Alex was surprised by how rested she felt that next morning, since she had been up so late. JJ had questioned her a little about her call, since she knew that there had been a call, and Alex had managed to tell her that she had a good long talk with a friend, which helped to calm her spirit. That day had gone much the same as all the previous days, and by the time they returned to the hotel for the evening, Alex was tired, but not as exhausted as she had been.

"So, when do you think that we're going to catch a break in this case?" JJ asked as she plopped down onto the bed across from Alex, a weary look on her face. "Henry misses me, as this is the longest time I've been out in the field since I returned to the BAU."

"I hope that we are able to crack something, soon. We know that he has another victim at the moment, so I am hoping that we manage to catch him before he kills her. Even though her life will never be the same ever again."

JJ nodded as she crossed her legs beneath her and let out a deep sigh. "I think that's one of the hardest parts of this job. The ghosts of memories of what happened to us never fully go away. That was the reason that Emily had to escape when Clyde offered her a way out. I should have seen that she was drowning beneath the weight of what Ian Doyle did to her, but all I could focus on was the fact that both of us were back with our work family, and how right it felt, especially when Spence treated us so badly. I understood his anger, in time, but it still hurt, you know?" Alex gave her a small nod. "Well, I should probably prepare you a little more for Garcia's return. I was texting with her last night and she couldn't stop saying how much she was going to miss Emily when they leave London on Sunday. She's going to be jetlagged and curious and maybe a tad bit overwhelming. She is a lot, and her recent experiences will most likely just amplify that. I just…I want my work family to be at peace for a while. It was weird enough adding Strauss to the mix at my wedding."

That caught Alex's attention, and she stretched out on the bed, holding the extra pillow tight to her chest as she watched JJ copy her pose. "Tell me more."

JJ blew out a long breath as she clutched the pillow a little tighter. "So, I don't know if you wanted any coverage of the bank heist incident back in May."

Alex shook her head. "I was buried so deep in grading at that time, that I only vaguely remember hearing about it on the news. And from some of my students the next school day. What happened?"

"Everything," JJ said with a slight chuckle. "But long story short, my husband is a detective with the DC Metro police force, he and his partner responded to a bank robbery call, she was shot in the head, all the people inside were taken hostage, a few were killed, and then Will was taken hostage because he could help them evade capture. The bank blew up, I thought he had died, the ring leader tried to use my son as a pawn, and Will and Emily nearly were blown up in the train station because mayhem was the goal. But that doesn't explain Strauss's presence, does it?"

"No, it does not."

"She was called in by the director to oversee us, to try and manage the situation. She holed up with Garcia in the mobile command unit, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that she didn't get in our way a lot. Instead, she worked with Hotch and Rossi to get us the resources we needed to do our job. And then, when we were all gathered in the bullpen, she pulled Morgan to the side and talked to him for a little bit, and she was all smiles. It was weird to see, not going to lie. And then Hotch tells all that Rossi is having a party the next evening, to wipe out the hard memories of the day. Only, he managed to cobble together a surprise wedding for me and Will in the course of a day. He even flew my mother down from Pennsylvania."

"That's what happens when you're a famous author."

JJ nodded as she chuckled. "Well, since Strauss and Rossi are an item, no matter how much they'll both deny it, of course she was there. And she danced with all the men there, along with Garcia, but that was because Garcia was drunk off her ass and was dancing with everyone in order to avoid Kevin. But…"

"Yes?" Alex asked, wanting to know what was making JJ so hesitant about just spitting an answer out and letting her know what was troubling her.

"There were moments, when she was in Rossi's arms, when she looked absolutely gorgeous. Like, if I had met her in that moment, with none of the baggage attached to us, I would have fallen for her. It makes no sense, she's not anywhere close to my type, but for just one fleeting moment, I wanted to bask in her glory."

Alex fell back onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling of their room as she took a few deep breaths. "Erin does have that magnetic force about her, yes. It was stronger when she was younger, but that shouldn't surprise you. We're all more magnetic when we don't have to conform to the pressures that the world forces on us. Erin felt like she had to prove herself to the world at large, since she was competing with the memory of her dead brother, and so she all too quickly became hard and unyielding."

She broke off her words, suddenly realizing that she was revealing far too much about herself to JJ, and she didn't want to have that knowledge out there, where it could come back to haunt her. "So, I was getting a glimpse of who she really is?" JJ asked softly, and Alex turned onto her side so that she could look at JJ once more.

"Probably, yes. I haven't interacted with her since I returned to the BAU, and I don't have plans to do so any time soon. There is still too much bad blood between us for me to just extend my hand in forgiveness. She keeps trying, but I will not bend."

A slight smirk quickly slipped across JJ's lips, and Alex narrowed her eyes as she continued to gaze at the woman. A blush quickly followed the smirk, and Alex allowed an uncomfortable silence to develop between them, wondering if JJ would comment on the look she had given her. "I really cannot wait to see how you react to her for the first time, Alex. I have the feeling that when her unmovable force meets your unstoppable will, the fireworks that result will be a sight to see. Because for all that you label her as hard and unyielding, I have the feeling that you are just as stubborn. Not that that's a bad thing, but like I said. Fireworks."

"You are hilarious," Alex muttered sarcastically as she turned onto her back once more, closing her eyes as she listened to JJ start to settle down. "Did you want to call Will? I can head down to the lobby and read for a bit if you'd like privacy?"

"Too cold outside for you?"

She nodded as scooted up along the mattress until her back was resting against the headboard, drawing her knees up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs. "I didn't want to disturb you by sneaking down to the lobby when I got my call, but it was really damp and cool. I probably should have worn the robe and brought out a blanket, but I didn't want to leave her waiting."

"I suppose that I can always bring earplugs to wear at night," JJ said, and Alex looked over in time to see her wink a little, and she smiled back. "But no, I don't mind if you hear tonight's conversation, since it's just a check in call. Will and I had a bit of a tiff over texts yesterday and today, and I'm still not ready to say that he might have been right. I don't want to give him that satisfaction."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. The longer I hold out, the better coming home will be, after all. Can I ask you something personal?"

"I rather like the fact that you ask before you ask, JJ." The other woman shrugged and Alex nodded before resting her cheek on her knees. "And again, you are welcome to ask, I just might not reply."

"Do you and James ever spice things up a little? I know, I know, it's a super personal question, and you're brand new to our team, but I'm used to having Emily here to talk about these things, and I miss that companionship. Will, well, he got used to it just being me after Emily left our team, and he's not happy that you're interrupting something that I didn't really feel all that comfortable doing in the first place?"

JJ's face was beet red by the time she reached the end of her rushed words, and Alex wasn't surprised to see her grab a pillow and bury her face in it, because she understood that it was a very personal topic to broach with anyone not as close to her as Emily clearly was. "Is that what your text fight was about?" she asked gently, and JJ hurriedly shook her head. "Well, if I might be a bit rude, he can go suck an egg. You don't owe him anything that you're uncomfortable with, and if you have to use me as an excuse not to do that, feel free. I am more than willing to be seen as the bad guy in that situation."

JJ peeked her eyes up over the pillow, and Alex felt her heart clench a little to see that there were tears glistening in her eyes. "Really?"

"Yes. Sex in marriage is just as much a negotiation as sex before marriage. You are always free to say no. And how many times have we told that to our survivors?"

"A lot."

"Exactly. But to answer your question, yes, James and I utilize Skype to take care of our more physical desires, along with our emotional ones. Though there is something to be said for skin on skin contact, and we've found that we much prefer that. Even if it is sometimes six months or longer between our intimate times together."

JJ nodded as she slowly opened her body up once more, a slightly peaceful look on her face. "Thank you. I suppose that I should make that call to Will now, before I fall asleep on my ass." Alex chuckled a little as she threw her feet over the bed and stood up. "Where are you going?"

"I'm actually going to take a quick shower. I'd rather you have a little privacy when you talk to him about this little issue, as it was embarrassing enough for you to talk about that in the first place, and I don't want you to feel more awkward."

"Are you certain?"

She nodded as she padded over to the bathroom, giving JJ a warmer smile as she opened the door. "Some things are better discussed in private. Though if you have any more stories about Garcia or Morgan that you'd like to tell me when you get off the phone, I'll be more than happy to listen." JJ dipped her chin in agreement as she picked up her phone, and Alex slipped behind the bathroom door, closing it before stripping off her pyjamas and stepping into the shower, turning the water on and allowing it to warm up as she tied back her hair, not wanting to wash it again.

There was something about the conversation that wouldn't leave Alex's mind, and as she washed her body, she thought about how she had very easily slipped into revealing personal information about herself, though JJ had also told her very personal things, so she considered it to overall be a win for her, since it bonded them in a way that would have the younger woman be on her side, should Erin press the issue of reconciliation between them. Alex just hoped that that wouldn't be the case, though, since she wanted to avoid Erin as much as possible for as long as she could.