Chapter Text
Emily had always known a lot of people, but knowing people and liking them were two very different things. When you boiled it all down, it meant that she didn't have many people who understood, or even made an attempt to understand her. The first time she met someone she genuinely liked was when she was 14, and her mother allowed her to go to a summer camp while she was stationed in D.C.. For two entire weeks, Emily was surrounded by people who had similar interests to her.
There, she met a bubbly blonde who wore bright colors and bold accessories. Penelope had inserted herself into Emily's life so seamlessly. The brunette didn't even remember how it happened, just that for the first time in her life, she had someone who was okay with filling the silence that always surrounded her while being so welcoming that Emily felt safe in her presence.
Being friends with Penelope showed the young brunette a new side of life. She was no longer just the weird emo kid that tried to hide away and attempt to carve out her own corner of the world. Emily started to take part in the world that seemed to exist for everyone around her. Those two weeks at camp were the best weeks she had had in her 14 years of life so far. Emily spent days at the lake, nights by the campfire, and all the time in between learning about different aspects of STEM. Penelope was way more into the classes than Emily, but she was still a good sport and tried to absorb all the new information the blonde tried to instill in her.
At the end of those two weeks, she had to part with her new friend, but they made sure to exchange contacts, so that they could keep in touch. Penelope had to go back to her small hometown in Pennsylvania, while Emily went back to the Embassy in D.C. that seemed too big and too empty.
It was a week later when Penelope texted.
PG: Hey Emster! Miss u. How is being back in D.C.?
Em: Honesty? Little lonely... which is weird since we were in the woods. wbu
PG: Good 2 be back. Spent the entire week catching my bff up on all things camp.
PG: Had 2 make her jealous, she didn't wanna do "nerd camp" XD. told her how broody u were until I got my hands on ya.
Em: I may be broody but no one can come anywhere close to ur pep level
PG: Ur right... oh idea! 1 sec
~ PG has added you to Fine Furry friends~
PG: Em meet JJ. JJ, Em.
Em: So JJ, I take it ur the bff
JJ: and u must be dark n broody
PG: I can already tell u 2 r gonna be friends :D
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Emily thinks that Penelope must have a sixth sense for those types of things because she and JJ did in fact become close friends fairly quickly. She can't help but smile at the memory of the summer that she met her two best friends. It's been 4 years of constant text threads and Skype movie nights and now, as she sits in the airport waiting for JJ's flight, she can't help but to bring her thumb up to her mouth and pick at the skin around her nail. Emily is about to meet JJ in person for the first time and then, she’s going to spend the summer before college with her best friend. She still had about an hour before the blonde's plane landed and was swept back into another memory.
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Emily had just finished debate practice when she pulled her phone out of her backpack. She unlocked it to 15 missed texts from JJ that started with 'hey call me when you get out of practice' to 'EM OMG WHY DOES DEBATE TAKE SO LONG ????'
The brunette chuckled as she threw her backpack over her shoulder and waved to her friends. Before she was out the door, she had her phone up to her ear waiting to see what JJ could possibly be so excited about.
JJ answered before the phone could complete the first ring.
"Oh. My. God. EMILY!"
"So, is there a reason you've been non-stop texting me for an hour?"
"Can't I just want to talk to my best friend?"
Emily stayed silent because she knew there had to be a reason for the blonde to text so much when she knew Emily had debate practice.
"Ok, you caught me. I wanted to tell you about the new guy in town... Who might have also asked me out."
At the mention of said guy, Emily's smile immediately dropped. It was in that moment that Emily was really glad that she didn't decide to video chat JJ but instead call her. Over the phone, she could at least try and mask her disappointment. JJ was her best friend, and all she wanted was for her to be happy, her own feelings be damned.
"That's great, Jayje," Emily choked out while trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. She swallowed at the lump in her throat just trying to make it through this call. She can feel sorry for herself later.
"You ok, Em? You sound a little out of it."
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just trying to not slip on all the ice on the ground. It's been snowing here. I should probably focus on trying to not fall. How about we all talk tonight, so you can tell me and Pen all about this guy?"
"OK, sounds good!," Emily let out a breath because at least Penelope will ask all the right questions and Emily could stay out of it for the most part "I'll get Pen to come over later. Stay safe, don't fall. Love you!"
JJ hung up right after Emily squeaked out, "Love you, too."
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It was a week later, and Emily was back sitting in debate after her last class of the day. Practice hadn't formally started yet, so she was just sitting at a random desk flipping through her history textbook, not absorbing any of it until she was jolted out of her day dream by hearing her name being called. She looked up to find a blonde standing in front of her along with her debate advisor.
"Sir?" Emily looked up at Mr. Hotchner as she closed her textbook.
"Emily, I want you to meet Ashley Seaver. She has decided to join our team, and I want you to show her the ropes and how we go about practices and such. Since you're one of our strongest on the team, it shouldn't take away from your own practice that much.''
With that, he walked away, leaving the new girl with her. They got through practice okay and Emily could tell that Ashley would be a great asset to the team, once she got a little better. She was determined to help out the blonde as much as she could, so at the end of practice, she handed over her phone number on a piece of paper that she ripped out of her notebook.
"Text me if you have any questions about anything. Doesn't even have to be debate related."
Emily really was just trying to be nice and friendly when she gave Ashley her number, but she couldn't help but start to see her in a new light beyond 'new team member'. The blonde turned out to be really funny, and she and Emily got along really well over the next couple weeks.
One day, they were leaving a cafe after studying together for a away debate they had the coming weekend when Emily decided to take a chance.
"Hey, Ashley?" Emily called out before they went their separate ways for the night.
"What's up, Em?"
Emily started fidgeting with the straps of her backpack, feeling nervous with the blonde's full attention or her. It’s now or never Prentiss, she said, giving herself a pep talk.
"I was just wondering if you would like to go out sometime... with me... like a date?''
A grin broke out on Ashley's face. "I'd love that, Em."
"Ok, cool! What about Sunday? I'll text you the details?"
"I'll be waiting." Before she set off to her house, Emily was startled to find Ashley wrapping her arms around her in a quick hug before she ran off to her car.
Emily set off on her short walk home checking the time before she let out a breath cursing the fact that JJ was still at soccer practice.
Em: JJ I know you're at practice but call me when you get out.
Emily felt what she suspected her best friend did all those weeks ago and couldn't stop texting JJ with increasing excitement that ended with 'JAYJE OH MY GOD HURRY UP!'
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It was later that night after Emily had gushed all about her new relationship when she got a text from Penelope. It was strange since it wasn't in the group chat.
PG: Hey Emster, I just wanted to check in to see how you're feeling.
She thought it was weird considering that, just a couple hours ago, she told both Penelope and JJ just how excited she was about Ashley saying yes to her.
Em: I'm great, why wouldn't I be?
PG: No reason, you know me just wanted to check in.
Em:.... ok well I'm all good.
PG: Good! You know you can always talk to me about anything.
This made Emily more confused than anything. She decided to not think about it too much and just send back a thumbs up, chalking it up to Penelope’s quirky way of life.
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Emily is jolted out of her daydreaming yet again by someone sitting down next to her on the bench in baggage claim. She realizes that she fell asleep while waiting for her best friend. She sits up from where she slumped down, and pulls her phone out of her hoodie pocket and sees that she still has about 30 minutes before JJ's flight lands.
She decides to walk around a bit, so that she won't fall asleep again before JJ gets there. Emily hasn't thought about Ashley in a long time, since they only dated for a couple of weeks. She had eventually come to the realization that she still wasn't over her best friend and cut it off with the other blonde. She didn't deserve to date someone who wasn't over someone she never even dated.
It wasn't long after she broke up with Ashley that JJ broke up with Will, stating that they just didn't have a lot in common and all their conversations always ended back up at small talk. With both of them being single, and actually going to be in the same city for a couple months, Emily decided to finally tell the blonde about how she felt for all these years, or at least that’s the plan.
A vibrating from her pocket makes Emily stop in the middle of her wandering around the airport. It’s an incoming call from her favorite person.
She answers it in a rush. "You've landed?"
A cheery voice greets her. "Yup, and I'm almost at baggage claim."
"I'm on the lookout." Emily stretches up on her toes to try to see any incoming blonde heads through the hoard of people. "Where are you?"
Emily receives her answer not from the phone held to her ear, but a scream coming somewhere behind her. She turns so fast that she almost loses her balance, but quickly recovers as the petite blonde comes barreling at her with her arms open. Emily catches her and spins around while everything around her is drowned out by the fact that her best friend, the girl she's had a crush on for the better part of 4 years, is finally in her arms and hugging her back with such ferocity that Emily doesn't know if she can breathe anymore.
Eventually, they both come back to reality, and JJ releases her legs that had wrapped around the brunette when she jumped, and slides down to the ground to get a good look at her best friend for the first time. They embrace each other again before Emily pulls away, wiping at the tears that streaked down her face at some point. She slings her arm over JJ's shoulders and steers her toward the conveyor belt that holds the luggage from her flight.
A little while later, they were sitting in D.C. traffic with a comfortable silence between them. Emily gave JJ the aux cord after throwing her suitcase in the back of her Range Rover, so there is some band that Emily has never heard of before filling the car with a soft melody.
As they make their way further into the city, JJ asks if they could get something to eat before going back to Em's place. They decide to stop at a diner where Emily knew it would be quiet enough to talk.
After some comfort food, and some desserts to go, they finally make it back to Emily's for a night of movies and JJ cuddling up to the brunette and eventually falling asleep. Emily doesn't want to disturb her, so she just reaches over to her bedside table and turns the light off before she too falls asleep, thinking that these next couple of months can't get better than the blonde falling asleep on her chest.
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Emily didn't think that her summer could get any better, but, somehow, she is proven wrong. It seems like she never knows what she's going to get with the blonde by her side, but she’s always willing to find out.