Hi guys! Thanks so much for all your sweet reviews! And to Cupcake, I corrected those few errors you pointed out! I do proofread several times before I post, but sometimes I miss really obvious things (probably shouldn't try and update when I'm tired, haha!) but thank you for pointing those out. If anyone else ever sees anything that makes it hard for you to read because I messed up, please point it out! I try to make sure everything is right but alas, I am only human. Jack and Emily's zoo trip should be next, but for now, we must say "see you soon" to George! He'll make some more appearances, so don't worry! This one is kind of long, but I figured you wouldn't complain ; ). Hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!
XxxxX
It was the next weekend before Emily and Jack were able to work out a trip to the zoo, but everything was set and ready and they were going to go the next day, Sunday. Today, though, the whole team was coming over for a going away party for George. His flight was set for later on in the evening, so Emily made sure everyone could come over for lunch on Saturday. George didn't know about it, and Emily was pretty proud of herself for being able to keep the secret for a whole week. She had sent George to run an errand for her so she could start making lunch without him questioning her. She felt kind of bad for asking him to do anything, but she knew it would all be worth it in the end.
The whole team had grown to love George, and they had all been a little sad when Emily broke the news that he was going away for a little while. But they were all also happy that he would be getting to reconnect with his family. So Emily had gotten them all to agree to come to the house just before noon so that they could surprise him with one last get together before he left.
Emily was busy chopping up some vegetables as she thought about the past week. It had actually gone really well, something that hadn't happened in months. Emily had gotten the rest of her stuff from London shipped to DC, and she'd managed to find a nice, affordable apartment nearby. She was going to keep the house for now, planning to take care of the cleaning and whatever else herself. Elizabeth had owned a house in Italy as well, but Emily didn't really have an attachment to it, and she knew Elizabeth didn't either. Luckily, that house had sold before Elizabeth passed, so Emily didn't even have to worry about it now. She was set to move in to the new apartment on Monday. Emily had been used to moving around and settling into new placed before she was even ten years old, but this move felt different. She wasn't going to have to get used to cultural boundaries or speaking a different language. This time, she was coming home. It just felt right. Her apartment was close to Hotch's, and she hoped to have the whole team come visit within the next few weeks, work providing.
That was another thing Emily had been mulling over in her head all week. What was she going to do about going back to work? She didn't really have a job to go back to anymore, anyway. She knew if she wanted, she could get that Interpol job back easily. But she didn't want it. She'd never truly wanted it in the first place. She had hoped throwing herself into a new job with new people and new responsibilities would make that awful feeling she seemed to carry around with her after Doyle go away. But it hadn't. Somehow, it'd made it even worse. But as soon as she was back in DC, that feeling went away. Of course, it was replaced with all kinds of other feelings regarding her mother, but now that she was healing, she felt like she really was going to be okay. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like this. So whatever she decided to do, she knew she wanted to stay in the general DC area. If she could help it, she'd never transfer anywhere else again.
She knew that if she pushed hard enough, she probably could get back on the team. She'd love nothing more than to take down criminals with her favorite people in the world like old times. But she knew it would never be like old times again. Not in a negative way, however, they had all grown and changed so much over the years that it wouldn't be the same. Besides, they all had welcomed Alex with open arms, and she fit in with the team so nicely. She didn't want to disrupt their new dynamic, and as much as they'd say she wouldn't, she knew she would.
Her job at Interpol hadn't been nearly as hands on as her job at the BAU had been, and sometimes she really missed going out in the field and having a hand in putting away the bad guys. But she found she really didn't mind keeping up with paperwork and going to meetings, among other things she'd had to do in London. She knew what she did there was still helping to catch some of the bad people in the world, and for her, that was enough.
She figured sometime soon, she'd talk things over with Hotch. Then she'd talk them over with the girls. Surely by then she'd get some good advice to help her into the right direction.
Emily arranged the vegetables she'd been chopping on a plate, presenting them as a tray to go along with the sandwiches she'd already made and put in the fridge. She wanted to keep lunch light, because she knew there'd be a lot more talking than there would be eating.
She took out some fruit and started to chop that up too when she heard a knock at the door. No one was supposed to show up for at least another half hour, George included. Emily made sure he'd be gone long enough for everyone to show up before he got back.
She wiped her hands off with a dish towel before she went to the front door and looked through the window before she opened it. With everything she'd seen in her career, she knew to never be too careful. She smiled when she realized Hotch and Jack were outside waiting. She quickly opened the door and stepped back to let them in.
"You're early," Emily said as she moved to hug an excited Jack before she looked up to face Hotch. She hadn't seen him since the night they'd gotten back from their last case over a week ago. They'd talked nearly every day, but they just hadn't had a lot of time to hang out.
"Sorry, Jack was really excited to see you again." Hotch said with a smile.
"You're the one who wanted to come early because you wanted to bring food!" Jack reminded his father, rolling his eyes as if Hotch was insane to have forgotten that. Only then did Emily notice the handful of bags he'd brought with him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Come set these in the kitchen." Emily said as she led the Hotchner boys into the giant kitchen where Hotch sat the bags down on one of the counters.
"Didn't I say you guys didn't have to bring anything?" Emily asked as she raised an eyebrow, resuming her task of chopping up various fruits.
"Yeah, but you like me, so I figured you'd let me break the rules." Hotch shrugged as he grabbed a knife and started to help Emily.
"Mhm…" Emily hummed. "I guess just this one time I'll let you get away with it." She smirked.
"Can I help?" Jack asked as he pulled a chair over to the counter Hotch and Emily were using and sitting on his knees. He was almost tall enough that he didn't really need to do that anymore, but not quite.
"Hm, you know what? How about you make some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Henry? And you, if you'd like. I just know JJ told me that's the only thing she can get him to eat lately." Emily said as she set out all the necessary things for Jack. She knew he was probably old enough to cut up fruit, but she also knew that sometimes even she cut herself by accident, and she really didn't want to have to rush Jack to the emergency room for stitches. Jack seemed happy with this task, and set to work with that adorable determined look on his face.
"What?" Emily asked when she caught Hotch staring at her with a smile on his face.
"Nothing…you're just good at that." Hotch commented.
"At what? Getting bread, peanut butter, and jelly out and setting them on a counter?" Emily asked. She really had no idea what he was talking about.
"Taking care of him." Hotch told her with a shrug.
"Oh…" Emily said softly. She didn't even realize it, but she'd just parented Jack for him without even asking Hotch if that was okay. "I'm sorry. I know he's not really a little kid anymore, but I just thought if we could avoid a potential ER trip then we should…I didn't even ask you first." She bit her lip, hoping he wasn't upset.
"No, no. You're right. It's okay, Em." Hotch assured her.
"I'm still sorry, he's your son." Emily said truthfully. Sometimes she wished she could be Jack's mom, it crossed her mind a lot more frequently than it had in the past. She'd always adored Jack, there was no question about that. But she'd grown even closer to him lately. She loved being a more permanent fixture in his life, whatever he saw her as was fine with her, but she still felt like she had crossed some kind of line a moment ago.
"You just want what's best for him, it's really okay. I could never be mad at you for keeping his well-being intact." Hotch told her honestly. He loved watching Emily and Jack interact. They loved each other so much, anyone who spent two minutes with them could see that. Hotch was glad, after losing his mother at such a young age, and after things with Beth ended, Hotch was glad that Jack found someone else to look up to besides himself and Jessica. He really believed the more adults children felt safe with, the better of they would be later in life.
"Okay…" Emily agreed finally. She could swear he was still staring at her with that smile on his face, but she just pretended to be completely engrossed with making a tray full of fruit.
XxxX
Just as expected, the team arrived pretty much all at once in the next half hour. Despite Emily's insistence, everyone seemed to have brought something for the party. Hotch had come in with bags of appetizer-like foods. Rossi brought over a new pasta dish he'd been perfecting. Emily knew he had made it specifically for this party because it would go so well with the sandwiches she had already made. Morgan brought drinks, for both the adults and for Jack and Henry. Reid insisted on bringing paper plates, cups, and napkins, so that Emily wouldn't have to insist on doing the dishes alone later. Because they all knew she would. Garcia brought over some decorations that she very strategically placed around the living room mere seconds after arriving. Emily had to admit, Garcia had a real knack for sprucing a place up in a matter of minutes. JJ and Alex both brought different desserts, wanting to make sure there were enough cupcakes and brownies to go around.
"You guys really didn't have to do all this, just showing up was more than enough." Emily said after she had given everyone a proper thank you and a hug.
"We know we didn't have to, we just wanted to." Morgan supplied with a smile.
"Well, thank you, again. George is going to be so surprised." Emily smiled back.
"When is he coming?" Henry asked as he pulled on Emily's hand. "I'm hungry." He said innocently, genuinely confused when everyone started to laugh.
"I think we can make an expectation for you and Jack." Emily told the five-year-old as she led him and Jack into the kitchen and helped them make their own plates.
Just as she settled the two of them at the coffee table in the living room, they heard the door creak open, signaling that George was home. They'd thought about hiding, but had decided earlier that he would see their cars out front and know something was up. So they stood around the living room, greeting the man with smiles and hugs.
"What's all this?" He asked finally, looking around at the group of people he'd learned to call his friends over the past few months.
"We just wanted to give you a proper goodbye before you left tonight." Emily told him. "I'm really proud of myself for keeping this a secret all week." She told him.
George just smiled and hugged her again. "Thank you, you've all been so incredibly kind to me." George told them.
Everyone started to eat and talk and laugh. It was nearly an hour later when Emily saw George motion for her to follow him upstairs. Confused, she followed him up to his bedroom, wondering what he wanted.
"Is everything okay? It's alright that I invited everyone, right?" Emily wondered aloud, questioning if she had made the right decision.
"Of course, everything's perfect." George assured her. "I just have something that I want to give you before I go, and now is a good time." He said. Actually, he had wanted to give it to her for quite some time now, but he needed the perfect time. He knew that time was now.
Emily looked at him questioningly. "What is it?" She asked, intrigued.
George didn't say anything; he just opened a drawer in his dresser and pulled out a rectangular box-type package, wrapped in purple wrapping paper with a silver bow around it. She took him from him slowly, wondering what in the world he'd gotten her. It wasn't her birthday, it wasn't Christmas, so what was the occasion?
"What's this?" She repeated.
"Well, you have to open it." George told her with a chuckle. "Come sit down." He said, knowing she'd probably want to be sitting down when she did open it.
They sat down on his bed and carefully Emily started to unwrap the gift. Underneath the paper was a white box, and Emily had to smile. He really wanted this to be a surprise.
She opened up the box and pulled back the white tissue paper, feeling her breath catch in her throat when she picked up what was inside.
It was a framed picture of Emily and Elizabeth, huddled together on Elizabeth's hospital bed as they looked at the picture of three-year-old Emily and a younger Elizabeth together. Emily remembered that day like it was yesterday, but at the same time it felt like an entire lifetime ago. She knew she'd never forget that day as long as she lived. She and Elizabeth had really bonded as Elizabeth relayed the story behind the photo of Emily sleeping on her mother's lap.
Emily longed for the comfort of Elizabeth's embrace sometimes. But now when that happened, she could just look at this picture George had taken without her even knowing, and she could go back to that moment.
She didn't even know she'd started to cry until she saw a tear hit the glass on the frame. She wiped it away quickly before she turned to George.
"This…this is beautiful. I could never thank you enough. I can't believe you've never shown this to me before." Emily said as she set the photo aside and hugged George tightly.
"Don't thank me, when I saw you two like that on her bed, I knew I needed to take this. I wanted to give it to you right away, but I knew I should wait until the right time. I showed it to your mother…she's the one that told me to hold on to it…until after she was gone. She said you should have it when you needed it. I think now's the perfect time." George said as Emily only tightened her arms around him. He knew he had to wait for Emily to start to cope with Elizabeth's death before he gave the precious photograph to her. In the last week or so, Emily had been happier. Not back to herself completely, but definitely so much better than she had been. He knew that now was the time, Emily needed that picture, and now she could keep it forever.
Emily didn't even try to stop the tears that were now freely rolling down her cheeks. They weren't tears of sadness, not really. She knew she would always be sad to some degree about losing her mother. But now she had something tangible to hang on to, to remind her that while Elizabeth's death was devastating and almost broke her completely, that everything wasn't always so bad. That even in the darkest time, there are moments of light. This picture was one moment of light.
"Really…I just don't have the words right now. This is the most beautiful thing I'll ever own. Thank you." Emily said again.
"Don't thank me, it's the least I could do. I'm sorry to make you cry before the party was over." George apologized.
"No, it's okay. These aren't sad tears. In fact, I'm gonna go put it downstairs for everyone to see before everyone heads out." Emily said as she sent George a smile.
George went back downstairs and Emily stayed up in George's room for just a few more minutes, wiping away the rest of her tears before heading into her own room to reapply the mascara she'd cried off.
Just as she was finishing up, she heard someone knock on the open door. Without looking, she knew it was Hotch. Somehow, she'd memorized his knock.
"Hey, you." He said as he came in the room at her nod of approval. "I was wondering where you went."
"George wanted to give me something. Come here," Emily said as she motioned for him to sit on her bed. He did so, and she brought the 8x10 frame over from her dresser and held it out as she sat next to him.
"Oh, Emily. This is amazing." He told her as he looked at the picture. The way Emily was nestled so close to Elizabeth, the way her head rested in the crook of her mother's neck, and the way Elizabeth had one arm around Emily protectively were things he'd never be able to forget. He was so glad she had this moment captured like this. He knew it had to mean so much to her.
"I didn't even know this existed. George took it one night at the hospital and said he was waiting for the right time. He said…he said he showed it to my mom and she told him to wait…until…until she was gone." Emily said, forcing herself not to cry again. She'd just reapplied her makeup and she was not about to do that for a third time.
"I'm glad you have this. It's perfect." Hotch told her as he handed the photo frame back to Emily. She just nodded.
"Is it weird that somehow I just…I feel closer to her? Because I know she's seen this. I know that this was her idea. Kind of, anyway." Emily rambled.
"Not weird at all." Hotch assured her as he slipped his arm around her shoulders, sensing she needed a bit of comfort. She leaned into him for a few moments, unable to stop staring at the picture and tracing her fingers around the frame slowly.
"I'm going to go and put this downstairs on display, something this lovely should be seen." Emily said finally as she moved out of Hotch's familiar embrace and rose from the bed.
"I think that's a great idea." Hotch agreed as he followed her back into the living room, where the party was still going strong.
XxxxX
Later that evening, Emily and George were headed to the airport. Emily insisted on driving him, even though he told her his plan had been to get a cab. Emily told him that was unnecessary and drove him herself.
The drive was quiet, but not awkwardly so. Neither one of them really spoke until Emily parked the car in the airport's parking lot, she'd planned to help him get his things inside and see him through until he had to go through security.
"You don't have to come in, I can get everything myself." George told her as she moved to open her car door.
"Oh…are you sure?" Emily asked. She knew he was more than capable, but honestly she was just trying to stay with him as long as possible. She was glad that he was getting this opportunity, but she couldn't deny the fact that she would miss him immensely.
"I'm sure. You've done so much for me today, Emily. I really appreciate it." George said sincerely.
"George…" Emily started. She looked at her hands to give herself a slight distraction. She couldn't start crying right now. "I don't know what I would have done these past few months without you. It feels like they've flown by, but also like they've lasted forever. I know you helped my mother through everything until the last possible second. I know that you were her best friend, and in another time, another place…I don't doubt that you would have been more than that. You've been amazing to us since you came to work for my mom. I just…could never thank you enough for everything you've done." Emily said as she finally looked up to face him.
"I'm not going away forever, Emily. We'll still see each other. But you've helped me through this time, too. I think together we worked through this. I'm glad you got to reconnect with your mother. You deserved that. I promise you that I'll call you when my plane lands, and that we'll arrange a visit soon." George told her. Emily nodded and hugged him tightly. George got out of the car and got all his things out of the trunk.
Emily opened her door. "Are you absolutely sure you don't want help?" Emily called out.
"Positive, Emily. I'll see you soon." He promised again, that familiar twinkle in his eye. Emily smiled and waved goodbye to him. She waited until she couldn't see him any longer before she pulled out of her parking space and began the drive home. It wasn't very far, she'd be home well before dark.
About halfway home, her phone began to ring. She answered it without looking, focusing most of her attention on the road.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Hey, I didn't interrupt you saying goodbye to George, did I?" Hotch's voice came through. She smiled.
"No, I just dropped him off and I'm actually almost home." Emily told him.
"Oh, good. I was afraid I hadn't waited long enough." Hotch said.
"Everything okay?" Emily asked. She figured it was, he didn't sound worried.
"Yeah, we're fine. But actually Jack wanted to ask you something." Hotch informed her.
"Then why on earth am I talking to you, when I could be talking to Jack?" Emily teased. She heard Hotch chuckle and mutter something like I knew you were always using me for my son before Jack's voice took over.
"Hi Emily!" Jack said excitedly.
"Hi, Jack!" Emily replied. "Your dad said you wanted to ask me something."
"Yeah…well, I thought that maybe…since we're already gonna leave for the zoo really early…if maybe you wanted to come have dinner with me and Dad and maybe stay and watch movies?" Jack asked. Emily grinned like an idiot.
"Like a sleepover?" Emily clarified.
"Yeah! Dad said that was okay if it was okay with you." Jack said.
"Well, you know I can never turn you down. I'll be there in about half an hour, that okay?"
"Perfect! Bye Emily!" Jack said as he quickly hung up the phone. Emily laughed to herself and put her phone on the passenger seat. She was still a little sad to not have George around, but she knew she still had two other men in her life that she could never get rid of at this point, even if she tried.
