Chapter Text
JJ mills around Rossi’s house, interacting with her guests as everyone helps themselves to an early drink and her parents are talking to Will’s. Everything is okay, yet JJ can’t get rid of a gnawing in the back of her mind. Then she hears it. “I can’t stay, Penelope. Interpol offered me a position at their office in London. I’m leaving after the wedding.” JJ hears the sadness in Emily’s voice. “I’m leaving before I hurt her.”
“No.” JJ breathes, her heart aching. She can’t imagine the BAU without Emily, without another woman to share a hotel room with. To talk to about things that she couldn’t talk to Reid or Rossi or Hotch or Derek. “She can’t leave. She can’t leave because…” She swallows thickly. “Because I love her.” JJ mumbles under her breath, suddenly the whole world feels too close and a million miles away.
Pushing through the crowd JJ finds Emily now on her own as Penelope walks away. “You’re leaving?” JJ asks
“Yes. I can’t stay, not after everything with Paris this past year.” Emily says
“Is that the only reason why you’re leaving?” JJ asks as they both swallow thickly, almost in unison.
“JJ, I can’t do this. I can’t watch you marry him, I can’t wait for the day when you wake up in the middle of the night and realise you’re nothing more than his wife.” Emily’s jaw is firm but her lower lip quivers a little. “That cold empty night that makes your chest hurt and your breath hitch the most terrible way.” She says with finality.
“What if I don’t want to be his wife?” JJ asks as Emily’s throat bobs
“What do you mean?” Emily asks, her eyes nervous and lips quivering apart. Rather than giving a verbal answer JJ leans in. Emily gasps for a half second before JJ lips are pressed against her, Emily’s hands find JJ’s golden locks. The two gasp into each other's mouths as their foreheads press together.
“Would you leave if I said I felt like Will was settling because this… is what I’m supposed to want.” JJ says, pointing to everything around her as the scent of sandalwood and jasmine fills her lungs. “Are you still leaving?”
“I am. There's a cab outside, because I couldn’t sit there and watch you marry him.” Emily says smiling as their foreheads continue to press together.
“I’m coming with you.” JJ says, her voice filled with finality. “Don’t argue, I love you. Emily, I love you and I am choosing you.”
“Okay.” Emily says as JJ takes Emily’s hand. “I love you too.” JJ barely stops to grab her shoes and suddenly they’re in the back of the cab.
“Oh, my God. I just pulled a runaway bride.” JJ says her heart pounding in the most amazing way. “I just ran away from everyone we know at my own wedding…” She lets out the most dainty laugh. “And I don’t feel guilty.”
“Are you sure?” Emily asks, her hand still cradling JJ’s
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” JJ says kissing Emily again. “But can we stop at my place too? I need something more comfortable.”
“Of course.” Emily smiles before leaning forward and rattling off JJ’s address like a coffee order. “So what is this? Are you blowing off your engagement to Will so we can… date?”
“No.” JJ chews her cheek for her moment. “I don’t want to be Will’s wife. I want to be your wife.”
“What?” Emily freezes and her big brown eyes go wide in panic for the first time all night. “JJ, you don’t want to marry me. It’s too soon, we need to know how a relationship works.”
“Emily, I have loved you forever. Will, he was the life everyone wanted for me. You are the life I want. Us in your apartment or mine. Or a house where we build a life, maybe even a family.” JJ says
“Okay, okay.” Emily whispers, her voice certain even as JJ has to steady her hands. “Let’s get married.”
At JJ’s apartment Emily waits in her sitting room, the whole place smells and looks exactly how she imagined JJ’s apartment would. Everything is homey and comfortable, throw pillows on the couch and magazines on the table.
“JJ, are you sure?” Emily asks as JJ starts towards her bedroom
“Em…” Emily blushes at the pet name as JJ kisses her. “I want nothing more than to be your wife.”
“But…” Emily starts again
“Emily… I don’t want the dress, or the ceremony. I don’t want the version of me that my parents expect. I don’t want to pretend. I want a life where I’m happy, the life with you.” JJ says, her voice certain and confident as Emily looks at JJ. She’s a vision of ivory and pinned golden waves, Emily swallows thickly as she imagines herself at the altar with JJ as she looks now. “Now stay there. And try not to look like the world is ending…” She leans in close. “It’s just beginning.”
“Okay.” Emily whispers
In her bedroom JJ peels herself out of her dress before opening her chest of drawers, pulling out an old knitted sweater and comfortable pair of jeans. Her suitcase is a more difficult thing to decide, would JJ stay with Emily in London? If they did she could get more stuff sent to her at a later date.
When JJ pulls her bedroom door close again Emily is pacing back and forth cradling her cell phone like it might explode in her hand. “You okay?” JJ asks, putting a comforting arm on Emily’s arm, her suitcase behind her.
“Are you sure?” Emily asks, the words barely a squeak
JJ leans in and kisses her again, it’s slow and confident. It’s the kind of kiss that makes someone melt, JJ smiles into the kiss as Emily’s shoulders visibly soften and she allows her free hand to find JJ’s. “Satified?” JJ asks with a nervous smile. “For the first time in a long time I’m choosing for myself, and I choose you.”
“Okay.” Emily breathes against her. “I choose you too.”
The cab to the airport is quiet but charged with a nervous energy, when they arrive Emily gets the bags out as JJ reaches for her purse. “No, I got it.” Emily says handing over the cash for the fare as well as a tip.
“Hi, how can I help you?” The check-in clerk asks
“Yes, Emily Prentiss.” She says taking out her boarding pass. “Actually, I wanted to make a couple of changes.”
“Of course. How can I help you?”
“I checked earlier and there’s still a seat left next to me in first class. Can I book it?” Emily asks
“Of course, one way like your own?”
“No, that’s the other thing. I need a return for one week from tomorrow.”
“Of course, ma’am. Is this your travel companion?”
“Yes.” JJ says
“Okay, ma’am, I need your ID so I can add you to manifest.”
“Of course.” JJ says taking out her purse and handing the clerk her licence and passport. The clerk taps on her keyboard as JJ
“Okay, that’s all amend for you. Enjoy your time in London ma’am’s.” JJ smiles, the thought that they’re coming back makes her happy and sad. TSA is a drag but Emily’s hand in hers makes everything easier.
TSA feels invasive in a way that has nothing to do with running from Will and her wedding. As she steps through the detector it beeps and JJ silently curses herself for forgetting her plate and screws in her knee. “Sorry, plate and screws. I’ll take the pat down.” She says. Emily waits, nervously as JJ gets the pat down.
“Coffee?” Emily asks as JJ smiles and nods. “You okay? You took the patdown after setting off the detector.”
“Plate and screws. I damaged my knee in college.” JJ explains
“Okay.” Emily says kissing her. “Don’t move.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” JJ mumbles, licking Emily’s upper lip
Standing in the middle of Dulles Airport JJ realises no one knows where they’ve gone. Her parents, Will’s parents, all their friends left standing around waiting for a bride who fled with her best friend. Will. What is Will thinking? Taking out her cell JJ sees it’s alive with activity, texts from the team, calls from her mom and multiple texts, calls and voicemail from Will. JJ can’t bring herself to see any of that right now, instead she scrolls to the one name she trusts more than any of the others.
The phone buzzes after JJ dials Penelope for a few moments before her bubbly voice comes through the line. “JJ, oh my gosh. Where are you, everyone’s panicking?”
“I’m okay, Penelope. I’m at the airport…” JJ swallows thickly, the next two words make everything she wants real. Someone other than them knows and that’s more terrifying than anything she’d done so far. “... with Emily. I’m safe.”
“You’re with Emily? Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! You’re running away with her, but what about Will and the wedding?”
“Penelope, I don’t know how to handle any of that right now. I just know that I love her and I’m going with her to London right now. To marry her.”
“Okay, good luck.”
“Goodbye.” JJ hangs up the phone as Emily walks back with two coffees in hand
“Who’s on the phone?” Emily asks, handing JJ her coffee. “Black and sweet. I went with two and half sugars but I brought more.”
“Awww.” JJ blushes a deep crimson. “You remembered.” She takes a sip, it’s just right. Sweet but not overly so. “It’s perfect.”
“So who was on the phone?” Emily asks as they begin walking towards the gates
“Penelope, I wanted to make sure someone didn’t think we’d been kidnapped.” JJ says
“Okay.” Emily says kissing JJ’s forehead.
‘Flight 287 to London Heathrow will be departing from gate A 32.’
“All the way at the end.” JJ sighs
“Jump on.” Emily smiles hunching her back slightly as JJ shakes her head
“Come on you.” JJ says threading her hand into Emily’s as they begin walking down the concourse towards their gate