Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds
For Her
"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
It was cold. That was the only thought running through her mind. She wasn't thinking about how beautiful the birds sang this early in the morning, she wasn't thinking about how pretty the snow was when the sun made it sparkle and most importantly she wasn't thinking about the gun that was digging into her temple, ready to end her life at any moment. Instead she was thinking about how the snow was stinging her bare feet causing an almost blissful numbing sensation to run up her legs. She shivered slightly, not because of the gun pressed to her head, but because she was cold. She had always prepared herself for death, expecting it to be much harsher than this, a gory nightmare filled with blood surrounding her lifeless body. But this was nothing like that. It was a picturesque morning, the snow covered lake, snow sparkling under the sun, birds singing, it was more like a dream than a nightmare. She closed her eyes as she felt the gun dig deeper into her temple and breathed in the crisp winter air. Perhaps death wouldn't be as bad as she thought.
The snow crunched under his heavy footsteps as he began to quicken his pace. The sun was up now making the trail of footsteps he was following easier to see. Two sets of crooked footprints winding through the trees towards the lake, a large booted pair and a small feminine pair. He was sweating now, not used to running through the deep snow. His body begged him to slow down, stop, for just a minute but he continued forward. He saw her then, standing in front of a tall burly man, gun pressed to her temple. She was wearing a long, white, sleeveless dress that blended in with the snow. Her hair was blowing across her face, and if not for the gun distorting the image he would have said she looked beautiful. He came to a halt no more than 5 feet in front of her, his gun aimed forward but no clear shot aided him.
"Let her go," he said, voice even. The unsub smiled and shook his head.
"She's mine now," was his earnest reply.
"Why do you need her," he wondered aloud. The unsub shrugged. It didn't really matter to him who he had, as long as he had someone.
"I don't need her per say, anyone would do. I just don't want to be alone anymore." He nodded, trying desperately to understand the unsub's logic. He moved his gaze from the unsub to her. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be a million miles away. He wondered if she even realized he was here.
"If you need someone, take me instead." The unsub seemed to think this over.
"Why take you, when I can have her." He blew out a breath, frustrated that the unsub was unwilling to give her up easily. He didn't give up though, he never would.
Their chatter interrupted her pleasant dream. She kept her eyes closed but listened intently to the battle between the two men surrounding her. Their quiet arguing continued for what seemed like hours, before everything went silent. Confused, she began to open her eyes, only to be knocked to the ground before her task was complete.
It was only a split second opportunity. The unsub had began a monologue about his abandonment as a child and became so invested in his story, that for a short second he removed the gun from her temple. He had a decision to make now, him or her. The unsub broke out of his monologue, a second of silence and Hotch leaped. The unsub was expecting it and moved his aim towards Hotch, four shots ringing throughout the air.
She couldn't breathe for a moment, too panicked to remember what she was supposed to do. She stayed frozen for what felt like days but in reality was a mere second. Then she was on her feet running past the unsub, a bullet right through the centre of his forehead. She didn't even stop to check for a pulse, she knew. She knelt at Hotch's side, his blood contrasting with the white snow, and she began to cry.
Hotch knew he was dead the moment he leapt towards the unsub, but at that moment he hadn't cared. He had to save her. He felt three shots connect with his body before knocking both her and the unsub to the ground. As if a natural reflex his finger pulled the trigger, hitting the unsub right between the eyes. He was laying there now, breaths shallow as she leaned over him begging for him to hold on. He knew he couldn't but somehow that didn't matter. He had saved her and it was worth it. So instead of dying thinking about the cruelness that was reality or the pain that was searing through his body, he thought of her, Emily Prentiss.
A/N: Hey everyone thanks for reading. I hope that using he and she instead of their names wasn't too confusing but I really didn't want to use their names until the end. I hope everyone enjoyed, please let me know by leaving a review!