"So what do you want to do for your birthday?" Emily asks as they walk in the door that night.

Violet frowns as realization hits her.

"You forgot your birthday?" Emily raises an eyebrow.

"Been a little preoccupied, Mother," Violet replies, kicking off her shoes.

"Well preoccupy yourself with your birthday," Emily tells her.

"Why?" Violet makes a face, heading for the stairs. "Let's just do what we do every year: have a huge party with my scads of friends."

She rolls her eyes and Emily tilts her head.

"Vi," she says, somewhere between sad and stern.

Violet exhales, one hand on the bannister as she reaches the stairs to turn and look at her mother.

"What? It doesn't matter. We can just go out and get our nails done or go shopping, have dinner. What we always do."

The look on her mother's face tells Violet that she's not being very clear.

"Don't be upset," she tells her mother, her head tilting in sympathy. "I've always loved spending my birthday with you. I love going shopping and having the whole day to do whatever I want. I just mean we don't have to make a big deal out of it."

Emily licks her lips and nods slowly.

"Alright," she replies, nodding.

Violet gives her a second look before heading up the stairs.

"Oh, I'm going to school tomorrow," she adds, as she's halfway up.

"What?" Emily demands with surprise.

She hurries over to the stairs to look up at Violet.

"Yeah. I should, y'know? It's time," she shrugs, as if this isn't a big deal.

"Honey," Emily begins, taking a step up one stair.

"Really, Mom," Violet assures her. "I can't stay home forever. I mean, I actually thought I was about to die today when we heard that car backfire. I thought it was a gunshot... But being out also made me realize how long I've been living on the couch."

Emily chews her lip, considering Violet.

"Okay," she nods after a moment. "I think that sounds good."

Violet nods and starts up the stairs again, so Emily steps back down onto the hardwood and walks towards the kitchen island.

She waits until Violet's music starts playing before she takes her cell phone from her bag and dials.

"Hey," JJ answers.

"Hey," Emily replies, feeling antzy. "So, Vi's going to school tomorrow."

"That's great," JJ replies happily. "When did you guys decide that?"

"She did. Just now," Emily answers.

"And yet you don't sound thrilled," JJ replies quietly.

"No, I am, I'm just..."

She exhales deeply.

"I think I'm...scared," Emily confesses.

"Who wouldn't be? Sending your kid out of your sight, out of your care, for an entire day after something like what you two went through happens? Of course you're scared."

Emily feels slight relief.

"But I think it's for the best. The fact that you got her out of the house today and now she wants to go to school? She knows she has to do this, even if she doesn't want to. Kid's got some serious guts."

"I'll say," Emily murmurs, biting at a cuticle.

"Stop chewing your fingernails," JJ says knowingly.

"You're becoming quite the profiler, Jareau," Emily replies dryly.

"What can I say, I have great teachers," JJ replies with a smile.

After a moment of quiet, JJ goes on.

"Look, it's normal to be nervous. You'll probably feel anxious all day tomorrow. But everything's gonna be fine. She'll probably have fun, hanging out with Matthew all day, and it'll be good for you to be back at work. I could tell you missed it."

"I really did," Emily admits.

She takes another breath.

"Thanks JJ," she breathes.

"Anytime. You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Emily brushes it off, used to acting immovable in front of people. She softens, remembering it's JJ. "I'm sure I'll feel a lot better after tomorrow's done with."

"You're a mother," JJ replies, amused. "I don't think you ever really lose that worried feeling."

"That would explain my 15-year-long nausea," Emily mutters.

JJ laughs.

"Alright," Emily says. "I'm gonna go make her hang out with me all night."

"I'm sure she'll love that," JJ chuckles.

They hang up and Emily heads upstairs.

"Hey," she wanders into Violet's room. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure I have everything ready," Violet murmurs, stacking school books on the floor.

"You tell Matthew yet?"

"No, but I will," Violet replies, flipping through a binder. "He sends me nightly texts saying, 'See you tomorrow,' with about 16 question marks after it."

Emily grins, sitting on Violet's bed.

"Plus we're supposed to start this group project in history, and I want to be there to see who my partner is, and I have a math test on Friday... I gotta get my life together."

"You sound like you're 40," Emily laughs, picking up the stuffed giraffe Violet's had since she was three.

"Is this how 40 feels? Infuriating and confusing and exhausting?"

Emily makes a face. "Sometimes I forget how old I am," she mutters.

"Well, you're only as old as you feel, right? Isn't that what Grandma says?"

"In that case, I'm 25 and so is she."

Violet laughs, stuffing as many books as she can into her school bag.

"Come here," Emily says, leaned against the pillows with her arms out.

Violet frowns. "What's wrong with you?" she asks suspiciously, as she slowly walks towards the bed.

"Just indulge my mothering for a few minutes," Emily tells her, moving her hands to hurry Violet up.

Violet hops onto the bed and Emily hugs her to her, leaning them into the pillows.

"I love you, y'know," she murmurs.

"Had a hunch," Violet replies, actually grateful for the moment to forget about acting tough and sink into her mother's protection for a moment.

They're quiet for a moment as Emily strokes her hair and Violet rests her head against Emily's shoulder.

"Please let me know how you're doing," Emily asks quietly. "Throughout the day."

"I will," Violet promises.

Violet picks up the stuffed giraffe, Richard, and curls herself smaller into her mother's embrace.

"I'm proud of you," Emily tells her.

Violet glances up at her and Emily grins.

"For deciding by yourself to go back," she goes on, as Violet lies her head down again. "Basically for being a stone-cold badass, like your mom."

Violet laughs.

"Oh yeah? Do you feel like you're about to throw up whenever you do something that shouldn't be scary?"

"Who says this shouldn't be scary?" Emily asks.

Violet shrugs.

"I feel scared a lot more than I ever let on, let's just put it that way," Emily confesses.

"You never let on," Violet corrects her, but then remembers her mother in that hangar and at the hospital. "Well, sometimes. But I mean, not typically."

"I'm scared all the time, of something happening to you," Emily admits.

Violet lets this sink in. She's never really thought of things like that. Emily squeezes her a little tighter.

"What's the worst that could happen? Kidnapping? Done. Held at gunpoint? Done. Laid up in a hospital with a knife wound and multiple other injuries? Checkmate."

Emily shakes her head, letting out an amused chuckle.

"You're deranged," she says, kissing Violet's head.

Violet grins. "I have a great teacher," she replies. "I've learned all of my crazy from her."

"You must mean my mother," Emily says.

Violet sits up and looks at her. "Oh, no," she replies, feigning a straight, serious face. "I meant mine."

Emily tickles at her ribs until Violet shrieks and her body jolts away.

They settle down again into their joint positions.

Violet's phone buzzes.

"Who is it?" Violet asks.

Emily cranes her neck to see.

"Michael Fassbender," Emily replies.

"That is a cruel, cruel joke," Violet shakes her head.

"He's also about 20 years older than you," Emily reminds her. "Can't you pick an age-appropriate crush?"

"I would, if the world had any to offer me," Violet replies dryly, reaching blindly for her phone. She finds it next to Emily. "Unfortunately only boneheads and douchebags my age are paraded in the media. Until someone decent appears, I'll stick with my gorgeous Irishman. Hey, you should support my love for an Irishman."

"Why?" Emily frowns.

"Uh, because you almost blew a disc in your vertebrae trying to ogle one this afternoon," Violet replies, sitting up and looking Emily in the eye.

Emily rolls her eyes, shaking her head as she moves to roll off the bed.

"Oh, come on," Emily scoffs.

Violet taps her phone to read Matthew's text message, laughing.

"Mom. Seriously."

Emily turns to look at her from the doorway.

Violet tilts her head, raises an eyebrow.

It's a standoff for a moment until Emily finally rolls her eyes and takes a breath, acting annoyed.

"Alright, fine. Yes. James is an attractive guy," she finally admits.

"Attractive?" Violet repeats, staring at her like she's crazy. "Did you even look into his eyes? It was like the first time I walked into a Sephora. Just...magic."

Emily laughs.

"He's very good-looking, yes," Emily nods. "But he's probably a jerk."

"Why?"

"The last time I dated a peer with an accent and a gun..." Emily begins, raising her brow.

"You were bestowed with a magnificant gift," Violet finishes for her, her palms raised as she gestures to herself.

Emily laughs.

"Yes. I was," she nods. "And I love that gift more than I ever have or ever will love anything. But my point is that that man was an arrogant asshole. Not dating material."

"I dunno," Violet replies, tilting her head. "I think he seems really nice."

Emily takes another breath, feigning exasperation.

"Are you hungry yet?"

Violet looks up from Matthew's text.

"Yeah, can we get pizza or something?" she asks before typing a message back.

"Mmm, Thai?" Emily counters.

"Greek?" Violet puts in hopefully.

Emily squints for a moment at her.

"Deal," she gives in. "Give it 20 minutes."

She starts to leave the room.

"We have a bunch of episodes of Downton Abbey to catch up on," Violet calls out, reminding her.

"Oh, I know," Emily assures her. "Twenty minutes or I'm starting without you."

"You wouldn't dare," Violet replies in a shocked whisper.

Emily widens her eyes at her teasingly and heads down the stairs.