CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

12x22 Red Light

"Derek…?"

"Prentiss," Derek said, pulling her in for a hug. "I know it's late."

"Uh, I think you mean early. What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk. I got a text from Penelope tonight, but I don't know - Just something didn't feel right. It said Reid was out of prison and wanted to see me… that he was staying in an FBI safehouse -"

"I didn't approve that," Emily said, alarmed.

"You don't call, you don't write," came David's voice from the hallway. Emily studied Derek's phone while the two men hugged each other. Emily turned and saw that JJ was with Rossi. JJ already noticed the phone in Emily's hand.

"You just decide to pop in at 3:00 in the morning?"

"Hey, blondie." Derek's smile dropped a little and looked back at Emily. "I'm not here just to say hello. We may have bigger problems." Rossi and JJ's eyes flickered over to Emily. "You see what I'm saying about that text? It does not sound like Garcia. You do know what it does sound like."

"A trap."

JJ had been watching her closely. Watching as Emily organized the team together, as she got her gun out of her office, as she strapped on her bulletproof vest. She had been watching her because something about all of this felt wrong. It was that gut feeling again. She hated it. JJ had just gotten rid of it after months of worrying about Spencer. And now it was back again. She had less than 24 hours of reprieve.

They were the last two to leave for the parking lot. Emily seemed completely preoccupied. It wasn't until JJ reached out to grab her arm that she noticed JJ's concern.

"Emily…" Emily took one look at JJ and nodded in agreement.

"I know," she responded.

They walked over to the SUVs together. JJ took one last look at Emily before getting in the car. JJ was used to being smushed in the middle seat, being the smallest on the team. But Stephen beat her to it. So she climbed into the passenger's seat. Emily was in the other car. Ever since they had Michael and Henry, they made a point to do that. Perhaps it was a bit morbid, but it decreased the chance of them both getting hurt if they were in separate cars. That way, Michael and Henry wouldn't lose both of their mothers.

But it didn't do any good. Not this time.