The slight truce that JJ and Emily had reached before the case turned out to be a blessing, since the case was longer and more brutal than she had anticipated. And when Erin had called that third evening, peevish and snappy, JJ had responded in kind, feeling pulled apart at the seams by everything that was jostling for her attention. "I don't have time for this, Erin. I need to focus on bringing down this unsub."

"Well, I'm sorry for having bothered you. I just needed to hear my lover's voice, to try and have her talk me down off this ledge I'm facing. I'll let Henry talk to you now, you can say goodnight to him."

Before she could say another word, her lover had moved the phone away from her ear, and JJ could hear the way she moved through the house until she had reached Henry's room. In the background, she listened to Erin tell Henry who it was on the phone, and then she had to smile her way through a conversation with her son. She could hear the confusion in his voice, and while she had tried to reassure him that everything was fine, JJ felt like he knew that she was lying to him. He was perceptive, like all children were perceptive about their parents, and it tore at her heart to have to lie to him. And then Erin ended the call before she could say another word, which was another dagger to her heart.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked when she returned with a bag of food, plopping down on her bed. "Jayje, you look like your world just collapsed around you."

She shrugged as she pulled her knees up to her chest. "Erin needed to talk to me about something, something important, and I blew her off because I was more focused on this unsub, and catching him, and being frustrated with how little progress we've made. She let me talk to Henry, but she hung up before I could say anything more to her."

JJ felt the first tears start to tremble at the corners of her eyes, but didn't dare look up to see the expression on Emily's face. She didn't trust Erin yet, which was understandable, given what had happened between the two of them. But she still felt better for having spoken about her sorrows. "Did you try calling her back?"

"No."

"Well, you won't clear the air between you if you don't hold out olive branches for her to accept. You say that you love her…"

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe you need to just call one more time tonight."

"Okay," she murmured as she reached down for her phone. Her hands trembled a little as she unlocked the device and brought up her call log, touching Erin's name and bringing the phone to her ear. The number of rings that buzzed in her ear disheartened her, but at the last moment, the call connected, and she took a deep breath. "Please, Erin, don't hang up."

"Henry knows there's something wrong."

"He's good at knowing these things."

JJ hated how stilted her words sounded, knowing that it would be better if she could be there with Erin, looking into her eyes, being able to read her emotions. On the other end of the line, she could hear the shuddering breaths that Erin was taking, and her heart cracked a little more. "I don't want to talk right now. I'm jagged, and I know that I would take my pain out on you, and we'd fight, and I'm not there to apologise and make up. Jenny…"

"I know, we both kinda fucked up this conversation, didn't we?"

"We did. When you get home, no matter the time, we'll talk about this, work through it, and I'll tell you what's breaking my heart right now. But I love you."

"I love you, too, Erin." The first tears started to roll down her cheeks, and JJ swiped them away with the knuckles of her free hand. "This isn't goodbye."

"Never that, I love you too much for that."

"Good. We'll talk tomorrow night, like usual, and save the thorny conversation to when we're face to face. Stay safe out there, sweet Jenny."

"I will. Stay safe there at home, darling Erin."

They ended the call without saying goodbye, which seemed perfect for the tone of their conversation. JJ pressed the phone to her chest as she tried to regain control over her emotions, staring at the carpet without really seeing anything. "You know what will make you feel better?"

She lifted her head to look at Emily and shook her head a little. "No, what?"

"Going out and getting something to eat. Either greasy or overly sweet. Maybe a bag of Cheetos. Anything that is unhealthy for you, but delicious. And see if Rossi will drive you."

"Why Rossi?"

"He has a history with Strauss. He'll be able to answer questions you might have to help heal whatever this weirdness is between you right now. And if you ever tell her that I am being slightly kind to her, I will deny it until the day I die. I just don't like seeing you so sad, when she so clearly makes you happy."

JJ gave Emily a fleeting smile before getting to her feet and heading over to the door. She slipped her phone and keycard into her back pocket before leaving, and then swiftly made her way over to the room that Rossi and Hotch were sharing. It took her a few moments before she gathered the courage to knock on the door, but the moment that Rossi opened it, she knew that she had made the right decision. "What are you doing here, Jen?"

"I was hoping that you hadn't eaten yet. Emily brought back food, and I realised that I haven't eaten, and wanted a companion."

He looked at her closely before nodding. "I think that we could head out for something, sure." He reached out to pat her shoulder before turning to look into the room. "Hey, Hotch, do you want anything while we're out?"

"Bring me back a chocolate shake from somewhere," the other man called out, and she smiled a little at him over Dave's shoulder. "But you'll need your wallet."

Hotch brought that over to him before pressing something into JJ's hand. "See you soon, Hotch," she said as they made their way down to the elevators. Dave pressed the down button before stepping back to JJ's side and resting his hand on her shoulder. "Thanks," she murmured as she gave him a brief smile.

"What's wrong? Do I need to call and lay into Erin?"

She shook her head. "We're going to talk about our jagged edge when I'm home from this case. She had something important to talk with me about, and I brushed her off. She said that she didn't want to get into an argument with me over the phone when we couldn't be together to work out the issue. Will, he would have had no problems yelling at me, so…"

They stepped onto the elevator and he pressed the button for the ground floor before turning to look at her. "So you don't know how to deal with this different type of argument." She nodded and tried to draw in a deep breath, but that just made her feel like she was going to cry once more. "She wasn't always like that. How much has she told you about Victor? About their marriage?"

JJ shrugged as she racked her brain for what she knew about the man and the marriage. "I know that he was cruel to Erin, that he didn't listen to her no's in the bedroom. I know that our physical relationship took that much longer because of the way he treated her. I hate him for how he's treated their children, and her. Why?"

He sighed a little as they stepped out into the lobby and went out to the SUVs. To her surprise, he got behind the wheel and pulled out into traffic. "I have my issues with Erin, we both know that. But I wanted her out of that Hell long before she finally left. I watched her go from feisty and fierce to quiet and withdrawn when she spoke to or about him. She took her anger out on us, on her colleagues, because we were safe. I saw the bruises, but I did nothing because she played dirty pool and stepped on the backs of her friends to move up the ladder. I suppose now, that she's with you, I can see the idealistic young woman who stepped into the BSU with her best friend, ready to take on the world, only to have that optimism ripped away from her piece by piece."

"Her best friend?"

Dave glanced over at JJ, a sheepish look on his face. "After your talk when you get home, ask her to tell you about Alex Blake. There are still things that you haven't spoken about, and this is an important one that you need to know about. But coming back around to Victor, he stole so much from her, but I didn't care because she was so dismissive of me. Don't be like me, don't be stupid. Treat her kindly and give her the compassion that she desperately needs."

JJ nodded as she relaxed back in her seat and stared out at the passing traffic. "How do I woo her? I feel like she's given me so much, that she's tucked away pieces of herself so that I can be more comfortable, and I've given her nothing."

Dave let out a sardonic little chuckle as he shook his head. "Hotch has told me a little about what he's seen in the two of you. How she's freer and kinder than she's been in years. You might feel like you haven't given her anything, but you're wrong. You've given her freedom, and that can be the most precious gift of all. Now, if you want to talk material objects you can give her, what did you like to get from Will?"

"Flowers."

"That's good, because she loves flowers. I mean, you have seen the small garden she has in the corner of her office, haven't you?" JJ nodded. "So, if you go with plants or flowers, you know that she'll love it. Chocolates?" JJ shook her head. "Worried about the calories?"

"No," she said as she reached over and smacked his shoulder lightly. "She prefers cookies and cupcakes to chocolates. I'm the one that could devour an entire box of chocolates in one sitting."

"I'll keep that in mind, Jen," he said as they continued to drive. "Oh! Could we stop at Steak 'N' Shake? That way we can get Hotch his shake, and I really want their cheese fries."

Again, Dave laughed as he turned into the parking lot and then pulled into the drive-thru. "Do you want anything else?"

She nodded, giving him a little grin. "A double cheeseburger, extra pickles, a strawberry shake, and a small Coke, no ice."

"All right," he replied, giving her a small wink as they crawled forward. It didn't take long for them to reach the speaker, and he placed their order, asking that the three separate orders be placed in different bags. That was when JJ looked at what Hotch had pressed into her hand and she smiled before handing it over to Dave. "Trust Hotch to look out for us," he said as he took the money from her hand and added it to what he had pulled out from his wallet.

She was surprised at how quickly their order was completed, and after she'd set their bags on the floor by her feet, JJ took hold of the drink tray and then Dave was starting the drive back to the hotel. "So, do you think that I'm completely insane for loving her as much as I do?"

"No. I loved Carolyn just as much as you love Erin. There might be something a little crazy about allowing another person to consume so much of your self, but it's the best sort of madness. I truly wish that nothing ever separates the two of you, because love looks so good on both of you."

JJ let out a little noise before pursing her lips together in an effort not to cry once more. "Dammit, Rossi, you're not supposed to make me cry!"

He reached over and patted her shoulder lightly. "I can't help if you're sensitive right now. Did you want to eat with me and Hotch when we get back, or go back to Emily?"

"I think that I'll eat with you two. Emily might be sick of looking at my face right now, since it took a lot out of her to even suggest how I can make things better between Erin and me."

Dave nodded as he pulled into their hotel, and she danced in her seat as he parked before taking the drink tray from her hand and getting out of the SUV. She followed with the food, and they rode up the elevator in a comfortable silence. Rossi knocked on the door with his foot, and moments later, Hotch opened the door and welcomed them in. "That didn't take you long."

"They were quick. I'm just hoping that they got everything correct," Dave said as he gestured towards the table by the window. She nodded and brought the bags over before taking a seat and opening them to find hers. "And I thought that you might like something to eat with your shake, so I got you a burger and fries."

"Thanks, Dave," Hotch said as he took a seat across from JJ, grabbing the bag she held out to him before picking up his shake and stabbing a straw into it. "So, are you feeling better now?"

JJ tried not to roll her eyes as she thrust Dave's bag at him. "Am I really that transparent?" she muttered as she pulled out her cheese fries and set it on the table, fishing around for a fork so that she wouldn't get her fingers dirty as she ate.

"A little, but I also saw how red your eyes were, which told me you'd been crying. Care to talk about it?"

She shook her head as she dug into her food. "Rossi and I talked it out on the way to get food. But thanks for asking. It's just the growing pains of a relationship."

Hotch gave her a tender smile before reaching across the table and patting her hand gently. "But you're communicating, yes?"

"Yes. We're just avoiding the problem until I'm home and can talk face to face. Erin said that she didn't want to have an argument where we couldn't apologise in person. I still hate the idea that I hurt her, though."

"You could send her flowers," he suggested as he leaned back in his chair.

"I've already recommended she buy Erin a new plant when we get home."

"Have her favourite lunch delivered, then. It's a tangible expression of love."

She lifted her eyebrows as she pulled out her cheeseburger and took a large bite, chewing as she nodded. "That's a great idea, Hotch. Thanks." Using her free hand, she dug her phone out of her pocket and looked up Erin's preferred lunch place. It was easy enough to order something for Erin and Helen, to be delivered at noon. Once that was in place, she sent off a quick email to Helen, letting her know what she had planned. She didn't want Erin to end up ordering another meal, because that would defeat the purpose of her surprise.

"So, not to talk shop, but do either of you feel like we're still days away from catching this jagoff?"

She looked over at Dave, seeing that he was pointing at them with a fry, a frustrated look on his face. She nodded, feeling the same way about the case. "And that just means I'm that much further away from Erin and Henry. God, I'd forgotten what this pull felt like, since Will and I didn't share it for so long. How do you deal with it, Hotch?"

His shoulders slumped as he took another bite of his burger. "Dave's listened to my conversations with Penny, he knows that it's hard to be separated from the one you love so desperately. We're both in the same boat here, having to work with our partners. At least we know that they're safe while we're out here."

JJ nodded as she devoured her food finding herself suddenly famished. "Well, I should probably try to wind down and sleep if I'm going to be any good tomorrow. Night!" she said once she'd finished, bagging up her trash and throwing it away before leaving their room and heading across the hall to her own. After letting herself in, she looked over to Emily's bed, seeing that the woman was reading. "Did he help with things?" she asked without looking up from the page.

"Yeah, and I'm going to find her a plant for the office when I get back as a peace offering. I'm going to head in and take a shower before I sleep. If my phone rings, if it's Erin, please answer. It could be about Henry."

Emily nodded as she took the device from her hand, and JJ gave her a brief smile before rummaging around her in bag and grabbing out pyjamas and her toiletries bag. After stripping off her clothes, she stepped into the shower and turned the water on, sighing as the drops hit her skin, helping her to feel clean. Still, she couldn't help but wish that Erin was here with her, and that they were beneath the showerhead together. Maybe that would have to happen as soon as she was home, and with her beloved once more.

Shaking her head free from those thoughts, she washed her body and hair before turning off the water and reaching out for a towel to wrap around her body before she stepped out of the shower and used the blow dryer on her hair. After slipping into her pyjamas, JJ smiled at her reflection before cleaning up her things and heading back into the room. Emily was still reading, and she held out her phone to JJ before going back to her book. JJ took the device and checked the notifications, seeing that she had gotten an email from Helen.

She read it quickly, pleased to see that the woman was going to tell Erin about her olive branch, and then she sent a quick text to Erin. I'm finally settling down to sleep, Erin, knowing that my dreams will be filled with you. I hope that yours are just as sweet. Yours, forever, Jenny

JJ sent the text before she could rethink things and then plugged her phone in and crawled beneath the covers. "Don't forget to set your alarm for the morning, Em."

"I won't. Sleep well!"

"You, too," she replied as she turned onto her side and pulled the covers up around her shoulders as she drifted off to sleep, hoping beyond all hope that this case would resolve itself quickly and she could be home with her family.