The cold wind rushed across their faces as they strolled down the sidewalk, their footsteps echoing in the morning silence. JJ's purse rested in the crease of her arm while her other hand gripped her coffee tightly. Emily had both of her hands clutching her coffee cup to keep them warm.
"You really didn't need to buy me breakfast," JJ said with a playful smile, even though her eyes revealed a hint of guilt.
"I know," Emily replied, her lips curving into a grin. "I wanted to! Besides, I needed more coffee." Their laughter mingled with the morning breeze as they made their way back to JJ's car. JJ's gaze dropped to her feet as they walked, her mind racing with thoughts she longed to share with Emily. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face her friend, her blue eyes filled with a mix of hesitation and longing.
"Emily, I just wanted to say..." JJ's voice trailed off as she searched for the right words.
"JJ, you've thanked me enough. You're my best friend; you don't need to be thanking me." Emily replied with a light, reassuring smile. "Now go home to that beautiful boy of yours." She gestured for the blonde to get into her car. JJ unlocked it and walked over to the driver's side, where Emily watched her from the sidewalk. She was trying her best to hide the pain that stabbed through her heart every time she referred to JJ as her friend. They are friends, best friends, but Emily wanted them to be more. Even though JJ and Will are getting a divorce, that doesn't mean they can be together. She doesn't even know if JJ feels that way towards her, let alone women. As JJ placed her purse on the passenger seat and her coffee in the cup holder, Emily couldn't help but be captivated by her beauty. Her hair flowed over her shoulder, and her eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
"Em," JJ said softly, her hands resting on the roof of the car.
"What's up, Jayje?" Emily replied, her brows furrowing with concern.
JJ avoided eye contact, her lips trembling slightly. She wanted to express everything she was feeling—the depth of her emotions for Emily, the darkness that was engulfing her mind—but the words tangled in her throat. Instead, she asked, "Would... would you want to come say hi to Henry? I just know he would love to see you. He's missed you." A soft smile tugged at JJ's lips, and Emily couldn't hide her blush. She understood that JJ had more to say, but for now, this was enough.
"Are you kidding me? I'd love to!" Emily exclaimed, her excitement evident in her voice. She practically sprinted to the passenger side of the car, leaving JJ laughing softly behind her. As they settled into the seats, Emily reached for the volume knob of the radio and started banging her hands to the beat of whatever song started playing. JJ chuckled at the older woman as she started driving home.
As JJ pulled the car into the driveway, she noticed the curtains ruffling and a small blonde head disappearing in the window. They barely exited the car when the front door swung open and outran Henry. Their nanny, Diana, stood in the doorway, smiling.
"MOMMY!" Henry screamed as he ran straight into JJ's arms. She pulled him in tight, not wanting to let go of her son.
"Were you good for Daddy?" JJ asked, pulling out of their hug with both her hands on either shoulder. Henry nodded back with a big smile on his face. "Good. I missed you." JJ ruffled his hair and smiled at the boy. He smiled back with a light giggle at the hair ruffle. His eyes looked past JJ to see Emily shutting the passenger side door.
"EMILY!" Henry screamed and practically pushed his mother out of the way to jump into Emily's arms. Emily dropped her purse and opened her arms wide as he ran towards her. He met her arms, and she immediately picked him up and swung him around in a big hug.
"Henry! You've gotten so big!" Emily exclaimed, swinging Henry in her arms. "What are you 13 now?" She jokingly asked as she set him back down on the ground.
"I'm only 6, sillyhead," Henry giggled while holding up his left hand and right thumb to make sure she understood.
"Oh right! That makes more sense," Emily said, laughing with Henry.
"Are you here to stay?" His eyes widened in anticipation of the answer.
"I'm visiting for a little while," Emily responded with a soft laugh while glancing up at JJ, who was smiling at the two.
"Okay, Henry, let's go inside." JJ waved her arm to usher him back toward the front door. Henry grabbed Emily's hand and started pulling her toward the house. She barely had enough time to grab her purse from the ground. "Slow down, Henry. Emily's staying for a bit. You have time." She giggled at her son's excitement at seeing Emily.
"Hi, JJ. How was your trip back?" Diana asked as the three stepped inside the house. She closed the door behind them. Following them into the living room.
"It was good, yeah. Just glad to be home," JJ replied, not sure if she was telling the truth or not. Of course she missed Henry, but being home left her alone with her thoughts too often. Emily noticed the slight hesitation in JJ's tone as she answered Diana. Emily knew JJ was struggling, but one thing about Jennifer Jareau is that she is incredibly stubborn. It's next to impossible for the woman to ask for help or even accept help. "Diana, this is my friend Emily. We used to work together at the BAU." JJ gestured to Emily. Henry was still hanging onto Emily's hand, trying to pull her away from the adult conversation and into his room.
"It's so nice to meet you! I've heard so many wonderful things." Diana said as she outstretched her hand to shake Emily's before realizing Henry was not going to allow that. She chuckled at the boy and pulled her hand back.
"Very nice to meet you too. I would shake your hand, but as you can see, I'm currently in an intense battle of tug-of-war." They all chuckled, while Henry just kept tugging and grunting when Emily wouldn't budge.
"Emily! Come on!" Henry yelled, continuing to yank on her sleeve. Emily finally allowed him to pull her away, and before JJ even noticed, the two were in Henry's room. JJ beamed with joy at the love Emily showed her son.
"Do you need anything before I go, JJ?" Diana asked. She already had her coat on and was searching for her keys in her purse.
"Oh my gosh, no! Thank you so much, Diana. I appreciate it so much," JJ said as she opened the front door for her.
"Alright, JJ. Let me know if you need anything. Bye!" Diana waved as she walked to her car. JJ waved back and shut the door. Just for a minute, she stays with her back against the door. Her eyes close, and she takes a few deep breaths. She brought her right hand up to her left bicep, gently grasping it. She immediately winced at the pain, dropped her hand, and opened her eyes. She shook her head, hoping to snap herself out of whatever thoughts were about to start flooding in.
"ROAR!" She could hear Henry chasing Emily around his room, probably with his favorite lion animal figurine. That seemed to help her calm back down, as she took another deep breath and made her way down the hall towards Henry's room. As she approached, she continued to hear Henry's theatrics of playing multiple animals and superheroes at once. She pushed the door open slowly to see Emily on the floor and Henry standing next to her with his lion, spiderman, gorilla, and Mickey Mouse in his hands. He was always making up elaborate scenarios for play time.
"Wait, why is Mickey Mouse fighting the gorilla?" Emily asked, genuinely interested in Henry's plot line for this story. JJ chuckled at the question.
"Because the gorilla is going to steal the secret plane from Spiderman!" Henry answered with a huge sigh, like he was frustrated with having to remind Emily of what was happening. Emily turned, looking at JJ with confusion as well as smiling at Henry's imagination.
"Hey Henry, why don't you grab the toys you left out in the living room, so we can include them as well?" JJ suggested it for multiple reasons. The first was that Henry made a mess, and it was a way of getting him to pick up after himself, and the second to allow Emily and JJ a minute without her imaginative boy interrupting them every few seconds with some new story from the lion or spiderman.
"Okay!" Henry exclaimed, dropping the toys in his hands and running to the living room. Emily giggled while standing back up.
"He has quite the imagination," Emily said, walking out of the room with JJ.
"You have no idea," JJ giggled. The two made their way toward the living room and into the kitchen. Henry was attempting to use his shirt as a hammock to carry his toys back to his room, but they kept falling. "Do you want anything to drink?" JJ offered to get a glass out of the cabinet for herself.
"Water would be good. Thanks, Jayje," Emily said, standing in the kitchen, her hands clasped together. While JJ got their water, she turned her attention to the fridge, looking at all the pictures that were displayed on it. There was a photo of Henry and Spencer where Henry dressed up as Spencer for Halloween. Then there was a photo of Emily, JJ, and Penelope from one of their many girls nights out. Emily couldn't believe how long ago the photo had been taken. Emily's hair was curled; she was wearing a lot more mascara than she wears now. Penelope was wearing a deep purple dress, with her hair held up by a butterfly hair clip to match. JJ was wearing a green t-shirt and jeans and held a beer up to her mouth for the picture. As her eyes scanned more of the pictures, she saw Henry and Will, Henry and JJ, all three of them, more pictures of the whole team, and one picture of JJ and herself that brought back a flood of memories. Suddenly she was back in the dimly lit bar, surrounded by her colleagues from the BAU as they celebrated her departure to London.
"Emily! You will take as many photos as I want. You are leaving us, and I need to document this moment so I can use the photos as postcards to send to you. You better write back!" Penelope exclaimed as she picked up her digital camera once more. Emily rolled her eyes and faked a smile while standing with Spencer. She was annoyed with the number of photos she was being made to take, but she put up with it. She was leaving, and she knew how hard it was going to be for Penelope, as she had expressed that to her on multiple occasions. Morgan was walking back over, two drinks in his hand. One for him and one for Penelope, who probably should be cut off.
"Your drink is here. Can we be done for a bit?" Emily asked, gesturing her hand toward Morgan and the drinks in his hands. Gracia let the camera swing out of her hands and hang from the strap around her wrist, grabbing her drink from Morgan. Emily and Spencer let out a sigh of relief, both making their way back to the table for their own drinks.
"Thanks, Chocolate Thunder," she said, smiling with the straw between her teeth and her eyes fluttering in an attempt to drunkenly flirt. Morgan placed a hand on her shoulder, chuckling at his drunk friend.
"Of course, Babygirl. But I think this is your last one." Penelope's mouth gaped open in shock. She tried to find the words to plead with Derek, but ended up sulking and sipping her last drink. Hotch, JJ, and Rossi already sat at the table the team had claimed. Emily took a seat next to JJ, and Spencer was next to her.
"So, Emily, do you have everything all set and ready to go?" Rossi asked. "Because if not, I have a few old pals out that way, and I would be happy to make a phone call or two." Rossi pulled out his phone before Emily could answer.
"Rossi, I'm all set! Put your phone down," Emily chuckled, gesturing with her hands to put his phone down. "My apartment is ready; most of my stuff has already been shipped over; I just have a few suitcases left that are going with me on the flight." The team quieted down. No one wanted Emily to leave, but the longer she stayed, the more her heart broke and the less she felt. She had told the team that she needed a change since Ian Doyle. She tried to make herself stay. She looked into purchasing property; she went to trivia nights with Spencer; enjoyed movie nights with Penelope; went to the cooking classes Rossi held for the team at his house; went for runs with Derek; and joined the team to support Jack for any soccer game, school event, or birthday. The only person she tried to avoid being alone with was JJ. She had still enjoyed time together with the group or girls nights with Penelope, JJ, and herself, but spending time with JJ by herself was too difficult. Her feelings for her friend were too strong and were the main reason for her leaving. JJ was a large reason that Emily stayed sane during her time in Paris. Not only did JJ help save her life by helping fake her death and moving her to Paris, but she also saved Emily mentally and emotionally. Nobody was supposed to know Emily's location or identities, but JJ stayed in touch via online scrabble. The two would play the game, oceans apart, hiding fun messages to each other within the words. It gave Emily something to look forward to and took her mind off of the guilt, fear, and anger she felt.
The silence was interrupted by Derek escorting Penelope to the table. She was stumbling and attempting to argue with him about getting another drink, while Derek kept pushing her away from the bar and into a seat.
"Derek Mor-gan. I'm asking' you for one more drink. You didn't say it was my last 'until you gave it. I have to prepare! Gotta make it a good last one." Penelope slurred, still staring at Derek, who was now standing over her, his hand on her shoulder, making sure she didn't stand up. The rest of the team was chuckling at the interaction.
"Babygirl. Listen to me. You are done. No more. Sip that drink; make it last because it is your last." Derek leaned down to her face to make sure she could hear him and see the stern but loving look on his face. Penelope pouted and raised the glass up to her mouth, attempting to grab the straw with her tongue, but after 30 seconds of completely missing her mouth, she raised the glass to her lips and took a big gulp. Derek sat in the chair next to her, shaking his head with a smile on his face.
"Thank you all for this and all the help with packing. I appreciate it more than you know," Emily voiced, her eyes holding back the tears in her eyes. She wouldn't normally tear up so easily, but her drink of choice for the night was old-fashioned and whiskey was known to make the woman more emotional than usual. JJ placed her hand on Emily's shoulder, gently rubbing her thumbs side by side in a comforting manner. Emily tried to keep her breathing steady. Her heart pounded just from the simple touch from the blonde woman. She glanced at JJ, a soft, warm smile on her face.
"Okay, enough of this sappy stuff. We only have a few more hours together, and I would prefer to be laughing and drinking, not crying." Rossi stated, interrupting the bittersweet silence that surrounded the group. He raised his scotch glass into the air, inviting the others to toast. "To Emily!" Rossi exclaimed while making eye contact with her. Emily smiled at him, raising her glass as well.
"TO EMILY!" The group cheered, knocking their glasses together. Rossi and Hotch went back up the bar for another round. Spencer was telling Penelope the statistics of drinking too much alcohol, while Morgan sat back and laughed at the pure agony she was experiencing. Emily turned to JJ, who was still seated next to her.
JJ leaned forward, slipping into an exaggerated British accent. 'Sooooooo, what's the first thing you're doing when you jump the pond?' Her chin rested on her fist, her elbow planted firmly on the table, as her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulder. Emily chuckled at JJ's antics, her gaze dropping to her drink. She twirled the straw absentmindedly, avoiding eye contact with her friend as she searched for a response. It had become increasingly difficult to have such a simple, friendly conversation with JJ.
"Honestly, I'm starting work right away." Emily responded, finally allowing her eyes to meet JJ's. JJ's bright blue eyes shimmered even in the dark bar lighting. She couldn't help but look into them. The safety, warmth, and love that she felt just from her eyes. This is exactly why she needed to leave. Her thoughts of JJ were interrupted by JJ herself giving her arm a slight smack.
"Are you serious? I know all we do is work, but Em, come on. You're moving across the fucking Atlantic, not the state!" The tone of JJ's voice is a blend of mock concern and genuine warmth. Emily raised her hands in defense, a slight chuckle escaping her lips.
"Jayje, I'm good! I've been down this road so many times; it's like riding a bike. I appreciate the concern, but I'll be okay." Emily raised her drink to her lips. She couldn't remember how many drinks she had gulped down, but she could tell it had been a few from how smooth the alcohol had gone down. Definitely not as many as Penelope, but close, for sure. JJ parted her lips to say something, but before she could, Penelope stood up from the table and pointed directly at Emily and JJ.
"You! And You!" Penelope said, pointing back and forth between the two of them. "Come 'ere! I need a picture of you two together!" JJ turned to Emily, laughing and rolling her eyes. The two stood up, arms wrapped behind each other's backs. JJ leaned her head to rest on Emily's shoulder, the soft scent of peonies lingering under Emily's nostrils. "PERFECT!" Penelope yelled as she held up the camera, snapping the photo.
Emily was jolted back to the present as Henry tugged at her hand, attempting to drag her down the hallway yet again. Emily smirked at his determination and looked back over to JJ, who shrugged her shoulders and giggled. Emily shrugged back at JJ, a grin playing on her lips as she yielded to Henry's insistence, letting him lead her to his room once more.