Archive of Our Own

You look so pretty, pretty like the wind
Every time you touch me, I feel adrenaline

- Tom Odell

one.

JJ didn’t know how long she had been staring at it.

The opened envelope sat there like it was mocking her. Pristine, and too heavy, obnoxiously elegant. She didn’t even remember pulling it out of her bag, didn’t remember setting it down.

One moment, she was looking for her ID, and the next, there it was, resting between her coffee mug and her case file Penelope had given them earlier in the briefing room.

We invite you to the wedding of William LaMontagne and Amanda Bryce.

The first few words were embossed in gold, the font effortlessly romantic. She traced her thumb over the names, Amanda’s written in soft, looping curls, clearly hand-lettered, clearly cared for. It was clear she was an artist and for some reason, even the damn ink looked expensive.

JJ let out a breath through her nose. It was a beautiful invitation. Beautiful and polished and painfully real. Their own wedding invites had definitely not been this nice. Actually, they didn’t even have real wedding invites. Their wedding had been a spur of the moment after an incredibly difficult day. Sometimes, in the quiet, she allowed herself to think about the possibility if that never had happened. But, it was stupid. Reminiscing about the past now didn’t do her any good.

She hadn’t been expecting this. Sure, she knew Will had proposed a few months back, he’d mentioned it during one of their drop-offs, casual, and no big deal, just two adults who used to share a life now coordinating calendars. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time. She had even been happy for him and Amanda. But somehow, in her head, she’d assumed the wedding would be later. Next year, maybe. Definitely far enough away to stay theoretical.

But now, it wasn’t far away anymore. Now it had an actual date, a time, a location.

JJ sat back in her chair, arms on the armrests of her chair, card in hand and gaze still locked on the card like it might explain itself if she stared long enough. The bullpen around her buzzed quietly with life, phones ringing, pages turning, footsteps echoing across tile, but it all felt distant, and muted. Like someone had turned the volume down on the world.

It wasn’t like she was jealous. She really, truly wasn’t. That part of her life was done. She and Will had made the decision to end things over four years ago, and there hadn’t been any regret in it. Not real regret anyway. Because they had tried. They had fought and forgiven and tried again. But in the end, it had been the right call. For them. For Henry. For Michael. For their family.

Still. Seeing your ex-husband marry someone else, look happier than ever with someone else, it hit differently. It was like a dull ache that reminded her that no matter how amicable the separation, no matter how solid the co-parenting dynamic, she was still the one who ended up alone.

God, what was wrong with her?

She blinked, looked away, let the card flutter onto her desk and pressed her hands to her face, fingers scraping through her hair. This was pathetic. Absolutely, monumentally pathetic. She wasn’t even sure why she’d brought the damn thing to work. She could’ve left it at home, let it collect dust on the kitchen counter until she RSVP’d ‘yes’ out of obligation. Instead, she’d stuffed it into her bag like some kind of masochist and brought it here, to this place of all places, as if it could be handled like any other case file.

And the worst part? She’d have to go alone, too.

To her ex-husband’s wedding.

Fantastic.

Okay, well, sure, her children would be there, her mother most likely, too. But still.

Alone.

JJ sighed again, a little louder this time. Dating hadn’t exactly been her priority these past few years. Sure, she’d tried, gone on a few dates with men who all seemed to expect someone a little more giggly, a little less world-weary, definitely without two kids and the job she carried on her shoulders. Most of them left after the second round of drinks and she stopped bothering after that.

So, instead, she poured herself into her work. Into her sons. Into the quiet comfort of stability. Maybe that made her boring. Maybe it made her cautious. But it had also made her feel safe. Finding out who she was without Will had been good for her. And for a long while, that had been enough.

Now, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

She stared at the invitation again, this time more tired than sad. The edges of it were starting to curl slightly, the way expensive paper does when touched too much. Her fingers had lingered on it too long earlier. So had her thoughts.

Maybe I should just ask Emily.

The thought slipped into her mind so fast she couldn’t stop herself.

She blinked, startled by herself, and looked up, her gaze instinctively drifting to the office across the floor. Emily’s office. The blinds were partially open, light from the window striping her desk, her silhouette cast in contrast against the glass.

JJ’s heart gave a small, traitorous flutter.

Maybe.

Truth be told, it wasn’t the first time Emily had popped into her mind like that, not the first time she had thought about asking her. Not to go to a wedding, of course, but, late at night, in the quiet in-between moments, when the apartment complex was asleep, she let herself wonder what it would be like to have someone be really there. Not just for a date, not just for a distraction, but someone who saw or had seen the worst parts of her and stayed anyway.

And always, the image of Emily surfaced first.

But Emily was Emily.

Emily, the person who was married to her work now, it seemed. Emily, the person who poured everything into this job, the person who had sacrificed too much for the job, her personal life always taking a step back for another case.

JJ knew Emily had a life outside of that, too – probably. She knew Emily had gone on dates, she had seen her flirt with people at Joe’s but, she also knew how that was nothing more but the need for some stress-relieving sex.

And she never seemed to want anything more.

Not with anyone.

And definitely not with JJ.

She almost snorted at herself how she had let her mind wander there. And besides, from what JJ had witnessed, she probably wasn’t even Emily’s type. Emily seemed to like women who were glamorous and untouchable.

Women who weren’t weighed down by two kids and years of emotional baggage. JJ had spent so long convincing herself it didn’t matter that she stopped noticing when her stomach twisted every time Emily laughed with someone else. Every time she came back from a date and brushed it off like it had meant nothing.

JJ had always chalked that feeling up to loneliness. But lately, that didn’t work anymore and when she thought about it harder, let her thoughts wander freely, she wasn’t sure she liked what she found out.

God, she must be becoming delusional.

Though, JJ knew another version of Emily, too. Emily could fool anyone, could fake her confidence to get what she wanted – and Emily was confident, since she made Chief anyway, sure but, she was also a huge nerd. Emily was someone who knew too many facts about history, about geography, knew too much about chess rules and movies and JJ knew Emily never showed that side of herself to others unless she really, really cared.

JJ loved that side of Emily.

She exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down her face, trying to blink the feeling away. No, asking Emily wasn’t an option. It would only end in disappointment, or worse, confusion. And the last thing she wanted was to become someone else Emily had to let down gently.

Well, she could just ask her as a friend. She was already getting ahead of herself. Nobody was saying anything about her asking Emily on a date.

Oh my fucking God, Jareau get a grip.

JJ looked at the invitation one last time before flipping it face down.

She’d just go alone. It was fine. She’d be fine.

“What’s that?”

The voice behind her cut through the fog of her thoughts. JJ blinked, startled, and turned in her chair just as Tara came into view, one brow raised, her gaze already fixed on the white and gold envelope resting on the desk.

JJ exhaled a tired breath and nudged it toward her with two fingers, like the thing was contagious. “Will’s wedding invitation.” She muttered.

Tara let out a soft whistle, picking it up delicately, like it might crack in her hands. She flipped it open, scanned the embossed text, and winced with quiet sympathy. “Ouch.” She said, lips twisting. “You going alone?”

JJ groaned, letting her head tip all the way back against the chair with a soft thunk. “Looks like it.”

There was a beat of silence, and then, as casually as if she were offering restaurant recommendations, Tara said, “You could ask Emily.”

JJ’s chair snapped forward with a sharp creak as she sat up straight, her heart leaping into her throat so fast it choked the breath out of her. “What?” She said, completely blindsided. “Why? Did she say something?”

Her voice came out higher than she intended and Tara’s brows lifted even higher as she stared at her, reading her in ways only an A-class profiler could. JJ could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, the way her pulse picked up like someone had flipped a switch inside her.

Why would she have said something?

Oh my God, JJ, what is wrong with you?

“I- I mean, why do you say that?” JJ fumbled, trying to recover, but it was too late. Her reaction had already betrayed her.

Tara tilted her head, the corner of her mouth tugging upward. “Just… made sense.”

How did that make sense, JJ thought. Tara had said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, like it was expected. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, unsure what she was even trying to say.

Tara held up her hands with a light shrug, clearly not trying to stir the pot. “Just an idea. You two are close. She wouldn’t let you walk in there alone if she knew you didn’t want to.”

JJ looked away, swallowing hard. Her gaze drifted toward the window again, toward Emily’s office where the blinds still slanted half-closed. Her silhouette moved inside, pacing, pausing, writing something down.

Close.

Yeah, they were close.

Was that the problem?

Why was she even making a big deal out  of this?

Emily was one of her best friends. It was a totally reasonable thing to suggest. Friends go to weddings with each other all the time. Didn’t help the feeling in her stomach or the heat rising to her cheeks when thinking about the fact that Emily could spend the entire day with her at her ex-husband’s wedding.

Fuck.

֎

By the time JJ finally looked up from the case file in front of her, the bullpen had emptied out around her like smoke in the wind. The soft hum of the lights above was the only sound left. Everyone else had packed up, logged off, slipped away into the night hours ago.

And yet, she remained, frozen in that weird limbo between finishing work and facing whatever was waiting at home.

Whatever was waiting at home.

She blinked once, then again, and rubbed at her eyes. The file in front of her was still open, but she hadn’t processed a single word on the page in at least twenty minutes. Slowly, her gaze drifted across the room.

Of course, Emily’s office light was still on. It always was.

She looked away quickly, jaw clenching.

Her fingers found the handle of her desk drawer almost instinctively, pulling it open with a soft creak. The invitation was still there, right where she’d shoved it earlier.

She hesitated, then pulled it out and opened it swiftly, their names and the few lines under it coming into view. She didn’t even resent him. That was the worst part, maybe. There was no anger, no heartbreak left. They were better parents now. Better people. But that didn’t make this any easier. And then, at the bottom, that damn line:

Plus-Ones are welcome.

JJ exhaled, short and sharp. She sat back in her chair, the invitation still between her fingers.

Tara’s voice surfaced again:

You could ask Emily.

JJ’s chest tightened as her eyes lifted again, finding the soft silhouette moving behind the blinds of that office. Emily, beautiful, brilliant, infuriatingly impossible Emily, who lately walked through life like nothing could ever really touch her. Who laughed easily with strangers, flirted without effort, tossed back drinks with women JJ could never imagine herself being. She’d seen Emily flirt back, easy and smooth.

And JJ  had always assumed that whatever thing existed between them, the unspoken something that lingered in glances, in late-night hotel conversations, in quiet loyalty, was just that.

Unspoken.

One-sided.

Because why would Emily want her?

Still, JJ couldn’t shake the idea. Couldn’t push it back into the box where she’d kept it hidden for so long.

Maybe she didn’t need an answer tonight. Maybe it wasn’t about declarations or risk. Maybe it was just… about not going alone. About not pretending she didn’t want someone by her side when she walked into that ceremony and saw the life she could’ve had, the life she’d left intentionally, staring back at her in a white dress.

Her legs moved before her mind could catch up. She stood, hesitating for just a second, one last, sharp inhale, then made her way across the bullpen.

By the time JJ reached Emily’s office, her nerves were doing somersaults.

The door was already a little open, and JJ paused in the doorway.

Inside, Emily sat at her desk, back slightly hunched, glasses perched low on her nose as she scanned a file, one hand absently twirling a pen between her fingers. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, and the light caught in her hair, casting a faint golden hue through the darker strands. She hadn’t noticed JJ yet.

JJ could’ve turned around right then. Slipped away, pretended she’d forgotten something in the bullpen or changed her mind or never walked over in the first place. But then her fingers pushed against the door, opening it wider before she could stop herself.

Emily glanced up, and her expression shifted the second she saw her, the slight crease in her brow smoothing out, the corners of her mouth lifting into a quiet smile. “Hey.” She said, voice a little raspy from hours of silence. “Burning the midnight oil, too?”

JJ stepped in slowly, invitation still clutched in her hand like it might fall apart otherwise. “Apparently.” She hovered near the desk, unsure whether to sit, lean, speak, or leave.

Emily set the pen down and leaned back slightly, giving JJ her full attention. “Everything okay?”

JJ swallowed and held up the invitation between her fingers like a white flag. “Got this in the mail this morning. Will’s wedding.”

Recognition flickered in Emily’s eyes. “Oh.” She said softly. “Right. The new fiancée.”

“Yeah.” JJ said, her voice tight. She took a step forward, putting the envelope on Emily’s desk. “The wedding’s in two months.”

“Quite fast.” Emily huffed, eyes flicking to the envelope before she leaned forward, taking it in her hands. She looked back at JJ. “And you’re going?”

JJ hesitated, then gave a small shrug. “I think so.” She bit her lip, then added, “I should.”

Emily nodded slowly, reading the lines of the invitation. Their names, the invitation text, the small line of how Plus-Ones are welcome.

“Tara suggested I ask you to come with me.”

Emily blinked up at JJ. “She did?”

JJ nodded, laughing once under her breath, embarrassed, and a little nervous. “Yeah. Said it ‘just made sense.’”

Emily raised an eyebrow. “And you agree?”

JJ met her eyes, finally. “I do. I mean- I know it’s not your idea of a good time. Weddings and… a lot of small talk. And maybe watching me suffer through the emotional weight of my ex-husband’s happily-ever-after.”

Emily’s smile softened. “I’ve survived worse. You know who my mother was.”

JJ chuckled softly at that, nodding knowingly. Then she hesitated and took a slow breath. “I just thought- I thought maybe you wouldn’t mind being there. With me. Just… as backup.”

She meant that.

At least, that was what she was letting herself say. But underneath the surface, it meant more. More than she could explain in the span of a few casual sentences. Because of course this wasn’t just about not wanting to go alone. It was about wanting Emily there. Wanting Emily there with her. And not knowing if that was ridiculous or obvious.

For a moment, Emily said nothing. Her gaze lingered on JJ’s face, steady, then dropped to the card still in her hand. Then, “Sure. I’ll go.”

JJ blinked. “Really?”

“Of course, you don’t have to do that alone. And besides,” she added with a teasing glint in her eye, “I’ve got an outfit that’ll turn a few heads. Might as well put it to use.”

JJ snorted. “You’re the worst.”

Emily just grinned. That typical Emily-grin. “Send me the details. I’ll clear my calendar.”

JJ nodded, backing toward the door. “Thanks, Emily. Really.”

Emily gave her a look, a softer smile on her face now. “Of course.”

JJ left the office a little later, invitation still between her fingers. She made her way toward the elevator after packing her things, her lips curving upward without her permission.

It just made sense.

Even though she was sure Emily wasn’t thinking the same as she was.

֎

“You’re coming, right?” Will asked as Michael ran inside, Henry slower behind him.

JJ watched them go, a faint smile on her lips as she stood on the porch of Will and Amanda’s new house. “Yeah.” She said, nodding. “Of course. Wouldn’t miss it.”

Will turned toward her then, hands in his pockets. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I want to be there. You and Amanda are good together. I can see that.” JJ said truthfully.

He studied her for a second, then nodded. “Thanks. That… actually means a lot.”

For a moment, there was only the hum of distant traffic and the muffled sound of the boys yelling over each other from inside. Will shifted his weight, then tilted his head. “You bringing anyone?”

JJ paused, then, “Yeah. Emily’s coming with me.”

Will’s brows lifted, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Emily?”

JJ just hummed, nodding.

He gave a low hum, and JJ could already see the smirk forming before he said anything else. “Huh. That’s… interesting.”

She narrowed her eyes. She knew that look. “What?”

Will shrugged, way too casually. “Nothing. Just… didn’t realize you two were a thing.”

JJ blinked, fighting the flush she could already feel crawling up her neck. “We’re not a thing.”

Will let out a quiet chuckle, clearly enjoying this a little too much. “Right, right. Just good friends, huh?”

JJ shot him a look. “She’s coming as my plus one so I don’t have to go alone, Will. That’s it.”

“Sure.” He said, dragging the word out just enough to make her glare harder. Then he grinned, all innocent charm with just a flicker of smugness in his eyes. “I’m just saying, you used to get that same look on your face whenever you’d talk about her. Even back then.”

JJ’s mouth opened slightly. “What look?”

Will arched a brow. “That one.”

JJ groaned and shoved his arm lightly. “You’re so annoying.”

He laughed, backing off but still grinning. “Well, either way, I always liked Emily. She’s fun.”

JJ looked down, a smile appearing on her face whether she wanted it or not. “Yeah. She is.”

Will watched her a beat longer, then gave her shoulder a soft pat before heading inside. “Just don’t wait too long, Jen. Some people are worth the risk.”

And with that, he disappeared into the house, leaving JJ standing alone on the porch, heart louder than it had any right to be. She stared at the door for a moment, replaying his words.

That smug little smile. The look.

Maybe he wasn’t wrong.

Ugh, no.

Stop.

֎

JJ was glad she’d arrived a few minutes early, not something she usually managed, but today, it felt like fate was giving her just enough time to collect herself. Or at least it had felt that way… until she saw the door to Emily’s apartment building open.

And then she forgot how to fucking breathe.

Emily stepped out into the early morning light like she’d been carved from the shadows and dipped in sunlight. Her dress was long, black, sleek, elegant without being overdone. It hugged her in all the right places, shimmered ever so slightly when she moved, and had a slit high enough on one side to make JJ’s pulse spike for no good reason.

Soft waves framed her face, streaked with silver and dark charcoal, a few strands tucked behind one ear, showing off the subtle glint of a small golden earring. Her makeup was done, and her eyes looked even sharper, darker, and brighter somehow, and the gloss on her lips made them look – JJ blinked.

Hard. Then again.

She was staring.

Her mouth had actually fallen open – open like she was some teenager waiting in the driveway to pick up her date for prom. And sure, this wasn’t a date. It really wasn’t. It was Emily, her boss, her best friend, her impossible, beautiful, maddening person, joining her at her ex-husband’s wedding. This was just a wedding they were attending together as… whatever that was.

But the moment was doing something to her brain.

She swallowed hard and immediately reached for the water bottle in the cup holder, unscrewing the cap like her life depended on it. She took a gulp, then another. Maybe if she drowned herself in water, her heart would stop trying to leap into her throat.

Outside, Emily crossed the sidewalk, heels clicking softly against the concrete, the wind lifting the edge of her dress just enough to show even more leg. JJ had to physically grip the steering wheel and look away for a second, just to reset.

Just to breathe.

She muttered under her breath, "Jesus Christ" and fumbled for the air conditioning dial, twisting it two notches cooler.

When she finally glanced back, Emily was opening the passenger door already, sliding in like this was the most normal thing in the world, like she hadn’t just made JJ’s brain short-circuit.

“Heyy.” Emily said, settling into the seat. “You look great.”

JJ blinked at her, delayed for a full beat. “What?”

Emily smiled, slightly amused, adjusting the hem of her dress. “I said you look great.”

JJ’s mouth worked, but her brain still hadn’t caught up. “Oh. Uh. Thanks. You too.” She glanced down at herself, simple dress, heels. She hadn’t even done much with her hair. Compared to Emily, she looked like the valet.

And then Emily turned to her fully, eyebrows lifted, playful. “You okay?”

JJ laughed, but it came out nervous and clipped. “Yeah. Yeah, I just-” She coughed once, shook her head, tried to play it off. Then she cleared her throat again, more deliberate this time. “It’s a three-hour drive, by the way.” She said, eyes forward now, fingers tightening around the wheel. “Hope that’s okay.”

There was a slight pause. Emily glanced at her, her expression clearly saying I see what you’re doing, but she didn’t say anything about it. She just nodded. “Yeah. You told me.”

JJ just focused on the road, on the way the streetlights slid across the windshield in slow, golden streaks. She could still feel the heat in her cheeks, but at least the moment was passing.

Emily settled back into the passenger seat, adjusting the seatbelt with a quiet click. Her dress shifted with the movement, fabric catching the light briefly before settling again. She turned her head slightly toward JJ, her tone soft.

“Where are the boys?”

JJ glanced over at her for just a second before turning back to the road. “Already at the venue. My mom took them with her on Friday. The place is booked for the whole weekend, so they made a little trip out of it.”

She smiled faintly, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “They were excited. Room service. Football field. A chance to boss around Grandma without me there to referee.”

Emily let out a low chuckle, her gaze drifting out the passenger window as the city thinned around them, buildings giving way to trees and wider roads. “Not a bad way to spend a weekend.”

“No.” JJ agreed, tapping her fingers against the wheel. “Not bad at all.”

A pause settled between them. Then Emily asked, gently, “How are they taking the wedding?”

JJ exhaled. “Better than I thought they would, honestly.”

She shifted in her seat, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. “They like Amanda. A lot, actually. She’s… sweet with them. Funny. Always makes an effort to talk to them like they matter to her, which they do. And she bakes, which is basically the fastest way to win Michael over.”

Emily smiled at that but said nothing, just waited.

JJ’s voice softened. “She’s nice. Really. And kind. She makes Will laugh, and the boys pick up on that. I mean… what’s not to like?”

Emily turned her head, eyes on her again. JJ could feel the weight of it. Emily never really rushed her. She never filled the silence just to fill it – not with JJ at least. She let things breathe and JJ needed that more often than not.

JJ swallowed, her jaw tightening briefly. “They’re okay.” She said finally. “And that’s what matters.”

Emily nodded, still watching her. “You’ve done a great job with them.”

JJ let out a soft laugh, low and a little rough. “I try.”

And Emily, without hesitation, said, “It shows.”

JJ didn’t answer right away. She kept her eyes on the road, but a small, genuine smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. Just a little one. The kind of smile that meant something had landed exactly where it needed to. There was a beat of silence, and Emily glanced over at her with that familiar half-smile, already knowing where this was going. “So, you know this question is also coming…”

JJ chuckled immediately, nodding, already jumping ahead. “It’s really fine. Of course, somewhere way deep down it sucks a little because he’s happy, soon to be happily married, and I’m just… here with you-”

She stopped, realized how it sounded the second it left her mouth.

Emily turned her head, one brow arched. “Wow. Okay.”

JJ’s eyes widened. “No- no, I didn’t mean it like that. I just-”

“‘Just here with you.’” Emily repeated, mock-offended but clearly not actually mad, her mouth twitching at the corners. “You really know how to make a girl feel special, JJ.”

JJ groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

Emily shrugged, staring out the windshield with faux dramatic detachment. “Nah, it’s cool. I’ll just lower my expectations and shrink into the emotional background.”

JJ laughed despite herself, voice still sheepish. “I just meant I’m single. And… kind of lonely. And he’s happy and in love and very much not alone.”

Emily glanced at her again, her voice softer now. “Yeah. I get that.”

JJ nodded, fingers tightening on the steering wheel. “I just didn’t think it’d hit me. I’m not… sad about him. Just the whole, you know- life stuff.”

Emily didn’t say anything at first. She just looked ahead, eyes following the curve of the road as trees blurred past the windows, golden light flickering through the gaps. There was a quiet beat. Then, softly, she said, “Well. For what it’s worth… you’re not alone today. I’m right here with you.”

JJ glanced over, and Emily turned her head just enough to meet her eyes, a small, steady smile on her lips. She was reassuring her in that quiet, grounded way that was so uniquely her. She looked back at the road, blinked once, then smiled.

“Yeah.” She said quietly. “Thanks.”

֎

It was still early in the day when they pulled up to the venue, the gravel crunching under the tires as JJ eased the car into a shaded parking spot. The sky was clear, a soft blue that promised a long, warm day ahead, and the grounds were already humming with quiet activity.

She’d wanted to arrive early. Not just to get ahead of the chaos, but to spend a little time with the boys before everything started moving too fast. JJ figured getting there early bought her a few calm moments with them, and maybe a little bit of control over the day ahead.

Also, she’d heard Amanda’s friends were, at best, “spiritually unreliable”, and JJ had been to enough weddings to know someone always forgot the place cards or left the rings in a car cupholder.

As they got closer to the venue, JJ had muttered something about helping Amanda with the setup, and Emily, without looking up from the coffee they had picked up on the way, had said, “God, you’re such a people pleaser.”

JJ had just rolled her eyes. “And you’re not?”

Emily smirked. “No. I’m just selectively charming.”

Now, as they stepped out of the car, the venue stretched out in front of them, two connected buildings with tall windows and a wide, manicured lawn behind. The ceremony arch hadn’t been set up yet. Folding chairs leaned in uneven stacks against the wall. A few people milled around, carrying boxes, debating flower arrangements, or looking generally overwhelmed.

JJ glanced around, already scanning for whatever needed doing.

Emily followed her gaze, then leaned a little closer as they walked. “You’re already in work mode. Should I get out of your way?”

JJ shot her a look. “Don’t tempt me.”

But she was smiling, and Emily smiled too.

“Mom! Mom!”

Michael’s voice rang out the second they took a step toward the venue, cutting through the quiet morning air. JJ barely had time to react before he came barreling toward them.

She grinned, her heart lifting immediately, and crouched down just in time for him to fling himself into her arms. She scooped him up effortlessly, settling him on her hip like she’d done a thousand times before.

“Hey, you.” She grinned, brushing his hair back from his forehead. “What are you so excited about, huh?”

“Grandma Sandy showed me how to make pancakes shaped like dinosaurs.” He said proudly, his eyes wide. “And I ate a stegosaurus!”

JJ gasped in mock horror. “You ate him?”

“He was delicious.” Michael said very seriously.

JJ chuckled, and over his shoulder, she saw Henry walking toward them at a more reasonable pace, hands in his pockets, already acting like he was too old to be impressed by dino-shaped breakfast. Well, maybe he was. He would be going to college soon, after all.

Emily smiled softly at the scenery in front of her and before she could say something, Michael twisted around in JJ’s arms, eyes going wide when he caught sight of her. “Auntie Emily’s here?”

JJ opened her mouth to respond, to say ‘Yes, I told you I was bringing her as my Plus-One’, but Michael didn’t wait, just looked at Emily. “You look really pretty.”

“Aw, thanks Mikey.” Emily smiled.

And then, Michael grinned. “Is mom your girlfriend?”

JJ choked. Henry snorted so hard it turned into a cough. Emily blinked once, a little surprised. “What?”

JJ groaned, adjusting Michael on her hip like that might help restore order. “Michael- no, she’s not my-”

“Then why did she come with you?” Michael asked, brow furrowing like he was genuinely trying to understand the math.

JJ’s mouth opened, closed, then opened again. “Because she’s a family friend.”

Henry coughed again, clearly not choking this time. “That’s what we’re going with? Family friend?”

Michael tilted his head, still full of ten-year-old confidence and zero filter. “But you talk about Emily all the time.” He said seriously. “And now she’s here. Dad said you only bring special people to weddings.”

JJ blinked.

Emily turned her head slowly. “Oh, you talk about me?” She asked, grinning now, the early confusion gone.

JJ looked between her son and Emily, caught between wanting to vanish into thin air and pretending this was somehow not a complete ambush. “I talk about lots of people.” She said quickly, adjusting Michael in her arms again even though he wasn’t going anywhere. “I talk about everyone.”

Michael shook his head with the righteous certainty of a child who doesn’t understand subtlety. “No, like, special. You say stuff like, ‘Emily looks so pretty in red, doesn’t she?’” He giggled.

JJ, mid-step, froze. Her face went pink almost instantly. “I have never said that.”

“Yeah, you did.” Henry chimed in casually from her other side, hands still in his pockets. “You said, and I quote–”

JJ quickly bent down and put Michael on the ground with a bit more urgency than necessary. “Alright! You two. Enough spilling my… secrets.” She pointed ahead toward the main building. “Go find your dad and tell him we’ve arrived and we’re here to handle all the problems.”

Michael saluted dramatically. “Yes, ma’am!”, and took off running. Henry was right behind him, hands still stuffed in his pockets.

God, her kids were just a bunch of meddlers.

She could feel Emily’s gaze before she even looked, and when she did, Emily was looking right at her, doing that thing with her lips and her tongue and – stop, Jareau, seriously.

“I look pretty in red, huh?”

JJ let out a long-suffering sigh, cheeks bright. “I’m going to murder both of them.” She muttered, already walking again. “And then I’m going to murder you.” She added, shooting Emily a pointed look.

“I didn’t do anything.” Emily replied. Her face was neutral, but the twitch in the corner of her mouth gave her away.

JJ groaned. “You didn’t have to.”

Emily strolled beside her, hands in the pockets of her blazer, the very picture of composed mischief. “Oh well, then, I think it’s great. You’re flustered, and I’m getting free compliments. It’s honestly the best deal I’ve had all week.”

“I’m not flustered!” JJ insisted, a little too forcefully, which only made it worse.

Emily didn’t respond right away. Instead, she leaned in, not enough to be obvious to anyone else, but enough that JJ could feel her breath against her cheek. Her voice dropped slightly, smug but soft. “You sure?”

JJ blinked, very aware of how close they were. How warm Emily always seemed to run. How easy this came to her, the teasing, the closeness, like it was nothing. She scoffed, trying to recover, but her voice was breathier than she wanted it to be. “You know, one day, I am actually going to kill you.”

“You like me way too much for that.” Emily grinned, utterly unbothered.

JJ raised a hand like she was about to swat her for real, but before she could land the hit, Amanda – the new fiancée – rounded the corner of the venue like a woman on the verge of crashing out. She looked one wrong word away from bursting into tears.

“Hey.” Amanda said, a little too fast, a little too high-pitched. “I’m so glad you’re here. Can you please help me with the chairs? I know this is a lot to ask and – well, you don’t have to but, they messed up the complete order – they’re all facing the wrong way – and the band isn’t even here yet, and Will has to go pick up the rings himself later because Clara – Clara! – put the wrong pickup location on the form and now-”

“Hey, hey.” JJ stepped forward immediately, hands rising to Amanda’s arms with the practiced calm of someone who’d seen actual federal crises and still found this more terrifying. “Breathe.”

Amanda blinked, her shoulders stiff and stuck halfway between panic and collapse. JJ smiled, steady and sure. “We’ve got you.”

Emily moved up beside them with a nod. JJ glanced at her, then back at Amanda. “You’re the bride. You’re not supposed to fix any of this.”

Amanda let out a breath, part laugh, part groan. “Tell that to my cousin, who just asked me if I brought backup napkins.”

JJ squeezed her arm. “Go. Sit. Hydrate. Maybe eat something. We’ll handle the setup.”

Amanda stared at them both for a beat, clearly debating whether to believe them or just cry into the floral arrangements. Then she nodded. “Okay. Okay. I’m… gonna go pretend I trust the universe.”

Emily gave her a small salute. “Good plan.”

As Amanda disappeared back inside, JJ exhaled, brushing a strand of hair from her face and turning toward Emily. “Alright. Chaos duty?”

Emily looked at her for a moment, then smiled, softer than her usual smirk. “Yeah.”

JJ narrowed her eyes slightly. “What?”

Emily shook her head, like maybe she wasn’t going to say it, but then her lips quirked again. “Nothing, just…” She shrugged lightly. “It’s really nice you’re helping her. Even if she’s marrying your ex-husband.”

“She’s marrying the father of my children.” JJ corrected gently. “That’s different.”

Emily tilted her head, thoughtful. “Still. Most people would’ve RSVP’d no and sent a passive aggressive card.”

JJ chuckled at that. “Yeah, well. That’s not me.”

“I know.” Emily said, eyes still on her, a small smile on her face. “But… it’s also surprising how much she seems to like you.”

JJ raised a brow, slightly defensive but mostly curious. “You think she shouldn’t?”

Emily smiled, a little more teasing now. “I think if I were marrying someone and their ex-wife looked like you, I wouldn’t be inviting you to the wedding at all.”

JJ flushed immediately, heat rushing to her cheeks. She gave Emily a dry look as they reached the rows of disorganized chairs. “What does that even mean?”

Emily didn’t even pause. “It means that if I saw you in the wedding crowd, I’d dump my fiancée in a heartbeat.” She said it like it was obvious, like it was fact. Then she shrugged and crouched down to start fixing the crooked row of chairs, like she hadn’t just casually dropped a romantic grenade between them.

JJ froze, for a full two seconds, she just… stared at her. Eyes wide, mouth slightly open. The flush crept all the way up her neck, blooming hot across her face.

And, this wasn’t even anything new.

Emily had always been flirty. Always teased. Always made comments that sat somewhere in the space between friendly and something else. Something JJ had spent too long trying not to define. But the things she was saying today, they didn’t sound like just teasing.

And it was infuriating.

Because Emily got to say things like that with a grin and a shrug and zero consequences, while JJ was standing here, ears red and heart racing, pretending a plastic folding chair needed her full tactical attention.

She hated that Emily could get under her skin like this. That with one line, one look, she could unravel every bit of calm JJ had been holding onto all day. And the worst part was… she didn’t know what it meant. Maybe it was just Emily being Emily. Flirty, careless, and charming in that way that made people fall too hard and too fast. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

“Okay, I think these are done.”

Emily said after a while, stepping back to survey her side of the setup. The rows were straight now, the aisle clear and crisp, the chairs perfectly aligned like they were holding their breath for the ceremony.

JJ was still working on her side, slower, more meticulous, or maybe just more distracted. Emily looked at her for a beat longer than she should’ve. JJ was crouched in front of one of the chairs, focused, brow slightly furrowed, lips pressed tight. She looked like she was solving something much harder than folding chairs.

Emily tilted her head slightly. “You good?”

JJ didn’t look up right away, still fussing with the last few rows of chairs. “Yeah. Just want these to be perfect.”

Emily watched her for a beat longer, the way JJ’s brow furrowed in concentration, the way her fingers brushed over the seat backs, almost unnecessarily. She smiled, a little helpless. “They already are.”

“They’re not.” JJ muttered.

Emily frowned, narrowing her eyes. “Are you mad at me?”

“No.” JJ huffed, getting back to work and adjusting the left side of one of the chairs for probably the hundredth time. She was clearly upset now, even when she didn’t want to be. But Emily just said things like that and then moved on like it didn’t matter.

It bothered her.

Emily studied her, in that usual stillness she got when she was watching someone closely but didn’t want them to feel cornered. There was no one else around now, the hall still and unhurried around them.

“Okay, then why does it feel like you’re mad at me?” Emily tried again.

JJ straightened, gesturing a little with her hand. “I don’t know, Emily. I’m just-“ She shook her head, licked her upper lip and looked at Emily. “I just don’t know what you mean when you say things like that.”

“Like what?”

“See, you don’t even–“ JJ cut herself off, now actually getting frustrated because how was Section Chief, fucking international spy, former Head of Interpol Emily Prentiss not getting this. She exhaled. “Can you finish these chairs? I want to see if I can find Will.”

Emily blinked, a little surprised, but JJ didn’t even wait for an answer. She just turned, brushing some invisible dirt from her dress as she walked away, leaving Emily to stay there, stunned.

֎

This whole day was just getting to her.

She was already stressed before anything had even happened. And she wasn’t even sure why she was upset. It was a senseless, funny comment that wasn’t unusual for Emily.

She halted in front of the door of Will’s room.

The room of the groom.

Back when they married, they didn’t have something like that. Actually, they didn’t have much of anything. It had been so spontaneous and small, the whole BAU had helped to set it up, surprising them with a ceremony that should have counted for a lifetime.

Emily had been there, too, of course. If JJ was being honest, Emily had probably helped to set up most of it with Penelope. Emily had always put her friends first, no matter what.

Sometimes, JJ had let her mind wander. She had always thought Emily had looked so nostalgic that day. Sad, like she was reminiscing something that could have been. For the longest time, JJ had thought it was because she had already made up her mind to leave the states. Sometimes, she wasn’t so sure if that was true. But sometimes she thought thinking it had been anything but that was her just being stupid.

JJ had been upset with her for a long time back then when Emily had just… left.

She didn’t understand it. She wanted to, and she did get the part of her not wanting to just come back to her old life after dying – or, fake-dying. But deep down, JJ couldn’t understand how Emily could have just left her, how she could have just packed her bags and moved across continents. Again.

She shook her head and knocked on the door, the sound echoing softly through the empty hallway. Will’s voice came from inside, telling whoever was knocking that the door was unlocked. Will stood in front of the mirror, his hands trying to tie his tie.

He had always been horrible at that, hadn’t he?

JJ stepped quietly into the room, closing the door behind her before meeting Will’s eyes through the mirror. “Hey.”

Will gave her a gentle smile, his hands still fidgeting with the fabric. “Hey.”

“Your fiancée is stressing a little bit.” JJ let out a soft chuckle, taking a few steps towards Will, her eyes on his hands, her eyes clearly a little judgy.

Will nodded with an affectionate smile. “I know. She wants everything to be perfect.”

JJ nodded knowingly.

Stress was a part of weddings. They both knew it.

“You okay?” Will asked then, a silent beat passing between them. They weren’t married anymore but that didn’t change the fact that they had been for almost a decade. Will knew her, and she did, too.

“Yeah, I just… needed a breather, too, I guess.” JJ cleared her throat, shifting from one heel to the other. “And I thought I’d check up on you.”

Will turned, his hands now hanging to his sides, the untied tie forgotten around his shoulders. “So you and Emily took care of everything, I assume.”

JJ huffed a little at that. “Yeah. We’re- We’re a good team.”

Will smiled knowingly, his eyes narrowing then a little, catching the way JJ’s expression wasn’t fully relaxed. “So why are you clearly a little upset?”

“I’m not.” JJ said a little too quickly.

“Yes, you are.”

JJ groaned, tilting her head up towards the ceiling. She put her hands on her hips, licking her upper lip. Maybe she should just lie, tell him she was just a little stressed because of work but, truthfully, JJ needed to get this of her chest and before she could stop herself, the worlds were already tumbling out of her, “I don’t know. Emily said something and I can’t get it out of my head.”

Will furrowed his eyebrows together. “What did she say?”

“I don’t think I should be discussing this with my ex-husband.” JJ snorted.

“Oh, come on.” Will chuckled, nodding before he shrugged anyway. “Remember when I told you about Mandy and you called me out for being stupid and infuriating for not shooting my shot?”

“Yeah, but that was different.” JJ scoffed, looking away for a second. “Amanda was giving you a million hints and clearly in love with you.”

Will just nodded. “Exactly.”

JJ blinked, her eyes landing on him once more. She knew exactly what he was implying with that. She huffed, smacking her tongue against her teeth as she glanced down at her feet, letting the heel of her shoe scrape over the wooden floor.

“Emily and me are not like that.”

“Mhm.” Will hummed, not convinced. “Sure.”

JJ exhaled, looking up again. She desperately needed to change the subject. “Anyway. Do you need any more help?”

Will knew what she was doing, nodding. Then he chuckled, helplessly picking up one of the ends of his tie. “Yeah, can you help me with this?”

JJ just laughed softly, stepping towards him and nodding. “Thought you’d never ask. It’s embarrassing to look you struggle with this.”

Will grinned, shaking his head with a huff. JJ took the two lapels into her hand, bringing them over each other before she started skillfully tying the tie. “You know, you’ll do great. You and Amanda belong together, everyone can see it.”

She wasn’t sure what made her say it now, but she just needed him to know.

Because it was true.

Will took a deep breath, his eyes on JJ’s hand. “I know.”

JJ grinned, now pulling the knot tight and bringing it up to the front of his throat.

“There.” She said, smoothing down the fabric below the knot. “I remember the first time after you asked out Amanda, when I dropped of the boys at your place that weekend and you seemed so happy. You were practically glowing. And I hadn’t seen you so happy in years.”

Will nodded slowly, knowing what she was saying without saying it.

“We didn’t make each other happy anymore, Will.” JJ added softly, meeting his eyes. “And that’s okay.”

“I know.” Will replied, his voice matching JJ’s.

“Amanda’s an amazing person.” JJ said, letting it sit there for a second. “You’re lucky to have her.”

“I know.” Will exhaled shakily, his cheeks puffing up a little bit and his eyes turning a little bit glassy. “I am so lucky.” His voice broke a little on the word ‘lucky’, and it warmed JJ’s heart. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Will and drawing him into a tight hug.

“Oh, Will, I’m so happy for you. Really.” She said, her voice thick with emotion.

And she was.

God, when they got divorced almost five years ago, she could have never imagined feeling like this about Will again. She expected them to be fine with each other, sure, but actually being happy for him for finding a new kind of love? This kind of love? She hadn’t expected that.

But she was.

Will held her, too, and when she finally stepped back, she gave him a faint smile. “Alright, I’ll greet the guests. You get ready here.”

Will just smiled, thanking her.

She stepped out of the room. Their conversation had lightened her mood a little. She wasn’t upset with Emily anymore. Maybe she never really was. Maybe she was just unsure about what they were, what Emily felt, what was happening between them and – She shook her head.

She was here to support her ex-husband, her friend, the father of her children.

That’s it.

And she could live with that.

She could accept that this was all this was.

֎

She wandered back into the venue. She could see people arriving, guests being greeted by staff and champagne. Her eyes scanned the lobby before she paused near one of the tall windows, a little out of view, drawn in by a small flicker of motion outside.

Henry and Emily.

Out in the garden, standing on the oversized chessboard built into the stone path. Henry was animated and grinning, waving his arms like he was commentating for ESPN. Emily was calm and attentive, letting him believe he had her on the ropes.

Her lips tugged upward before she could stop them. Of course, Emily was letting him win. Emily was the best chess player she knew, even better than Reid and if she hadn’t become an FBI agent, JJ was sure Emily would be grandmaster by now.

She heard Emily let out a soft chuckle at a comment Henry made and it hit JJ all over again how good Emily was with her kids. How good she had always been with her kids.

And JJ didn’t know what to do with that.

Earlier, when her younger son had just assumed they were together, and how easily Emily had laughed about it, brushed it off, even teased her about it. And then, not shortly after how she made that comment about, if she saw someone like JJ in the crowd, she’d just dump her fiancée. That was ridiculous, right? Emily had just said it out of fun. It was a funny comment.

That’s it.

And, annoyingly, her mind betrayed her, too. Because she wondered if Emily would make a comment like that with anyone else. With Tara, or Penelope, or even Rebecca. Was this just how Emily was? Her Emily? Was JJ just one of a dozen people Emily was effortlessly close with, and none of it was special at all? The flirting, the comments, the laughs, the scarce but real touches?

JJ didn’t do this with anyone else. She didn’t feel like this with anyone else.

But maybe Emily did.

Maybe for Emily this was all just a little fun.

JJ folded her arms across her chest, staying out of sight as she watched Henry do a ridiculous victory dance around a toppled knight. Emily was laughing, full, warm, real, and JJ felt it deep in her chest. She wanted that moment. That ease, that closeness, but she didn’t know if she was allowed to want it.

If she was already too far in, or not far enough.

It would be so much easier if Emily would just say it. If she’d stop dancing around it with half-smiles and soft touches and looks that made JJ’s pulse jump and then disappear behind something vague and controlled.

JJ sighed and turned away from the window before they could spot her.

֎

During the short and slightly chaotic champagne welcome on the patio, filled with clinking glasses, polite laughter, and too many people greeting JJ because they knew her, she slipped back to Emily’s side where she was standing now. She and Henry must’ve stopped playing chess when the first guests had started to arrive.

Emily looked at her a little surprised but also with so much understanding and kindness, JJ wanted to melt. She exhaled quietly and leaned a little closer to her. “I’m sorry.” JJ cleared her throat quietly. “For disappearing on you.”

Emily gave her a gentle smile. “I know it’s an emotional day, don’t worry.”

JJ pressed her lips together and nodded, leaving it at that, grateful for how she never had to over-explain with her. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to explain it to her, or even if she could. Either way, of course, Emily would attribute it entirely to the emotionality of this day for JJ. She could live with that.  

“I saw you play chess with Henry.”

Emily nodded, a grin spreading over her face. “Mhm, he’s a champ.”

“You clearly let him win.” JJ chuckled, her eyes on Emily.

Emily just shrugged, licking the inside of her teeth. “Maybe.”

JJ let out a soft laugh and before she could say anything else, Emily took a step forward. “Let’s go to the ceremony hall, okay?”

JJ just nodded, a smile on her face.

They were okay.

They were okay.

Everything was fine.

The chairs they had neatly arranged earlier stretched down the aisle, a soft runner leading toward the small altar at the end, decorated with white roses and eucalyptus. The light through the tall windows was golden and low, catching on glass and fabric.

JJ sat down quietly in one of the middle rows, smoothing her dress as she did. Henry and Michael were already there, settled beside her, Henry still half-scrolling through something on his phone, Michael adjusting the collar of his too-stiff shirt. They both looked too grown up in their button-downs, and JJ’s heart squeezed at the sight.

To her right, Emily sat down, too.

People were whispering now, waiting for the main event to begin.

And before people could grow restless, music started and Amanda appeared in the hallway just outside the open doors, her father beside her. She started walking down the aisle.

And it was beautiful.

Amanda’s train was long and elegant, maybe even majestic. There were tears in her eyes already and as JJ glanced forward at Will, she could see them there, too.

Then, slowly but surely, the music quieted as Will and Amanda stood at the altar now, facing each other beneath the soft arch of flowers and light. The officiant stepped back slightly, giving them space to speak.

Will started.

His voice was steady but low, a little raw around the edges. His words were simple, but honest, a kind of reverence in the way he spoke about Amanda. About starting over, about choosing love again, about purpose.

JJ tried not to let it get to her. She had meant what she said. Will deserved this, and so did Amanda. But sitting there, hearing vows that echoed too close to the ones she once wrote herself, felt… sharp in places she didn’t expect. She blinked, focusing on the soft lighting. The curve of Amanda’s dress. Michael fidgeting beside her, already ready to bring the rings he was balancing on the pillow on his thighs to the front. Henry, sitting still in that practiced teenage way, like he’d been trained to act cool through anything.

And then Amanda spoke. She was eloquent, warm, not overly romantic, but real. She talked about the quiet kind of love. The kind that steadies you. The kind you grow into. She talked about Will being home, and JJ felt something shift low in her chest.

She didn’t realize her hands had curled into her lap, knuckles white, until she felt a touch. Gentle, warm, and steady. Emily’s fingers slipped quietly over hers.

JJ glanced down, surprised. Emily wasn’t looking at her, just kept her eyes forward, watching the vows unfold, calm and composed as ever. JJ intertwined their fingers instinctively, and she felt Emily’s gentle thumb brushing over her hand, grounding her like an anchor dropped in a heavy storm.

She needed this.

And Emily knew it.

She breathed in and out, matching her breath to the pressure of Emily’s hand against hers, that quiet reminder that she wasn’t alone. That she never really had been, even when she said otherwise.

The vows ended, the officiator said something and it was Michael’s time to walk forward with the rings on the pillow. Will let out a huff of air, tears staining his cheek and JJ sniffled, too. This was their son, and no matter how it ended between them, they did so good with him, with both their boys. Michael grinned proudly and the pair in front of him slipped on their rings.

And when Will kissed Amanda and the guests applauded, JJ held Emily’s hand a little tighter. She thought, not for the first time, that maybe this was the kind of love Amanda had been talking about.

The quiet kind. The steady kind.

The kind that shows up and stays.

Fuck.

֎

Now that the ceremony had long since faded into memory, the reception was alive with light and sound. Music pulsed softly through the warm summer air, a steady rhythm that seemed to sync with the heartbeat of the night. Strings of golden lights crisscrossed above the garden, throwing gentle arcs of glow across white-draped tables, flickering candles, and wine glasses sweating in the evening heat. Laughter drifted upward into the violet dusk, uncontained and joy-drunk. Guests danced barefoot on the grass, hair loosened from formality, cheeks kissed pink by champagne and the lingering sun.

JJ stood just beyond the edges of it all, close enough to feel the buzz but just far enough to breathe. A flute of champagne dangled from her fingers, the glass catching the light with every small motion of her hand.

Emily stood beside her, tall and grounded, a calm counterweight to the revelry. JJ’s smile tugged higher as she spotted Henry in the thick of the crowd, enthusiastically attempting to teach Michael some exaggerated dance move that could only have come from the depths of social media. And Michael was completely invested, and utterly delighted.

JJ tilted her head. “This went a lot better than I thought it would.”

Emily glanced at her, brow arched in mild surprise.

JJ nodded toward the dance floor. “I expected to feel a lot worse. Maybe resentment or… disappointment. But…” she paused for a second, then looked at Emily, “I think I’m just happy.”

Emily’s mouth curved, meeting her eyes. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” JJ said, her eyes lingering on Emily for just a second too long. Then she averted her gaze.

It landed, briefly, on Amanda and Will a little ways off, slow dancing like no one else existed. Their foreheads were nearly touching, swaying gently to a song JJ didn’t recognize. They looked good together. Like a story that had finally found its right ending.

She turned back to Emily. Emily hadn’t even looked away, a small smile on her face. Then, to JJ’s surprise, Emily extended a hand, palm open and unapologetic. “May I have this dance?”

JJ blinked, then let out a soft laugh. She let her fingers slip easily into Emily’s, nodding. “You may.”

Emily led her toward the open patch of patio where the lights glowed golden and low, and the music had softened into something slow and aching. Her hands settled gently on JJ’s waist, steady but careful, like she was waiting to see how close JJ would come. JJ moved forward  out of instinct one hand slipping up to rest on Emily’s shoulder. And slowly but surely, the world fell away in pieces. The sound of voices blurred. The movement of bodies around them faded. JJ breathed out, the corners of her mouth lifting in a laugh, quiet, breathy, surprised by how easy it felt.

“What?” Emily asked, brows raised, the smile already teasing at the edges.

JJ shook her head, still smiling. “Nothing. Just... you’re such a romantic.”

Emily gave her a look. “I am not.”

JJ grinned wider. “You are. You’re literally slow dancing with me under twinkle lights. At my ex-husband’s wedding. That’s peak romance, Ems.”

“I only asked you to dance so you’d stop brooding in the corner.” Emily shot back, eyes glinting with dry amusement.

“Sure, you did.” JJ smiled.

They kept moving, gentle and quiet, bodies swaying in sync with the music and each other. Emily glanced to the side, then back at her. “You did really good today.” She said, her voice softer again.

JJ’s gaze met hers. “Yeah?”

Emily nodded. “Mhm. You stayed calm, handled everything with grace. I would’ve been halfway to a meltdown by the time the chairs where placed wrong.”

JJ laughed at that. “So right from the beginning?”

Emily shrugged, grinning. “Basically.”

JJ tilted her head back, laughing and Emily could only look at her.

She was beautiful, wasn’t she?

A few moments passed, the music low and soft in the background. Then, JJ stepped a little closer, closing the last few inches between them. Her voice dipped. “You were right, by the way.”

Mhm, maybe she was a little tipsy.

Emily tilted her head. “About?”

“Your dress.” JJ clarified. “Definitely turned some heads.”

Emily exhaled a short laugh, glancing down at their feet, then away. “Liar.”

“Oh my God.” JJ said, grinning as her eyes lit up with amusement. “Are you blushing? Did I just make Emily Prentiss blush?”

Emily rolled her eyes automatically, but it was a beat too slow to hide it. The pink was already there, faint, but obvious now that JJ had pointed it out. It crept up from the high points of her cheeks, warmed by the champagne, the summer air, and maybe, though Emily would never admit it out loud, by JJ herself. JJ, with that smile that knew her too well. JJ, standing close enough that Emily could feel the heat of her skin through the few inches of air between them.

Then, because today had been a lot and JJ was a little tipsy, she leaned in a little more. “Definitely turned my head.”

She was done with this.

If Emily could flirt, so could she.

What was there to lose?

Emily rolled her eyes, snorting softly. “I fucking hate you.”

Yeah, it was just jokes, wasn’t it.

JJ laughed, quiet and bright, the kind that softened everything in her face. “Mhm, sure you do.”

Her hand, which had been resting lightly on Emily’s shoulder, slid upward, just barely, to the curve of Emily’s neck, her fingers settling into that warm, familiar space where skin met collarbone.

JJ’s voice dipped a little lower, softer now. “You did really good today, too.”

Emily blinked, caught a little off guard. “With what?”

JJ tilted her head slightly, her thumb brushing gently against the side of Emily’s neck, more grounding than flirtatious. “With the boys.” She said. “I saw you with them. Distracting them, making them laugh, playing chess with Henry like it wasn’t ninety degrees, letting Michael chase you across the lawn.”

Emily looked down for a second, clearing her throat. “They looked like they needed it.”

“They did.” JJ said. Her voice was quiet now, sincere. “And you just… stepped in. Like always.” She paused. “They love you. A lot.”

Emily’s gaze stayed down for a moment, her expression unreadable in the low light. Then she nodded once, slow. “They’re great kids.”

“They’re lucky to have you.” JJ said, then added softly, “I’m lucky to have you.”

That made Emily glance up again, quick, sharp, almost like it startled her.

JJ held her gaze, steady and open, with that easy familiarity they’d built over years. Through all the messy, complicated chapters. Through marriages and breakups and late-night calls. Through silence and noise.

Through everything.

Emily gave her a gentle smile. “Me too.”

Because no matter what they were, they were always grateful for each other.

No matter what they were, they knew exactly how much they meant to each other.

֎

Later that night, the garden had quieted into a gentler rhythm.

The raucous laughter from earlier had softened into the hum of small conversations, the occasional clink of glass against glass, the faint rustle of leaves overhead. The string lights still cast their golden haze over the lawn, but the dance floor had thinned, and the music now drifted like background decoration, low, slow, more lullaby than celebration.

Emily stood beside Will at the open-air bar, a glass of champagne loose in her fingers, condensation beading along the stem. Will sipped a neat bourbon, his tie already long undone, his sleeves rolled. They stood in companionable silence for a moment, watching the scene across the garden unfold: Amanda, radiant and relaxed in her ivory slip dress, stood talking to JJ, both women laughing, heads tipped together in that easy, instinctive way that only came when you genuinely liked someone. Amanda gestured animatedly with her hands, and JJ threw her head back, her laughter echoing across the grass like windchimes.

Emily let out a quiet breath, then tilted her head toward Will without looking away. “I think your ex-wife is stealing your current wife.”

Will let out a low chuckle, amused and maybe a little proud. “She is. And I’m not even mad about it.” He shook his head, smiling faintly. “I can’t believe they get along so well.”

Emily smiled too, small, knowing. “They do, don’t  they?”

But there it was, undeniable. The way JJ had looked at Amanda during the ceremony. The way Amanda had spoken to JJ like she’d known her for years, not just a few brief dinners and exchanged messages. It wasn’t forced civility. It was genuine affection.

“I mean,” Will went on, eyes still on the two women, “when Mandy said she wanted to invite JJ to the wedding, I thought – hell, that’s a setup for disaster. But she insisted. And look at ‘em.”

Emily nodded with a smile, watching as Amanda lightly touched JJ’s arm in mid-laugh. And her gaze lingered. On JJ, on the way her dress fell on her frame, the way her smile was wide and bright and genuine, the way her hair was curled and – God. She looked so pretty, Emily could have melted on the spot. JJ was like a ray of sunshine to her and Emily’s heart skipped a little beat. She couldn’t tear her eyes away, her smile softening.

Will glanced over at her, his eyes lingering for just a moment too long.

God, his ex-wife and her best friend were idiots, weren’t they.

“You know, I used to be really jealous of you.”

Emily blinked, her head whipping around to look at him. “What?”

Will let out a breath, a little amused with himself now. “Yeah. You were always… there.”

Emily straightened slightly, like she had been caught. “I’m sorry. I didn’t–“

“No, no.” Will shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t apologize. I didn’t get it at the time, but it wasn’t your fault. Or hers. JJ and I- we weren’t meant to be forever. I know that now.”

Emily stayed quiet, unsure where this was going.

Will looked out across the patio for a moment, then back at her. “You’re the first person she mentions, no matter what. If something happens, if she needs to think out loud, if she needs someone, she goes to you. You’re always on her mind.”

Emily’s lips parted slightly, surprised at how plainly he said it.

“And you get her.” Will continued. “Like no one else does. Honestly, better than I ever did.”

She didn’t know what to say. Her chest felt tight, like someone had finally said out loud something she hadn’t even let herself believe. But also… hearing this for the first time by the ex-husband of the woman you’ve been in love with for too long.

Yeah.

One heck of a feeling.

Will gave her a soft shrug, like he knew. “I used to be resentful.” He admitted. “Which really sucked because you were actually really fun.”

Emily huffed out a surprised laugh. “Really?”

Will grinned. “Yeah. You were always the cool one. And you saved my life once, remember?”

Yeah. She remembered. The bomb, the second left on that timer.

Fuck, that had been a horrible day.

But Emily smiled faintly, her voice a little more grounded now. “I never meant to come in between you two.”

“You didn’t.” Will said quickly, shaking his head. “I mean, back then I might’ve thought that. But it wasn’t you. It was just… us. JJ and I. We had a good run, but it was never really the right kind of forever.”

Emily looked down, nodding slowly. Will followed her gaze again, to JJ, still laughing, still radiant, still the center of something Emily didn’t quite know how to name without feeling like she’d break open.

Will glanced back at her, a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Maybe you don’t want to hear this. And, probably, this isn’t even my place but, you two should seriously stop pretending there’s nothing there. And you should stop pretending it doesn’t affect you as much as it does.”

Emily swallowed and glanced at Will. She couldn’t believe JJ’s ex-husband was talking to her about this.

“Wow, marriage has changed you.” Emily joked and Will laughed, nodding. “What can I say? I am a very happy man.”

Emily grinned a little at that before nodding. “Thanks, Will. Honestly.”

Will gave her a small nod before gently clapping her shoulder, already moving past her toward his son. “Just so you know though, the kids are taking bets on you two.”

Emily blinked. “What?”

Will grinned. “Henry got a lot of faith in you tonight.”

Emily just snorted but before she could say anything else, Will glanced down at his watch. “Speaking of my kids, I better put Mikey to bed before he completely crashes.”

Emily straightened slightly, already placing her champagne glass on the bar. “Don’t worry. I got it.”

Will looked at her, brows lifting. “You sure?”

She nodded, already stepping away from the counter. “Yeah. You stay out here. Enjoy the rest of the night with your wife.”

He smiled at her, grateful and warm. “Thanks, Emily.”

She found Michael sitting cross-legged beside Henry near one of the low cocktail tables that had been more or less abandoned for dancing and mingling. The boys were in their own world, their ties long discarded, shirt buttons undone, cheeks smeared with frosting. They had each stolen a final piece of cake, evidence in the form of empty dessert plates at their feet, and were shoveling the last bites into their mouths with the kind of manic focus only sugar and exhaustion could produce.

“Hey, you two.” Emily called out softly, crouching down beside them with a faint smile.

Michael looked up at her, chocolate on the corner of his mouth, Henry snickering beside him. Emily reached over with a napkin, gently wiping his face. “Alright, sugar bandits. Time to get you to bed.”

Michael pouted immediately, dramatic and sleepy. “But we’re not tired.”

Henry snorted. “You almost fell asleep into the cake five minutes ago.”

Michael elbowed him weakly, yawning as he did it.

Emily smiled, brushing a hand gently through his messy blond hair. “Yeah, come on, kiddo. Before you crash in the grass and wake up with a million of bug bites.”

Michael sighed like it was the greatest injustice he’d ever suffered, but he didn’t protest again. He just held up his arms in silent surrender.

Emily stood, scooping him up with practiced ease. He tucked his head against her shoulder without hesitation, melting into the safety of her like he’d done it a hundred times. Maybe he had.

Henry stood too, eyes following as Emily shifted Michael in her arms. The little boy had gone quiet quickly, his head nestled against her shoulder, thumb resting near his mouth in that absent, sleepy way kids do when they’re finally giving in to the day.

“Want me to come with and help?” Henry asked.

Emily glanced at him, smiling gently. There was something about Henry that always tugged at her, his steadiness, his awareness. He’d grown up fast. Too fast, maybe. Sometimes it felt just like yesterday when she had seen JJ in that hospital bed, her whole entire world in her arms.

“No, don’t worry.” She said quietly. “You stay out here a little longer. Your dad’s around back there. And your mom…” She paused, glancing back across the lawn toward the glow of fairy lights and voices. JJ was still deep in conversation with Amanda. “Your mom is currently being thoroughly charmed by your dad’s wife.”

Henry huffed a laugh, folding his arms. “Yeah. She kinda likes her.”

Emily raised an eyebrow. “Kinda?”

Henry grinned. “Okay, a lot. She says Amanda’s cool and smart and not fake. I think she was surprised that she’s so happy about this.”

“Well, she’s allowed to be.” Emily murmured, almost to herself.

“She likes you a lot more.” Henry said after a beat.

Emily huffed a quiet laugh through her nose and glanced sideways at him, amusement tugging at her mouth. “You always come back to that?”

Henry grinned, boyish and bold. “I bet on you tonight, so…”

Emily let out a soft, disbelieving laugh and rolled her eyes, adjusting the weight of Michael on her arm. Michael was still draped against her shoulder, warm and heavy now, his breathing soft and even, the telltale rhythm of a child completely asleep. His small hand curled loosely against her arm, the faintest hint of frosting still on his fingers.

Emily glanced down at him, then back toward Henry. “You’re all a bunch of meddlers, you know that?”

Henry just smiled. “We learned from the best.”

Emily shook her head, but didn’t argue. She shifted Michael gently, his breath brushing warm against her neck. And when she looked back toward the lights where JJ still stood, laughing with Amanda, her expression softened just a little, like something settled quietly in her chest, even if she wasn’t ready to name it.

֎

She laid Michael down gently, careful not to jostle him as she adjusted the blanket up to his chin. His brow furrowed for half a second but then he sighed and turned slightly, cheek pressing deeper into the pillow.

Emily lingered for a moment. She brushed a bit of his hair back, then stood and moved across the room quietly. She dimmed the lamp on the dresser until the warm light faded to a low golden glow, enough to chase shadows but not dreams. Before stepping out, she left the bedroom door cracked open, just a sliver, so the night air could circulate and so, if he stirred, he wouldn’t feel alone.

Outside the room, the hallway was hushed.

The distant pulse of music from the garden barely reached this far into the house now. Emily sat down on a low slab of stone built into the wide window ledge halfway down the corridor, facing the dark stretch of trees that bordered the property. The sky beyond them was clear and deep, stars scattered like salt, the kind of sky you only notice when everything else finally quiets down.

She rested her elbows on her knees and exhaled slowly.

Today had been a whirlwind and now, she realized how much she needed to take a beat for a moment. The ceremony, the reception, the laughter, the speeches, the dancing, it had all gone so smoothly, so surprisingly well.

JJ had looked happy. Amanda had been gracious. Will had been present, easygoing. And somehow, through it all, Emily had found herself being pulled into moment after moment that felt… close. Familiar, and maybe a little dangerous. So many people had smiled at her in that knowing way. So many had nudged her gently toward JJ with just their eyes or a joke. They were all rooting for her and JJ like this was already written. Like it was a love story with a foregone conclusion.

And yet… Emily wasn’t even sure what JJ was feeling.

“Hey.”

JJ’s voice was quiet, almost cautious.

Emily turned her head and looked up to see her standing just down the hall. JJ’s shoes were off, her dress slightly rumpled from hours of celebration, hair falling around her face in soft waves. She looked flushed from laughter, a little tipsy, and somehow, still, undeniably beautiful.

“Hey.” Emily echoed softly, a small smile tugging at her mouth before she turned her gaze back out the window. The night stretched quiet beyond the glass, only faint echoes of music drifting from outside. “Just thought I’d sit here for a minute. Make sure Mikey’s really asleep.”

JJ stepped closer. “You tucked him in?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “You were talking to Amanda, and I figured I’d let Will enjoy the rest of the night without being pulled back into dad duty.”

Something softened in JJ’s expression, a smile forming.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know.” Emily said gently. “I wanted to.”

Another step carried JJ forward, slow and deliberate, and her gaze didn’t leave Emily’s face.

“Thank you.”

It was simple, but the way JJ said it made Emily pause, as though the words carried more than just gratitude for a bedtime gesture. The weight hung there between them. Neither of them moved. For a few suspended seconds, the hallway was nothing but hush and shadow, the wall sconce behind JJ casting soft light that curved across her face. She held JJ’s gaze, steady, patient, waiting.

JJ’s lips parted, hesitation catching in her breath before the words even left. “Emily…”

Emily turned slightly on the stone slab, her body angling so she faced JJ fully now, legs swinging gently over the edge. Her knees could have almost brushed against JJ’s thighs.

JJ glanced down, then lifted her eyes again, searching her face. “Thank you for going with me tonight. And I guess, tomorrow, we still have the lunch thing.”

“Oh yeah.” Emily blinked, a little surprised. Maybe she had expected JJ to say something else. Then she allowed a small smile to form as she nudged her foot lightly against JJ’s shin. “Do you think I can get out of that? I don’t really–“

JJ let out a soft laugh, punching her lightly on the arm with the heels she had in her hand. “No, you can’t.” She grinned, a spark flashing across her face. “You’re gonna sit next to me and keep me company.”

Emily’s answering laugh was quieter, warm in its own way. “Okay, fine.”

For a beat, neither of them spoke again and that moment of them just looking at each other, somehow getting lost in each other’s eyes, returned. Moonlight spilled faintly through the window, silvering their hair, blue and brown eyes meeting in the half-dark.

Emily’s breath left in a soft yawn, breaking the moment. “I think I’m gonna go to sleep.”

JJ nodded, a tired smile on her face. “Yeah, me too. Let’s go.”

She turned on her heel, footsteps whispering against the floorboards as she started down the hallway. Emily followed just a step behind.

“You know,” JJ said suddenly, glancing back over her shoulder with a faint grin, “I really like Amanda.”

Emily chuckled under her breath. “I know. Me and Will both noticed.”

JJ slowed, eyebrow raising. “When did you talk to Will?”

“While you were being charmed by Amanda.” Emily’s grin widened. “I’m besties with your ex-husband now, actually.”

JJ laughed, the sound easy, carrying them down the hall as she pushed open the door to their room. Emily let it fall shut behind her, the quiet thud settling into the space. Their bags were already waiting inside, set neatly against the wall, probably carried up earlier by Will or someone else.

“I take the right side.” JJ announced through a yawn, getting her toiletries from her suitcase.

“I know. You always take the right side.” Emily’s voice carried an easy familiarity as she crouched to unzip her suitcase, too, pulling out her toothbrush and pajamas.

That faint smile flickered across JJ’s face again before she disappeared into the bathroom, toiletries in hand. She brushed her teeth quickly, eyes flicking to the mirror where Emily appeared behind her a moment later. Emily stepped inside, still in her dress, toothbrush already in hand, and perched on the edge of the bathtub while she scrolled absently through her phone.

JJ’s voice was muffled around the toothbrush. “Are you reading emails?”

“Mhm.” Emily hummed without looking up.

JJ rinsed her mouth and leaned back against the sink, watching as Emily tapped through her inbox. Emily rinsed next, then promptly sat down again on the edge of the tub, her dress brushing against the tile, thumb flying over the screen.

“I haven’t checked my emails all day.” She murmured. “I need to catch up.”

JJ chuckled, shaking her head as she tugged at the zipper at the back of her dress, her fingers fumbling awkwardly. “You’re such a workaholic.”

Emily’s attention didn’t lift from her phone. Her hands were too busy, her focus pulled elsewhere. On reports, cases. She had only been off for the day and already missed so much. JJ wrestled with the zipper another moment before sighing.

“Hey.” She said finally, glancing over her shoulder. “Can you help me? With the zipper.”

Emily finally looked up from her phone, blinking twice as if it took her a second to process JJ’s words. She tilted her head, dark eyes catching the bathroom light. “The zipper?”

JJ gave a small nod, her hands still awkwardly behind her back, tugging uselessly. “Yeah. I think it’s stuck.”

Emily set her phone down on the rim of the bathtub, rising slowly. JJ turned, facing the mirror again, meeting her own reflection. Emily stepped closer, and suddenly the space behind her felt smaller, filled with warmth and presence. Emily’s fingers brushed lightly against the fabric at JJ’s back, steadying themselves just below her shoulder blades before finding the zipper.

The first tug didn’t give and Emily leaned in closer, close enough that JJ could feel the soft press of her breath against her bare skin where the dress dipped.

“It really is stuck.” Emily murmured, almost to herself.

“See?” JJ said lightly, her voice catching a little more than she intended.

Emily tried again, careful and slow, one hand steady at JJ’s hip now to keep the fabric taut while the other worked the zipper.

“There.” Emily whispered finally, as the zipper gave a reluctant slide. She tugged it down, slow, the sound of teeth parting sharp in the otherwise hushed room.

With each inch, more of JJ’s back was revealed to the cool air, first her shoulder blades, then the long curve of her spine, pale against the dark dress. Emily’s hand lingered just briefly, fingertips brushing along the line of the zipper as though checking it hadn’t caught.

The touch was feather-light, but JJ felt it like fire. She reached up, holding the straps at her shoulders.

“That should do it.” Emily said quietly, though she didn’t move back right away.

“Thanks.”

Emily gave the faintest nod, her breath soft against JJ’s skin. Then before Emily could do anything stupid, she stepped back, cleared her throat and gave JJ a quick smile through the mirror. “I’ll let you shower first. I can go afterwards.”

JJ blinked, then nodded. “Y-yeah, sure.”

The bathroom door clicked shut behind Emily and JJ released a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Slowly, her dress slipped to the ground.

Fuck.

Emily’s fingers had been so soft against her skin, she had felt her breath on her shoulder and – God damn it, how was she supposed to sleep next to her in a double bed tonight?

֎

Emily showered quickly after her.

JJ sat on the bed with her legs stretched out in front of her, bare beneath the hem of her pajama shorts. She had put on a loose top, thin enough for the weather. The room was cooler than it had been before because of the AC, but not by much. The heat clung stubbornly to the walls, to the sheets, to the heavy air between them.

She felt fresh from the shower. But God, Emily’s touch still seemed to linger on her skin like burning fire.

Then the bathroom door opened. JJ looked up from her phone and Emily stepped out with steam curling behind her, soft and pale in the bathroom light before it dissolved into the cooler air of the bedroom.

“That was the best shower I’ve ever taken.” Emily exhaled softly.

She was in pajamas too, a simple top and a pair of shorts, her dark and silver hair a little damp. She dragged a towel over it as she walked over to her suitcase, drying the ends with slow, absent movements. Then, she hung up the towel, and crouched down to get something from one of the side pockets.

JJ just hummed, looking up at her.

Her gaze caught on Emily’s frame before she could stop it. On the bare stretch of her legs. The easy confidence of her posture. The way the soft fabric of her top shifted as she moved. And then, before JJ could panic about any of that, her eyes narrowed.

“You actually got it tattooed?”

Emily glanced up from her suitcase, putting chap stick on her lips before walking closer to the bed. “What?”

JJ shifted before she could think better of it, climbing a little nearer. “A blackbird.”

She had seen it so clearly on her back.

Emily frowned for a moment, then turned enough to show it to her more clearly as she got closer to her. She slid her hair over her shoulder, giving JJ a better view. “Oh, yeah.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I thought this would be a nicer spot than, you know.”

Of course JJ knew.

She nodded, a faint smile touching her mouth as she moved closer again. She swung her legs over Emily’s side of the bed until she was sitting right behind her, close enough that the mattress dipped slightly beneath her shift.

Then she reached out before she could stop herself.

Her fingertips met warm skin first and older ink. She traced the soft lines of the tattoo carefully, almost reverently, following the curve of the wing, the small sweep of the body. Emily stayed still beneath her touch, but JJ felt the faintest change in her breathing.

“It’s nice.” JJ said quietly.

Emily turned around again, facing her. “Thanks.”

God, their knees were almost touching.

Wait… what was happening?

JJ looked up at her, and the distance between them suddenly felt thin enough to tear. Emily stood there, close and warm and still damp from the shower, the scent of soap clinging to her skin. JJ met her eyes and instinctively licked her lips.

“You didn’t get it removed?” She asked. “Or covered up?”

The brand mark.

Emily’s expression shifted. “No.”

She looked down at JJ and drew in a deep breath, like she was choosing the words carefully. “I wanted to.” Emily said. “But… this is part of me. And instead of looking at it as something I died for, I look at it as something I survived.”

JJ gave her a soft smile. “I didn’t know that.”

Emily let out a small huff, glancing away for half a second. “I wasn’t exactly going to tell you over Online Scrabble.”

JJ chuckled quietly, the sound softening the ache in the room.

“And then when I came back…” Emily exhaled, still standing right in front of JJ, close enough that JJ could see the damp strands of hair sticking lightly to her neck. “It just never came up.”

JJ looked at her. “And then you left again.”

Emily met her eyes once more and for a moment, neither of them moved. Then Emily nodded slowly. “And then I left again.” She echoed.

A beat passed.

JJ could hear the AC humming, could hear the faint drip of water from the bathroom faucet, could hear, more than feel, the quiet tension settling over them again, familiar and dangerous and impossible to ignore.

Before Emily could seem to stop herself, she reached up. Her fingers brushed a loose curl of blonde hair behind JJ’s ear, gentle enough to make JJ’s breath catch. Her touch lingered there, fingertips grazing the side of JJ’s face before her hand slowly fell away.

“I really liked the dress you wore tonight.”

She said it like she couldn’t not say it, like she needed JJ to know.

JJ huffed softly. “You did?”

“Mhm.” Emily’s gaze moved over her face, warm and unguarded in a way that made JJ’s stomach tighten. “You wore it to Tara’s engagement party too.”

JJ smiled. “Yeah.” She said. “I did.”

Emily had remembered that. Out of everything. Out of all the cases, all the briefings, all the moments they had pretended not to look too closely at each other, Emily had remembered the dress.

“You were beautiful.” Emily said after a beat.

JJ’s breath halted.

She hadn’t expected that. Not now, not while standing in front of her with damp hair and bare legs and that quiet look on her face, saying it like it had been sitting in her chest for too long.

“Emily…”

“Was that too cheesy?” Emily asked, huffing a little, her mouth pulling into something almost embarrassed.

JJ chuckled, and the tension eased from her shoulders just enough for her to breathe again. “Maybe a little.” Her smile stayed as her own hand rose, almost without permission, brushing over Emily’s waist. Her thumb found bare skin where Emily’s top had shifted, and it was warm and soft. “But you could tell me that more often.”

Emily’s grin came slowly, one eyebrow lifting.

The air changed.

The softness between them was still there, but underneath it something warmer sparked to life, something they both recognized too well to pretend otherwise. Emily didn’t move away and JJ didn’t take her hand back. The space between them shrank without either of them actually moving.

God, it was so obvious what they were doing now, wasn’t it?

And they both clearly wanted it.

“JJ…” Emily licked her lips, her voice dropping slightly. “If you don’t move that hand, I’m going to think you want me to do something else.”

JJ took in a breath. Her thumb stayed where it was, resting against Emily’s skin. She looked up at her, pulse quickening, every sensible thought slipping further out of reach. “I think you know exactly what I want.”

Emily stood there for one second longer.

One unbearable second.

Her eyes flicked down to JJ’s mouth, then back up again. The room seemed to narrow around them, the heat, the hum of the AC, the faint scent of soap and clean skin all folding into that single suspended moment.

And then, before JJ could blink again, Emily leaned down.

Their lips connected.

Finally.

Emily’s hand came up to JJ’s cheek, her palm warm against her skin as she pulled her closer and leaned in further. JJ gasped softly into the kiss as her hand tightened on Emily’s waist, her other hand rising too, fingers curling into the fabric of Emily’s top to bring her nearer.

It was electric.

Truly.

JJ had been waiting for this for so long, and she couldn’t quite process that it was actually happening. Emily’s lips were soft and warm and God, they fit so well. Like all the tension, all the almosts, all the looks they had swallowed and buried and pretended not to understand had been leading them right here.

The kiss was slow at first. Careful and unhurried in a way that almost made it worse, because Emily wasn’t rushing. She was just kissing JJ like she wanted to remember every second of it.

But then, slowly and surely, the air shifted anyway.

JJ felt it in the way Emily leaned forward, just enough to make her breathe in sharply. In the way her thumb brushed over JJ’s cheek before sliding back into her hair. In the way JJ’s own body moved, knees parting slightly as Emily stepped closer between them.

The mattress dipped beneath her as JJ leaned back.

Emily followed, one knee pressing between JJ’s legs, her dress slipping up in the process. JJ made a sound into her mouth, small and helpless. Emily paused for half a second, lips still brushing hers, breath warm against JJ’s skin. “You okay?”

JJ almost laughed.

Okay.

This was more than okay.

She nodded once, fast and breathless, her fingers tightening at Emily’s waist. “Just don’t stop.”

Something changed in Emily’s face. The last bit of restraint flickered.

God.

Emily above her.

Emily’s mouth on hers.

Emily’s damp hair falling forward, brushing JJ’s cheek when she tilted her head and kissed her again like she had been holding herself back for years.

JJ’s hands found her sides, then her back, moving over warm skin and soft cotton, restless and eager and not nearly close enough. She could feel the shift of Emily’s muscles beneath her touch, the way Emily’s breath caught when JJ’s fingers slipped just under the hem of her top.

That sound did something to her.

JJ broke the kiss only because she needed air, but Emily didn’t move far. Her mouth dragged along JJ’s jaw instead, slow and warm, and JJ’s eyes fell shut as her head tipped back against the bed.

“Emily…” She breathed.

God, it came out so needy like Emily was air to her lungs.

And Emily heard it.

Her lips paused just below JJ’s ear, and JJ felt the faint curve of her smile against her skin before Emily kissed her there. Then again.

JJ’s fingers dug into her back, her fingers finding the hem of Emily’s top again. She tugged at the fabric, just slightly.

Emily pulled back enough to look at her. Her lips were parted, her cheeks flushed, her damp hair falling in dark ropes over one shoulder. The lamplight caught the shine on her mouth.

“You sure?” Emily’s voice was rough at the edges. As much as Emily liked to seem like she was the composed one. She wasn’t anymore. And JJ answered by sitting up just enough to grab the bottom of Emily’s top and pull it upward.

Emily let her, the fabric sliding over her stomach, her ribs, her shoulders, and then it was gone, dropped somewhere off the side of the bed without either of them watching where it landed. JJ’s hands found Emily’s bare waist and her breath caught at the feel of all that warm skin beneath her palms.

But then her gaze dropped a little from her eyes.

The brand mark sat on the right side of Emily’s chest, below her collarbone.

“JJ…” Emily’s voice cracked on her name.

“Come here.” JJ just said, pulling her down again.

Emily’s lips parted against hers and JJ tasted her, warm and wanting, her tongue sliding against JJ’s in a way that made her toes curl against the sheets. Emily shifted her weight, one knee pressing higher between JJ’s thighs than earlier, and JJ gasped into her mouth. Her hips rolled without permission, seeking friction, and Emily made a low sound that traveled straight down JJ’s spine.

“God.” JJ broke the kiss, head tipping back. “Emily.”

“I know….” Emily’s mouth found her jaw once more, her ear, the sensitive spot just below it. “I know.”

She said it like she’d been waiting, too. Like all those years of carefully timed glances and conversations cut short and hotel rooms on opposite ends of the hallway had been building toward this exact moment, this exact bed, this exact press of skin against skin.

JJ’s top came off next. Emily pulled it over her head, like unwrapping something she’d been told she could finally have. The cool air hit JJ’s chest and her nipples tightened, but Emily’s hands were there almost immediately, palms cupping her breasts, thumbs brushing over the sensitive peaks.

“You’re so beautiful, JJ.” Emily whispered against the sensitive skin of her neck.

JJ didn’t have time to process the compliment before Emily’s mouth was on her breast, hot and wet, and JJ’s thoughts scattered like startled birds. Her back arched off the mattress and her fingers dug into Emily’s shoulders. Emily’s tongue circled her nipple while her hand worked the other, and JJ heard herself make a sound she didn’t recognize, high and breathy and desperate.

“Tell me if it’s too much.” Emily murmured against her skin.

“It’s not.” The words came out fast, almost frantic. “D-don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

Emily’s laugh was soft and dark against her sternum. “Okay.”

Emily’s mouth moved lower. Her lips traced a path down her stomach, over her ribs, pausing to press into the soft dip of her waist. JJ’s abdominal muscles jumped a little beneath the attention. Her hands were in Emily’s hair now, fingers tangling in the damp strands, and she was making sounds she couldn’t control – small whimpers, sharp inhales. She probably would have been embarrassed if she had been with anyone else.

Emily’s fingers hooked into the waistband of JJ’s pajama shorts. She looked up, her dark eyes meeting JJ’s, and the question was there without needing to be spoken. JJ answered by lifting her hips.

Emily pulled the shorts down and then then she was bare beneath Emily’s gaze, exposed and aching and so wet she could feel the cool air against her own arousal.

“Jesus…” Emily’s voice was reverent. “Look at you.”

JJ should have felt self-conscious. She knew her body had changed over the years – with two children and time and a job that demanded everything had all left their marks. But the way Emily was looking at her, like she was something precious, something long-awaited, something Emily had been dreaming about for years and was finally allowed to touch.

Emily pressed a kiss to the inside of JJ’s thigh.

JJ’s legs fell open wider.

“Please.” She didn’t recognize her own voice. “Emily, please.”

Emily’s lips curved against her skin. “Please what?”

JJ lifted her head enough to glare, but whatever sharp retort she’d been forming died the instant Emily’s mouth touched her. The first stroke of Emily’s tongue was slow, and deliberate and fuck, JJ felt it everywhere. Up her spine, down her legs, curling her toes, pulling a groan from somewhere deep in her chest. Her head fell back against the mattress. One hand fisted in the sheets, the other stayed in Emily’s hair, holding her in place.

Emily made a sound low in her throat, like she’d just tasted something exquisite, and then she did it again, a long, flat stroke that parted JJ’s folds and ended with a flick against her clit.

“Oh, God.” JJ’s hips bucked. “Oh, God, Emily-y.”

Emily’s hands slid under JJ’s thighs, lifting her slightly to get her in a better position, and JJ could not stop the sounds coming out of her mouth. The room filled with them – her gasps, Emily’s name, the wet sounds of Emily’s mouth working her with a single-minded focus that felt almost worshipful.

God, in all the imaginations JJ forbiddingly had, she could have never pictured this. Emily was methodical and creative and devastating, alternating between deep thrusts of her tongue and soft licks and suction around her clit that made JJ see stars behind her eyelids.

“I need–” JJ couldn’t finish the sentence. She even wasn’t sure what she needed. She just wanted more, and everything. Emily inside her, around her, just… all of it.

Emily seemed to understand because she moved upwards, leaving kisses in her wake, her fingers sliding down JJ’s stomach, making her stomach tense up under her reverent touch.

“How many?”

“Two. Start with two.”

Emily kissed her as her fingers slid lower and JJ moaned into it, tasting herself on Emily’s lips. She could feel everything. Emily parted her folds with her fingers, finding her entrance. She circled it once, twice, and JJ’s hips bucked upward impatiently. Emily grinned against her mouth, soft and smug and so unbearably fond, and then she pushed inside.

JJ’s back arched.

Two fingers, just like she’d asked, and they filled her perfectly. Emily moved them slowly at first, curling upward, finding that spot on her front wall that made JJ’s vision blur. Her thumb pressed against JJ’s clit, the pressure alone enough to make JJ’s inner muscles clench.

Emily’s fingers were thrusting deeper now, a steady rhythm that built with every stroke, and her thumb had started moving in small circles that made JJ’s thighs tremble. JJ couldn’t form words. She could barely form thoughts

She was climbing towards her climax, she could feel it building at the base of her spine, coiling tight, and she didn’t want to let go yet but she wasn’t sure she had a choice.

“God, JJ, the sounds you make…” Emily whispered, her fingers thrusting deeper, her thumb circling around JJ’s bundle of nerves.

Emily’s voice.

So low and sultry.

Fuck, it was too much.

“F-fuck, Emily…” JJ tilted her head a little to the side, her hips moving against Emily’s fingers, wanting her deeper inside, wanting her to move faster, to bring her over the edge.

Their lips met again, heated and passionate but as soon as they did, JJ broke the kiss to breathe, groaning loudly as Emily’s fingers hit that spot.

“There?” She heard Emily say and JJ nodded eagerly. Emily focused on that angle, the tips of her fingers finding that spot again and again, bringing JJ closer and closer to her release.

JJ came with a cry that was half Emily’s name and half something wordless, her body arching off the bed as the orgasm rolled through her. Emily kept moving inside her, working her through it, drawing out every pulse and shudder until JJ collapsed back against the mattress, breathless and trembling.

“Holy shit.” JJ managed. “Fuck.”

Emily withdrew her fingers gently and brought them to her mouth, licking them clean with a satisfied hum that made JJ’s spent body clench weakly. “You’re beautiful when you come, you know that?”

“No.” JJ’s laugh was hoarse. “But you can say it again.”

“You’re beautiful when you come.” Emily echoed with a smirk, leaning down to kiss her again.

JJ kissed her back, still breathless from what Emily had done to her just a second ago. She felt Emily’s hands on her waist, soft and warm on her skin. Slowly, she pushed against her, one of her legs wrapping around Emily’s frame. JJ turned them fully, making Emily lay on her back as she slid her leg over her, finding her place right on Emily’s hips. Their lips never left each other, exploring her in ways JJ had never done before.

Emily felt JJ arch into her and her fingers slid lower down her waist, her back, her ass. JJ moaned softly into the kiss, a sound that was like music to Emily’s ears.

Then, slowly, almost reluctantly, JJ leaned back, her hands stroking over Emily’s exposed chest. She licked her lips, and Emily looked at her through her lashes, her hands finding their place on JJ’s thighs.

“You okay?” Emily whispered into the dark and JJ nodded, biting her lower lip, maybe a bit embarrassed, or insecure. “I just… I haven’t been with a woman in years. I– haven’t been with anyone in a while.”

Emily gave her a gentle, reassuring smile. She sat up, JJ shifting in her lap.

“You’re perfect, don’t worry.” Emily said quietly, their lips close. “Just do what you’re comfortable with.”

JJ wrapped her arms around Emily’s shoulders, their faces close as she let a beat pass. “Can I go down on you then?” She asked against Emily’s lips, her voice sultry and low.

Fuck, it was doing things to Emily.

“Y-yes.” Emily nodded, all breathy and needy.

God, she was so turned on.

And JJ knew she was the reason why.

Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat, in her fingertips, in the space between her thighs where she was still slick and sensitive. But the way Emily was looking up at her, dark eyes wide and wanting, lips parted, chest rising and falling in shallow breaths, made JJ feel powerful in a way she hadn’t expected.

She shifted her weight, settling more firmly on Emily’s hips, and the movement pressed her bare cunt against the fabric of Emily’s pajama shorts. The friction made her gasp, but it was Emily’s reaction that held her attention, the way Emily’s jaw went slack, the way her fingers dug into JJ’s hips like she was holding on to something solid in a storm.

“You okay down there?” JJ’s smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Oh, she was sure now.

She loved making Emily feel like this

She would never get enough of it.

Emily huffed a laugh, breathless. “I’m perfect.” Her hand came up, brushing a strand of blonde hair from JJ’s face. “You’re perfect.”

JJ leaned down and kissed her again, slower this time, letting her lips linger. Her tongue traced the seam of Emily’s mouth and Emily opened for her immediately, a soft sound escaping into the kiss. JJ swallowed it. She wanted to swallow every sound Emily made, wanted to catalogue them, memorize them, keep them somewhere safe where she could revisit them later.

Her hands began to wander. Palms flat against Emily’s stomach, she traced the muscles there, the soft give of flesh over ribs, the rise of her breasts. Emily’s breath stuttered when JJ’s thumbs brushed her nipples, and JJ filed that reaction away with a private thrill. She did it again, slow circles, feather-light, and watched Emily’s eyes flutter closed, watched her teeth sink into her bottom lip.

“You’re sensitive.” JJ didn’t make it a question.

“Well, it’s been a while for me, too.” Emily’s voice was rougher now.

“Then let me take care of you.” She husked. “Let me make you feel good.”

She moved down Emily’s body with reverence. Her lips traced the column of Emily’s throat, the hollow at the base of it, the ridge of her collarbone. Emily’s hands fell away from JJ’s hips, fisting in the sheets instead, and JJ took her time exploring, her mouth, her tongue, the gentle scrape of her teeth.

She kissed the undersides of Emily’s breasts, the valley between them, the curve of each rib. Emily’s stomach tensed and fluttered under her lips. JJ’s tongue slid over her skin under her navel and Emily’s hips jerked, a surprised laugh escaping her.

“Ticklish?”

“No.” Emily’s protest was undermined by the breathlessness of her voice.

“Liar.” JJ grinned against her skin.

Her fingers found the waistband of Emily’s pajama shorts. She looked up, meeting Emily’s eyes, and Emily lifted her hips without being asked. The fabric slid down, over her thighs, her knees, her ankles, and then JJ was tossing them aside and Emily was bare beneath her.

She was breathtaking.

JJ sat back on her heels between Emily’s spread legs and just… looked.

“Don‘t stare…” Emily’s voice wavered between self-conscious and turned on.

“I’m appreciating.” JJ’s hands settled on Emily’s thighs, thumbs stroking the sensitive skin just below the crease of her hips. “You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined this.”

Emily’s eyebrow lifted. “You have?”

“Mhm.” JJ leaned down, pressing a kiss to Emily’s hipbone. “In the office. In the jet. In hotel rooms when you were in the room next door and I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about you.”

“JJ…” Emily’s voice cracked.

God, whatever insecurities JJ had earlier about not being with a woman in a while, they were gone now. She moved with confidence, talking smoothly and saying all the things that sent a shiver down Emily’s spine.

It did things to Emily she had never experienced.

“I pictured what you’d look like.” Another kiss, lower now. “What you’d taste like.” Her tongue darted out, just barely touching skin, and Emily’s entire body shuddered. “What sounds you’d make.”

“Fuck.” The word tore from Emily’s throat like it had been waiting there for years.

JJ smiled against her inner thigh. “Yeah. That’s one of the sounds.”

Her lips traced a slow path up Emily’s thigh, nipping gently at the sensitive flesh, soothing each bite with her tongue. Emily’s breathing grew ragged. Her hands left the sheets and found JJ’s hair, fingers threading through blonde strands, not pulling, just holding. Grounding herself.

“You can tell me if you want something specific.” JJ murmured against her skin. “Or if you don’t like something.”

“I like everything you’re doing.” Emily’s voice was strained. “I just– please, JJ.”

“Please what?” JJ lifted her head, echoing Emily’s earlier words with a knowing smile.

Emily’s laugh was half a groan. “Please.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

Emily’s eyes met hers, dark and desperate. JJ wanted Emily to be completely unguarded. She wanted her to say all the things she’d only wish for in her dreams. She wanted her to completely let go. “Please go down on me. Please. I need your mouth on me.”

The admission sent heat flooding through JJ’s body, and she didn’t make Emily wait any longer. The first stroke of her tongue was slow and flat and deliberate, parting Emily’s folds, and the sound Emily made was nothing short of wrecked. A low, guttural moan that seemed to rise from somewhere deep in her chest.

“F-fuck, baby.” Emily’s hips bucked.

Baby.

Fuck.

JJ licked again, slower this time, letting the tip of her tongue trace the contours of Emily’s cunt. Emily’s clit was swollen and sensitive, and when JJ’s tongue circled it, Emily’s fingers tightened almost painfully in her hair. “There– r-right there.”

JJ obeyed and focused her attention on that spot, alternating between soft flicks and gentle suction, and Emily’s reactions were intoxicating. She loved how we was already learning about Emily, which touches made her shiver, which touches made her hips roll against her mouth, which touches made her moans higher before breaking into a gasp. Or which touches made her keep saying JJ’s name like it was the only word she remembered.

She let her tongue push inside, dipping into Emily’s entrance, and the sound Emily made was almost a sob. JJ’s own arousal pulsed in response, her clit throbbing with every sound she drew from Emily’s lips.

Her tongue moved in and out in a slow rhythm, and then she added a finger. Just one, sliding into Emily’s wet heat, and the way Emily’s inner muscles clenched around her made JJ moan against her folds.

“JJ…” Emily’s back arched.

A second finger joined the first and JJ curled them upward, searching for that spot, and she knew she had found it, when Emily’s cry turned sharp and her legs began to tremble. Her mouth returned to Emily’s clit while her fingers worked inside her, a steady rhythm that built with every stroke.

“I’m c-close.” Emily’s voice was barely recognizable. “JJ, I’m- I’m going to-”

JJ hummed against her clit, a low vibration that she knew would push Emily over the edge.

And it did.

Emily’s body arched off the bed, her thighs clamping around JJ’s head, her fingers fisted so tightly in JJ’s hair that it stung. She came with a cry of JJ’s name but JJ didn’t stop. She worked Emily through it, her fingers still moving, her tongue still lapping, drawing out every pulse and shudder until Emily collapsed back against the mattress.

She was trembling.

Her whole body was trembling.

And JJ loved the sight of it.

She pulled back gently, pressing slow kisses to Emily’s inner thighs, her hipbones, the soft curve of her stomach. Emily was still quivering beneath her, one hand tangled loosely in the sheets, the other resting against JJ’s shoulder now like she needed something solid to hold onto.

JJ crawled back up the bed, leaving a trail of kisses over warm skin as she went. Emily’s body reacted to every touch, little shivers moving through her even though she was clearly spent.

“Fuck, baby.” Emily breathed.

JJ laughed softly, brushing damp hair back from Emily’s face. “Good?”

Emily lifted her head just enough to look at her.

Her eyes were dazed, cheeks flushed and lips parted around a breathless, almost disbelieving smile. She looked completely undone and somehow still so painfully Emily that JJ’s chest ached with it. “As if you don’t know how perfect you are.” Emily murmured.

JJ let out a hoarse laugh, grinning despite the heat rising in her face. “Mhm. Keep telling me that and I might give you another orgasm.”

Emily laughed, low and helpless, and pulled JJ down into another kiss. “You’re perfect.” She whispered against her mouth. Then again, softer, smiling into it. “You’re perfect. You’re perfect.”

JJ laughed too, the sound getting swallowed by Emily’s kiss.

Their bodies settled together slowly, naturally, all the urgency easing into something quieter. JJ’s leg slipped between Emily’s, Emily’s hand found the warm curve of JJ’s waist, and for a while they just stayed tangled in the sheets, skin against skin, breathing each other in.

Eventually, the laughter faded.

They looked at each other in the dim light, JJ’s smile soft and almost shy now, Emily’s mirroring hers. JJ’s chest rose and fell calmly, her fingers tracing absent little lines over Emily’s waist.

“I think I’m a bit in shock that this actually happened.” JJ whispered.

Emily huffed softly. “Mhm.”

JJ’s smile tugged wider. “Very articulate.”

“I’m recovering.”

“From what?”

Emily gave her a look. “You.”

JJ laughed, quiet and pleased.

Emily’s hand slid over JJ’s waist, holding her close. “I think it’s been a long time coming.”

JJ’s smile softened. “Yeah.” She said. “It has.”

A beat passed.

Emily looked away for half a second, then let out an embarrassed little laugh.

JJ tilted her head. “What?”

“I was actually spiraling the whole day.”

JJ’s eyebrows lifted. “You were?”

“Mhm.”

“You hid it quite well.”

Emily chuckled, glancing back at her. “Probably because you were so in denial about my feelings for you.”

JJ laughed softly, grinning. “Maybe.”

“Definitely.”

“Okay, maybe definitely.”

Emily smiled, her fingers trailing lower down JJ’s waist, slow and warm. Her expression softened into something quieter then, the teasing slipping away. “I wish I’d said something earlier.” She admitted.

JJ’s hand stilled on her waist. “Yeah.” She said, voice quieter now. “Me too.”

Neither of them was bitter about it. It was just… the truth. All the years. All the missed chances. All the things they had buried because it had never been the right time, because one of them had been scared, because life had kept moving around them and they had let it.

Emily swallowed, then smiled faintly. “I’m glad it happened now.”

JJ looked at her for a moment. Then she smiled too. “Me too.”

Emily’s eyes searched hers, gentle and open in a way that still felt new enough to make JJ’s heart trip over itself. JJ leaned forward and kissed her, softer and sweeter this time. When she pulled back, Emily’s eyes were still closed for a second, her mouth curved in that soft, satisfied smile JJ already knew she was going to be thinking about for the rest of her life.

“Do you think we’ll make it through brunch tomorrow without being suspicious?” JJ asked.

Emily opened her eyes and huffed a laugh. “Not a chance.”

JJ laughed. “You don’t even want to try?”

“I think trying would make it worse.”

“That’s probably true.”

Emily slid her hand up JJ’s spine, pulling her closer again. “Henry’s going to know immediately.”

“Oh my God.” JJ dropped her forehead against Emily’s shoulder. “Don’t say that.”

“He’s seventeen. He’s not stupid.”

“He’s still my son.”

“And he’s going to look at us for three seconds and know.”

JJ groaned.

Emily kissed her temple, smiling. “Sorry.”

“You’re not sorry.”

“No.”

JJ shook her head, but she was smiling too much to make it convincing.

And Emily was right.

They did not make it through brunch without being suspicious. Henry called them out the second they entered the restaurant. He took one look at them, at the way JJ’s hand brushed Emily’s lower back too naturally, at the way Emily smiled at something JJ hadn’t even said yet, and his face shifted into immediate, horrified understanding.

“Oh my God.” He said.

JJ froze. “What?”

Henry stared at them. “No.”

Emily pressed her lips together like she was trying very hard not to laugh.

JJ’s face went hot. “Henry.”

“I knew it.” He exclaimed, already looking for his younger brother. “Mikey!” He called, leaving the kitchen to find him. “Mikey, I won the bet!”

JJ groaned softly, covering her face with one hand. Emily was just smiling at her across the small space between them, warm and open and hers in a way JJ still wasn’t entirely used to yet. JJ huffed, shaking her head as she looked up again, meeting Emily’s eyes. “This is entirely your fault.”

“Mhm.” Emily nodded, tilting her head back. Then she stepped forward, pressing a gentle kiss against JJ’s lips. “Worth it.”

And in all seriousness, JJ didn’t worry about who saw. She didn’t worry about whether it was too obvious, or too soon, or too much.

She was actually happy.

Finally.

And that was all that mattered.

THE END.