Say It Again

I walk towards Hotch’s office quickly. We have another case, and this one is bad. The case has to be bad for the BAU to get involved, but this one in particular is tough. Two separate killers in one city...

I slow my approach as I hear an unfamiliar female voice coming through the unit chief’s open office door.

“Uh, well, I guess I was hoping you could tell me where to put my stuff,” the unknown woman said.

“I’m sorry?” Hotch sounds genuinely confused.

“I’m supposed to start here today at the BAU.”

“There’s been a mistake.”

“I don’t think so, sir.”

“There’s definitely been a mistake.” The hint of annoyance in Hotch’s voice seems like my cue to enter the room. When I step into the doorway I see a woman, dark hair falling across her shoulders. Her back is to me, so I can’t see her face, but Hotch’s look of irritation makes me want to break up the tension in the room.

“Excuse me. We’re getting started,” I say, trying not to reveal that I had been eavesdropping.

“Thank you; I’ll be right there.” His tone is my dismissal, so I walk back the way I came, curious about the stranger, but returning my focus to the case at hand.

...

The days in St. Louis went by fairly quickly, and we all felt good after putting away two serial killers. On the jet, I find myself wondering about the woman in Hotch’s office. Who was she? I figured someone would join at some point to replace Elle, but I hadn’t necessarily expected it yet, especially since Hotch hadn’t said anything to anyone.

I wonder if she is going to be joining the team or if there really was some kind of mistake. When we land and walk back into the bullpen, I see her standing next to Hotch’s office.

Despite my curiosity, I don’t take the time to study her too closely because exhaustion is dragging me toward the elevator and eventually, my bed. I’m looking forward to having a couple days off. The next briefing is going to be in a couple days at 10 am sharp.

...

I’m usually in the conference room earlier than the others, but when I walked in this morning, the new woman was seated at the round table. I haven’t had the chance to see her face, so I take a moment to look at her. She leans back in her chair, sweeping her dark hair out of her eyes. She looks up as I study her, and her brown eyes crinkle at the edges as she smiles. My heart speeds up a little, startling me as I allow the corners of my mouth to tug upward slightly.

“I’m Emily Prentiss,” she says, extending her hand.

“Jennifer Jareau, but most people call me JJ,” I respond, shaking her hand firmly.

“Nice to meet you, Jennifer.” My heart speeds up a little as she says my name. I usually don’t like being called Jennifer, but for some reason, the way she said it doesn’t bother me at all.

She’s gorgeous, I think as I bite my lip just a little. She cocks her eyebrow the slightest bit, and I feel my cheeks redden. I hear a couple more agents enter the room, and I feel the slight tension vanish. I look away and smile at my friend, Penelope Garcia. She’s wearing her usual bright colors, which always makes the day a little happier.

“JJ! I had so much fun getting our nails done yesterday!” her happiness is contagious.

“I did too, Garcia! Can we please make that a regular thing? My nail beds will thank you,” I wiggle my fingers in front of me as I say the last sentence.

“Ladies why didn’t I get an invite? My nail beds need attention too,” Derek Morgan imitates the way I wiggle my fingers, and I roll my eyes. The strong agent grins and puts an arm around each of us. “I’m coming along next time, okay? You two know you want me around.”

Reid, Gideon, and Hotch walk in, and the latter tells me to get started. I start the brief and hand files to each member of the team.

They open the files, and we all look at one. Emily mentions what I already know: it’s in Arabic.

“Our friends surprised us and eloped...” Emily begins to translate. I’m surprised, and I notice eyes widening around the table in general. Emily notices too, and she explains that she lived in several Middle Eastern countries. I find myself wanting to learn more about that, but I shake my head to regain my focus.

After the briefing, Gideon, Reid, and Emily get on the jet while the rest of us stay behind to work from Quantico. Gideon seemed less than thrilled to have the new agent along with him to speak to the prisoner, but since she spoke Arabic, she could provide more insight than any other team member.

I get to work with Garcia, and I devote all my focus to the case.

...

Many hours later, after having successfully stopped a terrorist attack, I sit at my desk, finishing up some paperwork. I still have at least another two hours to go, so I decide coffee is a good idea.

I grab a cup and set it down while the smell of the freshly brewing coffee fills the air. I lean against the counter and look down at my phone for a minute. The coffee is almost done when a voice startles me.

“Mind pouring me one too?” Agent Prentiss stands in the doorway, her go bag on her shoulder.

“Oh, um, yeah of course,” I respond. I’m surprised by her presence, but it’s nice to not be alone for a few minutes. I pour two cups and hand her one. “You just get back?”

“Yeah, a few minutes ago. Agent Gideon and Agent Reid just got on the elevator, but I smelled coffee. What are you still doing here?”

“I am trying to make a little dent in the never-ending mountain of paperwork on my desk,” I answer as I stir sugar into my coffee.

“Want some help?”

“You don’t want to head home yet?”

“To be honest I’m tired of going back to an empty apartment. I need to get a cat or something.” She smiles, and I can’t help smiling back.

“I get that, believe me. I think a cat would be a good idea...If you’re serious about helping, I definitely would appreciate the company.”

“Yeah of course!” I hear the relief in her voice. I get it, though. Going home to an empty apartment really does get old.

“Follow me then,” I say, squeezing past her and walking toward my office. She follows and sits in one of the chairs in front of my desk. I settle in behind the desk and set my coffee down. I grab a file for myself before handing one to her. We work in silence for about an hour before she speaks.

“I thought Agent Gideon hated me, but he asked me to play chess on the jet. Is that a good sign?”

“Definitely. Spence is usually the only one that he plays with. Did you win?” I respond with a grin.

“Twice!” Her smile lights up her face.

“Good girl!” I say, raising my hand for a high-five. She cocks her eyebrow and smirks when I say that. I feel my face redden, but she brings her hand up to meet mine.

We work in silence for another hour before I finally break it.

“I read this sentence twenty times, and I still don’t know what it says.”

“I feel you. I haven’t even started this paragraph,” she responds with a yawn.

“I think it’s time to call it a night. Maybe we can finally sleep a little before we have to be back in...” I glance down at my watch and groan. “Five hours. We have to be back in five hours.”

“Is there even a point in going home?” the dark-haired woman laughs.

“Honestly, at this point, I think I’d rather crash in my office and use the clothes from my go bag tomorrow. At this point, it isn’t even safe for me to drive home,” my last word is interrupted by a yawn.

“I think crashing here is an excellent idea,” Emily agrees, laughing. “Do you think the door to Hotch’s office is unlocked? That couch is calling my name...”

“Only one way to find out...” We walk together to our boss’s office. I twist the handle, and thankfully the door swings open. I hear Emily sigh as she plops onto the couch. She pats the spot next to her.

“Care to join? I don’t wanna take the whole couch for myself. I think there’s plenty of room for both of us...unless you prefer to sleep alone!” Her face reddens somewhat as she hastily adds the last sentence.

“Honestly, I don’t mind at all. I get cold a lot, and sleeping near someone else warms me up...” I sit down and lean my head back against the wall.

“Hey JJ, thanks for letting me stay to help. I know I’m an outsider right now, especially since my transfer seemed to have problems. I really like the team, and I want to get to know you all. But so far, you’re the only one that hasn’t made me feel like the newbie. Means a lot,” she turns toward me and smiles.

I reach across and take her hand. “You’re not an outsider, Em. I know it may feel like it right now, but for what it’s worth, I already really like you. Give everyone time.”

She squeezes my fingers, and I can tell she’s already falling asleep. I feel myself slowly drifting off, and I finally slip into a nice, dreamless sleep for the first time in a while.