Snowed In

Due to the over hyped "Snowmageddon" that is currently plaguing the mid-Atlantic, I spent the majority of the weekend indoors writing. I also heard D.C. got hit pretty badly, so I figured that, hypothetically, our favorite FBI team was probably snowed in too. This takes place after 5x14 but it only makes slight reference to the ending and to the case in 5x13.

I own nothing.

She watched the gently falling snow through the window of her colleague's office. After returning from Miami, Emily could tell that something was off with JJ. Only a week had gone by since the team heard about the liaison's emotional connection to the teen suicide case they had just worked. The profiler noticed the effects but was hesitant to bring up any topic that didn't come straight from JJ herself. It was for this reason that Emily started taking her coffee breaks in the blonde's office. She watched her friend pick up the picture of her son 3 times before she decided to talk.

"You miss him a lot when we're away, don't you?"

JJ looked up at the brunette and smiled in silent agreement. This past case was in no way exceptionally emotional, but Emily knew that JJ had almost lost her cool when she heard about the way the unsub had handled his own son. It was moments like those when the profiler admired the liaison the most. Emily almost envied Will for the life he had with the blonde.

"Actually, Will took Henry with him to his parents for the weekend." Emily was startled by JJ's unprompted, and seemingly omniscient, comment. "So, I won't even get to see him when I get home…"

"Oh." She was unsure of how to respond to the highly evident sadness in her friend's voice.

Emily watched as JJ continued skimming through the case finals that piled up on her desk. She often wondered how the younger agent managed her job with such ease. Profilers were used to hearing the grisly details of all of the cases that they worked, but those were only a fraction of the details that JJ read about each day.

Emily couldn't quite recall exactly when her feelings for the blonde had progressed from professional to friendly and to even more, but it was those feelings that helped her wake up every morning and face the things that she did at work with such poise. There were very few people in her life that made her feel truly loved, but the blonde was definitely one of them. Emily Prentiss liked to believe that with every scumbag she put behind bars, there was one less person in the world that could hurt the woman she loved. In fact, JJ was the only person that she had ever really felt this way about. Ironically, she was also the only person Emily still felt the need to compartmentalize her feelings around.

"Jennifer?" JJ smiled at the special use of her first name.

"Yeah, Em?"

"Thank you," Emily choked out, which earned her a puzzled look from JJ. "For being my friend. I just… thanks."

The blonde closed the file she was searching through and stood up to move next to her friend, who was still gazing peacefully out the window. JJ softly placed her hand on the small of older women's back and rested her head on her friend's shoulder. She felt Emily tense under her touch but chose to not withdraw her hand or her head.

"You've been spending a lot of your free time in my office Agent Prentiss."

Emily smirked at JJ's use of her professional title and adjusted her stance to better fit the interests of the blonde.

"It's really coming down out there." Emily was obviously avoiding the blonde's inquiry, which warranted a hearty chuckle from JJ.

"You're checking up on me, aren't you, Em?" The liaison asked as she rubbed a tight circle on her friend's back.

"Hmm. Maybe." Their harmless flirting put both women at ease drawing them into a comfortable silence.

"You're a good a friend," JJ began quite seriously, "And do you know what good friends do?" Emily recognized a sudden change in the woman's voice and joyfully waited for her colleague's request. "Good friends offer to drive their friend home especially when said friend's car in the shop getting a check up."

"Oh you really know how to work your charm don't you Jennifer Jareau!" The brunette gave her friend a playful push.

"My mama always said it was my best asset," the blonde winked back.

"Alright, alright, but we should get out of here pretty soon, or we'll both end up spending the night sharing your cute little coach over there…" The words were out of Emily's mouth before she had a chance to comprehend the subtle implications behind them.

JJ lowered her voice to an intentionally inappropriate level before joking out, "Are you trying to seduce me Emily Prentiss?" Without waiting for an answer she smiled cutely and walked over to her desk to pack up her briefcase.

"I'll pick you up out front in a few minutes, ok." The profiler turned to leave before her friend had a chance to notice the rosy color rising up in her cheeks.

Sorry to just leave you hanging like that…

But check back soon for another chapter. Next up: due to the inclement weather, the drive to JJ's apartment proves slightly more challenging than the women thought it would be. When the snow keeps falling they may just have to stop by somewhere a little more convenient…