Author's Note: OK, I'm back. My life is really intense right now, but writing is relaxing for me, so I'm going to go ahead and do this. I'll warn you that it won't be at the fast pace you're used to from me because I'm stretched really thin. I'm going at this one blind - I have a general idea of what's going to happen, but I'm not outlining. I've found when I'm writing, Emily and Derek kind of do what they want regardless of my outlines, so it's pointless. ;-) I get some pleasure from getting these two up a river without a paddle and helping them find their way out again.
This is a sequel to Tangled Up in Blue (not part of my Labyrinthine story-arc - I'll get back to them sometime!). Reading Tangled Up in Blue might be helpful, but it's not necessary.
Lethe: In Greek mythology, one of the five rivers of Hades that caused its drinkers to forget their past.
Aletheia: The Greek personification of truth, which translates to un-forgetfulness.
Here we go...
Emily continued to stretch as the fall leaves crunched under her feet. She looked at her watch. They needed to push it if they were going to be on time for work. Emily had a meeting scheduled that morning with a consulting Arabic linguist to go over some transcripts that the FBI had received and were concerned were part of a potential future terror threat. And Derek reported like clockwork at 8:00 to the FBI Academy to oversee the tactical training for new recruits.
"Maybe she's not going to show today," Emily said while looking at Derek. "They were just getting on the jet in Oregon when I talked to Garcia around five o'clock yesterday evening."
"Should we start without her?" Derek asked.
Emily laughed at the almost hopeful expression on his face, and knew why it was there. "Let's give her five more minutes."
Around them, new recruits, sprinkled with a few seasoned agents like themselves, were starting the training course at the Academy. The recruits nodded respectfully at Morgan as they passed him, almost fearful.
"Still going the tough love route, I see," said Emily with a smirk.
Derek chuckled quietly, "Maybe a little. But they're learning. No one is going to graduate under my watch and not know how to perform in a tactical situation."
Emily smiled at him. He really did love his job. In the nine months since Emily had been back at the FBI and living with Derek, they'd both adapted happily to the calmer pace of their lives. Emily hadn't spent so much time at home in her adult life, and the fact that she was spending that time with Derek made her life pretty damn fantastic. She still sometimes found it unbelievable when she'd wake up in the morning and he was right there next to her in bed; though the incidences were less frequent now, she did still occasionally awake and have to remind herself this was her real life. And on those mornings, they usually didn't make it to Quantico in time to run the training course, partaking in a different type of exercise instead.
Love and passion played starring roles in their lives and only seemed to intensify over time. They both felt like they'd nearly missed out on a wonderful life together, and rather than their feelings settling over the months, they appreciated what they had more, each and every day.
They'd both been a little concerned that their new jobs would not afford them the intensity in their careers that they'd come accustomed to. But Hotch had pulled them each in on a case one time, Emily helping them on a case in New Mexico where a behavioral analyst who spoke Spanish was an asset, and Derek joining them on a case in Los Angeles last month, where his muscles were necessary. They both saw some action in other units for cases on occasion as well. Those moments had provided just enough to keep their current jobs from feeling too stagnant.
Emily looked at her watch again and said, "We should get started. I don't think she's coming."
Derek smiled at that and Emily laughed lightly again. They set off on the course at a fast pace for five minutes. They'd just finished climbing the first wall and were getting back into the speed of their run when they heard a familiar laugh before a blonde streak shot past them.
"I even gave you a head start!" JJ shouted joyfully over her shoulder, laughing again.
"Damn it!" snarled Derek, and picked up his pace.
Emily only chuckled and shook her head. She could respectably hold her own on this course, but she couldn't come close to keeping pace with Derek and JJ when they were competing. She watched them take off with a smile on her face. She'd watched their competition from the back several times and it was always the same - Derek could out-muscle JJ in upper body strength, gaining on her when that was required, but in a flat out run JJ often left even the youngest, fastest recruits in the dust.
Emily caught up to them at the end of the course, a few minutes behind them. She inhaled deeply and caught her breath and heard JJ laugh again.
"Every time, Derek Morgan," JJ said with glee.
"Yeah, if you could not whip my ass on this course in front of the recruits I'm training, that would be great," Derek said with mirth and sarcasm in his voice.
"You want me to throw a race for you?" she whispered conspiratorially.
He laughed and shook his head, "No, I don't. At least you beat the recruits, too."
JJ grinned, and Emily laughed. Emily and Derek both enjoyed their friendship with JJ and the rest of the team, reveling in the fact that Derek leaving the BAU did not leave them feeling like they'd lost their family. They saw each other frequently, and JJ ran this course with them any morning she wasn't on a case. And she beat Derek every time, which he only pretended to piss him off. In reality, ego was not an area where Derek was easily wounded. He still cared about the members of the BAU and felt connected to them, much like Emily did. Running this course with JJ, or engaging in mock hand-to-hand combat with the other members of the team made him feel like he still had their backs in some way, even if he wasn't working in their unit any longer.
It was exactly what they'd hoped for when Derek decided he preferred them to settle in DC instead of London - staying connected to the people who meant the most to them.
"Come on, Emily. Let's head to headquarters and get showered up. Work calls," said JJ.
Emily looked at Derek, and they engaged in a conversation with their eyes. They were very hands-off at work, but could communicate their feelings very well without a touch.
"I'll pick you up around 3:00 and then we're out of here for your birthday weekend, Em," he said with a smile.
"And where is it we're going again?" she asked him one eyebrow raised.
Derek laughed as he turned away from them, calling over his shoulder, "Nice try. You're just going to have to wait and see."
As she and JJ walked away towards JJ's car, Emily asked, "Do you know where he's taking me?"
JJ shook her head, "Nope. He wouldn't tell me." JJ smiled, "I'm looking forward to Monday morning, though. I'll probably beat him by even more time on the course. I imagine he's going to be pretty worn out." She looked over and winked at Emily.
Emily shoved JJ's shoulder lightly and laughed. Emily was looking forward to the weekend, wherever it was and whatever they were doing.
"How's the caseload at the BAU? Are you going to get a weekend?" Emily asked.
JJ nodded, "Just paperwork to do today and hopefully no new cases and a weekend in front of us all. We need it."
"Good," said Emily. She'd often wondered why JJ had never transferred to a different unit with less travel since she had Will and Henry. But when they'd talked about it, JJ said she still felt like the BAU was who she was and she wasn't ready to give up that identity. Things were going pretty good with her and Will now that Henry was older, and she didn't really feel the pressure she once felt from Will about her job. Emily had nodded in understanding during that conversation, and she marveled at how JJ balanced it all. But JJ seemed content, so Emily let it go, just glad that her friend was happy.
Derek picked Emily up at 3:00 on the dot and held her hand while he drove them to Dulles.
"So we're flying somewhere?" she asked excitedly.
"Yep," he said with a grin. "To Vermont, to see some good fall foliage."
"You packed for me?" she asked.
"It's all taken care of, Em. Trust me," he said while kissing her hand.
It was dark by the time they got to the rustic lodge Derek had picked out, so the fall foliage would have to wait until the next morning. But the evening held its own beauty. Derek had planned every romantic detail, and it emotionally overwhelmed Emily. After an amazing dinner, they were sitting in the jacuzzi tub in their room, facing each other, surrounded by candles and sipping champagne and Emily welled up with tears.
Derek raised his eyebrows and moved towards her in the tub so he could place his hand on her cheek. "What, Emily?"
She shook her head and smiled, "I was such a mess on my last birthday. I just can't believe how much can change in a year, how I could go from where I was then, to how I feel now, which is pretty indescribable. I still get butterflies in my stomach when I see you after work. I love you so much that when I think about it, I can physically feel it in my heart, like it can't contain all of that joy. I'm just sitting here looking at you and feeling very lucky and happier than I've ever been in my life."
Mid-afternoon on Saturday, Derek and Emily set out into the Green Mountain National Forest, Derek wearing a backpack. It wasn't particularly cold. There was a slight crispness in the air, but it was actually unseasonably warm, and after awhile, she stripped off her sweater and settled for the t-shirt underneath. When Emily asked where they were going he admitted he didn't know for sure, but he'd know it when he saw the place. They hiked for about an hour and Derek came to a stop and pointed, "That looks like a good spot."
Emily looked up the hill where he was pointing and saw the sun streaming through the trees, magnifying the bright orange and red of the leaves. There was a large rock jutting out the side of the hill and they made their way there. She watched Derek move a good layer of leaves onto the rock and then open the backpack and pull out a blanket, laying it over the leaves.
He sat down and patted the blanket. Emily smiled and sat next to him. From this vantage point, they could look down the hillside at a myriad of different colored leaves. It was a stunning sight.
"Thank you," whispered Emily, turning her head to look at him. "This is my best birthday ever. I love you."
Derek reached his hand out and placed it gently on her neck. "I love you, too, Emily," he said before pulling her towards him and kissing her.
The kiss deepened and Derek shifted his body, kneeling, turning her and nudging her back so that she laid on the blanket and he laid on top of her.
After a few minutes, he pulled back and pushed himself up on his arms so he could look at her face and when Emily looked up she could see him and the sun and all of the leaves shimmering above her. She wasn't sure where the words came from, but she smiled radiantly when they spilled from her lips: "Let's get married."
Derek raised his eyebrows at her and then laughed, "Damn. I almost proposed to you this weekend and then I thought I'd wait a few more months. That was supposed to be my line."
Emily laughed in return, "Well, Derek Morgan, you're just coming in second at every race lately, aren't you?"
"Ouch!" he said playfully, and rolled them over so she was on top of him. "Absolutely, Em. Let's get married."
She smiled and bent her head to kiss him again and his hands found their way up under shirt and onto the skin of her back. When she felt his fingers on the clasp of her bra, she pulled her head back. "We can't do this here."
"We hiked at least thirty minutes off the trail. There's no one around, Emily." he said hopefully.
She raised one eyebrow at him and stared for a few seconds, finally relenting at the look on his face. She sat up and stripped her t-shirt off, slightly shocked that she'd caved on this one; this wasn't something Emily would have ever considered doing out in the open like this until about thirty seconds ago.
"I want a huge engagement ring for this one, Derek," she said with a grin.
He laughed joyfully and pulled her back down to him. "Whatever you want," he said before his lips found hers again.