Twelve hours later, JJ found herself a little buzzed as she stood on top of the bar about to be doused in ice water. Seeing Emily in the crowd, camera in hand, made her begin to rethink her participation in the misogynistic contest.
She wasn't alone in her hesitation, one of her competitors was obviously being coaxed by her, rather drunk, group of friends. Despite the fact there had been an onslaught of victims abducted from said location, the bar was busy with patrons. The hotel owner had been correct in saying the town would be full of people in town for the rodeo. It was apparently an annual tradition to hold the skeazy wet t-shirt contest the night before the start of the rodeo, some sort of local good luck charm. JJ was convinced it was more logically just a tourist trap, to boast sales at the seedy bar in the middle of a podunk town.
JJ hadn't planned on the night unfolding in the way it had, because surely, if she had somehow predicted her current involvement in a wet t-shirt contest, she wouldn't have worn such a sheer white blouse. But she reminded herself, they were there to draw attention, so she had used her outfit choice to her advantage, making one minor adjustment moments before climbing on top of the bar.
Her position gave her a good vantage point to look around at the men in the crowd to see if anyone matched their profile, she also kept an eye on the bartender from the night before, who was eyeing her from his seat nearby. The MC for the event announced a countdown with everyone cheering when they collectively reached 'zero'. JJ didn't even have a chance to prepare before the needle sharp pain of ice water poured over her head and down her top.
Now that she was standing there, soaking wet, she glanced down the line of other contestants. She grinned to herself, knowing her last minute idea was sure to pay off. The MC asked the crowd to applaud for their favorite contestant as he showed off the brunette on the far side of the bar, then worked his way down to JJ on the other end. When he got to her, she did a sassy turn and stretched her arms to pull the fabric of her blouse tight to her skin, her bare skin, since she had removed her bra for the competition. As soon as she revealed her secret, the crowd erupt in applause. She won by a landslide and was rewarded with a free bar tab for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately for her, she and Emily were still on the job, which meant she had already hit her advisable drinking limit.
Her ploy to win clearly worked to get people's attention, because three different men fought each other to get the chance to help JJ off the bar. She was given a towel, which one of the men tried to help wrap around her shoulders a bit too eagerly. She quickly took the towel out of his hands, forcing a small nod of appreciation before she pushed through the throng of people to go find Emily again.
Emily was sitting at a table, her face still a bit slack-jaw at JJ's performance. Clearly, men weren't the only ones who had enjoyed the blonde's stunt.
"Jesus, Jayje! Where the hell is your bra?" Emily asked. Unable to advert her eyes from the thin fabric that was clinging to JJ's wet chest and pert nipples. JJ towelled her hair and pulled her bra out of her purse with a devilish grin.
"She's not wearing a bra!?" Derek asked over the comm.
"Hotch said we had to be sure to catch the unsub's eye tonight..." JJ replied..
"Not what I had in mind Agent Jareau!" By his tone, JJ knew he was making, what the team had named, the 'Hotch Face'. Basically just his general disapproving look when any of them made an ill-advised decision, which was fairly frequent.
"Well, assuming he's here, I think my quick thinking should have done the trick." JJ smiled, giving Emily a quick wink, then excused herself to go redress. She was happily aware Emily's heavy gaze remained on her while she worked her way towards the bathroom.
Upon returning, JJ sat next to Emily and leaned in placing her lips close to the brunette's ear, whispering to be sure the rest of the team couldn't hear, "It's only fair don't you think? I mean I already saw you naked today."
Emily bit her lip to keep from whimpering at the innuendo, even if JJ had a point. Emily was actually having a lovely time on their 'date', if she ignored the fact they were actually searching for a serial killer. She remembered her conversation with Detective Barner and smiled, maybe, once they got back to DC, she would work up the courage to ask JJ out on a real date.
"So what do you think?" JJ asked.
"I think you deserved to win, because you were easily the most gorgeous person on that bar," Emily concluded, with a wistful smile.
"Em, I meant about the unsub. Have you noticed anyone?" JJ clarified.
Emily turned scarlet, realising her mistake. She shook her head and sipped at her beer. "I'm going to get some water, do you want something to drink since it's on the bar anyway?"
JJ knew she shouldn't, since she was already a bit buzzed, but she agreed to another round, consoling her conscious by deciding it was all part of her act. JJ watched Emily's interaction at the bar, unable to take her eyes off the brunette.
Emily approached the bartender and nodded back at the blonde who waved to prove the drink was, in fact, for her. He didn't seem too pleased, but he poured the beer and Emily smiled politely, then made her way back.
"What about that guy? He hasn't taken his eyes off of you since we walked in," Emily questioned, nodding across the room at a man sitting at a table alone.
"I don't know, he just doesn't give me the serial killer vibe," JJ sighed. She was beginning to think their operation was a total bust. Sensing JJ's dismay, Emily took her by the hand, pulling her towards the dance floor to continue looking around for suspicious characters.
After three hours, the crowd of patrons started to dwindle and with no obvious suspects, Hotch finally decided to call it a night, subsequently ending Emily and JJ's 'date'. Although their efforts at the bar seemingly proved fruitless, Hotch decided to err on the side of caution, deciding to send JJ and Emily to a safe house for the night, just in case the unsub had plans to follow them home like he had done with the Jacobsons.
The pair loaded into their SUV and made their way to the outskirts of town to a small home via directions Penelope had helpfully sent to their GPS before they left the bar. It was past midnight when Emily parked in the driveway and although she wouldn't admit it, JJ was quite drunk.
Emily went to the passenger door to help JJ, who tried to swat away the hand Emily offered her.
"I'm fine," JJ argued. She got out of the vehicle, but stumbled, making her quickly grab the door handle to keep from falling over.
"Yeah, clearly," Emily laughed. She offered her hand again and JJ begrudgingly took it so they could walk up the drive to the quaint dwelling.
The home was simple on the inside with just the basic necessities needed to make it seem lived in. Emily was shocked the local police department even had a safe house in such a small town, but apparently when the town wasn't being terrorised by a serial killer, the LEOs mostly spent their time trying to bust illegal drug operations. The house wasn't much, but it would be fine for the night as part of their ruse.
Emily went straight to the kitchen, to look around for some source of caffeine to help sober JJ up a bit.
"That smells like exactly what I need," JJ said, coming to join Emily. She was wearing an oversized sweatshirt she had found in the bedroom closet, since she had nothing else to wear after having a quick shower.
"Thought it may prevent a hangover," Emily replied, pouring JJ a cup.
"A hangover would imply I'm drunk!"
"Are you still trying to convince me that you aren't?" Emily asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.
JJ opened her mouth, then closed it promptly, suddenly realising just how much her head was swimming. She simply shrugged in agreement and sat down at the table, gladly accepting the fresh coffee.
"Well, tonight was a total waste," JJ finally said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them.
"I don't know, maybe not a total waste," Emily grinned. "I basically got to see you topless."
"Woooow, Em. Glad you're keeping your head on the case," JJ joked. "Although, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the view." She winked in Emily's direction and delighted seeing the rose tint in the brunette's cheeks. They chatted about the evening, drinking nearly an entire pot of coffee between them, neither one wanting to go to bed just yet. When JJ began to yawn, Emily suggested they should try and get some rest.
"I guess you're right," JJ admitted with another yawn. "I just drank three cups of coffee, why am I so tired?" JJ frowned into her empty cup.
Emily shrugged. What she dared not tell JJ was she had purposely made decaf, so JJ would actually be able to sleep. JJ famously refused to drink decaf coffee, stating she might as well just drink water.
Upon reaching the bedroom they both laughed seeing as there was, of course, one bed.
"Well I guess the universe is trying to tell us something," JJ joked. She slipped into the bed and patted the other side with a sly smile. "Coming to bed, Mrs. Hartwell?"
"It's fine, I should stay up and keep watch," Emily decided. She tried to ignore the familiar tingle deep in her stomach.
"Nonsense, the boys are keeping a watchful eye outside. Why don't you come lay down with me, Em?"
Emily couldn't resist the way JJ smiled at her expectantly, batting her lashes innocently. Emily knew she needed the sleep, so she laid down next to JJ, but stayed on top of the covers, fully clothed.
"Really?" JJ asked.
"I don't have anything to change in to," Emily admitted.
"At least take off your jeans, they can't be comfortable. And get under the covers it's chilly," JJ insisted. Emily rolled her eyes, before getting up and slipping out of her skin tight jeans. She slipped her bra off without taking off her shirt, a skill which all bra wearers innately possess, then finally crawled under the covers. Unlike the king size bed in the hotel room, this was only a double so there wasn't much wiggle room between two grown adults. Emily reached over to flip off the lamp, allowing the ambient lighting from the street to dimly spill through the window.
"Goodnight, Emily," JJ whispered drowsily. She moved closer to Emily, naturally wrapping her arm across Emily's stomach protectively.
Emily's heart raced having JJ nestled against her so closely she could feel the blonde's breath against her neck. "Night, Jennifer"
For the second night in a row she was going to sleep snuggled in the same bed with JJ, although she wasn't one to complain. Usually, she felt nearly suffocated if she tried to sleep in close proximity with someone else, but JJ's presence didn't feel suffocating, it felt safe. She had become so accustomed to sleeping alone, it had taken her nearly six months to get used to even Sergio sharing her bed, now she had JJ wrapped around her and everything felt unusually right.
Emily jolted awake when she heard the unmistakable sound of glass breaking. She instinctively reached for her gun, which she usually kept on top of the nightstand while on a case, but she didn't have her firearm with her. She nudged JJ quietly and placed her finger to her lips to make sure the blonde stayed silent. JJ's ears perked up, when she realized what was happening.
Emily took out her phone, turned on the flashlight and sent their pre-arranged distress signal out the window in the direction of the team's surveillance van. She only hoped whomever was on shift could see the light and hadn't fallen asleep. Before she had time to think, the bedroom door swung open. In one movement, JJ managed to get behind their supposed attacker and place him in a choke hold.
He was larger than her, but she had the element of surprise and the right angle to subdue him. He frantically reached for her, as Emily landed a swift knee to his groin, being unable to use her broken hand. He doubled over and managed to yelp, "Guys it's me!"
"Morgan?" Emily asked into the darkness, she stumbled to the lamp and clicked it on.
Morgan laid on the ground, holding his crotch, groaning miserably.
"What the hell?" Emily exclaimed.
He held up his hand to communicate he couldn't quite make audible words just yet. Emily smiled at his obvious pain and JJ couldn't help laugh at the situation.
"You scared the shit out of us!" Emily said once he finally caught his breath.
"I was checking on you guys! I heard glass break," he explained.
"I heard it too," she confirmed.
"Well no one's in the house, except you and Chokehold McGee here," he stated. Glaring at JJ and instinctively rubbing his throat.
"Sorry, Derek," JJ laughed. "But I mean at least I didn't knee you in the junk!"
Emily rolled her eyes before bursting into laughter. JJ joined in, laughing at their friend's expense. Derek looked back and forth between them with a pointed look, causing them to stop and wait for him to voice whatever he was trying to work out.
"What?" Emily asked.
"Why aren't either of you wearing pants?" he smiled as he winked at Emily.
"Damnit, Derek! Get your head out of the gutter," JJ admonished. She threw a pillow at him jokingly, although she was very aware of what it looked like. One bed, neither of the women wearing much clothing, after spending the evening at a bar together. It did seem suggestive.
"Look, this whole charade obviously hasn't been anything but a train wreck. Why don't we all just go back to the hotel and come up with a new plan tomorrow. There has to be someone at the bar who has seen something helpful," Emily decided.
"Agreed," Derek said. "We could all use some sleep, maybe we'll find something if we look at everything with fresh eyes tomorrow. I'm going to call Hotch and let him know." he pointed to them with a waggle of his eyebrows, "you two should get dressed."
He left the room and Emily slipped into her pants as JJ changed back into her outfit. Minutes later, they joined Derek and Reid in the kitchen. Reid was holding the remains of a beer bottle, which appeared to be the culprit of the noise everyone had heard.
"Found this outside, someone must have thrown it out of a car and it smashed into the side of the house," Reid reported to Derek.
"Nice to see you too, Reid," Emily said softly. They had barely spoken since the day before and he apparently was still giving her the silent treatment.
"Hotch agreed that we should just pack it up and call it a night. We'll go back to the hotel and regroup in the morning with local PD. We're going to run the backgrounds of everyone who works at the bar again and go from there, it's not much, but it's more than the jackshit we have currently," Derek explained.
The women locked up the house, waving to their fellow agents when they pulled away from the house. JJ insisted on driving, seeing as she had sobered up and it was rather difficult for Emily due to her cast. Emily didn't argue, she just took her place in the passenger seat.
"I'm beginning to feel like we're never going to catch this asshole," Emily sighed. She cracked the window, taking in a deep breath to enjoy the crisp breeze.
"We'll catch him, Emily. We always do," JJ reassured as she reached over and patted the brunette's thigh. "It hasn't been all bad, though. I would be lying if I said I haven't enjoyed our time together," JJ looked ahead at the road, to hide how flustered she felt saying it out loud. She took a steady breath before adding, "I could get used to this, you know."
From her peripherals she could tell Emily was looking at her, she glanced over to see the questioning expression of the brunette.
"Us, Emily," JJ whispered to clarify. "I could get used to us"