CM Fic: One Hundred and Twenty Minutes. Ch 6
Title: One Hundred and Twenty Minutes
Author: Carly Carter
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Emily/JJ (with a lot of bitter resentment and unresolved issues, but yes Emily/JJ)
Rating: PG ish for now
Disclaimer: I own nothing at all
Spoilers: Up to present day....set in early season 7 after Emily's return to the team.
Summary: As Emily struggles to integrate herself back into the BAU, the
building is locked down. Emily & JJ become embroiled in a bitter argument over
a case. The rest of the team witness as the situation quickly turns into
something more...
Chapter 6
She strides up to the front doors. She hears Garcia calling her name, but she wont stop, she wont turn. She hears then Garcia calling for Morgan. And before she knows it, he is standing in her path, blocking her exit.
"Hey, Prentiss. Where you going?" Morgan demands.
"Stay if you want to, but I'm going home." Emily tells him.
The commotion has drawn Hotch and Rossi down from their offices. And Reid, JJ, and Garcia watch on helplessly as the scene unfolds around them.
"What's going on?" Hotch demands in his best no-nonsense tone.
The two guards on the outside of the glass door are eyeing the dispute with curiosity. Hotch waves at them, indicating that everything is ok. But they don't turn their gaze away.
"I told you, the building is locked down. You can not leave for another hour and a half." Hotch tells Emily again.
"You want my badge? My Gun? Take it." Emily tells him. "But you can't keep me here."
"Whoa. Slow down girl. What's going on?" Morgan asks. No one answers him.
"I can take your badge, and your gun, if that's what you want Agent Prentiss. But if you walk out of this building during a lock down you will still be arrested."
"So be it." Emily tell him, pushing past Morgan to reach for the door handle.
"Emily, what are you doing?" JJ, frantically calls her. "Please, come inside we can talk."
"Stop, just stop." Garcia is begging, "Emily, please."
Emily wanted to slip out peacefully. Just escape from this place. Suddenly she is stuck again, under the prying eyes of her team. And the scene is turning more uncomfortable than simply waiting those two hours patiently. But there is no going back now. She feels suffocated. Like she can't breathe. She can't stand to look at them, to be near them. Garcia is still crying, and JJ is standing there, reaching out her hand. Rossi is beckoning her with his finger, as if she were a child, and Morgan standing between her and the door, trying to block her path. And she doesn't need to turn around to feel Hotch's disapproval burning into the back of her head.
JJ has reached her now, taken her hand. She leans forward to whisper "Please Em, Just come sit, talk to me. I'm sorry about before. Please look at me. Emily?" JJ squeezes her hand.
And she does, god help her, look at JJ that is. She looks and sees so much pain in JJ's eyes. She sees the whole team staring at her, like she has lost her mind. Like everything is her fault. She can't be here, she just can't.
For a moment she is still, looking into JJ's eyes. And JJ breathes a sigh of relief, thinking she has somehow got through to her.
Then, slowly, Emily relinquishes JJ's hand, and moves suddenly to push past Morgan and out the door.
She should have known she had no chance, as Morgan grabs her from behind pulling her from the door. She screams at him "Let me go!" And tries to pull away, but he is stronger by far and she has no hope.
The guards enter the building at that point. "Problem here?" They ask, suspiciously eyeing Morgan and Emily.
"No problem , my agents are keen to get home, its been a long day." Hotch explains.
"I'm afraid it will be over an hour until anyone can leave." One of the guards replies.
"I understand. Sorry for the disturbance. Everything is under control." Hotch assures them, and reluctantly they leave.
"Walk with me, Now!" Morgan orders as he pushes Emily away from the door, away from the prying eyes of the team. He is angry, and that makes her feel better. Better than Hotch and his uncomfortable silence, Garcia's pleading tears, and Rossi's gentle kindness.
He shoves her forward into the conference room and locks the door behind them. Emily backs up against the wall, sliding down until she is sitting there, with her knees pulled up against her chest, waiting for his angry tirade to begin.
"What the hell were you trying to pull?" He demands. He sounds like he is talking to a suspect. Only that after he has spoken, he too sinks to the floor, sitting cross legged opposite Emily, waiting for her answer.
She says nothing.
"Talk to me, what's going on Prentiss?" He asks again. "They could have arrested you. Hell, you still have your gun they could have shot you."
She only shrugs in response.
"I get it, it's a really bad outcome to the case. But it's not your fault, it's not JJ's fault. And we'll get him. Sooner or later we'll get the bastard." Morgan promises.
Emily still doesn't speak. So Morgan continues. "Maybe Hotch was right, it was too soon to send you undercover." It's not that he believes that, he is trying to get a reaction out of her. But still she won't answer him.
"Did he do something to you ?" Morgan asks finally. This being the only thing he can imagine as having got under her skin like this.
"No." Emily answers. "As soon as JJ blew my cover, he locked us in the basement and fled. Coward. Just like the profile.
"Well then what has got into you? Damn it talk to me."
"Why bother?" She asks. "You know everything."
"What?" He asks, confused.
"You're doing it right now, profiling me." She accuses him.
"If I am it's force of habit. I'm just trying to have a conversation with you. And you're not making it very easy."
"You're trying to get inside my head." She tells him.
"I want to know what's wrong." He answers.
"I have to get Out . Of . Here ." She says slowly.
"You will, in a couple of hours. You'll feel better after a good nights sleep, you'll see."
"You profiled me. Last year." She accuses him.
"Yes." He admits. "Of course we did. Your life was in danger. Doyle was out there. You just took off. We didn't know what was going on. Is that what this is about?"
"No." She shakes her head.
"Emily?" He prompts her. "Come on."
"Maybe. A little." She concedes.
" I know how much that sucks. .Remember just after you joined the team? And I was accused of murder. And I lied to Hotch, to everyone, about my past, my secrets. Believe me I know what it's like to want to keep things hidden. And when you guys started digging into my life, well I felt like I could never face any of you again."
He has captured her attention, and she has lifted her gaze to meet his.
"Em, I get it. But I realised two things. Firstly, You guys did that to help me, to save me, not because you were out to get me. And second- no one thinks any different about me after going through my life story. Do you really think people think differently about you? Think it over Emily. Really. Or is it just your own discomfort about other people digging through your past?"
She shrugs "I don't know." She confesses. But it makes no difference.
"I never should have come back, to the team. Look at all the trouble. Poor Reid, he almost went back to Dilaudid, and it caused so much anger and friction. It's not right that I came back here."
"Don't say that, don't you ever say that. Do you know what we all went through?" He asks her.
"I'm sorry for that, truly. It's one more reason I just don't belong here. I've done enough damage to this team."
"I'm not guilting you to make you feel bad, Prentiss. I just want you to know how happy we all are to have you back. All of us. So why can't you just accept that?" Morgan asks.
"I don't know." She tells him. She can hardly open up about JJ.
As if on cue, there is a knock at the door. Morgan gets up to open it, and JJ is standing there, awkwardly.
"I thought you guys might want coffee." She explains.
Morgan eyes JJ, then Emily still sitting on the floor. He might not know the specifics of the situation, but he knows enough to realise he should get out of the way and give them their privacy.
"Ok, i''ll leave you to it." Morgan tells them. Before he leaves, he looks back to Emily, and she nods slightly at him, smiling.
JJ takes his spot, sitting there on the floor opposite Emily.
JJ makes the first move "I'm sorry. You were right. About the case. I lost my head. I looked at you with that man, and I got scared. I'm sorry. It was my error in judgement, not that I didn't trust you."
Emily knows it took a lot for JJ to come here, to say that. So she does her part. "It's not for me to judge, I'm sorry I gave you a hard time. I wasn't in your shoes, watching from the outside, it must be hard. You did what you thought was best."
"You know I did it because I love you, right? Because I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you."
"I know." Emily utters softly.
"I'm sorry about the case. Sorry that you feel I didn't trust you. I'm sorry for that night we spent together."
"You're sorry we spent that night together? Nice JJ."
"No , I didn't mean that! Stop doing that, stop putting words in my mouth. I meant, I'm sorry that it hurt you."
"Don't worry JJ." Emily tells her icily. "I regret that night too. Let's put it behind us and pretend it never happened."
Author: Carly Carter
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Emily/JJ (with a lot of bitter resentment and unresolved issues, but yes Emily/JJ)
Rating: PG ish for now
Disclaimer: I own nothing at all
Spoilers: Up to present day....set in early season 7 after Emily's return to the team.
Summary: As Emily struggles to integrate herself back into the BAU, the
building is locked down. Emily & JJ become embroiled in a bitter argument over
a case. The rest of the team witness as the situation quickly turns into
something more...
Chapter 6
She strides up to the front doors. She hears Garcia calling her name, but she wont stop, she wont turn. She hears then Garcia calling for Morgan. And before she knows it, he is standing in her path, blocking her exit.
"Hey, Prentiss. Where you going?" Morgan demands.
"Stay if you want to, but I'm going home." Emily tells him.
The commotion has drawn Hotch and Rossi down from their offices. And Reid, JJ, and Garcia watch on helplessly as the scene unfolds around them.
"What's going on?" Hotch demands in his best no-nonsense tone.
The two guards on the outside of the glass door are eyeing the dispute with curiosity. Hotch waves at them, indicating that everything is ok. But they don't turn their gaze away.
"I told you, the building is locked down. You can not leave for another hour and a half." Hotch tells Emily again.
"You want my badge? My Gun? Take it." Emily tells him. "But you can't keep me here."
"Whoa. Slow down girl. What's going on?" Morgan asks. No one answers him.
"I can take your badge, and your gun, if that's what you want Agent Prentiss. But if you walk out of this building during a lock down you will still be arrested."
"So be it." Emily tell him, pushing past Morgan to reach for the door handle.
"Emily, what are you doing?" JJ, frantically calls her. "Please, come inside we can talk."
"Stop, just stop." Garcia is begging, "Emily, please."
Emily wanted to slip out peacefully. Just escape from this place. Suddenly she is stuck again, under the prying eyes of her team. And the scene is turning more uncomfortable than simply waiting those two hours patiently. But there is no going back now. She feels suffocated. Like she can't breathe. She can't stand to look at them, to be near them. Garcia is still crying, and JJ is standing there, reaching out her hand. Rossi is beckoning her with his finger, as if she were a child, and Morgan standing between her and the door, trying to block her path. And she doesn't need to turn around to feel Hotch's disapproval burning into the back of her head.
JJ has reached her now, taken her hand. She leans forward to whisper "Please Em, Just come sit, talk to me. I'm sorry about before. Please look at me. Emily?" JJ squeezes her hand.
And she does, god help her, look at JJ that is. She looks and sees so much pain in JJ's eyes. She sees the whole team staring at her, like she has lost her mind. Like everything is her fault. She can't be here, she just can't.
For a moment she is still, looking into JJ's eyes. And JJ breathes a sigh of relief, thinking she has somehow got through to her.
Then, slowly, Emily relinquishes JJ's hand, and moves suddenly to push past Morgan and out the door.
She should have known she had no chance, as Morgan grabs her from behind pulling her from the door. She screams at him "Let me go!" And tries to pull away, but he is stronger by far and she has no hope.
The guards enter the building at that point. "Problem here?" They ask, suspiciously eyeing Morgan and Emily.
"No problem , my agents are keen to get home, its been a long day." Hotch explains.
"I'm afraid it will be over an hour until anyone can leave." One of the guards replies.
"I understand. Sorry for the disturbance. Everything is under control." Hotch assures them, and reluctantly they leave.
"Walk with me, Now!" Morgan orders as he pushes Emily away from the door, away from the prying eyes of the team. He is angry, and that makes her feel better. Better than Hotch and his uncomfortable silence, Garcia's pleading tears, and Rossi's gentle kindness.
He shoves her forward into the conference room and locks the door behind them. Emily backs up against the wall, sliding down until she is sitting there, with her knees pulled up against her chest, waiting for his angry tirade to begin.
"What the hell were you trying to pull?" He demands. He sounds like he is talking to a suspect. Only that after he has spoken, he too sinks to the floor, sitting cross legged opposite Emily, waiting for her answer.
She says nothing.
"Talk to me, what's going on Prentiss?" He asks again. "They could have arrested you. Hell, you still have your gun they could have shot you."
She only shrugs in response.
"I get it, it's a really bad outcome to the case. But it's not your fault, it's not JJ's fault. And we'll get him. Sooner or later we'll get the bastard." Morgan promises.
Emily still doesn't speak. So Morgan continues. "Maybe Hotch was right, it was too soon to send you undercover." It's not that he believes that, he is trying to get a reaction out of her. But still she won't answer him.
"Did he do something to you ?" Morgan asks finally. This being the only thing he can imagine as having got under her skin like this.
"No." Emily answers. "As soon as JJ blew my cover, he locked us in the basement and fled. Coward. Just like the profile.
"Well then what has got into you? Damn it talk to me."
"Why bother?" She asks. "You know everything."
"What?" He asks, confused.
"You're doing it right now, profiling me." She accuses him.
"If I am it's force of habit. I'm just trying to have a conversation with you. And you're not making it very easy."
"You're trying to get inside my head." She tells him.
"I want to know what's wrong." He answers.
"I have to get Out . Of . Here ." She says slowly.
"You will, in a couple of hours. You'll feel better after a good nights sleep, you'll see."
"You profiled me. Last year." She accuses him.
"Yes." He admits. "Of course we did. Your life was in danger. Doyle was out there. You just took off. We didn't know what was going on. Is that what this is about?"
"No." She shakes her head.
"Emily?" He prompts her. "Come on."
"Maybe. A little." She concedes.
" I know how much that sucks. .Remember just after you joined the team? And I was accused of murder. And I lied to Hotch, to everyone, about my past, my secrets. Believe me I know what it's like to want to keep things hidden. And when you guys started digging into my life, well I felt like I could never face any of you again."
He has captured her attention, and she has lifted her gaze to meet his.
"Em, I get it. But I realised two things. Firstly, You guys did that to help me, to save me, not because you were out to get me. And second- no one thinks any different about me after going through my life story. Do you really think people think differently about you? Think it over Emily. Really. Or is it just your own discomfort about other people digging through your past?"
She shrugs "I don't know." She confesses. But it makes no difference.
"I never should have come back, to the team. Look at all the trouble. Poor Reid, he almost went back to Dilaudid, and it caused so much anger and friction. It's not right that I came back here."
"Don't say that, don't you ever say that. Do you know what we all went through?" He asks her.
"I'm sorry for that, truly. It's one more reason I just don't belong here. I've done enough damage to this team."
"I'm not guilting you to make you feel bad, Prentiss. I just want you to know how happy we all are to have you back. All of us. So why can't you just accept that?" Morgan asks.
"I don't know." She tells him. She can hardly open up about JJ.
As if on cue, there is a knock at the door. Morgan gets up to open it, and JJ is standing there, awkwardly.
"I thought you guys might want coffee." She explains.
Morgan eyes JJ, then Emily still sitting on the floor. He might not know the specifics of the situation, but he knows enough to realise he should get out of the way and give them their privacy.
"Ok, i''ll leave you to it." Morgan tells them. Before he leaves, he looks back to Emily, and she nods slightly at him, smiling.
JJ takes his spot, sitting there on the floor opposite Emily.
JJ makes the first move "I'm sorry. You were right. About the case. I lost my head. I looked at you with that man, and I got scared. I'm sorry. It was my error in judgement, not that I didn't trust you."
Emily knows it took a lot for JJ to come here, to say that. So she does her part. "It's not for me to judge, I'm sorry I gave you a hard time. I wasn't in your shoes, watching from the outside, it must be hard. You did what you thought was best."
"You know I did it because I love you, right? Because I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you."
"I know." Emily utters softly.
"I'm sorry about the case. Sorry that you feel I didn't trust you. I'm sorry for that night we spent together."
"You're sorry we spent that night together? Nice JJ."
"No , I didn't mean that! Stop doing that, stop putting words in my mouth. I meant, I'm sorry that it hurt you."
"Don't worry JJ." Emily tells her icily. "I regret that night too. Let's put it behind us and pretend it never happened."