Title: A Stone is Thrown
Author: FreeWrite
Summary: Her life was defined at 15 by that moment in the clinic Matthew found. The curve of the plastic chairs, the acidic smell of antiseptic, the cold of the air, Matthew's clammy hand gripping her own, the panicking thud of her heart. A step forward... two stumbling steps backwards and then running… out of the clinic… out of Rome… out of Italy… to a chateau in the French Alps.
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognisable characters from Criminal Minds, I'm having a play and will return without making any money off them.
AN: So here is the story I teased in the epilogue of 'An Unexpected Life' it is a what if Emily didn't terminate the pregnancy at 15 scenario that I wanted to see if I could make work. Part of it is I've seen a lot of fics that demonise Emily's parents based on what little we see in "Honor amongst thieves" and comments made by Emily in season 2's 'Sex, Birth and Death', 4's 'Demonology' and 7 when JJ tells Emily Elizabeth didn't come to the funeral. Here's what we know from season's 2-7 cannon. Emily hates politics, Elizabeth believed in Emily enough to go to her for help in 'Honour amongst thieves', her grandfather lived in the French Alps when Emily was an unspecified age, at 15 Emily didn't believe she could go to her mother for help and finally Elizabeth didn't attend the funeral in 'Lauren'. It's not a whole lot to work with and I'm happy to debate the merits of where I've chosen to take this with anyone. To be honest I would have finished this two or three months ago but I got distracted by 'The Bird that flies' and 'A Most Dangerous tribe'.
The title comes from a scene in Xena: Warrior Princess Season 1 episode 03. Xena throws a stone in a lake and explains even though the churning on the surface eventually stops the lake is forever changed by the stone sitting at the bottom.
This story is complete. There are 11 chapters and an epilogue.
Chapter 1
Emily refused to let her parents throw her a sweet 16 birthday party... she didn't tell them that no one would come… after Fiona left in December the only friends she had were Matthew and Jon... No one else wanted her here in Rome….
Her attempts at fitting in and being accepted didn't work.
In fact it was blowing up in her face rather spectacularly.
She thinks she's about 4ish months along and her slim frame is showing evidence of the pregnancy, it won't be long before she can no longer hide it with loose fitting clothes.
With her parents leaving for the states in two day's she has a chance to get out. She hates Rome and hopefully she will never have to return.
The morning after her parents board a plane to DC Emily leave a letter on the desk in her Mother's private study picks up the backpack she always carries to school and walks out of the Embassy, Matthew was meeting her at the train station with a bigger bag that contained the clothes they had been hiding for the last 6 weeks as well as the money they'd converted into Franc's.
Matthew held her tightly as the announcement came for boarding the train to Turin and whispered in her ear.
"I can still come with you." he hated Rome as much as she did.
"No..." Emily felt the tears well up "I'll be fine... they'll work out where I've gone eventually. Just tell them... I've gone home."
She'd lived in so many places... but there was only one that felt like home. One place where she knew for certain she would be safe and accepted.
The 12 hour train journey to Turin is spent battling the nausea that has been her constant companion for months now.
From Turin she uses the local bus services to make her way to Claviere. When she hit the border town it had been three day's since she left Rome. The Embassy staff would have contacted her parents by now but the letter wouldn't have been found. All year she'd disappear for a day or two, originally it had been to go to parties and then she and Matthew simply wandered the city getting lost in time... escaping from being embassy kids.
While she, Matthew and Jon weren't quite considered uncontrollable yet, the staff had given up on trying to keep tabs on them. The three of them were too good at slipping away from any watchers. They always returned and the staff would only have started to worry when she didn't come back on the second day.
She finally stops for a rest in Claviere and spends two nights in the cheapest boarding house she could find.
Emily sleeps the first day away and before the sun rises on the third she checks out and slips out of town. The borders between Italy and France are easy to cross over once you were in the mountains. All you needed to do was follow the ski trails south on the Italian side and then follow the French trails north into Montgenevre and neither the French nor Italian authorities worried too much about who crossed where and when.
It takes her longer than expected to do the hike and she ends up spending the night in a cabin at the top of the trails.
Giving up on the busses Emily hitchhikes from Montgenevre to Briancon and then finally Les Viollins.
She spends more than one night outside.
She is almost to Les Viollins watching light flurries of snow fall through a van window when a news item comes over the radio.
"In news from Rome, Emily Prentiss, the 16 year old daughter of American ambassadorial Minister Elizabeth Prentiss is still missing. The Minister was on her way to Washington when her daughter left for school 10 days ago and hasn't been seen since. While authorities do not suspect foul play they are asking for anyone who has either seen or had contact with Emily to contact the American Embassy in Rome."
She doesn't let the tears fall as the young couple discuss what could have driven a 16 year old to run away from what they thought would be a glamorous and privileged life.
Emily doesn't tell them it can be Hell.
When they drop her outside the Inn at Les Viollins Emily knows she will be recognised. Monsieur and Madame le Bijou are good friends with her Grandparents, they would know she was missing by now, she hopes the elderly innkeepers will let her stay the night and head up to Dormillouse in the morning without contacting her parents.
Exhausted, aching and hungry she pushes the door open and steps into the warmth. The room is everything she remembers from her last stay the summer she was 14. Wooden panels dancing with the crackle and spit of the fires, the aroma of burning wood, heavy stews and mulled wines permeating everything.
Emily closes her eyes and breathes deeply. She is almost home.
"Emily?" her eyes shoot open at the feminine voice calling out her name in shock.
Behind the bar Valerie le Bijou can't believe her eyes when she sees just who has entered her inn. The news of Emily's disappearance had broken over a week before and they had since listened to every report hoping she had been found never expecting her to make it this far on her own. Emily's parents had called le Bijou to get word up to Andre and Fleur who had immediately come down off their mountain, the worried grandparents are at that moment sitting in her back room waiting for news.
Valerie watches as the teens bottom lip starts to tremble and exhausted tears spilled over her face. It was then Valerie noticed the shivering and Emily's normally pale skin was a chalky white which only makes the dark circles stand out even more.
"Is... is it ok if I stay tonight and head up the mountain tomorrow?" Emily's voice is trembling from the cold as she asks with the last bit of courage she has left.
Valerie quickly makes her way to where Emily is still standing just inside the door, so small, frail and lost. She looks the girl up and down trying to convince herself she was real before pulling her into a tight hug. Emily's body slumps into the contact as her bag drops to the floor and she clings to Valerie with everything she has left. Without warning a sob bubbles up through her chest, then another and another. Valerie just lets her cry...
A noise behind them causes Valerie to look over her shoulder and see her husband coming through the door from the kitchen. Immediate recognition dawns and he goes to the room Andre and Fleur were staying in to let them know their Granddaughter is here and safe.
Andre makes it out to them first and isn't sure that Emily even notices when Valerie hands the teen over to him.
Rubbing her back he doesn't speak or try to stop the crying. He knows whatever had driven Emily to make the 500 mile trek from Rome had to be bad. When the sobs start to slow down he guides her back to their room, Fleur on her other side with her bag.
"Let's get you to bed" he presses a kiss to her temple and whispers to her knowing Emily is in no condition to tell them her story right then. Her eyes are heavy and her body pressing more and more into his as the exhaustion that has been dogging her for weeks finally wins and her legs start to refuse to keep her upright.
Andre guides her over to the bed and steps aside as Fleur pushes the heavy jacket off her shoulders and gasps when she sees the soft swell of Emily's belly understanding immediately that this was why Emily had run.
Emily turns her head away, unable to look her grandmother in the eye "I didn't know what else to do..." she whispers as the tears started anew.
"Oh Emily…" Fleur places a hand on Emily's waist, thumb gently rubbing where it swelled out and the other cupping her cheek turning Emily's gaze back to hers "let's get you changed and into bed."
Despite it only being 6 in the evening she knows her Granddaughter needs food and sleep before anything else is said or done.
When he opens the door he isn't surprised to see Valerie standing with a tray of food... the woman firmly believes her stew can fix everything. Andre will never tell her it makes him a little gassy.
In Max le Bijou's office he sighed heavily and picked up the phone.
Dialling their private line in the embassy he waited for the call to connect. After several rings Jules Prentiss' worried voice came over the line.
"Emily?"
"No, it's your father but Emily's alive and safe… she walked into le Bijou not 30 minutes ago."
There is a muffled noise on the other end of the line as Jules turned from the mouth piece and called out to Elizabeth.
"It's my father... Emily's there."
More noises float through as Elizabeth and Jules grapple with the phone so they could both listen and speak.
"She's ok...?" frantic was not a word Andre had ever associated with his daughter in law until that moment.
"She is tired, cold and hungry but alive and well, Fleur and Valerie are feeding her and putting her to bed. Once she has slept we will speak with her and find out what happened... why she ran away."
He wouldn't tell them anything more without speaking to Emily. Obviously something had changed since she was last here just over a year before, the sweet somewhat innocent 14 year old that visited while her parents moved them from Athens to Rome is gone and in her place a broken 16 year old had appeared.
At the time Emily had complained about the move to Rome. They'd been in Greece for a little under two years and she didn't want to leave her friends. He could hazard a guess that while the move to Rome had been good for Elizabeth's career it hadn't been a positive experience for her daughter.
"She's been so unhappy here..." Elizabeth unknowingly confirmed Andre's suspicions "I know she hasn't made many friends. She's been going to parties, skipping school, disappearing overnight... I tried to talk to her a few times but someone would interrupt and then she'd be gone…"
"I understand" Andre sighed "We will talk to Emily in the morning and find out what happened and I will call you then."
"Don't bother calling we'll leave tonight. If we drive straight through we can be there before lunch." Elizabeth was already heading over to grab her suitcase.
"I know you are worried but can I recommend you don't leave until morning. I would imagine you have not been sleeping well... Rest tonight knowing Emily is safe. We will wait at le Bijou for you to arrive."
They begrudgingly agree to sleep for a few hours before leaving... Andre wondered what the reaction would be if he suggested Emily stay with them instead of returning to Rome with her parents.
When he returns to the bedroom he finds his wife sitting up in the bed with Emily's head in her lap, the teen sound asleep.
"Are they on their way already?" Fleur whispers.
"No, I convinced them to wait until morning, so they won't be here until tomorrow afternoon. That will give time for Emily to sleep and tell us what happened… and for us to decide what we want to do."
Fleur ran her fingers gently through Emily's hair.
"I don't know what has happened to her but our 16 year old granddaughter has run to us for help… we need to decide what we are willing to do before her parents arrive?"
Andre stared down at Emily and all he could see was the tiny girl he taught to swim in the Torrent du Lait.
When Emily woke the next morning she was alone in the bed and the sun was streaming through the window... for the first time in a long time she felt warm and safe.
Even in the hottest days of summer she'd never felt that in Rome.
Someone had ensured the fire was crackling away merrily and the room was warm and cozy.
Rolling onto her back she ran a hand down to her belly letting it sit just below her belly button where her baby rested.
In the eleven days since leaving Rome it seemed to have had a bit of a growth spurt and popped out a little more. She wondered what it would look like in another month…
Her full bladder suddenly made itself known and as she rolled out of bed Emily actually felt rested for the first time since working out she was pregnant.
Pulling on the thick wool socks she had kicked off during the night Emily shuffled down the hall to the shared bathroom. After flushing and washing her hands she took a moment to stare at herself in the mirror. Her hair was grimy and limp, complexion ashy, there were still dark circles under her eyes and it looked like she had lost some weight.
She really just wanted to shower...
Emily didn't know how long she stared at herself in the mirror... a gentle knock on the door broke her out of her reverie.
"Yeah..." her voice was still husky from sleep.
"Emmy...?"
"Maman" she opened the door and nearly burst into tears again when she saw her grandmother standing there holding a towel, thick robe, clean sweats, shampoo, conditioner and soap.
"Shower darling and then come to the kitchen for breakfast... well it will be nearly lunch by the time you're done" Fleur smiled at the confused look Emily gave her.
"It's 10:30 in the morning."
"Oh..." Emily blinked... she'd slept for 15 hours, no wonder she'd had to pee so badly. "I'll be out soon."
Taking the supplies from her Grandmother, Emily started the hot water, stripped down and stepped into the stream.
As she washed she noticed her boobs seemed to have gotten bigger along with the belly that she'd been trying not to look at while naked.
The further away from Rome she'd travelled the less scary this all was. Maybe it was the city itself, she'd loved Athens and Jordan before that, maybe it was that she had friends there... in Rome there was only Matthew and sometimes Jon and as much fun as she had with them she was used to a big group girls to spend time with. At school in Rome she'd only found snotty bitches who'd decided the Prentiss family was neither rich nor powerful enough to make befriending Emily worth their time. So Emily had gone to all the parties and joined in with whatever was going on hoping to find some girlfriends. She adored Matthew but it wasn't the same as having another girl to talk about girl things with.
She'd lost her virginity at a party that February... if she tried really hard she could sort of remember it.
Some of the parties they'd gone to had been pretty tame... others had been downright wild... most of them didn't just have alcohol but there had been pot, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and sometimes a pharm jar all available for the right price. She stayed away from the heroin but occasionally did a few lines and had eagerly put down quite a few drinks and popped ecstasy.
There was one night in June where the ecstasy had been particularly potent... she hadn't said no to anyone that night... Emily is pretty sure that's the night she got pregnant... it's also the night she got labeled a slut.
'La Bici Americana' (The American Bike)
How could she explain that in her quest for acceptance and friendship she let herself be used... that she had no idea who the father was.
After rinsing one last time she stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off pulling the clean sweats and long sleeve shirt on. She rubbed her hair with a towel to get rid of the excess water before and pulled it back into a neat French braid.
Going back to the room she hung up the wet towel by the fire, pulled her giant hoodie on and wandered down into the kitchen where she found Valerie and her Maman chatting over coffee. She stood just inside the door, suddenly nervous about the conversation she knew was coming. Valerie saw her hovering uncertainly and summoned the biggest smile she had while beckoning Emily in to join them.
They didn't make her talk while she ate, both the older women worried about how thin she was.
Once her plate was clean and a mug of tea placed in front of her Emily looked up at her grandmother. Fleur reached up and cupped Emily's cheek.
"Tell me..."
Everything came out... how much she missed her friends in Athens, how the local kids treated Matthew, Jon and herself for being embassy kids.
"I just wanted friends..."
Emily told her about smoking pot with Matthew and Jon while their parents schmoozed politicians at the Christmas party. The first party Matthew had taken her to the previous January she didn't get drunk at that one but she did at the next, the party in February, when she allowed one boy to talk her into trying cocaine. The night in March when she took ecstasy for the first time, the weekend she thought the baby was conceived. The name they all called her now... realising she was pregnant, Father Gamino's damnation for both having sex outside of marriage and considering an abortion, Matthew taking her to the Doctor he found.
Freezing in terror when they called her name and refusing to go through with the abortion.
Being too scared to go to her parents... wanting to be anywhere but Rome and knowing the chateau was the only place she had to call home. How she and Matthew had come up with the plan to get her here.
Fleur let her speak never looking away from her distraught granddaughter.
"And what will you do now?" Fleur asked quietly
"I..." Emily hesitated, unsure of how to voice the next part.
"You will need to see the pregnancy through... no more drinking, no more drugs."
Emily nodded in agreement.
"We can find a couple who will take the child when it comes. They will raise it and love it for you..."
Fleur saw the horror cross Emily's face.
"No..."
"Can you do it? Finish school with a baby... go to college with a two year old? Put any relationship second to your child?" Fleur and Andre had been up late into the night discussing how they would handle this and had eventually decided sometime after midnight that as long as Emily understood and accepted what would be required of her they would support whatever decision she made.
They're fairly certain Emily hasn't yet worked out that her Uncle had been born when Fleur was 17... Only 5 months after they married.
Emily's chin dropped to her chest and her bottom lip was pulled firmly between her teeth as she considered what her Grandmother was asking. It was nothing she hadn't thought about in the ten day's since leaving Rome.
"Maman…" her voice was nearly a whisper "I've done nothing but think about that... it's why I came here. I can give this baby love, and I can give it you and Papa, and I can give it me, and I can give it a promise to always try my hardest to give it everything it needs. I can't give it a Father and I can't promise I'll be any good but... I made my choices and I have to live with where they're taking me. I can finish school with a baby and I can go to college with a two year old. It might take me an extra year or two but I promise I will go to college and I will graduate."
"Then that's what you'll do" Andre had been standing in the kitchen door all through her story.
Now they just needed to convince Emily's parents.
Emily spent most of the day in the kitchen with Valerie and Fleur, the older women setting her up at the table with vegetables that needed to be peeled and chopped for that night's meal. Making sure there was always something for her to nibble on and an endless supply of tea.
Throughout the day Fleur had peppered Emily with questions about what she was planning to do.
Was she going to try and complete sophomore year while pregnant, do a half load of courses or simply wait until after the baby came.
Did she want to stay in France with them?
Could she discipline herself enough for distance education?
Did she want to go to college in the US or France?
What would she do if her parents refused to help her out financially?
Some questions she had answers to, she was going to try and keep up with a full course load. If she couldn't then she would work through the summer to catch up so she could start junior year on time.
Yes she definitely wanted to stay in France for the time being.
And she thought she could keep herself on track but might need help while she got settled into a routine.
She hadn't decided on college yet and had no idea what she would do about money...
She starts to fade around 3pm they bundled her back to bed for a nap.
When her parents arrive an hour later Emily is fast asleep.
Jules and Elizabeth had both been restless all night. After notifying all the appropriate people that Emily had been found and was safe with her Grandparents they had attempted to sleep but at 3 that morning had packed their things, as well as a suitcase for Emily into the car and started the 12 hour drive.
They had been aware for months that something was pulling Emily down a dark path and had been powerless to stop it. She wouldn't talk to them about why she was so unhappy or angry.
Elizabeth knew Emily blamed her career... they'd hoped it would be a short lived phase and once she'd settled into school Emily would pick up but as time passed and things didn't get better they only got worse so they'd started planning ways to get Emily out of Rome.
One of the goals of their trip back to Washington had been to secure a posting back in the States for Emily's Junior and senior years. They'd also discussed sending her to France for Christmas and offering her the option of staying there until the posting in Washington came through.
It seemed to be too late... according to the little Matthew Benton had been willing to say and the revelations from Father Gamino's visit they'd left it too long and their daughter had some very tough decisions to make.
The Inn was quiet, all of the lunch trade finished and the evening not yet started.
Andre and Fleur were seated in a corner booth waiting for either Emily to wake up or her parents to arrive. As they'd hoped Emily was still asleep when Elizabeth and Jules entered.
"Where is she?" Elizabeth didn't greet her in-laws, she was too focused on seeing for herself that Emily was ok.
"She's asleep and there is much we need to discuss before she wakes up." Andre watched as they exchanged glances "You already know… Matthew or that Priest?" Andre spat the word Priest out.
"When the news broke about Emily's disappearance Father Gamino visited long enough to tell us Emily came to him and what he told her. He's no longer welcome in our home… Matthew wears his thoughts and feelings on his face so we knew the answer as soon as we asked him if Emily was pregnant. Now tell me which room Emily is in or I'll go and bang on every door until I find her." Elizabeth was too tired to care about politeness and just wanted to see that her daughter was ok for herself.
"Room 5" Fleur stood to walk her to the room.
Standing at the door Elizabeth looked at the lump curled under the blankets. Emily's back was to the door and the only thing visible was the top of her head.
Up until 8 or 9 Emily had always had nightmares the first few weeks in a new country, some nights were so bad Elizabeth crawled into bed with her… curled around the tiny warm body to protect her from the fear of a strange room, a strange place… the fears of a child.
When they'd arrived in Jordan not long after Emily's tenth birthday they'd both been surprised when her terrified voice hadn't called for them in the middle of the night. They thought she'd grown out of it but now Elizabeth wondered if she'd truly grown out of the nightmares or if her words about Emily growing into a young lady had been taken to mean she couldn't seek comfort when she was afraid.
Shrugging out of her jacket and pulling her boots off Elizabeth lifted the blankets and slid in to curl around her daughter, arms pulling the teen as close as she could.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered as Emily shuffled in her sleep, turning so her forehead rests against her mother's collarbone.
Just like she had when she was small.
Several minutes pass before Andre and Jules appear, they had decided that it was too late in the day for them to head up to the chateau, the five of them would spend the night in le Bijou and leave in the morning.
"Elizabeth cannot stay more than a week" Jules told his father "but if you are willing it may be better for Emily if she doesn't return to Rome."
"Jules... come, we will wait out here." Andre led his son back out to the main room and poured them both a drink before speaking again.
"Emily's story is her own and she will tell you in her own time but we had already decided to suggest you leave her here with us."
"She was always happy here..." Jules murmured and then went on to tell his father what he and Elizabeth had planned while still trying to work out how they had missed her falling so far.
When Emily started to wake she found herself curled into another body, their arms wrapped around her and chin on top of her head. Her face was pressed into their neck and her hands were fisting their jumper clutching whoever it was close to her. Breathing deeply, Emily recognised the perfume.
Her Mother...
Pulling back slightly Emily opened her eyes to look up at her mother.
She didn't know what surprised her more... that she hadn't been woken up by yelling when her mother arrived or the soft look Elizabeth was giving her.
"Mom?"
Elizabeth pulled Emily close "I missed you..."
"I miss you too..." she mumbled into her mother's chest.
Elizabeth doesn't miss the present tense in Emily's words.
The move from Athens to Rome had included a promotion to Minister for Elizabeth, she had in fact been appointed Chargé d'affaires while a new Ambassadorial appointment was being made. The responsibilities and work load meant longer days and most evenings were either at an event of some sort or closed up in her private study. Prior to Rome Elizabeth and Jules had ensured if they weren't going to be home for dinner they had breakfast with Emily and one of them was there when she got home from school. That had stopped with the appointment to Rome and day's had gone by when she was in the office before Emily got up in the morning and didn't return home until long after she was in bed. She hadn't even noticed Emily started disappearing over night until one of the Marines pointed it out.
They'd thought Emily was ok with all the changes but those four words slapped Elizabeth in the face harder than finding out her 16 year old was pregnant.
They'd left her alone and Emily had gone searching for companionship and took anything she could get.
"Come on... dinner should be ready." Elizabeth pulled Emily upright and out of the bed, she could see the apprehension and shame on her daughters face... in the tight shirt and sweats her condition was obvious and her tense posture screamed out to Elizabeth that her daughter was expecting anger and condemnation from her parents and maybe that's what she would have received if she had come to them in Rome rather than taking off.
9 Day's since a call from the Embassy telling them Emily had left for school two days before and had not returned yet, a check with the school confirmed she hadn't attended class in 3 days. Jon Cooley hadn't seen her since the night before Elizabeth and Jules flew to Washington.
9 Days of not knowing if she was dead or alive.
Father Gamino had turned up and his story had infuriated them. Jules had immediately contacted the Father's superiors and asked them to explain why a distressed teenage girl hadn't been given the help she was obviously crying out for. Why had she been turned away with promises of damnation?
Matthew Benton claimed the same as Jon until faced with his best friends terrified parents wanting to know if Father Gamino had told them the truth.
Morgues and hospitals had been checked and there was no one matching her description.
9 days of the thought of never seeing her again.
The anger at finding out about the baby had been tempered by the knowledge of their daughter being so fearful of their reaction that she'd fled the country. The relief when they received confirmation that she was safe with her grandparents.
By the time they arrived in Les Viollins acceptance had set in.
Cupping Emily's face in her hands Elizabeth leaned in close to kiss her forehead. Leaning back Elizabeth held Emily's face and looked her straight in the eye.
"You are my daughter and I love you. Do you understand?"
Emily stared up at her and blinked slowly unsure of the answer.
"Did you make bad decisions?"
Nod
"Are you willing to live with the consequences?"
Nod
"Do you want to keep the baby?"
Emily paused a tear leaking out of her eye before nodding slowly.
"Then we'll work it out, cause nothing can make me stop loving you."
Emily's eyes drifted away from her mother's her doubt in the first and last statements obvious. Elizabeth pulled Emily into a tight hug and promised herself that by the time she had to go back to Rome Emily wouldn't doubt that her mother loved her.
"Come on Em... let's go eat."
"Bathroom first..."
"Get used it" Elizabeth commented as they went down the hall "it's only going to get worse".
The adults kept the conversation at dinner light, deciding any further conversations about Emily's future could take place once they were at the Chateau.
Between the all the changes her body is going through and the months of sleepless nights Emily didn't last long and ended up dozing on her father's shoulder after desert. Jules kept his arm tight around her.
They rouse her enough to get her back into bed, refusing to leave Emily for the time being Elizabeth settled herself with a book by the fire in Emily's room. After bringing their bags in Jules joined her and they sat in silence for several minutes.
"I'm going to take the training position..." Elizabeth eventually murmured.
The very first department to approach Elizabeth when word got out about her desire for a Washington based assignment had been the FSI. They had a position opening up the following June... technically a lateral move… a 3 year assignment to the Foreign Service Institute would look good on her resume and allow her the time and flexibility to get Emily through the final years of high school and her first year of college.
Several other offers had been made but none that would allow her to focus on Emily.
Jules smiled sadly "Sounds good... I think I'm going to contact the university and cancel all my engagements after the New Year. I'll stay here with Emily."
Most people assumed Emily got her language skills from her mother, and while it was true to an extent it was her father they truly came from. With a PHD in advanced linguistics Dr. Jules Prentiss was always inundated with requests to provide short courses and visiting lectures at Universities. If he'd calculated his dates correctly he'd been in Milan for a month of lectures when his then 15 year old daughter got pregnant.
Always in demand and always busy...
The night was peaceful, the fresh mountain air good for all of them.
As they were dressing the next morning Elizabeth turned to her daughter.
"Em, have you been seen by a Doctor yet? The clinic Matthew took you to doesn't count."
"No" Emily whispered, she'd been too scared to go and see someone after running out of the clinic.
"We'll call down to Freissinières and get you an appointment for this week."
In all honesty Elizabeth was panicking… her bright, curious beautiful daughter had her innocence stripped and had nearly been destroyed for a career move and she had no idea how to fix it.
She didn't even know if it would be possible to fix and if Emily was going to keep this baby then they only had 4 months to repair the damage that had happened so hard and so fast.
By lunch time they had passed Dormillouse and were heading west along the Torrent du Lait.
Pulling up at the chateau Elizabeth grinned at Jules and Emily's delight at being home.
The week at the Chateau was good for all of them. Despite the worsening weather Emily and Elizabeth spent their days wandering through the woods along the Torrent Du Lait their conversations meandered along events of the last year and tentative plans for the future.
The rupture in the relationship was stitched and bandaged… only time would tell if it would truly heal.
Hearing Emily talk about her experiences at the supposedly best school available Elizabeth planned to have a very frank discussion with the Headmaster when she went to remove Emily from the school. The day of Emily's doctor's appointment Jules had spent at the local school organising for them to support Emily as she finished her sophomore year via distance education.
Emily was hesitant at the idea of returning to Washington at this point, only the promise of being able to stay in France until July and the promise of staying put until she went to college got her even remotely receptive to the plan.
With a promise to be back the week before Christmas Jules and Elizabeth reluctantly returned to Rome.
END CHAPTER 1