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Riversong Spencer Morgan was born two weeks and a few days after Haley-Esmée, Hope, and Henry, but then Emily blinked, and the next thing she knew, the wedding was just a week away.
And because her life was officially the furthest thing from dull anymore, being one week away from her own wedding and tropical honeymoon didn't come without a dash of drama.
It started with a phone call at dinner from a number that Emily didn't recognize.
"Hello?"
"Is this Agent Emily Prentiss from the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico?" the voice on the other end of the line asked.
A sudden sinking feeling came over Emily, and she sank right into her favorite spot on the living room couch, well aware of her family, a few feet away from her at the kitchen table, where they had been having dinner together, now that the babies were asleep upstairs in the nursery.
"Yes. Who is this, please?"
"I'm Doctor Sasha Cook, director of Pediatrics at the children's hospital in Falls Church."
Emily put a hand over her heart as the name of the city began to bring back memories of their case in Louisiana.
"We've got friends there!"
"Esther Paget and Haper Paget-Alana?"
Emily nodded, but then remembering that Cook wasn't able to see her, she answered verbally. "That's them; are they alright?"
"I'm afraid not—there was a house fire tonight, and they passed away from severe smoke inhalation."
Emily's heart tightened. "How horrible. What about the children?"
"Danielle, Haviva, Helena, and Danielle's therapy dog, Lilo, all made it out, but Danielle is being treated for minor smoke inhalation. Haviva and Helena are being looked after by my best pediatric nurses."
Well, at least there's that, Emily thought. "Is there anything left of the house?"
"Everything is gone."
Emily furrowed an eyebrow. "Then how did you know to call?"
"Danielle had your business card, as well as Agent Jareau's—and it's my understanding that the two of you are engaged?"
"Yes."
"That makes things easier; Danielle has admitted to knowing you two, but she won't elaborate because she's in a mild state of shock."
"Totally understandable."
"Of course. Danielle is also guarding a safety deposit box like her life depends on it, and she even has a chain around her neck with a key on it."
"Is she asking for us?"
"Yes. How soon can you be in Falls Church?"
"We can be out the door to the train station in ten minutes."
"Excellent." Doctor Cook approved. "I'm at Falls Church Children's Hospital—you'll find it. Call me when you and Agent Jareau get here, and I'll escort you to Danielle's room."
"I understand."
"See you when you get here."
The doctor ended the call first and when Emily hung up her own phone and put it in her pocket, she returned to the dinner table but didn't sit down, feeling dazed. JJ immediately abandoned her food and came around the table to meet her.
"What's happened?"
Without any preamble, Emily said, "Esther and Harper died in a house fire tonight."
JJ gasped. "Oh, my God. What ab—"
"I'll tell you when we're on the way to Falls Church; we need to take the train."
Across the table, Caitlín stood immediately. "I'll drop you off at the train station!"
That was all she said before dashing off to get her things and going out to the garage to start her van.
JJ followed Emily to the hallway where they started getting ready to go, but she had one small misgiving and voiced it.
"Emily, I trust you and that you'll explain this whole thing when we're on the train, and I will follow you anywhere, but what about Haley, Hope, and Henry?"
Emily hesitated, but only for a second—they'd never left their babies overnight before, and because of the timeframe, they couldn't afford to go back upstairs and kiss them before they left.
"This will be a test run," Emily told her. "And it's 'drop from the ceiling' circumstances like these that we hired the twins in the first place. The babies love them and will be perfectly fine with them."
JJ found solace in Emily's answer and left with her to the garage, discussing which part of the story to tell Caitlín about who Harper and Esther were.
As it was the time of night where the evening commute was over, Emily and JJ were able to get two tickets to Falls Church with ease, and not only that, but they also had a compartment to themselves.
By the time Emily finished explaining everything, JJ was equally heart-stricken.
"We've got three orphaned little girls; DJ has been orphaned for the second time in her life, and now Haviva and Helena won't ever once remember Esther and Harper! What are we going to do?"
"I don't know," Emily admitted. "But DJ is asking for us. Do you remember when we were learning about Esther's and Harper's backgrounds?"
"Yes, actually."
"There was nothing about their families."
JJ gasped when Emily's point dawned on her. "You mean that you and I are probably all DJ and her darling siblings have left?"
"More than likely," Emily said, raising an eyebrow when she saw her fianceé's expression darken. "And now you're thinking back to what you said about how DJ was ours in another lifetime?"
"Uh-huh." JJ shivered. "Amante, we're getting married in a week—what if the girls are ours by then?"
Emily tried to her best to be optimistic. "We certainly have the room and means to provide for them; Haley, Hope, and Henry will have three new siblings; and our parents will have new grandbabies to spoil."
"DJ's got special needs, and a therapy dog whose breed we don't know. She's also been in shock for awhile, according to Doctor Cook. I can handle all that because we've met DJ before, but can you?"
"Yes." Emily nodded. "This whole thing also means that we could we could be bringing three kids home. It also means that we'd have half a baker's dozen, with all but one of our brood being under the age of three months. We could go grey very early, but Sinéad and Caitlín would have a field day."
"That's true." JJ actually cracked a smile. "Good thing Derek put the finishing touches on the play room last week, huh?"
Emily nodded, thinking of the play room at their house that Derek and Penelope had designed and put together in their house as a wedding present. It was going to be for all of the Prentiss children, as well as any other children that came through their house.
"That's a perk; there are actually age-appropriate things in there that DJ would probably like."
JJ nodded in agreement and then sighed again as she looked out the window at the passing night landscape. "How much longer until Falls Church?"
Emily consulted her watch. "Forty-five minutes."
Awesome, JJ thought. This is going to be the longest train ride of my life.
As per Doctor Cook's instructions, Emily called her and she met the two of them in the main lobby of the children's hospital, and she escorted them up to DJ's ward.
"Your arrival couldn't have come at a better time." Cook told them, speaking in what sounded like relief. "Danielle is coming down from a temper tantrum."
Emily arched an eyebrow. "What brought it on? This has got to be the worst day of her life; a tantrum in this kind of situation could make her hysterical."
Doctor Cook looked through a window in the wall next to where they were standing. DJ was in bed, hooked up an saline IV supply, as well as a nasal oxygen supply, and various other monitoring devices, looking almost as afraid as she had when they'd first met her in New Orleans. The only difference was that she was propped up on her pillows and hugging a Scottish Terrier that was curled up on her torso and chest, extremely still and patient.
"She's in there, and she's been asking for her sisters."
"And why can't she have them?" JJ asked. "She must feel responsible them right now."
"She's already had two panic attacks, and we need her to be calm for at least an hour. Her therapy dog as been a huge help, but it would still help if she had an adult comforting her.
"What's the real caveat?"
Cook nodded towards DJ's bedside table, where her safety deposit box was located. "Her panic attacks were set off because she thought we were going to take her box—whatever is in it, she cherishes as much as her little sisters. You have met her before?"
"It was on a case in February in Louisiana. We looked after her, and she imprinted on us." Emily explained.
"May we see her?" JJ asked.
Cook nodded again. "Yes, and if you can can keep Danielle from having a new episode for the next twenty-five minutes, she can see her sisters."
Emily and JJ thanked her, and as she left, Emily opened her little friend's door.
"DJ-love?" she called gently. "May we come in?"
The little girl turned at the sound of the familiar voice and lit up—or as much as she could bring herself to—at the sight of her friends.
"Emily! JJ!" she beckoned to them as she sat up so her little legs were dangling over the side of her bed. "Please to come sit!"
Emily and JJ sat on either side of her, giving her hugs and kisses, mindful of all she was hooked up to. DJ's little Scottie dog just curled up in her lap, falling into a doze while she waited for attention.
"Sweet pea," JJ cooed, stroking DJ's long silken hair. "We are so, so, so sorry about what happened with your mamas."
DJ rubbed at her eyes and let out a shaky sigh, stuttering slightly as she spoke. "Th-they saved me, Lanie, Viva, and my little chien-love, b-but not th-themselves!"
"We understand how you feel." Emily pressed a kiss to DJ's temple. "We really do."
DJ sat up and looked from Emily to JJ and back again. "Really?"
"Uh-huh, and any time you want to talk about it, we can."
DJ let out another shaky sigh. "That makes me feel a tad better, but is it okay that my heart still hurts a bit about it?"
Emily nodded. "Of course."
JJ motioned towards the canine in DJ's lap. "Who's this?"
A ghost of a smile could be seen on DJ's face as she looked at her dog and rubbed her fur.
"This is Lilo. She is my baby, and she smelled the smoke first."
"What a great dog. Is Lilo healthy?"
DJ nodded, cradled Lilo up in her arms and kissed her on the top of her head. "The firefighters gave her oxygen, and now she is… what's the way to say it? Lilo is j-okay."
"It's a-okay." JJ gently corrected, mentally noting to make sure DJ was given English lessons. "How old is Lilo?"
"Nearly one, and she really helps to keep me calm." DJ kissed Lilo again. "I love her so very much."
Respondent to the kisses, Lilo touched her nose to the chain around her favorite human's neck.
"Is that the key to your safety deposit box?" JJ asked.
"Yeah." DJ put Lilo down and fingered the chain. "It's got all of our precious things in it. Mama Esther and Mama Harper kept it with me, just in case, because I run very fast…"
"Is it alright if I use the key to see what's inside?"
"You won't take anything from me?"
"I won't." JJ promised. "Emily and I only want to look."
DJ gave JJ the chain around her next and watched JJ as she opened the box.
When JJ what was on top, she turned to mush.
"DJ, look." JJ handed the object to her, and the little girl burst into happy years when she saw it. "I think I found something that belongs to you."
It was the giraffe that she and Emily had given to her at the hospital in Louisiana.
"You kept Jemily the giraffe?" Emily asked when she saw what DJ was hugging. "You kept her in the safety deposit box?"
DJ nodded, leaning against Emily, sinking into her hug when she gave her one. "You were my Mama Emily last time, and JJ, she was my Mama JJ; I didn't want to forget."
"That's incredibly sweet." Emily told her. "You were like our baby, and we loved taking care of you in Louisiana."
JJ nodded in confirmation. "That's all true."
Curious, DJ asked her friends a question. "Did you forget about me until today?"
"Nope." JJ told her in complete honesty. "We think of you all the time, especially since we have our babies now. You are our first, in a way."
DJ seemed flattered by that and was about to say something, but stopped as a sudden thought occurred to her.
"You have your babies now?"
Emily nodded. "We have Haley-Esmée Elizabeth, Hope Cassandra-Jean, and Henry James. Would you like to see pictures of them on my tablet?"
Before they'd left the house, Emily grabbed her tablet because she kept lots of pictures on it. During the train ride, she spent a lot of time putting together a mini photo album of their family and friends, just in case DJ wanted to see them.
"Yes, please, but is it okay if I keep cuddling with you?" DJ stifled a yawn. "I-I want to stay awake for Lanie and Viva."
"Of course cuddles are okay, little one. You just hang on a moment."
Emily quickly retrieved her tablet from her purse and engaged in showing DJ the pictures.
As that happened, JJ sat and perused through the rest contents of the deposit box, and her heart became even tighter with emotion when she realized all what she was looking at: Esther's and Harper's wedding photo and their wedding certificate, all of the paperwork pertaining to the lucky IVF round that had helped them conceive Haviva and Helena, all of DJ's paperwork about her adoption, all of the kids' birth and medical records, the family passports, bank statements, Lilo's paperwork and therapy certification, and curiously, a manila folder with hers and Emily's names on it.
Inside the envelope were three sets of documents that seemed very official and an 'in case you're seeing this' letter. By the time JJ finished reading it, she was in tears.
When Emily noticed JJ's face, she asked, "Babe, what is it?"
JJ handed the letter to Emily. "This is from Esther and Harper to us."
Curious, Emily took the letter while DJ decided to show JJ some compassion by climbing into her lap and hugging her; now that her friends were here, she didn't feel as though her world was about to end. Even Lilo put her head in JJ's lap, sensing that she needed some comfort, too.
Seeing that, Emily steeled herself as she began to read the printed letter in her hands.
Dear Agents Prentiss and Jareau,
If you're reading this, then for whatever reasons, Harper and I have died. We know we only met you two the one time in Louisiana, but it's already been a month since then, and DJ has elected to keep her new giraffe in our safety deposit box because she loves it that much and because you two made that much of an impression on her.
You two told us that we ever need anything, to just ask, so here goes: if—God forbid—something happens to Harper and I that prevents us both from providing for the girls anymore, would you take them in and raise them for us? We understand that you have your own family, but Harper and I don't have any blood relatives at all—we've looked.
We really hope you say yes because you two took such excellent care of DJ in Louisiana that we really couldn't think of anyone else we'd want loving and mothering our children. You two are also the closest to friends we've ever had… even if it was just that one time.
It would mean the world to DJ if you took her and her sisters.
We really hope you say yes.
Thank you,
Esther Jean-Marie Paget & Harper Joy Paget-Alana
To make everything official, Esther and Harper had even signed their signatures at the bottom of the letter. Wiping the tears from her own eyes, Emily set the letter back in the folder and reexamined the other documents to find that they were three sets of emergency adoption papers; Esther and Harper had thought of everything.
Just as Emily was about to talk to the other two, there was a knock on the door and when they looked up, they saw that Doctor Cook had returned and that she was looking cheerful.
"Danielle," she said to DJ. "It's been an hour now; do you remember what that means?"
"Viva and Lanie can come visit now?"
The doctor nodded. "Very good; they're out here in the hall with me, and I'm sure that once the nurse and I bring them in, Emily and JJ will help you hold them. Would you like that?"
DJ nodded and immediately moved from Emily's lap to the bed, and even put Lilo on JJ's lap so she'd be able to see things better. After that rearranging, DJ was completely ready.
"Please to see my sisters, Doctor Cook!" DJ said sweetly. "I will be good!"
Haviva and Helena were very easy to tell apart because while they'd been fathered by the same donor, but Haviva had inherited Esther's bright red hair and freckles, having grown in her womb, and Helena had been a resident of Harper's womb, inheriting her classic Hawaiian features, all the way down to her almond-shaped eyes. The babies were positively beautiful.
Both babies, according to their birth certificates, were almost two months old, only younger than Haley-Esmée, Hope, and Henry by a week.
"What do you think, babe?" Emily asked JJ in a soft tone when Doctor Cook had left them to their own devices. "I know we're getting married in a week, but does this mean the girls are ours now?"
JJ glanced down at DJ, camped out between them. With help from a support pillow and Emily's and JJ's own arms, DJ was forgetting her grief and was completely zeroed in on her sisters, making them gurgle happily, especially when she kissed them. DJ also seemed to be equipped not only with tunnel vision, but tunnel hearing, too, because she didn't appear to hear her friends.
"Yes," JJ answered in an equally soft-tone, petting Lilo as she began snoring softly in her lap. "But let's talk about it with DJ in the morning, okay? DJ has had enough drama for now."
"Good point." Emily agreed. "We'll talk about it in the morning."
And with that, they turned their attention back to DJ and the babies.
