December 25th - Happy Endings and New Beginnings

"What do you think your mom will say?" Emily asked, staring down at the diamond ring on her finger, still reeling with disbelief that the previous evening had actually happened, that she was engaged.

Morgan laughed, "Well, once the paramedics revive her after the shock of the news gives her a heart attack... She'll be pleased as punch."

Emily smiled. "And you're sure she'll like me?"

"She already likes you," he assured, "This will just make her like you even more."

She was silent for several moments before quietly thinking aloud, "I wonder what my mother will say..."

"I'm sure she'll be very happy for you." When Emily didn't say anything for awhile, he continued, "There's something else, right?"

Emily sighed softly, stopping her tracks in the middle of the busy airport. Hands on her hips, Morgan leaned in to rest his forehead against hers. "What is it, baby?" he spoke in the soft, low voice that made her insides melt.

"I'm thinking about my dad... I haven't talked to him since that day." She looked at him sadly. "What should I do, Derek? He's my dad and even after all that has happened, I still love him, but I'm still mad at him."

"Why don't you call him now?" he suggested, checking his watch, "We have a good two hours before we have to get on the plane, why don't you meet him here? You want to see him, don't you? You brought his gift..." She raised a brow and he explained, "I saw you pack."

"What about you?"

"I'll leave the two of you alone and, if you need me, I'm just a phone call away," he smiled.

"You're spoiling me rotten..." she sighed.

"You deserve it, after everything that's happened..."

******

Joe Prentiss walked towards the airport's café with a smile on his face and a lightness in his steps, like a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Technically, something like that had happened... His daughter had finally called him. Since the last time he had seen her, he had been waiting patiently for her call and when he finally heard her voice again, he felt so relieved. He'd thought after all that had happened, she would never want to see him again.

As he stood outside the café, he watched as his daughter leaned against her boyfriend. He couldn't help but feel a sense of regret wash over him; he had just gotten Emily back, only to see her lean into another man's embrace, a man she trusted more than she trusted him... He could only blame himself. If he hadn't made that mistake all those years ago, this would never have happened. He wouldn't have lost his family, his daughter, his wife, and all the happiness that goes along with them.

Morgan spotted Emily's father through the window. "He's here," he whispered.

"Do you really have to go?" she half-asked, half-pleaded, "I need you."

"I'll stay if you need me," he assured.

She took a deep breath and shut her eyes. "I think I'll be okay." He nodded, kissed her quickly, and moved to pull away. But before he could, she tightened her grip on him. "No, don't go!"

He raised a brow, looking at her questioningly. "Which one is it?" he asked.

"Stay," she said with more conviction, "Please."

He smiled, "Anything for my fiancée."

"Oh God, I have to tell him... Is it too late to back out of this?"

Kissing her forehead, he soothed, "Hey, now, you can do this. You don't want to spend Christmas not having made your peace with him, right?"

She sighed, "You're right, I don't want to leave things like this..." As she gripped his hand tightly, pulling him towards where her father was waiting, she whispered, "You know, when we get married, you don't get to be right anymore..."

He laughed, "We'll see..."

******

Morgan intended to get some rest before they landed, knowing that his mother likely had the entire evening planned out and they would be lucky to get a chance to rest, let alone any sleep at all. He had advised Emily to do the same, seeing as he had some plans of his own on how the two of them could celebrate Christmas, but she seemed content to just stare out the window contemplatively, probably still processing the events of the last few days.

Staring out the window as the plane made its way along the runway, she smiled contentedly as she recalled the conversation she'd had with her father earlier. Morgan was right, she felt so much better after having made peace with father. She could finally enjoy Christmas without any burdens in her heart.

They had agreed to work on their issues and her father had also agreed to let her take as much time as she needed to accept him again. Letting out a sigh of relief, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming excitement for Christmas. The whole traditional Christmas dinner with your family, the gift exchange, cuddling in front of the fireplace and just talking; she'd never had anything like that in her life before and she was so happy that things turned out the way they did. Not that she would ever admit it to Morgan, he'd be more cocky than ever and he had been right about far too many things already.

Leaving her to her thoughts, he began to nod off, well-versed in being able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, seeing as rest wasn't always a plentiful commodity. He was almost out cold when her voice startled him back to awakenness.

"What was that?" he mumbled blearily, opening one eye as he turned his head to look at her.

She laughed slightly, smiling amusedly, before becoming pensive again. "This is the first time I've actually been excited to fly anywhere..."

He found it difficult to imagine how someone who'd spent the majority of her life travelling to exotic places hadn't at least once been thrilled about their destination. His confusion must have been written across his face, because she elaborated, "When I was growing up, getting on a plane meant having to leave behind what meager life I'd managed to build up, having to lose all my friends, and start over in some strange place where I didn't know the language or the societal norms or anything... And as I got older it just got more and more difficult to adapt and change who I was so people would like me; by the time I left home, I'd just stopped trying.

"And joining the BAU didn't really help matters... Not that I don't enjoy what we do, but every time we set foot on that jet, we're setting course for more horrors and depravity, like a homing missile with a set course for everything evil in the world. It just seems like nothing good ever comes out of flying somewhere, so there was no point in looking forward to it." She squeezed his hand lightly, giving a smile as she met his gaze. "Until now..."

He returned the smile. "What makes this time so different?" he pressed, even though he had a feeling he knew what she meant.

"This time, I know we're destined for something good. This time, I get to meet my new family..."

"New family," he mused, "I think I like the sound of that." He grinned brightly and leaned in to kiss her gently. "Merry Christmas, baby."

And, for the first time she could remember, it really felt right to say it. "Merry Christmas."