Me, I'm standing on the side of the road,
Rain falling onto my shoes,
I'm heading out to the east coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues, getting through
Tangled up in blue.
December 2014
Emily was impulsive and reckless and she didn't care. She had about nine hours to get there before he did and she was going to make it. She held her phone next to her ear and listened to it ring while she grabbed her ready bag and coat from the corner of her office and headed out the door.
"Prentiss?" said the groggy voice of the main Interpol pilot when he answered his phone.
"Garrett, I need you to get up and get to one of our jets and make a flight plan to Turner Field. Call a copilot, whomever can get there fastest."
"Now?"
"Yes, now. I want to be in the air within the hour."
"I'm up. I'm on it. Must be a serious case."
"It is. I'll meet you at the jet."
Emily drove as quickly as she could down the virtually empty, dark roads. It was raining and foggy, but not enough to keep the plane on the ground. She arrived at the jet the same time Garrett did. The co-pilot, James, arrived soon after.
"Is everyone at the BAU alright?" asked Garret. The last time he'd flown her to Quantico, she was on her way to help JJ.
"Yes. But I'd rather not discuss this. Just, please, get us in the air."
He nodded. "You're the boss."
'Thank goodness for that,' she thought.
She waited until they were well on their way before she called Clyde and told him she'd essentially just hijacked the jet.
"He emailed me. He broke up with Savannah. I'm on one of our jets and on my way there. You can bill me for the fuel."
And Clyde, still half asleep, laughed and let her go in an instant. "You've got some balls, I'll give you that. I suppose I owe you that flight for being such an asshole back in August. I'm happy for you, Emily. I'll take care of the London office for now. Take the time you need and keep me posted."
"Thank you," she said quietly, "Not just for this, but for everything."
He was quiet for a few seconds. "I'll miss it, but I'd rather see you happy. Are you going to stay there or are you coming back?"
"I don't know," she said uncertainly.
"Like I said, keep me posted. Have a safe flight, Emily."
She fidgeted and twitched and alternated between nervousness and excitement for the first couple of hours of the flight. She cried and laughed quietly to herself. She was in shock. She really couldn't believe this might actually happen.
When enough time had passed that Derek should be well in the air, she called Garrett on the speaker and asked, "Can you find the BAU jet and put it on the screen out here?"
"Okay?" he said questioningly. It was a strange request. "Give us a moment."
A minute later, the screen in front of her flashed and she could see the red dot with the BAU's call number making its way over the California border and crossing into Nevada. She smiled. She watched that dot for the rest of the flight and tried to calm her nerves.
They touched down at Turner Field about ten minutes before the team did. It was a clear, bright morning. It was just going on noon in London and Emily switched her watch to Eastern Standard Time. 6:55am. She was bleary-eyed from not sleeping at all, but way too excited and nervous to be tired. She splashed water on her face and brushed her hair.
She told Garrett and James to get some sleep and to head on back to London when they'd had enough rest. She'd fly commercial home. And though they both looked at her perplexed, they didn't say anything. She ran the London office, and that included an indirect supervision of them; they weren't going to question her.
She put on her coat and grabbed her bag and made her way down the plane's steps, breathing in the cold, crisp morning air. She quickly walked a few hangars over. She put her bag down and leaned against one of the bureau vehicles and watched the BAU jet come in for its landing.
She blinked back tears and smiled.
She watched the wheels touch down and the plane make its way towards her and she took deep breaths and tried to control her racing heart.
The phone in her pocket buzzed and she took it out and read the text from JJ.
She could hear the engine of the plane as it pulled to a stop in front of her. She looked up and she saw Derek's and JJ's profiles through the window. Her heart sped up. She quickly sent JJ a text back and laughed when JJ turned her head with a stunned expression on her face, seeing her standing there. Then she saw JJ laugh in return.
Emily saw JJ lean forward in her seat and then she saw Derek's face look out the window towards her, stunned and unbelieving. But then he smiled and jumped out of his seat.
And Emily realized she felt genuinely happy for the first time since learning Doyle had escaped from prison so many years ago.
In that moment she knew this was going to work. She didn't know the logistics, but as the stairs on the BAU jet opened and she saw him emerge from the plane, she knew without a doubt that they were both going to mend their broken hearts together and end up someplace good.