The throbbing in her arm intensified as she leaned heavily against the sink, sagging her shoulders in an attempt to relieve the stress she was under physically and emotionally. JJ had seen dead bodies before, in fact it seemed she couldn't escape them; hundreds of files of cases of horrific murders coming across her desk a day. But she had never before seen someones entire being become reduced to chunks and puddles, scattered across the floor. The victim, Helen Douglass, had been completely torn apart and JJ was shocked to not only find the few remains, but to be attacked by the very dogs that ended Douglass's life. Even now, hours after the attack, she couldn't shake the image of the blood in the barn and Helen's unrecognizable body. The slow pulsing of her injuries subsided as the thin hairs on the back of her neck rose. Instinctually, she peered into the mirror, disregarding her disheveled reflection and focusing on her surroundings. The low snarl of a dog made JJ's stomach lurch and she fumbled for her gun, spinning to face the threat that appeared directly behind her.

"Hey, hey, hey. JJ!," Emily put her hands up, more to show JJ she wasn't a threat rather than to defend herself, "It's me." The older agent's voice softened with concern, easily picking up on the cloud of adrenaline and anxiety shrouding JJ, "Are you alright?"

"Uh..Yeah," JJ answered quickly and straightened her posture, covering any sign of weakness," I'm sorry. You scared me."

Emily shook her head softly and apologized, quickly diffusing the situation as she suggested taking JJ out of the house with her tomorrow. She hoped she didn't come across as patronizing as she extended the genuine offer. It was obvious that JJ was overwhelmed and needed a break from the Hankel residence but as a profiler, Emily knew JJ hated being seen as weaker because of her position as media liaison and not as a profiler. Therefore, the brunette settled on softer suggestions even though every instinct told her to drag JJ out of there and get her colleague somewhere safer.

"Yea," JJ agreed softly, a little put off by Emily's demeanor.

"Okay, great." Emily offered JJ a curt smile and began to walk away. She knew she should've stayed to make sure JJ was okay but she tried to flee, needing some time to mull over the overwhelming urge she had to protect JJ. Wanting to protect others was nothing new, Emily's job was to protect and serve. But that sudden, innate instinct was normally reserved for victims, not her co-workers. Just as she was about to chalk it up to going from near isolation to spending almost every hour with an intimate group of colleagues, JJ called her name. She turned back, sealing away her intrusive thoughts with practiced ease, "Yeah?"

"How come none of this gets to you?" JJ didn't mean to sound accusatory but in her heightened state, her emotions tugged the reigns and logical thinking took a back seat. What would she even be accusing Emily of?

"What do you mean?" Emily raised her brows in question. Under scrutiny Emily almost always surpassed expectations but here, right now under the white hot light JJ was shinning on her, she could feel herself begin to panic though her face remained passive.

The guilt JJ had for putting the older agent on the spot diminished and Emily's calm and cool attitude rubbed her the wrong way. "You came off a desk job. Now suddenly, you're in the field surrounded by mutilated bodies, and you don't even flinch."

Emily racked her brain for a million responses. Blurting out that she did not come of a desk job and in fact had gone undercover to become romantically involved with an international terrorist wasn't exactly an option.

"She's right." Hotch's interruption was a boon, providing her with a distraction and the perfect amount of time to come up with a safe answer to JJ's question, "You've never blinked."

"I...guess...maybe I compartmentalize better than most people." Emily waited for her colleagues to accept her response, hopeful that her answer would suffice. She turned to face Hotch, finding it hard to look JJ in the face after she offered such a calculated response to a question that had been so raw and emotional.

If JJ had rolled her eyes, Emily could've sworn she would've felt it. Knowing her answer didn't appease JJ made her anxious. The fact that JJ seemed to have a way to challenge Emily's entire being while the others members of the BAU had accepted the closed off personality she presented at work made her want to run for the hills.

Before the conversation could continue, Derek Morgan's voice interrupted, "Hey guys! I think I got something!"

Hotch, unaware of the underlying tension in the conversation, turned and immediately began to run towards Morgan. Emily spared JJ one last glance before she followed after Hotch, the blonde not far behind her.

000

Later, after Reid had been saved and the team retired to their homes, JJ allowed herself to dwell on her conversation with Emily. There was something off-putting about a woman that didn't even blink upon seeing the remains of a victim that was mauled. It's not that she didn't like Emily. It was just that all her relationships in the B.A.U. were deep rooted and intimate so in comparison, it was as if Emily was a stranger. It was especially hard when Emily refused every option JJ offered her to open up about herself but that just made JJ want to pry harder.

Originally, She had texted Garcia to reschedule plans for girls night but then she decided to consult her best friend about her weariness surrounding Emily. Garcia easily rejected JJ's claims that something was off about the brunette agent and had ended up inviting their colleague to their girls night next week. "Great," JJ muttered, though the prospect of seeing the always professional Agent Prentiss in a social setting did have its appeal.

"You can't count her out of the family just because she's private, just give her some time. Don't fret!"

JJ read the text from Garcia and knew that her friend was right. The uneasiness she felt during the case was an excess of nerves she had from the dogs and she only demanded to know why Emily wasn't affected to unconsciously compensate for appearing weak. Looking at the issue from a logical standpoint left JJ feeling embarrassed and guilty, thus she vowed with Garcia's help to make Emily feel a part of the team the next time they all went out. Besides, unbeknownst to Garcia, JJ could use this opportunity to find out more about her colleague because although her logical side was satisfied, she had to satiate the illogical half of her brain and something deep within her told her that time outside of work with Emily would do just that.