Next up, K is for Kiss.
"You've reached the Goddess of all things knowable and unknowable. How may I direct your call?"
"Pen, it's JJ. I…do you have a minute?"
"For you?" Garcia responds. "At least two. What's up?"
"Are you still at work?" JJ questions, glancing at her watch. "It's almost two a.m. your time. We wrapped it up and called it a night out here hours ago, did nobody let you know?"
"Oh, no, sweetcheeks, I know," Garcia smiles. "Just got a few searches running for another case still and I was waiting to see them through. Plus I drank some more of that nitro-brew coffee after dinner, so…" she pauses. "Wait, is this not a work-related call?"
JJ stands, pacing back and forth along the foot of the bed. "No, not quite, it's uh…personal?"
"Oooh, well then, do tell, Ms. Jareau."
JJ rolls her eyes. "No, y'know, it's not a big deal. I just – "
"Spill."
JJ takes a deep breath and squeezes her eyes shut. "IkissedEmily," she rushes out, her own eyes widening in surprise as the words came unbidden out of her mouth.
"I'm sorry," Garcia replies a moment later. "You're gonna have to say that again more slowly, because it really sounded like you said you kissed Emily."
"Garcia," JJ warns.
"Wow. Okay, then. Wow." Garcia is silent for a moment. "Emily Prentiss?"
"Pen," JJ almost whines. "I just…I don't know what to do and I'm freaking out and I need you to talk me out of quitting my job and entering WITSEC and never seeing or talking to her ever again."
"Right, okay," Garcia snaps back. "So you kissed Emily, huh? Take a deep breath, start at the beginning. What happened?"
JJ automatically turned down the volume on the television when she heard her phone chime alerting her to an incoming text message. Searching through the blankets around her where she lay in bed, she was surprised to see the message came from her Unit Chief, given they were officially off the clock. They had wrapped the case a few hours earlier and, too late to fly home, JJ had ordered room service for dinner and settled in to her hotel room bed while Dirty Dancing played in the background.
'You awake?' the message from Emily read, and JJ couldn't hold back a smile as she immediately responded 'Yeah, what's up?' She turned the volume on the tv back up a couple clicks as she waited for a reply, surprised when, instead, a soft knock sounded at her door a moment later.
"What's wrong?" JJ asked, opening the door to reveal Emily standing in the hallway, clad in a tank top and sweatpants and looking incredibly young and vulnerable. "Are you okay?"
Emily nodded, biting her lip as she hovered in the doorway. "I'm here as your friend and not your boss, okay? So you can just tell me to leave you alone whenever."
JJ smiled gently, stepping further into the room and motioning for Emily to follow. "I would never. Come in. What's going on?"
Emily stood awkwardly, shaking her head to hide her own soft smile after JJ threw herself onto the bed, patting the space next to her.
"Sit," JJ spoke again. "Talk to me. I'm worried about you."
"Is everything okay?" Garcia interrupts. "That doesn't sound like Emily."
"She couldn't sleep," JJ shrugs, despite knowing Garcia couldn't see her. "It was a rough case, you know? And she's just still adjusting to being back."
"I just…I don't know, JJ. I can't believe I'm even telling you all this. I'm sorry."
"Emily, please," JJ sighed. "Stop apologizing. I don't care that you're technically my boss now, okay? We were friends first. You quite literally saved my life once, and you're one of a select few people I trust completely. It means a lot to me that you're trusting me enough to have this conversation. Okay? Keep talking to me."
Emily was quiet a minute, just long enough to make JJ think her walls had gone back up and the conversation was over, when she spoke again. "Do you think I made a mistake, coming back here?"
"I…I'm glad you're back. The team is not the same without you and I- we missed you. I think when Hotch left, things could have gone a couple of different ways for the team as a whole, and I like to think that this was the best possible outcome, having you come back to us. I know it was for me personally, but I can't speak for you, Em." JJ paused, scooting a couple of inches closer to Emily and gently resting her hand on the other woman's upper back. "Do you think you made a mistake? Are you happy?"
Emily took a deep breath. "I wasn't happy in London. I know that."
"Okay."
"I guess I just…when I decided to come back, there was a part of me that assumed it would be just like it was before I left. I mean, I knew it would be different without Morgan and Hotch, but, I don't know. I guess I just didn't realize how lonely it is to be unit chief."
"Oh, Em. I'm sorry."
"No, no JJ. I'm not telling you so you'll apologize or feel bad for me or whatever. I just miss the way it used to be, you know?"
JJ nodded as her hand moved up Emily's back, her fingers running gently through the hair in Emily's ponytail.
"I miss being 'one of you,' if that makes any sense at all," Emily smiled sadly. "I feel like I'm never in on the jokes anymore, and I'm too busy with paperwork to meet up most nights you all go out, and, I don't know, do you guys even want me there? Do people like to drink with their boss?"
"I want you there," JJ spoke, softly. "And I'm sorry if I haven't been the best friend to you since you've been back. Things have been…weird since Will and I separated and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all."
"Please don't apologize, okay? It's not you. I mean, do I wish we were able to be closer? Sure. But…" she trailed off, blushing. "I'm rambling. I'm sorry."
"I wish we were closer, too," JJ hesitated a moment before reaching over and grabbing Emily's hand. "This is a good start though, right? Hanging out in a hotel room after a case, sharing our feelings, watching a great movie? Almost feels like old times?"
"Mmhmm," Emily hummed in agreement, glancing toward the television for the first time. "What movie is this anyway?"
"Excuse me, Emily Prentiss?" JJ asked in mock horror. "Do you not recognize Dirty Dancing? Possibly the greatest chick flick ever made?"
"Never seen it," Emily responded. "What's it about?"
"She's never seen Dirty Dancing?" Garcia interrupts. "How is that possible?"
JJ smiles, feeling some of the tension she was holding in her body begin to dissipate. "She claims it's a combination of our age gap and her living overseas for much of her life, but it feels a little suspect to me, too. We need to rectify that at a girl's night soon."
"Love me some Swayze, rest his soul," Garcia agrees. "Don't get me distracted though. If you guys did a little 'dirty dancing' of your own, that's what I want to hear about."
"We only kissed!"
"Then quit dragging your feet and tell me about it!"
"I have heard this song before," Emily admitted, leaning back against the headboard as 'The Time of My Life' began to play. "So this is a dance contest?"
"You're adorable," JJ breathed, redness instantly rising on her cheeks as she realized she spoke aloud.
"I – what?" Emily questioned, blushing herself.
JJ turned in the bed, moving to face Emily instead of the TV. "I'm really glad you're back," she said quietly. And I'm really glad you're here, now, with me."
"JJ…"
"And I'm really, really sorry if I'm reading this all wrong," she whispered. And as Baby leapt up into Johnny's arms on the television screen, JJ took a leap all her own, her body leaning forward as her lips landed gently on Emily's own, one hand reaching up to rest gently against the older woman's cheek.
Emily froze for a moment before her body reacted of its own accord, her hands moving to rest against JJ's hips, her head leaning to rest heavier against JJ's palm, her lips moving slowly against JJ's own. And as the song playing in the background drew to a close, they both pulled back, staring deeply into each other's eyes.
"Wow," JJ whispered.
"Wow," Emily echoed, even more quietly.
"Wow!" Garcia exclaims. "So you just went for it? Good on you, girl! I didn't know you had it in you!"
"Garcia," JJ warns again.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry." She gets quiet for a moment. "So what happens next?"
"I don't know. I mean, it's Emily, right? She's my friend and, oh god, she's my boss. And besides, she's always dated men."
"As far as you know," Garcia emphasizes. "I happen to have it on good authority that you are not the first girl she's kissed."
"I've always dated men," JJ continues. "I'm legally still married to one. I have two kids with him!" She pauses, taking a deep breath. "I've never kissed a girl before."
"Well, sweetie, did you like it? Is it something you want to do again?"
JJ doesn't answer for a long minute, her end of the call so silent Garcia is almost certain she had hung up the phone, before finally speaking again. "Definitely."
