A/N:
My dear Lovies,
I HAVE NOT ABANDONED THIS FIC! I just need you, my lovely readers, followers, and reviewers, to understand that! Sorry for the long wait-forensics got the best of me, as did life…:P I'll try to get back on schedule since forensics is finally over (wanna know how we/I did? Leave a review!) and school is out May 31st! Yay!
One shot will be written for the 100th reviewer! =) Same rules as in previous chapters! But you MUST GIVE ME A PROMPT! That is all I ask of you. =) Oh! Phantom of the Opera!
Alright…I know, I know…enough with the babbling, Kate, onto the next chapter…ok, there you all go:
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"Four ninety…not bad." The tall brunette said as she shoved the money into her bra and quickly walked away from her third client of the night's house.
She took a few steps and realized how tired she was. She hurt all over and was sore in places only a prostitute would know could hurt. After all, she did have three clients in the time span of five hours. That's about an hour and a half of straight intercourse in a row with three different unknown strangers. Emily shivered at the thought of her doing those dirty deeds…but it was for her daughter…Mia.
So she walked, and walked, and walked a little more, until she reached her ratty apartment.
'My daughter shouldn't have to life in a dump like this…" Emily thought to herself, salty water grouping in her tear duct.
She opened her cheetah print clutch and twisted the rusty key in the keyhole. She walked in and saw Emma, her regular babysitter, just closing her daughter's bedroom door slowly and quietly.
"Oh, hi, Ms. Prentiss…" She whispered and turned around, startled. "I didn't know you'd be home by now…otherwise I would've let you put her to bed." She slightly chuckled.
"I didn't know I'd be home this soon, either…I just got…um…tired." She said, struggling for words. "Did she just get to sleep?"
"Yes. I tried everything, but she just wouldn't go." Emma sighed as she checked her watch. "I'm sorry to run out on you so fast, but I have exams tomorrow and it's already eleven forty-one. Goodbye!"
"Thanks, Emma!" Emily called after the girl as she handed her thirty-five dollars and watched the blonde run out the door.
She quickly took off her high heels and plopped down on her bed, rubbing her sore feet and ankles. She took off her tight, upper thigh length dress and slinky lingerie and put on an old baggy shirt and comfy PJ pants.
She lay back on her bed, relief washing over her body. Soon she was asleep. Within minutes she awoke to the pitter pattering of little footsteps, putting full weight on the creaking floorboards. She sat up with a jolt and opened her eyes. To her relief, it was only Mia-whose big brown eyes were currently staring at her mother with a confused expression.
"Oh, honey, you scared Mommy." She said as she wiped her daughter's brown bangs from her face and kissed her porcelain forehead. "What do you need?"
"Water." She said bluntly as she rubbed her still tired eyes and followed her mother to the fridge, her purple slippers soundly making friction.
Emily yawned as she reached in the fridge for an Ice Mountain water bottle and handed it to her daughter who thankfully drank a few sips before handing it back to the older brunette.
"Potty!" She said worriedly-for she wasn't fully potty-trained yet, and still made a few accidents on occasion.
Emily quickly picked her up, ran to the bathroom, and sat her on the toilet. She stayed in there and encouraged her daughter until she felt her eyelids drooping slowly and asked her daughter if she thought she was almost done.
"Mommy!" The proud four-year-old jumped up from the toilet seat. "I went pee!"
Emily let out a giggle at the little girl's enthusiasm towards urinating, but couldn't help but also be enthused because that meant tucking in her daughter and falling asleep herself.
"Alright, Miss Mia, let's wipe you off and go to bed, how about that?" She inquired of the child as she wiped her bottom and pulled up her underwear, freeing the girl who excitedly ran off to her room.
"Good night, sweet pea." Emily said as she turned off her daughter's light and left her door open a crack, just the way she liked it.
"Mommy?" Mia said as she shot up in bed.
"Yes, honey?" Emily asked with confusion as she walked to her daughter's bedside once again and turned on the light.
"Why can't my daddy tuck me in like my friends at school?" She asked with crinkles on her forehead and a frown on her face.
Emily sighed deeply, tears blurring her vision.
Five years before…
"I just can't afford it, Agent Rossi…I'm sorry." Emily said as she passed her college professor and role model through teary eyes and pushed through the crowd, walking into the sunlit atmosphere outside.
"I'm sorry, too, kiddo." David Rossi sighed. His best student had just dropped out of his class, and most likely college and everything to do with the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico.
'She has such potential…' He thought as he picked up his book bag and slung it over his shoulder, rubbing his suddenly throbbing head.
~/~/~
Emily cried against the cold door frame in her run-down apartment. She had just given up one of the best things that had ever happened to her. Why?
Because of him.
Ian Doyle.
Son of a bitch! It's not that she didn't-or hadn't-loved him, she did. She just didn't love what he did to her and this baby she was now carrying…alone.
He had always been…how should we put this…beastly in bed…and life…but it wasn't an abusive relationship and never had been. He was just like that. Sure there could've been signs of autism, ADHD, or some other disorder, but it never showed through. Or at least to Emily.
She remembered that night they made their pact…sure it sounded stupid like something they'd do in a chick-flick…but it made her feel alive, secure, loved.
'I promise…Emily, why would I even think about leaving you?' His words rang throughout her head as the all too familiar stinging in her eyes returned.
'No matter what…meaning anything and I mean anything that happens, you won't leave if I need you?'
'Yes. Not just anything, but everything.'
She clenched her fists and punched the pillow beside her and viciously let out a gasp of air-it was as if she forgot how to breathe when she thought back to this memory.
'Pregnant?!' She remembered the horrified look on his face as she handed him the plastic stick and told him the news.
By now a single tear had dropped on to her right cheek-the one she violently wiped away.
'Ian? Ian please don't!' She screamed as her lover angrily threw his belongings into an oversized duffle bag on their once shared bed.
'You said you were on the pill, Emily! You agreed that we wouldn't let this happen!' He yelled and pulled his arm from her grasp of attempting to stop him from forcefully pushing open the door.
'I was…am, Ian!' Emily sighed out of frustration and dropped her hand. 'Maybe the condom broke?' She asked hopefully.
'Or maybe you're a lying slut who slept with another man?' He took a deep breath, straining to not let his tears fall as he looked at her pained expression. 'I…I didn't mean that, Emmy…I'm just stupid. Damn anger.' He cursed to himself as his voice fell to a tone barely above a whisper.
He took a few steps closer to her and caressed her cheek; however, she instantly turned her face to block his unwanted touch. 'Emily…this is our baby…right?'
'I wish…' She said, willingly letting tears fall from her eyes.
'What do you mean?' He took a step back in horror.
'I needed the money to afford my last payment for school…I'm sorry, Ian, it will only happen once…we can take a test?'
'No…no…It's his, and we both know it.' He said as he punched her across the face, blood seeping from her probably now broken jaw. 'Don't expect me to return or forgive you. You're a whore who doesn't deserve to live. No prostitute like you does.'
He slammed the door, its sound ringing throughout the small apartment.
And she cried.
She knew she'd get used to this.
'It's just you and me now, baby…but don't worry…I guess I'll just have to love you twice as much.' She somewhat chuckled to herself bitterly as she rubbed her small baby bump and wiped away some stray tears.
Yeah…she knew she would get used to this.
Present…
"I'll tell you some other time, Princess. I love you. Good night." She kissed her daughter's forehead and turned off the light once again.
"Goodnight, Mommy…" Mia murmured sleepily, cuddling her stuffed bunny closer to her chest.
She was soon asleep, and when Emily hade come back in to check on her minutes later, she found her daughter with ratty hair, protectively holding her stuffed rabbit, and her angelic eyelids closed into a deep slumber.
She swore it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
It was around ten on Wednesday night-their second night in Chicago-and JJ, Elle, and Garcia were sitting on JJ's queen-sized bed, reviewing the present case. On the nightstand were three half-empty bottles of water from the mini fridge and several bags of junk food from the vending machine across the hall from their room. JJ and Elle were the only ones focused on the case; Garcia being more interested in Derek Morgan.
"Do you know how tall he is? He was taller than me and I'm 5'7"…so maybe 6'1"? What do you guys think?" She asked, tapping her iPad for everything on her new crush.
JJ chuckled as Elle rolled her eyes for the millionth time. "Garcia, you know we love you, but get over this guy! He was just joking around! We've made that fact clear by now, haven't we?" Elle asked, turning to JJ for support, as did Garcia.
"I think it's cute if she has a little school girl crush…" JJ's amused voice drifted off. "But I don't want her to be hurt, so yes, just stalk him for a little while, Pen, everything will be alright then. Well except for that restraining order and trouble with the FBI that's sure to come along with that plan."
JJ and Elle burst out laughing at that last comment. This just made Garcia even more annoyed and hurt, which she showed through crossing her arms and pouting her very best.
"Alright, you two look at your bloody little photos and I'll go shop my sadness away." She said as she stood up and stormed out of the room, making the situation more dramatic than it really was.
Elle jumped slightly at the powerful slam of the hotel room door. "Is she ok? I hope I didn't over-do it."
"She's fine, she just needs to cool off and realize we're right." JJ smirked at her profiling as she returned to the case files.
Elle skimmed over the bed and grimaced. "This bed…ugh! We look like we just had a break up with all the chocolate bars and chip bags." JJ smiled at her slightly OCD friend. "I'll be right back. Let me just take a quick trip to the garbage can over yonder."
Elle gathered most of the waste in her hands and walked over to the garbage can, dropping them as she picked up the stack of papers in surprise and looked them over, letting out a little gasp.
"What?" JJ asked, obvious confusion laced in her voice.
"These are divorce files…with Haley's signature." She said, turning and showing JJ the proof.
The blonde walked over and examined the files herself, skimming the words and tearing up a little. "They're fighting for custody over Jack…poor baby."
"Is that lip gloss?" Elle yanked the papers from JJ's hands and held the corner covered with the mysterious substance close to her face. "Yeah, that's definitely lip gloss."
"It smells like… strawberries." JJ said, also examining the lip gloss.
"Garcia." Elle concluded.
"Why would Garcia have anything to do with this?" JJ wondered aloud.
"I don't know, but who else do we know who wears neon pin lip gloss?" Elle stated.
"That's true…talk to Garcia then Hotch?" JJ asked.
"Garcia for sure…Hotch…I don't know. He's been really tense lately-"
"Which explains this!" JJ reminded.
"And he can really give a good stern talking to. Plus he's Hotch…not exactly a ray of sunshine." Elle shrugged at JJ's 'are-you-kidding-me' look. "I say just Garcia."
"Garcia it is…then maybe Hotch."
"No Hotch."
"Sure…" JJ strained the word out and smirked as she left the room, an unsure Elle following behind.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
A/N: Ok, so I hope you guys liked this! It was well overdue! (Please don't hate me for this! :o)
So now you know about Emily's past…Mia's dad, how she got on the streets, and her past with the BAU!
Leave reviews for a chance to win my one-shot contest! =D
Recommend, review, favorite and/or follow to make my day!