Florida cases were always the worst, and this one seemed to be the worst of all. JJ wasn't dumb, she knew that something was up with Erin, even if the older woman wouldn't come right out and say it. And so, JJ had taken to watching her as the case progressed, seeing how frazzled and nervous she became as things dragged on.

Emily had noticed the scrutiny that JJ was paying their boss, and had started throwing questioning looks her way, too. Finally, she couldn't stand the looks any longer, and so she had dragged Emily into the bathroom, locking the door behind them. "Just ask the question that's on your mind, Em."

"Why are you so concerned about Strauss?" she asked, confusion tinging her voice.

JJ had been expecting a question like that, and yet she still found herself shrugging a little. Her feelings were tied up to her assignment in Afghanistan, and she knew that she couldn't divulge a lot of the particulars behind that. "There's more to her than we know, Emily," she finally replied, biting her lips as she drifted over to the sinks and rested her hands on one, staring into the mirror. "I wish that I could tell you more…"

"But you were on a classified mission that you can't really talk about, not even with your closest friends."

She whirled around and stared at Emily, feeling her mouth open and close like a fish. "How?"

"I was a CIA agent, Cheeto Breath, I think I know a little about trying to cover my tracks and making a believable lie. Was Strauss with you, wherever you were?" She nodded. "And that let you see a different side of her."

"Yeah. We were in close quarters, and it was just the two of us women. I mean, it's not like we bonded and had sleepovers and did each other's hair while gossiping about our lovers, but I learned enough about her to be concerned when I can see that something's wrong."

Emily nodded as she joined her by the sinks, resting her ass against one as she reached out for JJ's hand. "And what do you think is wrong?"

"I wish that I could tell you. Our assignment was…difficult to say the least, and there's a small part of me that wishes I could have gotten a little closer to her. I don't think that she has many close friends, you know?"

"You don't get to be Section Chief of the BAU by being nice, Jayje." Emily squeezed her hand before turning and facing her. "Though it is nice that you're concerned. Everyone needs someone who looks out for them."

"Thanks," she said as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "So, now you know why I'm concerned. I just hope that Rossi can help her out."

"Ooh, you don't think that they're a couple, do you?"

Once more, JJ shrugged. "I couldn't really say, though they have seemed a little friendlier since I returned to the BAU."

"That is the best office gossip ever, JJ. I so have to tell Garcia your theory."

"NO! Seriously, if they have a good thing going, I don't want to mess it up with loose lips. I mean, she has a lot more to lose than he does."

Emily frowned a little as JJ narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she sighed out moments later. "We'll do it your way."

"Good."

The rest of the day passed in a blur, though she did notice Derek and Hotch having a heated talk at one point. Though she had wanted to see what was up, she also didn't want to be on the receiving end of Hotch's displeasure. And so, when she went to sleep that night, she found her slumber troubled as she tossed and turned, trying to find some peace in Slumber Land.

JJ drifted off at last, but her rest was soon interrupted by a strange nightmare. Though she knew that she was dreaming, that none of what she was seeing was real, she still couldn't seem to wake up, and she felt her breathing speed up as she ran towards Erin and her baby. The woman was holding her in her arms, and JJ could tell that the woman was trying her best to protect her from the dragon that was chasing them. And it seemed like no matter what JJ tried to do to catch up to them, it was never enough. Finally, the dragon caught up to Erin and her baby, and the older woman crouched down, trying to protect the child from the fiery blast.

As the smoke cleared, and JJ beheld the charred remains of the woman and her baby, she began to scream. And it was then that she felt someone trying to shake her awake. With a loud, gasping, breath, she opened her eyes, staring into the concerned faces of Erin and Emily. "Are you all right?" the older woman asked, stopping her hand before it touched her hair. JJ knew, in her heart of hearts, that she had been going to smooth her hair back, and the thought of the gesture made her tear up as she shook her head.

"Was it another nightmare?" Emily asked, completing the motion that Erin felt she couldn't do.

"Another nightmare?" JJ asked, looking between the two women for confirmation of Emily's words.

"Yes, you've had them every night. You've always snapped out of them on your own before tonight. Do you want to talk about it?" Erin took a seat on her bed, folding her legs up close to her chest as if she felt uncomfortable and exposed by even asking that question. Emily followed suit, her eyes never leaving JJ as she waited for answers.

Swallowing thickly, JJ sat up and copied Erin's body position, letting her chin come to rest on her knees. "You were in it, Erin."

The woman blanched before looking away from her. "Why were you dreaming about me?" she asked, the softness of her voice doing little to mask how insecure she sounded in that moment.

"Because I'm concerned about you. I know that something's up, that you don't really want to talk about it, and that's okay. It's just that my subconscious is filling in the details that I don't know and making them seem monstrous." Fat tears began to slip down her cheeks, and she flicked them away with the knuckle of her pointer finger.

"Oh," Erin breathed out as she reached out and rested one hand on JJ's knee, her thumb rubbing back and forth a little. "I'm going to disappoint you, even more than I already have." The older woman looked between both of them, and then she gazed back down at her legs. "I don't apologize very often, but this time, I really am sorry. And I know that this is the night talking, allowing me to be vulnerable, but if I could change things, I would."

The tenderness in Erin's voice made JJ choke up even more, yet when she reached out to her, she pulled away, shaking her head a little as she slipped off the bed and went back to her own, crawling beneath the covers and turning her back to them. JJ knew that move quite well, since she had used it on Will a time or two before, when she was completely done with being open and honest, because it hurt too much to even think of saying or hearing more.

Emily opened her mouth, but JJ shook her head, pressing one finger against her lips as she stretched out on the mattress once more. "Stay with me until I fall asleep again?" she murmured, looking up at her best friend trustingly.

"Of course, Jayje," she replied, stroking her hair as JJ closed her eyes and struggled to go to sleep once more.