~~CM~~
Anna showered quickly; blow-drying her hair straight, something she hadn't done in years. She dressed in her only pantsuit. Keeping her makeup minimal, she looked at herself in the mirror. Long gone was her wavy hair and flannel shirts. Long gone was her anonymity.
"Dressing simply is good for court," JJ told her as they joined David, 'Please call me Dave' in the hallway. He guided her into the elevator and stayed close the entire way to the SUV with black tinted windows.
At the courthouse, she was escorted into a small conference room to meet with the Assistant Attorney General, Peter Vanderpool. Going over what to expect from the day's proceedings, he advised her to answer questions simply. "Avoid embellishments, stick to yes, no, specific dates."
Anna nodded at him, "after hearing my testimony, do you think the judge will remand Ian until the trial?"
Shaking his head, Peter said, "I doubt it."
"Ian is going to be livid. I won't be safe whether he's behind bars or not."
Peter patted her shoulder, "that's why we ordered protective custody for you. I am glad that Aaron thought to separate you and Declan. Speak of the devil..."
Dressed in a black suit with a dark patterned tie, Aaron stepped into the conference room. Her desire and longing were matched in his eyes but his posture reminded her to remain professional. He shook Peter's hand, then turn to her, "Thomas is doing well. He and Jack made pizza and slept in a blanket fort," he informed her, gesturing to the open chairs.
Peter excused himself as Aaron continued telling Anna about her son, "he misses you."
She nodded gratefully, "we've never been apart before."
"Did Peter explain the pretrial motions for today?"
Nodding again, Anna sat up straight, "this is just a motion for the defense to try to dismiss me as a witness and the judge will make a final decision on the evidence."
The bailiff notified Dave that it was time to begin. The three FBI agents escorted Anna into the courtroom and they all sat together behind Peter.
A few minutes later, Ian Doyle walked past them with his lawyer, his eyes staring ahead to the defense table.
Sucking in gulps of air, Anna stared at the floor rather than at her former lover. She heard the judge enter the courtroom and each attorney presented their motion. It seemed like hours before her given name was called.
"Emily Prentiss, please come up to the witness stand."
Hearing her name, Ian's head jerked around and his mouth gaped open as he watched her walk out of the gally and towards the witness stand. As she locked eyes with him, Ian turned and leaped from his seat, punching the bailiff in the face. Grabbing the man's service weapon, Ian smashed it into his lawyer's face before rushing forward towards Anna.
Anna could hear Aaron's steel voice cutting through the screams of the galley, "Drop the weapon, Doyle."
Ian continued forward, leveling the gun at her face, his own face twisted into a grimace, "You. Took. My. Son."
"Drop it now," Aaron ordered.
Rather than comply, Ian jumped forward, wrapping his arms around Anna, the pistol shoving into her stomach painfully.
Wrestling for the gun, the screams around them seemed to dim, they fell to the ground. Terrified, Anna kept batting away at Ian's arms while trying to twist out of his hold.
Her senses dulled as the sound of a single gunshot echoed through the courtroom. Her hearing blocked, her vision dimmed; she felt wetness between their bodies, seeping through their clothes onto skin. She tried to pull away but Ian's arms tightened around her.
A moment later, Ian groaned and rolled away from her. She felt as if her torso was on fire but quickly realized she wasn't the one bleeding.
Anna stayed on the ground, staring at Ian, as Aaron's form blurred between them. He was disarming Ian before he turned, checking on her.
My boy," Ian whispered, his voice ragged, "Declan."
Anna honestly didn't know what she was doing as she struggled out of Aaron's hold and scrambled up on her knees beside Ian. She held his face in her hands, holding his gaze, "Declan is safe. He is safe and loved."
Hoarsely, Ian slurred, "Raising warriors. Declan."
"He's safe, Ian. I kept him safe," Anna told him as he died.
~~CM~~
Aaron struggled to pull Anna away from Ian Doyle's body as JJ directed the paramedics to him. Covering her hands with his, he was able to ease her grip on Doyle's face. She flailed for a moment before crashing into his chest, sobbing.
"Angel," he whispered, walking them backward until they were in the galley. He sat down heavily and held her close, "it's not your fault."
"I wanted him to go to prison, Aaron. I never wanted this," she cried, soaking his dress shirt with her tears and Ian's blood.
The courtroom was besieged by local police interviewing everyone from the stenographer to the members of the audience. The Assistant Director of the FBI entered the room and took control of the scene. He ordered the witness statements, transcripts, and security tapes to be sent to the US Attorney General.
Anna recounted the incident four times with four different people, a uniformed officer, a detective, an FBI agent, and then a different Assistant Attorney General.
Finally, they dismissed her, and she sat in the galley with JJ as she waited for Aaron. They sat quietly as people rushed around them. Anna watched in horror as Aaron was placed on leave pending an investigation.
A gentle squeeze from JJ's hand calmed her, "this is a high profile case and he is involved with the lead witness. They have to do this by the book. He'll be back in less than a week."
Aaron escorted her from the courthouse, leading her to his SUV. Once they were alone in the vehicle, she turned and apologized, "I'm sorry that you were suspended. That wasn't fair to you." He began to interrupt but she held up her hand, "and I wish to thank you for saving…"
"You saved yourself." Leaning across the front seat, he kissed her, brushing her hair away from her face, "come home with me?"
"Can we stop by the hotel? I need to change," she gestured at her blood-soaked across her shirt. "And maybe you can borrow a shirt of Dave's. He's in the room next to mine."
"I have my go bag in the trunk."
Ignoring the curious glances, they crossed the lobby and took the elevator to her floor. Aaron made quick work of changing his clothes as she washed up in the bathroom.
Anna looked at herself in the mirror, smears of blood on her face; crusty dried blood. The blood of Ian Doyle. Her lover and Thomas' father. He was gone. He had tried to kill her but she had fought back and now he was dead.
She scrubbed away at her hands and face, seeing blood remain on across her forehead, her white dress shirt, her inner arm. She stripped, dropping her clothes onto the tiny bathroom floor and stumbled into the shower. Sobbing again, she didn't even note the temperature of the cold water raining down on her.
She startled when a hand reached in and turned the knob, the water warming up immediately. Aaron's soothing voice brought her back to the present. She lathered her body with soap, running a little conditioner through wet hair.
A few minutes later, she opened the shower curtain and Aaron stood with a large towel outstretched in his hands. He wrapped her up then sat her on the closed toilet seat. He grabbed a smaller towel and began squeezing the excess water from her hair. Gently he combed her hair and then wrapped it in a towel. Aaron handed her a plain terry cloth bathrobe and she stood, slipping her arms in.
He dropped a kiss on her forehead and she reached up and embraced him tightly, both of them whispering "I love you," at the same time.
~~CM~~
A/N: Writing an action scene is really hard. I kept having to imagine it and re-write everything. Ian Doyle dies very differently than on the show but I hope it works well enough for my story.
I seriously doubt that they would allow Anna to leave the courtroom with Hotch and not end up in a police station, even in self-defense. I also doubt that she would be allowed her clothes as they would be considered evidence…. But we are going to ignore the rules of law so my story will flow better. Hahaha!