Disclaimer: I don't and will never pretend to own Criminal Minds.

Dear Hotch,

I've been writing to you for years. And you never wrote me back. I guess you couldn't have, Hotch.

He pulled open one of the drawers in her desk. There were several letters lying around, and Morgan saw that Emily had begun each one with "Dear Hotch" every time she wrote. Emily must have been writing letters for a long time; the first one was written around the time when he had helped her moved into her house.

There's just one problem with this, Hotch. I won't be writing many more of these letters – the doctors told me that I had a disease with a name too complicated to remember.

I'm dying, Hotch.

Morgan sighed. He was the one with the hard task of sorting through all of Emily's things. He missed her. Emily had been his friend for such a long time that for a while, he tried to deny it. Morgan tried to pretend that she wasn't sick, that she was going to be okay.

None of our old team members were ready for me to tell them. Morgan and everyone else are all still hoping that I'll stay alive.

After finding out about Emily, Reid tried to find medication to help her during her last few months. Emily refused to take any of it. She had been tired of life; she had wanted to leave. He started visiting her every week because he didn't want his friend to live out the rest of her life alone.

Remember when I used to wonder if I would die after being shot? There's no danger of that happening anymore. That's a plus, I guess. I've been shot, beaten, kicked, and stabbed, but I haven't died from any of it. I actually lived long enough to die from a disease.

There was an entire box of things from Garcia for Emily. Morgan picked it up and smiled. Garcia always tried to cheer people up; she had clearly tried to bring happiness to Emily's life. Like the rest of the team, she had been shocked when Emily broke the news to them.

A package appeared on my doorstep from Garcia. The note that accompanied it made me cry. She's such a dear…I'm going to miss her. I'm going to miss all of them.

It had been especially hard for JJ to deal with Emily's death. She had gone with the team members who were still alive to lay roses on the casket and pay their respects. But JJ felt that with so many former teammates dead, there was a sense of incompleteness.

You know, I wonder how JJ's going to take it. She's one of the best friends I've ever had, and I would trust her with pretty much anything. JJ's helped me so much…I'll never be able to repay her for all she's helped me with.

Morgan finished reading Emily's last letter and set it down. He wanted her to talk to him, to explain a lot of things, to say goodbye. He wanted her back.

If someone else is reading this letter, it means that I'm coming for a visit, Hotch. And mind you, it's going to be a long one. I can't wait to see you and Haley and Jack all together again. Oh, and Rossi too. And maybe Gideon. I haven't heard from them in a while either. None of you guys can write to tell the rest of us anything.

But it's all over. I won't be alive much longer. I'm coming.

-Emily


THE END


Author's Note: Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing and following this story. It's been a great fanfic to write. Emily Prentiss is one of my favorite characters, and it was great to write out what could have happened to her ten or twenty years from now (if it weren't for the fact Paget Brewster decided to leave CM). I'm going to miss Prentiss.

What did you really like about the story? What did you really not like about the story? I'm thinking of writing another one of these in the same style but for a different Criminal Minds character. Do you want me to write it? If so, which character?

I might also write one last section for this story to tie up loose ends.