Let's just ignore my total leave of absence from this story. It's not that I forgot, I certainly didn't, it's just that every time I wrote something, it felt off. Oh, and I could have sworn that I wrote the Morgan/Prentiss scene in a notebook during class and I have no idea where it is. But here it is! It may or may not sound forced, you tell me. That might just be a biased opinion. And I am going to try and have this finished by the time school starts back up. I'm going back for my sophomore year of college. Woo! *sarcasm* Can you guys believe that? I started writing this story my junior year of high school. Crazy! It also points out my lack of updates again. Again, I am soooo sorry! I can't promise that you will get another update soon (we see how well these past two years have been.), buuuuut I do believe there is only 1 or 2 more chapters after this one. I can literally only see the end from here on out. So that's motivation to write! But if you have ideas, please tell me!

Chapter 7 – Calm Before The Storm

Morgan lungs felt heavy. It was difficult to breathe. He coughed violently to eject the dirt from his throat and lungs. Slowly, he opened his eyes after he wiped away the grains of dirt with the tips of his fingers.

His surroundings were quiet. The trees stood immobile around him and there were no childish laughter whispering through the wind.

He looked down toward the rest of his body and noticed that he was above the ground. He could have sworn he was pulled beneath before he blacked out from the lack of oxygen. He sat up and brushed the dirt from him clothes.

When he remembered that he wasn't alone, he frantically started searching for his partner and friend. He spotted her quickly about five feet away. Her head was buried shallowly, only a thin layer of dirt covered her face while the rest of her body was submerged beneath the ground. He ran over to her quickly and brushed the dirt from her face before digging around her body which would enable him to pull her out of the makeshift grave.

When he sat her up and placed his arm around her back to lift her up, dirt fell from her lips and she started to violently cough. One hand gripped his forearm while the other held her throat to try and soothe the burning and scratching the dirt caused.

He rubbed soothing circles on her back while she trembled. After a few moments and the coughing stopped, she was breathing heavily now that oxygen was allowed back in her lungs. When he asked her if she was okay, she simply nodded instead of trusting her voice to speak for her.

Slowly they stood up with the support of the other. Prentiss scratchy voice finally broke the silence between them when she stated, "We need to find the others."

Morgan only nodded and took her hand in his before they walked in any direction, hoping it would lead them to their friends.

CM

It was Jack. The body they had found was most certainly Jack. His eyes were wide open – bloodshot and immobile. A purple hue marred his tiny lips. And his once untarnished skin supported ghastly purple and green bruising. Those unwelcoming features indicated to the adults the first stage of death.

When Rossi heard Haley gasp, he saw her body start to waver and rushed to her side.

Haley felt lightheaded and quickly felt for Rossi's outstretched arm as she lowered herself to a seated position. The sticks underneath her were no comparison to the lump blocking the oxygen to her lungs. She tried to breath, but the shock nerved her. Swallowing allowed little room for air, but right now the emotional turmoil of seeing her son not breathing – dead - was overbearing.

Rossi lowered himself and then pulled Haley's head to his chest while he rocked her back and forth. His hands rubbed soothing circles on her back and he whispered 'shh' into her ear in an attempt to calm her down.

At the same time, Hotch had put his arm underneath his son's knees and neck and pulled him from the water. He walked as fast as he could against the resistance of the water and the hands beneath pulling at his legs to prevent him from getting to the others. After a few tough pulls, he was able to break their grips and ran until he reached the edge of the water. He laid his son down quickly but softly.

Reid had come up opposite him. He started rambling various facts about drowning victims and CPR, but all Hotch heard was "there's only a very small chance of survival without medical help."

So Hotch was going to take that chance.

He felt Jack's neck for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. He leaned Jack's head back gently to open the air passageway and gently, but firmly, breathed air into his son's lungs.

Haley sat a few feet away with tears quickly running down her face. Rossi's arms around her did nothing to ease the terror she felt in her chest. She repeatedly murmured 'no.'

Jack's ghost kneeled next to her, desperately trying to get her to acknowledge him. His fingers tugged at her sleeve. "Mommy? Why are you crying? I'm right here."

But her eyes remained on the body of the boy lying lifelessly on the ground.

Meanwhile, JJ sat on the ground with her arms wrapped around her knees while rocking back and forth. Her eyes didn't blink. Instead she kept looking between all the children surrounding her friends. There were hundreds. They stretched from as far as she could see into the trees to deep into the pond. They all laughed and clapped - giddy from the excitement at the prospect of a new child joining them.

At the same time, Jack stepped away from his mom and placed a hand on his head. His brow was furrowed and he looked deeply confused. His ghost started to slowly move back toward his body, not quite ready to leave. He whimpered, "Mommy, I feel light headed."

The other children stopped laughing and some started shouting in protest.

Hotch continued to breathe oxygen into his son's lungs. Within a few moments, Jack's lungs started to breathe again on their own and the boy coughed violently. Hotch's eyes lit up and he held his son firmly to his chest once the coughing subsided.

Although, then the wind chilled around him and he felt an eerie sense of dread that sent goose bumps through him. He could sense that this was just the calm before the storm.

For anyone who may or may not be interested, I have a Flashpoint multi-chapter fic that I also haven't forgotten. But better news! If There are any fantasy fanatics, I have 3 Merlin multi-chapter fics I am working on (that won't be posted until complete or close to complete so I don't leave you guys hanging.) but I really like them. So keep an eye out for those! (You can see where my obsession has gone...)

Happy reading guys!

Never hesitate to ask for a one-shot or short story!

Oh yeah. And I forgot to mention, if you're going to review my story and sign in as a guest, please don't use my username. That's all I ask. Thank you!