A/N: So, if you couldn't already tell, this story will be a bit of a slow burn, but trust me, every chapter will still be packed full of all that good Jemily content {that we won't get to see more of now that the show has ended! :(( }

Let me know what you think so far!

"So how's new girl doing?"

The media liaison had been minding her own business, getting dressed and putting the final touch on her makeup that morning when Garcia had started blowing up her phone with texts and scattered phone calls. Expecting an update on their current case, JJ had answered the call frantically, only to be met with an excited greeting from her best friend.

"I don't know, Pen," JJ frowned as she slipped one heel on, grabbing the door handle for balance. "I mean, she's only been with us for all of two days so far. She seems nice enough. Kind of keeps to herself, though."

"Well her background checks out," Penelope informed JJ. "And by that, I mean the extra-special-Penelope-Garcia background check. No criminal record, not even a speeding ticket, and her mom's a career politician, so that explains the squeaky-clean upbringing."

JJ rolled her eyes slightly. She didn't quite believe that the new mysterious agent was exactly 'squeaky-clean', but then again, people can surprise you. "You know Garcia, most people prefer to tell you things about themselves when they feel ready to share."

"This is the BAU sweetheart. You may not be a profiler, but the rest of your boys are," Garcia pointed out. "I'm sure one of them would love to figure her out."

JJ winced at the husky words coming from the sarcastic blonde. "Yes Pen, I'm sure they would. But if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go find 'new girl' and walk over to the station with her."

"JJ, are you trying to figure her out?" Penelope cooed, her eyes widening as she tried to picture her best friend with the dark-haired agent.

"Hey- stop," JJ said firmly as she slipped out of her hotel room, lowering her voice as she looked behind her to make sure nobody was around. "I told you not to talk about that at work."

"And I haven't, and won't, at least to anyone else," Penelope assured, her voice settling into a serious tone. She was the only one in JJ's life who knew about the blonde's sexuality. Although she had dated her fair share of guys, it turns out back in college little Jennifer Jareau had 'experimented' a little too much to be considered just curious. JJ had kept it private from everyone at the Bureau; everyone except for Garcia, that is. During one girls night, Penelope had found her friend chatting up another girl at the bar, talking a little too flirtatiously to be friendly. When she'd had to nearly pull JJ off the other woman that night to take her home, JJ had confided to her in the car that she was just as interested in women as in men, if not much more so. She'd pleaded with Penelope the next day not to say anything. Although Garcia had assured her that it wasn't anything to be ashamed of, JJ's strict small-town upbringing still hung heavy over her head, and she insisted that she just wanted to keep her relationships and preferences private. Of course, Garcia had agreed. And it was one of the only secrets she'd ever been able to keep.

"Thank you," JJ sighed. It was annoying how supportive the technical analyst could be at times. "And no, I'm not trying to 'figure her out', Pen. She's going to be part of our team, that's all. If anything, you sound more interested than anyone," she teased.

"Whatever you say, my dear," Garcia replied, simply shrugging her shoulders at the thought. "Garcia out!"

Still slightly frazzled from her phone conversation with Garcia, JJ tried to push the memories to the back of her head as she approached Emily's room and knocked lightly on the door. Truth be told, Garcia only knew the half of it. There was a lot about JJ's past that she didn't like to talk about- with anyone. There was a reason she kept things private.

JJ realized she'd been lost in her own thoughts for a good two minutes outside of Emily's door, and the new agent still hadn't answered. Frowning, she knocked again, a bit louder this time. After another few seconds passed with no answer, she began to worry slightly. What if something had happened?

When the team stayed at hotels, the extra key cards were passed to either JJ or Hotch, in no particular order. This trip, JJ had collected all secondary key cards, something of which she was thankful for as she dug through her purse for the corresponding card. Once she found it, she paused for a moment before knocking again, wanting to make sure Emily wasn't just a late sleeper.

Again, there was no response, leading JJ to swipe the key card and slowly open the door, one hand on her gun, still holstered under her jacket. "Emily?" She called softly as she stepped into the spacious room.

The room looked clean, nothing out of the ordinary. The sheets were slightly ruffled, and Emily's go bag was sitting at the foot of the bed, half unzipped. The only thing the room was missing was Emily. JJ stepped around the bed, heading to the bathroom door. It was slightly ajar, but no sound was coming from the room. JJ's heart began to beat faster; it didn't look like something had happened- but where was Emily Prentiss?

Taking a deep breath, JJ stepped forward and pushed open the bathroom door, hand tightening around her holstered glock. She was met with a strange sight- Emily was leaning over the sink, her chest heaving with each breath, head down and eyes shut, with a sheen of sweat on her forehead. JJ instantly noticed an earbud in Emily's ear, the cord leading to her phone which was resting on the sink's countertop. That was why she couldn't hear you.

Before JJ had time to react- or slip away- Emily's head shot up, seeming to suddenly notice the presence in the room with her. Her eyes widened and she ripped the earbuds out of her ear, brushing her ponytail away from her neck. "Jennifer? What- what are you doing here?"

JJ was at a loss for words- she felt like she'd invaded her privacy, seeing the new agent so calm, so vulnerable, almost, made the media liaison feel as if she'd commited a crime. "I- I'm sorry, you didn't answer the door, so I worried that something may have, uh, happened," she explained, her eyes darting around the room. Suddenly, she was very aware that the older agent was only wearing a loose white tank top with deep holes in the side, revealing a black patterned sports bra, and athletic shorts.

"Oh," Emily exhaled, her posture visibly relaxing. For a moment, she'd worried that somehow Jennifer had figured out that she was being watched, even though she knew the blonde agent had no reason to suspect anything. "I wasn't expecting company, I'm sorry. I thought we weren't meeting at the station until 8?"

"Well, I have a habit of being terribly early, unlike the boys, and I thought you might like to join me," JJ explained, unsure why she was having so much trouble concentrating on her words in front of her coworker. "In places like these, it's much quicker to walk the two blocks than to wait for a taxi, and the locals won't have squad cars to spare until 11."

"I'd like that," Emily said softly, tugging her hair out of its binder and wiping the last bit of sweat off her forehead. A part of her felt undeserving- after all, her motives for being around the blonde weren't exactly pure. She still didn't understand how the supposed homegrown terrorist could be such a trusting person. Or maybe she just didn't know her well enough yet, Emily mused.

"Then I will, uh, let you get changed," JJ replied with a nervous laugh, awkwardly straightening her blazer as she stepped back, moving out of the bathroom. Emily followed her, shutting the door behind them and reaching down for her go bag.

"Meet me downstairs in the lobby?" JJ suggested as she headed for the front door, turning back to face the other agent. She couldn't help but notice the way Emily's arms flexed as she swung her go bag up and onto the bed, ruffling through it for a change of clothes. Emily's arms were thin; her entire frame was, but now JJ was noticing that the agent wasn't merely skinny, she was athletic and toned. The tank top hung loosely off her broad shoulders, showcasing the sinewy muscles on those thin arms. JJ realized that Emily must have been doing push-ups before she came in and interrupted. It wasn't until JJ's eyes moved back up to Emily's face that she realized the brunette was staring at her with an odd expression. Shaking herself out of it, JJ forced a smile to spread across her face once again. "Sorry, what was that?"

"I'll be down in 5," Emily repeated, narrowing her eyes as she watched JJ smile awkwardly again before heading out of the hotel room. It was almost like she could still feel the blonde's eyes on her.

"Sorry again, about that earlier."

JJ's hands were stuffed in the pockets of her pants, her elbows bumping her own sides as they walked. Emily had cleaned up nice; she was in a button down shirt and slacks, her hair loose, blowing slightly in the wind.

"Don't worry about it, really," Emily reassured her, trying her best to play it cool and keep the conversation natural. The way JJ had been looking at her earlier made her feel like suddenly she needed to hide. However, this only meant it was more important than ever to befriend the blonde agent. Otherwise, any chance to get information back to Strauss might slip through her fingers.

"You were working out, weren't you? Do you do that every morning? Even on cases?" JJ questioned, turning her head slightly to gauge Emily's reaction. The brunette didn't seem opposed to the question, making JJ glad that she hadn't pried too much.

"I try to," Emily answered as they walked. "If I don't do it every day, I'd fall out of the habit. Being in the field so often, I can't afford to do that."

"Well, you seem to hold your own," JJ teased, making light of Emily's comment to her from last night. This earned a genuine chuckle from the brunette.

"You know I meant that, right?" Emily said suddenly, realizing that she was laughing like she'd been joking about her compliment to the blonde last night. "Your job isn't a easy one, Jennifer."

"I know," JJ said softly, stopping outside of the door to the precinct. For some reason, those simple words struck something in her that she hadn't felt in a long time. Respected, almost. But not just respected, JJ knew that her team respected her., in the basic sense of the word. The way Emily said those words, that felt like something else.

"Emily?"

"Yeah?" Emily paused, turning back to look at her blonde counterpart.

"You can call me JJ. If you want to."

A small smile tugged at the side of Emily's mouth, but she refused to let it blossom into a grin. "Something wrong with Jennifer?"

"No, nothing wrong with it," JJ replied, brushing past Emily to grab the door handle of the station. "But I just wanted you to know you had the option. Only my friends get to call me JJ."

"Well, thank you," Emily smiled, turning her head so JJ didn't see the grin finally spreading across her face. She grabbed the door for the blonde agent and held it open, letting her pass through first. "After you, JJ."

"Hanging? In the woods? Like, upside-down-hanging-from-trees hanging?"

"Yes, baby girl, like that," Morgan sighed, rubbing his head as he set his phone down on the center of the table, speakerphone on. The entirety of the BAU team was gathered around the table, waiting for Garcia to work her magic. The local park rangers had just discovered two dead campers strung up a good 20 feet in the air on tree branches. This was in addition to the three dead men who had been found on the ground over the past two weeks. "You got anything?"

"No, never another death like that, not in the state or any of the neighboring states," Garcia finally replied. "If that's how you found those campers, there's no visible pattern so far."

"That's because they're escalating," Emily pointed out, causing Morgan's head to tilt up to her. "This is a sport to them. They're hunting people, but it's not enough to just chase them anymore. They're slaughtering them."

"Prentiss, all we have so far is 3 dead victims and 2 dead campers, found in entirely different situations. You can't even prove that it's the same unsub, much less that it's the unsub escalating over just two weeks," Morgan shot back, his response coming out much harsher than he originally meant it. It was no secret that he was wary of new members of the team. Like Garcia said, they were like family- and he considered it a responsibility to protect his.

Emily stiffened. She took a low breath, her eyes flickering around the table to try and ground herself. Hotch's face was expressionless, although his eyes were narrowing in on Morgan. Reid was awkwardly playing with his fingers, and Jennifer- no, JJ- was staring directly at her, quickly masking the worried expression she had as soon as Emily's eyes met hers. Emily looked away quickly, unsure why. Something about those damn blue eyes felt like they could see into her soul.

"We have 5 people, killed with a shot through the chest. Not by a gun, by a bow and arrow," Emily replied evenly, her eyes flickering up to meet Morgan's. Staring him down. "3 of them, found in the wilderness, each person discovered further and further from the main highways. And then we have 2 campers strung up just three miles outside of the spot where the last body was found. It's the same weapon and a 10 mile radius. You tell me that's not the same unsub."

The room fell quiet with the weight of Emily's words. Emily's eyes darted around the room to study their faces once again- everyone remained the same, only this time, JJ was trying to hide a small smile instead of a look of worry. It made Emily feel confident.

"Morgan, Prentiss, you'll go to the most recent crime scene," Hotch finally said, breaking the silence in the room. "Reid and I will stay here to work on the profile. JJ, why don't you head door-to-door with a deputy. Talk to the friends and family of the victims. See if they know anything we can use."

"Sir, yes sir," Morgan muttered as the team began to gather their bags.

They'd been trekking through Boise National Park for nearly fifteen minutes now, falling into step behind the park ranger and deputy as the two led them to the crime scene. Morgan had been quiet, mostly, making small talk about the case and building a profile as they walked. Emily knew that in order to successfully profile the team and deliver a report to Strauss by the end of the day, she'd have to fall into Morgan's good graces. Which to her looked like it would be easier said than done. But Emily Prentiss was always up for a challenge.

"So counterterrorism, huh?" Morgan commented, kicking a stick in the path as he walked. Emily was surprised; it was the first time he'd attempted to make conversation with her about her personal life.

"Yeah, counterterrorism. Same field office in the Midwest for 6 years," Emily reminisced with a half smile on her face. "What about you? You weren't always living it up in Quantico, were you?"

"I started in Chicago PD," Morgan replied absentmindedly. "Bomb squad. Then I did some undercover work, and landed a spot here a few years back."

The mention of undercover work made Emily twinge. She knew she wasn't technically undercover, but the way she'd been instructed to infiltrate the BAU begged otherwise to her conscience. But the memories of running coffee for her first 5 months in the field office made her remember why exactly she'd taken the job.

No turning back now, Prentiss, she reassured herself silently.

"You said yourself it's a hard unit to get into," she brought up, turning her head to the side to meet his dark brown eyes. "Was it the same when you joined?"

"This team has been through a lot," he shrugged, sticking his thumbs into his pockets. "Gideon was running the show back when I joined. He was a hell of a Unit Chief, that's for sure."

"Hotch seems like a hell of a Chief too," Emily said softly. She couldn't tell if Morgan liked reminiscing or hated it. The profiler was proving to be extremely hard to read.

"Look, Prentiss," Morgan finally said, stopping to turn and face her as the ranger and deputy continued to trudge down the steep hill, nearing a bend in the path. "I'm not one for small talk and formalities."

"Good," Emily replied promptly, squaring her shoulders off a bit more as she studied the other agent. "Neither am I."

"You're an ambassador's daughter."

"I am."

"Your transfer came through pretty quick. Almost no notice."

"It did."

"Your mother have anything to do with it?"

Emily's jaw clenched. Her entire life, everyone assumed that her mother had cheated her to where she needed to be. The truth was the opposite. Emily refused to let her family name gain her any extra credibility. She insisted on making a name for herself. By herself.

"No, she didn't," Emily said flatly, crossing her arms across her chest. "If you're implying that I'm only here because of my mother, then you're wrong. I almost changed my name when I joined the Bureau just because of how often I heard that assumption," she spat.

"I'm just keeping it real with you," Morgan retorted, his brow furrowing. "This team is my family. I'd easily give my life for anyone who sits on that jet with me," he proclaimed, taking a step forward. "I'm sure I seem like a hardass, but I have to look out for them."

"I get it," Emily admitted, raising an eyebrow. "But Morgan?"

He nodded at her.

"I'm here to look out for them, too." As genuinely as she said it, internally it felt like a lie.

"Well, then," he smiled, reaching out and extending his hand, warmly this time, with a hint of boyish swagger. "Welcome to the team."

Emily flashed a wide, nearly genuine smile as she accepted the handshake, meeting the profiler's eyes kindly for the first time.

The peaceful moment between the two agents lasted merely a minute before a blood curdling scream was heard just down the bend in the path.

"Well, that's a whole lot of nothing," the sheriff's deputy- Adams, he'd said?- sighed as he got into the driver's side of the patrol car. JJ carefully climbed into the passenger side, making sure the door didn't bang the curb as she shut it behind her.

"Small town like this, you'd think the neighbors would be more involved," she mused as he started the engine. They'd been canvassing the neighborhoods of the victims, trying to find any clues at all that would link these victims together. So far, none of the neighbors had seen anything out of the ordinary. JJ was beginning to think they'd exhausted all attempts. Even the families of the victims were less than helpful.

"You from a small town, blondie?"

"Our church and school shared a building," she joked as she pulled out her cell phone, making sure she hadn't missed an update from the team. "We actually-"

JJ was cut off by the static of the police radio crackling through loudly on the speakers.

"Any nearby units, 10-33 at the Harrison crime scene in the forest. I repeat, any nearby units, 10-33 at the Harrison scene!"

"The Harrison scene?" The deputy wrinkled his forehead, stepping on the gas.

"We have two federal agents out there," JJ said desperately, instantly grabbing her phone to let Hotch know. "Any casualties?"

"We need a bus and backup, ASAP," the walkie crackled through again, the voice on the end sounding frantic. A few more unintelligible words popped through before the signal became purely static.

JJ wasted no time in typing her message to Hotch as the deputy turned on his lights and sped towards the location. She forced herself not to think about Emily laying on the ground, bleeding out as they drove in. She convinced herself that Emily would be fine, that the call for a medic was for the unsub, not for an agent.

An agent. Morgan?

Suddenly, all JJ could feel was guilt and worry. Guilt for not immediately thinking of the special agent and friend she'd known for years. And worry, because Emily's name hadn't just popped into her head first; no. Worry, because Emily's name hadn't left her mind for a while.

It all happened so fast.

"Prentiss, let's go!"

Morgan was yelling, one arm hooked under the park ranger's thin frame. He was motioning for Emily to join him, to grab the other side of her body.

Emily snapped out of her shocked daze. The deputy who'd accompanied them was laying flat on his back with three arrows to the chest. The ranger, however, only had one to the thigh, and it looked like if they could get her back to the truck, the wound wouldn't prove to be fatal.

"Hey, it's okay, we got you," Emily murmured softly to the younger woman as she scooped her hand under the girls' body, helping Morgan carry the ranger back onto the path. "Just stay still, all right? Let us help you," she panted, straining under the weight as they struggled to move uphill.

"Where- where are they?" The girl panted frantically, looking side to side, distrustful of the slightest movement.

"Don't worry about that, we're gonna get you home," Morgan promised, shifting more of her weight onto his side with a slight nod to Emily. "Prentiss, cover us. I got her."

Emily nodded, pulling her gun out of it's holster and making sure the safety was off. She whipped around as she felt something whiz by her cheek.

An arrow sunk into the ground just behind her, making its landing known with a soft thud.

"Go, go," Emily urged, pointing her gun in the direction the arrow came from and desperately trying to find the vantage point from where the unsub was shooting from. She couldn't see a thing. Worry began to pool in the pit of her stomach- they still had a ways to go to get back.

"Hey! Behind you!"

Two gunshots fired from up the path, and Emily's head snapped around, watching as a cop accompanied none other than the media liaison down the steep path. The gunshots hit their mark; in the distance a cry was heard.

"How many?" The cop who had fired yelled.

"Two," the ranger panted, almost inaudibly. Morgan shouted the response up to the approaching deputy and agent.

"Are you okay?" JJ gasped as she stumbled down the hill, resting her hand on Morgan's shoulder as he adjusted the ranger so the officer could take a good look at the wound.

"I'm fine, JJ," Morgan muttered, glancing behind him into the woods. "She's right, there's another one of them out there. We need to find this son of a bitch."

"I'll go. You take her back to the car," Emily gestured, bravely stepping downhill on the path.

"I'll go with you," JJ insisted, drawing her gun and moving towards Emily. Morgan watched her with narrowed eyes.

"Let's get her up to the car first, it's only a few hundred feet up that hill, and JJ doesn't even have a vest," he warned, not liking the idea of sending his friend out with the newest agent on the team. Emily could tell he was wary of letting her protect JJ.

"We can't lose him," JJ insisted again, the defiance clear in her eyes. Morgan sighed as his eyes flickered over to Emily's, waiting for her decision.

"JJ, if you're in, let's move," Emily decided, placing a hand on the small of the girl's back in a gesture that was meant to be comforting, but made the blonde shiver. Emily quickly removed her hand, not wanting to make the liaison uncomfortable. She didn't yet realize that wasn't why JJ had shivered.

"Alright, let's go, let's go," Morgan motioned to the trooper as he hauled the injured ranger into his arms again. JJ bounded downhill after Emily, heart racing as they raced towards the bend in the path.

"Shh, shh."

Emily paused, placing her hand out and grabbing JJ's arm to steady the girl who was stumbling to a stop next to her.

The path was empty and the only noise was the chirping of birds. In the distance, Emily could hear Morgan's voice carrying.

"Did we lose him?" JJ panted, brushing her hair behind her ears. Emily remained still, just listening.

"Prentiss! JJ!"

Emily immediately perked at the sound of Morgan's voice. She quickly ushered JJ uphill, staying a few steps behind the younger agent to cover her back. As they rounded the corner, they saw a tall man, dressed in bloodied camo, lying on the path in front of Morgan.

"Is that our unsub?" Emily raced over to Morgan's side, catching her breath as he checked for a pulse.

"No, no. I didn't fire a shot. This must've been the first one that the trooper hit," Morgan muttered, studying the way the bullet had lodged itself in the man's lower stomach. "He just stumbled down here and collapsed. Probably looking for his partner."

Emily squinted as she looked back up the hill; barely able to see the shape of the trooper that was carrying the park ranger. At least we can tell her we've got half of the problem solved, she thought to herself as she watched the distant shadows move.

"JJ. JJ! Behind you!"

Morgan yelled, drawing for his pistol, his eyes widened at something behind the two girls. Emily's head whipped around; eyes meeting a camo-clad figure about 50 feet away from them, stepping away from the brush with his bow drawn. He was on JJ's side, his arm stretching, ready to take the shot.

JJ saw it in slow motion. She gasped, faced with the realization that those innocent people had been killed- had been hunted with the same arrow that was pointing at her.

Luckily for her, Emily never missed a beat. She saw the unsub's arm twitch- a telltale sign. Even if it wasn't, she couldn't have taken the risk. In a split second, Emily had grabbed the blonde, pulling her into her arms and turning them so JJ was shielded behind her vest. Before Emily could move them to the side, she felt a sharp, piercing thud hit her lower back, causing her to cry out slightly. Her cry was muffled by an echoing gunshot.

"Emily? Are you hit? Emily?" JJ's voice sounded frantic, she was holding the brunette's shoulders with a vice grip as she struggled to see over the other girl's shoulder. All she caught a glimpse of was the unsub falling to the ground, still holding his bow. The next thing she caught a glimpse of was the very end of the orange arrow sticking out of the back of Emily's kevlar vest. The blonde automatically dropped her hands to the older agent's waist, trying to support her, one hand gently reaching around her back to try and feel how deep it had pierced her kevlar.

"I'm okay, I'll be okay," Emily reassured her, gently placing her hands on JJ's shoulders to catch her attention. As she said it, she winced, knowing that even if the vest had stopped most of the impact, the arrow had definitely pierced some skin.

"It went through your vest," JJ choked, her hand coming to rest on Emily's waist, eyes flickering up to meet the brunette's nervously. Emily had saved her life. Without a thought, she'd shielded her, held her, protected her.

"The vest took most of the impact. I'll be okay," Emily repeated, entranced by the way the blonde agent was staring at her. JJ's blue eyes were clouded over and filled with worry. Her face was tinged red, and her breathing was coming out in short bursts. She could feel the blonde's shaky hands still gripping her waist, probably tighter than was appropriate.

Actually, Emily realized, the way JJ was holding her- and how long she'd been doing it for- was probably not at all appropriate.

"Prentiss, don't move," Morgan grunted, coming up behind the two and squinting at the arrow. This made JJ step back suddenly, as if seeing Morgan made her aware of what she was doing.

"Take your vest off," he instructed, and Emily gingerly unbuckled the sides, wincing at the pain from the twisting movement. Wordlessly, JJ's hands took over, undoing the last buckle and loosening the strap. Morgan bent down to look at the wound from the side, sighing when he saw that the arrow had indeed just barely embedded itself in Emily's side.

"Take it out," Emily ordered through gritted teeth. She knew it wasn't deep enough to be fatal, and she was probably bleeding as is.

"You sure?" Morgan asked, shooting her a sympathetic look.

"You don't need another girl to carry up that hill," she answered sarcastically, trying not to think of how much it was going to sting. With Emily's encouragement, Morgan shrugged and slowly, carefully, pulled at the base of the arrow until it slid out of the shallow wound.

"It wasn't that deep. You were lucky," he commented, helping Emily fully remove the kevlar now that she was able to. "Actually, JJ's the lucky one. She wouldn't have had a vest to block it."

Emily knew he was right, but didn't say anything. She knew the blonde didn't get out in the field much and couldn't help but feel it was partially her fault in the first place for encouraging it.

"I'll make the call and let Hotch know," JJ said softly, breaking the silence. She excused herself to move up the hill, needing a minute just to breathe.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Morgan turned back to Emily, a softer look on his chiseled face.

"You saved her life."

"You would've done the same thing," Emily replied, tucking her loose hair behind her ear as she gazed up at the taller agent.

"I know." Morgan opened his mouth as if he had something more to say, then closed it, looking back at the blonde, then turning to Emily again, this time with a genuine smile.

"Like I said before. Welcome to the team, Emily."