Thank you alexandranyc01, kdzl, Nonymoose and BellaCortez for reviewing the last chapter :) (and obviously a big thank you for anyone else who has reviewed any of the previous chaps!)

I've also just noticed I have 29 story alerts for this fic and 13 people who've considered this a favorite. I'm thrilled :) I wasn't expecting to have so many people alerting and favouriting... thank you! I mean it. You guys make me smile.

Enjoy the chapter. I'll bring JJ back on the next one. This is not the best but it had to be written...

Chapter 7

"Hotch! What's going on?"

Emily quickened her pace to join her boss in the visitor's room, Derek following her and carrying the same heavy, concerned look.

"It looks like JJ was involved in some sort of car accident."

"Is it bad?" Morgan asked.

Emily's eyes focused on Hotch, studying his reaction.

"I'm not sure. They haven't told me anything yet, but when they called me they told me the paramedics were still at the scene of the accident with JJ. I raced to the hospital and since she wasn't here yet they let me wait for the chopper with the medical team," he told them.

"Did you see her then?" Emily pressed. "When she was brought in," she added.

"I did, briefly." He nodded. "It didn't look good and I think they were rushing her for x-rays and a CT before surgery, but I don't have any official information."

"They must have told you something, Hotch! You're her boss!" Emily snapped.

It wasn't like Emily didn't believe Hotch, but the idea of JJ being hurt was getting to her and she had to somehow get rid of some of the frustration. It just happened to be Hotch the selected target.

"They told me one of my Agents was involved in a serious car accident and that they were bringing her here as soon as they could get her out of the vehicle. That's all I know, Emily." Hotch frowned at Emily's reaction but decided to let it slide. He was aware of the fact that Emily and JJ were close friends and it was normal that for once Emily appeared to be on the edge.

Derek grabbed Emily's hand in his, knowing how she needed the touch. He too needed it. They could only rely on each other when it came to their feelings about JJ's accident and how it affected them more than the other members on the team.

"How you feeling?"

Emily let go of his hand and slumped on one of the many uncomfortable chairs. She made a fist with her right hand and bit one of her knuckles. She then let both her hands fall on her legs in frustration and looked up at Derek.

"I don't know."

Derek nodded. At least she wasn't trying to pretend everything was okay, for that he was grateful.

He sat next to her and grabbed her hand once again, entwining their fingers.

"JJ's strong," he said.

"And she's also an amazing person, but how exactly will that help her Derek? Good people die everyday…" she whispered.

"We have to believe in her, Emily. It's the only way. We have to believe she'll fight whatever it is she has to fight. We don't even know what happened; maybe it's something as easy as a couple of broken bones…"

"And they're rushing her to CT and surgery?" Emily reasoned.

"Open fracture?" He smirked. "No, really, princess. We have to believe in JJ. She's going to be fine."

Emily nodded and rested her head on Derek's shoulder, not really caring that her boss was in the same room watching her vulnerability and Derek's displays of affection. JJ was hurt and she craved Derek's comfort. It was justified. There was a time when she would have hid behind masks and compartments but she was gradually learning to trust the ones closer to her.

"Someone tell me! Oh my God, someone please tell me what's wrong with my sunflower?"

They heard Garcia crying in the hallway.

"I know you know something!" She pointed her finger at the nurse sitting behind the main desk.

"How can I help you ma'am?" The nurse frowned.

"Jennifer Jareau. Agent Jennifer Jareau from the FBI. She's somewhere in this hospital and I demand to know where she is and if she's ok!"

Garcia rested her hands on her hips and looked the nurse down, showing her she wasn't up for any funny businesses.

"I'm sorry ma'am but I can't disclose that kind of information. You'll have to wait for the doctor in the visitor's room," the nurse replied politely, but obviously creeped out by Garcia's death glare.

"Do you know who I am?" Garcia asked outraged.

The nurse shook her head slowly, looking very intently at Garcia trying to decide if she was some sort of famous person.

"I!" Garcia stepped closer to the desk. "Am the person who will wipe your existence from this planet," Garcia threatened. "Everything! I'll wipe any records on you with these very fingers if you don't tell me now where Agent Jareau is and if she's ok!"

"Garcia?" Emily called her from the entrance to the visitor's room.

The tech analyst turned around and spotted her team. She walked fast to Emily and grabbed her arm, pulling her to the nurse's station.

"Do you know who this woman is?" Garcia asked the nurse, throwing Emily against the desk and forcing her head closer to the nurse so she could take a better look.

"mm… Garcia?" Emily questioned, feeling slightly concerned for her friend's mental state.

"No…" The nurse rolled her eyes.

"NO?" Garcia let go of Emily who took a couple of steps back and stood watching Garcia in dismay. "Is there anything you know?" Garcia shook her head in annoyance. "Do you know Ambassador Prentiss, honey?" Garcia asked, making Emily's eyes widen and her lips part in shock.

"Garcia!" Emily protested.

"Let me handle this!" Garcia shushed her.

"Ambassador Prentiss?" the nurse shifted uncomfortably, taking a look a close look at Emily. She sure looked like Ambassador Prentiss…

"Yes, Ambassador Prentiss!"

"Yes… I do."

"Well you see, honey… Emily here is her daughter."

Emily sighed and closed her eyes for a brief second. She was never one to use her mother's name to get things done… and it was hurtful that Garcia, of all people, was using her like that knowing how she felt about her mother. She shook her head and looked at the nurse. The young woman looked like she was going to faint… It would be easy to scare her into finding what was going on with her girlfriend. She could use the Prentiss name and get some information on JJ easily or, she could walk away… and die waiting.

"My name is Emily Prentiss."

Emily flashed her badge to the nurse who just stared in shock.

"I'd like information on Jennifer Jareau. I'm sure you wouldn't like me to call the Ambassador to have a chat with your supervisor, would you?" Deciding JJ was worth the threat.

The woman shook her head nervously. "I'll call the doctor right away…"

As soon as the nurse was out of the earing range Emily looked at Garcia, disappointed. "Don't ever use me like that."

"I'm sorry, Emily… I'm just…" Garcia stammered. "You know me. I'd never do this to anyone. But… It's JJ, Emily!" Garcia explained, sincerely following Emily to the room. "I don't know what made me do it. I just had to get them moving somehow…"

Emily just nodded. She didn't necessarily like the attitude, but she couldn't blame Garcia. She knew the tech analyst had meant well.

"What do you know?" the blonde asked to no one in particular.

"Just that she was involved in a serious car accident," Morgan replied, watching Garcia collapse on a chair, much like Emily had done before.

"Where's Reid?" Garcia asked, scanning the room.

"Right here!" he said, in a somber tone. "Wh- What happened?" he asked confused, setting his bag on a chair.

"Car accident, but that's all we know for now," Reid nodded, pursing her lips.

Just by the look in his eyes and the pursing of lips Emily knew what was about to come out of his mouth and before he could say anything she looked straight in his eyes.

"If the next thing coming out of your mouth is any dumb statistic about deaths and car accidents I'm going to strangle you, chop you in pieces and feed you to the sharks," she threatened.

The scary thing was that she sounded like she meant it. Deciding to play safe, Reid lifted his arms in defeat and retreated to a corner.

"Jennifer Jareau?" the doctor called.

The team looked at him at the very same time, with pale and distressed faces. It almost seemed like it had been rehearsed to look so dramatic.

The doctor approached them and shook their hands.

"Do you have any news? Can you tell us what happened? Is JJ ok?" They asked.

"Are you family?"

"Yes!" Garcia cried. "Now tell us something, already!"

"I'm Doctor Saunders and I'm the assigned physician to Agent Jareau's case," he said, introducing himself. "She's still in surgery and by the looks of it that's where she will be for the next couple of hours or so," the doctor told them. "She's losing a lot of blood and we are doing our best to replace it as fast as she's losing it. We suspected a ruptured spleen and we were right about it, but once we opened her we found a few other complications. We have our best surgeon working on her and we are doing our very best to repair the internal damage," he told them showing nothing but confidence and calm. "The results from the CT don't show any permanent damage to her brain, but we can't be sure until Jennifer wakes up," he warned them. "We've also found two broken ribs and lacerations that should heal nicely in a couple of weeks."

"So she's going to be ok?" Emily questioned.

"Depending on how surgery goes, I'd say her chances of recovery are very good. Given the circumstances, Agent Jareau was very lucky. I'm surprised she doesn't have more serious injuries," he admitted. "I must advise you though, due to the blood loss from the internal injuries Jennifer's brain stopped receiving enough oxygen and during transport she complained of blindness. Until she wakes up we have no way to know if the damage was permanent."

Emily felt her legs failing her as she heard the last part and had to lean on Derek for support, being grateful that everyone else was so distracted by the news they didn't notice her. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so powerless and she didn't like it one bit. That was one of the reasons she had always kept herself guarded and protected from any situation that could get her attached to people. Love was unpredictable and for someone who had to feel in charge of the situation, it was scary to be found in the situation she was in right now -scared and helpless.

Trying not to make a big deal out of Emily's reaction, as not to make her feel self-conscious, Derek simply wrapped his arm around Emily's waist, granting her the support she needed, without making a comment.

"You said: 'Given the circumstances'. What exactly did you mean by that?" Reid asked curiously, scrunching his eyebrows.

"Haven't you been briefed on the circumstances of the accident?" the Doctor asked.

"No! All you can tell us is to wait. No one can brief us on anything!" Derek said, raising his voice for the first time, losing his patience.

"I understand your frustration," Doctor Saunders said, apologetically. "According to a witness a vehicle behind Agent Jareau's SUV sped up, hitting her from behind. Agent Jareau lost control of the vehicle and it crashed against the guard rail, but the force of the impact made the vehicle roll over the railing and down some sort of valley. The SUV landed upside down and that's the reason it took our EMT crew longer to extricate her and bring her here," the doctor explained.

"What!" Emily threw her arms up in the air, stepping away from Derek. She was speechless.

When she was told JJ had been in a bad car accident it had never crossed her mind that it could have been a rollover accident. That was beyond serious.

"Are you telling me the witness saw the vehicle speed up to hit on Agent Jareau's SUV?" Hotch asked trying to hold a professional posture. "As in deliberately crashing against a Federal Agent?" he demanded.

"That's what I've been told, yes." The doctor nodded.

"We're going to need the name of the witness, doctor."

"I'll see what I can do," the doctor agreed, leaving the team alone.

"Hotch, we're going to investigate this, right?"

All the eyes were on Hotch as he nodded.

"We won't take any other case until we find out who's the responsible for this," Hotch said sternly.

"It shouldn't be too difficult to find the villain, sir…" Garcia spoke. "I imagine it had to be a pretty serious crash. As soon as our guy tries to get his car repaired, I'll know who he is," she said, voicing her determination.