*Okay as always, I own nothing of Criminal minds I just get the privilege of playing with the characters for a while.

V

(Chapter Four)

JJ found herself lying on the floor soaked to the bone and shivering. She was slowly losing it. The water torture had pulled her from the memory of her confession to Emily of her being her straw. But the water couldn't break her. Emily had come to her in a vision. She had touched her skin and JJ knew that her straw would be there soon to help her. She just had to hide in the shadows of memory for just a little while longer.

…XXXXX…

"JJ…"

"I'm here." She said raising her head up from the hospital bed where she had been holding the woman's hand for hours praying she would wake up from her surgery.

"How… when… why am I…" was tried to be asked from a drug induced fog.

"Shhh… rest and I will tell you it all." JJ said and squeezed her hand slightly. "You were stabbed by Doyle…" She started, "… and now Emily, you have to remain dead," was the finishing sentence.

"The team is safe… you are safe?" Was the only words coherently spoken by the brunette.

"Yes we are… but you will remain here for a couple more days then I'm going to take you somewhere that is safe for you." She said as Emily gripped the woman's hand tighter and went back out in sleep.

(Two days later)

The jet engines were roaring over the Atlantic. "Why did Hotch call for you though?" Emily asked still confused as to why JJ sat there before her.

"He told me that the only one that he knew that was anyway close enough to know what you would do was me. I guess he's a good profiler." She said and smiled at the woman.

"I guess he is." She said and looked down at her hands.

"Em…" she started trying to get the woman to look up. But had no luck so she reached out and softly lifted the woman's head up. "Em… you are still my straw."

Emily took in a deep breath and after a few moments answered, "Yeah… I'm your dead straw."

"Em… we never finished our conversation that night in your kitchen because we both were too afraid of losing each other. You were afraid that you would lose me because you needed more and I was afraid because I couldn't give more since that would make me gay and I was a mom." She paused to let the word refresh the woman's memory not that they needed to. She could see the pain in the woman's eyes the moment she mentioned the word kitchen.

"Em… I almost lost you because of my fear. I can't ever lose you. I'm not afraid anymore."

Emily looked at the woman and sighed. The wondering thoughts of "it's easy not to fear loving a dead woman isn't it JJ," was going through her head. But the fact was she technically was dead and yet by mercy of fate she was hearing the words her heart had begged to hear for years. The decision was made, who was she to thumb her nose at fate? She leaned forward and caught the woman's lips in a tender kiss. She was just testing the waters to see if they would retreated back. They didn't… but instead pushed forward into a kiss that grew passionate until they both were out of breath.

"Wow…" was panted out.

"Wow too…" Emily said as she leant her forehead against JJ's.

XXXXX

"Emily… I love you." The vision was fading, "…I love you." Shots were fired, "…I love you." Faded into reality, Emily was standing there undoing her chains. "She came. I knew she would."

Once she was fully aware she tore out after the man who had tortured her, Hastings. Emily went running after the woman as her back up and then took the lead up to the roof after a shootout proved fruitless. She caught the man and gave him a few blows before taking a direct hit from him which knocked her down. JJ came right behind her and got her punches in but didn't realize how close to the edge of the building they were until they fell. Emily ran and caught her arm and pulled her back to safety.

"I got you." Emily kept saying until she was standing on the roof again.

"You are here."

"Where else would I be?" Emily asked confusedly.

"I knew you would come."

"I have too Jaye... you are my straw no matter what happens."

"I had to choose what was best for my child... but that didn't stop my heart from loving you." She said and pulled Emily into a fierce kiss.

Emily pulled back... "Let's get back downstairs before they come looking for us." She said and turned to walk away before the tears could start.

"Em... I know it's not fair... but you will always be my straw."

Emily turned, "No it's not but like we both know... you can't change who your heart chooses as it's straw."

This comes from strickly a frustrated point of view. It started that way and will end that way. Who said that life was fair? It's not but love is and the straw love tells us which is real... a life love or a straw love and then we make a choice.