i told you we'd figure it out, yeah?
jj steps quietly into the hallway, pulling the door just slightly closed behind her. she exhales, slow, her chest still warm from the weight of aria in her arms, from the way the little girl had just melted into her, trusted her completely.
then, she sees him. sergio, sprawled out on the floor just outside aria’s door, his tail flicking lazily, his eyes only half-open, like he’s on duty but also making sure to get his beauty sleep. jj smiles to herself, bending down, reaching out to scratch gently under his chin.
“what, you her little guard dog?” she murmurs, rubbing under his jaw, watching the way his head tilts into her touch, his eyes fluttering shut briefly in satisfaction.
sergio lets out a low purr, like he’s agreeing with her. jj chuckles, giving him one last scratch before straightening up. she glances down the hall, emily’s door is pulled to still, the house quiet. jj imagines she’s getting some real relaxation. a bath, a few moments of peace, a second to breathe - something.
jj hopes so. she makes her way downstairs, heading straight for the kitchen, her bare feet moving effortlessly through the space that already feels familiar. without thinking, she starts cleaning up. putting away dishes where she saw emily pull them from earlier, moving with the kind of ease that feels like she’s been here for longer than just one night. it’s second nature. something jj has always done—tidying up, helping out—but it feels different here. more natural.
she sees them moments later. a coffee cup and a bottle, left behind in the sink. not from dinner, but from this morning. jj picks them up carefully, rinsing them under warm water, watching as the remnants of the morning swirl down the drain.
jj thinks about what mornings must be like for them.
she can picture emily first, shuffling out of bed before the sun fully rises, running a tired hand through her messy hair as she moves toward the kitchen, starting the coffee pot immediately. she can see aria waking up next, slow and warm, her little body stretching in her bed, rubbing at her eyes, calling softly for “emmy.”
but instead of imagining emily rushing back up the stairs the moment she hears aria’s first whine, jj sees herself. she imagines herself walking down the hall, scooping up a sleepy, soft toddler, her tiny arms wrapping around jj’s neck, her head resting against her shoulder. she sees emily in the kitchen, pouring her coffee, glancing up as jj steps into the room with aria tucked against her.
“there’s my girl,” emily would murmur, smiling softly, reaching out as jj passes aria into her arms. jj imagines herself finishing the morning routine, moving to finish emily’s coffee exactly how she likes it, because she’s watched her do it a hundred times at work. adding the perfect amount of sugar, the right swirl of cream. she imagines herself warming aria’s bottle, testing it against her wrist, making sure it’s not too hot, before walking over to the couch where emily and aria are already settled, emily’s arm tucked around the toddler as they both blink sleepily at the tv. jj sees herself handing emily her coffee, then passing the bottle to aria, settling in beside them, their shoulders pressed together, blanket draped over all three of them. the quiet hum of blue’s clues in the background. the routine of it all. the way it would feel so normal, so right.
jj blinks, her breath catching slightly as she realizes she’s just been standing there, holding emily’s coffee cup, completely lost in the thought of something that feels so real.
emily’s voice pulls her back.
“you’re washing my dishes now?”
jj looks up, startled for half a second, before she fully registers emily standing in the doorway. she looks relaxed. her damp hair falls over her shoulders in soft waves, fresh from the bath. she’s wearing an oversized sweatshirt, a pair of pajama pants, and slippers. she looks comfortable. cozy.
jj’s heart stumbles.
“well,” jj smirks, quickly rinsing off the cup and playing it cool as if she didn’t just imagine a montage of a morning being more than a friend to the woman in front of her. “someone’s gotta do it.”
emily laughs softly, stepping further into the kitchen, leaning lightly against the counter.
“you really didn’t have to, jen.”
jj just shrugs, setting the cup down carefully in the drying rack, grinning slightly.
“i wanted to.”
emily just looks at her for a second, something warm and unspoken passing between them, and jj feels it too. feels it in the quiet softness of the moment, in the lingering warmth from her daydream, in the way this already feels like the future.
emily steps further in, her damp hair leaving faint trails of moisture on her sweatshirt.
“how was she?” she asks, her voice gentle, but there’s something deeper in the way she asks it.
jj recognizes it immediately. emily doesn’t just want to know, she needs to know. jj can tell, just from the way emily’s fingers curl slightly against the edge of the counter, from the way her eyes flicker toward the stairs like she’s contemplating going up just to check. so, jj tells her everything.
“she was perfect, em,” she starts, setting the last dish in the drying rack, turning slightly to face her.
“she let me undress her, no fuss at all. i tested the water, and she held onto my arm while i checked it. like she was making sure i wasn’t going anywhere.”
emily huffs a soft laugh, nodding. “yeah. she does that.”
jj smiles, continuing.
“she let me wash her. i was so careful with her hair, but she still gave me a little scrunch of her nose when i rinsed it out, even with the washcloth over her eyes. i think she was just waiting to see if i did it right.”
emily grins, rubbing the back of her neck. “she’s got high standards.”
jj laughs, nodding. “yeah, well, i think i passed. after that, she showed me every single bath toy she owns. one by one. like an art exhibit.”
emily lets out a soft breath, her expression softer than before.
“she does that,” she murmurs. “i think she wants everyone to feel included. she watched toy story once, and everyone has to have a turn since then”
jj watches her for a second, the way her body visibly relaxes at the thought of it all, at knowing that aria was comfortable, that she was safe and happy.
“and bedtime?” emily asks, tilting her head.
jj shrugs slightly, drying her hands on the kitchen towel.
“i picked out her pajamas because i think i was losing her by the second, but she didn’t protest..so i assume i picked the correct ones.”
emily laughs, shaking her head. “sounds about right.”
jj leans against the counter, crossing her arms.
“i rocked her for a while,” she says, her voice quieter now. “i didn’t mean to. i was going to put her down as soon as she finished her bottle, but—” she exhales, looking down briefly. “she just felt… so small. and i didn’t want to let her go yet.”
emily swallows, something tight settling in her chest.
“i get that,” she says softly, meeting jj’s eyes.
jj nods, and for a moment, the air feels thicker. like something is passing between them that neither of them can put into words. emily blinks first, glancing at the time on the oven, biting the inside of her cheek when she realizes how late it’s gotten.
“it’s late,” she murmurs, rubbing a hand over her face. “i’m sorry—i feel like you’ve just been…”
she trails off, shaking her head, feeling guilty, but jj cuts her off before she can finish.
“em,” jj says, firm but gentle, giving her a look. “i told you i wanted to help. i meant it.”
emily opens her mouth, about to respond, but— her eyes flicker over something beside the counter. jj follows her gaze. the clothes she brought over, the ones she hasn’t even changed into yet. emily exhales, running a hand through her damp hair before looking back at jj.
“i have a guest room,” she says, her voice quieter now. “you can stay if you want. it’s late.”
jj’s chest does something wild. emily’s throat runs dry. because this would feel normal if this were just any friend, but this wasn’t just any friend. this was jj, and suddenly, everything feels like it’s balancing on the edge of something unspoken.
jj has to mentally tell herself to wait a millisecond before nodding.
to not immediately jump up and down and yell, “yes! yes, i do! let me stay forever!” because god, she wants to.
so, instead, she plays it cool. she nods softly, giving a gentle smile, forcing herself to breathe like a normal human being.
“if you don’t think the king of the house cares.”
her voice is light, teasing, as sergio—said king—swirls around emily’s legs, dramatically rubbing his face against her like she had abandoned him for weeks instead of a mere hour or two. jj watches, biting back a smirk, because sergio is doing exactly what she wants to do— wrapping himself around emily, attaching himself to her like she’s the most important thing in the world.
emily lets out a laugh, nudging sergio lightly with her foot.
“he’ll live.”
she has to act like she’s not literally panicking in the best way possible, like jj is not staying over at her home. like jj—the same jj who makes her stomach flip, the same jj whose perfume lingers too long in the bau, making emily dizzy—is not about to be sleeping just across the hall from her bedroom.
it feels right. that’s the part that scares her the most, because this should feel like just any other night, like a simple, casual sleepover. but it doesn’t, it feels bigger. it feels like something uncharted, something that makes emily’s throat run dry, something that makes her heart pick up speed.
“come on,” emily says, nodding toward the stairs, needing to move before she overthinks herself into oblivion. “i’ll show you the way.”
jj follows closely, her footsteps soft behind emily’s, her hands still tingling slightly from where they’d been gripping the kitchen towel, like she needs something to hold on to. she notices, again, how quiet the house is now. aria is asleep, emily is comfortable.mthe whole place is settling into night, into stillness, into something jj already knows she doesn’t want to leave in the morning.
as they move up the stairs, jj glances around, still taking in the home, still memorizing every piece of emily and aria’s life. she notices more photos. a framed picture of emily in her twenties, standing in front of a landmark jj can’t immediately place, her smile bright, her sunglasses perched on her head, looking free, young, like she had the whole world ahead of her. another of aria, even younger than she is now, curled up on emily’s chest, her tiny hand gripping the fabric of emily’s sweater in sleep.
jj’s heart tightens, because there are so many versions of emily in this house. the young woman traveling the world. the law student with books stacked high on her desk. the big sister. the fbi agent who has finally found her place.
and the one jj loves seeing the most, the one she’s been watching all night.
the mother. the woman who cuts up tiny pizza squares and runs lavender baths and knows exactly when to rub a hand down a toddler’s back to lull her into sleep. the woman who built this, on her own.
jj follows emily upstairs, watching as she gestures to the hallway.
“guest room’s just across from my room,” emily says, voice steady, like she’s forcing herself to be casual, like this doesn’t mean anything. even though it does. jj glances toward the slightly ajar door that leads to emily’s room, noticing everything.
the dim lamp still on. the edges of a well-made bed, the maroon comforter smoothed out, barely disturbed. there’s a book resting on the nightstand, a glass of water beside it. and of course, one of aria’s pacifiers, tucked haphazardly beside the lamp.
jj bites her lip, exhales through her nose. this shouldn’t feel like so much. but it does.
“okay,” jj says, nodding, her voice gentle.
emily lingers by the doorway, just for a second too long. like she’s trying to find the right words, the right thing to keep jj here, the right way to say don’t go to sleep just yet, stay with me a little longer. jj doesn’t rush her, she just watches, waiting, her bag shifting slightly on her shoulder, her fingers pressing against the strap.
sergio meows. a sharp, insistent little sound, like hey, mother, i’m gonna save your ass and bring ya back down to earth for a moment. emily blinks, breaking out of whatever spiral she was falling into. she swallows, glancing down at the cat who has now wrapped himself around her ankles, rubbing against her in an unbothered, knowing way. emily exhales through her nose, nodding once to herself before looking back up at jj.
“i have a bottle of wine,” she says, her voice light, casual, like this is a normal thing they do. “if you want? you can change, get comfortable, and we can certainly have a laugh or two at which lady of the week derek morgan will fumble first?”
jj lets out a soft laugh, quiet, controlled, mindful of the sleeping toddler just steps away. it’s heaven to emily’s ears. jj nods, shifting her bag slightly on her shoulder.
“that sounds perfect.”
emily watches as jj glances down at herself, tugging at the hem of her shirt.
“i’ll change, wash the day away,” jj murmurs, voice gentle, warm. “and i’ll meet you downstairs.”
emily nods, stepping back slightly, giving jj space.
“take your time.”
jj watches her for half a second, something unspoken passing between them, and then, finally, she slips inside the guest room, closing the door quietly behind her. emily stands there for a moment longer, staring at the wood grain of the door, feeling something in her chest tighten and expand all at once.
then, sergio meows again, louder this time, like he’s done with her nonsense.
emily huffs, shaking her head.
“alright, alright..you just know im going to give you treats too.”
as emily pads away, the soft thump of her slippers fading down the hall, jj stands on the other side of the guest room door, her back pressed against the cool wood. her eyes shut, her breath steady, but her smile? her smile is something she couldn’t control if she tried. it spreads across her face naturally, effortlessly, like warmth creeping into her chest, like something light settling inside her. she feels it in her cheeks, in the heat creeping up her neck. if someone took her temperature right now, she swears it would register as a low-grade fever.
jj inhales, pressing her palms flat against the door behind her for just a second, grounding herself before she pushes off, blinking her eyes open to take in the room around her. it’s emily, in the best way possible. jj can tell emily washes the sheets and comforters regularly, even though no one really stays here. it’s a soft white comforter, layered with pillows—a lot of pillows, because of course emily would think about comfort for guests, whether she has them often or not. and it’s decorated, but not like someone who just threw together a spare room. it’s intentional, like anyone who steps into emily’s home will never be treated as an afterthought.
there’s a framed photo on the nightstand, and the moment jj’s eyes land on it, her heart catches. it’s aria, maybe a few weeks old, if that, but she knows it’s her. the slight crinkle of her nose, the big brown eyes, the shape of her dimples just barely showing. jj’s finger lingers against the frame, tracing the edge gently.
her gaze moves around the room. a vase of dried flowers sits near the dresser—elegant but simple, arranged with care. poetry books, neatly lined on a small shelf. and then—a photograph. it’s black and white, slightly aged, the film quality giving away the era. a girl, her back turned, facing the eiffel tower in paris. she looks about ten. jj smiles to herself, shaking her head fondly. even if it’s just the outline, she can tell it’s emily. something about the way she stands, the slight tilt of her head, the undeniable presence even in a still image.
jj exhales, dragging a hand through her hair before pulling out the clothes from her bag.
a pair of pajama pants. a sweatshirt from her college days—and the moment she pulls it over her head, she internally cringes. it’s her soccer sweatshirt. at least a decade old, the logo slightly cracked from too many washes, the fabric soft but worn. she suddenly feels less than prepared to be spending the night at emily’s house.
but she shakes it off. pulls on a fresh pair of socks, and just as she’s about to head to the bathroom to wash her face—something catches her eye.
a small box tucked into the corner.
jj isn’t one to snoop, but she’s also an fbi agent, and she’s curious by nature. so, she walks over, crouches down, and lifts the flap. the first thing she sees—a few onesies. they’re tiny. jj pulls one out carefully, smiling to herself. it can’t be more than a six-to-nine-month size, one of aria’s. one that emily hasn’t been able to bring herself to donate yet she assumes. jj folds it back neatly, setting it back in place before peeking in further. but then her heart aches because she sees photos. she pulls out the first one, emily, no doubt. maybe six years old. the dimples. the dark bangs cut a little too short. she’s standing on a cobblestone street, a european city behind her, her hands shoved into the pockets of a coat slightly too big for her frame.
jj smiles, running her thumb over the image, memorizing it. she pulls out another one. and this one, this one makes her heart ache differently. emily. younger, maybe four, sitting stiffly in a chair next to elizabeth. her face is forced into a smile, but it’s too tight, too practiced, the kind of posed smile that says, sit up straight, be still, smile pretty for the camera. jj frowns, her fingers tightening around the edge of the photo. she sets it aside, digging just a little further—and her stomach turns. another one. elizabeth and aria. aria looks lost, not like the bright-eyed, loving little girl jj just put to sleep. like a child who doesn’t know where she belongs. jj swallows, flipping to the last one she dares to look at. elizabeth, emily, and aria. emily is holding aria close, protectively. elizabeth stands beside them, her posture too formal, her expression too calculated. it’s a photo of necessity, not love.
jj’s chest tightens. she realizes, in an instant— this is emily’s box of things she hasn’t found the willpower to go through yet.
jj exhales, carefully placing everything exactly back where it was, closing the flap gently, standing up with a heavier weight in her chest than before. she wishes she could give emily more comfort. more ease. more peace with everything she’s been through.
but for now, she’ll wash her face, and she’ll meet emily downstairs for wine.
she’ll do the only thing she knows how to do right now, which is be here.
emily is downstairs, pouring wine and talking to sergio, as he meows at her like he has urgent, breaking news. like he’s delivering the stock report of the day, and emily is his only confidante.
“dude, i know we are fucked,” she murmurs, shaking her head as she gives the wine bottle a gentle swirl before finishing the pour. sergio meows again, more insistent this time. emily nods, serious, as if she’s completely in agreement.
“i pulled out of my stocks yesterday, serg. no worries.”
sergio flicks his tail, apparently satisfied with her decision, before rubbing against her shin, clearly expecting a treat for his financial expertise. emily chuckles, reaching for the bag of treats on the counter, shaking a few into her palm before dropping them onto the floor beside him.
“you know,” she muses, leaning against the counter as she watches him munch, “if you’re gonna be this insufferable, you should at least start paying rent.”
sergio doesn’t respond, just keeps eating like the freeloading king he is. emily smirks, shaking her head, but then she hears it. the sound of footsteps. jj’s footsteps.
emily looks up, and she immediately feels the breath knocked out of her body. jj is always beautiful, that’s just a fact. but this? something about her right now makes emily’s heart flip inside out. jj is standing at the bottom of the stairs, barefaced, her skin soft and fresh from washing up, her blonde hair tucked behind her ears that always poke out a little. she’s in a pair of pajama pants, slightly loose at the waist, and a sweatshirt— it’s old, worn in, the fabric slightly faded from years of use. emily glances at it, tilting her head slightly. a college soccer team logo. that has to be jj’s old team.
jj played in that sweatshirt. she trained in it. ran drills in it. sweat in it. lived in it - and god, emily can see it. can see jj, years ago, wearing it as she jogged onto a field, a determined look in her eyes, the same focus she carries now.
emily has to force herself to stop staring. she clears her throat, pushing off the counter, standing up finally, forcing herself to move. she smiles, small but genuine, as she grabs both glasses of wine, walking toward the living room.
“this way,” she says, nodding her head in the direction of the couch. then, with a teasing smirk— “also, watch out for rogue blocks, because they will trip you.”
jj laughs softly, shaking her head and follows emily into the living room, stepping carefully over the minefield of toys scattered near the couch. she settles into the cushions with a soft sigh, comfortable, already feeling the warmth of the wine in her hand—only to immediately lift herself back up when she feels something small and plastic underneath her. she reaches beneath her thigh and pulls out—a little people figure. she holds it up between her fingers, inspecting it for a second before smirking and handing it to emily.
“i believe this belongs to the queen upstairs.”
emily laughs, shaking her head as she takes it, her thumb absentmindedly rubbing over its structure before she sets it on the table beside them.
“oh yeah, hers alright. she loves these little things.”
she leans back into the couch, cradling her glass in one hand, stretching her legs slightly.
“i think i’m going to get her a baby doll soon,” emily continues, glancing at jj. “she’s obsessed with just… taking care of things? and i can only be her human test subject for so long.”
emily laughs as she explains, shaking her head like she’s fondly exhausted by it. jj is smiling, ear to ear without a clue that shes doing so. not just at the story, but at emily. because she could talk about aria forever if someone let her, and jj would let her. she would let her fill the entire night with stories about the little girl who has become her entire world. because god, there is a specific look on emily’s face when she talks about aria. something soft. something reserved for only those discussions. it’s a love that is so deeply rooted, so unshakable, and jj can’t get enough of it.
so, she leans in. she wants to know more.
“wait—so what do you mean by that?” jj asks, tilting her head, setting her glass down for a second.
emily raises an eyebrow, sipping her wine. “by what?”
“how does she take care of things?” jj asks, genuinely intrigued.
emily smirks, setting her glass on the coffee table before turning slightly toward jj.
“oh, everything is her responsibility, apparently,” emily starts. “her stuffed animals? she tucks them in with her blanket, pats their backs, tells them ‘shhh’ if she thinks they’re fussy.”
jj grins, her heart swelling.
“oh, that’s adorable.”
emily nods.
“and sergio?” she continues. “she follows him around, trying to feed him her snacks, insisting that he needs a ‘nana’ because she does.”
jj laughs, picturing it.
“mmmm yeah, i bet he loves that.”
emily snorts, shaking her head. “he tolerates it. just barely.”
jj is hanging onto every word, her eyes shining, her attention completely locked in.
“okay, but you—” she gestures toward emily with her wine glass. “what does she do with you? you said you're the human test subject.”
emily groans, laughing into her drink.
“oh god, me?” she says, shaking her head. “well, apparently, i need constant check-ups. she will randomly press her little hand to my forehead and tell me i have a fever.”
jj bites her lip, grinning like an idiot. “and what’s the cure?” she teases.
emily smirks, her voice dry. “a kiss on the cheek, obviously. sometimes she will cover me in bandaids if she deems it necessary.”
jj melts, her entire body reacts to that in a way she wasn’t prepared for.
“obviously,” jj murmurs, bringing her glass to her lips, her mind running wild with thoughts she definitely shouldn’t be thinking right now, but emily is looking at her like she knows.
“she’s always been like that,” emily murmurs, staring into her drink like she can see it all replaying in her mind.
jj leans in slightly, her voice warm.
“like what?”
emily glances at her, hesitating for just a second, before sighing, her smile shifting into something even softer.
“like she’s convinced it’s her job to take care of me.”
jj blinks. “you mean, like with her stuffed animals?”
emily huffs a laugh, shaking her head.
“oh, worse,” she says, setting her wine down, using both hands now as she gestures.
“last week? she insisted she had to feed me at dinner.”
jj chokes on a laugh, her brows raising. “what?”
emily nods, dead serious, her fingers tapping lightly against her knee.
“yeah, she watched me take a bite of my food, shook her head, and then reached across the table with her spoon like i was doing it wrong and she had to fix it.”
jj is grinning so hard, she feels like her face might split in half.
“oh my god. did you let her?”
emily groans, tilting her head back dramatically. “i had to! you don’t understand. she was so serious about it. like she fully believed i was incapable of feeding myself. and then she patted my arm like, ‘good job, emmy. you did it.’”
jj wheezes, shaking her head.
“she praised you for eating.”
emily nods solemnly, taking another sip of her wine.
“yeah. i’m pretty sure she thinks i’m only surviving because of her efforts.”
jj swipes a tear from under her eye, her laugh quiet but breathless.
“that’s amazing,” she murmurs, shaking her head. “what else has she done?”
emily exhales, pressing her lips together for a second before her expression shifts, like she’s thinking of something deeper. something that means more.
“there was this one night,” she starts, her voice quieter now. jj immediately softens, watching her, listening intently. emily looks down at her glass for a second, then continues.
“i was stressed. more than usual. it was a hard day at work, and i was just—” she sighs, shaking her head, rubbing her thumb over the rim of her glass. “i didn’t want to cry in front of her, so i just—”
“let yourself break when you thought she wasn’t looking?” jj finishes, her voice gentle.
emily looks at her, swallowing hard, before nodding.
“yeah, but she saw,” emily says, letting out a quiet huff, like she should’ve known better. “she came up to me, pressed her tiny little hand to my cheek, and wiped my tears like she was fixing me.”
jj bites her lip, something aching in her chest.
emily laughs lightly, shaking her head. “then she patted my shoulder. like really patted it. and i swear to god, j, she had this look on her face like, ‘damn, that was a big one, but i think we’re good now.’”
jj smiles, pressing her lips together to keep her emotions steady. but emily’s not done.
“and then? oh my god, she spent the entire night bringing me everything she thought might help.”
jj tilts her head, her brows furrowing slightly. “like what?”
emily’s smile grows, her fingers tapping absently on her wine glass as she lists them out.
“her favorite blanket. every stuffed animal she owns. a book she insisted i hold, even though i wasn’t reading it. and then? she shoved her pacifier into my mouth.”
jj’s eyes go wide, her wine nearly forgotten as she bursts into laughter.
“no way.”
emily groans, covering her face with one hand. “jen, i let her for a second, because she was so serious about it. but then i had to be like, ‘oh, wow, baby! i think i’m all better now!’ because i was genuinely fearful of what was coming next.”
jj is gone, laughing so hard she has to set her glass down to avoid spilling it. emily loves the sound, even if its at her having a pacifier shoved in her mouth.
“she was about to put you down for the night like one of her stuffed animals,” jj wheezes.
“i think she would have swaddled me if i didn’t stop her.”
jj wipes at her watering eyes, her stomach aching from laughing too hard.
“emily, she thinks she’s gotta take care of you too, you know.”
emily sighs, shaking her head, but she’s grinning.
“oh, trust me, i know.”
jj looks at her, still breathless, still so full of warmth she doesn’t know where to put it all.
“you do know she loves you more than anything, right?”
emily pauses, her throat bobbing slightly as she swallows.
then, she nods once.
“yeah,” she says, her voice quieter. “i know.”
jj smiles, reaching for her wine again, but they keep talking, their voices soft but steady, the conversation effortless. shifting from aria to work, to the latest drama unfolding at the bau—
“okay, but how many women is morgan juggling right now?” jj teases, swirling her wine, raising an eyebrow.
emily huffs a laugh, shaking her head. “it’s actually impressive at this point. i swear, last week, i caught him on the phone with one while he was texting another.”
“a professional in the art,” jj muses, grinning.
“a mess and a player,” emily corrects, sipping her wine.
they move on to penelope, how she’s been begging them to lock down a designated wine night at her place, trying to make it a tradition.
“she’s been on my case about it,” jj admits. “apparently, it’s a crime that we haven’t already made this a ‘thing.’”
emily snorts, with love. “well, god forbid we disappoint penelope garcia.”
“correct answer,” jj agrees.
then, the topic naturally shifts to strauss, and the way she’s been making them all want to pull their hair out. emily groans, rubbing a hand over her face.
“i swear to you, jj, i found a gray hair last week, and i fully blame it on the stress of these cases.”
jj chuckles. “oh yeah?”
emily nods, dead serious. “oh, yeah. i was this close to just accepting my fate and buying a bottle of dye on my way home.”
jj takes another sip of wine, smirking. “i mean, i hear gray is in these days.”
emily squints at her. “that sounds like something a friend would say instead of, ‘no, emily, that’s insane, you’re fine.’”
jj grins, raising an eyebrow. “you are fine. i just think you could rock silver is all im sayin’.”
emily lets out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head. “you’re no help.”
jj laughs, but before she can respond, emily yawns - and jj softens instantly. because she knows emily is exhausted, she’s been running on fumes all day, taking care of aria, working, worrying. but jj has a feeling that emily is still sitting here, still sipping her wine, just to keep talking to her - because she wants to. and that thought does something dangerous to jj’s chest. so, she makes the first move.
“maybe we should head up to bed,” jj suggests, her voice gentle.
emily hesitates, blinking at her for a second, like she’s trying to fight it, like she doesn’t want to go just yet. jj gives her a small smile, tilting her head slightly.
“aria’s probably gonna be bright and early, ready to conquer the world in her own little way.”
emily sighs, smirking lightly, knowing jj is right.
“yeah,” she murmurs, setting her wine glass down. “yeah, you’re probably right.”
and somehow, the idea of going upstairs—of heading to their separate rooms just across the hall from each other feels like a step toward something neither of them are ready to say out loud yet. so, they just move, standing, stretching slightly, padding toward the stairs in the comfortable silence of a night that neither of them want to end.
the walk upstairs is quiet, their feet padding softly against the hardwood, the weight of the evening settling between them.
until a creak.
emily pauses mid-step, cursing under her breath as she glares at the stair beneath her foot.
“i swear to god, one day this thing is gonna wake her up, and i’m gonna lose my mind.”
jj bites her lip hard, trying desperately not to laugh, but between the dramatics of emily’s exasperation and the wine humming in her veins, she can’t hold it together. emily steps back, testing it again, watching as the stair groans under the weight, and suddenly, they’re both shaking.
jj covers her mouth, emily clenches her jaw, but the second they make eye contact, they lose it. not fully, not in the way that would wake up aria, but in the silent, wheezing, shoulders-shaking kind of laughter that forces them both to sink down onto the steps, their bodies curling in on themselves as they try to breathe through it. jj leans against the railing, pressing her forehead against her arm, while emily sits with her head tilted back, her hand over her mouth, her shoulders trembling as she silently laughs herself to tears.
it takes them a full minute to collect themselves. to breathe properly again. jj exhales dramatically, wiping under her eyes, and emily shakes her head, still grinning as she pulls herself up.
“i hate this house sometimes,” emily mutters, trying to compose herself as she heads up the stairs again.
jj chuckles, following her. “yeah, yeah. you love it.”
they reach the landing, moving toward their separate rooms. emily toward hers, jj toward the guest room. jj reaches for the doorknob, ready to step inside when—
“hey.”
she turns, finding emily standing a few feet away, looking at her with something soft in her expression.
“thank you.”
it’s simple, but it carries weight. jj nods, smiling. and before she fully registers what she’s doing, she wraps emily in a hug. tight, like she means it. like she wants emily to feel it. emily stiffens for half a second, caught off guard, but then she melts into it. jj feels the way emily sinks into her, the way her arms circle her back, the way she breathes out into the comfort of it.
jj pulls back gently, meeting emily’s eyes with something warm and steadfast.
“you’re welcome.”
emily nods, something in her throat tight, something in her chest deeper than she knows how to name. jj smiles again, stepping back, turning toward the guest room. just before she steps inside, she looks back over her shoulder.
“i told you we’d figure it out, yeah?”
emily exhales, nodding once, her fingers twitching slightly at her sides.
“yeah.”
they both step into their separate rooms, shutting the doors behind them, feeling something deep in their chests that neither of them want to let go of just yet.