CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

13x06 The Bunker

"So, we get Henry and Michael to bed," JJ said as Penelope, Luke, and she walked off the elevator. "And, you know, we're about to finally have some alone time with just mommies and... you guys know the rest…"

By the time they arrived at the BAU, it was close to midnight. JJ had waited in the parking lot for Penelope while Emily went straight into the building to prepare the case. None of them wanted to be there.

"Ah, trying to dust off the old cobwebs," Luke commented, blushing a little at his own words.

"Inappropriate newbie!" Penelope said, slapping him in the arm. But she couldn't help herself - she dropped her voice and leaned towards JJ. "Seriously, how long has it been?"

"Too long…"

"Well, allow me to distract you with helping me find a new apartment?" Garcia said quickly with a smile.

JJ sat down at her desk, "Oh, yeah, I meant to show you this one." Luke and Matt wandered over to JJ's desk together. "Sunny. Two-bedroom, it's close to work, and it's in your price range."

"Garcia, you're moving?" Matt asked. "You don't like change."

"That's true. Change is my kryptonite. But the apartment is no longer a sanctuary. And besides, Sergio and I need more room for our things."

"Your cat has things?" Luke asked incredulously.

"Yes," Penelope answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Luke tried to keep himself from smiling.

"Garcia, round up Dave and Tara," Emily's voice came from a distance. The group turned to see her walking towards the conference room.

JJ watched as Spencer descended the ladder into the bunker. There was no way of looking at this situation and not seeing the danger. This was a bad idea. But JJ still vividly remembered what happened the first time they'd split up in the field all those years ago. And she wasn't about to make that mistake again. Not when she had just got him back.

She took one last look at the field surrounding her as she lowered herself into the bunker. JJ shook her head - she already knew what Emily was going to say. She must've descended more than 50 feet. It was dark, and it took a while for her eyes to adjust to the low light. Finally, she reached the bottom, where Spencer was waiting. JJ didn't need to check her cell phone to know that it was useless.

Minutes later Emily, Luke, and Matt arrived at the scene. Emily took note of the abandoned SUV. She spun around, eyes darting desperately around for a sign of her wife. Nothing. She tried her phone again. And then Spencer's. It was no use. They predicted that Coleman had an underground bunker - they weren't going to answer.

"What did Reid and JJ just walk into?"

"I was so worried about you guys being in that bunker. It made me very claustrophobic. We need to look for an even bigger apartment for me. Even bigger," Penelope said, turning to JJ. JJ nodded with a smile. Emily appeared behind her, bag thrown over her shoulder.

"Sure. We can look tomorrow," JJ replied.

"I gotta say, Coleman's bunker was pretty impressive," Matt said.

"Yeah, but not where I want to spend my last day on Earth," Emily chimed in.

"Yeah? Where would you?"

"Never thought about it," Emily replied casually. JJ furrowed her brow a little but decided to let it go.

"I'd be with my family," Matt said softly.

"Same," JJ agreed quickly.

Emily glanced in JJ's direction. She hoped nobody else picked up on that - but she did work with profilers after all. Emily didn't mean anything by it. It just never occurred to her to think about what she'd be doing with her last day on Earth. But she did know what it felt like to be on the brink of death. Not once, but twice. Most recently being tortured by Peter Lewis - and it was Michael, Henry, and JJ that she wanted to see the most. She'd never told JJ that… Mostly because she didn't want to relive any of it again. But Emily made a silent promise that she would - her wife deserved to hear it.

Later that evening, with both boys in bed and asleep, Emily found herself sitting on the couch, back leaning against the armrest, watching JJ. She was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, resting her arms on Emily's legs, watching the tv. She was absentmindedly drawing circles with her thumb on Emily's legs. Emily loved when she could privately study JJ. She didn't really get tired of it. And when JJ would inevitably catch her, it felt as though a spell was broken.

Without a word, JJ lifted Emily's legs off her lap and wedged herself between Emily's body and the cushions of the couch. Emily scooted down to a lying position so that JJ could lay her head on her shoulder. A peaceful silence fell over them. The only sound was coming from the tv in the background. But JJ hadn't really been watching it anyway.

"I'd want to be with you," Emily breathed.

"What?"

"If the world was ending," she breathed. Emily's eyes glazed over, staring at the ceiling. JJ felt Emily's arm unconsciously tighten around her. "I'd want to be with you."

JJ raised her head so she could look at Emily. Emily brought a gentle hand to her wife's cheek. She pushed some of her blonde hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear.

"You, and Henry, and Michael…"

Their lips met chastely at first, but it quickly became more passionate. Emily sat up slowly, pulling JJ closer still. This case had interrupted their first night to themselves since Emily's encounter with Scratch. Her injuries were finally almost healed, and all she wanted was JJ. Emily wanted the comfort and safety and understanding that always came with JJ.

JJ's lips traveled across Emily's jaw to the spot behind her ear. The spot she knew always made her wife shiver. Emily felt her hands begin shaking - they were running up under JJ's shirt, working on the clasp of her bra.

"Em…" JJ's hips jerked involuntarily. Emily lowered her hands to hold them still. "Emily, god." JJ pulled back from Emily's neck to give her a searing kiss. Emily kissed her back eagerly. JJ's hands started working on the button on the front of Emily's jeans - then the zipper. Emily knew what was coming, and she felt like her body was on fire with anticipation. But JJ pulled back from Emily's lips and gave her a knowing smirk. She broke into a small smile and laughed a little as she stood up. JJ extended a hand to her. With a soft smile, Emily took it and stood as well.

As they walked through their bedroom door, Emily wrapped her arms around JJ from behind. JJ laughed in surprise. She leaned her weight into Emily and tilted her head to the side, allowing Emily to kiss her neck lovingly. JJ closed her eyes. She felt Emily's hands on her stomach, pulling up her shirt and running across her skin.

"I was worried about you today," Emily whispered, as her fingers gently untied the knot of JJ's pants. There was something so intimate about it. Emily's entire body pressed up behind her. Her lips, kissing her neck and shoulder. Her words, making her feel cared for. And her hands… Her hands slipping inside her pants - reigniting the fire.

JJ willed herself to remove Emily's hands so she could turn in her arms. As JJ stepped out of her pants, Emily smiled softly, but her eyes told a different story. They were dark and filled with intensity. She was leaning towards her subconsciously. JJ opened her mouth like she was going to say something but then closed it and instead brought her hands to the bottom of Emily's shirt. Emily saw a shy smile spread across her lips. She always found it adorable when JJ smiled like that - like Emily still made her nervous even after all these years. JJ slid her hands up under Emily's shirt and pulled it over her head.

Her eyes fell to the tattoo on Emily's chest. Her hands ran down Emily's neck and down her chest. Sometimes JJ would think about how far they'd come - how nervous she was the first time she kissed her. How careful Emily was the first time she spent the night in JJ's bed. It felt like ages ago - but the feeling was still the same. What they had - the family they'd built together… that was the feeling: it was Emily. It always had been.

And she wanted more.

But JJ didn't quite know what she meant by more… Another baby? Or was it something else entirely? She decided to lean into Emily's lips to silence the thoughts. JJ spun them around and backed Emily towards their bed. Emily felt the abrupt change in her wife - there was a sudden sense of urgency - a sudden impatience in the way she touched her. She pulled back and quickly took off her own shirt. JJ leaned back in and kissed Emily's lips, all the while continuing to pull impatiently at her clothes.

"Jay," Emily murmured softly.

"Take off your pants," she said back quickly. JJ's lips had moved down Emily's neck to spot where her shoulder met her neck. Emily closed her eyes and ran her hands across the smooth skin of her wife's back, then to her own waist, helping JJ with taking off her pants. JJ gently pushed Emily into a sitting position and climbed into her lap. She felt Emily's hands come to rest on her hips. Emily stretched to kiss JJ again.

"I love you," Emily breathed. She kissed her way slowly across JJ's chest, sucking on the skin below her clavicle. JJ closed her eyes and sighed. She was moving too slow - driving her crazy. Emily's hands traveled up the sides of JJ's thighs with painful leisure.

"Emily, stop stalling…" JJ groaned.

Emily pulled back and smiled, an enamored look smoldering in her eyes. "Patience is a virtue," she said with a smirk. Her smile spread into a grin.

"I have been patient," JJ insisted. She'd been thinking about this for a long time. Weeks. JJ was tired of being patient. Emily chuckled a little, and turned around, laying JJ on her back.

"It's not stalling," Emily whispered, hovering above her. JJ's arms came to wrap around her - fingernails running lightly down her back. Emily kissed her quickly, but deeply. "It's savoring."

"Emily -" She began to complain, but was quickly cut off by Emily's lips. She felt her tongue in her mouth and moaned into Emily's mouth. And before she could say anything else, Emily's hand moved between them and began stroking her exactly where she needed it. JJ's breath caught in her throat. She tightened her arms around her wife.

"Is that good?" Emily asked gently, as she brushed her lips over the sensitive skin of JJ's neck. Emily pulled back to look into JJ's eyes. She was having trouble keeping them open. She nodded through shallow breathing.

"Don't stop," she whispered.

Emily shifted to rest more of her weight on JJ. It made for more skin on skin contact. JJ swallowed thickly, staring up into her wife's eyes as she began to use her hips to fall into a rhythm. Emily's eyes had become impossibly darker than they normally were. She too was breathing heavily, trembling slightly as she watched JJ beneath her.

It briefly occurred to JJ how close they had been to never being together like this again. Had Scratch succeeded, she would have never been touched by Emily again. Never be loved by her. She did her best to take in every moment - to feel every touch - meet each of Emily's movements. Emily felt JJ's grip on her back tighten. Her entire body trembled underneath her. Emily buried her face into the side of JJ's neck, kissing beneath her ear and up the side of her face. Emily could feel the beating of JJ's heart - taste her skin - when she listened closely she could hear a soft whimper that escaped from her mouth.

Emily moved to JJ's side, pressing her body up against hers and pulling her close. When JJ finally opened her eyes, she immediately met Emily's. JJ placed a hand on Emily's cheek and pulled her in for a long, slow kiss. Emily smiled, but there was a subtle apprehension in her eyes. JJ furrowed her brow - Emily seemed to notice.

"Are you happy?" Emily asked.

"Yes," JJ answered, resolutely. She brought one of Emily's hands to her lips and kissed it softly. "Are you?" She asked back, suddenly anxious to hear Emily's answer.

"Yes."