A/N: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of these characters, but I wish I did! Please review and let me know what you think!

Chapter 1

Jennifer Jareau woke up with a start to the ringing of the phone in her hotel room.

"Jareau," she choked out hoarsely over the phone.

"JJ, it's Hotch. We were supposed to meet in the lobby twenty minutes ago."

"I'm sorry," JJ groaned. "I guess I overslept."

"Well, meet us at the station as soon as you can," Hotch said, then hung up.

JJ dragged herself out of bed and headed for the bathroom. This was apparently the nicest hotel in this small Iowa town, but it was rundown and gave her a weird feeling. Showering was a must before anything else. The water pressure was awful, but at least the water was hot. JJ lost herself in the comforting warmth for a minute. A loud thud that sounded like the door to her room slamming shut caused JJ to jump. She took a deep breath before panic could set in, but her nerves were calmed by a voice.

"JJ?" Emily called out, glancing around the small, dark hotel room.

Happiness filled JJ as she heard the voice of her best friend and remembered she was on this case with them after almost two years living in London.

"Bathroom," she called back.

The bathroom knob started to turn, but Emily hesitated.

"It's okay, Em," JJ said softly, turning off the water.

Emily pushed the door open and JJ grabbed a towel and held it across her front.

"Hey there," JJ beamed, stepping forward into Emily's embrace.

Emily took a deep breath before wrapping her arms around JJ the way she had so many times before, knotting her hand in the younger woman's wet blonde hair. JJ laid her head on Emily's shoulder, but was surprised when her friend quickly pulled away.

"What's wrong?" JJ asked, feeling slightly hurt.

Emily stared at her for a moment and then jerked the towel away from her.

"JJ, what have you done?"

Emily was completely taken aback by the state of JJ's body. She had taken notice of some of the changes three days earlier when Garcia and JJ had come to pick her up from the airport. JJ's hair, which had before been thick and shiny blonde, was now thin, dark, and dull. At their first hug at the airport, Emily felt the sharpness of bones jutting out. JJ was paler than she'd ever been and her body was bruised and SALLOW. Her ribs could be counted and Emily felt as if one touch could shatter the girl who stood before her.

"What are you talking about?" JJ said defensively, grabbing her towel back up off the floor and pushing past Emily out of the bathroom.

Emily tried to grab JJ's hand, but JJ had just enough strength to jerk it away. She sat on the edge of the bed closest to the heater and shivered, pulling the blankets up over herself. Emily sat down beside her, concern all over her face.

"You just look..." Emily trailed off.

"I told you I lost weight," JJ bit her lip.

"I never could have imagined this is what you meant."

"I don't get it! If you're not attracted to me anymore, that's fine. I'm married to Will."

"Jayje, you know that isn't it," Emily sighed. "And trust me, I know about your marriage. You remind me every week when we talk."

JJ's eyes filled with tears.

"Maybe I just wanted you to fight for me," she whispered.

"You know I couldn't give you what Will did," Emily reasoned. "I could never have taken care of you and Henry the way he has."

"How could you say that?"

"Now isn't the time to rehash the past, JJ. I just need you to be okay," Emily kissed JJ's forehead with these words.

Emily stood up and opened the suitcase sitting on the couch across the room. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a blue button-down top and underwear and handed them to JJ. JJ shot her a look, but stood up and got dressed. Emily waited until her friend was in the bathroom drying her hair to let out the breath she'd been holding. She knew that coming back here had been a mistake, but she had to make sure Jennifer was okay. She had to do whatever it took to help the woman she loved before she went back to London. Emily shook those thoughts from her head when JJ came out of the bathroom. With the help of makeup and clothes, she looked almost like the old JJ, and this made Emily smile.

"Ready to go?" Emily asked, standing up.

"I guess," JJ answered. "Are we done talking about us?"

"There is no us anymore," Emily said as she held open the hotel room door and let JJ pass.