(Ok…I don't know if this will be H/P or not…the characters seem to want to address other things at the moment…maybe it will end up being an whole'nother series for me…who knows….)
Wednesday was a full repeat of Tuesday, with a few variations. Jason Collins picked his son up again, and Emily was sure he was flirting with her. She didn't exactly flirt back, but it was tempting. She'd learned one other important fact about the school—the single fathers outside were there to hunt the single mothers, and not just to pick up there children. Emily wasn't going to play that game, though there'd been several unspoken invitations.
Cody went uncomplaining to the BAU, where she worked diligently on her homework, with only a few distractions. They had dinner, discussed possible chores—Emily had decided the kid had to keep her room at the minimum, safe and orderly, if not clean—and then Cody played a few video games, read a bit of the book Emily had given her, and went to bed.
Emily breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe tonight she'd get caught up on the paperwork she'd brought home with her. Nearly an hour into it, the screaming started.
Once again Emily ended up with a twelve year old in her bed, and almost no sleep.
Thankfully, Thursday was one of the most uneventful days the BAU had ever seen, and Emily almost cried in relief. She picked Cody up, received several appreciative glances from the gathering of fathers, and headed back to the BAU, extremely exhausted.
Thursday night was a repeat of Wednesday, and Friday morning Emily was running on fumes and very strong coffee. Cody was acting out, her own troubled sleep making her cranky and irritable. It wasn't an easy morning, for either Prentiss. Emily dropped the girl off at school ten minutes later than normal, and hurried over to the BAU.
She should have known from the way her morning had already gone that JJ would have identified a case. A case clear across the country—Seattle. Emily didn't complain, that wasn't her way, but she wasn't the least bit happy about it. But she'd known it would happen eventually. The first moment she had a chance she ran back to her car, grabbing the ready bag she and Cody had packed for this very thing. Inside it was two school uniforms—Emily had purchased extra—three outfits, socks, underwear, books and a spare video-game system, all the things they'd decided she'd need for an extended stay. Emily thanked God for Garcia. The blonde tech would pick Cody up after class, and keep her at the BAU until Emily's mother could get there to take the little girl until Sunday evening. If Emily wasn't back from Seattle by Sunday evening, the little girl was to go back to Garcia's. Garcia would shuttle her to school and keep her during the week. It wasn't ideal, but it was the only solution Emily could think of for right then.
Emily was the last one to the jet. She'd spent several minutes on the phone with Cody's school, and then Cody herself. The little girl wasn't happy with Emily leaving, but both Prentiss's knew there weren't any other options.
Still, it was a very subdued Emily who settled into her seat between Hotch and JJ. She took the file the younger woman handed her, but said nothing. She just wasn't ready to talk to anyone just yet.
Hotch knew something was bothering her from the moment she stepped on the plane. Her face was slightly more pale than usual, her fingers trembled slightly, and her eyes were suspiciously wet. He knew what it was, he'd experienced it himself nearly every time he took Jack back to Hayley after a weekend visit.
It was the first time she'd left the little girl, and she had to be feeling nearly sick. He unconsciously wrapped a hand around her arm, squeezing reassuringly. He leaned closer to her while the others were busy flipping through their files. "Everything ok?"
"I don't know." Emily admitted, turning to look at him. "I know I can't stay with her forever, it wouldn't be good for either of us. But I didn't think it would be this hard."
"I could lie to you, tell you it gets easier to leave them, but I won't." He leaned closer, close enough to smell the slightly fruity scent of her shampoo. "But it does get easier for them to leave us. In time."
"God, how long?" Emily sighed, her hand clenching on her file. "I'm not sure that now is the best time for me to be away. But then again, she has to learn to be self-sufficient, too. Is it always this confusing?"
"Being a parent? Every damned day." He admitted. Their dark heads were close as they whispered, their shoulders touching.
Nobody on the opposite side of the plane missed it. They weren't used to seeing Hotch and Emily that close together, especially Dave and Derek. Spencer and JJ had noticed, but weren't giving it that much thought.
Dave watched Aaron speculatively, noticing the way the man's body had unconsciously leaned toward the woman beside him, the way his arm had moved behind her back to comfort her. He'd definitely not missed the way Hotch was looking down at her, his eyes unconsciously softened. It got Dave thinking about Emily and Hotch in a way he hadn't before. It was…interesting, those thoughts. He wondered briefly if Aaron had ever entertained those kind of thoughts about the beautiful woman beside him.
Derek watched his colleague's face for any sign of what was bothering her, though he had a pretty good suspicion. Raising a kid wasn't easy—especially if you'd only been doing it for little more than a week. And he'd noticed both Emily and Cody were looking a little worn down the last two days. He'd lay money on the fact that both pretty Prentisses weren't sleeping. That had to be tough for Emily, and it wouldn't surprise him if she needed just a little help with this case. He made a vow to keep an eye on her. He also didn't miss the way Hotch was eying her. The way Hotch was leaning in a little closer—probably to hear her words, his hearing wasn't quite back yet—the way Hotch's hand was stroking the bare skin of Emily's arm, though neither really appeared aware of it as they spoke. Derek wondered what they were talking about. Wondered if Hotch knew what his body language was telling Derek. Derek wondered when their feelings for each other had really changed. Was it after New York? St. Louis last week? Derek didn't know, but now that he'd noticed, it would bear watching. He gave it a little more thought, as he watched the two covertly. Emily and Hotch's suits were nearly the same charcoal gray, though she wore a silk camisole beneath the stylish jacket. The silk was of an ice blue that was flattering to her coloring, and it nearly matched the blue tie that Hotch wore perfectly. They looked like to complementary parts of the same whole, and he wondered why he'd never noticed how good they looked together before. It was something he'd definitely have to keep an eye on. Just for curiosity's sake, if nothing else.