Chapter 25: Opening Night part 2

After a quick trip to the bathroom, JJ managed to slip into her seat in the auditorium just as the opening song ended and the stage lights dimmed to almost nothing to allow for a set change and the actors to take their places for the opening scene.

JJ smiled as she settled in and watched Jo and Trevor act out their first scene together. She may have her issues with Trevor but she could still admire his acting talent. She was also silently happy that she hadn't auditioned for the role of Sandy, she wasn't keen on giving Trevor any more reasons to keep hoping she'd change her mind about being gay.

The play carried on, with the 'Summer Loving' number halfway finished by the time JJ felt someone slip into the seat next to hers which she had deliberately kept empty…hoping a certain someone would take the hint and join her. JJ took a brief moment to glance to her left and smiled when she saw Emily's mom's profile. JJ turned back to the stage just in time to see Emily deliver her line about Sandy's boy being a 'drag'. JJ grinned, loving how Emily's voice had changed to almost match Stockard Channing's voice from the movie.

Elizabeth Prentiss watched as her daughter sang and danced and acted through the play and she was filled with pride. Granted, she had hoped Emily would one day grow out of this need to perform, but seeing her onstage, Elizabeth had to admit her daughter had real talent.

Elizabeth glanced briefly at JJ, admiring once again the young blonde's strength and resolve during the Gina ordeal. Elizabeth had heard from the local sheriff of JJ's actions in apprehending Gina and assuring that the trouble making Italian girl had been securely arrested. Her visit to the sheriff's station was the reason she was late for the play but it was worth it to see Gina sitting in the holding cell.

Elizabeth had accompanied the sheriff back to the school for the play, assuring the cop that Gina was secure enough for the few hours it would take to watch the school play. Reluctantly, the sheriff had left the station and gone to the school, leaving her deputy, Rey Curtis in charge.

Now, Elizabeth was enjoying the school play and so was the sheriff. Elizabeth checked her watch and smiled when she realized it was almost time. She turned back to the play and saw the pep rally scene playing out. She watched as Emily's character led the blond whom she now knew to be Gina's cousin Jo, over to the group of boys for the big reveal.

JJ was smiling during the pep rally scene, she loved seeing Emily acting like this, like Rizzo had in the movie. It was a different side of her and while, logically, JJ knew that Emily was just acting and this wasn't real, she still got a tiny spark of excitement watching Jo get ambushed by Emily and led to Danny for the big reveal that Danny was right there. Watching Jo's face as Trevor played out his part, like he was too cool to care he was hurting her feelings was a fun sight to see.

What wasn't fun was watching the few scenes Emily had with Jim Steele where she had to kiss him. During those scenes, JJ had to remind herself that Emily was just acting and that it wasn't real. It sparked her jealousy a little to see Emily kissing someone else but JJ fought against it, reminding herself it wasn't real and that Emily loved her.

By the time the final song began, with the whole cast harmonizing, JJ was truly enjoying the play and she could tell Emily's mom was too. As the curtain closed and the play ended, JJ turned to Emily's mom with a look of almost dread on her face, "Um…Mrs. Prentiss?"

Elizabeth turned to look at JJ, "Yes?"

JJ took a moment to think about her words before she said, "I take it you heard about Gina?"

Elizabeth just nodded. JJ smiled briefly, "Okay well…Emily made it clear that she wanted an explanation for my…knowledge and involvement with the whole thing. I know she won't have forgotten about that and I was hoping you might be there to help me explain it to her? About our…well for lack of a better word, our plotting together concerning Gina and keeping Emily out of the loop I mean."

Elizabeth smiled, "Of course JJ. I wouldn't have it any other way. There's no reason you should bear the whole load of Emily's wrath over this. Come on, let's find her backstage and we'll all go somewhere quiet to talk it over, okay?"

JJ visibly relaxed and nodded, "Okay. Well, let's go find our star."

Together, Elizabeth and JJ started to head over to the back stage area of the auditorium. Morgan stopped JJ before she got too far and pulled her aside, "JJ, what's going on? Who was that girl you were putting the hurt on earlier?"

JJ smiled at her friend, "I promise to explain what I can later but right now it's a private matter between Emily and me okay?" She saw Morgan was about to object to that so she held up a hand, "Please Derek, just let it go for now and I'll explain later."

Morgan saw the look in JJ's eyes and sighed then nodded, "Okay, but I wanna know what's going on with you and Emily. She's one of us JJ, I just want to make sure everything's alright."

"I know and I promise you everything is fine." JJ reassured him.

"Okay." Morgan turned away and went to rejoin their friends who were standing off to the side, watching their conversation play out without being able to hear the words.

Morgan quietly related what JJ had said and, though they weren't happy about waiting, the reassurance that there wasn't something wrong was enough to convince them to give JJ the time and space she needed to do what she had to do so she could explain what was going on with her and Emily.

After a moment of resistance, Emily agreed to go with JJ and her mom to the room her mom was renting at the local B&B to talk about the situation with Gina. She didn't want to wait but she knew it was something that was better discussed in private.

The short drive to the B&B was made in silence. Emily and her mom rode in JJ's car and, out of respect for her mom, Emily had given up the front seat. Now, she sat in the middle of the back seat and quietly studied both her mom and her girlfriend, trying to figure out what they were going to tell her and just when they had become co-conspirators.

JJ for her part was dealing with the uneasiness in her stomach that always came when she knew she was about to be in trouble or when she was feeling guilty about something and right now, she was feeling major guilt about over her role in the events surrounding the Gina situation. Not exactly the part where she subdues the older girl and got her into the sheriff's custody…no her guilt was mostly over the secrecy she was a part of by not telling Emily that Gina was in town.

Elizabeth was deep in thought, her sharp mind going over every scenario and contingency making sure that her end game would go off without a hitch. Elizabeth was not about to let Gina use her charm to manipulate the courts into letting her off with probation or deportation. No, Gina was going to spend the rest of her Italian jail sentence in an American federal prison where she would have no access to whoever it was that arranged her escape in Italy.

JJ pulled up to the charming Victorian house that was the local B&B and cut the engine. After a moment of silence, the three women left the car and traveled up to Elizabeth's room. As soon as the door was securely closed, Emily turned to face her mother and her girlfriend and said, "Okay, we're here. Will one of you please explain what happened tonight?"

Elizabeth and JJ looked at each other and JJ tilted her head in Emily's direction, a silent indicator that Elizabeth should go first.

Elizabeth took a breath then began, "A little while ago, I got word that Gina had managed to escape from prison. I immediately put my best men on it, wanting to know where the girl was and if she was a threat to you. They discovered that someone had not only helped her escape prison but also helped her to leave the country. Jerome managed to track her to a flight to DC but that's where he lost her again. It wasn't until last week that he was able to find her again here in town. At first, I thought she had found out you were here but then I found out she had family here…"

"Jo Marlowe is Gina's cousin." JJ interjected, seeing the slightly confused look on Emily's faced.

"Yes. Well, I decided that Gina couldn't be trusted to simply get money from her family and move on, especially since in a small town like this it wouldn't be hard to find you. See you on the street or…or in the school play." Elizabeth grinned then, to lighten her words.

Emily just nodded, letting her mother know she understood so far and to continue.

"So I pulled a few strings and had a federal restraining order granted, barring Gina from coming near you and JJ and your friends. I met up with JJ and I told her all of this, and I asked her not to tell you about it yet. She wasn't comfortable keeping it from you but she agreed when I pointed out that knowing Gina was in town might distract you and cause more harm than good. I am sorry that I didn't tell you Emily but I truly thought it was for the best."

Silence settled into the room as Emily processed what she'd just learned. The fact that, if the situation nhad been reversed and it was JJ's ex looking to cause trouble Emily would've done exactly what JJ had done, was not lost on Emily. She knew that because of that, she would forgive her girlfriend.

Emily turned to look at her mother then and saw the genuine regret in her eyes. Her mother truly was sorry she had kept her in the dark about Gina. Emily came to a decision and she nodded, "Okay. Clearly you both thought you were doing the right thing, not telling me about Gina and trying to handle the situation without having to alarm me so I can forgive you both." At the look of relief on both their faces, Emily couldn't help herself and she added, "However, you still should have told me she was in town. I would've been better prepared and more alert when she snuck up behind me and grabbed me. If JJ hadn't shown up when she did, Gina might've succeeded in taking me out of the school and to wherever she had planned to take me." Emily turned to JJ then and smiled "by the way, in case I haven't said it yet, thank you for showing up when you did and saving me from that bitch."

JJ grinned then, sensing she was off the hook with Emily "it was my pleasure." JJ stepped close enough to Emily to place her hands on the older girl's shoulders and she looked into Emily's eyes. "I love you Emily, I always will and I protect what I love."

Emily didn't even care that her mom was still in the room, she saw the love in JJ's eyes and it made her heart swell. She leaned closer and kissed her girlfriend.

JJ, not having the luxury of forgetting or not caring that Emily's mom was still in the room, was surprised at first but then she felt herself melt into Emily's kiss and soon everything and everyone around them vanished for her.

Elizabeth Prentiss watched her daughter kissing her girlfriend for about 2 seconds before she discreetly left the bedroom and slipped into the private bath that was connected to it. She wanted to give them some privacy because she sensed that when they finally did come up for air, poor JJ would be embarrassed at making out in front of her. So Elizabeth let them have their moment, happy that her daughter had found someone like JJ to love.

Emily had spent the night at the B&B with her mother, talking about what would happen to Gina now and also what Emily wanted to happen with JJ after graduation.

Emily had assured her mother that this wasn't a high school romance for her, this was the real thing and if JJ would have her, Emily planned on being with JJ for the rest of her life. Elizabeth fought down her first instinct which was to dismiss Emily's statement, saying she was too young to know such things, but one look into her daughter's eyes told her that Emily meant what she said.

Her daughter was in love, for probably the first time in her life and Elizabeth knew that first love was a powerful thing that would not ever be denied its true path. So she bit her tongue and smiled and assured Emily that, on the off chance things didn't work out with JJ, she would always be there for her.

Mother and daughter had gone to bed that night happy with the way the day had turned out.

JJ had gone home about an hour after their kiss, having stayed to talk and get to know Emily's mom a little better. She left when it was close to her curfew and drove home in silence, not even the sound of music disturbed the stillness inside the car and JJ drove through the small town she called home.

JJ refused to think any more about Gina and that whole situation, knowing she would have to rehash some of it the next day when Morgan and the others grilled her about it when they all gathered at Alex's for a Saturday movie marathon. Instead, her mind wandered back to the week before school had started and her belief that something epic was going to happen this year.

JJ smiled as she realized that the epic thing she had been expecting had already happened and she didn't even realize it. Jennifer Annabelle Jareau had fallen in love for the first time in her life and that, in JJ's book, was about as epic as it was likely to get in a sleepy small town.

AN: Hope it didn't disappoint. Jerome is also all mine. He's the head of Ambassador Prentiss' private security detail. I might add more of him in the next chapter. Onlly one more chapter with the Gina mess then it's back to the high school drama. Hehehe