Lights! Camera! Action!

Chapter 12

Emily jerked her eyes open and stared out the window. She frowned a little confused and as she turned around to take a look at the clock, she saw Morgan sat in a chair, eating a chocolate pudding.

"It's dark?" She said with a questioning tone.

"It's milk chocolate, actually." He answered taking a mouthful of his pudding, hiding a grin behind his spoon.

The brunette chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I meant outside."

"I know. I just wanted to see you smile." He put a sincere smile on his face as Emily returned it to him. "So, how are you feeling?" He put down the empty cup on the little table and grabbed the seat to bring it closer to the bed.

"Good, just a little tired." She yawned as if to prove what she was saying.

"You spent almost two weeks in a coma and you just woke up from a long rest, I understand why you're so tired." He tried to hide his grin but it didn't go unnoticed by the brunette. She gave him a little tap on his shoulder and just when he thought he made her angry, she burst out laughing. Her laugh warmed his heart at the point he thought it would melt. Never will he get tired of hearing her voice, her laugh, of seeing her smile. This woman fascinated him in so many ways. So strong and independent, yet so vulnerable and fragile right now.

A silence settled after they'd stopped laughing. Though she was still smiling, he noticed her face had turned more serious, until her smile disappeared completely leaving her face in a concerned expression. He took her hand and squeezed it between his. He knew she was trying to tell him something important but was hesitant. He tried giving her the more comfort he could to make her know she could trust him. She opened her mouth then closed it. She repeated it two or three more times but still she said nothing. Tears welled up in her eyes and Derek knew she was fighting to keep herself together. To reassure her, he cupped her cheek and softly stroke her cheek with his thumb.

"I can't." She whined, letting the tears fall freely on her cheeks. "I just- I can't."

Derek ran a hand in her raven hair, as the other was still holding her hand. "It's okay, Princess. You don't have to tell me if you're not ready." He gave her a little smile, but it didn't change anything. He didn't know what she wanted to say, but he knew she was internally struggling to tell him something. Her sudden emotional outburst was enough to prove him. "You see this?" He raised his hand, the one still holding hers, and shook it in front of her face. "I am not letting you go. I am not letting you down, Emily. Not this time. I am not losing you again. Do you understand? I will not give up on you."

A faint smile crept on the brunette's lips but quickly faded when more tears made their way down her face. "I can't... I can't feel my legs." Her gaze locked with his. Her bottom lip was trembling trying to hold in another sob.

He knew this eventuality but he'd decided to shove it in the back of his mind. His face froze in a worried expression trying to find the best words that would ease the atmosphere, but there wasn't much. "I'm..." No, being sorry should be the very last thing to say. "What did the doctor said?" Maybe there was hope. Maybe she would heal. The guilt grew bigger in his gut, as she explained what her doctor told her earlier. He tried hiding it the best he could. Right now it wasn't about him, it was about her. She needed him.

When she was done explaining, he rose from his chair and laid a delicate kiss on her forehead. He smiled as he pulled away. "It's gonna be fine, Emily. The doctor said it was just temporary. That's good news!" As he went to sit back in the chair, Prentiss grabbed his arm making him stop in his process. "What?"

She stared at him a moment, biting her lower lip. "No, nothing. It's stupid." She let go of his arm and looked away.

Curious, he stepped closer and cupped her chin, making her look at him. "C'mon, Princess! You know you can tell me anything." He pushed a lock of hair from her face and waited after what she wanted to tell him.

"I shouldn't ask you this, it's..." Derek listened her carefully and neared, the more he could, to the bed. "I... Can you hold me?" He hesitated a second, caught off guard, then his face lit up in a bright smile.

He lay on the bed, next to her and wrapped her in his arm. "Better?" He couldn't see her smiling but he knew she was. Anything to make her smile, and make her forget her tears.

"Much better!" She said, resting her head on his chest and inhaled a full breath of his cologne. She closed her eyes, enjoying the scent. Enjoying his presence close to her. Very close... She suddenly lifted her head to look at him. "You know, it's nothing. I just... You know, need a little comfort." Though she truly liked his presence close to her, she knew it made her more vulnerable and she wasn't sure she liked to feel that way. It was unfamiliar for her to feel so open, but when he was with her it was different. She felt different around him since she'd awaken.

"Sure. You would've asked the same to Reid or Hotch."

She lightly chuckled. "Well, I could've asked JJ to!"

"Oh, I would've love to see this." No need to turn around to know that he had a stupid grin on his face. His comment earned him another friendly slap on his arm from the brunette.

"Yeah, right!" She scoffed, as her lips crept into a smile. She set back her head against his chest and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Derek. Thank you for being here for me." She truly was thankful for what he was doing for her. He didn't have to, but she was glad he was there.

Derek stroke her hair and kissed the top of her head. "Anytime, Emily." They stayed like this for the rest of the night. Sleeping into each other's arms, both seeking for some comfort from one another. For the first time in days, Derek and Emly slept well. They were each other's reason for this good night of sleep.

He was first to wake up and noticed her still sleepy figure wrapped in his arms. A smile crept upon his lips at the sight. She looked so... so beautiful. He lost himself into his thoughts as he continued to watch her sleep. The next coming months were going to be hard for her and he would be there just like he promised her. No matter what, nothing was going to get in the way. Not even his transfer to New York. If hotch was really going to send him away, then he would resigned. It's not what he'd want, but if that meant keeping his promise and be by Emily's side then that's exactly what he wanted.

Someone scrapping its throat startled him out of his mind. Derek turned his head toward the noise and saw Hotch standing in the threshold, staring at him with a quizzical look. The dark skinned profiler gave a quick eye to the clock, unsure of the time. It was barely past six am. What was he doing here so early? Hotch made a little movement of the head toward the outside of the room and exited the room. Morgan sighed deeply. He knew why he came here. To talk to him. And he knew exactly what they were going to talk about. With the most delicateness he had, he snuck out of the bed, careful not to wake her and walked out to reach Hotch who stood near a coffee machine, his back turned from him.

"Hotch."

"Morgan."

His supervisor handed him one of the Styrofoam cup of coffee he had. Derek accepted it and thanked him almost reluctantly. He wasn't really in the mood to thank him when he knew he was here to send him away. It was like if everything they've been through as partners, as a team and as friends meant absolutely nothing to the man. Feeling his impatience growing inside him, he talked first. "What are you doing here, Hotch?" His tone was cold and Hotch seemed to have noticed it.

"I came to see Emily." Derek shot him a 'really' look, but didn't say anything to give him a chance to tell him the real truth. "Well, I also came to see you. I wanted to talk to you, Morgan."

Morgan put his free hand on his hip. "I'm listening."

Hotch took a deep breath before saying what he wanted. "I came here, mostly to apologize. I know I've been unfair toward you. I took a very important decision without really thinking it. Without thinking about the repercussion it would have on everyone." He paused, clearly looking for the right words to say. "I canceled your transfer."

"Why?"

"The way I reacted toward the whole situation was completely unprofessional. You were put into a very hard situation. I'm not sure how anyone else could have handle it without any harm. Someone's fate was doomed no matter what decision you would have taken. If it wasn't Paige, it would have been Emily."

Morgan furrowed his brow, not entirely satisfied. "You still haven't told me why you canceled my transfer."

"Because it was a stupid and unthoughtful decision and I'm sorry." Morgan was taken aback by the sincerity of his boss's tone. Though he had remained completely stoic with his face, his voice had betrayed him.

Derek acknowledged his apology and took a sip of his coffee. He grimaced at the horrible taste and turned to the nearest garbage to toss the cup. "You don't want to taste that, trust me. How about I'll get us some real coffee and we head to the bureau to talk about that canceled transfer before the briefing?"

Hotch nodded and toss his cup of coffee in the garbage. "Alright. Let's go!" A smile crept upon his lips as he motioned to Morgan to walk.

Just as they passed Emily's room, Derek put a hand on Hotch's shoulder. "Wait. There's just one thing I have to do. Lead the way, I'll join you back." As his supervisor nodded and continued to walk to the elevator, Morgan turned back and stepped into the brunette's room. She was still asleep. Derek slightly chuckled thinking about how many hours of sleep Emily had since the past week. But this time he wasn't worried to see her asleep because he knew she would wake up. He walked up to the bed and stroke her hair. "I have to go." He told her, as if she was listening. "But I promise, I'll be back by the end of the day." He kissed her forehead and reluctantly exited the room to join his boss.

Sorry if I took longer to update. I'm still having internet connection problems. I took the risk to update my new chapter from work. I have an exam next week so there won't be any update to expect, but maybe in two weeks if I am not too busy.

Have a great weekend guys!