But to love is to live. (Criminal Minds)

XXIV. Ablaze

A/N: ⚠️Sexual Assult, Eating Disorder, Rape⚠️

JJ walked out of her daughter's room and into the waiting room. She quickly looked around before making a mad dash to the nearest trash can emptying the contents of her stomach. Elizabeth quickly walked to her daughter in law offering a comforting hand. JJ's parents had not yet arrived from Pennsylvania. JJ walked back into the waiting room where Rossi, Matthew, Luke, Garcia, and Tara gave her curious eyes when JJs met Garcias already teared up ones a whole new flood opened for JJ. She looked at them, whipping her tears "It's not good."

She was interrupted by that oh-so-familiar sound of her wife's stride.

JJ instantly walked into her wife's arms gripping hard onto her shoulders as she cried. Emily kissed the side of her wife's head "Talk to me."

JJ led Emily to a more private area; it wasn't that she didn't want her family to know; she just wanted to have Emily be the first to know.

"Baby it's not good. She uhm she may have a broken eye socket, her wrist and ankles are bruised. Uhm there are" JJ let out a long breath, tears slipping down her face "There are two handprints across her throat."

"What else is it?" Emily asked eyes wide with worry

JJ looked down at their conjoined hands. In a small voice, she said "The doctor said... Em, I'm scared. She looks like a different person."

Emily processed and JJ watched helplessly as her wife started sorting her emotions right in front of her. Something the two had worked so hard on. Emily started pacing "I should have never let her go."

JJ sobered up quickly "Emily. No. This is not your fault."

"I pushed her to go. You told me it wasn't a good idea but she's been working so hard to get back to where she was on the soccer team. I just wanted her to be a normal kid."

"You couldn't have known."

"I should have known."

"You couldn't have known!"

"I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!" Emily snapped at JJ before breaking down barely saying "If I had been there she would have never been... been... oh God my baby." She collapsed on the floor and JJ moved to wrap her arms around her. JJ held her wife as she sobbed. The team looked on helpless as their two fearless leaders broke in front of them.

JJ held her wife for several minutes. Emily had always been JJs pillar of strength but at that moment JJ was the only thing keeping Emily grounded in reality. JJ coaxed her wife out of her state of shock "Emily baby can you hear me?"

Emily nodded into her wifes chest. JJ rubbed her wifes back soothingly. "Let's go get cleaned up then go see our daughter."

Emily nodded again standing on shaky legs as the couple leaned into one another making their way to the bathroom. Emily walked into the stall while JJ braced her hands against the sink looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks were swollen, her throat burned with dryness and she had a headache from the amount of water she had lost to crying. What hurt the worst was the aching in her chest and the vomit that was sitting at the base of her throat. She looked down at the sink defeated before raising her hand to strike the mirror in front of her. It shattered out from the indent her fist made. Emily quickly exited the stall making a B-line for her wife. JJ waved her off ignoring the pain in her hand. Emily and JJ were both emotionally spent. Emily took JJs hand as she and JJ walked out of the bathroom. Emily looked ahead as her wife guided her down the hallway after the hallway before stopping in front of a large door. JJ squeezed her wife's hand "She should be sleeping."