*Okay as always I own nothing of Criminal Minds or Rizzoli & Isles just enjoying using the characters.
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(Chapter Seven)
Jane and JJ took turns picking Maura up from the Ambassador's house for early morning runs. They had started running every other day if they weren't on a case. It did seem to ease some of the tension in all the ladies. The wedding was four weeks away and Emily was becoming even more protective, allusive, and hard to live with. Neither JJ nor Pen could remember her being this bad in all the years they had known her. Pen had even gone as far as saying that she was worse than when she had went after Doyle. No matter how hard they tried no one could get the woman to open up and talk about what was going on. She just sank deeper into herself.
It was early and Jane was picking up Maura this morning to met JJ in the park for their run. She started stretching as she waited on them when suddenly she was caught up in the arms of a woman.
"JJ just go with it... act like I'm Emily and kiss me like you would her."
JJ pulled back some from the embrace and noticed it was Jaclyn dressed as Emily. She didn't want to kiss the woman but she saw in her eyes that it was important. "Em..." She yelled with a bright smile and kissed the woman fully like she would have Emily. "...I didn't know you were going to run with us this morning." She said happily as the other woman caught her breath from the kiss.
"Damn..." Jaclyn whispered as she smiled at JJ. "No wonder."
"No wonder what?"
"No wonder she likes you." Jaclyn said smiling at JJ the way Emily would have.
"Is there a reason for this or did you just have a moment of wanting to feel me up?" JJ said with an aggravated tone but kept her facial expression of that of one in love.
"I'm not into women but damn you are a good kisser." She said looking at JJ and smiling again.
"And..." JJ said trying not to loose her temper or her facial pretense.
"And I need you to continue this in case Hades is here watching us."
"You want him to think you are Emily."
"Yes... I've been coming on the days you three don't."
"You are hoping he will make a move on you."
"Yes...but nothing so far. I hope any doubts will fade with you kissing me."
"Does Em know you are doing this?"
"No... and you can't tell her or Maura."
"This is your plan isn't it?"
"Yes... I hope the son of a bitch takes me so I can finally kill him since she won't."
"She won't?"
"No... and she won't let anyone else close to her do it either. That's all you get because I have already said more than I should have already. Now... Raphy is going to call me in a minute and I will leave like I've been called away. I need you to kiss me bye and do not cancel your run."
"I don't know about that Jaclyn. You couldn't handle the first one and I still need an Altoid from it."
Jaclyn looked at the woman but before she could say anything her phone rang. She answered it and made some comments then turned to JJ giving the facial expressions of "I'm so sorry." Jaclyn took JJ in her arms and they kissed fully again with the woman leaving shortly after the kiss.
Maura and Jane came in the park gates and saw JJ kissing someone who looked like Emily but they knew that it wasn't because they just said bye to her at the Ambassador's house.
Maura looked at Jane, "That has to be Jaclyn."
"Yeah... that's what I was kind of thinking too."
"Wonder why Jennifer was kissing her?"
"I don't know but it was a full kiss like she would have kissed Emily."
"I noticed." Maura said and started looking into her fanny pack.
"What are you looking for?"
"I know Jennifer and she didn't kiss her because she wanted too." The memory of Jaclyn kissing her a few months back flashed through her mind. "Remember... she kissed me too at the Ambassador's house and I wanted a mint or something afterwards."
Jane stopped and bent over laughing. When she caught her breath she finally ask, "Was it that bad?"
"No... but there isn't any emotions in the woman. I can only describe it like maybe you kissing Hoyt."
"Wow..." Jane didn't have words to answer that.
"What are you two talking about that has Jane's face all twisted like she smells something bad."
"You..." Maura said as she handed JJ the small box of Altoids she carried in her pouch.
"Thank you... I was dying for one. How did you know?" Jane lost it again. "What is up with her and why were you talking about me?"
"We saw you kissing Jaclyn." Maura said while she pointed to where the two had been standing. "What was that all about?"
It caught JJ off guard. She knew she had to answer and yet she also knew she had to help Jaclyn keep what she was doing a secret for it to work.
"JJ..." Jane said as the woman went silent.
"Jennifer..." Maura said looking at her like please tell me the truth.
"Okay... we will talk as we run. We have to act like everything is normal."
"Too late..." Jane yelled as she saw Raphy tearing out of no where running. She started to run too until JJ yelled.
"Jane they have it! We have a duty here!" The woman turned and ran back realizing she had to protect Maura.
"Let's go." She said when she came back wanting to get Maura out of there and into safety.
"No!" JJ said firmly. "We have to keep to our routine." Jane looked at the woman with fire in her eyes and face.
"Jane... if Jennifer says we need to do this then we need to do it."
She took in a deep breath, "I got to get my gun."
"I have mine so we are good."
"Ankle or body?"
"Both..."
"Damn... you are getting like Emily."
"Not yet..." She said smiling, "...I haven't got the hang of hiding a knife like she does."
"That is just freaky how she does that. You never know where it is going to come from either."
"I know that's what makes her so good." JJ said with pride in her eyes.
"Come on you two. I really do not like talking about her this way."
"Sorry Maur... your woman is just awesome when it comes to weapons."
"I know Jane...that is why the two of you are here protecting me if memory serves me correctly!" She said angrily and started to jog away. They caught up with her and ran in silence for the first six miles sensing Maura needed space away from everything going on. The silence was broken when they turned to run back to the starting point. "Jennifer... Why were you kissing Jaclyn dressed as Emily?" Maura asked breaking the silence.
"Thank god..." Jane said exasperated wanting an answer to that question for six miles.
JJ smiled at Jane, "I was stretching while waiting on you two to show up and she came and caught me up in an embrace. I didn't know who it was at first until she started talking to me..." She paused and looked at them as they ran. "What I'm going to tell you can't go past the three of us."
They looked at her as she waited an answer, "You have our word Jennifer." Maura looked at Jane to agree.
"Oh...Okay..." Jane finally said, "I hate you secret people. You know that right."
"We know Jane but Emily doesn't even know that Jaclyn is doing this and something tells me she wouldn't be pleased."
"Jaclyn is running an undercover on her own... isn't she?" Maura asked figuring out what was going on.
"Yes... She needed me to validate her cover by kissing her like I would've Emily. But she is no Emily." JJ said making a face.
"That's why I gave you my mints." Maura said smiling at the woman.
"And thank you again." She said shaking the thought of Jaclyn's lips on hers off.
"Do you think they found Hades then?" Jane asked trying to keep the woman focused on information.
"I think she feels he is watching us run." The two women stopped and looked at her as she ran ahead of them. "Come on we can't break routine." She said as she motioned them to start running again.
"JJ we can't be out here like sitting ducks!" Jane yelled.
"We are running ducks Jane." JJ said teasing the woman.
"You know what I'm saying." She said in a huff.
"Look Maura and I had to trust that woman in Iran to protect our lives and she delivered. She's not much on the emotional level but she is loyal to Emily and she would never let anything happen to Maura or me."
"That's true Jane." Maura added remembering Jaclyn on the mission. "She is hoping the man takes her thinking it is Emily... doesn't she?"
"Yes..."
"Emily wouldn't want her doing that. She wouldn't want anyone hurt because of her." Maura said analyzing what Jaclyn was doing.
"Yeah...that's what I was thinking too." JJ said agreeing with Maura's hypothesis.
"Okay... we will do as she ask and hope it doesn't back fire and that she doesn't get hurt."
"Okay! Maur you can't lie."
"That's true but I can not mention it very well."
"But you two are joined at the hip. Won't she sense it?" Jane asked wondering how the woman was planning on being quiet and pulling it off.
"I told you Jane... Emily has gone into something... it's dark and she will not allow me into the abyss. I just hope we catch this man before it totally consumes her."
JJ looked at the woman. Her words touched a spot that hadn't been thought of in years and the name arose like an evil stench from the bile's of her memory... Askari.
"You okay there JJ?" Jane asked noticing the change in her.
"Yeah... I just got lost in something."
"Want to share?" She asked.
"No... but I'm starting to get glimpses of Emily's state of mind. It might help."
Maura looked at her, "I hope so Jennifer because you are the only one I know who can pull her away from this."
"What make you say that Maur?"
"Because Jennifer has looked into the same abyss."
JJ looked at the woman again. It was almost like she was reading her mind again. "Should I call you Carolina again?"
"No Jennifer... we are connected because of Emily. I feel you more than you know. I just do not tell you because it's not my place... unless you want me to."
JJ stopped running and the two women came back to her. "Maura... you are always welcome to tell me anything." She said and engulfed the woman in a massive hug.
After a few moments Jane said, "Okay you two this isn't part of the routine."
They broke apart laughing and wiping tears from their eyes, "You are right Jane. Let's finish this run and get to work." Maura said with the most hope she had felt in weeks that everything would work out. "I'll race you guys." She said as she took off running."
"Maur... that's not fair." Jane whined as she took out running with JJ following laughing at the two competive woman. JJ ended up beating both of them with Jane bringing up the rear when she suddenly stopped because she thought she saw a face that was from the past. It was just a glimpse and she wasn't for sure it was him but she wanted to run and catch him to see but she had to watch Maura. "Could it be him?" She asked herself in her mind.
"Jane..."
"Hummm"
"What do you see?"
"What? She asked until she realized it was Maura asking the question. "Oh... I thought I saw Jaclyn but it wasn't her." She lied... she couldn't say anything unless she had more information. It would kill her best friend if she was right but in one moment she understood Emily more than she had since they had met. "Emily I'm totally on your side." She thought as she was walking to her car.
Okay the next section will be very intense... then we will be going into the wedding scene in the next one. I will write that scene as a whole chapter because I want it to flow so be patient with me and know it will be a very long chapter. (That's funny... I'm asking you my faithful to be patient. Thank you for sticking with me through all the editing mistakes and gaps in writing to this point. I appreciate you for sticking with me.)