AN: I know it's been a little over a year since the last update but here it is. Hope it's worth the wait. This story is almost over but there are a couple more things I wanna get through before we end this tale. So bear with me please. Enjoy!

Chapter 18

The team had been given a few days off after the Westchester case, the loss of the local detective was still on everyone's mind and Hotch felt they needed the time to process it all so he authorized a few days of leave time. The other BAU team could handle things for the next few days.

Hotch spent the time with Hayley and Jack, Morgan went to Chicago to see his mom and sisters, Reid flew to Vegas to visit his mom and Garcia spent the time off with her computers making sure they were in tip-top shape for the next case.

JJ considered going home to see her parents for all of a minute before she realized this would be the perfect opportunity to confront Emily and get some answers for why she seemed to be avoiding her lately. So, the afternoon after they were given time off, JJ drove out to Emily's condo in DC and she wasn't going to leave until she had some answers.

Emily for her part was sitting in her condo, wondering if she had the guts to call JJ and see if the blonde would be interested in hanging out. Katie was busy this week with finals so she wouldn't be around as much, and Emily didn't really want to spend the next few days off alone and feeling like a coward for not acting on her feelings. Emily had reached for her cell phone for the third time when she heard a knock on the door. Curious, she put the phone back down and stood up from the couch. She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole.

She was surprised to see JJ on the other side of the door and it took her a moment to remember how to work a doorknob and open the door. "JJ, what are you doing here?"

JJ smiled nervously before she said, "I…um…I thought we needed to talk…in private so…here I am." JJ stood there, waiting to be invited in and wondering if Emily would even let her get over the threshold.

Emily nodded, realizing there was no graceful escape from the situation so she stepped aside and said, "Ok…come on in." As Emily watched JJ walk past her, she couldn't help inhaling the intoxicating scent of her perfume and she realized with a start that JJ was wearing Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. It was Emily's favorite scent, but not one she would ever wear herself. "Can I get you something to drink?"

JJ turned to look at Emily and smiled, "Not right now, thanks."

Emily led the way to the living room, gesturing towards the couch for JJ to sit. Once they were settled in, Emily asked, "So what do you want to talk about?" Emily wasn't sure where JJ was going with this talk so she decided to let her lead and just try to follow along."

JJ took a breath as she steeled herself for what could possibly the biggest mistake of her young life. "The morning after the Hankel case…when you spent the night and we had breakfast together…did I do something wrong? It's just that you left so suddenly and I thought we were having a good morning together and…then you left and you've been avoiding me ever since so…I need to know if I did something to upset you or anything?"

Emily listened to JJ's words but they took a moment to register and when they did, she realized that this was her chance to clear things up and see if there was a possibility for them to be more than just friends and co-workers. "No, you didn't do anything wrong JJ. It was me…and my own stupidity that's all."

"What do you mean?"

Emily sighed then said, "JJ, I…" before she could continue, Emily's cell phone rang. She considered ignoring it but she realized it was Katie's ring tone and she knew it might be an emergency so she held up one finger to JJ, "I have to take this, one moment?" When JJ nodded, Emily picked up her phone and said, "Yes?"

"Mom, are you alone?" Katie knew her mom only answered her calls like that when she wasn't alone so she had to know.

"No, not right now." Emily kept her response vague, a little paranoid about JJ hearing something she didn't want her to just yet.

Katie got the message and had to ask, "is it…Jennifer?" The suggestive tone in her voice had the desired effect and she heard her mom laugh.

"Yes, that's right. Was there a reason you called?"

"I was going to see if you were free to hang out but I see now you have your hands full. I'll just go find some friends to kill time with. Oh, before I go…tell her mom. Tell her everything and don't be afraid to be vulnerable. Something tells me it'll be more than worth the risk. Love you! Bye!"

Before Emily could reply, the call was disconnected. She stared at her phone for a moment before she put it back on the coffee table. She turned back to JJ, "sorry about that."

"Who was it? Anything important?"

"Just my sister, being a pain in my neck." At this point, it was easier for Emily to refer to Katie as her sister around JJ, she certainly wasn't ready to confess to being a mom before she confessed to having feelings for JJ.

"Oh, do you need me to go or…" JJ wondered if Emily's sister would be the reason she might have to leave without her answers and she really hoped that wouldn't be the case.

Emily smiled, "No, of course not. She has exams this week and just wanted to kill some time between tests. That's what she has friends for so she's off to find them."

JJ nodded then said, "So…you were about to say something before she called…" She trailed off, letting Emily fill in the blanks.

"Oh yeah…ok well…here goes…" Emily took a breath and decided to follow Katie's advice, knowing if it led to her having to leave the BAU she could handle it now that her primary reason for joining the unit, to find out what happened to Daphne, was done. "That morning, waking up and making breakfast together and being so comfortable with each other…it scared me a little. Mainly because…I started wishing it could be like that every morning and knowing that the chances of that were slim to none. I haven't wanted something like that with someone in a very long time…not since high school actually…and I got scared so I left. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was avoiding you or if it made you think it was your fault but it wasn't. It was all me."

Hearing Emily say basically what she herself had been feeling…about wanting every morning to be like that one all those weeks ago, gave JJ the courage to lean closer and press her lips to Emily's. The kiss was brief and chaste but it was enough to burn away the lingering fear Emily carried about revealing her feelings to JJ.

JJ pulled back and smiled at Emily, "the chances of having more mornings like that one, just went up. I want that too and I want it with you, Emily. I've had a crush on you since you joined the unit, but I just assumed you were straight and not interested."

Emily grinned, "Not straight, and most definitely interested."

"So…where do we go from here?"

That was a very good question and one that Emily didn't have a good answer for at that moment because all she could think about was kissing JJ again and she knew that wasn't what the blonde meant…or was it?

"Well…I was hoping I could kiss you again. After that, I guess we could play it by ear?" Emily replied, taking another chance, though not one as scary as confessing her feelings.

JJ grinned, "I think that can be arranged." JJ leaned forward again and kissed Emily, sighing internally at finally being able to kiss the profiler.

They made out on the couch like a couple of teenagers for a while longer before Emily reluctantly pulled away and looked at JJ, smiling. "So…"

JJ grinned, "So…"

The silence that followed gave both women a moment to recover from their recent activities. Emily was still trying to wrap her mind around this new development in her friendship with JJ. "So…does this mean that you might want to…have dinner with me sometime?"

JJ smiled, "you mean like, on a date?"

Emily tried to smile but her nerves were blocking it, "yeah, like a date."

JJ lifted her hand to Emily's cheek and lightly caressed it, "I'd like that…when?"

Emily's nerves eased up and she smiled, "tomorrow night?"

JJ nodded, "it's a date."

"Okay, in the meantime, do you want to maybe watch a movie or something tonight?" Emily really didn't want JJ to leave just yet.

JJ didn't want to leave yet either so she nodded, "yeah sounds good."

Emily placed a light kiss on JJ's lips before she said, "the DVDs are in that cabinet under the tv, I'll go get some snacks, okay?"

"Okay." JJ knew this wasn't the time to push for anything more than what they had already done, there was plenty of time for that later. Right now JJ was more interested in learning more about Emily and building something with her that was more than just lust and sex.

By the time Emily returned to the living room with two glasses of wine and a platter of grapes and cheese, JJ had a movie picked out and loaded into the DVD player. Emily smiled as she cocked an eyebrow at the blonde on her couch, "what did you pick?"

JJ just grinned, "you'll see."

Emily nodded, giving in to JJ's cryptic response and just going with the flow. Her movie collection was vast and varied so she was confident whatever JJ chose would be a good movie.

Emily settled onto the couch next to JJ and offered her a glass of wine. JJ took one sip then placed it on the coffee table before snuggling closer to Emily. Emily grinned as she pulled JJ closer and grabbed the remote to start the movie.

JJ briefly closed her eyes at the sensation of being close to Emily. She never thought she would have the chance to be this close to Emily so she was going to enjoy every moment of it.

The movie came on and Emily had to stop herself from laughing out loud at JJ's choice of movies. The blonde beauty had chosen Woman on Top and Emily couldn't help but wonder if there was a hidden meaning to JJ picking that particular movie.