Back at the BAU, Hotch sighed as Emily left, knowing he'd have to face the rest of the team.
"Seaver, I don't approve of you having assaulted JJ," he began.
"She lied to the whole team, she—"
"That is still no reason to have hit her, especially when you didn't know the whole story," Hotch snapped.
"Hey Hotch, you don't get to snap at her. You knew Emily was alive and you couldn't speak up?" Morgan stood.
"I really couldn't say anything. They still weren't sure that Emily was going to make it and there were far too many consequences if word got out to risk it."
"So why not tell us? What could be worse than lying to your team members?" Reid jumped in.
"Have you stopped to think that Doyle wouldn't hesitate to kill you for answers if he so much as suspected you knew something? Emily's life was on the line, even from halfway across the world. My job was on the line, JJ's job and reputation was on the line. They would have ruined her if word got out.
"What about all the pain we went through? Don't you trust us?" Garcia asked.
"Hotch let out a deep breath in order to relax, knowing his team was hurting and not seeing the full picture.
"Of course I trust you all. But you have no idea the type of guilt that burrows into you when you have to lie to everyone you love. And JJ? She got it the worst. All of you needed comforting and while I couldn't help you because I was too guilty, JJ stood by you. Let you cry on her shoulder at any time of day. What, you think that just because she had to lie to you all, that she turned into some cold-blooded bitch? That it didn't hurt her knowing she could have stopped your pain but couldn't?"
Everyone stood shocked at Hotch's choice of language but stayed quiet knowing that they couldn't argue that.
"Well I'm going to JJ's at 6. Who else is coming?" Rossi asked the team.
"She was… is my best friend. I have to at least find out why she would stay quiet." Penelope agreed.
"I only had an inkling that Emily was alive, I want know the details of the case," Hotch agreed too.
Looking towards Reid, Morgan, and Seaver they, saw that they didn't even have to ask. The answer was no.
Emily woke up to the feeling of someone thrashing against her. For a second she forgot who she was laying against and almost reached for the gun she usually kept under her pillow before she realized it was JJ having a nightmare.
"Non non! Doyle laisser aller ... Stop! Dieu non ... Toute ma faute ... Aurait dû la protéger ... Laissez-la ... Lutte Em ! Lutte ... S'il vous plaît laisser aller , elle ne mérite pas ça! Em ne me quitte pas... Non!"
(No... No! Doyle let her go... Stop! God no... All my fault... Should have protected her... Leave her alone... Fight Em! Fight... Please let her go, she doesn't deserve this! Em don't leave me... No!)
"Jay? It's okay, it's just a nightmare. Wake up now." Emily tried to soothe her but was startled back when JJ let out a scream that made her heart skip a beat. Or two.
JJ shot up and looked around, eyes wild with panic.
"Hey. Hey, JJ I'm right here. I'm okay."
JJ turned towards the familiar voice, eyes still wide and filled to the brim with unshed tears. They just stared at each other for a good 20 seconds before JJ started running her small hands and fingers over Emily's face.
Emily grabbed and held JJ's fingers in her own hands before asking her if she wanted to talk about it.
The blonde looked at her confused as if she had forgotten she was there before her face crumpled and she began to sob, "Em. Doyle had you and he… he killed you. And it wasn't pretend and I failed you and the team," JJ gasped out.
Tears rose in the brunette's eyes. She could barely understand what JJ was saying but what she understand was enough; she held her close for what could have been hours or minutes before Emily remembered the team was coming over soon.
"JJ, I never really thanked you for all you did for me. Even if nobody realizes it yet, you saved me. And they'll figure out that you had no choice but to lie to them."
"You don't have to thank me silly. I would do it a thousand times over for you or for the any others. How are you doing anyways?
"I'm… I'm actually great, surprisingly."
"Did you feel okay while you were away?"
"Yeah, knowing you had my back helped a lot. I painted some pictures, drank some wine. Thinking about coming back was one of the things that kept me going."
"I'm glad," JJ smiled proudly.
The sound of someone at the door wiped the smile from JJ's face as the team had obviously arrived.
"Go on. Answer it, they won't bite," Emily urged.
"Yeah but they sure smack hard," JJ muttered.
When she opened the door she saw Rossi, Hotch, and Penelope standing awkwardly.
"Ushering them in, she led them to the sofa and curled up between one of the arms and Emily while the three visitors sat on the love seat and other side of the couch.
"So is this going to be questions and answers or can I just leave you with the files?" JJ asked Emily, not being able to look at the team.
"Uh, sure. Are you going to—" Emily had noted the small blonde's obvious discomfort but hadn't expected her to practically fly to her room. Not letting the others linger on it for too long, she moved toward the box of files. "Okay, let's all tackle these files… oh and videos."
The four grouped around the small coffee table in front of the sofa where the files were messily put in boxes and began to, one by one, pick through them.