harbor [jemily one-shot]

harbor

"emily?"

she can't tell if it came out more of a concerning question or a longing statement.

as soon as emily heard her own name spoken out into the silent hotel room, her body freezes in bed for a split second before her fingers fly up to her cheeks to brush away the tears that trailed down her face.

jj stands by her own bed, remaining quiet, leaving emily to believe she hid her actions well.

the older woman plasters her charming 'emily prentiss' smile as she turns beneath the sheets to jj. her brown eyes are lined with tears, slightly red. she had been crying the whole period of time that jj was doing her nighttime routine in the bathroom.

the infomercial on the box tv and crescent moon outside the dusty windows only provided enough illumination for jj to see the highlighted features of emily's face and body.

"hey jayje," she starts off. "ready for bed? i know it's been quite the long day." to much of her attempt to sound steady, there's a slight tremble that laces her words.

jj shifts her jaw. there's a sympathetic glint in her blue eyes. she knew emily wouldn't spill out her troubles, let alone that easy. she knew emily. she knew better. but for how long they had known each other, and for how much they had grown closer to one another throughout these past couple of years, she just wished deep down in her heart that emily found comfort and trust within jj to come to her for anything.

even amongst the darkness, it was clearly visible emily was crying, and the brunette did a poor job masking her demeanor tonight. although, any other day, emily put the consuming thoughts into the back of her brain where it's rests in a small drawer amongside hundreds of other packaged and sealed thoughts and emotions. jj could see right through her though, despite the rest of the team. maybe derek has caught on by now, or spencer has read too many statistical facts to recognize emily's compartmentalization, but jj knew her best friend, really knew her. deep down she prides herself in identifying emily's different quirks and habits.

jj wanted to pry. she wanted to pry because tonight had been one of the few times she had ever seen that strong, sturdy wall crack and crumble. she wanted to pry because she too understands how excruciating and draining it becomes to hold it all in.

"emily," jj echos, this time she knows it's the latter, a longing statement.

she finds her body being drawn to the woman in bed, and soon enough she's sitting right next to her, pushing the covers aside. emily follows suit by repositioning her body and sitting up.

she stays quiet. too weak to put her guard up, and knowing jj will eventually get her to talk whether it took all goddamn hours of the night. it's something she admired and hated about the blonde, her stubbornness in these particular situations.

"i'm okay, jennifer." emily shakes her head ever-so-slightly, simultaneously biting her bottom lip. she's doing everything in her power to avoid eye contact. she doesn't want to fall off the slope, at least not this fast and soon. she's got to restore what remaining stones and bricks she has left of her emotional front.

"you know you can talk to me, right?" jj wants her to understand that. needs her to understand that. the brunette nods as an answer before saying, "i know, it's just been a long, tiring day."

"you were crying," jj states. it came out with an edge, a blunt tone and she instantly regrets how it sounded.

emily turns her head to stare at the bland, beige wall. said tears are returning to the surface. she's upset with the way those words resonated with her as it came out of her friend and that she's embarrassed with the way she's acting right now. especially in front of jj.