Grunting, Emily lifts a picnic basket out of the back seat. They stopped at a national park in New Mexico, planning to have dinner outside of the car for once. It's a freezing November evening, but they've been so cramped in the car for so long that they decided to brave the cold and eat outside. Emily is bundled up in a big puffy coat and her uggs, ready to brace against the cold.

JJ appears beside her, similarly dressed, and holds a hand out for the basket. "I got it, babe." She looks around the green area as Emily shuts the trunk. "There's a pier," she points out, nodding toward the lake. "Want to sit by the water?"

"Won't that be cold?" Emily asks even as she starts walking.

Winking at her, JJ shifts the basket to her right hand and takes Emily's with her left. "We'll just have to snuggle, I guess."

They head for the pier, walking carefully along the grassy area. It's beautiful out here. Most of the drive through New Mexico has been red and brown and dusty, but they found a little pocket of green, with tall trees and a big lake. During the summer, it's probably full of life, but right now, no one but them is crazy enough to spend an hour outside just to eat diner takeout and gas station wine.

Their time on the road has only made Emily feel even more confident in their relationship. She was worried at first about being with JJ away from work and friends. They may have found that they only work in the context they're used to, like work or home, but, thankfully, Emily and JJ don't need any context at all. They can spend hours and hours doing nothing and never get tired.

Reaching the pier, Emily sticks her hands into her pocket, feeling the items she tucked away before getting out of the car. JJ jogs ahead, getting to the end of the pier and setting the basket down. She sits on the edge, feet dangling over the water.

JJ has always loved the outdoors. When she was younger, she'd walk around her grandmother's farm and, during highschool, she spent all of her free time on the soccer field or hanging out on the bleachers. In college, and after she moved to DC, she'd sit on fire escapes or balconies to get fresh air and go for jogs through the park. It was wonderful to be so far from a city and out in the fresh air.

"Alright," Emily sighs, sitting beside her and leaning back against the post at the corner of the pier, "what are you subjecting me to today?"

JJ rolls her eyes, smiling. "You're so dramatic. Have you disliked anything I've picked out for you?"

Emily purses her lips, but she knows she hasn't. "Fine. I'll try and sound enthusiastic." Grinning, she gives JJ two thumbs up. "Jeepers, babe! I bet you got me something amazing!"

"No need for that," JJ laughs. She opens the basket and pulls out the wine first. "I got you something you'll like."

"We'll see about that."

Sticking her tongue out, JJ puts the wine down and pulls out a greek salad. Emily's eyes light up. She holds her hands out, begging for the familiar food.

"A salad!" Emily laughs. "A real salad!"

JJ hands the salad over, deciding it wasn't worth it to tease Emily anymore. "Only because you've been so flexible," JJ tells her, giving her the salad and pulling a fork from the basket. "I appreciate you trying new things for me."

"I know I've been grumbling," Emily starts, opening her salad, the plastic cracking loudly across the quiet water, "but I've been having a great time. I like everything I've eaten."

JJ smiles at her, kicking her feet lazily. She pulls a sandwich out of the basket before pushing the basket away. Setting the sandwich down onto the pier, she twists the wine bottle open, wincing as another loud plastic snap echoes around them.

"I know, Emily." She takes a deep drink from the bottle, wincing as she swallowed the $7 wine. "God, that sucks."

"Of course it does," Emily replies, mouth full of olives and feta cheese. "So does this salad."

They eat in silence, taking occasional sips of the cheap wine. One thing they've really learned on this trip is that sometimes silence is ok. Neither woman is particularly good at relaxing, even when they're just laying on the couch or sleeping in. Their time away from the city, and their lives, has brought an appreciation for quiet and calm.

JJ thinks that she could be happy on the road forever. As long as she has Emily, and an internet connection, she could live away from the hustle and bustle of DC. Even as she thinks it, she knows it isn't true. She would get restless quickly. Still, maybe she'll try and convince Emily to take a vacation every year. It's nice to just spend time together.

"We should do this again," Emily says as if she read JJ's mind. "We could go to Europe next time. Get you on my turf."

"I was thinking the same thing," JJ laughs, crumpling the empty sandwich wrapper in her hands. "Not Paris."

"No," Emily agrees, closing her salad. She hands it to JJ and watches as the blonde puts the trash into the basket. "Maybe Prague. Or Amsterdam."

JJ bats her eyelashes, placing a hand against her chest in fake shock. "Are you trying to make me do drugs, Emily Prentiss? I'm a federal agent!"

"Oh, shut up," Emily snorts, crossing her legs and sitting forward. "I know you're not as innocent as you seem. You can't fool me."

She picks up the bottle of wine, taking a drink. They've emptied half the bottle and Emily knows that they'll have to wait a little bit before hitting the road again. It doesn't matter. They're not in any rush to be anywhere. Besides, she still needs to work up some courage.

"Have I ever told you about how we'd go swimming in college?"

Emily raises an eyebrow and passes the bottle to JJ. "No."

Giving Emily a quick half-smile, she drinks before speaking. "We used to go swimming all the time. I went to UPitt, so we were in the city, but we'd drive about 30 minutes west to this little spot. It was just a small creek, really, but it was deep and wide enough to be fun."

"That sounds great," Emily says, smiling. She takes the wine bottle back. "Did the lake remind you?"

"Yeah," JJ confirms. She leans back on her hands, looking over the water. "I was just thinking about how you never know a moment is going to be special when you're in it, you know?"

Emily nods, offering JJ the bottle again. She takes it and sits up, drinking deeply. Emily's nervous about her plan, but she hopes that this will be a day to remember.

"What's so special about swimming?" Emily asks. She winces when it sounds harsher than she intended. "I don't mean that the way it sounds."

"I know." JJ hands the bottle back with a smile and falls back onto the pier to stare up at the darkening sky. "I'm not sure what makes me remember them. Nostalgia, I guess. There were these three guys in our group, David, Brian, and… I don't remember, but they were always flirting with me. I never did anything with them. It was mostly obnoxious."

Emily drinks from the wine, setting it in the circle of her legs instead of handing it back. "I'm sure."

JJ is quiet for a while. Both of them lose themselves in the moment, letting the calm settle over them. The breeze off the lake is cold and pierces their thick coats, making them shiver. Around them, the quiet is heavy, their breaths and the occasional birdsong the only sounds. It feels like they're part of something bigger than themselves.

"There was also Samantha," JJ says suddenly. She sighs heavily, lifting her hands over her head and letting them fall onto the pier with a soft thump. "I forgot all about her."

Emily only hums softly, a little sleepy from the warm wine and cold air. JJ takes the sound as permission to continue.

"She had the darkest hair I'd ever seen. Until yours, of course." JJ's head falls to the side and she smiles at Emily. "No one matches your hair. Or your eyes. She had dark eyes, too."

"You've got a type."

"I guess I do."

They laugh together quietly. Sitting up with a groan, JJ turns to face Emily, crossing her legs, too. She takes the wine bottle back and takes a drink. Emily isn't sure if she's going to continue talking, but she's content to wait in silence either way. After a few quick sips, JJ starts talking again.

"She smoked clove cigarettes," JJ tells Emily with a smile. "I thought that was so cool. We used to share cigarettes in the back of Brian's pickup. It sounds so trashy now, but… I don't know. It felt important at the time. When we kissed, it always tasted like the cheap beer we paid Sam's older brother to buy us. I felt like I was really starting my life." JJ blinks, pulling herself out of her thoughts and shrugs. "I wonder what she's up to now."

Emily takes the bottle back and grins. "We could get Garcia to find out."

"No," JJ gasps, lightly smacking Emily's knee. "I don't need to know. Let me remember her the way she was."

"I know. I get it." Emily takes a drink, finishing off the bottle. "I have a girl like that."

JJ's eyebrows fly up. "Really? Who?"

"Josephine," Emily says with reverence. "Her name was Josephine."

"So, your type is… names that begin with J?"

Emily laughs, rolling her eyes. "My type is blue-eyed blondes. I'm not afraid to say it. Josephine had strawberry blonde hair and steel blue eyes. I met her in France."

JJ takes the empty bottle, narrowing her eyes at Emily as she puts it into the picnic basket. "Of course you did."

"I was on a hunting trip with my mother in the south of France," Emily continues, ignoring JJ's teasing. "I wandered away and ended up falling off my horse and twisting my ankle. My mother left me behind, of course, so I made my way to the nearest clearing and found a house there."

"Are you sure this happened?" JJ asks sceptically. "It sounds like a fairytale."

"It felt like it," Emily agrees with a shrug. "Anyway, Josephine was the farmer's daughter. They let me stay there for the night, in Josephine's room, and we ended up sleeping together. I think we were 16? Around that."

JJ smiles at Emily's wistful tone. She's not jealous of the way Emily is talking about Josephine. It's actually very cute and JJ is happy that Emily had that experience. Emily is still a mystery to her in a lot of ways, but she loves fully and openly and easily and it's one of JJ's favorite qualities. Everyone is important to Emily, even a small town nobody like JJ.

"I love you," JJ says, grinning. At Emily's questioning glance, she tucks her hair behind her ears. "I just wanted to say it. I do. I love you."

"Marry me," Emily replies. When JJ gasps, Emily digs into her jacket pocket and pulls out a ring. "Marry me." Shifting onto her knees, Emily sits in front of JJ as she covers her mouth with her hands. "This is your mom's ring. Or, I mean, she gave it to me." JJ's eyes widen and Emily keeps talking. "I know it's sudden, and we've only talked about it in passing, but JJ… You're my whole world. I would literally be dead without you, and I want to be your wife. I want you to be my wife. I want to fill out stupid paperwork, and wear matching rings, and take your last name to piss off my mom."

JJ laughs, dropping her hands. She's crying and she knows that she's red and blotchy, but she can only think about the hope in Emily's eyes and the way the hand holding the ring is trembling. Of course she's going to marry Emily. Of course they're going to be wives.

"Yes," JJ says, wiping her cheeks. "Yes, Emily. I'll marry you!"

Emily kisses JJ, forgetting that she should put the ring on her finger first. She doesn't care about doing things in the right order. She doesn't care about anything but kissing JJ, kissing her fiancée, and figuring out the fastest way to be married. Emily doesn't care how it happens. She doesn't think JJ will care either. It's about them, together forever.