Javicia tried and failed to suppress her laugh when she looked past the three women in the doorway and saw her own family walking up. She gave Hank to his grandmother and rushed over to her own. "Nana, I miss you so much! I haven't seen you since freshman year." Elizabeth Prentiss hugged her granddaughter back tightly and kissed the top of her head. "I missed you too sweetie. I'm officially retired, so you will see much more of me." The older woman paused and her eyes watered when Koa stepped up. He was still a shy little boy, "Hi my Koa. I've missed you too." Koa hugged her back, "Me too." he muttered. Emily and Derek walked into the foyer and ushered both of their families inside. Emily decided to give a short tour to everyone. She cleared her throat, "Guys, you can follow me and I'll show you around. Dinner has about 45-60 minutes left." The women migrated towards the kitchen and Emily led the men down a short staircase near the garage. "This is the game room. It isn't finished yet, but the arcade games came from an auction last year. How I managed to get these big clunkers for next to nothing still amazes me. This is pretty much the sports cave. The bar is upstairs in the mahogany cabinetry. I'll go check on the women." Emily left her boyfriend in a room with her son, father, brother, and nephews. For a second, she felt bad but then she realized that she had to a face a room with her sister, mother, daughter, and boyfriend's mother and sisters. Emily chuckled to herself, we're definitely even.
Emily heard all the females in the kitchen talking to one another and leaned up against the wall. She listened to them speak. "So Javicia, how old are you?" Sarah asked curiously. Javicia laughed sweetly, "I'll just get right to it. Koa and I have the same biological dad but different mothers. His birth mom died years ago and mine stepped up. My great aunt and uncle retired to Honolulu and my mom let us stay there so that we'd have stability. Her caseload had her going all over the country, so it made sense. We are both seniors in undergrad. We're 20 and um…I don't…I can't think of anything else to say." Emily decided to save Javi from an awkward moment and popped her head into the kitchen, "You can tell them that you're on the Dean's List or that you're involved in about 10 different clubs on campus." Javicia rolled her eyes and tried to hide her blush, "Mom come on." Emily laughed and kissed her on the cheek, "I can't help bragging on my little girl. Ladies, I see that Javi supplied you all with wine." Fran Morgan took a sip of red wine and looked Emily up and down. "Emily, may I ask how long you and Derek have been seeing each other?" Emily choked on the sip of wine she'd just taken, Javicia snickered and received a glare from her mother. Fran continued speaking, "I can tell. He's really happy and nervous at the same time. You are acting the same way, plus all 5 of you seem pretty content with one another."
Emily's older sister laughed and went over to the stove. She turned the lamb and put some of the vegetables on the tabletop grill. "You should've been a cop Fran. You hit that right on the mark and you've only been here for like 20 minutes." She nudged Emily with her shoulder and pointed to the living room. Hank had managed to roll himself over on the playmat and was now looking at them upside down. Desiree, Sarah, and Lisa went to play with him; Elizabeth and Fran stayed in the kitchen with Emily and Javi. "Emily, may I ask you a question?" Fran asked. Emily turned around to face the red-haired woman. "Sure. What is it?" "Are you staying in Chicago long-term or?" "I'm here for good…for the time being. You, other than my family, are the first to know that. I—uh—I don't think that law enforcement is for me anymore. I just don't feel like I'm making a difference anymore. I think that I'm done with the BAU and Interpol for a while. Right now, I'm working directly with victim services and the homeless veterans in the city. I'm in the process of starting a non-profit that covers housing, counseling, financial assistance, and medical care for: victims of sexual assault, the families of homicide victims, and veterans that need help. It's a big undertaking but with connections that I've made through the years, I think that in time it'll be all worth it." Fran smiled, "I think that it's a wonderful idea Emily. It will be life-changing for people." Emily pulled her lips into a thin smile and blushed.
Javicia excused herself to go get everyone for dinner and set the large dining table. The men came up without hesitation and immediately sat down at the table, eager to dig in. The women joined them and Koa put Hank in a high chair in-between Emily and Derek. The table looked like a food presentation spread in a magazine. There was lamb, steak, baked chicken, and a litany of grilled vegetables. Conversation was light for the most part until Eli spoke up, "Koa, Javi what do the two of you plan on doing after your graduation?" Javicia panicked and choked on her food; Koa covered for her by saying, "Gramps you just caught her off guard and helped me win a bet." Koa was happy that Javi caught on to his story, but everyone else at the table was confused. "We made a bet on who would be the first to ask us about post-grad plans. I won." Javicia had finally come up with an excuse in her head before she answered her grandfather's question.
"Uh Gramps, right this second I'm in a bit of limbo. I miss mom so much that I'm thinking about staying around Chicago for a bit. Before you guys start, I don't have to go to grad school right this moment." she paused after getting disapproving looks from her family and added, "But I have gotten job offers, internships, and stuff like that." Elizabeth wiped her mouth with a napkin, "Darling, what about Oxford?" Javicia didn't make eye contact, "I haven't set up an appointment yet but I've gotten their calls." Koa jumped in to save his sister once more, "I have an expansion contract with Stanford. I'm helping design the new dorms that they plan to build in a few years. I've been driving Javi crazy having her help me with the design. She's kind of been more focused on helping me because she wanted to take a breather to be here in Chicago with mom. Are all of you staying here for good?" Koa asked his family. They said that they were, but Emily and Derek were more focused on the subliminal conversation going on between her children. They decided to watch a sports game after dinner and dessert. Javicia pulled Sarah and Desiree aside and they went outside to talk privately. "Can I ask you two a question?", they both nodded. "Is whatever you do now what you always wanted to do?" Desiree spoke first, "No. At first I wanted to be a professional track star. I didn't make it so I decided to give realtor school a try. It stuck and I've been doing it for 9 years. I like what I do and it pays the bills." Javicia remained quiet and looked at Sarah. "Yes. I know it sounds lame but I always wanted to be a librarian, so that's what I am. I found something that I was passionate about and went for it."
The three of them remained quiet before they both looked at Javi. "Is this about dinner? It was kind of obvious that something was going on when your granddad asked about your career plans. Is that what it is?" "Can I tell the two of you something in confidence?" Desiree readily agreed, "Of course. it'll be between us." Javicia struggled momentarily to find her words, "I just can't do it! Living up to Prentiss standard is hard. I don't want the political world and the police world wants me. I've been getting offers—great offers—from police agencies all over the world. And after…after everything that my mom has went through with them, I just…I just can't tell her. I want to, because I've never kept a secret from her, but then I don't because I don't know what I want to do. I am good—no I'm great at Forensic Psychiatry but my mom's job kept her away for so long, all the time; I just don't know if I'm built for something like that. I've spent too much time away from her and now I don't want to let her out of my sight." Desiree wiped away Javi's tears, "Do you want to know what my mom, and probably yours, would tell you in a situation like this?" Javi nodded her head yes. "She would tell us that no matter what, you will always have her. She'd also tell us to live our lives and do what makes us happy because she did the same. She'd say—" "That I am extremely proud of the woman you are and I want you to be happy in whatever you choose to do."
Javicia's breath hitched when she heard her mother's voice. Emily's words made her tears flow. She leapt into her mother's arms, "How did you know?" Emily smiled, "Milo and I used to do that same thing. Cover for each other and talk in circles. Koa also pulled Derek aside to talk before he came to me and just told me. In all honesty, I knew about the offers before you ever told me." "How?" "Javi, I've been in law enforcement since I was your age. I've worked for Interpol, FBI, and many other task forces and agencies that I can't tell you about. I know how hard you tried to keep it under wraps, but I worked with so many different people that someone was bound to tell me." She pulled away from her mom and held her hand, "Why didn't you say something?" Emily ushered all of them back inside, "I'm a mom Javi. Besides, you needed to feel comfortable enough to tell me yourself. I also wanted you to make your own decision without my input." They all walked back inside and their families went to grab their coats and belongings. Javicia needed an answer to her question, "What's your input?" "That the two of you should do whatever you want and know that your family—all of us—will always be by your side" Derek answered her question.
A/N: Emily talking to the team is next and so is Javicia's career decision.