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She knocked on the door and waited. She honestly had no idea why she was there but there was nowhere else Emily didn’t wanted to be. Morgan and Rossi gave a few whistles when they saw her heading to the elevator in a sexy red dress and matching heels. They wanted info, even more so after Hotch ran out of there like he was on fire. She just smiled and said it was some fundraiser thing with her mother.
She didn’t want to go but she owed her some good daughter time…they’d hardly been together since she’d returned from Paris. Both agents knew it was a lie but didn’t call her on it. Everyone was allowed to have their secrets and this was another one of Emily’s. She knocked once more having no idea how long she would wait.
He might not even be there though she knew he was back in country for good. That didn’t mean he wasn’t out on the town somewhere. He loved being on the town and tonight would be a good night for it. Maybe he had a beautiful woman on his arm, or he would by the time he got back to the hotel suite.
She was just about to walk away when she heard the voice from inside. He said he was coming after she knocked for the third time. So Emily waited and when Stephen opened the door he smiled at her.
“Hello.” She said.
“My wish came true.” Stephen said. He was standing there in a bathrobe.
“What do you mean?”
“I wished for a valentine and here’s one right outside my door.”
“Are you going to let me in?” she asked.
Stephen stepped aside and Emily crossed the threshold. She walked up on him, took his face in her hands, and kissed him passionately. Stephen wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He didn’t know what she was doing there; a part of him didn’t care. Emily had always been one for impulsive behavior but this was strange to him.
“Hello.” He said, stroking her face.
“I just wanted to see you.” she said.
“I'm a happy man because of it.”
“Wanna dance old man?”
Stephen smiled, kissing her again.
“When you say things like that it’s a wonder I haven’t married you yet.”
“I’d be a bad wife.” Emily replied.
“A good bad wife or a bad bad wife?” Stephen asked.
“That might depend on what day of the week it is and who’s asking.”
“What are you doing here?” he asked as she walked out of his arms and further into the hotel suite.
Stephen closed the door and put the night latch on. It was after nine. Maybe it was sad but he was showering for bed. His days were busy and started early in the morning. Just because he wasn’t flying around the world saving it one diplomatic mission at a time didn’t mean he wasn’t busy.
“I wanted to see you.” she turned to look at him, a smile making her face glow. “It’s been a while.”
“We've both been so busy.”
“We sort of promised we’d stop doing that.”
“I remember that. I have no problem with you calling me on things, Emily…whipping me into shape so to speak.”
“I think you might like that too much.”
“You're probably right.” now Stephen was smiling. “I'm feeling a little underdressed for the party.”
“That’s funny, I was feeling overdressed.”
“Let me just change into some, I don't know, clothes.” He said.
“If you want to.”
Stephen told her to make herself comfortable as he walked back toward the bedroom. Emily went straight into the kitchen. She wasn’t surprised there was wine in the refrigerator. She found a glass and filled it. It had been another tough case in another faraway town.
Lonely people killed by someone just because they were lonely. She’d gone to a few bars in her day; drowned her sorrows and shared a story or two. It was almost comforting to get things off her chest with strangers. No judgment, no risk of seeing them the next morning and having them know she was vulnerable. People shouldn’t have to fear for their lives doing something like that.
The psychoses of some never ceased to amaze her. Gideon said it once, he was fascinated by the new ways people found to hurt each other. Jason…damn, it had been too long since she’d let herself think about him. Emily couldn’t do it tonight either.
Tonight there was a part of her that was happy her work took the bad guys out of society. Another part of her wanted to run away from the job and never look back. Emily was sure she didn’t corner the market on those feelings. Walking over to the satellite radio, she turned it on and ran through the dials. It wasn’t hard to stop at Michael McDonald.
I know that you're afraid to love
You’ve been hurt before
Love broke your heart
So you closed the door
Now here I am outside your world
Wishing you'd let me in
Give me half a chance to prove you wrong
Baby, all your tears have come and gone
Talking ‘bout a brand new start.
She felt herself relax as Stephen came and wrapped his arms around her waist. He brushed her dark hair aside to kiss the nape of her neck.
“I might want to take you up on that dance, Miss Prentiss.”
Emily put the wineglass on the bookshelf and turned in his arms. Damn, he looked good in jeans and a black tee shirt. She wrapped her arms around him and they swayed.
Take it to heart, baby believe it
This love is so strong
That it won't let you go
Baby, hold on and you'll see
Just how good its gonna be
Gonna be here as long as you need it
Never take your world and tear it apart
Take it to heart, baby believe it
This love is so strong; this love is so strong…
There were a million words on the tip of his tongue but Stephen didn't speak. It had nothing to do with the fact that Emily in his arms usually left him speechless. He just didn’t want to say the wrong thing. He wanted to be there for Emily. He wanted to be someone she could care for, lean on, and love if it came to that.
He wanted to be her port in the storm, her God-given solace. What he didn’t want to be was a place to hide from the world. That was fine if they were doing it together, but if she was hiding from him as well then what was the point? Stephen wanted her to open up. He'd known her a long time; it wasn’t an easy thing for her.
She’d done it with him a few times and he wanted her to do it again. Something was wrong and it pained him that she was in pain. Emily Prentiss had a hundred masks, each one more intricate than the last. But he’d seen the women under them. Even in his arms right now, he didn’t think he was looking at her.
“I really like you.” she said.
“I'm glad to hear that. The feeling is entirely mutual and has been for the duration.”
“The duration of what?”
“The duration of everything, Emily.”
“You would probably make me deliriously happy.”
“Nah, just regular happy.” Stephen smiled. “Deliriously happy might be too overwhelming.”
“You're right, as always.” She replied.
“I don’t want to be right.”
“What do you want, Stephen?”
“I want to make you happy, Emily. But only if that’s what you want too. You’re here tonight; there has to be a reason for that.”
“I’d say I didn’t have anywhere else to go but that’s not true.”
“So what's true?” he asked.
“I wanted to be with you.”
“Is it because I always have wine in the fridge?”
“Mmm hmm,” she nodded. “It’s definitely no fun drinking alone. It’s no fun to dance alone for that matter. Some things are just better with a companion.”
“Yes,” Stephen nodded. “I can think of a few things.”
He kissed her, pulling her even closer. Her body felt so good on his and there was something inside of Stephen that wanted to get her out of her clothes right now. But that wasn’t what this was about. He wanted to be close, share his positive energy with her.
He wanted to add light to her darkness. Some of it was her job and he understood that. What she did rarely led to the patented happy ending. But just because Agent Prentiss had to trample through the darkness didn’t mean Emily did. She’d been doing that for too long.
“I think you should surprise me.” she said.
“OK…I love you.”
“What?” she stopped swaying, Michael McDonald having been replaced by Sheryl Crow. Yes indeed, the first cut was the deepest.
“I love you, Emily Prentiss. I love you madly and I probably always have.”
“How many times have I broken your heart?” Emily asked.
“Never.” Stephen shook his head. “I've wanted what I couldn’t have but that’s my fault not yours. We’ve never been in the right space.”
“This space seems good to me.”
“The song is only going to last for a few minutes.”
“I want this so much.” she held him close and swayed again. It might be possible for her to say what she needed to say. Emily was sure it would be impossible if she looked at him though.
“Its here for the taking.” Stephen stroked her back.
“But I want…” Emily sighed.
“You just tell me and I’ll make you happy. But don’t stay because there's no place else to go. Stay because this is better than all the other places.”
Emily didn’t know if right now, at that exact moment, she was in love with Stephen. That was mostly because over the years she’d built up so many barriers that those feelings were difficult to touch. She knew being with him made her happy; she felt so good. He’d known her for a long time. Stephen navigated the paradoxes, passions, and pitfalls of Emily Prentiss with the grace of Fred Astaire. How could she not love a man like that?
He comforted her, understood her, supported her, and made her laugh. He even knew when to let her go and most people never knew that. He was in politics, which she loathed, but wasn’t political. He made her pancakes, the perfect cocktail, and ran the perfect bath. Stephen was amazing…there was no doubt about that. She also had no doubt that the three words he said were true.
“How do you feel about children?” Emily asked, still not looking at him. She couldn’t believe the question came out of her mouth.
“I love kids…I have two remember? I always wanted more but Meredith didn’t after a rough time with the twins. I know becoming a mother is important to you.”
“Are we really talking about this?”
“We don’t have to. Sometimes things progress naturally and smoothly. Other times…”
“They have to be negotiated like the Malta Conference.” Emily finished.
“We’re not the Malta Conference.” Stephen took her face in his hands. He wanted her to look at him. “Be mine; the rest will come in time.”
“How can I turn down such an offer?”
It was time to live again. Emily had died and now it was time to live. She didn’t know if she believed in fate and all that stuff Garcia sometimes talked about, but she and Stephen found each other again for a reason. Emily felt like a stranger in a strange land a lot. A traveler since she was a child, the first time in her life she truly felt settled her past came back and ripped that security away from her.
She never felt unsettled with Stephen. Closing her eyes and exhaling, Emily kissed him. It always felt like coming home to a good book; a good book, a glass of wine, and a comfy blanket. Was that love? She didn’t know the answer to that but wanted to find out.
“I have to work in the morning.” she said.
“Tell me the last time you got eight hours sleep?” Stephen asked.
“Um…2005 I think.” Emily laughed.
“A change would be good, don’t you think?”
“Hell yes.”
Emily turned off the radio and grabbed her glass of wine. Then she let Stephen lead her to the bedroom. She needed to rest. She needed to breathe slowly and be in the dark. She needed Stephen’s arms around her, his heartbeat on her shoulder blade or in her ear.
“I didn’t bring pajamas.” Emily said. “I knew I was forgetting something.”
“We’ll make due.” He replied.
“We will, won't we?”
“Mmm hmm,” Stephen kissed her hand and smiled. They always had and they always would. This time he just wanted them to do it together.
***