Here you go! L is for Love.

"I'm sorry to cancel our plans for tonight, but I think I'm just gonna get some sleep," JJ spoke, yawning. "I must've caught that cold from Michael, I feel like shit."

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I'll be fine, just need some rest. We've got the weekend off and the boys are with Will, so it's a good time to catch up on sleep anyway."

"Yeah, I know," Emily agreed, "but call me if you need anything, okay? And I'll check in with you tomorrow?"

"Okay," JJ answered, sleepily. "Talk soon."

"Yeah. Sleep tight, Jay."

"I will." She paused, an awkward break at the end of their conversations that was becoming more and more common these days. "Good night."

"'Night," Emily sighed, hanging up the phone. She'd noticed the pause soon after it appeared, she thinks, and while its presence made part of her want to run for the hills, there was an equal part of her that wanted to fill the pause, to hear JJ fill the pause, to finally put words to the feeling that had been growing between them for an entire decade in one way or another.

When Emily thinks back on it, JJ used to say 'I love you.' Back when Emily was still new to the team and working hard to build a friendship, she'd show up at JJ's hotel room door with her favorite coffee, five minutes before the team was supposed to meet in the lobby on a busy case; JJ would take a sip, smile, and moan out an "I love you" that Emily liked to pretend held an entirely different meaning. Or, that one time when JJ had signed her up to do an off-site consult with Reid four hours away but hadn't been able to book the jet, Emily had jokingly grumbled "I hate you," as she shot JJ a glare; she'd felt weak in the knees when JJ gave her a cheeky smile and responded "Love you too!" Even saying goodbye after a trip to the States felt totally worth it when JJ would pull her into a hug and whisper in her ear, "Fly safe, Em. Love you," and platonic as the words may have been intended, they would echo in her mind and heart the entire way across the Atlantic and then some.

But then it stopped. When Emily had come back to the BAU, for good this time, JJ just didn't say it anymore. And at first, Emily didn't miss it. She figured maybe there just wasn't a situation that would warrant it, no need for big goodbyes when they saw each other nearly every day. And then she started to wonder if maybe it was because she was the Unit Chief now, technically JJ's superior. The thought of any of them telling Hotch they loved him, jokingly or otherwise, was laughable. But then they'd kissed, one random night in a random hotel in some random city in Illinois while Dirty Dancing played on the television in the background, and the air between them shifted, made space. Little spaces, first: the briefest pause between a kiss on the cheek and a "See you tomorrow," a glance that lingered a fraction of a second too long between a quick squeeze of hands together and an "I'm glad you're okay." As their relationship grew, the spaces did too, entering into nights spent wrapped up together in one of their beds, mornings they opened their eyes to see only each other, quiet stolen moments in the back of a police precinct when the craziness of their current case hadn't allowed them any time together in days. The space was there, but the words didn't come. And though JJ had said those words for years, she supposed it was different now. She supposed JJ didn't want to say something she wasn't ready to mean.

And maybe Emily wasn't ready to put words to her feelings quite yet, either, but she did love JJ. She wouldn't have shown up at her door unannounced an hour after she knew JJ went to bed if she didn't. But sitting at home after their phone call, thinking of her girlfriend sick in bed and all alone, Emily knew she'd feel better if she just stopped over tonight to check on her. She wouldn't even wake her - just let herself in, peek in on JJ to make sure she was okay, sleep in Henry's bed so she'd be nearby if JJ needed her. It was the right thing to do for someone you love, she continued to tell herself, even as she was climbing the stairs to JJ's bedroom. Even if they weren't quite there yet, in love, it was still the right thing.

Emily turned on the flashlight on her phone to navigate JJ's darkened hallway, not wanting to turn a light on and chance waking her. Entering into the master bedroom, Emily's heart began to ache at the sight of her girlfriend, shivering under all the covers despite the sheen of sweat on her face, knowing she'd need to disturb her rest to get some medicine in her and bring the fever down. "Jay, sweetheart, wake up," she whispered, not wanting to startle her. "It's me."

Blinking her eyes open, JJ attempted to sit up before quickly falling back against the pillows, the room spinning around her. "Emily?"

"Yeah," Emily answered, resting a cool palm against JJ's forehead. "I'm sorry I woke you but you're burning up and you need to take some Advil. Is it in your medicine cabinet?" JJ nodded and Emily retrieved the pills from the en suite bathroom, handing them over with the bottle of water she's glad she thought to grab on her way through the kitchen. "Go back to sleep," she whispered once the pills were swallowed and the water set back on the nightstand.

"Okay," JJ agreed, rolling onto her side, her soft breathing settling into a slow pattern within seconds.

Emily stayed sitting at the edge of the bed, running her fingers gently through JJ's hair for a moment before moving to stand quietly. "Mmm," JJ breathed, causing Emily to pause in her movement. In the quiet, she couldn't miss JJ's small, sleepy voice as it spoke: "Love you, Em."

Emily felt her heart jump, her own voice coming out shy, vulnerable. "You do?"

"Mmhmm," JJ hummed again.

Emily watched as the last bit of tension left JJ's face, her body practically melting into the bed as she let sleep overtake her again. And when Emily was absolutely, completely certain that JJ was fully asleep, she whispered quietly, "I love you too."