A/N: Hello all! This chapter is a little bit shorter because it's sort of a filler chapter, but the next one will be up in no time. Enjoy!

Disclaimer in chapter one

March 18th, 2003, Fort Bliss, Texas

JJ dropped her bags at the side of the bed, taking in the high ceilings and tile floors of the barracks which seemed to give off the same feel as a college dorm.

"Wow, they're spoiling us before they send us out to the middle of nowhere."

JJ laughed at Molly's comment and turned to face her friend,

"Well, El Paso Texas is definitely the middle of nowhere, except now we have air conditioning and a kitchen."

JJ looked at the empty bunk bed and other empty single with a sigh,

"Are we the only two women here?"

Molly quirked an eyebrow,

"There might be some in the other rooms but it wouldn't surprise me if we were."

They stepped into the hallway and peered into each of the other women's rooms, finding them empty.

"Well, we certainly won't be having to fight for spots in the bathroom."

JJ half-heartedly giggled at Molly's remark, and they shook their heads and made their way to greet their fellow barrack-mates.

Despite having settled in quite well, JJ couldn't sleep. She'd guess that at least two hours had passed since she'd crawled into bed. Something in her stomach was aching, and she couldn't get her heartbeat to slow down no matter how much she tried to relax. She sighed and sat up, glancing across at Molly as she did. The knot in her stomach twisted again and something told her to go into her backpack. She picked it up and heaved it into her lap, and started digging through it. Her hand brushed over a folded piece of paper, and she instantly knew what it was. She pinched it between her fingers and pulled it out of the bag, instantly bringing it into her lap and unfolding it. Her eyes glanced over Emily's contact information, and the knot in her stomach seemed to soften.

'You should write to her…at least tell her that you're safe and settled in.'

She went back to her bag for a notebook and a pen. She gently set her backpack back on the floor and flipped to the first clean page. She glanced at her watch for the date and started to write,

"Dear Emily…"

Emily sighed as she set her go-bag underneath the table in her condo entrance. The case they'd just worked in Maryland had been tough and she'd been distracted, so when she saw a letter from JJ in her pile of she was instantly reminded of the sweet blonde and how they were now states apart. She sat down at the bar in her kitchen with the letter, gently tore the envelope open, and read,

"Dear Emily, March 19th, 2003

Well…hi! Today we arrived here at Fort Bliss. The flight over was pretty quick and easy, and I'm lucky enough that my friend from Quantico, Molly, is here with me. We're the only two women, but that isn't unusual. How has work been? Lucky me gets to look forward to at least three weeks here and I'll be spending the time staying in shape, getting to know my new colleagues, and trying not to die in the desert heat (that's a joke, although El Paso is hot as hell). I'm sure it's almost the end of the week by the time you've read this letter, so I hope you'll enjoy your weekend.

-JJ"

Emily smiled and felt her chest lighten as she read the blonde's words, happy to know that she was safe and seemed to be settling in well. She left the letter sitting on the bar and went to take a shower. After heating up some leftovers in the microwave, she grabbed the letter, a pad of paper, and a pen and sat down at her dining room table. She took a bite and started to write back,

"Dear JJ, March 22nd, 2003

I'm glad to hear you're settling in well! Please stay hydrated and cool in the heat, you're going to have to stay in the best condition you can for as long as possible. I understand the feeling of being a lone woman-on my team there's only one other woman, Garcia, and she's a technical analyst, so that makes me the only female profiler. I'm lucky though, the guys on our team are great, they'll always have our backs and give us plenty of respect. It took three days for your letter to arrive to me, and I'm more than ready for this weekend. Enjoy your week, and stay safe. I might be away on a case when your next letter gets to me, but I'll write back as soon as I can. I'm sure you'll stay busy and forget about me anyways until this reaches you (I'm joking…partially). Hope to hear back from you soon,

Emily"

She signed her name neatly and stood to find an envelope and a stamp. Not wanting to forget about the letter, she promptly placed it in her purse so it was sticking out and she would remember to take it to the post office the next morning.

Emily settled into bed and as she began to relax, she let her mind wander so that it was no longer filled with the events of the week's case. Oddly-or perhaps not-it drifted to JJ, and she wondered what the blonde was doing. Probably finishing dinner, or relaxing in her room or watching TV with her fellow soldiers. Emily remembered her deep blue eyes that appeared almost violet, and how when she'd looked at them she never wanted to look at anything else.

'Stop it. You barely know her, let her come to you. Don't do this already.' She scolded herself in her head, and willed for her mind to take her somewhere else.

It didn't.