Chapter Text
JJ briefs the case with a professional attitude, but it's a … strange one. When Emily asks, “are those supposed to be fang marks?” it’s hard not to be weirded out.
Last time they had a serial killer case in LA, it was a Hollywood star, whose best friend was obsessed with her, and not in a good way.
This time is different, it looks at first. A vampire; or a delusional unsub who’s convinced he’s a vampire.
When they’re set up at the department, JJ helps Reid with the profile, and starts tracking down the newest victim's friends, and finds Gina King, her best friend. She takes it upon herself to go talk to her, rejecting Reid’s offer to go with her.
She gets there, and it feels off. It’s sheltered, surrounded by a metal fence. She should feel threatened, but she doesn’t.
The second the door opens, she knows. Gina mutters something intangible about her grandmother being asleep, but JJ doesn’t catch the whole sentence. Gina flees and JJ follows. What else is she supposed to do when she’s got her right there, and something is very clearly wrong? She should definitely call for backup, but through the haze of Gina running, she barely thinks about it.
She follows her through the house, calls for her several times when she’s suddenly gone. God, she should not have worn heels. Had she chosen another pair of shoes, she would have been a lot faster, and a lot more stable on her feet.
JJ finds her in the yard with plastic cans of something that looks weirdly like blood, but she doesn’t get to act. She doesn't see it coming. The shovel hits her with a force she doesn’t expect, and she’s on the ground and it goes black.
The second Emily knows her girlfriend is in danger, her mind works faster. Morgan comes to get her; “Prentiss, your girl is with the unsub right now. You’re with me,” he says.
She drops the case file onto the table and follows him to the SUV, her heart beating in her throat. It’s a short drive, and the second she’s buckled her seat belt, she calls JJ. There’s no response the first, second or third time.
“She isn’t answering,” Emily says in a panicked voice, unable to hide it from Morgan.
He glances away from the road for a millisecond at the most, and orders, “well, keep trying.”
She does, but it doesn’t change the outcome.
It’s not until she gets there and she hears JJ’s voice call out, “in the back!” that she feels like she can breathe again.
Emily follows Rossi and she’s there, halfway crouched a bit behind Gina who’s hovering over Ray—the manager of their initial suspect—reaching for him in a way only a messed up delusional teenager would.
“Are you okay?” Emily asks, crouching beside JJ and reaching for her, both hands settling on her waist.
She leans on her as Emily and Rossi help her to get back on her feet. JJ wraps an arm around Emily's neck. “I'm okay,” she says. “I took a fall. By a shovel.”
Emily presses her forehead against JJ's temple and keeps her there, breathes her in because oh, she could have lost her. “It's okay, you're safe,” she whispers and brushes blonde hair away from her eyes. “I got you,” she says softly.
While the rest of them handle the arrest, Emily and Rossi help JJ back to the SUV. “Paramedics are on the way,” Rossi tells JJ, a hand resting on her back. “You should get checked out, make sure you're okay.”
JJ rolls her eyes, but it's light-hearted and she rests her head on Emily's shoulder. “I’m fine,” she mumbles.
“JJ, you were hit with a shovel,” Emily reasons with her, running a hand through her hair. JJ sits down in the car, door wide open so Emily can crouch in front of her. “Will you let them take a look?”
JJ smiles softly. “If it makes you happy.”
Emily shakes her head and chuckles softly. “Good enough for me,” she says and presses a kiss to her forehead, ignoring the fact that Rossi is right behind them. It’s not like he cares anyway.
They arrive within a few minutes, both paramedics and doctors. Rossi guides them down to Ray and Gina, who's arrested, but still injured, and Emily shows a doctor where JJ is sitting.
She quickly gets guided to the paramedic truck, and sits on the edge, Emily settling down beside her.
The doctor checks her out, all the typical how-alert-is-she tests, and where does it hurt, and how much can she move without pain. “You’re good to go,” the doctor says, “just take it slow for a few days, you’ll probably be sore for a while. You can stay here while you wait for your team.” He gives a small smile and leaves to go back to where his colleagues must still be working with Ray and Gina.
Emily wraps an arm around JJ’s waist, and runs her thumb over the skin above her pants. “Thank you,” she calls after the doctor, and he raises a hand in greeting.
JJ rests her head in the crook of her neck. “I'm glad you're here,” she whispers and Emily feels her breath on her neck, warm but slightly shaky. “Thank you.”
Emily kisses her temple like the pain in her head would ease with it. “Of course,” she whispers against her skin. “Really, I didn't have a choice, Morgan dragged me here.”
“Of course he did,” JJ chuckles, pulling back to look at her.
Emily watches her carefully, brushing strands of blonde hair away from her eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks gently.
“Yeah, I just…” she trails off and looks away. “My head hurts.”
Emily squeezes her arm softly. “I know,” she says softly. “We have painkillers on the jet, and then we get to go home and sleep.”
JJ lets out a soft chuckle and kisses her. “Sounds like a great plan.”
When they're eating leftovers from the freezer in front of the TV, Emily hands her a glass of water and JJ accepts it with a soft kiss to Emily's jawline. She would never admit it, of course, but it's one of Emily's favorite things.
Emily watches JJ watching the screen, and JJ seems to sense it because she turns her head to look at her. "Hey," she whispers, pausing the TV with a small tap on the remote. "I'm gonna be fine."
Even though Emily knows this, it doesn't feel like enough to calm down her beating heart and her running mind. "I know," she mutters softly. She puts away her empty food tray, opening her arms to JJ. "I just like taking care of you," she whispers as JJ leans into her arms, kissing her cheek, then her temple.
It's their sacred little ritual; eating in front of the TV, then curling up in each other's arms like it's the only time they have. In the messy world that's their lives, Emily cherishes those times more than anything else.
After an episode of Survivor, JJ starts talking.
“Emily?” She speaks softly and Emily hums in response. JJ pauses the TV and looks at her, her eyes glossy and vulnerable. “I don't think I'm as okay as I tried to convince you.”
She should've seen that coming. It's typical JJ, pulling up with a smile and pretending she's fine. “Okay,” she whispers, reaching for JJ’s hand and squeezing it softly. “How can I help?”
JJ doesn’t answer her question, she just starts speaking. “It’s Tobias Hankel all over again–” her voice cracks and she can't meet her eyes. It’s like a punch to the gut, and she’s pulled right back to a few years ago. “Reid wanted to go with me, but I said I was fine, and then… he took me completely by surprise. I didn't see him coming. I could have called for backup, I should have, but she ran, and I couldn’t do anything but chase after her.”
“Hey,” Emily whispers, lowering her voice, hoping it's enough. It seems to help, and JJ lifts her head, so slowly, and meets her eyes. “It's not your fault. You couldn't have known.”
JJ shakes her head and closes her eyes. “But we don't go alone, that's the rule,” she tries to reason, her voice hard and cold, but more out of guilt than anything else. She opens her eyes but fixes them to the ceiling and blinks like she's trying to hold back tears. “I was confident enough to go by myself and I got myself hurt.”
Emily tries to squeeze her hand but she pulls away from her. “JJ, look at me,” Emily whispers. It takes her a moment, but then she lowers her gaze and meets Emily's eyes. “You were confident in yourself for a reason. If it actually was just a witness, you could have easily done the interview by yourself. That's your strength, it's what you do. You didn't doubt yourself because of it. Don't start now.”
JJ shakes her head, but she lets Emily take her hand again. “I just mean… I shouldn't have,” she says, looking at their hands in her lap. “If I'd brought Reid with me, I would've been fine and I wouldn't have been such a burden.”
Emily reaches out to cup her cheek, guiding her eyes up to meet hers. “You're not a burden, JJ,” she says, soft and certain, holding her gaze. “Do you hear me? You're not a burden to the team, and you're not a burden to me.”
JJ nods after a long moment. “You saved my life,” she mumbles.
“You did that yourself, darling,” Emily says, pulling her closer and kissing her forehead. “It was all you. I was just there to carry the weight of it,” she assures and rests both hands on each side of JJ's face.
“No, I don’t mean today,” JJ says, her head leaning forward like it’s heavy to carry and Emily trying to hold it up for her. “I mean, every time, all the time. I would be lost without you.”
Emily leans forward until her forehead is pressed against hers, and JJ leans on her like she’s the only thing keeping her there. JJ starts crying, soft at first, like she’s not sure how to let go. “JJ,” Emily whispers softly, and JJ moves to rest her forehead on Emily’s shoulder. She rubs circles on her back, and JJ stays there. “You're here with me, okay? I got you.”
JJ pulls back and nods. “You got me,” she repeats. The dam breaks and she cries. Emily pulls her in again, letting her cry into her chest and she feels as the tension slowly leaves her body. Then she pulls back with a smile on her lips. “I love you,” she whispers and leans forward to kiss her.
It’s gentle, JJ’s lips warm against hers, and she reaches behind Emily’s neck to pull her closer. She pulls back after a moment, her hand resting on JJ’s cheek. “I love you too,” she says, stroking the last tear from her cheek. “Let's get some rest.”
When they get into bed, JJ curls around her with a hand in Emily's hair and her leg tangled up with Emily's. She falls asleep pretty quickly and Emily watches her for a while, until the exhaustion takes over and sleep reaches for her.