A.N – Okay, so my key motive in this story is to portray the characters as accurately and realistically as possible, while making it hot enough and interesting enough. If you don't like something, tell me, because I write for you guys, not just to explore xxo. Thanks for the wonderful reviews!

Also, I have changed to third person – do you prefer it, or first person?

Chapter 2: Compartmentalisation, At It's Finest

JJ hurried into the New Haven Police Department, the BAU team flanking her sides. She commanded each of them to reply with 'no comment' to any questions thrown their way regarding the case. Sheriff Arthur greeted her at the door dejectedly, his eyes sagged and his shirt hung a little loose around his belt.

"Hi, Sheriff Arthur, I'm Jennifer Jareau, and this our team, SSA Hotchner, Morgan, Reid, Rossi and Prentiss", her eyes lingering on Emily for a little too long.

She turned to face the Sheriff once again, "Our tech analyst, Penelope Garcia, has remained in Quantico so she has all of her equipment and whatnot around her … it would have been a little too difficult to get her to pack it all up on short notice", she explained justifiably.

JJ remained professional, although inside she was ridiculously insecure about whether it was obvious that her hair wasn't as sleek, or hair blouse not as flat, or her eyes not as misery-stricken as they had been, getting onto the plane.

Arthur just nodded along with all of it, his fatigue almost painful. JJ gave him a sympathetic glance, "… do you need a break … I'm sure our team can handle things for a few hours, after you debrief us on anything you've found since the fax?"

The team continued forward, directed by the various police officers and secretaries in the complex, to their designated conference room.

"This is not going to be an overnight thing Sheriff, I suggest you get as much energy for the next few days as you can" JJ urged. It's not that she wanted to get rid of the older officer, she knew his help would definitely be better, time-wise, but he looked like he hadn't slept since Christmas, and it was August.

He ran a hand through his thinning hair, and sighed.

"Okay, okay" he muttered, bee-lining for the conference room to get his part over and done with. JJ took a deep breath and headed towards the room also, her heart stopping a little as she realised the only seat left was next to Emily. She didn't know what to do now. What had happened barely an hour ago had been so passionate, so spontaneous – it wasn't like the media liaison at all. Why she had felt the need was beyond her, it wasn't like she was a lesbian … or even curious. She had had boyfriends in the past, and they had seemed to satisfy all of her needs just fine. Why the sudden desire to make-out with her fellow agent in their jet's tiny kitchen?

She internally sighed, but plastered a blank look on her face as she took the seat. Emily didn't flinch, her eyes glued to the projector screen as Hotch took up JJ's usual position of outlaying all of the case information.

"Rossi and I have come to similar conclusions on the unsub and his victimology, do we all think giving the profile to the NHPD is possible by this afternoon?"

Everyone nodded, comfortable in their theories on this unsub being a psychopathic, organised, methodical serial killer with no intention of stopping.

JJ chimed in now, her blue eyes piercing through her long blonde hair.

"Sheriff Arthur needs a break Hotch, after debriefing us on any new information, he'll head back for some necessary sleep … but, uh yeah, return in a few hours".

"That's understandable, go ahead Arthur", Hotch sat down quickly and folded his hands on the table.

Arthur stood up in front of the circular table, adjusting his belt and shuffling in his shoes.

"Firstly, thank you all for coming, this is by far one of the worst cases we've had up here in New Haven … definitely in a while" his hand rubbed at his brow. "There is a new piece of evidence, we found that not only were all victims white and 26, but all of them were missing all of their jewellery. When their parents, or partners came into ID them in the morgues" the Sheriff took a breath then, swallowing that lump in his throat, "they all asked for the jewellery they had been wearing … we had none. They all insisted that they never took them off"

"So he collects trophies" Morgan voiced, glancing at each of the victims headshots and photographs on the clear board in the corner of the room.

"This is typical of the psychopath" Reid clarified, "usually, a psychopath will only return to the scene to observe the police/investigatory progress, whereas a sociopath would come to relive it. The unsubs decision to take a trophy gives him a way to accomplish both; relive his fantasy and monitor the departments advancements".

"He will probably project himself into the investigation as well" Emily furthered. Sheriff Arthur gave her a questioning look so she continued, "he will visit the crime scene as Reid said, he will probably try and pass as a witness of some kind if the opportunity arises, and he will most likely call the tip line"

"Wouldn't that just give us more information about him?" the New Haven executive shuffled on his tired feet in confusion.

"Not necessarily" Reid responded, sweeping a strand behind his ear and leaning forward in the leather chair, "our unsub, if adhering to common psychopathic traits, will have a superior IQ, which is between 110 and 140. This is mostly due to the benefits of a perceived self-importance, intensity of concentration, concern for competence and an incessant yearning to reality-test their fantasies. Hence, his involvement will be meticulous, seemingly under-the-radar and not one that will raise suspicion … honestly, he may have already contacted you".

Arthur sighed and pinched his nose, his eyebrows knitting together over his dark brown eyes.

"Go and rest Rob" Hotch started, standing and placing a hand on the Sheriff's shoulder, "We can definitely progress with the information we have, and if we do need anything, we will ask the other head officers".

He nodded and gave a quick but humbling smile in everyone's direction, before sauntering out.

"Okay, let's get started… Reid and I will head to the marina, and question the employees, heads of office and the fisherman who found the bodies, Morgan and Dave – you head to the harbour side, get as much from the available crime scene as you can"

Morgan and Rossi gave each other a nod and headed off right away, grabbing their hanging coats and sunglasses.

"JJ," Hotch continued, "you can stay here with Emily and go through the case files and sort out anything else with the media that you can think of – this guy will be narcissistic, I think we are going to have to insult him through news media to get a reaction if we can't find anything out by tomorrow"

"We don't want any more victims on our hands though Hotch" JJ's hands fiddled with the paperwork as she gave him an uneasy glance.

"Neither do I, but he isn't going to stop until we catch him, rustling a few feathers may benefit us, he'll get sloppy, leave more evidence at the scene".

JJ nodded simply before ducking down and tapping swiftly against her computer keys. Hotch's stoic figure then turned to Emily,

"I want you to converse with the mortician, come up with a basic profile through the victims and their injuries and make sure we haven't missed anything".

"Alright" Prentiss clapped her hands together and stood in her seat. Slipping her blazer back on and untucking her hair in one slick motion, her heeled boots made soft thuds against the floor as she headed to her SUV.

JJ watched her leave, that same buzzing in her stomach as when they had kissed on the plane, but it soon welled into an uneasy boiling sensation. JJ didn't know what Emily was thinking, she didn't know whether she was bisexual, or even gay? Or whether she, herself, was? Or whether Emily did things like this all the time? It made it difficult to continue tapping away at her keyboard with a purpose.

CM – CM – CM – CM -

Emily's boots made loud thuds against the linoleum as she shuffled through the empty, and lifeless hallways of the hospitals lowers precinct. She finally found the room she was looking for and inhaled slowly before pushing against the door. The thick black letters of MORGUE, printed across the criss-crossed glass made her stomach uneasy. She sauntered into the room apprehensively, giving a small nod to the petite, older man hovering over the bodies of their unsubs victims.

"Prentiss, I presume?" he uttered, his eyes only glazing over her for a second before turning back to the instruments in his hand.

"You presume correctly doctor" Emily's lips turned up slightly before she walked towards the man, with more confidence in her stride. She had always been brilliant with compartmentalising her fears, her emotions – with this job, you had to be. She took pride as she swallowed the boiling angst and anxiety in her throat and stood up straighter next to the man.

"What can you tell me that we don't already know, Doc?"

He sighed, stepping away from the man he currently loomed over. His leathered, tan skin a stark contrast against the near blue of the young man's.

"Call me Harrison" he began and Prentiss nodded, offering the man a cloth for his bloodied hands and gloves. "Well, I believe we have a new cause of death … in a sense".

Emily furrowed her eyebrows, slowly dropping her hand from the transferral. "The wounds would have been enough to kill them within half hour if they bled out, though?"

"Asphyxiation, my dear"

Emily's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding?"

The doctor raised his eyebrows at Emily, the gloves coming off of his fingers with a snap.

"Sorry, stupid question… are you sure?"

"I believe so" he motioned to the x-rayed images above each victim. "If you look right here, you will see there is a type of erosion of the neck lining, to put it in human speak" he continued.

"So, you think he is all about the torture? He doesn't want to watch them die, which is odd of a psychopath, but he is happy to not only put them in a box, and send them out into the ocean, still alive, but led them bleed to death enough for them to drown in it?"

"I'm not a profiler, Miss Prentiss, but from what I can see, medically, that seems to be the case"

"Jesus Christ, will these sick bastards ever stop finding new ways?" Emily muttered, slipping her phone from her back pocket to call Hotch.

"Apparently not dear, apparently not" the elderly man shuffled towards the back room, switching off each light above the victims as he did so. Emily heard the flicking on of a kettle, and the slow rising of it's boil as she hit speed dial on her phone. She exited and headed quickly back towards the police station, keen to get the information to the rest of the team and to satisfy her now yearning need for a coffee.

"Yeah Hotch, we have something new … asphyxiation, he's letting them drown in their own blood … I know … yeah, it's disgusting, I hear you … I'm heading back now … oh, okay? I'll just tell JJ then … alright … see you later, no problem, bye"

Emily dipped the phone back into her jeans and took the last step from the hospitals exit to the bustling street. She jay-walked the street when the cars miraculously disappeared quickly and took comfort in the air conditioning of the police station. She rounded the corner only to see JJ flick the kettle on, this girl knew exactly what Emily wanted … even if she didn't admit it.

CM – CM – CM – CM -

JJ leant against the white cement column of the mini kitchen, tilting her head to each side and sighed with dissatisfaction as her neck didn't crack or ease up at all.

"Little tense J?" she heard behind her, but before she turned, she felt two slender hands upon the overwrought spots of her neck. She knew that voice anywhere, it's sultry drawl undeniable. The blonde tilted her head once more and sighed contentedly as Emily massaged her neck. Her fingers worked wonders against the knots building up in her muscles.

I wish they could work wonders somewhere else. She thought, her eyes automatically flicking open as the kettle stirred. She jumped from Emily's grip and leaped towards the kettle. Emily's eyes widened a little at the jump and she gave JJ a weird look as she finally turned her head.

"Coffee?" JJ asked, her voice a little high-pitched, and her eyes a shade darker than usual. Emily licked her lips, hoping JJ thought it was at the mention of coffee and not what was really whizzing around her mind.

"Please" she said. JJ gave her a slight grin and stole another mug from the second shelf.

The coffee steamed, soft rings floating from the brims of the mug. Emily walked to the fridge, opened it and handed the carton of milk to JJ. Her heart continued to thud in her chest, her eyes lingering a little too long on the dip between JJs collarbone and neck – a spot she knew would fit her lips quite nicely; and her hair, slipping from it's grip behind her ears. She almost reached up to tuck it back behind, almost. JJ handed her the mug of coffee and Emily could feel her eyes do a quick once over before she spoke.

"Jayje, do you want to talk about-"

"What's there to talk about?" she interrupted, her eyes suddenly flickering with emotion but ducking to the ground in avoidance. Emily wasn't good at this. She was the emotionless one. Not the bringer of feelings. But she forced herself, knowing that it could go two ways if they didn't discuss what had happened on the plane.

"Come to the conference room with me" Emily commanded lightly, turning before JJ could counteract her request.

- CM – CM – CM – CM –

Hotchner buried his phone back into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and stole a glimpse at the boy wonder beside him.

"The cause of death wasn't bleeding out – it was asphyxiation" he informed Reid. The boys' eyebrows rose quickly before Hotch could see the potential reasoning flicking through his eyes like a book.

"It's so odd" he began, "it's not normal of an organised psychopath to be-"

"So removed from the final part of his fantasy? I know" Hotch finished. He removed his sunglasses, tucking them into his shirt as both agents shut the doors of their SUV and headed towards the marina entrance.

Once inside, Hotch flashed his badge to the seeming receptionist.

"I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, this is Dr Reid, and we're here to talk to the two fishermen who discovered the bodies in your bay" he said with utmost professionalism. The woman winced slightly at the distance Hotch placed between his empathy and reality.

"Of course" was all she said, bringing the corded phone to her ear and dialling.

Hotch and Reid took a seat in the only two available towards the far right wall. Reid glanced down the hallway and crinkled his nose.

"I hate seafood … except Salmon" he muttered, almost to himself. Reid turned to a quizzical Hotch,

"Apart from the necessary fish oil of life, I tend to steer clear of the majority of seafood"

"I didn't need justification" Hotch replied indifferently, his hands scrolling through his contacts on his phone.

"Oh? Okay"

"Hotchner?" Hotch turned professionally to the calling, giving Reid a manly pat on the knee as they both stood up. Hotch shook both of the fisherman's hands before the indicated to lead them to a better place to talk. Reid scurried awkwardly behind the three larger men into a dining-room like area, each took a seat.

"Can you tell us what time it was when you went out into the bay?" Hotch began, folding his hands on the table in front of him.

The older fisherman, Powell, spoke up, his fingers scratching at the stubble on his chin.

"It was about 4 in the morning, you know, we have to get out there nice and early but it was Tuesday… so we weren't expecting a big rush of sorts".

The fishermen continued, giving Hotch and Reid a clear indication that not only were they not the unsubs, but that the unsub probably wasn't a set worker at the marina – there were too many witnesses to dump a body like that without being noticed, especially due to the fact, everything was done in pairs for safety purposes. Hotch and Reid left the precinct, knowing that either the unsub had a connection to the marina personally, or that he had come in contact with the area at one point professionally … but how?

- CM – CM – CM – CM –

Emily bit her lip as she shut the door behind them. Her eyes lingering on JJs tanned legs beneath that skirt that Emily swore pushed boundaries with their BAU dress code. JJ turned around, facing Emily a little uneasily, not knowing what to say to the brunette. It was no lie there was chemistry between them, and it was undeniable that JJ had been gradually getting more and more hooked on the drug that was Emily Prentiss. Even with the constant touches, the flirty smiles and even the most recent act that occurred in the plane, JJ couldn't tell whether Emily really did want her … in the way that she wanted her. Best of all however, was the fact that neither of them wanted to be the one to ask that question.

"Alright, I don't like bullshit to linger" Emily said bluntly, crossing her arms and using that unique skill that let her bottle her emotions up. JJ, however, didn't have this particular skill – sure, she could woo and wow the media, get them wrapped around her little finger and portray a ridiculous amount of strength in grave times, but this stoic and indifferent persona Emily constantly used as her shield irritated JJ more than anything.

"I know" was all JJ replied with.

"What was that on the plane?" Emily asked a little more softly, not wanting to offend the blonde – because honestly, it had been the highlight of her year to have the liaison's lips against her own. It was something she had only dreamed about … but she didn't know what motivations JJ had for doing it.

JJ bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows. "Can we not talk about this later? We have an asshole to catch?"

"Jayje…" Emily whispered, pinching the top of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

"Emily, it was nothing let's just move on from it and-"

"Oh, so it was just something you felt like doing at the time? Do you do this with Morgan, or Reid when you feel stressed? I don't think so!"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it" JJ snapped, she crossed her arms defensively.

"JJ, I don't want to argue with you, that's not why I asked you in here. Do you like me or-"

"Emily-"

"No, stop trying to change the subject – I don't care about the unsub right now, I just want to know why you kissed me?"

Both girls flinched a little as the actual verb was used. JJ opened her mouth to respond but was stopped as her phone buzzed against her hip. She gave Emily a sorrowful look,

"Oh for fuck's sake" Emily muttered, turning around and placing her forehead against the cool wood of the door.

"Jareau" JJ answered huskily.

"Yeah, no problem Hotch, I'll add it to the board … okay, yep… oh okay, yeah, it's coming through now … yeah, we'll meet you out the front"

JJ placed the phone back into it's clasp on her hip and just stood there for a while, looking at Emily's still frame against the door, her shoulders only raising slightly as she continually inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Emily?"

She didn't respond.

"Emily … they found another body … I'll drive" was all she said before heading towards the door her friend leant against. Emily turned then, her eyes closed and her lip swollen from biting down on it. JJ just wanted to kiss her again, tell her that she didn't know what she felt but that she would just enjoy whatever happened, but she knew that's not how things worked. Emily put her hands upon JJ's shoulders, the blonde felt a tingle run down her spine at the brunette's slight touch.

"We are going to talk about this. The second I handcuff this son of a bitch and throw him in the back of a cop cab, I will be pulling you aside and we are going to talk this shit out, alright? I don't care if it was a mistake, if it's serious, if you were high and can't even remember, I just want to fucking know, okay?"

JJ swallowed and nodded. Emily's face went blank again, all emotions compartmentalised and in their little individual boxes. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room towards the black SUV outside.

A.N Sorry to end on a bit of an irritating and ignorant note but I want there to be tension between them, it makes the final get together a little more emotional and significant.

Please review and tell me what you thought? Are you following the case? Am I writing their relationship accurately and with enough interest? Are you liking the story, in general?

Thanks guys, have a good weekend – I'll update asap xx