A/N

This fic takes place at the end of Season 8 and Emily left just after Foyet's attack at the start of Season 5.

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Chapter 1 : right where you left me

The grief was still very present as the agents walked back into the BAU bullpen. Going back to the offices hadn't been something they discussed or actively decided on, it was just where they had naturally returned to following the funeral. David Rossi had just watched as they buried the woman he loved. The man responsible for it was dead but that was little comfort to him.

Comfort was waiting.

A small amount anyway.

J.J and Reid saw her first. A woman with dark hair, dressed far too casually for the FBI offices in jeans and a light grey sweater. Her back was to them as they entered so they didn't know who it was. Glancing up at her friend, J.J raised her eyebrows but Reid shook his head. He didn't know who it was. The offices should have been empty.

As if sensing their arrival she turned around.

They hadn't seen Emily Prentiss for almost four years and seeing her there, on that day, after everything that had happened was almost a balm to the grief and trauma. J.J, Reid, Morgan and Garcia all stopped dead upon seeing her. They'd worked with her, they'd been friends. She'd been one of them. Alex Blake didn't recognise her but could tell that her being there was a big thing.

The last to see her was Aaron Hotchner and he would later swear his heart stopped.

"Em?" Garcia asked half afraid this was an illusion.

Rossi was expecting Emily. He was the only one who was and carried on walking over to her. He frowned though because as he got closer he could see she was injured. One arm was in a sling, she had a nasty looking cut above her eyebrow and just the way she stood was awkward as if she was guarding her entire body. Reaching out gently, Rossi tilted her head so he could see the bruising along her jaw.

"Curtis did this?" He asked and she nodded.

Morgan stepped forward. Curtis? John Curtis? The man they'd just spent months hunting. The man responsible for Strauss' death?

"Curtis?" J.J asked as alarmed as everyone else at hearing this.

Rossi glanced back to his team and nodded. The others walked over, torn between happiness at seeing her and concern that something had clearly gone on they knew nothing about.

"How long was it exactly that Erin had you watching our backs?" Rossi asked with a small smile.

"She had me investigating the Replicator from the start. I flew out to Texas the day the first victim was discovered." Emily told them. "But it wasn't until after Philadelphia that I came back here full time."

She glanced from Rossi to the others. Her former team, people she'd spent hours upon hours with in the most insane and intense of situations. God she'd missed them.

"She wanted to be sure you'd all be safe." Emily said

Hotch looked away, his jaw locked. He remembered the day he'd got the call about the first murder. The first time the Replicator had copied a crime the BAU had solved. At that point he didn't even know Strauss was aware of it but she had been and she'd sent Emily.

"We had no idea." Garcia said

Emily smiled faintly. "You couldn't. He was watching so you couldn't know I was there."

"How did you find out?" Alex asked Rossi.

"Erin's notes in her home office. She'd written a lot in code but I recognised enough to know who it was she'd contacted for help." Rossi was wistful as he thought of the lengths Erin had gone to.

The idea of Emily and Strauss working together was at first rather ridiculous given their history but the more the agents thought about it, the more it made sense. The BAU was being targeted by a very real threat so who better to help combat it than a former member.

"When did you realise it was Curtis?" Morgan asked unable to keep his attention from her injuries.

"Just before your case in New York." Emily answered. "We were narrowing down the list and knew we were close."

"That's why Strauss came with us to New York." Reid said suddenly. "She knew this was coming to a head."

"She wanted to be close." Hotch agreed with a nod.

"Curtis fit the profile so I went to his office. I thought having a conversation in a government building wouldn't be as risky." Emily said then sighed. "I was wrong."

"Do we want to know?" J.J asked warily.

"I woke up in hospital and it was all over. Curtis was dead." Emily said gravely.

It was what they'd assumed because if Emily had been able to, she would have been working shoulder to shoulder with the BAU to stop the Replicator. Strauss's death had changed things and she'd have gone to them revealing her part in the hunt so she could help in any way she could.

"But you're okay, right?" Garcia said almost pleadingly.

"I'm fine."

Emily dismissed Garcia's concerns far too quickly for Hotch's liking. It was clear that she wasn't okay but didn't want to talk about it. She'd always been like that. Emily had walls that rivalled the Great Wall of China to protect herself. She kept walls up and it had taken so long for him to get past them.

The door swung open and Director Richard Fincher came in. He was the head of the behavioural sciences division and everyone's boss. It was strange to see him there in the bullpen. Usually it was just Hotch who attended occasional meetings three floors above.

"Director Fincher." Hotch said

"Please don't tell me we have a case." Morgan said frowning.

"No, no case." Fincher said

That had happened before. Something awful and traumatic happened and the next moment they be on a plane across the country.

"I've come from meetings and I'm going to another. I just wanted to check in before." Fincher said

Meetings. The higher ups always had meetings after meetings and hadn't been out in the field for months, sometimes years. It meant they could be dangerously out of touch with the agents on the ground.

"Is one of those meetings about who will take over as section chief?" Hotch asked

"It's going to be discussed." Fincher said

He turned as if he was going to leave then looked back to Emily who was hovering a little awkwardly.

"Unless you want the job." Fincher said looking directly at Emily.

There was an audible intake of breath. Shock reverberated around the group. Emily as the section chief? As their boss? Hotch's boss? Was Fincher serious? She'd never indicated any interest in leadership when she was working with them.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding?"

Fincher gave a shrug. "You can't blame me for wanting you safe behind a desk. Less chance of you getting stabbed."

"I don't know, I'm pretty sure I could still manage it." She said

Clearly she had no interest in such a position though Rossi had to admit she would be a good person to have going to bat for them. But he knew she was meant to be in the field. She was one of the most naturally skilled agents and profilers he'd ever met.

"Anything to try and get you out of the field." Fincher said starting to walk to the doors. "Especially after what happened with you and Foyet."

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Thank you for reading.