I know, I know; it's been so long and I am extremely sorry, but I think you've waited long enough. I'm actually not finished this story yet (and as some of my regular readers would know, I normally finish them before publishing them because I like to be organised and have something for you every day), but I have five huge assessments to complete in the next two weeks and I have exams coming up so I'm not sure when I'll have time to update. I'm sorry!

his story will have a few possible trigger topics. Please don't read this if abuse/domestic violence, self-harm, eating disorders, mentions of suicide, and depression are sensitive topics for you.

I'm not sure on how long I'll make this or where it will end up, but we'll see where it goes.

Reviews and PM's are always appreciated

-A xx

Prentiss

I walked into the precinct like I did every Monday; with seven coffees and a grouchy mood that I always kept the team oblivious of. I had never been a fan of Mondays. I enjoyed Saturdays the most. Very rarely did we work on weekends, and I wasn't stuck with the knowledge of returning to work the next day. Ever since I came back from Doyle and turned down Clyde's offer to run the London Interpol office, I hadn't been able to grasp my old life. I was a different person, too different.
I knew my team had been significantly affected by the change of person and personality. They all noticed, they all wanted to help me and offer support, but I ignored every word of concern. I continually assured that I was fine, that I would be fine, that I wasn't going to let something so small bring me down.

I was seeing a guy at the moment and for a while now, Chris, and he worked a few floors down; he spent his time at my place when neither of us had a case, so we didn't actually see each other as often as people normally did. The team thought he was great; great for me and just a great person in general, but he wasn't what he was cracked up to be. Morgan wasn't a huge fan of him but it wasn't his place to judge.

"Hey princess." Morgan greeted me when I reached our desks.

"Hey." I smiled at him, Reid, and JJ. I handed them their coffees and Garcia walked out from her lair and to our desks. I gave hers to her and took Rossi and Hotch's. I knocked on Hotch's door and walked in when he allowed. "Coffee."

"Thanks." He smiled and took it.

I walked back out and down to Rossi's office. I knocked and walked in without waiting for permission. I only waited when I saw someone in there with him through the window; otherwise I just walked in. Sometimes I didn't even knock, that's how close I had gotten to him since I had been back, "Coffee."

"Thank you," He took it. I sat down and he raised his eyebrows, "Something you want to talk about?"

"How much time away from someone is too much time for it to work?"

"Not seeing much of Chris lately?"

"He—I don't—" I sighed, "Never mind."

"No, what is it?"

"No, it's nothing." I stood up. I needed to leave before I said something. Rossi would tell the others and all four men our team would kill Chris if they knew what he did.

"Emily—"

"Please, don't worry about it. I'm just being childish. I've got paperwork to do." I walked out of his office and pulled the door closed behind me. I had hoped that none of them would notice the extra makeup today that I had to use to cover the still fading bruise of my cheek from Friday night.

Garcia told JJ, Reid, Morgan, and I all about the date she had gone on Saturday night. JJ didn't seem too interested, she almost looked irritated, and I tried my hardest to listen to her. Eventually, they ran out of things to talk about and we had to move onto our paperwork. I could work in silence and I wouldn't have to worry about keeping my hair in front of my cheek until lunch.

I got home early tonight and I was surprised to see Chris's car out the front. I smiled to myself and walked up to my apartment quickly. My phone rang when I reached the door and I answered JJ's call, "Hey Jayje."

"Hey, what's up tonight?" Her voice was quieter than usual.

"That depends on why you're asking."

"Just curious."

"Well Chris is home, but you can come over or we can go out if you want." I opened the door and closed it behind me. I locked it and walked down the entry hall slowly.

"No, no it's okay. I was just wondering. I'll call Garcia. Have fun tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Emily." I knew she was rolling her eyes.

"Okay, well call me if you change your mind."

"Bye."

I hung up and put my phone and bag down on the table at the end of the entry hall. I couldn't see Chris on the bottom floor of my apartment so I made my way upstairs. I went into my empty bedroom and locked my gun up in the safe.

"…Chris?" I called out. I didn't get a reply; maybe he wasn't here right now.

I looked in the mirror and checked the makeup on my cheek; it held well. I walked back downstairs and refilled Sergio's food and water dishes. I sat down on the couch and looked at my phone. I was about to ring him before I heard the locks turn on the door. I put my phone back down and waited until he reached the main room.

"Hey." I smiled over my shoulder at him.

He smiled and dropped his things on the table where mine were. He walked over and rolled over the back of the couch, his head landing in my lap, "Hey."

"You don't have a case?" I ran my hand through his hair softly.

"And neither do you," He sat up and kept his lips inches from mine, "Whatever will we do with all this spare time we rarely have together?" He asked before kissing me. I returned the first few, but I wasn't really in the mood tonight.

"Chris…" I said between kisses. I tried to push him away but he was determined. "Chris, stop." I pushed him harder.

He pulled back and stared at me, "What?"

"I just don't feel like it tonight."

He sighed and rolled to the side, clearly irritated with me. He shook his head and stood up, pushing his hair back. He walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Fortunately for me, he was in a good mood tonight. I sighed to myself and sat back. I closed my eyes and shook my head.

I woke late this morning; Chris wasn't beside me and I was going to be late for work. I had the fastest shower I ever had and got changed. I made a coffee in a travel mug and called Hotch on my way downstairs as I held my coffee in one hand, holstered my gun with the other and kept the phone in between my ear and shoulder.

"Prentiss?"

"Hey, I'm so sorry; I'm running really late."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah; yeah I'm fine. Do we have a case?"

"Not that I know of. My office when you get here please?"

"Yes, sure, I'll be there as soon as traffic will allow. I am really sorry, Hotch."

"It's okay; see you soon."

"Bye." I hung up as I reached my car. Chris's wasn't here when I glanced around. I drove to the precinct as fast as I could.

I walked through the security checks and made my way to the sixth floor. I glanced at my reflection in the glass doors when I walked towards them and I saw the black eye and the fresh bruise replacing the old on my cheek. I had forgotten about it in my rush this morning. As it turned out, he wasn't in that good of a mood last night.

I walked through the door and dropped my bag at my desk as I walked past quickly. "Hey." I greeted Garcia, Morgan, JJ, and Reid. I kept my hair in front of my face. I walked up to Hotch's office and knocked.

"Yes."

I walked in and closed the door behind me, "I'm sorry, I was up late and then I slept in and then—"

"Prentiss stop," He cut me off, "What happened?"

"…I just told you I was up late and then I slept in."

"No, I understand why you were late. What happened to your cheek and your eye?"

"Oh…uh…I…" I forced a small laugh to myself, "Embarrassing story. I…uh…ran into the door last night." I looked down and shook my head, forcing another laugh.

"Are you sure?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Hotch, look at me. Do I look upset or pissed? No, because I ran into a door. Nothing happened."

He nodded, although I'm not sure he completely believed me, "Okay." I heard a knock on the door and Garcia opened it. She informed us of a case and I walked to the round table room behind Garcia and in front of Hotch. The others were already there.

"Hey—whoa. What happened to you?" JJ asked as she moved my head to the side slightly to see the bruising."

"Not important." I brushed it off. I glanced around the table and all but Hotch were looking at me suspiciously, curiously and with concern. I sighed and rolled my eyes, "The step at the top of my staircase has popped out of place and I fell down them last night." I spoke quickly to get it over with. Shit. Hotch looked up and stared at me. I hated lying to them and I wished I didn't have to, but I couldn't tell them what really happened. Now I had two different lies and Hotch would call me out on it eventually.

"Do you want me to come fix it?" Morgan asked.

"No, no, it's okay. I've got Chris on it, but thanks for the offer," I nodded with a smile, "Garcia." I encouraged her to present the case to us before Hotch could say or do anything.

After a while, she finished speaking and we briefly discussed it around the table, looking at the photos and rereading parts of the information. JJ's phone had rung twice during the briefing and it rang a third time now.

She cursed under her breath, "Sorry." She said to us as she picked it up, "Will, I'm at—what?" A few seconds of silence past where I assumed he was talking, "Today? You didn't even let me talk." She took an unsteady breath to try and calm the tears that were in her eyes. "Will, please don't do this." She lowered her voice and closed her eyes. After another two seconds, she bit her lip as tears fell and she dropped her phone onto the table as she stood and walked out quickly.

"JJ…" I stood up and ran after her, "Hey, Jayje stop." I caught up to her and she tried to wipe her tears away but I saw them first. "Talk to me; what's going on?"

She sniffed as she tried to keep it together but a few more tears fell. I put my arms around her and held her tightly. She gave into the emotion and sobbed into my shoulder for a short while before she pulled away, "I hate myself for doing this," She shook her head, "Sorry." She motioned to my shoulder.

"No, it's fine. Please tell me what's going on?"

"Will and I are…we're…" She sobbed again, "We're splitting up and he's moving his stuff out today."

"Oh, JJ, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I just…I thought we would work it out." She shook her head as more tears fell. Her mascara ran down her cheeks.

"JJ." I shook my head.

"It was this damn job!" She paced past me and further towards the open door to the conference room. I don't think she realised it was open of how close she was, "It is all because of this stupid fucking job. I'm trying to save others and I'm destroying myself and my husband and my son and my life."

"Stop hun, come on. I get it; sometimes this jobs seems like it ruins more than it saves, trust me, I know, but you're going to get through this. Take this case off, go to Will and talk to him. If he doesn't want to talk, then make him listen. JJ, the only thing that's going to fix your relationship is you and the effort required from both sides."

"How do you and Chris do it?"

I looked down briefly and my eyes shifted involuntarily but I forced them back to hers, "It's hard, but we make it work because we love each other. There is almost nothing I wouldn't do to make us last."

She nodded and wiped her tears away, taking a few breaths to calm herself down. I walked back towards the round table room and pulled her with me gently. "Wait, stop." She pulled back before we were through the door. I was at the door in the sight of the team but she was behind it, "I can't go in there like this." She whispered it, but they still would have heard it.

"Why not? They've seen you cry before."

"Because if I go in looking like this, Garcia and Spence will want to know everything and I just can't bring myself to tell anyone else but you right now. Morgan will go into that over-protective mode and won't let me out of his sight, Rossi will go into father "I'll kill whoever did this to you" mode and Hotch will take me off the case. I can't be off the case; this is my distraction."

"They can you hear you, honey." I said, smiling sympathetically.

"Today has been so shit." Was all she could say to that, shaking her head.

"Tell me about it." I nodded in agreement. She took a deep breath and we walked back into the room where the team sat in silence.

"But at least I didn't fall down a staircase last night." JJ said quietly, fighting a smirk on her lips. The team laughed, all but Hotch.

I snickered and rolled my eyes, "Yeah, laugh it up now, but don't expect any sympathy when something similar happens to one of you." I glanced at Hotch and dropped my eyes as soon as they met his, staring back to me. At least it was only him to convince. I'd make an excuse up on the way to the plane.

"Wheels up in twenty." Hotch said as he stood up. The others stood and we walked out, leaving Hotch, Rossi, and JJ in the round table room. It was inevitable for them to talk to her about what just happened as soon as it did. Fortunately for me, she was higher on the priority list for Hotch than I was. It gave me more time to think.

"If you get that gut feeling that something isn't right about a person or situation, trust it." – Unknown.