**Sorry for any mistakes.
Chapter 29: New Faces
REID POV...
In an hour or so, we were preparing to land. JJ had stopped sobbing now and looking out the window. The unknown land was falling behind us as we entered the friendly territory now. From here we could see armies of both side defending well with their technologies on display. I too sat and stared out the window. Jin poured some juice for us and presented me first. I hadn't realize I was this thirsty until I gladly drank the nectar down.
Princess had woken up but she was too quiet, she acknowledged none of us, she was just staring at her blood stained dress. I sneakily turned my eye to her. She had no tears, no confusion on her face. She just looked betrayed in some sense. Then, she started to play with the ring on her finger, our wedding ring. She started to slide if off her finger, leaving me puzzled. She, took the ring and clutched it in her fist. My eyes quickly turned to my ring. It was still shinning bright on my finger. I didn't know what I was supposed to do now, take it off, keep it or what else.
My gut was telling me to get rid of this meaningless bound and I too slipped the ring off and placed in my pocket. In there, my fingers brushed off the necklace as well. I quickly took it out to see it now. Emily's necklace was still with me, Nasht had hinted me about her, running away to safety. Was there a possibility she was still alive somewhere. What wouldn't I do to get her back?
This necklace for now was like my good luck charm, a survival force, telling me to keep fighting. I placed it back in my pocket pretending it was her, staying with me.
"Your highness, we are landing" Jin told us cheerfully.
"You don't have to call me that, Just Spencer or Reid is fine" I replied while staring out to see the land coming closer and closer. The planes in lead landed first. Few armed men rushed over to us as we stepped out. They weren't expecting Jin and Princess to be with us. They quickly escorted us to a refugee camp. Days ago we were here on the bus with the whole team, getting the text from Hotch about our task, crossing the border. Ah, everything changed so quickly. An officer entered inside.
"I'm gonna have you guys send over to immediate medical help" he said.
"So it's only two agents here?" He confirmed. I nodded. He then eyed the rest amongst us.
"They helped us escape" I spoke and he didn't look too happy.
"Three more agents are still missing" JJ said "Two were suppose to be at concentration camp near the mansion and other was on a run. She must be somewhere".
"Is that so?" He asked "The camp was annihilated last night but we could still send teams for the search of missing bodies. It's highly unlikely we'll find anything"
I gulped down bile realizing how dull my life was starting to look without Hotch and Morgan. Of course, Hotch was gone, I had seen him with my own eyes that time, almost dead. I still hoped Morgan and Emily were alive together but it was only wishful thinking now. Miracles like such never happened.
"Your section chief is here for the rescue as well. She's waiting in the medical camp" the man spoke and then left.
EMILY POV...
"Morgan?" I asked when he refused to walk anymore. He let Hotch off his shoulder and sat down.
"-I-can't, you guys go on" he said. Hotch looked up at him, sternly.
"Why not?" He asked Morgan reaching for his hand.
"I don't want to do this anymore" he replied "there's nothing left to live for, they're all gone"
"I and Emily still are here" Hotch spoke.
"I'm doing this for you two as well" I added. Hotch nodded.
"NO.." Morgan hushed "I can't, not even you guys. You think you can walk hundreds of miles on broken feet and hungry bodies with constant fear that a bomb will drop on our heads any minute?"
He made sense. But there was nothing left to do anyways.
"We walked so far already, I think we can still do it" Hotch insisted after coughing a little.
And, then a small twitch alerted all three of us. We stilled. Then a hard lash on my head stopped all thinking.
PRINCESS POV...
It made no sense to me why Spencer brought me along himself when he actually should be killing me. I was a criminal in his mind, after all. The small van was carrying all of us away from the immediate war zone. Spencer was sitting across me with JJ. He looked tired and exhausted. A part of me still wanted to go and brush his hairs away from his forehead and kiss it but I looked away.
The blood on my dress was drying up, so as my wounds. I officially had become a killer of not only my father but all his guards too. I did it all by myself. There should be remorse, right, but I felt nothing. I tried digging my conscious more but still I felt fine murdering my father. Maybe because without him dead, Spencer wouldn't be still breathing.
Unwillingly my eyes stilled on him again, watching how he was soothing JJ while staring at nothing. Maybe, he was thinking. I wished I could hear his thoughts of what I was to him, of why he decided to save my life. His heart surely was made of gold.
And, then suddenly he looked right at me, caught me staring at him intently. A wave of shiver passed through me, suddenly it felt like he had all the power, the table turned so quickly. My life was in his hands now. His face had no expressions, no concerns, no joy just utter tiredness. We continued to connect our sight until the van stopped. Jin helped JJ step out and I followed them.
The medical center belonged to the army. We were quickly escorted to a nurse who was waiting beside an examination bed. My head started to swirl again. What was happening to me? I continued walking, feeling nauseous as ever until I decided to run out the building and vomit in the nearby bushes. My throat burned as I emptied my stomach and the world kept swirling. I stayed there gasping for air, trying to feel better. It was a strange feeling, a restless sensation. I vomited again. This time a hand rubbed my back while I puked. I turned to find JJ standing there with a concerned face. I wiped my mouth clean.
"Have some water" she passed a bottle to me which I gladly took. This gesture was not what I expected from a woman who I treated like garbage days ago. I drowned in my own guilt further more.
"Are you okay?" she asked now. I looked up at her, genuine care reflected on her face. How come? Who were these people with such strength and height of humanity in them. It made me want to bow at them. I simply nodded and she left back to go inside. I tried to walk back now, suddenly feeling better now.
I followed JJ. A female doctor awaited us in a separate room. I was given new clothes to change into. I took my dress off revealing bloody spots on my skin too. My head was hurting again. It was the rod that guards hit on my head. I washed my face, hands and my feet. I scraped off the dried blood clots off them. The pieces of my father now were washing down the drain. This wasn't the end of evil, part of that blood still ran in my veins. I looked up the mirror hanging in there; I looked insane. A smile appeared on my face.
"You deserve that" I told my ugly reflection.
"Ma'am?" the doctor called me out and I stepped out from the restroom. JJ had also change into new clothes. She was lying on a bed with a nurse checking her vitals. Another nurse waved me over.
"I'm fine, I don't need anything" I told them.
"It's just a procedure" The doctor added in and strolled me over to the bed. I lied on my back, staring at the white ceiling. The nurse grabbed my arm to check my blood pressure.
"Nothing is wrong with me!" I snatched my arm back "Go help her" I pointed to where JJ was laying.
"All war prisoners have to get cleared before we release them" the nurse insisted.
"NOO!" I sat back up, anger fluming inside.
"I said I'm fine!" I raised my voice and my throat ached with acid burn. My head swirled again and I fell back, letting the nurse do her work as I seemed to have lost in some form of darkness. I didn't know when I woke up again. I sat up quickly.
On the bed beside me, Spencer was sleeping or that's what I thought. It felt different to see him sleep from such distance now when I spent so many mornings right by him. His face was all cleaned up except a split lip, his hairs well combed, his clothes new and clean. There was something about this sight which pulled a smile on my face. The medical room was in dim light, maybe it was night time. I decided to lay back on the bed while still filling my eyes with him.
There were countless things I had planned with him, countless places to visit, countless hours of just talking, of just loving each other and now like a glass everything had shattered. Tears slipped out of my eyes and drenched the pillow under my head.
What didn't I do to keep him here with me, I was even willing to die now. The time we spent, despite forcefully , still roamed my guilty mind like a beautiful dream. The day we married to our wedding night, he was so drunk that he forgot all restraints. I still thought it wasn't me who he loved that time, it was Emily. Her name was on his lips, like a mantra the whole time. Even my drunk self had no idea what we were doing. If both of us were unaware, tangled in imaginary play then what was that between us that night. I should have stopped when he moaned Emily's name.
Another tear and I felt I had drowned in my whole blood. What had I done? If possible I wanted to spit on my face, on my existence. I pulled the sheet from my waist to my head, hiding under it. I shouldn't get to look at him anymore.
"I deserve this!" I whisper to myself.
EMILY POV...
I stirred up realizing I was resting against a tree. It had become dark. I shifted a little to notice a small fire lit few meters ahead of me. There were two strangers sitting against it, their shadows flickering on the ground. Panic stirred up. I turned my head to see Morgan sleeping soundly beside me. I pulled my knees closer to me and in the process alerting the strangers. They turned back to see me hurriedly standing.
"HEY, HEY, Calm down. We don't wish to harm you" one of the men spoke English, his tone so trusting. I relaxed my stances immediately.
"We're lost just like you" He said slowly walking closer, revealing his face, smirking.
"I was a prisoner here, we ran off two days ago" He continued talking, reading expressions on my face.
"Mark, a former journalist" he offered his hand for a handshake. I battled a little, I remember getting hit on my head before this. If they were to be trusted, the question was why did they attack us. I stepped back, not understanding anything. He kept walking closer.
"Don't be scared" he said, still smirking.
"MORGAN!" I yelled as I hit another body behind me, a third man.
"Your boys are of no use" the man behind me spoke and all three of them laughed in unison. I hyperventilated when they kept advancing. I could see a figure shifting in the background, Hotch.
THANKS A TON FOR ALL THE REVIEWS. I realize it's not only Emily, Reid fans that read this story but also others too, especially the Hotch Fanatic reader. I'm happy to read all your views. The story is in difficult point now for the writer. The characters are changing due to all the trauma. I hope I'm writing them well. I think it's about time we see Hotch in action too ;)
Do you think Princess was right to kill her father? And if you were Spencer would you forgive Princess or not?
