Time flew by after the closing of the Lauren Applebaum case, and two major things happened.
The first one was that Emily, JJ, and the twins had, with the help of their BAU family, moved into their new house and totally loving it, especially when the neighbors turned out to be very friendly and even helped with the unloading of the moving boxes from the moving truck. After that warm welcome, Emily, JJ, Sinéad, and Calitín already knew that they were home and that when the babies came, everything was going to be perfect.
The second thing was that they blinked and it was time to go to Georgetown for the play, as well as the 'meet the parents' Everyone was looking forward to it.
Because Georgetown was a bit of a ways away from Quantico and because Elizabeth Prentiss loved having a big family again, she spared no expense and not only paid for transportation to Georgetown and boarding at the hotel, but she also paid for chauffeur service to the hotel, as well.
"Well, I could totally get used to this." Caitlín said as the bellhop departed with his cart after he brought their luggage to their fourth-floor suite and unloaded it. "Quite swanky."
It was true: they were at an upscale Marriott Hotel, but their suite alone housed two bedrooms, a living room area, kitchen, and dining room. Both of the bedrooms even had top-of-the-line bathrooms, too. It was no small wonder that Caitlín had made that comment.
"That's a good phrase, pipsqueak," JJ told her sister. "But you're in the wrong room."
Caitlín took stock of her surroundings and realized that she was in the master bedroom, so she quickly excused herself and went to look for Sinéad. Laughing softly at the younger woman's absentmindedness, JJ looked around for Emily and found her sitting in a chair at the writing desk, staring into space with her hands plastered to her beautiful rounded middle.
Concerned, JJ knelt in front of her. "Talk to me, Emily. We've still got time before my parents' train arrives and before Elizabeth returns from her conference."
"Can you believe," Emily smiled at her as she gave her a shaky sigh. "That we haven't told our parents about the engagement yet?"
"I thought we agreed that we were going to wait until tonight to tell them." JJ said quickly.
"That's correct, so don't worry. It's just that I've never been so happy in my entire life, and if I'm this happy now, I just can't imagine how happy I'm going to be when the babies come, or when we finally say 'I do' to each other. Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever get my happy ending, Jennifer."
Emily never called JJ by her actual name unless it was in a formal setting that was of the utmost importance. The fact that she had in this instance meant that this was very important to her and had most certainly been weighing on her mind.
JJ stood and pulled Emily to her feet, holding her in a hug.
"You did get your happy ending, amante," JJ said softly into her ear. "And you got it with me. You made it, and I'm so happy that you're here."
Emily said nothing to that as she buried her head in JJ's shoulder, but JJ knew that those quiet sniffles she heard were Emily getting her emotions out.
"I love you more than words can ever say, Em, and to be honest, up until I had that dream about you and then met you the morning after, I didn't think I'd get my happy ending, either. Yet… here we are…"
Emily took a small step from JJ and looked at her, trying to figure her out. They both had their equal share of demons, but this was the first time she'd heard JJ say anything like that because she was always the confident one.
"Really?" Emily asked, wiping her tears. "You didn't think you'd get your happy ending?"
"Uh-huh. I was the one who found Rosaline, and I'm sure you can imagine that it sent me into a tailspin."
"Babe, you were eleven; I'd be worried if it hadn't."
JJ put her hands on Emily's forearms, wanting to feel her, somehow. "I had a crazy streak for almost two years, but I got myself together before I did anything that cost my parents another daughter."
"Well, that's good."
"Even still, as a teenager and then as an adult, I was in bad relationships for years that left me convinced that nobody would ever want me or that I'd ever had kids."
"What changed?"
"Meeting you, and realizing, just like you did with me that such a thing as joy is possible."
Emily sat on the edge of their bed and held a hand out to her. "Please just let me hold you."
"Of course."
JJ promptly sat with Emily and leaned into her hold, whispering her "I love yous" to the brunette. Emily reciprocated by kissing her on the top of her head and even arching her back to accommodate JJ when she hugged her.
They were both messes and works in progress—then again, who in this world wasn't?—but it was moments like this, when they supported each other unconditionally, that they both knew that they were it for it each other, for now and ever.
In what felt like no time, Emily, JJ, Caitlín, and Sinéad were in the hotel elevator, all of them dolled up and ready to go to dinner at the in-hotel restaurant where Elizabeth was currently waiting, having reserved a private room for them all. Sandy and Rex were still in their suite, although according to a text from Rex, they were going to be a minute yet because apparently, Sandy was experiencing last-minute jitters.
She wasn't the only one, though.
"Seriously, Sinéad," laughed Emily. "Mother may have 'Ambassador' tacked on to her name, but I promise you that she's very normal and very down-to-earth. She'll appreciate your flamboyant ways and wardrobe. She won't even mind that Caitlín is different."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. If anything, she's going to be like a confused puppy."
Sinéad snickered at that descriptor. "What makes you say that, Emily?"
"It's been a very long time since she's had a big family to care for. She's as nervous as you are."
"That actually makes me feel better."
"Good." Emily gave the young woman's shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Mother is going to love you."
At that precise moment, the elevator door dinged and slid open, so the family disembarked and headed through the lobby to the restaurant. When they entered, they headed straight for the back room where Elizabeth was in a chair at the dining table in the middle of the room, staring out of one of the nearby windows, looking lost in thought.
"Mother?"
Elizabeth turned at the sound of Emily's voice, and when she saw her, she lit up at the sight of her and her family.
"Hello, Emily!"
Careful not to trip over the skirt of her own dress, the ambassador stood and hugged her. She didn't notice Emily's engagement ring yet, but that was because she was fussing over the size of Emily's belly, which had really blossomed since the last time they'd seen each other. Surprisingly, but only because they'd been active just beforehand, when Emily tried to get Henry and Hope to kick or move, they were both sound asleep.
Haley-Esmée wasn't, but go figure.
"Oh, I think I felt a kick in there." Elizabeth said in delight as she withdrew from hugging JJ. "Who was that?"
"You most certainly did feel a kick," JJ laughed, rubbing her bump as her daughter continued to show off. "But nobody outside of Emily, Sinéad, Caitlín, and I will be finding out anything like names or genders until all we're all here."
Realizing that they were being talked about, Sinéad and Caitlín both made their way forward and introduced themselves to Elizabeth even remembering to thank her for the gifts she'd sent them at Christmastime. The ambassador was immediately charmed by them, and had no trouble telling them apart, what with Sinéad in a semi-formal green cocktail dress and Caitlín in a short, but definitely formal steampunk-style dress that was indigo in color. Caitlín's hair was even a deep violet tone, and that really seemed to make the frames of her black glasses pop. There had never been a clearer textbook example of the girls being the same, and yet so different from each other.
The twins eventually grew comfortable with Elizabeth and sat down with her at the table. Emily joined them and JJ made to, but stopped when she got a feeling that she should go check for her parents.
She found both of them over by the restaurant entrance, surveying the room for signs of their people.
"Oh, Jenny." Sandy sighed happily as she all but glided over to them in the new olive-colored wrap dress that she had bought just for this occasion. "You look so radiant tonight. Just radiant."
"You really do." Rex added.
JJ blushed spectacularly because she knew she looked good, all made up as she was, but with her parents' compliments, she had to work extra hard not to spill any of the secrets that she was keeping quiet.
"Thank you." she told them as she gave them both hugs. "You guys look great, too."
Sandy and Rex grinned at the compliment because although he made enough money through his book royalties alone to afford whatever they wanted and she had picked out their fancy attire for tonight, they were both still as nervous as the twins had been earlier because while they already loved Emily like their own, they were moments away from meeting her mother, and that was a completely different level.
JJ read their minds. "It'll be okay. Come on—Elizabeth is really looking forward to meet you two."
Sandy and Rex followed JJ to the back room, and the second they entered, Sinéad and Caitlín got up and hugged their parents, a thing that they'd both been really been wanting to do since the abductions and Caitlín's hospital stay.
When Sandy noticed Caitlín's medical ID bracelet, she asked her about it. "So you finally got yourself a bracelet, eh, darling? I hope it wasn't for anything too drastic."
Having previously elected with her sisters and Emily to not tell anyone outside of the BAU family about the situation that had earned the bracelet, Caitlín opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out.
Emily came to the rescue and after a quick hug to her future parents-in-law, she said, "Caitlín had a little spill, but now she's all healed up and perfectly fine."
"Perfectly fine." Caitlín echoed. "Jenny's and Emily's friends also helped out, but my boyfriend bought me the bracelet, actually."
"Caitlín Murphy!" Rex exclaimed almost immediately. "How did you get a boyfriend already?"
Embarrassed, Caitlín stomped her foot when she realized her gaffe as Emily leaned over to JJ and whispered, "Her middle name is Murphy? What's the story there?"
"I'll tell you another time." JJ whispered back. "Let's get the rest of the introductions done and tackle the agenda, hm?"
Once they got the twins to sit back down, JJ and Emily presented Sandy and Rex to Elizabeth. They hit it off with Elizabeth right away, and it was plain to see that a new friendship was forming already.
JJ and Emily were very relieved.
After dinner had been ordered, Rex had a feeling of déja vù when he looked over at JJ and Emily.
"The last time you two were acting squirrelly like this, it was almost Christmas and you were about to tell us about the babies. What is it this time?"
Cheekily so, Sandy tossed her two cents in. "It isn't what Caitlín guessed, is it?"
"Which was what?" Elizabeth asked curiously, gently swirling the white wine in the wineglass she was holding.
"She guessed that they'd run off and eloped."
"Well?" Elizabeth looked over at the FBI agents. "Is that what you have to tell us now?"
"Don't encourage her!" JJ told her own mother.
"It isn't that!" Emily put emphasis on the last word.
Their answers had been in unison, causing titters from the others.
"Then don't leave us hanging, Little One." Elizabeth told Emily, having no shame about embarrassing her in front of the others. "Out with it."
"Well," she began. "For starters, we're engaged now, but we haven't settled on a date yet. All we know is that it'll be in the summertime."
Of the parents, Rex and Elizabeth were speechless (out of joy), but Sandy spoke up, wanting to know something in particular.
"We're all so happy for you two! Have you gotten rings yet?"
JJ was the one to answer this. "Yes, and not only is the one I gave Emily a family heirloom, but the same goes for the one she gave me."
JJ and Emily proudly showed off their engagement rings for their families, their hearts filling with love as they watched their parents turn to goo upon registering the importance behind the rings and just how special of a feeling it was to see them worn.
"And…"
JJ wanted to continue because she felt it important that she be the one to say the next part, but the words got caught in her throat. This whole meeting was one of the biggest turning points of her life, and it was all of a sudden extremely real. Even Caitlín and Sinéad didn't know the next announcement.
"It's okay, Jayje." Emily told her gently as she gave her a back rub. "You can do it."
JJ sat up straighter when she heard the support in her fiancée's voice. "This was even a surprise to Emily the first time I said it, but when we do tie the knot, we aren't going to bother with hyphenating our names because I am going to be known as Jennifer Amaryllis Mae Prentiss after that day."
After the heart-to-heart chat they'd had with Emily on Christmas Eve, Sandy and Rex had already been half-expecting this, but they were happy to hear it, nevertheless. Caitlín and Sinéad were simply in orbit, and Elizabeth was a tad misty-eyed, although on the inside, she was quickly turning to mush.
"Really?" setting her glass down, she turned to JJ, who was in the chair next to hers. "You would do that?"
"Yes, I would and I'm going to. Emily is my family now, and so are you."
"Thank you, dear." she patted her hand affectionately, understanding the deeper meaning of JJ's words. "Thank you."
There was a few beats of silence and then from across the table, Caitlín blurted, "Jenny, will you and Emily tell them the next bit, please? We've been waiting all day!"
Sinéad launched what sounded like a "Mind your manners!" comment at her twin in Irish before turning to JJ and Emily to say in English to them, "She isn't wrong, actually. We really want to see that they're going to say when you tell them everybody's names."
"Well," JJ chuckled, looking over at Emily. "Looks like it's your turn, amante."
Emily faced the others. "We found out last week that we're expecting two baby girls and a little baby boy, and we have their names picked out."
Elizabeth, Sandy, and Rex were now in a collective hush, already hanging on to Emily's every word.
"JJ is carrying one of our daughters, and Sinéad and Caitlín get credit for this name, but it's Haley-Esmée because she's named after two dear friends of ours."
"Does she have her full name yet?" Elizabeth wanted to know.
"Funny you should be the one to ask: we're calling her Haley-Esmée Elizabeth, and the Elizabeth part is for you."
"Oh, wow. I'm deeply touched, and I do hope I get to meet Haley-Esmée's namesakes."
"They're definitely on the guest list for the wedding, so you'll see them there."
Elizabeth took a sip of her wine. "What is her sister's name?"
Emily turned to Sandy and Rex. "This one will be meaningful for you two."
"How so?" Sandy inquired.
"She's camped out right here," Emily glided her hands over the lower part of her bump. "But this is Hope, and we're naming her after your grandmother because of how important she was in your life. Hope's middle name is Cassandra-Jean… for you."
Predictably, Sandy was a puddle, just as Elizabeth had been earlier, and she was literally at a loss for words. Rex was the one left of the trio who still had a handle on their composure.
"What is Haley-Esmé's and Hope's brother to be called, then?" he asked Emily.
"Henry James, after my dads. I never met one and lost the other, so it just seems right."
Rex understood. He knew that Emily saw him as a father figure, but also that she literally exist or be alive without Henry or James. Back home in Pennsylvania, he and Sandy kept long-lasting prayer candles lit in remembrance of the ones they'd lost along the way. After their talk with Emily at Christmas and taking her under their wing, it had been his idea to keep candles lit for Emily's dads, too.
"It is, dearheart. It is."
Elizabeth suddenly remembered how to talk and stood, beckoning to Emily and JJ. They both joined her and let her hug them.
"Thank you." she whispered to both of them, feeling as though a huge weight had just been lifted off her chest. "Thank you for everything. I love both of you so much."
"We love you, too." they told her in unison.
And they did because both Emily and JJ now knew that after everything that had just happened in that last fifteen minutes, the best was yet to come.