I'm sorry, I know I missed an update but between college and everything else I just didn't get time, also my muse has been suffering a little lately. Buuuut, to make up for that I give you the longest chapter yet! Enjoy!
Just as Emily and Carrie sat down in the food court at the mall, Emily's phone buzzed with a text alert.
Caught a case just over the Maryland border. Missing kid so god knows what hours we'll be putting in the next few days. Should be home to sleep if we can make it, I'll call when I can. Hope the meeting at the school went well, tell Carrie I said hey. x
Seeing concern flash across the older woman's face Carrie spoke up, "Is everything okay?"
Looking up and seeing the teen worried, Emily spoke quickly to put her at ease, "Yeah, well not for some family, the team caught a case. Jen said to tell you she said hey." She kept the case details to a minimum, not wanting to frighten Carrie more.
"When will they be home?"
"Not sure, never are. But they're local enough that they'll probably be home to sleep when they can." Emily replied with a small smile.
"Are, um, are you upset. You know that you're not with them?" Carrie eventually managed to stumble out, looking at her fidgeting fingers.
Reaching across the table and putting her hands over the teens to stop the fidgeting, Emily waited until Carrie looked up at her to reply. "Do I want to be with the team? Yes, I never want to lie to you so I'll admit that. But you know what? I want to be here, with you, more than I want to be there with them. I promise. If that was going to be the case, I'd never have offered to have you come live with me." Seeing belief flash through the brown eyes in front of her, Emily knew she was getting through to Carrie.
"Okay, I'm sorry for doubting you. I just worry."
"That's perfectly normal to have those doubts, we don't know each other that well yet. But I just hope that as we get closer you'll keep coming to me when you have doubts, worries or questions."
Making eye contact with the older woman, Carrie could tell she was telling the truth. "I'll try my best."
"That's all I ask." With that the two relaxed into their mood, both feeling closer because of their heart to heart and Emily realising that she never thought she would be this okay with not being out with the team, knowing a little kid was in danger but loving it that she was bonding with the teen in front of her.
It was after eleven when Emily crawled into bed with a book, exhausted after nearly a week of interrupted sleep. Just as she opened the front cover her work phone rang, a number she didn't know flashing across the screen. Knowing the teem was on a case she knew it couldn't be good news.
"Prentiss."
" Is this Agent Emily Prentiss?"
"That's correct, who am I speaking with?"
"This is Doctor Torres from Washington General Hospital. It says here that you're listed as a next-of-kin for one Jennifer Jareau, is that correct?"
'Shit, JJ. What the hell happened?' Was the first thing that popped into her head and she almost said it out loud before she caught herself. "Yes, that would be correct, is she okay? Has something happened?" Her heart was hammering against her ribs, JJ had to be okay. She just had to be.
"She should be, I'm releasing her now but as she is on some pretty strong pain medication and needs to be watched over until it wears off. I know that protocol is for you to come here and pick her up but if I release her into the care of Agent Derek Morgan would it be okay for him to bring her to you so they can return to work and you don't have to come here. I see all the paperwork is in order and I can make an exception for the FBI, I just need to make sure she will have adequate care until she recovers."
Emily's heartbeat slowed but her worry didn't lessen as the doctor continued talking. "Yes, you can release her to Agent Morgan and she can stay here as long as she needs. I'll look after her Doctor Torres. Thank you for making an exception. Can you tell me what happened? What's wrong with her?"
"I'm sorry, I can't disclose that information over the phone. Agent Morgan will be given anything she needs and instructions for her recovery and medication. I have them all written out for you. Just know, Agent that she will be okay, the pain meds have just made her a little, shall we say, loopy. You're probably in for a night of it." The doctor said, finishing with a laugh. If the doctor was laughing surely she couldn't be too bad, right?
"Thank you again doctor, I understand. When will she be released?"
"I'm just about to sign the last of the forms, she and Agent Morgan should be walking out of here in the next half an hour. If you have any problems or questions just ring me, I'll leave my contact information with Agent Jareau's recovery information."
"I will, thank you very much doctor."
"No problem Agent Prentiss. Goodbye." With that the phone call ended and Emily was left with just her worries to play on her mind until Derek and JJ arrived.
Derek she really better be okay. And you owe me the story about what happened.
She sent the message and moved to pace across the bedroom, too worried to sit down, the tiredness having completely left her body.
It was forty five minutes later when the buzzer finally sounded. To Emily it felt like a lifetime had passed. She ran down the stairs and skidded to a stop by the front door before swinging it open to reveal Derek Morgan completely supporting JJ with an arm around her waist and her arm pulled around his shoulders. Even at that he was struggling as she was swaying in an almost drunk like manner by his side, a bright blue cast adorning her right arm which was also encased in a sling.
"EM! Derek this is Emily's house." The blonde stated obviously.
"I know Jayj, I drove you here." Morgan replied, rolling his eyes, he obviously had enough of the pain meds talk.
"Why did you drive me here. Did you know me and Emily are sleeping together? Is that why? Did you know she's going to take me on a date? Derek I really like her. She's very pretty, don't you think?" JJ stage whispered as her legs pretty much gave out under her, leaving Derek to support all her weight, who just looked at Emily with a raised eyebrow. Emily thought she couldn't possibly get any redder, she just wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.
"Really? You two are sleeping together? I thought so but I wasn't too sure, thanks for clearing that up for me." He replied, never taking his eyes off Emily.
JJ was completely oblivious to how much she was over sharing. Emily would find it hilarious if it wasn't so embarrassing and revealing. Derek could see that he was getting nowhere holding JJ up so he just stooped and put his other arm behind her knees gathering her up into his arms.
"Emily I hurted my arm. Look." The pain meds now starting to effect her speech too as she held up her arm for the brunette to inspect. "Wait my feet are not on the ground. Emily am I flying?" This time Emily really did laugh.
"No sweetie, you're not flying. Morgan is carrying you because you hurt your arm. Baby what do you say to getting into bed, how does that sound?" Moving closer and running her hand through blonde hair, she almost forgot Morgan was there as she let her worry for her girlfriend overtake everything else.
"Emily can you help me into my jammies? I don't think I can do it with the swing."
"The swing huh? Well I'm sure I can help you out there Jen. Derek you going to be okay getting her upstairs?"
"I got it, no worries. Your room I presume." Receiving a nod the two moved to get the blonde to bed to sleep off the pain meds.
Once Morgan laid her down on the bed, he turned to Emily, "You okay to change her? If you need help that's okay but I mean it's JJ."
"I should be okay. How about you wait on the landing and if I need you I'll shout. Then you owe me an explanation as to why you're bringing my girlfriend here off her face on pain meds in the middle of the night."
"Emily you never said that word before. Do you mean it?" Came a giggle from the bed beside the brunette.
"Do I mean what Jen?"
"Girlfriend?"
"Well are you not my girlfriend?" Emily said with a laugh, wishing she had recorded some of this to show the blonde the next day.
"Yes I'll be your girlfriend. On one condition."
"What's that?"
"That you'll be my girlfriend too."
"I think that can be arranged Jen. Now come on, lets get you into some jammies as you so elegantly called them earlier." She turned to nod to Morgan that she was okay to handle her from here only to see him trying not to crack a rib holding in his laughter as he left the room.
All the commotion in the condo had woken Carrie up who knew that things couldn't be too bad from the chuckling she could hear coming from the landing. Deciding to see who had entered the condo at midnight she got out of bed and pulled on a robe as she cracked her bedroom door. "Emily?"
Derek, who had been leaning against the opposite wall, snapped his head up as he heard the scared whisper. "Hey kiddo. There's no need to worry, everything is going to be okay. JJ just had a bit of an accident at work but she's going to be okay, broken arm, few bruises. The hospital had me bring her here because she's a little loopy with pain meds and Emily is her next-of-kin. She's just putting her to bed. I'll get her to come into you in a few minutes."
"Derek is she really going to be okay?" The worry was evident in her voice and on her face.
"I promise she will be. Emily will take good care of her. Come here." Morgan extended his arms and pulled Carrie into a hug. Being wrapped in his arms was very comforting for Carrie, I was almost like how she felt when her dad hugged her. At that thought she let a few tears roll down her face and into the t-shirt her head was buried in.
Pulling back from the hug with a sniff she asked, "You'll send her in when she can?"
"You bet ya kiddo, go back and get into bed and she'll be in soon."
Five minutes later Emily's head popped out around the bedroom door. "Does she need another pain pill before she sleeps or can I try get her to sleep now?"
"She had one just before she left the hospital, she's good."
"Okay give me a few more and I'll be with you then."
It was another ten minutes before Emily emerged from the bedroom. "Okay she's asleep, what the hell happened Derek?"
"I'll tell you, I will but I think there's someone else you need to talk to first." He gestured to Carrie's closed bedroom door. "I told her she'll be okay but I think she needs to hear it from you. I'll wait downstairs."
As soon as Emily opened the door Carrie shot up in the bed. "Is she okay?"
"She's okay, I promise." The older brunette said as she pulled Carrie into her arms. "She's a bit loopy from the pain meds but she's going to be fine. I don't know what happened, I'll have to talk to Morgan but as far as I can see her arm got the worst of it. She may stay here for a few days if you're okay with that?"
"Of course that's okay, why wouldn't it be? And why would you ask me?"
"I asked you because you live here too." With that Carrie pulled back to look up at Emily with a quizzical look on her face. "If you're not comfortable with it she can stay with one of the others."
"No, I really don't mind. It's just that you really care about what I think."
"Of course I care. Now come on, you have to be tired, we can talk more about this tomorrow. I have to talk to Morgan but then I'll be right next door if you need me okay?"
Carrie lay back down as she said, "Okay, I'm glad she's going to be okay. Night Emily."
"I'm glad too kiddo, get some sleep." With that she placed a kiss on the teen's temple and made her way downstairs to find out what had JJ out of it on pain medication.
"Derek what the hell?" She exclaimed as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
Morgan stood from the couch to explain. "We got a location on the unsub. It was the parents, they had an uncle take their 5 year old daughter and bring her to an apartment they had leased. We managed to get in and get the girl but somehow he got out the back and went to go down the fire escape. Jayj was the one who saw it and went out after him."
"When she gained on him, he decided it would be a good idea to turn and push her down two flights of stairs. He got away but we have the parents in custody. I have to get back and help catch him."
"The doc said she'll be grand. No lasting damage. She'll probably have the cast for four to six weeks. Two clean breaks, one on the radius and one on the ulna. Also some bruising on her ribs as you probably saw. She took a knock to the head but no concussion, just keep an eye on it. As far as medication goes, the pink one every four hours and the white one every six, don't ask me what they're for but it's probably on this sheet of instructions for you."
Emily moves to pull her partner into a hug. "Thank you for looking after her Derek, and for bringing her here. It means a lot."
"We all knew you'd look after her. Well maybe not in the way we thought but still." A cheesy grin crosses his face as he gave her a wink.
"Shut your face." She said as she tried to glare at his as her cheeks flamed deep red again. "I'm going to kill her when she wakes up."
"I'm sure you are." He says with another wink before turning serious again. "Look Prentiss, I'm sorry but I gotta go, we gotta get this guy. Are you gonna be okay?"
"Yeah I'm good. Hey do we know why the parents took her?"
"Turns out Daddy isn't the birth Daddy. The kids birth Dad was looking to get custody and they somehow thought they could pin this on him."
"Jesus. Derek go get this guy."
"I will, you look after our girl. I won't say anything about you two, we all suspected but we didn't know for sure. I'll let you tell them when you guys are ready. I'll let you know when we get this guy." He says as he walks out the door.
"Thanks Derek, I really appreciate that. It's still very new and with Carrie I just want to get us on even ground before we go telling people. I'm going to look after our patient. Talk to you Derek." Then she does just that. She reads the doctors instructions before climbing the stairs. Looking around the teen's door she sees Carrie fast asleep. As she crawls into bed and pulls JJ closer to her, she realises how scared she had been for the blonde in her arms.
"Don't you dare scare me like that again Jennifer Jareau, you hear me?" The only response she got was a snore but that was good enough for her.