It was a short car ride to the hotel though it seemed to take forever with cars clogging the roads and moving at a snail's pace, similarly the streets bustled with cheerful active people around them. Rossi, Morgan and Reid chatted animatedly about how well the case wrapped up, filling the vehicle with a cheerful buzz that couldn't quite cut through the nauseating anxiety filling her every pore. Emily wanted nothing more than to bask in their latest win but her soul within her cried out for a resolution with JJ's complicated situation. She knew Penelope would have worked quickly and Aaron's want to speak with Jennifer alone indicated some level of success but that thought alone bred plenty of new worries in Emily's mind.
"Here we are, looks like they pulled out all the stops this time guys." Rossi chuckled, pulling into a lavish multi-story car park adjacent to their residence for the night. Many of the lower floors were already teeming with tightly parked cars and after circling around the fifth floor twice they decided to head up to the roof. Rossi found a spot quite close to the elevator, overlooking the hotel.
"Oh man, that looks like a pool. I might have to go buy me some trunks." Morgan commented, peering over the edge and eyeing the illuminated cerulean blue rectangle with a broad smile.
"They'll likely sell them inside," Spencer commented, matter-of-factly and after sharing a quiet laugh the group began to make their way over to the elevator. A few moments after Spencer awkwardly prodded the button to summon the lift, the heavy metal doors slid open with a ding allowing them access to the enclosed space.
Emily kept her face composed as they each filed in, however she noticed Morgan's eyes on her more than usual. She wondered if she had been outwardly showing signs of her distress and internally chastised herself for allowing her emotions to control her so freely. Seeing as she was closest to the controls Emily reached over and smooshed in the ground floor button before analysing the gridlike pattern created by the brushed effect of the metal they stood on. Around her, the present members of her team discussed tidbits of information about the suspects they had been interrogating but Emily was only half listening. She was far more content to stare at the floor and focus on the lifting feeling in her stomach as the lift descended.
The lift jostled as it halted, three floors above their destination and Emily frowned, preparing herself for strange people to crowd the small compartment they were situated in. However, she was almost pleasantly surprised to find herself face to face with JJ and Hotch as the doors slid open. Aaron exchanged a look with her, ended by a simple nod before the two agents entered the lift and they rode the rest of the way to the ground floor in a resoundingly awkward silence.
When the elevator once again came to a halt, this time on the ground floor, they set off together at a gentle pace walking as a group. Emily found herself feeling slightly hurt at JJ's choice to walk side by side with Spencer, deep in gentle conversation but was glad to see a small smile once again forming amidst her gentle features. Emily was sure she could see the stress still hidden in her features but opted to let the blonde be. She wasn't sure if JJ just wanted to spend some time with Spencer or if she was genuinely unhappy with her but she knew JJ would make any ill feelings known in her own time.
"You've been kind of day-dreamy today, Prentiss. Are you feeling okay?" Rossi asked gently, the tone in which he asked was almost fatherly, reminding Emily that there were, in fact, other people she loved surrounding her and she was indeed acting off.
"I'm fine Rossi, just a little tired." The response fell easily from Emily's tongue and she smiled at the aged Italian man with fondness in an attempt to ease his concerns.
"You know you can always talk to us, Prentiss," Hotch added, throwing a small smile over his shoulder. "Now I imagine everyone is hungry, how about we have dinner together before we get some sleep?"
"That sounds great! Right JJ? It's been a while since we've all sat down and had a meal." Spencer replied jovially, earning a wide smile and an exaggerated eye-roll from her favourite blonde.
"Hey now, don't get ahead of yourself pretty boy. We aren't all here." Derek pronounced, quirking one defined brow at the young doctor.
"Oh, of course, you would be the one to remind us of our technological overlord." Jennifer giggled, watching Derek's face fall a second later as he realised the blonde had led him into a trap.
"I'm not sure what just happened." Morgan pouted, looking helplessly to Emily, who shook her head and laughed softly in response.
"You just got Morgan'd, my friend. How does it feel to not have the hottest retorts?" Emily grinned, elbowing Derek in the ribs playfully as they approached the glass doors that would provide them entry to the hotel.
"I've heard the on sight restaurant at this hotel has exceptional staff and excellent service, I'm assuming we'll be eating dinner here since it's convenient?" Spencer questioned as they entered the foyer, go-bags in hand.
"Yes, but we'll stop by the desk and pick up the keys to our rooms first. Strauss approved three rooms so it'll obviously be two to a room. David if you want to share with me that'll leave Morgan with Reid and JJ with Prentiss. Is everyone okay with that arrangement?" Aaron looked pointedly at JJ, who shuffled from one foot to the other before nodding curtly. Emily felt her heart drop some at the display. JJ had never taken any kind of issue rooming with her before. It seemed like a purposeful confirmation of the blonde's stewing anger, which scared Emily greatly. With a final nod at the group, Hotch broke away from the group to retrieve the keys from the rather bored looking receptionist, who perked up considerably at the interaction. A moment later Aaron strode back to the group and handed out the room keys. "We'll meet back here in ten minutes, agreed?"
The team murmured in consensus and made their way over to the elevator. By chance, the three rooms designated to them happened to be on the first floor next to one another, so the lift journey took considerably less time. It seemed like only moments later that JJ was throwing open the door to their room, allowing a moment for Emily to hurry inside before letting it fall closed with a loud click. The room they entered into was quite large and spacious despite being occupied by two double beds, two armchairs and a solitary writing desk in the corner. The walls were painted deep maroon, the bedding and fabrics a soft coffee colour which complimented the dark wood effects of the furniture. Emily threw her bag down on the foot of the bed nearest the window before allowing herself to fall back onto the soft sheets, supported by the comfortable mattress beneath.
Her eyes snapped open a minute later at the sound of a door clicking closed. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her shoes meeting with the soft beige carpet. She realised after letting her eyes sweep over the room that the bathroom door which had been wide open before was now closed off completely, presumably because JJ had required its use. Emily frowned at the closed door as if she could will the strange tension growing between them to disappear, though she knew it would have no effect whatsoever on their current situation.
With a feeling of defeat, Emily turned to the window to look out over the city. She wondered if there was ever a moment the streets were completely clear. A lot of the towns they had been called to became very quiet quickly overnight, but she had a feeling that would never be the case here. Too many people with too many things to do.
The sudden wailing and vibrating of her cell phone in her front pocket set Emily's heart racing. With a frown, she retrieved the phone from her pocket to see who was calling her. Her brows narrowed, seeing an unfamiliar number displayed on her screen. She held the volume button down, effectively muting her phone and slid it back into her pocket just as JJ cautiously emerged from the bathroom behind her.
"Em? Who called, is something up?" JJ asked, stepping into the small hallway by the door with her head cocked to the side.
"Oh I don't know actually, I'm sure it was nothing though," Emily replied with a small smile. She wasn't entirely sure herself. She hoped the call was a one-off thing, that someone had the wrong number and would realise if she didn't answer. If it persisted though, she might have to consider once again going phone shopping with Penelope.
"If you're sure," JJ responded with a half-hearted shrug. She turned as if to open the door but Emily knew this would be their best opportunity to talk. Stepping after JJ she gathered up all of the courage she could muster and attempted to broach the tension between them.
"Wait, Jayje... Is something wrong between us?" Emily probed carefully, blushing at how affectionate her tone became when the blonde's name rolled from her tongue. She enjoyed the hint of a blush that worked its way onto JJ's cheeks and how the blonde chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, a fire in her eyes.
"Part of me wants you to work it out for yourself, honestly." The blonde replied, a hint of acid lacing her tone. Emily flinched, her eyes immediately dropping to the floor as if someone had suddenly dropped a ton of bricks on them. It wasn't as if she thought it was an unreasonable thing for her friend to ask of her, but the manner in which JJ had asked rattled the chains holding back some of Emily's worse childhood memories, allowing a select few to rise promptly to the surface of her mind.
"I'm sorry." Emily murmured, feeling altogether too weak and helpless for her own liking. With what felt like the remainder of her strength Emily turned her head to the side, being careful not to look her blonde haired friend in the eyes and strode past her before easily slipping from the room. She set off towards the stairs at a brisk pace before the door even had a chance to close. She was sure JJ would be following relatively close behind her and despite wanting to at least try and talk through whatever problems they were having her instincts were telling her to give JJ space.
She took the steps going down two at a time, compartmentalising all the while. It was an immense struggle to sort the bouncing tangle of feelings within her but by the time she reached the ground floor, she felt refreshed in a way. She decided she would have plenty of time to worry about JJ's anger later on and that it would likely be easier once she had rested anyway. With that aside, Emily felt it best to just move on with the night and try to enjoy their "family" dinner.
Emily received some strange looks from Morgan and Rossi as she approached the group but after a moment of ignoring their questioning expressions the two seemed to become disinterested and the team made their way over to the restaurant area. It was a few minutes before a friendly looking waitress came over and assisted them in becoming situated, all the while Emily stood near Morgan and kept her eyes from passing over the blonde.
The waitress, whose nametag identified her as Ashlyn, found them a table at the back of the well-lit dining space in a semi-circle leather booth. She waited a moment for everyone to sit down, Emily ended up on the far right beside Morgan. JJ ended up sitting at the other side of the table beside Spencer, with Rossi and Hotch between himself and Morgan.
"Hi I'm Ashlyn I'll be your server for this evening, can I get you anything to drink while I get the menu's for you." The waitress asked, a wide genuine looking smile plastered across her face. She had soft brown eyes behind black thin-framed glasses which made them appear larger. Her long brown hair framed her heart-shaped face and flowed down past her shoulder in clean silky looking curls.
She went around the group, JJ ordered two colourful margaritas one for herself and one for Spencer who opted not to protest. Hotch and Rossi decided to go with scotch. Derek ordered a pint of his favourite beer and Emily ordered herself a tequila sunrise. Ashlyn gave a shy compliment at Emily's choice in drink, which eased the depression buried within her just a little.
"I'll be back in just a few minutes with your drinks and menus," Ashlyn said in a bubbly tone before disappearing into the midst of the busy restaurant.
"It's definitely a stylish place, the customer service here is nice too," Emily commented, registering Spencer's sly smile and the gentle chuckle he covered behind his hand with slightly narrowed eyes. The large room around the was decorated with greys, golds and blacks. The frame of the booths they sat in was a dark varnished wood, large grey tablecloths topped each table with golden napkins and silver cutlery. In the background, a modern mix of music played setting a nice vibe for their meal.
"Yes, it's definitely nice." JJ agreed, though her lips were pursed in an almost pout and her tone left much to be desired. Emily felt her heart sink a little and passed her eyes over the rest of her team, who didn't seem to notice the edge in Jennifer's tone. All except for Morgan anyway, who shot a vaguely sympathetic look, though his eyes screamed 'I'll talk to you later'.
"Well, I wanted to congratulate everyone on a job well done. The case will be put to rest and hopefully, after today, Kate will be able to move on with her life. There are a few things we'll need to discuss as a team when we get back to the office tomorrow but just now I think some time to relax together is well earned." Hotch smiled at the group and at Ashlyn as she bustled back over to the table with a large tray packed with glasses and menus over to the table. Emily watched quietly as each drink was placed and even offered a smile and a cheeky wink to their waitress, though she was largely preoccupied with the foreboding feeling nestling into the back of her mind at Hotch's statement.
"Thank you very much, Ashlyn, I'm sure we'll all be ready to order in a few minutes," Rossi noted with a friendly look before taking one of the offered menus. Ashlyn nodded in agreement and once again disappeared off into the crowd.
"What a nice waitress." Spencer smiled, ducking behind his menu to look at the options. "There are some nice seafood options."
Emily took a moment to peek inside her leather-backed menu at the list of mains. There were indeed a few nice seafood options though she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to eat any of them. Her mind settled on a simple rare beef steak with fries quite quickly and she placed the menu down in front of her promptly after deciding.
"So what does everyone have going on just now? I've been coaching Jack's little-league team, a lot of the other parents aren't overly interested but I enjoy taking part in the things that Jack enjoys."
"That's the way of the world I suppose, I'm working on the last few chapters of my latest book in between cases. I've been thinking about investing in a pub or restaurant but I'm not too sure yet."
"You know Rossi, I'm almost finished with my riverside restoration if you'd like you and I could look into properties sometime and maybe make a project out of it." Morgan offered, receiving a delighted smile from Rossi as he sipped from his glass.
"That'd be nice, just two guys doing some hands-on work."
"I've been trying to convince JJ to attend the lecture on innovative medical technologies, it's ongoing for the next two weeks so we might have that?" Spencer offered, shooting a hopeful glance at the blonde beside him who, in turn, rolled her eyes and gave him a small smile.
"I guess that could be fun, I haven't really been able to do much recently with a load of casefiles coming through our department." JJ conceded her defeat to Spencer's persistence and he let out a quiet squeak of glee while giving the blonde a quick one-armed hug.
"What about you Prentiss, you got any plans?" Morgan asked, turning to the side with an almost curious expression.
"I was thinking about asking Pen if she wanted to go shopping with me in between her many, many hobbies. Aside from that, it'll just be me and Sergio." Emily rested her elbow on the table, then her chin on the heel of her hand in an attempt to get comfortable. She was hyper-aware of Morgan tensing briefly next to her and made a mental note to talk to him in private after dinner.
"Is Sergio a new man in your life, Emily?" Rossi asked with a quirked brow turned full quizzical expression at the small snort of a laugh that managed to work its way from Emily's lips.
"Surely not! I think I would know about that." Morgan exclaimed, rounding on Emily with wide eyes.
"It's not what you think guys." Emily gasped out amidst giggles.
"Are you sure Emily, you're acting kind of strange," Jennifer added, her soft blue eyes clouded with a mixture of emotions Emily couldn't quite decipher.
"I'm surprised by all of you, don't you know Prentiss prefers the company of females?" Spencer asked after a moment, his expression the epitome of innocence. Emily's face immediately burst out in a fresh almost searing hot blush at his remark and she immediately reached for her drink for something to hide behind. Thoughts of JJ raced through her mind without her approval, adding to the blush that seemed intent on spreading down her neck and the gentle tingle of tequila didn't do much to quell her raging embarrassment.
By chance, Ashlyn reappeared at the side of their table to provide Emily with a reprieve from the gently probing eyes she felt lingering on her. She took each of their orders down on a small notepad and offered a refill for Morgan, Hotch and Rossi who had all finished their drinks. She disappeared again quickly, this time with their glasses in tow leaving the group to their privacy once again.
Emily found it rather hard to focus on the two different conversations that broke out between the inhabitants of their table, she could hear her name mentioned once or twice between Rossi and Morgan, the latter of whom was probably explaining their lack of surprise. Across the table, she was vaguely aware of Hotch and JJ indulging Spencer in one of his strange rants about the several books he had read during the course of their case. It was JJ's sideways glances and subtly wandering eyes that kept Emily preoccupied amidst a mixture of confusion and quiet happiness. She decided she would need to get to the bottom of their current predicament, she needed to find out everything about why JJ was mad so she could begin to make it up to the normally bubbly happy blonde.
There was something about the lack of the physical contact that came so naturally between them as friends, their earlier disagreement and the circumstances surrounding it that provided an extra boost of motivation to the dark-haired agent. For the time being she resolved to keep a short distance from the blonde until the 'talk' Hotch had mentioned earlier came to pass. She was sure by then she would have a greater understanding of what actually transpired on Garcia's end of things.
Emily was awakened from her musings by the return of Ashlyn, accompanied by another waiter. Between the two of them they managed to carry over all of the food and the drinks and after a moment of plate shuffling the two excused themselves and the team began their meal.
The steak Emily had ordered turned out to be cooked to near perfection it wasn't long after taking the first bite that Emily realised just how hungry she actually was. She took the salt from the middle of the table where Hotch left it after seasoning his vegetables and sprinkled some over her chips. The cut of steak was quite large and by the time Emily had just fries left on her plate, she found herself dipping them in the small dish of brown sauce in a bid to help them slide down a little easier.
"The seafood chowder was amazing. I could definitely see myself coming back to this hotel, excellent service and good food. Our room looks really nice too." JJ sighed happily, pushing her empty bowl away from her. She drained the last of her colourful margarita then sat back against the cushy leather of the booth and began playing with the ends of her silky blonde hair.
"It did look good, I'm fairly certain you could order anything here and it would be of similar quality though. I've heard they take their food preparation very serious here and the kitchen is immaculate as you would expect. I definitely agree with JJ I would certainly come back here." Spencer responded, pushing his plate to the side.
"Well, now that everyone is finished I'll take care of the bill, consider yourselves excused for the evening. We'll have breakfast and be ready to go for eight thirty sharp tomorrow morning."
"I'll stick around Hotch maybe we can hit the bar for a scotch or two before we call it a night. See you guys tomorrow for another working day." Rossi flashed a smile and made himself comfortable in the space provided by Emily and Derek standing up.
"I think Emily and I will take a little walk, fresh air sounds good right Em?" Morgan stated, one hand placed firmly on Emily's shoulder.
"Yeah, I just need to make a pit stop on the way out." Emily offered a small smile to JJ and the rest of the group before allowing herself to be led into the main foyer by Morgan. "I'm gonna pop into the small shop over there do you want anything?"
"No I'm fine, don't take too long now princess." Derek japed. Emily rolled her eyes at her friend and set off across the foyer at a brisk pace.
There was no one behind the counter when she entered the shop but she could see a small bell on top of the counter with a small sign beneath it. Emily sighed to herself. She knew the product she wanted wouldn't be displayed on any of the shelves meaning she would likely have a small wait before she could retrieve what she needed. She crossed the small shop in three steps and slapped the palm of her hand against the top of the bell, satisfied with it's 'ding' rung out soundly. There was a scuffling sound which went on for twenty to thirty seconds before a short balding man emerged from the back room. It was apparent in the droopiness of his eyes that he'd recently woken up and Emily made an effort to smile politely at him.
"What can I get for you, ma'am?" The man asked, returning the smile with little enthusiasm.
"Just a twenty pack of whatever cigarettes you have thanks."
"Pall Mall alright for you? That'll be 12 bucks 85, can I get you anything else?"
"Can I get a lighter as well please, thanks." Emily smiled and dug the amended amount of change out of her pocket then exited the small shop with her acquired goods.
Morgan was sitting on one of the plush maroon fabric couches that lined the wall opposite the main desk waiting for her when Emily returned to him. He gave a sceptical look at the cigarette packet in her hand but she waved away his scepticism temporarily and they left through the main doors and walked down to a small smoking shelter a couple of yards to the side of the entryway.
Emily broke the seal on her packet and pulled out the front foil, crumpling it into a small ball in her hand. She took a cigarette from the middle of the front row and sparked it while Derek situated himself on the bench.
"That's not a great habit you know." He commented watching the packet disappear as she slid them into her front pocket. Emily shrugged in lieu of a response. She was perfectly aware of the degenerative effects cigarettes had on the human body. In truth, it was a habit she had picked up a long time ago when she was first dealing with the emotional devastation caused by her work at Interpol. There were many things in her life Emily wasn't proud of but turning to this one bad habit when her emotional waste became too much wasn't something she viewed as particularly alarming.
"You could argue that it's better than gambling."
"You know what I mean Emily, I'm not judging though. I had an opportunity to talk to Garcia earlier, Spencer too. I have to say I'm a little bit worried now, I know you don't really know what's going on so I figured I'd talk to you." Derek rolled down the sleeves of his shirt, a sign that the night air proved a little too cold for the well-built man.
"What has you worried Derek? I had a chance to talk to JJ as well..." Emily trailed off, thinking about the short conversation. She closed her eyes tightly and took a long drag of her cigarette. She flicked the built up ash onto the paving beneath them and sighed to herself.
"I'm guessing it didn't go too well. I was getting that vibe during dinner, I might know why."
"I thought she might be mad because I went behind her back to talk to Garcia but since our encounter in the room back there I've suspected there might be more to it. Then on top of that Hotch said we'll be having a meeting..." A bubble of anxiety formed grew then burst in Emily's stomach and she found herself suddenly feeling very sick. She returned to her cigarette, intent on not letting her money just burn away of its own accord.
"Well, I like to think JJ would just talk with you if it were just that Em. That's the thing though, Garcia told me she was sent home by our higher-ups. I think there is some kind of investigation going on and they put her on temporary leave... She's not worried though before you get worked up. I'm sure Hotch will fix everything tomorrow."
Emily's heart sank to her stomach. JJ being mad made complete and total sense after learning this tidbit of information and she groaned internally at how stupid she had been getting Garcia involved in the first place. She should have considered how meddling might affect their blonde haired techno wiz.
"Fuck, Derek. I screwed up royally didn't I? I can't fix this on my own, I'm going to have to wait it out until at least tomorrow." Emily sighed, finishing her cigarette. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger while shutting her eyes tightly, willing the forming headache to dissipate.
"Em, I'm sure everything will work out fine, try not to worry too much okay?" Morgan pulled her in for a tight hug before gently leading her back into the foyer. "Do you want to get a drink or anything before bed?"
"No, I think I should get some rest, thanks anyway though Derek." She smiled as widely as she could at her friend in an attempt to ease his concern. She could tell by his expression that he wasn't quite convinced but he let it go nevertheless.
"Alright, goodnight princess."
"Goodnight chocolate thunder' sleep well." Emily grinned at the chuckle that rumbled in Morgan's chest then made her way over to the elevator leaving him to, presumably, take a trip to the bar before bed.
The hotel activity appeared to be dying down for the night and the elevator was empty when it arrived minutes after Emily jammed her thumb into the button. The feeling of moving upward in the elevator added to the underlying queasiness caused by Emily's anxiety but she ignored it. A minute later the elevator doors slid open and Emily padded quietly down the hallway. She slipped the key-card for their room into the handle and when the small light flashed green a moment later she quietly swung the door open and snuck inside. The lights were off and it appeared as if JJ was laying in bed. Conscious of her sleeping friend Emily made her way quietly across the room and slid her shoes, trousers and blazer off before sliding under the covers.
She didn't entirely feel sleepy, however, her mind was filled with thoughts of the blonde just across the room from her. She wondered what it would feel like to have JJ laying in bed next to her overnight. Would they fit together perfectly as described in every romance novel she had read? Or would it be awkward at first? Emily imagined that the latter would be more realistic. It had been quite a while since Emily had actually shared a bed with someone in that way and she wasn't sure entirely how she would react. It was nice to imagine though. In her imagination, Jennifer would be soft, warm and welcoming against her. She liked to think that's what it would feel like in real life too.
Emily lay on her side with her eyes closed, thoughts of JJ comforting and lulling her into a sense of security. It wasn't long before her body relaxed completely into the soft mattress beneath her and her light snores filled the room.