Author's Note: I think this may be by far the longest chapter I've written for this story.. And it took me forever! But hopefully I got it right. Let me know! :)
Chapter Thirteen; Strength
Emily squinted into the harsh sun light filtering into her bedroom, confusion setting in as she tried to piece memories from the day before with the fact that she was now alone in her bed. Had she imagined JJ's return? Their love-making? Was it all just another cruel dream?
Reaching to the bedside table for her phone, Emily checked the time and reluctantly pulled herself out of bed, her mind no more settled on a conclusion as she walked sleepily down the stairs. But as the woman in her kitchen came into view, all the pieces of the puzzle swooped together – though, there were some that didn't fit. JJ was like a whole other person, even from the back, and as the younger woman turned fully to face her with a genuine smile, Emily realised just how true that was.
There was colour back in cheeks that seemed lifeless yesterday; faded blue eyes were now bright and vibrant; brunette hair hung in silky waves around slim yet strong shoulders, cascading over a sheer ivory shirt that fitted loosely around JJ's small frame; a black pencil skirt clung to a moderately curved arse and stiletto heels clicked against the tiles of the kitchen floor as the younger woman strode confidently towards her.
"Good morning, you."
"Uh.. good morning.." Emily spoke, incredulous. Was this really the same woman? "How long have you been awake?"
"An hour or so." JJ took a sip of her coffee and leant against the kitchen island. "I figured that I don't have any of my own clothes here so I needed time to find something of yours that didn't make me look like an Emily clone. Ya know, since I stole your hair colour." JJ spoke with a wink.
Emily swallowed hard, totally missing the joke in JJ's words; her mind too focussed on the hot determination radiating from the younger agent and the incredibly appealing strength etched into every inch of her demeanour.
"Prentiss." JJ waved a hand in front of Emily's face. "Stop being a perv and go shower. We have to leave in thirty minutes."
The older woman raised her eyebrows a little, still at a loss for anything that resembled a coherent sentence. "Yes ma'am."
CM-CM-CM
Emily was still somewhat baffled fifty minutes later, as she pulled her car into the allotted BAU parking lot and strode with JJ towards the elevator. A part of her was concerned; concerned that JJ had finally broke under the pressure. But a look in the smaller woman's eyes told her that she was wrong – that it was the complete opposite. She wasn't certain how or where, but JJ had found her strength. She was almost completely back to her old self, except with more determination in her eyes than she had ever seen there. JJ was nothing if not determined, but this confidence in her step, the fearlessness in her posture, the power burning from her eyes, was something else entirely.
"How's my son doing?" JJ spoke, strangely authoritatively as she walked into the bullpen and saw Garcia.
The redhead was a little taken aback by JJ's demeanour, and she received a confused shrug from Emily as she looked beyond the smaller woman to the dark haired agent. "Uh, he's great, gumdrop. He's with Strauss."
"I'd worry more about her than him." Morgan laughed as he joined the three women in the bullpen and pressed an affectionate kiss to JJ's cheek. "You look amazing, Jayje. They'll never be able to shoot you down."
"And that is how you're supposed to respond to a hot woman in your kitchen, Emily." JJ laughed, gesturing towards Morgan with her hand as she turned her head to the older woman.
"I don't get it.." Garcia whispered as Emily walked slowly over to her and left JJ chatting with Morgan.
In all honesty, Emily didn't get it either. She had no idea what had caused JJ's sudden confidence, but it was most definitely welcome. "I don't know, Garcia. But it's really good to have her back."
"Morgan." Hotch called from his office. "You're up first. Agent Blakely wants to see you in the conference room."
"It'll be fine, Jayje." Morgan reassured as he saw a sudden but well-hidden hint of nerves flicker across JJ's features, before turning for his destination. He didn't know that it was going to be okay in all honesty, but the strength that he had seen in JJ this morning had given him is own new hope.
CM-CM-CM
Strauss adjusted the stapler on her desk for the fifth time in ten minutes; a nanosecond of a distraction that allowed her to forget just how uncomfortable she felt as big blue eyes stared expectantly at her from across the table. He had been sat like that since Garcia had dropped him off, his legs crossed and a curious look on his face that made her strangely nervous.
Clearing her throat a little, she decided to adjust the papers on her desk instead. This was ridiculous; she was a Section Chief for the FBI, but in the presence of the small boy she somehow felt inferior to a rat. "So-"
"Why don't you ever smile?" Henry cut her off, a simplicity to his anything but simple question.
Strauss opened her mouth to speak, closing it again instantly when she realised that she wasn't certain of an answer. Aside from that, how could he even know that? He'd met her probably twice, and that was many years ago when he was still a baby. Opting for a different approach, the Section Chief finally spoke. "Well Henry, do you smile all the time?"
"I do when I'm wif the people I like." His little brow furrowing at a sudden notion, Henry spoke again. "Does that mean you don't like me?"
"Uh-well-"
"Do you know my mommy?" Henry cut her off again, folding his arms in his lap as he waited impatiently for an answer.
Pursing her lips a little, Strauss contemplated how she was supposed to answer that question. How the hell was she supposed to answer that question considering the path that it would likely lead down? She decided to go for a simple response, hoping that the topic would change as easily as it had ten seconds ago. "I do."
"Aunt Emmy says she's gone away for a little while. Did you make her go away?"
"No, Henry." Her response was instant that time, though when she realised that she had nothing suitable to follow it up with, she wished that she had considered her words a little more carefully.
"Do you smile when you're with my mommy? Everyone else does. Especially Aunt Emmy. I think it's cos she's really pretty. Do you think she's pretty?"
This is going to be a long morning.
CM-CM-CM
"So what you're saying, Agent Morgan, is that Miss Jareau purposely climbed into the car with the victim, alone and left without waiting for assistance?"
"Well, yes, but-" Morgan began, growing increasingly frustrated with the guy in his presence.
"I think we have all we need from you for now. You may leave. Please send in.." Agent Blakely looked down at the papers in front of him. "Agent David Rossi."
Shaking his head as an incredulous laugh left his lips; Morgan rose from his seat and left the room. Who the hell does that guy think he is?
"Rossi, you're up." The dark agent yelled to his teammate that was perched on one of the desks in the bull pen. "That guy is a piece of work."
"And I'm David Rossi." Rossi spoke with a wink as he passed Morgan on his way to the conference room.
"Was it that bad?" JJ asked, her strength faltering somewhat as she witnessed the frustration evident on her friend's face.
Morgan opened his mouth to speak, but when he noticed the fear etched into JJ's features, he simply shook his head. "No baby girl, it's gona be fine."
She didn't buy it, not for one second, but the gentle hand that ghosted down her arm and entwined with her own hand replaced some of her broken hope.
CM-CM-CM
"Are you hungry?" Strauss questioned hopefully, desperate to find reason for them to be anywhere other than this increasingly tiny office.
"Nope. Aunt Penny let me have two bowls of shmellow cereal." Henry shifted in his chair a little, adjusting his legs so that his knees were up and his feet were planted against the seat. "Do you know Aunt Penny?"
"I do." That was an easy question and she found herself grateful for it. Damn, this simple babysitting job was turning into an interrogation and she wasn't even certain what she'd done wrong.
"Do you like her? I do. She makes me laugh. Uncle Derek and Uncle Aaron make me laugh too. And Uncle Reid knows these really cool magic tricks. Do you know Uncle Reid?" Henry spoke animatedly.
Uncle Reid.. Spencer Reid? "Uh.. I do."
"Has he ever shown you his magic tricks? I bet they would make you smile."
A small smile finally pulled at Strauss' lips and easily turned into a gentle laugh. "You have a lot of questions don't you?"
"Uncle David says that it's good to have questions cos I have lots that I gotta learn."
"Uncle David sounds like a very clever man." Strauss nodded.
"Do you like Transformers?" Henry pushed himself up on his chair and returned his legs to their original position. "I do. They're really cool. Do you know what else I like?"
Strauss shook her head slowly, uncertain if she was even a part of this conversation anymore. "Why don't you tell me?"
"Aunt Emmy. She takes care of me cos my mommy went away. We play planes and painting and she reads stories to me before I go sleepin'."
She couldn't be sure, but she was certain that she saw a faint hint of sadness mar Henry's young features as he rambled his last sentence. Resting her arms against her desk and leaning forward, Strauss fired her own question. "Do you like living with Aunt.. Emmy?"
A huge grin beamed at Henry's small face and his eyes lit up the whole room as he nodded. "I love Aunt Emmy. My mommy loves Aunt Emmy too." His little face contorted into confusion as he spoke his next sentence. "I'm not sure Aunt Emmy loves my mommy though because she gets sad when I talk about her. She thinks I don't see it but I do."
Strauss was at a loss for words. For a four year old, this child was leaps and bounds ahead of where he should be mentally, and he clearly already had the profiler genes in him. Having said that, this topic of conversation needed changing. "Would you like to go exploring, Henry?"
CM-CM-CM
"Did Miss Jareau contact any of you while she was in the vehicle with Mr Watson? I mean, she had her phone with her didn't she? So why didn't she call you to give you her location once she had found that her son wasn't on the premises?"
"Isn't that two questions?" Rossi raised an eyebrow, determined not to be outsmarted by someone half his age.
"That's funny, Agent Rossi. Will it still be funny when you have to tell your friend that she's going to jail?"
A smug smirk remained at Rossi's lips as he rose from his seat, leant himself against his hands on the table in front of Agent Blakely. "That day is never going to come. You seem to have all the answers already, but I promise you, we are going to fight you on this and trust me, we are going to win. Put that in your little notebook." And without another glance, he left the room.
Five sets of eyes shot up at him expectantly as he wondered back into the bull pen and he stopped mid-stride at the sudden attention. He opened his mouth to ramble off some criticism about the guy in the room that he'd just left, but the hope in JJ's eyes stopped him. "It went well, JJ.
"Who's next?" She vaguely heard someone question, but the sound was drowned out easily by the noise in her own mind. It was sweet of Rossi to lie for her benefit, but she knew that it was just that – a lie. It hadn't gone well, this wasn't okay, this wasn't going to be okay.
"Hey.." A voice came gently from beside her, and when JJ looked up, she was grateful for the soulful brown eyes staring back at her.
"Hey, you." She responded, a fake and almost defeated smile tugging briefly at her lips.
"Garcia is in there now. She said something about ripping him a new one, whatever that means."
A small laugh fell from JJ's lips as she focussed on something on the ground. "I almost feel bad for the guy."
"Oh, you should." Emily nodded. "I thought she looked angry when I used one of her fluffy pens and never returned it, so I dread to think how she's going to treat the guy that's messing with her girl."
"I'm your girl." JJ's eyes met Emily once again and her buzzing mind eased at the sight of the full, genuine smile pulling at the brunette's lips and the fingers that laced with her once more.
She could do this. As long as she had her, she could do this.
CM-CM-CM
As they left the confines of her office, Strauss was a little taken aback by the small hand that linked itself with hers, but she had no more than a second to recognise her surprise before Henry's questions fired up again.
"Can we ride the elevator? My mommy lets me ride the elevator when we're at the mall if I'm good, and sometimes, when I've been a good boy at school, Aunt Emmy lets me ride all the way to the top floor at her house and she doesn't even live on the top floor."
A small foreign chuckle escaped thin lips once again; it surprised her how much she was beginning to enjoy the small boy's company. Her own children had long grown up and left home, and she had long forgotten what it felt like to be in the presence of such innocence – when nothing is tainted by fear, and all that exists is an intense curiousity about everything and a happiness that holds no reasoning. Four weeks ago, this child came very close to being killed, four weeks ago, everything that he knew was ripped from him, and yet here he was, with a huge grin on his face at the prospect of doing something that she did day in and day out on her way to her office.
"Well.." Strauss knelt down to Henry's level. "I bet you didn't know that the elevator here is magic."
Blue eyes widened excitedly as Henry shook his head.
"It is." Strauss nodded seriously. "But it's a secret, so you have to promise not to tell anyone."
"I promise." Henry held out his little finger for a pinky promise.
Her brow furrowed a little in confusion as she simply mimicked the young boy, holding out her pinky, and she smiled again when Henry entwined their little fingers and shook once. "Mmm.. I don't know. I'm not sure you're ready to ride the magic elevator."
"I am, I am." Henry jumped up and down, his little eyes widening further as he struggled to contain his excitement. "Why is it magic? Tell me, tell me!" He grinned before his mouth opened as far as it would go and his eyes widened further. "Is it made of ice-cream?"
A laugh fell from Strauss' lips once again, the third in thirty minutes, and probably the third in the past year of her existence. "It isn't. But it is the rule that you can't board this elevator unless you have ice-cream with you so I think we'd better take a trip to the cafeteria."
"Good thinking." Henry nodded. "One time there was a mister at the store and he got told to go home 'cos he didn't have a shirt on. Is it like that? I don't wana get sent home. I wana ride the magic elevator."
"Uh.. No.. Not really like that." Strauss smiled. "But we'll get some ice-cream just in case."
"Yes!" Henry jumped up excited once again, having seemingly long forgotten that the elevator was supposedly magic and was now more enticed by the prospect of having ice-cream in the morning.
CM-CM-CM
Garcia was beginning to get flustered. She had issues with authority, she always had, but she knew when she was right, and she was right right now. "You just-"
"Is it true that Agent Hotchner allowed Agent Jareau to visit Mr Watson at the prison, whilst knowing just how close she was to the case?"
Sudden confusion was evident on the redhead's face. Wasn't this supposed to be about JJ? "Wait, I thought-"
"Answer the question, Miss Garcia."
"No. No he did not let her." She realised her mistake as soon as the words her mouth, even before the agent in her presence confirmed it.
"So, Agent Jareau went off the rails, so to speak? She ignored her boss' orders and went along anyway without a care for the danger that she was putting herself and everyone else in?"
"It wasn't that simple, Sir." Garcia shook her head slowly, with no clue as to how to back-pedal out of the trap that she had just been lured into. She wasn't certain that there was a way – this guy seemed to be determined to only find evidence for a conclusion that he'd already drawn, rather than finding the truth of the situation.
"Well, yes, it is. Agent Hotchner didn't send her to the prison to speak with Mr Watson, so she recklessly did it off her own back. Does Miss Jareau often go against orders?"
"No." Her answer was instant.
"I don't think you're being completely honest with me, Miss Garcia." Agent Blakely rested his hands on the table in front of him. "But that is all for now. Could you send in Dr Spencer Reid, please."
"But you haven't allowed me to answer any questions." Garcia's eyes were wide.
"You've had your allotted time. Now please send in the next one."
The next one? We're not cattle, you dumbass. "With all due respect, and I'm not sure much is due, you are making a mistake. You are lucky to have JJ working for you and now you're going to kick her to the curb because she shot the man who raped her."
Cocking his head to the side, Agent Blakely spoke again. "There's nothing in the autopsy report of Mr Watson having had sexual intercourse before being killed."
"Wh.." Garcia began, but stopped suddenly; her mind filling with the same guilt Emily's had as she entertained the possibility for just one second that JJ had killed Percy for revenge. But it took no more than that second for something to pierce through her guilt. "I have worked with JJ for seven years. I've seen the pain in her eyes when we've helped a victim, because she knows better than any of us that we may have helped them, but there are thousands more just like them. She knows that, because they're sat on her desk waiting for her. It's the first thing that she sees in the morning, and the last thing that she sees at night, and yet she still comes to work with a smile on her face. JJ wouldn't hurt anyone unless they deserved it, and without her, this team is nothing. She is our back bone, she is the glue that holds us all together." Rising from her seat, Garcia shot one last look to the agent. "Rape isn't always penetration, Agent Blakely. You'd do well to remember that."
CM-CM-CM
Strauss' heart warmed in a way that she hadn't felt in years as she watched the small boy in her presence devour his ice cream, and even more so as he beamed up at her with a chocolate covered mouth once the elevator came to a stop and indicated their arrival on the top floor. "Ready?"
A small brow furrowed in confusion as he remembered what Strauss had said back at her office. "But I thought you said the elevator was magic."
"Oh it is, Henry." Stepping beyond the elevator doors, Strauss felt the small boys ice cream covered hand clasp with hers as she led them towards a door at the end of a short corridor. As they reached the door, she pushed it open a little and spoke again. "Are you sure you're ready?"
"I'm ready, I'm ready." Henry jumped up and down excitedly once again, his mouth dropping as the door in front of him opened and daylight filtered in. "We're outside!"
"We are." Strauss spoke softly as they walked out onto the roof and towards the small wall trimming the edge, her face lighting up in a surprised mock gesture for the boy's benefit. "But Henry! Wait! What happened?"
His brow wrinkling, Henry looked down at himself. Aside from a little chocolate that had wound up on his shirt, he didn't quite understand what the old lady was looking at.
"You're a giant, Henry."
His eyebrows scrunched up further as he looked down at himself again. "Am not."
"You are! Look, look." Strauss gestured towards the small wall beside them, instinctively placing one arm across the wall in front of Henry as he leant against it, the other at his back to enable her quick reflex time should something go wrong.
Wide eyes beamed down from the top of the building, his innocent mind unable to comprehend how everything got so tiny. "I'm a giant!"
CM-CM-CM
"How long have you known Jennifer Jareau, Dr Reid?"
"About eight years." Spencer spoke quietly with a small nod.
"And how many times in those eight years have you questioned your colleagues judgement?"
Shaking his head slowly, his brow a little scrunched and his bottom lip pushing upwards as he contemplated his answer. "Never."
"Not even when her son was in danger, Dr Reid?"
"Well-"
"Would you say that Agent Jareau's frame of mind was unstable on the date of Percy Watson's murder and the days leading up to that?"
"Well, technically, the days leading up to that could encompass every day that JJ has been alive."
"Don't try to be clever, Dr Reid."
His brow wrinkled again. "I'm.. not." And he genuinely wasn't.
"Let me rephrase the question. Once Henry LaMontagne was taken, did JJ's frame of mind change?"
"Well of course it did. She'd lost her child. Studies show that-"
"So she wasn't of sound mind to be working, and yet Agent Hotchner still allowed her to work the case?"
"No." Spencer spoke simply. "She remained with us for her own safety, and also because she knew the case better than anyone, because she had lived it before. She only went to the prison when we ran out of any other options."
"That'll be all, Dr Reid."
"But I-"
"I said that'll be all."
"Ya know, I don't understand you guys." Reid began as he stood to his feet. "You claim that your job is to protect and serve, and yet it's you guys that she needs protecting from. Henry is back home safe, so is JJ, and I can honestly say that the world is a much better place without Percy Watson living in it."
"But that's not for you, or Miss Jareau, to decide though, is it?"
"Why not? It's for you to decide whether one of the most incredible people I have ever met should go to jail for doing her job and for protecting herself and her son. So why is it not for me to decide the fate of one of the worst child rapist's in history?"
"She wasn't doing her job, was she? She was acting unprofessionally and recklessly and because of that, a man is dead. Now, please leave and pass the message on to your boss that I wish to see him."
CM-CM-CM
"This is so cool!" Henry beamed as he peered over the roof of the FBI building. "But wait.. What happens when my mommy comes home? I won't be able to see her because I will be a giant and she will be tiny like a ant."
Her smile turning to a small frown, Strauss' heart sank a little. Strangely, it hurt her to know that his mom was actually in this very building, currently being judged on doing something that any human-being would have done. And little did Henry know, that after today, his mom may not actually be coming home. She finally broached the topic that she had been purposely diverting the small boy from all morning. "Do you miss your mommy, Henry?"
The little boy's smile faded and his shoulders scrunched into a small shrug.
"It's okay Henry, you are allowed to miss her."
"That's what Aunt Emmy says, but I don't want to miss her because she doesn't miss me."
Strauss' heart broke in two instantly at the small boy's words, and it took all her strength not to wrap her arms around him. "That isn't true, darling."
Turning a little, Henry's face turned more serious as he proposed his next question. "Then why hasn't she come home?"
"Because sometimes, Henry.. grownups can't always do what they want to do."
"Like eat candy before bed. I'm not posta do that."
"Yes Henry, just like that. Your mommy really, really wants to see you but she just isn't allowed to right now."
A big sigh falling from his small lungs, Henry contemplated Strauss' words carefully before he spoke, trying to place some kind of logic into them that his little mind would understand. "When I'm not posta have candy, it is because my mommy or Aunt Emmy says that I can't. So who is telling my mommy that she can't see me?"
That was a very good question. Who, realistically, had the right to do that? Something in Henry's logic pushed Strauss to make a sudden decision. "I just have to make a quick phone call Henry. Why don't you come sit over here and finish your ice-cream?" The last thing she wanted was to leave him and have something tragic happen; not after everything tragic that had already happened.
CM-CM-CM
"Aaron." Agent Blakely grinned and reached out a hand that wasn't taken by the very stoic faced Aaron Hotchner.
"I'm not here for pleasantries. And I'm also not going to answer your questions, because we both know that you've already settled upon a conclusion."
Sitting back against his chair, Agent Blakely shrugged, only a hint of regret in his eyes. "It's protocol, Aaron. We need to make this disappear because it doesn't look good that one of our own went rogue and killed someone. It isn't the first time it's happened under your watch, either."
That was a low blow, but as he leant forward in his chair, he took his anger and placed it into something more productive. "Do you know why I gave Agent Jareau this job?"
"Why don't you enlighten me?" Agent Blakely spoke, curious as to where Aaron was going.
"Because she turned up seventeen hours late to her interview."
"Huh.." Agent Blakely smirked. "You are really not helping her cause."
"She turned up late, because there had been a car accident. A mother and son collided with a truck who's driver was too drunk to see that the light's had changed. The boy came out physically unharmed, but his mother did not. The paramedics wanted to call social services since the child had no family in the immediate area, so JJ stayed with him until his uncle arrived. She stayed with him to protect him from having anything more ripped away from him than already had been, and she did so despite knowing how difficult it is to get into this quite frankly bureaucratic system. So I don't need you to tell me that she doesn't always play by the rules, but if playing by the rules means that she winds up like you, then I'm glad that she doesn't. Because there is no one on this team with a bigger heart than her, and heart is what this whole pretentious establishment is lacking. We're meant to protect people, not penalise them for doing their job. So you can fire her, send her to jail even, but you can take my badge with you because I don't want any part in this anymore."
"Aaron-"
"What happened to you?" And that was the last thing to leave Agent Hotchner's lips as he left the room.
CM-CM-CM
"Hey, Aaron. How are things going down there?" Strauss spoke quietly into the phone, her eyes fixed firmly on the small boy currently devouring the remainder of his ice cream.
"Did you know that they had already decided JJ's fate?" Hotch spoke, unconcerned for just how angry he seemed.
"No, Aaron. It wasn't like that. I was told that they'd give JJ a fair chance to prove herself." Strauss pressed her fingers to her forehead, a part of her feeling somewhat dumb for thinking that the guys up top would keep good on any word they spoke.
"I don't believe that for a second."
"Has JJ been interviewed yet?" Strauss purposely ignored the implied accusation in her colleague's words.
With a sigh, Hotch spoke again. "Not yet. Emily is speaking with them now and then JJ."
"Okay. Hold them off for me."
"What?"
"Just do it, Aaron." Strauss ended the call instantly, before she turned her attention to Henry. "Henry, sweetie. It's time to head back now."
CM-CM-CM
"What is your relationship to Miss Jareau, Agent Prentiss?" Agent Blakely questioned as he adjusted his glasses.
There's nothing like jumping in at the deep end, Emily thought as she leant forward in her chair, her entwined hands resting against the table. "She's my friend and colleague."
"Friend, Agent Prentiss?" The other agent raised his eyebrows as he jotted something to the notepad in front of him. "Isn't it true that Miss Jareau's son has been staying with you since she disappeared?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Why is that? He has a father doesn't he? So why has he been staying with you?"
"As far as I'm aware, William LaMontagne is currently in England." Emily spoke calmly, though she was certain that if JJ had had any hope in this, she had just crushed it.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Yes, it does." Emily spoke, a sudden anger in her words that she herself hadn't expected. "Henry's father disappeared before he was even born, there is absolutely no reason that he would care now. I made a promise to Jennifer that Henry would be taken care of by the people who love him, and I kept that promise. I will always keep that promise."
"You made a promise to Jennifer? Why would she make that request?"
Oh fuck. No, that statement was the one that was going to crush any remnants of chance for JJ. For all intents and purposes, she knew that she had just given Agent Blakely reason to believe that JJ's actions really were premeditated and there was no way of backing out of that now. Opting to remain oblivious, Emily answered the question. "Because it's a part of this job. No one knows what tomorrow will bring, and she simply wanted to know that Henry would be well taken care of should the worst happen."
"Yes." The middle aged man began. "But that isn't what you meant, is it, Agent?"
Emily opened her mouth to speak but was cut off instantly; though, she found herself suddenly grateful for the interruption when the conversation took a different route.
"Do you believe that Agent Jareau killed Percy Watson in cold blood?"
"No." The answer was instant. "No, I don't."
"Even after he was the reason for her son's kidnapping? And despite the fact that he kidnapped her herself as a child? Don't you think she'd want revenge?"
"Wouldn't you?" Emily leant back, rested her elbows on the arm rests and clasped her hands together on her lap, her shoulders squaring as she spoke. "But wanting revenge, Agent Blakely, and pursuing revenge, are two completely separate things. JJ would never seek out violence, because she knows better than anyone that there is already-"
"Too much of it in the world. Yes, I know this, Agent Prentiss. Your friend already tried that approach."
Shaking her head slowly, Emily looked away and when her eyes returned, there was a determination in them that turned them almost black. "You don't know that Agent Blakely, because you don't see it. Your job is to make our job more difficult. And I get it, I get why you have to do what you do, but I assure you, you are fighting the wrong people."
CM-CM-CM
The three minute elevator ride back down to the third floor of the FBI building was quite possibly the slowest Erin Strauss had ever endured. It was complete anxiousness fuelling the tapping of her fingers against the bar that she was leant against; she needed JJ to see Henry before she went into that room, because at this point, she realised, there may never be another opportunity.
Sometimes she hated her job. She knew of the politics better than most, because she was forced to be a part of it every single day – and the hypocrisy was chokingly evident in times like these. They were covering their arses; that was the long and short of it. It wasn't about ensuring that JJ was fit to work, or confirming that jobs were being done correctly – it was about guaranteeing the safety of their own jobs, of their own reputations, proving themselves for that big promotion and forgetting why they even chose this career path in the first place.
"Where we going?"
A small voice broke her from her reverie, and her heart ached as she looked down at two bright blue eyes. He really had no clue what was about to happen, what had happened, and what had been happening every day for the past month. A part of her longed to be that free again, that oblivious and wholly certain that everything would be just fine. Lifting the small boy easily into her arms, Strauss responded. "You'll see, sweetie."
CM-CM-CM
"Could you describe what you found when you arrived at Mr Watson's premises, please?" Agent Blakely purposely ignored Emily's words.
With a sigh, Emily shook her head slowly. She didn't want to answer this question, but she was also aware that it was a fairly good segue into just why JJ hadn't shot Percy in cold blood. "Nothing at first. My fellow agent, Derek Morgan, called us - myself, Agent Hotchner, Agent Rossi and a young rookie named James - around to the front of the house. It was there that I saw the body of Percy Watson. He was laid on his back, dirt on his knees, his legs awkwardly beneath him-"
"Like he had been shot execution style?" The agent interrupted, pissing Emily off enough for it to clearly show on her face.
"…like he had been sat on something, or someone, Agent Blakely."
"How could you know that?"
Now was the time to put her career choice to the test, to show what she had learnt over the years and display exactly why it was that she was so good at her job - as well as to give this guy a graphic glimpse of what they dealt with day in, day out, whilst he drove his shiny midlife-crisis-mobile back to his mansion and his Playboy wife. "The defensive wounds on his face, not to mention the sick smirk still present there told me that someone had tried to fight him off, and more than that, that he had enjoyed such a fight, that he got off on it. There was disturbed ground in front of his body that indicated another person's presence, and after considering the dirt upon his knees as well as the fact that this disturbed ground passed beneath his parted thighs, that is how I came to the conclusion that he was sat on JJ - Jennifer - pinning her to ground. His coveralls were half unzipped and there was a small wet patch against his crotch, which at first lead me to believe that he had indeed managed to do what he intended to do, but after having spoke with Miss Jareau, I learned that he thankfully hadn't gotten that far-"
"So, he didn't rape her?"
"Agent Blakely, if a guy came in here right now, pinned you to the ground and groped you in every place that he wished to no matter how much you protested.." Her mouth twisted as she enunciated every word perfectly, her dark eyes staring him down. "If he did so with a smirk on his face and got more excited each time you begged and pleaded with him to stop. If it was very clear that if you didn't do something drastic, he was going to rape you, violate you, what would you do?"
The middle aged agent didn't have a response, not one that actually answered Emily's question anyway. "The truth of it, Agent Prentiss, is that you don't actually know what happened there, because you weren't there when it happened."
She couldn't help the incredulous laugh that escaped her lips. "Then you'd better shut down this whole unit right now. Because what I've just described to you is what we do day in, day out. It's our whole purpose. We figure out what happened based on what we see, what we read in another person's body language and actions. If you're telling me that because I wasn't actually there, I can't possibly know what happened, then what is the point of the BAU? Tell me that Agent Blakely."
CM-CM-CM
"We're fighting a losing battle, aren't we?" JJ spoke quietly, breaking the silence that lingered in the air as each agent waited impatiently for Emily's return.
"No, baby girl. They have to do their investigations otherwise they wouldn't be doing their jobs properly."
"Yes but he isn't investigating anything, is he? Every one of you is someone I would never want to mess with, and yet each of you have come out of that room looking like someone just stomped all over your dreams." JJ ran a hand through her brunette hair as she paced between the desks littered in the bullpen. "I need to go in there and just get this over with. He's probably tearing Emily to shreds, and for no reason since they've already made their damn decision."
From the elevator doors, Strauss could see JJ pacing frantically, the solemn look on the team's faces, and in an instant, she knew that she had made the right decision. "Henry." She spoke softly as she lowered the small boy to the ground, her right hand resting against the small of his back whilst she pointed with the other. "Do you recognise anyone in there?"
Henry squinted his eyes a little as he peered through the glass doors. "Yes, there's Uncle Derek and Aunt Penny and Uncle David and Uncle Aaron and Uncle Reid."
"Do you recognise anyone else?" She questioned further, knowing that the typically blonde woman's change of her colour may have thrown him off.
Back in the bull pen, JJ was still pacing, words spilling from her lips as soon as they entered her mind. "It was ridiculous to think that it would be any different. We all know how this place works."
"JJ." Morgan spoke as he noticed the two people stood beyond the glass doors.
"No Morgan, there's no point in pretending anymore. I thought we had a chance this morning but-" Two strong hands bracing suddenly against her arms and spinning her to face the entrance to the BAU stilled her words instantly; the view beyond the doors stilled her heart.
"Mommy!" Henry yelled as he broke free from Strauss and burst through the glass doors to the bull pen. It took approximately 1.3 seconds for him to make the ten steps to JJ and dive up into her arms, his little hands gripping at the back of her neck as she held him tight to her chest.
"Oh baby." She pressed several kisses to the side of his face in quick succession. "Mommy missed you so much." More kisses. "So, so much."
JJ couldn't work out if she wanted to laugh or cry, so she did both. She had gone through great lengths to avoid seeing Henry, and had had to spend most of the morning fighting the knowledge that he was in the same building. But now that she had him cradled into her chest, his baby clean scent filtering through her senses and the sticky chocolate mouth print now plastered against her shirt; she never wanted to be apart from him again. And she wouldn't be. Not this time.
Reluctantly handing him over to Garcia, JJ spoke. "Sweetie, mommy has to go somewhere." Fear welled up in the small boys eyes at JJ's words and she instantly spoke again to sooth him. "Baby. Baby, listen to me. I'm going to be right back, I promise you. Okay?"
JJ held out her pinky for Henry and the blonde boy gave a small nod as he entwined his little finger with his mom's. "Okay, mommy."
CM-CM-CM
"Agent Prentiss. You know as well as I do that this can't be left alone. She isn't going to jail, no lawyer in the country would go against her on this case, but we can't allow her to keep her job because-"
"Because it will make the FBI look bad. I've heard that already. You guys have already tried that approach." Emily's eyes stared fiercely as she mimicked the words that he himself had said just fifteen minutes prior.
Clearly not prepared to be outdone by her, he shot back his own bitter words. "It seems that you're rather familiar will the whole notion of going rogue, eh, Agent Prentiss? How is Ian Doyle?"
She almost lunged across the table at him but somehow remained composed, however, when she opened her mouth to speak again, she was cut off by the door to their left flying open unceremoniously and a confident brunette striding in purposefully.
"Stand up." JJ commanded, placing herself directly in front of the middle-aged agent.
Flicking his eyes between JJ and Emily, the fair haired man tried to figure out what the hell was going on.
"I said stand up, agent."
"Agent Jareau, this is highly unorthodox. You will get your turn to speak and right now I am speaking with Agent Prentiss."
"Oh I'm done, trust me." Emily held out a hand and leant back in her chair, her eyes fixed firmly on the younger woman currently turning the guy in their presence to a bag of nerves.
Realising that JJ wasn't going to back down, Agent Blakely apprehensively rose to his feet, instinct forcing him to reach for his gun as the young brunette pulled open his jacket and removed his badge. "What are yo-"
"You don't deserve this." JJ spoke, her hand immediately reaching for the clip on his gun and removing the bullets before placing them on the table beside his badge. "And you don't need that. Now you don't work for the FBI, now you're just a normal human-being who doesn't have some bullshit politics to be concerned about. You have no badge to hide behind."
"Agent Jareau-"
"Tell me Agent, what is most important to you in this world?"
"What?" The fair haired man spoke, completely taken aback by this sudden turn of events.
"The question is simple, Sir. What do you value the most?"
"Uh.. my family?" Agent Blakely spoke the words more as a question than a statement, clearly showing that his response was obligated rather than genuine.
"We both know that that isn't true." JJ perched herself against the table, her hands resting either side of her against the wood as she spoke again. "Now tell me again, what do you value the most?"
With a sigh, the older agent forced himself to answer, a little shame evident in his voice. "Money.. My car, my house."
"I thought so. Would you like to know what is most important to me?" A small uncertain nod came from the guy stood before her; he was clearly still trying to wrap his head around what was happening, but she spoke anyway, gesturing her head behind her towards Emily. "She is. Would you like to know what else is important to me? Come with me."
Slowly, cautiously, the middle aged man followed JJ out of the conference room, a curious Emily not too far behind him.
"They are." JJ gestured towards the bull pen and the five agents and small boy waiting there. "You want to know what else is most important to me?" JJ turned back towards the middle-aged agent. "The pile of 124 case files currently sitting on my desk, and every family member linked to each of those files. The children who are currently out in this world scared and alone, and the parent's who aren't as lucky as I am to have their son or daughter back in their life. The brothers who have lost sisters, the grandparents who have lost grandchildren, the husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend who have lost their loved one. The people who have lost everything that ever meant anything to them."
"Every one of those things is something that I would fight to the death for, and that is exactly what I did twenty-six days ago. You want me to tell you that I regret it?" A small shrug jumped from JJ's shoulders. "Well no, I don't regret it. I don't regret it at all, and I would do it again tomorrow if I had the chance. Do you want to know why? Because I still have the strength to do so. It is our job to protect the people who can't protect themselves, the people who have lost everything or could lose everything. It is our job to ensure that children go to sleep at night, free from nightmares because they know that for every bad guy, there are nine," gesturing behind herself once again, JJ continued, strangely including Strauss in her tirade too, "good guys. It is our job to protect. It is not our job to sit in a stuffy conference room and fight on the side of reputation. We should be fighting on the side of justice. So if you want to lock me away for protecting what I love the most, then go ahead. But if not, be sure to take your hypocrisy with you when you head back to your cosy corner office on the top floor, the one with the beautiful and severely ignorant and misguided view of this messed up world, and don't bother coming back down here until you're ready to face what it is that we do every single day."
"So what is it going to be, Agent Blakely?"