Disclaimer: I do not own them, just borrowing them or previous events for a while to have some fun. Also any characters from another show that you recognise belong to CBS.

My usual huge thanks to Lily Moonlight for the beta and additional prodding to finish this chapter. Also thank you to Madison Bellows, my 200th Reviewer!

You do get a little resolution in this chapter, but I won't spoil the fun of reading ...

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Chapter 38 - I'm fine

Morgan and Rossi were creeping along a deserted corridor when the gunshot echoed through their ear pieces. Rossi noticed the pained expression that crossed the features of the younger man as they shared a startled look.

"I'm sure they're all fine," he counselled as he rested a comforting hand on Morgan's shoulder and they edged forward.

"Do we know where this goes?" Morgan asked, clearly agitated and wishing he was somewhere else entirely.

"It wasn't on any of the plans according to the lab tech, but it looks like it's set up for an escape route of some kind."

Morgan huffed a little. "I want this guy."

"And we'll get him," Rossi assured him calmly.

"Before he kills or abducts her?" he snapped. "Anyone got eyes on Victor?" he demanded into his comms unit.

"No, but we've found Karla," came back the concerned voice of their unit chief.

…..

Emily launched herself over the driver and grabbed the wheel, wrenching it hard right, missing the 18-wheeler by a hair and running them into a ditch at the side of the road amid a cacophony of scraping, squealing and crunching. Although it seemed like it would do for a few terrifying seconds as it lurched sideways, the van didn't actually roll over.

When the vehicle finally settled, she was virtually on the dash of the van, Stella was lying on the cargo floor and the passenger was cursing again in Russian and desperately trying to undo his seat-belt. The driver was out cold, a red blotch down the left side of his face and red on the remains of the broken window. When she saw the tree branch sticking through his neck, Emily cringed. At least it was one less for her to worry about.

In the crash, the pistol on the dash had disappeared, but she was alert enough to know that it couldn't be far away and the desperation in the passenger to free himself told her he was going after it.

She looked around: the driver's door was completely blocked and with the conscious passenger she had little chance of escape that way or out the back of the vehicle. Her only option was to aim the heel of her boots at the windshield behind her and hope the glass was already fractured and would shatter easily.

She was lucky. It gave way easily and with a kick back at the passenger, winding him, she ignored the glass shards and rolled out onto the hood of the van as footsteps edged closer and a flashlight flickered around.

"You crazy broad! What kind of a stunt was that?" the angry voice of the 18-wheeler driver darted her way.

"You might want to ask the dead guy that question," she snapped, brushing her hair off her face with the back of her hand to avoid smearing blood over herself. "I'm an FBI agent, you got a cell phone?"

"Yeah, not that it's gonna be a whole lotta use out here lady," he answered gruffly. "Signal's crap along this road you need to be within spitting distance of the city towers before you can make a call."

Emily heard the passenger door click and she moved towards it, thrusting it back at the body emerging and ensuring that he crumpled to the ground.

"Hey! Was that necessary?" the driver demanded.

"Extremely, now you got anything to call help? Tell them there's an undercover FBI agent and NYPD CSI in trouble and to send the cavalry. We'll need the ME and a bus."

"Emily?" Stella's weak voice from the back of the van stopped her rant at the driver briefly.

"Right here, you okay?"

"Where the hell are we and how did we get…" Stella's voice was cut off.

Emily looked towards the back of the van, it was too dark to see much and she figured Stella was injured from the crash and needed help, so other thoughts got set aside momentarily as she turned her attention to the big rig driver again. "You got a name?"

"Bobby Dorkins," he answered.

"Bobby, go call for help, and if you've got a weapon in that rig of yours I need it."

Emily left him to waddle his overweight frame back to the road as she turned her attention to the passenger again, perturbed to see that after her last attempt to contain him had failed.

"Hey, FBI lady, take the flashlight, I got enough light from the road to find my way back."

The truck driver tossed the flashlight over the hood of the van and it landed in the soft grass at Emily's feet.

She picked it up and shone in around the area, dismayed to see drag marks moving away from the van leading into a nearby coppice. Leaving him for the moment she moved to the back of the van to check on Stella, but she found nothing, except one of her shoes.

"Stella?!" She called out into the darkness. Her head throbbed and a wave of nausea passed over her as she tried to formulate a plan. While she didn't know the other woman well, they had formed a working camaraderie and she felt guilty for not checking on her earlier. She only hoped that the suspect was as dazed as she was and didn't get far.

…..

Mac had seen Hotch push Flack aside the second the gun had fired, the man had lightning reflexes, a good thing or the bullet which the guard had fired would surely have hit him. None of the team had got off a shot.

Looking past Flack and Hotch sprawled on the floor he noticed Karla was down as well as the subject, but as he caught the female agent's eye as she moved to check on the guard, he saw she didn't immediately seem injured which made him sigh in relief.

Again casting his eyes to the two people in front of him he heard Hotch say something into his comms unit, but it was Flack who caused him most concern. Flack had barely moved. Mac was thrown back to the time they had both been caught up in a bomb blast.

A groan drew his attention back to the present as Flack sat up. "Son of a bitch," he cursed reaching for his weapon.

Hotch, now on his feet moved towards Karla and the guard, leaving Mac to tend to the detective.

Flack used the wall to help him stand and he pressed a hand against the side of his vest. Feeling something unexpected he pulled his hand away and handed something to Mac, who dropped it in a plastic bag.

"A bullet? You were shot?" Mac questioned turning his attention from the evidence back to the tall detective.

"I'm okay, Mac, it got the vest," Flack panted, still regaining his breath from the force of the bullet hitting him.

"I can see that. We're gonna need it for evidence, and you should let EMS take a look at you and check for broken bones."

"Soon as this is all over, you can have what you like. How's Karla?"

"Agent Hotchner is taking care of her."

Mac watched the detective look over to the two FBI agents hauling the guard off the floor before more ESU agents arrived and the prisoner was handed over.

…..

Free of their responsibility for the guard, Hotch moved Karla into Victor's office critically appraising the state of her dress. "Morgan's going to take some convincing you're okay when he sees you," he offered with a slight grimace.

"He'll freak a little, but I can take it. It was worth it to have Victor in custody." She pointed across the room to where Victor was propped against the leg of the desk.

"Nice work, I could use an asset like you at the BAU." His subtle praise and offer of a job didn't distract her and she was quick to respond.

"Nice try, Hotch, but even though Derek and I get along it's against the rules, besides I'm thinking I may want to try something new."

"Karla?" Flack's voice cut in, stopping any further discussion.

Hotch turned briefly to the detective then to Karla. "I'll take care of Victor, you go with Detective Flack and make sure EMS check you out too."

Hotch stopped when she spoke again, giving him new information. "Nikolai was also here, he's Victor's right hand and took me out of the club. He may be in an unmarked escape route," she informed him before walking across the room opening the panel again and then tapping in a code on the keypad. "I don't know where or how far it goes, but I'm sure he went down it."

"We'll check it out, now get out of here," Hotch ordered.

"Karla, if you're able, Adam could probably use some of your inside knowledge we believe he has Stella and Emily so anything you can tell us would be helpful," the voice of the Crime Lab Boss drew her attention and she nodded briefly.

"He's already working with what I know, but I'll check on how he's doing. Victor's cell is on the desk with a direct link to Adam recording everything in case he wants to talk." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at Victor and she noted the quirk in Mac's eyebrow questioning her. "It's my insurance policy to ensure he can't wriggle out on a technicality."

"Does he know he's being recorded?" Mac asked.

"Told him when I read him his rights, but it wouldn't be a bad thing to remind him of them," Karla added.

"Get Hawkes to check you out and there's a spare set of overalls in the back of my truck if you want to change, we'll need your clothes as evidence."

"I'll find Lindsay and make sure you get them."

Mac glanced over to Flack who was standing a few steps away issuing instructions to a uniformed officer who had appeared. "Take Flack with you when you go, he might listen to you if you insist he gets himself checked out."

"Don't you need to know what happened here?"

"We'll talk later, I prefer to look at the evidence first."

"Alright," she answered, knowing that it was now time to leave she stepped towards the New York detective, but paused for a moment to look back at Victor who grinned at her lecherously.

"This is not over Zaika, you will pay for this."

Karla couldn't resist the shudder that shot through her body at the words and tone of voice he used. Turning away from him she took the final steps to Flack's side and rested her hand on his arm. "I'm told to take you to see EMS, so let's go."

"Me see EMS? You're the one covered in blood," he said

She squeezed his arm a little in reassurance. "I'm fine, it's not my blood. I'm just glad he's in custody."

"Prove it," he demanded suddenly, then seemed to swallow whatever words he was going to say next.

"I will if you will, I can see the bullet hole in your vest, so there's at least a nasty bruise forming or maybe a broken rib and judging by the way you're r holding your side I'd say the latter." She was not about to back down until she was satisfied he really was okay too.

"Do you notice everything?" he asked.

"What can I say, I'm observant," she quipped turning to the door hoping he would follow her.

…..

Stella felt the thumping in her head again before any of her other senses returned to her. It took her a few moments to realise that she was being dragged somewhere and her pulse rate rose rapidly sending a surge of adrenalin around her body as she fought internally to control her muscles ready to defend herself. The memory of the back of the van returned to her and she opened her eyes, looking around for Emily.

The panelled walls of the truck had gone and she was in the open, her visibility clouded by the tall grasses and the lack of any discernible light, including anything the moon might have provided. Clearly it wasn't a full moon night and she would have to rely on her other senses again.

Grunting from the person dragging her by her arms increased and she figured that despite her size 6 frame he was struggling, either because he was injured or he had dragged her unconscious form some distance. Now the pain in her shoulders was beginning to become apparent and she tugged heavily on her arms, or at least as much as she could from her awkward position.

The tug had two effects: the first in her favour; the second not. First, her abductor stopped abruptly, the second found him pitching forward on top of her, breathing heavily.

"Bitch!" she heard him curse as he lay dazed.

Her arms were pinned underneath part of his body, so she was unable to lever him off her and put him down for good.

She felt him shift slightly as he started to push himself up and she took advantage of his face being in line with her knee and summoned enough energy for a quick sharp jab. She wasn't sure but she thought she heard his nose break. There was no time to revel in that victory - as he roared in pain and surprise he lifted his bulk a few inches and she seized the opportunity to slither out and push him off her.

She pushed herself to her knees and seized his arm as he grappled for the handcuffs sticking out of his pocket. Summoning every ounce of energy she elbowed his bloody nose and grabbed the cuff, snapping it around his wrist and hurriedly looked around her finding a tree within easy reach whose gnarled roots lent themselves well to securing a prisoner. Seizing the opportunity while he was groaning over his bloodied nose she yanked him closer to the tree and clicked the free end of the cuff around the root.

"You bitch, you won't get away with this, you're going to suffer for your foolishness," he scoffed, hovering between wiping the new blood pool that had appeared at his nose and trying to sit up.

Standing Stella was just able to make out a large vehicle parked on the road some distance away. She couldn't make out much else though between the blurred vision and the lack of light and the woozy feeling was increasing, causing her to stumble a little. Taking a breath she righted herself and stepped towards the road, intending to go check on Emily and the other guy, but a combination of dizziness and nausea had her stumbling again and she pitched forward several feet away from her captor, unaware of his angered expletives as she blacked out again.

…..

Morgan and Rossi left the club and began heading towards a dark SUV parked down the street. Morgan looked around his eyes settling on the ambulance across the street. He first noticed the tall detective sitting on the gurney at the side, his shirt and vest discarded nearby. Then his eyes dropped on the woman with him clearly holding some form of conversation. She was also tending to his injuries, probably broken ribs by the way she was winding a thick bandage around his torso. EMS staff seemed distracted by other injured. Breaking away from the SUV he walked towards the ambulance wanting to let her know that Emily and Stella had been located, but as he got closer and he was able to see her better in the dim light he couldn't fail to notice the darker patches on her dress and the bruising appearing on her arms and neck.

"Karla, you alright honey?" he greeted, resting his hand on her arm and drawing her attention.

"I'm fine, just a few bruises," she sounded tired and from experience he knew she would be fed up with the constant questions, but he wasn't going to be denied, he needed to know that she really was alright.

"You don't look fine, you're bleeding," Morgan asserted, indicating her dress, while at the same time drawing her away from what she was doing. "You need to see a medic."

He wasn't ready for her to resist him and standing her ground caught him by surprise. "Derek, I'm fine, the blood's not mine. I've been checked by Dr Hawkes and given the all clear. What are you doing here?"

"Emily and Stella have been located, we're going to get them," he told her.

"Are they okay?" she asked.

"We haven't got the full picture yet, but Emily had some truck driver call it in. First responders should be there any minute."

"Is Mac going with you?" she asked looking around for the lab boss.

"He's issuing instructions to the team staying here, he'll be following us."

"Then get going, make sure they're okay," Karla urged taking his elbow and nudging him towards Rossi and their vehicle.

"Alright, I'm going, but we're not done yet, we'll talk later."

Karla stepped back away from him and turned to Flack taking the bandage from him where he had been trying to finish the job himself and Morgan heard her say, "what are you trying to do detective? That's no way to treat your ribs, quit twisting and let me finish the job."

"Thought you might not come back and I can't be sitting here all night, got things to do," he responded.

"Not until you're properly fixed up, now sit still and let me work my magic." Karla's tone was playful but serious at the same time. It had been a long time since he had seen her that way and he hoped that she wasn't going to get hurt. "I've got some news, .. they found Stella and Emily."

…..

Stella opened her eyes and found herself staring up at the stars. For a few seconds, unable to recall much, she wondered where she was and how she had got there. Slowly flashes of memory came back and she remembered the van running off the road and then being pulled through the tall grasses. The sound of a man's voice cursing nearby had her turn her head to see one of her abductors handcuffed to a tree root. She smirked as she recalled their struggle; he hadn't expected her to be able to fight back in her compromised state, but he'd figured wrong - she'd experienced worse than him and had been determined he wasn't going to win.

Staring back up at the stars, her smirk faded. She knew she had to move, but she couldn't help trying to work out how long it had been since she had really got out of the city to enjoy moments like this, she needed to persuade Mac to take a break and be able to appreciate more than the city lights. The man worked way too hard, they all did and it had been years since he had taken any extended vacation, maybe she would mention it to him. Even if she could only get him away for one night to appreciate some of the beauty of the world it would be worth it. She would have to discuss it with him later, but to do that she had to get herself moving again.

Her head pounded as she rolled over and pushed herself to her feet. Looking about, she raised her hand to her head as the world spun around her. She could just make out the road with something parked there and in the distance she could hear sirens and concluded that Emily must have found a way to get help.

Emily… She wondered how the other woman had fared after they ran off the road and after taking a look at her captor, Stella decided to leave him where he was. It wasn't worth taking the chance that he would overpower her again. Turning she began to make her way towards the road.

"Stella!" the sound of Emily's voice nearby was reassuring and she felt relief wash through her.

She tried to call back but her voice was barely more than a croak, her throat was sore and her head still throbbed. Pressing forward she headed towards the sound of the FBI agent calling her.

Breaking into the clearing where the van had ended up she practically stumbled into someone's arms.

"Oh, thank God, are you all right?" Emily gasped.

Stella registered the concern in her voice, but could do little more than nod. "How - how are you?" she rasped finally.

"I'm good," Emily responded.

"Where's the other guy?" Stella asked looking towards the van, as the sirens drew closer, and the first squad car pulled up.

"Didn't make it out of the crash." Emily paused a moment and looked to the road. "Looks like back up's here, let's go find out how the others are doing."

Stella felt her surge of energy slip away and she only nodded again, before stumbling towards the road, unusually grateful for the additional support with Emily holding her arm.

Thanks for reading and hope you will leave a note for me.

Posted: 26 March 2013