"Are you awake?" A tiny voice whispered. JJ groaned as she rolled over to Emily's side of the bed and cracked one eye open. Rachel was laying half on, half off the bed with her head directly next to JJ's, smiling.
"No." JJ said, her voice still full of sleep. She rolled back over and yanked the blanket over her head. It was almost 6:20 in the morning and JJ did not want to be awake. God she wished Emily was back, she was an early riser too. Often, she would take Rachel in the morning and let JJ sleep.
"How can you be talking if you're asleep?" Rachel asked impatiently.
"People talk in their sleep. Its a thing." JJ muttered. Rachel frowned. She had been up for twenty minutes at least already and was bored. The little girl missed Emily. She had been gone on the case for the last four days. Rachel missed Emily coming in to wake her up, talking with her early before JJ was awake, she just missed seeing the brunette. Rachel waited a moment and just watched JJ, hoping she would get up. When she didn't Rachel took matters into her own hands. She climbed over and straddled the blonde, bending down and pulling the blanket back until she could see JJ's face. "I'm still asleep." JJ insisted as Rachel put her face very close to her own.
"Please stop being asleep." Rachel asked politely. JJ laughed and bucked her hips up, sending Rachel falling to the side. The little girl giggled with delight as JJ reached over and pulled her in close, peppering her face with kisses.
"Is this awake enough for you Monkey?" She asked with a grin.
"Eww, gross!" Rachel yelled. But she squirmed her way closer to JJ as she stopped. "Is Emily coming home today? Its the weekend, people aren't supposed to have to work."
"Unfortunately, not all jobs work that way, but when I hung up with Hotch last night it sounded like they had a break."
"Like a vacation?"
"No, like something made sense in the case and they might be able to figure out what happened." JJ explained. Her idea a few days earlier had finally paid off, and after interviewing a few more people over the last few days, they had narrowed it down to three men. From the sound of things last night, they may have eliminated one. JJ hoped that today would be the day they solved it.
"What are we gonna do today?" Rachel asked as JJ ran her fingers through her hair.
"Humm, what do you want to do?" JJ asked softly.
"I don't know, can we go somewhere?"
"Anywhere in particular you had in mind?"
"Can we go to a park? Or a library?" Rachel asked quietly, not looking JJ in the eye.
"We can do both."
"Really!" Rachel asked in awe. JJ sighed. The little girl was still shocked whenever Emily and JJ granted her still very few asked requests. She was slowly asking for small things, but she still would get nervous and uncomfortable.
"Yes." JJ said putting her mouth right by Rachel's ear. "Really." She whispered. Rachel giggled and pushed her away gently as it tickled. The two relaxed a moment more and then Rachel jumped up and stood over JJ.
"I'm hungry!" She yelled out happily. "Lets get pizza!" Rachel jumped up and down on the bed, narrowly missing JJ's legs.
"Pizza? For breakfast?" JJ asked as she sat up and pulled her legs out of the way.
"Yeah! Why not?" Rachel asked excitedly.
"Because I can make actual breakfast food?" JJ said, obviously.
"But we do that every morning." Rachel complained as she slammed herself down onto the bed in front of JJ. The blonde smirked and got out of the bed, she patted Rachel on the bottom and walked out of the bedroom without a word. "JJ!" Rachel called. "Jen! Jayje! Jennifer!" No answer. Rachel stood up on the bed and screamed. "JENNIFER ANNE PRENTISS!" JJ popped her head back into view and Rachel squealed. Before Rachel could react, JJ had ran over and wrapped her arms around Rachel, lifting her into the air and running with her. "No! I give up! I give up! We can have your food!" Rachel yelled through her giggles as JJ walked and tickled her at the same time.
"That's better." JJ said with a grin. She set Rachel down on one of the stools and began making coffee.
Emily drew her gun and pointed it at the man in front of her. Her pulse was racing, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She could feel Morgan right next to her, in the same position, but she kept her focus on the man in front of her, and the gun that was pointed at her. This man had nothing to lose. He had murdered five women, his family was dead, he was caught, and he was either going to kill himself, or give up. Somehow, he didn't look like the giving up kind, at least, not unless he took a couple of cops down with him.
"Drop it Mr. Long, I won't say it again!" Morgan yelled angrily. Emily scanned the room quickly, there was a back entrance, Hotch, Reid and Rossi were supposed to be back there and she couldn't figure out why she didn't see them yet.
"Why should I listen to you?" He screamed back.
"Because you cannot get away with this. You got two agents with guns aimed right at your heart, every cop in this city has your picture, you're done. Put it down now." Morgan yelled calmly. The man moved the gun towards his head, aiming it up to the ceiling, Emily tensed up and squeezed the trigger just a little bit, ready to shoot. "Come on man, it's over." Morgan said softly.
"Not its not." The man said with an evil grin. The next thing Emily knew, someone slammed her with what felt like a brick and she hit the ground with a thud. Emily heard shots fire as she tried to move, her back felt like it was on fire. She could hear yelling and fighting above her and struggled to try and get up to help. All she could think was that if she went and got herself killed, JJ would find a way to bring her back to life simply to kill her again.
"Prentiss!" She heard Morgan's voice yell. "We got them! You okay?"
"Them who? Fuck!" Emily yelled as she tried to move and felt the pain radiate in her back. She reached an arm around behind her and felt blood. "Shit." She muttered.
"Prentiss!" Morgan yelled again.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." Emily groaned.
"You're bleeding." Reid said as he walked over to her. "Rossi, call for a bus."
"No!" Emily yelled quickly. "Just help me up."
"Emily, I am much more afraid of JJ than you." Reid said seriously. "I'm getting an ambulance."
Emily glared up at him. "I am way tougher than JJ." She said with a little pout. Reid smirked.
"Yeah, she lets you believe that."
"Shut up Reid." Emily groaned as her back pulsed with pain again. The EMTs got there a few minutes later and realized that the second unsub – who no one saw coming – had whacked her with a fire poker in the back. She had a large cut down her lower back and needed stitches and a tetanus shot. Emily protested and grumbled through the whole procedure and until she was finally released from the hospital. Hotch walked into the room as she was gathering her things with a sheepish frown. "What?" She asked, getting an ominous feeling.
"Umm, Garcia knows you were injured and I believe she told JJ." He said apologetically.
"Shit."
"Sorry, the doctor said we can go anytime. We've just got to get our things from the hotel, Morgan's getting yours and then we'll head out to the jet. You might want to call your wife, she already left a rather unpleasant voice mail on all of our phones."
"Sorry about that."
"Yeah, well, its nice to have someone who cares enough to call and harass all your friends." He said with a small grin. Emily laughed.
"That's one way to put it."
Hotch gave her a small wave and left the room. Emily took a deep breath and dialed JJ, holding the phone away from her ear and preparing herself. "SERIOUSLY!" JJ's voice yelled the second she picked up the line. "SERIOUSLY! YOU DIDN'T THINK TO CALL ME? REALLY EM? I HAVE BEEN SITTING HER FOR OVER TWO HOURS WORRIED SICK! WE HAVE A FUCKING CHILD NOW! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" JJ continued yelling and Emily held the phone in her hand, giving the nurse who walked in with a confused expression a small smile and waiting for JJ to finish her rant. "EMILY!" JJ finally yelled.
"Yes?" Emily asked calmly, putting the phone to her ear.
"Are you okay?" JJ whispered, worriedly.
"I'm fine." Emily insisted. "Fifteen stitches, a tetanus shot, good as new."
"Did they give you painkillers?"
"Yeah, but I don't need them." Emily insisted. Truthfully, her back fucking hurt but Emily hated pills. She always had, even as a kid, but especially after everything with Reid that had happened years before. She didn't want to become dependent on anything.
"Emily." JJ said through clenched teeth. "Take them."
"Seriously Jen, I'm fine, just a little sore." Trying to change the subject, she asked, "speaking of that child we have, how is she? She doesn't know I got hurt does she?" Emily asked, growing worried. They hadn't really explained the dangers of their job to the seven year old just yet. Honestly, Emily had a feeling she worked it out already, considering how they met her, but she didn't want Rachel to worry. She knew they needed to talk to Rachel about it and it looked like it would be sooner rather than later.
"No I didn't tell her. I didn't know anything, I wasn't about to dump all my worries on a seven year old." JJ said angrily.
"I didn't mean...Jen, you know that's not what I meant." Emily said softly.
"Yeah. When will you guys be home?" JJ asked curtly.
"Probably in a few hours, after dinner most likely."
"Fine, take the pills, see you then." JJ said quickly.
"Wait! Is Rach there, can I talk to her?"
"Hang on."
Emily heard JJ call for Rachel and there was some shuffling until a very excited voice screamed, "EMILY! I MISS YOU!"
Emily smiled, wishing she had pulled the phone away from her ear. "I miss you too Peanut, how have you been?"
"Good, when are you coming home?"
"Tonight."
"REALLY! JJ SHE'S COMING HOME TONIGHT!"
Emily heard JJ said "I know" in the background and grinned, she could hear the smile in her wife's voice. Rachel was going to be a great help in cheering JJ up. "Hey Rach?" Emily said, trying to get her attention.
"Yeah?"
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Sure!" Rachel said happily.
"Can you be extra good for JJ today? Do exactly everything she says?"
"Okay...did I do something wrong?"
"No, no. Not at all." Emily said quickly. "I'll explain more when I get home, but I got hurt in the field today and JJ is a little sad, so I need you to cheer her up. Can you do that for me?"
"You're hurt?" Rachel squeaked. Emily could hear her voice getting higher and knew she was about to cry.
"No, no, sweetie I'm fine. Its just a cut on my back, I just have to be careful of it for a few days, but I'm really fine, I'll show you when I get home."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye Rach." Emily said softly as she heard the line click off. Her back throbbed, god she just wanted to sleep. Emily dragged herself off of the bed and was met with Rossi, grinning and standing next to a wheelchair. "No. No way." She said quickly.
"Hospital policy, hop in." He said with a grin.
"I hate you." Emily said as she sat down gingerly, avoiding contact with her back and the seat.
"Yeah, yeah." Rossi said as he pushed her into the hall. "I'll get over it."
Rachel set the phone down and with a frown walked over and climbed up onto JJ's lap, burying her face into JJ's neck. "Is she gonna die?" Rachel whispered.
"No." JJ insisted firmly. "She just got a cut on her back, she really will be fine." JJ said as she ran her fingers through Rachel's hair. She had realized a while ago that the gesture seemed to calm Rachel down.
"But she could die? Both of you could? Some bad guy like my dad could kill you?"
JJ sighed. She and Emily really should have spoken to her about this before, and the definitely should do it together. Emily was much better at explaining stuff like this to children. "Rachel...yes, our job is dangerous and we could get hurt, but...but we are very careful. The whole team takes care of each other, part of our job is to make sure we are all safe, we don't get hurt that often. And we will be especially careful now okay?"
"Why?"
"So we don't worry you." JJ said with a smile. "Rachel, yes, there is a possibility that one of us will get very badly hurt someday, but we will do everything we can to make sure we always come back to you safe, okay?"
"Okay." Rachel said quietly. JJ could see the information sinking in and sighed, holding Rachel tighter. The little girl had seen so many horrible things in her short seven years, it just wasn't fair. JJ didn't want her to have to worry about them getting hurt as well. She was going to kill Emily when she got home.