Hours later they had reached the bottom of Hangers Peak and it looked like they were heading back to the school.
"Baby Girl I thought we were doing something else?" Morgan asked with wonder.
"We are it's just threw here." JJ walked threw some trees into a clearing.
"Yes" Emily and Morgan shouted and high-fived as the rock wall came into view.
"Catch." JJ pulled the keys from her pocket and threw them at Morgan who was already off to the equipment shed. He caught them and the rest of the team followed.
20 minutes later they were all geared up and ready to go.
"Are you sure you don't want to play baby girl." Morgan asked Garcia who was sitting on the grass with her legs crossed in front of her.
"No, I'm shattered from that walk. You go and have fun…" She ruffled round in one on the packs then pulled out what she was looking for "I'll take pictures!"
"Ok" Morgan kissed the top of her head and went to join the others at the wall. Emily, Rossi, Hotch, JJ and a very reluctant looking Reid were already attached to the wall when Morgan got there.
"C'mon slow coach." Emily teased "Let's see if your any better than the last time we did this" It wasn't new to the team that Emily and Morgan liked to work out together, they often came in to work teasing each other.
"Well I'm better than you." Morgan poked his tongue out at her.
"Let's see if you two can beat me" JJ winked at the pair to her left.
"Hang on, how come when we asked if you wanted to come with us, you said you didn't know how and didn't want to?" Morgan questioned.
"Because then you would ask where I learnt what I know." JJ answered with a small smile but quickly shook of the sadness, today was about fun and other than the 30 minutes they talked on the way up Hangers Peak, she was having a great time "Ok. Everyone ready?"
She received a 'yes' from Emily, Morgan, Hotch and Rossi but only a small grown from Reid who was at her right "Ok. GO!" She yelled.
Reid was still on the first few steps, Rossi and Hotch were about a quarter of the way up and Emily and Morgan were only in the middle when JJ reached the top and sat on the ledge looking down.
"C'mon guys! What am I too fast for ya?" She teased and looked to the ground at Garcia who was cheering her on.
"Ok. So, you're good." It was more of a statement than a question that was yelled up by Morgan "but that's an un-fair advantage. You've done this wall before"
"Don't be a sore looser now Morgan" Rossi yelled from lower down the wall.
"Next time we go climbing JJ, you're coming with us no arguments!" Morgan looked down and glared at Rossi who was not too far behind them.
"How you doing down there Spence?" JJ yelled to the bottom ignoring Morgan.
"O…k" He shouted back up. He was getting there; he was now about a third of the way up.
Morgan and Emily reached the ledge at the same time, followed by Hotch and closely by Rossi.
"Not bad, for a couple of old guys." Morgan winked at Hotch and Rossi as JJ attached them to the Safety guard so they wouldn't fall.
They all looked over the wall and encouraged Spencer who was doing well.
That was until his foot slipped and lost his footing, letting go of the wall. He started panicking and couldn't get his foot hold.
"Spence! Take a deep breath and grab on to the wall." JJ yelled down but it didn't work he just continued panicking and the harness flipped him upside down "DAMNIT!" JJ cursed.
The other four at the top of the wall watched JJ slightly panicked as she attached herself back onto her line and repelled down the wall.
She reached Reid with only one push of the wall. She grabbed his shirt to pull him up right.
"Hold onto my waist." She told him and he did, tight "Ok Spence I still need to breath." She joked.
"Sorry" was all he could squeak. JJ attached him to her harness and yelled up to Morgan "Release his line. I'm gonna take him down."
Seconds later Reid was only hanging on by his harness to JJ's and they were slowly going town to solid ground.
They hit the bottom and JJ unhooked him as Garcia ran over.
"You ok Spence?" She asked the very pale looking man.
"GOD Genius! Are you ok?" Garcia squeaked.
"Yeah. I'm fine just a little shaken" He reassured them "and erm…" He went bright red "I'm erm…"
"A little squashed?" Reid just nodded looking at the floor "That shouldn't last long." JJ couldn't help but snigger "Pen can you take him to sit down, I've got go back up and help the others down." Garcia helped a shaking Reid over to the bags on the grass. JJ chuckled to herself a bit more and started to climb the wall again.
Morgan, Rossi, Emily and Morgan watched in amazement at JJ quickly climbed the wall.
"WOW blondie, you really are good!"
"Is he ok?" Hotch asked when JJ reached the top.
"Yeah, I think his prides a bit damaged not to mention his erm…family jewels." She gave them a wink and they all burst out laughing.
They spent the next hour just hanging out and climbing up and down the wall. JJ giving Emily and Morgan tips she had learnt while at Horizon.
"Guys we've got an hour till sunset. We need to get back." JJ started packing away all the equipment with the help of the others.
"How far back is it Gumdrop?" Garcia got up from the ground and picked up the bags handing them to Morgan and Hotch.
"Only about 20 minutes. It's not far."
They slowly made their way back to camp. It felt good to get away from everyone and everything for the day but as they got closer and closer to the school JJ started to get quieter and quieter and the colour that had sparked in her eyes throughout the day slowly started to vanish again. She had a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach. Something didn't feel right.
"There you are!" Peter exclaimed as they walked out the tree line.
"You all look shattered." Sophie giggled "Here I made you a stack of sandwiches I didn't think you would want to do more than shower and go to bed." She handed Emily a large brown bag.
"Thankyou and no your right, I need to sleep."
"Wow Emily Prentiss not thinking about food. There's a first for everything I guess." Morgan chuckled.
"It'll be a first for my foot in your face if you don't shut it." She gave him a sweet smile, Morgan just chucked back at her.
"Shelby, you ok?" Peter asked seeing how distant she looked. He was worried they didn't have a good time but from the looks of the others it was a successful day out.
"Oh…yeah, I'm gonna take a shower than go to bed." She walked off to the cabin and the others followed except Hotch who stayed next to Peter and Sophie.
"Is she ok?" Sophie asked concerned.
"I don't know, we were having a good day but as we got closer, the quieter she got. I expect she's just nervous about the funeral tomorrow."
"Yeah, most likely." Peter smiled at him.
"Speaking of which, how are the arrangements? Is there anything we can do?" Hotch asked.
"Everything's arranged but thank you. Jess arrived yesterday at the mortuary in town, and everything is meant to be here in the morning. So no, just do what you're doing and be there for our girl, she seems to have opened up to you all now. I don't know what you said to her on that dock, but it seems to have worked."
"It was rough but we got through to her eventually." Hotch gave them a small reassuring smile. "Ok well, I'm going to get some rest, it's going to be a long day." Hotch shook Peters hand and bid them goodnight.
JJ sat her jumper on the bed and took off her boots when Emily came and sat next to her making her jump.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Are you ok?" She asked slightly concerned.
"I'm fine." JJ brushed her off and grabbed her shower things and fresh cloths. She was walking into the shower room when Emily gently grabbed her arm, stopping JJ from moving forward.
"JJ what's going on? Talk to me."
"I…I don't know. Something doesn't feel right." JJ scanned the room and looked worried. She couldn't put her finger on it, and it frightened her.
"I'm sure it's just nerves about tomorrow." She pulled JJ into a hug "Don't worry everything's going to be ok, just you watch."
"Yeah." JJ turned and went to shower.
The rest of the night was filled with Garcia showing then the pictures she took and then them all getting an early night.
JJ woke the next morning with a fright. She'd had another nightmare but this time it was a quite one as no one else had awoken. She looked over at the clock, it said it was only 5:30 she sighed and sat up. JJ was too nervous to try and go back to sleep so she lay there watching the sun rise out of the window and listening to the sounds of her sleeping colleagues. JJ lay there remembering all the good times she had with her baby sister.
The hours ticked by and 7:30 quickly came. Emily sat up and saw that JJ way lying awake looking up at the ceiling with a few tears rolling down her temple. She got Garcia's attention and tipped her head in JJ's direction. As if they were reading each other's minds Emily and Garcia got up and walked over to JJ's bed. Emily laid on JJ's left with her arms round the blonde's waist and Garcia laid on her right with JJs hand in hers. The two women stayed like that for a while just letting JJ feel the comfort of their bodies and support. Her eyes slowly started to drift closed as her best friend's warmth spared threw her body and sleep over came the exhausted woman.
"Em, Princess…" Morgan walked onto their view so they didn't move and wake JJ "Were gonna go to the kitchen, get breakfast and bring it back here for everyone, Ok?" Emily smiled at him in agreement and understanding.
"Are you two going to be ok with her on your own for a bit?" Rossi asked. Rossi knew that they would be ok but just wanted to double check.
"Yeah go on and don't forget the coffee. Lots of it were all going to need it today especially our cupcake." Garcia said to them men.
"Ok…" Morgan walked out of the room after the other men.
30 minutes Garcia and Emily were still lying on the bed, they hadn't spoken a word since the men left the room. They were happy that JJ seemed to be getting some rest and both of them quietly promised that they would do whatever they had to do to get their best friend back even if it meant moving into her home with her so she wasn't alone.
A low whimper came from the sleeping blonde.
"Shhhhhh" Emily whispered in JJ's ear.
"Please don't…." JJ whimpered some more.
"You're ok Jayje." Garcia gently rubbed her arm.
"No, don't do this again please Walt." JJ said a little louder.
"We need to wake her up before it gets a hold on her." Emily said as she and Garcia sat up. Emily gently shook JJ's shoulders which seemed to do the trick as she slowly started to open her eyes and sit up, scooting herself up against the headboard.
"Hey, Angelfish, you're ok." Garcia continued to rub soothing circled on JJ's arms.
"I'm sorry." JJ whispered still laying on the bed trying to pull herself together from the nightmare.
"Don't apologies, you have nothing to be sorry for." Emily gave her a warm smile.
"Thankyou for lying with me, both of you." She looked at Emily and Garcia.
"Anytime Jayje."
"We mean it butterfly, any time you need us, day or night all you have to do is call and we'll both come running as fast as humanly possible." Garcia scooted next to where JJ had sat up and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder and Emily nodded in agreement at what Garcia had said.
"Talk to us Jayje"
JJ's eyes shifted away from Emily; she was trying to avoid talking to them.
"Hey," Emily gently tilted JJ's chin towards her "Don't do this, not now Jayje. You've come so far, don't try to push us away again. We won't let you." JJ sighed; she knew what she was feeling was silly, but she couldn't shake it.
"I don't know…Something's not right. I've got a bad feeling about today"
"Maybe it's just because of what's happening, it's not going to be easy." Emily turned round and sat next to them leaning against the headboard too.
"Yeah, maybe." JJ sighed just as Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, Reid, Peter and Sophie walked in their arms filled with either trays of food or coffee.
"Oh boys, you are my god given solace. Hand me the caffeine." Garcia reached out a hand and Morgan slipped a cup in, as well as handing one to Emily and JJ.
"How's it going Princess?" Morgan asked JJ as he sat on the end of the bed the ladies were all sitting on taking a sip of his coffee.
"I'm fine Morgan." She gave him a little smile.
"Shelby!" Peter gave her a knowing look.
"What!" She shocked at being scolded.
"You know how much he hates those words Shel." Sophie put her tray on an empty bed.
"Ask her again Morgan." Peters stare never left JJ and JJ's never left Peter. They were both giving the other stubborn looks.
"Ok…" Morgan looked to the team with a raised eyebrow and then at JJ and Peter "How's it going Princess." Morgan continued with caution.
There was silence till JJ gave in, sighed, and moved her look to Morgan "I will be Ok, once we get home."
"Thankyou." Peter smiled at her, winning this round.
"Ok were going to get ready." Sophie grabbed Peters arm "The flowers are here; the food is all set and Jess will be driven up to Hope Falls in a few hours. We will meet her there." JJ looked down at her lap as Peter and Sophie walked out.
I don't know if I can do this JJ thought to herself.
"What's Hope Falls?" Rossi asked JJ brining her out of her thoughts.
"It's where were going to be burying Jess. Frank, the man who started Mt Horizon, He had a son who died of an overdose when he was a teenager. I guess that's when Frank realised that there were so many screwed up kids out there and not enough people willing to help them, so he started this place. Anyway, Frank buried his son there. It's a beautiful place and Jess loved it there, we used to sneak up there together. So, I thought what better place to let her rest in peace that the place she felt most safe."
"That's really sweet." Garcia rested her head on JJ shoulder.
The next few hours were filled with people walking in and out of the bathroom and shower room getting ready for the funeral ahead. Hotch, Morgan, Rossi and Reid dressed smartly in their smartest black suits with matching black ties along with Emily who wore a light blue shirt under her suit jacket and secretly hidden under all their trousers were their weapons. Garcia was wearing a black dress with a small hat just tipped to the side of her head.
JJ was the last to finish getting ready and she finally walked out of the bathroom after another long hot shower, Emily had again briefly joined her after. She had on one of her work suits with a light pink button up shirt underneath, JJ also had the gun strapped to her ankle, but what was most worrying to the group of Profilers was JJ's face, she looked like she was about to go and address the media. She didn't look scared, hurt or broken like she did just a few hours before lying in bed with her two best friends. She looked like their old JJ, which is what they all wanted but not like this. JJ had to deal with all her emotions and guilt before she could try to be her old self.
"You don't have to be strong round us; you know that Bella." Rossi walked up to her and put a hand on her cheek, JJ slightly rested her face into his palm accepting a small bit of comfort.
"I know" she smiled at him "But I have to do this for Jess."
"Ok, lets go and wait outside till it's time to go" Hotch rested his hand on the base of JJ's back for support.