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CHAPTER
26
JJ smiled as she stood at the vanity in Emily's bathroom, not even seeing her reflection in the mirror in front of her as she added the finishing touches to her makeup for their dinner with the Ambassador. The events from the night before kept replaying in her mind, the adorable blush that tinted Emily's cheeks as Charlie was sharing some of their childhood exploits, the feeling of the brunette's arms around her as they danced, the unfettered look of devotion that had filled those beautiful brown eyes while they made love. It had been a magical evening, one that had only grown more powerfully intimate once they'd ended up in bed after finishing off the chocolate treats Emily had bought and sharing some champagne. She was so lost in her thoughts, in fact, that she failed to notice when Emily came to stand in the doorway to watch her.
"What's that smile for, beautiful?" Emily asked.
JJ blushed as she cut her eyes over to Emily's reflection in the mirror as she slid the mascara wand she'd been using back into its bottle. "I was just thinking about last night," she said as she ran a quick brush through her hair, smoothing errant strands that the hairdryer had blown askew.
Emily nodded. "So, how'd I do? Was it a good first date?" she asked, genuinely curious as to the blonde's thoughts of the evening.
JJ laughed. "It was okay, I guess. Good enough that I'll let you try again."
Emily grinned in response to the playful sparkle in JJ's bright blue eyes and pushed herself off of the doorframe. "Oh, really? You'll let me try again, huh?" she teased as she moved in behind the smaller woman and wrapped her arms around her waist.
JJ giggled. "Well, you know…"
"No, I don't," Emily replied softly, enjoying their banter as she used her right hand to lift JJ's hair out of the way so she could drop a line of kisses up the length of the blonde's throat. "Why don't you tell me which part I need to work on?" she breathed against JJ's ear.
JJ moaned and leaned back into Emily, turning her head to the side and offering more of herself to be devoured. "Nothing," she breathed, relenting in the face of her increasing arousal. "It was perfect."
"You are perfect," Emily murmured as she brushed her lips over the line of JJ's jaw. "Thank you for letting me take you out."
JJ laughed throatily. "Babe, believe me, the pleasure was all mine. Thank you for asking."
"Anytime, Jennifer. As often as you'll let me," Emily swore softly, her absolute sincerity ringing in her words.
"Mmm," JJ hummed, spinning around in Emily's arms so she could kiss the brunette tenderly. "So, how long do we have until we need to leave?" she asked as she draped her arms over Emily's shoulders.
Emily shrugged. "We have time still. When the Ambassador is in the city, she stays at the house in Georgetown. She likes to be close to the action, it makes her feel more involved with the comings and goings of the diplomatic world."
JJ hiked a brow, obviously impressed. "And where does she stay when she's not in town?"
Emily smiled. "Well, there's whatever ostentatious mansion assigned to the Ambassador in whatever post she's stationed, of course."
"Of course," JJ echoed.
"But if she's not here or there, she's usually at the house in Boston. Or the Vineyard," she added, almost as an afterthought.
JJ shook her head. "Must be nice," she murmured.
Emily shrugged. "It has its perks. The house in the Vineyard, for example, is one of my favorite places to visit during the summer. If we can swing a few days off once it gets warm, I'd love to take you up there."
"I'd like that," JJ whispered. "But, first I have to pass the Ambassador's inspection. So," she said, taking a regretful step away from Emily as she held her arms out to the side, "how do I look?"
Emily smiled, holding JJ's gaze captive as she answered, "Breathtaking."
"You didn't even look."
"I ogled you for quite a while before you noticed me," Emily replied. "Trust me, Jareau. You. Are. Stunning."
"I'm wearing jeans and a sweater."
"It doesn't matter," Emily retorted as she leaned in and kissed her softly.
JJ rolled her eyes. "Fine, but will your mother approve?"
Emily grinned. "Are you done in here?"
"Yes."
"Then let's go see her and find out." Emily reached out and gave JJ's hand a playful tug, stopping when she felt JJ tug back against her hand and refusing to move. "What's up?"
"Seriously, Em. Is this okay?"
Emily sighed and nodded. "You're perfect. Trust me. I'm just wearing jeans and a sweater, aren't I?"
"I guess," JJ hedged, turning back to the mirror and giving herself one last look. Her hair was good, makeup done, her clothes were clean, it was as good as it was going to get. "Okay. Let's go."
+++/+++\+++
JJ swallowed nervously as Emily pulled to a stop in the brick driveway of a sprawling Tudor mansion tucked in off Garfield Street in the middle of residential Georgetown. The façade was impeccable, the beams across the exterior painted a deep, rich brown which contrasted beautifully with the light cream of the rest of the upper half of the exterior and complemented the weathered brick that went from ground level to about where she imagined the ceiling of the first floor. The wood shingle roof was equally beautiful, which she found interesting because she had never before looked at a house's roof as having any character, but the variegated color of the shingles, from nearly white to rich and dark, gave an added dimension and character to the already magnificent house.
"You grew up here?" JJ asked, not looking at Emily as she let her eyes travel from the house itself to the immaculately landscaped grounds surrounding it.
Emily, who had been watching JJ's reaction to the house intently, nodded. "Yes. Well, when we were in DC, anyways."
"It's beautiful," JJ murmured.
Emily smiled. "You want to see the inside, or would you prefer to sit in the car all evening? I'm sure we probably have about an hour or so before the Ambassador looks out that bay window there and notices us. You wanna make out?"
JJ laughed and turned to look at Emily who was relaxed in her seat and wearing an impish grin. "While that does sound fun, I would prefer to not be found necking in your car by your mother."
"I was thinking more along the lines of tonsil hockey with generous amounts of groping, but necking works too," Emily quipped.
"Put it back in your pants, Prentiss." JJ shook her head. "And, thank you."
Emily smiled and reached out to run a soft finger down the line of JJ's jaw and across her lips. "You're welcome. Are you feeling more relaxed about all this now?"
"A little. How did you know?"
Emily shrugged. "I know you. When you get nervous about something you suck the corner of your lower lip into your mouth and kind of worry at it."
"Damn profilers," JJ grumbled playfully.
"You love it," Emily challenged.
JJ smiled and leaned across the center console, reaching out with her right hand to pull Emily to her. Thin fingers threaded themselves into soft, dark silk as she whispered, "I love you," before sealing it with a kiss that was neither chaste nor overly passionate, but just right to convey the sincerity of the emotions behind her words.
Emily smiled as she pulled back from the kiss, nuzzling JJ's cheek with her nose as she rested her forehead against the blonde's. "I love you. And, um…"
"What?"
"My mother's standing on the front porch watching us."
"Goddammit!" JJ grumbled, unable to keep from smiling as she realized that the Ambassador did, in fact, catch them kissing in the car like a couple of teenagers.
"If it's any consolation," Emily chuckled. "At least she's not wearing her I'm so disappointed in you scowl." Because this is so not being discreet, she couldn't help thinking.
"Is it too late to just go home?"
"Yup, she's seen us," Emily said as she cracked open her door. "Here we go," she muttered under her breath as she climbed out of the car. She gave her mother a small wave of greeting as she quickly rounded the front of the SUV to get JJ's door for her.
"Thank you," JJ murmured as she climbed out of the car.
"My pleasure," Emily answered softly, purposefully reaching down to take JJ's hand in her own. "You'll be fine, sweetheart."
JJ took a deep breath in through her nose and held it for a moment before letting it out slowly. "I love you."
"I love you too, Jennifer," Emily murmured as they neared the brick porch occupied by the Ambassador.
Elizabeth Prentiss smiled as she watched her daughter and JJ approach. She could tell that the young blonde was nervous and, truth be told, she liked that. Nervousness told her that this wasn't just a fling – that she really was interested in Emily and was genuinely concerned about making a good impression. "Emily, dear, thank you for coming. That is quite a bruise you have," she noted, reaching out and turning her daughter's face to the side for a better look. She had only heard of the injury over the phone after Emily had already returned home to Quantico a week ago and, as she'd been unable to visit Emily in person before now due to her daughter's schedule and her own meetings regarding her upcoming move to London, this was her first chance to actually see the damage done first-hand.
Emily smiled and pulled away from her mother's touch. "It was a lot more impressive last week."
"I'm sure it was," Elizabeth replied. "Do you think you should make an appointment with Doctor Greenup to have him take a look at it?"
Emily shook her head. "No, mother. I don't need to see a plastic surgeon for it. The doctors at the hospital where I was treated after the incident did a good job, there shouldn't be a scar."
The Ambassador didn't look convinced, but let the matter drop. She had long since given up arguing with Emily when it came to doctors and instead turned her attention to her daughter's new beau. "Forgive me Agent Jareau, I was distracted by Emily's injury. It's nice to see you again," she said, tipping her head in greeting even as she held her hand out toward the blonde.
"JJ is fine, ma'am," JJ replied formally as she shook the older Prentiss' hand. "And that's more than understandable. Thank you for having me."
"Mother," Emily said softly, stepping closer to JJ and placing a hand on the small of the younger woman's back.
Elizabeth smirked at her daughter's actions, quietly pleased at the diplomatic way Emily was making her feelings known. The tilt of Emily's head, the tone of her voice, the protective touch she was showing all told her that her daughter cared very much for the blonde's well-being. "JJ it is. Please, call me Elizabeth. This one is certainly in her over-protective mode, isn't she?" she drawled, hooking a thumb in Emily's direction as she turned her attention back onto her daughter.
JJ felt the way Emily tensed at her mother's comment and leaned back into the hand at her back, silently letting the brunette know that she both recognized her annoyance and appreciated her protection. She didn't think it that protection was entirely necessary at this point, but she did like knowing that Emily was looking out for her.
Unbeknownst to both women, Elizabeth had, quite astutely, picked up on their silent conversation and it only served to further support her earlier conclusion. JJ was, indeed, good for her daughter. "Why don't you two come inside where it's a little warmer," she said as she turned and opened the front door. "Gerald is finishing up the dinner preparations now," she shared as they all filed into the foyer. "I thought we might have a glass of wine and catch up beforehand?"
"That would be fine, mother," Emily answered.
"JJ," Elizabeth addressed the blonde directly, "is there any particular wine you prefer?"
JJ nodded. "I generally prefer a glass of red."
"Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel, Syrah?" the Ambassador offered genially.
"A glass of Cabernet sounds lovely; thank you, ma'am."
"It's Elizabeth," the Ambassador corrected her warmly. "Now. Why don't you two hang up your coats and I'll go into the parlor and pour us some wine."
Emily nodded her understanding and waited until her mother had disappeared down the hall before she turned toward JJ with a smile. "She likes you."
JJ frowned. "How can you tell?" she asked as she took off her coat and handed it to Emily who was waiting with a hanger.
"She told you to call her Elizabeth," Emily explained as she hung JJ's jacket up in the closet before doing the same with her own.
"Well, I guess I should be happy she didn't say anything about us kissing in her driveway, huh?" JJ said softly, not sure of the acoustics of the house and not wanting her voice to carry.
Emily nodded. "That was another positive development, yes," she agreed. She closed the door to the closet and turned to JJ, reaching out to pull the blonde into a light embrace. "You okay?"
JJ smiled and buried her face in the crook of Emily's neck. "I am," she answered softly as she relaxed into her.
"Good," Emily murmured, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the blonde's brow before pulling back with a sigh. "Come on, my love. Let's get going before the Ambassador comes out here and finds us kissing in her foyer."
JJ laughed and nodded as she reached for Emily's hand. "Lead the way."
Emily lifted their joined hands to her mouth and brushed her lips across JJ's knuckles as they started down the hall. To fill the silence between them she started playing amateur tour guide, pointing out the different rooms and watching JJ's face as the blonde took it all in.
"And, here's the parlor," Emily said as she steered them into the brightly lit space. The room faced south so, even with the late hour, what sun there was left in the sky still streamed through the bank of windows that lined the far wall and overlooked the backyard. She nodded at her mother who was at the small bar tucked into the back of the space pouring three generous glasses of wine as she smoothly directed JJ toward the couch that faced the windows.
JJ allowed Emily to guide her over to one of the large, cream-colored sofas and, as she sat down, she allowed herself a cursory sweep of the room. The white wainscoting along the bottom portion of the walls contrasted perfectly with the warm butter tone of the upper portion, and the dark maroon rug that centered the space served well to anchor the room nicely. It was warm and welcoming, and she found herself instantly relaxing.
Emily watched her mother approach as she sat beside JJ, close enough to provide indirect support without sitting close enough that they were actually touching.
"Here you go JJ," Elizabeth said as she handed the blonde a glass. "It's a 2005 Shafer Cabernet, from California."
JJ nodded as she reached for the glass, thinking that it was somewhat amusing that the Ambassador felt it necessary to share the vintage with her. "Thank you."
"My pleasure," Elizabeth replied. "Emily, here you are, dear."
"Thank you, mother," Emily said as she took her glass, obediently lifting it toward the light and giving the liquid a swirl to appraise the color. She was familiar with the winery, and knew that they were reputed to produce an excellent wine, though it wasn't one she would buy for herself because she thought the price of $250 per bottle was more than a little ridiculous.
JJ, who knew better than to pretend the level of familiarity with wine that Emily was displaying, instead opted to just take a sip of the rich, burgundy liquid. "Oh my," she murmured after her first taste. "This is amazing."
Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "It is one of my favorites, I'm glad you like it."
"Very nice, mother," Emily noted. "Strong blackberry and licorice tones-" she took another sip "-and is that a hint of cassis?"
"That summer in France served you well." Elizabeth nodded. "Very good, dear."
Emily smirked at the verbal pat on the head and nodded as she lifted her glass in a silent toast. Her mother might be pushing the majority of her buttons, but she knew just how to hide it. "So, London again, I hear. Are you excited to go back?"
JJ relaxed back into the couch and crossed her legs, fingering the stem of her glass as she listened to Emily and her mother compare notes on Great Britain – which restaurants they enjoyed, small memories of events that had occurred while they had lived there. She liked learning more about Emily's childhood, and the Ambassador did make an effort to include her in the conversation as much as possible, but she would have enjoyed herself more if Emily had been behaving more as her Emily instead of the perfectly polite daughter of an Ambassador. Even so, the time passed quickly and it wasn't long before a small, gray-haired woman politely interrupted their conversation to inform them all that dinner was ready.
Elizabeth smiled as she led the way into the dining room. "JJ, darling, I hope we didn't bore you."
"Not at all." JJ assured the Ambassador. "London is on my list of places that I'd like to go someday, so I found the entire conversation quite interesting."
"You've never been to London?" Emily asked as she pulled a chair out for JJ, stoically refusing to react to her mother's knowing little smirk as she helped push the chair back in.
JJ shrugged and turned to look at Emily. "I've never been to Europe."
"Well, you'll have to have Emily take you then," Elizabeth drawled as she settled in at the head of the table. "Oh, Emily, dear, could you have Marie bring in the bottle of wine that I left open on the bar in the parlor? And perhaps another one?" she asked sweetly, knowing full well that there was no way Emily would ever ask Marie to do anything for her that she could do for herself.
Emily shook her head. "I'll just go get it, mother. You left the open bottle on the bar; where do you keep the others – in the kitchen, or the basement?"
"That would be lovely, dear. They're in the kitchen." The Ambassador nodded her thanks and waited until her daughter was out of the room before she turned her attention to the lovely blonde with whom she had so far been impressed. "So, JJ, how long have you been dating my daughter?"
JJ sat up straighter in her chair, pushing her shoulders back and assuming the same rigid posture Emily had been showing all evening. "We've been dating for a little more than a week," she answered, holding the Ambassador's eye confidently. And so the grilling begins.
Elizabeth smiled and purposefully eased her body into a relaxed posture that was the exact opposite of the younger woman's, silently giving off the message that she was the one in control of the conversation. "Have you two known each other since she joined the Behavioral Analysis Unit?"
JJ recognized the Ambassador's ploy for what it was and had to give the older woman credit for the maneuver even though she recognized it for what it was – a warning. "Yes ma'am. I was actually the agent assigned to walk her through some of the team's protocol and procedures."
"And you two are serious," the Ambassador presumed, lifting her wine glass off the table and swirling the liquid around inside the glass languidly. "I'm assuming things between you are serious if she's already bringing you to meet me." She's never brought anyone home to meet me before now, so you must be very special indeed, Ms. Jareau.
JJ smiled politely. "I won't answer for Emily, ma'am, that's her place, but I can tell you that I myself am very serious. I had been in love with your daughter for quite a while before we ever happened, and I have no intention of doing anything to hurt her. When I look at Emily I see my future, and I will do everything in my power to see that she is happy and feels loved."
Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully as she tried to come up with a polite response to the blonde's opening gambit. She would never say so, but the guts JJ showed in answering her directly instead of cowering before her went a long way toward earning her full approval. "Does that future include marriage? I know Washington DC, for example, recognizes same-sex marriages as being legal."
JJ bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling at Elizabeth's question, knowing that the Ambassador had thrown it out there to see if it would knock her off her game. Emily really wasn't kidding the other day when she said I should treat her mother as if she were a reporter. "I would like to be married someday, yes."
"To Emily?" The Ambassador clarified.
JJ fought the urge to roll her eyes as she answered, "Yes."
Elizabeth pursed her lips as she studied JJ carefully. "Do you want children?"
JJ nodded. "I would very much like to have children someday."
"You do realize that Emily comes from money, that there are certain… responsibilities she must adhere to due to my position in government."
Yes, we all know that you're an Ambassador, JJ thought sardonically even as she relaxed her posture, using that nonverbal cue to tell the Ambassador that she was not going to be scared off, and offered Elizabeth her sweetest smile. "I do. And while I understand and respect those responsibilities, I will not hide my love for her, ma'am."
Realizing that the blonde was not going to be rattled when it came to questions about her and Emily's relationship, the Ambassador changed tactics. It was, after all, her motherly duty to grill any of her daughter's potential suitors and, as she'd never had the chance to do so before, she found herself rather enjoying it. "What is it that your parents do, Agent Jareau?"
"My father is a teacher at East Allegheny High School and my mother is a homemaker," JJ stated in a proud, matter-of-fact tone.
"Teaching is a noble profession." The Ambassador nodded. "Certainly one that is underappreciated and extremely underpaid, in my opinion. You do know that Emily has several rather large trust funds?"
JJ shrugged and opted to not point out that being a homemaker is an equally underappreciated job. "I assumed as much, but I didn't know for sure until you just told me. It's not something I worry about."
The Ambassador cast a dubious eye at the young blonde. "You don't worry about money?"
"No ma'am." JJ shook her head and reached for her glass, which still had a sip of wine left in the bottom. "I have a good job that I love to do, and have always handled my money wisely. I don't need Emily's money, ma'am; I just need Emily," she said, holding the Ambassador's eye as she lifted her glass to her lips. It looked to her, for a moment, as if Emily's mother was going to say something more, she was willing to bet it would have been something about a pre-nup, but the profiler reappeared in the doorway holding two bottles of wine.
"Here we are," Emily announced as she set the uncorked bottles onto the table between them all. "Marie is going to be bringing the salads out in a moment."
"Excellent," Elizabeth replied as she sat up straighter in her chair.
Emily nodded absently as she sat down in her chair beside JJ. Ignoring her mother's look, she placed her hand on the blonde's thigh as she leaned in and whispered against her ear, "I'm sorry, Jen. I shouldn't have left you alone. Are you okay?"
JJ nodded and smiled as she turned to look Emily in the eye, knowing that the brunette would need that visual proof that she really was okay. "I'm fine," she answered simply, her tone light, as if she and the Ambassador had been discussing topics no more interesting than the weather.
Emily could see that JJ really was okay; the blonde's posture was relaxed and she had that twinkle in her eye that she always got whenever she went toe-to-toe with a particularly vicious reporter and won, which told her that whatever had happened in her absence had been handled. She nodded slowly, giving JJ a look that told the blonde that she would like to know the specifics of what had happened once they were alone again, as she whispered, "Good."
"And here we are ma'am," Marie, the housekeeper and Gerald's wife, called out as she entered the room with three plates balanced expertly in her hands. "Spinach salad with mushrooms and red onion in a warm bacon dressing."
Emily smiled warmly at the older woman. "Thank you, Marie. It looks wonderful."
"Yes, thank you," JJ echoed Emily's sentiment.
Marie smiled at them both and bobbed her head in thanks as she set a plate down in front of Elizabeth before she backed slowly out of the room, well aware of the Ambassador's belief that servants should be seen and not heard. Emily watched the matronly woman go before she turned her attention back onto her mother. "We saw Charlie Stone last night," she said as she stabbed at the spinach leaves on her plate.
"How is Charles doing?" Elizabeth asked politely as she, too, began picking at her food.
"Good. His vineyard is really starting to take off. You should really have your assistant order some bottles for you to try. He's done some amazing things with his Pinot. Very unique flavor blends. JJ really liked his Cabernet, as well."
"I'll get Jonathan to make a call then," Elizabeth murmured. "Is he still writing?"
"Yes," Emily answered simply.
"Have you read his books?" JJ asked Emily's mother, intent on showing both Prentiss women that she had not been scared off by her time alone with the Ambassador. "They are quite good."
"I haven't," Elizabeth confessed. "Perhaps I should look to pick up one to read on the flight to London."
The rest of the dinner passed in an excruciatingly polite hum of conversation that was entirely superficial and, after both JJ and Emily begged off dessert, it was thankfully over. Fake smiles were shared over more meaningless chatter as the couple slipped back into their coats and it was with a quick handshake for JJ and a painfully distant embrace for Emily, that they were off, both happy to have the evening behind them.
"I'm sorry," Emily apologized as they pulled out of the drive under the Ambassador's watchful eye.
JJ shot the brunette a look of confusion. "Why?"
"For leaving you alone with my mother," Emily explained. "I'd promised I wouldn't leave your side."
JJ shook her head and reached out to take Emily's hand in her own. "It wasn't that bad."
Emily sucked her lips between her teeth and stared hard out the windshield at the night-darkened street. Honestly, she didn't know why her mother's polite distance bothered her so much more tonight than any other night she had subjected herself to her mother's audience. "But it wasn't good, either."
"Emily," JJ sighed. "Sweetie, it was fine. I was honestly expecting much worse."
"What did she say to you when I left to fetch the wine?"
"Nothing that I wasn't anticipating," JJ answered, softly running her thumb over the back of Emily's hand. "She asked if I was looking to marry you, and if I wanted children. I said 'yes' to both those lines of questioning, by the way," she teased, hoping to ease some of the brunette's obvious concern.
Which it did. Emily chuckled and lifted their joined hands to her lips to press a soft kiss to the back of JJ's hand. "I say 'yes' too," she said softly. "But there's more, isn't there? You had that look in your eye that you get after a particularly tough press conference, so I know there was more. If she insulted you…"
"Em," JJ interrupted. "Put the brakes on your imagination there, honey. She was just wanting to make sure that I wasn't after your money."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Right. Because nobody would ever want to be with me for me."
"Hey, hey, hey! I never said that," JJ argued gently, more than a little surprised at the way her lover was reacting to the evening. "Emily, sweetie, you know that's not true."
"Yeah," Emily sighed as she pulled to a stop at a red light. "Sometimes I think she feels that way though. I never could measure up to what she wanted me to be."
JJ took advantage of the pause in traffic and reached out with her free hand to physically turn Emily's face so that the brunette was looking at her. "Who you are is everything I need. I love you because you're you. I don't need your money; I just need you, Em," she whispered, her eyes focused on Emily's. "And I told her that too. If it makes her happy when the time comes, I'll sign-"
"No," Emily interrupted her, knowing that one of the next words to come out of the blonde's mouth was going to be 'pre-nup'. "No. I will never ask you to do that. I don't want you to do that. I know you aren't just with me because I have a couple of trust funds, Jen, I do. I'm sorry. It's just… she just knows how to get to me still."
JJ noticed out of the corner of her eye that the light had changed and she sat back in her seat so Emily could continue driving. She sighed and shook her head. A moving vehicle was not the place for this conversation, but she could tell that Emily needed it. "Emily, you are an amazing woman. You're smart, funny, ridiculously sexy with your off-center belt and Kevlar vest-" she smiled "-and anybody, anybody would be blessed to have your love. Please know that I don't take it lightly or for granted. I love you, Emily Prentiss. For so many reasons, I love you. So don't let her take that away from us. Don't let her take that away from you, or from me. Because I do feel blessed to know that I'm the one in your heart, and I promise you I will do everything in my power to show you every day exactly how much I love, honor, and cherish you."
"I love you so much Jennifer," Emily whispered as the tears that had built in her eyes at JJ's words spilled over.
JJ smiled and reached across the space separating them to run a loving thumb over Emily's cheek, brushing her tears away. "I know, sweetheart. I love you too."
Emily smiled weakly and squeezed JJ's hand that was still wrapped around her own. By the time she'd pulled into JJ's driveway, her cheeks had long since dried and her heart was warmed by the comforting presence of the woman beside her. She cast a shy, thankful smile at JJ as she unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for her door. "Let me walk you up."
JJ shook her head. "You're coming inside with me."
Emily smiled. "I am?"
"You are." JJ nodded. "I am going to take you to bed, Emily Prentiss, and show you exactly how much I love you."
"I didn't bring any clothes for work tomorrow."
"You can borrow something of mine if you need to," JJ stated, both her voice and her gaze serious.
Emily looked down for a moment before looking up to meet JJ's eyes. "I have my go-bag in the back, if I could maybe borrow a shirt?"
JJ smiled warmly. "Of course."
Emily licked her lips and nodded as she climbed out of the car and she heard JJ do the same. They met up at the back of her SUV where they both retrieved their bags and Emily smiled at the soft hand that JJ rested on the small of her back as she closed the hatch.
"Come on," JJ murmured, pushing lightly against Emily's back as the brunette used the keyless remote to lock the car. "Let's go inside."