A/N Well you can't say I didn't warn you in my last author's note….though not even sure I realised it would be this long. Again, my apologies…and please don't get your hopes up about me posting too often, as work/life etc is just really taking it out of me at the moment. But here you go, the latest instalment!
JJ sighed, draining the last of her bottle of beer and placing it forcefully down on the table. She made one last unsuccessful attempt to make eye contact with the brunette who was diagonally opposite her at the table before admitting defeat. Her shoulders stiffened, and the light seemed to disappear from her eyes. She stood up, and scanned the room. The bar was probably half full, and gradually getting busier as people started to enjoy their Friday night.
As she took in her surroundings, her eyes locked onto a tall dark-haired man on the dancefloor. JJ had noticed him clock her as they entered the bar, but at the time she'd shrugged off the attention as her focus had been on Emily. But seeing as her brunette colleague had flatly refused to even meet her eye all evening, JJ was tired of the whole situation, and probably about to do something she'd regret in the morning.
Unbeknownst to the blonde, the moment she turned away from the table, brown eyes were burning into her back. As JJ made a deliberate beeline for the man on the dancefloor, you could practically see the steam coming out of Emily's ears. When the man stroked his hand flirtatiously over JJ's hip, the brunette started to get up, but found a firm hand on her thigh pushing her back down into her seat. The look she gave Morgan would have scared off 99% of the population, but he didn't even flinch.
"No way" he hissed sternly, leaning in to make sure nobody else at the table could hear "unless you're gonna go after her and tell her you love her, you let her do her thing"
"Are you fucking with me right now?"
"No. You've played your game, and she's called your bluff. So you don't get to go all batshit on her unless you're ready to call quits on this whole thing and tell her how you feel"
"She knows how I feel" Emily folded her arms.
"No, she knows that you won't even look at her"
"Don't try and blame me for this" the brunette's jaw clenched as she watched JJ pressing up against the unknown man on the dancefloor.
"You're both fucking ridiculous, and this isn't helping either of you"
"Well" Emily pushed his hand off of her thigh and stood up "two can play at this fucking game"
"Shit" Morgan's head fell back in despair, his intervention not really going the way he'd planned.
Emily Prentiss was officially on the prowl. She pulled herself up to her full height and practically glided across the floor. The moment she turned on the charm, men and women alike couldn't help but stare at her. She scanned the dancefloor, and her eye was caught by a slim blonde with a cheeky smile. The brunette was acutely aware that the woman she was walking towards bore a striking resemblance to JJ, but she didn't care. In fact, she felt that it made her point all too well.
"Hi" Emily smiled, approaching the blonde.
"Hi there" the smile was returned.
"I couldn't help but notice you from over there"
The blonde giggled "I think you know that I noticed you the moment you walked in the door"
"That's very sweet of you"
Morgan watched on as Emily made her move, sighing in frustration at the sheer bloody-mindedness of his friends.
It was almost as though JJ had an 'Emily radar', her eyes narrowing as she noticed what the brunette was up to, and she felt the bile rise in her stomach. She turned her attention back to the man in front of her. He was all too happy to pull her close against him, his hands roaming over her back.
"Darling"
Morgan turned his head to greet Garcia, who had slid into the seat beside him.
"Hey Pen" he wrapped an arm round her shoulder.
"We need to fix this. And fast"
"This?" he asked in faux confusion.
"You know exactly what I mean, my god of chocolate thunder" Garcia smirked at him.
Morgan shook his head "Baby girl, you're reading too much into this"
"Derek Morgan, the fact that you're pretending this isn't a thing makes me even more certain that it is, and you my friend are far more involved in this than you care to admit"
"Pen…."
"Uh uh" Garcia interrupted him "I know when you're hiding shit from me Derek. So either you spill, or you fix this situation"
Morgan looked at her, weighing up his options. Mainly trying to figure out which option would incur the least of Emily's wrath. He got to his feet slowly.
"I'll call you if I need back up" he said pointedly.
Morgan strode onto the dancefloor. He took a moment to look between the two women, wondering which one of them would be most angry at him. Quite quickly, he figured that no matter what occurred, he would always be more scared of Emily, and therefore, he approached JJ first. He waited for an opportune moment, deciding that at the end of the day it was probably best for all parties if he got JJ away before she ended up kissing the guy.
He cleared his throat as he tapped the blonde on the shoulder. She turned round immediately, and scowled at him.
"You need to come with me" Morgan said firmly.
JJ raised an eyebrow, but something in her friend's tone made her turn around and separate from the man she had been attached to. The man momentarily looked as though he was going to protest, but on seeing Morgan, he simply backed away. Morgan took her hand and led her away across the dancefloor.
It was mere seconds before he reached Emily, who had the young blonde (who continued to look remarkably like JJ) grinding up against her. Morgan took hold of the brunette's wrist, and although she initially looked at him in surprise, as soon as she saw the look in his eyes, she apologised to the woman and joined her friend.
"Right" Morgan said firmly "we're going outside"
He escorted the two women outside without speaking to either of them, and folded his arms once they were all outside and two sets of eyes were glaring at him.
"Right" he cleared his throat "First, I'm sick of this shit. I love you both. But what I don't love is watching you tear each other apart. And what I really don't love is watching you both trying to make each other jealous by grinding up on someone else. So you sort your shit out, and you sort it out now"
Without really thinking about it, both women folded their arms and stared back at Morgan.
He laughed and rolled his eyes "Yeah, so most people are probably scared of the pair of you, but you can carry on looking me like that, and I'm happy to just stand here…or the pair of you could just sort this out"
"Morgan…I don't know what you think you're doing, but…" JJ started to square up to him.
"No" Morgan interrupted her "I've had enough of this. There's no one else around so the pair of you can drop the bullshit, and just actually have a conversation with each other. And I'm gonna go inside now, and leave you two to just deal with it"
And with that, Morgan walked back into the bar, leaving the two women alone outside. They slowly moved to look at each other, both acutely aware that they had been stitched up by their friend.
"So…" Emily slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, blinking before staring back at the blonde.
"Wow" JJ smirked and raised her eyebrows "finally you can look at me"
"Really?" the brunette raised her brows "you're really gonna make this about me?"
"Well of course" the blonde continued smirking "everything is always about you, isn't it?"
Emily gritted her teeth "We both know how we got here. Neither of us is any good at talking about how we feel. And I can own my part in that, but don't you dare start acting like you're the only one who's been wronged here"
The blonde shook her head "You've always held all the cards, Emily. And I'm sick of it. I refuse to let you pick and choose when you want to even acknowledge me anymore"
"It's not like that…"
"Really? Because that's how it feels to me. One minute you're telling me this thing between us is done, next minute you're in my hotel room fucking me. Then we get back to DC and I might as well not exist"
"Jayje…"
"You want to prove me wrong? Name me one time since we got back that you've spoken to me when it wasn't strictly necessary for work purposes"
Emily sighed "You're right. And I'm sorry, you haven't deserved that. This is me…this is what I do. I compartmentalise things and put them in boxes"
"Right" the blonde folded her arms sceptically "so I'm in a box now, am I?"
"Metaphorically speaking. Because it's the only way I knew how to deal with how I felt about you. That night in the hotel was like one final moment of weakness, and I couldn't let myself do that again"
"And did you ever stop to think about how that might make me feel?"
"I thought I was making it easier for you" the brunette said softly.
"Well you were wrong. So maybe you should stop trying to make decisions for everyone else. Especially me"
"Jayje, I'm sorry" Emily took a deep breath "I guess you have two choices right now…you either go back inside and find the guy you were grinding up against, or you take a chance with me"
"Oh yeah?" JJ squared up to the brunette "so you're saying the decision is all mine, and you'll just accept whatever I decide?"
"Yes" the brunette replied honestly "I need to stop hurting you"
"And what about what you want?"
The two women stared at each other, breathing heavily but seemingly neither woman was willing to back down.
Slowly Emily stepped forwards, her eyes still fixed on the blonde's as she gently cupped her cheek. She leaned in, feeling JJ's breath against her lips.
"I want you" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah"
The blonde's fingertips hooked into Emily's belt loops, puling their bodies flush against one another. She slowly closed the gap between their mouths, letting her lips brush tentatively against the brunette's at first before deepening the kiss.
Emily moaned softly. This was torture. Surely the sweetest form of torture, but it was enough to make her want to give up everything in a way that nobody else ever had before.
JJ broke the kiss and took a step back, her gaze burning into the brunette. She turned around and walked back into the bar.
The brunette's stomach dropped as she watched JJ walk away. This, this exact feeling, was why she didn't let herself get involved with people. Why she always built a wall around herself and never let herself need anyone else.
Just this once, she'd let her guard down. She'd allowed herself to be vulnerable, and now here she was, standing out in the cold on her own. Leaning back against the wall behind her, she clenched her fist, resisting the urge to smash it into the concrete. Her body was screaming at her to run, to just run away from everything and not look back. But she was fairly certain that that would result in Morgan personally hunting her down, and she couldn't be sure he wouldn't hand over to Garcia to torture her, so she found herself rooted to the spot. There was absolutely no way that she was going back into the bar to see JJ draping herself over some meathead, so she figured she had no choice but to wait outside for Morgan to notice and come and save her dignity.
She glanced around, trying to figure out who the best person to approach and ask for a cigarette was. Emily didn't smoke often, but now felt like an occasion for putting a little more poison in her body.
"Hey" she tried to relax into a smile as she approached two young men sat at a bench "I don't suppose one of you has a spare cigarette, do you?"
The two men looked at each other and shrugged "Sure"
Just as she was about to take the cigarette being offered, she was stopped by a voice coming from behind her.
"Don't even think about it!"
She spun round to find JJ glaring at her.
JJ, who by now had on her blazer, and had Emily's jacket draped over her arm.
"Oh" the brunette blushed, turning back to the two men "Sorry, thanks for the offer"
"Here" JJ held out her jacket "I have no interest in kissing an ashtray all night"
"But you do….have an interest….in kissing me?"
"Yes" the blonde stepped in close, placing a languid kiss on Emily's lips "all night"
"Oh"
JJ pulled back, her brow furrowed in confusion "Why do you seem surprised by that?"
"You went back into the bar, and so I thought…well, that was one of the choices, and I…"
"Oh my god" the blonde covered her face with her hands "you actually thought I was turning you down"
"Yes!" Emily exclaimed "You basically kissed me goodbye and then went inside without saying a word. What was I supposed to think?"
"Shit Em" JJ rested her hands on the brunette's shoulders "I thought the kiss said enough. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to worry you"
"Did you tell the others we're leaving?"
"Yeah. I made up a very obvious lie about you not feeling well, which I'm fairly certain none of them bought. Except maybe Spencer"
Emily laughed "So I guess our secret's out then?"
"Looks that way…are you ok with that?"
"Yeah" the brunette smiled slowly "yeah, I think I am. And to be honest, that's another issue for another day. But we need to make each other a promise right now. From now on, no assuming that the other one can read our minds. We need to talk to each other. Even when it's difficult, or we think it's obvious how we feel".
The blonde took hold of Emily's hand "I promise. And in case it isn't very obvious, I'd really like to go home with you right now"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Emily cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain as JJ's nails dug into her back. She was holding her weight on one elbow, her body covering the blonde's as she used the fingers of her free hand to thrust up inside her.
"Oh god!" JJ gasped, her eyes rolling back in her head.
"You feel that?" the brunette growled "Nobody else is ever going to take you like this"
"Ahh fuck Em. Take me, please. I'm yours"
Emily blinked back tears that unexpectedly threatened to fall. She slowed her thrusts, with each one becoming deep and deliberate. The blonde forced her eyes open and looked up at the woman above her. She reached up to the back of the brunette's neck, grasping her hair as she stared into her eyes. Slowly their bodies moved together, the air filled with gasps from both women.
"Are you…fuck…are you mine, Emily?" the blonde panted.
"Yes" the brunette whispered, her eyes saying more than her words ever could.
In the rawest of moments, Emily was laying everything bare. No more boxes, no more walls, JJ had pierced right through to her very soul. Despite her best efforts, a tear trickled down her cheek and she made no attempt to hide it.
JJ reached up, wiping the tear away tenderly before covering the brunette's hand that was by her head with her own and tangling their fingers together. In response, Emily leant down and pressed her lips firmly against the blonde's, both of them exhaling through their nostrils as their bodies continued to move in synch.
JJ then tugged on the brunette's hair, causing her to lift her head just enough to let the blonde cry out.
Emily could feel the blonde's walls tensing around her fingers, and she raised her head further so that she could watch the waves of pleasure crashing over JJ's face.
"Oh my god….oh my god…holy fuuuuuuuucccckkk!"
That, right there, was the most perfect thing that Emily had ever seen. She was using her own pelvis to thrust her fingers into the blonde, and her whole body felt like it was on fire. Seeing JJ's face contort in pleasure, and without ever breaking eye contact, had the brunette whimpering.
"Emily…" the blonde rasped, pulling Emily down to crash their lips together.
Their tongues delved into one another's mouths, and this time it was the brunette who was struggling to breathe.
"You're close, aren't you?" JJ whispered against her lips.
The brunette nodded "It's ok though, you've just…"
JJ silenced her with a kiss, sliding a hand between their bodies, which instinctively caused the brunette to raise her hips.
"Fuck" the blonde gasped, as her fingers made contact with Emily's wetness.
"I told you…" the brunette bit her lip as eager fingers sought out her clit "I'm yours"
"This is me?" JJ rasped in awe.
"You. Only you"
It was the blonde's turn to stare intently into Emily's eyes as just moments of contact from her fingers were enough to send the brunette over the edge. Emily's breath came out in staccato pants as she struggled to keep her eyes open, before she finally succumbed and let her eyes close as she tilted her head back and cried out loudly.
"Jennifer" she whimpered, as her body collapsed down on top of the blonde.
"Hey" JJ soothed, running a hand up the brunette's back "I've got you"
They lay together for moments that neither woman could ever define in terms of length of time. As her body slowly recovered, Emily rolled off and to her side, with the blonde instinctively turning so that they now lay facing one another.
"You…" the brunette said softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind JJ's ear, before letting her hand linger against her face "are so damn beautiful"
The blonde draped an arm over Emily's hip "This might just be the perfect moment I've been waiting for my whole life"
"I…" the brunette blushed, before stopping herself.
"Whatever it is, say it Em. We're being honest with each other now, remember?"
"Damn my stupid speech" Emily chuckled.
JJ raised an eyebrow, letting the brunette know she wasn't getting away with it that easily.
"Ok, ok!"
"Assume I know nothing, Prentiss"
"Ok, well in that case, I guess you should know…I love you"
The words hung in the air for a few moments, but the look in the blonde's eyes meant Emily had no reason to be concerned. Despite all her earlier comments about not assuming anything, coupled with her own general self-doubt, she was still fully assured by the look on JJ's face that the feeling was very much reciprocated.
"Can I tell you something?" the blonde smiled shyly.
"Of course
"And you promise you won't be mad"
Emily frowned "Well, that depends on whether what you have to say gives me a reason to be mad"
"Ok so…I've kind of known this for a while, and so you are not the first person I've told this to, but I love you too"
"You're a grown women Jayje, I'm not surprised that you've told someone you loved them before. But it's kinda weird to bring that up right now"
"Ok no that totally wasn't the point I was making. I meant that I love you, but that Emily Prentiss isn't the first person I've told that I love Emily Prentiss" the blonde screwed up her nose, fairly sure that she'd probably just said the wrong thing.
"Right…this is weird, but I'm gonna go with it…"
"Morgan" JJ blurted out "I told Morgan. After I missed that shot, he gave me a talking to, before I came to see you, and I told him I loved you. I didn't really mean for it to come out like that…but I think he kinda knew anyway"
The brunette tried to keep a poker face for a moment, but failed spectacularly and couldn't help but laugh "I'm fairly sure nothing in this situation could be more right than Morgan finding out before me that you love me. After all, he knew that I fancied you before you did"
"That is a…totally valid point" the blonde conceded.
"While we're being honest, can I ask you something?"
"Of course"
"I just…I need to know. And it won't change anything, I promise. But did you kiss that guy tonight?"
"No" JJ exhaled, before continuing "…but if I'm being totally honest, I would have, if Morgan hadn't intervened"
"Ok" the brunette nodded "thank you for telling me the truth. Can I ask you to explain why? I promise, I'm not going to get mad. And I know, I gave as good as I got tonight, and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. And I promise…I love you, ok? Nothing you say right now is going to change that. I just…I want to understand"
"Ok…so there isn't one simple answer to this. First of all, honestly? I wanted to get a reaction out of you. I wanted to make you jealous, or for you to show some sign that it bothered you at all. Because I'd put my head above the parapet and told you I had feelings for you, and you'd basically shot me down by saying this thing between us was over"
Emily opened her mouth to correct the blonde, given that she absolutely hadn't denied that she had feelings for her too, but seeing the look on JJ's face, she thought better of it and allowed her to continue.
"I was totally being a bitch" the blonde acknowledged "but I'd tried every other way I could think of to get your attention, so it was kinda the only thing I had left in my arsenal. And it was so damn easy, to approach a guy like that who'd been eyeing me up since we got into the bar. And yes, it was nice to feel wanted, and so in that moment I was happy to go along with it"
The brunette nodded, her poker face unintentionally returning at this point.
"I'm sorry, you asked me to be honest…" JJ trailed off.
"Hey" Emily reached out and cupped the blonde's cheek "I always want you to be honest, no matter how hard it is for me to hear. So thank you. And I promise, the things you've just told me make absolutely no difference to how I feel about you. And honestly…once you'd walked onto that dancefloor, I was basically playing the same game. I picked a girl who looked like you, in the hopes that either it would make me feel better, or it would make you realise what you were missing"
"I guess this is the point where your little speech from earlier about actually talking to each other comes into play…"
"Yeah, I suppose that might have helped" the brunette smiled.
"How about I tell you something that I promise I've never told anyone else, not even Morgan?"
"Go for it"
JJ bit her lip as she stared straight into the brunette's eyes "I don't just love you, I'm in love with you"
Emily smiled, shaking her head as she reached out to cup the blonde's cheek "Well I guess I'd better admit that I'm in love with you too"