Chapter Twenty-Five

She had known saying goodbye was going to be hard, one of the hardest things she'd ever had to face, but she hadn't expected to find herself sobbing in Rossi's bathroom. The reality of leaving them all had hit her when she had hugged JJ and realised she didn't know how long it would be until she could do that again in person. It was probably the wine (Emily was usually much better at keeping her emotions in check) but it had all come pouring out as soon as she'd excused herself to the bathroom. Now, her face was blotchy and her mascara ruined. She managed to clean up most of the damage and reapply her make-up with the reserves she'd put into her bag, but with a group of profilers downstairs, there was no avoiding the reality that she had been crying. Straightening her black dress down, Emily opened the bathroom door.

"How long have you been sitting there?" She asked, when she stepped out of the bathroom to find Morgan sitting at the top of the stairs, waiting for her. He was apparently deeply engrossed in reading whatever information the label of his beer offered because he didn't look away from it when she spoke. Like her, he was peeling the label away, littering Rossi's carpet with it.

"He won't think you for that," Emily grabbed her beer from the side table where she had set it down, swiping at the ring mark it left behind and, pulling a face, hoped Rossi wouldn't notice. She wandered over to where Morgan sat, the carpet warm and soft beneath her bare feet (her heels were still out by the pool somewhere). Sitting down beside him, her shoulder pressed against his, Emily nudged him.

"Hey, talk to me."

He was silent a moment, before he heaved a sigh and turned to look at her. In his huge, brown eyes, Emily saw sadness and she hated herself for it.

"I'm so proud of you, you know," He'd said that before. She'd heard it somewhere before, but she couldn't place it. "I'm proud. You're going off to this big shot job, you're gonna be calling the shots, hell you're gonna have a higher position than Hotch. You're gonna be making waves, Princess, I know it. I just wish we didn't have to lose you for you to do it."

It was Emily's job to rest her head on someone's shoulder and she laced her arm through his, feeling the familiar contour of his muscles beneath his shirt. His hand came up to tangle in her hair, holding her there, and Emily closed her eyes, content to stay a while in this moment, soaking him up and breathing him in.

"I love you, Derek." She told him, softly. He chuckled, low in his chest. She felt the rumble and could see the melancholy smile on his face in her mindseye.

"Yeah, I love you too."

"You're going to come visit me, right?" Emily asked, sitting up and looking at him.

"Princess, you better believe Penelope's already looked up the flights.

Emily grinned. That definitely sounded like their Garcia. "Good."

"I just gotta know, why now?" His voice was soft, but insistent, and Emily could hear the hurt in it. "What's been going on with you? Something's different, something's been up with you. Like, last week? You can't fool me; Emily Prentiss does not box at 6am."

She smiled now, just a little, at that comment, and at how well he knew her. Thinking about her answer a moment, she inhaled deeply before answering.

"Honestly? I've been thinking about it since I got back." The hurt didn't fade from his eyes. If anything, it only grew stronger, but Emily wasn't going to start lying to him again now. "I've told you. It's not anything any of you did. It's just circumstances. Life moves forward and sometime...good things come to an end."

"You know this will always be home, right? Always." His arms were around her in an instant and Emily held on tight. Somewhere along the way, Derek Morgan had become her best friend. JJ was her person, but Derek had saved her life on too many occasions to help and that...it was a bond not even distance would ever break and Emily clung to that as tightly as she clung to him.

"Promise me you'll take care of yourself, Bella. You'll keep up to date with your firearms training and you'll eat well, eat a vegetable and drink some water every now and then. These Brits,you know, they're well known for their fondness of alcohol." Rossi's hands were on her cheeks again and Emily couldn't help but notice the irony of his words as she smelled the alcohol on his breath. She didn't mind it, though, it was oddly comforting, and she expected she smelled just the same. The evening was dwindling and, as he usually did, Rossi had changed the music to something slower and calmer. It had gone from jovial and bouncy to something much more sombre and Emily could hear Vera Lynne's voice crooning out from the record player as they stood on the dec.

"I promise," Emily nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug. Rossi held her tightly and Emily felt her eyes prickle, again. Rossi began to sway and one of his hands moved from her back to grasp her hand. He stretched their arms out and, with a palm on the small of her back, began to lead her in a dance. It was uncomplicated; they barely swayed on the spot. Rossi's beard was a little scratchy on her cheek, but Emily didn't mind. It was nice, to be held like this, and feel so loved and safe. Rossi was, in many ways, the father she had been deprived of for so long. Her heart ached when she imagined having to leave him behind.

"We'll meet again," He crooned, softly in her ear, in time with Vera Lynn, "Don't know where, don't know when..."

Pressing her face into his shoulder as they danced, Emily hoped her mascara tears didn't mess up his shirt.

"We'll meet again, some sunny day."

Emily had to go looking for Spencer. After a very tearful hug with Penelope, she announced that she and Morgan were getting a cab and Morgan said he'd promise Reid he would get him home.

"I haven't seen him for a while," JJ frowned around at them all.

"I'll find him, give me five minutes," Emily said, standing up from where she sat beside the blonde on the sofa.

"The cab's already been called," Hotch replied, shortly. Emily started, gancing at him.

"Alright, then at least let me go get him."

She found him by the pool, along with her discarded shoes.

"Hey, everyones been wondering where you got to. We've all been in the lounge."

He glanced at her when she spoke, and then went right back to staring at the water. His hands were tucked deep into his pockets, his shoulders slumped and Emily thought, for the first time in a long time, about how young he looked.

"You said you wouldn't leave again."

It was almost too quiet for her to hear him speak and, frowning, she moved closer to the younger agent until she stood beside him at the pool's edge.

"What?"

"Last week. The cast in Utah, in the bar. You said you wouldn't leave again."

Emily sighed, deeply. Could that case really have only been a week ago?

"And in the interceding week, I was kidnapped, got a concussion, became Frankenstein's monster, had to get twenty-three stitches and almost died, Reid." She was trying to be lighthearted, but there was no wrankling any humour out of Spencer right now. Sighing again, Emily tried a different tactic. "You have an eidetic memory Reid, but I remember what I said. We both know I never said I wouldn't leave. I told you if I ever went away again, it wouldn't be because of some secret plan. I said I'd never leave you for good, and that's not a promise I intend to break. This isn't like last time, you know?"

Spencer didn't reply. Running a hand over her face, Emily put them to her waist and cocked her hip.

"Spencer Reid," She said sternly, and, like a reprimanded child, he looked at her. "I told you last time that this gave me an ulcer. If I get another one right before I start my new job, I'm blaming you."

That made the corner of his lips quirk.

"Ah - that's a smile! I got you, I'm off the hook!" She pointed at him, grinning. It was reluctant, but his quirked lips slowly spread into a smile. His eyes, though, were still sad.

"You can come visit me in London," She told him, walking towards him and linking her arm through his, steering him back towards the house. In her other hands, her heels dangled at her side. "We can play chess online. Garcia has fancy plans to Skype me into family dinners. It's going to be weird for a while, but you're more adaptable than you think, Spence. You'll get used to it. And I'm not leaving you, not really." She stopped them, turning to face him. Her face was serious now, urging him to understand. "You know that, right? I'm always just at the end of the phone."

Suddenly, he pulled her into a hug. She knew she was his Rossi right now; tall as he was, Spencer's head was buried in the crook of her neck and Emily wrapped her arms tightly around his back.

"And, as for the time difference," She mumbled into his shoulder, "Hell, this job ruined my sleep schedule anyway and you guys will be up all hours of the night. So, don't hesitate if you need me, okay?"

She felt him nod into her shoulder, but needed him to understand how much she meant this, so she pushed him away, holding onto his arms and forcing him to look at her. Emily was an old child; she didn't have any brothers and sisters, at least not by blood, but she thought this was what it must feel like to have a baby brother she needed to take care of. Spencer had turned her into a big sister, and she would always love him for that. "I mean it, Spence," She reinforced, "Anything. I don't want to have to hear things through Morgan, JJ or Penelope, do you hear? Or I'll have to kick your ass."

He nodded again, smiling, his face red, his eyes blinking rapidly. Linking her arm through his once more, Emily led him back through into the house to where everyone else was waiting in the foyer.

Derek pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her off the ground for a moment, before pulling away and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I wanna know as soon as you land, okay?" She could only nod, worried that her emotions would get the best of her.

"Me, too," Penelope embraced her. She was already crying, unashamedly, and that made tears spring to Emily's eyes. "I love you, Emily Prentiss. I love you and I'm going to miss you like crazy. Sergio is going to miss you like crazy."

Emily hadn't even thought about the cat, but that brought a fresh wave of emotion to her.

"Bye, Emily." Spencer said, simply, and he hugged her tightly, once more. When he let her go, he disappeard out of the door without looking back at her, and Emily's heart ached in her chest. As she watched them drive away, Penelope waving frantically out of the window, another car pulled up and JJ appeared in the doorway behind her.

"That's my ride," She said, opening her arms. Emily went into them, willingly, and let JJ hold her a moment, smelling the familiar vanilla of her friends shampoo. When JJ finally let her go, there were tear tracks down both of their faces. "Have a safe flight. Call me, okay? I love you."

"I love you, too, Jayje." Emily replied. JJ still had hold of her hand when she stepped away and Emily felt the loss as JJ's fingertips slipped away from her own. Wrapping her arms around herself, she watched the blonde run to the car, as unable to look back as Spencer had been. JJ couldn't wave, like Penelope had, but she pressed a hand against the car window. Emily waved, though. She waved until she couldn't see the car anymore.

Surprise! I know I said I would update next week but you know I can't help myself. Sorry it's a short one but enjoy.

Stay safe and wash yer feckin hands

Steph x