A/N: Hey guys! I'm so glad some of you are liking the story! Thanks for letting me know! Still don't own Criminal Minds, though.

Chapter 5

"Thank you for sticking your head out there for me. I know you didn't convince your team, but I really appreciate it," Sasha said as we drove back to my apartment to gather my things.

I wasn't mad that they didn't agree. I was mad that they still didn't trust me. And Sasha couldn't understand that. She didn't understand the team dynamics.

Sasha must have gathered that I still wasn't okay, because she continued, "You did what you could and now it's just us. It's not your fault that they didn't decide to join us, Emmy. It's mine. They think I'm crazy."

"But it's me that trusts you. If they had any belief in me, they wouldn't even think twice about it. I'm supposed to trust them with my life and they can't even trust me with this?" I shook my head. I hated that this got to me. I hated, even more, the fact that I was talking to her about it.

"You're allowed to be hurt, but don't think that they don't trust you." She put her hand on my arm. "Hey, just forget about them, okay? We are going to go to LA and work this case. You won't have time to think about them."

The gesture she made, (putting her hand on my arm) brought me back to a memory I had with her a long time ago.

It was my turn to drive. We took turns every two hours as we drove to Sasha's vacation home for spring break. It was an exhausting drive, but the time went pretty quick. Every moment was interesting if I shared it with Sasha.

We passed by this crazy fort with odd objects, statues, and memorabilia out front. I slowed down and Sasha squealed.

"Crackhead express!" She cheered.

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused by her sudden statement.

"Look!" She pointed to the bus on the lawn of the land. I could see dummies in the windows looking crazed. I couldn't believe my eyes. The bus had indeed the title "crackhead express" on the side.

"You gotta be shitting me," I murmured under my breath. "What the hell is that place?"

As we passed it, Sasha answered, "I'm not really sure. I think it's a bunch of old movie set things. I've never stepped foot on the premise. But since we passed it, we know we are close. I have passed by it every time I have drove up here."

A few minutes later, we drove on a long bridge, connecting us to the island where she had the beach house. We pulled up into the driveway. I wanted to take out all of our bags, but Sasha told me not to.

Once we were out of the car, she took my hand and led me up the stairs to the deck of the house. I had never been to a beach like this one. Serene and quiet. There weren't kids running around or beer cans in sight. It was peaceful.

"Come on," She said, tugging my hand and bringing me down to the sand. She took off her shoes and I followed suit. I felt the sand squeeze between my toes and sink with the compression of my foot.

Sasha let go of my hand and took a deep breath. She started to run towards the ocean. And even though I was startled, I barely even hesitated before following right behind her.

"Where did you go right there?" Sasha asked as she removed her hand off me.

"What?"

"Your mouth moved into a slight smile. You do that when you think about a good memory. So what were you remembering?"

She knew so much about me. And it was completely terrifying. I cleared my throat. No bother denying it. She would just interrogate me later. "I was thinking about our trip to the beach our Junior year."

Sasha's mouth formed into a grin. "That was a good week. We didn't think about anything but each other those days. It was beautiful."

I couldn't disagree. But that was so long ago. It was a different time. I was a different person.

"I can't believe you were dating your colleague, Em. That's so unlike you. So, was she cheating on you, or was she cheating on someone with you?"

Sasha was still upfront about her questions. At least she hasn't changed with that. "We were seeing each other before she met Will. Though, seeing each other would be a loose term. She actually just came to my place and slept with me when she wanted to. And then we had a case in New Orleans and she met Detective Will LaMontagne. And she didn't tell anyone she was seeing him, but we all knew. And then recently we had a case and he was there and I pushed her to choose him. And she said that we could still be together but I ended it. I couldn't handle it anymore."

Sasha nodded. "Sounds like you made a good decision. She was using you."

I shook my head. I didn't want her to think that. "No, no. I could have said no."

She put her hand on my shoulder. "Em, she was using you for sex. And obviously, you had feelings for her. She must have known."

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean she must have known?"

"I saw you and her for a few seconds and I could tell that you have feelings for her. And you should have seen the way she looked at me when I came in. She looked very jealous."

I rolled my eyes. Sasha was always under the impression that people were interested in me. "She only sees me as a friend."

"Uh-huh. Sure. That's what you thought about me."

I laid on my bed, headphones on my head, blasting U2 in my ears. My eyes were closed. And then I felt a hand on my arm and I jumped.

"Fuck, Em! You scared the shit out of me!" Sasha laughed gently as she pulled off my headphones.

I gaped at her. "I scared you? Sash, you poked me when all of my senses were turned off. I couldn't see or hear you coming. Why are you here anyway?"

"I asked you to go to the concert with me, remember?" Sasha said wrapping her arms around me.

I sighed. "The tickets were too expensive and you should ask somebody—"

"Somebody, what, Em? You're the only person that tolerates me here. At the end of our Freshman year, you are the only friend I have made."

"Well, you have pissed off nearly the entire staff and all the frats and sororities!" I pointed out sarcastically.

"And you stood by my side! You're my partner in crime!"

I shook my head. I was afraid of how close we were getting. Especially since I saw her as more than a friend. "Maybe you should ask the girl from biology. She asked you out."

Sasha groaned and rested her head on my shoulder. "Emily, when will you get it through your thick skull that when I asked you out three months ago that it would be a date? Em, we have been together for months and you just keep denying it! Why? Is it the gay thing…"

"No!" I almost shouted. I closed my mouth and looked down. I was ashamed. "No. It's not that. I know I'm gay. It's just that, the last person I was with… it wasn't very good. Okay? And I'm not… very good. I have issues."

"I don't like you because I think you're a saint, Em. I like you because you're a little screwed up. I like you because you are brilliant and beautiful and sarcastic and dark. I like you because, for some reason, you aren't afraid of me. Me and my bluntness and attitude and ambition. You think that you are somehow more fucked up than me." She pushed my hair out of my face and pushed my chin up so that I was looking at her. "I like you, Emily Prentiss. So please don't push me to the bio girl and let me take you on a date. As your girlfriend."

I stared at her and wondered how could she like me. Why wasn't she turned off by me? I wanted her so bad. I nodded and let her hug me.

I shook my head, shaking the memory out. She was right then, but not now. Not about JJ. She didn't even know JJ.

"She has a boyfriend."

Sasha snorted. "That didn't stop her from sleeping with you before. Look, I'm not judging you or anything. But you deserve better than some blonde who probably doesn't even know you that well, right? Because if she did, she wouldn't even hesitate to pick you over some guy."

I shook my head and continued to drive. I knew Sasha was wrong this time.

Awe, poor Emily. She thinks JJ doesn't like her. Of course. That's typical for my Emily portrayals in all of my stories, right? I'm so excited because the next chapter is partially in JJ's perspective! For the rest of the story, it is pretty even between the both of them.

Thank you all so much for reading! Reviews are welcome and appreciated!