Thank you for all the reviews for the previous chapter and I haven't replied yet as I've not been getting home till gone 9.30pm and tonight is election night so I guess I'll reply while waiting for the votes to come in and I hope you enjoy this chapter and it makes you want to review and thank you to Chiroho for the beta and to notafirsttimereviewer, kim, schokokaffee, sophie and Melissa for their reviews and I don't know why I'm not writing in proper sentences and the next chapter will be up on Sunday...

Where the Blue of the Night

"Among the many thousands of things that I have never been able to understand, one in particular stands out. That is the question of who was the first person who stood by a pile of sand and said, "You know, I bet if we took some of this and mixed it with a little potash and heated it, we could make a material that would be solid and yet transparent. We could call it glass." Call me obtuse, but you could stand me on a beach till the end of time and never would it occur to me to try to make it into windows."

- Bill Bryson

Chapter Nineteen

November 6th

She felt sick as the plane landed, the urge to remain on board and ask the kind flight attendant to take her back to Rapid City growing stronger with each bump. There was an announcement from the pilot, giving the time and temperature, but it fell on deaf ears. Sophie wasn't listening, the pounding heart in her chest echoing into her ears. As soon as she saw someone else with their cell phone on, she switched on hers. A voicemail came straight through, and she tapped in to listen to it.

"Hey Sophie," it said. "Hope your flight was okay. Emily passed on your number as she thought you'd check your messages when you landed. I'll meet you in the arrivals area. I'll find you, so don't worry, just stand near the ad for Vogue magazine. See you in a few minutes."

She frowned, something niggling at her. Checking the card she'd had in her pocket for the duration of the flight, she tapped in Agent Rossi's number. It seemed to ring for an age, and she was almost about to hang up when his voice mail kicked in. "This is Agent David Rossi of the Behavioural Analysis Unit. Please leave your message and I'll get back to you when I return. "

"Hi Agent Rossi. This is Sophie – the girl from Calverville Point. I'm on my way to see Emily, in fact, I'm at the airport now and another agent is picking me up from here. I just wanted to let you know, as I haven't been able to speak to Emily and..."

"This voice mail box is now full. Sorry. This voice mail box is now full." A long tone indicated the end of the call. She inhaled deeply, following the rest of the passengers as they made their way to collect their luggage. She was here now, and sure that everything would be alright. She'd had enough bad luck for one year.

"I really do need to leave," Emily said to the doctor who was looking rather angry. She had a concussion, a few cuts, and a multitude of nasty bruises; but nothing was broken, and as far as she was concerned, it was nothing that painkillers, a hot bath and a glass of wine wouldn't fix.

"Mrs. Fitzgerald," the doctor said, his Texan accent making her want to mimic it in some way. "We really would like to keep you overnight for observation. Your partner will be staying here as well."

Morgan would certainly not be going anywhere. He'd dislocated his shoulder and had a nasty concussion. She'd seen him briefly, and informed him of the name she'd given to the paramedics, after quickly letting Garcia know so she could transfer relevant medical details into a temporary file. He'd been unable to mutter much back, but the look he'd given her had signified imminent death. She didn't know why – Spencer Van Damme was a great name, at least it would be when Rossi heard of it.

"Doctor, I will be fine. I have someone to take me home to where I'm sure I'll rest much more comfortably than here. If I feel any symptoms that suggest my concussion is becoming worse, I'll return immediately," she started to stand up, trying to disguise the shakiness that she felt, and the nausea.

The doctor shook his head again. "I would prefer you stay here, Mrs. Fitzgerald, but if it is going to cause you this much agitation, you might as well go home as long as you make sure you rest and have someone with you throughout the evening, and preferably during the night."

She nodded, smiling. Both things should be covered. "I'll contact my friend and he'll take me home," she said.

He nodded, somewhat regretfully. "All the forms to discharge yourself will be at the main desk. You'll need to take it easy for the next day or two." She watched him leave, knowing that she would never feel comfortable going undercover for any length of time.

It was close to seven in the evening by the time Agent Rose had picked her up from the hospital and they'd reached the safe house. The enclave of trees it was situated in seemed eerier than they had when she'd first approached the house yesterday. They cast dark shadows that played with her imagination, as she suspected movement to come from hidden crevasses and corners. Emily was half asleep, the painkillers having a soporific effect, although the pangs of hunger were making sure she didn't completely drift off.

"You sure you should be out of hospital?" Agent Rose said as they pulled up behind the house. It was a question he'd already asked her several times, so she figured she was looking pretty haggard and pale right now.

"Yes," she said. "And I'll be safer here."

She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye, undoing her seat belt. The lights in the house looked dim, almost invisible, due to the tinted windows. From the road the house was completely concealed, tucked away behind the trees. Under different circumstances, it would have been a good place to explore, to walk through the woods and spot the birds and animals that lived there, but that wasn't going to happen.

Agent Rose opened the car door for her and gave her a hand as she stood up. Her head throbbed and she felt the exhaustion that she'd predicted. This would be it for a couple of days; her injuries would keep her housebound even if the attack hadn't already.

A door opened as they approached it and Garcia stood there, her face almost as pale as Emily's. "Oh," she said, her mouth forming a perfect circle of bright pink lipstick that could be seen even in the dim light. "My poppet. You need to sit down right away. Is there anything I can get for you?"

Emily nodded, finding that she couldn't even drag up the tea leaves of enthusiasm from the bottom of her pot. "I really, really need something to eat," she said. "I may throw it up afterwards, but my stomach is under the impression that my throat has been severely mutilated."

"I'll fix you something quick," Garcia said. "And a fruit tea. The caffeine won't do you any good." Emily followed her through the narrow corridors into the kitchen, which seemed to be the congregational place of choice, with every one there apart from Hotch, and obviously Morgan.

Emily sunk into a chair, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, Reid's voice drilling into her skull.

"Emily," Agent Rose said. "I have your painkillers – you want me to get you some water? Maybe take them now?"

She looked at him, not seeing as clearly as usual. He was a nice man, around her age, quiet and willing to please. He'd been empathetic, not asking too many questions and seemingly understanding of how she felt. "Thanks," she said, giving him a half smile that was all she could muster. He nodded, disappearing towards the sink, where Garcia was.

"Emily," she heard Hotch's voice and turned towards it, wishing she did look a little better. "How are you?"

She pushed herself up in the chair so she was sitting up, and pushed away the need for him to hold her close. Not in front of the team, or Agent Rose. Hopefully later.

"I feel concussed and exhausted. I'm starting to remember what happened more clearly."

He nodded. "Don't worry about that yet. We know he was driving a Toyota Camry as you were both caught on camera just before you turned off the main road. It was a stolen vehicle, taken three weeks ago from an address in Detroit. My guess is that he had it stolen to order."

She gave a slight nod, too much movement hurting her head further. Agent Rose reappeared with a glass of water and her medication. "Excuse me," he said to Hotch, disappearing once more. She noticed Hotch giving him an appraising look.

"How did he know where we were? He got the exact location from the track he had on the credit card, but he must have been in the area to catch up with us so quickly." It was the only thing that was puzzling her right now, the only thing that she couldn't work out.

"Morgan wasn't the only one to use his card. JJ used hers on the way here to buy diapers; Reid used his to get a magazine. We should have considered the fact that him having our financial details meant he'd be able to trace a location that way. Thankfully, none of the details will give away where we are, as here literally is the middle of nowhere. Look, I need you to rest, then tomorrow we can put more details together." Hotch looked up, and Emily became aware of Garcia nearing them, two plates in hand.

"Grilled cheese, tomato and ham sandwiches," she said, passing one each to Emily and Hotch. "You, my leader, need to eat more; and you, my lovely, need your strength and to eat more in general. Your drinks are on their way." She turned around with a flourish, clearly enjoying the waitress cum nurse role she had taken upon herself to act out.

"I agree with Garcia," Hotch said, his hand already helping the snack en route to his mouth. "Eat, have something to drink, and then sleep."

"The doctor said I shouldn't be alone," she said. There had been something different in his demeanour, she'd noticed, something distant, reticent maybe.

"I'll come with you," he said. "I may need to work for a while, but I'm not feeling too sociable right now."

His words were reassuring and she smiled, nibbling at the toasted bread and trying to forget about what had happened for a few moments, and instead just enjoy the feeling of being safe.

He had planned to sleep away from her, trying to create some emotional distance as well as physical, but he found he couldn't. Instead his arm was wrapped around her waist, his hand just under her left breast, touching skin as soft as the sheets they were wrapped in. She was sleeping soundly; her breathing patterns were normal, and she certainly hadn't been restless. That was just him.

Hotch knew that she would have picked up on something , even in her concussed state she would have noticed that he was distant. He felt confused, almost panicked, backed into a corner like a scared animal.

She turned over, adjusting herself in her sleep so she fit into his body and he pulled her a little closer. The fear he'd felt when she hadn't answered the phone, when he'd read that letter – it was more than it should have been. But it hadn't affected his actions; he'd done exactly what he would have done had it been JJ or Rossi in there with Morgan. If someone who hadn't known of their relationship had been watching his reactions, they'd never have known that he and Prentiss had shared a bed for the past however many nights.

A floorboard outside their room creaked, and he heard Reid speaking to Will in an undertone. They had been discussing the Alfie Fletcher case when he'd last been downstairs, going through the information on the Moore couple and the other man. The local PD had been asked to keep an eye on both addresses, to report any suspicious activity, and tomorrow Hotch would arrange for them to be escorted to a station in the next county where they would be questioned on a 'friendly' basis by JJ, Reid, or Rossi.

Then two doors were closed, almost simultaneously, and outside was silent once again, except for the house's night time breathing that was already becoming more familiar. Emily stirred slightly, her hand pressing against his chest, and he felt something inside him stir. Hotch brushed her hair away from the side of her face, careful to not touch the cut that was there, and closed his eyes, knowing that sleep could soothe the problems that night time intensified, and dawn would provide a path to a solution.

Please review!

Sarah x