DONE! YAY! No more waiting endlessly for updates! (Sorry, I was so insanely busy. Vacation, then school started and homework. Yay for AP classes!...sike.)

anyways, hope you enjoyed! Thanks for sticking with me this whole time!

"Emily? You okay?" Was the first thing JJ heard when she finally came around. The voice sounded familiar...and so did the name...she just couldn't place it.

"Yeah, I just feel so bad. I can't believe I actually believed Daniel." Prentiss, of course! Emily Prentiss. And the man talking was...Hotch.

"We all did, not just you."

"Yeah, I know, but—I mean, look at her. She's so...I don't know, pale. She's pale and fragile and-"

"Thanks," JJ managed to croak out, with some effort. Followed by a whole lot of coughing.

"JJ! Doctor, she's up." Rossi's voice now.

"JJ, can you calm down and breathe for me? That's it, just breathe slowly," Morgan coaxed, rubbing her arm. Her coughing subsided. "Do you think you can open your eyes?"

Taking a deep breath (as deep as she could without having another coughing fit), she felt her eyes flutter slightly before opening. She squinted against the sudden light. Finally, once her eyes adjusted, she noticed her surroundings. All six of her teammates were crowded around her, leaning in as if she was on display. "Whoa there, personal space," she whispered hoarsely.

"Here, have some water," Reid offered, handing her a cup of water. She drank it down greedily. When was the last time she had anything to drink? "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just swallowed a whole desert," she answered honestly. "And then inhaled another."

The team tried, and failed, to smile at her attempt for a joke.

"Hey there, Jennifer," another familiar face made its way into the room. She recognized this man as her doctor, Dr. Shapiro.

"Hi," she whispered, coughing again—a little less violently this time, but scary nonetheless. She groaned when she could finally breathe again.

"Yeah, that's going to happen for a while. Don't worry though—we'll keep you here for just another day or so to monitor you, and in a week you should be good as new."

"So you found the cure?" She asked.

"Well, your team did," he said with a slight smile.

She looked to them for an explanation.

"Well," Morgan began, "before you...you know, were comatose, you had a dream. You started yelling something about Daniel, telling him not to poison you. Next thing I know, you're gone, and they're here."

"We finally got Daniel to admit to it," Emily continued, "and told him if he gave us the cure, we would consider a making a deal." She shook her head. "Good thing the bastard was gullible."

Instead of thanking them, JJ just glared. "And that's supposed to make everything better?"

"What?" Hotch asked, moving in closer in case he heard wrong.

He didn't.

"After everything that happened, you expect me to just forgive you? Yes, I'm grateful that you saved my life, but you nearly ruined it just a few days ago."

"JJ..." Prentiss nearly gasped.

"Don't even tell me I'm being unfair. I want to trust you guys again. I do, really. I just...I don't know if I can."

"You can trust us," Hotch said quietly. "We're here for you, JJ. We always will be."

She just shook her head and whispered, "I used to think that too. I can't believe you and get hurt again. I don't think I can take it."

"JJ-" Rossi began, but Morgan cut him off.

"Guys, can I talk to her for a minute?"

Shocked, the team just nodded and silently backed out of the room. Morgan wheeled himself next to her bed.

"Don't tell me to forgive them. They almost killed me," JJ said before Morgan could.

"I know," he said understandingly. "They were the ones being unfair. The way they treated you... But I talked to them." He chuckled to himself. "Well, yelled at them really. Told them how they were acting. And they seemed truly, genuinely sorry."

JJ groaned, which lead to another fit of coughing. Morgan waited patiently. "Don't you see, Derek? Can't you see what they did to me? Sorry doesn't cut it. I really, really want to be able to trust them again. I want to be a part of the team again. But after everything that happened...I just don't think it's possible. I'm sorry, Derek."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to them." He gestured outside, where the team was standing. Most of them were pacing. JJ even caught Garcia wipe a tear from her cheek. "If you leave, you will be hurting us all. JJ, they were upset about what happened to me. They needed someone to blame."

"Me?" she asked hoarsely.

Morgan nodded. "I know it wasn't your fault. Not at all. But that's just how the human mind works—but you already know that."

JJ nodded. "I blamed me too," she said quietly, looking down. "I thought it was my fault also. Is that why?"

JJ saw the shock flash across his face. "Uh, yes. Yeah, that's why. They knew it wasn't your fault, but they were angry and had to be angry at someone. Did you...did you say you blamed yourself?" JJ nodded weakly. "JJ, it's not your fault. Not at all, do you hear me? Girl, you can't help what happened. None of this is your fault. None of this is anyone's fault. Sometimes, that's just how things pan out."

"Okay, I hear you."

"No, that's not enough. Just because you hear what I'm saying doesn't mean you're listening. I need you to understand. Nobody blames you. This was not. Your. Fault."

She nodded. "Okay, I get it. Thanks, Derek. Really."

"Anytime. So do you think you can at least talk to them?"

She took another look out the window. Emily was pulling a shaking Garcia into a tight hug. Reid was nervously biting his lip, watching the two embrace. Emily buried her head in Garcia's shoulder, presumably crying.

JJ was surprised to see Rossi walk over to Hotch and put his hand on his shoulder, mouth moving with words she couldn't hear. Hotch was nodding and avoiding eye contact, while Rossi was putting himself in their boss's view. She could only imagine the conversation.

"This isn't your fault, Aaron. You, of all people, should know that this is how the human mind works. You couldn't help it. Blah blah blah."

"Dave, you don't understand. I believed him. I believed a complete stranger over one of our own—over JJ, for G-d's sake." And on and on.

But what really threw her was what happened next.

Daniel limped down the hall in an orange jumpsuit, surrounded by both doctors and police. She looked at Morgan questioningly, fear evident in her eyes.

What was he still doing here?

But Morgan smirked. "Emily, uh, roughed him up a bit, trying to get him to admit."

And then it happened. As he passed her room, his gaze was fire and ice. Harsh, intense. JJ nearly cowered back in the bed, but stopped herself. She won, she had to be strong.

Then his expression changed. Although his features didn't soften in the slightest, his fierce frown curled upward into a menacing, threatening grin.

Something in his eyes warned her that this wasn't over.

But Prentiss noticed.

Pulling away from Garcia abruptly, she stared Daniel down with a cold, hard stare. She backed up until she was standing in front of the window to JJ's room, blocking his view.

The rest of the team noticed as well. The guilt in their eyes melted away into anger, contempt.

Hatred.

They all walked over to Prentiss, following her lead. Suddenly, all JJ could see were the backs of her coworkers.

Then, before she knew it, they all slowly dispersed. Taking their time, they stepped away from the window and glared at the door, where JJ assumed Daniel was.

Finally, she nodded wearily. Then more confident.

"Yes. Yeah, I forgive them."

THE END.

Um. So I kind of feel like this is a weak ending. Oh, well. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Hope you liked the story!