Thanks for the reviews! Yea, Hail's not a very nice guy. Hope you enjoy!

XVI

Someone stop that damned ringing! Emily's head screamed in protest as she shifted uncomfortably. Since when was her bed this firm? The sound penetrated her eardrums and seemed to beat throughout Emily's entire body. Groaning, she reached out her hand to turn it off when she felt hard ground beneath her palm. Ground? What was she doing on the floor? And why was she wet? Squeezing her eyes tightly and preparing herself for the pain she knew the sun would bring when she opened them, she led her hand to the source of the insistent noise. Resting it on her hip, Emily tried- and failed- to grasp the cell phone in her hand. Wait, cell phone? When was the last time she heard it ring? That night, with JJ and Garcia in her apartment! Surely she wasn't still there…or was she? Thinking too hard made her head ache something awful so Emily decided against it. Instead, she worked feverishly to take hold of the phone and press a button- any button. After several tries, the ringing finally stopped and Emily sighed, content. That is, of course until she heard her name being called rather loudly from somewhere close by.

"Emily!" a female voice cried. JJ? Emily blinked hard, desperately trying to remember where she was and how she had gotten there, all the while trying to reestablish her motor skills.

"Jay?" she called, weaker than she could have ever imagined herself being. The vibrations that speaking made throughout her body were altogether unpleasant and Emily groaned in protest. Resting the phone on her thigh, she brought her hand to her head where the aching seemed to originate. Wet, why was everything wet?

"Emily, what happened?!" JJ's voice caused the brunette to wince. She had to think hard before answering.

"Don't know." Emily pulled her hand away and even with her deterred vision, could tell that something wasn't right. "Head hurts."

"Em, don't move. We're on the way!" Footsteps and car doors could be heard but Emily's ears couldn't register the sounds. Did JJ say something about moving? Trying to sit herself up, Emily felt a new pain race down her left arm, starting from her wrist. She shook it a few times before noticing that a cold, wet metal kept her from going anywhere.

"Can't." she mumbled, knowing that JJ was probably too busy to listen. Busy doing what? Maybe if she closed her eyes for a moment, she could concentrate harder. Right, close your eyes Emily. Good idea.

"Where?" Hotch's voice snapped JJ out of whatever trance she had been in.

"20 yards ahead of you." Garcia tried to calm herself while she directed the two to where Emily's phone was. "Is she there?" Stepping into the freezing rain, JJ and Hotch scanned the area where Emily had been.

"We'll call you back."

"No, JJ don't-" But the line was already dead. It was nothing short of a miracle that Garcia had been able to bypass whatever network Mackenzie had used to hijack their cell phones. That miracle might be the only reason the two survived.

"Hotch." JJ's small voice called out to him. Squinting through the downpour, the man struggled to see what the blonde was staring at and when he did, he wished he hadn't. The sedan the NYPD had given Emily was totaled, wrapped around a pole with a huge dent on the passenger side. Drawing their weapons, the two agents approached the destroyed vehicle with caution. "I've got blood."

"Me too." Hotch announced somberly from the driver's side. Sharing a frightened look with the blonde, Hotch felt his heart drop in his chest as he realized what had transpired.

"Emily!" JJ shouted down the abandoned streets. "Em!" Silence shouted back at them and JJ couldn't help the wave of panic that washed through her. "Hotch."

"We will find her. We will." The dark haired man announced with a burning determination JJ had never seen before. "Check the alleyways." JJ nodded and began sprinting down the street, glancing down narrow alleys. Her hair plastered to her face wasn't helping and neither was the fact that she could almost hear her own teeth chattering. Oh God, Emily could be out here freezing.

"Emily!" she shouted again and could hear her boss doing the same on the opposite side of the street. "Em, where are you?!" The rain continued to obscure her vision but JJ could've sworn she heard something in the distance; something…hitting metal. Drawing her weapon, the blonde placed a mask of resolve on and continued down the alleyway. Come out you son of a bitch. Convinced that she was about to come face to face with the man that had caused all this, JJ clicked off the safety of her gun and took tentative steps further into the narrow street. Suddenly, the sound of metal on metal could be heard directly to her left. JJ spun on her heel and aimed her gun where a hidden assailant would be. Instead, she saw the silhouette of someone lying on the floor, one hand hanging above their body.

"Jay?" a weak voice called out. Sighing in relief, JJ dropped to her knees beside the woman and nearly cried. Yanking her coat off, the blonde placed it firmly around her friend, desperately trying to keep her warm.

"Hotch! Hotch! Over here!" she yelled, noticing how the brunette reacted to the sudden noise. "Are you alright?"

"Mhm." Emily tried to nod, only to regret the movement immediately. JJ took in her handcuffed wrist and prayed that the key was around here somewhere. Throwing herself on all fours, no longer feeling the cold, wet rain, she blindly searched for the small key.

"Gotcha!" she cried victoriously and scrambled back to the brunette. "You're going to be okay, Em."

"JJ?" Hotch called from the entrance to the alley.

"Call a bus!" the blonde shouted back and could already hear Hotch dialing. She set her friend's hand free and drew her into her lap, pressing a hand to Emily's head wound.

"Ouch." The brunette frowned in disapproval, confusion clear on her features.

"Em, where's Mackenzie?" JJ asked her, slightly shaking the woman in her arms to keep her awake. "Mackenzie, where is she?"

"She-uh," Emily pondered the question, seemingly trying to remember exactly who Mackenzie was. "Took her." Hotch knelt by the woman's side and took her hand in his.

"Who took her? Emily," Hotch's voice demanded her attention and the brunette willingly gave it. Upon seeing his face, a flash seemed to cross over Emily's eyes.

"Hail…took Mackenzie!" Emily struggled to sit upright only to be held down by her team members. She could hear JJ shushing her but couldn't shake the memory of Hail backhanding the girl and taking her away. "I've got to get her!"

"Emily, Emily, stop." Hotch implored the woman softly. "Please, we will find her. Just calm down."

"I promised." Emily shook her head against JJ's torso. "I promised."

"I know, Em." Hotch spoke to her softly as she started to drift off. "You've got to stay awake."

"Mkay." She mumbled, barely audible as she rested her head against JJ's chest.

"No, Emily. Stay awake!" She could hear both JJ and Hotch yelling at her to keep her eyes open but found that no amount of effort could accomplish the task. Before long, Emily slipped into the comforting embrace of unconsciousness, leaving her friends alone. Seconds of silence past before they started hearing sirens and Hotch raced out to meet them.

"What happened?" an EMT met the unit chief halfway.

"We don't know. There was an accident and then-"

"Alright sir, I'm going to need you to step back." The younger man eased past Hotch and knelt beside Emily and JJ. "Ma'am?"

"I'm not leaving her." JJ didn't even regard the man with a glace, her gaze solely focused on her best friend. She hadn't been there when Morgan found Emily dying from the wounds Doyle inflected. She hadn't been there when Emily told Rossi about the abortion she had had at 15. She hadn't been there when a cult leader decided to use her as a punching bag. She hadn't been there all the times Emily needed a friend to be there. She wasn't about to repeat those mistakes. Blankly, the two remaining agents helped load the brunette into the back of the ambulance. Hotch reluctantly agreed to follow them in the SUV so JJ could stay with Emily. He had seen the haunted look on the blonde's face and could only guess as to the horrors that played in her mind. After all, Emily was her best friend. Who was he to come between that? Pulling up to the hospital, Hotch gave himself a few seconds to calm down. Taking out his now fully functional cell phone, he realized just how badly his hands had been shaking. Surprised that he had made it there in one piece, he took in a shaky breath and couldn't remember a time when he felt so…un-Hotch-like. His brain fumbled with the mere idea of what had just occurred and his limbs refused to obey his commands. Emily needs you. Pull it together Hotchner. Now. Exhaling, he shakily dialed Morgan's number and entered the hospital where the overpowering aroma of blood and disinfectant filled his nostrils, simultaneously filling his head with equally awful memories.

I was going to make Hotch the one to find Emily but I'm a firm believer of chicks before dicks so :P I'm leaving for my first college orientation in an hour or so so I can't update until at least Tuesday but don't worry, the next chapter is already done!