A/N: Hey all. So this is the first chapter in the "Memory Lane" storyline. This episode (as you might guess pretty quickly) is Minimal Loss. Please read and review and tell me if you think it's worth it to keep going.

Just a tip. The memories themselves are in italics and the rest is just normal font. And the kids are the same in the "What if I waited" universe. I.e. Jack, Lexi, and Matty.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

Emily looked up when she heard footsteps coming towards the ambulance. She was trying to be brave, trying to convince the others that she was fine. But in all honesty, it was killing her. Her ribs, her eye, her cheek… her heart. They were all aching with the pressure of the past few days. She was exhausted and just wanted to sleep but she knew that her mind would be racked with nightmares for God knows how long.

Morgan poked his head around the side of the van and frowned. Emily looked up, relieved that it was Morgan and not Hotch. She didn't know if she'd be ready to face him just yet.

"How you doin?" he asked, concern etched on his fine face. Emily nodded and forced a smile. "I'll be fine. Gimme some aspirin and I'll be just dandy," she said brightly. Morgan huffed and nodded, slowly making his way over and squeezing her shoulder.

"You had me scared. Felt like I was losing my big sister," he joked. Emily smiled sadly and shook her head. "You're not getting rid of me that easy," she replied. The paramedic gently placed the heat pack on her ribs, and Emily winced. She turned and forced a smile for the young man. "Am I good to go now?" she asked. The paramedic nodded and smiled. "You'll be fine," he replied, "Just check in with your GP when you get home."

Emily nodded and started to climb down from the gurney. Morgan reached up and held out his arm, helping her down. Emily whispered thank you and he smiled. "Anytime Em," he replied, "Anytime."

The two agents started towards the huddle of BAU'ers, walking as slowly as possible. Hotch looked up and watched them with concern. "Have you spoken to him yet?" Morgan asked. Emily shook her head and winced. "No. It can wait until we get home," she replied. Morgan nodded and squeezed Emily's hand.

He suddenly stopped. "Oh… wait," he said quickly. Emily stopped next to him and turned, now worried about her friend. She wrinkled her brow in confusion when he pulled his cell from his belt of gadgets. He put his arm around her waist, held the cell up in front of them, and turned to Emily. "Garcia wanted photographic evidence that you're ok," he explained. Emily nodded in understanding and smiled. "Well… what are you waiting for? Can't keep Penelope Garcia waiting," she replied, looking up at the camera and producing the most genuine smile she could muster.

With one click, Morgan took the photo. He quickly sent it to Garcia's phone before they continued towards the small huddle of agents. When they reached the group, Morgan turned to Emily and kissed her cheek. "Glad you're ok," he whispered in her ear, before turning to the others. Emily smiled and squeezed his hand.

Hotch walked quickly down the hall. He couldn't believe that she'd left before he had the chance to yell at her. She'd put herself in unnecessary danger. It wasn't that he'd wanted Reid to get hurt, but maybe there was a way that both could've been kept safe and uninjured.

Without taking a moment to calm down, he walked up to the big red door and knocked loudly. He counted to ten before he knocked again. He'd reached seven in his second countdown and was raising his fist to knock for a third time when the door swung open.

"What the hell are you doing? Banging on my door in the middle of the night?" Emily exclaimed. Her jaw dropped when she realized who she was yelling at. "Oh Hotch… I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you," she tried to explain, "I thought it was… you know what… never mind."

Hotch just stood in silence. He didn't know what to say. He'd had his entire speech memorized but the moment he saw her, dressed in a thin, white, cotton nightgown, the bruises on her neck and face so starkly contrasting to her regular ivory skin, all of those words slipped away and he was filled with a great feeling of relief. She was safe. Holding her ribs in what seemed to be a painful way, but safe nonetheless.

Without saying a word he stepped forward and hugged her tight. Emily sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing as tightly as her injured ribs would allow. He squeezed her once more before stepping back, embarrassment filling his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude Prentiss. I just needed to see that you were alright," he explained. Emily smiled at the unusually bashful man standing in front of her. The whole time she'd known him (which really wasn't that long, but in the BAU, a week felt like a year), he'd never been known for his emotional vulnerability or comfort in public displays of affection.

Emily nodded and tipped her head towards her apartment. "Do you want to come in?" she asked. Hotch wrinkled his brow, then shook his head. "No," he replied, inwardly shocked at the obvious disappointment on Emily's face, "You need to rest and I need to make sure the paperwork for your sick leave are ready for tomorrow," he explained.

Emily nodded and smiled sadly. "I guess I'll see you in a couple of days then," she replied. Hotch nodded and reached up, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. "I'm glad you're ok," he said quietly. Emily bit her lip and nodded. "Call me if you need me to come back earlier," she offered. He crossed his eyebrows. "Tuesday Prentiss. I mean it," he replied sternly. Emily nodded and watched as he turned and headed back towards the elevator. She closed the door to her apartment and sighed. Maybe she'd just let herself have tomorrow off then see how she felt on Thursday. She could even restrict herself to office duties until Tuesday.

Emily looked up when she felt a small hand on her shoulder. She turned and was greeted by the adorable face of her three year-old son, Matty. She reached around and took his hand, gently guiding him into her lap. Brushing his hair back from his face, she kissed his forehead.

"What are you doing up sweetheart?" she whispered quietly. Matty looked up at his mom and tried to suppress a yawn. "Lexi was making noises and she woked me up," he explained. Emily checked her watch and sighed. She'd only checked on the twins twenty minutes ago and both had been sound asleep. Best to just leave her and hope that she'd go back to sleep.

"What are you doing Mommy?" Matty asked, glancing down at the box of photos. Emily smiled and kissed her son's forehead again. "I was just looking through some old photos," she explained, "Would you like to see some?" Matty nodded enthusiastically, causing his mom to laugh.

Matty picked up the photo of Uncle Dek and Emily, wrinkling his small brow. "Mommy, you've got a really bad boo boo!" he cried out. Emily bit her lip and nodded. "I know baby. I was hurt by a bad man but Uncle Dek and Uncle Spence saved me… and a lot of other people too," she explained.

Matty nodded and smiled, satisfied with that answer. He pointed to the box and grinned at his mom. "Ok. What's next?"