Second Ending (Con't)

Pulling her small pink suitcase behind her, Emma slowly walked down the sixth jet way that day. Two connecting flights, plus time spent waiting in airports, had consumed her entire day, and she was tired.

"Not much longer now," she thought to herself as she trudged out into the air conditioning of the Las Vegas airport terminal.

As she walked down the terminal corridor, she thought about the events of the weekend. She had gone to Quantico looking for an answer and she still wasn't sure she had it. The annulment papers were still in her backpack and she didn't know what to do with them. She also didn't know what to tell her father-in-law. Will hadn't demurred when she asked him to draw up the papers, but she could tell he was disappointed.

Emma really liked Will Reid and would like to continue being friends with him, even if she and Spencer did get their marriage annulled. Realistically, however, she knew that wasn't a likely possibility. She had seen all too often what happened when a couple split up. The material goods weren't the only things that got divided up. At least she would have an opportunity to discuss the situation with Will tonight, as he was scheduled to pick her up from the airport. Also, she smiled to herself, hopefully he would take her out to dinner.

"And," she sighed as she continued with her thoughts further. "If Spencer and I do go our separate ways, I will probably lose my friends at the BAU. As Spencer's co-workers, they will undoubtedly feel compelled to stick close to him."

Descending on the escalator leading down to the baggage claim area, Emma looked around trying to spot her maybe soon-to-be former father-in-law. Strange, he was usually waiting for her near the bottom of the stairs. What – Who was that over there with all those flowers? She blinked and looked again as she stepped off the moving steps.

"Spencer?" she blurted out. "What are you doing here?" And, she promptly burst into tears.

"Emma?" Reid wasn't sure what to do as he shifted the bouquet of flowers from one hand to another. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

He put his hand on her arm and gently drew her out of the path of oncoming pedestrians. "Emma?"

"How did you get here? I wasn't expecting you! Where's your father?" the questions quickly followed one another.

"I really messed up," Reid confessed. "And, when I realized it, I talked to Garcia, and then I talked with my father, and then Rossi, and here I am. I hope it's okay?" Everything came out in a rush.

"Oh, these are for you," he appeared to remember he was carrying the oversized bouquet of flowers.

"For me?" Emma questioned as she accepted the flowers.

"I talked to JJ, too," Reid confessed. "And, she said that flowers were a good place to start when you are apologizing."

"There are 13 red roses," he hurried on with his explanation. "One for each year we were – kind of – married, and one white one. That stands for Hope – The fact that I hope you will give me a chance for another year."

"Well, there is always Hope," Emma conceded as she buried her nose in the flowers.

"And," Reid grinned self-consciously. "I'm wearing your gift." He pulled up his pant legs slightly so she could see his shoes. "Thank you!"

"I though you would like them," Emma told him with a sniffle.

"Come on," Reid was gaining confidence. "I have my father's car in the parking garage." He took the handle of her suitcase from her and looked at her expectantly. Emma smiled, nodded her acceptance, and began walking out of the terminal with him.

"Where are we going now?" Emma asked once they were both settled in Will Reid's modest sedan.

"To my father's house," Reid told her. "He offered to fix dinner and leave it on the stove for us. He said you are always hungry when you get off a flight. He is planning on spending the night at a friend's house so we can have his house to ourselves for the evening."

"No – He doesn't have to leave," Emma quickly protested. "Have him stay."

"Don't we need time alone to 'talk'?" Reid questioned hesitantly.

"Not tonight, Spencer," Emma told him. "I am tired and worn out and cranky and this is not the best time for a discussion like that. I'll probably say some things that I'll regret later. Please, let's enjoy a family dinner with your father tonight and then tomorrow morning we can try to sort things out. Okay?"

"If that's what you want," Reid pulled out his cell phone and pushed several numbers. "Dad? Can you join us for dinner?"

As Reid drove the car into his dad's garage, the door leading into the house opened and Will Reid stepped out.

"I heard you pull in," he explained.

"How are you doing, Sweetie?" he questioned Emma as he enveloped her in a hug.

"Tired –wore out – hungry," she told him with a weary smile.

"Well, let's get you inside and get you fed," Will smiled at her. "Then you can spend the night in my guest room. Unless – " he looked hopefully at Reid.

"No," Reid shook his head. "The guest room will be just fine for Emma." He reached into the back seat of the car and pulled out Emma's suitcase. "I'll put this in there now."

"And, I'll find a vase for these flowers," Emma told him, holding up her bouquet of roses. "Is the one from my birthday flowers still around?"

"It's in the kitchen cupboard," Will told her. "Let me get it for you."

"Birthday?" Reid questioned weakly. "Don't tell me I missed that, too?"

"We can talk about it later," Emma told him.

Later that evening, after finishing dinner, the three of them continued sitting around the kitchen table talking.

"This was great – Thanks!" Emma told Will.

"Well, I remembered that you liked my beef stroganoff the last time I made it," he replied, giving her a fond smile.

"I hope you enjoyed it, too, Spencer," he added, looking over at his son.

"Yes – It was great," Reid told him. "I remember you cooking when I was a kid, but I don't seem to remember you making this particular dish."

"It's one of the skills I picked up – after - ," Will hedged his explanation.

"Oh – I just remembered – I have something for you," Emma interrupted. She stood up and headed into the guest room.

A minute later, she was back with an envelope she handed to Will. "I thought you might like this," she told him.

Will carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a picture of Emma in her Amy Pond outfit.

"I remembered you saying that the only picture you have of me is the one the university and the professional journals use in their publications," she told him. "Penelope took this and then printed it out for you."

"Thank You!" Will exclaimed happily. "This will go on my desk at work."

"You know, I don't have a recent picture of you, either," he told Reid shyly. "Or, one of you and Emma together."

They both looked at Emma. "Well, if Spencer can make it, maybe we can take some pictures the next time you have a cook-out," she told Will.

"You have cook-outs?" Reid asked, surprised.

"Well, rarely, but yes," Will replied. "The last time – "

"We invited Bear, Tiny and Double D, and their 'Old Ladies'," Emma laughed at the memory. "The neighbors nearly fell off their front porches staring when the bikes roared down the street and pulled into the drive."

"They were just getting used to my having a daughter-in-law when the bikers showed up," Will added. "After all these years, they are probably starting to wonder about me!"

"They probably suspect that you are having a mid-life crises," Emma suggested as she smiled at him and then yawned.

"Well, gentlemen, as much as I hate to leave you, I think I am going to crash," she announced as she stood up. "See you both in the morning?"

"You can count on it!" Will assured her with a smile. "And, I'll have breakfast waiting for you when you get up."

Emma walked over to place a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thanks," she said. And then, she was gone.

"You know, Spencer, you are one lucky man," Will told his son as they sat looking after Emma. "Emma is someone special."

"However," he added. "You need to be careful you don't try her patience. I'm getting the impression that she is ready to move on with her life."

Reid reached over and lightly touched the photo lying on the table. "You know, I don't have any pictures of Emma," he told his father. "And, I have a picture of Maeve on my nightstand. Until last night, I didn't know how much it upset her."

"Emma isn't one to complain," his father observed. "However, like everyone else, she has her limits."

"How did you know that Emma is always hungry when she gets off a flight?" Reid asked unexpectedly. "What flights have you picked her up from?"

"Most recently?" Will questioned. "About two weeks ago I picked her up when she came back from Carson City after taking her state boards."

"State boards," Reid echoed weakly. "For ?"

"To practice Psychiatry in the State of Nevada," Will told him. "She is still studying for her licensing test for pharmacology."

"I missed that, too," Reid moaned.

"I think she was planning on waiting until after she received her final scores to tell you," Will consoled his son.

"Spencer, I'm lucky because I got a second chance with you," Will continued seriously. "I know you are still mourning Maeve, but you really need to think about what you want for your future or you may not be so lucky. Emma is a great girl, and there are a lot of eligible men out there that she could have her pick of. You need to make a decision."

"I don't know how to do whatever it is I am supposed to do," Reid confessed helplessly. "I've never been good with women."

"Well, from what I remember," his father smiled. "All you really need to know is that you need to make sure she knows that you think she is something special - Make her feel wanted and loved."

"And how do I do that?" Reid looked at his father.

"Just little things," Will told his son. "Call her unexpectedly - Bring her small gifts when you come home – Send remembrances – Let her know you are thinking about her."

"Rossi often brings something back for Garcia," Reid remembered. "And, he also either calls or texts her every night before he goes to sleep. Maybe he can help me."

"That's a start!"

To Be Continued!