A/N thanks for all the reviews, but one question which seemed to be quite predominant among them all is, why did JJ try to stop Will if she loves Emily? I had foreseen that some of you would pick up on that, and there are two answers to the question. The short (or lazy) answer is that it made for a better plotline than JJ just dumping him flat out, but I don't find that answer satisfying and I doubt you guys will either. The long answer is that, JJ's spent years with Will, he's been by her side for years of Christmases, anniversaries, and birthdays. He's been there for her after every tough case to comfort her. He was the one who gave her Henry and helped raise him. The way I see it, you don't just give that up all at once, they have so much of a history, they've been through so much, it's like giving up a piece of her past. And Emily, well she's hardly mentally stable right now, and she definitely isn't up for any type of a relationship, now or in the near future. So she's essentially a wild card for JJ, she's not sure how much of the real Emily will still be there after all this, or if the relationship sours if their friendship could remain, she's not even sure Emily knows what they're doing together. Emily's looking for stability and love, so she could throw herself into a relationship with JJ without really thinking it through. Basically JJ's a huge, trembling mass of doubt right now, and what she was doing with Will was her way of clinging to familiarity and comfort. And to quote a line by George O'Malley from Grey's Anatomy which popped in my head the moment I read the first question, "You don't have to love someone to want them." So, now that that's all finished (told you it would be a long answer) I'll get on with the story! And if any of that was unclear, just ask! The questions are another way of showing that you're in to the story!

-Nightshade

I don't own Criminal Minds or any of its characters, if I did, I'd be happier than a dog in a house made of bacon! (Though I guess it wouldn't be happy if it ate it all and ended up homeless or with indigestion from eating that much bacon… anyway!)

What a Difference a Day Makes

Chapter Twelve

The next day had come with an uneventful morning, Emily was making herself oddly scarce, and I'd received a call from an overjoyed three year-old telling me how his Aunt Penny had promised to take him to the zoo. Hotch had been by to drop off some files that my replacement was apparently "too inept" to sort through. After I had finished with the depressing task of reading through all the case files and sorting them by urgency, I hoped to clear my mind of serial killers and mangled victims by cleaning up the mess in Emily's office from last night. In the bright daylight it looked worse than it had the evening prior, as I struggled to figure out where to start. I decided that the safety hazard of the broken glass needed to be taken care of first, so I swept it all up into the dust pan, before moving on to the overturned furniture and broken picture frames. Each picture showed a smiling Emily, occasionally with a friend or two, in what looked like almost every major city in the world. She had such a past, there was so much about Emily Prentiss I didn't know, and I was dying to find out. Once I had finally finished cleaning, it was almost lunchtime, and I set about on a new task. Finding where Emily had disappeared to. A quick sweep of the house turned up empty, and I was seriously starting to worry now. She hadn't even been there when I was awake; I figured she just wanted some quiet, not to disappear! I could feel my heartbeat speeding up as I thought of all the worst case scenarios she could be in right now. Her apartment was completely empty, devoid of any sound or movement, let alone life. I sat down on the couch, urging myself to get my head together, if I freaked out, my chances of finding her were a long shot. Think. Logic. Reason. My list of things I should be doing was quickly becoming my list of things that are currently unattainable right now. You're a profiler, profile this! The place is clean, she didn't leave in a hurry, and nothing is missing, all her bags are accounted for. Her car keys in the bowl beside the door so if she left anywhere, she wasn't going too far. The door is closed, but not locked, which makes me think she wasn't in the clearest state of mind when she left. I sat down again, head in my hands, trying to push against the onslaught of new worry. Sergio jumped up on my lap, sitting there and staring at me expectantly with his bright yellow eyes. I wanted to get up and start looking for Emily, but suddenly he wouldn't budge, and I wasn't about to start fighting with Emily's cat.

"What is it kitty? Do you miss her too? You wouldn't happen to know where your Emily wandered off to do you?" I sighed, talking to fill the silent lull in the air. All I got in response was an indignant meow, as he snuggled deeper into my lap.

"Is that not good enough for you? c'mon, get off, I have to go start looking for her, I'll drive all around the city if I have to, but I need to find her and see that she's safe. I'm so scared right now, last time she was left alone she tore up her office as an attempt to feel less powerless, I can't bear to have her somewhere out there without me by her side. I love her." I murmured while scratching the elegant black feline behind his ears, not really caring that I was talking to a cat, I just needed someone to talk to. With that he got off obviously appeased by my admission, crouching beside me and nudging my thigh with his nose almost like he was telling me to go. I shook my head, telling myself that it was just the worry, but that cat is definitely smarter than he looks. I leapt into the car, throwing it into drive while dialling Penelope's number, hoping that the "All-Seeing Oracle of Quantico" would be able to assist.

"Office of Unfettered Omniscience, what answers do you desire my little ray of sunshine?" Garcia answered he phone in her usual fashion, but with all the panic beginning to recollect in my mind, I didn't have the ability to enjoy it.

"Garcia, I need you to give me the approximate location of a cell phone." Hopefully Emily had her phone on her, without it I was almost utterly hopeless.

"The rest of our crime-fighting compatriots are here in the office, have you gone rogue?" she asked mischievously, and I could almost picture the glint in her eye.

"Garcia! Focus, I need you to give me an approximate location on Emily's cell phone!" I snapped, hoping she would take me seriously. There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and when she spoke again her voice was nervous and tentative, as if voicing her thoughts would make everything worse.

"Please tell me she just misplaced her phone. That she's feeling better and you two went out somewhere and by the time she got home she realized it was gone. She can't be, she isn't-"

"Penelope, she's disappeared." I stated, unable to say any more as the impending tears blurred my view of the street in front of me. I heard the maniacal tapping of her fingers against the keyboard, like the sound of a distant stampede.

"She's at Carrol Street and 2nd Avenue, at Woodthrush Park. Go bring her home JJ!" she signed off. The intersection was less than five minutes away, and as soon as I pulled into the parking lot I saw her, sitting on a bench at the far side of the park. I jumped out of the car and sprinted to where she sat.

"Emily!" I called, but her eyes were glazed over. She seemed so pale and lifeless, like a ghost. She didn't move or blink when I touched her shoulder, so I guided her limp form back to the car. She didn't make any attempts to talk until we were inside, when tears began welling in her eyes.

"What's wrong Em? Please tell me, don't shut me out." I had thought my plea had fallen on deaf ears, when she spoke up, in a detached robotic voice that matched her lifeless demeanour.

"I heard you, last night I heard you crying." She admitted, and I froze, almost ashamed to be called out on my moment of weakness. Guilt welled up in my soul, and I knew she must have been feeling the same.

"So you ran off?" I asked calmly, dealing with her withdrawn personality as patiently as possible. I had been doing some reading on posttraumatic stress and I was certain that getting overly emotional, whether it was anger or disappointment, would back her into a corner and make her regress even more.

"I didn't want to be a burden to you; I just wanted to disappear for a bit." She finally looked up, before reaching over and touching my cheek. "See, I'm around you for less than a minute and you're already crying." I raised my hand to my cheek; I hadn't even felt the tears fall. I guess anything seemed insignificant compared to last night's meltdown.

"I'm not sad Em, I'm relieved. You had me so worried." I sighed, trying to express my relief.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, and I wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to. We pulled into her parking lot, and were back in her apartment in no time. I sat her down on the couch, knowing that we needed to talk. Sergio padded over, acting as a moderator, or just making sure I didn't hurt his mommy.

"Why are you sorry Em?" I gently angled her face towards mine, forcing her to look me in the eyes, instead of at the floor like an ashamed schoolgirl.

"Because I made you worry, because I ruined your life. You were happy with Will and Henry before this." She sniffled. She really did not know how far from the truth she was.

"Emily Elizabeth Prentiss! You have not ruined my life!" I exclaimed in shock, and I could tell by the remorseful look on her face that she didn't believe it. She had to know, everything I never told her in the months before now, she needs to know. "You gave me a new life! I wasn't happy with Will! Ever since he quit his job in New Orleans, and couldn't get re-hired here, he's been drinking, a lot. If he could drain our bank account the way he does a bottle of bourbon then I'd be living on the streets! Then he screams and yells and basically treats me like crap, until he sobers up the next afternoon, which is when he starts drinking again. Me cleaning up after him, and then him cursing at me for cleaning up has been the full extent of our relationship for months. And Henry? I should have taken him out of that poisonous household as soon as the drinking started, but I didn't because the thought of leaving Will made me feel all pathetic and lonely and scared! And I don't want to be pathetic and lonely and scared! But you, you have nothing to do with my life being ruined. And because of what happened to you, I can't even admit to my problems because it makes me feel weak, because you survived a frickin' bombing!" I ranted, tears and words spilling out in an incomprehensible waterfall of emotions. I immediately felt guilty, Emily has worse problems to deal about than whatever I'm going through, and it's unfair to unload on her like this. I was about to apologize when strong arms wrapped me in a vise-grip hug. This only made me feel worse; I was supposed to be the one comforting her, not the other way around. I twisted in her grip, feeling sorrier, if that was even possible considering how low I felt, as soon as the comforting embrace disappeared.

"What was that for Jennifer?" Emily asked, obviously hurt. I couldn't get my brain to form coherent sentences, as it simply became overloaded by all the emotions running rampant in my head. She got up to walk away, and I grabbed desperately for her hand, I couldn't have her leave me. She whirled around, confusion and hurt in her chocolate eyes. "I know I suffered, everyone knows that, but that's no excuse for you to hide away and try to protect me from everything. If we really are in a relationship, I'm here for you as well, so just let me be here for you." her words were like a punch to the gut, and I could barely breathe now. I could tell she was torn between storming away and staying.

"I'm sorry Em." I gasped out between breaths, and to my immense relief she walked back towards me. She hugged me again, and this time I snuggled deeper into her embrace, my ragged breaths muffled by the elegant curve of her neck, and my tears became drops of diamond that twinkled from her ebony hair. I leaned back slowly, sniffling away the tears and forcing them away. Emily had on her compartmentalization face, and I could tell she was trying her hardest to be strong for me. She was trying her very best not to fall victim to her own trauma. I took her hand softly, an unspoken gesture of "it's alright." None of us should have to do this, but life isn't fair.

A/N Okie-Dokie! Just a quick note before I hit the sack (it's 1:30 AM here and I'm pretty tired) the address I mentioned is a real place, though it's nowhere near Quantico Virginia. It's an intersection in a town called Nut Mountain in Saskatchewan, Canada. It has no relevance to the story and I don't live there, I just found the name of the city kinda unusual (no offense to the residents of Nut Mountain) the park however, exists only in my imagination. I'm kinda disappointed with the fact that I haven't been able to play up Emily's condition the way I'd like to, I was hoping to fit in a little depression (I have a thing for angst), but eh, Rome wasn't built in a day, neither is this story. Another side note, I gave Emily her mom's name as a middle name, because the character apparently doesn't have a middle name, none of the CM characters do! Goodnight and happy reading!

-Nightshade