"And you're sure there's nothing you need?" Rossi asked, obviously being pushed out the day Agent Jareau.
Exhausted, JJ forced a smile. "What else could we need? You already brought over half that Italian place and enough prescriptions to survive an apocalypse." The blonde laughed. "Go, we're set here." Rossi continued staring. "I mean it! Go! I promise, I'll call if I think of anything."
He put his hands in the air. "I'm going, I'm going! Sheesh." Rossi gently kissed Jareau on the cheek. "My phone will be on and charged all night."
JJ nodded appreciatively.
"And JJ?" Rossi paused. "No morning jogs, capiche?"
JJ grinned as he winked. "Good night, Dave."
She closed the door softly so that the lock barely made a click. Emily was already fast asleep, sprawled on both sides of the bed. JJ towered over the mattress and gingerly brushed back the brunette's auburn hair. Emily stirred, nuzzling into JJ's touch.
"Everyone's gone, honey. Why don't you wake up for a minute so you can eat?" JJ glanced over at the stack of take out containers spilling over the table's edge.
Emily grumbled but did as she was asked. Rubbing her eyes, she whispered "What time is it?"
"About to be 7 o'clock." JJ reached for a plate of spaghetti. "Rossi brought Italian for us."
She frowned. "I miss Penelope. She knows that post-hospital food is always Chinese."
JJ grinned, rolling her eyes. "We'll send him a memo. Here." She placed a luke-warm container on the agent's lap. "Eat so you can take your medicine."
Emily's gaze was glued to the woman. "Sit with me." She pleaded.
JJ grimaced, knowing that if she sat downs he wasn't going to be able to get back up. "Let me change first." Jareau negotiated. "Then I'll come share your plate with you."
The brunette nodded, satisfied. The noodles about fell from her mouth as she watched JJ strip. Man, did she have a gorgeous girlfriend. A familiar feeling pulsed between her legs. Her eyes widened in shock, however, as JJ peeled a tank top over her arms. Fresh bruises were painted over the faded ones, her ribs obviously struggling to breathe with every raspy breath.
"Jen… oh my God." Emily cried, setting the plate on a nightstand. "Baby, why didn't you tell me?" She threw the comforter back, climbing out of bed. "Come here, let me help you."
Softly, Emily placed both hands around the woman's hips, pulling her into her body. JJ let herself melt into Emily's arms, careful not to hit her shoulder. Emily kissed JJ tenderly, running a hand up her spine.
JJ let herself be guided to the bed, where Emily made her sit down. Gingerly, she finished undressing the blonde, subtly looking for any other injuries. Emily sighed with relief as she concluded that JJ's only trauma was on her rib cage. She pulled her favorite, totally worn-out Yale t-shirt from her bag and slipped it over JJ's head. "Do you want shorts?" She asked.
JJ shook her head, content to wear only Emily's shirt and a pair of panties.
Emily smiled. "Okay, come on. Let's get into bed." She lifted JJ with her uninsured arm and helped her under the blankets. The brunette grabbed the bag of prescriptions and handed her girlfriend a painkiller and steroid before swallowing her own antibiotic and Percocet.
JJ stared longingly at the styrofoam contained of spaghetti. Emily laughed and climbed back into bed, placing the plate between them. Both women inhaled the food before collapsing against the pillows.
"Tomorrow will be better, right?" JJ yawned, wincing at the searing pain in her lungs.
Emily kissed JJ's forehead. "Of course, my love. Every day I spend with you is a little better than the day before it."
"Emily, wake up!" JJ screamed as the brunette thrashed in bed. "Em, honey, wake up!"
Her eyes were forced shut, her body contorting against the mattress. In her head replayed the scene from earlier, except in this version JJ wasn't wearing a vest. Her lifeless eyes stared at Emily, piercing her soul. She screamed again, her voice thundering through the walls.
"Em, baby, please. Come back. I'm right here." JJ pleaded, holding Emily in her arms. "I'm right here."
The door clicked as Rossi threw it open, his gun drawn.
"Don't shoot, Dave!" JJ cried. "It's just a nightmare."
Rossi nodded and holstered his gun in the waistband of his boxers. "How long?"
JJ frowned, "Maybe five minutes? She won't snap out of it."
He nodded again and went to the bathroom, returning with a glass of cold water and a towel. He threw the towel against JJ to shield her as the glass poured over Emily's face.
She jolted awake, her lungs frantically trying to re-inflate. Emily clung to JJ, bawling in inconsolable sobs.
Rossi looked on helplessly, knowing his presence wouldn't help the situation. "I'll check back in a bit, JJ." He whispered, backing out of the room.
JJ held Emily as desperately as the woman clung to her. "It's okay, Em." She soothed. "It's okay. No one's going to hurt you. I promise."
Emily continued crying, whispering, "But you died." Into JJ's chest.
"Oh, honey." She melted. "I'm here. I'm not dead. I'm right here, Em. Always."
Emily quieted quickly, collapsing into JJ as the blonde's reassuring words lulled her to sleep. "I'm right here" echoed in her head as the dreams began to swirl.
JJ smiled, feeling the brunette's body relax. The way the two were laying was incredibly painful, but she couldn't stand the thought of releasing Emily, so she ignored it (and the drenched mattress) and let herself drift back to sleep.
"What is it?" JJ asked, peering in at Emily through the bathroom's doorway as she towel-dryer her hair.
Emily blinked. "My mother."
"What did she want?" Jen asked, wrapping the towel around her neck. "Oh no, did someone tell her about us?"
Elizabeth Prentiss was an ambassador, and an incredibly conservative one at that. "I don't know. She just left s voicemail saying she'd be waiting at our house when I got home."
"Well, if she's in the house, she knows." JJ frowned, putting an arm around "Emily." The pictures in the living room give it away."
Emily threw herself back on the bed. "Can we just stay here? Become New Yorkers?"
"You couldn't pull off the accent, so I'm going to make that a hard no." JJ kissed Emily. "Don't worry, whatever happens, were in this together."
A/N: So? What are you thinking? How do you all think the meeting between the wommen and the ambassador will go? Predictions? Suggestions? As always, stay tuned! ;)