A/N. This is my first time writing for the Criminal Minds fandom, so I apologise for any continuity errors or characteristic flaws in the story and etc. I have only very recently taken on the concept of 'JJ/Emily', so I hope my take on their possible relationship is not too bizarre or unappealing for you guys. It is rated T/M. Enjoy :) xx
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, or their characters.
Time Frame/Existence of: I don't like to change things but for the purpose of this story, Emily's joining of the BAU will be at least two years prior to the meeting of Det. Will LaMontagne, and there will be no Henry.
Also, I am from Australia so my knowledge of the United States and their capital cities is all Wikipedia-funded haha, sorry.
Sorry for the ridiculously long introduction.
Chapter 1: Plastic Corpses and Translucent Feelings
JJ's POV
My fingers flicked through case file after case file, the dim light of my desk lamp leaving me to feel so separated from reality in my office. The only thing reminding me that this was not some horrible nightmare, was the pitter-patter of rain against the square window, and the odd voice wafting under the door. Strands of blonde hair continued to fall in front of my eyes as I leaned further forward into the overwhelming number of requests for help.
A pattern of three women shot in public spaces in Phoenix, Arizona – no suspects
Two police officers with their throats cut on separate raids in New York – the police officers are making rash decisions about gang members
Four houses, with families of three, all with set fires have been reported in Delaware, each time the mother and child were killed, leaving the father in distress – few suspects
Three teenage girls sexually assaulted in their local high school at-
The door opened and I looked up quickly, not expecting any members of the team here for another hour, once I had chosen from the many case files, which city we'd be flying off to next. Hotch peeked his head through,
"Good Morning" he said, but clearly with ulterior purposes,
"Always one for pleasantries, Hotch" I smiled.
His mouth twitched ever so slowly before he continued, "The sheriff of the New Haven police department just contacted me personally, they have a situation down there, can you get the rest of the team together so we can be on a plane to Connecticut by 7:30?"
I nodded, shuffling the papers and placing them in one of my many desk trays, "I'll make sure everyone is in the conference room by 7".
He nodded, "I've told Sherriff Arthur to fax the case details through to you".
"See you soon" I concluded, standing at the same time as the beep from the fax machine sounded. I wandered towards the machine and picked up the paper, it was warm in my hands. My eyes widened a little at the details of the case, what some people could do in this world still astounded me.
Emily's POV
My pillow vibrated under my head as my phone began to ring. I groaned and pulled it towards my ear.
"Prentiss"
"Hey Emily, sorry to wake you, it's JJ"
I sat up immediately, "No problem, what's up?"
"We have a case in Connecticut, can you be here in half an hour to debrief and get on the plane?" her voice was soft. I could see her twirling a strand of hair as she asked me.
"Yeah, of course"
"I'll see you soon" she uttered as my feet touched the floor. "Oh and Em, could you-"
"Large latte, skim milk, one sweetener, I know"
"Thanks" I could hear the smile in her voice as I pulled the phone from my ear and hug up. I stretched my arms above my head, feeling my shoulders crack slightly. I sighed and walked towards my wardrobe and grabbed my suitcase, pre-packed for days just like this. I pulled on a tight-fitting sweater and scurried around the room looking for my pants, my pyjama bottoms like chains around my ankles. Once found, I slipped on my boots, ran my fingers quickly through my bed-hair and put my toothbrush in my bag. I didn't feel like breakfast, knowing all too well a plane ride without breakfast would be something of great regret – so I hurriedly grabbed a muesli bar from the kitchen cupboard and put that alongside the toothbrush. I glanced in the mirror; my belt buckle uneven, shirt ironed horribly, hair still tousled, and eyes settling for yesterday's mascara – what a beautiful sight the BAU team got to see.
*In the Conference Room*
Morgan walked in to join Reid and I, rubbing his eyes once before sitting down with an energy drink in his hand. I held JJ's and my own coffee in each hand, noticing the rest of the team walking towards us from down the hall. JJ's eyes lit up as I held the large take away cup towards her.
"Thank you so much" she beamed, walking to the front of the room as everyone else took a seat.
The monitors became a collage of bodies, water and large pieces of, what seemed to be, plastic.
JJ pointed the laser remote against each image, "Three bodies have been found in the New Haven River; all white and of the same age, the first and third are male, but the second was female"
"Okay, so he has a racial and age bracket, do the victims have anything else in common?" Hotch leaned forward, his jaw tight and eyes slim, as always.
"New Haven have only just started attempting to link the victims and have come up with nothing so far, but despite the time, being one week apart, between victims, they're only fresh on this" JJ answered, her eyes lingering sorrowfully on the three bodies.
"What's the M.O?" I asked, figuring it may be easy to pinpoint this killer's motives due to the regularities of his dump site and methods, and known victimology.
I could see the blonde cringe a little as I asked, but build up that composed shield as quickly as it had fallen. "They all have gashes across their throat, wrists and thighs, and-"
"Not overkill but he has done more than necessary to kill them…" Morgan uttered, cutting JJ off. "So, are we looking at a psychopath?"
"We know he's methodical, he cuts the key arteries, so medical training is also a possibility" I offered. "He is edging on serial killer now".
"Which means one of three things: he is a thrill seeker, he believes he is doing the New Haven or national society a favour, or he gains a sexual or psychological release from death", Reid finished, his eyes continuing to narrow towards the screen and then flitter downwards as he took notes.
"Wouldn't the gashing of arteries mean a quick death, I mean, obviously not quick, but he isn't prolonging torture?" JJ asked, her body finding a chair closer to me.
Rossi nodded, "… so we have ourselves a mission-orientated loner or a narcissistic, controlling, methodical thrill-seeker? A power and control angled killer wouldn't let his time be over with the victims so soon".
Everyone at the table nodded and JJ then stood to continue. "He puts his victims in boxes, made of what I am assuming is plastic … and it seems it's not too long after he kills them because… " JJ's eyes shut for a second and she exhaled, "blood was found in their lungs in the autopsy report".
I exhaled harshly, my eyebrows furrowing. These killers never fail to surprise me.
"As a floating and sinking device, depending on its initial purpose, the buoy's most common constructive material, polyethylene may be the material utilised by the unsub, which could mean he works in the marine or construction industry".
"But anyone I guess could find this information online, right?" Derek chimed in softly, his eyebrows drawn and eyes still heavy from the early start.
"Alright, the plane leaves in 15, let's continue this on the flight – but so far, we have a methodical killer, dumping his victims one week apart, giving us five days before the next victim. We know he has some kind of medical training, and is either thrill-seeking or a missionary".
Hotch stood from the table, folding his papers under his suit-clad arms and headed out the door. Everyone began to follow, taking the final sips of their coffees and energising beverages. I stayed back, glancing back and forwards between the projector and the case documents in front of me.
"Can I close this?" JJ asked, derailing my train of thought to realise we were the only two left in the room.
"Yep" I concluded, leaning back in my seat, my arms stretching out behind my ears. "This one is going to be gruelling".
JJ closed the laptop and ripped it from the connecting chords. She sighed and placed the case files and laptop against the wooden table harshly. I looked at her… really looked at her. I noticed the tense lock of her jaw, the occasional biting of her lip and the uneasy rising of her chest.
"Stop it" she muttered, not making eye contact with me.
"What?"
"Stop profiling me. I'm fine".
"I wasn't"
"Yes, you just did that thing…" she waved one of her hands around wildly and closed her eyes in frustration, "that thing where your eyes narrow a little and can just pick out every little-"
"Jen" I interrupted, "I wasn't profiling you as a profiler, I was profiling you … as a friend"
Her jaw unclenched a little and her eyes fluttered, I noticed her eyes were a little glassy.
"What's wrong?" I stood up and edged closer to the blonde. "…JJ, tell me…"
"Emily, I'm fine".
I rolled my eyes and put my hand on the small of her back, a warmth spreading through my hand and that familiar buzz tickling the edges of my stomach.
"You… you are a horrible liar" I almost laughed. She turned around at this, facing me with tear-threatened eyes. Salty droplets pressured to streak her cheeks and the rose of her cheeks to turn into blossoming fields. As beautiful as she would still be, my eyes fluttered and I brought her head to my shoulder. Her arms wrapped around me instantly, a simple gesture was all that was needed to let the harsh guards of Jennifer Jareau's composure on break for a while.
"It's so stupid" she muttered into my shoulder, her lips brushing the exposed skin of my neck a little – I hadn't considered this moment when pulling on the wide collared sweater. I didn't know whether it was the best or worst decision of my life. I cuddled the small of her black closer, and put my other hand on the back of her head; her vanilla scented shampoo being a delightful distraction of my raging hormones for a few seconds.
We stood for a minute or two, and I waited patiently for her to let her walls down.
"Can we talk about it later, we really need to get on the plane" she muttered after a few seconds.
I squeezed my eyes shut in frustration at her constant need for a portrayal of strength. Don't get me wrong, she needed it for her job, and it was a great part of who she was as a person, but sometimes, she didn't understand that she could be the one on the other side. She didn't understand that there were people who cared enough to listen to her for hours on end, namely me. She was just so selfless, so selfless that sometimes it was her downfall.
"Okay" I whispered, enjoying one last second of the embrace before I let the blonde from my arms. Her eyes stared into mine, that ocean of emotions all that mattered for a while. It was always like this. These fucking stares that lasted longer than they should, these slight touches that were not all that necessary, the words that were whispered a little too close to each other's ears, it killed me – the line between friendship and more was constantly blurred yet constantly known to be 'just friends'. Her thin frame headed towards the door, picking up her laptop and case files on the way. I slung my bag over my shoulder and sighed internally. I followed after her, a few seconds behind, to board to the plane to Connecticut where a sick bastard was waiting for us.
*On the plane*
I don't know when it had happened but we'd discussed the case for a while, all went to our separate parts of the jet and I had fallen asleep in under a minute. I presume my late night was not such a good idea, neither were the Jack Daniels Bourbon Cola cans that had accompanied me. JJ had taken a position one seat down from me, Rossi and Hotch had continued discussion about victimology at the other end of the plane, and Morgan and Reid had sat in the middle of the plane, but a little closer to us; Morgan going over the case files with one earphone in, and Reid versing himself in chess.
Not long after I had drifted off to sleep, dreams tickled my mind, images and random snippets of alternate worlds flashed before me. Soon enough, a common scenario filled my brain and I welcomed it. JJ and I were stuck in the elevator on our way home from the BAU, we had been the last ones to leave the level as we'd been collaborating on finishing our most recent cases file.
As always, in this dream, it started off with our casual female banter, our average jokes and random flirty lines. This however then took a turn, it led to the bustling of bodies closer to the other, the whispers holding a lingering sense of passion, the playful punches turning into short caresses and as quickly as all the other dreams had, we leaned, side by side, against the right wing of the elevator. Our lips inches apart, our eyes dilated in desire. Slowly but surely, we would lean in, our lips would touch and fireworks would appear. The dreams somehow improved each time, for this one, passion was essential.
I pushed JJ against the wall, her breath hitching in her throat before our lips reconnected. They moved in unison, a hot and heavy battle as my hands gripped her hips and hers raked down my shoulders. My tongue danced across her lips and she granted me entrance. I cupped her face and slowly inched my tongue into her mouth, ours danced together. Breathing became a chore as pleasure became a given. My left hand snaked around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. She began to lift her leg higher so I gripped it tightly with that same arm. I began to roll my hips against her, noticing that each movement would trigger her ragged exhale.
JJ moaned as my lips brushed her jawline, and trailed to her neck. I undid the top buttons of her white blouse and sucked on the sensitive points on her neck. I smiled as I felt her push her hips harder against me, her skirt almost completely ridden up around her waist. I lifted her a little more off the ground so our thighs were in between each other and I could feel her rub against me. I moaned this time as I could feel her arousal against my upper thigh. I continued to work her neck, slowly and torturously undoing all of her blouse buttons. I snapped it open and kissed around the white lacy bra she was wearing.
"Oh, Em, oh my God…"
Her head fell back against the door as I snuck my hand in between her legs and began to stroke her thighs whilst kissing every inch of skin I could find. Her position and arousal alone made me moan against her skin, both of us turning each other on with each new sound.
JJ's POV
*15 minutes earlier*
The team had spent a while discussing the unsub some more, deciding on a few more characteristics and possible motives. However, after that, Hotch had made the executive decision that we needed to see what else the New Haven P.D had found as evidence. We had all retreated to our individual spots on the plane. Emily sat in the farthest corner, sauntering over there with such drag in her step, I thought she wasn't going to make it to the chair. She slumped into the seat however, somehow managing to maintain this alluring elegance. Within seconds, her eyes fluttered shut and an even rising of her chest began.
I sat one seat away from her, wanting to give her space but still feeling that continual need to be close to her. I don't know when this had started, or how, or why, but I did know it was incessant and it continued to burn my cheeks, make my palms sweat and make the butterflies in my stomach wild. I opened up my laptop, and began typing away all of the media authorities I would have to deal with when we landed, and all the possible connections I had to make. I snuck a glance over at Emily, just content with watching the rise and fall of her chest, the odd twitch of her fingers and the irregular furrowing of an eyebrow.
I inched a little closer, taking note that Rossi and Hotch were deep in conversation on the other side of the plane and Morgan had just put his headphones into both ears and leant back in his seat. Reid wouldn't question anything. Soon after my slight movement, Emily's breathing became a little quicker, the furrowing of her eyebrows was more frequent and her mouth would open every few seconds, just the tiniest bit.
I moved closer immediately, worried that she was having some kind of nightmare. Her fingers clawed faintly against the leather seating, as her breathing began to sharpen.
"Yes" I heard her mutter and my mouth dropped into an O shape. "Yes". It was only the slightest sound, but I could understand perfectly. A delicate moan sounded between us and the butterflies were back, but this time their wings were on fire. They danced their way viciously around my stomach, clawing at the bottom depths.
"Yes… right there…"
I know I should have woken her, stopped this before someone else noticed what was going on… but I didn't. I was too selfish for that. This was something that I, subconsciously, had been yearning to hear… and see.
Emily began to only moan now, breathing heavily was no longer the reality and I knew I had to stop it.
"Yes, JJ, oh God"
I froze. My blue eyes were wide as I gazed past the brunette. I was shocked, and I didn't know what to do. Was this a one-time thing? Was she going to wake up from that dream feeling awkward and disgusted? I'd known Emily for two years now, her sexuality had never been a point of conversation… and neither had mine.
I was awoken from my daze, a slightly high-pitched whimper brewing in the back of Emily's throat. I acted rashly, slapping her on the shoulder. I covered my mouth with my hand as her eyes shot open.
"Are we there?" she asked awkwardly, her eyes lingering over all parts of my body before looking me back in the eyes.
"No" I said simply, inching closer to her. "… but I am going to get some coffee… could you please help me with the sugar?"
"Why would you need help with the sugar, it's on the-", she looked confused and gestured wildly before she noticed me giving her a little bit of a death stare. Her mouth shut with a pop and she nodded. I stood up, discarding the laptop on the seat and heading towards the kitchen and bathroom sections of the plane. I subtly pulled the curtain shut as she walked through and she headed for the mini built-in coffee machine, loaded with three different sugars.
"They're just-"
"I saw …"
"Then why would you ask me to help you with-"
"No" I stopped her, taking a great step closer to her. One more step and I'd have her pressed against the pantry. "I know what was going on, before"
Emily's eyes shifted and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I took another step towards her and her breath hitched in her throat.
"I know what you were dreaming about" I whispered, inching my lips closer to her ear. "Or should I say… who"
I felt a ragged exhale on my neck and I took the final push to feel my body against hers. I pulled my head back and gazed at her lips. "Is it possible to continue where you left off?"
Emily smiled and grabbed my hips, spinning us and pinning me to the pantry door.
"I think we should just start from the beginning".
A.N
Okay so I don't really like it and am not sure if I will continue it, but what did you guys think? Hot enough? Semi-realistic? Boring? Seriously, constructive criticism or overwhelming praise – either is helpful – I hope you all had a lovely Christmas xxo