DISCLAIMER: Criminal Minds and its characters are the property of CBS. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
An Acquired Taste
By Semerket
Emily came into the kitchen after JJ. "When are you going to try some of my fruitcake?"
"Um, how 'bout never." JJ replied as she helped herself to some of the treats Emily had placed out for the New Years Eve party.
"But you've never even had it! You can't hate something you've never even tried." Emily complained.
JJ stared at her incredulously, "You hate sushi!"
"Yea, but I've tried it before I came to that conclusion!"
"Well it's like that for me."
"No, you've never tried it!"
"I don't need to try it, Em. It's just wrong. It looks wrong and... and.."
"Just have some!" Emily thrust a small piece towards JJ.
JJ rolled her eyes and nibbled it gingerly.
JJ tasted it, she couldn't help but grimace as she felt her gag reflex flare up.
Emily chuckled, "Wow you really do hate it, don't you Jennifer?"
"I'm sorry! Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I just can't like fruit cake!"
"But you like Garcia..."
Garcia shouted from the living room. "I heard that!"
"But it has all these weird gooey bits..." JJ shuddered.
"Those are the best part."
"It's like someone stomped on fruit and threw it into a bowl and baked it, along with whatever else they found in the kitchen, into a giant muffin! It's a giant garbage muffin!"
Emily was completely appalled by her description. She put her hands on her hips and took on a defensive stance, "My fruitcake does not taste like garbage. It takes like spice cake and raisins and walnuts and good... gooey stuffs!"
JJ threw her hands up apologetically, "I'm sure your fruitcake is wonderful, Em. I just don't like fruitcake. It wouldn't matter if you made the best fruitcake in the world- I wouldn't like it. Sorry." JJ pouted.
Penelope shouted from the living room, "Oh ignore her Emily! Bring me some of your marvelous fruitcake!"
Emily laughed, "At least someone appreciates my masterpiece."
Emily and JJ joined the rest of the team in the living room. Emily had insisted they come over to her place to watch the fireworks, since she had such a clear view of the capital from her penthouse.
Reid piped up, "You know, statistically speaking, the vast majority of people who don't like fruitcake, generally don't like dried fruit. It's really an aversion to dried fruit more than the cake itself-"
JJ smiled sarcastically, "Really, Spencer. Thank you."
He smiled back, "I thought you'd like that."
After a few hours of drinking and socializing it was nearing time for the ball to drop.
"Itsh almosht time!" A sauced Garcia exclaimed much more loudly than she'd intended too.
"Okay, baby girl. You know you're not driving, right?"
"I know, you said that like five times already, sheesh!" Penelope pouted.
He raised an eyebrow, "That's the first time I've said it."
"Close enough." Garcia waved it off. Then she caught sight of Emily and JJ chatting quietly in the kitchen. She pushed her glasses down so that she could observe them more clearly. "I'll be right back."
She shuffled over to the pair. "Hey guys!" She chirped and stared at them expectantly.
"Hey, Pen." JJ had a bewildered expression on her face.
"What?" Garcia asked.
JJ shrugged, "I dunno. You just stood there like you were going to say something." The press liaison was starting to feel quite relaxed from the champagne she'd been nursing throughout the evening.
Garcia frowned comically, then her expression changed and her mouth formed an 'O'. "Oh! Yea, I was going to ask when you two were going to make out? I mean c'mon, it's been like how long and you guys are still standing around Jonesing for each other. It's sickening. Just get it on already."
Emily choked on her drink at Penelope's bluntness.
JJ's mouth dropped open. "You..." JJ blushed. "You are so drunk, Pen!"
She ignored JJ and wobbled over to Emily. She grabbed onto Emily's shoulders for support.
"Whoa. Steady there." Emily held onto the other woman, worried that she might fall over.
She whispered loudly, "Ya know, one time JJ told me that you were the most sexy and amazing woman she had ever known. She totally has this huge crush on you and I totally promised not to tell you or anyone about it," Then she shrugged nonchalantly, "But there you go!"
"Penelope!" JJ glared at the bubbly blond, but the technical analyst was on a roll and completely oblivious to the other woman's ire.
"And Jayj, did you know that whenever you walk away from Emily she totally checks out your ass." Then her eyes caught sight of a large platter or sugar cookies. "Yay cookies! OOo I love the little gingerbread ones. Li'l cuties!" Garcia cooed at the plate and shuffled back into the living room after grabbing a couple, while Emily and JJ stood there looking shell shocked.
"So..." Emily was the first one to speak. "You think I'm sexy and amazing?" Emily blushed profusely.
JJ fidgeted with her nearly empty champagne glass and stared at her toes. "Would that be a bad thing?"
"No." Emily was genuinely surprised, "I'm flattered actually."
"Do you... really stare at my... you know?"
Emily gulped and laughed nervously. "Uh... I don't think so."
JJ closed some of the distance between them, "But you're not sure?"
Emily laughed nervously again, "Would you be offended if that were the case?"
"No, I think I'd be flattered actually." JJ smiled flirtatiously.
Emily leaned in and just as their lips met...
"Come on! You guys are gonna miss the fireworks!" A smashed Penelope thundered over to where they were standing. They jumped apart at the interruption. "Oh my God! Whoa! But check out the fireworks in here! Just kidding, go back to making out! " Garcia ran back towards the window..
Emily and JJ both laughed and rolled their eyes. They walked over to join others.
Garcia sang loudly, and quite inaccurately "For all acquaintance be forgot!"
3!
"Blah blah blah blah blah.... and surely I'll be mine..."
2!
"And never brought to mind..."
1!
"Happy New... Year!"
After the fireworks were over everyone prepared to leave. The only thing that Emily and JJ could focus on was where they left off.
Garcia and Derek were the last to go. "I'm so happy, it's happy new year!"
"Yes, baby, lets go home now."
"She can sleep here if that would be easier."
"No I got this, Emily. You have a good night."
"JJ you coming?"
She glanced at Emily, "Oh I'm going to help Emily clean up before I head out."
He grinned and winked, "Alright, Happy New Years ladies."
"You too." Emily shut the door, relieved that they were finally alone now.
Emily closed the distance between them. "Where did we leave off?"
JJ leaned in and kissed the profiler, slowly at first. Then as they both relaxed into the kiss it became more heated until Emily pulled back. She studied JJ's eyes, "Tell me you want this as much as I do."
JJ smiled mischievously, "Hell yes."
JJ woke up snuggled against a very naked Emily the next morning. She grinned as she replayed the events of the previous night over and over. Then she heard it.
Grumble.
She didn't want to get up. She wanted to stay with Emily.
Grumble.
But her stomach wasn't having it. Maybe she could find a quick snack to tide her over. She quietly crept out of bed and, donning one of Emily's silky robes, made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. The chips were all gone. The cookies were gone. The alcohol was all gone, not that she was looking for any. The only thing left was...
Fruitcake.
She felt her stomach flip as she studied the brown... object. There were only three slices left.
Maybe she should just wait until Emily was up, then they could go get breakfast. Then her stomach quickly reminded her of something very important: she was starving. She grabbed a piece of the offending confection and ate it greedily. Jennifer sighed. The things she did for sex.
By the time JJ was to the third slice, she had to admit- it was kind of... good. She felt a tinge of joy every time she bit into a slice because it reminded her of Emily. It was as though she were eating a piece of the profiler- a different piece anyway. She blushed at the thought.
Her psychiatrist would have a field day with that one, she mused.
And to think that the previous night may not have happened if Penelope hadn't gone through half a bottle of Grey Goose. She would have to thank her sometime. She wondered if she'd even remember.
"I see you finally came to your senses."
JJ turned around when she heard the profiler's voice. Her cheeks were stuffed with cake and she mumbled almost incomprehensibly, "...ey! Your... p... rly."
"Mhmm. I told you, you'd enjoy my fruitcake."
"I enjoyed a lot more than that."
"Jayj!" Garcia entered JJ's office enthusiastically. She froze in her tracks when she observed the press liaison. "Oh my god, what are you doing?" Penelope was totally appalled.
"Excuse me?"
Garcia gestured at the slice of half eaten fruitcake on a napkin in front of the press liaison. "Oh, I'm just having some of Emily's fruitcake."
"I see that! But you made such a big deal about how much you hate it?"
"Mhmm. I've found that it's an acquired taste." JJ blushed involuntarily as she recalled that evening.
"Oh?"
She could tell by her friend's blank expression that she had indeed forgotten everything. Thank god. She wasn't ready for that conversation yet.
"Yea. And I wanted to say 'thank you' Penelope."
Garcia furrowed her brow. "For what?"
JJ smirked as she took another bite of the cake, "Oh. I'll tell you one day."
The End