A/N – once again, thank you everyone who has commented. I really do appreciate the time taken. Equally, thank you to those who might just be reading, again its nice to know that it is being followed.

I've actually managed to write as a moment of inspiration took hold and get as far as chapter 29 (not quite finished), but with a lack of personal time at the moment, I'm still holding back on posting. Partly because nothing beyond the next couple of chapters has been edited, partly because having ploughed through, despite knowing what I want to write next, actually finding the words to put down hasn't been as easy! So I'm holding a few chapters in reserve in case the block holds on a little longer than I would like, and I will at least then have something to post over the next week or so!

As for Athena – we have the small matter of Emily to wake up yet!

Chapter twenty five

JJ looked in the mirror, dull eyes looking back at her. Her hair was now dishevelled and try as she might, she couldn't get it to look any neater. She had dark black rings around the eyes as well, making the sunken state of them stand out even more than it would have done otherwise and no amount of make-up could now cover it, so she had given up trying. She ran a hand shakily through her hair, tying it back in to a ponytail to at least try and get some semblance of tidiness to her appearance. All her movements were now slow and deliberate, as fatigue took a hold, and made everything seem as if she was going through treacle. Although battling internally not to, she couldn't stop hands quivering, legs trembling and eyes scratching every minute she was now awake.

Knowing how fatigued she was, JJ hadn't even driven in after once again spending the night with Henry, but she had taken a taxi instead, armed guard in tow refusing to use his car, wanting to try and keep some control over her life. After another argument with Hotch about it, he had finally relented and allowed her this one concession. Taking a deep breath to steady her thoughts, she then walked out of the rest room and across in to ICU, where Elizabeth was sitting alongside Emily's bed. Hearing JJ arrive, Elizabeth stood up and motioned for JJ to take to seat concern crossing her features at the obvious fatigue JJ was showing.

"They are hoping she'll wake up later."

JJ swallowed back the lump in her throat, surprised by the emotion Elizabeth's news had raised, even though she was expecting to hear it.

"Do they have any idea when?" JJ managed to ask without stumbling over her words.

"They say it could be any time, since she is now no longer being intubated, its just her own body and the pain medication keeping her asleep."

JJ just nodded, as she returned to the vigil that had become her routine in previous days. Elizabeth moved to pick up the bag she had brought in with her to spend the night, before resting her free hand on JJ's shoulder.

"I'm going home, you know how to contact me." The same sentence had been uttered as yesterday, barely registering in JJ's exhausted mind, but somehow she replied. "Yeah, and I'll see you tonight whatever happens." If JJ had looked up at that moment, she would have seen the worry and anxiety that crossed Elizabeth's face as took in JJ's appearance. Her lack of apparent sleep was now becoming such a concern, Elizabeth had even raised it with Garcia, having found out how close their friendship was. Holding back her thoughts, knowing it would just make JJ defensive, Elizabeth made the decision to take her thoughts about the matter to the medical staff tomorrow if nothing had changed.

JJ didn't even turn around to watch Elizabeth stride out of the room, the persona of worried mother gone, full Ambassador mode in place, her focus entirely on Emily as she grasped the hand nearest to her, fingers locking together, the familiarity giving JJ something tangible to mentally hold on to, not just physically.

"So, you should be waking up sometime soon huh?" JJ's voice was soft as she spoke, still surprised by how emotional she felt about this news, and trying not to let that emotion seep out in her voice. It took all her years of training and self control to manage that.

"Henry was asking where you were last night. He misses you." JJ smiled lightly at the memory of Henry's questioning about Emily's whereabouts, turning to a slight frown as she remembered having to try and explain how Emily was hurt and in hospital. How difficult it was for a five year old to comprehend that.

"He wanted to visit to kiss your boo boo better. I managed to get him to agree its better for him to come in once your awake, to understand you wouldn't really know if he had been otherwise, and that you would want to see him as much as he wants to see you." JJ's thumb rubbed a pattern lightly across the back of Emily's hand as she spoke as her other hand gently swept some hair off her forehead, and she jumped when she felt a slight change in pressure on her fingers. Standing up to get a better view of Emily, JJ couldn't see any sign that it had happened.

"Emily, sweetheart, squeeze my hand again." JJ whispered, her voice sounding unsure, but then she was absolutely sure, this time she felt a change in pressure. It was the slightest of touches, barely enough to register, but there nonetheless. Looking at the monitors, even though she didn't really know what she was looking for, JJ couldn't see any changes from them, and for a split second she questioned herself, wondering if her tiredness was causing her to hallucinate.

"Come on, you can do this." JJ leaned in to kiss Emily's forehead and then temple. "Open your eyes." Not once had JJ even thought to push the button to alert the nursing staff, she was so focused on Emily and what was happening.

Noise, some sort of noise. It was the first thing Emily was aware of. Almost as soon as that thought flashed through her mind, she was then aware someone was talking to her. Who? JJ, it's JJ came the next relevant detail. Emily unintentionally moved, and it sent searing pain that seemed to start in her groin and work all the way up to her shoulders.

"Fuck." Without realizing it, the last word heard from Emily in the alleyway was now the first one she had spoken, albeit with a harsh whisper, her mouth and throat dry and irritated by the recently removed tube. To JJ it was the sweetest sound she had heard, apart from Henry crying when she had given birth. The irony that both were signs of life by the two people who had captured her heart not lost on her.

"Emily, sweetheart, open your eyes."

Emily finally made sense of what was being said, and her eyelids fluttered as she tried to comply, desperate to try and work out what was happening. After a couple of attempts, eventually Emily's eyes opened. As they did, everything was foggy, and while she knew it was JJ who was looking down at her, try as she might, she just couldn't focus in properly. It wasn't panic she felt, just extreme disorientation and confusion.

"That's it, come on Emily, open your eyes. Your in hospital and its okay."

Emily realized she had closed her eyes again almost as soon as she'd opened them. She fought the tiredness that was beginning to overwhelm her, and once again she opened her lids sensing the urgency and need in JJ's voice that she complied. This time, she was now able to make out JJ in more detail, although everything else around her was a blur.

"Was it my appendix?" Emily didn't even know what had prompted the raspy sounding question, but her mind was still trying to work out what had happened to her, and because JJ had told her she was in hospital for whatever reason it seemed like a reasonable assumption on her part.

"What? No, Emily you were shot." JJ's voice sounded scared and surprised by the question.

" 'kay." was as much as a reply as Emily could muster before she finally fell back to sleep.

JJ suddenly realized she hadn't called the nurses station, so she pressed the call button, not wanting to walk out to see them because that would mean leaving Emily's side. A few seconds later, Eileen walked in.

"Is everything alright?"

"Emily, she woke up for a second." JJ explained quickly. Eileen moved across to check readings, as well as beginning to take Emily's pulse and monitor other vitals. Without stopping what she was doing, Eileen questioned JJ.

"What happened?"

"She sort of came to, and asked if it was her appendix!" JJ explained, "I told her she was shot, and she mumbled okay before falling back to sleep again."

Eileen stopped what she was doing for a second when she heard the panic in JJ's voice about what had transpired.

"It's okay. Sometimes patients can be so disorientated they say something that makes no sense to us when they first come around. It could well happen again, until Emily is finally awake properly. Some patients can also react to the morphine and say some things that are completely unlike them. She seems stable, all readings are what we would expect. Its likely she'll drift in and out of sleep for a few more hours, before beginning to wake up enough to really be aware of her surroundings and able to form a conversation of any sort with us."

"So, its normal." JJ heaved a sigh of relief.

"Its not common, but not uncommon either." Eileen walked back towards the door deliberately keeping her voice non-judgemental not wanting to upset JJ. "Next time, if you could try and hit the call button straight away, we can do a better evaluation."

"Of course." JJ then felt guilty that she hadn't done it immediately.

"Hey, no harm, no foul." Eileen was quick to reassure as she saw the guilt in JJ's features. I'll leave you to it."

JJ suddenly thought that everyone would want to know, but checking her watch also saw someone from the team would be joining them any time. Still unable to step away from Emily, just in case she woke again, JJ settled down and decided to leave calling until she could leave Emily with someone else. Instead she opened up a pack with a sponge on a stick, which she moistened and used to wipe down Emily's lips to help keep them from cracking, before putting some balm across them with her finger, a task she had taken over when she had seen Eileen doing it the first day and asked if she could help, wanting to feel she was going something constructive and not just sitting around. She then began to wipe down Emily's eyes, also to clean them down to help stop her eyelids getting gummed up. Satisfied with what she had done, JJ disposed of everything in a bag swinging off the side of Emilly's bed for that purpose, before sitting down, fingers locked together again.

"Well, if totally drunk Emily is anything to go by, Emily high on legal drugs could be interesting." JJ said holding back the laugh. "Of course, if it happens when others from the team are here, you do realize you will be ribbed unmercifully by everyone, even if you can't remember any of it."

"She awake yet?" Garcia looked across from the doorway hopefully.

"She came to for a minute, maybe less a short time ago." JJ smiled as she stood up to hug her friend. "You'll be pleased to hear she's a little loopy from all the drugs."

"Oh goodie." Garcia put her bag down on the floor by the chair as she grabbed Emily's available hand. "Future blackmail material!"

"You are incorrigible." JJ laughed out loud for what felt like the first time in an eternity.

"And you look like total crap!" While Garcia's voice was light, her face showed how worried she felt as she stared back at JJ. "How much sleep have you had?"

"A few hours." JJ said trying to avoid eye contact.

"A few hours last night, or is that a combined total from the last few days."

JJ's lack of reply was enough for Garcia, who swung around, keeping a grip on Emily's hand as she did so, to get a better look at JJ.

"You need to sleep."

"I'll sleep when I know Emily is okay." JJ defended herself with little belief in her voice as she spoke, too exhausted to even fight.

"You said that you would take something to help you sleep last night JJ, you promised me." Garcia couldn't keep the hurt she felt out of her voice, and that cut JJ to the core.

"I'm sorry. I fully intended to, but then I just couldn't bring myself to take the damn tablet. All I could think about was what if Emily woke up." JJ ran a hand shakily through her hair, redoing her ponytail as she did so. "Shit." JJ's eyes shot up. "I need to call Elizabeth and Hotch, to let people know she woke up. Can you watch Emily while I do that?"

"Sure." Garcia watched as JJ moved out of the room, shaking her head as the obviously tired figure disappeared from sight.

"Prentiss, if you do one thing when you wake up, its to kick that girlfriend of yours up the ass and make sure she gets some sleep properly, you hear me!" Garcia said forcefully as she sat down. She sprung back up as she saw Emily's eyelids fluttering open again. Unlike JJ, Garcia didn't hesitate to hit the call button and Eileen appeared within seconds, before Emily had managed to open her eyes properly.

"Hey, I'm Eileen, one of your nurses."

Emily looked up at a face she didn't recognize, but she could make out Garcia in the background, hands clasped in front of her chest looking worried but hopeful at the same time.

"Is there anything I can do or you want to ask me?" Eileen's question brought Emily's attention back to the woman looking down at her.

"Pain." Was as much as Emily could muster, trying to lick her lips that had some cracking on them, despite JJ's efforts to help, and not even managing to do that.

"I'll adjust your medication then." Eileen smiled warmly. "Here are some ice chips" Eileen had brought a cup of ice in with her, and Emily felt the cold against her lips, and she opened her mouth gratefully to take what was on offer. Pleased to see Emily respond, Eileen put the cup with the ice in down before bringing a cup with a straw up to Emily's lips. "You can have a sip of water if you're up to it."

Emily managed to clamp the straw between her teeth, suddenly recognizing how dry her mouth and throat felt even with the ice having melted, but the effort to suck, combined with the pain it induced only allowed her a small mouthful before she had to give up. Within seconds, sleep claimed her again and while she saw the nurses lips moving, she had no idea what was said, but she did know that she felt safe, and her last vision was Garcia leaning forward. It felt right, and although she felt sad that JJ wasn't there, she knew in that moment she was going to be okay.