I'll Always Be Here For You - An Emily Prentiss and Jennifer Jareau Story

II - I'll Always Be Here For You

A couple of months passed since Prentiss became a part of the BAU team, and she could almost sense she was a part of the family now. JJ's assurance about their acceptance proved right, and the job seamlessly suited her. She had developed a special bond with JJ and Garcia, often spending much of her free time with them. A faint smile played on her lips as she entered the BAU, observing the other girls were just as hangover as her.

"Good morning." She said trying her best to sound excited, laughing as JJ shot her a death stare.

"God, Emily, how can you not be dying right now? I'm pretty sure you drank twice as much as I did." JJ groaned, hands pressed to her temples. Emily laughed, instantly regretting it as her head throbbed.

"Well, I guess I'm just more used to it than you guys." she said, making JJ frown.

"Watch out for Emily Prentiss, everyone!" Morgan teased, joining the banter. Reid, previously distracted with a book, now paid attention with a grin on his lips.

By the way, how can you party harder than both me and Garcia combined, but never even flirt with any of the hot guys who approach you?" JJ asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Yeah, and i mean, they're hot stuff. If it was me, I'd be all over them as soon as..." Garcia began.

"All over who?" Hotch's voice interrupted from a few steps behind, causing Garcia to stop abruptly, blushing.

"Sir, nothing, sir. Just telling them... Well, nothing, really. Sir." Garcia stammered nervously. If she had paid closer attention, or was a profiler as the rest of the team, she might have noticed the subtle smile Hotch was trying to hide. He nodded and addressed the team.

"I'm glad to hear you had a fun night, but we have a case." With that, he headed to the conference room, the team following suit. JJ and Prentiss walked side by side.

"So, you never answered. How come you never even talk for more than five minutes with any of the many guys who come to talk to you?" JJ pressed the subject. Emily took a deep breath, opening her mouth, not sure what to say. 

"I guess... none of them were really my type." she shrugged. JJ looked at her, eyebrows raised, unsure whether to believe it or not.

"You must be very picky." was all JJ said before entering the conference room.

"Okay, guys, here's the new case. A friend of mine called this morning, so I'll be presenting the case instead of JJ today." Hotch began, looking at JJ, who nodded.

"Seven teenagers have died over the last couple of weeks." Pictures appeared on the screen.

"Hotch, these look like suicides to me. I mean, they're all medicine overdoses, right? There's no evidence of a crime here..." Prentiss started, unsure of why this case fell under the FBI's jurisdiction. She noticed JJ squirming in her seat.

"Exactly. Seven kids in seven weeks, in a small town, committed suicide using the exact same controlled medicine, to which none of them had access. All of them left notes with similar content." Hotch changed the screen, now displaying paper notes.

"Mom, dad, I'm sorry I'm doing this, but I'm too weak to keep going like this. I don't want to be a burden anymore. Please forgive me." Reid read aloud, studying the note. "Were all the notes like this?" he asked, looking into the case file.

"Different words, same content." Hotch replied.

"Were these kids in any sort of trouble?" Morgan questioned, flipping through the files.

"According to the local police and the families, they were good kids, well-behaved, with great grades. Everybody liked them. Their alleged suicides were a complete shock. That's why we got called in." The team nodded. Prentiss noticed JJ was quieter than usual, staring at the ground.

"Just one more thing. All of the deaths happened on a Sunday night. So assuming this is a serial case, we only have three days until the next death. Wheels up in twenty." Hotch left the room, followed by the team. Emily saw JJ was still in her seat and decided to stay behind to talk to her.

"Hey, JJ, are you okay?" The blonde seemed to snap out of a daze, her sad eyes focusing on Emily with a soft smile Prentiss could tell was not genuine.

"Yeah, I'm..." She seemed to ponder for a while, looking at Emily, then shaking her head. "I'm okay. Come on, we should go." Emily followed her to the jet, and even though she knew something was upsetting JJ, she decided to respect her space. But she couldn't help but worry. The sad look in JJ's eyes made her heart sink.

***

"Everything is pointing to someone leading those kids to kill themselves. We just don't know who, why, or how." Reid stated after a couple of hours working on the case.

"So basically, someone is making these kids kill themselves, and we have no clues about anything yet?!" JJ expressed her frustration, catching Prentiss off guard. She had never seen JJ out of herself like that. She was usually so calm and sweet. Glancing around, Prentiss noticed the team was as startled as her. JJ also noticed their reactions, took a deep breath, and walked away, leaving the precinct. Prentiss followed her shortly after, concerned.

"JJ, what's going on?" She asked softly, not wanting to pressure her. The blonde woman turned around, and there was so much sadness in her eyes that Prentiss felt her heart ache. She wanted to hug her friend and protect her from whatever was bothering her, but she held back, waiting for JJ to start talking, giving her as much time as she needed.

"Em, those kids... They barely had a chance at life, and someone stole it from them. They won't get to experience all the incredible moments life has to offer—graduating, going to college, finding their first love..." JJ's words rushed out with a mix of anger and sadness, prompting Prentiss to instinctively move closer. She realized she had taken a few steps toward the blonde, closing the gap to just inches away. "And they must have felt so lonely, you know... Right before they..." Tears welled up in JJ's eyes, and Prentiss understood. It wasn't just about those kids; someone close to JJ must have faced the same tragic end. Prentiss opened her arms, enveloping JJ in a supportive hug, trying to comfort her. She wanted to confort her friend so bad, but she lacked the words to do so. "What a great profiler", she thought bitterly to herself. Stroking JJ's hair gently, Prentiss noticed the gradual subsiding of tears, replaced by soft sniffles against her shoulder.

I'm sorry." the blonde said, easing away from Prentiss's arms.

"Don't, it's okay. I'm here for you, for whatever you need. I"ll always be." Prentiss reassured, eliciting a small smile from JJ. As they stood together, JJ's gaze fixed on the ground, Prentiss standing by her side. Just her presence made JJ feel a little bit better. Less lonely. She felt like she could trust her, and finally talk to someone about it.

"It was my sister," JJ whispered, waiting for Prentiss's reaction. The brunette nodded, signaling for JJ to continue.

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