TITLE: The Way Your Heart Beats

SUMMARY: Elle has come back after her time away to find she had been replaced by Emily Prentiss – not only her desk and her place on her team – but also her friendship with JJ. Elle quickly realizes that Emily likes JJ as more than a friend and realizes she has a rival for JJ's heart. But who will JJ chose – Emily or Elle? Or someone else?

WARNINGS: Lesbian themes, sexual content, adult language.

RATING: M – Mature readers on a few chapters, but over all T rating.

CATEGORY: Friendship / Romance / Hurt/Comfort / Crime / Angst / Tragedy / Spiritual / Humor

PROLUGE RATING: K

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PROLUGE

RETURNING HOME

She watched impassively as the elevator's doors glided shut – it wasn't until she felt the lift start it's downward movement before she took a deep sigh. It wasn't relief – not necessarily – no the relief wouldn't come until her next interview. The interview that truly mattered.

Her eyes traveled upward and counted down the floor levels and as the elevator jerked to a soft stop her face became impassive once more as the doors glided open. She walked out and to the glass doors that led to the bull pen and to the office on the second floor that she had to have her interview in. She in relief that the three important desks were empty. As she climbed the stair case she quickly saw the door that was opposite from the bull pen was closed – her eyes found the first door from the right of the stair case was closed also. She walked passed it and stopped in front of the door to the office where she had to have the interview was closed. She saw a man sitting at his desk his face intent as he was studying the file in front of him. She lifted her head higher and she willed her nerves to become steel as she raised her hand to knock.

"Enter." The brisk voice said from within the office.

She opened the door and nodded tightly as Aaron Hotchner lifted his head. She shut the door behind her and to her it sounded like gun fire – but she hid her fear behind her eyes. She let go of the door knob from her death gripe and made her way to the desk and take Hotch's out stretched in hers.

"It's good to see you again, Elle." Hotch said covering her hand with his free hand – so he was standing with her slim delicate hand engulfed with both both of his strong and extremely calluses hands.

"Hotch." Was all Elle got out before her breath got caught in her thoart.

Hotch let Elle's hand go and simply watched as she took the chair – the chair she had sat in two year previous when she turned her badge and gun in. He hadn't missed the look of fear in her eyes when she had shut the door – nor the slightest intake of breath. He wasn't a top of the line profile after all – an he knew this woman whom was sitting before him very well.

Hotch sat back down behind his desk and lifted the file – he turned it sideways so she could read ELLE GREENAWAY on the white label. He saw that she knew what it meant and set it back on his desk, unopened. "So you feel you are ready to come back to work. He didn't have to state it as a question. It wasn't even a question – rhetorical or otherwise.

"Yes." Elle stated looking Hotch straight in the eyes.

"I all ready have a full team. I'm not kicking anyone off to make room for you." Hotch said firmly. "You have to find a new desk – yours now belongs to Emily Prentiss."

"I understand. Is the desk opposite Reid available?" Elle asked.

This time it was Hotch's turn for the one word answer. "Yes."

"Than I'll have that desk." Elle stated.

"You won't be able to attend all the field work – if you do join us than you will stay mainly at the police stations with either JJ or Reid doing background checks." Hotch said with a firm line on his lips.

"I understand." Elle tightly nodded.

"You job now is your basic desk job." Hotch's eyes twitched.

"I understand." Elle repeated. She stood to her feet and walked to the door. Her hand was on the knob when Hotch spoke once more.

"Elle ..." Hotch said in a kinder voice. When she turned to look at him. "Welcome back."

"Thanks Hotch." Elle said, her face still impassive. She turned back to the door and opened it. She walked out into the hallway and closed the door. Not all the way unknowing. When she passed his window, Hotch got to his feet and walked over to his slightly open door and he opened it up further so he could watch the scene that was being played out in the bull pen below.

As soon as Elle had existed Hotch's office she saw upturned faces from the bull pen. She turned sideways to walk down the hallway without a smile or a nod of the head. She stopped beside the man who was standing at his open door way.

"Hello dad," she softly said lightly

"Don't call me that." Gideon said in a equally light voice. "Welcome back." He stepped out of his office and walked beside the younger woman. "You know the team – but let me introduce you to Emily Prentiss."

They walked silently downstairs – but not a strained silence – but a silence of two people who fully understood one another and the life altering trauma that the other lived through. The trauma that connected each other for life.

Elle was actually grateful that Gideon had put his hand on her back. It had been Gideon's concern face that Elle had seen when she had woken up from drugs they had gave her as they did the surgery that had saved her life when Randall Garner - their unsub – hot shot her four years previous. It was Jason Gideon who showed Elle that there were still humans out in the world and not just monsters.

Gideon guided Elle passed a row of desks to stop at her old desk – where a nicely dressed thirties something woman was standing. Elle caught how awkward and unsure the woman looked and that raised her own confidence up much higher.

"Elle Greenaway this is Emily :Prentiss. She had been helping us out since you left. Emily this is Elle." Gideon said still with his hand on Elle's back. He watched as the two women stuck out their hands and shook firmly. He didn't miss the fact that Emily withdrew into herself with Elle's eyes on her. He knew there would be trouble – but he knew the team would just get stronger with these two equally strong women working side by side.

Elle let Emily's hand go finally and watched as the other woman's hand went to rest on the desk with a slight shake to it. Her eyes left Emily to look into the kind and compassionate eyes of the strong built Derek Morgan.

"Hello fellow car traveler." She lightly said.

"Can't wait for the next one." Morgan said as he quickly wrapped Elle up into a bear hug. Elle felt the loss of Gideon's hand on her back – but she felt safe in Morgan's arms.

Finally pulling away Elle looked over and smiled. "So here's Doctor Reid."

"Hello Elle." Reid said in little tightly. He held out his hand to shake.

Elle took the offered hand and shook it. She felt the loss of Reid's ready friendship – but she understood it – she had abandoned Reid after all. Before she could think more on this a familiar scent filled the air. Still with her hand in Reid's – Elle turned her head to the right and found the teams liaison officer Jennifer Jareau making her way over to the group.

"Elle welcome back." JJ said with a ready smile on her lips and her blue eyes sparkling. "We have all missed you very much."

Elle had let Reid's hand go and she held it out for JJ to take – but she was surprised when JJ wrapped herself in Elle and pulled Elle into a tight bear hug. Elle wrapped her arms around JJ's back and returned the hug.

"I have missed you." JJ whispered in Elle's ear.

Elle didn't say anything in return. She just allowed the warmth of the hug to wash over her entire being. Sadly the hug ended all too soon for her and she was standing on her own once more. She didn't miss the fact that JJ moved over and stood closer than what would be normal to Emily. She carefully watched as JJ put a hand on top of Emily's white hand which still was clutching the desk. She saw that JJ was moving her hand in a soothing motion. She turned her eyes away from the moment and saw from the corner of her eyes that Gideon hadn't missed where her eyes had been. She wanted to take an inward sigh but she was relieved that none of the rest of the team had noticed, she she wasn't going to draw any attention to her sudden rotten mood.

"GIRL!" A high pitched squeal lit up the bull pen and Elle was suddenly attacked by a plump blond woman with deep dimples in her checks as she smiled. Elle had to laugh as she tried to get her breath back after being squeezed to death. When she finally was pulled away, "Hey Gracia," she said.

"Welcome home girl." Gracia said with a some swift nods of her head.

"Thanks." Elle said her face returning impassive.

Hotch returned to his office and shut the door. He had seen enough.

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END PROLUGE