"She won't help." He says flatly.
"Why?" asked Agent Derrick Morgan.
Doyle meets him eye to eye as he replies, "Because I killed her."
I knew then that it was time to bring her home, but there was one thing I had to do first. I had to tell Hotch. I had to tell him that his subordinate, whose casket he had carried, was not dead. I had to tell him that the woman, who I suspected he had feelings for, needed to come home to save the boy she had 'died' twice to protect. "Hotch," I say firmly as I look over at my boss. "We need to talk, in your office." He nods and glares back through the two way mirror one last time. This was the man who had 'killed' our Emily.
I realize something is off as JJ leads me to my own office. When we enter she locks the door and closes the blinds. She sits in one of my visitor's chairs and motions for me to take the other. I find her behavior very strange but I follow along because it is JJ. She has taken over as mother of the team since we lost Emily. No, that's not right, we didn't lose Em. She was taken from us. I look at the woman who is more like my little sister than a coworker. She is picking her nails, a habit acquired from Emily, and staring at the floor. She meets my eyes and I see the tears pooling in hers.
"I am so sorry Hotch. I.. I don't know how to tell you this. Even after all this time. I wanted… I wanted to tell you from the beginning, but it was too risky. No one could know. It was already too much that I knew and.." JJ was rambling. And the tears started to creep down her face.
"JJ, I don't understand. What are you sorry for? What are you trying to tell me?" I ask terrified to know the answer. JJ swallows visibly and chokes out her reply
"She is alive."
Three words, ten letters, and my world has ceased to spin. My head however is another story. My heart begins to race and my thoughts explode all at once. "Emily." Is the only word I can conjure. Then everything stops all at once. "JJ, why are you telling me this now, after all this time?"
"We need to bring her home. She is the only one who can help us find Declan." She looks like she is waiting for me to explode or to yell.
"Bring her home."
Six hours later everyone is gathered in the conference room. Emily should be arriving any minute. JJ decided to tell everyone, to limit the shock. "What is going on Hotch?" Morgan asks. "Seven months ago, a decision was made that affected this team. As you all know Emily had lost a lot of blood, but the doctors were able to stabilize her. She was covertly airlifted to Bethesda Hospital where she underwent medical treatment before being transferred to Paris." I see their confusion, so I look to JJ. She picks up where I have left off. "Because of my position at the State Department and my involvement with this team, I was chosen as one of her handlers. She was given several identities, none of which anyone but I had access too." Analyst Penelope Garcia finally looked up. "She's alive?" She questioned.
"Yes." We hear in a familiar voice from the doorway.
Everyone but me freezes and turns to look. I however fly across the room and gather her into my arms. She drops her bag and buries her face in my neck as she wraps her arms tightly around me. I feel her tears on my skin. My God, how I have missed this woman. She rushes out an apology as she lifts her face to look at me. "I am so sorry, I wanted to tell you, but it wasn't allowed and…" I realize the team is watching but I can't stop myself as I silence her with my lips crashing onto hers. As we break apart she is jerked away into the waiting arms of the team. First it's Garcia, then JJ, quickly followed by David Rossi who has tears in his eyes. It's as if his prodigal daughter has returned. Emily then turns and gathers Spencer to her, he squeezes her so tightly I am afraid she will bruise, but she makes not a sound. Finally she turns to her partner, and best friend Derrick Morgan. They just stare at one another for what feels like an eternity. She slowly moves toward him and places one hand over his heart and the other on his face as if to say, 'It's ok, I'm really here.' Then he reaches out and pulls her into a bone crushing embrace and whispers something in her ear. I finally hear it, that melodious laugh. It's contagious. It's what made me love her all the more.
She comes back to my side and I wrap one arm around her waist as she does mine. She looks into my eyes smiling as if she is telling me everything she has done and seen in the last seven months. "There is so much I want to tell you all. But right now I need to find Declan."