A/N: Okay. First Criminal Minds Fanfic. Don't hate me. I am angsty. And I love Hotchner. Plus, this is based off of a dream I had. It was crazy. So I thought I'd share it with you.

Don't know if I'll continue with this. Depends on if you like it. I may make it a story.

No, I don't own anyone or anything. I wish. I really do.

Enjoy.

R&R

xxx

. Black Water .

by

. LabrynLaroo .

Prologue: Three Strikes

One bullet.

Two bullets.

Three bullets.

He fell.

Like an aged oak tree, the man fell to the ground slowly, his limbs cracking downward into his demise. It seemed endless, jagged, like an old theatre piece. Black and white, fuzzy, not everything crystal clear but with just enough vigor to slowly piece the puzzle back together.

Her hands didn't shake. Not yet. Not as she squeezed the Glock 22 firmly in her experienced hands.

She knew she couldn't put her guard down. Not just yet. Rossi still hadn't cleared the scene. As far as she was concerned, she was to keep her eyes, and barrel, locked onto the unsub who was drowning into the cold darkness that surrounded him.

'Stay down,' she hissed to herself, narrowing her dark eyes when, for just a moment, she had thought the body moved. Luckily it was just a spasm, or perhaps even just the running water from the creak pressing against his body. Either way, he was visibly vacant. Dead. All thanks to her.

It all seemed like an eternity. The smoke from the gun still reached upward, the thunderous boom echoing further into the woods, and the only sound seemed to be the trickling water scream from Rossi's thrashing.

She shifted her glance, catching the more experienced agent battering through the water, reaching the body. The second body.

His body.

'Oh God…' she whimpered, almost unable to remove her stare from David's livid movements. His face was heavy with anguish, worry beaming from his eyes. He seemed lost, unable to function right. He was at a loss. He was in pain.

Wasn't she?

Emily couldn't remember feeling anything. She was frozen in place; gun still pointed at the unsub, but her eyes locked upon Rossi and the second body.

Rossi reached down low, curling his thick arms underneath the other body, yanking it out of the water and mud.

It looked quite strenuous; nevertheless, he managed to keep a tight hold and continued dragging them both onto drier land.

"Emily!"

She blinked, feeling a slight pinch to her chest. Looking over, she caught Rossi's attention. He was booming out her name, over and over again. Hadn't she noticed?

"Give me some help!" He roared, unable to lift the body out of the pool. Mud smudged the sides of the pond, making it easy for them to slip right back into the ice cold water.

The slow stream of reality seemed to have jolted her to the fast paced present. Her heart was beating faster and faster, cold sweat forming on her clammy skin. She nodded hesitantly and holstered her gun.

"He's heavy, watch it, watch it!" Dave yelped, trying to push the body into her arms before he slipped backwards.

She grabbed the body by the chest quickly, grunting slightly as she leaned herself backwards, falling onto the squishy ground; A lifeless body on top.

"I got him!" She cried, trying to scooch backwards even more, but his weight made it difficult. Rossi nodded, quickly treading out of the water himself, and onto mud and grass.

"Let me see him," He rasped, slipping down to his knees, leaning over her.

Emily nodded without a word. She was barely able to clarify what had just happened. It was so fast. So unexpected. So wrong.

All she could manage was to straighten out the limp body, holding his head in her lap. She hadn't even noticed her fingers caressing through his black hair.

She looked down.

There was his face.

His perfectly serious face melted into an emotionless haze. Blue. Battered. Wet. Cold.

"Aaron? Aaron, you need to wake up. Open your eyes!" Rossi pleaded, frowning even more with the lack of response.

Emily began to shake.

"He's blue," She mumbled, glancing at his lips.

"I know," Rossi added, agitated. He was just as unstable as she was.

"God," he hissed, "…no pulse," he added after inspecting Hotch. "We need help."

He placed his fingers on the speaker dial, calling into the earpiece as he pushed Emily from beneath him and settled himself to begin resuscitating. Emily moved backward, sitting on her knees, her hands cupping Aaron's face so that it was facing straight.

"Where is our backup? We need an ambulance-Now! We have an officer down!" He glanced at Aaron, cringing as the beatings became more and more vibrant.

"I repeat, officer down!!"

xxx

A/N: So…pretty 'dramatic'. Just tell me what you think. Want more out of it? Or more stories? Let me know. It's late. I'm sick (with the flu). I just wanted to write something. It's been awhile.