A/N: Yay for a quick update! The next chapter should be longer, because we'll be meeting JJ's parents, and Will will be involved as well. Hope you enjoy, and please, R&R.

"Please tell me that I just heard you wrong," I said. She shook her head. "Okay...so what're we going to do?"

"I don't know," she said. "I can't tell them that you're the other man."

"Okay, I'm starting to resent constantly being called a man," I said. JJ shot me a death glare. "Sorry, just trying to release some of the tension."

"This isn't funny, Emily. What am I supposed to do? They said they'd be here tomorrow."

"That soon?" I asked.

She nodded. "That's my parents. They take everything to the extreme. I'm surprised they even let me join the FBI."

I laughed a little bit, before covering it with a cough. JJ really wasn't in the joking mood, and I really didn't want her to blow up at me.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you," I said. "We're going to have to tell everyone the truth eventually."

"I know, but I didn't think it would have to be this soon."

"JJ, we've been together for over a year. How much more time do you need?" I realized that what I'd just said was a little harsh, so I tried to explain. "I just mean, I don't think you're going to have as much time as you think you need. You need to make yourself ready now."

"What am I supposed to tell my parents, Emily? 'Oh, yeah, I never really loved Will and I've been making love with Emily. You know, Emily from work. Oh, and we're living together, now.'" She was pacing in front of me. "They'd disown me, and as much as I say I hate them, they are my family."

"I know," I said. If there was anything I understood, it was clinging onto family that really didn't understand you. "Look, you could just try telling them that you just weren't in love with Will, but you told him there was someone else so he'd let you go."

She shook her head. "That won't work. My mom can always tell when I'm lying."

"Well then what's to stop her from figuring everything out on her own?" I asked.

"There's no way that my mom will think I'm with another woman. Even if she suspects it, she'll shove it to the back of her mind, because that just isn't acceptable in the Jareau family." She finally sat down, putting her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do. God, why can't we just get a case?" She sighed again. "No, I'll take my parents over dead bodies...but just barely."

I laughed. "Well, then I'm pretty sure that makes you a better person than me."

She laughed a little bit. "I can't believe I let myself get into this. I should've just broken things off with Will in the first place."

"Yeah, that's probably true, but you can't dwell on what you should have done; you just have to focus on what you have to do." I grabbed her hand. "And just know, you're not alone in this, okay? I'll be here for you, okay?"

"Yeah...thank you," she said. "I just...I have to figure out how I'm going to tell everyone about us. My parents, Will, Hotch, Strauss...I don't even want to know what she's going to do if she ever finds out. I'll probably be sent away."

"Maybe you'll get a promotion," I said.

"I never knew that you fell back on badly timed humor when put in a difficult situation," she said.

"It only happens when it has to do with relationships-" I got cut off by JJ's cell phone ringing. JJ looked at the caller ID and groaned.

"Your parents?" I asked.

"Will," she answered, and I groaned, too. She flipped it open. "Jareau."

I could hear him yelling on the other end. "I know you know it's me, JJ! We need to talk!"

"There's nothing else to talk about. I'm sorry I hurt you, but you need to accept the fact that we're over, okay?"

"No! If you won't talk to me now, I'll come down to your office and make you listen to reason!"

"What?" JJ looked panicked. "No, Will, please don't do that." There was no response. "Will? Will?" JJ snapped her phone shut. "Damn it!"

"He's coming here?" I asked. JJ kept trying to call him back, but he wasn't answering.

"He's going to get me fired. He's going to get me fired and thrown out of the FBI."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," I said.

"He's already forced me into so many unprofessional situations just this week, Emily." She sighed. "I like having my personal life and my professional life separate. I know you're the same way."

"Yeah, well, my two worlds seem to be mixing a lot more as of late," I said. "I think I'll go out there and warn Derek about Will. He'll probably be able to keep him out of here."

"Just make sure Morgan doesn't kill him, okay?" I laughed and nodded. "And make sure you don't kill him, either."

"Okay, I can't promise that," I said. "I'll try, though." I walked out of her office and to Derek's desk.

"Hey, is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah...well, no." Morgan looked at me concerned. "It's nothing serious. I'll tell you the details later, but for now, I'm just here to warn you that Will might show up."

"Here?" he asked. "Is he really that stupid?"

"Look, JJ just doesn't want anything to get out of hand. I figure if he shows up, we'll just set up a barricade and keep him away from JJ."

"Okay," he said. "In the meantime, I've gotta try to get some of this paperwork done before we get called away on a case." I nodded in agreement. I actually had a lot to finish up, too, and I was sort of happy to have work as a distraction from all the drama that was going on in my personal life.

Then, right before lunch, Will showed up. Morgan and I immediately walked up to him and stopped him from walking into JJ's office.

"Will," I said, "I think the two of you need time apart right now."

"No," he said. "Look, I overreacted yesterday when JJ talked to me. I talked to her parents about the situation, and they helped me calm down. I just need to talk some sense into her."

"I think she's made up her mind about this relationship," I said. "Just leave it alone."

Will took a deep breath. "Agent Prentiss, while I appreciate that you're taking care of my fiance while she figures things out, this really doesn't concern you. This is between JJ and me."

"Okay, first of all, JJ isn't engaged to you. Second of all, she told you she was in love with someone else."

"She's just scared of commitment," he said.

"Just give her some space, Will," Morgan chimed in next to me. "At the very least, she needs time to think about everything."

Will stood there for a moment, and I hoped that he was going to leave, because I didn't have anymore patience for him. Finally, he said something.

"Just tell JJ to call me after work, alright?" I nodded, and he turned around and left. I sighed in relief. The rest of the day went by without incident, and JJ and I went home together.

"Will wants you to call him," I said.

"I'm not going to. It'll just turn into another fight, and I'm too tired." She looked out the window of the car. "I don't know what I'm going to do about my parents. They were adamant about seeing who I claimed to be in love with."

"I don't know what to do, either," I said, pulling up to my apartment building. "Hopefully we'll come up with something before tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," she repeated. "Oh God, this time tomorrow, my mother is going to be here, prying into every aspect of my life, trying to find out every little detail. I hate my life."

"It's not that bad," I said, and I instantly regretted letting those words leave my mouth.

"It's not that bad? Are you serious? It's exactly that bad! In fact, it's probably worse!" We got into my apartment, and JJ went to the kitchen and poured herself a drink, downing it in a few seconds. She went to pour herself another.

"Whoa," I said, taking the bottle away. "Slow down. I don't think that's going to help any."

"God, I feel like I'm in high school again, sneaking around because my parents wouldn't approve of the way I wanted to live."I sat down next to her and put my arm around her, and she leaned into my side. "I hate that I feel like my parents are still controlling my life. I hate that I so often let them do it."

"I think that a lot of people are guilty of that, JJ." I thought of my life with my mother. I'd sort of had the opposite reaction of JJ; my mother wanted me to be one way, so I made sure to be the opposite of what she expected. In doing that, I'd somewhat let my mother shape my actions. There had actually been a few things that I'd wanted to do in my youth that I'd actively avoided because my mother had wanted me to do them. "Relationships with parents are usually complicated."

She sighed. "I'm going to bed. I need sleep."

"Do you want something to eat, first?" I asked.

"No, I just need sleep. The last few days have been more than exhausting.

"Okay," I said. "I'll go get the bed ready while you change." A few minutes later, I was laying in bed as JJ laid down next to me. I put my arms around her.

"Em?" she said.

"Yeah, JJ?"

"I'm sorry I tried to end things. I can't remember if I've told you that, yet."

"It's okay," I said, holding on to her more tightly. "You were scared. You're with me now, and that's all that matters." I kissed the back of her head. Before too long, I heard her breathing even out, telling me she'd fallen asleep. I wasn't as lucky. I couldn't help but think about our situation. Once everyone found out about JJ and me, there was no telling what would happen. I just tried to be thankful that this was the second night in a row I got to hold the woman I loved without her having to run back to Will.