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The case had been heavy, so Rossi declared a team night out mandatory. They ended up at a low-lit bar with a karaoke stage tucked in the corner, neon lights flickering and pitchers of beer waiting for them at a long booth. Garcia was in her element, already scribbling down names and songs with wild enthusiasm. “Tonight,” she announced, “we are making memories that will haunt you in the best way possible.”
Luke groaned. “That’s ominous.”
“Just drink,” Tara advised with a smirk, clinking her glass against his.
JJ leaned back, sipping her wine and watching the chaos unfold with a small smile. Nights like this felt… rare. Precious.
After Tara and Garcia delivered a very enthusiastic — and very off-key — duet of ABBA, Garcia turned to the booth with a mischievous grin. “Next up… our fearless leader!” Emily blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Garcia said, practically vibrating. “Emily Prentiss, get up there and bless us with your mysteriouskaraoke choice.”
The rest of the team joined in with chants and teasing. JJ found herself grinning too. “Come on, Em. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Emily shot her a look, but with that same crooked smile JJ secretly adored. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
She stood, casual but confident, and walked up to the stage. JJ expected a playful number, something to get Garcia squealing. But when the opening chords of Adele’s “When We Were Young” filled the bar, JJ felt her breath catch.
Emily adjusted the mic, and then she began to sing.
“Everybody loves the things you do…
From the way you talk to the way you move…”
JJ froze. Emily’s voice wasn’t just good. It was breathtaking. Low, velvety, rich with emotion that wrapped around every word. The bar, once noisy, grew quiet as people turned to listen.
JJ’s heart pounded. Emily’s eyes scanned the crowd, but when they landed on her — when Emily held her gaze — JJ felt the lyrics sink into her bones.
“You look like a movie, you sound like a song…
My God, this reminds me… of when we were young.”
JJ swallowed hard, blinking quickly, because she swore Emily wasn’t just singing. She was confessing.
The raw ache in Emily’s voice was matched only by its strength, carrying every note with stunning clarity. JJ had never heard her like this. None of them had. Tara and Luke exchanged wide-eyed looks, Garcia clutched her chest like she might faint, Rossi actually stopped mid-sip of his scotch.
JJ, though — JJ couldn’t move. Every lyric cut straight to her heart, but not in a painful way. In a way that made her feel seen.
When Emily reached the final verse, her voice swelled, rich and haunting:
“Let me photograph you in this light, in case it is the last time…
That we might be exactly like we were before we realized…
We were sad of getting old, it made us restless…”
JJ’s eyes stung with unshed tears, her chest tight but warm. It was like Emily was reaching for her across the space, across years of unsaid things, across grief and fear and longing.
The final note faded into silence, and for a beat, no one moved.
Then the bar erupted in applause. Cheers, whistles, clapping that shook the walls. Garcia screeched so loud half the crowd turned. Luke shook his head in disbelief. Tara muttered, “Holy hell.”
Emily set the mic down, cheeks flushed, still catching her breath, and JJ… could no longer contain herself.
She stood and sprinted onto the stage, wrapping her arms around Emily’s neck. The crowd erupted before their lips even met.
“Oh my God!” someone yelled from a table near the stage.
“I knew she was singing to her!” another shouted, pumping a fist in the air.
The DJ, sensing the energy, cranked the volume, and the crowd cheered louder. Whistles, clapping, and shouts collided in a wave of chaos that somehow felt celebratory instead of overwhelming.
JJ kissed Emily — full, sure, trembling just a little with years of hidden feelings — and the crowd went wild. Hands shot up, strangers hollered encouragement, and someone banged on the edge of a table like they were at a rock concert.
“YASSSS!” Garcia’s voice rang out above the rest, shrill and ecstatic. “TAKE HER, JJ! TAKE HER!”
Luke whooped dramatically, nearly spilling his drink. Tara laughed so hard she doubled over, pointing at them. Rossi just shook his head, smiling knowingly, muttering, “It’s about time…”
Even through the chaos, Emily’s hands found JJ’s hair, pulling her closer, and JJ rested her forehead against hers for a breath, heart pounding. The shouts and applause became a kind of heartbeat around them — wild, joyful, unmistakable — as if the whole bar was cheering them on, rooting for the love that had been waiting far too long to finally bloom.
When they finally broke apart, breathing and grinning, JJ whispered, “I’ve wanted to do that for… far too long.”
Emily’s chest rose and fell, a small, happy laugh escaping her. “I was hoping you would.” The crowd roared again, waving their arms, clapping, and whistling like they’d just witnessed the finale of a fireworks show. JJ smiled up at Emily, shaking her head in disbelief at the madness surrounding them — and loving every second of it. For the first time in a long time, with the world cheering them on, JJ felt like she was exactly where she belonged. The cheers and applause from Emily’s performance still echoed in the bar as JJ and Emily stepped off the stage, laughing breathlessly from the exhilaration of the kiss. The music was pulsing, lights flashing, and the team was still buzzing from the excitement, but JJ only had eyes for Emily. They moved onto the dance floor together. The crowd swirled around them, but Emily didn’t move, didn’t even sway to the music. She just stared, completely still, her gaze locked on JJ’s.
JJ tilted her head, slightly breathless, heart thudding. “What?” she asked softly, uncertain but hoping.
Emily’s lips curved into a small, warm smile, and she whispered, her voice low and sincere, “You’re just so… gorgeous.”
JJ blinked, heat rushing to her cheeks. She opened her mouth to respond, but Emily didn’t give her a chance — she reached up, letting her fingers rest lightly on JJ’s jaw, thumbs brushing against her skin. The world around them melted away: the flashing lights, the pulsing music, the cheering crowd. JJ’s hands instinctively came up to cradle Emily’s face, and she leaned in slowly, heart racing, eyes locked on those she had loved silently for months. “You… you’re amazing,” JJ murmured, her voice trembling just enough to show the truth she’d been holding back. Emily’s chest rose and fell, her smile softening. “I’m just being honest,” she said, pressing her forehead against JJ’s. “I’ve been waiting for you to notice… for me to tell you.”
JJ’s heart swelled, and she leaned closer, resting her lips against Emily’s temple in a gentle, grounding kiss. “I notice,” she whispered. “I notice everything about you.”
Emily’s laugh was quiet, breathless, full of joy. “Good,” she said. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
And in that moment, in the middle of the chaotic, pulsing dance floor, JJ realized she felt exactly the same way. Everything — the music, the crowd, the neon lights — faded away. There was only Emily. Only them.
The music thumped around them, neon lights flickering across the crowd, but JJ and Emily were in their own little world. JJ leaned in slowly, heart hammering, and pressed her lips to Emily’s.
The kiss was soft at first, tentative, tasting of nerves and longing, but it deepened quickly, full of all the months of hidden feelings, quiet longing, and unspoken confessions. Emily’s hands threaded into JJ’s hair, pulling her closer, while JJ’s arms stayed firmly around her neck, grounding them both.
When they finally pulled apart, both breathless, Emily’s chest rose and fell rapidly. Her eyes, glimmering with unshed tears and unspoken joy, locked onto JJ’s. She smiled softly, her fingers still resting against JJ’s jaw.
“I love you… Jayje,” she confessed, voice low but unwavering.
JJ’s heart skipped a beat, a rush of warmth and relief flooding through her. She cupped Emily’s face with both hands, thumbs brushing tenderly over her cheeks. “I love you too, Emily,” she whispered, leaning in to press her forehead against hers.
The chaotic club, the flashing lights, the cheering crowd — none of it mattered. In that moment, everything they had been holding back, all the grief, all the fear, all the longing, melted away. There was only the truth between them, soft and fierce all at once.
Emily laughed softly, the sound mingling with JJ’s quiet chuckle, and buried her face into JJ’s shoulder. “Finally,” she murmured.
JJ pressed another kiss to Emily’s temple, smiling. “Finally,” she echoed, wrapping her arms tighter around her.
And as the music pulsed around them, the crowd cheering and dancing wildly, JJ and Emily swayed together, hands intertwined, hearts aligned, finally allowing themselves to fully feel the love that had been there all along.