Disclaimer: please see my profile

A/n hello all... Here's the sequeal to Catnip you all asked for so nicely. There's no Seaver in this story mostly because I don't like her, but also because she'd history Yay. This picks up right after the last chapter of Catnip. I began writing it before the news came out that Paget and AJ are returning so it follows cannon only somewhat and will deal with the teams reaction to her 'resurrection.' Please enjoy

The Prodigal Returns

The first thing Emily noticed when she exited the enclosed walkway from the plane, were all the people. Men with briefcases in one hand and carryon luggage in the other hand buffeted her. She dodged a family of four that looked lost, and nearly ran into a very old Hispanic woman with a walker and a full head of white hair.

The second thing she noticed was a woman with long blond hair and familiar blue eyes standing next to one of the black, fake leather covered chairs in the waiting area. Emily stopped in front of her friend and gave her a tired smile.

"I thought non ticketed persons weren't allowed past security."

"You'd be surprised the places a DOD ID get you these days."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you standing here, but I am."

JJ reached for Emily's carryon bag. "Here, let me help you with that."

Emily didn't try to stop her because JJ's tone was irritated rather than welcoming.

"Why are you angry?"

"You were supposed to stay out of sight. Have you lost your mind?"

Emily glanced sidelong at her friend as they dodged more passengers that hurried past them in the opposite direction.

"I'm surprised you don't know. I thought the DOD and Homeland Security had eyes everywhere." She joked in the manner of a paranoid conspiracy theorist.

"Let's not talk about this here."

"Wow… You really are turning paranoid."

JJ favored her with a scowl to rival that of Hotch on his best day. Emily decided to shut up until they gathered her bags at the claim and made their way out to JJ's car.

"Okay…" JJ said as she strapped on her seat belt. "I have a flag on your Ids… I was alerted and so was my boss when you bought your ticket in Paris. What's going on?"

"I got Doyle and all what's left of his compatriots. Didn't you hear about the explosion at his Estate?"

"That was you." JJ's eyebrows winged into her bangs.

"Yeah… I still have good connections. I'm sure your boss told you there's nothing left of ten men and that big house. It was nearly vaporized."

JJ pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road that circled the parking lot to the exit and the freeway. "How do you know he's dead this time? You didn't leave anything behind. The bodies are charred bone and ash. We can't even do a DNA test."

"You don't have to use that tone with me JJ. You can tell your boss that he was in there. I followed him there. A friend of mine had eyes on the place when I pushed the button on the detonator from a very safe distance. He's dead and Declan is safe. That's all I care about."

JJ pulled onto the freeway, sliding into traffic as smoothly as shears cut through silk. She didn't say anything for a long time. "Why did you come back Emily?"

"How can you ask me that? You're my friends, my family, I miss you."

"So you're just going to walk right back into your old life. They all think you're dead."

"That wasn't my idea." Emily spat out. "As I recall, faking my death was your idea. I didn't want to go there again. You talked me into it. You said Hotch was all for it too, that it would keep everyone safe."

"Don't you remember that's what you wanted all along? That's why you didn't tell us about Doyle in the first place." JJ stomped on the brake when a large man with a beard, and a leather jacket buzzed by her on a motorcycle.

"Don't turn my words against me. I was right. If I'd told you all about Doyle from the beginning, he would've picked you off one by one. I couldn't let that happen."

JJ glanced over at her friend who stared out the window at the passing traffic. "You should've let us make that decision on our own. We're adults Em."

"You have a child JJ. Hotch has a son. Reid has his mother. Morgan has his mother and sisters. Garcia has Kevin and Rossi - well he has someone I'm sure. I couldn't let them lose any of you."

"It wasn't your decision to make." JJ insisted as she maneuvered the car into the far right hand lane and accelerated.

"I'm not going to apologize. If that's what you're looking for you can let me out and I'll get a cab."

JJ finally gave her a rueful smile. "I'm not looking for an apology Emily. I just want you safe and alive for everyone's sake. Nice going, by the way, with the bombs in Doyle's place. How did you know he'd go back there?"

"The same way the French government, Interpol and the DOD knew he would." She smirked at JJ. "The estate's been empty for years, owned by a corporation you can only trace with the talents of someone like Garcia. Unfortunately, my hacker wasn't as good as Garcia. It took him twice as long as I thought to find that Doyle still owned the place through his old friends and series of corporate blinds. Even Interpol couldn't find the real owner."

"I admit I'm impressed. You executed a well thought out plan with military precision." JJ exited the freeway behind a large, white panel truck and stopped at the red light.

"Thanks… That means a lot coming from you."

JJ turned right and headed east.

"Where are you taking me?" Emily asked.

"I'm taking you home with me. You can't go back to your place."

Emily was silent for a long time as they passed large homes, with huge shade trees that cast long, sinuous shadows over green lawns and colorful flowerbeds. It was something she never thought she'd see again. Her heart should've been rejoicing at her return.

"Emily… Are you alright?"

"I was just thinking."

"You sound like Reid." JJ said with a grin.

Emily didn't smile. "How are they?" She asked.

Maybe talking about her family would get her mind off the fact that she had no idea what was going to happen when she tried to pick up her life.

JJ made a left hand turn, drove for three blocks in silence then pulled into the driveway of her large, red brick house. "Why don't we get you situated in my guest room and then I'll tell you all about them.

CMCMCM

Reid pulled off the tie he'd worn to Ms Strong's funeral and tossed it into the clothes hamper. He sat down on the edge of his bed and frowned. The day seemed like a dream in some ways. He didn't like the similarity of Marion Strong's funeral and the graveside service they'd had for Emily. It was as if history repeated itself in some macabre way.

He slipped off his dress shirt, kicked off his shoes and swung his legs around so he lay flat on his bed. It creaked softly as he tried to arrange his limbs in a more comfortable way. He flipped over on his side and then back to his left side and then to his stomach. He couldn't breathe face down on the pillow though. How did people sleep on their stomachs? He knew sleeping on your back was bad for said back. It was better to sleep on one side, but not the left side because he'd heard it wore out the heart faster, even though there was no scientific proof.

Stop thinking about the right way to sleep.

It was the middle of the afternoon anyway. If he went to sleep, it would interrupt his sleep cycle, which the books said not to do if you wanted to sleep well at night. They said to take ten-minute naps to boost energy in the afternoon, but he knew if he fell asleep, that he'd never wake up.

He sighed and turned to his right side again where he didn't have to see the sunlight and blue sky out the window. If he didn't see it, he wouldn't have to worry about Violet and how she was doing with Garcia. He wouldn't have to think about the strange way Sergio behaved at the graveyard.

God, how he hated the word graveyard… It was such a hard and unyielding word. Cemetery wasn't any better either. It came from the Greek word koimētērion, which meant dormitory, or put to sleep. It was morbid, to think of such a place as a dormitory. He shivered at the thought and closed his eyes.

At that moment, Sergio leapt onto the bed, shifting it a little when he landed. Reid let out a startled cry and turned over to see the cat staring at him with his bright green eyes.

"You scared the hell out of me Sergio. What are you doing?" He squeaked.

The cat crawled silently onto his abdomen and lay there observing him like Reid must know something important.

"I don't understand you. Why did you run away like that in the cemetery?"

Sergio licked Reid's fingers.

"I wish you could talk sometimes."

Sergio meowed.

"Very funny… I'm serious."

Sergio just stared at him as Reid scratched his neck.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were some kind of magical creature that knows the mysteries of the universe."

Sergio began to purr, loudly.

"I'm going crazy and talking seriously to a cat."

Sergio just stared at him as if he agreed that Reid might be losing his mind.

"Alright… I'm going to ask it even if I think its nuts."

Sergio twisted his next head under Reid's scratching fingers.

"Did you run away from Emily's grave because you know she's not there?"

Sergio opened his green eyes, twitched his tail and purred.