A/N: Please note that other triggering content (self-harm and suicide will be discussed) throughout the story. Please be forewarned and take precautions if these are troubling for you.

I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews. My muse and I both appreciate it. This is still, as of now, planned to be a fairly long, multi-part story, but if you all aren't into it…I'll wrap it up before too long.

And remember…reviews and feedback keep me and my muse motivated…especially if they're positive!

***More drama and more secrets revealed***

I hope you enjoy this latest chapter…Now on with the show!

"I guess what scares me the most now is the thought that I won't be able to protect you" ~ Julia Hoban

"With wisdom comes the rare ability to tell whether or not trying to change someone's mind would be a waste of time." ~ Mokokoma Mokhonoana
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Chapter 37

Looking briefly up at all of the machines around the room, I note that all of the vital signs appear to be within what the nurses and doctor have informed me are acceptable ranges and the IV fluids do not appear to be running low, so I return my gaze back to where it has been for the past hour or so.

For the most part, everything has been fairly calm, with one exception. A nurse attempted to ask me, Summer, and Chance to leave so that Emily could rest. I informed her quite briskly that I would not be leaving, nor would Emily's children, and when she started to walk closer to me, I was somewhat shocked to see Chance rise from his place next to Emily and stand behind me. He quickly informed the nurse that none of us would be leaving the room and that his mother would rest much better with all of remaining by her side.

The nurse attempted once more to advise Chance of the rules for visitors in the ICU and that exceptions had already been made to let us stay as long as we had. Chance then quietly, but firmly, advised the nurse that while he appreciated her strict adherence to the rules and the previous exceptions the hospital had already made, our staying was non-negotiable.

He then advised the nurse that his family was well connected with several members of the hospital board and that if necessary, he would contact them to ensure his mother was receiving the best care possible, including changing whatever staff was taking care of his mother, including her if that was required. In addition, he would ensure that Emily and Summer remained safe, including around the clock supervision from specially trained FBI agents such as the one sitting next to his mother right now and all of those sitting right outside of the room as well.

The nurse got the message and quickly left…and I haven't seen her since. There have been other nurses that have come and gone periodically to check on Emily's vital signs, IV fluids, and overall status, but I doubt that nurse will ever come back to this room again. I asked one of other nurses what the normal vital signs should be so I would know what to look for in case something was off, and since then, I've looked up at the various machines once in a while to make sure that everything was still looking ok.

Chance simply returned to his seat on the other side of the bed, sitting next to Summer, with his hand resting on Emily's casted arm, keeping the same vigilant watch that I've been doing…monitoring Emily and watching the various machines for any changes. Summer has spent her time just focused on Emily…as if she's trying to reach inside her mind and read her thoughts…or trying to send her some kind of message.

Each of us focused…in our own way…on Emily and hoping she'll return to us soon. We're each looking for the slightest sign that she's waking up…coming back to us. We know the doctor told us that it could be 24-48 hours, but we're still hoping that she'll wake up sooner. So far though, she's remained still…unmoving. If it were not for the rhythmic rising and falling of her chest…the sounds of the various machines around the room…and the slight warmth of the bruised and battered body in front of me…I'd wonder if she were really alive.

I bring her soft, still hand to my face so that I can press my lips to the back of her hand…letting my lips linger on the back of her hand. I hope she knows I'm here with her and that me being here brings her comfort. I remember how comforting it was to feel her holding my hand that night in the ER after Garcia had been shot…waiting to hear if she made it through surgery.

Even now, holding her hand like this, even with her in this horrible condition, she's still able to bring me some level of comfort…just by being near her…being able to hold her hand. The simplest of connections…but one that means so much to me…and hopefully to her as well.

Leaving her hand in place, with my lips pressed softly against the back of it, I glance up at her face and fight back tears as I begin to notice more fully more of the injuries that she sustained during her fight with Lucas.

The harsh lights of a hospital room tend to illuminate cuts and bruises as if they were under a spotlight. Also, as time has gone on, more of her injuries are starting to show up that I simply did not see at first. Maybe I was too focused on her lack of response or just the general chaos of the situation. Now though, I can see bruising that has formed around both of her beautiful brown eyes, both of her high cheekbones, her jaw, and her nose. Cuts are mingled in with all of the bruising and I would be surprised if some of those injuries were not covering broken bones or at the very least, injuries that will be painful and take time to recover from.

Perhaps those injuries contributed to her lack of response…and not the injuries Dr. Hayes mentioned. I quickly glance down to the lower section of Emily's body before quickly averting my eyes and looking back up to the machines again. Part of me wonders how severe those injuries are and what exactly occurred, but another part of me doesn't want to know.

She's been hurt and traumatized so many times in the past…did this really have to be yet another one of those times? Was there more I could've done to stop her from being this injured…from being traumatized further? Should I have gone in when she was still talking to Lucas…before he drug her in that room? Would that have put her in more danger…or gotten her killed…or would that have saved her from all of this?

I guess rehashing all of that won't do anyone any good right now. The important thing is that she's alive…that she survived the surgery and that the doctor says she's stable. She just has to remain stable and hopefully she'll wake up soon…and not be completely unresponsive like she was before.

Even if she isn't responsive at first…I'll still be here…and I won't give up on her. I just hope she doesn't give up on herself…that she comes back to all of us that still need her. I honestly cannot see my life without her in it. I tried that once already and I know I can't do it again.

Please baby…come back to me. I'll help you through whatever he did to you…whatever he said. I promise. Just don't give up on me…on us…not now.

I'm somewhat lost in my own thoughts when I hear a slight commotion outside. It sounds like an argument of some kind, but I can't make out who it is that's arguing or what they're saying. I look up and see Summer bristle slightly and Chance, yet again, slowly rise from his place next to Emily. He gives Summer a gentle kiss on the top of her head before looking at me and saying "I'll take care of this" as he makes his way towards the door.

Confused, I start to ask Summer what's going on, but she answers my question before I can even ask it.

"Our grandparents are here." Summer replies with a hint of sadness and maybe a little bitterness in her voice.

"Are you sure? Is that who's arguing outside?" I reply.

"Yeah…they can't stand each other…but Chance is really good at getting all of them to stop fighting." Summer responds.

"All of them? You said your grandparents, right? Isn't that just the Ambassador and Emily's dad?" I question.

"Uhhmmm…no, not exactly. Mom's parents are together…they haven't been for a while. Her dad is married to someone else now…but out of all of them…grandpa's new wife is probably the best one. She's usually not part of the fight…she just tries to keep it from getting out of hand. Grandma Liz doesn't like her…but she hates Grandpa…so it's usually those two that are fighting." Summer tries to explain.

"Wow. I had no idea that Emily's parents weren't together. Emily never mentioned that to me. I knew she wasn't really close to her parents…or at least that's what she told me. But she never mentioned her dad being married to someone else." I answer…somewhat surprised by the news.

I'd be shocked by this latest revelation…but given everything else I found out today…this latest news really isn't the most surprising thing I'd found out.

"Yeah…mom isn't close with them…most of the time. She gets along with them better than she did when she was younger, from what I've heard…but I guess that's not saying much. I'm not surprised she didn't tell you about grandpa or grandma Bella. She doesn't really talk to anyone about them. I spent some time with them when I was younger…so did Chance. Neither one of us were there for too long…but since mom didn't want anyone to know about us…she didn't talk to anyone about them either." Summer explains further.

"I guess that makes sense. Is that who you were staying with when all of this happened…your grandpa and his new wife? Or were you staying with the Ambassador or Chance?" I ask…still trying to figure out where Summer has been living, considering she's been very secretive about that part of her life so far.

"No…I wasn't staying with any of them. I was planning on moving in with Chance in a few weeks, since he just got back in town, but nothing was finalized yet." Summer replies…still evading my question.

Before I can ask who she has been living with, Chance returns to the room, quietly shutting the door behind him and taking his seat next to Summer. I watch as Summer looks up at Chance and he simply nods as he replies "Everything is fine now."

I can't help but want more details so I finally ask "Summer said that it was all of your grandparents that were outside fighting. I've met the Ambassador before…she usually doesn't back down from a fight that quickly. Where are they now?"

Chance offers a slight smile as he responds "Her tactics don't work with me…and neither does anyone else's."

Summer gently elbows him in the ribs…playfully…and he amends his statement with a slightly playful nod "well except for these two" nodding his head towards Summer and then towards Emily. "Though I can already tell yours will probably work on me once in a while too." Chance finishes with a slight smile in my direction.

I offer a slight smile in return as I respond "well…I can be very persistent. But I must say that I'm very impressed that you were able to divert the Ambassador away from here so quickly. Where exactly are she and your other grandparents now?"

"Your friends needed to speak to them about someone that used to work for them. It had something to do with some pictures they found where all of you were at earlier…where mom was hurt. They showed them one of the pictures of someone that used to work for them. But, for some reason…they tried to deny they knew her. I don't know why they did that…even I knew who she was from stories mom used to tell me. When I told your friends that…they were very insistent that they have a word with them right away."

"So you knew who this person was from stories your mom told you?" I ask…surprised he knew who the person in the picture was. I knew the picture he was talking about…but never considered that Emily's kids might know anything about any of the women from those pictures.

"Yeah…she talked about her every once in a while. Then, when she started working with you…one of the first things she said was how weird it was to be working with someone that looked so much like her. The first time she saw you…she said it was almost like seeing a ghost. It really unnerved her at first. I guess you two were a lot alike too…which for mom was both good and bad. It wasn't just the way you look…but the way you acted, sounded, and how you were with other people. She liked being around you…but it was hard for mom because seeing you and spending time was like this weird reminder, at least part of the time, of what she lost when Lauren died." Chance replied.

"So she told you that this Lauren had died? Did she say anything about when that was or what happened?" I ask…surprised that she already knew this information.

"From what mom said, she died right before I was born…but mom never really told me how. I tried asking her about it a couple of times…but whenever I did she seemed really sad and would change the subject…so I just stopped bringing it up. But if I were to guess…I'd say she probably killed herself…just based on the little information that mom did say." Chance replies…sadness tinting his voice.

"You said your mom told you that she died before you were born?" I ask…confused since Garcia mentioned that the information she found showed that Lauren had died under mysterious circumstances the year that Summer was born…which would've been three or four years later.

"Yeah…why?" Chance asks.

"Just some information we have doesn't match that time frame." I respond.

I really hate to leave Emily's side…but I know that I need to inform the rest of the team of this new information…as it could be important to the case and to the questions they are currently asking Emily's parents. Garcia also needs to verify that her information is correct too. Something about all of this seems odd and for everyone's sake…we need to figure this out. I want to make sure that when Emily wakes up…if she asks about those pictures…that whatever information I may have to give her is correct.

"I hate to do this…I really do…but I need to step out for just a minute. I need to talk to my team for just a minute…but I will be right back. If anything changes…anything at all…come and get me right away. Okay?" I quietly ask.

"Yeah…sure. We'll let you know if anything changes right away. We know your job is important." Chance quietly replies.

I lean down and softly kiss Emily's forehead as I whisper in her ear…"I'll be right back baby…I just have to step out for a minute to talk to the team. Your kids are here…your safe…and I'll be right outside the door. I'm not leaving you…I promise. Nothing could keep me away from you…ever. I love you sweetheart."

I slowly rise from my seat and back slowly towards the door. I exit out of the room and bump right into Reid, who was apparently just about to look into the room and check on Emily.

"Jeez…JJ. You startled me. Is everything ok with Em?" Reid asks concerned.

"Sorry about that…and there's no change with her…so I guess that's good. I needed to talk to the team. I just found out something about that woman that worked for Emily's family that they need to know about…it might change what questions they ask Emily's parents…and I need Garcia to check some other things out too. Could you ask them to come down here? I really don't want to leave here in case something happens." I reply.

"Yeah…I can go get them now. Morgan and Garcia are in the waiting room and Rossi and Hotch are in one of the offices talking to Emily's parents and her dad's wife. Hey…did you know that her parents were divorced and that her dad was married to someone else?" Reid asks.

"No…today has just been one surprise after another."

"It appears that way. And who is that guy in the room with you and Summer?" Reid asks.

"I'll explain that to all of you in a little while…for now though…could you just get everyone here so I can let them know what I found out…please?" I ask again.

"Oh…yeah…sorry. I'll be right back." Reid nods as he turns to retrieve the rest of my team.

Something about this whole situation seems odd. Emily told Chance that Lauren died right before he was born…yet Garcia's search pulled up information that she died the year Summer was born…which was several years later. Emily's parents are trying to deny even knowing Lauren…when lying about something so simple seems ridiculous. Why lie unless you're hiding something?

And how is Lucas connected to all of this? Did Emily's parents know him before…when Emily was a kid…or did they meet him when she was older? How are Lucas and Lauren connected? How did he find his other victims? Do Emily's parents…or anyone else in her family...know any of the other women from those pictures?

It seems like the more answers I get…the more questions I end up having. The more secrets I find out…the more secrets there are yet to be revealed.