Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count - 1816
Where She Belonged
The car pulled to a stop at the docks, and she swallowed hard. She really didn't want to be here. The driver didn't say anything as she gathered herself, and when she was ready, he stepped out of the car and opened her door for her.
Almost as soon as her heeled feet touched onto the concrete ground, there was a screech and Emily was accosted by a ball of warm arms and fluff and sequins.
"Look at you, my delicious fashionista!" Garcia cried, holding Emily tight. "You look fabulous."
When they parted, Emily couldn't help but blink at the figure hugging dress Penelope wore. It was pink and orange and had a fluffy lining. It was certainly something. And yet, as always, Penelope pulled it off flawlessly.
"You're gorgeous," Emily replied, a small smile gracing her lips. "I missed you."
"We missed you!" Penelope exclaimed, linking their arms together. "You're the last to arrive, my dear, so as soon as we're onboard, we can set sail for the open seas!"
"Open seas?"
Penelope rolled her eyes. "Close enough."
They walked up the incline onto the luxury yacht, smiling at the captain when he welcomed them aboard.
"I kept it secret from the other's that you're in town," Garcia said conspiritually. "You're going to be the best birthday present ever."
Emily's eyes widened. She'd thought that Penelope would at least warn them of her impending arrival. Shaking her head, she sighed. That just made it all the more awkward.
She tugged at the hem of her crimson dress, and allowed Penelope pull her closer to the room she could hear jovial chatter coming from.
"My loves, a surprise!" Penelope announced as they walked through the small doorway. Emily smiled at the shocked silence before she was engulfed with warm hugs and exclamations about her presence there.
"What are you doing here?" Hotch asked, as she was passed into his arms.
"Couldn't miss your birthday, could I?" she asked, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"Don't hog her!" Morgan complained, tugging her into his arms before Hotch could reply. He chuckled but let her go, and Derek hugged her tightly and lifted her, spinning her around.
"I missed you, Princess."
Spencer, JJ and Will came next, and then Emily was left facing a very pale David Rossi.
"Dave," she murmured, leaning forward to press a very chaste, very soft kiss against his cheek. "It's good to see you."
He stared at her as though he was looking at a ghost and her heart sank. She'd hoped it had been long enough that he'd be able to stand her presence for an evening, but judging by this reaction, she'd been way off base.
She turned away and allowed herself to be tugged into Derek's side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
The Captain announced that they were moving off, and the music started, loud enough for dancing but quiet enough that the conversation wouldn't be interrupted.
A glass of champagne was pressed into Emily's hand and she let herself be wrapped up in the chatter of the people who'd once been her family.
The people who still were her family, no matter the distance between them now.
She hadn't realised just how much she'd missed being surrounded by them until she was back here, immersed in their warmth. The only downside was Dave standing on the edges of the group, gripping the glass of scotch in his hand like it was the only thing keeping him from drowning.
…
She'd thought they were doing well. They were happy together, the team were happy for them, everything was… well, it was great.
And then he proposed.
She was a profiler, and she'd had absolutely no idea it was coming. Granted, he was a profiler too, but she still thought the she should have had an inclination of what was coming.
He'd done it in a restaurant too, all traditional, down on one knee, a diamond ring shining in the candlelight.
And Emily… she'd broken his heart.
She'd never wanted to get married. Getting married ruined things. She'd watched her parent's marriage fall apart, the two of them standing on opposite sides of the room at Christmas with her in the middle, looking between them.
She'd worked countless cases where spouses cheated on one another, where they murdered in a fit of rage, where children got dragged into bitter divorce proceedings and got treated more like a hot piece of property than a human being.
Dave had been married three times already; she didn't understand why he felt the need to try for a fourth.
They were happy as they were, weren't they?
Of course, turning down his proposal had imploded their relationship just as much as she suspected accepting it would, only much faster. She'd wanted to explain to him that she loved him, she just didn't love marriage, but she couldn't find the words.
Within weeks, they'd separated their things from one another's houses. Within weeks, it became clear to Emily that the two of them could no longer work together. Within weeks, marriage had ruined their relationship, and they hadn't even needed the vows to do it.
Emily did what she did best, and she ran away. Clive called, London beckoned, and Emily didn't look back.
…
"You look beautiful."
Emily looked up to see Dave walking towards her. She'd stepped out onto the deck for some air, and was leaning against the railing, looking out over the moonlit water.
"Thanks."
"I didn't expect to see you," he admitted, standing beside her and leaning his own arms on the railing.
"I thought you all knew I was coming," Emily replied apologetically. "Penelope only told me it was a surprise when I got out of the car. I would have warned you, Dave."
"I've missed you," he murmured. "So much, Em. It's good to see you."
"I've missed you too."
His hand settled on the small of her back. "I'm sorry."
She turned to look at him. "What are you sorry for? You did nothing to apologise for, Dave."
"I… should have been more willing to talk to you after. I should have pushed my bruised ego away and listened to you, rather than shutting down the way I did."
"I hurt you," she said, sighing heavily. "I understood."
"I don't think I was the only one hurt," he replied.
She shrugged lightly because he wasn't wrong, but she didn't know how to say it. It seemed that she was often tongue tied when she needed to talk to him.
"We were both upset," she said eventually. "But you didn't do anything wrong, Dave. The whole marriage thing… those are my own hang-ups."
He nodded slowly.
"They are. I just… there are so many things we both could have done differently, Em. I hate the way it just… ended. I loved you more than… well. I don't suppose it matters much now. You live halfway across the world."
She nodded, fighting back tears. The past tense of his words stabbed her heart but she knew she had no right to be hurt by them. She'd turned him down. She'd left.
Any residual pain was on her.
"We're about to cut the cake!" Garcia announced, popping her head around the door. "Let's go, my beautiful people!"
Emily smiled at her friend and nodded. She gestured for Dave to go before her, and the two of them rejoined the team. Emily wondered if he'd gotten whatever he'd been looking for when he'd come to speak with her.
…
"Em… go home."
She looked up to see Clive standing in the doorway of her office. It was late, and she hadn't even realised anyone was still there.
"I'm just going to finish up this paperwork and then I will," she promised, looking back down at the report.
She heard him sigh. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"
She frowned. "Doing what?"
"Being here. Keeping yourself away from your team. You haven't settled here, Em, and ever since you got back, you've buried yourself even deeper in work. You spend more time here than any two agents put together!"
"Clive—"
"Em. When I said 'go home', I meant, go home to America. Go home to the BAU. Go home to Rossi."
She slammed the file shut and glared at him. "Leave it alone," she snapped, standing up. She grabbed her bag and stalked past him into the corridor.
"You know I'm right, Em."
She shook her head but didn't look back at him as she left.
…
"What are you doing here?" she asked, freezing with her keys in her hands at the top of the steps leading to her flat.
Dave sat in front of her door, wilted flowers beside him. He looked up to see her staring at him and smiled.
"I miss you."
She blinked. "You, uh, you could have texted that, you know? Didn't have to come all the way to London."
She stepped forwards as he stood up and moved out of her way. She opened the door and gestured for him to enter, then closed and locked up behind her.
"Really, Dave, why are you here?"
"I love you," he said. "Seeing you again… it just brought it back in full, and I don't… I don't want to just let you go, Emily. If you don't want to get married, we won't get married, but… we can still be together, can't we?"
"Dave…"
He stepped forwards as she dropped her bag into its spot by the door and took her hand.
"We live on other sides of the world, Dave."
"So come home," he murmured, stepping forward again. "Move back to DC and… just let me love you. No jewelry necessary. I don't need to have a ring on your finger to know that you're it for me, Emily. You're the only one I want. I love you."
A single tear streaked down her cheek. "I love you too. But I—"
"We can work anything else out," he promised. "Just let me love you, and come home, and love me."
"That's all, huh?" she teased through her tears. "Just like that?"
He nodded. "Just like that. We can make it work, Emily."
He took a final step forwards and released her hand to wrap his arms around her. She returned the hug, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest.
"I love you," she whispered.
…
When she came home, it was to a wide smile on Dave's face.
When she came home, it was to a team that greeted her like she was family.
When she came home, she tripped over the threshold of Dave's condo, and his laughter filling her ears. "Graceful, Em."
When she came home, it was with the knowledge that she was where she belonged.
Written for;
Disney - C5. Rekindling a romance
Showtime - 13. Car
Attic - 7. Someone who chooses not to get married and their reasoning.
Arcade - Princess Zelda - Fashionista / Jewelry / Graceful.
365 - 33. Crimson
1000 - 926. Upset