A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I've been MIA lately. I've been working on some original fiction, but I am back to fanfiction and still have plans to finish everything I've started. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me and continues to read! I appreciate all the loyalty and reviews!

JJ tapped anxiously on the table in the break room as she waited for news. The team had been gone a little over an hour and she hadn't heard anything from anyone. She had expected at least some kind of update text from Emily, but all she'd gotten was radio silence.

"Hey." A pretty redheaded police officer came into the break room and poured herself a cup of coffee. JJ tried not to gag when the strong smell hit her. She hated the fact that she was suddenly disgusted by something she had always loved. "Agent Jareau, right?"

"Yeah. Jennifer. Or just JJ." She noticed the name on the woman's uniform was Murphy.

The officer saw her looking and reached out a hand to shake. "Lauren."

JJ took her hand. "I knew a Lauren once."

Lauren laughed. "Old girlfriend?"

"What? Why would you think that?"

"You got this dreamy look in your eyes when you said it. Like you were remembering something really good." Lauren shrugged. "Want some coffee?"

JJ tried not to make a face, but failed. "No thanks."

"You don't like coffee?" Lauren laughed, pulling out a chair and sitting close to JJ. "How do you do a job like this without it?"

"No, it's not that." JJ shook her head. "I used to drink it all day, every day, but now I'm pregnant so I have this sudden aversion." She had no idea why she'd just announced her pregnancy to a complete stranger she'd never even see again after today, but it wasn't like it mattered. Her family knew, the team knew, and she was already on restricted duty. No reason she shouldn't share.

"Oh, so that's why your team left you behind," Lauren grinned. "I had twins last year. I know how you feel."

"Twins? Seriously?" JJ was shocked. "How do you do it? Have kids and then come back to a job like this?"

"I'm not going to lie to you. It hasn't been easy." Lauren gave JJ's forearm a quick squeeze. "But I have so much support. My husband took some time off when I came back to work to help with the adjustment, my parents are really involved, my sister and brother-in-law are always quick to step in. My partner has been amazing. I was pretty terrified to tell a 45-year-old veteran cop that I was choosing to be a mom and stay on the force, but he has been so great. His wife takes food over to my husband when he and I are working late nights. Their daughter is my babysitter." Lauren took a sip of her coffee. "Do you have good people around you?"

JJ nodded. "I do. I'm not with the father, but he wants to be involved. My parents are judging me, but want to be helpful. My coworkers are a dream, though. They're like my family and they've been so supportive so far, especially..." JJ stopped talking when she noticed Lauren suddenly looking very alert. "What is it?" She turned to look out into the bullpen, the same direction Lauren was.

"Something's happening," Lauren said quietly. The officers in the bullpen were racing around, almost frantically. "I'm going to go find out. I'll come back, though."

"I'm coming." JJ jumped up to follow her. Lauren gave her an odd look. "I can't just stay here."

Lauren nodded. "I get it."

"Murphy!" a uniformed officer yelled at Lauren the minute they entered the bullpen. "Get ready. We need you!"

"What's going on?" Lauren called back.

"Halperin was ready for us. He had friends. And an arsenal. The situation hasn't been contained. At least three of our people have been shot. We don't know their conditions."

Lauren didn't object when JJ wanted to go with her. If a member of her team had been hurt or killed, she had every right to be there, to know what was going on. She turned on the lights in her police SUV and sped to the crime scene. Neither woman spoke, both too nervous about what they would find.

JJ was out of the SUV before Lauren even put it in park. She ran toward the front of the building where a bunch of officers stood. There was no sign of anyone from the BAU. Lauren came behind her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"What do we know?" Lauren asked her fellow officers.

"Got all three gunmen in custody now, but things got messy. They shot Roy and Inwood. And a fed. They were all wearing vests, but we don't have any updates on their conditions," an officer said.

"Did– did you say a fed?" JJ choked out the words.

"Yeah," the officer nodded. "From that unit in town from DC. I think the whole team went to the hospital."

JJ felt like she might faint. The world spun around her, but Lauren put an arm around her waist to steady her. "Come on," she said softly to JJ. "I'll drive you."

Anxiety tore at JJ the entire ride to the hospital and Lauren had to hold on to her as they walked in to keep her from running. Lauren spoke to the woman at the administration desk and they were led to a waiting area filled with police officers in uniform. JJ scanned the room for her team, her eyes finally resting on them standing huddled in a corner.

Aaron Hotchner. Spencer Reid. Derek Morgan. David Rossi.

"Emily." The name slipped from her lips in quiet anguish. Where was she? This couldn't be happening.

Derek saw JJ then and rushed over. He pulled her to him and didn't let go. "She's okay, JJ," he said into her hair.

"She was shot?" JJ asked, trying to keep her composure.

"In the vest." Derek let her go, but kept her steady with his hands on her shoulders. "They're checking her out to make sure, but she was awake and talking to us. Asking for you."

"I need to see her," JJ demanded.

"Someone should be out soon to let us know something. You'll be the first to see her," Derek assured her.

The other guys reached her then and each gave her a hug before taking seats. Lauren convinced JJ to sit down next to her and offered to stay as long as she could. JJ felt such a bond with the officer already and took her up on it. Reid sat on the other side of her and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You love her," Lauren said about twenty minutes later when Spence got up to go get coffee.

"I do," JJ murmured.

"Do they know?" Lauren spoke low, so as to be discrete.

"Most of them do now."

"And I assume she loves you?"

"Yeah." JJ nodded. "I'm pretty sure she does."

"Then make sure you take care of yourself through all this. She's going to need you and you should be there, of course. But you're going through a lot too and you can't be all you need to be for her if you neglect yourself. Okay?"

JJ nodded again. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve such a kind stranger taking care of her, but she appreciated it. And she knew Lauren was right. She watched as Lauren pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"What's your number?"

JJ told her and Lauren put it into her phone. Then she felt her own phone buzz with a text.

"Now you have mine. If you need anything at all, text me or call me. Anytime." Lauren squeezed JJ's forearm.

"I will." JJ felt emotional tears come to her eyes and she tried to blink them away. "Thank you so much for all of this. I was feeling pretty lost before you made the time to talk to me. And then you got me here... I don't know how I can repay you."

"The sooner you start to realize people can be there for you without you owing anything, the better." Lauren winked. "So some advice when it comes to your girl, appreciate the hell out of her, but let her be there for you in every way she wants to be."

"Damn," JJ laughed. "You should be a profiler."

"Maybe one day. Put in a good word?"

"Of course," JJ agreed.

Lauren got a call from her partner then and had to go. JJ was sad to see her leave, especially knowing they'd likely never see each other again. At least she had Lauren's number.

A nurse came over to them eventually and told JJ she could see Emily. JJ followed her to a curtained off area in the emergency room. Emily sat on a bed behind the curtain, looking pretty much like her usual self, but in a hospital gown.

"Hi, baby." Emily shot her a nervous smile and beckoned for her to come over.

JJ fell into her arms, jerking back when Emily winced. "You're in pain," JJ said accusingly, sitting on the edge of the bed at a distance.

Emily shrugged. "I got shot."

"I hate you!" JJ said through tears.

"I love you," Emily answered, taking JJ's trembling hand.

"Then why did you go and get yourself shot?" JJ was upset, but the love in Emily's eyes made her smile.

"It's the job, baby girl." Emily squeezed her hand.

"You have to quit." JJ wasn't serious, but she wished she could be.

"If I have to quit, you have to quit," Emily laughed.

"Fine." JJ moved closer and kissed Emily lightly on the lips. "The guys told me you're okay, but you're still in a hospital bed. What's going on?"

"I've had a lot of pain and there's bruising on my ribs," Emily admitted. "They've been doing scans to make sure there's nothing more serious internally. The results should be back any minute now."

The rest of the team came in then, satisfied JJ had enough time alone with Emily. The doctor finally came with the results of her scans and said there was no internal bleeding, but Emily did have two cracked ribs from the impact. She would be on restricted duty for up to six weeks, depending on how she healed. The doctor told her to ice the area a few times a day and prescribed her something for pain.

The whole team stayed by Emily's side until the moment she signed her discharge papers, so JJ kept her distance. She didn't want Hotch to know anything was different between her and Emily. But she did know a few things.

Emily loved her. She hadn't said the exact words "I'm in love with you" yet, but JJ was starting to believe they could be true.

And they needed to tell Garcia.