Guys, that was the best response ever. The comments you left from the last chapter, and how many of them, really made me feel awesome. :D I hope this speedy, lengthy update reels in a similar reaction~

In gratitude, here's a very early chapter seven. Did I post this fast enough for you? ;)

Ashes of Our Lives – Chapter 7

The receptionist looked up in surprise when the four official-looking people stormed into the hospital, all of them appearing very businesslike.

Hotch held up his badge, ignoring the woman's startled jump.

"Aaron Hotchner, FBI," he said authoritatively, "we're looking for Spencer Reid and Jennifer Jareau." Straight to the point, as per usual.

She blinked, typing into her computer. "Miss Jareau is in trauma recovery, first floor. They're only allowing family in right now."

Hotch's eyes hardened, and the other three agents stared her down, almost brutally.

She faltered. "But, I suppose… you're the authorities."

"She's an agent as well," Hotch replied crisply, "we need to see her."

The receptionist nodded. "Room 322B. It's on the left."

"And Spencer?"

She typed again. "Surgical bay, upstairs on the third floor. Dr. Grant said he was going to wait for you to arrive but he couldn't hold off any longer and already started taking care of your friend… who I'm assuming is also FBI?"

Hotch pressed his mouth into a hard line, as though barely concealing anger. "Let us know when he's been moved to recovery. We'll be with agent Jareau."

He stalked away, and the others exchanged glances before moving to follow.

"I'm nervous," Emily said softly, "it's been almost two weeks… what if she looks different? What if she's, god forbid, disfigured? He could've cut off a hand or something-"

"Em," Morgan replied patiently, "I think they would've mentioned that. Calm down- she's gonna be so happy to see us, especially you. You're her gal pal- she's probably going to take comfort from you the most since you guys are close."

They made their way into the room, only to be met by a doctor at the door.

"You're not all family, are you?" She asked, frowning.

"FBI," Rossi supplied before Hotch could, sensing the unit chief's already simmering irritation. "We have clearance to visit our fellow agent."

The doctor stepped aside. "Don't stress her out any more than she already is," she said briskly, sweeping out of the room and leaving the agents alone with their colleague.

JJ was stretched out on the bed, her head turned away from them. She was covered from the waist down in a blanket, but they could see that she was wearing a pale gown that left much of her collar exposed. She looked thin. Her blonde hair was mussed, as though she hadn't brushed it in a while.

"JJ?" Emily called softly, earning a response. The blonde stirred in the bed, turning her head to look at them through bleary blue eyes.

"Emily?" She asked hoarsely, moving to sit up. "Oh, god, guys— am I dreaming?"

"No," Rossi said, smiling when Morgan and Prentiss moved to get closer to their rescued friend. "We're really here. You're safe now, finally."

The tired agent smiled, and Emily smiled back brightly, sinking into the chair at her friends' beside. Morgan reached out to touch JJ's hand, pulling back in surprise when his touch made her jerk violently. He blinked, a barely noticeable frown creeping onto his handsome face.

She looked at him in shock, unable to hide the light tremble that crept into her frame. "Derek… I'm sorry, I-"

"JJ, what did he do to you?" He asked her softly, brows knitted in a frown. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied quickly, "it's in the past now. What's done is done so let's not revisit it, okay?"

Hotch and Rossi exchanged glances, but Morgan only frowned deeper. "Okay… well, how are you feeling?"

Emily slipped her hand into JJ's, noting with no small amount of concern that she didn't flinch at her touch. But she had at Morgan's. Already, a suspicion was building in her mind. One that she desperately hoped wasn't true.

"Could be better," JJ murmured, sounding groggy. "My head's killing me and… well, I'm sore. All over. Not to mention the, um… stitches."

Emily squeezed her hand sympathetically.

JJ sat up straight suddenly, looking startled- like she'd remembered something that she'd forgotten.

"Reid," she started, "where is he? Is he alright?"

"We haven't seen him yet," Rossi said gently, "but as soon as we know how he's doing we'll let you know."

"The poison," JJ gasped, feeling drained. "It's rotting him…"

"Poison?" Emily asked, "as in, chemical poison?"

"Snake… snake poison," The blonde replied drowsily, "can't remember the name… but the doctor needs to know, so he can help." She was tiring quickly, the small amount of talking having drained the little energy she'd had.

"Just get some rest, okay?" Emily comforted gently, "we'll make sure the doctor knows everything, and when you wake up we'll let you know what's going on with Reid. But for now, you need to sleep." She moved to stand up, but JJ tightened her grip on her hand.

"Stay, please?" She implored, voice almost a whisper as though she didn't want the others to hear. "Just you."

Hotch's eyes narrowed, but Emily just nodded with a soft smile, sinking back into the chair at the side of the bed. "Sure, as long as you need. I'll be here when you wake up."

The three men stepped out of the room and shut the door.

"Something's not right," Morgan pointed out immediately, even as the doctor from before strode up purposefully.

"Rape kit results came back," she said urgently.

"I can tell you right now there was sexual assault," Rossi replied grouchily, "don't need a 'rape kit' to tell us that. Now the only question is, how bad?"

"Looks like repeatedly," the doctor sighed, shaking her head. "At least twice, but probably more. She was torn up pretty bad, and needed stitches. I don't know how she managed to walk around for as long as she had. How long was she with the assailant?"

Hotch frowned. "Nearly two weeks."

She shook her head again. "Not good…"

"We'll be in the lobby," Hotch muttered after a beat, turning to leave.

"Wait," the doctor said suddenly, blinking owlishly. "I went upstairs to get the results of the test, and I heard my colleague in passing discussing your other agent."

All three were watching her now with anxious interest.

"I don't know much, but I distinctly heard Dr. Grant say the patient survived the operation. He was cleaning up when I saw him so he should be coming down to get you soon enough."

"Thank you," Hotch replied, sounding grateful. He followed Morgan and Rossi to the hospital's lobby.

"We need to get this asshole, Hotch," Morgan growled when the older man sank down into a seat beside him. Rossi nodded from the unit chief's other side.

"We will," Hotch said patiently. "Reid's sharp enough- we can take him through a cognitive as soon as he comes around."

"Which will be very soon," a new voice interjected, and the three looked up to see an older man standing in front of them with crossed arms. "Just what the hell is the FBI involved in these days that can get two agents in that kind of shape? Did you offer them to a terrorist in exchange for information, or something? My lord, I've never seen anything like it."

Stunned silence. It was Morgan who broke it.

"We're investigating a series of murders," he started slowly, "by a serial killer loose around here. The suspect knew we were on to him and lured our two colleagues into a trap, where he kidnapped them and… well, we don't know what he did yet. But we're still looking for him, so if you don't mind, we'd like to know what's up as soon as possible so we can station agents and officers with our coworkers so they can be protected in case the killer decides to come back and finish the job."

Rossi raised both eyebrows, while Hotch eyed Morgan with something like pride.

"Sure, I was getting to that," the doctor grouched. "Starting off, I'm Dr. Grant so you can address me as such and if you'll have a little patience," he said pointedly, giving Derek a look, "I'll be happy to explain and answer any questions I can. I have this, too. He asked me to have you hold onto it."

He handed Morgan Reid's badge. The agent blinked, clutching it as though it were a lifeline.

"I won't bore you with all of the medical junk, I'll just let you know how all this effects your lives and his." He stood straighter, readying himself. "He came to me, borderline comatose and hemorrhaging internally through the abdominal cavity. The discovered cause was snake-venom- he was aware just long enough, thankfully, to tell me the type of snake that attacked him. Thanks to that, my team and I were able to slow the bleeding enough to keep him alive while the anti-venom was flown in."

"Flown-in?" Rossi asked, "what was this, exactly?"

"He said It was a yellow-jawed tommygoff. I didn't understand until he said it was also known as a fer-de-lance. They don't typically live in North America. I assumed it had come from someone's private - illegal – ownership, or a zoo. Luckily, the local zoo was more than happy to provide me with a few doses of anti-venom."

"And is the poison gone now?" Hotch inquired, dark brow knit together tightly.

"It's working its way from his systems," Dr. Grant replied. "However, if you're referring to his health, then the poison is no longer ravaging his body. His temperature's the lowest it's been since he's gotten in and the internal bleeding has all but stopped. I suspect he'll be well on his way to recovering within the next few hours."

"So he's not out of the woods yet," Morgan said darkly.

"I'm afraid there's always risk, but, I doubt there will be any complications. Other than that, there were two deep stab wounds which have already been cleaned and sutured, and the rest was mostly broken bones."

"Can we see him now?"

The doctor paused. "It's never been allowed for a patient to have any sorts of visitors this soon after surgery. My nurses haven't even started bringing him out of the anesthesia yet. But this is important…. if you'd just follow me, I'll have you wait outside the door for a few minutes while we bring him around for you."

They followed until he stopped them at a door. "Give me a few minutes, I'll wake him up for you." He stepped into the room, leaving the door open but trusting them to keep distance. They watched anyway, trying to catch a glimpse of their long-missing friend. They couldn't see much through the doctor and nurses, but they didn't have to wait long until Dr. Grant returned, his weathered face looking relieved.

"All's well so far," he said lightly, abating many of the worries plaguing the agents. "Go and see him now, then, but don't stress him. And avoid touching the entire right side of him, if you can."

Morgan sauntered into the room briskly, leaving the others to follow at a more controlled pace. He pulled a chair to the left side of his friend and sat down on it, leaning forward to give the other agent a thorough once-over.

"Hey," he said brightly after a moments thought, "he doesn't look that bad."

Hotch circled like a shark, glaring over every inch of his recovered agents form. Or what he could see, anyway. A rumpled blanket was draped over his hips, but from the waist up he wore only tightly-bound gauze bandaging, and a sling that held his right arm in place. His fingers twitched lazily, but the team couldn't see much physical damage.

Reid's young face was relaxed in sleep, lips parted slightly as he exhaled with soft snores. Aside from his snow-white skin that was absolutely soaked in sweat, he looked just as he did any time he dozed off. Lazy. Morgan grinned.

"Good to see you in one piece, pretty boy," Morgan murmured quietly, despite knowing the young agent wouldn't hear him. His voice did bring about a reaction, and Reid started to stir.

"He's waking up already?" Hotch asked with mild surprise, moving up to look at his subordinate. "Reid?"

They patiently waited while their young friend pulled himself from drug-induced sleep. After a few minutes, he blinked up at them through misty eyes. The first thing he did was reach for the nasal cannula in irritation.

"Hey," Morgan protested, grabbing his wrist. Reid pulled his hand away violently.

"What?" He snapped back, voice a hoarse whisper. He took a second to calm down. "Morgan?"

"Yeah, it's me," the older agent replied, unable to keep from smiling.

"Where's Alex…? And JJ?"

"We don't know what happened to Napuri or Greene," Hotch spoke up. "We dropped the pursuit when I got the call telling us you and JJ were here. As for her, she's fine. Resting, and Emily's with her."

Reid relaxed fractionally. "Good," he murmured drowsily, "Alex… he…"

"Hold on," Hotch replied quickly, moving forward to stand beside his younger colleague. He touched Reid's free, bandaged hand with his fingertips, eyeing the gray-hued skin concernedly.

"Feeling up to a cognitive?"

Reid blinked, mouth turned in a frown. "Shoot."

"Can you tell me what you remember about the night you went missing? Anything you remember that stood out."

Reid took a deep breath, wincing. "JJ and I went to the bar, where you told us the witness wanted to talk to us… it sounded weird, that he wouldn't come into the station… but I didn't mention it. When we got there… he seemed normal enough. Morgan called me and I turned away to talk, but I heard he and JJ leaving through the back. I thought he said he was going to give her something. A photo, maybe."

"What did he look like?"

"Remarkably average," Reid sighed, "not skinny, not fat, but not really… built. Just, average. Blonde hair and blue eyes, but not blue like JJ's… more like slate blue. Shorter than me, but bulkier."

Rossi frowned. "What happened when you noticed she'd gone outside?"

"I stayed on the phone but JJ called me. I told Morgan I'd call back and clicked over. She told me she was fine and that Alex was going to take her to the unsub's house. But she sounded afraid… and Alex hadn't said he knew the unsub personally, let alone knew where he lived. I knew it was a lie, and I knew she was in danger so I hung up with Morgan and went after her."

"What happened when you went outside?" Hotch asked tightly.

Reid paused, breath raspy. "He had a gun to her head. I remember… the fear. I pulled my gun and told him to back down. He wouldn't, and I knew by the profile he would shoot her if I didn't cooperate. So I did."

"Where did he take you?"

"To his car," Reid winced again, and Morgan squeezed his hand. "Silver lexus. He drugged us both. We woke up in a basement, which I'm sure you guys found by now."

Rossi nodded. "What did he do to you?"

Reid shifted uncomfortably. "He kept making me protect JJ. He would come down and go for her first thing, so I had to interject, then he'd go after me. I have no clue what kind of tactic that was. But eventually he got sick of the game, stabbed me twice and then… JJ, god, he raped her…" His voice was strained now, and Hotch grimaced.

"That's enough for now, Reid," he said briskly, "you did very well. JJ's alright, so you focus on getting some rest."

The young agent settled back into the pillows. "Don't leave again, please… it's good to see you guys after all… that."

"You kidding?" Morgan replied affectionately, "I'm getting you a leash. You can come live with me. Or Garcia, she'd love to- Oh, Garcia. I have to call her."

"You haven't yet?" Reid asked drowsily, fingers twitching in Morgan's grip. "She's gonna… freak out."

Hotch interjected. "I'll call her, Morgan. We're going to get back to the station, the head to the hotel. Stay with him and Emily will stay with JJ. We'll meet up with you here in the morning."

He and Rossi exited the room, and the unit chief was dialing the familiar number on the phone immediately.

"Speak to me, mortal." She sounded more upbeat since she'd been informed they had the location of Greene's apartment.

"Garcia," Hotch replied sharply, "we've got them."

"The unsubs, or our babies?"

"Reid and JJ, we're with them in the hospital now. You can come down here now, we have their names. Just bring a laptop, we might need to do some tracking later."

"Of course. I'll be on the next flight. How are they? JJ and Reid, I mean."

Hotch took a moment to consider. "They'll be alright. They're resting now."

She sounded hesitant. "Okay. I'll be there first thing in the morning. You call me if anything happens."

"Goodnight, Garcia," Hotch said softly, slipping the cell phone back into his pocket when the call was ended. Rossi eyed him curiously.

"You feel guilty," he observed lightly, allowing the unit chief time to brood as they made their way back to the SUV.

"At this point, I should know better than to send JJ and Reid together to do things like this," Hotchner sighed wistfully, shaking his head.

"They'll be fine," Rossi replied encouragingly. "For now, let them rest. We have unsubs to catch."

A few hours after Hotch and Rossi's departure from the hospital, Emily had come wandering in, startling Morgan from his half-sleep in the stiff hospital chair. With a few quick words, she'd convinced him to come with her to get something to eat from the cafeteria, leaving their charges alone in their rooms.

Unnoticed, a dark form slipped into Reid's room, their gait uncertain and almost limping. Within seconds, the shadowed figure leaned over him.

"Reid," they hissed.

"Gah!" He woke easily, shoving the unknown person away as though he'd been expecting it. The figure fell backwards, landing in Morgan's vacant chair with a squeal of metal grating against the floor as it was pushed.

"Ow!"

Blinking at the unusually high pitched tone, Reid sat up straighter with an agonized groan, flipping the light switch. Narrowed blue eyes glared at him.

"JJ," he sighed, sounding relieved, "how'd you get in here?"

"I waited for Emily to leave, followed her here and when she and Morgan left, I waited till it was all clear, then I came in to visit you." She looked at him as though the entire situation should've been clear without an explanation.

He chose not to comment on the story. "How are you?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "I'm concussed. Couldn't get any sleep anyway, Emily kept waking me 'as per the doctor's orders,' she kept saying." The female agent pulled at a section of dirty blonde hair. She'd been doing it since she came into the room, and Reid's eyes narrowed.

"What about you?" she asked before he could comment. "The poison…"

He seemed unfazed. "It… hurts," he said darkly, "but less now. At least I know now that my arm won't rot off."

JJ glanced at his injured hand, noting with dismay that there were wires slipping under the gauze. "They stuck IV's in this hand, too?"

"Well, they had to go somewhere," he murmured, trying to move his other arm. The sling didn't allow much movement, but he winced anyway. "Ow."

"Just stay still," JJ murmured soothingly, "Reid, I have a problem."

He looked at her, his slow breaths silent.

She looked away, averting her eyes from meeting his. "I missed the whole team… I did. I was so happy to see them all when I woke up. Morgan walked toward me and I wanted to jump up and hug him, but he touched my hand and I pulled away. I didn't mean to… I think I hurt his feelings, but I didn't… not, want to be touched. I can't explain it."

"When he touched you," Reid started quietly, "all you could see, hear, and feel were Napuri's hands on your."

She looked up with wide blue eyes. "How did- nevermind… it's your job." She paused, sighing. "I forget sometimes how good at it you are… why do I feel like this, Spence? It's over with… I want to move on. I want to be able to touch Morgan, and Rossi, and maybe even Hotch… to prove to myself that nothing's changed, that I still care about them all."

Her eyes were misty now with unshed tears. "I want to be able to hug you and be close. I need to feel that you're still here. Because every time I close my eyes, you're gone." Her eyes were welling up, and Reid noted silently that JJ hadn't touched him the entire time she'd been in the room.

"JJ, you-"

"JJ? What are you doing?" Emily stepped into the room, bewildered and followed closely by a frowning Morgan.

The blonde leaned back in her chair. "I came to visit. I wasn't allowed to sleep so I wanted to talk."

"You shouldn't be up, let alone wandering the halls," Prentiss reprimanded gently. "Do you want to go back to bed? You can probably try to get some sleep for an hour or two before I have to get you up again."

"Yeah, just… give us a minute?"

Exchanging looks, the two agents stepped out to wait in the hall. JJ turned back to look at her drowsy partner.

"Spence, you saved my life," she started, "more than once. You put your life on the line for me. You were hurt because of me, and your suffering spared me any." For the first time, she took his hand, careful of the lines and wiring. She smudged a thumb over the bite wounds that were covered by the thin gauze.

"I can't ever repay you for that. Napuri got what he wanted from me… but it could've been so much worse. Thank you." She paused, meeting his gaze awkwardly before she rose on unsteady feet. Without warning, she leaned forward to press her lips to Reid's damp forehead.

"Get some sleep," she said softly, backing away. "Garcia will be here soon and we're going to be smothered. Better we have some energy." She left the room quietly, allowing Morgan to slip back into the room a moment later.

"So?" he asked curiously, "what'd she say?"

Reid was unusually quiet. "Nothing," he settled on finally. "nothing at all."

I tried to get this done much more quickly than I usually do, in thanks for the awesome response for last chapter. I'm serious when I say leaving me reviews makes me write faster, haha, it's very inspiring.

You guys make me feel good about my work. Thank you. (:

Til next time,

Sharky