*Okay as always I own nothing of Criminal Minds or Rizzoli & Isles just enjoying using the characters.

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(Chapter Six)

The Christmas holidays came and went but Maura and Emily were still at the Ambassador's house. JJ was sitting on Maura's couch in her office while she did an autopsy thinking back on the events that prompted the reversal of heart by Emily. It seemed the woman was handling everything so well with just mild moments of intensity when out of the blue she shifted into another gear.

She started to reflect back on the night it seemed it all started to change. Maura had come home one night and brought the stack of Christmas cards from her office that she had received over the past weeks. Emily was glancing through them as she recalled and never said a word while Maura was in the room with them but when Maura left JJ remembered it was like she had entered an interrogation room and she was the suspect. Emily had started the questions of who had been to see Maura, if there had been any odd phone calls,if anyone had approached her, and on and on.

"Emily I haven't left that woman's side except when you are by her side."

"Okay...okay... I know."

"What is it? What did you see in those cards?"

"It's okay."

"No it's not! Talk to me Em."

"Emily?" Maura called from the bathroom.

"It will be okay." She said and went to see what Maura wanted. JJ was quick to take a picture of all sixteen cards inside and out while Emily was distracted.

JJ pulled up the photo's on her phone that had been forgotten until that moment. They had been shuffled to the back of her mind with all the Christmas events going on around her house and the Ambassador's house. The night before Emily and Maura were going to leave and go back to their home the Ambassador had general mentioned she hated to see them leave and Emily announced that her Christmas wish had been granted that they weren't going anywhere until after the wedding was over. This surprised everyone including Maura but she held it together like they had agreed on it before hand but from the stories of the loud voices that night such wasn't the case.

It was the first week back from the holidays and JJ was now in the mood for some answers especially since Pen told her that Emily was disappearing daily at noon to workout and then swim and was gone for two to three hours. Sure she had been working with Anna on getting her arm strength back but now it seemed she was going into hyper drive to get better and stronger. JJ couldn't help but wondered if it had anything to do with the Christmas cards.

Maura walked into the office while she was looking at the cards on her phone. "Maura can I talk with you about something that I'm sure might be personal in nature."

"Depends on the content I suppose." She said looking at the woman on her couch.

"It's about Emily changing her mind about spending Christmas at her mother's"

"Oh..."

JJ sensed it was a touchy subject, "We do not have to if you do not want to but I feel it's important."

"I...well...what do you want to know?" She said trying to contain her emotions some as she came and sat down by JJ.

"Did you ever get a clear answer as to why she changed her mind?"

"She said she was still hurting from time to time, that the Ambassadors house was already decorated for the occasion, and that Chessie really wanted to stay."

"So no... you never got a straight forward answer." JJ answered knowing how Emily deflected really well when hiding something.

"I tried to push it more but she got upset. I didn't want to press too much because of everything she had been through already. I figured she just need some more time."

"Maura the only time I've ever heard her raise her voice to you was right before she talked about the ghosts. Now there is this talk of a demon...What if the ghost stems from this demon?"

"But we took care of the ghost?"

"Yes...but the demon hasn't been dealt with and she told me from her own mouth, "...she would have to face it alone if it comes." I know she has been working out two to three hours a day for over a week now. It's like she is preparing for something."

"How do you know this?"

"Pen..."

"Of course..."

"Of course what?" Jane asked as she came into the office and wanted to know what she was missing.

"Look I really do not want to discuss this anymore. Jaclyn is right we shouldn't be doing this and I can't have her up and leaving again." Maura said as she stood up quickly to go back into the autopsy room. Jane caught her and swung her back around by the shoulders.

"Okay we are definitely talking about Emily. What is Wonder Woman up to now?"

"Jane..." Maura said with frustration in her voice.

Jane looked at her friend's face recognizing the sounds of Maura's voice, "...or maybe what isn't she doing." She said smiling.

"Jane..." Maura repeated with the tone of warning this time as JJ watched the two intrigued by their banter.

"Let's see November, December, now January..."

"Jane!" Maura said loudly cutting Jane's counting by her fingers short.

"Yep... You need to go for a twelve mile run don't you Dr. Isles?" She asked as Maura's face flashed instantly red and she tried once again to leave her office.

"Oh no you don't." Jane said as she caught her again bringing her back to where she was.

"Let me go."

JJ was now laughing as she caught onto what Jane was getting at. "Jane...leave her alone. It's only been six weeks since Emily had Bella and with her surgery afterwards I'm sure they are being very careful."

"There is careful but then there is frustrated and Maura is frustrated." She said as the woman just hung her head in shame.

"Maura come sit by me." JJ said patting the sofa, "There is something you are not telling us. What is it?"

Maura sat and kept looking at her hands. She tried to stop the tears from flowing but she couldn't. Jane went to the office door and closed it and turned the blinds so no one could see in knowing Maura wouldn't want anyone to see her crying. JJ sensed that they needed to be very gentle with the woman who seemed on the edge and gave Jane a look of "go easy on her," as she noticed the woman beginning to speak.

"Maura can you look at me?" Jane softly asked squatting in front of the woman who shook her head no. "Could you use a hug?" She asked and got a lunging woman in arms who shook with sobs as a response. "Shhh... I got you. It's going to be okay."

JJ waited a few moments giving the woman the needed warmth of Jane's arms around her. "Maura honey... please talk to us." She said as she began rubbing her hand up and down Maura's back. After another few moments Maura slid back onto the couch beside JJ.

"She has changed in the last week or so."

"Changed how honey?" JJ asked taking the woman's hand.

"Even though she has been hurt before she has always been affectionate. But she hasn't been as affection this time as the last. I just thought it was because of the torture bringing things back up and the loss of sexual drive from having Bella and the drop in hormone levels." She paused trying not to break out in sobs again.

"But..." Jane said trying to push her beyond the tears.

"But this last week she has been almost cold. Then when she realizes it there is a painful look that shoots through her eyes. It's like she fights with herself and I am the trigger." She said and started sobbing again. JJ engulfed her into a hug and kissed her head. After several moments she mouthed to Jane, "Take over for me."

Not wanting to spook the woman she began to explain, "Maura honey...Jane is going to replace me while I make a phone call."

"No!" Maura shouted, "Don't tell her Jennifer!" She said pulling away in a panic. "I can't loose her again!"

"Oh God no Maura..." JJ said pulling the woman back to her, "Shhh...I would never do that." She said while rocking the crying woman in her arms. Finally after she couldn't take Maura's sobs anymore she decided to tell her about Emily's reaction to the Christmas cards. "Maura listen to me... Emily went nuts over the Christmas cards you brought home a few of weeks ago."

Maura pulled back, "I don't remember her doing that Jennifer."

"Well it's because it was me who got the interrogation."

"What are you talking about JJ?" Jane asked trying hard not to be angry at Emily because she was hurting Maura.

"It was when you went to the bathroom after Emily started looking at the cards. She looked at all of them and when you left she questioned me about who had been to see you and if you had any unusual phone calls and so on."

"My Christmas cards triggered that response?"

"Yes...so much so that I took a picture of them when she went to see what you wanted after calling her. I just remembered it today because it's been so busy with everything going on around the holidays."

"Let me see those cards again." JJ showed her each photo until they reached the eleventh one. "Hold it."

"What do you see Maur?"

"This one I never got in the mail or from anyone in the building. I do not recognize it nor have I ever heard of this company." JJ looked at the generic card that was typed from Than Office Supplies. She saw an ink symbol in the corner and made it bigger so she could see it better. It was what looked like a capitol C with a cross through the bottom of the C.

"Maura does this symbol mean anything to you?"

"Oh my God!"

"What is it?" Jane asked standing up and looking at what they both were now looking at.

"It's the Greek symbol for Hades and Than means death in Greek."

JJ rubbed her face now understanding why Emily was so upset. She had failed her without knowing it but she wouldn't again. She got up pulling her phone from Maura's hands, "Pen... I just sent you a picture...I need..." was all that was heard as JJ left Maura's office on a mission.

Getting interesting again isn't it... ;)