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CHAPTER
11
Emily smiled as she pulled her phone out of her pocket to call JJ. The doctor had given her the all-clear to resume desk duties and even travel with the team, and had said that, provided she continued to heal as quickly as she was, she should be back in the field in another two or three weeks.
"Hey." She smiled into her phone as she carefully slipped her sunglasses on.
"Hey," JJ answered. "How'd it go?"
"Good. He released me for desk duty, at least."
"That's good to hear," JJ sighed. "How long until you can get here?"
"Um…" Emily stalled as she looked for the car she had hired for the day, finally finding it parked in the back corner of the lot. "Fifteen minutes, maybe," she said as she lifted her arm to signal the driver. She was afraid he had not seen her, until the sound of the sedan's V-8 turning over rumbled through the parking lot. "Why?"
"Because we're going wheels up in about forty-five. Got a case in Connecticut."
"Yeah, I was watching some of the coverage on that one yesterday. I was wondering if we were going to end up out there."
"Well, we are. They just found another three bodies, the media is swarming, and they want this thing solved two days ago."
"I'll bet," Emily sighed. "I'm getting into the car now. I'll be there in a few."
"Make it faster than that," JJ replied. "You're going to have to talk Hotch into letting you come with us, you know how he gets."
+++/+++\+++
JJ was busy collecting the files she would need for the trip when she heard a chorus of "Prentiss!" explode out in the bullpen. She smiled as her eyes reflexively flashed to the bouquet on her desk, and she found herself having to fight the urge to go out there herself. They had agreed to keep things professional at work and it wasn't until just now that she realized exactly how difficult that was going to be.
So, even though she wanted to go out to the bullpen to say hello to Emily, she stayed in her office, finishing up the work that needed to be done. She only looked up from her papers when there was a playful knock on her open door. "Hey," she smiled as she let her eyes rake up Emily's body, finally meeting the brunette's warm, smiling gaze.
"Hey yourself, Jareau," Emily teased, looking over her shoulder quickly before entering JJ's office and closing the door after herself. "Nice flowers."
"Yeah," JJ grinned, playing along. "Some girl sent them to me."
"Just some girl, huh?" Emily drawled as she crossed the small space to stand right next to JJ. "Well, this 'girl' has excellent taste in flowers. Tulips are a bold choice. The yellows and the variegated ones suit you well."
"I especially like the red one," JJ shared.
Emily smiled and brushed her hand over JJ's cheek. "Me too," she smiled as she leaned in closer to steal a kiss.
"Security cameras," JJ warned softly as she leaned away, an unmistakable note of regret in her voice.
"Damn FBI," Emily grumbled. "Later?"
"Definitely," JJ murmured. "Have you seen Hotch?"
"Not yet, I wanted to come see you first."
"While that's sweet, you should really go see him. We're going to have to leave in a few minutes for the plane."
"I know," Emily groaned, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "I just… I know. I'll go see him now."
JJ sighed and looked up at the camera in the corner of the office above the door. She knew it was there for security purposes and that it didn't have sound – but, until today, it had never seemed oppressive. She smiled understandingly as she followed Emily to the door, her grin growing wider as they slipped under the camera's view.
"Hey," she called out softly, reaching out and catching Emily's arm before she could open the door.
"Hmm?" Emily hummed questioningly as she turned to look at JJ.
JJ lifted her chin toward the ceiling and answered, "We're invisible here."
Emily's confusion disappeared and was replaced with a slow, expectant grin. "We are, huh?"
JJ nodded and gently pushed Emily back against the wall. Once the brunette was pinned, she cupped the smiling woman's face in her hands and leaned in, claiming her lips in a kiss that set both their pulses racing.
Emily sighed and relaxed into JJ's caress, a low moan escaping her as she felt JJ pull away. "Wow."
JJ grinned. "You say that a lot," she observed as she leaned in and gave the brunette one last quick, chaste kiss. "Now, go see Hotch while you can."
"Yes ma'am," Emily replied with a goofy grin and a sloppy salute.
JJ shook her head and laughed as she opened the door. "Go, Prentiss."
Emily licked her lips and nodded, making sure to 'accidentally' brush against JJ as she passed. Her grin grew wider as she heard the blonde's breath hitch. "See you soon," she murmured.
Not even a minute later she was standing outside the Unit Chief's open door and knocking lightly on the frame. "Hotch, can I speak to you for a moment?"
"Sure, come on in," he said without looking up as he continued to pack up the materials he thought they might need for the case. "What's up?"
"I got cleared," Emily replied, holding out the paper from the doctor which spelled out the exact limitations of her release.
Hotch frowned thoughtfully as he scanned the report from Emily's doctor. He was surprised to see that the physician cleared her for everything short of actual field work. "You're not cleared for the field," he observed.
"But he cleared me to travel," Emily pointed out. "I don't have to go in the field to help. I can run victimology from the precinct, do the geographical data mapping as it's needed. I can be of more help there Hotch, don't make me stay here," she argued, not caring that she was practically begging. She couldn't stand the idea of JJ going off to hunt this monster with her stuck back on base at Quantico.
Hotch stood up straight and crossed his arms over his chest as he studied Emily carefully. The brunette had always been eager to prove herself to both him and the team and the time had long since passed when she'd needed to prove anything to anybody, so he had a pretty good idea of why she was so eager to travel with the team. And that reason was one thing that did need to be cleared up as soon as possible. No matter how much he wished his two female agents happiness in their personal lives, he also had a unit to run.
He moved around his desk to close the door to his office. "Does this have anything to do with the flower delivery JJ got yesterday?" he asked, getting directly to the point of the matter as he picked up his phone and punched in an extension. "My office, now, please," he ordered without preamble and hung up before the person on the other end could respond.
Emily sighed softly as she seriously considered her response to his question. It did, and yet it didn't. She wanted to be with JJ however she could, but she also knew that she would lose her ever-loving mind if she were forced to stay back at Quantico and run data. "I'm not exactly sure how to answer that, sir," she finally answered.
He nodded and let silence overtake the room as he waited for JJ, who arrived a few seconds later, announcing her presence with a quick knock on the door as she pushed it open slowly.
"Hotch?" the blonde asked as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind herself before moving to stand beside Emily.
Hotch looked from JJ to Emily, noting their obvious concern. "You both know that I am supposed to put a stop to this," he said, waving a hand between the two women indicatively. "It is no secret that the Bureau has strong views on the matter of teammates becoming involved romantically. So, we need to establish some ground rules."
"Ground rules, sir?" Emily spoke up.
Hotch nodded. "When we are at work or in the field, so long as it's in an official FBI capacity, I expect you both to conduct yourself in a professional manner. You need to be SSA Jareau-" he looked pointedly at JJ before shifting his gaze to her partner "-and you need to be SSA Prentiss. There can be no blurring of the lines. And, god forbid you have a fight or break up, I don't want to see it in my bullpen. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir," JJ answered.
"Crystal," Emily replied.
"Good," Hotch smiled. "Now that we have that out of the way, let me say that I am happy for the both of you and that you can count on me to have your backs should your relationship become an issue with the Bureau."
Emily let out a small sigh of relief and looked over to JJ who she could see was equally relieved. They had both hoped that Hotch and the rest of the team would support them, but it was reassuring to hear it.
"Thank you, Hotch," Emily said sincerely.
He just nodded and turned back to the work he'd been doing before Emily had entered his office. "Wheels up in twenty," he announced by way of a dismissal.
+++/+++\+++
JJ sighed as she dropped into what she liked to call 'her' seat on the team's private plane. She kicked off her shoes and relaxed into the plush leather seat, delighting in the way it conformed to her body. Their job could be a living hell most of the time, but this plane made it at least a little bit bearable.
"Hey." Emily smiled as she came to a stop in the aisle next to where JJ was sitting. "Is this seat taken?"
JJ laughed and waved at the open seat invitingly. "You are such a dork. Get over here," she instructed, her smile growing as Emily sat down beside her. "I'm glad you're coming with us," she murmured as she reached out to rub her foot against Emily's calf.
"Me too." Emily smiled.
"Hey, hey, hey! Wouldya lookey here," Morgan crowed as he threw himself into the seat opposite JJ's.
"Morgan," Emily growled warningly, her eyes flashing fire. "Behave."
Derek grinned and gave each of the women a knowing wink as he slouched in his seat. "Somebody-" he waggled his brows at JJ "-got a flower delivery yesterday," he shared, as if Emily hadn't known. "Has the whole floor speculating as to who sent them."
Emily smirked at her partner. "The whole floor?"
"Well, Reid and the other teams are guessing," he conceded.
"I told you Spence wouldn't have a clue," JJ muttered.
"Spence wouldn't have a clue about what?" Reid asked as he stopped beside their grouping of chairs. "I'll have you know that I am not oblivious to the world around me. I know something is going on."
"Do you?" Emily asked, tilting her head questioningly.
"I do." He nodded as he lowered himself to the empty chair beside Morgan. "JJ, for example, got flowers delivered yesterday and she has been much happier than usual – so that leads me to believe that she is in a new relationship."
"It does, huh?" Emily played along, shooting a sidelong glance at JJ who was now blushing adorably.
Reid nodded. "It does. And, Morgan and Garcia have been spending more than their usual amount of time flirting and gossiping which suggests that they know who this mystery man is as well."
Emily shot Morgan a look, to which he responded with an unapologetic shrug. "Really," she drawled.
"Yes," Reid replied, sitting up straighter in his chair as he found his groove. "But what strikes me as being more than a little strange is the fact that you are not getting jealous like you normally do whenever JJ is the object of somebody's attention."
This observation had Morgan and JJ laughing out loud, which confused the poor genius terribly.
Emily scowled. "I do not get jealous."
"Actually," Morgan interrupted, rather enjoying the flustered look his partner was now wearing, "you do, princess."
"Do not," Emily retorted.
"You kind of do, Em," JJ corrected the brunette in a loud whisper, offering Morgan a conspiratorial wink as she did.
Emily turned to glower at JJ but her scowl disappeared into a goofy grin as she met the younger woman's gaze. "Well, can you blame me?" she replied playfully, letting her eyes soften until they were filled with the depth of her affection for the blonde.
JJ licked her lips and shook her head. "No," she murmured with a small shake of her head as she held Emily's gaze captive.
"I'm confused," Reid piped up.
Morgan chuckled. "You two just keep having eye sex while I explain the beauty of Sapphic love to our dear Doctor Reid."
Reid's eyes widened as he processed what Morgan had just said. "Oh, I see," he muttered, shifting a little uncomfortably in his seat as he looked at JJ and Emily. "So, there is no mystery man."
"No, there isn't," Emily answered him seriously.
Reid nodded. "Oh." He met JJ's concerned gaze and smiled. "Okay."
"Good, so… now that we have the big ol' coming out thing outta the way, details!" Morgan announced with a lascivious grin as he rubbed his hands together expectantly.
"Don't think so, partner," Emily laughed, nodding her thanks to the man for lightening the mood considerably.
"Details about what?" Reid asked.
Morgan slapped a palm to his head dramatically and groaned. "Are you serious?"
"Serious about what?" Hotch's voice broke through the playful bubble that had surrounded the group.
"Nothing, sir." Emily shook her head.
"Good," he replied as he took a seat opposite the group. "I know we did a briefing on this case earlier, but now that Emily is joining us I want to run through it all again so that we are all on the same page."
The four younger agents all sat up a little bit straighter as they slipped into 'work mode'. "I was following the case on the news yesterday, so I know some of what is happening," Emily shared as she watched David Rossi board the jet.
"Excellent," Hotch nodded. "With the three bodies that were discovered this morning, the body count is up to eight. Two of the women recovered today have already been identified by the local Medical Examiner's office," he explained as he looked up and caught Rossi's eye. "Right, we're about to take off. Prentiss, look through the file and we'll go through it more once we're in the air."
Emily nodded and took the file that JJ had pulled out to hand her. She flipped it open and glanced over the first page as the plane began to taxi toward the runway. She flipped through the file as the plane went through the usual take-off procedures and once they were in the air she looked up from the file to focus on JJ, who began filling her in on some of the finer details of the case.
"The first five victims were found on a remote beach just outside Fenbrook, Connecticut, without any form of identification on or near the remains. No clothes, watches, wallets, cell phones. Due to the fact that the bodies were skeletonized, and that scavengers had made off with some of the bones, the autopsy has only given us the basics: gender, race, height range, age range. All are Caucasian, and in the thirty to forty-five age range. All are Jane Does at this point."
Emily nodded as she flipped through some of the pictures nestled in the back of the folder she was perusing.
"Victims six through eight are fresher, so there was a little bit more to find as the bodies had not decomposed enough for evidence to be destroyed. Because there is more evidence we know that they are all female, Caucasian, and in their early thirties. Six is still a Jane Doe, seven and eight have been identified as Michelle Turner and Rebecca Holland, respectively."
"Autopsy and toxicology reports on these three?" Emily asked as she flipped to the back of her file.
"The local ME brought in some outside help and they are working on all three as we speak. He hopes to have something for us by the time we get up there."
"Okay." Emily nodded.
"Local PD are compiling data on Turner and Holland, Garcia is working her magic, and we are going to handle the interviews of the families. Rossi and I will handle those," Hotch said. "Reid, Morgan, go out to the beach where the bodies were all recovered and see if you can't get a read on this guy."
"The one time I forget to pack my flip-flops," Morgan groaned.
Hotch ignored the quip and continued giving instructions. "JJ, you know what to do. Try and get that department sealed up as tight as possible – I don't want any industrious reporters finding a talkative detective and getting details of this thing. Emily, you're going to be riding a desk at the precinct. Pour through all the information we have regarding the last two victims that have positive IDs. Run any ideas through Garcia, see if you can't come up with possible IDs for the Jane Does."
Emily nodded. "Right."
"These IDs could be the break we need to catch this guy, I want everybody ready to roll as soon as we touch down."
+++/+++\+++
Emily leaned back in her chair and ran her hands through her hair as she watched JJ handling the local police, enamored as she always was of the blonde's ability to command attention. She caught JJ's gaze for the briefest of moments when the blonde looked her way, and she couldn't help but smile as she watched the blonde instructing the local cops and begin running through her media procedures and what she was expecting them to say to reporters should they accidentally get cornered by one. She watched JJ wave the group down the hall, presumably to inspect the precinct's media briefing room, assuming this small town police department even had one. She sighed and returned her attention to the open file in front of her as JJ's voice trailed off down the hall, leaving her alone to her thoughts and the gruesome details of the case they were asked to help solve.
She was halfway through the file on the most recently recovered body when something caught her eye. She frowned thoughtfully as she pulled her phone from her pocket, reflexively hitting the third number on her speed dial.
Penelope Garcia picked up after the first ring. "Talk dirty to me, princess."
Emily dropped the pen she'd been twirling between her fingers. "Um, sorry. What?" she stuttered, cringing as Penelope's musical laugh boomed out of her phone.
"You are too easy," Garcia chuckled. "What's up, sweetness?"
"Can you hack into the Craigslist database?"
Garcia scoffed. "Don't insult me, I'm still trying to figure out how stern of a 'if you hurt her' speech you're going to get. What do you need?"
"Rebecca Holland. Report says she advertised her services on Craigslist. Roommate last saw her as she was heading out to meet with somebody she met via the site. Can you get into her account and trace who she was corresponding with?"
"And thus, Craigslist became the modern pimp."
"PG," Emily sighed, running a tired hand over her face. "Shit," she hissed as she accidentally brushed her injured cheek.
"What's up?"
"Nothing," Emily groaned as she waited for the pain to ease. "Do you have anything yet?"
"Oh, have ye a little faith. Our girl was quite popular with the fellas," Penelope replied. "Hmm, and the ladies, too, by the looks of it. Wow, lots of ladies. You go girl. Gotta love anti-discrimination at work."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Okay. How about Michelle Turner?"
"Way ahead of you, Casanova," Penelope drawled. "She had an account too, but was not nearly as active as Rebecca Holland. Mostly selling stuff. Couches, a dresser, old textbooks, the usual."
"Damn," Emily groaned.
"Hold on," Garcia cut in. "I'm running a cross-check through the users that accessed each of their ads and there were twelve accounts that accessed ads from both women."
"And they couldn't figure this out before now?" Emily muttered. "What were they doing up here?"
"You probably don't want me to answer that," Garcia replied seriously.
"Can you find out what else the owners of those accounts looked at over the last…" Emily's voice trailed off as she pulled the file for what was assumed to be the first victim. "Seventeen months."
"Wow, this guy is controlled," Garcia observed.
"And thorough," Emily agreed.
"Okeydokey my little love bug, I'll hit you up when I got something."
"You are awesome, PG – thanks."
"Sucking up isn't going to get you out of that talk, princess," Garcia warned.
Emily smiled at the warmth in her friend's tone. "Can't blame a girl for trying," she laughed.
"I guess I can't. Garcia, out."
+++/+++\+++
Emily flipped the last manila file closed and pushed herself up from her chair, arching her back to work out some of the kinks that had settled in during her hours hunched over the table reading file after file, trying to find some piece of information that might help them catch the unsub.
"How's it going?" JJ murmured from her position in the doorway, where she had been standing, watching the brunette work for the last five minutes or so.
"It's going," Emily groaned, offering the blonde a small, tired smile as she glanced at her watch. "When do you think the guys are going to be back?"
"Reid called about twenty minutes ago, so they should be back any time now. Hotch just called in, said they were leaving Michelle Turner's parents' house. ETA thirty minutes."
"So I have enough time for coffee," Emily sighed. "Excellent."
JJ smirked. "I did some asking around, the LEOs told me that there's a good little place about a block down if you want to make a run for it."
Emily whimpered at the thought of real coffee. She'd been drinking the precinct's typically awful mix all afternoon, and a decent cup was sounding damn near orgasmic at this point. "You want anything?" she asked, her question signifying that she was indeed going to make a run.
JJ cocked her head to the side and openly appraised Emily, letting her gaze rake up the brunette's body inch-by-inch, gliding over soft curves and intimate valleys as she sucked her lower lip between her teeth. She smiled as she focused for the space of a few heartbeats on the brunette's lips before finally meeting molten chocolate eyes. She nodded. "I guess," she answered, her casual acceptance offset by the distinctly smoky tone of her voice. "You know what I like, surprise me."
Emily laughed and shook her head before looking up through her lashes at the teasing blonde. "My god, Jennifer."
JJ arched a brow, feigning innocence. "What?"
Emily just shook her head again, indicating that she was not going to respond, and made her way across the small space for the door. She paused beside JJ and leaned in close, lowering her voice so that only they would hear. "Someday soon, I hope to learn everything you like, and I look forward to surprising you more than you will ever know."
JJ's next breath escaped on a ragged exhale. "My god, Emily."
Emily smirked, knowing that she had won this round. "But, for now… coffee. Be back in a jiffy!" she called over her shoulder, putting a little extra strut into her step as she could feel the hungry weight of JJ's eyes glued to her ass.
"Emily!" JJ's voice called after her.
She smiled and turned to face the blonde. "Yeah?"
JJ just shook her head and threw herself into motion, quickly closing the gap between herself and Emily. "I'll come with you."
Emily smiled and pushed the glass front door of the precinct open with her right hand as she ushered the blonde forward with a gallant wave of her left. "After you, then."
"Such a gentleman," JJ teased as she walked through the door.
Emily, hyper-aware of the eyes upon them, opted to say nothing as she followed JJ down to the sidewalk. She immediately took the outside track, placing herself between JJ and the street, and she found herself fighting the urge to reach out and hold the blonde's hand. When they reached the corner coffee shop, like before, she moved ahead of the younger woman to get the door, smiling shyly as JJ walked past her with a grin.
Emily followed JJ into line and stood closer to the blonde than would normally be appropriate as she placed a discrete hand onto the small of the younger woman's back. After having spent hours reading through gruesome reports, looking at even more nightmarish photographs, she found herself immeasurably calmed by JJ's presence.
JJ turned to smile at Emily and relaxed into the touch upon her back, saying without words how much the contact was welcomed. They made their way toward the registers with slow, halting half-steps and when they reached the front of the line JJ rattled off the team's typical orders while Emily pulled her wallet out of her pocket to pay.
Six white cups were distributed between two cardboard trays, and before long they found themselves back in the small, cramped briefing room at the back of the Fenbrook Police Station. Their brief escape had reenergized them both more than the caffeine they were now drinking; and Emily leaned back in her chair and smiled as she watched JJ pass off the cups to their friends as they returned 'home' from their afternoon excursions.