It was a Saturday afternoon and Doyle's men had arranged a deal with a local Italian arms dealer known only as Merlo. It was a big shipment so Doyle has asked Lauren to come along with him. They drove to the designated meeting spot and met up with Doyle's crew but there was no signs of the mysterious Merlo. An hour passed and fearing it was a set up Doyle started to get nervous. Just as he was about to pull out an cargo truck arrived.
Two armed men got out of the truck and went to meet Doyle. One was tall and dark with a look that said he wouldn't hesitate to use force. The other was a strong looking man, older than the first, who showed no signs of emotion on his stoic face.
"You must be Merlo," Doyle said sticking out a hand to the first man.
"The name's Morgan," the man said. "This is Hotch."
"I'd like to see the merchandise," Doyle replied. Morgan went to the back of the truck and lifted a tarp to reveal large crates. Hotch opened one to verify the guns were inside. Emily was close by and noted they were automatic rifles, she cringed knowing the people who they would be going to.
A woman, who had gone previously unnoticed came out of the cab of the truck. She was petite with blonde hair and blue eyes and a look that said "don't fuck with me". She came around the back of the truck and waved Morgan and Hotch off.
"Il mio nome e Merlo," she said with a grin, the way she spoke Italian made Emily's heart flutter. "Is the merchandise to your liking?"
"You're Merlo?" Doyle scoffed as if a woman couldn't possibly be behind such an infamous operation.
"You were expecting someone else?" She smiled as she looked at Emily, "You have brought your own donna, no?"
Emily stepped forward, "Lauren Reynolds."
"Tsk tsk tsk," Merlo replied. "Una donna della tua bellezza non dovrebbe essere appeso in giro spazzatura come questo."
Emily blushed, "I don't think beauty has anything to do with this business."
"If you two are done flirting, I'd like to get this over with." One of Doyle's men interrupted.
"Of course," Merlo replied. "Do you have the money?"
Ian set down two large bags in front of the woman. Morgan opened them and nodded back in approval. They shook hands and Doyle's men loaded the crates into their truck. Merlo and her men turned to leave but she paused and looked over her shoulder momentarily.
"Bella," she purred. Emily looked up and locked eyes with the blonde. "Call me if you ever want to get out of the slums and start doing real business."
That night when Emily was getting ready for bed her phone vibrated. The only other person outside of Doyle (who was in the bedroom with her) who had her number were her contacts at Interpol. But they wouldn't risk blowing her cover by contacting her so close to discovering Valhalla's true identity. She picked up her phone and took it into the bathroom for privacy.
"Ciao bella"
Emily quickly replied, "How did you get this number?"
"I have my ways. Meet me at Siena Cathedral, 9:00 am. Come alone."
Emily jumped when there was a knock on the door. "I'll be out in a minute!" she called.
When she returned to the bedroom Doyle wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her in for a kiss, "Everything alright?"
"Fine," Emily lied. What could Merlo possibly want with me? Emily knew it couldn't be anything good but something about the way the blonde had smiled at her peaked her interest. "I'm going into town tomorrow morning."
"I have a meeting with a new buyer in the morning," Doyle reminded.
"I'll go alone, I just need to get out for a day." Emily smiled, hoping she was convincing enough. Doyle shrugged and left the conversation there. They got in bed and Emily typed one more message before falling asleep, "I'll be there."
By 8:45 am Emily was waiting outside of the cafe across the street from Siena sipping a cappuccino. She had convinced Doyle she didn't need a body guard escorting her into town and he had trusted her enough to abide. Right on time she saw Morgan escorting Merlo across the street. Merlo sat down across from Emily and waved Morgan off, he was hesitant but eventually followed orders.
"Nice lap dog," Emily smiled. "Now, why did you want to meet?"
"Why must I have an ulterior motive? Maybe I just wanted to see you again, bella."
"Well you have the upper hand here," Emily pointed out. "You know my name but I only know your moniker."
"How rude of me," Merlo smiled deviously, "Jennifer, my name is Jennifer."
"Nice to meet you, Jennifer," Emily replied. "Where did you get Merlo?"
Jennifer shrugged, "I've been doing this business or a long time. My mother used to call me piccino merlo, little blackbird. It stuck. What about you, Lauren Reynolds? What are doing wrapped up with Valhalla?"
Emily's heart skipped a beat. Could it be true? Had he been the one she was hunting the entire time? She tried to keep her composure but Jennifer had picked up on her shock.
"You did not know?" Jennifer asked.
Emily kept her voice even, "We try to keep business out of the bedroom."
"You are a beautiful woman, Lauren," Jennifer replied bluntly. "But a women who lie with Valhalla often end up dead."
"I'll keep that in mind." Emily shifted in her chair and avoided eye contact.
"I have offended you, bella. My apologies."
"I can hold my own," Emily stated. She knew this new information would lead to Ian Doyle's arrest by Interpol and would bring her undercover operation to a close. She tried not to show her appreciation to the blonde, such a small slip of the tongue and Emily had everything she needed to put Doyle away for life.
Jennifer chuckled, "I believe that. Shall we go for a stroll?"
"If you want to try to get me to turn on Doyle, you're not going to get far. I'm loyal to my own."
Jennifer laughed, the sound was sensual like a laugh only shared by lovers in the most private of moments. "Bella, if I wanted you, I would have you." she leaned in and whispered in Emily's ear, "I can be very convincing."
Emily felt her pulse quicken as the younger woman closed the distance and kissed Emily quickly on the lips. Emily pulled away instantly and tried to regain her composure. Jennifer grinned again, "What bella? You are into the dangerous types, no?"
"I already told you, I'm loyal to Doyle...to Valhalla." Emily reminded, feeling her cheeks blush.
"Give me the day," Jennifer offered. "I am not one to take no for an answer. Give me the day and if you don t want to come home with me, then I will never contact you again."
Emily monitored the woman's expression and knew she was being serious. Emily wasn't sure what she admired more, her cockiness or her utter disregard for the word 'no'. She shrugged, what could this woman possibly do in one day to convince Emily to go home with her?
Shit. Emily thought as Morgan drove her and Jennifer up to a large villa. Her hand had been intertwined with Jennifer's for the better part of the day and Emily could barely remember not feeling the warmth of the other woman's embrace. Shit.
"Welcome," Jennifer said as she lead Emily inside. If there was one thing Emily had learned it was that the arms business paid well and that wealth was usually shown off by expensive villas overlooking vineyards that stretched for kilometers.
"It's gorgeous," Emily replied honestly as she walked through the main hall, letting her fingers trail over the fine art on the walls. She stopped in front of one of the paintings and cocked her head, "Is this an original Monet?"
"But of course," Jennifer said nonchalantly. "You have a good eye."
It wasn't the painting Jennifer was looking at, her eyes were glued to Emily. She made a note of how Emily's hair trailed on her shoulders, the way she chewed her lip while she was thinking, the way she smiled discovering more art along the walls. Jennifer knew she had Emily wrapped around her finger.
"You should see the view from the bedroom," Jennifer insisted as she took Emily by the hand.
It was the last words exchanged for the next four hours. Fucking shit. Emily laid on her back, wrapped in nothing but crimson silk bed sheets. Jennifer was sitting on the side of the bed with a cigarette hanging loosely between her lips. She looked back at the winded brunette, "You do not disappoint, bella."
"I need to get back before Ian sends his dogs after me," Emily sighed as she traced her hand up Jennifer's naked back.
"Oh come on," Jennifer sighed as she shivered under the touch of her partner. "What fun would it be to let you go?"
Emily rolled to the edge of the bed and took the cigarette from Jennifer, taking a long drag. "What fun would it be to show you everything I've got in just one afternoon?"
"Beautiful and sassy," Jennifer grinned as she kissed Emily fervently. "I like that in a woman."
Emily reluctantly got dressed and kissed her partner goodbye, until the next time they would meet. Morgan escorted her to the car and drove her back into town to where she had left her own vehicle. She drove back to Doyle's estate with a huge grin. She picked up her phone and called her handler, "Valhalla is go."
"Understood." the voice on the other line confirmed.
Emily got back to the villa and found Doyle waiting up for her. He kissed her hello and looked at her for a moment, "You look frazzled. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah," Emily lied trying to keep up her bluff, "How was your day?"
"Long, I've been missing you." Doyle pulled her closer and planted a rough kiss on her lips. Emily pulled away.
"I'm going to go to bed," she told him. Without another word she went upstairs and slipped into the bed, visions of her afternoon playing through her mind as she finally drifted off. She tossed and turned knowing her information would mean Interpol would come in at anytime, she feared what Doyle would do if he figured out she had been a mole the entire time. She couldn't worry about that now, not with the scent of Jennifer's perfume still lingering on her skin.
The next morning Emily was tending to the garden when Interpol agents surrounded the villa. They quickly took her and Doyle into custody. As she got in the car she saw the betrayal flash across Doyle's face before the agents handcuffed him.
Once she was safe back at the Interpol office an agent uncuffed her. Clyde Easter, her handler, was the first to give her a hug. "Welcome back," he smiled.
Emily was glad that two years of undercover work had paid off but at the same time she wondered about the mysterious Merlo. She let herself wonder what they could have been if things had been different, if she had truly been Lauren Reynolds.
"You're going to be debriefed by one of the lead agents on the case," Easter explained as he ushered her into an interrogation room.
Emily took a seat and poured a cup of water, while she waited for the other agent. The door opened and a familiar face walked in the room. Emily froze, was she seeing things? It wasn't possible.
"Emily, I'm agent Jennifer Jareau."
"How?" was all that managed to escape Emily's lips.
"We had to warn you we were coming," agent Jareau explained. "I knew if I told you Doyle was Valhalla you would know the operation was coming to a close. You did exactly as expected."
Emily covered the microphone on the table, "But you...and I..."
Agent Jareau smiled, "That was just a bonus, bella. Shall we proceed?"
Emily smiled and nodded, "Anything for you, piccino Merlo"