Chapter 2

"Good night sweet heart." JJ cooed and kisses her sleeping son's forehead. She pulls his blanket over him, turns off his lamp and walks out of his bed room.

She walks over to Will's office and leans against the door frame watching him shuffle papers on his desk. Will looks up and gives her a small smile, "Is the little man asleep?" he asks, getting up and walking over to his wife.

JJ nods. Will wraps his arms around her and kisses her hair, "You doin' okay, darlin?" he asks.

"I'm fine." JJ says softly as she rests her head on his chest. "Just tired."

Will holds her just a little bit tighter and lets out a sigh. He knows his wife is hurting; he can hear her soft stifled sobs in the middle of the night and all he could do...all he knows how to do is hold her close to him as much as he can like holding her will keep her from falling apart.

Suddenly, they hear a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" JJ asks, pulling away from Will's embrace.

They walk over to the door and Will looks through the glass. "It's Morgan." he says softly, opening the door.

"Derek?" JJ asks in confusion.

"Hey JJ, Will." He says quietly, shaking Will's hand. "I hope I'm not imposing. Is it too late?"

JJ shakes her head, "Not at all. Is everything okay?" she asks, anxiety rising just a tiny bit.

"Everything's fine, I was just hoping I could talk to you for a bit?" he asks, looking at JJ with tired eyes.

JJ looks at Will, "I'll be in my office then." Will says, catching the hint, "It was good seeing you Derek." he shakes the other man's hand again and gives JJ another kiss on her cheek.

"We can sit on the porch swings if you'd like?" JJ suggests and Derek nods his head.

The pair takes a seat on the swings and JJ notices Morgan's cut up knuckles.

"What happened?" she asks, even though she already knows.

Morgan clenches his fist and covers it with his other hand, "Letting out some steam I guess." he says softly, "I need a new punching bag."

JJ gives him a small smile, "You have your punching bag, Reid has the shooting range."

Morgan lets out a small laugh, "Guess so."

For a minute, the two sit in silence; simply just needing the comfort of each other's company.

Finally JJ decides to break the silence, "How are you holding up?" she asks, and the question immediately sounds stupid to her own ears.

Morgan shrugs, "I'm holding up." He says, silence befalling again.

"I miss her JJ," Derek begins to say, "I can't focus on cases, I can't sleep at night. All I see when I close my eyes is Emily's body just lying there and I'm holding her hand, just watching her slipping away from me."

JJ begins to feel that lump in her throat forming and she blinks away the tears that are now brimming her eyes. How is she supposed to keep this up? She had Reid over just the other night and watching him suffer was heart breaking enough; she never expected Derek Morgan to come to her door, wanting the same comfort from her.

She's used to hiding her emotions behind a brick wall; she knows how to compartmentalize in way that people can come to her when they don't know where else to go. It's her job isn't it? To listen to tired detectives when they have run out of leads? To talk and listen to the mourning families of victims who have been lost, killed, and tortured? She's that crutch that people can use when they no longer can stand on their own.

But this? This is different. She knows the story behind the tragedy; she's trying to hold up this lie just as much as she's trying to hold up the rest of her team members; her family. She knows the battle that her friends are fighting and it is breaking her heart that she also knows how easily she can pull them away from it. But she can't.

To protect Emily.

She knew from the beginning; from the time Hotch had let her in on the situation, that she would have to fabricate this lie to protect Emily. And she knew that lying to her team would be a difficult task. She just didn't consider watching them suffer would be this much harder.

"JJ?"

She looks over at Morgan's sad and tired eyes, "Hmm?"

"I know Reid and Penelope have been coming to you too." He says softly, "And I want you to know that you're allowed to grieve just as much as we are." JJ can feel the tears stinging her eyes, "I know you miss her too."

JJ looks up at the stars, blinks away her tears and nods. She feels Morgan's hand on top of hers and looks at him again, "Are you okay?" he asks.

JJ forces a small smile, "I will be." she says, "We'll all get there some day."

She doesn't know whether or not Derek believes her. But she hopes with everything she has that she's right.