Author's Note: I miss writing Emily and JJ's characters. Thankfully, I will be bringing JJ back into the next chapter, and possibly Emily, too; though, I haven't quite decided on that yet. Please review! They make me happy. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the show, or the characters.

FAMILY

His anger completely dissipated as the door clicked behind him. It wasn't like he had planned on going in there yelling and screaming, demanding answers from the very incapable, and otherwise busy, brunette; but the frustration that was nagging at him before simply disappeared at the sight of Emily.

He didn't take a seat at her bedside; he didn't even approach said bed. Instead, he stood a couple of feet from the door, thus a couple of feet from her, and just watched her. In all honesty, he didn't know what to say to her; he just needed to see. He needed to see that she was breathing, that she was comfortable, that she wasn't in any pain.

Physically, she looked fine; a few scuffs, were all that was visible. Obviously, he knew that she had far more than a few scuffs to worry about, and the machines and tubes surrounding her reminded him of that, but he took a great deal of comfort from knowing that she wasn't in any pain now.

The sound of the door opening behind him didn't even register in his brain, and he only became aware of the other presence in the room when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"She's going to be okay, sweetie."

Whilst his anger towards Emily had ebbed, he couldn't say the same right now for Garcia, as was evidenced in the look that he shot her.

Garcia flinched at the look in his eye, before uttering a feeble. "I'm sorry."

He saw the genuine regret in her eyes and immediately felt guilty. It wasn't her fault; he knew that. He knew what Emily was like, and he also knew that Garcia wasn't one to break a promise, so he was aware of how difficult it must have been for her to take the information that she had to Hotch.

Lacing a comforting arm around her shoulder, he reminded her, just as she had moments before. "Emily is a fighter. She isn't going to let that crazy bitch win."

"But I should have told you guys sooner. I shouldn't have kept it to myself. I should have-"

"Baby girl.. You did nothing wrong. If you hadn't told Hotch when you did, Emily wouldn't even be alive to be in a coma right now. Stop being so hard on yourself." He pulled her close to him and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Garcia looked up at him through teary eyes. "Thank you." Before turning back to Emily and heading over to her bedside.

Perching herself on the edge of the bed and taking Emily's hand, she began. "You better wake the hell up, Wonder Woman. And when you do, we're going to have a little conversation." Rising to her feet to press a kiss to Emily's head, she continued. "You don't have to do everything alone, Emily. You have a family."

Exiting the room moments later, Morgan and Garcia were met by Rossi and Reid.

"I thought we were only allowed in one at a time?" Reid piped up.

Rossi smiled at his innocence, before nudging the young guy inside, nodding at the pair as he did.

"Hey, Em." Reid said, so incredibly child-like as Rossi rounded the bed and stood uncomfortably; he never did know what to do or say in these situations. "You're lucky. Statistics show that-"

"Hey, Boy Wonder, perhaps now isn't the time?" Rossi smiled.

Smiling sheepishly, Reid nodded, before whispering to Emily. "Father has spoken. We'll talk about this later."

It was true that he and Hotch were like a father to the team, and Rossi found himself smiling at the sentiment. Secretly, he loved their childish quarrels, and their banter, and having to remind them what not to do; he loved that they were a family. Emily was a part of that family, and it would hurt like losing a child if she didn't make it. But not one to show his emotions so freely, he gave Emily's hand one quick squeeze, kissed her head gently, and nodded toward Reid. "We should let her get some rest."

The young doctor smiled and followed Rossi out of the small room. Once outside they headed back to the rest of the team, who they assumed would still be in the waiting area, though they only found Hotch when they arrived.

"Hey, where is everyone?" Reid asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Looking up from the coffee in his hand, Hotch responded. "Morgan went to Emily's place to pick up a few things for her." Rising to his feet and throwing the half empty paper cup in the trash can, he continued. "JJ's awake. Garcia is in there with her now."

"Does she know about Emily?" Reid asked, concern lacing his words.

"I'm sure Garcia has filled her in by now. How is Emily doing?"

"Same." Rossi began. "Are you going to head down there?"

Hotch simply nodded his head, his mind clearly elsewhere, and with a quick pat of Rossi's shoulder, the stoic leader made his way to room 171.

He opened the door silently as if afraid to wake her and found himself slightly at a loss for words once on the other side. Making his way over to her bed, he searched his mind for the right thing to say, but came up with nothing.

"Where do I start?" He finally began, knowing the many questions that he had for Emily would have to wait. Who was Sarah? What did she want with her and JJ? Why was JJ even a part of it anyway? What was really going on between her and JJ?

He wasn't stupid; he'd picked up on something between the pair a long time ago. However, he needed confirmation in order to know what cards to play with Strauss; she wasn't going to be happy, but he also wasn't about to let her stand in the way of his "children's" happiness. He knew Emily and JJ well, and he knew that they could have both – their relationship and their job – without one getting in the way of the other. He just needed to figure out how to convince the dragon of that, and to do so, he needed answers.

Sighing, he gave a gentle squeeze to Emily's hand; a silent gesture, not only to show that he wished her well, but that he had her back, that he approved of her and JJ, and that it pained him to see her this way. "Get some rest, Prentiss."