Took this down to edit and decided to re-do it, so here is the official first chapter. Takes place after "The Silencer", but doesn't follow the timeline after that.
Emily sighed as the starred out the window, watching the clouds drift pass. A baby cried from behind her but her brain hardly processed the sound. Her mind was hours ahead of her,back at Quantico with her family. England had been fun for the most part- She had settled in fast after finding an amazing flat and enjoyed the new people and sights. She thought she had found the perfect place until Garcia and JJ had visited her. Ever since then she had felt home sick and uneasy. No matter what she did she found herself thinking of her former team and the place she had called home.
After a lot of thinking and planning she had decided that things weren't going to work out for her, at least not mentally. She wasn't afraid to admit she had become emotionally attached to her team- they were her family. She missed Morgan and Reid's endless debates, Hotch's failed attempts at humor, Rossi's father like advice. But most of all she missed JJ and Garcia- the two women were her best friends and a few phone calls a week weren't going to cut it. Especially not with Jack and Henry;they were calling more than anyone, mainly Jack. So now, a month later, she found herself on a flight, heading back to her real home.
"Can I get you anything ma'am?" A young flight attendant stopped in front of her,pulling her from her thoughts. "Anything to eat or drink?"
"No thank you," Emily gave her a friendly smiled. "Well, maybe a bottle of water," she decided.
"I'll be right back," she returned her smile, walking back down the aisle.
"Shh, It is ok Timmy," the young man behind her continued to rock the crying baby as Emily turned around. "I am sorry if he is disturbing you."
"It is fine," She assured him. "He sure does have a set of lungs on him though."
"Apparently we left his favorite blanket back home," he chuckled nervously. "I have no idea what I am doing," he admitted. "My wife usually takes care of him, but she had business in the states. We are flying over to visit her."
"I see. Want me to give it a try?" Emily offered.
"If you want. Obviously I don't have that special touch. I am James, by the way."
"Emily," She introduced herself before taking the five month old. "Hey there Timmy," she cooed to the brown eyed baby. "Are we a little fussy?" She talked to him in a soothing voice, gently rocking him. Within minutes he had stopped crying, watching her with droopy eyes as he sucked on his thumb. "I bet you just miss your mommy huh?" After a few more minutes of rocking and talking the baby was asleep, thumb still in his mouth. Emily carefully handed him back to his father, smiling at his awestruck expression.
"Wow, thank you."
"Not a problem," she shrugged.
"I've been trying to half an hour and you did that in minutes...you must have kids," he laughed.
"No, I don't," she smiled. "Just remember to relax- I swear they feed off fear."
"I'll keep that in mind," he chuckled, continuing to rock the sleeping baby.
Emily turned around in her seat, her gaze once again settling on the clouds outside. His statement made her think back to an old case. Two unsubs had been abused in their adoptive home as children and ended up killing families as substitutes for the real target of their rage. One of the unsubs had left a witness behind in the last family they murdered, due to the resemblance the girl had to his sister. Emily had connected with the girl and even considered giving her a home with herself, until the next of Kin stepped up to claim her. On the flight back JJ had assured her they were good people and the girl would be properly cared for. But she had also said she could see Emily with kids. At the time she had given it little thought- between her job and past it just wasn't a good idea. But now Doyle dead and her demanding job out of the way, she found herself with plenty of time.
"Here is you water miss." The young woman handed her a bottle,once again pulling her from her thoughts.
"Thank you," Emily smiled at her before taking a long drink from it, sighing as she sat the bottle down.
"Flight 106 is expected to land within the next ten minutes. Please fasten your seat belts."
Emily did as instructed, taking a deep breath as anxiousness gnawed at her stomach. She was about to be home.
. . . . .
"I believe I win," Morgan smirked as he sunk another paper ball into the trash bin that sat across from the desk. Reid frowned at him, crumpling a ball up and sunk it effortlessly.
"You haven't won yet." He smirked back, propping his feet on the edge of his desk.
"What is the score?" JJ looked up from the paperwork she was filling out, smiling at her two friends as they shot more paper balls towards the trash can.
"Six to seven now," Morgan replied as he sunk another. "First to ten wins."
"Seven to seven," Reid corrected, scoring another point.
"So is this how slow days usually go?" Blake asked from her new spot in the bullpen.
"Pretty much," the three replied in union, earning a laugh from the older agent.
"I see."
"Wait until the kid starts shooting off facts," Rossi commented as he leaned against Reid's desk, sipping a cup of coffee. "When he gets bored his brain goes into overdrive mode."
"Oh, it isn't that bad," JJ hid a grin, "As long as you have a dictionary and text book handy you'll be fine."
"That bad huh?" Blake laughed.
"Yeah, that bad," Morgan smirked as Reid missed a shot,nearly pegging someone that was walking across the catwalk. "Now you are behind a point. I can win in one shot," he crumpled another piece up and went to shoot in.
"Not!" Reid batted the ball down from the air.
"Hey, that is cheating!" Morgan said indignantly. "You little cheater."
"Aww, Spencer wouldn't cheat," Garcia smiled at him sweetly as she sat on the corner of Morgan's desk. "Would you?"
"I plead the fifth," he replied. "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime-"
"We all know how it goes," JJ laughed.
"Sorry," he grinned at her.
"We have to stop him," Rossi explained as he caught sight of Blake's puzzled expression. "Otherwise he could recite the whole constitution."
"Really?" She turned to the local genius.
"Well, yeah," he shrugged.
"Impressive," she nodded.
"So, what are my pretties up to today?" Garcia questioned, tossing a wad of paper towards the back of Morgan's head.
"This," JJ spread her hands. "It is an extremely slow day. For some of us that means paperwork...for the little boys it is play time. What are you doing out of your tech cave?"
"Decided to get some fresh air. I've heard it is good for you."
"Did you know that that expression actually has some truth to it? If you were to-"
"Please don't kid," Morgan groaned.
"Where is boss man at?" Garcia questioned.
"Hotch took the day off. He and Beth were going to Jack's final soccer game."
"Ah, Gotcha. Well, what do you say we get out of here and grab some dinner?"
"Sounds good to me," Morgan shrugged. "Anyone object?"
No one objected so they began shutting off the computers, picking up anything that might qualify as a mess. JJ tapped the papers into a neat stack before sliding them into a file, placing it in her desk drawer. Blake dropped her finished reports into a basket as Rossi tossed his cup in the trash, locking the door to his office. When finished they grabbed their bags and met in front of the elevator. Garcia hit the button, turning around to face the others as they waited.
"So what are we going to eat?" Morgan asked.
"I don't know," Garcia shrugged. "Anyone have any suggestions?" She asked as the doors slid open behind them. "What?" She asked as the others took on puzzled expressions.
"I hear there is a new Chinese restaurant downtown," a voice said from behind them.
Garcia turned around with a squeal, her hand flying to her mouth. "No way!"
"Em!" JJ's face split into a smile.
"Emily," Morgan and Reid both grinned.
"Surprise," Emily smiled. "You just going to stand there?" She teased Garcia.
"No!" She stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. "What are you doing here? And why didn't you call first?" She propped her hands on her hips,frowning at her friend.
"Then it wouldn't be a surprise. Hey Jayje," she pulled the blond into a hug. "How are Henry and Will?"
"Great," she smiled. "But seriously, what are you doing here?"
"I'll tell you over dinner. That is if I am invited."
"Of course you are," Morgan chuckled, hugging her. "It is good to see you."
"It's been a while huh?" She hugged Reid and Rossi before turning to the other woman. "You must be Agent Blake."
"Please, call me Blake. You must be the famous Emily Prentiss. I have heard a lot about you."
"Oh really? Good or bad?" She laughed.
"All good," Blake smiled.
"We have to call Hotch and Will- we can all meet up somewhere!" Garcia started digging in her purse for her phone as they all crowded onto the elevator. "Hotch, you have to bring Beth and Jack and meet us down town...yes it is an emergency...no I can't tell you. Just do it! I've got to call Will now!"
Emily smiled as she stood amougnst the people she loved, listening as Reid and Morgan started arguing over whether chess could really be considered a sport. She sighed, shaking her head. "It is good to be home."