Chapter 9
JJ's heart stopped beating as her eyes landed on a small halo of dirty yellow light and the bruised, bloodied, naked woman who was sitting on an industrial looking metal chair in the middle of it. The woman's arms were extended above her head, held in place by a pair of handcuffs that were wrapped around her wrists and attached to a chain that was dangling from the ceiling, and there were thin tendrils of blood trickling down her arms from the way her restraints had cut into her skin. She stared into wide, pleading brown eyes as the woman strained against the hand that was tangled in her hair and the knife that was pressed against her throat. Even beaten as badly as the poor woman was, JJ would have recognized her anywhere.
It was Emily.
They had found Emily.
Her finger twitched on the trigger of her gun as she leveled her sights on the man hiding behind Emily. She couldn't look at Emily without feeling her heart break at the sight of the profiler's injuries – there were so many bruises, dark and purple and angry, crisscrossed with bright red slashes that were oozing blood from where he had begun to work her over with his knife, that she felt bile rise in her throat at the sight of them – so she instead focused the entirety of her attention on the man responsible for hurting her. She re-gripped her gun as he smiled at her, and she was surprised more than anyone when her voice rang through the silence, cold and deadly, and a thousand times calmer than she actually felt. "Drop your weapon and step away from Agent Prentiss."
"Agent Jareau," Wyatt drawled in a sickly-sweet voice. "And Agents Morgan and Rossi. I must say, I am surprised to see you here already. Where are Agents Hotchner and Reid?"
"Drop the knife, Wyatt," Morgan snarled.
Benjamin Wyatt smirked and gave Emily's hair a tug, pulling Emily's head back to give the blade of his knife a firmer purchase against her neck. "I don't think so." He held Morgan's gaze as he slowly drew his knife across Emily's neck, the tip of the blade dipping to press hard enough to draw a sliver of blood from the hollow of Emily's throat. "How did you find me so quickly?"
"There was a surveillance camera at the intersection where you rammed their car with your truck," Morgan said as he slid further into the room, making sure her was out of JJ and Rossi's lines of fire.
Emily gasped as the knife against her throat twitched and the point dug further into her skin, and she swallowed carefully as she caught JJ's eye, begging her to just shoot already.
"I don't recall seeing that particular crossing on the list of monitored intersections when I checked it last. When was it installed?" Wyatt asked, his tone conversational as he slid the tip of his knife around until it was resting under the sweet hollow of Emily's jaw above her pulse point. He rocked his hand forward ever so slightly and chuckled as he watched JJ's eyes harden when he dug the tip of his blade in just enough to make Emily hiss softly.
Remembering something that Reid had said while the genius was pouring over the different angles from the intersection, Rossi answered, "Last week." He stepped off to the side, trying to get a better angle on Wyatt, understandably wary of firing a shot that might hit Emily.
JJ's jaw clenched hard at the sight of Wyatt's knife pressing into Emily's jugular. She knew that he could kill her with just a bit more pressure. Even if they shot him after the fact, if he pushed that knife in far enough they wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding in time to save her.
JJ licked her lips and took a small step forward as she gave Emily a look that said, quite clearly, 'stay still'. She saw Emily's eyes fill with love, and she felt her heart skip a beat as she watched her blink to convey her understanding before she went as rigid in her captor's grasp as she possibly could. JJ's hand flexed around the butt of her gun, checking that her grip was just right. This was the most important shot she would ever take in her life and she needed everything to be perfect. She took a deep breath and held it, the sound of Rossi and Morgan's tense chatter fading to a distant hum as she focused her attention on the shot she was about to take.
Wyatt was ducked behind Emily, only about half of his face visible as he hid behind her. It was an easy enough shot for JJ to make, she was the best shot on the team, after all, and among the top ten in the entire Bureau, there were members on the sniper team that didn't score as highly as she did on the small arms qualifications, but if she missed… God, if she missed…
Do it, Emily silently encouraged JJ as the knife at her throat twisted and cut further into her skin. Do it. Do it! Do it, NOW!
"No matter," Wyatt said, directing his comment at Rossi, completely unaware of the silent conversation that was taking place in front of him. "You're still not taking her out of here alive. I'll kill her before I let you rescue her. It'll be so easy, just a little more pressure and-"
Please, Jennifer! DO IT NOW! Emily thought, tears streaking down her face as the knife at her throat dug in a little deeper.
The crack of JJ's shot was cacophonous in the small space. Morgan and Rossi, who had been so focused on Wyatt and Emily that neither of them had seen JJ preparing to fire, jerked to a halt in surprise. Time slowed down as JJ remained frozen where she stood, staring down the barrel of her gun that was aimed mere millimeters away from Emily's head. Her heart, which had stopped beating as she finally edged her trigger past the release line and fired, now raced wildly in her chest.
Blood trickled out of a newly punched circular wound in Wyatt's forehead as he dropped to the ground with a hollow thump, and the knife that he'd been holding at Emily's throat finally fell away.
It was over.
JJ slipped her gun back into its holster as her feet started moving toward Emily, carrying her forward to her love before she even realized it was happening.
Emily swallowed thickly and tears coursed down her cheeks as she held JJ's gaze. Her body trembled with relief and adrenaline as she watched the blonde move closer, JJ's expression shifting from intense concentration to relief, and she felt her heart break at the love that filled JJ's eyes as she kneeled in front of her.
"Em," JJ murmured, her voice breaking over the single syllable. She drew a shuddering breath to steady herself as she reached out to run a soft, trembling finger over Emily's lips, and her eyes filled with tears as they flitted over the older woman's face.
"I'm okay," Emily whispered brokenly.
JJ licked her lips and nodded as her tears that had been building broke free, coursing down her cheeks as she murmured, "I know." Unable to restrain herself any longer, she leaned in and captured Emily's lips in a slow, sweet, tender kiss that said better than words ever could exactly how relieved she was to have gotten to her in time.
Unseen by the two women who were enjoying a quiet reunion, Morgan and Rossi were a flurry of motion. Morgan was busy roughly searching Wyatt's body for the key to Emily's handcuffs, huffing and cursing under his breath as he worked; and Rossi was looking around for Emily's clothes as he dialed 9-1-1, his normally calm demeanor lost as he yelled at the dispatcher to get EMTs to their location 'GODDAMN YESTERDAY'!
"Yes!" Morgan hissed with relief when he finally found the key stuffed in the breast pocket of the man's flannel. He looked up to tell Emily and JJ that he found the key and couldn't help but smile at the intimate kiss the two women were sharing in spite of Emily's injuries and the unfortunate position Emily was in. While he hated to interrupt them, he also knew they needed to get Emily free. He cleared his throat loudly and said, in a soft, gentle voice, "Hold her steady, Jayje."
JJ nodded and shifted so that her weight was balanced and moved her arms to support Emily as best she could by carefully placing her hands high on the brunette's sides, away from the angriest of the older woman's bruises, so that her thumbs were brushing against her armpits. "Okay?" she asked softly.
"Perfect," Emily whispered. In truth, even JJ's gentle touch was painful, but she wasn't going to tell her that. She needed the warmth of JJ's touch. She needed the love that was shining in JJ's watery blue eyes.
Morgan made quick work of the locks holding Emily's arms above her head and he did his best to gently lower them to her sides, muttering, "Sorry. Sorry," every time she winced.
Emily drew a loud breath through her nose as pain shot through her torso and her hands began to burn with re-circulating blood once they were lowered to her lap and blood rushed to flood oxygen deprived cells. "It's okay," she whispered after each of Morgan's apologies. "I'm okay," she repeated, her voice low and rough as she saw JJ's eyes fill with fresh tears. "I'm okay."
"Here, Jayje," Morgan said, handing JJ the key. "You do her feet."
JJ nodded and quickly undid the cuffs that had been holding Emily's legs to the chair. She licked her lips as the steel clattered quietly against the concrete floor, and she tenderly traced the angry red marks on Emily's ankles. "Oh, Em."
"They're sending a Helivac, should be here in ten minutes," Rossi announced as he approached the trio. "Hey, kid."
Emily chuckled softly and met the older man's kind gaze. "Hey."
Rossi took a deep breath and smiled. "I think there's a blanket in the back of the SUV – I'll run and get it. Morgan, call Hotch and let him know we got her."
Morgan nodded at Rossi and, as the older man took off for the car, he quickly unbuttoned his shirt. It would be big on Emily, but it would be better than nothing. And he knew that once the shock of everything wore off, that the brunette would be feeling self-conscious about her nakedness. "Here," he said, as he handed the shirt to JJ. "Help her put this on," he said, as he turned away to give the women some privacy. "I'll call Hotch while you're doing that."
He kept his eyes focused on the wall across the room and as soon as Hotch picked up said, "We got her."
JJ looked at the shirt in her hand and then at Morgan's back as he stood sentry over them, his phone held tight to his ear as he said, "She's… She'll be okay. Call Garcia and let her know? … Yeah. He's dead. … No, JJ. … Yeah…"
JJ sighed and looked up at Emily as she held the shirt open in front of her. "Can I help you into this?"
Relieved that the shirt was a button-down and that it wouldn't hurt too much to put on, Emily nodded. "Of course, Jennifer," she murmured, and her heart clenched as she watched a fresh wave of tears spill from JJ's eyes as they fluttered shut. "Sweetie…"
JJ licked her lips and shook her head as her heart broke at the way her name sounded falling from Emily's lips. She had always hated her full name, had always preferred the shortened moniker of JJ, but the way it sounded when Emily said it... God, she didn't realize until that moment how much she'd been afraid that she would never hear it again. "I'm sorry," she muttered as she lifted a hand to wipe at her tears. "I'm just… it's just…"
"I know, sweetheart. I love you," Emily whispered, scooting forward in her chair and moving her legs to try and see if they would hold her; but she stopped moving and smiled softly as watery blue eyes finally opened to look at her. "I love you so, so much, Jennifer."
"I love you too, Em," JJ whispered, her voice breaking with emotion as she stopped trying to hold back her tears and just let herself cry as she carefully worked the sleeve of Morgan's shirt over Emily's left arm. She held her breath as she worked it around Emily's back, muttering, "Sorry. Sorry," as the profiler winced at the movement, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief once Emily's right arm was tucked safely in its sleeve. "Ribs?" she asked knowingly. Emily's sides were especially bruised, which was saying something considering the condition of the rest of her body.
"Yeah," Emily murmured, licking her lips as she watched JJ begin buttoning the shirt closed, the backs of JJ's fingers ghosting lightly over her tender skin.
"Broken?" JJ asked as she closed the buttons below and above her lover's breasts, her eyes beginning to tear again at the sight of the beautiful mounds so bruised and bloody from the shallow cuts Wyatt had sliced into and around them.
"Yeah," Emily confirmed and she watched as JJ's eyes flashed with anger as the blonde looked behind her, at what she assumed was Wyatt's body. She could easily see what JJ was thinking, that JJ dearly wished she could shoot him again for hurting her, and she pulled her lover's attention back to her by softly clearing her throat. "Help me up?"
Surprised blue eyes looked down at Emily's legs, which were a messy conglomeration of bruises, especially on her upper thighs and hips. "Can you walk?"
Emily's shrugged and winced as pain ricocheted through her body. "I just want to get out of here. If I can't… just carry me. I don't care. I don't care how much it hurts. I just want out of here, Jen. Please get me out of here."
Morgan, who had been standing by, turned to look at Emily and JJ and nodded resolutely. "If you can't do it on your own, I will carry you out of here myself," he promised.
Emily gave her partner a weary smile and tipped her head in thanks. "Good. Help me up," she said.
JJ nodded and pushed herself to her feet. She glanced at Morgan who sidled in beside her, and they both reached for Emily, their hands hooking under her arms as they helped lift the brunette from the chair.
"Okay?" Morgan murmured, as he steadied Emily on her feet.
"Yeah," Emily gasped. She nodded, letting him know with a look that he could let go. The bruises on her legs throbbed, and she was pretty sure she felt a few of the cuts that had clotted over break open again, but she welcomed the pain. Pain was good. Pain meant she was alive. "I'm good."
"Here's that blanket," Rossi called out as he jogged back into the room, out of breath because he had run as fast as he could to the car and back. He took in the sight of Emily in Morgan's shirt, and nodded approvingly. "Guess you don't need it." Though Emily was on her feet, he could tell that she still needed a moment, and he turned his back to her and JJ to address Morgan. "Did you get ahold of Hotch?"
Emily's legs were feeling steadier with each passing second, and she took a slow, halting step toward JJ, who was still too far away from her for her liking. She smiled, the expression one of complete relief, and lifted her hand to cradle the younger woman's face gently in her palm. A low sigh spilled from her lips as she leaned in and kissed her softly. "Thank you," she whispered against JJ's lips as she kissed her again. "Thank you for saving me."
JJ whimpered and wrapped her arms lightly around Emily's waist as she kissed her gently. Tenderly. "I love you," she whispered between kisses. "I love you. I love you."
The low, steady, thrumming beat of helicopter blades drew the profilers' attention skyward and Emily sighed as she forced herself to pull away from JJ. She blushed as she realized that Morgan and Rossi were standing not six feet away, both keeping half an eye on them in case she needed help. She licked her lips and smiled as she reached for JJ's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Let's get out of here."
JJ nodded and looked up to catch Morgan's eye. "Follow behind us, just in case?"
Morgan took a step back to give JJ and Emily enough room to pass and nodded. "You know it."
Rossi led the way slowly out of the abattoir as JJ released her hold on Emily's hand to wrap a protective arm around Emily's waist, supporting her as best she could, and Morgan took up the rear, watching each of Emily's steps carefully in case he needed to jump in and catch her. His caution was unneeded however, because JJ never let her fall.
So long as it was within her power to do so, JJ would never let her fall.
They met up with the flight crew of the Helivac about halfway up the trail to the clearing in front of the cabin and both Emily and JJ waved the paramedics off as they tried to swoop in and take over for JJ. The EMTs looked slightly off-put by the women's behavior but one hard, glaring look from Morgan had them acquiescing to JJ and Emily's wishes and they instead stepped back to flank the women in much the same manner as Morgan had been.
Even though there were now two EMTs flanking JJ and Emily, Morgan refused to drop his focus as he continued to watch each of the women's slow, careful steps with a vigilant eye. He had to bite his lip to contain his anger as he watched Emily hobble along the path, refusing to allow the EMTs to carry her even though the pine needles on the ground were undoubtedly uncomfortable under her bare feet. She clearly, and understandably, only wanted JJ's help, and he couldn't fault her for that in the least.
He watched JJ just as carefully as he did Emily, noting the way that she supported the majority of Emily's weight, holding her upright as they picked their way slowly up the path. Everybody on the team knew exactly how strong of a person JJ was, but her strength had never been more on display that it was in that moment, with her hand flexing against Emily's hip and her lips brushing lightly over Emily's cheek as she whispered quiet words of encouragement in her ear.
JJ's pace faltered as they neared the edge of the tree line and she sighed as she looked regretfully into her lover's eyes. "You're going to have to let them help you now," she murmured, frowning as she brushed the softest of kisses across Emily's lips. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. If I could carry you, I would, but you can't walk barefoot across the gravel."
Emily swallowed thickly, causing a fresh bubble of blood to pour from the cut under her jaw and drip down her throat, and nodded. "Okay. Stay with me?"
"Oh, sweetie," JJ purred, a soft huff of a laugh spilling from her lips in spite of herself and their situation. "There's no way anyone is going to keep me from you right now. Don't you worry about that."
"I do worry, though," Emily whispered. The reality of everything that had happened rushed over her and she turned into JJ so that her tears weren't visible. "God, Jennifer. I was so afraid that I'd never see you again."
JJ licked her lips as Emily's arms snaked around her neck. Her breath hitched in her throat at the quiet desperation in Emily's touch, and she caught Morgan's eye, flicking a glance at the EMTs in such a way that her desire was clearly translated without a word. 'Get them the fuck out of here for a minute.'
"Guys, let's give them some space, huh?" Morgan stepped around the women and beckoned the EMTs to follow. He groaned silently at the confused glance the two men shared. The look quite clearly said that they were uncomfortable with the idea of leaving their patient. He sighed as he glanced at Emily and JJ, his heart breaking at the way Emily appeared to be so much smaller than usual, and shook his head as he stepped up to wrap a hand around the nearest paramedic's arm. "Come on, man. Just… they need a minute, okay?"
JJ sighed and brushed a soft kiss over Emily's temple as she watched Morgan and Rossi guide the EMTs away from them. "Shh, sweetheart. I know. I was afraid of the same thing." Emily's hand slipped up her back to wrap around her neck and she smiled at the achingly familiar touch, even as it drew a fresh wave of tears from her eyes. She had been so terribly, terribly afraid that she would never get a chance to hold Emily like this again. A sob bubbled in her throat and she screwed her eyes shut as she tried to hold it in, but she couldn't. "Emily…"
Emily nodded and hummed softly as she pulled JJ in closer, completely ignoring the flashes of pain that ricocheted through her body. "Jen…" she whimpered.
"I'm right here, Em," JJ whispered brokenly, her voice thick with tears. "I got ya. You're okay, baby."
Emily cried and held JJ tighter, burying her face in the crook of the blonde's neck as she clung to her. "I love you so much," she breathed.
JJ lifted her face to the sky and swallowed thickly as she carefully threaded her fingers through Emily's hair to hold the brunette's head to her shoulder. She wrapped her arm a little tighter around Emily's back, trying to be as careful of her injuries as she possibly could, and held her close. Her heart broke at the way Emily was clinging to her as the brunette's body shook with her sobs. She wanted to fix it, wanted to make Emily feel better, but she knew that the only thing she could do was to just be there and hold her while she cried.
"We really need to get going," the younger EMT said in a hushed whisper. "We still haven't even examined her."
Morgan and Rossi shared a look and nodded. Neither of them particularly liked the idea of forcing JJ and Emily apart, no matter how necessary it was, but they also knew that Emily needed medical attention.
"I'll do it," Morgan said. He sighed and ran a hand over his head as he broke away from the group and started toward JJ and Emily.
The crunching of a boot on gravel pulled JJ's eyes to Morgan's approach and she nodded at the apologetic look he gave her. It was time to go. She brushed a kiss across Emily's forehead and sighed. "Come on, baby. We need to get you to the hospital."
Emily grunted and shook her head. "I hate hospitals."
"I know, darling," JJ murmured, her eyes softening as she felt Emily's body relax slightly. "But you need to go."
"You too?" Emily asked in a small, childlike voice.
"Always, my love," JJ assured her, and she smiled softly at Emily as they broke apart. "I love you."
Emily smiled shyly as JJ's thumbs brushed gently across her cheeks, smoothing away her tears. "I love you too, Jennifer."
JJ dropped one last kiss to Emily's lips before she took a small, regretful step back and glanced at the EMTs who were watching them. "Okay," she said, nodding at the men as she slipped her hand into Emily's and gave it a quick squeeze before she moved out of the paramedics' way.
The paramedics wasted no time carefully sweeping Emily into a basket-carry and they made their way slowly around the cabin to the clearing in front of the house where their helicopter waited for them, its rotors spinning slowly as it idled and waited to take off again.
JJ chewed her lip fitfully as she watched the men set Emily onto a stretcher. Once she was secured, they lifted her up into the helicopter bay, and JJ winced as she watched Emily's face contort in pain as she was moved around. The EMTs were being as careful as they could, but every bump sent bolts of pain shooting through Emily's body.
"We only have room for one of you," the pilot told the profilers, as if it there was even a question about who would accompany Emily on the flight.
"Go, JJ," Rossi said, tipping his head knowingly at the petite blonde. He knew she would have to be interrogated about the shooting, but he also knew it that there was no way in hell that JJ was going to let Emily out of her sight any time soon. "Take care of her, and we'll meet you two at the hospital after we hand the scene over to the locals."
JJ smiled and nodded, giving him a murmured, "Thanks," before she hopped into the helicopter to take her rightful spot at Emily's side.
"Hey," Emily murmured as she reached for JJ's hand.
"Hey yourself," JJ murmured, smiling at Emily as she leaned in and kissed her softly as the EMTs pulled the twin doors to the helicopter bay shut.
Morgan and Rossi stepped back as the Helivac's rotors whined loudly and started spinning faster and faster. They shielded their eyes against the buffeting wind that grew as the blades picked up speed, and they both let out a sigh of relief when the helicopter lifted into the air.