A/N- Only a few more important chapter left. Thank you so much for the great response to the last one, hope you enjoy Ambassador Prentiss!
Nothing got by Elizabeth Prentiss. Emily used to think she was sneaky, when she was young, she would smoke, drink, and generally run the streets with the other children of the politicians her mother rubbed elbows with.
When she was 15, she realized that Elizabeth knew everything she was getting into and she stopped trying to hide it. Emily took some odd pleasure in breaking her mother's rules so blatantly.
Like when Emily's mother was working in Greece, it took all of two days for the young rebel to establish herself. On day three, she came home to the embassy owned home her family was living in smelling like clove cigarettes with a hickey larger than a quarter on her collarbone.
Elizabeth looked at her over the rim of a glass of scotch, rolled her eyes, and told her daughter, "Don't make any permanent mistakes."
Naturally, the girl's initial inclination was to get both a tattoo, and a radical haircut, but she refrained. This need to spite her mother continued until her senior year of high school when she sobered up and realized she needed to make something of her life.
But JJ was different. JJ wasn't some farmer's daughter with an undercut who smoked clove cigarettes on the cliff sides in eastern Europe, JJ meant something. As such, Emily did everything she could to protect her from facing the full wrath of Ambassador Prentiss.
She did not do well.
Shortly after she began working at the BAU, Elizabeth was in DC. In true Ambassador Prentiss style, she showed up at the BAU unannounced with the grace and flair only she could manage. Emily was sitting at her desk laughing about something Reid had said in response to one of Morgan's dry lines. She had gotten momentarily lost in the slope of JJ's neck- the blonde was sitting perched on the edge of her desk and every so often their legs would brush together- this was before they began dating, so Emily still didn't know what it felt like to run her teeth along that perfect slope, nip lightly at the blonde's pulsepoint, and feel rather than hear JJ's ragged intake of breath in response.
"Emily, dear." The ambassador greeted her daughter when the younger Prentiss stood to intercept her mother.
"Mother." She said, already trying to steer Elizabeth back out of the building, "What are you doing here?"
"I have some business in the area, and I figured I might as well pay my daughter a visit since she refuses to give me an actual answer to the question of if she's coming home for Thanksgiving this year. It's only in two weeks, dear."
"I know, mother." Emily said shortly, trying her best to hustle Elizabeth from this place she was just beginning to make her own.
The woman was having none of it.
Her eyes skimmed over the three other agents all assembled in a loose huddle around Emily's desk, she had seen the way her daughter was looking at the blonde earlier, and she was not pleased.
"You're not going to introduce me to your coworkers?"
Emily's smile became just that much tighter, "Sure." She led the way back over to her desk, she made the introductions as quickly and as painlessly as she possibly could. The other three were slightly starstruck by meeting the Ambassador, and only Emily noticed the extra appraising glance her mother shot at JJ, or the involuntary eyebrow raise at JJ's midwest accent.
"Don't you have a meeting, mother?" Emily asked, practically hearing the speech her mother was building up in the back of her throat.
"Yes, it was lovely meeting all of you, and seeing you again Emily." As the older Prentiss made her way back out of the bullpen, she threw casually over her shoulder, "I'll expect you for Thanksgiving."
Emily tried- and failed- to resist the urge to roll her eyes.
…
After that initial failure of protecting JJ from her mother's scrutiny, she knew she had to do better. Thus, when Emily first decided to bring JJ as her plus one to one of her mother's infamous dinner parties, she knew exactly what she was doing. Even as she lead the way across the entry way, with JJ trailing her closely, Emily knew what she was exposing her girlfriend to. They had been dating for a few months by this point, and Emily was sure of her decision.
She smiled her practiced Prentiss family grin, and reintroduced JJ to her mother as 'My friend, Agent Jennifer Jareau from the FBI.'
The ambassador's eyes flew between the two women quickly before coming to settle on JJ when she greeted the young woman kindly, "It's so wonderful to see you again, Ms. Jareau."
"You as well Ambassador."
They shook hands cordially and the ambassador left them to mingle. She cornered her daughter later that evening, pulling her into a niche in the hallway to have a hushed conversation.
"Do you really feel as though that Jennifer girl is appropriate for you."
"She's not a girl, mother."
"She's certainly young enough to be."
"JJ is only eight years younger than me."
Ambassador Prentiss gave her daughter a pointed look, "She was just starting high school when you graduated college."
"Well then I guess it's a good thing we're both out of school now."
With that, Emily turned on her heel and marched from the corner. She found JJ easily enough, taking the woman by the elbow, "We're leaving."
"Emily?"
All it took was one look for JJ to follow her girlfriend.
…
The Christmas following the Thanksgiving that Emily proposed (and JJ gave her an overwhelming yes) found the couple at the Prentiss household for five days.
Emily pulled up in the large driveway, and took a moment fixing her hair and checking her minimal makeup in the rearview mirror before going to exit the car. With her hand on the handle, and one foot already outside of the vehicle, Emily froze, she realized that JJ was making no move to do the same.
"JJ, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just that." She trailed off, spinning her engagement ring around her finger. Emily had a complementary one, but she had taken it to a jewelers to get it resized so for now, her finger was bare, "You haven't told your family yet right?"
Emily settled herself back in the car, shutting the door and giving JJ her full attention, "No, I haven't. I wanted to do it in person."
"Should I take my ring off?"
"Never." Emily smiled covering the blonde's hands with her own, "I'll do it soon, I don't want you to take it off."
"Should I ask your father for permission or something?" JJ asked, catching her lip in between her teeth.
Emily laughed shortly, "If anyone, you should ask my mother." Her smile only widened at the expression of pure terror that flashed on JJ's face for a split second, "But don't worry about it. This is more of a conversation I'll need to have with her."
"Alright, if you're sure."
"I'm positive." Emily promised, pressing a gentle kiss to JJ's forehead, "Now let's get out there, there's no alcohol in here and I'm going to need some to make it through this week."
JJ laughed, and whacked the brunette's arm lightly, "You're horrible." She admonished, but followed Emily up the steps to the house.
It took all of ten minutes for Emily to find herself alone in the kitchen with her mother, a glass of wine in each Prentiss's hand, "Pass me the ladle?" Elizabeth asked.
Emily rummaged through the drawer, and pulled out the utensil, "Here."
They stood in silence for a little while, the only sound in the kitchen was the simmer of the pots on the stove. Emily swirled her wine around her glass, contemplating it before taking a healthy sip.
"I'm marrying Jennifer." She said, placing her now empty glass down on the counter.
She watched her mother's shoulders pinch in something like irritation, "I had assumed so."
Emily resisted the urge to roll her eyes, of course that was the congratulations she would receive from her mother. Emily watched the tension drain from her mother's shoulders for a moment while she continued stirring with her back to her daughter.
"I just want you to be happy, Emily."
"I've told you, JJ makes me happy."
"I know." Elizabeth said, she doesn't have nervous ticks, she doesn't do little things like run her hands through her hair if she doesn't know what to say, but she shifts her weight centered in a power stance, "That much is obvious."
"Then why can't you be happy for me?"
"I am." Elizabeth paused, shifting herself, and Emily swore anyone else's heels would crack under the pressure, "You're my only child Emily, I want you to have everything. Everything I can't give you."
"And you don't believe that JJ can give me everything?" Elizabeth didn't respond, so Emily had no choice but to keep going, "She already has given me everything I've ever wanted and so much more."
Elizabeth nodded the slightest bit, "It's a beautiful ring that you got her."
Emily found herself smiling against her will, "Thanks." She knew this was the closest that she would get to approval for now. It was all she could have wanted from her mother.
A/N- I wrote a haiku for you all (may be based in reality)
'Finals season hits
So much studying to do
Caffeine life jacket'