This is my first fanfic that I have published. I got the inspiration for this from a song by Lady Antebellum called "I Run to You"
Disclaimer: I do not own criminal minds
I Run to You
"I Run from pain, I run from prejudice, I run from pessimist, but I run to late"
"God I hate road trips," Garcia grumbled as the black SUV snaked down the road, "I never get to come with you guys on a trip and the one time I do the stupid plane is broken."
"Well look at it this way sugar mama it's more time you get to spend with me," Derek said as he batted his eyes and leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Get a room," came the unison response from the backseat, as JJ and Emily laughed.
"Oh please, if anyone should be getting a room it's you two back there. Don't think I haven't seen the eye fucking you two have been doing this entire ride," Derek shot back laughing.
"Why Emily Prentiss, I do believe you are blushing," Garcia taunted from the front seat.
"Don't worry Em," JJ cooed leaning over and giving her a kiss that sent shock waves down to her toes and left her breathless, "they are just jealous."
"You better not let Hotch see you do that," Garcia grinned, "Emily wouldn't be able to focus for weeks with another kiss like that"
They all laughed as they watched Hotch, Rossi, and Reid's SUV weave around the turn up ahead.
The relationship between the team was something they all summed up as family. What they had been through together over the last couple of years, seeing the true evil within people, had taken their bond as a team to a whole new level. Without each other, they each knew they wouldn't have made it this far. With that bond, however, some of the relationships of the team had grown to something stronger, something the FBI frowned heavily upon: inter-unit relationships.
Hotch as the Unit Chief had fought tooth and nail to keep his "family together, first taking on Strauss when JJ and Emily got together and later when Garcia and Morgan finally revealed their relationship. He knew if it were any other team Strauss would not have thought twice before re-assigning two of his team members, but he also knew she could not deny the statistics that surrounded his team's success. He did have to set some ground rules though, and had to insist that it be kept professional at all times while they were out on a case.
The team's current case put them on the road to Idaho, and with the BAU jet out of service the drive from Quantico, VA would take them almost a full day.
As the two cars stopped so the team could stretch their legs at a back roads gas station, the girls ran inside to restock on road trip snacks while the guys filled up the gas tanks.
"Did you know that 72% of all gas station explosions can be equated to the static electricity caused from talking on your cell phone," Reid threw out.
"Good to know," Rossi said as he moved further away from the gas pump to make a call.
"Good lord what are they buying in there, the whole store?!" Hotch grumbled looking down at his watch.
"Why don't you guys go on ahead, and we will catch up with you somewhere down the road," Morgan suggested knowing that the two vehicles could meet up along the way before they reached Idaho.
"Sounds good," Hotch replied before heading to his vehicle with Reid and Rossi, "Make sure you guys switch up drivers as it gets into the night, I want everyone fresh when we arrive tomorrow." Derek nodded before heading into the store to wrangle the girls.
"oh I don't know it's such a hard choice," JJ admitted trying to decide between the Goobers or the Sweet Tarts Emily held in her hands.
"Come on Jayj, we gotta go," Morgan laughed from the front of the aisle.
"Well I got all I want," Garcia scooted past them already digging into her box of candy.
"What you got there baby girl?" Morgan called, and laughed when Garcia showed him her half eaten box of Sugar Daddies.
"I thought you already had a sugar daddy," he smiled slyly slipping his hand around her waist and pulling her to him.
"Ok we can go," Emily called from the door before JJ said "race ya" and Emily couldn't help but run off after her.
"How old are you two?" Morgan laughed getting back into the SUV and pulling back onto the highway.
5 hours later and in the middle of nowhere Indiana, Morgan glanced at Garcia as she almost prrrd as she slept in the passenger seat. He couldn't help but reach over and run his hand down her beautiful face. "I don't know what I would do without you," he whispered.
"Well you definitely wouldn't be as fun," came the unexpected reply from the back seat as JJ positioned herself in the middle and leaned forward so their conversation wouldn't wake Pen and Emily.
"Jesus, JJ you about gave me a heart attack," Derek said still trying to catch his breath.
"sorry didn't mean to scare you"
"it's true though," he admitted looking over again at the sleeping Garcia, "I really don't know what I would do without her JJ."
"Well I have it on good authority that she would be pretty miserable without you too Derek."
He focused his eyes on the road again. "How long before you knew Emily was the one for you?"
JJ was silent for a minute, "Well we had only been dating for a couple of months, and we had just gotten home from that serial killer case in Michigan, you remember the one?" He nodded.
"For some reason I was having a harder time than usual. I guess it was because the case had been sitting on my desks for weeks and by the time we got there he had already killed two more girls."
Flashback
JJ met Emily's eyes from across the parking lot before getting into her Honda Accord. She just couldn't tonight. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to forget the faces of those girls. It was her fault they were dead.
Pulling into her drive way and walking into her dark house that was momentarily lit by the lighting outside, JJ collapsed onto her foyer floor racked with sobs she couldn't hold in anymore. She didn't know how long she had lay there before she heard a knock on her door.
"Emily… what are you doing here?"
Soaking wet and shivering, JJ pulled Emily inside.
"Jayj," the dripping Emily said as lifted JJ's head until she was sure her eyes were looking into hers. JJs puffy eyes tried to pull away but Emily held her stare. "There is nothing in this world you can't come to me with. I will always be here no matter what."
All JJ could do was fall into her lovers arms as the sobs overtook her once more.
"That's how I knew, Derek. Emily is the kindest, caring, most amazing person I know and in that moment I knew she was the one for me."
"Wow girl, and here I am thinking it's all about the sex," he joked as JJ smacked his arm.
"Well I didn't say there weren't some added bonuses," she laughed.
"If I show you something, will you promise not to tell anyone," Derek asked getting serious again.
"Yeah, of course"
He rummaged around in his coat pocket before bringing out the little box to show JJ.
"Is that what I think it is?" She gasped.
"I have had it for awhile now," he lamented, actually having had the ring for over 2 months now, "I just can't seem to find the right time."
"Don't worry you will know when the time is right. Could I see it?" He handed her the ring box.
"Wow, Derek, she is going to love it," JJ said mesmerized by the beautiful 2 carat diamond solitaire that's bands held alternating sapphires and diamonds.
"You think so?" he asked worriedly
"Are you kidding me?!" she practically screamed and then looked around hoping she didn't wake Emily or especially Pen, "She will be putty in your hands once you slip this little baby on her finger!"
He couldn't help but laugh at the small blonde in the back. JJ always had a way of reassuring him when he doubted things the most. She was like a sister to him and he knew he was lucky to have her in his life.
He yawned.
"Hey you want me to drive for awhile?" she asked handing him back the box.
"No it's all good, I got a few more hours left in me," he winked back at her through the rearview mirror.
"Alright well please wake me up if you get tired"
He reached back to give her knew a thankful squeeze, "Emily is really lucky to have you, you know."
"No, we are lucky we have each other," she placed her hand on top of his before settling back in to her side of back seat and drifting off to sleep.
As Derek glanced at the box in his hand and then over at Penelope still sleeping peacefully next to him, he didn't notice the deer run out in the middle of the road until all he could do was swerve.