Hey all!
Here's the sitch: I'm moving out of my dorm today, and most of it is emptied and clean (Thankfully!) So I'm literally taking 5 minutes to post the second to last chapter of my saga (And possibly the last one too, if I have a moment after this).
EDIT: My mom arrived right before I could publish this chapter, so I had to wait until tonight ot post. Expect the epilogue sometime tomorrow, or this week.
I can't believe Emily's gone again! But I loved the wedding... Prentiss/Reid feels! Hence the turn that this whole project is going.
I don't own Criminal Minds!
….
"My, my, how touching," he purred. He stared at Emily as he spoke. "Hello Lauren. How nice to see you again."
"Ian," Emily hissed. "I don't think the feel's mutual."
Doyle chuckled. "Oh Emily, I must congratulate you on the 'successful' rescue of your friend." Ian paused to look at Reid's bloody, sweaty and slightly tearstained face. "Although it truly depends on your definition of the word 'successful,' as the young Dr. Reid didn't quite escape from me unscathed."
"I saw your video, Ian," she coldly intoned. "Tell me, is sadism part of your MO now, or was that made to further torture me?"
"You still have a matching tattoo on your chest?" Ian countered; he smirked as Emily unconsciously rubbed her chest again.
"You told me that they weren't part of your game," she spat. "You told me that my TEAM was innocent and that you wouldn't harm them."
"Well, that was before I found out you were faking your own death, Love," Ian chided. He was shaking a finger in Emily's direction as though he were scolding a naughty child. "I had an old friend in Paris. Izzy. She saw you on the street and called me. What a surprise, eh?"
"You son of a bitch," Emily shouted. "You found out I was alive and instead of confronting me, you took the coward's route and came back here, is that it? You wanted to prove to yourself that you were a big boy, so you killed four people, including an FBI agent."
Suddenly, Emily let out a "HA!" of sarcastic laughter. "And then you grab another FBI agent, torture him and set a dangerous international sexual predator on him, all so you can get revenge on me? You did all that, when all this time, you could have gone to Europe and scouted me out. You had the resources to find me, but you decide to do this," she gestured around the warehouse.
"It drew you out," Ian barked. "At the first sign of trouble, you came running back, hoping to find me and rescue your team. You love playing the hero, Emily Prentiss. Admit it. You did it for Declan, and now you're doing it for your doctor."
"Maybe I like being the hero!"
Ian chuckled. "Is that so?" Then he raised his gun.
Three shots rang out in quick succession. Ian dropped his gun, stumbling slightly. He wrapped his arms around his chest and fell to his knees, slumping as he fell lower. He finally came to rest on his back, hands still wrapped around his torso but still kneeling on one knee.
Behind him stood Clyde Easter.
"Well, that was tedious," Clyde muttered.
….
Four hours later, Emily and Morgan sat in the hospital waiting room, waiting for the doctors to clear Reid for visitors. Rossi had gone to report back to Strauss, Hotch was with Clyde, checking on Declan, who had been living in the District since Emily had relocated him. JJ had gone home to Henry.
"I hope he's alright," Emily muttered suddenly. Morgan looked up to see her peeking through the blinds of a window. Weak sunlight petered through the blinds. Morgan rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"He'll be fine," he assured her. "Reid, despite his looks, is a lot stronger than we give him credit for. He's like that guy from that TV series he likes so much, the one with the blue box and the guy with the bowtie and the redhead. What's it called, Professor What?"
"Doctor Who," Emily corrected. "And you have a point. I just… I feel so sorry about what happened, and guilty for leaving the team, especially Spencer. Everyone he has ever loved has left him in some way. His dad, Gideon…."
Oh my God," Morgan whispered.
"What?"
"You're in love with Pretty Boy," Morgan chuckled, using his nickname for Reid.
Emily just stared at him.
"Emily, admit it," Morgan replied, tone serious. "I've seen how you act around him. You truly care about him. Your body language is more relaxed around him, you hung him and call him 'handsome,' and you smile more when he's around. You even came back when he was threatened."
"Yeah, because he's my friend!"
"You stood up for him when Doyle was in the warehouse. I checked the ballistics on O' Riley's autopsy. It was your bullet that took the kill shot."
"Morgan, he's my-"
"Emily, do not say friend," Morgan reprimanded. "It goes much deeper than that. How long. And tell me the truth."
Emily sighed. "Since Colorado."
Morgan smirked. "When will you tell him?"
Emily sighed and stood up as the doctor approached. "I don't know yet."
….
A/N:
One chapter to go! (Well, epilogue)
Thanks to my EXCELLENT reviewers greengirl82, lizzabet, Tumbler101, lolyncut, danicalif80 (Welcome back!) and DarknessIsTheUniverse! You are AWESOME!
By the way, did anyone catch the Sherlock one-liner? Lots of love if you did! :D
Regards, Sweeties!
*~N_CBAU~*