Once Upon A Crime Scene

Here We Go: Emily Prentiss

"Come on man, GO!" I yell irritably at the guy in the car in front of me. I know he can't hear me, but yelling makes me feel a little better. If he would actually move when the light is green, I wouldn't be late for work.

I hate being late, but my commute seems to get longer every day. Perhaps I should look into getting an apartment a little closer...Maybe I can ask Penelope if she has any suggestions. I need to hang out with her again soon anyway. I'm glad I made a friend so quickly here; otherwise, I would be just as lonely as I've always been.

I smile as I remember the bubbly blonde asking me to lunch the first day I set foot in the BAU. Hotch wasn't keen on allowing me to join, and that did nothing to help my nerves. I think she saw how deflated I was when I got rejected, so she asked if I wanted to grab something to eat while we waited for the team to land. She hugged me and just started chatting away, and I knew at that moment that everything was going to work out.

Now here we are, five months later, and I've never loved a job more. Of course I see all kinds of awful shit, but I've also found my own little family here. I never really knew what having a family felt like since my parents were gone most of the time when I was growing up.

I spend the rest of my drive thinking about some of the memories I've made with my team over the past months. Drinking and dancing at the bar, tons of meals at different restaurants, even a "team-building" activity at the bowling alley two weeks ago.

My irritation with the traffic is completely gone by the time I step out of the elevator and walk into the bullpen. I grin at Morgan when he looks up at me, and he returns my smile immediately.

"You're late," a teasing voice says to my left. I turn toward it and see a mischievous spark in the blue eyes of the team's media liaison, Jennifer Jareau.

"I got stuck behind some asshole that couldn't drive," I respond, rolling my eyes.

"Well it's good that you're here now because we've got a case," she brings a brown folder from behind her back with a grimace, and I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Here we go again.

...

We're on the jet less than an hour later; with a kidnapping case, there's no time to spare. Most of the team is trying to get a little bit of rest. God knows when we'll get a chance to sleep again.

I tried for a little while to doze, but I couldn't stop thinking about the case. I finally got up, made myself a cup of coffee, and opened the file again. I'm reading it for the fifth time when I feel someone sit next to me on the couch.

"Mind if I sit with you?" JJ smiles softly.

"Not at all," I sit back and run my hand through my hair. I'm not getting anywhere with the case right now. I probably won't until we hit the ground to be honest.

"Cases with kids are the worst," the blonde woman says after a few moments of silence.

"I agree. I just don't understand why people want to hurt children. I know I'm a profiler, but that's one headspace I never want to get into." I shudder at the thought, and JJ nods in agreement.

"Maybe this one will have a good outcome. We can always hope, right?"

"Absolutely. Without hope, what's the point of doing our job, really?" We lapse into another comfortable silence after that, each of us focused on our own thoughts.

JJ's thigh is pressed up against my own, and I have to remind myself to chill out every three seconds or so. As much as I try to fight it, it's getting harder and harder to deny my attraction to her. I don't even know if she likes women, plus dating within the department is frowned upon.