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

JJ awoke to the screams of "Maria...OH GOD NO Maria!" Then there was a fast movement of one sitting up behind her. She gave it a moment and slowly turned and sat up herself. She could tell Emily was still in the fog of the nightmare so she slowly slid behind her and just wrapped her arms around the woman's waist and laid her left cheek to the woman's back. "Shhh...I got you...you are safe...I got you."

Deep breaths were taken in and then the shaking of the head... clearing the last of the fear away. They sat there for moments just letting the silence of the room to focus healing to the scars left by the netherworld. Emily placed her hands on JJ's and pulled them tighter around her waist. If she could have she would have pulled the woman into her soul. She just needed her to hold all of her to keep her from falling to pieces.

"Maria was my age..." Emily started and JJ held her breath afraid any sound or movement would stop the progression of the woman's words. "...she worked as a domestic for Eleanor and used to come to my mother's dinners on Friday night to basically be her personal attendant. We use to talk at first and she was so happy that she was going to get to go to college and make her mother proud. That only lasted for a month though. The last few times I saw her she had all the signs of abuse and the light that was in her eyes when I first met her had been stolen.

The last night I saw her I begged her to tell me what was the matter that I could help her. She trusted me and told me...of course I told my mother to try and save her but she didn't believe me. She told Eleanor everything and asked her what to do about my wild imagination. The witch had the perfect solution...enroll me in summer classes at her friend's school while my mother went and saved the world in India." JJ tightened her arms around her waist as tears started rolling out of her eyes.

"I made it to the school doors as we passed them on the way to Eleanor's house. I knew I was on my way to the gates of hell with no chance of escape even if I wanted to. They tortured Maria in front of me in ways I still can't bring myself to speak out loud about. Right before they killed her the light returned for just a moment in her eyes as she looked at me like, "It's okay you tried...thank you" and then she went back to the blank stare and died. Those unspoken words haunt and bless me at the same time. That's when I wrote the poem and I told myself at least I tried but I always wonder did I make it worse? I'll never know.

The day she died is also the day I learned how powerful that stare was. I learned how to separate my soul from my body and how to separate feelings from emotions. You asked me once how I looked at the things we see every day and it not get to me...it's because I can stare. I'm tired of living my life in a stare Jennifer but I really do not know how to reattach." She said ending her speech.

JJ waited a few moments to make sure Emily was through speaking, "Em...I love you...I can't replace or erase the memories. I can't even explain the "why's" of what you went through but I can be here and we can try to bring you back to yourself. I'm sure you will always use the stare to protect yourself but you don't have to live in it anymore because I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

"You promise?" Was asked after a pause in what was a whisper of a fourteen-year-old frightened girl's voice.

"I promise." She said firmly as a protector and nurturer while she slid around so the woman could see the sincerity in her eyes. Emily leaned forward and caught her lips in a gentle kiss that grew in intensity. JJ allowed her to take the lead showing there was no rush that she was there for her. They broke apart with heads leaning against each other. "Will you hold me?"

JJ's heart nearly jumped out of her chest in gratitude. She knew that she was probably the only one that Emily had ever trusted to ask that from. "I would love too." She said as they nestled back into a warm bed with JJ showering butterfly kisses to the woman's head as she fell off into what she hoped would be a peaceful sleep for the both of them.

Thank you for reading...