Sorry for the wait on this one, life has been hectic beyond belief!. A big thank you to my ever faithful reviewers, you give the motivation and the muse to keep running with this insane idea. You're the best!.
20waffles20 - Yes that is my real name, though I tend to use my middle name as my first aha. Yes I know, my family are good friends with Eve Myles's family (THEGWENCOOPER) and it's something we have a good laugh over. Oh a fellow Torchwood lover, I am pleased! Thank you for your kind review friend, hope you enjoy this one.
So here's the next chapter for you beautiful people. Time to check out the aftermath of that nasty crash.
Here we go…
Derek let out a loud groan. The first thing he registered was pain. Lots and lots of pain. His breath was caught in his chest and opening his eyes was a hard task but finally he managed to wrench them open. And he honestly wish he hadn't as the pain intensified ten fold. Everything around him blurred into one and he struggled to get his bearings but after a minute of repeated blinking everything started to even out. But he wished he hadn't been able to open his eyes, because all around him was pure carnage. The windscreen was no more, all that was left was a tiny slit where the large opening had once been, it had been crushed together on top of the bonnet.
Finally he realised why he was struggling to catch his breath. He was dangling from his chair, the seatbelt being the only thing that was stopping him from crushing Emily. Emily… Remembering what happened he turned his head quickly to get a look at her. "Emily!?" He called out getting a faint glimpse of her still form. "Emily?!" He called with more urgency this time but still there was no response.
"Derek" A weak but familiar voice called out and turning his body around he managed to catch sight of Spencer grabbing a hold of the door tightly. Blood slipped down the side of his face and he could tell the man was dazed but he was awake and talking and he took that as a good sign.
"You alright Kid?" He asked hoisting himself up and around using his seatbelt as a makeshift hammock to hold his weight. The movement hurt like hell but he had to work out what was happening, how hurt they all were and how to get out.
"Yeah… I think" Spencer got out his head swaying dangerously from side to side as he tried to keep his eyes open. The pain in his skull was almost unbearable. "JJ?" He asked shaking away the haze. Looking at his blonde companion he noticed that she too was unmoving, her body pressed against the twisted metal and the muddy ground. "Emily?" He shouted painfully looking at the front but he got the same response that he had from JJ. Nothing.
"Okay Reid. We need to get out of the car, climb through your window there" Derek ordered going straight into leader mode. Spencer hesitated but wrapped his gangly arms around the outside of the door, the grooves giving him somewhere to cling on to. "Okay I'm gonna lean around and unclip your belt" Derek said stretching around to the back of the SUV his side screaming in pain. Sucking it up his fingertips just about reached and unclicking the belt he watched Spencer's body drop slightly before the man gathered himself and crawled out of the car. "Call the police and get an ambulance down here!" He ordered and Spencer yanked his phone out of his pocket. Thankfully it wasn't very damaged bar a cracked screen.
Derek shifted his position once again as a faint moan reached his ears. "Emily?!" He said turning to look down at woman who began to stir ever so slightly. His heart beat harder than ever, she was waking up. She wasn't dead, she hadn't left him again. Relief flooded his body as he managed to get his feet on the ground below, avoiding stepping on Prentiss. "Emily can you hear me?" He asked managing to kneel down in the slight space that he had in the crushed car. Her face was covered in blood and he could see the angry cut that ran from her forehead and into her hairline. Her face was littered with the little cuts as fragments of glass nestled themselves into her flesh. But what worried him the most was the small pool of blood that came from just underneath her.
She could hear voices. Familiar voices. But they sounded as if they were underwater and she couldn't register the words that must have been coming out of their mouth. Pain swam through her entire body and she was sure her head had been separated from her shoulders. Slowly she managed to crack her eyes open slightly and turned her head and as she did a person she knew very well was hovering over her head. "Derek?" She wheezed out every breath she was taking causing a rippling pain through her chest.
"It's me Princess. Can you move?" He asked worriedly watching as her head lolled up and down as she struggled to look at him.
"I don't know… Is Reid okay? And JJ?" She asked him as she remembered the others that were in the car with her. She tried to push herself up but the pain in her body was just too much.
Derek put a gentle arm on hers. "Reid's fine he's calling an ambulance, I don't know about JJ yet" Derek said honestly flicking a glance at the unmoving blonde behind them. "Right I'm gonna get you out of here Em okay!" Derek said as he grabbed at the seat belt latch but it had been completely crushed. Oh no he mumbled inwardly as he continued to tug on the mechanism but it wouldn't budge.
"Morgan!" Reid yelled hanging over the edge of the car. "Morgan there's loads of smoke coming from the car and a fire has started round the front. You have to get them out of there" Spencer spoke with urgency as he watched helplessly at the scene in front of him. He nodded at him and kept yanking with all his might to free his partner but the belt was not moving.
"Damn it!" He growled angrily hitting the busted dashboard with the palm of his hand.
"Derek!" Emily's voice rang in his head and he turned to look at her. His adrenaline was pumping throughout him, blocking out the pain he was feeling. "Get JJ out. I'm not moving f-from this wreck y-yet" She said strongly biting back the hiss of pain that was forcing it's way out of her throat. Any little movement hurt her side and she knew why. A twisted piece of metal was embedded into her side. She didn't know how deep it was, but it hurt.
"Prentiss, you're stuck. I need to get you out!" Derek pleaded not wanting to leave her there if the car was starting to ignite.
"No. You need to g-get JJ out!" She said pushing as much strength into her voice. "I'm stuck, s-she's not, go!" She ordered trying to look directly at him but failing miserably. With a longing look at her he climbed into the back and began to undo JJ from her seat. But it seemed the movement had begun to rouse her from her head injury induced slumber. "What's… W-what's going on?" She managed to get out feeling two arms wrap around her waist and drag her up into a sitting position.
"JJ can you stand. I need to get you out of here. The cars on fire" Derek said and JJ nodded numbly as she tried to gather her bearings. On shaky legs she got to her feet coughing as smoke began to slip into the car. She gripped a hold of Derek's shoulder tightly and turned to grab a hold of the top of the car when she stopped as she heard her friends voice. "I'll be right back Emily okay, I swear I'll be right back" Derek said looking down over her and she nodded at him before beginning to feel around the car for something.
"Derek is Emily?" JJ asked eyes wide with worry but he shook his head.
"She's trapped, the belt has her jammed in. Come on JJ let's get you out" He spoke as he began to manoeuver her up and out of the car but that was difficult due to the pain they were both in and that JJ wanted to stay with Emily, unwilling to leave her in the car alone.
Emily finally found what she was looking for. Her gun. With blood covered shaky hands she looked at the seatbelt which was tight around her chest restricting her breathing. Looking at it she found a small area of the belt which had ripped and with the little focus she had she pressed the muzzle against the rough material she fired the gun. The action had the desired effect as her belt fell apart, releasing her from its clutches but that only caused more pain as her weight pressed down heavily on the metal penetrating her side.
"Emily?!" Derek yelled running around to the car once again and peeking in. He heard the gunshot but didn't have the faintest idea what had happened.
"I'm okay, I've g-got the belt off" She coughed painfully her head swimming. She knew moving would only hurt the wound to her side more but she had to get out. Smoke was filling it up and burning her eyes and her lungs and she knew she didn't have long to get out of the car.
"I'm coming in to get you!" Derek barked about to hop over into the car but her voice stopped him.
"No Derek don't. This car is going to explode any minute, I t-think I can get myself out. Get back as far as you can!" Emily yelled up at him manoeuvring herself around. She cried out in pain as she wrapped her hand around the shrapnel sticking into her side and with a firm yank pulled it out. Blood spilt freely from the wound and it coated her hands warming them up.
"Like hell I am!" Derek yelled back. He wasn't going to leave her there, he couldn't leave her there like that.
"Listen to me! Get back, I'll be out in literally a minute!" She pushed out and brought herself up into a sitting position biting back another hiss of pain.
"I'm staying here. I can ease you out. Lift your hands up and grab the window edge" He said and he could watch as she struggled up into a standing position. As soon as she did all the blood rushed from her head and she fell heavily against the side of the car, stars dancing in her eyes and everything going into double vision.
Shaking it away she grabbed onto the window edge and placed one foot on the seat. Sucking in a painful breath she heaved herself up onto the edge of the window. She could feel the smoke clogging up her lungs but she pushed up again until finally her upper body was on the outside of the car. Derek leaned over and put his arms under hers and with one big heave dragged her out of the wreckage.
Emily wrapped an arm around Morgan's shoulder to steady herself as the two hobbled over to Reid and JJ who were sat on the floor both looking like they were about to pass out. "It's going to blow, we need t-to move!" Emily got out as she grabbed a hold of Reid and Morgan grabbed JJ and the four all linked together kept moving away from the wreckage. And they were lucky they did as soon enough the car exploded. The force of the explosion forced the four agents to the ground and instinctively they all tried to protect each other from the debris that rained down around them.
"Is everyone okay?" JJ squeezed out as the wind that was knocked out of her returned. All three nodded and tried to move but found they couldn't. Adrenaline left their bodies and so all they could do was lie on the ground trying to get their bearings.
"Yeah I'm okay, I've had better days though" Emily groaned as she pressed her hand over the wound to her side. "Shit!" She mumbled as her head swam with pain from the blow and the blood loss.
"Let me see" Reid said gazing down at the wound that punctured Emily's side. Her white shirt was soaked in blood and he tried to look but she swatted his hands away. "Reid it's fine, just a flesh wound" She said through gritted teeth but her resolve was weakening as everything around her began to swim into a mass of colour and darkness. It wasn't long before her eyes were shut once again.
And when the ambulance crew arrived the first thing they all saw was four FBI agents unconscious on the ground.
0o0o0o0o0o
Rossi and Hotch were sat in the waiting room, waiting for any news on their team mates. They still couldn't believe that the four had been run off the road. "You think it was our Unsub?" Rossi spoke up looking at Hotch who was sipping at the disgusting hospital coffee.
"I don't doubt it, we're finally onto him. He needed to get rid of people to cover his tracks" He replied rolling the cup between his palms. It didn't matter how many times he ended up in these hospitals, it always hurt him as much as the first time. They weren't just his colleagues, they were his family.
"That's hell of a move to make" Rossi answered running a hand through his dark hair tiredly, none of them had slept in over 24 hours and it was starting to take its toll. Hotch was about to speak when a doctor emerged and walked over to them.
"Are you here for the FBI agents?" He asked and Hotch and Rossi stood producing their badges to show the man. "Well they are a lucky bunch I'll give you that. All four have concussion and have had to have stitches in their heads but it's nothing some painkillers and rest won't take care of. They've all got some nasty cuts and abrasions but again they'll be easily taken care of. Jennifer Jareau has broken her right arm in two places and has two broken ribs, Spencer Reid has whiplash and a slight strain on his neck, Derek Morgan's main injury is his head but he should be cleared to go in a few hours and Emily Prentiss has a bruised rib and a puncture wound to her side which we've stitched up and cleaned and should heal in a few days. She took a nasty blow to the head so we want to keep her and Miss Jareau in for observation overnight though we're having some trouble convincing Miss Prentiss" The doctor finished running through the list.
"Can we see them?" Hotch asked and the man nodded and walked away urging the two to follow him along the pristine hallways of the hospital. "Mr Reid and Mr Morgan are up and about, each one of them are in with the two women". The nearer they got they could hear a very familiar voice arguing with the doctors and couldn't help but smile.
"I've said I'm fine. I'm all stitched up and you've given me medication. I am not staying here overnight end of. You can't keep me here, I'm lucid and of sound mind and I am telling you in a few hours I'm walking out of this hospital" Emily argued with the young male doctor who looked absolutely terrified of the older FBI agent.
"I'm sorry Ma'am, I've had strict orders that you have to stay in for observations" He squeaked out. He couldn't wait to get out of the room.
"Well I'm giving you orders and I'm not staying here. It's as simple as that so either you hand me the discharge papers or I'll get them myself and risk more injury" She growled back and Derek was stood behind Emily an amused smile on his face. He never understood why she didn't like hospitals.
"Yes Ma'am" The young doctor caved before scurrying out of the room and nearly bumping into another doctor and two older men.
"I think I'll take JJ, you can go and join Emily" Rossi laughed hurrying forward to the next room leaving Hotch to go in and deal with an angry Emily Prentiss.
"Is the big bad Emily Prentiss afraid of hospitals" Derek joked and she turned to look at him narrowing her eyes though he couldn't take her serious with a bandage around her head and stitches in her face.
"I'm not afraid Morgan, I just don't see the point of wasting time in here, when I can do the same in the station and actually get some work done" She replied quickly and Derek would have never known she had a concussion if it wasn't for the unfocused eyes.
"That can wait till morning Prentiss" Hotch said as he entered the room and walked up to the side of the bed chuckling lightly to himself. "I'm ordering you to go back to the hotel, and I do not want to see you till at least 12pm. So that's 10 hours. And that goes for all of you" He said and Derek nodded in agreement, he wasn't going to turn down a few hours rest.
"Urgh fine" Emily groaned not happy with it, but it was better than staying in the hospital.
"How are you both feeling?" Hotch asked pulling up a seat and sitting next to Emily's bed.
"I feel like I've been on a long weekend and drank too many beers" Derek spoke honestly. His head was pounding in his skull and every movement hurt. Now he understood exactly how Emily felt a few years ago when the same thing happened to her.
"I'm not going to lie, I feel like crap. This is the second time I've been run off the road. You'd think I'd be used to it by now" She bit leaning back into the pillows that supported her back. Her side had been reduced to a dull ache and for that she was grateful, it was her head and her bruised rib that was causing her the most problems right now. Every strong breath she took in sent a stab into her right lung and her breath felt like it was rattling in her chest.
"I don't think this is something you could ever get used to Princess" Derek groaned rubbing his temples weakly. He never expected that the Unsub would do something like this, something to them. There was no sign that he was switching his targets to them.
"What happened exactly?" Hotch asked again moving closer to the bed.
"We were driving along the road towards the Rebecca Warburton's house and then this van came out of nowhere. Slammed straight into my side. I can't really remember much of it" Emily sighed rubbing her throbbing head also. Derek nodded agreeing with her statement, it was all a bit of a blur.
"Okay, well it's something. I'll go get Rossi and we'll head back to the station. Prentiss, Morgan I'm warning you I do not want to see you until 12 okay and the same goes for JJ and Reid" Hotch warned his voice warm but that underlying firmness was there.
"Yes Sir" Morgan saluted watching as their boss exited the room. As soon as he did he turned to look at Emily who had zoned out once again as she'd been doing whenever conversation stopped. "You with me Prentiss?" He asked waving his hand in front of her face and she snapped out of her little trance.
"Yeah sorry" She mumbled groggily as the painkillers began to take effect. She could see Morgan beginning to drop in the chair next to her so shaking her sore head she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood on shaky feet. As soon as she did though her legs buckled beneath the sudden weight and she fell backwards onto the bed a small hiss of pain escaping her lips. Almost as soon as she touched the mattress her partner had made it around to her side of the bed grasping a hold of her forearms gently.
"You alright?" He asked worriedly looking at her bruised and cut up face. She nodded her head and stood once again but he eased her back down onto the bed. "No stay. I'll get you a chair" He said but she shook her head to the side. No way. Not again.
"No. You are not having an excuse to push me around again" She laughed lightly trying not to aggravate her ribs as she remembered his words the last time this had happened. A chuckle escaped him. "I'll use you as a walking stick" She said standing to full height and wrapping her arm around his strong arm as the two slowly made their way out of her room. Even after a few steps he could feel she was struggling. She was just too proud to admit it.
"Emily Prentiss any excuse to get your hands on me" He winked at her holding her arm a little tighter to make sure she wouldn't topple over. She laughed lightly as they made their way down the corridor to where JJ and Reid were hiding out.
"You wish" Emily snorted back trying to cover how true those words subconsciously were. The two just smiled at each other and walked into the room where they spotted their injured comrades. "You look how I feel" She spoke up drawing attention to them as she looked between Spencer and JJ.
JJ smiled relieved to see her friend up and moving about. She'd been told that the woman was up and arguing but seeing it herself was something she couldn't be happier about. "You should still be resting?" JJ scolded watching as she hobbled over to her. Derek, ever the gentleman grabbed a nearby chair and eased her down into it.
"Do you think she'd listen to reason" Derek spoke a smile on his bruised face.
"I'm fine. How are you two feeling?" She asked looking between Reid and JJ.
"My head hurts, and my neck, and my entire body but that isn't uncommon after a car accident" Reid said closing the book he had in his lap and looking to JJ to continue.
"I feel like ass" She laughed lightly adjusting her position in the bed. "I didn't think it was possible to hurt so many places in one go" She moaned fiddling with the hem of the blanket that covered her legs.
"Well at least we got out of the car. There would have been no chance of survival if we hadn't" Reid said casually causing the three to just look at him.
"Comforting" Emily spoke up a small smile on her face. He was so oblivious to how direct he was with his facts and his words. JJ watched as the conversation dwindled away, everyone's concussion taking their toll on all of them. She watched as Emily's eyes glazed over and her head tilting to the side as her body began to shut down.
"Em you may as well go back to the hotel, you can't even keep your eyes open. Go and rest seems as you won't stay in this hospital when you need too" JJ spoke using the motherly manner she used on Henry even though the woman was basically her superior. She wasn't thinking of her as that though, she was speaking as her friend.
"You sure?. I'll stay here with you if you want?" She asked looking at the two agents beside her.
JJ shook her head. "I've got to wait to get my arm casted, and it might take a while. I'll meet you both there" She replied and Derek and Emily nodded. JJ didn't even have to ask Derek if he was heading back to the hotel as well, there was no way he'd let the woman out of his sights.
"Okay. Let me know when you get there. I'll see you later" Emily smiled as she stood up and instantly took a hold of Derek's waiting arm. Her side was burning as she continued walking but she tried to hold the grimace off of her face. She wanted to stay there with JJ, to keep an eye on her and Reid but she knew she needed the rest, and she wanted to get out of the damn hospital.
"Prentiss you sure you don't need a chair?" Derek asked again but he got his answer as she stared at him with glazed eyes. "Sorry" He apologised with a laugh. He knew she hated being molly coddled, that she hated a fuss and wanted to get straight back to work no matter how hurt she was.
"It's okay. I think I can make it to the front doors, holding on to a big strong man" She scoffed trying to put some enthusiasm into her voice but failing miserably. And as she held onto Derek's arm, even with her concussion she couldn't help but feeling that it felt right, that it was right where she wanted to be.
So number four guys. This was a long one but I hope you enjoyed it, I love the bonding moments the team has as much as the serious ones. I especially love the Prentiss/JJ moments, I love them together especially the scene between them two and Garcia after the episode 'The Fight' (5x18). It shows how close they are, more than the glimpses we get between episodes!.
Please read.
So I hope you enjoyed and if so please let me know. They really do help me to keep writing this story, even if it's to tell me what not to do, let me know. Because I'm pouring my blood, sweat and tears into this all for you guys, to enjoy the ride and really sink your teeth into a story.
I've seen a lot of story's on all fandoms, Eastenders, Criminal Minds, Torchwood, Merlin etc with ten chapters and like 9k words, and I've topped that in three chapters, yet they have more reviews. A story shouldn't be taken on how fast the updates are, but the quality of writing and layering and storytelling. It might just be me as I'm an English A level and University student and love poetry and well thought out story's and classic literature such as Wuthering Heights, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, LOTR & The Hobbit, A Game Of Thrones (Book not Tv show, though I love the TV show).
I always take the time to tell everyone how I feel about their writing style, and how they can improve. I never flame them as I feel it's cruel and nasty, but if they want to write I want to give them the guidance to unlock the full potential that I know they have, they just need the words of wisdom and confidence to do something about it. I look back at my writing when I was fourteen and I cringe at the quality, we have all been there, but I had these people telling me how to improve, how to truly write to a high standard and it has really helped me mature in a writing style.
So let me know guys, this is for you. All of you. Whether you followed, reviewed or favourite I thank you for the support, the words of kindness. You push me to keep going and to keep updating because I wouldn't have gotten here without everyone. So give yourselves a clap on the back because you deserve it.
Big loving all, from a humble Welsh girl who wants to bring you the happiness that you all want.
Big loving.
Gwen!.