AN--I don't own Criminal Minds. This consists mostly of Emily overhearing JJ's phone conversation, so I hope it makes sense. Thanks to everybody who's reviewed/alerted/favorited this story! Like I've said before, I wasn't even sure to post it because I didn't know if everybody would like it. There's also a slight blurb into what JJ's thinking, I liked it too much to get rid of it, so like I said, I hope it makes sense. Thanks for the support, ENJOY!

Chapter 3 (Emily)

Emily was a woman on a mission. There were new muffins in the break room, and she had to find a way to get at them without Morgan seeing her--a feat that some would deem impossible, but not Emily Prentiss. She didn't want to alert the man to where she had secretly stashed them, and stealth was the best way to ensure her secret. Her plan was to go outside the bullpen, past JJ's office to Garcia's where she could then enter the breakroom from behind.

"What do you mean you lost it?" Emily overheard JJ practically yell as she passed the blonde's office. Emily stopped just out of range to listen, her muffin mission forgotten. It wasn't eavesdropping per se, just her inquisitive nature taking hold.

"I don't care how hard you tried, how could you lose it?" JJ insisted. Emily could easily detect the panic in her friend's voice and she suspected that if she could see the blonde she would find her standing angrily at her desk, fury written on her face.

"What's the point of a rape kit if you lose the evidence?" JJ asked angrily as Emily stood quietly continue to listen in on the one-sided conversation. She noticed how JJ stumbled slightly over the word 'rape'. Sadly, this wasn't the first time evidence had disappeared and for a likely serial rape case, physical evidence lost would definitely hamper an investigation.

"Don't bother." Emily could hear the emotion in JJ's voice as Emily shook her head sadly. JJ was always one to get emotional on cases—her grandmother's death probably hadn't helped much either, Morgan had at least let her know about that before she put her foot in her mouth. It was one trait the entire team loved about JJ, she was full of empathy and compassion, to the point that on the really bad cases, they'd all watch out for her—just a little. Not enough that she wasn't able to do her job, just to ensure that hopefully one day, they could have the same amount of compassion.

"No, I understand. A woman is rap--attacked and you just lose the evidence. So much for justice!" JJ shouted incredulously. She seemed taken aback by the response. Emily was curious as to why JJ stumbled over the word rape, she didn't usually have a problem describing what happened to victims. Usually people who had been victims of--

"My tone? Excuse me but how am I supposed to talk to you after I find out that you lost the kit?" Emily's last thought was cut off as JJ yelled into the phone in horror.

Emily stood in place for a moment, trying to decide whether she should comfort her friend. On one hand she shouldn't be listening through the door, it was unprofessional. On the other, JJ sounded really upset. Maybe she was still reeling from the death of her grandmother and she was too emotionally worn out to work. Emily had been at her wits end at the job before--it never hurt to have someone to talk you off the ledge. Taking in a deep breath for courage, Emily knocked on JJ's door.

"Fine. Call me if you have any information." JJ said angrily, ending her call.

Letting herself in, Emily was taken aback by the look of the place. JJ's usual mounds of paperwork were gone, revealing a clean, organized desk. The window had been carefully washed so that it now sparkled. The office was in pristine condition, something Emily had never seen in the years she had worked with the liaison. "Jayje, it's alright. We'll catch them next time." Emily soothed.

JJ looked up, shocked that Emily heard her conversation. Emily was surprised at the guilty look that JJ possessed, "Wait, what did you say?" JJ asked meekly, hanging up the phone instantly.

"We'll catch them next time." Emily said again, gaining courage each time she said it.

JJ's face paled instantly. "Next time?" Emily swore she could see JJ's stomach churn.

"Serial rapists don't stop JJ." Emily tried to be kind, knowing that JJ was still emotionally vulnerable from her recent familial loss. "Was the kit for the case in Kentucky? The one you gave to Morgan?"

JJ stood there stunned, unsure of what was happening. Suddenly realizing that the threat of her secret being brought to light was now over, she instantly began the lies that had been coming so easily lately. "No, it was for a case in Cincinnati, I gave it to one of the new agents." JJ said, mentally making sure she covered her tracks. New recruits didn't often second guess her, no one would dare tell Emily that they hadn't heard of a rape case in Ohio.

"Well, evidence gets lost. I just feel bad for the poor girl whose kit got lost. I mean, there's no way to go back and do it again." Emily observed. "I really hate saying this, but it is probably a good thing it's serial, without some physical evidence, it'd be nearly impossible to get a conviction. Even if she saw her attacker, it wouldn't be enough."

"Yeah, especially if he was a cop." JJ muttered quietly. Emily looked at her friend in pleasant surprise, JJ was really getting a handle on all of this profiling stuff—even in her emotional state.

Emily took this opportunity to study her friend. JJ looked like she was swimming in the seas of despair--the world around her falling apart.

JJ felt disgusted. She knew what her uncle had done to her, but there was no way for justice to be served. The police had lost all the physical evidence of her attack. Almost as if now the evidence was gone, it hadn't happened at all. Like what her uncle had done to her was a figment of her own imagination. But it had happened. Her life was now in turmoil and there was no way to fix it. A week earlier, she had been a normal woman, and now she was broken. Her life had been ruined and now she had absolutely no way to prove it. She could feel the world falling apart around her, like her own personal Armageddon.

Emily easily mistook JJ's anxiety for sympathy. "JJ, you can't take every case personally, it will eat you up." Emily said, standing.

"You're right Emily, I just--"

"It's natural to feel for victims, especially rape victims. You're good at the job." Emily smiled, hoping that her pep talk had helped her friend.

"Yeah. Good at the job." JJ muttered as she left the room, though she could have sworn that she detected a level of bitterness that she hadn't heard from the blonde before.

A few hours later, Emily stared monotonously out the windshield, trying to pass the torturous time, waiting for Reid. His Volvo had broken down and she'd agreed to give him a ride home. What she hadn't remembered was that Reid took forever to leave. She decided to give him ten more minutes before she called him. She'd gone to her car hoping that it would spur him into leaving. However, it seemed like he hadn't understood the subtle hint.

She watched as Will pulled up in front of the building and JJ walked slowly out to the car. Emily thought it was kind of cute that he picked her up from work, especially as he opened the door for her. It seemed like they were keeping their romance alive. But then Emily noticed something that struck her as odd, and she couldn't help but try to profile the situation to come up with an explanation. The door will had opened to the car was to the backseat--and she saw JJ climb into the back seat of the couple's car like it was usual. She wasn't sure why JJ would go in the back, if it had been Emily, she'd get as close to the Southern detective as possible. Socially acceptable behavior was to ride in the front seat, and--she stopped herself. Scolding herself mentally for profiling her friend. She was sure that JJ was just acting odd because of her grandmother's death. Emily too had lost a beloved grandparent and she was sure she acted out in strange ways. But she couldn't fight the feeling that something was terribly wrong with JJ, and even as she tried to fight it, she felt like she was making the wrong decision by turning a blind eye.

But Emily did just that, she pretended she noticed nothing. She owed it to her friend and colleague to let JJ live her life in peace. She pushed away the feelings of concern that overwhelmed her, knowing that it must just be something in her head.

After all, JJ trusted her.