Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Mommy?”

Emily’s head shoots up.

“Mommy?”

It’s the voice of a small child, riddled with anxiety and tears. Emily shuts her book and grabs her bag, getting up from the park bench as she cranes her neck to look for the source of the noise.

“Mommy?”

She takes a few steps along the path, searching and searching and… There! Off to the side, in between some bushes, stands a young boy, not much older than two. He is wearing dinosaur rubber boots and denim overalls, with a bright red raincoat on top. A grubby sheep stuffed animal is clutched tightly within his grip and he spins around in circles, crying loudly. Emily catches a flash of blond hair peeking out from underneath his hood—

(“Ready or not, here I come!”

She is chasing a blond-haired boy around the living room of the Tuscan villa. When she finally catches him and tickles his sides, he giggles uncontrollably.)

Declan is safe, Emily reminds herself. She presses her nails into her palms, letting the sharp sting ground her. Lauren Reynolds is dead, Ian Doyle is in prison and Declan has been given a new chance at life.

Emily takes a deep breath, shouldering her bag before stepping off the path and jogging over to the boy in the park.

“Hey, kiddo,” she says, softening her voice. It shocks him out of his crying briefly and he looks up at Emily through watery blue eyes. “Are you okay?”

His lower lip trembles and the crying starts up again. Emily crouches down, hands fluttering by her sides. Clearly, this boy is lost, and there is likely a worried mom somewhere nearby. Should she pick the kid up and walk around the park? Or sit here with him and call the police if no one shows up looking for him?

In the end, the boy makes the decision for her by reaching out and clamping his little arms tightly around her neck. His sheep plushie dangles from his hand and thuds against Emily’s back. Emily straightens up carefully, supporting his weight with her arms. She rubs his back lightly as he continues to blubber and presses his snot and tear coated face to her shoulder.

Well, time to put her interrogation skills to use.

“My name is Emily,” she says. “Can you tell me your name?”

“H-Henry,” the boy gets out in between sobs.

She’ll count it as a win. “Okay, Henry. Do you know where you last saw your mommy?”

That just makes him cry harder, and Emily cringes. Rookie mistake, mentioning the mom to the lost kid. She soothes him and keeps rubbing his back but decides that she’ll be better off looking around than staying put. On her walk-through of the park, she’d seen at least one big playground, which sounds like a good place to start looking for the kid’s mom. In the meantime, she moves to a different approach to try and stop the heart-breaking cries: distracting the kid.

She leans back slightly, forcing Henry to lift his head from her shoulder. He watches her with wide eyes. “Who did you bring with you today? Is that… an elephant you’re holding?”

It doesn’t quite make him laugh, but it does keep his attention and he slowly shakes his head.

“A zebra, then?”

Henry shakes his head again. With a bit more prompting, Emily gets him to talk about Sally the Sheep, a gift from his uncle. Emily nods and hums along as Henry starts babbling, whilst she keeps an eye out. And hey, look at her using her hypervigilance – which she still hasn’t been able to shake since moving to DC a week ago – to her advantage. If she hadn’t been so tuned in to her surroundings, she might not have heard Henry at all.

It also allows her gaze to latch on to a frantic looking woman with fair blond hair much like Henry’s, standing on the opposite side of a grassy clearing. She is talking to a group of joggers, shoving her phone in their faces and raking a shaky hand through her hair.

“Henry?” Emily asks, changing their course to head straight for the woman. “Can you look ahead for me, buddy?”

Henry turns his head and blinks, pressing Sally the Sheep to his mouth. Emily knows when his eyes fall on the woman, because his eyes widen. “Mommy!”

The woman must have superpowers, because the moment the word leaves Henry’s mouth, she whirls around and spots them. Emily quickens their pace, whilst the woman runs straight at them. “Henry!”

The woman skids to a stop and takes Henry out of Emily’s arms, hugging him closely. “Oh my God, Henry! You’re okay?” She looks him over as well as she can whilst still holding him, running a hand up and down his arm. “What happened? Where did you go? You scared me, bubba.”

Henry says nothing, just pressing his face to his mother’s chest, so Emily takes over. “I found him up the path, not far from here.”

“Oh my God,” the woman repeats, letting out a shaky breath.

“He’s okay,” Emily reminds her with a kind smile.

The woman nods, closing her eyes and pressing a kiss to Henry’s head. She breathes him in for a second, before looking at Emily. “Thank you,” she says earnestly. “Thank you for bringing him back. I know it can’t have been more than five or ten minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. It’s just” – she laughs with relief – “I couldn’t find him anywhere and that just set off the automatic panic. I work in law enforcement, and my mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario.”

“I understand,” Emily says. She too has seen the worst of what can happen when people–  when kids end up in the wrong hands. There is a reason why she had gone above and beyond to keep a certain kid out of them.

(Declan sits against a wall, his eyes closed and his body limp. Small hands are tied together with thick rope, blood splattered on the ground around him.

Emily raises a steady hand with an unloaded gun in his direction, finger resting on the trigger.

The flash of a camera illuminates the chilling scene.

…

Declan blinks his eyes open, and when Emily carefully peels the duct tape from his mouth, he gives her a toothy grin. “I looked pretty good for a dead kid, didn’t I?”)

“Thank you,” the woman says again. She bounces on her feet, then rushes forward and gives Emily a brief, one-armed hug, Henry squished between them. Emily freezes, and a blush is creeping up the woman’s neck when she steps back. “I’m sorry! I just-“

Emily laughs. “Don’t worry about it, I’m happy I could help! You’ve got a very cute kid.”

The woman watches Emily for a few seconds. Emily doesn’t know what she is looking for, but she must find it, because she says, “Let me buy you a coffee.” Emily starts to protest, but the woman cuts her off. “No, no, I want to do this. It’s the least I can do after you found my kid.”

“Emily, come,” Henry chimes in.

Emily looks at him, surprised. Being reunited with his mom definitely did him good, because there are no more tears on his cheeks, and he is starting to wiggle in his mom’s arms, as if he is already starting to forget his big adventure.

The woman smiles. “See? Even Henry thinks so.”

“I…” Emily hesitates. She’d truthfully only gone to the park with the intention of spending at most an hour outside. Breathing in some fresh air, reading her book and getting away from her apartment for a bit. She’d woken up with another promise to herself that yes, she was going to unpack at least a few boxes today, which she had failed to do every day up until now. There is just so much to sort through, figuring out what is still useful after having been in storage since she took the long-term assignment of going undercover as Lauren Reynolds. So really, she should go home.

But… Here is this kind woman, willing to chat and spend some time with her. Though Emily would never admit to it out loud, it has been lonely, coming back to the US after years away. She’s never had many friends in this country, let alone this city, and she’d had to pause any contacts she did have when she’d gone undercover.

The people she had become close with during the undercover operation, she was no longer supposed to contact. And  now that she is back to ‘regular’ life, she is rediscovering how hard it can be to make friends and even just simple connections when you’re an adult. So… Maybe the apartment and the boxes could wait another day. She grabs on to the strap of her bag. “I’d like that, actually.”

“Perfect!” the woman says. “I’m Jennifer, by the way, but everyone calls me JJ.”

Emily shakes her hand. “I’m Emily, like Henry just said.”

Emily joins them on the walk back to the playground, where JJ and Henry had been up until Henry’s disappearance. Henry’s stroller is still there, bag and all, standing forlornly near the fence that encloses the playground.

“I never let him leave my sight,” JJ swears as she buckles Henry into his stroller. “I just happened to bump into someone from my yoga class, and Henry was in the playground one second, and he was gone the next.”

“It happens, I know,” Emily says. She certainly isn’t going to judge. She glances over at the playground and sees about a bazillion kids milling about, jumping and running and screaming. It’s making her dizzy just looking at it. It’s easy to see how Henry could have ended up on an accidental unsupervised adventure today.

“One of my friends bought me this kid’s backpack with a leash attached to it, as a joke,” JJ says, just staring at Henry for a second. “He told me I had to ‘loosen up’. And then he nicked it when he took Henry out for a day of fun, because he was absolutely terrified of losing him. I’m starting to think I should just make Henry wear it permanently, because I have no idea how this kid managed to sneak away.”

“He’s just a bit adventurous,” Emily says with a smile.

JJ sighs as she stands back up. “That is very promising for the rest of his childhood. And for my panic levels during it. At least he’s got plenty of honorary aunts and uncles around the city for me to commiserate with. And to send him to for sleepovers, so they can share in the joyful and panic-inducing experiences of parenthood.”

“Well, it’s good that you have back-up,” Emily jokes. “Are you two local to DC? Or are you from somewhere else, originally?”

JJ hands Sally the Sheep to Henry and pushes the stroller onto the path. Emily easily falls into step with her.

“I’m a Pennsylvania girl,” JJ says. “But I went to college in DC and stuck around after. Henry was born here. What about you?” Emily starts to answer. “Wait, no, let me guess.” She stares at Emily, squinting her eyes. “You haven’t been around here for very long? You seem a little lost, if I’m being honest.”

Emily laughs and tells JJ she is right. She doesn’t go into great detail but mentions growing up all over the place and says she ‘worked overseas’ up until recently. “I’m ready to put down some roots,” Emily concludes. “It’s good to have a home base.”

“Amen to that,” JJ says.

Henry kindly requests their attention by yelling loudly and pointing to the ducks that they’re passing. Emily and JJ both ooh and aah, even though Henry’s mood tanks when JJ tells him she didn’t bring any food for them. She manages to win him back over to her good side by promising him his very own drink at the café.

JJ seems to have a place in mind, and Emily simply follows when they leave the park. As they walk, JJ shares what she remembers about settling into this new city when she was a student, and though her experience is definitely different from Emily’s, it’s still reassuring to hear how JJ ended up finding her place here. Right now, Emily is still very much in the ‘floating around’ and ‘unsettled’ phase of her transition to living a normal life, in a normal apartment, and with a refreshing lack of international terrorists around. The stacks of boxes in every room probably don’t help much to push her forward and out of that particular phase, though. When she sheepishly admits to JJ that she still hasn’t unpacked most of her stuff, JJ laughs but says she gets it.

“When Henry and I moved into our house, I still had things in boxes months later. There might still have been some now, stashed away in closets, if my friends hadn’t staged an intervention and helped me to go through them.” JJ slows in her steps and nods to a sign reading Rosewood Café a few feet ahead of them.

Emily slips in front of the stroller and holds the door open for JJ to push Henry inside. They make their way to the counter and JJ tells Emily to order whatever she wants. Even though Emily tells JJ she can pay for her own drink, JJ insists on buying it for her as a proper thank-you.

When JJ’s name is called, Emily grabs the tray with drinks and carries it to their table. JJ is already seated, and helps Henry out of his stroller, taking off his raincoat and plopping him onto her lap. Emily transfers the mugs to the table and JJ pushes Henry’s babyccino closer to him. He grabs the small mug with two hands and smiles proudly, seeming absolutely enamoured by the fact that he has a drink just like Mommy’s and Emily’s.

JJ spends a few minutes occupied with making sure Henry doesn’t upend his drink on himself and when Emily takes a seat, she grabs the opportunity to really look at JJ. Emily has to admit that JJ is very beautiful. She radiates kindness and patience, but there is definitely a sharper side to her, hidden underneath.

“So, Emily,” JJ says, finally taking a sip of her own coffee. “You know all about my and Henry’s adventures, but what brought you to the park today?”

“Honestly I just needed to get out of the apartment,” Emily admits. “Figured a walk in nature might do me good, and I stuck around to read a book I’ve been trying to get through.”

“Book?” Henry looks up from his mug. A milk moustache sits on his upper lip, and Emily has trouble keeping her smile contained.

“Henry here loves books,” JJ tells Emily. “We’re in the library pretty much every week to get him some new reading material.” Then, to Henry, “I don’t think Emily was reading the kind of book you would enjoy, bubba.”

Henry frowns.

“My book doesn’t have any pictures,” Emily tells him, which he seems very affronted by. “And it’s in French.”

JJ laughs. “Definitely not the kind of book you’ll find at our house. But I think our local library might have a small collection of novels and non-fiction in foreign languages? You should definitely check it out, if you’re settling down in the area.”

Emily warms her hands on her mug and asks JJ if she has any other recommendations in the city. JJ happily answers, even grabbing a pen and piece of paper to write down a list, and somehow their conversation just flows from there.

Emily is used to keeping conversations going – she grew up in the social circles of ‘high society’ and has played undercover enough to know how to act out interest and charm. But this, sitting here and chatting with JJ, feels surprisingly natural. Normal. Right here, Emily doesn’t have to pretend to be anyone other than herself.

(She’d been afraid, when she had finally wrapped up the undercover assignment. Afraid that she’d played Lauren Reynolds for too long, afraid that she no longer knew who Emily Prentiss was. That the two had become irreparably intertwined.

She is still afraid.

She is still afraid, and reminds herself that Lauren Reynolds is dead. Lauren Reynolds is dead and Emily Prentiss lives.)

Henry babbles along, interjecting his own thoughts when he sees fit, which JJ in turn translates for Emily. He is enjoying his babyccino, smacking his lips with a satisfied sigh after every sip. Sally the Sheep keeps him entertained enough to stay on JJ’s lap even after he has finished his drink. JJ takes the opportunity to grab a napkin and wipe away his milk moustache, without ever pausing her conversation with Emily.

Emily, for her part, thinks back to waking up in her quiet, cold apartment this morning. She wonders at the course her day had taken, to bring her to this cozy café with a tentative new friend. She’s almost sad, when JJ spots the time and apologetically says that she needs to head home to finish up some errands.

“I have work tomorrow,” she tells Emily. “And I don’t want to leave behind a massive mess for the nanny to deal with after she picks Henry up from daycare, because I’d prefer her not to quit on me.”

Emily just shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it, that’s understandable.”

“C’mon, bub,” JJ tells Henry.

He hops off her lap and briefly hands Sally the Sheep into Emily’s custody, so he can climb into the stroller himself. When JJ has helped him into his coat and buckled him in, Emily hands the stuffed animal back. She can’t help herself and gently ruffles Henry’s hair, eliciting light giggles.

They leave the café and pause on the sidewalk. Emily crouches down in front of the stroller, catching the strap of her bag before it slides off her shoulder. “It was very nice to meet you, Henry,” she says seriously. “Just make sure you tell your mom before you head off on any adventures next time, alright?”

Henry nods solemnly. His thumb sneaks into his mouth and his head lolls to the side, Sally the Sheep clutched tightly in his free hand.

“Today’s adventure wore him out,” JJ says. Emily straightens up and JJ pulls her into a hug. This time, Emily anticipates the move and makes sure to hug back.

“Thanks for the coffee,” Emily says, soft smile on her face.

“No, thank you,” JJ says. “For making sure my son was safe.”

Emily squeezes her arm. “Anyone would’ve done the same. I’m glad I could help.” Feeling a bit more vulnerable, she adds, “And I’m glad I met you guys. I had a fun time, in the café.”

“I did too,” JJ says. “I’m always on the lookout for new friends. Speaking of which…” She holds out her hand with a questioning look. “Let me give you my number?” Emily takes her phone from her bag and enters her password before handing it over. JJ adds her name and number to Emily’s contacts, then gives it back. “There. Now, if you need anything, text me, alright? I know today was kind of unexpected, but it’s been really nice talking to you. And as I said, I know how overwhelming it can be to move to a new city, especially when you don’t know anyone around here.”

“Thanks,” Emily says.

“Anything,” JJ emphasizes.

Emily laughs. “Got it.” She glances down at Henry and finds he is completely conked out, his mouth slack and eyes closed.

“Let’s see if I can get this little guy back home and woken up before I completely ruin his sleep schedule,” JJ sighs.

“Good luck,” Emily says.

JJ smiles. “Thanks. You good luck with your unpacking! Text me, Emily.”

They split their ways when they’ve walked down the block, JJ giving Emily one last hug before leaving her behind. Emily crosses the road and sticks her hands in her pockets, setting down the street at a brisk pace.

Her steps are a little lighter.

Chapter Text

JJ’s number sits unused in Emily’s contacts for a week.

Emily is tempted to text, but something is holding her back. (It’s her, she’s holding herself back). After all, they only really knew each other for one afternoon, and would JJ really want her to message without having a reason?

It’s stupid, Emily knows.

Either way, instead of texting JJ, Emily turns her focus to her apartment. Boxes are still everywhere— not much has changed on that front. She’s tempted to just leave them be at this point. If she needs something, she can spend half an hour digging through boxes until she finds it. And hey, what if she can’t walk in her office because of the boxes? She doesn’t really need an office space if she hasn’t got a job anyway.

She donates items that she has already sorted through and sets her sights on decorating and buying new pieces of furniture, in hopes of getting rid of the cold, overly modern look of her apartment.

Emily spends hours scrolling through online catalogues and doesn’t think about texting JJ. Really, she doesn’t. But then she spends five consecutive hours on the floor of her bedroom trying to put together her new dresser. Trying being the keyword here. She should have just paid the fee and had the delivery team put it together, but it had seemed like a good way to do something useful with her day, at the time.

Besides, when the two bulky men had asked if she was sure she didn’t want them to build it, they had given her this look as if to say ‘right, this woman is doing this by herself?’ and Emily is made of nothing but spite and determination. If she calls them up and asks them to ‘come by and put it together anyway, please’, that means that they and their stupid misogyny win.

On the other hand, if she has to take apart and reassemble the pieces of this dresser one more time, she might actually go out and commit murder. That would look pretty poorly on her resume if she ever tried to apply to the BAU, like she’s had her eye set on for years. So, she is at a stalemate with herself. An extra pair of hands would be great, but Emily is still pretty friend- and acquaintance-less. For funsies, she imagines asking her mother to come over to help and laughs at the facial expression she envisions in her head. Yeah, that is very far removed from being an actual option.

Emily puts down the wrench and grabs her phone, staring down at her depressingly short list of contacts. Her eyes fall on a particular name and she sighs. If you need anything, it sounds in the back of her mind, and she opens a new message before she can talk herself out of it.

EP: Hey JJ! I was wondering…

No, delete that, try again.

EP: Hey JJ, this is Emily…

Emily types out a short paragraph, explaining her predicament and making sure JJ knows she is under no obligation to say yes, but still asking if she has time to come help. She sends it off, and just seconds later JJ comes online, Emily’s text jumping to read.

A typing bubble appears and Emily stares at the screen with bated breath.

JJ: Yes, of course!

A smile plays on her lips. Another text of JJ’s appears, saying if Emily is okay with Henry coming along, she can be there within the hour.

Which, of course Emily doesn’t mind, and she sends JJ her address, before she looks around and starts worrying about the fact that her apartment is very much not toddler-proof. She hurries around the rooms, making sure anything that could easily hurt Henry is up high and out of reach of tiny grabby hands. Once she’s done, she pops down to the grocery store and spends about ten minutes staring at the snack isle, desperately googling which options are kid-safe. She ends up buying an assortment of things and fills up her pantry with enough snacks to last Henry a year.

It's only a matter of minutes after Emily is home that her doorbell rings, and she buzzes JJ and Henry through, welcoming them at her front door.

“Hey!” Emily greets.

JJ smiles. “It’s so good to see you again.”

JJ hugs Emily warmly and nudges Henry forward, letting him wander into Emily’s hallway, where he plops himself down on the floor and pulls his sneakers off, lining them up neatly with Emily’s shoes. JJ follows his example, then looks at Emily. “Well, where is this dresser from hell?”

They laugh and chat as they get settled in Emily’s bedroom, and it’s like they pick up right where they left off after their impromptu café visit last week. Legs criss-crossed, they sit on the floor and Emily watches as JJ reads through the thick book of instructions and starts to assess the materials. Henry has of course taken Sally the Sheep along on his visit, but he takes an interest in the little knickknacks and souvenirs that sit on the windowsill. After Emily assures him that it’s okay, he takes them down and sits in his own little corner, talking and making up a pretend story.

With Henry safely out of the way, JJ and Emily get started on the dresser and quickly find out they make a pretty good team when it comes to building furniture. JJ has brought a strong sense of determination with her, and Emily lets her take the lead, because she has looked at the instructions so many times over that her eyes start to cross when she tries to read them again. But it turns out that putting together a dresser is much easier when you’ve got another person present to hold the pieces into place, and what Emily didn’t manage in five hours, the two of them fix within the hour.

They push the dresser into its place and sit back down on the floor, leaning against Emily’s bed as they admire their handywork.

“Whew,” JJ sighs. She pulls her sweater up over her head. “Well, I think we can count this as our work-out for today.”

“Yeah,” Emily agrees, mildly distracted by the new view. Working out is definitely something JJ does regularly, if Emily has to go by the toned arms that the tank top proudly puts on display. She flushes red when she catches herself staring and makes an effort to pull her gaze back to the dresser. It partially works. “Thank you. Really, I couldn’t have done this all by myself.”

“Nah, you totally could have,” JJ says, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “It just might have taken you another five hours.”

Emily huffs.

JJ just shakes her head. “Five hours, really, Emily? There’s determination and then there is” – she waves her hand around in Emily’s direction – “whatever this is.”

“What can I say,” Emily says. “I tend to be quite self-sufficient.”

“Well, for my part, I’m glad you texted,” JJ says. “Me and Henry were worried you had forgotten all about us.”

Emily bites her lip, guilt creeping up on her. JJ had given Emily her number, but she hadn’t thought to do the same, in case JJ might want to reach out to her. “I’m sorry.”

“No! I didn’t mean it like that,” JJ quickly says. “It’s just that I had a good time hanging out with you, although our meeting was a little unorthodox.” She glances at Henry. “It seemed like you could use a friend, and I’m always in the market for more of those. Most of my current friends are also my coworkers, and sometimes it’s nice to have someone outside of work to chat with.”

“Well, you have my number now,” Emily says. “I’m on somewhat of a break at the moment, until I look for a job, so if you ever need anything, or would like to hang out, just say the word.” A bit more shyly, “I could definitely use a friend.”

Henry walks up to them and starts inspecting the dresser, pulling at the drawers and stumbling back when they slide open.

“Or two,” Emily laughs. “What do you say we move this to the living room? I’ll get you something to drink, and a snack.”

That catches Henry’s attention. “Snack? For me?”

JJ chuckles. “I think Emily has discovered the way to your heart, bubba. C’mon, let’s go.”

Emily gets up and offers JJ a hand, pulling her up to her feet as well. They end up spending the rest of the afternoon together in Emily’s apartment, and order dinner in to share. A ‘thank-you for helping ‘, Emily calls it, but it’s really just an excellent excuse to spend more time with JJ and Henry.

Emily still doesn’t have a dining table, so they sit on the floor around the coffee table. JJ sits ready with a napkin and gently warns Henry to try and keep the mess to a minimum. Even still, Henry manages to leave a toddler-sized handprint on Emily’s cream-coloured carpet when he goes to pick up his dropped fork.

“Uh-oh,” Henry says, freezing.

JJ stares at the stain in horror, which for some reason makes Emily laugh until her stomach hurts. She and JJ clean up as best as they can when Emily has calmed down, but it still leaves behind a permanent mark that no good amount of scrubbing is able to get out.

Emily assures JJ that it’s all fine, and then reassures Henry that he’s not in trouble. “Accidents happen.”

She vividly remembers the anger and disappointment that was a consequence of messiness during her childhood, and she refuses to bring any of that into her space.

When JJ and Henry are long gone, back home in time for Henry’s bedtime, Emily sits on the couch and stares at the stain on the carpet. She remembers the fun, laughter and warmth, and finds that Henry unintentionally has brought a little reminder of life into her cold apartment.

And life goes on.

Even though she had considered not doing it, Emily still tries to unpack at least one box a day. It ends up being more of a ‘one box a week’ situation, but hey, at least she is trying. She continues to donate old things she no longer needs and goes shopping to fill her closet back up with new clothes and shoes that fit her tastes better.

With every passing day, she looks over her shoulder a little less, and spends more time outside, exploring the neighbourhood and city.

She figures out the good spots for reading a book in the sun, she no longer needs navigation to get to the grocery store and she greets her neighbours by name, when they bump into each other in the entryway.

One afternoon, she finds herself in a specialty coffee store and buys a ridiculously expensive coffee machine. She makes herself a cup every morning, using the fancy ground coffee, figuring it’s a good reward for doing her self-imposed mandatory mirror-staring whilst repeating her mantra of Lauren Reynolds is dead, Lauren Reynolds is dead in place of upbeat morning affirmations.

Throughout the weeks, JJ texts her pictures of Henry feeding the ducks in the park and other adventures when she is home. Emily and JJ don’t manage plan a meet-up quite yet, because JJ’s work keeps her busy, but they do still text back and forth about everything and nothing when JJ can find the time in between meetings and whatnot. Emily, for her part, tries hard to enjoy her break from having a job.

After she had finished her assignment with Doyle, she knew she could’ve stayed at Interpol. She was good at her job, and they would have simply shoved her into mandatory therapy, and then they would have happily set her up with a new team, in a new place. But Emily had had enough. She stayed long enough to stage Declan and Louise’s murders, making sure the agencies had their material to break Doyle, but effectively taking Declan out of their greedy grasps. Once Declan and Louse were settled in the US, Emily put in her notice and officially quit two weeks later.

Emily knows her undercover work has been important, but this is the first assignment she has spent literal years of her life on, the first assignment she has been consumed by, and she intends to make it the last. Or else Interpol would just take and take until there was nothing left. Now that she had the chance, she wanted out, before she completely lost herself.

Coming  back to the US, a generous savings account had been waiting for her. She had more than enough money to live comfortably without a job for a while, and it had seemed like a good idea to take time to herself after the stormy few years she’d had.

Emily quickly discovers that she is terrible at hanging around idly, though. When more of the apartment comes together, and there is less left for her to do, restlessness descends on her like a swarm of angry bees, buzzing under her skin.

It makes that she is extra happy when JJ is in town and they’re able to finally meet up for coffee and talk in real life. Henry is off on a special day with his godmother, so it’s just the two of them this time.

“Henry was very disappointed, when I told him I was meeting him without him there, today,” JJ tells Emily. They’re sitting outside a café this time, enjoying the sun. “He has missed you, he keeps telling me we should set up a playdate with you. Preferably in the park.”

Emily laughs, her heart warming. JJ smiles back, looking absolutely radiant. Her hair is loose today, tumbling down her shoulders in waves. It looks soft, and Emily has the urge to reach out and run her fingers through it and- She clears her throat. “I’d love to, whenever you have time.”

“Work has been a bit hectic lately,” JJ says apologetically. She had mentioned at some point that she works as a Media Liaison for the FBI, so Emily can imagine the kind of stress she is under. “How about you? I know you said you’re taking a break, but are you going back to your old job after? Or are you going to look for something new?

Emily grimaces. “Honestly? I try not to think about it too much. I spent years doing nothing but work” – quite literally, in her case – “and I’m hoping it’ll do me good to, I don’t know, settle down and find a bit of peace, first.”

She’d told JJ about her previous job in extremely loose terms, just mentioning it was ‘overseas’ and ‘for the government’. Which was all true, though it was going to be interesting to put that on a resume when she finished her break. ‘The world is your oyster’, Easter – her ex-handler – had told her, and she knows he is willing to help her finagle her way through bureaucracy and write a fancy recommendation letter to some higher-up at whatever place of employment she sets her eye on. He has even been sending her suggestions through another Interpol agent, but she’s been steadily ignoring them.

“No work talk then,” JJ says with a nod. “Got it.”

“I just have to find something else to keep me occupied.” Emily takes a sip of her lukewarm coffee. “I was looking forward to a break, but now I just feel restless.”

“Maybe you should do a workshop,” JJ suggests. “Find a hobby, follow a class or a course? There are plenty of options out in the city, if you know where to look.”

That… is actually not a terrible idea. It might even be a very good one. It’s been a long time since Emily has had this much time to herself. Lauren Reynolds spent her free time gardening and flirting with international terrorists, but what does Emily Prentiss do?

Once she is back home, she grabs her laptop and does some research. Anything that catches her eye, or even remotely interests her, she signs herself up for.

She soon finds out that Emily Prentiss doesn’t have the patience and mindset for yoga, but she still enjoys martial arts. She connects well with the trainer at a sports center near her apartment, and he pushes her until her blood runs hot and her lungs burn, reminding her that she is alive.

Cooking class has her discovering that Emily Prentiss is still as much of a shitty cook as she was before becoming Lauren Reynolds. Once at home, she throws out the leftovers, buys take-out instead and heads over to JJ’s to share the food and her new experiences. JJ welcomes her with a warm hug and they sit and chat, sipping on glasses of wine until long after Henry has been put to bed.

Pottery class and the ‘abstract painting’ course are sadly also disasters, and Emily is tempted to temporarily leave her search for pastimes for what it is, but upon JJ’s suggestion, Emily finds herself at the local library’s book club one afternoon. It turns out to be a small, tightly-knit circle consisting fully of women over the age of sixty. Emily is admittedly sceptical at first, but to her surprise she has a great time.

The ladies are absolutely delighted at having a new, young addition to the club. There is a lot of laughter and gossiping, along with conversations about the latest book they’ve been reading, and the women take Emily under their wing without ever giving her a choice. When book club is over, she hangs around with the others and gets interrogated in a way that would put Interpol to shame, before being stuffed full with home-baked goods.  

Emily leaves the library with the reading list for the coming months, and having promised on her life that she’ll be back next week.

…And then she ends up back at the library the very next day, when JJ texts her that she’s got the day off work, and Henry is wondering if he can cash in on his promised playdate? It has been raining all day, and the park isn’t really an option, but the library makes for a good alternative.

Emily meets JJ and Henry inside, leaving her umbrella at the door and shaking the rain off her coat.

“Emily!” Henry says happily.

“Hi, buddy,” Emily greets. “It’s so good to see you again!” She looks at JJ. “And you too, of course.”

JJ laughs and they hug, before allowing Henry to guide them to the kids’ section. They pass the counter, and Emily waves when she spots one of the ladies from the day before sitting behind it.

“How was book club?” JJ asks.

Emily sheds her coat and finds a coat rack in a corner. Henry helpfully hands her his bright red raincoat too. “Very fun, actually. They read a surprising variety of genres, so there’s something for everyone. I have been commanded to join as a permanent member.” She pauses. “I don’t think they would’ve let me say no.”

JJ laughs. “A big part of the book club also either works or volunteers here, so I’ve got an idea of what you’re talking about.”

“They’re good people,” Emily says.

JJ hums, hand travelling up to her neck to play with her necklace. They stand side by side, watching Henry wander around and dig through the bins with books.

JJ gently knocks her shoulder against Emily’s. “Are you doing alright?”

“Yeah,” Emily says, honestly.

“You seem a little lighter than last time.”

“I think I am. It’s been good, finding things I enjoy. And a lot less lonely, too, to be around other people.”

“I’m glad,” JJ says.

”And what about you?” Emily asks, playfully touching her shoulder to JJ’s again.

JJ shakes her head and smiles. Emily’s heart beats a little faster at the sight. “I’m good. I’m privileged to be in a pretty good place in my life, right now, and I’m just… soaking it up. Seeing what it brings me.” She watches Emily with those pretty blue eyes of hers.

“Emily?”

Emily blinks and looks down to see Henry has found a picture book. He pushes against her legs until she walks, letting him direct her to a big arm chair. She sits down and helps him to climb up into her lap. He wiggles around until he is comfortable, before carefully opening the book to the first page, tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration.

At his request, Emily starts reading the words on the page, whilst he takes charge of turning the pages. She reads book after book until her throat is dry from overuse and she has melted completely at Henry’s immersion in the stories and the absolute excitement for another book, please!

JJ has settled in a chair nearby, and when Henry climbs back into Emily’s lap with the next book, she glances up to find JJ watching them with a soft look on her face. Emily’s heart jumps in her chest and…

Oh. Oh.

She likes JJ.

Chapter Text

Not much has changed since Emily was last around here. The street is the same, the houses don’t look any different, though there has been a touch-up to the paint here and there. Like last time she visited, she notices the happy kids that are playing in the yards, their hollering and yelling reaching Emily even though the houses are spaced apart.

She opens the low gate and walks up the path to the house, ringing the doorbell. The sound echoes inside the house and Emily just waits until…

The door opens. “Emily.”

Emily smiles. “Hi, Louise.”

Footsteps hurry down the stairs and the kid comes into her sight. He doesn’t even stop, instead running straight at her and wrapping his arms around her waist, squeezing tightly. God, he’s getting big. Emily ruffles his hair and whispers, “Hi, Declan.”

Louise gives Emily a knowing look. “Come, come inside. We’ve missed you.”

There was one particular demand Emily had made, back when she had relocated Louise and Declan: she wanted to be able to visit. These two people had been abruptly torn from their homes and knew no one, had no one to fall back on, here in Reston, and Emily was never going to let that slide. Reston was just an hour-long drive away from DC, and there are enough precautions and protections in place for her to check on them every month.

So, here she is. Declan clings to her for a bit once they’re inside the house, up until some friends from the neighbourhood come by and Emily encourages him to invite them to play soccer in the backyard. He hesitates, but agrees and runs outside with the club of boys. There’s a lot of teasing and laughter that Emily hears the minute that they think they are out of earshot and she smiles. Seeing Declan so carefree and healthy is everything she could ever wish for. This kid deserves a normal life.

She stands on the porch with her hands in her pockets, watching the boys tumble around. It’s wild to see what difference just a few months can make. Declan is no longer the little boy she played hide-and-seek with in the Tuscan villa: he is getting taller and smarter and older with every passing day. He is growing up. But he will never be raised to have Doyle’s life.

Declan is now Matthew, just a boy living in the city with his mom.

“Here.” Louise nudges Emily’s arm with a mug.

Emily takes it from her, wrapping her hands around it. “Thanks.”

Louise looks out at the yard with a fond smile, leaning against the railing, blowing at the steam of her cup of coffee. Her posture is loose, no tension lingering in her back or shoulders. It’s the most relaxed Emily has ever seen her.

“He’s growing so fast,” Emily says, nodding to Declan.

“Tell me about it,” Louise laughs. “He is outgrowing most of his wardrobe already, and he is a bottomless pit when it comes to food. At this rate, he’ll be taller than both of us before he even hits his teenage years.”

Emily snorts. “That is a very strange thought.”

They watch the boys play.

“I know you said to stop, but I’m going to say it again anyway,” Louise says. Emily starts to protest, but Louise just talks over her. “Thank you. For getting me and my boy out of there. And for making sure he would be safe, after.” Declan might not biologically be Louise’s, but he is more her son than he ever was anyone else’s.

Emily appreciates the sentiment, but can’t help and try to brush it off. “Anyone would have done the same.”

“No.” Louise shakes her head. “They wouldn’t have. You went above and beyond, to save my boy’s life. To give him a chance. You didn’t put the agency first, you didn’t coldly follow protocol. You looked at Declan, and saw him as a child, instead of a bargaining chip. So, stop being stubborn and accept my thanks, Emily.”

“I-“

“I believe the words you’re looking for are ‘you’re welcome’.” Louise lightly elbows Emily’s side.

Emily hadn’t been sure what to think of her relationship with Louise, at first. They had been friendly with each other, when she’d been Lauren Reynolds, but Emily isn’t Lauren. She had been a part of an agency that had turned Louise’s whole life upside down. Louise had suddenly gone from living comfortably in a Tuscan villa, to being stuck in the agency’s bureaucratic mess, to faking her death and having to find her place in Reston, Virginia.

In the end, it all came down to Declan. All they both wanted, was for him to be happy and safe. Louise knew he couldn’t have had that, growing up with Doyle. Emily knew he couldn’t have had that as a pawn for Interpol. That had bonded them, and it is what has allowed Emily to gain Louise’s trust and respect. They are good friends, now, though the circumstances of their friendship are far from normal.

Soccer turns a little wild, and Louise yells at Declan to cut it out. The boys sheepishly calm down, until someone shoots the ball across the fence and the club breaks up as some of them go to the neighbour’s house to ask if they can get it back.

Declan stays behind and runs up the porch, asking Louise for a drink.

“You know where the cups are,” Louise tells him. He opens the screen door. “Shoes off, please! No tracking mud into the house.”

Emily and Louise gravitate to the patio chairs, drinks still in hand. Declan runs back outside not much later to rejoin the boys who are back in the yard, but the newly retrieved soccer ball lies to the side as they huddle closely together, whispering among themselves and laughing mischievously.

“I wonder what they’re up to,” Emily says, raising a brow.

“Oh, trust me, you don’t want to know.”

They keep an eye on the boys whilst Louise tells Emily the latest updates from their lives. Everything from how Declan is doing in school and therapy, to do you remember that nosy neighbour I told you about last time? Well, he got caught cutting down the tree of the neighbours one house because he says it was ‘on his property’. You should’ve seen his face when they served him a lawsuit.

Louise turns the question around when Emily is all caught up, asking how Emily is settling in to her new home and city. Emily talks about her trialling new hobbies and activities – like the disastrous cooking class and successful book club attendance – but she mostly ends up talking about her trips and visits with JJ and Henry.

Emily is in the middle of recounting their trip – playdate – to the library, when she stops, seeing a fond smile creeping up on Louise’s face. “What?” she asks apprehensively.

“This JJ of yours, hm,” Louise starts. “She’s just a friend?”

Emily flushes a bright red, heat radiating from her cheeks. “I- I don’t know.”

Louise shakes her head and gets up. She ushers Emily inside, directing her to the kitchen and making them both another cup of coffee. She pushes Emily to the dining table and sits down opposite of her, just watching and waiting patiently. It’s an effective tactic, because before Emily knows it, she is bumbling her way through an explanation of her friendship with JJ and her discovery that she is developing feelings for her.

“I’m pretty sure she feels the same,” Emily says. She isn’t blind to the way JJ’s eyes and touch linger just a second too long, or to the light-hearted flirting they exchange whenever they get together. “I just… Don’t know what to do about it.”

Louise hums. “It’s more than that, though, isn’t it?”

Emily swallows heavily, intensely studying the wood grain of the table. “I don’t know if I’m ready to be in a relationship. After so long of being Lauren, and having to play at love with Doyle… I feel like my head is such a mess, most of the time.”

Her continued reassurances to herself that Lauren Reynolds is dead are pretty good proof of that.

Silence falls over them, and Emily’s mind wanders off.

“I think you might think too much, Emily.”

Emily frowns. “I don’t…”

“Your issues with your assignment aside, would you want to give a relationship with JJ a chance?”

“Yes,” Emily says whole-heartedly. She doesn’t even have to think about it.

“Then don’t hold back,” Louise tells her. Then, softer, “Let happen what might happen. You deserve to be happy, Emily, and it sounds like you find that with JJ.”

Their conversation is still on Emily’s mind long after she’s back home in her apartment. She mulls over the words as she half-heartedly sorts through her collection of books from the last few moving boxes and reorganises them onto the shelves.

Can she do what Louise suggested? Just let things happen, and see where it brings her?

She isn’t sure. Besides, JJ might be into Emily, but that doesn’t mean that she is currently looking for a relationship. Henry is the number one person in her life at the moment— and rightfully so. Emily doesn’t know the entire story, but she’s heard enough to know that JJ’s last relationship had not ended particularly well, even though it gave her Henry. JJ’s life is busy, full of work and caring for her son. Still, she does find time to spend with friends – of which Emily is one – so maybe, if Emily does give it a chance…

Lauren Reynolds had been engaged, but Emily Prentiss’s last semi-serious relationship had ended not long after college. Things were certainly more complicated now, than back then.

There are things she won’t be able to tell JJ, even if they do get into a relationship. The Doyle case is classified for a reason and sharing that information with anyone could endanger the case itself along with Declan, Louise, Emily and the rest of the JTF-12 team. Would JJ be okay, with that secrecy? With the lies Emily might have to tell? And not unimportantly, would Emily be okay, having to keep part of her history locked away like that?

Though with that logic, she would close herself off to any possibility of a future romantic relationship, and that is not what she wants for her life.

Emily slides the last books into place on the bookshelf, stepping back and staring at it. It’ll do for now. She collapses the now-empty cardboard boxes and adds them to the collection in the corner of her office to deal with later. She checks the watch on the inside of her wrist and sighs. Still a while to go until it’s dinnertime.

She wanders to the kitchen, grabbing herself a drink. Out of habit, she grabs her phone and walks to the living room, staring down at the screen.

“Ow!” Emily stares angrily at the wall separating the two rooms, feeling her arm smarting from where she just ran into the corner. Seriously, why was it built this way?

Taking care to actually watch where she is going this time, she sits down on the couch. She puts her drink down and rubs a hand over her arm, wincing. That is going to bruise nicely.

Emily leans back against the cushions. Her phone buzzes with incoming messages, and she unlocks it to find it’s JJ. She is smiling before she even opens their chat.

JJ: I promised Penelope that I’d ask you if you want to join girls’ night, the day after tomorrow, at her place

JJ: No pressure if not, but it’d just be me, Pen, you and lots of booze and snacks

JJ: Spence is coming over to my house to look after Henry

JJ: Thoughts?

Emily hasn’t met Penelope yet, but she’s heard plenty about her from JJ. She worries her lip between her teeth and considers the offer. On one hand, it sounds nice to spend extra time with JJ, and to have fun drinks and get to know JJ’s best friend and colleague, instead of sitting at home by herself all night for once. On the other hand…

Emily comes up blank and shrugs. Well, that’s decided then. She texts JJ to accept the invite and gets back a series of happy emojis and hearts along with an unfamiliar address— Penelope’s, Emily figures.

Two days later, Emily shows up on the dot with a bottle of tequila in hand and is promptly pulled into a tight embrace when the door opens.

“You must be Emily!” Penelope beams, stepping back and plucking the bottle from Emily’s grip, waving her inside. “Come in, come in! It’s so nice to finally meet this mysterious and absolutely gorgeous friend of JJ’s.”

Emily laughs and sheds her coat on the back of a kitchen chair before joining JJ on the couch. “Mysterious and gorgeous, huh?”

JJ punches her shoulder, then gives her a quick side-hug. JJ’s head presses against Emily’s shoulder. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“Me too!” Penelope appears in front of them with brightly coloured drinks. “Our girls’ nights have been very scarcely populated since Elle left the city. We are in dire need of more female presence and bonding.”

“Amen to that,” JJ says. She takes two of the glasses, handing one to Emily.

Penelope sits down in an arm chair and raises her drink. “To women! Bottoms up!”

Emily laughs as they toast and she takes a sip of her drink. There must be a seriously unhealthy amount of sugar in it, because it has masked any taste of alcohol in a very dangerous, this-is-how-you-get-drunk-quickly type of way. JJ dryly comments on it, but Penelope just brightens and starts listing the recipe.

“I’ll send it to you,” Penelope says, when she is done. She grins at Emily. “And to you too, my beautiful new friend! We totally need a group chat, with the three of us. I need to think of a good name for it, first, though. Got any good ideas?”

Emily had come mentally prepared for a kind of stilted and explorative ‘where do I fit in’ dance that usually happens in first-time social situations, but Penelope Garcia is far from the norm, as it turns out. As far as Penelope is concerned, any friend of JJ’s is automatically her friend as well, and she is unapologetically herself in a way that has Emily grinning from ear to ear.

They do very briefly get to know the basics about each other— where they’re from and whatnot, along with whether they’re dog or cat people (the answer is cat people and Penelope is delighted to show Emily the two kittens she is in the process of adopting) and favourite snack foods (Penelope promises to make sure they have salt-and-vinegar chips for the next girls’ night, alongside JJ’s Cheetos).

“So, JJ is a Media Liaison, but what about you? Do you do something similar, or…” Emily trails off, looking at Penelope, who shakes her head.

“Oh sweetness, no! You are in the mighty presence of the oracle of all things technical.”

“Pen is our technical analyst,” JJ clarifies for Emily. She downs the rest of her drink and hops off the couch, having promised to fix their next round.

Emily hands her empty glass over. “Our? So, you guys are both with the same unit of the FBI?”

“Yeah,” JJ confirms, taking Penelope’s glass as well before walking backwards to the kitchen island. “Pen and I are the only non-profilers in the BAU.”

Emily gapes at her. Because what? “…You work at the BAU?”

“I never mentioned that?” JJ asks.

Emily slowly shakes her head. She definitely would have remembered if JJ had told her.

JJ shrugs. “Well, it’s true. We’ve both been with the unit for a few years now. You know of the BAU?”

Does Emily know of it? Oh, well, no, it just happens to be the unit she’s had her eye set on being a part of one day, since forever. And the moment she is not even actively looking for a job, Emily befriends two of its members? Talk about the weird workings of the universe.

She doesn’t say any of that out loud, though. It feels like that would be weird. And if she does ever get the opportunity to apply to the BAU, she wants to get in based on her own accomplishments, without ever leaving the chance for someone to think she only got in because someone else pulled some strings. She has already had that experience plenty in her life, thanks to her parents.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.” Emily is still dying a little bit inside at the new discovery, but changes the topic of conversation whilst JJ makes their new drinks.

They leave the getting-to-know talk behind, and when they’ve had a couple more drinks, the conversation quickly derails. Emily is far from approaching black-out drunk, but she is definitely more than just tipsy, because the world is light and everything is very funny. She loses count of the number of times the three of them have to stop talking because they can’t stop laughing.

Several hours in, Emily has migrated sideways on the couch to lie against JJ, exhausted but still smiling as Penelope stumbles to the door to collect their ordered pizza. Emily can hear her greeting the delivery person with exuberance, and their stammered thanks for the generous tip Penelope presses into their hand.

“This is very fun,” Emily admits, staring up at the ceiling. She blinks, and the fairy lights that are strung throughout Penelope’s apartment dance in front of her eyes.

“Yes,” JJ agrees. She toasts her near-empty glass to the air and chugs down the last of her drink.

“Me three!” Penelope says. She is back at the couch and flops down on JJ’s other side. She opens the pizza box and balances it on JJ’s legs, handing out slices to everyone. “Emily, you are now always invited to girls’ night. No! Wait! Your presence is mandatory.”

A phone buzzes, and JJ fumbles to grab it, almost knocking the box to the ground. Thankfully Emily’s reflexes are still partially intact, and she saves their food before it can be doomed.

“Awh,” JJ coos, staring at the screen of her phone with a loving pout. She turns the phone to Penelope, then shoves it in Emily’s face as well. “Henry fell asleep on the couch and Spence says he is afraid to move him.” It’s a picture of a sleeping Henry, blanket with sparkly unicorn print tucked around him. Now that Emily has met Penelope, she can say with certainty that it must have been a gift from her.

JJ starts typing an answer, dictating out loud, to tell Spencer Henry sleeps like the dead and he’ll be fine if Spencer picks him up.

“I still don’t get how you made such a cute kid,” Penelope says. She takes a bite of pizza and sighs, resting her head on the back of the couch.

Emily nods in agreement. “The cutest kid.”

“He definitely is, isn’t he?” JJ puts her phone away. “The cutest, even when he’s being stubborn.”

Penelope coughs. “I wonder who he gets that from.”

JJ pokes Penelope’s side in protest. “It’s not my fault! He was being so stubborn last week because…” She thinks hard, then inhales sharply and turns to Emily, pointing at her. “You! Because of you!”

“What?” Emily stammers, taken aback by the sudden switch.

“He refused to let me read any story other than Bedtime for Baby Star,” JJ explains in frustration, poking her finger to Emily’s cheek. “He wanted you to read the other books to him, because you did such a great job at the library. Luckily, he is two-and-a-half and his resolve cracked after the first night.” She turns to Penelope. “You should have seen the two of them in the library, it was so cute!” Now JJ sounds like she’s about to cry.

Seriously, Emily is going to get whiplash. “…I’m sorry?”

“No! Don’t you dare be sorry,” JJ says. “Never! Got it?”

“Okay?”

JJ seems satisfied with that. She relaxes back into the couch, then… “Oh! Sarah- No, not Sarah… Sharon! You know, Sharon from the library? I think she might be in your book club as well, but…” She frowns. “Wait, what was I saying? Oh! Right, she saw you read to Henry and she told me to ask you if you’d consider joining that ‘toddler story time’ thing they do every week. I meant to text you, but I kind of forgot.”

“I…” Actually, that might be kind of nice. “I’ll talk with Sharon when I see her.”

“You do that,” JJ nods decisively. Her gaze softens as she stares at Emily in silence for a few seconds. “You’re very good with kids, you know. With Henry.”

Emily swallows heavily against the flood of positive emotion that threatens to overflow her and just gives JJ a small smile.

A few more beats of silence pass before Penelope squeals and pushes herself up from the couch, muttering under her breath and sending the two of them disbelieving and loving looks as she wanders to the kitchen. She brings back bottles of water and bullies them into drinking it.

They finish the rest of the pizza, but by then it’s late and they’re all exhausted. Collectively, they decide that girls’ night will have to come to an end. Emily contemplates whether to call a taxi or book an uber, but Penelope plucks her phone from her hands before she can decide.

“Stay over for the night,” Penelope says. “I’ve got a perfectly good guest room and it’ll save you the trip back right now. And we can all collectively be miserable and have a deliciously greasy breakfast tomorrow morning.”

Emily looks at JJ, who shrugs. “Spence is staying the night at my place, and he would’ve taken care of Henry tomorrow morning anyway. I can stay. But I’m not rooming with you, Pen, because you snore!”

Penelope protests loudly, but JJ is already pulling Emily up off the couch and to the guest room. They’ll deal with the mess that is the living room tomorrow. Emily sits down on the end of the bed while JJ disappears and returns with some clothes of Penelope’s that they can sleep in. It’s a bit trickier than usual to get undressed and re-dressed, but whether that’s a result from exhaustion or the lingering effects of the alcohol, Emily doesn’t know.

Penelope pokes her head into the guest room to wish them a good night, before leaving them to it. JJ grabs them new toothbrushes from the cupboard under the sink, and JJ and Emily stand side by side in the guest bathroom, swaying lightly on their feet as they brush their teeth.

All done and ready for the night, Emily crawls under the sheets. The mattress dips when JJ gets in on the other side of the bed. Though they’re not even touching, Emily can feel JJ right there, and all she can think of is wishing she was closer.

Emily’s mind wanders back to her conversation with Louise and wonders what would happen if she doesn’t hold back. If she ‘lets happen what might happen’. She squeezes her eyes shut and calls on sleep, willing it to bring her to the next morning, when things might make more sense.

The edges of her consciousness are beginning to haze when the sheets rustle and a soft body presses into Emily’s side. Half asleep, she lifts her arm and allows JJ to snuggle closer.

Just let it happen.

Emily falls asleep to the sound of JJ’s breathing.

Chapter Text

Emily wakes up before JJ and manages to untangle their limbs, slipping out quietly and padding to the living room on her bare feet. She represses all the feelings that bubble up at the thought of last night and promptly starts stress-cleaning, ignoring the pressure of the pounding headache behind her eyes. By the time Penelope and JJ wander out of the bedrooms, all evidence of girls’ night is gone, and Emily is lying on the couch, regretting her life’s decisions. And trying desperately to forget how right it had felt to have JJ in her arms.

(It doesn’t work. Emily continues to vividly remember the experience. Her own bed suddenly feels emptier than usual.)

The first day after girls’ night, Penelope adds Emily to a group chat that quickly becomes a place where they mostly share pictures of kittens (Penelope), pictures of Henry (JJ) and appropriately enthusiastic responses (Emily). There are loose plans for the next get-together, but both Penelope and JJ are thrown back into work on Monday, and they pause that talk for now.

Emily, on the other hand, still has plenty of time to spare. Remembering what JJ had said, she talks to Sharon and becomes a volunteer for the library’s toddler story time hour. Admittedly, she is a little nervous the first time she takes on the daunting task of reading to a handful of wiggly toddlers, but it turns out she has nothing to worry about. The kids love her, and Emily has a fun time doing the voices whilst the kids hang on to her every word. She gets plenty of high-fives in thanks, at the end.

Of course, Henry is there to support her too– along with Nina, his nanny, since JJ got sent to Portland for a case the day before. When story time is all done, and the toddlers and their parents have either dispersed throughout the library or left, Henry climbs into Emily’s lap in the big reading chair and demands she reads him another story. She happily complies.

When Henry needs to head home to have lunch and a nap, the two of them take a quick selfie before he goes. Emily sends it off to JJ, hoping it will bring a little light to her day. She doesn’t know the exact details of the case, but the reports of the small bodies found in Portland have been all over the news, so she can take a guess at what JJ, Penelope and their team are building a profile for.

A notification pops up on her screen— a private message from… Penelope?

PG: Is it you that just sent JJ a text?

Emily frowns.

EP: Yes?

PG: You’re an absolute angel, Emily Prentiss! I could kiss you! Cases with kids are always extra hard on JJ, you know. But for a moment…

There is an image attached to it, slightly grainy from the zoom, but it very clearly shows a radiant smile on a very tired-looking JJ’s face, her eyes trained on her phone.

PG: Update, she just showed me the picture and OMG you guys are the cutest! You totally made JJ’s day, thanks sweetness <3

JJ’s text comes in a second later.

JJ: I really needed that today, thanks <3 It looks like you guys had a good time! How was your first day of doing story time?

Emily recounts the experience in as much detail as she can, hoping it will bring another smile to JJ’s face. She doesn’t turn the question on JJ or ask for details about the case, wanting to give JJ a reprieve of having to think about it, though she hopes by now JJ knows she can talk about it with Emily if she wants. When Emily is all out of updates, she suggests JJ let her know when she’s back in town, so they can meet up to do something fun together. JJ immediately agrees.

In the meantime, while JJ’s case drags on, Emily explores her neighbourhood. She goes to book club, story time, martial arts and the odd class she signs up for, and goes out on extensive walks when she is done. She tries out the different cafés, makes note of the best playgrounds near her apartment and learns the streets and routes by heart. It keeps her from sitting in her apartment all day and going insane.

It's starting to itch a bit, though. The urge to find a job and get back to work. She’s not fully there yet, but she’s getting close, and she’s not sure what to think of that. She even entertains the idea of at least looking at the list Easter sent her, but she doesn’t get much further in the process than that.

Maybe it’s hard to transition to a life with a new job because she hasn’t been able let go of her last assignment yet. Of Lauren, of Doyle, of the things she’d seen and the things she’d done to gain his trust and love. Doyle had loved Lauren. Emily had been filling the perfect role, had catered herself to his wants and needs. She had been good, at playing that role. Too good, she fears sometimes. More often, these days.

Emily wakes up, alone in her apartment, and still has to assure herself that Lauren Reynolds is dead.

If she’d stayed at Interpol, she definitely would have been stuck with weeks if not months of mandatory therapy, before they would have even thought of letting her do anything else. Instead, she had left as soon as she could and here she is, in DC, rebuilding a life she barely had in the first place.

Emily stares at herself in the mirror and says, once more, out loud, “Lauren Reynolds is dead.” She cringes at the sound, the sentence echoing weirdly in the confined space of the bathroom.

Maybe she should be in therapy.

(She should definitely be in therapy.)

Emily averts her eyes from her reflection and pulls a brush through her hair. She doesn’t look back and goes about her morning routine, getting dressed and making herself some breakfast. She settles down on the couch with a bowl of cereal in hand and makes a mental note to finally look for a dining table. Normal people have dining tables, right?

Taking a bite, she briefly, fleetingly, she considers it. Finding a good therapist, not an agency-assigned shrink. Then she thinks of the hellish bureaucratic and NDA nightmare it would be, if she wanted to be able to tell the therapist even the bare minimum about the past years of her life, and how they had fucked with her sense of self. Or whether that would even be a possibility. Yeah, no, thank you. She’ll just be miserable sometimes and try to fix it herself, for now. She’s always been too good at compartmentalizing. She’s had to be, to get anywhere in her life.

And hey, look at her, she’s still here! That should count for something, right?

Emily has just arrived at the grocery store for her weekly shopping, that evening, when she gets a text from JJ.

JJ: Back home

JJ: Come over?

There’s no further context, none of the usual emojis, nothing other than the few, short words. Emily gets a gut feeling and just drives right back out of the parking lot. She arrives at JJ’s house quicker than she should have, and hurries to the front door.

It’s Penelope who lets her in, looking all sorts of exhausted and drained herself.

“She’s in Henry’s bedroom,” Penelope tells her, voice little more than a whisper.

Emily nods. “Go home, I’ve got this,” she says. “You look like you need a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.” Penelope rarely goes on cases with the team, and not helping from the comfort of her own office or sleeping in her own bed has clearly taken its toll, on top of the toll from the difficult and lengthy case.

Penelope hesitates.

“Go,” Emily encourages.

Penelope gives her a tight hug before she gathers her stuff and leaves. Emily locks the front door and slides the deadbolt into place.

The house is very quiet. Emily sheds her shoes and coat, before climbing up the stairs to Henry’s bedroom, careful to avoid the creaky step at the top. Henry’s door is cracked open, the dim light of his dinosaur nightlight streaming out into the dark hallway. Emily gently pushes the door open further.

JJ is sitting on the floor next to Henry’s bed, softly stroking his hair and staring at his peaceful face. Emily quietly inches closer and spots the tear tracks on JJ’s cheeks, glinting in the limited light. She lowers herself next to JJ, placing her hand on JJ’s back.

JJ’s body shakes under Emily’s touch with silent sobs. An occasional tremor runs through JJ’s back, but she doesn’t stop her gentle caresses. Henry sighs in his sleep, Sally the Sheep tucked under his chin.

“They were so little.” JJ is barely audible as she breaks through the silence. “Those crime scene photos… They died scared and hurt and I’m meant to compartmentalise, but I held so many unconsolable parents whose babies are never coming back. After all of that, I just needed to be home and have Henry in my arms. But even now that he’s sleeping, I can’t leave. I close my eyes and I see…”

Emily swallows against the lump in her throat and scoots closer, pulling JJ into her side. JJ pulls her hand back from Henry and turns to fully melt into the embrace, arms looping tightly around Emily’s back. Emily presses her cheek to the top of JJ’s head and softly sways them from side to side.

“Mommy?”

They break apart to find Henry sitting up in his bed, tiredly rubbing at his eyes.

“Hi, baby,” JJ whispers, voice breaking. “Go back to sleep, okay? It’s not morning yet.”

“Mommy is crying?” Henry blinks, then spots Emily. “Emily?”

Emily smiles. “Hey, Henry. You go sleep, yeah? I’ll take care of Mommy.”

Henry puts his head back down on his pillow, and JJ tucks his duvet around him, making sure Sally is in place as well. He watches them for a bit longer, until his eyes droop shut of their own accord and sleep pulls him back under. JJ presses a kiss to the crown of his head, gently brushing his hair back one more time, before she gets to her feet and hesitantly leaves Henry’s room.

Emily follows her down to the living room, making them both a cup of tea whilst JJ curls up on the couch, staring blankly ahead. She doesn’t start talking until Emily has already finished half of her tea, sitting right next to her, shoulders touching.

There is information JJ isn’t allowed to share, but a lot of it has either been leaked, or intentionally made public, since it was such a high-profile case. Cases with children tend to grab the nation’s attention, which in turn put a lot of pressure on the BAU to solve the case. JJ talks about how it dragged on with no and in sight, which led to increased tension in the police precinct and the community. JJ, being the face of the press conferences and in charge of the majority of the communication, bore the brunt of people’s anger and frustration.

“We finally caught the unsub yesterday because we had made the decision to share the detailed profile with the neighbourhood watch,” JJ finishes. “Which is good, but… God, those kids.” Her breath hitches. “And Henry-“

“Is safe,” Emily finishes for her. She doesn’t want JJ to go back down that path.

They fall silent.

Emily has to admit that she is at a loss for words. She doesn’t want to soothe JJ with empty platitudes, which can be a nice sentiment but don’t help against the vivid imagery of dead kids floating around in JJ’s head. So, instead of offering words, Emily pulls JJ closer. She grabs a blanket from the arm of the couch and drapes it over them, hoping it provides an extra layer of comfort. JJ sighs and lays her head down on Emily’s shoulder.

This doesn’t seem like the kind of trauma that should be left to heal and soften with time. Maybe it’s a better idea for JJ to talk it through with a professional before it has the chance to pull her down deeper. Emily hesitates, but asks, “Do you have a therapist? At the bureau, or outside of it?”

JJ sniffs, wiping at her face. “Yeah, I do. I should probably call her tomorrow.”

Emily stays over for the night. JJ offers her the guest room, but when Emily presses, she admits that the idea of being alone with her feelings right now seems awful. So, Emily changes into a set of JJ’s pyjamas and gets in bed with her.

This time they’re both still awake when Emily pulls JJ into her arms. They sleep soundly, surrounded by the presence of the other.

Henry clearly doesn’t remember being woken up last night, because he is very surprised to find Emily in his home that morning. JJ calls in sick to work and sends a message to Henry’s daycare that she is keeping him at home today.  Henry’s excitement levels are high, when he hears that he will spend today at home with both his mommy and Emily, though he mellows out a bit as he picks up on JJ’s low mood.

JJ kisses his head apologetically and calls her therapist, who happens to have an empty slot for that afternoon. JJ doesn’t even have to ask before Emily offers to take care of Henry whilst she is gone.

They have breakfast with the three of them and stay in for the morning. JJ lends Emily a set of clean clothes for the day, so she doesn’t have to go home to change. Heavy feelings aside, this is the most domestic scene Emily has found herself in since a long time. They spend their time playing with Henry and reading him books, followed by a quick lunch that Emily manages to put together.

Emily and Henry drop JJ off at the therapist’s office and head out to a park to get some fresh air. They run around until Henry has gotten rid of his pent up energy and Emily is nearly out of breath and questioning whether she should crank up her exercise regimen.

Either way, Henry is a lot calmer when she buckles him into his car seat to go pick up JJ. They only have to wait for a few minutes outside the building before JJ appears.

“Want to talk about it?” Emily asks, when JJ climbs into the passenger’s seat. She looks tired, her eyes red and puffy.

JJ shrugs indifferently as she puts her seatbelt on.

“How was it?”

“Awful,” JJ says, but she seems a little lighter when she smiles, and Emily knows she is going to be okay.

They all go back to their regular schedules the next day: Henry is in daycare, JJ at work, and Emily heads out to her martial arts class, bright and early. She finds herself with a free afternoon, and decides to go check out a place someone from book club had suggested: a film center.

Emily is not sure what to expect, but when she arrives, she finds out that they’re showing an artsy French film. She pays for her ticket and wanders down to the small theater, finding herself a seat amongst the handful of other people who found their way here on a random weekday afternoon. Emily sits back and enjoys. Foreign languages and cultures have always been an interest of hers. Much of it is entwined with either her childhood memories, or her time undercover, but this, enjoying art the way it is meant to be enjoyed? That is something for the Emily of the present.

When JJ has a free afternoon, Emily enthusiastically pulls her along, desperate to share this new discovery and not even caring that JJ is clearly mostly humouring her. The entire time in the theater Emily divides her attention between the screen and JJ, giddy joy bubbling in her stomach with JJ’s reactions to the film. There is something healing, about opening up and sharing something she likes, with someone she- Well, with someone she likes.

They have dinner at JJ’s place after and when they have put Henry to bed, JJ lets Emily rant and rave about the film and all the nuances of it. Emily flushes when she realises she has been monologing for longer than is socially acceptable, and trails off, falling silent.

“Hey,” JJ says, nudging Emily’s leg with her own. “Why so quiet all of a sudden?”

Emily pulls a face. “I kind of hijacked the conversation, didn’t I?”

JJ shakes her head. “Don’t go there. Ignore whatever your brain is telling you. I’m a Media Liaison who has to talk to journalists and police officers on a daily basis, trust me, I know how to weasel my way out of a conversation I don’t want to be in.” She winks.

Emily smiles tentatively, knowing that much is true.

“All that to say,” JJ continues. “You don’t need to stop talking on my account. I” – a rosy hue flushes her cheeks, her eyes flicking away for a second – “I actually love seeing you this passionate. Whatever happened before you got to DC- I just mean, it’s been nice to watch you bloom, these past few months. You were so… I don’t know, composed? Melancholy almost, when we first met. But now…”

“Oh,” is all Emily can think to say. She never thought anyone would come close enough to notice these things about her.

“I’m here, for any rant,” JJ says. “Just so you know, for future reference.” Her eyes are soft and full of affection, lips pulling up into a smile.

Emily suddenly wishes for nothing more than to press a kiss to that smile. She releases a shaky breath and just squeezes JJ’s arm in a silent thanks instead.

Someday. Someday soon.

A visit to the film center becomes part of Emily’s regular schedule, nestled nicely on a day between book club and toddler story time. She tends to go to the theater alone, which she doesn’t mind, but when JJ has another odd afternoon off to make up for overtime on weekends, she kindly joins Emily again.

In return, Emily promises to try out JJ’s yoga class one Sunday morning. She quickly figures out that a few extra months settling into her own skin hasn’t given her any more patience than she’d had back when she first tried a yoga class. She does, however, make the joyful discovery that going along to yoga with JJ, means watching JJ stretching and moving in very skin-tight clothing. Needless to say, Emily picks up very little from what is actually happening in class.

“What did you think?” JJ says afterwards, screwing the top off her bottle and downing a full gulps of water. A light sheen of sweat glistens on her tanned skin, and oh, come on, this really isn’t fair.

Emily swallows, her mouth suddenly dry. “It was nice.” That much is truthful. Though maybe not entirely for the reasons JJ assumes.

They pack up and say goodbye to the yoga teacher. When they’re walking out of the gym, JJ invites Emily home for lunch. Emily happily accepts, though they swing by Penelope’s to pick up Henry first.

Emily had never quite understood ‘it takes a village’ when it came to kids. That was, until she’d met JJ and seen how the people around her continuously step up and help out. Sure, there is the nanny, when JJ is away on cases for longer periods of time. But both of Henry’s godparents – and from what Emily has heard, JJ’s other work friends as well – are always willing to help. Both in emergencies, and to make sure JJ still has a life outside of being a parent. It is the kind of tight-knit ‘chosen family’ that Emily had dreamed of as a child solely raised by tutors and nannies employed by her parents. Henry certainly does not have a lack of love and affection in his life.

And hey, Emily is proud to be a small part of JJ’s and Henry’s village too.

Penelope lets them inside her apartment, but not before looking them over and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. JJ punches her arm and goes to find Henry, who is sitting at the coffee table with a piece of paper and a pile of crayons. Emily spots both of Penelope’s kittens snoozing in the arm chair behind him.

“So,” Penelope says, staring at Emily. “How was yoga?”

Emily shrugs. “It was good.”

Penelope squints her eyes, a big grin spreading across her face. “I bet it was.”

Feeling slightly unsettled, Emily averts her gaze to JJ and Henry, who appear to be negotiating. JJ evidently wins, because Henry begrudgingly gets up and moves over to the shoe rack to pull on his beloved dinosaur boots. When he is done, he suddenly catches sight of Emily and lights up.

“Emily!”

“Hi, buddy,” Emily greets. He runs at her and she crouches down, pulling him into a hug. She straightens up, holding him safely in her arms. “Did you have fun with Aunt Penny?”

“Yes! I made a drawing,” Henry says very seriously. “For you.”

JJ brings the drawing over and Emily takes it, inspecting the colourful drawing. “Wow, this looks so good! Can you tell me about it?”

The goodbye to Penelope goes on without much fuss whilst Henry continues to point out new things he has drawn for Emily. His excited babbling is the absolute cutest, and Emily makes sure to give him a big hug in thanks for the drawing.

When she gets back to her own apartment that night, the drawing gets an honorary place on her fridge, amidst the pictures JJ had printed out for her and Henry’s other artwork. Emily steps back and surveys her living space.

The book they’re reading for book club lies on the coffee table, the schedule of the film center’s line-up tucked between its pages as a bookmark. There’s a notebook next to the book, filled with comments and notes she knows the ladies from the club will enjoy.

Emily wanders further into the living room, trailing her hand across the back of the couch. The sweater she had borrowed from JJ is draped across it, and she pulls it on over her shirt, snuggling into it to breathe in the familiar smell of JJ’s detergent. Her gaze travels down, to the carpet, where she can still see the faint stain from that afternoon, when JJ and Henry had come over to help her build her dresser.

Emily drops down into her arm chair and kicks her feet up on the coffee table. There’s a pile of picture books piled on the floor next to her, waiting for her to leaf through them and pick which story she is going to read to the local toddlers next. Next to it, forlornly lies a fuzzy, sparkly pen she’d found at a small craft market last week. Its topper looks like one of Penelope’s new kittens, and Emily hadn’t been able to keep herself from buying it. She’ll bring it along, the next time they have a girls’ night.

She leans her head back, eyes flicking around her apartment.

And- Oh.

It’s no longer cold, or not-lived-in. There are signs of Emily’s new life everywhere. Little reminders that Emily Prentiss is alive and kicking and doing well. Because-

Oh, Emily thinks.

Because Lauren Reynolds is dead.

This life, with these people, in DC, is entirely Emily’s.

Chapter Text

Emily stares at the wall that partially separates the kitchen from the rest of her living space. She has never liked it, but this morning she woke up and walked into it once again, and now she can say with certainty that she despises it.

Solution: it has to go. Problem: she only owns the basic tools, and she should probably have a professional look at it and tell her that it isn’t actually a load-bearing wall, before she accidentally causes part of her apartment complex to collapse.

She complains to JJ about it, when she drops by at her house after book club that afternoon. Even talking to the ladies about the absolutely filthy book that Martha had picked as that month’s read, hadn’t taken the topic off her mind.

“I could ask Morgan to take a look at it,” JJ offers. She is folding a pile of laundry whilst Emily is trying desperately to keep Henry from making a massive mess with the toys they had just tidied away. “He does house renovations, so he definitely knows his stuff. I think that tearing down a wall might actually just be his idea of fun.”

Emily mulls over the offer, then agrees easily. It can’t hurt, and JJ clearly trusts her friend.

From the stories Emily has heard from JJ, Henry and Penelope, she isn’t quite sure what to make of Derek Morgan. Even less so, when he appears in front of her door one early Saturday morning, sledge hammer slung across his shoulder and two hard helmets dangling from his arm.

They size each other up, then Morgan smiles widely. The teddy bear comment JJ made makes more sense when he introduces himself with a strong handshake, before immediately joking around. Emily claps back with a grin and just like that, they get on like a house on fire.

Emily shows him the wall in question and they look over the building plans she’d requested from the building’s super.

“We should be fine,” Morgan concludes his inspection. He rubs his hands together with a grin. “Ready to knock down a wall, Prentiss?”

He helps Emily to move any furniture out of the way. She’d already pre-emptively gone and moved other items and decoration to her office space the night before, so all that’s left is the big stuff. They cover everything with big plastic tarps to prevent it from getting dirty or dusty.

Morgan hands Emily safety glasses and a hard hat. He briefly disappears back to his car to pick up some more tools, before they put on masks and gloves to complete their safety equipment.

“You ready?”

“So ready,” Emily confirms.

Morgan holds out the sledge hammer to her. Emily grins widely and takes it, testing the weight in her hands. There is something to be said about catharsis through destruction, because a metaphorical weight slides off her shoulders when the hammer breaks through the plaster with a satisfying crash, pieces of wall crumbling to the ground.

Morgan whoops loudly, clapping and laughing as Emily goes to town. He steps in once she’s made a big enough hole to cut away at the drywall and together, they tear it down. By the time the last remainders of the wall are gone, sweat is running down Emily’s back and she is in dire need of a break.

They’re sitting on the tarp-covered couch with a drink when JJ and Henry knock on the door. JJ takes one look at their dusty selves and the absolute mess on the floor and huffs out a laugh, shaking her head. “It was definitely a mistake to introduce you two.”

Emily and Morgan share a grin that has JJ rolling her eyes.

Henry greets both of them happily, but quickly becomes more interested in what is left of the wall. Morgan chases after him, picking Henry up and putting him on top of his broad shoulders, parading around the apartment.

“Feeling better?” JJ asks, raising a brow. They settle down on the couch, plastic crinkling, but not before JJ has pushed the window open further to air out the place more. Tearing down a wall didn’t do wonders for the air quality.

“Yeah,” Emily smiles. Even though it’s stuffy inside, she can breathe a little easier.

“Something changed,” JJ comments. She watches Emily for a few long seconds, head tilted. “Ever since the day after you joined me at yoga. You’ve been… Lighter, almost. And now…”

“Now what?”

“Now even more so,” JJ says. Her blue eyes pierce right into Emily’s soul, laying it bare for everyone to see. “It’s a good look on you.”

How has Emily gotten this lucky? How could it be, that one singular trip to the park has coloured her entire life in DC? She would have gotten somewhere, without that the events of that day – Emily doesn’t think that lowly of herself – but boy, would it have looked different. Now she can’t, and doesn’t want to, imagine a life without JJ’s presence in it.

Emily stares at JJ, the words on the tip of her tongue. I like you, JJ. As more than a friend.

“Jayje-“

“Mommy!” Henry squeals. “I’m flying!”

Emily’s and JJ’s gazes break apart abruptly, both of them flushing a bright red. Emily had almost forgotten they weren’t alone.

Morgen has taken Henry off his shoulders, holding him in his arms instead and making whooshing sounds. Henry’s little arms are spread out and flapping frantically.

JJ recovers faster than Emily. “Wow, look at you!”

Morgan flips Henry upright onto his feet when they reach the couch. Henry wobbles a bit, then makes his way over to the couch, climbing up and wedging himself in the narrow space between JJ and Emily.

Upon his request, Emily reads Henry one of the picture books she has taken home from the library, before she and Morgan lug out what is left of the wall to the dumpster that had been delivered to the apartment complex’s doorstep. JJ helps them to clean away the dust, wiping down surfaces to at least make it liveable again, for now. They put the furniture back in place and have lunch all together. When Morgan leaves, after, he promises to be back next week to help Emily fix up the ceiling and wall where the now-no-longer-existent wall used to be attached.

Emily and JJ play with Henry until it’s time for them to leave as well, and Emily is alone in her apartment again. She shuts the windows before she goes to bed, and sleeps easier than she has in a long, long time.

The next morning finds her with her phone in hand. She bites her lip and flicks her eyes up to the ceiling. She expects some nerves and doubt, but her hands and heart are steady. There is a buzzing under her skin, much like she’d had months ago, before JJ had suggested she head out and find something to occupy her time with. This time it feels different. There’s steadfast excitement.

She’s ready.

Emily presses call and listens to the dial tone. Luckily, the concepts of time and time zones don’t mean anything to an agency like Interpol, and before long she is talking with an old friend-slash-coworker. He is the one that had sent her Easter’s list, way back when, and when she tells him she’s putting out feelers for a new job, he says he’ll ask around and put in a good word for her. She makes a couple more calls to other contacts from before she’d gone into undercover work until she needs to head out to her one-on-one martial arts session that day.

She doesn’t tell anyone – not JJ, not Penelope, or the ladies from the library – that she has tentatively started looking for a job. It’s silly, but it feels like speaking it out loud might jinx it. Besides, she is not looking forward to explaining the details of her previous jobs, which, considering the types of jobs she is aiming for, would definitely be a topic of conversation that would come up with JJ and Penelope, at least.

Somehow, though, she doesn’t consider that making calls, will also result in receiving calls, which happens when Emily is halfway through her first drink on girls’ night. She glances at the screen, recognises the area code and carefully scoops Sparkles, one of Penelope’s kittens, off her lap and onto JJ’s. Jumping up from the couch has her receiving confused looks from both JJ and Penelope.

“Sorry, I have to take this,” Emily says, pretty much running to the guest bedroom.

When she comes back out, she has a job interview scheduled and a smile on her face. She flops down next to JJ and grabs her drink, then realises JJ and Penelope have fallen silent and are now staring at her. Sparkles and Rainbow, sitting comfortably on their laps, add another two pairs of eyes that rest on Emily, which really helps her feel exposed.

“Yes?”

JJ raises a brow. “Are we allowed to know who this mysterious caller was that has you so happy?”

Emily worries her lip between her teeth.

“Em?”

“It was about a job interview?”

JJ gasps, sitting up straight. Sparkles meows unhappily at the sudden move and hops off JJ’s lap, making his way back over to Emily instead. “Em! That’s big! I didn’t know you were looking for a job again.”

Emily laughs sheepishly, flicking her head to move her hair out of her face. “I haven’t been looking for very long, but… I don’t know, I felt ready and had to take the jump before I could back out.”

“Are we allowed to know where you’re applying?” JJ asks.

“Is it okay if I don’t tell you yet?” Emily asks. She knows it’s a weird request, but hey, look at the company she is in. If anyone is used to weird, it’s these two people. “I don’t want to jinx it, and… I don’t know, it kind of feels like I have to do this by myself.”

A result of having her life planned out and directed by her mother. Emily had broken out of that mould for a reason, and she doesn’t want any doubt, not for herself and not for her future employer, that anyone else pulled strings to get her there. She needs to know she gets in purely on recommendations, her resume, and her own skills.

Both JJ and Penelope assure her that it’s okay, though they demand she let them know as soon as something is certain.

“And if you change your mind,” Penelope says, eyes twinkling. “Just know I can make sure your resume ends up in the right people’s inboxes.”

Emily laughs and shakes her head. Her hand comes up to softly stroke Sparkles back. Penelope is a good friend. Emily doesn’t know a whole lot of other people who would so casually offer to commit a crime for her. “You are living with a criminal,” she coos to Sparkles.

“Hey, did Pen ever tell you how she was recruited by the FBI?” JJ asks, her eyes bright.

Emily perks up. “You don’t mean to tell me-“

“No,” Penelope is already shaking her head. “Nope, we’re not going there! Change of subject! Emily, when are you getting a cat?” She holds up Rainbow to illustrate her point, the lazy kitten just allowing the move and letting her limbs dangle.

“I think I might just take this one home,” Emily says, nodding to her lap. She scratches Sparkles under his chin.

Penelope mock-glares at her. “Do that and you will find out how I was recruited by the FBI.”

“Okay, okay,” Emily laughs as she holds her hands up. Sparkles immediately complains loudly until she resumes her scratching. “I don’t know. Maybe soon. I’ve looked into it, made a list of supplies I should buy to start out with, but then I looked at the website for the animal shelter and I had to close my laptop before I ended up with way more than just the one cat.”

Penelope nods solemnly. “I understand your struggle. How do you think I ended up with two?”

“You two have infected Henry with your love for cats,” JJ tells them. “He has been telling me that all he wants for his birthday this year is a cat of his own. As if he isn’t at Pen’s often enough to terrorize these poor kittens.” She looks pointedly at Sparkles and Rainbow.

“He is good with them!” Penelope protests, but adds, “I can understand not needing a pet to deal with on top of dealing with a toddler, though.”

Emily nods her agreement wholeheartedly.

“We compromised,” JJ says. “He won’t get a cat, but he will get a cat-themed birthday party.” She crosses her fingers and raises her drink. “So, here’s to hoping he won’t suddenly change his mind. I love planning his birthday, but I will break down if he decides he wants to switch up the theme the night before.”

Emily and Penelope laugh and raise their own drinks to toast to that, too.

The remainder of the week goes on without much change to Emily’s regular schedule. Book club, film center, story time, long walks in the neighbourhood and near-nightly talks with JJ, either in real life or through phone calls.

Every day, Emily gets so close to telling JJ how she feels. To asking her out. Emily is building up the courage to do it properly. She’ll get there. At some point. Right now, JJ’s work has prevented them from hanging out for a few days in a row, and Emily can at least use that as an excuse as to why she hasn’t told JJ yet.

It isn’t a very good excuse, but sue her. She has issues that she is trying to overcome. All by herself, like a fully functioning adult. In the meantime, she tries to please the slightly (very) love-sick puppy in her with calls to JJ that have her smiling constantly, that have her heart racing, and that make her question how on earth there was a period of time in her life when she thought she might be straight.

There is nothing Emily wouldn’t do for JJ.

(…she might have gone slightly past the ‘liking’ phase and is now dangerously inching towards the territory of lo-

-of losing all brain function at the sight and thought of JJ.)

JJ has done so much for Emily. Most of it even without realising it. At the very start, she gave Emily a chance to become a friend. She allowed Emily into her life, let her get to know her family, her friends, and encouraged Emily to build her own community and life, as well.

They have a friendship in which Emily can both give and take. JJ has even started to pick up on Emily’s needs before she herself knows about them.

Emily can’t remember ever having any of that before. Of having someone, who knows some parts of herself better than she does.

When Emily needs help, JJ steps in. When JJ needs help, Emily steps in.

Like right now, where Emily is lounging around the house when she receives a mildly panicked phone call.

“Is everything okay?”

No one is injured, dying or dead, as it turns out, but JJ is on a case and the nanny just had a family emergency. “Could you pick Henry up from daycare? Spence is out of town visiting his mom, but he should be back later tonight and he wants to take care of Henry, but I don’t have anyone up until then. His extra car seat is still in your car, right?

“Yes! I’m already on my way,” Emily says, clamping her phone between her ear and shoulder as she zooms around the apartment, gathering her shoes, jacket and keys. “Anything I need to do to make sure Henry is allowed to go home with me?”

JJ gushes her thanks and gives Emily the codeword she has arranged with the daycare. It’s a good confirmation for the daycare teachers, but nothing as good as how Henry lights up when he spots Emily.

“Emily!” His little backpack thumps against his back with every step as runs straight into her legs, hugging her tightly.

Emily laughs and ruffles his hair. “Hey buddy! Nina had to visit her mom, so you’re going to spend the afternoon with me until Uncle Spence comes to pick you up.”

Henry is absolutely over the moon. Emily buckles him into his car seat, and they sing along to the playlist of his favourite songs, all the way until they reach Emily’s apartment. She has still got plenty of Henry-appropriate snacks, and they fill the rest of the afternoon with playing and colouring. Emily feeds him some boxed mac and cheese – a meal she famously knows how to make without burning – and when the warm food in Henry’s tummy makes him drowsy, they chill out on the couch.

Henry yawns and curls up in Emily’s lap. She puts a blanket over them, cocooning Henry nice and warm. Within seconds, he is completely conked out. Thinking of JJ, Emily carefully takes her phone out of her pocket and snaps a picture to send over.

When there is a knock on her door an hour or so later, Emily stands with a sleeping Henry still in her arms and opens the door for the famed Dr. Spencer Reid. He waves, lips quirking into a smile as Emily quietly introduces herself.

Emily motions with her head for him to follow her inside. They exchange pleasantries, mindful of Henry, and Emily tries to hand Henry over, but he subconsciously tightens his little arms around her neck which puts a stop to that plan.

“Well, I can either wake him up, or you’re welcome to wait for a bit longer to see if he wakes up by himself,” Emily says.

Spencer shrugs and wanders around Emily’s living room. There is a certain analytical quality about him, as if he is trying to build her profile simply by looking around. When he reaches her bookcase, he perks up and turns around. “You’re a fan of the original works?”

And that is how she finds out that they share a love for languages. Spencer goes on a tangent of how much nuance is lost in translations and Emily nods along, surprised to find a kindred spirit on this particular topic. The conversation pivots when Spencer spots her grandfather’s old chess set on display, and they set up for a game on the couch.

Spencer is smart, and an excellent player, but Emily has a few more years of experience under her belt. With Henry still in her arms, she beats Spencer at the first game. He takes it kindly, but demands a rematch, bright sparkle in his eyes. They’re halfway through their second game when Henry starts to stir.

“Hi buddy,” Emily whispers. She checks the clock, then looks at Spencer apologetically. “It’s probably time for this little dude to go home.”

“You’re right,” Spencer says, though he looks at the chessboard somewhat forlornly. He repeats Henry’s name until he catches his attention. Henry yawns and rubs at his eyes, but smiles and holds out his arms at the sight of his uncle. The transfer to Spencer goes very easily.

Emily’s arms suddenly feel very empty.

Spencer dawdles a bit, and Emily gets up to walk him to the front door.

“Hey,” she says, before Spencer can step outside. “I’d love those book recommendations you were talking about. And I still owe you the rest of that rematch.  JJ can give you my number?”

Spencer smiles. “That works.”

The next day, bright and early, Emily receives a neat list of books from an unknown number. She texts Spencer her thanks and asks him about a date and time to continue their game of chess.

Emily also receives another list, from her Interpol contact. She makes more calls and sets up some interviews for the coming week. For the first time in a long while, she pulls work clothes from the back of her closet, and dresses up to go talk to some people who might be able to help her with her new career path.

The blazer fits neatly on top of her favourite blouse. Emily brushes her hands down the front, watching herself in the mirror. It might have been a while, but it feels right.

She’s ready.

Chapter Text

It turns out that whilst Emily is ready for the world, the world isn’t ready for her.

Much to her frustration, none of the interviews turn out like she’d hoped. Sure, she gets offers, but the interviews and job descriptions are mind-numbingly boring. One would think that Emily would like a semi-normal job, after the insane and stressful past few years, but she simply isn’t built for that. She is familiar with paperwork, meetings and bureaucracy, but if that is all she gets to do, she won’t last long.

She’s not willing to give up yet, though, and she is determined to give every opportunity for a job interview a chance. Which might be a mistake, because the next one starts out with a limp handshake followed by pointed questions about Emily’s upbringing and a ‘how is your mother doing these days’ and Emily spontaneously loses all hope that she is going to find a job that fits. She cuts that particular conversation off as soon as she can without being blatantly rude – because that would earn her a stern phone call from her mother in this case, apparently – and hightails it out of there before her strained polite smile can hurt her face too much.

Emily gets in her car and knocks her head against the steering wheel repeatedly. Does the universe have it out for her? It’s getting to a point where she is half regretting quitting Interpol, which is how she knows she is getting too desperate. There’s always a place for her there, she has been told, but… Emily left for a reason.  

I left for a reason, she repeats to herself as she sits upright and takes a deep breath. She left for a reason, it was the right choice and she will find a new job.

Emily checks the time on her watch, then starts the engine and drives straight home to change. The gift bag she had prepared yesterday waits for her on the kitchen counter, and she grabs it before getting back in her car and onto the road.

Time to forget all about that god awful interview and go to a certain cat-themed birthday party for her favourite three-year-old: Mr Henry Jareau. Emily had told JJ that she would be late, but now she regretted having missed any part of the party for some old man to spend thirty minutes asking her about her mother, but oh well. At least she gets to JJ’s house earlier than expected because she had cut the interview short.

Emily climbs up the porch just as JJ opens the door to let out an older man.

“Oh, hi Em!” JJ says, brightening. She leans against the doorway and motions between Emily and the man. “Emily, this is Dave, Dave, this is Emily.”

Emily shakes his hand as they exchange pleasantries. He looks familiar, but she can’t place why.

“I’d love to hang out longer, but I’m afraid I’ve got to go,” Dave says with an apologetic smile.

“Thanks for coming,” JJ says. “Henry and I really appreciate it. Say hi to Joy from me?”

“Will do.” Dave waves his goodbye and wanders down towards the street, leaving Emily and JJ alone out on the porch.

“I’m so glad you could still make it!” JJ says as she turns to Emily, as if Emily would have ever considered missing the party entirely. JJ presses a kiss to Emily’s cheek and pulls her into a hug. “Henry is going to be so excited to see you.”

She ushers Emily inside, but Emily is still stuck on meeting Dave. Dave… Dave… Emily stops abruptly before JJ can push her into the living room. “JJ?”

JJ frowns. “Yes?”

Emily slowly turns to face her. “Was that David Rossi?”

“Yes?” JJ says again, this time accompanied by an amused huff. “We work together, you know.” Emily gapes at her. “Are you a fan of his work? I can probably get you a signed copy of his book. With a nice personalised message, too.” There’s laughter in her eyes, and now Emily knows JJ is making fun of her.

She doesn’t know how she has never made the connection that JJ works at the BAU, and the news that the co-founder of the BAU had come out of retirement to rejoin the team. Emily’s JJ is casual friends with David Rossi. Talk about weird connections in life.

“Earth to Emily,” JJ drawls.

Emily pokes JJ’s side and slips past her into the living room. “Forget I said anything.”

JJ laughs, slapping at Emily’s hand but following her anyway. The living room is packed full of JJ’s friends, as well as a handful of Henry’s daycare friends along with their parents. JJ has really gone all-out, and there are colourful decorations hanging from the walls and ceilings, all fitting the cat theme. The birthday boy himself is sat on his knees at the coffee table, digging into a big piece of cake under the careful eyes of his honorary aunt and uncles. Emily waves them a quick hello.

“Happy birthday, buddy,” Emily tells Henry as she crouches next to him, squeezing his shoulder. He has a different idea and briefly abandons his cake to give her a proper hug. There’s a sticky handprint on her sleeve when they break apart. “Look at you! You’re so big now! How old did you turn today?”

Henry smiles widely and sticks up three fingers for her to see. “I’m three!” His eyes pull to the gift bag in Emily’s hand, and she can see the mental battle of restraint play out on his face, warring between the politeness JJ taught him, and eager excitement. Taking pity on him, Emily accepts a wipe from JJ to help Henry clean his hands, before she hands him his gift.

He pulls the colourful tissue paper out of the bag, which lands in a pile on the floor as he takes his first present out of the bag. “Oh!” he exclaims happily, pressing the black cat stuffed animal to his chest in a big hug.

JJ smiles and helps him take out the other part of the gift: a picture book. “See, your cat looks just like one from the book!”

“Like from the library,” Henry says, nodding.

He carefully sets the cat down in his lap and leafs through the pages, inspecting the pictures. It is one of the books that had been the subjects of a toddler story time a few weeks back. Henry had been so enamoured by the story that he had demanded Emily read it again and again for him once story time was over.

Emily had happened upon a copy when she had been in the mall to look for a birthday present, and she had immediately known that she had to get it for him. The stuffed animal felt like a good addition— and she seems to have been right. When Henry is done with the book, he proudly shows the cat around to the others before setting it down on his Uncle Morgan’s lap for safekeeping, right next to Sally the Sheep.

JJ prompts Henry, and he gives Emily another hug. “Thank you.”

Emily smiles. “You’re welcome, buddy.”

“There’s cake and drinks in the kitchen,” JJ tells Emily once Henry is back to eating the rest of his own slice of cake. “I know I’m a terrible host to tell you to get things yourself, but I just gave my child enough sugar to last him the next year, so I’m going to stick around and make sure he doesn’t go too crazy.”

They hear a shout and turn around to find Henry getting up to chase after a small friend, nearly tripping over his own feet.

“Like I was saying,” JJ sighs.

“Go,” Emily laughs. She knows her way around JJ’s house just fine, so getting herself some coffee is no issue.

JJ calls Henry’s name and storms over as Emily disappears into the kitchen. It’s just her in there, though the countertops are still filled with different kinds of cake, snacks and pitchers of fun-coloured drinks.

“Knock, knock,” it sounds from the doorway.

Emily turns around with a smile. “Hi Penelope.”

“You have to join us on our BAU couch.” Penelope wanders further into the kitchen, inspecting the left-over cake. “A little birdie told me that you’re now friends with both our resident Boy Genius and my delicious Chocolate Thunder.”

That is a sentence Emily has to process for a good second, before she translates the Penelope-ness of it all into regular words and nods. “We’ve met, yes.” She grabs the pot of coffee.

“You now know enough people that you are basically an honorary member of the BAU,” Penelope says decisively. “And you know what that means…”

A beat of silence passes, as Penelope wordlessly prompts Emily to finish the sentence.

“…I do not, no,”

“I can invite you to all our BAU parties and get-togethers!”

“How many of those are there?”

Penelope sighs. “Not enough.”

“Right.”

“Anyway,” Penelope says, casually leaning against the counter as she watches Emily grab a mug from the cupboard. “Speaking of parties… And birthdays… When is yours?”

“Wow,” Emily says, dead-pan. “That must be the absolute worst segue I’ve heard. Real subtle, Penelope.”

Penelope’s shoulders drop and she pouts. “Oh, c’mon! I’m curious, alright? JJ forbade me from doing a deep dive on you, and with my technical abilities all locked up like that I only have our conversations to get information from.”

“Right,” Emily drawls. “Like normal people, you mean.”

“Oh, cupcake, you must know by now that I am anything but normal. I’m extraordinary! The fountain of all knowledge! I could have found out by myself, but I respect JJ as a friend, and you don’t give off bad vibes.”

“…Bad vibes?”

Penelope nods. “Yes, bad vibes, Emily Prentiss. But I can see that you’re trying to derail the conversation without having answered my question. And I desperately need to know, because I recently realised it was a gap in my knowledge, and that is unacceptable. So, when is your birthday? I need to be able to plan my gifts well in advance.”

Emily huffs out a laugh and finally pours herself that cup of coffee. “Well, you’ll have plenty of time, don’t worry. My birthday is October 12th.” It is quiet. She looks up to find Penelope staring at her with wide-eyed horror. “What?”

“It was your birthday last month?” Penelope gapes. “And you didn’t say anything? We would have thrown you a party!”

Emily shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it, I don’t really celebrate it anyway.”

“That just makes it ten times sadder,” Penelope says in frustration. “Oh my goodness, JJ is going to be so mad at you for not telling her! Birthdays are her thing!” She gestures around widely at the extensive spread of food and themed decorations to make her point.

“…You could just not tell her?”

Penelope gives her a look. “Don’t act stupid when you’re not.”

Emily desperately needs out of this conversation. She jabs her thumb towards the living room. “I’m just going to head back in there.”

“This won’t be the last of it!” Penelope threatens.

Emily flees like the coward she is, taking her coffee with her. She finds Morgan and Spencer and sits down next to them to catch up. She’s in the middle of talking about a film she’d seen last week, whilst she watches JJ bounce around from person to person and occasionally chasing after Henry to keep him from going overly crazy on his sugar high.

Morgan nudges her, and Emily blinks, realising she has completely zoned out. With some difficulty, she tears her gaze away from JJ. “Sorry, what?”

Morgan laughs. “Getting  a little distracted there, Prentiss?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Emily deflects. She does not want to get into this at a three-year-old’s birthday party.

Morgan ignores her. “When are you going to put on your big-girl panties and ask her out?” Startled, Emily stares at him in silence until he huffs. “Seriously, you think none of us have noticed? That woman has been raving about you for months now. It’s always Emily this and Emily that. And the way you keep looking at her? You’re down bad.”

Emily could keep denying it, but she knows he is right. Not that she will ever tell a man that. Not even a man who is still holding safely onto the two stuffed animals that were put in his lap for safekeeping by his honorary nephew.

“What Morgan is saying is true, you know,” Spencer pipes in. “JJ talks about you a lot. You’re also the first person since us who she has trusted fully with the care of Henry. I think you could make each other very happy, if you started dating.”

Emily allows herself to imagine it for just a second, filling at warmth at the thought. The fact that JJ’s friends think all of this, means a lot to her.

Morgan shrugs when she doesn’t respond. “Well, you know who to find if you need to hear an ‘I told you so’ once you guys take that step.”

The use of once instead of if doesn’t escape Emily’s notice but thankfully they don’t push it any further. The rest of Henry’s birthday party proceeds without any big incidents or talks, and when they near the end people slowly filter out, saying their goodbyes. The BAU members stay to help clean up, until they go too, and it’s just Emily who is left.

Henry has officially crashed from his cake-induced sugar high, and he is sitting on the couch with his thumb in his mouth. Sally the Sheep is clamped under one arm, his new cat stuffed animal under the other and his eyes are glued to the cartoon playing on the TV.

Emily and JJ stand in the kitchen doorway, watching him with a glass of wine in their hands.

“Thank you,” JJ says, clinking her glass against Emily’s in a toast. “For your help. For coming. For your thoughtful gift for Henry.”

“You’re welcome,” Emily says. “It is far from a task. This is my idea of fun, you know. Being here, spending time with you guys.” She raises her glass to her lips to take a sip, but JJ catches her arm and gently pulls it back down. Emily meets her gaze, surprised to find JJ closer than before. “What?”

“How is it you always know just what to say?” JJ murmurs. Emily wants to tell her that’s not true, but the words catch in her throat at JJ’s intense look. “It isn’t fair, you know. You’re so frustratingly charming and kind. So beautiful.”

Emily doesn’t dare to blink.

“I’ve been trying to prepare this whole speech in my head, for weeks now,” JJ laughs, shaking her head a little. Her hair sways with the movement, brushing against her shoulders. “But then I look at you and I forget everything I wanted to say. None of it does you any justice, anyway. I don’t know what I did, to deserve your presence in my life. You’re such a good friend, Emily.”

Emily’s heart drops.

A beat of silence passes as JJ inhales shakily. “And…” She swallows. “And I don’t want to ruin that, but I can’t help but wish for more,” she finishes with a whisper, her words barely audible.

“Oh,” Emily breathes, feeling a little light-headed.

JJ looks down at her wine. “I know that my life is a lot. With my work, with Henry. So, I understand if you’re not up for it, but if I don’t ask, I know I’ll regret-“

“Go on a date,” Emily blurts out. “With me. Please?”

JJ gapes at her, eyes wide in surprise. “I- You mean it?”

“If you want to?”

“Do I-“ JJ laughs. “Yes, of course I do, you weirdo! What do you think I am trying to tell you?”

There’s not a word in any of the languages Emily knows to properly describe the joy bubbling in her stomach and racing through her body. She allows herself a moment to bask in it, smiling stupidly at JJ, before reality seeps back in and she remembers her reservations about dating. The disclaimers, she has to give, that might change JJ’s mind. But it wouldn’t be fair to keep it from her. “I…”

JJ takes their glasses of wine and puts them down on the kitchen counter. She catches Emily’s hands in her own and squeezes lightly. “What is it, Emily?”

“There’s something you need to know about me,” Emily says.

“Alright.”

“There are things about me, and my past, that I can’t tell you. That I’ll never be able to speak of, even if you ask.” She is aware how alarming that sounds, and she gives JJ a minute to process. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I can’t. And I won’t.”

“Are you in active danger?”

“No.” Emily immediately shakes her head. She had meticulously tied up each and every loose end of her assignment with Doyle, and the undercover assignments that had come before. She has her lingering paranoia, but that is to be expected. “If I was, I would never have gotten close to you, or Henry.” That much she knew for sure. She might be loose with self-preservation, sometimes, but it is different when it comes to other people. People she cares for.

“Okay.”

Emily blinks. “Okay?”

JJ steps closer to Emily. “Em, I know you. I trust you. And I might not be a profiler, but working for the BAU has taught me a thing or two. I know you’ve gone through things, and seen things that you haven’t been able to share. I’m aware that some things need secrecy. Like I said, I work for the FBI, for God’s sake. I’m not saying that I will like it, or that it won’t be hard that you can’t share everything with me, but I do understand.”

“How are you like this?” Emily breathes.

“Now, want to hear my disclaimer?”

“Yes?”

“I know you know this, but I’m going to say it anyway,” JJ says. “Henry comes first, for me. I’m not saying it will – I doubt it, since he loves you – but if going out with you does somehow hurt him, I will call it quits.”

“I know,” Emily confirms. No part of JJ’s disclaimer is a surprise. She is well aware where Henry stands in JJ’s life, and she will never come between that.

“Well then,” JJ smiles. “I believe we have a date to plan, Miss Prentiss.”

They stand in the kitchen, looking at each other. Emily has to bite the insides of her cheeks to prevent herself from grinning like a madwoman. She has a date. A date. With JJ.

Their staring contest gets interrupted by Henry calling out for them, and they join him on the couch. Satisfied, Henry snuggles up between them. Emily glances at JJ, itching to touch her. What if… She just does it? Emily hesitantly reaches out and lays an arm around JJ’s shoulder. JJ sighs, melting into the touch.

Emily’s standards for happiness have been raised quite a bit since she built her life in DC, but nothing can top the peace she feels right in this moment.

The next day Emily and JJ text back and forth and manage to pick a day and time for later that week, both crossing their fingers that JJ won’t suddenly be pulled onto a case. For once, the universe is on their side, and nothing disrupts their plans.

Emily, claiming that since she ended up asking JJ out first, she should be the one to organise their date, makes reservations at a somewhat upscale restaurant for the two of them. It has been ages since she allowed herself to indulge in something like this, but it seems so right to share it with JJ.

On the night of, Emily takes her time to do her hair and make-up, dressing up in her favourite suit. Once she’s satisfied, she gets in the car to go over to JJ’s place to pick her up. The sight that meets her when JJ opens the door takes Emily’s breath away.

“Wow,” Emily stammers, dragging her eyes up JJ’s body. She is wearing a tight-fitted red dress along with a pair of heels that bring her up to Emily’s height. JJ always looks gorgeous, but her outfit, make-up and loosely curled hair accentuate her natural beauty in all the right ways.

“Right back at you,” JJ says, finding her voice faster than Emily. There’s an appreciative look in her eyes and a soft smile on her lips as she takes Emily in.

Emily holds out a hand. “Shall we?”

JJ intertwines their fingers. “We shall.” She looks back over her shoulder. “Pen! I’m leaving!”

Penelope bustles into the hallway. “JJ, I love you, and you deserve everything, but I need to ask if you’re sure that-“ She abruptly comes to a stop when her eyes fall on Emily. “Emily? What are you-“ Her gaze travels to Emily’s outfit, then down to JJ’s and Emily’s interlocked hands and she gapes. “I- What?”

JJ smiles sweetly. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way home. See you later!” She closes the door and pulls a very confused Emily along, away from the house.

“What was that about?”

JJ hums. “I asked Pen to babysit because I was going on a date. I just didn’t tell her who this date was with.”

“What?” Emily laughs. They arrive at her car, and she opens the passenger’s door for JJ, before walking around to climb into the driver’s seat.

“She has been trying to set me up with you since before she even met you,” JJ says. Emily starts the engine and turns the car onto the road. “So, I figured it was time for a little payback. You won’t believe how often, since I told her about the date, she tried to not-so-subtly talk me out of going, because ‘there are better options out there’. Mind you, she had no idea who I was going out with.”

“That does actually explain the lack of excited texts I got this week,” Emily says. “Though I think this means we probably don’t want to check our phones for the next few hours?”

JJ grins. “That’s probably for the best.”

They chat some more during the drive, and it feels strangely normal. This is just them, in some fancier outfits than usual, spending time together like they have done for months. Except this time, it’s called a date, and Emily finally doesn’t have to hold back her feelings for JJ.

Emily’s nerves don’t appear until they arrive at the restaurant. It’s a whole swarm of butterflies that awaken all at once when she tells the waiter that they have a reservation for two under the name of Prentiss.

They are led to a table in the corner of the restaurant. Like the gentlewoman she is, Emily pulls out a chair for JJ, before sitting down opposite of her. The waiter disappears to grab them some menus.

Emily shifts in her chair, wiping her palms on her slacks, her shoulders tensing up. She wishes desperately for the sense of normalcy from the car to return.

“Em,” JJ’s steady voice grabs her attention. JJ lays a hand down on the table, and Emily takes it. “It’s just us.”

“I know,” Emily sighs. She does know, but sitting here, in this restaurant, all of a sudden it feels more serious. Like their friendship— their relationship might hinge on this moment. If they try this date, and it doesn’t work out, no matter their feelings, can they go back to being friends?

JJ squeezes her hand. “Talk to me.”

Emily stammers her way through an attempt to verbalise her worries.

“I’m nervous too,” JJ admits. She wets her lips. “But neither of us got anywhere in life without taking risks, right?” She looks up at Emily, questioning.

Because that’s true, isn’t it? Their lives have been full of risks.

Emily had taken a risk, by following her own path, instead of the one her mother had carved out for her. She had knowingly risked her life, by going into undercover work, where she proceeded to go against the agency’s wishes to fake the death of a child and his caregiver. She had quit her job and moved to DC, instead of staying with Interpol.

JJ had taken a risk as a fresh-faced teenager, moving away from her family to go to college in a city where she didn’t know anyone. She had risked a lot, by deciding to have Henry, despite knowing his father would not be involved and despite knowing what it could mean for her career and relationships and life.

And she had taken a risk by taking a chance on Emily, asking the stranger who found her son out for coffee.

“You’re right,” Emily admits.

The waiter brings by their menus and comes back not much later with a bottle of wine. Neither of them opens their menu yet. JJ twists the stem of her wine glass between her fingers.

“When did you realise?” she asks. “That you thought of me than more as just a friend?”

“The first library playdate,” Emily says. She doesn’t have to think about it— that moment is engraved in her brain forever. Henry’s excitement, her own joy at spending time with these two people, followed by the soft look on JJ’s face that had brought forth the realisation.

JJ’s eyes widen. “Really?”

“Yes,” Emily says. “What about you?”

“The first girls’ night you joined, when we shared a bed? I woke up about halfway through the night, and I was lying practically on top of you. I couldn’t remember ever having wanted to be that close to a person before. Not even in my last serious relationship. But with you… It was different. It’s always been different. It just felt so right, and I knew that I was way past feeling like you were just a friend.”

Emily briefly hides her face in her hands. “And then it still took us months to finally go on a date?”

JJ laughs and raises her glass in a toast. “Here is to finally taking risks.”

This might be their first proper restaurant date, but they’re both way more than just ‘familiar’ with each other, and they don’t have to spend an hour on small talk to get to know the basics. Emily’s nerves slowly seep out of her body when they fall into easy conversation. Other than finally being able to openly speak about their attraction towards each other, and their shy talk about romantic feelings, this is not anything they haven’t done before, in a slightly different setting. They’ve gone out for coffee plenty, they’ve had dinner at home with just the two of them and they’ve spent countless other hours together at this point. This is not a romantic relationship that they have to build from the ground up, but a romantic relationship that they’re finally allowing to evolve out of their close friendship and affection for each other.

They talk like they always do, but are freer in their touches. They hold hands in between courses and knock their feet against each other underneath the table. They share pieces of their different dishes, feeding each other careful bites. They laugh and giggle and allow themselves that little bit of awkwardness and fumbling as they try to figure out what romance looks like for them.

It all just adds to the sense of honesty and levity of their date.

They share a desert, lingering on every bite, not wanting the evening to come to an end. Eventually, though, Emily asks for the bill. Once she has paid, they get up from their table.

“I’ll pay next time,” JJ promises, hooking her arm through Emily’s as they leave the restaurant and step out into the cool night air.

“Next time, huh?” Emily asks with a smile. “So, you think tonight is worth repeating?”

JJ’s eyes sparkle when she meets Emily’s gaze. “I would say so. But I don’t presume to know your thoughts, so please do enlighten me.” They come to a stop in front of Emily’s car and JJ’s hand falls away from Emily’s arm.

Emily turns, softly cradling JJ’s face. She’s allowed to do that now, thinks the giddy part of her. She can give in to the urge to touch JJ, to show her how she makes Emily feel. “I think I will have to agree with you.” Her smile grows as emotion overwhelms her. “It was perfect.”

JJ bites her lip, drawing Emily’s gaze down, her hands gripping Emily’s forearms. Her thumbs run back and forth along Emily’s skin, eliciting shivers. “I can think of something that might make tonight even more perfect.”

Emily’s gaze flickers between JJ’s lips and her eyes.

JJ inches closer to Emily. “Please?” she whispers.

Her warm breath ghosts against Emily’s lips, and goosebumps erupt all over Emily’s body. Emily releases a shaky breath.

“Emily,” JJ says, her voice now infused with humour and tinted by impatience. “Kiss me, you infuriatingly wonderful wo-“

Emily surges forward and presses her lips to JJ’s, cutting her off. Though it’s cold outside, heat rushes through Emily’s body as they share a deep kiss full of tenderness and affection. A beat later, Emily pulls back slightly, wanting to gauge JJ’s reaction. JJ immediately shifts her hands to Emily’s face, then further back to tangle her fingers in Emily’s hair to pull her back in for me.

JJ’s lips are soft and warm. She tastes of JJ and wine and chocolate dessert and Emily can’t get enough. She can’t imagine she could ever get enough of this.

There’s a smile on her lips when they break apart to gasp for air, a smile that is a perfect match to JJ’s. The cold air bites at her flushed cheeks, but Emily barely registers it. JJ’s eyes are bright with unspoken emotion, glistening in the dim light of the street lantern.

I know, Emily wants to say.

I know.

Chapter Text

Emily walks JJ up to her front door after their date and immediately realises how silly it feels to just drop JJ off. She lingers, and JJ does too, not taking her keys out as they stare at each other.

JJ huffs out a laugh and reaches out to entwine her hands with Emily’s. “Come in for a cup of tea?”

And Emily sighs in relief, saying yes because this feels right. This feels like them.

Penelope is practically vibrating when they wander into the living room, but being the good friend that she is, she just hugs them goodbye before rushing home, leaving them to it. When Emily does finally check her phone, leaning against the kitchen counter while JJ fills the kettle with water, she finds that the girls’ night group chat has blown up much like they’d predicted. There’s even a sneaky text in a private chat with Morgan, telling her Penelope had broken the news and wishing her and JJ a fun evening.

JJ sidles up to Emily, hand loosely on Emily’s back as she reads the messages over Emily’s shoulder. “Should we send Pen a picture?”

“Sure,” Emily agrees. She opens the camera and holds her phone at a distance, smiling. JJ has a different idea though, and right as Emily taps the shutter button, she presses a kiss to Emily’s cheek.

JJ laughs at the resulting snapshot of a wide-eyed, rosy-cheeked Emily. “Go on, send it.”

Emily does, before turning her phone off and setting it down. She turns to JJ and steals a brief, proper kiss, smiling as she pulls back again. Emily is allowed to do that now. She can kiss JJ. How unbelievably wonderful is that?

Emily lives on the high of their date and first kiss for at least a week straight. Every day, she wakes up with a giddy smile on her face, a joy that is only fuelled when she goes over to JJ’s place like usual and is greeted at the door with a sweet kiss. Very little has changed in their actual schedules, but they have always spent a lot of time together, and now that time just has a different charge.

It does have Emily worrying a bit about a next date, though. Because what counts as a date? They’ve been friends for so long that spending one-on-one time is not unusual, and the normal timeline for a romantic relationship is not one she can go off. With no example and no set rules, everything is up to Emily for interpretation, and it is stupidly stressing her out.

It’s JJ who catches her worrying, and she kisses the worried rambling off Emily’s lips before assuring her that this is their relationship, and they can make their own rules. She tells Emily not to worry about numbers of dates, but to just enjoy their time together like usual. And Emily… Emily is just happy to be with JJ and Henry.

Henry is pretty much none the wiser to the change in their relationship. Whether he is oblivious, or if it means very little to him, he is just happy to spend time with his mommy and Emily like always. When Emily stays the night later that week, Henry seems to find it very normal that Emily is in Mommy’s bed when he comes to wake her up that next morning. Then again, it’s not the first time Emily has slept over, so even this is not new to him, or to their relationship.

It is still important to JJ that Henry is in-the-know and on board, so after a lazy Saturday afternoon at home, she pulls Henry aside to have a chat with him in the kitchen. In very simple terms, she explains that she and Emily are dating, and asks his thoughts.

“Like girlfriends?”

Emily is pretending she isn’t listening in on the conversation, wanting to give JJ her privacy in this conversation with her son, but she’s sitting on the couch and even if she tries not to eavesdrop, she can hear their voices loud and clear.

JJ hums. “Pretty much, yes.”

Warmth blooms in Emily’s body. She knows JJ is just saying that because it’s a term Henry appears to understand, but the idea of being JJ’s girlfriend brings her joy like no other.

“Nina has a girlfriend.”

“She does,” JJ confirms, referring to their nanny. “You met her when we brought Nina’s laptop by her house a while ago. They live together.”

“Emily is going to live with us?”

Emily splutters, hiding a cough in her elbow whilst she hears JJ’s light laughter from the kitchen.

“No, not right now, bubba. Usually, people are girlfriends for a while, before they might decide to live together,” JJ explains. She asks if Henry has any other questions, but he seems satisfied for now, and the two of them rejoin Emily in the living room, bringing three mugs of hot chocolate in with them.

Emily takes a mug from JJ, warming her hands and blowing at the steam. JJ lowers herself next to Emily, eyes not straying from Henry, who is sitting on his knees in front of the coffee table, gulping down his hot chocolate.

“That went well,” Emily comments. She transfers her mug to a single hand and wraps her free arm around JJ’s shoulders.

JJ smiles, glancing at Emily. “He loves you. He loves spending time with you, so it doesn’t surprise me that he’s happy you might be around even more. He asks about you often, you know? If you’re not here when he’s back from daycare, he wants to know when you will be.”

Affection seems like a word too small to encompass what Emily feels for Henry. Seriously, that little dude has her wrapped around his finger, and she is not at all mad about it.

“Isn’t that right, Henry?” JJ asks.

Henry looks back, chocolate milk moustache on his upper lip. He grins and nods, climbing up on the couch, crawling onto Emily’s lap. JJ is quick to save Emily’s mug from impending doom, grabbing it and setting it down on the coffee table.

Henry presses his little hands to Emily’s cheeks, squishing Emily’s face and giggling at the unquestionably silly sight. He leans in close, whispering loudly, “I love you, Emily.”

Emily smiles. “I love you too, buddy.”

They do have a conversation one night, JJ and Emily, with just the two of them, to lay out their expectations for their relationship. Emily is still trying not to worry about a supposed timeline, and whether they’re going too fast, but Henry’s use of girlfriends and JJ’s response of not right now about living together has allowed Emily to dream of the next steps.

They don’t reach any set conclusions, but vow to try and be open in their communications. For now, life goes on as is. JJ is slammed with work, cutting their time together down, but Emily takes a brief break from job interviews after the last disaster and is once again left with plenty of alone-time on her hands.

She finally takes the time to shop around for a proper dining table– several months late, but hey, she’s slowly getting somewhere. Morgan had, as promised, come by to help her fix up her wall and ceiling, and the now completely open space just begs for a nice dining situation.

The table that catches her eye in a showroom isn’t cheap, but it’s big and sturdy, built from a dark wood, and seats more people than Emily had ever thought she might need to host before building her life in DC. Now, she’s looking forward to being able to organise get-togethers with her friends, or finally invite her book club ladies over for the housewarming they’ve been demanding for months.

Other than fulfilling that particular mission, Emily cleans up around her apartment, attempts to teach herself to cook a few more easy dishes and spends more time than necessary figuring out that week’s toddler story time book. She also takes the opportunity to visit Louise and Declan for the first time in a while, having needed to reschedule her visits for a few weeks thanks to clashing schedules.

She relaxes on the now-familiar drive to Reston and parks out front when she arrives. The door to the house opens before Emily even reaches it.

“Emily!” Declan yells as he storms out and into her open arms.

 Emily laughs, wrapping her arms around him and swaying from side to side. “Hey, you.” Somehow the kid has grown even taller than last time she’d seen him. Seriously, what is Louise feeding him?

When Declan finally lets go, Emily is passed to Louise for a hug. “It’s really good to see you, Emily.”

They move to the kitchen after the initial greetings, and Emily drinks coffee with Louise as Declan sips on a tall glass of homemade lemonade. There’s a messy pile of sheets of homework in the middle of the table, and the fridge is covered with art work, school assignments and that month’s schedule, detailing all of Declan and Louise’s activities and playdates.

Louise chats her up about the latest neighbourhood gossip, and Emily takes the opportunity to observe Louise for a minute. There’s a sense of… peace about her, that tells Emily more than words ever could. The difference from her memories in Doyle’s Tuscan villa is stark.

They spend the morning together, playing boardgames in the living room. At lunch, Emily listens to Declan talk animatedly about an upcoming school trip. He’s clearly happy to see Emily and hugs her whenever he gets the chance, but he’s not as clingy as he has been in the past. He is free, a brightness in his eyes and shrouded in a childish mischief that has proudly bloomed these past few months.

Louise reveals that she has joined a club of moms who help out at Declan’s school, and she has taken on a parttime job cleaning and cooking for an elderly couple up the street. There’s even a neighbourhood party next week, if the weather allows it, she tells Emily, pushing another sandwich onto Emily’s plate and proceeding to tell her all about the people who will be there, and how they’d helped her out when her car wouldn’t start last week.

Louise and Declan are at home, in Reston and its community.

Though Emily doesn’t love the two of them any differently than before, she feels more like a friend and somewhat of an outsider, rather than an integral part of this new life of theirs. Surprisingly, she realises she is happy for it— it’s a healthy change in their relationship because it means that Declan and Louise are growing beautifully into their new life. They both have friends and people in the community to fall back on, and they don’t need Emily for that part anymore.

When Emily says as much later, sitting on the bleachers to watch Declan play a soccer match with his team, Louise scoffs. “We might not need you in that way as much, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t want you here. Don’t be mistaken, Emily. You’ll always be a part of our family, just like we are a part of yours. You can’t get rid of us that easily.”

Emily smiles, feeling loved. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

That seems to satisfy Louise. They both return their focus to the game, easily tracking the blond-haired kid who makes a run for the ball, and passes it to a teammate. There’s some shouting from a coach on the sidelines, but the rival team intercepts the ball not much later, and the boys migrate back to the other half of the field.

Emily bumps her shoulder to Louise’s. “I’m sorry, by the way, that I had to move my visiting date.”

Louise scoffs. “Don’t apologise for stupid things like that.” She turns to Emily and doesn’t continue talking until Emily meets her solid gaze. “You’ve got to let go of your tight grip on your old assignment, Emily. It’s over. You did a good thing, and got us all out unscathed. We’re settled, and so are you. You visiting us no longer has to be a thing of duty. We each have our own lives, but you’ll always have a place with us. Now it’s time to let yourself have a good thing, too.” She gives Emily a look. “And from what I see, you have already taken a chance on a ‘good thing’ in your life.”

Emily blushes brightly, but finally admits to having gone on a date with JJ. Louise joyfully slaps Emily’s arm and scolds her for not telling her before. Emily makes up for it by showing Louise a couple of pictures JJ and her had taken together lately.

“You’ll find a way to invite us to the wedding,” Louise states matter-of-factly.

Emily splutters. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” Louise says with a grin, clearly enjoying Emily’s shock. “I don’t care if we have to wear a disguise— we’ll be there. I’ll even settle for a live video feed, or whatever new digital option they come up with. I’ve seen enough in this life to know true love when I see it, and I’m calling it.”

“We went on one date!” Emily stammers.

“One date my ass,” Louise says. Emily huffs out a laugh at the profanity. “You’ve known each other for much longer, Emily, and I know you. Just take my word for it.”

Emily continues to splutter, unsuccessfully trying to formulate an appropriate response to that. Louise has no chill, apparently. Luckily, a distraction is provided when Declan’s team scores a goal, and she rises along with the supporters in the stands, cheering and clapping loudly.

Though Declan’s team ends up losing, Louise and Emily still take Declan out for dinner after the game, to celebrate a job well done. There’s burgers and fries, and they laugh, talk and eat until long after dark. Declan’s shirt is splattered with sauce from his food, having eaten more than Emily and Louise combined, but his eyes brighten when Emily brings up dessert and they all share a massive ice cream sundae to conclude the day.

Emily grabs a napkin to wipe at the strawberry sauce that has ended up on Declan’s cheek and even in his fine blond hair. She is reminded of bath time with Henry yesterday, washing pasta sauce from his similarly coloured hair, and a soft smile plays on her lips as she sits back, letting Declan attack the last remainders of the ice cream. Somehow, she has ended up with two amazing little boys in her life, who she would give her life for, in an instant. How lucky is she?

Life has historically sucked for many years of Emily’s existence, but apparently it also has some pretty good surprises in store sometimes.

…And it continues to bring along a bunch more.

JJ is doing a good job at not being suspicious, up until she calls Emily with the request to pick Henry up from daycare on a random weekday afternoon, giving a vague work-related reason as to why she can’t do it herself. Either way, Emily isn’t going to say no, and she happily gets Henry and drives them to JJ’s house.

“I made you a card,” Henry announces as soon as they’re on the road. When she glances back at him through the rearview mirror, he is waving a piece of folded paper around.

“Is that so?” Emily asks. “What kind of card is it?”

“A birthday card,” Henry says. He opens the card and starts reading what it says on the inside. “Happy birthday Emily! Love, Henry. My teacher helped me make it.”

Emily laughs. “That’s very sweet, buddy. You do know it’s not my birthday though? I don’t have a birthday until next year.”

Henry makes a confused noise. “Then why are we having a party?”

Which is how Emily finds herself at a ‘not-completely-a-surprise’ surprise party at JJ’s place. As soon as her and Henry walk inside, there’s a chorus of surprise! from a handful of people – many of the ladies from her book club, some friends from her martial arts class and, of course, Morgan, Spencer and Penelope. There are a few colourful decorations, and Emily even spots a birthday cake off to the side, candles and all.

JJ bounds forward and hugs Emily tightly. “Happy belated birthday!” She pulls back and presses a kiss to Emily’s cheek. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about your birthday, but we’ll deal with that later. Now it’s party time!”

Emily blushes a bright red and waves awkwardly at her guests, catching Penelope’s eye when she slowly mouths I told you so. She makes her way around the room, shaking hands and exchanging hugs with everyone, her heart full of love and joy. Even though she really isn’t bothered by not celebrating her birthday, she has to admit it is very nice to be here, surrounded by friends.

If someone would’ve told her a year ago that this is where she would end up, she’d have laughed in their face. But now… Now it feels right.

Everyone stays for a drink and a chat, though most people don’t hang around for too long. It leaves Emily with just Penelope, Spencer, Morgan, JJ and Henry by the end of the evening.

The last person on that list is threatening to fall asleep after all the excitement. Upon his request, Emily helps him with his nighttime routine and reads him a story as he drifts off. She carefully puts the book down on his nightstand and turns off the light, leaving the room bathed in the soft glow of his dinosaur nightlight. She presses a kiss to the crown of his head, pulling his duvet up to his chin and making sure Sally the Sheep and the still-unnamed black cat plushie are tucked in with him.

Quietly, she sneaks out, shutting the door behind her and making her way back to the living room. The others are spread out on the couch and in the arm chairs, talking amongst each other.

“Thanks, guys,” Emily says, taking a seat next to JJ. “For today.”

“Today’s not quite over yet,” JJ says, glancing at Penelope, who squeals and leaves the room. JJ turns to Emily. “Okay, so disclaimer: this might be a bit much, but you’ve been talking about wanting to go for it, and then Penelope started trolling websites and found… Well, I think it’s better if we show you.”

Penelope peeks her head around the corner of the living room and, at JJ’s nod, steps inside.

Emily gasps. Is that… “A cat?”

Penelope walks forward, the black cat held securely within her arms. She is scratching his head and a soft purr rumbles into the room. “His name is Sergio! Henry and I were looking at pictures from the shelter, and he fell in love and said he has hair just like yours, so I figured it could be a good pick for you.” She smiles softly. “Sergio is four years old, and he can apparently be a bit of a grumpy old man, but most of the time he just loves being with people and snoozing around.”

“You don’t know how hard it was for Penelope to keep this all a secret,” Morgan says with a wink.

Penelope sticks her tongue out at him, before she returns her focus to Emily. “We know pets usually make bad surprise birthday presents, so if you don’t have the capacity, or you don’t want to take care of him right now, I’ll take him home to be friends with Sparkles and Rainbow, but you have been talking about it, and JJ says that sometimes you just need a little push, so…”

Emily wordlessly holds out her arms, still speechless as Penelope transfers the cat into her grip. He’s very calm, and stares curiously at Emily for a few seconds, before he settles down and demands pets with a nudge of his head. She happily complies, finding a sappy smile tugging at her lips.

“Thoughts?” JJ asks.

“I love him,” Emily says, finding her voice. “Oh my God, thank you guys.”

“I’ve got some basic stuff set up for you, so you can take care of him,” Penelope promises.

There’s no cat more handsome and lovely than Sergio, Emily decides then and there. She coos as she softly scratches under his chin. Talk about unforgettable birthday gifts! It’s like she’s slowly working her way down a checklist of a normal life: she’s got her own apartment, plenty of friends, one almost-girlfriend and now a cat.

One of the few things that’s still missing from that list, is a job.

It’s JJ who brings the topic up, a few days later, when they’re cleaning up the mess from dinner after having put Henry to bed. Emily is stood at the sink, washing the dishes that wouldn’t fit in the dishwasher, and JJ is sat up on the counter next to her, tea towel in hand.

“Have you had any new job interviews?” JJ asks. She takes the plate Emily holds out to her and dries it off, putting it on the pile of clean dishes next to her.

“Not since the one on Henry’s birthday,” Emily admits.

JJ’s brows furrow. “Did I ever ask you how that went?”

Emily shakes her head. “It went fine.” She scrubs at a persistent stain on a glass.

“Well, don’t be too enthusiastic now,” JJ jokes.

“Okay, it wasn’t fine,” Emily admits. “I mean, technically it didn’t go awful, but they immediately brought up my mother, and I fled as soon as I could.”

“It’s really important to you, isn’t it,” JJ says. “To get in on your own.” It’s not so much a question as an observation, and Emily has no issue telling JJ she is right. JJ hesitates, fidgeting with the tea towel, knocking her heels against the drawers. “Is that why you didn’t tell me?”

Emily looks up with a frown, hands still stuck in the soapy water. “Didn’t tell you what?”

“That you applied to the BAU.”

The glass falls from her hands, landing on the bottom of the sink with a dull thud. Emily gapes at JJ. “I did what now?”

JJ stares at her. “…You don’t know?”

Emily gapes, mouth opening and closing stupidly without a sound until words finally tumble out. “I think I would know! What do you mean I applied for the BAU?”

Softening, JJ hops off the counter and gently pulls Emily’s hands from the water, drying them off with the tea towel before she places it aside. She’s still holding Emily’s warm hands in hers, tracing her thumbs across the backs. “I have been helping Hotch to look for a new member for what, like a few years now?”

“You are looking for a new member,” Emily says, stunned.

JJ nods. “Ever since Elle left the team, we’ve been a person short. There have been some temporary hires who quit after a couple of months, or simply left after the trial period, so our search never quite stopped. At some point the task of finding someone permanent to join the team got put aside, though there have been some interviews here and there.”

Emily blinks.

JJ continues. “But lately the Section Chief has been on our Unit Chief to find a replacement, or she’ll do it. So, Hotch and I have been asking around more, and this morning your resume and recommendation letters ended up on my desk. Talk about a surprise.” JJ laughs, though Emily can see insecurity hiding beneath. Her seeking of reassurance confirms that. “You really didn’t know?”

Emily is shaking her head before JJ has even finished her sentence. “I swear, I didn’t know. But…”

JJ squeezes her hands. “Yes?”

“Pretty much everyone I’ve worked with before knows that the BAU is high on a list of jobs I’m interested in,” Emily admits.

“Oh,” JJ says. She thinks for a minute, allowing the words to sink in, then realisation dawns. “Is that why you were so surprised to find out Pen and I worked for the team, back at our first girls’ night?”

“Yes! I had just moved to DC, and then some of the first people I befriended were somehow part of the BAU? It just felt unreal,” Emily says. “But I promise I didn’t apply at the BAU. One of my contacts must have pushed my resume through. If I had known you guys were looking for a new profiler, I would have definitely been interested, but I would have talked to you first.”

“Okay, yeah,” JJ nods.

Emily bites her lip. “I would have done that if you were my friend, but certainly now that we’re dating.” She pauses and sighs. “I’m guessing there are rules against interagency dating?” It sucks that she can never be lucky on all fronts of life. And it’s not like she’s got a choice in this – if they won’t hire her as JJ’s potential-girlfriend, they certainly won’t hire her as JJ’s ex. Emily knows how important team dynamics are, especially with a unit like the BAU.

“I sent your resume through to Hotch.”

Emily blinks. “What?”

JJ gives her a small smile. “Objectively, you are a great candidate for the position. Your resume is impressive, and the recommendation letter lauded you. Even though the author was redacted.” She watches Emily.

“I don’t know what to say,” Emily admits.

“Hotch doesn’t know you,” JJ says. “So, you still have your ‘getting in on your own’ thing going for you. I haven’t told him that the Emily Prentiss whose resume I sent him, is the same Emily who has been in my life for the past few months. And speaking as the BAU media liaison, you have a genuine fighting chance at this job.”

“Are you sure you would be okay with it?” Emily asks. “The BAU is your place. And not that I don’t have trust in our relationship, but if we don’t work out…”

“Just go to the interview, when Hotch invites you,” JJ says. “If it goes as well as I think it will, we can discuss how our relationship will look. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Interagency, and inter-team dating is uncommon, but not unheard of. And Hotch can seem cold, but he’s a reasonable man, and he is my friend. We’ve known each other for years, and he trusts my judgement.”

“Okay,” Emily finds herself agreeing. “Okay, yeah.”

She doesn’t quite allow herself to get her hopes up, but Agent Hotchner does contact her for an interview, a few days later. Emily’s heart is up in her throat, her hands shaking with nerves and excitement, but she’s grateful her voice is steady, at least. They set up a date for early next week – with the disclaimer that they might have to reschedule if the BAU gets called away on a case.

Emily texts JJ the update right away, and she brings take-out to JJ’s place that evening. They talk it through, trying to figure out a game plan. Though Emily doesn’t like the idea of giving Agent Hotchner any leeway to assume she did pull some strings, or wants to give him a reason against hiring her (like being in a relationship with their media liaison), she knows that keeping her relationship with JJ secret is not a good way to build trust and would just lead to issues later on. So, they agree that JJ will talk with Agent Hotchner beforehand to set the record straight.

To say Emily is nervous on the day of her job interview, is an understatement. It’s part nerves about the situation in general, and part nerves, because this, unlike many of the interviews before, is a job she really, really wants. If it falls through, or she somehow screws it up, she’s going to be very disappointed.

JJ has the afternoon off, when Emily goes in for the interview. She reports herself to the front desk and gets handed a visitor badge and instructions up to the BAU’s floor. JJ isn’t the only one not there – many desks are empty, with people either off work, or working from home, probably. Emily doesn’t spot anyone she knows, but it’s interesting to finally be able to put an image to this place that a bunch of her friends spend so much of their time. She’s heard all about their shenanigans, and she even identifies the much mentioned ‘roundtable room’ on her first glance around the space.

She climbs up the steps to Agent Hotchner’s office and squares her shoulders. It’s all or nothing, now. She walks forward, pausing to knock on the open office door. Agent Hotchner looks up from his work and rises, welcoming her in.

“Emily Prentiss,” Emily introduces herself, smiling as she shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Aaron Hotchner,” Agent Hotchner says kindly. He motions for her to take a seat, whilst he walks over to close the door before getting back behind his desk.

Emily lowers herself in the chair and steels herself for what’s to come.

It is certainly one of the most interesting job interviews she’s had – which is a feat, considering how many she’s gone through in the past few weeks. Agent Hotchner is straightforward and honest in his approach, and Emily finds that she appreciates that about him. There is no hidden agenda– like there had been at plenty of her previous interviews. He is not unkind, but asks pointed questions about her resume and skills, and how she sees herself growing in this position. It is overly clear that he wants only the best for his team.

They do, at some point, get to the topic of her and JJ’s budding relationship.

“I pick my team members because they are qualified for the job,” Agent Hotchner says. “And because they have the right characteristics to add to the team. It’s hard to make a selection out of applicants for that last one, because it’s easy for people to present themselves different than what they are. Even as profilers, we usually need more than just an initial meeting to figure that out.”

Emily knows that all too well.

“There is a reason why the previous replacements did not last long. But with you it’s a different story. I have heard plenty about you, from people I respect, and they talk highly of you.” The corner of his lip twitches.

“I’m not looking to get a job because of what someone else does or says, sir,” Emily says. That’s what she’s been trying to avoid all her life, and she doesn’t want to bring that with her, even if it means missing out on her dream job.

Agent Hotchner glances between Emily and her resume, open in front of him. “Don’t let your insecurities get in the way of this, Agent Prentiss. You are more than qualified for this job, and me considering you for the position has nothing to do with someone else pulling any strings. Think of the team’s stories of you as recommendation letters, or testaments to your character.”

“Right,” Emily manages to say.

“Either way, there’s a month-long trial period in place for new agents,” Agent Hotchner tells her. Emily’s hopes rise, because does that mean that… “It gives both the agent and us some time to see if a job at the BAU is a good fit. And whether any issues with the relationship with the team arise or not.”

Emily nods. “Of course, sir.”

Agent Hotchner stands up, holding out his hand. Emily tentatively follows his example and shakes his hand. “It’s been a while since a file as impressive as yours has crossed my desk. I believe you could be a good addition to the BAU. Don’t prove me wrong. Congratulations, Agent. You’ve got the job.”

Emily catches herself gaping and shuts her mouth, a smile spreading across her face. “Thank you, sir.”

“Your personal life is yours to disclose or not, but since I believe you and Agent Jareau are in a relationship, I do ask you update me should that status change. There will be some HR paperwork to be filled out, but you are not the first agents to get into a relationship within the FBI, and you won’t be the last. I know Agent Jareau is professional, and I expect the same from you. All that to say, I don’t foresee any issues with that for now. Should that change, we’ll talk and reevaluate. Is that clear?”

“Yes, of course,” Emily immediately agrees, a weight sliding off her shoulders. She had been prepared for it to be a bigger problem than Agent Hotchner is making it right now. It likely says a lot about JJ and the trust she has built with him over the years.

“Your availability hasn’t changed?” Emily shakes her head no. “You can start this coming Monday. I’ll contact facility management about a desk for you. If you report to the front desk in the morning, they can get you set up with an ID and access card.”

“Perfect,” Emily says.

“It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Agent Prentiss.” Agent Hotchner gives her a kind smile. “And I look forward to working with you.” His eyes flicker to the window that looks out across the bullpen. “I would walk you out, but I see you’ve got your own exit committee for today.”

Emily whips her head around, smiling when she spots JJ with Henry in her arms, down at the desks. As if sensing Emily’s gaze, JJ turns, their gazes meeting. JJ brightens, and she nudges Henry until he too looks up. He grins and waves at Emily.

“Thank you for your time,” Emily tells Agent Hotchner. “You won’t be disappointed.” A tad bit over-eager? Maybe, but the excitement trumps everything right now. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

She wouldn’t be surprised if she is glowing, leaving Agent Hotchner’s office and floating down to the bullpen. She can breathe easier, the nerves gone and replaced by a mixture of relief and joy.

“Emily! Emily!” Henry chants over and over until Emily is close by. He reaches out, and JJ transfers him to Emily’s arms.

“Hi, bud,” Emily greets, settling him on her hip and hugging him tightly. “What are you doing here?”

“Meeting you,” he tells her.

Emily laughs and ruffles his hair, kissing his forehead. “You guys came here for me? That’s very nice of you, thank you.”

JJ waves goodbye at Agent Hotchner, and Emily and Henry follow suit, before they make their way over to the elevators. “Where’s my greeting?” JJ asks, nudging Emily playfully when the elevator doors close.

Emily bites her lips to contain her smile, but gives in, pressing a sweet kiss to JJ’s lips. “Hi Jayje.”

“Hey, Em,” JJ echoes. She raises a brow. “I would ask how your interview went, but I think I can wager a guess.”

Emily is nearly bouncing on her spot. “I got the job.”

Henry cheers happily, clapping his hands together. JJ grasps onto Emily’s arm as the elevator doors ding open and laughs, pulling Emily out. “See, I told you, you could do it!”

“You’re going to be seeing a whole lot more of me,” Emily tells her.

“Oh, dear me, how will I cope,” JJ says dramatically.

Emily laughs as they walk outside. She’s on cloud nine— she’s with the people she loves, having just scored the job of her dreams. It’s almost too good to be true. Scratch that, it’s definitely too good to be true, but Emily allows herself to soak it up anyway.

They linger on the steps in front of the building.

“Henry and I were thinking you might want to go out for a celebratory dinner?” JJ says.

Henry nods. “In a res-tau-rant.”

“That seems exciting,” Emily says, poking Henry in his side. He squirms in her grip, laughing. “I’d love nothing more.”

She’s got everything she’s ever wanted, right here.

Chapter Text

Emily is up way before her alarm goes off, early that Monday morning.

She floats around her apartment, swinging rapidly between panic and stoically believing she’ll be just fine. Sergio trails at her heel and attempts to trip her whenever she makes a turn, like the little grumpy nuisance that he is. When Emily finally stops moving for longer than a minute at a time, he nudges her leg with his head.

Emily sighs and crouches down, petting his soft head and scratching under his chin. “I know,” she coos. “I’m being silly, but I can’t help it.”

It’s been a long, long while since she’d last had a ‘first day’ at a job, so whilst the first-day-jitters aren’t unexpected, per say, they are an unfamiliar sensation after all this time. Agent Hotchner had sent her a couple of last details by mail after Emily’s successful job interview, along with telling her to come in a little later than the normal start of a working day, so things could get set up for her beforehand. Though sleeping in a little longer for one last time hadn’t sounded too bad when she’d read it, now Emily wishes she had something else to do with her time, other than waiting until she can finally leave for Quantico.

Emily scoops Sergio up and makes her way over to the couch, flopping down and setting him down in her lap to continue her petting. A content purr vibrates through his little body, but eventually he gets bored and decides he no longer wants anything to do with Emily. He jumps to the ground and slinks away, disappearing into the cat tower Morgan had helped her to build over the weekend.

Which reminds her…

Emily checks her phone, sending some belated replies in her group chat with JJ and Penelope. JJ had warned Emily that Penelope might know of Emily’s new job without being told, with her tendency to be a little over-invested and overprotective of her team and friends, but that she couldn’t say so with certainty. Considering the lack of squealed voice notes or all-caps texts asking Emily ‘WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING’, she’s under the impression that Penelope has so far been kept in the dark. Her, along with the other BAU members.

Emily had contemplated sending everyone a message, but that felt too impersonal for news this big. Then, it had felt wrong telling Morgan when he’d been over, and not immediately telling the others. Though Emily wasn’t necessarily aiming for a big, dramatic reveal, now it had been left up to be told and/or discovered during Emily’s first day of work.

Her phone buzzes in her hand with an incoming message.

JJ: How are you doing?

JJ: I don’t believe you need to be up already ;)

Affection simmers in Emily’s stomach. Her fingers fly across the screen.

EP: I’m okay

EP: Just a little nervous

A typing bubble appears.

JJ: I get it

The bubble disappears, and Emily stares at the three lone words JJ just sent her. She bites at her nails, thumb hovering above the screen.

A video appears in their chat. Emily shifts upright, waiting for it to load. As soon as the preview sharpens, she clicks it to find it’s a video of JJ and Henry in the hallway of their home, all dressed up and ready to go out.

“Hey Em,” JJ says to the camera. The image shifts a bit as she crouches and Henry reappears closer to her.

“Hi!” Henry waves, his hat held in his free hand.

JJ turns her head to him. “Do you remember why we’re making a video?”

Henry nods. His cheeks are flushed red, his hair a little wild as he bounces with an unsurprising amount of energy for a three year old at this time of day. “To tell Emily good luck!”

“Good luck with…” JJ prompts.

“With being an agent,” Henry finishes. “Just like Mommy.” His eyes track off to the side of the camera and he disappears.

JJ huffs in amusement and returns her focus to the camera. “I know I’ll see you in a little bit, but I thought you might like a good-luck wish anyway. You’re going to kill it today. And tomorrow, and all the days that’ll follow. I think you’ll impress us all, Miss Prentiss.” She winks.

“Mommy!”

JJ’s eyes flicker away and she chuckles. “You want to show Emily?”

Henry apparently nods yes, because JJ turns the camera around to face him. He holds up the black cat stuffy Emily had gifted him for his birthday.

“Have you told Emily his name yet?”

Henry shakes his head no.

“Do you want to? We’ll have to head off to daycare after, but I’m sure Emily would love to hear about it.”

“His name,” Henry announces ceremoniously. “Is Sergio Two.” He holds up two fingers to make sure Emily understands.

“He decided all by himself, yesterday,” JJ says. Henry runs off to the living room, presumably to put Sergio Two back in his spot. JJ flips the camera back to herself, a soft look on her face. “I suggested ‘Sergio Junior’ and ‘Sergio the Second’ as possible alternatives, but Henry was very adamant about sticking with ‘Sergio Two’.”  She shakes her head. “Anyway, we really do have to get going, but if you’re not too worn out tonight, you could come over and have dinner with us? Just- Let me know. At any time.” She gives a little wave. “See you later!”

The video ends. Emily stares at the frozen image of JJ’s soft smile and wave for a good few seconds, before replaying the entire thing. And again.

Sergio appearing on the back of the couch startles her, but once she recovers, she welcomes him back with a scratch on his back.

“You’ve got some competition, Serg,” Emily says. She moves closer to whisper, “Don’t tell Henry, but I still think you’re the handsomest Sergio around.”

JJ’s video has its intended – albeit temporary – calming effect on Emily. She makes it through the next couple of hours before finally telling Sergio her goodbyes, giving him some extra love to make up for leaving for the day, and getting into the car.

It’s surreal, walking into the building of her dream job, knowing that she now has her dream job. This abstract thing that she’s been wanting for so long, is finally becoming a reality.

And hey, for once she doesn’t have to worry about getting stuck with awful coworkers.

She is not worried per say, but more so a little apprehensive about how that will play out. The BAU members are her friends, but will their working styles match well? Work and private life can be two completely different scenarios.

When she walks up to the front desk, JJ’s words from earlier echo in her mind. You’re going to kill it today, and tomorrow, and every day after. At least someone believes in her whole heartedly.

Emily greets the receptionist and explains why she’s here. Just like Agent Hotchner had said, they have someone take her back to get her access card and FBI badge sorted. New shiny ID card clipped to the bottom of her blazer, proclaiming Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss – something which makes her inexplicably giddy – she follows the instructions she is given to find her way to the elevator and up to the BAU’s floor.

It slides open with a ding, and Emily walks out, her boots clicking against the shiny floor. The glass doors to the bullpen loom ahead and Emily swallows, hand tightening on the strap of her shoulder bag. This is really happening.

She pushes her way through, hand lingering on the handle to make sure the door doesn’t slam shut behind her. Her eyes trail around and she finds the bullpen is surprisingly empty inside. A few agents sit and walk about, but none of them have the familiar faces Emily was expecting.

“Agent Prentiss.”                                                                                                  

Emily raises her head to find Agent Hotchner standing in the doorway of his office. She smiles politely and makes her way up the steps to the walkway. “Good morning, sir.”

They shake hands whilst Agent Hotchner reiterates how he’s happy she’s joining the team. “Most of the team is off to a meeting right now, but they should be back in about an hour.”

Emily nods her understanding. That explains the emptiness of the bullpen.

“I have some papers for you to read through, fill in and sign,” Agent Hotchner says, stepping back into his office. Emily trails behind, watching as he sifts through a pile of files on his desk. “There,” he says, handing Emily the papers in question. “See if you can complete those before the end of the day. Should you have any questions, my door is always open.” His eyes flicker past Emily’s shoulder, and a tiny amused glint sparks in them. “Or I’m sure Agent Jareau will be happy to help.”

Emily whirls around, files clenched in her hands and smiles tentatively at JJ. They’ve had several conversations these past few days, about what their working relationship will look like and how they can separate it from their private lives to maintain a somewhat healthy, professional balance. It had helped Emily to mentally prepare for this moment, but for a hot second it still trips Emily up that JJ is her coworker now. They’ll be seeing even more of each other than usual.

“Agent Prentiss,” JJ greets, a soft smile playing on her lips.

“Agent Jareau,” Emily greets back.

Agent Hotchner clears his throat. “Don’t make me regret this, agents.” Somehow it doesn’t sound much like a threat at all.

“Never, sir,” JJ says, smile widening. Then, to Emily, “How about I show you to your desk, Agent Prentiss? I can fill you in on protocol.”

“Lead the way,” Emily gestures.

They leave Agent Hotchner to his office. Emily follows JJ back down into the bullpen to an empty desk amidst a collection of desks full of chaos and personality.

“This will be yours,” JJ says. She taps the shiny name plate reading Emily Prentiss.

Emily sets her bag and files down next to the keyboard and sits down at her new desk, taking in her surroundings.

JJ leans back against the desktop. “We’ll have to get you some pictures to brighten the place up a bit. I’m sure Henry would love to draw you something, too.”

The idea of a permanence like that, taking the effort to decorate her desk and make it hers, soothes something within Emily. “That sounds like a good idea.”

JJ hums. “When the others are back from the meeting, we’ll have our catch-up-slash-consultation meeting with everyone. It’ll be helpful for you to get involved in what we’re currently working on.”

Emily’s brows pull together as she connects JJ’s presence and the others’ lack of presence. “Shouldn’t you be at that meeting too?”

The lightest of pinks tints JJ’s cheeks. “I had other matters to attend to.”

Emily bites her lip to keep herself from smiling. “I see.” It’s sweet that JJ wanted to be here to help her settle.

Speaking of settling… she glances at the files Hotch gave her, flipping through them to find they’re mostly basic administrative – though necessary – stuff.

JJ shifts her weight back to her feet. “I’ll leave it up to you whether you want to do those now, or we could head to the roundtable room and you can read up on the cases everyone has been assessing and consulting on.”

Considering the approaching meeting, that last option sounds pretty useful. Emily knows there’s no way she’ll be able to read up on every detail, but it’ll be helpful if she at least has an idea of what the others will be discussing, instead of going in completely blind. She tells JJ as much, and trades in her desk for a seat in the roundtable room. JJ has helpfully compiled a list with accompanying files for Emily to work through. When Emily has everything she needs, JJ leaves her to it for the time being.

Emily pulls the first casefile closer and flips it open.

Time to start.

It feels weird to say, considering the gruesome details of some of the cases, but her brain enjoys being put to work in this way. Connecting the pieces of the crime, a list of questions and unknowns compiling itself in her head. This is what she was made for. This is what she studied for and worked years to understand and analyse.

She gets so absorbed in it all, that she doesn’t even notice Penelope entering the room until a familiar dramatic gasp sounds and Emily’s head shoots up.

“Emily?”

Emily smiles. “Hi?”

“I- Why are you- Is everything okay?!” Penelope’s hands flutter uselessly by her side whilst she stands frozen on her spot.

“Everything is fine,” Emily assures her, leaning back in her chair.

Penelope still doesn’t move. Not even when, one-by-one, Morgan, Spencer and David Rossi filter into the room. They have similarly surprised reactions to Emily’s presence, but none have the chance to ask her about it before Agent Hotchner and JJ join them.

“Everyone, take a seat, please,” Agent Hotchner says, closing the door behind.

Though Penelope needs a gentle nudge, eventually everyone settles down around the roundtable, looking up at Agent Hotchner expectedly and throwing curious glances at Emily.

“Sir?” Penelope asks.

“I believe you have all at some point or another already met Emily Prentiss,” Agent Hotchner starts, nodding to Emily. “As of today, Agent Prentiss is joining the BAU.”

Penelope’s squeal is ear-deafening. She shoots up from her seat, eyes wide, and practically lunges over to Emily. Emily, who somewhat anticipates that move, pushes her chair back and gets up just in time to be pulled into the tightest hug. “Oh my goodness! You! You didn’t say a thing! How dare you!”

“I haven’t known for very long,” Emily says when Penelope allows her to pull back. “I only had my interview here last week.”

“And you still kept it a secret!” Penelope is too excited to hold on to her anger for long. She hugs Emily once more before she nearly skips back to her chair, shaking her head and muttering under her breath.

Emily tentatively turns her gaze back to the others. Morgan gapes at her, his brows raised. She sends him a cautious grin.

“Damn, Prentiss,” he finally says. “Can’t say I saw that one coming, but it’s a fun surprise for sure.”

“I don’t think it’s that surprising,” Spencer piques up. When Emily looks at him, she finds that the initial surprise at her presence has faded from his features, much to her surprise. Though they haven’t nearly spent enough time together to get very close, she knows he’s not always the best with change, or being blindsided by it. “It makes sense that you’re in this field of work, and for your file to cross Hotch’s desk when you were looking for a job,” he elaborates and smiles briefly. “I think you’ll be a good addition to the team.”

That leaves David Rossi, who is leaned back in his chair, hands clasped on his stomach as he watches it all play out. “I’ve heard plenty of good things about you, Agent Prentiss,” Rossi tells her. “Glad to have you here.”

And just like that, Emily is a part of the BAU.

Agent Hotchner – Hotch, as everyone appears to call him – clears his throat to gather the attention. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

It takes a few more pointed glances from Hotch for everyone to snap back into work-mode and for the meeting to truly start. Emily sits back and mostly fades into the background, listening attentively as the others take turns updating each other on the latest cases they’ve been consulting on, asking for opinions, help and different perspectives where necessary. Emily is even able to chime in with a short comment informed by her years of experience profiling terrorists.

After the meeting, everyone disperses to their offices and desks – or lair, in case of Penelope – and Emily makes a start on completing the files Hotch gave her earlier, before moving on to catching up on case loads and just generally familiarizing herself with the procedures of the BAU. Whenever she has questions, no matter how mundane, Morgan and Spencer are all too happy to jump in and help.

By the time Emily’s eyes are starting to strain from staring at her computer screen and wordy files, Penelope magically appears in the bullpen and pulls her along out of the building under the guise of getting lunch for everyone.

When they step outside, Emily tilts her head to the bleak sun, breathing in the fresh air. She sticks her hands in her pockets and quickens her feet to keep up with Penelope’s brisk pace. How Penelope manages to walk this fast in heels like hers, is a mystery to Emily.

“How are you faring?” Penelope asks kindly. “First-day jitters gone?”

“Mostly,” Emily smiles. Which is true, her nerves have just been replaced with an overwhelming amount of input and information. She’s grateful Penelope pulled her away for this small reprieve. “I’m doing okay. It’s a lot to take in, but not in a bad way. Just in an ‘I need to get used to it again’, way.”

Penelope’s head bobs empathetically in understanding. “A place like the BAU does like to throw you in the middle of it. But! You’ve got us.” She winds her arm around Emily’s and briefly presses her cheek to Emily’s shoulder.

“That I do,” Emily smiles.

When they return with everyone’s lunch orders, Penelope insists they have to eat together in the roundtable room. Emily is trying to figure out whether that’s a weird daily obligation of sorts, but when JJ sits down next to her, she softly explains that today is an exception to the norm because it’s Emily’s first day. Warmth rises to Emily’s cheeks at that revelation, unused to being put in the center of attention like this, but she knows it’s coming from a very good place.

And it’s definitely entertaining, taking a break with everyone like this. Emily doesn’t have to keep up much of the conversation, and can instead enjoy her sandwich whilst listening to Penelope openly and overly flirting with morgan, and hearing JJ get into pointless arguments with Spencer just for the sake of it. Rossi and Hotch watch on like a set of exasperated, fond parents.

Emily knows it might take a second, for her to find exactly where she fits in this group at work, but she can’t say she’s worried she’ll find her place.

The remainder of the work day passes by without any incidents, and everyone manages to pack up and head home on time. Even Hotch, who JJ had told Emily has a tendency to overwork himself, says his goodbyes not long after the others to go home to his son.

Once the bullpen is mostly empty, Emily wraps up the last of her paperwork and packs her bag. She makes a detour to drop the completed files on Hotch’s desk before heading to JJ’s office. She knocks on the doorframe to announce her presence and lets herself in.

JJ lifts her head, but when she sees it’s Emily, she relaxes and returns her attention to the thick file in front of her.

“Almost done?” Emily asks, fidgeting with the strap of her shoulder bag.

JJ blows out a heavy breath and nods. “Nearly.”

Emily walks around JJ’s small office, taking in the numerous filing boxes and loose case files strewn about. Though it appears chaotic, Emily knows JJ well enough to know there is definitely some type of system to it that JJ herself understands. She makes sure not to touch anything and settles down in the chair in front of JJ’s desk, taking out her phone and scrolling through her messages.

There’s a notification from her chat with Louise’s alias, and a smile pulls at Emily’s lips when her eyes flit across the few short sentences Louise had sent, after which Declan had gotten a turn too. They’re both along the same gist: hoping her first day at work went well and wishing her good luck with the next few days. Declan adds that he has another soccer game soon, and when will she come visit again?

Emily texts back her thanks, along with a list of dates for Louise to look through and see if Emily can come over.

It’s been barely ten minutes after Emily sat down that JJ straightens her back with a muted groan and stretches her arms above her head. (Emily totally doesn’t stare at the small sliver of JJ’s toned midriff that the movement reveals). JJ sighs and shuts the casefile, putting it away in a drawer before getting up and gathering her purse and jacket.

“Ready?” Emily asks.

JJ smiles. “Done for today, for sure. I’m looking forward to going home.” Emily gets to her feet. “I know we haven’t talked about it again, but considering you’re here and not at home… Are you joining us at my place?”

“If the offer still stands, I’d love to,” Emily says. She’s dead on her feet and she’s definitely going to need her sleep tonight, but spending the evening alone at home doesn’t sound nearly as appealing as spending it with Henry and JJ. She’d never thought herself to be an awfully social creature, but every since she had befriended JJ, Emily has gotten spoiled with plenty of wonderful quality time, and now she doesn’t want to go back to living without.

“I’ll have to get Henry from daycare,” JJ says, leading the way out of her office. Emily follows as they walk down the steps, through the bullpen and out to the elevator bank. “I’ve still got the leftover lasagna in the fridge from this weekend, so we could have that? Or we could order in, to celebrate your first day at work.” She gently bumps her shoulder to Emily’s.

It’s the first gesture of physical affection they’ve shared all day, and it sends a spark of electricity through Emily’s body. She fully appreciates the distinction they’re making between their private and professional lives, but she’d be lying if she wasn’t simultaneously looking forward to spending an evening cuddled up closely together on the couch. “Lasagne sounds perfect.”

They part in the garage, getting into their respective cars and setting off on their way back to DC. Emily realises she should probably change her clothes and feed Sergio before heading to JJ’s, so she heads to her own apartment first. Sergio greets her at the door, and she shows him lots of love to make up for being gone the entire day. When Sergio is satisfied, he slinks off, though he quickly reappears once Emily wanders into the kitchen and pulls his food from the cupboard. She fills his bowl and refills his water, before leaving him to it and changing into comfortable, non-work clothes.

It's not much later that she arrives at JJ and Henry’s place. JJ’s car is parked out front. Emily finds an empty spot a bit further up the street for her car, and lets herself inside the house with her key.

“Hello,” she greets loudly to announce her presence. She leaves her boots at the door and makes her way to the kitchen, where JJ just now shuts the oven, fiddling with the timer. When she straightens up, Emily wraps her arms around JJ’s waist from the back. JJ hums a contented noise as she relaxes into Emily’s arms before turning around and pulling Emily in for a kiss.

They have to come up for air eventually, but Emily can’t help herself and steals a few more brief kisses afterwards until JJ giggles uncontrollably and Emily’s quota has been filled for now.

“You were awesome today,” JJ tells her softly, filling the small space between them with her kind words. “Genuinely. I’m not even saying this as your girlfriend who likes you very, very much.”

“Girlfriend, hm?” Emily can’t help but ask. They’ve never really had the ‘official’ talk, but it’s an accurate description for their relationship, nevertheless.

“Yes,” JJ says decisively. “You’re definitely my girlfriend, Emily Prentiss. You’re stuck with me now.”

Emily’s lip pulls up into a crooked smile. “Whatever will I do?”

“Learn how to accept a compliment instead of derailing a conversation,” JJ answers pointedly.

“It’s just the first day,” Emily allows. There’s still plenty of time for things to go awry, though that is an awfully negative take on the situation. Emily is just used to approaching new situations with a healthy amount of caution, before she decides to throw her heart into it. Though perhaps that was already a lost cause with BAU, considering it is her dream job and she is already good friends with the majority of her coworkers outside of work.

JJ just hums, tucking a strand of hair behind Emily’s air. “And there’ll be plenty more to follow.”

Emily likes the sound of that.

She kisses JJ once more, pouring all her affection into it, before they break apart. Emily migrates to the living room, where she finds henry curled up on the couch watching one of his favourite TV programmes. She sits next to him, taking note of his tired face and his thumb tucked into his mouth, and stays silent though she reaches out to him in offering. With Sally the Sheep and Sergio Two in tow, he crawls into Emily’s side and cuddles up with her, his eyes still stuck to the screen.

Another little piece of Emily’s heart settles.

In the week-and-a-half that follows, Emily slowly starts to settle into the rhythm of semi-regular working days (as regular as those can be, at the BAU). She gets used to waking up to her alarm and scheduling other necessities around her general working hours, whilst also still trying to balance her hobbies and private life. The last two of that list are ‘new’ factors to content with, in comparison to how her old life before her long-term undercover job with JTF had been like, where the working culture had very much been private life, what is that?

To say it’s easy, would be simplifying the matter, but Emily learns to set priorities on both ends – private and work life. She had known a job at the BAU would be hectic and far from a walk in the park, and so she had been prepared to put in the work. That right mindset helps a lot.

Simultaneously, Emily and JJ are having to figure out how to keep and work with the boundaries they had put in place before Emily’s first day. It helps that they’re both dead serious about their jobs at the BAU— neither of them is willing to risk that just because they’re craving physical affection or more personal conversations. They keep their working relationship as professional as it can get, for two girlfriends, and use their free time to allow their romantic feelings to run amok.

Maybe in time, they’ll relax. Steal kisses in hidden corners and allow their brief public touches to linger a little longer. For now, though, they play it safe.

When the second weekend after Emily’s start at the BAU comes around, Spencer kidnaps Henry for the day. JJ and Emily use the opportunity to go out on a much-needed date to recharge and have plenty of time and attention for each other.

Though it’s cold, it’s a beautiful day, and they end up in the park with a picnic blanket and plenty of food in tow. It’s not until they’re settled in a little clearing just hidden away from the main path, that Emily does a double-take and realises with a start that she’s been in this exact before. A disbelieving laugh tumbles from her lips.

“What?” JJ asks, unpacking the wine and Tupperware boxes from the bag. She glances at Emily. “What’s so funny?”

“I met Henry here,” Emily says. Even though months and months have passed since that moment, she looks around her and can vividly picture the little boy in his red raincoat, crying for his mommy.

What would have happened, had Emily not been so attuned to a child’s crying? Had she not still been stuck in her paranoia and hypervigilance, would she have kept reading her book on the park bench? Would JJ have spent long, agonizing minutes looking for Henry, or would some other person have found him and helped him get back to her?

Emily certainly wouldn’t be where she is right now, if it hadn’t been for that moment. That collision of fate. She’d still like to think things would’ve fallen into place eventually. That she still would’ve found her way to the BAU in a different way. Her way to JJ. To Henry.

“Oh my God,” JJ mutters, looking around with something akin to horror. “Those few minutes that he was gone are still the worst minutes of my life.”

Emily wraps her arm around JJ’s shoulder, pressing a kiss to her temple.

JJ glances up at her. “But at least it brought us you.”

Emily’s heart is going to burst.

They eat the sandwiches and fruit JJ brought and take turns drinking from the bottle of wine because Emily forgot to pack glasses. They chat and enjoy their time together, soaking up the closeness. When the cold worms its way through their coats, Emily takes out an extra blanket and they cuddle up together, their cheeks bright red from the cold and the wine.

Their phones stay silent throughout Saturday. Emily stays the night at the Jareau house, and they wake up early to drop Henry off at Penelope’s for a few hours, before splitting and going to martial arts and yoga respectively. They meet back up at JJ’s place once they’re both showered and changed, before picking Henry back up and heading to the library to pick up some new books.

Emily browses through the small section of foreign language novels before switching with JJ to watch Henry whilst JJ gets a turn to pick out something for herself. Henry is greatly enjoying sifting through the bins filled with picture books, his pile of picks growing taller and taller until Emily is forced to remind him that there is a limit to the number of books the library allows them to take home at a time.

Sharon from Emily’s book club is manning the counter today, and she perks up when Emily comes by to say hi with Henry whilst they wait for JJ.

“How were your first weeks back to work?” Sharon asks kindly, once she has reached across the counter to give Emily a warm hug.

“Good,” Emily replies honestly. “Slowly settling in and getting the hang of things, which is great. How have things been here?”

“Busy like always,” Sharon says. “And we miss you at book club, of course. Martha has been complaining about being the youngest person again, and your insights on our reads are greatly missed.”

“If I happen to have some time off soon, I’ll be sure to drop by,” Emily promises. Henry tugs at her hand, and at his request, she picks him up and settles him on her hip. His lanky legs dangle down as he wraps his arms around her neck. “I’ve missed you guys too. And all of the great baking, for sure.”

They share a smile at that. Sharon offers to put their books on their cards, and Emily puts Henry down to go ask JJ for his card whilst she gathers the wobbly pile of books he has chosen to take home today. Library card in hand, Henry returns, and he watches with great fascination as Sharon scans the different barcodes. When it’s Emily’s turn, Sharon allows Henry to help her add the books to Emily’s account.

JJ appears soon after, and once her books have gotten the same treatment, they load everything into their bags and say their goodbyes to Sharon. She wishes them well, and Emily makes her promise to give Emily’s love to the ladies of the book club.

The weather turns in the afternoon, rain pouring down heavily from the sky, so they stay inside. Whilst Henry has his nap after lunch, JJ and Emily work together to tidy the living room, and once he’s back to the land of the living, they all cuddle up on the couch to watch a movie.

JJ puts dinner together, with a bit of assistance from an insistent Henry, and they eat around the dining table together. They talk about their day together and even Henry has plenty of stories to tell and keep them all entertained.

It’s not until Emily is doing the washing up to the faint sounds of JJ trying to get a giggly Henry to take a proper bath, that the domesticity of it all hits. Though Emily doesn’t live with JJ and Henry full-time, and she’ll head back to her own apartment later tonight, she has spent more than enough time in this place to make it feel like home for her, too. Something that has nothing to do with the location, she knows, and everything with the wonderful people living here.

Once the kitchen is tidied up, and JJ has accomplished that night’s mission of getting Henry ready for bed, Henry hops down the stairs with Sally the Sheep and Sergio 2 in hand to get Emily and demand she read him a bedtime story. She follows him – willingly – up to his bedroom, settling down atop his cover and allowing him to crawl into her lap with the first of what is sure to be many books.

When they’re both comfortable, Emily opens the book and starts reading. She’s had to miss doing toddler story time these past two weeks, and for the foreseeable future, which she is sadder about than expected. But at least her favourite little guy still gets his own personal toddler story time when Emily is around.

She feels rather than sees JJ enter the room, but keeps reading, even as JJ settles down next to them on the bed and lays her head on Emily’s shoulder, a hand brushing through Henry’s fine blond hair.

By the time Emily is on book number four, Henry is practically asleep. She finishes reading, her voice not much more than a whisper and JJ manages to get him under the covers with minimal resistance. Emily whispers her goodnight to Henry, before leaving him and JJ to their own little private moment.

She wanders through the living room, putting away the last of Henry’s toys that have been strewn about, before settling down on the couch and turning on the TV. Really, she should gather her stuff and head back to her apartment in a bit, but the couch is comfy and she can’t help it if she wants to spend just a little more time with JJ.

JJ flops down next to her just minutes later, releasing a tired sigh as she cuddles up to Emily. Emily’s eyes slowly drift closed, the TV providing steady background noise.

A phone rings.

Emily’s eyes snap open. “What-“

JJ extracts herself from Emily’s side and leans over to grab her phone from the coffee table. She checks the screen and Emily immediately shoots upright when JJ answers with, “Agent Jareau.”

With bated breath, Emily watches as JJ hums in confirmation.

“Alright, thank you,” JJ says, hanging up the phone.

“What was-“

Emily’s phone rings.

A small smile spreads across JJ’s face whilst Emily looks at it in confusion. “Ask Penelope to contact the pet sitter for Sergio, yes? I’m going to call Nina.”

Emily’s heart beats a little faster, her mind reeling as the phone keeps ringing. Surely JJ isn’t saying…

JJ leans over to press a kiss to her cheek.

“Welcome to the life of a BAU profiler, Agent Prentiss. Wheels up in two hours.”