Disclaimer: I don't own them.
AN: I have no idea where this came from really. I blame too many red bulls and early mornings.
The blonde threw the door open and stormed into the lounge, collapsing on the couch. Emily looked over at her and could tell there was something bothering the young woman.
"Tell me a story." The blonde asked.
She thought back over her life. There were certainly a lot of stories that could be told. Some that had a happy ending…Others didn't. There were the stories that were told frequently to many different people. These were the stories that had as close to a happy ending as they got. Then there were the stories that had only been told on rare occasions. More out of a necessity to talk about it and stop it replaying over and over in her mind. These were the stories that only certain people had heard.
"Tell me a story of true love."
An easy topic. There were lots of stories about her true love. The one person that had come into her life and changed it for the better. The person that had opened her eyes to what love actually was. Until that point in life, she had been walking round with blinkers on. Thinking that what she experienced was the real thing. When it came down to it though, she'd never experienced anything even close to true love until the moment they had both faced their own fears. The moment they had admitted how they felt about one another.
"Tell me a story that is real and not some fairytale."
She thought back to the day they had admitted how they felt. She could still remember how she played with her ring through nerves. She could still remember watching the leg bob up and down. She could still remember looking into deep blue eyes while trying to work out if this was a good idea or not. She remembered seeing nothing but love reflected back at her in those eyes and that gave her the strength and the courage to say the words that she knew changed both their lives forever. Just 3 simple words and everything changed. There had been so many times she had imagined what would happen if she spoke those words aloud. So many different scenarios had played out in her mind as to what reaction she might receive. She had been so taken aback when she heard those same words repeated back to her. Shocked that her dreams could actually become a reality.
Life isn't some fairytale though, even if it does start out that way. When you get the girl, the credits don't start rolling as you both ride off into the sunset together. There are always bumps in the road. Obstacles to avoid. Damage to repair. It's the side to a fairytale that you don't see. The part that comes after the final page is turned. When it comes down to it, the end of the fairytale is really just the beginning. There are many more stories to come after you get together. You know why the fairytale finishes there though. The next part is always so much harder and there are no guarantees that it will be a happy ending.
She remembered the look in her eyes after their first argument. Recalled every hurtful word that had been said. Felt the pain that those words brought just as clearly as if it was yesterday. That time though, things had been repaired. Differences had been settled. Hurtful words were replaced by apologies and loving words. Promises of what could be in the future. The pain faded as she fell in love with her all over again. Letting the walls come down and the feelings she had been trying to bury resurface.
Thoughts of that fateful day then flashed into her head. All thoughts that maybe she could believe in this fairytale ending came crashing down. She could see everything, hear everything, smell everything and feel everything. Hearing those words they all dreaded coming through the ear piece. "Officer down." She ran to the other side of the building. Images of what was she was about to see flashing through her mind. The guilt she felt at hoping that it was someone else. Turning the corner and seeing her worst nightmare become reality. Hotch kneeling at her side. The blood. That was when everything seemed to freeze and become silent. Seeing the blood. Red spreading across the pristine white of the shirt. Then the world seemed to start again. People moving around quickly. So many people talking in hurried tones. Somehow she found herself kneeling opposite Hotch. She was afraid to make contact with her skin. Scared that when she did, it would feel too cold. She didn't want to look into her beautiful blue eyes. Fearing that when she did, they would be glassy and empty of the woman she had fallen in love with. The woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The woman who she had been too afraid to ask to marry her the night before. She could feel the ring burning a hole through her pocket and into her skin. The fear she felt the previous night now paled into insignificance against the overwhelming fear that gripped her now. The fear that she would never get to have her happy ending. That was what stopped her now from looking into those blue eyes. If she was gone, then there was only darkness.
"Tell me a story with a happy ending."
She knew why the girl sitting before her wanted to hear a story with a happy ending. She needed to know that even when things got so bad that you thought they would never be repaired, there was still hope. She looked into those blue eyes and couldn't help but see her grandmother. The eyes were identical. Right now, they were filled with a longing to hear that her situation wasn't beyond hope. That maybe things would turn out ok in the end. The thing is that not every story does have a happy ending. Sometimes when you turn that final page, you are left with a feeling of emptiness for what was lost and regret for what could have been.
Emily watched as the young girl, so much like JJ in her appearance smiled at her before giving her a hug. She watched as the young blonde got up and left to make a phone call. It seemed that whatever had been bothering the blonde had been cleared up somewhat by her story. As Emily walked over to the mantle where she let her gaze fall upon a picture on the wall. A picture of her and JJ on their wedding day. She smiled as she felt arms wrap around her from behind. She felt the once blonde haired agent rest her chin on her wife's shoulder.
"As much as I hate that story, I also love it." She whispered in Emily's ear.
The brunette could only smile. She had the same feelings for the story. It was the story where she almost lost everything and yet in doing so gained the courage she needed to give her everything she dreamed and more.
This story…The story of Emily and JJ...It doesn't have a happy ending. How can it have a happy ending when the end hasn't been written yet.