Author Note – I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who is following the story, and a big thank you for your lovely messages for my move. I also want to say I adore my internet company; they had my equipment at my new address before I was there, but it only got set up today. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, if you have a few minutes I would love to know what you think.

Distance – chapter twenty one

"Emily?" Elizabeth questioned as she held the phone in between her ear and shoulder. Her hands paused as they sorted through the mail. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Emily told her in a quiet voice.

Elizabeth frowned at the almost childlike sound to her daughter's voice. She discarded the mail on her desk and sat down in her chair. She grasped the phone in her hand, holding to her ear more securely. Emily rarely reached out to her. She felt the dread start to set in as she thought of what could have been the cause of the unexpected contact. "Are you sure? Are you hurt Emily?"

"No Mom, I'm fine honestly. I was just thinking about you and I wanted to talk to you, we haven't done that in a while," Emily explained.

Elizabeth hated the hesitation in Emily's voice. She hated that their relationship was so strained that she was suspicious every time they made contact. When Emily contacted her after those seven months of nothing, Elizabeth felt like she had finally been able to breathe again. Her daughter was safe and alive. But relief was short lived, quickly replaced by anger and resentment, and Elizabeth regrettably retaliated by keeping her distance from Emily.

"It's been a long time," Elizabeth said softly. Emily had made the effort to reach out to her and Elizabeth wasn't about to turn her away. "How's London? Are you all settled in?"

Emily gave a tiny laugh on the other end. "It's nice," she replied.

"You don't sound enthusiastic about it Emily," Elizabeth said, unable to keep the disappointed tone from her voice.

"I like it Mother," Emily sighed. There was an awkward pause from both sides, before Emily continued. "I'm sorry. I didn't call you to argue."

"I'm sorry, too. You've made so many changes to your life over the last few years, every time you call I find myself waiting for you to announce another one."

"I haven't made any major new decisions Mom," Emily assured her. "London is good for me, I'm more relaxed. I love my apartment, it's in a nice area."

Elizabeth relaxed back into her chair as Emily sounded less hesitant, happy even. "And your new job?"

"It's a nice change of pace. Arranging the security for the Olympics was a bit hectic but a great experience."

"I can imagine it was. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Do you miss the FBI?" Elizabeth asked. Emily had been so sure of joining the Bureau, despite what happened Elizabeth never expected her to announce her return to Interpol.

"I miss my old team," Elizabeth could hear the smile in Emily's voice. "But at the end the cases were getting harder for me to deal with. I wasn't able to compartmentalise them like I did before I went away."

They never spoke about why Emily had to go away, or why she had to let the world believe she was dead. Elizabeth was made aware at the time it was the only way for Emily to be safe, and Emily never elaborated when she returned. Elizabeth was too afraid of the answer to ask herself. "I'm glad you left before it became too much for you. Are you still in contact with your friends?"

"Actually I just spoke with Morgan. He was talking about his family and I really wanted to speak to you."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at Emily's tone. "So I have Derek to thank for the unexpected phone call," she surmised. She listened to Emily's breathing for a moment, wondering what had been said between them for Emily to ring her.

"Derek?" Emily questioned her familiar use of his first name.

"We met at your funeral," Elizabeth elaborated, somewhat briskly. "He was very sweet and kind."

"He is. Um Morgan is, uh," Emily stumbled, unsure of what to say. Elizabeth's mouth quirked at Emily's hesitation, but she stayed silent, wondering what conversation they could have had to prompt the phone call. She heard Emily take a deep breath before starting to speak again. "He's moving to London soon," Emily admitted.

"Oh," Elizabeth's mouth dropped in surprise. Emily stopped discussing her romantic partner's years ago, when they stopped being deliberate attempts to annoy Elizabeth. For her to supply this information without being prompted was a huge step for mother and daughter. The unspoken admission gave Elizabeth hope that they could still rebuild their relationship.

"I've been apartment hunting for him," Emily offered warmly. "He moves at the beginning of next month."

"Are you in love?" Elizabeth asked. She saw no need for pretence between them; they both knew the significance of Emily's admission.

"That's a difficult question to answer."

"Why?" Elizabeth couldn't help asking, hoping it wouldn't scare Emily into clamming up. The openness with which they were talking was refreshing for her, and she didn't want it to end quite so soon.

"Because I loved him as a friend before our relationship changed," Emily explained. "It's too soon to admit anything else."

"Falling in love isn't logical Emily," Elizabeth told her quietly. "I fell in love with your father over a whirlwind weekend when I went away on a whim. I wouldn't have met him otherwise, I wouldn't have you if hadn't."

"I don't think you've ever told me how you and Dad met," Emily stated.

"You were so young when your father left me, and it hurt for me to talk about it," Elizabeth explained, not wanting to reject Emily's invitation to talk.

"You never met anyone else," Emily replied.

"I threw myself into work, which regrettably meant my relationships with others suffered. I'm sure you can attest to that Emily." Elizabeth paused, hoping for some denial from Emily. When none came, she continued. "I've grown old Emily, and I'm beginning to realise how lonely I am. I see how focused you've become with your work, and I don't want you to end up the same way."

"Mom," Emily said, sniffling quietly. "I'm here to talk whenever you need too."

A tear escaped from the corner of her eye. "I don't want it to be too late to fix our relationship."

"I don't want it to be either, it's why I called," Emily admitted.

Elizabeth wiped her eye as she smiled. "We both need to work at being more open."

"We can do that," Emily agreed.

They listened to the sound of the other breathing for a moment. "Embrace whatever is developing between yourself and Derek. It was very clear to me when he and I talked about you that he adores you, no matter what happened."

"He makes me happy, and I can't wait for him to be here. I got used to him and Penelope being here during the Olympics," Emily explained. "We're taking things slowly to get used to being more than friends. It's different with Morgan, he knows who I am. I thought it may have been awkward because we've known each other for so long but that has made things easier."

"Are you falling in love Emily?" Elizabeth couldn't help asking, even though she knew the answer.

"Yes," she replied quietly. Elizabeth could tell from the awe in her voice it was the first time her daughter had acknowledged it out loud.

"I'm so happy for you Emily. When did you two decide you wanted to be more than friends?"

"We, uh, um, didn't want any regrets before I left for London," Emily explained. "When he came to London for the games we decided it was worth the risk."

"It is Emily, I promise you. Just don't make the same mistakes I did."

"I'll try not to," Emily promised. "I've missed speaking with you."

"We really should do it more often," Elizabeth said as she wiped another tear away. They weren't fixed by a long shot. But they were both willing to fix their relationship. "I'm going to be in France for a few months from October. It's a short journey through the tunnel, maybe I could visit and we can do this face to face."

"I would like that," Emily said warmly.

"Good, we can arrange a time when all three of us are available. I would like to get to know Derek properly."

Emily gave a small laugh, as if she expected Elizabeth's response. "Tiny steps Mother."

"Oh Emily, you've just admitted to falling in love with that man," Elizabeth replied with a chuckle. "That's a huge step."

Emily's laugh was louder this time, more sure of herself. "Fair enough," she conceded. "We'll work something out. I should let you go. We'll talk soon?"

"I will ring you in the week," Elizabeth promised. "I love you Emily."

"I love you too Mom, bye."

Before Emily could hang up Elizabeth called out once more. "Emily."

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you called."

"So am I," Emily replied before hanging up the phone.

Elizabeth listened to the dial tone for a few seconds not wanting to disconnect quite yet, contemplating her phone before resolutely returning it to its cradle. Her gaze was drawn to the photo frame next to it; a black and white photo of her holding a baby Emily when she was just a few hours old. Her fingers stroked the frame as she smiled. Her darling daughter had been brave enough to take initiative to breach the gap between them. They had both done and said things they regretted. They could both be stubborn and headstrong. Elizabeth hoped they wouldn't let that get in the way of their reconciliation.