Hello Readers!
Again I was so determined to get this chapter up quickly and had it almost done on the weekend but got distracted several times, which kept me from finishing. So sorry for leaving you guys with that cliffhanger, but I hope you'll find that it was worth it!
Next chapter will be lots of fluff and lots of team stuff since I have been neglecting them all a little!
Thanks so much for reading! -J
Chapter 4
Emily had refused to go to the hospital in Colorado. Even though it was likely that she had a concussion, and she ached all over, she had insisted that she was fine and would get checked as soon as she was home, as soon as she got to JJ. Understanding, Hotch had allowed it, the entire team rushing to the airstrip and getting on the jet, ready to go home.
Emily had talked to Garcia. The technical analyst had insisted that JJ was fine; that her blood pressure had simply spiked and she had fainted, but that she had been awake by the time the paramedics arrived and had been trying to convince everyone that she could go home all day. She had been unable to talk to JJ, who had been with Dr. Morrison at the time, and therefore Emily was still feeling anxious by the time they landed in Virginia.
Unsure if she could really drive herself, the brunette had wordlessly accepted Hotch's offer to drive her, understanding that the whole team was anxious to know that their friend was really okay; as they all followed towards the hospital despite the fact that they hadn't slept all night and it was now the early hours of the morning.
"She's okay," Garcia called as soon as she saw Emily coming down the hall towards JJ's room. "The wanted to keep her to monitor the baby and make sure her blood pressure went back down but everything's fine. The baby is fine. She's fine. It's all fine," she said, the coffee in her hand indicating that she was more than a little over-caffeinated.
"And Alex?" Emily asked worriedly, nervous that the day's events would send her daughter into another downward spiral that she really didn't need.
"She's really okay," Garcia replied, having heard this from the teen herself more than once since JJ had passed out. "I mean she was freaked out when Jayje went down, but as soon as she was awake again Lex seemed fine," she explained. "She's been by her Mum's side all day. She was still asleep last time I checked on them," she said, nodding towards the room behind her.
"Thank you Pen," Emily said, taking a deep breath. "Do you think you guys can give me a minute?" She then asked, turning to the rest of her team, all of whom looked exhausted. "I just want to talk to them," she said.
"Go ahead Princess," Morgan nodded, giving his friend a small smile.
"I can take Lexi home if she wants too," Garcia offered.
"Thanks guys," Emily smiled, giving the team one last glance before pushing her way into the hospital room.
Upon entering the hospital room Emily found JJ sleeping peacefully in bed, Alex in the chair beside her, asleep with her head resting on the edge of the blonde's bed. JJ's hand rested on top of Alex's head, while Alex's arm was thrown over JJ's legs as if to ensure that the blonde stayed put; a sight which brought both a smile to the brunette's face and tears to her eyes. Moving over towards the bed, Emily carefully removed JJ's hand from Alex's head before sitting down next to the teen and slowly running her own hand over dark hair.
"Lex," she whispered despite not wanting to interrupt the peaceful moment. "Baby."
"Mom?" Alex lifted her head sleepily. "You're bac…oh my god," she exclaimed, her eyes widening as she took in her mother's appearance.
"Shhhh," Emily hushed, not wanting to wake JJ yet, as Alex lifted her hand to touch her mother's cheek, which was bruised and slightly swollen. "I'm okay," she assured her, reaching up and taking the teen's hand in hers. "I promise I'm okay."
"Does it hurt?" Alex asked, in a whisper.
"A little," Emily admitted. "But I'm okay," she repeated. "I'm just glad to be home. And I'm so sorry I wasn't here," she said, turning her attention towards the sleeping blonde in front of them.
"Everything's okay," Alex said, holding her mother's hand tightly. "Dr. Morrison said the baby is fine and JJ's been fine since she woke up. It was just a scare, but it's okay," she said. "She's okay."
"And what about you?" Emily asked, tearing her eyes away from JJ and watching her daughter closely. "Are you okay?" She asked, knowing how hard Alex took these things.
"I'm fine," Alex replied, giving Emily a reassuring smile, which didn't prevent the older brunette from raising her eyebrow disbelievingly. "Honestly Mom I'm fine," she sighed. "I know that I say that a lot, and I haven't exactly given you many reasons to believe me when I say it, but I am fine," she explained. "I mean obviously I was terrified when she fainted but as soon as she woke up and we got here I was good. And even though we were both still pretty worried about you, we heard that the team had made contact, and that you had a plan so we knew things would be okay," she continued. "I talked to Mum and Penelope, and I really am okay."
"Okay," Emily nodded, pulling her daughter into a hug. "I'm so sorry this happened. I'm so sorry I wasn't here."
"You were where you needed to be, helping those people," Alex replied, sounding incredibly mature. "Mum and Penelope were here and we took care of each other. You don't need to feel bad."
"You sure you're only 14?" Emily asked making Alex giggle. "Hey Penelope offered to take you home. Why don't you go and get some sleep."
"Sleep?" Alex repeated confusedly. "School starts in like an hour and a half."
"I'm pretty sure after the night you've had, you can miss a day," Emily replied with a small laugh. "I'll call them."
"What? No way," Alex quickly denied, snatching Emily's phone out of her hand. "If you miss school, the week of a game you don't get to play," Alex explained, referring to soccer. "Even though tomorrow's just a practice game it still counts, and there's no way I'm missing it. I'm starting."
"Well okay then," Emily laughed again. "I'm sure you can make your bus then, or Pen will drive you if you need a ride," she said. "Wouldn't want you to miss your game," she smiled.
"Exactly," Alex smiled. "Will you tell Mum I love her?"
"Of course," Emily nodded.
"Okay," Alex said, standing with Emily and wrapping her arms around her once again. "I love you Mom. I'm glad you're okay."
"Thanks Sweetie," Emily replied with a smile. "I love you too."
CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM
No one had wanted to wake JJ. Though they had all wanted to talk to the blonde; to hear from her that she was okay, no one had the heart to wake the sleeping media liaison, knowing that the stress of the day had taken a lot out of her. So the team had left, hugging Emily and giving their well wishes on the way out; Garcia and Morgan promising to get Alex to school, while the brunette herself took Alex's vacant chair next to her sleeping girlfriend. Taking JJ's hand in hers, Emily eventually rested her head against the bed, watching the blonde's breathing until she eventually drifted off herself.
It was nearly an hour later when Emily opened her eyes again, feeling a hand running over her head. Lifting her head the brunette suddenly felt the affects of the beating she had took; smiling despite the pain at the blonde in front of her.
"Hi," Emily whispered, feeling tears of relief stinging her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"I feel like I should be asking you that," JJ replied taking in her girlfriend's black eyes and swollen lip. "Can't say that's the best look for you," she attempted to joke, unable to hide the slight tremor in her voice.
"I'm okay Jen, really," Emily said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed as she pulled the blonde into a hug. "I mean my head is killing me but I'm really okay. I am so sorry I put you through this though," she said. "If I had known how today would turn out I never would have…"
"It's not your fault," JJ interrupted. "You couldn't have known," she said. "I was just so scared of what could have happened….and not knowing it was just….I was scared," she repeated, her eyes glassy with tears. "I'm so glad you're okay…well mostly okay," she smiled tearfully, giving the brunette a short kiss.
"You're feeling okay now? The baby's okay?" Emily asked, resting one hand on the blonde's swollen stomach.
"I'm feeling much better," JJ smiled. "And Dr. Morrison said everything looked good last night, but she said she'd check on him again this morning."
"Okay well what do you need until then?" Emily immediately asked. "What can I do?"
"You can sit right here," JJ said, patting the bed beside her. "And hold me. That's all I need right now."
"Well that I can do," Emily smiled, turning so she was leaning against the headboard with the blonde, wrapping an arm around her. "I love you," she said, turning and kissing JJ's head. "I love you so much."
CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM
"Mum? Mom?" Alex called when she got home from school that day, throwing her shoes off before running towards the family room where both women were seated on the couch, Emily rubbing JJ's feet. "You're home," the teen smiled, sitting on the edge of the couch and leaning over JJ to give her a hug. "Is everything okay," she asked, with JJ still holding her close.
"Everything is perfect," JJ replied, rubbing a hand up and down the teen's back as Emily watched on with a smile. "The baby is good. I'm good. We're all good," she explained. "I just need to do my best to keep my blood pressure down and get as much rest as possible."
"Despite the fact that she hates resting," Emily teased from the other end of the couch as Alex sat up. "She somehow convinced the doctor not to put her on bed rest though."
"Because I'm not missing that game tomorrow," JJ said, referring to Alex's practice game. "I want to watch my girl kick some butt," she said, making Alex laugh.
"I appreciate your dedication to my game," Alex giggled. "And what about you," she said, turning towards her brunette mother. "Are you okay?"
"Small concussion and some bruising obviously, but I'm good," Emily smiled. "No need to worry."
"Good," Alex replied, moving so she could give Emily a hug, sitting on her lap, just as the doorbell rang. "You guys expecting company?"
"I don't think so, but I have a pretty good feeling who that is," Emily replied, lifting Alex from her lap and depositing her onto the couch before making her way to the front door where she found the entire team waiting on the front porch. "Come on in," Emily smiled, knowing that they all wanted to see JJ. "Jen's on the couch," she told them unnecessarily since they were all already headed that way.
"Hey what are you guys doing here?" JJ asked as soon as she saw her coworkers and friends coming into the family room; Reid immediately bending over to give the blonde a hug. "Oh uh hi Reid."
"Are you okay?" The young genius asked, pulling away to look into JJ's eyes.
"I'm fine," JJ quickly assured him, reaching up and patting his cheek affectionately. "It was just a bit of a scare," she said, as the rest of the team took turns giving her hugs. "You guys really didn't have to come over here."
"Of course we did," Hotch was quick to disagree.
"We had to make sure our nephew to be and his Mama were okay," Garcia added.
"Plus we brought you your favourites," Rossi said, handing the blonde a bag of all her favourite treats, before taking a seat.
"Well in that case you guys rock," JJ smiled, peaking into the bag excitedly.
"We're just glad you're okay blondie," Morgan said as he sat with Garcia, Emily retaking her seat on the couch, smiling as Alex once again sat on her lap; not quite ready to be away from her mother yet. "You too Princess."
"Thanks buddy," Emily smiled, squeezing JJ's hand, who was now sitting up beside her, before wrapping her arms around Alex's waist. "I'm just glad everything turned out okay. I mean the day turned into such a mess but it all turned out okay."
"Thanks to you," Rossi said.
"Yeah I really owe you Em," Reid added, despite what the brunette had told him on their plane ride home.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, looking back at her mother, before turning back towards Reid questioningly. "Why do you owe her? What happened?" She asked, realizing she obviously didn't know the whole story.
"You didn't tell her?" Morgan asked in surprise.
"She didn't tell either of us," JJ said, looking towards her girlfriend who seemed to be blushing.
"It's…it's nothing," Emily said, looking pointedly towards Reid. "I told you it's not a big deal. And it wasn't your fault."
"What wasn't his fault?" Alex asked, once again looking from Reid to her mother and back again.
"Cyrus only knew that one of us was an FBI Agent," Reid replied, ignoring, or not quite noticing the look he was receiving from Emily. "Emily told him it was her in order to protect me."
"Yeah your mom's a hero," Morgan said, smiling at the teen who also had a big grin on her face.
"Of course she is," Alex replied, turning towards her mother with a smile. "She's my hero."
CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM
JJ was the first to arrive at Alex's soccer game the next afternoon. Since the blonde had nowhere to be all day she had left the house with more than enough time to get her to the game early; wanting to save seats for the team, a task, which she found unnecessary when she got to the field.
"JJ over here," Olivia called, waving from where she sat with Spencer and Zoey on a blanket at the side of the field, another blanket and a few empty folding chairs sitting beside them. "We saved places for you guys," she explained gesturing beside them. "The chairs are for you, Rossi and Hotch since you shouldn't have to sit on the ground and we figured Rossi and Hotch were too serious to sit on the ground."
"Well thank you Olivia," JJ replied with a laugh. "That's very considerate of you girls," she said as she took a seat on the chair closest to their blanket.
"When is everyone else coming?" Zoey asked.
"They should be on their way," JJ replied, checking her phone to see if she had any messages. "Hotch was letting everyone off early so they could all be here. Shouldn't be too long now."
"Mum!" JJ then heard; looking up to find Alex running towards her decked out in her soccer uniform, a big smile on her face. "Hey," she said, reaching the blonde and immediately leaning over to give her a hug. "I'm so glad you're here! Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm feeling great," JJ smiled, having been asked this question by the teen many times since she had gotten out of the hospital. "I'm ready to watch my girl kick these boys' butts though."
"It's just a practice game," Alex laughed. "The guys are a lot bigger than us, but we've got a lot of speed," she then added. "Coach thinks we have the advantage because the boys will probably get cocky and we make better passes, but who knows."
"You know it's okay to say you want to win," Spencer said from where she sat on the blanket. "Even if it is a practice game," she said, raising an eyebrow, Alex eventually laughing.
"Okay, I want to kick their asses," Alex laughed. "Sorry butts," she corrected turning towards JJ who look rather amused.
"Well you better get moving your team is warming up," JJ said, nodding her head towards the field. "Good luck babe," she added, Alex leaning down and kissing her on the cheek. "And Lex," she called when the teen had moved to join her team, turning back to face the blonde. "Kick some ass."
"You got it," Alex smiled, waving at JJ and her friends before rejoining her team.
JJ watched with admiration as Alex began running drills with her team, impressed by the teen's speed and ball handling skills. Alex was one of the younger girls on the team, but the blonde could easily tell that she was one of the best. JJ was so immersed in watching Alex practice that she didn't even hear her team approaching, jumping slightly when Emily leaned around from behind her to kiss her cheek.
"Hey you," JJ smiled, waving to the rest of the team as they all found places to sit; Hotch and Rossi naturally falling into the chairs beside her. "How was work?"
"Work was fine," Emily shrugged, sitting on the blanket next to the blonde's chair and beside Spencer. "I missed you though. How was your day?"
"It was fi…what is Garcia wearing? Is that Alex on her shirt?" JJ asked, sounding both horrified and amused.
"Of course it is," Emily replied rolling her eyes. "Poor kid is never going to tell Garcia when she plays ever again. I'm pretty sure she has pom poms, and a sign, which Morgan has been trying to discourage her from bringing all day."
"Oh we're going to owe Lex big after this," JJ laughed, just as Garcia shouted to get the teen's attention, waving frantically; JJ laughing as she saw Alex's eyes widen and her face redden. "Really big."
"Oh yeah," Emily agreed, just as both teams took their places so the game could start. "I wonder if she's nervous. She doesn't look nervous. Do you think she's nervous?"
"Nah she's got this," Spencer replied, shaking her head. "She seemed pretty confident all day. I think once they have their first real game she'll feel a little more pressure, but she just really wants to beat these boys."
"Especially since they've all been going around school saying how they're going to beat the girls so bad," Olivia added, before turning towards the field and shouting "Go Lex!"
"So I guess this officially makes us soccer moms huh?" Emily said quietly so only JJ, who was watching Alex intently, could hear.
"We are," JJ smiled. "And I am so excited about it."
"Me too," Emily laughed, looking around and feeling grateful to be surrounded by most of her family as she turned her attention towards her daughter, who took off as soon as the ball was kicked. "Go Lex!"