take me to church (emily prentiss)

3. twenty one

AN: hey guys!     

we're almost at the end of the arc! thank god!

just giving a warning in advance, i am taking two weeks off in april to focus on uni because i cannot do another year of that place or i'll end up in an early grave :)

so! idk when it'll be but i'll have the specifics soon! let's treat it like a mid season break because apparently s3 is gonna be a big one?? we're actually 5 episodes into the season and there's like 20+ so? i've got a lot of writing to do!

TW:
mentions of sexual abuse
mentions of murder
mentions of psychological torture
psychics
religion/praying

i hope you guys enjoy! <3

•

"will we ever learn? we've been here before." sign of the times, harry styles

•

Liv sat in her childhood bathroom with her head leaning against the side of the bath. Emily rubbed Liv's back soothingly from behind her, the room silent aside from Liv's ragged breaths.

She'd watched the tape. Some of the tape. Enough of the tape to know what she had to tell Hotch, and nothing else. She couldn't stomach any more before she had to make a run for the bathroom.

JJ was down the hall in Liv's room, where they'd watched the tape on her television, while everybody else was getting showered next door before dinner. Emily had been with Liv, though she'd kept her back turned to the screen, and JJ had left the room while Liv watched it.

Neither woman wanted to see that happen to Delilah. Liv didn't, but she was the big sister. Delilah's life, Delilah's trauma, it was Liv's responsibility to handle. She had to minimise the damage of this as best as she could, and keeping it quiet was the best thing for Delilah.

Liv didn't even know if Delilah remembered that happening. She'd never mentioned it, but she didn't talk about a lot of things. Liv knew, though, if she'd remembered this, she would've told Liv.

She told Liv everything about Elliot after she'd talked it through with Gideon, and Gideon would have included this in the profile if Delilah had told Gideon. Delilah would've told Gideon, too, if she'd told him about everything else she remembered.

"You think you can stand up to go next door and clean up?" Emily asked quietly.

"Guys?" JJ said through the bathroom door. "Penelope just text me to say dinner's ready. If you want to do this quietly, now's the time to grab someone."

"Will you get Hotch and my dad?" Liv asked.

"Yeah," JJ said.

"And my toothbrush?"

"On it."

Liv sighed, leaning back until she was resting against Emily's chest. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, groaning quietly.

"I just... I don't even have words to talk about this," Liv mumbled. "I'm so fucking exhausted."

"Me, too," Emily whispered, kissing Liv's temple. "We can get some sleep, soon."