The first time it happened, it was that kind of unexpected experience that you don't have time to process until it's over.

The first time it happened, it was a product of shared pain that very few people in this life (thankfully) come to experience.

Special Agent Emily Prentiss pressed the 'on' button on the coffee machine in her Chicago hotel room. It wasn't even close to the caffetiere that she had at home, but right now she didn't care. It was one of those nights where sleep was unlikely to come, and if she were honest, she preferred it that way. Too many memories pushed back into the recesses of her mind that she risked remembering on a night like this. When it happened to one of them, it happened to them all.

In another room just along the corridor, Special Agent Jennifer Jareau sat staring at her hands. The hands that had just a few hours ago taken the life of another human being. Not that the man didn't deserve to die, of that there could be no question. The city's women could sleep easier now that the man who had relentlessly kidnapped, tortured and dismembered them had had his brains blown across a basement floor. And if she were honest with herself, she knew that the outcome would have been the same whether they'd taken him dead or alive. Men like him didn't avoid the death penalty. His fate was sealed from the moment they entered the house.

And yet still the weight of that responsibility pressed down on her, causing her chest to tighten. Only when you were the one to pull the trigger could you recall the precise moment when the eyes of a man froze, never to see again.

A soft knock at the door of her hotel room interrupted Emily from her first sip of coffee. When she opened the door to find JJ standing there, she couldn't say that she was surprised. Besides from perhaps Reid, JJ was the member of the team most likely to play a moment like tonight over and over in her head. She was less able to compartmentalise than Emily or Morgan, and as her best friend, it was only natural that she should turn to Emily when her own company became too much to bear.

"Hey" Emily said softly, her eyes attempting to convey warmth in a moment where she knew the world felt like a very cold and dark place to her visitor.

"Can I come in?"

The quiet whisper of JJ's voice tore at Emily, and she stepped aside by way of reply, letting the blonde enter the room as she shut the door behind her.

"I could make you a coffee? It's not much, but it's warm and might help you clear your head? You can even have one of those fake milk pod things, I know how much you like..."

"Emily" the blonde cut her off as their eyes met "I just need you to make me feel again"

The look on the brunette's face conveyed her lack of understanding at the previous statement.

"I know I should probably feel angry" JJ continued "or sad, or some other synonym that I'm sure Reid could could provide me with an endless list of. But I don't. Right now I feel numb, and I need you to make me feel again"

Emily could have sworn that she could hear her own heartbeat in the few seconds that it took the blonde to cross the room and stand in front of her.

"How?" The brunette wasn't sure she even recognised the low rasp that came out of her mouth.

Soft fingers slid around her neck, holding her in place as JJ leant into her.

"Please" the blonde whimpered, lightly pressing her lips to Emily's.

Before her mind even had a chance to process what was going on, the brunette could feel her body responding to the kiss. Her hands seemed to gravitate to JJ's hips as she returned the gentle pressure with her mouth. She could feel the blonde's hand tangling into her hair, pulling her in, drawing her tongue into the warmth of her mouth.

Somewhere inside, Emily tried to keep a grip on reality, tried to process what was going on, but the ache between her legs obliterated all rational thought. She felt the blonde's free hand slide around her back, untucking the shirt that she had not yet cared to change out of. The moment that JJ's fingers made contact with her skin, she hissed into the blonde's mouth, their tongues duelling desperately in a battle that neither could really lose.

And then suddenly the brunette found that she could breathe again as JJ broke away from the kiss.

"Emily" the low voice that came out of the blonde's mouth sent a jolt of pleasure through Emily's body "I need you"

"Jayje I..."

"Please" JJ took the brunette's hand in hers, having to prise it from the vice like grip that it had previously had on her hip "I need you to fuck me, Emily"

Emily could only whimper in response. Her fingers were still being held captive by the blonde's as JJ slid their joined hands under the waistband of her pyjama pants. The skin that welcomed her fingers was smooth and warm, and in that moment, Emily was lost and found all at once.

As her fingers slid lower, the brunette felt JJ's hand leave hers and grip the back of her shirt in an attempt to gain some stability.

"Fuck!" Emily gasped, as her fingers made contact with the wetness of JJ's core for the first time.

A growl seemed to escape the blonde's throat as she crashed their mouths together, her tongue immediately seeking out Emily's. The brunette's fingers were taking their time, coating themselves in the blonde's wetness as she let herself explore the most sensitive part of her body.

And then JJ's hands were under her shirt, her nails digging into the flesh of her lower back. The sensation was sharp but raw, and the brunette could only respond by sliding two fingers inside the blonde. Their mouths broke apart as their heads both fell back, gasping at the sensation that threatened to overwhelm them.

Knowing instinctively that the blonde's knees were about to give way, Emily guided her swiftly backwards until her lower back collided with the dresser. An involuntary groan was emitted from JJ's mouth before she pulled the brunette back into her and reclaimed her lips.

Their wet tongues rolled over each other as Emily slid her fingers upwards, earning her an almost disappointed whimper from the blonde. That was soon overtaken by a moan that echoed in her mouth as her fingers sought out JJ's clit.

Gradually the brunette built up the pressure in a circular motion, her fingers sliding with ease around the hardened nub. The blonde steadied herself against the dresser and ran her hands around to Emily's collarbone. Breaking their kiss, she rested her forehead against the brunette's as she fumbled with the buttons of her shirt. Emily grinned wickedly as she applied additional pressure to the blonde's clit, causing her to gasp and momentarily halt her progress in unfastening the buttons.

Taking a deep breath and trying not to be completely overwhelmed by the sensations the brunette was creating, JJ resumed her mission. Finally she was triumphant, pushing the shirt as far down Emily's arms as she could without needing her to remove her hand from its welcome position. She wasted no time in pressing her mouth back to the brunette's, her hands sliding up her back to grasp the firmness of Emily's shoulders.

Leaving her thumb pressed against JJ's clit, the brunette let her fingers find their way back to her entrance. The blonde whimpered by way of invitation and she didn't need asking twice.

JJ let out a guttural moan as she was filled by the brunette once again. Unwilling to break the kiss again, she instead demonstrated her approval by dragging her nails down the smooth skin of the brunette's back.

"Jennifer!" Emily cried out at the sensation. It was unexpected but not unpleasant.

The blonde's only reply was to reclaim her lips once again. The brunette wrapped her spare arm around JJ's waist, anchoring herself as she drove her fingers deeper inside her. She could feel the blonde's body moving against her and sought to increase the intensity of every thrust.

The ache in Emily's arm was just a distant sensation as the blonde finally lost control of her breathing and let her head fall back. The brunette watched in awe as the usually composed face before her contorted, gasping for air.

"Em...fuck...I...fuck!"

Expletives that were commonplace sounded infinitely sexier coming from JJ than anyone else, the brunette noted for future reference as she began to slide her thumb back and forth over the blonde's clit with each thrust.

"That's it baby, let it all go. I've got you Jennifer" the brunette soothed her huskily.

She watched as JJ's mouth stretched open, a silent scream forming before finally a high pitched moan filled the air. Emily pulled the blonde into her arms as she struggled to catch her breath, letting herself take the weight of her body as they both came back to earth.

"Thank you" JJ broke the silence with a whisper, turning her face to place a kiss on the brunette's exposed collarbone.

"Anytime"

The blonde laughed softly "I can't tell if you mean that or not"

Using a finger to tilt the blonde's chin, Emily forced her to make eye contact "I do"

JJ blushed "I...I should get back to my room. Early flight tomorrow..."

"Sure" a disappointed look crossed the brunette's face but she shook it aside.

"Goodnight Emily" the blonde squeezed her hand as she stepped out of the embrace.

"Goodnight Jennifer"

Emily found herself stood watching the blonde walk out of the room. Shaking her head, she turned and noticed the now cold cup of coffee on the side. Well, at least she wasn't going to need caffeine to fuel her brain for the night anymore.

The next morning, the team gathered early for their flight back to Quantico. Emily had to force herself to concentrate on interacting normally with the rest of the team instead of focussing her entire attention on JJ. Determined not to face any awkward choices, the brunette made sure that she was first on the plane. She chose a seat on a set of four, and was eternally grateful when Morgan took the seat opposite her.

JJ was next to board the plane. Emily distracted herself with a magazine, determined not to be given away by the blush that was sure had spread across her cheeks.

"Mind if I sit here?"

The sweet voice of the blonde nearly made Emily jump.

"Why would we mind?" Morgan answered, rolling his eyes.

Emily was inwardly grateful for her friend's timely intervention.

"Oh, you never know, this could be..." JJ paused to make quotation marks with her fingers "guy time"

"Jayje, you know if we want" Morgan mimicked JJ's air quotations "guy time, we tend to go for a bar, not the jet"

"Yeah, guy time tends to be greatly improved by beer" Emily joined in, forcing herself to smile at the blonde.

And so at least the initial awkwardness was broken for Emily. What was weirder was that JJ wasn't showing any signs of feeling awkward. None at all. In fact, she was acting entirely...normal. Emily wondered to herself if this is how other people viewed her when she displayed no reaction to all kinds of horrific things that she witnessed. If it weren't for the scratch marks that Emily was fully aware were adorning her back, a less rational person might have wondered if the night before had even happened at all.