A/N: Enjoy! This one took on a mind of its own, and this was the result! Angsty/sweet/tense, but we get there in the end!

#5 Angry kiss

It was late, too late to be driving to Emily's house, but JJ was furious.

A few hours ago, everything had been fine, great even. They were curled on JJ's couch after a simple dinner they had made together, JJ pulled into Emily's side, head pillowed against the older woman's chest.

It was quiet in the house, the only noise coming from the speaker in the kitchen they had neglected to turn off. Their last few cases had been hard, and with no break in between they knew they both needed time to decompress. Emily's soothing hands were running trails up and down the blonde's arm, a mindless task that was anchoring them both to the current moment.

JJ couldn't help the smile that was on her face, and she pressed her mouth into the smooth skin at Emily's neck. She felt Emily's arms tighten around her, and couldn't help the rush of emotion that coursed through her body.

She knew she loved Emily, had loved her for years before it had ever been romantic between them, but JJ knew the safety and comfort she felt right now were something different, feelings of a caliber that only Emily could give her.

She was in love with Emily, probably had been for a while. She let the realization wash over her slowly, letting the warmth of the idea spread slowly and encompass her whole being, before lifting her head slightly to look at Emily.

"I love you."

JJ let the words slip out with no preamble, no build up, and moved slightly to press her lips gently against Emily's. The reaction she was met with was not what she had expected.

Emily's body went rigid against JJ, a stark contrast to the pliant and perfect way their bodies had been touching moments ago. When JJ pressed their lips together a second time, she realized Emily wasn't moving at all.

JJ pulled away, turning slightly so she could sit up and look down at the older woman, confusion spreading across her face as she moved. She watched as Emily closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath and scooted back slightly so she could sit up against the arm of the couch.

Emily opened her eyes slowly, and JJ felt her stomach sink when she saw the blank, empty look in them. The air in the room was thick, tension passing between the two of them. JJ felt tears start to fill her eyes, the fear of rejection from Emily something she had never really considered.

JJ knew that Emily was guarded, had spent her whole life being disappointed by people that were supposed to "love" her, but the blonde thought they were moving past this. Emily had grown more confident in herself since they had started dating a few months ago, slowly learning to believe that she was worthy of the attention and admiration people gave her.

JJ thought they were on the same page, she had caught the sneaky looks Emily gave her when she thought JJ wasn't looking, and the way that Emily relaxed completely when she was around. She had been with Emily through moments of grief and fear, and of joy and excitement, and every moment she spent with the brunette had felt right. JJ felt like Emily had finally let her in, so the reaction of the other woman was shocking.

Emily started to speak, trying to push words out faster than her brain was processing the situation, but all that came out was, "I'm sorry, I can't."

JJ stayed still, staring at Emily with an open mouth as she watched the brunette get up quickly, grabbing her keys as she flew out of the door.

That was two hours ago, and JJ had spent the time between now and then letting her anger consume her. She was angry that Emily had left, sure, but she was furious at the fact that Emily was letting her fear control the situation.

She knew Emily felt the same way, and had caught the brunette biting her tongue to keep the words back a few times over the last few weeks. They had worked too hard to get here, had spent years dancing around each other before they had found the courage to stop running, and she knew now she wouldn't let Emily run away without a fight.

She pulled up outside of Emily's building, wasting no time hopping out and running into the lobby, giving the security guard a wave as she made her way to the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator. Out of breath by the time she reached Emily's door, she stood still for a moment, catching her breath before closing her fist and pounding on the door.

She could hear slow movement on the other side, and she knew that Emily would know who it was. The moment the door cracked open, JJ pushed at it and flew into the entryway and towards the kitchen, not waiting for Emily to let her in or follow.

By the time Emily locked the door and made her way into the kitchen, JJ was pacing back and forth quickly. When the younger woman noticed her presence, she stopped moving and crossed her arms, her body almost shaking with anger.

"Why did you leave," JJ asked firmly, letting Emily know that she was not going to get off easily in this conversation.

Emily stood still for a moment, before gesturing towards the couch and walking over to take a seat. JJ rolled her eyes, an exasperated sigh leaving her as she moved to sit on the other end of the couch, leaving plenty of space between them.

"I don't think I can give you what you need," Emily said slowly, her voice low and timid.

JJ's jaw dropped, eyes squinting as she shook her head slightly at Emily.

"Why don't you let me decide what I need," JJ answered as she stood up, lifting her arms in frustration. Out of all of the qualities that made up Emily Prentiss, her lack of belief in herself constantly astounded JJ the most.

Emily had amazed her from the second she stepped into the BAU- her confidence at work, the life she had lived and all the places she had seen, the way her brain seemed to be overflowing with an never ending wealth of knowledge.

The thought that Emily had lived a life being told that she wasn't good enough to be loved almost deflated the anger in JJ, but she continued on. She had hoped the older woman would have more confidence and trust in their relationship, in the love that JJ had for her, to overcome the fear. JJ wanted Emily to believe her when she said she loved her.

"You don't get to run away because you're scared, Emily," JJ said resolutely, coming to sit on the coffee table directly in front of Emily. She watched as Emily bit her lip, and could tell that she was coming up with her next rebuttal.

"Jayje," Emily started, but before she could get the rest of her sentence out JJ lunged forward and crushed their lips together, grabbing firmly to each side of the other woman's face. Unlike last time, Emily did respond, bringing her hands up to grasp at the woman in front of her.

JJ moved closer, putting a leg on either side of Emily and lowering herself down on her lap. She deepened the kiss, biting down on Emily's lip harder than she normally would, her frustration and anger exploding out of her and into the kiss they were sharing.

"Stop trying to convince yourself this isn't going to work," JJ said through a tight jaw when she pulled back a minute later. "I love you, Emily, I am in love with you. Why is that so hard for you to believe?" Her voice was rising as she spoke, ending her question with a loud exhale.

JJ sat back on Emily's thighs, putting enough space between them so that she could watch Emily process her words. The emotions she saw filter through Emily's face dissipated some of JJ's lingering anger. Emily looked scared, broken even, and JJ felt the rest of her irritation fall away. She loved Emily, she reminded herself, which means she loved every version of the woman, not just the ones that made it easy.

JJ raised her hand gently, bringing it to swipe at the tears falling down Emily's cheeks, carding her fingers slowly through her hair once before letting them rest on her neck. She could tell Emily wanted to speak, so she waited patiently for the other woman to find her words.

"I'm scared," came out so softly JJ wasn't sure if she really heard it, but the sincerity in Emily's eyes told her everything she needed to know. Emily pulled JJ in close, burying her face in JJ's neck before opening her mouth and letting an I'm sorry fall out against the blonde's skin.

JJ let her hands cradle the back of Emily's head, holding her in place and breathing in the familiar scent of the brunette's shampoo.

"I love you, Emily," JJ said softly into silky hair, "and I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, I promise I know that" she felt, more than heard, Emily say into her chest.

Emily was constantly amazed by JJ, and right now, she couldn't imagine finding someone who could ever love her better. If Emily was being honest with herself, she would have said that she fell in love about two weeks after they met and she remembered the exact moment vividly.

They had just gotten home from a case, the team moving around the office with a practiced ease, talking about their plans to head to a sports bar down the street. Emily still wasn't sure of her place within the team, and stayed back at her desk as the rest of the team headed to the elevator.

JJ had turned around, noticing that Emily was missing from the group, and walked back towards the brunette. She had reached out a hand, dragging her out of her chair and looping her arm through Emily's as she led her towards the rest of the team.

JJ had an incredible way of making Emily feel wanted in a way no one else had, even when they hadn't been together. She had spent her entire life in constant fear of abandonment, had watched almost everyone in her life choose someone or something over her, but the last few months with JJ had left her feeling safer than ever before.

Hearing JJ's declaration of love had taken her by surprise, and she panicked. It had only taken her half of the drive home to admit to herself that she was also in love with JJ. She was so angry with herself by the time she got home, tears of frustration and guilt falling freely.

Now thought, Emily looked into JJ's eyes and let her emotions run free, filling her eyes with the love and admiration that she had hidden for so long. JJ met her gaze with a smile, thumbs running soothing lines along Emily's collarbones, smiling even wider when Emily returned the grin, and JJ felt emboldened by the emotions she saw on Emily's face.

"I love you, Emily," she stated simply, punctuating her statement with a gentle kiss, pulling back to rest her forehead against the other woman's.

"I love you, too," Emily spoke without hesitation, a soft laugh spilling out as she tilted her own head up to kiss JJ sweetly.

Emily felt liberated once the words had been spoken, like the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders. She was finally accepting the love that she never thought she deserved, and felt safe enough in JJ's arms to let the love she had hidden away flow freely.

A surge of courage and confidence ran through Emily's body, and she grabbed JJ's hips, turning them so she was pushing JJ down into the couch. Now that the words had escaped her once, she couldn't help but repeat them, and trailed open mouth kisses down JJ's jaw and neck.

Neither of them could contain their joy, the room filling with a chorus of I love you's punctuated with light laughter and the sound of lips against skin. They were in love, they figured, and even though their lives were filled with darkness and sorrow, with this at the center, they could handle anything.