[A/N]: Hello again! This is another AU but I wanted it to be separate from my series. This idea has been bugging me for a while now, so I thought I would give it the chance to come to life. I'm a sucker for angst, but I'm also looking forward to the character development that I get to play with in this fic. Hopefully the idea isn't too difficult to follow. Also, I suppose this fic could be read as Morgan/Prentiss, but really, it's more of a friendship/team fic.
Please let me know what you think! I've gone through it quite a few times, but I always seem to miss a spelling errors or something of the like. If that is the case, please feel free to point it out to me.
Hope you enjoy! :)
August 21st, 2013
San Francisco, CA
The buzz of the chattering saturated the atmosphere, lightening the mood after a week of working a long case. The music in the bar seemed to drown out the laughter of the small group as they finished up the last of their drinks and began to gather up their stuff.
"Admit it! I drank you under the table, pretty boy," Morgan chuckled, obviously inebriated. It was slightly concerning, considering the agent was usually the least affected by alcohol.
"Was there ever really any doubt that you wouldn't?" Reid muttered and the rest looked on, amused, as the younger man burped lightly. "How many did I get in?"
JJ shrugged her coat on and gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Including the last shot that you practically spilled? I would say about four."
"I wouldn't count it. Most of the liquor ended up on the table anyway," Rossi pointed out.
"So, three," JJ corrected.
Morgan shook his head, grinning at his friends and following Hotch, who had proceeded to begin to lead them out of the bar. He loved nights after a case well resolved. More often than not, they didn't get the happy ending. Most of their weekends were spent alone in their homes – letting the thoughts of the previous case haunt them. And even at the end of a good week, people like JJ or Hotch wanted nothing more than to go home and be with their kids. It was rare for them to ever have evenings with the team together.
And only once in a blue moon did they agree on drinking.
So, Morgan had decided early on that he was going to make the most of it.
He swung a lazy arm over Reid's shoulder, "Don't worry, kid. We'll choose something lighter next time."
"Great," Reid gagged slightly and coughed. "Can't wait."
They all laughed at that and exited the bar one by one as Hotch held the door open for them all, probably seeing it as his responsibility as their boss to make sure they all made it back to the hotel in one piece. Morgan wouldn't be surprised if he had already sobered up.
He was a good man like that.
A cool night breeze flowed past them immediately after stepping across the building's threshold and outside towards the pavement. Morgan felt the frigid air cool his head and help clear the fuzziness in his mind. He closed his eyes and stretched a bit, feeling extremely satisfied after a few rounds of drinks with his friends and an eased conscience.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Emily standing patiently beside JJ and Rossi, who were speaking to one another animatedly. He watched as her gaze swept over the team, her expression soft only until her eyes met his and became suddenly alert. She gave him a small smile, but Morgan still felt that something was off.
He unlatched himself Reid and slowly walked over to where the brunette was leaning against the wall. The look that she gave him only sent a wave of concern to his brain. Why does she look so uncomfortable? Is she sick? Maybe she was hurt during Mandell's takedown earlier.
Morgan put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey."
She smiled lightly, "Hey."
He angled his head so he could see her eyes more clearly, as if that would help him to understand why she was acting so strangely, "You okay?"
Her head bobbed quickly. "Yeah. Just a little tired. I think my head got rattled around a bit too much today, but I'm fine." Her eyes darted to the side for a split second before going back up to his face again.
Lie.
"You seem a bit quieter than usual. You didn't get hurt earlier, did you? That was some hit." Morgan remembered how close Emily was to being tossed down a flight of stairs by their unsub. They had both been checking the top floor of the house when Mandell got the jump on her. It was only because of quick thinking on her part that she came out of the fight relatively unharmed.
She scoffed sarcastically, giving him a playful eye roll, "Yeah – tell that to my shoulder. Remind me to never tackle a guy sixty pounds heavier than me unless I want to have a sore shoulder the next week."
Morgan let out a little laugh at that, then became somber, "So, you're good?"
Her eyes flickered over to him and she gave him a sad look.
So she remembers, too, he thought. It was the same thing he asked her before she disappeared to hunt after Doyle.
Before she died.
She replied gently, "I'm good."
"And you would tell me if you weren't, right?" He asked her, trying to find the answer in her eyes.
He didn't miss the second of hesitation before she nodded, "I will."
Morgan stared at her for just a bit longer, trying to grasp something in her expression that he hadn't seen already. Their conversation was ended abruptly when Hotch addressed them all.
"Alright everyone, go back to the hotel and get some sleep. We fly back home at 9AM sharp," Hotch told them. Their flight had been delayed due to a large power outage back in DC. "I'm going to make a quick stop by the station again, so it might be better for you all to go without me."
"I'll go with you. I think I left my briefcase in the conference room," Rossi said.
Hotch nodded, "We'll leave the two SUVs with you. Prentiss, JJ, you're driving," The Unit Chief left no room for the other two intoxicated men to argue, and truthfully, they knew better not to. Both women had opted to have very little to drink in comparison to their colleagues. Morgan and Reid mumbled goodbyes to their departing co-workers while JJ and Prentiss got their keys out.
Morgan sighed and looked over to the women, whom of which were already walking to their respective vehicles. He was about to head towards the car that Prentiss opening, but Reid suddenly spoke up. "Prentiss! Can I ride with you?"
The older agent turned around curiously only to find Reid stumbling over to the SUV hurriedly. Morgan felt his brow rise on its own at the unusual request. It was never set in stone, but it was usually JJ and Reid, and him and Prentiss. The rotation moved around occasionally, but that was only because they were assigned that way. Morgan had no problem with switching, but Prentiss was his partner.
"I – uh... wanted to talk to you about the Star Trek marathon," was all the younger man had said and Morgan noticed the uncertain glances that he kept shooting between the remaining agents.
Morgan did, however, miss the glare that Emily was giving Reid behind his back.
She covered it up just as he turned towards her. "Yeah, sure. Hope you don't mind, Derek."
He simply smiled good-naturedly at his friend, "No problem, Princess. JJ and I can just talk shop."
"Nu uh, no more talking about work until we get back in the office!" Prentiss give him a pointed look as she popped the driver's door open.
He chuckled as he did the same to the passenger door to JJ's car. "Yes, ma'am."
September 29th, 2013
Quantico, Virginia
It was a quiet evening in the office and most of the agents had already gone home for the night. Only a few lights were still lit in the office, that of which belonging to Dave Rossi and Aaron Hotchner. It was unsurprising for the two to be the remaining, as they often used this time to catch up. Despite the fact that they worked with each other almost every day, there wasn't a lot of time to converse on other matters. Ever since Dave had returned to the BAU, they liked to chat with one another over cases, family, and a number of trivial things.
This time, their discussion drifted into a different direction, one that he usually prefers to stay clear of to avoid involuntarily profiling his colleagues.
Tonight, they were camped out in Hotch's office, both of them carrying whiskey glasses as they sat through a small stall in the conversation.
"You know, it's been almost a year now," Dave mentioned loosely.
Aaron was leaned back in his chair, holding the drink a few inches from his lips. "What do you mean?" He had a feeling he knew what his friend was referring to, but it was rare for Dave to ever bring something up without reason. Aaron just wasn't sure that he wanted to open up that can of worms tonight.
"Since she's been back," his elder answered easily. "It's been nearly a year."
The Unit Chief sighed, "I assume you're referring to Emily?"
Rossi nodded thoughtfully, "You'd be correct." Then he stopped and thought for a moment, contemplating his next words carefully. "She's been a bit... off lately."
"Prentiss knows that we're here for her if she needs anything."
"I know that, but… Dammit, Aaron, she fell asleep on the jet with her coffee still in her hand. There's something wrong - I just feel like there's something..." Dave looked at him and he could see the impatience in his friend's gaze.
Aaron countered, "What do you want me to do, Dave? I won't force her to talk to me."
Dave deflated at that, "I know... I know."
The younger man ran a hand across his face. He was well aware of the strange behavior coming from his agent. In fact, Aaron had witnessed it firsthand quite a few times. Before, it was simple things. He would notice that she was always the first in the office and on the jet. During cases, she always seemed to have dark circles beneath her eyes, no matter how many times he had insisted to get some rest.
And really, that was all he could do. Prentiss was not the type to ask for aid, that much was seen with the Doyle situation. He had to twist her arm a bit just to get her to agree to even think of talking to him about her problems or when she was having her "bad days". Other than that, there was little he could do without ordering the woman to open up to him or one of the other members of the team. And there was no way in hell he was going to try that.
Emily Prentiss had been through a lot within the span of ten years, so if anything, she deserved a little privacy. He knew that since she got back, each member of the team felt the need to hover over her, whether it was morning jogs with Morgan, or nights out with the girls. Aaron wouldn't be the one to intrude on what little time she had to herself.
However, Prentiss' actions had started to become more and more concerning with each day, and he was afraid that he may have to address it sooner rather than later. The last thing he wanted was to see his agent - his friend - who had given up so much, crumble under some unknown pressure when they could have done something to help. But he knew she would never accept any straightforward questioning.
And this was why Aaron was so conflicted.
"Think it's something from her CIA days again?" Dave asked quietly.
Aaron replied grimly, "I certainly hope not." It was not a secret that Prentiss' past was rather bleak. Unfortunately, many of the others on his team had this in common.
The other man shook his head sadly and stared into his empty glass, "When will that girl get a break…?"
Aaron couldn't help but wonder the same thing.
Dave added with a lighter tone this time, "She saved that girl's life today."
"We almost missed her," Aaron mumbled before he took a sip from his nearly empty glass.
Flashes of memories from earlier that day ran through his head. He remembers being with Prentiss and Reid going through the front of the house while JJ, Morgan, and Dave were to cover the back. Aaron recalls the loud screams of young Anna Byers echo through the building and his own orders of "move, move!" through the comms. He and Reid had rushed forwards towards the staircase and in the corner of his eye he could see Dave, Morgan, and JJ dash into the house to back them up. It was then that Aaron realized that Prentiss was not in front of them anymore.
"Prentiss?" He called into the comm.
"He's going to go out the back!" She replied quickly.
Both he and Morgan headed up the front and busted into the locked room where the source of the squeals were. Aaron had barely enough time to see the back of Johnny Wicker and the struggling form of the little girl before the man pulled her into his arms and carried her out of the open window that lead to the backyard. The team surged forwards except for Morgan, who practically threw himself down the side of the house after the man. The team watched as the Unsub had now regained his balance and picked the girl up again, ready to make a run for it.
However, he wasn't able to get very far as Prentiss came darting out from the darkness and smacked the man with the end of her gun. Wicker was a heftier man, so the blow had only fazed him enough to drop Anna and turn his attention towards the female agent. The Unsub didn't waste any time in taking out his gun and pointing it right at Prentiss, but he was quickly disabled when Morgan recovered from his jump and rammed into the man's side. A collective sigh of relief went through them all at the sight of Morgan cuffing Wicker and Prentiss comforting the traumatized girl.
"Morgan and Prentiss did good today," Rossi commented on what they both already knew. There was a reason why Aaron had put them together in the field in the first place. They worked well together and he would have been a fool to not utilize their partnership.
So, Aaron agreed, "They did." But he didn't voice what was really on his mind.
How did she know? Aaron wondered, and his brow creased in thought.
Everyone else had gone after the Unsub on the second story of the house and the only reason Morgan was able to reach him was because he followed the man through the window. So how had Prentiss known that Wicker was going to go out towards the backyard?
While he was lost in thought, he almost didn't notice Dave stand from his seat and bid him goodnight. Aaron watched his friend go before shaking his head and standing, as well.
Perhaps he had just had too much to drink.
October 12th, 2013
Georgetown, Virginia
Both JJ and Emily waved goodbye to the others as they headed towards the door. Morgan was supporting a very wobbly Garcia while telling them both to get home safe.
"And make sure Em doesn't puke in your car!" Morgan teased.
Emily threw up her favorite "simple gesture" behind them while JJ laughed at her friend's grumpiness.
The entire group had gone to Rossi's that night for a small celebration in light of Emily's birthday. Needless to say, there was more than a couple drinks exchanged, but even then, the party had been fairly mellow. She and Garcia had been the one to set everything up, and they both knew that anything more than a simple night with friends would not be something Emily would enjoy.
JJ unlocked her car and helped Emily load the box full of presents into the back of her car before getting into the front seat. She started the engine quickly and cranked up the heat, causing both women to sigh comfortably. Emily was zipping up her jacket as JJ pulled out of Rossi's driveway.
"You would think after living in places like Russia I would be used to this by now," Emily mumbled and placed her hands next to the air vents.
JJ smirked, "You would think."
"Guess my birthday wish didn't come true then," the brunette chuckled bitterly. JJ saw her lean back against the leather seat of her car, trying to get comfortable.
"Oh?" JJ wondered, raising a brow at her friend while still keeping an eye on the road. "And what exactly was your wish?"
"Well, it was that I wouldn't have to freeze to death this year. Looks like that isn't happening… Remember how my heat went out a couple years ago during winter?"
She vaguely remembered the other woman having to call out sick for almost a week because of a bad case of the flu. JJ knows the brunette still blames her chilled apartment for getting her ill.
"Listen, Em, I promise that if the same thing happens to you this year, you can come stay in our extra bedroom," JJ offered.
"Winter's a long time, Jayje."
"I mean it."
Emily shook her head, "It's fine, really. I'm just being dramatic. Plus, I wouldn't want to intrude or anything. It just means I'm going to need to double up on blankets again."
JJ shot her friend a look, "Seriously, Em. Will won't mind, and Henry loves you. You aren't intruding if I'm inviting you." Emily shook her head again, causing the younger woman to frown.
It made her heart ache to know that Emily would rather spend the winter cold and alone just because she thought it would inconvenience her family. Hell, Emily was family, and it was a bit disheartening that she felt that way after all they had been through. JJ just wished that she would talk to her - or Hotch, or Morgan, somebody. Over the past couple of months, she had noticed the other woman had become slightly more withdrawn. Not the same way she was during the Doyle predicament, that kind of behavior would have definitely set off alarm bells for them all. No, this was different.
She was still there, but a lot of times, someone would catch her too far gone in her thoughts - as if her mind had too much to focus on at once. And whenever someone would try to confront her about her behavior, she either denied it or made a witty joke of it. JJ hoped that being alone with her friend would be the key to getting her to open up.
And at first, she was wrong.
"Em… Are you alright?" JJ asked tentatively.
"Fine. Just a bit tired. I never thought hanging around drinking would drain me this much," Emily said amusedly.
"Well, it's not just that," JJ continued to probe. "I don't know; you seem… Is there anything bothering you, maybe?"
And just as she thought, Emily deflected, like she usually did whenever someone broached a topic she would rather not talk about.
"Nope. I'm fine," Emily answered easily. "But if I don't get home and soak these chilled bones soon, we may have a real problem."
Dammit, JJ cursed mentally, but took the rejection in stride. Instead she brought back a lighter tone, "Garcia did get you that care kit. Though, I think she went a bit overboard with the bath bombs."
"There can never be too many bath bombs," Emily grinned, shivering slightly. "You know, maybe I'll go to California for Christmas. I'm kind of over the whole 'white Christmas' thing… I want to be able to go to the beach on Christmas Eve..."
The rest of the car ride went smoothly with both of them gossiping about tons of random things ranging from Hotch's new tie to Anderson's promotion. It was only until they were nearing Emily's apartment that the conversation leveled out into a steady silence.
They were just a few blocks from Emily's complex when she suddenly asked in a voice so soft that JJ almost didn't hear her, "What do you do when you're stuck, Jayje?"
Her eyes widened at the question, but she kept her tone neutral. This was the opportunity she had needed. "What do you mean?" JJ inquired carefully
Emily went on, not looking towards JJ, but out of the foggy windshield instead. Her eyes seemed to be gazing out beyond the streets, her mind somewhere far away, "What do you do when you're stuck… When you've thought about all the options, but you still can't decide on what you want?"
JJ tried to rapidly analyze the information she had just been given about her friend before answering. Decision? What decision? About the job? About love? There's something deeper here, but what is it!
Her hands gripped the steering wheel just a bit tighter as she tried to stay casual. "Maybe it just means you need another opinion. You've seen all you can, maybe there's another choice there that you haven't thought of."
"I don't think I have a choice," Emily admitted in a whisper, speaking more to herself than to JJ.
"There's always another option, Em." Please believe that. Please, Emily. Don't shut us out again.
Emily was just about to reply when they pulled in front of her apartment. JJ was tempted to keep driving just to keep her friend talking now that she was finally opening up. No! She screamed in her head, as her friend began to gather up her things, obviously finished with the conversation.
"Thanks for the ride, JJ. I had a lot of fun tonight," Emily smiled lightly and exited the car, grabbing her gifts out of the backseat swiftly.
"Emily-!" JJ called out, trying desperately to make the woman stay and tell her what her "choice" was.
"I'll see you on Monday," was all Emily said, and she waved to her when she passed the window again. Then, she turned around to head into her gated complex, leaving her friend staring after her, utterly confused and frustrated. She hadn't even been able to wish her a happy birthday one last time.
JJ sat there for a few more seconds before shifting her car into drive and rolling away, feeling even more uneasy than before.
November 2nd, 2013
Alexandria, Virginia
Two black SUVs and a squad car pulled up to a decently sized warehouse at the edge of Alexandria. The team quickly filed out of the cars and congregated together for one last game plan.
"How are we gonna go about this?" Officer Jeremy Olsen asked while making sure his vest was strapped on tight. The BAU agents were doing the same.
Hotch answered, "According to Garcia, there are three entrances. Morgan, Prentiss and Lieutenant Cavanaugh, go through the right, JJ, Rossi and Reid, you'll go through the left. You and I will head up the front, if that's alright."
"Sounds fine to me," the Captain agreed and gave his Lieutenant a small nod. "Let's catch this bastard."
"Everyone stay on your comms no matter what. This place isn't huge, but it's practically a labyrinth in the dark. Stevens has the advantage," Hotch gave the final warning and with that the units departed quickly.
Morgan moved forward, trying to stay even with Prentiss' pace while the Lieutenant covered their backs. The three moved steady, but hurriedly, knowing that the last victim wouldn't have that much time.
They had been tracking this Unsub for over a week. A few days ago they came up with a profile. He was a white male in his fifties that enjoyed to watch others suffer. As the stereotypical sadist, the team had found nothing but gruesome abuse and rage towards the victims when they saw the dumped bodies. It was earlier that day that Garcia was able to find a match in Remy Stevens. She tracked down his personal records and they found out that his wife had died almost six months ago, right when the murders had started. Garcia had given them a list of abandoned properties in the area and they were able to narrow it down.
"The victims had feathery things in their hair, right? There's an abandoned pillow and mattress factory on here," Garcia had wasted no time in sending them the address after that.
It was eerily quiet throughout the building and Morgan was fairly certain that he could hear the occasional scampering of rats whenever they edged a corner. Dust permeated the air and left a musty smell that was beginning to grow stronger as they strayed deeper down the corridors. Hotch had been right, even with the dim lights of the factory on, it was still difficult to see.
"Morgan," Prentiss hissed, causing him to turn towards his partner. "We're in the right place." He looked down at what she had been staring at and he wasn't surprised when a trail of dried blood peppered the ground.
"Jesus…" The Lieutenant whispered as his wide eyes followed the crimson path.
They were about to continue onward when a loud cry echoed through against the stone walls, "NO! Please!" It had to be Sadie Williams, their missing girl.
Morgan barely blinked before Prentiss dashed off ahead of him, causing him to jump into action as well. He had only been slightly behind her when they raced into the dark room together, both catching the sight of Remy Stevens holding a knife over the cowering form of Sadie Williams. Prentiss got to him first and managed to kick the knife from his hand before she was shoved against the wall. Morgan rushed the man, not thinking twice about how things were about to play out.
There was a grunt from Stevens when they impacted and fell to the floor. Morgan felt a sharp pain in his chest when the man's foot slammed him back to the ground. He got up as quickly as he could and was shocked when he saw Stevens pull a magnum from under his shirt and point it towards Sadie and Prentiss.
Two shots went off and suddenly, Stevens' body was falling to the floor with a round dot on the side of his head while the Lieutenant slowly lowered his gun. At the same time, a scream of pain came from the younger girl, who was now clutching at her right shoulder with tears streaking down her cheeks. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Prentiss slowly attempting to get to her knees and Morgan felt an instant surge of concern for his partner, causing his gut to clench. He wanted nothing more than to go help her up and walk her out of the damned room, but he had to get pressure on Sadie's wounds before she bled out.
The Lieutenant's instantly began to make a call through his walkie. "I need an ambulance; we've got a twenty-three year-old female with a gunshot wound to the shoulder…"
He slid over to the woman's side and tried to calm her down, "Hey - hey! Sadie, it's okay. My name's Derek, I'm with the FBI. I need to stop your wound from bleeding, okay?" Fearful eyes stared back up at him and darted towards the corners of the room, like a frightened animal. "It's okay! It's okay; that man can't hurt you anymore - He's dead. Now I'm going to press my hands against your shoulder, okay? I need you to nod for me."
The woman sucked in a breath, but quickly moved her head in agreement.
"This is gonna hurt, but you're gonna be okay. Just squeeze my friend's hand if it gets too bad," Morgan gestured for the Lieutenant to join him Sadie's left side and then wasted no time in applying pressure to her wound.
Sadie whimpered and clenched her eyes shut and Morgan took that time to push her forward slightly and check how bad the exit was, but there was nothing.
"Morgan, Prentiss! Report!" Hotch's voice came through over the comm in his ear. He had almost forgotten that he had it in.
"The Unsub is dead and we found Sadie Williams. She's injured, but it was a closed shoulder shot," Morgan relayed.
"He never used guns on any of his other victims," Reid cut through the static this time.
"I know; it doesn't fit the profile or his MO. The guy had a revolver in under his shirt."
Hotch was quiet for a moment and Morgan could hear slight shuffling in the background. "We'll review the profile later. We're on our way to you right now."
Morgan finished the conversation and turned his attention back towards Sadie's wound. The Lieutenant did a good job at keeping her talking and focused elsewhere, allowing him to check the injury again. He slowly lifted his hand and inspected her again. If there was no exit wound, then the bullet had to be in her shoulder still.
And sure enough, when he checked he saw the glint of the end of the brass bullet on the surface of her flesh. His brow furrowed. A bullet from a magnum that close would have at least gone through…
Then it clicked.
Morgan whipped his head around to find Emily lying with her face against the concrete floor and her eyes shut. "No, no, no. Prentiss!" He disconnected his hands from Sadie's shoulder and told the Lieutenant hurriedly, "Take over for me and call another ambulance."
The blood rushing to his ears blocked out the frantic stammering of the officer and the shrill questioning of "what's wrong?" coming from the blonde. His body seemed to move ten times slower so that when he finally got to Emily's side, it felt like an eternity had passed. His breath hitched in his throat when he recognized the dark spot of blood surrounding a ragged exit wound that had gone through her vest.
He slowly flipped her onto her back and immediately pressed his ear to her chest and was alarmed to find that he could barely hear anything. Morgan made quick work of getting the ruined vest off of her and pressing his already bloodied hands against the wound on her chest. "Come on, Prentiss, you gotta wake up."
Relief flooded through him for just a short moment when he saw her eyes crack open slightly. "Morgan…?"
"Yeah, baby, it's me. You're gonna be alright, just stay with me," he tried to keep his tone light, but the feeling of dread was worming its way deeper into his stomach. There was already a pool of blood creeping out from beneath her body.
She took in a breath and his heart clenched when she cried out. Her breaths were shallow now and he feared that his hands against her chest weren't helping at all. "I-Is he dead? St-Stevens?
"Don't worry about him, just focus on your breathing, just-," Morgan faltered and he felt tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes. Where the hell is everyone, dammit?
"Hey," Prentiss whispered. "It's o-okay. It's okay."
The words made Morgan want to scream. How can she be so calm about this?! No one should be that comfortable with death, and especially not someone like Emily Prentiss. How could someone that had done so much good in her life still have bad things happen to her?
It's not fair.
"No!" Morgan finally choked out. "No, it is not okay! Don't you dare give in!"
And then, in the blink of an eye, Emily appeared more lucid than ever. But her gaze carried a sadness to them that he had never seen before - as if she had already accepted her fate.
She was gasping for breath now. "I-It has t-to end. I'm s-s-sorry," she murmured shakily as her eyelids fluttered shut.
"No, Emily!" He shook her slightly. "What has to end?"
But he didn't get a response. Not even a twitch.
He listened again for her pulse, but didn't find one.
"No, no, no! Emily, don't do this! Please, don't do this!" Morgan pleaded under his breath and immediately began to perform CPR. He didn't know how long he had repeated the procedure, but eventually he felt someone pull him back.
He somewhat remembers fighting against the force holding him and spouting incoherent sentences, trying to get back to Emily.
He vaguely remembers JJ crying by his side and Reid visibly shaking.
He remembers how Emily's breath had slowed and what it felt like when the last rush of air left her body.
But most of all, he clearly remembers the final moments of Emily Prentiss' life and her last words to him.
"I'm sorry."
