Revenge.

14.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥
ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ ᴅᴀʏ

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In the blink of an eye, JJ woke from her slumber and jolted upwards with her breath beginning to escaping her lungs. She clung to the breaths as best as she could and relaxed by the touch of Emily Prentiss, who gently pushed her hand against the woman's chest to lay her back down. Whispering calming sentences like 'it's okay' and 'i'm here' helped instantly, and within the next few seconds, everything was back to its level of peace. "Are you alright?" Prentiss softly asked when she noticed the change in mood. Jennifer nodded in response, then looked away to think to herself. Since the other woman was a profiler, she noticed the small movement and took it to heart, but didn't say another word.

JJ thought about whether or not Prentiss knows about everything. If just a few hours ago, she saw JJ's sudden outburst. If she only comforted her because the team said it would be the only way. If Prentiss truly cared. Of course, she had to speak eventually, so she set a target-- should I tell her or not? That was the big question. Prentiss could already know, and if that were true, it wouldn't be too bad since they were still bonding. If she didn't know, and she found out, their bond could be ruined. But it would be worse if Emily found out from somebody else.

With a final answer in her mind, JJ took a deep breath and turned right back to Prentiss. "I could leave the hospital."

"What?" Prentiss' face filled with shock, just as the inside of her did. She had questions- so many that it would be impossible to throw them all out at once. Then, she retraced back to a few hours before, when she saw the tear-stained shirt and the scratched walls. JJ wanted to escape.. but if she could easily leave the hospital, then why didn't she?

"Wait, why didn't you leave if you could?" She asked the thought that came to mind without realizing it, but also without regretting it.

"Because of you, Em."

As always with those two, words meant everything. Sometimes it was about the length of the words, how many there are. But it was mostly about what the words are and what they mean in the situation. With this circumstance, they meant.. more than verbal words. They meant actions, they meant worlds, they meant true love. Prentiss didn't know if she should feel grateful or upset - happy or sad - stunned or understanding. So, all she could do was tightly hug the woman. JJ, still in the worn out hospital gown, accepted the embrace and sniffed, starting to cry. "I only stayed because everybody under this exact roof has done nothing but helped me, and supported me," she stayed in the hug as she ranted on, "and I also stayed because I know that hospitals are your goddamn kryptonite."

Prentiss pulled out of the hug and looked her partner in the eyes deeply. JJ's eyes had emotion pouring through them, but that didn't matter, as she still stared back lovingly. They both finally cracked a smile and hugged once again, preparing themselves as they neared the end of the bumpy ride.

𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
ᴏᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 26ᴛʜ, 2002

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A group of FBI agents - all suited with preparation to face an attack - burst into a nice two story home, looking as if nothing was wrong about it. There were about 7 people, all beginning to spread apart with their guns held up and their flashlights held at a good enough level to show them the way. As one man headed up the stairs, the first two to enter the house stopped and looked at each other. Then, the man in the front lowered his gun with his eyes glued to the agent beside him, raising his radio up to meet with his mouth. "We're inside. Nobody appears to be here. What are our orders?" The other side showed no signs of response, not even crackling to signal the disconnection or attempt to reconnect. He waited for a moment before holding his finger down on the button and speaking again, "Gideon?" Again, silence filled the room, so he lowered his radio after a pause and continued looking at the female agent beside him. "Everybody, search for evidence." His eyes moved to the people still going into different directions, but who were now stopping at the sound of his voice. "Find any signs of a kidnapping, or something being out of place." The woman's sad eyes stayed on the man's while he spoke, which he noticed right away.  With the eyes pinned on him, he added, "Turn this place upside down if you have to. My orders."