RUNAWAY
CHAPTER SIXTEEN...!
❝ I BELIEVE , SEASON
SIX ❞
JENNIE AND SPENCER sat around Emily's desk with the woman, their focus on the closed blinds in Aaron Hotchner's office, which held him, JJ, and Strauss. Jennie was in the middle of taking a bite from her sandwich, when Penelope walked up to them.
"JJ's still in there?"
"And Strauss."
Spencer reached over to grab his Antacid tablets, causing Emily to look at him, groaning.
"Again with the dairy?"
The man shrugged, "Can't help it, I love dairy."
"Yeah, and I love crime. Doesn't mean I'm gonna murder someone." Jennie told the man, before pausing for a second, taking a bite of her sandwich, "Remember what happened last time you drank milk? Your stomach kept growling, I thought there was a war going on in there."
"Hey, you know, you can't be talking, missy. You're allergic to peanuts—" Penelope pointed a finger at the girl, "And what kind of sandwich is that again?"
Emily let out a tsk, having told her to stop eating peanut butter sandwiches a while ago, taking the food from her hands, "Give me that."
Penelope kept her eyes on the room, staying on the conversation topic, "It's been like what, 20 minutes?"
Morgan walked up to the group, "Ten more minutes, and we're in the air."
"I don't think it's about the case."
As Emily sighed, both Penelope and Jennie looked at the brunette woman, then at each other, then back at her, furrowing their eyebrows.
"Do you know something?" Jennie asked her.
Emily looked at the teen, "Do I know something?"
Both Penelope and Jennie gasped quietly, as the teen pointed her finger at the woman, "She just repeated the question."
"You always say that's a sign." Penelope recalled, looking over at Derek, as Jennie nodded her head. The man looked at her.
"Do you know why JJ's in there?"
Emily shook her head.
"I have no idea."
Jennie huffed, looking back at the windows, that were still covered with their blinds. She then shook her head.
"I feel like every-time I visit, things just get weirder."
—
"I have given it thought. I'm not interested." JJ told Strauss, who was sitting in front of Hotch.
"Clearly." The Section Chief scoffed, "You turned down the job twice without consulting your unit chief."
"Agent Jareau is under no obligation to discuss it with you." Aaron told the woman.
"If the Pentagon calls one of your team members, you should know about it. Why didn't you tell Agent Hotchner that you turned down the position."
"I never wanted it to get this far because—"
"Because you know it's a better job."
"Because I don't want to leave this one."
"You've been here for six years. Change is good. And from what I understand, there's less travel with this position. You could stay home with Henry."
"Excuse me?"
"I understand the sacrifices."
"I do what I love. It's made me a better person, a better mother. And these sacrifices that I have made have been for my family. I don't have a single regret."
"We're all in agreement that Agent Jareau's a valuable part of this team. And it's understandable why the executive branch is requesting a transfer. However, if Agent Jareau respectfully declines their request, there's no way you can make her go."
—
IT WAS A NEW DAY, when Jennie sat in her dad's office, her phone pressed against her ear. She knew the team would be back soon, so she just waited in there until they came. There, she laid on the couch, with her roommate, Blair, on the other line.
"I mean— seriously?" Blair huffed, after finishing a portion of her rant.
"I don't get it. Why spend your time being jealous?" Jennie asked, genuinely, "I mean— his name is a verb. How many more red flags do you need?"
"That's because you've never met Chuck." Her friend told her, "He's a total bitch, but you can't deny he's an attractive guy."
"Who was willing to sell you out for that hotel. I mean, the bar is down in hell at this point." Jennie shook her head, before pausing for a moment, and sighing, "Look, I don't know Chuck, but I do know he's with Eva. And she seems like a nice girl. So— whatever you do, be nice to her, okay?"
Blair sighed, and Jennie could hear her roll her eyes, "You're like— no fun to complain to. "
"Love you too, Blair." Jennie laughed out, before seeing hearing someone step into the doorway. She looked over to see JJ leaning against the frame, before talking back into the phone, "Hey, I'm gonna call you back okay? I'll talk to you later."
After that, the girl ended her phone call with her friend, before sitting up, giving JJ a smile, "Hey, you're back."
"Hey." JJ returned the smile, a bit softer, as she walked over to sit on the table in front of Jennie, "Didn't know you were such a gossip."
The teen chuckled, putting her phone to the side, "Yeah, well, when you share a dorm with my roommate, you kinda have to be."
JJ let out a laugh as well. As the two fell silent, the blonde look down at her hands. As her smile slowly faltered, Jennie became more aware of what this discussion was about.
"When are you leaving?" Jennie asked, having heard the Penelope talk about JJ's meeting with Strauss the other day.
The blonde paused for a moment, before answering, "Next week."
Jennie knew how big of an opportunity this was for JJ. She'd be getting the chance to work with the Pentagon, receiving a much higher position than what she's had at the BAU. Although she was sad she would be leaving, she understood that this opportunity was well deserved for the woman.
"I know you want to stay here, JJ." The teen told the girl, "And— I promise you, I'll be annoying my dad everyday to get him to do something. I mean, I will actually buy a megaphone, and just sit with it in his office every time I visit."
JJ chuckled softly, shaking her head. The teen was glad she could get a laugh out of the blonde, seeing the slight glisten in her eyes due to her not wanting to transfer.
"We'll fight for you." Jennie reassured her, "But, until then— Hello? Pentagon? I mean how huge is that?"
JJ playfully rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "I guess it's kinda huge."
"Hell yeah, it's huge." The girl told the agent, a comforting smile on her lips. A moment of silence paused between the two, before the blonde looked back up at Jennie.
"It's gonna be hard leaving here after all these years." JJ wiped the small drop of water near her eye, "I mean, I dropped off the papers by Strauss's desk almost
twenty minutes ago. I've been stalling."
"Hey—" Jennie began, "You're not leaving. Trust me, I've seen a lot of people leave. That's not what you're doing. You're being stolen— Which I guess now that I'm saying it aloud, doesn't sound as comforting as I thought it would."
The Agent laughed, wiping one last tear from her eye. Part of the reason she took so long to say goodbye to Jennie was because she knew how hard it'd be. However, she knew that it'd be so worth it, seeing how the girl was always able to make her crack a smile.
And she was right.
"But, you know—" The teen continued her previous statement, "It's no crime to steal from the thief."
JJ furrowed her eyebrows slightly, "I'm not sure that's 100% accurate."
"What I mean is— we're going to get you back. I mean— I'm a person who doesn't believe in a lot of things like— zombies, or big foot." Jennie told her, "But I do believe that my dad will get you back. With every bone in my body."
JJ smiled softly at the girl, and within a couple moments, she pulled her into a hug.
She was right— visiting Jennie one last time before she left was so worth it.
-
AUTHOR'S NOTE |
MY JENS <333
word count.
1391.