A/N: Okay, this is a short little filler chapter, because I'm really into writing two other stories over in the Glee section, but I am committed to this story, so I promise that when I actually get to the next meaty part in the story, the chapters will be longer and more substantial. Please be patient, and continue to R&R.

I woke up the next morning earlier than I usually did, probably because I felt JJ trying to silently get out of bed.

"Where are you off to?" I asked. I tried to keep the slight tinge of fear out of my voice, but JJ caught it. She might as well have been a profiler.

"I have to get to work. I get there before the rest of you, remember?"

I relaxed. "Sorry, JJ."

"Don't be," she said. "You don't have any reason to trust me, Em." She got out of the bed, but I grabbed her wrist before she could walk away.

"You actually left him this time," I said. I pulled her down and kissed her cheek. "I just have to get used to you not leaving my bed for his."

She sighed. "I'm never going to do that to you again."

I started getting out of bed. "I guess I'll get up, too. You'll need a ride."

"Shit, I hadn't thought about that," she said. "I left my car at Will's. I just didn't think I'd be able to drive."

"Do you want me to drive you over so you can pick it up?" I asked.

"I left the keys, too. I don't think he'd be willing to let me in the house right now. He needs time to cool off."

"He doesn't need time, JJ. It's your car."

She looked at me. "He may have handled all of this really badly, but I'm the one that cheated and left him. No matter how unhappy I was with everything, he didn't deserve that. He deserves as much time as he needs to deal with this. I'll give him his space." I sighed. She was right. He may have been a bumbling idiot, but we were the ones in the wrong. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna jump in the shower."

"You know," I said, "I think we'd save a bunch of time if I took my shower with you."

She laughed. "If I know you at all, and I think I do, that'll take a lot longer than us taking separate showers. I'd like to be into work some time before noon."

"Come on, JJ. I can behave," I said, shooting her a smile.

"No, you actually can't, so I'll be taking that shower now. Alone." She went into the bathroom. I had half a mind to just go in there anyway, but I figured it was best if I didn't. This relationship was already as backwards as they got; we probably needed to take a few steps back before we could move forward. Besides, she was right. It would take a lot longer if I went in there with her.

It didn't take long for the two of us to be ready for work. We decided that going in together wouldn't be too suspicious; we were just going to tell everyone that JJ broke up with Will, and she needed a place to stay if they asked. We figured everyone besides the people who already knew the truth would buy it.

"You know, they're all going to figure it out eventually," I said to JJ on the car ride to the office. "How are we going to deal with that?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I figured we'd cross that bridge when we got to it." The car was silent for a moment before I spoke up again.

"What are we, JJ? I mean, I know you left Will, but-"

"Emily," she said, cutting me off. "I just left my long-term boyfriend after he proposed to me. I'm feeling sort of raw, so could this line of questioning maybe wait a little while? I need time to process everything."

I nodded, completely understanding. Sure, my life was changing, too, but JJ's changes were a lot more drastic than mine. The life that she thought she was building had just come crashing down. I figured I should leave her alone for awhile.

"I'm sorry, JJ," I said.

"Don't apologize, and don't start avoiding me or anything," she said. "I don't need space, I just need a little bit of time to think about where my life is going."

"Sure," I said as we pulled into the bureau. Before we got out of the car, I gave her a peck on the cheek, and she smiled.

"I think I could get used to that," she said.

I smiled. "Well, don't, because this is the last time I plan on being in the office this early."

"You know what I meant," she said, getting out of the car. My smile got even bigger.

It was weird being in the office this early without a case. I wasn't usually late or anything, but by the time I came in, the office was almost full with people. No one else was there, and the building was eerily quiet. I hadn't realized how comforting the sounds of everyone going about their business had been to me until it wasn't there. Hotch came in not too much later, though, and paused when he saw me at my desk.

"Is everything okay, Prentiss?" he asked.

"Yeah, JJ just needed a ride."

He looked in the direction of JJ's office. "Is everything okay with JJ?"

"I don't know if it's my place to tell you about Jennifer's personal life, sir."

His eyebrows raised slightly. "I understand," he said, walking away. I didn't understand why he was acting so weird. Then it occurred to me that I'd just called JJ by her first name, something that really no one did. I sighed. I needed to make sure that I wasn't so obvious in front of one of the best profilers in the FBI.

I worked on paperwork as the office started to fill up. Rossi just nodded at me as he walked in, and Reid waved with a smile on his face. Garcia walked in and went straight to JJ's office, probably to ask her what had happened the night before. They were best friends after all. Morgan came in soon after, and came straight to me.

"Okay, so what happened? I assume it went well since you didn't call me last night crying your eyes out."

"Hello to you, too, Derek," I said. "Hope your morning's going well."

"Come on," he said. "I've been worried all night. She left him, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, they're done. She just needs to get all of her stuff, but she's giving him some time to deal with everything."

"And you two are?"

I sighed. "I don't know yet. She needs time, too. I'm not going to push her for answers."

"But you want to," he said. I nodded, and he smiled at me. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure that when the dust has settled, she'll throw herself into your arms. There's just a lot to think about right now."

"I know," I said. "I just want to stop having to wonder if she's going to walk out on me. I've been on edge for so long."

"She'll make the right decision, Emily," he said. Before I could say anything back, Penelope came walking out of JJ's office, looking a little panicked.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Is everything okay?"

"JJ's on the phone with her parents," she said. "I guess Will called them this morning and told them everything. They're in the middle of telling her off for giving up such a strong, stable man." I shot her a look, and she threw her hands into the air. "Their words, not mine. She had them on speaker at first."

"Is she okay?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah, she seemed fine, just annoyed," she said, looking at me. "Are you okay? You're going through a lot right now, too."

"I'm fine," I said. "Should I go in there? Make sure she's okay?"

"No, I think she wants to be alone. She's sort of worked up right now," she said. "She said she'd talk to you after she was off the phone."

We all went back to doing our jobs, but I couldn't really concentrate. Two hours had gone by without JJ leaving her office. I'd contemplated going up and checking on JJ, but I knew that her parents (especially her mother) could really get under her skin, and that I'd probably just get chewed out if I interrupted their conversation. Another hour went by, and I knew that I wasn't going to get any work done. I couldn't focus on anything but JJ and what her parents could be saying to her. I really needed to get my emotions in check; I couldn't let this get in the way of my work. Lives were on the line.

Finally, JJ stepped out of her office, locked eyes with me, and motioned for me to come to her before disappearing inside again. I got up and walked into her office.

"What was that about?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

"That was my parents. Both of them."

"I know, Penelope told me." I paused. "You look upset."

"Am I ever happy after a call from my mother?" she asked.

"No, but you seem even more upset than usual."

I she took a deep breath. "My parents are coming into town. They want to try to talk me back into Will's arms." She looked like she had more to say.

"And?" I said, pushing her to finish.

"And...they want to meet the other man."