"Emily!"
It was cold, so cold, as she lay on the hard floor. So cold… And it hurt. So bad. A part of Emily knew she should watch out for Doyle, should answer the desperate call, should move her hands onto the wound to stop the bleeding. She couldn't. Her hands seemed to weigh a ton each and they felt so cold… a painful gasp broke out of her lips as the ice reaches her lungs. For a second Emily realized she was panicking, and then fear and shock washed over her. She could hardly breathe anymore, her heart pounded definitely too fast, she couldn't see through the drizzling curl of black and red… God, how could it be so cold with all the hot, red blood around her?
Emily coughed and tasted iron as the blood now dropped out of her cracked lips. She wanted it to be over. She wanted the pain to stop, now, even if it meant death, even if it meant her team would never understand…
Another gasp, another mouthful of blood, another painful cry that caused the agent's broken body to shiver. As darkness grew deeper, tears welled out of Emily's eyes, the first tears she cried since she had aborted at fifteen. Her team would never know. He would never know…
"Emily!"
There it was again, a cry that was almost as pain-filled as hers had been. The voice of her angel, come to carry her home, cause she just couldn't go on. She couldn't… Death knocked, and she felt her body opening up for the last lover, the cold but peaceful wedding night of forever. The night she'd never get with Derek…
"I got her! Hotch, I got her! Call 911!"
A faint smile cracked the mask of pain Emily's face had become. As if from a great distance she saw Derek Morgan storming around the corner, his eyes filled with terror as he saw her. She still smiled. Her fear was gone. She was ready. A last glance to the man she loved, and then Emily Prentiss closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to stop.
It didn't.
Emily cried in pain again as Morgan finally reached her, tugging her into his lap so her head rested at his shoulder, holding her tightly, cradling her, pressing one hand against her wound. It burnt like hell, and for a second she found herself betrayed. Was it God's penalty for her leaving the team that her angel had turned into a devil?
Morgan's words, however, soothed the pain. "Stay with me, baby, come on!" His voice was filled with passion, and the smile found its way to Emily`s lips again. He'd called her baby, poor boy. Didn't he know it was too late?
"Stay with me!" Derek`s voice became even more urgent, and the fire in his eyes burnt the ice away.
"I know it! I know it all, we know it all, what you did for us, for Declan. I'm so proud of you", he whispered, tears starting to form deep in the back of his eyes. "Do you understand that I'm proud of you because you're my friend", a single tear fell onto her forehead, baptizing her for the next life, "you're my partner. Stay with me, please!"
"I will." Her voice didn't sound right; weak, fearful. Emily slowly put one hand up and stroke Morgan's cheek. "I'm gonna watch you from up there."
"What? No! No, Emily, come on!"
"Yeah, you're right", she didn't want him to be sad like that. "Maybe I'll end up in hell. Too much sin and win."
He kissed her hand, then pulled it down to her belly, pressing it onto the bleeding hole, causing her to gasp once more.
"I'm not gonna let you die, Emily! I won't!" His voice was firm. He gently caressed her hair, her face.
"You don't have to", Emily whispered. Breathing got harder again. "But I'll go, Derek. And you know that." She shuddered, iron filling her mouth again.
"Shh, it's alright, baby, it's alright!" Carefully, he turned her head to the side so she could spit the blood away, directly onto his shirt. He didn't even seem to notice.
"Sorry", she whispered hoarsely, but Morgan only shook his head, sill stroking her face. Emily hated the way his eyes had turned dark, the fire all gone. He knew it. He knew her time was running out fast.
She didn't want him to be sad like that, she couldn't leave him that way. She needed him to let her go, and to let go of the pain in his eyes. God owed her this, these last minutes.
Shivering with new ice and old pain, Emily raised her hand to his neck, pulling him closer.
"It's okay", she whispered. "It's okay…"
"No, it's not, Emily! Don't leave me! Please don't!" Morgan broke off for a second, uncertain to say more. Then he brought his face even closer to hers so their noses met. Emily sighed at the touch.
"I love you", Derek said, trying to hold back the tears, "I thought I couldn't tell you cause of all the protocol shit, but I do. Em, I'm so sorry…" He was interrupted by her lips.
They kissed, and the iron on Emily's mouth was washed away by his sweet taste, warm vanilla on chocolate lips, and she knew that heaven was right now. And that he would never be able to let her go, which meant hell for him. A fear she had never known rose inside her. Was love always that destroying? Did she have to kill him inside? Another stream of tears made its way down the agent's face, and again Emily found herself unable to breathe. "I…don't…" her voice got washed away, but through the haze of tears she could see a weak smile forming in the corners of his mouth.
"It's okay, Emily", he whispered, now finally having banned his tears, "it's okay. You've been fighting long enough. You deserve to rest now. I'll take care of the team for you, right?"
Emily shuddered. It was hard to speak. "You mean…" she coughed again, the ice gripping her body for the last time.
"I mean", he answered quickly so not to cause her any more pain, "that you'll be my angel, Emily. Cause I'll let you go and you'll be in heaven. It's okay." The smile on his face was real, and it was the "Derek-Morgan-every-woman-is-beautiful-and-worth-to-be-worshipped-as-a-person-smile" she had fallen for since the beginning. He pulled her closer, still stroking her face.
"You're so brave, Emily. You gonna make this journey, and I won't follow you right now, but I won't leave you, okay? I'll stay with you, baby, I'm here, I won't let go, I promise! You just need to rest, you deserve it. It's alright." He blinked the tears away.
Emily felt her body relax, the pain was gone now. She was done. God was up there somewhere, she remembered, and he had sent her Derek to guide her home. She was done, she had done everything she could do. It was over.
With the last ounce of power she had in her fingers she stroke his neck.
"I love you, Derek Morgan."
"I love you, Emily Prentiss. Always have, always will."
Morgan kissed her forehead, and in this kiss Emily fell asleep, still feeling Derek on her lips as Death kissed her.
Feeling her body going limp, Derek started to cry.