DISCLAIMER: Criminal Minds and its characters are the property of CBS. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Deana for the beta.
Plane Whispers
By purplebrat
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Emily whispered, "Morgan and Reid are snoring."
"Of course not." JJ looked up at the tired brunette and smiled, not at all minding the thought of her company.
Emily sank gratefully into the space JJ cleared for her, glad for some space to work without snoring boys.
JJ balanced her notepad on her lap and tried to get back into her case report, but she couldn't concentrate with Emily in such close proximity. She managed to hold herself together around Emily when they were immersed in a case, a few shared glances and smiles the only deviation from pure professionalism.
But now, the adrenaline rush of solving the case wearing off and nothing urgent to occupy JJ's mind she felt Emily's presence with an electric intensity. The 3 seat lounge seemed to get smaller with every passing moment.
Trying to focus, JJ took a deep breath and forced her pen to make contact with the paper. For a few minutes it worked; the events from Milwaukee flowed onto the page pushing everything else out of her mind. As the plane dipped slightly, breaking her concentration, JJ looked out the window. It was still pitch black, the steady blinking light on the wing the thing for her eyes to focus on, and no way of telling where they were.
Smiling slightly as she felt the brunette's weight shift next to her - an unintentional reminder of her presence - JJ put the pen down and lay her head back, letting herself relax for the first time in 3 days.
Mentally drifting over a sunny tropical island, hand in hand with a hot naked dark haired FBI agent, JJ felt something land in her lap. Something warm. And heavy.
Opening her eyes slowly, JJ replaced the images of a naked Emily with – Emily laying in her lap. JJ froze, feeling strangely exposed. Looking around the cabin she was momentarily relieved to find everyone asleep, or occupied. She felt as though if anyone looked at her, any one of the multiple profilers on the plane, they would know her secret – they would know she had craved a moment like this since the instant Emily Prentiss walked through those glass doors.
Breathe, JJ internally coached herself. She's sleeping and was just trying to get comfortable. We're all adults here, all friends … nothing wrong with that. Look, Reid has his head on Morgan's shoulder, it doesn't mean he has a crush on him, and no one would even think that he did.
Having Emily so close, just feeling the warmth of her, was making JJ's heart beat at a pace beyond normal.
Take a deep breath in … and out.
Looking down at Emily JJ felt herself blush - for all the times she had thought about laying the brunette down and slowly removing all of her clothes, for all the thoughts she had about sweeping everything off her desk and doing Emily right there.
Without thinking JJ reached out and touched Emily's face, feeling the soft warmth and tucking a stray piece of hair out of her eyes and behind her ear.
Feeling Emily stir JJ pulled back, realising what she had been doing. Emily looked up; her eyes narrow with sleep and confusion.
"Shit, sorry," she exclaimed, trying to sit up as she comprehended her position.
"It's ok," JJ whispered reassuringly, a hand on Emily's shoulder, "go back to sleep. We have at least another half hour before we land."
Shit, what are you doing girl. She wants to run, let her run.
Emily settled back down, too tired to protest, closing her eyes knowing she wouldn't fall back asleep. Not now. Not since she was acutely aware of her proximity to the gorgeous blonde. The gorgeous blonde who was allowing her to be so close, who didn't push her away when she inadvertently ended up in her lap.
Don't read so much into it Emily scolded herself, wincing as a stab of pain went through her head, emphasising her point.
"Is your head hurting?" JJ looked down with such concern that it took Emily a moment to realise she had actually spoken.
Emily nodded, admitting for the first time since she had been hit over the head with the plank of wood that she was in pain.
"I have paracetamol, but nothing stronger unfortunately," JJ offered apologetically.
"I'll take whatever you're offering," Emily replied, almost asleep again, "as long as you don't have to move."
Reaching into her bag JJ produced two white painkillers. "I have to get up to get you water," she said quietly, trying to slide out from under Emily.
Shaking her head Emily held her hand out for the pills, cringing at the movement. "Dry is fine."
Watching Emily as she sat up, swallowed the pills and lay back down JJ felt like taking the older woman in her arms and holding her close as she fell asleep, keeping her safe, taking her pain away.
Gently pushing Emily's hand away she took over the massaging of the brunette's temples, pleased with the effect it had on her.
"God," Emily sighed, "I never dreamed your hands were that good."
As JJ caught the implication she froze, her heart and hands simultaneously ceasing to function. She dreams about my hands?
Emily opened her eyes and looked up at JJ questioningly at the sudden loss of pressure on her temples. "Oh," she exclaimed, realising what she said, "I …"
Hotch looked up and frowned, obviously distracted by the sudden noise. Emily smiled at him and he put his head back down, placated.
"JJ, I ..." I what, Emily thought, I'm so attracted to you that yes, I dream about your hands? Yeh, good one genius.
"JJ, I …" Emily tried again, but still nothing came out. She looked into JJ's blue eyes, dark with exhaustion. Those blue eyes gave away more than JJ realised; they were searching Emily's for answers, desperately waiting for an answer to a question they didn't realise they were asking.
Reaching up to run her fingers through blonde hair Emily tried to form words. Words that made sense, that would say exactly what was she meant. There were none.
JJ leaned down, her long blonde hair hanging as a shield, blocking them off from the world. There was no one else; it was just the two of them.
"Did you mean it," she whispered, close enough to feel the warmth of Emily's breathe, to hear her heart beating, "or was it just a figure of speech?"
"I've been dreaming about your hands for months JJ, but they were doing a lot more than massaging my head."
JJ's head was racing, there was too much to process, so many feelings all at once. She moved to close the tiny gap separating them but stopped suddenly and sat up, suddenly acutely aware of her surroundings.
"JJ I'm sorry ... I thought -"
"Don't." JJ put her finger on Emily's lips to silence her. "Not here. Not with Reid pretending not to look at us and the whole team just there. I want to, badly, but I don't trust myself."
"Trust yourself…?"
"One kiss would not be enough," JJ whispered, wishing they were anywhere but on this plane full of their colleagues, "I need more, I need all of you."
Sighing, Emily nodded. She understood – she didn't want a kiss from JJ, she wanted the whole of JJ; every inch - slowly, very slowly.
She took a deep breath in … and then out. "Come home with me?"
JJ smiled, her blue eyes sparkling, giving Emily the answer she wanted. No words were necessary; with those eyes they never were.
The End