Authors note: This is the third and final part of this series, We've Been Living on a Fault Line.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and/or the established storyline, they are credited to the writers and creators of the show.

Synopsis: The aftermath of JJ's accident and the Colorado case.

For a While, You Were All Mine

Running down the hallway, Sergio used the tip of his nose to budge open the door to his owners bedroom, with a loud purr he jumped onto the bed. Padding down the bed, he continued to purr until he got to Emily. With his loudest purr, he nuzzled against her face until she stirred, eventually waking her up.

"Serg," Emily mumbled, scratching behind his ears, her eyes still closed. "You really are the best alarm clock."

Like clockwork, Emily's phone began to buzz on the side-table; Sergio had always had a knack of waking her up just a few minutes before she had to be. With a grunt, Emily reached over to grab her phone, swiping the screen to stop the buzzing before letting it clatter back on the side.

The three hours of broken sleep she had gotten was more than she had gotten in recent weeks, but Emily was hoping that her exhaustion would finally win out and let her sleep longer; she had been wrong. Emily sighed heavily as she rolled onto her back, laughing a little when Sergio settled onto her chest, and when she felt movement on the other side of the bed, she turned her head to face her fiancée.

"Good morning," JJ whispered; with a sleepy grin, she propped her head on her hands.

"Hi, baby," Emily muttered, her eyes not quite meeting her fiancée's.

Emily shooed Sergio off her chest and swung her legs out of bed as she pulled the covers back, her feet quickly finding the slippers she'd left there the night before. She dragged herself out of bed and across the room with another heavy sigh.

"Stay, just a little while longer," JJ said. "For me?" she added hopefully.

Looking back, Emily smiled. "I wish I could, Jay, but we have to leave in an hour."

Emily walked down the hall to the kitchen and turned on the light to brighten the otherwise dimly lit room. As she set up the coffee machine, getting the dark roast ready to brew, Emily fell into her routine with ease; it was going to be a long day, and Emily knew she'd need all the caffeine she could get.

As Emily had the mugs ready, JJ stepped into the kitchen, jumping onto the counter with a smile. Before they had started dating, Emily never thought someone could be happy in the morning, but when her fiancée was in a good mood, it radiated; Emily couldn't help but smile along with her.

Mornings like these made the older agent feel content. Emily moved around the kitchen with ease, her fiancée watching from the counter with her brightest smile and quiet words of affirmation. It was mornings like these when Emily wished they didn't have the job they did because it was just the two of them; no cases, no distressing files to read, and especially no unsubs to chase down. Nothing needed their attention until they stepped out the door, and Emily loved that; so did JJ.

When the coffee had finished brewing, Emily poured the black liquid into a mug, setting the blackbird covered mug down beside JJ who gave her an appreciative smile in return.

"I've got to shower and rush off, but I'll be back as soon as I can," Emily said.

After her quick shower, Emily started to brush her teeth. When she was done, she set her toothbrush down and then wiped the condensation off the mirror. As she stared at her reflection, Emily rubbed her face, hoping that what she was seeing would change. There was a fleeting sensation in the pit of her stomach that she tried her best to ignore. Emily was well aware that she didn't look her best; countless years in service had finally taken its toll on her. She wondered how much longer she could look at the horrors she did on a daily basis; she couldn't help but wonder if it was all worth it any more.

Walking back into the bedroom, Emily couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed at how hard her fiancée was staring; JJ was sitting on the bed, watching Emily's every move, her bright smile never wavering. It wasn't like JJ hadn't seen Emily nude before—they'd been together for a total of three years now—but there was something in JJ's eyes that made Emily feel anxious; then it was like her fiancée could read her mind.

"You're so beautiful, Em."

Emily's lips twitched into a small smile as she looked up, her eyes meeting JJ's. The older agent had struggled to accept compliments throughout their relationship and indeed throughout her entire life; having a mother like Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss, where even Emily's best usually wasn't good enough, had done that to her. She was always quick to second guess whenever JJ said anything nice about her; it frustrated JJ to no end, but over the years JJ had done her best to show Emily how worthy of love she was, and the compliments that came with all the love she had to give.

"Don't listen to them," JJ said.

Emily responded with a hum as she pulled on her underwear. She knew what JJ was hinting at, but Emily didn't want to accept what she implied. It was, as always, a conversation for another day in Emily's mind.

"The voices aren't true, my love."

Pulling the black suit from its hanger, Emily began dressing. There wasn't much time before she had to leave, and she knew if she wasn't ready on time, someone would come looking for her. The agent checked double-checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror one last time before walking back into the bedroom.

When Emily stepped back into the room, JJ was dressed in a floor length white dress that made her sun-kissed skin more radiant, and her hair was flowing past her shoulders in beach waves; this is what beauty looks like, Emily thought to herself.

"You look radiant, dear." Emily reached out, her fingers trailing down JJ's bare skin with a smile etched across her face. "How do you always look this good?"

Before JJ could reply with a witty retort, a knock on the apartment door caught both women's attention. Emily quickly slipped on her heels and walked down the hall, turning left to open the door.

"Hi," she greeted Morgan.

"You ready?"

Emily nodded solemnly as she grabbed her phone from the side table and followed Morgan out of her apartment. As the door closed behind Emily, she looked to her left and smiled at the woman next to her.

"It's time," JJ said. "I'm here with you every step of the way."

Emily inhaled deeply as she followed Morgan down the hall and out of the apartment block. Without a word, she climbed into the passenger seat of Morgan's SUV. The journey was quiet; DC's popular morning commute radio show played softly to break up the silence, but Emily paid no attention to it. Instead, she rested her head against the headrest, watching the world go by as Morgan drove.

"You know," JJ said to catch Emily's attention; the agent looked up at her fiancée in the rear-view mirror. "It's not going to be as bad as what you think it is."

"You don't know that," Emily mumbled.

"What don't I know?" Morgan asked.

Emily quickly looked from the rear-view mirror to Morgan with a tight smile. "It doesn't matter."

As Morgan pulled into the car park, Emily saw the team gathered around another car, and when Reid spotted the two of them, everyone else turned their heads. Emily couldn't take the look on their faces. JJ was wrong; it would be worse than she thought, and the older agent wondered whether she could see this through.

"We've got you, all of us," Morgan said, laying a reassuring hand on Emily's knee. "If you need anything, let me know. I'll get you out of here."

Emily opened the car door with a silent nod. As Emily and Morgan joined the rest of the unit, the sun started to shine brightly, a rare sight in DC during October. The agent cursed the weather for being so lovely on a day like today.

Together, the team started walking towards their destination, though Emily kept herself at the back of the group; she wanted to prolong this just for a little while longer. Looking to her right, Emily smiled when she saw JJ.

JJ took hold of Emily's hand, squeezing it as she looked over to the group. "You can do this, baby. It's okay. You're strong enough for this."

"I can't," she whispered.

"I'll be by your side the whole time. Have I ever let you down, baby?"

With the gentle words of encouragement from her fiancée, Emily caught up to the rest of the team. She took her place next to Morgan, with Rossi to her left, who gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. With a nod from Hotch to the priest, the funeral began.

Even though the words spoken about JJ were heart-warming, Emily couldn't bring herself to listen to them fully; hearing the scripture about loved ones passing away meant she had to face that the woman she loved wasn't here. The morbid part of Emily's mind hoped that the casket in front of her was empty, that the world was playing a cruel joke on her, that she would go home to find JJ on the couch with Sergio in her arms.

"Now, Jennifer's fiancée, Emily, is going to say a few words."

Emily turned her head at the mention of her name. "I–"

"Do you want me to do this for you?" Morgan asked.

Shaking her head, Emily stood up and took her spot where the priest had been standing. Looking to her right, she saw the team and all of JJ's friends and family; her parents were sitting a few chairs away from where Emily had been standing, both with tissues in their hand. When Emily turned her sight to the end of the casket, she blinked hard when she saw JJ standing there, blowing her a kiss with a smile that always made Emily go weak in the knees.

With a deep breath, Emily began. "Three weeks ago, I never thought I'd be standing where I am right now. In our line of work, we know there will be casualties, it's a given, but it's harder when it's someone you love," Emily's voice cracked; she had looked at her eulogy over and over again for the past week, and somehow the words still didn't seem real. "I've spent a lot of my life moving around, there was never a time where I stayed in one place long enough to put down roots. In fact, there'd never been anyone that made me want to do that; that was until Jennifer came along."

"Since we first met, there was never a day that Jennifer didn't make me smile, she was always cracking the worst jokes you could imagine, or she'd be comforting you when you didn't feel your best. Even on her worst days, she would go out of her way to make you smile; that's just who she was," a faint smile graced Emily's lips as she remembered JJ's smile. "I've never had much to give to anyone, especially to someone as amazing as Jennifer, someone who gave their all in everything she did. So in return, I did the only thing I could; I loved her. I loved her so intensely that I don't remember what it feels like not to love her."

"You're doing so well, baby," JJ said.

"Three weeks ago, I proposed to Jennifer. I was so nervous. I knew she loved me, but a part of me still thought she would say no. I'll never forget what she said after; 'I'll be yours forever, 'til forever falls apart'." Emily chuckled at the memory; it felt like a lifetime ago. "Any time she saw me doubt myself, doubt the love she had for me, she would tell me that. I always teased her for how cheesy she made it sound, but deep inside I loved it. I thought our forever would be longer than it was, but I'm grateful for the time we had. JJ touched so many lives, not just mine, so I would like to open up the floor if anyone else wishes to speak."

Emily stepped back. Instead of taking her spot between Morgan and Rossi, she walked past the group of mourners towards the row of parked cars. The agent knew she couldn't leave, for one Morgan had driven her here, but she needed a moment to herself.

"Hi," JJ said softly, her hand running down Emily's back to catch her attention.

"What happens now?" Emily asked. "I don't know how to let you go. I don't want you to leave."

JJ smiled. "Just because you can't see me any more doesn't mean I'm not by your side."

"I'm not ready. We should have had more time. I need more time."

The tears that Emily had been holding back started to fall. JJ cupped Emily's face, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears, and she kissed Emily's forehead. When Emily's eyes finally met JJ's again, she sighed heavily, her brows furrowing; this wasn't healthy, she knew it wasn't, but she couldn't imagine a world where she couldn't see her fiancée.

"You're ready, Emily. You have a whole family ready to support you. I wouldn't leave if I didn't think you'd be okay."

"I love–"

"Everything okay, Emily?" Morgan said, placing his hand on Emily's shoulder to get her attention.

Emily jumped at the touch, and she wiped away what was left of the tears she had cried. "Yeah, sorry. I just needed a minute."

"Who were you talking to?"

For the first time since her death ten days ago, when Emily looked around, she couldn't see JJ. Part of her was frantic, wanting the woman to come back, but then a warm feeling settled through her body and Emily knew JJ had been right. Emily wouldn't be alone; she had the entire team ready to help her in any way she needed it.

"No one," Emily said quietly.

"Come on," Morgan said, putting his arm around Emily's shoulders. "There's one last thing we need to do and then we can leave."

From a distance, with a single tear rolling down her cheek, JJ watched Emily as she walked away. "I'll be yours forever, 'til forever falls apart, Emily Prentiss."

So that's the end to this little three-part series. If you have any prompts or ideas hat you would like to be made a reality, please don't hesitate to send me a DM.

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