"I really put my foot in my mouth, JJ," Penelope wailed as JJ answered her phone shortly after she had headed home for the night. It had been a bit draining to hear Blake run both Erin and Penelope down, and while she knew that the woman was trying to grow accustomed to the way that the team worked, JJ had still found herself getting a little cross with her as the case had worn on. Which meant that things were now a little more strained between them than she would have liked. Yet, she couldn't help but defend Penelope.

"She'll get over it. Once she and Strauss really talk, I think that everything will blow over."

"I didn't know that they knew each other."

JJ winced, wondering if she should have revealed that information. "Yeah, I guess so. Blake mentioned something about it a few cases ago."

"Huh, I guess that explains the little powwow that I'm witnessing right now. Strauss looks really open to Blake, but Blake is just shutting her out."

JJ smiled a little as she turned onto her street. "Blake's a tough nut to crack. We're going to have to be really kind to her, I think, so that she'll open up to us."

"I suppose. It's just really hard to get used to new people, you know? I miss Emily, and it's been less than a week since I saw her last. Why do things have to change?"

"Because without change, there can't be growth."

"Way to be deep there, Jayje. I'll keep that in mind though, as I deal with her. I mean, you do like her, right?"

"I do. She just has to warm up to us. I mean, even Emily had her moments."

"I know. Well, I should probably let you go. Talk to you later?"

"Always." They hung up just as JJ was pulling into her driveway, and she sighed as she saw that all the lights in the house were on. This was a new thing with Henry, he claimed that the lights helped him sleep better, but it frustrated her to no end. A small part of her wanted to coddle him, let him indulge in this new behavior. But her more practical side told her that it was ridiculous to let him go on like that, since it didn't really address his fears, it just let him gloss over them.

Shaking her head, she slipped into the house and dropped her go bag off in the laundry room before making her way upstairs. Veering off to see if Henry was asleep, she turned off the hall light as she stepped into his room. A tiny smile curved her lips up as she took in the sight of her son, flopped out on his back, his mouth open as he breathed in and out deeply. Heading over to his side, she pulled the covers up around his shoulders before placing a tender kiss on his forehead. "I love you, my little star," she whispered before making her way over to the door. Taking one last look at her dear son, she turned the overhead light off and then made her way into the bathroom.

With heavy arms, she quickly stripped and stepped into the shower, knowing that if she didn't do so quickly, she'd take the lazy way out and just crawl into bed without washing. Still, she hurried through her shower, wanting to get clean as quickly as possible. After washing her hair, she stepped out of the shower and pulled a towel around her body before heading out into her bedroom.

Will was also fast asleep, a smile on his lips, and JJ wondered once more at just how much her son looked like him, knowing that meant she would have a little heartbreaker on her hands in just a few short years. Rummaging through the drawers, she pulled out an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

After dressing for bed, she slipped between the covers and snuggled in close to Will. Automatically, his arm went around her waist, and JJ wondered if he really was asleep. "Will?" she whispered, turning in his embrace to poke his chest softly. "Are you still awake?"

There was no response, and she shook her head a little before turning back over and trying to fall asleep. It seemed like sleep was far away from her, though, as she thought about the tension that crackled between Erin and Blake. There was certain to be a dustup there, it was only a matter of when that would happen. And JJ wasn't exactly certain whose side she would take. After all, she didn't want to create waves in the team, as they had to work so closely together. But Erin needed someone to champion her, someone who would take her side openly. She wasn't certain that Rossi would do that, since it seemed like they were trying to keep their relationship quiet.

"Way to get yourself stuck in a sticky situation, Jareau. No matter who you choose to side with, you're going to be letting someone down," she muttered as she closed her eyes and began to count sheep. JJ made it to nine hundred before she gave up on sleep and turned onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she tapped Will's shoulder until he woke up, giving her a black look.

"What is it, Jen?" he bit out as he looked at the time. "It's the middle of the night."

"And I can't sleep. Do you have any of those pills left?"

A weird look passed over his features quickly, before being replaced with his placid, boyish, smile. "Yeah, I think that I have a few left. Let me go get one."

He clambered out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom. She listened to him rattle around in the medicine cabinet before turning the water on and then off a few moments later. "Thanks," she replied as she took the pill and glass from his hand, popping the capsule into her mouth and quickly washing it down with the water. Setting the glass on the nightstand, she flopped back down onto the mattress and sighed deeply. "How long do these take to work?" she asked as Will crawled in next to her.

"You have to relax, Jen. If you're too tense, the pills won't work."

She nodded and closed her eyes, taking a few deep, slow, breaths, welcoming the heaviness of sleep that began to curl around the corners of her mind. Soon, she found that she was experiencing the sweet fall that happened to her just before slumber, and she smiled a little.

Just before she was fully under, though, she began to hear the familiar refrain that had haunted her dreams, telling her that she was doing nothing good with her life, that she hadn't really changed from the selfish person that she was. "It's no wonder that Blake doesn't like you, you haven't made her really feel welcome. Maybe you should drop your friendship with Erin, if you really want to make things better between the two of you. Then again, you always were like a child with your friends, wanting to hoard them and not share with anyone else."

She wanted to talk back to that voice, but found that she couldn't, that it was too much, and she fell into a deeper, more troubled, sleep as she tried not to think about what her psyche was telling her.