Try to See it My Way

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

A/N: Thank you for reviewing. You guys are the best. Here is the part you have all been waiting for, you will soon find out why. And I am so SORRY for taking so long to update, hopefully before I go back to school I can update a few times.

Chapter 6

The next morning the group of friends woke with the sun. It appeared to be a rather nice day out and they decided to spend it down by the water.

Derek had taken to trying to teach Spencer how to throw a football. The young man was failing miserably, but at least he was trying. Emily and Penelope were sunbathing on lounge chairs; just relaxing. JJ and Hotch were ankle deep in the water. The engaged couple were strolling hand in hand, which although she tried to prevent it, caused Emily to huff. She then cursed and mumble to herself as she saw the happy pair returning to their nearby lounge chairs.

"What'd you say, Chickadee?" Penelope asked her obviously disgruntled friend.

"Nothing, I've- I just need to leave," with that the brunette abruptly got up, hastily brushing the forming tears from the corners of her eyes, and headed back to the cottage. She needed to get away, far away. She could barely handle seeing them so in love.

JJ saw Emily abruptly stand, so she returned to the chair alone and asked Penelope, ", "Where'd Em go?" JJ was enjoying having Emily nearby and was disappointed to see the brunettes back since she was heading over to talk to her friend.

"I have no clue, she looked like she was crying," Penelope was now standing staring after the retreating agent.

"What? Why?" Instantly JJ dropped the towel she was holding in her hand, and was ready to rush after her best friend.

Derek and Spencer, who had watched the brunettes' departure, had made their way to the group. They had managed to hear most of the conversation, and before JJ could chance after Emily, Derek jumped at the opportunity. "I've got this Jayje; I think I know what's wrong."

"What is it?" JJ was obviously concerned.

"She'll tell you when she's ready, but for now, why don't you guys stay out here for a bit and I'll fix it," Derek more stated than asked, as he quickly made his was after Emily.

xXx

Emily was sitting at the breakfast table, fiddling with an apple when she heard someone enter the room. Just by the footsteps she could tell it was Derek. "You here to tell me to get over it?"

"Nope," the dark man replied as he took as seat across from his friend, "I'm here to tell you that you should come out."

"Derek," Emily practically whined, "We've been through this before…I've been living with this…this secret for such a long time, how am I supposed to just tell my best friend I've been shielding her from this part of my life. I've prevented her from knowing the true me…I've been lying to her."

"I think that in order for you to get over her, you either have to admit you are in love with her and face likely rejection. Or come out to the people in your life you trust and think deserve to know so that you can start looking for the real one," Derek advised.

"I don't even know how I'm supposed to tell her, just 'I'm gay…sorry I didn't tell you sooner'? That seems a little curt, don't you think?"

Derek rolled his eyes, "Not like that! Any way you do it, you know JJ will accept you, right?"

"It's not even that I'm scared that she won't accept me, I know she will because its JJ, its more that I'm scared that she will act differently around me or realise that I've loved her for years."

"Don't you mean you've wanted to get into her pants for years?"

Emily couldn't help but smile at her best friend. He always knew what to say, "You've got a dirty mind Derek Morgan."

"I just tell it like it is, babe," he replied with a wink, "You ready to head back out there?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she nodded.

"Hey, just start slow…maybe tell Penelope first? It could warm you up, or at least ease JJ into it." Again Emily nodded her head as she followed Derek back outside.

xXxXx

When Emily and Derek returned back outside JJ, Hotch and Spencer were now throwing the football around. It appeared that Spencer was trying to show off his newly acquired skill – or lack thereof. Derek went to join them, and Emily once again sat down beside Penelope.

"You okay, honey?" Penelope was still concerned.

"Yeah, I'm good now," Emily replied as she watched three play keep away from the genius.

The blonde smiled at her friend, "Perfect because I got you a date!"

"With who?" Emily asked clearly nervous.

"Spencer!"

An almost immediate, "No," was Emily's reply.

"Why not?" Penelope whined, "He's cute, single, smart…Just your type."

The brunette sighed, "He's not my type."

"So tall, dark, handsome and muscular Derek's not your type, and smart, cute and loveable Spencer isn't either. What is?"

Emily looked at Penelope, the two women had gotten closer over the past couple of weeks and she realised that she did like and trust the graphic designer. Maybe just this once Derek was right, she'd ease into it. "Well," Emily scratched her head and looked down and then back into the blondes eyes and replied, "Female," she stuck to the one word answer and then instantly avoided eye contact.

"I KNEW IT!" The blonde gleefully shrieked, causing the football game to halt. "Sorry," she called out as their play resumed. "I kept telling Jayje that you're gay, but she'd kept denying it. I told her, how else would a hot piece of ass like Emily Prentiss be single?" Emily laughed, but Penelope continued, "You are single right, there's no secret lesbian lover? Ohhh, if there is give me details, what's she like?"

"No, there's no secret lover. I'm single," Emily said shaking her head.

Penelope looked at her seriously for a second, "How come JJ doesn't know? I thought she was your best friend?"

Emily gave a small smile, "She is, I just…Only you and Derek know as of now, I'm still working on telling her." The blonde immediately nodded in response. The two continued to talk. Emily was glad Penelope hadn't changed one bit, maybe this wouldn't be as difficult as she thought.

They were interrupted when they saw that the men were glaring at JJ for letting Spencer get the ball, supposedly she didn't have her head in the game.

"So is there anyone you are interested in?" Penelope nosily asked, but with one look at Emily she had a little hunch in the back of her mind.

The brunette really wanted to tell the blonde, but refrained from doing so since JJ was so near. She instead answered all the while starring at the subject of her affection, "I like someone, but it will never happen."

xXxXx

Had she heard that right? What was going on? JJ head was spinning out of control. She had been standing closest to the sun tanning ladies, hoping to understand the reason behind the brunette's emotional upheaval. Instead she found out that Emily's gay?!

JJ was upset, and not that Emily is gay, but that the brunette never told her. Emily had trusted Derek and now Penelope, but just never her. They had been friends practically their whole lives, over twenty years of friendship and that's what was the slap in the face, the lack of trust.

JJ picked up the football, and threw it not even noticing where she was aiming. When the disappointed cries of Derek and Aaron sounded she knew that she had let Spencer win. "Who cares," she thought, "I have more important things on my mind."

JJ then hastily announced, "I'm going for a walk," without waiting for anyone to reply, she started walking. She headed toward a secluded path that was surrounded by trees.

Hotch and Spencer continued to throw the ball around while Derek tries to coax a relaxing Penelope into the water. Those two had been spending a fair bit of time together.

Emily took JJ's departure as a sign;she could finally be alone with the blonde so she jumped to her feet and raced after her best friend. "Wait up Jayje!"

JJ continued walking until the women were far enough from the group that their voices wouldn't carry, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I-I couldn't," Emily stuttered surprised and at the same not that JJ had overheard the conversation.

"Were you scared?"

Emily sighed, "Not for the reasons you think."

"Then why?"

"Seriously? You don't know why?"

JJ looked at her friend, obviously confused.

"I. Love. You. I'm in love with you. God Jen, ever since I met you I've loved you. Why do you think I hated all your boyfriends, huh? I don't like Hotch- he has what I want, what I need, he has you. Part of me died when you told me you were engaged," Emily admitted in a slur of words.

JJ's jaw dropped, had she really missed all that. JJ started to analyse all of her interactions with Emily. The lingering touches, long hugs, how tense the brunette became when Hotch was around… It all made sense. Emily continued, "Now I know you love Hotch. Derek keeps telling me to get over you, but I can't. You can't just forget someone like you."

"Em," JJ's eyes were filling with tears.

"No please don't say anything yet," Emily silenced any chance of JJ's reply as she leaned into the blonde. Emily was thankful they were surrounded by trees and the group couldn't see them. The brunette pulled JJ into her with one arm and the other gently caressed JJ's cheek.

The blonde's breath sped up, and she was about to speak when Emily pressed her lips to hers. The brunette slowly kissed the blonde and gently swiped JJ's lower lip with her tongue causing JJ's lips to part in surprise. Emily eased her tongue into JJ's mouth and kissed her love for all she was worth.

Emily pulled back, and looked into JJ's bright blue eyes. "I love you, but I won't speak of it again if you don't want me to. Hell, I'll never talk to you again if you asked, all I need to know is that you are happy. I would do anything for you. As long as you are in love with Hotch, as long as you don't feel even a little bit of the same emotions I feel for you, I will leave you alone. Just tell me, you hold all the cards now…Are you in love with him?"

A/N: Tune in next time to see JJ's answer!