"Em, wake up." JJ nudged the agent. "We're here."

Emily was slumped against the window of the passenger seat, her good arm hugging Hotch's case file to her chest. She didn't budge, even at the sound of JJ's voice.

JJ couldn't help it; she smiled, taking in the sight of the sleeping agent. It was rare to see Emily Prentiss like this, in a position where she wasn't in complete control. It was sweet, even, to see her walls knocked down for a moment. JJ exited the
SUV and opened the passenger side, careful not to let Emily's head fall when the window door shifted. Leaning over the agent, JJ unbuckled the seatbelt. "Come on, Em. I'm going to help you get inside." Carefully, she shook the brunette awake
so that Emily was coherent enough to understand what was happening. With an arm around her rib cage, JJ lifted Emily from the car and half dragged the agent inside. Luckily, the room was on the first floor and wasn't too far of a walk. Garcia appeared
a few seconds later, carrying the bags.

"Sorry, JJ. You drive like a maniac and somehow I lost you." Garcia glared.

JJ put a finger to her lips, tilting her head towards the sleeping Prentiss. "Thanks, Penelope." She whispered. "I know you didn't have to come, but I'm really glad you did." JJ smiled.

Garcia's arms encased her friend. "Of course, sug'. Now call me if you need anything. And I'll check in later tonight, okay?"

JJ nodded before closing the door. Her heart melted at the sight of Emily sleeping peacefully, even if the brunette wasn't quite in the bed yet. She looked at the food that Garcia had brought, but decided against waking the brunette up. There was a microwave
and she could always eat later.

Walking over to the bed, JJ once again brushed the loose hair from Emily's eye. Knowing how hot-natured she was, JJ carefully, she peeled the oversized Yale sweatshirt over Prentiss's shoulders, leaving her to sleep in a black camisole. Then she slid off Emily's shoes and shifted the woman's body into the center of the bed, covering her with blankets. Emily stirred, nestling her face into the pillow.

"Jay?" She mumbled sleepily without opening her eyes.

"I'm here." JJ felt a tingle spread down her spine. "I'm right here, Em." Suddenly feeling the weight of the last two days hit her, JJ decided to crawl into bed; but when she pulled back the comforter on the queen-sized mattress beside
Emily, the brunette whimpered.

"JJ, please? I don't want to be alone."

Emily's eyes were open now, but the emotion JJ saw in them floored her. Panic, pain, and sadness were mixing together to create a batch of fresh tears. Immediately, JJ abandoned her bed and went to her friend. "You're not alone, Emily. You're never alone; I'm always here for you. You know that." It felt strange for JJ to put her arms around her, but in a way, it also felt natural. The blonde pulled Emily close, protectively spooning her. "Go to sleep, Em. I'll be right here, just like this when you wake up."

Emily didn't ask why JJ was so close, but she relished in the contact. Deep down, she knew that JJ was just being a friend; they were best friends, after all, and this is what you do for someone you love. You take care of them. But somewhere deep inside of her, Emily also wished that it meant something more- that JJ felt the way Emily did. Everything was just too much; the world was too heavy of a place, too troubling and overwhelming sometimes to confront the truth.

Emily closed her eyes, unable to face the thought that JJ lying there didn't mean more than it did. In this moment, Emily needed to pretend that someone loved her as fiercely as she loved them.

After what seemed like hours, JJ finally felt Emily's body relax and her breathing decrease. God, JJ thought, "What happened to you, Emily Prentiss? What can't you tell me?" To be honest, JJ felt like she couldn't get close enough to the agent; no matter how tightly her arms wrapped around Emily, there was still too much distance between them. After being sure that Emily was sound asleep, JJ allowed herself to drift off too.

The blonde lurched awake, Emily writhing in her arms. "Emily!" she squealed, scrambling to her knees.

Emily's body was contorted, her eyes coiled shut. She continued to scream, pleading in her sleep for whoever she was fighting to stop hurting her.

"Emily, baby, wake up!" JJ climbed on top of the brunette, grabbing her uninjured shoulder and shaking her. "Em, wake up, honey. Come back to me." JJ begged as Emily's back arched against her.

Prentiss's eyes jolted open, her heartbeat so fast that JJ could feel it in through the mattress. Emily blinked, gulping the air; her hair was matted against her forehead, her neck wet with sweat. Tears were pouring down her face.

"Oh, Emily." JJ melted. "Come here." In one swift movement, JJ rolled off the brunette and gingerly pulled Emily's body into her own. Massaging her back, JJ soothed, "He can't hurt you now, Em. He can't get you, again. I won't let him."

Emily cried into JJ's chest. "It all feels so real."

"I know. I can't imagine what it's like, what you're going through."

Emily was starting to calm down. Sadly, she whispered, "I hope you never have to know."

"Do you want to talk about it? JJ asked softly.

She sighed, considering it for a moment. Emily took a deep breath, like she was about to start describing her nightmare, when her lungs deflated.

JJ pulled Emily closer. "You don't have to, Em. But I'm here if you want to. Anytime, day or night."

"I know. But JJ-" Emily paused, pulling back slightly.

Something in her voice was off, putting JJ on alarm. She tried to tighten her hold around Prentiss, but Emily resisted. "What is it?" JJ asked, a cry rising in her throat.

"I think I ripped my bandage."

"Oh my god." The blonde panicked, but in a way that she also felt relief. For a moment, JJ had been afraid that Emily was going to tell her they were too close; that Emily didn't want JJ to hold her like that. JJ's mind was spinning faster
than any planet's rotation, but she didn't understand why she felt so relieved; she just knew she did, and needed to regain their contact. "Okay, hang on. We can fix it."

JJ crawled off the mattress and ran to the other side, lifting Emily from the bed with an arm around her ribcage. A fresh puddle of blood rested where Emily had been laying. The bandage was completely soaked, its once-white gauze now a strawberry glaze.
"I'm sorry, Jen." Emily whispered, suddenly ashamed.

"Emily Prentiss, don't you dare apologize. I'm probably the one who did it, anyway; I don't know what I was thinking, climbing on top of you like that."

Emily's heart skipped a beat. What? JJ had been where?

Feeling the brunette's knees weaken, JJ tightened her grip. "Come on, let's get you in the bathroom. Say a prayer that the stiches didn't break."

JJ helped Emily sit on the bathtub ledge as she carefully unwrapped the bandages. She shuddered as a half-inch sized hole appeared between Emily's shoulder and her collarbone; it was black, like a dime covered in bloody thread. Prentiss winched as JJ
traced her finger over the wound, ensuring that the stitches were still intact.

"It's bleeding, but I think they said that's normal." JJ mumbled, her lips twisted. Grabbing a towel, she pressed it against Emily's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I know that hurts."

Emily began to tremble, her shirt wet with blood. "Here-" JJ stretched an arm out, reaching for another towel. "Use this to stay warm until it stops bleeding. Then we'll get you clean, okay?"

She nodded, but nuzzled into JJ's body instead. Jennifer tried to hide her smile, but Emily caught a glimpse of it anyway. Her shivering stopped.

After a few minutes, JJ lifted the towel from Emily's shoulder to find that the bleeding had ended. Well, mostly anyway. "Okay, how do you feel about a shower?"

Her heart skipped another beat. "Sounds good to me."

JJ rose and started the water, closing the curtain so that it didn't spray Emily before she got undressed. "Do you want me to stay, or…?" She asked, uncertain. She wasn't incredibly confident that Emily could handle standing on her own that
long, but she didn't want to make her uncomfortable either.

Emily shook her head, trying to hide her disappointment. "No, it's okay. I think I can shower alone, Jareau." She flashed her most reassuring smile.

JJ wasn't convinced. "Alright, but the door is staying open." She glanced around, making sure everything was in reach. "It should be warm enough now."

The brunette nodded and stood, bracing herself against the wall as JJ stepped out.

JJ paced momentarily as she heard the shower curtain open and close, nervously listening for any signs of distress. Emily whimpered, making JJ dart back to the door. With one foot on the tile, she asked, "You okay?"

"Mhmm." Emily managed.

"Em?"

"It just burns." She grimaced.

The bullet wound. Right. "What I can I do?" JJ asked, pleading for anything to do to help.

"I just want to get out." Emily felt deflated, leaning against the shower wall, using all her strength to continue standing. "Help?"

JJ leapt into motion. Reaching behind the curtain, she twisted the knob until the water came to a crashing halt; with a towel, she wrapped Emily tightly in the fuzzy warm cotton and told her, "Lean into me, I've got you."

Emily used the blonde for balance as she stepped out of the shower. She rested for a moment, breathing heavily into JJ's shoulder. "Jen?" she whispered.

"Yeah, Em?" JJ said softly.

"Thank you."

The words caught themselves in Jennifer's throat. There was so much to say, so many ways that she could reply- but only three words would come out. "I love you."

For the third time, Emily's heart stopped for a moment. "I love you too, Jen." More than you know.

JJ smiled, blinking back tears, thankful that the shower hid them. "Come on, let's get out of here. You need some rest if you think you're going back to work tomorrow."