A/N: 1) No excuses for this year long delay. However, I am finally graduated from grad school (yay!). And since there is no job on the horizon, I anticipate lots of free time to dedicate to finishing this…finally :D 2) So there is a time jump, just like I promised, in this chapter. As the chapter goes on, I hope to fill you in on everything that happened in the 5 weeks. So just please be patient with me. And if you're confused about anything, or if I just leave something out (which is highly probable), just let me know and I'll clear it up.

Anyway, HAPPY READING!

5 WEEKS LATER

"Aunt Emmy?"

"Yeah Champ?"

"You're coming back tonight wight?"

Emily turned around in her seat for a brief moment to look at the blonde boy in the back of her Range Rover. Even though the two had spent almost every moment together for the past two weeks, she could still tell that Henry hadn't quite recovered from the scare of her abduction. And with her driving towards the Jareau's to drop him off at his grandparent's house, the brunette didn't have to be a profiler to see that Henry was having some separation anxiety. After a moment's hesitation, Emily decided to be honest with the little boy, "I don't know buddy. Your mom is back today so she'll probably be picking you up tonight."

"But I want you to pick me up," Henry grumbled.

Finally pulling into the driveway, Emily gave herself a moment to figure out how to respond as she climbed out of the car to go help Henry down. When she opened the back door, the blonde boy was standing, waiting for her to pick him up. It still amazed her that he could get out of the car seat on his own. "Don't you miss your Mommy though?" Emily asked as she set him down on the ground.

"Well, yeah. I miss her a whole bunch. Why can't you bof pick me up?" he asked innocently as he reached up and grabbed Emily's hand, reluctantly following her to the front door of his grandparent's house.

"How about this?" the woman responded as she crouched down to be eye level with the boy. And as she gazed into the blue eyes, still shockingly identical to his mother's, Emily knew that Henry was just scared she wouldn't come back. All she needed to do was calm his nerves without letting him know that she had figured out why he was frightened. "I'll talk to your mother about it. And if she doesn't have something planned for just the two of you, then maybe we can all go out to eat together."

Henry smiled broadly as he flung his arms tightly around Emily's neck and squeezed for a few seconds. "Okay! That sounds gweat! I weally did miss my mommy," the boy whispered. He just wanted to make sure Aunt Emmy was coming back. But now that he was sure about that, he focused his attention on his missing mother, whom he hadn't seen for two weeks.

"I know Champ. I miss her too," Emily whispered back. Instead of breaking the hug, she stood to her full height still holding the blonde boy and rang the doorbell, finally signaling their arrival.

Within moments, the door swung open to reveal a beaming Lisa Jareau, already dressed and ready for the day. "There's my grandson!" the woman exclaimed as she reached out to steal Henry from Emily's protective arms. Lisa heard a muffled noise coming from beside her head and she assumed Henry mumbled a response in kind to her enthusiastic greeting. "And hello to you too Emily dear. Please come in and have a coffee before you go to work," Lisa invited as she stepped back from the door to let the stiff woman into the house. She had easily seen the way Emily had switched from open and caring to guarded and closed off the moment it was no longer just her and Henry hugging on the doorstep. That was really her ulterior motive for asking the profiler in, she wanted to keeping chipping at that tough exterior.

"Actually, I should probably head out, though I thank you for the offer. I want to get to the office before the rest of the team gets in," Emily explained in a borderline awkward voice.

"I don't think you'll have a problem with that dear, being that they didn't get home until about one o'clock in the morning," the grandmother exclaimed as she adjusted the growing boy on her hip. She could still feel Henry burying his head into her neck, taking in the familiar smell of cookies and love that he associated with his grandparent's home.

"Nevertheless, it's always better to be safe than sorry," Emily smiled uncomfortably as she remained standing on the front porch. Though there was some truth to her wanting to get to the office before everyone else, she also just didn't want to be alone with Lisa and Richard Jareau. She wasn't quite ready for that yet so she felt the need to avoid this situation until she had JJ around for support. "I'll take a rain check though. Tell Richard I said 'Hello' and I'm sure I'll see you all later."

With that, Emily spun to return to her car and finally head into work for the first time in five weeks. But before she took more than three steps, she heard a yell from behind her, "Wait up Aunt Emmy!"

Turning to face the running boy, Emily opened her arms just in time to catch the charging blonde. "Have a good day at work Aunt Emmy. I wove you."

Closing her eyes and soaking in the moment, Emily cradled Henry's small head for just a second before replying, "Eu te amo também, meu filho."

Emily couldn't help but smile as she heard the adorable giggle erupt from Henry's mouth as he said, "In English Aunt Emmy!"

"Oh hush! You know exactly what I said in Portuguese! Now go back inside. And behave for your grandparents today okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Henry agreed as he placed a quick kiss to Emily's cheek and scurried back into the house. Emily watched the blonde boy disappear inside before waving one last time at Lisa and finally heading to her SUV.

When Emily finally pulled out of the Jareau's driveway, she felt a piece of her heart being left behind with Henry as she drove away. For the last two weeks, with JJ on a case with the rest of the team, Henry and Emily had spent every moment together. Initially, JJ tried to make him stay with her parents because she feared Emily wasn't healed enough to care for him or for him not to hurt her again. But when she tried to make him leave the profiler's condo, he threw the biggest temper tantrum she had ever seen out of him. But it seemed deeper than that at the same time. It wasn't just a temper tantrum, it was true sadness and fear that was behind the crying and kicking and screaming of her son. So after some serious consideration and a long discussion with Emily, the two women decided it would be okay for Henry to stay, but only with the understanding that if it became too much, the grandparents would be called in as reinforcements.

So now, even though the brunette was beyond excited to be heading into work after five long weeks, and finally seeing JJ after two long weeks, she was also saddened by the fact that she wouldn't be with the little boy as much as she had grown accustomed to. But knowing this day was inevitable, Emily simply tightened her grip around her steering wheel, clenched her jaw in determination, and continued to head towards the only other person who could make her feel better…Jennifer Jareau.

-IF-

The black Range Rover glided into its designated parking spot with practiced ease. Shutting off the engine, Emily took a moment to breathe and collect herself. Today was the first day she was able to return to work at the BAU. The doctor had finally cleared her for work, as long as she promised to stay on desk duty only. While her bruises were mostly gone and her cuts nearly healed, the profiler's ribs were still sore when she moved certain ways, which basically eliminated most of her job duties except paper pushing. But as this point, cabin fever was an issue and Emily could no longer sit in her condo, knowing that her team, her family, was out in the field and down an agent.

Emily checked her watch and noticed it was already 7:30am. She had taken a lot longer to collect herself than she thought. She wanted to try and beat everyone into the office today so as to avoid too much celebration or excitement for her return to work. So glancing into the mirror to assess that her concealer was still covering what was left of her bruises, Emily finally pushed open her door and began to head into the office.

The only other time the profiler could recall being this nervous on the elevator ride to the BAU was on her first day with the team. But the brunette could feel the same anxious energy coursing through her system in anticipation of finally being back at work. Lost in thoughts of her previous fateful trip from what felt like eons ago, Emily was startled at the sound of the bell signaling the arrival at the BAU floor. And when the profiler finally strolled confidently into the bullpen like she had so many times before, she sighed with reluctant acceptance as she took in the smiling faces of all of her co-workers and the cheesy decorations littering every inch of the room, a majority of it covering her desk.

After a breath of hesitation, the entire BAU team yelled, "WELCOME BACK, PRENTISS!" as they watched the woman take in all of the adornments. A 'Welcome Back' banner hovered above everyone, obviously hung using clear fishing wire as it looked like it was floating in midair. Streamers, confetti, and other obnoxious party décor littered her previously organized desk to the point that not a single spot of wood showed through. To top everything off, a large cake also sat on her desk, with script writing adorning the top and reading, 'Prentiss returns' in blue writing. But as annoying and embarrassing as all of the unnecessary attention was, Emily couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face because she had truly missed her team, her family. She would tolerate the celebration if it meant that she was finally home.

Morgan was the first person to move out of the group and toward the now embarrassed profiler. "Hey, Princess! So I know you didn't want a big 'to-do' about your return, but you know how Garcia can be. There's no stopping that woman!" the male profiler chuckled as he carefully slid his muscular arms around the small frame of his best friend. And with a whisper that not another soul would be able to hear, Morgan continued, "I've missed my best friend."

Holding the embrace a beat longer than they normally would have, Morgan stepped aside to let the rest of the team shower Emily with the attention they all knew she was going to hate. The next person to approach was none other than the party planner herself. "Hey ladybug, welcome back to your home away from home. I know you told me not to do anything, but when have I ever listened to you? Especially when a party is involved?!" The blonde tech laughed as she leaned in for a hug of her own.

Emily returned the hug, not as reluctant with human contact as she used to be, but replying, "I just don't know how you did this all without me knowing. You've basically lived with me and Henry for the past two weeks."

"It is unwise to question the powers I possess." Was the only response Emily got from Garcia. "And since I have had the pleasure of your and Henry's company for two weeks, as you've stated, I'll move aside and allow others to greet you. I'm going to dig into this cake. I hope you like red velvet!" And just like that, the blonde techie disappeared.

Looking back toward the group Emily chanced a quick glance to see if she could find the one person she was most eager to greet. But the blue eyes of the media liaison eluded her for the time being. And with Hotch quickly approaching, Emily didn't have time to keep looking. Knowing Hotch wouldn't try to hug her, Emily relaxed a little as her boss stood comfortably in front of her. "We're glad to have you back Prentiss. And even though we couldn't get enough solid evidence to prosecute those Russian bastards, we won't stop trying. I know you'll feel safer with them off the streets, as will we all. No one hurts one of our own and gets away with it."

With a small smile of gratitude, Emily looked into her boss's eyes and responded honestly to him, "Thanks Hotch. You don't know how much that means to me. And even though I doubt they would be stupid enough to try anything like that again, it brings me reassurance that we're going to keep going after them. I'll sleep better knowing they can't get to me, or even to any of the team or our families, again."

A matching smile gracing his features, Hotch placed a reassuring hand on Emily's shoulder and squeezing softly. "Well, I'm going to grab a piece of cake and head back up to the office. I've got a mountain of paperwork from the case we just got off of. The past two weeks out in Oklahoma were rough, especially without you. We're glad to have you back Prentiss."

With a sad sigh at having missed an entire case, Emily watched Hotch grab a piece of cake and quickly scurry back to his office. That man never rested. And before the profiler had time to exhale, Reid and Rossi followed in quick succession to bring well wishes and greet her return to the BAU. The meetings were brief and to the point. The three remained ever the professionals.

Finally, with a moment to breathe, Emily resumed her search for the one person she truly wanted to see. It had been two whole weeks since she'd seen JJ. And with the case being so busy, the two had barely even had time to talk on the phone aside from a quick "Hello, how are you feeling, how is Henry, I got to go. Oh, don't forget to take your meds." But now the case was done and Emily was back at work, where she belonged. And with that thought resounding in her mind, blue eyes met brown from across the room.

JJ was standing with Morgan and Garcia by the cake that was still situated on Emily's desk, joking about something one of the two jokesters said. With the meeting of their eyes, JJ seemed to completely lose track of the discussion she was previously engaged in. Without so much as an "Excuse me," JJ left the conversation and crossed the room toward Emily, all the while maintaining the intense eye contact. When the two women stood face to face, JJ's head slightly angled up to meet the gaze of the taller woman, all that came forth was an almost breathy, "Hey."

"Hi." Emily responded in simple retort. No further words were really needed at the second. Just the emotional connection was enough for the time being. After several long, motionless, moments, Emily cleared her throat as though suddenly remembering that the two of them were no longer tucked away in the save haven of her secluded condo, but instead on display in the middle of the bullpen, for all eager and roaming eyes to see.

Also snapping out of her daze, JJ quickly looked down and around, before meeting eyes with Emily again. "I actually have some paperwork for you in my office. If you want to wait until after you eat some cake though we can put that off unt-"

"No, we can do it now. Right now is great," Emily eagerly agreed. She wasn't quite sure how to act around JJ at work, so she jumped at the opportunity to meet alone in the media liaison's office. Not to mention it was a great excuse to ditch the mini-party being thrown in her honor.

"Right now it is then," JJ agreed with a small smirk. Little did Emily know there wasn't actually any paperwork.

So the two agents made quick work of exiting to JJ's secluded office. But the hasty departure didn't go unnoticed by the ever watchful gaze of one Miss Penelope Garcia. With an aggressive slap to Morgan's chest, Garcia squealed in excitement.

"Ow woman! What was that for? I only want one more slice," Derek complained as he began eating his third piece of Emily's 'Welcome Back' cake. A cake he noticed the profiler being honored hadn't even touched yet.

"Operation JEM has just resumed," Garcia explained finally tearing her eyes away from the retreating figures of her two friends. Seeing the puzzled expression on Morgan's face, Garcia huffed a sigh of annoyance and continued, "You know, for someone who is supposed to notice things for a living, you really suck at it sometimes. JJ and Emily are already finding ways to be alone. Look around you…they're gone."

Taking a glance around the bullpen, Morgan realized the tech was right as a grin spread across his face. "That's my girl. Doesn't miss a beat," he chuckled as he resumed shoveling red velvet cake into his mouth. Penelope may have planned the party, but he got to pick out the cake.

Shaking her head at the tall profiler, Garcia just smiled along with the man as she began to continue developing ideas and scenarios for her Operation JEM mission. She'd just have to fill Morgan in later. The man couldn't be interrupted when red velvet cake was in the vicinity.

-IF-

Emily followed JJ into the isolated office, turning only to close the door behind them. And as she turned to face the blonde again, she asked, "So what is this paperwo-humph." But Emily never got to finish her sentence because she found herself with an armful of blonde woman. Obviously there was never any paperwork that she needed to fill out. And before she could truly react, JJ leaned up on her toes to capture the brunette's lips in a gentle kiss filled with longing, with hunger, with passion, and with every feeling she couldn't share with the profiler for the past two weeks of being separated.

Still weak from her recovery, Emily found it difficult to support both her and JJ in the tight embrace. But having been separated from JJ for so long, she had no urge to end the kiss just yet. Instead, she took a few hesitant steps back to rest her back against the solid wooden door, thus enabling her to support the weight more confidently. Once stabilized, Emily placed one hand in the small of JJ's back to bring the blonde's body flush against her own, and she brought her other hand up to tangle gently in golden locks. And that's how they remained for several moments. The kiss never grew aggressive, it was simply a gentle reminder that each missed the other.

Regretfully, Emily's injuries made themselves known once again as she found the need to break for air more quick and urgent than before her 'accident' as she had taken to calling the abduction. Pulling away slightly, Emily rested her forehead against JJ's shorter one as the two panted the same air. Finally catching her breath, Emily spoke first, "Should we be doing this here?"

"I don't really care. I missed you too much to wait until tonight. Besides, something tells me that Garcia will find a way to make sure we have some time alone," JJ chuckled as she kept her eyes shut and just reveled in the feeling of being in Emily's arms again.

Not really expecting to hear much more about the subject, JJ was surprised to hear Emily continuing with the topic, "I missed you too. So much."

A plus side of spending the three weeks before being sent off on the case in Oklahoma was that Emily was starting to open up more and more. The brunette didn't automatically shut down now anytime an emotional situation presented itself. And even though JJ figured it had something to do with little Henry living in the house with them and Emily finding it impossible to hide behind her walls around the boy, the blonde woman didn't care. She was just grateful that it had started happening. Nevertheless, it still somewhat surprised her when Emily revealed this side of herself without coaxing on her part. "Well, the downside of spending every waking, and sleeping, moment together for three weeks, is that when that time is over, it's damn near impossible to resume life as normal. But I'm glad to find that the feeling is mutual," JJ finished with a smile and she slide her arms tighter around the brunette's neck and planted another healthy kiss on the profiler.

This one ending sooner than the last, Emily commented, "I still can't believe you used all of your vacation time to care for me. I should be mad at you…" Emily let the comment hang in the air as she placed a few short kisses to the blonde's full lips. Like she could actually be mad at the woman for something so mundane.

"I didn't really hear you complaining when you were being waited on hand and foot for those three weeks. That's probably why you missed me so much! You missed your dutiful servant," JJ joked as she pulled further out of the embrace to properly look into Emily's eyes. The profiler's eyes were clear and reflecting a bright chocolate brown in the soft light of the dim office. No longer clouded with the side effects of the pain medications, JJ knew Emily must really be feeling better if she stopped taking her pills. But she also knew that Emily would never return to work at the BAU under any kind of drug induced haze, legal or otherwise.

With a deep throaty chuckle, Emily brought both of her arms to encircle JJ's waist as the two continued to hold each other while leaning against the office door. "That's exactly why I missed you. I'm sure it had nothing to do with falling asleep next to you every night. Or waking up next to you every morning. Or our stolen kisses behind Henry's back. I absolutely don't miss any of those things," Emily punctuated each statement with a chaste kiss to JJ's slightly swollen lips.

The media liaison's face broke out into a wide smile as she continued to gaze into Emily's eyes. She could just feel her heart soar every time Emily spoke so openly about her feelings. It was almost surreal. It was almost too good to be true. But pushing those thoughts aside, where they rightfully deserved to go, JJ peppered Emily's face with more kisses before pulling out of the hug all together. Although she didn't want to break the embrace, she could feel Emily shaking from the weight and she knew the profiler was not anywhere close to her previous strength. So the blonde stepped back and instead placed her hands gently on either side of Emily's rib cage and looked up while asking, "How are you feeling? And don't try to lie to me, because I'll know. I could feel you shaking just now. Was that pain?"

Emily sighed as she made her way out of JJ's arms and to the chair in front of the large desk. "I'm fine JJ. I'm still a little sore, but I think I can hold you and not be met with a freaking inquisition afterward." Emily tried to joke. But they both knew the truth was that if JJ didn't check, Emily's stubborn attitude of not admitting weakness would do nothing but physically hurt her in the long run.

Kneeling on the ground in front of Emily, JJ spread her hands out on the profiler's thighs and looked up at her from beneath her eyelashes. It was actually a dirty little trick, knowing that the brunette couldn't resist the look coupled with her baby blues. "I'm sorry Em, I'm just worried about you. I'm going to be worried for a long time I think, so maybe you could just humor me?"

The eyes, the look, the nickname. JJ was really not playing fair. But still, playfully rolling her eyes, Emily allowed a small smile to slip through her fake mask of anger before responding, "I guess I can understand that. But now that we have the obligatory 'how is poor, poor, pitiful Emily, doing' out of the way, I have something I want to ask you."

JJ immediately perked up to attention in that moment. Because gone was the playful Emily and the lust filled Emily and the work Emily. In their place was a nervous Emily.

The brunette reached one hand up to rub the back of her neck while looking everywhere but at JJ. She shouldn't be nervous. This was really just a gesture of sorts since the two had gone about things all backwards, but a gesture she was determined to make regardless. Emily was jostled out of her anxious thoughts when she heard JJ's impatient voice call out, "Well? What did you want to ask?" If there was one thing JJ wasn't known for, it was her patience.

Finally looking down into expecting blue eyes, Emily found the confidence she needed in the love she found shining in those blue orbs. "Jennifer Jareau, would you do me the honor of going out with me?"

Emily could see the realization spring to life in JJ's crystal blue eyes as the smile spread wide across her face. And just as the media liaison opened her mouth to respond, the shrill ringing of her telephone cut through the air. With a large smile still in place, JJ whispered, "Hold that thought," as she quickly ran to answer the offensive object.

Before the blonde could even say hello, she heard the hurried voice of Garcia come across the line, "Whatever you two lovebirds are up to in there, you better stop. You're about to have some company."

JJ didn't get a chance to defend herself or to ask any questions because the line went dead just as a firm knock echoed through the office. With a curious glance towards Emily, JJ made her way to the closed door, took a deep breath to help her return to duty as the BAU media liaison, and confidently swung the door open.

The momentary pause was enough to have Emily straining to see around JJ from her seated position. Whatever was going on was obviously something JJ hadn't been prepared for. Just as the profiler was about to get up to see who was at the door and if she should leave, the name she heard uttered next only served to have her falling back into her seat and cradling her now pounding head in her hands. "Ambassador Prentiss." Leave it to her mother to show up at the most inopportune time.

-IF-

A/N: So I am still very much in "business writing" mode. So you'll have to excuse me if I'm a little rusty on the descriptive stuff. I hope this was worth the wait. And I have already started on the next chapter! Let me know if y'all are still with me! And let me know what y'all think!