Emily was finishing packing Ellie's bags. Emily thought that traveling so much might be hard on the toddler, but she needed to do this for work, and with JJ's schedule, they couldn't let her stay with JJ. Lola would be home from her last day of school. Emily was thankful her mom would be able to pick her up. Elizabeth had told her daughter she was coming on the trip. "It's my family business after all." Her mother pointed out. Elizabeth would stay the night at the estate so they could all go to the airport together the next day. Emily zipped up the last bag for the little girl. Will wouldn't be picking up Henry until Monday, Emily felt bad for leaving him, but he was so excited about New Orleans that it barely registered.
Liz and Lola walked in, laughing about something Emily assumed was about her childhood. Emily spotted the large canvas, "What do you have?" She asked.
Lola smiled, "My final for photography." She stated before she flipped it over for Emily to see.
Emily gasped and gently grabbed it from her daughter's hands. It was a collage of polaroids that told the story of their family. The pictures were some Emily had never seen before. They were all candid. The earliest picture was the one of girl's night decorating Lola's room. Emily let the tears fall as she studied each photograph.
"The topic was 'family.' We had to make a project about our families to tell a meaningful story, in any photography medium meant the most to us. Then we had to explain it to the class. I chose to use the first camera you guys bought me. I told of how my father got me into photography, how you guys saved me, loved me. I got an 'A'." She finished proudly.
"I love it. So much. It's beautiful, Lola. Go finish packing. We'll be nonstop for the next two months so get as much as you can in each bag." Emily instructed. Lola ran up the stairs. Emily wandered the house with the collage. She thought about the wall above the couch in the basement, but that area wasn't used often. She wanted it somewhere she could see it every day. She found a spot in the playroom. That room always had at least one person in it. She smiled as she mounted it over the couch.
Emily and Eloise played for a few hours. She walked into her kitchen and saw her mom cooking. "What's for dinner?"
"Ratatouille." Liz answered.
"You haven't made that since we lived in France." Emily joked. "You must be really excited." Emily started as she pulled herself into a bar stool.
"Oh, Emmy, I am. Last time, we were there for my work. But now, we're there for yours so I get to take the kids and have all the fun." Liz winked.
"Yeah, okay. By all means, tote a teenager and toddler through France and try to find something they'll both like. Why do you think I caved and got Lola the international phone plan? So she can use it to not complain." Emily poured herself some wine.
"Hey! I heard that!" Lola stated as she walked into the kitchen.
"Am I wrong?" Emily challenged.
"No, you're absolutely right. Just say it to my face next time." The teen joked. "What're you making, Grams?"
"Ratatouille." Both brunettes answered.
"Cool." Lola said before popping her headphones back in.
"Emily." JJ said when Emily got up the next morning. "I wish I could go."
"I know baby, but it's work. Then our family vacation. And when you add it up, you are away from me way more than six weeks a year." Emily countered as she got dressed.
"But not consecutively!" The blond whined.
"If you get too lonely, party with the BAU. I'll call whenever I can. No ragers. I love you." Emily leant down to kiss JJ sweetly when JJ wrapped her arms around Emily, trapping her.
"You're not allowed to leave." JJ husked.
Emily just unwrapped JJ's arms and laughed, "I love you. You got enough of me last night. Get some rest. I love you. Enjoy the kid free home. Make sure you let Melissa know when you catch a case so they can get the dogs." Emily kissed JJ one last time before heading out into living room to meet the rest of her travel buddies.
"There you are Emily. We're going to be late." Elizabeth scolded. "The driver got Eloise's car seat into the car and the luggage is in the car. Ready?"
"Hold on," Emily paused, "Do we have everything? Lola, did you get all your chargers? Toothbrush? Hair products? Girl products? Camera?"
"Mom. Stop. I've triple checked the list you gave me. Did you pack everything you need? Or Ellie?" Lola challenged.
Emily let the neuroticism melt away. "You're right. Let's go ladies."
Emily grabbed the bag for the plane ride and the group left. "Wait."
"Emily what?" Elizabeth groaned.
"The stroller! You don't want to have to carry Ellie around Paris, do you?" Emily shot back.
"Well, hurry then."
After Emily jimmied the stroller into the trunk, they finally headed to the airport.
They pulled up to the hangar their jet was housed in.
This was the first time Lola really paid attention to her surroundings. "Wait. What area we doing here? Isn't there supposed to be security and a terminal and all that?" She asked.
Elizabeth scoffed, "Lola, dear. Prentiss's never fly commercial."
The statement didn't click for Lola until they parked near the jet. When she did see it, her eyes bulged out of her head, "A private jet? Oh my god!" Emily watched her fumble for something, anything to take a picture with.
The pilot strapped Ellie's car seat into a chair near the front of the jet. She would only need it for take off and landing. The driver and airport staff loaded the luggage into the storage compartment of the jet. Emily had to admit, embracing her family's money had been so convenient.
Emily smiled at Lola as she walked around the cabin taking it in.
"I'm I an heiress now?" The teen asked.
Emily laughed and looked at her, "Kind of, but you're still expected to go to college and make a life for yourself. I already have trusts set up for all of you that you aren't eligible for until you graduate college."
Lola plopped down on the couch with Emily. "Lame." She joked.
Elizabeth joined everyone in the plane, "We all ready?" she asked.
"I think we're good to take off." Emily remarked. She stood and gave Ellie a sucker. "Here, baby. Sometimes planes can make our ears hurt so suck on this and it'll help. Once we get cruising, I can let you out. Okay?"
"Okay." She said happily before popping the sucker in her mouth and returning to the game on her tablet.
As Emily took her set next to Liz she turned to her mother, "You are welcome to spend as much time with the girls as you want, just remember that a jet-lagged 4-year-old might be more of a challenge than you want to deal with."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "I think I can handle it, Emmy. I dealt with you, remember?"
"I know, it's just we'll be traveling much more in a shorter amount of time than you ever did with me. Just be prepared for later." She warned.
"I understand. So, what's the plan for France?" Elizabeth wondered as the plane started to move.
"We'll land in Paris, spend a week there. I know Lola wanted to see it so most of the days there will be to relax and enjoy it. I only have a few meetings there. One too renew a contract, then two more possible business ventures. Then we'll drive Lyon and be there for three days. I only have one business event planned, but it will take all day. Then drive to Monaco, stay for five days. End in Nice for four." Emily remarked.
"Accommodations?"
"Sorted out. Paris and Monaco are houses I've rented for the time we'll be there. Lyon is a hotel. And Nice is where the family villa is, so I've made arrangements to stay there." Emily pulled up the travel plans on her iPad.
"Looks good." Elizabeth remarked. "What were you planning to do for yourself while we're in France?"
"In Paris I have a few things planned for me and Lola. I can show her around, I spent my later teen years there so I'm sure she'd love to see what I did." Emily laughed, "Paris is just really cool. We can figure out new things to do for the time we have. The rest is business. Oh, but I did arrange a little gift for myself while we hop over to Monaco."
"What's that?"
"I have a friend who now runs a rental service for people to take sports cars through racing attractions. I've asked him to save his fastest car for me." Emily smiled. She's always been a fan of fast cars.
Elizabeth laughed, "You're just like your father."
"I am not!" Emily shot back. "I'm much prettier." She finished with a wink.
The group settled in for the long flight. Emily must have drifted off for a little while because she woke up to Ellie crying. Emily shot up and went to check on her. "Ellie, what's wrong?"
"I want out! You all were sleeping but I want out!" She yelled.
"First of all, do not yell at me." Emily scolded. "Second, I'm sorry I fell asleep. Here." She unclipped the girl and walked with her back to her seat. Emily pulled her into her lap. "Do you want to watch a movie?"
"Yeah. I want to watch aliens." She said.
"Monsters Vs. Aliens?" Emily clarified.
"Yeah!" Emily pulled out her laptop and played the movie for them to watch together.
Lola woke up and watched the movie with her sister. It was an eight-hour flight and the girls fell asleep with Ellie curled up on Lola's lap. Emily took a picture before she carried Ellie back to her seat for landing. She woke up Lola for her to buckle up.
Emily sat next to her mother, "A car service will take us to the rental. Tomorrow I'll pick up the rental car."
"You're going to try to drive through Paris?" Elizabeth asked.
"Probably not much, but we'll need for the rest of the trip."
"You call this three bedrooms? It's barely two!" Emily yelled in French at the landlord.
"This is what you booked! It's not my fault you misread the unit's information. The website clearly lists that not all of the available apartments have the same layout." The large man shot back.
Emily growled and Elizabeth stepped in front of her daughter. It was late, they were all tired. She needed to play the diplomatic role, "Sir, we apologize. Travel is not always easy. We will figure this out. Please inform us if any larger units open up while we're here. Have a nice evening."
The man left and Emily set about the apartment swearing in French. Emily tried to keep all the suitcases from exploding as everyone got ready for bed. Ellie and Lola would share the queen-sized bed in one room, and her and Elizabeth would take the room with two twin beds.
The group fell asleep quickly. Emily hoped the rest of their trip would go smoother than it had tonight. Emily rolled over and found comfort from the cities' lights before she fell asleep.