The hotel bed was inexplicably cold and empty when Emily awoke the next morning and it took a few moments for her disorientation to clear. She stretched after a moment with a quiet yawn and looked around the room to locate her friends. Garcia's covers lay in a dishevelled mess atop her empty bed however the bustling blonde was nowhere in sight, nor was her favourite blue-eyed companion. In the background, she could hear the gentle pitter-patter of shower water spraying against porcelain, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw steam snaking out from the large gap at the bottom of the door. The gentle sound of the shower running reminded Emily of the pressing need to use the toilet herself but she opted to push all of those thoughts to the back of her mind, after all, there wasn't exactly any way she could use the bathroom.
With a sigh, she flopped back onto her side, her long brown hair splaying out onto the pillow and grabbed her cell-phone from the bedside cabinet. A small ball of anxious frustration formed in her stomach as she scrolled through the many missed calls from the same unfamiliar number. She cleared her notifications with one frustrated tap and, noting the time, decided there probably wouldn't be much time to shower. As she slipped out of bed and flattened out the covers (taking time to correct Penelope's covers too) she wondered what progress they could make on the case, Reid's theory had left her with a lot to think about and she only hoped they'd be able to uncover new information to aid them in their investigation.
"Oh! Emily! Uh..."
Hearing Jennifer's startled voice Emily whipped around in surprise only for her eyes to meet with a rather embarrassed looking JJ sporting a small beige towel atop her head with a larger matching towel wrapped around her torso. Her shoulders and collarbones lay exposed and small droplets of water rolled over her smooth creamy skin. Emily stalled for a moment, her mind still clouded with sleep, struggling to comprehend the situation she found herself in.
"I'm sorry, Jayje! I'll just grab my clothes and..." Emily exclaimed, snapping back to reality. She raced over to grab a fresh set of clothes from her go bag and then shot across the room towards the open bathroom as a deep blush engulfed her face. She struggled to suppress images of slender legs and pale collarbones as she wriggled out of her clothes and into the pristine coal-black suit and white blouse she had grabbed. Emily stopped for a moment at the bathroom door, her hand poised over the cold metal as she strained to hear what was happening on the other side. She had not heard the door to their hotel room during her short dressing fiasco however there were no audible signs of life outside. After a moment she allowed her hand to push down on the now gently heated metal and the door swung open with a soft click.
"JJ?" Emily called out tentatively as she peered around the door.
"I'm right here, sorry about before... Penny said she'd wake you to go down for breakfast, so I kind of assumed I'd have the room to myself." JJ explained, smiling stiffly as she rose from the bed- bag in hand.
Without thinking Emily allowed her eyes to pass over her companion, seeing her now was a stark contrast to freshly showered JJ and Emily almost wished she could go back to that moment and drink in more details of the glorious sight. Now, however, JJ was wearing a light blue blouse with a grey cardigan and black pants. Her hair was damp and hung over her shoulders leaving wet lines across the thin fabric. The outfit was pleasing to the eyes and Emily found herself staring a moment longer than she should have. "Oh, right... Well, she was gone when I woke up so... sorry, again." Emily smiled back, suddenly feeling rather awkward. "Er, shall we go and find the others? It was pretty late when I woke up."
"That's probably a good idea, Penelope said another body turned up late last night so I'm guessing we'll have quite a lot to do today." JJ began to relax as they moved towards the door in relative closeness but a familiar strangely awkward feeling loomed over Emily. She wondered if it was because of their conversation the night before, normally the banter and general conversations they had flowed in a friendly or work-related manner but their encounter the night before hadn't been the same. It seemed like a particularly bold mood had struck Jennifer and perhaps she had shared more than she intended.
A loud ding roused Emily from her musings and as she began to focus again she realised they had made their way to the large foyer. Neither spoke as they stepped out of the elevator, instead, Jennifer reached out with one pale hand and a smile on her face and gently took hold of Emily's wrist before beginning to lead the way across to the dining area. Emily offered no resistance, allowing the interaction as her mind reeled at the contact. They meandered through the propped open double doors into the dining room and Emily observed as her companion began scanning the room before making a beeline towards a booth in the far corner. It wasn't until they were only a few feet away the JJ let go of Emily's wrist, casting a sly smirk over her shoulder as she did so. Emily couldn't help the blush that started forming on her cheeks as she noticed Spencer's innocently quizzical look and Penelope's eyebrows, which evidently had attempted to retreat into her hairline.
"Well you two are all buddy-buddy today, aren't ya!" Garcia stated, surprise colouring her tone. Her eyes were pinned on JJ, which Emily was grateful for and in turn JJ deflected Penelope's statement with a smile and a shrug.
"Are you guys already finished eating?" Emily asked, her eyes wandering over the empty plates littering the large table.
"We are actually, we were just talking about heading to work," Hotch replied with a tired smile.
"Well, Emily and I can grab something later then, we can head out now." JJ offered, idly adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder.
"If that's alright with you, shall we go then?" Aaron looked around the group and was met with nodding heads as everyone began to shuffle out of the booth. They each slipped their coats on and Aaron fixed to pay the bill before leading the team out towards the days work.
"Did they bring a coffee machine in here just for us!? Ohmygosh guys are people always this nice to you?" Garcia asked, immediately turning into an excited whirlwind and bustling her way over to the large machine in the corner of the room. They had just situated themselves around the large table in their private room each with their files in front of them. Emily could only roll her eyes and smile while JJ beside her let out a quiet snort.
"Some people go the extra mile for our comfort, yes, but it's not always like this baby-girl." Morgan chuckled, watching with a look of pure amusement as the bubbly blonde produced a coffee for herself.
"Well guys I hate to burst the excited bubble that follows Garcia everywhere, unfortunately, we have a lot of work to do today. Another body was found last night on schedule, definitely the work of our unsub, so we'll need to visit the coroner for the autopsy and tox screen reports. On top of that, the risk that the media will pick up on this is only increasing by the day so I've arranged for us to hold a press conference today. We'll also need to follow up with Jason Irvin, Spencer and Derek ran your gender-dysphoria theory by us during breakfast-" he paused momentarily to pass his eyes over JJ and Emily "-and I agree that incorporating it into what we're doing now at least as a precaution is the best bet. So, Rossi, you go with Reid and Morgan to follow up with Jason, see if he knows anyone going through a similar struggle to what Reid described, it's a long shot but we might get lucky. I'll be staying here with Garcia to prepare for the press conference so that leaves Emily and JJ to grab breakfast then head to the coroner's office." Hotch smiled at JJ from the other end of the table and Emily could have sworn he slipped in a sly wink before looking around the others to make sure everyone agreed.
Rossi, Morgan and Reid all rose from their seats and filed out of the room before disappearing from sight leaving the room rather quiet as Garcia sat pale as a blank sheet of A4 paper and Aaron watched on with mild amusement.
"Don't worry about the press conference Pen, you'll do fine. It's just like acting in plays, like your hobby, remember? If you need support Hotch will be there and I'm just a phone call away." JJ said softly, reaching across the table to cover Penelope's hand with her own in a comforting gesture.
"Yeah, you're right! I'll be fine! I just, need to be confident!" Penelope responded, though her face proved that she didn't quite believe in herself.
Emily offered a small reassuring smile to the normally peppy blonde before rising from her seat, her stomach grumbling in protest of its emptiness. JJ gave her belly a funny look, a small giggle bubbling in her chest as she too rose from her seat. As they exited the room Emily could hear Aaron begin to explain what would be expected of Penelope during the press conference and Emily couldn't help but feel bad for her friend. It was largely Emily's fault that they would both be thrown into this predicament over and over for the foreseeable future but at the same time at least JJ was still with them.
"Poor Penny, I imagine you'll be fine doing press conferences so I'm almost sad that it's not you," Jennifer commented as they moved through the station.
"Ooh harsh Jennifer, you wound me. I suppose I do have some experience with public speaking, but you know in the long run this will probably do Penelope a lot of good. I mean think of how awkward Spence is, but he still manages to get invitations to talk in several important classes and from what I've heard he's quite popular with some of the younger ladies. The more she does it the easier it'll get and it's a good skill to have." Emily internally squirmed at the thought of having to participate in delivering a press conference, though she kept her face cool and collected. It was one of the many things she admired about Jennifer, her confidence and compassion mixed with cool composure when she delivered official statements or gently questioned distraught families was truly admirable and often in the past Emily had marvelled over how the blonde coped with it all and was still able to smile.
"You just say that because deep down you're on the same level of awkward as Spence is and you're happy that it's not you speaking on live television," JJ responded. She let out a musical laugh shortly after that sent a tingling shiver down Emily's spine and brought a wide smile to the brunette's face. The exited the station and stepped out into the sun side by side. The bright light made Jennifer's hair shine bright gold and as they walked over to the SUV Emily found herself captivated by the gentle bounce and shine of her perfect hair.
"Maybe you're right, I am kinda awkward, I suppose," Emily mumbled as unlocked the SUV and slid into the driver's side. "Then again, I've seen you in action. It's understandable that I'd be nervous about living up to your kind and compassionate standards for delivery. I tend to turn more... How should I put it? Robotic, when I deliver speeches publicly."
"Aw, Em you're too cute." JJ laughed, placing her hand down on Emily's thigh as she did so causing the brunette's breath to stutter. There was a moment after where their eyes met and a wordless exchange passed between them. It was almost as if Emily suddenly had no control over what emotions her face and eyes portrayed, her usual composure fell away within seconds and all she could think about was how in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to kiss Jennifer's soft, pale lips. The moment ended abruptly when Jennifer's eyebrow quirked upwards and Emily turned to face the dashboard and slid the keys into the ignition in one swift movement, forcing her mind to focus on anything else.
"So, what do you want for breakfast then?" The brunette asked as the SUV roared to life. A moment later she was swinging out of the station parking lot and onto one of the main roads, offering quick glances to the side as she waited for her companion to answer. Her chest felt incredibly tight and sweat was beginning to form on her palms where they clasped the steering-wheel tightly.
"I don't know, we should probably just grab something to go. I was thinking a lot about the case in the shower, everything's really got me stumped and I just want to make sure we're putting as much time in as possible y'know?" JJ cast her gaze outside to watch as people and buildings flew past them. Her posture was completely relaxed and gave away nothing of her feelings on what happened moments before.
"Don't worry, I know just the thing for us then. I know this seems like a pretty tough case for your transition but that'll just make it more rewarding when we come through the other side, trust me. Between the lot of us, we're putting a solid amount of time in so don't forget you need to let your mind take a break." Emily smiled, casting her eyes to the side for a moment while they were stopped at a red light, her brief spat of anxiety slowly fading. She took the next left, exiting the main road and pulled up to the first fast food joint applicable to their situation.
"Oh don't worry, I slept better than I have in a long time last night. It's just hard not to think about these things when I'm getting ready for work." JJ's grin unleashed a ferocious blush on Emily's face and she pulled into a parking space rather abruptly, reaching for her bag as a way to distract from her glowing face.
"The drive-through is packed for this time of morning so I'm just gonna run in and grab a couple of biscuits and coffees if that's alright with you." Emily placed her hand on the door handle and waited for the blonde's gentle nod and smile before popping the door open and clambering out. "I'll be two minutes, alright?"
The door closed with a bang behind her and she rushed across the parking lot weaving in-between cars traversing the outside of her destination. The automatic doors slid open with a rubbery screech and Emily strode across the freshly mopped beige tiles towards the counter. A young black haired man smiled as she approached, having just sent a satisfied customer over to the seating area with a loaded tray. They exchanged pleasantries and Emily placed her order before handing over a twenty dollar bill. The boy, who appeared to be called Nathan, popped the til open with one hand while tapping several buttons on the monitor presumably to send her order before handing the change back over. She watched as several people worked in the back, wrapping different food items and sliding them into the wire rack in the heating cabinet. Two line cooks busy at work on the fryers, one frying and one seasoning and packaging. It was easy to get lost in the almost mundane realism of their jobs to the point where Emily almost missed their food being passed to the front.
The smell, however, sent her stomach into a frenzy within moments and she took the drinks holder before balancing the biscuits on top before thanking the boy who served her. Within minutes she was back outside of the SUV with the driver's side door open. She passed the drinks in and JJ set them in the SUV's cup-holders before snatching her breakfast.
It took a moment for Emily to place her bag down and situate herself comfortably in her seat. She closed the door with a slam and tore the wrappings from her biscuit, careful not to tear the small amounts of bacon and egg that hung from the sides. By the time she finished taking her first bite, JJ was scrunching up her wrapper and reaching for the steaming cup of coffee beside her.
"Don't look at me like that, I was hungry!" JJ pouted, a blush forming on her cheeks. Emily smiled around her mouthful of biscuit, enjoying the simple moment they were having. When she finished, she wrapped up her biscuit and checked her phone in order to make it to their destination without getting lost. Her brow furrowed as she cleared her notifications of missed phone calls and opened the map, taking a sip of her own coffee while it loaded.
"So, off to the coroner's office. We already know largely what we're in for it's just finding something new now that can help the case. We'll at least know for sure who the victim was and if our unsub left behind any more evidence." Emily noted, placing her coffee back in the cup holster and starting the engine up once again. "Luckily we aren't too far away."
"I don't really know if I'd call that lucky." JJ retorted, a hint of anxiety colouring her tone. "It never gets any easier seeing this stuff, does it?"
"Yes and no. For some of us like myself and Morgan, I think it did get easier for us over time. Or maybe we are better at hiding our reactions. On the other hand, there are more sensitive people like you, Spence, Penelope. Think of how many snuff films Penny's had to watch and how many hours of fluffy animal videos she's looked at to make herself feel better. We all have ways of coping and as long as you make sure to talk to the people you trust about things everything will be fine."
"Well, it's a good thing I have you then. You're right though. I've seen some things as well and I'm still alive and I love this job so I'll just find ways to cope." There was tiredness residing in JJ's blue eyes but her face displayed a small smile.
"You'll always have me, so no worries there." JJ's face lit up and Emily's heart fluttered almost as if it were trying to burst right out of her chest. Seeing Jennifer so happy made Emily's heart light and her mood soar and the way they had been interacting over the course of the past few days it was becoming difficult to ignore the feelings bubbling up inside her. Reaching their destination, Emily parked the SUV and reached for a drink of her coffee.
"Thanks, Em. You mean the world to me so it's nice to hear that from you." JJ cast her clear blue eyes down, a shy smile playing at her lips. Her slender fingers played with the hem of her cardigan and she looked up again, her expression melting into nervousness. "Em, do you think- what on earth is that man doing!?"
Reflexes kicking in, Emily turned to follow JJ's line of sight along the side of the building where they had parked. In the bushes a hooded figure crouched down, arms reaching up to push on the slightly open window. Whirling into action Emily threw her door open and leapt out of the SUV before sprinting over the path towards the suspicious figure.
"Stop what you're doing! FBI!" Jennifer yelled, keeping stride with Emily as they crossed over the grass closing in. Her yelling startled the man, who stumbled quickly away from the window and began sprinting full pelt towards a thin smattering of trees that lined the back of the property. They pressed on, ever so slowly closing the distance but as the sprinting figure hit the line of trees they where instantly shrouded by the cover of bushes and trees.
Out of the corner of her eye, Emily saw JJ slow her pace and whip her phone out or her pocket, thumbing through the menus with intense precision. "I'm going on ahead, catch up with me!" Emily called behind her as she peeled farther away from her blonde haired companion. Her work shoes gripped tightly to her ankles almost painfully but as she passed through the bushes she was grateful for the grip they provided. Small branches snagged on her clothing as she struggled to pick out the disappearing figure amongst the trees as they zig-zagged back and forth among the shrubbery with practised ease. They approached the other side of the small area of forestry rather quickly and just as Emily could begin to make out the occasional car passing by the figure darted past a tree and completely vanished.
With adrenaline coursing through her veins Emily quickly approached the site where the man had vanished. She slowed to a jog, eyes scanning around her as she moved towards the edge of the treeline. She could see a gas station a small way down the road but other than it and the road she could mostly see trees. She began to move towards the gas station when she heard a soft rustle nearby and what she thought might be an intake of breath. The sound came again, behind her and she whirled around to find the source of the noise. There was a glimpse of long, dirty blonde hair and stubble before a large heavy object collided with the left side of her face. Emily staggered to the side, her hand sweeping out to the side to find purchase on the nearest tree as her head reeled from the impact. The bark scraped against the palm of her hand but she felt nothing, pushing off from the tree and stumbling to the side to avoid another blow.
Emily's left eye throbbed and had swollen to the point where she could barely see out if it. The two paused, staring each other down as distant sounds of sirens drew closer to their location. The aura around him was beginning to turn frantic and, anticipating the arrival of back-up Emily seized her opportunity and launched herself through the air. As her shoulders collided with his midriff Emily wrapped her arms tightly around him, pulling him to the ground with her and sending them both tumbling down the small dirt slope toward the road.
"Fuck!" The man cried out as they slammed into a tree, conveniently halting their approach on the road. They grappled there for a moment, her attacker looking to escape and Emily intent on holding him there as long as possible.
"Emily where are you!?" JJ's desperate voice called out from nearby.
"OVER HERE!" Emily cried, desperately trying to cling to whatever of the man she could get ahold of despite her rapidly depleting energy.
"Fuck fuck FUCK! You stupid BITCH! LET GO!"
Somewhere behind Emily bushes began to rustle as Jennifer raced to their location and then, a searing hot pain broke out across Emily's temple, encasing her brain with red hot needles as the man's thick elbow crashed into her temple. Emily cried out, falling to the side as her body involuntarily ejected her breakfast onto the earthy floor. Her eyes squeezed shut against the pain Emily could do nothing but listen as her attacker's heavy footsteps faded away from her. She rolled away from the smell of her vomit and hoisted herself up onto her knees, fingers digging into the soft soil beneath her.
"Em, Emily! What happened? God, you're bleeding Emily. I'm gonna get an ambulance over here." JJ's concerned voice called out moments later. She felt the blondes cold, slender fingers cupping her cheeks and strained to open her eyes.
"Wha- No Jayje, he ran away... I'm not sure what direction but we need to find him." Emily's stomach turned as she spoke and she struggled to focus her dark eyes on JJ's.
"Emily, your eye is swollen and you have a lot of bruising, there's blood running down the side of your face for heaven's sake. Oh, you also vomited and can barely focus your eyes on anything so I'm ninety per cent sure you have a concussion. I was on call with Morgan when I lost sight of you but I told him what direction you were headed in, he should be here soon. I'm going to the road so I can flag him down, stay here and sit still until we can get you seen to." JJ placed one hand on Emily's back and gripped her upper arm with the other, then helped gently guide her to a sitting position beneath a nearby tree. Emily allowed her eyes to close again, her hand reaching up to cup the side of her face. She felt the blood immediately, slightly sticky but still fresh and her stomach turned again.
JJ bustled away and the surrounding area fell quiet again which served to quieten the pounding headache Emily had acquired. It took several minutes for the blonde to return with Derek in tow. They greeted her quietly and Morgan gently hoisted Emily to her feet once again, drawing attention to the various pains littering her body.
"Looks like you took a rough fall," Derek commented, watching with a soft smile as Jennifer moved over to support her.
"You have no idea." Emily retorted as Jennifer snaked her thin arm around Emily's waist. Taking the hint, Emily threw her arm around the blonde's shoulders and leaned into the blonde as they made their way slowly to the SUV.
"Paramedics are en-route. What happened to you guys?" Rossi held one of the back doors open while JJ helped Emily sit down, watching with a concerned expression.
"Well Emily and I were talking in the SUV outside of the coroner's office and I saw this guy trying to push open one of the side windows, we jumped out and pursued him towards the trees at the back and when I thought we might lose him I got on the phone to Morgan." JJ ran a hand through her long hair letting out a puff of air as she did so.
"I ran off ahead, I thought I could catch him but he obviously knew how to use the area to his advantage. I lost him, then he blindsided me. He got startled by the sirens after that and tried to make an escape." Emily's hand subconsciously found it's way to her stomach as a wave of nausea rolled over her. Slight movements, even speaking, was setting the world spinning around her and she felt overwhelmingly tired.
"Did you get a good look at him? We could get a sketch artist down and get his picture out. I don't know what he was doing or if it was relevant to the case but clearly, this man needs found."
"Derek calm down, the paramedics are here. There's not much we can do until Emily's been seen to and cleared to leave anyway. Why don't you go up to the hospital with her and make sure everything's alright, I'll go with JJ to check out the autopsy report we'll contact Hotch and Reid and let them know what's happening." David lay a hand on Derek's shoulder in an almost fatherly gesture then gestured for Jennifer to accompany him. JJ nodded in response, turning to throw her arms around Emily's neck and hug her tightly before moving to follow David through the bushes.
The paramedics moved in quickly afterwards, insisting on loading Emily up into the back of the ambulance. Derek offered some reassuring words and a small smile before heading over to his SUV, the back door of the ambulance closed over just as Emily was watching him climb into the driver's side. The journey to the hospital seemed to last an eternity despite the paramedics pressing questions about her condition but before long they were transitioning to the pristine white walls of the hospital. They took her into the minor injuries ward and then into a private room where she was helped onto the plain white cotton sheets of your run-of-the-mill hospital bed.
A nice older woman with greying, brown hair entered the room a few moments later. She quickly set to work stitching up the small cut on Emily's eyebrow and fixed the dark-haired agent with some strong pain killers. She also insisted on keeping the brunette in for observation for a few hours, with much protest from her patient. By the time the kindly older woman left the room and Derek slipped in through the open door to replace her Emily felt as if she could sleep for several days.
"So, you're not doing too bad then. Blackjack?" Derek made himself comfortable in the chair beside Emily's bed.
"Fuck off Derek, I'd rather watch paint dry than gamble with you again." Emily groused, plopping her head back onto the flimsy pillows behind her.
"I could arrange that if you'd like."
"Don't you have something better to be doing? Didn't you and David leave Spence with Jason Irvin?" The pounding in Emily's head had not yet subsided and Derek's antics were quickly wearing on the dark-haired agent.
"True, but boy-wonder knows how to handle himself. Tsk-tsk, Emily, trying to get rid of me. I'm afraid you're stuck with me princess, so buckle up we're gonna at least try and have some fun while we're here." Derek grinned and slipped a pack of cards from his pocket.
"Oh for heaven's sake... Fine, what could go wrong." Her voice dripped with sarcasm but she sat forward in her bed in spite of herself. Derek scooted his chair over to the bed and relieved the cards from their box. "Lay down the rules then, card-master."
"The game is blackjack, winner asks loser whatever they want no exceptions and the loser must answer honestly." With a glint in his eye, Morgan began to shuffle the cards. It was clear to Emily he had specific questions in mind, he had found the perfect opportunity to hold her hostage and wrestle whatever answers he wanted from her. She shuffled the pillows behind her in an attempt to get comfortable and with a sigh, she braced herself for the invasive questions to come.