A/N: HEY IM BACK IVE ACTUALLY HAD THIS CHAPTER WRITTEN FOR A WHILE BUT WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MASSIVE ICE STORM AND BLIZZARD AND THE POWER AND CONNECTION HAVE BEEN SHIT SO YEAH FUN TIMES PLS REVIEW IM SO TIRED


I have seen what the darkness does

Say goodbye to who I was
I ain't never been away so long
Don't look back them days are gone

-Meet Me in the Woods, Lord Huron

"Well, power's out, you guys wanna play cards or something?" James suggested.

"Uh uh, playing cards with Pretty Boy over there? We don't stand a chance," Derek said.

"You're just jealous."

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

"It's are too, am too isn't grammatically correct."

"Sorry Alex."

"Anyways," James interrupted. "We can play Go Fish or something that the kid can't strategize his way in."

"Oh I'm so good at Go Fish," Elle said as she fell onto the ground, her feet kicked out in front of her. "Are we doing teams since there's so many of us? Because I call JJ. She's second-best here."

JJ rolled her eyes. Elle got so competitive when it came to Go Fish. But it was pretty funny to watch, and being on her team would protect her from her ruthlessness.

It sounds silly, being so competitive and harsh over Go Fish of all games. But it was a bit of a tradition in the shop. It was their game. Derek and Elle would argue about the rules, Penelope would be the peacemaker (even though she almost always sided in Derek's favor, but what could you expect?) and the others would watch and throw popcorn at each other's heads.

"Alex and I are a team," James said. They always were. Alex smiled at him. She was still thinking about their kiss. Their amazing kiss. She wouldn't stop thinking about it, replaying it in her head.

"Tara and I, obviously."

"My chocolate thunder and me will crush you, Greenaway."

"Good luck Garcia. You'll need it."

"I'll play on my own team," Spencer announced. "I work better alone."

"Oh nonsense. We'll be a team of three. You can be the brains behind the operation," Alex laughed as she pulled him into her side.

"I'll play with Em…" Hotch trailed off as he looked around. "Where is Emily, actually?"

"She said she had to feed Sergio. It doesn't normally take her this long, though… I wouldn't worry about it, she's probably just in the bathroom or playing on her phone," JJ answered.

Hotch put the thought aside. She was probably fine, she'd come back out soon. Right?

Everything hurt. Her arms, legs, head. Her ribs in particular were on fire.

Where was she? It was cold. So cold. She was laying on something hard… asphalt?

She tried to open her eyes, but she was just greeted with a sharp, stabbing pain.

Listen, she thought. Use your other senses.

All she could feel was pain. She couldn't smell anything, couldn't even breathe through her nose. She could taste… blood. And something else too. Snow?

She could hear some things. She could hear the winds whistling around her. But it was strangely muffled. Cloudy.

Am I concussed? She had had a concussion once before. She was trying to slide down the stairs at the Embassy when she was 9. She had read about princesses doing it in her books. She'd slipped… hit her head against the hard tile. It hurt then, but this was so, so much worse.

I need to get away from wherever I am, she managed to think. It's not safe here.

Why it wasn't safe here, she couldn't remember. But she had to get back inside. Back into the warmth and safety of the shop.

The shop.

She was near the shop. It was coming back to her now. Cyrus, baseball bats… there were 3 of them… steel toed boots.

Boots smashing into her ribs, kick after kick after kick.

He could still be nearby. I have to get away from here. But how? I can't see, I can't hear, I can't move without screaming.

He could come back. He could come back with his goons and she would be completely defenseless.

She started to panic. Her lungs couldn't get enough air, her ribs were on fire, she couldn't breathe.

The blood in her mouth made her start to choke. She was drowning on dry land… drowning on her own blood.

Focus, she thought. Calm down, and turn onto your side.

It was the worst pain she'd ever felt in her life. Her ribs were most definitely broken. She bit her lip and turned to let the blood drain out of her mouth, coughing to get the rest out, wracking her broken ribs.

Just wait. They'll notice you're gone and come looking. They'll find you.

Right?

"That's not how it works!" Derek protested.

"It's your fault that you didn't put down your pair! If I ask for all your twos, you have to give them to me," Elle argued.

"I didn't see them! That's not fair!"

"Doesn't matter, pay up."

"Didn't they have this argument last time we played?" Penelope asked.

"They have this argument every time we play," JJ groaned, flopping back onto a beanbag.

"Just watch the show, they'll tire out eventually," Alex advised, and Tara and Jate nodded in agreement.

"You are a snake, Greenaway."

"I prefer cats."

"I think that last time we said that you have to give her the cards since you didn't put them down…" Spencer said quietly.

"Ha! Hand them over, Morgan!"

Morgan groaned, but handed her the pair of twos anyways. Elle smirked.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

They were cut short by a scratching at the front door.

"What was that?" Alex asked, tapping James on the shoulder.

"I'm not sure… you guys wait here, I'll check it out." James stood up and walked over to the door, opening it to look around, when a small, dark silhouette rushed past his feet.

"Shit!" He yelled. "What was that?!"

"Serg?" Penelope asked. "What are you doing outside buddy? How… how did you get outside, actually?"

Sergio nudged his head against her leg before running off to the back room.

"Should we follow him?"

Alex shrugged. "Guess so."

They followed the black cat to the back of the shop and into the back room.

Penelope shivered. "Brrr, why is it so cold in here?"

"Yeah actually," Alex agreed. "Why is it so cold?"

"I know why," Hotch said. He gestured to the very back of the room. "Why's the door open?"

"Is this how you got out buddy?" Penelope asked the cat in her arms.

"Emily's really good about keeping the doors closed so that he doesn't get out, especially in the winter. She wouldn't just carelessly leave it open," Morgan spoke up.

"We need to find her," Hotch said. "Call her, look for her, whatever. I'm gonna go check outside."

"I'm going with you," Spencer said.

"Me too," JJ and Derek said at the same time.

"Everyone else, check the store. Bathrooms, closets, whatever. Just to be safe."

Alex helped Spencer put on her coat. He had one, but it was old and wouldn't do much to protect him from the cold.

Together, JJ, Derek, Hotch, and Reid all walked into the storm outside. They had walked about 10 feet when they noticed something had disturbed the snow.

"The wind, maybe?" JJ suggested.

"No," Spencer shook his head. "Look."

There was a trail of red snow in front of them.

"Oh shit," Derek whispered. They moved forward quietly, looking for the source of the blood.

JJ gasped. Lying in the snow was Emily, beaten and bloody.

A/N: :)