Fifty Ways to Love You - Emily Prentiss x OC

23. case or relationship?

(trigger warnings: panic attack, mentions of drugs/overdose and murder)

JJ was driving, and my leg was shaking. "You okay?"

"I mean, no, honestly," I said. I added a chuckle to not seem so hostile.

"Galina, you can always talk to me. I know you have Em and Spence, but I'm here for you, too. You're my best friend." I nodded.

"Thank you. Gotta love you, Jayje,"

"You too, Lina. But you're okay?" I sighed. Seriously? This shit again?

"Like I said, I'm fine." Nope. Not really.

"I mean, clearly no, but if you don't want to talk about it, Lene, I'm not gonna force it. How're things going with Emily?"

Maybe JJ was just looking for a way to cheer me up. If that was the case, it clearly worked, and this seemed to make JJ happy.

"Things are good. I love her so much, Jayje. We, uh, never thanked you for helping us get together. I don't know if we'd be together without you. So thank you,"

"Oh, god, it's nothing. I'm so happy to see you guys together. You've seemed genuinely happier. You both have. It's really nice to see." I smiled and turned to look out the window.

"I really love her. She makes me so happy. She cares about me so much. I really hope I make her as happy as she makes me,"

"Oh, believe me," laughed JJ, "you certainly do. She gushes about you to me. All. The damn. Time."

I grinned. "Does she really?"

"Oh, yes. She loves you like she didn't know what love was until she met you. She loves you. I've been friends with Emily for ten years. Never has she smiled more, never has she ever looked more content with her life, never has Emily seemed happier than how she's been since you started dating,"

"You mean that?"

"I do."

-

We didn't get much from the scene. We took a hundred pictures of it, and more of the body, and got tox screens and panels done. Same as the others.

JJ and I were driving home and chatting about the case. "Wait, Jayje, Roman's family said he was clean for a month before he died, right?"

"Uh, I don't really know, that's what you told me. I don't speak Russian,"

"Okay, so, all the victims had been clean. And then they suddenly overdose?" My phone started ringing, and I smiled to see her name. Emily Prentiss. Nothing special since we weren't out — I wasn't out as gay, and only JJ knew we were together — so it was just Emily Prentiss. But just her name made my heart flutter. JJ glanced over at me and smiled to see me so happy.

"Hey," I greeted in case I was on speaker. Couldn't call her 'baby' to the rest of the team.

"Hey." She sounded dejected and my face fell. "So, we need to talk, and we need to do it as soon as possible,"

"Who else is there?" I asked. I looked at JJ, both of us confused.

"Just me. I'm alone, baby,"

"Oh, okay. What's going on, love?"

"Em, is it case or relationship?" asked JJ.

"She's gonna focus on the road if it's relationship," I explained.

"Relationship. Uh, so, your brother..."

Ah, shit. That's never a good start.

"Your brother said something to Rossi. He called me his 'sister's girlfriend'." I made an involuntary sound, to which Emily responded with brief silence followed by, "Galina?"

"Em?" She sensed the terror in my voice.

"Yes, baby,"

"Does anyone else know?" Emily sighed, and that was an answer in and of itself. "Who?"

"Rossi told Hotch, 'cause he had to,"

"Fuck!" I exclaimed. My eyes stung. "Goddamnit,"

"Hey, shh, baby, stay calm. Everything's gonna be all right. I told Dmitri that he can't tell anybody, and I begged him not to tell anyone else. He just forgot, baby,"

"And it could cost us our jobs," I said. I was glad Emily couldn't see me crying. I took it off speaker, and JJ nodded to tell me she understood. I held my phone to my ear and bit my lip. "Em, what do we do?"

"Hotch needs to talk when you get back from Dover. Are you on your way home?"

"Yeah," I told her. "Just over the Delaware-Maryland line,"

"Okay. Galina, nothing he says will change how I feel about you. I'm in love with you, sweetheart. You're just perfect. No matter what happens, know that you're my love, okay?" I covered my mouth and nodded.

"Yes. I'm so in love with you, Em. I'm just scared,"

"I know you are, baby, me too. We're gonna be okay. I'm gonna go, alright? I love you,"

"Love you, Ems. I'll see you in a few hours, okay?"

"Yeah. Bye, honey,"

"Bye." I hung up and rolled the window down in the car. JJ put her hand on my leg. "Fuck!" I cried out. "Jayje, I'm...I don't...god..."