JJ splashes water on her face in the bathroom, her heart still racing. Emily's time ticks away like a bomb in JJ's mind. She imagines what the funeral would be like. She'd surely meet Emily's mother there. Would she hate her? Slap her? Blame her for her daughter's death?
JJ thinks about Reid, and how devastated he would be. It pains him so greatly to lose people, and he's already lost so many already. She isn't sure he can take the loss of a close friend. He might backslide. Morgan and Hotch would both push their feelings aside to help everyone else. Penelope would cry endlessly onto any shoulder that would take her.
But what would I do?
JJ considers how she would react if they were to lose Emily. First of all, she'd have to tell Henry and Will. Will would probably feel bad, but maybe a bit happy that the woman he blames for the collapse of his marriage is dead. At the very least, relieved.
JJ's breath catches. She's not telling her team everything. Will is a potential suspect, after all, and none of them realize that. But Will would never hurt anyone, JJ thinks, so do I have to tell them?
JJ walks out of the bathroom straight into Hotch's office. She has to explain. After all, the unsub might not be after Emily at all. They might be after her. The woman who's in love with her. JJ raises her fist to the office door, but is suddenly interrupted.
"JJ!" Reid taps her on the shoulder. "The results came back on the droplet. It's propofol."
JJ stares at him, waiting for further explanation.
Reid stammers. "Hospital anesthesia used to put people to sleep for surgery. It should be harmless. But it's illegal to consume recreationally, so-"
"The unsub has access to a hospital," JJ finishes, and pulls out her phone to call the team to the round table.
The team trickles in, and Penelope waits for instructions, her computer in front of her. "So I'm looking at hospital staff, but I need to narrow it down."
"We know the unsub is a woman based on the text she sent," Morgan chimes in, "the way she phrased it, it was like she didn't want to take credit."
Hotch nods. "And it's very unlikely for it to be someone on the custodial staff or anyone else who has never used the medicine before. She'll be comfortable with using it and knowing how much to use, so look for doctors and nurses."
"I still need more than that," Penelope says, clacking away on her keyboard.
"She'd have anger issues, but she's definitely not violent," Reid notes. "The fact that she put Emily to sleep rather than knocked her out shows that she's probably not well liked by her coworkers, but hasn't done enough to get her fired."
"They won't have information yet on the missing drugs," JJ explains. "But since we know she's working alone based on the abduction site and the text's attempt to throw us off, we can assume she wheeled Emily out in a stretcher. She's probably an EMT."
"Oh- oh." Penelope grimaces. Everyone on the team turns their eyes to her. "I have a Virginia Lamontagne. EMT, hated by hre coworkers, stepmother to Will Lamontagne Jr., JJ's ex husband." Penelope's voice shakes.
Everyone pauses for a moment, but JJ stands. "Tell me where she is."
JJ drives toward the warehouse, her thoughts fuming. Will's stepmother. She was stupid enough to carry her cellphone on her, too cocky to get rid of it because she'd used a burner phone for the initial texts to the team. JJ's always had a weird gut feeling about the woman. Will didn't talk about her much, but JJ met her at the wedding. There was something off about her.
Reid and JJ leap out of the car when they arrive first at the warehouse. They pull their guns out and look around, finding a front door and a side door.
"I'll take the front, you take the side," Reid says, and leaves. JJ shakes her head, hating how often he wants to split up in times like this, but accepts it. She opens the side door.
JJ's ears ring a splitting alarm. Her head pounds. Her gun slips from her fingers. Virginia slams the door into JJ's head again, then raises a fist. JJ grabs her arm and pulls, making Virginia fall to the ground. JJ reaches for her gun but is tackled by the unsub, who hits her again.
JJ flips over, pinned by Virginia, and pushes her off with her legs. Her gun is too far away to reach.
"You ruined my life!" Virginia screeches. "You fell in love with someone else and ruined everything for my son! And my grandson is growing up with a broken family just like his father did, just like I did! You're a horrible mother for-"
JJ races forward and tackles her. She flips her over on the ground and handcuffs her quickly.
"Not everything is about you, Virginia."
JJ scans the room and finds Reid at the front of the building, rubbing his head. He rushes to JJ and brings Virginia to her feet. "You okay? You're bleeding." He looks at JJ.
"I'm fine, just get her out of here. I'm finding Emily."
JJ walks through the warehouse, gun in hand. She walks carefully up the stairs and walks down the hall. She breaks into a run when she sees a shadowy mass on the ground.
Emily is bound by her feet and hands, a rag tied over her mouth. JJ quickly lifts her up so she leans against the wall, then unties her.
"JJ," Emily whispers, "you're hurt."
JJ scoffs sadly. "Me? Emily, you were just abducted!" She rips off her fbi vest and pulls it around Emily. "We got the unsub, but this is a. . . just in case." She smiles gently, her forehead mere inches from Emily's. Her heart leaps to her throat. Relief floods her body, knowing that they're safe.
Emily raises a hand to JJ's face, brushing her thumb over a bruise forming on her cheek. JJ winces.
"What happened?"
JJ feels Emily's breath on her. "Will's stepmom knocked you out in the middle of the night and took you here. She was doing it out of revenge, Em. For what I did to Will. I know her dad died recently, that was probably the trigger. And she was so mad at me for hurting Will and Henry. This is my fault, Emily, I'm so, so sorry." Tears fall down JJ's face, the water catching on Emily's hand. "I'm so sorry, Em, I-"
Emily kisses her.
It's soft, and shorter than any kiss JJ's had since her first one in middle school. Their lips don't even part. But it makes her melt inside. Emily's lips are softer and sweeter than anything she has ever felt. A powerful feeling echoes throughout her body. This is right.
"It's not your fault, JJ," Emily whispers.
The doors to the warehouse slam open, and people start to shout. The paramedics must be here.
JJ rises, pulling Emily up with her. The two walk, supporting each other's weight, down the steps and onto separate stretchers. JJ doesn't feel any pain despite the trauma to her head. Her brain replays the event over and over, the shock not subsiding. Oh my God. Emily kissed me.
