Was there a better way to spend a Friday night evening with your two best friends? People can say whatever they want, but that is just one thing you have to love doing. Especially when you haven't hung out with them for almost 6 months, other than at your work place. And that couldn't really be classified as "hanging out"…
When the opportunity came, Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau and Penelope Garcia didn't waste it. They had arrived one day ago from a case in New Hampshire, and they had the whole weekend off (at least, that was what they hoped).
Will had taken Henry to New Orleans to visit the little family he had left there while JJ was out in the field. They would only return on Sunday, so JJ decided to invite her friends over that night so they could have an evening and night for themselves, accompanied only by dinner, popcorn, movies and drinks.
- As Rossi would say "If you don't feel like doing it properly, please order a pizza" – Emily said, impersonating David Rossi, as the other two burst out in laughter.
- Except this isn't exactly pizza, Emily. – Penelope said while she placed the frozen food in the oven.
- I guess pre-done Lasagne fit's in Rossi's saying just as well as pizza, though. – JJ stated, as she entered the kitchen with one bottle of black vodka in her right hand and a bottle of lemon juice in the left. – And I thought wine was too fancy for this dinner too. So, what do you say about something a little… darker?
The blonde swung the bottles slightly in front of them whilst Penelope and Emily turned around to face her.
- Oh! Girl wants to party, I see! – Garcia said with a grin, both hands landing on the sides of her waist while she moved her eyebrows up and down.
- Pen, you haven't seen anything yet. From the place these came, more are waiting. – JJ replied, copying Penelope's eyebrow movement.
The three women started laughing again.
They waited forty five minutes for the lasagne to be ready. In the meanwhile they talked, told jokes and laughed as they didn't in a long time. When their dinner was finally ready, JJ took it off the oven and placed it in the round table in her dinning room. The table was all set, Penelope had taken care of that, and the drinks too were all set.
Not long was needed for the lowball glasses start being emptied.
After finishing their food and just stacking the plates and cutlery in the kitchen sink, the three women moved to the couch in the living room, never forgetting to take their glasses and the bottles with them, placing the items in the little rectangular center table in front of the big couch. While Emily turned on the TV and the DVD player, JJ decided to go make them popcorn.
- Argh, why did I sit down in the coach if I was going to get up again? – the blonde complained as she felt a soft dizziness in her head as she got up. Was the vodka starting to make its effect on her already? "No, you are not getting drunk just yet Jareau", she told to herself whilst she straightened her back and walked confidently into the kitchen.
After a few minutes she returned from the kitchen with a big bowl of popcorn with sugar and found Garcia and Prentiss already accommodated in her couch. She joined them, sitting next to Penelope, who was in the middle of the couch, and now the blonde was to Penelope's left, and the brunette to her right side.
- What movie are we watching? – JJ asked whilst taking a handful of popcorn for herself before placing the bowl in the table, next to the bottle of vodka.
- Black Swan. – Garcia answered as she took her own handful of popcorn.
JJ moved to the edge of the couch so that she could face both of them.
- Seriously? – she asked, with a frown.
Penelope and Emily looked at her, surprised.
- Well… yeah. Why? – Penelope asked, confused.
- I mean, with so many fun movies out there, why would you choose Black Swan? That movie's creepy as hell!
Whilst Penelope's face was still confused and concerned, in Prentiss' face a big smile started to emerge.
- Are you scared of a dark, psychotic, Natalie Portman movie, Agent Jareau? – The brunette asked playfully.
- No! It's not that! I just don't like that kind of movies. And I get enough of dark and psychotic almost every day, I thought you did too! – JJ was starting to blush at the sudden attack from the brunette.
- We surely don't get enough of Natalie Portman every day. – Garcia said. Now she as well was smiling and looking at JJ playfully.
The other two started laughing at the tech's comment.
- I'm starting to think our dear Miss Jareau is a scaredy cat! – Prentiss teased.
JJ shook her head and just ignored the teasing. She had an idea that could change her friends' mind. She didn't like that movie, and she wasn't going to let them watch it in their fun girls' night.
- Well, I have a better idea than watching Natalie Portman with feathers growing in her skin! Let's play a drinking game! – She said, getting up from the couch and sitting on the floor, on the opposite side of the rectangular center table, facing her friends.
Prentiss and Garcia looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
- Can't say no to that! – Both women said in unison.
Another wave of laughter filled the room.
That was the moment when, for some reason, the floor felt like a righter place to be sitting in than the comfortable couch. Was that some kind of subconscious action to avoid any possible drink spilling on the couch? Whatever the reason was, both Emily and Penelope joined JJ on the floor, forming a triangle between them, around the low center table.
Glasses started being filled with black vodka and juice in a proportion of one to two.
- So, tell us JJ, what game are we going to play? – Emily asked.
But before JJ had time to say something, Garcia spoke.
- Oh I have a good one! Let's play the "I never" game. – the quirky woman said. The excitement in her voice had definitely been heightened by the drink she had during dinner.
JJ looked at Prentiss, who had the same "I don't know if that's a good idea" look in her face. The most incredible things could be discovered with that game, and sometimes they weren't all that pleasant. There was always the lying possibility, but when two of the three people in the room were excellent profilers, almost every lie would be spotted.
- Garcia, I think we shouldn't… - Prentiss started saying, but was interrupted by Garcia in the middle of her sentence.
- Nah! – she started, waving her index finger in front of the brunette's eyes. – Don't even start! C'mon! We haven't played this game in, like, ages! And the boys are not here, no harm can come from it.
Emily glanced at Garcia and then back to JJ. Without knowing what to say, she gestured JJ for help protesting against the idea. But for her surprise, her claim was answered with a shrug from the blonde.
- Well, at least anything that comes to surface will only be heard by us three. Morgan isn't here to acquire information with which he'd torture us for the rest of our lives. – JJ said with a grin popping up on her face as she mentioned Morgan's habit.
They all laughed. The last time they played that game with Morgan, they discovered that Emily Prentiss once dated a guy who was 4 years younger than her. For the following months, in the most inappropriate times Derek Morgan managed to bring the subject up and call her Cougar.
- Ok, fine. But write what I'm saying! In the end of the night, it won't be me regretting to have started it.
- We know it won't. – Garcia said whilst delivering soft strokes into Emily's left shoulder.
JJ smiled and then pointed for Penelope to be the first, once it was her idea.
- I never… - she rolled her eyes as she thought of something to say – did a striptease for my steady.
Prentiss remained still with a smile on her lips, which developed into an open mouth when JJ's glass reached her mouth and she sipped the black liquid twice.
- Oh! Naughty! – Penelope yelled. Prentiss was now laughing at JJ's blushing cheeks. The blonde looked so sweet when she was embarrassed.
To avoid any further comment, JJ gestured Emily to continue, it was her turn. And so Emily spoke.
- I never wore a skirt without underwear.
- Oh come on! You don't even wear skirts! – JJ exclaimed as she lifted her hands up in the air and then let them fall back in her lap, before grabbing her drink from the table and sipping it again.
- Oh my God, JayJe! You did wear it… without? Seriously? – Prentiss asked incredulous. She started giggling after a second. Only then she noticed Garcia stretching her arm to grab her glass and drink too. – Seriously? – The brunette repeated with a huge grin on her lips. – Who's the naughty girl now, Pen?
- It was only once! And I was going to meet Kevin, so… - the quirky analyst said.
- Too much information Garcia! You can keep what you've done next to yourself! – Emily interrupted, making Garcia a signal to stop with her right hand. – What about you JJ, did you attend a press conference without panties?
Both her and Penelope started laughing at the thought. As she listened to the brunette's question, JJ leaned back slightly and open her mouth in protest.
- What? Who do you think I am? I'd never do that! – She made an offended look, to which Prentiss responded by lifting her arms to the height of her shoulder in sign of surrender before she started laughing harder. – I wasn't even in the FBI when it happened, and it was only once as well! I had this rich friend, and she invited a bunch of college colleagues into her house, but no one knew she had a swimming pool, so no one came prepared for it. The thing is we all wanted to go on it, so we went on our underwear. When we were heading back home I could either just dress my skirt on top of my wet panties so that everyone on the bus I took home could think I had peed, or I could take them off and look normal. Of course I took the second option!
- If that's true, Garcia, you get the Naughtiness Award on this one! – Emily cried out.
- Shame on me. – Garcia said, stabbing her self in the heart with an imaginary knife whilst smiling at Emily. – It's your turn Jayje.
- Ok, so for you two to stop thinking I'm a depraved girl: I never missed a class! Never! – the blonde agent stated with pride.
Garcia and Prentiss tried to argue that it wasn't possible, but JJ said again that she had never missed a class, neither in high school or university, so the other two had no other option but to take a sip at their drinks.
The game kept on going, and both little dirty and dark secrets were revealed. But the women were having so much fun they didn't want to stop. The only problem was the alcohol streaming in their veins. Although they weren't totally drunk, the alcohol was starting to leave their minds looser, unrestrained and able to say things and mention subjects they would probably never talk about if they were sober.
- Ladies, tell me if this isn't so much better than sitting in the sofa watching Black Swan! – JJ said as she sipped her drink.
- Yeah, you are right! Not that watching a delusional Natalie Portman making out with Mila Kunis and that other guy is all that bad. – Prentiss claimed with a smile.
JJ pointed her hand towards Emily as if telling her to hold the thought whilst she finished swallowing her drink.
- I have a good one! – She said, referring to the drinking game they were playing. – I never kissed a girl in my life.
The blonde looked at the two women in front of her, waiting to see if any of them would take the glass to their mouths. If they did it meant they had kissed a girl before. For her surprise, both Emily and Penelope took a sip of their drinks. In that moment, Emily looked at Penelope, astonished. And the tech looked at the black haired woman with the same shock look. The sum of their surprised faces was spread all over JJ's face.
- Wow, wow, wow! We have to go through this in detail my darlings! – JJ said with a grin. - Spit it out!
- Not much to spit out… - Garcia started – I kissed one of my best girl friends in high school just for the fun of it. We just wanted to try it!
- I can't believe you really did it! You… who are always checking every hot dude in a three mile radius! – Prentiss said with bluntly open eyes and a grin.
- Well, I can't believe you really did it either, my sweet high school punk! – Garcia shouted out.
Emily rolled her eyes at her friends comment, and simply shook her head. But JJ and Garcia wanted to know some more. Emily had never really spoken about her past relationships or any other event in her life that wasn't strictly necessary to be known. So JJ pressed her, and she finally gave in.
- I'm not gonna tell you much. Only thing you'll know is that I've kissed more than one girl, more than once. And now this mouth is a tomb. – Prentiss said and then leaned back so that her back and neck were resting in the front of the couch.
A wave of complains and "c'mon"s was shouted by the two now very interested woman on the room.
That conversation was sending butterflies into JJ's belly. She didn't know why. Maybe it was just the alcohol. So she decided to try and ignore the feeling.
Though Emily refused to reveal anything else about the subject, JJ swore to herself she was going to bring it up again that night. But for now, she was going to let the brunette in peace.
The three girls talked and laughed for almost one more hour. The longcase clock on the corner of JJ's living room read 2:00 am. Garcia glanced it.
- Shit, I promised to meet Kevin at his place around ten in the morning. I'm drunk, I won't make it! He'll kill me. – She said whilst she dove her head in between her hands.
- I guess you should text him to come and pick you up. And, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea if you tried to get some sleep Pen. – JJ said, she as well was starting to get sleepy.
Garcia nodded and simply got up from the floor and laid down on the couch. Not long was needed for the tech to fall into a deep, stone sleep. Prentiss and JJ were still joking around when they noticed Penelope was actually sleeping. Then JJ thought it was the right time to push Emily a little more. She wanted to know more about her friend's past, and as Emily was a bit drunk, she was going to take advantage of that. Or at least, that's what she thought would happen.
- Emily, I'm sorry for touching this subject again but… When was the last time you kissed a woman? – The blonde agent asked, keeping the partying tone and posture they were talking in. Maybe that way Emily would be more open about it.
Unlike what JJ was expecting, Emily didn't answer. Instead, the brunette stared at her with a mistrustful expression, and suddenly a soft smile formed in her lips.
- Why are you so interested in that? – Emily asked.
- Nothing. I'm just curious. – JJ answered with a shrug. She noticed the change on Emily's features. And that left her suddenly uncomfortable. Was that the right word to express how she was feeling?
Emily placed her right arm on the carpet and leaned slightly in JJ's direction. If JJ was going to keep pressing her on that subject, she would do the same. "It's the booze that's driving me. Nothing else.", the dark haired agent said to herself as she carefully thought about what she was going to ask next.
- Curious about what, Jareau? – The right corner of her lips quirked upwards.
JJ opened her mouth but no words came out. She didn't know what to answer. To be more precise, she didn't know if she should answer it. Was Emily teasing her? And why were the butterflies invading her stomach again. She didn't even notice the answer had escaped her lips till the moment she saw Emily's eyebrow rise.
- About how it feels like…
Emily smiled. She pushed herself forward, circumventing the table's corner and got closer to JJ. Still sitting down on the floor, unmoving, JJ's body seemed to paralyze as Emily placed her left hand in her leg without ever taking her dark eyes off her electric blue ones.
JJ's heart started beating faster, trying to get more blood streaming to her brain so that she could think properly. She tried. She tried to think about Will, and the meaning of professionalism, but the alcohol was blocking those thoughts, forbidding her conscience to tell her that was likely to be a bad idea.
- Well, I can't tell you how it feels… – The brunette said as she carefully analyzed the woman in front of her.
If she was going to do this, Prentiss wanted to be sure they were still in the "all good and free of future problems" barrier. That it wouldn't be more than a fun, booze-caused one-time event. She wanted it to happen. She had actually dreamt of it once or twice since she and JJ became friends. But their friendship was too sacred for her. That was the most important for her.
Emily's answer left JJ confused. Maybe what she thought was about to happen was just her imagination derailing. But a few seconds later, Emily ended her sentence.
- … But I can show you.
JJ's eyes widened. After all it wasn't just her imagination working extra hours.
Emily leaned closer, slowly, making sure she didn't scare JJ and that the blonde was up to it. She could see the little tip of panic on JJ's face as she did.
They were so close that JJ could feel the air Emily exhaled tickling her skin.
Emily's hand left JJ's leg and went up to find the blonde's face, caressing it softly. Her eyes were now locked on JJ's lip as she used her thumb to trace the woman's bottom lip. She looked one last time into JJ's eyes. She could swear she saw desire sparkling through them. As JJ slightly opened her lips, Emily closed the last inch separating them, capturing JJ's lips with her own.
The kiss was unhurried and fervent. When they finally pulled apart, JJ kept her eyes closed, memorizing the moment. Emily whispered:
- So, how does it feel?
- "Well, I can't tell you how it feels…" – JJ said, mimicking Emily's previous comment.
They both laughed, and suddenly Emily felt JJ's lips crash onto hers. They kissed for a long minute.
Driven by the desire she was starting to feel and by the alcohol heating her even more, Emily moved her hand under JJ's shirt, caressing the soft skin beneath it. Wrong move. JJ broke the kiss and grabbed Emily's hand with hers.
She smiled softly, and then avoided to look into the brunettes eyes. The floor seemed like a better place to look at.
- I think we should stop and get some sleep, it's getting really late. – There wasn't hurt, or even regret on her voice. Just that tiny timbre of soberness and reasoning emerging.
Emily smiled back at her. And without another word, she got up and found her way to the guest room. Laying on the bed, without even bothering to take her shoes off or covering herself.
JJ woke up with the noise of someone in the kitchen. She sat up and massaged her temples, trying to take her sudden headache away.
When her head finally started to thump least, she got up and went to the kitchen, finding Garcia running from the fridge to the door with a liquid yogurt on her hand.
- Kevin is downstairs. I go to go. – Penelope said as she placed a good-morning kiss on JJ's forehead.
Garcia stopped her fast motion action and stared at JJ for an instant.
- JayJay, are you okay?
The blonde woman looked at her friend and did her best to give her a firm smile.
- Yeah, I'm fine. My head is just a little numb.
- I understand why. – The tech replied.
"Oh, you have no idea why", JJ thought.
- Last night: Awesome! See you later cupcake! - Garcia said quickly.
When JJ was about to say good bye, the tech was already out of her door. She smiled and then decided to make some breakfast for her and Prentiss.
As JJ was placing the food on the table, she was startled by a tired "Hi" coming from behind her. She turned around and found Emily by the kitchen door.
- Hi… - JJ replied.
An awkward moment of silence settled, one that JJ didn't want to wander between them.
- Listen, Emily… - The blonde agent started saying, but was interrupted by Emily's hand gesturing her to stop.
The brunette moved towards her with a reassuring smile and placed her hands on JJ's shoulders, looking at the blonde's deep blue eyes.
- JJ, you don't need to worry. We were drunk. It was just a weirdly nice moment between friends that will have no repercussion on our lives, or on our friendship. You love Will, and you love Henry. And you are my best friend. What happened tonight will not change anything.
JJ watched Emily's secure smile and comforting gaze while she was talking. The weight of guilt she woke up in was being taken off her back at each word. She smiled back at Emily.
- Thanks. You just took a giant stone out of my back. You know I'd never want things to get awkward between us. - JJ said.
- And don't worry with me saying anything to anyone. It'll be our secret. – Emily added.
JJ nodded. Emily started to turn around and head to the bathroom, but she stopped herself on the way and turned back again.
- Jayje… - She said with a mischievous grin on her face. – How did it feel, though?
Hearing Emily's question made JJ laugh when she thought of what led to last night's occurrence. She looked at her friend with a smile on her lips.
- All I can say Em, is that you are a damn good kisser. – The blonde said with a shrug.
Emily laughed and resumed her way into the bathroom.
Apparently everything was normal and well. There was just one thing wandering in JJ's mind. What would have happened if she hadn't stopped Emily's hand from moving to her back, if she hadn't break that kiss?
That was probably a question she would never get the answer for. But it would definitely be stuck in her mind, 'haunting' her.
A/N: Hello again dear readers. This turned to be bigger than I thought it would be. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. PLEASE, if you liked it or have anything to say, leave you review. I love reading your reviews. It keeps me motivated :D