"Emily, are you alright?"

It had been decided that she, Will, Bellamy, Derek, Tara, Luke, and Rossi, along with some of the precinct detectives were going to check the Greenaway house. A second group, including the captain, was on standby, ready to go the cabin, if need be. Everyone else was heading to the car, but Will had noticed that Emily was lost in thought, and as his wife so often did, he fell back to check on her.

"I'm fine, Will," she told him. "But thank you."

Will was less than impressed by this. "Like hell you're fine. I may not be a profiler, but I can read you like I do because you've picked up behavioral patterns from JJ—or she's picked them up from you. Whatever the case may be, because of the bond you two have, and because it's been ten years, I just know the way you behave—even under stress!"

At this, Emily realized he was right, so she stopped. So did Will.

"Are you saying, that you can spot JJ or myself in a lie?"

Will bobbed his head. "Easily, but I'm just polite. What's up? Is one of the kids ill, or something?"

"Izzy, Milo, and Kiley are all fine, thank goodness. Remember when you asked me if I was expecting a visit from the stork, and I said that we're hoping for one?"

"Yes."

Emily blew out a breath. "Well, I found out that the stork has already been by."

Immediately, Will was torn between wanting to congratulate Emily, and wanting to comfort her, because she was on the verge of hemming and hawing.

"That's fantastic, Emiliana." he finally said. "So I was right, when I guessed in passing?"

"Yes... And I'm happy, but also a little freaked out."

"And not because this kid will be so close in age to the twins, but more because you were one of the first to know about JJ being pregnant again, and you're hoping that your news doesn't set her off, somehow?"

"Gold star."

Will gave Emily a kind look. "I can't begin to know the chaos that's going on in JJ's head, but remember—even in all this, there's been a part of her from the get that remembered you two have always treated each other like sisters. I also happen to know that whatever my wife's frame of mind is, she has always felt very safe with you."

This unexpected pep talk actually gave Emily a brief boost of confidence. "Thank you, Will. So you don't think JJ will be mad or anything?"

"Mad, no. Surprised, probably. Her joy will come later. Who all knows?"

"TJ, Izzy, my parents, Derek, and now, you."

"Then tum's the word, but I'm really happy for you and TJ. I'm also thrilled to be an uncle again." Will gave Emily a quick hug and then pulled back. "You gonna be okay? Now you look like you're going to cry… or be sick…"

Emily exhaled noisily and tried to put a reassuring look on her face—the look a leader should have.

"I'm going to be fine, William. I just remembered that even though this is New Year's Eve, Spencer is still at the hospital with Rebel because she's in labor, and their precious girl will be born before tomorrow is out. TJ has a non-negotiable trip to leave for tomorrow, and Izzy's going to be at work." Emily sighed shakily. "That leaves me with a volatile stomach, babies two through four, and a doctor's appointment to go to. I'm going to be fine."

It occurred to Will that that last part was Emily's way of trying to reassure herself and regather her own resolve, because it was clearly slipping. Emily had also never called him William before—at least not within his earshot—and they'd known each other for a tremendously long time now. If anything, Emily had thrown up her own red flag.

Will noticed that one of the flaps on Emily's vest was hanging loose because it had yet to be put in place. He fixed it for her and gave her another smile.

"If you need anything, call me, okay?"

And just like that, Emily's confidence meter was back at one hundred percent.

"Thank you."

Will squeezed her shoulder. "You're very welcome. Now: are you going to be alright?"

"Yes." Emily said in a tone they both believed. "And I know you want to look out for me in the field, but it's your job to look out for Bellamy, and hers, to look out for you."

Will nodded at this fact about his partner. "Just like it's yours and Tara's to look after each other."

No sooner had he said those words than Tara and Bellamy both appeared, looking for their partners.

"Come on."

Tara looped an arm through Emily's and began steering her towards the parking lot. Behind her, Bellamy was doing the same with Will.

"Everyone is waiting!"

Just like Aleja Greenaway had said, her old house was on the edge of town, by the country roads. It was old and made of brick, Emily observed as she and the others exited their vehicles and approached, and at one time, it had been a functioning family home. Now, Emily supposed, because it was rundown, Elle probably saw it as four walls with a roof to sleep in.

To their surprise, it was easy to get into because Elle had left it unlocked and free of any traps. They found Asa's dead body, where Elle had left it, but once all of the rooms—including the basement and the attic—had been deemed empty, they all explored the house.

Emily and Tara were in Elle's room. She was ruminating over how even though the rest of the room was in chaos, there were a few towering, but neatly-kept metal shelves where Elle was keeping all of her clothes and shoes. Emily was trying to think of why this could be, when behind her, there was a large door that presumably led to a walk-in closet.

"Uh, boss? You better take a look at this…"

Emily began turning at the sound of her partner's voice, but when she saw that Tara had actually ventured into the closet, she hurried over.

"Oh, my God…"

Tara nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Elle had moved all of her things out of the closet to make way for new things: just about every inch of wall was plastered with pictures of JJ, and if there were any other occupants of the photos, they were exed out. Emily also saw different pieces of paper taped to the wall, and on further inspection, she saw that they were book pages, ripped straight from novels or else blank paper covered in Elle's own insane ramblings about the subject of pure obsession. Yet other papers were covered in quotes and passages that Emily recognized to be from Dante's Inferno, Moby Dick, and even some darker parts of The Bible.

It certainly didn't matter that the overhead lightbulb in the closet had been swapped out for a red one, casting the room into an eerie dark red glow, and it was only a few moments before Emily and Tara had both pulled their flashlights out and turned them on to focus easier.

"So much for Penelope's memory of Elle having an easy-to-manipulate personality." Tara murmured. "It's like she had a good and proper evolution… unless this is who Elle Greenaway has been the whole damn time."

Emily was beginning to feel creeped out. "She really took a left turn, didn't she? Do you see a copy of The Catcher In The Rye?"

Amongst all of the disturbing findings in Elle's closet, there was a large bookshelf, piled high with all kinds of papers, journals, and books. One glance told Emily that they would take an absurdly long time to get through. Another glance told her that Elle was definitely well-read, but for some reason, took delight in playing dumb. They had clearly walked into her stalker nest, so she was bound to have some classic stalker literature.

"Yep." Tara pointed to one particular book on the shelf after a moment of searching. "It's right here, between Gray's Anatomy and The Manchurian Candidate. I'm surprised it isn't on Elle's beside table."

Emily scoffed. "Please—this level of mania and obsession often suggests extremely high intelligence. She probably has The Catcher In The Rye memorized."

Tara followed Emily as she left the closet. "Then what do we do now?"

"The next step is finding Will and the others."

"Emily, the detectives are downstairs, tending to Asa's body, and—oh, my…"

As if drawn by a magnetic force, Will had chosen that moment to arrive with Bellamy, Derek, Luke, and Rossi. They all stopped short when they saw Elle's closet, but words promptly failed Will: he knew that both JJ and Emily regularly chased people who defined the meaning of 'depravity,' but it had still been a long, long time since he had seen this version of it, firsthand.

"Hey!" Bellamy snapped her fingers in front of her partner's face. "Keep it together, man!"

Will coughed, coming back to himself. "Right. We found the room where Elle was keeping JJ and Aemiliana, but we also found something that she left for you, like a secret message."

"Oh? Care to share?"

"It's easier just to show you. Come on."

Emily and Tara followed Will to a room that Emily recognized only through JJ's description as the room that she'd first woken up in, with no memory. Another lifetime ago, it had been Elle's childhood bedroom. Now, in a variety of ways, it was clear that JJ and Aemiliana had been living here. The bed was even unmade, and there were clothes thrown all over it—the things that JJ and Aemiliana had last been seen in. They had been there, and recently, but now they were gone.

"Hey, what are these? I just noticed them on the bed."

With her gloved hands, Tara had picked up what looked like a pair of child-sized plastic braces for legs and ankles. They were lime green, and were decorated with a large print of ballet slippers on either side.

Emily groaned, but only because she realized that a little bit more peril had been added on. "Those kinds of braces are called Ankle Foot Orthoses, and when we went to the Thistlewaite house, I saw Aemiliana wearing a different pair."

"The ballet slippers on the side must mean they're the ones she wears to dance class." Luke mused. "Are they worn for stability?"

"Uh-huh, by people with trouble walking, or in this case, those who have cerebral palsy." Emily pointed to the braces. "Elle must have gotten them new shoes, and made Aemiliana take them off so her feet could fit properly."

Nearby, Rossi pointed to a pile of empty boxes. "Two points for you—she got two pairs of new hiking boots for our friends. When you were at the Thistlewaite house, did you happen to see Aemiliana walk unsupported?"

"Yes, actually. According to her mother, it's only been in this past year that Aemiliana hasn't been using a walking frame, and she only uses her wheelchair when she's extra tired."

"Like after dance class."

"Exactly. The poor thing must be super wobbly, and sticking to JJ like glue."

Emily looked over at Will. He had been watching this whole conversation very patiently.

"This wasn't what you wanted to show me, was it?"

"No." he pointed to a table on the other side of the room where there was paper and crayons available, having been meant as a way to keep Aemiliana busy. "There are some drawings on the papers, but nothing that meant anything. However, JJ drew something on the bed."

"The message that you think she left for me." Emily remembered.

"Yes."

"Where is it, exactly?"

Will directed her attention to the headboard. "It's just there, on the right."

Derek chimed in, "And it's a bird, but something tells me that you'll be able to decipher it faster."

Emily drew close to the bed, and immediately spotted the depiction they were talking about.

Unlike Will and Henry, JJ was 'artistically challenged,' but even still, the message was loud, clear, and immediate to Emily. Not only had JJ drawn a bird, but it was black.

The very next second, Emily was flashing back to hers and JJ's plane ride to Paris—the beginning of the last time where they wouldn't see each other physically for seven long, miserable months.

One particular conversation from that flight came rushing back like a flood.

Emily sat on the jet couch, dressed in a loose oversized sweater, and leggings. She had died that night after getting staked, and then come back to life, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. It also felt like she'd been run over by a steamroller, but she had never once been more thankful and grateful to be alive.

That being said, the clothes she had on were about all she could tolerate, because her body was hypersensitive at the moment. She also knew that she looked a mess, but couldn't be bothered to fix herself up. She was also thankful that JJ had always loved her for who she really was.

"The first thing I'm going to do when we get to Paris is have this removed." she told JJ as she rubbed the spot through her sweater that her brand was. "How could a brand hurt more than getting staked?"

Beside her on the couch, JJ became thoughtful.

"Maybe it's a psychosomatic itch that you're scratching? The brand left an emotional toll; Doyle established dominance over you by marking you as his. A stake… I mean—you overcame death. The ultimate victory over your foe. Why suffer a pain you're proud of?"

In an attempt to lighten the mood, JJ jokingly threw out a new suggestion.

"Or you could always get a new tattoo."

Emily laughed again, but only because unless it was very meaningful, she would never get a tattoo again.

Her disapproval conveyed this thought. "Oh…"

"Yeah, something transformative?" JJ did a move similar to jazz hands as she went on. "A phoenix…"

Emily wrinkled her nose at this, too, so JJ tried again.

"Oh, or a blackbird."

Emily perked up. "I do love the song."

After getting settled Emily in Paris, she and JJ did look into getting the brand removed, only to find that it was extremely expensive. Paying for the procedure would bring about undue attention by medical professionals, and that was the last thing they wanted.

On JJ's last night before she had to fly back to the states, she and Emily spent a lot of time holding each other and crying, because their hearts were just so heavy. They also got complimentary tattoos, permanently cementing their mysterious, powerful bond.

JJ had gotten a phoenix.

And Emily had gotten a blackbird.

Snapping back to reality, Emily held a hand to the hip where her tattoo was, and turned to face the group again.

"It's a blackbird." she told them.

Bellamy nodded, but only because nobody else had said anything—it sounded like Emily had stated the obvious. They were just trying to figure it out.

"Yes, it is," Bellamy agreed. "But—"

Before Emily could get annoyed at the lack of comprehension, Will figured out what she was driving at.

"This is about the tattoos, isn't it?" he wanted to know.

Emily nodded, relieved. "Bingo."

Next to Emily, Tara had a lightbulb go off over her head. "You mean a black bird, like a crow or a raven."

"There it is." Emily praised.

"Okay." Derek chimed in. "This is also about that secret 'best friend' language that you and JJ have always had. Bring it home."

"On the way to Paris, after my fight with Doyle, JJ and I talked about tattoos—as in me getting one to cover up the brand that I got when I was tortured. She suggested that I get a phoenix, but I said no, so then she suggested a blackbird."

Emily paused to look around at them. Rossi, Derek, and Will knew exactly what she was talking about, while Tara, Luke, and Bellamy were staring openly because even if she had paused at tattoo choices, the rest of it had just sounded so incredible already.

So she pointed to the icon on the headboard.

"We talked about a lot of things when we were talking about our tattoo ideas, and we even talked about where blackbirds live."

Luke arched an eyebrow. "And where is that?"

"The woods."

"Meaning that Elle took JJ and Aemiliana to the cabin." Will concluded as he voiced his thoughts aloud.

At this, Rossi took his phone out of his vest pocket and began looking though the speed dial menu. "I'm going to go out into the hallway and call Penelope. She can give us the exact location."

"Good thinking."

Derek, Tara, Luke, and Bellamy followed him out.

Will stood beside Emily when they were alone. "Has JJ ever told you that she's been scared of the woods for a long, long time? When we were dating, I tried to take her to the bayou once, and she freaked out. That wasn't even the real forest, like what's up here."

"That all came out on the night she, Penelope, and I drank absinthe together."

Will winced as he imagined how that conversation must have gone. "Then you got the whole picture, huh? And there were no details left unsaid?"

"Uh-uh."

Will just sighed. Though he hadn't seen it quite some time, his wife was a weepy, tell-all when under the influence. Because of this, he happened to know that JJ was afraid of the woods because not long after Rosaline died, she had tried to run away, but she had just gotten lost in the woods behind the farm. After dark. It had only been for two hours, but JJ ended up becoming both scarred by the memory, and scared of the woods (or anything even remotely resembling them) for the rest of her life.

"Then we better hope," Will said as he and Emily left the bedroom. "And pray that JJ keeps it together for as long as she can."