Author Note – a sequel to Goodbye. I hope you enjoy this; I do have plans for a few more chapters. I would love to read any comments you have, so if you have a few moments let me know what you think.

Disclaimer – I don't own Criminal Minds, or any of its' characters.

Distance

'Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad cuz I miss you I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.'

Macy Newkirk

Penelope let out a squeal when the email opened on her screen. There in writing was an invitation slash orders to help with the security for the Olympic Games. In London. She glanced briefly at the small snap shot she had by the bottom of her screen. Her own smiling face was beaming back at her as she had her arms wrapped around JJ and Emily as they smiled at whoever had been behind the camera.

It had been quiet without Emily and she missed the brunette terribly. Penelope could clearly remember the day when Emily gathered the team to tell them she was leaving.

Penelope bustled through the bullpen, Morgan ushering from behind. Normally she would ask what had him so riled up but he was so tense. As far as she was aware they didn't have a case. Panic started to set in as she went up the stairs. He followed her closely to the conference room where everyone else was waiting for them.

She joined Reid and JJ who were sat at the table. Hotch was looking over a file in the corner of the room, while Rossi sat casually on the couch reading his paper. Emily stood in front of the screen, pacing back and forth, a finger in her mouth as she nibbled on the nail. Penelope frowned as Emily exchanged a look with Morgan and he leant with his hands in his pockets against the wall nearest Emily, almost protectively.

Emily dropped her hand from her mouth, rubbing them nervously on her trousers. She turned away from him as she addressed the rest of the group. "Um," Emily cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention. "We haven't got a case, I just wanted…" She trailed off as she glanced around the room at the frowning faces of her friends.

Penelope glanced sideways at Reid and JJ, but they looked as confused as she felt as Emily tried to find the right words for whatever she had to say. Worry clouded her mind as she tried to think of a time when Emily had ever been tongue tied. Penelope looked to Hotch and Morgan for a sign of reassurance, but Hotch was focused on Emily, silently offering support. Morgan was also focused on Emily; however he had a mask in place.

After a moment, Emily shared another glance with Morgan, who just nodded at her. The brunette regained her composure as she turned back to her friends. "I have some news."

Penelope felt her head begin to shake as she felt the foreboding set in her mind, but she didn't interrupt her friend. At her side Reid sat up straighter.

Emily nervously wrung her hands again before taking a deep breath. "I'm leaving."

The silence in the room was almost deafening. Nobody moved they just sat staring at Emily for a few seconds as what she said sunk in. For a moment Penelope thought it was a joke and everyone was going to yell 'gotcha', but the yell never came. Morgan took his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms across his chest. He already knew. This wasn't a joke, and Emily was leaving. Penelope felt a tear roll down her cheek, catching on the rim of her glasses.

"Why?" The quiet question came from Reid. Penelope looked at the young man; his confusion was evident on his face. He looked so childlike at that moment; Penelope's heart broke a little more.

Emily swallowed. "Because I need some time," she started. "I can't shake off what happened last year. It feels like I'm dancing around you guys all the time."

"How long have you felt this way?" JJ asked.

Emily's eyes widened a little as she looked at the woman, who had been her only source of information about the team during those seven months, her only friend to talk to. "Since I came back," she admitted, her own eyes watering.

Now that she looked at Emily she could see the worry lines around her eyes. Thinking back over the year, Penelope realised what they had all missed. They had all been concerned with how the team was dealing with her return, and ignored how Emily was dealing with it. She remembered the slight hesitation Emily had when Strauss offered her place back on the team. Penelope understood where her friend was coming from, and cursed herself for not being able to see it sooner.

"Why didn't you tell any of us sooner? We could have helped, we could have…" Penelope said, trailing off when Emily shook her head.

"I ignored it for so long, hoping it would go away. Don't get me wrong, I love being here with all of you and I'm going to miss you so much."

"Where are you going?" Rossi asked gently.

Penelope was distracted as Emily looked over her shoulder at Morgan, who shifted uncomfortably against the wall. Obviously they had already talked about this, and he didn't like the answer. But he said nothing, silently offering his backing to their friend.

"London," was all Emily offered. Reid sat up straighter at the same time as Penelope as they realised the same thing.

"You're going back to Interpol," Reid stated. Emily winced at the edge to his voice, nodding anyway.

"But isn't that going to put you back into the same situation?" Penelope couldn't help asking, her worry escalating. She was only slightly relieved when Emily shook her head.

"It's a desk job, Easter asked me to run the London office," she explained.

"But it's in London," Penelope said, unable to keep the whine from her voice as another tear slid down her face. Penelope held onto her composure tightly, though she desperately wanted to cry and pull Emily into a hug that the brunette seemed to need. This had obviously been a hard decision for Emily that had been a long time coming apparently. "Do you have to go that far away?"

Emily sniffed as she concentrated on Penelope, her big brown eyes filling with tears as she wiped her cheek. "I already accepted the offer and handed in my resignation." Hotch bowed his head a tad. Refocusing on Emily, Penelope's tears flowed freely as Emily silently begged them not make this harder.

"You're really going, aren't you?" JJ asked quietly.

Emily nodded again. "I love all of you," she said to them, sounding more confident than she did a few moments ago. "This such a hard decision to make, but I realised this isn't like before," Emily paused for a moment. "I don't have to say goodbye. I don't want to." Penelope watched as Emily shared another look with Morgan, he gave her a small twitch that looked like it was the beginnings of a smile. "What I mean is I can come home for a visit, and you guys better visit me." Penelope nodded vehemently, slightly encouraged as Emily wiped another tear away. "I'm going to miss you, all of you."

Penelope jumped out of her chair as she finally raced around the table to pull Emily into a hug. Emily clung to her tightly. "I'm going to miss you," Penelope said. "Promise me that you'll stay as safe as you can." Emily nodded against her shoulder as they felt JJ's hands touch their backs and they opened their hug up to their friend. "And you better Skype at least once a week."

"Online scrabble is a must," JJ told them. They all laughed gently; trying not to cry in the circle they had created in the middle of the room.

"When do you leave?" They turned to Reid; he still sat in the same position. He looked so confused.

"My resignation is effective as of the end of the week. I leave for London in two," Emily explained, moving closer to him. Reid stood and pulled her into a long hug. "I'm going to miss you Reid."

"I think you're going to love London," he said to her. Penelope tilted her head to the side as he gave Emily his blessing.

"Not as much as DC," Emily promised as she pulled away from him. "Thank you." Next in line was Rossi, who said something in Italian that made her laugh.

"Good luck Kiddo," he told her, patting her back.

Hotch offered her a stiff hug. "Congratulations, you'll be a great asset to them." Emily smiled at him for his support.

Penelope frowned when Emily stepped backwards towards where Morgan stood, but she didn't turn to him nor did he step up for his turn. While it was obvious Morgan accepted Emily's decision and he would support her, there was a strange vibe emanating from the soon-to-be ex-partners. Penelope hoped that it would be different from last year. He had worked so hard to find Doyle, Emily returning being his unexpected reward, only for her to leave again. Penelope hoped their friendship could survive the distance.

"I believe that you all have paperwork outstanding from various cases," Hotch said signalling that it was time to call the meeting to an end. Almost everyone filed out of the conference room after him, Emily and Morgan staying where they were.

Penelope followed JJ and Reid to their desks, perching on JJ's desk as Hotch and Rossi disappeared into their respective offices. She blocked out the quiet chatter between JJ and Reid, glancing back at the conference room. The blinds were half drawn, but Penelope could see Emily and Morgan.

Emily finally turned to face Morgan. Morgan said something to her, Emily nodded. Morgan opened his arms as he pushed off of the wall. Emily accepted his comfort, holding him just as tightly, relief evident on her face. Penelope raised an eyebrow when they stayed in hold for longer than they should, even for people who had been through what they had together. Penelope's mouth formed a perfect 'o' when Morgan placed a small kiss to Emily's forehead and the brunette closed her eyes in response.

Her mind processed every interaction she had recently witnessed between the two. They had intended to spend the weekend going through Emily's house inspection. They had been very close at the wedding, holding each other much like they were at the moment. Apparently the increased closeness between them had been another thing that Penelope hadn't noticed. She sighed as she realised that four thousand miles between them would put a halt to that.

A knock on her office brought her to the present. "Come in," she called to whoever was on the other side. Her Chocolate Thunder popped his head around her door. She brightened even more as she saw him. "Hey handsome, what can I do for you?"

Morgan flashed a mega-watt smile. "Did I just hear a squeal Baby Girl?"

Penelope let out a giggle as she nodded. "I just got some of the best news."

Morgan moved further into the room, closing the door behind him. He raised his eyebrows expectantly as he smiled at his friend's good mood. "Well come on Baby Girl, I know that you're dying to share."

Penelope paused for a moment. She did want to tell him, but was unsure how it would make him feel. Penelope had never asked him about what she had witnessed that day in the conference room, nor had she approached Emily about it. Morgan had been the one to drive Emily to the airport. He'd been in a bit of a flunk ever since.

"I'm going to the Olympics," Penelope rushed out. Morgan sat on the sofa by her window, his hands clasped in front of him as he digested the information.

Slowly a smile crept onto his face. "So am I."