Note- This fic starts at the end of Coda- season six, episode sixteen. A few lines of dialogue belong to the criminal minds writers, as do the characters, settings, etc used. The first line is changed slightly from what was said during the episode.

What Matters Most

Reid and Prentiss

Chapter One

February 2011

"You took what matters most to me,"Ian Doyle said, his voice calm yet with an undertone of sinisterness. "So I'm going to take what matters most to you."

Emily Prentiss was not the type to usually feel terrified- no matter how desperate and dangerous a situation she found herself in- yet from the moment she had heard this man had escaped prison she had been just that. Terrified and off her game. Unsteady. Knowing, deep inside, that she wouldn't survive this...him.

But only right now did her mind completely freeze. The ability to plan her next move fizzled away under the weight of what she knew his next words would be. There was no way in the world that Ian Doyle should know the secret feelings in her heart but she could tell by his tone, the look in his eyes, the smirk on his lips, that he did.

He went on, drawing the words out, relishing her misery. "Your dear Dr. Reid."

Emily's cool veneer cracked, eyes flaring with rage as they met his. Her hand slammed down onto the table. "You touch him and I will end you! Don't you dare go near him."

The corner of his lip curved up. A pleased gleam filled his eyes. "Too late."

Emily pulled out her phone, set it on the table and, with one hand managed to dial Reid, while the other hand was holding a gun underneath the table, aimed right at Doyle's groin. She itched to pull the trigger but she knew she'd be signing her own death warrant if she did, and maybe Reid's too.

That thought was more than she could bear. For so long she had gone without anyone to truly need...truly want...truly let in under her skin. She had survived mainly alone, with the occasional lover here and there to break up the monotony but no real love until she fell for him. Emily wanted to make his life better for having known her. Not cost him his life. Not be the worst thing to ever happen to him.

Emily listened as Reid's phone kicked to voice mail. "Did you know that voice mail was first established in 19-" his voice spoke out of the speaker of her phone before she ended the call.

Emily hissed at Ian Doyle. "If you want to live to see another sunrise I suggest you return him to me unharmed. I'll give you an hour and then I'm coming for you and you better pray to God, or whoever soulless monsters like you pray to, that I don't catch up to you again."

Ian Doyle stood up, a bigger smile spreading on his face. "Funny, I was informed that the United States government never negotiates with terrorists but then again...you aren't the typical agent, are you? No matter, I'm not in the mood to make deals. You owe me. And I already decided what I want to take as my payment. I hope you enjoyed your time with him as much as I enjoyed my time with you because your affair is just as dead as ours."

"This is between you and me. He has nothing to do with this. Let him go and come after me. I'm who you want to make pay."

"You are paying. I can see how distressed you are. The tears you cry will begin to even our score. Don't forget my face, Lauren, because the day you do...is the day you will cry again. I will come back and take and take and take from you till your life is just as empty and stripped of comforts as mine. I remembered your face every day I was imprisoned. You'll remember mine every day till you, mercifully, take your last breath. Only then will you be able to rest knowing you're outside of my reach."

"One hour," she hissed at him. "One hour to release him or else, I promise you, what I did to you seven years ago will seem like a gift compared to what I do to you tonight."

"I look forward to witnessing your feeble attempts at revenge. You do amuse me so. For now, enjoy your coffee and this lovely night. Spend it remembering the man you love, as I remember the love I lost."

He walked off into the night, whistling, as she sat there shivering in the cool night air. Emily shoved her gun in her ankle hostler, grabbed her phone and called Reid again.

"Did you know voice mail was first established in 19-" his voice repeated. She ended the call, quickly got up, looked all around and then took off running for a cab. Slipping inside the vehicle, she told them to take her to Reid's address.

On the way there she made a call to 911, reporting a burglary in progress there. By the time she arrived there were two police cars with flashing lights outside. She rushed toward the building and flashed her credentials at the first cop she saw.

"What's going on?"

"There was a shooting," the officer told her.

"Was anyone injured?" Her body shivered, eyes wide with worry and pain, as they met his.

"Yeah, we got one D.O.A."

She sucked in a shaky breath, her eyes boring into the man, the world going sideways around her. She suddenly couldn't hear what he was saying anymore. His mouth moved but the words he said no longer made sense to her.

Emily quickly rushed into the building and ran up the stairs. The sound of her feet on the floor echoed loud in her ears. The hallway was filled with neighbors, brought out of their apartments by the commotion.

She slowed down and stumbled into his apartment. Her eyes filled with disbelief as she took in the fact that the apartment was riddled with bullet holes.

She did this. She had caused this. She should have warned him.

The cops standing there came into view but she couldn't really comprehend what they were saying to her. She slowly pivoted and looked toward the kitchen. And that's when she saw the dead body laying on the floor. Her knees weakened and the ground started to fly up at her, as she nearly fainted away.

She had done this. Caused this. Loving him caused all this. How could she have let this happen to him?

(If I only could

make a deal with God

and get him to swap our places.

-x-x

Be running up that road,

be running up that hill

with no problem.

-x-x

If I only could...) (Placebo cover of a Kate Bush song)

XXXXXX

Ten days before

"Reid?" Emily asked, surprised to see him getting on the train that Sunday

"Oh, hey!" A bright smile curved his lips, lighting up his boyish good looks. He settled into a seat next to her. "Are you heading home?"

"Yeah. I was just getting in some shopping." She motioned toward her bags at her feet. "Returning Christmas presents from my mother, if you can believe it. I never had the time before now."

"I can believe it. We've been slammed at work lately. What did she get you that was so bad, if you don't mind me asking?"

"She's my mother. I never keep her gifts. They are all little jabs at me. Like the electric blanket she gave me three years ago. Because I have no man to keep me warm at night."

"You think she was trying to say that? Maybe she just worried your heat wasn't very good."

"This is my mother we are talking about. Every gift has a hidden meaning behind it. This year she gave me a set of china. That's her way of saying she gave up on me ever getting married. Marriage is big for her. She's been pushing me to get married since the day I graduated college. I announced that I'm a lesbian one year in the middle of her birthday party just to horrify her but she saw right through me."

Reid raised both eyebrows at her.

Emily chuckled, somewhat nervously. "I know that my relationship with her is not the healthiest in the world."

"Mine either, with my mother."

She gave him a tender look. "So where were you today?"

"I took Henry to the children's museum."

"Aw." Then she asked "On the train?"

"He likes trains."

"You're a great godfather."

"I try."

"Have you given it more thought? Having kids. Settling down."

"No, not really. Sometimes I think I might like to but I would need a partner to settle down and dating is not something that comes easy for me."

"Dating sucks. First dates suck the most. I wish I could skip that whole Who are you? What do you do? What is your major malfunction that you are hiding from me that will come out in three months and make me run for the hills? I just want to be with someone who gets me, who I get."

"Yeah," he agreed softly, his head titled to the side, inches from hers, as he stared into her eyes with real curiosity. "Where do you find someone like that?"

She smiled at him before chuckling. "How should I know? My love life is worse than yours."

"It can't be."

She laughed. "Trust me, it is."

He gave her a sad nod. They kept chatting for the rest of the ride and then she invited him to come to her place for dinner. They walked down the street, stopping at the corner store to shop, and they kept chatting as they headed down the block to her building. The soft, dreamy look on her face as she talked to him screamed to anyone that was looking how much she was taken with him...Emily rarely looked that way at any man.

She looked like a woman in love.