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Emily ran next to Morgan, her gun out, on full alert. They neared the barn and heard a noise.
"Stop! FBI!"
Emily had never been more relived to hear JJ's voice, despite the fact that she had her gun drawn on them.
"JJ?" Morgan yelled calmly. He began to holster his gun as not to scare the blonde further. "JJ its us, Morgan and Prentiss."
"JJ..." Emily said, quickly moving toward her. "JJ?." The blonde turned with wide, frightened eyes, mumbling something about dogs.
"They tore her apart, I had to shoot them, they jumped at me."
"JJ, look at me." Emily said softly as she moved closer to JJ. "Where's Reid?"
JJ finally glanced at Emily and made eye contact, seeming to finally jolt to reality. "We spilt up, he went around the back." Emily noticed her shaking slightly and glanced to Morgan who frowned. He was clearly annoyed that they had split up. Emily found herself placing a protective arm around JJ's shoulder as she moved her away from Morgan. He ran to the back to look for Reid as Emily directed JJ to the ambulance. Emily stood close by, not wanting to leave JJ alone as the EMTs checked her out. Noticing Deputy Farraday, Emily walked over to ask him if there was any word on Reid. Not before glancing back to make sure JJ was okay. Morgan walked up to her and pulled her aside. Telling her that Reid went around back to the cornfield, and there were signs of someone being dragged away. Deputy Farraday's phone rang and he told them that a man matching Hankel's description was seen asking for directions to a motor lodge in Fort Bend.
"I'll go tell Hotch and Gideon." Morgan said.
JJ felt numb. Reid was missing, and it was her fault. Nothing came out of the Fort Bend tip and JJ couldn't stop running the events of the night through her head. The team assembled inside of Hankel's home as Hotch went to go get Garcia. They would need her to work through all of his computer equipment. JJ sat down next to Emily at the table and half-heartily went through Hankel's diaries with the rest of the team. She barely registered what she was reading which only made her feel worse for not helping Reid. Hotch arrived with Garcia and she went straight to work on the computers after casting a comforting look to JJ. The blonde profiler could hear Emily updating Hotch about the diaries, telling him there was extensive information, but it was a lot to go through and they didn't really have much time.
"Hankel knew enough to throw us of his trail to Fort Bend." Emily said.
"Hankel's interaction with the police has been consistent, they always reinforce him as an instrument of God. To him, with God on his side, no one can stop him." Gideon stated, annoyed. He went back to looking through the diaries. JJ excused herself and went to find a bathroom. She was of no help to any of them right now, and she just needed a minute alone.
Emily saw JJ slip out of the room. She had been going through the diaries and found a piece of paper for a Narcotics Anonymous meeting from about twelve years ago.
"Gideon!" Emily showed him the paper and he told her to follow up on it. Wanting to check on JJ, Emily went to go find her to see if she would like to come along. Emily figured that she had gone to the bathroom, and walked down the narrow hall. Glancing inside the open door Emily was shocked to see JJ turn around and begin to pull her gun on her.
"JJ! Hey its me!" Emily said holing her hands up.
"Sorry." JJ said, trying to calm herself down. "You startled me."
Emily nodded, realizing how shaken up and embarrassed JJ was. The best thing for her to do was just pretend it was normal. She didn't want to make JJ feel any worse. "Its okay." Emily reassured her. She had to bring her hands down and clench her fists to stop herself from reaching out to JJ and hug her. "I found an old paper for a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, Gideon told me to go check it out. Do you want to come along? Get out of the house?"
"Yeah sure." JJ answered. Emily nodded and turned to give JJ some privacy before they headed out, but JJ stopped her. "Emily?" She said moving closer to her. "How come none of this gets to you?" Emily paused, confused by the comment.
"What do you mean?"
"You came of a desk job."
Before Emily could respond, she heard Hotch behind them. "She's right, you've never blinked."
Emily knew JJ was shaken up, and she expected this kind of treatment from Hotch, but she was hurt that JJ would confront her like that. Flustered, Emily backed up slightly from JJ and away from Hotch before answering. "I guess I just compartmentalize better than most people." Or I've seen much worse with Interpol. Emily thought before walking away from them both. Her undercover assignments before the BAU were just that, undercover. She couldn't mention anything with Doyle or any of her other work to the team. Besides, it was in her past, it was over. Doyle was in jail, Declan was safe, and Emily never wanted to think about it again.
"Hotch!" They heard Morgan yell. "We found something!" Emily followed Hotch to Morgan finding Tobias Hankel's father in a room covered in ice, decomposing.
JJ felt better now that she had on different cloths. She could feel slight resentment coming from Emily and felt badly about how her question had come off. JJ hadn't meant it as an accusation, she truly just wanted to know how she coped.
"Emily, I wasn't trying to make it seem like you don't care." JJ said as they drove to meet Tobias' NA sponsor. "I just..."
"Its fine JJ, I get it." Emily answered back, keeping her eyes on the road and not on JJ.
"Its just, Reid has to be okay."
Emily paused a moment or two before asking a question that startled JJ. "I don't mean to pry, and its fine if you don't want to tell me, but are you and Reid...together?"
"What!" JJ asked, shocked. "No, no! I...we went on a date over a year ago, but I didn't know it was a date until we got there."
"He's not your type?" Emily asked. The tone of her voice confused JJ a little, she sounded almost hopeful. JJ shook it off, it had to be her projecting her own feelings onto the situation, nothing more.
"Not even close." JJ snorted. "I love the guy, but like a brother or something."
"Oh." Emily gripped the steering wheel tightly. "So who is?" She asked a moment later.
"Hum?" JJ asked, caught off guard a little.
"Your type?" Emily asked.
"Oh..."
"I mean...I just figured it would be nice to talk about something else than this case for a minute." Emily said with a nervous little laugh. God, she's adorable. JJ thought. She didn't really want to have this conversation. She wasn't hiding the fact that she was gay. Garcia, Reid and Morgan knew. JJ and Morgan had even double dated together before – not something JJ felt like doing again any time soon. She was pretty sure Hotch and Gideon knew as well, they weren't people she talked about her personal life to, but she was pretty sure she had spoken about girls in front of them before. It was simply the fact that Emily was currently the object of her affections that she didn't really want to talk about it. JJ figured she might as well, nothing would happen with Emily regardless and she didn't want to lie.
"Well, usually I go for women." JJ said. Not mentioning she usually went for tall, brunette women. Telling Emily she was gay was one thing, telling her that she fit JJ's type to a T was another.
"Oh.." Emily said softly. If JJ didn't know better, she would think she caught a hint of a smile.
"How about you?" JJ asked, trying to come off as nonchalant as possible.
"Oh...um, I don't know. I don't really have a type I guess. Not the men my mother sets me up with, that's for sure." JJ laughed, but couldn't help feeling disappointed. Men, of course. JJ figured, but hearing it confirmed sucked. "I don't really have a type with women either." Emily said softly. JJ had to stop herself from smiling.
"Your bi?"
"Uh, I guess. I mean I've had relationships with guys, but I guess I lean more towards women. My mother still hopes." Emily answered without looking at JJ; which was a good thing, because a grin was making its way across her face. "We're here." Emily said stiffly and climbed out of the car without another word.
As soon as they arrived back at the Hankel farm, Emily and JJ began explaining about Tobias' drug abuse brought on by the abuse of his father. Emily stood as far away from JJ as she could. She had been quiet and awkward since their conversation in the car. They went into Hankel's computer room when Morgan and Garcia called them. A video of Reid popped up, JJ was horrified at his appearance.
"He's been beaten!" Emily exclaimed. Glancing over, she caught JJ's eye and then looked back over at the computer. Watching Reid be forced to chose someone to live, or die was horrible. JJ grew more and more angry at Hankel. It was horrible what his father did to him, but it didn't for one second excuse what he was doing now. She just wanted Reid back safe with them. When the team got back from the second crime scene, JJ headed into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Morgan practically tried to bolt out of the room at the sight of her. JJ asked if he blamed her, in a way, hoping he would say yes. She certainly blamed herself. His non answer and short attitude only made her feel worse. Annoyed, JJ went to go find Garcia.
"Is there any more video of Reid?" She asked.
"No, but he just posted the last murder."
"Show me." JJ stated, her voice calm. She needed to get over this. To prove she could handle it. Get stronger and actually be a part of this team. If Emily and Morgan could see this, she could too.
"JJ, you don't have to prove anything." Garcia tried to say. JJ ignored her, and told her to play the video. Maybe she didn't need to prove anything to the team, but she needed to prove it to herself. "Fine, but I'm not watching it." Garcia said as she hit play and left JJ alone in the room. JJ took a deep breath and willed herself not to react as she watched the couple's throats being slit.
"Its got to be Tobias' personality holding Reid. His father would have stayed and fought." Morgan stated to Emily and Hotch.
"We should see if we can find a place Tobias would go." Emily picked up a journal and handed one to Morgan before flipping through it herself. "Maybe there is something linked to his drug use?" Emily glanced up as JJ entered the room and told Garcia she was done. Curious, but not wanting to pry, Emily kept her focus on the journals. Garcia and Gideon went back into the computer room, leaving the rest of them digging back through the journals. Emily could hear him yelling to get the videos removed from the internet. Secretly, she agreed, but knew it was a virtually impossible task. A few minutes later, Gideon burst out of the room in distress. Sharing a look with Hotch, Emily stood up and ran with the rest of the team into the room. Garcia explained what they just saw and Emily watched in horror at the image of Reid's lifeless body. Glancing over at JJ, Emily had to stop herself from wrapping the blonde up into a tight hug. She looked broken and devastated. Not a second later, Tobias came back into the barn and began performing CPR on Reid. Emily prayed it would work.
Seeing Reid revived, the team almost collectively breathed a sigh of relief as he was pulled back into and upright position on the chair. Emily noticed the time frame on the video and pointed it out to the team.
"Its only a seventeen minute difference from the time of the murder and the time he uploaded it. He's close to the crime scene." Emily stated. Their attention was drawn back to the computer screen as Raphael was back in control interrogating Reid. Emily glanced at Morgan in horror as he told Reid to chose one of the team members to die. Emily heard JJ gasp as he bent down and pointed the gun at Reid's head. Seeing him pull the trigger, Emily clasped her hands together and winced as it clicked. Again, and again, after three empty chambers, Emily let out a breath as Reid chose Hotch. She looked over to Hotch, shocked as Reid called him a classic narcissist who puts himself before the team. He even went so far as to quote Geniuses, 23:4. Hotch ran out of the room and Raphael fired the final shot at the wall, Emily followed the team after Hotch, feeling queasy that the bullet would have gone into Reid's head not a moment before.
"Hotch, he didn't mean it." Morgan started as they stood around him.
"I know, what are my worst qualities?" No one spoke up, unsure of what was going on. Emily could think of a few things, but she wasn't about to voice them.
"You're a bully." JJ said bravely. Emily almost smiled, feeling proud of her for going first.
"You can be a drill sergeant." Morgan admitted.
"You don't trust women as much as men." Emily added quickly.
"Those are all true, but I'm not a narcissist and I've never put myself above the team. It was a clue, he's trying to tell us something." Hotch began flipping through the Bible. "Its about cemeteries, not about character. Reid wouldn't make a mistake like that."
"Garcia, play what he said earlier, about poaching." Gideon told her. As they listened to Reid giving them clues Emily remembered something she read about Tobias in the journals.
"He said something about wanting to stay clean and stay out of Marshall." She said quickly. Garcia ran a search and found a cemetery at an old plantation on the map. Emily ran with the rest of the team as they donned their kevlar vests and drove as fast as they could to the site. Emily was seated in the back next to JJ. Not thinking about it, Emily reached over and took her hand in her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze. As she was about to pull her hand back, JJ gripped it tightly and Emily left it where it was for the duration of the drive.
The second they pulled the cars to a stop, Emily and the team jumped out, drew their guns and made their way inside the cabin. Finding only the camera, laptop and bindings, Emily wanted to kick something.
"They're on foot, spread out." Hotch ordered. Emily ran after Morgan determined to find Reid. Hearing a gunshot, Emily and Hotch ran forward at the sight of Reid and Tobias on the ground. Helping Hotch, Emily bent down to grab hold of one of Reid's sides, gently pulling him upwards. He turned and embraced Hotch, telling him that he knew he would understand his clues. Emily backed away slightly, giving JJ room to run over and hug Reid hard.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"It wasn't your fault JJ." Reid reassured her. Emily watched on as JJ exchanged a look with Morgan. She was glad that he seemed to have stopped blaming her. Emily followed Gideon and Hotch back to the cars as Reid asked for a minute alone. The ambulance was pulling up and Emily couldn't wait to get on the jet and home to her own bed. She climbed back into the car and rested her head against the window. A minute later she heard the door open. Looking up, she caught JJ's eye and returned the small smile the blonde gave her.
"He's okay." JJ said, breathing a sigh of relief. Emily could hear the smile in her voice. She turned her head over to JJ, still leaning back against the seat.
"Yes he is."
"A lot of that is thanks to you." JJ told her. Emily frowned, confused. Sure, she had worked hard, but Hotch had figured out the clues, she had just been doing her job. "You figured out the time frame, you made the connection to Marshall, and you're the only one who didn't blame me for us splitting up."
"JJ, it wasn't your fault."
"I know, but your the only one who thinks that. Your the only one who got me working, you didn't treat me like I was weak, or less of the team. I just wanted to thank you for that." JJ reached over and grabbed Emily's hand in a similar fashion as she had done earlier.
"Anytime JJ." Emily said with a tired smile. "Anytime."