Author's Note: Thanks to the reviewers of the last chapter: SignedSealedWritten; 1xadzy3dgftw1xLSNx3dg1xMGG; SparkleInTheSun; canny-bairn; and Love-B .xo. Reviews make my day, so I really do appreciate it.
Special thanks to littlegreenbottle and brynnifer! Shout-out to SignedSealedWritten who encouraged me to post a celebratory chapter since I finished finals. Woohoo!
Also, I'm debating giving up Criminal Minds Fanfic once I finish all the stories I have started. Let me know which fandom to switch to, or if y'all like reading JJ stories despite her departure from the show.
Striding quickly through the BAU bullpen, he didn't pause as he walked toward Emily's desk. "Prentiss. My office. Now."
Emily glanced toward Garcia's closed door, a feeling of dread settling over her. Whatever Hotch wanted to talk about, he was not happy. Following him quietly into his office, she hesitated at the doorway, hoping that he would quickly inform her of his primary concern.
"Sit down Prentiss." He commanded quietly, trying to keep a lid on his emotions that he knew wouldn't stay contained much longer.
For her part, Emily sat without a word, silenced from a sarcastic retort by the thick tension in the room.
"Derek was just in my office." Hotch explained as if that information alone would reveal the reason behind his absolutely livid fury. "He told me the two of you neglected to inform me about an incident regarding JJ and a gun." He paused, waiting for any attempt at denial that she might offer.
"Damn." Emily cursed. Realistically, she knew she shouldn't have expected Derek to stay quiet about that incident.
But that didn't mean she wasn't angry.
Derek Morgan would get more than an earful from her.
He'd be lucky to be alive when she was through with him.
"So it's true." Hotch said softly, shaking his head in utter betrayal and disbelief. "Emily, how could you?" He asked incredulously. "All this time, she should have been in a hospital!"
"She's getting better, isn't she?" Emily retorted incredulously.
"Is she?" Hotch bit back angrily.
Sighing as she fought to respond calmly, she added, "I did what I thought was best—"
"You shouldn't have made that decision yourself!" He exclaimed. "How many times have you had to step in before she hurt herself? Was that the only time?" He asked pointedly.
Emily cringed, desperately wishing she could honestly say it had never happened. While it might be easier to lie, at this point, it was more important to lay all of her cards on the table. "A few?"
Hotch's face dropped. If Emily thought before that he couldn't be angrier, she had been mistaken. She could see a vein on his forehead
A sudden ringing of his phone stopped his rant in its tracks. "Hotchner." He barked into the phone as a greeting, not taking his eye off the woman seated in front of him.
"This is Laurie Munroe. I'm sorry Agent Hotchner, but I was calling because I'm concerned about JJ." The social worker sounded completely determined.
"Hold on Ms. Munroe, let me put you on speaker phone." He ground out angrily. While he was livid with Emily, she needed to know what was going on almost more than he did.
"Agent Hotchner, I was just informed that Jennifer's last physical therapy appointment was cancelled. Her therapist informed me that Jennifer hasn't been seen in a week, Dr. Nielsen told me that at her last appointment Jennifer had lost three pounds." Laurie sounded completely resolute, "I just need to know what's going on, especially after what happened yesterday. JJ needs a stable environment."
Emily squirmed guiltily in her seat as Hotch's eyes blazed with anger.
"Oh, she'll have a stable environment, I assure you." Hotch promised, leveling a glare at Emily. "What should I do?"
"Dr. Mayfield is insistent that the best thing for JJ is a feeding tube so that she can get the nutrients she needs. Dr. Nielsen agrees. JJ needs this Agent Hotchner" Laurie informed him.
Emily cringed at the suggestion, but Hotch pursed his lips tightly. "How soon can they do it?"
"Dr. Nielsen would be available as soon as today." Laurie sighed gratefully. She was ready to fight a battle for her charge if that's what it called for, but she was glad that Agent Hotchner was going to listen to reason.
Hotch set his jaw in a tight line, "Could you let him know we'll meet him in thirty minutes?"
"Sure Agent Hotchner, I can do that." Laurie agreed quickly, "This is the best decision for JJ right now."
Hotch ended the call with the social worker and rose from his seat immediately. "Hotch—" Emily started, trying desperately to stop him, "You can't do this. She's not going to understand—"
"I don't care if she understands" Hotch ground out, whipping around to glare at Emily angrily with his hand on the doorknob. "I care that she gets better."
"No, Hotch, please. You can't do this to her." Emily pled, following her supervisor on his warpath.
Hotch banged rapidly on Rossi's office door, the door practically breaking under his furious fist. "Hotch?" Rossi asked questioningly as he opened the door, "What's—"
"Get the car. You're coming with me." Hotch informed the older man who looked at him questioningly before nodding slowly and slipping out of his office.
Turning back to Emily, Hotch let out a deep slow breath, his anger radiating off him like heat from the sun. "You have five minutes. She's leaving with me in five minutes."
Emily nodded, biting her lip as she felt tears burning at the back of her eyes.
"What should I tell her?" She asked meekly, her heart breaking as she thought of the betrayal JJ might feel with whatever Hotch was planning on doing.
"I don't care." Hotch said seriously, his voice deadly calm. "But you have five minutes."
Emily racked her mind with a way to describe what was happening to the blonde who she knew would be scared and upset with what was about to happen. Truthfully, she was a little worried that JJ might try to run away—especially if she felt trapped.
Part of her wanted to just let JJ to go with Hotch and make Hotch deal with the emotional fall-out.
But she couldn't do that to JJ.
Because JJ trusted her.
And she could only imagine how scared the blonde was going to be.
Groaning as she slowly opened the door to Garcia's office, she felt her heart break even more as JJ smiled with relief at her. "I got new songs on my ipod." She held up the small device, grinning excitedly.
Emily gulped, "That's great JJ," she smiled, trying to force the lump in her throat down while she dealt with the situation before her. "That's really great."
"And Penelope got me a bracelet." She displayed proudly, oblivious to Emily's attempt to control her emotions.
Emily could only nod as she felt a pang of despair overcome her. She knew that Hotch was furious with her, and she was sure that he probably wouldn't let JJ come back and stay at her condo.
So not only did she get to tell JJ they were about to forcefully drag her to the hospital, she also had to say goodbye.
To JJ.
Thankfully, Penelope picked up on Emily's unease, "Em? What's going on?"
Emily grimaced as she ran a hand through her dark hair, "JJ, Hotch is going to take you somewhere. I need you to go with him, okay?"
"Why?" JJ asked. "Can't you come?"
Emily bit her lip, and shook her head softly. "No, honey, I'm afraid I can't come. I might not see a lot of you in the next little while, but Hotch is going to take good care of you. Okay?"
JJ stepped back and shook her head, "I don't want to go." She whispered, shaking her head softly, "If you can't come, I don't want to go."
Emily rubbed her chin, trying to mask her emotions despite the fact she felt her own heart breaking. "I know you don't want to go, JJ. But you need to go, will you go with Hotch for me?"
JJ shook her head, fear in her eyes as she repeated quietly, "I don't want to go."
Emily looked at Garcia pleadingly, begging the tech for some kind of help. Penelope shrugged and held up her hands, "Don't ask me to help. If she doesn't want to go—"
Suddenly, Hotch appeared in Garcia's doorway. Casting a quick glance in Emily's direction, he informed the agent quietly, "Time's up."
Looking at JJ, he tried to smile kindly, but he was so consumed with anger and frustration that it came out as more of a grimace. "Come on JJ, we're going."
"I don't want to." JJ reiterated, surprising all of them with her insistent refusal.
Hotch turned at Emily and glared accusingly before turning back to JJ and speaking gently, "I know you don't want to go, but it won't be for very long. I need you to come with me." He instructed, handing JJ her full, thick winter coat.
Reluctantly, and looking toward Emily as if pleading her to rescue her from some unknown horror, JJ followed Hotch out the door.
Emily dropped her eyes to the ground, allowing the tears to fall. "I'm sorry." She whispered, knowing JJ couldn't hear her. "I'm so sorry."
"Can I go to the bathroom?" JJ asked, tugging on the corner of Hotch's suit coat as she looked down at the floor.
Hotch forced the guilty feeling away as he nodded. This was the point of no return. He had made this decision for JJ, and he couldn't turn back now. "Just hurry back, Dr. Nielsen's waiting for us at the hospital."
JJ stopped in her tracks. Hotch winced as he saw her look up at him with fear written clearly along her face. "Hospital?"
Somewhere in the back of his memory he remembered Emily talking about how much effort she generally had to expend in order to coax JJ to go to the hospital.
JJ hated hospitals.
But he didn't have time for this.
Hotch nodded, "Dr. Nielsen is waiting for us." He repeated, knowing at the very least JJ felt mildly comfortable with the seasoned surgeon.
JJ gulped quietly. "Okay." She agreed, backing slowly toward the bathroom, biting her lip nervously.
Hotch felt a pang of worry strike him as JJ disappeared behind the bathroom doors. Forcing his feet not to follow her, he reasoned that the best way to help JJ was to show that he trusted her and give her at least some façade of privacy.
Time passed, and his worry grew.
But JJ needed to know he trusted her.
Before he allowed surgeons to cut into her, forcing her body to receive the nutrients it desperately needed.
Hell, this entire situation was wrong on so many levels.
He should never be in this position.
JJ should never be in this position.
This entire situation was because they hadn't found her—and that was his fault.
Ten minutes later, he checked his watch just to be certain that he wasn't overreacting.
JJ was just slow.
It was fine.
There was no reason for concern.
How many times had JJ sat quietly for hours as if the rest of them didn't exist?
She was fine.
After what felt like an eternity later, the door to the bathroom still hadn't opened.
Seeing a female agent pass by Hotch quickly stopped her. "Can you check the bathroom for me? I'm waiting for Agen—" He stopped himself at the slip in referring to JJ's correct title, "I'm waiting for JJ and she's been in there a while, I just want to make sure she's okay."
The woman nodded softly. The entire bureau was aware of what happened to Agent Jareau and the struggle the former agent was having in returning to her previous life. "Absolutely."
The woman was gone for only a moment before returning with just an ipod in her hands. "Are you sure it was this bathroom? Sir, there's no one in there."
Hotch's face dropped. Not again!
Emily was back at her desk, frantically trying to keep her mind busy with thoughts of serial killers and rapists so she wouldn't dwell on the fact that JJ was likely driving in an SUV on the way to the hospital, terrified of what was going to happen to her.
She was so engrossed in the file in front of her and her own thoughts, that she didn't hear Hotch storm up behind her. "Where is she?" He barked.
"Where's who?" She asked, turning around. Noticing that JJ was conspicuously absent, her eyebrows shot up quickly. "Where's JJ?"
"I thought she was with you." Hotch accused, worry growing on realizing that Emily was telling the truth.
Derek and Spencer turned at the commotion. "You lost JJ?" Reid accused hotly.
"She asked to go to the bathroom." Hotch defended, "I told her to be quick because the doctor was waiting for us at the hospital."
All three profilers groaned simultaneously, "You told her that?" Derek winced.
Emily cringed, having first hand experience with JJ's terror of hospitals.
Usually she could calm her down.
But usually this was all a part of a schedule so JJ had time to prepare.
She could almost imagine how terrified JJ would have been from the sudden change of plans—particularly when they involved a hospital.
"You told her you were taking her to the hospital?" Reid rolled his eyes, annoyed that Hotch could have been so stupid. "Of course she ran away!"
"So what should I have done?" Hotch retorted quickly, forgetting for just a moment that Reid had far more experience with this sort of thing than he himself had.
"Pretty much anything else would have been better." Reid snapped uncharacteristically.
"We need to find her." Hotch grumbled, knowing full well that it was his own fault JJ ran away. "Can we set aside my blame for a minute while we find her?"
The others nodded imperceptibly.
"Reid, get Garcia to check security feeds." Hotch ordered quickly, emboldened by Reid's quick compliance with his suggestion, "Emily, can you think of where she'd go? Any place she'd feel safe?"
Emily shrugged, searching her mind for any place that might stick out. "My condo. That's the only place I can think of. Her chair in the corner, her bedroom, my bedroom—"
"Rossi's downstairs, I'll have him start searching the routes to Emily's condo." Morgan suggested.
Hotch nodded, "We have to find her."
Emily spoke up worriedly, "Not only that, but—" She paused gesturing out the large windows, "But it's starting to rain."
"So?" Derek asked obliviously while Hotch's eyes widened with understanding.
"It's supposed to be a thunderstorm." Hotch said softly, his stomach rolling at the thought of JJ outside in the rain, knowing full well how the storms scared her.
"We've got to find her." Emily reiterated, "And soon. Because if not..." She let the thought trail off as she bit her lip. Looking up, she saw the grim faces of the profilers that surrounded her.
"We've got her location!" Reid yelled as he burst out of Garcia's office.
"How?" Derek asked, jumping up from his chair as he and the others rushed toward the door.
"Garcia put trackers in her clothes." Reid sighed nervously as he rapidly pushed the button to summon the elevator. "Apparently she 'didn't want to lose her again'." He smiled gratefully. "All seven trackers put her at the park about half a mile from Emily's condo."
The elevator doors dinged and Reid and Morgan stepped into the elevator with Emily at their heels. Hotch however, stepped forward, his body alone preventing Emily from following.
"Hotch—" Derek spoke up, seeing the fury that still burned in Hotch's eyes. It was wrong to keep Emily away from JJ, especially now. "We might need her—"
"Stay here." Hotch commanded Emily in no uncertain terms. "That's an order." His jaw was pulled into a tight line as the doors closed, leaving Emily stranded in their wake.