the hotel room was dimly lit, shadows dancing along the walls as the quiet hum of the city buzzed outside. you sat on the edge of your bed, still in your work clothes, unable to unwind after the case you’d just wrapped up. it had been a brutal one, worse than most. even after years in the bau, some cases still found a way to stick under your skin.

you had just started to take off your boots when there was a soft knock on the door. you knew who it was before you even opened it. emily stood in the doorway, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. the usual sharpness in her gaze had dulled, and you could see the weight of the case hanging on her shoulders, pulling her down in a way that only someone who really knew her would notice.

“hey,” you said softly, stepping aside to let her in. she didn’t say anything at first, just walked into the room and sat down on the edge of your bed, her shoulders slumping as if she could finally let go of the tension she had been holding in all day.

you closed the door behind her, your heart aching as you looked at her. emily was always so strong, always so in control, but cases like this one, cases with children, with families torn apart, got to her more than she liked to admit.

“you okay?” you asked, even though you knew the answer.

emily let out a small, humorless laugh, running a hand through her dark hair. “not really,” she admitted, her voice quiet but raw. she looked down at her hands, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “this one was… hard.”