Emily woke slowly, her eyes opening briefly before quickly slamming shut. The night before felt like a dream to her, only the tan arm wrapped possessively around her sheet clad torso confirmed the reality of it all.
It was a shocking revelation, one that the doctor was sure she wouldn't be getting over any time soon, that she was in a committed relationship; and a healthy one at that.
If this had happened just a handful of years earlier or with anyone else, Emily was sure she would have gone running the moment things went from being 'fun' to 'serious' or flat out 'committed'. Those were things the Emily before Jennifer had adamantly avoided.
But now that she was wrapped in a tight embrace, the words 'love' being thrown around like Emily was afraid that once she stopped saying it she would never get the chance to mutter it again, the doctor could see what she had been missing.
People always talked about finding 'the one' and how when you met that person you would instantly feel a connection. You might not know in that moment that they're 'the one' but soon enough the overwhelming feelings the other person evokes makes it all crystal clear.
So for all the eye rolling Emily did when she overheard people talking about sappy romances and meeting their other half, 'the one', the doctor was now eating crow for it. It was hard to believe back then but now that her 'one' was spooning her from behind, sappy romance endings like that didn't seem so farfetched.
Behind her, JJ started to rouse, her fingers beginning to move rhythmically over Emily's bare stomach. "I don't want to get up," the blonde groaned just before burrowing her face into the crook of the doctor's neck.
Emily could only chuckle at the blonde's antics, her eyes blearily staring at the glowing numbers on the alarm clock. "It's already noon."
"More like it's only noon," JJ corrected, her eyes shutting tighter to avoid the bright light piercing through the curtains.
"Well, we would have gotten more sleep if we hadn't stayed up all night doing certain," the doctor paused, her lips twitching in a playful smirk, "activities."
Immediately, JJ's head snapped up from its comfortable position, her eyes narrowing as she took in the devilish expression on the other woman's face. "If I remember correctly, which I think I am, 'stop' was not among the words you said during those activities. And there were a lot of words, not many of them fitting of a woman of your stature," JJ teased, her fingers outlining the contours of Emily's stomach.
"Oh?" The doctor asked with interest, "Remind me again, what stature is that exactly?"
"The one of a pediatrician who also happens to be an ambassador's daughter; and for such an upstanding woman, you sure have a potty mouth."
Emily couldn't hold back her laughter even if she tried, her smile growing even wider as the many witty comebacks flashed through her mind. The brunette leaned closer, pressing her lips to JJ's neck before whispering, "Does that mean you're going to discipline me? Maybe spank the naughty words out of me?"
Just as JJ moved to capture Emily's lips, the doctor shot out of the bed and walked slowly towards her bag, unconcerned with her lack of clothing as she did so.
In the bed, JJ groaned loudly, her head falling backwards onto the pillow with a loud thud, "That was just plain cruel, Em."
Slipping on her underwear, Emily glanced over her shoulder at the petulant blonde, "No, that was the smart move. I doubt you want your son scarred for life when he inevitably walks in on us in a compromised position."
After putting on a pair of jeans and a black button down shirt, Emily crawled back onto the bed and wrapped her arms around the blonde, "We'll pick this up later, but until then, I have to take Aurora home and get my stuff for work."
"You can't take another day off?" JJ asked hopefully, wanting to spend not only time with Henry but Emily as well.
The doctor smile sadly and shook her head, "Unfortunately, no. I've been getting calls about the doctor covering for me; I guess he's not very good with kids."
"He's a pediatrician just like you, right?" JJ asked, unable to fathom how someone whose profession revolved around children, wasn't good with kids.
Emily grinned, the blonde mirroring her own thoughts. "Yep, but he didn't exactly disclose the terrible patient interaction on his application." The doctor's grin slipped a bit, "Crap, that means I'm going to have to look for another doctor now."
JJ pat her arm comfortingly, "I'm sure the third time's the charm. First one was grumpy, second one is bad with kids, so the third one is bound to be significantly better."
"Either I really suck at hiring or doctors just aren't as good as they used to be," Emily mused, not wanting to think about having to fire her newest addition or having to start the hiring process all over again.
"Probably both," JJ joked, smiling widely as she taunted the doctor.
Emily narrowed her eyes playfully at the blonde, "I don't need to take this abuse." To prove her point, Emily gracelessly rolled off the bed and walked towards the bedroom door, only stopping when JJ's voice filtered through the air.
"See you tonight?" She asked softly, all hints of jest suddenly gone.
Looking over her shoulder, Emily offered a bright smile and a look that clearly said 'duh, where else would I be?' but in case JJ didn't catch that, she vocalized her agreement, "Of course, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."
"Love you," JJ shouted as Emily passed through the doorway and headed down the stairs.
The blonde listened for a moment, wondering if Emily had heard her when she was met with nothing but silence.
Suddenly, Emily's head popped into the doorway, "Love you too," and then the brunette was gone, the sound of the front door closing reverberating through house.
The pitter-patter of small feet thudding on the wood flooring quickly followed, and JJ braced herself for the blonde bundle of joy that was sure to come bounding through her bedroom door.
Emily walked into her office, her smile never fading despite the torrential downpour outside or the overcrowded waiting room. No amount of crying children or unpleasant weather conditions were going to wear down her good spirits.
For the first time in years the doctor felt carefree, as though things were finally starting to line up the way they were supposed to.
So it served as no surprise to her when the day started to fly by. One moment, she was walking into the office, shrugging on her doctor's coat and grabbing the chart for her first patient, and the next thing she knew, it was lunch time. Five hours had flown by and the doctor was reluctant to give up her great pace in favor of a twenty minute lunch break. But the rumbling of her stomach made it clear that the decision wasn't in her hands.
"I'll be back in twenty, Suzie, page me if anything comes up." Grabbing an umbrella, Emily cast a friendly smile to her newest receptionist and stepped outside. The smell of humidity and rain hung heavy in the air, something Emily found a small comfort in.
The walk down the block towards her favorite sandwich shop was leisurely, the doctor taking the time to simply enjoy her surroundings before jumping back into the chaos of sick children.
As she walked through the doors, her stomach rumbled again, the smell of freshly baked bread assaulted her nostrils. Behind the counter, a man in his late forties with salt and pepper hair smiled happily at Emily, his hazel eyes crinkling while his hand rubbed his stubbled beard, "Are my eyes deceiving me? Has Emily Prentiss finally decided to grace us with her presence?" The man joked, his burly chuckle automatically making Emily join in.
The doctor rolled her eyes good-naturedly; her hands held out in a surrendering motion, "Okay, okay, I get it. It's been awhile." Without another thought, she walked up to the counter, not bothering to look at the menu. She had been frequenting the establishment for as long as she had been working at her practice, which was quite awhile.
"Uh-huh," The man eyed her skeptically, giving her the once over. If anyone else had done it, Emily probably would have lashed out at them or given them a glare so strong they might have combusted, but that wasn't the case with the man before her. "Well, it best not happen again," he told her sternly, his crooked smile taking the edge off of his reprimand.
"I hate to say it Roy, but you're stuck with me as customer. No other place in DC even compares to the food you make."
"Buttering me up, eh?" Roy asked seriously, his eyes narrowing as he took in the disarming and well utilized smirk on Emily's face.
When the doctor simply shrugged and asked, "Is it working?" His serious expression morphed back into its familiar smile.
"Unfortunately for me, yes, it is." Without asking, he got started on her lunch order, his head shaking slightly as he commented, "I feel bad for the people of this city; they must be putty in your hands."
Emily stifled her chuckle, finding it oddly amusing that so many people felt the need to say she was a heartbreaker, especially considering how woefully low her real date count was. "Well, maybe before but not anymore."
Roy quirked an eyebrow and looked at the Emily a minute before turning his attention back to the food, "Has someone finally snatched you up? Because honestly, I was startin' to wonder if you were gonna ever get taken off the market."
The brunette hesitated for a moment before the words spilled from her mouth like vomit, "Actually, yeah, I am. I've definitely found someone worth holding on to."
Roy didn't ask any more questions, seeing all he needed in the brunette's answer and her suddenly bright eyes. "Good."
Their casual conversation carried on until Emily paid and grabbed her food, sitting down in the far back corner to eat.
When Emily got back to the office, it was just as hectic as when she had left it; parents and children sitting in every available seat, the sound of coughing and sniffling sounding constantly in the waiting area.
But once the doctor got into the swing of things, the patients waiting started to dwindle until the room was left entirely empty.
Once the day was over, Emily gathered her things, finally starting to feel the activity of the day taking its toll on her. Just as she locked up her office door, Suzie called out, waving a blue Post-it note in the doctors direction.
"Oh, Emily, I forgot to give this to you after you got back." The receptionist offered an unsteady smile as she handed over the note. "Some guy called earlier and wanted to talk to you. I told him you were out to lunch and would be back shortly. When I asked if he wanted to leave a message he said no and hung up. I didn't get a name but I wrote down the number."
The doctor nodded absently, her eyes trained on the unfamiliar number. "This isn't a local number," she said aloud, trying to pinpoint exactly where she knew the strange area code from.
"Well, he didn't sound like he was from here. Maybe Irish or Scottish?" Suzie shrugged and started to collect her things.
"Maybe," Emily said distractedly, wondering if the number belonged to who she thought it did and hoped that it was just a coincidence. But if it turned out to be the person she suspected, there was no way she was calling them back. She had the distinct feeling that if she returned the call she wouldn't like what was going to be said and Emily would rather not invite that kind of trouble into her life.
Especially now that she had actually let people into her life; now that she had people who were important to her.
"Ready?" Emily asked Suzie, waiting for the receptionist to leave before locking up the front doors and heading towards her car.
She was running on autopilot, her mind stuck on the past and her fingers clutching tightly to the Post-it, as if by releasing pressure it would disappear before her very eyes. Her stomach churned and her head throbbed, a sense of fear crawling up her spine.
"Snap out of it Emily." The doctor scolded herself, her voice sounding strange inside the empty car. "If it was who you think it was, then he would have left a message. Odds are it's just some pharmaceutical rep or wrong number."
Slowly, her voice began to steady, but the nagging feeling of doubt lingered.
"You have a life now; don't screw it up because you're being paranoid." She told herself as the car idled outside of JJ's house.
With a steely determination, she crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the backseat of her car.
As she approached the door to the house, it unexpectedly swung open. Henry bound down the stairs and ran towards the brunette while JJ leaned against the frame and watched with a soft smile.
"What took you so long?" JJ asked as Emily crossed the threshold, placing a quick kiss on her lips before walking towards the kitchen.
"What do you mean?" The doctor asked while placing an overexcited Henry on the ground.
"I heard your car pull up about five minutes ago, thought you might be reconsidering spending the night," the blonde said offhandedly as she stirred the food she was preparing, asking more out of curiosity than suspicion.
Emily's smile dropped for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of telling the truth versus lying. After a brief internal struggle, the doctor opted to omit as much of the truth as possible. "Just needed to sort my thoughts before coming in; things were a bit crazy at work today, especially right before closing."
JJ nodded in understanding, quickly shutting the stove off before walking towards the brunette and wrapping her arms around her waist. "Well, now that you're here, you can relax."
The doctor let her body melt into the embrace, forcing her mind to stop racing over 'what ifs' and instead focus on the people around her. She figured there was no use worrying over things when she had no idea if they were even worth fretting over.
"Thank you," Emily muttered into the top of the blonde's head, her eyes sliding shut for a moment as her anxieties faded away.
"For what?" JJ replied quietly, pulling back to look into Emily's eyes.
There were a lot of things Emily was thanking her for, but if she were to list them all it would take all night. So she settled for the simplest ones. "For this," she said, taking a step back and waving between the two. "For giving me a shot at something I didn't think I deserved," the brunette sighed lightly, "for loving me."
Cutting her off by pressing a finger to the doctor's lips, JJ smiled softly; her eyes looking sadder than she intended as she wondered how someone as great as Emily could think they were undeserving of being loved. "You don't need to thank me for that stuff, Em," and JJ meant it. Loving the brunette came easily, especially considering how it had snuck up on her.
"I'll always be here for you after a rough day; it's one of the many bonuses to being in a relationship," Which was something JJ knew firsthand seeing as how she had called Emily up during the last case, seeking nothing but comfort and a sense of familiarity. "And as for the not deserving this," her hand rested on the other woman's cheek, "well, that's just plain crazy. Everyone deserves to be loved."
"And I have no doubts that I love you, Emily Prentiss." JJ let her hand slide down until it intertwined with Emily's, squeezing it tightly as their lips met in a fierce kiss.
The brunette pulled back, her troubled eyes suddenly clear and smile coming back full force, "I love you too, Jennifer." The words rolled right off her tongue and for a second, Emily wondered if she would ever tire of saying them. From the way she felt the urge to say it every time she saw JJ, she sincerely doubted it.
JJ groaned and playfully rolled her eyes, "Pen was right, we're disgustingly sappy."
Emily swatted at the blonde, "I blame that entirely on you. You've reduced me to a terrible lesbian cliché."
"I had nothing to do with that, that was all you." JJ quickly argued, huffing with indignation at the accusation.
"Yes, dear." Emily patronized, sidestepping the blonde's playful smack and walking towards the kitchen.
"Keep it up, Prentiss" JJ threatened, following after the brunette.
"Or what? Are you going to punish me?" Emily taunted, picking up their flirty banter from earlier that morning. The doctor childishly stuck her tongue out at the blonde before grabbing some plates to set the table.
Just as Emily reached up to grab the plates from the cabinet, JJ snaked an arm around her waist, "Yes." Her hot breath ghosted over Emily's ear, causing the brunette's hand to tremble, the sound of the plates rattling together seeming to echo in the otherwise silent room.
The next flirty remark rested on the tip of Emily's tongue, but the interruption in the form of JJ's son, quickly had the words dying in her mouth.
JJ turned around, but not before throwing a smoldering look filled with promise at the doctor, "Come one Henry, you can help Emily set the table."
Emily ruffled the boy's hair before delicately handing him a plate, her worries over the mysterious phone call long forgotten in favor or relishing her time with two of the most important people in her life, though somewhere in the back of her mind a sliver of fear still lingered.
A/N: So, as you might have guessed, things are going to pick up from this chapter onward. And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.
Before I get too into things, I'm going to ask if you guys think there are things or events from Emily's cannon story line that should be mentioned, things that you feel are important to what makes her character, well, her.
Interpol is a given, but feel free to leave comments or suggestions.