This will most likely be a very long one-shot that focuses mainly on Emily and probably Derek. Nothing more than a friendship. I've been trying to focus on my other story but this popped into my head a week or two ago and hasn't stopped bugging me since. So, I've finally decided to write it.
Warning: Character Death
I do not own the beautiful characters of Criminal Minds. As soon as I do I'll let you know.
"Where's Emily?" Morgan asked the slender man, allowing his eyes to search the crowd of the anxious followers.
Reid looked back as if he expected her to be there, then his face fell as the realization hit. "Cyrus still has her."
"Rossi, Reid," Morgan said, slowly starting to make his way back to the entry point. "Get everyone out. I'll get Prentiss."
"Morgan—"
"Go! Get them outta here!" He said. With one more push, he was through the swarm of people and back to the hallway. He held his gun out in front of him and knew he was ready to fire at any point.
"Prentiss!"
"Morgan." Hotch's voice crackled through his earpiece. "Get out of there."
"I can't leave her, Hotch."
Just as he entered the main room of the church, he saw black wisps of hair flying freely as Cyrus yanked her arm.
"Cyrus, let her g—"
Before he could even finish, her fearful eyes made contact with his as the horrid explosion rang in his ears and darkness met his senses.
Now, that moment was a little more than nine years ago. Nine years ago, everything fell apart. Derek's partially repaired relationship with the higher powers had gone to shit. How he'd managed to repair it at all after Garcia was shot he didn't know. Either way, he now knew it was gone. What kind of god would take away such a vibrant and essential part of their team and lives?
Hotch had stepped down from unit chief a short six months after, unable to face the reminder that he'd failed his team. Miserably. Now, he was working in cold cases along with Derek. The two rarely spoke more than a word or two. Something that felt unbelievably wrong and unnatural, but ultimately, Derek placed blame on the older man. After all, he'd been the one who sent Reid and Prentiss into the hellhole all those years ago. Part of him knew it was unfair and irrational but he needed to blame someone for taking her away.
JJ had decided to quit her job and become a stay at home mom, a role she excelled in. Occasionally, Derek would bring Emily's cold case file to the blonde's house and they'd ponder over it. Other times, they'd sit in silence. Usually on the anniversaries, tears were shed and stories told about the woman they'd lost.
Reid had begun teaching a class, something he seemed to be a natural at. Sharing all his knowledge with young students was very fulfilling for him.
The quirky technical analyst, Penelope Garcia stayed within the FBI, but moved to a smaller department where her skills were utilized. She often showed up at Derek's apartment in tears, telling him how it was a slow day. Slow days were something she dreaded. Her mind would wander immediately to her raven-haired goddess. She'd spend the entire day looking for leads as to where on earth the brunette had gone. Obviously, she never found anything.
Rossi had decided to take a shot at his retirement — again. Of course he'd continued his writing career, publishing a record breaking six books in nine years. Of course he didn't admit it, but it helped him cope. Plus, it kept his mind off the missing woman who he considered to be family.
Now, though, Derek felt closer to finding her than ever before. Sure, there had been a few false leads prior to this, but this…somehow it felt different. His heart was racing, his glock firmly in his hands as he and the SWAT team surrounded the deserted barn.
"Derek—I…I—"
"Babygirl, slow down. Take a breath."
He could hear her take a shuddering inhale before she continued. "I got something. I…I think it's our girl."
Derek could hardly breathe. The last lead was almost four years ago and since then, his life had been hell. But…they could be close now. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "You're sure?"
"She looks…different," Penelope told him. However, 'different' was an understatement. Her usually long, thick dark hair was disheveled and thin. Her once bright brown eyes could barely meet the camera and the look that replaced the old spark was frightening. Her cheeks were hollow and she had what looked like a healing bruise over her left cheek and up to her eye. "but it's her. I know it is."
"What can you tell me?"
Penelope paused, trying to compose herself once again. She'd already let herself cry, more like sob, at the new information. But, Derek needed her to be professional. Calm and collected would help him prepare to get to her. "She's on…on a sex trafficking site." She said abruptly. "It's on the dark web."
Nothing from the other line. Penelope waited a few moments before talking.
"Derek?"
"What else?"
"I have the name of the…guy that," Penelope thought for a moment. She knew the term 'bought' was the technical term for this, but it seemed so unbelievably fucked up. "has her." She decided.
"Find him, Penelope." Derek said coldly before hanging up.
And she did. It took nearly a month, but Penelope Garcia tracked down his alias which eventually led her to his real name, Richard Sealock, a fifty-three year old farmer who lives practically off the grid. Derek notified the rest of the team and the bureau, which in turn, put together a rescue team.
And, they were off.
One team had been assigned to the old farmhouse while Derek and the others quickly made their way to the barn entrance. They were met with big metal chains holding the door closed and Derek took a step back to allow the SWAT team to cut the chains apart. Once the chains fell loose, they flung the door open. Each member held their drawn gun out in front of them, oblivious to what was on the other side of the barn walls. Derek nearly stopped breathing at the sight. Several stalls, which were most likely suppose to be used for horses, were sealed with chains. He took a deep breath before peering into each stall, coming to realize what each stall meant.
The swat teams opened each stall slowly and Derek looked over their shoulder to see if the woman was the one he was searching for. He felt guilty for not giving the others the time of day, but he knew a SWAT member would see them through until the medics could transport them.
Derek moved with the team of three members, noting the eerie silence of the barn. None of the prisoners were crying for help, screaming or asking to be freed. It was utter silence.
A silence that deeply troubled him.
The SWAT team plus Derek kept moving from stall to stall, freeing another woman at each. The anger that was quickly boiling up inside him was threatening to spill over. How could someone, a human, treat other beings this way? As if they were objects, only put on the earth for his pleasure.
The sixth stall was where his heart nearly stopped beating. SWAT quickly cut the wires away while Derek's frantic fingers pried the door open, desperate to hold to woman inside this stall.
"Emily?" Derek said breathlessly when the crouched figure tried to scramble away from him, shoving herself into the corner, placing her head in between her knees. "Hey, baby, I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I promise." He held his hands up in front of him, his eyes wide and his heart racing.
"It's Derek. You remember me, right? Your partner—"
Suddenly, her very quiet, hoarse voice broke the tension. "No hurt?"
His heart nearly stopped. Although it was not the voice he remembered he was excited to hear her talk. Nonetheless, he missed her vibrant, confident voice more than anything. But this would have to do for now.
"No. I'm not going to hurt you."
She eyed him suspiciously, still shivering and crouched in the corner. "No hurt?"
He shook his head, still holding his hands up. "No. I promise." He reassured her. "It's Derek, remember? I've been looking for you for a while, Em. I never stopped." Internally, he winced at the simplicity of his own words. Although he was talking to a now forty year old, he spoke as if it were Henry or Jack. "Why don't we get outta here, huh?"
"No leave." She said, reaching out her hand and gripping his knee. "No leave. Stay."
His heart physically ached for the woman in front of him. "I'm not leaving you."
And, he knew he wouldn't. Not ever again.
…
"So, how's Agent Prentiss?"
His blood boiled. "She's fine."
Fine was really an overstatement. Because no, Emily Prentiss was not 'fine' by any means. She'd been in the hospital for two weeks where they treated broken ribs, a pretty intense infection and internal tearing.
"Why don't we go somewhere else, huh?" He suggested, desperate to get her the hell away from this god forsaken barn and to a hospital. "Just us."
"Just…us?"
He nodded. "C'mon."
It was then, when she unfolded herself from her crouched position that he realized she had no clothing on. She stood in front of him as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The swat member that had accompanied him turned away, respectfully. Thankfully, he also had the decency to hand Derek a warming blanket that he used to wrap around her thin shoulders. Once she was covered, he gently guided her out of the stall. The look of pure shock, horror and confusion marred her expressions as she stumbled out of the stall on shaky legs. With his hand just barely resting on her back, he navigated them to an open ambulance where two medics were awaiting their arrival.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, eyes open wide in horror. "Just us. You said. Just us."
He looked at the medics then back to her. "It's okay, they're here to help you. They won't hurt you."
"Just us." She repeated, her tone higher and he didn't miss the rising panic.
"Okay," he said reluctantly and looked towards the medics for help. He knew at least one of them had to be in the ambulance and luckily, they figured it out. The female medic whispered to the man and he walked away. The woman took a small step forward and a soft smile grew onto her face.
"Hi sweetie. My name is Becky. What's yours?"
Emily was then a step closer to Derek, fisting his shirt in her hands. "Emily."
"That's a beautiful name." Becky said. "So, is it okay if I ride with you?"
Reluctantly, Emily gave her the smallest of nods. Becky smiled and helped Derek get Emily into the back of the ambulance. She then hopped in, effectively closing the doors as she did.
"No gurney?" She asked in a hushed voice to Derek.
He looked down at the woman sitting next to him. She was hunched over, her eyes cast downwards and she was trembling slightly. He looked back up at Becky and shook his head. She'd survived for nine years with no medical attention, what would thirty more minutes do?
Half an hour later, they pulled up to the entrance of the hospital. The doors were quickly opened and a man in a white coat met them.
"What do we got?"
As Becky told him the situation, the doctors expressions softened and he smiled at Emily, who was now trembling and desperately trying to process the fast actions. Her eyes darted wildly about the ambulance.
Derek helped Emily out of the ambulance and walked alongside Becky and the doctor with her clinging to his side. He held his arms around her, gently rubbing her shoulder.
With some coaching, he managed to get her onto a hospital bed while a medical team prepared to tend to their new patient. She clutched his hand with such force for a moment he thought she'd break his fingers.
"Hey," he said, catching her wild eyes with his, "it's okay. They're here to help."
A young nurse stood next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sir, we need you to step outside."
Before he could argue, two nurses were practically pulling him away from her all while she screamed.
"You said just us! Just us! Just us!" She cried, fighting against the doctors, "Just us!"
He watched as the man in the white coat injected her with a small needle and her cries weakened. Her body stopped fighting and she went limp.
"Just us…" She said, barely audible but he heard it. And his heart tore in half.
"Oh really? Because, I find that hard to believe. I really do."
Derek sat across from Richard Sealock, also known as the man who'd bought Emily eight years ago. After Cyrus escaped with her, he sold her into a sex trafficking ring until Richard came along. Now, Derek understood. He understood why she wasn't talking, why she'd shut down in the hospital. She couldn't, or wouldn't remember what had happened to her.
Derek narrowed his eyes at the man. He'd requested to talk to Derek despite already having confessed to everything he was charged with.
"She was…different. Special." He said, a small smirk appearing on his wrinkled skin. "She lasted much longer than the others. At first, she fought back. She even escaped once."
Derek cocked his head to the side, listening to the man.
"Obviously, I got her back. Otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here now, would we?"
"What the hell do you want, Sealock?" Derek asked angrily.
Richard ignored the question and kept going. "I punished her. She'll tell you she didn't want it, but let me tell you. She did."
Derek's hands balled into fists under the table.
"That is, if she's talking." He said and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. "You know, after that she lost her fight. She didn't resist me anymore. That's how I knew she wanted it."
Derek stood up and slammed his fists on the table, sending the chair flying backwards. "Shut up you son of a bitch. I swear—"
"You know she called out for you, right? She must've told you that already."
Derek froze.
"Derek…Derek help me…Save me…" He said, mocking Emily's voice. "She'd whimper your name in her sleep."
He shook his head, his eyes never leaving the bastard across from him.
"And you never came, did you? To save her? It only took you nine years. What've you been doing, huh? Sitting on your ass while I enjoyed her?"
Derek Morgan snapped. Never in his entire life had he felt such hatred and anger towards a single human being but Richard Sealock was the exception. He knew he'd probably lose his job. But Derek did not care. Everything had already been taken away from him and it was all because of Cyrus, but mainly because of this man. No, not man. Richard Sealock was not a man. He was a monster.
In that moment, Derek Morgan saw red.
…
Emily, having been in the psych ward at Potomac Hospital for two months, had not made any noticeable improvements. She still was completely non-verbal and had such an intense fear of men that all of her nurses, doctors and visitors were strictly female. Garcia, after doing some digging found three more men who had been 'using' Richard's women as their own on a regular basis.
"Hey, Em." JJ said with a smile and walked into the small space that Emily had been assigned. She placed the small flower bouquet down on the nightstand, where she always did. Derek sent her with flowers and a note nearly every time she told him she was visiting her. It was his way of trying to support Emily while he wasn't able to actually see her. "How're you doing?"
JJ waited for the response she knew would never come. Emily sat up in the bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her eyes were unfocused and troubled just as they always were. JJ sighed and took a seat in the chair next to the metal bed frame. The tv played mindlessly in the background, playing a reality show. The walls were covered with drawings from Henry or Jack, and, more disturbing, Emily.
The blonde gently placed her hand on Emily's shoulder, stroking her hand back and forth gently. She bit back the tears that threatened to spill over, quickly blinking and regaining her composure. More than anything, she wanted to have just one more girls night. One more time where they could relax and have fun. Let loose and forget that this whole, terrible thing ever happened to them. But that was wishful thinking and JJ knew it. There was no going back after something like this. This was their new normal. She hated it with every ounce of her being, but she accepted that she couldn't do anything to change it. She just had to be there for Emily.
Garcia walked into the fairly small, white room bearing coffee for JJ. The usually quirky and energetic analyst had lost all of her spunk since Emily was found. At least while she was missing she had hope. Hope that they'd find her, unharmed and things would return to how they use to be. But, that dream was utterly demolished when it she realized just how broken Emily was.
"No change?"
JJ shook her head then rested her chin back onto her fist.
"Morgan's talking to…" Garcia paused. She hated saying his name and avoided it like the plague. "him today."
"That'll go well…" JJ said absentmindedly, yet Penelope detected a bit of sarcasm. "He misses her. He blames him, obviously."
JJ nodded slightly while she kept her eyes on the brunette. She hadn't moved in the half hour she'd been there and her eyes held their blank stare out the window.
"Do you…do you think she'd want to see him?" Garcia asked sheepishly.
"Not a good idea."
"But maybe it'll be okay this time! Maybe she'll—"
"Penelope no!" JJ snapped.
The analyst stood, wide eyed and shocked, her mouth gaping open.
JJ stood up from her chair and her features softened. "Pen, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. It's just…I saw how she reacted last time. It's just not good for her."
"Morgan's going to come visit today, Em." JJ said with a smile. "He misses you."
Emily sat unmoving in the bed, the only sign of life was the blinking of her eyelids. JJ walked over to the side of the bed and gave Emily's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Is that okay?" She said softly, hoping for a response that never came.
JJ sighed an leaned back in the wooden chair, tucking her hair behind her ear. Only moments later she could hear Penelope's boisterous voice bouncing down the walls. The conversation between Morgan and Garcia quickly halted upon their entry into the room. Derek's shoulders hung low in utter sadness and shock.
"Hi, Em." He said while he walked a bit closer. "How're you doin'?"
Emily slowly raised her eyes to see the new intruder and panic filled every vein inside her. Her body went rigid save for the trembling. She was unable to fight back. Just like always.
JJ's brows furrowed. "Emily? You okay?"
"No…away." Emily stammered. "Away! I don't want! No want!"
"Emily, nobody is going to hurt you." JJ said.
Tears silently flowed down the brunette's cheeks as she tried to back into the bed. "Away! Please! No!"
JJ followed her friend's eyes to the only man standing in the room. Derek.
"Morgan, you gotta leave." JJ said to the shocked man. He stood still at the head of the bed, eyes wide and mouth gaping open. "Derek! Go!"
Penelope quickly regained control of herself and grabbed Derek's arm, whispering into his ear and quickly guiding him back into the hall.
"Emily, look at me," She said, cupping Emily's chin in her hand, "he's gone. You're safe. Okay?"
Fear filled her dark brown eyes and she nodded, gulping in air. "No! No! No more."
"I know, I know. It's okay." JJ soothed. "He's gone."
While JJ sat on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped loosely around Emily's shoulders, she began to think. Why did Emily react so poorly to Derek's presence? He was the one who had been with her right after she'd been rescued. She depended on him those first few hours until they sedated her. So, why now? Why was she so scared of him? What was the most disturbing was the fact that she couldn't even recognize him, her partner.
JJ remembered that day like it was yesterday. Emily had essentially shut down after that day. She became withdrawn, distance and unresponsive. Her eyes held a constant fear that rattled JJ to her core.
"JJ…"
JJ was startled and quickly tore her eyes away from the words of the book. A voice that was so unrecognizable yet familiar broke the silence.
"Hey there, Em. How're you feeling?" She said softly, slowly closing the book and leaning in closer to the brunette. She focused on speaking gently and keeping her movements somewhat slow. She wanted nothing more than to have Emily start to heal and that could not happen until she started talking.
"Good. Go?"
JJ was puzzled, looking at Garcia for help. However, Garcia held the same puzzled expression. "Go? Go where, Em?"
"Home. Go home." Emily said with innocence in her eyes.
"Soon, okay? Not now but soon."
JJ hated that she was speaking this way to a woman who she shared many meaningful conversations with prior to her abduction. A woman who made her laugh until her stomach hurt. A woman with so much psychological intelligence.
The psychologist closed the door gently, taking in a breath before looking at the concerned agents. His newest patient was testing what he thought he knew about the mind. Not to mention, she was one of the most severe and traumatic cases he'd ever come across.
"I believe Emily is suffering from what is called Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or C-PTSD. It develops after a prolonged captivity such as Emily's. She seems to be suffering from a branch of psychological defense mechanisms. In this case, she is regressing back to early childhood stages of her life, hence the two-word phrases." He finished. "Do you have any questions for me?"
The agents all looked somber.
"Will she get better?"
He casted his eyes downwards, inhaled and then looked back up to the woman's wide, fearful eyes. "I'm not sure. Emily has been locked away from humanity for nine years…the damage to her psyche…it's—it's extensive. She's locked away in order to protect herself. From what I understand, she was abused sexually while she was captive, correct?"
The doctor watched as the dark agent's fists clenched and his jaw tensed. "Yes." He answered simply yet the pure fury underneath his words was evident.
"Prolonged sexual abuse can cause a person to withdraw from the outside world and into a world all their own inside their minds. They detach themselves. Many victims of sexual assault report that they went somewhere else during the assault. I believe Emily detached herself so severely she's nearly lost herself—"
"But we can get her back. We can, we will! JJ, tell him! Tell him we'll get her back—"
"Penelope!" JJ cried, gripping the analyst by her shoulders and giving her a slight shake. "I promise you we'll do everything we can to bring her back. But…"
"No! I won't accept it. If you all want to give up on her then go ahead but I won't. I can't."
The room was silent as everyone's heads hung low. None of them intended on giving up but none of them possessed the blind optimism that the quirky analyst did. Dave had seen agents lose it after decades of fighting pure evil. He also knew they never came back.
The doctor cleared his throat, effectively grabbing their attention again. "We can transport her to a facility that is better equipped to handle this kind of situation. She will get the support and therapy she needs there." He paused to allow them to process it. "I'll let you think about it."
The team, collectively, had decided to go ahead with the in-patient therapy facility. Penelope had spent hours scouring the internet to find the best of the best therapy institution to send Emily to, which had led them to Emily's current 'home.'
Penelope's cell phone began buzzing in her pocket, startling Emily and causing her to jump. Garcia winced slightly before speaking.
"Hotch? What is it?"
The worry and confusion in Penelope's voice grabbed JJ's attention and she turned herself so she was facing the conversation.
"Oh…oh my gosh." Garcia stumbled and placed her hand over her mouth. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. "Is…is he okay? What's going to happen?"
JJ struggled to comprehend the conversation as she only received one half of it.
"Okay…okay. Uh, let us know if we can do anything." She concluded and hung up. Garcia looked at JJ with tear-filled eyes. "We should talk in the hall."
JJ, although confused, nodded and placed her hand on Emily's knee. "Em, we'll be right outside, okay?"
Emily didn't respond and JJ sighed and stood. The pair walked outside where Garcia broke down into sobs and JJ quickly engulfed her in a hug.
"Pen, what's wrong!?"
"It's Derek…he's been charged with murder."
"Murder!?" JJ cried. "That's impossible."
"Sealock. He strangled him during the interview." Garcia choked. "They still charged him even after everything that psycho has done to us."
"Is Hotch with him?" JJ questioned which Garcia nodded to. "Then he'll be okay—"
She was interrupted by the wracking sobs coming from the room behind them. Emily's room. The two exchanged confused glances and quickly opened the door. The sight they were met with sent shivers down their spines and bile to their throats. Penelope seemed frozen while JJ snapped herself out of the trance and sprinted to the woman in the bed.
"Penelope, get help!" She cried.
"Emily, Emily look at me. You're going to be fine, okay? Just hold on."
JJ shook off her jacket and grabbed Emily's wrists, pressing down firmly. Emily's arms were covered in a dark, crimson liquid that was quickly oozing onto the white sheets and Emily's gown.
She'd tried to slit her wrists with a pen.
JJ watched as Emily's energy seemed to literally drain out of her body. Her sobs were now replaced with an eerie calm that worried JJ even more. The brunette leaned back against the pillows, her hazy eyes looked around the room lazily. Finally she locked eyes with JJ's frantic orbs.
"Let…let me go. Please."
"No." JJ shook her head violently. "No, you stay with me, Em. We'll get through this."
Then, the doctor was in the room, quickly forcing the two agents into the hall before they could even ask any questions. Both standing still, shocked at the recent events, they watched as Emily was rushed out of her room and down to the awaiting ambulance, leaving Penelope and JJ alone in the hallway.
…
Derek pulled into JJ's driveway at eleven o'clock that Sunday, the same time he'd been doing every week for the past year. He put the car in park and slowly walked up to the blonde's door. He rung the doorbell, took a step back and waited.
"Hey, Derek. She's almost ready." Will said while he held Henry in his arms who was trying to wiggle out as they talked. "It's been a rough morning."
"It's been a year, today." Derek said, slowly trailing off. Will set Henry down who ran back into the living room, plopping down and picking up a toy truck.
"Daddy! Come play wit me!" He squealed.
Will smiled at the boy then looked back to Derek. "She'll be down any minute. Make yourself at home." He offered one last smile before heading off for the living room.
Derek took a few steps and took a seat at the bar in the kitchen. He casually looked around the kitchen until he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Derek, I'm sorry. I'm running late, it's been one hell of a morning."
"Jayje, really. It's no problem."
JJ smiled softly while she pulled her hair into a low pony-tail and then slid on her tennis shoes.
"Ready?" Derek asked gently.
She nodded. "Will, we're going."
The southern man emerged from the family room and placed a short, yet tender kiss to JJ's cheek. "I"ll be here when you get home."
She squeezed his hand one more time, giving him a silent thanks before she and Derek left.
It only took twenty minutes to get there since traffic was light. Sometimes it took them upwards of an hour to make it there if they were picking up another team member or sometimes even the entire team. The term 'team' might be a stretch, Derek concluded, seeing as they weren't working at the BAU together any longer. They hadn't been a team in over ten years now but somehow, they still felt like a team.
Today was just himself and JJ. Hotch had called and so had Rossi. Jack had a soccer game. Rossi was on a book tour. Garcia had to work. But Reid, he rarely came. Derek knew it wasn't because he didn't love her. He knew Reid did. After all, she did take a nasty beating for him all those years ago. He was struggling and Derek knew it. He went to meetings, managing to stay sober by the skin of his teeth. And that's why he didn't come. Coming here meant a reminder. Reminders meant a relapse.
JJ unpacked her bag, a blanket, bag of chips and her phone. She powered down her phone, deciding she didn't need it for the next few hours. Once her phone was dealt with, she unfolded the blanket and sat down. Derek quickly joined her and let out a sigh. JJ watched the dark man close his eyes and draw in a breath. When his eyes reopened his focus was straight ahead. The moisture in his dark eyes didn't go unnoticed.
"So, it's been a year. A year doesn't seem that long now, especially after nine without you. But…" he paused, unable to form the words to speak, "but it was easier when I had hope. Hope that you were still alive, somewhere. But this…" He trailed off and hung his head. A few stray tears escaped and cascaded down his cheeks.
JJ grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and rested her head on his shoulder.
"This is worse." He finished. "Knowing I'll never see you again, ya know?"
"We miss you, Em." JJ added when she felt as if he was done. "We all do."
Derek wiped the tears away and felt a soft smile grace its way to his face. He grabbed the book from his bag, the one she'd given him all those years ago on the jet. The cover was now curling at the edges and the pages were tinted yellow, but it was one of his most loved possessions.
He looked up at the stone in front of him. It read 'EMILY PRENTISS' across the top with the FBI seal and motto underneath. 'FIDELITY, BRAVERY, INTEGRITY' centered under her name. With one last glance to JJ, he opened the aged novel, took a breath and began reading it aloud.
Ok, it's done. Wow, what a tough thing to write. Especially that last part! I struggled to find the appropriate ending to this story and toggled with a few different ones for a while before settling on this. I know, its dark and sad and awful but there's also a certain beauty to it, I think. So, let me know what you liked, what you didn't and I'll think about it for next time. Until then.
Also, I haven't forgotten about His revenge…college has been a bit crazier than expected but I am still working on it. Don't worry.