Emily walked down the hall towards JJ office. In the daily briefing earlier that morning, the team discussed a case that they had been consulting on for over a week. As they discussed it, JJ reported that the local sheriff had called her that morning about a young woman who fit their victimology was seen at a local hospital.
The issue that arose was that there was a language barrier in getting the woman's statement. She only spoke Italian and the small town did not have anyone who could translate. Spanish yes but not Italian. As JJ explained the situation, Emily could feel the eyes on the looking over at her. Looking up at the table, she quickly agreed to speak to the woman via video conference.
That had been a couple of hours earlier. She was now heading to JJ office as the media liaison had just called her that they were ready on the other end for the interview. Emily was somewhat nervous about doing the interview in JJ's office though not as much as she would have even been a couple of weeks earlier.
After they came back from San Francisco, JJ has noticeably thawed out toward Emily. She had started to include Emily when she brought coffee. They had started to both go to lunch with other members of the team however they had not talked one on one yet.
There was less tension between them now than since Emily joined the team. However at this point, Emily wasn't sure how and if she should approach JJ to talk about their differences.
As much as she wanted to get everything out in the open so they could see if they could work through it, Emily was worried. When they did talk and if she mishandled it, she risked losing the fragile connection that she seemed to finally be making with JJ as well as possibly the friendship that she had been working on with other members of the team.
When she reached JJ office, Emily knocked on the partially open door and entered when JJ waved her into the office. JJ was just completing a phone call. Emily close the door behind her and took a couple of steps towards the chairs.
Before she could sit in one of the guest seats in the room, JJ gestured for her to sit at the desk explaining that she wanted to be over by the door while Emily was doing the interview to intervene if anyone came to the door. Switching spots, JJ introduced Emily over the video conference to the sheriff and the victim advocate who would be supporting the woman that Emily was interviewing.
After that, the sheriff excused himself and Emily introduced herself to the young woman before easing into the questions. The team had given her a few questions to include but Hotch had given her control of the interview since she was familiar with factors they needed to evaluate to determine if it was the same UNSUB.
An hour later, JJ disconnected the video link after Emily completed the interview. It had only taken 10 minutes for Emily to see the wisdom of JJ sitting over by the door when a knock was heard at the door. Since then JJ had stepped out a half dozen times to address various agents that needed to speak to her.
As JJ closed down the connection, Emily quickly wrote down some notes for herself about what she had learned as she still needed to brief the team. The interview had been recorded so she could translate the entire interview later for the official record.
As she stood up to move away from the desk, JJ asked, "what do you think? Is it the same guy?"
Emily sighed and nodded her head before saying, "yeah, I think so. She described the same shade of eyes and well as him cutting a piece of her hair. Since we had the sheriff hold the cutting of the hair part of the signature back, it seems like it is. I need to let Hotch know so I can brief the rest of the team this afternoon. Thanks for setting up the interview JJ."
Emily took a couple of more steps towards the door before she stopped and looked back at JJ when she said, "Emily can we talk?"
Slowly turning around, Emily looked at the nervous demeanor of the younger woman before nodding as she said, "sure JJ."
Emily hadn't been surprised by the request as she had noticed several times over the last week that JJ had looked like she was going to say something to her before stopping herself at the last minute.
While she was hoping that this talk would result in them coming to an understanding, Emily didn't say anything. She wanted to let JJ lead the conversation since she was initiating it.
Smiling at Emily, JJ gestured for her to sit in one of the visitor chairs in her office while she took the other one. They both awkwardly sat there quietly until JJ said, "Emily, I need to apologize to you. I've said and done some things about you that I'm not proud of."
Emily let out a breath she had been holding before responding, "thanks. But why JJ? Did I do or say something wrong?"
JJ slowly shook her head before saying, "it's not that. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been asking myself that same question. I think primarily it was unintentionally fallout from what happened with Elle. Agent Greenaway."
"I don't understand though I've only heard bits and pieces about her." Emily said.
JJ nodded and explained about Elle's attack and then what happened when she came back from leave focusing mostly on the last case where she shot a suspect. JJ then explained what she knew about what happened after that until Elle left the team.
Emily sighed as she saw the numerous emotions cross the younger agent's face as she put into words what happened before Emily joined the team. After JJ sat back, Emily said, "you felt betrayed by a friend…"
JJ shook her head before interrupting, "...no that's just it. We weren't friends. In the office, she stuck with the other profilers and mostly ignored Pen and I except when she needed us to do something which is fine, that's why we are here. She wasn't interested in socializing outside the office with anyone other than Morgan."
JJ paused and took a few deep breaths before looking back over at Emily and continuing, "for me it was what happened on that last case. My job centers on acting as a link between the team and the outside world. Various police departments and other agencies as well as the press.
After what happened in Dayton, I was fielding calls from other police departments and various reporters. I spent weeks making reiterating the official story while making sure what happened didn't compromise all the work that this team does and all that we have accomplished."
Emily nodded at what JJ had said having seen over the last few months how seriously JJ took her role in supporting and protecting the team.
"After Elle quit, we all needed time to get past what happened. I guess I needed more time than most." JJ said quietly before looking down.
Emily took a deep breath before saying, "from what you said JJ, what happened impacted you job responsibilities more than anyone else. Well except for Hotch. How you felt is understandable given what happened."
JJ smiled and nodded at Emily understanding before saying, "that's true. I know Hotch and Gideon were discussing new interview questions. But Strauss took that opportunity away from them..." JJ paused when looked over at Emily's brief change in expression before biting her lip realizing she had just delved into a sensitive topic.
When JJ trailed off, Emily sighed before saying, "JJ, I didn't know any of this history when I started. I applied for the opening when I saw it was available and Strauss offered me the job. It wasn't until that first day that I found out she wasn't the Unit Chief since she placed the opening and hired me."
JJ tilted her her and looked at Emily quizzically as she said, "really that is strange. She is generally by the book." She paused before she said thoughtfully, "but that would explain the tension with Hotch."
Emily nodded before she said, "yeah, he was surprised when she sent me over to his office. He didn't know she had hired anyone until I showed up with completed paperwork."
There was no way she could tell JJ that she had considered their feelings about their past relationship the main source of stress between her and Hotch. While in recent weeks they had come to a silent understanding that had reduced the tension as they attempted to find balance in their working relationship, she still felt the less people that knew, the better.
JJ's eyes widened before blurting out, "wow. He hates those type of surprises. No wonder he was upset since he and Gideon had already been discussing not being ready to hiring someone. Did you say you just showed up in his office? By yourself?", she asked as she looked at Emily questioningly.
Emily looked at her confused by the question before asking, "yeah, Strauss sent me over after we met. Why?"
JJ shook her head as she answered, "that is just completely not like her. She always walks over with new agents even when Hotch and/or Gideon had hired them. That and they always had notice beforehand when it was going to be and they let the rest of us know."
Emily frowned as she took in what JJ had just said before putting the unusual behavior of the Section Chief aside for later consideration. Looking back over at JJ, Emily responded, "she said she had a meeting with the Director that morning and just gave me directions to his office."
JJ shrugged and then answered not quite convinced, "I guess. It's just strange that when all of the agents they knew about came over escorted with notice and the one they didn't know about came over with just paperwork without notice." She paused and sighed before saying, "it would explain Hotch's reaction to you. I took his wariness of you as evidence that he sensed something was off. In actuality it was probably just needing to learn details after you started that would he would have normally learned in the interview process."
"Did he say something to you?" Emily asked curiously. From her assessment of team dynamics, she had noticed that, because of her job description, JJ had a different relationship with Hotch than the rest of the team. If he was going to mention anything to someone, it would be JJ.
JJ shook her head to Emily's relief as she said, "no but we could all sense it. And you had come in, always seemed so together and seemingly had no problems with the work despite having come from desk position while I had back to back difficult cases that I was having to work through the paperwork with locals and that was even before Georgia." JJ sat quietly after that admission.
Emily sensing JJ's discomfort asked, "how are you doing after Georgia? You went through something horrible on top of Reid being kidnapped, with those dogs."
In the aftermath of Georgia, most of the team's focus had been on what Reid's experience as well as sorting out their own feelings about what happened. However Emily had been one of the first agents to find JJ in the barn as they arrived at the Henkel house and remembered how distressed JJ had been by the experience.
JJ gave her a nervous smile before saying, "thanks for asking. Also thanks for requesting the necropsies on the dogs. I'm doing better. It was hard for a while even after we got back but I'm doing better now."
Emily briefly smiled before responding, "good to hear and you're welcome, JJ."
JJ glanced over at Emily before saying, "Emily, I'm sorry for what happened in Georgia. In the bathroom. I shouldn't have confronted you. I just wished that I could handle the work like you do."
Emily sighed and shook her head as she said, "you don't want to be me JJ."
JJ looked at her carefully before asking, "what do you mean?"
As she saw JJ intrigued attention, Emily picked at her nails as she considered how much to share with her.
Did she tell her about what happened in her childhood that made her push people away?
About how she had a hard time not constantly looking over her shoulder?
About the reason why she always wore the same belt was there was a small knife hidden in it?
About how she had seen the same therapist on and off for over 20 years?
No, she couldn't. Maybe one day but now, their relationship wasn't strong enough for those disclosures. For now she needed to come up with a different answer.
Emily sighed before saying, "because JJ who you are is why you are so good at your job. And you don't characterize it as compartmentalization but you do it as well. Just in your own way. I've seen you do it."
"But you make it look so easy." JJ answered quietly
Emily rubbed her hands together before looking at JJ and saying, "this job is never easy." Emily paused, her eyes down before looking up at JJ and saying, "do you know why I asked for my first assignment out of the Academy to be with Crimes Against Children?"
"No" JJ said as she shook her head.
Emily sighed before saying, "I have wanted to be in the BAU since before I went to the Academy. I knew cases involving kids were going to be hardest for me. I chose to start with Crimes Against Children because I knew I needed to find a way to handle those cases before I felt I could come here.
I learned to compartmentalize from that work. One of my Unit Chiefs explained it as if you are focused on your own emotions, you can't be who your victims need you to be and the case can suffer. It takes practice and it is still a work in progress for me even years later."
JJ nodded as Emily's gaze came to the large stacks of files on shelves behind JJ's desk before she continued, "JJ, you have one of the hardest jobs on this team and considering what we do, that is saying something. I just see the consults that come to me. You see all the consults and all the cases in addition to all the inquiries that don't become consults or cases. Plus you communicate with everyone outside the team and that has get to be challenging."
JJ nodded before saying "yeah."
Emily responded, "then just do the best you can. It has worked so far. And besides, it's all any of us can do."
####
Hotch walked into his office and stand down at his desk. He had just come back from checking on Emily's progress however when he arrived at JJ's office, the video conference was through and he overheard part of the women's conversation. Realizing they meant for it to be a private conversation despite the partially open door, he walked away before either of them noticed he was there.
As he thought about what he had overheard, he agreed with JJ's assessment about Strauss' behavior around Emily start with the team.
But he wasn't sure what Strauss' plan was but his suspicions were again raised that she had one. Except for multiple meetings after they returned from Georgia, she had mostly been quiet.
However he expected that to change as the time for his eligibility for promotion got closer. He shook his head and hoped that whatever the plan was didn't derail his chances for promotion. Haley was getting more impatient everytime he needed to travel with the team or even had a late meeting.
But what plan did she have that involved,in his opinion, an unwitting Emily?
####
Emily stood up as they finished talking. It had been a good conversation. As she put her hand on the door knob, JJ said, "hey Emily." JJ asked when Emily turned back around, "would you like to join Pen and I for girls' night next week? We talked about going out for drinks."
Emily smiled back at her and answered, "sure, sounds great." before turning back around and out the door heading back to the bullpen.