When Emily gets down to the lobby she does a double take at the front windows. She slowly approaches them and stares out at the complete white out conditions shown by the porch lights.
"Whoa," she murmurs.
"Never seen anything like that before, I take it?" Scott Amaruq says from behind her.
Emily grins at him as she turns. "Not for a lot of years. I was in a blizzard in the Swiss Alps once."
His eyes widen in surprise. "Wow. Work related?"
Emily chuckles. "No. I, uh, it was a beautiful woman that led me that cabin."
He grins. "So the blizzard…?"
"No hardship at all," Emily finishes for him.
They both share a laugh. "Come on back to the kitchen. I think we still have some hot coffee and I can whip you up some eggs or something if you're hungry."
"That would be great. Thanks. I can help since I'm getting going a bit late."
"Sounds good. You make the toast. So, Canadian bacon or caribou sausage?"
"The sausage is wonderful. If I'm not careful I'll eat way too much of it."
Scott smiles. "Glad you like it. I make it myself."
"Really? Well, my compliments to the chef and sausage maker."
The two continue to chat as they make Emily's breakfast. She finds out he had worked at the hotel since he was a teenager and jumped at the chance to buy it from the owner, who retired and went south to Toronto. His wife was his high school sweetheart and he and Sara share a brother-sister dynamic similar to JJ and Mark.
"That's probably why I like you so much, Scott. You kind of remind me of Mark."
"Well, then he must be a handsome, charismatic stud."
Emily bursts out laughing. "And a smartass. Don't forget the smartass part." She finishes off her coffee and sighs in contentment. "Great breakfast. Thanks so much for making it for me."
"Well, it's not like I had to go anywhere today."
Emily sighs sadly. "So, I guess I am sort of stranded here a while?"
"Yes," Scott nods. "Conditions are so bad out there no shops will be open. Emergency vehicles will be the only things running and only if needed."
"Ugh."
"It may not sound exciting, but we've got a small borrowing room here. We have books and DVD's for guests to use while they are here."
Emily nods. "Lead the way. I have a book but maybe a movie will catch my eye."
He leads her down to the room. Emily sees he has downplayed the contents of the room. Three walls have built in shelves filled with books. Emily grins when she sees they are actually grouped by genre. Two large free-standing wooden bookcases are filled with DVD's, again grouped by genre. Emily slides a glance at Scott.
"Who took the time to catalog and label all these?"
"Up here in winter you have to come up with creative ways of punishing your kids," he answers with a grin.
Emily laughs. "Good point."
"Well, I need to go get some bill paying done. Like I said, enjoy what you'd like."
"Thanks, Scott."
Even though she has a book already, she decides to look along the bookshelves just in case something jumps out at her. When she gets to non-fiction she can't help but smile when she sees 2 of Rossi's books are in the library. She sees a few books that could be interesting but decides today she didn't want to have to think too much.
She walks over to the movies and starts to look through them. She grins and grabs Star Wars: the Complete Collection. She could have a marathon without worrying about driving JJ crazy. She is almost done when she grabs one movie set on Earth.
"The Thomas Crowne Affair. I love Rene Russo in this one! If I need a break from space this will be perfect."
With her DVD's tucked under her arm she goes upstairs to pass the day being completely and utterly lazy. After her trek into the frozen north and a plane crash, she deserved it.
"Damn right I do," she tells herself.
In her hotel room, she changes into sweats and a Pitt Women's Soccer t-shirt, cuddles up to Bear-Bear and hits play to watch Star Wars, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.
"Well, Bear-Bear, it's not the best movie but won't it be fun to watch all 6 in order? Just, whatever you do, don't tell Jen how excited by this I am, okay?" She makes him nod, giggling. "Geez, Prentiss, you're losing your mind," she mumbles happily as she and Henry's bear settled down for the movie.
Emily makes it through the three prequels before finally deciding she needs to get out of her room for a while. Tucking Bear-Bear into bed she goes downstairs for dinner. No surprise she finds the little restaurant/bar in the hotel is deserted. Following the sound of music, she pokes her head into the kitchen.
"Anyone home?" she calls as she enters.
Lucy smiles at her as she stirs something at the stove. "No one here but us little elves."
Emily chuckles. "Smells more like a master chef at work."
"Come see for yourself," Lucy offers.
Emily walks over and looks down into the large pot. Vegetables and meat swirl in a dark broth. She inhales deeply, her stomach growling at the enticing aroma.
"Oh, that smells so good!"
"Thank you. You're our only guest tonight so I hope you don't mind us dictating your dinner."
Emily smiles. "Not at all. Is there anything I can help with?"
"Mind setting the table? The kids are doing homework, though I have a feeling they have a few days to get it done."
Emily chuckles. "Most likely."
"There will be five for dinner. Use the big round table just outside the doors."
Emily nod and gets bowls for everyone. Smelling bread cooking she grabs small salad plates, too. Once those are out on the table Emily looks around until she finds spoons and knives. A glance in the large fridge gives her a tub of butter that looks more like it's there for the family versus the guests.
"Lucy, what about drinks?"
"We have sodas, water, and juice for you to choose from. The kids will have milk. Oh, you can have milk, too," she adds, realizing it had sounded like Emily wasn't allowed to.
Emily thinks a second. "Groceries like fresh milk have to be hard to come by."
"Yes, they are. Every time Sara pops to the mainland she'll bring some back to us but in winter it's usually the shelf milk."
Emily smiles in understanding. "I'll have a Coke. Growing kids need fresh milk more than me."
"Thank you," Lucy says sincerely. "But should you want some please don't hesitate to ask for a glass. We'll charge you handsomely for it," she adds with a wink.
Emily laughs. "Thanks for the warning."
Twenty minutes later Emily sits down with the family for dinner. She smiles when their daughter insists on sitting beside her. As they start to eat, Emily looks down at her little friend.
"So, Maggie, did you get all your studying done?" The little girl nods shyly. "Great. Let me guess, you're a junior or senior in high school, right?"
The little girl giggles and shakes her head 'no', her cheeks blushing.
"You're not? But you're what, 16 or 17 years old?"
The little girl shakes her head, still giggling.
Scott looks at the little girl. "Tell Mrs. Prentiss how old you are, Maggie."
Maggie swallows and says quietly. "I'm 7."
Emily looks shocked. "Only 7? Well, you seem so grown up I was sure you were older." She looks over at the little Amaruq boy. "So does this mean you're not 25?"
He starts to laugh and holds up 5 fingers. Emily pretends shock again.
"Only 5? Well, you two look so mature I guess I really guessed wrong. So I guess neither of you are studying quantum mechanics?" The kids shake their heads. "Good. I would be so confused if we talked about quantum mechanics."
The kids laugh again. Emily catches the eyes of her host and hostess and winks. Lucy takes control back.
"Okay, kids, eat up. Maybe after dinner you can tell Mrs. Prentiss all about school, okay?"
The kids nod and dig in. Emily lifts her spoon and takes a bite. She moans her appreciation.
"I was right: there was a master chef in the kitchen. Lucy, this is fantastic!"
Lucy looks at her husband. "We need to keep her around. She's good for my ego."
Scott rolls his eyes as Emily just grins. After enjoying a good meal with her hosts, Emily is thrilled when Maggie and her brother Roderick ask for her to read them a story. Having been aching for this time with her own kids, Emily happily agrees. Sitting on a couch in the lobby area, a child on either side of her, Emily reads them Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" from their treasury of his stories. When it ends, they ask for another so she reads "Oh the Places You'll Go." By the time the second story is done, Rod is asleep and Maggie is dozing. Lucy gets up from where she had been knitting and smiles.
"I'm not sure who enjoyed that more: you or them."
Emily strokes a hand through Rod's hair. "I think I did. I miss my kids so much. Thank you for letting me spend some time with these two. They are great kids."
"No problem. Maggie, take your book and let's head home. Scott, grab Roddy."
Scott walks over and picks up his son. "Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. If you need us go into the office behind the check in desk and ring the bell on the door in that office. Otherwise, we'll see you tomorrow."
Emily nods. "Thank you. You all have a good evening. And thanks again for the family time. It made me feel better than an hour under the sun lamp."
She gets a hug goodbye from Maggie and goes upstairs to give her wife a call.
"Hey, Em, how are you?" JJ answers her phone.
Emily smiles at the concern in her wife's voice. "I am actually better tonight than I thought I'd be."
"Really?" JJ asks in surprise.
"Really. I spent the day watching movies with Bear-Bear. Then I just had dinner with Scott, Lucy and their two children. After dinner, Maggie and Roddy asked me to read them a couple stories. It all helped to settle me, Jen. I had been so…so anxious today. I still want to get home but I know I can't control the weather. They showed me I can make it no matter how long I'm stuck up here even though I am still praying for a break between storms to get me south."
JJ sighs and relaxes back against the couch. "I am saying the same prayer but you don't know how glad I am to hear you so…so relaxed. I have been worried about your mental state."
"I was, too. Now, will I go nuts if I'm here until April? Yes. But if it's just a few days I can make it. Maybe a week. Then I have to consider windsailing across the straight to land."
JJ laughs. "I'm not sure I could forgive you for trying that method."
Emily chuckles. "Good to know. So, I know you can't talk specifics but can I ask what you're feelings are about the review?"
JJ sighs. "I know they talked to Rossi and Morgan in depth today. Sometime this week 2 guys from the Virginia Beach commission chairman's office will be there with some more questions. I can't help but feel like there is an agenda here beyond just a standard review."
"Most likely. If it's political Mother will hear about it even if she's unable to do anything about it," Emily points out.
"True. I do know the idiot from IAB either never handled rape cases or he is a political appointee." She tells Emily about the comments the man made about the rape photos.
"What a dick!" Emily blurts out.
"Pretty much. Straus intervened and he seemed to tread carefully the rest of the day. Who knows if that will last." JJ takes a deep breath. "Okay, enough of that for now. So, what movies did you watch?"
"Uhhh…it was a series of docu-dramas on political uprisings and the way the will of the people can be usurped by dictators and make them act against their personal character while others go above and beyond to maintain freedom," Emily states confidently.
JJ considers that response a moment then bursts out laughing. "You watched Star Wars movies all day."
Emily starts to laugh. "How the HELL did you figure that out?"
"I had to think about what movies you would be most likely to avoid admitting you spent the day watching. That was the only series I could think of. You must have just made it through the prequels, though."
Emily grins, shaking her head. "You think you're so smart just because you are right on all counts. I'll watch the rest over the next couple of days. Something tells me I'll be a bit hampered in what I can actually do work-wise with restricted access to files and no Garcia to hunt down info for me."
JJ nods. "Most likely. Promise me, if you can get out of the hotel for a bit you will. Even if you can't get home don't stay in there until it drives you mad."
"I will do what I can, baby. I promise."
The two talk for almost an hour about random things, just enjoying time together as best they can. Finally, Emily yawns.
"Damn it. My sleep patterns are so screwy up here because of the polar nights. I promise you're not boring me."
JJ giggles. "Good. Was getting worried about that."
"You could never bore me. You are the most dynamic, wonderful woman I have ever known."
"And there's the charmer I've been missing."
Emily smiles. "Don't want you to think I've lost my touch." She yawns again. "Damn it! I really want to talk longer. I just…want to spend time with you."
"I want that, too, honey. But your body is probably still getting better after your tundra trek. Speaking of which, how are your arm and head?"
"Head is okay. Arm is sore. Back is, too, probably from the jostling it got when we wrecked."
"Probably. So, take an Aleve or something and get to sleep. Something tells me Orchard will be all over you tomorrow since Hotch gave you the day off today."
"Ugh, you're probably right. So, you take care of yourself and the nesters. Give Henry and Rocky a kiss for me."
"I will obey all those requests. I love you, Em. I can't wait until you are home."
"Me, neither. I love you, Jen. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Count on it, baby. Goodnight, Emily."
"Night, Jen."
Emily hangs up and stares up at the ceiling of her hotel room. She rolls her head to the side and stares into the eternal smile of Bear-Bear.
"Well, it's just you and me again, Bear-Bear. Hope I don't snore tonight. If I do just poke me." She stares at him a second. "Of course if you do actually poke me I'll know I have lost my mind completely."
Chuckling at herself, she gets up to get ready for bed, shaking her head that it's not even 9 and she is exhausted after doing absolutely nothing all day. As she starts back to the bed she detours to the window and looks out. It is still a complete white out.
"Ugh," she mutters and crawls into bed.