FF: Slow Surprise (Criminal Minds) JJ/Emily 8/14 NC-17
Summer was in full-swing and though the memory of two dead women lingered over the town of Mission Springs, it was soon in the background as the season’s chores took precedence.
The new corral and pens had been built, and at JJ’s suggestion, the chicken coop had been expanded. Emily had also taken the time to inspect the roof on the homestead and make what repairs were needed. She was new to Wyoming, but she wasn’t new to the hazards of winter. An ounce of planning and prevention here would save them a pound of heartbreak during a bad storm in December.
A full three weeks had passed since the discovery of the second woman’s body, and still Emily slept in the homestead with JJ even though she’d made more than a few repairs to her own small room. It was comfortable, and easy, and neither seemed to mind the company, which surprised Emily all the more as she’d never been one to eschew a solitary night. They’d worked their way through Great Expectations and had moved onto A Tale of Two Cities. This time, JJ had been the one to read aloud.
And now, it was Saturday, time enough to put the weekly chores away and run the pile of errands in town that had accumulated during the week. Henry sat on JJ’s lap as they drove into town, Emily at the reins of the wagon.
She parked at the livery and helped JJ down, giving Henry an affectionate toss in the air before handing the giggling boy to his mother. “You go on to the store, I want to talk to Morgan for a bit.”
“I’ll meet you over there. Tell Derek I said hi.”
Hand in hand, JJ and Henry crossed the street, waving to those they knew as they walked towards the general store. The door opened, just as JJ reached for it, bringing her face to face with Mrs. Strauss.
They’d seen each other on the street of course, and at church. Mrs. Strauss was a regular attendee, even if her husband wasn’t. Still, they hadn’t spoken since that fateful day when Strauss’ hired goons had tried to forcibly evict JJ from her home and Emily had stopped them.
JJ wanted to sneer at the older woman; instead she smiled, all sugar and honey. “Good morning, Mrs. Strauss.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Lamontagne. Fine weather we’re having, isn’t it?”
“Pretty as a picture.”
“How’s the ranch?”
“Coming along splendidly.”
“And your new employer?”
There was something in Mrs. Strauss’ tone that had JJ’s hackles rising even if she couldn’t put a name to what it was. “I couldn’t be happier.”
“Hmmm. I’ll bet.” Strauss plastered on another smile. “Good day to you.”
“And you,” JJ offered, stepping aside to let her pass. Inside the store she found Hotch pulling stock and Hailey helping Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Wentworth with swaths of fabric, so she settled her basket on her arm and went about her shopping. When the two other ladies finally paid for their wares and left, JJ headed for the counter. “Busy today?”
“Oh, you know how the weekends are,” Hailey smiled. “How are you? I saw you ran into Mrs. Strauss.”
“As always, she’s a ray of sunshine.”
Hailey laughed. “Good for you. I’m glad you’re not taking any of her gossip to heart.”
“Gossip? What gossip?”
Hailey’s face paled, her smile fading. “I thought you knew...”
“Knew what, Hailey? What is it?”
“Mrs. Strauss... apparently she wrote to some society friends of hers in New York and Washington D.C. Her letters inquired about Miss Prentiss. The responses, apparently, were rather unfavorable.”
“What did they say?”
Hailey glanced at Henry meaningfully; whatever needed to be related wasn’t appropriate for young ears. “Henry, why don’t you go play with Jack? He’s in Mr. Hotchner’s office there.” Off like a shot, Henry didn’t waste time being asked twice before racing to play with his friend. Hailey pulled JJ to the back corner of the store, behind the barrels of dried beans.
“All right, now you’re worrying me,” JJ laughed nervously. “What in the world is Mrs. Strauss saying?”
“Your Miss Prentiss has quite a past,” Hailey began, “if Mrs. Strauss is to be believed. You know Miss Prentiss’ parents are diplomats? They spent all that time in Europe, travelling, and taking her with them at first. Trying to marry her off to an eligible young man, but that never worked out. So they let her continue her schooling including among some of the more liberal universities, but they could never get her to settle down, and despite many suitors, she refused to marry. The reason, apparently, became clear enough when her father was assigned to French Algiers.”
“What happened in French Algiers?”
“A scandal,” Hailey whispered. “Mrs. Strauss was light on the details, but apparently it involved Miss Prentiss and the regional sultan’s wife.”
It was confirmation of no more than what JJ had suspected. Hasiba, JJ remembered. A lover’s gift. “What happened?”
“Her parent’s disowned her. Not formally of course, it would have caused even more of a scandal, but she was completely cut off from all financial support. She hasn’t spoken to them in years. Apparently, all the money she’s been investing into the ranch is an inheritance from her grandfather.”
“That’s terrible... for her family to just...” JJ thought of Henry and tried to imagine a situation in which she would ever willingly cut him from her life. Nothing came to mind. “It’s terrible.”
“And now, well, Mrs. Strauss has been making other insinuations. About you.” JJ snorted. “It’s not funny,” Hailey reprimanded. “That woman’s word carries a lot of weight in this town. People are starting to talk.”
“About me? And Emily?”
“About two women living alone, on a ranch, doing men’s work.”
“Hailey you don’t really believe-”
“-JJ, I don’t care one way or the other,” Hailey assured. “I only care about you getting hurt by town gossip. You've been through enough. You don't need that woman's baggage hanging on you too.”
“She's been nothing but kind to me when she didn't have to be. I'm not going to abandon her so easily just because of some town gossip started by Erin Strauss.”
Hailey nodded, appreciating JJ's loyalty. Still, she couldn't help but worry for her friend. Men fought with money and fists, but women… women were skilled in the deadly art of gossip and the wounds that were left by a well-placed rumor could haunt someone forever. She prayed Erin Strauss had enough sense to leave well enough alone.
*
Across town, Morgan and Prentiss were having a similar conversation.
“So, Mrs. Strauss thinks she knows all about me, huh?”
“Way I heard tell from Miss Penelope, she's been tellin' anyone in earshot what a scandalous woman you are.”
Emily snorted. “If she knew half the things I've done, the word 'scandalous' would be a compliment from her.” Morgan merely raised an eyebrow in question. “Those are stories for a much different time, my friend. With a lot more whiskey. I appreciate you keeping me informed.”
“Sure thing, Miss Emily.” With a decisive nod, Emily said goodbye and headed for the general store. Morgan watched her go, whistling to himself. “There is a whole 'nother side to that woman.”
Halfway to the store, Emily heard a familiar voice call her name. She turned and smiled at Beth, changing direction easily enough to amble toward the saloon where the young woman was busy lounging outside, fanning herself in the shade.
“Hey, stranger. You weren't kidding about that ranch keeping you awful busy.”
“I don't kid about hard work,” Emily answered with an easy grin. “How's work been treating you?”
“Not nearly as well as it did when you were here.”
The faintest blush crept up Emily's cheeks. “That's not saying very much.”
Beth reached up, brushing at invisible dirt on Emily's shoulder. “Oh, it's saying plenty sugar. When you gonna come back and visit me, huh?”
Emily took a careful step backward. “Can't really say. You just try and keep yourself out of trouble, all right?”
A brave smile. Emily wished she wasn't the cause of the pain she saw beneath it. “I'll do my best, but only because you asked so nicely.”
Another goodbye and Prentiss was walking back toward the store, more than a few pairs of eyes following her as she went. She looked over, meeting Mrs. Strauss penetrating gaze with one of her own, neither of them giving an inch across the long expanse of street.
Until, of course, Emily grinned, even white teeth pulled back in a predatory snarl, and winked.
Strauss turned like a skittish colt and hurried down the street.
“Enjoying yourself,” JJ asked dryly.
Her hands were full of rambunctious boy and groceries. Emily did the heavy lifting and grabbed a squirming Henry out of her arms before settling him on her hip. Her smile was wholly unrepentant. “Just having a bit of fun.”
“You're incorrigible.”
The reprimand drew an uncharacteristic laugh from the brunette. “My mother used to say that. I always did love testing her patience.”
The comment was far more light-hearted than JJ would have imagined considering the stories she'd just heard about Emily's parents. Together they walked to the wagon, loading up the groceries. “Is there any use in denying the stories she's spreading,” JJ asked as Emily helped her up onto the bench seat.
“I've found there's never any use in denying gossip. If strangers want to believe lies, I can't stop them. I just hope my friends have the guts to ask me.”
“All right then,” JJ said as Emily climbed onto the seat beside her, unlocking the brake before urging the mule into motion. “I just want to know one thing.” Emily looked at her side-long, eyebrow raised expectantly. “Did you really bed a sultan's wife?”
Emily ducked her head ruefully. “Of course not.” She flicked the reins, prompting the mule into a steady trot. “It wasn't the sultan's wife… it was his daughter.”
*
And so it went.
A solid week was spent clearing nearly a quarter of an acre on the north side of the homestead and fencing it off - more than enough land for JJ to plant herbs and vegetables. Emily already had plans for an orchard if the land proved fertile enough.
It was good, hard work, and both of them were grateful for it. And if the gossip in town continued, spurred on by Mrs. Strauss’ none-too-subtle insinuations, well, neither of them cared enough to address it.
JJ had always wanted a home, a ranch, but more than that, she’d wanted a purpose. She’d thought she’d found that with Will, working side by side to create a life for themselves, their family. But as she worked with Emily, she discovered it wasn’t just about her family any more. She was doing this for herself. Making a mark that no one could take away.
Emily had been alone for so long, she’d forgotten what it was like to share her life with someone. As a child, her parents had been distant, not that she’d expected or understood any other way. Only her grandfather had been openly affectionate, gregarious and lively with her - she’d always assumed it was because he was French. But watching the easy, loving way JJ interacted with her son, Emily began to understand that there was more to most families than quiet disappointment and resentment. And though she’d had lovers, more than a few, she’d never felt as intimate with any of them as she did when JJ simply brought her a second cup of coffee, or handed her a freshly laundered shirt.
Together, they were filling in the cracks in each other’s lives, cracks neither of them had every realized were there, or bothered to care about before.
JJ hung the last of the laundry on the line and picked up the empty basket, intent on heading back into the homestead when a ruckus out front drew her attention. She came around the corner just in time to see Emily and Morgan riding herd with twenty head of cattle between them as they drove them into the newly created corral.
“What in the world...”
“Heya! Get on there! Heya!”
JJ's confused utterance was lost in Morgan and Prentiss' shouts as they drove the cattle between them. She waited, staring dumbfounded until the last head was coaxed into the corral and the gate shut behind them.
With a grin as broad as the Wyoming sky, Emily dismounted and slapped Morgan heartily on the back, both of them laughing and joking as they headed up for the homestead.
“Would someone like to tell me what's going on,” JJ asked mildly, unable to fight the smile that Emily's pure joy was eliciting.
“Ol' man Wilkes died,” Morgan answered.
“And we're celebrating that because…?”
“-Because I just bought his herd for half-price,” Emily answered triumphantly. “Sheep and chickens too, although there's fewer of those. Morgan and I are going back out for them this afternoon. I'll need you too, if you think you can get Hailey to watch Henry for you?”
“Sheep... and chickens? More chickens?”
“Don't forget that plow and wagon, too,” Morgan added, his grin nearly as broad as Emily's. “Here, I'm gonna go water the horses down. We don’t want to run too short on time.”
“Thanks, Morgan.”
“More chickens,” JJ muttered, dazed by the news. Their herd had nearly doubled in a morning. And now between the chickens and the sheep... They could sell eggs as a side business in town... And the wool...
Emily saw the look on JJ's face and recognized the moment everything finally sank in. “It's all coming together, JJ. It's all right here for us. Right within our grasp. It's finally happening.” She grinned again, wild and unrestrained, and without warning swooped in, pulling JJ into a bone-crushing hug before spinning her around with gleeful laughter.
The world spun, but that wasn't what pulled JJ off-center. No, that was the look in Emily's eyes. The genuine happiness, the sense of purpose, and as always, that frisson of electricity like lightening that sizzled between them whenever they got too close. It made JJ dizzy. Made her want to close those few inches between them and fit her mouth to Emily's. To taste her smile, to watch those brown eyes melt with warmth and desire and need.
And for a moment that stretched between them, JJ was absolutely certain Emily wanted it too.
“Mama! Cows! Cows!”
JJ broke away from Emily, cheeks blushing bright red as she intercepted Henry trying to run for the corral. “Hold on there, mister. I'll take you to see the cows...” She chanced a backwards glance at Emily to find the brunette hadn't moved an inch. The mile-wide grin was gone now, and in its place, a bemused quirk of lips that JJ couldn't read.
Henry tugged on her sleeve, pulling her gaze away. “Can we name them?”
“Sure thing... let's call that one there 'dinner' okay?”
Part Nine