A/N: Hey guys! I still don't own Criminal Minds! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 6

JJ POV

We all stared at each other when Emily and her friend left. I had a case to deliver to the team, but I didn't feel much like talking.

Eventually, Derek cleared his throat and said, "Can I just speak for everyone and say I'm totally shocked. I mean, one, that woman's theory is crazy. Two, Emily believed her and followed her! That doesn't even sound like her."

I definitely agreed with him. Emily acted weird, to say the least.

"She said she trusted the woman," Rossi mentioned carefully. "Maybe we should trust Emily then. She has given us no reason to think her judgment is off."

He was right on all accounts. Except, even if I did trust Emily, I didn't trust her friend. Something seemed odd about the detective. And she seemed weirdly familiar…

"I've gone over all the conversations I have had with Prentiss," Spence murmured as he looked up, thinking hard. "And I have never once heard her mention the name Sasha Tyburczy."

"She never talks about anyone," Penelope pointed out. "I mean, that brunette beauty is more secretive than a Russian spy. Oh jeez, you don't think—"

"No, Garcia," Hotch stated sternly. "Prentiss is not a spy. But something was off."

"She was offended," Rossi explained. "She wanted us to help them. She hoped that we would trust her enough to blindly follow her without any hard evidence."

I wondered if we should have. But I shook out the thought. It would have been too reckless. If Emily and the woman were wrong, there would have been a waste of resources. People could have been killed without our help.

"Morgan," Hotch said abruptly. "You are the closest with Prentiss. Is there anything going on with her…?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't know. She doesn't tell me those kinds of things. She's always just… Prentiss." He turned to me and Pen. "You two hang out with her more often. Did she seem okay with you?"

'Hang out.' I had to remind myself that they didn't know what Emily and do. Correction: used to do.

"Emily is a hard nut to crack. She isn't the type to open up. Isn't that right, Jayje?"

I nodded simply. I didn't want to talk about Emily. Not after everything that has happened.

"Jennifer," Emily muttered and kissed me slowly, like when we first kissed. Before everything got so… heated... Last minute... Casual. Right when I thought the kiss was going to get deeper, she moved away. I thought I saw tears in her eyes. I was utterly confused. Emily Prentiss didn't cry. "It isn't just fun for me. You're killing me."

I stepped back in awe. I couldn't believe what she was saying. I always thought she wanted what I wanted. "How?"

She looked away and started walking towards the wine. I could tell that she didn't want me to see her face. "You don't want me. You want the sex. But you're with Will. And I can't do this anymore. You are tearing me apart."

I bit my lip, blood entering my mouth. Tears bubbled up into my eyes. This was the first time I realized that she could have wanted more than our casual flings. I pondered for a second if I wanted more. I shook my head. Impossible. I reminded myself that I was with Will. That I wasn't into girls. That I wasn't into Emily.

"But— But we can still be friends? Best friends?"

She looked like she felt pity for me when she turned around. The tears in her eyes were gone. It was as if a switch had turned on and she lost her feelings.

"Sure…" she said so carelessly as if nothing had meaning anymore. I questioned if she stopped feeling anything at all. "But I need some time."

I wanted to understand her. Ask her more questions. Get inside that mysterious head of hers. But I knew she wouldn't let me.

"Oh. Okay. I guess I'll get going."

I turned around and headed for the door. As I turned the knob, I realized I wanted her to stop me. I wanted her to want me again. And when I closed the door behind me, tears fell down my cheeks.

How could I feel so much for someone I had absolutely no feelings for? I hated it. I hated all of these uninvited emotions.

So I ran. I ran as fast as I could. Stopping for nothing.

"Then we have to assume that Prentiss made a good decision. JJ, you said you had a case for us?" Hotch said, grabbing my attention from the memory I was holding onto in the back of my mind.

"Yes."

Emily POV

The LAPD building was very different that Quantico. People were wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Which made sense. It was extremely hot outside.

"I forgot that that heat made you uncomfortable," Sasha murmured as we got out of the elevator. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

I followed Sasha to this conference room where a couple of other people had set up boards for this case. I thanked God that these people were professional.

"Hey, guys. This is my friend, Agent Emily Prentiss from the FBI. She has decided to help us out on the case. Em, this is my partner, Nicky Delmonico."

I shook hands with the youngest person there. He grinned excitedly. He sort of reminded me of a more social Reid.

"Nice to meet you."

"And this is Kalina Wakowski," Sasha introduced. I shook her hand as well. "This is Juby Olsen and finally, this is Janet Nunez."

"Nice to meet all of you," I greeted politely. "Just so that you all know, I'm not here to order you all around, just to help. I'm doing this as a favor, so I have no control whatsoever. So, what have you all been working on?"

"I've been asking around and talking to leaders of communes in the area," Olsen explained as he showed me a map where all of the communes were pinpointed. "I haven't heard of any violent communes or cults. Nor have I heard of anyone obsessed with Manson."

Wakowski added, "I've been searching through websites and the dark web that support, praise, or even worship Manson. There are scarily a lot of people on them. And a lot of threats have been made. I have been doing a lot of background checks on these people, but nothing has checked out yet."

"I've been trying to go to spots where gossip is rampant. Specifically diners, salons, and bars. I got a lead since you were gone, Tyburczy," Delmonico told us and crossed his arms. "Mama Jude, the owner of a breakfast diner, told me that some of her friends' kids have dropped out of school and have followed some prophet. She hadn't heard of anything violent, but she knew that this guy must be powerful."

I couldn't tell if that sounded like Manson 2.0 or just another neighborhood cult leader.

"Did she give you any names of the people who dropped out and followed him?" Sasha asked him.

"I have a list," Delmonico replied. "But she has no idea where they are staying."

"Okay. Nicky, Emily, come with me. Let's go talk to some parents and see if they know where their kids are. Everyone else, continue what you are doing. And Nunez, you got word from the prison yet?"

Nunez shook her head disappointedly. "Nope. But they said they will call me back this afternoon."

"Good. Keep on it. Let's go."

Another short chapter is done! I hope you liked the first chapter with JJ's point of view. I hope you all did like it because a lot of this story is going to be in her perspective. Thank you all so so much for reading and reviewing! Questions? Comments?