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Chapter Text

Emily walked out of Hotch’s office, smoothing down her jacket with that careful, practiced calm she always put on for new introductions. She wasn’t expecting to run into anyone—until a young blonde woman appeared in front of her, her smile bright and disarming.

“Hi, you’re Emily Prentiss.”

It hit her like a freight train.

Emily’s breath stalled in her chest as her world, her grayscale, muted, disciplined world—suddenly exploded with color. Vibrant, blinding, terrifying. The beige walls bloomed into soft cream, JJ’s hair shimmered with strands of gold, her eyes an impossible blue, like sunlight through glass. Emily’s knees nearly buckled.

She had read about this and heard about it—the moment when your soulmate says your name. But nothing, nothing could have prepared her for the rush of it, like every nerve in her body lit up at once.

She looked at JJ, really looked at her, and realized with a sinking heart that the woman standing before her had to be ten years younger. Fresh-faced, warm, open in ways Emily hadn’t been in decades. A woman who deserved safety and peace, and a soulmate who could give her both.

Emily’s pulse thundered in her ears. Fight or flight screamed through her veins, and for a terrifying moment, she wasn’t sure which one she’d choose.

“I’m Jennifer, but people call me JJ.”

The name wrapped around her like a tether, grounding her and unraveling her all at once. JJ. Her JJ. Her soulmate. And yet, Emily’s throat closed. She couldn’t let this happen. Not here, not now. She’d seen too much, done too much. She couldn’t drag this bright, golden woman into her shadows.

So she forced her lips into a smile, felt the lie curdle in her chest, and answered with a voice that barely sounded like her own.

“It’s nice to meet you, JJ.”

Her heart ached with the weight of what she wasn’t saying that the universe had just branded them together. That she could already feel herself reaching for something she didn’t deserve.

She can’t know, Emily thought, tearing her gaze away from the new colors filling the BAU halls. If she finds out, everything changes. And I can’t risk that. Not for her. Not for me.

So she decided in that instant: she’d call her JJ, or Jay, or anything but Jennifer. Anything but the name that had unlocked a universe in her. Because if she let herself slip, even once, JJ might see the truth in her eyes. And Emily wasn’t ready to have her world destroyed again.

Not when her soulmate was standing right in front of her.

++++

By the time Emily decided she might finally be ready to tell JJ the truth, her nerves had already betrayed her. She sat on the edge of her bed, rehearsing it in her head—Jennifer, she whispered to herself, trying to imagine what it would feel like to say it out loud, to see JJ’s face when she realized. Tonight, she told herself. Tonight, she would stop hiding. Tonight, she would give herself permission to reach for the life fate had handed her.

But by the time the evening came, she had already talked herself out of it.

JJ deserved better. JJ deserved someone untouched by darkness, someone without a past filled with shadows and regrets. JJ will not want an older soulmate who’s done the things I’ve done, Emily told herself. And so she swallowed the truth like poison and smiled instead, retreating once again into silence.

And then JJ met Will.

Emily told herself she was fine, that she had no right to feel the hollow ache gnawing at her chest as she watched JJ’s smile soften in a way it never had for her. Will was steady, kind. Normal. He could give JJ things Emily never could—safety, simplicity, a family. And when JJ’s eyes lit up around him, Emily forced herself to believe she was happy for her, even as her own heart cracked deeper with every passing day.

This was her choice, her silence, her own undoing. And when JJ told her she was pregnant, Emily managed a smile through the tears burning at the back of her throat. When Henry was born, she held him in her arms and felt that unshakable, devastating truth settle into her bones. She loved him instantly, fiercely, like her own. And then when Michael came, she fell just as hard, finding herself wrapped around both boys’ little fingers before they could even form words.

She had never seen JJ glow the way she did with her sons and never seen her so alive, so content. How could Emily ever ruin that? How could she ever burden JJ with a truth that might fracture the very happiness she had built? So Emily stayed quiet, smiling through every playdate, every late-night call, every scraped knee and bedtime story. She played her part as the dutiful best friend, the reliable partner on the field, the one JJ could lean on for everything—everything but the truth.

Eight years came and went before the cracks finally showed. JJ and Will unraveled, the steady love story fraying at the seams until it broke completely. Emily was there, always there, helping to pick up the pieces. But still she kept her silence. JJ was fragile, trying to rebuild herself, focusing on her boys and her work. She deserved time to breathe, to heal, to be free.

So Emily locked herself back in that same box she had built years ago—the one labeled friendship. A box lined with unspoken love, sealed with sacrifice, and guarded by fear. And though it tore at her, she stayed there, because at least this way she got to keep JJ in her life.

Even if it meant swallowing the truth every single day.

Chapter Text

The sound of gunfire ricocheted through the marble and glass of the bank, the chaos erupting all at once as the team breached the entrance. Screams tore from the hostages, bodies ducking for cover, and Emily’s heart was a thunderous roar in her chest as her eyes locked onto JJ across the floor.

It happened too fast.

The unsub’s gun swung, JJ moved to shield a woman and her child, and the crack of the shot ripped through the air.

“No!” Emily’s voice broke out of her throat raw, animal.

JJ staggered, blue eyes wide with shock as crimson bloomed across her blouse. Then she crumpled.

Emily didn’t think, she moved. Sliding hard across the polished floor, her knees burning against stone, her gun clattering uselessly to the side as she caught JJ just before her head hit the ground.

“Em—” The whisper slipped from JJ’s lips, cut short by pain.

“Shh. Shh, you’ll be okay. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Emily pressed her palm against the wound, blood slick and hot, coating her hands. The smell of iron filled her lungs until she thought she’d choke on it.

JJ’s body jolted weakly beneath her hands, her breaths shallow, eyes flickering as though the world were already pulling her under.

“No. Jennifer, stay with me. Look at me. Please.” Her voice cracked, panic shredding the years of practiced calm she carried. Emily’s throat burned with bile; she wanted to vomit, to scream, to rip apart the man who did this, but all she could do was hold on. “Don’t close your eyes, not now, not here. Stay with me, darling, stay with me.”

But JJ’s lashes fluttered once… then fell.

Her world tilted sideways. Emily’s vision blurred, her hands trembling violently as if trying to will JJ’s pulse back into rhythm. The medics tore her away, shouting commands Emily barely heard, and all she could see was blood, JJ’s blood, staining her palms, streaking across her jacket.

They got her to the hospital in record time. Too fast and not fast enough. Emily sat rigid in the ambulance, her hand never leaving JJ’s, whispering half-formed prayers and curses under her breath, begging, bargaining.

When they rushed JJ into surgery, Emily was left outside, pacing like a caged animal, nails biting into her palms until crescent moons of blood marked her skin—hours crawled like years. By the time they wheeled JJ into recovery, Emily was already at the door, shoving past anyone in her way.

The sight of JJ pale against hospital white almost undid her. Tubes and monitors, sterile air mixed with the faint coppery ghost of blood. Emily’s body sagged into the chair by her bedside, her fingers reaching, gripping JJ’s hand with a desperation that bordered on feral.

“Hey, my love,” she whispered, the words cracking as her lips brushed across JJ’s knuckles. The endearment spilled out before she could cage it, raw and too honest.

Her chest heaved, tears burning tracks down her face. “I’m so sorry, Jen. God, I’m so sorry. It’s my job to keep you safe, and I failed.” She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind JJ’s ear with trembling hands, her touch so gentle it was almost reverent.

“I don’t know if I should’ve told you or not,” Emily confessed, voice splintering. “Every time I thought I could… you were so happy. You had Will, the boys, a life. And I couldn’t ruin that, couldn’t ruin you. So I stayed in my box. I stayed your best friend. I told myself it was enough.”

Her lips pressed against JJ’s fingers again, her tears wetting the skin. “Please wake up, darling. Please don’t leave Henry, don’t leave Michael… don’t leave me.” The last words bled out of her, whispered into the stillness, a plea and a confession all at once.

And for the first time in years, Emily let herself break.

++++

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only thing tethering Emily to the room. She hadn’t moved in hours, her body bent forward in the uncomfortable chair, JJ’s hand cradled between both of hers. Every shift in the rhythm, every flutter of JJ’s lashes, sent Emily’s chest into spasms of fear and hope.

Then, softly, hoarsely, JJ stirred. A faint groan, her fingers twitching in Emily’s grasp.

“Jen! Jen,” Emily gasped, jolting upright so fast the chair nearly toppled. Her hands shook as she hovered over her, one pressing the call button for the nurses, the other brushing JJ’s hair back in frantic tenderness. “I’m right here. You’re okay, honey, you’re okay.”

The nurses rushed in, machines clicking and adjusting, murmurs of stable, stable soothing the chaos in Emily’s head. JJ blinked, disoriented, her breaths shallow but steadying. Emily stepped back only when she had to, giving space for the professionals, though her eyes never left JJ for a second.

Finally, they left, the room quiet again. Emily’s chest loosened just enough for her to breathe. She pressed a kiss to JJ’s temple and whispered, “Thank you, God,” though the words came out cracked and broken.

Needing to ground herself, Emily slipped into the hallway, phone clutched tight. She called Hotch, Garcia, Reid, each word clipped, businesslike, though her voice wavered more than once. She’s out of surgery. Stable. In recovery. She called Will too, her voice softer then, promising she’d keep him updated for the boys.

When Emily finally reentered the room, exhaustion clung to her like a second skin. She wanted nothing more than to sink into the chair again, to wrap JJ’s hand back in hers and breathe.

But JJ’s eyes were open now, clearer, sharper. And when they landed on Emily, her expression froze. Her voice was raw but steady. “How long have you known?”

Emily blinked, startled. “What?”

JJ’s jaw trembled, her eyes shining with unshed tears as anger cut through her voice. “Fucking soulmates, Prentiss!” The word cracked like a whip in the air, pulling the oxygen right out of Emily’s lungs.

Emily went ice cold. She didn’t even have to ask how JJ knew. It slammed into her, the memory of her own voice breaking at JJ’s side on the bank floor, whispering her name as if it were prayer. Jennifer…

Emily’s lips parted, scrambling. “What are you talking about?”

JJ’s laugh was hollow, bitter, like glass shattering. “Don’t do that. Don’t lie to me. I’ve said your name thousands of times, Em. Thousands. And you—” her voice cracked, and she pressed her hand against her chest as if steadying the shatter inside, “you had to know.”

The silence stretched, unbearable, until Emily’s shoulders slumped. Her head dropped forward, the weight of ten years pressing down on her spine. When she spoke, it was barely a whisper, but it tore out of her with the force of confession. “Ten years. Since the beginning.”

JJ inhaled sharply, as though Emily had struck her. Her lips parted, and for a moment she couldn’t speak. When the words came, they were jagged and raw. “Get the fuck out.”

Emily’s head snapped up, eyes wide. Of all the things she’d braced herself for, rage, tears, questions, she hadn’t expected that. Not rejection so sharp it bled.

“Jen, please. Please, let me explain,” Emily’s voice cracked, her hand reaching out instinctively toward her.

“Later. Not now.” JJ’s voice wavered, but her eyes were steel. “Just get out.”

Emily’s throat worked soundlessly, her body torn in two. She bent forward, risked it all, and pressed a trembling kiss to JJ’s hand one last time. The taste of salt clung to her lips—whether it was her own tears or JJ’s, she didn’t know.

“Okay, honey,” Emily whispered, her voice raw, broken into splinters. “I’ll go. Just… just know I’m always here. Whenever you’re ready to see me, just call.”

Her hand lingered, then slipped away.

Emily stepped toward the door, her back stiff, her chest hollow. But before she crossed the threshold, she turned, her face a map of grief and devotion. Her voice shook, but her words rang true. “I don’t want to leave you. God, it’s the last thing I want. But I’ll go… because that’s what you want.”

JJ turned her head to the side, her lips quivering, tears spilling freely now. Her voice was fragile and sharp all at once. “I can’t do this right now. Get out.”

The finality in her words cut through Emily like a blade.

Emily lingered a second longer, drinking in the sight of her—alive, breathing, beautiful, furious. Then she nodded, just once, and stepped out into the hallway, where the weight of ten years of silence crashed down on her shoulders.

++++

Emily walked out of the hospital room on legs that didn’t feel like her own. The sterile hallway blurred, her ears ringing with JJ’s words, get the fuck out, replaying like a cruel mantra. Each step felt heavier than the last until she finally stumbled out the sliding glass doors into the night air.

Her hands shook so badly she dropped her keys twice before getting into her car. The moment the door shut behind her, she collapsed against the steering wheel, her chest heaving as sobs tore free. She pressed her palms into her eyes until stars bloomed behind her lids, but the ache wouldn’t fade.

She couldn’t leave JJ like this. Not angry, not alone.

Fumbling with her phone, Emily found Penelope’s contact and pressed call.

The line picked up on the second ring, Garcia’s voice bubbling with her usual warmth. “My precious dark sorceress! Tell me you’re okay, because my anxiety is off the charts right now—”

“Pen,” Emily croaked, her voice breaking.

The cheer instantly dropped from Garcia’s tone. “Emily? What happened? Is she—?”

“She’s stable,” Emily rushed to assure her, though her own heart was still in shreds. “She’s stable, she’s in recovery. But—” She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood. “She doesn’t want me there right now. Please… can you go? Stay with her? Just so she’s not alone?”

There was a pause, heavy and searching. “Emily, are you sure? You’ve been glued to her side since the ambulance. If there’s anyone she wants—”

“She doesn’t,” Emily cut in, sharper than intended. Her throat tightened, and she forced herself to soften, to beg. “Please, Garcia. She might not want me, but I can’t… I can’t leave her with no one. I need to know she’s cared for.”

“Of course,” Penelope said instantly, her voice warm and gentle again. “I’m already grabbing my coat. You don’t even have to ask.”

Emily exhaled shakily, her forehead still pressed to the steering wheel. “Thank you.”

“But Em—” Garcia’s voice hesitated on the other end. “Why aren’t you there? What aren’t you telling me?”

Emily’s fingers tightened on the phone, the truth burning at the back of her throat that she had said JJ’s name. That the secret she’d guarded for ten years had spilled out, and now JJ knew. That her soulmate had looked at her with betrayal in her eyes.

But she couldn’t put that weight on Garcia. Not yet. Not when JJ’s world was already so fragile.

“I… I have to fill out an incident report,” Emily lied, her voice low and rough. “Paperwork doesn’t stop, even when…” She trailed off, swallowing hard. “I just can’t… not tonight.”

Garcia didn’t press, though her silence spoke volumes. “All right. I’ll head over. You go do what you need to do. And Emily?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not alone either. Don’t forget that.”

Emily closed her eyes, letting the words wash over her, wishing she could believe them. “Goodnight, Garcia.”

She hung up before her voice could break again.

The phone slipped from her hand, clattering into the passenger seat. Emily sat there in the dark, the hum of the hospital generators and the faint sounds of the city around her. She should drive away. She should leave. But her eyes stayed fixed on the glowing hospital windows, one hand pressed against her chest where her heart ached, whispering silently into the night.

“I’m still here, Jennifer. Even if you don’t want me.”

Chapter Text

POV JJ

JJ lay back against the stiff hospital pillows, staring at the ceiling tiles as if they held answers. Her side throbbed with every shallow breath, but the ache in her chest had nothing to do with the bullet wound.

Emily’s voice still echoed in her ears—ten years… since the beginning.

Her jaw clenched. She didn’t know whether to scream, to cry, or to beg Emily to walk back in so they could tear into this properly. But she couldn’t. Not tonight. The betrayal sat too raw, too jagged against the edges of her heart.

The door creaked open. JJ’s eyes snapped over, half-expecting, half-hoping, to see Emily. But instead, Penelope Garcia breezed in like a splash of color against the whitewashed walls, her arms full of bags, snacks, magazines, and a fuzzy blanket patterned with cartoon llamas.

“Sunshine!” Garcia chirped, her eyes darting immediately to JJ’s pale face. “My God, I could throttle you and hug you at the same time. You gave me at least three gray hairs today.”

Despite herself, JJ’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “Hi, Penelope.”

Garcia dropped her bags on the chair and came closer to fuss with the blanket already covering JJ. “You’re too thin. Hospitals suck at feeding people, I’ll handle that. I also brought nail polish, because why shouldn’t we glam you up while you recover?”

JJ’s gaze softened, though her chest tightened. Emily. She knew instantly this wasn’t a coincidence. “She called you,” JJ murmured, her voice low.

Garcia blinked, tilting her head. “Well, yeah. She wanted me here. Said you shouldn’t be alone.”

JJ’s throat constricted. Anger flared, quick and hot, though she shoved it down before it reached her face. Of course, she’d still be taking care of me from a distance. Of course. That was Emily. Always watching, always protecting.

“She’s ridiculous,” JJ muttered, her eyes darting away.

Garcia squinted, clearly sensing tension. “Okay, spill it. What’s going on between you two? Because I’ve seen Emily Prentiss broken, I’ve seen her angry, but tonight when she called me—” her voice softened, “—she sounded destroyed.”

JJ’s chest squeezed so tight it hurt. She gripped the blanket with her good hand, twisting it in her fist. “I’m tired, Penelope. Really tired.”

“That’s not an answer,” Garcia pressed gently, pulling the visitor’s chair closer. “You know I don’t buy the ‘I’m fine’ act. Not from any of you. Especially not you.”

JJ swallowed hard. She wanted to break open, to spill everything, the years of ignorance, the sting of betrayal, the truth of what Emily had kept locked away. But the words caught in her throat. If she said them, they’d be real. And she wasn’t ready for that, not while her body still ached and her world had just tilted sideways.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” JJ whispered, her voice cracking. “Not tonight. Please.”

Garcia studied her for a long moment, her sharp eyes softened with empathy. She reached out and squeezed JJ’s hand, warm and steady. “Okay, sugarplum. No talking tonight. Just rest. I’ll be right here.”

JJ blinked quickly, turning her face toward the window to hide the fresh tears burning her eyes. She pressed her lips together, forcing herself to stay quiet. Because if she spoke, the first words out of her mouth would be Emily’s name.

 ++++

Emily sat in her car outside the hospital, the faint buzz of her phone rattling against the console. She forced her shaking hands to be still long enough to unlock the screen.

Emily: Is she finally asleep?

A few tense seconds later, Garcia’s reply came.

Pen: Yeah, they gave her some stronger meds, her heart rate was up, and she was agitated.

Emily’s heart clenched, guilt twisting like a knife. Even unconscious, JJ was hurting—and Emily was the reason.

Emily: Okay, I'll be up in a minute

Pen: kk

Emily closed her eyes. This is a bad idea, her rational side screamed. JJ had made it clear earlier, clearer than she’d ever been. But the thought of her lying upstairs, drugged, vulnerable, possibly still in pain, was unbearable. Logic had never stood a chance against her need to see JJ with her own eyes. To reassure herself that she was alive.

Her footsteps echoed softly down the corridor, the hush of the night shift wrapping her in a heavy blanket of guilt and longing. When she slipped into the dim hospital room, her breath hitched.

JJ lay still, her face pale against the stark sheets, her expression twisted in discomfort. The sight hollowed Emily out. She moved closer on instinct, careful and quiet, until she could see the faint furrow in JJ’s brow. Slowly, reverently, she reached down and brushed away a few stubborn tendrils of blonde hair stuck to her temple.

Her hand lingered just a moment too long, fingers trembling with the need to touch what she had denied herself for a decade.

“You want to tell me what happened with you two?” Garcia’s voice broke the silence, making Emily flinch. She spun slightly, caught like a thief in the act.

“What are you talking about?” Emily’s whisper was harsh, defensive, her eyes darting guiltily back to JJ.

Garcia arched a brow, folding her arms. The look she gave was pure Oh, please.

Emily’s throat worked, words catching like barbed wire. She turned her gaze back to the sleeping woman, her voice so quiet it was almost a confession to the room itself. “I think I broke her heart.”

Garcia sighed heavily, her flamboyant armor softening. “So you finally told her?”

Emily froze. “I—what—how—?”

The blonde tilted her head, almost amused despite the gravity. “Em. I’ve watched you for ten years. I’ve known for about nine of those.”

Emily’s mouth went dry. “You… never told her?” she whispered, horrified and hopeful all at once.

Garcia shook her head, her earrings swaying. “Not mine to share. And eventually I realized why you didn’t tell her. You were trying to protect her.”

Emily’s lips parted, a laughless sound of disbelief tumbling out. “So I guess you can’t judge me for this, then.” She leaned down again, this time daring more than before. Her lips brushed against JJ’s forehead in the faintest ghost of a kiss—gone before Garcia could call her reckless, but enough to send Emily’s heart spiraling into pieces.

“She’s going to be okay, Em,” Garcia said gently.

Emily swallowed hard, her face crumpling as she straightened. “I’m pretty sure she hates me now. She kicked me out. Called me Prentiss.” The name spat back at her replayed over and over, and Emily’s eyes burned as if the memory were a fresh wound.

“She doesn’t hate you,” Garcia countered softly. “She’s shocked. And medicated. And probably terrified in ways she doesn’t know how to say yet. She needs some time. You’re soulmates, Emily. You’ll figure it out.”

Emily shook her head faintly, torn between hope and despair. Her gaze lingered on JJ’s sleeping form, drinking in every detail as if to commit her to memory. The curve of her lips, the steady rise and fall of her chest, the way even in sleep she looked untouchably beautiful.

“I should get going before she wakes up,” Emily whispered, her voice frayed with pain. “I don’t want to upset her any more than I already have.”

She stayed one second longer, eyes tracing JJ’s face like a starving woman staring at her last meal. Then she stepped back, her hands curling into fists at her sides to stop herself from reaching out again.

At the doorway, she glanced back. The sight of JJ asleep, safe, alive, both destroyed and soothed her.

Garcia’s voice followed her, soft but certain. “I’ll keep you posted, I promise.”

Emily nodded faintly, swallowing against the lump in her throat. “Thank you,” she whispered, though the words felt hollow compared to everything she wanted to say. Then, with one last, aching look, she slipped out of the room, leaving a piece of her heart behind on the hospital bed.

++++

Emily sat at her kitchen table, the house dark except for the glow of a single lamp. Her untouched glass of scotch sat sweating against the wood, the amber liquid catching the light like a cruel reminder. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about JJ—her voice, her tears, the way she had said Prentiss like it was a curse.

God, she missed her. The smell of her shampoo when she leaned too close on long flights, the sound of her laugh when Garcia said something ridiculous, the small way she brushed her hair behind her ear when she was nervous. Ten years of loving her in silence, and now JJ knew the truth and hated her for it.

Her phone rang, shattering the silence. Will’s name lit up the screen, and Emily’s chest leapt into her throat.

“Emily?”

She sat straighter. “Will? What’s up? Is JJ okay?” Her voice sharpened with instant concern.

“Don’t worry, she’s okay,” Will soothed quickly. “I need a huge favor.”

“Anything,” Emily blurted before she could think.

“I need you to come get the boys from the house,” he said. “I got called down to Louisiana. It’s short notice, I know.”

Emily froze, the air stuttering in her lungs. She wanted to say yes, God, she wanted to, but reality slammed into her. JJ was furious with her. JJ had told her to get out.

“Will…” Her voice faltered. “I don’t know if you’ve talked to JJ but—”

“I know, Emily.”

Emily blinked. “You know what?”

There was a pause, heavy and steady. “I know she’s your soulmate. I’ve known for years.”

Her blood ran cold. She gripped the phone so hard her knuckles whitened. “She never knew, I promise.” The words tumbled out quickly, desperate. “I would never—”

“I know.” Will’s tone was calm, not accusing. Just honest. “And I will always be grateful that you respected our relationship. Truly. But Emily…” His sigh carried a weight she felt in her bones. “Even if she’s mad at you right now, she still trusts you to take care of the boys. It has to be you.”

Emily’s throat ached. JJ trusted her—trusted her with the two most important pieces of her world—even if she wanted nothing to do with Emily otherwise. It was both salvation and torture.

“Okay,” Emily whispered, voice thick. “I’ll be there soon.”

An hour later, Emily stood at JJ’s front door, the familiar house pressing memories against her like ghosts. Henry’s wide smile when she arrived, Michael’s tiny hands clutching his stuffed dinosaur, it all cut straight to her heart.

The boys didn’t hesitate, didn’t question. They leapt into her arms, Henry chattering about superheroes, Michael pressing his face into her shoulder with sleepy trust. For them, she was still Aunt Emmy. Safe. Constant. Home.

She got them buckled into her car and drove back to her house, the silence broken only by Henry’s soft humming and Michael’s snoring. By the time she carried them inside, tucked them into her guest rooms with blankets, the weight of it settled on her chest.

She didn’t call JJ. Didn’t text. Didn’t risk making things worse. She paced the living room instead, torn between her need to tell JJ the boys were safe and the fear that her voice would slam down the line, cold and angry, telling her again to get out.

So she stayed quiet, lowering herself into a chair across from where the boys slept, watching them breathe.

You still trust me, Jen, she thought, her eyes burning. Even when you hate me. You still trust me.

But the truth remained like a blade pressed to her throat: Emily had no idea what to do next.

Chapter Text

JJ POV

JJ woke to the faint light of morning spilling through the hospital blinds, the sterile air thick with that unmistakable antiseptic smell. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor beside her bed kept time with the dull throb in her side.

For a fleeting second, she wondered if she’d dreamt it all, the bank, the gunfire, the chaos, Emily.

Then the pain in her ribs pulsed sharply when she shifted, and the ache in her chest answered it. No dream. It had all been real.

Her phone buzzed against the nightstand, the vibration loud in the quiet room. She reached for it, expecting Garcia or maybe Hotch checking in. Instead, Will’s name glowed on the screen.

Her stomach sank.

She pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey,” she rasped, voice still heavy from sleep. “Is everything okay with the boys?”

“They’re fine,” Will said, his voice calm as always, that lazy Louisiana drawl steady.

JJ exhaled in relief, but he kept talking.

“They’re with Emily.”

JJ froze. “With who?”

“Emily.”

Her pulse spiked so hard the monitor betrayed her, the beeping suddenly erratic. “You let her take them?” Her voice rose sharply, trembling with disbelief. “Will, are you out of your damn mind?”

“JJ—”

“No!” she snapped, her body jolting upright despite the stab of pain it caused. “After everything? After what I just found out, you handed our kids over to her?!”

“Jennifer.” Will’s voice was firm now, that tone she knew too well—steady, unflappable, meant to calm her. “Calm down, honey.”

“I will not calm down!” she nearly shouted, clutching the phone tight enough that her knuckles ached. “She lied to me, Will! For ten years! Ten years I’ve been working beside her, loving her like family, and all that time she knew!”

“She didn’t lie to you,” Will said evenly.

JJ scoffed, her breath shaking. “Don’t do that—don’t defend her!”

“I’m not,” he said softly. “I’m just saying she didn’t lie. She stayed quiet.”

“Don’t split hairs with me!” JJ’s voice broke, thick with anger and tears. “She knew, Will. She knew she was my soulmate, and she said nothing. She watched me marry you, have your children—our children—and she just—what? Let me live in the dark?”

There was a pause, and when Will spoke again, his tone was low but steady. “She didn’t tell you because she thought you were happy, JJ. Because you were happy. She didn’t want to take that away from you.”

JJ pressed her hand to her forehead, tears burning her eyes. “That’s not her choice to make.”

“I know,” Will admitted quietly. “But she made it. For you. And for the boys.”

“Don’t bring them into this,” JJ said sharply, though her voice wavered.

“I have to,” Will said, gentle but firm. “Because she’s been there for them, JJ. For all of you. Every time I had a shift I couldn’t get out of, who picked them up from school? Who helped with Henry’s science projects when you were swamped at work? Who sat up with Michael when he had the flu? It wasn’t me. It was Emily. She’s been family for years, and you know it.”

JJ’s breath hitched, but she couldn’t make herself say anything.

Will sighed softly. “I know you’re angry. Hell, you have every right to be. But if you’re asking me whether I trust her with the boys? The answer’s yes. I trust her more than anyone.”

JJ’s voice broke as she whispered, “You knew, didn’t you?”

There was a long pause.

“Yeah,” Will said finally. “I knew.”

JJ shut her eyes, the world tilting. “How long?”

“Since before Michael was born.”

JJ let out a choked sound, half laugh, half sob. “God, Will.” She pressed the heel of her hand to her eyes. “How could you not tell me?”

“Because it wasn’t mine to tell,” he said. “And because I knew it would break you if you found out the wrong way. You deserved to hear it from her.”

JJ’s breath came shallow, her ribs aching with every inhale. “She should’ve told me,” she whispered. “All these years. She should’ve told me.”

“I know,” Will said softly. “But she didn’t. And she can’t change that now.”

“She let me believe—” JJ started, but her voice cracked and she stopped, the tears spilling freely now.

“Jennifer,” Will said again, that same calm voice he’d always used when she was spinning out. “I know it hurts. But think about what you’re really angry at. Are you mad because she didn’t tell you? Or because deep down, you wish she had?”

JJ pressed her lips together, no answer coming.

“Look,” he continued gently. “You can hate how she handled it. But don’t hate her. You know as well as I do—there’s nobody else in this world I’d rather leave Henry and Michael with. Nobody. She’d die before she let anything happen to them.”

JJ’s throat tightened painfully. Her free hand gripped the blanket, white-knuckled, her heart pounding. “That’s not the point,” she whispered, though it came out weak, broken.

“I think it might be,” Will said. “She’s been protecting you since the day she met you, JJ. And maybe she went about it the wrong way, but her heart’s always been in the right place. You know that.”

The silence stretched, thick and heavy, until JJ could barely stand it. She could picture it—Emily in her kitchen with the boys, her sleeves rolled up, that quiet smile on her face as Henry talked about some school project. She could hear Michael’s laugh, see Emily’s hand steady on his back.

And that image undid her.

Her voice came out small, shaking. “She should’ve told me, Will.”

“I know,” he said again, gentle as ever. “But she didn’t. And she can’t undo it now. What she can do is take care of your boys. And that’s exactly what she’s doing.”

JJ swallowed hard, her breath stuttering. “It doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

“No,” Will agreed. “It doesn’t. But maybe that’s not the worst thing. Maybe it just means you still care.”

JJ didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, tears slipping silently down her temples. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she saw Emily’s face, not the guilt, not the secrets, just her eyes, the way they always softened when she looked at JJ.

And that hurt the most of all. Because Will was right. Maybe Emily hadn’t just been part of her life. Perhaps she’d been her whole world all along.

Chapter Text

POV Emily

The kitchen smelled faintly of mac and cheese and garlic bread, Henry’s favorite. Emily stood at the stove, scooping food onto plates while Henry set the table with the serious focus of a soldier, and Michael chattered nonsense to his stuffed dinosaur in the corner.

For a fleeting second, Emily let herself imagine this was normal. That this was her life, dinner with the boys, laughter echoing through her house, JJ humming in the background as she leaned against the counter. The picture almost made her smile. Almost.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. Penelope, the screen read. Relief washed over her. She’d been waiting for the check-in. She swiped to answer. “Hey, Pen—”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” JJ’s voice. Sharp. Furious.

Emily froze, her breath catching. “Jay—” The nickname slipped out, soft, instinctive, soaked in longing.

“Don’t call me that,” JJ snapped, her tone cutting like a blade.

Emily’s chest tightened, but she forced herself to steady. “Okay, hone—”

“Don’t you dare.” The blonde’s voice trembled with fury. “Again, what the hell are you doing with my boys?”

Emily swallowed hard, glancing at Henry, who was humming to himself as he stacked forks. She lowered her voice, careful, almost pleading. “Will called me. Said he needed me to take them. What was I supposed to do? Say no?”

JJ’s growl on the other end made Emily flinch. Emily pressed forward, voice low and firm. “He said I’m the only one y’all trust to watch them.”

“Well, I don’t trust you a whole lot right now,” JJ bit out, but softer, rage fighting for control.

Emily closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose, her throat aching. “I know. And you can be angry as long as you need to. Hell, for the rest of our lives, if that’s what it takes. But you know—” Her voice cracked, the truth clawing out of her. “You know I’d protect your boys with my life.”

Silence stretched on the other end. Emily’s heart pounded, terrified she’d lost even this sliver of connection.

Finally, JJ exhaled. “Fine.” The word was grudging, but it kept Emily breathing.

Emily hesitated, hope curling into her chest before she could stop it. “Do you want me to bring them up to see you?” Her voice faltered, betraying the unspoken plea—So I can see you.

JJ caught it. Emily could hear it in the pause, the way her anger shifted. “No. Just let them get settled tonight. You can bring them up tomorrow. After school.”

Emily nodded, though JJ couldn’t see it. “Okay, Jen.” The name was reverent, careful, weighted with everything she wasn’t allowed to say.

“Let me talk to them,” JJ said after a beat, her voice less hostile now, tinged with exhaustion instead of rage.

“Of course.” Emily’s throat tightened. She turned toward the table, calling softly, “Henry? Mikey? Mommy’s on the phone.”

As she held the phone out, her hand lingered just a moment too long, her eyes fixed on the glowing screen. Even furious, even hurt, JJ’s voice was the only thing Emily wanted to hear.

When Emily held the phone out to Henry and Michael, both boys nearly tripped over each other to get to it.

“Mommy!” Henry’s voice rang out bright and excited. “You won’t believe it, Aunt Emily let us have ice cream before dinner. Don’t worry, we are having broccoli too.”

Michael’s tiny voice cut in, high and breathless. “She said she’ll let me stay up until eight-thirty tonight night, Mommy! Eight-thirty!”

JJ laughed softly, though it wobbled with tears. “Eight-thirty, huh? That’s way past your bedtime, Mikey.”

Michael’s giggle tinkled through the phone. “But she said it was ‘cause we were having fun. And she read me three stories! One was about a dragon, and one was about a princess, and then a superhero one. Aunt Em does all the voices, Mommy.”

JJ’s heart squeezed painfully. Of course she did. “That sounds wonderful, baby,” she said warmly, even as her eyes prickled. She wouldn’t let them hear her anger. They deserved only gentleness.

Henry chimed back in, his words tumbling fast. “And she said she’ll make pancakes in the shape of dinosaurs! I helped with dinner! She said I’m a natural chef, Mommy.”

JJ’s throat burned. She pressed her palm against her eyes, smiling so the boys could hear it in her voice. “Of course you are, sweetheart. You’re amazing.”

“She’s going to take us to the park too,” Henry continued, lowering his voice conspiratorially, “and we are gonna race. She said she’s really fast, Mommy, like really fast. Mikey says she’s a superhero.”

“I think she is too,” JJ whispered, her voice catching before she cleared her throat. “Sounds like you’re having quite an adventure. I’m so glad yall are having fun.”

“Yeah!” Michael squealed. “Emily’s the best.”

JJ’s heart cracked wide open, but her voice stayed soft, steady. “She is pretty great, isn’t she?”

Emily sat on the other side of the room, her chest aching at the tenderness she heard in JJ’s voice, even if it wasn’t directed at her.

++++

After school, Emily picked up Henry and Michael, the backseat alive with their chatter. She grabbed them food on the way, burgers and fries, and, without hesitation, stopped for a green tea, the kind she knew JJ always reached for on long cases.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, the boys were practically vibrating in their shoes, their energy contagious. They grinned when the nurse gave them stickers at the station, Michael sticking his crookedly on his shirt, Henry carefully pressing his onto his backpack.

At JJ’s door, Emily crouched down, her hand resting on Henry’s shoulder. “Hey, just remember, your mom’s still a little sore, okay? No rough hugs. Gentle ones.”

Both boys nodded seriously. “Gentle,” Henry repeated, tugging Michael’s hand to remind him.

Emily’s lips twitched into the faintest smile. She straightened, letting them go ahead, and leaned against the wall as the door opened.

JJ looked up, and her whole face lit up. The transformation nearly knocked the air out of Emily. The exhaustion, the pain, the tension, all of it softened the second her sons ran in.

“Mommy!” Michael shouted.

“Hey, my babies,” JJ breathed, opening her arms.

The boys rushed her, nearly barreling into the bed until Emily coughed lightly. They slowed, climbing up carefully to hug her. JJ wrapped her arms around them, burying her face in their hair, holding them as if she’d never let go. Over their shoulders, her eyes met Emily’s.

Thank you, JJ mouthed.

Emily nodded once, her throat too tight to speak. JJ didn’t forgive her, not yet, maybe not ever, but she was alive. Alive and with her boys. Emily would take alive and pissed over the alternative a thousand times.

Quietly, Emily moved to the bedside table. She set the green tea down without fanfare, just an offering she hoped would be accepted.

“Emmy brought you a tea,” Michael piped up proudly, catching her in the act.

JJ looked up at her. For a beat, Emily braced herself, not sure if JJ would spit fire or ice.

“Well,” JJ said softly, smoothing her hand over Michael’s hair. “That was very nice of her.”

Emily exhaled slowly, relief prickling along her skin.

JJ knew why Emily was doing it, why she was still showing up in all the small ways. She wasn’t ready to dwell on it, not yet, but she let it sit between them for now, unspoken.

“Have you guys eaten?” JJ asked, combing her fingers through Henry’s hair.

“Yeah,” Henry said, his voice a little quieter. His eyes flicked between his mom and Emily, sensing the tension in the room now that he was old enough to recognize it. “Emily took us before we came here.”

JJ’s gaze lingered on Emily for just a second longer than necessary. Then she kissed Henry’s hair, nodding. “Good. I’m glad.”

Emily’s chest ached. She wanted to say me too but swallowed it down, taking her place against the wall again, watching the woman she loved hold the boys who had become part of her heart too.

Emily lingered in the corner, her hands shoved deep into her pockets, shoulders rigid with the effort of keeping herself still. On the hospital bed, JJ looked softer, calmer, her arms full of Henry and Michael as they filled the room with chatter.

Henry launched into a long-winded story about a science project gone wrong, something about vinegar, baking soda, and a very startled teacher—while Michael kept interrupting with his own details, most of which didn’t make sense but had JJ giggling through the pain.

Emily didn’t speak. She didn’t even move, afraid she might shatter the fragile peace if she did. She just watched.

Watched JJ’s face light up, watched her eyes soften as she kissed Henry’s hair, watched the way her fingers smoothed absently over Michael’s back. Emily’s chest ached because this was it, this was everything she’d ever wanted. JJ, her boys, safe and alive.

Every so often, Emily’s gaze met JJ’s over the boys’ heads. For a heartbeat too long, they held each other’s eyes, and every time JJ was the first to look away, her throat worked like she couldn’t bear the weight of what passed between them.

Hours blurred, the boys’ laughter softening the sterile hospital air. Emily’s legs ached from standing, but she didn’t care. She’d stand for the rest of her life if it meant keeping JJ safe in her sight.

The door cracked open, and Spencer slipped in, his messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He smiled gently at the boys before looking at JJ. “Hey. I thought I’d stop by. I can take them down to the cafeteria if you want.”

Henry immediately perked up. “Yes! They have pudding!”

Michael bounced in JJ’s lap, chanting “pudding, pudding” until JJ laughed and gave him a careful squeeze.

She kissed both their heads before letting them climb down. “Okay, go with Uncle Spencer. Be good.”

As Spencer shepherded them out, his eyes flicked once between JJ and Emily. He didn’t say a word, but Emily caught the flicker of understanding in his gaze. He knew they needed space. The door clicked shut, and silence settled heavy in its wake.

Emily shifted, standing straighter but still keeping her distance. Her chest felt tight, like words were trying to claw their way out, but JJ’s expression told her now wasn’t the time. So they didn’t talk about soulmates. Or secrets. Or the betrayal simmering between them.

Instead, JJ adjusted her blanket, her eyes fixed firmly on the bed sheets. “What time’s bedtime for them?”

Emily’s voice came rough, quiet. “Nine for Henry. Michael… crashed around eight last night.”

JJ nodded, her hands smoothing over the blanket like it mattered. “Henry’s spelling test is Friday. He’s nervous, but he’s ready. Just… remind him to breathe through it.”

“I will,” Emily promised softly.

“And Michael won’t eat peas. Don’t even try.” JJ’s lips quirked, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Emily’s chest squeezed. “Got it. No peas.” Silence again, punctuated only by the distant hum of hospital machines.

JJ finally glanced up at her, and the look in her eyes nearly unmade Emily. So much love is still there, buried under anger and hurt. So much she wasn’t ready to give voice to.

Emily swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay steady. “I’ll make sure they’re good, Jen. You don’t have to worry about them.”

JJ nodded once, then looked away again. “I know.”

It wasn’t forgiveness. But it wasn’t rejection, either, and for tonight, Emily would take it.

Emily knew she was walking on eggshells with JJ, every glance a reminder of the walls now between them. But the boys were different. With them, there were no walls, just laughter, bright chatter, and the kind of unfiltered joy that made her chest ache. She told herself if JJ wasn’t ready to let her in, the least she could do was make sure Henry and Michael felt at home.

Chapter Text

Emily POV

Henry practically vibrated down the aisles, his eyes darting between options. “Aunt Emily, look! This desk has drawers that lock. I could put all my homework and no one could touch it!”

Michael was tugging on her hand, his voice squeaky with excitement. “And I want the blue chair! The spinny one! Mommy said I’m too little for spinny chairs, but if I sit still I can have one, right?”

Emily crouched down so she was level with him, brushing a stray curl from his forehead. “As long as you promise me no racing it across the floor, deal?”

Michael grinned toothily. “Deal!”

Henry came back with a serious face. “Can we each get a TV for our rooms? Just a small one. I promise we won’t watch before bed… unless it’s Friday.”

Emily smirked. “Each? You’re negotiating like your mother.” She gave a long, exaggerated sigh. “Fine. Small ones.”

“YES!” the boys shouted in unison, high-fiving.

They moved through bedding next, Henry picking sheets with bold planets and rocket ships, Michael immediately falling in love with bright dinosaurs. Emily grabbed towels in each boy’s favorite colors, a little set of organizers for Henry’s Legos, and a new plush blanket Michael couldn’t stop hugging.

Her cart was overflowing, but she didn’t care. Watching their excitement, watching them choose their own pieces, it made something inside her settle.

++++

On the way back, Emily turned into JJ’s neighborhood.

“Why are we here?” Henry asked, peering out the window.

“We’re getting clothes and things for you and Mikey,” Emily explained carefully, “and a few things for your mom too. She’s going to need some comforts while she gets better.”

Inside JJ’s house, the boys scattered like they owned the place, pulling clothes from drawers and choosing favorite books and toys.

“Can I bring my superhero posters?” Henry asked, rolling one carefully so it wouldn’t tear.

“Of course,” Emily said. “We’ll hang them up together.”

Michael dragged out his battered stuffed bunny and clutched it to his chest. “This has to come.”

Emily smiled softly, her throat tightening. “Definitely.”

When she went into JJ’s room, she hesitated at the door. The scent of her perfume lingered faintly in the air, the bed neatly made. Emily’s hands shook as she carefully pulled some clothes from drawers—soft sweaters, well-worn jeans, the pajamas she knew JJ always reached for on bad days. She tucked in her favorite scarf, the one JJ wore like armor when she was tired but didn’t want the world to see.

Her fingers lingered over a bottle of perfume on the dresser. She picked it up, breathing it in before tucking it gently into the bag.

++++

The boys barreled into their new rooms the moment they got home, each squealing about where the TV should go, how they wanted their desks angled, whether they should trade posters for a night.

“Mine’s already cooler than Henry’s,” Michael announced proudly, plopping onto his dinosaur-covered bed.

“Is not!” Henry argued, but he was grinning as he started arranging books on his desk.

Emily leaned against the doorframe, watching them settle in. Their laughter filled the house, chasing away shadows she hadn’t realized had lingered so long.

But it wasn’t enough. She wanted JJ to feel at home too.

She called a contractor that night, her voice steady and firm. “I need the shower in the downstairs suite redone. Wider entry, bench seat, nonslip tiles. As soon as possible.”

When the work was done, she stocked the bathroom herself. On the shelves went JJ’s favorite shampoo and conditioner, the exact brand of body wash she always bought, the lotion JJ used to lather onto her hands during endless BAU briefings. Fresh fluffy towels in JJ’s preferred pale blue were folded neatly on the rack. A new robe hung on the door, soft as clouds.

She even slipped her favorite perfume bottle onto the counter, the one she’d carefully taken from JJ’s dresser.

When Emily stepped back and looked at it, her throat clenched. It wasn’t just a guest room anymore—it was JJ’s room.

Her room. If she would only stay and God, Emily wanted her to stay.

++++

Emily had just settled the boys into the living room, Henry with his homework, Michael curled up with his dinosaur, when her phone buzzed. The hospital’s number flashed across the screen. Her heart lurched as she answered.

“Agent Prentiss?” the nurse’s voice asked briskly.

“Yes, this is she.”

“We’re calling to let you know Agent Jareau is ready for discharge today. You’re listed as her emergency contact, so you’ll need to come up and sign her out.”

Emily’s throat went dry. She wasn’t sure if it was relief or panic coursing through her. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

The second the call ended, she dialed Garcia.

“Sugarplum!” Penelope answered in her usual singsong, though Emily could hear typing in the background.

“Garcia, I need you at my place,” Emily said, already grabbing her keys. “The boys are here, and I’ve got to run to the hospital.”

There was no hesitation. “On my way. Kiss those babies for me.”

Emily managed the faintest smile. “I will.”

By the time she walked into JJ’s room, Emily had rehearsed a hundred different versions of don’t bite back if she’s angry. She hadn’t expected JJ’s eyes to cut into her like knives the moment she stepped inside.

“What are you doing here?” JJ snapped, her glare sharp enough to drop Emily in her tracks.

Emily opened her mouth, desperate to explain, but before a word could leave her lips, the nurse bustled in with a clipboard.

“Are you Emily Prentiss?”

Emily straightened, forcing her voice steady. “I am.”

“Okay, good,” the nurse said, flipping through the chart. “She’s cleared to go home. But someone needs to be with her—normal activities are going to be very difficult for at least the next two weeks.”

“That’s fine. She’ll be with me and—”

“I’m not going with—” JJ started hotly, cutting across her.

Emily turned her gaze on her, firm, unyielding, but not cruel. The look that said don’t fight me on this, not now.

JJ’s words died mid-sentence. She huffed, rolling her eyes, but didn’t push further.

The nurse, oblivious to the storm between them, smiled briskly. “Perfect. Let me go get the discharge papers.”

The door clicked shut behind the nurse, leaving only the faint hum of hospital machines and the sharp edge of JJ’s glare cutting into Emily’s back. Emily stood there a moment, breathing in and out slowly, trying to build her walls back up before she turned around.

“There is no way in hell I’m going with you,” JJ said flatly, her voice low but burning.

Emily exhaled, long and steady, before facing her. “Come on, Jay,” she said softly, using the nickname she knew would cut through and risk JJ’s wrath. “You need help. And besides, the boys are already settled at the house. You can’t be alone.”

JJ’s eyes narrowed, her arms crossing in front of her like a shield. “I won’t be alone. I have Henry.”

Emily rubbed at her temple, fighting the urge to snap. “Henry has school. And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to help shower his mother in her underwear.”

JJ flushed, glaring harder. “Well, you certainly won’t be either.”

Emily’s mouth twitched into the faintest, bitter smile. “Jen, I’ve seen you in your underwear hundreds of times.”

JJ’s eyebrows shot up, her voice sharp as glass. “And that was the last time, believe me.”

For the first time since she entered, Emily rolled her eyes hard, muttering under her breath. You’ll be the death of me, Jennifer.

But when she spoke again, her voice was patient, almost pleading. “Listen. The boys are settled, and they need to go to school. Will is still gone. This is the easiest way.”

JJ wasn’t done fighting. Her glare hardened, her tone full of bite. “Their school bus isn’t on that route.”

“So?” Emily asked, baffled.

“How have they been going to school then?” JJ pressed, suspicious now.

Emily blinked, confused at the question. “I drive them?”

JJ’s brow furrowed. “And still get to work on time?”

Now it was Emily’s turn to look away. She shifted uncomfortably, staring at the floor tiles. “I took some leave. God knows I have the days.”

JJ’s jaw dropped slightly, shock cutting through her fury. “Jesus Christ, Emily. You really don’t have to do all of that just because you feel guilty.”

Emily closed her eyes for a moment, then crossed the space between them slowly, carefully, as though approaching a wounded animal. She didn’t reach for her hand—JJ wouldn’t let her—but she rested her palm lightly on JJ’s foot through the blanket. It was the closest she dared.

Her voice was quiet but unshakable. “This isn’t because I feel guilty.” She paused, her throat tight, then let the truth fall, raw and unguarded. “It’s because I love you.”

JJ’s head snapped toward her, eyes wide. She didn’t say a word, but her eyebrows lifted slightly, as if she was more shocked that Emily had finally said it out loud than at the words themselves.

Emily’s gaze didn’t waver. “And I love the boys. No matter how mad you are at me, no matter what you think of me right now—we are still a family.” Her thumb traced an absent line against the edge of JJ’s blanket, careful not to press too much.

“So please, Jay.” Her voice cracked, and she leaned closer, her eyes searching JJ’s for anything—anger, hate, love, something. “Please let me be selfish. Just this once.”

The silence that followed was thick, stretching long enough for Emily’s heart to stutter painfully in her chest. JJ didn’t answer, didn’t glare, didn’t say get out. She just stared at her, lips pressed tight, her eyes a storm Emily couldn’t read.

And after a long stretch of nothing, Emily pulled her hand back, exhaling as though she’d been holding her breath for hours. She straightened, nodded once, and whispered, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

JJ didn’t correct her.

Chapter Text

Emily pov

Emily pulled into the driveway slowly, hands tight on the wheel. JJ had been silent the entire ride home, jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the passing streets as though glaring at the scenery could undo the last week of her life. Emily didn’t press—she knew better. Instead, she slipped out of the driver’s seat quickly, coming around to help JJ.

“I can walk,” JJ muttered as Emily reached for her elbow.

“I know you can,” Emily answered softly, “but you don’t have to.”

JJ rolled her eyes, but she didn’t pull away. Emily guided her gently into the house, down the hall, and into the room she had prepared with painstaking care.

JJ’s eyes flicked around the space, fresh sheets, the new pillows, the faint scent of her favorite perfume hanging in the air, but she said nothing. Instead, she lowered herself carefully onto the bed, took the pain medication Emily handed her, and within minutes her eyes drifted closed. Emily lingered just long enough to tuck the blanket around her shoulders before slipping out.

She found Michael at the dining table, tongue sticking out as he scribbled at a worksheet. “Math,” he said with a dramatic sigh when she peeked over his shoulder. “I hate math.”

Emily chuckled, ruffling his curls. “Everyone hates math, buddy.”

Down the hall, Henry was already sprawled on his new desk chair, headset on, fingers flying across the controller. He looked up just long enough to grin. “Hey, Aunt Em. I’m winning.”

“Of course you are,” she said with a smile, and for a moment, the tension in her chest eased.

Emily was stirring pasta sauce on the stove when she heard the faint shuffle of bare feet. She turned, and her heart clenched. JJ was in the doorway, pale but upright, her hand braced against the wall.

“You should still be resting,” Emily said quietly.

JJ ignored her, eyes drifting toward the table where the boys were already setting out plates. “They’d never forgive me if I missed dinner.”

Emily said nothing, just helped her settle at the head of the table before taking her own seat at the far end.

Dinner was noisy, full of the boys’ laughter and wild stories. Emily didn’t eat much, she mostly watched, memorizing the way JJ smiled softly at something Michael said, how she smoothed Henry’s hair back when he leaned against her shoulder.

It wasn’t until afterward, when JJ walked back down the hall, that she saw them. The other two guest rooms. Henry’s covered in planets, rockets, and bookshelves already half-full. Michael’s a sea of dinosaurs, his stuffed bunny nestled proudly on the pillow.

JJ’s lips tightened, her hand gripping the wall. She muttered something under her breath, something that sounded like a complaint, but when the boys came bounding over, she schooled her face into a smile.

“Mommy! Come see my room!” Michael grabbed her hand, tugging her forward.

“Mine too!” Henry added, practically vibrating with pride.

JJ let them lead her, and she cooed and nodded in all the right places as they gave her the grand tour. Emily leaned against the doorframe, biting her lip, trying not to look too smug. But her eyes sparkled, quietly, fiercely satisfied at the sight of JJ seeing her boys so happy.

Later, when the boys were settled with their video games, Emily helped JJ back toward her own room. She steadied her carefully as they moved into the bathroom, guiding her to the counter.

JJ froze, her eyes sweeping over the space, fresh tiles, nonslip mats, the small built-in bench in the shower. Her favorite shampoo lined up on the shelf, the lotion she always bought, towels soft and pale blue hanging neatly.

Her head whipped around, eyes narrowing. “Emily Prentiss! Did you have your shower redone for me?”

Emily cleared her throat, suddenly fascinated by the tile grout. “It wasn’t conducive to your injury before,” she whispered.

JJ’s brow arched, sharp even in exhaustion. “So first you redo the boys’ rooms, and now you redo the bathroom?”

Emily shrugged, trying for casual. “We don’t know how long you’ll be here. All of you should feel comfortable. And besides…” She waved a hand. “You know I’ve got more money than I can ever spend.”

JJ snorted softly, but her eyes caught on the detail, the perfume on the counter, the robe on the door. Her eyebrow arched higher. “Brand new TVs, Emily?”

Emily froze, throat working. “Sweetheart…” She paused, gauging JJ’s face, making sure she wasn’t about to get her head bitten off. “We both know you don’t want the boys’ PlayStations in the living room.”

JJ huffed, rolling her eyes as she turned back toward the sink. “Whatever.”

It’s quiet for a moment then JJ asks “what are you going to do with all of this after we leave?”

The thought literally made Emily feel like her heart was being ripped out, but she sighs “i’ll figure that out when it comes to it.”

Emily started to head for the door, biting her lip, when JJ’s voice stopped her.

“Wait. Em?”

Emily turned slowly, heart stuttering. “Yeah?”

JJ’s eyes softened, just barely, but enough to knock the wind out of Emily. “Thank you. For all of this. Thank you for what you’ve done for the boys.”

Emily’s lips curved into the smallest smile, soft and quiet. And in that moment, JJ finally saw it—all the smiles Emily had been giving her for years. Smiles that had always meant I love you.

++++

The days blurred together after JJ came home.

Emily never seemed to stop moving, always a step ahead, always anticipating. If JJ needed to sit, Emily was already pulling a pillow behind her back. If her pain meds were due, Emily was standing in the doorway with a glass of water before JJ even asked.

“Em, I can walk to the kitchen myself,” JJ muttered one afternoon as she settled on the couch.

“Sure you can,” Emily said lightly, draping a blanket across her lap anyway. “But then what would I do with all this free time?”

JJ glared, but her lips twitched despite herself.

The boys adored the new routine. Every evening, Emily sat at the table with Michael, going over math problems, patient and calm even when he got frustrated and dramatic. Henry usually stayed close by, headset perched on his head as he played, but Emily always made sure to lean over and check in.

“How’s the essay coming?” she’d ask, and Henry would roll his eyes before admitting he hadn’t started.

JJ watched it all from the couch, Emily’s quiet encouragement, her steady hands smoothing Michael’s messy homework pages, the way she laughed when Henry finally caved and let her help outline his ideas.

Her heart squeezed every time. This was supposed to be her role. She was their mother, not Emily. But the truth was clear: her boys thrived with Emily in the house.

Dinner became ritual. Emily in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back, moving with quiet efficiency as she stirred pots and chopped vegetables. She always made something the boys loved—pasta with garlic bread, chicken and rice, tacos with all the toppings, and without fail she’d set aside something gentle and easy for JJ, always remembering her pain meds.

JJ sometimes tried to protest. “You don’t have to do this every night, Emily. Take a break.”

Emily just shook her head, her smile soft but unyielding. “It’s my job.”

JJ let her, even though the guilt gnawed at her.

++++

One night, when the boys had gone to bed and the house was quiet, JJ finally voiced what had been pressing down on her chest. She sat propped up in bed, hair messy, oversized sweatshirt hanging loose around her frame. Emily came in with a glass of water and set it on the nightstand before stepping back automatically, giving her space.

“Emily,” JJ said softly, catching her before she could retreat.

“Yeah?”

JJ picked at the blanket, her throat tight. “You don’t have to do all of this. Waiting on me hand and foot. Cooking, cleaning, homework, everything with the boys. It’s… it’s too much.”

Emily frowned, leaning against the dresser. “Jen, you’re recovering from a gunshot wound. Someone has to do it.”

JJ shook her head. “Not like this. Not the way you’re doing it.” Her voice cracked slightly. “You’re not doing this because it’s your job. You’re doing it because you love me. Because we’re—” She swallowed, the word catching. “Soulmates.”

Emily’s expression flickered, her jaw tightening. For a second, JJ thought she’d finally admit it. Finally give in.

But then Emily exhaled and shook her head gently. “I’m doing this because it’s my job,” she said quietly. “Because you’re family. Because the boys need stability right now, and you need to heal. That’s it.”

JJ’s eyes stung, her chest tight with frustration. She wanted to scream at her, to push her until she stopped hiding behind excuses. But instead, she bit her lip, nodded, and let Emily slip out of the room.

Because even if Emily wouldn’t say it, JJ could see it in every gesture, every meal, every smile. She just didn’t know if she was ready to admit how much she wanted it to be true.

++++

The house was quiet that evening, the boys already tucked in with their new routines. For the first time since JJ had been discharged, she and Emily sat together in the living room. No boys between them, no Garcia filling the silence with chatter, no excuses to keep them apart.

JJ had curled up on one end of the couch, a blanket over her legs, her hair loose around her shoulders. Emily sat on the other end, legs stretched out, a glass of wine in hand. The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of a lamp. For a long while, they just sat there, the silence almost fragile.

JJ broke it first. Her voice was quiet, steady, but the words landed like a stone in the stillness. “How long have you been in love with me?”

Emily’s grip on her glass faltered. She looked over, startled, but JJ’s blue eyes held her firmly, demanding an answer. Emily swallowed, her throat tight.

“Probably from the moment I met you,” she admitted softly. Then she gave a sad half-smile. “But more realistically… a year after I met you, I knew for sure.”

JJ blinked, her chest constricting. “You’ve been in love with me for ten years and never said anything?”

Emily exhaled, setting her glass down on the coffee table. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, staring at the floor. “When I met you that first day, I was so shocked, so confused. I wasn’t ready to deal with the whole soulmate thing yet. And plus—we were coworkers. I made a point to always call you by a nickname, so you wouldn’t find out.”

Her voice softened, raw. “By year two, I thought about telling you. Really thought about it. But then I talked myself out of it. I had so much dark history, Jen. So many things that could’ve put you in danger just for being close to me. And then… then Will came along. And you were so happy. Then the boys.” Emily shook her head slowly. “How could I break that up?”

JJ’s lips parted, her heart twisting. “Why not after Will and I broke up?”

Emily rolled her eyes faintly, more at herself than JJ. “I wasn’t going to unload that on my best friend after her long-term relationship just fell apart. You deserved healing, not me confessing some lifelong secret.”

JJ’s voice cracked, the betrayal pushing its way out. “You told me once your soulmate didn’t want you. You lied. The truth is… you never gave her a chance.”

Emily finally looked at her, the weight of a decade in her gaze. “I shouldn’t have kept that choice from you. I’m so sorry, love.” The endearment slipped out, unguarded, raw.

JJ’s chest burned. “I have to think, Emily. This is a lot. My best friend has lied to me for a decade. You’re in love with me. And you never told me.”

Emily nodded, her jaw tightening, accepting the blow. “However much time you need,” she whispered. She stood slowly, moving toward the hallway to give JJ space.

But a voice stopped her, quiet but unshakable. “Is that why you never dated anyone?”

Emily froze, turning back with a small, sad smile tugging at her lips. “There was no point. I already have the most amazing soulmate. I got to see her every day. Got to be in her presence every day. That was enough for me.”

JJ’s throat constricted. “Were you ever going to say anything?”

Emily shrugged faintly. “I honestly don’t know.”

JJ leaned forward, searching her face. “What was your plan?”

Emily’s eyes softened, her voice almost breaking. “Just keep being here.”

JJ’s breath hitched, words failing her. “I—”

Emily stepped closer, her hand brushing the back of the couch but not daring to reach for JJ. “It’s okay, Jay. Just get some rest.”

She turned to go again, and JJ sat frozen, her heart pounding in her ears. Emily’s shadow slipped down the hall, leaving her alone on the couch with a glass of wine she suddenly couldn’t drink.

Because for the first time, she couldn’t hide from the truth: every smile, every laugh, every unspoken word over the years had always meant the same thing.

I love you.

Chapter Text

JJ POV

The house was silent in the dead of night. JJ padded slowly down the hallway, her steps soft so as not to wake Henry or Michael. The ache in her side flared as she walked, but she pressed on. Checking on her boys had become her ritual, peeking in on their sleeping faces always grounded her, reminding her of why she endured everything.

But tonight, before she could reach their doors, a low sound stopped her. Groans. Whimpers. Not from the boys’ rooms, but from farther down the hall. Emily’s room.

JJ frowned, her pulse quickening. She limped toward the sound and pushed the door open just enough to peek inside. Her eyes adjusted to the dark, and her chest tightened.

Emily was twisted in the sheets, the covers bunched around her. She thrashed against invisible enemies, sweat pouring down her face, dampening her hairline. The whimpers were guttural, raw.

Then JJ heard it, clear as day.

“Jen!” Emily’s voice cracked in agony. “No, Jennifer, please! No, no, baby, please stay. Please stay.”

JJ’s hand flew to her mouth. She stood frozen in the doorway, her heart hammering. How long had Emily been having these nightmares? How many times had she cried out alone, begging for me in the dark?

Her anger wavered, slipping under the weight of love and grief. Quietly, JJ slipped inside and closed the door behind her. No matter how furious she was at Emily, she couldn’t leave her in pain, not like this.

She limped carefully to the bed, watching Emily’s face twist in terror. She had shared enough beds with the brunette over the years, on cases, undercover, and during sleepless nights, that she knew better than to shake her awake.

Leaning down, JJ whispered softly, urgently. “Em, wake up. Emily, wake up. I’m here. I’m fine.”

It took several moments, but finally Emily jolted awake, bolting upright with a ragged gasp. Her eyes darted around wildly until they landed on JJ.

“Jay?” her voice cracked, hoarse. “Sweetheart?”

JJ winced as she lowered herself to sit on the edge of the bed. “Yeah. I’m here. I’m okay.”

Emily’s fingers trembled as they crawled across the sheets, seeking, needing. JJ’s instinct was to pull away, to remind herself she was still angry, but her soulmate’s pain eclipsed her fury. She let Emily find her hand.

Emily’s fingers wrapped tight, lacing with hers like a lifeline. “You died,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

JJ’s heart squeezed. She squeezed back gently. “No, I didn’t. I’m here.”

Emily’s chest heaved as she leaned into the touch, her body shaking with leftover fear. Her thumb brushed desperately over JJ’s knuckles. “I know I don’t have the right to ask,” she stammered, eyes wet in the dark, “but will you stay with me? Please, I—I need—”

JJ closed her eyes, sighing. Her ribs ached as she shifted, but she carefully, painstakingly crawled into the bed beside her soulmate. Emily didn’t pull her close, didn’t try to wrap her up. She just kept hold of JJ’s hand, clinging like she might disappear again.

JJ lay stiffly on her back, staring at the ceiling. Emily had done so much for her and the boys these past weeks, carrying them all, never once asking for thanks. This… this was the least she could do.

She felt Emily’s breathing begin to slow, the tension in her body easing as sleep pulled her back under. The silence stretched, heavy but calm. And then, so faint JJ almost thought she dreamed it, came the whisper.

“I love you so much. I’m so sorry for everything. I would do anything for you.”

JJ’s chest constricted, tears pricking her eyes. She didn’t answer, not tonight. But she didn’t pull her hand away either.

And in the quiet, she realized: even in her anger, even in her hurt, she could never ignore the truth.

Emily was hers. And she always had been.

++++

JJ stirred slowly, blinking against the soft light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, she didn’t recognize where she was; the sheets smelled faintly of cedar and something distinctly Emily, the mattress firmer than her own. Then memory caught up, and her chest tightened.

Emily’s bed.

She shifted carefully, her side aching in protest, but… God, she realized she’d actually slept, really slept. No tossing, no shooting awake in a panic, no dreams of gunfire and blood. Just rest. She couldn’t remember the last time her body had felt this heavy with genuine sleep. But when she reached out instinctively, the other side of the bed was empty.

JJ’s stomach flipped. For one disoriented second, she thought Emily might have dreamed her way out, left her to wake alone. But then, soft, muffled sounds drifted down the hall.

Laughter.

Emily’s laughter.

JJ froze, the sound sending a shock of warmth through her. Emily giggling, really giggling, was rare, something JJ had only heard a handful of times over the years. And now it tumbled through the house, mingled with two smaller, higher-pitched voices.

The boys.

JJ lay back for a long while, staring at the ceiling, listening. Every laugh from her sons, every gentle chuckle from Emily, every clatter of dishes—it wrapped around her like a blanket she didn’t know if she wanted to pull closer or rip off. Her heart tugged in two directions: the betrayal still raw and heavy, and the undeniable truth that her boys had never sounded so safe, so happy.

Finally, curiosity, or maybe longing, pushed her up. She winced as her ribs protested, tugged a sweatshirt over her head, and crept down the hall.

The closer she got, the clearer the scene became.

Emily stood at the stove, hair pulled back messily, spatula in hand as she flipped pancakes. Michael was perched on a chair beside the counter, swinging his little legs, giggling at something Emily had just said. Henry, already dressed for the day, was setting out plates with all the seriousness of a soldier on assignment.

And Emily—Emily looked alive in a way JJ hadn’t seen in years. She was laughing at Michael’s joke, leaning down to bump his nose playfully with her own, her eyes crinkled, her smile wide and unguarded.

JJ’s breath caught.

She leaned against the doorframe quietly, watching them. Her heart ached at the sight: her children, beaming, adored. Emily, effortlessly woven into their lives, as though she’d always been there. As though she belonged.

And God, didn’t she?

JJ’s jaw clenched. Because even as anger still smoldered in her chest, anger at the years of silence, at the lies by omission, the truth was unshakable. Emily had been theirs all along.

Watching them, JJ’s heart swelled and splintered at once.

Her soulmate. Her best friend. The woman who had kept her alive, kept her boys safe, and still managed to make pancakes while giggling in the kitchen like she hadn’t been drowning in nightmares just hours ago.

JJ bit her lip hard, tears threatening, and stayed in the shadows of the hall. Because stepping into that kitchen meant admitting she wanted it, all of it.

And JJ wasn’t sure she was ready to admit that yet.

JJ stood in the hallway another moment, her hand pressed against the doorframe as if the wood itself might steady her. She didn’t want to admit it, didn’t want to give Emily that satisfaction, but this was the first morning in a long time she hadn’t woken up in pain, inside or out.

Finally, she pushed herself forward, padding softly into the kitchen.

“Morning, Mommy!” Michael spotted her first, practically bouncing on his chair. “Aunt Emmy’s making pancakes! She even let me stir the batter, but she said no eggshells this time.” His little grin was triumphant.

JJ forced a smile, her voice gentle. “That sounds like a good rule, Mikey.”

Henry was already sliding a plate toward the seat beside him. “Mom, sit. You need to eat.” He glanced toward Emily, adding, “She made the ones you like, blueberry.”

JJ’s eyes flicked to Emily then, just for a moment. Emily kept her gaze low, focused on the skillet, but JJ caught the faintest pink creeping up her neck.

JJ lowered herself carefully into the chair, hiding her wince. “Thanks, Henry.”

Emily set a plate down in front of her without a word, then returned to the stove. JJ noticed the details, though—the pancakes perfectly golden, her mug already filled with green tea, steam curling from the top. Emily hadn’t even asked.

Michael launched into a story about his dream from last night, something involving dinosaurs and a superhero teaming up to save a princess. JJ nodded along, smoothing her hand through his curls, but her eyes kept drifting back to Emily.

The brunette moved around the kitchen with quiet ease, slipping extra syrup to Henry without being asked, cutting Michael’s pancakes into smaller bites before he even thought to complain. It was all so natural, too natural.

JJ hated the twist in her chest, that mix of longing and anger that refused to settle.

“Mommy,” Henry piped up between mouthfuls, “Aunt Emmy says she can fix my bike later. The chain’s all messed up.”

JJ raised a brow. “Doesn’t Aunt Emily have enough to do without fixing bikes?”

Henry shrugged innocently. “She said it was no big deal.”

JJ’s gaze flicked to Emily again. This time, Emily dared to meet her eyes, just for a heartbeat. And in that heartbeat, JJ saw it, saw the truth Emily carried in every movement, every word.

Love. Steadfast and unyielding.

JJ’s stomach clenched. She turned back to her plate, focusing on the pancakes so she wouldn’t have to drown in it.

When breakfast ended, the boys tugged her down the hall, eager to give her another “official tour” of their rooms now that everything was in place. JJ let them, smiling softly as they showed off their posters and new desks, their excitement contagious.

But she kept glancing back at the doorway, where Emily stood leaning against the frame, her arms crossed, teeth worrying her lip. JJ recognized that, look, it was satisfaction, pride. Emily had done all this for them. For her.

And JJ still didn’t know if that broke her heart or pieced it back together.

Chapter Text

Emily POV

Emily was halfway through folding laundry when she heard the unmistakable sound of the front door opening. Before she could even move, Henry and Michael exploded with squeals of joy.

“Daddy!”

Will barely made it two steps inside before both boys collided with him, wrapping themselves around his legs and tugging at his hands. Emily stood frozen in the hallway, laundry basket pressed against her hip, watching the scene unfold.

Will laughed, the sound warm and familiar. “Hey, my boys!” He crouched down, hugging them tight, kissing their foreheads one after the other. When he finally looked up, his gaze found Emily.

“Hey, Emily.”

She shifted the basket nervously before setting it on the table. “Hey, Will. She’s—uh—JJ’s asleep. Had a rough night, meds hit her hard.”

Will nodded with quiet understanding. “That tracks.”

Before Emily could say anything more, Michael grabbed his dad’s hand. “You have to come see our rooms! Aunt Emily made them brand new!”

Emily’s heart stuttered. She opened her mouth, fumbling for words, but Henry was already tugging on Will’s other hand. “Come on, Daddy, I’ll show you my desk!”

Will gave Emily a look, curious, not unkind, before letting himself be dragged down the hall. Emily’s chest tightened. She stayed rooted in place, every muscle tense. What if he thought she was overstepping? What if he thought she was trying to replace him?

Her stomach churned until she finally forced herself to follow at a distance, stopping at the doorway as the boys proudly showed off every inch of their new spaces.

“See?” Henry announced, pointing to his desk. “Aunt Emily let me pick it out myself. And look, it locks! Nobody can mess with my stuff now.”

Michael bounced onto his bed, arms spread wide across his dinosaur blanket. “And I got dinosaurs! And a spinny chair! Mommy says no spinning, but I’m careful, promise.”

Will chuckled, ruffling both their heads. “Looks like you’ve got it made, huh?”

The boys nodded furiously, grinning ear to ear.

Finally, Will straightened, his eyes soft. “Okay, guys. Why don’t you each pack a bag? You’re coming with me for the weekend.”

“Really?” Henry’s voice shot up an octave.

“Yes, really. Go grab your things.”

The boys bolted, chattering a mile a minute, and the house shook with their energy as they tore off down the hall.

Emily stayed back in the doorway, her palms damp. When Will turned, she quickly stepped into the kitchen, needing space before she suffocated on nerves. She poured herself a glass of water just for something to do, her hands trembling against the counter.

When Will followed, Emily blurted out before he could say anything, “I’m sorry. If I overstepped with the rooms, if I crossed a line... I wasn’t trying to. I just…” Her voice cracked, and she stared hard at the counter. “I wanted them to feel at home here. And with JJ needing help, and with you being gone, I—I just thought it would make things easier.”

Silence stretched. Emily dared a glance up, expecting irritation, maybe even anger.

But Will only shook his head, his expression calm, almost kind. “Emily, relax. You didn’t overstep.”

Emily blinked. “I didn’t?”

“No.” His smile was faint but genuine. “I’m grateful. Truly. Those boys adore you. And JJ… she might not say it right now, but she does, too. Everything you’ve done means more than you realize.”

Emily’s throat tightened, relief flooding her chest. She nodded once, her voice barely above a whisper. “Thank you.”

Emily leaned back against the counter, arms crossed tight as if she could hold herself together. The relief of Will not being upset hadn’t fully sunk in—her chest still felt like a coil ready to snap.

But Will wasn’t finished.

“Em,” he said quietly, leaning one elbow on the counter. “You’ve got to stop second-guessing yourself. The boys are happy. JJ’s safe. And you—” he paused, eyes kind but direct, “—you’re doing everything right.”

Emily shook her head, her jaw tightening. “She hates me, Will. You didn’t see the way she looked at me at the hospital. Like I betrayed her.”

Will sighed. “She’s hurt. She’s allowed to be. But hate?” He shook his head firmly. “That’s not what I see. I’ve known JJ a long time. If she hated you, she wouldn’t let you within a mile of those boys. And right now? You’re the first person she trusts.”

Emily’s throat tightened, her voice dropping. “Trusting me with the boys doesn’t mean she wants me.”

Will studied her for a moment. “Maybe not yet. But Em… keep doing what you’re doing. Keep showing up, keep taking care of her and those boys. You don’t have to force anything. She’ll see it. Eventually, she won’t be able to ignore it.”

Emily’s eyes flicked down, her mouth pulling into a sad smile. “You make it sound simple.”

Will shrugged. “That’s because it is. You’ve already been loving her for a decade. Just… don’t stop now.”

Neither of them noticed the shadow in the hallway.

JJ leaned against the wall, clutching the frame for support. Her heart hammered in her chest as she listened —listened to Emily’s voice breaking, listened to Will soothing her, as if she were the one who needed reassurance.

Her soulmate, the woman who had lied to her, who had buried this truth for ten years… standing in the kitchen, wringing her hands like a nervous teenager. And Will—her ex, the father of her children, telling Emily to keep going. Keep loving her.

JJ didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She waited until the boys’ voices carried down the hall before she pushed herself forward, stepping into the kitchen. Both Emily and Will stopped immediately, their conversation cutting off mid-breath.

“Hey,” Will said warmly, stepping forward to hug her carefully, mindful of her ribs. His familiar drawl softened. “God, it’s good to see you up. You don’t know how relieved I am.”

JJ let him hug her, her eyes flicking over his shoulder to where Emily stood frozen by the counter, her posture suddenly stiff.

Before she could say anything, the boys came thundering back in, backpacks bouncing against their sides.

“We’re ready, Daddy!” Henry announced proudly, with Michael right behind him.

Michael ran straight for Emily, wrapping his little arms around her legs. “Bye, Aunt Em! Don’t forget to water my dinosaur plant!”

Emily bent quickly, hugging him back tight, pressing a kiss to his hair. “Wouldn’t dream of it, kiddo.”

Henry gave her a fist bump before leaning in for a quick hug. “See you after the weekend.”

JJ watched it all silently, her heart caught in her throat.

When the boys turned to her, she knelt carefully, hugging them both as tightly as her ribs would allow. “Have fun, okay? Be good for your dad.”

“We will!” they chorused before racing back to Will, who ushered them toward the door with a grin.

The door closed behind them, and suddenly the house was too quiet again, just JJ and Emily, the air heavy with all the words unsaid.

JJ stood still in the doorway, her arms folded tight over her chest, watching Emily shift nervously in the kitchen.

And for the first time since she’d come home, JJ wasn’t sure who was more conflicted, her, or the woman who had just confessed her love in whispers JJ wasn’t meant to hear.

Chapter Text

JJ POV

The door had barely clicked shut behind Will and the boys when silence rushed into the house like a wave. It was heavy, thick, settling between them with the weight of everything unspoken.

Emily still stood by the counter, one hand flat on the edge like she needed the grounding. She wouldn’t look at JJ, her eyes trained on the floor.

JJ crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe, her gaze steady and unflinching. “So.”

Emily flinched at the sound, her jaw tightening. “So,” she echoed quietly.

“I heard you,” JJ said, her voice firm, even though her chest was tight. “In here. With Will.”

Emily’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “JJ—”

“You think I hate you,” JJ cut in, her tone sharper now, trembling with restrained fury. “You think I don’t see what you’re doing? Waiting on me hand and foot, rearranging your whole damn life for me and the boys, and all the while you’re telling Will you’re just gonna ‘keep doing what you’re doing.’”

Emily’s mouth opened, closed, the words failing her.

JJ shook her head, her eyes narrowing. “You’ve been in love with me for ten years and your grand plan is just… what? Stick around like a shadow until I eventually figure it out? Hope I get tired of being mad enough to fall into your arms?”

Emily winced. “It’s not like that.”

JJ’s laugh was bitter, quiet. “Isn’t it? Because that’s what it sounds like.”

Emily pushed off the counter, finally meeting her eyes. “JJ, I’m not trying to trick you into anything. I just—” her voice cracked, she swallowed hard. “I just don’t know how else to love you except to keep showing up.”

The words landed like a gut punch, and JJ hated how part of her softened. She snapped her arms tighter across her chest. “You don’t get it. I don’t need you to just show up, Emily. I needed the truth. I needed a choice. And you stole that from me.”

Emily’s eyes shone, her voice low and rough. “I know. And I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

The silence stretched, sharp and ragged. JJ’s heart pounded as anger warred with the undeniable pull in her chest. Emily’s face was open, broken, every line carved with love and regret.

Finally, JJ exhaled, long and shaky. “You make it really hard to hate you, you know that?”

Emily let out a choked laugh, wiping quickly at her eyes. “Yeah. I’m counting on it.”

JJ’s throat worked, her body aching with exhaustion, physical and emotional. She dropped her gaze to the floor, her voice softer but still tight. “I don’t forgive you. Not yet.”

“I know,” Emily said immediately. No defensiveness, no excuses. Just quiet acceptance.

“But I also can’t ignore…” JJ trailed off, her jaw clenching, forcing herself to stop before she said too much. “Forget it. I need to lie down.”

Emily nodded, her chest rising and falling like she’d just run a marathon. “I’ll help you—”

“No.” JJ’s voice cut sharper than she intended. She winced at the flicker of pain on Emily’s face, but she forced herself to finish. “Not right now.”

She turned and limped down the hall, leaving Emily standing alone in the kitchen.

Emily closed her eyes, pressing the heels of her palms to her face. At least she didn’t say get out.

But God, the space between them had never felt wider.

++++

Saturday morning, the house was too quiet without the boys. Emily lay awake in bed long before the sun fully broke the horizon, staring at the ceiling. Sleep had been shallow at best, full of half-dreams and the sound of JJ’s voice lingering in her mind. She couldn’t take another hour pacing her room, so she slipped on a hoodie and grabbed her keys.

By the time the sky was streaked with pink, Emily was in the grocery store, basket full of things she knew by heart: JJ’s favorite yogurt, fresh berries, the exact tea bags she always reached for, and a bottle of champagne for mimosas. She even threw in the blueberry muffins JJ had once admitted were her guilty pleasure after long cases.

When she returned, the house still slept. She moved around the kitchen quietly, whisking eggs, flipping pancakes, cutting fruit, going through the motions as if she’d been doing it her entire life.

The smell carried through the house, warm and sweet, coaxing JJ from sleep. She stumbled into the kitchen, hair mussed, one hand braced against her side.

“Emily?” Her voice was rough with sleep.

Emily turned, spatula in hand, and for once she didn’t try to mask the plea in her eyes. “Jay,” she said softly, almost desperate. “Can we please just have a few minutes of us? The old us. No fighting, no anger, just… us.”

JJ blinked at her, lips parted, torn between snapping and caving. But when she saw Emily standing there, shoulders tense, eyes so raw and open—it broke her. She thought for a moment, then gave a small, careful nod.

Emily’s relief was almost palpable. She poured champagne into two glasses, topped them with orange juice, and set one in JJ’s hand before gently guiding her toward the couch.

“Sit. Let me finish up.”

JJ eased herself down, clutching the mimosa, watching Emily move around the kitchen. There was something almost domestic about it, Emily barefoot, humming quietly under her breath, hair falling out of its tie. It was disarming in a way JJ hadn’t prepared for.

Soon enough, Emily joined her on the couch, plates in hand. Pancakes stacked with berries, yogurt on the side, muffins still warm. She set them down and sank into the cushion, keeping a polite distance but close enough their knees nearly brushed.

JJ took a bite, her lips twitching despite herself. “Okay, this is good.”

Emily chuckled softly. “I remember things.”

And just like that, the tension eased.

They flipped on the TV, settling into something mindless, an old sitcom JJ used to love. For the first time in weeks, maybe months, they laughed together. Small things: JJ teasing Emily for crying at a commercial, Emily stealing the last bite of JJ’s muffin and getting smacked on the arm in retaliation.

For a few hours, the heaviness lifted. There were no arguments, no betrayals hovering between them. Just two women—best friends, soulmates, something more than either was ready to name—sitting on the couch, eating breakfast and letting themselves breathe.

JJ leaned back, mimosa in hand, and glanced at Emily out of the corner of her eye. She still wasn’t ready to forgive, but for the first time since waking up in that hospital bed, she let herself admit one thing: she missed this. She missed them.

And God help her, she wasn’t sure she could ever give it up again.

++++

The boys were still gone and the house quieter than it had been in years. Without their chatter filling the air, every sound felt sharper: the clink of silverware.

JJ thought the silence would drive her mad. Instead, it gave Emily room to fill the space—with care, with thoughtfulness, with a relentless kind of devotion that made JJ’s chest hurt.

Saturday bled into Sunday with Emily moving around her like a ghost and a shadow, always present, always anticipating.

She made JJ’s favorite breakfasts—perfectly cooked eggs, blueberries folded into pancakes, fresh green tea steeped exactly right. At lunch, a chicken salad JJ hadn’t even remembered telling her she liked. For dinner, Emily grilled salmon in the backyard, serving it with roasted vegetables and a glass of white wine.

Every meal was a quiet declaration: I know you. I remember you. I love you.

JJ didn’t say a word about it. She didn’t have the energy to fight Emily’s stubbornness anymore, and somewhere deep down, she didn’t want to. So she sat at the table, ate the food set in front of her, and let herself enjoy it even as guilt gnawed at her ribs.

It wasn’t just meals.

When JJ tried to fold laundry, Emily plucked the basket from her hands and did it herself, humming under her breath. When JJ shifted on the couch, wincing from her side, Emily appeared out of nowhere with an extra pillow. When JJ’s book slipped from her lap, Emily picked it up and slid a blanket over her legs without a word.

Once, JJ caught her at it and muttered, “You don’t have to hover, you know.”

Emily only smiled, soft and tired. “I know.” Then she smoothed the blanket anyway.

Sunday morning, JJ found the vase on the counter. Fresh flowers—wildflowers, not roses. Bright, imperfect, real. She touched the petals gently, her throat tight, and didn’t mention them when Emily came in with the tea.

Later, Emily coaxed her outside to the porch, setting a cushion behind her back and laying a cardigan over her shoulders against the breeze. They sat in silence for a long time, the world moving slow around them.

JJ didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what to do with the truth pounding in her chest: that she loved all of this. That she had missed Emily’s care, her quiet attentiveness, more than she’d ever let herself admit. That even now, angry and hurt, she still felt safer with Emily than anyone else.

So she said nothing. She just let Emily take care of her, let her fuss and dote and hover. For the first time since the shooting, she allowed herself to lean back into the comfort of it, even if it felt like betrayal of her own anger.

By the time Sunday evening rolled in, JJ realized she hadn’t had to ask for a single thing all weekend. Emily had anticipated it all, every pain, every need, every small indulgence.

And JJ, for all her fury and heartbreak, had let her.

Because deep down, she wasn’t ready to let go of what it felt like to be loved like this.

Chapter Text

JJ sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor, the ache in her side gnawing at her. She hadn’t had a proper shower since the hospital, and the weight of it pressed down until she felt dirty in her own skin. She told herself she could do it. She could be strong.

She shuffled into the bathroom, gripping the sink for balance, trying to steady her breathing as she reached for the faucet. The room blurred, the mirror showing her a pale, tired reflection she barely recognized. She managed to pull her shirt up, wincing when the fabric brushed against the dressing on her side.

Her eyes burned, and before she knew it, tears spilled down her cheeks. She leaned against the counter, trembling, and whispered the one name she swore she wouldn’t.

“Emily.”

The door cracked open almost instantly. Emily stepped inside, eyes soft but cautious, her voice steady. “I’m here.”

JJ swallowed hard. “What are you doing?”

Emily’s gaze drops, her body stiff with restraint. “You said I wasn’t allowed to see you this way. So I was… trying to respect you.”

JJ sighed, loud and shaky. She hated herself for needing this, for needing her. “Just help me, Em.”

Emily moved closer, gentle, as if afraid JJ might break. She adjusted the water, testing it on her wrist until it was perfect, then turned back. With careful fingers, she reached for JJ’s shirt again, helping peel it over her head.

JJ kept her eyes squeezed shut, refusing to look down at her side, at the angry scar marring her skin. She could feel Emily’s hands at the waistband of her sweats, but then they stopped.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Emily’s voice was barely above a whisper.

JJ’s chest heaved. “How can you look at me?”

Emily froze, her brows knitting together. “What do you mean?”

JJ’s voice cracked, the words spilling out before she could stop them. “All the scars. I’m not pretty like I used to be.” Her eyes opened, blue and wet with tears, searching Emily’s face for disgust, for pity.

But Emily only looked up at her, heartbreak etched across her features. She stepped closer, her voice steady and fierce. “Darling, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. Always have been. Your scars… they make you even more beautiful.”

JJ’s lips parted, trembling, but Emily wasn’t done.

“And this new one?” Emily’s eyes softened, filling with tears of her own. “It’s the prettiest of them all. Because I almost lost you. And this scar means you’re still here.”

JJ broke then, tears sliding silently down her cheeks. She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing, standing there awkward and raw in front of the only person who had ever seen her like this.

Emily kissed her temple gently, then turned away, giving her space. She finished adjusting the shower, steam filling the room, and waited beside the door. “Take your time, Jay. I’ll be right here.”

JJ stepped in slowly, the warm water cascading over her, soothing and overwhelming all at once. For a moment, she thought she could do it alone. But her ribs screamed, her knees wobbled, and her pride finally gave out.

Her hand extended out of the shower door, trembling as she searched.

“Em?” she called softly, almost breaking.

Emily was at her side instantly. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“I need help.”

Emily swallowed, her chest heaving. “Are you sure?”

JJ’s hand shook in the air, reaching for her. “Just get in here, Em.”

Emily stripped down to her underwear faster than she ever had in her life, her movements quick but steady. And then she stepped in, the steam wrapping them both in a cocoon of warmth and unspoken truth.

JJ leaned into her, finally letting the weight fall onto Emily’s shoulders. And Emily, without hesitation, held her steady.

The steam curled around them, softening the edges of the world until it was just the two of them, JJ’s uneven breaths and Emily’s steady hands.

Emily kept her touch careful, reverent. She didn’t linger, didn’t let her gaze wander where it shouldn’t. She was deliberate, grounding JJ with every small act: adjusting the spray so it didn’t hit her side, holding her elbow so she wouldn’t slip, keeping one hand firmly braced on her shoulder as if she could anchor her against the current of her own fear.

JJ closed her eyes, leaning into the warmth. At first, every movement felt awkward, heavy with self-consciousness, but Emily’s silence was steadying. There was no judgment in it. No pity. Just presence.

Emily reached for the bottle of shampoo and poured some into her palms. “May I?” she asked quietly, waiting until JJ gave a faint nod before stepping closer.

With featherlight fingers, Emily massaged the soap through JJ’s hair. The pressure was gentle, almost soothing, and JJ found herself breathing deeper with every stroke. Her shoulders loosened, the tension easing bit by bit.

“You can let go, Jay,” Emily whispered, her voice low but certain. “You don’t have to hold yourself up right now. I’ve got you.”

JJ’s throat burned. She wanted to protest, to remind Emily she was still angry, that this wasn’t forgiveness, but her body betrayed her. She let her head tip forward into Emily’s touch, the water rinsing away more than just the suds.

When Emily guided the rinse, her fingers brushing along JJ’s scalp, JJ exhaled a shaky sigh. For the first time since the shooting, she didn’t feel broken. She felt cared for. Safe.

Emily reached for the body wash next, her hands trembling slightly. She didn’t move until JJ gave another small nod, then began carefully washing around her shoulders, arms, avoiding her side with practiced precision.

JJ kept her eyes closed, not because she was ashamed, but because she was memorizing the way it felt, the gentleness, the patience. Emily wasn’t just tending to her body; she was tending to all the places JJ had been too afraid to touch since waking up in the hospital.

After a long silence, JJ whispered, “Why are you always so careful with me?”

Emily’s hand stilled, her chest tightening. She leaned closer, her lips almost brushing JJ’s temple, though she didn’t quite dare. “Because you’re the most important thing in my world. And I’m terrified of hurting you.”

JJ’s eyes opened, meeting Emily’s in the steam. Her soulmate’s gaze was unguarded, raw, and for the first time, JJ didn’t look away.

Neither of them moved for several long moments. Finally, JJ gave a faint, watery laugh, one that was sad. “You’re ridiculous.”

Emily smiled softly, brushing a damp strand of hair back from JJ’s cheek. “Yeah. But I’m yours, ridiculous or not.”

JJ didn’t respond, but when Emily shifted to step back, JJ’s hand shot out, catching her wrist. Not a command. Not a demand. Just a plea.

“Stay,” JJ whispered.

Emily nodded once, the promise in her eyes clear. “Always.”

And in the cocoon of steam and silence, JJ let Emily keep her steady until her legs didn’t shake anymore.

Chapter Text

JJ let Emily wrap her in a soft robe, the fabric warm from the dryer. Her body felt heavy, drained not just from the effort of the shower but from the quiet intimacy of letting her soulmate care for her that way. Emily guided her gently back to bed, tucking the blankets around her like she might disappear if left uncovered.

“Rest,” Emily murmured, smoothing a damp lock of hair back from JJ’s forehead. Then she slipped away, leaving the room in hushed stillness.

JJ lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, trying to breathe. She told herself she was fine. She told herself she could sleep. But every time she closed her eyes, she felt Emily’s hands steady, careful, reverent, and her chest tightened until sleep was impossible.

Minutes bled into an hour. Finally, with a frustrated sigh, JJ swung her legs over the bed. Her body protested, her ribs aching, but the pull in her chest was stronger than the pain. She padded down the hall, her steps soft against the hardwood.

Emily’s bedroom door was cracked, a faint glow spilling into the hallway. JJ hesitated, her hand hovering just above the frame, before pushing it open gently.

Inside, Emily sat propped against the headboard, laptop balanced on her thighs, the glow of the screen painting her face. Her eyes flicked up immediately, sharp and alert even in the middle of the night.

“Jen?” she said softly, closing the laptop halfway. “Are you okay? Do you need something?”

JJ stood there awkwardly, arms wrapped around herself, suddenly unsure. She watched as Emily moved the computer to the nightstand, her full attention already fixed on her.

“Can—” JJ swallowed hard, her throat dry. “Can I stay in here tonight?”

Emily’s face softened instantly, the smallest smile tugging at her lips. “Whatever you need, my love.”

JJ bit her lip, her stomach flipping at the endearment. She crossed the room slowly, every step heavier than the last, until she reached the bed.

Emily shifted, pulling the blanket back in invitation. But before JJ climbed in, Emily’s voice stopped her. “Did you take your meds?”

JJ nodded softly, her eyes downcast. “Yeah.”

“Good.” Emily’s smile deepened just a fraction, her relief visible. She reached out, brushing her fingers lightly against JJ’s arm, not pushing but anchoring.

JJ slipped under the covers, lying stiff at first, unsure of what to do with herself. Emily didn’t crowd her, didn’t touch beyond the faint brush of the blanket she pulled up over JJ’s shoulder.

The silence was thick, but for the first time, it didn’t feel suffocating. It felt… safe.

JJ stared at the ceiling, her lips pressed tight, her chest betraying her with every uneven beat. She wasn’t ready to forgive. She wasn’t prepared to give in. But God, she wasn’t ready to be alone either.

++++

The room was still, the only sound the soft hum of Emily’s laptop as it powered down on the nightstand. Emily had switched off the lamp, leaving only the faint silver wash of moonlight through the blinds.

JJ lay on her back, her body stiff under the covers, every muscle locked in tension. She told herself she wouldn’t move closer, that this was temporary, just a convenience. She needed to rest, and Emily’s room had felt like the only place she could breathe tonight. Nothing more.

But as the minutes stretched, her body betrayed her.

She could hear Emily’s breathing beside her—steady, slow, like she was forcing herself to seem asleep. JJ knew better. Emily never slept easily, not with her nightmares, not with the weight she carried.

JJ rolled onto her side, careful not to tug at her ribs. The movement brought her closer to the warmth radiating from Emily’s body, and she froze, her pulse quickening. Too close, she warned herself. But the comfort was magnetic, undeniable.

Her body eased, inch by inch, until her knee brushed against Emily’s leg under the covers. She stilled, holding her breath, waiting for Emily to flinch or move away.

But Emily didn’t.

Instead, there was the faintest shift—Emily’s hand brushing against JJ’s where it lay on the sheet—not grasping, not demanding. Just… there. Present.

JJ’s throat tightened. Slowly, almost unconsciously, she let her fingers twitch, the back of her hand grazing Emily’s knuckles.

That was all the permission Emily needed.

Her hand turned, palm up, offering. Nothing more. No pressure. Just an open invitation.

JJ hesitated, then slid her hand into Emily’s, their fingers lacing together in the dark. The contact was featherlight, hesitant, but once it was there, JJ didn’t let go.

Her eyes burned as she closed them, tears slipping silently down her cheeks. Because for the first time since waking up in that hospital bed, she wasn’t afraid of the quiet. She wasn’t drowning in her anger. She wasn’t alone.

Emily exhaled softly, the slightest sound of relief escaping her. She didn’t move closer, didn’t push. She just held JJ’s hand like it was the most natural thing in the world, her thumb tracing absent circles against her skin.

JJ drifted in and out of sleep like that, curled just a little closer, her head eventually resting against Emily’s shoulder without her even realizing it.

And though her heart was still conflicted, still bruised and aching, she finally admitted to herself what she’d been fighting all along:

Being near Emily felt like home.

++++

Emily’s words hung in the air between them, heavy and fragile. JJ lay against her chest, her heart hammering so hard she thought Emily could probably feel it. For a long moment, she said nothing, her throat aching with all the things she had buried.

Finally, she drew in a shaky breath.

“You want to know why I’m so angry?” she whispered, her voice low but sharp in the stillness.

Emily’s chest tightened beneath her, but she didn’t move. She didn’t speak. She just held JJ’s hand gently, waiting.

JJ’s eyes burned as she blinked up at her soulmate. “Because I’ve always trusted you, Em. Implicitly. With everything. My life, my career, my kids. You were the one person I never doubted. And then I find out that for ten years, ten years, you’ve been keeping the biggest truth of my life from me.”

Her voice cracked, tears spilling silently. “I’m mad because even though I would never trade Henry or Michael for the world… you stole time from me. From us. From them. All those years I thought you were just my best friend, when you were supposed to be so much more.”

Emily swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling unevenly. Still, she said nothing, her eyes shining but her lips pressed together. She let JJ’s words cut, because she deserved every one.

JJ’s breath hitched, the pain in her chest almost unbearable. “Do you know what that felt like? To spend years heartbroken in the black and white? I hoped you were my soulmate, Em. God, I hoped. But my vision never changed, and I convinced myself it wasn’t you.”

Her voice softened, breaking apart. “And now I know… It’s because you never actually said my name.”

The room went still.

JJ’s tears slid silently down her face as she pressed her forehead against Emily’s shoulder. “I’ve loved you forever. And you stole that from me.”

Emily’s hand trembled where it cupped JJ’s. She wanted to speak, to apologize again, to fall at JJ’s feet and beg for forgiveness. But she didn’t. She stayed silent, her heart shattering, because JJ didn’t need her excuses. She just needed to be heard.

And Emily would give her that, even if it broke her.

The silence pressed in like a living thing, wrapping itself around them both. JJ’s confession still echoed in Emily’s head, each word sharper than any blade she had ever faced in the field. I’ve loved you forever, and you stole that from me.

Emily’s throat worked, her chest aching as she forced herself to speak.

“Is there still a chance?” The words came out broken, stripped bare of all the defenses she usually wore.

JJ stilled against her. Emily closed her eyes, afraid of what she’d see if she looked—afraid JJ’s face would harden, terrified she’d hear the finality of rejection in her voice.

“I know I don’t deserve one,” Emily whispered, pushing the words past the lump in her throat. “I know I took something I can never give back. But Jay…” her voice cracked, raw and hoarse, “I don’t know how to stop loving you. I don’t know how to be without loving you. And I don’t know how to live the rest of my life if there isn’t even the smallest chance you’ll let me make it right.”

JJ pulled back slightly, her damp lashes lifting as she stared at her. Emily’s heart clenched—because JJ’s eyes were furious and broken and so damn full of love all at once.

“You really think you can fix this?” JJ asked, her tone flat but shaking at the edges.

Emily shook her head, a tear escaping despite her effort to keep steady. “No. I can’t fix it. Nothing I do will erase those ten years. But if you’ll let me… I can spend the rest of my life showing you that I never stopped loving you. That I never will.”

JJ’s jaw clenched, her breath sharp. “Do you know what it was like, Em? All those years thinking I wasn’t enough, thinking it wasn’t me? I’d lie awake at night, wondering why my world was still in black and white. Wondering what was wrong with me.”

Emily’s chest caved. “Nothing. Nothing was ever wrong with you.”

“But I thought there was!” JJ’s voice cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I convinced myself it couldn’t be you, because if it was, you would’ve said my name. And the longer it went on, the harder it got to believe. You let me live in that. You let me think I wasn’t enough.”

Emily’s lips trembled, her hands twitching with the urge to reach out. “You were always enough. More than enough. You’re everything.”

JJ’s throat worked, her voice dropping to a whisper. “And still… You let me believe otherwise.”

Emily’s tears finally slipped free, hot trails down her face. She didn’t defend herself, didn’t argue. She sat in the wreckage of JJ’s pain, her silence saying more than excuses ever could.

Minutes stretched, only their ragged breaths filling the space. JJ stared at the sheets between them, her hands twisting in the blanket. Finally, her voice came, low and trembling.

“I’m so mad at you.”

“I know,” Emily whispered.

“And I don’t forgive you.”

“I know,” Emily said again, her voice breaking.

JJ’s eyes flicked up, locking on hers. “But I don’t want to hate you either.”

Emily’s breath caught, her heart slamming against her ribs.

JJ shook her head, tears streaming. “You stole so much, Em. From me. From us. From Henry and Michael. But I… I can’t erase you. I don’t want to.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Because even after everything… part of me still feels like I belong right here.”

Emily didn’t breathe, didn’t move. She was afraid that if she did, she’d shatter the fragile truth hanging between them.

Finally, JJ exhaled, long and heavy, her face collapsing into exhaustion. She leaned back down, pressing her forehead into Emily’s shoulder, her words barely audible.

“I’ve loved you forever, and you stole that from me.” A pause, raw and painful. “But I don’t know how to stop loving you either.”

Emily shut her eyes, a sob catching silently in her chest. She didn’t tighten her hold, didn’t push or press. She just stayed, her cheek resting against JJ’s hair, her tears falling quietly as she whispered back, “Then I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to earn it. Whatever it takes.”

For the first time, JJ didn’t pull away.

For a long time they just breathed together, JJ’s forehead pressed against Emily’s shoulder, Emily’s hand barely holding her in place as if she might vanish at any second.

But JJ wasn’t asleep. Her eyes were open, burning, her heart hammering in her chest. She had to say this now, before she let herself drown in the comfort of Emily’s arms, before she forgot why she was angry.

“Em?” JJ’s voice was quiet, but sharp enough to cut through the stillness.

Emily stiffened, pulling back just enough to look at her. “Yeah, love?”

JJ’s stomach flipped at the word, but she pressed on. “If there’s ever going to be… anything between us, I need to be clear.”

Emily nodded instantly, too fast, like she was bracing herself for whatever came next.

JJ drew a shaky breath. “First, honesty. No more secrets. Not about soulmates, not about your past, not about what you’re feeling. You keep one more thing from me, Emily, and we’re done. I can’t—” her voice cracked, “I won’t live in the dark again.”

Emily swallowed hard, her throat bobbing. “You won’t. Not ever again. I promise.”

JJ nodded, but her eyes stayed hard, testing her. “Second… time. I need time to be angry. Time to figure out what I want. You don’t get to rush me because you’ve been holding this in for ten years. I only just found out, and I’m not ready to forgive.”

“I’ll wait,” Emily said instantly, no hesitation. “As long as it takes. You set the pace, Jay. I’ll follow.”

JJ searched her face, trying to find any trace of insincerity. But all she saw was wide, raw devotion.

Her voice softened, breaking. “And third… boundaries. You no longer get to decide things for me—no more redoing showers, no more redecorating, and no more hovering unless I ask. If I let you take care of me, it’s because I've chosen to. Not because you decide I need it.”

Emily’s lips parted, then pressed into a firm line. She nodded slowly, her voice steady. “Understood. No more deciding for you. Only with you.”

JJ exhaled shakily, her body sagging as though the weight of those words had taken everything out of her.

For a moment, silence filled the room again. Emily didn’t reach for her, didn’t push. She just sat there, letting JJ’s boundaries settle between them like lines carved in stone.

Finally, JJ whispered, “If I give you a chance… it won’t be because I forgot what you did. It’ll be because I believe you’re worth the risk anyway.”

Emily’s eyes shimmered, tears threatening again. Her voice cracked as she answered, “That’s more than I deserve, Jay. And I’ll spend every day proving you’re right.”

JJ closed her eyes, leaning against her again, not forgiveness, not yet, but not rejection either. Somewhere in the middle, fragile but real. Emily held still, heart pounding, knowing this was the beginning of something she couldn’t afford to lose again.

Chapter Text

A few weeks passed, and slowly, painfully, JJ healed. The doctor had finally cleared her for light desk duty, no field work, no chasing suspects, no late-night raids. She was allowed back into the bullpen, and though she put on her confident face, the truth was she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

What she did know was this: she and the boys still hadn’t left Emily’s house. Every morning began with Emily making coffee and coaxing Michael into his shoes, every evening ended with her double-checking Henry’s spelling words. JJ had told herself it was temporary, that she’d move them back home when she was stronger. But when it came down to it… she hadn’t packed a single box.

That morning was like so many others. They dropped the boys off at school together, Henry waving casually before running ahead, Michael clinging until JJ promised she’d be there at pickup. Emily walked beside her, neither too close nor too far, the kind of presence JJ could feel in her bones.

When they stepped into the BAU elevator, the walls closing them into a private box, Emily’s hand slid against hers. Not demanding, not pleading. Just a squeeze, warm, solid, steady. JJ’s breath hitched, but she didn’t pull away. She let Emily’s thumb brush over her knuckles, their hands hidden from the world, before Emily released her as the doors opened.

The bullpen was buzzing when they stepped out. Their team had been waiting: Hotch, Rossi, Reid, and Penelope.

“There she is!” Penelope practically squealed, rushing forward with her arms spread wide. “My little sunshine is back!” She hugged JJ carefully, mindful of her ribs, then fussed over her like a mother hen, tsking at her pale complexion and kissing her cheek.

Rossi gave her a kiss on the temple, Hotch a rare smile and a nod of approval, and Reid launched into statistics about recovery times that made JJ laugh despite herself.

Emily hung back, offering her quiet smile, eyes never straying far from JJ. Their gazes brushed once, a silent tether, before Penelope swooped in again.

“Okay, you’re mine now,” Garcia announced, looping her arm through JJ’s. She tugged her toward her office, tossing a quick grin over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Prentiss, I’ll give her back in one piece.”

JJ glanced back instinctively. Emily’s eyes caught hers across the bullpen, full of quiet nerves. She bit her lip, a tiny habit JJ had learned meant she was holding back worry.

JJ’s chest ached. Even now, even here, it was hard to be out of Emily’s sight.

Penelope shut the office door with a flourish and turned to JJ with a serious look, hands on her hips.

“Alright, Jennifer Jareau, spill.”

JJ blinked, taken off guard. “Spill what?”

Garcia narrowed her eyes, pointing dramatically. “Don’t you play coy with me. You’ve been living at Casa Prentiss for weeks, and I may be the reigning queen of all things classified, but even I can’t get intel on what’s going on behind those walls.”

JJ sighed, sinking into the nearest chair. “It’s not—” She rubbed her forehead. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated?” Penelope repeated, arching a brow as she flopped into her own chair. “Sweet cheeks, complicated is your middle name. Try again.”

JJ pressed her lips together, staring at her hands. “She’s… taking care of me. The boys. All of us.”

Garcia softened instantly. “Of course she is. She’d walk through fire for you.” Then her eyes narrowed again, sharp and curious. “But the question is, what are you doing with that? Are you letting her?”

JJ’s stomach flipped. She thought about the shower, the nights in Emily’s bed, the way Emily had held her hand without asking. About the mornings, Emily made her tea exactly right, and the nights she fell asleep to the sound of Emily giggling with the boys.

Her throat tightened. “I don’t know.”

Penelope leaned forward, her voice gentler now. “JJ… you do know. You’re just not ready to say it out loud.”

JJ sat there, staring at her hands twisted together in her lap, until the silence grew too heavy to carry.

“I’m mad at her,” JJ whispered finally, the words tasting like rust. “I’m so mad I can barely look at her sometimes. She kept this… this enormous truth from me for ten years, and I trusted her more than anyone. And now I don’t know what to do with all that.”

Penelope leaned back in her chair, her expression softening. “Anger makes sense, sugarplum. She hurt you. She took away your choice. You’re allowed to be mad.”

JJ’s throat tightened. “But then she makes me breakfast, or she helps with Henry’s homework, or she tucks Michael in, and I—” Her voice cracked, and she pressed a trembling hand against her lips. “I can’t stop loving her. I don’t even know if I could stop if I tried.”

Garcia reached across the desk, laying her hand over JJ’s. “Oh, sweetie.”

JJ’s eyes filled, and her voice tumbled out in a rush. “She never dates anyone. She spends her weekends building Lego sets with my kids. She wakes me up when I have nightmares, and she doesn’t even say anything about it; she just… holds my hand until I fall asleep again. How do I stay mad at that?”

“You don’t,” Penelope said gently. “You let yourself be mad and in love at the same time. Because guess what? Both can be true.”

JJ blinked at her, stunned by the simplicity of it.

Garcia squeezed her hand. “Emily’s been in love with you since the day she met you. Everyone knows it, well, except you, apparently. She’s not perfect, and she messed up big time, but she’s still here. And she always will be, because her world begins and ends with you.”

JJ let out a shaky laugh, swiping at her eyes. “God, I hate that you’re right.”

Garcia grinned, her eyes shining. “Of course I’m right. I’m Penelope Garcia.” She leaned forward, her voice softer. “So the real question, JJ, is: are you going to let her keep showing you? Or are you going to push her away because you’re afraid?”

JJ’s heart lurched because she didn’t have an answer. Not yet.

But she knew one thing: she isn't ready to let Emily go.

++++

When JJ finally stepped out of Garcia’s office, her head was buzzing with the weight of everything they’d talked about. Anger, love, betrayal, devotion, all tangled together like knots she couldn’t pick apart.

The bullpen was humming as always: phones ringing, keyboards clacking, Reid mid-ramble about probability while Rossi looked unimpressed. But JJ’s eyes went straight to Emily.

She was standing by her desk, a file open in her hands, pretending to read. JJ knew better. Emily’s body was tense, her eyes flicking every so often toward Garcia’s door like a magnet she couldn’t resist.

The second JJ appeared, Emily’s shoulders sagged. Her chest rose, and she let out a quiet, relieved breath, so subtle that anyone else would’ve missed it. But JJ saw. She always saw. And something in her chest softened.

Emily caught her gaze and tried to school her features, but the faintest smile tugged at her mouth, like she couldn’t stop herself. JJ didn’t smile back, not quite, but she didn’t look away either.

She walked back toward her desk, her ribs aching with every step, and Emily shifted like she was going to meet her halfway but forced herself still. JJ could see it, the restraint, the careful lines Emily had drawn around herself because JJ had asked for boundaries.

When JJ reached her chair, Emily cleared her throat gently. “Everything okay with Garcia?”

JJ sank, exhaling. “Yeah. She just… needed to catch up.”

Emily nodded once, her fingers tightening around the file. “Good.” Her voice was soft and careful, as if she were afraid of saying too much.

JJ glanced at her, really looked, and saw the truth she hadn’t been able to admit before: Emily was holding herself together by sheer willpower. Every move, every word, every breath was for JJ’s comfort.

And maybe… just maybe… JJ didn’t want her to hold back so far.

She let the silence linger a moment, then whispered, just for Emily, “You don’t have to look so nervous, Em. I came back, didn’t I?”

Emily’s eyes flicked up, startled, before softening into something JJ couldn’t quite bear to name. She let out another slow breath, steadier this time, and nodded.

Chapter Text

Two more weeks passed, marked by a rhythm that was theirs alone.

Emily had become a constant, safe, steady, unyielding presence in the ways JJ hadn’t realized she needed until now.

Every morning started the same. Emily was up first, padding through the house barefoot. JJ would stumble into the kitchen to find her soulmate already at the stove, mug of green tea waiting for her on the counter, eggs sizzling, Michael half-asleep against Emily’s hip.

Sometimes, Emily would brush a kiss against the crown of JJ’s hair when she thought she wasn’t paying attention. JJ always noticed. She never said anything.

At school drop-off, Emily walked Henry to his classroom just far enough to make sure he went in. With Michael, she crouched down to tie his shoes, even when he insisted he could do it himself, whispering something that made him laugh so loud JJ couldn’t help but smile too.

JJ watched from the car, her heart tugging.

In the bullpen, Emily’s care was subtle. A file slid silently onto JJ’s desk when she looked overwhelmed, Emily’s neat handwriting on a Post-it highlighting only the things JJ absolutely needed to focus on.

When JJ winced after sitting too long, Emily was suddenly there with a heating pad from her desk drawer. She didn’t announce it, just placed it by JJ’s elbow with a quiet, “Thought you might need this.”

And when Garcia got carried away hugging JJ too tightly, Emily’s hand hovered protectively at JJ’s back until she was sure she was okay.

JJ rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth betrayed her every time.

At night, the house felt fuller, louder, safer. Emily made dinner, somehow always choosing JJ’s favorite meals without asking. Afterward, she’d clean up with Henry at her side, whispering with him about planets or math while Michael sat on the counter, babbling stories that made no sense. JJ would sit at the table, watching them, the ache in her chest impossible to ignore.

Later, when the boys were asleep, Emily tucked a blanket over JJ’s legs as they watched TV, her hand brushing against JJ’s ankle under the fabric, grounding without pushing.

Sometimes, when JJ’s body ached too much to fight it, Emily would rub slow circles against her back until she fell asleep.

Even Will noticed. At drop-offs, Emily carried backpacks and soccer cleats without hesitation, listened intently as the boys told her everything about their weekend plans, then stood back while JJ hugged them goodbye.

Once, Will caught Emily’s eye across the car and mouthed Thank you. Emily only nodded, her hand brushing JJ’s shoulder as they walked back to the car. JJ had felt it, warm and steady, lingering long after.

But the moments JJ noticed most were the smallest.

Emily whispered, Did you take your meds, sweetheart? When no one else could hear.

Emily slipped a soft cardigan over her shoulders when the night air grew cool on the porch.

Emily’s thumb brushes over the back of her hand during a long elevator ride, grounding her when JJ’s ribs ached.

Emily murmured, I’ve got you, when JJ startled awake from a nightmare.

Emily pressed a kiss into her temple just before she thought JJ had fallen asleep.

JJ never mentioned it, but each gesture chipped away at her anger, at the walls she’d built. And even though she wasn’t ready to admit it out loud, her heart was softening, slowly and inevitably.

Because she couldn’t deny it anymore: Emily was stitching herself into the fabric of their lives in ways that felt permanent.

++++

Emily was always the first to wake. It had become their rhythm: her body clock set to rise before dawn, her mind too restless to sleep deeply, especially with JJ curled in her arms. Most mornings, she didn’t move, not wanting to risk disturbing her. She just held her, soaking in the weight of her soulmate against her chest, committing every breath, every sigh to memory.

This morning was no different. The house was quiet, the boys still asleep down the hall. The faint light of early morning painted the room in shades of gray. Emily tightened her arm around JJ just slightly, her lips brushing the blonde’s hair as she smiled into it.

JJ groaned, a low, sleepy sound, and shuffled closer. Her forehead pressed against Emily’s throat, her fingers curling in the fabric of Emily’s shirt. The brunette’s smile deepened, soft and unguarded.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Emily whispered, her voice husky from sleep. She kissed the crown of JJ’s head, lingering there for a heartbeat longer than usual.

For a moment, JJ was still. Then her voice, quiet and rough, broke the silence.

“Hey, Em?”

Emily hummed softly, her eyes still closed, unwilling to let go of the cocoon of morning warmth. “Mm?”

JJ swallowed, her heart pounding harder than it should for such a small question. “Why do you always hold me like this? Every morning.”

Emily cracked her eyes open, her chest tightening at the vulnerability laced through JJ’s whisper. She exhaled slowly, her lips brushing JJ’s hair as she answered.

“Because it’s the only time I know you won’t pull away.”

JJ’s breath hitched against her, and for a long moment she didn’t respond. Emily let the silence linger, neither pushing nor explaining further, and just letting the truth hang between them, as soft and undeniable as the morning light.

JJ’s breath caught at Emily’s answer, the words settling into her like a weight she wasn’t sure she could carry. Because it’s the only time I know you won’t pull away.

Her first instinct was to argue, to deny it, to tell Emily she was wrong. That she didn’t pull away, that she hadn’t been fighting this for weeks, months, years. But the truth stuck like a lump in her throat. Because Emily wasn’t wrong. JJ had pulled away. Over and over.

I'm such an asshole to her. She doesn't leave... and she should.

And still, Emily held her.

Her chest tightened, the press of guilt, anger, and something warmer, something she didn’t want to name, all swirling together until her eyes burned.

She pressed her face into Emily’s shirt, inhaling the familiar scent of coffee and cedar and something uniquely her. “It’s not fair,” JJ whispered, her voice breaking.

Emily tensed slightly. “What isn’t?”

JJ shook her head against her. “I've been such a bitch.”

Emily’s hand stilled where it had been stroking gentle circles against JJ’s back. She didn’t say anything. She just held her tighter, as if anchoring her through the storm.

JJ’s mind spun. She lied. She kept this from me. She stole years I can never get back. But then she remembered the shower, Emily’s trembling hands washing her hair as though she were made of glass. She remembered the endless cups of tea, the Post-its at work, the bedtime stories with the boys. She remembered waking up safe every morning, Emily’s arm firm around her waist.

Her anger and her love were so tangled she couldn’t tell one from the other anymore.

Her voice was barely audible when she finally spoke. “Em?”

“Yeah, love?” Emily’s answer was so soft it made JJ’s chest ache.

JJ pulled back just enough to see her, her blue eyes wet and shining. For a moment, she just stared, searching Emily’s face for something, hesitation, doubt, anything to tell her to stop. But all she saw was raw devotion.

“I love you,” JJ whispered. The words tumbled out before she could stop them, trembling but true. “God help me, I love you, and I hate that you lied, but I… I can’t stop loving you. I really don't want to.”

Emily froze, her brown eyes wide, tears springing instantly. Her lips parted, but nothing came out. For once, Emily Prentiss, the woman who always had the right words, was speechless.

JJ let out a shaky laugh, her tears slipping free. “Don’t just stare at me. Say something.”

Emily swallowed hard, her hand sliding up to cradle JJ’s cheek, her thumb brushing away a tear. “I’m trying not to scare you away,” she admitted, her voice breaking. “Because I’ve been waiting ten years to hear you say that. And I swear, JJ… I’ll never stop earning it. Not for one day of the rest of my life.”

JJ closed her eyes, pressing her face into Emily’s palm. For the first time since that bullet tore through her side, the ache in her chest felt like something she could live with.

Chapter Text

By the time JJ finally stepped out of the long strategy meeting, her head was pounding. She rolled her shoulders, adjusted the strap of her bag, and tried not to think about how badly she wanted a second cup of coffee.

The bullpen buzzed around her, agents moving from desk to desk, phones ringing, Reid rattling something off to Hotch in his rapid-fire way. But JJ stopped in her tracks when she reached her own desk.

Sitting there, impossible to miss, was a large vase of fresh flowers, wildflowers, and soft white lilies, arranged with far too much care to be accidental. Beside it was a paper bag with her favorite sesame bagel, and perched on top was a steaming cup of coffee, exactly the way she liked it.

Her chest warmed, a smile tugging at her lips before she could stop it. She tried to hide it, tried to school her features into something neutral, but she could feel the corners of her mouth betraying her. She also knew, instinctively, whose hand was behind it.

She made herself not glance at Emily’s desk.

“Something you want to tell us, Killer?” Morgan’s voice cut through, playful and smug, the smirk already stretching across his face as he leaned against his desk.

JJ shot him a glare sharp enough to make him throw his hands up in mock defense. “When did this show up?” she asked, keeping her voice even, her eyes fixed firmly on the flowers instead of the brunette across the bullpen.

Morgan’s grin only widened. “Not sure. They were just here when I returned from retrieving the files. Big bouquet like that? Kinda hard to miss.”

Rossi strolled by at just the wrong moment, his lips twitching as he tossed in, “Somebody’s got a secret admirer.”

JJ bit the inside of her cheek to stop the laugh that wanted to escape. She reached for the coffee instead, letting the warmth ground her.

“Yeah, Jay, something you want to tell us?” another voice teased, this one richer, lower, closer.

JJ froze for half a beat at the sound — Emily. She could almost feel the chuckle vibrating in her throat as the older woman came nearer.

Her body screamed to look at her, but she didn’t. She lifted her chin instead, glaring playfully at Morgan. “I don’t know, when you start getting flowers at work, maybe we can compare notes.”

Morgan barked a laugh. “Oh, don’t deflect, princess. That’s not just any bouquet. That’s a statement bouquet.”

JJ smirked, tugging the bagel free from the bag. “What, you jealous, Morgan? No one’s bringing you breakfast anymore?”

That set Reid off, launching into a ramble about the history of courting gifts and how flowers had been used as secret codes for centuries. JJ half-listened, but mostly she felt the air shift as Emily passed behind her, the brush of presence enough to make her heart thump faster.

JJ kept her eyes on her desk, taking a deliberate bite of her bagel. She wasn’t going to give Morgan the satisfaction of seeing her blush, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let Emily see just how much the flowers meant. 

Not yet.

JJ sat at her desk, nibbling at her bagel while the chatter of the bullpen swirled around her. She pretended to be absorbed in the file in front of her, but under the desk, her thumb slid across her phone screen.

JJ: Thank you… for the flowers. And the coffee.

She held her breath, eyes darting up once to make sure no one was watching. When Emily’s phone buzzed softly two desks away, JJ risked another glance. Emily leaned back casually in her chair, lips twitching as she read.

Emily: You’re welcome, beautiful. You looked like you needed a little light after that meeting.

JJ’s heart skipped, heat blooming at the endearment. She ducked her head, shielding her phone further under the desk.

JJ: You can’t just say things like that when I’m sitting across from Morgan.
JJ: He’ll never let me live it down.

Her phone buzzed again almost immediately.

Emily: Then don’t let him see. ;)
Emily: Besides… you are beautiful. Deal with it.

JJ bit her lip hard, fighting a smile as her fingers tapped back.

JJ: You’re insufferable.
JJ: …But thank you. Really.

Before Emily could reply, Morgan’s voice cut across the bullpen, smooth and amused. “So we do know who it was.”

JJ’s head snapped up, panic flashing across her face. “What?”

Morgan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, that infuriating grin plastered across his face. He winked. “Flowers. Coffee. That little secret smile you’re trying so hard to hide while you text under your desk.”

JJ’s mouth dropped open. “I was not—”

He only smirked wider. “Sure you weren’t, Killer.”

Her cheeks burned as she flipped him off under the desk, muttering, “Mind your own damn business.”

Morgan chuckled. “Hey, I’m just saying…”

JJ groaned, hiding her face in her coffee cup, refusing to even glance at Emily’s desk. But she didn’t stop texting her, either.

++++

The house was quiet after dinner, the boys upstairs playing their final round of video games before bed. JJ and Emily sat together on the couch, a sitcom humming softly on the TV.

JJ was curled into the corner with her legs tucked under her, a blanket draped loosely over her lap. Emily sat beside her, nursing the last of a glass of wine, her fingers tapping restlessly against the stem.

JJ noticed. Emily never fidgeted unless something was brewing in her head.

“What is it?” JJ asked without looking away from the screen.

Emily startled slightly, glancing at her. “What is what?”

“That thing you do with your hand,” JJ smirked faintly, sipping her tea. “Talk, Prentiss. You’re twitchy.”

Emily huffed a laugh, but her throat was tight. She set the glass down on the coffee table and shifted to face JJ a little more fully. “Okay, so… I was thinking…”

JJ raised an eyebrow. “Dangerous.”

“Funny.” Emily rolled her eyes, though her lips twitched. Then her tone softened, nervousness creeping into it. “I was thinking maybe… we could go out. Just us. On an actual date.”

JJ blinked, surprised by how her stomach flipped. Emily’s hands had folded together in her lap, fingers laced so tightly her knuckles were white. Her eyes stayed fixed on JJ, hopeful but terrified.

“You’re asking me out?” JJ teased, tilting her head.

Emily nodded once, quickly. “Yeah. I mean, I know this isn’t… normal. And I know you’re still figuring out how you feel about everything. But I want to take you out, Jay. No kids, no cases, no distractions. Just us.”

JJ let the silence drag, her lips quirking into a mischievous smirk as she leaned back against the cushions. She sipped her tea slowly, deliberately, her eyes glinting with playful fire.

Emily’s brows furrowed, panic flickering across her face. “Oh God, you’re going to say no.”

JJ bit her lip, drawing it out just a little longer. “I don’t know, Em… are you really date material?”

Emily groaned, dropping her head back against the couch dramatically. “You’re going to kill me.”

JJ chuckled, savoring the nervous energy radiating off the brunette. She let Emily stew another heartbeat before finally relenting.

“Yes,” she said softly.

Emily’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “Yes?”

“Yes,” JJ repeated, her smile small but real. “I’ll go out with you.”

The relief that flooded Emily’s face was so overwhelming that JJ laughed outright.

Emily scrubbed a hand over her face, exhaling hard. “You are evil. I thought you were going to shut me down.”

JJ smirked, nudging her knee with her foot. “Maybe I just wanted to see you sweat.”

“Mission accomplished.” Emily’s voice was wry, but her grin gave her away.

JJ shook her head, her laughter softening as she asked, “When were you thinking?”

Emily shifted, sitting up straighter, her confidence slipping back into place now that the hardest part was over. “After Will picks up the boys on Friday. We’ll have the night to ourselves.”

JJ’s smile softened. She adjusted on the couch, setting her tea aside and carefully curling into Emily’s side. Emily stiffened for only a second before her arm slid around JJ, holding her gently but securely.

They turned back toward the TV, the sitcom laugh track echoing faintly, but the only sound JJ cared about was Emily’s steady heartbeat beneath her ear.

“Friday,” JJ whispered.

Emily kissed the top of her head, her voice low and certain. “Friday.”

++++

Friday night felt different.

The boys had been bouncing with excitement for their weekend with Will, and when the door finally closed behind them, the house went strangely still. For a long moment, JJ and Emily just stood there, staring at each other in the silence, both a little unsure of what to do next.

Emily cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her neck. “Uh, I should… change.”

JJ raised a brow, amused. “So should I.”

They retreated to separate rooms like teenagers, JJ smirking to herself when Emily refused to give any details.

“You’ll see,” Emily called through the hallway when JJ tried to pry.

“You’re ridiculous,” JJ muttered, though the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.

When they finally emerged, JJ nearly forgot how to breathe. Emily was in a sharp black suit jacket over a dark blouse, her hair down and framing her face. She looked devastating.

Emily’s eyes swept over JJ slowly, reverently. The blonde had chosen a soft navy dress, nothing too formal but enough to make her feel like she’d stepped out of their day-to-day chaos.

Emily’s throat tightened. “Gorgeous,” she murmured before she could stop herself.

JJ blinked, her cheeks warming. “You’re biased.”

Emily shook her head, her eyes locked on her like a magnet. “No, I’m just right.”

JJ rolled her eyes, but the flutter in her chest wouldn’t go away.

The restaurant downtown was cozy, tucked into a row of old brick buildings with soft golden lights in the windows. Emily had clearly thought ahead, there was a table waiting by the window, already set.

“Reservations, huh?” JJ teased as Emily pulled out her chair. “Someone went all out.”

Emily smirked as she sat across from her. “For you? Always.”

JJ huffed a laugh, shaking her head as she opened the menu. “You’re laying it on thick tonight, Prentiss.”

Emily leaned in, her grin playful but her eyes earnest. “I’m just getting started.”

Dinner flowed easier than JJ expected. They laughed, really laughed, at dumb stories from cases, Emily teasing JJ about her taste in movies, JJ calling Emily a snob when she started waxing poetic about wine pairings.

At one point, Emily leaned forward, chin propped on her hand, watching her with a softness that made JJ’s cheeks burn.

“What?” JJ asked, flustered.

Emily smiled, her voice low. “You’re gorgeous.”

JJ tried to brush it off, looking back at her plate. “You already said that.”

“I’ll keep saying it until you believe me,” Emily said, making JJ’s breath catch.

After dinner, they strolled back through the downtown streets toward the parking garage. The night was cool, the streetlamps glowing, their heels clicking on the pavement. Somewhere along the walk, JJ’s hand brushed against Emily’s.

She didn’t pull away.

Instead, Emily’s fingers slid against hers, tentative but confident, and JJ laced their hands together without a word. She leaned into Emily’s side as they walked, her shoulder brushing against the brunette’s arm, warmth seeping into her chest.

By the time they reached the car, JJ felt lighter than she had in months. Emily moved to unlock the doors, automatically circling around to open JJ’s side first. But before she could, JJ tugged gently at her hand.

Emily turned, surprised. “Jay?”

JJ’s blue eyes were bright in the lamplight, her voice soft. “Thank you for dinner.”

Emily opened her mouth to brush it off, but the words stuck in her throat when JJ tugged her down just slightly, giving her time, giving her an out. For a heartbeat, Emily froze, hardly daring to believe. Then she closed the distance, meeting JJ halfway.

The kiss was soft, tentative, trembling with everything unsaid. JJ’s hand lingered on Emily’s lapel, and Emily’s free hand hovered near her cheek, not daring to press, just holding the moment.

When they broke apart, JJ’s smile was small but real, her voice a whisper. “About time.”

Emily laughed softly, her forehead pressing against JJ’s, her heart hammering. “You have no idea.”

++++

Back at the house, everything felt softer, like the night itself had wrapped them in cotton. Shoes off by the door, jackets draped on the banister; JJ padded to the couch and dropped into the cushions with a sigh that came from someplace deep. Emily followed, remote in hand, hovering just long enough to ask with a look before JJ lifted the blanket and opened an arm.

Emily slid in, and JJ tucked herself along her side, head on Emily’s shoulder, fingers idly toying with the bottom of Emily’s sleep shirt. Some old comfort show murmured on low, a moving glow and a laugh track that let them breathe.

For a while, they didn’t talk. JJ felt the steady rise and fall of Emily’s chest and the occasional brush of lips against her hairline, unhurried and confident. Emily’s hand found JJ’s and threaded their fingers together under the blanket, thumb drawing slow circles into JJ’s palm like she was memorizing it.

JJ broke the quiet first. “What are we going to do about work?”

Emily’s hum vibrated through JJ’s cheek. “Practically? Keep it professional on the floor, tell Hotch we’re… trying this. He already knows enough to run a small country.”

JJ huffed a tiny laugh. “Understatement of the year.”

“Rossi will pretend he didn’t notice, Penelope will throw confetti in her head, and Morgan will smirk for three days.” Emily angled slightly so she could see JJ’s eyes. “But we do our jobs. We always do.”

JJ studied her, the TV light skimming the warm brown of Emily’s gaze. “No more secrets,” she said softly. Not a question. A line.

“None,” Emily promised, immediate and even. “If anything feels like a boundary at work, we say it. If a case pushes buttons, we say it. If I need to step back in a room you’re leading, I will. If you need to tag me in, you do. Partnership first. Both kinds.”

JJ soaked that in, then nodded. “Okay.”

They let the sitcom chatter for another minute. JJ’s fingers slipped beneath the edge of Emily’s shirt and smoothed along the soft skin of her stomach like a cat testing a sunbeam. “What about the boys?”

Emily’s breath caught, hopeful, careful. “We tell them together,” she said. “When you’re ready. In my living room or yours,” She stumbled, then smiled as JJ’s mouth tugged. “We keep it simple. That I love you, that you love me, that nothing changes about how many people show up for them. More adults who show up is a good thing.”

JJ pictured it, Henry’s quick, assessing blink; Michael’s immediate grin and barrage of questions—and felt the fear and the warmth twist together. “Michael’s going to ask if he can make us a ‘family club’ bracelet.”

“I will wear it until the end of time,” Emily said solemnly.

JJ’s laugh was soft and helpless. “He’ll test you on that.”

Emily bumped her nose into JJ’s hair. “I hope he does.”

JJ’s voice went quieter. “They’ll ask about us… being here. About nights and mornings and school runs.” She swallowed. “I don’t want them to feel like they’re losing anything. Or like they have to pick.”

Emily’s answer was immediate. “They don’t. Their dad is their dad. You are their mom. I am the extra set of arms who never clocks out. They can have all of us, and we’ll prove it by showing up the same way we always have—just… with more kissing in the kitchen after bedtime.”

“Subtle kissing,” JJ warned, smiling into Emily’s shoulder.

“The subtlest,” Emily agreed, grinning.

Silence settled again, deeper now, comfortable. The episode ended and rolled to the next without either of them noticing. JJ shifted, sliding her thigh over Emily’s, closer still. “Okay,” she said at last, a decision settling in her bones. “We tell them Sunday night when Will brings them back. Low-stakes dinner. You sit next to Michael so he can poke you while he asks eighty questions.”

“I accept my fate,” Emily murmured, kissing JJ’s temple. “And I can grab dessert to bribe Henry into pretending to be unimpressed.”

“Smart woman.”

Emily squeezed JJ’s fingers. “What about us, Jay? What does our future look like to you?”

JJ stared at the ceiling for a long beat, letting herself really imagine it. “Nights like this,” she said finally, voice threaded with warmth. “Coffee, I don’t have to make. Two backpacks and one sarcastic teenager, eventually, God help us. You fixing the bike chain in the driveway while I yell at Michael to wear a helmet. Me pretending not to cry at Henry’s graduation while you pass me tissues like a magician.” She turned her face up, eyes bright. “Work, but… smarter. Choosing to live and choosing each other. And when it gets messy, because it will, we do what we said we would. No secrets. No disappearing into the job or into our own heads.”

Emily’s breath shivered out. “I can do that. I want that.”

JJ traced the line of Emily’s jaw with a knuckle. “And you? What do you see?”

Emily didn’t hesitate. “A house that always has an extra pair of shoes by the door because someone’s friend stayed for dinner. Your laughter coming down the hall. Me teaching Michael terrible chess and him beating me anyway. Henry rolling his eyes at both of us and asking for the car keys. You on the porch in a sweater, and I’m pretending not to stare. A life that feels like exhale.” She swallowed. “And a future where, even on the hard days, you never have to wonder where I am. I’m here. I’m home.”

JJ’s eyes glossed, the simple certainty landing like a hand over a racing heart. She lifted Emily’s hand and kissed her knuckles, one by one. “Okay,” she whispered. “Then let’s build that.”

They let the words float there, a pact stitched in the quiet. Emily eased back into the cushions and tugged the blanket higher over JJ’s shoulders. JJ tucked her face into the curve of Emily’s neck, breathing in cedar and warmth and something that had always meant safety.

After a while, JJ spoke again, softer, the last of the night unspooling. “Next week we’ll tell Hotch. Sunday, the boys. Tonight…” She angled up, pressed a slow kiss to Emily’s mouth, then settled back down with a contented sigh. “Tonight we just let ourselves be happy.”

Emily’s arms tightened. “Yes, ma’am.”

JJ’s heart fluttered at the warmth in the words. She leaned up again, brushing her lips over Emily’s in a soft kiss, just a press, a confirmation, before lingering a little longer this time. Emily’s hand slid up JJ’s spine, gentle, grounding.

One kiss turned into two… then three… and then JJ shifted, sliding one leg over Emily’s lap until she was straddling her. Emily’s breath hitched as JJ settled against her, their bodies flush. The kiss deepened, mouths opening, breaths mingling, years of held-back longing finally given a voice.

Emily’s fingers gripped JJ’s hips, not pulling her closer, but holding her there, like she was something precious, something breakable and sacred. JJ’s hands moved instinctively, running up Emily’s sides, fingers slipping under the hem of her shirt, desperate for skin.

Emily broke the kiss with a soft sound, catching JJ’s hands in her own.

JJ froze, worry flooding her features. “You don’t want this?” she whispered, breath unsteady, heart plummeting.

Emily’s thumb stroked the back of JJ’s knuckles, her voice low but steady. “Of course I want you, darling.” She huffed a quiet, helpless laugh. “I’ve wanted you for a decade. Believe me, wanting isn’t the problem.”

JJ’s shoulders eased just slightly, but the shame stayed in her eyes. Emily continued, gentleness threading every word. “But we don’t have to rush. We just had our first date. I want this to unfold the right way, not because it feels overdue, or because of the things we said today, or because of fear.”

JJ looked down at their joined hands, her voice cracking. “But you’ve waited so long… and I’ve been such a bitch to you.” The guilt in her tone was raw, twisting her expression.

Emily lifted one hand to JJ’s chin, coaxing her gaze back up. “Hey, look at me.” JJ did. Emily held her face with those steady, sure fingertips. “I have been waiting since forever,” Emily admitted with a soft smile. “Which is exactly why I don’t mind waiting a little more. I don’t want this to be a knee-jerk reaction, Jay. I want our first time to be something we both walk into with clear minds. No fear behind it, no guilt attached.”

JJ stared at her, searching her eyes, really seeing her. The devotion there. The love. The patience. Finally, JJ nodded, a small yet sincere gesture.

“Okay…” she whispered. She leaned her forehead gently against Emily’s. “Can we keep kissing, though?” A slow smirk curved her lips. “I promise to try my hardest not to feel you up.”

Emily laughed, warm, low, and honest, and slid one hand to the back of JJ’s neck, guiding her in again. “That, sweetheart, I can agree to.”

Their mouths met once more, unhurried this time. JJ kept her hands respectfully where Emily placed them, one on her shoulder, one cupping her cheek, but that didn’t stop the kiss from deepening, from stealing breaths and unraveling tension in the quiet way only soulmates could.

Chapter Text

The bullpen had never felt so claustrophobic.

Hours. It had been hours since the call came over the radio, two officers pinned in a standoff, and Emily and Morgan had been the closest. Hotch hadn’t needed to say a word; JJ knew instantly. She’d seen it in the way he picked up his vest, in the way he avoided her eyes as he gave the orders.

She’d stood frozen at her desk, the words echoing in her ears, unable to breathe past the thought: She’s out there. She’s out there, and I can’t protect her.

The hours that followed had dragged like knives. Every time the radio squawked with static or a clipped update, JJ’s heart leapt into her throat. Nothing solid. Nothing concrete. Just silence stretching on and on, and the team working around her like the world wasn’t ending.

By the time the elevator dinged, JJ’s nerves were frayed raw, her stomach twisted so tight she thought she might be sick.

And then, there they were.

The doors slid open and Morgan strode out first, his arm scuffed, his shirt rumpled. Emily followed, a bruise blooming along her jaw, her hair disheveled. Alive. Whole. Standing. JJ didn’t think.

She was moving before anyone could stop her, rushing across the bullpen, and when she reached Emily, the fury and terror collided. She smacked Emily’s chest with both hands, shoving her back a step.

“What the fuck is with you?!” JJ’s voice cracked through the silence, every word sharp with panic.

Emily’s eyes widened, hands coming up instinctively. “Jay, I’m okay—”

JJ hit her again, harder this time, tears spilling down her cheeks. “You can’t do that! You can’t! I can’t lose you!”

Her fists pressed against Emily’s chest as she sobbed, pounding weakly, grief and anger tangling until her legs shook. “I can’t—I can’t do this if you’re gone.”

The bullpen had gone dead silent. Morgan froze mid-step. Reid’s mouth hung open. Even Hotch stayed rooted by his office door, watching, but not interfering.

None of it mattered. For JJ, it was only Emily.

Emily’s hands finally closed over JJ’s wrists, steady but gentle, forcing her to still. “Jay,” she whispered, her voice trembling. And before JJ could fight, before the panic could spiral further, Emily leaned down and caught her lips in hers.

It wasn’t delicate; it was desperate, a crash of lips in front of everyone, with JJ’s tears still wet on her cheeks.

When they broke apart, JJ’s chest heaved as she clutched at Emily’s jacket, her forehead pressed against her soulmate’s.

“I am okay, Jay,” Emily murmured, her voice low and fierce. “I promise. I’m here.”

JJ sobbed once, her shoulders shaking, and clung tighter. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”

When Emily finally pulled back, her lips lingering against JJ’s forehead, reality came crashing back in.

The bullpen was silent, dead silent, except for JJ’s ragged breathing. Slowly, reluctantly, the two women turned toward the room.

Every pair of eyes was on them.

“Well,” Rossi said dryly, arching an eyebrow over the rim of his glasses, “that's a cat out of a bag.”

Morgan’s grin spread ear to ear, bright enough to split his face. “Finally. Took you two long enough.”

Penelope looked like she was about to burst into glitter. Her hands were clasped under her chin, eyes sparkling. “Oh my God, oh my God, do you know how hard it has been not to scream this at both of you for years? Finally! My OTP is canon!”

JJ groaned, pressing her face into Emily’s shoulder. “We’re never going to live this down.”

Emily chuckled softly, brushing her thumb over JJ’s knuckles. “They were bound to figure it out eventually.”

“Are you kidding?” Morgan laughed. “We all knew. We just figured you two were being stubborn.”

Spencer piped up, earnest as always. “Statistically speaking, the likelihood of two people spending this much time together without acknowledging a soulmate bond is extremely low. We were all waiting.”

JJ pulled back, glaring at him through the tears still streaking her face. “Spence, not now.”

“Sorry.”

Hotch descended from his office then, his expression softer than JJ had expected. “You did a good job today. The rest… is none of my business.” His lips twitched in what, for him, passed as a smile. “Congratulations.”

JJ blinked at him, stunned, before muttering, “Thanks, Hotch.”

One by one, the team offered quiet congratulations, Morgan clapping Emily on the shoulder, Rossi kissing JJ’s cheek, Reid mumbling something about being happy for them. Penelope lingered the longest, hugging JJ fiercely before whispering in her ear, Don’t fight this anymore, sugar. Let yourself be happy.

By the time the noise died down, JJ was flushed and buzzing, her emotions frayed to threads. She tightened her grip on Emily’s hand and tugged hard.

Emily frowned, lowering her voice. “Jay?”

“Home,” JJ said firmly, not caring that the whole team was still watching. “Now.”

Emily blinked, startled.

Morgan called after them, laughter in his voice. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

JJ flipped him off over her shoulder without breaking stride, her free hand clutched around Emily’s like she’d never let go again.

And when the elevator doors closed behind them, cutting off the noise of the bullpen, it was just the two of them again.

Exactly where JJ needed to be.

++++

By the time they got home, the weight of the day still clung to JJ’s chest, but the moment she walked into the living room and saw her boys on the couch, some of it eased. They had begged Will to drop them back early, knowing their mom was home from work. And now, both were curled up in a blanket fort, eyes wide when the front door clicked shut.

“Emily!” Henry squealed, bolting upright. Michael was right behind him, their little feet thudding across the hardwood.

Emily, still toweling her damp hair from her quick shower, barely had time to set it down before she was mobbed. She laughed, scooping them both up with a strength that made them shriek with joy. “There’s my boys,” she said warmly, pressing kisses to the tops of their heads.

They giggled into her neck, and Emily carried them back toward the couch, dropping into the cushions with both clinging to her like she was their entire world. JJ sat across from them, watching—her ribs aching, her heart pulling apart at the seams.

They put on a movie, something animated the boys had seen a hundred times, and the four of them settled in together. Henry claimed Emily’s lap, Michael burrowed under her arm, and JJ sat beside them, close enough to touch but quiet, her eyes never straying far from Emily’s face.

For a while, it was perfect. Family. Whole.

When the credits rolled and the boys yawned, Emily carried them up the stairs, tucking them each into bed with whispered goodnights and forehead kisses. JJ lingered in the hall, watching quietly, her throat tight.

By the time Emily made her way to the master bedroom, JJ was brushing her teeth at the sink. The blonde’s hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, her pajama top hanging loose, her reflection tired but so heartbreakingly beautiful.

Emily stepped behind her, sliding her arms gently around JJ’s waist. She pressed her lips to the back of her head, whispering against her hair, “I’m okay, beautiful.”

JJ’s eyes flicked up in the mirror, her expression guarded, walls snapping into place. “Just meet me in bed,” she said softly, her voice tight with all the emotion she couldn’t hold back.

Emily recognized the shutdown immediately. Panic flared in her chest, but she forced herself to move quickly, finishing her own routine in record time. She wasn’t about to give JJ’s fear the chance to wall her out.

Moments later, she slipped under the covers beside her. JJ lay stiffly on her side, her back to Emily, but the tremor in her shoulders betrayed her.

“Jay,” Emily whispered, sliding closer, careful as always. She touched JJ’s arm, and the blonde turned suddenly, burying her face in Emily’s chest with a choked sob.

“I can never lose you,” JJ whispered, the words muffled against her shirt. “I can’t. I love you so much, Em. I can’t live without you.”

Emily’s heart shattered and swelled all at once. She wrapped her arms tightly around her soulmate, holding her as though she could physically shield her from the world.

“You won’t lose me,” Emily whispered fiercely, pressing her lips to JJ’s hairline. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I swear it.”

JJ clutched at her shirt, trembling, the tears hot against Emily’s skin. “Don’t promise things you can’t keep.”

Emily pulled back just enough to cup JJ’s face, forcing her to meet her gaze. Her eyes shone with tears of her own. “This one I can keep. Because I love you, Jennifer Jareau. More than anything. And I will spend every single day proving it to you.”

JJ broke then, sobbing softly as she curled tighter into her, her entire body shaking with the force of her fear and love colliding.

Emily held her through it, whispering over and over, “I’ve got you, my love. Always.”

And as JJ’s breathing finally slowed against her chest, Emily realized she’d never felt more certain of anything in her life.

++++

The sun filtered through the curtains in faint stripes, the house still hushed with the rare peace of a weekend morning. Emily stirred, but she didn’t open her eyes just yet. She felt warmth pressed along her side, the soft weight of JJ’s body curled against her.

Then, gentle kisses.

The press of lips along her jawline, light as feathers, pulling her from sleep in the sweetest way. Emily blinked slowly awake, her lips tugging into a grin even before her eyes focused.

“Hey, babydoll,” she murmured, her voice still husky with sleep.

JJ stilled for just a moment, then smiled against her skin. “Morning, babe.”

Emily’s grin widened instantly, her heart tripping over itself. JJ hadn’t called her anything like that before. The warmth that bloomed in her chest nearly undid her.

Her eyes fluttered open fully, and she turned her head to look at JJ. The blonde’s blue eyes were clear and steady, the morning light catching strands of her messy braid, her expression so open Emily almost forgot how to breathe.

“Jay…” Emily whispered, brushing her fingers along JJ’s cheek.

But JJ didn’t stop. Her lips trailed higher, brushing Emily’s cheekbone, then the corner of her mouth. Emily’s chest rose sharply, her body reacting before her mind caught up.

And then JJ’s mouth found hers, slow, searching, with a depth that made Emily’s head spin.

When they broke apart for air, JJ whispered, “I want you.”

Emily’s eyes widened, her breath catching. She reached up to still JJ’s hand where it had slid to her waist. “Baby, you don’t have to rush this. You’ve been through so much. I don’t want you to feel like you need to prove anything, to me, to yourself.”

JJ shook her head, her hand tightening in Emily’s shirt. “That’s not it.”

“JJ—”

“No, listen.” JJ’s voice cracked, but her eyes didn’t waver. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. And last night—God, Em, I thought I was going to lose you forever. I don’t want to waste another second. I want this. I want you. All of you.”

Emily’s throat worked, her eyes burning. “You’re sure?”

JJ nodded firmly, tears glistening, but her voice steady. “I’ve never been more sure. I want to share this with you, not because I’m scared, but because I’m in love with you. Because you’re my soulmate.”

Emily’s fingers found the hem of JJ’s shirt, sliding beneath cotton warmed by sleep and skin. She paused, thumb brushing the soft rise of a rib, asking without words. JJ answered by lifting her arms, letting the fabric slip away like a secret finally told. Sunlight caught on the faint silver stretch marks along JJ’s hips, marks Emily had never seen, never dared imagine, and she bent to kiss them, slow, deliberate, as if each one were a year she’d missed.

JJ’s breath hitched. “Em—”

“Shh.” Emily’s mouth traced higher, over the curve of a breast, the hollow of a collarbone, until JJ arched into her, fingers threading through dark hair. There was no rush, only the hush of sheets and the soft click of the bedside lamp JJ had forgotten to turn off hours ago. Emily tasted salt on JJ’s neck, the faint trace of yesterday’s perfume, and felt something inside her chest crack open like sunrise.

JJ tugged at Emily’s tank top in turn, impatient now, and Emily laughed, low, surprised, the sound muffled against JJ’s shoulder as the shirt joined its twin on the floor. Skin to skin, finally. JJ’s palms mapped the scars Emily carried like footnotes: the thin line under her left breast from a knife in Milwaukee, the puckered circle on her shoulder from a bullet in Denver. JJ kissed each one, lingering, as if she could erase the pain with her mouth.

They moved together, unhurried, learning the language of breath and tremor. Emily’s hand slid down the slope of JJ’s stomach, pausing at the waistband of her shorts. JJ’s eyes, storm, blue and unguarded, met hers. A nod. A yes that had waited a decade.

Emily eased the fabric away, reverent, and JJ’s thighs parted in an invitation. When Emily’s fingers found her, JJ exhaled a sound that was half-sob, half-prayer. Emily circled slowly, watching JJ’s face, every flicker, every flutter of lashes, until JJ’s hips lifted, seeking more. Only then did Emily sink lower, mouth following fingers, tasting the truth they’d both denied for too long.

JJ’s hands fisted in the sheets, then in Emily’s hair, guiding but not demanding. “Please,” she whispered, the word fragile. Emily answered with her tongue, steady and sure, until JJ’s back bowed and her breath broke on Emily’s name like a vow.

After, JJ pulled Emily up, kissing her with the taste of herself still on Emily’s lips. Her hands were trembling now, but certain, sliding down Emily’s spine, over the dip of her waist, until Emily was the one gasping. JJ rolled them, pinning Emily gently beneath her, and took her time, kissing the inside of a wrist, the soft skin behind a knee, every place Emily had hidden from the world. When JJ’s fingers finally slipped inside her, Emily’s eyes stung; she turned her face into the pillow to hide it.

JJ wouldn’t let her. “Look at me,” she murmured, thumb stroking Emily’s cheek. “I want to see you.”

So Emily did. She let JJ watch her unravel, slow, then all at once, her body clenching around JJ’s fingers as pleasure rolled through her like a tide that had been held back too long. JJ stayed with her through every aftershock, kissing the tears that slipped free, whispering, “I’ve got you. I’ve always had you.”

Later, tangled and breathless, they lay with legs intertwined, JJ’s head on Emily’s chest, listening to a heart that finally beat without fear. Emily traced idle patterns along JJ’s shoulder blade, the sunlight shifting across the wall like time catching up.

“I used to dream about this,” JJ said, voice drowsy. “Waking up to you. Thought it was selfish.”

Emily pressed a kiss to her hair. “It wasn’t a dream. It was what we are supposed to be, but were to scared to be.”

JJ lifted her head, eyes soft. “Not scared anymore though. We are right while we are destined to be.”

Emily smiled, a small, fierce, and real smile. “Every morning. Every night. However many we get.”

Outside, the world kept moving. Cases waited, phones would ring, and the team would tease. But here, in the safety of their sheets that smelled of them both, they had rewritten the years.

And when JJ kissed her again, lazy, lingering, like they had all the time in the world, Emily believed it.

This is the beginning of their new life.