17

Derek was trying not to look like he was watching JJ. She was currently being berated by her physical therapist for doing exactly what she was told not to do. Thus resulting in her bruises and the soreness that came with them.

Jareau certainly wasn't a fragile woman when she was in a fit and fighting state. But right now she was still struggling with her limitations. It also didn't help that Emily's physio was as of now, cut in half every week where as JJ was working hard nearly every day.

Morgan couldn't not see the slight envy that JJ tried to hide. It wasn't a jealous or a spiteful envy though. More so an unending desire to be as far through her recovery as Emily was.

Derek and JJ had left to go to physio that day just as Rossi had arrived to spend some time with Emily, thus leaving Penelope free to go and spend the day however she felt she wanted.

Just as he was starting a new game, he heard his name being called and saw a hand waving him over. That was his cue.

…

"I'll be back later. My phone is always on. Text or call me if you need anything, okay? I will be back as soon as I can, okay? As soon as possible."

"Yes Pen. I know. We will be completely fine."

"I know. I know. I just feel like a Mumma Bear whose cub is growing up a little too fast for her liking."

Emily smiled. "I love you too Pen. Now go. Make the most of you free time."

"Yes Ma'am." Penelope told her with a little salute as she headed out the door.

"Do you want anything Dave? A coffee or something?"

Dave took a seat on the couch and patted the spot next to him, inviting her to join him.

"No thanks. I'm fine. Come, sit."

She did just that, but began to pick at her nails. A tell-tale Emily sign of nervousness.

"So, why did you invite me here today Em? Not that I'm not happy to be here. But I know there is more to it than just missing me."

Emily smirked. The man certainly knew how to play it cool.

"I… it's nothing really. I mean…"

She began to pick at her nails again, but this time with more purpose. He looked at her for a moment, and then reached over and took one of her hands in his.

"Emily Prentiss. You are a woman of few words. It's who you are. But maybe now is the time to use some of those words."

Squeezing his hand, she sighed. "Thanks Dave. I just… Ironically, I was wondering if I could maybe… talk to you…?"

"Well, that certainly is ironic." She smiled nervously at him, waiting in earnest for an answer. He caught her hesitation. "Oh, Emily. Of course you can talk to me. About whatever you need to. Go ahead."

…

"Grab her other arm. Hold under her arm pit and give her some support."

Derek did as he was told. He was trying get the image of JJ being told off like a child out of his head. It wasn't something that he liked seeing. Though he wouldn't go so far as to say that she didn't deserve it.

She had a slight sheen of sweat across her brow, from the previous strengthening exercises that she had spent a large portion of the last hour doing. Now was the bit that she had been waiting for. She was going to walk to the other side of the room and back, to determine her level of fitness and so her Physio Therapist could see what exercises she could have set for her to do at home.

"Are you ready JJ?"

"Yes! I just want to be up. Please!"

"Alright. We will go at your pace, and if we need to stop or you need to rest just tell us. Okay?"

"Yes, yes! Please! Let's just start!"

Morgan couldn't help but smile, her fight reflex was rearing and ready to go.

She was doing really well. Slightly swaying on her feet, but with the two of them there, she stayed upright. She started moving quite quickly and tapped the wall in record time, but on the way back she started to drag her feet.

Morgan decided that if he was going to be there he ought to try to put a little pep in her step.

"That's it Jayje. Just imagine there is something you really want at the end of this."

"Like what?"

"I dunno. What do you feel like? Ice cream, smoothie, Cheetos?"

"I don't know. Nothing really." She frowned, and slowed to a complete stop. Catching her breath, she was thinking at the same time.

"You know, if Penelope was in my situation, we'd just have to put you at the finish line and she'd come running."

Derek couldn't help but laugh. "You know what? That is so true. If it would work for you I could go stand over there and wait for you."

She closed her eyes and smiled as she continued to catch her breath. "Considering that you are holding up probably half of my body weight, I think that I will keep you right here."

He cringed slightly at that admission, but tried to laugh it off.

…

Dave was looking at Emily, as she continued to look everywhere, except at him. The two were in the midst of a long standing comfortable silence. One which Rossi was waiting for Prentiss to break on her own terms.

She lifted her hand up to her mouth and started to chew her already short nails. After a few bites, she began to talk.

"I don't really get how I'm supposed to act. Or feel. Or just… be."

She looked at Dave, but he just waited for her to continue.

"I realise that I went through a 'traumatic'-" she used air quotes as she spoke "-experience. And I understand that there are repercussions from that. But I just don't feel like I can admit to that when my best friend went through something similar, on a much worse scale at the hands of the people who did the same thing to me."

Dave thought for a moment before speaking. "You can't compare such things Emily."

"I know that! But I do. JJ couldn't walk, she was… she was…" Emily trailed off as she furrowed her brow. "I can't even say it Dave. And if I can't bring myself to say it, how much worse do you think that it is for her? Having actually experienced it."

"That is her burden to bear. You can't try to take on what happened to her as well as what happened to you. You can work through them together, but you can't try to feel for each other. You have your own burdens. She has to work through her emotions of what happened to her – both physically and mentally. And though it seems like she has got more to deal with to find her normal, the two of you experienced different things at the hands of those two people. And you are two distinctly different people, with very different ways of coping. Neither of them are bad, just different."

"But how do I separate the two of us? I mean, we live together. We spend large portions of our time together. There isn't really any way for me to leave her be and deal with my own stuff. And she is my friend. One of my best friends. I don't want to leave her alone to deal with it on her own. I care about her too much to do that."

"I know that Emily. Both she and you have burdens, but that doesn't mean you have to go through it alone. You each have people here to work through it with. You've both got all of us. But when you aren't so close to what happened, like I am not, I can see it in a different way. Which can be beneficial. And I am not saying that you need to separate yourself from her. Attempt to separate the feelings that that you have about what each of you went through and process your feelings about each thing separately, without comparing what each of you experienced. Because it seems like the constant comparison that is made between the experiences is what is holding you back."

"I…" Emily was considering what he was saying.

"Why didn't I see that? You came up with that answer so quickly. And it makes so much sense. I am a profiler like you. Why didn't I see it the way that you saw it?"

Rossi looked at her and smiled, reaching around the back of the couch and pulling her in for a hug, at the same time kissing her forehead as she leaned against him.

"Sometimes we are too close a situation and need others to help us get a new perspective. I think that you are in that boat right now. And that's okay. I think that the four of you that are living here are in a similar boat. And that's okay. But you need to just take some time and get your heads around the situation that you are in."

He stopped talking and held her close for a while. He also wondered how many moments she got to have like this with her parents as she grew up.

…

The two assisting JJ helped her to take a seat, allowing her to catch her breath.

"That was really good work JJ. I know that it seems like that wasn't a lot of walking, but it was a lot more than you have been doing recently."

Morgan had walked off moments earlier, and was now on his way back with a bottle of water for her.

"So I hear that you guys have a pool at your house, right?"

"Yeah, it's awesome." Morgan quipped as he passed JJ the bottle.

"That's great. Have you been out there much?" she asked, looking directly at JJ.

"I, um, only once. After the stitches came out, but before I could stand and walk and stuff."

"I see. Any plans to return and start back in the pool? The weather is getting better by the day."

JJ huffed and looked at her physio. "Why?"

"Well, it could really help in your recovery."

JJ's fury was quickly making its way back to the surface.

"So you are saying that you don't trust me enough to be able to do this sort exercise at home, and are instead banishing me to the pool where I will need Derek to supervise me; somewhere that I can't get hurt?"

The woman put her hands up. "Woah. Hold on there. Don't get your knickers in a twist. No. I wasn't saying that. I was asking because it could actually help kick start your recovery, and get you going further, faster. And, it would be safe."

JJ started to turn red. Oops. She had jumped the gun.

"I… I'm, sorry. I'm a bit touchy I suppose. What can I do to help myself?"

"That's better. I want you to get out in the pool once a day if possible. If not at least every two days. Make sure that you warm up. Get Derek to assist you doing a few lengths, and then have him swim next to you as you do some on your own. If it is harder at first, then you should use a flutter board until you get used to it. Then get him to help you with the warm down. That would be another few lengths with assistance.

But that's not all. I know that you have aids at home. You should be upright and standing for at least ten minutes a day. As well as walking about 30 meters. Aided at first if you need it, but unaided with your friends around you to catch you if you need it. Do this for the next few days, and we will revisit when you come in."

JJ was quite surprised. She was expecting to be coddled after her previous attempt at taking her healing another step further. That certainly wasn't what had ended up happening. Not that JJ was complaining. At all.

She looked up at Derek, and she smiled. A real smile. Not one of the fake ones she had lately been trying to sell as real.

"That's great JJ."

The physio was looking JJ over. "Derek, can you look at her legs with me? You too JJ."

They changed the way that they were looking and started to look down.

"Do you guys see the swelling in the joints? Especially in the knee that was dislocated?"

The two agents nodded. They were definitely puffy.

"Have you been feeling any spasms as you have been re-exercising your legs?"

JJ looked away without answering.

"I'll take that as a yes then. When you get home today, put a heat pack on, it should help, both the swelling and the spasms. Also make sure that you look out for this when you are doing stuff at home and treat it with the same care and seriousness as I am telling you to now. Swelling does not make for a good recovery. Got it?"

The duo looked at the woman and nodded.

…

"Emily? Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah. Of course Dave. Whether I answer is a separate thing entirely though."

He couldn't help but smirk as he thought about what he wanted to say.

"Have you and JJ talked?"

"Of course we talk."

"No. Not talk. Talk."

"I… I mean… we have, sort of. I guess… not really. Not like we really used to."

"I see. Maybe you should try. She might be battling with the same things that you are right now. But neither of you will know unless you try."

Emily started to slouch and her head lolled. He was right. Of course he was right. It was David Rossi after all.

She took the chance and leaned in one more time. Just one more fatherly hug to get her through the next few days.

Hello. I wanted to get this up for Christmas. I thought it was important to get an outside perspective, and that will lead to her talking to JJ. Plus I like the Rossi-Prentiss relationship. At least the one I like to imagine. I hope that this finds everyone well and enjoying a Happy Holiday season. Or if you don't celebrate, that you are all happy and healthy.

I hope that you all liked this chapter. Thank you for reviewing/ following/ favouriting. I really love knowing your thoughts on this story. Thanks again!

Merry Christmas.