So I used the show as an outline for this chapter. Some of the dialogue is the same, or close to it. I don't have Reid's eidetic memory. I wanted to be as true to the show as possible, but it's also going to be very different.
Chapter 7: Time to get Affairs in Order
A few days passed after Thanksgiving and nothing had changed. Emily was still experiencing that same feeling and, if anything, it only grew stronger. She tried to cover it up, and she was doing a pretty good job of it too, but Charlie could still sense something was wrong, or different; her mother was tense. Emily noticed that she was a little clingy and preferred to be by Emily's side every chance she got. It was like she was trying to make everything better by just being there. It worked for a while. Emily always said a large dose of Charlie is enough to cure the incurable. And it would've been enough if that foreboding feeling didn't prove true in the end.
Everything was ok at first. They all went back to work that Monday. JJ tried to question her about the texts, but she played it off like it was nothing. "It was just a wrong number Jayje. It's fine." She told her, and it was the truth as far as she knew then. JJ was skeptical, but as the week went on and Emily continued to act normal, those suspicions went away.
Everyone else, to her benefit, was busy paying attention to Hotch. He was acting like everything was just fine when everyone knew it wasn't. But that was just like him. Much like Emily, he kept his feelings hidden and rivaled her for the best at compartmentalizing award. They both dealt with things internally. And that was fine if it worked, but, sometimes, people just wanted to know what was happening and see if they could help. Neither of them ever really let that happen.
Exactly a week from the texts, things started to change. Just as she was starting to really push that specific part of her past back down and then it was all thrown right back in her face in a single instant. The previous night had been a good one too. After Charlie was done with her homework, Emily took her out to dinner and the movies as a mid week treat to make up for the way she was acting. By the time they got home the mini Prentiss was wiped out and went straight to bed. Then Emily had Sarah come over for a few hours so she could go out with Mike. Her good mood was altered as soon as she went into work.
Emily was walking up to the briefing room when she heard the jovial voice next to her. "How's it going stranger?"
"I'm a little tired." She responded with a smile on her face. Garcia was going to love what came out of her mouth next. "A friend of mine was in town and we went salsa dancing last night." After his help with Charlie's party, they decided to actually get together and spend some quality face time doing something fun and exciting every time he was in town.
"Oh my like I need another reason to find you amazing." The second A was long and drawn out for emphasis. Garcia followed her up the few steps and passed her a piece of paper with a bunch of numbers written on it. "This call for you from a Sean McCallister came to my phone accidentally. Sounded very hot and very important." Garcia didn't notice Emily's face drop upon hearing that name. Emily was trying to remind herself that it was just a coincidence. The texts that felt eerily like words that could have easily been spoken to her from Doyle and the sudden need for contact with Sean. They weren't tied together. It was strictly coincidence. She had to believe that.
"Did he leave a message?"
"No, but it's from Paris." She was impressed and slightly curious. "A Scottish guy calling from Paris. Know this Emily…" She dramatically waved her hands around as she spoke to further her point. "Even if he is ugly, Scottish guys are hot. It's the accent or something."
"I'll keep that in mind." Emily's voice was low and quiet as she thought about what he could want. She assumed it was nothing good since they hadn't had much contact over the years. She could only hope that her gut feeling was wrong.
"So what's the skinny? Is he an ex? International booty call?" She was genuinely keyed up and eager for the gossip as she clung to every word. The need for details didn't die down as they entered the briefing room and met with the faces of the team.
"No" was Emily's only response. JJ watched as Garcia followed Emily closely as they came into the room and she instantly recognized the look on Garcia's face. That was her 'I need more please' face. Gossip was afoot and she'd be asking them about that later. She would've asked then, but they were in a room with a bunch of equally gossipy men and Hotch was passing out folders about to start the brief.
"I know we've all seen the news about the mass murder in Millings, Montana. Six people shot and killed." Hotch was hoping the case would wrap up quickly. He was supposed to go apartment hunting and then spend the rest of the weekend with Jack. Haley agreed to a temporary arrangement until they drew up the final custody agreement, and he didn't want to miss out on his only time with his son.
"Robbery?" Emily asked.
"No apparent motive." Rossi threw that out in response.
"What about the security footage?" Reid asked.
"No cameras, no witnesses. Ballistics show we have two shooters."
"Well something there must've triggered them. It doesn't look like they had much of a plan."
"Whatever it was, they're likely to do it again. Spree killers often repeat themselves." The meeting went on a little longer before they all dispersed. Hotch gave the "Wheels up in twenty" warning and they all went to finish up with the last minute details. For Reid, Rossi, and Morgan, that meant grabbing their go bags and maybe a quick meal. For those with children, it meant something different.
JJ went to her desk to get her keys. The bag was in her car and she needed to retrieve it. And while she did that, she placed a call to Will. She would've liked to talk to Henry as well, but he was at school.
Will knew why she was calling. There were only two reasons he'd receive a call from her so early into the day. So it was an emergency or a case. By the tone of her voice when she said hello, he knew right away what it was. He was just waiting for her to say it. "We got called away on a case."
"Do you know when you'll be back?" JJ could hear the contempt in his voice. He hated JJ's job and always being called away. His preference for her to take the offers she had to work a normal 9 to 5 life was blatant. But she couldn't do it. She belonged there with her family. And he knew that, so he did his best to be as understanding as possible and just accept it. Some days were better than others.
"You know how this works. It could be tomorrow it could be a week. Hopefully we'll be home soon."
"What do you want me to tell Henry this time?"
"When you pick him up from school tell him I love him, give him a big hug from me, and tell him I'll call him to before bed time." That was how the conversations usually went when she got called away. Sometimes there was some arguing, and other times there was just acceptance. But that one was as cordial as it got, and after wrapping it up with their goodbyes, JJ grabbed her bag from the trunk and headed with the group to the jet.
While his routine usually went much like JJ's, Hotch had to change it up just a little. Obviously, he couldn't call Jack directly, so he called Haley to leave a message for him. "Hi Haley."
"Aaron." She sighed, knowing what was coming. "Got a case?" She'd dealt with it one too many times.
"We do."
"So are you calling to cancel on Jack?"
"No. That's not why I'm calling." There was a little resentment in his tone because of the insinuation. He would never willingly cancel precious time with his son and he didn't like the way she assumed he would.
"I wanted to let you know that I was heading out of town just in case you needed to get a hold of me."
"What about your weekend with Jack?"
"I'm going to do my best to be here, but I can't leave in the middle of the case. I'm going to talk to him and explain when I call tonight."
"Don't call too late." He could hear the hostility bleeding from her voice. She really didn't like his job. And he could see why there'd be some issues. He did miss a few important events and he did have to be away a lot, but he did his best and he couldn't understand why she didn't get that. What did she want from him? Nobody's perfect, and he did whatever he could to make her happy.
"I'll call before bedtime."
"Goodbye Aaron."
"Bye Haley." When he hung up he was a little frustrated. But he was still focused and wouldn't let his personal life get in the way of work. Plus, he reminded himself, the more focused he was, the faster they could find their unsubs and he could get back for his weekend with Jack. Right then, all he had to concentrate on was his profile.
Emily too made a call. Normally her first number dialed would've been to Charlie or Sarah, depending on the time of day, but Mike was still in town and she would feel safer with a big strong man around her daughter to keep her safe while she waited to talk to Sean. Charlie loved spending time with Mr. Mike. So she called him first and asked him if he'd simply spend some time with Charlie while she was away. He didn't have to be asked twice, and he was even more willing knowing that he'd be sailing for the following six months and wouldn't be able to have much, if any, contact with them during that time.
"Thanks Mike."
"No, thank you Emily. You know I love the little bugger."
"I'm going to call Sarah right now and let her know you'll be staying there."
"Ok, bye Em. Be safe and we'll talk later."
"Bye." The next call was to Sarah. She explained the situation and told her where the team was going. She made sure to leave a message with Sarah to tell Charlie she'd call to talk to her and read her their nightly story. It was the usual. She left out the part that there might be a problem brewing, but she didn't feel the need to mention a possibility that was highly improbable. Nothing needed to be said until she actually talked to Sean. Then, and only then, she would know if it was a conversation about Doyle and she was right to panic or a simple friendly gathering and she was overreacting.
Once the phone calls were placed and the bags were fetched, the group was on the jet working up a preliminary profile while heading to the treasure state. They were rerouted to a different city upon arrival. Their perps, who they were informed were a male and female duo, went off on another spree and blew up a gas station. They were escalating. That was made even more obvious by the amount of overkill they saw on the bodies.
Eventually they realized that Sydney was the more dominant psychopath and her new husband, Ray, was the following sociopath. Their killings were set off by surrogates for their abusive fathers. Once they found the unsubs' identity, it was only a matter of time until they found them. The trail led them to a murdered Mr. Donovan, Ray's father. Morgan and Prentiss were sent to the trailer to exam the crime scene. That's when she received her third text of the day. It was simple. We need to talk. It wasn't so much the texts or even the sender that bothered her, it was the possibility that her feelings were more than just feelings that was getting to her. Fortunately, the only texts she received that day were from Sean.
Emily was staring at the message when Derek noticed her odd behavior. "You alright?"
"Yeah, it's nothing." She quickly brushed it off, stuffed the phone in her pocket, and refocused the conversation to the case at hand.
The case started in Montana and ended in Washington. That was where Sydney's father was, and they were both done playing with proxies. They showed up a little late to save the father, but there was still a little girl in the service station with them. Hostage situations, especially with kids, always sucked, and rarely ended without some collateral damage.
The agents barricaded the station armed and ready for the fire fight they knew would come. And it did. They tried negotiation and all the other tricks they were taught at the academy, but talking them down just didn't seem to get the job done. The little girl came out and they knew something was coming. Each agent took their shot as the car being used as the murderers attempted escape came crashing through the glass in a blaze of glory. Both of them were killed, but the girl lived to see another day. Their job was done after that, and they got to go home. Hotch got to have one of the two days he was supposed to spend with Jack, and Emily reluctantly went to bar to meet with Sean.
"Emily Prentiss." Sean said as he stood from the booth when he saw her walking toward him.
They were happy to see each other, and Emily didn't hesitate to accept his hug. "Sean, how are you?"
"Good." They both slid into opposite sides of the booth.
Emily began. "So, I was going to call you back. I just got busy on a case."
"That's ok. I had to be in DC anyway." Emily could tell by the intense stare he was giving her that she wasn't going to like what came next. The slight smile she had faded as she waited for his words. "Ian Doyle vanished from prison." And there it was. Her heart stopped in that brief moment. The texts that she so badly wanted to be nothing but stupid words sent to the wrong recipient were then proof of her past coming back into her present; proof that she wasn't overreacting. "Interpol can't find him." The news just kept getting better.
"Wha-what are you saying?" That feeling she'd been suppressing was resurfacing tenfold with each passing second.
"He's off the grid Emily."
"Do you think he's headed here?" She really didn't need the answer. She knew, but the confirmation was needed to make it a reality. But the look filled with sad, knowing eyes was response enough. "Am I in danger?" Her voice was practically shaking.
He gave a head shake and definitively said, "We all are." Wide eyed and scared, she couldn't stick around for much more after such news. The only thing that made sense to her after that was the unrelenting need to get home and protect Charlie at whatever cost. The first things she did when she got home that night was sneak into the twin bed to cuddle with Charlie and hold her as tight as she possibly could without causing bodily harm.
"Mommy what's wrong?"
"Nothing baby. Go back to bed. I love you."
"I love you too." Emily didn't want to let go of the moment. She had a feeling that the peaceful moments like that weren't going to happen quite as often.
Once the very early morning came around and she realized the whole Doyle on the run thing wasn't just a bad dream, she went looking for her phone. They call each other the first of every month to check in and talk. They've visited with each other over the years. But this wasn't going to be a social call; it wasn't even going to be a call. There were too many security risks with that. So scrolling through her contacts, she clicked on Clyde's number and typed the emergency code they created years before should the need ever arise. Time had come to actually try it out.
Vol de moineau. It wasn't a particularly inventive saying, but who uses "sparrow is flying" in everyday conversation? The only reason they used it at all was because they did an op together called Sparrow. She had to go undercover in that mission as the infamous Sparrow, a hacker for hire with a stupid nickname. The real Sparrow was in custody and they wanted the clients. That happens when people try to buy government secrets and military weapons to build stronger rogue governments. Somehow, the just name stuck, and thus the saying. It signaled trouble and not to make contact other than the designated response. And if Clyde got the message and understood, he'd respond back with "eagle is landing." That would let her know he's coming and they'd use some of their old spy techniques to make contact.
After that, it was basically a waiting game. She was tired, and mindless waiting wasn't going to help that. The only reason she got any sleep at all was because she knew Charlie was safe in her arms. But even that only gave her the luxury of a few fragmented hours. Every so often she'd wake up to make sure everything was still fine. But she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon, and seeing that it was already 4 am, she figured she'd look into her past, re-familiarize herself with the enemy at hand while she waited for the response.
Reaching into her hidden safe, she pulled out everything of relevance. She spent ours going over her agent profile from that job. Most of it was redacted, but she knew what it said. The next thing she looked through was the profile they created on Doyle. What she didn't know as she looked at everything was that her superiors sent more than what she gave them; things that involved her and things that would affect her later. Things that only added to his already blazing fire were added and she had no way of knowing.
The memories of her time undercover were all flooding back. They were all replaying on a continuous loop. Eventually, she had to break out of it and go through the rest of her things; otherwise, she'd be stuck there forever. She still had several passports under aliases for a variety of other countries. There were even some papers she probably could've gotten rid of a long time ago. But mixed in with all of that was her will. It was slightly daunting to so nonchalantly come across that in a time when her life might genuinely be in peril. She hoped it wasn't a sign of her impending death, but rather a warning to update early and be cautious. She usually waited for the beginning of every new year, but maybe, given the circumstances, the time to update and make changes was now. She'd get on that as soon as possible.
Lost in the documents she held in front of her, Emily barely heard the pitter patter of the tired footsteps approaching. It was only then did she look up and see that she was sitting there for well over three hours. "Morning mommy." Upon hearing the child's voice, Emily quickly tried to put the papers in an orderly pile and shove them back into the safe. She finished the pile, but never got it in before her daughter came to her.
"Hey Charlie. Did you sleep well?"
"When I woke up you weren't there anymore." She hated that. When Emily slept in her room it usually meant that the little girl had a nightmare, and Emily had to crawl in bed with her to make them go away, or something bad happened and Emily just needed to be around her. Otherwise, they would share Emily's much larger bed. So Charlie's mature mind was curious and nervous. She didn't have a bad dream, so something bad had to have happened.
"I know, and I'm sorry. I had to do some things."
"What are you doing?"
"Just going through some papers." She finished putting them away and locked up the safe. "Let's go make breakfast." Emily playfully stood and swiped Charlie off the ground. She wanted to make the day feel normal and be as ordinary as possible when she knew it was anything but.
The day passed with no big issues. They did their mother daughter thing and played in the December snow. Charlie was cute bundled up in her snow gear as they attempted to build an igloo. But, as much fun as they were having, Emily was distracted. She had yet to receive a reply from Clyde, and she was constantly looking over her shoulders. But as they went to bed that night, after Emily set all the alarms even adding breakable objects to the tops of windows so that she could hear if they were opened, her phone dinged.
And there, just as they discussed, was his message. L'aigle débarque. Once she knew he was coming, she felt the smallest twinge of relief. They didn't discuss the second part. Vers la fin de la semaine. He'd be there by the end of the week. Although she wished he could magically get there right that second, she was grateful he could get there when he could. She just hoped they had that long. Just knowing he was coming and that she wasn't alone, she slept the tiniest bit better. Nonetheless, she still had Charlie sleep in her bed.
Monday morning, the feel around the office was lighter, even if it was a false sense of happy for some of them. Hotch actually came in with the slightest hint of a smile. His first day alone with Jack after he learned of the divorce went very well. They found an apartment that they both liked. Jack was excited because he got his own room and he could decorate however he wanted. His son was more grown-up than he ever realized; that or he inherited the Hotchner ineptitude where emotions were concerned.
Whatever it was, he was just happy to see his son adjusting so well. They spent the first half of the day looking at apartments. He agreed that Haley should have the house to raise Jack in. Once he found an apartment, he'd finish packing his stuff and they could go back home. Because they did find an apartment they both felt comfortable with, the rest of the day was spent looking at furniture for their rooms and picking out paint. There were some fun activities thrown in there as well, but it was generally a mundane kind of day. Aaron was just content to have any time with Jack and Jack with Aaron. It didn't matter what they were doing. But it pained him to have to bring Jack back to Jessica's rather than keep him there with him at the end of the night. Though they were both pretty good about it, Jack was a little resistant to Hotch's departure. Even so, coming back to work wasn't so hard after that. He was slowly finding a routine with Jack and knew it would work out in the end.
The rest of the team seemed to be in good spirits as well, especially considering what they did for a living. Everyone was ok, except for Emily, but, per the norm, she did what she could to internalize her struggle. But when they got called away on a case midweek, she didn't know if she could do it. How could she go knowing that a mad man could be lurking around and possibly going after Charlie? The only answer that made any sense to her was that she couldn't. There was no way she could.
The universe was tipping the scales slightly in her favor. By some twist of fate, about fifteen minutes before they were scheduled to leave, a package was delivered to her. Not knowing if it was some twisted gift from her nemesis or some innocent, normal piece of mail, Emily took it out of the office and into the privacy of her car before opening it. Even then, she was terrified to see what was inside. There was no return address, no anything that would make her feel even the slightest bit better. She kept telling herself that the office scanned packages delivered to Quantico, so it couldn't be too bad. But the scans wouldn't pick up certain chemical powders or other potentially deadly, unidentified substances. Trying to convince herself that she was just being paranoid, that nothing was going to happen, and that it was safe to open, she just sat there and stared.
Even if it wasn't safe, she had to do it. But, as a precautionary measure, should the need to run just happen to arise, she stepped out of her car and into the open parking lot. Pulling out her knife, she cut through the tape and slowly peeled pack the cardboard. Relief took over as she saw a card instead of a pipe bomb or something equally lethal.
L'aigle est ici. Cadran numéro duex. A part of her felt like her prayers were answered. Clyde had arrived and he was making contact. Under the note was a disposable phone with his throw away's number on speed dial. Opening it up, she didn't hesitate to hit two and send. All she had to do was wait for the answer.
"Emily."
"Clyde."
"How are you doing?"
"Where are you?"
"A safe house. Figured we'd need it for whatever this crisis is. What is it by the way?"
"Have you talked to Sean lately?"
"He has called. You know I don't work for him anymore. I don't answer when he calls like some trained dog."
"He's out."
"Who?"
"Doyle."
"That's impossible."
"He escaped and I know he's coming here. I got some texts just days before I heard the news from Sean. I know it's him."
"Emily…"
"Sean thinks we're all in danger, but I'm the only one that had any personal contact with him other than Tsia and she's dead. And now I have to go away on a case and I have to leave Charlie here." She was beginning to ramble, and Emily Prentiss didn't ramble.
"And as far as he's concerned, so are you. Jeremy and I took care of that. Lauren Reynolds died in a car accident. Tell yourself that. I want to hear you say it."
"Laruen Reynolds is dead." She didn't realize Reid was walking up behind her as she repeated those last few words again.
"Good. She's dead. That's the past, but what about the kid? Is she at school?"
"Yes."
"Ok. I'll keep an eye on her and the nanny from a distance while you're away. They'll be safe. And when you return we'll talk about how to handle this situation."
"Be safe and we'll talk later." Reid gave her a minute to recompose herself before talking to her.
"Who's Lauren Reynolds?"
"She was a friend of mine."
"Oh, how'd she die?"
"Ah… It was a car accident."
"I'm really sorry."
"Come on, let's go Reid." Prentiss, sure to throw the phone away when he wasn't looking, led him to the car and they made their way to the jet. She was more riddled with anxiety than ever before as they were away. She took nail picking to a new level, and she could feel people's knowing stares coming her way. But they didn't know and she wasn't going to tell them anything. Involving them would just make things worse. However, in the middle of the case, she realized she wasn't doing a great job hiding her stress. Morgan called her on it.
"What's going on with you Prentiss?"
"Uh…" She tried to play it off, make it seem like the idea was crazy. "With me?"
"Yeah. I've been watching you these past couple of days and something has obviously been bothering you."
"Derek, because I like you, I'm going to ask you not to do this…" She pleaded with her eyes before actually saying the word. "Please." He wasn't happy to let it go. He wasn't happy that she felt she couldn't trust him, but she seemed so determined to not talk that he had no other choice but to let it go. She tried to be better at hiding after that, but the number of phone calls she made wasn't helping.
As soon as the case was wrapped up, she rushed home leaving five confused friends behind. They were all wondering what was going on with her, but they just couldn't seem to get any answers. They just watched as she left in a hurry. She practically bulldozed the door just to get in and see for herself that Charlie was still the perfectly healthy and safe little girl that Sarah kept assuring her she was.
"Hey, you're home."
"Yeah, how was she? What's she doing?"
"She's good. She got a little messy after dinner, so she just finished her bath, and is in her room playing with her animals." Reaching down to the side of the hall table, she started to pull something up. "This came for you today." Sarah told her as she passed her a long box. Emily carefully opened it and her face instantly paled. Her breath caught in her throat. On sight of the flowers, she was sent directly to an old memory. The garden at the villa was beautiful. "Are you ok?" Emily looked up at her, trying to collect herself. "You look like you've seen a ghost." In a way, she did.
"I'm fine." She faked a smile and closed the box up. There was something else in the box too, something she'd be addressing, but not with Sarah still there. "You should go. It's getting late. Take the next few days off."
Sarah looked at her confused. "Do you have some time off?"
"Something like that." Emily put the box down on the table. "I have a friend coming for a visit, and he loves spending time with her."
"Oh, is he the mysterious father?"
"No, he's not; just someone I've known for a long time who has been good to the both of us over the years."
"So you don't need me to come at all?"
"No, take some time off, paid of course. I know it's last minute."
"You don't have to do that."
"I do, now go. Have fun with your free time, and I'll call when I need you to come back."
"Are you sure?"
"Very." As soon as she was out of the door, Emily looked back into the box and pulled out the small envelope. Opening it just made her upset, angry, and frustrated; more so than she was before. Things were not ok. She didn't need to sit there and stare at the evidence to know that. She quickly put the flowers in the trash and the envelope into her safe. She couldn't let Charlie see how frazzled she was. So she did her best to go about the rest of her day as normally as possible. She knew Clyde was watching, but she needed to get a hold of him. She knew just how to do it too.
"Come on Charlie. We're going out."
"Where are we going?"
"Do you want hot chocolate?"
"Uh huh."
"Then let's go get hot chocolate." There was no more convincing necessary. Charlie followed blindly, not questioning her mother's actions one bit. They made a pit stop at the store so Emily could get a new disposable or two before heading to the cafe. As they went to sit in the outdoor patio area with their steaming cups of cocoa, Emily covertly placed a phone into the fold of a newspaper on one of the benches and waited. She knew he was still watching hanging around somewhere, so he would know the phone was for him. It was out of her line of sight though, so she'd just have to wait for the call to know he was there. It didn't take more than a few minutes to have the sister that phone she left on the table ring.
"Took you long enough." That wasn't her normal greeting, but it was what it was. "Let's make this quick, it's almost bedtime."
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not quick about anything."
"I don't know about that." It was nice that they could find a little levity in their situation, but there wasn't time for that. "We need to talk."
"Then what have we been doing?" She decided to ignore his usual comments and keep them moving forward.
"Anything happen while I was away?"
"Nothing yet. I was within ten feet of them at all times. My eyes never left her. She's quite lovely by the way; more like you than I remember."
"No signs of him?"
"No, but I have news."
"What is it?"
"Jeremy's dead."
"What?" Charlie looked at her mother not understanding what was happening. She shot Charlie an "I'm sorry" look and motioned for her to just continue her drinking. "Was it him?"
"Yes, I believe it was."
"What's being done to locate him?"
"Only every agency in the northern hemisphere is looking for him."
"What are we doing to find him?"
"My contact in DCRI tracked one of Doyle's aliases leaving France the day after Jeremy's murder. He took a commercial flight to Beijing then doubled back on a train bound for Berlin. When the agency got there, he was nowhere to be seen."
"He sent me flowers and a note that said 'soon.' I think it's safe to say he's coming here next."
"We'll find him."
"How safe is your house?" She whispered into the phone. This part she definitely didn't want Charlie to hear.
"It's called a safe house for a reason. Nothing is traceable to me. Windows are bulletproof. Doors are locked up tight."
"I need you to take her."
"What?"
"He knows about her. I don't know how he got it, but there was a picture of me with her when she was just a baby tucked into the card he sent. He's going to go after her and I can't let that happen. I won't."
"I'll bring her to the safe house, call in a favor and get her settled with someone we can trust. What about you?"
"I don't want you to worry about me. Just take her, disappear if you have to, and just protect her. And if anything happens to me, you keep her hidden until he's taken care of."
"When?"
"Tomorrow… You can pick her up from school. I'll put an untraceable phone in her bag so we can keep contact and pack the necessities."
"And until then?"
"I'll do my best to make sure nothing happens."
"Tomorrow then."
"Tomorrow…" They both hung up. She turned to watch him leave before taking Charlie and heading home. Charlie went off to get ready for bed while Emily started to pack her bag. She didn't know how she was going to say goodbye. There was a very real chance it'd be the last time they saw each other for a while, if not ever. But she knew it was for the best. She couldn't let Charlie's life be damaged by her own indiscretions. It just wasn't fair.
As they went to bed that night, so many things went through her mind, and they continued well into morning. Doyle killed her friend. He escaped from prison. He was terrorizing her with her own memories. But the worst part was that he was affecting her daughter. He was taking away the security she should feel and was about to replace it with fear. None of it should've been happening. He should've been locked away in his cage for the rest of his time on earth.
"Mommy." The voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"What is it Charlie Bear?"
"Why are you crying?" She didn't even realize she was. Her thoughts kept her from noticing. They also kept her from noticing that she barely slept and it was already time to wake up.
Quickly wiping away the stray tears, she said, "Go get dressed for school and I'll tell you over breakfast."
"Ok." Reluctantly, Charlie listened to the orders while Emily made breakfast. It was quiet while they ate. Emily didn't know what exactly to tell her and Charlie just didn't want her mom to be sad.
"We need to have a little talk."
"Am I in trouble?"
"No, you're not in trouble." She absolutely didn't want her to think any of it was her fault. "But you're going to be going away for a little while."
"Going where? Are you coming with me?"
"Clyde's in town and he wants to spend some time with his favorite girl. I'm going to stay here while you go out of town with him."
"You're not coming too?"
"No, I can't because I have to work, but we'll talk every day."
"I don't want to go without you. Not even for a little or for a long time."
"It won't be too long, but he's going to pick you up from school today, so I won't see you until you come back home."
"What?" She looked like she was about to cry. Hell, Emily wanted to cry. She wanted to be able to say that everything was fine and mean it. She wanted to go to her team for help, but couldn't. Clyde already explained why that was both against policy and extremely dangerous. "Why?" Her lower lip was beginning to quiver effectively pulling on her mother's heartstrings.
"Oh, baby, please don't be sad. Don't cry." Charlie found her way into Emily's lap and wrapped her hands around her neck. "I need you to listen to me ok." Charlie couldn't do much more than nod and try to force away the sniffles. "I told you I'd explain why I was crying. Right?"
"Uh huh." It physically pained her that she was having this conversation with a five year old. It was way too much for her to comprehend, and even more difficult for her to have to deal with.
"A long time ago, mommy put a bad guy in jail, and now he's mad."
"So?"
"He's not in jail anymore and I think he's coming here."
"Is he going to hurt you mommy?" The fact that she even thought to ask that made Emily a little weary. They needed to come up with happier bedtime stories when all was over.
"Not if I can help it, but I need to know that you're safe. So I need you to be brave and strong and go with Clyde. He can make sure that no one gets you."
"But I want you to come. I want you to be safe too. I don't want a bad guy to get you. You're my mommy and they can't have you." Her heart was melting.
"I know, but look at this." She pulled the phone from the side pocket of her back pack. "This phone only calls and texts mommy's phone. It's off now, but when Clyde picks you up you turn it on and have it with you at all times. I'm going to call every night and you have it to call me if there's a problem. I put Jazz in your bag too. Clyde has everything else you need for now. I called your teacher and I want you to pick up all the work she put aside for you."
"I'm not going to school."
"It's Friday, but you won't be going Monday. Hopefully you'll go back soon."
"Ok." The unhappiness she was feeling couldn't even be covered up in the slightest.
"Can you do something for me?"
"Anything mommy."
"I need you to remind yourself everyday that I love you so much and that I am so proud of you. Because it's true. I love you more than you'll ever know."
"I love you too." She buried her head into Emily's neck muffling the next of her words. "I promise to be strong and I'll even be extra good for Clyde." After giving her a tight hug, Emily pulled the little girl from her body to wipe the tears from her eyes. Explaining that she couldn't tell anyone anything, Emily stayed there with her, holding her, until they made their way to work and school. Before parting, Emily made one last attempt to soothe her by reminding her they both had their necklaces and would always be with each other no matter how far away they were.
On her way to work, she stopped at her lawyer's office. She knew it was time to get her affairs in order. She couldn't leave her daughter's future uncertain. Everything needed to be taken care of beforehand. Luckily, her lawyer works fast and promised to have the papers for her, ready to be signed, by the close of business, or the next morning at the latest. She gave him some leeway though. She was asking for a lot. There were new things added, old things amended, and she wanted it done as soon as possible.
The day was pretty mellow. Rossi took Reid to some conference. Morgan was working up a profile for one of his consults. And Hotch was doing whatever Hotch did when huddled in his office. She was free to talk to JJ alone and saw her chance when the blonde stepped into the break room. "JJ, we're good friends right?" It was abrupt and out of the blue, but she needed to ask. However, she couldn't quite look her in the eyes when she did.
"Right…" The question caught her off guard. She thought that was a well known fact. Why would Emily have to question that? Where was the conversation going?
"And you like Charlie…?"
"I couldn't love her more if she were my own." She took a seat next to Emily on the table. "What's going on Em?"
"If something ever happened to me, you'd make sure she was taken care of and loved and had the best life she possibly could?" Now JJ was scared. And when she didn't answer, Emily finally looked over to her and could see the terrified look in her eyes. "Right Jayje? You'd make sure she was ok?"
"Of course I would, but why are you asking?" The gravity of the question and the timing and all the odd behavior were hitting JJ like a ton of bricks. "Are you sick? Should I be worried?"
"No, it's nothing like that. I just update my will every year, and this time it got me thinking." JJ wasn't as relieved as she thought she would be. There was still something going on.
"Thinking about what?"
"What happens to Charlie if I die? I've thought about it before. It was stipulated that if I should die, that custody of Charlie would go to her father."
"Before?"
"I can't just have her dropped on the doorstep of people she barely knows."
"So then who?"
"Well, I was hoping it'd be you."
"Me?" She was honored and terrified at the same time. This wasn't exactly lunch at work conversation.
"You don't have to say yes. I'll understand if it's asking too much, but you, Garcia, the BAU, you guys are my only family. You're a great friend, a great mother, and Charlie already loves you. I'd want someone she knows to take care of her while she got to know her father, and be there for her even after that."
"So you'd want me to fill the void?"
"You're the only person I could think of that I trust enough to do this." She took a deep breath, slowly exhaling. "I'm asking you to care for her as if she were your own daughter and help her get to know her father." JJ didn't like the serious nature of the conversation. Why were they talking about death? Didn't they see enough of that?
"I'd have to know who he was first." She joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"I'm being serious." Emily turned to look at her once again. She needed to see the look in her eyes for the rest of the conversation. She needed to gage her reaction.
"Of course I would Em."
"I need you to promise me that if anything ever happens to me that you'll teach her to be an independent and strong woman like you, that you'll teach her that it's ok to be different, and that you'll tell her to follow her dreams no matter what they might be. But most of all, you'll make sure she remembers me and that she knows I always love her."
"I will."
"Promise me?"
"I promise." She believed her, and that was all she needed.
"You're a great friend. You know that?"
"I do now." JJ was still trying to comprehend what just happened.
"Don't ever change Jennifer… ever." She didn't know what to say to that. Was there a right or wrong response? It didn't matter because before she had a chance to answer, Emily was out of the room and working at her desk. She thought about going over there, but what would she even say?
The day went by and all she could think about was Charlie. What did Doyle know about her? What would he do with her? There were so many questions. It seemed like most of her life was more questions than answers. She just wanted her baby back. That wasn't too much to ask for, and she was going to make it happen. And the first step to that happened right after she met with her lawyer. She had settled that. All the documents were signed and witnessed. Custodial guardianship would be granted to JJ in the event of her untimely death along with a stipulation that Charlie get to know Hotch and custody be reexamined after a certain amount of time. Her affairs were officially in order. So when Clyde called her, she was ready. Things were going to change after that.
"We've found him. He's headed for DC." She knew that. The note told her. That was only her confirmation.
"Are you sure it's him?"
"It's Doyle alright. I'm looking at him right now." It was a picture on his laptop, but that was all he needed to see. "He chartered a private jet."
"How did he get through security checks?"
"Used an alias, Chuck Murray."
"His dog's name?"
"Fitting, no? He is a bit of an animal."
"He's baiting us. He wants us to know."
"Let him come to us." It wasn't long after that that she got another mysterious message. She knew just where to find him. He was coming to her. And she was going to him. Nothing good was going to come after that. Whatever was going to happen, though, it was going down. And it was starting right now…
Every time I go to upload I get and error message, and then I have to wait and wait until it finally lets me upload. Does that happen to anyone else or am I the lucky error reciever?
I had to break up the chapter because it was getting so long. The timeline's a little different than the show. I didn't want to shove all the cases in there or there'd be more crime than drama. But I did want to use their general concept then turn it into my own.
Next chapter is where the Doyle drama really begins. Also, if any of my French is wrong, I apologize. I never studied the language.
Sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors.
Thank you everyone who has added this story to alerts or favorites and to those of you who have given feedback. Opinions are much appreciated; feedback, input, whatever. Constructive criticism also welcomed. I hope you enjoy. Until next time…
