Title: Love Letters
Author: Lil
Feedback address: tarnishandtears@gmail.com
Date in Calendar: 28 November 2007
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: JJ/Prentiss; pre-slash
Rating: G, for once
Summary: Emily muses on her teammates.
Spoilers/Warnings: Specific spoilers for The Big Game/Revelations, and In Birth and Death
Advertisement: Part of the FSAC:DW07
Archiving: Written for the FSAC07

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and its characters are the property of CBS. No infringement intended.

TO: alibi@geekelite.net FROM: featherduster@geekelite.net

Hey, Spazz. Been a while since the last time I heard from you, just thought I'd do a quick check-in. How's tricks? Soccer Barbie still treating you like a leper? Babble holding up okay?

Nevermind, forget I asked. I don't want to know about work! I want to know about SEX! So! How's the love-life? You do remember what that is, don't you? It's that thing you do when you're not around people you work with? Generally involves shaving your legs and, if you do it right, packing? Heh. Not talking about your service weapon, tonto. *evil grin* No? Nothing? Don't remember that?

WELL YOU SHOULD!

There's a Gathering going down on Black Friday, wench you had better be there. I refuse to make excuses for you AGAIN, especially since the last time I did that, Rebel looked singularly unimpressed and you know me, brat, I'm not crossing Blonde, Femme and Dangerous. Bad things happen when that woman gets irritated and have you SEEN her guard dog? Yikes!

...And, well, yum-may, too. But, you know what I mean!

There will be no squirming out of this, if I have to send Jaq to Quantico to drag you out of there by your HAIR, do not think I won't!

Anyway, write back, let me know that you're coming and, preferably, what your date will be wearing, so I know which chick to give the dirty photos to!

Later!

Wings.

Emily Prentiss rolled her eyes and half heartedly tried to control the grin breaking out on her face. It never failed to amaze her how Elizabeth Benoit, one of her closest friends from boarding school, could make her laugh so easily. It brought back memories of laughter desperately stifled while passing notes in class; especially the way they'd all kept using nicknames for the people in their lives even after the threat of having a note read aloud had passed. Something about that cultured french accent using improper speech and making fun of other people was always intensely amusing. However, considering she was currently checking her personal email from her desk at the Behavioral Analysys Unit, and profilers were dangerously curious people, that wasn't neccessarily a good thing right now.

Brown eyes glanced around guiltily, locating and cataloguing the other members of her team.

The richly intense Aaron Hotchner, Special Agent in Charge of her team at the BAU, and affectionately known as Suit to her friends, was safely esconced in his office; which meant she was safe for a few more minutes.

Hitting the reply button, Emily started typing.

Well, you know. Work is busy, as usual, but then, you were asking about new things, weren't you? So much has happened since the last time we got together-- starting with for a period of about 24 hours I was no longer employed by the FBI.

Don't ask.

I'm back now, don't throw the party just yet. Yes, I know, if all else fails I can go work with Jaq at NCIS but I'd be bored if I weren't on call 24/7. Then I'd have to actually consider having a social life. I don't know if I could cope!

Striding back from the breakroom, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand, was Smooth Criminal -- Derek Morgan, their resident expert on obsessive crimes. He had that grin on his face that said he'd just spent the last few minutes flirting shamelessly with Penelope Garcia, their Technical Analyst. He caught her smile and winked at her, dropping down into this chair and rolling his eyes before getting back to work.

Yoda is gone. Couldn't hack it anymore, so he bailed on us. I'd be upset if it weren't for the fact that I know its good for him to not have to deal with this anymore.

Smooth Criminal and Oracle are still...doing whatever it is they're doing. I haven't figured out yet if they're actually dating or if they just flirt like they're the last two people on earth and its their job to repopulate the planet for FUN.

Brown eyes glanced over at Morgan surrepitously. I guess I can see the appeal, but I must be immune since I spend so much time with him.

Dr. Spencer Reid sat across from her, chewing on a twizzler and reading a file with impressive speed. When she'd first met him, Emily had been impressed with his eidetic memory and ability to read a novel faster than she could hopscotch backwards. His defense mechanism when he was nervous, the spouting of inane facts that came from deep left field had earned him the nickname Babble in her letters.

Babble is decidedly better. It was really touch and go there for a while -- I honestly thought I was going to kill him before he figured out what he was doing with his life. Just...its frustrating to watch someone you know you could like act out, and know there's very little you can do to help. But he definitely seems more leveled out now, even if sometimes you can still see the results of his time with Henkel.

Emily trailed off and tilted her head to the side, chewing on the corner of her lip. Shifting in her seat, she stretched as far as she could, leaning back in her chair, ignoring the popping of her spine and the faces Reid made.

If she leaned just right she could see JJ's office. Jennifer Jareau, Communications Coordinator and Liason with the press was the last of their close-knit group and by far the most frustrating of them all. Anyone looking at her would think the petite blonde with the big blue eyes was a pushover but in this case? Looks were most definitely decieving. Behind that sweet smile and those impeccable manners hid a spine of steel; more than one reporter and local authority had been quietly and calmly discouraged from doing anything she didn't want them to do. Her finesse and ease in dealing with the public was just one of the things Emily admired about her.

All of the members of the BAU were good looking, one of the first things Emily had pointed out to her friends was that it wasn't a hardship to go to work every day. Even if they were still a little wary of her, she could at least enjoy looking at them while they made up their minds. That being said, JJ was easily the most breathtaking of them all. That helped if she was going to work with the media, and it certainly didn't hurt her other relationships either.

Soccer Barbie is doing well. We're getting along better.

Anyway, I really want to talk about YOUR love life, because my, but your dates are sounding entirely more interesting than any I've been on lately. I'm not bringing anybody to the Gathering -- I'm not about having to be 'on' for company right now, you know?

Tell Rebel to breathe -- unless I get called away, I will be there and she can see for herself that I'm eating and wearing matching socks. ...Do I get to tell her you called the Detective yummy, because I'm sure she'd love that information!

Who is planning on being there, by the way? Just so I can know who to hide behind when Rebel and Jaq corner me. And who's hosting this one?

Anyway, I have to run, Barbie's gathering the Knights to the Round Table.

TTYL!

Alibi.

Quickly firing off the email, Emily followed the rest of the team to the Briefing Room, eyes subtly lingering on the petite blonde handing out files.

Having someone with her at the Gathering of Souls would be nice, but it wasn't going to happen any time soon. Like Rebel, Emily knew she wouldn't be introducing anyone to her family until they mattered, until they were the person she was relatively sure she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Certain blonde Communications Coordinators were not included, on the grounds that she worked with them, and they were straight.

The thought was banished as quickly as it came. It wasn't an option. It wasn't even worth entertaining, because all it would do, would torment her.

With nearly inaudible sigh, Emily straightened, and got back into the game, opening up the casefile in front of her and listening attentively.

Still. It would have been nice.

End.