Disclaimer: Same as every other chapter I own nothing

The Protector Chapter 6

When Emily comes back around her body feels heavy and she must work hard not to panic when her limbs won't respond to her mental commands. The room is too bright, smells of disinfectant, and she hears the steady beep of medical equipment. As much as she hates hospitals she is able to convince herself she is safe and keep cool breaths moving past her parched lips. There's a small hose pushing oxygen into her nose but it must be broken because she can only move air through one side. She senses someone beside her, and for a moment her heart leaps because surely it must be JJ, but then a roughened hand grasps hers and she can't find the soft vanilla scent of the blonde's shampoo. Whoever they are they seems to notice her distress and the hand squeezes hers in comfort for a few moments. Emily finally manages to crack her left eye open against the glare of fluorescent lighting before her companion says anything.

"We have to stop meeting like this" the voice is low and accented. It reminds Emily of sprawling green moors and the salted taste of grey waves on the air in the little Scottish town where they met. She is both comforted and furious.

"You shouldn't be here" she rasps. Her mouth is painfully dry.

"Then you nought have listed me as your kin" Emily knows that was a risk but she can't bring herself to regret it.

"You needed to know if anything happened" she insists while her visitor moves to pour cool water from a plastic pitcher at the bedside. She sucks gratefully at the straw he places near her mouth then continues in a stronger voice "if anything happens you're supposed to get the fuck out, not sit by my side with a target on your back"

"I'm not staying long" he assures her. She finally manages to turn her head and meet soft grey eyes. His strawberry blonde curls are going slowly white at the temples and she wants to tease him but his serious face stops her. "When they told me how you ended up here…"

"Stop" she insists before his emotion can shake her resolve to brush him off. "I know you want to be here for me, but you do that by keeping him safe"

"He is" the man insists, combing a comforting hand through Emily's hair. "He's safe and loved and happy. He loves the books you sent, he'll need the next in the series soon. And he misses you. Louise suggested he write to you" the ruffle of paper precedes the distinct feeling of an envelop being pushed into the palm her hand.

"I miss him too" she sighs "and you"

"I suppose I should expect Sam to turn up just as morose and guilt-ridden as he was the last time?" he changes the subject. She grunts in good humour as she presses the envelope to her heart and meets his eyes again.

"I know you'll take care of him too" Emily says.

"Got any other lost souls for me while I'm here" he jokes. Emily shakes her head and the two fall into a comforting silence once again. She experiments with moving her toes and turning her neck to loosen the aching muscles of her shoulders.

"What day is it?" She asks suddenly, realizing she's not entirely sure exactly when and where she is. "Where am I?". Her friend's hands move to soothe her with gentle pressure on her forearm.

"It's Thursday, you're in a DC hospital where doctors have had you medically sedated while the swelling in your brain comes down" he explains calmly. Despite her anger Emily is extremely thankful for his calm presence beside her. Emily cranes to look around for any more clues to her condition, characteristically assessing how quickly she can convince a doctor to discharge her. Nothing is broken but her nose and likely a few ribs, the cut on her leg throbs but is already healing well, the thumb she dislocated is set and bandaged, she feels nausea take root in her stomach likely thanks to the head wound and she's sore, but she feels stronger by the moment as the medication wears off.

"Got a date or something?" Comes the smirking response to the calculating look in Emily's eye. She doesn't have to answer verbally because he sees the blush flooding her pale face. "Well that's Bonnie" he says softly. "Better be good for the doctors so they let you free"

"You really have to go" Emily insists again as anxiety settles in her gut. His soft eyes show understanding but before he can take his leave the door to the hospital room swings open. She feels her companion tense beside her, but Emily quickly presses her hand to his arm when she recognizes her new guest. JJ eyes the man skeptically before turning her blues on Emily and allowing relief to show.

"You're awake!" She states obviously with a dazzling smile and sets a bag down on a chair by the door. "Jennifer Jareau" she holds her hand out to the man beside the hospital bed in introduction. He takes it genially but says nothing, casting an awkward tension over the room.

"This is my friend, Tom" Emily introduces. "He was just leaving" Tom nods and awkwardly pushes a kiss to each of Emily's bruised cheeks.

"Be well, love" he murmurs before tucking his unruly hair under a ball cap and leaving. JJ eyes the door then raises her brows at Emily but the brunette just shrugs and takes the younger woman's hand when it comes within her reach.

"I'm so glad to see your face" Emily breaks the tension. JJ blushes. "Tom says I've been out of it for a while"

"Yeah" JJ sighs "you've had us all worried but your prognosis is good" the blonde takes a moment to stroke Emily's arm then thread their fingers together tightly. Mischief sparks in her baby blues when she continues "… and because I know you're gonna ask — I stopped by the nurses station on the way in. They said the doctor will be by this afternoon and she'll probably let you go home tomorrow"

"Thank god" the brunette groans. She's about to run her fingers through her hair when she remembers the folded envelope tucked in her splinted hand against her chest. She squints at the uneven block lettering but the concentration pushes the full ache of her head forward and her eyes start to water. JJ asks what she's got in a low voice. Emily knows the blonde won't push. Knows that if she tells her it's nothing or just doesn't answer that the liaison will respect her privacy. A surge of affection comes over her at that. "It's a letter from Tom's son" she shares quietly. "Will you read it for me? My head still hurts"

JJ's fingers clasp gently around the envelope and pull the pages out with reverence. Emily suspects the younger woman knows just how important this is, and how significant it is that it's being shared with her. JJ stumbles slightly over the child's tentative handwriting and occasional creative spelling but her soft voice brings the words to life as sure as she would any press release. The child doesn't address Emily personally, the letter jumps right in and thanks her for the recent gifts, tells her about his new friends at school, about the soccer club he's joined, and a recent trip to the zoo. He writes that he misses her, that he wishes he could still call her when he's scared, when he's lonely, when he needs help with his homework. He signs it 'Mac' and Emily finds she's crying softly when JJ comes to the end.

"There's another note in here from an adult, a woman based on the handwriting and she signed it 'L'" JJ says. "Would you like me to keep reading?"

"Later" Emily whispers shakily. "Can you go back to the part about the zoo?" JJ smiles gently and re-reads the passage. His child's hand is messy with excitement as he describes his favourite exhibits. When it's done Emily smiles proudly "the penguins are my favourite too" she laughs.

"You love him" JJ observes. Emily only nods and allows a few more tears to fall from her watering eyes. "Who is he?"

"Tom's son" Emily shrugs again. JJ nods but obviously doesn't believe that's the whole story.

"He's very taken with you" the blonde says with a smile. "You make him feel safe and loved" Emily pulls her hand from JJ's and gently wipes at her eyes.

"How's Sam" Emily changes the subject.

"He's polling very well" JJ snarks lightly. "We were able to close our files and the campaign got ahead of the press. Your ex husband is safely in the closet for another term" Emily chuckles darkly at that. Relief settles over her like a blanket and she suddenly feels exhausted as though she hasn't been asleep for days already. If Sam is safe it means Tom is safe, and so is her secret.

"I'm not one to share my personal life so easily" it's a gross understatement on Emily's part but she feels the need to explain the worry she's so obviously carrying. "Has the office gossip had its way with me by now?"

"Emily" JJ scolds lightly "of course not. You're our friend and we were so scared for you — even if we had time to gossip on this case, it's not like we didn't already know you came from a political family or that we ever believed someone as tough and capable as you came off a desk in St Louis" this makes Emily smile but she can't help feeling exposed.

"I have secrets" Emily sighs

"Don't we all?" JJ asks.

"Not like this" Emily closes her eyes and thinks back to last Friday. The smile on JJ's face, the soft tingle of their lips meeting in the dark strip mall parking lot of a total dive. "Last week, I was over the moon thinking about this job and my life in DC. I've been a lot of different people over the last decade, but I was finally feeling like myself and I convinced myself that I could finally have a normal life"

"At the BAU!?" JJ jokes. Emily rolls her eyes and smiles.

"I guess that sounds pretty weird" Emily admits. "Does it change how you feel about me?" It's a rare moment of vulnerability and Emily finds she can't meet JJ's eyes. The blonde tightens her grip on Emily's hand.

"Of course it does" Emily startles and looks up with panic in her eyes but JJ just smiles "the more I learn about you the more I am in awe. I knew you were brilliant and compassionate and loyal but this week I learned how powerful that combination can be. I saw you carry yourself with such grace while you fought for justice - not just for our victims but for Sam and his lovers" JJ pulls herself out of the chair and settles her hip beside Emily's on the side of the bed. Her eyes glow with a watery smile and she pulls their joined hands to her lips to press kisses along her knuckles. "This week I learned that you see the best in everyone around you despite having first hand experience of the absolute worst humans can inflict. This week I learned that your capacity for love is vast enough to surround and protect even the most complicated partner. This week I learned that you're not just a fighter, but a survivor so strong you are practically fireproof. and yeah it absolutely changed the way I see you. But for the better"

"Thanks for that" the women sit quietly together and Emily feels herself tiring quickly. She's about to ask JJ if the younger woman will stay while she naps but the door opens again. This time it's the doctor.

The women don't get another chance to talk. When news breaks that emily is awake her hospital door revolves with visitors and well wishers well into the evening. Hotch comes by to give her an update on the case, and let her know that the death of Ben Simmons has been officially determined to be self defence. Emily will need to make a statement but it can wait until she's released. Rossi brings a warm container of home cooked food for dinner and masterfully treads the line between distracting and prompting her to share how she's feeling. She hasn't known the man long, but she feels an almost paternal care from him that soothes parts of her she had thought long buried. Morgan teases that he'll never let her partner with anyone else again while Garcia playfully admonishes him to go easy on their injured colleague. The tech goddess then produces a tote bag of bright Knick knacks and enlists her chocolate thunder's help in hanging cheerful banners and arranging fidgets for Emily to play with rather than destroy her jagged nails. Finally the spectacled blonde produces a small black and white stuffed animal with a flourish.

"A little bird told me you like penguins" Emily feels bad for scaring the analyst when she bursts into tears and hugs the penguin close but both her visitors have the good sense not to mention it. Reid brings a chess board and they play several quiet rounds. It's clear the genius is struggling with his own recent experiences and while neither would wish it on anyone, they're both comforted to be near someone who understands. A large bouquet of wildflowers turns up that Emily knows without having to look at the card are from Sam, but the man himself stays away and she's relieved. She sends him a thank-you through Bruno and knows he'll get the message to keep keeping his distance.

The only visitor that does surprise her is her mother. Emily wakes Friday morning to find the ambassador seated stiffly in a plastic chair, using the rolling hospital table for paperwork. The younger woman takes time to observe her mother before indicating she's awake. After the case in Baltimore the two have been trying, but she wasn't aware they were on hospital visiting terms quite yet. Particularly when her hospitalization is so closely tied to subjects they'd all but agreed would never be talked about. Her torture, her divorce, her decision to go back to counterintelligence despite all it had cost her. The ambassador is well dressed and collected as ever but Emily sees years of tension in the fine lines around her eyes and thin lips. They were so close once. As a little girl Emily had idolized her mother, the way she commanded a room, the glamour of world travel and the elaborate events hosted in their otherwise empty home. Her mother had paraded the dark-haired girl around as her mini-me and Emily had adored the praise and attention. Until it had turned to pressure. Until she began to understand the nuances of her parent's failing facade and realized that her father wasn't the villain so much as he was too weak to fight her mother's ambition. Until secrets like a clinic in Rome and a minister's daughter in Belgium forced Emily to shut the woman out almost completely. Eventually she was sent to finish high school state-side and the relationship between mother and daughter became almost exclusively transactional.

"Penny for your thoughts" her mother's voice catches Emily off guard and she realizes she's gotten lost in memories. She tries to offer the older woman a reassuring smile but she can feel her traitorous eyes watering. The Ambassador moves closer and takes her daughter's hand. "Oh Em" she soothes "it's ok my child I'm here, my precious girl you're safe" she continues in whispered French like she hasn't since Emily was small, sick in bed with fever and inconsolable by the nannies. That's probably the last time Elizabeth Prentiss has seen her daughter cry.

"I'm ok Mother" Emily whispers. "I didn't expect you to come and I'm just really glad you did" it feels vulnerable in a way, to admit to her mother that she needs her after so many years fiercely demonstrating otherwise.

"I wasn't sure you would be" Elizabeth admits. "But I couldn't stay away again" Emily nods her understanding. Last time she'd been here, in much worse shape, the ambassador had sent word but never materialized at her daughter's bedside. Things had been tense between them as Elizabeth began to insist her daughter move out of the field and into more political positions, heavily hinting that a move to a state-side appointment could not only launch her own political career but allow time to expand her family. The Ambassador felt that Emily's capture only strengthened her point but was never one to gloat so she didn't make the trip until her daughter was safely back in DC. Only to find out Emily was filing for divorce and booking flights to Europe.

The two women sit together in silence, connected by the tentative grasp of their hands. Emily wonders when her mothers hands started to look like the soft thin hands of her grandmother, wrinkled but primly kept and adorned with glinting heirlooms. Her own stubbed fingernails and torn cuticles look worse than usual in contrast and she's surprised her mother doesn't mention it. After a few moments Emily starts a quiet conversation, reverting again to whispered French and falling easily into the nostalgia of it. Her grandparents insistence that she be fluent in their mother-tongue led Elizabeth to hold all private conversations with her daughter in French. Then later hiring the best tutors and sending her to the best schools to ensure proficiency and downplay the American accent her daughter inevitably carried. It was small talk, covering old acquaintances, their shared love of classical music, favourite vacations. Emily's eyes are dropping with fatigue once again when there's a gentle knock at the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt…" it's JJ, leaning nervously on the door and looking surprised by the Ambassador's presence. "I was just coming to bring you some fresh clothes, the nurse called to say they are going to let you go all the way to the cafeteria for dinner and I thought… " Emily can't help the smile that blossoms over her face, and from her mother's scrutiny she doubts the older woman would believe the joy on her face is strictly due to the promise of a cafeteria meal.

"Come in, JJ" Emily insists in french, then catching the mistake she repeats herself in English with a shy grimace. "You remember my mother, Mother this is JJ" the blonde eagerly rushes forward to shake the ambassador's hand, turning on her communications charm.

"Yes, Jennifer, I remember you were very helpful when I asked your team for help" Elizabeth answers briskly. She then smiles at her daughter and switches back to French "she's wonderful, and I hope you know that I've had time to grow. I'm happy if you're happy" Emily is so shocked she's speechless as her mother makes her polite goodbyes and leaves.

"Does she ever get less intimidating" JJ asks when they're alone. Emily shakes her head with a quiet smirk and accepts the go-bag being pushed into her lap.

TBC