Author's Note: Hi all! This first chapter is going to be a rewrite of some scenes from the show, so the dialogue is not my own, except for the parts I altered and added in. This will be the only chapter with scene rewrites. I do not own Criminal Minds or these characters. If I did, this is how it would have gone.

Episode 14x15, truth or dare scene rewrite

JJ took a breath in to steady her voice. "What's it gonna take for all of us to walk outta here alive? For this to end peacefully?" She tried to look into Casey's eyes rather at the gun a few feet from her face.

"I ain't goin' back to prison," he growled. "My turn. Truth or dare?"

JJ took only a second, afraid of what kind of dare he would give her. "Truth."

"I want you to say something you're afraid to say. That you'd never tell anybody. And you'd better make it good. 'Cause if it's not, it's gonna be the last thing you ever say. What's it gonna be?"

JJ averted her eyes to the ground and shook her head slightly, thinking. "There are only four people I trust in this world," she said, trying not to cry. Spencer Reid. Penelope Garcia. David Rossi. Emily Prentiss.

"Boooring," Casey interrupted her thoughts, swiftly pointing the gun at Melissa's legs and firing. "Next!" he yelled.

JJ was shaking now, but she had to buy time. "Um." Melissa groaned in pain and JJ avoided looking at her. "My…" she grimaced and shook her head again. "My baby I lost, I, um," she swallowed hard before continuing, "wanted to name her Maggie."

"Wrong," he screamed. "Come on, you can do better than that!"

"Casey," Reid cut in, having enough of him torturing JJ this way.

"Shut. Up." He pointed the gun in Reid's direction, emphasizing each word, then lunged at JJ.

"Okay, okay," she said as he roughly yanked her arm to pull her down to her knees. "Okay." She held her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again.

Casey backed up a little bit. "Last chance. Something you'd never say aloud. Not even to your partner here." He pointed to Reid with the gun. "Your deepest, darkest secret."

JJ could see Reid working at the tape on his wrists in her peripheral vision.

"Impress me, or I'll kill him," Casey said.

JJ risked turning her head to meet Reid's eyes. She hesitated.

"Come on!" Casey yelled.

JJ looked down at the floor. She knew she would have to say something true, that he'd be able to tell if she was making something up. She gasped as she sucked in a breath, the tears filling her voice. She had to tell the truth, even if it might mean hurting Spencer, even if it might change everything. She knew the way he'd always felt about her. She didn't want to lose him. She looked at him again and gave a weak half smile. "Spence, um." She sighed. "I've always loved her."

Spencer looked at JJ intently. He knew what 'her' she meant.

"And I was just too scared to say it before." She shook her head again, to keep the tears from falling. "And now things are just really too complicated to tell her now." Her voice broke on the last word. A sob escaped and she tried again to breathe through it. "I'm sorry," she whispered, voice thick with emotion. "But you should know."

Casey chuckled. "Hot damn. You broke the guy's heart." He shook the gun. "That's what I'm talking about. Now those are some last words right there. But not good enough to save your life."

JJ saw his finger on the trigger, knew this was the end for her. A shot rang out. Casey collapsed between her and Reid. JJ watched him fall in disbelief. Reid had freed himself in time. He had saved her life. She was alive. Reid looked somewhere between relieved and crestfallen.

Episode 14x15, Rossi & Krystall's wedding, JJ & Reid scenes rewrite

Emily was giving a speech. "Sometimes it takes time. Sometimes it takes a parallel universe or something."

JJ briefly wondered if the speech could be about her. She snuck a glance at Spencer to see if he was hearing what she was. Will placed his hand over hers and she gave him a soft smile, then met Spencer's knowing gaze.

Emily continued. "But the thing about twin flames is that nothing can keep them apart. They are a magic unto themselves. And together, they light the way for all of us."

JJ really hoped it could be true, one day.

Later, she saw Reid standing alone and approached. Things had been so awkward since her confession. She leaned on the bar next to him. "Hey. Um." She nervously pushed back her hair. "So I– I didn't get a chance to say it back there, but thank you. For saving my life."

"You're welcome," Spencer replied. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she replied quickly, looking down then back up at him, unsure where to set her eyes. "Luke was right, though. Two guns, huh? How long you been wearing an ankle holster?"

"Around the time I got out of prison."

JJ nodded. "Right." She put her fingers to the bridge of her nose, then used them to push back her hair again. "Look, so, um, what I said back there, I uh, I needed to say something that would get his attention and I needed to say something that would get your attention, too, you know, so I, uh, I just needed to throw him off balance…"

"Jennifer," he interrupted.

She looked up at him and their eyes met.

"Truth or dare?" he asked.

JJ stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge what he was getting at. "Truth," she said finally, barely above a whisper.

"Did you mean it?" he asked softly.

JJ looked into his eyes, trying to convey everything she wanted to say with her own. Yes, she meant it. Yes, she knew the way he felt about her. No, she never wanted to hurt him. No, she wasn't going to do anything about it, to jeopardize either of her families.

"Guys, they're about to cut the cake," Emily interrupted, touching JJ's arm.

JJ turned to her, a bundle of nerves at her sudden touch. "Uh, great. We'll be right there." JJ couldn't stop touching her hair, couldn't stop watching Emily walk away, but Spencer noticed and turned to leave. JJ put her hand on his chest to stop him. She felt bad enough as it was, and now of course Emily was the one to walk up when they were having this conversation. Reid did stop for a moment, but JJ didn't know what to say now. She looked down and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"It's okay. Everything's okay," he assured her.

JJ stared at him for a moment, trying to read his eyes. "Yeah?" she whispered.

Reid nodded. "Yeah."

JJ hesitated, afraid to leave this moment and what it could mean for the future of their friendship. "Kay," she finally said. She ducked her head and walked away from Reid, heading straight for Emily. What she wouldn't do to be able to embrace the woman she loved, but she knew Spence was still watching her and Will was standing right there. She went to her husband instead.

Episode 15x2, Reid & JJ hospital scenes rewrite

"…I know things between the two of us have been kinda weird lately, ever since you said you love Emily. You said it and I heard it and the thing is, I just, I," Reid paused, getting choked up. "I don't know what to do with that. I know why you said it, I just don't know. Maybe you meant it. And if you did, what does that mean? You didn't bring it up after the wedding. I didn't either because I just didn't know how to talk to you about it, so instead I just stopped talking. To you. And that is not what I meant to happen." Reid was full-on crying now. "And now, all of a sudden, none of that matters. What matters is that y-you wake up. That I get to have more time with you." He rubbed at his eyes. "'Cause I can't imagine my life without you in it. Please don't leave me." JJ didn't stir.

Spencer stopped back by her hospital room later. JJ eyes flickered open as he walked in.

"I should've found you sooner," he said, walking over to her.

"Spence," she breathed out, voice hoarse. "You saved my life. Again. I'm glad you're here."

"You're my best friend," he said. "Where else would I be? I should go. I'm gonna let you get some rest."

"No," she said weakly. "No, not yet." She took a deep breath. "I've missed you."

"Me too." He came to stand at the very edge of her hospital bed.

"It's my fault. That things have been weird. Between the two of us. What I said, we need to talk about it."

"No," he intrrruped. "We don't. And I shouldn't have let it drive a wedge between us, I – "

"I needed to say something real and that's what came out and I'm sorry," she interrupted back, tears spilling out of the corners of her eyes. "I didn't, I never meant to do that to you. I was prepared to take that secret to the grave. But now it's out and I can't lie to you and say I didn't mean it. I do love you, but I'm in love with her. She was my first love and I'll always love her. I know that's not fair." She shook her head against the pillow, really crying now. "You're such a big piece of my heart and you always will be. But Emily… Maybe if things were different, maybe it would have been her and I. I sometimes think about that."

Reid wiped a tear from his eye. He'd never been good at hiding his feelings for JJ, even after he'd seen her interactions with Emily, even after she'd married Will.

"I just want you to know that I never meant to hurt you," JJ said. "I just want you to be happy. And I want us to be okay."

"I know you do. And we are." Reid started to leave, but turned back to say one last thing. "But if you feel about her the way I feel about you, then maybe you shouldn't be with Will. You should tell him. And then you should tell Emily."

"Isn't it too late?" JJ asked tearfully, not expecting a response.

"You're alive, JJ. It's never too late to be honest about how you feel, as long as you're alive to feel it." Reid walked out of the room.

A/N: I've been wanting to right this since the moment I watched the Truth or Dare scene the night it aired. I hope I did it justice for all my Jemily fans left as irritated as I was. Please drop your reviews and let me know what you think! More will be here very soon and none of the rest will be canon. Thanks for reading!