Author's Note: Special thanks to the reviewers of last chapter: zzz-zzz84; Love-B .xo; hxchick; crazyobsession101; foxyfeline. Reviews genuinely make my day, so thanks for that. And, a special thank you to everyone who wrote encouraging words. I've decided to continue this story the way I originally envisioned it, so thank you for the support. On a side note, this is probably one of my favorite chapters...actually, that's a lie because there are a couple of great scenees coming up, but I do love this one.
Also, special thanks to brynnifer and littlegreenbottle for beta'ing this all. Thanks guys!
Emily felt a flood of relief as she and JJ stepped off the elevator and pushed through the doors of the BAU. JJ's eyes darted around frantically, but luckily the elevator ride to the sixth floor had only led to JJ being mildly anxious, rather than a full blown panic attack.
Thankfully, the entire floor was virtually empty as a result of some seminar that she knew Garcia and most of the other floor had been forced to attend. Only Reid and Morgan sat at their desks plowing through paperwork. As they approached, both men kept an eye on JJ saying nothing as she approached in an attempt not to frighten her.
Emily stopped resignedly as she waited for JJ to acclimate herself to the room. Usually, JJ had to stop and scan each new room for something Emily still wasn't quite sure. Emily slowly sauntered over her desk, knowing full well that JJ wouldn't let her get too far away before following.
JJ paused as she spied a quarter lying haphazardly on the floor. Glancing over at Emily, she quickly snatched the quarter and stuffed it into the pocket of her sweatshirt jacket before following Emily to her desk.
As JJ plopped down into the chair next to her, Emily looked over her desk once more, mentally cataloguing the items to make sure she didn't have a knife or anything sharp that JJ could hurt herself with.
"Hi JJ." Derek waved, grateful that his desk was several feet away from Emily's so JJ wouldn't feel like he was too close.
JJ shrunk back slightly toward Emily, but nodded in acknowledgement at Morgan's greeting as she pulled off her thick winter coat and cradled it gingerly.
Shuffling the stack of files that had piled on her desk into a drawer that she quickly locked, Emily motioned to the iPod clutched in JJ's hands. "Jayje, I'm going to run and grab us something to eat in the cafeteria. Just sit here and listen to your iPod." Emily dug through her purse and pulled out a bottle of Ensure that she had stashed away for just such an occasion. "Drink this first, then I'll have some soup for you too."
JJ nodded slightly, glancing at the can with a grimace as she fumbled with her iPod.
Looking up at her male colleagues, Emily brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, "Will you guys just keep an eye on her?"
"Sure." Derek smiled warmly, knowing how desperately Emily needed even a momentary reprieve from being at JJ's side. Reid bowed his head and concentrated on the paperwork in front of him as if he hadn't heard Emily's request. Derek ignored Reid's response and shrugged, "But it will cost you. I haven't had lunch myself yet—"
Emily chuckled. "Leave it to you to result to extortion." She smirked. Seeing JJ poke the earbuds into her ears, she felt strengthened that she could leave the blonde with the others as JJ bit her fingernail nervously but settled into the soft chair.
"Whatever works." Morgan smiled. "As long as there's lunch, I'm in."
"Reid, you want anything?" Emily asked, standing and stepping out of JJ's view, watching the other woman closely to ensure her departure wouldn't be too damaging.
The youngest profiler shook his head. "No thanks." He murmured.
Derek and Emily exchanged a glance before Emily shrugged. She had more pressing things to worry about than Spencer's mood. Stepping slightly further away, she stopped while JJ appraised the distance between them calculatedly. JJ pulled her knees up onto the chair against her chest and chewed her fingernail as she watched Emily back away.
Derek watched JJ interestedly as she adjusted to Emily's slow departure uncomfortably.
JJ bit her fingernail as she tapped Emily's desk nervously with her other hand. She stared off into the distance ahead of her, focused on the soft music in her ears.
Annoyed, Reid looked up after a moment. "JJ." He said shortly. "Would you stop that?" JJ ducked her head as if slightly ashamed and hugged her knees with her now free hand.
"Reid?" Morgan asked, surprised by the younger man's abruptness.
"She's—" Reid held out his hand accusingly, as if Derek should obviously see the reason for his aggravation. "I can't concentrate while she's doing that."
"Reid, man." Derek quirked his eyebrow in disbelief, "Give her a break."
A few minutes later, JJ tapped the arm of the chair repeatedly, unconsciously expending her nervous energy.
"JJ, stop that." Reid snapped again.
JJ abruptly stood and ducked her head, quickly snatching the instant meal off the desk and backed away leaving her coat behind.
"JJ, do you need something?" Derek stood and followed the quickly retreating blonde. She stopped just short of the women's room door, and hung her head softly with an almost imperceptible blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Oh." Morgan offered lamely as understanding dawned. When he realized JJ was waiting to complete some procedure he was unfamiliar with, Derek nodded. "What do you have in your pockets?" He asked, well remembering the events that happened the morning after her rescue.
A look of sheer panic crossed her face before she guiltily held up the meal replacement and pulled out a fistful of items from her sweatshirt pocket. Derek smiled down at the small collection of coins and what appeared to be a small green army man along with her trusted iPod. JJ bit her lip nervously, and Derek realized she was waiting for a response. "Do you—" He racked his brain for what Emily would normally do, "Do you need help?" He asked, praying she'd say no or else he'd have to charm some female agent on the floor to help her.
JJ blushed lightly and shook her head before pushing through the swinging door. Derek smiled gratefully as he saw Penelope turned the corner on a war-path toward her own office and quickly cleared his throat to get her attention.
Garcia's head snapped up, and at the sight of Derek in front of the woman's room needed only a brief glance to confirm that JJ's thick winter coat was hanging on the back of the chair before the tech barreled her way into the bathroom. "I've got this, Sugar." Penelope smiled softly as the door swung shut behind her.
Morgan turned back to his desk, narrowing his eyes at the genius who busied himself with paperwork. Stepping over to the younger man's desk, Derek snatched the files the genius was breezing through and turned quickly on the young genius, appalled by Reid's earlier behavior "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"It's not my fault she's acting that way." Reid retorted, not bothering to look up from the files in front of him.
"No, but she can't help it." Morgan retorted incredulously. "Seriously man, what's wrong with you?"
Spencer rubbed his brow, hating himself for the emotions that brewed beneath the surface. "Just leave me alone."
"So what? JJ put up with all of your shit over the years, but you can't support her as a friend?" Derek shook his head in disgust, "Is that what this is about? Some friend you are." Derek spat, incensed.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Reid bit out angrily.
"Oh don't I? So why don't you enlighten me?" Derek scoffed.
Emily juggled a large tray of food as she stepped back into the bullpen, interrupting the two profilers' conversation. "I've got lunch." She smiled tiredly, almost collapsing into her chair. Suddenly realizing that JJ was missing, she snapped up immediately from her chair. "Where is she?"
"In the bathroom with Garcia." Morgan assured, slightly unnerved by how much Emily seemed to have aged in the last few weeks.
JJ chose that moment to return from the bathroom, rubbing her hands along her sweat pants as if searching for some soft reassurance that only the thick fabric could provide. She quickly settled back into the chair by Emily's desk, discarding the now empty can back on the corner. Penelope followed closely at JJ's heels and sat down on the corner of Derek's desk.
"JJ, you drank all of this?" Emily asked in surprise as she handed Derek a Caesar salad and picked up the empty bottle as she forced the skepticism out of her voice. Derek quirked an eyebrow at the salad, but accepted it none-the-less.
Inwardly, she scolded herself for immediately jumping to the conclusion that JJ dumped the nutrient rich drink, but realistically she knew it was more than an option considering how much coaxing it usually took to get JJ to eat or drink anything other than Jell-o, carrots, and water.
JJ shrugged, placing the earbuds tightly into her ears and pushing the buttons furiously as if she could drown out the entire world with her single iPod.
Emily shook her head and pulled out one of JJ's earbuds gingerly. "JJ, why did you take the drink to the bathroom?"
JJ shrugged, but Emily waited patiently knowing JJ would respond. "Porque yo quería" JJ muttered almost incoherently, squirming uncomfortably in her seat.
Emily bit her lip, Stay Calm she instructed herself as she kept her emotions in control. "Why did you want to?" Seeing that Emily was preoccupied, Derek slowly exchanged the salad for the large cheeseburger on the tray in front of Emily, hoping she wouldn't notice.
JJ shrugged and reached for her earbud in Emily's hand, but Emily wasn't willing to let this go quite yet. JJ shrunk back slightly and bit her lip guiltily, "Porque tuve que ir al baño."
JJ reached toward the earbuds and Emily shook her head softly, waiting for a better explanation. "Why did you take the drink to the bathroom?" Emily asked again, forcing herself to remain patient.
Seeing the circular conversation, Derek asked pointedly, "JJ, where did the drink go?"
JJ's cheeks flushed as she realized the others were watching her whispered conversation with Emily with interest. Ducking her head, she pointed back at the bathroom.
"What did you do with it?" Reid asked, his annoyance palpable, "Did you flush it?"
JJ nodded slowly, biting her thumbnail nervously as she avoided eye contact with the others.
Emily sighed, mentally noting to ask Reid what his deal was at a later date, "JJ, did you know that these drinks help give you all of the important things your body needs to get better?" Emily asked, forcing herself not to lose her temper. She had just told the therapist she could get JJ to eat, and now this? Why was JJ making this so hard?
JJ nodded and chewed on her nail before gently tugging at the earbud in Emily's hand.
Emily, however was not yet about to budge. "JJ, we want to help you get better. But in order to get better, you need to eat." Emily pulled out another Ensure bottle identical to the first and held it out to JJ, gingerly removing the other earbud and unplugging the earbuds from the iPod.
JJ reached for the earbuds in Emily's hand, only to have Emily gently push her hand away. "When you've finished the other drink, you can have the earbuds back."
JJ clenched the iPod tightly in her hands, moving her fingers along the raised buttons nervously. "No tengo hambre." She whispered.
Emily's face softened but she put the earbuds firmly in her pocket. "We can wait until you are." She smiled encouragingly, ignoring the way the others were looking at her in surprise.
Reluctantly, JJ picked up the nutrient rich drink and opened it slowly, glancing over at Emily who nodded expectantly.
Looking back to the tray in front of her, Emily's face fell "What happened to my cheeseburger?"