Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, so feedback is very much appreciated. Also, I'm not a native English, so please excuse the mistakes. I tried. :)
Of course, I do not own Criminal Minds, any of the characters, etc. They own me.
This piece primarily focuses on Emily's and JJ's friendship, later going to get pretty dark. I haven't continued the story yet, though I have the story line- but first I'd like to know if You think it's worth going on. Thanks for reading!
Thanks to Leah for helping with the language as well as with the plot.
Emily didn't leave the office until long after midnight. She had to catch up with the paper work concerning their current case. Most of the team had gone home around ten p.m., opting for a relatively good night's rest to prepare them for the next day. JJ also had left earlier to take care of Henry- he'd become ill that afternoon and Will was due at work for the night shift. Hotch was the only one left, making sure all the paperwork was in order for.
She felt exhausted when she finally stepped out of the building and headed for her car. There was no one on the street; the lights of the car seemed blinding in the nocturnal darkness.
She was thinking about their current case. Garcia had identified the UnSub earlier that night and the team was going to arrest him the next day.
She hated this case. It was a pretty messy one -twenty women abducted and held captive for weeks. The UnSub made sure to destroy not only his victims but also their families- after murdering them, he sent the families a piece of their butchered loved one, to remind them that he had power over them. But what Emily hated the most was his victimology; every victim was blonde, tall and outstandingly fit. In other words, just like JJ.
Emily always felt unsettled when they had such a case, with victimology applying to a team member. But JJ didn't seem to be touched in any way.
Emily decided to drop by on her, to tell her that they got the UnSub. Even if JJ didn't ask for her support, Emily wanted to assure her that the case was over and they got another animal.
She didn't really expect JJ to be awake, but she thought it was worth a shot, so she got in her car and drove there.
She was a bit surprised to see the lights were still on at JJ's, after all, it was past 2 a.m. She got out of the car and knocked on the door. There was no answer.
"JJ?" she asked and knocked again. "Hey, JJ, you there?"
She felt oddly relieved when she heard JJ's steps through the door, approaching.
"It's just me, Emily. Could you let me in for a couple minutes?"
"Em?" she repeated. She had a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She opened the door, but left only a narrow gap, still not letting Emily in. She gazed out first, and then, seeing it really was Emily, spread the door wide open. "Hey, what are you doing here so late?"
"I was just…" Emily started when she noticed JJ was holding her gun. "Why do you need that?" she frowned. "Is everything OK?"
"Yeah, sure, everything's fine." JJ nodded hesitantly and tried to hide it behind her back. "Henry's sleeping upstairs, so…"
"Why do you need that gun?" Emily insisted, looking around, trying to find something that would've explained to her why JJ wasn't sleeping but standing guard with her gun.
"Bad habit," JJ replied, starting for the kitchen. "So, what's up? Do you want a drink?"
"No, thanks. I was just going to go home but I wanted to tell you first that Garcia identified the UnSub. His name is Tod something. Hotch said we'd get him tomorrow because we're all too exhausted to do it tonight."
"Why didn't you just call me with that?'
"I don't know." she shrugged. "I wanted to tell it in person. Look, I know you'd never say it, but I think this case got to you… a bit.'
"I don't know what you mean," JJ said. "It was just like all the others."
"Well…" Emily started but then she noticed a bunch of pictures, next to a half empty wine bottle on the coffee table in the living room. She went closer to take a look at them.
"That's nothing," JJ said, quickly going there. She collected the photos and put them on a shelf.
"Are those the photos from the last crime scene?" Emily asked uncomprehendingly. JJ tried to seem indifferent and didn't answer. "JJ, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I told you."
"Yeah? Then why were you looking at the victims' photos?"
JJ looked away.
"Because they all looked similar to you?" Emily risked. She saw JJ's eyes jerked. "Why didn't you just tell me?"
"Tell you what? That I got scared? That I let myself get emotionally involved in a case?" she said bitterly.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Emily assured her, offering an encouraging smile. "It happens to all of us. We're not FBI drones, we don't have to hide our emotions all the time."
"Says the woman whose made of stone," JJ muttered.
Emily's smile faltered for a second before she shoved JJ's comment to the back of her mind.
"You know what? How about I stay here overnight?"
JJ didn't answer, just put the glass away to make enough room for the two of them. Accepting this favour struck Emily. Not that she didn't mean it, but JJ wasn't the type to accept favours unless things were really bad.
She left at dawn, to go home and change. She tried not to be too worried about JJ. She had to admit, this wasn't something she could help.
And partly, she was glad she had someone to worry over, so no one would worry about her.
They arrived on the scene early morning. They profiled the UnSub as a narcissist, always wanting to be close to his prey. They were right- he set up his slaughterhouse in a stall, close to his house.
Hotch told the team to split up. Emily, Rossi and Reid searched the house while Morgan, Hotch and JJ surrounded the stall. Emily wished Hotch had picked her instead of JJ but they didn't have time to argue.
They searched the house- it was empty, as they expected. Almost no furniture, everything washed sparkling clean. Emily strove to finish as soon as possible to join the others at the stall.
JJ tried not to think of the victims' mutilated body as she took her position outside of the stall, right at the door as Hotch had told her. She held her gun steady, waiting for him to give a sign for incursion.
Hotch looked around to make sure everyone was in place then nodded. JJ was the first one to enter, trying to cover as much of her body as possible.
The UnSub stood with his back to the door, in front of a table. And on the table, his last victim, alive but horrified. She was just like all the others- tall, blonde, fit.
Emily technically ran through the rooms, not even watching out. She just wanted to finish up and check on the others. She pulled out drawers, tackled shelves carelessly. She hoped JJ remained calm and everything went fine as usual.
JJ felt her muscles tighten, her senses sharpening.
"FBI. Step away from the table," she commanded, sounding professional but feeling unsteady. The motionless body on the table distracted her, she felt her breath speeding up.
The UnSub turned around but didn't put down the butcher knife he had in his hand.
"Put the knife down," JJ said, aiming at him.
"Just let me finish it," the UnSub said with an irritating voice. "Just this last one, please."
JJ didn't know if she should've thrown up or just pierce his body with a couple hundred bullets. She heard the others also arrived behind her; he was surrounded.
Emily finally felt she had done what she was expected and she scuttled out of the house. She was running toward the stall, when she heard JJ shouting. She forced herself to make an even faster pace.
"I won't repeat myself again," JJ said, placing her finger on the trigger. "Put it down. Now!'"
The UnSub made an unsure movement, almost like a lunge in her direction. He might have wanted to put the knife down, but JJ interpreted it as a threat and took the shot.
Hotch ran over to him.
"He's dead," he said and looked at JJ, searching her face. She still had her gun pointed at him, her hands shaking, adrenaline rushing through her veins. The sound of the bullets seemed to echo in her mind.
Emily stormed through the door.
"What happened?" she asked, scared and worried. She dared to take a breath only when she saw the UnSub lying on the ground, the others standing unharmed.
JJ looked up as if awakening. She stared at her gun confused and pushed it back to the holster with shaking hands. Emily hurried to her, putting her hand on JJ's shoulder, steering her gently out of the stall.
None of them risked to look back.