ's tongue against her clit had her almost exploding on the spot. She couldn't help the noises that fell from her lips as JJ's tongue circled her clit, her moans stifled into Delilah's skin.

Her stomach was so tight when JJ pushed another finger in, curling them so easily to hit that spot inside that made Delilah's thighs tremble around her head.

It was the quickest orgasm in her life.

Or, rather, it would've been, if JJ didn't pull her mouth away and pull her fingers free.

Delilah wanted to scream. She glared at JJ, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, stomach tight and body aching from the tension still so prominent in her muscles.

JJ just smirked at her, sucking her fingers clean one by one.

"I hate you," Delilah panted.

"No, you don't," JJ grinned.

"Right now? Yes. Yes, I do," Delilah said. "I was close!"

"I know," JJ said.

"Then why did you stop?" Delilah whined.

"Ever heard of edging, baby?" JJ teased. "Call it payback for not touching me when we had sex in the office. You left me for nearly an hour before you let me come."

Delilah turned her head, glancing at the alarm clock on the beside table.

"It's been two hours!" Delilah said.

"An hour and twenty six minutes, actually," JJ said, smirking at how Delilah's glare just got worse.

"I'm literally aching here," Delilah muttered, legs twitching from the adrenaline and lingering shocks of pleasure still in her system.

She was so sensitive. She knew she'd come the second JJ started again. JJ knew that, too. It's why she didn't touch Delilah. The longer she left it, the more time she'd be able to spend working Delilah up again.

It was an evil game. Delilah was impressed.

JJ laughed, supporting herself on her hands as she leaned over and kissed Delilah again. Delilah moaned into the kiss, tugging JJ down on top of her by her hips so their bodies were flush together.

"Please don't make me beg," Delilah whispered. "Please touch me, bambina."

"I am touching you," JJ whispered, nipping at her throat and pushing herself back up onto her arms. "You can get me back for this later, don't worry. I know you're angry."

"Frustrated," Delilah moaned, JJ's lips latching onto her nipple again. "Amore, please just-"

JJ's fingers slid through her folds again, Delilah keening beneath her. JJ laughed as she released Delilah's nipple.

"You're torturing me," Delilah whined.

"I know," JJ said proudly. "I can't help it. You look so pretty like this."

She still didn't do anything. Delilah's lips twitched into a pout, frustrated tears burning in her eyes again. JJ's gaze turned almost predatory, but it warmed Delilah unlike nothing else.

"Are you really gonna cry?" JJ asked, scraping her nails down Delilah's thighs. "Really?"

She laughed when Delilah's thighs twitched again. She pushed them apart, moving herself back down between Delilah's thighs. Her eyes stayed on Delilah's as she licked up through her folds, tongue circling her clit once more as she pushed two fingers back inside of her.

"Fuck."

"That's the plan," JJ laughed.

Delilah squeezed her eyes shut, hands holding JJ's head in place so she couldn't leave again. She couldn't hear anything except her heartbeat pounding against her skull, couldn't feel anything except JJ's hands, JJ's tongue, JJ's warmth, couldn't even catch her breath as the coil in her stomach tightened more and more.

She was so close and JJ knew it, a third finger joining the other two on her next push. She curled them, Delilah's hips jerking off the bed as the pleasure washed over her with no real warning at all.

JJ slowed her pace down, but didn't stop. She watched Delilah's chest heave with those big ocean blues, Delilah barely holding her gaze as the aftershocks rode through her system.

"I think you can give me one more," JJ murmured, curling her fingers again with a sick smile as Delilah gasped beneath her. "It'll be so easy. You're still so wound up, baby."

Her tongue started again. Delilah couldn't think, hips moving of their own accord to try and match JJ's pace. JJ pushed her hips down with her free hand, thumb stroking soothingly into her hip and sending sparks through her nerves into her soul.

It was so overwhelming. Everything was on fire and she couldn't breathe, couldn't feel anything except pure heat, couldn't see anything but a glimpse of wispy blue sky through the forest fire in her eyes.

JJ moved her lips to Delilah's thigh, thumb taking over for her tongue. Delilah twitched beneath her, throat hoarse and jaw clenched from the pleasure building again so easily, but it just wasn't enough to tip her over the edge again.

"Please," Delilah gasped, tightening her hold on JJ's hair again. "I need you to-"

She cut herself off with a whine as JJ curled her fingers again.

"You need what, baby?" JJ murmured, pressing kisses over Delilah's thighs where she'd left marks an hour ago. "Tell me. I'll give it to you. Whatever you want."

"I can't- I don't know-"

JJ hummed, picking up the speed of her fingers against Delilah. Delilah whined at the slight pain, but it was too good to feel bad. JJ's lips continued over her thighs, eyes searching Delilah's as she writhed beneath her.

"It's okay," JJ soothed. "I'm gonna make it better."

JJ's lips moved towards the inside of Delilah's thigh. Her teeth scraped over the sensitive skin before Delilah felt a familiar sting, the coil in her stomach snapping just a second later.

Everything was numb except for the pain and pleasure burning in her stomach, a chaotic mixture of fire and water balancing the other out in a fight for control. She could vaguely feel JJ's hand moving from between her legs, her other hand placing itself over Delilah's rapidly pounding heart.

"Baby, you need to breathe," JJ's voice came through the fog, lips pressing to her cheek. "Breathe for me."

Delilah focused on her voice, eyes fluttering open as she pulled desperate breaths into her drowning lungs. JJ smiled softly down at her, pressing another kiss to Delilah's cheek.

"Good girl," JJ murmured. "Feel better?"

Delilah didn't even have the energy to glare at her for the stupid question. JJ's satisfied smirk clearly said it was a rhetorical question, anyway.

"I know you're kinda, like, getting your shit together right now," JJ said, "But when your brain works again, can you tell me the psychology behind the biting thing?"

Delilah nodded. JJ smiled.

"Let me get you some water," JJ said, kissing her cheek. "Be back in a minute."

She got up off the bed and hurried from the room, returning a moment later to grab an oversized t-shirt before she left again.

Delilah shook her head with a fond smile, slowly moving herself up and over to the bathroom on shaky legs to pee and clean up.

She truly didn't know JJ was capable of that. She was impressed, even if it had drove her crazy. JJ was right, though. She knew how to make Delilah feel good.

She was barely sitting back down on the bed when JJ came back, holding a bottle of water in each hand with a pleased grin.

"I'm glad your legs are working," JJ teased, handing Delilah a bottle of water and sitting down beside her.

"You're worse than I am," Delilah smiled, sipping the cold water with a happy sigh. "We need to strip the sheets."

"I know," JJ said. "Why don't you get a shower, and I'll meet you in there?"

"Saving water by showering together?" Delilah laughed. "I've never fucked you in a shower."

"Well, you won't be doing it tonight," JJ said, kissing Delilah's temple. "It was about you."

"But-"

"No," JJ murmured. "It was about making you feel better. We'll have plenty of time when we wake up before Nora and Colin bring the kids back. They're taking them out for the day, and Will's going with them."

Delilah relented with a nod. JJ helped her to her feet, wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing her before she could move.

"The biting thing?" Delilah said. "You started it because it was just a natural response to me having my fingers in your mouth. Your brain associated the results, a scar, with sexual pleasure and almost possessiveness, 'cause I'll always have your mark on me, now, and it was given to me out of love. So, your brain associates the biting with loving me and marking me in a way I understand, through a painful and permanent gesture."

"And your brain?" JJ said.

"I'm more focused on the pain aspect, I think," Delilah said. "You don't do it to hurt me, but it's the pain that gets me off. Same end result, I associate it with you loving me and marking me, but I see it more through the pain angle than the possessive angle. Either way, it works for both of us. It's not that strange. It's quite common, actually."

"Emily kept making cannibalism jokes at me after Liv caught you finding that rabies shot," JJ said.

Delilah considered it.

"A lot of cannibalism is bad," Delilah said. "Wait, no. All cannibalism is bad, obviously. There's kind of two sides to it. There's the depraved part, to consume someone just because you can, and then there's... I suppose it's quite tragically romantic, in a way. It's the desire to be as close to a person as you possibly can be without the confines of skin and bone. It's the connection between souls that defies all physical boundaries. Love is all consuming in every way, for them."

"I don't want to, like, cannibalise you," JJ blinked at her. "You know that, right?"

"I know," Delilah laughed, kissing JJ again. "I know it's a possessive thing for you. It's normal. A lot more normal than cannibalism."

"Okay, good," JJ sighed happily. "Go and start the shower. I'll be five minutes."

Delilah nodded, though she didn't move. She rested her head against JJ's chest, JJ rocking them back and forth for a moment as she tangled her fingers in Delilah's hair.

"You okay?" JJ murmured.

"Yeah," Delilah whispered. "Not losing my mind anymore."

"Good," JJ whispered, kissing her forehead. "Happy to help."

Delilah poked her in the side. JJ laughed as she pulled away from the hug, pushing Delilah towards the bathroom before moving to strip the bed.

Delilah walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on, stopping in the mirror with a frown, eyes searching over her body as her jaw slowly dropped.

She was covered in marks from JJ. Her thighs were littered in little bruises and bite marks, with a more prominent bite mark on the inside of her left thigh, and the marks traced the pattern of JJ's lips up over her chest. There were even two beneath her collarbone that almost looked like a heart with how close together they were.

"JJ?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"Is there literally anywhere on my body that isn't covered in marks?" Delilah asked.

"Your neck. Didn't think you'd want anyone giving you shit over this."

That was considerate, at least. Delilah just would have to make sure she kept a t-shirt on at all times, no sports bras for her morning runs until they'd faded from view.

"It's not like you don't wear hoodies literally twenty four seven," JJ laughed, coming into the bathroom and wrapping her arms around Delilah's waist from behind. "It's not like anyone is gonna know unless you take your shirt off."

"I'm not complaining," Delilah laughed. "Just making an observation."

"Well, make your observations in the shower," JJ teased, pinching Delilah's side lightly. "You're getting cold and you look exhausted. When did you last sleep?"

"The night before I left," Delilah said. "Well, I napped on the jet. For an hour. Emily woke me up with coffee. It wasn't worth it."

"So, you've had one hour of sleep in, like, sixty hours?" JJ asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh my god. Okay. Shower and bed. I've changed the bedding and you need some REM sleep. Do you want a melanin gummy?"

"Baby, melanin is the skin pigmentation," Delilah giggled. "Do you mean melatonin?"

"Oh my god, I do," JJ groaned, resting her head against Delilah's shoulder. "I'm tired! I know normally. I just... Get in the shower and stop laughing at me! I have baby brain! Haley warned me but I didn't think it'd be this bad!"

Delilah laughter didn't stop until they were both washed, dried, redressed in fresh pyjamas and had brushed their teeth. JJ shoved a melatonin gummy in her hand with an exasperated glare.

"Eat your gummy and go to sleep," JJ ordered.

"Yes, mommy," Delilah teased, popping the gummy and trying not to choke with laughter as JJ's cheeks flushed bright red. "So, it's non specific to the person. Interesting."

"What is, you asshole?" JJ asked, flopping on the bed beside her.

"The mommy kink," Delilah giggled. "It's not so much about me being mommy or you being mommy. It's just the kink in general."

"I hate you," JJ said. "Stop profiling my sexual tendencies!"

"You asked me to!" Delilah laughed. "And you profile mine!"

"I asked for one- Stop distracting me! Eat your gummy!"

"I did! What, do you wanna check?"

"Just shut up," JJ laughed, tugging Delilah to lean against her side and kissing her forehead. "You're such an idiot."

"Says the one getting melanin and melatonin confused," Delilah smirked. "I'm not gonna pull a reverse Michael Jackson-"

"Delilah!" JJ laughed. "Oh my god, stop! It was an innocent mistake!"

"I'm just saying-"

"Stop!" JJ laughed, putting her hand over Delilah's mouth.

Delilah laughed as she kissed JJ's hand, taking it in one of her own hands and intertwining their fingers together.

"I don't think we've stayed up this late since before Henry was born," Delilah said, looking up at JJ. "Unless it's waking up for a feed or a change."

"Not that I don't love our boys, because I really do," JJ said, giving Delilah a grin, "But it's nice to just have time for the two of us again. It reminds me of back when we lived at the apartment."

"I know," Delilah said, smiling fondly. "You know, I think Ziggy and Mason might end up moving in there together when they're both grown up. We own it, so, it makes sense if they want some independence from the family home."

"That would be adorable," JJ laughed. "It'll be like the roles are reversed compared to us and Liv. Let's be so honest right now, Zara is going to unofficially live there as much as I did."

"Babe, there was no unofficial about it," Delilah laughed. "We were so codependent."

"Were?" JJ laughed. "We still are."

"No, I know, but, like, we were in denial back then," Delilah said. "I mean, we both knew. We just didn't wanna talk about it."

"It feels crazy to think that was, like, three years ago," JJ murmured. "Honey, we met four years ago this summer."

"And now we live together and are raising our boys with your baby daddy who is also becoming one of my best friends," Delilah grinned. "Yeah, me four years ago would die before ever believing this was real."

"Yeah, I know," JJ laughed. "I'm proud of you, you know?"

Delilah blinked up at her.

"I haven't done anything new," Delilah said.

"There isn't a time limit on my feelings for you, any of my feelings," JJ said. "But you've come so far in four years. We've come so far in four years. Me four years ago would've died if you told her she was gonna be in love with a woman and she didn't speak to her mom. Now look at us."

"I'm sorry-"

"It's not your fault," JJ soothed, kissing Delilah's forehead. "I'd pick you over anyone, including my mom. It's her loss if she doesn't want to be a part of the family we're building. I'm happy, and I have you, and we have our boys. That's what matters most to me over everything. I'm proud of how far we've both come to have this."

"Me, too," Delilah murmured, wrapping her arms around JJ as best as she could from beside her. "I'd do everything again to have this. Everything. Losing... Losing Dylan, and Sunny and Albie, killing my dad... I'd do it all over again to have this if I had to."

JJ smiled, lips still resting against Delilah's forehead. She ran her fingers through Delilah's hair before one moved to the necklace around her throat, tracing over the three birth stones for her three guardian angels.

"I love you," JJ whispered. "So much."

"I love you," Delilah whispered back. "So much."

•